Markus huffed a laugh, arranging those long legs of his into a comfortable position and shutting the door. He buckled, reaching over to take Nikolas' hand and give it a quick squeeze. "'S like you're projectin' your whole ass thoughts, Niky. What's on your mind?"
My Other Half // PRIVATE with Crocs
group
Nikolas looked up at Markus with a tired and apologetic smile. "Just…concerned. About what Jay said. If he really does mean it…" He ran his free hand through his hair, tugging slightly. "It could ruin me, Markus. And not just my reputation. I mean I could go to jail. I can't…I can't go back. I can't do that again…" His voice tapered off, eyes unfocused. He wasn't worried about the prison itself, but the memories it'll drag up.
"Hey, hey hey hey." Markus tugged on his arm, pulling him over just a bit so he could look at him better. "Ya won' be goin' t' jail, alright? He's all bark, no bite. An' even if he did decide he was up t' tryin' his hand at gettin' ya arrested, I'll just have a talk with him." The way he said talk gave the word the impression of air quotes, but there was a surety to his voice that was almost comforting.
group
Nikolas looked up at Markus when he pulled him over with his arm, snapping back into reality. He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it and shook his head, briefly leaning his head on Markus' shoulder. "Alright, alright. Thanks, Markus." He wouldn't bitch about the implication of a fight, too grateful for the other boy's protectiveness to bother.
Markus leaned his head on top of Nikolas' for a moment, squeezing his hand. "Any time, darlin'. I got your back, no matter what." He promised, giving Nikolas' hand one more squeeze before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Now, ya ready t' kick ass one more time, so we can go get somethin' t' eat?"
group
Nikolas chuckled and sat up straight. "Yeah, alright. I should hurry up before you try to eat me." He put the car in gear and pulled up to the staring line, reluctantly letting go of Markus' hand. He looked over at the other racer, who was clearly just happy to race him. Greyson looked at them both and mouthed "Bet?" Nikolas looked to the other racer, who shook his head with a smile. Not this time. Both drivers have Greyson a thumbs up, and the man returned them with two of his own, then backed up. He hyped up the crowd while the ravers revved their engines and got in the mode.
Markus straightened in his seat, running his hand over his head as he watched the exchange. His expression was sort of giddy, which was strange for him, lips pulled up into an excited grin. "I wouldn't eat ya. Not in public, at least." He added, along with a suggestive, though joking, wink in Nikolas' direction. He was getting a bit more confident with Nikolas, and teasing him, that much was for sure.
group
(Temporary gender swap, it would seem)
Nikolas' lips twitched up as he fought his grin, teeth clamping down on his bottom lip. "Shhh, I'm trying to concentrate, ya dork," he murmured, eyes glued to Greyson's hands. He mouthed the non-existent countdown, saying "one" just as Greyson's hands went down and he locked up. Both cars shot forward, though Nikolas was just a second faster.
((ghdsjkds my brain was on another character))
Markus snorted, but kept quiet. Until they were starting, at least, which was when he let out a small yelp at the sudden speed. Somehow, despite the knowledge that he was sitting in a car built for racing, waiting for a race to start, he hadn't quite expected it to be that fast. "Holy shit."
group
Nikolas chuckled, still focused on the road. "You're saying that now," he said with a smirk, "Just wait 'til I build up speed and get to the turns." He wouldn't use the shortcut for this race, not with Markus in the car and him going against someone just in it for the bragging rights—he had heard it was a privilege to race against him and come close to winning a while ago, so he made it a point to give them that privilege when he was in the mood for it.
“Jesus Christ almighty.” Markus mumbled, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. “I’m gonna die in here, ain’t I? This was all some elaborate plot t’ kill me.” He rambled, entirely joking but sounding actually serious. In all actuality, he was having fun. It was like thrill seeking, if just a tiny bit safer because he was with someone who knew what they were doing.
group
Nikolas grinned and went with it as the car sped up, halfway down the straightaway. "Indeed it is, Agápi. This whole time I've seduced you just to kill you." He rolled his eyes, moving his hand from the gearshift just enough to lightly flick Marcus' leg. "Drama king."
"God, I knew it." Markus huffed, throwing his hands up even while grinning. "You're right, I am a king. Tha's exactly what I am. O' drama or not." He said, catching Nikolas' hand to give it a squeeze before releasing it. "This is kinda fun, t' be completely honest."
group
Nikolas hummed knowingly just before he reached the first bend. His eyes were focused but gleaming as he smoothly drifted, hands flying to maneuver the car around the bend without needing to lose speed. The tail end swung slightly as he righted, and he glanced at the rear-view mirror to see the other car doing a less elegant drift but still pulling it off. Better than Jay. Gotta give the kid props on that.
Markus let out a noise, pressing a hand to the side of the car door as though that could steady him that much. "Fuck." Was all he said, grinning wildly. It was becoming almost common place for his eyes to be something other than dull, with Nikolas around. He'd finally found something that gave him life, without even meaning to. "That kid ain't bad."
group
Nikolas shot a mock glare at Markus, then refocused on the road. God, how am I even in the lead with this guy distracting me? "Yeah, he is," he said, winding through the abandoned town, shifting gear when needed. He just wanted this all done with so he could, firstly, properly get Markus fixed up, and then go eat with the Texan before he really did try to bite his head off from starvation.
"But you're better." Markus added, turning his grin on Nikolas. Something they passed caught his eye a moment later though, and he returned to watching the scenery race by them, the throbbing in his jaw forgotten as he focused on the excitement from the race, and from watching the world outside the car pass by so quickly.
group
Nikolas smiled at the addition, then focused back onto the race when Markus seemed to notice something and went back to staring out the window. It wasn't long before he was turning again, returning halfway onto the straightaway and picking up speed. "I'm gonna warn you now," he murmured, catching sight of the other car hot on his tail in his rearview mirror, "My little spectacle at the end is kinda jarring if you're not ready for it."
"What kind o' jarring?" Markus asked, after listening to Nikolas. He turned back to him, brows furrowed and a slightly worried frown in place on his face. "Niky, what the hell are you gonna do, crash the goddamn car?" He narrowed his eyes at the boy across from him, suspicious about what was going to happen that was big enough he'd need to be warned.
group
Nikolas rolled his eyes. "I better not fucking crash her," he grumbled, then reached up and patted the dash as if reassuring the car he wouldn't do such a thing. "No, you loveable dumbass, I'm not going to crash the car. Y'know the thing I did when I finished my last race, with Jay?" He glanced over at Markus and reached out, fingers rubbing the corner of the male's mouth as if trying to rub away that frown. "Sharp turn and slide to the side 'til I stop. Can throw ya 'round a bit."
Markus crossed his eyes in an attempt to look down at Nikolas' finger, suddenly opening his mouth and shifting forward. He closed it again, lips gently entrapping one of the other boy's fingers, blinking as he sort of realized what he'd just done, the full realization not quite hitting him.
group
Nikolas blinked in surprise when he felt Markus' lips around his finger, glancing over at him. He looked back to the road, gauging the time he had before he had to end this thing. Not long. Guess he'd have to react quickly. Nikolas gently freed his finger, though he didn't go far. He twisted his hand and grasped the boy's bottom lip between his fingers, giving it a light tug with a slow smirk drifting over his own lips, silver eyes still on the road. Just a few more seconds. He brushed his thumb over Markus' lip, then let go.
Just in time. Nikolas hit the brakes and yanked the wheel to the side, hand dropping to the gear shift as he slid to a stop in the grass, kicking up dirt but not getting out of control. The other car's tires squealed as the other racer came to a stop as well, doing it the old fashioned and less spectacular way. Nikolas sighed and slumped back into his seat, glad it was over with.
Markus just barely managed to brace himself, still flustered and shocked. Both from Nikolas grabbing his lip, and his own strange action just a moment ago. As Nikolas hit the brakes, he grabbed onto the nearest stable thing he could, letting out a soft yelp even while grinning. The yelp turned to a laugh as they came to a complete stop, and he shook his head, dragging a hand over his scalp. "Jesus Almighty, Niky. Felt like near crashin', for sure."
group
Nikolas flashed a grin in Markus' direction. "But did you die?" he teased, crossing his arms over his chest. He saw the kid in the other car get out and wave to him in thanks and greeting, smiling from ear-to-ear despite his loss. Nikolas smiled back—though it wasn't nearly as bright as the grin he gave Markus—and waved. He ignored the piercing gaze he felt from Jay and refocused on Markus, that grin gone but resurfacing on his lips once again like a ghost, there but not.
"Luckily, I didn't." Markus said, snorting. A little while ago, he might have replaced the word luckily with something along the lines of 'sadly'. "This's been fun'n all, but watcha gotta do t' get us outta here? I'm hungry, and wanna spend some time with ya 'fore I gotta go t' work."
group
Nikolas rolled his eyes with a chuckle, saluting to Greyson as he got the car ready to leave. The other man waved and ushered him out as he directed both foot and automotive traffic. Nikolas was quiet as he slowly drove the car through the lot to leave. It didn't take long, and soon enough, they were on their way to a simple family-owned business that had hella good food.
Markus settled back down as they drove, slumped comfortably in the seat as he watched Nikolas. He didn't say anything for a bit, just watched him. Watched his face, his smile, the focused expression. Markus had to admit, Nikolas was….sort of beautiful. Though it wasn't like he hadn't already known that. It was just a matter of coming to terms with it.
group
"You're staring," Nikolas commented after a stretch of comfortable silence, not bothering to look over at the boy next to him. His smile grew some, and he idly rested a hand on the gear shift between them. Markus was… something else, definitely. He had been a target of Nikolas' wrath for who knows how long, something he regretted—but he never ran. He always held his ground and stuck around, even if they both hated each other. Nikolas had been drawn to Markus for some reason, and then their mating bond had been revealed, and that hatred had been turned on its head. Nikolas was still drawing to Markus, but for a different reason. He was still fearing rejection due to Markus' upbringing and teachings of how homosexuality should be viewed, but he was growing more and more comfortable with the other male, even if it remained as a friendship.
"Can' help it." Markus mumbled, cheeks flushing at being caught. And, you know, the admission to finding it nearly impossible to not look at the boy sitting across from him. But there was just….something about him, now that Markus could look at him without finding himself bruised and bleeding. Something sort of incredible, if something he couldn't quite place. "Sun makes your eyes sparkle. Like uh-kinda like hematite, really."
group
Nikolas grinned as he looked over at Markus, absolutely adoring that blush he saw. "Uh-huh," Nikolas hummed, angling his head knowingly as he looked Markus up and down, then darted his gaze to the road before he crashed. "While I appreciate the compliment, I have a feeling that's just an excuse for you staring at me—not just my eyes." Nikolas looked over at the blushing boy next to him, smile turning more warm than amused. "I would say that it's the same for me, but I'd rather do without the bruises and blood." He frowned and scanned Markus again, then back to the road his eyes went. "I know you're getting grumpy about food, but we're stopping so we can get you cleaned up better before I unleash you to the public."