Shower Duet//OxO//CLOSED

Nikolas grabbed his other pop tart and took a bite from it, leaning against the counter as he mulled over what'd he'd do at the studio. It was kinda weird, going to a new studio with people he didn't really know. He's gone to one before, long ago, but then he moved—again—and didn't go to one since then. It seems now would be different. He smiled when he got Atlas' reply and texted back almost instantly.
always for you

Text me when you miss me ;)
Nikolas was just planning on some mandatory grocery shopping, as he was running low on stock and kinda wanted some food. Just then, as he was getting ready to walk out the door, he got a text.
Meet me at that cafe. We need to talk.
His mood instantly soured, and he left them on read. He grabbed the keys to his Challenger and walked out the door, the rest of his pop tart stuck in his mouth as he turned around to lock the door behind him.

Nikolas turned around and nearly ran into Atlas as his phone buzzed in his pocket. His eyes lit up, thoughts of the other person gone from his mind as he took the pop tart out of his mouth and smiled, walking in-line with his neighbor. "Hey stranger," Nikolas greeted, looking down at Atlas and nibbling on his remaining breakfast.

"Better now that I can see the face behind the texts," he teased with a grin, hiding the flicker of anger and anxiety beneath that mask from who he was about to meet after this. "How 'bout you?" His eyes flicked up to that adorable pastel color of the other male's hair. He's got a soft spot for guys with light-colored hair for some reason. Perhaps because it made them look cuter.

Nikolas looked away so the darkening silver of his eyes didn't give anything away as he calmly said, "Meeting an old foster brother. He wanted to talk, I guess. Shouldn't take too long." He didn't look particularly thrilled about the arrangement, but he didn't look angry either. Apathetic was more like it, even if his blood simmered at the very thought of what Jay wanted.

Nikolas looked down at Atlas and smiled, pushing thoughts of his former foster brother out of his head. "Yeah, you did. I'll probably head up there once I'm done with him. Expect me to pop on in at any given moment. Wouldn't want to give you a heart attack." He flashed a lopsided smile.

Nikolas smiled as well. "It'll be cool to watch you record your album and hear your sound. Gotta admit, I'm quite excited." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling. "Ahh, I just remembered when I was younger, 'round seventeen or eighteen, some friends of mine and a now ex had a little 'band' of our own. Tess, Kit, and Ryker." He chuckled and shook his head. "That was quite a while ago. Haven't seen Kit or Ryker in forever."

"Ah, we were just goofin' off with Tess screaming into the void." Nikolas laughed softly, "Girl's got some potential, though. One hell of an artist if she wants to be—actress, singer, dancer, she's got quite a few paths to go down. I'm proud of her." He realized he was babbling and smiled guiltily, looking down at Atlas again. "We basically grew up together, after I moved here when I was ten. She's like a second sister to me." He jerked his chin in the other male's direction. "So anyways, what kind of music do you normally do? And like?"

Nikolas opened his mouth to say no, but he hesitated. Singing with Atlas had been fun, but singing when he was technically alone was different from doing it in front of people in a recording studio, different from actually being a part of a song. He never let Tess drag him into one of hers, no matter how much she gushed over his voice. He's never been a huge fan of his singing voice. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens," he finally said, offering Atlas a small smile as he finished off his pop tart and licked his fingers to rid of the crumbs.

(it's fine! holidays are busy times)

Nikolas smiled and nodded, then went the extra mile and jokingly sketched a bow, letting his tongue roll over his next words with a hint of his old Greek accent. "Until we meet again, my prince." He grinned cheekily, then stood up straight and backed up towards his car—a black Challenger—without breaking his gaze from Atlas.

Nikolas watched Atlas leave with a smile, then turned around and got into his car. Hopefully this meeting with Jay will be brief—Nikolas really wanted to be able to hang out with Atlas at the studio. Besides, seeing the other man would surely lift his spirits after this meeting, as any encounter with his ex foster brother was bound to be unpleasant.

(I've finally picked a singer that fits Nikolas. Daughtry)

Nikolas pulled into the empty parking lot of an abandoned building, staying in his car. When a man about a few years older than him came up to his side of the car, he rolled down the window and scowled up at him. "Make it quick, Jay. I have plans."

Jay grinned and leaned against the door. "Ah, and here I thought we could have a striking conversation. Very well." He pulled out some papers from his back pocket and handed them to Nikolas, who snatched it up and tossed then to the side without looking at them. "There, your payment for backing off the streets. Greyson misses you, by the way. Ya made him a lotta money."

"You know I'd never fully quit."

"Fair enough. I never said you had to completely back off, which is a fault on my end, but I still got what I want." Jay backed off and sarcastically waved. "Until we meet again, Ficher." His tone was mocking on the last word, his surname. Nikolas scowled and pulled away without another word, heading back towards the studio the saw Atlas go to.

Nikolas pulled up to the recording studio and got out of his car. He was…kinda excited, he wasn't going to lie. He was also nervous, because he might actually let Atlas convince him to sing with him. And it wasn't just for fun, either. Nikolas slipped into the studio and looked around, spotting Atlas. He stayed on the sidelines, however, not wanting to draw much attention to himself.

Nikolas smiled back and inched away from the wall he had been leaning against. "Hey! I had thought I'd be later, too, but I managed to get away earlier than expected." He tilted his head towards the recording booth. "That sounded great, admittedly better than through a wall in the shower," he added with a lopsided grin.

Nikolas followed Atlas with some amusement, though he felt his heart skip a few beats at the thought of singing an actual song with Atlas. He pushed past that insecurity and fear to join Atlas at the table and scan the different songs. He thought they were all good, so he wouldn't have any issue with being assigned to a random song if he did say yes. Nikolas opened his mouth then glanced over at the other boy. He eventually smiled and said, "Sure."