"And you will." Jude nodded, without me, probably. –It's for the best.
"And oh– skating at Rockefeller Center, that's a must." He fawned, picturing him teaching Nyx to skate during Christmastime with the glowing tree– he'd hold his hand and they'd get hot chocolate after and– Jude shook his head, "It's always packed, but it's so fun. And there's this little place nearby that always has jazz on Christmas eve– I love it there; it's like a little tradition for me."
Nyx nodded a bit. "That sounds fun." He replied. He drew his eyebrows together. "Though I don't know what jazz is." He shrugged slightly, looking around the park. He glanced at Jude again, then away.
"Jazz," Nyx smiled, "Is a music genre that came from New Orleans, it's– I don't know how to describe it," He shook his head, thinking of the couples dancing at the bar, the saxophone player tipping his fedora at people as they left for the night. The dim lighting blanketing the rough interior, cigar smoke spiralling in the air and the bartender's voice when it was the last call for drinks. "It's like…upbeat, most of the time. Really smooth sounding, makes you want to dance. Remind me to play some for you the next time I get my hands on a computer or something."
Nyx nodded. "Alright." He replied. He looked around the park, taking a deep breath. He tipped his face back towards the sun, closing his eyes for a moment. Dressed like this, in the sunlight and in Central Park, he looked like any other boy. Not a cyborg, designed to destroy, that didn't know anything about the world around him. No, he looked like anyone else.
Jude smiled at Nyx's little moment, staying silent and taking in the sounds of the park. The wave of rustling leaves, the faint laughter from the picnic tables, the street performer playing the violin somewhere far off, and the dots of sunlight peeking through the trees– it surrounded them. It was these little moments where Jude liked to lose himself, as if someone had written this out as a scene in a movie; the audience begging for them to smile softly at each other and tell each other how they felt.
Nyx took a deep breath, opening his eyes again and looking over at Jude again. Damnit, I want to kiss him. Again. He clenched his jaw slightly, looking away.
Jude frowned lightly at Nyx's fleeting glance, itching for a smoke or anything to distract him from the way he was feeling. He wants the same as you, I know– but this is your fault, remember? He reminded himself, tearing his gaze from Nyx as they walked along the path. You can't have this.
Nyx ran a hand through his hair. Don't, Nyx. You can find someone else. He told himself. But another part of him was screaming that there would never be another Jude, that he should just kiss the other boy and damn the consequences.
Jude had only met two people in his life that he felt were unreplaceable, and Nyx was one of them. He would never see a smile like his when he saw something new, the way Nyx idly bounced on his heels and ran a hand through his hair sometimes was going to be a soft scar on Jude. He'd never forget the way they looked at each other on that field, eyes flickering to each other's mouths and the coolness of the early evening. Jude tugged at the edge of his sleeves, nervously picking at where the fabric frayed, What if we found another way? Visit each other? No– he can't come back here. It's a huge risk.
Nyx closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stop himself from remembering the fields and what they had done there. The kissing, and…and everything. He sighed softly.
"So," Jude smiled lightly, trying to fill the silence with his hands buried in his pockets as he squinted at the sun, "What are you thinkin' about?"
Kissing you again. "Nothing much." Nyx replied softly, looking around the park. His hands were down by his sides, and he let out a soft breath.
"Hm," Jude smiled, his eyes lingering on Nyx's mouth for a second, as if things between us could change. "When we do paint," He sighed, running a quick hand through his hair, "What do you think you'll paint? Should we go anywhere?"
Nyx shrugged a little. "I don't know what I'll paint." He replied. "And…I don't know where, either." He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, letting out a slow breath.
"That's alright," Jude nodded, "I don't know what I'll paint either, maybe I'll do an abstract, like back at the museum." Abstract, that's one way to describe how he felt. Conflicted, maybe. "We'll figure it out." He said, though wasn't referring to the painting.
Nyx nodded. "Alright. And yeah. We will." He took a deep breath, eyes flashing to Jude's mouth for a moment, then away again. No! Stop it! He swallowed.
( theyre so conflicted i canttt, what should we do next? idk)
(yesssssss. Uhm… weren't they going to go to Jude's place?)
(r i g h t, should they start walkin there?)
(lmao sure? Though Jude's car is still at the art museum)
(right,,, should we skip to them getting to his place? or ?)
(sure?)
Jude hopped out of the car parked right outside the front lobby, smiling at the afternoon sun and locking it as he turned to the apartment building. "C'mon," He smiled at Nyx, nodding to the front doors.
Nyx got out of the car, looking up at the apartments, then nodded and followed Jude inside. He was quiet as they did, just observing their surroundings. He sighed softly, rubbing at his eyes.
The inside of the apartment was… a little disconcerting. Character, is what Jude called it, with the lobby's peeling paint, a few broken lights, and a dead plant in the corner. But he didn't choose this place for it's eerie charm, he bought it for the view of the city he had from his apartment. He walked into the elevator with Nyx and pressed the floor number, waiting for the doors to close and holding his hand up, "Wait for it…" Jude smiled, and after a pause, a little thump shook the elevator a bit.
Nyx looked around as they came in, raising his eyebrows, then followed Jude in. He frowned at the thump, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What's wrong with it?" he asked carefully. "Why does it thump like that?"
"Beats me," Jude shrugged, remembering himself ask the same question to the landlord when he first took a look at the apartment, he didn't know either. "But it's fine, it's been like this for years." He smiled, watching the numbers blip up to his floor.
Nyx nodded a little bit. "Hm. Alright." he replied, looking at the numbers as well. Though he ended up looking at Jude out of the corner of his eye. He bit his lip, shaking his head slightly.
"This is us–" Jude smiled, nodding at the opening doors that got stuck for a split-second, resisting the urge to take his hand as he stepped out into the hallway. A little ball of fluff walked into their path "Hey," He whispered to the cat as he stroked the top of her head, "This is Macy, she's one of my neighbour's cats." The cat purred against him, softly bonking his leg as she quietly meowed. "You wanna pet her?" Jude smiled, turning to Nyx.
Nyx crouched, hesitantly reaching out a hand to the cat to pet her. "I…sure." he watched the cat carefully, realizing that this was the first time he had actually seen one in real life.