Atlas melted in Nikolas' arms a little, obviously still loving the accent. "Forgive me, but I don't really know anything about Greek gods and goddesses. I vaguely remember learning a bit about them in school, but I didn't care at the time so I forgot." He said, feeling almost bad about it. "Also, what does what you said mean?" He hated not knowing any of this and he felt bad that he had to keep asking what Nikolas said anytime he talked in Greek.
Nikolas shook his head and quickly kissed Atlas' lips. "It's fine, Atlas. I grew up in Greece while you didn't." He kissed him again for further reassurance. "Eros is the god of passion and love. It's also a word, but that's…" he trailed off, shaking his head and indicating that it wasn't important. "And se agapó means 'I love you.' Just thought I'd spice things up a bit," he said with a lopsided smile.
Atlas smiled, nodding slightly as he listened to Nikolas. "Ah, okay. Thanks for explaining those to me. I guess I need a little translation book for any time you decide to say anything in Greek." He said softly with a chuckle before adding, "I love you too." He kissed Nikolas back then smiled. They were at the perfect angle, the moonlight hitting Nikolas' silver eyes perfectly.
Nikolas' eyes shone with happiness, and not just because of the moonlight. He still couldn't believe that he was in this situation right now, couldn't believe that he was so lucky to get Atlas. Nikolas reached up and lightly swiped a thumb over Atlas' chin, then loosely grasped it between his fingers. "Still hard to think I'm not dreaming, that you're not just some figment of my imagination," he whispered.
"I know right? It's so crazy what happened between us and how fast already. I feel so lucky to have you as my boyfriend." Atlas whispered back, "You totally right though, it's so unreal…" He leaned his head forward and rested his forehead on Nikolas'.
Nikolas smiled and nudged his nose against Atlas', enjoying the moment. "I'm incredibly lucky to have you as my boyfriend," he said, smiling even brighter, "and I can't wait to see where we end up." He let his fingers slip over the man's face, cupping his cheek gently. "But… I'd rather live in the now than the clouds, however much I love the night sky."
"Me too… Speaking of the night sky, I wish I could see it's beauty in the city. And I can't take any pictures that'll give it justice. I guess it's more of a thing you have to experience and have in your memories." Atlas said, going more and more quiet as he continued, realizing he totally changed the subject. "Uh, nevermind… I love you." He whispered with a small smile.
Nikolas laughed softly and pressed a gentle kiss to Atlas' lips. "I love you too. Though, I wouldn't mind talking about that," he murmured, glancing up at the winking sky and smiling. "I'm a nerd," he said bluntly, still speaking softly, and rolled his eyes, "It'd be kinda hard for me to stop talking about it once I'm on a roll. Constellations, myths, star formations, star explosions, yadda yadda. I know a lot of useless stuff."
Atlas smiled, watching Nikolas. "Cool useless stuff. It's all very interesting stuff and those things should be mentioned more in normal conversations and stuff. If you ever just wanna tell me about any of it, I'm good with it." He whispered.
Nikolas hummed with a smile, letting his body cut through the pond at a steady pace while he held onto Atlas. "Duly noted and will be considered for later," he whispered back, smiling even more before pecking the man's nose. "You're welcome to ramble as well, you know," Nikolas added seriously, looking up into Atlas' beautiful teal eyes, "I don't mind. I like listening to you talk."
"Oh I'm glad, there's definitely more coming," Atlas said quietly and with a smile. He gazed into Nikolas' perfect eyes as they continued around the pond. This was definitely the perfect way to distract and clam down Atlas. He temporarily forgot all about anything else except for him and Nikolas in the moment. He leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on Nikolas' lips.
Nikolas hummed with a smile, not at all minding the promise of ramblings. Atlas seemed to be doing better, and for that, he was glad he was able to do something to at least attempt to ease the lashings of the bad things that happened today. When he felt those amazing lips against his, he splayed his fingers over Atlas' back and kissed him back just as softly. "I look forward to it," Nikolas mumbled, not pulling away just yet and still smiling.
(I swear I posted something… sorry lol)
Atlas smiled, his lips still barely touching Nikolas'. His eyes slowly closed and he lightly relaxed in his boyfriend's arms, suddenly feeling very tired. The whole thing, the moon, the silence, the animal sounds, and being alone with Nikolas, calmed him down enough to realize how tired he had gotten throughout the day. "Um, I just got really tired… can we go back inside?" He asked very sleepily, opening his eyes with much effort, and looking into Nikolas'.
(It's okay!)
Nikolas nodded and gripped onto Atlas a little better as he swam towards the edge of the pool, then lifted them both out of the water. He set Atlas down onto his feet, but kept him pressed close to Nikolas' side as he guided him back towards the staircase. Honestly, now that he thought about it, fatigue was tugging at the back of his mind as well. He hasn't slept much lately, and this place always somehow managed to calm him enough to get him to sleep like a normal person.
Atlas crossed his arms to try to warm himself a little, it was a bit chilly out of the water. He leaned his head on Nikolas' arm, closing his eyes as he was guided back to the house. The water had been very nice, the perfect temperature. He missed swimming like he used too, and next time he was in that pond, he had to do some laps.
"Y'know," Nikolas started as he approached the steps, then started up them, "If you want to come back here, with or without me, I can give you an extra set of keys. Though, it's quite a long walk from the apartment…" He tipped his head to the side as he thought, barely registering himself opening the door and walking inside. He had a feeling Atlas would want to come back, but it was better to just outright ask instead of assume.
Atlas lifted his head slowly to look up at Nikolas. "Hm?" He responded, his brain still sluggishly processing what Nikolas said. After a second more Atlas said quietly, "Oh… that would be great… I'd definitely come again." He mumbled, spotting the bed. He started going to it then stopped, remebering he was in a wet, cold swim suit.
Nikolas let go of Atlas to grab a sweatshirt and sweatpants for the other man to borrow. "Here," he said, handing them to Atlas with a kind smile. "I'll go get changed in the bathroom." He pressed a gentle kiss to the other's forehead, lips lingering for a second. "Don't wait up for me, just head to bed when you're done, alright? Get some sleep."
"Mm, thanks…" Atlas murmured as he waited for Nikolas to go to the bathroom before changing. He had dried off from walking from the pond to the treehouse. The clothing was a bit baggy, but it was comfortable and warm. He left the swimsuit on the floor and shuffled to the bed. He opened the sheets and blankets and crawled inside, curling up almost immediately.
((sorry for the wait! I've been on and off with the writing mood))
Nikolas headed into the bathroom to change into just a pair of sweatpants, quickly using a towel to dry off body and hair. Once he was done with that, he hung up his swimming trunks and towel, then quietly padded his way up to his bedroom. He peeked into the bedroom and smiled to himself when he spotted Atlas already curled up in the bed. He's so cute. Nikolas slipped into the room and closed the door behind him, then closed the curtains over the glass balcony door before coming over to the other side of the bed. He slid under the covers, trying to refrain from disturbing Atlas as much as possible, then reached over and wrapped the smaller and adorable boy into his arms, holding him close to his chest.
(It's all good, I totally understand that.)
In his sleep, he unconsciously cuddled closer to Nikolas. He had fallen into a peaceful sleep, having totally forgotten about the previous events. He couldn't have thought of a better thing to do with Nikolas, every single thing about this place was perfect and he wanted to spend his life here with his boyfriend. Sooner or later he'd have to deal with the consequences, he could afford to wait until the next day at least.
Nikolas smiled and ran featherlight fingers over Atlas' checks, then planted a sweet kiss to his forehead. "Kalinýchta agápi mou," He whispered against his skin, then held Atlas close as he, too, started to fall asleep. While today had been a very up-and-down day, Nikolas was happy he could help his boyfriend end it like this. He seemed to peaceful in his sleep, and Nikolas wanted nothing more than to keep him like that for as long as he could.
~Time Skip~
Late the next morning, Atlas awoke to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight shining through the curtains. He was still against Nikolas' chest, one of his arms flung over the man while the other was curled up against his chest. His eyes fluttered open, a soft smile growing on his lips. What an amazing feeling it was to wake up in this man's arms. That was definitely the best he's slept in a while. Normally he doesn't sleep the best since he's stressed there's a lot on his mind, that night, however, there was nothing of the sort.
Waking up during the day was always difficult for him, mostly because he preferred the night. It was also difficult when he had a good sleep, and that night had been one of the rare times he's slept so soundly during the night. Because of this, he slowly waned into awareness when he felt the warmth of the sun and the singing of the birds. Nikolas groaned softly in protest and shifted just enough to bury his face into the pillow. "Den thélo na sikothó…" he whined quietly into the fabric, already husky morning voice amplified by the full Greek accent.
A small shiver ran down his spine after hearing Nikolas. "Hm…?" He hummed. Atlas buried his face in the crook of Nikolas' neck, planting a lazy kiss there then closing his eyes again. It was so warm and comfortable and safe under the covers, cuddled up to Nikolas, it would definitely take a lot of effort to get out of bed that morning.
Nikolas also shivered when he felt Atlas' lips on his neck, but he simply pulled Atlas as close as possible to him and smiled weakly. It took a few tries to remember how to English, but he couldn't shove away the accent as he murmured, "I don' wanna get up." Nikolas would much rather cuddle with Atlas all day than getting out of bed and being productive members of society. That could wait. Atlas was better.
"Mmm me neither," Atlas mumbled against Nikolas' neck. He tightened his arms around Nikolas a bit and his legs tangled with the other's. All his responsibilities could wait, according to himself. In reality, he should be discussing what to do now with his manager. But at this point, he forgot he is a singer with a manager and a producer. He forgot that he has an album coming out soon and that he is not allowed in the recording studio. And here Atlas was, cuddled up in a bed with his boyfriend in a house far into the woods away from any other civilization.
Nikolas hummed and cracked open an eye to look at his adorable boyfriend, smiling a little more when he felt those arms around him tighten and their legs tangled together. He shifted again so that he was on his back, bringing Atlas with him so that the smaller male was on top of him and resting on Nikolas' chest. Now both of his eyes were open, and he ran his fingers up and down the divet of his boyfriend's spine slowly. "Maybe a few minutes of down-time," he whispered, turning his head to kiss the side of Atlas' sleepily.
He opened his eyes while they shifted, smiling up at Nikolas. He turned his head to the side, placing his ear over Nikolas' heart. Atlas listened to the constant, calming heartbeat, his eventually matching. "Maybe a few more minutes longer than a few minutes?" He whispered back, smiling. He closed his eyes, almost melting a bit more to Nikolas.
Nikolas' eyes slipped closed once more, humming with a slightly bigger smile. "Sounds good," he said just as softly. For now, they could pretend that neither one of them had responsibilities. For now, they could lie here, comforted by each other's presence, and pretend that everything was fine and perfect. And it almost felt like that with Atlas here with Nikolas. He didn't know what possessed Nikolas to pull Atlas on top of him, which was something he usually wouldn't do due to personal reasons, but he was strangely fine with this. This was okay. He draped an arm across the small of the other male's back and continued to run his fingers up and down.