A Proposal of Sorts
Chapter Four: How to Spend a Weekend
On a dark and rainy day Nikola finds a joy he hasn't had in a while. It's finally a weekend where Nikola doesn't have any homework to do in a long time. Even before Dimitrie popped up and turned everything upside down and awkward as hell, Nikola's classes have been swamped with essays and interviews and all sorts of shit he has been resenting. Not anymore though! Nope, it's finally a break from all that and Nikola is just going to relax.
The bookcase in the house, overloaded and recently underused, is finally visited by Nikola again as he grabs something to read for the weekend. A historical novel; the kind with only the facts and no prettied up story focusing on a historical person whose thoughts no one can truly predict. It's one that even includes some ancient funerals which never fails to amuse him. He's never told anyone, but one of the main things that pulled him into mortuary sciences was the amazing history. In fact he could go on for hours, days even, about the history of it and his favorite parts and meanings-but no one cares.
Once he tried to talk to Roderich about it and the man's eyes actually glazed over in boredom, not even the people in his major care about the history other than his teacher. Sadly, his teacher is always busy so they rarely get to have nerd sessions that last longer than five minutes. They are always a great five minutes, some of his favorite minutes honestly. If only he could have Professor Vargas as a roommate rather than Dimitrie .
Then again if he did he would have to see Feliciano, which is always awkward since that one time he hit him with a stick. Professor Vargas was pretty relaxed about it though, which was a huge relief on Nikola's part. It would kill him if the man he admired disliked him in any sort of way.
"Nikola, what are you up to?" Dimitrie asks, walking up to the smiling man.
"Huh? Oh, nothing…I was just thinking about Professor Vargas." Nikola says and Dimitrie 's expression drops. It happens a lot whenever he mentions Professor Vargas. The man is old enough to be his father-hell maybe even grandfather no one really knows the man's age- yet Dimitrie sees him as a major rival. Ever since the day Nikola got really happy from an email filled with praise he received from Professor Vargas a few weeks back.
"Ah…I see…" Dimitrie mumbles before smiling at him. "You really like Romulus, huh?"
"Professor Vargas." Nikola says firmly. "Don't be so disrespectful."
"But he wants everyone to call him Romulus. I've only met him since moving in with you, yet he told me to even call him that." Dimitrie points out before looking at the book in Nikola's hand. "Ah, Countess Bathory, huh? Can't read normal historical things like wars or love stories. No, you go for the weird stuff!" He teases, laughing a little.
"Wars and love happen constantly. There's nothing interesting in those." Nikola points out as he walks onto the couch and sits on its back. "Deranged people, no matter the degree, are always interesting and tend to vary quite a bit." He says, flipping the book open.
"You should find a book from her point of view then, I mean what's more fun than being inside the deranged person's mind?" Dimitrie asks and Nikola smiles at him. He knows the kid is trying and he does appreciate it, which is why he will engage him in discussions on art as well. This has seriously helped the month Dimitrie has lived here be more bearable.
"Can you imagine with 100% correction what she is thinking? Or even me, who you know?" Nikola asks back and Dimitrie shakes his head no. "Exactly. I don't like reading a book full of assumptions on someone's thoughts, trying to make them sound better or worse than they actually were. Historical facts only show what was there without a doubt. No fancy lies or exaggerations, just facts."
Dimitrie laughs a little and sits down on the couch beside Nikola's legs. "You're an interesting man." He says, looking up at him. "You have such a strong aversion to lying."
Nikola leans over his legs and tilts his head to be level with Dimitrie 's so he can make eye contact. "Interesting, huh?" He asks, smirking a little. "Don't you mean 'weird'?"
Dimitrie laughs a little and leans forward towards Nikola's face. "Maybe a little weird."
A deep blush comes to Nikola's cheeks and he sits straight up to avoid Dimitrie 's almost desirous gaze. "Y-yeah…well…anyways..."
Dimitrie smiles at him. "Why such an intense hatred of lying though? I mean…to actually hate such simple versions of 'lies' is a bit much isn't it?"
Nikola looks over at Dimitrie confused. "Huh? I simply have no interest in a book of assumptions. Lying isn't really the reason."
"…Makes sense…" Dimitrie goes silent for a moment and Nikola takes the opportunity to read. "Hey, what are your parents like? I've only met them the once but they seem nice."
"They are pushy. Like everyone else I meet seems to be." Nikola groans. "Choose another day to ask questions."
"No way! So when you say pushy…do you mean the type to tell you how to live every aspect of your life? Or the normal pushy where they just want you to do something period?" Dimitrie asks and Nikola gives up, setting his book down in his lap and glaring down at the teen beside him.
"They arranged a marriage for me. Which type do you think I mean?"
"Well that doesn't mean anything! My parents did too and they have never made me do anything I didn't want to!" Dimitrie points out.
With a heavy sigh, Nikola rubs his temples in defeat. "My parents arranged a marriage, told me who I would be friends with, informed me of what my interests could include, and told me which college to attend." Nikola explains. "So what does that say to you?"
"They chose your friends and interests? How?" Dimitrie asks and Nikola slides down from the top of the couch and onto the cushion next to the teen.
"I could only be friends with those who would benefit my parents' careers. My interests could not include mundane things like playing in the dirt or any outside activities really." Nikola explains. "Of course it wasn't them as much as it was my nanny."
"So wait…you've never played in the mud?" Dimitrie gasps. "No! No this absolutely will not do! Nikola we need to get you outside and playing!"
Nikola tenses up. "No way! No! Way! I will not play in the mud that is disgusting!"
Dimitrie stares at Nikola blankly. "Dude, your hands go into dead bodies on a weekly basis and you won't play in the mud? You're so weird."
"Bodies are not as gross as mud. There is nothing living in them…usually. I mean…if you get to them fast enough and do the job right…well other than-" Nikola stops himself at the look Dimitrie is giving him.
"Ok! Ok! Enough!" Dimitrie jumps up and turns to Nikola. "We are going to play in the mud now, come on!"
"And just where will we find mud?" Nikola asks, already exhausted at the idea. He was supposed to relax and read today, not get dirty and worry about doing more laundry!
"The playground!" Dimitrie grins. "It's raining out so no one else will be there and there will be a lot of mud!" He explains before grabbing Nikola's hands and tugging.
"…This is what I get for letting a five year old be my roommate…" Nikola mumbles dryly, getting up and following him to the door. "If I get sick, so help me god…."
"If you get sick I will nurse you back to health!" Dimitrie promises as he slides his shoes and coat on.
"I'd rather you not…" Nikola groans as he gets ready, quickly grabbing an umbrella before allowing Dimitrie to lead him out of the apartment and to an empty park.
One there they stand together staring at the place before Dimitrie asks. "This will be great! We can play and…why on earth did you grab an umbrella?"
"I don't like the feel of wet clothing." Nikola pouts.
"Ugh, you're so damn fussy!" The Romanian groans, yanking the umbrella away.
Nikola lets out a horrified gasp as Dimitrie drops it to the muddy floor. "What are you doing you idiot?" He whines, twitching a bit when Dimitrie takes his hand and leads him to the sand pit. "I hate you. This, what you just did to my umbrella right here, is what I'm going to site for the main reason from now on when you ask 'why won't you marry me?'! Because this is fucking mad!"
Dimitrie laughs and sits down in the mud. "Come on! Sit down grumpy!"
"…You trying to get me to sit in the mud after ruining my umbrella is going to be the second reason." Nikola decides, glaring at him.
"Nikola, get your ass in the mud before I pull you down here."
"No way…my clothes are sticking to me, my shoes are getting dirty, my bangs are drooping into my face…almost as much as yours are on you-can you even see me?"
Dimitrie sighs and stands back up. "You are obviously going to be a prissy little brat about this…so let's try something else." He says, grabbing the discarded umbrella and setting it down beside him. "Here, sit under the umbrella."
Nikola stares at Dimitrie and the umbrella, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is the man my mother wants me to marry…I couldn't even become friends with a foolish jock, but I can marry a man who plays in the mud at nineteen years old." He mumbles before Dimitrie grabs his hand and pulls him down to sit next to him. "AHH! MY PANTS!"
"Calm down! We have a washer and dryer!" Dimitrie grabs a handful of mud and takes Nikola's hand, placing the ball in a very unwilling hand.
"Ewww! It's gross! It's so slimy and ugghhh..." Nikola groans, trying to shake his hands free of the gooey mud. "Dimitrie I hate you right now."
"Come on! You aren't even playing with it!" Dimitrie grabs his hands and shapes the mud with them. "What should we build? A castle? An animal?"
Nikola blushes a little as Dimitrie moves his hands in the gooey mud. "I-if we must do this I want to make a-wait how are earth do you make an animal?"
"Oh! It's like making a snowman, but with mud!" Dimitrie says and Nikola goes quiet. "…You've never made a snowman, have you?"
"…May…be…not, no, I haven't." Nikola mumbles. "I wish we could be doing that right now rather than…whatever this is." He looks down in distaste as the mud seeps through his fingers and begins running down the back of his hands.
"Well, snowmen come out nicer looking, I will give you that…and this won't stay while it rains…but…it's still fun." Dimitrie says, forming a bat out of the mud with Nikola's hands.
"Dimitrie …I'm cold and wet and my fingers are disgusting…how is this fun?" Nikola asks, causing Dimitrie to groan and move away from him.
"Fine, I give up. You don't like mud. Corpses are totally fine, yet mud is disgusting." Dimitrie says annoyed, getting up from his spot. "I just wanted you to have fun…with me." He explains, leaning up against the wooden castle beside him. "You never just hang out with me and enjoy yourself. It's always homework, or friends, and now it turns out you will choose a book over time with me…I just don't know what to do to get you to…" His back turns to Nikola and his shoulders slump. "Never mind, let's go home."
Nikola watches Dimitrie for a moment, the rain now soaking through his coat and causing him to shiver slightly. "Maybe if you offered things we could do that I enjoy…" He begins, soon stopping as he notices Dimitrie slumping over more. "It…it's not all bad." His hands scoop up a large amount and an idea comes to him. "In fact…there's something I would very much like to do with you using this mud."
Dimitrie looks back at him curiously. "What would that-AH!" Without warning, Nikola pelts him in the back with a ball of mud. "Y-you don't do that with mud! Only snow!"
"I don't know…it's working fine for me." Nikola smirks, getting up and going over to Dimitrie . "So are you going to fight back or sulk?" He asks, bringing a muddy finger up to poke the teen's nose.
"I'm not sure if this is ridiculously cute or borderline retarded…" Dimitrie mumbles and Nikola laughs.
"That's rich coming from you!" The two keep messing around and wrestling in the mud until Dimitrie is on top of him, staring at Nikola's lips. "…Dimitrie …?" He mumbles and Dimitrie leans down a little.
"Hey! Nikola! Dimitrie ! What are you guys up to?" A familiar voice calls and Nikola quickly pushes him away, looking over to see Romulus at the park entrance with an umbrella.
"P-Professor Vargas! H-hey!" Nikola stutters out, slipping and sliding until he's back on his feet as Dimitrie pouts on the ground. "We were just…um…"
"Playing in the mud? I remember doing that! So much fun!" Romulus laughs before sighing dreamily. "Ahhh, to be young again~! Well, don't let me stop you two! Have fun!" He calls before heading off.
"Damnit it's like that man has a radar that goes off when men are about to get something they want." Dimitrie grumbles and Nikola looks to him curiously.
"Hmm? Well, Romulus is actually known as an expert cock block. Lovino's boyfriend can attest to that." Nikola says, laughing a little, a laughter that quickly fades out when something dons on him. Dimitrie was going to kiss him. worse than that, however, is he had no intention of pushing him away. "…Ah…um…w-we should go home." He mumbles awkwardly. "I'm in desperate need of a shower."
Dimitrie laughs a little and reaches out to grasp at Nikola's soaked shirt. "Yeah, you really are."
Nikola blushes and backs away from him. "W-well let's go!" He says quickly before hurrying toward the apartment. Has it finally happened? Is he actually starting to get feelings for Dimitrie ? "…Mom was right, nothing good ever comes from playing in the mud." He whispers to himself, picking off some dried on mud from his coat and flicking it at Dimitrie annoyed.
"What was that for?" Dimitrie whines and Nikola huffs.
"Cunning brat."
A/N: Romulus in this will be modeled after my favorite funeral professor. ...So expect Nikola to hero-worship him. I'm sorry for the random fluff. I've been super stressed about my Arrangements meeting (A meeting with the family to set up the information for the funeral), so to wind down I've been writing this chapter. Just calm, relaxing nothingness. So yeah, this chapter is pretty much for me. Writing it kept me sane for the last few days. But I'm done with the meeting and I did AMAZING so the rest will be more plot-y.