Mermaids and Men [mlm]

22. Beat That Bitch Ass!

"Bloody hell... I look like a guy who's got a constant stick up his ass. Can't believe I have to wear this shit," Nicki grumbled, buttoning up his shirt. Elijah chuckled from where he was in the bathroom, fixing his suit up. "You have to wear clothes like this; it's a formal dinner party," he pointed out, causing Nicki to pout as he finished buttoning up his shirt, and then tucking it into his pants. "I have formal clothes!" he huffed, grabbing his tie, so that he could begin putting that on. "If you mean by what you wore when you came to my dad's party, then that's not the right kind of formal. Your formal clothes are too edgy and have too much sex appeal, so you can't wear something like that. You have to look proper when it comes to this kind of stuff," Elijah told him, stepping out of the bathroom and spotting Nicki struggling with the tie, a frustrated look on his face. "That's the best part, though, innit?" he mumbled, pouting once again. Elijah smiled and walked over to Nicki, turning him to face him so that he could help him with his tie. "Well... On the plus side, you still look handsome like this," he expressed, though that didn't seem to cheer Nicki up any. "No, I don't. I look like a guy that's got two kids and a mortgage," the Siren lamented, causing Elijah to snort, shaking his head. "Idiot... Guys like that can be handsome, too, you know?" he replied, focusing on putting Nicki's tie on. Nicki still didn't seem pleased, continuing to look rather pouty. "Name one."

Elijah hummed, looping Nicki's tie through. "Well... I can say that if you had two kids and a mortgage, I'd still think you look handsome," he told him, which actually had Nicki smiling this time. "Yeah?"

"Mhm-- I'd still like you, too," Elijah replied, finishing his work on Nicki's tie. "Really? Even with two kids?" Nicki asked, grinning at him. Elijah looked up into his eyes and tilted his head at him. "Yeah. I think you'd be a good dad, too... That's an attractive quality in itself, isn't it?" he answered, smiling at him. Nicki's eyes widened slightly, as being told something like that felt really familiar, as well as also feeling nice just to hear. Flashes of the past began appearing in his head, though quite brief, but he could make out some of it. Which life was this that he was remembering bits and pieces of? Wasn't the first, and wasn't the most recent one, the one he had memories of a little bit ago, but... It was definitely one of them-- one that he hadn't had memories of yet.

"You think so?" Nicki asked, which had Elijah nodding his head at him, then furrowing his brows, looking a bit confused. The Siren noticed his sudden change in demeanor, causing him to frown. "What is it?" he questioned, watching as Elijah's eyes darted around for a second, looking to be slightly bothered by something. "Eli?"

Elijah blinked and looked back up at Nicki, shaking his head. "Sorry, this... This just felt kind of familiar for a second, like we've talked about this before... Have we?" he asked, frowning. Nicki's eyes widened again, heart thumping loudly in his chest. Elijah was sort of remembering things slowly, though they only came to him in deja vu type of moments, not actual memories. Still, even deja vu is progress-- progress that almost made Nicki want to cry tears of joy. Could those be feelings of his first life, buried down inside? Like how Alex suggested Nicki's fear of death now could be the frustration of who he once was, terrified of losing the people they love again. Maybe the deeper part of his soul, the part that a past life used to occupy, is feeling the joy of finally connecting in that sort of way with their special person again? A deep want that is slowly being fulfilled.

"I... I don't know-- maybe we have," Nicki replied, bringing his hand up so that he could caress Elijah's cheek. "Hmm... I don't know either," Elijah mumbled, pursing his lips. Nicki smiled and leaned in, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips, which the other man happily returned. It was a short kiss, but one that was filled with a lot of emotions-- one that made Elijah's heart flutter in his chest. Nicki pulled away, stroking Elijah's cheek with his thumb. "That was sudden," Elijah stated, causing Nicki to chuckle. "I just can't help it when it comes to you; you're irresistible," he beamed, earning a smile from Elijah. "You need to get your eyes checked," he replied, which had Nicki pouting. "I know beauty when I see it... Which reminds me-- how do I seriously look in this suit?" the Siren asked, stepping away from Elijah so that the man could get a better look at him. "Is it panty-dropping material?"