common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

city lights

the mornings were hectic in the Salazar-Roberts/Bowen apartment, it was like a calculated song and dance.

Nini did her light makeup in the bathroom mirror, Ricky brushing his teeth behind her in the tiny bathroom. he leaned around her to spit his toothpaste out, patting Nini gently on the hip as he shuffled behind her to get out of the bathroom.

Ricky set out their travel mugs on the counter as he brewed coffee in their old passed down coffee maker from his dad. he ran to the bedroom to get dressed while the coffee brewed and Nini finished her hair. he stood in front of the mirror in the corner of the room, trying to tie his tie as Nini rushed in, looking for her shoes. she pulled on her kitten heels and paused behind him in the mirror, tucking the tail of his shirt into his pants cause he missed it.

Nini grabbed her work portfolio off the small kitchen table and shoved it in her work tote as Ricky poured the steaming coffee into their mugs and placing the lids firmly on them. he handed one of the mugs to her as she handed him his work badge. she leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips and straighten his tie, fixing one of his buttons. he handed her pea coat to her from the hook by the door and she handed him his keys and wallet. they both stumbled out of their front door, Nini balancing her purse and her large tote bag with her coffee mug, Ricky taking a second to lock the door behind them.

they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk of the Lower East Side, chatting about their days as they walked to the subway. they sat side by side on the train, Ricky's hand protectively resting on her thigh, his thumb rubbing the exposed skin from her pencil skirt, Nini laughing at something he said. they parted ways at one of the stops, Ricky getting off to go to his job at one of the private schools where he taught music. he patted her knee and kissed her quickly, Nini promising to send him a text when she made it to work safely like she did every day. her stop was not long after, getting off to walk to her job as a program coordinator at Lincoln Center, her dream job. she settled at her desk and fired off a text to her boyfriend, letting him know she made it to work safely.

they don't see each other again until the work day ends. Ricky gets home before her, as always. riding the subway back to their apartment in the East Village. he loosens his tie and sets his now empty travel mug in the sink to wash with the dishes from dinner. he pulls out a pot to boil some water, planning to make pasta for dinner. he runs his fingers through his curls, pulling at them so they're not as stiff from his day at the school. he's pouring the pasta into the pot when the front door opens.

Nini's heels click against the scuffed hardwood as she sets her things down by the door, stepping further into their home. she places a hand on the doorframe into the kitchen to lean down to pull her heels off, tossing them to the floor before sighing and stepping into the kitchen.

"hey baby, how was your day?" she asks as her arms wrap around his waist, her lips pressing a kiss to his back.

he relaxed a little into her arms, "it was good. the kids are excited for the showcase coming up. what about you? how was your day?"

he put a lid on the pot and turned to lean against the counter, meeting her face to face. her hair had been let down and her lipstick wasn't as bright as it was this morning.

she sighed, "eh, it was fine. we finished the lineup for next season so that was pretty exciting. the majority of my work for the year has been done now that i got that all set."

his hands rested on her hips as he squeezed lightly. her fingers untied his tie, unbuttoning the top button of his dress shirt for him. the pot bubbled over and Ricky returned to his pasta. Nini reached for a sauce jar in the cabinet, working along side him to finish their dinner. they put their dinner into bowls, settling down on the couch to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy like they did every week night.

they took turns yelling answers out at the tv, mouths stained with pasta sauce. Ricky took care of their empty dishes, soaking them in the sink as he rolled up his sleeves. Nini moved to their room to pull out their pajamas as he washed the dishes. when he was done, Nini leaned against the doorframe, bath towels in her arms.

"i'm gonna take a shower, do you wanna join me?" she asked quietly, sleep already showing in her eyes.

Ricky nodded, "sure."

the headed to the small bathroom, squeezing around each other as Ricky started the water. they undressed and climbed in. Nini giggled softly as Ricky shampooed and conditioned her hair for her. they took turns with the wash cloth, the couple helping wash each other's hard to reach places. Ricky stood under the water, the stream rolling over him as Nini ran her hands over his broad back, pressing a couple kisses to his shoulder blades. he left Nini to rinse off with a kiss to her neck as he stepped out of the shower, giving her a few minutes to herself as he dried off and moved to their bedroom, taking their dirty clothes with him and putting them in their hamper in their room.

he was dressed in his flannel pajama pants and a navy blue tee shirt when Nini came in wrapped in a towel. he was setting out his work clothes for the next day as she got dressed in her favorite silk pajama shorts set.

they settled into their bed, Ricky sat up against the headboard as Nini leaned against him. they watched James Corden every night from their bed, like clockwork. they laughed at the hosts antics as they cuddled. they didn't get much time to themselves with their busy work schedules. Nini nuzzled her head against Ricky's chest, her arms wrapping around his torso.

"i miss you."

Ricky chuckled, his hand coming up to comb through her hair, "i'm right here babe."

Nini shook her head lightly, "no i mean, i miss us, our time together. we should take a vacation soon."

"oh yeah?" Ricky started, "where do you want to go?"

Nini hummed for a moment in thought, her hand patting his chest when she got an idea, "we could go somewhere out of the country! i've always wanted to go to London!"

Ricky smiled at his girlfriends excitement, "if you wanna go to London, we'll go to London."

her eyes widened in excitement, "really?!"

he nodded, "yeah, a little trip might do us good."

Nini squealed, her hand wrapping around his neck as she pulled him down to her lips, "yay! i can't wait!"

Ricky smiled as she curled herself into his side and started to fall asleep. he turned off the tv and his lamp, incasing the room in darkness as he put his arm under his girlfriends head. he sighed contently as she curled into him, her arms wrapped around him.

he had a plan, a perfect plan for their London trip. he may be more excited than she was.