Making ends meet

For @Tessa

Being engaged to marry was hard. Not in the sense that it was physically hard, but Gerard had insisted on saving enough to pay for the wedding. Tessa had expressed wanting something nice, but this nephilim was a perfectionist. He wasn't going to let her settle when he knew all he had to do was work a little harder.
That night he had fallen asleep on Tessa's couch while they watched a movie. Perhaps not as romantic as she had wanted the evening to be. He woke up once the valkyrie had moved in to her bed, rubbing his eyes as he felt oh so tired and yet he felt like he couldn't afford to sleep. He had a fair few things he could finish remotely, opening up his laptop to get started on finishing up some images, sending them back to the client. Yawning he opted to go out in to the kitchen, putting a hand on the brewed coffee from earlier, sighing as it was cold. He poured himself a cup anyways and placed it in the microwave to reheat it.
Once it had gotten at least lukewarm he took it out, taking a big swig before refilling it and taking the cup with him back in to the living room. He placed it down on the coffee table before walking in to check on Tessa. Moving closer he pulled the duvet up closer around her, kissing her forehead, breathing in her scent as he smiled to himself. Yeah, she was worth everything and more. He turned away, heading back towards the living room.

She had been looking forward to spending time together but it seemed that the nephilim was so focused on work that when they finally had time together, he was too tired to really be in the moment. She didnt want to be angry with him but it did make hanging out a little... less fun? She had picked out some movie that she had been looking forward to. At least the reviews had been pretty good. It wasnt a big deal that Gerard fell asleep, she could just cuddle up close to him and watch the rest of the movie. She got up when it was over, ruffling up the nephilim's hair softly. "I'm going to bed sleepyhead." she told him. At least giving him a chance to join her. But she did go to bed. She was out like a light, sleeping soundly by the time he checked on her.

Seeing that she was sound asleep made him happy. It wasn't that he wasn't aware of how he was more distant when they finally where together, but in his mind he justified it by the whole thought of the gift he had in mind for her. Or rather for them. But he wanted to keep it a secret for now, and he didn't want her to get her hopes up if he couldn't earn the money in time.
Heading back in to the living room he finished his cup of coffee that had gotten cold again before finishing up some more work. But he had to admit that his eyes kept darting towards the bedroom. Knowing she was in there was distracting him a lot, so as he finished up the last photo and sent it off, he closed his computer. Stretching he went out, placing the cup in the sink, looking out the window to a city that never seemed to sleep. Oh, to never have to sleep would be the dream, but then again he wouldn't get to wake up, would he?
Getting out of his clothes he went to the bathroom, brushing his teeth, looking at himself in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were horrendous, but worse was the small beard he was slowly growing. He wasn't sure he liked it. Either way he finally joined her in bed, crawling under the covers and pulling her close. "Love you," he muttered softly in to the back of her head, closing his eyes to try and get some rest.

She first woke up a little when the duvet was rustling and he joined her. She stretched and sighed muttering back some sleepy words that didnt quite make sense before she drifted right back to sleep. She woke up rather early tangled into the nephilim. She got free carefully, trying her best not to wake him up. Running her hand carefully over his head she sighed. You work so hard all the time, she thought. It was good that he at least was resting now. She got up and got dressed, wearing a casual hoodie with some baggy pants, grabbing her card and keys as she got ready to go out. She could get some freshly baked bread and make a nice breakfast for them, at least she thought so. She headed out at that note to go through with her little idea.

Safe to say being as sleep deprived as he was, he was sleeping through her untangling herself as well as the door closing as she headed out. In fact, he slept until a ray of sunshine decided to crawl up and shine him on his face. Turning over on the bed he sighed, feeling that it was still somewhat warm where she had slept. Rubbing his eyes a little he just laid there, listening to the apartment, but it was quiet. He drifted off a couple of more times before he decided to get up. He started with heading out in to the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine after rinsing the pot. Wondering where she was he opted to just head in to the living room, opening his laptop to get a bit of work in. Thankfully he had gotten some positive feedback from a customer, smiling to himself as they had insisted on leaving him quite a nice tip on his latest work. It was moments like these that made all the work worth it. Now, a step closer to reaching the goal he had set for himself, he started editing a few more pictures, probably still sitting in the couch when Tessa would return.

Hearing the door close he perked up a little, as if her being around made him a bit more awake in a sense. Listening to the rustling of the bags he turned his head as she spoke to him, smiling a little tiredly, but he didn't blame her if she was frustrated with him. Part of him just thought they had the rest of their lives together, so taking a bit of time right now to save wasn't too bad. She came closer, kissing the top of his head and he sighed, letting go of his laptop and placing it on the coffee table. Pulling her down in to his lap, he wrapped his arms around her. "Starving," he said, lifting his hand to cup her face, just looking at her as she was right now. The short hair really suited her, but he guessed she could pull anything off and he would still find her as breathtaking as ever. He pulled her down, kissing her gently, savoring her lips as he pulled her closer. He knew he had to let her go so they could grab something to eat, but having her here in his lap he felt like he had been starving more so for her touch. "I put on coffee ... You want help with the rest?" he asked against her lips, trying to remind himself that she had come here with an offering of food.

She got up and off his lap making him sigh as he watched her leave. However as she turned her head to look at him he couldn't help but chuckle. He got up from the couch, walking in to grab a pair of sweats that he pulled in to as well as his t-shirt from yesterday. Afterwards he headed out in to the kitchen, washing his hands and drying them before grabbing the brown paper bag. Pulling out the loaf of bread he smiled. It was still warm. "You're spoiling me," he said, kissing the top of her head as she passed by to put away the groceries.
He got to cutting the bread, placing it in a nice basket before he set up a small breakfast table in the small kitchen. "You want eggs and bacon too, or just bread?" he asked. He could cook it up relatively quick if she really wanted it, and he wouldn't mind one bit. It was the least he could do. Looking over he saw the coffee had run through, pouring himself a cup as well as one for her. "I was thinking ... Do you have any plans today?" he asked. Maybe it was about time that he spent some real time with her, and he was ahead with most of his work deadlines anyways.

He hummed, smiling as he finished setting up the table, grabbing his cup of coffee to sit down. Once across from her, he grabbed a slice of bread and some butter with his knife, spreading it evenly before taking a bite. Listening to Tessa speak of her heartbroken brother made him sad. They had only met this vampyress once or twice, but it was clear that Connor had been head over heels. Gerard, however, had to admit that the vampyress had looked way too much like Eden for him to feel comfortable around her. But then again, he believed he had simply gotten a complex with vampyres that wouldn't so easily be removed. She returned the question, or rather, she asked if he would be occupied with work. He sighed, smiling as he placed down his bread, reaching over to touch her hand a little. "As it so happens, my deadline for my last work of the week is this afternoon," he smiled with a small chuckle. He gave her a few seconds to realize what that meant. "So, if my fiancé wishes it, she can finally have that movie marathon tonight that she has been begging for for weeks now," leaning back in his chair, he let go of her hand to grab his bread again, taking a new bite, chewing it and letting Tessa react to the news.

Go out? He tilted his head a little to the side, smiling as he took her in as she was right now. "Sure, we can do that," he agreed. They had only been out and about for the exhibitions of their pictures, but that wasn't really the same as truly going out with the intend of just being together as a couple. Not that they had had much of a chance, their age difference would probably make people stare, but it was just how things would always be from now on. "So does my fiancé fancy dinner then? Or are you in the mood for something more daring?" you never knew for sure with Tessa, but that was what he loved about her. How filled with surprises that girl was was something he was always going to cherish. "Indulge me, ma chérie, what are your thoughts?" leaning a little over the table as if he longed to be closer to her, hear every word and not miss a single thing.

She was full of ideas as always, wasn't she? He couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. There was just something truly wonderful about how she spoke so freely. "I see you have quite the spur of creativity as always," he said, reaching over to touch her hand, holding it in his, caressing it softly as he weighed out the options. He thought he might have an idea, but it would mean Tessa had to trust him. "You want to have fun and yet not be childish about it, non?" he said, giving her hand a squeeze before he nodded and let go. "Alright, I think I have the idea in mind, but you will have to trust me," he chuckled, lifting her hand to his lips, placing a sweet kiss to her palm, feeling her skin against his own. It felt like forever since he had just indulged himself in her scent. "Dress however you like, but perhaps a little fancy," he said, not wanting to give it all away. He let go of her hand to finish up the breakfast before him, already making plans in his head.

Gerard couldn't help himself from smiling as Tessa clearly was already contemplating what to wear and how to style herself. He liked seeing what she would come up with. One thing was for certain it was going to look spectacular as always. As she left to go get ready he cleaned up after their breakfast before he went to got finish up a small thing for work - he just couldn't help himself.
The day passed pretty easily, nothing completely wild happened, but he did score a table at the venue they were going to. Which only came about because of his connection to one of his patrons. Once Tessa was ready he had called a taxi for them - it was perhaps the best idea if they had plans on drinking tonight. "You never seize to amaze me," he said, chuckling lightly as he touched the fabric of her clothes, looking her up and down and truly taking her in. "You look beautiful, ma cherie," he said, leaning down to steal a kiss. The whole world didn't matter when he got to be the one cherishing those soft lips. Though to be fair he was being a little careful as to not ruin her makeup.

She spent a long day planning, actually sitting with a notepad and drawing out a rough sketch of what she thought would match. Picking up a new habit was quite like Tessa and since spending time with her classmate Theodosia, she did want to have the outfit down on paper to later show. The outfit ended up being quite simple but pretty, a tight t-shirt with a cute flower-inspired print, some soft velour skirt in a salmon-y pink with some yellow accessories to even out all the feminine. Her short hair was twisted into buns, but it was thick enough to have the texture to actually be buns as well. The makeup she decided to tone down a little, a simple doodle of clouds around her eyes, just to match the bright colour scheme. She felt a little proud and it seemed that Gerard noticed. "Thank you." she chuckled, before returning the soft kiss. "Alright, let's go. I'm so excited that I almost cant stand still anymore." she admitted and it was true, she stood there tripping lightly from foot to foot, grabbing his hand.

Gerard smiled, nodding as the taxi arrived for them. He held the door for her before getting in himself, giving the driver the address before leaning back. Reaching down he took her hand, entangling their fingers lightly, lifting it to look at as he thought about how to explain where they were going without spoiling it too much. "I've heard about this place from one of my patrons," he disclosed, caressing her hand, turning it and touching her skin. She was always so soft. Always so delicate, and yet so strong. "They supposedly serve the best drinks in all of Churchill," he smiled, though he had never been there himself, he knew it was pricey. But she had wanted something more serious, and with the work he had done, he did have a few units saved away for a night such as this.
Arriving there was a long line outside the place for the people hoping to squeeze in and get to experience the club. Getting out of the car, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they walked past the line and up to a woman who was standing with a big clipboard of guests for tonight. She looked up, spotting Gerard and a bright smile spread on her lips, calling out to him in French. Gerard responded, chuckling and chatting with her briefly before pointing at her list. "Ah, Claudia, this is my fiancé, Theresa," he said, introducing the wonderful woman on his arm. Claudia looked at Tessa with an approving nod before removing the rope for them to enter the club.
Once inside it was clear it wasn't just any other nightclub. Art installations were everywhere, waiters walking around with trays of drinks and people dancing on the neon lit dancefloor. "I hope this is adult enough for you," he whispered teasingly in her ear, kissing her cheek before taking her hand to go up to the bar.

They got into the taxi and Tessa looked to Gerard, curious to hear any sort of clue. He didnt have to give it away. But she did like to guess or try to. One of his patrons? She hummed and nodded, looking shortly at their hands before looking at him with a soft smile. "We'll see if that's true." she chuckled.
She had thought of a few options but wasnt really set on settling on one thing. When they arrived, she noticed the line, humming softly as she felt the arm around her waist. It felt good to walk past the line but somehow she was quite used to it. Mostly from all the parties Maddie had gotten her into. The lady was really pretty and Tessa liked her style, though she obviously couldnt follow their conversation in french. He introduced her and she waved softly with a small smile over her lips.
When they got inside, she was quite blown away with how cool it looked with all the art. This place was definitely not the average nightclub. Her amazement was clear on her face as she stood there with her mouth slightly upen from how great everything went together. The teasing whisper made her scoff, but yeah, it definitely hit the bar. She followed his lead but her eyes were moving around at everything she was seeing.

Gerard smiled, happy that he had managed to impress her. He wasn't much for spending a lot of money on useless things, but seeing Tessa excited like this was all worth it. "Let us try some of those famous cocktails," he said, placing an order with the bartender. As the drinks were being mixed, he took his time looking around at the place. From the bar you had a pretty good view of the whole venue. The VIP area in the back closed off but the dancefloor was rather visible. In the middle stood a young woman, dark hair and a rather typical outfit - at least for a nightclub. Gerard barely noticed her as his eyes moved to the art, but he didn't see how the girl caught the eyes of his fiancé.

Lily liked being out like this, spending another person's money, having fun and dancing just for her own entertainment. She was wearing a new outfit that she had put together, was dark but still showed skin through the mesh shirt she had on. Her makeup likewise was a little dark, framing her eyes and making them look more intense along with her jewelry. Dancing, grinding her back up against the elder gentleman she was with, her eyes fell on the blonde young woman by the bar. Her interest was peaked instantly. Clearly a seraph, but besides that she had a different style from anyone she had ever seen around here. Well apart from herself of course. If the blonde seraph looked her way, she would send her a warm and charming smile, moving her hips to the music that was being played.

Tessa agreed to Gerard's proposition, because this place's drinks had to be perfect. She did watch the bartender mix the drinks but eventually turned to look to where Gerard was looking. She noitced a girl out on the dancefloor with some older guy, but the outfit was pretty cool. She thought it stood out from the people around her, but there was a lot of people with unique styles here; Which made Tessa feel that she could have upped her own style a bit. The smile made her smile back but she quickly turned her eyes back to the drink that was being mixed for them. "Oh my god, it glows with glitter! Gerard look!" she uttered in surprise and grabbed her fiancé, smiling brightly as she could almost jump from excitement; But she toned herself down. This place felt a little intimidating, at least for her to not just act out just yet.

Gerard chuckled at her excitement, turning to look at the drinks, in which he had to admit, it was pretty cool. The swirls of glitter and the UV lights shining on them made them look like magical potions out of a fairy tale. Though he was sure that drinking them would only get them drunk. Paying for the drinks he touched his glass to hers, "to a night out," he toasted. Taking a sip he widened his eyes. Yeah, he could get drunk on this, but it didn't taste like cheap alcohol either! It was a bit more fruity than he usually liked his drinks, though he didn't really mind it as there was also an acidic taste to it that made him go back for another sip.

She could see her standing with an elder man as well, and it made her want to approach the seraph even more. Looking briefly at the guy she was dancing with, she grabbed his hand, pulling him with her to the bar. Leaning over the disk she smiled almost sweetly, "I'll have what they are having," a quite smooth voice spilling from her lips as she eyed the blonde that was now next to her. Lily wasn't afraid of competition, far from it actually. "I love your skirt," she complimented the seraph, reaching out to touch the velour fabric lightly, looking towards the male seraph with a small smile. The male she was with paid for their drinks, handing one to Lily and she took it, lifting it in front of her face to look at the sparkles. "This is Marcus," she introduced the man she was with who was roughly in his 40s, a few grey streaks in his slicked back hair, but otherwise rather youthful in his appearance. "I'm Lily," she finally introduced herself, holding a hand out to the male seraph who took it politely before holding her hand out to the blonde.