#hlc:nixon

[nyctcphiliacs]

@ctrldchaos continued from (x)

"Oh, you know..." Trailing off with a shrug of her shoulders, eyes trained on his face, watching how a smirk quirks the corners of his lips. He would find this amusing. eyes rolling as he speaks again, "And there is the exact reason why." Shaking her head, this time in amusement, her facade of annoyance quickly dissolves as laughter falls from her lips. Hands moving to push at his chest, "Yeah, that's why? Not because you're trying to lay some weird sort of claim on me to your friends?" Was she taunting him? Yes, of course, she could never pass up the opportunity to rake him over the coals. "Also, no chance a loser like you could bag a total hottie like me," Winking at him with a flash of a cheeky grin.

[nyctcphiliacs]

Mouth opened to retort, primed and ready, but it died right there on the tip of her tongue when he moved closer. Breath caught in her throat as a large hand moved towards her face. Letting it out only when it moved past her skin pushed long tresses from her face. Biting at lower lip, blues flicker from his lips and back again. Heart hammering in chest as hand moves forward to pluck imaginary fluff from broad chest before simply resting against it. their hand rests on the broad shoulder. Blushing, tinting pale cheeks red with a flush, so it wasn't just her that felt the sudden tension between them. "and you think a date is going to fix it?" Laughing softly, "Are we really going to give in to peer pressure like this?" Yet the hand doesn't move from where it's pressed to him. "okay." comes in agreement after a long moment, almost as if it were, an afterthought, tho it was anything bit.

"I really lucked out that she was only in fourth grade. I think I might've been screwed if she was a fifth grader, that's a bit above my level." He let out a small chuckle. It felt like there was a shift in the air between them. As much as they had joked about people thinking they were an item the two of them had always brushed it off and not given it a second thought. He knows that whatever happens next will change everything between them but now that curiosity has the best of him Nixon doesn't know if he can back away from Henley and act like this didn't happen. Instead he takes another step closer to her, he reaches up and pushes a stray hair beyond her ear. "What if everything has already changed? This feels different than before."

[nyctcphiliacs]

"I always knew you were smarter than a fourth-grade girl," Grin on her lips even with the taunting edge tone held. Eyes trained on him, watching how body reacted to her sudden proximity. The way her name slips from his lips in that tone causes a pang of excitement in the pit of her stomach. Always pleased when she was able to get a reaction out of him. However, this felt different, felt heavier despite the way the flutter grew as his words continued. Brow perks when they stop abruptly, about to prompt him to continue but then it's his turn to crowd her. Action is just as unexpected as the sentence that follows. "What if it changed everything?" So quick with the answer like she'd already thought this through.

He felt a momentary wave a relief rush over him when Henley didn't question what he had said. "There's a big difference between me and Jennifer. I'm smart enough to know not to steal your gel pen. I wouldn't even dream of it. That offense is worthy of a lifetime of hatred and I would never do anything that outrageous to you." He tried to bring the playfulness back to their conversation but his breath catches in his throat when she takes a step closer to him. "Henley" it comes out as more of a warning than anything. "What if we —" He cuts himself off while he takes a step closer to her. "You can tell me to fuck off and I will but what if we went on one date. what harm is one date going to do?"

[nyctcphiliacs]

The playful air seemed to stutter just as his last phrase is left to hang in the air. Surprise was evident in features as her smile faltered momentarily. Was he serious? Never really getting confirmation one way or the other as he continued on as if he'd never mentioned it at all, laughing, "Oh, you really underestimate me. I still hate Jennifer from fourth grade because she stole my gel pen so-" shrugging grin returned despite the nagging feeling in her gut that she should prod him deeper on his earlier comment, "I mean what's a better way than to show you." Tone playful as brows waggle, moving a step closer to Nixon, and honestly, she couldn't even tell if this was just an act to make him squirm or a ploy to test the boundaries of their friendship. Fuck, were they honestly that easily swayed by peer pressure?

"I don't know but there's gotta be something worse. Maybe you should just let me take you out on dates." It slips out before Nixon can stop it. His eyes go wide before he shrugs it off. He decides to pay his own comment no mind, he didn't want to draw attention to it. "You could never hate me." He flashes her a small smile. "What do you consider weird? I need to know your boundaries. You are kind of weird so it's not really like I would have to make anything up. The truth is weird enough."

[nyctcphiliacs]

"Oh fuck off," Eyes rolling and laughter sounding despite the way words lingered in her mind. Fingers lifted to tuck hair behind the ear as teeth chewed on the bottom lip; she tried her best to focus on him as he continued speaking. Not on what could be if either of them dared to push their friendship's boundaries. But why would she? She was happy with him as just a friend. Right? "Oh yeah? Like what? What could possibly be worse than you confirming what everyone already thinks? How am I ever supposed to get a date like that?" Brow lifts as if the brunette expects an actual response to the question, arms crossing over the chest. "I hate you." he huffed finally; he was right; there wasn't a chance they'd believe him now. Especially since he'd just admitted to what they always suspected, even if it was a complete lie. "Fine, just like, don't make up anything weird about me."

"I don't know if I'll manage. KNowing I'll never have a catch like you is a lot for a guy to deal with." He's truly fine with being friends, he hadn't gone into their friendship wanting anything more than that. It was just hard to not think about what could be when everyone else was shoving the idea down his throat constantly. All that talk made him wonder but he wasn't willing to ruin what they had so he never pushed things. They were good like this. "First of all, that's so rude." An amused chuckle fell from his lips. "Now you're just giving me a ton of reasons not to shut this down. Think of the shit I could tell them about you. Come on, Henley, there are worse things than people assuming you're my girl." It's not like shutting them down would stop the guys from talking. "I can try and talk to them but you know how they are once they get an idea in their heads. I'll tell them we're not a thing but they're gonna think I'm full of shit because we want to keep it quiet. You are never going to hear the end of this."

[nyctcphiliacs]

"Oh, I'm sure you'll manage." Rolling her eyes, another snort, blues lingering on him, a little stare longer than usual as the taunt sinks in slightly more than she ought to have let it.. Everyone had always assumed there were underlying feelings between the pair, and she'd never given it a second thought. But maybe head shaking as she turned attention back to him, scoffing of laughter, "Ew, as if I'd want to touch you or any one of your greasy little friends." Nose wrinkling in performative disgust, "I just want you to squash it before one, anyone starts believing it, two, they start spreading it to other people we know, and three, they start asking you for weird details about me." voice practically a whine by the time she'd finished speaking.

"Break my heart all over again, Henley." Nixon lets out a small chuckle. "I am only agreeing because it is the truth." He gives a small shake of his head. "Don't put your being mean on me. I think you'd be mean to me even if I wasn't a dick. You know what they say about boys and girls being mean to one another, it means they like each other." It was kind of a throwaway comment even though there were times he wondered if there was some truth to the sentiment. "Like you could stop talking to me. Why are you so keen on me stomping out this rumor anyway? You trying to get with one of the guys? I could put in a good word for you, well I could if you start being a little nicer to me."

[nyctcphiliacs]

"See, I fucking knew it," The grin pulling her lips mimicking his, "But we've been over this, Nix. It's never ever ever going to happen," amusement clear as she crossed her arms over her chest, snorting with his refutal of her taunt, "Oh please you and your friends are so lucky I even talk to you. And Thank you for agreeing I'm hot," Smug smile quickly soured, blues rolling at the accusation, "I am the nicest, just not to you. You started being a dick to me first. " Sticking her tongue out at him, "Stop changing the fucking subject, you have a little rumour to deal with, and if you don't, I'm not talking to you anymore."

A low amused chuckle falls from his lips. "You've figured me out." He takes a long pause in an attempt to build a little bit of suspense. "I want to lay a claim on you because I'm down bad for you and I don't want the guys thinking they have any sort of chance with you." Nixon does his best to keep a straight face to really sell it but the words just leave him before there's a shit eating grin on his face. "You're really gonna drag me like that? I definitely could bag a hottie like you. It hurts that you think I couldn't. I don't know if I want to keep up this friendship if you're gonna keep being mean to me. The guys think you're so nice and sweet, maybe I should tell them the truth and let them know that you're actually just a big bully."