Closed Break My Routine

Nikko had been waiting for this day for a million different reasons. For one, he had quickly out grown the room he had been renting for the past year and a half. His land lady had been more that kind to offer him the space when he was just starting out. But he was getting the hang of this whole being an adult thing and was looking for something a little more grown up. Of course, the biggest reason he was looking forward to moving was because he was moving in with Aubrey. It felt a bit fast, and he knew his parents were wary, but it was more practical to live together than on their own. Nikko shifted the box in his arms and he could feel the sweat starting to trickle down his back. Just a few more steps and they'd be done. With a thud and a sigh of relief he put the last cardboard box in the middle of their very bare living room. It wasn't much but it was theirs. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "That's the last one." he said and looked around for where Aubrey had gone off too. It wasn't like the apartment was very big.

Aubrey was excited. Things were official with Nikko- not that they hadn't been official before. But this felt so serious. Sharing a bedroom- she blushed at the thought. Having him close by, waking up to his sleeping face in the mornings, eating meals with him when he was home... it was so domestic, but she loved the thought of it. Somehow, it felt like he was even more hers now. And she was just as much his. While he was grabbing the last box, she'd moved into the kitchen, starting to unpack things, using a bit of magic to get things put away. She smiled when she heard him. "In here," She offered back, taking in the kitchen as the boxes emptied and she took in the aesthetics of everything. It was all so fresh and new, she loved it. "I'm hungry. Did you pick up the groceries?" She asked, turning to see if he'd come in.

Nikko was staring at the empty room and wondering if he could convince any of his teammates to help him pick up a couch next week when he heard Aubrey from the ktichen. He shook out his arms and knew he'd be sore at practice tomorrow if he didn't sleep through his alarm. He grinned as he turned the corner and saw her unpacking already. He felt an sense of relief knowing they would make a good team together. Without missing a beat he came in and hugged her from behind and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Ah right groceries." he said with a laugh. "That can wait till tomorrow. I think we deserve some take out tonight to celebrate." he said and gave her one last squeeze before letting go. "We might have to sit on the floor with a box as a table but..." Nikko trailed off, regretting now how little they had. But they'd have time for all that.

Aubrey laughed lightly, leaning back into Nikko's touch and smiling warmly. "Do we want to eat here?" She asked. "We could scope the neighborhood, find somewhere with a table, sit and relax there for a bit?" She offered, turning more to face him. "I can do some scouting tomorrow, see if I can't find some furniture somewhere we can afford." She traced her hands down his arms and took his hands, squeezing them lightly. "I'm sure we'll figure something out soon enough," She promised.

Nikko leaned against the counter needing a moment of rest before he started to tackle the unpacking himself. "I guess not but I thought it might be a good way to spend our first night here." he shrugged. But she did have a point. Eating on an actual table sounded much better. His mind started to wander with a check list of all the things he needed to do but before he could get too overwhelmed Aubrey took his hands and he was able to take a deep breath. "That sounds great." he said thankfully. "Me too."

Aubrey giggled. "Okay, counter offer," She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "We go out, find some good take out, then come back and change into our pajamas, build a blanket fort and put in a movie, and feed each other our takeout?" She offered. "Turn it into a little at home celebration date and then figure out the table thing later."

Nikko smiled as Aubrey negotiated with him, not that there was much to negotiate. He would be happy to do whatever she wanted. But he had to admit going out for a whole meal was going to be a big ask by the end of the day. "That sounds perfect." he said softly. "I guess I go better find the blankets." he joked before letting go of her hand and walking out into the living room. "Do you think they're out here or in the bedroom?" he asked.

Aubrey laughed, following after him. "Have some faith," She teased. "I put the box by the hall closet by the bedroom," She told him, thinking over a few spells to get them to stick where they should as she grabbed the box of pillows she'd put where the couch should go. "I saw a chinese place down the block that looked pretty good." She offered, putting the box down and popping it open. "What do you think?"

Nikko was standing in the hallway full of boxes with his hands on his hips and dreading having to open all of them when Aubrey came to the rescue. He watched with a smile as she grabbed the box and opened it. He really should have thought about labeling his things better. "Chinese sounds perfect. Do you want your usual?" he asked as he started to unpack the box of blankets. "I could go get it now?" he offered. "I think we deserve a break."

Aubrey chuckled and set things down, moving over to try and steal a kiss. "A deluxe fried rice sounds good. With some egg rolls, maybe some cheese wontons and some eggdrop soup," She told him easily. "Why don't you go get dinner, and I'll unpack things a bit and get the place set up a bit more for us?" She offered, willing to get a little more work in while he handled the food.

Nikko chuckled as Aubrey rattled off the order without a second thought. How she was so sharp after a day of boxes and moving he didn't know and wasn't going to argue. He gave her a quick kiss. "Your wish is my command." he said jokingly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." he said as he backed towards the door. "And don't do it all without me. You're going to make be feel useless." Nikko laughed and pointed his finger in an attempt to sound authoritative even though he knew it was useless.

Aubrey laughed, shaking her head. "Of course you're not useless- someone has to stand there and look pretty," She teased, blowing him a kiss as he headed for the door. She took her finger and drew an X over her heart. "Alright, I swear, I promise, I'll leave you a few boxes to put away," She tried to sound solemn, but couldn't help the way she laughed as she moved to start working. "Now shoo, off with you. We need food," She started humming softly, a plan forming in her head for where she'd put everything.