Make a Wish (Cecil)

Cecil smiles softly, indulging in the way Nadia reacted to his touch. This was right. This was as it should be.
He remembered when he used to get that treatment himself, laying back as...her, hands, adeptly worked over his head. That wonderful sensation, the way his entire body relaxed and went limp as he just focused on what she was doing...was Nadia feeling something like he had, then?
He hoped so. He was definitely doing something right if he could even approximate that feeling.

He pauses for a moment before he answers, taking a long breath out. "I do. They're...they're great." His fingers dance through the strands of Nadia's hair, steadily more ambitious in their attempts to find the perfect technique. "Rydia's my little sister. Same kind of hair, though she likes to accessorise it a bit more...even if she doesn't look after it nearly as well. Acts like she's an unflappable tease, but find the right button to push and you'll see she's just a giant kid." His smile turns fonder as he thinks on the people he lives with. "Dad's got just as much a habit of winding us up, but he's also calm in a way I wish I was. He...he cares, and he always seems to know just the right way to show it."
"...he also makes the best goddamn ribs you will ever eat. Seriously, I swear to god, there is no comparison."

The fondness in the way Cecil talked about his family created a rift inside of Nadia's chest. On one side was the part of her that was joyously happy that his family was a good one. On the other side was an emotion she'd scarcely felt before. Jealousy. It made the hurt of her family somehow sting more. She was silent as he massaged her, deciding to abandon both of those emotions and just exist with him for this moment.

Finally, she spoke. "You know, I'd love to meet them. They sound like they love you very much." She commented with a smile. They really did sound like wonderful people, and if they were important to Cecil, then she wanted to meet them even more. She'd stuff that jealousy down. It wasn't like it was something either of them could help. Better to just celebrate the good things about his life. Maybe it would help him realize they were there. "I've never really eaten ribs before. They are always so expensive at restaurants..."

"That does it. It's my birthday wish. I want to meet your family." she announced, sounding as if her vigor was renewed. She lifted her head from his chest and smiled at him. "And you can introduce me as your girlfriend and everything. That's what they do in the movies, right?" She giggled, getting excited about the idea in the way she did. It was everything she could do to keep from standing up and dragging him back to the horse so they could go right then.

Nadia's head would lift to see Cecil's face in a fixed grin, hand frozen from its prior motion as palpable waves of terror and dread rolled off of him. It was less the grim feeling of true fear, and more the crystallised anticipation of an event you knew was going to happen and that you would suffer through the whole of.
And he would suffer through it - because Nadia had pulled the birthday called, and even though this was far more anxiety inducing than the bathhouse could ever be, it was what she wanted and he didn't have it in him to deny her.

"Y-Y-Yes...that, that is what they do, isn't it? I can do that...yeah, I can do that..."

It seemed more like he was trying to convince himself.

At some point during his muttering to himself, his expression turns to something more longing and wistful, and he lets out a long sigh. "...too bad I can't introduce you to who I really would have wanted to."

Cecil's hands had stopped moving, though his fingers were still threaded in her hair. Nadia could tell from his face that he was panicking a little bit. It worried her a little bit. Did he not want to introduce her? Was he ashamed or uncertain of their relationship? Was it...was she too weird? As it was, she probably shouldn't bring up dead things around them, that was obvious. She should remember that.

She was about to pursue her worries when he said something else. "Who's that...?" She asked tentatively, but curiously, sensing something amiss from his wistful demeanor. This could lead to more tears, if she wasn't careful, and her eyes were red enough as it was.

"...I'll tell you later, Nadia. I...not here. Not out here." He sighs as his fingers start to move again, a somewhat guilty look to his face. "I couldn't tell you first time...I doubt I'll have much success if I try again now. So...later. If I can't then...I have to make sure there's someone who can."
After a pause, he takes out Nadia's phone and his. "...could you let me in your phone for a moment?"

As Nadia felt Cecil's hands move again, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his for a second. "okay, that's fine." She backed off of him, letting him have a bit more space as he fished for the phones. Nadia, having finally, successfully shaken her nagging feeling, was suddenly overcome with suspicion about her phone. She looked at the phone as a cat might look at another, unfamiliar cat; wary and unsure.

"Oh, I don't have a lock thing. There's nothing really that important on there. Some rather interesting pictures, but not much else. You can open it if you want." She admitted, eyes traveling from the phone to his. What was it he was planning? "Why do you want in?" she asked, curious.

Cecil shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "You really should keep your phone more secure than that..." He flicks through the device, tapping away at the screen for a moment. Once he's done, he holds out Nadia's phone to again. "Here."
There's three new names in her contacts.

Luneth
Rydia
Rosa

Suddenly, Nadia's phone had more than ten contacts. Just barely, but there they were. Nadia looked at the screen as if it held all the answers in the universe - but in reality it was just another question. He'd mentioned a sister, a father...but there were three contacts in her phone.

"...too bad I can't introduce you to who I really would have wanted to."

Nadia looked at the phone for a moment longer but didn't say anything. He'd tell her - or someone else would - when it was time for that. For now...She already felt closer to Cecil than she did before. It truely had been a great birthday.

As she went to put her phone back in her own pocket, it buzzed. Completely unexpectedly. Like lightning she brought the screen back out in front of her, but...it wasn't who she'd expected.

Bridgett wrote:

Hey, Nadia. It's been a while since you've been around the Inn, but you're name's still on the employee birthday calendar. So, I wanted to message you and say happy birthday! I know it's probably mostly over for you now, but I hope you spent today with someone important. like that puppy-eyed boyfriend of yours Anyway... sorry for the late text, hope you had a great birthday!

Nadia blinked. Never had she expected to receive a text like this one. A smile crept over her lips as she held the phone against her chest.

This really was the best birthday ever.

Cecil reacted almost as quickly to the buzz of Nadia's phone as she did herself, eyes snapping to the device. His eyes move between it and her face, and as she smiles he finds himself mirroring her expression. "Get what you were waiting for?"

Nadia shook her head, handing him the phone. "No, better." she replied, smile still glowing.

Cecil pushes the phone back at her. "No no no...that's yours. Not mine." He leans in again, and kisses her, indulging in the sensation before breaking away. "That's yours too."

"Mmm!" Nadia was surprised by the kiss, and pocketed her phone quickly after. Phone safely secured, she pulled herself toward him again, all this time still sitting astride him, and kissed him in return. This one was longer, more needy. She gripped his shirt as she did so, "I'm so glad you came with me today, Cecil. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Tears included." she said breathlessly as she finally pulled away from him.

Cecil lets out a slight moan as he's pulled into the next kiss, leaning in to kiss her back and coming away with a blush. H-Hey...it's not done yet, r-right? We, we still have..." He swallows. "Home...oh god, I'm doomed..."

When Cecil brought up going home, and that he was doomed, Nadia felt a rush of excitement again. That's right! they were going so that she could meet his family! how exciting! But why was he doomed.

"Why are you doomed? you don't think they'll like me?" she asked honestly, her excitement had already been tinged with self-consciousness, but now that self-consciousness was flaring up at that look on his face.

Cecil laughs awkwardly, looking away from Nadia as his blush intensifies. "So, uh...you know I told you those two have a habit of winding me up? Well, uh..." He pauses. "...yeah. That. You're probably going to get it bad, but...oh god it's going to be even worse for me."
He shrinks into himself, hiding his face behind one hand. "After all the winding me up about getting into a relationship with someone and all the denials I made about looking for one or that sort of thing being a big deal? It's going to be even worse."