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 Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:01 am
Their time in Russia was coming to an end and their extended stay had seen them spend the Holiday’s across the sea. Zoe had received her first taste of a Volkov family Christmas, It was very casual compared to what she was probably used to; Valissa did not like doing anything Christmas day so had ordered in their food, which they then ate as a family at a dinner table, drinking spirits and telling stories. Gifts were exchanged - well, almost. Rurik still had one gift for Zoe, but in between family festivities and Midnight Mass he could not find the right time. This planned engagement made it hard for him to plan anything spontaneously romantic, as much as they were onboard with it - there was still a lot out of their control.
It was now the day after Christmas; and Rurik had left early to go to the salon. His roots were almost touching his ears and his hair was in danger of being cut off in his sleep by his fiance. He was usually very conscious of its upkeep, but with all the family drama, the trip to Russia, planning a wedding, Joe moving back to Destiny City - he had more pressing things on his mind. Alas, when he looked in the Mirror Last night, he knew something needed to be done. So, had had his lawyers put back in it and the ends dyed black to match his natural colour. It made him look paler, thinner in the face, his eyes brighter.
The resemblance to his mother was striking and probably the reason he started dying it in the first place. When he was a child he was often mistaken for her daughter - as a teen he wanted to remove himself from it. Now, well - he was not a kid anymore.
Rurik was back at the house by ten o’clock and headed straight upstairs to the room where he had left Zoe sleeping. He was not surprised to find she was up and probably in the bathroom getting ready - they planned to go ring shopping today, a last task before getting their light tomorrow. “Zoe?” He called, kicking off his shoes and sitting on the edge of the bed - still wearing his long grey coat and scarf. He could not wait to return to Destiny City - he had long forgotten what it felt like to be warm.
Running his thumb over the small box in his pocket he waited patiently for her to finish up.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:00 pm
Lucky for Zoe, Ryan always wore such clunky boots. The sound of him dashing up the stairs was obvious well before the door to their temporary bedroom opened. She was thankful, because his first instinct was to call out for her - just as she leaned into the bathroom counter and set the fine point of her liquid liner trailing along the curve of her upper lid. If he'd surprised her and ruined her nearly complete cat-eye, she would have choked him. Instead her hand was steady and smooth, unperturbed by his entrance. "Just a second," she called back after a pause, only answering him as she finished. Her free hand fanned the drying paint for just a moment before she righter herself and dropped back to her heels from the tip-toe stance she had been balancing on. The chill of the bathroom floor nearly made her hiss - even after so many weeks, she was continually dumbfounded over the way the cold just sank into everything so quickly. Her dark fingers closed around a tube of lipstain and she turned to leave the room, satisfied and wanting the warmth of her fiance. "Have you seen my-" Zoe stopped mid-sentence the second her bright eyes fell on him. Her fingers worked the lid of the tube up and down as she stood staring, feet away, creating a fine 'tick, tick, tick' as she processed the moment. The first thought that hit her was how very much he looked like Val - something she was sure irked him on some level. It wasn't that she had never noticed but now, with her dark hair framing his face, it was much more obvious. The bones beneath his mask were more masculine but he was his mother's child, through and through. By the time she had reached that conclusion, a smile was on her lips, and whatever she had been asking him about was entirely lost. In moments she had sidled between his legs where he sat, so she could lean herself into the cradle of his body while also reaching for his hair with both hands. The lipstain dropped beside him, forgotten, exchanged for the ability to run her fingers through the dark locks. "I like this," she said, at last, dropping her eyes to his where she loomed over him. "You look older, I think."
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2017 8:31 am
Rurik watched her curiously and with a slight apprehension. He was always changing his hair colour so he did not think twice about going for a drastic change at the salon, not realising he hadn’t changed his hair at all since him and Zoe met. It was strange for him, it seemed like Zoe first got in his car a lifetime ago - had life really not settled down since then? He raised an eyebrow and remained silent as she walked over, his head tilting to one side in the most feline of ways.
“Older, huh?” He smirked, flicking his bangs from his face. “Does it make you feel like you have less of a toy boy?” He teased as her hands found his hair, almost purring at the touch. He was younger than Zoe, not by much but at the same time he never really dressed his age - probably more so now he we was wandering around with scarved and coats. There was even a hint of stubble to his cheeks, a last ditch attempt to hide the redness that spread across his face every time he stepped into the winter wonderland that seemed to permanently engulf the city.
He reached for her arms, pulling her on top of him as he leant back in the bed - legs tangled together in a mass of limbs. He liked the closeness they shared, and how it had become easy but no less thrilling. “I have a present for you, but you are going to have to find it. I forgot which pocket it’s in.” He stated with a small shrug, being a man to like elaborate clothing he had many pockets in his coat and pants - filled with change, cards, keys, receipts, lighters and other random junk.
“I will just lay here until you’re done. Good luck babe.” And then his arms were cradling the back of his head, golden eyes closed.
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 9:02 am
The playful smile on her lips broke around a bubbling laugh the moment he pulled her back and onto the bed with him, so that her legs had to straddle his waist in an effort not to crush him with her kneecaps. Once settled, she simply propped herself up on his arms, letting the length of her ulna brace itself against his hard packed chest, giving her the appearance of a sphinx balanced delicately above him. "Oh, I like my toy boy," she whispered into the space between their lips, letting her eyes lid partially and her head dip down to him. If he hadn't mentioned the present, it was likely she would have spent all her time trying to get the layers upon layers of clothing off of him - but he had mentioned it and, immediately, her eyes lit at the notion. The flat of her palms pressed against his chest so that she could push herself up into a sitting position on top of him, looming above him and shadowing his face as her head blocked the dim, winter light from the window. Although she seemed thrilled at the idea of a present (because Zoe loved surprises) there was a bit of a suspicious in her demeanor. She knew Rurik well enough by now to know when he was playing a game with her. "What sort of present is small enough that you've already lost it, hmm?" Her hands began to pat down the front of his coat, choosing to start with his outermost layer. One pocket was zipped open carefully and the contents spilled out as she rummaged through - two balled up receipts, a lighter so old that he had worn off most of the cheap, plastic coating around it and what looked like a tube of lipstick that might have been hers. She held it up and waggled it at him. "Giving me back my favorite black?" Her free hand pushed her first finds to the side and dropped the stick back among them before she began to search again, patting down his stomach and hips slowly. "Am I getting warm yet?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 3:32 pm
“I like the enthusiasm, but not even close.”
He joked, wondering how some of her lipstick had ended up in his coat pocket - he had probably stolen it on a night out. Rurik often coordinated his own lipstick to match Zoe’s, it made kissing easier, less messy. She continues to rummage around his clothes, soon realising that he had little patience for the game - a strange anxiety maybe. Though she had already agreed to marry him, well, she could still be disappointed. Heck, he often wondered if anyone else in the entire world could relate to this situation.
There was no hand book, no blogs or advice columns dedicated to arranged marriages that did not tell people to straight up run. They were special, this relationship was special - he would not have it any other way.
He pushed up at his elbows to look at her, tilting his head to the side and flicking his fringe out of his face, the new length would take some getting used to. “I think I have remembered.” He smiled, putting his hands on her waist and flipping her over so he could roll on top. He pressed his lips against her neck and tickled her sides, kissing down to her collar bones and down her stomach until he was kneeled on the floor.
Golden eyes looked up at her.
But he was not quite done just yet.
“Say, please.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:18 pm
Zoe couldn't help the sudden laugh as his weight shifted and he tossed her over, manipulating her as easy as pie. Her head hit the pillows gently and she squirmed beneath his onslaught of kisses and tickling fingers, unable to control the little bubbles of laughter he inspired. By the time he slid away from her, she was breathing a bit faster and a flush had caught the slopes of her dark cheeks. Despite it, she pushed herself up onto one arm and rolled toward him, letting her bright eyes find his again. Then the smile on her lips faded and those same eyes widened, taking in the sight of him. Was he -Her brain stopped mid-conclusion and Zoe refused to let herself overthink whatever moment this was. It wasn't fair to him to assume (even if she really, really wanted to). Instead, she focused on his words and almost went so far as to tell him she didn't beg but so, so many things had changed since Rurik. Instead, she heard her own voice betray her, automatic once her brain kicked into gear again: "Pretty please?" A whisper, soft and hopeful.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 12:01 pm
Admittedly, he was not expecting her to actually say please. Things had changed over the months and it, caught of guard, he cleared his throat a little, fidgeting just for a second. Rurik was a performer, he had been since he was a child. He felt at home on a stage, he liked to be the center of attention and had an outrageous aesthetic that turned heads as he walked. So he was wondering why, in this moment, he was feeling stage fright for the first time in his life. It was unusual, awkward and he was not sure if he liked it. Zoe had always managed to pull these feelings from him, his awkwardness, his doubt, nervousness, love.
He took the box out of his pocket, it was not flashy, black velvet without a name or a brand. It was not a traditional engagement so he decided against a traditional ring, instead opting for a ring that was not an engagement ring at all. It was set in white gold, an opal ring that reflected teal and deep blues. He knew that Zoe liked blue, their private engagement party was going to be saturated in it.. “So, I have been going over in my head how strange this is.” Honesty seemed to be the way forward.
“Because I know it is already set in stone, and it felt unfair for me to ask when you could not refuse.” She could have refused, he knew that, and if it was anyone else he hoped that she would. However they both went into this to try and please their families, the only promise they made to each other was they were going to try their best to work out what was best for them. The fact they worked well together was never a factor in anyone else's mind, it was an unexpected blessing.
“So, even though you have to wear the rings we are going to buy later today for duty’s sake. I was wondering if you would wear this one because you want to.” He held out the box towards her, revealing the ring inside.
“Will you marry me, Zoe?”
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:31 am
"It's not strange at all." The words were a whisper in the chilly air that had settled over their room in midday Russia but her azalea eyes were bright and full of attention as Rurik produced the box from his pocket and opened it for her to see. She seemed stunned, at first, speechless. Then, very slowly, she pushed herself up with her hands so that she could crawl across the bed and slip her legs over the side, putting her in place to loom just above his face where he knelt on the floor. The smile that broke across her lips was dampened only by the tears that suddenly pricked at her eyes, welling up so that she could see the water line across her vision. She didn't want to cry - she wasn't fragile - but that simply unique, beautiful ring in his hand meant so much more than the decision they had both been forced into and the gravity of it was not lost to her. It wasn't strange because she understood it - this was him, asking for her heart outside of their duty. "Yes, yes, always," she mumbled as she slid into the floor in front of him, ignoring the harsh cold of the pavers as it soaked through her jeans into her shins. Both hands slid over his shoulders to nestle at the back of his head, curling her dark fingers into his darker locks while she walked herself closer to his body on her knees. There was no pause as she leaned to steal a kiss from his lips, and then another, until her euphoria was a flutter of kisses that landed as delicate as butterflies across his cheeks and down the line of his jaw. The tears had long since fallen and made treks along her dark cheeks that glittered in the midday sunlight drifting through their curtains, but her smile set the mood despite them. There was nothing in the world that could have mattered more to her in that moment.
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