lush ✘ and if the man can't dance he gets no second chance

[heyeresque]

Bellamy is not sure at what point the night began to slide sideways out of his control, but he's confident that when he reassesses in the cold, sober light of day it'll absolutely not be his fault.

Case in point, he leans against the front door of his Chelsea flat and pats himself down with one hand for his keys...which aren't there, meaning they're still in the inner pocket of Nic's jacket. Nic, who was meant to be the designated driver this evening and instead is the reason that he had to call Hasi from a hotel in London and request a rescue; Cypra would either be busy or laugh too hard, he explained. Nic, who decided to go ambling off with other friends after Bellamy turned in and will be all the more difficult to get a hold of until probably late tomorrow afternoon.

"Hasi," he says, admirably clearly for his inebriation, "I have a small problem."

Comments

[heyeresque]

"Thank you very much," Nic takes the cup and sits to better reach Zabibe, whom he presents a hand to solemnly as a man much accustomed to being accosted by cats. "Hello, there, lovely, what's this?"

... Lefevre men and cats. Hasi and Bellamy temporarily may as well not exist, and the latter takes the opportunity to remark wryly to the former, "He does that."

[norea]

Zabi gingerly gets acquainted with this friendly human (she warms up after a few minutes), and Hasi goes to stand near Bellamy- not quite leaning, not even quite touching, but if one of them moves enough it'll happen.

"Say hi to Drustan for me."

[heyeresque]

"I'll be busy begging forgiveness for the dreadful offense of not being home," he says lightly, nudging Hasi briefly with his shoulder and finishing his coffee. "We'll have to see if he's speaking to me at all."

Unlike Nic, who just has a way with cats, apparently.

[norea]

"Bribery and charm," Hasi suggests, "it always works for me."

[heyeresque]

"I'm not so charming-"

"He really isn't," Nic corroborates this for Zabi's benefit.

"-so I'll have to rely on bribery," Bellamy finishes, ignoring his cousin.

[norea]

"I've seen you be charming," Hasi speculates, innocently. Zabibe abruptly begins the slow feline greeting known as 'headbutting your face', enjoy that, Nicolas.

[heyeresque]

"You don't think Nicolas is the more charming right now?" Bellamy inquires, all innocence, as his delightful cousin headbutts the cat back obligingly. (Some people are ridiculous with animals; Nic is one of them.)

[norea]

Her exaggerated little one-shouldered shrug and impish smile are non-answers, but Zabibe has flounced off to sprawl on the floor, anyway, so that the humans may admire her from afar. Clearly this is distracting.

[heyeresque]

Nicolas takes bning abandoned with good grace, leaning back on the sofa; he's more inclined to take up space than Bellamy is, and he does it with the same ease that his cousin leans out into obscurity.

"Are we keeping you up?" Bellamy asks, absently.

[norea]

"Oh, I don't mind." She's observing the differences in the cousins, you see, and that's both educational and a little entertaining.

[heyeresque]

The very easy way they have together says two things besides their differences- that they are very close, and that when they get together they make each other into overgrown children. They exaggerate against one another, Bellamy becoming softer and quieter and Nicolas's sharp-eyed presence being thrown into relief. It's like a constant undercurrent of mockery carried in the set of Nicolas's shoulders and the diffident way Bellamy moves his hands.

"I'd hate to be putting you out."

[norea]

She just grins at Bellamy, for a half-second, shaking her head. "It's fine, honest. Like I told you before- I like company."

[heyeresque]

"You must be lonely with Inspector Sphinx," Nicolas says, grinning faux-sympathy, as he drinks his tea.

"You really aren't as funny as you think you are, Nic," he sighs.

[norea]

"Oh, I don't know. Do I look lonely to you?" Hasibe raises her eyebrows at Nicolas, voice just the littlest bit playfully breathless- okay, while the girl can't help it in some respects, that's not accidental. But she's only teasing.

[heyeresque]

"And you slept on the couch, Bel," Nic remonstrates lightly, draining his teacup and rising.

"Charlotte wasn't going to take me home, Nic, she was being so friendly because she's an ex, I've told you this," Bellamy says, mildly, taking the cup away from him and putting it in the kitchen for Hasi (who he smiles at, wryly, as he passes her). "Should we get on?"

"We'd better."

"Sorry about my shameless cousin, Norea."

[norea]

"I like shameless," she says, cheerily, kissing Bellamy's cheek again (although in Nicolas's view it may well be the first time, and she's not quite so intimate in her mannerisms with company) before they go, "and I'll see you around. It was lovely meeting you, Nicolas."

[heyeresque]

"Thanks again," Bellamy says, as Nicolas offers the bastard child of a salute and a wave with one careless hand and adds, "Take care," to the chorus.

Ascertaining that he hasn't forgotten anything, Bellamy leaves with his cousin, hands in his pockets and his shoulders relaxed; Nicolas keeps up a steady stream of nothing-in-particular all the way to the car. (Bellamy's. They trade keys beside it.)