The Custodes

Chapter 6 - Date Night

Nexus didn't waste much time in the shower, simply making sure to scrub all the dirt and such off of him, as well as thoroughly rinsing out his hair before he stepped out and dried himself off. He redressed himself, letting out a content sigh now that he finally felt clean again, before leaving the bathroom and stepping out into the hall. He glanced at Quinn's bedroom, debating going back in there considering she wasn't in the living room, but she had told him to wait there and if she was getting ready then he definitely didn't want to risk walking in on her. He turned down the corridor and walked into the living room, recognising a few parts of it from the glimpse he'd caught as Quinn entered that one time. The design was yet again fairly simple, with a single brown cushioned couch in the centre of the room and a lone coffee table in front of it, then a relatively small TV on a stand past that.  The room was fairly small for a living room, with the only other things in it being a fluffy carpet and a bookshelf against the wall. The door leading to the stairwell of the apartment building was to the right of the television, and on the next wall over was the small entrance to the kitchen. Nexus dropped down onto the couch as he waited for Quinn, quickly becoming lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't quite sure what he was planning to do with Zuro. The fact it was so easy for him to break Nexus like he had managed to prompt a serious reshuffling of the boy's priorities, and now he had started to consider what Zuro's arrival meant for the city as a whole. He remembered what the man had told him - if he made it out alive he'd let him on his side. Nexus scoffed at that, a scowl appearing on his face. Never had he imagined having to go through something so extreme just to be allowed on someone's side. He was so used to others being the ones who wanted to join him, and now that the tables had been completely turned on him he was beginning to think maybe he'd have to change up his attitude. If he'd earned Zuro's respect by surviving his fight with him, it could actually end up being particularly useful for him. He wanted to be on the winning side, and right now he firmly believed that anyone who tried take on Zuro was a fool with a death wish. That meant Neo, apparently. There was a time when Nexus might have had a soft spot for his little brother, but that was a long long time ago and ever since then he had managed to teach himself not to care. Any sort of weakness like that had to be eliminated if he wanted to make it to the top. He was more than confident that he could kill Neo without hesitation, and his attempt to do so during their fight in the apartment solidified that in his mind. Still, if Neo was going around outright defying Zuro, how long would it take for him to run aground and be completely disposed of? The boy had guts, he'd give him that, but he was far too soft to go against someone like Zuro. Based on willpower alone it was obvious Neo was out of his depth, and Nexus had no doubt Zuro was only letting him live out of amusement at that moment. He'd been sat on the couch thinking for a while when Quinn's bedroom door suddenly opened, snapping him awake from his thoughts. "Took you long enough. I was starting to think-" He cut himself off as he turned around just as Quinn stepped into the living room. He was outright stunned into silence for that single moment as his gaze fell on her face, before he quickly cleared his throat and glanced at her apparel. She was wearing a fairly tight black skirt cut just above her knees, leaving the rest of her vaguely tanned, smooth legs exposed all the way down to her ankles. Her top was a white silky dress-like piece, with the laced bottom stopping just past her waist, and was held in place by a single strip of silk that knotted together at either end around her neck, leaving her shoulders and arms completely bare. Her face was far more striking that it usually was, since she'd gone through the effort of applying a decent amount of makeup, not so much that she was outright caked in it but enough to beautifully complement her features, the deep red of her lipstick and the faint yet sensual black of her mascara standing out to Nexus. Her hair had been tied in a single short braid at the back, a style he'd never seen on her before. In fact, he hadn't seen a single aspect of what she was wearing on her before. It was a surprise to say the least, one that Nexus far from hated, but he'd be damned if he showed it. "You look kinda strange." He stated simply as he turned back around on the couch, sensing her gaze bore into the back of his head. "I ought to kill you here and now." She stated as she walked over, standing against the wall right behind the couch "Tell me what you think, asshole." "Why does it matter what I think?" He asked, glancing back only to receive a dumbfounded look that made him feel stupid "Cause you're the one that's going to be spending the evening with me looking like this." He sighed and took another glance at her from top to bottom, then met her gaze. "I think it's unfair on me that you've gotten yourself all glamoured up." He stated simply, gesturing to her and then his own boring clothes, with her narrowing her eyes at him "You know what, I'm taking that as a compliment. Anything negative you say is just cause you're upset you've been outdone." "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, are we going?" He asked, which she gave a nod at "Yes, we are." She said as she moved over to the door, picking up a purse that had been hanging from the coat rack on the wall. Nexus stood up from the couch, glancing at her again as she turned and opened the front door "I've never seen you wear anything like this before." "Of course you haven't. I've never had a reason to get all dressed up around you. One of the perks of choosing to spend the day with me." She said with a single bounce of her eyebrows, before slipping out of the house. Nexus followed her out, watching as she locked the door behind him, and smiled as she started to walk down the stairs alongside him. "It's different. Very different." He went on as they walked, feeling a lot more relaxed than he had for a while "Though I do actually like it. It's feels kinda...refreshing." Quinn turned to look at him, a small look of surprise on her face, one that soon turned into an amused smile "There you go, finally saying something nice. I knew you had it somewhere in you." She teased, which he gave a small shake of his head at despite his slight smile "Yeah, whatever." A few moments of silence passed between them, until Nexus couldn't help but make a small quip "Though I don't get the deal with that stupid shit on your face." He knew Quinn could sense the joking tone of his voice, but he still received a hard, sharp elbow in the ribs for the comment. "Ow!" He exclaimed through his laughter, clutching where she hit him and stopping in his track "You hit me right on a bruise." She didn't so much as glance back at him as he spoke, still just walking at the same pace she had been the entire time. "Fucking good." She commented, causing him to let out another laugh. He watched her continue to walk, catching himself glancing somewhere he probably shouldn't have been and quickly reprimanding himself, feeling his cheeks heat up. He picked up his pace and returned to his spot alongside her, moving a tad bit fast just to ensure she didn't turn round and actually murder him on the spot. For some reason he couldn't quite wipe the faint smile off his face, and as the pair left the apartment building and made it out into the cool evening air, he found himself actually somewhat looking forward to the time he was about to spend with Quinn.