Fabulous Las Vegas • •

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Nix hated talking anything serious. It wasn’t in his nature to do so normally and he kept most of his serious business in the part of his world that focused on his career and the crimes that one day soon he might find himself dealing with as part of a team that had to be serious. As far as Nix went, that would be where the line was drawn; he was never going to be one of those guys who took the work home with him. He strongly believed that he needed that balance to stay healthy and to keep his life with as few problems as he could. It might not always be easy and he might one day find himself struggling, but Nix was not the kind of guy to drown; he’d find some light hearted way to stay afloat.

He wasn’t the kind of guy to make lifelong plans or spend too much time thinking about what the future might hold for him; he found that it only ever led to disappointment and regrets. Nix was the kind of guy who would much rather take things one day at a time, seizing opportunities when they arose and making the most out of what he had at the end of each evening before he curled up in bed, usually with a movie on the TV in his bedroom before he fell asleep. The only thing he had ever set in stone was his career, and the rest could come and surprise him as the fates wished it too. He was still young and far away from planning how the rest of his life would play out or what he could imagine in his future.

Nix had to laugh as he dunked his girlfriend into the pool. He was a little surprised that she didn’t see it coming from him, given his playful nature and the usual ways he would find to get up to mischief with her as the victim of his unruly pranks. “Are you trying to injure my other shoulder?”

[/color] He teased lightly, splashing her some more. Pouting playfully, Nix shook his head and sighed. “If we must.”[/color] Nix could’ve happily spent more time floating in the water, enjoying the Nevada sun beating down on the garden. It really was something he missed terribly when he was back in New York. He glided to the edge of the pool and using his good arm, pulled himself out pretty simply; he was getting a lot better at managing everything one handed now.
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• • •

TAGGED!Payton!
WORDS! 458
OUTFIT! Nerd Power!
LYRICS! To Die For- - - Automatic Loveletter
NOTES! Yeah, Nix kept arsing about on this one. <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Nix still found ways to take Payton by surprise, and it was what kept her on her toes whenever she was around him. It was good for her nerves and wits, but, sometimes, she did want to smack him for the sneak-ups, tickle attacks, and other silly things he did to get her to smile more. She'd gotten used to most of them over the course of their relationship, and had finally developed a sixth sense that somehow started tingling whenever he tried to approach her from behind. They kept things light though, and kept the fun going, even when one of them was in a bad mood.

Payton splashed him back as he climbed out of the pool, hoisting herself out of the cool water and grabbing her towel from the edge of the pool. She wrapped it around herself, smirking as she noticed Nix's lack of a fluffy item. "Did you forget something?" she teased, picking up her flip flops and walking past him with a smirk on her lips. She hugged her towel around herself as she went back into the house, going towards Nix's bedroom and praying that they wouldn't run into anyone. There were plenty of people there; someone was bound to find them eventually, but she was hoping it'd be later rather than sooner.

She went into the bedroom and grabbed Nix's hand, pulling him over to the wardrobe and gesturing to the few dresses hanging there. "Pick one for me?" she smiled up at him sweetly, giving him her best innocent, puppy dog eyes before pecking his cheek and gathering her shower things. Payton took out a pair of shorts and a tank top to wear under her dress, stuffing them into her small shower bag and waving goodbye to Nix as she went off for the bathroom.

It didn't take her long to wash the grime of flying and the pool off, and then she was out, changing into the clothes she'd brought into the bathroom with her. Payton brushed through her hair quickly, scrubbing some product into it and leaving it to dry on its own; the usual routine for her wild mane. She tucked all of her things back into her bag, wrapping the towel around her damp bikini until she found out where she'd be leaving that to dry. Payton checked to make sure she had everything, then went back to the bedroom, not bothering to knock at the partially-opened door. She figured Nix was probably still in the shower anyways; otherwise, he would've closed to door to change, right? She walked inside, eyes on the bed to find out which dress her boyfriend had chosen. Good choice; all she had to do was slip it on and pick out some shoes. It took her a moment to free herself from her own thoughts, but, finally, she looked up and noticed the very naked Nix standing in the middle of the room.

WORDS: 518!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: The Airport!
OUTFIT: AIRPORT CHIC!
MUSIC: Run Away by Megan & Liz
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

He wished that they had longer to relax by themselves, but his ma was adamant about having this big family dinner. She did it every time Nix came home, but usually he arrived in Las Vegas a little later in the day since normally he chose to make a road trip out of it; normally he didn’t have an arm that couldn’t work. It was usually a next day sort of thing, but arriving early meant that it was a full extra day and Ma McKenzie didn’t see any reason to waste that day with relaxing and settling in to the home her sons had been raised in, regardless of what excuses Nix came up with, even if they were about Payton and showing her about the place she would be staying for the next week or so.

Nix hated when girls asked him what to wear. His own fashion sense was quirky enough and over the years he had learnt that what he liked most was usually the ‘wrong’ answer. The crazier something was, the more he loved it and there were no questions asked about if it matched, if it was appropriate. When it came to his own clothes it was often a case of grabbing the first thing in his wardrobe and throwing it underneath whatever shirt or hoodie was lying around closest and what didn’t smell like it had been pulled from a dumpster. Looking over the dresses one Payton was out of the room, Nix chewed his lip and let out a sigh finally settling on one of them and placing it on the bed before moving out of the room for his own shower in the other bathroom.

Showers were becoming easier now since his physiotherapy had started, but it was still an annoyance of his right now. He kept them short and spent less time under the water flow than he used to, literally doing the necessary things before shutting the water off and stepping out. He used to enjoy a hot shower after a long or sticky day, but now with the nuisance that was his arm, it felt like more of a chore than anything else for him. He figured that Payton would be a lot longer in the bathroom and so took his time back in his room, drying off and then tossing the towel down on the bed before reaching for the clothes he had tossed on the sheets before his shower. He heard the creak of the door and turned around curiously, almost forgetting for a second that there would be someone else returning to his room. At the sight of his girlfriend he smiled, then remember his lack of clothing and snatched the towel back up again, covering himself up, laughing and playing it cool. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

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• • •

TAGGED!Payton!
WORDS! 511
OUTFIT! Nerd Power!
LYRICS! To Die For- - - Automatic Loveletter
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton didn't often ask Nix to do things for her. She didn't feel like she had a right to; he already helped so much with things that couldn't be seen, that it felt wrong to be asking for more. She sprung at any chance to assit him though, whether it was with his arm or anything else; she was always there, and happy to be. But, she did want his opinion on a dress for the dinner. She gave him safe options, so she wouldn't be showing up in something totally insane, and she wanted to look good tonight for him. Payton wanted him to be proud to show her off, even if she hated the attention; she didn't want him to be ashamed of her, especially not in front of his entire family. By the end of the night, she'd no doubt be curled up in PJ's and one of his sweatshirts, but, at least for now, she had to look the part of innocent girlfriend.

After sharing a bathroom with a twin sister for her entire life, Payton had learned to take relatively quick showers. She did enjoy the luxury of standing under the warm water some days, but there were things to do tonight, and she didn't feel like wasting the extra time. She hadn't expected Nix to be out so quick though, and she certainly hadn't been expecting him to be standing naked in the middle of his bedroom; now, it was a bit too late to knock. She'd never shared a bedroom before though, and it wasn't like she knocked when going into Paige's room. There were going to be some awkward moments in the next week and a half, and she was dreading each one.

The blush was burning on her cheeks before she even felt it, and it took her a long moment to blink as Nix wrapped himself back in the towel. Pay wasn't used to seeing that much of him, though she would admit, the sight of him sparked a longing sensation deep inside. She only recovered when his lips began moving, but she didn't catch a single word. Brushing her wet hair over her shoulder, she shot him a quick sign, "Sorry. I should've knocked." Chewing her lip she quickly went and set her things down near her suitcase, grabbing her dress and moving towards the door again. "I'll go change in the bathroom. I'm sorry," she signed again, hugging the dress to her chest and opening the door to slip back into the hallway. It was going to take a long time to get the image of Nix out of her head; the perfect thoughts to be having while dining with his parents.

WORDS: 486!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: The Airport!
OUTFIT: AIRPORT CHIC!
MUSIC: Run Away by Megan & Liz
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Nix didn’t like relying on other people. He was fickle enough as it was and half of the time didn’t want to follow a schedule or a routine, so asking people for help was usually a short notice thing and never at the most convenient of times. Of course, all of that had been out of his hands after he had been shot and other people had almost taken over his life and what he could do and when. At least now he was getting better and had medical permission to start doing everything for himself again. His arm and shoulder might ache at the end of each day and put him in a bit of a mad mood, but it was worth it to have that independence back in his life when he didn’t have to call someone or ask someone to stay just because he needed them for something.

He didn’t see the big deal about tonight though. To him, it was another family dinner with the people he loved the most. Nix didn’t think that Payton needed to worry or try to please anyone. He had told her before and he had a feeling that he’d tell her again soon; his family didn’t and wouldn’t judge her. The McKenzie’s were a mixed enough bunch as it was to begin with and their growing numbers only seemed to introduce more unique characters into their home. Besides, they had parented Nix, who was so far from the conventional “normal” that it seemed peculiar at times that he would ever live the life he did; college, a job with law enforcement and a healthy romantic relationship with someone who actually managed to keep up and put up with him.

Nix had never shared his bedroom, but he did live in a house overrun by other men, so there was no need for modesty. The brothers always wandered about in their boxer shorts, much to their mother’s chagrin and walking in on each other had happened before, especially on morning rushes when someone had overslept or lost track of time as they finished that homework assignment they had forgotten all about. He grinned at Payton’s reaction, figuring she must’ve been more embarrassed than he was, but then Nix always did take everything in his stride and very little managed to bring a blush to his cheeks. As she grabbed her things, he hurriedly pulled his shorts on under his towel and then reached out to touch her arm as she reached the bedroom door. He waited for her to turn around and then smiled, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s fine. I should’ve put some clothes on sooner instead of lounging about. You can get ready here.”

[/color] He said, stepping back to pick up his jeans and the shirt he had pulled out to wear for dinner.
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• • •

TAGGED!Payton!
WORDS! 512
OUTFIT! Nerd Power!
LYRICS! To Die For- - - Automatic Loveletter
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton couldn't even begin to imagine what a family dinner with her relatives would look like. They'd be stunned by Nix, that much she was sure of. He wasn't the type of guy she would've gone after, even before she'd lost her hearing; he was too loud, too brash, and much too hyper. There would've been stares and whispering in the kitchen; Paige and her shooting looks at each other and Payton trying to use what little control over Nix she had to keep him calmed down and sitting still. The dinner with his family would hopefully go a little better; hopefully. She'd be the odd one out, of course, but she was hoping she could get lost in the shadows and just watch the lips speaking around her; maybe she'd be ignored and left to eat in peace.

She had noticed Nix's body before; it was a bit inevitable when you were dating the guy. But, she'd never seen this much of him, and she'd never expected to waltz in on him while he was changing; it was a scene she hadn't let herself picture. Now that she had though, she would admit, she liked what she saw. Superficial, sure, and a bit too shallow for the normal Payton, but Nix did bring out a side of her no one else saw; apparently, that included her animal instincts, as well.

She hugged her dress tight against her chest, embarrassed beyond belief. It was one of those moments she wished she could escape from, but it was too late. It was over though, and she could go run back to the bathroom and have her mini-panic attack in peace until Nix came looking for her. His touch stopped her before she could escape, and she turned slowly to face him, closing her eyes for a moment as his lips came to meet her hair. Reaching up on her toes, she kissed him gently for a moment before pulling back and setting her things down. Grabbing his hand to get his attention, she let go and signed, "Stay; we're both half-dressed anyways." Payton gave him a smile, and picked up her clothes again, going to the bed to lay them out.

Carefully, she unzipped the back of her dress, stepping into it and settling the straps on her shoulders. She fiddled with the zipper again, her arms not flexible enough to get it more than a quarter of the way up. With a soft sigh, she tried again, shaking her head in frustration as the thing wouldn't budge. This is what sisters were supposed to be for; stupid Paige for being on the other side of the country.

WORDS: 470!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: The Airport!
OUTFIT: AIRPORT CHIC!
MUSIC: Run Away by Megan & Liz
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Nix had never been the perfect boyfriend parents dreamed of dating their daughter. His brief past relationships with some of his male friends had been even less expected by their parents. His own had been pretty accepting and Nathan joked that the family had seen it coming for years, given the way Nix behaved around pretty much everyone; not all strangers took too kindly to being greeted with a peck on the lips, but Nix couldn’t care less. Even with a respectable job, he would still be that loud, hyperactive and totally inappropriate guy that had mothers staring wide eyed and wondering what their beloved child had brought home with them. He was a good guy though and had yet to meet someone who was genuinely put off entirely by his antics, just because of how quirky he was.

He did find it cute though how embarrassed and flustered Payton now was. Nix had lost count himself of how many times he had streaked across the campus during his freshman year in the dorms and modesty was not something commonly associated with the lanky lab rat. They had never really talked about the more important parts of their pasts, since he knew Payton liked to avoid hers and he wasn’t serious enough to sit and discuss his. Still, in this moment he did have to wonder about her past relationships. He didn’t keep his hidden for any dark, mysterious reason and he was still friends with quite a few of the people he had dated, even if they didn’t hang out so much anymore, but then life was to blame for that. How many boys did Payton have lurking in the shadows of her past? Nix really didn’t care; it wouldn’t effect what they had now or how he felt about her. He was, however, curious, since that was pretty much what the last four years had taught him to be; not that he needed much help in that department!

His eyebrows furrowed as she grabbed his hand and he turned around to look at her, slowly reading the sign before grinning and bending down to kiss her sweetly. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, anyway, gorgeous.”

[/color] He grinned, changing into his fresh clothes and then doing a few moments of physiotherapy to try and ease his arm and shoulder back into relaxing. He was finding that as the mobility returned to it, he had to actually wind down from the smallest of activities or else the muscles went into spasms and left him in more pain than he would admit to anyone. He wandered over to the table on his side of the bed and popped another painkiller, just to make sure that he wouldn’t spend dinner distracted by the pain. Nix turned around to see what Payton was doing as he fiddled with the flat iron to tame his hair back into the usual style, smirking when he saw her struggling with the dress he had picked out. Quickly dealing with his hair in ridiculous timing, he stepped across to where she was, his hands lightly skimming her sides before his fingers found the zip. His fingers brushed against her skin as he gathered the dress together before effortlessly sliding the zipper slowly to the top. He pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder, his lips lingering on her soft skin a little longer than normal before he stepped back to tidy up the bed so that they would have somewhere to sleep a little later.
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• • •

TAGGED!Payton!
WORDS! 620
OUTFIT! Nerd Power!
LYRICS! To Die For- - - Automatic Loveletter
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Nix was the first serious boyfriend Payton had ever had, which was part of the reason she was so flustered whenever something, like walking in on him naked, occured. She didn't want to mess this up; there were only so many Nix's in the world, and she didn't want to lose the one she had somehow managed to catch. He had nothing to worry about though when it came to crazy ex-lovers; she'd never been in a real relationship before. One or two in high school when she'd been Miss Popular, but, that had been before she'd moved into a hospital, and nothing had happened romantically after that life-changing event. Nix was pretty much it for her; it made their love story ten times more frightening whenever she thought about it too long.

Payton struggled with the dress zipper for another moment, her breath catching in surprise as she felt a pair of strong hands on her sides. A smile on her lips, she carefully pulled her mane of hair out of his way, exposing the smooth skin of her back and shoulders. The light touches of his fingers sent shivers through her and, as he fiddled with the zipper, she could feel her heart quickening. She felt the dress tighten gently, the sign of a perfectly fitted bodice; he was far too good at that for a guy. Before she could turn and thank him, his lips were skimming her shoulders, easily distracting her and sending much less innocent thoughts through her head. Her eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the warmth spreading from his body to hers; this felt too good to possibly be real. He was gone in the next second though, leaving her to recover in peace; in her stunned state, she completely forgot to thank him.

Dinner wasn't as bad as she'd been picturing. It took her awhile to get comfortable but, eventually, she found herself joining into bits of conversations that she could catch between the brothers. The other girlfriends were still a bit frightening, but Nate's seemed alright, and she found herself shooting messages back and forth across the table with her, or talking through Mrs McKenzie, who had thankfully invited the girl to sit next to her. She didn't eat nearly as much as she should've, though that was normal when she was nervous or overwhelmed; her health became the last thing on her mind.

It ended without the world burning in flames, something Payton was quite surprised by. Nix managed to excuse them from the group after a few quick signs of exhaustion from her, and she happily retreated to the bedroom that would no doubt be her sanctuary this entire trip. It was just her and Nix in there; that would always be where she was the most comfortable. She slipped her few accessories off and placed them neatly away in her case, pulling out her toothbrush and paste. She kissed Nix's cheek before running off to the bathroom, allowing herself a few seconds to take a couple deep breaths. She was back in minutes, tucking things away again before hesitantly going over to her lanky boyfriend. Pulling her hair over her shoulder again, she gestured to her dress, turning around so he could hopefully unzip it for her. And, maybe, he'd even include a few of those heated kisses again.

WORDS: 576!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: The Airport!
OUTFIT: AIRPORT CHIC!
MUSIC: Run Away by Megan & Liz
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Phoenix Austin McKenzie]

Dinner seemed to go better than Nix had hoped. He knew Payton didn’t like being around too many people or too many strangers, but he had repeatedly warned his ma about that on the several phone calls that had been exchanged between him booking the flights and the couple actually arriving in Las Vegas. She must’ve taken heed because no one bombarded Payton with too many questions and yet they found a way to include her in the conversations as much as they could, even if it was through some sort of joke about Nix and his antics. No doubt she’d find out more tales of his escapades before their little trip was over and she grew more comfortable with each of them in turn.

His brothers were very much like Nix was, although they seemed to lack the flamboyant energy sometimes exhibited by the youngest McKenzie. He knew that none of them would judge Payton and that they had the patience to get used to her and her to them. She’d probably bump into them one by one as she treated the home like her own and ventured into the kitchen for snacks or outside to use the pool. They were nice guys with nice girlfriends and Nix was not at all worried about how Payton would handle them or vice versa. He just knew that she needed a bit of time to get used to each of them in turn.

He was just as keen to retreat to the bedroom as Payton was. The time difference might have only been three hours behind here, but he was still tired out from what had been a long day. Even if he didn’t want to sleep, he still relished in the idea of just relaxing and putting a movie or a video game on until he unwound enough to pass out in his old bed. Nix grinned as he watched Payton silently leave the room and then he turned back to deal with his own things. He stripped out of his shirt and was about to do the same with his jeans before he remembered the incident after the showers. He didn’t want his girlfriend to feel uncomfortable about sharing the bed with him and figured that it might happen if they had a repeat of that. Moving to his case, he searched about for the pyjama bottoms he had packed, but didn’t usually wear and then gathered his things for his own trip to the bathroom. Payton returned before then though and he smiled when he realised that she needed help with the zipper again.

His fingers closed around the tiny piece of metal and he gently pulled it down, not wanting it to catch on any of the fabric. He’d be lying if he hadn’t thought about this relationship going further, but he didn’t want to scare Payton off. Still, he couldn’t resist letting his fingers travel down her spine lightly, following the zipper’s journey. Even when it was down, he slipped his hands just a little further to squeeze her sides and pull her back closer to his chest before grinning down at her and pressing his lips to the top of her head and then her shoulder again before he let her go and snatched up his things for the trip to the bathroom. He needed a moment to himself to get his thoughts back to a safe place before they crawled into bed for the night.

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• • •

TAGGED!Payton!
WORDS! 620
OUTFIT! Nerd Power!
LYRICS! To Die For- - - Automatic Loveletter
NOTES! <3

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton liked the relationship she and Nix had somehow managed to throw together. She liked how crazy he was, and she liked how he'd yank her out of work for an afternoon to go do something silly, but fun, nonetheless. She liked this; liked him. It had taken her awhile to be able to admit that to herself and aloud, but, slowly, she was beginning to realize that this wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't wrong for her to be feeling things again, and actually laughing; it was good. She caught herself being happy almost once a day, whether it was looking over a text message or smiling at a photo from one of the couple's adventures. It felt nice to be alive again, but, at the same time, her head kept telling her she was setting herself up for heartbreak; things this great could only last for so long before something tore them apart.

The sweet smile found its way onto her lips as Nix's arms wrapped around her. She leaned back against him gently, turning her head and pulling his face closer to hers. Payton gave him a soft kiss, grinning against his lips and trying to ignore the heat racing through her body. The feel of his hands holding her close had tingles travelling up and down her sides, and the kiss was enough for a new kind of hunger to blossom in her stomach.

Cold air enveloped her as he moved away, and she took the moment alone to regain control of herself. Feelings like that were going to get the both of them in trouble, especially if one of the various family members decided to pay the couple a good-night visit. But, gosh, did she want more of those heated moments; they were something entirely new, but, for once, she was frightened by them. Payton carefully stepped out of her dress and slipped on a tank top to go with her pj shorts, returning the dress to its hanger in the wardrobe. She'd wash it when she got home; it wasn't like it was caked with dirt, anyways. She tied her hair back in a ponytail, going to climb into the warm bed that had been calling her since the moment she returned to the room. She cuddled up under the covers, already feeling sleep beginning to tug on her eyes.

WORDS: 415!
TAG: Nixxy!
LOCATION: The Airport!
OUTFIT: AIRPORT CHIC!
MUSIC: Run Away by Megan & Liz
NOTES: <3 <3 <3