[color=silver][center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/182923488556875776/864836056628854794/2050b6de5cd89968521e2a40e7addfc8.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/tL7jDEW.png[/img]
[i][b]A [@metanoia] & [@Venus] Collaboration
Featuring [color=635687]Mikhail Zima[/color] & [color=7B68EE]Natalia Belmonte[/color]
     Location: The Party | December 4th, 2016 | Edenridge, MA     [/b][/i]
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[indent][indent]For the past few months since he had come to live with his godfather, Mika had felt out of place for obvious reasons. The feeling of abandonment from his father was still fresh in his mind. Being sent off to live with a family that, while they weren't unfamiliar to him and he could say that he felt safe with them, they weren't his family - not really, anyway. The Gonzalez's were their own and as much as Mika had wanted to treat it as if he had lived with them his whole life, he didn't belong here.

He wanted to be back in New York living in the house he grew up in. He wanted to be back in New York hanging out with the friends he made. It didn't matter to him that they were children of mobsters. They were his семья - his family.

And maybe that's why he was fucking miserable at this party.

It had been nearly an hour and the most interaction that Mika had was forced conversation with some hyperactive idiots from Pinehurst who confused him for one of their friends. He was trying not to explode on people, but between their annoying excitement and his shorter-than-usual fuse, he felt like a bomb that could go off at any moment. 

[url=https://i.imgur.com/bdh6f14.jpg]Mika[/url] was leaning against the wall, the hood part of his sweatshirt jacket over his head and he watched as the idiots from Pinehurst made fools of themselves with the fools from Edenridge. He watched almost every inch of the main party floor as a few games were starting. Between beer pong, a makeshift spin the bottle circle, and a few others, Mika rolled his eyes at all of them. 

Nearby, there was another one of them trying to get started and he overheard someone mention Seven Minutes In Heaven. [color=635687]“Well that’s fucking stupid,”[/color] he commented. He thought he spoke quietly but he couldn’t help but notice the stare of a girl. She looked Italian or maybe she was Spanish? She was pretty hot, though.

For someone who wanted to attend the party of the semester so badly, Natalia Belmonte was having a good time. After her many failed attempts to convince her best friend Niles Sinclair to partake in this experience with her, Tal had opted for tagging along with the girls of the volleyball team. So far, she’d had a drink, chatted with her girlfriends and even danced along to a few songs. But a good time wasn’t the same as having an [i]amazing, memorable[/i] night, which was what the Belmonte girl was looking for.

During one of her dancing breaks, the dark-haired girl noticed a boy standing against the wall, jacket hood up and the tell-tale expression of someone who didn’t really want to be there painted all over his handsome face. The displeased attitude he was giving off reminded Nat of Niles, and how he would be acting if he were here. She was internally debating on whether she should when the unknown boy turned to look at her. And as soon as they locked eyes for the first time, Nat knew that she’d found her partner in crime for the night.

Just then, the group of Edenridge students around them began to call out for anyone interested in playing Seven Minutes in Heaven: the perfect opportunity to make the first move in getting to know this moody guy. Without wasting any time after the announcement was made, the daring Belmonte girl stepped forward and raised her hand.

[color=7B68EE]“We’ll go first!”[/color] Natalia confidently called out to the upperclassmen, grabbing the arm of the sullen young man next to her and pulling him towards her with surprising strength. Her declaration was met with wolf-whistling and jeers from the older kids, but the unfazed Talia simply shrugged her shoulders and continued to stand tall and confident, her pale, slender arm still paired with that of the nameless boy.

When his arm was tugged on, there was a moment before most of the force from this girl who had abnormal strength tried to pull him in a direction she wanted him to go that he looked at her. Up close he could tell that she wasn’t like most of these idiots, but he wasn’t budging. She might’ve been strong and if he were in any other mood that wasn’t fuckall, he might’ve even gone with her willingly, but the fact of the matter was that HB just didn’t feel like complying.

So, naturally, he asserted his own strength by forcing a stalemate between them. He shook off her hold of him and said, [color=635687]“Sorry, but I’ll pass. Whatever this is--”[/color] Mika gestured to the circlejerk of upperclassmen looking at them with partially-invested gazes, [color=635687]“--I’m not interested.”[/color]

Any regular girl would’ve been put off and even mortified by the way the nameless boy had shot them down in front of a small crowd of older (and probably more popular) kids of both Edenridge and Pinehurst students. Natalia, however, was [i]not[/i] like most girls. She was strong, determined and fierce: and if she wanted something, she was [b]getting[/b] that something.

So instead of waving the white flag of surrender, she smirked at the dark-haired teen and crossed her arms in front of her chest. [color=7B68EE]“I don’t remember asking whether you were interested or not. I am [i]telling you[/i] that we are taking the first turn of this game.”[/color]

Consider Mika unamused by this little show of dramatics. 

Between the way she was unyielding in this...stubborn-like quality she seemed to possess and Mika’s impatience feeling like a pot of near-boiling water ready to burst, the desire for him to play a stupid game that he had virtually zero interest in playing was mindboggling to him. He didn’t even want to be here for reasons he knew she wouldn’t understand, let alone accept (he knew her type well), Mika knew he had to do [i]something[/i] that’d send the message clear.

[color=635687]“And I’m telling--”[/color]

[color=lightgreen]“Is it happening or what?”[/color] Connor, one of the upperclassmen asked, tapping his hands on a nearby table. There was an expression of impatience on his face, partly quelled by the glare Natalia shot his way.

And there were a few more people who chimed in, or at least Mika assumed because he blocked them out as he inhaled a few deep breaths. Anything outside his head became mostly muted. This feeling of frustration was familiar because his mother and sisters were the same way: strong-willed and stubborn as all hell. 

And so was he to an extent. 

And so was this bitch in front of him who refused to budge.

[color=635687]“[abbr=Damn it to hell]Chert voz'mi[/abbr],”[/color] Mika cursed under a breath in his father’s tongue. He glared at the brunette and shrugged the smallest shrug he could. [color=635687]“Whatever, i’ll play your stupid game.”[/color]

The dark-haired girl's green eyes came alight, and her face broke in a triumphant grin. [i]Of course[/i] she had gotten her way: she was a Belmonte, after all. Her daddy had taught her to never stop fighting for what she truly wanted in life, be it a small or big victory.

With that grin still in place, Natalia grabbed the boy's arm (albeit a lot less forceful this time) and dragged him to the rather large linen closet where the game was to take place, making sure to close and lock the door behind them. But once they were both face to face inside the closet, the Belmonte girl’s expression softened significantly. 

[color=7B68EE]“Are you okay?"[/color] the girl asked earnestly, her brows furrowing a little with concern. She knew she was probably prying too much considering the way this whole interaction had started, but how else was she supposed to know how to lighten up the boy’s mood? [color=7B68EE]“I'm sorry if I was a bit much out there, but you looked like you weren't having too much fun, and I figured this could be a good way to start,"[/color] she began, extending her hand out to him. [color=7B68EE]“I'm Natalia Belmonte, king jock Danilo's prettier, smarter and older twin. What's your name?"[/color]

He contemplated smacking her hand away. With how Natalia acted towards him, if he was truly feeling like the asshole he was struggling to keep caged up, Mika would do exactly that and not calm down. But as his Godfather had tried to grill into his head in recent weeks, holding onto anger, when not rightly channeled, will swell up his [i]cojones[/i]. And considering they were locked inside this closet for the next seven minutes, maybe he could entertain it.

This [i]was[/i] what Mika has been wanting: a space to get the fuck away from the madness of the party.

With a smile, he shook her hand (albeit quickly). [color=635687]“Mika,”[/color] he said after a few moments of silence. Part of him wanted to not hide his name. Why hide that he was a Zima? But he just couldn’t. As proud as he was, Mika was still livid at his father for sending him away and he sure as hell wasn’t going to expose himself as an O’Hara yet. [color=635687]“My name’s Mika Gonzalez.”[/color] Saying it out loud to someone who wasn’t actually part of the Gonzalez family felt strange, yet a small smile curled itself on his face as if proud of the way it flowed off his tongue.

The mention of the famous (or infamous, depending who you asked) last name earned this Mika boy a questioning expression from Natalia. [color=7B68EE]“Gonzalez as in related to Big Rey Gonzalez?”[/color] she asked him, curiosity getting the better of her. She was born and raised in Edenridge, and had not once heard about the existence of this Mika Gonzalez boy standing in front of her. [color=7B68EE]“I didn’t know he had a white kid…”[/color] she absentmindedly muttered under her breath.

[color=635687]“I know, right?”[/color] Mika contained the urge to laugh as he leaned back against the wall behind him. [color=635687]“Here I was, living peacefully in Brooklyn and then suddenly I’m shipped off to live in this shithole with my Mexican papi--”[/color] He paused and laughed again when he realized he just insulted her hometown, [color=635687]“--No offense.”[/color]

Natalia pursed her lips together, biting back a laugh of her own when she heard Mika refer to the big bad Rey Gonzalez as his ‘Mexican papi’. For as long as she could remember, the name of the former Southside Serpents boss was one that incited fear and respect, and a trip to the ER or an early grave for those who mocked it. If this kid was willing to joke around with Big Rey’s name like this, then it meant that he truly was related to him somehow. 

As for the dig at Edenridge, Nat only shrugged. [color=7B68EE]“I mean, I’d be pretty pissed too if I was forced to leave somewhere as diverse as Brooklyn to move [i]here[/i],”[/color] she admitted with another small shrug. [color=7B68EE]“Don’t get me wrong: I love my hometown to death. But we both know there’s a whole world of possibilities outside of this small town, and I plan to take advantage of them when I’m ready.”[/color]

[color=635687]“Not the reaction I was expecting,”[/color] Mika admitted with another laugh. But she was right, though. He [i]was[/i] pissed that he couldn’t stay living in New York. Hell, he knew Katie and Stacy were probably just as peeved as he was, though maybe they couldn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Even Mika didn’t have all of the facts. 

Mika shook his thoughts about [i]that[/i] away and refocused on the here and now. [color=635687]“The worst part is this town doesn’t have much to offer, but I guess it’s cool to know my...father is some hot shot.”[/color] God, that felt weird saying. Even if he was embellishing the truth a bit, the fact was that Rey was the closest thing Mika had to a father since his real one wasn’t around. [color=635687]“And I guess the south side has a certain charm to it, too.”[/color] He wasn’t lying about that and the half-smirk on his face showed that.

The last two comments piqued Natalia’s interest, and gave her even more questions. She didn’t miss the way Mika hesitated when calling Big Rey his father, or how he smirked when saying that, of all places, the south side of town was ‘charming’. [color=7B68EE]“The southside? [i]Charming[/i]? [i]Our[/i] southside? You’re [i]definitely[/i] an outtatowner…”[/color] Talia commented. Even though she had never set foot anywhere beyond the train tracks that separated her beloved northside from the south, the stories had been enough to paint an unflattering and unappealing picture of the unexplored side of town.

[color=635687]“Wow, you’re [i]really[/i] observant!”[/color] Mika’s reply came with a chuckle as he stepped away from the wall. [color=635687]“You should be a detective.”[/color] He let the comment sink in as looked at Natalia, who rolled her eyes at him. He did his best not to do a complete head to toe onceover of her, but he did let his eyes wander. [color=635687]“But yes, I’m from out of town. Only been here for four months. Maybe my experience with this town isn't what yours is, but it’s not bad. Or maybe it’s the fact I’m living with the boss that gives me a bit of an advantage.”[/color] Mika shrugged, not really caring [i]what[/i] the reason was. [color=635687]“And what about you? From the way you talk about it and...carry yourself--”[/color] Unlike last time, Mika [i]definitely[/i] did the full up and down of Nat, [color=635687]“--You’re obviously not from the Southside.”[/color]

Natalia grinned at Mika. [color=7B68EE]“Look at you, making correct assumptions about me based on my looks! I guess that means you can be my detective partner now,”[/color] the girl joked with a sly smirk, followed by a cheeky laugh. [color=7B68EE]“I’ve lived in the northside of town my whole life. My four older sisters moved here when they were kids, but Danny, Mira and I were born and raised here. My parents own the fancy Italian restaurant in town, Palermo, and my oldest sister owns The Godmother deli down in Main Street. Best sandwiches in town-- in a non-biased way.”[/color]

[color=635687]“Not biased, she says,”[/color] Mika laughed, cracking an amused smirk, which Natalia answered with a smile of her own. [color=635687]“Sure, I’ll just take your word for it. But that Godmother Deli?”[/color] Mika could only laugh at the name. [color=635687]“Yeah, I know it. Probably the only place I know that makes a classic reuben almost as good as my [i]Mamushka[/i] used to.”[/color] 

[color=7B68EE]“I'll make sure to pass the compliments along to my sister. She's going to freak. She's a slut for compliments,"[/color] Talia replied with a small laugh.

There were a few moments of silence before Mika pieced together something and he couldn’t resist from commenting on it. [color=635687]“Also I have to admit, I didn’t peg you for Italian when I first saw you.”[/color]

[color=7B68EE]“Oh yeah? And what did you think I was?"[/color] she asked him with a raised eyebrow and a curious smile.

[color=635687]“Spanish,”[/color] Mika admitted without missing a beat.

[color=7B68EE]“[i]Spanish[/i]?"[/color] Nat repeated in disbelief, searching Mika's eyes for any signs that he was pulling her chain and bursting out in a fit of laughter when she realized he wasn't. [color=7B68EE]“Sweetheart, I'm out here looking like Snow White's prettier sister. I have a better chance of being Scottish or Irish than I do of being Spanish."[/color]

Mika laughed, stepping forward. He grabbed a nearby hanger and held it vertically, positioning it under his chin as if it was a microphone, and looked Natalia in the eyes as he said, [color=635687]“Ladies and gentleman of the closet, we present Detective Whitey, who is in fact [i]not[/i] Spanish!”[/color] After he spoke, he imitated the cheering uproar one might hear from a stadium audience. He emphasized it by repeatedly raising his hands as he stepped a little closer to Natalia, lessening the gap between them.

After her new wave of laughter had passed, Natalia playfully grabbed the 'microphone' from Mika's hand and positioned it under her own chin, imitating her fellow closet-dweller in both stance and speech. [color=7B68EE]“And with me we have fellow Detective Milky, who is the whitest fucking Mexican I have [i]everrrrrrrr[/i] known!"[/color] she declared in between giggles, holding onto Mika's shoulders for support and unable to keep a straight face as she said her line.

The laughter from both was palpable but that wasn’t what seemed to catch Mika’s attention. It wasn’t even the fact she called him Milky, which that alone might’ve been something that would’ve most definitely made him die of laughter. No, it was the fact she was so close to him that he could smell something fruity or whatever that scent was; it was soothing, almost completely quelling any residual anger he was still latching onto from earlier. And it was also the fact she was close to him and her hands on his shoulder, this closeness allowed him to properly look into her eyes for the first time, those green eyes that even made someone like him start to feel things.

[i]Goddamn it…[/i] 

He took control of himself and slightly shook his head.

[i][b]taptaptap[/b][/i]

The knocks that came immediately snapped Mika out of whatever fucking daze he was locked in and his gaze darted quickly to the door. [color=635687]“The fuck?”[/color] He seemed to ask himself, though he looked to Natalia to see if she could shed some light. His experience with Seven Minutes in Heaven was practically nonexistent. Even as a concept, he didn’t know the ins and outs of it.

The knocks on the door helped Natalia's fit come to an end, albeit not fully. She was still somewhat laughing when she answered Mika's bewildered reaction. [color=7B68EE]“Looks like our time is coming up,"[/color] Nat announced, taking her hands away from Mika's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. [color=7B68EE]“We've got a little over a minute left here, Chief. What's the plan?"[/color]

[color=635687]“You tell me,”[/color] Mika remarked, [color=635687]“you’re the one who started this.”[/color] 

And it was true. Even though he wasn’t regretting it because, obviously, she was a lot cooler than he first gave her credit for, but Mika wasn’t exactly a seasoned veteren when it came to this or any party games. That just wasn’t his speed. Since Natalia was the one who dragged him into it. [color=635687]“From where I’m standing--”[/color] Mika emphasized by pointing to the ground like the smartass he was, [color=635687]“--since you started it, you should tell me the game plan. I mean, it’s only right, Snow White.”[/color] Though he absolutely wanted her to do that, he found himself taking her hand. Part of his mind knew what he wanted but the rest of him wasn’t sure if that was a two-way street.

Natalia wasn’t exactly well versed in the art of flirting, nor did she have the experience her older sisters or her brother had. But she wasn’t clueless enough not to realize that Mika was [i]definitely[/i] flirting with her. Tal knew how to read people, and she could notice the signs that the dark-haired boy standing in front of her was interested in her.

And you know what? She was sorta, kinda interested in him too.

Smiling, Natalia took Mika’s other hand in hers, never once taking her eyes off him. [color=7B68EE]“Would you be cool with hanging around the party with me for the rest of the night?”[/color] the girl asked him, her bold demeanor turning uncharacteristically shy as she realized how good the young man standing in front of her looked under the dim light coming from underneath the door illuminating his broad figure. [color=7B68EE]“You said you were new here, so I want to make sure you have a good time-- even if you think Edenridge is a shithole,”[/color] she teased with a small laugh.

Mika laughed at her last comment. [color=635687]"Yeah and I doubt my opinion will change, but even shitholes have hidden gems."[/color] 

Mika started to rub Natalia's hand, running his thumb along it in a slow motion. Even though time was limited in the closet, it seemed to slow down, or at least that's how it felt. He had no doubt that his earlier feeling of uncertainty about whether or not she might've felt the spark that he did no longer held a place between them. Mika also knew he wanted to see what she had to offer. He might be young -- hell, they both were -- but that didn't mean he didn't have some idea of what he wanted, even if it was the hormonal desires of a teenager.

[color=635687]"Sure, why not? If I'm gonna be forced to be at this party, might as well kick it with the only other cool bitch here."[/color]

[color=7B68EE]“I guess we got ourselves a plan, then,”[/color] Natalia replied with a small smile, tearing her eyes away from Mika while being thankful he couldn’t see the way heat rose to her pink-tinted cheeks.

He didn’t say anything, not at first, anyway. He watched her for a few moments, seeing her look away for some reason and then he thought to himself [i]wonder why she did that?[/i] And thinking about it, didn’t he do similar things just a minute ago? Yeah, he did and that was because he thought whatever fucking spark he felt wasn’t mutual. But she didn’t pull away when he made a gesture, so why the hell was Nat darting away from his direct gaze?

God, girls are confusing.

[color=635687]“So, uh--”[/color]

Before Mika could finish his thought, he was silenced by the door opening, which prompted both him and Natalia to turn and face the group of juniors and seniors looking at them. Some of them had half-smirks and others were chuckling to themselves. Mika felt like a deer in headlights when he saw one of the older girls whisper something to her girlfriend (at least that’s what Mika thought she was). He saw [url=https://i.imgur.com/nl7vuYS.jpg]Connor[/url], the senior from before who had spoken up look between him and Natalia. Mika was partially blushing being in the spotlight.

And that’s when Connor’s grin fell into something that resembled disappointment. 

[color=lightgreen]“For shame, my man! For shame!”[/color] Connor dipped his head and shoulders down in a dramatic fashion, turning around. [color=lightgreen]“They didn’t do anything!”[/color] He exclaimed, which judging from the way he spoke to the rest of them, they believed him.

[b][i]Great.[/i][/b]

Whether it was the pressure of having all eyes on him or just to get this asswipe to shut the fuck up, Mika quickly turned to Natalia and kissed her. And the act alone stopped the collective disappointing moans from the older kids, but it was [i]how[/i] Mika kissed her that seemed to draw some attention. He pushed her back into the wall and for a few long moments, there was nothing but the kiss. 

And after Mika realized how long it was, he pulled away, feeling his heart tha-thump tha-thump so hard that he had to breathe in and out deeply to relax it. [color=635687]“I-”[/color] He looked at Nat, not sure what to say, and then glared at Connor. [color=635687]“Happy?”[/color]

He didn’t say anything and Mika’s gaze returned to Natalia, unsure what he could really say. This wasn’t his first kiss, but it certainly felt like it was the first one he had some control over, which he found funny since it came as a response of having control taken away from him.

Meanwhile, Natalia was awestruck and on cloud nine: it showed all over her wide eyes and half-open lips. Before today, she had only ever kissed one boy in her life, and the kisses they’d exchanged had a hesitant, explorative, gentle nature to them. But Mika’s kiss, however, was worlds different from the others she’d had. It was heated, passionate and with an intensity she hadn’t experienced before. There was no denying there was a spark between them, but there was also no dismissing the pang of guilt on Tal’s stomach when she thought of Niles.

Before she could go down that rabbit hole, Natalia brought herself back to reality. Without allowing a chance for stupid Connor to respond, the dark-haired girl grabbed Mika’s hand and gently tugged on his shoulder, jerking her head in the direction of the rest of the party.

[color=7B68EE]“Come on, detective. Let’s go have some fun at this shithole that’s your new home now.”[/color]
[/indent][/indent][/color]