(Went with a modern reincarnation!AU for this one, Nonnie. Hope you enjoy it!)It had been happenstance that Nyx Ulric had met Titus Ulric. A chance meeting that could have easily been missed by a step being taken different.Nyx had been leaving a coffee shop, having stopped in after his daily jog to grab a banana-mint smoothie, and his left shoulder had clipped the shoulder of the man entering the shop just as he was leaving. Normally he wouldn’t have noticed, he had nerve damage in his left arm, something he’d suffered with since birth, but an odd tingling sensation had shot through his arm and he’d immediately turned to apologize, only to fall still and silent as the man turned to look at him.It was like the world, the universe, had slowed and Nyx swore he was having a sense of deja-vu. Those stunning green eyes widening slightly as the man seemed to have the same reaction to him.They stood there, for several minutes, staring at one another, barely daring to draw breath, and then they were trying to speak at the same time, tripping over their words and then laughing at the aubserdity of it.
“Sorry,” Nyx laughed, stepping aside with the man, who introduced himself as Titus. “I just…have we met before?”“Not unless you’re part of a law firm,” Titus chuckled. “Or the city’s justice department.”Nyx snorted.“Nope,” he said with a smirk, deliberately popping the P. “I am but a humble bartender.”“Which bar?”“The Glaive.”And on and on their questions went, back and forth, trying to find some explanation for the odd connection they felt to one another, and yet nothing overlapped. Nothing popped. But they both knew it didn’t matter. This was not going to be their only meeting.It started simply enough, meeting for dinner or having a drink together, getting to know one another even though it felt like they’d already known each other for centuries. And then, without either of them noticing, it moved beyond public places. They spent a few nights together and then entire weekends and it wasn’t long before Nyx was all but living at Titus’ cushy uptown penthouse. It just all felt natural. Even the first time they fell into bed together, Nyx keening and bucking, Titus holding him down and giving commands in ways that Nyx had never known turned him on before, had felt like the most natural thing in the world.That night had been the first time Nyx took note of the strange white line, almost like scar tissue but completely smooth skin, on Titus’ right collarbone and, when he reached out to touch it, his entire left arm felt warm, like a fire was simmering beneath the surface of his skin. Titus explained he’d been born with the mark, just like Nyx had been born with bad nerves on the left side of his body.They laid tangle together one night, Nyx’ fingers dancing lightly over the mark on Titus’ collarbone, Titus’ fingers tangled in his hair, both sated and happier than they could ever remember being, when Nyx could almost hear Titus’ voice in his head.“I told you, just wanting doesn’t win wars.”He blinked and, for a moment, he could see, almost like a memory of a memory of a movie, playing behind his eyes. Of an impossible battle. Of magic and fire and his knife plunging into Titus’ chest.He blinked again and the images vanished as quickly as they had come.He started when Titus suddenly kissed his forehead, hand trailing down, brushing lightly, barely noticeable, over his arm, reaching down to take his left hand, thumb rubbing absently over his middle finger.“I don’t know why I have the sudden desire to apologize,” Titus whispered and Nyx realized the man, like himself, had had one of those strange deja-vu moments. “To beg your forgiveness.”Nyx hummed and snuggled closer, tipping his head back to brush a gentle kiss to Titus’ lips.“Doesn’t matter,” he whispered, kissing Titus again, grinning into the kiss when Titus groaned. “All that matters is right now. Us in this moment and however many more moments we get to have together.”Titus chuckled and tugged Nyx closer, so there was no space between their bodies, so Nyx was practically laying atop him, willing to forget the strange feelings and images in favor of just being with Nyx.
