Bianca would be so upset. She would lose it. But he could deal with that later.
At the moment, he was trying to keep himself from ripping Will’s clothes off behind the school building. He didn’t have any explanation for it. Only a few days ago, being around Will made him nervous, made him conscious of every scent, sound, and touch around him. He was wary and afraid to be too close to Will, afraid to lose control.
And Will…. Whatever had happened to him, Nico liked it. He wasn’t reserved or gentle or playing by the rules at all. His fingers pressed into his skin, pulled him closer, giving him warmth that he hadn’t felt in decades. His breaths were ragged and low and husky. And the way he kissed him actually made Nico dizzy.
“What the hell happened to you overnight?” Nico gasped.
“Realization,” he growled. “You left a hell of a mark on me, Cecil and Lou Ellen won’t let it go.”
Nico winced thinking about the almost-bite. “Yeah let’s not talk about that,” he said as Will’s head dipped down. “Oh, what is this payback?” he managed to moan.
Will chuckled huskily against his throat.
“Will Solace, where the hell are you?” they heard someone shout. Lou Ellen.
A few seconds later a head of brown hair popped up around the corner stopping dead at the sight of them. Nico and Will pulled apart anxiously as Cecil stared at them. His expression was wary. How had Nico not heard him? How had he not smelled him?
“Cecil, what are you staring at?” Lou Ellen asked. She jogged up beside him and glanced in the direction he was looking. “Oh there you are. Hey, Nico.”
“Hi, Lou Ellen,” he answered sheepishly at the demanding stare she gave him. “Sorry, I sort of stole him away.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Get a room, why don’t you?” Nico ran a hand through his hair and realized how unruly it was. He blushed and turned away to fix it. “So are you guys just going to stand there? We could at least get a pizza.”
Will’s hand snaked around Nico’s waist, surprising him. He was used to people keeping their distance, being afraid of him. And then there was Will putting Nico in his place, shutting him up with kisses that made him feel like he never had before. “Sure, why not?” He nudged Nico’s temple with a brush of his lips. “Pizza sound good?” he asked.
“Sure. I just have to tell Bianca I’ll be home late.” He pulled his phone out and gave the trio an apologetic smile as he moved away to dial Bianca. He bit his lip and waited for her to answer.
Her voice was gentle and apologetic. “How’d it go? You okay?”
“Um… well… I’m going to get pizza with Cecil, Lou Ellen, and Will.”
There was a pause. “Why?” she asked.
Nico took a breath. “Something… happened. I’m not sure how to explain….”
“Nico,” she snarled.
“I’m sort of dating him,” he said so quickly, the words blended together. He heard the static of a silent line. “Bianca?”
“I heard,” she said softly. “So… he’s… you’re his boyfriend now?” He made an affirmative grunt. “You realize what that means, right? You have to be there emotionally. You don’t get to mess around with the fairies and the merboy anymore.”
“I know how to be faithful, I just never had a reason to be before,” he answered, slightly annoyed at the way she talked to him like a six year old. “I have a few more months, Bianca. I want to know what it’s like. I want to try this out.”
“What about his blood? You said it was strong and-”
“Yes, I know,” he interrupted. He glanced over his shoulders to where Will and Lou Ellen were talking animatedly and Cecil’s eyes drifted toward and away from him. “But it’s not anymore. I don’t know why. Maybe I got scared enough to where I don’t want it anymore. I’m not even paying a lot of attention to his heartbeat anymore.”
Bianca sighed. “We’ll talk later,” she said in her big sister voice. She hung up, and Nico took it as permission to go eat- well, permission to accompany the others to eat.
He went back to the others and smiled. “All good. I just have to go get something from her. Can I meet you guys at the pizzeria?”
“Sure. You know which one right?” Will asked. Nico nodded. “See if your sister wants to come. The more the merrier.”
Nico smiled and nodded, but he was not going to ask Bianca to tag along. She would just give him that reprimanding look the whole time.
He started away from them but Will caught his arm and turned him. “What no goodbye kiss?” he asked. Nico smirked and kissed him. He knew that if he’d had a heartbeat, it would’ve been beating hard and fast through his chest. Still, with the demonic venom that naturally circulated his body as it was, it seemed to rush through his veins and make him dizzy all the same. “I’ll see you in a bit,” Will smiled.
“Mm-kay,” Nico sighed. He turned away and started for the park. He wanted to disappear through the trees and race to the beach without anyone seeing him. As he walked, his senses returned. He was aware of the heartbeats around him, their scents, and most importantly the scent of their blood.
His throat flared and he choked as though he had a cough. He was so hungry. His canine teeth began to shift into his fangs, the sharp end probing the inside of his lip. His vision shifted from normal to thermal, making him dizzy.
Sweet scented blood made a low rumble begin in his throat as he fought back a hiss. He kept his head down and walked faster. A little boy eating chocolate ice cream ran past him, his blood rushing through his veins, his heartbeat loud, healthy, and fast. Nico’s mouth watered and he covered his mouth. He ducked into an alley trying to get a grip on his hunger.
Unlike most would believe, a vampire’s hunger did not control them. Nico often saw in movies or television shows that smelling blood put a vampire in a trance-like state, pushing them until they reached their blood source desperately, unaware of their actions.
That was wrong. It was like any food source. You wanted it, needed it to survive, but it didn’t make you lose control or sense. A person could see a large piece of steak and want to eat it more than anything in the world, and still hold back from eating. It was the same with vampires. Despite how inviting that boy’s blood had been, Nico wasn’t going to go after him and take it just because he was starving.
He knew he was hungry, but he hadn’t known he was this hungry. He could only be thankful that he didn’t get like this when he was with Will. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure he could have resisted with him so close. That was like putting an alcoholic in a room filled with glasses of the finest wine for free.
Taking a final breath, he began to run. Between buildings, through trees, over rooftops, until he reached the sandy shores of the sea. He sat near a large rock and began to hum, closing his eyes and thinking of Will. He only opened his eyes when he was splashed with water.
Percy looked healthier than ever. The bite marks at his neck and wrist were a glistening silver, but they hadn’t seemed to have an effect on him. He was giving Nico a mischievous, troublemaking smile, well-known among the merfolk. His tousled hair glistened in the sunlight as drops of water fell and slid down his chiseled face.
He was handsome as ever, his eyes a captivating sea green, his body strong and muscular, the body of a fighter, tanned skin, and that flirtatious smirk. Yet, Nico had no desire to play his usual game of cat and mouse with him.
“Hello, Percy,” he said formally.
“Nico,” Percy nodded. “I can’t help but feel like you’re using me, you know?”
“What makes you say that?” Nico questioned. Though he wasn’t wrong.
Percy shrugged and sat along the shallow end were the sand was wet, but only because of the way the water lapped against it after each wave. His scales shone in a mosaic of blues and greens in the sun. “You don’t visit as often. And when you do it’s because you need my blood.”
“My apologies,” he said sincerely. “The days have been…. Well shit. My life is not… in its prime at the moment.”
“Yes, I heard,” Percy said, swishing his tail so the water splashed against his body. “You’ve been summoned to a trial. My mother is on the panel to represent the merpeople.” He paused for a moment. “Now they’re saying you murdered an Ordinary. For sport.”
“Sport?”
“The body had too much blood for you to have fed. He was too well-known. So I heard.”
Nico clenched his jaw. “Do you believe them?”
“Go ahead and feed. Your voice is hoarse. It only gets like that when you get hungry.” Percy took his hand and Nico looked at him. He tilted his head, exposing the same mark Nico had made the first time.
Somewhere in his mind, he felt this was wrong. He was dating Will now. Was he allowed to continue feeding on a merboy he used to flirt with? But then, in another part of his mind, Nico knew if he didn’t, he would go hungry much longer than he could comfortably manage.
He leaned over and placed a hand at his neck, dipping his head as if he was going to kiss him. Instead, his fangs elongated, the pulse thumping through his veins and against Nico’s hand making his mouth water. His skin was soft and cold, and as he sunk his teeth into his neck, he heard Percy whimper.
Cool, thin, sweet blood rushed into Nico’s mouth, sating his hunger and soothing his throat. Percy was moaning, pulling him in by his arms. The bite made his heart beat a little faster, though weakly. Nico unhinged his fangs, and shrunk them back to normal. He ran his tongue over the punctures gently, sealing them.
As he pulled back, Percy pulled him into a kiss. Nico gasped in surprise and toppled over him. “Again,” Percy whispered, biting his lip.
Nico pulled himself up and away from him. “No, Percy. I can’t take too much from you. You know that.”
Percy sat up and crossed his arms, a brooding look taking over his features. The waves lapped furiously at Nico’s feet, and he got the feeling that the water was reacting to Percy’s emotions. Nico stood awkwardly, unsure of how to calm him down.
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Percy said. “Isn’t there?”
“Am I supposed to tell you anything?”
Percy glanced at him and tilted his head. “You smell strange. I’m used to your sweet scent, like ocean flowers and cakes. But there’s something else to it. Something… tangy.” Nico took a nervous breath. “I can’t tell what it is, but I assume it’s someone else’s scent. And it’s not your sister.”
“Percy-” Suddenly his phone rang making them both jump. Nico pulled it out of his pocket and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Neeks!” Will said. “We’re about to order pizza, is pepperoni good?”
“Yeah, whatever toppings, I don’t mind.”
“Cool, see you in a bit.” Will hung up and Nico put his phone away. He sighed and looked at Percy who looked ready to drown him in a tidal wave. “I’m seeing someone,” he muttered. “I didn’t think it’d upset you.”
“Oh really? Well why don’t you tell him that you’ve been kissing and biting a merboy and see how he feels about that?”
“Oh, come on. He’s an Ordinary, he wouldn’t understand. But I thought you would.” Percy blinked, his expression going from anger to confusion.
“Ordinary? But his-”
“Percy, please.” He sighed and rubbed his temples, more a sign of agitation than a headache. “Look, just tell me if this is going to make you stop helping me or not. I need to know how my diet is going to go.”
Percy continued to look at him with a confused expression. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered. He dove back into the sea, giving Nico a final splash of water with his tail.
“Oh, come on. Really?” Nico shook his hair out and groaned. He went home, sneaking into his room to change. Bianca was watching a show downstairs, so hopefully she wouldn’t notice he was home. Nothing could sneak past a vampire- except another vampire.
He changed quickly and dashed back out, heading for downtown where the pizzeria was. He went inside, overwhelmed by the smell of marinara sauce and garlic. He scrunched his nose and looked for Will. The trio were in a booth at the far end of the restaurant, seemingly deep in conversation. When Will spoke, his words were quick and his face hard and angry. Lou Ellen looked frustrated too. Cecil looked more hurt than angry, but he was obviously getting berated for something. Nico didn’t try to listen; he didn’t want to intrude.
As he neared the table, pretending to look at his phone, he noticed Cecil sit up straight and he turned to look at Nico. His gaze was hard and angry, which shocked Nico.
Will called Nico’s name and apparently kicked Cecil under the table because the boy yelped and turned to look at him accusingly. Will slid out of the booth and greeted Nico with a kiss. Lou Ellen changed sides and sat beside Cecil so Nico could sit with Will. A large pepperoni pizza had been placed in the middle of the table.
“Hey,” Nico greeted. “Sorry if I took a while.”
“Not at all,” Lou Ellen assured. “We were waiting for you before eating.”
Nico tried not to grimace. It wasn’t that he couldn’t eat human food. He could. He just didn’t like to. It was like being forced to eat liver and spinach for dinner, which Nico remembered was his least favorite dish. “Thanks, guys.” He grabbed a pizza and bit it, forcing himself to chew and swallow.
Cecil nudged Lou Ellen and whispered in her ear. Nico took the chance to lean over to Will and whisper, “Is everything alright with Cecil? He seems upset.”
Will’s expression darkened. “He’s fine. It’s nothing really.” He smiled at him, his blue eyes twinkling. “Don’t worry.”
Nico nodded and turned back to his pizza, but he was aware of the death glare Cecil was giving him. Nico glanced at him, and saw his eyes narrow. Lou Ellen nudged him, and Cecil looked down, but Nico was still uncomfortable.
“Bianca didn’t want to come?” Lou Ellen asked.
“Uh, no. She’s still a little freaked out over Ethan, and with school starting back up, she wasn’t sure she could face it.” Suddenly, Cecil stood up in his seat and jumped over Lou Ellen. He walked past tables angrily, his fists clenched at his sides until he barged into the bathroom. Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you guys sure he’s okay?”
Lou Ellen and Will shared a look over the table. “He’s just really upset about Ethan. He wants to know who murdered him. They were friends, after all.”
“Oh,” Nico managed. He pushed the guilt away. He hadn’t killed the guy. He had only… made sure he wouldn’t Turn. Besides, it wasn’t Bianca’s fault either. It was self-defense. He was going to hurt her. “I’m sure they’ll find the person who did it.”
“That’s what we keep telling him,” Will agreed. “But he’s young. He doesn’t get it.” Will took his hand under the table. “Really, don’t worry. We’ll help him out.”
Nico nodded, but he couldn’t help the uncomfortable knot that had formed in his throat. Cecil would never get peace and it was his fault. “I’ll go check on him,” Lou Ellen said.
“It’s a boy’s bathroom,” Will pointed out.
“You actually believe he went into the bathroom?” she said with a raised eyebrow. She left and disappeared into the hallway that parted for the bathrooms.
Meanwhile, Will tilted Nico’s face to him. Nico let out a sharp breath and chuckled. “You keep catching me off guard,” he whispered. Will cocked his head to the side like a puppy. “I’m used to people being scared of me. Keeping a distance.”
Will smirked. “I told you, I’ve dealt with worse than a troubled teenager like you.”
“Oh really like what?” Will laughed and shook his head then he leaned in to kiss him. “Are you avoiding the question?” Nico whispered against his lips. Will shook his head and kissed him again. “I thought I was the mysterious one.”
“Would you shut up and kiss me back?” Will said trying to hold back his laughter. Nico complied until someone cleared their throat. They broke apart and Nico saw a little girl staring at them from a table away, her mother glaring daggers at them. “Oops,” Will muttered. “Come on, the pizza is pretty lame anyway.” Nico followed him out of the booth and they left the pizzeria.
They walked down the street as Will texted Lou Ellen their whereabouts. “I’m sorry I tried ignoring you,” Nico said, lacing his fingers with Will’s. “And that I didn’t text you yesterday.”
“I get it,” Will answered. “You freaked out. You’re not used to relationships. But you already learned the first lesson- no running.” Nico laughed and shook his head. “You won’t run from me anymore, right? You won’t just disappear?”
Nico thought about his trial which was supposed to take place in a few months. Without a doubt, he would get convicted. No matter how much he fought, how far he ran, how hard he tried, he would get convicted. He knew that. He would be at the guillotine in a few months, and shortly after that, burned in a pit so deep the flames wouldn’t reach the top. He would disappear. He had no choice.
But he wasn’t going to give up either. He was smart. He could find a way to fix this, to turn this around. Maybe if he didn’t have Bianca, he wouldn’t care. Immortality wasn’t great. It extended the pain, the loss, the hurt. He had to train himself to feel nothing just so he could stop hurting over the people he lost. The only reason he bothered was because of Bianca. He still had her, and he couldn’t leave her. And then there was Will. The emotions, the warmth he gave him. He didn’t want to give up on that either.
“No, I won’t,” he told Will, though he also said it as a promise to himself. “You’re stuck with me now. Suffer the consequences.”
Lou Ellen caught up with them, dragging Cecil along as well. “He’s alright. But I think I should take him home.” Her words were strained, but Nico wasn’t sure why. Will sighed and nodded.
“How can you not-?”
“Cecil, stop it,” Lou Ellen warned.
“Why don’t you tell them? Tell them I’m right!” Cecil snapped at Nico. Nico stepped back in surprise. “I know-”
Lou Ellen clamped a hand over his mouth and tugged him back. He was shaking, his eyes fixed on Nico like a lion would fixate on its prey. Something about the way he said that made Nico’s skin prickle. He stared at Cecil, trying to figure out what he meant, even smelling the air with more concentration, but he couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary. If anything, he felt less overwhelmed by his senses than he ever had, now that he paid attention.
“Let’s go,” Lou Ellen growled at him. “Now,” Cecil’s head dipped down, and Nico furrowed his eyebrows. She gave them an apologetic look before taking Cecil away.
“I’m sorry,” Will apologized. “He’s… he hasn’t been himself. It’s strange.”
“What… what does he think he knows?” Nico asked staring after the receding figures. “What did he want me to tell you?”
Will shifted uncomfortably. “We’re not sure, Nico. Ethan’s death has messed him up. We’re not sure he knows what he’s saying half the time. Really, just… ignore it. I’ll walk you home.”
“Alright,” he muttered. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Cecil knew something and the other two just weren’t taking him serious. Who would believe a kid who claimed to see things from the Mystic world? And more importantly, how had he figured it out?
Suddenly, Nico was pulled behind a building. Will stood in front of him looking at him with calculating blue eyes. It made Nico think of the doctors he saw on television. “You seem upset.”
“Well, yeah,” Nico admitted. “Cecil was nice and all of a sudden he just snaps at me. I don’t know what I did.”
Will frowned and took a deep breath as he regarded Nico carefully. Nico returned the gaze with his own. He tried to take in his scent, tangy as Percy had said. But he couldn’t. Not as strongly as before. He couldn’t even smell the dog scent he’d noticed when he started taking to him. His senses were diminished. Better than humans, but not as strong as they were supposed to be.
He felt like it should bother him, but oddly, it didn’t. That meant he could be with him without worrying about hurting him. He could stay and be in a relationship.
Slowly, Will leaned in and kissed him, his lips soft and hesitant. Nico closed his eyes and listened to his heartbeat, strong and steady, but no longer tantalizing. Nico wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled him closer. The satisfaction of an increase in heartrate made him smile. Will cupped his face and kissed him with more fervor, causing Nico’s head to swim.
Will pulled away and smiled. “Let’s get you home before Lou Ellen comes back to look for us again.”
Nico shook his head and pressed Will against the wall of the building. He kissed him again, enjoying the laughter it caused Will. “I like it here,” he whispered.
“Yeah, cat piss and garbage dumps. Very romantic.” Nico rolled his eyes and dipped his head down to rest on Will’s shoulder. Just being near him made him feel warm and happy. Such human emotions. Emotions he’d wanted to get rid of once upon a time. He had never realized how lonely it was to force yourself to feel nothing, to force yourself to be empty. “I really like you, Nico,” he whispered into his hair.
Nico smiled and hummed thoughtfully. “I would hope so. We’re sort of dating you know?”
Will chuckled and rolled his eyes. “That’s when you were supposed to say something cheesy. Like, ‘Not as much as I like you,’ or-”
Nico covered his mouth and rolled his eyes. “I’m dating you. You’re the first person I’ve ever actually dated. That should tell you how much I like you.” Will blushed and Nico could feel the warmth of his blood rush to his cheeks under his palm. To his delight, he didn’t get the urge to bite.
His boyfriend began to say something as he pulled his hand away, but suddenly, he tensed. “What is it?” Nico asked.
“Nothing. Nothing, it’s just… I might not be able to walk you home.” Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “I have this bad feeling. I need to make sure Cecil’s okay. I don’t know if Lou Ellen can handle it.”
“Oh. Oh, sure. Of course.” Nico smiled and pecked him on the lips. “It’s okay.”
Will blushed again and took his hand, heading for the streets. “I’ll call you okay?” Nico nodded before he turned the other way and started running for his house. Meanwhile, Nico turned the other way and walked for his own home.
He walked leisurely, enjoying the human pace. He noticed that his senses were returning. He could hear the laughter of children in the park a few blocks away. He could hear the heavy bass of a car going south on the highway that ran to the left of downtown. He could smell the marinara sauce from the pizzeria he’d left behind and the cat piss from the alley he had walked away from. The smell of dogs and sweat and blood clogged his nose, making him want to sneeze.
Was that normal? He wasn’t sure. Obviously his loss of senses was only when Will was around, and they improved the second he got away. But he didn’t understand why. Was it because of what he felt for him? Did affection affect his abilities? On one hand it was good- he wouldn’t be so focused on his blood. On the other not so much- how would he know when he needed to defend himself or Will?
As he got closer to his home, he saw Bianca waiting on the patio. She was swinging on the wooden bench, her hair rustled only slightly by the wind. When she heard Nico coming up a few yards away, she turned. “So we’re not going to Italy tonight, I assume,” she said. “What happened?”
Nico sat beside her and explained the day’s events. From the way he’d tried avoiding Will to the shock when he realized he could kiss him without a problem, to agreeing to date him.
Bianca furrowed her eyebrow. “That’s strange. I’ve never heard of that happening before.” She bit her nail and huffed. “But…. Oh, Nico, I can’t even be angry with you. I’ve never seen you act like this with anyone before. I’ve never seen you care so much.” Nico blushed and ducked his head down. “We’re going to fix our problem with Madame Levesque. And we’ll stick around and you’ll be able to be with him.” Nico smiled at her optimism. After a slight pause, she wondered, “Will you ever tell him? What you are?”
“What? Of course not!”
“What if he falls in love with you?” she asked. “He should know if he comes to tell you that one day.”
“He won’t fall in love, Bianca.”
She hit him on the head and hissed at his stubbornness. “Nico, what do you think relationships are? They’re the pathway to falling in love. Of course, you’re not in love yet, but you’re getting there. With a relationship there’s only two ways to go- you either fall in love, or you realize you’re not meant to be.”
His expression softened almost in defeat. “If I told him, he wouldn’t love me. Mortals don’t love bloodsuckers, Bianca. They’re scared of us. I’d rather he believe I was an Ordinary like him.”
She frowned but didn’t press the subject for which he was grateful. It was the first time he’d felt this way for someone since the 1940’s. And that had not gone well. It was new and scary for him.
In the distance, he heard the howl of a wolf, strong and steady. His face wrinkled in disgust. “The wolves are out early tonight,” Bianca noted, her distaste masked better than Nico’s.
“Let’s get inside before we get dragged into any more trouble,” he answered, scowling at the echoing howls. Something about the howls were filled with agony and pain, but Nico didn’t have it in him to pity the mutts. Just like a mutt would never pity a vampire.
