Chapter Text
Nico took a good look at Logan’s face. Despite the green and purple all around him, the only colour on Nico’s mind was amber. Logan’s wide, pleased looking smile almost distracted him from the fact this could very well be the last time he’d get to see it. Eris wasn’t known for her kindness.
Excitement overshadowed all fear when Logan squeezed his hand with his.
“Okay! Step back” Logan warned cheerfully, letting go of him.
Nico did, a little disappointed. Focus! He willed himself.
With frightening ease, Logan kicked the heavy door down. All the way down, dropping it in front of them with a loud bang. They stepped onto it as they entered.
A round room seemingly carved out of the cave itself greeted them. The ceiling went up multiple floors. A wide staircase leading to many doors embraced the single, long rounded wall.
The figure of a woman slowly lowered her papers on the desk right in the middle of the room.
They raised their swords. Nico drew the shadows in close. “Eris! We need-!” he shouted.
“Nope” she replied flatly.
“We need to-!” he tried again, louder.
“No!” she now shouted back. She swiped at her glasses so aggressively she practically slapped them off her face. “Do not ever insult me like that again! My mother is banished from here after that little ‘trick’ of hers! She had my biggest star killed!”.
They stared at each other for a second.
“You're not…?” Nico stammered, lowering his sword. The shadows pulled back with it.
The lady sighed, resting her forehead on her folded hands for a moment. “No!… Have you not read the sign on the door?” she gestured to the door under their feet.
They looked down.
LADY ATE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER |
Oh…
“No, we… Our apologies, my lady” he stammered.
She huffed. “How did you even get past Destructor? I told him not to let anyone through! What did you say to him?!”. She pressed a button on a small intercom on her desk. A low buzzer went off as she did. In the distance they heard a phone ring, echoing from far away. On the giant stone desk Nico presumed… The now unoccupied giant stone desk…
He sucked in his lips and glanced at Logan, watching him quickly resheathe his sword with an awkward sizzle.
“Uh… We didn’t really talk to him…” Logan muttered.
Nico elbowed him. This was not the time to be stupidly honest.
Lady Ate clicked her tongue and let go of the button. “That useless goon! He was sleeping again, wasn’t he?!” she asked intently.
Nico and Logan looked at each other, then back at her.
“I’ll deal with him later!” she stated. “What’s your business with my mother? And it better be important if it’s worth breaking my custom made african blackwood door!”.
Nico thought for a second. There seemed to be tension between Ate and Eris at the moment. Maybe it was time to be stupidly honest, just for a bit. “Lady Aphrodite sent us. To, uh. Put a stop to her…”.
Ate raised an eyebrow. A faint smile formed on her dark red lips. “And you decided to just barge in? And then what? Confront the Goddess of strife? Reckless… Very reckless. Delusional even” she concluded. “I like that” she continued, pointing at them.
She turned her leather office chair and got up, showing off her exquisite pantssuit. “As I said before. My mother and I aren’t really on the best terms right now. As it happens, I too would benefit from someone taking her down… Just for a while at least…”.
She searched for something in her book shelf. “Her meddling and getting Ms. Robinson killed really put a snag in my most successful show. Well, a snag is really underselling it… I had to cancel it overnight, right after the big ten year anniversary party! Horridly embarrassing…”.
Nico and Logan stayed as quiet as they could. She didn’t seem to realize the scope of their involvement.
“How am I going to come up with a better show than that? What’s a stronger delusion than making an audience of three million believe they can become stinking rich overnight?!” she asked angrily. She pulled out a book and opened it. It was hollow, a big antique looking key laid in the middle. She threw it at them.
Logan caught it.
“There, that’s the spare key to my mother’s vacation home in Tartarus. She’s not going to be staying there right now. The holidays are right around the corner after all. She’s much too busy at the moment… But, she will soon after, during her yearly sabbatical. It’s a lovely little chateau, really. Perfect place to wind down… It has a great view on the flaming river, Phlegethon. Nearly at the source. If you follow it you should get there eventually”.
Nico opened his mouth.
Ate gestured for him to stop. “Now, leave and never come back here” she demanded. “And do not tell her I gave that to you!”.
Nico nodded. They turned and slowly walked out.
Nico quickly smashed the elevator button. They stared awkwardly at Ate through the open door as they waited. She stared back, arms folded, leaning against her desk.
They walked into the elevator backwards as the doors opened. Nico sighed in relief when Ate's unimpressed scowl disappeared between the doors. Logan chuckled almost without a sound.
“Don't” Nico warned. “That wasn't funny” he added, not being able to keep a straight face.
They both laughed.
The elevator was slow. Ridiculously slow.
“What did you mean when you said you'd been wanting to kiss me for a while?” Nico asked.
Logan furrowed his brow. “I meant exactly what I said” he huffed in confused amusement.
“Yeah, but… since when?” Nico asked impatiently.
Logan shot him an exasperated look. “Ages! What are you even talking about?! It’s not like it was ever a secret… Dude, I literally told you I liked you”.
Nico blinked. What? “No, you didn't…?” he muttered in disbelief.
Logan’s eyebrow rose to the challenge. “Yes. I did. Today! Remember? You brought up the porch. How you thought I was going to tell you I liked you. And I told you. I literally said I do like you”.
Nico blinked again. “You didn't mean…! You did mean…?! But you said it so casually! There's no way you meant you like me” he stammered.
Logan looked unimpressed. “I'm not ashamed of that stuff! Sure, I never made a move… But, that’s because I didn't want to make you even more uncomfortable around me!”.
Nico blinked once again, huffing in frustration. ‘Uncomfortable’?! Yeah, only because-!
Logan cut him off before he could even start. “Dude! What did you expect?!” He bruskly started counting on his fingers. “First, I’m not your type. Look at Jackson and Solace. Two really nice guys. Especially Will, who you really didn’t seem to be over yet by the way… Second, let's be real here, you're mean to me. All the time. And don't get me wrong, I'm into that, but it's not exactly clear! Last, you even said the idea that I might like you scared you. Pretty obvious you didn't feel the same way right? That's what I figured at least…”.
Nico kept staring at the three damning fingers in his face, still trying to catch up with them long after they’d made their point. The plot twist wrecked him. Had he been the dense idiot this whole time? How had he missed all of this?
His brain tried to make words. “When I said I was afraid, I didn't mean scared. I mean… I did. But not like it's a bad thing! I meant it made me freak out… Because I do like you. A lot. I just didn't think-!”.
Nico cut his ramblings short. Processing hard. He had to remind himself to breathe. “Look, when I thought you were going to ‘confess’, I didn't see it coming, because I thought you were straight. So when, you know, I got it wrong… I realized how stupid I was for thinking that you ever would in the first place… And I figured you were straight. I kinda did until… Just now. So I just… Pushed you away!". He gestured wildly with his hands to make more sense of it.
It didn't seem to work. Logan looked confused. “Why would you think I was straight? Weren’t you there multiple times when we talked about Taylor? You know, the guy Gwen has a crush on”.
Oh. Nico felt like an even bigger idiot. Why would he assume Gwen would be gay over Logan? “I, uh. I thought Gwen…” he stammered.
Logan looked at him, even more confused. Then it hit him and he laughed. “She gets that a lot. You're lucky she doesn't mind”. He prodded Nico in his stomach. His expression turned puzzled again. “Weren’t you also there when we talked about how I kissed Shane?”.
Nico scoffed. “Right. Because they dared you to”.
Logan held out his hands like it was obvious. “Yeah, but that was because he’s Shane, not because he’s a guy!”.
Nico raised an eyebrow. “As if you wouldn’t have kissed him even if you were straight”.
Logan shook his head slightly, looking at Nico like he was an idiot. “Of course I would have! Then I would have gotten double the credit.”
Nico laughed “Then what’s the point you’re trying to make here?!”.
Logan smiled and gave a short shrug. “I dunno! That it should have been obvious, I guess? Some signs may have been a little more clear than others. But anyway, you could have just asked! If not me, then anyone else!”.
Nico stared at him again. That was such a Logan mindset. Of course he thinks people just ask those things! He was kinda right though, that would have made everything a lot easier... “Didn't really think of that option” Nico admitted, feeling really drained all of a sudden.
A mean looking smile spread over Logan's face. “Sorry to break it to you, but you're pretty stupid, dude…”.
Nico smiled back. “Seems so…”. Then he laughed. “That realization is hitting me kinda hard, honestly…”.
Logan chuckled. “I already knew that, though. I don't mind. I still like you”.
Nico pursed his lips. “Thanks. I appreciate it…”.
Logan put his arms around him. “So…” he started. “Now that the truth is out there… That you're stupid… That I do like you that way… And that you're madly in love with me-”.
Nico was going to interrupt, he drew a sharp breath and decided against it, exhaling in an annoyed sigh.
Logan smirked. “When I say madly I mean that as in angrily, of course” he interjected himself.
Nico giggled. Damn it! He quickly put his fist in front of his mouth and played it off as a cough. “Right” he choked out.
Logan continued “But seeing all that… I was hoping I might get to keep liking you from a bit more up close…?”. He obviously tried to play it off as level headed but he could tell he was actually a little nervous.
Nico smiled. “Deal” he whispered, getting up close, and closer. He slowly backed him into the corner and put his hand on Logan's chest.
Logan’s breathing was fast, his heartbeat even faster.
You too, huh? Good…
They closed in on each other.
There it was again, that addictive feeling. Nico gave in to it. With how slow this elevator was, he was pretty sure he actually could stay like that forever this time.
The receptionist let out some very deliberate, sharp sounding coughs. They turned to look at her, through the open elevator doors.
Nico pulled himself away, grabbing Logan’s hand to tug him along. They rushed past the receptionist, pretending not to feel her eyes stab them repeatedly all the way out the door.
The shadows were already waiting for them outside, beckoning them to hurry it up.
Gwen’s porch creaked when they stepped out of the darkness. It creaked again when Logan stepped in closer. “You’re staying, right?” he asked quietly.
Even in the dim light his eyes burned warm. It was almost convincing enough.
Almost. “Yeah, sure”. Wait…
Logan seemed very happy to hear that, closing the distance. All doubt evaporated from Nico’s mind in the warmth of the embrace. Logan’s grin pressed against his own.
Six eyes fell on them as they walked into the kitchen. Two Nico hadn’t seen before. They widened a little, igniting an intrigued dark grey fire, slightly hidden behind straight black hair. The young man they belonged to stuck up a hand and smiled.
“Sherman” he threw at Nico.
Nico raised his hand to catch it. “Nico” he threw back.
Sherman turned to Logan. “Heard about your epic quest!” he said heavily. “I see you didn’t die” he noted.
Logan shrugged. “Not yet”.
Sherman tutted with exaggeration. “Guess that means I can’t steal your room tonight…”.
Logan hissed apologetically. “I mean, you could try to kill me anyway?”.
Sherman pretended to consider it, then tutted again.
Logan pursed his lips at Gwen, gesturing at Nico. “I asked him to stay for the night”.
Gwen grinned, then pursed her lips too, going over everyone in the room. She settled on Logan and Nico. “Four beds…” she mumbled.
Nico stuck up his hands and gestured outside. “It’s fine! I’ll just-!”.
“No” Gwen and Logan echo’d sternly.
Alright… He carefully gestured to the living room instead. “I’ll sleep on the couch…?” he negotiated.
Logan scowled. “I’m not letting you sleep on the couch. What’s the problem anyway? You can just sleep in my bed”.
Nico’s cheeks caught fire. Did he mean alone, or-?
“Aaahw~!” Gwen cooed. “You really are a gentleman~!”.
Logan expertly dodged her prying fingers trying to grab him. Gwen pouted in mild disappointment, then grinned as her eyes found Nico. She winked away a mischievous blue flame.
After everyone had slowly clocked out for the day, it was finally time to find out what Nico would be in for tonight. He prepared himself to ask, turning to Logan and opening his mouth. Logan put chin on his hand and leaned closer. The orange flicker in his eyes seemed very interested in what he was about to ask. Nico quickly closed his mouth and glanced away.
He tried again.
He failed again.
Logan snickered quietly. “So, tell me… Are we sharing a bed?” he asked.
Nico tensed up. The heat from his face fried his brain. Oh, Gods… It was up to him? That was an incredibly stupid idea! He couldn’t make his mind up over almost anything. Especially not when it came to things like-!
Logan laughed. “Don’t worry! I’m messing with you. I couldn’t help it. I’ve never seen you this scared before. You’ve been red ever since I said you’re sleeping in my room”. He grinned warmly. “I’ll sleep on the couch, yeah? That’s what I meant anyway”.
Oh… Nico’s shoulders sank back down, then sank a bit further.
Logan cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, his grin almost a pout. “No…? Not what you were hoping for?”.
Nico’s shoulders rose back up, then rose a bit further.
Logan’s grin widened, warm and bright. “Okay! Uh…” he started, rapping his fingers on the table. “How about we share… But, I promise I won’t try anything? I’ll follow your lead, yeah?”.
Nico’s shoulders got stuck halfway. Ha. That was more of a relief than a disappointment. “Yeah… Alright…”. He tried not to make it a question.
Logan got up and looked at him. Nico got up and did the same. Logan smirked. Right. Nico was in charge…
Logan kept his word, to a frustrating degree. Before every move, he looked at Nico expectantly. At every small panic attack, his smirk grew wider. Getting undressed had been an emotional chess match. Nothing in Nico had been able to agree on anything. Somehow they’d ended up in bed. Nico had compromised with himself on half naked, underwear and shirts still on.
They stared at each other from their half of the bed. The bed… Definitely not large enough for two people to stay apart, Nico realized as his hand grazed Logan’s. Logan smirked, not moving his hand. Nico didn’t move his either.
Then he did, running his fingers over Logan’s hand, his arm, behind his neck. He felt Logan tense up as he moved closer. His smirk disappeared in a quiet little gasp. Nico got too lost in its taste to feel smug about getting him to do that.
Nico woke up warm. Warm and cramping all over. Definitely beat his usual mornings, he decided when he looked right into Logan’s eyes. They lit up when Nico moved his hair out of his face.
“No nightmares last night?” Nico asked, hopefully. He carefully tried to untangle his arms and legs from Logan’s. Despite getting trapped in this delightfully uncomfortable position, he had somehow slept through the entire night.
“Nope! I don't think I slept at all!” Logan declared happily. He met Nico's worried expression with a grin. “I couldn't help it. I just kept staring at your pretty face, wondering how the hell any of this happened…”.
Nico grinned back. “Guess you really are a creep”.
Logan’s expression turned devious. He traced a finger over Nico's back, right under the hem of his old shirt. It had run up about halfway during the night. Nico tried to keep his nerves under control.
“Are you kidding me? I've been holding back all night. I could be way more of a creep if I wanted to…”. Logan pushed the hem up a few inches, very slowly. “For example… I kept thinking. Isn't it funny how you look so good in this, but all I want to do is take it off?” he wondered out loud.
Nico snorted. He kneed him just hard enough to serve as a warning.
Big mistake.
Logan took a firm grip on his upper leg and roughly shoved it to the side. Before Nico could react, Logan had rolled on top of him. One hand still pinning down Nico's leg, the other next to his waist. Logan's hips pressed against his. He pushed himself up, towering over Nico to admire his work. He looked Nico over, settling on his eyes.
Nico took a shaky breath. Two blazing little fires heated him up to the core. Logan ran his free hand down Nico's other upper leg, with a threatening grin.
Oh, Gods! He'd never been more scared of him than now, or was it the exact opposite? Nico froze. A whimper never even made it out.
Logan's fire changed temperature instantly. He quickly held up his hands. “Don't worry!” he reassured.
Relief and disappointment slapped Nico in the face, a cheek each. He hid his face in his hands and groaned.
Logan bent over a bit and grabbed Nico's arms, gently pulling them away. “Want me to stop?” he asked warmly.
Nico pouted at him.
Logan raised an arrogant eyebrow. “No?” he asked.
Nico sighed and shook his head, still a little wary.
Logan's smile turned downright evil. “Say it” he demanded, low and quiet.
Nico couldn't. He faced away and scowled at the wall. “Logan” he groaned in frustration, embarrassingly close to desperate.
He felt Logan freeze. Nico’s surprised glance met with an equally surprised, much more flustered expression.
Logan quickly recovered. “Yeah, okay! That works too!”.
Nico let out a quiet laugh. It turned into a nervous one when Logan shifted his hips between his legs.
Logan gave him a scrutinizing look, seemingly not entirely sure of the best way to handle this. He could look at Nico all he wanted, he wasn't going to find the answers there… Logan rapped his fingers against Nico's stomach. Then pressed down his hand. “I won't go below the belt, yeah?” he offered. “Just like last night”.
Nico swallowed, then nodded. Yeah. Perfect. He could handle that.
No he couldn’t, he realized as soon as Logan moved down and took a fold in his shirt between his teeth. He dragged it up slowly as he made his way up, then gently kissed him on the collarbone. It turned Nico into a shuddering wreck.
Logan chuckled and kissed him on the temple. “You're fucking adorable when you're nervous” he teased quietly. He tenderly brushed his fingers down Nico's chest.
Nico squirmed, arching himself up against him. Logan used the opportunity to run his hands down Nico's waist, and under his back. Nico finally managed to regain some sense. He kissed Logan rough and deep, making sure to take out some of his frustration. In return, he got a warm, appreciative rub over the back of his neck. That felt encouraging.
Nico slid his hands down Logan's back, under the hem of his shirt. He tugged it up, and ran his hands over Logan's stomach. Logan let out an excited sounding hum as he did.
Good. Nico went further up and slowly ran his hands over his chest, taking extra care to move his thumb just right. He knew he'd succeeded when the hum turned downright desperate.
Logan tightened his grip to lock Nico down and broke the kiss with a gasp. He gently bumped their foreheads together and laughed. “Sorry, I have to stop…” he muttered hoarsely. He escaped off of the bed. “I'm going to take a nice, extra cold shower” he laughed.
Nico clicked his tongue in frustration as he watched Logan pull off his shirt without a single care. He didn't have a good side… He was all good sides…
Oh, right... He didn’t need to pretend to hate that anymore. With a smug smile for none other than himself to enjoy, he revelled in that realization for a bit.
As he enjoyed the view of the carefully compositioned landscape of Logan's back, he followed the slender, elegant crevasse of his spine all the way up. Faded battle scars painted on with expressive, uneven brushwork were the only interruptions to the otherwise fair stretches of skin it flowed past. Even the most skilled Romantic painter probably wouldn't be able to truly capture the beauty of the enticing, rugged-!
Logan stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders, unintentionally demonstrating the overwhelming power of nature with the intricate collection of muscles.
Damn, Nico mouthed quietly, all smart sounding words having blown away... He got up and ran his hands up Logan's back, onto his shoulders, massaging thoroughly along the way. Logan let out an appreciative sigh and turned his face to him.
Nico smirked into the kiss. “My pleasure. Believe me” he muttered.
“Thanks anyway” Logan muttered back. “But…” he added, carefully starting to pull away. “I don’t think Gwen’s shower gets cold enough for more of this…”. He pulled away all the way out the door.
Nico tried to control his imagination, trying its hardest to convince him to go join him. He shook his head sternly, erasing all images.
They'd get there soon enough at this pace, he reassured himself. He pushed his hands onto his forehead in excitement and frustration. He focussed on his breathing and thought of nature. Pine trees swayed calmly in a warm, pleasant gust of wind. He could almost feel it cooling him down…
Nico followed Logan into the kitchen. Mark stopped himself from taking a sip of coffee, lowering his cup a bit. He blinked at them. Nico was suddenly extremely aware of Logan’s hand on his lower back. Mark blinked at the door behind him, the door to the living room, the room with the couch…
“Did you guys…?” he almost asked, raising an eyebrow and finally his cup.
Logan smirked proudly, slipping his hand over to Nico’s waist and pulling him against him. Nico was too flustered to resist.
“Well, I told you he wasn’t sleeping on the couch, didn’t I?” Logan returned.
Mark’s eyes went wide above his cup. Right after Nico managed to push himself away, Gwen walked into the kitchen, right between them.
She hummed a happy little tune. “Good morning everyone~!”.
“Morning” all three of them answered in three completely different pitches.
Gwen hesitated before pulling her chair back, sensing something in the air. Nico quickly took a seat, smiling innocently. Logan took a seat next to him, smiling criminally. Nico’s innocent smile almost didn’t survive Logan’s hand on his knee.
Logan’s attempt at hiding a yawn thankfully grabbed Gwen’s full attention before she could notice. “Bad dreams again?” she asked pitifully.
“Nope! I didn’t sleep even a single second!” Logan answered happily.
Mark broke his toast in half, staring at Nico in astonishment.
“No!” Nico choked, gesturing wildly. “That’s not-!”. He cut himself off by getting up and taking a step back.
All eyes were on him. Mark’s still astonished, Gwen’s confused, Logan’s incredibly amused.
Sherman walked in and sat down, completely unaware. He glanced around, then happily decided to join in. His eyes got in line, expectantly.
Nico swallowed dryly. “I, uh… We…”. He looked at Logan for support.
Logan gave him a questioning look. Nico grimaced. Logan gave him a knowing smile and a nod.
Oh, good. Nico felt a short sense of relief. Very short.
Logan grabbed him, dipped him ungracefully and kissed him. He swung Nico back up and stuck his fist in the air with a triumphant grin.
Nico almost fell backwards. Freaking dumbass! He grabbed Logan’s arm and pulled it back down.
There was no reaction for a few seconds.
Then everyone reacted at the same time. Mark laughed. Gwen hollered. Sherman smiled through his mild confusion, he slowly started clapping in polite applause.
“I fucking told you, you fucking idiot!” Gwen shouted at Mark, practically sticking her finger in his eye.
“Watch your fucking mouth!” Mark warned.
Nico’s hands blindly found the back of his chair and managed to pull him back onto it. The fire on his face slowly died down and breakfast picked back up.
Logan looked at Sherman, taking a very impressive bite of toast. Sherman looked back, trying to take an even bigger bite of toast, which was nearly all of it. He pulled it off, chewing with great difficulty. His jaws compacted the toast like a balling press, warping the large red scar on his cheek into various interesting shapes. He swallowed laboriously and smirked smugly.
Logan smirked back. “What’s the occasion, Sherbert?” he asked.
“Best man duties. Wedding planning stuff” Sherman explained. “I’m trying to make sure Groomzilla here doesn’t fuck up again, and can actually evolve into Husbandzilla this time…”. He punched Mark in the back of the shoulder, much harder than Nico expected him to.
“Again…?” Nico asked before he could catch himself.
Mark smiled painfully, lips tightly closed.
“Cindy, Mark's fiancée, kicked him out” Gwen explained dramatically.
Mark looked straight ahead, clearly embarrassed.
“Well, technically Mark got both of them kicked out” Logan explained in turn.
Mark kept looking ahead, clearly annoyed now. “Funny story… I punched our landlord” he muttered.
That did sound funny! Nico raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Mark looked aside, then back. “Right, so… It's not as bad as it sounds. I told him we got engaged, and the creepy fucker congratulated me on ‘getting to marry that juicy ass’! You should have seen the disgusting face he made!” he said sourly. “She wanted to move to her parents for a bit… And have some space…” he sighed. “I don't get it…” he sighed even deeper.
Gwen raised an eyebrow at him. “Mark, I swear… You're such a dudebro. You could have just told him off like a normal person. You made her homeless… And if you seriously think that comment is the worst women have to deal with…”.
A mahogany brown spark flashed in Mark's eyes. “It's the worst I've had to deal with! And I'll tell you fucking what! I don’t regret it! I've punched people a lot harder for a lot less!”. He slapped the table for emphasis. His coffee spilled a bit.
Logan shrugged. “I get it”.
Mark exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair, he nudged Logan's chin with the back of his hand.
Gwen rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Men…” she sighed.
Sherman nodded in silent, proud agreement.
“Look” Mark started. “It's going to be fine. Her dad suddenly loves me now. The wedding is still on. She's helping me look for a house for us… And once we buy one, the only creep she'll have to live with is me!”. He took a sip of his coffee. Then he smiled to himself. “I do miss her juicy ass…”. He got up and downed his coffee. “I'm going to call her to tell her that right now!” he said with a giddy tone.
“Close your door this time!” Gwen yelled after him as he ran up the stairs.
Sherman sighed. “Gotta go make sure he doesn’t get dumped… Best man stuff, you get it”. He pointed a finger at Logan as he got up. “You. Reconcider already! I need your big, rude mouth to have my back. We’ve got a fucking ‘Cindy’ themed playlist for the bachelor party cus of all the other spineless losers!”.
“Fuck no” Logan declined politely.
“If I die of cringe I’m having a ‘Cindy’ themed playlist at my funeral just to spite you” Sherman warned. His finger was the last to go through the door.
Nico pursed his lips as he watched Logan yawn again. Yesterday had been a long day. A good day, but a rough day nonetheless. Seeing how tired Nico still was despite a good night’s sleep, he wondered how Logan was going to get himself through today…
Logan smiled at him, without a single worry. Nico smiled back, with a plan.
He got up. “Let’s give Gwen some of her space back” he proposed. “Four is too many men to be around”.
Logan cocked his head, still smiling. “What are you up to?”.
Nico shrugged. “Just thought we could go for a walk or something”.
Logan pursed his lips.
Gwen chimed in before he could answer. “Oooh~! A date~?” she sang excitedly.
“A walk!” they both corrected.
“Somewhere romantic~?” she sang on.
Logan huffed and got up. He reached for his coat.
Nico gestured for him to leave it, pushing himself out of his chair. “Let’s go somewhere warm” he offered, his mind already made up. He smiled reassuringly and reached out his hand.
Logan hesitated, then grabbed it. The shadows snuck out from under the dinner table, stealing them away from Gwen’s mischievous, prying eyes. Whispers rustled all around like a quiet whirlwind.
The subtle, but sudden incline almost made him stumble out of the shadows. He caught himself, and Logan, right in time.
The warm summer evening air wiped the cold winter morning they’d just escaped from his face. It brought the briny smell of the sea along with it. They straightened up and looked ahead.
The low sun cast countless long shadows over the hills, all different sizes and shapes, just as the tombstones they held onto. Behind it, underneath the hard border of the cliff, a million specs of light flowed over the waves.
“A graveyard” Logan noted with obvious amusement. “I thought vampires couldn’t enter consecrated ground…” he nudged.
“Neither should demons, but here we are…" Nico nudged back. “And, yep. Waverley cemetery. One of my favourites”.
That was true, but that was not the only reason he’d brought him here. Logan reminded him with another yawn, just in case.
“Dope” Logan agreed. “Man… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how jarring that whole ‘shadow’ stuff can be. Is it summer all of a sudden? And what time is it here…?”.
“Don’t worry about it” Nico reassured, smiling faintly to himself.
Logan started walking. Nico followed along, looking at him intently. Logan swallowed away another yawn, not looking at him equally intently.
After a while, Nico’s eyes stabbed into him deep enough to get a reaction.
“You said we were going for a walk, right? So what’s with the silent judgement?” Logan asked warily.
“You look exhausted” Nico judged out loud.
No reaction. That was fine by him. He’d just have to get a little more persuasive. He dropped himself in the grass, crossing his legs and looking at Logan expectantly. “Time for a break” he announced.
Logan narrowed his eyes. A faint scowl quickly turned into a smug grin. “Don’t worry about me, okay? I can handle it just fine” he boasted. To prove it, he startled Nico with a handstand right next to him.
Logan didn’t even get to see his annoyed eyeroll, as his shirt fell down over his face almost instantly. He did hear Nico laughing at him, shifting his weight to one hand and pulling his shirt back down with the other. He winked. “See? Just fine” he boasted again. Aside from the slight strain in his voice, he annoyingly did seem mostly fine.
“Show off” Nico complained.
“Buzzkill” Logan complained back. He dropped himself on his back. The ground grunted with a heavy thud. He sighed and closed his eyes.
Nico moved a little closer when Logan didn’t open them back up. He watched him take a few quiet, deep breaths.
Logan quickly jolted upright, blinking wildly. Nico pushed him back in his place when he was about to get up. Logan pouted straight ahead in defeat.
“Stop fighting it, you idiot. Just take the damn nap. It's getting dark here anyway” Nico scolded.
“All part of your evil master plan, isn't it?” Logan grumbled, wiping the palm of his hand over his eyes.
“Don’t you trust me?” Nico tried softly. He pulled Logan’s shoulder closer, leaning his forehead against his temple.
“Course I do… But…” Logan muttered. “I keep freaking out. And your powers cost you so much. I just don't want to dump my shit on you all the time… It's not fair”. His tone turned from mildly exasperated to sorely miserable.
Nico pulled back a little and blinked. “Is that why you didn’t sleep last night?!” he asked angrily.
Logan pursed his lips. “Not just that!” he defended desperately. “I had a lot to process! I was too excited to sleep anyway! Promise!”.
“Agh! You-!”. Adorable fucking dumbass! Nico bit his tongue, then shook his head. “You're seriously going to underestimate me this much right now!? You've seen me cover an entire house in shadows, raise a fucking army of dead guys and drag your piece of junk car all the way to Gwen’s house! That dream crap barely takes a minute!” he scolded. “Besides, I'm dying for you to shut up for a while! I’ll do anything”.
Logan looked at him, pensive… And tired.
Nico wasn’t having it. “What was all that crap you gave me about how it's good to ask for help?”
Logan huffed and pulled up his knees. He leaned his elbow on one and rested his cheek on his hand. “Well, at least I won't wake you up this time…” he grumbled, finally closing his eyes.
Nico listened carefully as his breathing got slower and quieter. He turned just in time to catch Logan’s cheek when his hand slipped out under it. As gently as he could, he pulled him against his chest and leaned back against the tombstone behind him. Thanks for your undying support, Margareth…
Logan sank against him with a deep breath. Nico quickly slid his knee up behind his back to make sure he wouldn't roll off. Logan’s forehead settled against his neck. Nico tried not to squirm as Logan’s hair tickled his ear, staring at the small ocean of tombstones to distract himself from the feeling. No luck. It was impossible not to feel it.
Good.
His shoulder was starting to ache. That was fine. He could deal with that.
And so he did… For a while.
Nico shifted a little when his shoulder yelled at him, only making it worse.
He yelled back at it internally for being useless! Moving upright just a bit, he made sure to move Logan as little as possible. He caught him before he could slide off.
Logan stirred. He tensed up. His breathing sped up, shallow and high.
Nico slid his hand over Logan’s when it twitched. I’m here, he sent out. I’ve got you.
Logan sank back down with a deep exhale.
Nico rubbed his back, feeling his heartbeat slow back down. “See? No problem…” he whispered near his ear. He smiled proudly when he felt Logan’s heartbeat speed up a notch for a moment. He stopped a chuckle and glanced down at his face. Clearly still sound asleep. Vulnerable again, but somehow it didn’t seem wrong this time.
Logan smiled. His hand slowly gripped Nico’s shirt. Nico resisted the temptation to see what he was dreaming about. Logan’s smile turned just ever so evil… Nico definitely resisted the temptation to see what he was dreaming about.
He kissed the top of his head and rested his cheek on it. “Have fun…” he murmured a little accusatorily.
An elderly woman smiled at them as she walked by. Nico smiled back politely.
She stopped and wagged the tip of her cane at him. “Hold on tight” she warned tenderly in her thick Australian accent.
Nico watched her slowly move down the path like she’d done so hundreds of times, without a doubt with a clear destination in mind. He wondered who she was here to visit… He held on tighter.
Logan took a sharp breath. He pulled away and stretched his shoulders. He glanced over with a fond smile. Nico smiled back.
“You smell nice. Almost a little earthy, or rainy…” Logan mused. “It's really fitting…”.
Nico blinked at the sudden heat on his cheeks.
“Thanks!” Logan added brightly before Nico could say anything. “Guess I really did need that”.
“Yeah, sure” he muttered weakly. He let Logan pull him to his feet. He pulled him a little further than that, right against him. Nico smiled into the kiss.
They finally set out for an actual walk. Nico watched the sun get swallowed by the sea. Deep orange streaks floated on the waves. A perfect sunset, truly. Though… Not nearly as perfect as the ones right next to him.
He kept glancing over. Logan kept noticing.
“So…” Nico quickly pushed out. “What were you studying for?” he asked, realizing how much he still didn’t know.
“Social work” Logan answered “I was about half way done with my Bachelor when I screwed up”.
Nico thought about it. He remembered how Logan was with Crazy Butch. “Ha, in a weird way, that’s kinda fitting” he stated. “I mean, it's probably either that or prison”.
Logan laughed loudly. Nico tried not to show himself revelling in it too much. An affectionate jab in the upper arm cracked his armor.
“What about your dreams?” Logan asked.
Nico huffed quietly. What a question… Truth was, he never thought of the future. Harsher truth was, he never really expected to get this far… He sucked in his lips and tried to think back to who he used to be, back when he was a real person. His memories took him all the way to the Lotus casino. “When I was a kid I wanted to become a ghost hunter, like in the tv shows” he admitted with a smirk. “Or become a professional Mythomagic player”.
Logan snorted, then cocked his head. “Hah…”. He nudged him. “Never expected you to want to be famous”.
Nico chuckled. “Oh, no. I’d do it all under an alias, obviously. Probably wear a mask too… Maybe I’ll buy one from Shane”.
Logan laughed again. “Coward…”. His eyes burned low and warm. “If it’s what makes you happy, you should just own it. Be proud of it…”.
Nico sucked in his lips. That could have been profound if it hadn’t been about the scams of ‘reality’ tv and gambling for children. “Uhuh, sure” he mumbled. “I’d be more proud if you pull that social work thing off”.
“Eh. We’ll have to see…” Logan replied with some melancholy. His expression turned mischievous. “Would you visit me in prison?”.
Nico stifled a laugh. “No way”. He stifled another one at the sight of Logan’s genuine offense.
Logan moved just out of reach when Nico leaned in.
“I’d break you out in seconds” Nico boasted softly, inches away. He almost didn’t get to finish his sentence.
Nightfall slowly closed its star embroidered curtains on their walk. They’d only been there a few hours, of course, but they had to go before they’d get too used to the dark. Messing up Logan’s internal clock would be a waste of all Nico’s evil doing earlier.
Nico tugged him along into the sea of shadows all around them. They splashed over them and washed them away.
When they washed back up, the shade of the porch protected them from the bright sunlight.
Nico reluctantly tried to let go of Logan’s hand. “I’m going to head out” he muttered.
Logan held on a little longer. “Do you have to?”.
Nico hissed quietly. “Yeah…”. He really did. It wouldn’t be right to stick around even longer. He really wanted to… And Gwen would let him, because she’s great, but he’d be imposing. Besides, the longer he’d stay, the harder it would get to go.
Logan finally let go. “Okay. But come back soon, yeah?”.
Nico smiled. “Yeah”.
Logan opened the door for him. Gwen’s squeal spilled out, right in his face. After filling her in with every complete lack of detail, and winning at least three debates against her, without any help from Logan, she finally let him leave.