Chapter Text
It had only been four days since he’d seen him. Four days. Four. He needed to get his head checked. It should have been so much easier to keep his mind off of him now that the tension was finally gone. So, why was it even harder?!
Nico shook his head. He had to be stronger than this. Not just for his own sake. If Logan found out how insane he was, he’d ruin it for both of them.
He looked at the dreary, grey Vancouver skyline. Hundreds of flats popped out of the ground. He could have sworn there were more of them every time he blinked. All different sizes. All somehow even taller than the previous. None of them taller than the mountains behind them. Most importantly, not a single hint of sun anywhere…
Right when he gained the confidence he could manage another day, his phone buzzed. He took a deep breath before he dared to look. It could be Hazel, he repeated hopefully in his mind. He immediately saw it wasn’t. It could still be something stupid. Maybe another blurry picture of Crazy Butch, he hoped more furiously.
[i miss you :( ]
Damn it… He didn’t even bother replying before pulling the shadows over himself. The flutter of panicked goose wings echo’d into the darkness.
The clatter of the rain hitting his trench coat drowned out the sound of the quiet whispers before he even fully stepped onto the grass. The shadows drained into the dirt in wet, inky streams.
He looked over to the porch, finding who he’d been looking for. Who’d been waiting for him, to be even more precise.
Nico clicked his tongue.
Instead of being reasonable, Logan had decided to wait in front of the porch, completely unsheltered from the onslaught of raindrops. Nico watched the tip of his cigarette light up, braving the weather. The cloud of smoke stood no chance, dissipating as soon as it crossed his faint scowl.
Nico put up his own, much more displeased scowl as he walked closer.
He noticed just how soaked Logan actually was. The wet leather of his coat gleamed in the dim light. Like the idiot he was, he hadn’t even bothered to close it. His t-shirt clung to his body under it. Drops fell down his hair alongside the rain, weighing it down…
Nico pursed his lips. He always kinda liked that look on him… No, he willed himself. Logan was being exceptionally stupid right now. Don’t encourage him.
Logan’s eyes lit up when he noticed him. The faint scowl instantly turned into a wide smile, gleaming much brighter than the wet leather.
Nico smiled back. Damn it! He quickly readjusted. “What are you doing, you moron?! You’re gonna get sick!”
Logan’s smile stood undefeated. “Don’t worry!” he soothed. “I do this all the time!”. Based on his genuine tone, and his genuine stupidity, Logan had honestly expected that to be reassuring.
Nico tried not to laugh. He doubled down on tough love, for both their sakes. “Oh, great! So, you’re only a moron ‘all the time’? That’s a relief” he grumbled.
“I like the rain” Logan shrugged with a hint of an apologetic tone. “It’s calming and cold, it helps me clear my head”.
Logan kept smiling… And Nico kept falling for him…
With a sigh, Nico grabbed onto the underside of Logan’s jacket, pulling it shut and fumbling with the zipper. “At least cover up a bit…” he sighed in defeat. He met his eyes as he pulled the zipper all the way up. Logan’s expression was mischievous, excited and just the tiniest bit smug. “What?” Nico asked, warily narrowing his eyes.
“You look nice all wet” Logan shared, grinning happily around his cigarette.
Nico huffed through a wide grin of his own. He slid one hand to the back of Logan’s neck and yanked the cigarette out of his mouth with the other. Logan leaned in before he had the chance to pull him close.
Despite the rain’s effort, his lips were warm. They always were. It was comforting through the cold water running over him. He hummed in quiet relief. Logan hummed back in agreement, still smiling.
Nico pushed a bit further, beyond Logan’s lips. Not nearly as much of a relief, right in the middle of his smoke break…Nico pulled back a bit. “Like licking an ashtray” he said with distaste, offering him the culprit back.
Logan cocked his head, a little hurt. He took the cigarette. To Nico’s surprise he didn’t put it back in his mouth, pressing it out on the bottom of his shoe instead. “I'll quit” he stated casually. “That was my last one”. He held up the remains of the cigarette, easily more than half of it left.
Instinctively, Nico held out his hand. Logan placed it on his palm, almost delicately.
Nico rolled it between his fingers, blinking at it. “What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked. He tried not to show just how much the sentiment actually meant to him, but couldn't really control his tone.
“Whatever you want. Eat it, for all I care” Logan replied.
Nico suppressed a laugh, not managing to stop a smile. Logan smiled back. Nico moved in closer. As he did, Logan pulled his face back to stay just out of reach.
“You sure?” he asked apprehensively. “I can go and-”
Nico shut him up with another kiss. Funny, he minded the bitter, ashy taste a lot less than before. It had a much sweeter undertone this time.
Logan grabbed his hips to keep him close.
Nico noticed something on Logan’s hand as he ran his fingers over it. He pulled back to confirm. “You’re wearing the ring?” he asked.
Logan sighed. Holding up his hand between them, he ran his thumb over it. Carefully enough not to turn it. “Yep… No matter what I do with it, it’s always back on my finger the next day…” he grumbled. “I’ve thrown it in the trash, flushed it down the toilet, locked it away, I've even microwaved it… Nothing works”. He looked at it, then at Nico.
Nico could hear the gears turning.
Logan pulled the ring off of his finger and held it out for him. “Wanna see if this works?” he asked.
Nico smiled and let out a small huff. He closed Logan's hand around it.
Logan raised an eyebrow. “You don't want it?”.
“Sure I do” Nico responded flatly. “But, I'm not taking it from you. I know Ares is a dick… But it'd be a waste to let him ruin something good for you just because he's a deadbeat, right?” he wondered. “I think you should keep it” he concluded, sounding more brave than he was.
This was a touchy subject… He glanced up to carefully gauge Logan’s reaction. There wasn’t one for a little while. Logan looked at his closed hand, his expression serious.
He finally shoved the ring in his pocket and gave Nico a sly smile. “Would it have worked if I'd gotten on one knee?”.
Heat hit Nico in the face. He looked away in annoyance. “Depends, are you trying to get rid of the ring or me?!” he snapped.
Logan laughed and pulled their shoulders together. “Maybe I'll pawn it. I need to buy Gwen a new microwave”.
Nico let up a little, leaning against him. A shiver rolled over his shoulders.
Logan ran his hand up and down his arm in a useless attempt to ward off the cold. He realized so too.“C’mon, let’s get you inside” he ordered, nudging him towards the door. “And out of those wet clothes” he chuckled suggestively.
It was just them today, he found out. Both Gwen and Mark were out on dates. Good for them, Nico decided, genuinely excited for them. For just them, of course…
He swallowed dryly.
Seeing as it was just the two of them, all night, after taking off his wet shirt, he hadn’t really bothered putting on a dry one… He let his back fall onto the covers, hoping it would feel a little less cold that way. Not much luck…
He turned his head to watch Logan, who was still in the middle of stripping off his own shirt… It held on tight as he pulled it off, slipping over his nice collection of muscles and scars. Nico watched carefully as each of them slowly revealed themselves.
Logan tossed his shirt onto the floor with a damp sounding smack. Drops of water still fell from his hair, almost tempting Nico’s eyes to follow them back down. He kept his eyes fixed on the side of his face instead.
Man, he really did like this look on him… It was a lot less cold now, he realized with an even dryer swallow. He slowly crossed his legs.
Logan looked over. The orange glow heated up to a low, intense fire as his eyes traced him. His smirk grew before he opened his mouth to speak. The nerves made Nico squirm a little as he mentally prepared himself.
“Aren’t you cold?” Logan finally asked. Despite the smirk, clearly a little concerned.
Nico blinked at him. “Uhh…” he exhaled, equally disappointed and relieved. “I mean, I guess? A little…”.
Logan’s grin widened. Concern made way for mischief as he walked closer. “Want me to warm you up?” he asked, hands already pushed into the mattress at Nico’s sides.
“Uhh” Nico started in a pitch just a bit too high. “Sure” he quickly corrected. He carefully uncrossed his legs as Logan moved over him, reminding himself to breathe.
Logan made quick use of the opportunity to jut his knee between Nico’s. All disappointment and relief burned up as his nerves set themselves on fire.
Logan laughed at him. “Oh, okay. Yeah, you’re definitely warming up now…”.
Nico huffed. “Alright, you-!”
Logan slid up his knee.
A little too high… Whatever Nico was about to say turned into a noise. A shameful noise!
Logan pulled back a little and stared at him. Nico had never seen Logan blush this bright before. Nico quickly covered his mouth, clasping it with his hand.
The awe in Logan's smile turned into mischief. “No way…” he chuckled. He grabbed Nico's wrist and pulled away his hand, firmly pressing it down next to him.
Nico turned his face away, closing his eyes. He felt Logan lean in close, Nico’s now shaky hand on his chest didn't even bother to try to keep him away.
“You're not keeping that all to yourself” Logan whispered into his ear. He lightly bit down on his earlobe and tugged, immediately proving it wasn't just an empty threat.
Nico writhed against him, letting out another noise. The low chuckle in his ear was as pleasant as it wasn't… He glared at the wall, pushing hard on Logan's chest. He opened his mouth to complain about the mistreatment of prisoners when Logan cut him off.
“Still okay?” he asked softly next to Nico’s ear, nudging him with his nose.
Damn it… “Yeah…” Nico panted with a quick nod of his head.
Logan slid his hand up to Nico’s chin and tilted his face to his. He looked him over carefully. “Let me know if I go too far, yeah?”.
Nico sighed impatiently. “Yeah!”. He pulled on the back of Logan’s neck and leaned in.
Logan pulled back, staying just out of reach. The mild worry in his eyes turned devious. “I’ll do anything you want me to... All you have to do is ask…” he teased with an exaggerated husky voice.
Double damn it. Nico let his head fall back and closed his eyes in frustration. No way in Hell! He felt Logan chuckle silently again. Then he felt Logan’s grip on his wrist loosen, ready to move away. Nico quickly clung on tighter, pulling him closer. They stared each other down for a few seconds.
“Just…” Nico started quietly.
Logan smirked and gently ran his thumb over his wrist, dialing up the torture even further.
“Shut up and kiss me, you asshole!” Nico ordered through clenched teeth.
Logan obeyed. He kissed him deeply and let out a low, pleased hum. Nico didn't even bother staying bothered, just happily following along. Logan's grip on his wrist loosened further and moved up tenderly over the palm of his hand, slowly locking their fingers together. Nico responded by letting go of his neck and running his hand over his back, finally getting him to press down on him.
Above the belt. That was the rule. Nico was starting to dislike that rule. The control Logan showed over his movements whenever he came near the belt, especially the way he forced his hands back up right after, proved the rule bothered him too.
Logan never complained, of course. Nico knew he never would, either. He did keep wondering if he should work up the courage to complain himself, for both their sakes. As he wondered, so did his hands. They kept checking if the belt was still in the same place.
Logan pulled back, quickly pushing himself off of the mattress. Nico tried to hold on, but missed, grasping nothing but air.
“I’ve got to take a shower real quick” Logan explained hoarsely. “Sorry, Spooky”.
Nico blinked as he shut the door behind him. Then he slapped the mattress with both hands.
No! No way! This whole ‘being respectful’ thing was starting to get on his nerves! Did he seriously have to admit everything?! Out loud?! That was so unfair! Just because he’d almost had a panic attack every time they-?!
Yeah… Alright… Guess it was time to be brave and file an official complaint. Nico got up and quietly hurried over to the bathroom.
As expected, Logan didn’t lock the door. After all, why would he? He had no reason to suspect anything like this might happen.
“Want to save water?” Nico asked Logan’s back with an evil grin.
Logan startled. His eyes flashed over to him. Bright orange. Excited… Scared. “… You're really testing me here” he complained with a frustrated grin, both hands still on his belt, already unbuckled.
Nico cocked his head, pretending to be taken aback by the accusations against him. “What happened to you've ‘pretty much seen all of it anyway’? This is fine, right?” he asked coyly, undoing his pants.
Logan's eyes fixed on his, but not really looking. Clearly mostly trying not to look somewhere else.
“Want me to leave?” Nico offered, sincerely this time.
“Nope!” Logan replied nervously. “Definitely not” he added, only a bit more level headed. He turned the valve of the shower to up the temperature, not averting his eyes.
Nico locked the door behind him. He smirked at the dull click. Such a nice little sound… It was just them, of course, but you couldn’t be sure enough when you had roommates.
They slowly took their pants off. Then their underwear. One after the other. A fair trade.
At some point, they’d given up their staring match. Nico didn’t even remember who won. No. He did, he realized, looking where he was right now. His own very pleased look met Logan’s when they finally met eyes again.
Nico stepped closer, trying not to tremble. Logan pulled him into the shower with a firm but shaky grip, not trying nearly as hard it seemed. Nico almost fell into his embrace. Into everything. He didn’t dare to move his hands at first, just holding onto his back.
Logan was a little more brave, slipping a hand up his shoulders, to press him even closer. He left the other on the small of his back. Even with all the warm water raining down on them, Nico still managed to recognize their heat perfectly.
Nico kissed him. Logan kissed him back. Over and over again. Roughly. Deeply. The steam only made it harder to breathe. Each labored breath reminded him perfectly of the exact location of everything pressed against him.
Nico ran a hand through Logan’s hair, swiping it out of their faces before moving back in. Letting his hand linger, he ran his thumb over the studs in his ear. He shifted a little in his excitement.
Something else shifted too, against his hip.
His hands wanted to move down to investigate. He stopped them on their way. Remember… Not yet… He had to stay above the belt, for now. If Logan still managed, it would only be fair if he did too. Until Nico finally had the guts to say what he really wanted, at least. But, Man! It was hard to stay above the belt. Above the belt was great. But… He could tell there were so many interesting things happening in the still unexplored area underneath.
Logan must have noticed too, pulling away and turning around to hide it.
That wouldn’t do… Nico tutted and pressed against him. Logan’s neck, nine kisses long, he counted slowly. He slid his hands up to his chest and grabbed onto him.
“Careful…!” Logan warned, voice hoarse. He placed his hands over Nico’s.
Being careful was hard… Especially when he sounded so desperate. Not being careful was just so much more fun. Nico pressed against him a little tighter, kissing a little higher, moving his fingers a little more deliberately. Logan grabbed onto his hands and pulled them off. He quickly turned around again.
Before he could react, Nico felt his back collide with the tiles on the wall behind him, Logan’s hands next to both sides. Nico glanced up, looking right in two very agitated little flames. They looked almost as agitated as the deep red blush underneath them.
“I told you to be careful…” Logan growled. “Now, everything above the belt is going to be sorry…!”. He made sure to flash his teeth through his grin as much as possible, promising what was to come.
Nico pouted apologetically. He kept pouting apologetically as he slid down the shower wall, all the way to his knees, relishing in Logan's change of expression from awe, to terror along the way.
Logan's arms hadn’t moved, now trembling above him. Yep. It was still true. Logan only had good angles… But, this might be his very best one.
Despite Logan’s eyes growing big with fear, his excitement did too… Even bigger… Nico's eyes darted to it, then back to Logan's. He slowly moved his hands down to the sides of Logan's hips, making sure to stop right above the belt…
He felt Logan shudder against his fingers. Nico let an evil smirk spread over his lips and stuck out his tongue menacingly, realizing he'd just landed a brutal victory. Logan scowled, visibly realizing exactly the same.
Logan’s nails dragged against the tiles as he clenched his hands into tight fists above him, he let out a small but painful sounding groan through his teeth.
Nico felt a short, sharp pang of guilt. Well… Not just that… “Want me to show you how sorry I really am?” he asked heavily.
Logan's scowl disappeared instantly with a very eager nod, much happier to hear that. “Hell yeah!”.
Nico laughed quietly at the clear strain in his voice, before he went on to fulfill his promise. Not even remotely sorry. Still… That didn't mean Logan had to be either, right? Nico was cruel, but not that cruel. Besides, not having to be careful anymore really was fun. Even more fun than he'd imagined.
After a very hot, satisfying shower, Nico felt ready to face the rest of the day. He felt ready to face anything right about now. Even the Gods themselves. Eris was lucky they hadn’t found her yet, honestly.
“We definitely didn't save water…” Logan complained, not actually sounding all that bereaved about that fact. His grin hadn't faltered even for a second ever since.
Nico smirked in agreement, taking a smug sip of coffee.
“Anything in mind?” Logan asked, leaning in a bit closer over the table.
Nico pursed his lips. “You” he admitted with a sly shrug.
Logan laughed. “What? Even more?” he asked with an accusatory kick to the leg.
Nico laughed back, mostly at the dull sting in his leg. Logan always played just a little too rough… “Yeah, no, I don’t think I could handle it” he admitted more sincerely.
Logan’s smirk turned into a smile. The excited flash in his eyes didn’t dim. “Want to watch a boring old movie?”.
Nico blinked at him. Logan grabbed something off the coffee table and held it up. Dr. Caligari’s somnambulist greeted him with his usual intense, silent stare. Nico blinked faster.
“You’re into old horror movies, right?” Logan asked. “This one’s even older than Nosferatu” he added with the hint of a boast.
It sure was… Nico had never seen it himself. His mother had, with his grandmother, at its first screening in Rome. Years before he was born. A memory both had shared long after. He hadn’t thought of that in… Well, eighty years, technically.
“Where’d you even get that…?!” Nico huffed.
Logan snickered. “Times have changed, Oldtimer. You can get pretty much anything nowadays”. He winked.
Nico sighed deeply, making sure to roll his eyes. That Gosh darn scallywag. “Those ‘old’ jokes are getting kinda-”. Nevermind.
Logan crossed his arms, cocking his head expectantly.
“Lame!” Nico revised, pointing at him triumphantly.
“Nice save. Good for you” Logan handed to him, ruining Nico’s fun with his good sportsmanship.
Nico smiled in defeat. If he didn’t give up now this would turn into a real kerfuffle… “Yeah, alright. I’ll gladly watch your old movie with you” he relented. His genuine excitement almost broke through his dramatically faked excitement.
Logan’s expression dropped as soon as Nico did, onto the opposite side of the couch. He pouted, almost angry. “Are you really going to do this to me?”. His pout turned into a smirk. “After what you just did to me?”.
Nico sighed heavily to ward off his own smirk. “You sound even more desperate than you did back then…”.
Logan’s smirk turned even more mischievous. “Not just me though~! I got you back pretty good” he bragged.
Nico pursed his lips. Yep. That was hard to deny…
Logan’s smirk let go of the mischief, but not the arrogance. “C’mere”. Not exactly an order, though definitely not a plea... A threat, he clarified by slightly baring his teeth.
Nico rose to the challenge. “Can’t” he stated, slowly shaking his head. “I won’t fit next to your massive ego…”.
Logan’s arsenal got safely locked away behind another pout. Nico made his way over to claim his territory. He slid his arms around Logan’s waist and laid his head on his chest, turning to face the screen. Logan sighed happily as he sank down. Nico couldn’t suppress his smile anymore when Logan gently moved his hair out of his eyes.
Nico smiled at the imagined reactions of his mother and grandmother at the horrific story portrayed in front of him.
He felt Logan laugh quietly against him when Cesare dramatically stabbed his next victim. That fucking psycho… Nico smirked.
He sucked in his lips. Logan had no clue how cute he was. Not necessarily when he was enjoying a brutal murder… But for remembering Nico liked old horror movies. Nico should be happy about that. He knew that. But, the fact he was so bad at that type of stuff himself was making that hard…
Logan’s breathing kept slowing and deepening, Nico noticed throughout the movie. Logan kept stopping it from doing that by force, he also noticed.
“Just relax” Nico muttered when Logan tensed up again underneath him.
“Hm” Logan grumbled, shifting a bit. “Hard not to. Nothing’s happening” he added with a chuckle.
Nico snorted and dragged his cheek off of his chest to glare at him. “What? Just because nobody’s getting stabbed anymore?”.
Logan cocked his head, eyes still half closed. “Well, that doesn’t help…” he argued a little too sincerely.
Nico dropped his face back down extra heavily, mostly to hide his grin. “You’re such a savage…” he complained, muffled by the warm fabric. He turned to face the screen again. “You can’t appreciate art…”.
Logan hummed in weak, proud agreement. He followed up with a very slow and very deep sigh.
Nico kept half his attention on the movie and the other half on Logan. He knew he’d fallen asleep a while back. That meant any moment, he could-!
Logan’s fingers twitched.
Nico tightened his grip on him. I’m right here with you, he sent out, running his hands down over his back. He might be bad at anything resembling romance, but at least he could still do this for Logan.
Logan surprised him when he moved his own arms around him and curled up against him. Nico huffed quietly, not even trying to fight himself getting tied up in the mess of arms and legs.
All in all he’d probably missed about a quarter of the movie, he guessed looking at the black screen. It had been black for a while. He didn’t mind. He minded even less when Logan finally stirred.
Logan slowly rolled his shoulders. They let out some satisfied sounding pops.
“Oh, no! You missed all the ‘nothing happening’!” Nico teased, smirking to himself.
“Oh, damn!” Logan replied, without any hint of sarcasm.
Nico chuckled. “Don’t worry. You wouldn’t have appreciated any of it anyway, you connoisseur". Logan’s offended huff was like music to his ears.
Nico took a deep breath, preparing himself to get on his nerves even more. “Why did you stop playing guitar?”. It had been something lingering in the back of his mind for ages. There was never going to be a good time to ask… At least it was just them now.
He felt Logan’s breath stop for a second, then he inhaled extra slow and deep. “My stepdad got me into guitar” Logan exhaled. “It’s too painful. I think about him every time I touch it” he added quietly.
Ah… Nico had feared something like that. He carefully turned around onto his back, looking up at him.
Logan smiled down at him weakly. “It sucks. I used to love it…” he shrugged. All light in his eyes dimmed.
Nico sucked in his lips. “I hope you get to have that back…” he said carefully. “All of that’s already so shitty… Would be a shame if it cost you even more…”.
A small spark lit back up in Logan’s eyes. “Who knows? Maybe I just need a new muse~?” he teased fondly.
Nico clenched his jaw shut, it didn’t stop his cheeks from burning. Logan laughed and grabbed his hands before he could hide his face in them.