Chapter Text
The weeks flew by. The longest they’d managed to stay apart was six days. Two whole days longer than their previous record. They had taken ages to pass. Still, Nico had to try. It wasn’t healthy to depend this much on someone. He couldn’t expect Logan to save him from himself. So try he did. Try, he was doing right now. For six days already. Onto a new record, he hoped.
Nico looked down, gazing over the large copper toes of Lady Liberty. He never realized how huge her feet actually were up close…
Ha. That was kinda rude of him to think. Excusez-moi, madame. He gave her dauntingly dainty big toe an apologetic little kick. She didn’t notice, far too busy breaking the chains of slavery with her single powerful, perfectly ladylike, stomp.
His phone buzzed. His six day record started sweating nervously. It was right to do so. Nico ground his teeth as he read Logan’s messages.
[i still miss you ;) ] the first one read. [nerd] the second one added, just in case he hadn’t realized Logan was trying to flirt.
He didn’t reply. Not yet. If he did, he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t real anymore. And as long as it wasn’t real, he didn’t need to embarrass himself by coming over immediately. He snapped his phone shut and hid it away. As long as he-!
“Hey, you!” a strong Jersey accent shouted behind him. Angry and winded.
He turned around to see a heavy set man in a stern looking uniform attempting to hoist himself up the base of the statue. The stern looking cap on his head threatened to fall off. His otherwise friendly looking face was red in frustration and effort, the mustache hiding half of it curled down in a thick, bushy frown.
“Come down from there!” the man demanded, slipping down again. He jumped a few times, his hands grasping at the edge. “You can’t be there!” he wheezed between jumps. “It’s dangerous!” he clambered.
Nico sucked in his lips. He was right. This was getting dangerous. Just not for him… He walked over to the edge and gestured for the security guard to calm down. “Don’t worry, sir. I was just about to leave” he reassured.
The poor man finally stopped jumping. “You’re-!”. He wheezed angrily for a few seconds. “Coming with me!” he demanded.
Nope. That wasn’t going to happen.
Nico gave him an apologetic smile as he threw the shadows hiding in the folds of Lady Liberties gown over himself, giving the guard a last wave.
“What the…?”. The man’s whisper merged with all the others.
Nico felt sorry for the guy, but at least he’d have an interesting work story to tell. If anyone would believe him… Oops…
The darkness brought him right where he’d been trying not to go. It had been too hard to keep his mind away from there…
Nico heard Logan’s fingers rap against the old wood before he could even see them, fast and loud. Logan was still wearing his ring, he realized with a small sense of pride. And there was still no sign of a cigarette, he realized with a large proud smile.
Logan’s scowl turned into a smile of his own when Nico pulled him away from the porch fence. “Hey, how-?!”.
Nico didn’t wait for him to finish.
Logan slowly pulled himself back, dazed, but determined. “Hey” he tried again, firmly holding onto Nico’s shoulders. “How are you?” he asked with a grin.
The grip on Nico’s shoulders didn’t allow a simple shrug. He pursed his lips and tried to sort his feelings. “Still complicated” he had to conclude. “But, starting to enjoy the simple things in life” he understated with a sly little smile. “So, how are you doing?”.
Logan cocked his head. “Moving in the right direction” he shared with visible pride. “Gwen finally wore me down and got me to call the university. So they’re looking into-”.
“That’s great!” Nico accidentally blurted out.
Logan chuckled quietly. “Yeah, yeah… I should have done that way sooner”.
Nico shook his head. “Don’t do that to yourself” he pleaded. “I can’t even be mean about this. Stuff like this is insanely hard”.
Logan pursed his lips and nodded. “Yeah… Seems so? Way harder than quitting smoking at least…”. He opened the kitchen door and gestured for Nico to go in.
Nico did, stepping through. “How’s that going?” he asked hopefully.
Logan huffed through his smirk. “Not going to lie, that’s also even harder than I thought! But, it gets easier every day”. He closed the door behind him. “I mostly miss having something to do in the middle of the night”. He nudged Nico in the stomach. “When you're not there, I mean” he added with a fond smile.
Something knocked over on the dinner table with rapid tinkering. They turned to see Mark scrambling to get his laptop away from the flash flood of coffee, eyes still on them.
Nico’s hands shot up. “That's not what he-!” he gestured hysterically. “It’s about the nightmares!”. We haven’t even-! He quickly shut his mouth, hands clenched into fists, holding onto the words he’d almost let slip.
Mark forced an understanding smile. He caught the tea towel Logan threw at his face before it hit and started cleaning up the mess. Gwen walked in to assess the damage to her kitchen. Her eyes narrowed as Mark plopped the soaked tea towel on not one, but two dirty plates next to him and sat back down.
“Can’t you at least put those in the dishwasher”. She wasn’t really asking.
“Sorry, can't. I'm already late for work” Mark explained apologetically.
Gwen gave him an unimpressed look. She gestured at his makeshift office on the dinner table. “You already are at work…”.
When Gwen was the first to make a move for them, Nico quickly stole the grimy plates from the table and stuck them in the dishwasher, making sure to do so as effortlessly as possible. Gwen smushed his cheeks in appreciation, all the while glaring at Mark.
An insistent buzz on the table saved Mark from burning to death. Nico heard him introduce himself in a casual yet professional manner. He tried not to listen in on his phone call. It was hard.
“Have you tried turning it off and on again?”. Mark stayed quiet for a minute, staring straight ahead. “Good. Glad to help. Have a nice day” he said with a poker voice. He punched the phone down onto the table.
“Uh… fun job you got there?” Nico asked carefully.
Mark snickered. “Does anyone?” he countered.
“Yes!” Gwen countered back, still fiery.
“Pff! Please the people you work with are even worse!” Mark shot back.
Gwen's expression turned evil. “Sure they are, but I get to stab them with needles~!” she chimed, stabbing the air dramatically over and over. Small blue flames twinkled in her eyes.
Mark pouted in obvious jealousy.
“But stop being such a baby, you get to work from home” Gwen accused.
Mark's pout turned smug. He was seemingly about to rub it in her face when Gwen continued. “Well, my home”.
Mark's pout died, having lived a full life. He quickly gathered his laptop, various pens and raggedy balls of paper. His phone buzzed again. Nico listened to him drum up an identical introduction as he made his way out.
“Please stop crying, sir. It's just a machine” was the last thing Nico heard him say before he got so far up the stairs he went out of earshot.
He picked up on some tension next to him, he carefully moved further back, leaning against the counter to observe from a safe distance. Gwen slowly pursed her lips as Logan narrowed his eyes at her, an annoyed grin spreading on his face.
“I saw the look on your face when you walked in” he jabbed, crossing his arms. “I know you thought it was me”.
“Ha!” Gwen huffed, quickly swiping the empty coffee cup off the table to get rid of the evidence. “Pff!” she added, avoiding their eyes on the way to the dishwasher. She took as long as possible to put it neatly next to the other cups, even making sure to tuck the handle away behind theone next to it. She turned around with a guilty pout “Logan has broken almost all my dishes at this point…” she complained quietly to Nico. An obstinate blue flicker went through her eyes.
The annoyance in Logan’s grin turned downright offended. “What do you expect?! Your cabinets are basically boobietraps! You keep just shoving everything in there in a big pile. Of course it's going to fall out when I open the door!”.
Gwen looked easily as offended in turn. “That's not me! That's Mark!”.
Logan stuck out his hands. “Then what are you yelling at me for?!” he asked loudly.
Gwen opened her mouth. Then she closed it. She strutted out the door and up the stairs. “Mark!” they heard her yell.
“Snitch” Nico accused, leaning his lower back against the counter.
“Hey, that was self defense” Logan replied. “I love him, but I'm not taking the fall for him. Not when Gwen's the one dealing out the punishment at least…”. He pushed himself between Nico’s legs and reached down. He grabbed him by his upper legs and hoisted him up on the counter, leaning in close.
A glass shattered on the floor. They stared at the shards.
After helping Logan bury the remains of the broken glass in the trash can outside, they tried to act natural.
Logan’s eyes flashed mischievously as Gwen walked into the living room. Nico almost thought he was going to admit their crime, when Logan slid something over the coffee table to him. “Gwen's got great taste. Look, this is one of my favourites. Her lucky can of pennies” he said suspiciously calmly.
Nico looked. Then looked closer. “Is that supposed to say ‘pennies’, because it really… Doesn't”.
Logan smirked. “Yep! She wrote that when she was a toddler. Her best work, if you ask me”.
They admired it for a bit.
Gwen stomped over and snatched it. The pennies rattled in surprise. “Really, Logan? The penis can again?!”. She shot Nico a disappointed pout. “I expected better from you…”.
Nico tried to suppress a grin as she strode off with a huff.
“You're the one who put it here for everyone to see!” Logan shouted after her.
Nico should have probably figured the best way for Logan to avoid suspicion was to immediately try to get under Gwen’s skin.
Valentina had only come by to bring back a book she'd borrowed, assuring everyone she would be right on her way. Gwen had been right in the middle of cooking, assuring her she had made enough for her to join. Valentina had insisted that wasn’t necessary. Gwen had insisted it was.
As Nico had learned ages ago by now, politeness didn’t stand a chance when it came to the children of Ares. As such, he and Valentina had politely been glancing at each other over the entire meal, making sure to look away every time their eyes met.
Gwen had been much less subtle, staring at Logan with two growing blue fires. She pushed her empty plate aside as soon as he took his last bite and leaned closer to him on her elbows. “Have you heard anything from that guy yet?” she asked carefully.
“I told you… I'll let you know as soon as I do” Logan almost huffed. He turned to Nico. “She can't wait for me to move out” he said with a mean smile.
Gwen didn't look even slightly amused. She got up with a dissatisfied groan and hugged him from behind, putting her chin on his head. “Don't joke about that. I'm going to miss you when you go back, but I just want you to get better…”.
Logan sank further down into his chair. “I know… Sorry…” he muttered as he patted her on the arm. He slipped out of her grasp, got up and sauntered out the door.
Valentina almost froze as he moved past her. She shot up to look at the still open door behind her, then back at Gwen and Nico, not sure what to do. Gwen smiled apologetically as Nico got up. She blinked a few times, the fire in her eyes seemed to die a little each time.
He held up his hands when she opened her mouth. “Don’t worry” he reassured calmly. “I know he hates it, but you are helping”. He smiled and nodded to the door. “My turn, alright?”.
She nodded gratefully.
Valentina quickly made room for him to pass. Nico watched her put a hand on Gwen’s shoulder as he closed the door behind him. Both their polite smiles slowly squeezed between the crack before the door latched.
He watched Logan reach for his pocket. His hand stopped to remember and quickly moved to the fence, rapping on the wood instead.
“You alright?” Nico asked, already knowing the answer.
Logan still needed to think about it. His hand stopped. “Nah…” he concluded with a faint smile. He glanced over. “I keep being such a dick to everyone”. His faint smile dimmed even further. “I don’t even mean to… I thought I was getting better”.
Ah… Nico sighed. “You are…!”. He moved closer and nudged their shoulders together, not pulling away. “Things like this don’t move in a straight line right? You can get better and still get to be a dick sometimes”.
Nico grinned at Logan’s genuine smile. He grinned a little wider. “In your case… Probably all the time, actually” he jabbed, leaning in closer.
“Lucky me. You like dicks” Logan retorted with a wink, leaning in too.
Nico gasped, genuinely. “You-!” he started, quickly pulling away. “No!” he added angrily. “Don't say things like that with Gwen right there!”. He gave him a little shove, trying not to laugh.
Logan got in his face, pretending to square off with him. “Oh? Are we going to get physical?” he threatened suggestively.
Nico tried to match his energy, standing up extra straight. He wasn’t going to let him get to him twice. “Try me” he taunted.
Logan leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Careful, or I'll hurt you real good”.
Nico's eyes widened, his breath suddenly stuck in his throat. Logan closed the distance and bit him on his neck, almost hard enough to be uncomfortable, sending a shiver down Nico's body. Logan’s arms slipped around him. Without a warning, he tightened his grip and locked Nico in a bear hug as he went for a hickey.
No way! That sadistic traitor. “Fuck off!” Nico yelled, desperately struggling to break free. He managed to push him off, but not before the damage was done. “You ass!” he laughed, wiping at his neck.
“Your own fault. That was way too easy. You should never leave yourself open like that in a fight!”. Logan sighed pitifully, shaking his head. “You didn't learn a thing…”. He held the door open for him.
Nico shook his head. “Gotta dry up first…” he grumbled, using his collar to wipe better.
Logan shrugged and walked inside, a pleased grin on his face.
Nico gazed along the treeline across Gwen’s backyard. The unmistakable sound of a woodpecker hammered through the otherwise peaceful scenery. Its daring red quiff gave it away when it hopped around the bark in search of wriggly treasure. Nico’s fresh bruise ached in solidarity as he watched the bird passionately peck the tree’s long neck.
When he finally decided to go back inside, he noticed Valentina waiting for him at the door. Nico stopped and looked at her, some quiet nerves burled up inside him.
“Hi! You're Nick, right?” she asked, her tone and smile careful.
Nico smiled awkwardly. “Well, Nico, but yeah”.
Valentina pushed herself out of the doorframe. The dimples in her cheeks turned less careful, more genuine. She sighed, staring up at the sky. Nico watched her for a moment as they both seemed to prepare for what she had to say.
Valentina finally looked back at him and took a deep breath. “Isn't he just the best kisser?” she asked dreamily.
That was it, Nico was done here. He knew Logan had a reputation, Logan wasn't entirely his first either. But that didn't mean he needed to be reminded of Logan's former conquests. Let alone by his former conquests themselves. Especially not so fondly.
“So… Gentle” she added, seemingly a little puzzled.
Nico had to hide a snort with a fake cough. He instantly remembered their first kiss, how Logan had practically beat him up with his mouth. They had gripped and pulled at each other so hard, he was surprised he didn't have bruises.
Valentina looked at him expectantly.
“Oh!...Totally!” Nico quickly lied, trying to keep a straight face. This poor girl, she has no idea.
She looked at him with an unreadable smile. “So… You're his boyfriend… right?”.
Nico blinked. Was he? He hadn't really thought about that. “Uhh…” he exhaled.
Valentina waved with both hands. “Oh no, don't worry! I just wanted to say, good for you. Both of you. That's all”. She beamed a perfect, sincere smile at him and tip-toed back into the kitchen.
What the hell. He stared at where she'd stood just a second ago.
Lost in thought he made his way inside. Well, lost in mild panic. Was it possible he’d misunderstood what was going on? Just like she had before? They’d kissed… And a little more… But, Logan had done so plenty before, with plenty of people… What did any of this mean? Was Nico even more stupid than he’d realized before? It couldn’t be, right? But, neither of them had actually given whatever this was a name.
He closed the door to Logan's room behind him, finding him tuning a guitar. “What's going on between us?” he asked the top of Logan's head.
Logan looked up, visibly uneasy. They stared at each other for a second or two. “Oh Gods… Am I in trouble?” Logan asked with a nervous laugh.
Nico clicked his tongue. “No. I mean… What are we doing? What are we?” he asked, trying to stay levelheaded. He wasn't going to let Logan off with a joke. Not this time. Now that Valentina got in his head, he just couldn't let it go. She probably didn't even know what she'd set off.
Logan propped the guitar against the bed and got up. “Well… what do you want us to be?” he asked in return.
Nico looked into his eyes. They seemed sincere. A little amused, but soft. He felt his face heat up. He scowled and turned away.
Logan snorted. “You want me to say it? I don't mind”.
Nico shook his head. “Forget it” he huffed. Jerk.
Logan put his hand to Nico's chin and turned him to face him. He looked into his eyes, stroking his cheek with his thumb carefully. “Why are you making this so hard for yourself all of a sudden? Did I do something?” he asked, seemingly genuinely worried.
Nico shook his head. “It's fine!” he said desperately. Gods! Make him stop. Please. He avoided Logan's eyes. Why did he do this to himself? He cursed Valentina.
“You know I'm crazy about you right? Before you asked me this… I kinda assumed we were together” Logan muttered. “But if that's not what you want…? We don't have to be. Is that it?”.
Nico could feel the mood shift to downright painfully tense when he asked it. Valentina, you are so dead. He shook his head fast. “No! I do! I just…! I'm sorry!” he stammered. “I ran into Valentina… she asked me if I was your-”. Nico couldn't finish.
“Ah…”. He saw a grin spread on Logan's face. “Are you?” he asked.
Nico couldn't think straight. His heart was beating uncomfortably fast, his chest felt tight. There was a faint tingle in his left arm… Focus! He looked at the floor. Then the ceiling. Neither had the answers. “Am I…?” he asked desperately.
Logan finally relented. He put his arms around Nico's neck and pulled him closer. “I hope so” he said tenderly.
Nico melted. Just like that, everything made sense again. He was such an idiot. The tension evaporated. “Then I am…” he concluded quietly. He dropped his face into Logan's shoulder to hide the shameful, hot relief that washed over it.
Logan rested his cheek on the back of his head.
Nico took a deep breath.
“I love you” he exhaled in a whisper.
He felt Logan's breath pause. His own did too as soon as he realized what just happened.
Fuck! He'd said it. He couldn’t believe he'd actually said it. He was never supposed to say it. There was no way back. He instantly remembered back when-!
“I love you too”. He felt the vibrations of Logan's voice through his shoulder as he said it.
Nico lifted his face and stared at Logan in disbelief. No way. Nico felt his entire body heat up. Their eyes met, Logan's glowed warm and inviting.
Nico leaned in and kissed him. He could still taste the words on his lips. Holding him tight, he moved down and kissed his neck. Yes. He could taste them all over him. But tasting them wasn't enough, he needed to feel them. It was impossible to hold back any longer. He shoved him down onto the bed.