alcuin | Nyx

Nyx

Alcuin and Hannibal's recent reconciliation somehow had Alcuin feeling more off balance than relieved. Between his lingering intuition that Hannibal was lying to him, his concerns that the other man was trying to control him, and knowledge of Aaron's feelings about him... And yet, tangled up in all of that was the intense love he felt for him. It was confusing.

He might not work at the brothel anymore, but now that he wasn't actively avoiding Hannibal, he'd gone back to his habit of reading in the drawing room. Even if it wasn't his task to spy on the patrons, he did still find it interesting to observe the comings and goings.

... and when a rock star walked in, that was certainly an interesting coming.

He carefully closed his book and got to his feet. Walked over to him.

He smiled. "Hello," he said. "Are you looking for someone in particular?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nyx was headed to the counter, but slowed to a stop when the young man approached him.

"I'm just here to see Hannibal," he said with a smile, easily turning on the charm for the stranger.

There was a flicker of surprise across Alcuin's expression, but then he schooled it into a pleasant smile.

Well. Mystery fae revealed, it seemed. Not what Alcuin had been expecting.

"I heard from him not long ago," he said. "And I read between the lines he's tied up with something. So if you had an... appointment, he may be a bit late."

"That's alright, I can wait. I'm Nyx, by the way," he added, offering his hand.

Alcuin took his hand and shook it. "I confess, I recognized you," he admitted. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Alcuin."

Oh- Well, this was not ideal.

"Lovely to meet you too, Alcuin," Nyx said, keeping the smile in place. "You work here?" he asked, even though he sort of knew the answer.

"I help out," Alcuin said. "Bookkeeping, that sort of thing." That was true enough, and he certainly wasn't going to explain the whole truth.

"I've met your brother, actually," he said.

"Ah, I don't imagine you met him here though- And I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention you'd seen me here, should you see him again," Nyx said.

Alcuin only brought it up to make conversation and change the subject, but it was interesting how Nyx immediately jumped to that. Though Alcuin could imagine well enough why the fae wouldn't be keen for anyone to know he was hanging around vampires.

This interaction would be so much easier if Nyx were human and Alcuin could hear his thoughts.

"Of course not," he said gently. "Though it's not like we're friends or anything, I only met him once. He was... helpful, actually. I was in the early days of looking into my ah, heritage. He was able to confirm some things for me."

"Oh?" Nyx asked, curious to know how deep into this Rain had gone. "What did you need confirming?"

"Oh, he worked out I was part fae," Alcuin said. "Before that, someone else had suggested the same thing, and so I started... looking into it."

Nyx gave the air a curious sniff, as though to confirm that for himself.

"I see," he replied.

Rain had mentioned that Nyx's nose was more sensitive than his own.

Hannibal hadn't mentioned it, he supposed. Though as soon as he had the thought, he wondered why he thought Hannibal would have mentioned him at all.

"It was quite a surprise to find out," said Alcuin.

And he still thought that Hannibal must have known all along. He wondered if Nyx would find that odd, too.

"I suppose it would be, though it seems..."

Nyx nearly said 'unimportant', but he knew that could sound rude, and that wasn't how he meant it.

"...Your DNA shouldn't have that much impact on your life, should it? Do you have magic? Some with fae blood do, some don't. Some have their blood manifest other ways- Maybe not prone to illness, or an amplified ability. Maybe they have the sight, for example. ...Do you know how much fae is in you? Is it half, or are you a bit deeper down the line?"

"I can read humans' thoughts," Alcuin confessed. And he didn't know the answer to Nyx's other question, but perhaps that information could lead to an educated guess.

Nyx considered him for a moment, then leaned in close, pushing Alcuin's hair back to sniff his neck near the pulse point.

"Not half, I don't think. A grandparent, maybe. Likely on your mother's side. It's nymph blood, certainly. Female nymphs are far more common than male."

Nyx's magic flowed a little as he took in the scent. He couldn't help it, magic had a tendency to seek magic after all. It slowed and then retreated as he drew away.

"Mind reading is a rare talent. You want to be mindful of who you tell. You're probably worth a small fortune in some markets."

A rich warning coming from a fae prince who'd decided to become a rock star. It was advice he ought to take more seriously himself.

The touch of Nyx's magic along with his breath on Alcuin's neck, Alcuin felt it quite strongly. His eyelids fluttered shut and his inhaled.

Then he opened them again, a little dazed, when Nyx pulled away. "Oh, I... yes, you're probably right." It was good advice. And Alcuin certainly wasn't going to mention that he was interviewing for a job at WSS.

"Useful though, if you wanted to do more than the books here," Nyx added thoughtfully.

He hesitated a moment, then wet his lips with a flick of his lips.

"I understand you're Hannibal's... Partner?" he said after a beat. "He's mentioned you before," he admitted. "Just by name."

Surprise flickered across Alcuin's face. Hannibal had mentioned him to someone he was sleeping with? What on earth had he said? And were he and Nyx closer than Alcuin thought?

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I am. Sorry I didn't mention that, I thought it might be... awkward."

"Not awkward, I have a partner as well. Two, actually. Though I was given the impression you weren't a fan of me coming around... If you're worried about my intentions, it's not that. It's just pleasure," Nyx assured him. "Though I do consider Hannibal a friend. ...I couldn't tell you if he really considers me one in return- He can be a bit hard to read in that regard."

He was itching for a cigarette, and his fingers twitched near his pocket.

"He told you I was jealous?" Alcuin asked, frowning a little. But then he let that drop and added, "It's fine. We aren't... exclusive, clearly. Though I mostly just fucked the people Hannibal told me to."

And that just slipped out, honestly, because he was a little annoyed.

Nyx raised a brow at that.

"Oh," he replied awkwardly.

"Sorry, I... shouldn't have put it like that," Alcuin said quickly. Even though it was true.

"In any case, I'm ah... not jealous. If I expressed discomfort I suspect it related to my own journey." Pause. "I could feel it, in his bedroom. The lingering magic."

"It just comes out when I'm being intimate. Or when I'm high," Nyx said. "Good to know there's no hard feelings though, I'm not looking for a love triangle- My own life is messy enough."

Alcuin was already in one, or maybe it was even more complicated than a triangle, though he certainly didn't say that.

"You have two partners?" he said instead. "Like a thrupple?"

"More like two separate and different relationships. Though we are living under one roof at the moment," Nyx admitted. "Everyone is friendly though."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject