Chapter Text
Niko pov
“Twice in the same week is a bit much, don’t you think?” Killian’s voice cut through the room, and he sounded exactly as annoyed as he looked.
Which, to be fair, was very annoyed.
At the moment, we were all gathered at the Heathens Mansion for what was apparently supposed to be a drinking night. Or a bonding night. Or whatever the hell Vaughn had decided to call it in his head.
Surprisingly, the whole thing had been his idea. And honestly, it wasn’t hard to figure out why.
Vaughn was trying to make sure everyone got used to the fact that he and Yulian were together.
Personally, I couldn’t care less where Vaughn put his dick or whose dick was put in him. Even if that person happened to be Yulian.
As long as nobody expected me to sit through some emotional presentation about it, I was perfectly fine.
The other reason I was here was because my lotus flower had abandoned me for the entire day. Bran is in London with Mia to hunt down some video game my sister apparently desperately wanted, which meant I’d spent the entire day without him.
A tragedy.
A genuine fucking tragedy.
So when Vaughn suggested an evening at the mansion, I figured it was better than staring at my phone waiting for Bran to come back. At least this way my boyfriend could come here directly once he returned.
Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t checking my phone every fifteen minutes.
Not that anyone needed to know that.
Currently occupying the living room were me, Vaughn, Yulian, Gareth, Kayden, Killian, and Jeremy.
And judging by their expressions, Kill and Jeremy would rather be literally anywhere else.
Unfortunately for them, Glyn and Cecy had some girls pajama party planned, so neither of them had been rescued by their girlfriends.
“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Kill,” Gareth said while slouching deeper into the couch. “But seriously. We saw each other three days ago when Vaughn dropped the bombshell to you that he and Yulian are together. Why exactly are we all here again?”
“I have to admit,” Jeremy added dryly, “I share the same sentiment.”
“Come on, guys,” I said, completely relaxed in comparison. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?”
The looks I received could have killed a lesser man.
“You’re talking?” Gareth and Jeremy asked simultaneously.
I put a hand over my chest. Deeply offended. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Gareth pointed at me. “You have an existential crisis if you spend too long away from your precious ‘lotus flower,’ and you’re calling us dramatic?”
“Well,” I said arrogantly, “I miss Bran and I prefer having him next to me. That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of spending time with you people, cousin.”
“It annoys me,” Gareth muttered. “I could’ve been doing something productive. Like studying while Kayden would give me a..”
"Gareth." Kayden’s warning voice immediately cut him off.
I grinned. “Oh, boo fucking hoo, cousin. You can survive a few hours without your boyfriend’s cock.”
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Love you too cousin.”
Gareth looked one second away from throwing something at my head. Honestly, I was proud of myself.
“Still,” Jeremy interrupted before an actual fight could start, “why are we here? Gareth has a point. We saw each other three days ago. There’s no emergency.”
Vaughn sighed dramatically. “Because three days ago everyone was tense.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Kill muttered.
“You were all shocked,” Vaughn continued. “Kayden wasn’t there. Gareth had disappeared with Cyrus to wherever the hell Gareth disappears. The dinner afterward was awkward because nobody knew how to act. And with the exception of Niko and maybe Bran, none of you were particularly welcoming toward Yulian.”
Yulian immediately shook his head. “It’s fine, mishka. I don’t..”
“It’s not fine,” Vaughn interrupted. The tone alone was enough to shut everyone up.
Including Yulian.
Vaughn crossed his arms. “So yes. I would appreciate it if everyone could try being civilized.”
“Civilized?” Gareth repeated.
“Civilized?” Kill echoed.
The horror on both their faces was almost identical.
“For your information,” Gareth announced, sitting up straighter, “I am the most civilized and pleasant person in this room.”
“Easy there, brother,” Kill said immediately. “Your ego is showing.”
Yulian leaned slightly toward me. “Do they usually argue this much?”
“Most of the time, yeah.”
“Wonderful.”
“Now we have two chaotic idiots,” Gareth announced suddenly, “who together might be able to form one complete brain cell.”
“Gareth.” Both Vaughn and Kayden spoke at the same time. The synchronized disappointment was impressive.
“Stop insulting Yulian,” Vaughn said.
“And stop acting like a brat,” Kayden added while looking directly at Gareth.
Kill visibly shuddered. “No. No. Absolutely fucking not. Somebody remove those two from the room. It’s already enough that I accidentally witnessed our grandfather Kayden here fucking my brother. I do not need confirmation that my brother is a brat.”
I nearly choked laughing. “Come on, cousin,” I said. “Gareth radiates brat energy from miles away.”
“That is not true.”
“It absolutely is.” This time nearly everyone agreed.
Even Jeremy nodded.
Yulian looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.
“Okay,” Jeremy interrupted. “Can we move on? I do not want to know whether Gareth is a brat. I do not want details. I do not want context. I want peace.”
“Then give us something else to discuss,” Kill said. “Especially since certain people in this room are deeply suspicious.”
“Killian,” Vaughn warned.
“Relax. I’m not talking about your boyfriend. Although the two of you are still a bizarre combination. I’m talking about the grandfather sitting over there.”
He pointed at Kayden. With genuine disgust.
“I seriously don’t understand how I ended up with the worst brothers-in-law imaginable.”
“Hello?” Gareth immediately snapped. “Do not compare Kayden to Landon.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. My mistake.” Kill nodded thoughtfully. “You’re correct. Landon at least has a personality. A terrible one, but it exists. Your boyfriend is just old.”
“First of all,” Gareth said through clenched teeth, “Kayden is thirty-three.”
“Ancient.”
“Second of all, how exactly are you comparing him to Landon?”
“I could compare him to a splinter and the splinter would still be more interesting.”
“You fucking asshole.”
“You love me.”
“You are literally the reason I have high blood pressure.”
“Only one of the reasons.”
“If I knew tonight would go like this,” Gareth grumbled, sinking back against Kayden, “I would’ve stayed with Jethro and spent the evening making fun of him and his pathetic obsession with someone.”
“Who the fuck is Jethro?” Vaughn and Kill asked at the same time.
“My best friend,” Kayden answered. “And probably Cyrus’s boyfriend. Or future boyfriend. Or whatever they are.”
“When the hell did that happen?” Vaughn asked
.
“No idea,” Yulian admitted.
“Ha!” I pointed triumphantly. “I told you Cyrus was queer.”
The room immediately went quiet. A mistake. A terrible mistake. Because suddenly everybody was looking at me.
Including Gareth.
Including Yulian.
“Wait,” Gareth said slowly.
"Niko and his gaydar suspected Cyrus was queer back at that camp,” Vaughn supplied helpfully.
“Why would you care if Cyrus was queer?” Gareth asked. And at that exact moment, I realized I should have kept my mouth shut.
“Should I remind you,” I said quickly, staring at Vaughn, “that I was the only one who was nice to Yulian when you introduced him three days ago?”
“Should I remind you,” Vaughn replied immediately, “"that you were convinced I had a crush on Yulian back then and you exposed this information three days ago out loud?"
“That was beneficial information.”
“For me, yes.”
“Exactly.”
“And if I share my information,” Vaughn continued with a smile, “it won’t be beneficial for you.”
I pointed at him.
Traitor.
“I definitely do not need Bran getting annoyed with me.”
“Okay,” Gareth interrupted. “Can someone explain what the hell is happening?”
“Nothing,” I said immediately.
“Niko had a small admiration for Cyrus,” Vaughn said at the exact same time.
Silence
“What?” Everyone sounded equally shocked. Except Vaughn. And my bro Jeremy.
Jeremy just looked tired.
“I was fifteen,” I defended myself. “I was curious. I would’ve fucked basically anyone.”
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Kill said with a wicked grin.
I pointed at him. “Nobody asked for your opinion, Satan Heir.”
“You’re scared.”
“I am not scared.”
“You’re terrified.”
“I will drown you.”
“See? Fear.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
“Unfortunately.”
Kill looked delighted.
“Wait,” Gareth said. “You had a crush?”
“It wasn’t a crush.”
“It was absolutely a crush.”
“It was a FIVE MINUTES curiosity.”
“Niko had a crush,” Gareth sang.
“Gareth.” I'm already getting annoyed "Kayden, control your boyfriend."
“No,” Kayden said. “This is entertaining.”
The entire room was full of traitors.
“Nobody even knows how to use this information,” I grumbled.
“Actually,” Kill said thoughtfully, “I’m disappointed. Brandon doesn’t strike me as the jealous type.”
I stared at him. Kill stared back.
“Oh, come on, cousin. Don’t tell me Bran would actually be jealous over something like that.”
I considered it. Then sighed.
“Well. Considering I nearly planned a murder in front of Astrid and Levi after finding out Bran had a childhood adimiration when he was five years old, he’d probably call me a hypocrite.”
The room exploded.
“YOU WHAT?” Gareth barked
Jeremy rubbed his temples. Kill nearly fell off the couch laughing.
“Wait,” Kill wheezed. “You planned a murder in front of Levi King and somehow that man still likes you?”
“Obviously.” I leaned back smugly. “I’m superior and incredibly charming.”
“Neither of those things are true.”
“Shut up, Jeremy.”
“And no,” I continued. “I wouldn’t exactly say Bran isn’t jealous. We literally ended up in a secret relationship because he was jealous and possessive and refused to admit it.”
Kill immediately sat up. “Oh.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No.”
“Oh.”
“No.” I growled.
“That is extremely useful information.”
“If you do anything,” I growled, “I swear I’ll make you suffer.”
“Worth it.”
“I hate this family.”
Jeremy sighed heavily. “I’m going to have gray hair before thirty.”
“Don’t be boring,” Gareth said. “This is finally interesting.”
“Wonderful,” Jeremy deadpanned. “Since I’m apparently trapped here anyway, I want answers.” He turned toward Vaughn. “How exactly did the two of you end up together considering Yulian slept with your girlfriend?”
The room instantly went silent again. Even Kill stopped smiling. And judging by the expression on Vaughn’s face, Jeremy had just opened a very interesting conversation.
“Since when are you the curious one?” Vaughn asked, looking genuinely confused as he stared at Jeremy.
Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest. “Since Niko and I almost died because of the Serpents,” he replied flatly. “The same club your boyfriend happened to be leading until recently.”
The atmosphere shifted immediately. Not enough to make things truly uncomfortable, but enough that everyone became more attentive.
Vaughn rubbed the back of his neck. “That was complicated.”
“Complicated?” Jeremy repeated. His voice remained calm, but that somehow made it worse. “Anni and I could have died in that fire caused by the Serpents.”
“I thought that was Landon's plan,” Vaughn argued. “After Cecy gave him information.”
“Just because that fucker provided the information doesn't mean Yulian and his club had to set our mansion on fire.”
“He has a point,” Kill said immediately.
“Correct,” Gareth agreed.
For once this evening, the brothers were united.
A terrifying sight. Then Jeremy looked directly at me.
I blinked.b“What?”
“You don't have anything to say?”
I frowned. “About what?”
Jeremy stared at me like I'd personally offended him. “You're usually the first one to threaten people. The first one to start fights. The first one to lose your mind. Yet somehow you're quiet now?”
“Well” I shrugged. Everybody waited. “To be fair, everyone survived.”
Jeremy looked horrified.
I continued anyway. “We saved you in time. Everything worked out.”
Jeremy's eye twitched. "Nikolai.”
“Sorry, Jer, but because of that fire I got an extremely worried Bran. And that same night we started our Agatha Christie tradition. So technically speaking, something good came out of it.”
I raised both hands peacefully. Jeremy stared at me in complete disbelief.
“Unbelievable.” says Jeremy
“Come on Jer.”
“We nearly burned alive.”
“Still remember.”
“And your conclusion is that it led to movie nights with your boyfriend?”
“Series nights,” I corrected.
Jeremy groaned. “Why am I friends with you?”
“Because I'm your best bro and charming.”
“No.”
“Handsome?”
“No.”
“Funny?”
“Definitely not.”
I looked offended. “You're being very negative today.”
Jeremy ignored me completely. Then he turned back toward Vaughn and Yulian.
“What happened happened. Fine. But I still want to understand how the hell the two of you ended up together.”
“The support you were giving us disappeared pretty fast,” Vaughn muttered to me.
“It evaporated when you started talking earlier,” I answered immediately.
“That tracks,” Kill nodded.
“Fair.”
“It happened while we were rivals,” Yulian said casually.
That earned everybody's attention. Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “Oh really?”
Yulian nodded.
“And during that time you're telling me there was absolutely nothing between you two?”
Well. That was an excellent question. Because judging by the way both Vaughn and Yulian suddenly became interested in the furniture, the answer was obviously complicated.
“Oh, this is getting better,” Gareth announced.
“Much better,” Kill agreed.
Even Kayden looked interested now. Which was honestly impressive.
“Well,” Yulian said eventually, “when Landon King handed us that information, it would've looked suspicious if I refused to use it.”
That answer visibly annoyed Jeremy. “Seriously?”
“It makes sense.”
“No, it doesn't."
Yulian raised an eyebrow. Jeremy leaned forward.
“Niko and Kill spent weeks refusing to retaliate against Landon despite having every reason to do so.”
“Niko was literally hiding a secret relationship and still held back. Kill held back. We all refrained from burning down the Elites mansion, even if we could have, because not everyone there deserved to be hurt."
“Actually that's because prison sounds unpleasant,” Kill offered.
Jeremy ignored him. Again.
“Do you want an apology?” Yulian finally asked.
“No,” Vaughn said immediately.
“Yes,” Jeremy said at exactly the same time.
The room went quiet. Vaughn looked exasperated. “Jeremy.”
“No. No not Jeremy. My sister almost died. I almost died. So yes, I think an apology isn't exactly unreasonable.”
For the first time all evening, Yulian actually looked serious. “Wouldn't you have done the same?”
“No.”
The answer came instantly. Jeremy didn't even hesitate. “No, I wouldn't.”
The certainty in his voice made everyone pause.
“As I said if I wanted revenge, there were dozens of ways to get it. Burning down a house means innocent people suffer too.”
Yulian looked at him for a moment. Then sighed. “Fine.”
Vaughn immediately shook his head. “You don't need to do this.”
“Apparently I do.” Yulian leaned back. “I'm sorry your mansion got burned down and that you almost died.” He paused. “Happy now?”
“That might be the worst apology I've ever heard,” Kill muttered.
“Agreed,” Gareth said.
“Absolutely terrible,” I added.
“Thank you for the feedback,” Yulian deadpanned.
“Can we please move on now?” Vaughn asked.
There was actual desperation in his voice.
Jeremy sighed. “Fine.”
Everybody visibly relaxed. Then Jeremy ruined it. “So explain your relationship.”
Vaughn dropped his head back against the couch. “Jeremy.”
“I'm invested now.” says Gareth, who seems more interested in seeing the chaos than the story
“Of course you are,” Kill muttered.
Jeremy pointed at Yulian. “You slept with his girlfriend.
Then he pointed at Vaughn. “And now you're dating him.”
“It's not that complicated,” Yulian said.
“It sounds pretty complicated.”
Yulian shrugged. “We liked each other from the moment we met at camp.”
I immediately groaned. “Oh God. Here comes the romance.”
“Shut up.”
“No.”
Yulian ignored me. “We were two idiots who couldn't communicate.”
“Accurate,” Vaughn admitted.
“I thought Vaughn abandoned me in a cave after I took a bullet for him.” The room immediately went silent. Even Gareth stopped moving.
“Wait,” Kill said.
“You took a bullet?”
“Long story.”
“You got shot?”
“Still a long story.”
“That's significantly more interesting than the relationship.”
Yulian rolled his eyes. “As I was saying, I thought he'd abandoned me. After I recovered, I ran away from home and went to New York because I wanted answers.”
He glanced at Vaughn. “Instead I found him kissing Danika.”
“Ouch,” Gareth muttered.
“Then I found out my sister had been in an accident.” The amusement disappeared completely. “And at the same time I also found out that my mother died."
Nobody joked after that. Not even Kill. Yulian's voice remained calm, but the room felt heavier.
Vaughn's hand found his thigh immediately. “Yulian.”
“It's okay.”
Yulian gave him a small smile. “I was angry. Bitter. Hurt.” His expression darkened slightly. “So I decided I'd get revenge.”
“Healthy,” Kayden muttered.
“Extremely.” Gareth also grumble
“My plan was simple. Sleep with Danika. Record it. Send it to Vaughn.”
The room collectively stared.
“That's psychotic,” Gareth said.
“Creative,” Kill corrected.
“Psychotic.”
“Creative.”
“Both,” I offered.
“Apparently,” Yulian continued, “my revenge would've worked better if Vaughn actually cared about Danika.”
Vaughn snorted. “Never did.”
“Which was deeply disappointing.”
“I can imagine.”
“Then the initiation happened.” Yulian immediately grimaced. “By the way, those rabbit masks were hideous.”
I laughed.
Jeremy looked at me. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because Bran spent twenty minutes insulting those masks too.”
Yulian shook his head. "Something happened between me and mishka during the initiation. After that we kept gravitating towards each other."
He paused. “I don't think anybody needs details about who fucked who first.”
The sarcasm was obvious. Jeremy looked unimpressed. “Drop the sarcasm. It doesn't suit you.”
“Rude.”
Jeremy turned toward Vaughn. “When you told me about all this, your version sounded very different.”
“It was different back then,” Vaughn admitted. “I didn't understand what I was feeling.”
Jeremy looked unconvinced. “And you don't think any of this is weird?”
“Well,” Yulian answered before Vaughn could, “it brought us together.”
Jeremy looked exhausted. Truly exhausted. The kind of exhausted that comes from dealing with idiots for too many years.
“So you'd call that method necessary?”
“Absolutely.”
Jeremy rubbed his forehead. I decided to help. Or attempt to help.
“Come on, Jer. It's ancient history. Besides, sometimes insane methods work, being very effective”
Jeremy immediately looked at me. “Excuse me?”
Uh oh. “How exactly can you say it's effective?”
“You didn't sleep with your future boyfriend's girlfriend, so how can you say this thing is effective?"
I remained silent. A terrible decision. Because everyone knew I never stayed silent.
Ever.
The room slowly turned toward me. Jeremy's eyes widened.
Kill sat up.
Gareth blinked.
Vaughn immediately looked interested.
“Oh no,” Kill whispered excitedly.
“Oh yes,” Gareth whispered back.
Jeremy pointed at me. “Nikolai.”
I smiled nervously.
“Nikolai.”
“It's not what it sounds like.”
“That's exactly what somebody says when it's what it sounds like.”
Suddenly, six pairs of eyes were staring at me.
And for the first time all evening, I had a feeling I was about to become the main source of entertainment.
Fuck.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Nikolai, please don't tell me you slept with Brandon's girlfriend," Jeremy said, already sounding exhausted by the mere possibility.
A grin immediately spread across Yulian's face. "Oh, wait. This is getting interesting."
"Extremely interesting," Kill and Gareth said at the exact same time.
I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away for a second. "Well, technically I didn't sleep with Bran's girlfriend," I muttered.
The room immediately fell silent. "But I was about two minutes away from doing it."
That got everyone's attention.
"Nikolai." Jeremy's voice came out somewhere between a growl and a warning. "How exactly were you two minutes away from sleeping with Brandon King's girlfriend?"
I smiled. "Remember when we went to that lacrosse game?"
Gareth immediately looked amused. "You went to a lacrosse game?"
"Don't remind me," Jeremy muttered. "I almost punched several Karens that day."
"Anyway," I continued, "after the game I snuck into the REU locker rooms where Bran was busy dealing with that bitch Clara, who had her claws all over him."
"Damn," Kill interrupted with a smirk. "You and Yulian really have something against your boyfriends' ex-girlfriends."
I ignored him. "As I was saying, after Clara left, Bran and I had a rather intense moment together. There was kissing. A lot of kissing. Some hickeys. Me reminding him that he should dump the bimbo permanently."
"Already regretting asking questions," Jeremy muttered while rubbing his temples.
"I'm enjoying this," Yulian said cheerfully.
"Same."
"Definitely."
"Continue."
Kill, Yulian, Gareth, and Kayden all looked far too invested.
"Keep talking," Kill said.
I sighed dramatically. "So later that same night I accidentally ran into Clara at a bar."
"Accidentally?" Gareth asked.
"Very accidentally," I answered without a shred of shame.
Jeremy groaned. "I hate you."
"Bran had apparently already broken up with her, but he was being secretive and stubborn about everything. So I sent him a picture and a message telling him that if he didn't show up at the address I gave him within twenty minutes, the next thing he'd receive from me would be a video of Clara riding my cock."
The room exploded. "For fuck's sake!" Jeremy shouted.
Yulian nearly fell off the couch laughing.
Kill slapped his knee.
Gareth looked like he'd just witnessed a car crash and couldn't look away.
"Nikolai, what is wrong with you?" Jeremy demanded.
"A lot of things," I answered honestly.
"At least he's self-aware," Kayden muttered.
"Anyway," I continued proudly, "Bran arrived almost exactly on time."
"Of course he did," Kill said.
"Let's just say Bran got there on time, except he found Clara on her knees, rubbing my cock, which wasn't exactly okay with him, because right after he saw that image he moved pretty quickly and lifted Clara off me by pulling her hair"
The silence that followed was beautiful.
Then Gareth blinked. "Wait."
Jeremy blinked too."What?"
Even Vaughn looked confused.
"Brandon did what?" Jeremy asks shocked.
I grinned. "Let's just say he wasn't happy."
"Oh, this is getting better and better," Kill said.
"I always thought Brandon was the harmless twin."
"We thought wrong apparently." Gareth says
"What happened next?" Yulian asked immediately, very interested in the details.
"Clara got thrown out of the room by both of us. After that we had a very interesting second evening together."
Jeremy buried his face in his hands. "I need new friends."
"And vodka," Kill added.
"Lots of vodka."
"Hold on," Kill interrupted again. "If that was the second evening, what was the first?"
"Do you really want to know?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes." Every single person answered at once.
I leaned back against the couch. "The first evening was after that Never Have I Ever game with the Elite kids. A few minutes after Bran left the café somebody almost punch him."
The room immediately became more serious.
My smile disappeared for a second. "I made sure those idiots understood how bad of an idea that had been."
"After that I may or may not have kissed Bran for the first time."
"May or may not?" Gareth asked.
"I definitely did."
"And then?" Yulian asked.
"And then we got acquainted with each other's dicks in an alley."
"Damn." Kill looked impressed. "I always thought Landon was the exhibitionist twin. Apparently it's a family trait."
Jeremy looked horrified. "An alley? As in a public alley?"
"Technically yes."
"Nikolai."
"What?"
"You could have been arrested if you had been caught."
"But I wasn't."
Jeremy looked seconds away from developing a migraine. "That is not the point."
"It worked out."
"It absolutely did not work out."
"It literally did."
"Damn, that's one hell of an experience," Yulian said, reaching over for a high-five. I immediately slapped his hand.
"See? Someone understands."
"Seriously?" Jeremy asked.
Before he could continue, I raised a finger.
"And before anyone asks, the first time Bran and I actually slept together was after that fight with Kill, when I was on my high."
The room froze.
"You are joking," Gareth said.
"I am not."
"I don't believe you," Jeremy added.
Kill looked genuinely impressed. "Damn. That King man has stamina."
"Suddenly our first time sounds completely normal," Yulian commented while looking at Vaughn.
"Thank you," Vaughn muttered. "I think."
Gareth pointed at me. "And after that you became a couple?"
I barked out a laugh. "Not even close."
"What?"
"Bran only agreed to exclusivity after he saw Simon flirting with me."
"That sounds more believable."
"Then he brought me condoms just to mock me."
"What?"
"And then he punched me because he was jealous."
The room went silent again.
Jeremy stared. "Punched you?"
"Yep."
"In the face?"
"Yep."
"You mean Brandon King punched you in the face because Was he jealous and possessive?"
I shrugged. "More or less."
Jeremy looked genuinely confused. "What kind of bizarre foreplay do you two have?"
I couldn't help grinning. "The effective kind."
"Niko."
"What?"
"Cecy described Brandon as an angel."
"He is an angel."
"A violent angel apparently. I thought he was the gentle twin who hated violence"
"A jealous angel," Kill corrected.
"A possessive angel," Gareth added.
"He's my angel. And he still hates violence, less so with me, because he definitely takes pleasure in chocking me sometimes."
The collective groan that followed could probably be heard across the entire mansion.
"God, he's gotten worse," Kill muttered.
"Much worse," Gareth agreed.
Yulian said with a laugh. "He's in love."
"Some of you choose strange ways to love" says Jeremy
"Hey Jer, you have no right to comment, you're the one fascinated by primal kink with Cecy" I say smirking
"Don't even start. Unlike some, I like to keep my life private"
"Boring" me and Yulian say this at the same time
"I can't wait to make fun of Landon for the situations Niko put Bran in" says Kill cheerfully, too cheerful
"Do that and he'll probably answer you in the same coin, because your brother is in the same situation" Jeremy says
"That's not true" says Gareth offended
"It's very true" replies Kayden in response
"Have you thought about being a switch?" Yulian asks looking at me as well as Kayden and Gareth
"He tried, he didn't succeed" says Kayden pointing at Gareth who looks embarrassed
"Just when I thought I couldn't be more disappointed, I'm proven wrong" Kill grumble
"What about you Niko?"
"I'm not a fan of the idea, but if my baby wants to top me, I'll gladly accept. I mean, I offered it to him and he refused, but if he changes his mind I'm willing to try"
"You're gone" says Jeremy. "Absolutely and irrevocably in love with Brandon King"
The conversation was still going strong when the front door finally opened. For a moment nobody paid attention. Then the familiar sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway, and every head in the room turned almost instinctively.
Bran had finally arrived.The reaction was immediate.
Not because he was late. Not because anyone had been particularly worried.
But because the man looked unfairly good. Bran stepped into the living room wearing a dark tailored coat over a baby blue shirt, looking like he'd walked straight out of some luxury cover. His hair was perfectly styled, not a single strand out of place, and there was something annoyingly elegant about the way he carried himself. Everything about him screamed wealth, class, and expensive taste.
Which made him look hilariously out of place among the collection of idiots currently occupying the living room.
I immediately sat up straighter.
Finally. My lotus flower. The best part of my day. The person I'd been waiting for all evening.
Unfortunately, before I could say anything, I noticed something strange. Nobody else was speaking either.
Jeremy was staring. Not glancing. Not looking. Staring.
Actually studying Bran. Analyzing him. Like he was trying to solve a mathematical equation.
Bran noticed too. His gaze moved across the room before settling on Jeremy.
Then he looked at me. "Why is Jeremy looking at me like that?"
I instantly grinned. Jeremy, meanwhile, looked absolutely unapologetic.
Bran raised an eyebrow. "Niko."
"What?"
"He's being weird."
"No he's not."
"He absolutely is."
"Maybe that's just his face."
"I heard that," Jeremy deadpanned.
Bran's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between the two of us. Then his attention shifted toward Kill.
Kill immediately looked away. Suspicious.
Then Bran looked at Gareth who suddenly became very interested in the ceiling.
Even more suspicious. Then Bran looked at Yulian who was just smirking.
That was the most suspicious thing of all. I felt danger approaching.
Bran clearly did too. "What happened while I was gone?"
"Nothing."
"Nikolai."
"Absolutely nothing baby."
His eyes narrowed further. The scary thing was that Bran didn't even need to raise his voice to be intimidating. He just looked at people until they started questioning their own life choices.
Fortunately for me, he seemed willing to let it go for the moment. At least temporarily.
Without another word he walked over toward me, carrying several shopping bags. Immediately my attention shifted.
Priorities. Very important priorities.
"What are those?"
"Some desserts and snacks, since you said you were having a drinking night I thought they would be welcome so I stopped at a store."
I watched as he placed the bags on the coffee table before reaching into another one.
Then my eyes widened.
No.
No fucking way.
A familiar box appeared in his hands. A very familiar box. The elegant logo printed on the packaging was enough to make me grin before he even handed it over.
"Baby." Bran held the box out toward me. "You remembered."
"You literally spent twenty minutes talking about macarons the other day and about the new bakery that opened in London that you saw on Instagram"
"That doesn't mean people remember."
"You don't exactly make it difficult." I accepted the box like it was a sacred artifact.
Immediately I turned toward the others.
"My boyfriend bought me macarons."
A collective groan echoed through the room.
I ignored it.
"My boyfriend went all the way across London and brought me fancy macarons."
"Niko," Jeremy said with the patience of a saint, "you've said boyfriend at least thirty times since arriving."
"Because I have one."
"We know."
"I just like saying it."
"We know."
I pointed triumphantly toward Bran. "See? They are jealous."
"They are not jealous," Bran replied.
"They are."
"They aren't."
"They wish someone brought them macarons."
"I don't even like macarons," Kill said.
"That's because nobody loves you the way Bran loves me"
"Fuck you."
I smiled victoriously. Bran sighed. The sigh of a man who regretted every decision that had somehow led him here.
And yet, despite the exasperation, I caught the tiny smile threatening to appear at the corner of his mouth.
Worth it. Absolutely worth it. But unfortunately, the weird staring still hadn't stopped.
Bran noticed too.
Again.
His gaze swept across the room before returning to me. "What did you tell them?"
I immediately opened the box. The macarons looked amazing. A perfect distraction. A brilliant distraction.
Unfortunately Bran was smarter than that. "Niko."
I grabbed one. Still didn't work.
"Nikolai."
I looked up innocently. The innocence clearly failed because he wasn't impressed.
At all.
"What did you tell them?"
The room was already falling apart. Yulian was trying not to laugh. Kill looked seconds away from causing problems. Gareth looked way too entertained. Jeremy looked like he regretted being friends with any of us.
I decided there was only one possible solution.
So I reached up, grabbed Bran by the front of his coat, and pulled him closer.
The kiss was brief. Soft. Just enough to distract him.
At least that had been the plan. When I pulled away, Bran blinked once.
Twice.
For a glorious moment I thought it had worked.
Then he spoke. "What did you tell them?"
"Fuck."
The room exploded. Even Jeremy laughed.
Traitor.
Bran crossed his arms raising an eyebrow and waiting for an answer.
I sighed dramatically and leaned against him. "It sounds much worse than it actually is."
"Niko."
"I may have mentioned a few things."
"What things?"
"Relationship things."
"Nikolai."
"Historical relationship things."
"Nikolai."
I buried my face against his shoulder.b"You're no fun."
His hand immediately found the back of my neck.
A familiar gesture. Comforting. Possessive. Mine.
The thought alone made me smile. Bran shook his head before looking at the others.
"I don't want to know."
"Oh, you definitely do," Yulian said.
"No."
"You really do."
"No."
"It was a very educational conversation."
Bran looked genuinely alarmed. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped my macarons.
Honestly, I didn't even care what the others thought anymore. A few months ago I would've given anything just to stand beside him openly.
Now he was here.
Standing next to me. Letting me cling to him. Letting me call him my boyfriend.
And as I looked at the man beside me, listening to the idiots around us argue while Bran continued trying to figure out what disaster he'd walked into, I found myself smiling again.
Gosh, I love this macarons, I love this group of friends, even if they are idiots sometimes, and I definitely love Brandon King, who if he found out everything I talked about with the guys, would probably punish me with no kisses for a week. Not that he would last that long, but he will try
I fucking love this man and I adore that he loves me too.