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Justin/Nick AU; NC-17. I think it's obvious that this wasn't intended to represent the real people, but I should perhaps mention that it's also not meant to imply anything about them, either. Please don't copy, post, distribute, or sue without the express consent of the author. Written for SeSa 2004.
The name of the city wasn't important; the city itself was hardly different from other vast metropolises found throughout the worlds. The district was a wealthy one and the street address impressive, but only if one were an inhabitant of the city itself. What was special was the building. Not for its appearance, which was tall and glass-encased, nor for its history, which was carefully constructed to be that of a residence for the rich and sometimes famous. It was distinctive, rather, for the fact that it sat on a Node, one of the points that held the great Lattice of worlds together. Power converged under this building, rippled through its beams and girders, fairly crackled in the air if one knew how to sense such things. Most of the citizens of the city never knew that the building was anything more than it pretended to be. Many knew that the Baareshe family, entrepreneurs since before the country had even existed, owned the building and used the top floors as their home. Some, walking past, got the sense that the building was perhaps more than it seemed, but few truly understood that they were in the presence of a doorway to worlds beyond their own. The Baareshes were more than happy with those circumstances and did everything possible to encourage them. On this night, the building was covered as its neighbors were in the city's traditional midwinter decorations: small white lights interrupted periodically with holly branches and red bows. The doorman, flawlessly dressed and sporting a sprig of holly on his lapel, bowed low to the people arriving at the front door, accepting their invitations with seemingly little concern as to whether they had stepped from a cab or from the small, enclosed foyer to the side of the door. Each of the arrivals was dressed as for a masque; though some of their costumes would have seemed exotic or even bizarre to the ordinary citizens of the city, each sported some means of covering their eyes and sometimes their entire faces. Someone looking closely might have noticed that the masks seemed, at times, to hint at unusual, even deformed, features underneath. The doorman, with discreet movements, made it almost impossible for anyone outside the building to look at all. Ash had managed, after much negotiation, to obtain an invitation to the party. He owed favors to people he'd rather not be indebted to as a result, but the ultimate outcome would be worth whatever price he had to pay. And, as he had told his cousin Jacob, he had a good feeling that getting the invitation would be the most difficult part of the venture. Jacob had rolled his eyes, but Jacob was a pessimist and a bit of an asshole, so Ash didn't pay him any mind. So far, his prediction was coming true. The doorman had passed him through with a cursory glance at his invitation, obviously more concerned with the crowd of natives drifting along the walkway in front of the building and the three bickering guests waiting to be admitted after Ash. Ash himself dismissed the natives as unimportant, but he scrutinized the guests carefully. Young men around his age, he guessed from their voices, but their elaborate masks covered their faces and they had no identifying crests or insignias on their clothing. Ash was fairly sure he didn't know them. They certainly didn't pay him any mind, too intent on their discussion to notice that they had an audience. "He cheated," the one in the middle was insisting. He was a short, slightly stocky man with black hair that faded to blood red at the tips--whether natural or dyed, Ash couldn't tell. Either way, they matched his clothing: a classic black suit and cloak with a red cummerbund and an elegant ruby cloak clasp at his throat. His mask was black, as well, with tiny rubies tracing the outlines of his eyes. "Face it, brother, he's just faster than you," the biggest of the three said. Much taller than the first speaker, he moved with a grace that seemed out of place in someone so muscular. He too had dark hair and hints of a matching beard under the mask. He wore a more old-fashioned doublet and leggings, both in navy blue with red piping, and his mask was covered in glittering red fabric. "In his dreams," the first man said, crossing his arms over his chest and stalking off with every appearance of being insulted. Ash jumped out of his way, ducking his head enough that he wouldn't catch anyone's eye. Even with the mask that covered the top half of his face, Ash didn't want to chance being recognized or remembered. The third man, as tall as the second but thinner, simply laughed as he followed the other two toward the elevator. He had, Ash couldn't help but notice, a nicely shaped body; clearly defined muscles revealed themselves as his light blue silk shirt and black silk trousers conformed to his body. His mask consisted of light blue stars on a field of black, and he wore a black headscarf that covered his hair. Ash found himself wishing that he could see the face behind the mask and mentally shook himself. He needed to keep his mind on the reason why he was here. Letting the three men drift ahead of him, Ash was able to catch an elevator by himself. It was a relief, really; not only did he not need the distraction of the pretty ass on the third man, but he could also use a few minutes to get himself focused. The plan was a good one. It would go off without a hitch as long as he did his part correctly. If he didn't, he was certain that he didn't want to return home and face Papa with the news of his failure. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep, calming breaths, then reached up to pull his focus stone from beneath his shirt. Made of citrine, it was still in a cluster; it called significantly more power than a tumbled and polished stone would have. He let it warm in his palm, waiting until it nearly burned with captured energy before he began to pull the power out and mold it into the glamour that would help him achieve his goal. Even with the stored magic in the crystal, he had to use so much of his own energy to shape the glamour that he was breathless and a little light-headed by the time the elevator chimed to a stop. As he stepped out into the hall, he couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to use Node magic, to have so much power at his beck and call that casting a glamour was no more work than inhaling--that there was no need for the glamour, because it was no effort at all to transform himself into whatever he wanted instead of just making people see a slightly more appealing version of his normal appearance. Soon, he told himself, taking a deep breath and starting down the hall. Soon, he'd know exactly what that much power felt like. Nick smiled, bowed, shook hands, kissed cheeks, offered bites of meat or bread, nodded, and clasped his hands to pray--whatever greeting was most appropriate to the person he was speaking with. Keeping the correct manners straight wasn't exactly easy, but it was something he'd been trained in since he was a child, and it did help make the evening pass. He was pretty sure that there wasn't a single culture represented at his Family's mid-winter celebration that would find yawning from boredom to be acceptable behavior. He was also pretty certain that his older brothers would kill him if he caused an interworldly incident. The whole point of the celebration was to bring anyone allied or potentially affiliated with the Baareshe Family together to enjoy themselves, bring concerns and grievances to the attention of the Family, and be reminded that the Baareshes were as powerful as they'd ever been. It was intended to insure peace and cooperation, not start a war over poor etiquette. Kevin would have said that a little tedium was a small price to pay for another year of conflict-free prosperity, but then, Kevin liked these types of affairs. Nick tolerated them because it was easier than getting yelled at. Stifling a sigh, he straightened up and pasted a smile on his face as he saw the door open to admit more guests. At least once he greeted them, he'd done his duty; his brothers had to stand around and talk to them all night. He scanned the three men walking toward him, hunting for something that would tip him off to where they were from so he'd know the proper greeting. It was acceptable to wait for the guest to initiate the greeting so that he could be certain of the correct response, but it was more fun to try to guess. Except when he got it wrong, of course, and even that could be entertaining if the guests in question had a sense of humor. With these three--dressed fairly conservatively, if from obviously different Facet-worlds or time periods--he judged an outstretched hand to be safe. The shortest one clasped his hand with no sign of offense, so he mentally gave himself a point. "Welcome to our home," he said, giving them a smile that had just the right shade of warmth to be welcoming without actually making them think they could be familiar. "Our hospitality is open to all those who come in peace." It was an old greeting, but it served its purpose: both to welcome the guests and warn them at the same time. "We're honored," the biggest of the three said, accepting Nick's hand in turn. "Nice place you got here," the short one said, scanning the room with lively dark eyes. "Not real big, I suppose, but I've always said cozy can be nice if you decorate it right." Nick glanced in disbelief around the room, which took up nearly the entire floor of the building, then looked back with an eyebrow raised to catch the eye of the third man, who just shrugged. "Can't take him anywhere," the third man said, his voice tinged with amusement, and Nick felt himself grinning as he took the man's hand. Blue eyes, he found himself noticing, clear blue like the sky on a sunny day, and with a look of kindness and humor to them that Nick was drawn to. He wanted suddenly to take off the man's mask and see if the face beneath was as beautiful as the eyes. "It's a pleasure to be here," the man was saying, and for some reason his voice was just a bit breathless. The sound made Nick's belly tighten. He took a step forward without intending to, wanting to-- The elevator door chimed. Nick blinked, realizing he was still holding the man's hand and staring at him like a fool. Feeling a faint heat in his cheeks, Nick let go and stepped back. It was too early yet for such thoughts; he still had hours of the party to survive. Afterward, though--his stomach knotted a little in anticipation. "Enjoy the celebration." It was probably his imagination that the man's eyes lingered on him a moment longer before the man inclined his head. "Thank you." And then Nick had to greet the next guest, a man he barely noticed because his mind was still caught in a blue-eyed gaze. The winter solstice, like the summer solstice and fall and spring equinoxes, is a time of power throughout the worlds on the Lattice. Because these are some of the few natural events that occur in all the Facets and Nodes simultaneously, they are used as points of common reference among those who travel between worlds. Marriages are consummated and terminated, debts agreed upon and called in, vows of abstinence or revenge taken and fulfilled. Because of the power inherent in these days, no contract is undertaken lightly, thus helping to insure good faith on all parts of the agreement. Crashing the Baareshes' mid-winter celebration had been a joke, a mutual dare between Justin and two of his brothers. In all honesty, Justin hadn't expected to make it past the door, much less into the Baareshes' inner sanctum. His family's feud with the Baareshes was long and bitter, stretching back before the birth of his father and possibly his grandfather; Justin had been halfway convinced that the Baareshes would have an anti-Nishakado charm on the entrance to the building. Instead, he'd found himself shaking hands with a man who had to be Nickolas Baareshe, who didn't even bat an eye at three of his ancient enemies waltzing through his door. Justin couldn't help but wonder if all the tales of Baareshe prowess he'd heard growing up were exaggerated. He also found himself wondering about Nick Baareshe's personal prowess, because he was fucking hot all dressed up in a tux. He decided not to share that thought with Joey or Chris, though; he was too young to get disowned. He followed his brothers through the crowd, noting faces he was pretty sure he recognized under the masks--more than one person playing both sides of the fence, which wasn't exactly surprising, but could be useful later. Lance would want to know about them. He also kept one eye on Chris, waiting for whatever insanity his oldest brother had to be planning to manifest itself. There was no way they were just there to see if they could walk in under the Baareshes' collective noses without being noticed, no matter what Chris claimed. But for the time being, Chris seemed content to wander around, sampling the food and wine, pausing to speak with each of the Baareshe brothers in turn but not, Justin was disappointed to note, working his way back to where Nick was still lingering by the entrance. Justin wouldn't have minded speaking to Nick again, enemy or no. There was no rule that said you couldn't fuck someone you'd sworn eternal enmity against, and Justin could just imagine what it would feel like to have hands as big and gentle as the ones that had clasped his surrounding his cock. He was getting hard just thinking about it. Finally he caught sight of Nick again. The man was listening to one of the guests--oddly enough, the same one who had come into the building just before Justin and his brothers--but his eyes were scanning the room as if looking for someone. When they lighted on Justin and stopped, crinkling into a smile, Justin felt something inside him jump. He tried to ignore the fact that the sensation had been a little higher than his cock. "Hey," he whispered, nudging Joey's arm, "I'll be over there for a few minutes, okay?" "Over where?" Joey asked. Justin ignored him, already headed for Nick. The guest shot him a dirty look as he walked up, but Nick's smile grew wider. Justin leaned in just a bit, resting his hand lightly on Nick's arm. "I was thinking of getting some fresh air," he said, dropping his voice down just a touch. "Do you have any suggestions?" Nick didn't seem to realize he was licking his lips. "The balcony's nice," he answered. "And there's a stair down to the gardens. They're beautiful in the moonlight." Justin smiled, and it wasn't entirely flirtatious. He liked the suggestion of bashfulness in Nick's eyes; he never would have expected it from a Baareshe, but it looked good on Nick. "Perhaps you'd show me?" "I'd love to." Justin pretended he didn't hear the abandoned guest's faint growl as he took Nick's arm and walked away. As he watched his quarry walk away on the arm of another man, Ash wondered if he'd be able to get away with murder when there were so many witnesses around. Perhaps if he used poison? Shaking his head, he pushed the image out of his mind. This wasn't what he'd planned, but he could work with it. For some reason, Nick Baareshe wasn't falling prey to his glamour, but he was going off into the garden with only one man as an escort. Since Ash's original plan had been to lure Nick into the garden under the guise of a tryst, he would just need to make a few minor adjustments and he'd be back on track. Jacob and Trevor were waiting to hustle Nick off as soon as Ash hit him with the sleep spell; he wouldn't be able to warn them that there would be another body to dispose of, but Papa had trained them all to be adaptable--and if they weren't, he'd make sure Papa knew it was their fault, not his. Absently fingering his focus stone, Ash set off for the gardens as he began mentally to draw the power he would need for his next spell. Nick awoke with a headache worse than any he could remember and a right arm that had lost all sensation. Careful investigation led him to conclude that a body was trapping his arm and cutting off the circulation. He didn't think that explained the headache, but then, he could hardly think at all, so he couldn't be certain. Necessity dictated that he stay very still for a while unless he wanted to empty his stomach all over himself and the body beside him. Eventually, however, the pounding eased enough that he could sit up and extract his arm. The body rolled to the side, groaning faintly; Nick was vaguely relieved to know he hadn't been sleeping with a corpse. Although, as he studied the face of the man beside him, he wasn't sure he was seeing an improvement. He'd never met any of the Nishakado Family, but he'd seen images of each of them. Kevin was very big on knowing their enemies. This man was a Nishakado; of that, he had no doubt. If his head wasn't still throbbing, he probably could have named him immediately. As it was, it took him a good five minutes of staring to place the light brown curls and thin, almost beautiful face. "Justin!" It burst out of him as he remembered. Justin, the youngest, rumored to have bedded at least one person in every Facet world between Baareshe Node and Nishakado Node. "Lemmee 'lone," Justin muttered, frowning as he threw his arm over his eyes. "Sleepin'." Wonderful. Nick had woken up with the Lattice's biggest slut, a headache that suggested he'd drunk way too much the night before, and absolutely no memory of how he'd gotten there. He had a very strong feeling that he was going to throw up. Preferably on Justin. Suddenly cold, Nick rubbed his arms as he looked around. He didn't recognize the--cellar? dungeon? cell?--that they were in. There was little to recognize. Gray stone walls held sconces that seemed to be powered with either electricity or magic; the light, though shaped like a flame, neither flickered nor gave off heat. A blank wooden door, free from windows or handles, sat in the middle of one wall. Directly opposite was the dingy mattress Nick and Justin lay on. To the left in the back corner was a hole in the floor that Nick assumed was a latrine; next to it was a small white sink with one faucet. Automatically, he reached for a Lattice line, ready to jump on it and go home--except it wasn't there. Well, that wasn't entirely unusual; there were plenty of places in the Facet worlds where even the strongest wizard couldn't touch the Lattice directly. It just made things more difficult right now. "This," he said out loud, even though Justin probably wasn't listening, "isn't good. Damn it, Nishakado, wake up. Tell me what the fuck we're doing here. Wake up." He shoved Justin in the ribs with his foot, not quite hard enough to knock him off the mattress but almost. "Huh?" Justin moved his arm away and blinked sleepily at Nick, a faint smile starting to curve his lips. "Mmm, you're a pretty sight to wake up to." This time, Nick did kick him off the mattress. He deserved it. "Damn it, look around you. Is this your idea of a joke?" Nick fought to keep his voice calm, but he didn't think it was working. The longer he looked at Justin, the more he was remembering--the man with the beautiful blue eyes, walking in the garden, talking, laughing, an excited flutter in his stomach as he realized he was having fun with this man...and then, suddenly, a feeling of exhaustion, heaviness so profound he could only sink to the ground, letting his eyes fall closed... "What the fuck did you do to me?" "What did I--" Justin trailed off, looking around. "Where are we?" "What do you mean, where are we?" "I mean, damn it, where are we? What kind of game is this, Baareshe?" "Game?" Nick's voice hadn't risen that high since he'd finished puberty, but he didn't care. He was going to be sick. Any second now. "What did you do to me?" With a growl, Justin launched himself across the mattress. Nick instinctively grabbed for the Node power that was always in him, twisted it around the light from the candles, and shot out a stream of pure energy from his fingers that slammed him across the room in a flash of white light. The action cleared Nick's head. Barely pausing to gather more power, he turned the stream on the door, expecting it to explode outward and leave him with a path to freedom. Except it didn't. For a moment, it seemed to be absorbing the energy, and then it shot it back so fast that Nick didn't have a chance to move. When the white stream him hit him, it was too powerful for him to take in. He thought he might have screamed right before he blacked out. Justin rubbed the back of his head and glared at the crumpled figure on the mattress. Whatever the fuck had just happened, Nick deserved it. Probably. Unless he was dead, in which case Justin was trapped the Powers only knew where with a corpse, and he still didn't know what was going on. Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet, waited a second for the dizziness to pass, and walked over to see if Nick was still alive. He was. Bastard. Justin left him to sleep off whatever had knocked him out and went to examine the door. It had looked like Nick had tried to blast the door and got hit with the backlash of his own power, but it could just have easily have been a defense mechanism of the door itself. Justin examined it cautiously, with eyes, hands, and finally power, but didn't find anything remarkable. Except, when he nudged at it with a 'finger' formed of Node power and shadow, the 'finger' stopped as abruptly as if it had hit a brick wall. That wasn't supposed to happen. Being mostly made of shadow, the 'finger' should have slipped through the dark places in the wood. Justin had never seen anything that could stop shadow cold like that. He didn't think he liked it. Finally he went back to the mattress and sat down next to Nick, who hadn't died or woken up yet. Justin was just barely leaning toward hoping for the latter, if only because Nick might be useful in figuring a way out of wherever they were. Of course, it was possible Nick might be responsible for them being there in the first place, but after the little display with the power backlash--or whatever it was--and after seeing the real fear in Nick's eyes, Justin tended to think that Nick was as much a victim as he was. "Which is just fucking wonderful, isn't it," he said, kicking Nick's leg lightly in the hopes that it would wake him up. The silence was getting creepy, and anyway, he thought better with an audience. "And what the hell was that shrinking virgin act earlier, anyway? I didn't do anything to you. As far as I can remember. It's not my fault we're--wherever this is, you know." "No. In fact, if anything, you're extra baggage." The new voice made Justin jump. It was just random chance, he told himself, that his hand landed on Nick's shoulder in a way that might have been construed as protective. He tried to ignore the placement as he scanned the room, his eyes coming to a stop at the door where a man was suddenly standing. The same man, Justin was sure, who had been at the Baareshes' celebration, whom Justin had coaxed Nick away from to go walk in the garden. "What the fuck--" "Unwanted baggage, at that, although you might prove useful after all, Justin Nishakado." Justin didn't like how the man smiled when he said that. He looked close in age and size to Justin, maybe a little shorter but similar in build, with dark blond hair and blue eyes that had an unnerving glint to them--or maybe that was just the weird lighting. Either way, Justin would welcome a chance to knock the smirk off his face. "Who are you?" The man studied him for a moment before answering. "I am Ash Dharchayya, son of Lord Louis of the Facet world Chayyanuna." Justin frowned. He'd been to Chayyanuna before, for Family business and pleasure both, although he couldn't remember meeting with the ruling family. As far as he could remember, Chayyanuna was on good terms with his Family, although he didn't think they were allies. It seemed like they were neutral, if he recalled his affiliations correctly. "What do you want with us?" he asked. As he spoke, he felt a tightening in Nick's arm and squeezed gently, hoping Nick was aware enough--and smart enough--to catch his meaning. If Ash thought Nick was still unconscious, it just might give them an advantage. "Nothing with you. In fact, there's a possibility that you might be allowed to go free once we're done with Baareshe. My father hasn't decided yet, but if you help us, the decision is much more likely to turn in your favor." Nick stiffened further, and Justin prayed he would keep still just a little longer. Justin needed to learn all he could. "Help you with what?" Ash's smile widened. "Have you ever witnessed the creation of a Node?" All members of Node wizard families, even those rare ones who don't inherit the magic, are well educated in the knowledge of Nodes, Facets, and the Lattice by the time they're introduced to society. They learn, almost from the cradle, how the Lattice was made up of streams of energy that bound all things together; how the lines of the Lattice intersected at Nodes and deposited there such massive amounts of power that anyone who could tap into them could do magic almost effortlessly; how the power that exuded from the lines sprang to life in the plains between the lines, creating the Facets that were the home to individual worlds. How those with the ability to tap into the Lattice's power could travel from Facet to Facet, or if they were truly powerful, could 'fold' the lines between Nodes and traverse that vast distance in seconds. Some also learned that Nodes and Facets both could be created, given enough knowledge, power, and determination. Even among Node wizards, few were willing to go to the lengths needed to create new Nodes and divert the lines of power into a new shape. Their reluctance sprang, at least in part, from the understanding that the magic to do so required a blood sacrifice--the death of at least one wizard steeped in Node magic. Often, more than one wizard's death would be necessary, unless the wizard who gave his life happened to be particularly powerful...or particularly pure. "You're kidding." Justin had said the same thing four times, even though Ash had assured him that no joke was intended. Nick wished he'd just shut up and accept it; insane as it was, the Dharchayya family was planning on creating a Node, and they intended to use Nick Baareshe as their lodestone. Not that Nick intended to go along easily, but he saw no point in pissing Ash off. After all, Justin was fairly safe as long as he didn't antagonize their captors. If he wanted to, he could probably be the one wielding the knife. "Believe what you wish, Lord Nishakado, but I assure you, we will be creating a new Node right here in Chayyanuna. Tonight, as a matter of fact." "But why him?" Justin asked, the disbelief still plain in his voice even though Nick was still pretending to be unconscious and couldn't see his face. "Why not someone else who doesn't have, I don't know, a whole fucking family of psychotic older brothers to avenge his death? Because my Family has been fighting with the Baareshes forever, and they're not any sort of match for us, but they're not lightweights, either." Nick wasn't sure whether he should be offended or touched that Justin was trying--sort of--to defend him. "Because there are very, very few Node wizards who have come into their full power and yet remain innocent. It's a powerful combination, one that will ensure our success. It's just unfortunate for him that he decided to remain chaste." Nick couldn't decide who he wanted to kill more--Ash or Justin, who didn't need to laugh quite that hard. "Think about my proposal," Ash said over Justin's cackles when it became obvious that he wasn't going to be stopping any time soon. "I'll return in a few hours for your decision." Nick didn't hear anything, but he assumed when Justin's hand left his arm that Ash had gone. Taking the chance that he had, Nick reached back and hit whatever portion of Justin he could reach. Hard. "It's a curse," he said sharply. "Shut up, already!" "I-I'll say," Justin gasped. "You're a virgin?" If they'd had pillows, Nick would have smothered him with one. "Well, you're a twelve year old," he snapped, putting an arm over his eyes so he didn't have to look at Justin's face. It wasn't fair. He got enough of this from Alex; he didn't need it from the mortal enemy he happened to be locked up in a dungeon with. "My mom was sick for about ten years. The magic needed to keep her able to function required celibacy. And then, after she died a year ago, it was time to prepare for my wanderjahr because I'd already put it off for so long, so I had to swear off everything. And it's not funny." That just sent Justin into more fits, which really wasn't fair because it wasn't like Justin hadn't done his own period of abstinence before his own wanderjahr. It was part of any Node wizard's coming of age: a year of abstaining from sex, alcohol, or any sort of mind-altering substances as the wizard meditated and practiced the magics that would allow him or her to travel the Lattice on their own. Nick was starting several years later than most, but what was he supposed to do? His mom had needed him. "So--" Justin paused, gasping for a minute, then finally had enough breath to continue. "That's why you were all upset when we first woke up. You thought we'd--" Nick growled. "I am not going to waste my first time on a Nishakado. Especially when I can't remember it." He at least got the satisfaction of hearing Justin choke as indignation tried to mix with laughter and didn't quite succeed. Finally, Justin wore himself out and flopped back on the bed beside Nick, making the mattress bounce slightly. "You know," he said after a few minutes of silence, "this whole thing sucks." "You don't say." "I mean, when my year was up, my brothers threw me this big party with, like, everyone I knew, and my best friend was there to make sure my first time was amazing." Nick needed to kill him. Badly. "You're an asshole. You know that, right?" Justin continued as if he hadn't heard. "But you, you're stuck in a dungeon with a guy you're sworn to kill on sight--let's just skip that part until we get out of here, all right?--and if you don't have sex, you're going to die." Nick got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Oh, no." Justin gave a sigh that suggested he'd suffered more foolishness than he could possibly be expected to bear. Nick knew it well, having heard it from all of his brothers at one time or another. "If you weren't a virgin, you wouldn't be any good to them, right? They'd have to go find someone else to sacrifice." Nick had to throw up again. "You're not--" "Yeah." Justin pulled Nick's arm down so that Nick had to look at him. "I am." The blue eyes that had caught Nick's attention were serious now, and Nick couldn't see any sign of cruelty in them. "No," he said, and if he was shaking just a tiny bit, it was because it was damn cold. "I'm not having sex with you." "If you don't, you're dead." Justin sighed again. "Don't you remember what happened when you tried your magic? My powers are nothing like yours, but I had about the same result. Node power doesn't affect this place. We could blast each other away, but nothing we do is going to get past the walls." Nick closed his eyes. "We could try again." "We could try right up until they come and kill you," Justin agreed. "But sex is a much shorter term commitment than dead is." "But they'll probably just kill me anyway, right?" Nick said almost hopefully. "I'm still a Node wizard. Or maybe they'll kill you, instead, once we're equal." "Thanks." Justin scrubbed a hand through his curls, sighing. "The only problem with that is that it takes a lot more magic than one Node wizard usually possesses to start a new Node. The magic has to be strong enough to anchor at least three new lines to make it stable. I'm pretty damn strong, but not that strong. You wouldn't be either, if you'd gotten yourself laid." "You're still an asshole." Nick rolled over on his side, wishing again for a pillow. Smothering really wasn't that bad a way to go. "Hey." Justin poked him in the back. He ignored it, because the alternative was turning around and hitting the asshole, and he didn't want to look at him right now. He didn't need anyone's pity. "Hey." It was a hand on his arm this time, rubbing gently, and Nick didn't know if that was better or worse. "You're asking me to give you--" He couldn't say it. The whole point of the year of abstinence was to build power. The energy that came from self-denial and the focus of his concentration through meditation was remarkably pure, and was considered a gift to be bestowed only on the dearest of friends or the person a wizard intended to marry. To give that much of oneself to an enemy was unthinkable. "I don't even like you." Justin's hand disappeared. Nick lay silently for a while, contemplating how much his life sucked, until Howie's quiet voice in his mind mentioned that maybe he was being just a little bit of an ass. Coming from Howie--even Nick's mental version of Howie--that was a pretty good sign that he was in the wrong. He sighed and rolled over. Justin was staring at the ceiling, his mouth set in a hard line that Nick didn't have to know him well to recognize as angry. "Guess you don't like me much, either," he said by way of apology. "Not right now, no." Nick sighed. "Sorry." Justin turned to look at him. "Listen, you want to sit around until these nutcases kill you? Go ahead. You want to blast your brains out throwing power at the walls? Just give me a little warning so I can get out of the way. Do whatever the fuck you want. No one's forcing you here. It's just an offer." "Why? Why would a Nishakado help a Baareshe? Our Families--" "You never did anything to me." Justin frowned. "Except kick me off the mattress and act like a prick, but you're kind of under stress right now, so I won't hold it against you. I don't know what you've heard about us, but no one in the Nishakado Family would sit back and watch someone be murdered without trying to help. Not even an enemy." He grinned. "Besides, you're kind of hot." So was Justin, but Nick didn't intend to tell him that. Anyway, he'd seen pictures of Justin's brothers. If hotness were the only factor, the feud would have been over decades before. But it wasn't, and Nick couldn't face his brothers and tell them he'd fraternized with the enemy. They'd disown him. He'd just have to find a way to make his magic work. "I'm not going to have sex with you." Justin shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll just be over here not getting sacrificed, okay?" No doubt about it, once Nick figured out a way to get them out of here, he was going to strangle Justin. Slowly, and with great enjoyment. Justin leaned up against the cold stone of the dungeon wall and watched as Nick tried different methods of attacking the door, walls, ceiling, floor, and even the tiny hole that was intended to be their privy. After the first few bolts of Nick's power rebounded, Justin kicked Nick off the mattress and rearranged himself to where he was sitting against the wall with the mattress as a shield between him and the rapidly flying magic. Nick didn't seem to be giving up, in spite of several close calls, and Justin had resigned himself to inhaling air tinted with the smell of ozone. If it made Nick feel better, he could put up with it. It wasn't like the guy had much else to comfort him. Not that Justin intended to sit back and let Dharchayya and his band of power-hungry whackos carve anyone up, even a Baareshe. Especially this Baareshe, who seemed like a decent guy, if a little pissy. Under the circumstances, Justin thought he could forgive him the attitude. It was kind of interesting watching how Nick went about attacking their prison. Nishakado magic was made of Node power and shadow, a subtle thing that slipped into the cracks of a thing and shifted its reality subtly. Baareshe magic was more straightforward. He could see it working, how Nick wrapped his power around waves of light and forced them to do his bidding. There was nothing subtle about it, but Justin supposed it worked as well as his did under normal circumstances. "This is fucked up." Torn from his train of thought, Justin frowned at Nick for a minute before it registered that there weren't any bolts of power flying around the room. "You could help, you know." "I already offered." Nick sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair frustratedly. "No, I mean, try hitting the door at the same time. Maybe both of our magics together will be strong enough to break whatever shield is there." "Or kill us both with the backlash." "Damn it, could you just--" Nick stopped, took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "Please." With a shrug, Justin started pulling together Node power and shadow, gently weaving them together into a spear. "Where do you want it?" "The door. Right in the center." Feeling less than optimistic, Justin ducked down behind the mattress as Nick counted down, then let the spear fly. The resulting explosion was spectacular. Nick slammed into the mattress, Justin's breath whooshed out of him, and the two lights nearest to the door shattered. The door, once Justin had cleared the stars out of his eyes enough to see it, didn't have a single scratch. Nick staggered up and went over to inspect it, swearing softly as he ran his hands over it. Finally, turned around, leaned against the door, and slid down it to sit on the floor. Justin gave him a couple of minutes to quit banging the back of his head against the wood before he said anything. "Giving up?" Nick shot him a dirty look. "No, asshole. I'm just...reconsidering." Justin didn't smile. Barely. "Yeah?" Nick gave him a different kind of look this time. Speculative, defensive, maybe just a little scared--Justin could sympathize, but he wasn't going to offer again, not after being turned down so adamantly. If Nick wanted Justin to pop his cherry, metaphorically speaking, he was going to have to ask. In the meantime, Justin's legs were cramping. Shoving the mattress back to the floor, he hoisted himself up and stretched. Watching, Nick licked his lips, and Justin felt his cock stir. If Nick knew what kind of effect his tongue skimming over his lips had, Justin wouldn't stand a chance. "So." Justin just raised an eyebrow to show he was listening as he stretched out on the mattress. Nick sighed. "You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?" As much as possible, definitely. "What?" "I want to..." Justin waited. Taking a deep breath, Nick walked over so that he was standing over Justin. He looked down, searching Justin's face for several moments until he seemed to find what he needed. "Would you have sex with me?" This time, Justin let himself smile as he held out his hand. "Come here." Nick let out a soft breath as he dropped to his knees on the mattress. Justin caught his hand and pulled him closer, leaning up slightly for a kiss. Either Nick had done this part before or he was a very quick study. He opened his mouth to Justin's tongue immediately, curling his own around Justin's and sucking just enough that Justin felt it down in his cock. Threading one hand through Nick's soft hair, Justin wrapped the other around his back to press him closer, shifting his hips just enough that his cock rubbed against Nick's. Nick made a startled noise into Justin's mouth. Grinning, Justin twisted his hips again. Nick pulled his head back, gasping a bit as he stared down at Justin with an appealingly shocked look on his face. "That's--" "Pretty good, yeah?" Justin murmured. "It gets better." And then he proceeded to show Nick just how, with careful attention to all the important parts. Mouth, nipples, neck, belly, all were investigated thoroughly until Nick was trembling with more than cold or nerves, and his cock was as hard as Justin's. About the time Nick forgot he had muscles, Justin rolled them over so that he was on top and started to undo Nick's pants, keeping up a steady stream of tiny kisses and licks across his stomach to keep him from tensing up. "This," he said, pausing to look up at Nick, who was watching him with dazed eyes and lips red and swollen from the kissing, "this is the best part. Are you ready?" "Yes," Nick groaned, his hips already pushing up toward Justin's mouth. "Yes, please, yes." The sound shot fire straight through Justin, and it was all he could do not to shove himself against his hand or the mattress or Nick's leg, whatever would give him the pressure he needed. But it was more fun this way, letting his own sensation build as he coaxed Nick over the edge. Anyway, from Nick's expression, it wouldn't be long before Justin's turn arrived. Turning his attention downward again, Justin eased Nick's pants past his hips, grinning at the way Nick's cock leapt up to greet him. Fuck, if he'd known Nick was going commando all this time-- "Justin." Nick's voice was breathless, needing. "Justin, please." "Shh. Almost there." Nick's cock fit in his mouth exactly like he'd imagined, warm and moving eagerly. He ran his tongue around the tip. A strangled sound exploded out of Nick's mouth as his hips jerked. "Justin, I can't..." That was fine with Justin. He hadn't entirely forgotten that they were on a time limit; as much as he'd tried to make the experience good for Nick, he wanted to make sure they finished before their captor got back. Humming softly in the back of his throat, he slid his lips down the shaft and then swallowed. Once, twice, and Nick was gone, his hand fisting in Justin's hair as he arched back and came. Justin swallowed again and again until Nick finally collapsed, gasping for breath. Pulling back, Justin gave the sinking tip of his cock a gentle kiss, then pulled himself upward to drop another kiss on Nick's lips. "That..." Nick was staring at him, dazed, a grin growing wider on his lips. "I..." "Yeah." Justin gave him one last kiss. "Told you it got better." "Mmm." Nick closed his eyes. A second later, they shot back open. "You, um, do you want...?" Justin had to grin. "Yeah, I'd like that." Nick's hand was already sliding around his hip, fumbling with the buttons on his pants. The touch sent electricity through Justin. He whimpered, and Nick's smile grew more confident. "Feel good?" He leaned in and whispered the words against Justin's mouth, slipping his tongue out to tease at Justin's lips. "I bet I can make it feel even better." Justin was so caught in the moment that he didn't realize they weren't alone until something yanked him away from Nick and threw him into the wall. Feuds among Node wizard families were the rule rather than the exception. Each family possessed among its members a massive amount of power, and no two families used their power in exactly the same way. The resources of the Lattice--and particularly the Facet worlds--are, however, necessarily finite. Over the centuries, the game played by the families to possess or at least benefit from those resources has frequently been played with a ruthlessness that has inspired distrust and even hatred. There are those who feel that this is the best possible circumstance. If two powerful Node wizard families were to come together in an alliance on trust and cooperation, the precarious balance among the Nodes might be altered forever. Nick was sexually inexperienced, but he was still a wizard and a Baareshe. He wasn't used to being helpless. Whatever the spell was that held him pinned to the mattress, it was strong enough to keep him still when Ash and two other men dragged Justin away from him. And then Justin and the other men just disappeared from the cell, and even though Nick could move, it didn't do any good. He shoved his cock back into his pants and did up the buttons with shaking hands, trying not to think what he'd been doing with his hands and cock just a few minutes before. Trying not to think what might be happening to Justin right now. The Dharchayyas weren't going to be too thrilled that they'd lost their virgin sacrifice. If they hurt Justin, he was going to kill them. His sudden laughter hurt his throat. He was pretty damn possessive for a guy who'd been threatening to kill Justin himself less than an hour before. Resting his head in his hands, he searched his mind for a plan. Anything, no matter how crazy, to get them both out alive. Assuming Justin was still alive. Fuck. He didn't know how long it was until Ash brought Justin back. One minute he was sitting there on the mattress, trying not to remember Justin's hands on him or picture Ash's hands on Justin, and the next Justin was falling against him while Ash stood watching, his face still red with anger. Nick steadied Justin, alarmed at how Justin didn't even attempt to support his own weight. Keeping a distrustful eye on Ash, Nick scanned Justin, noting the raw redness of his face, the way he hunched against Nick, breathing shallowly. Nothing deadly, Nick concluded with the experience gained from having four rough-housing brothers, but Justin was going to be sore and bruised for a while if he didn't get healed. "If you think," Ash said coldly, "that this little stunt is going to save you, you're mistaken. My father isn't one to give up easily." "You won't succeed. I don't have enough power now to anchor even one Lattice line, much less an entire Node." Ash's smile was too self-satisfied. "That's why we'll be sacrificing both of you." He was gone before Nick could do more than swear. Not that Nick could have done much to him with Justin practically lying on him, but Nick was sure he could have figured out something given a few more seconds. "Fuck," Justin gasped, trying to push himself up. Nick didn't let go. "Hey, slow down. How about you lie down and let me see the damage?" The fact that Justin didn't argue worried Nick. A few minutes' breathing, however, seemed to cure that, and he was irritatedly batting away Nick's hands as Nick undid his shirt. "I'm fine, damn it." "Probably," Nick agreed, "but let me check anyway." It always felt odd to touch someone with his power. In a way, it was as intimate as what he and Justin had done earlier. He could 'feel' the resonance of Justin's body, the healthy, steady vibrations and the more sporadic and jerky ones where the bruising was; he could also get hints of Justin's feelings, anger/shame/fear battling with lust as Justin tried not to squirm under his fingers. Nick grinned. "I think you'll live." "That's what I told you." Justin caught Nick's hand, holding it flat against his chest. The sensation was even stranger now, almost, Nick thought, like touching an echo. "Feels weird," Justin said, echoing Nick's thoughts. "Yeah." It was also making Nick hard again, but he figured he wouldn't mention that just then. Although Justin probably could have figured it out for himself without too much difficulty; Nick's pants didn't hide it very well. "I can make the soreness fade," Nick said, forcing his mind onto other matters. "I heal pretty fast." So did Nick; the magic saw to that. But... "We may not have time for that. If they come for us--" Justin sighed. "Okay." It was just a matter of nudging here and there, setting things back in rhythm. Nick had done it many times on himself, his brothers, and anyone else who needed a bit of healing. Serious injuries took a lot more work, but this was just bruising, and wouldn't... "What the fuck was that?" Nick stared at Justin, at his hand on Justin's chest, at the clear, healthy skin that had been red and bruising seconds before. He'd never healed like that before, so smooth and gentle, sliding around the rhythms instead of knocking into them. "I don't know," he answered Justin's question. "It's never felt like that before." "I know." Justin frowned. He hadn't let go of Nick's hand yet. The sensation of the healing was still there, seeming to feed from Justin's hand to Nick's, and it felt so good that it was a little creepy. Nick had just discovered the joys of having someone suck him off; he wasn't sure how he felt about getting the same sensation from touching someone's hand. "What do you think that was?" he asked. "The magic? Maybe they were, I don't know, working together or something?" Nick shook his head. "The last time we tried that, things exploded." Justin sat up, still not letting go of Nick. "But then we were just aiming at the same target. This time, my magic was trying to heal me and so was yours. I think this time they were complementing each other, working together..." They both looked at the door at the same time. Nick glanced at Justin. "You think?" "It's worth a try." Nick nodded, thinking back to how it had felt before. Almost like making love, like Justin's mouth fitting around his cock... He grasped power and light, but didn't release it. Instead, he reached mentally toward Justin, finding the now-familiar resonance and sliding into it. His power was suddenly more, complete, and he guided it carefully toward the door. Instead of blasting the wood this time, he suddenly saw how he could slide in, the light stream he was directing filling the dark places, stretching them--and the dark places were everywhere, in the walls and ceiling and floor and beyond, into rooms he hadn't seen, all defined by the darkness that he was pouring his light into, that never, ever seemed to get full... Justin was letting Nick control the outflow of power because he seemed to know what he was doing, and Justin could see the beginnings of cracks forming in the door. But when the cracks seemed to spread into the walls and Nick's muscles seemed to grow tighter with every inch the cracks grew, Justin started to wonder if they'd made a mistake. "Nick," he said quietly, then reached over and patted Nick's face when he didn't get a response. "Nick?" Nick's breath was coming in quick pants, his grip on Justin's hand so tight that Justin fully expected to have broken bones. Glazed eyes were directed at the door and didn't even twitch when Justin touched him. "Nick, I think we'd better stop now." With a loud groan, the wall next to the door split a hair's breadth, and Nick moaned. The muscles were standing out all over his body, veins dark against his suddenly pale skin. Justin shook him, slapped his face, said his name, but nothing would break his concentration. "Nick, please." For the first time since Chris had come up with the idea of crashing the Baareshe's party, Justin was truly scared. He could feel the pull of his power, but Nick was the one directing it. Justin couldn't stop it, couldn't pull Nick out of whatever magic he was working, and he didn't think Nick was entirely in control any more. He was afraid that pulling his power back would leave Nick behind, but Nick was barely breathing and Justin didn't know how much longer he could stand this. Three things happened at once that took the decision out of Justin's hands. Giving another horrible groan, the crack in the wall split wide open from the ceiling to the floor, Nick slumped bonelessly into Justin's lap, and Ash and his two goons were suddenly in the room with them. "What the fuck are you doing?" Ash shrieked. The two goons started for Justin and Nick. Justin had had enough of their fists earlier; he hit them with a blast of pure power and was more than a little satisfied when they both crashed back into the wall. It was about time someone else got to enjoy that feeling. Ash raised a hand, the start of a spell crackling in the air. Justin braced himself, reaching for shadow to put a shield around him and Nick, and realized that for the first time since he'd woken up here, he could feel the Lattice. So close that he could almost taste it, and he grinned at Ash as he tightened his grip on Nick. "Leaving," he said in answer to Ash's question, and did. Waking up was apparently a very, very bad idea. Nick's head and stomach and most of his joints didn't approve. He was more than willing to give in and go back to sleep, except for the insistent patting on his cheek that refused to go away. "Fuck off, Alex," he muttered, trying to squeeze his eyes tighter shut without making his head explode. "Cheating on me already?" The voice wasn't Alex's. It was familiar, though. Justin? Thoughts moving like sludge, Nick had to fight to remember how to open his eyes. It didn't help that the pat on his cheek had shifted to a steady stroke along his temple and into his hair. Eventually, he dragged his eyelids up just enough to see a blurry figure leaning over him. The last time he'd seen Justin at this angle, he'd gotten a kiss out of it. It didn't seem fair that this time, Justin just wanted to stare at him. "That's better," Justin said. Nick didn't agree, but arguing seemed like too much effort. "I think you're going to be okay. I'm pretty sure you just tried to pull too much power and overloaded, which would mean you'd be fine once you've rested some. A lot. But I don't know for sure, so I don't want you to try anything else until we get home and get you checked out, okay? Because this whole thing is going to be hard enough to explain to our Families without me bringing back a corpse." Nick frowned. He didn't understand why Justin was babbling or why the ceiling had turned blue or why Justin would be bringing dead people home with him, although he really didn't know Justin that well, so for all he knew Justin might have a fetish. "'s pretty kinky," he mumbled. He wasn't sure he approved. "What is?" Nick sighed. He really just wanted a nap and maybe to go home. Hadn't Justin said something about going home? Justin laughed when he asked, and Nick finally got his kiss, but only a chaste peck next to his mouth, which wasn't nearly what he wanted. But then he felt Justin's arms around him and the familiar cool rush of the Lattice around him, so he didn't complain. The power in the Lattice lines seeped into him, giving him enough energy to stand more or less on his own by the time they arrived at the Baareshe Node. Justin pulled them off the line into the garden, his arm still wrapped around Nick's waste. Nick barely had time to enjoy the feeling of being home and not dead before someone bellowed. Justin's arm tightened as they both turned to see eight irate wizards bearing down on them. "Oh, shit," Justin said. Nick agreed. "Where the fuck have you been?" The question came from Kevin and at least one of Justin's brothers at the same time. Nick blinked, his headache starting to pound again. This wasn't going to be fun. "We were fucking kidnapped," Justin snapped back, "and Nick's fucking hurt, so don't fucking start, okay?" Nick snickered. He couldn't help it, he was tired and every single one of his brothers and Justin's were wearing identical expressions of shock and he'd just gotten laid and almost sacrificed and to his punch-drunk mind, at least, it was funny. Funny enough that once he started laughing, he couldn't stop. Until Justin's lips closed over his and he was finally getting his kiss, warm and lingering and sweet. When Justin pulled back, Nick's breathlessness wasn't from laughter. "So, I guess the war's off, then?" someone said from behind them. Nick dropped his head on Justin's shoulder and wondered if it was too late to go back to the dungeon. It took several days to sort everything out. First, Justin had to explain what had happened--several times, as a matter of fact, because Nick had fallen asleep during the first recitation and his brothers weren't willing either to wake him up or believe Justin's version of the story. When he finally had everyone convinced, there was the matter of dealing with the Dharchayya family; it turned out that Nick's spell, whatever it had been, had done most of that work for them. The castle where Nick and Justin had been held was destroyed completely. Justin wasn't entirely sure that he believed the family's claims that all the kidnappers had died in the collapse, but the hefty penance Kevin and Chris had leveled on the family was probably enough to keep them out of trouble for the near future, and Justin intended to keep an eye on them from now on. Then there had been the issue of the magic. Both Families had been interested in Justin's story. He suspected that Joshua, his second oldest brother, and Nick's brother Alex had done some clandestine experimenting on their own, but the only official decision was that the Families would put some research into it once they were sure that Nick and Justin didn't suffer any ill effects. Of course, that meant that the feud had to be put aside. Justin and his brothers were staying at the Baareshe Node while the particulars were worked out. Discussions were still tense, but Justin thought both Families were making progress toward peaceful co-existence. Which was a damn good thing, because he didn't have any plans to give up his growing--whatever it was--with Nick any time soon. Once Nick had finally woken up after three days of sleeping like the dead and had eaten enough food to keep an army fed for a day, he'd proven very eager to practice his new-found skills in bed. And in the garden, and the ballroom, and the hot tub, and just about anywhere else that wasn't occupied when Nick and Justin got there. Not that Justin was complaining. He might have liked to know if he were just a handy body for Nick to make up lost time with or if Nick wanted something more committed, but he could be patient while Nick figured it out. In the end, he didn't have to wait as long as he'd thought he might. Nick came to him one day as he was reading in the garden, for once sitting down beside him instead of climbing into his lap and trying to suck his toes out through his mouth. "Hey," Justin said, putting his book down on the table in front of them. "Hey." Justin raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?" Nick nodded. "I was talking to Kevin." In Justin's experience, talking to Kevin could definitely put someone in a bad mood, but Nick didn't usually seem to have that problem. "Now that the Dharchayyas are gone--or at least, harmless--and the Families are starting to talk trade agreements, he thinks I should go ahead and start my wanderjahr." Justin nodded. It made sense. Nick was already years older than most wizards when they started their journey; he needed to go out and explore the Lattice and grow familiar with how to ride the lines. Until he did, he'd never truly have his independence. If Justin felt a little sad at having to say good-bye, he would just keep it to himself. "I was wondering--" Nick paused, then looked at Justin with the same quiet courage in his eyes as when he'd asked Justin to make love to him the first time. "Would you like to come with me?" Justin couldn't think of anything in all the worlds that he'd like better. |
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