I Thought We Were Friends

by Helios_The_Sun

Summary:

I've been craving a fic where Acheron finds out about Nick and goes mental for years, but can't find one. So I'm writing this to fill the hole in my heart where this belongs. It's probably going to go off the rails pretty fast, but we'll see i guess. This is set approximately around the time of the end of Invision, because I refuse to admit that the end of the next book exists.

“Could Ash possibly know what he was? No, there was no way. Ash wouldn’t have been so lackadaisical about it if he knew. In fact, given his devotion to humans, Acheron would most likely kill him if he ever learned Nick was a Malachai.”
-Inferno, Dark-Hunter: Chronicles of Nick.

Chapter 1: School Sucks

“‘Are you going to kill me because I know?’"

"Acheron paused as he considered his options. Nick Gautier was a lot more than he seemed.” -Infinity, Dark-Hunter: Chronicles of Nick

 

“Honestly, Ma, if you’re going to torment me like this, I’d prefer if you just put me out of my misery.” Nick Gautier looked in the mirror and sighed. He’d finally managed to convince his mother that the Hawiian shirts she’d put him in weren’t the best fashion choice, but then she goes and pulls something like this.

“Hush, Nicky-boo. That’s a perfectly appropriate hairstyle for a boy of your age,” Cherise scolded, “And don’t say things like that, Nicky. You know I’d not be able to handle losing you”

Nick winced, then stooped a bit lower to allow his tiny mother to continue fussing with the haircut she’d forced him to accept at the barber. “I know, Ma, and I don’t mean to worry you, but I’m almost a grown man! This… this is a little kid’s haircut. At least could I wash the gel out? I look five.” He watched in the mirror as his mother’s face fell, and guilt kicked him in the groin.

Cherise stepped back and sighed, glancing at the clock. “Whatever. Just hurry on to class, don’t need you getting another tardy today.” As she watched him rush toward the door, she gnawed her lip before calling out again, “And remember! I’m headed out with Bubba tonight for dinner.” She held a hand up to stop any interjection from him. “It’s nothing serious, Nicky, don’t give me that look. Now hurry up before I get the urge to fix your hair more.”

Nick chuckled at her threat as he headed down the drive and hopped in his silver jaguar to drive the 3 blocks to school. Honestly, it’d be so much faster to walk, but after him being mugged, attacked, or almost killed four different times in the past few years, his mother worried. He didn’t care, hell, he’d welcome the chance to punch another jerk-weed in the face if they tried to get the jump on him, but he owed his poor mother too much to argue. She’d put up with the spawn of a literal devil in her home even after her parents kicked her out for it at only 14. Not to mention what his father had done…

Finally at school and parked, Nick headed inside and made a beeline for his locker, avoiding Stone and his group of bullies as they gathered loudly around a group of cheerleaders. Grimacing, Nick turned away and ducked his head, not wanting to deal with the testosterone-induced drama the wolves would put him through if they remembered he existed. He knew it wasn’t personal. They were instinct driven to weed out those different than them, which definitely included a poor Cajun demon destined to end the world.

Soft hands wrapped around his bicep, which would have startled him if not for the scent of peaches and cream that had caressed him an instant before her hands. “Hey Kody.”

“Hey Nick.” Nekoda Kennedy smiled at him, running a hand down his arm, then placed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Nice haircut. You said it was bad when you texted, but it’s… cute.”

He scoffed. “Cute? Maybe on a preschooler. But, the mother beast doesn’t listen, and those of us she commands must obey. Speaking of, Xev wasn’t home when I woke up today, do you think he’s alright?” Xevikan was honestly about as much the antithesis of a people person as you could get, which was quite alright. If he started to get out and, gods forbid, mingle with people, things would get quite messy. An ancient god who was birthed straight from the oldest of darknesses, Xev had just the same ability to end the world as Nick, but with thousands of years more battle experience. Oh, and he was also Nick’s grandpa. Yeah, their family was a mess.

“I’ll ask Caleb, but you know how he gets when we bring up his brother.” Kody gave him a sweet smile, patting his cheek as she laughed at the grimace that had begun to grow on Nick’s face. “Don’t worry, you’d know if he was getting out of hand. As your Sarru-Dara, he’d begin to draw power from you if he was truly uncontrollable.”

Strangely, knowing that his insane divine friend would begin to tap into the powers of the world’s strongest demon if he went off the deep end didn’t exactly cheer Nick up. Huh, who’d have figured. “Thanks, Kody, that makes me feel sooo much better- not.” He glanced around. “Speaking of my favorite pain in the ass, have you seen Ca-”

His words were cut off by a shoulder being rammed into his, making him drop the books he’d been taking out of his locker. Nick spun around, eyes blazing fury, only to see Caleb standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face. The smile faded instantly as he spun Nick around to face the wall and growled in his ear, “Cut it out.”

“Huh? Oh, hell.” Nick grimaced as he pushed Caleb away and blinked hard, feeling his vision slide back to human, having gone full demon vision when Caleb had bumped him. “That’s not good.”

“You think? You need to keep that shit under control. We don’t need some dumbass wolf sniffing around and calling for an exorcist. I don’t have the patience to clean up that much blood today.” Caleb wrinkled his nose, then patted the disgruntled Malachai on the back. “Don’t worry, buttmunch, it wouldn’t be your blood.” He paused. “Well not most of it.”

Kody snapped her fingers in front of the boys’ noses and sighed. “Guys, no demon-talk in the hall, maybe? You can just…” Talk like this, you know Her voice echoed in their heads.

Caleb snorted, “Where’s the fun in that, sweet cheeks?” They began to head to class, Caleb griping the entire way. “God, I hate high school. Remind me why I’m here?”

“You’re here, Mister Malphas, to get an education and be of use to society.” Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Richardson, stood beside the door with an expression as if they’d just come from swimming in a dumpster, which was something Nick had personal experience with. She looked over at Nick for a moment before turning back to Caleb, “Unlike others, you have that chance, Malphas. I’d suggest you take it. We wouldn’t want you to end up as a Bourbon Street stripper, now would we?” The last few words were delivered with the haughtiest of smirks toward Nick.

His vision darkened in rage, but Nick managed to look down before she could notice his eyes, which had turned a solid black again. Kody shot him a sympathetic glance, then hurried into the classroom.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’d hate to end up working a dead end job having to deal with people like me every day.” Caleb smiled winningly as he spoke, his words rolling over the teacher like silk, smooth and cool.

She didn’t notice the dig built in, but instead smiled, inclining her head to him. “Exactly. Now get in before the bell rings.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Caleb and Nick made their way to the desks beside and behind Kody just as the bell signalled the beginning of the school day.

Nice one, Caleb. Nick managed to keep his face stoic as Kody’s voice rang in their heads, then faced the front as school began in earnest.

Chapter 2: I Claim Sanctuary

By the end of the school day, Nick was getting frustrated. Honestly, he was supposed to be some all powerful demon, why was he sitting here learning how to find the length of x side of a trapezoid? Caleb was lucky, he might be sitting through classes but he actually already knew this stuff, he didn’t have to actually learn any of it. Nick didn’t have that luxury.

“You gonna stay here all night or..?” Nick looked up at the sound of Kody’s voice, puzzled to see a mostly empty classroom and her standing over him. “We have plans to eat at Sanctuary, and I for one do not want to face your mom if we're late.” She shuddered as if the very idea was terrifying, which it rightfully was.

“Sorry, I’m… I’m not sure where my head is right now. I didn’t even hear the bell.” He stood and followed her out to their lockers, where he stashed his books and grabbed his backpack, then glanced around for Caleb. “Where’s grumpy?” It wasn’t like the daeve to leave him alone, although with the Celtic trio at Caleb’s house, Nick supposed he wouldn’t want to leave them alone for too long, either. Vawn, Kaziel, and Aeron were a nightmare alone, much less all together.

Kody shrugged, “He needed to check in back at home.” She smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, or tried to. She ended up giving in and just taking his arm in hers.. “Not to mention, now our study session at Sanctuary can be a study date instead, so I may have asked him to let us have the time alone.” Sanctuary was a bar and grill nearby, that featured live music and a great menu. Oh, and the workers were all Were-Hunters.

The bar was owned by a family of werebears, including a set of identical quadruplets whose personalities could not be more different from each other. Nick scoffed at the idea of having any kind of date there, though. “You and I both know my mamma ain’t gonna let me have any kind of date at her work. Study or not.” He paused, then conceded, “She does like you a lot, so as long as we don’t mention the D-word we should be alright.” Nick opened the passenger door of his car for her, then moved to go around to his. He caught the little defiant gleam in her eyes as she paused before sitting down and laughed. “Don’t worry, cher, I’m not thinking you’re weak or can’t do it yourself. I’m just trying to be a gentleman.”

With a laugh, Kody lowered herself onto the seat and inclined her head to him, then waited until he was back inside the car. "I know you trust me, Nick, I was just trying to figure out if it's too late to have our study date somewhere else." She let out a overly drawn out sigh and grinned at his skeptical look. "You know I love Cherise, Nick. I was just hoping to get to chat without being overheard, and I may have forgotten that she'd be working right now."

“Yeah, well. We told her we’d be over after school to study until I have to leave for work, since Kyrian doesn’t need much today and is letting me come in later in the afternoon instead. If we don’t show up, she’ll get worried and I’ll get grounded.” Nick grinned apologetically at Kody, then pulled out of the school parking lot and began the short drive to Sanctuary. “She’ll ask about Caleb, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Oh, but uh… Avoid mentioning that Zavid is Caleb’s... dog, if possible. She thinks Caleb has one dog named Spot, and it’d just be a hassle.”

The trip to Sanctuary wasn’t long, and before they knew it, Nick was pulling into the small parking area beside the bar, then turning off the car. He pocketed the keys and grabbed his backpack as they opened the doors and stepped out. After locking it with the key fob, Nick offered Kody his arm. She laughed and took it, inclining her head to him before they headed up the path to the door, where a stern-faced man stood. He had a bare (pardon the pun) face, so Nick knew it wasn’t Dev, and the bear seemed none too happy to see Nick standing there. “Heyyy… man. Care to let me in?” The glower on the man’s face and his near sneer at Nick’s arrival led to only one conclusion. Yay. Remi was the one at the door, and Nick really didn’t want to deal with His Surliness today. “C’mon dude. My mom’s working today and she’s gonna be pissed with a capital P if I don’t show up soon.”

Remi’s scowl didn’t lessen, but he stepped aside and watched them enter with a look of absolute rage in his eyes that would have caused a lesser man to run screaming. Thankfully, they made it inside without incident, and after waving at Aimee over by the bar, Nick led Kody to a table near the corner. The band was still warming up, and since the majority of customers Sanctuary catered to were nocturnal, only a small number of tables were full, almost all with humans. Nick pulled out his math book, and set it on the corner of the table as Kody retrieved the worksheets and a calculator. “Alright, Nick. I’ve got you covered with math, but you’re going to help me with the english homework, sound good?” Without waiting for a response, she continued, “Now, let’s look at this first problem right here…”

They’d been working for close to an hour when Nick’s mom brought them each a burger and a soda, and a basket of fries to split. “Here you go, Nicky. You’ve been working real hard so far, I’m proud of both of you. And Miss Kody? I accidentally overheard you having some issues with your reading, I wanted to tell you I think you’re doing amazing. It’s not easy to learn when your own mind’s against you. Now, eat up, both of y’all. You only have about another hour until Nick needs to head over to work.”

“I know, Mama, and thank you.” Nick grimaced good-naturedly as his mom bent down to kiss his cheek. “Gah, woman. Don’t do stuff like that in public, that’s just nasty!”

“Oh, nasty, huh? Boy, I’ll whoop you, you know I will. Now, keep working, I need to head back to the kitchen and get to work myself.” She squeezed his shoulder and smiled at Kody before disappearing. Nick shuddered and picked up his pencil.

With a grin, Kody pointed to the next page with a fry she’d picked up and inclined her head. “Next problem, Nick. We’re over halfway done, and then we can get going.” They got back to work in between bites of dinner, until finally they were able to set it aside and stand up. Nick grabbed their plates to take them back to his mom in the kitchen, knowing she’d not be happy if he left them on the table like a regular customer. Cherise smiled at him, then tilted her head, seemingly remembering something.

“Nicky, did you see Mr. Fuzzyboots this morning? I couldn’t find him, and he didn’t come when I was filling his bowl like he usually does.” Xev was extremely overprotective of his granddaughter, and usually didn’t let her out of his sight. This wasn’t like him.

Nick and Kody exchanged a worried look, which Nick quickly hid as he smiled at his mother. “I’m sure he’s fine, probably got himself stuck in the closet or something, or fell asleep. I’ll look for him while I drop my bag off at home, I’m sure Kyrian won’t mind, especially since that takes me near his dry cleaners anyway, to pick up his suit for the... conference.” They said goodbye to his mother and hurried out, Nick texting Kyrian to say he’d be picking up the dry cleaning first.

Kody gave him a worried look. “You don’t think he’s gone missing, do you?” The expression on Nick’s face was not one that gave her hope. “He wouldn’t wander off on his own, not while Cherise is home alone. If he’s gone…”

Nick sighed and started the car, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Something’s got him.”

Notes:

I would like to say that I reread the book which shall not be named, and it reminded me that Xevikan is Jared's father, which would make him Nick's great-grandfather, not his grandfather. Whoops.

Chapter 3: We Need to Talk About The Bra

As they pulled out of the Sanctuary parking lot, Nick’s head spun with worry for his friend, and himself. Xev was one scary SOB, anything that could take him out was something Nick didn’t want to see. What if it was… No, Nick couldn’t think that name, or about that, that being. But what if? He’d come after them before, recently in fact, and he did have a very personal vendetta against both Nick and Xevikan. He kept his eyes on the road as his head spun, the outer edges of his eyes darkening as his thoughts spiraled further and further from his control.

“Nick? Nick, snap out of it.” Kody turned in her seat to stare at him intensely. “There’s no reason to get upset until we know for sure what’s happening. Now, is there anywhere you know of that he’d go on his own? Or anyone he might go visit?”

Eyes glued to the bumper of the car in front of him, Nick takes a deep breath. Then a second for good measure. “He might have gone to see Dagon, call Caleb and see if he’s there.”

Kody didn’t have to ask which “he” Nick had meant. If Xev had tried to visit Caleb, they’d all know. Hell, if he ever stepped foot in Caleb’s house, Xev would probably find himself arrested before he could say “Oops”. She flipped open her phone and tapped Caleb’s name. The phone rang for several moments, then a surly voice picked up on the other end.

“What is it, Kody. I’m in the middle of -” A loud crash filtered through the receiver, followed by a curse Nick had never heard before, but was definitely saving for later. Caleb’s voice was muffled, mixed with a deeper tone that was inaudible. “I swear to all that is holy and unholy, if you don’t stop destroying my house looking for alcohol, you won’t live to have another drink. No, I’m not being unreasonable, that was over ten millennia ol- Yes, that’s a long time for an object that fragile to survive. No, you can’t make it better with chewing gum.” The noise in the background paused and Caleb’s attention came back to Kody. “What’d you need?”

“We were wondering if Dagon was there with you? It’s important.”

“Yeah, he’s the one trying to- No! I said leave that alone!- Find the bottles I took from him the other night.” In a voice obviously meant for not just them, he continued. “Bottles I gave back the next day, and they already drank!” He sighed. “But anyway, what’s up? Did you need him for something?”

They exchanged a glance, Kody hesitant and Nick trying not to laugh. Speaking slowly, Kody started to ask something, then changed her mind. “It’s nothing. We just needed to know, was all.” She paused, seemingly debating over something. “We’ll call you if we run into any trouble. Thanks, Caleb.”

“Yeah…” His attention was already gone, focused on the muffled voices in the background. “Yes, I did give it back, and yes, you did drink it. Stop acting like a child. Oh, I’m the child? You ancient-” The call ended suddenly.

“Well… We know he’s not with Dagon. Let’s just try to drive around and see if he’s around, ok? If something had happened to him, we’d know.” Kody rubbed his shoulder calmingly as they drove down the street, checking alleys and dark shops for anything nearby. “For all we know, he’s just curled up asleep on the bed, and your mom didn’t notice him. We can look for a bit as we drive back to your house, then make sure he’s not there before we panic.”

Nick grimaced, nodding his head at her words, then turning the corner toward his house. They made sure to keep their eyes peeled the whole way to his house, but didn’t end up finding him. As soon as he’d parked, Nick bounded up the steps and unlocked the door. The living room was silent. He made his way to the bedroom with Kody hot on his heels, taking in the empty bed and chair, then opening the door to the closet to stare at the sealed cardboard boxes that took up residency there.

“He’s not here.” Nick spun around and looked at Kody with a panicked expression, eyes dark as spilled ink. “Where is he? If he’d been taken by someone looking to get me, we’d have heard something by now. Mennie’d have told us if she saw him elsewhere, right? I mean… she would. Right?”

Placing her hands on his cheeks, Kody hushed him softly. “Xev is a lot stronger than you think. He’d be hard to capture without a major fight, and he has the ability to contact you mind to mind, like I do. Don’t worry, Nick. We can go look around some more, and if we can’t find him by tomorrow, we can start to worry.”

Inhaling deeply, he nodded. They turned to leave, closing and locking the front door behind them, then climbed back in the car. They agreed on a route, then pulled out of the driveway and headed off to find Xev. A few hours later, they were about to give up when Nick stopped the car suddenly, making Kody snap forward in her seat with a soft groan.

“Warn a girl next time, ok?” Kody rubbed her aching ribs and turned to see what had caught Nick’s attention, but couldn’t quite see what he was looking at from the other side of the car. “Nick? What is it?”

“I’m either going crazy… or that’s… Xev? I mean it looks like him, but…” Nick parked the car on the side of the street, then got out as Kody scrambled to follow, confused. “Yeah, I’m almost certain that’s him, but what’s he doing surrounded by… kids?”

“What?” Kody was incredulous, but by then she could see what Nick had. Xev, as a cat, was lying on his side being petted by at least six or so kids, there might have been one more or less, they were moving too much to be certain. The kids, varying from around three to around ten years of age, had dressed him in some kind of mermaid costume for cats, with a pink seashell bra and all. They stood on the sidewalk a moment, watching as Xev dozed in the sun with children swarming him, eyes half closed but focused on Nick.

Nick turned to the kids with a wave. “Hi guys! You look like you’re having fun!” The youngest of the group turned to him and squealed, then hid behind what seemed to be her older brother. The boy looked up at Nick nervously, as if unsure what to make of him. Nick flashed a toothy smile at the boy, then continued, “I’ve been looking all over for my cat, he ran away this morning and I haven’t been able to find him. Does that one’s collar say Mr. Fuzzyboots?”

The oldest boy looked at Kody, then back at Nick, a frown forming on his dirt-streaked face. “Yeah… But we’re having fun with him, Mister. Does he really need to go right now?” Nick winced at the plaintive tone of the boy’s voice, and the faces of the other kids as they realized what was going on.

“Yeah… I gotta take him, I’m afraid. My mom’s really worried that he could be lost.” That last part was said with a very direct look at Xev, causing the cat to huff and roll over to face away from Nick. Gritting his teeth, he gave the boy as friendly of a smile as he could. “I’m really sorry I have to, though. Maybe we’ll come back for a visit sometime, if I can get my mom to let him out of the house ever again.”

The kid’s eyes lit up and he bounced a little on his toes, clapping a bit. “That’d be really cool! We were all having such fun with him, I’m sure it’ll be ok if you take him, if you’re gonna visit again sometime!”

Nick scooped Xev up and winced at the claws that dug into his arm as he gently removed the mermaid costume, and handed it to the kids. They said a tearful goodbye, then he and Kody headed back to the car, Xev still trying freestyle acupuncture on Nick’s arm. As soon as they were out of sight from the kids, Xev skulked back to the backseat and laid there, not moving, until Nick pulled back into the driveway at home.

As soon as they stopped and Kody opened her door to get out, he bolted over her lap and out of the car, hopping through a window that Nick was almost certain hadn’t been open when they’d pulled in. Sighing, the two humans, or semi humans rather, made their way up the drive and entered through the front door. As they stepped inside, Xev came through the door to Nick’s bedroom, a bitter expression on his face as he stood in front of them, eyes narrowed and arms folded over his chest.

Oblivious to Xev’s anger, Nick was barely managing to keep a leash on his own. As soon as the door was shut, he spun and glared daggers at Xev. “What. The. Hell? We thought you were, I don’t know, roasting on a spit in some dungeon in Asmodeus, and we find you, what? Just calmly hanging out on a random street in the middle of nowhere? Without thinking that just maybe you should tell us when you’re going to leave?”

Nick thought vaguely that he really shouldn’t be this angry, but that voice in his head was quickly silenced under a wave of pure helpless rage that coursed through his veins as he stood there. The strength of the feeling choked him until all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat, and those of Xev and Kody. His eyes were solid black, and waves of rippling red marbled its way down his arms as his fingernails thickened into claws.

Kody watched, frozen in place, as Nick began to transform from something so small, terrified of what that meant for them in keeping his powers locked firmly on the side of the light.

Xevikan had no such inhibitions. “I’m not a child. I’m not a prisoner, to be kept here against my will, and I will not answer to you for using the freedom you granted me. You do not get to decide what I can and cannot do, nor will I allow you the power to monitor my every action.” He turned to Kody with an expression that seemed almost... hurt? “You should know better, Bellami. I expect nothing more than a human’s ability to reason from this embryo of a Malachi, but you… You should know better. I am not a trifle of a god. I do not need to be babysat and watched.”

Their anger was almost palatable, and Kody was left stumbling as she tried to reason out why either of them were so upset. Xev was never flippant about making sure they knew he was alright, and Nick of anyone knew that people don’t want to be made to feel like you think they’re helpless. Unsure of what to do, she grabbed Nick’s hand and pulled him into a tight hug, whispering in his ear. “Breathe. Breathe. This isn’t right, you need to breathe and help me figure out what’s going on. Nick.” She leaned back and looked him in the eyes, which were still dark even though his skin had returned to its normal hue. “Nick look at me. Breathe, and come back to me. Something’s wrong.”

Inside Nick’s head, where there was nothing but the sound of their heartbeats, her voice began to filter through. He focused on the sound of her voice until he could make out words, then started to notice the tendrils of pure shadow wrapped around his body, reaching out to envelope him. That wasn’t right. They didn’t belong here… yes, that was it. They didn’t belong here, and Nick… Nick wasn’t angry. The feeling of pure malice faded as he mentally pulled the tendrils from himself, commanding the darkness to return and not cling to him anymore. It was unwilling, but he was stronger. This was his body, his emotions, and no one would be doing this to him.

Eyes fading to his normal blue, Nick looked over at Xevikan and reached over to touch his friend’s shoulder. Xev flinched, then his eyes lit up and he looked at Nick, blinking furiously.

“Anyone care to explain what just happened?” Kody looked between the two with a furrowed brow, concern written on her face.

“Noir?” Xev watched Nick intently. “But it didn’t feel quite like him.”

Nick sighed, “It’s the same shadow stuff that I used in the other dimension, but this time it was a lot stronger. It managed to rope you into it, too.” He turned to look at Kody. “I really hope this isn’t going to be a regular occurrence. If it happens again, I’ll ask Caleb if he’s got any ideas. He was with my father for a long time, he should have some insight.”

They stood in silence for a moment, until Nick’s phone rang, cutting through the air. He glanced down before swearing suddenly, then answering with a grimace. “Hey boss. Yeah, I’m sorry, my cat- yeah I know. I should have been paying attention to the time. I know, it’s been several hours. Yeah. I’ll be there as soon as I- Huh? What do you mean?” Kody and Xev exchanged confused glances as Nick froze. “Ash? What are you talking about?” Kody’s eyes widened and she moved to hear both sides of the conversation.

“You need to get here, now, kid.” Acheron’s voice was deadly serious, taking on the thick accent he really only had when upset, like when Nick had crashed his car into some trash cans that had definitely jumped in his way, but that was beside the point. “I can’t explain right now, but it’d be a bad idea if you didn’t get here in the next few minutes.”

“What’s going on?” Nick was headed out the door, Kody right behind him, and Xev worriedly staying behind. It’d be… not great if Ash saw him, they knew. “I’m on my way, Kody’s with me. I need to know what I’m getting into, Ash.”

Acheron got quiet, then spoke in a low voice, “If you know what's going on before you get here, you’d look guilty, Nick. Just drive safe and get here soon, and you’ll be fine.” He hung up without another word.

Kody bit her lip, a feeling of dread washing over her as they drove toward Kyrian’s house. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

Notes:

I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been having a really, really rough time lately. Most of that, I won't go into, but I'll be hopefully writing a lot more until I can get a valid ID to let me get a job. I'm really glad you guys liked the other chapters, and I hope you like this one too. I'll admit it might not be my best work, but I think it got the information across that you'll need for later chapters. Have a great day and stay safe, guys!

Chapter 4: That's Not Normal... Right?

“Nick, calm down. You’ll do no one any good if you get us pulled over.” Kody leaned over and rubbed Nick’s knee calmingly, giving him a gently probing glance. “We don’t know what we’re walking into, it’s better to go in calm and alert than panicked.”

“Easy for you to say…” Nick grimaced and gave her an apologetic glance after the muttered words. “Sorry, I know. I’m just terrified it’s going to be something awful. Ash seemed to think it was, and anything that scares that man...god… demon… scares me too.” He winced, but managed to slow to something resembling the speed limit.

Kody sat up straight and took a deep breath, adjusting her seatbelt and making sure her knife was still tucked away out of sight at her waist. “All the more reason to be calm going in. If it was a fight we were walking into, Ash would have warned us.” They stopped at the sign on the corner of Kyrian’s street, getting a view of what looked to be several police cars all sitting in front of the driveway. Nick cursed, getting him a sideways glance from Kody, but she didn’t say anything, it did look bad.

They pulled up in front of the house and Nick stepped out first, walking over to where Ash was standing with two officers on the front lawn. Several others seemed to be hanging back, but they were there alright. Kyrian was nowhere in sight, probably due to the fact that the sun still wouldn’t set for another hour or so, and he was very nocturnal. Dark Hunters, other than Acheron, tended to be that way.

One of the officers on the lawn glanced over and her face hardened as Ash smiled cooly and turned to Nick, speaking up before the cop could, “You’re here.” He turned back to the woman and inclined his head. “I told you he’d come. Now, you can tell us all what you’re here for.” There was no mistaking the command he’d put in his voice, and even the human officer bristled under it, but complied.

She turned to Nick again, sparing Kody only a glance. “We have a warrant out for the arrest of one Nicholas Gautier. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. It would go much easier on all of us if you’d comply.”

Eyes wide, Nick looked from Ash to Kody to the silent cop standing in the back, then to the one speaking to him. “I’m… sorry? I didn’t do nothing, I swear it.” He stepped forward a half step, shocked, causing the female officer to move backwards quickly. What the hell?

With a small sigh of disgust, she reaches to her belt for a pair of handcuffs. “Just once, it’d be nice to have someone comply right away. You’ll be informed of the charges once we’re down at the station.”

“Tell him the charges.” Ash’s tone was firm and calm, as if just telling a child to stop trying to jump on his foot. “It’s not like it matters one way or another.”

The other officer finally spoke up, looking rather uncomfortable with the whole situation. Nick suddenly realized he recognized that one, he was Kyrian’s friend, who came from a squire lineage. “We have you for two possible cases of murder.”

Nick froze. “What?”

“Your friends, Alan and Tyree were found dead. You’ve been seen declaring that you would kill them, and you have a history of violence and even a previous altercation with one of them that included firearms and attempted robbery.” He gave Nick a wan smile as the other officer cuffed him.

“Yeah, when he was trying to rob me! At gunpoint!”

Officer number one led him to the car and deposited him in the back. “All the more reason to have killed them.” She and the male officer got into the car as Ash and Kody watched, then they pulled away.

At the station, the officers began to lead him toward the building when Nick’s… ‘lawyer’ stepped in front of them. Virgil gave Nick a fanged grin, looking no older than twenty, but to the humans he appeared a respectable middle aged man. “Hey there, Mary.”

The woman spun around and cursed, keeping a tight grip on Nick’s arm. “Don’t tell me he’s your client.”

“Afraid so, and I’d really appreciate it if you could have him taken to the single cell reserved for my… special cases.” With a wink to Nick, Virgil began making his way into the station, not even giving a passing thought to the idea that they wouldn’t listen.

“He’s not getting special treatment just because he has the money to hire a fancy lawyer like you. He goes in with the others, and you can wait until we have him booked and settled in to argue his case.” Officer Mary McKowl shoved Nick inside, the other trailing after, looking increasingly uncomfortable at the disclosure that Kyrian’s squire should have been given Virgil’s separate cell.

The last thing Nick saw of Virgil was his eyes wide, his entire body displaying shock that this human woman had been able to ignore his silkspeech. As his attention focused on the inside of the station, Nick cringed and tried unsuccessfully to ignore the intense swell of rage and power surging through him from the moment he entered the doors. It sent living fire through his veins, and he had to close his eyes as he felt them slide into the familiar demon darkness.

Getting processed and placed in the cell was a blur, the hours it took blending together until Nick found himself sitting in the dark on a cot. No, that wasn’t right. The lights were on, he could tell they were. Why couldn’t he see anything? His pulse pounded in his ears, skin numb. Nothing felt real, nothing but the sea of boiling anger and despair and sorrow threatening to invade every inch of his brain, every piece of his soul. It poured deep into his core, and he felt numbness creep closer and closer as the whispers started.

They dug into every cruel thought he’d ever had about himself, and every word spoken against him. His mother’s disgust, his teacher’s gloating, the shame he felt when he arrived at school drenched in sweat and wearing ugly, threadbare clothes every day. It was all so much, everything magnified by the emotions of the people in the jail with him, until Nick couldn’t tell which direction was up. He could feel a slight tickling at the edge of his mind, as a vaguely familiar voice tried to get his attention, but it was drowned out by the onslaught he was under, until nothing existed.

~~~~

Virgil cursed under his breath as he waited in the plain white room, glancing around every few seconds. They really needed to hurry this up, having a Malachai, young or not, in a place like this, well… even Virgil himself could feel the darkness pervading this place, and he wasn’t able to tap into it. If they let Nick stew in here for too long… He was snapped out his musings by the door opening and a shell-shocked Nick being led into the room by someone else, someone Virgil hadn’t met before and honestly couldn’t care less about at the moment.

“Nick?”

No response.

Again. “Nick!” He reached out to touch Nick’s shoulder, only to flinch away at the last moment as eyes black and shiny as twin ink pools looked up at him. There was no Nick in that gaze, and it terrified him, not that Virgil would ever admit that to anyone. “Come on, buddy. We need to work together here, to get you out of here. Nick?”

It was no use, Nick just stood there, watching Virgil with the same interest a tiger would bestow on a mouse. Indifference. Neither moved until the officer knocked, then came in to escort a non-resistant Nick back to the cell, in the main holding block. Virgil cursed again and began to pace, then dialed Caleb again, needing to tell the daeve to hurry his butt up. It went to voicemail instantly. Again. Dammit! Where was that pain in the buttocks when you needed him? Gah… Who else could he call? He knew Acheron and Kyrian were already trying to get it settled outside of court, but that wasn’t going to work. He sighed, and lowered his head into his hands, thinking hard as he waited for the next step to begin.

~~~~

Acheron Parthenopaeus was not amused. Human justice had seemed to be better in modern times, from a distance. Up close? This was getting annoying. They hadn’t let him see Nick yet, even though they’d let that demonspawn Virgil in. Ash knew Virgil was one of Caleb’s acquaintances, so his presence wasn’t completely out of the blue. Yet, there was still the question of why Malphas would be so close to Nick. The daeve had deflected every time Ash had questioned him on it, and with his particular curse of being unable to see anything that would affect him, Ash wasn’t able to just look into the aether and figure out the connection.

Connections… It was odd that the Malachai’s little pet demon was playing bff with a random human squire, unless he was doing it to get closer to Kyrian and thereby Acheron? No, that wasn’t it. There were much easier ways to get close to Ash. He rubbed the tattoo on his forearm and felt the burn as Simi shifted slightly. Yes, if there was anyone to befriend in order to get close to him, it wouldn’t be Nick. Unless Malphas didn’t know about Simi? Ash had been pretty careful to make sure no one knew he had a living charonte, so maybe the daeve really had thought Nick was the best way to get to him?

He sighed. None of that mattered right now, only Nick did.

Ash shook his head and stood, pacing back and forth as Kyrian stood to one side, talking in low tones to Cherise. Bubba had picked her up from work as soon as they got the news, the Peltiers perfectly happy to let her go, especially since the news came from Ash himself. His pacing brought him to where he had a clear view of Nick as he was led back from the meeting with Virgil. As if sensing his gaze, Nick looked up.

His eyes were solid, unyielding black.

Notes:

I named the female officer Jenny until I was writing it the second time and realized it would be literally Officer Jenny, lol.

Hey! If you have any criticism or things you particularly like, it'd be amazing to have the feedback!

Chapter 5: Charonte and a Hard Place

Virgil was so done with this. Nick wasn’t his responsibility! Yet here he was, babysitting the world’s most explosive teenager, one that was primed to blow at any instant. Where in the world was Caleb?

~~~~

Nekoda’s heart was in her throat as she stood in the waiting room, frantically trying to contact Caleb. Acheron had excused himself a moment earlier, and although Kody wasn’t sure why, dread pooled in her stomach and coiled around her chest, making it hard to breathe. This was some sort of premonition, but she couldn’t tell of what, only that something terrible was happening. Caleb, where are you?

~~~~

The crystal blue waves crashed against the brilliant white of the shore as Acheron Parthenopaeus stood with his back to the setting sun. Nothing outwardly showed any hint of emotion, though Savitar could tell something was wrong. An immortal god-killer called a chthonian, Savitar had powers that could probably make even Ash hesitate, but right now he didn’t want to test that.

“What's wrong?” His accent thick and unplaceable to anyone of the modern era, Ash’s oldest friend tilted his head and stepped closer. “I can’t see anything out of place.” Savitar’s powers of foresight only ever seemed to warn him when there was no stopping fate, but he supposed it was better than Ash only ever being able to see the future of strangers.

“What is Nick?” Eyes afire, Acheron met Savitar’s gaze as an equal, something not many creatures could.

“Nick?” Savitar curled his lip and frowned. “Kyrian’s squire? That’s all I know of him. I can’t see his path, Ash, but you know that’s pretty common with people being meddled with by the supernatural.”

Ash cursed. “He’s not human, Sav. I’m not sure what he is, but what I saw today wasn’t human.” He paused, lost in thought, then cursed again. “How did I not realize it before? The kid’s mind can’t be wiped, but I just put that down to him being the stubborn cajun he is.” With a sigh, Ash gave Savitar a hard look. “I don’t want to have to put him down, Sav, and Kyrian is going to hate me if I have to.”

“Woah there, buddy. Slow down, what exactly did you see that convinced you he wasn’t human? Was it possible he doesn’t know?”

“He was taken into police custody today and while they were leading him back to his cell after talking to that vampire lawyer of his, I got a glimpse of his eyes. They were demon’s eyes, Sav. And his face… You know me. I don’t scare easily, but the look on his face was of the most pure and condensed evil I’ve seen outside of Azmodea.”

Savitar frowned, setting his board down and closing his eyes. A moment later he opened them again, grumbling. “I still can’t see anything. Are you sure he’s not just possessed?”

“You know Nick, Sav! Anything that’d be able to possess him… Well, that would explain why it feels so strong, but… No, that turncoat daeve that hangs around him would have noticed, and even if he was in on it, that would just make him want to keep me away from Nick.” Ash’s fingers gently traced the shape of his dragon tattoo where it rested on his arm. The lines burned like it was freshly done, letting him know Simi was reacting to his heightened emotions.

His demon daughter rarely left his side unless he was busy with things or… people… she shouldn’t be around. Especially if those things needed any degree of subtlety. Simi preferred to just eat her problems. Right now, she was an angry dragon curling around his bicep, head resting over his heart. She couldn’t see or hear like this, but was still very sensitive to his emotions.

Before he could excuse himself to send her away, she popped off his arm and noticed Savitar. With a squeal of glee, Simi jumped into the cthonian’s arms, hugging him tight. “The Simi wondered why Akri was so upset, but now she knows it’s just cause he’s talking to you, Akri-Savitar! What’s you doing to make the simi’s Akri so sad, hmm?”

Cutting in quickly, Ash gently took Simi from Savitar and sighed. “He didn’t do anything, little Simi. I’m just concerned about something.”

“What is it, Akri?”

“Nothing you need to know about, Simi.”

“But Akri pleaseeeeeeeeeee”

Acheron set her down, fighting the urge to flash her home. He knew if he didn’t answer, he’d never hear the end of it. “I’m worried about Nick, Simi. We think he might be possessed.”

Simi burst out laughing, causing Ash and Savitar to share a concerned grimace, then turn to stare at her. She managed to compose herself for a moment, then a look up at their utterly confused faces sent her into a fit of giggles again. “Akri… thinks..." She hid her smile behind a manicured hand, “That… that Akri-Nick is possessed? That’s the funniest thing the Simi’s ever heard!”

Savitar stepped closer, suddenly seeming a bit more concerned. “Why is that funny, Simi?”

“You can’t possess a demon-boy, silly Akri-Savitar!” Her laughter stopped as she gave them a suddenly thoughtful look. “Akri, don’t tell me you didn’t know? Sheesh, you god-peoples and not being able to smell anything.”

“Simi.” Ash’s voice was dark as he met her gaze and held it with his own, eyes swirling silver. “What kind of demon is Nick?”

Simi pursed her lips and tapped them with a finger, in a way which would have been extremely cute if Ash wasn’t so damn stressed. “What kind of demon-boy is Akri-Nick… Hmm… The Simi knows this, it’s on the tip of her nose. Wait, no… the tip of her tongue?” She paused and turned to the men. “Why we call it ‘tip of her tongue’? Words don’t come out the tongue... Silly human sayings.”

“Simi.”

“Okay, okay, hold your horses… Mmm… horses…” A glance from Ash and she grinned sheepishly. “The Simi remembers! He’s that Malachite demon! Wait, no, that’s a kind of jewelry...”

“Simi.” Acheron’s voice was strained as he tried to make sense of what she’d just said. “Did you mean… a Malachai?”

“Oh! Akri knows the word. Yes, that’s the one.”

Savitar’s gaze met Acheron’s and for a moment, the ancient cthonian was scared. Not for himself, no… But for the squire who was now going to face The Harbinger.

Notes:

Y'allllllllllll I have no excuses other than mental health sucks. Also, remember that issue I had with not being able to get an ID or work back in like... September? The time frame for that has been extended to April...Thank you to everyone leaving messages or kudos, it really does mean a lot.

Shorter chapter this time, but I should have a longer one posted within the next week (fingers crossed I can manage it)

In other news! I have decided to say fuck the canon material. Specifically the Chronicles of Nick canon material, since I have been trying so hard to read the last two books, but the writing in them is just abstract and round enough that my poor autistic brain cannot handle it.

I've also gotten a buddy to help keep me to task on updating regularly! Also, shameless plug, go to my tumblr 'asimplegayfan' to see updates and possible writing commissions coming soon? Ooo?

Chapter 6: Good Demon-boy

Caleb was pissed. He’d been traipsing through this dumb greyscale world for hours trying to find those damn alcohol-fueled disasters. They’d taken his phone, and busted his internal radio with their infernal shouting in his head. Who knew what kind of stuff Nick could be getting into while he was-

Cabal. Cabal. Cabal.

What the… Caleb flashed instantly to where he’d been summoned, unable to refuse. He arrived in the police station’s single stall bathroom with eyes blazing, skin a mottled orange and hair a blazing red. “WHO DARES- Oh, hey Kody. Wait. When did you learn my-”

“Not now, Caleb. Yell at me later. Nick’s in trouble.”

Caleb rolled his eyes, instantly appearing human again. “He’s always in trouble. What is it this time?”

“He’s in police custody.”

“Where’s Virgil?”

“Virgil can’t get him out fast enough, Nick’s already completely gone… weird.” She hesitated a moment, then looked away, speaking so quietly that he could barely hear her. “I think Ash saw something he shouldn’t have.”

Shit.

~~~~

Simi wasn’t sure why her Akri was being so weird. Why did it matter what kind of demon Akri-Nick was? He was a good demon boy! Simi herself was scarier than some Malachite demon, she was sure. Yet… Akri was all scary looking now. That wasn’t good, since people, even demon people, usually didn’t get to live very long after Akri gave them that look. She giggled suddenly, remembering the gallu demon people they’d found the night before, and their faces when Akri let her eat them.

She mentally shook herself, knowing that she needed to find Nick before Akri did something bad to him. This wasn’t normal… Simi usually wasn’t the one doing the moderating, it was usually her being moderated when she tried to eat the heifer goddess with barbecue sauce Mmm… Barbeque sauce… She started to flash away, only to feel Akri pull her back suddenly.

~~~~

Acheron stared at his demon, eyes and mind spinning. Nick was… But he’d been in the room with Nick’s father before. The man didn’t feel special! Then again, neither did Nick, usually.
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, keeping Simi in place with force of will while he thought. How could he be so blind? Of course Nick was the Malachi. His best friend was the malachi’s right hand slave, that filthy daeve.

A thought struck him, and he turned to Savitar. “I didn’t know the elder Malachi had died. You’d think I’d have known something like that, and there couldn’t be a younger Malachi Nick’s age if the elder was alive.”

“You didn’t know that?” Ash’s oldest friend gave him a measured look. “If it’s related to Nick, I suppose that stands to reason you wouldn’t know. He died a year or two back, I heard something strange happened with it. If you believe the rumors, the elder actually gave his life willingly for the younger and the mother.”

“That’s… Odd.”

“I never put much stock in it, since the event isn’t visible to me. It would make sense if I can’t see it because that would have given Nick’s identity away to me, and therefore to you. He’s quite a Power, if it’s true. Considering Cherise… That’s odd. How come I can see... Hmm.”

“See what?”

Savitar chuckled uneasily. “You know I can’t tell you, old friend. Everyone has to experience life for themself, or it could go horribly wrong. Of all people, I would think you’d understand.”

Grumbling at the lack of a clear answer, Ash thought about it. Nick… the Malachi. He’d heard the tales of the Adarian Malachai, and since each was stronger than their father, Nick would be the strongest Malachi the world had ever seen. Oh no. He’d left him. He’d left the world's strongest demon, fueled by rage and pain. He’d left him in a human prison.

“I have to go. Simi, on my arm.”

“Akri, no.”

“Simi!” Confused and annoyed, he turned to his charonte with a scowl. “What do you mean, no?”

Simi stuck out her chin, a pout on her lips but eyes belying the determination she felt about this. “The Simi needs to check on Akri-Nick, Akri. He’s a good demon boy, and Akri is all scary-faced right now.”

“No. I’m talking to Nick, and you’re staying on my arm. If you leave, you’re grounded to Katoteros with Urian until I decide it’s safe.”

“But Akri-”

“No, Simi.” Acheron waiting until she obeyed and attached herself to his wrist, curled up tightly like a row of bracelets. He almost laughed at her obvious display of annoyance, but sobered quickly. It was time to go check on Nick.

~~~~

He saw nothing. He heard nothing. A part of him thought he should be scared by this, but all he felt was a quiet longing. It was peaceful here, a weird change from… where had he been before this? Who had he been before this? The being became aware of a light, coming from in front of him, flickering and dancing like fire. Hands stretched in front of him, he watched as the light flitted around each finger, rising in spirals of brilliant color. That was odd, his skin, it was red? That wasn’t normal, he was pretty sure. As he thought that, he realized the weight on his back was wings, and he unfurled them with a grin. Wings! That was so cool! Wait, he really wasn’t human, what was he? Only a single word came to mind.

Malachi.

~~~~

Caleb scowled, walking into the station like he’d just gotten the call to arrive. Kyrian was sitting in a chair beside a sleeping Cherise while Kody paced the room, all waiting to see what would happen. The Dark Hunter looked up with a smile, unable to sense what Caleb was, and only knowing him as Nick’s friend. How cute.

“There you are. Virgil’s been asking after you, Malphas. Were you sleeping or something?”

“I was just caught up in something, sorry.”

Kody gave him a look, but said nothing as Kyrian smiled a wan, nervous smile. Before they could say anything else, Ash was there, walking into the room with an aura of power even Kyrian could sense. The dark hunter gave his boss an odd look, but Acheron only had eyes for Caleb.

“You.” Dark sunglasses hid his eyes, but the weight of his stare was still quite apparent. “Where is your master?”

Kyrian tilted his head, confused. “What?”

“Hey, man. I don’t, uh… I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you mean my old man, he-”

A sharp slap rang in the air as Acheron moved forward, faster than anyone could blink, and struck Caleb hard across the face. The daeve grimaced, managing to keep himself from striking back, but just barely. He felt a hand close around his neck as Ash lifted him off the ground. Damn, that man was strong.

Voice tight, Claeb glared at him, choking out a response, “Not here, Acheron.” He said it in the same way Ash did, more guttural. Ack-ker-on.

“Fine.” Acheron sighed, frustrated at how calm he was being, then dragged the daeve into the unisex bathroom, locking it behind them. He made sure no one could hear them as he slammed Caleb against a wall, then struck him across the face again, skin marbling blue and black. “Where. Is. Your. Master.”

Caleb laughed mockingly, a trail of blood dripping from his nose. “Go to hell.”

~~~~

Kyrian was confused. He looked to Kody for answers, but the girl was avoiding his gaze, seeming to be debating whether to go after the pair, or stay and wait for Nick. With a sigh, she vanished, leaving him alone, and even more confused.

~~~~

Kody flashed into the bathroom, and immediately had to duck as Ash threw Caleb past her into a mirror, causing it to shatter. She grabbed him and shoved him behind her, facing Acheron head-on. “Stop it U-” She hesitated, then continued, “Ash. I know you’re having a moment, or whatever, but right now we need to get Nick out of here before we have whatever conversation we need to.”

Acheron seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded, still glaring at them both. “Fine. You’re only getting this chance because I liked Nick, understand? If either of you tries to stop me later, though…” He trails off meaningfully, then heads back out to stand menacingly beside Kyrian. He didn't look back at them, even after Caleb glamoured away the blood and bruises covering him.

More than two hours later, Virgil returned to the waiting room and did a double take when he saw Caleb, but something in his expression seemed to warn the lawyer off of saying anything about his condition, so he turned to address them as a whole. “Nick’s got a bail posted, I won’t even bother to say what it is, because I know you,“ He gestures to Ash, “Are good for it no matter. Now, before I end up with a god-bolt through my skull, I shall take my leave.” He bowed to Kody and gave Caleb a nod, then vanished. Ash stood and headed toward the counter, already pulling out his wallet.

Kyrian groaned. “Are any of Nick’s friends unable to just…” He waved his hands in the air like he was trying to show what he meant. “Do that?”

With a sheepish grin, Kody shrugged. “Of the ones you know? I think we’re the only ones that can.” She paused, thinking of Menyara. “Well, there’s a few others, but that’s their story to tell, and honestly that one, well, that one scares me.”

Nick didn’t look right, when he was being led out of the back by a disgruntled officer. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this boy, but I’m pretty sure you need to take him to a doctor, he’s gone completely silent and feverish.”

Ash nodded stiffly, taking the boy in his arms in a bridal carry, then turned back to the group. “You, go home.” He pointed to Kyrian with a stern look, ignoring the man’s attempts to argue. “You, and you, are coming with me.” Kody nodded, while Caleb remained silent but didn't disagree. After waiting a few moments for Kyrian to leave, he continued, “We’re going to my place, and you’re going to explain what’s going on, and why I should let you all live.”

Notes:

Y'all my writing buddy dipped on me and this chapter took a week of just writing and rewriting to get it somewhat decent.

I shall refrain from making any promises about the speed of the next update, since this was promised within a week and it came a month later.