Seams Undone

Chapter Five: The Fight

Dedicated to solangelo_soul for first comment and vote! I love this one, but I can't write fights. Well, voila!

Nico awoke very suddenly. He'd had the most peculiar dream about being sung to sleep and held in someone's arms. But that couldn't have been true. No one had hugged him since, oh, before Hazel came to live with them.

But Nico was indeed pinned against a warm body. Then he remembered: Will Solace had hugged him after, oh God, after Nico had bawled his eyes out and screamed about Bianca.

Nico wiggled from Will's grip. The blonde idiot had fallen asleep hugging Nico. But it was kinda sweet...

Nico quite literally slapped himself. "Snap out of it," he scolded himself. "No more guy crushes. Be normal, Nico."

Without a thought about how his disappearance would affect Will, Nico slipped out of Will's house.

Night had fallen and crickets were chirping. Fireflies and mosquitos buzzed around Nico's head and he slapped his arm, killing the pest that had begun to suck his blood like a mini vampire.

A cat yowled from down the street. Laughter echoed up the sidewalks.

Nico recognized that laugh. The strong bark, and then the nasal giggle that always followed it.

He slipped out of Will's property and found himself face to face with Octavian and his gang.

"Evening, guys," Nico said cautiously. "Out for a walk?"

"Ooh, the gay talks," someone in the back mocked. "I thought that we beat your mouth closed last time."

Nico said an incredibly rude word.

"Careful," Octavian said. "Would anyone kiss that mouth? I doubt it."

"I've got to be on my way," Nico said, roughly pushing past the boys that were blocking his way home. "Hope to never see you again."

"Oh, don't be rude," said the proud owner of the nasal giggle, Bryce Lawrence. "We wanna walk you home. Maybe meet your mummy, daddy, and sissy."

Nico was in front of him in a flash, fist pulled back. "Say that again, I dare you."

Bryce sniggered. "Are Mommy, Daddy and Sissy waiting for little Nico to get home from visiting his boyfriend?"

Nico punched Bryce's jaw so hard he thought he saw a tooth fly.

Bryce yelped and clutched his mouth. Blood poured down his chin.

"Oh look, you've hurt Bryce!" Octavian said gleefully. "That's assault!"

Nico swung his blood-coated fist at Octavian. The creep ducked and punched Nico's eye. Nico screamed and slapped wildly at the air. A hand covered his eyes and he punched directly behind him. A startled yell and the return of his sight confirmed that he'd hit his mark.

A fist connected with Nico's mouth and he stumbled back, swearing and accidentally swallowing blood.

Something hit Nico hard, and then, blackness.