Fixing Nico [boyxboy / yaoi]

Ch 7 - The Party: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

~NICO~

Chase pulled Dad's beat-up, old Toyota to the curb, right in front of a big, white house that was physically shaking from the constant boom-boom-boom of Pop music playing at full blast. I scrunched up my nose in distaste. I hated Pop.

Christian whirled around in his seat to shoot me a warm grin that made my heart skip a few beats and my face grow hot - I tore my gaze from Christian's angelic face, his big, bright, blue eyes, before my cheeks turned cherry red, suddenly remembering exactly why I was here - Mum's stern words rang through my mind like they had been all afternoon: Nico, happiness is not going to come and find you. You've got to work for it.

Even the thought of the nauseatingly heartfelt and preppy pep-talk I'd shared with Mum this afternoon was enough to make my smile fade back into a frown as I glowered at the big, white house that was trembling so hard I was sure this must be an OH&S issue. 

'The structure of that building looks hardly stable,' I grumbled quietly as Chase cut the engine and Christian attempted to smooth his ruffled hair down in the vanity mirror. 

'It's not gonna fall down,' Christian scoffed.

'How do you know? You've never seen the blueprints for the house. All I'm saying is that my mind would be more at ease if I could see some kind of legitimate proof of the stability of this building. Like some flying buttresses or something.'

'Flying buttresses?' Christian snorted, 'Really? You don't think that's a little extreme? Aren't those for stone Cathedrals?'

'Yes… but we need some extra protection here. They don't play deafening pop music in Bath Abbey, or the Basilica of St Remi, do they?'

'Wow,' Christian remarked, staring at me as if I'd just turned into a frog, 'I never realised you were such a nerd…'

'Hey!' I protested indignantly as Christian chuckled lightly, beaming down at me with a smile that made my irritation melt away.

'Umm…' Chase's voice from the front seat jolted me - I looked up to see Chase's entire body shifted in my direction, his expression utterly stupefied and his mouth hanging open like the hinges on his jaw had snapped. 'I've never heard you talk so much, like… ever,' he muttered, blinking a few times.

I only shrugged. 'Mum told me to be friendly,' I offered weakly.

'Friendly,' he echoed, raising one eyebrow as he absentmindedly tapped the steering wheel. 

'So… What are we all waiting for?' Christian piped up with an awkward chuckle. 'Come on dude, I want to meet this hot chick you were going on about!' His tone might have been convincing enough for Chase, but I could still hear the the faux excitement that dominated his words - He'd had a lot of practise…

'Boobs?' I suggested, just for good measure. Chase shot me a weird look.

'Let's go, then,' Chase announced, hopping from the car even though he still looked completely freaked out. I'd been a while since I'd talk so much, and so openly - I was even a little shocked myself.

I struggled with the rusty, antique door the the car, pulling and banging on that little black leaver that was supposed to open the door, but only bobbled back and forth uselessly. I hissed at the thing, narrowing my eyes in an expression of pure contempt. I will defeat you!

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a burst of cool evening air that smelled suspiciously of alcohol and sweat greeted me - I was about to congratulate myself for my victory over the door when Christian's impish, grinning face appeared in the doorway, one hand poised on the handle outside of the door. Oh, I thought, mildly disappointed that I had actually failed to open the car door.