Their supposed first meeting had been less than romantic and more than awkward. At least for Niko. He had received an invitation to the palace for no discernable reason. Still, he went, because it's not every day the Countess of Vesuvia invites you to her abode. The anxiety he felt was not quelled but in fact, amplified when he approached the palace gates at dusk and was greeted with rather unpleasant stares from the guards.
He was used to stares and looks of disapproval though given his profession.
Still, it didn't make them any more palatable.
The guards let him pass without a word and he stepped through the threshold of the gates and into a world he could only dream of living in. Off in the distance, he spotted the tall, slender figure of Countess Nadia. She was lounging near the entrance to the palace's garden, idly speaking with her handmaid Portia. Upon seeing him approach, Nadia dismissed Portia and greeted Niko with a demure smile.
"Welcome, Illyrian."
"You can call me Niko... if you wish..." He responded quickly, returning her pleasantries with a smile of his own. She gestured to the garden entrance, strands of her purple hair drifted away from her extended arm. Together they set off into the garden, the silence between them only fueling Niko's mounting anxiety.
"So..."
"You're wondering why you're here, correct?"
Niko nodded warily. Nadia sighed and took a seat; a look of what Niko could only liken to embarrassment covered her face.
"It's about my husband."
"Lucio?"
"You address him so informally." Nadia peered up at him curiously. Niko felt his cheeks heat up slightly.
"We've had our run-ins before he came here."
Nadia made a noise of acknowledgment. Given her husband's former position as a mercenary, it was not uncommon to find those who had dealt with him in their pasts. Nadia patted the empty space beside her and Niko obliged. Adjusting her seating, Nadia cleared her throat and tucked her hair completely behind her shoulders.
"I'm aware of what you do for a living."
Niko coughed softly and avoided looking in her direction. It came as no surprise that Nadia was aware of his line of work considering she was in charge of running Vesuvia.
"It's not a crim-"
"I will hire you for an extended period to... distract my husband."
Niko's jaw hit the floor. Did he really just hear the Countess of Vesuvia say she wanted to hire him to sleep with her husband?
"Countess, I'm not sure that's wise." He began fidgeting with the hem of his long sleeve, a stray thread already becoming unraveled from it.
"You don't have to sleep with him, but just providing a distraction and keeping him occupied would be good enough. Given that my husband is the way he is you can imagine he doesn't make things easy. However, if you do sleep with him I will not care."
Niko turned and stared at her with uncertainty in his eyes. Nadia greeted his gaze with an expression of fondness and warmth.
"You don't have to do anything you are uncomfortable with, Illyrian."
He nodded, now staring directly up into the window overlooking the garden. His breathing caught in his throat when he realized Lucio was staring down at them, a glass of wine in his hand.
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course. Take your time, it's not a decision to rush." She stood and Niko rose shortly after her, dusting the miscellaneous dirt and leaves from the back of his pants.
"I will be back once I make a decision." He said as calmly as he could before making his way past Nadia and out of the garden, the feeling of Lucio's eyes on his back lingered long after he was out of the garden.
Returning to the palace the within the next couple of days was a feat of strength Niko didn't know he could muster. Not that he disliked the palace or any of the residents by any means. It's just never really an ideal situation to meet face to face with an ex. Without much hindrance he made his way past the large iron gates and through the winding hallways, he had a vague idea of where to go. Niko halted in his tracks when he reached the staircase, partially because of the uneasiness and also because at the landing of the stairs lie two white dogs with golden collars.
Both of them raised their heads and sniffed the air before locking their eyes on Niko. In an instant both the dogs bounded towards Niko, eagerly sniffing and nuzzling his hands and thighs.
"You two have gotten so big..." Niko giggled and crouched, petting both of them affectionately. While petting them, Niko failed to notice the figure standing on the top of the first landing of the stairs.
"Mercedes. Melchior." The dogs both perked up and turned before trotting over to the owner of the voice. Niko looked up and for a moment both men just stared at each other silently.
"You look well," Lucio said, finally breaking the silence.
"You look like shit."
Lucio's face scrunched up in annoyance. Niko matched his grimace with a charming smile. He stood up and stepped slowly up the stairs towards Lucio. Lucio waved his hand and the dogs walked away. Niko stood before Lucio and looked up at the man who was easily a foot taller than him with a look of vexation mixed with longing.
"You are giving me quite the set of mixed signals here, Niko." Lucio smiled in amusement as Niko's scowl deepened. Languidly Lucio reached out and cradled Niko's cheek, brushing his thumb over his skin.
"I'm not happy with you, Lucio."
"When are you ever?"
Niko's face shifted to a deadpan expression, but Lucio could feel the heat rising in Niko's face as he teased him. Lucio's hand slipped down and rested underneath Niko's chin, tilting his face up towards him more. Before Niko could sass him, Lucio covered his mouth with his. It was brief but Lucio heard Niko's barely audible whine as he pulled himself away from the kiss, his hand dropping back down to his side.
"I know about Nadia's proposition."
Niko wiped his mouth.
"I figured you did."
"And?"
"There's no 'and', Lucio."
Lucio pouted a little.
"Not even a little one?"
Niko rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Not even a little one."
Lucio slid his hand into Niko's and tugged him against him.
"Lucio."
"Illyrian."
And there it was.
It was his unrelenting stubbornness that both annoyed the shit out of Niko, but also endeared Lucio to him. Lost briefly in his thoughts he was jolted from them when Lucio scooped him up. Niko yelped a little and braced himself using Lucio's shoulders. Lucio chuckled and began walking up the stairs towards his bedroom.
"You're insufferable."
"I've missed you too."
Niko panted as Lucio thrust into him, his hands clutching the bedsheets. Ending up on his hands and knees being fucked by Lucio wasn't how he had planned to spend his afternoon, yet there he was.
"Lucio, fuck..." Niko tried to speak but the feeling of Lucio's cock deep inside him was all he could focus on at the moment. Lucio's grip on Niko's hips was strong, but not strong enough to leave bruises though he could have if he wanted. He knew Niko liked it.
"So, should I pay you after this or should Noddy?"
"Shut upp..." Niko grumbled, glancing over his shoulder to glare at him. Lucio smiled and slammed his hips against Niko causing him to moan loudly. Hanging his head Niko stared at the sheets as they bounced in his vision with each thrust from Lucio.
"Are you alright?"
Niko lifted his head and nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, I am more than alright," He whimpered, pushing his hips back towards Lucio.
"Don't stop."
Lucio nodded and began fucking him more vigorously causing Niko to moan involuntarily and grip the sheets even tighter. They continued like this for a while, Lucio occasionally reaching around Niko to tease his clit, enjoying the soft pleading noises Niko would make when Lucio would pull his hand away.
"Lucio..." Niko keened, grinding his hips back against Lucio trying to create more friction. Lucio could feel Niko's pussy spasming around his cock as he got closer and closer to orgasm.
"Mhhmmm?" The count purred, thrusting slowly and deeply into Niko. Niko's arms shook before giving out and he collapsed face first into the mattress. Lucio leaned over and kissed at his shoulders, continuing his rhythm. Niko pressed his face into mattress his moans muffled against the silk sheets.
"Are you going to cum for me, kitten?"
Niko's body twitched slightly after hearing the nickname. He just had to use that nickname, didn't he? Lucio chuckled quietly, his breath warm against Niko's skin.
"Is that a yes?"
Niko nodded emphatically against the mattress as Lucio straightened himself up and pulled Niko flush against him. He continued to drive his cock deep into Niko. Niko bit his lip, whining quietly each time Lucio's hips met his. He couldn't even speak when he finally came, he just gasped and convulsed a little as his pussy clenched around Lucio's cock even more. Lucio gripped his hips even tighter and held him in place as Niko squirmed and mewled.
He was murmuring something repeatedly and when Lucio leaned over him again to listen he heard Niko begging for Lucio to cum inside him. Lucio shook his head and pulled out of Niko allowing himself to cum only on Niko's lower back and ass. Niko pouted and rolled over onto his back to look up at Lucio.
"Why didn't you?"
"You know why."
Niko nodded, but crossed his arms, pouting even more. Lucio leaned over and kissed his cheek before rolling onto the bed beside his smaller companion. The redhead turned and scooted towards him, resting his head on Lucio's chest. The count slipped his arm around Niko's waist, dragging him snugly against him.
"Just like old times."
"Including the cum all over the sheets."
Lucio snorted and kissed his forehead.
"Except now we have servants to clean them."
Niko giggled and crawled on top of Lucio, kissing him all over his face.
"Stay," Lucio said softly. Niko shook his head. "I can't."
"Please."
Niko sighed and laid on top of Lucio.
"At least come to the masquerade...?" Lucio made one last ditch effort. Niko sighed and nodded slowly in resignation.
"You mean your birthday?"
"I hope you give me a nice gift." Lucio flashed him a toothy grin and Niko rolled his eyes.
"My gift to you is my presence."
"Fair enough." Lucio ran his hand through Niko's hair and smiled at him genuinely. Niko sighed, settling against him. Lucio shifted and pulled a loose sheet up and around them, letting Niko stay snuggled against him. Eventually, after a few moments of idly rubbing Niko's back while he slept Lucio also drifted off knowing full well his lover would not be there in the morning.
welcome to another nikolucio fic including some other arcana characters (plus some other ocs later on). as stated in my previous fic i'm still rusty at writing so bear with me.
don't forget to review/fav/follow and as always stay tuned for more works from me. :)
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chapter specific tags will always be listed in the notes.