Nicolae sighed as he placed another blanket on the back of his pipe-smoking pony. The sun had gone down, and with it the temperature. Now he was facing the first night of winter, and it looked like it might even snow.
Normally when the cold weeks set in, he would migrate to the warmer part of Gaia like Gold Beach and Buccaneer Boardwalk and spend the winter basking in the sun. Now, however, he'd heard that the beaches were festooned in even more dangerous monsters than the lake, so it seemed he would have to stick out the winter in Barton.
Sighing again, he sat down on the steps and contemplated scrounging around for a steel drum to start a fire in. Before he could decide either way, however, he noticed an old woman walking past, apparently on her way back from Agatha's shop. He recognized her as Commander Leon's mother, Olivia, a particularly kind lady whose cooking was notoriously atrocious.
A smirk slowly spread across he face as an idea formed in his cunning brain.
Olivia was walking home, having spent the day visiting her friend Agatha, exchanging stories of their children's lives and helping run the shop. She'd ended up staying longer than she'd meant to, and hoped that Leon hadn't gotten off work early to miss her.
She stopped, however, when she heard ragged coughing nearby. Looking around, she saw a young man sitting hunched over on the steps of a wagon, shivering in the cold.
"Oh my!" She gasped and quickly hurried over. "Dear, what are you still doing out so late? You'll catch your death!"
The young man looked up, sniffling. "Oh.. Well it's not much warmer inside.."
"You live in there?"
"Yes, ma'am.. I arrived here from Durem not long ago, hoping to set up shop for a while, before heading on to warmer places for the winter, but with the Animated.. I'm afraid I'm stuck here." He began coughing again.
"Oh, you poor thing.." Olivia looked down at him for only a moment before making her decision. "Well, you're just going to come home with me, then."
He looked up in surprise. "What? Oh, no.. I couldn't impose on you like that.. I'm only a stranger.."
She smiled and clucked at him. "You wouldn't impose at all, sweety! I can't just let you freeze out here! I even arrange for a warm stable for your pretty pony at my son's headquarters!"
A beaming smile appeared on the young man's face. "My lady, you are far too kind!"
Giggling girlishly, she gave his head a pat. "Darling boy, you can just call me Mom."
And that was how Nicolae infiltrated Leon's home.
Not long after, the crafty shop keeper found himself wrapped in a quilt and sitting at the dinner table as Olivia placed a large bowl of something thick and chunky in front of him.
"There's more on the stove, so feel free ask for seconds." She said, happily. "Leon will probably be late, tonight, and he usually goes right to bed if that happens, so this soup is all for you, Nicu, dear."
Nicolae gave her another perfect smile. "How can I ever thank you enough? ..Mum.." He added shyly.
"Nonsense! You stay as long as you want! Leon could use the influence of another boy in the house. He did always want a brother.." She sighed and then proceeded to go on about Leon when he was younger, and it didn't look like she would be slowing down any time soon.
Nicolae tuned her out and centered his attention on the bowl of stew in front of him. Being an extremely cheap drifter, he's had to settle for, while perhaps not worse, food that was at least on par with Olivia's cooking. Besides, the fact that it was free guaranteed the taste would be twenty percent better.
So he choked down what surely must have been toxic waste at some point before rotting entirely and finding it's way into a cooking pot, all the while nodding at the appropriate moments to keep Olivia happy in her extremely long story-telling.
When he was finished, Olivia informed him that as they had only two bedrooms, and she wouldn't hear of him sleeping on the couch, he would be sharing a bed with Leon.
Nicolae, needless to say, was extremely pleased to hear this.
It was very late by the time Leon got home. There had been trouble with the Lawn Gnomes, and he was exhausted. Not bothering to turn on the light in his room, he pulled off his armor, changed into his pajamas (funny.. was his mother washing the flannel pair? He wasn't able to find them.. But then again, he did still have the light off..) And then climbed into bed and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Leon shut off his alarm clock and rolled over, hoping for a few minutes more rest before having to face the cold morning.
"..You're squishing me.."
Leon opened his eyes, then pulled back enough to find..
Nicolae, his auburn hair a complete mess, and dressed in flannel pajamas that were entirely to big for him, yawned and stretched beneath Leon, his eyes blinking open sleepily. Nicu smiled when he registered Leon and wrapped his arms around the other's neck to pull himself closer.
"It's too early.." The drifter mumbled. "Go back to sleep.."
Leon's mind went absolutely blank with shock. Then–
Olivia looked up from where she was preparing breakfast when a sudden, very loud scream erupted from Leon's room, followed by an equally loud bang.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GAIA ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!?!!?!?!?!" Leon yelled from the floor where he'd fallen after his desperate escape attempt from Nicolae's cuddling.
Said drifter sighed as he lazily peered over the edge of the bed, resting his chin upon his folded arms. "It was very cold last night. I might have frozen to death.."
For a moment all Leon could do was splutter, then he regained his sanity long enough to ask another question.
"What in the name of Gaia are you doing in MY bed?!"
Nicu beamed. "Your mother is very sweet."
Leon blanched. Then turned very red indeed.
Olivia was setting the table when suddenly her son appeared at the foot of the stairs, still in his pajamas, while dragging behind him Nicolae, who was also dressed in Leon's pjs.
"Leon!" Olivia gasped. "What are you doing!? Let the poor boy go!"
"Mother, this man is a scoundrel and a swindler! I refuse to let someone like that in the house so he can rob us blind!" Leon said, leaving no room for argument as he continued to haul Nicu towards the door. Before tossing him outside, however, he remembered that the drifter was still wearing his favorite pajamas.
"And give me those back!" He snapped, about to pull them off, himself.
"But these are really soft! ..And also I'm not wearing anything underneath.."
Leon dropped him. "I swear I am going to arrest you for this!! Go get your own clothes and then you can spend the rest of the winter in a nice cozy cell!!"
The Commander expected protests, even coy pleas or at least some sort of sneaky retaliation, but what he didn't expect was for the drifter, who looked a good deal smaller dressed in Leon's huge pajamas, to sniffle dejectedly, pick himself up, and nod almost..meekly.
"Very well." He said softly, his eyes on the floor. "I apologize for the inconvenience I've caused. I'll get my things." And he headed back towards the bedroom.
Before Leon could wonder what on earth had gotten into the cocky merchant, Olivia stepped in.
Putting her arms around Nicolae, she scowled at her son. "Leon! For shame! How could you turn this poor boy out into the cold like that? Ever since the Animated have appeared you've become so distant and downright mean!"
"No, it's more like when he appeared." Leon muttered darkly under his breath.
Olivia didn't hear that, however, and continued.
"What kind of example are you going to set for everyone if you throw Nicu out when he has nowhere to go? I won't stand for it. And accusing him of stealing? I thought I raised you to be more compassionate!" Now smiling at Nicolae, she patted his shoulder tenderly. "Don't you mind my boy, he tends to be grumpy in the morning. Why don't you come and have some breakfast, deary?"
Again, to Leon's astonishment, Nicolae stepped back and shook his head. "Oh.. I couldn't.. If my being here will cause such problems.."
"Nonsense, Nicu! This is still my house, and you are more than welcome. I won't hear another word about this, from either of you. Now come eat."
Shrugging, Nicolae allowed Olivia to lead him into the dining room. "Well, if you say so.. Mum." And he glanced back at Leon with a triumphant smirk.
Leon's jaw hit the floor.
The rest of the day Leon did everything in his power to not think about the sudden, horrible change he would evidently have to get used to. However, when it came time for him to return home, he had to face eating dinner with Nicolae, who apparently was a master charmer. The fact that Olivia had insisted he call her Mom was a blow far below the belt and what was worse was Nicu knew it, and used it against Leon every chance he got.
Then it was time for bed.
Olivia had given Leon his first lecture in a very long time about how he wasn't going to say a word about sharing a bed with "that poor sweet boy".
Fuming, steaming, sulking, and just slightly pouting, Leon entered his bedroom only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw Nicolae, sitting in the center of his bed, wearing only one of Leon's shirts. Just because it fit him more like a minidress didn't help.
"Wha– Wha–" Leon stuttered, gawking.
Nicolae grinned. "Coming to bed, then?"
Leon returned to his senses at that moment and quickly shut the door. He was going to put a stop to this right now.
Stomping over to the bed, he glowered down at Nicolae.
"Now listen here, you wretch. I don't know what you're trying to pull by taking advantage of my mother like this, but the only reason you're not in shackles right now is because this is making Mother happy." Before he could go on, Nicolae sighed, obviously bored.
"Are you going to sleep with me, or not?"
Leon almost fell over. "W-what?!"
The drifter gave him a dry look. "I said are going to go to sleep? I'm tired and cold.."
Rubbing his face, Leon wondered what he'd ever done that could have brought this situation down upon him. "Fine. Just.. Stay on your side of the bed." Leon climbed into bed and made sure he was as far on the edge as he could be before turning off the light.
It wasn't long before arms wrapped themselves around his chest. Sitting up, Leon turned the light back on. "What the hell are you doing!?"
"I'm cold.."
"Then put some more clothes on!"
"You said I couldn't wear your pjs, though.."
"Wear your own!"
"..But I sleep in the nude."
Very determinedly not thinking about that, Leon tried to pry Nicolae's arms from around him. "Just let go of me before I hurt you. I'm serious."
"Shouldn't we keep each other warm, though?" Nicu only clung harder.
Leon had enough. Forcefully jerking the smaller man away, he pointed his finger at Nicolae's nose. "Just what are you trying to do, huh? Make my life hell? Because that's exactly what you're doing."
Nicu grinned. "Your point? Tell me this: why do I bother you so much? Hm? What is it about me that gets you so worked up?"
Leon blinked. It was a good question. Why did Nicolae's very existence make his blood boil? Looking down at the young man, he tried to figure it out.
Extremely handsome, cocky, sexy– wait, what? Leon did a double take. He didn't really think Nicolae, another man who happened to be his mortal enemy, was sexy. ..Did he?
It was true, though.. And that when Leon realized why he'd found himself obsessed with the shady shop keeper since the first time he laid eyes on him.
And there was only one way to fix this problem.
Without a word he took hold of the still unsuspecting Nicu and pushed him down against the mattress. Then he returned the favor of the previously stolen kiss.
When Leon pulled away again so he could concentrate on keeping Nicolae's wrists pinned against the pillow with one hand while using the other to shove his shirt up.
"You switch tracks fast.." Nicu commented before gasping slightly when Leon ran a calloused hand over his chest.
"Just keep it down." Leon muttered.
"I will if you will."
As it turned out, neither of them were quiet for very long, but luckily for them, Olivia could sleep through anything.
The neighbors weren't so impervious, however.
"So then, last night it was really weird, I barely got any sleep at all.." Rina was whining to Ian and Rufus the next day.
"Oh? Why's that?" The feline asked curiously.
"Well, I think Leon and Nicu aren't getting along at all.. I heard them yelling each other's names a whole bunch, right in the middle of the night! I think they might've really been fighting badly, because today when I went over to Nicu's store, he had these funny bruises on his neck.. It's sad because Olivia told me Nicu would be spending the winter at their place, too, and he and Leon even have to share beds!"
Ian and Rufus both choked and spat out their drinks. Glancing at each other, they decided things had once again gotten bad enough for them to spend the next full month in the closet.