AU!Niff: By the year 2030, the world is at war split between 3 major countries: Antala, Zelfon and Sintai. Nick and Jeff are common refugees from Zelfon living in Antala. Nick, studying to be a doctor on a scholarship, meets Jeff as his arranged date- a traditional rite of passage for the province they grew up in. Unfortunately, Jeff is dating someone else, and their date turns into an affair between the two.


"H-Hello? Hello are you there?" Blaine, Nick's roommate, asked through their chatter link.

"What the hell happened?" Nick responded angrily. He became aware of the noise around him, and he was hit with the realisation that maybe his date wasn't coming back.

"I don't know the connection went dead for a few seconds and th-"

"I have a situation here; she's gone!"

"You let her escape?" Blaine asked sarcastically.

"It happened so fast I didn't know what to do!"

Nick heard Blaine sigh through the other end of the chatter.

"Where'd she go?" Blaine asked after a moment.

"The bathroom."

"Copy that...What'd she say when she left?"

"I don't know, As soon as I started talking about intestinal parasites, Boom, Gone!" Nick told Blaine. He wasn't so good at dating, so he'd asked Blaine to help after his mother arranged a date for him. This is the third in 2 months... he'd thought to himself.

"I don't get it man; it should have worked. It's right here in the book. Chapter 3: Share your in-"

"Chapter Thr- You're in my ear piece whispering date strategy while reading this from a book!" Nick replied, feeling slightly angry.

"Dude it's got references. Good journals, everything." Blaine bit back as he spoke.

"Oh...Well that's okay, I guess," Nick said absently before Blaine continued.

"Okay, Plan B. When she gets back, we'll go straight to Chapter 7. Talk about her eyes."

"Blaine, all I know about eyes is dissecting them!" Nick said bitterly. He looked around and his eyes found the doors to the restrooms. He watched closely for several minutes before hearing Blaine again. "Well, okay it-it just says eyes here, so..."

"This is a disaster. I should have talked about liver cancers instead. God knows they're more..." Nick spoke to himself before he looked up, seeing a waiter standing over him.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Your... lady friend asked to give this to you... She was unavoidably called away... And the bill, sir."

"Oh, man, shot down in flames," Nick heard Blaine comment quietly on the other line before talking to the waiter through his teeth, rolling his eyes slightly. "Just the bill will be fine..."


"Hey, buddy. Sorry about that. Better luck next time, my friend," Blaine said as he watched Nick walk through the door. "Beer," was the only word that left Nick's lips and instantly a bottle was being pushed into his hands by Blaine. "A cold one waiting for you. Pull up a chair and start drinking."

"A book, Blaine? Really?" he asked after downing half his beer in a single gulp.

Blaine sighed, picking the book up off the counter and sitting beside Nick, crossing his legs. "It's got references, look. It was only one date and who knows? In a year or tw-"

"Actually, I've got this other... thing."

"What?" "N... Nothing."

"Oh... OH... You have another date!" Blaine said loudly, poking Nick's side with his own beer bottle. "Sorta..." Nick groaned lowly in frustration.

"A blind date."

"... Mostly..."

"Ah, an arranged date! Set up, I'm guessing, by your mother back in... What was it you called it last time you talked with her? The backside of nowhere totally forgotten by anyone once they leave." Blaine spoke in a mock accent of Nick's mother's voice. Blaine continued speaking with a chuckle. "Word of advice?"

"No thanks, Blaine..."

"Choose a cheaper restaurant." Blaine said with a smile, making Nick laugh. Humming for a moment, Blaine picked up Nick's chatter from the table where it was resting. "Did her parents have to pay to get her set up with a handsome medical resident?"

"Yes... Four Goats... Or was it three?" Nick said dead panned.

"You're joking..." Blaine replied sarcastically.

"Of course I'm joking, you moron."

"What's her name?" Blaine asked, intrigued.

"Jess. Jess Sterling..." Nick said sighing. "Someone who needs her dates arranged from 42 thousand miles away... I'm sure she's got a great personality." Blaine joked, opening her information in Nick's chatter.

"Look at the picture."

"Oh man! ... Oh man, you are so out of your league." Blaine teased, looking at the photo of the blonde female standing beside what appeared to be her brother in a forest around a campfire. Nick only groaned in response.