AN: Hey everyone, it's Ash! This is my newest fanfic and it's Niff. This is my first niff fic ever so please send me feedback. For those of you looking for Bits of Broken Glass that story is on hold for now. Re-writing it is proving to be harder than I thought it would be…. Sorry. Anyway. On with the Niff. Drum roll please!

The Milgram Experiment

Chapter One

Nick sighed as he stepped out of his car and looked around at the campus. Dalton University was a spectacle to behold, the buildings were all gothic style with tall turrets and swooping arches that seemed to reach to touch the sky. As a photographer Nick saw the buildings and grounds in all the beauty that they were. He could see every angle, every perfect ray of light, and every color contrast. The brunette wasn't at Dalton to take photos though, not today at least. He was standing in the Dalton parking lot because he'd signed up to be part of an experiment. He'd originally heard about the experiment from his Theology professor at Columbus State but hadn't agreed to sign up for it until his Biology professor convinced him that it was a good idea. A couple phone calls, an interview, and a meeting later here Nick was, standing in the parking lot of Dalton University's Science building.

He didn't actually know too much about the experiment that he was to be a part of. He was told it was a basic experiment to see how different people learned and their learning rate. It had all been a bit vague but Doctor Mitchell, the man in charge had assured Nick that all would be fully explained on the day of the experiment. Nick sighed and glanced around at the campus once again before walking into the science building. Dalton University was famous for its science program. Alumni from the school had done everything from heal children in under developed countries to help land a rover on Mars. Nick knew all of this because he, much like many students in his senior A.P. Chemistry class, had wanted to go to Dalton. He'd almost made it too. He'd been accepted and everything but the tuition had been too steep and in the end Nick had chosen Columbus State instead.

As the brunette walked through the halls of the science building he imagined what it must be like to be a student at Dalton. He wondered what it must be like to see the beauty every day. Did it become something taken for granted or were the students constantly amazed by the colors and buildings the way Nick was? Deep in thought Nick almost missed the room he was supposed to go to. He actually walked right past it, having to do a double take and re trace his steps to get back to it. Nervously Nick paused in front of the oak door, reading the sign that clearly stated what the room's purpose was. "Experiment Room # 36" the plaque read and Nick took a deep breath, running his hand over the letters, before he pushed open the door and walked inside.

Nick wasn't too sure what he'd been expecting to find behind the door but it certainly wasn't what he did find. The room looked like a waiting room, the kind you'd see at a doctor's office. It was friendly but still gave off a serious vibe. Sitting in the waiting room already was another male with blonde hair who was hunched over a thick textbook. He couldn't have been much older than Nick but the brunette couldn't really tell considering the way the other male was sitting. "Hey... Is this where Dr. Mitchell's experiment is happening?" Nick asked nervously, glancing around the room for any indicators of if he was in the right place. He'd expected more people. "Yep. Pop a squat." The blonde replied, not looking up from his text. Nick nodded and awkwardly say in a chair a few seats down from the blonde.

He looked nervously around the room, feeling his stomach flop as he noted how quiet and empty it was. For the first time ever the lack of noise bothered Nick and he felt he had to find a way to make the silence go away. "So, how did you find out about this… thing?" he asked. The blonde looked up from his textbook as Nick spoke and shrugged. "I go here actually. I saw the ad on the bulletin board a few weeks ago." The blonde explained and Nick nodded, Now that he got a good look at the other boy's face he could see that it was stunning. The blonde's face had a boyish look to it yet at the same time he managed to look his age. His eyes were not quite brown, not quite green, but not hazel either. "What about you, how'd you find out?" The boy asked, pulling Nick from his thoughts. "My biology professor told me about it." Nick stated simply. "Cool, where do you go to school?" The blonde asked, closing his textbook and putting it aside.

Nick looked down at his hands before answering. "I'm over at Columbus Sate but I'm working on transferring here." The blonde's face split into a wide smile as Nick spoke. "No way! I did that but I came from Cincinnati." He said enthusiastically. Nick smiled at him, feeling his face flush slightly for some odd reason. There was a pause and Nick was almost positive that the other male had seen his face turn pink and could hear his heart pounding. Silently Nick prayed the blonde wasn't a homophobe. "I'm Jeff by the way." The blonde finally said, extending a hand to the brunette. Nick felt his smile widen a bit as he shook the other boy- Jeff's- hand. "It's nice to meet ya Jeff, I'm Nick." He replied before leaning back and relaxing in his seat.

"So what are you studying over at Columbus?" Jeff asked, following Nick's lead and leaning back in his chair. "Biology, I want to do something with medicine." Nick said confidently and Jeff smiled. "Awesome! The med kids are great! You'll get along with them really well." He explained excitedly. "I'm in the English department but my roommate is in medicine and he's the best." Nick smiled and couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's energy. It made Nick feel comfortable and less nervous about whatever experiment was about to take place. "That's awesome. Maybe I could meet him some time, see what he has to say about classes and stuff." Nick said, feeling his stomach drop. Did he really just invite himself to meet Jeff's friend? Was Nick really that stupid? Jeff must have realized what Nick was thinking because he laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry. We're not axe murderers or anything. We're just normal, sleep deprived college students. Unless you're homophobic…" Jeff added the last sentence quietly and quickly but Nick still caught it.

"Nope." Nick said with a shake of his head. "No homophobia here." Nick paused for a second, weighing his options before adding "I'd have to be afraid of myself." Nick watched as Jeff noticeably relaxed and smiled. Jeff must have noticed that he noticed because his eyes went wide and he shook his head, his blonde bangs flopping adorably into his eyes. "Sorry, I just… we're in Ohio so you never really know if..." "If people are for or against you." Nick finished after the blonde trailed off. "Exactly!" Jeff exclaimed, jumping in his seat slightly. Nick smiled at this, he really loved the blonde's energy and it made him want to get up and dance or sing or something crazy like that. "Do you want to go out for coffee after this?" Nick blurted out, his eyes widening as he realized what he'd just said.

There was silence in the room as Jeff processed what the other boy was saying. Nick could feel his heart beating against his ribcage. He'd done it, he'd overstepped the boundaries. Nick looked down at his hands, taking a deep breath before looking up at the blonde, surprised to see him smiling. "Yeah. That would be great." Jeff replied and Nick smiled back, relaxing slightly as he heard a door open and close. "Hello boys!" A familiar voice said and Nick turned to see Dr. Mitchell standing in the doorway, looking very professional in his white lab coat and holding a clipboard. "Hey there Doc!" Jeff replied with a wave and a wide smile. Dr. Mitchell smiled back at the boy, his eyes showing how obviously fond of the blonde he was. "And you must be Nick Duval?" Dr. Mitchell said, nodding at Nick who nodded back with a smile. "That's me, it's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Mitchell." Nick said, suddenly feeling nervous again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Nick, and welcome, both of you." Dr. Mitchell said as he moved to sit in a seat opposite Nick and Jeff. "I'm sure you're both curious about what exactly will be going on today." Dr. Mitchell paused at this, watching with grey eyes as the two boys in front of him nodded in unison. At this gesture Dr. Mitchell pulled a few papers out of his clipboard and handed them to the boys. After Nick had taken the paper Dr. Mitchell began to explain. The test was, as Nick had been told before, a test to see at what rate people learned. The two boys would be put in different rooms and would be given roles. One would be the questioner and the other the answerer. Questions would be asked and the answerer would press a button to indicate the option he chose. If he got the question right they would move on to the next question, if he got the question wrong he would be electrocuted.

Nick felt his stomach drop as Dr. Mitchell told him and Jeff of this part of the experiment. He wasn't too sure how to feel about the idea of shocking, or being shocked. He'd signed up though and was determined to stay and at least try the whole thing out. "Are you alright Mr. Duval?" Dr. Mitchell asked and Nick looked up to see him and Jeff staring at him, worry obvious in Jeff's eyes. "Yeah." Nick replied with a nod. He could do this. "Alright then. Pick a paper out of this bag. If you get the star you're the questioner." Dr. Mitchell held out an opaque, fabric bag to the two and quickly Nick dug his hand into the bag and fished out a paper. With a deep breath he opened up the folded slip. He felt his stomach lurch. There, clear as day, was a black star.

AN 2: alright so that's part one! I hope you all liked it. (feed back is greatly appreciated.) Thanks for reading guys, the next chapter, installment thing will be up ~Thursday! Until then I less than 36 all of you! XD