Nathaniel

'Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is busy. Please leave a message after the tone.'

"Hey, Jane. It's Na- It's John. I'm calling to, uh, check on your progress with the interrogation. I've made some progress here in Prague. A few hiccups, here and there. But, uh, call me when you get the chance. Well, call the hotel. I'm using the hotel's phone. Just ask for me. Um, right. Bye."

The phone clicked into the receiver. Nathaniel sighed.

The lobby of the hotel was almost desolate. A lone, sad-eyed woman stood behind the run-down front desk typing away into her monitor. Only the sounds of the clicking keys filled the room. The quietness brought out the stillness of the lobby. Nathaniel pressed his back against the wall, his shoulders slumped with all the stress that the past night had brought. He sneezed and cursed. Even while wearing his lightest clothes, he was radiating heat. He felt weak and each sneeze brought about a strong headache. It was a shame that his immune system couldn't handle a bit of cold rain. After spending the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon sleeping, he had been eating nothing but bland soup that Bartimaeus had insisted in buying.

The young Egyptian boy sat slouched on one of the many dusty futons in the lobby flipping through a magazine with a lazy curiosity. Since the argument last night, the djinn hadn't made any attempts to start a conversation with him. Not that Nathaniel didn't mind. He was too tired at the moment. Too weak to even care.

With a sluggish pace, Nathaniel parted his way from the wall, and collapsed onto the seat next to the djinn. Bartimaeus continued to ignore him, flipping a page apathetically.

"We need to buy suits," Nathaniel stated. "You heard Alec. We have to look good for the feast."

Bartimaeus hummed in agreement.

"I was thinking we could go to the one that's across the street from the nightclub we went to. I saw there was a sale. Or we could just steal it, if you're up for it."

"Don't you think we've done enough crime for a lifetime?" The djinn thumbed a page.

Before he could answer, a violent sneeze erupted from Nathaniel. He groaned, rubbing his pounding temples.

"Okay, honestly, do you have to be next to me when you do that?" Bartimaeus hissed. He scooted a few inches away from the nose dribbling magician. "When do you wanna buy the suits anyways?"

Nathaniel wiped his nose with the back of his sleeves and sniffed. "We should go now, if that's okay. The sun is still out and the feast is in a few hours."

Tossing the magazine aside, Bartimaeus stood and stretched. "Let's go then."

Walking in the streets of Prague was always a dreadful activity for Nathaniel. He despised everything that Prague had to offer. The brooding trees, the towering ancient walls, the cold people. Everything screamed hostility at him. Nathaniel wanted nothing more than to curl up in his own bed back in London, drinking the highest quality hot soup he could afford. He longed for his fluffy pillows, and for his soft fleece that had always kept him warm even during the most bitter winter nights. He longed to hide under the sheets and to forget the world for some time. He wanted to go home and disappear.

Crossing the busy streets, Nathaniel stole a quick glance at Bartimaeus. He supposed the djinn would like to go home as well. Possibly more than he did. Nathaniel's face twisted with guilt just before he sneezed. He tugged on his coat.

"It's so hot."

"No, it's not. Keep your coat on, you're running a fever. We're almost there to the store."

Down the street the pair walked. The bell above the door ringed as they entered the store. Much to Bartimaeus's displeasure, Nathaniel shrugged his coat off. It was a clean area. The black and white tiles could use some polishing, and the air was stuffy, but it was a breath of fresh air compared to the hotel. A couple of shoppers were walking about, going through racks of freshly-pressed suits.

With light feet, an employee approached Nathaniel and bowed. He wore a suit, possibly to advertise it. His shiny blonde locks fell on either side of his face like a curtain.

"Hello," he said. "Would you like me to assist you in your shopping journey?"

He held out a gloved hand, palm up.

"Er – I'm sorry?" Nathaniel shifted, cheeks reddening.

"Your coat sir. I can hold onto it, if you'd like."

"Oh… Right, sorry."

With graceful movements, the young man took the coat and padded off with light feet. Nathaniel stuffed his clammy hands into his pockets. He heard the djinn let out a chortle.

"Seriously? He wasn't even that good looking," Bartimaeus ridiculed. He was already sifting through the racks, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathaniel snapped.

The djinn pulled a tan suit. He eyed it meticulously, and held it up against the young magician.

"What size are you? Also, I figured out what's wrong with Jane. Well, everything is wrong with her but it's actually not her that's the problem. Which is a first."

Sneezing, Nathaniel grabbed the suit from the djinn's grasp and inspected the tag. "No, no. These are a bit too big. I'm two sizes smaller. But what did you figure out?"

Bartimaeus pulled out navy blue suit. He checked the tags, and held it up for Nathaniel.

"How 'bout this? Let me ask you this before I tell you. What other girl are you attracted to? Why Jane?"

Nathaniel nodded, taking the suit. "This should be fine. Now we have to find one for you. Um, Piper is pretty. Jane is intelligent and she'd make a suitable ally. Better that than as an enemy."

Bartimaeus plucked a suit off the rack and made his way to the other side of the store. A clean display of different colored bowties and ties all varying in size and color were laid out neatly side by side. For a moment, neither said anything. Picking out a single bowtie, Bartimaeus eyed it.

"That's quite not what I asked," Bartimaeus mused. "Are you attracted to them? Do you want an actual relationship with them? Which one: bowties or ties? Also, wipe your nose please."

Nathaniel pondered for a moment as he scanned at his choices. "I… I guess I don't really care much about seeking them out for intimate reasons. I was just doing it because I thought I was supposed to."

The djinn held the bowtie up for Nathaniel who shook his head, his face scrunching up with distaste. Bartimaeus looked at the bowtie disapprovingly and set it neatly back down onto the display. He plucked up a tie.

Bartimaeus jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "How about if blondie over there offered to take you out for dinner?"

"W-what?" Nathaniel sputtered. "I d-don't know. It depends on his motives. Why would he do that?"

"To fuck you, duh."

The djinn's crude response shocked Nathaniel. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and his stomach do a flip.

"Quit being so crass!"

"You didn't answer my question. Would you say yes? Will the tie be okay?"

"I-I don't know! I… I suppose it… Um, yes."

"Yes to..?" The djinn trailed off, nodding slowly.

With a huff, Nathaniel snatched the tie from Bartimaeus's grip. The absurdity of the conversation was now hitting him and he refused to think more about the situation. What's between Jane and him are private matters. Nathaniel had once talked to Bartimaeus about Jane multiple times, and the conversation had always ended with arguments and hurt feelings. Even so… The djinn did pointed something out.

Clothes in hand, Nathaniel stormed off into a private stall – a changing room. Much to his annoyance, Bartimaeus followed close behind, snickering. And much to his disappointment, the stall didn't have a proper door. Instead, it was a flimsy curtain held up by a single metal rod. Nathaniel stepped inside, and slammed the curtain behind him. He cursed. Nathaniel poked his head out.

"When I close this curtain, I want you to imagine hearing a door slam so you can know that I'm angry."

Bartimaeus leaned against a clothing rack. "When are you not?"

"Just do it."

"Let me know if the clothes fit."

Nathaniel slammed the curtain closed again. It will never be satisfying. Nothing could beat a wooden door. Not wasting anymore time, Nathaniel diligently tried on his suit. With a final sneeze and a cough, Nathaniel viewed himself from the mirror. Although it wasn't exactly his style or his color, Nathaniel liked it. The suit fit him perfectly. The deep navy-blue color was something he would never go for, but it complimented his tussled black hair and blue eyes. He tugged on his tie; it was a simple patterned tie that completed the look effortlessly. A thought came across him. He inspected the tag that dangled from his sleeve.

"Um, Bartimaeus?"

"Yeah?" The djinn's voice answered right outside his stall.

"How are we going to pay for this? These are expensive..."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I took the magician's money. I think I counted about 7000 Czech Koruna."

"What!? I thought you told Alec that—"

"Ye-e-ah, I lied."

Nathaniel abruptly opened the curtain. The djinn, who was still leaning against a clothing rack, eyed him from the top of his head to his toes. He cocked his head, lips pursing. Nathaniel felt himself flush.

"Does it not look good?"

Uncharacteristically, the djinn blinked. "Oh, uh, no you look fine. I mean, do you have dress shoes? Showing up in socks will get us nowhere."

Nathaniel held back a sneeze by rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "Yeah, I do. In my luggage. Just have to go back to go get it. About before…"

Bartimaeus raised his eyebrows. "Before what?"

"Were you saying I'm gay?"

"That's for you to figure out, bud. But, yes. I think you could be."

Nathaniel glanced down and closed his eyes, not wanting to meet the djinn's watchful eyes. He took a breath. It made sense if he was. It would explain everything. It would explain why he felt nothing whenever Jane came on to him, the disinterest in being intimate with any woman, his constant desire to be with –

"When we kissed, you left me. I was hurt. Why did you leave?"

Nathaniel opened his eyes, forcing himself to look at the djinn in front of him. He tried not to make his voice sound accusatory. Instead, his voice trembled. The djinn gazed at his face, as if searching for the correct answers. He motioned to speak, but hesitated. Finally, the djinn sighed.

"Look, since you're ungodly stubborn, I'll tell you. But I'd rather tell you in private. Not in the middle of a suit store in Prague."

Nathaniel swiftly reached out and tugged the djinn's arm forcefully. Bartimaeus tumbled forward awkwardly, muttering soft curses. With a push and a shove, Nathaniel forced the djinn into the changing stall and shut the curtain behind him. It wasn't as private as he would like, but it was the best that they had.

"Okay, talk now."

It was a tight-fitting changing stall, seeing that it was meant to hold only one person at a time. With only a few inches to spare between the two of them, they had their backs pressed against the wall of the stall. Nathaniel could smell the exotic spice wafting away from the Egyptian boy that stood right in front of him. He felt himself flush, but he forced himself to look up into the djinn's eyes. He chewed on bottom lip.

"Please, talk to me now."

Bartimaeus shifted. "Okay, not what I meant by private but I guess this will do. The truth is..." He cursed, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. Anywhere but at the young magician that stood right in front of him.

"Shit," he whispered. "The truth it, I'm terrified. That last kiss - it was different. Before, I was just going with the motion. It was whatever. But as time went on, things escalated when they shouldn't have. I don't… I've felt this way before long ago - I lost that person and I'm still not quite over that, I don't think. So, I would rather not go through that again."

As he talked, Nathaniel kept his eyes on his throat. It was hard not to. It was only a few inches away from his face. His skin looked soft and smooth. He longed to touch it. He blinked away his thoughts, his cheeks reddening.

"What escalated?" Nathaniel asked, keeping his voice low in case any passing-by customers were in earshot of their conversation. He could hear his heart hammering against his chest. He wondered if the djinn could hear it too.

Bartimaeus gazed back down, meeting Nathaniel's eyes. For a split second, the djinn stole a quick glance at magician's lips. It looked lonely.

"Bart?"

"Fuck it."

The djinn crashed his soft lips against Nathaniel's, muffling his squeaks of surprise. Nathaniel felt Bartimaeus grip his hip and pull him closer, grinding against him. Gasping, Nathaniel pressed a hand against the wall behind him, steadying himself from falling over. Bartimaeus moved his lips against the young magician, tilting his head to deepen and steady the kiss. With every movement, Nathaniel felt himself give in. It was so easy to give in. Everything was hot and cold. Struggling with the peak of a fever, he couldn't help but crave the djinn's cold touch. His heart hammered against his chest, and this time, he knew the djinn could hear it. He kept his eyes closed, taking in everything. The hungry experienced kiss clashing against his, the intoxicating scent of ancient spices, his hair lightly being tugged, the djinn's body pressing against him. Abandoning his lips, Bartimaeus began to pepper his throat with small kisses, lightly biting his earlobe along the way. Nathaniel let out a small moan, only it to be muffled by a kiss.

With his free hand, Nathaniel slipped his fingers underneath Bartimaeus's shirt. He was soft, smooth, warm. His hand continued up, fingers tracing the muscles underneath. He had to try it. Prying himself from Bartimaeus's lip, Nathaniel leaned closer and lightly kissed the djinn's tanned throat. It was also soft and smooth. He grazed his teeth lightly against the Egyptian boy's neck. Bartimaeus grinded against him; a pleasurable sigh escaped Nathaniel's lips. To his surprise, he was no longer embarrassed. Everything felt right. Everything felt perfect. As if it was all meant to be. He felt complete. His eyes fluttered to a close, feeling intoxicated with everything.

"Um, excuse me?" A voice called out from outside the stall.

Nathaniel froze. Bartimaeus peeled back, clearing his throat. Suddenly, Nathaniel felt incomplete.

"Y-yeah?" The djinn called out.

"Is everything alright there, sir? We hear lots of shuffling and moaning in there."

Bartimaeus muttered out a small curse. "Uh, yeah. Just, um, trying on some clothes that are a little too tight, I think. I'll be out in a minute."

Soft footsteps could be heard retreating. Nathaniel waited for a few seconds more, listening intently. Finally, when the footsteps faded away into nothing, they both relaxed. Nathaniel cleared his throat and tugged at his suit, fixing it in place.

"W-we have that feast," he pointed out.

"Right, right. We do. I'll, uh, pay for these then." Gathering himself together, and picking up forgotten clothes, Bartimaeus slipped out of the stall.

"Wait!" Nathaniel shouted after him. He poked his head out of the stall. "My suit. Let me take them off so we can buy it."

Bartimaeus was already halfway to the cash register when he stopped abruptly, turning on his heels. He must have been running. "Oh, yeah. That's right. And then the feast. We do the feast thing."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm good." To prove himself, Bartimaeus leaned against a clothing rack. The rack teetered and tottered under his weight before ultimately crashing down with a loud crack. Passing-by customers turned their heads towards the sound of the noise. Many of them shook their heads disapprovingly. Bartimaeus cursed, looking over his shoulder as he bent down to attempt to fix the rack.

"Are you KIDDING me?" A disgruntled employee stormed over, arms moving wildly towards the scene. "It took me weeks to have those suits freshly-pressed and you crumpled it!"

With a growl and a snarl, the employee threw a punch towards him; Bartimaeus ducked under the flailing arm. Whipping up behind the man, Bartimaeus gave him a light shove. With a cry, the man stumbled over the rack, landing softly on top of the crumpled suits; he let out a blood curdling scream.

"The suits! They're covered in footprints! MY FOOTPRINTS!"

Bartimaeus didn't waste time.

"Okay, buddy, time to book it if you want to get to the feast."

Grabbing Nathaniel by the wrist along the way, Bartimaeus ran towards the door. With a yelp, Nathaniel fell in step behind him. The angry employee could be heard shouting a stream of angry curses and threats after them. The doorbell ringed as they slammed their weight against the door. Cold, bitter air greeted them but the pair didn't mind. Nathaniel felt hot, and he was sure the djinn felt it too. Without realizing, his hands moved down and grabbed Bartimaeus's; his fingers slipped in between the djinn's, interlocking. It felt natural to him.

"I guess I haven't done enough crimes in a lifetime," Nathaniel pointed out as they ran across the street. "More thievery added on to the list."

"That one was on me, sorry. Here – we should go down this road. Feast should be in a couple of hours. Want to get ready and go for it?"

Nathaniel nodded wordlessly and tightened his grip on Bartimaeus's hand.