A/N: Well, here goes Chapter 9! There's some more Sebastian being Sebastian in here, so I hope you enjoy it :)
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee
"What about 'The Warblers'?"
At the sound of David's voice, everyone else stopped talking and there was a short silence.
"Actually, that's a really good idea, David," Wes said, "Where did that come from?"
David considered the question for a while, but couldn't really come to a conclusion.
"I'm not really sure," he said, "But it seemed to fit for us. Then again, it might just have been because I was thinking about how loud you were singing when we went to the baths yesterday, your rendition of…"
"Alright, David, I think we get the idea," Wes interrupted quickly, before his friend began an entire critical analysis of his performance, "So, our second order of business: our actual purpose for being here. As you all know, my father has been wrongfully arrested for a crime that he has not committed…"
"But you have," Sebastian chipped in unhelpfully, attempting to cover his statement with a cough when Wes turned and glared at him.
"As I was saying," Wes continued, "Basically, I would like him back, and in doing so, as I'm sure you all know, I wish to do something about the Emperor. Our ruler is becoming corrupt, weak, and increasingly obsessed with bloodshed. This is not the way that an effective and just ruler should act; he should be driven by his loyalty to his people, by the want of bettering their lives instead of his. Now, this is a very dangerous mission, and so must be handled with the uttermost delicacy and secrecy; there is not to be a word of this breathed outside of these walls, unless for a good enough reason."
He paused, and allowed David to pass him a sheet of parchment.
"Okay, I want everybody here to sign this sheet with their name; it's basically a contract for your silence. If any of you break this contract, we will not hesitate in using drastic measures."
There was a low muttering of agreement, while Jeff turned to Nick with wide eyes.
"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" he asked, "When did Wes and David become so violent?"
Nick laughed a little.
"I think Wes is enjoying this position of power a little too much," he said, "And anyway, this is very dangerous."
At last, the sheet made its way to Jeff, who stared at it blankly for a while.
"Nicky," he hissed, nudging the brunette next to him, "What do I do?"
"Sign your name," Nick said, "You can remember how to do that, right? We practised it this morning."
Jeff nodded slowly, reaching for the pen and clasping it awkwardly in his right hand. Very carefully, he inscribed the four letters of his name onto the parchment, and once he had done it successfully, he turned to Nick with a blinding smile on his face.
"Well done," Nick said, grinning back at Jeff, while he quickly scribbled his own name down.
Jeff reached under the table, and grasped Nick's hand.
"Thank you," he said almost shyly, looking up at Nick through his fringe. Nick squeezed Jeff's hand tightly.
"Anytime, Jeff," Nick said. "Anytime or anything for you," he added in his own head, looking down at their intertwined fingers and wishing for more.
"So, first plans," Wes' voice brought both boys away from their fantasies and back into the real world, "I suppose we should start with freeing my father?"
He paused as David started to take note.
"Now, I'm going to open this up to all of you," Wes said, "I need someone to find out exactly where my father is being held; there's no point breaking into the palace, only to discover that my father isn't there."
"I could do that," Sebastian piped up, "I'm quite often at the palace with my father, so I could always try and find out some information."
Wes nodded.
"Thank you, Sebastian, for a surprisingly sensible suggestion."
Sebastian, who was at first looking rather smug at the praise, then frowned and looked mildly offended.
"However, how are you going to get into secured areas of the palace?" Wes asked.
"I'm sure Hunter will help me, won't you, Hunt?" Sebastian answered almost too quickly.
From the other side of the table, Nick nudged Jeff.
"What?" Jeff asked, scrunching his face up in confusion; the expression that Nick thought always made the blonde look cute.
"Sebastian and Hunter, that's what," Nick said, "Did you not hear the way that the first person that Seb thought of was Hunter. And, he's already got a nickname for him!"
"Really?" Jeff asked, still looking as though he didn't fully understand where Nick was going with his suggestions.
"Yeah, nobody else calls Hunter, 'Hunt', do they?"
Slowly Jeff started to smile.
"I suppose not," he said, "And Hunter hasn't even batted an eyelid, he really does not have a clue, does he?"
Nick shook his head as he stifled a giggle. They both still managed to catch Wes' attention though.
"Niff, be quiet!" the older boy snapped, pointing at them with the gavel.
Both Nick and Jeff jumped, eventually giving Wes their full attention, while the rest of the table erupted into laughter.
"What's a 'Niff'?" Nick asked, trying and failing to come to a logical conclusion within his own head.
"A 'Niff', dear Nicky," Sebastian explained, leaning forward as he took over from Wes, and spoke to Nick as though he was a small child, "Is the collective noun for you and Blondie. It requires less effort to say 'Niff', than it does to keep saying 'Nick and Jeff'. Anyway, there's no point separating your names, we're all pretty sure that if we see one of you without the other from now onwards, it's an immediate cause for concern."
"Oh, very funny, Sebastian," Nick retorted, rolling his eyes at his friend, "That's just ridiculous, I mean, Jeff's blushing with embarrassment now." He suddenly transferred the attention to the blonde next him, who quickly ducked his head to hide the fact that he'd gone really red.
Sebastian smirked, and leant back in his chair lazily.
"Oh, yes, I'm sure that he's definitely blushing because of Niff," he said, "I have no doubt about that at all."
"Okay, Seb," Wes said, suddenly, "That's enough. This meeting is over until next time." He banged the gavel once, and then handed it to David, having no further use for it, once everyone started talking and Sebastian moved himself out of arm's reach.
As amusing as it was watching Nick and Jeff get embarrassed over each other, Wes really did not need Sebastian spoiling it for them; they'd get together in their own time without Sebastian's help. It was that obvious. Sebastian had been right about Niff being a collective noun though; Wes was convinced that Nick and Jeff were just the two halves of the same being.
"Hey, Jeff," Nick said, "The boy over there is Thad." He pointed to a small, dark-haired boy, who was deep in a conversation with Kurt and Blaine. "He's the gladiator I was telling you about."
Jeff frowned.
"He's awfully small to be a gladiator, isn't he?" he asked, rather too loudly.
"I do have ears, you know," the boy in question replied, walking over to confront Nick and Jeff, "And yes, I am small, but I make up for it in other ways."
"I'll bet you do." Sebastian's reply came from halfway across the room; no one had even known that he was listening.
"And you know what, Blondie," Thad continued, ignoring Sebastian and still looking displeased with Jeff, "Your hair is completely unnatural, nobody should have that bright blonde hair. Any kids that you and Nick have are going to come out with your hair blinding everyone, and Nick's nose completely killing any hope they have of looking normal."
Both Nick and Jeff started spluttering uncontrollably.
"We're not having kids," Jeff managed to get out.
"I don't think it's possible, Thad," Nick added.
Thad shrugged and walked off, pausing for a moment to slap Sebastian, before continuing back to his conversation with Kurt and Blaine.
"Well, there goes Sebastian wonderful attempt at a record for not being slapped," Nick commented, "I knew that wouldn't last long."
"You'd think he'd be immune to it by now, wouldn't you?" Jeff replied.
"Well, I imagine getting slapped by a gladiator probably hurts more," Nick said. "Hey, Jeff, is there something wrong with my nose?"
Jeff shook his head.
"Nah, I like your nose," he answered quickly, and began to blush when he had realised what he'd said.
"Thanks," Nick said gratefully, doing an internal victory dance that Jeff had said that he liked something about him; albeit, it was only his nose, but it was definitely progress.
"Nicholas!"
Nick looked up quickly, having been startled by the harsh sound of his mother's voice.
"Great," he muttered to Jeff, who was sitting at the end of his bed, desperately attempting to decipher the basic nouns that Nick had written out for him. "I wonder what she wants now."
"Go on," Jeff said, motioning for Nick to go to his mother, "It might not be completely bad."
Nick rolled his eyes.
"Trust you to see the positives in everything," he said, "This is my mother that we're talking about."
"I'm just trying to help," Jeff pouted, looking slightly offended that Nick didn't seem to appreciate that fact.
"I know, Jeff," Nick sighed, "But she always finds something to moan at me for, or to stop me from being in a good mood." He got off the bed and patted Jeff's arm. "But thank you, anyway."
"Anytime," Jeff said, giving Nick a quick smile before the brunette disappeared out of the door.
"Mother. Father." Nick acknowledged both his parents as he entered the dining room.
"Good afternoon, Nicholas," his father replied, "I trust you've been spending your day doing something productive?"
"Of course," Nick nodded, wondering whether his parents would count teaching Jeff how to read as something productive.
"Well," his father began, taking a deep breath, and giving Nick the impression that he was about to say something very important, "The Emperor has announced that he is making a trip to the Bay of Naples, and we've been invited to join him. Bear this in mind, Nicholas, this is a very high honour, and so, your mother and I have accepted for ourselves and on your behalf as well. I doubt that this would be an occasion that you'd want to miss, especially since you'll be old enough to start your own political career soon."
"Er, yes, Father," Nick replied hastily, "Of course, I wouldn't dare miss it."
In his mind, Nick couldn't think of anything worse than having to spend time away from his friends, and with the Emperor and his parents instead. Nor did he want to think about the possibility of his father pushing him into a room full of senators, and demanding that he talk to them about politics which he didn't even understand. What if it was just a large political meeting in which Nick would be forced to agree with every single policy or ideal that the Emperor put forward?
"So, what exactly is the purpose of this trip?" Nick asked tentatively, watching his mother as she frowned slightly, quickly assuming that he might be answering back to his father.
"Ah, now that, my boy, is a secret," Nick's father replied, he was completely oblivious to his wife's reaction, and was clearly feeling pleased that his son was showing some sort of interest in the trip. "The Emperor is keeping it a surprise for those outside of the senatorial circle. He wants it to have the maximum impact on everyone."
"Not even I know," Nick's mother said from the other couch. She wasn't really trying to integrate herself into the conversation; she was just stating the fact that she didn't know and wasn't pleased about it. From her tone of voice, Nick could tell that she definitely thought that she should have known.
Nick's father, however, ignored her.
"I expect you to bring that slave boy of yours," he said, addressing Nick, "He'll be useful for helping you with carrying luggage, and also accompanying you around Naples."
Nick nodded, desperately restraining himself from politely informing his father that the 'slave boy', as he put it, had a name, and his name was Jeff. Okay, the more Nick thought about it, the more 'polite' seemed like the wrong word; maybe 'angrily yell' was a better phrase?
"Yes, Father," he said dutifully, "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow evening," Nick's father replied, nonchalantly; as though he hadn't just left his son minimal time to prepare for their trip. "Don't worry about packing; I'm sure that your slave will find time to do that."
"Thank you, Father," Nick nodded at his father once, and then his mother, before turning and exiting the room as fast as possible.
"I call this second meeting of The Warblers to order," Wes said, reaching out with the gavel and tapping Sebastian on the back of the head with it.
"Seriously? What is your problem?" Sebastian asked in annoyance, "You're supposed to hit that on the table, not my head!"
Wes shrugged.
"It's supposed to make everyone be quiet," he explained, "You were the only one talking, so why should I deafen everyone by hitting it really hard on the table?"
"You're not going to deafen anyone by…"
Wes reached out and hit Sebastian again.
"As I think I made clear before," he said, "Be quiet."
Sebastian huffed, but didn't reply.
"Wes, why are we having a second meeting only one day after our last?" one of the other boys, Trent, asked. "There can't have been any major developments yet, can there?"
"Okay, as I'm sure most of you are thinking the same thing as Trent, I'll quickly explain the situation," Wes began, "Nick and Jeff…"
"Niff," Sebastian input unhelpfully.
"Nick and Jeff," Wes started again, raising his voice so that Sebastian was effectively drowned out, "Have asked me to call this meeting because Nick's father has just announced that they are travelling with the Emperor to Naples tomorrow evening."
"To Naples?" Blaine asked, "What for?"
"We don't know," Nick replied before Wes could speak, "It's supposedly a surprise event that the Emperor wishes to impress everyone with. It could be anything."
"So, Nick and Jeff, I'm giving you the task of keeping an eye out on the Emperor while you are in Naples," Wes decided, "We'd like a full report when you return."
"Certainly," Nick nodded, and Jeff copied him.
"I can help you," Sebastian announced suddenly, "I'm going to Naples too."
"Are you?" Wes asked, "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
"I assumed that you would all realise that," Sebastian said, "I mean, my father is…"
"Alright, Sebastian," Wes stopped his friend, "We know who your father is, and just how powerful he is." He paused. "Actually, Seb, while we're on the subject of you, have you got any more information on the whereabouts of my father?"
Sebastian shook his head.
"Sadly not," he said, "I went down into those dungeons with Hunter, earlier today, but we both miscalculated how large they were and we almost got lost."
Wes nodded, and went to speak again, but Jeff got there first.
"I guess if Sebastian's ever lost, there's at least one hunter that he'll want to find him."
At first, there was stunned silence, as everyone around the table realised that Jeff had not only spoken aloud of his own free will, but he'd also made a joke at Sebastian and Hunter's expense. And then everyone burst out laughing.
"Nice one," Nick said, patting Jeff on the back approvingly, as the blonde grinned at the attention he was suddenly getting.
Sebastian blushed violently at the joke, and then regained control over himself.
"Good one, Jeff," he smirked, "But we all know that you're just waiting to nick something, don't we?"
Everyone laughed again, as Nick and Jeff both ducked their heads in embarrassment. Jeff realised he probably should have anticipated some sort of joke like that from Sebastian, but did he have to make it so obvious to Nick? Jeff didn't want to make anything awkward between the two of them. But then again, Nick knew what Sebastian was like, and probably wouldn't take anything he said particularly seriously; at least, Jeff hoped he wouldn't.
As the laughter subsided, Hunter turned to Kurt, who was sitting next to him.
"Sorry, what was that all about?" Hunter asked.
"What was what about?" Kurt asked, frowning in confusion.
"Whatever Jeff said," Hunter clarified, "What did he mean?"
Kurt had to stop himself from grinning at the other boy's obliviousness.
"Oh, nothing," he said eventually, "Jeff didn't mean anything. We just laughed because he finally said something without Nick's input."
"Ah, okay," Hunter nodded, leaning back on his chair. Yes, that made sense.
A/N: Aww, bless Hunter and how oblivious he is! Also, I have to give credit to Eraman for the two Huntbastian and Niff jokes at the end, so thank you very much for them :) Also, there are two non-Warbler characters appearing in the next chapter, so if anyone wants to take a guess as to who they might be, then please do :)
Just one historical point this time around, which will be further explained in the following chapters:
1. Nero really did travel to Naples in 64AD, sadly I do not actually know the exact date, so I am putting it in July, which is when this story is set. The purpose of this trip will be revealed later :)
Thank you for reading and please review to tell me what you thought - I love hearing what you have to say :) Also, you can ask me any questions you want about the story or the history behind it :)