Nico's POV
After sitting with what Elijah had told me regarding Liz's run in with Ainsley, and whether or not I was even gonna really consider going, I decided to wait until right around when Leon would be home on his lunch break, or so the hospital would think he was taking it for, to just casually stop by as if I were simply picking up some more books to read or actually checking if I'd gotten any mail, and confront him about trying to keep my sister's invitation from me.
I came in through my bedroom window, as per my usual routine.
Might as well grab a few books anyway, while I'm here.
—
—
It was when I came out into the upstairs hall, that Leon was just coming in through the front door…..almost perfectly on schedule.
"Hey, Stranger!" He called upstairs, with a chuckle, when he noticed. "Long time no see."
"And whose fault is that, again?"
He just scoffed and tried to change the subject. "So, what King gems are in line to be re-exhausted today?"
"Smooth." I scoffed back when I came down. "...Gerald's Game, 1408, Misery, The Shining, Pet Sematary….you know, my usual re-reads."
"You know, one'd think you'd get tired of it by now." He teased
"Yeah, and one'd also think you'd lay off Elijah, with how little time I spend here now, but take a wild guess where I'm off to next, instead of sticking around here."
He rolled his eyes. "Well, I do know that you know what time I come back here for lunch, kid, so spill it. What do you need me for?"
"Just came to see if I had any mail." I lied. "...I usually come around when you're gone and ask Liz, but she's out on a hunt, soo.."
"Right, sorry." He sighed, turning to go to the table and sift through the small stack of mail that was there. "Nah, just some junk and a couple things for Liz, but that's about it."
"You sure about that?"
"I just looked through this whole thing. Nic, you saw me" He sighed
"Really?" I prodded. "...nothing you could've missed? Maybe, an invitation from a certain transphobic sister of mine that you might wanna keep from me, perhaps?"
He looked at me suspiciously when I said that, as if he didn't clearly have his accusation already planned out. "It was that mutt of yours who told you, wasn't it?"
I scoffed and shot him the kind of glare that I hadn't had to give him in a while.
"...She actually called me, herself, about a week ago, wanting to catch up and letting me know she sent it…." I half fibbed. "...but, it's sure good to know how little you've learned from how little I want to do with you, still."
"Then why did I smell his stench in this house a few days ago?" He demanded.
—
"Because I invited him here to pass it on to Nico, while you weren't here!" Liz interjected when she came through the front door, letting it slam behind her.
"Gee, I wonder why I had to go behind your back to do it, in the first place."
I could sense that she was lying through her teeth, even if Elijah hadn't told me why he actually came to get it.
Thank god. Having her on my side, increasingly fed up with Leon's bullshit as she is, can only do me good, whether she convinces him to pull his head out of his ass or not
"We had a de- "
"I wasn't finished!" She scolded him. "Besides, the only promise I ever made in this house was that I was not going to get caught in the middle of anymore of your bullshit, and I'm standing by it."
"Liz…" He pleaded.
Liz didn't humor him, just came forward and didnt stop until she was right up in his face. "I am no more Nico's family than you are, here…..but, unlike you, I am BEYOND uninterested in becoming even less than that, much less losing him entirely…...what Nico decides to do with his family. His actual family is none of your goddamned business…."
He redirected his attention to me. "...you didn't have to let that- "
"Leon, THAT mutt is still more of a man than you'll ever be." She practically growled at him. "..maybe it's time we start putting you outside." She shoved him backward as she stormed off.
—
—
I'd be lying if I claimed that, even with as done with Leon's shit feud with the wolves as she was, I wasn't just as shocked as Leon was to see her stand up to him like that.
We both stared off, towards the direction she'd taken off in, in said shock, til we finally looked back at each other.
—
"I have nothing else to say to you, except to point out how awfully funny it is that you act so concerned about how my sister will start treating me, about who I am, again, when you are no better than her about Elijah." And with that, I leapt back up to the second floor
"NICO."
But I was already to the ledge of my bedroom Nico, ready to leap back down to where Elijah was waiting for me…..not that I had any intention of sticking around to humor how he was about to claim his treatment of Elijah was somehow different, had he started to before that.
"...Everything okay" Elijah asked when i finally met backup with him.
"It went about as you'd expect." I sighed. "By the way, if it comes up, Liz invited you to come get the invitation and pass it on to me."
"I know…" He chuckled. "She warned me she was gonna tell Leon that, when I ran into her on my way out."
"You told me no one was home when you broke in." I reminded him.
"I lied." He whispered with a devious laugh. "...okay, I didn't actually. She was just getting home, literally after I'd stepped out the door."
"I literally believe you." I chuckled. "It's fine though, I don't actually care, just as long as it wasn't Leon or Imogen."
"I'm pretty sure they were on a hunt, according to Liz, but don't quote me on it."
"Right." I chuckled. "Probably."
"Right, sooo, now that that's done…." Elijah proposed, slipping his shirt off. "Want a ride back to my place?"
I couldn't help but let slip the grin that was spreading widely across my face at that.
"I think you know I won't say no to that."
"Well then…" He answered with a smirk, losing the pants just before he phased into his wolf form and spun around to encourage me to hop onto his back.
I returned the smirk, taking the signal as I made the leap onto his back.
He glanced back at me, over his shoulders, as I scratched the top of his head and we were off.