My Beloved Shadow

Nick stands in the shadows of the living room. Michael had left the light on, wanting to see if Nick could Shadow Dance with it on. Nick draws the shadows around him, enveloping himself with shadows. He steps through the shadows and into his room.
The moment he steps into his room he hears a gasp and turns to see his grandmother. With an eye on her, he moves to his bed and pulls the bags out.

She had always known that their was something wrong with her daughter. She had always come to her, begging her permission to divorce her husband. It just wasn’t right, wanting to leave your husband. Had the sickness spread to Nikolas? His grandmother knew it had. He had taken up with the devil, rumor of his relationship with another boy in school had reached her ears through some of the ladies in the quilting guild.

She had gone immediately to her husband and demanded he look into it. The news he had brought back had sent a chill down her spine. The devil at work, indeed. And then Nikolas had yelled at his grandfather. She had berated her husband after Nikolas ran off, telling him that he had done right. They do not need such evil under their roof.

She had come into his room to burn everything, the purify the room, when she had caught sight of him coming from the shadows.
“You shouldn’t be here.”

Nick pulls both bags out from under the bed and hugs them. Nick pulls a few clothes from the closet and lays them on the bed. His essentials are in one of the bags. He moves back to the shadows and starts to fade into them when he hears his grandmother cry out.

“What are you?”

He narrows his eyes and practically hisses at her.

“I am the devil.”

And then he’s gone, swallowed by the shadows. His grandmother clutches at her heart and calls out for her husband. When he comes into the room he finds her wide eyed with fear.

Nick stumbles back into the living room, breaking out into a cold sweat. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. His grandmother didn’t deserve what he had done to her, no one deserved it. Michael walks over to him, touching his shoulder lightly. Nick pulls away, his eyes pleading.

“Please, I just want to go to sleep. I-I can sleep on the couch…”

Michael shakes his head, sighing softly to himself. It seems as if Nick being thrown out doesn’t necessarily mean that they will share the same bed.

“No, I have an extra room, actually I have three. Follow me.”

The house is just one level but one whole side of it is devoted to four bedrooms. The master bedroom is large, the size of two of the other rooms. Nick doesn’t mind that the room is small, it’s no bigger than his room for the past five years has been. He doesn’t even let it bother him that it’s right next to Michael’s room.

“Thank you.”

They stand there for a moment in the room until Michael gets the hint and leaves, shutting the door behind him. Nick sighs in relief and places a bag on the floor. Both bags are large, black, duffle bags. The other bad he places on the bed. Fully dressed, he climbs onto the bed, pulls the blanket over him and hugs the bag close.

Nick tries to sleep but it’s disturbed with images of his grandparents, of Michael, and of Jason and Norris. He doesn’t sleep well but, finally, near morning he’s able to drift into a dreamless sleep.

Michael wakes up early that morning. Silently he makes his way to Nick’s bedroom, spying on him as he sleeps. Michael notices him hugging the bag and assumes that it must carry some things of his mother. As he stands there he allows himself to reflect on his parents.

His mother had died while he was still young and so he had grown up without a mother and with a father who had been slowly slipping away from everything. Years ago thinking of his father would fill him with rage, but now he simply feels sad. His father had been seduced by power, and eventually controlled by it. He had taken a great race of people and made them into nothing more than slaves and shells of what they once were.

At first it had been hard for Michael, knowing that he would have to kill his own father to save his race. But the longer he shared in his people’s sufferings, the easier it became to do what was necessary.

He had seen horrible things happen to his people and had vowed to never allow such things to happen again. He would do anything to insure his people survive. Even it that meant breaking laws. And what he planned on doing, taking Norris and Jason away, is considered illegal by the gods.

As long as he can pull it all off without anyone important noticing, he’ll be home free. Because, while the actual act of taking them from earth would be considered illegal, once he has them on his home soil they are his and nothing can be done about it.
Michael leaves Nick’s room as silently as he appeared, the kitchen his next stop. In the kitchen he starts to cook breakfast, pancakes and sausage. Milk to go with it. He doesn’t have enough to do a really big breakfast, he’ll have to do that tomorrow morning.

Nick wakes up to the smell of sausage and groggily drags himself out of bed. It takes him a moment to realize where he is, then it all comes crushing down on him like a bucket of ice water.

Wide awake and still wearing his clothes from the day before, he walks into the kitchen to see Michael cooking.

“Morning, sleepy head. Thought I’d start breakfast. It still has a few minutes.”

Nick nods his head and turns to leave. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Something glimmers across Michael’s eyes and he refrains from smiling.

“Would you like help?”

Nick turns to face him with a glare, he most certainly *doesn’t* want Michael helping him to shower.

“No. And if you try and sneak in I’ll make you regret it.”

With that he storms off, not really certain how he would stop Michael if he tried to repeat the events of the first time they were ever ‘together’. Thankfully, and with much relief to Nick, Michael stays far away while he showers. He comes back into the kitchen ten minutes later, toweling his hair off.

“Just in time. The food is ready.”

Michael says, placing two plates on the table. The food is all ready setup on the table. Nick sits down and immediately starts to devour his food. It had been awhile since he’d eaten.

They eat in silence, Michael clears away the dishes after they’ve eaten and they make their way out of the kitchen. Michael had dressed for school before cooking so they make their way outside, where Michael’s car waits. When he’s not Shadow Dancing he’s driving an ‘85 Corolla, Toyota.

Michael touches Nick’s arm, moving to draw him close as they walk outside. Nick pulls away and gives Michael a look.

“What? I thought you were enjoying ‘us’?”

“Don’t, Michael… What happened yesterday evening only helped to make me remember exactly why I didn’t like you in the beginning. It will take a while for me to forget again. You can be sure that, until I’m comfortable again, their will be *no* touching.”
Either Michael would listen, or Nick will be in a lot of trouble.

“Besides, how do I even know that I won’t end up becoming what ever you have in mind for Norris and Jason?”

There is a worn look to Michael’s eyes when he replies.

“I told you all ready, we are zorey. It means much more than your own ‘marriage’. It means that I cannot harm you, that I must seek out what ever will please you.”

Nick looks away. Had he asked for this? No, he hadn’t, and Michael had no right to be like that to him, as if Nick were the bad guy. Michael is the one who had raped him, then expected him to just fall in love. Things just don’t work out like that.
“If our taking me to school, lets go. If not, I have to start walking soon to make it in time.”

“I’ll take you.”

Michael goes to the car, opening the door for Nick and then closing it behind him and rushing to the drivers side.
They are silent through the drive to school, silent as the part ways at school. Nick finds that he cannot concentrate on anything the teachers are saying. He remembers the afternoon in the showers, after practice. Remembers seeing Michael beat Jason and Norris. He knows that if he hadn’t of been there that Michael wouldn’t of stopped till he had seriously harmed them both.

Nick isn’t certain how he’s managed to escape more treatment like the first day. Could what Michael has been saying about them be true? Could the fact that Michael has marked him and they are zorey mean that he cannot harm him?
Nick is just so confused and a little scared.


**
More glimses into Michael\'s past. Nick\'s grandmother is actually worse than his grandfather.
I promise that we\'re getting into some really good stuff soon. *crosses fingers* Promise.