[fic - veritas]
Veritas / Calvin/Nikko / All for a woman ~ 1,068 words
Nicholas Zond sat at the battered table, head held up in the palm of one hand, short hair sticking up at odd angles. A mug of coffee was close by, forgotten and cold. Papers were strewn before him, a lap top pushed aside, its screen saver drawing pipes across the screen.
On the papers were photographs of old cave drawings from a civilization forgotten long ago. Local legend claimed that the drawings told the story of what happened to the forgotten city. The trick was finding the message in the drawings. Nikko was beginning to think that the drawings did nothing more than drive you crazy.
The room he'd claimed to study in at the old lodge barely had enough room for the table he was using and had only one door. Only five people knew where he was, including the lodge owner.
The sheets were carefully numbered, the photographs taken painstakingly to be sure that no detail had been left out. Nikko had just pulled the first page back over when the door opened. His hand instinctively went to his laptop, ready to go if necessary. He relaxed when a familiar face peeked around the edge of the door.
"Anything yet?" Calvin asked. With him he brought two steaming mugs of coffee. He set one on the table within Nikko's reach and sipped from the other.
Nikko sighed. "Nothing. I think the only thing the legends are good for is driving someone insane. I'd hoped to at least figure out what the code WAS before Dad and Vincent got here tomorrow."
Calvin leaned against the table and gripped its edges. "Nikko, it's late. You can work on it some more tomorrow. Go to bed."
Nikko studied Calvin a moment as he sipped his coffee, then pushed his chair back and stood stiffly. How long since he'd stood up? "You're right and I've been staring at those photos for way too long." He shut down the laptop and carefully slid the photos the photos into a folder. He walked around Calvin before pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "You coming?"
Back in the room, showered and changed into worn sweatpants, Nikko stretched out on his bed. He stared upward, squinting at the ceiling in the near dark.
"Nicholas," Calvin said as he came out of the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around his narrow hips. He rubbed his wet hair vigorously with another towel.
"Hm?"
"Stop thinking so loud."
Nikko smiled. "How could you tell?"
The other bed creaked, then a light clicked on. Calvin had tugged on a pair of worn sweatpants and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, blankets a jumbled pile nearby. "Because I did the same thing when your dad gave me that test. If you're not careful, you'll see those figures in your sleep."
Nikko propped himself up on his elbow and raised an eyebrow. "This test?"
Calvin nodded. "This test. You'll figure it out tomorrow after you sleep. It's not that complicated, I promise." Calvin got up and crossed the small space between the beds, then leaned down and kissed Nikko so softly, Nikko almost thought he'd imagined it. A minute later and Calvin was back in his own bed and the light clicked off. "Go to sleep. Your dad and Vincent will be here tomorrow."
Nikko smiled into the dark as he slowly licked his bottom lip. When he fell asleep a few minutes later, he was still smiling.
*****
The sun was only just starting to rise when Nikko woke up. He stretched and rolled onto his side and found Calvin staring at him.
"What?" Nikko asked.
Calvin grinned and shook his head. He threw his covers back and sat up in one smooth motion. "Nothing. Let's get going so you can solve that mystery."
It only took a few minutes for Nikko to set up the lap top and spread the papers out. Before long, the small room looked exactly as it had the night before. Nikko sat and looked at one photo and then another and something flickered at the edge of his thoughts. He grabbed another sheet and stared before grabbing still another.
"I got it," he said excitedly.
Calvin leaned against the closed door and folded his arms over his chest. A small smile tipped the corners of his mouth. "Yeah?" he prompted.
Nikko shuffled some of the photos around and began pointing excitedly. "This guy?" he pointed to one crudely drawn figure, then another. "And this guy. They're brothers. And they loved the same woman." He shuffled the photos again and pulled another out. As he talked, he pointed back and forth at the photos. "This woman. And neither would accept her choosing one over the other. I mean hey, who wants to lose to your brother? So there was a battle that became a great war until no one even knew what they were fighting for anymore. All that over a woman." He finally stopped and looked up at Calvin, as though searching for confirmation. "I'm right, aren't I, Chuck??"
Calvin nodded and grinned. "Yeah, you are."
Nikko stood up and crossed the small space. "Dad and Vincent aren't coming, are they?"
"Not today, no."
Nikko finally stopped right in front of Calvin and studied him. "You kissed me last night," he said finally.
Calvin shrugged. "You're tired. The mind does weird things when you're tired."
Nikko inched closer. "I'm not so tired that I imagined you kissing me. I should have hit you."
"But you didn't," Calvin pointed out helpfully.
Nikko moved a little closer still. "No, I didn't. I'm still trying to figure out why."
"Maybe you want to do it again."
Nikko thought a moment and then grinned. "Maybe I do," he whispered before brushing his lips quickly over the Calvin's. Calvin's mouth opened under his and one of them moaned, though Nikko couldn't have said later which of them did it. He ran his fingers through Calvin's hair and fisted some at the backof his head as he pulled away. His breaths were coming fast and he took a moment to catch his breath.
Calvin smiled smugly. "Figure it out yet?"
Nikko chuckled and pretended to think about it. "No. Not yet. Maybe you should help me."
Calvin hooked his finger into Nikko's belt loop and tugged him closer. "I think I can manage that."
Nicholas Zond sat at the battered table, head held up in the palm of one hand, short hair sticking up at odd angles. A mug of coffee was close by, forgotten and cold. Papers were strewn before him, a lap top pushed aside, its screen saver drawing pipes across the screen.
On the papers were photographs of old cave drawings from a civilization forgotten long ago. Local legend claimed that the drawings told the story of what happened to the forgotten city. The trick was finding the message in the drawings. Nikko was beginning to think that the drawings did nothing more than drive you crazy.
The room he'd claimed to study in at the old lodge barely had enough room for the table he was using and had only one door. Only five people knew where he was, including the lodge owner.
The sheets were carefully numbered, the photographs taken painstakingly to be sure that no detail had been left out. Nikko had just pulled the first page back over when the door opened. His hand instinctively went to his laptop, ready to go if necessary. He relaxed when a familiar face peeked around the edge of the door.
"Anything yet?" Calvin asked. With him he brought two steaming mugs of coffee. He set one on the table within Nikko's reach and sipped from the other.
Nikko sighed. "Nothing. I think the only thing the legends are good for is driving someone insane. I'd hoped to at least figure out what the code WAS before Dad and Vincent got here tomorrow."
Calvin leaned against the table and gripped its edges. "Nikko, it's late. You can work on it some more tomorrow. Go to bed."
Nikko studied Calvin a moment as he sipped his coffee, then pushed his chair back and stood stiffly. How long since he'd stood up? "You're right and I've been staring at those photos for way too long." He shut down the laptop and carefully slid the photos the photos into a folder. He walked around Calvin before pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "You coming?"
Back in the room, showered and changed into worn sweatpants, Nikko stretched out on his bed. He stared upward, squinting at the ceiling in the near dark.
"Nicholas," Calvin said as he came out of the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around his narrow hips. He rubbed his wet hair vigorously with another towel.
"Hm?"
"Stop thinking so loud."
Nikko smiled. "How could you tell?"
The other bed creaked, then a light clicked on. Calvin had tugged on a pair of worn sweatpants and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, blankets a jumbled pile nearby. "Because I did the same thing when your dad gave me that test. If you're not careful, you'll see those figures in your sleep."
Nikko propped himself up on his elbow and raised an eyebrow. "This test?"
Calvin nodded. "This test. You'll figure it out tomorrow after you sleep. It's not that complicated, I promise." Calvin got up and crossed the small space between the beds, then leaned down and kissed Nikko so softly, Nikko almost thought he'd imagined it. A minute later and Calvin was back in his own bed and the light clicked off. "Go to sleep. Your dad and Vincent will be here tomorrow."
Nikko smiled into the dark as he slowly licked his bottom lip. When he fell asleep a few minutes later, he was still smiling.
*****
The sun was only just starting to rise when Nikko woke up. He stretched and rolled onto his side and found Calvin staring at him.
"What?" Nikko asked.
Calvin grinned and shook his head. He threw his covers back and sat up in one smooth motion. "Nothing. Let's get going so you can solve that mystery."
It only took a few minutes for Nikko to set up the lap top and spread the papers out. Before long, the small room looked exactly as it had the night before. Nikko sat and looked at one photo and then another and something flickered at the edge of his thoughts. He grabbed another sheet and stared before grabbing still another.
"I got it," he said excitedly.
Calvin leaned against the closed door and folded his arms over his chest. A small smile tipped the corners of his mouth. "Yeah?" he prompted.
Nikko shuffled some of the photos around and began pointing excitedly. "This guy?" he pointed to one crudely drawn figure, then another. "And this guy. They're brothers. And they loved the same woman." He shuffled the photos again and pulled another out. As he talked, he pointed back and forth at the photos. "This woman. And neither would accept her choosing one over the other. I mean hey, who wants to lose to your brother? So there was a battle that became a great war until no one even knew what they were fighting for anymore. All that over a woman." He finally stopped and looked up at Calvin, as though searching for confirmation. "I'm right, aren't I, Chuck??"
Calvin nodded and grinned. "Yeah, you are."
Nikko stood up and crossed the small space. "Dad and Vincent aren't coming, are they?"
"Not today, no."
Nikko finally stopped right in front of Calvin and studied him. "You kissed me last night," he said finally.
Calvin shrugged. "You're tired. The mind does weird things when you're tired."
Nikko inched closer. "I'm not so tired that I imagined you kissing me. I should have hit you."
"But you didn't," Calvin pointed out helpfully.
Nikko moved a little closer still. "No, I didn't. I'm still trying to figure out why."
"Maybe you want to do it again."
Nikko thought a moment and then grinned. "Maybe I do," he whispered before brushing his lips quickly over the Calvin's. Calvin's mouth opened under his and one of them moaned, though Nikko couldn't have said later which of them did it. He ran his fingers through Calvin's hair and fisted some at the backof his head as he pulled away. His breaths were coming fast and he took a moment to catch his breath.
Calvin smiled smugly. "Figure it out yet?"
Nikko chuckled and pretended to think about it. "No. Not yet. Maybe you should help me."
Calvin hooked his finger into Nikko's belt loop and tugged him closer. "I think I can manage that."