Nikolay 

More than once, Nikolay caught himself daydreaming. 

What was up with his roommate? Whan did he think about Nikolay? Did he find him annoying?  

Would Oliver find him meddlesome if he tried to get closer? 

Life at the dorms wasn’t that easy, he thought. It wasn’t that bad either. It just... it was hard to hold himself back. The vampire thought he had mastered the art of pretending to be someone he wasn’t, but then... 

Then this guy came in, crushing down all of his walls with a stoic face, a defiant nature and a delicious aroma.  

A few days had passed since Nikolay entered the dorms. Where he had pictured nights surrounded by noise, loud music and annoying people, there was peace and calm instead. He liked it. He finally had a place to call his, a place where he could be himself, without people watching or controlling every move he made. It was kind of liberating. 

Despite the first impression of him, living with his Oliver actually wasn’t difficult. Since the first day, Oliver had been cheeky and a little grumpy, but he had proved to be an excellent roommate, keeping the place neat and being respectful about personal space. The older liked that about him. Well, he liked a lot of things about Oliver. 

And that was the reason he daydreamed, like,  He would throw himself on his bed and hug his pillow while thinking about the guy next to him. And, yes, it was a bit creepy! But it wasn’t his fault he had to share his room with the object of his affections! 

He felt like a teenager having his first crush all over again. Or, better said, this his first crush.  

Nikolay never had a normal life. When trying to be a normal person, the first obstacle was his identity as a vampire, which carried a lot of problems and responsibility with it. The second was his position in society. His family was very conservative and wary of outsiders, always distrustful and waiting for betrayal. It was a shitty way to live, but it was the way the things were. That was the reason he wanted to get away from them so bad, and finally live his life. 

Living under all those rules and pressure caused Nikolay to be really introverted as a child. He was homeschooled his whole childhood, and he didn’t have friends besides his family and the servants of his house. So, when he started high school, everything was new to him, and exciting. His appearance and position naturally attracted a lot of attention, and soon he became “the school prince”, the popular guy, the one every girl wanted to date and every boy wanted to be friends with. It was a sudden, big change, but Nikolay went along with it.  

Over the years, being the center of attention became a new rule for him. He got along with everyone, he was liked and even desired by girls and guys alike, and at that time he loved it. He loved the presence of other people in his life, not being alone. Soon he started going to parties, doing things the others expected him to do. Alcohol? Drugs? None of them had an effect on him, he was a vampire, for fuck’s sake! But people didn’t know that. He had to pretend.  

Going out every night became routine. Sleeping with people he wouldn’t even remember the next day, because he really didn’t care. He just didn’t want to be alone again. He didn’t want to go back home, where he would be isolated again, He just wanted to stay there, surrounded by the sweet aroma of humans and their affection. 

And that’s when the rumors started. 

You know, teenagers really are strange, and scary as fuck. They would have an actual vampire, who sucks human bloodhuman blood right in front of them, but all they would care about is their reputation. Those things are really important when you are starting to make your social circle and going out to the society. Even more if the school you go to is for rich kids... they really, really are the worst. 

Okay, so, it all started with this guy who was his friend back in high school. Apparently, he was so jealous and terrified of his girlfriend leaving him for Nikolay, that he started spreading rumors about him. Later on he would find out it was him he was jealous of, but that’s a story for another time. The thing is, he made up a lot of fucked up shit about him. Well, some things weren’t actually lies, but... it was a little exaggerated.  

And like that, he became the school's playboy without even trying! 

Yes, he slept with a lot of people, but everyone did that in high school! He wasn’t an asshole, he didn’t talk about those girls and guys, not even to his friends. Nikolay didn’t like going around shouting how many people he had fucked with, like the other guys loved to do. He didn’t harass people to be with him either, he wasn’t a creep, thank you very much!  

And even though he didn’t have romantic feelings towards others, he would never break that confidence he knew was so significant for some people.  

But then, after all those things with his “friend”, other people started talking shit too. The lies went on. His friends turned away from him, because of the rumors saying he flirted with their girlfriends, and even some saying he slept with them. The girls would slap him across the face, shout at him, insult him, because in their eyes he was the one who lied. The people that once liked and even loved him... suddenly were gone, leaving him alone all over again. 

He just wanted some company. He just wanted not to be alone. Was that too much to ask for? 

Apparently, it was. 

So, he just stayed in that role. 

Even though he spent the rest of his nights alone, he still acted like he had someone on his bed every weekend. Even though he liked to have friends, he started being alone, the lonely star of the party. Even though he was a sweet and caring person, he started to act tough... some people liked it. They accepted him in that role. It made him get in trouble, with his family, with other people, with the school, but what else could he do? 

Then, that time came again. The time when he just wanted to escape and end it all. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Nikolay expected that day to go like the others. Oliver came back from studying, only to get on his bed and open a book again. The older liked to watch him read... maybe he didn’t realize it, but he made a lot of different expressions when he was immersed in a story. Sadness, rage, amusement, joy... the shine on his eyes changed so much, it was like the vampire was reading something himself.  

Just watching him like that was okay. He didn’t expect the other to like him, anyways. In the eyes of people like Oliver, he was nothing more than scum. 

Getting his sight away from the boy, his gaze followed the wall in front of him and then the pictures on it. There they were, like the first day he saw them... pictures of different women. It was a collage, with Oliver being present only in some of them. Nikolay could distinguish at least five women... he wondered if they were his family.  

A voice took him out of his thoughts. 

“Is there something you want to ask?” 

He jumped in his place, blushing. He felt like he was being caught doing something he shouldn’t do. “I-I'm sorry... I just- I was wondering if it’s fun... having a big family, I mean.” 

He suddenly felt nervous. He started playing with his fingers, feeling like he was being judged. He could sense Oliver’s sight on him, he could hear his breath, the beat of his heart, even the thumping of his fingertips against the paper of the book he was holding.  

Then, the brunet smiled. 

Nikolay had never seen him smile like that.

His whole face lit up, and fuck, that made things in Nikolay’s head! Oliver smiling should be fucking illegal! 

With an unusual calm voice, he started talking. 

“It must be strange, right? Having too many women in my family...” 

Nikolay tried to relax. They were... oh, they were having a conversation. A casual conversation between roommates!  

He wanted to cry from relief.  

“Oh, no, I don’t think so! But now that I think about it... it must be hard, right?” 

“Nah,” he laughed it off with a wave of his hand “They’re amazing. Sometimes they like to make my life a living hell...” 

He laughed again at Nikolay’s horrified expression “but I swear! They’re re the only people in this world that I trust. They... they are my best friends, y’know?” 

He looked at the pictures with so much love... Nikolay’s heart was about to explode.  

“Do you miss them? I-I mean... you surely do, but... do they live too far?” 

“Actually, I’m only a few hours away from home. But it isn’t the same, even knowing I can go visit them on the weekends. Sometimes I miss the noise, even the teasing... they can be very nosy, though. Sometimes having three older sisters is a nightmare.” 

“Three... then, the other two...?” Nikolay looked at the pictures, and at the two older women posing in one of them. 

“They are my moms. Yes, I have two. Cool, isn’t it?” He looked a bit wary, and Nikolay couldn’t blame him. Being bisexual himself, he was familiarized with the LGBT community and there were things he perceived as normal. But in the eyes of some people, having two mothers was strange, something to make fun of and even something deplorable. Nikolay smiled, trying to reassure him. 

“It must be. It seems that you really have an amazing family...” he thought back to home, where neither his mother not brother would be, too busy dealing with whatever they did to make money. He didn’t have a father, and no one in his house talked about him. He didn’t try to ask anymore. 

The mood must have changed, because neither of them said nothing for a long time. Then, when Nikolay was going to apologize for ruining it, Oliver asked something: 

“Do you have demon blood?” 

The vampire almost choked on his saliva. 

“I-I... hahaha... what do you mean?”  

Yes... very convincing. 

“You know what I mean. Don’t try to play dumb with me, you’re a terrible liar, you know?” 

Nikolay sighed, looking down at his own lap “...yeah, I know... you promise you won’t freak out?” 

Oliver just rolled his eyes “Do you think I would be asking this if I didn’t know about the demonic and the magic world? C’mon, tell me.” 

It was a big surprise, but at the same time, he should have expected it. Oliver looked so fucking smart, of course he would know about the other two worlds and the creatures from them.  

Slowly, he let the fangs come out. They weren’t that big, but a bite surely would hurt like a bitch. Luckily, he had blood stocked in his house, and some bags under his bed. It came from people who gave it voluntarily, in exchange for money of course. 

The other seemed to be having trouble holding back, so Nikolay helped him “Come on, you can laugh.” 

Shrieks of laughter could be heard in the room, and now it was Nikolay’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“OH MY- OH GOD, sorry... it’s just... a vampire! I should have expected it!” 

The older just frowned, then pouted. 

“What is so funny about me being a vampire?” he asked in a little voice, even though he knew... since fucking Twilight, vampires were a fucking joke! FUCK YOU EDWARD!

“No, no, it’s nothing... oh, god... that was a good laugh. Thank you.” 

Oh, that little shit. 

“You’re welcome. Now... you have demonic blood too, right? Now that I think about it, you seem to know a bit too much. Only someone familiarized with demonic beings can act so calm after seeing a vampire for the first time.” 

“Wow! You’re not stupid after all!” 

Nikolay just looked at him, a look on his face that said: “really?”. 

“Okay, okay! Sorry! Well, I think it’s my turn now.”  

The older looked at him. There was no way he was a vampire too, because Nikolay could have sensed it right from the start. Vampires had a lot of characteristics that made them unique, and even though some of them were very useful, most were just nuisances. 

Then, he saw a little, almost imperceptible light. No... it was like a change around Oliver’s head, like the space around him was melting and re-shaping. Then... there were cat ears where the human ones should have been. 

Nikolay just stared at them. 

And the minutes passed. 

“Hey... are you okay? You shouldn’t be so shocked. I’m sorry if it was too sudden.” 

Nikolay shook his head “No, it’s okay. They are very... interesting.” 

THEY ARE SO FUCKING CUTE. HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO ME? 

No, he couldn’t say that aloud, right? 

“Thanks. Ugh, it’s a relief to have them off! I still have no control over them, so when I’m nervous or just pissed, it’s so fucking hard to hold them back... this is the best!” Oliver had closed the book and now was rolling on his bed, acting like a real cat and  oh god was that a tail? HE HAD A CAT TAIL! 

Still, there were some questions that hadn't been answered, and Nikolay still was curious, so he asked: 

“So, you are a cat hybrid. But that would make you a magical being. What about the demonic blood? In some way, I can sense it on you. But... I don’t know, it doesn’t make sense!” 

Oliver stopped acting like an animal and looked at him with those big, innocent cat-like eyes. “Ah, yeah. I know it’s rare but, I have both magic blood and demonic blood. My mamá Miriam, the one with brown hair, she is a cat hybrid.” 

So, he was the biological child of both women? How was that possible? Well, with magic and demonic blood everything was possible. “And the other?” 

“The other, the blonde one, she is my mom Jade... she is a succubus."

Oh, for fuck’s sake. 

He was fucking dead.