100 reasons to love our lives

Colleague/Protector/Ticking bomb/Boyfriend

Nico

Room 242.

That's where Simon's bed stood, at least that's what he had messaged me. Of course, I wouldn't stress him out too much; but still, as I thought about what might happen, my heart beat a little too fast, preparing me to run away.

I just had... so many questions. And I didn't know if I should ask them.
Even though I remembered what the monster said, it still didn't make any sense, magical trance or not.

"I can see why Simon fawns about you that much." Besides the really uncomfortable implication that my roommate would fawn about me, there was something else behind that sentence... They had talked before. More than one time. More than one time about me; meaning that they had talked enough to have multiple conversations.

And the nickname...
"Really, sweetheart, why didn't you introduce him to us earlier?"
Well, Simon never hesitated to give nicknames himself, but the tone of that sentence... Almost comical, as if the monster would banter with an old friend.

And lastly, how shocked that monstrous man was as Simon hit him with the sword shard. He had called him traitor. As if... As if they were partners, close enough to rely on each other.

But if they were friends, why would that man kill Simon? And why would Simon kill him in return?

I suppressed the urge to run away screaming as I finally stood before room 242. Before I lost heart, I knocked at the door.
It was my first time hearing his voice: "Come in!"
Suddenly, I was extremely thankful for him staying mute. There was a thick iron door between us and metals always tried to protect me; but still, the beauty of his voice startled me. Light, a high tenor voice, as clear as a river and still as smooth as velvet. For a second, I froze in my place, fighting with the urge to make him repeat his sentence... But finally, I stepped trough the door.

Simon blushed as he saw me, waving his hands. I could see he regretted speaking in the way he crossed his arms in front of his chest, uncomfortably shifting in his sitting position. "Hey, Simon", I greeted him. "How do you feel?"
The young man shrugged; his face lightened up as he saw the college block in my hands. Fastly, I gave it to him, and his hand seemed to fly over the paper. To my surprise, his letters were in old greek:

AS GOOD AS YOU CAN FEEL WHEN YOU GOT HALF EATEN.

His lips curled up to a bitter smile. "Sorry that I was so useless", I apologized. Simon's shoulders shook in mute laughter. Again, he wrote:

DOM ALREADY HAS DEFEATED YOU IF YOU DON'T KNOW HIS POWER. NOT YOUR FAULT :)

"Dom?", I asked curiously. "Is that his name?"
Simon nodded, his lips thinning to a fine, white line.

DOMENICO.

My breath shortened as I felt a wave of pure misery washing over me. By the time, I had got completely used to his odor of death, but now it was worse than ever. I wavered - should I really pressure him more?
At last, I asked: "What even has happened? Who is he? I don't like killing things-" As Simon scowled deeply, I fastly corrected myself: "people when I don't even know who exactly they were."

Simon still looked as if I had hurt him personally, but I could also see that he was thinking; tapping the pen on the paper in a slightly hypnotic rhythm. Suppressing the everpresent urge to shake the words out of him; I looked around the room.