💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

102 - Nick

Nick had to find peace where he could. Since he had joined the Yevans, his life had been a non-stop series of events, one after another, after another, after another. He had decided to pretend to be soulmates with the big guy he had befriended. He had traveled to a distant, dangerous forest. He had fallen in love with that same big guy, which was especially strange because Nick was straight. He had become a shadow caster, fought Maxil, and escaped back to Sesstria. And, of course, the second he had got back, The Golden Spire had marched on the city, intent on killing him, his son, and everyone he had come to love in the city, including his soulmate.

So, yes, it had been a crazy few weeks, and that was an understatement.

Thankfully, the next few days passed without much violence. The siege of Sesstria seemed to settle into a fraught, uneasy ceasefire. The Golden Spire was camped around the city, completely surrounding them, patrolling the highways and the sun forest. And citizens of Sesstria were stuck inside the city, left to sort out how they were going to get themselves out of this situation, and how they were going to survive in the meantime.

Smoke and heat were a constant in the streets of the city. Every morning, a haze settled in the sky, only burned away by the sun during the later morning hours. Before, the city had felt so wide, so open, so majestic. It had been a beacon of civilization, the biggest settlement in the country. Now, it was a prison.

As much as they could, they gathered together for meals. It gave Nick a chance to see his son, to spend some time with his friends. Between the training and the fear, he cherished those moments. When he was in the Palace's dining room, he could almost pretend that things were normal.

The only problem was that Mark never had good news. His best friend had suddenly become the most depressing part of his day. According to him, the rations facility in The Commerce was emptying by the day, and his estimates for when Sesstria would run out of food became closer and closer. They didn't have much time to put a stop to this.

"And I was followed around his warehouse by these two guys." Mark shook his head, staring into the distance. "Big guys. They were, obviously, there to intimidate me. If I spent too long in a certain place or touched anything, they would suggest that I moved along and the threats were implicit." He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and took a bite of the pomhue slice in his hand. "This bastard is really starting to get on my nerves."

Nick grimaced. "What is his problem? Does Mooley not realize we are in the middle of a siege?"

Mark's jaw clenched. "I think he does. He knows that his warehouses are the most important buildings in the city, and I think he means to take advantage of it." His eyes went hard, cold. "Not if I can help it."

During those first few days, the first week, when Nick put on his yevan uniform and reported to the base, he continued to get strange, guarded looks from his colleagues. Jefflo was outright hostile towards him, constantly giving him dark, suspicious glares. Ollow and Kreese weren't as overt, but Nick could tell that they were keeping their distance. Of course, Breck did everything he could to help the situation, and Nick avoided practicing his shadow casting abilities, but it was frustrating and disappointing. He had been growing fond of those young guys, and the fact that they were so prejudiced towards him was upsetting.

Ten days after the initial assault, after the beginning of the siege, Breck and Nick were patrolling along the southern end of the wall. The yevans weren't tasked with guarding the wall, but they were constantly asked to ensure that the defenses were sound, that the triptychs were active and paying attention. So, Breck and Nick were there to supervise, there to observe. But Nick didn't mind it. It was nice walking along the battlements. It reminded him that there was life beyond the walls of their temporary prison.