𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | Ben Clark

000. The birth of a star

Prologue: The birth of a star

Being born is tiring, especially when your mother's brother thinks he hallucinated.

No one would have ever been ready to take this step.

No one would be ready to be outside of a labour ward as your wife spends numerous hours in pain. No one would ever be ready for what was going to unfold after your child is born. No one is ready to spend their entire life raising a child. You would make multiple mistakes that would last a day or a decade. No one was ready for the possibility of possibly ruining another human's life. Much less your own daughter's life.

Ricardo wasn't.

And Nicolo surely wasn't qualified to ever have to deal with his brother-in-law's, soon-to-be-parent jitters.

Though the hustle of every staff member or patient in this hospital inevitably made noise, the only thing Nicolo could focus on was his brother-in-law's tapping foot. Ricardo was the type of man to have his head on his shoulders, he was a man with a plan, and he was a man who was so goddamn stubborn.

He knew Ricardo's worries were valid but the constant tapping noise was starting to annoy Nicolo.

"Kumpare calm down-"

Ricardo didn't even stop for a second. He didn't want a practically useless sentiment to calm him down but he appreciated in some way Nicolo's worries.

"I'm fine Nico. I'm calm, I'm actually really damn fine! Not that my wife is giving birth to the human being I'm going to raise for the rest of life-! No sir-ee I am a-okay!"

Ricardo words didn't come out the way he intended too. He was already regretting what he said. God, was this how he'll be as a parent? He was being irrational but the fear took its form already. Already having placed his head in his hands, the grip he had of all his confidence months before slowly slipped away. He would probably never even be able to voice out these fears. He deduces that his performance at his job this week was going to be godawful.

He hopes his boss will be lenient. He didn't want to deal with those things again.

But the hand on his shoulder and his brother-in-law being there to reassure something. He didn't know what it was but it was something, it was there and he appreciated it.

"Raising a whole ass other human is stressing me out."

"I'm stressed out by your stress."

Ricardo chuckled. Good. Nicolo liked him smiling more.

"God you're ugly." Nicolo meant it. But it was only met with a hit on his shoulder and a laugh from Ricardo. "My sister has no taste in men. No one wants their man swimming in hair gel and axe body spray"

"Hater. Vicky thinks I'm a fine ass man with fine ass taste and a fine ass."

"You wish!"

Before another jab could be thrown Ricardo got a call. His boss had to call at this time, really?

"Wait, I got to take this." Without even waiting for an answer Ricardo left that only made Nicolo roll his eyes. "Workaholic asshat." Nicolo shook his head with a smile on his face but that was quickly wiped off his face when he saw a nurse approach him, as he immediately straightened his posture.

"Sir, are you related to Mrs. Jackson in any way?" The nurse asked, she had a tired look on her face and her eyes only looking down onto her clipboard.

"Uh- yeah, yeah. Her brother. Did something happen to Vicky?" Nicolo knew nothing would happen to his sister. She was one strong woman and he knew that.

Moving her shoulders a bit trying to work up some semblance of a happy tone the nurse said: "Congratulations sir, your sister gave birth to a healthy baby girl." The nurse tried her best to sound as happy as she could, but she was exhausted. Nicolo didn't mind.

"Is the child's father present?"

"Yeah-" Shoot. Ricardo wasn't anywhere near them. "He's just answering a call right..."

"Now..."

Was it just him? Or does the nurse look strange. No screw that, the nurse looked like a nightmare inducing monster. Also, why is the sky red? Why is everything extra dark? If Nicolo could he'd just joke about this, but it didn't look like a joke at all. God did his chain-smoking days catch up to him? Does smoking too much make someone hallucinate-? But didn't he quit years ago?

Everyone turned into pitch black, humanoid, and starved creatures. They looked disgusting and the nurse in front of him proved his point. Her body looked slimy, as much as it looked like a dead person that's been dried up of all blood in the morgue he used to work at. The white. Her eyes. It's like he'll be blinded by it. It was the lack of life in them. It was a scary void. He tried to find something good about it. But no, it was as if its eyes would drag him down into it. The smile, it's a killer smile. It's teeth looked like it's about to take a big chunk out of his face. Could it just stop smiling at him?

Was he going to die?

But he was definitely on something or is definitely hallucinating!

God please hear his plea. Get him out of this. Wake him up or something. Snap him out of it. Say something, anything. Say something.

S̶̶a̶̶y̶ ̶s̶̶o̶̶m̶̶e̶̶t̶̶h̶̶i̶̶n̶̶g̶.

"-colo?"

Ricardo shook his brother-in-law and finally Nicolo snapped out of it. "Don't kill me."

"...what?"

"Nevermind." Nicolo sighed in relief making sure Ricardo was real, by pinching him everywhere.

"Ow! Stop it!"

"This is real."

"It is sherlock!"

Almost immediately Nicolo leaned backwards and covered his face. God what was that? Was the morgue he used to work out actually filled with demons and now they were catching up to him? Maybe, but hopefully not.

"Mmm...You good?" Ricardo asked with his eyebrow raised. "Yeah- yeah good fine. What happened?" Nicolo looked at Ricardo finally taking his hands off his face.

"While you were-" With air quotes, Ricardo said:

"Zoned out."

"I think I was hallucinating." Niccolo said with an almost questioning expression.

"Shut up." With a sharp turn and look Niccolo was sure as hell had been shut not only up by down.

"We got around to naming the kid. My little sweetheart, a baby girl." Well thank god he wasn't a mess now.

"Finally something that isn't about work... " Then that made Nicolo think.

"What's your job again?" Now it was time for Nicolo to raise his eyebrow.

"I'm the average pencil pusher Nico."

"Sure... so what did you name the kid?"

"It's a good one. Vera Marianna Jackson."

"I feel bad for the kid already."

Savannah, Georgia. July 24, 2002. 12:01 am.

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Translations:

Kumpare = buddy/friend

satisfied with this one!

im in the process of writing chapter 1 it'll be out in a few days i hope!

no beta we become the tree

fun fact nicolo was the reason ricardo met his wife victoria! now nicolo regrets ever introducing them to each other

but anyways have a good day yall! thanks for all of your patience!