Hey.Why was Jericho roasting him when he couldn’t defend himself?
“True. He is really stubborn,” Mal said, sounding proud.
“You know he’s not going to give up watching out for people he cares about, right? He’s always going to be the first one jumping into the shit when someone is hurt. That’s just who he is.”
Mal sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just want him to slow down. He spends so much time worrying about everyone else, he has no idea who he is or what he wants to do with his life. Outside of helping you, that is.”
“He’s in school,” Jericho said, words laced with confusion.
“He hates school. His meds aren’t strong enough. And he doesn’t care about any of those classes, so he zones out. You know how he is. He learns better with hands-on training.”
Nico’s chest grew tight. Mal sounded so worried about him. Had anyone other than Jericho ever cared that much?
“He did well when I taught him to work on cars. He picked things up really fast. You’re probably right about him learning a skill or trade over college, but he can do whatever he wants. I don’t want you convincing him to drop out of school.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Mal said.
They both fell silent for a while, and Nico’s mind started to wander until Jericho said, “Do I need to give you the shovel talk?”
“I thought you just did?” Mal countered.
“I suppose I did,” Jericho said. “But never forget I have a murder cabin and a lake full of man-eating fish.”
Mal snorted. “Did you give this shovel talk to Ever or Shiloh?”
Jericho laughed softly. “Well, no. But they’re about as terrifying as two baby squirrels. Nico might call you Bunny, but I’ve seen you kick someone into a meat grinder.”
“That wasonetime,” Mal said, exasperated. “And Shiloh was the one who ripped that guy apart with his bare hands.”
Nico couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped.
“Nico?” Mal asked urgently.
“Mm,” he managed, voice raw.
He wanted to see Mal so badly, but it took his eyes a while to cooperate. When he finally opened them, the lights seemed to sear his retinas, making him flinch until Jericho turned off the big light over his bed.
When the two of them finally came into focus, Nico asked, “What happened?”
“You were stabbed,” Mal answered.
Nico laughed, then grimaced. “I don’t have memory loss. I meant after I passed out. What happened to Amy? To Casey? Are they okay? Did we really hand her and Jason over to the GTB?”
Mal and Jericho turned to each other, having some kind of wordless conversation.
“Do you want me to leave?” Nico asked.
Mal frowned. “Huh?”
Nico pouted. “Well, I wasn’t sure with the way you two were gazing into each other’s eyes.”
“That’s not funny,” Jericho admonished.
“What happened?” Nico prodded again. “I’m too tired to drag this out of you.”
“Jason’s dead,” Mal blurted.
“Real subtle, kid,” Jericho muttered.
