“Kicking him is an understatement. He saw you bleeding and he lost his shit. I was jealous. But I had to choose between holding you and avenging you. Jericho had it covered. He definitely thinks of you as one of his kids.”
Nico smiled but hid his face in his chest. “Is that why he threatened you with the shovel talk?” Nico asked, words muffled.
“You heard that?” Mal asked. “Were you eavesdropping? I was afraid you would never wake up and you were faking it to snoop on our conversations?”
“Only for a few minutes,” Nico promised. “I wanted to open my eyes but it was so hard. I’m so tired.”
Mal kissed the top of his head. “Yeah, the nurses say that’s normal.”
Nico lifted his head to look at Mal’s face. Was it weird that he missed his face even though he had been unconscious? “Did they say when I can go home?”
“No, but the doctor hasn’t made his rounds yet today. We’ll ask when he gets here.”
Nico yawned, exhaustion taking hold once more. “Okay, Bunny.”
After a while, Mal asked, “Think I should tell my brother that Jericho said he and Ever were as harmless as baby squirrels?”
Nico grinned. “Yes, but we should deploy that information at a key moment when it will work to our advantage.”
Mal snorted. “You’re diabolical.”
“I know, right?” Nico said, then asked, “Are you okay, Bunny?”
Mal frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You looked so pale and upset when you were holding onto me. I wanted to hug you, but I couldn’t even lift my arms,” Nico said. “I know you were scared.”
Mal flushed, his face turning red. “Of course, I was. If you died, I would have had to kill Jason and then myself. That would have really upset my brother.”
Nico’s heart felt like it might explode with love for this silly cat-like bunny he loved more than anything. “That’s both morbid and romantic. I love it.”
“I was actually terrified,” Mal whispered, choking on the words a bit.
Nico rubbed his face on Mal’s chest, wishing he could somehow absorb him into his body so they could be even closer. “I know, Bunny. I’m sorry I scared you. But, on the bright side, being stabbed—twice—does give you a new perspective.”
“Oh, yeah?” Mal asked.
“Mm,” he said. “Makes me not want to waste my time worrying about what might happen later. Right now, all I care about is spending every single day with you.”
“Yeah? And what would we do?” Mal asked, voice fond.
“I want to watch anime and documentaries with you while we eat cake in our underwear. I want to go clubbing with our friends, and get just high enough to not be able to keep our hands off each other, and then go eat diner food at five in the morning. I want to go home every night and let you fuck me and spank me and do dirty things to me in a million different ways,” Nico babbled. And then it hit him. “I want to…”
“You want to what?” Mal prompted.
Nico looked up at him. “I want to drop out of college.”
“Are you sure?” Mal asked. “I know I said it wasn’t for everyone, but it’s not because I don’t think you’re capable.”
“Oh, I know,” Nico said. “I didn’t take it personally.”
Mal was right. Nico learned best by doing. While he would never be satisfied working on cars or becoming a plumber, there was one thing he thought he could spend the rest of his life doing.
“Honestly, I think I want to go to school to be a pastry chef.”
Mal stared at him in disbelief. “Really? Cooking?”
“Baking,” Nico clarified. “And don’t think I can’t hear you thinking about the fact that I can’t boil water. That’s what school is for.”
