The car rolled into a street that was largely unfamiliar to me. Despite living in this town my entire life, I had never been to this part of town. It was the part of town that tended to have issues with anti-social behaviour and crime. In fact, the younger members of the member of the pack were restricted from coming to this area in fear of bringing unwanted attention to the pack.

"You can just drop me off here, Alex."

I turned to look at Nico with a raised brow, unsure if he was joking or not. The fact he had called me 'Alex', a name nobody called me, barely registered with me in my concern.

"I'd feel better if I dropped you to your door, Nico." I gestured around, "It doesn't look the safest."

Nico scoffed.

"I think I'll be fine, thanks."

"Nico, just let me drop you to your door."

I eyed the group of boys in hoodies stood on the corner, outside the corner shop, warily. One or two of them were wearing a balaclava and it was clear they were trying to seem intimidating. While I would have no problem, I couldn't say the same for Nico. He looked like he had never seen a fight in his life.

"Did it cross your mind that I grew up here and know those guys?" Nico grumbled, clicking the door open.

I nodded at that, realising I was probably coming across as a dick again. My focus was on safety but I could understand Nico's perspective. It still set me a little on edge to watch him climb out of my car on this random street, about to walk into the darkness alone, but I kept my mouth shut. I don't think Nico appreciates the sentiment.

"It's May. May fourteenth."

His birthday.

Nico said the words just before he closed the door, giving me a small wave and walking down an alley and into the darkness. I glanced after him before cursing, taking my keys from the ignition. As much as he would hate me for it, I physically couldn't let him walk through the dark alone. My father's words were echoing around my head and Gracie's expression haunted me.

Locking my car behind me, I jogged to catch up to him. He was getting wet in the rain so I held an umbrella over his head, falling into step beside him. He glanced over at me and rolled his eyes, but didn't protest. We walked in relative silence next to each other, the gravel under our feet crunching as we walked through the littered back alley.

Bar a man smoking his cigarette by his backdoor, it was empty. It was late, after all.

Nico pulled out a set of keys and came to a stop outside a door. It was one of those doors that had a staircase on the other side up to a top floor flat above a takeaway. There were dead plants decorating the small doorway and a porch light that evidently didn't work. I eyed the dead plants. It was clear that somebody had put a lot of love and time into them once upon a time but they had since died.

"They were my dads." Nico saw me looking, "Are my dads, I mean."

I nodded; his dad must be the one in hospital. It was a shame that they had died but I suppose it wasn't like Nico had time for them between school, the hospital and work.

"Anyone home?" I whispered, looking up the dark staircase now that the door was open.

Nico shook his head and looked up the dark staircase also. It was tidy and smelt nice inside but so dark. Nico tried flicking the switch and cursed, stepping inside and going to the box by the door. He pressed a button and swore under his breath, his cheeks going a tinge pink.

"Forgot to top up the leccy key before work." He mumbled, pulling it out of the box.

Nico checked his watch and cursed again, fumbling with his wallet to check for cash. His hands were shaking and he dropped the wallet in his panic. He bent down to pick it up and looked at me with an apologetic smile.

"The shop closes soon and I need to get to the cashpoint."

"Stay here."

Taking his key from his hand, I jogged away. I heard Nico shout in protest, but I ignored him. Once I rounded the corner, I broke into a sprint. The shop closed in mere minutes and Nico never would have made it in time. It was a close call for even a werewolf and I didn't want him to have to spend a night in the dark. The thought of it sent chills through me.

Once I got to the main road, I slowed down to a jog again and made my way past the group of guys. They stared at me but said nothing, just sipping on their drinks and chatting amongst themselves. Most of them seemed to be around our age but I didn't recognise them from Sixth Form.

As I stepped inside the corner shop, the bell rang and I breathed a sigh of relief; I was beyond glad I had made it in time.

"Boss, we're closed." The guy behind the counter said.

"My friend's electric just went out. Can I top it up?" I felt bad to bother him but Nico needed it.

"Just this once." The guy laughed, "You tell your friend to be more careful."

I nodded, placing the key down on the counter and letting the guy top it up on the machine. My eyes wandered around the shop as I waited and landed on the sweets below the counter. Bending down, I picked up one of the bright orange chocolate sweets, smiling to myself before placing it on the counter.

It dawned on me that Nico hadn't ate his dinner yet and I sighed. It was coming together for me just how hard Nico's situation was.

Nobody was home to take care of him.

He was fending for himself and judging by his excessive work schedule, he was paying the bills at home as well. I had an inkling that this was the way it had been for a while judging by how well Nico was coping. This wasn't a recent circumstance and it hurt me to think about how long Nico had been providing for himself. He was so young and had so much responsibility on him.

I paid the cash from my wallet and thanked the guy profusely. He waved me down and I wished him a good evening before heading back onto the street. Those boys looked over at me again as I left and one of them laughed, pointing at the chocolate in my hand.

"Gift for Nico?"

Amused by his reputation, I nodded. It wasn't just me that always noticed him eating this chocolate, then. Hesitating, I turned back on myself to face the guys.

"Where's the closest takeaway that'll still be open?" I asked them.

"Nico's favourite is the one across there on the left." The guy pointed, "Cheesy chips with garlic mayo."

I thanked them and headed that way, trying to get a move on as to not leave Nico sitting in the dark while waiting for too long. The image of it both amused and saddened me.

Getting chips for Nico and I didn't take long. When I returned he was still where I left him, sat in the open doorway with the brolly covering him so he didn't get soaked. I, on the other hand, was drenched. His eyes were hopeful when he saw me.

"I made it in time."

I chucked him the key and he hurried to his feet to put it back into the meter. The lights flicked on and relief flooded his expression before he looked back at me and his eyes narrowed in on the white plastic bag I was holding. He sniffed once and then again.

"You sharing, or?"

"Just waiting to be invited in." I smirked.

"What are you a vampire? Come in." Nico scoffed, pulling me in by my jacket sleeve and closing the door behind me.

"Close." I mumbled, hiding my smile.

I followed Nico up the steep stairs and we came out onto a landing where a clothes drier had Nico's laundry hung to dry. There were four doors in the landing and one opened up to the kitchen and living room area. Nico led me through and gestured to the sofa for me to sit down. I obliged and he grabbed two forks before returning to put the television on.

Kicking his shoes off, he flopped into the sofa and flicked through the channels while trying to find something good. I took the opportunity to look around a little more and it was clear that Nico spent the majority of his time here alone. On the sink drainer there was a sole cup, plate and bowl that hadn't been put away and on the counter there was a stack of unopened mail waiting for the recipient to return home.

It was fairly tidy considering he was handling all of this on his own. 

"Do you want a drink?" Nico hopped up again from the sofa, as if he remembered I were a guest there.

"What do you have?" 

I eyed the empty fridge as he opened the door, closing it again sheepishly. He checked a cupboard and found a few cans of pop, which I nodded to. Both the cupboard and the fridge seemed to desperately be lacking in sustenance. The request to take him grocery shopping was on the tip of my tongue but I held off. 

Nico seemed the type to be incredibly independent and proud of it. I knew already that it didn't come easily to him to ask for help. On the other hand, it was making my chest hurt to see him trying to juggle all of the demands of caring for himself while working, in school and visiting his father. He was still a teenager, after all. 

He absolutely devoured his cheesy chips and even picked a few off of my plate when he thought I wasn't paying attention. Of course, I saw but I pretended to not notice.

"No way you like this." I was genuinely surprised by his choice in movie, "It's one of my favourites. I've never found another person who knows what it is." 

"You've seen this before?" Nico practically jumped in his excitement, equally as surprised as me.

His smile that always seemed to be quite restrained broke out into a wide beam that made my heart beat faster and my throat hitch. I was in awe of him as the screen illuminated the side of his face with bursts of colours, casting shadows across his features. I was definitely staring but I couldn't help but to watch him.

Nico caught my eye and he turned to face me, toting his head in confusion at my staring.

"I've seen that look before." Nico's cheeks were dusted a rosy colour now.

I looked down at my lap, hiding my smile at Nico's words. The last time Nico had seen that expression it had ended with him in a rather compromising position underneath me. The thought of it both excited me and made me feel sad.

"Nico, I'm really sorry about how I acted after..." My words trailed off, feeling unable to put into words just how much of a prick I was for what I had done.

"C'est la vie." 

Nico was far too forgiving. 

"Besides, you can make it up to me." Nico had a devious look on his face.

"Is that so?" I hummed, amused by his proposition.

Nico nodded, climbing off the sofa and rummaging through his bag. He returned with his phone outstretched in his hand towards me, waving it around in my face. I took it, glancing at his home screen background as the screen lit up with the movement. It was a picture of Nico with another guy, which sent a pang through my chest.

"My best friend. The one from the club that day."

I nodded, tapping in my number. The 'name' section stood out to me and I paused for a second, debating on what to name myself in his phone. 

'Alex' seemed to work.