"Is that me laddie?" 

The voice was strong and had a thick accent, despite the man it coming from seeming quite frail in his hospital bed. He was at the older end of middle aged but I'm sure the fluorescent lights weren't helping my age guessing. 

"Your dad is Scottish?" I whispered to Nico, slightly surprised.

Nico's accent was not at all Scottish and he didn't look remotely similar to his father.

"He looks like his ma, lad." Nico's father croaked a laugh at my expression, "Spitting image. Don't be shocked; he is mine. Hate to admit it but the Scottish genes didn't stand a chance against his ma's."

Nico had never mentioned his mother and I hadn't seen any photos of her around the small flat  when I was there. I stood back as Nico leaned in to give his father a hug and then offered the man my own hand to shake. He scooted up in bed as best as he could and Nico helped him adjust the angle of the bed on the remote. 

He shook my hand and then smoothed back his greying, auburn hair. It was clear to me that he was trying to mask the condition he was in and make a good impression, whether it was for my sake or Nico's I wasn't sure. 

"It's nice to meet you, sir." 

"Oh, don't be daft. Call me Nick, for christ's sake. I get enough Sir and Mr. Taylor from the nurses, lad."

I smiled at that. Nicolai was named after Nicholas. Clever.

"This is Alexandros." Nico introduced us, "My friend."

It hurt slightly to be introduced as his friend but rationally I knew that we were nothing more than that. Sure, we had slept together once but I had ruined a lot of our relationship with my stupid actions. So, really it was my own fault. Besides, he's not going to introduce me as the guy he slept with once, then ignored him, and then changed his mind. I fear his dad would likely beat me up, despite his condition.

A wheelchair sat in the corner of the room.

"Must be a special kind of pal." His dad winked, "You've never brought anyone before."

I hid my smile by looking at the floor, feeling cocky about that. I was glad that Nico had decided to share this part of himself with me and it helped me to understand him and his situation a little better. 

"We just know each other from school," Nico's face burned red, "and we happened to be nearby so I thought we'd pop in."

"Near to the hospital? Everything alright, laddie?" Nick's face was etched with concern.

Nico hesitated on what to say and I could see he didn't want to share that he'd been in A&E. I understood in a way; he wanted to shield his dad from having to worry about him. Taking out my phone, I flashed the photo of Ross and Lex.

"My niece and nephew were born this morning. Dragged Nico to visit over in the maternity ward."

Nick's face lit up in delight and he commented on how precious they were, telling a story about a time where Nico blew up a nappy in a shop before he had learnt to carry a nappy bag with him everywhere he went with a newborn. Nico was, of course, mortified and red in the face.

From the story, it seemed as if Nico's mother hadn't been in the picture for a long time. Nick had raised him alone in a place that wasn't home with no support and it was obvious he thought the world of Nico. The love was clear.

"You get your redness from your Scottish side, I see." I teased him, making him flush a deeper red.

"Face like a smacked arse, I tell him." 

I couldn't help but laugh and Nico groaned, burying his face in my hoodie sleeves.

It was clear that Nick was getting tired so Nico insisted we get a move on after not very long. Nick went from telling stories and laughing heartily to looking fatigued very quickly. He began to sink into his pillows and blink slowly, losing his place in the conversation and getting the names of those in his story wrong and places confused.

It was obvious to me that Nick would have been the life of the party and larger than life once upon a time. Although, perhaps even on a day where he wasn't stuck in a hospital bed he may still be that way. All things considered, he still came across as a force to be reckoned with and a source of joy and laughter. 

Wishing him well as we left, I followed Nico down the hospital corridors he seemed to know so well. Once we were outside, he slumped against the brick wall that lined the outside of the hospital. Perching next to him, my hands itched to comfort him but I decided to give him some space and a moment in silence to recollect himself.

"He has MS. Multiple Sclerosis. Sometimes he gets these infections that end up with him in the hospital." Nico sighed, "This time it's a chest infection but he's not recovering as fast as he usually does and they've kept him in."

I nodded. Honestly, I didn't know all that much about the condition, but I did know that it meant Nico was a young carer and Nick disabled. 

"That sounds really tough, Nico." I whispered, "If there's anything I can do, please let me know. Big or small. A lift, an ear to vent to, whatever you need."

Nico gave me a weak smile and nodded, taking ahold of my hand.

"He losing his mobility fast." Nico's voice was thick with emotion now, "I'm just scared that I won't be able to keep looking after him. Trying to get him up the stairs of the flat has been a nightmare and it's only getting worse as his legs get stiffer and..."

I pulled Nico into a hug and held him close, understanding that he couldn't finish whatever it was that he was going to say. He sniffled into my collarbone and I buried my nose in his soft, fluffy hair. His scent was incredible, as usual, and I lost myself in it.

"I'm sorry." Nico pulled away, brushing away his own tears.

"No, don't apologise. I want to be here for you."

Nico smiled weakly and pulled back from our embrace, standing to his feet and looking up at the sky. The sky was dark as it was quite late by now, but they were also covered by angry clouds that threatened rain. It made Nico smile. 

"I love the rain." 

My heart pounded.

"I do, too."

Drops began to spit out and hit the concrete, soon soaking it and turning the light grey into a dark graphite colour. The rain was cool against my hot skin and I instantly soothed at the sensation. Outstretching my hand to Nico, he tilted his head in question.

"Care for a walk?" 

Nico let me take his hand in mine and I enclosed our fingers together, allowing my warmth to cheer up his icy cold fingers. We fell into step, walking towards down the streets in the rain together towards his side of town. The walk would take a while, but I don't think either of us cared.

The rain soaked us to the bone and I began to worry about Nico in the weather. He was freezing. Pausing under a particularly bushy tree, I pulled him to me.

"Just to warm you up." I smirked, "Don't be getting any funny ideas, mister."

"How are you so warm all of the time?" He murmured, burying his hands into my pockets for warmth.

I glanced down at him as he looked back up at me and suspicion was clear across his face. It was as if I could see him piecing together all of the pieces of the puzzle but he was missing the majority of the pieces and the puzzle was incomplete. 

"You know, when I first started feeling those pains I thought I was getting symptoms of MS. I was probably being paranoid, but I couldn't come up with any other excuse for it. It didn't make sense because it was the only symptoms of MS that I was getting." Nico's words broke my heart, "In my head, your name kept flashing but I didn't understand. I still don't."

"I'm so sorry I made you worry." 

Pulling Nico in closer, I rocked him back and forth to try and sooth my aching heart. I hated how much this all hurt him. It made me hate myself.

"Just to be clear, the random pains are part of whatever it is that you need to tell me?" Nico whispered.

"They are." 

Nico breathed a sigh of relief, physically relaxing in my arms. I could only imagine how horrendous he must have felt, not knowing what was happening to him or why he was getting these sudden and intense pains.

"Did I scare you with the pain from the kettle?" 

"You have no idea." I shook my head, "Looks like we both scared each other."

"What a pair of idiots we are."

The café across the road was still serving food so I took Nico by the arm, dragging him towards the glowing sign. I was sure that Nico was likely just as hungry as I was so some grub would do us both good. Plus, Nico was beginning to turn blue with the cold rain slashing down on him.

Sitting him next to the radiator, I went to the counter to order for us both. He, of course, had cheesy chips with his order. The food was piping hot and hearty, which is exactly what he needed. He wolfed down the food so fast that even Icarus, an actual wolf, was impressed. 

"You want seconds?" I smiled, still tucking into my own plate.

"Dessert, maybe. How much do I owe you?"

I leaned forwards, a playful smile on my lips.

"You think I'd make you pay on a date?"

Nico blushed, shaking his head in disagreement.

"Absolutely not. You have to ask for it to be a date."

I cocked an eyebrow, surprised by Nico's bossiness. He was sassy when he wanted to be; I imagine he had taken after his mother by the sounds of things.

"Nicolai, would you like to go on a date?"

"With who?"

Nico looked around, pretending to be confused.

"Me. You pedantic idiot." I laughed, chucking a cheesy chip at him.

"Oh, I guess I wouldn't mind." Nico teased, "Where and when?"

"That's for me to plan and for you to find out."

I slipped out of the booth to use the bathroom, detouring to the counter to subtly order Nico some dessert first. I ordered a peanut butter chocolate ice cream sundae for him and knew his eyes would be the size of saucers by the time it arrived. The idea of it gave me heart palpitations. 

Texting Mila before I used the bathroom, I asked her to come collect us now. As much as I enjoyed the rain, Nico would catch his death if we tried to walk the entirety of the way back to his. It would be a shame that I could stick around his for longer this time, since Mila would be there, but it would be worth it for him to be safe and dry.

Glancing at myself in the mirror of the small bathroom, I stilled at my reflection. The corners of my mouth ached from the amount I had been smiling this afternoon and evening with Nico and his father. Massaging them lightly, I felt warm inside at the thought that Nico would be feeling the same dull, aching around the edges of his own lips.

We were connected intrinsically in mind and body. 

This feeling was something that I had dreaded my entire life, worrying that I would feel trapped against my own will. I had fretted that my fate would be something I detested and suffered through.

It felt like Nico just clicked and it was becoming hard to think about what it was like before he invaded every thought of my mind. Every spare moment I had, I was thinking of Nico. Every time I was stressed, even the thought of him soothed me. 

I was so sure that I knew everything there was to know about mates. I was so prepared to reject Nico before even giving it a try.

How wrong was I?