#nico the first time he met jack in the tavern with the rest of the part: ooh his hair is shiny

[alpineshift]

How about 5 or 13 for your NicoJack ask?🫶🫶

absolutely!! 💕💕

[5] the darkest depths of a dragon's lair, gold glittering at your feet

There's something eerily haunting about the way the gold slithers and slides beneath his feet.

It's almost as if the treasure in the dragon's lair is alive.

Which really makes Jack wish the rest of the adventuring party would shut the hell up. They have zero common sense, this lot, and his nerves have already been frayed by the dozens of close calls they'd experienced on their journey here.

Not that he should expect much from a group whose sole purpose is to get rich quick.

While the others jeer and make a ruckus through the trove, Jack sneaks off towards the back of the lair. The tiny shard of ceramic, hidden away in its case on a string and tucked away beneath his tunic, rattles tangibly, almost tugging Jack through the mess towards its lost parent. He's so damn close.

This deep into the mountainside, the air feels heavier, colder. The light of his torch is a meagre flicker against the towering walls, all laden with treasure. Jack shudders to think how long it would've taken him to dig through the mess.

The shard suddenly jostles in the case, and Jack whips around, scanning the layers before him. Gold, gold, more gold, but he's not looking for that, he's looking for--

White. Jack immediately tosses his torch aside and digs through the treasure until his hands close around the coveted piece: a mirror, enclosed by a beautiful moon-white ceramic frame that's missing one tiny chip. Jack exhales, giddy, and picks it up.

"What are you doing?"

Jack yelps, almost dropping his prize. Standing a few paces away, watching him dig, is Nico the Swordsman, a member of the party. Jack hadn't heard him sneak up at all.

Nico's gaze flickers down to the mirror in Jack's hands. His brows furrow. "What on earth do you want a mirror for?"

"I don't have time to explain it," Jack says shortly, tucking the piece quickly into his rucksack. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Nico's whole body jolt, like he'd been about to reach forward, but caught himself in time. Unnerved, Jack side-steps him.

"Alright, I'm going. I've got what I came for, I'm not waiting around to get eaten by a--"

Nico's hand comes down and grabs hold of Jack's elbow, and pulls him, hard, until Jack is tumbling into the gold with a shout. Nico follows him down, knees hitting the piles of precious metal with a jarring rattle. Jack gapes up at him, stunned silent, like the rest of the cave.

Wait. It's silent. Why can't he hear the rest of the party?

Instinctive dread curdles in his stomach, and Jack clutches his rucksack to his chest. Was it just his imagination, or are Nico's eyes darker, pupils longer, almost more reptilian than he'd first noticed?

"Nico," Jack whispers. "Where's everyone else?"

Nico tilts his head. The movement is almost too fluid for him to possibly be human. Suddenly, Jack has a flashback to Nico introducing himself at the beginning of their journey. He'd brought with him a dragon-slaying sword, and had been accepted almost immediately by the party with instructions to protect everyone with it should the dragon appear during their raid.

But Nico had never once said that the sword belonged to him.

"I'm curious," Nico says softly. His finger traces over Jack's cheek; the nail long and curved, like a talon. "All those men hungered for the gold, the shiny pieces, the lustrous metals. But you--all you wanted was a mirror. A magical mirror, yes, but just a mirror nonetheless."

Jack gulps, but he can't take his eyes away. Nico may look terrifying right now, but the way his eyes glitter, brighter than any of the gold in the (no, his) lair right now, is stunning.

"So tell me, Jack," Nico prompts. He smiles, too knowing, too dangerous. "Out of all the priceless pieces here, why would someone as beautiful as you choose this simple piece?"

it’s almost hockey season again! send me a jacknico prompt?