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Nico may have purposefully taken his time while he was changing, and it was possible that he had flexed certain muscles that did not require flexing as he reached for the shirt on the bed and pulled it on. He was aware that Matteo was enjoying the show, and that sparked a deep sense of satisfaction in the Puttanesca, who had never really had anybody to impress before, or at least had never cared about it.

He smiled as Matteo looked him over, and laughed at his final appraisal, lifting a hand to run fingers through his dark hair. "Well then, I guess we match." He grinned and gave a nod of his head. He was very ready to go and spend an evening with the blonde, even if it meant doing something he'd never been particularly fond of.

But before they could actually leave, they were interrupted. Nico had just grabbed his own jacket off of the bed when the knock came, and he glanced over toward Matteo as he went to the door, catching a glimpse of the person on the other side when he opened it.

Ah, so that was Gigi. Nico had a feeling it might have been her when she had looked at him from the top of the stairway. He had remembered what Matteo said about her looking quite young. When the blonde looked back at him, Nico only nodded, and then glanced away, slipping into his jacket and trying to ignore some of the words that were loud enough for him to hear. Nico was filled with an odd sensation from it all. Sure, he found his own family to be insufferable at times. Doltish, with a tendency to hold onto grudges forever and nasty tempers that often got them into trouble. But they were still family, and annoyance flared.

When Matteo came back in, Nico didn't say anything at all. He was trying to smooth down the disgruntled feelings within himself. Eventually, though, the blonde crossed the room toward him, and Nico lifted his piercing blue gaze to meet the other vampire's eyes.

"Yes." He said, the sentence short, though he knew it wasn't Matteo's fault. He let out a long breath to calm himself. "You know, if you want me to take care of her, you just have to say the word." He smiled, trying to put it off as a joke.

It was only a half-joke at best.

"Ah, so her discriminate elitism is doled out evenly among the masses. How kind of her." He fought not to roll his eyes, hard, instead opting to swallow down his flare of anger and wrinkle up his nose in a teasing smile. Whatever annoyance he might have still felt was chased away by the kiss on the corner of his mouth, and he gave a slight nod of his head. He was ready to go whenever Matteo was, so when the other vampire offered his hand, he slipped his fingers between his and gave them a soft squeeze.

He was fine. Ready to get out of this house, but fine.

Nico barked a laugh then at Matteo's quick protest. Matteo was the heir? Had they talked about this before? The darker-haired vampire honestly could not remember. At their last encounter, he'd had quite a bit of other things on his mind. In any case, it gave them just one more thing in common. An inheritance that neither of them wanted.

"Well, then I guess she'll live to wallow in disdain for the other families another night." He leaned in to press a kiss against Matteo's temple before they left the room, another attempt to show that he wasn't upset anymore.

At a quick pace, they soon found themselves outside, where the heavy air of tension seemed to ease away. He glanced up at the stars himself and smiled.

But then that smile faltered a little. "Hm, I should probably admit I've never actually gone dancing before. I mean...I can dance. I'm happy to go dancing," sort of... "But I've never gone out dancing."

Ya ya, the idea had just sort of come to him at the moment, but now he was starting to realize just how out of depth he was.

"So if you want to make a suggestion? We can go wherever you'd like."

There was a tension in his shoulders and chest he didn't even know he'd had until Matteo grinned at him and said he knew of several places they could go. Good. Relief flooded him, and he could feel himself begin to relax.

Well, until Matteo's next question. Nico recalled the few times he had been required to dance, usually at weddings, and the last time that had been. And then he thought back to when he was younger and how someone (he had no idea who) believed that the heir of Puttanesca should at least have some amount of training, which included ballroom dance lessons.

The lessons had been brief, from what he recalled. There had been some difference of opinion on what was deemed necessary for him to know and what wasn't.

He let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Honestly? It's been a while, but I can probably manage whatever you want. I'm a pretty quick study." He flashed the other vampire a grin, hopefully a convincing one, icy blue eyes catching Matteo's warm yet curious gaze.

By all the deities, the man was stunning. Nico felt like he would have agreed to anything he asked for.

They walked mostly in silence, but that was okay with Nico. He wasn't much of a talker anyway. In fact, he probably gave more away to Matteo than anybody else in recent memory. For now, he could enjoy the evening air and the company by his side, the gorgeous blonde on his arm that led him along streets and alleys. Sometimes Nico would glance at him and smile, unable to help himself or the warm feeling that had settled in his chest. Being with him on a spur-of-the-moment date still felt surreal, and he couldn't quite believe it. He hadn't expected such a thing from their initial encounter, a little fun that seemed to be turning into more.

Or at least, he was hoping it was turning into more. He was trying not to get his hopes up too high just yet.

Eventually, they approached a building where the beat of music reverberated through the air, with a rather large crowd standing outside. For a moment, Nico wondered how they were supposed to get in when so many others were waiting, but of course, he should have known better than that. Matteo led him toward the door with confidence, with an explanation given. For now, Nico kept his silence, only offering a smile and a nod of his head to the bouncer before they were let inside.

His gaze wandered as he slipped off his jacket and handed it to the coat check. Instincts always had him making studying unfamiliar territory. He needed to know every way to get in and out, where to hide, and what areas or objects could be used to his advantage if things went sideways. Even though this was a fun, innocent night out that had nothing to do with work, he couldn't help himself. He had always been a very observant sort.

He slipped an arm around Matteo's waist as they moved further in. If he was nervous about any of this, it did not show, though he was also trying not to think too hard about it. Dancing was dancing.

His only real fear was if someone from house Puttanesca saw him and ribbed him for it later, but this place seemed far too upscale for the likes of them.

The dark-haired vampire didn't think he'd ever been in such a place outside of business reasons before. It was strange, in a way, to be out on a date, to force himself to see it as a chance to relax and have fun. In his line between work and duty, nights off were rare, and opportunities to enjoy the nightlife were rarer still. The nightcaps at Lux had become his only real connection to an environment outside his family.

Usually, he'd be back at the Puttanesca estate on a night like this, in his room, playing poker with his cousins, ribbing each other, swapping stories of exploits that were always exaggerated.

But tonight, he was here, and a little thrill of nervous excitement arced through him as he took it all in. Having Matteo tucked in beside him was a comfort, and he tilted his head down toward him when he spoke before nodding and letting himself be pulled along to an area above. He slid into the booth after him, already missing the feel of the other vampire's arm around him, but the kiss on the cheek brought a smile to his lips.

"Besides you?" He teased, his hand moving to slide along Matteo's thigh, coming to rest on his knee, though his gaze flicked away briefly toward the waitress when she hurried up to their table.

"Just scotch on the rocks, please." He said, his attention back on the blonde before he'd even finished speaking. Something about him was so captivating that once the other vampire had Nico's attention, he could have held it for ages.

The feel of that hand against his face sent a shiver down his spine. He was already leaning in for a kiss before Matteo closed the distance, and he tried to allow that softness and warmth chase away doubt.

In one moment, there was sound, music that pulsated through the air with a beat that shook the floor. He could hear clinking glasses, distant chatter, and all other noises that would accompany a busy nightclub.

But in the next moment, that was all gone. It all eased away as he relaxed against Matteo’s lips, tongue gliding against the others, caressing, and his hand giving the other vampire's knee a gentle squeeze as he leaned towards him. He could feel a warmth creeping up the back of his neck when Matteo twined fingers through his hair, and a pleasant yet intense heat that threatened to burn through his entire body.

If they hadn't been in the middle of a very public place, he probably would not have allowed Matteo to pull away so easily. Even as he did, the darker-haired vampire sighed, and gave the blonde a wistful look, meaning to convey how very little he wanted to stop. He was drawn to him, felt a need to be closer, to feel every part of him. Perhaps they’d been foolish to even leave Matteo’s bedroom.

Ah but wait. If they had stayed in, he felt like there would have been a good chance their night would have been interrupted. This was better, ultimately. Here they could just have fun and not think about family. Here they could continue to get to know one another. Here Nico could explore the funny feeling he got every time Matteo looked at him.

“Lucky me.” His voice was low, murmured privately into the blondes ear as he pressed in closer to Nico’s side. But he couldn’t help but wonder, how long? What was this to Matteo? Nico was hoping to figure that out, but he also didn’t want to seem pushy, or desperate. The last thing he would want to do is drive the other vampire away.

The drinks arrived and Nico immediately reached toward one with his free hand, feeling a need to distract himself from thought. Before he could lift it, however, Matteo spoke, and Nico glanced back at the blonde and smiled.

The drink was abandoned. He instead turned himself more fully toward The other vampire and lifted a hand to his face, cupping his cheek, staring deep into those eyes that he could feel himself falling into, his own blue gaze intense as he said what he wanted to say.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere, not until you’re sick of me,” The smile shifted, small, almost shy, “And maybe even then I’ll try to convince you otherwise.”

He didn’t need the promise of Matteo’s gratitude at the end of the night or all that it entailed. Nico genuinely just wanted to be near him, as much as he could, for as long as he could. With the movement of the blonde's hand, desire flared through him again and he leaned forward to kiss Matteo once more, feeling as though the breath would have been stolen from him in that moment were he not immortal.

Nico had always been a quiet, reserved, and thoughtful sort. Cold. That’s how most people outside his close family would have described him. He didn’t come to open up to anyone easily and had never really planned on letting anybody in not just because he didn’t want to, though that had been a small part of it. More because he just couldn't see it. He couldn’t have fathomed ever finding someone he felt drawn to. There had been lovers, sure, but it had always been brief and nothing special. Simply a way to pass the time between jobs or to relieve an itch.

But Matteo was different. Nico knew that from the very first moment. The first time he had seen him. And it wasn’t just his looks, though he was very attractive. There was a certain spark there. A certain joy. Something carefree but not in an entirely careless way. He knew what he was about and what he wanted, and he did not seem afraid.

At least, that was what Nico could see on the surface. He wanted to see more. Craved more. And when he spoke to Matteo, he tried to lay it all out there, but there was still that part of him that was sure he would scare the other man away.

So maybe he had held back a little, just in case.

His mouth went suddenly dry when Matteo spoke. The blonde knew. He could tell he did. However, the tightness in Nico’s chest and his sudden nerves nearly constricted his voice completely when he spoke his reply.

“I just don’t want this to be a casual thing between us. I want to see where it goes.” He could admit that much, for now. Whether or not Matteo did get sick of him would remain to be seen, but for now, he just wanted a chance at something.

The dark-haired vampire couldn’t help the hint of a smile on his lips when he tasted the butterscotch liquor that sweetened their kiss. It was so fitting a flavour that he nearly laughed while a particular warmth seared through him again.