[ it's easy enough to tip his face up toward chris, and nick wants it to be just as easy to let the man convince him that he's right. that better is the only option, that there's a way forward and out of this that doesn't just end with nick alone and empty.

when he exhales this time it's less of a sigh and more of a carefully measured choice, and nick unlatches himself a little from around chris so that he can press a hand loose against his chest instead. he's not consciously feeling for a heartbeat, his hand just stops drifting once he finds it. ]

I don't think I'm going to feel better in a few minutes. Just..embarrassed, probably. So I hope that's a really good band-aid.