extent | duplicitynet

jeez
yeah it is pretty hot

do you remember the party that Oz threw last year? there were drinks there that increased all of that kind of thing. I'm pretty sure I ruined some of the furniture
still think about that a lot

i remember all of those parties very well, RIP the clockhouse, sorely missed etc. i remember me and you with those drinks, too. right?

you know, we make things that have the same kind of effect

yeah?

you have to test them out to make sure they're working?

i've gotta make sure the products work the way they're intended to, it's the right thing to do

want to take one out for a spin?

sure, why not
I wanted to ask you about some magic stuff anyway

yeah?
two birds one stone, i got u covered on all fronts 😌

I appreciate it, I just hope I can help you out too

when would be good for you?

after work one night? i'm at the theatre most of the time but i usually dont wrap up too late

sure, that sounds good

[ It feels pretty nice, this kind of casual arrangement. No fuss. Hellboy's not really used to it, but he's trying to be more relaxed about things these days, thinking that it might be good for him to learn to enjoy himself without worrying about the consequences.

He'll be there one evening not too long after. He's been to the theatre a few times already and mostly knows his way around, though he has to duck his head a little bit to get through some of the doors. Nick isn't difficult to find. He raps his knuckles lightly on the open door to get his attention. ]

Hey, man. Hope this is a good time.

[ nick's work schedule — like most things in his life — is pretty chaotic at the best of times, and the lab he works in reflects that. there's messy post-it notes everywhere, in unintelligible scrawls and shorthand that only nick can decipher, several burn marks across the counter he's working off of, and the room reeks of a mixture of herbs that's hard to place.

there's nothing bubbling right now though, nick is just sitting on the counter and scribbling out a new note. his head tips up at the sound of the voice, and nick smiles bright when he sees hellboy in the door. ]

This is a great time, I'm not busy. [ that's only sort of true. nick is always busy, because he's a procrastinator and leaves everything to the last possible minute, and his workload is sort of all over the place, but there's nothing imminent. no potions about to spoil if nick doesn't attend to them right now, which is about as close to not busy as he gets.

he slaps the latest sticky note on the wall next to all the others, and hops off the counter. ] So what are these questions you have?

[ It's not all that different from the kinds of places Hellboy used to regularly end up in, though that was usually because there was some sort of problem. He can't help but be a little curious and wanders slowly inside, glancing around at some of the supplies and trying to pick out the ones he knows.

The question throws him off a bit, making him frown, then his expression clears as he remembers what he wanted to talk about. ]

Oh, I was wondering about enchanting objects, if that's a thing you can do. Or Nate maybe. You know, to give them some kind of protective aura or something. [ He rubs the back of his neck with his left hand. ] Nothing big.

You're in luck, we're actually very good at that sort of stuff.

[ he wanders over, tugs the sleeve up on his hoodie to reveal a handful of bracelets looping his wrist. they're all fairly simple, mostly leather bands, some metal with stones set in them, all too large for nick's wrist. ]

It mostly depends on what you're protecting from, right? Like, we haven't found anything that helps with city bullshit, obviously, but if you're wanting to ward off magic influences, or maybe protect from physical damage, we can work with that.

[ he steps in close, holds his arm out for hellboy to take a closer look, rotating his wrist idly. there's nothing that nick wears on there, just bits and pieces he's been working on for other people. ]

You looking for a custom piece?

[ Automatically, Hellboy reaches out to hold on to Nick's arm while he gets a look at the bracelets. Even his left hand is big enough to almost take up half of his forearm, big thick fingers folding around him. The magic imbued into the leather and stones is undeniable; he can almost feel it, like the vibrations of a song playing in another room. ]

Oh, I dunno yet, I'm just thinking..

[ He realises he's still holding on to Nick and lets go, clearing his throat. His tail twitches back and forth behind his ankles, sweeping the air above the floor. ]

I'm getting married soon -- maybe -- and I was thinking I could get something for the rings, you know? I can't stop Harley getting into trouble, but maybe I can make sure she's a bit safer.

[ well that's just the cutest thing ever. as much as nick likes to pretend otherwise, it's getting harder to deny those hopeless romantic tendencies. nick grins as he tugs the sleeve back down, and then promptly changes his mind and sheds the whole hoodie instead, ditching it on a nearby stool. ]

Okay, so we have a few options. We have a few that can make you more resilient. Like, it's not a Hail Mary, but it'll make her take hits with a little less damage, heal a little faster.

[ hellboy might have let nick's arm go but he just takes the hand right back, turning it over in both of his and pressing his thumb in light over the ring finger, where wedding bands sit. ]

I've got a friend actually, he can work wonders with metal, I could work on this with him. If you want a stone or something inset too, we can do that. Do what we can to protect that future wife of yours.

Yeah? [ A crooked grin winds up across Hellboy's face. He looks down at his hand, watching Nick's thumb slide over his palm. It's always a little interesting to realise all over again the disparity in his size compared to most of the humans around him.

He curls his fingers over a bit around that touch. ]

That would be good, thanks.

[ After a beat, he clears his throat again. ]

So, the stuff you wanted to test out. Do you.. still wanna do that?

[ it's a sweet little project. cute, romantic, not like the stuff that nick has been working on lately. it's something nice to thing about, to offset all the grim that's spread through his days lately. so he's already feeling a little soft, picturing the wedding band where his thumb rests and picturing the matching one that would be made along with it.

his eyes flick up at the question, and barely a second passes before that soft, sweet smile turns sharp, coy. interested. ]

Yeah, I still wanna. [ nick turns the hand over again, traces a line down hellboy's palm instead and raises an eyebrow. ] Do you?

[ Hellboy's hide is pretty thick, which is useful in a fight but also means sometimes he wonders if he's a little numbed to the kind of sensations he knows -- from personal experience -- that humans can feel. But sometimes he's surprised by how the smallest touch can reverberate through his body. Like now, when Nick strokes his palm, sending an answering ripple of heat sliding down his insides that makes his shorts feel a little tight.

He takes a careful breath, looking down at Nick, his single eye glowing like a coal. ]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure if it works on me.. it'll work on anyone.

[ it's not like nick was ever particularly unsure on what the answer to his question would be. he doesn't like to ask unless he already has a good idea of what a person is going to say, but he still looks awfully pleased with the response all the same. in the same way that he knows there is a size difference — obviously, he has eyes — but when he lays his hand out flat on top of hellboy's, sees their palms pressed together, nick is aware of it in a way that makes his stomach flip.

he wraps both of his hands around the one again, takes a few steps back and tugs lightly, encourages him to follow nick as he moves backwards to lead the way to a storage room. ]

Solid hypothesis. You want to go anywhere else? My place isn't that far from here. [ he shrugs though, casting a glance at the open door. ] Or there are quieter places here...

[ Truthfully Hellboy doesn't need all that much convincing to follow Nick. His hooves thud on the floor as he moves with him, his tail swaying softly behind him. The storage room gets a glance, but mostly he has eyes -- or, well, an eye -- for the witch in front of him. ]

I don't mind. [ It's not as if he's ended up getting into it in weirder situations than the back room of the theatre. ]

Is there anything you wanna.. you know, do? To test out that stuff you're making?

I have a few ideas.

[ truthfully it's not nick's first time navigating the theatre backwards, it's easy enough to lead hellboy to where they need to go without looking. and there's a lot in the room, mostly prototypes that nick hasn't gotten around to testing, failed works he hasn't figured out yet--the backlog stuff he puts off, because that's how nick works.

but there's a shelf with a handful of tiny bottles, unlabelled but distinctive looking, filled with a pearlescent liquid, and nick snags one of those before he steps back up nice and close. close enough that their chests touch where he leans in. ]

You just have to help me decide if I want your cock in my throat or my ass, first, that's all.

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