extent | duplicitynet

[ he wants to say no, but he's already done that. he's not trying to be more difficult, he just doesn't want much of anything right now--except for thing that aren't options. if he falls back now, right after a fight with oli...it's just not an option. but he's already said no, so nick nods after a brief pause. ]

Yeah, I mean- sure. A shower is fine.

Go take a shower, I'll make some tea.

[ ragnor kisses nick's head again, then lets him go. ]

[ showering means putting the bottle down, which is significantly harder than any other step so far tonight. he puts it down though, on the first available flat surface on the way to the bathroom. it's easy enough to get undressed without looking into the mirror, where he knows that letters only he can see are still seared into his back--another mark of nick's abysmal failure here.

but he gets in the shower, and then he stays there. he stays under the water, running scalding hot at first, but eventually there's not enough hot water to keep his skin pink. eventually it's just lukewarm at best, and nick still stays under the blast from the shower head, leaning a hand against the wall. it's not like he doesn't think about getting out -- he does, every few minutes like clockwork, it's just that every time he thinks about it, nick fails to move at all. he just stays there, still, in the shower. ]

[ Ragnor waits a more than reasonable forty minutes before going into the bathroom to pick him up. ]

Come on, you'll catch a cold.

I can't catch a cold.

[ sort of he could, theoretically, it's just that nick spends so much time healing himself that nothing ever has a chance to take hold. his back still hurts, faded into a dull ache he can't get rid of, but just like william promised nick is the only one who can see the mark anyway, so he doesn't bother to cover himself up.

nick has half a mind to stay put, but--he's difficult enough, without making more work, so after a moment he shuts off the water and steps out, grabbing a towel. ]

You don't have to stay.

[ ragnor has a giant fluffy bathrobe waiting for when he's done with the towel. ]

You know I won't be going anywhere.

[ he's not surprised, but that doesn't mean he's any happier about the answer. this is a far cry from drowning his sorrows in some filthy bar--he still half wants to walk back out again, but nick just puts the robe on and winds it tight. ]

Aren't you tired of this yet?

Of you bringing excitement into my life?

[ he raised a magnus bane, this is nothing. ]

Aren't you tired of it?

Yeah, I am.

[ exhausted is more like it, if he's honest. he tries to crack a smile, like it's a joke, but it doesn't work. in the end he just shrugs a little, gesturing out. ]

Did you do tea?

I did. Chamomile.

[ hopefully, it'll help nick sleep. ]

[ that seems as good a cue as any to leave the bathroom, though he doesn't really know what to do once he's out. nick stops in his tracks for a moment, glances around the room and then moves to sit at the end of the bed instead. he doesn't actually want tea, but it's a better option than anything else right now. ]

You should have something to eat. I'm just going to...

[ if there's an end to that sentence, it doesn't come. ]

[ ragnor sits down next to him. he's not hungry and he had tea already. ]

We could sleep.

I don't think I can.

[ but he leans in, just enough that his shoulder rests against ragnor's, like it's some sort of compromise. ]

[ ragnor wraps an arm around him and turns his head, murmuring against his temple. ]

I can help you sleep.

You gonna roofie me?

[ that's supposed to be a joke too, but, well. poor timing, to say the least. but despite all the very intense feelings around not deserving any of the affection, it's too hard to make himself pull away. so nick doesn't, he just closes his eyes and pulls in a few very careful, controlled breaths. ]

Okay, yeah. Whatever works.

Only with your permission.

[ which he has now, and nick does desperately need sleep, so ragnor whispers a spell— he doesn't usually cast out loud, but doing so makes for stronger magic. nick can feel the spell as magic threads the magic with his free hand, it feels almost like a lullaby. ]

[ it's nice, soothing in a way he's desperately craving right now, and nick knows pretty quickly that ragnor's spell is going to work.

he just leans in closer, tips his head into ragnor's shoulder, and as he's drifting off, he murmurs out one last comment under his breath. safe, because he won't need to answer any follow up questions for the time being. ]

I'm sorry, I am.

Ssh, it's all right.

[ they can talk in the morning, over breakfast.

tonight ragnor just puts nick to bed, lying down next to him and pulling him close. ]

[ nick doesn't generally sleep well, so it's unusual when he wakes up and it's morning. no stirrings in the middle of the night, no restless pacing when he gets frustrated. nick just--sleeps, through the night, and he wakes up wound up tight in ragnor's space. he actually smiles, a little sleepily, before he remembers the events of the night before.

sneaking out would be an asshole move but nick thinks about it anyway, sitting up slowly and swinging his legs off of the bed. he doesn't get up though, just waits for ragnor to give some indication that he's awake too. ]

[ ragnor sleeps because he knows there's difficult days ahead, but he knows nick so he ties his rest to his. when nick wakes up, ragnor does too. ]

Morning.

Do you want breakfast?

[ he's not quite at the stage of pretending that nothing happened, but he's close as he works a faint smile onto his face, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the kitchen. ]

It's still early. Lie back down, let's talk.

[ he doesn't want to let nick slip the mask back on, then it'd be impossible to get it off and he'd really rather this not end with nick screaming at him. ]

[ of course he doesn't want to. he can't talk about a lot of it, there were very specific instructions with very specific threats tied to them. but he hesitates for a moment, and then another couple of moments too, before eventually lying back down anyway.

he doesn't know where to start, so he just settles back into ragnor's side, presses his cheek to his chest, and shrugs. ]

Ask me something.

[ ragnor pulls him close. oliver yelled the whole thing at ragnor, and ragnor listened, so he knows how oliver sees the situation, he understands, but he also knows there's more to it. ]

What did he threaten you with?

[ it's an easy enough answer, only made complicated by the fact that nick made very clear promises about not talking, and nick is half-convinced that william could have bugged him somehow too at this point.

despite that he keeps going, a hushed murmur under his breath that's every bit as tired and defeated as he is, but it's still an answer. ]

Oli. Anyone who knew anything. Might as well have been everyone I care about.

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