korol_rezni_nikolai: (grave)
Nikolai Lantsov ([personal profile] korol_rezni_nikolai) wrote in [community profile] citynet 2023-12-21 12:56 am (UTC)

[ Nikolai can hear, he thinks, a note of melancholy in Noah's voice. Interesting, that he says he couldn't have asked her out. That makes it sound as if there had been some tangible impediment. Nikolai doesn't press for details; there are dozens of different reasons why such a thing would have been impossible. He can see the touch of pink in Noah's cheeks and really, when it's all said and done, he doesn't want to make Noah uncomfortable.

He isn't sure what response he was expecting to his extremely brief explanation about the scars. Maybe for Noah to try to coax more information from him - that had happened plenty of times, with people both well-meaning and just plain nosy. Or maybe for Noah to go all fawning and sympathetic, in that cloying way that always made Nikolai's skin crawl. Or maybe he'd expected for Noah to tell him to pull himself together, that he couldn't afford to linger on the past.

But instead, Noah is just... quiet, with that little sad smile on his face. Like he actually gets it. Nikolai swallows, hating how much even that small offer of understanding makes his chest ache. He wants to say something back, but his throat is suddenly tight. He can tell that if he speaks now, his voice will crack or something embarrassing like that.

So he just nods, pulling his glove back on and tugging it into place, flexing his hand so that the fabric sits snugly against his skin. When he's tamped down that swell of emotion enough, he says: ]


Thank you. I'm sorry that you-

[ Nikolai makes a small gesture with his hand between the two of them. He isn't going to ask what had happened to Noah, as much as he might wonder. Not today, anyway. ]

That we have this in common.

[ He clears his throat, getting briskly to his feet and focusing all of his attention on the final steps to disassemble the bed. Or at least, pretending to. Nikolai is able to detach the final piece now that the nail is out, and he breaks down the last part of the frame quickly, setting aside the parts neatly.

Before he's even decided to say it, the words slip out. ]


If you ever want to talk to someone about it, I'll listen. Just keep it in mind.

[ Then he claps his hands together, forcibly closing the matter, and says: ]

Now, let's start carrying the pieces back to your apartment so we can put them together again, shall we?

Post a comment in response:

This community only allows commenting by members. You may comment here if you're a member of citynet.
(will be screened if not validated)
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
No Subject Icon Selected
More info about formatting

Loading anti-spam test...

If you are unable to use this captcha for any reason, please contact us by email at support@dreamwidth.org