As Finn hands Nik the drink, he can already tell something is off.

“So… how was your day?” Finn asks, grabbing for any straw of conversation he can. He sighs and watches as Nik sets the drink into his lap, fingers gripping the glass with enough grip to pale them. 

“Fine, I suppose,” Nik starts, sighing and tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. He bites his lip and worries at it, looking miserable. “I didn’t do any cleaning today. I apologize sincerely.”

“Hmm?” Finn hums through his drink, glancing over at Nik as confusion skews his eyebrows up. He sets his glass down on the ottoman and scoots his legs so they’re facing towards Nik. “I don’t understand,” he half chuckles. “You aren’t the maid, you live here.”

Nik sighs again and shakes his head, more pieces of hair falling loose from his bun and framing his face. It’s subtle, but something Finn noticed was the way the front section of Nik’s hair fell; it often fell loose from any hairstyle he did, almost long enough to be tucked away but not quite yet. 

“I still feel awful,” Nik whispers, hand still gripped tightly around the glass. Finn leans over and grabs it, gently lifting it and setting it down by his own half empty glass. He turns back towards Finn and has to fight the strongest urge to grab the other man’s chin, some semblance of grounding him. 

“Nik, I wouldn’t have asked you to live here if I wanted a maid,” Finn says, inwardly wincing at his own bluntness. Even Feng could testify to Finn’s inability to comfort anyone. Finn wishes he could call Feng, someone who has plenty of experience dealing with this kind of thing. “Sorry, I-”

“Sorry, I’m being ridiculous,” Nik waves a hand in the air. “I think I’m just homesick.”

Finn pauses. 

“Oh.”

“I was… talking to my sister all day,” Nik smiles timidly, eyes flickering up for just a moment to meet with Finn’s. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to talk to each other.”

He smiles wider and his eyes become more distant, coloring beginning to fill his cheeks again. He looks as if he’s remembering something, features soft, hair framing his face perfectly-

“What’s her name?” Finn asks suddenly, eyes scanning the room for anything else to look at. 

“Sumi,” Nik explains, leaning back on the couch, the mention of his sister seeming to break the ice that had been holding them hostage ever since Finn arrived home. “She’s the top of her class.”

Nik smiles boldly, pride radiating through his features. He begins to tentatively talk about his sister- basic information that Finn listens intently to. He’s never seen Nik so chatty, something he doesn’t want to end. He feels he could listen to Nik talk about anything forever. 

“When’s the last time you visited home?” Finn asks, attempting to continue the conversation. He doesn’t expect Nik to smile sadly. 

“The summer after my first year of university,” Nik says, leaning over and resting his head on his hands. “Visiting any more than that proved to be entirely too expensive. I, idiotically, never planned for visiting expenses when making my academic choice.”

“I can pay for you-” Finn begins, but halts when he sees Nik’s eyes widening. “I mean- uh- you’ll easily be able to pay for yourself once you start,” he corrects, running a stray hand through his hair. Nik huffs scratches at his chin. 

“If I even get the job,” Nik scoffs, eyes shutting. “I don’t have the experience this place probably wants. From everything I’ve heard or seen, it’s much too fancy for me.”

“Difference is, you got me,” Finn moves over on the couch and throws an arm around Nik, bringing his head towards his chest. He rubs his knuckles over the top of Nik’s head and laughs when Nik exclaims in surprise. “You’ll get the job easy. They love me.”

Finn shoots up from the couch after letting Nik go, face screwing up as he questions what the hell he just did. “I’m gonna head to bed,” he turns around and winks at Nik. “Early morning.”

Just as he’s about to turn into the bedroom, he hollers, “I’ll be sure to leave Balthazar’s store address in the kitchen before I leave!”

And that was that.