Nick had received two text messages later that night from two people- the first, a selfie from Meg with her father and Leo in the background, boarding the front window of the shop. The caption "let the men handle all that" sat boldly under the image and Nick snorted with a smirk, moving onto the next message.

It was from Leo. "Get some rest, please." It read, and Nick could almost imagine the text in Leo's voice. "Call me when you're up to it and we can reschedule. I look forward to seeing your contact on my screen." The message concluded with a sticker of Leo's favorite character from Star Sector Saga, an RPG gacha game that Nick was similarly obsessed with. He couldn't help but be a little shocked to see Leo's interest in the series- he wouldn't take the man as the type to play such games in his spare time. 

It was a loaded task to get himself to sleep that night- Nick laid awake staring at the ceiling for a good portion of the evening once his brother had left his room. He had to thank Kato, though- he was really the only person Nick felt comfortable sharing details of his life to. His sister was too nosy- and talkative. Once he had learned that her friend, Lana was privy to everything Nick had been comfortable enough to share with Ashley, he stopped telling her as much. Not that he could blame her- she needed someone to share their confusing life with, just like Nick did- someone on the outside who could share a different perspective. 

But sometimes, she could share a little too much. So Nick was firm in his decision to keep the conversation him and Kato had earlier shared a secret. 

He couldn't talk to his parents- his father would scold him for accepting a date from a Nightingale, and his mother would pester him about finding a good husband to share the throne with. Nick had brought his hands up to his face at the thought, rubbing the tension from his eyes.

It was a long night.

He woke up the next morning far earlier than he had intended- but as he took a glance at the time, he decided maybe it wasn't so bad. At seven in the morning, he was given enough time to shower, fix his hair up and run to Teno’s apartment. 

Teno would be covering his shift this morning, but the man was a night owl, and morning shifts were not his norm. He would most likely sleep through any alarms he'd set and miss opening the shop on time, so Nick decided he'd take the opportunity to make sure he was punctual. Meg had insisted that Nick stay home to rest- but she hadn't considered that Nick didn't care what she wanted. He didn't blame her- she had no idea of Nick's speedy heals, let alone about the core itself, so in her eyes, Nick would be laid out in bed for days. 

Yet here he was, removing the last of his bandages to hop in the shower. Nick cursed as he realized it was a wash day for his hair, working his brain to decipher just how greasy it would be if he let it go one more day.  He inwardly cringed at the thought and decided that washing his hair was necessary, however long it would take. 

The shower ended up forty minutes long as he carefully stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. He checked the time- 7:58. If he wanted to make sure Teno was on time, he'd have to let it air dry. Still, Nick took the time to comb one round of product in it and let it go, hoping for the best.

It was 8:30 when he'd entered Teno’s apartment building, climbing to the third floor and knocking on the door. Some rustling could be heard behind the wood and he waited, teetering on his feet. 

What he hadn't expected was for Teno to open the door, exposing his 6'6" naked frame to the world.

And Nick.

The red head stared up at him- only up- and couldn't help but purse his lips. This was not the first time he had seen Teno naked- not only had they had their one night of messy, drunken fun, but Teno would make a habit out of answering the door this way when he was woken up early. Consider it a punishment for those who dared bother him.

"Ah." Was the first thing the man had said, staring down at his friend. "You're here."

Nick felt the need to slap some sense into Teno- who navigates a situation like this so nonchalantly?! He decided it was best to just sigh, keeping his eyes above Teno’s collarbone. The man was attractive- but they'd decided after their one night together that it was best they stayed friends. Luckily for them, the excursion had only brought them closer.

"And you still sleep naked." Nick replied, forcing a smile. "You're gonna be late."

Teno glanced at a clock on his wall behind him. "Oh, you're right. Come in, I'll get dressed."

Nick silently thanked Daianha and entered the apartment, closing the door behind him softly and immediately looking around the apartment. He'd been here many times before- Teno was his drinking buddy, afterall, so Nick was well versed in the many places his cat, Macy would hide. He immediately knelt down on the floor in front of the couch, searching under it for any sign of the feline. Sure enough he saw her tail sway back and forth and he smiled.

"Macy! C'mere!" Baby voice activated. The cat came to recognize his voice and crawled out, quickly taking refuge on his lap. Nick took to shoving his face into her orange fur, relishing in the serotonin it provided. If his father and sister weren't allergic, he'd have six of these things.

"Heard about the shop." Teno began to make conversation from his bedroom. "Meg told you to rest at home, didn't she?"

"Well, she did." Nick replied, pulling his face away from the cat. Macy rolled over onto her feet, circling his lap to get comfortable. "But I knew you wouldn't wake up on time to open the shop, so here I am."

"And if Meg shows up and sees you there?" Teno asked as he exited the bedroom, padding towards the bathroom. Nick shrugged.

"She isn't gonna be there- she'll sleep in and come in at noon like she always does." Well, he hoped.

"Also heard Leo was there with you." Teno’s voice was slightly muffled as he spoke from the side of his mouth, giving his face a quick shave. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, thanks to my dumb ass." Nick pouted. "I had to give myself away and use the shield- so now he knows too." Okay, maybe Teno knew about the core too. Secrets and after-shift drinking excursions don't usually mix. 

"Sounds like an eventful night." Teno exited the bathroom and slipped into his boots. Nick had noted that he declined to brush his tousled black hair, but shrugged it off, gently pushing Macy off of him to stand up. "Well, you're here to wake me up, so I'm assuming he's cool with it."

"For some reason, yeah." Nick wasn't ready to delve into the conversation again and left it at that. Luckily, Teno picked up on his energy and changed the subject as he grabbed his keys and wallet off the counter.

"Macy, be a good girl. No more parties."

Nick chuckled, following Teno to the door. "Did she get a little wild recently?"

"That's one way to put it." They crossed the threshold into the hallway, Teno locking the door behind them. "She got out and had a one night stand with a Tom up the street. If you're in the market for a kitten, I'll let you know what she pops out in a few weeks."