Dinner was mostly alright, it was the usual for Nick- Kato and Ashley passing quips between them both, Lana stuffing her face to avoid asking Leo too many questions about his job, while Nick just observed, allowing himself to be surrounded by the joy in his own peace. Leo mostly did the same, but would give the answers he could when Lana’s curiosity got the better of her. He didn’t seem to mind, so Nick didn’t bother to intervene. 

He was too tired to try, his mind too occupied to put in the effort. Leo, who sat next to him, had definitely noticed- placing a reassuring hand on his knee under the table. Where no one could see, no one could question it, ask him if he was alright, what he needed- and Nick relished in the simplicity of such a touch. He hated being asked about the sigh he’d let out, or the way he gripped his fork- the way he would bow his head to hide his eyes when he knew he was letting his expressions speak too loudly. 

Sometimes he just wanted to sit with the feelings he allowed himself to feel, just for a bit.

Today, it was simple exhaustion. Panic attacks were an absolute energy drainer for Nick, and to have one after training and leading into preparing dinner- it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t worth talking about, and he didn’t have the energy to explain himself over and over.

He left the three to clean up the mess and do the dishes- he had more important things to tend to- so when Ashley complained, Nick pulled the face his mother would give them when she was at her wits end. It seemed to work, given how closely Nick mirrored his mother, and she scurried back into the kitchen to join Lana at the sink. If his mother had put him in charge, he may as well act the part.

He closed the door to his bedroom quietly behind him as Leo carried himself to the desk chair, his head lolled back as he let out the longest, deepest sigh Nick had seen from him yet. He soon followed suit, laying back on the queen-sized bed and letting the day’s activities leave him in a single sigh, sinking into the mattress. 

It was quiet like that for a while, the two of them just taking in the silence Nick’s bedroom offered, before Leo finally rolled his head to the side and fixed his posture- and once Nick had heard the familiar creak of the chair, did the same and sat up in the bed. Leo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his spread knees, and Nick struggled to look anywhere else- when he finally did, he was met with Leo’s knowing smirk.

“Do you wanna talk about that, or the problem at hand?” Leo asked, a slight chuckle rolling from his throat. Nick mustered up a smirk in return, feigning confidence at being caught. 

“The problem at hand- Kato’s gonna distract the other two so we can talk.” It was exactly why Nick had placed them all on clean-up duty. “So…who did you see while looking through the archives?”

Leo looked hesitant to answer. “Nero.” His voice was quiet, but Nick had definitely heard him as he furrowed his brow in response.

“Drahl Nero? What could he possibly want?”

“He was making some rounds today and I guess he caught wind of me digging into the records.” Leo’s expression was one Nick couldn’t quite pinpoint, but he was sure it was edging on anxiety. “I think he knows about you- 100%. He’s aware of your family at the very least, he said something about how I shouldn’t be associating with you. Do you have any ideas why that might be? Did something happen?” 

Nick looked down, a hand coming up to rest on his chin in thought. “Kato and I discussed it a bit last night- you didn’t report me, that gave me the vibe that you don’t really trust Nightingale, do you?”

Leo shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Well, neither does my dad.” Nick continued. “He’s obviously paranoid about something, but he refuses to tell me what. If Nero is telling you not to trust us, I think something happened between my family and Nightingale that would put them at odds- I just don’t know what. We also came to the conclusion that my parents might actually know about my core- the doctor in Drand has never brought it up to me- I’m going to guess he brought it up to my parents first and they’re making him keep it a secret, which actually-” Nick’s face scrunched up in agitation, “really pisses me off. It makes you think the two things might be connected, right?”

Leo nodded. “If they knew you had a signa core inside of you, they’d want you to get help, right? But they don’t trust Nightingale enough to help you.”

Nick nodded as well. “It could be that, or a number of other things. I’m needed in Drand for… something sort of important.” Should he tell Leo the truth now? Would it all be too much? “My parents could be prioritizing that over everything else…but they should at least mention it to me you think, right? Shouldn’t I know about this?”

“So you think it’s all linked? If they tell you about the core, they’re gonna have to tell you everything else.”

“Exactly.”

They sat with the information for a moment, racking their brains through the facts. 

"What could my dad have done to piss Nero off so much?" Nick sighed, rubbing his face. "Did Nero say anything else? Anything useful?"

Leo swallowed rather hard, as if he was choking on the words he was trying to speak. "When he approached me today, he said something that really stuck with me all day- I just spent the entire rest of my shift worrying about you- he's willing to hurt you if things go too far. If you get too involved in whatever he's doing, if your family interferes…he will kill you. It made me wonder if maybe he's planning something? Why would you or your family be a problem for him if he wasn't?"

The idea of someone as powerful as Nero threatening to go as far as to kill him sent shivers down Nick's spine. No matter his position in Drand, noble or not, Nero had the final say in the fate of anyone in Arc Hana- no flashy title or army would be enough to stand in his way. He attempted weakly to hide the rush of dread that filled him as he worked to find the words to respond. "This is only going to start making sense once I talk to my parents- maybe they can finally fill me in on everything they've been hiding from me."

Leo leaned back and nodded, crossing his arms. "Then there's no point in dwelling on something we can’t do anything about at this time, right?" Nick looked up at the blond from his position to be met with a soft smile. "Our brains deserve a break after today, right? You seemed really out of it during dinner."

Nick chuckled, his brows turning up in embarrassment. "Just a long, long day dealing with a brain that didn't want to shut off. That hug though? It really did help."

"I can offer you another." Leo said, and Nick could see his body straighten up, just slightly, as if he himself was eager at the idea. "I think a long one would do us both some good, right?"

Nick scoffed. "A long one, huh? Do we just stand in the middle of my room hugging? Seems a little odd, right?"

"We could lay in bed, maybe. Would that make it better?"

Nick arched a brow at him inquisitively, crossing his arms. "Leo Rothstein, are you suggesting lying together after a single date? Do we even consider that a date?"

"It was a pleasant dinner between the two of us, there were just some guest stars." He smirked and leaned forward. "And yes, I am."

Nick made an attempt at matching his energy. "Moving a little fast, aren't we?"

"Just some cuddling- that seems innocent enough, doesn't it?" Leo asked with a tilt of his head, blond hair falling to the side so beautifully that Nick was losing the little desire to say no he already had. "Besides, we've known each other for years- and we've obviously had feelings for each other for some time. Is it really so far-fetched to say that we would cuddle after a long, stressful day? I feel given the chance, we would have already done it platonically."

Damn, he was right. Leo was making some extremely good points that were hard to ignore- if Nick had any desire to ignore them at all. He sighed and pulled himself back onto the bed, off to the farthest side and realigned himself- then pat the empty space beside him. "Alright then- come."

Leo practically bolted from the chair and Nick wasn't able to stop the laugh that left him, watching Leo crawl into the bed and lay on his back, his arm stretched out that offered Nick a place to lay. He took it graciously and rested his head on Leo's chest, arm draped over his stomach and shifting to find a comfortable position. Once they'd both landed on what was best for the pair they began to relax.

Nick was wondering if it was appropriate to point out just how loud and quick Leo's heart was beating in his chest- it was honestly cute, the idea of Leo being so enamored with him. It was a far cry from his last relationship, and he planned to soak in the attention as much as he could. With the way Leo's hand rubbed his shoulder as the other slid up to lock their fingers together, Nick wondered how long it would be before they inevitably fell asleep- at the mercy of such comfort, it was an outcome he didn't plan to fight.