"Alright…" Nathaniel hesitated for a few seconds before he headed over to the couch to sit down and wait for Ajax to return. He fidgeted with his hands and let his mind wander as he stared blankly at a wall. I'm sure he'll be back soon and we can go back home where it's safe and nobody can see us… my chest still hurts. He sighed softly, looking over his shoulder in the general direction Ajax had left in.
(I made a full ref for Nathaniel if you're interested ^^)
(Ahh he's so cute I love him even more!)
Ajax was determined to be as quick as he could to not leave Nathaniel alone downstairs. He hopped in the shower, leaving the change of clothes on the side of the bathroom sink while he let the hot water run over him. The wounds stung but he blocked it out, focusing on cleaning rather than the pain. The noise from the shower blocked out any noise from the rest of the house, so Aj didn't hear when his second, Max, decided to drop by and check on him coming through the back door.
(Asdfhk <33)
Nathaniel had brought out his phone at this point and was playing some sort of game to pass the time. He was much more relaxed now with the distant sounds of the shower and the closed blinds; he wasn't concerned about anyone seeing him. However, he clearly wasn't going to be allowed to simply have a relaxing few minutes while Ajax showered.
Faint footsteps, and then the grating sound of a doorknob turning. Nathaniel froze, immediately sick to his stomach with fear. His wings puffed up and he was only able to stare at Max for a few seconds until his panic kicked in and he threw himself over the back of the couch in a pathetic attempt to hide.
(<3)
"Who's there?" Max called out. The sound of a gun clicking into place rang through the house, "Where's Ajax?" Clearly, he hadn't heard the water running upstairs, too concerned at the random person in his boss' house than anything else, "The hell are you doing in his house?"
The water stopped running from upstairs, Ajax climbed out of the shower and very carefully dried himself off and changed into something more comfortable. Nice because maybe a little part of him wanted to impress Nathaniel, but more comfortable than anything. Then he was heading down the stairs unaware of what was going on with the other two.
Nathaniel whimpered when he heard the click of the gun and covered his mouth with one hand, trembling where he was huddled behind the couch. "O-Oh god, please… p-please don't shoot me…" He begged weakly. "He's— he's showering— h-he brought me here, I swear to god, please…" He curled his wings around himself defensively and hugged his chest tightly with his free arm. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and his heart was racing and pounding against his ribs. "P-Please put the gun away— I… I c-can't… please…"
It was then that Ajax heard the commotion, and the rest of the way to the living room felt like far too long of a distance. It was there that he saw Max holding the gun and Nathaniel cowering behind the couch, "Drop the gun, Max!" A very clear order from a very angry and worried Aj, "Drop the gun and fuck off. Don't you dare say a word to anyone. We'll talk later." His tone was enough to convey just how angry he was at his second, considering he entered without even telling Aj he was stopping by. Usually, it wouldn't matter, but considering the angel in his house needless to say he was pissed. Whatever Max did next Aj didn't see nor care about as he made his way over to Nathaniel, visibly worried and trying his best to seem none threatening, "Hey, Nathan, he's gone, you're safe."
Nathaniel was vaguely aware of a faint sense of relief when Ajax came down to make Max leave. As soon as he heard the door close, he started sobbing. The noise was somewhat muffled since he still had one hand over his mouth. His wings were still puffed up with terror and he was shaking violently where he was huddled up behind the couch.
He looked up weakly when Ajax came over to him, tears spilling from his eyes. His cheeks were already starting to get blotchy from crying. He tried to say something, but in this state, he wasn't quite coherent.
Ajax knelt down in front of Nathaniel, crossing his legs underneath him, “He’s gone now, he can’t hurt you, I promise.” If Max decided to even lay a finger on the angel he’d be dead before he could even change his mind. He reached out a hand. Nathaniel didn’t have to accept it or his help, but Aj wanted to do what he could to help him relax and calm down, whatever that may be. He might have been a little rusty on these types of things but the urge to help and comfort Nathaniel outweighed anything else.
Nathaniel eyed Ajax's hand warily, his wings still curled around himself as a sort of shield. He pushed himself up onto his knees, wobbling dangerously, and suddenly moved forward to latch onto Ajax. He hugged him tightly, clinging to him for comfort as he trembled. "I'm s-sorry… I'm s-so sorry…" He whispered weakly as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. "G-God, I just— he— h-he saw me— he has a gun— oh God…" His breathing hitched and caught in his throat and he choked. "I hate… I-I hate guns… he was gonna k-kill me…"
Ajax couldn’t remember the last time he’d given someone a hug and for a moment he didn’t know what to do, but a second later he was wrapping his arms around Nathaniel and holding him tightly, “I know, I know and I’ll talk to him about it later.” Aj knew Max was just trying to protect him but sometimes he took it just a tad too far. At times he was more violent than Aj which made him a good second, “He won’t come anywhere near you, I promise, you’re safe with me.” Why he felt the sudden attachment to the angel Aj didn’t know, but after that and knowing how scared Nathaniel was, he wasn’t letting him go for a while.
Nathaniel buried his face in Ajax's shoulder, still sobbing weakly. Honestly, he'd been pretty terrified of guns since he had been shot when he was so young. The hole in his wing was stark and stung with the memory. Knowing that Max had seen his wings as well only scared him more; this guy had been more than willing to kill him just for being in Ajax's place. Obviously Nathaniel wasn't exactly ready to trust him with his secret. What if he told other people he knew, and they started hunting him down? He'd heard old stories of angels being hunted for their wings, but that was a long time ago, before angels went into hiding. Now, they were more or less regarded as myths, but he couldn't help but be afraid. "I thought— I-I was stronger…" He whispered, his voice muffled from his face being hidden. He hadn't expected to be so scared in the face of danger. It had been so long since he'd had to be in combat…
(Small bump ^^)
(hey sorry! had a stressful school week but im back now!)
Ajax held Nathaniel tighter as if he were shielding him from the world around them as best he could. So long since he'd had the urge to actively protect someone, especially someone who was practically a stranger, but Nathaniel had saved his life, was he really that much of a stranger? He trusted Max, he trusted his men, but it was a dangerous world he lived in and even Aj was slightly worried Max would spread the word around about the angel in Aj's living room, "It takes time to heal, you'll get there one day. You're allowed to not be okay now. I'm here to help." It was clear he meant it from the softness and honesty in his tone, and the way he never let his grip on Nathaniel loosen as if he were to let go. He'd stay with him on the floor for however long it took for Nathaniel to calm.
(Np ^^)
Nathaniel nodded weakly and he was still trembling for a while. It definitely took some time for his soft crying to die down, and although he hadn't exactly relaxed, he was more limp from exhaustion. His wings were very disheveled and a bit puffed up still where they lay limp on the floor.
It took a lot of building up courage for him to be able to pull away from Ajax's shoulder and look up at him meekly. His eyes, still a bit shiny with tears, seemed almost to be a brighter blue than usual in contrast to the blotches of pink on his pale cheeks. There were still visible tear tracks, which he did his best to rub away with one hand. "S-Sorry…" He whispered.
Ajax reached up with one hand to gently wipe away some of Nathaniel's stay tears with his thumb. Even like this, he was still as adorable as when they met yesterday evening, "What are you sorry for?" For having emotions? For being scared? All normal reactions considering what he had been through in his life. Ajax made sure to keep his other arm wrapped around him, keeping Nathaniel tucked into his body so he didn't fall backwards or hurt himself. He could tell the angel was exhausted from crying and it might take him a while to properly collect himself, but Aj was determined to not leave his side until he was okay.
"F-For… being stupid, and weak, a-and inconveniencing you, and…" Nathaniel laughed dryly, rubbing at his eyes with one fist again, "for ruining your shirt by crying on you, too. I just… I was trained for combat my whole childhood, and… and I still can't even handle just seeing a gun. I'm so pathetic…" He sighed and hiccuped weakly, resting his head on Ajax's shoulder again and closing his eyes to relax. "I was just… so scared when I saw him… a-and when he cocked the gun, I… I couldn't think. I felt like I was gonna throw up, o-or… I dunno. It was awful…"
Ajax hummed softly, hesitating before he very slowly and very carefully ran a hand through Nathaniel's soft curls, "You're not pathetic, or stupid or weak or an inconvenience or anything of the sort. Trauma isn't something that can be dealt with in an instant and sometimes when you're put into those situations when you thought you were healed, you're not, and that's part of the process of healing." He sighed softly, recalling moments from his own childhood where he had felt similar to how Nathaniel felt now, "It's going to be okay, I won't let anything bad happen to you. No one will touch you or scare you like that again."
Nathaniel leaned into Ajax's hand, thankful for the gentle touch. He was clearly pretty touch starved, and he was still exhausted from all the stress. "Mmnh… b-but it's been so many years, and I thought… and I thought I'd be better by now, y-you know?" He seemed pretty shaky and anxious, and curled in on himself a bit as he spoke. "I… I heard the gun, and I had this weird feeling… like… l-like I was falling…" He whispered. "I-I thought I heard… heard the gun fire, b-but he didn't shoot, and then I felt like I was falling… like when I was a kid… is that weird? I-I dunno… I'm probably being weird…"
"You're not being weird," Ajax reassured, combing his hand through Nathaniel's hair once again when he leaned into the touch, "Just because it's been years since it first happened, doesn't mean it can't hurt later on. These things take time to heal. I'm still recovering from my past. Everyone's healing journey is different, and it's okay if it takes longer than expected." Nightmares still plagued him, and behind the cool exterior Aj tried to put up even he needed time away from the world and to be held when he relived those moments that caused him pain years later.
Nathaniel exhaled shakily and huddled closer to Ajax, drawing his wings up a bit to feel more secure. "But… b-but I'm not supposed to be so weak… they raised me to be stronger than this…" He relaxed somewhat against Ajax and stared down at his hands. "Imagine how… h-how furious they would be with me if they could see me now…" He hiccuped weakly and started to rub at his eyes again. "G-God… m'sorry… I'm just making it worse, huh?" He offered a dry laugh and closed his eyes again. "I'm sorry…"
Aj rolled his eyes, though there was no malice or annoyance behind the action, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Nathaniel. You can't be strong all the time. They might have raised you a certain way but being strong all the time is just unrealistic." A soft shrug, his hand still gently working its way through the angel's hair, "You're not there anymore, they can't hurt you or tell you who to be. If your past is painful, there's nothing wrong with that, and you have nothing to apologise for."
Nathaniel nodded tiredly and sighed. "I-I know that… I know… it's just… it's just hard." He drew in a wavering breath, slowly starting to relax a bit. "There's so much about my life now that… my parents would be so disappointed in. Not even just disappointed, I… would probably be kicked out for it, even if I hadn't hurt my wings. But I guess it doesn't matter… I probably won't ever see any of them again, and I doubt they'd want to see me anyway. I just need to… get over it. Move on." He closed his eyes and curled up a bit more, still trembling. "I just wish it was a little easier…"
Aj sighed, letting his hand come to rest on Nathaniel's cheek, gently guiding his face so they could make eye contact, "If your parents are going to be disappointed in how you live your life, then they aren't worth thinking about. It's never going to be easy to get over, life isn't easy, but you're not alone, and you have people, and now me to help you get through the hard times, yeah?" He pressed his forehead against Nathaniel's, "It'll be okay, Nathaniel, I know it."
Nathaniel looked up at Ajax tiredly. I know that, of course, but… somehow it feels different coming from him. He barely knows me, and… I dunno. It feels less like I'm just lying to myself. "Mmnh… thanks…" He murmured, his voice soft and finally growing more steady. He seemed more relaxed than before. "Are you sure you want to make that sort of commitment, though? You barely know me… you're not obligated to help me with anything. N-Not that I don't appreciate it, of course, but… I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble, Ajax…" He relaxed and closed his eyes when Ajax touched his forehead to his own. This is so nice, though… I don't feel like he's lying to me.