Nicholas took in a sharp breath at the call of his surname, straightening up as if stung as some things suddenly slotted into place. When they first met, when Nicholas met quite a few people, he had not realized how much time had passed. But seeing adult Livio, seeing Miss Melanie, and those few of the children he could still remember - now older and bigger than him - gave some context to many, many reactions.
You know the future me, he thought, but did not say out loud. You and Livio and Miss Melanie. And something bad happened to him. And that is why seeing me makes you cry.
Shit.
Nicholas stepped closer and just wrapped his arms around the black-haired man's neck, holding on.
"'salright. I got bumped back and forth a bit, even all the way back to December. But eventually Miss Melanie got dropped where I was, near here, too. I'm alright. Really."
... and suddenly he wasn't sure what to say further. How to reassure. The realization was like a yawning hole under his feet, and perhaps he was holding on for his own sake as much as Val's, for just a little.
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You know the future me, he thought, but did not say out loud. You and Livio and Miss Melanie. And something bad happened to him. And that is why seeing me makes you cry.
Shit.
Nicholas stepped closer and just wrapped his arms around the black-haired man's neck, holding on.
"'salright. I got bumped back and forth a bit, even all the way back to December. But eventually Miss Melanie got dropped where I was, near here, too. I'm alright. Really."
... and suddenly he wasn't sure what to say further. How to reassure. The realization was like a yawning hole under his feet, and perhaps he was holding on for his own sake as much as Val's, for just a little.