with heaven on my mind, and hell, well i believe
The thumb stroking along Nate's cheek pulls a sound almost like a purr from the ascended, his head leaning into the touch and his eyes focused on the attuned with a burning intensity, belied by the softness of his smile when he drops the hand. It's another moment that doesn't last long, Nate's hands moving to smooth down Sunjata's leg, fingers exerting just enough pressure that he would be able to tell if there was something seriously wrong, either by the feel of it, or the complaint it would be sure to pull from the other man.
While his hands worked, his focus stayed locked on Sunjata, this story seeming to be a little more cheerful than most, despite the fact that Nate knew it ended in a broken leg. Eight or nine sounded like the perfect age for inadvertent bone breaking, but it couldn't be that simple. It wasn't until the Trial was mentioned that Nate's brows pulled together, though a smile managed to flash over his lips at the bet, and he couldn't stop his comment. "Just a week?" He laughs, about to continue when Sunjata does instead, though it doesn't stop him shaking his head.
By now, Nate's hands have fallen still, a cool weight around the other mans leg. Eight was too young to see anything like what Sunjata had described as the Trial, and the only real surprise was that worse hadn't happened. He tries to aim for levity when he responds, voice lighter than he feels. "At least you went to a doctor and had it taken care of." This is another one of those things he can't quite connect with fully, the refusal to show weakness more of a defense mechanism than an enforced lifestyle for him. But he knew something of the kind of people who seemed to have no flaws, the hell they went through to seem like that. And it hurts, somewhere deep in his chest, to know there's nothing he can do to help that pain, no action he can take, no way to defend someone from a memory, much as he might want to.
"A month?" Nate laughs, grabbing onto the last bit of humour like a life preserver and clinging to it, to keep the dark cloud, the anger and sadness and everything else at bay. "Guess it really was worth it then, huh?" Just like that, his fingers are moving again, though unless Sunjata has given any indication that something is terribly wrong, they move up to wrap around the attuneds hips, Nate leaning in to press a kiss against the other man.
While his hands worked, his focus stayed locked on Sunjata, this story seeming to be a little more cheerful than most, despite the fact that Nate knew it ended in a broken leg. Eight or nine sounded like the perfect age for inadvertent bone breaking, but it couldn't be that simple. It wasn't until the Trial was mentioned that Nate's brows pulled together, though a smile managed to flash over his lips at the bet, and he couldn't stop his comment. "Just a week?" He laughs, about to continue when Sunjata does instead, though it doesn't stop him shaking his head.
By now, Nate's hands have fallen still, a cool weight around the other mans leg. Eight was too young to see anything like what Sunjata had described as the Trial, and the only real surprise was that worse hadn't happened. He tries to aim for levity when he responds, voice lighter than he feels. "At least you went to a doctor and had it taken care of." This is another one of those things he can't quite connect with fully, the refusal to show weakness more of a defense mechanism than an enforced lifestyle for him. But he knew something of the kind of people who seemed to have no flaws, the hell they went through to seem like that. And it hurts, somewhere deep in his chest, to know there's nothing he can do to help that pain, no action he can take, no way to defend someone from a memory, much as he might want to.
"A month?" Nate laughs, grabbing onto the last bit of humour like a life preserver and clinging to it, to keep the dark cloud, the anger and sadness and everything else at bay. "Guess it really was worth it then, huh?" Just like that, his fingers are moving again, though unless Sunjata has given any indication that something is terribly wrong, they move up to wrap around the attuneds hips, Nate leaning in to press a kiss against the other man.
in the stage lights, come down, breaking over me
NATE
