Re: Holly's place: Holly/ Noah
Holly didn't actually get that Noah needed to believe nothing had happened, right? Because, Holly? Holly absolutely believed shit had happened. I mean, for a guy that shoved everything down and pretended it didn't exist? He had a really hard time grasping Noah's need to maybe do that, but he just didn't believe it, and he knew how badly denying shit could fuck someone up. First-hand experience, right? And he didn't want that for Noah, not if it could be helped. And Noah, Holly knew, had a lot of shit he hadn't ever dealt with. It was all there, brimming over more and more often, and Holly worried. Man, Holly worried like fucking crazy, and he felt mad protective about Noah. He had since, like, Halloween.
And he wasn't trying to talk over Noah. He wasn't. He just wanted to be firm, supportive, clear. This shit? It wasn't helping the guy, wasn't helping Noah, this kinda thing happening. And for Holly? That was more important than anything the fuck else. More important than wincing, or his own needs, or whatever. And Noah started sniffling, and Holly just pulled the guy closer, against his shoulder if he could. He rubbed Noah's back, oblivious to pain or winces, and he just held onto the guy, you know, if Noah allowed him to. "I know I didn't do anything. Neither did you," he said, and that was true. It wasn't either of their faults. It was just the situation they were in. "We're going to find a way for you to turn the fucking connection off when you need to, so you won't be vulnerable... or for me to. I'm not backing down this time, Noah. We're doing this, at least until after the portal shit is done and over with." He said it firm, a contrast to Noah's thick and watery voice. Holly was pretty good at being solid when he needed to, and he absolutely fucking intended to be solid about this. "I'll take care of it," he promised, mouth against Noah's ear.