Nasir (noturlittleman) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-12 19:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !trigger warning, maxwell trevelyan (the inquisitor), nasir |
Who: Trevelyan and Nasir
When: Sunday April 10th (backdated)
Where: Max's house
What: Confession time, and a new beginning.
Rating/Warnings: Low/warnings for discussion of sexual abuse
Status: Complete
Nasir hadn’t stopped shaking for two days. He also hadn’t stopped thinking, turning over every possible outcome in his head several times.
Thinking about what had happened made him feel ill, but he knew that this was necessary. If he wanted to do...whatever this was that he and Max were dancing around, then Max deserved to know exactly what he was getting into here. With Nasir came a lot of baggage and Max should be able to say whether or not he wanted to deal with all of that.
He’d thought about putting this off for several more days but the more he thought about it, the more he imagined how it might go, the more anxious he got. It was probably better to just do it like a bandaid, over and done with quickly so he could go back to trying to forget about it again. So he texted Max asking if he was free and caught a bus down to Anaheim. He figured doing this at Max’s home was better - he could make a quick escape a little easier if he had to. He knocked on the door and tried to force a smile, unsure of exactly how convincing it was.
Since settling in Orange County, Max kept his encounters to certain parameters - mostly following Revy’s advice, when it came to dealing with the ache and realization that a long lost love, from another life, would never become that again. Which was ‘see if he’s available and if he’s not find someone else to get off with’ and, granted, it had only been with her - they got along as friends, but he hadn’t been anticipating white picket fences and romance. And he’d been doing well with reconciling those bleed-over feelings, that confusion, that irrational jealousy when it came to Dorian.
Then, Nasir...well. He liked Nasir. In a ‘not just a fling, don’t forget your pants on the way out’ kind of way. Much more than that. Trevelyan didn’t expect it, but sometimes the best things were unexpected.
His fondness was evident to him because while he was more than willing to give the other man space (obviously, there was something big he needed to tell Max), the worry and concern felt like needles of ice prickling his skin. So when he got the text, he of course told Nasir to come right over and waited mostly patiently. At the knock, he went to answer the door - and was relieved to see him standing there, when he opened it.
“Come in,” Max stepped back, giving him room to enter. “And come sit. Do you want anything?” If so, he would grab it on the way to the living room.
Nasir managed a little more convincing a smile as he came in, nodding to Max in thanks. “No, I’m...I’m okay. Thank you. I just…” Want this over he didn’t say, trailing off instead. He brushed his hand over Max’s arm as he passed to draw him along, taking a seat on the couch. “You may want to get yourself some refreshments, this...might take a while. Get some popcorn or something.” He chuckled, though it fell quite flat, and clenched his hands in his lap. He had to work to stop his leg from bouncing, or not to fidget, or twitch, or let out the sudden nervous energy flowing through him. He didn’t like to show weakness, even in front of people he liked or felt safe with or cared about, people he should be able to be weak around. This was foreign territory for him.
"I'm good too," he promised, settling next to Nasir on the sofa - the living room was cozy, muted blues, the open hearth wood-burning fireplace actually being made use of for once; the mounted television above was off, but it seemed a decent night for a crackling fire. Maybe there was something soothing about it.
No Throne of Judgment yet either, but Max was just waiting for it to show up. Maybe even Skyhold - how awkward yet amazing that would be, to have a fortress in Orange County. Especially if they were so unlucky as to face a Breach again.
Nasir was obviously anxious. Trevelyan reached over then, hand resting on that bouncing leg - both hands, gently on both thighs, but he kept it to a respectable placement. "You've got me all night. It can take as long as it needs."
Nasir was happy that Max was beside him - it meant that he didn’t have to look at him as he spoke. The fire was interesting enough to hold his attention, and he was able to relax a little, eyes no longer darting around for an escape route and shoulders no longer hunched around his ears. He jumped when Max put a hand on his thigh, but he turned his head to smile at him before turning back to staring straight ahead, fingers threading through Max’s.
“All night, huh? Not a promise that many men can actually keep,” Nasir blurted, before groaning and covering his face with his free hand. “Fuck me, sorry. I’m just…” He laughed, dropping his hand and curling up a little, sobering with a sigh.
“I...my brother was killed. When I was sixteen,” he said after a moment’s pause. “A car accident. It was...messy, to put it nicely. Closed casket funeral. I went to school that morning and never saw him again. He was...he was everything to me.” Nasir swallowed. “He was older than me, I was kind of a surprise. But he took care of me, my parents had to work a lot so he basically raised me. We moved so much that I didn’t have time to make many friends until we finally settled in California, so he was the only friend I had until middle school, basically. We were very close. I...did not handle his death very well.”
He paused, for a long moment, trying to figure out how best to put the next part of the tale, finally deciding on, “I...did something stupid.” It was a massive understatement, to say the least, and he paused again for a while. “I was...I was just so lonely. I had friends but they weren’t close, no one mattered as much to me as he did. I tried but just...I felt empty. I just wanted to forget that for a little while. So...I met this guy. Online. He was in his forties, very good looking, wealthy. He - “ His breath hitched and caught in his chest and he had to pause to take a few deep breaths to get himself under control again. He realized he was crying, and he turned his face into his shoulder to wipe his eyes. “He made me feel good, again,” he finally managed. “He made me feel special. Like I would be okay again at some point.” He closed his eyes; he could still remember some of the things that the man had told him, flowery words and gentle promises, comfort in a time when little else could provide it. “He became the only thing that mattered. I’d wait for hours to hear from him and drop everything to answer. So when he asked to meet, I agreed.”
Nasir swallowed, and opened his mouth to speak again, but nothing came out, and he sighed out something that sounded dangerously close to a sob. He wiped at his eyes again, sniffling.
"Nasir..." Max didn't tell him it was okay, because it wasn't. Or to stop crying, because he needed to - crying was cathartic, it was a purge of emotions, and these emotions seemed like something that he needed to get out. But Trevelyan had some idea of where this was going - the devastating death of a family member, an older man, all those promises, words sugary sweet like he could do no wrong. There was a twist in his gut, but he would let the other man continue.
After he took the time he needed to collect himself, of course. But Max swiped a thumb under his eyes, catching tears, and his knuckles brushed Nasir's cheek - he scooted closer, little space between them, heat radiating. His penchant for inferno spells seemed to make him warmer, somehow, even if he hadn't really practiced them in this world yet. "You can tell me."
Nasir was surprised by the touch, looking up at Max in alarm before settling again. He leaned into it, leaned into Max a little more. He was warm, and considering that it was California and spring was approaching it should have been uncomfortable, but it just felt...nice. Comforting. Exactly what Nasir needed to find his voice again.
“I met him. I thought I was being smart - we met in public, and I told someone who I was going to meet and where. He gave me a fake name though, so it didn’t do any good. He was...he was so kind and so gentle, and I couldn’t imagine him doing anything bad to me. He offered to take me home, and I trusted him at his word, so I said yes. I didn’t even realize something was up until we left the city, but he had the doors locked so that I couldn’t get out. When I tried he handcuffed me. When I screamed he gagged me. He knocked me out at one point because I wouldn’t be quiet. We drove for hours to this...estate he had out in the country. It was huge, I don’t know how many times I got lost. I quit trying to escape after a while because it was just so big that I was worried I’d get myself turned around and no one would ever see me again, I’d just end up trapped in some hallway forever. It was...ostentatious doesn’t even begin to cover it, it was ridiculous.” He could still remember every detail about being led into that house, up the stairs at the entrance, a butler opening the door for him. Despite the handcuffs and the slight concussion, he’d felt a little like a celebrity. That had changed quickly.
“The first few nights weren’t so bad, actually. He...I don’t want to say felt bad because I’m sure that he didn’t, but he seemed sorry for how he’d treated me in the car. I had my own bed, I could eat whatever I wanted, he brought me nice things...it was...it was after that things started to get bad.” Here, he took up Max’s hand again, running his thumb along the other man’s knuckles to distract himself. “After a few weeks he started...he called it training. At first it was mostly just uncomfortable, he had me stand or kneel for hours in the same position, I wasn’t allowed to shift or move or anything. If I didn’t do it well enough he’d just swat me, put me over his knee a few times, but then it started to get...worse. I don’t really remember most of what he did other than that it hurt but honestly that’s probably not something I really want to remember so I’m not pressing that issue too much. And after that he - “
Nasir cut himself off and was quiet again for a few moments before finally saying, “Well, I’m sure you can guess.” He took a deep breath. “He kept me there for four years, as his slave.” He all but spit the word out. “He brought in a few others with the same trick but I was his favorite. He trusted me to take care of the house while he was in the city, to make sure everything was up to his standard. He even changed my name. And the whole time I felt important. I felt like I was special. I was barely allowed to wear clothing and I thought that I had power.” Nasir laughed, bordering on hysterical, and shoved a hand over his mouth to try and quiet it.
The mind was an amazing thing, what it was capable of. Burying painful memories was an ability due to certain neural mechanisms; those memories were still around, just suppressed. Pushed away from consciousness, not recorded there, all in the mind's efforts to protect the body. Max wasn't surprised that this had happened - after extreme stress, an extreme threat, it was the natural thing to occur.
"But you got out?" he asked Nasir, in a murmur, cheek brushing his temple - Max pressed his lips there, eyes closing as his fingers curled slightly under the stroking touches. "You got away from there."
He had heard a lot, as a therapist - he'd had all sorts of clients, and he usually spent the days assessing, listening, talking people down from the edge, and facing crisis after crisis. But this was personal. It was heartbreaking, what had happened to Nasir.
Still giggling but once more under control, Nasir nodded. “Apparently he wasn’t as smart as he thought. People were starting to notice kids disappearing or someone from the house staff wasn’t as loyal as he thought, I don’t know. They had an officer undercover come in, a cute little thing, just his type. A few weeks later and there was a raid. Officers everywhere. They took him away from me, they had him in handcuffs, and I just…” He hesitated again. “I remember being calm about it. There was a lot of confusion, everyone was running around, lots of screaming, and I went to the kitchen and found a knife. I had it in my mind that I would kill all of them, or I would go down trying. I couldn’t imagine a life outside of that house anymore, I couldn’t imagine living without him. Of course, I was a weak slave boy and they were trained officers. The first one I tried my little plan on took me down easily. But he vouched for me, the court ruled it temporary insanity, I have state mandated therapy every week, the social workers got me set up at school, and...here we are.” He shrugged. “The craziest part of this is that my dreams started off the same. I didn’t think I was even having them the first time I did, because it was almost exactly the same. Just a different setting and some different people. I’d met Agron not long before that so I didn’t think really think anything of seeing him there. I just...couldn’t believe that I’d be having these dreams too. I wasn’t anything special. I didn’t get to have another life somewhere else or...whatever the dreams are supposed to be.”
He was quiet a few beats longer and then shrugged awkwardly. “So...that’s me. You’re informed now.”
"That's you," Max agreed, because it would always be a part of him. You just didn't forget something like that, or get over it very easily. "But not you entirely. And you're here - " He squeezed Nasir's hand, fond pressure on his fingers, "...you're here, with me. That's pretty incredible, and you're very brave." He was glad that the trauma hadn't just scarred over badly, a jagged wound - but it had healed properly, or started to, even if it wasn't all the way yet. Which was understandable.
He sat back to lean against the couch cushions, still holding onto Nasir's hand, a relaxed sort of stance - but Trevelyan wasn't going anywhere. If anything, he was flattered that he was trusted enough to hear such a personal story. "The dreams do tend to have some parallels," he said. "I'm a mage in mine, obviously, locked away in the Circle Tower from a young age - but here I was thrown into a 'youth village.' All because something was 'wrong' with me, like how something's wrong with mages. Supposedly."
Now both hands came to cover the one, for a moment - reassuring, dark eyes warm as whiskey. "That was another life that we're remembering, but we have a second chance here to make a new one."
“A ‘youth village’?” Nasir wrinkled his nose. He didn’t have to know the specifics to understand what that probably meant. “I mean, I can’t speak for all mages, but the one sitting next to me seems pretty okay.”
He hesitated, looking down at their joined hands, squeezing Max back before looking up at him with something that flirted with being a hopeful smile. “And you’re saying you’d like to try and make something out of it with me?”
Not all mages were good, but then again, not all people were either - locking them away for their own 'safety' and protection just made things about one-hundred times worse in the long run. Same with his parents sticking their only child into a group home for kids with 'problems.' But Max could use his story to help people - he could turn it around, do some good with it. That was what he found most important.
"Thanks," he chuckled, reaching up to swipe at a stray tear on Nasir's face - he was ridiculously good-looking. Beautiful, really. "I'll take 'pretty okay.'"
Whatever this life was, it was theirs to make of it what they would - after everything he'd been through in the last so far, with more shit yet to come, there was nothing wrong with happiness in the form of a fresh start. "I do, if that's what you want," he said - remember the past, but don't cling too hard, a mantra to live by. "You'll dream more, and it'll be confusing but at least you know I understand. And I'm with you - however you want me to be."
Trevelyan couldn't spend forever hung up on a love that was literally lifetimes ago - otherwise he'd miss out on so much in the now. If the situations were reversed, he wouldn't have wanted Dorian to be smothered by the past either. Part of loving someone was letting them go, sometimes.
Nasir leaned into the touch, surprising himself - he’d expected to feel raw, after this, like a fresh wound, not wanting to be touched. Of course, he’d also half expected to be dismissed as too much trouble and tossed out partway through, a fear that he now saw was unfounded. He threaded his fingers through Max’s and squeezed, before grinning. “Play your cards right and I might even upgrade that to ‘actually quite nice’.”
“You’ll dream too. And I’ll be here for you as well. Granted, your dreams are a little more exciting than mine, with the dragons and the magic and judgement throne and all.” As they continued to speak, the pain of the memories began to fade - not entirely, never, they were always present in his mind and just waiting for something to bring them flooding back. But he had become good at ignoring his pain and pushing away his fear, instead clinging to what goodness he could find. And right now he had something that could definitely be very good indeed. “What I want,” he said, still grinning, “is to kiss you. Like right now.”
“There are some similarities,” Trevelyan noted - Tevinter was loosely reminiscent of the Roman Empire, after all, and the slavery was still legal; the one time it had been abolished, let’s just say the person who put that into practice didn’t last long caught in the political mess. Poisoned, or quietly murdered in his sleep - the country had survived multiple wars with the Qunari because of its ruthlessness, it wasn’t about to shake the foundations of what it had been built on very easily. “I’d say both are exciting - though it’s a shame yours doesn’t have dragons.”
He leaned closer, watching through his lashes, the look in his eye softened to more of a crystallized ginger. His hand curled around the back of Nasir’s neck, and he was near enough to kiss, but didn’t seal the miniscule gap quite yet - tease. “Careful,” Max’s tone was playfully light, with a forehead touch and then a bump of his nose, “...I might not want to stop, ever.”
“Everything’s better with dragons,” Nasir said, but then got distracted as he was pulled in, his breath catching even as a smile crossed his lips. He didn’t lean in fully either, yet - two could play this game, and Nasir could be patient. “Ever?” he mock-gasped, smile growing into a grin. He brushed his nose against Max’s as well, almost a nuzzle, one hand coming up to rest on Max’s jaw. “That’s a long time, Max, are you sure you’re up to it?”
This close, and he probably smelled like laundry detergent - crisp and clean, since Max was always so professional. Mostly. Unless he was behind closed doors, and now, he didn’t have to be so proper. But there were also the wisps of magic, what crackled through his veins - it smelled earthen, and musky and warm, a little like tinder caught aflame. “I guess we’ll find out,” he promised, mouth tilting into a smirk - until his covered Nasir’s, giving in, and there was a deep kiss that stoked a fire within him.
And out too, apparently. The curtains in his living room burst into flame, burning to nothing but ash before disintegrating completely. Just a brief exhibition, and somewhat parallel to how he felt.
Yet he wasn’t really expecting such an involuntary reaction.
“Oh...shit.” Well, that was an understatement - but it was kind of funny? He actually laughed a little. “I’m sorry, that...wasn’t what I meant to do.” It was common for mages though, when you were first learning - hence why they were dubbed so ‘dangerous.’ At least he didn’t burn the house down.
Nasir should take it as a compliment? Hopefully Trevelyan wouldn’t freeze the rest of his furniture this time (doubtful, since ice wasn’t associated with the yearn for another person - passion wasn’t meant to be cold), as he went for another kiss.
Nasir was so distracted, considering everything that was going on, that he hardly noticed anything amiss. All he knew was that the air felt electric and hot, perhaps a little more than was normal but hey: distracted. Attractive man. Kissing him. How was he supposed to focus on anything other than the hot skin beneath his hands and the burning mouth on his? He hadn’t allowed himself to be so entranced in anything in a long while.
He almost didn’t notice the fire, at first, until Max pulled back and he looked up to see what could draw his attention away from what was clearly the most important thing here, just in time to catch the curtains burn themselves out and crumble away. For a moment he was shocked, but one look at Max’s shocked face had him snickering. It felt good to have something to laugh at tonight, even if it was at Max’s expense. “I’m going to choose to be flattered, I think,” he said. “I figured I got you hot but I wasn’t thinking quite that literally.”
He was still smiling as Max kissed him again, eager...even if he was still giggling. He’d apologize for it later, when it stopped being hilarious.
“You do...and now you know you get me hot quite literally,” Max was chuckling too, in between kisses - he framed Nasir’s face in his hands, fit and ready to keep kissing that case of giggles away, until he was rendered breathless. Another kiss was pressed to the pulse point of his throat, and Trevelyan focused on that, on heartbeats, something to ground him so the power zinging beneath his skin didn’t overwhelm him.
He wasn’t even at full tilt yet - couldn’t cast all the spells his dream self knew, but that would come and his control would get better. Being flustered didn’t have to mean something began to smell scorched. “Do you want to stay?” he asked, fingertips stroking along the jawline of the face he held, up over the plane of a cheekbone. “With me. Tonight.” There was a brief pause, before he amended, “I promise not to set anything else on fire.”
It honestly didn’t take much to distract Nasir; he had never been touched quite like this - touched, sure, but not so tenderly or with respect for what he wanted out of the encounter. The kiss against his throat was enough to have him tilt his head back, gasping. Turns out his neck was a weakness. Noted. “I think you figured it out for me too,” he murmured with a chuckle. “Maybe not quite so literally though.”
Nasir considered the offer for a very long few seconds - about taking a bus back to Irvine, about going back to his small apartment, his empty bed, about having to get up and leave this behind. He should, probably, decline, the rational part of his brain told him; he should take things slowly and give himself time to adjust. Nasir very kindly told the rational part of himself to shut the fuck up and grinned at Max. “Well I guess if I don’t have to worry about waking up on fire. That’s pretty good incentive.” He turned his head to press a kiss against the inside of Max’s wrist, smiling at him and watching him out of the corner of his eye. “It’s fun getting you all flustered, though, I have to admit.”
He was a little embarrassed, a flush staining his cheeks and creeping up the back of his neck - but far too punch drunk to really even care much, Max decided. “I’m glad to amuse,” he rumbled, and forced himself to focus a little.
A twist of his other hand, and the flames in the fireplace, crackling there, were squelched - they hissed and tapered off, wisps of smoke all that was left. There. At least if they went upstairs, he wouldn’t risk leaving that to burn and potentially having a need to call the fire department. “You know, it’s alright...” he said; now that it was darker in the room, without the dim glow of the fire, his eyes had to adjust. He pressed another kiss to Nasir’s forehead, his temple, the corner of his mouth. “You can just stay. There’s no pressure for anything else.”
Whatever pace he wanted to go at was fine. Max could share a bed with him, without thinking with his dick.
A blush had no right to be both endearing and attractive, and oh darn, Nasir just had to kiss him again. “You do,” he said when he managed to convince himself to pull back enough to speak. “Just one of the many great qualities I’m discovering about you.”
Nasir’s heart fluttered at the offer, looking up at Max. He was serious, and...that touched something inside of him. He surged up for a kiss, wrapping his arms around Max’s neck. “For tonight,” he murmured after a moment, “I’ll stay. Tomorrow morning…” His eyes sparkled as he pulled back. “That’s a different story.”
“Is it? Going to sneak out in the morning and leave a blowup doll in your place?” Trevelyan teased, arms going around the other man in turn, hands resting on his sides - wanting to be closer, wanting heat, and skin, and all that came with those heady feelings and sensations. Everything was electric; it thrilled right down to the marrow of his bones, but patience was a staple of his. He wouldn't have gotten this far if he wasn't as much (nor would he have gotten anywhere as the Inquisitor either).
So, patience won out - the reins were given to Nasir, officially. Max just didn't want him to leave (he'd have given him a ride back, of course, rather than letting him take the bus but yet was so glad he didn't have to). Needless to say, he very much enjoyed the company. "Come on - “ He kept their hands linked, as he stood up, “I have a mattress stuffed with feathers." Well, he didn't really, but... "And you probably have a twin bed."
“As tempting as that sounds, you might be able to convince me to stay in bed with you. Just maybe.” The touch was comforting, despite the fact that everywhere Max touched him sparked, but in a good way. He hummed, smiling at Max as he got to his feet as well, curling their fingers together. “Why do I feel like you’re lying?” he asked with a raised brow. “And it’s a full thank you, I like to be able to stretch out.”
He knew that, whether the Max’s bed was stuffed with feathers or rocks, he was unlikely to get much sleep that night - drawing this shit to the surface always put him on edge. He’d barely slept for a week after the incident with the birds. But perhaps with someone else there, someone for his thoughts to drift to when they wanted to head down a dark path, someone to remind him of where he was and to ground him in the here-and-now rather than the there-and-then, maybe it would be better. He could hope. He seemed to be doing a lot of that these days.
The master bedroom had been redone with a good portion of the house when Max bought it; the space favored a grey-and-white theme, meant to be serene and dreamy. The paint on the walls was called ‘silver cufflink’ or something, which also meant sophistication - or at least, that was what he’d been going for. Max didn’t have a ton of people over, not as overnight guests - certainly not sharing a bed with him either. But Nasir was always welcome; he’d be the only one from now on.
“I can be very convincing,” he pointed out, anchoring himself closer to be pressed together - standing up this time, and his hands went beneath the shirt Nasir was wearing, palms soaking up heat (or perhaps transferring it) to the muscles of his abdomen. All as he tilted his head to let their mouths meet again, a kiss that was searing. “Hm, let’s see...”
Briefly, he pulled back just a bit. “Bathroom’s attached to the room, and I’ll find a spare toothbrush. Towels are in the cabinet below the sink. Make yourself at home, don’t forget to tip the room attendant.”
Nasir let out soft groan. Max’s hands on him were going to become a problem quite quickly, he had a feeling - his touch was hot, and heady, and addicting. “I can see that,” he said, with a breathless little chuckle. He tipped his head into the kiss, definitely not whimpering when Max pulled back but taking the opportunity to gasp in a breath. “Yeah, consider me convinced.”
He had to grin, though, at the joke even if it was a little silly. “I’m sure he’ll be satisfied,” he all but purred, pressing a kiss or three to Max’s neck before managing to drag himself away to the bathroom to take care of himself. He also took off his jeans, since he figured he wouldn’t be needing those for the rest of the evening, folding them over his arm before he opened the door again. He smiled at Max, feeling...not shy, nor uncertain, nor hesitant (because he was very rarely any of those things), but something he couldn’t quite identify that, if he didn’t know himself so well, might have been mistaken for one of the two. It wasn’t exactly a bad feeling, one of treading on unfamiliar territory to a place that he’d never been, but wanted to go to quite badly. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned the evening going, but it was an ending he much preferred to any that he’d considered. He stayed in the doorway for a moment before crossing to Max and leaning into him with a small noise of contentment.
He wrapped the precious cargo in his arms gladly; Max didn’t wear anything to bed. Well. There were boxer briefs, but that was the extent of it - Nasir would have to deal with a 90% naked Trevelyan, hopefully he wouldn’t mind. “I have to be up for morning sessions - I have a few tomorrow, but it’s not very ungodly,” he said. “And I’ll make breakfast before I go.”
A therapist’s hours could be somewhat odd; it all depended on when he had clients scheduled, and then the notes from his sessions which could take awhile to compile (he never took notes during the session, always after - it helped build rapport, since that way the client didn’t feel like you were just looking at a notepad the whole time). Sometimes he even had drop-ins too, people without an appointment. It was never the same, day to day. But by the Maker’s balls, he’d make sure that Nasir had breakfast before he left!
Into bed he went, pulling back the covers. “I’m a cuddler. At least you know early on.”
Nasir was hardly phased by nudity, bare skin had little effect on him (this was only cemented by his dreams - seriously, gladiators had to be allergic to shirts or something), so he barely even noticed Max’s state of undress. Besides, he was too busy enjoying the sight of all of that skin to even care. “So long as I’m up for my noon class.” He was a light sleeper, so no matter what time the other man got up, he’d be up as well. But breakfast definitely sweetened the deal by quite a lot. Nasir bit down the urge to say that he didn’t have to go to the trouble, and instead smiled, watching as Max got into bed.
“Oh darn,” he said, deadpan. “I’m going to be forced to cuddle with an attractive, mostly naked man. I guess I’ll just have to force myself to be okay with it.” He crawled into bed beside Max and pulled the covers around himself, humming in contentment as he curled up against his side. He was warm, and comfortable, and surprisingly relaxed after the tension of the last few days. Whatever the night held for him, nightmares or fantasies or hours of lying awake, it wouldn’t be nearly as unpleasant with Max there.
Aha, so Nasir was a cuddler too. That was a bonus - he'd be in good company, and was tucked against Max's side; he shifted a little too, getting to that point where arms and legs were intertwined, limbs wrapped around any available one. Sometimes the science of it was difficult to piece out - you ended up with a pins and needles arm so this might be easier once he was left with only one arm, oops but it was well worth everything.
He hoped that there weren't any nightmares for his bed companion, but if so, Trevelyan would be there, a strong and steady presence. If he could take on demons, darkspawn, and dangerous glowing green rifts then he could handle the nuances of a burgeoning relationship too. As daunting as it could seem.