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He didn’t want to be around anyone at the moment. Well, Helen was the obvious exception to that, and he had tried, but she was clearly not in the mood for anyone at the time. Something stupid about blood being on her hands, about the fact that she should have known, she should have seen the signs… He couldn’t exactly argue with her on that, in the end. Druitt was a misogynistic pig and that should have been painfully obvious to anyone who talked to the man for more than three minutes. Of course, from here to him chopping off harlots for fun was a bit of a stretch, but it still had happened and she still somehow thought she was the one supposed to put the pieces back together.
That didn’t come as surprise to him, really. Helen was known for her stupid will to save everybody, to fix all the wrong in the world and she would have died before accepting that Druitt was something she couldn’t fix and that she should just kill the bastard and find someone who was better for her on all planes. Someone like me, he thought bitterly as he flipped the switch, letting electricity flood him. Not that would have had any chance of happening, oh no. Sometimes he thought that he should just leave her be and focus on his work. Electricity was easier. Electricity didn’t ignore him and it didn’t choose some bastard who wasn’t even a scientist instead of him. But then again, he wouldn’t have known electricity like he did if it wasn’t for her. He let out a moan as an arc of electricity hit him straight in his heart. Perhaps that was his curse, in the end. To stay next to her all his life without any hope of ever being with her. Even now, when Druitt had betrayed her, she seemed to gravitate more towards James, and in the end, it made sense. It was as if they were both mourning the loss of a common ex boyfriend and he was once again left on the outside.
“Does it hurt?” Helen asked as she entered the room, one small step at a time and he couldn’t help a smile. Electricity? No way. She was a whole different story though. But he couldn’t tell her that.
“If I want it to.” He was going to settle on this answer.
“And do you?” She was getting closer to him now, still wary but curious.
“Don’t be silly. Why would I want to be next to anything that brings me pain?” He asked on an ironic tone.
“Yes, you don’t seem like the type.” Helen said and it took all he had to keep quiet about her remark. If only she knew.
“But what if you think that it might one day not hurt you, that you could find a way to… I don’t know, to get used to it somehow?” Helen asked on a small voice.
“Well then you could try, I guess.” Nikola said, anything but convinced. “But that sounds like trying to improve direct current. You could try and maybe you could even succeed in the end, though God knows it’s so flawed that I really doubt even you could do something about it. But why try in the first place when you have alternating current instead? And it can do anything direct current does, and more.”
“Such as?”
“Well I could show you.” Nikola said, offering his hand to her.
“Are you offering to electrocute me?” Her tone was more amused than outraged, Nikola noted. He could actually work with that.
“Kinda?” He tried. “It won’t hurt, I promise. Most people find it refreshing.”
“Is that so?” Helen challenged. “Sam told me what you did to him.”
“He’s such a snitch.” Nikola muttered. “Really now, come here. I don’t bite. Well, not if you don’t want me to." Helen rolled her eyes at that, but still closed the distance between them, offering him his hand.
“Alright, what now?”
“Now you relax.” He said as he pulled her closer. He let his fingers go up her hand, moving slowly towards her elbow as he generated a small electric field above her skin. And, as her skin became aware of the contact, she had to admit that it didn’t feel bad at all. She shot him a glance and couldn’t help a smile when she saw how focused he was. This was his comfort zone, it was no doubt, but her being inside it… While he may have not expected that, he was handling the situation impressively well.
“Someone seems to be enjoying this.” He said with a smirk, interrupting her thoughts. “Care to go to the next level?”
“Which is?” She asked, a bit suspicious. Still, curiosity was getting the best of her.
“This was just low voltage, to get you used to the sensation.” Nikola explained. “But you can probably withstand a lot more than that.”
“What do I have to do?” Helen asked and he opened his arms with a grin. “What, we need to increase the surface of contact for this.” He explained when he saw her look. “Don’t tell me you got cold feet now.”
She glared at him at that, but she still let him encircle her with his arms. “Why aren’t you doing this with a device, again? She muttered.
“Because one, you couldn’t handle the voltage in that and two, I wouldn’t be so much in control if I used one. Besides, why use a device when you have me? You could electrocute yourself with one anytime but if you have a vampire friend who offers to do it… I’d take the chance if I were you. Now, turn around.” He commanded and she obeyed, although reluctantly.
Nikola was incredibly warm, she discovered as he bathed her in his electricity. It started out slow, from the back of her neck and from there it spread to her whole body, waking up all her nerve endings. His fingers caressed her arm again, little sparks of electricity pinching at her skin and she closed her eyes at that, enjoying the sensation of it. It did feel refreshing, she had to give him that. But, when she caught herself turning to face him, her eyes impossibly drawn to his lips, the air between them so heavy with electricity she could feel it, it also occurred to her that this was dangerous. She didn’t know why she had come to him in the first place. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had been in her life before John and going to him was somehow like going back to happier, less complicated times, back when things hadn’t gone to hell yet. And it had worked to some extent, more than James did. But then again, she supposed that made sense. With James, they could both mourn and try to fix their broken hearts. Nikola was more like a way out of everything, a way to forget and maybe to move on. And that was exactly the reason she had to get out of there, and fast. Forgetting wasn’t something she could afford to do at the moment.
“I have to go.” She whispered, her voice trembling.
“Of course you do.” Nikola sighed as he let her go, his eyes still fixated on her lips.
“Thank you.” Helen said with a smile. “I needed this, somehow.”
“You need a lot more than this, actually.” Nikola argued. “Well, you know where to find me. I mean, if you want to get electrocuted again and stuff.” He added when she saw her look and she couldn’t help a laugh. It was somewhat comforting, she thought as she left him alone in his laboratory, knowing that she could always count on him. Not to mention she really got his passion for electricity now. It did feel refreshing, but it also felt warm and safe and... somehow like home. It would have been a lot better if it didn’t give her all those stupid butterflies in her stomach, though.