Chapter Text
“Nicolo, destati.”
The faint whisper curled sweetly around him, wrapping him in warmth and familiarity, whisking away the burn he could feel aching from his arm to the rest of his body. He unknowingly leaned towards the quiet concern of his beloved in an attempt to ease the pain he could feel like a phantom limb coming from Joe.
“Ti prego, torna da me, piccolo.”
Nicky took a shaky breath - he hadn’t left, had he? - his chest burning as it expanded painfully, and he forced his weary eyes open trying to ignore how heavy every lash felt as he blinked against a looming world of blurred grey and muted black. Nicky let his head loll from one side to the other, his mouth working to form Joe’s name but never seemingly able to get the breath he needed to finish the action. He keened at his inability, unsure as to what was going on, and confused as to what had happened.
They had been going to the grocery store? Hadn’t they? He remembered Andy shoving them out the door with a shopping list, Nile’s excited chatter fading as he and Joe made their way down the sidewalk. He furrowed his brow, a bright light followed by a spike of pain tugged at his memory - had he died?
“Nicolo, please, habibi. ”
He could hear the concern in Joe’s voice and blinked owlishly. More muscle memory than any physical thought had him reaching towards Joe to ease the distress he could hear surrounding the quiet plea but winced as something stopped him short.
He glanced in muddled confusion, eyes trying to comprehend the shiny silver bands wrapped tightly around his wrists. He pulled weakly at the restraint and pursed his lips in thought at the tiny clinking sound that resulted from the movement.
“Nico, I know you’re confused but I need you to focus on me, yes?”
Nicky turned towards the soft voice and blinked against the three wavering Joe’s until they all converged into one singular person, albeit obscured around the edges.
He licked his lips, “Joe?” Niky questioned, unsure.
“Yes, amore mio. I’m right here.”
“I’m stuck” Nicky pouted, voice rough from disuse, pulling against his restrained arms to show Joe.
“I know, sweetheart.” Joe acknowledged, “But, I need you to focus on my voice right now. Can you do that for me?”
Nicky blinked as he nodded watching in bewilderment as Joe’s form seemed to double once more before settling back into the fuzzy trussed-up man he knew and loved.
“Good, that’s very good.” Nicky watched as Joe seemed to shift in his chair with a grimace, continuing with a voice strained but still soft. “I need you to dislocate your thumb and slip your bonds.”
Dislocate his thumb…? Nicky questioned silently, turning from Joe to stare dumbly at his hands cuffed around the arm of the chair he was currently occupying. He scrunched his forehead, he knew how to do that, didn’t he? He could vaguely recall the phantom pain from having to do such a task in the distant past.
“I know it’s hard to think right now.” Joe spoke with such sincerity that Nicky tried his hardest to concentrate on his husband’s voice and understand what was being spoken. “But I need you to do this one thing for me Nicky, that’s all.”
Nicky nodded, closing his eyes against the sickness that surged up his throat from the movement. Nicky clenched his eyes closed and jerked hard against the thumb on his right hand - trying and failing to muffle his cry of pain from the action. He tried to focus on the soothing words of comfort spilling forth from Joe instead of the fire radiating from his hand. For a few brief seconds the pain cleared his mind and he was able to slip his right hand free from the handcuff and turn towards Joe.
His beautiful-sweet caring husband who was sitting mere feet from him with a band of black stretched tight across his chest, his forearms and shins bound with the same black restraints not allowing Joe any wiggle room to move.
“Joe?” The question was laced with concern as Nicky started forward only to stumble as something slammed into his back. Nicky turned baffled as an I.V pole met his confused gaze, his eyes settled on the bag hanging innocently from the pole before following the tube attached to the bag downwards to where it entered his arm underneath a swath of duct tape.
“Habibi, you need to pull out the iv.” Joe encouraged straining against his own bonds, eyes looking at some unknown point behind him.
Nicky frowned before he picked at the duct tape and unrolled it to leave the iv port to glare ominously up at him from his forearm. Nicky ripped the port out with a wince watching a small drop of blood escape the tiny puncture wound before his body healed.
Joe grinned tiredly as he watched Nicky’s eyes start to clear from the haze of whatever had been pumped into him. “You’re doing so good, Habibi.”
Nicky cleared his throat and shuffled forward, “What happened?”
“Apparently the traffickers we pissed off last week had friends.” Joe explained with a hiss when Nicky’s nails scrapped against his arm as he ripped the bonds from his forearms. “They wanted revenge, wanted to know where Nile and Andy were holed up.”
Nicky hmmm’d an acknowledgement as he ripped black velcro from Joe’s shins and chest.
“Didn’t like it when I told them where they could go.” As soon as Joe was free he quickly stood and pulled Nicky to him resting his forehead against his loves and inhaled deeply relishing in the balsamic tinted cologne that Nicky wore. “They brought you in after, hopped up on some drug.”
Nicky closed his eyes and rested against Joe with a slight smile. “Must have been very good, because I don’t remember anything after we left the house.”
“Are you alright, habibi albi?” Joe asked, fingers lacing a crown around Nicky’s head, his thumbs rubbing gently against the younger man’s scalp.
“Perfetto, love. Let’s go repay our gracious hosts for their hospitality.”