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Nathan just wanted a fucking break. The amount of guts and hearts and entrails and blood he’s been covered in/got into his mouth/come out of him in the past few days have been more blood than any human or witch should have to experience at all in their lifetime.
After he got his blood there was still the matter of a prophecy. He didn’t care about all that shit, he just wanted a night in a bed, some take out, a normal fucking life. Prophecies and all that shit can wait.
He wanted his moment of peace while he got it. Even if it lasted a second or lasted a year he just needed something.
That’s why he agreed to come back to Paris with Gabriel. That and lack of a better place to live. Not his blue eyes and his dumb accent and pretty stained hands. And the feelings that he definitely felt towards him but didn’t know how to fucking explain. So yeah him, and Annalise, and Gabriel all under one roof. It felt like a fucking disaster was bound to happen.
Even so Paris was a nice change to the ass crack of absolutely fucking no where. Their first night away from the chaos is one Nathan won’t soon forget.
The three of them trudged through the doorway of a Paris apartment. All of them with a dead stare and Annalise tear tracks sliding through the grime and blood.
“Lucky for us this apartment has two showers.” Gabriel pointed to the bathroom of his decent sized (all though still shitty) apartment that they all dragged themselves through several portals to get to. “Who’s first.”
“Common Annalise,” Nathan took her shoulder guiding her to the bathroom. Gabriel looked to them tight lipped before walking to the bathroom connecting to his bedroom.
Nathan silenced the door as he closed it turning to Annalise who was shakily reaching for her shirt. Her hands trembled as she moved and he could tell she was getting frustrated. So he helped her taking off her layers and layers of jackets than her shirt. She started to work at her pants while Nathan reached for the faucet turning it to warm and letting the water heat up. He turned around as Annalise finished undressing going under the water.
“Take your time okay.” He got no reply but he knew she heard. He stood awkwardly for a moment not knowing if he should leave or stay. He ultimately made his decision when he heard small sobs. “Annlise?” He asked opening the curtain. She was curled in on her self her body racked and labored with sobs.
He didn’t hesitate to sit next to her pulling her into him. Just sitting with her as she cried. Once her shaking began to diminish she started to let out a choked laugh that mixed with sobs. They blended together so perfect Nathan wasn’t sure which was which.
“What’s so funny?”
“You came into the shower wearing all of you clothes you idiot.” Nathan looked down at his attire not even noticing til now.
“Shit,” he began to strip off the soaked clothing items throwing them to the floor. He laughed with her. Even knowing how pissed Gabriel was probably gonna be. They both still needed the easy laugh, they didn’t know when they’d get that again.
“I brought towels and spare clothes- why is there soaking wet clothes on my floor, you’re going to ruin the tile.” Gabriel hissed putting down the fresh items before picking up the discarded ones. “Don’t take too long you’ll wrinkle into prunes.”
Annalise and Nathan began to laugh harder soaking up in their single moment of ambivalence. They scrubbed every ounce of dirt and blood off themselves trying to rub away the memories as well. Trying so hard to rub away the entirety of the last week or so. Eventually they stepped out wrapping semi damp towels around themselves. Nathan picked up the clothes examining it like some foreign object.
It was semi normal sweats and a T-shirt he gave the smaller pair to Annalise. It was nice to have a new pair of clothes for the first time in a week, even if it wasn’t their own. Walking into the comfortable murmuring of the tv and Gabriel spread on his couch in his underwear and a robe, Nathan let out a small chuckle.
“I got take out.” He gestured to the plastic bag sitting on his coffee table. Nathan and Annalise walked over to his couch pushing his feet off so they could sit. The three of them say in silence, leaning back and letting the day sink in.
The endless fucking week they’ve had, running for their lives, killing, almost being killed, reunions, loss. They just sat and let it all sink in. Annalise started crying again. Nathan hesitated unsure what could help her.
How do you comfort someone who just killed their father. Made worse because that was supposed to be him. He was supposed to be the one who killed his father. He’d been preparing for it for months. Not Annalise, never Annalise. Poor sweet innocent Annalise. Well innocent wasn’t the exact word was it.
“See you look nice but your actully evil”
“You think I look nice”
Sweet wasn’t really either. She was sweet when she wanted to be. She definitely didn’t deserve this though. No one did but at least Nathan had been prepared for it.
Sitting on the couch next to the only two people in the world he has left. he felt guilt. But buried deep under that guilt. Somewhere shoved and squeezed next to the trauma and anxiety. Right there was relief. The prophecy was done Nathan wasn’t going to kill his father. But Annalise did. And the guilt took over stabbing painfully into his stomach.
And he was still a blood witch. So things were still shit.