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Agron tugged Nasir along with him to the bathroom. Nasir had been feeling slightly better the past few days. Not by much, but it was a start. He’d been awkwardly sore though, the deep cut on his side sensitive to the touch.
Nasir willingly went with him, smiling slightly. Agron was up to something, he knew it. Agron could never hide things well from him, if he could at all. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Agron said innocently, turning around to face Nasir. He backed Nasir up against the bathroom counter, and carefully pulled his shirt off so that it didn’t tug on his side.
Nasir looked up at him, smiling slightly. Agron beamed down at him. It was the first smile he’d given Agron in days. A real one, not a forced or half smile.
“What are you up to?” Nasir asked quietly. His voice was somewhat scratchy still.
“Guess you’ll have to wait and find out.” Agron grabbed a box behind Nasir, and pulled out a large bandage. Nasir picked up the box to look at it, while Agron carefully and gently covered his wound with it. He smoothed it out, watching for any sign of pain from Nasir.
Once he was satisfied, he dropped his hands to Nasir’s hips, and pushed his sleep pants down, so that they pooled around Nasir’s feet. Agron pressed his forehead to Nasir’s, and smiled down at him. “You trust me?”
Nasir smiled, and softly pressed his lips to Agrons. “Always.” They stayed like that for a long moment, both of them needing the contact and comfort.
Agron pulled back slightly, and Nasir whimpered at the loss. Agron chuckled lowly, and gently nudged him toward their claw foot bathtub. “Get in, and be careful.”
Nasir happily complied, finding it already halfway full with steaming warm water. He gratefully sunk into it, the warm water a relief to his sore body. Not to mention that he’d only been allowed sponge baths since the… accident. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to not think about it. Not now.
Agron slipped in behind him, wrapping his arms around Nasir’s waist. He pressed feather light kisses to his shoulder, before claiming Nasir’s lips. Agron let his had rest on the bandage, and asked, “You feel any water getting in?”
Nasir shook his head, and took Agron’s hand in his own.
“Tell me if it does okay? It can’t get wet until they take the stitches out tomorrow technically.”
Nasir let out deep breath, smiled, and settled back against Agron’s chest. “I know.”
He closed his eyes as he felt Agron reach out for something, perfectly content to not move for several more hours. A second later he groaned in relief as Agron ran the bath loofah over his shoulders. His small stature was a blessing, with Agron able to wash most of his aching body without jostling Nasir.
Nasir was practically asleep in Agron’s arms, and Agron smiled to himself. His little man was still so exhausted, but Nasir was stronger than he thought he was. “Hey,” he softly whispered into Nasir’s ear. Nasir groaned, and slumped down a little further on Agron’s chest. Agron’s eyes darted down briefly to the bandage, but it still looked good.
“Sit up for a minute, so I can wash you back, hmmm?”
Nasir slowly pushed himself up, wincing slightly. He brought his knee’s up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his head on his knees. Agron ran the loofah up and down his back with gentle strokes, before washing the soap away.
Nasir made to lean back against Agron again, but Agron stopped him. He scooted up slightly, so that he was a bit closer to Nasir, and then put his hands to work. Nasir’s back was tense and rigid, his body refusing to relax completely, causing his body to ache even more. He rubbed at the sore muscles, kneading them with his fingers, and hands. Nasir groaned as Agron’s hands hit an especially sore spot low on his back, but he didn’t tell Agron to stop.
Agron pressed a kiss to his back, as his hands continued to rub at the sore spot.
A few minutes later, Nasir blindly reached for Agron’s hands, pulling them forward, so that his arms were wrapped around Nasir. Agron hooked his chin on Nasir’s shoulder, nuzzling his neck, while Nasir rested his face back on his knees. Neither one of them said anything for a long time. Words failed them both for different reasons, so their gestures spoke for them instead.
Agron listened to Nasir’s steady breathing, having learned the small subtle signs of when his emotions would take over, and bring tears to his eyes again. They never came, but he also knew the signs of when Nasir was about to fall asleep.
He tightened his arms for a moment, and softly said, “C’mon. Lets dry off. Get some sleep.”
Nasir made a non-committal noise, not wanting to move at all. Agron smiled, kissed his neck, and then stood up. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he got out of the tub, and then helped Nasir stand. He slumped against Agron again, wrapping his arms around his waist.
Agron pressed a kiss to Nasir’s wet hair, and wrapped another towel around his slim waist. Agron walked backward until his butt hit the bathroom counter, and leaned back against it, as he carefully pulled off the waterproof bandage from Nasir’s side. Only a few drops of water had gotten through, and he carefully wiped them away from the stitches.
He helped Nasir dry and then helped him dress, Nasir’s exhaustion making his movements slow and clumsy.
They laid down in bed together, Nasir wrapped up in Agron’s arms. He was asleep within seconds, and Agron followed him without a second thought.
~~*~~
Agron’s phone was ringing incessantly, despite his many attempts to ignore it. He nuzzled Nasir’s neck, and growled slightly as he answered his phone. “Whaaaaa?”
“We’ve got a work emergency,” Naevia said, exasperated and all to used to Agron’s grumpiness when his naps were interrupted. “Can you watch Emma for the rest of the day?”
Agron grunted, and Naevia took it as a yes. “We’ll be there in ten minutes. We just woke her up from her nap, so she should fall right back to sleep when we get there.”
Agron grunted again.
“Don’t fall asleep before we get there. I’ll call you so that the doorbell doesn’t wake Nasir up.”
Agron mumbled something resembling an ‘okay’ and Naevia hung up. Agron put his phone back on the nightstand, and cuddled Nasir closer to him. Nasir made a sleepy little noise, and blearily opened his eyes. “Wha’ was that ‘bout?”
Agron tiredly mumbled, “Emma’s coming over. Some sort of work emergency with Naevia and Crixus.”
Nasir gave a small nod, yawned, and then started to sit up.
Agron grabbed for him. “Hey! Where ya goin’?” He caught Nasir and pulled him back down to his chest.
“We gotta make some food if Emma’s coming over,” Nasir answered, not really putting in any effort to get back up. He was still exhausted.
“Un uh.” Agron told him, yawning. “They woke her up from her nap, like they did to us. She’s gonna pass out again once she gets here, if not in the car on the way here.”
Nasir hummed, already half asleep again. “Get out some extra blankets. She tries to hog ours.”
Agron snorted, kissed Nasir’s forehead, and then got out of bed. He stretched, and pulled the comforter up over Nasir, and went to the hall closet. He yanked out Emma’s favorite blanket, and tossed it on the edge of their bed.
Right on time, Agron’s phone went off, and he hit the end call button as he answered the door. Naevia was looking extremely flustered as she stepped inside. Emma had her arms and legs tightly wrapped around her mother, locking herself in place. “Thanks Agron. Fucking Ganncius is an idiot, and I’m going to kill him when I get to the bar. “
Agron yawned, and Naevia rolled her eyes. She gently pried Emma’s arms and legs loose, and handed her to Agron. She immediately locked onto to him, opening her eyes to glare at her mother when Naevia kissed her goodbye.
“Be good for your Uncles. I’ll see you later honey.” Emma groaned, and Naevia rolled her eyes. “I swear you are rubbing off on her too much. Anyway I’ll call you when I’m on my way back, okay?”
Agron nodded. “We’ll be here.” He gave Naevia a kiss on the cheek as she left and quietly shut the door behind her.
“You wanna nap with me and Nasir?” Agron asked Emma as they walked up the stairs, rubbing her back. She nodded into his t-shirt, and he smiled.
He grabbed the blanket on the edge of the bed, and laid back down. Emma released her hold on Agron to snuggle up next to Nasir instead. Nasir opened his eyes halfway, and smiled at Emma, kissing her forehead. He held his arms out for her, and she snuggled even closer as Nasir wrapped her up in his arms. Agron draped the blanket over Emma, and then pulled their comforter back up over all three of them.
Emma was already asleep, and Nasir wasn’t far behind. Agron brushed Nasir’s bangs away from his face, tucking them behind his ear. Nasir looked up at him, his eyes vulnerable, but the sadness not overwhelmingly in them anymore.
They shared a chaste kiss, and Agron comfortably snuggled up close to them.
Agron and Nasir were snoring quietly a few minutes later, with Emma clapping her hands over both their mouths to shush them.
~~*~~
Agron’s stomach rumbled and he tiredly opened his eyes. Fuck he was starving. He blindly reached for his phone, and hit it until the time showed up. 4:27. Damn. They’d been asleep for almost five hours. He nudged Nasir and Emma, and was met with sleepy death glares from the both of them. “C’mon sleeping beauties. I know you’re hungry.”
Emma rolled back over to face Nasir, and Nasir murmured, “Sleep, then food.” He carefully pulled Emma so that she was lying on his uninjured side, and she nodded in agreement.
Agron got up and stretched, his stomach rumbling loudly. He went over Nasir’s side of the bed and kissed him. “We’ve been sleeping for almost five hours,” he said with a small laugh, and kissed Emma’s head. She smacked Agron on the head.
Nasir gave a little laugh, and stretched under Emma. “You’re cooking then.”
“I figured.”
Nasir slowly sat up, wincing slightly as the movement pulled on his side.
Agron carefully watched, his arms outstretched if he needed to take Emma. “You okay?”
Nasir gave a stiff nod, letting out a deep breath. “I’ve got her. Just….just help me stand up.” Agron sat down next to him, and wrapped his arm around Nasir’s waist. Nasir leaned in close to him, his arms tight around Emma. Agron slowly stood, pulling Nasir up with him.
Nasir let out a heavy breath, shaking slightly. He shifted Emma, so that she was resting on his right hip, and leaned into Agron for a minute.
Once his breathing returned to normal, they slowly walked downstairs to the kitchen. Agron opened the freezer door, and rummaged around until he found the frozen pizza he’d stashed their earlier in the week. As he shut the door, he noticed that Nasir had taken the picture of the fridge door.
He was looking at it, and so was Emma. Agron could see the tears forming in his eyes, but before they could fall, Nasir blinked and wiped them away with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath, and sat down at the island, unconsciously holding Emma tighter.
She looked at the picture curiously, and then looked at Nasir. “He’s pretty. He looks like you!”
Nasir let out a laugh, and wiped at his eyes again. “He’s my brother.” Agron watched Emma think for a minute. He and Naevia had told her what had happened, but Agron had no idea how she would respond to Nasir right now.
“I like him,” the four year old said simply. “And he liked you.” Agron beamed at Emma, while Nasir smiled at her.
“I liked him to,” Nasir said quietly. He put the picture down on the counter, and Emma picked it up, just looking at it. She was just curious about Sayid. She’d never met him, but she knew he meant a lot to her Uncle. Nasir had let his hand rest on the counter, and Agron reached over to squeeze it. Nasir looked up at him, and gave him a shaky smile.
Agron returned it, and reluctantly let go of Nasir’s hand to throw the pizza in the over. He set about pulling plates and cups out, and then rummaged in the pantry for the soda he knew had been there last week. Naevia had come over at some point and cleaned a bit, since he practically refused to leave the hospital while Nasir was still there.
“Emma, do you want Root Beer or Sprite?”
“Sprite please!”
Agron let out a relieved sigh. Emma was a natural born klutz, dropping almost everything, and falling over everything else half the time. Sprite wouldn’t stain anything if it did spill.
He grabbed a can of Sprite, a Root Beer for him, and some vitamin water for Nasir.
He plopped all three on the island counter, carefully watching Nasir. Neither he nor Emma were saying anything. She was still looking at the picture, while Nasir rocked her slightly, looking at the picture as well.
Agron pulled the other kitchen stool up next to them, taking Nasir’s hand in his. Nasir leaned against him, resting his head against Agron’s shoulder.
“I’ve got you,” Agron whispered, so that Emma wouldn’t hear them.
Nasir gave a small nod, leaning more into Agron. “I love you.” Agron smiled, and kissed Nasir’s knuckles. The oven beeped, startling all three of them, and he quickly pulled it out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool for a minute.
Emma wiggled her way out of Nasir’s arms, and jumped up, grabbing a magnet off the fridge. She clipped the picture back to it, jumped again to get it as high as she could, and quickly hit it against the fridge so that it would stay.
Both Agron and Nasir smiled, and Nasir wiped his eyes again. Agron poured Emma’s Sprite into a cup, making sure the lid was firmly attached before he handed it to her. Her eyes barely made it over the counter as she eyed the pizza hungrily.
Agron pulled the pizza cutter out, and cut out a slice big enough for Emma, and then cut it into smaller pieces so she could eat it easier. He put the plate next to Nasir, knowing better than to let her carry both her food and drink together. Emma huffed at him, and climbed back into Nasir’s lap. “I can carry my plate Uncle Agwon!”
Agron chuckled, and shook his head. “Not when you have your drink in your hands to. You’d spill one of them and make a mess.”
Emma huffed at him again, and stabbed her fork into a piece of pizza. Nasir ruffled her hair lightly, earning him a small glare as well. “Hey, don’t give me that look. He’s the one who wouldn’t let you carry the plate.”
Agron gave Nasir a dry look, and Nasir laughed into Emma’s hair.
He put a plate in front of Nasir, and smacked the vitamin water down next to it. “Butthead. You’re lucky I love you so damn much.”
Nasir smiled at him, his face going soft. “I know I am.
~~*~~
Nasir was curled up on top of Agron on the couch, snoring softly. Emma was plopped in the middle of the giant beanbag chair they had, her eyes completely glued to the TV as she watched ‘Nemo’. Agron was absently watching the both of them, running his hands up and down Nasir’s back in feather light touches.
Nasir stirred, his face contorting slightly, his body stiffening. A small whimper escaped his lips. “Shhhh. Shhhhh,” Agron softly said, his arms going around Nasir to hold him tightly. “I’ve got you. It’s just a dream. I’ve got you schatz.”
Nasir pressed his face into Agron’s chest, breathing deeply, his body slowly relaxing in Agron’s arms.
It was the nightmares again. Agron knew it, though they rarely came in the day. Nasir had had them every night since the car accident. Whenever Agron asked him about he would brush it off. He didn’t want to talk about it, and Agron didn’t have the heart to press him further.
Nasir needed time to heal, mentally and physically. But Agron knew Nasir wouldn’t be able to heal and move forward completely if he didn’t talk to Agron.
He let out a heavy sigh, and brushed Nasir’s stubborn bangs away from his face, tucking the curly strands behind his ear. It was a battle best fought another time. When it was just them, and after Nasir had had a full night’s sleep. Nasir had kicked the blanket that was covering the both of them half off, so Agron awkwardly reached for it, doing his best to not jostle Nasir.
He pulled it back up over the both of them, tucking it in around Nasir carefully. Nasir winced in his sleep, his hand going to cover his wound. Agron threaded his fingers with Nasir’s, keeping Nasir’s hand away from it.
“Em?”
She looked back at Agron, slightly annoyed at him for interrupting her during her favorite movie. “Yeah Uncle Agwon?”
“Can you get an ice pack out of the freezer? For Nasir? It should be in the first drawer. The big blue one.”
Emma looked at her uncles, and scampered up to the fridge. She rummaged around for a minute, until she found the ice pack buried under a thing of ice cream. She’d have to see if she could bribe her uncle’s to let her have some.
She brought the big ice pack back to Agron, and he let go of Nasir’s hand to drape it over his wound. Nasir shivered for a second, his body tensing slightly, before he relaxed completely as the cold began to numb the pain.
Agron kissed his forehead, and slumped down to get a little more comfortable. He started dozing as Emma happily returned to watching her beloved ‘Nemo’.
~~*~~
Naevia picked up Emma at 9:30, far less flustered and thanking Agron endlessly for watching her. Nasir was still asleep on the couch, and she asked Agron to pass along her thanks. He nodded, and kissed them both good bye.
He picked up Nasir from the couch, cradling him in his arms as he carried Nasir back upstairs to their bed. He carefully set Nasir down, and rearranged the icepack so that it wouldn’t fall off. He crawled in next to Nasir, pulling the blankets over the both of them. Nasir snuggled close to Agron, intertwining their hands. “Thank you,” Nasir said quietly. He looked up at Agron, and smiled at him. “For everything.”
Agron smiled, and ran his fingers along Nasir’s jaw. “You don’t need to thank me for anything. I would do anything for you.”
Nasir smiled, before closing his eyes, his exhaustion claiming him back. “That’s why I need to thank you.” Agron pulled Nasir close, so that his head was cushioned on his arm. “I love you hayati,” Nasir said softly, the smile still on his face.
“I love you to schatz,” Agron replied just as softly. And he’d never stop, no matter what.