Work Text:
It had certainly been a long, long day. Only a day or two ago, the most recent battle between the two kingdoms was roaring with fury. 200 on the enemy side, 100 on their own. 200 became just 2, 100 was reduced to 4. They were all that was left to clean up their kingdom and figure out what to do next. After all, there were still some people in Red, and while Nom knows that the necromancer is a lost cause in trying to get him to surrender or even join Blue, there’s still his sister Katie over there as well who surely can be talked into coming back.
Or it would have been easier to do that, had not a bunch of new people descended into the two kingdoms. Red with a bunch of folks who’d just been traveling, Blue with new mages and a rogue who’d apparently been there the whole time. One mage in particular caught Nom’s eye. Well, the only male mage, but besides that. He seemed very…nervous. And hesitant. More so than new people tend to be. He shrugged it off at first, chalking it up to just being in a new place with new people. He certainly looked the type to be intimidated by unfamiliar surroundings.
But as the day drew on and turned to night, Scott never seemed to ease into the place. It didn’t help that there weren’t many homes left intact. And even then, the ones that were more intact were from those of them that did already live here and had been working on repairs already. So as Nom makes his rounds before retiring for the night, he stops by the shack that’s held together by hopes and dreams which Scott has decided to set up in temporarily. He stands in the open doorway and knocks at the air. “Knock knock. I uh, would usually actually knock, but I’d worry about this place falling over on you.”
Scott looks up from his book, illuminated by a tiny floating ball of light. “Oh, uh, hello. You’re Nom, right? What brings you here? Come in, if you want.”
Nom nods, stepping through the doorway. “I’m just doing some rounds and checking in on people. Most everyone is staying in their homes or with someone else for the moment until a new spot is fixed up for them. But you’re here alone without a door and giant pieces of wall missing. So I’m making sure that you’re okay over here.”
“Oh, yeah, uh…I’m fine. I wouldn’t exactly want to intrude on anyone, And this place at least has…most of a roof. Can’t say the same about a lot of the other places around here. So this will do until I get a spot fixed up. Thanks for asking, though.” Scott gives a clearly slightly forced smile up at Nom, and Nom frowns a bit.
“But you don’t have a door. What would happen if someone were to come in and try to attack? We may be at a slight peace with Red, but the war still goes on even when we’re repairing our homes. And some of the people over there either are or appear to be pretty shifty.”
“...I can just go invisible, I’ll be fine.” Scott hesitates, looking at his floating light. “Look, I…I really do appreciate you making sure I’m fine, but I don’t exactly have another option. So fine or not, it’s just what I’m going to have to live with.”
“Well, not exactly.” Nom comes closer, slightly leaning down and holding out his hand. “You could stay at my place for a bit until you’ve got your own place. It’s not the prettiest place, but it’s sturdy, solid, and actually has a door. It’s alright if you don’t want to, but I know I’d feel better knowing everyone in the kingdom was actually safe before I go to bed.”
“A-are you sure?” Scott asks, looking into Nom’s eyes. He nods, and Scott slightly blushes as he puts his hand into Nom’s. Nom helps Scott up onto his feet. The pair get together Scott’s things and make their way along the rest of Nom’s route and back to the blacksmith. They chat for a bit as they go, getting to learn a bit about each other. Nom opens the door for Scott, motioning for him to go in first, with Nom following right behind him. “I…I’m sorry, but you were really not exaggerating when you said it wasn’t the prettiest. I can tell you live alone.” Nom laughs, slightly alarming Scott. “I said I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-”
“No no, you’re fine. My place is awful in here. I just wasn’t expecting to hear that from you. You’re so nervous and jumpy, I’d never guess you’d say anything like that.” Nom smiles, patting Scott’s shoulder. “I’m liking you already, Scott. I think you’ll fit in real well over here in Blue.”
Scott chuckles again, his cheeks slightly flushed. “Good to know” he pauses, thinking. “Do you want me to help with anything around here before I go to sleep? Since I’m staying over here with you.”
“Oh, um,” Nom didn't think about anything like that. “No, you…you understand I invited you in as a guest, right? You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. Especially if you’re tired and want some sleep. You did a lot of traveling to get here, after all.”
Scott shakes his head “No, I know. But it wouldn’t feel right to me if I don’t help out with at least something. If not tonight, then in the morning, maybe.”
“Well…I mean, I can do it by myself, but it takes a while sometimes when alone. And only do this if you’re comfortable with it. But could you possibly help me get my armor off? It’s much easier and faster with an extra set of hands.” Nom can feel his pulse speed up as he asks the question. Yes, he’s aware of what it sounds like. But it really genuinely helps to have another person on hand assisting with getting armor off. Nom’s not proud of it, but there have been some nights where he was too tired and gave up, going to sleep while still in armor.
Scott naturally becomes quite pink in the face at the question, stuttering as he tries to make a response. After a moment, he takes a deep breath. “How uh- how would me helping work? Like what do I do?”
“Well,” Nom tells Scott the process, motioning with his hands to show him what to do. After the explanation, Scott agrees to help, and they both go upstairs together. The process takes a little longer than it usually does with help, but it’s Scott’s first time doing this so Nom doesn’t mind. It’s still faster and easier than getting it off alone. Once he’s down to the under layers, Scott heads back down so Nom can change into nightwear. He grabs a spare set and takes it down to offer to Scott, who is now trying to lay down on the wood bench with his own cloak as a blanket. “I know very well that that is not comfortable to lay on, even while awake.”
“Where else am I going to sleep, the floor?”
“We can share my bed, it can fit a couple people in it. I’ve shared it with friends plenty of times.”
“Are you sure?”
“Plenty sure! And here, I’ve got more pajamas you can borrow. Might be a bit big on you, but not too much. I’ll leave them here for you, and if you decide to wear them or not and come up into an actual bed or not is up to you.” He sets the pjs down and walks back to the stairs before pausing to look back. “If I don’t see you again before going to sleep, I wish you goodnight, Scott.” Nom smiles, and heads up.
A few minutes later, he hears footsteps coming up the stairs, and looks over to Scott in the too-big nightwear slowly coming up. Scott blinks in surprise that Nom isn’t in bed yet, but rather messing around with a set of dice. “I thought you were going to bed right away.”
“Nah, I’ve had issues sleeping for a few days now. Things I try to not think about during the day coming around to haunt me at night. But uh, if you want to get to sleep right away go ahead. I’ll keep quiet for you.”
“No, I…I’m in a similar boat. Maybe we could both stay up for a bit together? We don’t have to talk about anything. Just so we’re…not alone.”
Nom smiles. “I’d like that.”