Work Text:
“I feel fabric.” Shelby said, hands trailing up in confusion till she felt a metal pin, detailed and cold against her fingers.
“No higher.” Nikos replied, her touch so gentle he mustn’t be feeling where her hands grazed.
“You have clothes on your chest.” She said with certainty. She could feel it, she knew what she felt.
Shelby pushed against the pin then rubbed her thumb against the bare skin next to it. It was smooth, soft, and she felt a collarbone- yes, Nikos was wearing a toga.
“You’ve been changed to someone else.” Sausage said distractedly, Shelby stepped back and she felt him brush past in-between Nikos and her. “Oh hi! Apo you’re back!”
“Hey Sausage, Pyro, Shelby… Scott?” She said.
Nikos laughed beside her. “Scott? Where is Scott?” He asked.
“Oh.” Apo replied. “I thought you were- You’re not Scott.”
“What?” Nikos exclaimed. Shelby heard him moving around.
“That’s not Scott.” Sausage agreed. “That’s Nikos.”
“Is that what I was feeling?” Shelby asked.
“Yeah… Nikos, you look like Scott.” Pyro said.
Shelby frowned realising that while Nikos had been describing himself and offering for her to ‘see’ him by touch he’d been changed. He didn’t sound happy about it and for some reason Shelby’s heart dropped too.
It felt like a cruel joke for her only way to explore the world to be taken from her. Nikos had offered so awkwardly for her to feel his chest; to prove he had muscles, to prove he was honest towards her, and someone had snapped their fingers and stolen their moment.
She still didn’t know what he looked like, she still didn’t know who Nikos was and as they all turned to walk towards the blessing she heard him getting increasingly frustrated.
Shelby kept quiet about what everyone looked like as they walked. Nobody was in the mood to include her in their sighted world, she shoved down the fear that this strange shapeshifter would ostracise her more from her peers.
She would be fine. She exhaled as her hands gently touched her blindfold. She would be fine, may Tyche be on her side.
---
“Shelby.” Nikos nervously cleared his throat.
Shelby gasped as she paused her walk. Turning towards his voice she heard silence, he was hesitant…
“What happened earlier…” He said. “You did not get to see me as myself.”
“No.” She replied swivelling her head with unease. They were near a small patch of trees, she’d walked past this area before, the path was to her right by a few paces and Nikos had arrived from the hill to her left. Sometimes creatures jumped out at her around here.
“I wanted to amend that… if you were ok with it.” He said carefully. “I’m not sure if you care about how I look, I know I’m sounding a bit shallow over this but I do not know how to use my words well, I do not think… I gave you a good description of who I am.”
Shelby smiled up at him, he was keeping his distance, she hoped she was looking at his face well enough. “I’d love that Nikos! I- I’m surprised you came looking for me, none of the others remembered to finish their descriptions.”
“Oh… that’s no good.” He said and he sounded like he was shaking his head as he mumbled the words to himself. “Come, we are not far from my place, I will give you their descriptions as best I can.”
Shelby followed the sounds of his footsteps, they moved over the hill and as the earth turned to rocks she slowed. There was a steep cliff to her left, she felt the wind angled in an indication of a large drop.
“Here.” Nikos said, Shelby paused and nothing happened. “Oh, um…” The man’s hand gently grasped hers. “I will help.” He assured.
“Thank you.” She exhaled trusting him as her ankles twisted at odd angles on the ground. He did not fail her as they made it to stable grass and he kept her hand as they crossed a path then stopped in a familiar area. “This is your place?” She asked. The floor felt well worn.
“Yes.” He said letting her hand go. She felt destabilised by the sudden disappearance, it always felt wrong when no one was near. “I have set up a bench over here.” His voice moved.
She slowly followed. “A bench?” She asked.
“Just a simple thing.” He laughed. “To watch the sunrise!”
“Ah it does feel nice when the sun is rising, I’ve heard it’s beautiful.” She replied.
“It’s gorgeous!” Nikos bellowed. “All sorts of colours! Pretty pinks and yellows!”
“Is it rising now?” Shelby asked. “It’s feeling warmer like the day is approaching.”
“Yes.” Nikos said and suddenly his fingers touched the back of her hand. “The bench is here, I am sitting down.”
Shelby followed the direction of his arm and her toe hit the edge of the bench.
“Ok, I feel it.” She said.
She sat down awkwardly and Nikos made no comment about how she ran her hand against the wood and adjusted herself so she was in the middle of him and the end of the seat.
“I apologise for the splinters, I was in a rush when I made this, I usually make much finer benches.” He said.
Shelby chuckled, she found no issue with the wood, it was smooth against her fingers, maybe a little rough where it had been cut and sanded but it felt sturdy. “It’s alright.” She assured.
“Hm.” Nikos turned his face away. “The sun is rising, there is a view ahead of us, big fields and mountains, I see many people below.”
“Really?” Shelby leaned forward and tried imagining it. Grass below, the sun warm and golden ahead, a mountain or two on either side of her picturesque image.
“Sausage has made Nobody angry.” He chuckled. “He is bouncing in the air around the group while the whiny one shakes his fist.”
Shelby smiled. “I’ve yet to ask what they look like, everybody is so busy running around.” She commented.
“Nobody is very green. He has big blonde hair, he is very jittery.” Nikos said. “Sausage has a complicated outfit I can’t see from here.” He sounded frustrated, Shelby liked to think he was squinting. “He has brown hair and a beard.”
“Ok…” Shelby imagined it. “And Sausage is jumping on air?”
“Yes, little poofs under his feet as he bounces. It is not like proper flying.” He explained.
“Drift mentioned that.” Shelby nodded. “I wish I could see it.”
“You are not missing much.” He laughed. “They look silly, like children.”
She chuckled. “They sound silly.” She agreed.
“Yes.” Nikos cleared his throat. “I should… tell you about me now.” He turned to her. “I have… mm, where do I start?”
“The muscles?” Shelby grinned cheekily. “And shirtless.”
“Big muscles and shirtless, yes, we established that.” Nikos laughed. “I also have a beard.” She heard him scratching it. “Tattoos, long hair- uh.”
“What kind of tattoos?” She asked. It was hard to imagine them, not many men had tattoos in her time, or at least, not the men around her parent’s estate.
“Oh, I have a swirl in the centre of my chest.” He touched her hand and when she flinched at the sudden contact he apologised. “Can I move your hand to help you imagine it?” He asked.
“Yes of course.” She said.
She was surprised when he forwent pressing her pointed finger to his skin, instead he moved her hand through the air in a swirl.
“From there my tattoo is mirrored on both sides, I have a line like this.” He directed her hand away from the swirl into a tick motion. “Above it…” He paused as if looking at his chest for reference. “I have another line, thicker, that then covers my shoulder.” He moved her finger then guided her hand to open fully. “It goes down my arm… in a strip that then turns into a band. I have a sun on my right and a moon on my left. It is… a complicated thing, I do not think I am giving it justice.”
“That’s ok!” She smiled. “It sounds cool.”
“Yes yes.” He chuckled. “I thought so when I got it.”
“What colour is it?” She asked.
“Colour? Oh, brown ink. I was not fancy with that.” He laughed.
“Does it mean something?” She tilted her head.
He went silent. “It’s… yeah.” He answered. “Too big a story to tell for today!” He lifted his voice.
She nodded amicably.
“You, uh, can feel my face if you wish.” He said letting her hand go.
She reached out slowly. “Thanks for doing this.” She said. “I wasn’t always blind, I miss… seeing things.” Her hand touched his cheek, he’d been telling the truth, scratchy hair formed a beard. She added her other hand to his opposite cheek and rubbed her thumbs under his eyes, she felt along his nose and moved down to find a moustache.
“I couldn’t imagine going blind.” Nikos admitted.
Shelby hummed. “It wasn’t my choice in the end… I was fated to fall.” She paused as she thought of that lightning strike.
“Fall?” He asked gently.
“Blindfolded and taken to the highest peak.” She explained. “I was meant to see the greatest view so my destined partner could propose to me in the sweetest way possible.”
“Proposed...” He echoed. “You did mention that back at the tunnels.”
“Yeah.” She moved her hands up to his hairline and followed the strands down further than she expected. “You have really long hair.” She said in surprise.
“Yes.” He chuckled. “Makes things fun.”
“It does!” She laughed. “I like having long hair.”
“It’s very beautiful.” He complimented. “Very red too.”
“Thank you!” She grinned. “I used to spend a lot of hours brushing it… What about you?”
“I did the best I could with what I had.” He replied.
Shelby nodded, her hand brushed against his ear as she touched his hair from the top again and she paused at the metal she felt. “Do you have an earing?” She asked.
“Oh yes, a silver one.” He said. “It’s a simple hoop.”
Shelby smiled. “Jewellery is always nice.”
“It is.” He agreed.
“Makes things fun?” She teased.
“Yes!” He bellowed.
She giggled even as she ducked her head at the volume. “I wish I kept my jewellery.” She said. “I guess I have no need for it now though since I can’t see myself.”
“Well… we dress up for our own enjoyment no? You don’t need a mirror to feel good.”
She sighed. “Yeah… but I can’t make anything for myself. I only have the armour my god gave me.”
He huffed. “I’ll make you something. There should be plenty of pretty gemstones around here, I can twist some wire and make earrings and necklaces that all the others will be jealous of!”
Shelby laughed. “That would be lovely Nikos! You don’t have to though.” She rested her hands on his shoulders. They were rounded in the way only warriors who trained their whole lives achieved.
“The swirl is here.” He gently grabbed her wrists and moved her hands to the centre of his chest.
“I can’t feel it.” She said.
“No… I suppose the ink is under the skin not above.” He replied.
“But I can imagine it!” She smiled. “You gave me a really good image!”
He chuckled. “Maybe you wouldn’t be saying that if you saw it.”
She shrugged. “It’s not about getting it perfect. I just… like to be included.”
“I understand.” He held her hands between his own softly. “You let me know if you need anything.”
“You’ve done plenty.” She smiled at him trying really hard to aim her expression in the right direction. She wanted him to see how earnest she felt.
“Anytime.” He chuckled. “You are a strong one, I admire that.”