"And fucking thank both Lucifer and God for that." John had his own hangups about a lot of things and adding Nekane's own issues into the mix would be a utter disaster for the both of them.
Besides, as much as they felt like they owed John for what he did, Nekane sure didn't want to owe him that way.
Héctor has a point but it doesn't make them feel any less stupid. Particularly considering the details but they are not going there for both of their sanity.
"Think I'm just getting too relaxed then. This crap has to be avoidable in some manner."
It probably isn't. But that's their hope it doesn't happen again.
It's a sorry state of things when Nekane is willing to give thanks to either of those names. He gives a wry look for it.
But, he's soon shaking his head. He knows they want to control the possibility, but it's just not feasible. He gestures up around as much as he can.
"We're jammed under a bed. I don't think you can be too relaxed." He sighs. He reaches out and touches what he hopes is their shoulder. Hard to tell with the blanket. "We avoid this stuff by working towards getting out of hell, watching each other's backs, and forgiving ourselves for what we couldn't fight. It was Valentine's day and the succubi still hate our guts. If there's a next time, we know better to just dance our way out the doors."
He wonders then if Nekane was drugged for all that time with him. That aches, for some reason. He doesn't ask.
"Either way, you don't need to do the punishing for them. What we can do is get you all the sweets you want, you can eat, and you can let me fix your wings again."
"Says you." But at this point they're just being stubborn about being under the bed. It was comfortable under here for them but by no means are they relaxed. Although they do feel a little better when he reaches out to touch their shoulder.
He has a point about...well, everything. In Hell there's a lot of things out of their control and after the utter shitshow that was the bombing attempt, it ain't a surprise the demons hated all of them. It's stupid. So, so stupid.
But out of everyone here, why did it have to be Dodger? God.
"Sure. Might take me a minute to get out." They packed themself in pretty good.
He's not surprised they're being stubborn. It's who they are. He knows it's stubbornness more for the sake of itself than anything. He makes a faintly amused noise for it.
He squeezes that shoulder a little and the starts to crawl out. All the while he says, "I'm gonna try and lift bed up. It'll give you a little more leeway to get out."
With that done, he stands and heaves the frame. It's pretty heavy. He's not going to be able to do this for long. He's already expecting to hear the crack of their wings just from the lifted weight. Moving after that isn't going to help things.
But it's fine, he tells himself. He can fix it after.
He won't be left holding up the bed on his own for long. When he gets it up as high as he can, a shadow claw braces itself against the bottom to give him some support and make things just a little bit easier on him while they scramble out. And they take the blanket out too while they're at it.
Their wings are predictably bent at an odd angle from being stuffed under a bed for more then an hour. Sometimes even Nekane themself wondered just how they hadn't lost their wings yet. Luckily they don't pop so they're not totally out of alignment.
"Let go and I'll lower it back down." Just dropping it isn't going to end well. Then they can work on their stupid wings.
There's a breath of relief as he sees that shadow claw. Almost forgot about that.
"Thanks," He says. It'll definitely help him keep this up longer, just enough for them to get out. He winces a little at the wings but it's not as bad as it could be. And they're out.
With their permission, he lets go and steps back by their side. The bed goes on down with that shadow.
It's not an elegant drop but at least it doesn't punch a hole in the floor. Too bad, it'd make getting into Héctor's room easier.
"Food. Wings can wait." Because they have priorities, damn it. They've left their wings like this for longer then it takes to heat up a Pop Tart, it can wait a little longer.
And so they're going to move to the kitchen unless Héctor stops them. Nekane is moving a little stiffly because of their time under the bed. It's fine.
"Got any idea where the people here keep the food?" Because they're going to steal it.
He would really, really not like a hole in his floor, Nekane. That would mean it's easier for anyone else to get in too. Also, there's a door for god's sake.
Héctor doesn't stop them, and doesn't even argue for once. It will give them something to focus on other than the pain, even if it's a pain that they're used to. He does, however, move to their side, offering himself as support whether with a hand or to be leaned on entirely.
He snorts. "Out in the normal places. I don't steal food here. Especially when I don't know what it is."
They, of course, know the reasons for that. He goes along opening up the cupboards and the fridge, door after door. This is an emergency and he's sure the boys will understand.
And they know why he wouldn't take food. Even if he knew what it was, they have a feeling there'd still be some trepidation. But also--
"Ain't nothing saying you can't steal it just to be a dick." Héctor wouldn't, but it is a thing. Nekane's re-arranged a room once out of spite because John did something that ticked them off.
But onto more important things...there we are. Nekane holds up the box happily. It's a knock-off Hell brand, but whatever. Marshmallow Hot Chocolate flavor and that's good enough for them.
"These kids are too nice. If I'm going to steal their food, I have to do it in front of them, where it's funny." The peak Dad thing to do. Not that he knows what other Dads do.
He watches the way they light up when they finally find what they're looking for. It's horribly cute and he doesn't know what to do with that thought so he keeps it in his head.
"Mmm, sure. I'll try one. Got to see what the fuss is about after all."
Probably a good thing he keeps it to himself. They wouldn't know what to do with that information either.
They nod and tear open one of the packets. There's two inside and they toss them into the toaster and then onto a plate once it pops back up. And over to a table they go. May as well sit down.
"Careful. There's filling in there that's gonna be hot." But it'll taste good, at least to them. It is a sort of hot-chocolate taste but if Héctor likes it, that's up to him.
He can smell it before it's even done. Something sweet. He shouldn't be surprised there, they did seem to like that best but surprised he is and he blinks at the tarts the moment he can really look at them. He takes one up.
"Huh. Really more like a pan dulce than a tart." Though thinner than he's used to there. He splits it in two in his hands, just to see this filling. Chocolate.
Well, here goes. He takes a small bite and hums his approval. Pretty nice actually. Sweeter than he's used to, but nice.
He's definitely more interested in sneaking glances at them though. Considering how exicted they were to have this, he wants to see what joy he might catch on their face, if any.
"Brand names and shit, I'm guessing. Mainly treats for kids and it has a crap load of flavors."
Seriously, it's kind of ridiculous. But they have their attention on their tart so sneaking glances at Nekane isn't that hard.
From an outside prospective it's just someone eating. But Héctor's known them long enough to probably pick up this and that - the intense focus they have on something they like, the small upward curl on the corners of their mouth. Their eyes are just a little brighter.
And probably the fact it lasts for about a minute before the pop tart is completely devoured. They're hungry, okay?
A treat for kids with tends of flavors. And there's Nekane, loving it. It's sweet, watching that small little smile, the way they're lit up. It's the little things that bring then joy and it's their little joys that make him smile helplessly, hopelessly fond. This was definitely worth stealing for, though it's distracting him from actually finishing his own.
He laughs a little when they devour it, giving his head a shake.
"Go heat up a couple more and put them on a plate. You can bring it back to my room and we can worry about crumbs later."
He gets up and walks to them, pushing their hair back with a hand so he can kiss their forehead.
Nekane actually goes a little cross-eyed when they lean their head back to watch him walk over and kiss them. It really is easier and nicer that Héctor can do this without thinking about it too hard. And that they can take it without feeling like their skin would rip itself off just to escape the contact.
They pop the rest of the tart into their mouth and reach up...to ruffle his hair badly. With both hands. Luckily they don't have crumbs on them.
"Sure. Can make something else for you too while I'm here, if you want."
A mouth full of pop tart? Adorable. The reaching up in the process? Also, very much that. The hair ruffling? A jerk move but something that makes him laugh. He gives them a light shove.
"Sure, why not?" He'll fight down his jitters but they always let him watch. They always mind him.
He lets them go about their preparations and helps where he can. Any instruction or whatever else, he'll listen to. They can take their bounty back to the bed where they can settle, and he sit down behind them and get to work.
If they could read his mind, Nekane would huff. Instead they get up and roll their shoulders so they can start cooking. Today is mac and cheese with extra cheese on top to make up for a lack of hotdogs. Something simple because their shoulders sting. They leave it up to Héctor how much he wanted to spoon into a bowl for himself while they shove the rest of the pop tarts into the toaster. Onto a plate those go and they grab their own mac and cheese.
Once upstairs they sit down on the bed, making sure they leave Héctor enough room to sit behind them. They hunker down with their bowl of mac and cheese and just let him go to work without complaint.
"I swear these stupid things are growing." In regards to their wings. God, they hope not.
Macaroni and cheese. It's not something he would have had back home-- ever. But it's soft and simple in a way that wouldn't bother his stomach and will probably taste fairly good. He takes just a little bit, enough that it will count for something, especially with the effort they just put in for him.
It's back to his room they go and once he's set his food down, he settles in behind just like he said he would. Time to get to work.
"They're not growing," He says though his voice is a touch fond. "Even with magic-y stuff, they're meant to be proportionate to you. I'm pretty sure you're not having a growth spurt. You're just shoving yourself in even smaller places is what. Brace."
The last word is a warning. It'll keep them from swallowing food at the exact moment he pops a joint back into place.
"I told you I like--urg." They put down the spoonful of mac and cheese they were going to eat when they feel the joint go back into place.
One would think they learned their lesson a long time ago, but no. Nekane could hear John's usual tone of 'amazement' that they hadn't lost them both yet when he had to fix their wings before they could.
"Besides, that line of thought means I'm fucking doomed to be short forever. Don't dash my dreams."
His smile becomes a grimace for that second their body tenses with pain. Nevertheless, this is their own fault. He's about to move to the next one when they go on, and that he has to lean over for, just so they can see the look on his face, brows raised, grin, and complete doubt.
"Oh," He says, "I'm definitely dashing those dreams. You're short. You're twenty-something years old and you've never even been a kid and this is what you've got. Short forever."
With a bit of snickering, he goes right back where he was and finds the next joint. He gives another warning before he pops that one in place.
"There are other ways to hide that don't crush your wings down."
And to that they actually stop eating long enough to elbow him, fixing the man with a flat look. Asshole.
"I'll remember that when you clock your fucking head on a door frame one day. And I will laugh at your damn misery." They grumble.
The next joint to be popped back in place doesn't hurt as badly so they continue eating. Mainly to avoid answering Héctor's comment as long as they can until it becomes obvious what they're doing.
He yelps but only snickers more. And when they talk of him hitting his head. That... happened woefully often back home. People weren't tall like he was there and then. Except Imelda's brothers of course.
"You'd have laughed anyway," He points out. He knows he's right.
The sullen silence just gives them away further. He goes to the next joint.
"Mmhmm, and uh, would you say this is comfortable?" He pointedly pops that joint then and there. But then, with his teasing done, he asks, "What is it for you? Maybe we can work something out. It's not the dark, of course. Is it having your back to something, being hidden, being crowded in...?"
"I'll photograph it." Which is a terrible threat of epic proportions. Only not and they know it.
But that's just delaying the conversation more and they know it. So Nekane sighs. "Got no idea. It is comfortable, I ain't lying about that. It's just...a place I go, I guess."
They have no idea where it comes from. But Héctor might be able to put the pieces together if he thinks about it. He had to work to get under the bed and then them out, not to mention not a lot of people would get down there in the first place. Or figure someone with wings would be desperate enough to try hiding under a bed.
It's a hiding spot. A hiding spot where all other options are exhausted.
"I'll hold it above your head, where you can't reach." Implying he'd ever be able to get it out of their hands. He still hasn't to this day.
He reaches out for their shoulder, a softer touch not meant to fix anything, just to say he's there.
"It's a comfort. It feels safe." He can get that. "I do believe you. I'm just thinking there's got to be other options. Better options."
He lets go of their shoulder and goes back to their wings. There's just a bit more left to go. He gives warnings for those and tends the last few. Some of them are smaller, but some need a real big pull and that's bound to hurt. When he's done, he lays a hand on their back and kisses between their wings. It's obvious now, when he does that, no longer the secret it used to me.
"I'm going to massage your back a bit, take out some of the kinks. You can keep eating. It shouldn't hurt more." Such was his plan to begin with. He continues, "I think what we need is a way to trick your head. Some way to hide that you can know is safe, and feels like under the bed, but you know, isn't."
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"Somehow I really don't think John has any interest in sweeping you off your feet for a night of passion."
Definitely not. If John had intended to make that kind of move, he would have. And Nekane would have clawed his face up.
He sobers again and shakes his head. It's better than beating themself up but...
"You know I trust these things less than you." Which is saying something. "It still got me. I don't think this was avoidable."
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Besides, as much as they felt like they owed John for what he did, Nekane sure didn't want to owe him that way.
Héctor has a point but it doesn't make them feel any less stupid. Particularly considering the details but they are not going there for both of their sanity.
"Think I'm just getting too relaxed then. This crap has to be avoidable in some manner."
It probably isn't. But that's their hope it doesn't happen again.
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But, he's soon shaking his head. He knows they want to control the possibility, but it's just not feasible. He gestures up around as much as he can.
"We're jammed under a bed. I don't think you can be too relaxed." He sighs. He reaches out and touches what he hopes is their shoulder. Hard to tell with the blanket. "We avoid this stuff by working towards getting out of hell, watching each other's backs, and forgiving ourselves for what we couldn't fight. It was Valentine's day and the succubi still hate our guts. If there's a next time, we know better to just dance our way out the doors."
He wonders then if Nekane was drugged for all that time with him. That aches, for some reason. He doesn't ask.
"Either way, you don't need to do the punishing for them. What we can do is get you all the sweets you want, you can eat, and you can let me fix your wings again."
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He has a point about...well, everything. In Hell there's a lot of things out of their control and after the utter shitshow that was the bombing attempt, it ain't a surprise the demons hated all of them. It's stupid. So, so stupid.
But out of everyone here, why did it have to be Dodger? God.
"Sure. Might take me a minute to get out." They packed themself in pretty good.
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He squeezes that shoulder a little and the starts to crawl out. All the while he says, "I'm gonna try and lift bed up. It'll give you a little more leeway to get out."
With that done, he stands and heaves the frame. It's pretty heavy. He's not going to be able to do this for long. He's already expecting to hear the crack of their wings just from the lifted weight. Moving after that isn't going to help things.
But it's fine, he tells himself. He can fix it after.
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Their wings are predictably bent at an odd angle from being stuffed under a bed for more then an hour. Sometimes even Nekane themself wondered just how they hadn't lost their wings yet. Luckily they don't pop so they're not totally out of alignment.
"Let go and I'll lower it back down." Just dropping it isn't going to end well. Then they can work on their stupid wings.
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"Thanks," He says. It'll definitely help him keep this up longer, just enough for them to get out. He winces a little at the wings but it's not as bad as it could be. And they're out.
With their permission, he lets go and steps back by their side. The bed goes on down with that shadow.
"So, food first or fixing?"
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"Food. Wings can wait." Because they have priorities, damn it. They've left their wings like this for longer then it takes to heat up a Pop Tart, it can wait a little longer.
And so they're going to move to the kitchen unless Héctor stops them. Nekane is moving a little stiffly because of their time under the bed. It's fine.
"Got any idea where the people here keep the food?" Because they're going to steal it.
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Héctor doesn't stop them, and doesn't even argue for once. It will give them something to focus on other than the pain, even if it's a pain that they're used to. He does, however, move to their side, offering himself as support whether with a hand or to be leaned on entirely.
He snorts. "Out in the normal places. I don't steal food here. Especially when I don't know what it is."
They, of course, know the reasons for that. He goes along opening up the cupboards and the fridge, door after door. This is an emergency and he's sure the boys will understand.
"See any of your tarts?"
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And they know why he wouldn't take food. Even if he knew what it was, they have a feeling there'd still be some trepidation. But also--
"Ain't nothing saying you can't steal it just to be a dick." Héctor wouldn't, but it is a thing. Nekane's re-arranged a room once out of spite because John did something that ticked them off.
But onto more important things...there we are. Nekane holds up the box happily. It's a knock-off Hell brand, but whatever. Marshmallow Hot Chocolate flavor and that's good enough for them.
"Want one?"
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Again he snorts. Again, he shakes his head.
"These kids are too nice. If I'm going to steal their food, I have to do it in front of them, where it's funny." The peak Dad thing to do. Not that he knows what other Dads do.
He watches the way they light up when they finally find what they're looking for. It's horribly cute and he doesn't know what to do with that thought so he keeps it in his head.
"Mmm, sure. I'll try one. Got to see what the fuss is about after all."
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They nod and tear open one of the packets. There's two inside and they toss them into the toaster and then onto a plate once it pops back up. And over to a table they go. May as well sit down.
"Careful. There's filling in there that's gonna be hot." But it'll taste good, at least to them. It is a sort of hot-chocolate taste but if Héctor likes it, that's up to him.
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"Huh. Really more like a pan dulce than a tart." Though thinner than he's used to there. He splits it in two in his hands, just to see this filling. Chocolate.
Well, here goes. He takes a small bite and hums his approval. Pretty nice actually. Sweeter than he's used to, but nice.
He's definitely more interested in sneaking glances at them though. Considering how exicted they were to have this, he wants to see what joy he might catch on their face, if any.
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Seriously, it's kind of ridiculous. But they have their attention on their tart so sneaking glances at Nekane isn't that hard.
From an outside prospective it's just someone eating. But Héctor's known them long enough to probably pick up this and that - the intense focus they have on something they like, the small upward curl on the corners of their mouth. Their eyes are just a little brighter.
And probably the fact it lasts for about a minute before the pop tart is completely devoured. They're hungry, okay?
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He laughs a little when they devour it, giving his head a shake.
"Go heat up a couple more and put them on a plate. You can bring it back to my room and we can worry about crumbs later."
He gets up and walks to them, pushing their hair back with a hand so he can kiss their forehead.
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They pop the rest of the tart into their mouth and reach up...to ruffle his hair badly. With both hands. Luckily they don't have crumbs on them.
"Sure. Can make something else for you too while I'm here, if you want."
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"Sure, why not?" He'll fight down his jitters but they always let him watch. They always mind him.
He lets them go about their preparations and helps where he can. Any instruction or whatever else, he'll listen to. They can take their bounty back to the bed where they can settle, and he sit down behind them and get to work.
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Once upstairs they sit down on the bed, making sure they leave Héctor enough room to sit behind them. They hunker down with their bowl of mac and cheese and just let him go to work without complaint.
"I swear these stupid things are growing." In regards to their wings. God, they hope not.
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It's back to his room they go and once he's set his food down, he settles in behind just like he said he would. Time to get to work.
"They're not growing," He says though his voice is a touch fond. "Even with magic-y stuff, they're meant to be proportionate to you. I'm pretty sure you're not having a growth spurt. You're just shoving yourself in even smaller places is what. Brace."
The last word is a warning. It'll keep them from swallowing food at the exact moment he pops a joint back into place.
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One would think they learned their lesson a long time ago, but no. Nekane could hear John's usual tone of 'amazement' that they hadn't lost them both yet when he had to fix their wings before they could.
"Besides, that line of thought means I'm fucking doomed to be short forever. Don't dash my dreams."
You jerk.
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"Oh," He says, "I'm definitely dashing those dreams. You're short. You're twenty-something years old and you've never even been a kid and this is what you've got. Short forever."
With a bit of snickering, he goes right back where he was and finds the next joint. He gives another warning before he pops that one in place.
"There are other ways to hide that don't crush your wings down."
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"I'll remember that when you clock your fucking head on a door frame one day. And I will laugh at your damn misery." They grumble.
The next joint to be popped back in place doesn't hurt as badly so they continue eating. Mainly to avoid answering Héctor's comment as long as they can until it becomes obvious what they're doing.
"Ain't as comfortable. I've checked."
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"You'd have laughed anyway," He points out. He knows he's right.
The sullen silence just gives them away further. He goes to the next joint.
"Mmhmm, and uh, would you say this is comfortable?" He pointedly pops that joint then and there. But then, with his teasing done, he asks, "What is it for you? Maybe we can work something out. It's not the dark, of course. Is it having your back to something, being hidden, being crowded in...?"
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But that's just delaying the conversation more and they know it. So Nekane sighs. "Got no idea. It is comfortable, I ain't lying about that. It's just...a place I go, I guess."
They have no idea where it comes from. But Héctor might be able to put the pieces together if he thinks about it. He had to work to get under the bed and then them out, not to mention not a lot of people would get down there in the first place. Or figure someone with wings would be desperate enough to try hiding under a bed.
It's a hiding spot. A hiding spot where all other options are exhausted.
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He reaches out for their shoulder, a softer touch not meant to fix anything, just to say he's there.
"It's a comfort. It feels safe." He can get that. "I do believe you. I'm just thinking there's got to be other options. Better options."
He lets go of their shoulder and goes back to their wings. There's just a bit more left to go. He gives warnings for those and tends the last few. Some of them are smaller, but some need a real big pull and that's bound to hurt. When he's done, he lays a hand on their back and kisses between their wings. It's obvious now, when he does that, no longer the secret it used to me.
"I'm going to massage your back a bit, take out some of the kinks. You can keep eating. It shouldn't hurt more." Such was his plan to begin with. He continues, "I think what we need is a way to trick your head. Some way to hide that you can know is safe, and feels like under the bed, but you know, isn't."
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