The walk to the shop was uneventful and quiet, and Nick was sure he wasn't the only person happy about it. Teno was a quiet type- his tall frame towered above many, and the scar he bore on his left cheek left him looking rather intimidating. Once you got to know him, he really was just a kind, albeit kind of goofy guy. His delivery on jokes were often deadpan and dry, but Nick decided that only added to his charm. Above all else, Teno was just a really good friend, and Nick was thankful to have someone like him a phone call away. Well, most of the time he skipped the phone call and jumped straight to showing up at Teno’s apartment, helping himself to the fridge while he waited for his friend to notice his presence. The first time he had done it, Nick wished he'd had a camera to savor the look on Teno’s face. 

As they approached the store Nick sighed at the front window, his eyes tracing the boards that covered the shop. He was sure Meg was already on the phone with a company to replace the glass and a twinge of guilt grabbed at his heart. Well, where his heart should be.

He pulled his keys out and opened the front door, wincing at the mess left behind. Meg- and he was sure Leo- had cleaned a majority of it up, but a bucket and mop sat against the back wall where Nick had suffered his injuries- the evidence of an attempted clean up present. The blood still permeated the floor and Teno hummed in acknowledgment. 

"Looks like it did a number on you and the shop." He commented, entering the store and looking around.

"Yeah, I'm shocked she still wants it running today." They'd have to pay for the damages somehow. Nick walked over to the blood stain on the floor, picking up the still-full bucket. As he turned to take it out back and dump it, the door chimed and he looked back, noticing Meg. 

To say the least, she didn't look thrilled to see him. Nick quickly set the bucket down, putting his hands up. "H-hey! You're in early!"

Every step she took offered another malice filled word, her frame frigid. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

"Ah, well-" Nick hesitated and looked to Teno, who quickly looked away and began sweeping the floor- he was on his own- so he looked back to Meg, smiling nervously. "I just wanted to help clean up the shop! It's such a mess, and it's my fault-"

"It's no one's fault!" Meg interrupted, putting her hands on her hips. "You were injured- Leo said you were really banged up! You should be resting!"

Nick sighed, looking away briefly to think of excuses. "It's fine! I heal really fast!" That wasn't a lie. "I promise I'm well enough to work at least a little bit. I just wanna help clean up, then I'll be gone!"

Meg glared at him for a moment longer then sighed, putting her head in one hand and squeezing her eyes shut. "Fine, fine- but then you go home. You rest. After you're done cleaning you should call Leo."

Nick perked up at the mention of his date. "I should?"

Meg took her purse to the backroom as she replied, her voice slightly muffled by the walls now between them. "Yes, because you're all he talked about last night. How worried he was about you, how excited he was to hear from you again- you better treat him well, Nick!"

Said man couldn't stop the blush that crept up to his face, so he took to grabbing his apron and the bucket instead. As he disappeared to get fresh water, Teno continued to sweep, shaking his head at their banter.

"You have to learn to tell him no-" Teno nearly broke the broom in half as his manager snuck up behind him. "I know he came to wake you up." She stated matter-of-factly. "You're gonna spoil him."

Nick carried the five gallon bucket with ease, scooching past the busted door to the greenhouse and shoving his way through the mess. He supposed they hadn't gotten this far in the clean up yet. As he carried the bucket to the catch basin in the back his mind wandered to what Meg had told him about her conversations with Leo.

“...How excited he was to hear from you again.”

He stopped abruptly in front of the drain, setting the bucket down to place his face in his hands. He dropped down to a squat, burrowing himself farther into a ball and screaming into his palms. After a moment, Nick moved his hands out of the way into his hair, his face flushed with embarrassment. Leo really did want to see him again?

Setting aside the entire mess they were both now entwined in…he felt like a teenager for a moment, giddy at the thought of his crush thinking so fondly of him. 

It also just felt so impossible- to lock away that side of him for years just for it to be…what it is. It’s just him. At most, Leo seemed more concerned with being there for him versus anything else. He felt like Leo had a genuine desire to help him navigate this, to figure it out.

It was such a stark contrast to his past relationship. 

Nick finally pulled himself together, standing up and giving his face a firm slap between both hands, huffing to himself. His job was to clean up the stain on the floor- if he thought any harder about Leo, he was going to lose the ability to function. At the very least, he felt a bit better- the anxiety he had felt all morning was slowly dissipating. For how long it would stay gone, he wasn’t sure- he was going to have to call Leo, who at this moment may be at work doing research on Nick’s core.

He was curious about what Leo would find.

-

This was more of an exhausting endeavor than he’d planned.

Leo stared at the files in front of him, sitting within towers of stacked boxes around him. He’d holed himself in a closet of the records room, giving Lior free reign of his team to “catch up on some paperwork.”

Paperwork, at this point, would have been less of a headache. Leo dropped the hand that had been holding a report up to his face and he sighed, rubbing his forehead. So many of these reports were inconsistent, along with a mass amount of information being blocked out with a marker. He was finding no information on the exact type of core Nick possessed, and any information about patients with advanced cores was classified- only the Nightingales in the labs would have access to those reports in full.

He supposed he could ask Eden, a scientist in the lab he knew vaguely. They'd spoken a few times, nothing too crazy, but she always seemed eager to help and would always offer her time. Maybe now was the time for Leo to take her up on the offer.

He cleaned up the mess of papers and filed them neatly in their respective boxes, shoving them to the side and standing up. With a twist his back popped and he let out a sigh of relief, exiting the closet.

To find Nero waiting for him, casually leaning against the desk. Leo immediately straightened up with a salute, his mouth working faster than his brain.

"Drahl Nero- what are you doing in Ceros?" Leo cursed himself for questioning his superior, but his curiosity was genuine- as Nero was the sole leader of Nightingale, there was very little time for him to be casually leaning on desks. 

Nero smiled in reply, waving his hand- permission for Leo to relax. The blond lowered his hand, his body still frigid with anxiety. "Don't worry, Rothstein, I'm just making my rounds! I want to check in with every squad leader while I'm here, see how things are going." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "I couldn't miss out on seeing my favorite commander, could I?"

Leo swallowed hard, attempting to gauge Nero's demeanor- it was never easy. He always seemed happier than he should be, but it wasn't nearly the source of ease he probably thought it was. It was uncanny, if Leo had to be honest.

Nero was a Dranduin man, as far as Leo could tell. He had the same red hair as Nick, but instead of the typical blue his eyes were also red- well, the one he could see. Nero bore a patch on his right eye, slightly obscured by his hair, leaving a single crimson orb to do all the work. He was shorter than Leo, roughly six feet in height if he had to guess, but carried himself like he was the biggest dog in the park.

Well, he kind of was. 

"Don't look so frightened, Rothstein!" Nero boasted, holding his arms outstretched- if Leo didn't know better, it looked like he wanted a hug. "Come, let's go to your office, I have a few things I need to discuss with you while we both have the time."

Leo followed him as Nero began to walk away, staring cautiously at the back of his head. "What matters could be so important that we need to discuss them one on one, if I may ask?"

Nero didn't look back at him, simply continued his stride to the office, head held high. "Oh a number of things- how your team is doing, how you're handling the new responsibilities…there's also the matters of a certain friend you've made in recent years."

There it was. Leo's pace quickened with his heart as he worked to catch up with his superior, weaving through the other officers in their way. "A friend?"

Nero nodded and stopped in front of Leo's office, waiting for the blond to let him in. "Yes, a certain Dranduin man," he watched Leo nervously fumble with the keys, monitoring his reaction, "I believe his name was…Morello, was it?"

Leo finally opened the heavy oak door, letting Nero in with his head down. His superior entered the office quietly, taking in the room's interior before swiftly planting himself on one of the couches in the middle. "Yes, I believe that's him." Leo replied, shutting the door and moving quickly to sit across from Nero. "Can I ask what you need regarding him?"

Leo wasn't entirely sure if he should have admitted to knowing Nick- he didn't know how much Nero knew about the man's core, but lying wasn't going to get him anywhere. It was obvious that Nero knew a fair share of information already, he simply needed to test Leo and see how much more he was willing to give.

Leo had quickly decided, without a second thought, that Nero wouldn't be getting a single word about Nick from him.