niko's usually a light sleeper. he's had to be given his upbringing. even now, in the comfort and safety of his own home, there's a part of him that remains vigilant, worried that everything he's built could come crumbling down.[break][break]

it's why he wakes when she does. he tosses, turns, and opens his eyes to see her demeanor.[break][break]

"jessie..."[break][break]

slowly, he sits up, still sleepy.[break][break]

"what's wrong?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

In her panic to get the blankets off of her, Jessie didn't even think to realize that she had woken up Niko. Both of her hands were holding the space around her leg, shaking as she tried to fight off the pain.

"S-sorry... I didn't mean to wake you up," she stuttered, biting down on her lip hard.

She drew in a pained breath, trying to stifle any noise she was about to make by holding her breath.

"My leg... it fucking burns."

NIKO MANNER

☉

it takes him a few blinks to finally drift into the direness of the situation. his eyes narrow — even in the darkness, he can see the blood dripping from her leg, staining the sheets beneath them.[break][break]

"shit, you're bleeding."[break][break]

somehow, his voice remains soft, perhaps not wanting to wake baby niko up.[break][break]

he hops out of bed to grab some towels out of the drawer before sitting down beside her. he flicks the lamp beside their bed on, then properly looks at her wound.[break][break]

"d'you have a nightmare?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

Jessie herself didn't even realize that she was bleeding profusely. In her turning, she must have jerked harshly and tore the healing flesh. All she could feel at the moment was searing pain.

"Sorry. Shit," she groaned.

She pushed her hands closer together on her thigh, as though that would magically heal her cut. But, Niko came in quickly with towels, turning on the light and looking at her leg. She had to narrow her eyes to fight the brightness of the light.

"Yeah... that I was back in the dimension that I was sent to," Jessie said quietly, afraid that if she talked about it, she'd be sent back for real.

NIKO MANNER

☉

thankfully, only a small part of her wound reopened and not the entirety of it. it saves them a trip to the hospital at three in the morning.[break][break]

"stop saying sorry."[break][break]

as he presses a towel against her wound, he reaches for her hands and places them atop the towel.[break][break]

"put pressure on this for a moment. i can stitch it close again just gimme a sec."[break][break]

he pushes off the bed once again before heading into the bathroom. a moment later, and he returns with a first aid kit, setting it down beside her.[break][break]

"wanna tell me what happened in your dream?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

Jessie paused, not realizing how much she had apologized to her boyfriend for interrupting his sleep and cursing. Which, then, prompted this.

"... sorry."

That would be her final apology, at least for the moment, as he pressed the towel against her leg. Jessie grunted, biting her lip again, as he placed her hands on top to apply pressure.

"Mmph. Okay."

The thought of getting stitches was not pleasant, but she knew that she needed to close the area up to promote the healing again. And then maybe they could get something to help with the pain. When he came back, she looked back up, blinking.

"It was the same... like when I was there. The fire, the HEATRAN. You. All of it."

NIKO MANNER

☉

slowly, he begins dressing her wound, hands moving almost meticulously as though he's done this a thousand times before (which isn't too far from the truth).[break][break]

"fuck this other niko, man. dude sounds like a dick."[break][break]

he sighs, half-jesting but also frustrated that he can't do anything about it. he'd kill the other niko if he could.[break][break]

"maybe we should come up with a safe word. something i'd say to confirm that it's the real me."

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

Jessie stayed still, only moving her leg when she was told to do so. But it was cleaned, wrapped, stitched, and bandaged, thanks to her boyfriend's expertise. Still, the burning flashed in her veins.

"Can I have ice? Or some pain killers..."

Both.

Jessie hummed an agreement, unable to help but agree with him. Just the sheer fact that other Niko stabbed her in the leg was cause enough to make him a dick.

"I know if it's the real you, silly. You're nice to me. You kiss me. You make me happy. You also don't think I'm worthless or a piece of shit. He used me, to try to get that drum I had."

NIKO MANNER

☉

"oh shit. yeah, of course."[break][break]

with the wound now closed and cleaned, he quickly and quietly moves around the space, even leaving the room briefly to grab an ice pack from the fridge. how baby niko stays asleep through all this is lost on him.[break][break]

walking back over with the ice pack, pills, and water, he offers them to her as he sits back down.[break][break]

"what is the drum, by the way? i think i might have asked before."

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

She felt comforted that he'd do this for her, watching his muscular back disappear as he walked off to get what she asked for. It left her wondering...

What did she do to deserve someone like him? Jessie had always thought she had some sort of "curse," something that made her undeserving of happiness and companionship. But she wondered, how would he react when she told him about her biggest secret that she hadn't conveyed yet?

"Thank you," she said softly, snapped from her thoughts as he came back.

"Somewhere on Mt. Chimney. Some man knew of it. Mr. Killian Decker and I escorted it up, since he had information about it."

NIKO MANNER

☉

"some man on mount chimney. very trustworthy. does he live there?"[break][break]

his words are merely meant in jest to help break whatever tension that may exist between them. he isn't actually mad that she went on this mission without him or that she even went on it to begin with.[break][break]

if anything, he knows there are far more qualified people out there than him.[break][break]

"i guess i gotta thank killy boy for keeping you safe."

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]

Jessie couldn't help but stifle a laugh by snorting, covering her mouth as she tried to not be loud. Last thing they wanted was to wake the baby.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe? He was there when we got there."

She paused, considering the change in topics before initiating the conversation.

"Niko... since we're both up, can I talk to you about something? I need to tell you something really important."

NIKO MANNER

☉

anyone who lives on mount chimney sounds like they're looking for trouble. but niko keeps his thoughts to himself.[break][break]

feeling sleepy, he hops onto the bed and crosses over her before landing on his side, plopping down unceremoniously. his head tilts to look at her as she asks her question.[break][break]

"of course, jessie. what's up?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Jessica Manner[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trubbish"]