Arthur whimpered again as he was set down on the table, curling in on himself.
Nik closed his eyes for a moment.
You'll See Just How Crazy I Can Be (rp with Icefire, feel free to stalk!)
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Derlik let out a hum, his head going back to the table as he left one hand resting on Arthur. Nik couldn't be too mad, then, if he wasn't saying anything.
Nik just had no idea what to say in response to this. It was…a lot to take in.
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At least Derlik wasn't doing anything to Nik? And he did have good intentions. Derlik moved to press his finger more against Arthur, making him uncurl.
Arthur cried out as he was forced to uncurl.
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Derlik just hummed some. Arthur was so boring, even with the thread out so he could talk again.
Arthur teared up, trembling and looking over at Nik.
Nik squeezed his eyes shut.
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"Why would he help you?" Derlik said when he saw Arthur looking at Nik. He pressed his finger against Arthur's chest, not enough to break any bones. Yet.
Arthur whined faintly, shaking his head a little. He didn't know. He didn't know why Nik would help him.
Nik kept his eyes closed, swallowing faintly.
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"Thash…thash what I thought." Derlik hummed, hiccuping slightly. He dug his finger into Arthur a bit more, dragging the man across the table back to himself from the middle.
Arthur whimpered again, shaking his head again.
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Derlik let his entire hand rest on top of Arthur, preventing him from even being able to move enough to breathe properly. He looked up at Nik, glad he'd taken this so well.
Nik had his eyes shut tight, and he almost looked like he might be ill. This did not count as taking it well.
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"What's wrong?" It finally registered in Derlik's foggy mind that Nik wasn't looking too good.
He shook his head a little, knowing Derlik wouldn't understand. Just because Nik hated Arthur didn't mean he was alright with what Derlik had done.
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"Nik..?" Another good thing about being a walking water balloon was that alcohol went through Derlik quickly as well. He sat up some, a worried expression coming to his eyes.
"It's nothing." He replied. Maybe it was better Derlik did this to Arthur than to him. And that was such a selfish thought but god, he was allowed to be selfish every now and again.
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"Are you sure? I can stop, if you want." Derlik lifted his hand off of Arthur, leaving him laid on the table.
Arthur let out a shaky breath, curling up on himself.
Nik shrugged faintly.
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"Okay, then…" Derlik moved to have his hands by Arthur, almost shielding him from view. He didn't touch the man, letting him have a moment.
Arthur was still shaky and terrified, curled on a tiny ball
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Derlik let out a small breath, leaning back in his seat. Twili looked over from her playing with Smoke. After a moment, she gingerly held out her hands to hold Arthur, which Derlik allowed.
Arthur whimpered when she picked him up, trembling.
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Twili held Arthur gently, moving to have him close to her chest while letting him lay in her palm. She didn't know who he was, or what he had done to Nik, just that he was someone Derlik was hurting. She did her best to comfort everyone who went through that, including Arthur now.
When it seemed no fresh pain was coming, Arthur relaxed a tiny bit, curled up tightly.
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Twili held Arthur gently still, one finger slowly moving until she was able to rub his back. She kept him close, shielding him from Derlik's view.
Arthur shuddered and trembled, closing his eyes tight.
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Twili continued to gently rub Arthur's back, making sure to be gentle. She kept quiet, as she always was, trying to help Arthur know he was safe.
Arthur's breath trembled as he breathed, and he stayed curled up in her hands.
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Twili continued to be gentle, eventually pulling her hand away to get a handkerchief from her pocket. She offered it to Arthur as a blanket, for some extra privacy.