cut to the goddamn chase;

A low hum rumbled in his throat, and he lifted a hand to run it through his hair, but it rested just at his forehead, before fully running through. He collected his thoughts before looking to sully, and pursed his lips into a fine line. “It started getting to me again,” He began, looking away after just making eye contact. “What happened all those year ago…when I was a kid…with Sam.”

On his good days, he was able to forget about it, and was able to cope with everything but…

        Oh. So that’s what this was about. Had to be close to         around fifteen years since that happened, Sully guessed.         But he supposed it still wasn’t entirely unheard of that         someone could feel badly even after all that time. That’s         how grief worked, after all.

        He squeezed Nate’s shoulder. He hadn’t been there         when it happened, but he could guess. “There’s nothing         more you coulda done, kid,” he murmured.

“I would…probably have to call Elena…” He murmured under his breath, lifting his shoulders into a slight shrug before they settled into their normal position. Nathan shifted ever so slightly under Sully’s arm, a frown becoming more prominent on his face. 

“Depends on where you want me to start.”

        Sully begun tracing circles on Nate’s shoulder         and hummed. “Wherever you want.” He had time. 

        ‘ I know he’s capable of cheap shots, and not finishing the           job. He’s a fuckin’ coward. But you’re not telling me that           we’re just letting him off the hook, are we? He could come           and do this again any time he wants if I don’t do something. ’

        “There’s a difference between letting him off and         keeping your own damn skin,” he jabbed a finger         to the ground for emphasis. “I’m telling you to walk         away from this.”

        “Erin.”

        “You don’t know what Flynn’s capable off. He’s not         smart, but he has connections. Powerful ones. And         he can deal a hell of damage when he’s angry. You         shouldn’t cross him, trust me."

“Thanks.” Nathan fumbled with the blanket, unfolding it and wrapping it around his form. It was a much welcome comfort, that he probably should have asked for, or found himself when he’d been asked if he wanted something to eat or drink. Yeah, that was a lot better. He took the very last few sips from the mug, and leaned forward to set it on the coffee table, all before curling up in a tight little ball for warmth, now that the tea was gone. It wasn’t long before the sinking feeling returned though, to eat away at the corners of his mind, causing him to bury his face in the blanket and remain as such. He felt like a wreck. He wanted this feeling to go away. “I shouldn’t have been out there,” He spoke into the fabric, heaving a sigh. He should have stayed home, stayed next to his wife, talked to her about it - about what was going through his head. But she didn’t know anything about it. About most of his past. The past that included Sam. The past that was well before he met Sully.

        Sully quieted as he watched Nate huddle into himself.          “Well, you’re here now,” he said, setting his own mug         aside. “I can drive you back home, if you want. Or you         can stay the night. Whatever you need.”

        When Nate didn’t respond, he dared to shift his seat         closer to him and wrapped an arm around the kid. Sully         had a feeling he already knew the answer, but it was         worth asking:

        “You wanna talk about it?”

“Uh, a little cold still.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But uhm, otherwise yeah. Feeling pretty good.”

        He smiled. “Good,” he echoed. He reached behind         the couch’s armrest where he kept the spare blankets         and tossed one into Nate’s lap. “Here.”

“I was just trying to get some air…clear my head…” He paused, taking another sip from his mug. “And then it started raining.”

        Sully shook his head. That may have only been half of         the truth, but it was probably all he was going to get out         of Nate for one night. “You at least doing better now?”         he asked softly.

Arching a brow, he shook his head. “No, no. Everything’s fine.”

        “Okay,” Sully nodded. “Okay.”

        “Still doesn’t explain why you were trying to make         yourself catch cold, though,” he muttered.

“Oh. Heh, well then.” Nathan clasped his hands around the mug, quite content with the warmth. It was better than nothing, and honestly he probably would have wrapped himself up in about five blankets if given the chance to do so.

“Hm? Uh, yeah, just…” His voice trailed off, brow furrowing. “Yeah.”

        He tilted his head. “You and Elena aren’t...?” Sully         gestured vaguely. He had to ask, just to be sure. He         didn’t expect everything for the two of them to come         together overnight, no, but if after everything, things         still weren’t panning out...

“Tea?” Nathan questioned, looking down at the mug when it was handed to him and frowned. He would have gone for hot cocoa or something else along those lines, but hey, he wasn’t the one making it so he guessed he’d just have to live with it. Following Sully out of the kitchen, he hung back in the doorway and eyed the couch. Part of him didn’t want to expose the reason as to why he was really out there in the first place, but Sully always knew how to wriggle it out of him, one way or another. Willing himself from the doorway, he walked to the couch and took a seat, not directly next to Sully, but close enough.

        Sully picked up on his hesitation, and glanced up with         a raised brow. “Yours is more sugar than it is tea,” he         assured him, blowing the steam off his own mug. “It         was all I had, anyway.”

        He sighed as a took a seat next to Nate on the couch,         letting the both of them take a few sips before he started.

        “You doing okay, kid? You had me worried, standing by         yourself out there.”

“Okie dokie, artichokie,” Nathan replied with some bounce to his step, doing his best to be upbeat as he passed Sully and headed to the laundry room. He’s return moments later, and place himself on the opposite side of the kitchen, back to the counter just behind him.

        Sully shot him a withering glance and shook his         head as he disappeared around the corner. Nate         knew better than to try and fool him.

        He poured themselves both a mug and handed         one to Nate when he returned, nodding over to         the couch.

Wriggling out of his wet clothes and drying himself off, he stared tentatively at the ones that were laid out for him, held them up and stared some more, before letting out a long, exasperated sigh and pulled them on. The wet clothes…he had no idea what to do with, so he bundled them up and padded from the living room, and to the kitchen where Sully was hard at work. “What do you want me to do with these?” He asked, lifting up the bundle of wet clothes. “Didn’t want to leave them on the floor. Last thing I need to hear about is the water ring I left.” He smirked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit, and to make Sully worry a little less.

        Sully glanced over his shoulder to see the dripping         bundle of clothes Nate had offered up. “Just leave ‘em         by the dryer,” he said, turning the heat off the stove         when the kettle began to hiss. “I’ll throw ‘em in later.”

Blinking, Nathan extended his right hand to take the towel from Sully, quietly thanking him and offered a small, what he assumed would be a reassuring smile. Unfolding the towel, he threw it over his head, and started the motions of making any sort of attempt at drying his hair first before he set to anything else.

Lifting his head up and resting the towel on his shoulders, he padded into the living room. “Something - anything. Just let it be hot.”

        Something hot. He could do that. He was pretty sure he         still had some tea left over from the last time Elena stopped         by for dinner. Sure enough, there were two two bags left         of chamomile, one for each of them. Sully kept himself busy         prepping the water while he assumed Nate was getting         changed.