Recovery Period

Chapter 22

"No?" Raina asked, immediately removing her hands from where they were placed on Nico's sides. "Nico, you seem really upset and I want to help."

Nico stayed rigid and spoke through clenched teeth, "You can't."

Raina just studied Nico, unsure of what to do next or what happened. She had half a mind to just get the foot dealt with while Nico was occupied with whatever was happening in her brain, but she wasn't sure if Nico would even let her touch her.

Nico, for her part, was struggling to quell the tidal wave of grief she was experiencing. She never, ever had to face her loss like this. There was a reason she avoided it. The little was wailing in agony and the brat wasn't far from it. Nico's mind was lost at sea, drowning in unreconciled loss.

They were frozen there for several long moments: Raina hesitating to move and Nico silently sobbing, tensed to her max.

Raina had to make a move. Doing nothing was getting them nowhere and this was painful to watch. She touched Nico's leg gently and when she didn't react, Raina made her choice. She flipped open the toolbox of medical supplies next to her, pulled out some clean dressings, and wrapped Nico's foot within a minute or so.

She looked up and saw Nico in effectively the same spot, although her face was much more red than it had been a moment ago. Okay this has to stop, Raina thought as she cleaned up the first aid kit. It went back into the bathroom and then she was next to Nico.

She had two options: touch Nico against her wishes or leave her to suffer in her own mind. She opted for option one, not so subtly giving into the domme side that told her that Nico didn't really mean "no". She meant "help".

Before forcing the issue, she wanted the environment to be right. She considered what they'd need to not have to leave the room for a while. Nico's backpack was still by the door, her phone was in the kitchen. And it probably wouldn't kill either of them to drink something, especially given how much Nico had been through that day.

Without giving it too much thought, she ventured over to Nico's bag and took out one of the bottles they'd packed at Nico's house. She took it with her into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a water for herself as she considered what to give Nico.

There wasn't much in the fridge for her besides water and milk, but some extra calories wouldn't exactly kill Nico. She grabbed the milk and filled Nico's bottle, deciding at the last minute to add some chocolate syrup before giving it a shake to mix it.

Nico had no idea Raina had bandaged her foot, much less left the room entirely several times. She was more aware of her crying now but no more in control than she had been. The longer she cried, though, the stronger the urge to go numb became. She could feel it creeping up in her mind like a spider.

She suddenly felt hands on her body and she bucked, screeching in surprise as she was lifted from the ottoman's surface.

Raina had returned to the room, set up the couch, and navigated to a Disney movie before scooping Nico up and plopping down onto the couch with her sideways across her lap.

Nico was confused and pushed weakly against Raina's chest, still drowning in the voices. Her eyes were open but she wasn't really seeing anything through her tears.

Suddenly she was warm and felt a familiar texture on her skin. Was that...her blanket? Nico looked down and pulled her blanket up to her face, covering it in tears. She lifted her head again and saw Mol a few feet down the blanket, looking at her with his perfect chocolate eyes.

Someone was handing him to her and she tucked him under the blanket, compressing him to her chest. "Thanks," she muttered automatically and started a bit when Raina responded to her. She had completely forgotten Raina even existed, but now she found herself once again in the woman's arms.

"You're welcome, Nico. Are you feeling a little better?" Raina asked quietly. She wanted to look down at Nico directly, but didn't want to spook her with too much eye contact too soon.

Nico nodded against Raina's chest and took in the sensations she was feeling, using them to ground herself and calm the voices. Her right side was warm against Raina, she could hear her heartbeat and smell her scent. She could feel her blanket in her hands and Mol in her arms.

Raina just waited quietly, occassionally running a hand through Nico's hair as they sat together in the TV light. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Nico's body started to relax. She slowly uncurled her legs and leaned more heavily into Raina's chest.

Her vice grip on Mol relaxed and finally, finally the voices quieted. Well, sort of. The little was now humming happily at the closeness between them and Raina. The brat was comatose from their episode and honestly, Nico was fine with that.

Nico looked up at Raina carefully and she was met with a smile and soft, gentle eyes. She blushed and was suddenly self-conscious about freaking out so publicly. She still wasn't entirely sure where it'd come from.

"Hey there, you good?" Raina asked, bringing a hand up to stroke Nico's still-damp cheek with her thumb. She smiled at Nico's nod and pecked her forehead lightly, reaching for her water as she did so.

Nico's eyes followed her motion and spotted the bottle of milk on the side table next to them. If her face could have gotten any redder, it certainly would have. She knew it was hers, she'd had to look everywhere for dragons, but she had only a vague idea of how it would have gotten here, full of chocolate milk.

She didn't exactly remember packing it, but clearly they must have. She stared at it for long enough that Raina noticed and she picked it up nonchalantly.

"I thought you might need some liquids and I figured chocolate milk might be an okay way to get some. Dragons okay?"

"I-it's... I don't..." Nico sputtered.

Raina sympathized with Nico's struggle, it was familiar to her. A lot of littles were somewhat self-loathing, especially when faced with their "little" urges outside of headspace.

The self-consciousness Nico was feeling urged her out of Raina's lap and toward the couch next to her, but arms snaked around her waist and held her. Was Raina reading her mind?

"You're good right there," Raina said simply. She wasn't holding Nico down really, but she was certainly asking her to stay. She felt the urge to get Nico to slip as she watched her stare at the bottle 2 feet away. She was already on the verge, given their current position, and it would make the whole situation a lot simpler.

But it felt like cheating. She didn't want to make Nico slip, she wanted her to want to. Enthusiastic compliance was Raina's goal, but Nico was so shy. Maybe the bottle was a step too far and she should have settled for a cuddle and cartoons to start.

"Nico," Raina began, pausing until Nico finally looked at her. "Would you rather have that in a glass?" she asked as she nodded her head at the bottle. "I really don't mind."

Nico looked from Raina to the bottle and back again. The little was desperate to take charge of the situation, to fold into Raina's chest and accept the bottle like she had been fantasizing about for literal years. The brat was similarly desperate to fully reject Raina and everything she was trying to get them to do. Nico was, again, caught in the middle with her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth.

Even this is too hard to answer? Raina thought. How were they going to get anywhere with Nico going mute every 10 minutes out of nowhere?