The spark started when she saved him from Starro. She had pulled him out of the way and back behind a pillar, her hands gripping his arm and eyes filled with worry as she asked if he was okay. In the moment Abner was taken back at how gentle she was with him despite the chaos of the moment. It wasn’t until two months later that he was aware of the warmth of a blush on cheeks or the flutter in his heart.
It was the little things that tugged at his heart and made him weak in the knees. Like when she invited him to stay with her in Norway, a gesture of friendship and comradery after the life or death mission they had been on. The team was going their separate ways, and while the others had some sense of direction Nic and Abner did not. They agreed to find that together. Or when they first got the house, bought and paid for by an old friend of Nic’s, one who was a former STAR Labs scientist that initially tried to help her control her meta-abilities. At first glance of getting the home, Nic immediately offered Abner the first floor bedroom due to her knowledge of his condition and how it affected him. Or like when she got into the habit of sleeping on the couch rather than in her room upstairs after almost a week of living there with him. Nic preferred it that way, she said. It allowed her to help him in the middle of the night when he needed to expel the dots and it was almost too painful to move without help. Which was another thing that got to him. Every night without fail she’d be up and at the side of his bed to help him out and to the backyard, and she stayed with him until he was finished, rubbing his back and asking if he was okay once the ordeal was over.
When he finally asked her one night, close to 1am according to the oven clock, as she made some tea to help soothe Abner back to a comfortable sleep, her only reply was “because you’d do the same for me.”
And she was right. He didn’t know at the time why she was right, but he knew she was.
It wouldn’t be until a month later that he discovered the small crush that managed to develop.
Nic had a nightmare, similar to the one she had back on Corto Maltese. It was the screaming that woke him up rather than the pain in his body. But still, Nic was there to help him to the backyard to expel the dots, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks and how shaky her hands were. It wasn’t until they got back inside that Abner realized she was wearing her gloves. She hadn’t put them on since arriving in Norway. And when he reached out to take her hands, she pulled back, muttering that he shouldn’t be near her. His heart ached at that sentence and he instead took her hands in his. Nic again protested, near tears once more as she blurted out how dangerous she was and that she didn’t want to hurt him. Abner only shook his head as he removed her gloves and pressed her bare hands to his face followed by an encouraging smile and a whisper of “you won’t hurt me.” It was the first night they ever shared a bed, Abner not wanting her to sleep alone on the couch. But drifting off to sleep and feeling the warmth of her body next to his in bed, it gave Abner the epiphany of his feelings.
The following months were full of tender moments and pining.
He pretended not to hear the conversations during their bimonthly trips to the grocery store. There was a kind, old woman who was always buying celery. Whenever Nic would go over to buy some fresh produce, the woman would make polite conversation. The first encounter the woman simply inquired about them, where they were from, what they were doing in Flåm. Nic answered the woman in flawless Norwegian, Abner only catching parts of it. At the time she had only been teaching him the language for a few weeks. The most recent encounter with the old woman stung a little to Abner when he overheard what Nic had said. He made himself look busy with picking out strawberries, only barely noticing Nic glance over at him before answering the woman.
“We’re just friends,” she had said in response to the woman’s inquiry as to the nature of their relationship.
Abner couldn’t miss the unconvinced look that the old woman gave Nic, with a mumble about “he is a handsome boy” and “snatch him up before someone else does.”
What he did miss was the quiet reply from Nic of “whoever ends up with him will be very lucky.”
There was a point where he had to do something. And that was going to be today. He had the plan, what he was going to ask her and when. It was easy on paper, he just hoped he could execute it.
Abner had been pacing for nearly an hour, constantly eyeing the clock for the time, waiting for Nic to get off work at the bakery. Then the door opened and Nic stepped in, huffing tiredly as she kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her jacket. She pulled her hair out of the small ponytail and prepared herself to go upstairs and have a nice, cool shower. But Abner standing before her, nervous and fidgety, caused her to pause.
“Abner? Is everything okay?” She asked quietly.
“Yeah, I just, uh…” he cleared his throat and looked at his feet for a moment. “Do you, um, want to go on a date? Maybe?”
Her breath got caught in her throat as she tried not to look too giddy. Excitement buzzed in her chest as she slowly let herself grin shyly. “I– Yeah. I’d love to go on a date with you, Abner.”
He looked up at her almost in surprise. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“G–Great. How about tomorrow night? We can go to that diner you really like.”
Her grin widened. “Sounds like a date.” She stepped forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek before heading upstairs.
Warning: spoilers for The Suicide Squad; slight self deprecation
The cell wasn’t cozy, far from it actually, but she had more luxuries than others got. For instance, she has some notebooks and pens for writing, and a few books that she’s read a hundred times. Plus she had music, the greatest luxury afforded to her. Nic was sure she was only allowed to have it because Waller knew music kept her calm. It was her safe haven.
The door to the cell opened and Nic immediately pulled off her headphones as three guards stepped in. They wore their gear and one was holding a pair of black gloves. Those Nic were familiar with.
“Stand,” one of the guards ordered. She complied immediately and stood from the bed, facing the open cell door. She could hear talking down the hall and footsteps drew closer. It was Amanda Waller.
“Hands out,” the guard with the gloves said. Nick held out her hands as the guard began to put the gloves on her. It was merely a precaution; Waller knew Nic wouldn’t use her powers unless absolutely necessary.
The warden’s voice rang through the hall as she stepped into view with a group. “And finally we have Nicole Blake.” Waller stood in front of the open door and watched as the gloves were put on Nic’s hands. “She is our secret weapon. The asset.” The way the group was staring made Nic feel uncomfortable. She felt like a zoo animal rather than the lab rat she was used to being. She couldn’t tell which was worse. “She has the ability to infuse any object, organic or inorganic, with enough kinetic energy to cause it to combust. She has enough power to destroy a whole city in one day. We know, we’ve tested.”
“Are the gloves secure?” Nic asked the guard meekly as he finished strapping the gloves.
“They’re secure,” he replied gruffly before looking to the warden for clearance. Waller nodded and the two other guards began to remove the power dampener from her neck.
“If she’s so powerful, why send all of us?” Bloodsport asked bluntly.
“She still needs an escort. She can’t do everything herself.” Waller explained as the dampener was removed.
Nic’s entire body tensed as it was taken off. As uncomfortable and bulky as it was, she felt better with it on. At least she knew that way there was no chance of her hurting anyone, no chance of her losing control of her powers. Honestly she couldn’t remember the last time it was taken off.
“Relax, Blake.” Ordered Waller. “The gloves are on, you’ll be fine.”
“Excuse me if I’m a little… anxious, ma’am.” Nic hissed, lightly glaring.
“Follow me for your briefing,” Waller said to the group, walking down the hall. Nic quickly grabbed her sweater off the bed and pulled it on as she was pushed out the door by one of the guards.
She stopped listening to the briefing. Nic knew exactly what her role in the mission was and it knotted up her stomach with anxiety. It was until the end of the briefing did she come back into focus as her ‘teammates’ asked questions. She wasn’t sure what she preferred more: not being on a team or not being on the mission.
She found herself raising her hand, though. And when Waller’s attention went to her, Nic asked—albeit voice a little shaky—a question she already knew the answer to.
“Why not use explosives to destroy the building? You don’t need me…” she mumbled the last part and sunk into her seat.
“Because your powers are a guarantee that Jotunheim will be destroyed. We can’t risk any loose ends,” Waller told her curtly. “And besides, I thought you’d enjoy getting to blow up another building.” She said, the faintest hint of a smirk on the warden’s lips.
It made Nic want to jump out of her seat and yell at Waller. Her blood boiled at the comment but she bit her lip to keep from saying anything unruly. Something about not biting the hand that feeds you.
Getting onto the plane was strange. Not because it was the first time Nic was leaving Belle Reve in nearly 3 years, but because Amanda Waller was personally seeing them off. She never did that. This meant either the mission was crucially important, or she wanted to keep an eye on Nic. Either way it was daunting and Nic felt her hands shake a little as she sat down. Her headset and iPod sat in the seat next to her as she tried to fasten her seatbelt. It wasn’t long before she realized what happened.
It broke.
She shyly looked over Waller, like a child waiting to be scolded. Amanda tried not to roll her eyes at Nic’s non-meta ability to break anything she touched.
“Take a seat next to Krill,” Amanda told her.
Nic did as she was told and picked up her things before sitting next to the man in polka dots. They glanced at each other when she sat down, and she swore he looked even more nervous to be here than she was. It felt understandable, she’d be nervous to be on a team with herself too.
“I broke my seatbelt…” she mumbled quietly, almost trying to justify why she was sitting next to him. Nic quickly fastened on her seatbelt and put on her headphones. She pressed play and the music flooded into her ears. The familiar beat of her favorite song calmed her and she felt her shoulders slump.
Summary: 5 times Nic borrows clothes from Abner, and the 1 time he gave one to her
Tag List: @hyperionshipping @heavenshipped @fangs-and-blades @paxpengvina @withlovefromlyell @the-hufflepuff-dramatist
Warning: Fluff!
The first time Nic ever borrowed clothing from Abner it made his heart flutter and face grow red.
The door had just opened to the house and Nic stepped inside with a bag of groceries. She set them down on the coffee table before pulling off her jacket and setting it back on the coat rack. Kicking off her shoes, she grabbed the bag and headed towards the kitchen where Abner had been washing the dishes from breakfast. It wasn’t until Nic stepped in the kitchen and started to put the groceries away that Abner noticed what she was wearing.
It was one of his shirts—a light blue button up with white flowers on it. Nothing much. It looked big on her, the sleeves having to be rolled up to her elbows and the bottom of the shirt went well past her waist. If Abner was being honest with himself, she looked… cute.
“Is–is that my shirt?” He asked, watching as Nic put some items in the fridge.
She jumped at the mention of the shirt, accidentally hitting her head on the inside of the fridge. She hissed in pain a bit before standing and closing the fridge door, rubbing the sore spot on her head.
“Um… yeah… I hope you don’t mind, none of mine are clean. I was going to clean them after I finished putting the groceries away. I should’ve asked you if it was okay first,” she rambled.
“It’s okay, it looks…” cute on you, he said internally, but didn’t have the guts yet to verbalize his admiration of her, “…nice on you.”
Both of their cheeks grew bright red at the compliment.
“Th–thanks, Abner,” Nic managed to squeak out.
“I can finish putting the groceries away so you can get the laundry done,” he offered.
“Oh, yeah, thanks.” She nodded and headed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. As she headed up the stairs, Nic bit her lip to hold back the shy smile that fought its way onto her lips.
The second time Nic borrowed clothes from Abner it was an accident that he surely didn’t mind.
Things get mixed up in the wash on occasion, and typically only the size is a give away. But Nic didn’t pay attention when she was grabbing clothes out of her closet or drawers, just grabbing the clothing without a thought.
She didn’t realize until she got out of the shower—the hot water in hers upstairs had stopped working and they had to wait at least another 3 days for the repair man—and she was embarrassed immediately. It was so obvious now that she looked at the t-shirt and how big it was compared to her usual ones. Now Nic had two options: ask Abner to bring her one from her room; or walk out the bathroom in his shirt before going to get one from her room and hope he doesn’t notice. She squeezed her eyes tight and swallowed her pride, cracking the downstairs bathroom door open slightly and called for Abner. After the second time of calling, she heard his voice from a few feet away.”
“Are you okay, Nic?” He asked.
“Yeah, it’s just… one of your shirts got mixed with mine in the wash and I didn’t realize until now. Can you grab me a new shirt from my room because I accidentally grabbed yours.” She explained. She leaned with her back against the door. There was a short pause before Abner responded.
“I don’t mind if you wear it. I can still get you a shirt if you want.” He said.
“Really?” She asked in surprise. She looked down at the shirt in her hands.
“You do so much for me, it’s the least I could do,” Abner shrugged, despite knowing she couldn’t see him.
“Nevermind then,” Nic cleared her throat. “Thank you, Abner.” She pulled on the shirt, the last piece of clothing she needed. Opening the door, Nic paused when she saw Abner was still standing outside the door.
“It looks nice on you,” he told her quietly before going back to the couch to finish his puzzle.
The third time Nic borrowed clothes from Abner she was rushing out the door.
She hadn’t heard her alarm go off causing her to oversleep. Nic was rushing out the door, a piece of buttered toast in her mouth as she fought with her shoes to pull them on. Cursing to herself when the toast fell out of her mouth and onto the floor, she didn’t care at the moment about anything but getting to work. In a moment of hurry, she picked up the toast and shoved it into her mouth as she got the other shoe on.
Normally she’d be quiet and try not to disturb Abner who was still sleeping, but today there was no luxury. Checking the time on her phone, she realized she only had 10 minutes to get to work. Grabbing a jacket off the coat rack, she raced out of the house and shut the door behind her.
It wasn’t until she got home from work, exhausted but satisfied she had managed to make it on time, that she realized she had taken Abner’s jacket. She debated on saying something, apologizing for taking his jacket and explaining she was in a rush. But before she could even sneakily put it back on the rack, Abner stepped into the living room.
“Is that my jacket?” He asked.
Nic's face grew bright red with embarrassment as she slowly pulled it off. “Um, yes. I accidentally took it this morning on my way to work. I didn’t even notice–”
“Don’t worry,” Abner assured her with a smile. “I wasn’t going to be needing it today anyway.”
“Are you sure? I can wash it if you want–”
She started to offer but he shook his head.
“Really, it’s fine.” There was a pause before he quietly added, “It looks nice on you.”
Her face grew even redder at his statement. “I appreciate the compliment.” She cleared her throat, hiding her face with her hair. “I’m going to go take a shower now.” With that, Nic rushed upstairs.
The fourth time Nic borrowed clothes from Abner he didn’t even mention it, only smiling to himself.
It was getting colder the closer the winter months came, and while the house was insulated to keep the heat, it wasn’t enough for Nic. She was chilly often, wearing socks and occasionally even her jacket inside, particularly at night. She had recently been looking into getting a heated blanket to use when she slept on the couch (which was still every night despite how much Abner protested he could take care of himself at night).
But with the cold, it also helped Nic sleep better, causing her to still be asleep when she was normally up helping Abner. He didn’t mind, glad she was getting rest when she didn’t have to be helping him. She still felt guilty when morning came and she realized she wasn’t there to help him. An insistence on cooking breakfast was always her way of trying to make it up to him.
This night in particular, however, was a rarity.
Nic had helped Abner outside to the back porch to expel the dots, the same as any other night. She was racked with chills after coming back inside, ignoring them enough to help him back to bed before going back to the couch to fall asleep. But she was still shivering, and in the darkness Nic spotted one of Abner’s sweaters that he discarded on a chair. Desperate for a little extra warmth she knew the blanket couldn’t provide alone, Nic pulled on the sweater before curling up under the blanket on the couch and falling back asleep.
Abner hadn’t been so lucky, unable to fall asleep despite the pains being dulled to an ache. It was just one of those nights where he couldn’t sleep. So knowing this, he got out of bed with the intention of having some tea to help him relax enough to fall asleep, maybe a light snack as well.
Stepping out of his bedroom, Abner noticed the blanket covering Nic had been half thrown over the back of the couch. He grabbed the blanket and gently started to cover her with it, pausing when she shifted a little, before continuing. As he gently tucked her in, he noticed the sweater she was wearing. It was his. The sleeves were long and balled up in her fists. Abner couldn’t stop the soft smile that came to his face at the sight of her in his sweater. Settling the blanket on her, he quietly went to the kitchen to make some tea with a smile on his face that stayed even once morning arrived.
The fifth time Nic borrowed clothes from Abner it had them both flustered messes.
The dryer had broken so Nic had to resort to air drying her clothes, something she’s not used to. Having no clean clothes to wear when they went to the grocery store, Nic asked to borrow one of Abner’s shirts. It wasn’t a big deal, after all she’s worn his clothes a few times now and he never seemed to mind. The issue was, Nic managed to pick a shirt that Abner wore often, a shirt others in town recognized as his.
So naturally when Mrs. Nyberg came down the aisle that they were on, looking at the canned soups and broths, neither knew they were already caught. The elderly woman lived down the street from them and was very friendly, and she had a suspicious eye on them when they replied to her greeting and she noted the shirt. It was hard to miss the shirt, a bright yellow button up, and even harder to not recognize it. Neither of the two caught the suspicious look she had, instead making a small friendly conversation.
Until Mrs. Nyberg spoke up about the shirt.
“Is that Abner’s shirt?” She asked in her thick Norse accent.
Abner had just grabbed a can of cream of mushroom soup, but at the question promptly dropped it onto the floor. He quickly picked it up and placed it in the cart. Nic opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find a reason for wearing the shirt. There was the truth, and then there was the perception of the situation.
“I didn’t have any clean clothes,” Nic finally managed to get out, a red hot blush covering her neck and creeping up her ears. Abner stared at his feet and tried to stay out of the conversation.
“Hmph,” Mrs. Nyberg looks between the two, noting the obvious blushes on their cheeks. A small smirk curls onto her lips.
Nic awkwardly cleared her throat, shuffling her feet a little. “We should, uh, get back to shopping. Still have a lot on the list.”
“Of course,” Mrs. Nyberg replied, very obviously not buying the excuse but letting them go anyway. She headed down the aisle and looked to Abner. “Be good to her,” she whispered before continuing on her way.
The first time Abner gave Nic a piece of clothing was the first time he’d ever seen her truly flustered.
It was cold as they walked home from the diner, the lightest of snowfall beginning. It was their first winter in Norway and apparently the snowfall was intense during this season. When it started to dust lightly outside, a few patrons knew it was time to start heading back to their houses. Nic and Abner decided it would be smart to head home too, being at least a twenty minute walk from the diner to their house. The talk of finally using the fireplace came up as they strolled down the sidewalk, and they both agreed it would be a good way to keep warm in the coming weeks.
About five minutes into the walk home, Nic was hugging herself tightly and trying her best not to shiver. Despite the jacket and two other layers of clothes she wore, she was still freezing. More particularly her face was—nose and cheeks red as a cherry. It took a moment but Abner finally realized the chittering sound was her teeth as she shivered. He stopped walking and gently grabbed her elbow to stop her as well.
“Abner, what is it?” Nic asked. She watched as he started to take off the scarf on his neck and start to put it on her. The warmth enveloped her and butterflies rose in her stomach. “But–but you’ll get cold!” She tried to protest.
Abner shook his head. “I’ll be fine, I have my hat. You’re the one freezing.”
“Are you sure?” She asked.
He nodded, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. “I’m sure.” He gave her a soft smile. “It looks cute on you.”
Her eyes got wide and she stuttered out a thanks, her face red from a blush rather than the cold. It took her a moment to find her bearings. “Are your hands cold?” She asked, trying to change the topic to avoid her blush.
“I’m fine–” he started, but Nic was already taking one of her knit gloves off. She took his hand and slid the glove on before smiling at him.
As they started to walk again, Nic reached over and took Abner’s non-gloved hand in her own non-gloved hand. Their fingers intertwined and she looked away, trying to hide the prominent blush. What she missed, however, was the soft smile on Abner’s face.
