Well, here goes, a teeny-tiny oneshot I’ve been promising chipsnopotatoes for... well, forever, basically. I heartily apologize for my lack of writing – once we get around to abolishing homework, perhaps my speed of writing will return to what it was during the summer. :-)

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Nadia frowned slightly and turned off whatever stupid show her channel-flipping landed on when she heard a quiet but decisive knock. At first she had no clue who it could be, but a tiny hunch quickly grew as she peered through the peephole. Biting back a gasp, she leaned her head against the door and composed herself for a second before easing the door open.

Neither said anything. The dark, mysterious brown and stormy blue eyes simply connected for a minute as they stood there awkwardly without actually noticing how awkward it was.

“I can’t,” he said simply.

Nadia pursed her lips softly and studied the faint scars around his eyes. Somehow she understood exactly what he meant. “You never had to.”

Letting him in wordlessly, she gently squeezed his hand in reassurance.

He knew she meant every word that lay unspoken between them. Somehow she knew exactly what he was going through.

Because he never had to do it alone.