Consequences

[Sage]

Sage struggled against Nox's grip on him. The pillar smelled musty and Sage sneezed. His wallet rang and Sage sighed knowing who it was. Nox answered the phone telling Sasha it was alright. But Sage needed to talk to her - what the fuck happened to his things... His voice came out tight - he didn't swear which surprised him as much as Nox's non-anger had.

Sasha told him what happened. And Sage's body felt broken - like every bone in his body had turned to jello and his limbs felt like noodles and he wanted to collapse to the floor but the hold Nox had on his kept him upright. Sage could feel his own body shaking as the two continued to talk. He didn't catch most of it too lost in his own thoughts.

Sasha hung up. Talk to him later he'd heard. It brought him out of his pain - his loss. Sage shrugged and tried to struggle again and Nox let him go. The other man backed away and Sage just glared at him before he leaned against the wall and slide down to curl up into a fetal position leaning against it.

Nox squatted down but didn't move any closer and asked, "You alright?"


Sage turned his body away from the other man, so he couldn't see him. The last thing Sage wanted was to see a disarming grin and the good natured kid helping him through a shit storm. He wasn't some baby. Didn't need kid gloves. Nox asked again, this time calling him by name. Sage couldn't answer. He would be lying. It wasn't okay. Nothing about this was okay.

Everything he owned was gone. All the information he collected over the years gone up in smoke because of Byran. All his friends lost in the wipe. He knew they were real people - he could track them all down again, but now - now he had to start over.

Nox just watched him from where he'd squatted down. He didn't touch him, didn't say anything else. Sage couldn't take it and he unfolded himself from the ground and stood up. His anger bubbling to the surface again. Sage paced rapidly back and forth in a small space. He hated this - hated feeling helpless. He wasn't connected. He was a lone - his friends all gone.

Sage wasn't usually violent - Nox was rubbing off in a bad way. Sage couldn't help the overwhelming desire to punch something. All thought had fled with his anger and Sage pulled his fist back and hit the same pillar that Nox had pinned him up against.

The pain shot through his fingers and up his arm... there was nothing else but the mind numbing pain.