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He felt absurdly like a child being reprimanded, which was not a pleasant experience in the least, especially coming from Melvin, of all people. Nash's head was still resting back against the cave wall, and while he didn't feel terrible, he didn't feel great.

At least all of his limbs were intact - and the FEAR shield kept most of the actual damage at bay, even if his face and neck were still throbbing.

"Sorry," Nash said again, barely managing to restrain the irritation, if only for Melvin's sake, because he sure as hell was not apologizing to Lawrence, and it wasn't even Melvin yelling that was irritating him the most, it was entirely the man currently tattling like a three year old.

"Yes, I'm so incredibly ******** horrible," he said sarcastically. "However did Melvin manage to lower himself to my level? To answer your question - " Nash's gaze redirected to Melvin's. " - I'll be fine in a little while, it wasn't that bad of a swim."

The look Lawrence gave Melvin was entirely that of betrayal. Whatever superficial amusement he’d been coasting on at the ridiculous scene sapped away like ice cold water down a drain

Lawrence had been sure that Melvin understood him, comfortable in the thought that the other man knew how he felt about practically everything and that they’d fostered a trust that had let him safely unfurl his innermost vulnerabilities in safety.

It wasn’t true.

Here was Melvin handing him to a man who’d happily let him die, who couldn’t stand the sight of him and he was willing to put him in his hands. It was just another layer of betrayal on top of his comments that they weren’t together any longer and therefore his opinion was moot.

It was everything he’d dreaded about letting Melvin leave the relationship without killing him coming back to roost. He leaned into the nothingness in him, letting the cold lack of concern envelop him like night, cooling the heat of his impulsive desire to kill Melvin on the spot for this, for using him, for not understanding anything, anything at all.

His expression hardened, blank and cold like a doll. “You’d do that?” He said, and all of his attention was on Melvin, his voice void of emotion or inflection. “ You’d do that and say that. I understand, I see everything clearly now.”

“I will not go with him. You’ll need to kill me first.”

Nash wasn't the only one with a headache, but moreso he felt hurt by the tone of voice and look that Lawr gave him. He understood that looking like this, being down here, and being afraid were all things Lawr did not like, but the tone was a lockdown.

"I don't think you do." He said to Lawr and moved over, kneeling down to place a hand gently on either side of Lawr's head as he brought his lips to whisper into his ear.

"The Knights of Neptune might send you two to court for starting a fight. I don't want them to kill you. I don't want to give them a chance to punish you. I want you safe, and I can't do that if I'm locked behind a door or in my room or kept away from keeping you safe.They act on their own." He didn't want to have to choose between Atlantis and Lawr.

"This is the only way I can think of to get you back home. You aren't at your best down here. You don't shine in the ocean." He squeezed a little more tightly at the thought of stepping back through the doors of Atlantis and something awfully happening. "It's either go with him.....or have Nash call for Rodney to come down when he goes back but risk something bad happening in the next couple of hours. I don't want that happening."

Nash had no idea what Melvin had said to Lawrence, but it took an effort of will not to just walk away right then and there. He wasn't involved in this. He had no feelings for Melvin other than a pleasant and casual desire to romp around every now and then, and he was a relatively easy person to be around. He was fun, in an entirely noncommittal, relaxed way, and that was exactly why Nash liked him.

He did not, however, like the drama. And he did not like the intimate way that Melvin was talking to Lawrence, whatever he was saying, if only because he was sick and tired of being made out to be some sort of lower life form, and he was sick and tired of Lawrence playing the victim, and he was sick and tired of the idea that he was somehow caught in the middle of these two lovebirds who still wanted each other, in spite of what Melvin had said.

He was going to be even more sick and tired if it turned out Melvin really had just been using him to get back at Lawrence.

"Fine," Nash snapped, dragging himself to his feet. "Then go ahead and ******** die here. I'm going home, with or without your sorry, pathetic, obsessive, pointless a**, and if you'd rather die than I don't really give a flying ********. You can ******** rot here for all I care."

Lawrence went from a flat cold stare to smiling at Nash in an amiable sort of way. It was a sweet saccharine sort of smile, feeling vindicated in his misgivings by the way the other man reacted. It just made clearer Melvin’s error in thinking that he’d be safe with Nash.

“Maybe you should breathe Nash. Rants don’t at all suit you.” He said.

Melvin got an unreadable look. “I trusted you to look after my most important possession.”

Lawrence himself.

He waited still the sound of water turned to quiet before he looked at the pool, Nash gone.

Looking away, he sat there.

"I'm sorry."

He frowned at the twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I don't think I'd be in the mood." He admitted.

Nash had been kind and nice to him, but he also didn't want to be pulled into anything involved with him, and his life was too much like tar. It made you feel stuck, made you sink, stuck to you. Nash wanted to shake him off, wanted to get away from Lawr, and he wouldn't want to be involved with him unless there was some guarantee he wouldn't be pulled into something.

"He probably only wants to ******** me if I can guarantee I'd never be involved with you."

He didn't look up. "You called him a slut. That doesn't win people to want to ******** you." He said in a automatic, distant tone.