Finally did Nico's song! Yay! Lmao

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Song: This is Love by Air Traffic Control

Characters:

Nico, Adiar, and River

Context:

This song is basically just Adiar, Nico, and River's relationship.

Get ready for a lot of toxicity in this one! (I mean, that's literally what the song's about, lmao)

TW's: Mentions of physical abuse, suicidal ideation, victim blaming, and just a generally toxic relationship

Enjoy!

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(Starting out strong, shortly after Nico moved in with Adiar and River the abuse that had previously been only mental turned physical. It's important to note that it's very rare for Adiar to ever harm his partners in any way that could be spotted, he was very careful about it. That said, River, who is always outwardly very confident and somewhat cocky was quickly revealed to simply break under Adair's wrath. Basically, Nico's first real look into the reality of the relationship)

Adiar, mocking and hostile, to both River and Nico: "You're no good, you're no good."

River, glaring at the floor, talking to Adiar: "You could kill me and you should."

Nico, slightly panicked as everything finally clicks: "I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood. On the wall, on the couch, on the corner of my mouth!"

(Slight timeline change. It's a little later in the relationship and Nico has pretty much joined River in believing that Adiar's in the right and giving up on trying to leave or change anything. Nico set up their own happy persona, joining River in that way too. They became closer to each other while Adiar continued to get worse and worse)

Adiar, snickering, to Nico: "You must like being the victim, you've done nothing to get out of this pattern of pain! Washed away by the rain, you'll forgive me if I promise and do nothing but the same."

River, looking at Nico sadly: "This is life until death."

Nico, shrugging and smiling faintly: "Could be my last dying breath."

River, nodding slightly and smiling at Adiar: "But this is love."

Nico, in agreeance: "Love."

Adiar, annoyed: "Shut up!"

River & Nico, looking at each other: "This is love."

(Slight timeline change. This is about the time the short story with River and Nico took place)

River, giving Nico a warning while also asking them to stick around: "Forget everything you used to know, I think you better tell your friends to go. Stick around cause I'm about to show you the beginning is the end."

(Another timeline shift. A little later, Nico's been in the relationship for a solid two years now.)

Adiar: "Yeah, I know wrong, I know right, but I just love to pick a fight."

Nico: "I can sleep with one eye open if there's any sleep at night."

Adiar, grinning: "I got my knife, got my gun, let's see how fast you can run!"

River, unfazed by Adiar's threats: "You might think that you can hurt me, but the damage has been done."

(Still a few years into the relationship, Adiar's confronting Nico about Jade, who noticed a bruise on their upper arm and questioned about it. Nico refused to give away information, protecting Adiar in the process. However, when Adiar found out, he insisted Nico should have told Jade just to start a fight.)

Adiar, to Nico: "It's pathetic!"

Nico, looking away: "I know."

Adiar, about Jade, to Nico: "A jealous fool who won't let go."

Adiar, giving Nico reasons why they should have told: "If I was sorry for my actions would I ever stoop so low?"

(Nico's mental health starts spiraling drastically in the third year of the relationship, but, for River's sake, he desperately tries to hold on to the happy persona)

Nico, sitting by themselves, staring blankly at a wall: "Got no reason to live and I've got nothing left to give them but my love, love, fuck it, this is love."

(Timeline change. Jumping way back to before Nico even moved in with River and Adiar. They're discussing their childhoods together over a bottle of beer)

Nico: "Oh I was hit as a kid."

Adiar, leaning back: "I was good but then I quit."

River, smiling slightly: "Everyone that tried to fix me knows that I can't change a bit."

Adiar: "I've got no shame."

River: "Got no pride."

Nico: "Only skeletons to hide."

(Later on in the timeline. Adiar talks very plainly about the relationship, proving he's fully aware of what he's doing.)

Adiar, almost tauntingly: "And if you try to talk to someone, well then someone has to die! Once you chase me down the hole, yeah once you think you're in control, you'll believe that we are partners and you'll feel uncomfortable. Oh, then the darkness rolls in and you'll forget who I have been, but you'll love, love, love it. This is love!"

(Still later on, all of them acknowledge the relationship isn't necassarily positive for anyone, but River and Nico both make excuses, trying to convince themselves that there's good in what's going on.)

River: "The simple love that my grandparents had."

Adiar, amused: "This kind of love will only make you mad, honey."

Nico, forcing a smile: "It hurts at first but it ain't that bad. You gotta wonder what it meant."

Nico, Adiar, and River: "This is love."