Here's the story! The title is a reference to the phrase "Only fools fall in love," lmao

Anyway, I didn't know how to end it at all, so the end is very awkward, but oh well-

---

Fools Fall

Prompt; Argue

Characters; Nico, Revan, Briar, Aries, Ingall, Garvin, and Akira

Word Count; 2860

TW; Swearing, Arguing, Panic attacks, Hinted at past abuse, Mentions of past victim blaming, Self-blaming, Messy writing (especially at the end), and maybe more-

Notes; I think this would probably take place between Coffee Dates and Polaris Chat, so early on in the polycule's relationship after moving in together.

Basically, at the point where Revan's still invested in work, like, over most everything else, at least on given days, lol

This story's basically just Nico being overly worried (well, kinda-) and pressing a little too much resulting in an argument that escalates, so, fun stuff.

---

It was late morning by the time Nico finished putting up all the dishes and cleaning up from breakfast. Not that she really minded, it was easy enough and good to pass the time, the silence was really the bigger issue.

Ingall and Garvin had left in the very early morning, heading to the new space museum, with Ingall already ranting about spaceships, constellations, and nebulae as they were leaving, which was frankly adorable considering how quiet he usually was, and Akira had left a little less than an hour ago to go talk with Everett. Which left Nico alone with Revan, who hadn't left his desk in nearly two days.

Sighing, Nico rolled his shoulders back and walked back toward the room they shared with her partners, knocking on the doorframe lightly to grab Revan's attention, which... didn't work. His boyfriend sat slouched over his computer, empty mugs surrounding him, bags under his eyes, and fingers seeming to move more sluggishly than usual.

Their heart twisted, Rev just didn't know how to take a fucking break.

"Ural?" They got a grunt in response and couldn't help but sigh again, stepping further into the room. "You didn't come eat today..."

"I'm fine, Nico."

The response was snappy and Nico fought back the need to flinch. He was just tired, just needed help. That was all.

"You didn't sleep last night. Living off coffee isn't healthy you know."

"I said I'm fine!"

She paused, taking in a breath. Obviously, he wasn't fine, but maybe he just couldn't see that. Which was okay. He just needed help.

"I just want to help you-"

"I don't need help! I'm fine!"

"You're half-asleep, Revy! You've got bags under your eyes, you can barely sit up straight, and you're moving slower than normal! That doesn't seem 'fine!' Just let me-"

"Nico!" Revan looked up, eyes narrowed, angry. "I don't need help, I need to get this done! So leave me alone and let me get my work done! Please."

As he said the last word, he looked back to his screen, grabbing his cup of coffee and taking a quick sip before beginning to type again. Nico stood and watched, mind racing in an attempt to figure out what to do next.

Revan was stubborn, but at this rate he'd kill himself with the lack of self care and there was no way in hell Nico would let that happen when she was right there. When he was supposed to be his partner!

“Can-” They paused, backtracked, and took a deep breath before starting over. “I'm worried about you, Specs. I know you think you're fine and everything, but, if, maybe, just this once you could take a break?”

Revan’s jaw clenched and he damn-near slammed his mug down, causing Nico to flinch.

“I don't have time for this. Leave.”

“But, I-”

“Enough! Just get out!”

“Rev-”

“For fucks sake, Nico, what part of ‘leave me alone’ don't you understand?! Stop annoying me and let me get this done!”

“Just let me help you!”

“I don't need your help, Cosmos!” He froze, body tensing at the usage of her last name. Revan glared for a moment before taking a breath and rolling his shoulders back, once again turning to his computer. “So, please, get out.”

For a moment, Nico was left speechless, eyes starting to sting and a pain that they hadn't felt in a very long time clutching her chest.

He should have just let it go, they'd pushed too far again. It was his fault, and now Rev was angry. Angry at her, because they were an idiot who couldn't just let people do what they wanted. Because he just had to jump in and ruin everything.

“I- I'm sorry…”

Their voice broke and, when he turned to leave, her legs seemed to protest, shaking and their eyes blurred, turning his cheeks wet and limiting his vision.

Yet, Nico forced himself to move. To get out. To leave.

Because that's what Revan wanted. That's what he needed.

Not Nico. Nico just made things worse. No one needed that. No one needed him.

So she moved, stumbling through the apartment, half-blind, shaking, and choking out quiet sobs. He moved until they were outside, and then kept going.

Kept stumbling until they reached the home of the only person who might not absolutely despise her for what he'd just done. Maybe.

Or maybe they'd hate him too. They deserved it anyway.

—

They were in the middle of doing Aries' hair and ranting about something that had happened the day before when someone knocked.

Both of them paused and Briar's brow furrowed. They hadn't been expecting anyone and the people who would usually show up without warning (namely, Nico, Garvin, and Haila) were all busy today according to previous conversations. Briar hummed and stood up, carefully draping Aries' half-braided hair back over his shoulder before doing so.

“I got it.”

Aries nodded and they headed toward the door, pulling it open with some hesitance before freezing when a sobbing Nico threw himself at them.

“Ria! I… s- sorry… did- didn't… I- I… he- just… So- sorry- Please… I didnt- I… didn't mean to… h-hates… me- I-”

Finally collecting themself, Briar took a breath and wrapped their arms around their friend, carefully pulling her further into the apartment and closing the door behind him.

“Hey, hey, easy. I gotcha. Deep breaths, yer okay.”

They rubbed soothing circles into Nico's back, mind racing to try and piece together what possibly could have happened. As far as they could remember, Garvin and Ingall were going on a date today, when Nico had texted them yesterday she'd said they were really excited about it, but they would have to leave pretty early, so they probably hadn't been home. She'd also mentioned something about Akira meeting up with Everett, though he hadn't said anything about a time, so they could've been home, and Revan was probably also home since Nico hadn't mentioned him at all.

Which left a few options. Something could have happened to one of Nico's partners, but that was unlikely because Nico probably would have called in that case. Nico may have been out of the house in the first place and run here because something had happened and their place was closer than Nico's, which was more likely and made Briar's blood boil. Or, it could've been an argument, which was also likely, and honestly didn't make them feel much better.

Whatever the case, Briar rocked Nico back and forth gently, attempting to calm him down while Aries, who must have entered the room at the sound of chaos, watched in concern from the other side of the room.

Eventually, Nico calmed down enough for Briar to lead her to the kitchen table and carefully guide them to sit.

“Sorry…”

Nico's voice was raspy and still shook, and Briar's heart twisted as they shook their head.

“Uh-uh. No S word. Yer fine, I ain't upset with you. Are you able to tell me what happened?” Nico's hands started to shake again and their eyes glossed over. Briar reached out and took her hands in their own, hoping to stable him somewhat. “‘T’s alright, ya don't have to if ya can't.”

“No-” He paused, taking a breath before continuing. “No, I- I can. It was my fault. I- I pushed too much, I… I made him upset. I should have just listened. It was… it was my fault…”

Briar's brow furrowed again as tears began to fall from their friends eyes again.

“Ya made who mad?”

Nico swallowed, seeming to struggle a little before speaking.

“Revan… I- it was my fault…”

Their voice was strained and it took Briar a moment to process exactly what was said, and then another to realize that Nico was using a full name over a nickname.

A mixture of worry, confusion, and anger rose in their chest and they locked eyes with Aries over her shoulder. Aries held up his phone and they nodded slightly, knowing their boyfriend was likely going to call Garvin.

“Deep breaths, yer alright. Can ya tell me why ya argued? If not, that's okay.”

Nico sniffled, once again seeming to struggle to answer. Briar watched patiently, rubbing the back of Nico's hand carefully.

“I just… I wanted- I wanted to help, but… But I made it worse, I- I hurt him more, I pushed too much, I couldn't- I couldn't keep quiet, I just… I can't- he… he hates me now! They- they all will, after- after they hear what I did! It's my… my fault-”

Briar's eyes narrowed and their anger spiked at their friends broken expression.

"Well, I know that ain't true. No one hates ya, Nico, I promise, okay? You jus' tried talking to Revan while he was workin', did I get that right?"

"Well, I-"

"No, don' try an' defend 'im. He was workin', you tried ta talk ta him an' he got all pissy 'cause he didn't wanna be inturrupted, right?"

Nico's gaze lowered but he nodded slightly and Briar's anger grew even further.

"Right then. He doesn't hate ya, he jus' got upset 'cause he doesn't know how ta take care of himself an' he doesn't want anyone else ta try an' tell 'im what to do. He shouldn't've snapped at ya, and I'm pretty fuckin' confident that you did not deserve that shit. It wasn't yer fault. He doesn't hate ya, he jus' needs some time ta chill the fuck out and then he can apologize ta you. An' I know damn well yer other partners won' be upset at ya for this, you're all gonna be alright."

"But-"

"Nico-"

"He used my last name!"

Briar froze and Nico's shoulders tensed, another wave of tears coming. For a moment, all they could see was red and it took ever single part of their mind to keep from immediately getting up and storming to Nico's apartment and breaking down the fucking door.

"He fuckin' what?!"

"I-" Nico shuddered. "He was really upset this time because of what I said! It- It's my fault, he wouldn't- He wouldn't act like that if it wasn't!"

Briar found themself squeezing their eyes shut and biting their tongue to keep from snapping out a reply, instead taking their time to gather their thoughts again before speaking. No need to cause more damage.

"And what, in god's name, did ya fuckin' say, Nico?"

Okay, maybe still more harsh than intended. The other fidgeted.

"Um, I- I tried to... to tell him what to do?"

They gritted their teeth.

"Which was?"

Nico sniffed again, seeming to think very hard before answering in a near-whisper.

"Eat and take a break?"

With that, Briar stood, taking a step toward the door, voice basically a growl.

"Imma fuckin' kill 'im."

Nico was standing then too, grabbing their arm, tears still staining his cheeks.

"Ali, wait! Please! I- I shouldn't have interrupted him! It's okay, it was my fault! Don't hurt him, please!"

"It's not yer fuckin' fault, Nico! God, look at yerself! Yer a fuckin' mess, ya can barely stand, ya could hardly talk fer almost half an hour, all 'cause yer partner, who is supposed to love ya, intentionally triggered ya 'cause you tried ta take care of 'im! It ain't yer fault, so stop tryin' to convince me it is! You deserve better, an' I refuse ta let my best friend be convinced by another dumbass guy that they're worthless! Yer fuckin' not! Yer a fuckin' amazing, kind, an' gentle soul, an' you deserve to feel loved, not- Not this shit! I ain't gonna sit back an' watch this happen to ya again!"

They didn't realize they were crying until Nico, with wide eyes, reached up and gently brushed a tear from their cheek before pulling himself forward and into another hug, burying her face in their shirt.

"I'm sorry..."

Taking a shaky breath, Briar wrapped their arms around Nico again and shook their head.

"No, don' apologize ta me. I ain't angry at ya. 'M sorry fer yellin'. I jus' don' wanna see ya hurt again."

"I know."

The two stood there in silence for a while after that, before Aries quietly reentered the kitchen, red eyes softening in further worry at the sight of Briar's red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Odysseus is probably on the way here... Maybe Akira too, Ingall said he was contacting them."

Nico tensed in their arms, looking up.

"I- I don't want to talk to them, what if- what if they're mad at me?!"

It took all their effort to keep from clenching their jaw again.

"They won' be. Jus' try an' talk to 'em, yeah? I'll be 'ere too." Nico hesitated and Briar sighed. "'Right, how 'bout ya here 'em out, an' if yer right an' they are mad, next outing's on me, yeah?"

That got a small smile and Briar counted it as a win.

"... Okay..."

They grinned. "Great. An' I won't be wrong. 'M always right. Right, love?"

Aries smiled, a hint of amusment in his eyes.

"Of course."

"See?" Nico actually chuckled at that, shaking his head slightly and Briar grinned. "Great, let's go ta the couch an' wait, hm? Prolly more comfortable there than standin' in the middle of the kitchen."

"Okay."

---

By the time the knock on the door came, Nico had already curled herself into Briar's side, toying with Briar's sleeve in the hopes of calming some of his nerves.

Frankly, they didn't believe what Briar said. At least, not really.

It would make sense for Vinny, Gala, and Ira to be mad at her, just like it made sense for Rev to be mad at him. But they really didn't want to make Thorn cry again today, so she'd agreed to talk to whoever decided they were worth their time.

Or, at least, yelling at him was.

So, when the knock came, Nico tensed, only slightly comforted by the way Bri squeezed his shoulder.

Seconds later, Kira and Trek rushed into the room, with a slightly startled Rose following close behind.

Kiki was breathing heavily, amber eyes wide with barely-held-back panic, and North looked only slightly better, hands tugging at the sleeves of his jacket.

"Nico, are ya okay, what happened?"

He felt his eyes start to sting again and blinked back tears. She really didn't want to talk about what happened again. Either way, Briar beat him to it, voice carrying and edge of rage.

"Revan decided it was a good idea ta yell at them an' use 'er last name 'cause Nico wanted ta help him an' tried ta get him ta eat an' take a break."

"It was-"

"Don' ya fuckin' dare say it was yer fault again."

He fell silent, dropping her eyes to their lap and waiting to be snapped at. Instead, the next thing she knew, he was being pulled into Akira's arms and squeezed tightly.

"'M sorry I wasn't there ta protect ya." Akira's voice was dripping with the same anger as Briar's and Nico felt himself melt, once again breaking down and sobbing while Akira brushed their fingers through his hair. "We ain't mad at ya. An' Ingall ain't mad either, he's jus' tryin' ta get Revan ta talk."

Another set of arms rapped themselves around her from behind and Garvin's chin fell lightly on his shoulder. They sat like that until she calmed down again and turned their head to where his nose almost brushed Garvin's. He smiled.

"Hey, Lyra."

He couldn't help but smile at that, still a little shaky, but overall feeling much more secure.

"Hi, Gin. How was the space museum?"

The others eyes lit up slightly. "Fuckin' amazin'. An' Crescent loved it."

A pang of guilt hit their chest. "Sorry I took you away..."

"Don' be, we saw 'most e'erything anyway."

She relaxed again, leaning further into Akira's chest.

"I'm glad..."

Feeling their adrenaline from the continued stress and anxiety finally start to die down, Nico's eyes started to feel heavy, and, after reaching out to weakly grab hold of one of Garvin's hands, they finally gave in, hearing Akira ask something about staying for a while longer as they slipped into unconsciousness.