The gang leader walked a little closer to Nike than he would normally. Some of the reasoning behind that was because he wanted to stay close for support and the other...well he just wanted to stay close to the other man for a little bit longer.

He was still trying to process exactly what happened back at the tree. All he could understand was how much he enjoyed what happened. Even now, he could picture the warmth of his body against his own, the way his lips felt against his skin and lips....and how everything that happened made him feel content and happy which was two feelings he didn't feel quite often. It was something he wanted to hold onto, to let it linger for a little while.

Theo had paused to ask his question. He was a little out of breath and that masked it a little. He had a feeling though, that he wasn't doing that well of a job masking anything. Now that they stopped, he stayed that way to wait for an answer. It was his last attempt to get the Nike to listen to him.

And alas he got his answer. It pleased him to hear that the man would at least rest. Maybe, just maybe, he could coax him into sleeping. He wasn't quite sure on that though. He didn't want to push him to do anything outside of his comfort zone. Feeling satisfied and a pull on his hand because Nike didn't stop completely to say his answer, he continued walking. He took his place close to Nike. The only space that was left between their two bodies was where their hands connected.

He fell silent after that, focusing on walking through his pain and not letting it show or at least trying not to make it too obvious how much he was still drastically relying on pain killers to get through the day. When the house came into sight, he felt a strong urge to pull Nike away from it.

The house was a reminder that what happened by the tree was temporary. It was their secret. It's not that he was ashamed of what happened, it was that he wasn't sure of his own feelings. He needed time to think it through. He also had to do what was best for the gang. Having a relationship with somebody else might be a shock to them or interfere with his duties. He had to make sure they had their happiness before he had his.

When the door came into sight, he felt Nike stop and did the same. His green gaze turned to the man with slight confusion but mostly curiosity. He let the newbie take his hands and he squeezed them back, his gaze studied his features, taking in his face before dropping downward to his body and giving it the same treatment. He couldn't help but to be drawn to his attractiveness. Then he felt the other man's lips on his and smiled into the kiss. Of course, it didn't last long enough. There wasn't a single kiss Nike could give that could last long enough. He could never get enough of the feeling of his lips against his own.

"Thank you, this was really nice. We should both get some rest now, come on."

He sighed and took a step back as well. He knew that if they were out any later, his night guards would worry. He didn't go anywhere that often. He had never went outside during night either. He stepped inside, taking the door from Nike's hands and gesturing for him to step inside.

Most of the gang was asleep now, except for the night guards. There was one by the door and the others placed at the windows. Nobody was at his door, they already knew he was gone. Not to mention that he really didn't like them watching over him. He didn't want special treatment.

"Let me go check on Alleya," He whispered to Nike, slipping off into the shadows. If Alleya was still asleep, there was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight. He couldn't sleep in the bed with her in it and he couldn't dare risk falling asleep outside with the rest of the gang. Not with his nightmares and that was only if he did fall asleep. He hadn't been too successful these past couple of days falling asleep without her presence.

Theo was probably going to go back and lay in Alleya's spot if she was still asleep in his bed. She hadn't given him permission to lay with her and he would rather avoid that situation if it happened. Of course, when he got to the room she was still asleep. He could hear her snoring without even looking into the room. He wasn't about to wake her either, she needed to sleep and recover from the journey as well.

"Goodnight, Alleya," He whispered from the doorway before shutting the door gently and quietly making his way back to where everyone else slept.

He was looking forward to just sitting again and taking a moment to catch his breath. He had been on his feet most of the day, even if some of it had been volunteer pacing as he thought about the Rebels. He knew he had to do something about them once and for all, they were ruining his gang's reputation and a threat to them. He just wasn't sure what he could do exactly. Any action he took would have drastic consequences. If his gang attacked theirs, it might retaliate in a war. If he agreed to form an alliance with them, it would go against his morals. He was stuck at a standstill and there was nothing he could do about it other than increase patrols.

As he approached Nike, he heard the man mutter something about being an idiot. He paused briefly, wondering if he should settle down where the night guards sleep instead. The thing about having a damaged eye was that your other senses had to work harder. So he easily picked up on what the man said.

He couldn't help but briefly wonder if the question was directed to what happened back in the woods. Even more so, he wondered if he was the reason the question was formed. However, something in the back of his mind convinced him he was being silly. So he moved to Alleya's spot, purposely kicking a twig that had been tracked in the sleeping area to alert the other man that he wasn't alone.

"Alleya's still asleep so I guess I'm kicked out of my bed for tonight," Theo whispered as he slowly sat down on the floor, using the wall to help support him. Pain shot through his body but he ignored it. Once he was sitting, the pain began to dull to a nagging ache again.

He would never lay in the same bed as someone without permission, even friends. That's where he drew the line. It didn't matter if it was his bed or not. The thing that made him feel a little disappointed was that now he couldn't sleep. He was too afraid to.

"You don't mind do you?" He asked after catching his breath, his gaze sliding to Nike's outline. He didn't know why he was asking, this was Alleya's sleeping spot after all.

Ooof, sorry. The holidays and work had me with zero freetime.)))

Theo just really wanted to make sure Nike was okay with the situation. He supposed he could always wake Alleya so he could get some sleep but that was rather selfish. So instead, he asked Nike. He could always move elsewhere. No matter where he was, he wouldn't be sleeping.

However, the other man seemed okay with it. The gang was oblivious to him staring just prior to answering. He had been preoccupied with finding a comfortable way to sit where the back of the wall wasn't digging into the burn wounds on his back. He ended up sitting leaning a tad forward and sitting with his legs crossed. He didn't want to lay down and risk falling asleep.

He wanted to move closer to Nike and tell him the truth about his sleep schedule. Hell, he wanted to tell the other man every personal detail about himself. That even included...well it included his...father...as well. That was a difficult subject, more difficult than what happened to Finn. It was what happened to him during his childhood that kept him up at night.

Hearing Nike's response, he gave the faintest of nod. He wasn't sure if he saw the nod though, so he added,"That's why I'm encouraging you to rest too. I know the journey's been tough for all of you, I can see it on your faces."

He reached out and briefly rested his hand on the other man's thigh. A small gesture that would be hard to spot by any of the nightshift. Not in this lighting.

It was very tempting to use his leader authority and make sure Nike got some sleep but that wasn't the type of leader he aspired to be. That wasn't the type of leader she was so he would never do that. He would just have to trust the other man and maybe, just maybe try again another time. Besides, it wasn't fair for him to be pushing sleep upon him when his sleep schedule was just as bad. He had been up for three nights, for the most part, and this was another night.

He wanted to tell Nike the truth. He didn't want the man catching feelings for somebody who couldn't sleep without company. He thought he would have been able to sleep without Alleya but he had been mistaken. He was too afraid too. Alleya would always wake him up if things got too bad and she never ever judged him for being afraid of sleeping. However, he held back on telling the gray-haired man the truth about himself.

"When I need to sleep I will, I know my limits, trust me.”

Theo gave a faint nod toward that. He wasn't going to push him any further. Not tonight. Besides, he trusted him. He didn't want the other man thinking he didn't. He felt movement beside him and turned his head so he could see. He noticed the newbie's hand move in between them. He gave a small faint smile, his head moving back against the wall and he closed his eyes, allowing a moment to think.

The gang leader wondered if he did that on purpose, if he wanted Theo to touch him more. He wondered if the other man was feeling the urge to get closer like he was. To get closer physically but also on an emotional level. He wanted to tell the man everything about him and not stop there. He fought the urge to grab his hand and pull Nike into a kiss. Something like that, it wouldn't go unnoticed.

So after a moment, he took Nike's hand. His eyes remained closed, he had the location of the hand memorized. One of things he always did uncontrollably was memorize locations of things in case something was on his blind side. Sighing, he brought their hands to his lips and kissed Nike's knuckles. Then brought their hands back in between them. He didn't let go of the other man's hand though, not quite yet. Small actions would go unnoticed by the night guards and anyone still awake. He didn't want to lose the feeling of their hands together. Not quite yet.

Theo's eyes briefly opened and turned to study Nike's face or what he could see of it in the dark lighting. Another smile danced across his face. his face was stunning, even in its tired features. It was a face that he could study forever, mural worthy even if he was an artistic being. His gaze turned away hesitantly, his eyes shutting again.

Thinking of Nike's face brought him back to his own. He couldn't imagine how ugly his appearances were next to the other man's. He had a lame eye, a scar, rough hair, and rough lips. He didn't see how anyone could be interested in that.

Maybe it was time somebody knew the truth about the one weakness he couldn't hide from anyone...

"My eye..." He whispered,"My blind one...it wasn't due to anything that happened after I left my fath-my family. It didn't happen because of a gang or the cruelties of being homeless..."

He wanted to just scoot against Nike and allow himself to enjoy the man's company. He wanted to lay his head on on his shoulder, try kissing his neck, and try to sleep. Maybe the closeness of somebody else could trick his mind into sleeping soundly without the curse of his nightmares. However, he wasn't a fool. He knew better than to try something like that. What Nike and him had...whatever they had...it has to remain a secret.

For once, he longed the company of his room and bed. He longed to shut the door and allow himself to just be with Nike. He knew better though. Who knows what might happen if Nike and him were alone. After all, the temptation to touch each other was almost unbearable as it was. Nike had to be feeling it too.

So instead of touching Nike, he decided to share a secret. His eye was the cause of him becoming the gang leader that he was. His eye was the last connecting factor to his father and would forever be a constant reminder of what happened that night. He wasn't ready to share what exactly happened, he just wanted or felt like the gray-haired man needed to know the truth. Or a rather small part of the truth.

"You don't have to tell me if it's too hard."

He felt Nike squeeze his hand. He squeezed back.

"I’m here and listening though if you want to, take your time.”

He nodded in appreciation but he wasn't ready to tell the rest of the story. He didn't think he would ever really be ready to tell that part. It was horrible-what happened to him and it would be even more horrible to put the burden of his memories on somebody else.

"I-um-I just wanted you to know that it happened before I met the gang. Not well before but decently before, if that makes sense," He interlaced his fingers with Nike's, deciding then he wasn't going to ever let go of his hand-well maybe he would closer to daylight. Only when he couldn't hide their handholding would he let go.

"It-um-got infected and it was barely saved. My vision was the first thing to fail me once the infection set in," He sighed,"I can't see a damn thing on that side and then I'm cursed with the damn looks to make it look more ugly than what it is."

It was tough loosing his vision. It wasn't a rapid lost either. More like slow and painfully. It started out with blurry occasional vision, then went to blurry vision all the time, and then gradually worsened so there was nothing.

He remembered fighting with Flynn over it, her look of horror when he told her he saw nothing...her hugging him and crying over the fact she failed to save it. He remembered telling her it was already too late. Flynn was prideful of her work and prided herself in curing everything. It had almost been harder to her to admit that his vision was gone than it had for him to admit it.

"I don't think it could have ever been saved. It was deep and at this point of my life, the only thing I wish for is that I would have lost my vision quickly and painlessly, not the other way around," He concluded, sighing softly at the memories of young Flynn that the conversation of his eye brought up.