nathaniel-donovan

[nathaniel-donovan]

SEBASTIAN STAN 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival

[nathaniel-donovan]

Accepting the hand towel Nate nodded in acknowledgement. "You sound like my sister." He scoffed in amusement; a memory only being prompted specifically by the you freak. The moment the washcloth made contact with his open wound Nate drew in a breath as he winced, feeling appreciative that Sammy was actually being delicate rather than carelessly dabbing at his cut. The towel in his right hand only remained at the ready for when the pain got searing. Nate's brow quirked a little as his focus stayed on the male, a smirk working it's way to his features, "Obviously." he returned, matching Sammy's sarcasm there. "That usually means talking, so.. no." he knew he sounded like a dick, yet in his defence he wasn't looking to string people along, and really that was the only aspect of his life he felt he actually communicated properly on. "Just asking," he shrugged, having no real reason for prying, "Tonopah's no real match for a Decker," there was a compliment in there somewhere, "so, you know, curious."

"Yeah, what I do best." Sammy's gaze wandered to the male's face as he looked down at his arm, the lips pursing slightly as he suppressed the urge to grin fondly. Thankfully, his sarcasm broke through whatever wandering thoughts were beginning to brew, slipping on a new pair of gloves and handing him a small hand towel. "Here. Bite onto this if it starts to get to be too much." A quick roll of his eyes followed when Nate mentioned him being gentle, grabbing a saline-soaked washcloth. I can only do so much. Just try not to move too much, you freak." Though he kept the pressure light as he began to dab at the wound, trying his best to maintain a soft yet deliberate touch before he had start sewing it shut. A quiet scoff left his lips at Nate's next question, the sarcastic tone in his next words definitely a way to combat any possible hint of vulnerability that could come swinging through. "Not that it's any of your business, but I got choice paralysis having to pick between the dozens of guys knockin' at my door night after night. Obviously." He placed the washcloth in a nearby wastebasket, grabbing the appropriate tools from his kit. "Why? Looking to double date with your latest flavor of the month?"

[nathaniel-donovan]

"Oh--" he shook his head faintly, not wanting to seem like he was coming across as actually questioning her issues with trust, "Yeah, yeah I know. I don't think you'd let that happen, sorry if it sounded that way." which he was and his apology was genuine there, it might not have even been needed but he didn't have it in him to brush past that. Nate gave Blake a small smile once the last of her menus were handed over to him, something that actually gave him that prompt to move to put them out. "Guess that means I can save my change is good speech for somebody else, hm?" he joked, knowing that before he had even asked Blake that he didn't necessarily need to, he wanted to just to purely to check in. "Think you're right though, feels like we're gonna hit a lot of shit before we level out."

Blake fiddled with the menus in her hand. "In that case no, no concerns. He might not have been who I originally would have picked but not because of lack of... faith or whatever in his ability to be president." She twisted her head, letting her ponytail fall over her shoulder and she started playing with the ends, "I mean you know me with trust, I don't do well with it, but that's nothing to do with Mo. I trust him to not run the club into the ground, or to put any of us in situations he doesn't think we can handle. Whatever my hangups when it comes to personal trust aren't enough to cloud that." It had taken her years to get to the point of trust she had in Nate, she'd bared her soul to him in ways she hadn't with many others. Blake moved across the room slipping the last few menus in her hands into his, her fingers gently squeezing his wrist as she moved past him to gather the napkins and silverware. "No matter, my loyalty lies with the club. And Mo."

[nathaniel-donovan]

iCARLY (2021) | 1.04 iGot Your Back

[nathaniel-donovan]

"Doing well then." he comments with a smile, feeling genuinely pleased for her. Though it didn't shake away the thoughts of realisation he had when it came to not actually knowing much about Ava now, yet that was what happened as time passed with no real contact from either side. "Yeah? You know I'll be there, just don't want to intrude on your time." especially if that was the only time they really got together as a family, he could only imagine how much it meant to Leon, what with his daughter finally back in town. "You doing okay though, with everything going on?" he wanted to ask, wanting to check in with Ava because it didn't matter the distance she put between herself and the town, hell, some of the people in it, Nate still viewed her as he would a sister.

"Rookie error, Donovan, everyone knows a good cookie can solve everything." If only it were really that easy. "Glad to hear it." And she was, with so much time gone there was almost a relief that came with knowing the people she cared about were doing well. "I always think it's better to be busy than to think things are getting stale. As long as you're not so on your toes it wears you out." Head shook gently at his question. "No, I got my own place. Up in Glenn Estates." It still felt somewhat odd to admit to, the home she now owned such a far cry from the small but cosy house she'd grown up in in Webster Village. Even though she felt no sort of judgement coming from Nate she felt a need to pre-empt it, to make sure he couldn't deem her a bad daughter and make it clear she was doing her best to make up for all that lost time. "We still have dinner together most nights though, when I'm not finishing up work too late anyway." She left out the part where she was still reluctant to be alone, instead continuing on with an offer. "You should come sometime, I'm sure he'd like that."

[nathaniel-donovan]

It took everything within Nate to resist the way he wanted to respond to her kiss, the break of a smile against her lips was a subtle tell before he leaned back in, returning her kiss with a brief one of his own because apparently he was incapable of showing any true restraint. Their continued closeness only sparked those memories of nothing having changed between the pair, especially with the way Nate would quite literally drop anything to give Sawyer what she wanted - which was exactly what he was doing now with her hand in his, leading the way through the doors closest to them and towards his office. The moment the door closed Nate didn't waste any time in pulling her closer, releasing her hand his own moved to wrap around her waist with a need to feel more of Sawyer as he kissed her, pausing against her lips to tell her, "You're coming home with me," in the heat of the moment, selfishly wanting her to himself all night before he deepened the kiss.

Sawyer let him take her glass, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips as his fingers brushed hers. The blonde held his gaze for just a beat too long, feeling the weight of the glass slip from her grip, her eyes tracing the movement as he set it down on the table beside them. "If I didn't..." She murmured, her voice just loud enough to make sure he caught every word over the music. "You'd already know." Enjoying it, that was. Her head titled just a fraction, enough to size him up without breaking eye contact. Nate. He was a memory she hadn’t expected to miss, a part of her past she'd left behind when she moved to New York. But here he was, standing close enough to stir that familiar thrill she'd once known so well. Without a second thought, she lifted her hand, letting it slide into his, her drink nothing more than an after thought now. And when his gaze flicked to her lips, she took it as the only invitation she needed. Sawyer leaned in and pressed her lips to his, bold and unapologetic, as if she'd ever been anything less.

[nathaniel-donovan]

Nate just shrugged in response, figuring it was better to not get into specifics with Logan, mostly because he knew she wouldn't shut up and at that point he'd rather throw himself in front of a moving vehicle. He scoffed at her calling him a freak, "Says the one who's itching to rearrange my fucking kitchen -- I'll tell you if you pay for my food later and leave me alone for a week, that's seven days by the way, the last time I asked you to do that you only did four and you know, you don't have to be shit at math and fucking deaf."

Logan shot him a pointed look. "Kissing someone who isn't your boyfriend is definitely considered cheating." She said, as if she were stating the obvious. At least that's what she firmly believed. If everyone in the world went around kissing people they weren’t dating or married to, society would be in chaos. "Wait, you know who?" She raised her brows in surprise. "Tell me then, you freak."

[nathaniel-donovan]

In truth, Maeve had been the most prominent thought at the front of his mind since she left his apartment, which only left him with a partial amount of dread for seeing her tonight because he couldn't figure out where he stood. Despite him settling with regret for stopping himself from kissing her, his concern was not wanting to have fucked anything up between them. So with Maeve's lack of presence at the doors to the meeting he assumed for himself that maybe he had put an awkward wedge down the middle.

Speaking to a few other attendees before grabbing himself a cookie he pushed himself to approach Maeve, feeling somewhat surprised by her normalcy - especially with the way she had left last night, because he didn't think that was, and so his confusion only really doubled as he took his usual seat next to her. "Yeah she's... too sweet." Nate thought he was being nice there as he took a bite from his sweet treat. "Haven't seen him though." Simon, that was. Glancing in her direction his gaze lingered before, "You look different," knowing his follow-on already only had him resisting his urge to grin which only failed, "Must be the lack of flour." he then turned his focus away from Maeve, faintly letting out a chuckle - one that was in everyway at himself because he was trying to test the waters a little without having to ask what the fuck himself.

@nathaniel-donovan

Location: NA Meeting

Usually, Maeve would've stayed at the door, waiting for Nate before going inside. But after the way things had gone down the night before, she wasn't so sure that was the smartest move. So instead, she slipped into their usual spot in the back and pulled her phone out to text Ella back. The meeting didn't start for another twenty minutes, but she finished at Reaper earlier than she expected. Just as she pressed send, Maeve glanced up to see Nate making his way toward her. She lifted her chin in a half-greeting, half-sigh and muttured, “Think Simon’s running the show today? 'Cause I don’t think I can sit through another Nadine meeting.”

[nathaniel-donovan]

Nate's hand moved towards his chest briefly as he mouthed an ouch, his mannerisms staying in that lane of being playful as he started chuckling, knowing that there was truth to her tease - would he regret seeing her? Never. His amusement settled down as his focus turned more towards their topic shift, "Yeah you and me both." he responded in more of a mutter, feeling that they all collectively felt the way Blake did, it was that typical sitting duck feeling and still, only the club itself could move to try and change that. "Just you know, wanted to see if there were any.. concerns?" he questioned - it was more to himself as he wondered if he picked the right word there. "Don't want Mo to think there's a lack of trust," he spoke causally, rather than pinpointing specifically because that wasn't what he was trying to do, "Or anyone looking in from the outside."

"You just think they are overrated because they surpass you." The leggy blonde rolled her eyes, "We both know I'm the highlight and you could never regret seeing me!" It was easy for her to tease and taunt Nate, there was no part of her that ever though it would move beyond that. Nate himself was a safe space for her. Which made his question about the club give her pause. Things had been weird for the past few years, ever since the bike festival. It seemed like one thing after another had gone wrong. Then Leon had stepped down. If asked, there had been only one person in her mind to nominate for President. Trust was hard for her to give, she trusted the MC with her life... but there were very few she trusted with her secrets and that was Nate. It didn't mean she didn't trust Mo as President, but she wasn't as close to him as she was with Nate. "I feel like one wrong move and shit is going to hit the fan." She shrugged her shoulders as she placed a few menus down, "I trust him as much as any of the club, plus he had Leon as a role model for being President so I assume he'll be a good one. Why do you ask?"

[nathaniel-donovan]

Nate looked towards Blake as his brow rose with an effort on his part to hide his amusement, his mouth soon dropped open as he gasped, "They do?" paired with the feigned shock, his tone continued along that sarcasm line before he let it all go with a short burst of laughter. "Eh.. standards are overrated." he joked as he shrugged nonchalantly before accepting the menus Blake was handing over towards him. "Don't make me regret coming to see you," he teased as he shot both of his brows up momentarily, apparently unable to hide his smirk however. Turning away and moving towards the nearest tables he opened the menu that was on top with that simplest intent of being nosy. "So.. actual question," he took a glance in her direction briefly, "How're you feeling with the club?" he asked, wanting to know what she thought about their newest President since Leon stepped down, if anything Nate was just seeing how the water had settled. "You trust Mo?"

“Please, as if I’d make with the sweet talking just to appease you.” Her mind drifted back to Peyton with a small smile, while Nate’s words were reassuring they also felt placating in a way she wasn’t even sure he meant. She was convinced those days were over, especially now that Peyton was off on her own. And sure UNLV wasn’t as far as UCLA was, in fact it was really only an hour away, it still felt like an ocean when she walked into her house and Peyton wasn’t there. It was lonely and empty in a way she had not expected it to be. Blake shook her head slightly as Nate’s question brought her back to the present, “I was thinking less unpaid labor and more that thing friends do for each other, I believe it’s called a favor?” She tilted her head in faux thought, her red painted lips pulled into her usual smirk, “Sometimes people even return said favor in some way!” Blake slipped back around the counter, “Let’s be honest, it would take more than that for you to be the highlight of my night! I have standards you know.” She passed over half the stack of menus, “Are you sure? That’s even more unpaid labor, the horror!”

[nathaniel-donovan]

Nodding along faintly he took in Mo's thoughts, silently - in the moment - understanding where he was coming from. He could also relate to the paranoia the other felt and in every sense it was better to work with that rather than ignore it. "It's worth looking into, if anyone's buying less then you gotta ask, better deal?" especially if they were a consistent buyer of theirs. "Would make Vegas make sense, usually Johnny gets standoffish with people he doesn't know, so you've either got a really likeable face or he was just tryna get you out the door." either or, hell, could be something entirely different. Who knew. "Think we'd be stupid to sit on it, you want me to make a few calls?"

"I got no clue how Leon lasted so fucking long," He grumbled before sticking a cigarette in between his lips, "Maybe s'cause I'm used to people hating me, but everyone in Vegas just seemed too...Friendly. Helpful." he mumbled around the cigarette as he fished in his pocket for his lighter. "Just enough that I'm worried. Feels like they're trying to make it seem like everything is business as usual when it ain't." Fucking finally, flame was brought to the end of the cigarette dangling from his lips. "I mean, first we ask if any of the other charters have heard shit, then maybe----I don't know, see if anyone has been buyin' less, or hell, even more than we expect them to? What do you think?"

[nathaniel-donovan]

Sebastian Stan in Thom Browne photographed by Ryan Lowry for the CFDA Awards 2024

[nathaniel-donovan]

A grin spread across his features as he chuckled at the fist coming into contact with his arm, "Yeah that's why I'm really into pillows now." He joked, though Nate would literally die on that hill of needing a good mattress and pillow. He took a brief glance at Lydia when she mentioned she was tired, causing him to nod softly in understanding. "It's not wrong to put yourself first, you've already started doing it this year anyway so just... keep," he moved his hand in a brief sliding motion to emphasize his point, "Doing it. You made a mistake, own it, see what happens," he shrugged, Lydia already knew the worst thing that could happen, and so for Nate, if he was in her shoes he'd just be thinking ahead of that so the blow wouldn't actually hurt. "Why do you think being with someone is that, you know, happiness key?" he asked curiously, he wasn't judging, Nate just knew they both had different opinions on multiple different subjects.

"Would I?" She questioned, though it was mostly rhetorical. Honestly, considering how long they'd been as close as they were, she figured if anything between them were to happen -- if Will had actually developed feelings for her at any point -- it would have happened already. Right? And yet she'd never considered the notion of anything romantic or otherwise happening between them, not until now. Or was she simply spiraling from a drunken moment of impulse? "Shut up." Lydia reached out punched him in the arm, though she couldn't help the small smile that broke through the cracks. "If I'm forty five that makes you, like, not far behind -- so watch it." He had a point though, that was hard for her to deny. Letting out a sigh, Lydia stepped beside Nate, her shoulder against his. "I'm just...tired, Nate. Of letting my conscience win all the time. But -- I don't want to hurt anyone, either. You know?"

[nathaniel-donovan]

There was something about Sawyer that scratched his brain, a physically satisfying feeling that only made Nate lose the control he did have over his own thoughts. He imagined that was why she was here - because he was easy, and fuck it, he wasn't even mad about it. Nor was he being subtle and in every way he'd blame her, she was distracting and Nate was willing to bet money on her knowing she was. At some point in-between Sawyer stringing him along the drink in his hand ended up on the nearest surface, it was like all those lights were turning green which gave him that notion to step closer towards her, intentionally closing the space between them, "You're telling me you don't enjoy it?" He teased as he held her gaze. His hand soon moved up to take hold of her glass, his fingers brushing against hers, "See you can still get what you want..." his attention dipped to her lips for a second - it was a moment of him taking a little control back as he placed her Tito's down, now lifting his hand up for her to take.

Sawyer took the glass from Nate's hand, letting her fingers brush his just long enough to make sure he felt it. Bringing the rim of the glass to her lips, she finally took a sip, welcoming the burn like an old friend—the kind that hurt just enough to remind her she was still breathing, even after the shitstorm of a year she’d crawled through. There she stood, in a strip club that was in a town she had long forgotten, right in the wake of her failed engagement. The thudding bass rattled through her bones, mixing with the stench of cheap perfume and sweat. "Too loud?" She repeated with a scoff. Her smirk slowly returning. "I've had louder mornings after tequilla and a night of shit decisions." Sawyer didn't bother with waiting for him to squirm before throwing him a little more bait. "But if you're hoping I'll say I wanna get closer, away from all the fake tits and cheap bear? Then yeah, I'd say it's too fucking loud." That teasing flicker in her tone was meant to provoke him, stir the pot just enough without spilling it over. "So," Her eyes flickered back up to his. "You gonna show me where your office is, or you just gonna stand there and eye-fuck me a little longer?"

[nathaniel-donovan]

"It's not? I--" don't understand, was his ending there yet he cut himself off. Nate felt more confused now than he did ten seconds ago, feeling himself that maybe it was a big deal with the way Maeve had responded - he knew he couldn't force her to talk, and he was very quickly seeing that tonight clearly wasn't the night for it to happen. It was the reason for him internally relenting slightly, causing him to step back away from Maeve to give her more space as he nodded his head, forcing his own smile to his features, "Yeah, yeah sure. See you tomorrow." Watching her go he soon closed the door behind her, instantly letting out a frustrated sigh, muttering to himself, "No harm, no foul... what the fuck", before heading back into his kitchen to tackle the mess and the uneaten food.

She could feel her cheeks burning as she fumbled with her things, trying not to make it more obvious with how flustered she was. Pushing past him in the cramped kitchen, she made a beeline for the front door. Everything since the kiss had been so confusing, and now all she wanted was to get out of there before it got worse, before she did or said something to make this situation even more of a diaster. But, then Nate grabbed her hand. And against her better judgement, Maeve stopped, turning around to face him. When he let go, she exhaled, blinking hard to shake off the warmth that so obviously covered her cheeks. In an attempt to laugh it off, she shook her head. "Look, it's fine, okay? You really don't have to..." Gesturing vaguely, before letting her eyes drop to the floor avoiding his gaze that she could feel was on her. "You don't have to apologize or... Whatever. It's no big deal." Her words sounded entirely too forced, and she knew it, but she couldn't help herself. Shifting her bag higher on her shoulder, she edged closer to the door, her words spilling out in a rushed jumble. "I just think... I should go, you know? I mean, it's late. And you probably need to finish up here." Maeve motioned toward the kitchen as her voice trailed off. Trying to convince the both of them that leaving was the best option. But his apology hung in the air, making her chest tighten. "No harm, no foul. Right? I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? At the meeting?" Giving him a small shrug, before she turned on her heel and reached for the door knob. Not a moment later, she was walking out the front door, heading straight for her car.

[nathaniel-donovan]

"You think?" he pulled a face as he glanced towards Will's leg, hoping for his brother's sake that he'd be up and able by then. A smile curved at that mention of medical leave, finding some form of humour there as he turned his attention back to Will. "Nah," he shook his head lightly, "Still trying to be where the club needs me to be, you know." he shrugged casually, Nate was just highly critical of himself and with him back on that newly set path of recovery he had to put his own needs first. "But, go on, where do you and your pain killers land with Mo?" he teased lightly, eyebrow raising briefly as he wanted to see how Will felt.

"Well then I guess I know where I'll be on Halloween either way. And yeah, probably. I've got to give it more thoughts. I could still be on crutches by Halloween for all I know." He shook his head at the thought but he was determined to keep his head above water through it all. "I guess the club doesn't really have medical leave though,so you know, I still want to be helpful however I can. I gotta admit, I was hoping you'd step up for President but I could just be saying that because of the pain killers."

[nathaniel-donovan]

That awkward shift to their atmosphere had Nate scratching the back of his head - unsure what to do, or even say. His regret was one that managed to completely tenfold as he watched Maeve move across to grab her things, “Maeve…” his voice was quiet as he shook his head faintly, finding himself struggling to even find the right words to say to make her feel better - to make this better. As she pushed past him he didn’t stop her, only because his gaze turned towards the dinner still bubbling away which had Nate move in the opposite direction, flicking off the main switch to the cooker to bring that all to a complete halt. Seconds after he turned practically instantly, heading out of the kitchen with only one thought and that was to go after Maeve. It was mere moments and he reached for her hand with an attempt to stop her before she actually managed to leave, “Don’t go.” His hold over her hand let go as quick as he grabbed it, not wanting to seem like he was forcing her back. “I’m sorry… I— I shouldn’t have… I’m—” he shook his head softly, his brows creasing together, unsure for the most part what he was apologising for - not letting her go? Kissing her? Stopping? Though if he hadn’t kissed her to begin with, they wouldn’t be here, so maybe it was that. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say right now, I just…” he smiled faintly as he sighed, “It doesn’t feel right you leaving like this.”

Maeve's breath came in shallow bursts as she stood there, still feeling the lingering warmth of Nate's lips on hers. The way he had lifted her off the ground—all of it making her pulse race and her head spin. Then he said it. We should stop. His words hit like ice water, freezing everything in place even though her heart was still hammering in her chest. For a moment, she just stared at him, the space he was putting between them almost offensive, given what they'd just shared. She cleared her throat, trying to bury the wave of humiliation rising inside of her. Maeve wasn't usually one to let her vulnerability slip through the cracks, but with Nate pulling away, she felt unsteady, like the ground beneath them had shifted. Logically, she knew why he was doing it, why he had put the breaks on, but that didn't make the sting hurt any less. "Right. Yeah," she muttered, her voice trying to sound casual, like she wasn't embarrased. Her arms fell uselessly to her sides, like she didn't know what to do with them anymore. "Sure. Doable." She nodded, forcing a smile that felt all wrong back on her face, her mind scrambling for anything that didn't make her seem as vulnerable as she felt. His attempt at humor wasn't really landing with her. Instead, she took a steap to the side, widening the gap between them even more, her eyes flickering toward the door, desperate for an escape. "You know..." She started, her movements jittery as she turned toward where her stuff laid on the kitchen counter, hands fumbling to grab them as if she couldn't get away fast enough. "I should probably... Go..." Her voice was awkward, strained, as she moved toward the door, trying to push past him and the thick tension that was quickly starting to feel suffocating. "Yeah, I'm gonna go."