#feel free to send me other nikabby megaverse asks if you like!!! my bad!!

[misscrazyfangirl321]

megaverse: nickabby: I didn't know where else to go.

First of all, I made a slight mistake! I thought this prompt was for the actor-verse, wrote this whole fic, and then realized it wasn’t. I hope you don’t mind, but I like what I wrote, so I’m going to go ahead and share it! 

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“I didn’t know where else to go.” She doesn’t even wait for him to reply before she pushes past him into his apartment, leaving him gaping in the doorway.

She’s crying. He cannot remember a single time he’s ever seen her cry, and it shakes him. (Rage curls in his gut, and he swallows. When he finds out who made her cry, he might just have to pay them a visit.)

He turns to face her just as she plops down on his couch, burying her face in her hands. 

This isn’t what he does. He doesn’t know how to do this, for crying out loud. James could, easily, and Nigel probably could. Helen would be as uncomfortable as him, but she’d still be able to pull it off. (At the very least, though, Johnny would be even more hopeless than Nikola.) 

Still, this is Abigail. He draws in a breath, approaching her tenatively. 

“What happened?”

A muffled sob is her only reply, and he doesn’t quite know what to do with that. But she’s shaking, falling apart, and it’s up to him to help.

“Abigail?”

“It’s not true,” she says, so quietly he can hardly hear her.

“What isn’t?” 

She yanks something from her pocket, shoving it in his general direction, and he takes it, stomach dropping. It’s an artical from one of those cheap gossip magazines, the ones he and Nigel mock together when they go shopping. In shining, glossy letters, it claims to “Expose the truth of Abby Corrigan.” 

According to a “trusted source,” Abby’s rise to fame was a result of cold, heartless manipulation. Her first role had been a bit part, but William Zimmerman-at the time, much more famous than her-had been one of the lead actors, and when he met her, sparks flew. Everyone knew that, just as everyone knew that shortly after she got her first big role, they broke up. According to this article, though, that was no coincidence: she’d used him for publicity, and dumped him when she didn’t need him anymore. 

It’s not the first time he’s heard this particular rumor, and he’s surprised it hasn’t crossed her path before. That said, he’s never believed it, especially since getting to know her: she’s far too kind, far too good, for something so underhanded. 

“So the article’s wrong, and the writer’s an idiot. Forget about it.” He shrugs. How many stupid articles have people written about him? It’s one of the less pleasant parts of Hollywood, to be sure, but- 

She looks up at him, eyes wide and disbelieving. “How am I supposed to forget it? This is what people think of me, Nick!”

“Stupid people.” He closes his eyes briefly, forcing himself to regroup. He may be used to this nonsense, but clearly, she isn’t. “Okay, listen, does what’s-his-name think that? Billy, or whatever.” 

It’s a gamble-he might just upset her more-but her lips twitch slightly, and he counts it a win. “Will, and no. We’re still friends. But-”

“Good, good. And what about your other friends? Henry? Helen? John? Meg? Sally? Are they convinced that you’re secretly a master manipulator?” 

“No, but-”

“What about your parents?”

“Of course not-”

“Great, then that’s what matters!” He offers her a cheeky grin. “Well, and me, of course, but as we’ve already established, I think only an idiot would believe it.” That actually coaxes a weak smile from her. 

Sobering, he settles beside her on the couch, tentatively resting his arm behind her. To his surprise, she leans against him without hesitation, head against his shoulder. Drawing a breath, he gathers his words. 

“You asked me once how I could be so cynical. Stuff like this certainly makes it easy.” He swallows. “People like you make it harder. Don’t let one idiot with a keyboard change you, Abigail. It’s not worth it.” 

She exhales heavily, before nodding, some of the tension draining from her. “Thank you, Nikola,” she says, and he blinks. How long has it been since she’s called him anything but Nick? 

“Yeah, well, I’d say any time, but really, I like to keep my heart-to-hearts to a minimum. Otherwise, I’d mess up my reputation.” 

She laughs, seeing through his sarcastic walls as easily as ever, and nudges him, but doesn’t pull away. “We can’t have that, can we?”

And his smile in return is far too genuine, but just at the moment, it’s all he can do.