It had been two weeks since he'd seen them, three days after he'd been brought to this place. It hadn't been as bad as he would've expected and Nick suspected Dolph may have had something to do with that. He couldn't help the smile creeping up the corner of his mouth. Nick had a flash of memory of one Christmas morning after all the presents had been unwrapped and his father telling him to go to his closet. There had been something he had needed Nick to grab and when he'd gotten there, Nick had seen a brand new ten speed with a bow on it. He was probably smiling now the way he had smiled then. Dolph fixed him with those coal black eyes and a blank face like he could spring into a flying knee kick any second. Nick knew better. This was the man's version of a smile even though it looked almost exactly like every other expression in his arsenal. It was the way Dolph's eyes glittered and the extra crinkles at their corners. Nick put his hand out almost at the same time as Dolph and rather than a soul-crushing shake, it was gentle and warm, two pumps and done.
