"Would you be willing to make me one? I'll pay." To have a weapon as good as the one that Nathaniel was holding he would have paid anything to get his hands on one. Aj had his fair share of weapons, and as much as guns were useful, running out of bullets in the middle of a battle wasn't exactly the best when it came to trying to survive. At least with a knife, he wouldn't have to worry about that, "I understand if not, but it would be useful to have one as well made as the one in your hand."
"H-Huh?" Nathaniel looked up at Ajax, clearly a bit surprised. "Oh! Um… sure! What exactly are you looking for?" He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil to scribble down some notes on what Ajax wanted. He didn't get too many commissions, obviously, since it was a pretty niche business, but he did do them. "Metal, embellishments, measurements?"
Ajax chuckled softly, watching Nathaniel hurry around to grab a pencil and paper, "As long as it's sturdy, sharp and has a snake on it somewhere then the rest is up to you." He didn't care how big it was, hells it could be as small as anything and he wouldn't really care. As long as it was usable then it Aj didn't mind, "You know better than me when it comes to knives, I trust your judgement on this."
Nathaniel mumbled the instructions after Ajax said them as he wrote them down. He had pretty neat handwriting, although it did look rushed since he was getting to get it down quickly. "Alright! Um… about how wide is your hand?" He asked. "I want to make sure the handle is big enough for your hand. My hands are pretty small, so I don't wanna base the measurements off of myself like usual. And do you have any particular favorite colors or gems you'd like me to include?"
Ajax held out his hand towards Nathaniel so he could gauge roughly the size of them. They were a lot bigger than Nathaniel's that much was obvious. Calloused and scared from years of work and dangerous situations, "I'd say they're quite big, I couldn't tell you any measurements, though." A soft chuckle, "And I suppose anything green is good, I'm not picky, as long as it gets the job done than it doesn't matter to me."
Nathaniel reached out to gently touch Ajax's hands and feel a rough measurement. His hands looked very small next to Ajax's. They were mildly calloused from doing blacksmithing, but were otherwise slender and soft. His touch was incredibly gentle, as though he expected to hurt Ajax by touching him. He flushed when he realized he was lingering too long and pulled away to scribble down a rough size estimate. "Um… r-right… how would you feel about little emeralds for the snake's eyes?"
Ajax retracted his hand, crossing them across his chest with a soft sigh , “Sounds perfect.” If anything it gave him an excuse to see Nathaniel again. He couldn’t describe why he was so eager to see him again after he left, it was an unknown feeling to Aj that honestly set him on edge a little. He pushed those thoughts away for the time being, there was time to unpack all of that later, considering his mind was still lingering on how soft Nathaniel’s hands had been. Still so gentle and been after all he had been through.
"Alright… hold on a sec…" Privately, Nathaniel was grateful for the excuse to see Ajax again as well. There was something so fascinating and mysterious about the man who had almost bled out on his doorstep that left him craving more information. He hoped he would have a chance to properly get to know him. Nathaniel bit the corner of his lip a bit as he concentrated on the paper, quickly scribbling out a rough sketch of a concept for the blade. After a couple of minutes, he turned the paper around to show Ajax. "Here's a quick concept I came up with. Is this sorta what you're looking for? I can make adjustments, obviously."
(Pretend this looks like a drawing obviously adfhjk I'll probably make my own proper drawing when I've got time)
Aj couldn't help but grin when he saw the blade, "It's perfect, I can't wait to see the finished thing." He truly was talented. Nathaniel was turning out to be more of an interesting person, well- angel, than Ajax had thought he might be, and if anything it amplified that urge to want to stick around for a bit longer. Nathaniel could have named any price in the world and he would have paid it. He wouldn't admit that out loud, but he would have, "It's more impressive than any other blade I have."
Nathaniel preened at the praise, smiling a bit with a light flush on his cheeks. "I'm glad you like it! I-I'll get started as soon as possible… depending on my work schedule, it could take a couple of weeks for me to be able to get the whole thing done… um… do you have a preference for the blade materials? I might suggest Damascus steel if you're looking for a striking appearance… but it's up to you, of course." He insisted. His wings puffed up slightly and he shifted them to get the feathers to lie flat.
"There's no rush, take all the time you need," Aj reassured. As much as he wanted the blade done quickly, both to see Nathaniel and to be able to test it out, he wasn't going to rush the angel into it, especially when he had work to do, they both did. Ajax was pushing off the thoughts of all the shit he'd have to deal with the moment he walked through the doors of his own place. Right now he didn't have to think about that, "I don't know much about blades, as long as it's strong and sharp I don't care. More of a guns person than blades."
"R-Right… well, um… damascus steel is basically marbled looking?" Nathaniel offered, trying to find the right words to describe the material. "Um… I think it's really pretty. It's sturdy, too. And I'm pretty sure I have some since I like to use it. Hold on…" He ran off again, and he soon returned with some of the steel to show Ajax. "Here, this is what it looks like. It would be polished for a knife though, of course…"
(Damascus 🤲)
(Pretty!)
Ajax took in the sight of the metal, raising a brow with a small nod, "Looks good. You're the expert when it comes to this, and as long as it gets the job down then I have no problems with you using it." All Aj was concerned about was whether it would be sharp. Nathaniel could have pulled out any type of metal but if it managed to cut through things easily then anything would do. As much as Ajax knew he would keep the blade on him pretty much consistently, he wouldn't lie he would reach for a gun quicker than the knife.
"Alright, then." Nathaniel set the metal aside and grabbed his pencil to start crunching some numbers to get the price estimate. Custom knives could get pretty pricey, after all, especially depending on the materials. "Um… okay. So based on the materials and stuff, the rough estimate is about… eight hundred. I-I don't know what exactly your budget is, though." He laughed nervously. It was always nerve-wracking to offer such a high price estimate to a customer, especially since he didn't know anything about Ajax's income.
"Done," Ajax said, offering Nathaniel a reassuring smile, "Honestly I was expecting higher, eight hundred is nothing for something like that, factoring in time and materials and all." He waved a hand. He wasn't one to flaunt his money, and he wasn't going to casually mention the fact he was loaded, Ajax would let Nathaniel make his own assumptions for now until it came to light what exactly he did and how much he earned and what he did, "I'm happy to pay more if that's a conservative estimate."
"R-Right… um…" Nathaniel flushed lightly and glanced between the paper and Ajax. What exactly does he do that he's willing and able to easily drop almost a thousand dollars without any concern at all? Never mind… it doesn't matter. It's not my business. "Well… you're welcome to pay whatever you're comfortable paying. Tips and stuff. It might be easier to set a definitive price once I've done more work on it…"
Ajax nodded understandingly, "Of course, of course. But really, price isn't an issue, whatever you deem it's worth I'll pay." He had more than enough to spare for something like that. He might get some flack for it from his mates, but it wasn't their business to begin with. He could do what he wanted, and that was exactly what he intended on doing, "I can't wait to see the finished product."
Nathaniel nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Alright… if you say so. I-I'll get on it as soon as I can. I don't have any other commissions right now, so it shouldn't be too long. Do you have a specific deadline that you need it by?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side curiously as he did so. "It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks, I don't think. I've got to work, but I've got time between."
"Nope, no deadline," Ajax replied with a small shake of his head. He offered another small smile. Considering he didn't smile much in general, he was more than surprised Nathaniel had managed to get him smiling as much as he had been, and Aj didn't actually mind it, "Take as much time as you need to get it done, there's no rush at all to get it done anytime soon."
Nathaniel nodded again, his copper cloud of hair bouncing as he did so. He was still smiling, and he seemed to have relaxed somewhat. "Alright, sounds good! Um… obviously you know where I live if you wanna come check up or… I dunno… you could just visit if you want as well." He looked away and flushed, embarrassed that he was already attached to this random guy. He wasn't exactly a stranger anymore though, was he? He knew about Nathaniel's backstory, and Nathaniel had saved his life more or less. He thought it wasn't too unreasonable to consider the two of them to be tentative friends at least.
Aj ran a hand through his hair with a soft nod, "Considering you saved my life, and you're a nice guy, I wouldn't mind visiting again, not just because of the knife." It was nice to find someone he liked talking to that had no clue what he did or what he was involved in. The slight twinge of fear that arose, though, was one that even Aj couldn't ignore. What would Nathaniel think if he found out who he was and what he did? Usually, he wouldn't care what people would think of him, it didn't matter, anyway, but with Nathaniel it did, and Aj didn't know why, but he would put it off for as long as possible telling the angel what he did.
Nathaniel smiled brightly, the tips of his wings fluttering. "Well, you're welcome to visit whenever you want! I took off work today, so I should be available all day. You need to rest with that injury, okay? Is there anything you needed? Anything you want to do?" He asked, pushing the paper aside so he could grab the dishes to wash them. "W-We could just talk more, if you'd like."
Ajax returned the smile, rubbing at his shoulder where the bullet wound was, "Some stronger painkillers is what I need," He stood from where he was seated to go help with the dishes, "And, considering you're very set on me resting, I might need to swing home for a change of clothes before I can do any proper resting and get to know you." And he needed a shower, Aj could tell he did and was surprised Nathaniel hadn't said anything.
"Alright." Nathaniel fetched the painkillers to give to Ajax. "I-I don't have anything stronger, but… you're welcome to take more if you need them. Do you want to go alone to get your things, or would you prefer I go with you?" He asked, looking up at Ajax as he continued on the dishes. "I don't mind either way, really, but it might be dangerous for you to go alone while you're hurt…"
"I wouldn't mind the company." Ajax replied, offering Nathaniel a smile when he returned with the painkillers, "And at least this way if you ever want to or need to stop by you know where you're going, so that's a positive." Aj grabbed a tea towel, drying the washed dishes that Nathaniel had set aside. He would have to get Max to bring a car, there was no why he was walking all that way, especially with Nathaniel. He was more concerned about someone seeing his wings than he was getting hurt himself.
"Alright… um… I should probably cover up my wings, then. I might go out with them out in the future, but… not today." Nathaniel laughed nervously and left the room. He was gone for a few minutes, since this was a complicated process. He folded his wings as tightly as he could against his back before wrapping some bandages around his abdomen. Then, he put on a compression shirt to help his wings stay put, and finally, he pulled on an overlarge hoodie with loose jeans.
When he was done, it was like he'd never had wings to any onlookers. For him, it was tight and uncomfortable and made it rather difficult to breathe. Nevertheless, he headed back out to where Ajax was, his breathing noticeably shallower than before.
While Nathaniel was gone, Ajax called Max to drop by with a car so he could drive home, both preventing any further injury to himself or anyone who might be dumb enough to try and go at Nathaniel because of how he looked. He was lucky it didn't take long for the car to be dropped by, Max sending him a text and driving off with another member of the gang, leaving the car out front. For now, the only person he needed to know Nathaniel existed - minus the angel part, was Max, just for location purposes.
When Nathaniel returned, Ajax couldn't help but frown at his he was breathing. Compression, for the wings, "My mate swung by with a car so we don't have to walk, you can take your compression stuff off, no one will see you, I promise."
Nathaniel looked up at Ajax weakly, trying to stand up straighter so it wasn't so obvious that he was uncomfortable. "Mmnh… I-I dunno… are you sure?" He asked softly as he glanced over at the door. His chest and back were aching; a dull throb that he was far too used to by now. He shifted and then grimaced, his breathing hitching. "Okay, okay… if you promise I'm sure it's fine… nngh…" Normally he would insist on keeping the bindings on, but he was fairly certain he'd put them on too tight this time, and it was beginning to make him dizzy. "I-I'll be right back."
He headed off again and hurried to remove the compression shirt and bandages. He was practically gasping for air by the time he got them off, and he could see red imprints left by the bandages on the chest. Too tight, for sure… I'll have to be more careful. Tentatively, he pulled on a hoodie that he'd cut holes in the back of and carefully fitted his wings through them. With a soft sigh of relief and a faint ringing in his ears, he returned to Ajax, still looking tired, but breathing far better. "S-Sorry about that… um… I'm ready to go whenever." His wings hung low and looked somewhat crumpled from the bindings. He'd have to preen them later.
Aj felt better knowing that Nathaniel was breathing properly again, even if he did look a little tired. Considering how he had talked about being so uncomfortable wearing them and keeping his wings pressed down, Aj didn't want him to have to be in pain when he didn't need to be. No one would be around at his place, not right now, anyway, so no one would see his wings and he wouldn't be in any danger unless someone dropped by unannounced, which was highly unlikely.
With a soft nod, Ajax offered a small smile, "Alright, let's go." The keys had been left in the car for him and Aj held Nathaniel's front door open for him as they headed out. It was a nice car, definitely expensive, but if Aj cared he didn't say.
Nathaniel smiled weakly in return and followed Ajax over to the door. He poked his head out to know for absolute certain that there were no people around before he folded his wings close to his back and hurried into the passenger seat in Ajax's car. He felt much less uneasy once he was in the car, away from any potential prying eyes, but he was still visibly nervous to be outside of his house without his wings bound. He sighed softly in relief, keeping an eye out for any nearby people.
