holy shit i love this podcast

in other news, i'm not fully caught up (just started season 2 today) so apologies for any characterization/plot inconsistencies. but i wanted to write a thing so here, have some fluff in an episode that i feel was sorely lacking in it.

(Nic really, you're a sci-fi and horror movie geek why are you more genre savvy, you don't drink the tea offered by the creepy cultists)

warning for drug use and implied near non-con

"Thanks," says Nic vaguely from the back seat of Morgan's van after about five minutes of driving in silence. She almost doesn't register his voice- which is a lot more relaxed, more vague than she's used to.

"Well, I wasn't about to leave you there with two creepy-ass cultists," she says gruffly, eyeing the steering wheel, and then looking up at the darkened road. "Who's going to call me up at five in the morning to ask me questions about some crazy conspiracy theory with you missing?"

"Mm," says Nic, and then doesn't say much else.

"Still high?" she offers, risking a glance back. He's kind of half-slumped against the window, staring out the window.

Her words take him a moment to process. "Think so."

"You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?"

There's a longer pause. "Would it be bad if I did?"

"No idea," she says shortly. "I don't do drugs."

He kind of laughs a bit. "Neither do I, usually. Did some back in college."

"Remember anything about it from back then?"

"Not much."

"Right," says Morgan, and sighs. "You're an idiot. Everything was going fine until you decided to head to Everett on your own."

"Could've gone wrong," Nic says indistinctly. "Had to help."

Morgan resists the urge to roll her eyes, since the sentiment is actually kind of sweet in a weird sort of way- a bit like Nic himself, really. Instead, she keeps one hand on the wheel and reaches out to grab her phone. "Yeah, well. Next time you get heroic urges, maybe call the person you're trying to save first to make sure they need saving."

"Noted," Nic says dryly, valiantly attempting to struggle back into a seating position. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Calling MK," she says, dialing with one finger and propping it up against the dashboard. "I need to check some stuff and I don't want to do it while I'm driving."

"You know MK?"

"I heard her on your podcast, and we ended up getting in touch. We have related interests."

"You do?" Nic's nose wrinkles up, confused, and it's actually kind of adorable.

"Yep," Morgan says, popping the 'p'. "Firefly and stopping you from doing stupid, borderline suicidal things."

"I don't do stupid things," Nic says, offended, and is probably about to say more- but then the call connects. Morgan settles for rolling her eyes at him very pointedly- look who's talking, you just got semi-willingly drugged by cultists and it's all because of your shitty podcast- and hopes he gets the message.

"Hey," says Meerkatnip, voice crackling slightly as Morgan hits the speakerphone button.

"Hey," Morgan echoes, eyes back on the road again. "So, Nic may or may not have been dosed with Ecstasy by two members of the Cult of Tanis."

There's a pause, almost incredulous, and then: "Right. Of course he was."

"He's fine now, I got him out of there," Morgan says. "Just a bit out of it. I haven't had much experience with drugs, so I was wondering if you could look up what I should do with him."

"Sure," says MK, who sounds kind of resigned to the fact that this is her life now. "Give me half a second. And maybe while you're doing that, you can tell me how he managed to do that to himself."

"Not much to tell. I went to get Sam out of there, and while I was getting him settled at the motel, I got the call from the studio telling me that Nic had gone off and done something stupid."

"That's not surprising," MK says over the faint tapping of keys in the background. Nic makes a small noise of disagreement, but you both ignore him.

"You know it. So I headed up to Everett again, and by the time I got there, he was pretty much screwed. Or about to be screwed, anyway. Looks like the Cult is into that sort of thing."

"So you got him out?"

"Damn straight I did," Morgan says, allowing a slight grin to pass across her face. "I made a proper dramatic entrance, all guns blazing, that kinda shit. Except without the guns. Malcolm Reynolds would have been jealous."

"Swoon," MK deadpans, and pauses for a second. "Anyway, here we go. It should be fine to let him fall asleep, as long as they didn't give him too much."

"Right." Morgan twists around to Nic again. "How much did they give you?"

"Not much, I think," he says. "Like I said, I've taken it before and it wasn't so-"

"Not much," Morgan relays back to MK, cutting him off.

"Cool. If he's taken it before, he should know what to expect. Euphoria, heightened senses, all that shit. If he starts to have headaches, blurred vision, chest pain, and vomiting- there's a bunch of symptoms that I won't bother to read out- he's overdosed and doesn't know it. Get him to a hospital immediately."

"Is that likely?" Morgan asks, briefly worried.

"Probably not. If he doesn't think he has, he probably hasn't. I'm only putting it out there just in case."

"Okay. Thanks, MK."

"No problem. Without him, I don't get paid."

With a beep, she dials off, and the car's silent again for a few minutes.

"No headaches, blurred vision, or chest pain?" Morgan asks, matter-of-factly.

"Don't think so."

"Great. We'll be at the motel in a couple of minutes. You can wait for the Ecstasy to wear off there."

"Cool," he says, and then, more quietly, "I don't think I'll put this part on the podcast."

It takes a second for Morgan to understand this, and when she does, she splutters back an incredulous laugh. "Wait, what? You've been recording this entire time?"

"You never know when something interesting might happen," Nic tells her, with the tone of voice that makes it sound like he's explained this many times before, to many, equally incredulous people.

"Well, yeah. Sometimes. I guess you're right."

"Journalism's a very complicated subject," he informs her cheerfully.

"I take it you've gone to the 'euphoria' stage," she sighs.

"Just a bit."

"Right. Well, we're close to the motel, so try not to get too excited before then."

"Got it," he says. "And, um, Morgan?"

She turns to look at him, slowing down a bit as she does. "…yeah?"

"Thanks." He smiles at her, a bit dreamily she thinks. "For everything. You're, um, really good, and-"

"Oh, shut up, Silver," she sighs, and starts driving again. "Save it for the podcast."