The cousins finding out about Neil speaking German would’ve been funnier if they were just in the middle of having a conversation in German and Neil butted in because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut
my favourite nicky hc is that he just. trauma dumps. on everyone. the cashier asks him how his day is going? it’s going terribly, thanks for asking. his cousin just punched a hole in their dorm window and his whole sports team is on lockdown due to threats on their life and he’s worried he might lose his security deposit. can he get an iced caramel latte to go please?
It’s Nicky’s first birthday back in Germany. He’s overjoyed to be with Erik but he misses the twins more than he’s ever missed anyone in his life.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Erik asks.
“Nothing.” Nicky says, forcing a smile that he knows Erik doens’t believe.
“Nicky, what is it?” Erik asks softly.
“I’m okay. I just miss them a lot.” Nicky admits.
“I know honey.” Erik says, rubbing his back.
“I feel like a dick. I’m here with you on my birthday and I’m all bummed. I already got more birthday’s with them than I ever expected.” Nicky says.
“It’s perfectly understandable.” Erik says.
Then the doorbell starts ringing. Nicky looks to Erik who pretends not to hear. Nicky gets up to answer the door, confused about who’s repeatedly pressing the bouton.
When he opens the door two identical pairs of eyes are looking up at him.
“Surprise.” Aaron and Andrew say in unison.
“What are you guys doing here?” Nicky asks, smiling so wide it hurts.
“You can’t get rid of us just cause you’re here.” Aaron says.
“Yeah. We’re parasites, you won’t even be able to escape us in death.” Andrew says flatly.
Nicky doesn’t know what to say so he pulls Aaron into a tight hug which Aaron returns. When Nicky and Aaron part Nicky looks at Andrew, a question in his eyes.
Andrew rolls his eyes but nods and opens his arms for a hug which Nicky quickly initiates. He tries to keep the hug brief but it’s actually Andrew who holds him still when he tries to pull away.
The day is one of Nicky’s favorites. Him, his cousins, and the love of his life all together. Laughing, smiling, talking. He can’t believe this is his life.
He thinks about the sad, scared, hopeless teenager he used to be. If his younger self saw him now he’d be speechless. He’s happy.
You can't seriously believe that Nicolás Esteban Hemmick doesn't wake up some days and feel like shit about how he is. You can't tell me he doesn't have flashbacks of his mom saying stuff along the lines " Dios hizo al hombre y a la mujer" when he hears some homophobic religious person protesting against same sex couples.
You can't seriously think that he doesn't have days in which he fucking hates himself for being who he is, for loving who he loves, for being what he is. You can't.
Written for @twinyardsappreciationweek Day 3: Cousin Time
"It's homophobic that, in my hour of need, the love of my life is not only an ocean away, but living five godforsaken hours in the future!" Nicky wailed.
Or he tried to wail but then he started coughing. It really sold the sickly, wasting away mien he was going for.
He threw an arm over his forehead and turned his face towards the wall. Did the desk light really have to be so bright? Maybe he was turning into a vampire.
"Aaron," Nicky pleaded, voice cracking, "if I die, please give my eulogy. I don't trust Andrew."
"Oh my god," Andrew muttered.
"You're not going to die," Aaron replied. "You have the flu and an extra severe case of drama queen."
Nicky sniffed and wished he hadn't. The bedding definitely needed to be changed. But that would require getting out of his blanket burrito and that was a bridge too far.
"We can try calling Erik again," Andrew suggested. "I'm sure the Skype ringtone will wake him up eventually."
"Don't bother." Nicky rubbed his runny nose against the sheet and instantly regretted it. "I don't want him seeing me like this."
"He saw you wasted and throwing up after Pride in Atlanta," Aaron reminded him. "That was much, much worse. Now c'mon, I brought you soup."
Nicky groaned. "What happens at Pride stays at Pride!" He rolled over and eyed the large mug in Aaron's hands. "But God, the rave was awesome... so many men in leather and body paint..."
It had, in fact, been one of the best times he'd had, going out with his boyfriend, his cousins, Neil, and Kevin. There had been dancing and more shots than he could remember. They had stayed in a swanky suite at the Westin, not that he really remembered that part. Ah, well. Being sick from overindulgence was preferable to this.
Andrew, bless him, helped Nicky sit up and Aaron handed over the mug. Nicky leaned over it, enjoying the warm steam on his aching face. He couldn't smell it but it was obviously chicken noodle, from the can, which was actually his favorite.
Nicky sipped at the soup, the chicken and noodles so small and soft that no spoon was required. Aaron fussed around, throwing away wadded up tissues before taking away the empty water glasses.
Andrew was still messing with the laptop. He got it situated on his knees and gestured to the precarious stack of DVDs he'd brought in.
"Want to watch something?"
Nicky perked up. Like he would say no to getting carte blanche with the movie selection. He scanned the titles, pleased that they were all movies he'd bought, not Andrew's stash of personal faves. He could make Andrew sit through The Royal Tenenbaums or the Kiera Knightley Pride and Prejudice but Andrew was being nice so...
"Help me pick," he said, "The Fellowship of the Ring or Pirates of the Caribbean?"
Andrew side eyed him. "Did you intentionally pick the two longest movies?"
Nicky slurped down some more soup. "They're exciting adventure stories and I've been stuck in bed all weekend."
"Fine." Andrew opened the case of Pirates of the Caribbean and slid the DVD into the laptop. The laptop whirred in a worrying fashion. Andrew adjusted the screen so they could both watch.
Young Will Turner was being retrieved from the sea when Aaron returned, bringing a fresh glass of water and meds. He traded Nicky for the empty mug and Nicky obediently swallowed the pills. It was nice - and exceedingly rare - to have his cousins doting on him. It made Nicky feel a bit weepy and he dabbed at his eyes while they were both watching the screen.
The three of them sat in companionable silence, watching the movie. After a while Nicky started to feel sleepy, and he must have nodded off because when he woke the film wasn't playing but Andrew was still next to him, talking to the computer.
It took Nicky's sluggish brain a minute to realize Andrew was speaking German and that he was speaking to --
"Erik!" Nicky sat up too quickly and Andrew reached out to steady him.
"Nicky!" Erik was in bed, his hair mussed and his jaw scruffy. He looked tired and perfect. "Andrew has been calling me all night trying to set up a chat but I was dead to the world."
Nicky beamed at Andrew. Andrew rolled his eyes and handed over the computer before getting up and leaving, shutting the door quietly behind him on the way out.
Erik leaned towards the screen and gave Nicky a sweet smile. "How are you feeling, babe?"
"Gross and tired," Nicky said, "but better now that I'm talking to you."
"The boys are taking care of you?"
"Yeah," he said softly. "Can you believe?"
Erik grinned. "I always said they would come around."
Nicky laughed. "You said they didn't deserve me!"
"Well, I was right." Erik winked. "Looks like they're finally getting older and wiser. Maybe a little softer now that they have more people who care for them."
Nicky swallowed hard and nodded. Damn it, he was going to cry.
"Ah, love," Erik sighed. "I miss you so much. I wish like hell I was with you right now."
"Me too," Nicky croaked. "Me too."
They stayed on the call too long, until dawn broke in Germany and Erik had to get ready for work. Nicky fell asleep with the computer open, dark bags under his eyes but a smile on his lips.
I think we as a fandom often forget that Nicky was the first adult to treat the twins with genuine kindness and the first adult to actually care about their wellbeing. He quite literally dropped everything to care for them and not only did he not hold that against them, he also out-performed every other adult in any of their lives. At 18 he put a roof over their heads, got them jobs, made sure they graduated highschool, made sure they could play exy, and taught them a language to the point that they were fluent. He worked hard not only to provide a stable home environment for them, but gained their trust by showing up.
Nicky could have stayed in Germany with Eric and nobody would have blamed him. He was barely an adult. But he knew that nobody else, not even his own parents, would even try to do right by them. And in spite of all this, he still managed to find a way to make himself happy and not grow bitter from the stress or separation from Eric, and I think his positivity and commitment are exactly what the twins needed.
thinking about nicky and erik's video calls slowly shifting to just phone calls because nicky knows it's harder to lie about his stress through a screen. about nicky shutting the door to his bedroom after another night of trying to prod his cousins into eating dinner together and just breaking down in silence because god knows he's had enough practice with that.
thinking about nicky giving in and calling erik at fuck am after the whole thing at the bar and andrew's trial, and erik being this close to dropping everything and coming to get him, i don't care if they're your cousins, nicky, they're hurting you and family isn't supposed to hurt. (but being burned by family is all nicky has ever known about love until erik and the kloses.)
thinking about nicky being unable to visit erik during breaks because he doesn't know if he would be able to make himself come back. about erik coming to him, instead, and for that week, nicky is glowing so much that even the twins have to admit they've never seen their cousin look so happy.
thinking about nicky building a home for himself with shaking hands, and leaving its warmth to do it all over again for two boys that have been locked out for to long.
Do you think that Neil ever gets worried that Andrew will actually get bored of him eventually?
Like maybe after practice one day he'll be rambling to Andrew about exy plays and how the practice could've gone better. He stops mid sentence as he realizes he has been talking about the same thing for five days now. He goes quiet as he searches his brain for a new thing to ramble about to keep Andrew interested. To keep himself interesting.
But then Andrew says, "keep going, I'm listening" and Neil's face lights up as he continues his rant.
Andrew doesn't really listen to the words Neil is saying, he just listens to Neil's voice because the sound of it is comforting and grounding. Andrew will never get bored of Neil or Neil's rants because he could never get bored his voice.
Popular Twitch streamer Andrew Minyard who got famous by being unapologetically an asshole and his long term boyfriend Neil who everyone assumes is just his roommate because:
1. Andrew never disclosed his sexuality and
2. when he appeared in the background of a stream and ppl asked who that was, Andrew simply stated: that's Neil, he lives here.
Thinking about Wymack picking up Neil from the airport at new years. It takes him a while to spot Neil because of course his hair is back to it's natural colour but Wymack would notice those hunched over shoulders anywhere, shoulders that look like they're carrying a weight so heavy Wymack would never know the pressure of it. And that's how he knows it's his Neil. His hands always fisted around the strap of that goddamn duffle bag.
Then Neil is sitting in Wymack's car, and he can sense the tension in Neil's body, the careful way he holds himself hiding how much pain he's in, how broken he is in that moment. Neil falls asleep within minutes, so Wymack spends the rest of the journey driving as careful as he possibly can so as not to jostle Neil in the car as he sleeps. He turns the heating up too keeping Neil warm and comfortable. He tries not to think about all the questions that make his grip tighten on the steering wheel.
Next is the mission of getting Neil up to his apartment. He doesn't want to wake him, though it doesn't seem like it would be possible right now anyway. Neil seems completely gone. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest he could be dead. So Wymack grabs Neil's bag, throws it over himself before gently reaching into the car to carry Neil out. He's heavier than Wymack would have expected, considering how small he seemed when he first spotted him hunched over on the curb outside the airport.
The ride up on the elevator seems longer than usual, and at some point Wymack feels the weight of Neil's head falling back so he gently shifts him so his head lands on Wymack's shoulder instead. He sighs deeply and curses under his breath, at what he doesn't know. For a second he's back in the hallway of his apartment watching Neil flinch from him for the first time, and now he's asleep broken and bruised in his arms. There's something to be said about the irony in that he's sure.
Finally he's in his apartment, gently laying Neil down onto his sofa. He pries his shoes off and then hesitates. His hands moving automatically to unzip Neil's coat to make him more comfortable, but he doesn't want to touch him without his consent. So, he leaves the jacket. He shoves a pillow under his head though, his hand resting atop Neil's now burnt orange curls a second longer than was necessary.
He drags his desk chair into the room, careful not to make too much noise. He needs to be by his side, needs to be there when Neil wakes up so he doesn't panic. He pours himself a drink and watches Neil sleep, his eyes fixed on his chest again, focused on that steady rise and fall. Wymack drinks. Neil sleeps. Those million questions are running through his head again, but the most burning and pressing of them all is how could I let this happen to one of my kids?
y'all can we get something fucking straight?? andrew is chubby. he is. he's a stocky, short, very strong man. he is chubby. he does not have abs both because his body is not able to do that and because he does not give a fuck whether or not he has abs. he is not shredded. he is not cigarette boy skinny. he is solid and cuddly and squishy and it gives neil butterflies every time he lays eyes on him.
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