F/o who drapes their arm over your shoulder whilst you walk. F/o who uses your head as an armrest (even if they're too short to pull it off with any sort of grace). F/o who bumps shoulders with you as you joke with each other, leans against you, and links arms with you whilst you talk. F/o who likes making contact in small, casual ways.
He's laying in a heap as the brawl starts, Siegs dropping his gloves first in retaliation for the dirty hit against his captain. It didn't take long for the remainder of the players for both the Devils and the Rangers to drop their gloves and start fighting, thankfully away from Nico's limp body.
Jack blinks and the trainers are on the ice, calling for the team doctor and EMS staff. Timo and Haula are helping them onto the ice as the fight is broken up, players being sent to their respective penalty boxes. Jack shakes off his gloves, feeling his palms start to sweat and bile rising in the back of his throat. He feels someone's hand on his shoulder--Luke, maybe, but Jack can't peel his eyes away from his husband on the ice.
"He's moving his hands," Luke murmurs into his ear, trying to bring Jack down from his impending panic attack. "See? He just pointed to his head. This is all just a precaution, bro, Nico's tough."
Jack blinks again, trying to refocus his eyes on Nico's movements, taking a shaky sip of a water bottle that was thrust into his hands. They were putting the neck brace on him, the team doctor kneeling down at Nico's head to hold it still. Nico tried to sit up but was ushered back down by the medical staff, pinning his arms to his chest. He could hear raised voices of his teammates telling Nico to stay down, the arena falling eerily silent.
"I can't do this alone," Jack croaks out to Luke, the transfer board being slipped between Nico and the ice.
"You're not bud, Nico is going to be fine," Lukes tries to reassure him, but Jack shakes his head in response.
It wasn't just if Nico were to die--it's if he was paralysed and couldn't ever walk again; if he had post-concussion syndrome and couldn't continue his hockey career; or if this hit was the one that causes a CTE diagnosis down the track. Jack wouldn't be able to continue playing hockey, putting a brave face on for Mila when Nico's heart and soul had been taken away from him--the light from behind his eyes forever dimmed. Mila hadn't even turned two yet--she would never have any memories of Nico prior to this life altering moment.
"There's less than 2 minutes on the clock, Keefe won't play you again for this game. Fitzy will call Nico's parents and tell them as a formality, you know how it is. Then we'll get you back in the dressing room, a quick shower and change and I'll drive you to the hospital," Luke takes charge, trying to keep Jack from bursting into tears on the bench.
He feels someone hoist him up by the elbow as sticks start tapping the ice as Nico is wheeled off the ice, surrounded by an entourage of concerned faces.
Luke was right, both of them were benched for the remaining minutes of the game. Jack lets himself be led down the tunnel and into the locker room. The room is too quiet--they'd won the game, but without Nico's presence it felt as if they'd had their biggest loss of the season. What if this was Nico's last game of hockey?
Jack blinks, and he's being guided into the passenger seat of a car. The back seat is devoid of a carseat, and Jack realises he must be in Luke's car.
"Mila's at home," Jack says with urgency as Luke slides into the drivers seat.
"I've already sent Hazel a message and given her the heads up. She said Mila's completely fine and is more than happy to stay until we get home," Luke tells Jack as he peels his car out of the garage.
They're met at the front door of the ER by one of the trainers, being led to a private room tucked towards the back. The trainer was smiling, Jack thinks to himself as he tries to steady his racing heart; so maybe Nico was okay after all? Or was the smile merely to cover up the severity of Nico's injury?
Jack has no clue what he's about to walk into when the door to Nico's room was opened for him, but he was not expecting Nico to be sitting up in bed and smiling at him. Jack stops in his tracks and bursts into tears.
"Oh, Schatz," Nico says, face falling at his husband's state. "I'm okay, baby. Come here." He holds his arm out towards Jack, patting the bed beside him. He registers the team doctor leaving the room as he moves towards Nico on autopilot, letting himself be pulled into Nico's side as he cries.
"All my scans are clear, nothing's broken. Just a concussion," Nico says into Jack's hair.
"Can we take you home tonight?" Jack mumbles, face buried in Nico's armpit.
Nico shakes his head gingerly. "They want me to stay for observation tonight. I threw up in the ambulance and they couldn't roll me onto my side fast enough, so I have to get some antibiotics through an IV just to be sure my chest is okay."
Jack feels himself start to settle down, hiccuping between shuddering breaths just like Mila when she's recovering from a meltdown.
"I can't do this alone," Jack tells Nico as the thought of their daughter crosses his mind. Mila needs both of her parents--Jack needs Nico to be okay.
"You don't have to, baby. I'm right here with you and everything is going to be okay."
Nico was right, everything was okay. Luke lets Jack sleep in the car on the way home, thanking Hazel repeatedly as he updates her on Nico's condition. He finds Jack standing in Mila's nursery, cuddling the sleeping baby to his chest as he buries his nose into her hair.
Jack's eyes are closed, curled protectively around Mila as Luke pads into the master bedroom. He'd stolen a pair of Jack's pyjama pants, slipping into the king sized bed next to his brother and niece. Nico would be home in the morning, Jack was coming down from his adrenaline high, Mila would be hugged by both her Daddy and her Papa in the morning, and Luke's job was complete--Jack didn't have to do it alone.
After Union pt3 is posted this blog will be abandoned & archived for now (and potentially deleted). — All fics will still be available on AO3, and I’ll be exclusively posting there (for now) henceforth.
Just go be clear this is not absolute. I might post on tumblr again. But if I do it’ll be on my main @chrisredfieldsfattie
lexi is probably soooo sad the first time her and fez get into an argument. there's no yelling or anything but she remembers her parents fighting and cassie fighting with her boyfriends and it scares her bc she doesn't want to end up in a toxic relationship like them. and then imagine how surprised she is when fez shows up with flowers and an apology note and a genuine desire to communicate and work out the issue bc he loves her and knows how scared she is and then she just cries and cries bc she's so happy.
