ADHD fun sometimes. it does silly shit like randomly remembering that part in Cloverfield where that chick who got bitten fuckin exploded and then connecting it to Current Hyperfixation like "mm...teen Nai with a perfectly benign tummy ache but scared bc he doesn't know what's happening to him, but he's STUBBORN and won't ask for help, so he just gets more and more scared the longer his tummy hurts, and the anxiety's making him feel sick, which scares him EVEN MORE and! maybe him and Vash once watched a scary movie or two featuring someone's torso exploding from the inside! or an alien bursting out of it! and Nai KNOWS that can't be the case with him but now he can't get those scenes out of his head, and he hurts, and he feels SO yucky, and he feels STUPID for being so scared
and eventually Conrad finds him just. sitting against the wall in a random hallway. hood up. cloak drawn around himself. and Nai refuses to get up, and it takes a lot of gentle prodding just for him to finally admit that he doesn't feel well. but he won't move. and when Conrad asks if it's okay to carry him to the exam room, Nai responds with just the most pathetic, obstinate little grumble, but he doesn't fight him, and Conrad doesn't say a word about that one arm looped around his neck or how reluctant Nai is to let go as he's set down on the exam table. and of course Nai won't just tell Conrad what specifically is wrong bc he's Embarrassed and Stubborn, but Conrad's so patient with him, asking simple questions to narrow things down, and then he indulges Nai with all the non-invasive procedures and exams he'll put up with to show him that everything's perfectly normal with him
and THAT'S when Nai finally lets himself admit it might just be stress getting to him...and it's impossible for him to hide how embarrassed and stupid he feels for getting so wound up over something so small - by now, it's just so easy for Conrad to see right through him, and he also knows Nai will NOT ask for help or comfort no matter how upset he gets. so Conrad offers to give Nai something to help settle his stomach - he'll still have a tummy ache but at least he won't feel so yucky - and sticks around "just in case you have a reaction to it" except what Conrad ACTUALLY does is sit with Nai and rub his back as he's curled up on the exam table feeling gross and dumb and trying not to cry about it
but once he's managed to calm down a little, Nai starts to open up. he mentions that ill-advised scary movie marathon he and Vash did years ago. Conrad asks about what they watched, and that gets Nai to open up a little more, and soon he's telling him about those scenes that scared him so much - and Conrad says something like "you're more brave than I was; I couldn't watch anything like that when I was that age... well. you know what I mean." and Nai doesn't expect that to make him laugh, but it does
and FOR SOME REASON that's what opens the flood gates. the next thing he knows, Nai's lying there sniffling, trembling from the sobs he's struggling to hold back - until Conrad's combing his fingers through his hair, and at last, Nai gives in and lets himself cry and cry - and Conrad doesn't make a big deal out of it, doesn't try to make him stop. he gently, so gently encourages Nai to just...let it all out. and he does. he cries until he feels like an empty vessel. it's a good kind of empty, though - like dumping lukewarm water out of a glass, like some strange weight has been lifted - and as his tears run dry, Nai is SO. EXHAUSTED. maybe he'll just...sleep a bit. just this once.
when he notices Nai's starting to nod off, of course Conrad offers to set him up somewhere that's actually comfortable...and of course Nai's fast asleep in his arms before the elevator even reaches the penthouse. Conrad carries him to the master bedroom, tucks him in, then heads out and gets back to work. he's not expecting Nai to still be there when he returns that evening, but there he is - and that's okay. Conrad's careful to be extra-quiet as he gets ready for bed, gets in the far side...only briefly reaches into Nai's personal bubble to tug the covers up over his shoulder. and yes, Conrad knows that, come sunrise, Nai will be long gone...but for now, he's here, safe and warm and loved and cared for - and tonight, not even his deepest fears can reach him..."
...anyway. yeah. that's what's playing in my turbo-unmedicated brain theater rn =u=
