Characters: Nick Wiseman and f!Button (Kylie Wiseman)
Rating: General
Word Count: 1,251
Summary: Nick and Button dealing with Button's first nightmare after the incident with Hope.
A/N: I kind of wrote this on impulse, and directly on here so this kinda shitty and might be full of typos. I just know that if I wait to post it I will never do so haha. Sry abt the lowk garbage writing I'm extremely rusty 😭🙏🏼
Can be read on Ao3
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3 weeks. That's how long it took for her to break. 21 days 2 hrs 19 minutes to be exact. Of course Nick hadn't been counting or anything, but there was a clock in the back of his mind that never stopped ticking after the incident. She left for school just like any other day, came home with a scowl that Nick had been familiar with since the age of 16; Only now she didn't tell him about any of it directly, simply resigning to the new found frog disection thoughts every time she saw him look at her upset face. She had started staying out later than usual, visiting underground raves as she had told him, but Nick knew all too well that she just waited for him to be asleep when she came home, just so she could have a moment alone with her thoughts.
Nick would love to give her all the privacy she needs, if there was a way he could do that, he would not hesitate even if it killed him, but things had been this way for too long, without Button's voice in his head he only fears for the worst. Her voice was only quiet for 27 minutes that day and doctors had told them, had he been even slightly later, he would've lost her. Ever since that day, the moment he couldn't listen her when he reached out (which he tried to limit so) his chest seized and his skin lost it's color, everything in his mind urging him to rush home just so he isn't late. The incident shouldn't have happened in the first place, and he refused to think it could happen again.
It was a deafening scream when she broke. Nick knew the nightmares were bound to happen, but somehow Kylie had managed to fall asleep in the night and wake up in the morning just like any other day for the past 3 weeks. Nick remembered being unable to sleep the first week after their parents left, but seeing Kylie get accustomed to these new arrangements so quickly had brought him some relief (and some panic abt his sister suppressing her emotions, but he knew he couldn’t comment on that).
Her scream was accompanied with hyperventilation and cold sweats. Nick had rushed to her room with a bottle of water and tissues, wiping her forehead as he gently eased her out of the nightmare and waking her up.
It's okay Button. I'm right here.
Her thoughts weren't coherent, half asleep and half blurred from the nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open, the blue nightlight on her side table the only thing illuminating the room. He figured he shouldn't startle her with too much light, "Nick?"
I can't breathe. Her eyes welling up with tears she had refused to shed the last 3 weeks.
Nick couldn't either.
It's okay, I got you some water, it'll help.
Kylie's voice kept going on and on in his head, a scared tremble to it not leaving at all. Nick found himself holding her hand as she continued tightening her grip, her fear constricting his lungs, his vision blurring. Her thoughts were too scattered, yet Nick couldn't stop himself from picking them up.
Why is she doing this to me? Why are they leaving? I'm scared, I can't breathe. I can't move my body. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Nick it's all my fault. Please stop it I'm scared.
He kept wiping her face, sweat forming again as soon as he wiped it off. He sent her gentle nudges in her head, trying to calm her down, her breathing evening out as her racing thoughts found a centre.
Why did they abandon us?
His chest tightened in a familiar taut. Button had a habit of saying things after going around them in a circle, "They packed their bags real quick.", "Mom and Dad sure had a place all ready.", "Good Riddance." But never ever direct. Even in her thoughts, she had made a habit of herself to think as she spoke, any ment around her would think she was speaking her thoughts freely. Listening to her say what they both felt only made him shudder.
Nick knew they didn't "abandon" them. He knew why mom and dad had to leave, he knew that Kylie knew that too. And here they both were, feeling they did so anyway. Nick was not as good a son their parents loved to think, he mused. There was nothing to forgive, but he forgave them anyway; Yet here he was, sitting by his sister's bed wondering how to answer the question she asked out of her raw, vulnerable emotions. She was looking at him, no thoughts inside her head (which was not true. Both of them were just thinking the same thing) as her tears stained the pillow beneath her.
"You know why." He said out loud. He couldn’t get himself to say "they didn't". It didn't sit right with him to tell her that when she felt abandoned.
I miss the jumble sandwiches mom made.
Nick let out a wet chuckle, letting a few tears roll down his face (he didn’t let them. It just became hard to breathe without), funny how he was thinking the same thing.
"I miss her scolding us about taking the leftovers saved for dad."
I didn't mean it you know. That day.
I know.
I don't even remember what we were fighting about.
He could only caress her hair out of her face, lightly dabbing away the falling tears.
I don't know why i wanted to hurt her so much that day, if only I'd known—
"Kyls."
Her name from his voice stopped her trail of thought, her eyes immediately dragging back from the poster on her wall to her brother's frame beside her.
I love you Button. Nothing can make us hate you.
Our parents hate me.
They don't.
You don't know that.
I do.
Nick knew this wouldn't be enough to make her believe his words, but he hoped it calmed the storm in her head long enough for her to breathe. He pulled her up, making her lean against the bed frame as she sat.
She had been distant these 21 days. Understandably so, in his opinion. Though his understanding could not keep away his hurt at that.
"I'm sorry for being away these few weeks." Her voice dry, and unnaturally quiet.
He chuckled again, "And here I thought i was the psychic sibling."
"You are also the dumb one, so it was easy to guess what you were thinking."
"Hey! I'm literally UCRT's leader!"
"They probably have 'dumbass' in their qualification requirements then." She smiled, finally thawing the icicles that had settled in Nick's heart after her scream.
He passed her the bottle of water, as he took a sip himself, the cold contrasting his constricted organs, finally letting him breathe.
Kylie yawned, putting away the bottle back on the table as she smiled mirthlessly, "You can sleep here tonight if you're scared."
Translation: Please don't leave me alone.
He quickly ran to his room and grabbed his pillow and covers. By the time he got back, she had nestled herself on the right (fully aware that's his favorite side to sleep on) leaving him space on the left of the bed. He shook his head, a small grin hanging on his lips anyway as he begrudgingly settled on the bed.
The intro lines are obviously from two different parts, I kinda paraphrased the text here since I didn't have screenshots of those specific lines 💔 i do hope all of it seems on theme and canon tho!
Regardless of it being stated exclusively that Nick is straight, I still believe Nick and Grayson lowk had sm potential as a ship (obviously only in a route where button has NEVER shown any interest in Grayson and will never do so) like Grayson i did not take one look at my hb on the very first day and saw right through his extremely delicately believable fabricated facade bro.
