Nursey Week: Day 3 and 4
I usually let my chat friends read my stuff before I post, but I got too impatient. So forgive any mistakes. lol I'm also a piece of shit who can't write every day, so here's another combination of days. Trigger warning for mention of anxiety and recreational drug use. sensitive friends, and a challenge of kisses It's 2 am and Derek Nurse can't sleep. Today was a particularly bad day: he forgot to take his meds, spilled coffee all over himself and had to go back to his dorm to change making him late for an exam, and his anxiety was running so high today that he could barely focus at practice. He knows the guys had to notice; they kept shooting him sympathetic looks when a pass didn’t land or goal fell through. Derek is the first off the ice and slips into the showers, letting the scalding water run over his skin. I am okay. I am not a failure. I’m not going to lose my spot on the team. He repeats these things over and over with his face turned to the spray to try and wash the invasive thoughts from his mind. Surprisingly, it helps, and he steps out with his skin a bit less crawly than before. He heads back to the lockers to get dressed and Lardo is sitting on the bench chewing gum and looking at her phone. “Hey Lards.” Derek whispers, a little exhausted from the anxiety running through his veins and the water relaxing his muscles. “Hey Nursey. Miss your meds?” The question is blunt and straight to the point, and Nursey knows Lardo well enough to not be offended. “Yeah, actually. How did you know?” “Your hands started shaking after you missed the second pass during practice. Listen, Shitty had a random couple of days available, so he was coming down to visit. I was going to herd everyone out to hang out together, but I have a feeling you need some time with him.” “Firstly, I don't know if you have ever said that many words to me at once,” Nursey chuckles as Lardo leans over and punches him in the arm. “Secondly, i really appreciate you.” Smiling, Lardo nods and leaves him to get ready. “He’ll be in the Reading Room. ********************** Nursey walks into the doors of the Haus pleasantly surprised at the silence. He hadn’t realized that Lardo still planned on taking the boys out to leave a quiet house, and mentally thanked her for her consideration as he made his way up the stairs. Shitty had an uncanny ability to tell when Nurse’s anxiety was really messing with him even back in Andover, and actually helped him find some coping mechanisms that worked well for him. They had gotten even closer in Samwell, and Nursey forgot how much he missed him until the excitement at seeing him started to settle in his chest. He finally climbed out onto the roof; Shitty looked like a dream, sitting in sweatpants and a t shirt with blankets and bags surrounding him, his knees pulled up to his chest and his lips kissing a blunt. He turns when he hears the window close and his grin is blinding. “Nursey Nurse, you gorgeous motherfucker. How the fuck are you, brah?” Shitty rasps, the effect of the smoke scraping his throat. He pulls Nursey into a hug and hands him the blunt. “Hey, man. Okay I guess. Today was not good. I still feel like my skin is trying to crawl away.” “Yeah, Lardo told me. I grabbed your heaviest blanket in case you wanted the weight, your softest blanket, and some snacks. Bitty had my favorite pie and yours, so I grabbed us a couple slices. That cool?” Nursey smiled around the hit he was taking and nodded, tears springing to his eyes. “Yeah, bro. Fucking tell me about law school.” “I’ll do you one better: I’ll talk shit about law school, and leave you to finish that blunt.” Derek took another hit in response. He was still tucked into Shitty’s side, and after a moment of listening to him talk, he pulls his softer blanket, wrapping it around them both instead of pulling away. He listens to Shitty talk about his life, chuckling at appropriate intervals and asking questions when he need clarification. They pass stories between them and Nursey can’t remember the last time he felt so calm and safe. Somehow, despite communicating with him the least, Shitty always managed to take care of him the best and halfway through the second story Shitty told, Nursey realized he really really wanted to kiss him. “Yo, Shits, I know we’re not playing a game, but i have a dare for you.” Nursey looks up at him from his spot on his lap, eyes low from the weed and Shitty’s fingers in his hair and his inhibitions lowered with the last sweet hit. “Sure brah, try me.” “I dare you to try a taste of my pie without taking a bite.” Shitty furrows his brow while trying to figure out how to complete the dare. He doesn’t stop running his fingers through Nursey’s curls, and Nursey is starting to get impatient waiting for him to get it when Shitty starts laughing. He stands and grabs the slice and feeds Nursey a bite. “Bro if you wanted to kiss me, you could have just fucking asked.” He cups Derek’s face with a smile and chases the taste of pumpkin and cinnamon and cloves. Nursey feels light and buzzy, his skin sensitive and vibrating as Shitty’s kiss lights him up from the inside out. He rubs his thumbs over the apples of Shitty’s cheeks as he kisses away the troubles of the day, under his softest blanket and another blanket of stars.