@keggster dragged me into rarepair hell by dropping some amazing kent/nursey in the Parse Posi Discord server and i had some FEELINGS ABOUT IT and so here they are.
you should read his fic first for context. it is 3k and it’s perfect.
(but basically this is like critically acclaimed author!nursey futurefic?) (it’s not an au until it’s proven derek nurse DOESN’T become the next rupi kaur for his book of poetry reflecting on sports and blackness and elite schools and masculinity?? so ok, carrying on)
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i kind of love the contrast between derek nurse "i mean don't get me wrong i'm SO grateful for the attention my writing has gotten, especially people praising my mind, but i also kind of want someone to call me smoking hot and pet my abs ‘cause i work really hard for them??”
and kent parson, THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, who would KILL some serious thoughtful questions about current events instead of ANOTHER interview about WHAT HE EATS DURING THE SEASON WHEN HE’S TRAINING,,,
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and like. nursey works really hard for his abs, he is genuinely proud of his body, but he’s afraid of tarnishing his Serious Author Image by posting a shirtless pic on his instagram. like, his instagram is supposed to be creative.... artistic.... inspirational..... visionary.
so what would people think if he posted a douchey gym selfie?? they’d realize he’s actually kind of a jock!!! and honestly, the perception that jocks as a class cannot be intellectuals is absurd, and derek could write a whole triptych poem on the subject, because, like, look at john urschel—if anything derek is ashamed of himself for giving into his fear and letting himself be catalogued, pigeonholed, systematized—
and yet. nursey is still a little too anxious about protecting his image as a Writer to post an ab selfie to instagram.
and then on the other hand? kent parson is actually, like, pretty smart? he feels like a douchebag when he tries to explain this to people, but. he is. he knows he is. he has a lot of thoughts about a lot of topics. and he really doesn’t think that explaining his off-season training regiment is the most interesting thing he can talk about??? but that’s the only kind of shit anyone ever asks him about.
but then eventually he reads nursey’s books and reaches out to talk to him about them, because he is completely starved for actual serious discussions about art and literature. and kent absolutely seduces nursery with his critical thinking skills. because kent parson is smart, and actually engaging with nursey’s poems, and HOLY SHIT what better way to a writer’s heart is there but analyzing their work?? (and doing it well, damn)
anyway after they’ve been dating for a while, please imagine kent and derek lying around shirtless in the sun, out beside the pool at the fancy-shmancy private health club kent's a member of.
kent has his head pillowed on derek's shoulder. he’s absently stroking derek’s toned stomach with one hand while he talks about how the introduction of single payer and UBI would cause a modern renaissance in american media--
and people are staring and it's half because they're both half-naked and extremely hot, but it’s also half because wow is that kent parson, what is he talking about so enthusiastically?
kent isn't paying attention because he's very Into his tangent, but nursey is PREENING. he loves it. he’s like, "look at my hot smart boyfriend, i'm also HIS hot and smart boyfriend, we’re enviable as fuck,,,"
like? nursey loves kent for his brain first, of course, but kent’s body and his money aren’t bad either? besides, nursey knows he’s a catch; he’s a published author, he’s cool as fuck, he works out, he’s got style and wit and charm in spaces. so it feels good to know he’s with someone who’s also the whole package, that they can both be hot, intellectual jocks together. because you can be both. derek loves being the evidence of this.
also, he makes kent post sexy gym selfies of the two of them to his instagram, which ends up being the perfect workaround. now people can see derek’s abs without derek having to compromise the carefully curated vibe of his professional instagram. (besides, kent’s instagram is a complete goddamn mess, a mishmash of hockey and book reviews and cool plants he finds on his runs and social justice and cat pics and soap carving videos ... it’s very kent and nursey kind of envies how freely he posts? but also nursey would never run a social media profile as messy as all that. like, jeez, kent. pick a theme.)
but that means, to millions of hockey fans, derek nurse is just “kent parson’s super fit fiance, isn’t he a writer or something?? i think he’s kinda famous??” and for derek that is just perfect.
like, in the first draft of his wedding vows to kent, nursey writes: when i was eleven i realized deep in my heart that i absolutely deserved no less than being one half of an ultimate power couple. kent, you've made me the happiest and most powerful man alive. we could destr--
at this point he stops and crosses all of that out.
but you can be sure that's the undercurrent of the final product.
I never thought i’d have people being supportive or liking my egotron/shipgrumps stuff!!!!! It’s just really nice to see nice tags rather than getting hate like when I was 11....
