The past few days had been pretty rough for Nico. He couldn't really tell why but he felt... different; like nothing around him was going right. It was really starting to bring him down. Nico was noticing every minuscule detail about the way people talked to him, or the way their body language changed. He heard every sigh and every tut. Maybe it was just the fact he was constantly tired, so his mind was playing games with him.
It'd been a particularly difficult day at work for Nico. For the first time in years, he'd messed up. It wasn't anything big, not life-threatening for the patient but even so, he still messed up. It had been playing on his mind all day. The look that Link had given him only made him feel worse about the situation. The look of utter disappointment. When his shift had finally ended, he rushed to get changed and left without saying goodbye to anyone. All he wanted to do was get home and crawl into bed. In fact, he hadn't even waited for Levi.
They didn't live together but they pretty much spent every night together, so it was routine that Nico waited for Levi before they both headed back to his apartment. So when Levi had found out that Nico had left without a word to anyone, he was obviously very concerned. It wasn't like Nico to do such a thing. Levi had noticed that other the past few days Nico had been more concealed, his behavior was far different than normal. Even Taryn had commented on it at one point.
"I think something is wrong with Nico," Levi sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he turned to face his friends. Casey, Dahlia, and Taryn all stopped and looked at him, exchanging glances. "What?"
"No, it's nothing. I just- I agree. He seems... distracted." Dahlia commented, to which Casey and Taryn both nodded in agreement.
"I heard Dr. Lincoln and him chatting earlier. I don't think I was meant to overhear the conversation but I couldn't help it, I'm nosy." Taryn lifted her shoulders in a shrug, an awkward grin tugging at the corner of her lips. Levi raised a brow at Helm.
"What did you overhear, exactly?"
"Well, Link didn't sound too happy. He was saying something to Nico about messing up, how he never does that and it was a rookie mistake. Something like that." Taryn rushed her words out, Levi struggling to catch them all.
Once Levi had fully taken in what Helm had just spat at him, he took a deep breath and dug his phone out from his pocket. "I'm going to talk to him. I doubt he'll answer but I need to know he's okay."
"Nico is a strong soul, Levi. Saying that, even the strongest of souls can break. Trust your gut. If you feel like you need to go see him, do so." Casey spoke up from where he was stood. Levi shot him a thankful smile as he raised the phone to his ear, listening intently as the phone began to ring. And ring. And ring.
It went to voicemail.
"He's not answering. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Levi put his phone back in his pocket, waving goodbye to his friends before rushing off out the lounge. It wasn't like Nico to not answer his phone. All Levi wanted to do was make sure that Nico was okay.
-
Nico was sat on the couch, the TV playing silently in the background, his legs pulled up to his chest. He wasn't watching the TV at all, it just felt comforting to have it on. He was staring off into space, his mind racing with thoughts of every wrong thing he'd done the past few days. Nico had never felt such a negative emotion such as this one before and it was overwhelming, exhausting even.
He'd put his phone on silent as soon as he had come home. He didn't want to hear it ring anymore. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone other than himself at the moment. It wasn't like him to be feeling so down, it was so strange. It was difficult to comprehend such intense emotions.
Even when his front door clicked open, he stayed sat where he was, unmoving. He knew it was Levi, as he was the only other person who had a key to his apartment. However, Levi was the last person he wanted to see right now. Nico didn't want Levi to have to see him in such a way. He'd think he was pathetic and weak for sure.
"Nico?" Levi called out, his voice soft. Even so, Nico still didn't respond. He just rested his head in his knees. Levi dropped his bag by the door before making his way over to the couch, brows knitted together as he spotted Nico curled up on the couch.
Levi made his way around the couch, cautiously sitting on it next to Nico. He reached his hand out, gently resting his hand on Nico's knee. He seemed to tense up at the sudden contact, so Levi pulled his hand away, frowning. He didn't know what to do to get through to Nico.
"Are you okay?" Dumb question, really, as Levi could see that Nico was obviously far from it. Nico shook his head in response, taking in a deep, shaky breath. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," Nico croaked out, lifting his head from his knees to look at Levi. His hair was messy and unkempt, which was such a rare sight for Levi to experience. Even in the somewhat dim lighting of the room, he could still see the tears that gathered in Nico's eyes. He let out a muted sigh as he shuffled closer to Nico, hoping he would let him in.
"That's okay, I'm not going to force you to talk to me. Have you eaten at all today?" Levi questioned, shifting his position so he was facing Nico, his legs crossed in front of him on the couch.
"No," Nico sniffled, his gaze shifting upwards, as if it could stop the tears that threatened to spill. "Don't want to."
"It might make you feel better," Nico let out a quiet scoff at Levi's words. "Okay, okay. How about we just head to bed, yeah?"
Nico hesitated for a moment before he nodded his head. It seemed better than moping on the couch all night. Levi grinned at him, pushing himself off the couch before he held his hand out towards Nico. With a sigh, Nico took Levi's hand and climbed off the couch, Levi leading him to the bedroom.
They both stayed completely silent as they both got ready for bed. For the most part, Nico just stayed sat on the bed, whilst Levi cleaned up the room a little and got changed into the spare set of pajamas he'd left at Nico's place. Nico felt truly worthless, just sat there, not helping Levi. All he wanted to do was get up and help him, but even that seemed impossible. He couldn't understand why he felt such a way and why it felt like the world was pressing down on his shoulders. The feeling that ached in his chest felt like it would never shift.
Eventually, Levi finished what he needed to do and sat himself down next to Nico on the bed. Nico hadn't budged the entire time that Levi was getting ready for bed.
"Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?" Levi asked, his voice low and tone dripping with concern. Nico shook his head and let out a heavy sigh, lowering his head so he didn't have to look at Levi. "Hey, Nico. It's okay."
"No, it's not," Nico muttered, bringing up his hand to wipe under his eyes. "Nothing's okay."
Levi inhaled deeply as he shuffled closer to Nico, his heart aching at the sight of Nico being so upset. He'd never seen Nico so vulnerable before. He'd never seen him so distraught. It was strange and it was scary because Levi didn't know what to do. This was a whole new situation to him that he was experiencing for the first time. There was no one there to help him, no one there to give him advice on the best way to work around it all.
"I understand that it may feel like that right now," Levi began, hoping that he wouldn't say anything which could upset Nico anymore. "But it will get better. I'm here, I'm staying here until you don't need me to anymore. I'm not going to leave you alone, Nico. I love you, so much. I'm going to help you through this, okay?"
Silence fell between them once Levi had finished speaking. It lingered for a while, before a muffled sob erupted from Nico. His hands instantly came up to cover his face, hiding himself away from the world. Levi instantly wrapped his arms around Nico, pulling him in for a hug. It was something that Nico hadn't even realized he needed until Levi had hugged him. Levi's hand came to rest at the back of Nico's head, his fingers gently grazing through his hair, hushing him ever so softly. Nico's arms were wrapped firmly around Levi's waist, his face buried into the crook of Levi's neck as he finally let himself cry.
"It's okay, I'm here," Levi cooed, letting himself sway a little, like it may help Nico calm down. "Let it out, it's okay to cry."
What Levi hadn't realized is that he'd begun to cry himself, feeling so much all at once that he couldn't contain it. Seeing Nico so distraught had hurt more than Levi ever thought it would. Being unable to help Nico just made Levi feel completely useless.
They stayed embracing each other for a good ten minutes, even though it hadn't taken Nico too long to calm down, especially in Levi's arms. They just refused to let each other go. Nico was scared that if he let go, Levi would realize how dumb he was being and would leave. Just up and leave him, like what they had was nothing.
When Nico eventually pulled back from the hug, it surprised him to see that Levi had tears tracking down his cheeks as well. He brought his hands up to gently cup Levi's cheeks, using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the tears from beneath Levi's eyes. The gesture made Levi laugh a little, as Nico shouldn't be the one comforting Levi. A fond grin replaced the solemn look that Nico had donned. It warmed Levi to see Nico finally, genuinely smile.
"Don't cry," Nico mumbled, leaning forward just a little, so that he could place a sweet kiss to Levi's forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry as well."
"Shut up," Levi chuckled softly, shaking his head at Nico's apology. "You don't need to apologize for anything, Nico."
Nico let out a brief sigh as he nodded, pursing his lips together to try to hide his smile. Levi leaned in, pressing his lips against Nico's in a rushed kiss, experiencing so many intense emotions all at once. Nico kissed back, grinning into the kiss as he shifted himself so he was able to push Levi down onto the mattress. Levi's hands came to find themselves tangled in Nico's hair, pulling Nico down against him even more. Nico's legs were either side of Levi's waist as he straddled him, their kiss so full of want and passion.
However, Nico broke the kiss, pulling back from it. Levi let out a whine as he did so, not wanting the kiss to end. When he saw the look on Nico's face, though, his brows furrowed together.
"Is everything okay?" Levi mumbled, cocking his head to the side a little, like a confused puppy. Nico nodded a little, staring down at Levi.
"Yeah, everything is perfect," Nico breathed, his expression melting into something slightly more relaxed. "You look amazing tonight."
"I look a mess," Levi chuffed, rolling his eyes at Nico's comment. However, Nico just smiled. Even though Levi thought he looked like a mess, Nico swore he'd never seen anything so brilliant in his life. He'd never seen such beauty.
"I love you," Nico whispered, just loud enough so that Levi could catch it. "Please don't go."
"I'm not going anywhere, Nico. You can't get rid of me that easily." With that, Levi pulled Nico back down for another kiss, this time much slower and full of so much love that Nico almost felt as if he could explode.
Levi truly was a blessing in his life. He had no clue what he would do without Levi by his side, supporting him through everything. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Levi, he was so sure of that. He was so sure that it scared him. There had never been another person in his life that he felt as strongly for as he did Levi. Levi was just the most incredible person Nico had ever had the chance to meet.
Nico loved Levi with his whole being, and he swore he'd loved him until the day he died.