#whenever nico comes around the corner nero is both excited and scared :)))))

[yakam0z]

◟ 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 ╲ @hamuret .

his right limb is hemmed in cold metal, another of nico's latest creations. nero has learned the hard way that not all her inventions are to be taken seriously, though. ❝ and what's it good for? it's just a clown face popping out. i mean, s'pose i can scare away some children now. ❞ ... and adults. anyone really, the face is grotesque.

❝ noticed this button, too, but i won't push it unless you tell me what it does. in detail. ❞ various sorts of intrusive thoughts pervade his head, wild situations he only experienced thanks to nico's company. some resulted in severe bruises, while others just tickled them enough for a burst of laughter.

today, he is only in the mood for the latter.

[blueroseblaze]

Wreck: Chapter 5

You were practically bouncing in your seat with excitement as Nero pushed your wheelchair down the hospital corridors towards the front entrance. Your arm rested in its sling, and your leg was propped up in front of you in your chair, making Nero have to navigate the halls more carefully as to not bump you into anything and risk further damage. On your lap rested the stuffed ‘get well soon’ bear that Patty had gotten for you during your stay.

You looked around happily smiling at the nurses that you passed by, one of them jokingly telling you, “I mean this in the best possible way, but I hope I never see you again.”

Your time spent in the hospital was long and grueling and painful, but your friends and the nurses helped you through it. You were thankful to have so many supportive people around you helping you through your trauma. They had made many visits throughout your time, short but sweet. They all led busy lives and couldn’t spend much time with you but that they took the time when they could to show up just to say hi and check on you was enough. And even then, you still had Nero who had all but physically attached himself to you.

You soon reached the front of the hospital, you looked at the big glass doors and windows, so close to freedom. Well, as free as you could be in a wheelchair for the next six weeks. Nero had parked you near the doors, telling you he was going to check with the front desk to make sure everything was good to go. You nodded at him and watched him walk away. You were eager to go home, your duration in the hospital has been extended because of your collapsed lung. The doctor reasoned that since your ribs were still broken it would be safer to let your lung fully heal before leaving the hospital.

You took in a deep breath, the soreness in your chest not nearly as bad as it had been thanks to the fresh pain meds you had taken earlier. You squeezed the bears arm to resist the little bit of pain that you felt.

You closed your eyes, and let your thoughts wander away from your pain. You focused on home. You own bed -probably messy and unmade-, the worn out couch in the living room in front of the TV where you shared many movie nights with Nico and Nero, the subtle smell of tobacco wafting from the garage whenever Nico forgot to close the door, even the leaky faucet in the kitchen sounded inviting now.

You felt a gentle hand rest on your shoulder, jogging you out of your thoughts. You looked up and saw Nero smiling down at you, no doubt as happy as you were to be out of this place, no mater how nice the staff were. He gave your shoulder a light squeeze and moved his hand to lightly caress your back before returning to his previous spot behind you to continue pushing.

“Everything good?” you asked, craning your neck to look at him.

“Everything’s great,” he responded, his voice laced with a genuine contentment, “We’re just missing one thing.”

“And what’s that?” you asked inquisitively.

“Our ride home.”

On cue you heard the rumble of a massive vehicle pull up to the front drive of the building. You turned your head away from Nero and through the sliding automatic doors you saw the all too familiar tan van pull to a stop.

The van was immaculate, as good as new, no visible damage to speak of. The passenger side was facing you and you saw the door was perfectly intact. No gashes through the frame, no broken window, no remnants of what had happened.

When the van had stopped you and Nero watched as Nico climbed out and made her way around the front and through the hospital doors. You felt a smile pull at your lips. It felt like forever since you last seen her. You had spoken to her on the phone, but this was the first time you had actually seen her since the accident. And you were so thankful to see it was the exact same Nico you knew. She was sporting her normal attire, ink on full display, red framed glasses resting on her freckled nose and her big hair puffed up as per usual. You were glad to see her put together after the description Nero had given you.

She walked up to you both, that big toothy smile she wore shining through, the bullet belts on her boots jingled as she approached you.

As if she forgot Nero even existed, she stopped in front of you, bent down, and wrapped her arms around you. As tightly as she could muster without causing you harm. You wrapped your free arm around her back held her close, noting the scent of her shampoo melding with her usual sent of oil, cigarettes, and iron. The hug lasted for quite a while until she eventually pulled away, smiling down at you.

“It’s good to see you, darlin,” she said, “How you feeling?”

“It’s so good to see you too Nico. And I’m feeling as good as I can,” you replied.

“That’s good.”

Nico finally greeted Nero, throwing a few insults and expletives his way. Nero just shrugged them off happy that at least Nico was a little bit back to normal.

“Well what are we waiting for?” you asked looking between Nico and Nero, “Let’s go home.”

“Yeah,” Nero responded, “Let’s go home.”

After a few more goodbyes to the hospital staff, you three made your way towards the door. Nero continued pushing your chair as Nico kept pace beside you.

The closer you got to the van, despite your eagerness to go home, you felt a sense of dread pool into your stomach. As Nero pushed your chair towards the vehicle you noticed your uninjured leg twitch and bounce anxiously. Nico kept your attention by talking to you, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety that crept up your nerves.

Nero parked your chair beside the side door of the van and opened it as Nico walked around back to the driver’s side door. The same sense of dread was getting stronger and stronger, but you kept the excited smile on your face s not to worry them.

Then Nero asked, “You ready?”

You looked to him and nodded, your grip on the bear in your lap turning into a vice.

Nero stepped to you, wrapping his arm around your back underneath you free arm, his other arm snaked underneath your leg as he effortlessly lifted you from your chair. Your left hand gripped his shoulder as he cradled you, sidestepping through the narrow threshold of the van door.

You felt your breath hitch as you looked around the inside of the van, all the loose knickknacks thrown about the carpeted floor, the worn leather couch and the small dining table nearby. It should have invoked a familiar homey feel, but you just couldn’t shake the dread in your gut. You noticed the van was surprisingly clean, even Nico’s familiar sent of tobacco was shockingly subtle compared to when you had last set foot in the van. Her workstation was uncharacteristically organized, and the jukebox seemed to actually be functioning.

Nero gently walked over to the leather couch and gingerly placed you on it, propping your leg up and leaning you against the arm, like he had been in your hospital room. He grabbed a random pillow from the other side and placed it behind you back.

“You okay?” he asked as he adjusted the pillow, fluffing it a bit before you relaxed against it.

“Yeah,” you said, less confidently than you intended.

“Okay. I’ll make sure it’s a smooth ride. If you need anything, I’m right over there.”

He subtly gestured to the driver and passenger seats. You nodded trying to swallow the lump in your throat. He walked away and your eyes lingered on him for a moment longer as he spoke quietly to Nico before she started up the engine.

As the van shook to life you felt your whole-body tense, your muscles tightened, and your breath caught in your throat. Your nails dug into the couch and your bear and you tried to breathe again. You inhaled and exhaled yet you still felt like your lungs were empty, slowly collapsing and suffocating you. You couldn’t stop your body from constricting around your middle, your muscles tensing and cramping as you strained in your seat. You tried your best to calm down, not wanting to worry Nero or Nico. You stole a glance over your shoulder towards the two of them, to see if they noticed you. You must have been extremely subtle, because neither turned. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes and your teeth were tightly clenched, nearly to the point they felt like they would break.

Every pothole Nico wasn’t able to evade shook the entire van, the sound of the vehicle jostling covering up your panicked gasps. You wanted to get off, you didn’t care where, you would hobble the rest of the way home. You just wanted off this ride.

You didn’t even realize the van had come to a complete stop. Your heart still fluttered rapidly in your chest and your lungs still struggled to breath. But you soon felt the stillness of the van, and a pair of strong arms wrapping around you.

“Hey, hey, hey,” a soft voice cut through your panic, “It’s okay, we stopped. We’re home.”

You blinked through your tears, still desperately trying to catch your breath.

“Breathe slowly,” Nero said, “In and out, in and out. Nice and slow. You’re safe.”

You managed to get your breathing under control. You followed Nero’s instructions and you could feel his arms tighten around you as your chest filled with air. You were still scared. Your mind still wracked with sounds of scraping metal and screeching tires. It was deafening in your head.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I should have been with you back here, I wasn’t thinking.”

“I-it’s okay,” you stuttered as you continued your slow breaths.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Nero said as his arms moved from around you to under you. He effortlessly lifted you from the tattered leather couch and gently maneuvered you out of the van. The sunlight immediately warmed your skin, and you had never been so grateful to breathe in city air.

“We’ll get you situated and then we’ll go from there,” he said as he followed Nico to your front door.