slow burn; sapnap

thirty

"where is sapnap?" george said in between laughs as him and august were sat on his stream doing a try not to laugh, that they were obviously failing at.

"i don't know i thought he would join us. i'll go check on him." august took off her earbuds and skipped out of george's office and down the hall to nick's room.

"nicky?" she sang as she opened his door.

she peaked around and saw that he was no where to be found, only an unmade bed and a suitcase that had yet to be unpacked.

she left a bit confused and made her way to his office, wondering why he would be in there because she knew he didn't want to work after just getting back from the convention.

"nicky? you in here?" hadden said quietly as she knocked.

"huh? oh, yeah. i'll be out in a second." although his back was turned, hadden saw him quickly wiped his face with a sleeved hand and turn his head down.

"what's wrong?" hadden didn't want to press, so she slowly walked in and went and sat on the floor next to him patiently.

"really i'm fine. just stupid stuff," nick let out a sniffle, still keeping his head down with his hood up. "why don't you go back to your stream? i don't wanna keep you too long."

"what if i wanna be with you? scoot."

hadden turned his chair enough for her to have him sit back a bit more and she sat in his lap, pulling her legs up to her chest. nick quickly wrapped his arms around her to hold
her tight before nestling his head in between her neck and shoulder.

"no one told me how difficult it would be co-owning a company. i know i'm not doing it alone but it really feels like it." he mumbled as one of his hands ran through her hair.

hadden paid close attention to the rising and falling of his chest as he let out sad breaths in between sniffling. she placed a hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat and to feel even closer. she always wanted to feel closer.

"it is really hard. but i have no doubt in my mind that you can handle it. you are the most capable person i know," hadden whispered. "hey."

nick looked up and hadden instantly wiped the tears of frustration from his cheeks.

"you've got this. i promise you do." hadden said as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

nick just sat there looking at her. not in a weird way. or in a in-a-daze kind of way. but more in a compassionate way. in a way that was like he was looking at his whole world. in a way like he couldn't believe this was his life.

"george's stream is gonna start speculating. why don't i head back in there and if you wanna join in a bit you come in?"

"okay. thank you haddy." he pulled her in for one last tight hug, holding her like it may be the last time.

as hadden left and made her way back to george's office, she quickly tousled her hair and took a deep breath to prepare to be in "streamer" mode once again even though all she wanted to do was lay with nick.

"she's back! you all can stop blowing up my chat now." george yelled as soon as hadden came back into the room.

"sorry y'all. i think sapnap may join us later. he's doing some fancy NRG stuff. where were we?"

hadden didn't know, but as she and george sat and joked back and forth, nick sat in his office now watching the stream. he found comfort in just sitting and listening to her laugh.

she never knew, but after their fight that left them with no communication for 8 months, he did this a lot. would just sit and watch her hoping it would remind him of a time when things were better. and now was that time. life gave him a second chance at the best thing he ever messed up.

in the midst of his thoughts, nick went into his default mode for thinking. he left his phone on his desk and mindlessly made his way to the backyard. walking past the patio and the pool, he laid down on the ground as soon as the concrete stopped and the grass started.

he laid on his back with one hand on his chest and the other by his side picking blades of grass. moments like this had him grateful that their home was far enough from the main city where the stars were still visible. he slowly counted the stars until he lost his count, then he closed his eyes and enjoyed every sound that nature had to offer him.

he heard the back door open and shut, but he didn't feel the need to sit up and say anything. both dream and george knew that if nick was in this state it meant he was doing his thinking. if they saw him laying in the backyard like this they would go back inside and let him have his moment.

"mind if i join, hun?"

his eyes remained shut but a huge grin showed up on nick's face.

"sure thing, augy." he quit plucking grass and extended his arm out for her to lay her head on.

once he felt her laying next to him, he turned his head to admire the girl with him. she was looking right back at him with eyes that were as big as the moon sitting and watching above them.

"this normal for you?"

"pretty normal. its how i think a lot of times." nick replied.

"whatcha thinking about?" hadden mused.

nick looked her facial features up and down, causing a slight blush to hit her cheeks. he traced her nose from between eyebrows and down to her upper lip with his index finger.

"mostly you."

"is that right?"

he loved the prominent southern drawl on her words. it made them that much sweeter.

"sure is. thinking about how you drive me crazy in the best way."

the tint of her cheeks got darker and she looked down, feeling flustered. so he kept going.

"i'm thinking about how if someone told me you hung every star in this sky, i would believe them. i'm also thinking about how i don't know how i found any breath in my lungs before i met you."

"you're too much." she whispered with a slight giggle.

"that's where you're wrong. i could talk about you forever and it would never be enough. you are so indescribable, hadden."

"how is this real?" she said in disbelief of their situation.

"i've been asking myself that a lot."

they both sat admiring their situation, but not long before both of their lips found their way to each others.