old friends

jumper cables

when nick gets the call, he's practically jumping for joy.

is he worried about her, sure, but he finally gets to leave clay and george alone to have some couples time and give their respective streams some extra fan service.

it's been a weird few days for nick. meeting riley was nice. he's not sure why he was bold, but he hasn't regretted it. though, maybe he should've asked for the baggers number too. she was cute.

and now he was trying to get a girl back into minecraft, a game she apparently hadn't played since fifth grade.

hell, nick didn't even know when fifth grade was for her. she could be a senior for all he knows. or a freshman. or graduated. she could be going for her masters! or her doctorates! do people even get doctorates in compsci?

he should probably ask her, just so it's not talking to a total stranger. somehow, even though they don't know much about each other, it feels like they know everything.

"hey, i gotta go y'all." he says, leaning slightly into his mic as he reaches for his wallet. just in case.

"what, why?" clay asks, his character turning around to face him, punching him backwards slightly.

"i gotta go jumpstart a girls car."

it's silent for a moment too long. the awkwardness is almost visible. it doesn't register on nicks head the way the words he just said could be taken. well, not until george starts giggling like a schoolboy and clay bursts into a tea kettle wheeze.

"oh my god," nick rolls his eyes, "not like that! her car broke down and it's freezing outside!"

clay can't talk, but his words come out in high pitched whistles when he tries.

"at," he tries to clear his throat but it goes back into a wheeze, "at midnight?"

"she was studying!" nick defends.

the two start laughing even more. if nick could see them, he'd flip them off immediately. but he can't, so he opts for thanking his stream and ending it, before immediately leaving the discord call.

he ignores the buzzing in his pocket, assuming their texts from clay and george, and instead rushes to his car.

it's fucking cold outside.

living in texas for eighteen years hasn't yet prepared nick for the bitter cold of february nights.

luckily his hoodie protects against at least some of it. his sweatpants do too, but the fabric isn't that heavy and he can feel the pinpricks on his legs whenever the wind blows.

nick is out of his house in 10 minutes, taking another 15 to get to the north lot.

he sees a figure sitting on the ground in front of the hood of her car, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"riley?" he calls out, the streetlights allowing him to see her head lift up.

she stands up, dusting herself off, before watching his car pull closer up to her and her car.

he jumps outs of his car, heading for the jumper cables in his trunk.

she tries to help, but the second he feels her ice cold, shivering hands, he sheds his jacket and sends her to his car. after a lot of protest. she's a stubborn bitch, nick learns that night.

but it's an easy process, and soon enough her car is up and running and nick is watching her speed off into the freezing night, his jacket still wrapped around her.

ha, jokes on her, it's actually merch.

-

as it turns out, riley is extremely bad at minecraft.

it's not surprising since she hasn't used it since it basically came out. it had changed so much in the years since then, and riley had not kept up.

her most used phrase throughout the hours on call with nick was 'what the fuck is this?' or 'what the hell does this do?'

nick was really, really good. at least compared to riley,  but she had to assume that if he was a streamer he was at least somewhat good at the game.

riley hadn't looked him up in the time she had been stuck in her icebox of a car, but she had meant to. she's do it later... maybe. if she remembered, which wasn't very likely.

"i have a morning class." riley groans, slamming her head into her desk, and groaning even more when it leaves an aching pain throughout her skull.

nick giggles, "you should go to bed, then."

riley rolls her eyes, "no shit, sherlock."

"i'll bring you coffee or something tomorrow morning, make sure your car is working."

riley glances up at her screen, the circle around nicks very well drawn profile picture lit up.

she sighs and drops her head onto her desk again, biting her lip instead of groaning this time.

she lets out another sigh, this one heavier than the last.

"look nick," she sighs once more, punching the area just above her knee gently, "you're really sweet, and really funny, but i'm not, fuck," she mutters, "i don't have the time for  a relationship right now," she's cringing as she speaks, "i just-i needed to get that off my chest. sorry."

nick is silent for a moment, before a soft sigh is followed by him clearing his throat.

"yeah," he says, "i get that. i'm just-i'm trying time be a good friend, ya know? it's been nice, i guess. i mean, i have friends that aren't streamers, but they know that i am, and they care and you just... you don't. i don't know," nick sighs, "it's been nice. not have anything expected of me, i guess. but i don't think i'm ready for a relationship either, i don't think," he clears his throat again, "besides, you bully me too much. i think we're better friends."

riley smiles softly, and it slowly widens into a goofy grin.

it was surprisingly easy. everything had seemed to be easy with nick. it was odd.

"so," riley says after a moment of somewhat awkward silence, "about that coffee?"