Yayyy I finally posted! This one took a long time just because I'm literally so busy and never have time, I never see my family anymore I'm not kidding. Anywayyy yeah so here's this love you kids review and leave suggestions and ideas and love and all that jazz because I need validation and they encourage me to write faster

Remi left after they delivered breakfast to get some sleep at home. As the morning stretched on, one thing that was rapidly making itself known was the severity of Nick's medical anxiety. Even routine things like the vitals checks once an hour made him tense up, though it seemed to be lessening as he settled into the two simple tests. But when a nurse came in and explained that a phlebotomist was on their way to do some blood work, Nick was not happy.

"Jeff, no. Unless they can take it from the IVs, I'm not doing it,"

Jeff frowned. "It's important. You need it, Nick. You know you do."

A knock came at the door. Nick followed Jeff's eyes to the phlebotomist, a woman with red-brown hair and kind eyes. He whined and grabbed Jeff's hand.

"Sorry, boys, don't mean to interrupt. Nick? Hi, I'm Taija, just gonna take a little bit of blood this morning,'

Jeff dropped Nick's hand to his knee and interpreted immediately. Nick protested, grabbing at his sleeve.

Jeff's heart broke. When he'd finished, he took one of Nick's hands and signed with the other. "You're okay, relax. I got you."

Nick resisted looking away from Taija to read his brief signs, hand tightening in Jeff's. "Can you take it from the IVs?"

Taija bit her lip. "No, I'm sorry, it has to come directly from your arm."

He whipped around to Jeff, looking like he was going to fight, but the movement forced a painful breath between his teeth. Whatever fight he had been about to put up melted into panic, clear in his eye and his face, that made Jeff want to take him away and never look back."Jeff, I can't do this. I don't want it, I don't want it, please, I wanna go home. Don't make me,"

Jeff tried to swallow around the lump in his throat, searching for what he could say to make him feel better. ASL was notorious for being absurdly blunt, to the point of offense sometimes, and he was having trouble finding ways to articulate himself that wouldn't scare Nick any worse. "I know. I know, it's scary, and cold, and needles are no fun. But we gotta do this, okay? I'll stay right here, and you can close your eyes really tight and squeeze my hand, and it will be over quick. I promise."

Tears were starting to well up in Nick's eye. "I can't."

Jeff squeezed his hand. "You can."

It was getting hard for Nick to swallow around the anxiety. "Please don't make me. I hate it and it's so gross and just the thought - " he stopped himself, crying harder now. "Jeff, I don't want to do this."

Jeff felt his chest cave in. He was always with him for blood tests and their yearly flu shots, but there was always time for Nick to mentally prepare and decide he was able to cooperate. But this one had been sprung on him, when he already felt horrible and was already in pain and wanted nothing more than to go home and have everything feel normal. Jeff didn't know what to say.

He just squeezed his hand. "I'll stay right here, you're going to be just fine. We're going to let Taija start now, okay?"

"Wait, wait, wait, stop, Jeff. Stop,"

Both Jeff and Taija held their hands up in surrender.

"Can I - " he let out a little whimper. "I don't want to lie down, I feel so vulnerable like that. But I don't wanna see. And I might pass out."

Jeff frowned. "Is it okay if we lie down?"

Nick let out another sob, but didn't fight.

"Lie him down a little, so he can't see and doesn't pass out." he said to Taija.

She nodded and smiled at Nick before lying him down most of the way and patting his hand.

"Go ahead, Taija." Jeff said softly. "Give me enough time to interpret when you warn him, but go as quickly as you can. He just needs this over with,"

Nick had his eyes squeezed shut when Jeff turned back. Jeff tapped his arm lightly, and Nick jumped and pulled his arms in. Jeff wanted to cry.

"I need you to look at me so I can help you know what's going on, keep you from being as nervous, yeah?"

Nick swiped at his eyes. "Make her do it fast."

Jeff nodded. Taija tied the tourniquet, Nick sucked in a breath and tensed his whole body. Taija stroked his arm just below the tourniquet. "Relax this arm, Nick. Almost there, you're doing great."

Nick let out an unsteady breath and made an effort to loosen those muscles. His eyes were glued to his arm as she wiped over it with a rough alcohol swab. Jeff pulled his gaze back to him with two fingers under his chin. "Eyes on me."

Nick just cried, eyes shut tight, clutching Jeff's hand. Jeff would tap his hand or his shoulder or his cheek sometimes and try to get him to keep his eyes open, but Nick felt the needle slide in and thought he was going to be sick. Jeff wasn't going to get him to keep his eyes open, he was going to hold Jeff's hand and ignore everything until it was over.

Taija's hands were gentle when it was out, but Nick couldn't stop crying. He might have been gasping for breath, but he couldn't hear it rasping in and out of his mouth with sobs the way Jeff could, and he was too focused on sensation from his arm to think about steadying it.

Jeff was smoothing his hand over Nick's free arm, trying to bring his focus out of his own head now that it was over. Nick squeezed his eyes shut, let out a horrible, shivering breath, then opened them to Jeff's face.

"All done, honey. All done,"

Taija was touching him again, wrapping the arm so it would stop bleeding, and Nick whimpered and squeezed Jeff's hand.

"All done," he repeated.