AN: Dudes, I know. I know, it's been forever and a day since I updated. Life got a little crazy and I was working a fundraiser tent that just ended last night. It's still going to be sporadic updating because I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo and because I've got too many stories going at once. But I love these two dorks, so you've got this post.

Your welcome in advance.

Nico dropped into his seat and tossed back his shot of vodka, "Y'all would not believe the month I've had."

Sam laughed lightly, "Must have been crazy you missed all of our meetings, and barely even answered your phone."

"Yeah, well, I sort of got kidnapped with Connor and…he just got out of the hospital again. We're closer than ever, but…" Nico shook his head, "Anyway, the case was finally wrapped up a couple days ago."

Adam looked at him strangely, "Kidnapped? Case? What are you talking about?"

Nico closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head, "The case on all of the news channels. The Ghost Clan. They were after Connor. We were the ones that were rescued by the joint effort of the FBI and NCIS personnel. They broke Connor's good leg, and…well…they beat him pretty badly. He's doing fine. We're closer than ever."

"As friends." Adam added, starting to chuckle

Nico sighed, "As friends. Yeah. He's already got a date for tonight."

"Damn, he works fast." Peter grinned, "You've got to make your move, quickly."

Nico made a face, "I don't want to lose a friend. I don't have any options if I mess this up. I am literally depending on him, because I still haven't caught up from where I fell behind."

"You say he's a friend, then if you do it right, then you should be able to come back from it," Sam encouraged.

"Easier said than done." Nico muttered, glancing back at the bar. "And getting drunk would not be a good start. He doesn't approve of excessive drinking."

Sam looked at him carefully, then glanced at Adam and Peter, "Come on. Let's get him home. He need to talk to his crush. Now."

"Now?" Nico felt panic rush through him. "Whoa, guys, no, he-he won't even be home!"

"Then we'll stay until he does get home." Adam shrugged, "Let's go. Peter's turn to drive. You walked, Nico?"

"Yeah, I always walk." Nico got pulled along.

They piled into Peter's car and waited as they drove to Connor's house.

Nico frowned, "His car is here. Guys, he brought his date here. I can't—"

"Let's go!" Adam pushed him out of the car, then the rest dragged him up to the door. "If he asks, we're here for video games."

Nico unlocked the door and went in nervously.

Connor was messing around in the kitchen, heating up a microwave dinner, but he glanced up when Nico came in, "Hey, thought you were at that meeting."

The other guys stayed out of sight.

"Um, they're outside, waiting for the okay to come inside. I thought you…I thought you had a date tonight." Nico said nervously.

Connor frowned, "Um…" Then his face relaxed, "Oh, no. I had a special client that I had to stay late for. A kid. I'm one of few massage therapists in the area that will accept kids with behavioral disorders and such. The poor girl had autism and cerebral palsy. Her muscles get rigid, and lately she's been having epileptic episodes when her muscles get too tight. They've tried six or seven other RMTs. I was the first one they had found that would work with her, and that she wasn't opposed to. I gave them my personal number just in case they need help in a hurry. They're coming in tomorrow."

"Whoa, you're going in on a Saturday?"

He nodded, then looked back. "Are you going to leave your friends outside?"

Nico hesitated, "I need to talk to you first."

"About getting pizza? Because, I say yes." He wrinkled his nose at the microwave dinner.

"No, well, yeah. Pizza sounds good. But I need to talk to you about something…more serious. And delicate."

Connor tossed the dinner and fixed his full attention on Nico.

Nico swallowed, "You know how I used to like Percy?"

"Yeah."

"But how we're just friends now?"

"Ye-es." Connor looked a little confused about where this might be going.

"Look…" Nico braced himself. "I like you, and not just as a friend. But if you don't like me like that then it'll be fine. I'll get through it and we'll still be friends because we'll both have moved on and—"

"Nico." Connor interrupted.

Nico looked at Connor, nervous and uncertain.

Connor's face was unreadable, "Let me think, okay?" He rubbed his forehead. "I'll order the pizza. You better let your friends in."

Nico watched as Connor walked away, his heart sinking.

Sam cleared his throat a few seconds later, "That was…strange. On both sides. Not nearly as romantic as I thought it would be."

Nico let out a shaky breath, "I'll get the game started."

—~~—

Nico and Connor didn't talk that night.

The next morning, Connor woke Nico up.

"Hey, I'm going to need your help. Ashley can't make it in today. You working?"

"Still have another four days before I can go back, then I have to have a psych eval." Nico replied sleepily, rolling out of bed. "I can help."

Connor nodded and left Nico to change.

The ride to Connor's practice was quiet.

Nico contemplated turning the Disney music on multiple times, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid something would happen if he did.

Once there, Connor gave him a list of things to do, then went to prepare some other things.

Nico set out the candle Connor said and lit it, then made sure there was a chair for the girl's mother to sit in. He dropped the pillow on the ground where Connor had specified, wondering what it was for. Then he covered the cabinet with the blanket and glanced around to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

The phone rang.

"Nico, can you grab that?"

Nico hurried out to the office and picked up the phone, "River Lethe Massage Center, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I was wondering if you were open today? Or if you had any appointments open?" A woman's anxious voice came across the phone.

"One moment please," Nico said, then put her on hold, "Connor, there's an anxious woman on the line asking if we're open or if there are any appointments open today?"

Connor appeared out of the other room, frowning slightly as he thought, "Find out the situation, if it can wait, then schedule it for Monday. Ask her about the problem she wants an appointment for. Type up the answers on the computer and I'll advise as needed."

Nico nodded and pulled the woman off hold, "Ma'am? Can I ask about the problem you need an appointment for?"

The woman hesitated, "It's my daughter. She's seven, and she can't move. The doctor said when this happens she needs to be massaged until her back loosens up but I'm just not able to do it. She's crying and in pain, and—"

"Alright ma'am, please take a breath, it's going to be okay." Nico told her, turning and mouthing that it was serious.

Connor nodded sharply, "Tell her to bring her in."

"Okay, we aren't normally open today but our best Massage therapist is in and he says he can see your daughter whenever you can get her in. Alright?" Nico said in his calmest tone.

"Alright, thank you!"

"You're welcome. Bye."

She said goodbye and hung up.

Connor popped an eyebrow.

"Seven year old girl, can't move, doctors told her that her back had to be massaged until it loosened up. She sounded like she was at her wits end. She had tried to help her, but couldn't get the muscles to loosen up herself."

Connor nodded, frowning, "Not good. Alright, that's my first appointment there. If the woman gets here, get their names and give her that form, then situate them in that room and try to help the girl get somewhat comfortable, then come and get me. I'm only going to need you for the first couple minutes with Sara."

Nico nodded.

Connor went outside to help the mother get her daughter inside.

Nico got the door for them, making sure to smile at them as they entered.

"This is Nico, he's helping me out today." Connor said in gentle tone, pushing Sara's wheelchair back to the room.

Nico moved the chair after Connor lifted her from it and laid her on the table.

"Alright, now, I'm going to see where we need to help you today. Nico's going to sit down there on that pillow and hold your hands. When I hurt you, you squeeze his hands and he'll let me know, okay?"

She nodded and allowed Connor to lay her in the right position.

Nico was a little surprised at this method, but sat and took the Sara's hands.

Connor gently felt around Sara's back.

"There." Nico said as Sara squeezed his hands.

Connor nodded, "Alright." He felt around in the other areas, nodding when Nico told him where it hurt her. He felt her arms, then her legs, then nodded, "Alright. Thank you, Nico. I'll be careful of where you hurt, but I do have to work there, okay? When I'm done you should feel even better."

Nico got up and left them to that, waiting in the office. He knew better than to touch anything.

About an hour later, a frazzled woman came in, "I can't carry her."

Nico nodded and followed her out in a hurry.

His heart broke a bit as he heard her crying. He did his best to carefully pick her up and carry her inside. "How long has she been like this?"

"Since about two this morning. I don't know what else to do." Her mother was pretty much in tears as well.

Nico nodded, "Don't worry, we'll get this taken care of. Connor is the best we have. He's with someone else right now, but I'll help you try to get her as comfortable as possible. He knows you're coming and I'll let him know you're here."

She nodded, opening the door to the room.

He put the girl on the table, "Shh, it's going to be okay. Do you want some music?"

The girl was still crying, and didn't answer.

Nico glanced at the mother, "I'll let him know you're here. I have some papers I need you to fill out."

She nodded, "Of course."

He got those for her, then went to tell Connor they were here.

Connor glanced back, "We heard her crying. I'm almost done here."

Nico nodded, "Okay, what should I…"

"Ask her about the condition that she's in that this is happening." Connor said, his tone still soft and soothing.

Nico nodded again, then left as quietly as he could. But he could see why Sara had needed to be massaged. It looked like she could actually move her limbs now.

The papers were filled out when he came back, and he glanced over them for their names. "Alright, Irene, Connor will be with you and Bella in just a couple minutes." He sat down with the mother, "Can I ask about her condition? Why this happens?"

She explained about some things, some injuries from a crash and such.

Nico nodded understandingly, holding Bella's other hand and squeezing it gently. "So, if her muscles aren't loosened…it could break her back?"

She nodded.

Connor came in and Nico gave him the short version while Connor gently felt the girl's back.

Connor frowned, "That's not good. We'll get you fixed up, sweetheart." He gently started working his fingers around her shoulder, "We're going to get it so I can lay you on your stomach first. Can you squeeze my hand?" He slid his other hand into one of hers.

She whimpered and seemed to squeeze his hand.

Connor looked even more concerned, and started feeling her arm, "Whoa." He frowned, "I need to know if she's on any medicines."

Irene pulled out a prescription bottle for her daughter, "The doctor gave us that."

Connor took it and read it quickly, then shook his head, "This is it?"

"Yes," Irene nodded nervously.

Connor nodded slowly, then handed the bottle back, "Alright, she is in very serious condition. This is going to take a while." He started on the girl's hands, "All of her muscles have tightened and contracted. All of them. She is seriously lucky that her arms aren't broken right now. They could very well be fractured. This is…"

Nico went out to make sure Sara and her mom made it out okay, then came back in. "What do you need me to do?"

Connor seemed completely focused on the girl, "Grab my tablet."

Nico nodded and went out and grabbed it, "Now what?"

"Bella, do you want to watch Aladdin, Frozen, Tangled, or the Little Mermaid?" Connor managed to gently move the girl so that she was on her stomach.

"Little Mermaid."

Connor nodded.

Nico pulled up the movie, then set it up so she could see it through the face hole in the table, "There you go." He made sure the sound was up.

Connor looked at her mother, "Anyone at home that helps you?"

"It's just me, her father died three years ago."

Connor nodded, then started gently rubbing his hands up and down the small girl's arms. "Okay, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. I'm a registered massage therapist, which means that I do study muscles and tendons. What your doctor said this was…" He shook his head, "Her muscles would not be tightening like this. Her limbs would be able to move. She cannot move. I don't want to force her to move. If she moves, she breaks bones, or muscles and tendons. Or all three."

Nico closed his eyes.

"It's…it's that serious?" Irene's voice wavered.

Connor was quiet for a moment, "Right now it is. And I can't…I cannot let you take her home after this. I need to get her muscles loose and then she needs to see a doctor. This is like a seizure, but it isn't one. She needs to be tested further by people with medical equipment. This is going to take me a long time. I don't want to mess up. Nico…"

Nico nodded, going over to Irene, "Come on, he can focus better if he's alone. I'll get you some coffee, or tea or whatever you need."

She nodded and let him lead her out to the waiting room.

Nico hoped Connor could help the girl.