devon miller

Nr. 10: The car broke down and we’re stuck in the snow waiting for a tow location: Outskirts of San Amore. Closed starter: @itsdcvon​

in all honesty, it had been a while since she’d driven her vehicle. that rusted down little car had a bit of an attitude problem. it took ages to get it started and when it did, it always died immediately afterwards. this time, that problematic car seemed to have a pep in its step because when nina had picked devon up, there were no issues at all. their neighboring town’s flower shop was hosting a little open house. nina, always up to scope out the competition was delighted to accept the invite and had extended it to devon as well. whilst on route, and in mid conversation, something had caught her off guard. maybe the guy before her blaring the high beams until the last second? anyway, due to that, there was no way she could’ve seen that huge pothole ahead  boom! straight after hitting it, the car bounced very slowly onward into a snowbank where it came to an abrupt stop. yep, this was definitely the end of her problematic car, the engine quietly howling in dismay. for a moment, there was utter silence and nina directed a bambi eyed look over to devon. “ —  fuck, ” she uttered quietly, though finding a little hilarity in their bad luck and started to nervously chuckle. “ well.. i think we’re stuck.” she stated the obvious whilst wrestling against the seat belt that had overreacted and was now stringing tightly along her frame. “ — are you okay? ” almost immediately after gathering themselves, she fished out her phone and called a tow truck. the current wait was at least an hour, so they’d need to get comfortable. 

devon only really agreed to go with nina because they would have done anything to get out of the shop for the day, it felt like a little adventure, like when your class is allowed to go on a field trip instead of staying stuck in school. they’d been pretty good for the most part of the journey, devon trying their hardest to not be as annoying -- they put it down to the fact that they’d become closer with nina ever since that evening where nina found out she was pregnant. devon had a newfound respect for her and really did consider her to be a great friend to them.

devon was fiddling with the radio, trying to pick up a station when suddenly there was a jolt. “oof, fuck,” devon said as the seatbelt tugged hard against their chest, immediately they looked to nina with a look of slight panic, “shit, are you alright, neen?” they asked, but the moment they heard that little chuckle of disbelief from her, devon simply had to laugh too because it really was just their luck. “yeah, i’m fine, i’m fine,” they said, “but... i don’t think your car is.” devon unbuckled themselves and slipped their jacket back on over their shoulders, although they really weren’t provided for this type of weather, having assumed they’d be inside a flower shop for most of the day. “let me have a look,” they said before climbing out. devon really didn’t have much experience with cars whatsoever, but even they could tell as they stepped back, feet sinking into the deep snow, that, “yeah, we’re fucked!”

“You’ve got a point. In that case then let me take you out to a fancy place with some good food.” Really, the town did have a lot of good places to eat. Everleigh and him ticked off most places already but still wyn had quite the picky palette. He thought Devon deserved to get the luxury treatment on their day out. Why not. “It’s okay. I really am not mad. I was bummed yes but you’re here now and I get to bask in your presence for the day. What was it this time with them? Yelling or screaming?”

“alright, you choose the place but i’ll pay -- my treat,” devon said with a nod, and they weren’t going to take no for an answer. they knew it was the least they could do after they left wyn high and dry. “i’m glad to hear that,” they then said, “and yep, you’ve got me all day. it was both! the husband started yelling, then the wife was screaming, there were a lot of things being broken and thrown against the walls and i wondered if it was worth calling the police. but, then i remembered that it’s just what they always do and eventually after an hour of arguing, they decided to fuck and make up and that was probably louder than the argument. i ended up having to take myself into the living room because their bedroom is next to mine and they were literally banging against the wall.”

Aly hadn’t thought much of it - sure it had been an inconvenience to be left without company, but she’d just figured that Devon had forgotten, or she’d got the wrong day or time. She wasn’t about to be offended easily by it, but hearing how sorry they were about it, she saw the opportunity to at least take advantage of it a little. The brunette pulled the door open, phone still attached to her ear as she watched the other. “What kind of treats on offer here. It’s going to take a lot to make up for being stood up like that.” She teased, making her best efforts to keep a straight face (although it wasn’t her best work). She always had a knack for letting a laugh slip through when she was joking around. “You best have a good excuse at least?”

“i’m thinking... a wine and dine moment,” devon offered, “except it’ll be mama rosa’s with milkshakes and all the chilli cheese fries you could want.” maybe because that was exactly what devon was craving in that very moment. who cares that it was the morning? never too early for that combination. “i have a great excuse, actually,” they said with a smirk present on their lips, “my neighbours are just... the worst people,” they explained, “for some reason they always decide to have screaming matches in the middle of the night. i mean, three in the morning type of deal and it’ll go on for well over an hour before they decide to make up. and i bet you can guess how they make up.”

“alright. i’m not paying, tho.” he tries to be serious but a smile cracks through the façade. he can’t say no to devon, or stay mad at him for too long. the other is absolutely charming. “last time we fed the ducks one of them got mad and tried to bite my ass,” he reminisces with a laugh, “do you remember that?” luca asks as he locks his apartment and walks with devon out of the building.

•

“it’s on me,” devon said with a small smirk before tossing their head back with a loud laugh, “oh my god, i actually completely forgot about that. holy shit, that was hilarious -- not for you, obviously. but oh man, watching it was a treat.” they snorted, shaking their head. “fuck, alright maybe no ducks then,” devon chuckled, pulling out a pack of cigarettes to pop one between their lips as they got outside. “what about... we get a picnic but go back to mine and just play call of duty?”

“Even though Mickey wasn’t really that upset over it, he figured that he would let Devon buy him something to eat at least. The only thing he wished had happened was that Devon let him know that they wasn’t going to make it but he just assumed something came up and didn’t want to dwell on it. “You know I’m not mad, right?” Mickey told them before grabbing his jacket and throwing it on. “I’m coming.” He assured the other and with that he hung up the call, shoving it in his pocket and heading down stairs and out of the door. 

•

“you’re not?” devon asked, it wasnt often that they messed up and someone was fine with it. it made for a nice change, really. they hung up the phone, tucking it into their pocket after mickey said they were on their way. devon took a step back from the door and greeted the other with a hug once they emerged, “i’m sorry again,” they said, “my neighbours are just... fucking nightmares. i was asleep for most of yesterday just catching up after their screaming and fighting kept me up the night before. what possesses people to have arguments at three in the morning? just go to sleep!”

luca sighs, he doesn’t want to but he kinda sympathizes with the other. having a shit night and then sleeping through the day is a real thing. so… he puts on his jacket and opens the door. “this better be the best date i’ve ever been to in my life,” he warns the other seriously, but then he chuckles. he can’t say no to devon, they’re extremely charming and they seem really sorry. hopefully, they will make it up to him. “where are we going?”

•

“it’ll be the best,” devon grinned, “i was thinking we go and grab some lunch to go from mama rosa’s, then head out toward valentine park and sit by the lake, feed the ducks, and just... chill for a bit.” they shrugged, hoping it didn’t sound too awful. devon just loved to be outside, they loved to wander and find new spaces and make the most of the nature around them. 

“ i know, ” she nodded at them, reassuringly. nina did in fact see the potential they had, although it was buried deep inside their irresponsible ass that could drive her up the wall sometimes. “ you just need to be a bit sharper during work hours, y’know? sometimes you look like you’re high as kite with those bambi eyes. ” she laughed nonchalantly, the latter part of her sentence being meant as a joke, honestly she had no clue what they used as a vice to get by nor was it any of her business. 

at their nudge, a little smirk made it’s debut across her features. “ what can i say? ” she gestured with a shrug before continuing. “ CEO of bad decisions that have life altering consequences. ” and finally pointing to herself, the culprit of her own bad luck. “ in all seriousness though, it’s like i’m drawn to anything that makes my life way more complicated. ” twas the honest truth, for once. anything layered in emotional chaos or something that she definitely shouldn’t do, she felt the absolute need to explore it. of course, nina wanted to pry into their response about the past; however, this was perhaps not the time to do that. so with the warmness still intact in her gaze that was directed at them, she spoke softly. “ i know it, you’ll be one of the good ones even if you had a late start, ” she leaned in, just to let that point get through their head. confident in devon being a good parent, it was clear and confirmed after the supportive nature that they’d displayed towards her. “ i don’t know about that, you’re like my problematic child at work, ” she shook her head at their statement. even letting a little chuckle escape. “ well, i’d like to believe that i’d be a good, y’know… mum, or at least better than my mum. — there’s just a lot of factors that make this whole situation a lot more complex then it should be. ”

 as the two parted from the tight embrace, she scoffed. annoyed at the thought of going almost a year without alcohol and just eyed devon as they returned with a bottle of wine. “ i’m not, that’s the short answer. i’m not going to be able to function normally without alcohol and large doze of caffeine.  — i’m also not going to be able to sleep without my wine, and i know how that sounds….but i have this empty house and that sends my down a certain spiral, so i like to ignore by getting tipsy,  so… ” she stopped herself mid sentence, drawing it back ‘cause emotionally oversharing wasn’t really her scene. “ so, it’s just going to suck. ”

“maybe sometimes i am high,” devon teased, although... it wasn’t actually a lie. there had been once or twice where they’d not been quite sober for work, but they figured there was nothing wrong with a little marijuana buzz to help with their creativity for bouquets. 

“we’re one in the same with that, co-partners in that business,” devon agreed, because they’d definitely made questionable life choices, that much was apparent by their past which wasn’t a secret to anybody. the whole town had seen the news back in the day and they knew people had been talking now that they’d returned. “i’ve always had my heart in the right place, i think. just... didn’t make smart decisions and when you get caught up in that, it’s hard to get out.” but now wasn’t the time for devon to start pouring out their feelings, not when nina was definitely going through it. “you will be,” they assured, “you’ve got the patience of a saint, a heart of gold, and from what i’ve seen from you that when you love something, you give it your all. i mean, you love the florists and the passion you have for it? it really makes a difference.” and it gave devon the kick up the ass they needed to find their own passion.

with the bottle of wine now in hand, maybe it was a little shady of them to pop open the top and take a gulp direct from the bottle. “wait, can you not have coffee either? oh, fuck that. why does anybody have kids?” devon laughed, shaking their head. “you know if you ever need company then i’ll be here,” they then said, a little more softly than before because for once, devon was being completely serious. “or if you want to stay somewhere else, you can crash at mine whenever you want.”

It was almost lunch and Georgia was reviewing an itinerary for a conference she had to attend next week when her phone rung. Seeing the caller ID, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes and let it continue to ring until the last second. “Yes… I have caller ID,” she said rather frankly. To say she wasn’t slightly annoyed was an understatement. The Bulut was the kind of person who rarely functioned on having free time. Her days were essentially planned out hour by hour and was usually jam packed. She had plans to get coffee with Devon and he stood her up. When he mentioned she was outside, she got up to look out her kitchen window. Georiga hadn’t heard the doorbell ring, but then again, she had the music blasting from her speakers that she might have not registered it. “How’s the temperature out there? Maybe you deserve to freeze.”

•

“c’mon george, don’t be like that,” devon sighed, “yeah, it’s fucking freezing and i’m not wearing a jacket ‘cause i’m an idiot. but what makes me a bigger idiot is standing you up yesterday, and i’m really, really sorry.” they caught sight of her figure in the kitchen window, so devon hopped down the pathway to lightly tap against it. then, they gave a sharp breath against the glass for it to fog up, before drawing with their pointer finger the words ‘4giv me’ with a sad face to match (except of course, for georgia it would be backwards but the thought was there). “i get you might be busy now, but can we arrange another time? fuck, i’ll take you out for dinner or something to make up for it.”

it wouldn’t have mattered much if luca had made other plans, or had a backup plan for when devon stood him up. he’s not gonna lie, it hurt. and it specially hurts because of his bpd, he needs structure. he needs certainty that people will be there for him when they say they will. he had gone to bed early the previous day, depressed out of his mind, thinking that devon had stood him up because they didn’t want anything to do with him. and that… hurt. he’s on his bed when he hears a faint knock on the door, but before he can grab a t-shirt, put it on and open it, his phone is ringing. “hey,” luca replies dryly. he’s not sure what to answer to the other’s plead. “i… you should’ve asked. what. you think i’ll be available whenever you need me to?” he sighs. “it sucked, dev. it sucked yesterday,” he says, honestly.

•

immediately, devon could tell by the response from luca that the other’s pissed. but devon couldn’t blame them, after all, they’d flaked on them after they’d made an arrangement and they knew they’d be annoyed if it were the other way around. “well, no,” devon sighed, knowing that luca was right, “but i guess i figured it wouldn’t hurt to try?” they tried to sound a little hopeful in their voice. “i’m sorry, i am. i didn’t mean to, like, it weren’t on purpose or anything. honestly, i just fuckin’ slept through the whole day ‘cause i had a shit night before. it’s a terrible excuse and i know that, hence why i figured i’d try and see if i could make it up to you now. but if you’re busy then, i mean i’ll try and catch you another time.”

holden had only asked devon out to coffee to prevent himself from spiraling - over the last few days, things had just been overwhelming and with no contact from levi the man was one wrong thing happening from a breakdown. but then, devon didn’t show up and well, that just didn’t set right with holden. he’d come home, johan was sleeping, so he ate the leftover chinese that johan had gotten him alone, in front of his tv. he texted devon asking them to meet him for coffee at coffee with love, but no. oh no. devon was nowhere to be found so holden figured he could just ignore them a few days and call it even. that was until he heard the knocking on his door and then his phone rang. it was devon. holden picked up the phone, listening to the other on the other end of the phone and holden huffed into the phone. “oh, no. you had your chance to wine, dine and sixty-nine me yesterday and you chose not to. you’re not about to just come in here trying to sweep me off my feet today, bud.”

•

“oh come on holden,” devon sighed heavily down the line, “i live beside the worst humans i’ve ever fucking come across and they were up all night arguing and then fucking, so i couldn’t sleep and then next thing i’m knockout and i wake up and it’s like, fucking seven in the evening.” it still wasn’t much of an excuse when they knew they should’ve set an alarm, but devon never had been good with their time management, nor just doing anything right first time. “well you can be like that all you want but i’m gonna stand out here all day if i have to, and i’m not wearing a jacket either,” which was the truth, “so if i freeze to death then it’s on you. just let me in! or come out and we’ll grab that coffee.”

“ you’re right, you did owe me big time for that, maybe not quite this big…but you get what i’m saying. ” she said softly and gave him a little nudge. “ well you haven’t been fired yet, mainly because the owner doesn’t give a shit.  — but also, because i believe in you, i do. that’s why i’m constantly on your ass about the store and bicker with you, i think you could do great things here in san amore for yourself and your daughter. ” 

“ hey! ” nina directed her narrowed brows over to him, her index finger pointing at him with a scowl. “ i exclusively fuck men with powerful sperm. — it adds the danger aspect i was talking about the other day, ” and with those words leaving her lips, she allowed a strained but very genuine laugh to escape her lungs. though at his gesture of how big the hole was compared to, well.. a fully formed melon, and the thought of pushing out something like that made her squirm in her position and a quick shrug ran through her frame. “ yeah, so impressive. ” a blank reply from the brunette, that offered a mortified look to him. then as he spoke of his own experiences with the issue at hand, she couldn’t help but feel for devon. it really tugged on her heart strings, and that must’ve been such a difficult time for him. so as he kept on going, she gently placed her hand on his figure as a form of support. “ i’m sorry you had to go through that, ” a softness layered her words as they left her, truly wanting to show the same kind of reassurance he’d already given her. “ well if it’s any comfort, i can already tell that when you get to see your daughter, you’ll be a fantastic parent to her. ” 

in the middle of his tight and comforting embrace, she nodded in response to his question. of course, nina wanted him to stay, she desperately didn’t want to be alone in this state of mind. everything had gotten yet again flipped upside down. so his presence alone made her feel at ease. “ i do have a guest room, y’know? if that makes you more comfortable… and you have permission to raid my fridge. it’s filled to brim with wine that i can’t have. ” 

•

“i am trying my best, i hope you do see that,” devon said with a small shrug, “i just... i gotta switch my brain on sometimes, ‘cause i tend to do a lot of shit on impulse and without thinking and then that’s when i end up with orders that are completely wrong.” but, in devon’s defence, the bouquets and arrangements always looked lovely, they just tended to be the wrong flowers requested or the wrong colour scheme.

devon snorted a laugh at her response, “you really do like living life on the edge, huh?” they grinned, giving her a playful nudge with their shoulder. “it’s alright, i mean... it was a long time ago now,” they then said with a shrug. they didn’t often like to speak of their parents and devon didn’t want to admit that they’d spent a few years of their life camping out on the streets, but there was no point in dwelling on the past for they were in a much better place now. “i hope i can be,” devon smiled softly, “and i know that if y’know, you do have a bun in the oven, any kid would be lucky to have you as a parent. and i mean it ain’t like you haven’t had practice? you already nag me like a mom.” devon flashed her a cheeky grin before wrapping her into a tight, comforting squeeze.

“wherever you want me,” they then said, “but i will be taking that wine if you’re offering.” devon didn’t hesitate at all to hop up from the couch and disappear into the kitchen, returning with a half-empty bottle and not a glass in sight. “honestly, how are you gonna cope without wine though? serious question. i think that’s gonna be the hardest thing if you’re knocked up.”

Wyn had half a mind to end the call and go back to mulling around his home trying to move things around but he wasn’t as pity as some people would be and that was one of his major faults. People too often took advantage of that fact. Letting out a small sigh of slight annoyance he went over to open the door to their friend, holding the phone close to his ear. Dark chocolate hues looked them over and nodded slowly. “Your treat to where? It’s not going to be that god awful breakfast place is it?”

•

as the door swung open, devon gave a wide grin, “anywhere you want, although that breakfast place is fantastic. i’m still used to prison food so to me, that place is like... luxury.” they laughed loudly as they finally hung up the phone, having spoken all of it down the device despite them now being face to face. “i slept in yesterday, i didn’t mean to,” he then explained, “i’m certain i live with the neighbours from hell and they kept me up all the night before, so yesterday i just fucking crashed. but i’m yours today as long as you want me.”

devon felt awful for standing their friend up the previous day. it had been an honest mistake, really. they’d overslept after a night of hell after it seemed their neighbours had decided to have a screaming match with each other in the middle of the night before making up just as loudly. not even shoving pillows over their head had been able to block out the sound, devon ended up retreating to their living room and instead caught up on below deck (which resulted in binging an entire series) and next thing, they were KO on the couch and slept through their coffee date. so, now devon was standing outside of their friend’s door but there was no answer. they couldn’t be sure if it was because they might’ve been mad, or maybe they were out, so devon picked up the phone to give them a ring. “hey, it’s dev,” they said, “i’m so sorry about yesterday! i’m outside yours now to make it up to you. c’mon, my treat, yeah?”

it was almost unbelievable to imagine that devon would’ve been the first person she’d shared this incredibly vulnerable news to, considering only a few days ago they had been bickering back and forth at work. however, now their bond had changed into something else. it was honestly a pleasant surprise to see how supportive he had already been for her and that he kept reminding her that; she did in fact have people around her and that she wasn’t alone in this mess, even if it felt like that. the father most likely being someone she’d had a drunken chance encounter after the end of her fling with levi, and there was a possibility that it might actually be levi which was far more concerning, but it was much too early to tell how far along she actually was. “ i don’t know how to thank you for all of this. y’know,  for being here, and doing this for me. — you’re a true friend, dev. ” eyeing him as he placed himself on the sofa next to her, “ how am i not a dumbass?? ” she paused, allowing a chuckle to escape her weary lungs in between the beat of her words. “ i literally slept with someone that i have no means to contact, and if i did, it’d be kinda weird to be like; hey thanks for the hit and dip….uh, by the way, i have a bun in the oven that’ll grow into a melon sized thing that i then need to push out of my vagina. ” she exclaimed in a huff, tugging her face back down into the sofa and letting another groan escape. though hearing devon explain his own experience with it, did make her feel at ease, even if she was being a little bit dramatic about it  ” how did you react to hearing she was pregnant? did you freak out? ” she questioned, peaking up at him and then scoffed at his playful teasing. “ they do actually have a soft spot on the head and if you press it, they just die or something. ” at devon’s further explanation to her, that he, along with the other people she was closest to were in fact going to be there, nina raised herself up into a sitting position and couldn’t help but embrace him in a tight hug, that meant a lot to hear that. “ thank you again.  — ha! i would never trust holden as a babysitter. ”

•

“you don’t need to thank me,” devon said softly, “i know that you would do the same for me if it were the other way around. and anyway, i’ve owed you one for managing to keep me in that damn shop -- i’m genuinely surprised i haven’t been fired yet and i can only imagine it’s because you’ve been savin’ my ass.” they chuckled before they soon flopped down onto the sofa beside the girl, looking to her as she vented her frustrations.

“i’m sure this happens all the time! maybe the guy you fucked has some insanely powerful sperm or something,” devon joked, hoping to try and make her crack another smile -- laughter always was the best medicine, wasn’t it? and though it couldn’t solve this problem, maybe it might make it a little easier to deal with for the time being. “that’s something i still don’t understand, the fact that a full on melon-sized baby thing gets squeezed out of a hole like, this big,” devon lifted his fingers and pinched them closely together to indicate the size, “it’s impressive, truly.” but then came the question as to how devon reacted upon his ex becoming pregnant and they gave a small sigh, “i won’t lie and say i was delighted ‘cause... we weren’t trying, you know? we weren’t in a good environment to bring up a kid, i didn’t have a stable job so it was fuckin’ scary, to be honest. but something kinda clicked in me i suppose, ‘cause i don’t have a good relationship with my parents. they both live about two minutes down the road from here and they refuse to contact me, always have done since i was seventeen and they kicked me out. guess when i found out she was pregnant it got me thinking about how i never wanted to make my child feel like their parents didn’t love them. that kinda changed my view on it all and suddenly i felt more prepared to be a parent.” but then came prison, after devon’s attempt at stealing money to support their family came crashing down, and now they were certain they were just as awful as their own mother and father for abandoning their baby. 

devon reached over to give nina another squeeze, giving a gentle kiss to the top of her head before saying, “i can stay here with you if you want? i’ll take the ofa, but just so you don’t have to be alone. then soon as it hits six and the shops open, i’ll go out and we’ll find an answer.”

“A cat that you’re going to give a forever home to,” Everleigh said with a ‘duh’ tone, “Unless you think someone working here is cute? Then tell me who becuse I want to look.” Brows shot up, “Mauled?” That was a dramatic word, and her brain was firing a mile a minute with scenarios. “I did and it’s too late for you to stop me.” It was cheesy, but she fully believed that life was only fun if you laugh at yourself. “Do you have a pet snake?”

“i see,” they chuckled, “oh no, nobody here’s up my street because... they’re cat people.” devon gave a grin as they sat back, placing their now-empty coffee cup upon the table top. “what about you though, everleigh? you got your eye on anybody in here? or maybe, out there?” devon gestured to the door as if to say the big wide world of san amore. “mauled. like, some tiger king shit.” they playfully joked before shaking their head, “i wish. i’ve been looking at some online but i dunno, a lot of people don’t like them so i feel it’d just be hidden away. maybe i’ll settle for a rat or something instead.”

oh shit indeed and at his tight embrace, she felt herself crumbling down. just buckling under that looming pressure that was always in the background, but that had somehow boiled far passed the breaking point. sure, there was a small part of her that always wanted a domestic life which included children, but not like this, and certainly not on her own. judging by devon’s quick reaction to action in being a supporting ally, it had been the right move to reach out to him. someone’s who been there, and felt that knee jerking fear. so at his reassuring words, she subtly nodded whilst still in his embrace and honestly was so grateful for his presence, and offer. there was no chance in hell she could muster up the courage to go and actually get the test. “ yeah, i’d really appreciate that, dev. —  i appreciate you being here. ” as he let go, her frame felt numb by the shock of actually admitting to herself that this was happening. so weary from all the stress, her eyes were clued to the floor as he again gave her the reassurance that was needed, that everything would be okay; even if, she didn’t exactly believe him.  “ ugh, i’m such a dumbass! ” she finally exclaimed out a groan in frustration, throwing herself face down on the sofa with a dramatic flare. “ it’s not going to be okay.  — i’m barely equipped to take care of myself, and now there might be this miniature human coming into my life that has a soft spot hidden somewhere on its head?? ” glaring up at him, a hint of a smile crept on her features at absurdity of the situation.

•

although their initial relationship as coworkers had started off very rocky, devon was grateful to know that nina now saw him as a friend that she could rely on. whilst he wasn’t able to completely understand how it was to be a parent (consdering he’d yet to meet his daughter), he did know exactly how it felt to find out you were going to be one. and no matter what age it was, if you weren’t ready then you weren’t ready and it was a big damn shock. but devon had been lucky that he’d had his ex-girlfriend there and they could be each other’s support, so he wasn’t going to have nina go through this alone.

“it’s alright, darling,” he murmured, “first thing in the morning, i’ll go out and get one and bring it straight back here. then we’ll sit and wait and whatever the result, i’ll be here for you.” and though he knew it was probably the wrong moment to be laughing, devon couldn’t help but to let out a little chuckle as nina flopped herself down onto the sofa. “you’re not a dumbass!” he assured, “i mean, sometimes we forget to take precautions and sometimes we’re just... unlucky.” devon offered up with a shrug as he sat himself down beside her. “it is gonna be okay, i mean you’d be surprised how quickly you just kinda... get used to it, i suppose. and you learn loads of shit along the way, i know my ex felt out of her depth when she found out but i guess as her body changed, so did she?” and she also became really fucking moody but devon wasn’t about to bring that up. “just don’t, i dunno, drop it on its head and i’m sure it’ll be fine.” the man playfully teased. “and i mean it when i say you’ve got people here to support you. granted i ain’t never held no baby before, obviously i wish i had, but i’d be here to help out. i’m sure you’d have the grumpy ass from the funeral home and korina, you’d have holden-- actually, maybe don’t rely on him. but so many other people!”

this was definitely not the answer she needed right now, just listening to his words about how having children and how terrifying it was, she felt herself spiral even further into a panic. nina stood there with folded arms in defense as if that would protect her from the reality of the situation, which was; that she could barely take of herself, throw a tiny human into the mix and she was screwed. royally screwed. “ i think i’m going to be sick, ” she uttered underneath her breath, biting down every urge not to bang her head against the wall for being dumb enough to have a one night stand and then, he asked that question. the one that loomed in the air. the question she’d been asking herself all day. so with his wide eyes meeting hers, she hesitantly nodded. “ yeah-— or no, i’m not entirely sure. ” she shrugged before continuing. “ i would i’m like ninety percent sure. ”

•

“oh shit,” devon wasn’t quite sure on how to react, so instead, decided upon wrapping his arms around nina’s frame to hold her close against him for a moment. it was exactly the same thing that he’d done when his ex had told him that she was pregnant, when they were both still young and without a clue on how to look after a child. all devon could really do was be there as a support, and this was what he planned to do with nina, too. “tomorrow morning, i can go out and get you a test if you want?” devon offered as he gently let go, “and i can sit here with you whilst you do it, so y’know, you don’t have to do it on your own.” he remembered a previous conversation they’d had before about nina not dating anybody, so he felt it safe to assume that this was just a one-night situation. but, devon also knew it wasn’t his place to pry or question who the father was because it didn’t matter, what he cared about was making sure nina was okay. “it’s gonna be alright, nina,” devon assured softly, “you’ve got so many people around you who adore you and you’re gonna have all the support in the world.”