#nody

Ok

“Oh my God. I am so sorry!”

Nick stared down at his shirt, confused. He then wiped his phone off on his jeans.

“I always forget that crack right there and I’m late and… I am so sorry.  Oh my God.” The guy that had ran into him prattled on, looking incredibly embarrassed.

Nick finally looked up and saw the most adorable guy with blonde hair and very bright blue eyes.

Holy shit.

“It’s okay.” Nick said, laughing. “I’m sorry that you ‘re now out an icee… Well, half an ice if you pick the cup up.”

“I can’t believe this.” The boy groaned, having gone from looking embarrassed to looking annoyed—at himself. “Look, I can give you money for a shirt. I work in that building and I forgot my wallet in there—as usual… and I spent my last cash on this stupid icee.”

“At least it wasn’t one of the blue raspberry ones. The cherry isn’t that good.”

“Are you… what?” The guy looked at him, tilting his head. Because he was obviously the most adorable guy on the planet. Which was saying something since his niece was very precious.

“The icee. The cherry isn’t even that good… the Coke icees are better than the cherry. Was the machine broken again?”

“No… I…” The guy looked flustered. “I can go get money.”

“Don’t. My dad’s been trying to get me to throw this out since the day I bought it when I was fifteen.” Nick reassured him.

“No, no, no. I’m going to go and get my money right now.” The guy turned and went up a few steps.

“I’m leaving.” Nick called, smirking to himself and walking in the direction. He then turned and waved.

“Why do you look so familiar?” The guy called back.

“Bye!” Nick turned the corner.

Please work at Dr. Sanders office. That means I’ll get to see you again.

I’m definitely changing my Wednesday appointments to Tuesday either way.

…

“You can go ahead and sign o— oh my God.”

Nick raised his eyebrow before his eyes widened and a grin spread across his face.

So he did work here. Maybe he just looked super young for his age or something. “You.”

The guy groaned, covering his face.

“Hey, you don’t get to have that reaction. You are the one that assaulted me.”

One of the receptionists, the one who usually checked him out, looked up at that.

“Assaulted? You clearly weren’t watching where you were going either or you would have moved out of the way.”

“This is great! By the way, you completely ruined that shirt.”

 “I’m really sor—"

“No, don’t even worry about it. My dad may be in love with you. He’s been trying to make me get rid of it since before I’d actually even purchased it.” Nick waved his hand in the air. “But, you know, it’s really not nice to tease me.”

“Tease you?”

“I mean I love icees and you just threw it at me. Which is funny because at my dad’s school, the unpopular kids would get slushied… he doesn’t like them very much since he wasn’t very popular.”

The guy watched him, clearly trying to find out if he was serious or not.

“The gentlemanly thing to do would be to take me out for an icee since I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since the other day.” Nick’s smile did not leave his face.

The guy opened his mouth when one of the therapists walked up.

“Hey, Nick. Come on back, sweetheart. How are you?”

Nick, feeling more than a little disappointed, followed her down the hallway. “I didn’t know you had guy therapists working here.”

“Oh, Cody is our intern. He goes to NYU and helps a lot with the children who come in. Sometimes he’ll help check people in and out if it’s busy.” She explained. “He’s super quiet but I shouldn’t even be surprised. Apparently, you can have a full conversation with anyone.”

…

“So, I know your name.” Nick said cheerfully an hour later, coming to a halt at the check in/out desk. “I guess you get to schedule my next appointments?”

“What day?” The guy, Cody, asked. He looked much more flustered than he had with the patient before Nick. Honestly, he probably hadn’t even heard a word Nick had said.

“Friday afternoon.”

“Wait, what’s your name? Nick Anderson?”

“Close enough.” Nick shrugged.

“One?”

“Great… Now when are you taking me for that icee?”

Cody looked at him, clearly trying to figure out if he was serious.

“I promise I’m legal.”

“Oh my God.” Cody was clearly trying not to smile or laugh— Nick wasn’t sure which.

“Well?”

“Are you going to do this every time I’m out here?”

“Every time until you take me.”

Cody looked around the admit desk—nobody else was there. “You know, if I lose my internship I’m losing a three year reference.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t?” Nick smiled sweetly.

“Fine. What are you doing tonight?”

“Getting an icee with you?” Nick tilted his head.

“Alright, fine… but don’t you even want to know my name?”

“As long as it’s not something dumb like Cody, we’re good.” Nick grinned. “I’ll meet you outside of the building at 5:00? Or 5:05 since you’re always late?”

“Have a good day.” Cody said as one of the receptionists walked up.

Nick held up his hand and then walked out the door, well aware Cody was probably watching him walk out.

…

“Well I went to UCLA to play soccer but I… came home.” Nick found himself explaining several hours later. He was sitting on the grass in Central Park. He took a big gulp of his icee.

“There is no way you graduated.” Cody gave him a look.

“I didn’t. I guess I’m technically a freshman still.”

“Did you miss home?” Cody asked curiously.

“Uhm, no… Well, I did but that’s not why I came home.” Nick leaned against the tree he was sitting in front of. “I actually got an eating disorder at school and my parents pulled me out. I spent about a month at home getting sicker so then I went to a six week program in Wisconsin… in an eating disorder clinic. I’ve been home three or four months, I think… but not doing school or really functioning in the real world makes it hard to keep up with the date.”

Cody stared at him, eyes wide. “Are you… better? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. I’m getting there at least… I mean, I’ve made enough progress that I don’t have an escort to therapy and doctor appointments now.” Nick shrugged. “But I eat three full meals a day and four snacks. My dads usually get meals for me if they’re home, though, so I can’t try to portion stuff out… but I am doing a lot better than I was in January. I think everyone is surprised I’m doing this… well?”

“That’s good.” Cody said.

Nick looked him in the eyes. “Thanks… Does it not say on my file?”

“It might. All I use is this pop up for appointments when I’m behind the desk, though. I don’t really stay up there that much… Okay, that’s a lie. I’ll be there a lot but usually not at the front desk. I’m off to the side where people can’t see me. When I’m not, I play with the kids.”

“Like you watch them when their parents are in appointments?” Nick asked.

“No.” Cody shook his head. “I’ll go in with the kids that have appointments. Never by myself but a couple of the kids won’t even talk to the actual therapist so I have to try to get them to talk to me… I don’t know if that’s supposed to happen, but I think their parents are just glad they’re talking to anyone.”

“Why do you have the internship?”

“I’m studying neural science.”

Nick nearly spit out the sip of his icee he had just taken.

“I’m joking!” Cody laughed. “I’m actually not that smart. I got to NYU. I’m double majoring in Art and Public Policy at the Tisch School of Art in NYU.”

“You’re an artist?” Nick asked, interested.

“Well, I try but I don’t think I count as an artist.” Cody shrugged.

“What will you do with that degree?”

“I mean, I think I’ll have to get two more degrees after this one but I want to do art therapy. That’s kind of how I ended up with the internship. It was… well, sort of close to what I was interested in. Plus, I get to help with the kids.” Cody shrugged. “What are you majoring in?”

“The complete opposite of you.” Nick laughed. “I was majoring in computer sciences and engineering.”

“You’re really smart.”

“That depends on the subject. I’m really good at computers, math, science, and history… but I am really horrible at English and art stuff… I also can’t learn a second language to save a life.”

“I can’t either. I think it’s my accent.” Cody shrugged. “I’m really bad at all of that stuff by the way. Math, science, history.”

“That’s okay.” Nick shrugged this time. “It doesn’t sound like you’ll need it anyway… What year are you in?”

“I’m a senior.”

“What happens next year?” Nick asked. His stomach did a flop but not the sick kind. The sad kind.

“A few blocks over to Pratt for a graduate degree. They deal with therapy.” Cody said. “I’m really excited about it.”

“Did you get off of the internship at 5:00 or did you come back to meet me?” Nick asked, feeling relieved— but honestly not sure why since he’d only spent fifteen minute alone with him.

“I got off at 5:00.” Cody said. “Why?”

“You must be hungry.” Nick looked at him.

“I’m fine. We don’t have to get food or anything. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It doesn’t… and even if it did, I can’t avoid situations that involve food. Sometimes it is harder than others but avoiding restaurants is not living life normally.”

“In that case, let’s get dinner. At least a snack… because I am kind of starving.” Cody stood and held out an arm to help Nick up. “What do your parents do?”

“Well one of my dads is a lawyer and the other is a fashion designer here in the city.” Nick said.

“A known one?”

“Pretty known, yeah.”

“Oh? Who?”

“Kurt Anderson-Hummel.”

Cody nearly tripped over a branch because he was staring at Nick in shock.

“I’m serious. The computers usually cut off after Anderson on names since my last name is so long. Scantron tests are horrible.” Nick smiled brightly.

“Wait. No.” Cody stepped back. “No, you aren’t. Because they just have a set of twins and a daughter. One of them is going to be a vet and the other is…”

“Yes?” Nick gestured him on with his hands.

“Playing soccer.” Cody’s eyes widened. “No. You’re the one… the news…”

“Oh God. It was on the news?” Nick groaned. “I forgot that game was televised. Wonderful. I bet it’s on Youtube.”

Cody looked at him, expression much sadder than when they had been talking before.

“Yeah. Well, yeah. That was me in all my glory.” Nick said.

“You just… wow.” Cody said. “I mean… you look a lot better.”

“Not almost having a heart attack helps.” Nick joked.

“No.” Cody shook his head. “I see a lot of people with eating disorders come through and you… you have made a lot of… you look really good.”

Nick took a deep breath. “Thanks, I think.”

“Your dads are really… well, they seem really great.” Cody said. “I bet they’re really good parents.”

“They are.” Nick nodded, walking down the street with Cody.

“What do you call them?”

“Well, honestly I call them both dad if they aren’t in the same room. If they are I call Kurt Dad ‘Daddy’ and Blaine Dad ‘Dad.’ My sister calls both Daddy, though, which gets frustrating when she’s not in the same room with them.”

“This is crazy.” Cody shook his head as they walked into a restaurant.

“What part?”

“All of it? What are the chances I trip and spill an icee on you? Who just so happens to be Kurt Anderson-Hummel’s son.” Cody said.

“I don’t know about the icee part but we eventually would have met since I’m at the office so much.” Nick slid into a booth across from him. “I’m surprised we hadn’t before, honestly.”

“I regularly do Tuesdays and Fridays.” Cody said. “And you go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Why were you even there on Tuesday?”

“I had a check up scheduled on Wednesday with my doctor so I switched this one.” Nick shrugged. “It worked out well for me.”

“Yeah.” Cody nodded as Nick pulled out his phone and typed a text.

“Sorry. My dad is texting me… both of them actually. I guess they figured out I wasn’t asleep in my room finally.” Nick said, locking his phone and sitting it down.

“Do you need to go?”

“No.” Nick shook his head as their food came. “They just check in sometimes… It’s a ‘transitional period.’”

“Transitional period?”

“That’s what Dad calls it when Daddy is not comfortable or doesn’t think I’m ready to be doing something that I insist on doing anyway… Which is annoying but I get it. I try to avoid it and text them but I forgot.”

“You live with them?”

“Yeah. They actually have guardianship… I signed my rights away the day after everything happened in LA.” Nick said. “So, I basically live like a fourteen year old again… That’s a slight exaggeration.”

“Well… transitions are tough for everyone involved but the good thing is that something good comes out of it.” Cody shrugged. “Plus, we’re all transitioning in one way or other. I’m transitioning to living by myself. I’ve lived here with my brother since I was sixteen, but I had lived with him back home since fourteen. He’s married with a baby now so it was time to go.”

“They didn’t kick you out, did they?”

“No! Tyler wouldn’t kick me out. In fact, he still brings me food, like, every other day. Which is nice since I’m super poor. His wife is great though and her family is nice too.” Cody laughed and shrugged. “I’m honestly doing it to myself. Starving artist complex I guess.”

Nick smiled a bit.

“Oh God. Did that come off bad?” Cody’s eyes widened.

“Not at all. Don’t worry.” Nick promised as he took a bite of his food. “So… are we going to do this again?”

Cody blushed a bit, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

“Technically you intern at the office and don’t work there… and it’s not like you’re my counselor.” Nick said.

Cody shook his head and took a sip of his drink.

“Plus, I can’t date until the middle of April anyway, so that should make you feel a bit better.”

Cody blushed more, looking up at the ceiling. “Why can’t you date until April?”

“A year from recovery… Well, a year from the day I left the center, really.” Nick shrugged.

“Thanks for that, uhm, information.”

Nick grinned at Cody when he looked back down. “You’ll almost be graduated by then. Maybe you won’t work there next year.”

“You are crazy.” Cody shook his head but he was smiling.

“Well nobody that lives with my two dads was going to be normal.” Nick laughed. “So are we going to do this again? My wardens want me to be home in thirty minutes and it’ll take that long to walk there.”

“I have a feeling if I said no, you’d harass me until I said yes.” Cody laughed this time.

“Yeah. I’m annoying that way. Ask Zach.” Nick stood. “I’ll see you around.”

“Wait.” Cody said when he was a few steps towards the door. “Can we… I mean, we should get each other’s numbers so we can find a time to… see each other.”

“Are you asking for my phone number, Cody Parker?” Nick went back over to him, holding out his phone.

“Yes.” Cody took his phone and called his own. “See? It’s ringing. I didn’t even give you a pizza shop’s phone number.”

“By the way, if you’re using me to meet my parents my godfather will kick your ass.” Nick joked and took his phone back since Kurt was calling him. “I don’t have a bed time, by the way.”

Nick walked out of the restaurant just a little too excited. He’d made it halfway home when he got a text.