Mermaids and Men [mlm]

24. 'Cause I Need You Now

At some point, Nicki decided to Skype the rest of the group while Elijah was hanging out with him, just to fully talk about what all was going on. He originally texted them first in the group chat, letting them know he still wanted to have the sleepover with all of them. When they first got on call, they were a bit hesitant, since they didn't want Nicki to push himself, but they knew he'd also be fine so long as he didn't put too much of a strain on himself. It's not like they were going to do anything too crazy at this sleepover anyway, so it should all be good.

"So, are you sure you'll be okay for the sleepover?" Aveline asked, giving Nicki a hopeful smile, just wanting to double-check. "Yes, love, I would not miss our sleepover for the world. I've got pain meds to take anyway, so I'll be fine. It's not like we're going to be thrashing around in a mosh pit. This time I'll have a cuddle buddy, too!" Nicki beamed, which had Elijah blushing next to him. "Well, I'm glad! I've got everything we need, sleeping-wise! I've got three air mattresses, and I've got tons of blankets and pillows for everyone!" Aveline replied, giggling; she seemed very excited. "We can have a horror movie marathon or something," Rose stated, grinning. Natalie, Aveline, and Colin cringed a bit at that but still agreed nonetheless. The three of them were easily scared when it came to horror movies, but they at least had people they could cling to while watching it. "We can order some takeout, too," Alex added, which had the others all nodding their heads. "Just tell us at any point if you are in too much pain, Nicki," Natalie said, giving the male Siren a worried look through the screen. "I'll be fine; I'm a big boy. I just seriously can't sit here doing nothing all day, and I want to be able to see you guys, too. I'm feeling needy; I don't want to be away from all of you," Nicki grumbled with a pout, which they couldn't help but smile at. "I'm not going to push myself either, so don't worry about it."

Over text in the group chat, before getting on the Skype call, Nicki did let them know that he was going to be having lunch with Elijah and Anthony, which definitely made them a little anxious. Of course, they reminded him to keep the mixture on him at all times, which he already knew to do.

"Okay... Well, just let us know when lunch with Anthony is over with, alright? Let's maybe all get together around three? We've got two days of no school, so let's make the most of it!" Aveline beamed, smiling. They definitely wanted to make the most of it since the full moon was also coming up on Friday, which was going to be an extremely stressful time for the group of Mermaids and Men. It's best to have some wholesome fun before the day of bad memories haunting the Sirens comes.

They got off call sometime after since lunchtime was coming around, and Nicki most certainly could not have lunch with Anthony in just his sweatpants, though that would be the most comfortable for him. Nicki had to get dressed now, which Elijah was ready to assist him with.

"Are you nervous?" Elijah asked, standing up by Nicki as he tried to put his pants on, just in case the Siren needed help. "Hm? Is it that obvious?" he replied, weakly pulling up his pants with Elijah's help, then zipping them up. "A little... Why are you nervous?" Elijah questioned, frowning. Nicki hummed as he buttoned up his pants, then grabbed his shirt; he had his reasons-- ones that he couldn't actually tell Elijah. "Well... It's giving me the feeling of someone bringing their boyfriend home to meet the folks, you know? That's the kind of nerve-racking feelings I'm getting, I guess," he answered, pulling his shirt over his head with Elijah's help. Elijah couldn't help but smile at that, cheeks turning red when he thought about Nicki as his boyfriend. "Well, you've already met my dad and Jane before," he pointed out, which had Nicki sighing, walking over to his shoes so that he could put them on. Elijah watched him, walking over towards the bed. "I know, I know-- you're missing my point, though. That's just the vibe I'm getting, and it's making me nervous," Nicki grumbled, slipping his combat boots on. Once on, he walked over to the bed and sat down, weakly bending over to start tying them up. Elijah crouched down in front of Nicki and batted his hands away, insisting that he tie his shoes for him. "Well, I don't think there's anything you gotta worry about, aside from my dad bugging us about all the things he wants us to do with him," Elijah stated, finishing tying up Nicki's shoes, then taking a seat on the bed next to him. He rested his chin on Nicki's shoulder, which had the Siren smiling at the action, loving when Elijah got all affectionate like this. "Yeah... At least I get to be with you, though," Nicki expressed, turning his head to look at him. Elijah smiled and looked down, trying to hide the embarrassment caused by Nicki's words.