request: Since you're in the mood to write, may I ask for Nick x Reader? They get in a big argument somehow, and Nick ends up saying something out of anger that hurts the reader a lot emotionally and causes her to go out and do something stupid due to her sadness and gets herself really hurt somehow. Nick is super worried for her, and completely regrets what he said. After he apologizes a lot, they finally make up and Nick tries his best to help her heal and swears to always protect her
*This is set pre-apocalypse*
Warnings: mentions of domestic violence and drinking
The yelling, the screaming, the horrible words being thrown back and forth. It was all going by in a panicked blur, making your head pound. You had always hated getting into arguments. Your parents had fought quite often when you were younger, and they always did it right in front of you and your little sister. When your dad began to hit your mom, you would be the one to shield your sister from seeing anything, but protecting her had caused you to to be the one to witness the horrible events. Now at 19 years old, hearing anyone yell always made you feel extremely anxious. You vowed to never have a relationship like the one your parents had, so you avoided dating anyone for years. When you met Nick Clark, he turned your whole world upside down. He treated you like a queen, showing you that not all men were like your dad. You had told him the story about how you had grown up, about everything you had witnessed as a child and because of that, you two had rarely fought. Tonight, however, was not the case. "Maybe you should stop being such a bitch about everything. God, now I know why your dad hit your mom all the time!" The words slipped out of Nick's mouth and slammed into you like a blow to the. Your head stopped pounding momentarily and your mouth dropped open. What did he just say to you? you looked at him with bitter tears in your eyes, shaking your head. "Y/N... Oh my God no I'm so sorry I didn't mean th..." You stood up and moved to the door, not wanting to hear whatever lame excuse Nick came up with to cover for his mistake. You flung the door open and ran, ignoring Nick's pleading voice behind you. You ran for what seemed like hours, eventually slowing your pace when you reached a small bar on the corner of a street, probably a few blocks from Nick's home. You went inside and sat down at the bar, processing everything that had just happened. How could Nick say that to you? He knew how you felt about arguments, and he especially knew how anxious you got during them. After all those years of avoiding relationships for this exact reason, here you were. "What can I get for you?" An unfamiliar voice asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. You looked up and saw the bartender looking at you intently. "Just... Give me the strongest thing you have." He nodded and came back with your drink a few moments later. You downed it and asked for another round. You were never much of a drinker, but after what unfolded between Nick and you tonight, you needed something that would take the pain of what he said away. A few hours and one too many drinks later, you had completely forgotten about Nick and decided to head home, trying to figure out why you were even at the bar in the first place. You stumbled out the door and onto the sidewalk, reaching for the wall to support you in your drunken state. You had only made it a few steps before the ground started tipping towards you and you hit it with a hard crack, the whole world fading to black as you lied on the cold concrete.
The soft sounds of beeping and an air ventilator at work pulled you out of your sleep. You slowly opened your eyes and blinked as the bright light flooded your vision. Your head was pounding and your throat felt like sandpaper. You looked around the room, realizing that you were laying in a hospital bed. You glanced over and noticed Nick asleep next to you, his head resting on your lap and one of his hands holding yours tight. All the events from the night before suddenly came rushing back. "Nick," You whispered. "Nick wake up." He opened his eyes and looked at you groggily. "Y/N? You're awake! You're okay." He smiled, his face quickly falling when he remembered the words he had spoken to you during the argument. "God, I'm so so sorry about what I did last night. I wasn't in my right mind and I know that's no excuse for being a huge douche and saying what I said to you. I promise you that nothing like that will ever happen again. I know how arguments make you feel and I feel horrible for putting you through that" Nick apologized with tears in his eyes. "Nick, it's okay. I understand what arguments can do to a person. You say things you don't mean, and I forgive you for it." You put your hand on his cheek and smiled weakly at him. You knew you shouldn't have given in to his apology that easily, but what was done was done. "When you didn't come home, I went out looking for you and found you passed out on the sidewalk a few blocks away. You split your head pretty badly. God Y/N, I was so scared that I had lost you." Nick reached up and touched your hand lightly. You laughed breathlessly and shook your head at him. "Don't worry, Nick. I'm not leaving you that easily." Nick closed his eyes and let out a small laugh, leaning over to kiss you softly on the lips. "From here on out, I swear I'll always be here to protect you."
