Saving Me [MxM]

Chapter 21

The first day of job shadowing. At first, Nathan thought it wouldn’t be too bad. A bunch of people in a lab, that he’d be assisting, or whatever. No big deal.

 

He was not prepared for this, though.

 

Awkwardly standing in the middle of the biomedical research lab at the hospital, shuffling off to the side whenever someone walked by him and he was inevitably in the way, hearing really big, weird words thrown around the room, and about five guys going back and forth from computers to tables to notebooks or tablets.

 

He felt like a kindergartner in a high school. Or, consequently, like an assistant in a room of professionals.

 

Every once in a while, one of the researchers would ask him to do something basic, like “repeat that equation for me”, or “hold this, but don't touch those”.

 

That had to be his favorite. “Don't touch those.”

 

Unfortunately, the lab required semi-formal attire. Which meant Nathan was already uncomfortable as fuck, and he was uncomfortable as fuck in a button-up shirt.

 

He'd been sitting in an empty chair near the door, one leg crossed over the other to try and look less nervous than he felt, when one of the researchers actually stopped to talk to him.

 

“Ah, sorry about that,” he said, clapping his hands together as he swiveled in his chair to face Nathan. A thick pair of glasses were sliding down off his nose, but he ignored them. “We're in the middle of something kind of important, almost got a break through though. Anyway, uh−− welcome to the lab!”

 

Nathan nodded slightly. “Yeah. Uh, thanks.”

 

The man continued to smile. “I'm George,” he said, then gestured to another guy, “That's Jeremy, and that's Nick, that one's Harold, and that's our PI, Michael.”

 

Nathan had glanced at each of them respectively, receiving a small, somewhat awkward wave. Michael, however, didn't acknowledge him, and Nathan frowned slightly. “Ah, don't mind him. He doesn't take breaks.” George said.

 

Nathan noticed that they were all older than he was. The closest one to his age, or that looked it at least, was Jeremy. And they all had glasses. Why did they all have glasses?

 

“So, what's your concentration?”

 

Nathan jerked his head back to George, frowning a little. “I'm sorry, what?”

 

“Your concentration! You know! College!”

 

“Oh, right, yeah,” Nathan cleared his throat, reaching up to rub his neck. “Uh, V.C....studies. I guess.”

 

And God damn, if George didn't light right up. His sudden enthusiastic expression made Nathan uncomfortable.