vinnie hacker blurbs

7. and when you can't, i always will

a/n: hello! hope you're doing well + i hope you like it :)

tw! description/depiction of a severe panic attack 

please be kind to your mental health and refrain from reading if you know this may hurt you

relationship: established boyfriend/ girlfriend 

vinnie slowly walked the stairs of your apartment, a bag in hand from the local grocery store. he knew he wasn't necessarily supposed to be here to see you, per your request, but he decided that a quick stop to check in on you wasn't a bad idea. it was the week of exams for your college, your first exams of your freshman year to be exact, and you'd told him in advance that you planned to be focused and wanted to be alone to help your productivity. vinnie respected that and had stayed his distance until today, when you hadn't responded to any of his texts or calls in the last 14 hours. he was slightly worried, but you were an independent person and he was well aware that you could take care of yourself, but that didn't mean you always did. so, here he was, to make sure you were properly resting yourself alongside the studying and revising you needed to do decently on your exams.

vinnie stopped at the store on his way over, grabbing a few of your favorite snacks and drinks, along with a few redbulls and cold brews to help you finish the week off. with the paper bag hung between his fingers, he knocked on the door of your apartment lightly, waiting to see if you'd answer the door. when no one came to meet him, he pulled the extra key he always kept on his lanyard out of his pocket, opening the door and stepping inside before closing and locking it behind him.

he was met with a shadowed living room, the light from outside barely enough to illuminate the sectional, and complete silence, aside from the humming of the fridge in the kitchen. he pulled his shoes off and dropped the bag on the counter, looking around one more time to make sure he hadn't missed you somehow before turning to walk up the stairs to the second level where the bedrooms were.

as he made it to the top of the stairs, he heard a faint murmur of what he assumed to be a lecture based on the voice, and continued his way to your room. pushing your door open as quietly as he could, your boyfriend's gaze softened at the sight in front of him.

you were folded over onto the desk in front of you, your arms bent and resting on two open textbooks, the papers of notes and questions crinkling at the pressure. your head laid on the side, your hair tied up in a messy bun, large strands falling out and flowing down to curtain your face. your eyes were shut, your lips slightly parted as your chest expanded with every sleep-induced breath you took, and vinnie smiled lightly at the peaceful expression you displayed.

he padded over to you, gently reaching over your still form to pause your video lecture that he guessed was for your organic chemistry class, and glanced down at you, questioning what he should do. his options were limited, and all involved waking you up, which he didn't like, but knew was necessary. deciding to wake you first and foremost, he squatted down to eye level with you, and placed his hand on your arm and gently began to shake.

"y/n, babe? wake up," he mumbled, watching as the sleep ever so slowly left your body. he moved his hand to brush the strands of fallen hair out of your face, and your eyes opened slightly, squinting harshly as if attempting to make out his face. you moved your arms slowly and wiggled your fingers trying to wake them back up.

"hi baby," he coaxed, softly caressing your cheek, the cool metal of his rings chilling your heated skin. you peeled your eyes open further, keeping one hand underneath your head and using the other to wipe the sleep out of your eyes. you groaned and sat up straight to stretch, a few pops sounding from your sore ligaments.