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Shitty awoke with a start while Jack breathed peacefully next to him. He spent the last year being attuned to Jack’s messy sleeping schedule, but with the new medication Shitty hasn’t been woken up in about four months. And Jack was still sleeping next to him.
He blearily rubbed at his eyes in confusion and squinted in the darkness to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. He heard a muffled cough coming from the shared bathroom between his and Jack’s room and once he stumbled out of bed he could see the pale yellow light seeping out from beneath the closed door.
He shuffled with deliberate, slow steps to make sure he didn’t bump into anything in the dark. He didn’t want to risk waking Jack up.
He leaned his ear towards the door to make sure he actually heard someone in there. He remembered that Lardo was using Jack’s room for the night because she had fallen asleep while the boys were watching the game but he didn’t see why she would be up this late. Suddenly, a hitched breath tore him out of his thoughts and before he could even think of anything else, he opened the door and peeked his head in. “Lardo...?”
Lardo sat on the tile, legs bent awkwardly beneath her, as she breathed heavily. “Lardo, holy shit!” He didn’t even wait for a response as he fully stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. The door that lead to Jack’s room was left ajar and it was still dark. It looked like she was in a rush to get here judging by the fact that she wasn’t wearing any pants. I mean, Shitty was all about not wearing pants (he currently was only clad in his boxers thank you very much) but it wasn’t like her to seem so? Not? Put together? Not that she always had to be put together because that’s some toxic as fuck views regarding appearance and femininity—okay shitty now is not the time, he does not have to justify his own thoughts, jesus.
“Lardo..?” He ventured again, leaning down next to her and putting his hand on the small of her back. Her head was leaning on the edge of the toilet bowl and she was breathing raggedly, her long jet black hair hovering above the tile. “Dude, ya gotta say something you’re scarin’ me, are you okay? Did you drink?” Shit. He should’ve asked if it was okay to touch her. But his hand was already there and at the moment, she didn’t seem to mind all that much.
After a small beat of silence, he felt her take in a deep breath. “...no I-”
Shitty’s heart broke at the sound of her unsteady voice.
“I-I don’t know? I just. I don’t feel well. My stomach hurts.” She didn’t lift her head up from the seat. She snorted pitifully, “wow that sounds lame...”
“Did you throw up?” He asked, hand slowly starting to rub up and down her back, almost tentatively, he wasn’t quite sure what she wanted. He’s never really had to comfort her before. Hell, she only became the team manager about two and a half months ago. He hasn’t even had that many chances to hang out with her, although she is a great late night conversation buddy. She’s a good listener.
She shook her head no, “it feels like it though...”
“Do you want me to take you to your dorm?”
“No...god no, I hate it there,” she mumbled.
Oh. He didn’t realize she didn’t like being there. That explains why she comes here all the time. He didn’t think she’d find much solace in a frat house, but Lardo always seemed to be full of surprises. He should invite her here more often. He’s sure Jack wouldn’t mind if she took his bed, Jack seemed to take a liking to her after all.
She continued to breathe deeply while Shitty softly ran his hand up and down her back. He could hear her breathing start to slow until it staggered and she started to cough violently. In an instant Shitty pulled her hair away from her face and left a steady hand in the middle of her back. “It’s okay, you’re alright.”
Lardo continued to dry heave, coughing wildly. Shitty could feel her body tense underneath his hand. Her breathing was ragged and messy, almost as if she couldn’t catch her breath. “Lardo, breathe, there’s nothing in your stomach you gotta breathe. Breathe with me, c’mon.”
Shitty gently pried her away from the toilet and leaned her lithe frame against him, making sure he was breathing deep so she can feel it. “In...hold it...out, good, just like that. You’re okay. One more time...”
Lardo loosely grabbed Shitty’s hand and placed it on her lower abdomen as she continued to breathe shakily, head leaned back against his naked chest. She kept her hand on top of his. Her hands were a bit sweaty, but Shitty didn’t mind, he was only focused on her breathing.
After about five minutes she started to slowly calm and Shitty felt her body droop against his. He brushed her hair out of her face with his free hand.
“Ugh I need to cut my hair,” she mumbled as shitty continued to half heartedly play with her hair.
“You should, it’d look good on you...”
Lardo didn’t reply, her deep breathing being the only thing that filled the silence.
“Feeling any better...?” Shitty asked after a while.
She hummed noncommittally in response, eyes closed.
“Good. We should get you off this tile though, god only knows what has been on this floor and I wouldn’t wanna be sitting here in just underwear if I were you, I mean I am but I always am so that’s nothing new for me...” he cut off his own rambling, “can you get up?”
Lardo tightened her grip on his hand in response. “My stomach hurts,” she said instead.
“I know, but you got goosebumps on your legs brah and I highly doubt the floor is more comfortable than Jacky’s wonderful clean bed.”
“Mmm. Interesting,” she drawled, eyes still closed.
Shitty started to shift, but Lardo immediately tightened her grip again. “Please don’t move your hand.” Her brows were creased and she was deliberately breathing deep and slow.
Shitty froze in place, “okay, okay I can do that.” He stayed still for a couple more minutes until he felt her shoulders relax. “Can I move you? I promise my hand will go back just give me like one minute, I just want to get you off this floor Lards, you’re shakin.”
“Mmmm,” she grumbled.
“Doesn’t Jack’s warm soft comforter sound nice? C’mon that shit smells like fuckin sandalwood or some shit aren’t women into that? I promise it’ll take like two seconds. Only if you’re okay with it though I don’t wanna force-“
“Ugh Shitty just shut up and hurry my ass hurts and I’m gonna throw up if you keep talking jesus.”
He snorted, “yeah okay.”
He carefully lifted her as he stood up and propped her on his hip, one arm beneath her butt to support her and the other snaked around her waist so his free hand can rest on her lower abdomen like she asked. “You good?”
Her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck as she hummed in response.
Shitty walked towards Jack’s room and shifted his body slightly to face Lardo towards the wall. Her face was buried into his neck. “Flip the switch for me.”
Without lifting her head she blindly smacked at the wall until she hit the switch and the room was engulfed in black.
“Nice one,” he chuckled.
She hummed again.
Shitty walked slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the dark and in order to make sure he doesn’t jostle Lardo any. His foot landed on some thin cloth once he got close to the bed and took all of his willpower to not jolt in surprise. Lardo must felt him pause a little though because she mumbled from her place in his neck, “sorry that’s my bra I threw all my clothes on the floor.” She didn’t sound phased in the slightest and had a bored drawl to her voice. She must be tired.
“Nah you’re all good brah, no worries, free the boob and all that jazz.”
“...no pun intended.” He snorted again. Lardo seemed to make him do that a lot.
He leaned down to place her on the bed. She easily unwrapped her legs from around him while Shitty moved his arm from underneath her, his hand finally leaving her stomach. Shitty was about to step away until Lardo mumbled from underneath the blanket, “wanna sleep here?”
Shitty blinked. “Huh?”
“You. Sleep here. I like your hand on my stomach, it’s like a mini heating pad.”
He couldn’t see her face but he heard the relaxed smile in her face. “You don’t mind?” He asked, lifting a brow although she couldn’t see it.
“Hurry up, I’m cold,” she hissed.
Shitty obliged and climbed under the thick comforter. It’s definitely not the first time he’s been in Jack’s bed. It is the first time he’s slept next to Lardo, however. His heart was beating steady in his chest as he went to face her, his hand finding its place on her abdomen again. She grabbed his hand and moved it just shy of her waistband, his pinky finger resting barely underneath it.
“Is this okay?” He whispered, heart hammering. Why was his heart beating so fast jesus christ it’s just Lardo. Cool it, dude.
“S’fine, it’s just how I sleep when my stomach hurts, if you wanna move though it’s chill.” Her words were starting to slur and soften.
Shitty chose to not reply and sure enough, her hand moved on top of his and she was out within five minutes.
Two days later Lardo got her period. Which explains a lot. Shitty did not and will not know this. She can blame her wildly beating heart and lingering thoughts on her teammate from that night on her fluctuating emotions thank you very much. (Jack’s bed did indeed smell like sandalwood...and Shitty.)