Work Text:
Nelson notices everything that happens around the incubator, more than Erlich does. He notices Jared's giddiness after he hides a bunch of his corporate problem solving stuff around the house. He notices how the atmosphere changes after Gilfoyle talked with Dinesh in the kitchen that one time Tara was visiting. He also notices how Jared looks at Richard like he hung the stars or something, has been since the beginning. Nelson knows that Gavin Belson is just trying to use him to get back at Richard for taking Jared from him (although leaving Hooli was all Jared). He knows what the Hooli guys are trying to do with the early version of Pied Piper Richard had given them (he for sure doesn't know anything about middle-out though), but acting like an idiot amuses him. He's started to enjoy the exasperated faces of his co workers when they asked him about Pied Piper and he shrugs. He can control what they think of him. Over time he becomes unassuming, people will say anything around him because he's Nelson Bighetti, the guy who gets promoted for sitting around and drinking Big Gulps all day. They assume he won't understand them, but he does.
At home he begins to notice the way Richard looks at Jared (and he treats him much nicer than before), he watches how comfortable Richard has gotten with all of Jared's little touches. He even begins reciprocating it, in his own ways. Sometimes when he's up late at night and all the other guys have gone to bed he can hear the soft knock coming from Richard's room and Jared quietly asking if he can come in. And Richard lets him in, every time. When he's sitting on the couch he can hear their whispers from the kitchen and Jared's gasp of "What about Nelson?", and Richard's "Huh? Oh, Big Heads not paying attention, he's watching Adventure Time." And that's when he decides it's time to go to his room. One day Nelson decides to go into the server room, just to be nosy. He notices how Jared's makeshift closet -consisting of a random piece of rope he found- is missing and how the cot looks like it hasn't been used in a few weeks. He nods to himself and walks out.
He sees everything that's different about Richard, they've been friends since forever. From how he looks less...dead (or more well rested) to how much straighter his posture is. All Jared's doing, he thinks. He notices they're both happy, and he's happy for them.
When Richard and Jared ask him to join them in Richard's (and Jared's?) bedroom, he walks in and immediately sits in Richard's office chair. He already knows what they're gonna say, but he lets them talk anyways. It's a mess, but it's Richard and Jared, so it's a controlled mess. Nelson enjoys watching the shock on their faces when he says he's known the whole time, he enjoys getting to tell them every little thing he notices. He also enjoys the relief he sees in their eyes, being able to get it out in the open. They ask him not to tell anyone else, and he nods. Before leaving the room, Jared asks if he can hug him, he agrees and then the six-foot-four man has him wrapped in his arms, whispering his "thank you"s. Once Nelson is free, Richard promises to buy him a Big Gulp when they hang out next time. He just nods, and walks out of the room heading straight for the gaming area to watch Gilfoyle and Dinesh's attempts at trash talk.