Work Text:
(My take on what *could* have been featured directly following Otis passing out at the sight of his own blood in S2E1, after accidentally taking a punch to the face and *before* Maeve magically appears back home and in bed...)
Everything was a blur following the fight in the courtyard between the girls. Otis remembers touching his face and glancing at his hand suddenly smeared with blood, before feeling the full weight of gravity pushing him backwards. What he doesn't remember is the litany of panic that ensued afterwards. When Otis finally came to, he was surprised to be met with a pair of concerned, yet familiar, brown eyes staring at him inside the boy's toilet block.
"Christ," Maeve exhaled as she rolled back on the heels of her boots, creating a soft squeak on the tile floor.
"Maeve... Wh-What happened? And, why does my face burn?" Otis questioned as he winced at the touch of his own hand. There was a weird metallic taste on his lips that he recognized as his own blood. He could feel the cold marble edge of the toilet sink along his lower back, through his shirt.
"Well, you had the brilliant idea to step into the middle of a fight and take on Gwen's punch meant for Fiona, before fainting at the sight of your own blood,” Maeve snorted into a smile while shifting the bag on her shoulder.
"Oh," An embarrassed and wincing Otis looked to the ground in an attempt to mask his his pain when blood started to drip onto the floor from his nostrils. "Oh no," he spat as he quickly tilted his head back attempting to pinch his nose gingerly to try and stop the bleeding.
"It's fine- I've got it," Maeve confirmed and reached deep into her bag pulling out two tampons. As she unwrapped one, she took a few step towards him.
"W-wait, what are you gonna do?" Otis whined, recoiling away from Maeve.
"Don't worry, Dickhead - I'm not going to steal your innocence, I just need to create a temporary block to stop the bleeding... Trust me," Maeve spouted confidently, but with a sincerity that Otis had missed.
Otis kept his head tilted back but slowly removed his hand to allow Maeve entry. Maeve stepped forward to examine his face under the light. She carefully positioned one hand along his jawline which made him jump slightly and scrunch up a bit at the initial, cool touch of her rings.
“Just relax, alright?” She reassured as she glanced up at him briefly, offering a small conciliatory smile. She refocused on Otis’ nose and used her free hand to insert each of the tampons, one-by-one, carefully into each nostril.
Otis half-expected to flinch in pain, and while he was still uncomfortable, he was surprised at how considerate and soft Maeve was in her approach to touch him. Otis felt his body relax as he watched her concentrate. It was then that he realized just how close she was in proximity to him - Maeve was balanced on her toes, practically leaning on him for support. He recalled the last time she was this close to him was last term in the pool. He caught a whiff of what appeared to be some kind of citrus scent coming from her Brunette hair - He wasn’t used to it or her hair yet, but he liked it. She was only a few inches shorter than he was, but it became extra noticeable when she was in close proximity to him.
“There,” She declared. Proud of her work, she took a step back letting her hands fall to her side before glancing up at him with a smirk. For a second, it seemed like there was something electric in the air.
Otis felt a slight surge of his blood and a small hitch in his knees as Maeve’s hand grazed along his jawline, something he hadn’t really felt since last term. Luckily he had attended to himself three times already earlier in the day and was seemingly “broken,” so he was relieved when he glanced down quickly to see that no erection had manifested. The jolt of moving his head that fast made him dizzy and he threw one hand behind him onto the counter to steady himself as he moved the other to his temple. Maeve caught him by the arms before he moved around too much.
“Woah, okay - Yeah, you might actually have a concussion,” Maeve laughed as she set him more upright.
“Possibly, but it could just be my blood sugar dipped too low,” Otis clarified with his eyes shut tight.
“Alright Dickhead, let’s test that theory, shall we? Look at me,” Maeve directed.
Otis blinked his eyes open before resuming to stare at Maeve. She swiped her mobile phone open to turn on the flash, shining it across Otis’ face a couple of times before turning it off and slipping it into her jacket pocket.
“Now, follow my finger,” She insisted as she waved one finger across his field of view a few times. “I think you’re going to be fine, Street Fighter,” Maeve chuckled making him smile (and wince) too. She reached back into her bag to pull out the remnants of a soft pretzel wrapped in clear plastic. “Here, you need it more than I do.” She extended it out to Otis. When Otis tried to protest she insisted, which he knew meant that she wasn’t to be argued with.
As he peeled back the plastic and took a bite of the pretzel closing his eyes, Maeve moved to his right side to lean her back against the sink, too. She looked at her hands and rotated her rings on her fingers in silent distraction as he ate quietly next to her.
“You know… You should really put a passcode on your phone - Digital security isn’t a joke, Maeve,” Otis said through bites of pretzel.
Maeve looked up at him shaking her head, “Even after a knock out, you’re still annoying,” She teased.
The two of them laughed as Otis continued to eat.
“How’d you learn the trick with the tampons anyway?” Otis questioned, reopening his eyes and shifting to look over at her.
“My brother and I used to watch this stupid American film where a character does it to stop a nose bleed. We always thought it was ridiculous, until Sean got into a fight with some kids and tried it. When it actually worked, the idiot was convinced that Americans were all secret geniuses,” Maeve chuckled to herself.
“The Americans can have their moments,” Otis agreed. “How *is* life with your brother these days?” He enquired as he finished swallowing his last bite. Otis watched as Maeve’s face fell and she stared at the floor.
“I wouldn’t know, he- uh…” Maeve cleared her throat, “He took off after the ball,” Maeve explained quietly.
“Oh,” Otis breathed, “Maeve I’m-“
“It’s fine,” Maeve interrupted as she shook her head and sighed. “Blood sugar’s back, I see,” Maeve gestured to the now empty plastic in Otis’ hand.
“Yeah, thanks for this - I didn’t expect Pretzel Parlor employees to be so accommodating,” Otis glared jokingly. He had known that Maeve had gotten a job there shortly after him and Ola had gotten together, because Eric had seen her working one day, but Otis never felt right to visit her. It was her domain, and he knew better than to encroach on someone’s space.
She nudged him in response. “Ex-employee,” Maeve clarified, “I quit this morning - Looks like you’ll have to find someone else to deliver left overs,” She laughed. He smiled.
Suddenly the announcement bell chimed as Otis and Maeve looked up simultaneously. The voice of Mr. Groff’s secretary echoed around the toilet block. “Otis Milburn please report to Mr. Groff’s office, Otis Milburn please report to Mr. Groff’s office, thank you.”
Otis’ face fell as he was rushed back to reality. “I should-“ Otis started and gestured towards the bell.
“Yeah, me too. Visiting hours are over.” Maeve confirmed as she began to walk forward towards the door. “See ya ‘round, Otis.”
“Bye Maeve,” was all Otis could get out before the door was swinging closed and he was left alone.