number one boy status

pairing: nick jackson x unnamed!oc

prompt: #15 kissing your lover so gently, worried that if you pull away for just a second, they might disappear

genre: general? bit fluffy at the end too?

warning: anxiety, brief vomiting and and mention of heights

word count: 6.1k woah!

author's note: okay i had an entirely different idea for this originally but it really just didn't play out and i got stuck. regardless, i still hope you all enjoy this! also, the oc here isn't really gonna be one of my actual ocs like sunshine, baby, and arabella. if i wrote another piece with a character named "buttercup" this won't be part of that buttercup!universe.

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the first instance.

buttercup walked side-by-side with kenny, hands shoved in the pocket of their elite tracksuit - something kenny gave them because he knew they were his biggest fan - walking towards other friends of his.

buttercup was always number one though, of course.

kenny and them first met in preschool. sure, maybe a little curly-haired blond boy shoving a handful of sand in his mouth at the sandbox wouldn't really be your first pick to be your best friend for the rest of your life, but that's exactly what buttercup did. they laughed at kenny's face - curious blue eyes, big cheeks, and a ton of sand - before sitting cross-legged down in front of him, introducing themselves.

from then on, they were just inseparable. their parents would always arrange play dates for them, they would always do that day's homework in each other's houses with a juice box and a sandwich in hand, or they would always be spotted in the playground playing tag with each other. once they grew older, they'd frequently go to the mall together, or to the movies, or wherever they decided to go.  neither of them even had to sneak out at that point. it was already obvious to their parents who they were with.

buttercup was there for - almost - all of kenny's games, whether it was hockey, basketball, jujitsu, or any other of the sports that he played. he even tried to get them into it but buttercup wasn't a fan of anything he showed them and it just came to a point where he stopped and started to admire the fact that even if they disliked the sport, they still watched his games.

when he first started wrestling, buttercup was there too. they watched him wrestle, gave them criticism where it was needed and praise in the instances that called for it. they even let kenny practice moves on them a few times. it hurt, but they found it worth it.

anything for my best friend.

buttercup being kenny's best friend, it would be impossible for them to not hear about the world-famous young bucks, the two men kenny was in the elite with, the two men kenny truly believed in his heart was the best tag team of all time. after checking out some of the matches kenny recommended, they weren't sure if they disagreed with that statement.

kenny has talked to buttercup about them many times, heard many of the shenanigans that the three got themselves in to much too often than what buttercup would have liked. from what they have gathered, these young bucks characters seemed nice enough. they knew kenny wouldn't have been friends with people who weren't nice so they already expected that meeting them would be nothing short of pleasant.

"hey bucks!" kenny greeted them first, hugging them and too sweet-ing with the brothers. they greeted him back with a "hey kenny".

after that, their eyes were drawn to buttercup who was coyly standing next to kenny throughout the whole exchange. while they did know that the young bucks were cool people, that didn't mean that they weren't nervous for it. after all, they weren't wrestlers like matt and nick and kenny. they couldn't do all the incredibly athletic things the bucks - along with their best friend - we able to perform.

what if they think i'm lame and try to tell kenny that he shouldn't hang out with me anymore?

sure, they doubt that kenny would actually leave them in the dust, but it still posed a fright in buttercup's heart.

to buttercup, it felt like they were staring at them for hours upon hours though in reality, it was only a few seconds. it probably didn't help that their stares also felt like a ton of bricks getting dropped on their chest.

"bucks, i believe i've told you about buttercup before? buttercup, these are the bucks. he's matt and he's nick," kenny's comforting voice soothed them for a moment, that was before they looked up from the ground and their eyes met a pair of brown ones. they recognized the man as matt. he shot them a warm smile before offering his hand out for buttercup to shake. "it's nice to finally meet you!"

they shook hands before they met a pair of stunning blue eyes, the type of ones that pierced right through your soul and buttercup was almost sure that they felt the breath get knocked out of their lungs. "yeah kenny's told us so much about you." and they shook hands as well.

buttercup basically had to pry her eyes away from nick's when they spoke. "it's very nice to meet you guys too. i've heard a lot of things about the both of you."

nick smirked a smirk that buttercup knew right then and there would kill them - the worst part is that they aren't sure if they would have minded that and they've only just met - "all good things i hope."

the second instance.

the people were getting out of the airplane now and buttercup hasn't stopped shaking since it was announced that the plane started to land. at first, they tried to resort to tapping their fingers on the arm of their chair - that always worked for them - but the harsh glare of the lady sitting next to them quickly made them stop and just look towards the window. they didn't like that. they found the sight that greeted them to be frightening so buttercup simply closed their eyes instead.

they really don't do that well in the best of times, then you add that fact that they are in a foreign country where literally everything was different to the mix and you might as well have just sent them to outer space in a rocket without so much as a guide to help.

stepping out of the plane and into the airline didn't do them any good as well, the unfamiliar language that came out of the intercom make their chest tighten up and they gripped their luggage bag just a little tighter. they gulped, then pulled out their phone hoping for a text message or call from kenny.

buttercup was visibly shaking when they typed in their passcode which just made it all the more harder. it took them three types before the stupid thing showed them their homescreen - it was a photo of their first trip to japan, the trip there they met him. it was the four of them in the elite's favorite japanese restaurant, tgi fridays. buttercup preferred to pretend that the reason why they made it their homescreen is because it was the first time they've seen kenny in a long while, which is true, but that wasn't the only reason - and couldn't help but curse lowly when they saw they had no notifications from kenny.

feeling their breathing starting to get faster, they looked away from their phone and started to scan the crowd for the wrestler who promised to pick them up from the airport, only to meet another pair of familiar eyes. they didn't expect to see these eyes there, but it was familiar all the same. these ones didn't wear that same look that could be found in buttercup's either though. no, this one knew exactly what they were looking for, something buttercup had no idea about and something that certainly didn't help the way their heart was threatening to burst out of their ribcage.

nick started to walk over to them - they had to embarassingly peak over their shoulder to make sure that he was, in fact, walking towards them - that smirk that always seemed to be present in buttercup's presence only spreaded across on his face. he greeted them just like how he did with kenny once he reached them. "hey buttercup,"

all they could do was nod at him. "nick," their hand reached up unconsciously as they couldn't help but rub the back of their awkwardly neck before speaking. "no offense, but i wasn't expecting you here."

"i can tell," his charming smirk grew a bit wider. "kenny had some business to do. something wrong with his gear or something. you know how he is."

definitely. if anyone knew just how extra kenny jerome omega could be, it would be buttercup. he was already like that ever since they were children and they loved that fact that kenny didn't stop being extra as he grew older no matter what people on the internet said about it. it was one of the things they admired about him.

"anyway, kenny asked me to pick you up instead since he wasn't gonna make it and stuff."

was buttercup staring at his lips this whole time? they sure hoped not. they snapped out of their daze before nodding. "lead the way then".

nick.. was nice. but definitely intimidating. buttercup didn't remember the last time they felt that intimidated by a man - who was a friend of their best friend - being a gentleman and getting their luggage for them. the ride to the hotel was quiet and uneventful, neither of them feeling the need to fill the silence with small talk.

buttercup sat with their thighs pressed together the whole ride and just hoped nick didn't notice.

when the younger brother pulled up to the front of the hotel, they spotted kenny - along with matt - in the lobby and they basically ran to him. both in relief the tension inside of that car and i missed you.

kenny petted their hair and apologized. "i'm so sorry i couldn't pick you up, buttercup. the seamstress making my attire just called me and said i had to go there asap." they still clung on to him as they responded with forgiveness which was muffled by their face in kenny's chest.

"i hope nick took good care of you."

their heart skipped a beat and they could just barely muster up a small and curt "yes."

the third instance.

buttercup had never been more glad to be home. they had comfort here, and yes, so did he - though this isn't exactly home for him - but it didn't matter anymore. they could speak the language! they didn't have to follow around like a lost puppy! they didn't have to ask kenny about every single thing they saw! they didn't seem like that much of a loser! they had the upper hand- okay maybe that's a bit too much. it's not like they were fighting. it was still something to be glad about though, and glad about it buttercup was.

there were probably also other reasons why they were so happy this day but they didn't want to acknowledge it, pushing those emotions deep down.

it's not like it's gonna bite me in the ass someday

for reasons unknown to them, the traffic was really bad today but it's not like they cared, they still sang along to every song on the radio like they do on any other day.

finally, they reached the airport, with a spring in their step, buttercup entered, flashing the security guard a bright smile.

terminal five, terminal five buttercup kept on repeating in their head. that was where kenny and his friends were gonna come from.

after a few minutes, they finally spotted a head full of curly, messy blond hair and they full on dashed to it.

thankfully, kenny already expected that kind of reaction from them and waited with open arms. buttercup gave his hair a quick tousle before hugging him again. then, they hugged the men who they have grown - more or less - close to. matt was first as he was nearer. "thanks for picking us up, buttercup." then it was him. him with that ridiculous smirk on their face as always. nick hugged them tightly, his hand on their lower back and both of theirs was looped around his neck. "buttercup."

they were more than a little flushed when they pulled away, readjusting their shirt. "so where do you guys wanna go for breakfast?"

as they were in canada, they decided to go to tim hortons and get some donuts. it wasn't exactly the healthiest choice - especially for wrestlers who had a match at the top of card that night - but they thought they deserved to indulge a little. besides, who knew when they were going to be back?

hopefully soon passed through buttercup's mind when they discussed possible options in the car and they were lucky that they didn't accidentally say it out loud. they weren't that good of a liar where they could convince everyone that it was totally, solely, purely just for their dearest kenny.

nick sat next to them in the booth with kenny in front of them, matt beside kenny. his presence, as always, proved to be too much even before the food they ordered came. kenny was enthusiastically telling them about some story about cody, adam - say, was he talking about cole or page again? - brandi, wine, splashed in someone's eye, door, coat hanger, something before they cleared their throat right in the middle of it, excusing themselves. kenny found it odd, yes, they were always up for a funny story, but didn't think too much of it. he knows them for over twenty years now. they did odd things every now and then, that wasn't out of the ordinary.

buttercup pushed the door to go outside and get some fresh air, wrapping their arms around themselves and taking a deep breath. you got this. you have the upper hand. but damnit, he hasn't even really done anything yet and you're already reacting like this, what has gotten into you?

and what has gotten into them they did wonder. they've never felt like this before. yes, like any other human being, they've experienced having a crush on a person, experienced getting nervous when they're with someone they're attracted to or got butterflies just thinking about someone but this was different, and it was scary. they didn't get butterflies in their stomach, they got the whole zoo. the mere mention of nick's name got their heart pounding wildly and their hands clammy. it isn't like anything they have ever experienced before and they had no idea what it was about the man that made them feel like it cause he was not really the type of person they'd usually go for or get attracted but he was just so magnetic and buttercup found themselves powerless to succumb to his magnetism.

"hey! aren't you kenny omega's friend?"

uh oh.

it wasn't a voice they were knew. the jolt of fear they felt definitely wasn't the type that ran through them whenever nick's eyes glazed over their figure.

buttercup peered at the person, eyes squinting at the bright sunlight. they were girls. teenage girls wearing kenny omega t-shirts and shorts.

buttercup has already dealt with something like this more than a few times in the past. they were a close friend - best friend, in fact - of arguably one of the best wrestlers in the world and they just so happened to reside in the same city as said wrestler.

lots of people recognized them from time to time from the very few photos kenny posted of them together or a one second frame from being the elite that featured them. a lot of the time, these fans were nice enough. they would ask for a photo with them, or ask them how their day was. up until this point, the worst fan they've had an encounter with was one that gave them their number, then told buttercup to give it to kenny for them. it was rude for sure, but not necessarily bad. these girls had a certain tone to their greeting though, and it made buttercup's stomach churn anxiously.

"hello," they waved at the girls, giving them the biggest smile they could muster but they just rolled their eyes at them.

"you're kenny omega's friend, right?" they asked again once they were in front of them. usually, when fans asked this question, they'd have a curious smile on their face but this time, they had an agitated, impatient look that buttercup didn't feel good about in the slightest.

"yeah, i am-"

"and you better just be friends." one of the girls - the taller, blonde one with brown streaks in her hair - interrupted them.

"e-excuse me?" it was absolutely the worst time to stutter, but of course buttercup's mouth had other ideas and they started to shake. they were being threatened by bratty teenage girls. buttercup should know better than be actually intimidated.

one of them - the other one, the one who didn't speak - started to laugh, crossing their arms on their chest. "did you not hear her? she said you and kenny better be just friends."

did they think they're stupid now? incapable of understanding simple sentences? the thought should have made buttercup annoyed, angry, even but it didn't. they were just such a non-confrontal person and their first instinct was to confirm that they are just friends, even if it shouldn't have been.

they opened their mouth to speak, but no sound came out, their anxiety getting the best of them when all of a sudden, the girls' eyes widened at something behind buttercup. they didn't even have the time to turn around, whatever it was quickly made their presence known.

"girls, leave them alone please. whether kenny and them are together is none of your business." nick. they've never been more glad to see - or hear, in this case - the man in their lives. the girls shook their heads, nodding at him. "sorry guys, no autographs for today. we're a little busy eating breakfast. i hope you understand." his voice was so soft as he answered their unspoken - yet - question and they nodded again.

"yeah, we understand." they seemed starstruck as they looked at him, then their eyes landed on them once again and buttercup felt the shakes. "sorry." they muttered lowly before leaving with their heads down.

a sigh of relief passed through their lips as the girls left, the sound of light footsteps let them know that someone else was approaching though. "you alright?"

an actual small, sincere smile was on his face now, not that ridiculously charming smirk they grew accustomed to.

"yep." was buttercup's tight-lipped response, then nick's shoulders relaxed, placing his hand on their arm. "i'm serious, i hope that didn't shake you up too much. they didn't seem too nice." the warm hand on their arm made them gulp, then the sincerest sincerity that rang through nick's voice made them gulp twice.

"i'm fine nick, thank you for helping, i definitely appreciate it."

was it mean for them to not wait for his response and just speed walk back to tim hortons? if it was, well, they're sorry but they couldn't help it. nick's presence was just too much. too much, as it always was.

the fourth instance.

the three men buttercup kept on spending their time in japan with has now been deemed them as an honorary elite member, something they wore with honor. the days they spent in the land of the rising sun was no longer only filled with friendly dates alongside kenny. instead, the young bucks were also part of their regular shenanigans and it was as fun as ever.

the group particularly liked spending time at arcades or amusement parks, those were the places where the three of them could let their inner child out, as they were all kids at heart and weren't afraid to show it.

not only did the rides itself entertain them, but also each other's presence provided the same laughter and joy.

they adored going to the photobooth, buttercup complaining about them getting squished in the tiny box although the other men couldn't quite understand what they were saying due to to their sentences being all but mumbled. they got exactly four photos, kenny begging to get the one where they were all too sweet-ing, matt the one where they were doing the young bucks pose, nick came home with the one over-decorated with the stickers the machine offered, and buttercup with the one where nick threw his arm around them and pressed his cheek to theirs, a grin on his face. it was the one they got because they were the last to choose but if they were being honest with themselves, they probably would have chose that one even if they were the one to pick first. they thanked their lucky stars that they weren't the first one because they knew kenny would have absolutely been a drama queen about that.

watching kenny - probably the most childlike of them all, something buttercup, nick, and matt liked - go crazy on the teacup ride was funny as well, he spun and spun and spun the wheel laughing while the other men held their heads in their hands and closed their eyes. it was all fun and games for the curly haired man until they got off the ride and he couldn't even walk in a straight line, quickly stumbling to the nearby trash can and throwing up the funnel cake they ate earlier. "that's what you get, kenny!" matt groaned, holding his pounding head.

they smartly went to the ferris wheel before it got dark which meant that the line wasn't long yet because of the absence of romantic couples. when they reached the top, there was a big lack of the usual "top of the ferris wheel smooch" but there was a huge gust of wind that made buttercup tighten their grip on the edge. nick almost had to hold matt - who usually played the role of mature dad in their dynamic but was in his moment of pure ecstacy - down before he rocked the carriage any further.

after a few more rides, a lot more stolen bites of each other's carnival food, and about four prize stuffed toys later - buttercup won one for kenny, kenny won one for matt, matt won one for nick, and nick won one for buttercup - they decided to play bumper cars. it was the amusement park's special ride, what they were known for and what hundreds of people traveled there for.

the cars were inspired by video game characters in their color palette and could actually track how many times one would hit someone and how many times someone hits them. the person with the less hits gotten and most hits delivered won. there was also an option to play as duos, which was what the four planned even before buttercup landed in tokyo a month ago. they expected to team with kenny as he was the person they were closest to but nick caught them by surprise - would you believe it still made their heart skip a beat? - when they threw their arm around them - much like he did in the photobooth - and yelling "me and buttercup versus you two dweebs!"

kenny spluttered out in mock offense, matt beside him with his hand over his heart. "how dare you!" then he turned to buttercup, his curls bouncing on the top of his head because of how aggressive his movement was. "and you! how dare you! you've known nick for what? five months and now you're replacing me, your childhood friend, for him? you're gonna regret this!" in classic kenny omega fashion, he threw his head back and cackled, his finger playfully jabbed in their face.

however, nick grabbed the appendage and slapped it away. "don't speak to them like that ever again!" now he had both of his arms wrapped around buttercup, his body slightly angled so he was between kenny and them, jokingly shielding them from kenny's wrath.

with a - unexpected - surge of confidence, buttercup smirked and patted nick's arm. "don't worry nick, we'll show them when we kick their butts!"

"heck yeah we will!" he had a proud grin on his face now and reached his hand out for a high five, something buttercup gladly obliged to.

much to the older buck and kenny's dismay, their opponents were very much well versed in the art of bumper car-ing, being able to hit kenny's sephiroth inspired car and matt's mario inspired one more times than they could count. as if buttercup and nick would communicate telepathically, they were able to coordinate and isolate either of the two, making them able to beat matt and kenny fairly easily and quickly.

when they got off of the ride, buttercup was grinning from ear to ear at their opponents' disappointed faces so much so that it hurt the apples of their cheeks. kenny looked down, shook his head, and murmured something they weren't able to pick up. they chuckled. "what was that, kenny? i couldn't quite here you over the sound of me and nick kicking your ass-- or should i say cleaning. you. up!"

kenny glanced at them briefly, then lowered his look to the floor again. "that's too far, man. you don't use another man's promo." matt tsked at them, looking equally as down as their partner.

buttercup crossed one arm over their chest, another one going north and tapping their index finger to their chin, feigning thinking deeply. "hmm, nick, you're a wrestler. would you say that what i did is too far based on the wrestler handbook?"

nick feigned interest too, mimicking buttercup's actions. "no, i believe me and matt have actually done that a few times in our careers so," he shrugged. "i say it's fair game."

"just face it, kenny. me and buttercup are a better duo than you and them."

well then.

the fifth incident.

over time, the awkwardness buttercup felt whenever they were with nick has disappeared yet something was still definitely there, although they weren't really able to put their finger on what ever it was, it was impossible not to notice that. they felt it all the time, when kenny brings up his name, when he throws his arm over them, when they all hang out, when nick glances at them, when they hear his voice, even merely being in the same room as him makes them feel the electricity in the air. they wondered if nick felt it too. they hoped he did.

buttercup was back in japan, this time attending a new japan show which was their first one since getting to know the brothers they have come to love so much. they sat at the front row - something kenny and the bucks helped them secure. being friends with the top guys had its perks - as they watched their friends steal the show and have the best bouts of the night. they've known kenny for probably more than ninety percent of their lives but it still amazed them how he really did live up to his best bout machine moniker.

as expected, they won their respective matches putting on match of the night worthy performances even if it was just a simple house show. nobody worked as hard as the three of them. because of their wins, they decided to go out and celebrate this at their favorite japanese restaurant, tgi fridays. before that though, they decided to go to the hotel first to freshen up.

buttercup got to their hotel room and got themselves ready, putting on new, fresh clothes as they sweated quite a lot on the other ones, things that happened when they were cheering their heart out for their three men. as arranged, they went to the lobby when they were done. the environment was still unfamiliar to them, the chatter of people in a language they did not speak still struck an anxious cord with them, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first few times they went to japan. though they had their days just like everyone, they could deal with it now most of the time.

nick came out of the elevator and walked straight to buttercup. "matt said he and kenny had some things to deal with, we should head to fridays and they'll just catch up." he informed them making buttercup nod and pick up their bag. "okay then."

the drive to the restaurant was uneventful because they were just in a taxi and forced to behave, the usual thick air usually present between them dissipated. when they got there, nick paid the driver, much to buttercup's dismay. "relax buttercup, it's fine. my treat." he winked at them making them blush furiously. they put their hand on their cheeks, pretending to scratch at an itch just so nick wouldn't see the pink pigment caused by his actions.

"table for two?"

"table for four please. we're still waiting for two of our friends." nick's smile to the waiter was friendly as he corrected the man who nodded curtly, an apology coming out of his lips. "of course, i apologize." then he led them to their table.

nick pulled the chair out for buttercup, pushing them in once they were sat before sitting down across from them. "would you like to browse the menu or would you rather wait for the other members of the party to arrive first?"

buttercup glanced at their friend the same time nick did the same thing. "i'm okay with waiting." they shrugged, indifferent to the situation, nick seemingly agreeing with their notion. "we'll wait, thank you."

with another curt nod, the waiter wordlessly walked away from them.

five minutes, matt and kenny still weren't there but there was a bit of traffic during the drive, maybe it was that?

eleven minutes, still nothing. buttercup and nick stopped talking about what ever and started to get a bit worried about the whereabouts of their friends.

fifteen minutes, "i'll call matt." buttercup picked at their skin as nick dialed his brother and put the phone to his ear. matt answered fast enough it made them both sigh in relief. "hey man, where are you and kenny? we've been waiting for a while now."

they couldn't hear what matt was saying, but they could hear soft murmurs from the phone. it didn't seem alarmed or frantic so buttercup was at a loss - though thankful - at what happened with their friends.

"yeah, okay, you guys be safe. please. bye, love you."

buttercup raised an eyebrow at the man sitting across from them, beckoning him to tell them what came up. "well, the thing kenny and matt had to deal with took a long time but they were actually done with it minutes ago. the taxi they're in has a flat tire." he shrugged making buttercup oh softly.

"matt says we should order now, the driver's pretty upset about it and they might just go get room service. they're tired." he waved over the waiter while buttercup nodded. "just us then."

present.

it has been years since they were able to hang out with their friends because of the pandemic. while they were technically able to go outside, they still decided that it wouldn't be the wisest idea go travel just so they could see their friends. it seemed selfish.

today though, it seemed like the area buttercup was at as well as area they are planning to go to is doing fairly well. they were vaccinated along with the people they were going to visit. it didn't seem like that much of a bad idea anymore.

kenny called them the day before, asking if plans were cancelled but they wouldn't miss this for the world, telling their friend "no way, ken! no way!" laughing.

airports always made them feel a certain way. something about the atmosphere. there are people there that are just starting their lives, as well as ones who are now writing the last chapter. people that are reunited with their loved ones, people who are getting separated from the ones they loved the most. most importantly to them though, they had memories here they wouldn't dare forget no matter how awkward or how much they hated it at the time. they couldn't bring themselves to regret it.

the flight to chicago was a bit boring but they were anxious and excited, basically bouncing in their seat, much to the dismay of the people sat next to them. he glared at buttercup but in an uncharacteristic manner, they couldn't bring themselves to care. the only thing that mattered was that they're going to see each other again after three long years.

they cursed the chicago traffic when they got there. they would be late. luckily for them though, they already told kenny about it so they aren't going to be in the crowd the way they usually were, they are going to be backstage and if that didn't send delightful shivers down their spine, they didn't know what would.

they counted their lucky stars when they finally got to the hotel. they were already wearing one of their many the elite t-shirts and no longer had to change. whilst they did smell a tad bit like airplane, surely it didn't matter right? it's not like their boys would mind, especially when they haven't seen each other in so long, right?

they basically just tossed their luggage bags into their rooms before running back outside, ignoring the stares as they did so, and flagging down a taxi, telling the driver the name of the arena. the show has already started, they had to get there as soon as possible.

"thank you!" they gave the driver the payment before sprinting to the back of the arena where the wrestlers and other staff members entered.

a mean looking security guard blocked their way though, his big arms crossed over his puffed chest and the biggest scowl on his face. "no fans." he grumbled.

"kenny omega knows me! he's expecting me." but they had no time to argue, pulling out their phone and showing him the text that kenny told them to show in the instance they weren't let in. it was basically him saying that buttercup is a guest and that tony khan and him knows about it and has approved it.

the man's face lightened up, the wrinkle between his brows lifted. "oh, you're buttercup! sorry, here you go," he opened the door for them with a smile on his face as they muttered a thank you, returning the friendly gesture.

once buttercup got inside, they realized that they didn't know where to go. kenny didn't tell them if they were supposed to go to his locker room or even where his locker room was. the arena was huge and the loud, sudden cheers of the crowd made their stomach churn in an unpleasant way.

they were about to get their phone again to dial kenny when they were tackled-- almost to the floor.

"buttercup, oh my god, you're here! why didn't you tell anyone?" a voice they would recognize from anywhere, the voice of the angel from their reoccurring dreams.

"nick, hi! just for the record, i told kenny!" they defended themselves making him laugh, a fond feeling washed over them as they wrapped their arms around him, the man doing the same thing to them.

"god i missed you." he mumbled into their hair, "i missed you too, nickie."

he pulled away, yet still at arm's reach, tenderly moving his hands from their back to their face, cradling it. oh so softly, he pressed his lips to theirs, like how he had dreamed of before yet this time, it wasn't a dream, or at least that's what he hoped. he took his time, gently deepening the kiss with the utmost care, as if he was scared that all of a sudden, buttercup was going to disappear into thin air.

a startled "okay, woah!" made them pull away, looking to their left and seeing kenny and matt there grinning at them.

"... you greet him before you greet me?"

"sorry kenny, i guess you've just lost the status of number one boy in their life."