I've had this annoying nagging to write a one-shot, right? But I didn't have an idea… And then I realized: Fluff was the answer.
Anyway, this idea came to me while reading "Welcome To Hogwarts" as Nick and Jeff are like… crazy and insane, but they all sleep in the same room so I was just thinking "Sleeping/Calm Nick and Jeffie…" and this came to be as the whole concept was too cute to pass up.
Inevitably, it all started with Kurt, for if it hadn't been him, it wouldn't have caught on. He and Blaine had been walking drunkenly from the bathroom, intoxicated on the happiness stemming from just being together and giggling like new couples tend to, when Kurt accidentally staggered into Nick and Jeff's doorframe, too busy laughing to walk properly. His eyes fell on the two sleeping boys, and his smile dropped. Blaine tried to compose himself, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "What are you looking at?" he asked, laughter still in his voice. His eyes widened when he saw what Kurt was.
"They're like little angels," Kurt determined. Nick and Jeff were the most energetic boys at Dalton, always running around and shouting… It's not like they weren't loved, but they could be a little much for anyone besides each other, and their unending stream of pranks didn't really earn them any points.
But Kurt was right. As soon as they fell asleep, they went from demonic to ethereal. The windows were opened, a gentle breeze disrupting a snuggled-in Nick's hair a little since his bed was closer to the window. Jeff, on the other hand, looked freezing, knees curled up to his chest. Both of their faces were the slightest bit slack and unbelievably calm. Blaine settled against Kurt to watch them for a little bit, resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. It was moments like these that made him remember just why he put up with all of the 36 mafia's crazy. They were the babies of the Warblers, extremely dependent –especially when it came to each other- and just as scared and human as the rest of them. (Everyone at Dalton had a story.)
Blaine started when Kurt walked out from under him and into the other two boys' dorm. "Wait, Kurt! You can't just go in there!" he whisper-yelled over, not wanting to wake up his younger friends. Kurt arched an eyebrow, and gestured to the books sprawled out over both Nick and Jeff's bed. It was obvious he wanted to help, and Blaine sighed, stepping into the room, too. He started collecting the papers and folders strewn all across Jeff's sheets as Kurt finished up Nick's. He was just putting Jeff's school stuff on his bedside table as Kurt pulled up Nick's covers up to his chin. Blaine watched as Kurt ran his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair. "They fell asleep studying, I guess…" he deduced, and Kurt hummed.
"They've gone through so much," Kurt said quietly while Blaine caught sight of a rather sad-looking, curly-haired teddy bear stuffed under Jeff's bed.
"We all have, Kurt," he started, keeping his voice low and ducking down to pick up the stuffed animal and stuff it under Jeff's arm. The blonde's grip subconsciously tightened around the bear, and Blaine couldn't help but grin a bit. "But Dalton's a safe place. It's why we've all ended up here." Kurt nodded, reaching around Blaine to untangle Jeff's sheets and tuck him in tight.
"I know, but they just seem so… helpless…" he trailed off, concentrating on Jeff's sleeping form. "He's only in a t-shirt and these dorms don't have heating. Can you find him a blanket?" Kurt asked, interrupting their conversation momentarily as he moved to close the window. Blaine searched the floor, and continued on with their previous topic of discussion.
"Well, they have each other," he said, before ducking down and excitedly popping back up with a quilt in hand. He passed half to Kurt and they worked together to place the extra bedding on shivering younger boy. Kurt stepped back with his hands on his hips, looking satisfied.
"And they'll have us, too."
"Alright, ready for me to put Love Actually in?" Blaine asked, credits rolling during a late night movie marathon with Wes and David. The two head council members were squeezed together in one twin bed, leaving the other for Blaine and Kurt to fill up. The latter sat up from his spot on the mattress and frowned.
"I don't know… Do you think we should check up on Nick and Jeff first?" he asked, uncertainly. Over the past couple weeks they had become masters at timing their visits to the other boys' ever-unlocked room to look after them while they were already fast asleep. Now was kind of iffy though, it being a Friday night. Blaine pressed his ear to the wall they shared with the two boys and listened for a second.
"I think we're good… Right, okay. Wes. David. We'll be right back; we just have to go tuck the babies in," Blaine assured them without thinking. Kurt threw their guests an apologetic look before scurrying after Blaine to Nick and Jeff's dorm. They walked into their neighbor's room without hesitation, Kurt immediately heading to Nick's bed and Blaine to Jeff's. They moved quickly, well-practiced by now, Kurt moving Nick's head back onto his pillow and tugging his sheets up high while Blaine lifted Jeff's legs to fish out his covers and tucked him, getting on his knees to find Jeff's bear and snuggle it in with the blonde under the covers. Kurt frowned and put his hand on Nick's forehead.
"Does he seem warm to you?" he asked quietly, feeling and sounding like a frantic mother. Blaine scrunched his eyebrows and walked over. He scooted Kurt aside and bent down to put his cheek to Nick's temple. He bit his lip.
"I don't know, but he does look a bit flushed, doesn't he?" Blaine mused near silently, not moving his face from the sleeping boy's.
"What are you doing?" came a hiss from the doorway, and Klaine nearly jumped out of their socks. They both whirled around to find Wes and David giving them strange looks from the hallway. Neither had realized they had been followed… Kurt shot them both a glare and turned back to Nick, trying to see if he was sick or not, while Blaine kicked at the ground sheepishly. Wes and David shared a look. "So you guys do this a lot?" Wes whispered a laugh still noticeable in his voice. Apparently it only took a bit of awkwardness on Blaine's behalf for them to realize just what was going on. The soloist nodded.
"It's kind of a nightly thing…" David grinned and shook his head, while Wes just grinned.
"And you guys call me the momma bear," he giggled quietly, but then a serious expression took over his face. "So you really think Nick is sick?" he asked, concerned. "Cause if he is, then it's only a matter of time before Jeff is, too… Here, let me see," he ordered, keeping his voice low and displacing Kurt. He put his cheek to the sleeping boy's forehead in a couple places before pulling away nodding. "He's just a little warm." David crept up on all of them.
"We should give his quilt to, Jeff. He's shaking…" the head council member said caringly, and both Blaine and Kurt sighed.
"We know," Kurt muttered. "He's always so cold when he's asleep; it worries me… I guess all that moving around during the day serves another purpose than just annoying us…" he was met with a chorus of soft laughs. Blaine took the quilt off of Nick, and he and David put it on Jeff while Wes and Kurt talked about their mutual concern for the fairer of the sleeping boys.
"Do they look alright?" Blaine asked, and Kurt, Wes, and David all nodded, working their way out of the dorm, whispering about electric blankets and ear thermometers.
"Hello?" Wes answered his phone, a little annoyed that someone would be calling him at such a late hour. He had just got into bed. David walked into the room, and Wes stuck his tongue out while pointing to the cell. David threw him a quizzical look in response and made a phone motion with his thumb and pinky by the side of his face. Oh, yeah… "Who is this?" Wes asked to answer David's unspoken question.
"Hey, Wes! It's Blaine! I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Well, it'd be for Kurt, too…" Wes pulled the receiver of his phone away, mouthing "Blaine" to his roommate. David nodded.
"Yeah, sure, I guess," Wes said, throwing off his blankets and scratching his ankle. "It depends what you need."
"Awesome. Kurt and I are a little too… indecent to go check up on Nick and Jeff tonight." The sound of Kurt's giggles crackled through the line and Wes stuck a finger in his mouth, gagging. David arched an eyebrow, and Wes mouthed "Sex!" back, causing his friend to squirm and burry his face into his pillow. "So we were wondering if you would mind going to tuck them in? You know how cold Jeff gets, and Nick has been forgetting to set his alarm recently…" Wes threw his legs over the bed and stuffed his feet into his slippers, scrubbing at his eye.
"Yeah, sure no problem," he said, putting up a hand to pause David's sure to be coming questions.
"Awesome! Don't forget to fish out Jeff's teddy bear, okay? He never looks well rested when he sleeps without it, and if you've got one, bring along a water bottle to refill the glass by Nick's bed. He's been leaving one on his bedside table, and from the way he sounds in practice lately, I think his throat is a bit scratchy, so…"
"Right… Okay, David and I are headed over as we speak."
"Great! Thanks Wes!" Blaine said before there was a little yelp on the other side of the line and it clicked off. Wes pulled his phone away from his ear and glared at it for a second before hanging up. Dirty, dirty boys… David sat up cross-legged, pulling his pillow into his lap and frowning.
"What was all that about?" he questioned as Wes ducked down to dig around in their mini fridge, eventually pulling away victorious with a bottle of water. He waved his hand flippantly.
"Kurt and Blaine are just being naughty and need someone to check up on Nick and Jeff for them…" David sighed resolutely, digging out a pair of flip flops from under his dresser and following Wes out of their dorm and down the hall to Nick and Jeff's. The pair's door was once again unlocked, and Wes tiptoed in. Wes worked on everything Blaine told him, turning on the alarm clock and filling up Nick's water glass, as David tucked the two boys in, brushing hair away from their sleeping faces. Wes ran into a snag when he couldn't find Jeff's godforsaken teddy bear. "Help me look for his stuffie," Wes whispered over to David while on his hands and knees, doing his best to stay silent while searching the room, subconsciously putting things away for the two due to his dire need to leave everything tidy in a room.
After about twenty minutes of fumbling quietly in the dark, Wes caved and texted Blaine, unable to leave while Jeff tossed and turned without his little teddy.
I can't find the bear! –WM
Have you tried the ceiling fan? –BA
No… Damn. They're insane… -WM
But their so calm when their asleep! It's magical. G2G, Kurt requires all of my attention currently ;D –BA
You so don't need to tell me these things. Why do you always tell me these things? –WM
Wes moved over a desk chair and climbed up on it to get the ratty looking bear down from the slowly rotating fan. He glared at it for a second before shoving it in David's face. "Look at this thing! It's so gross and totally not worth it." David rolled his eyes and stuffed it under Jeff's covers, the blonde's arms immediately seeking it out and pulling it close to his chest. He grinned as Wes climbed back down to the ground, putting the chair back where he found it.
"Seems like Jeff thinks it is."
In a few short weeks, Kurt, Blaine, Wes, and David had tucking in Jeff and Nick down to a science. Blaine and Kurt did it most evenings, self-proclaimed Niff experts at this point, allowing Wes and David to take over when they were too tired to stay up or too… busy. Kurt would always take Nick's side, remembering to flip his alarm clock on, while Blaine would tuck in Jeff, digging around the room for his teddy and earning a kiss on the cheek from Kurt every time he placed it in the younger boy's bed. Kurt was a sucker for domestic stuff… Meanwhile, David and Wes worked in a completely different way. Wes would be the one to do all of the extra stuff as David adjusted their covers properly.
This night and particular, Blaine and Kurt were on Nick and Jeff duty unsurprisingly. Blaine was just pulling Jeff's blankets up when he noticed his abnormally red cheeks. "Kurt, honey, come look at this," Blaine whispered, pulling the classic parent move and kissing Jeff's forehead before putting his cheek to it to see if maybe he had a fever. He felt really warm, and Jeff was known for being cold at night… "Do you have the thermometer?"
"Never come over here without it," Kurt replied, keeping his voice low. "Oh, wow, he does look warm..." Kurt checked his temperature right away and frowned when it was just grazing 100 hundred degrees. He showed it to Blaine who gasped and started clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides in response. He looked panicked. "I mean, Blaine… it's a fever, but it's not that bad…"
"What if it was your baby," Blaine whispered back, looking forlorn. "What if it was Nick?" Kurt's face fell in understanding. He held Blaine's hand and watched as his boyfriend bit his lip. "I mean… we always freak out about whether they're sick or not, but what are we supposed to do when they actually are?" Kurt frowned.
"They keep their meds in Jeff's drawer, right?" Blaine nodded. "Awesome, you check in there to make sure they're fully stocked, and I'll make sure they're fridge is filled with water. Then we can both smother Jeff with blankets, and if you really want to, you can sit with him tonight. Plan?" Blaine was already checking their bottles of Advil. Kurt was just closing the door to their fridge, water bottle in hand to put on Jeff's bedside table, when Nick stirred. The other boy sat up, dazed and rubbed his eyes.
"Kurt?" he asked, sounding horribly confused. "Blaine? What's going on?" Kurt, put a hand on Nick's shoulder, pushing him back gently as a very flummoxed Blaine threw a couple more blankets on Jeff's bed, all in a tizzy. Kurt couldn't resist acting a little mother hen, running a hand through Nick's bangs. The younger boy just sat there and took it, more than used to weird touches from Kurt Hummel… He had been getting pretty handsy, much to Jeff's displeasure.
"Jeff just has a bit of a fever," Kurt answered, and Nick looked at him blankly before a hurt expression took over his face.
"So he got you? And not me?" Nick asked. His baby had abandonment issues, and the situation obviously did not bode well with him. Kurt shook his head, patting Nick's arm.
"Of course not. The only person he would ever get is you… Blaine and I just noticed. And now, naturally, my boyfriend is freaking out harder over your roommate being sick than he ever did for me," Kurt responded a bit bitterly, but a smile graced his face. Nick seemed lost for a minute before a Grinch-like grin crept slowly onto his face.
"You're the ones putting Simon back in Jeff's bed every night," he said slowly and quietly in the darkened dorm with a nod to the bear cuddled up in Jeff's arms. So that was its name… Kurt nodded sheepishly. "You know, he thinks it's –oh, sorry, he's- alive." Kurt shook his head disbelievingly before an odd look of resolve passed over him.
"You'd think I'd actually be surprised, but I'm not…" Kurt mused, and pounced when Nick attempted to get out of bed. "Woah, woah, woah. Where do you think you're going?" he asked, pushing the younger boy flat down on the mattress, Blaine stroking slightly sweaty locks of hair out of Jeff's eyes in his peripheral.
"I'm going to get in Jeff's bed." Kurt crossed his arms.
"But you could get sick!" he whisper-yelled, and Nick glared.
"I'm going to get sick anyway, and I always cuddle with Jeff when either of us are!" Kurt held his gaze for a second and sighed. He grabbed Blaine's arm and dragged him out of the room, despite his protests, leaving Nick to do as he pleased.
The next night they went in to check on Nick and Jeff, the beds were pushed together.
Blaine scratched at his sleeve, aggravated. Dalton had been out for the past week, and while he was incredibly relieved to have a break from school, it was killing him to just… go to bed. Every night for the past six months he had tucked the kids with Kurt, and it was killing him to be away from it all. All their nightly checks had sort of made them a family: He as the daddy, Kurt as the mommy, Wes as the grandma, David as the grandpa, and Nick and Jeff the babies. All the other Warblers had adapted readily to their social change, especially because it somehow gained them the right to put Jeff and Nick in line, something most teachers had yet to achieve.
Blaine's phone buzzed on his bedside table. He glanced at the caller ID before hurriedly picking up. "Jeff?"
"Hey, Blaine!" The other boy sounded nervous. Naturally, this didn't settle well with Blaine at all. He flipped on the light in his room, checking the time and frowning at the late hour. Jeff needed his sleep if he was going to do everything he wanted to tomorrow. It took energy to keep up with Nicky.
"Hi, Jeff. Are you okay?" he asked, the words slipping out before he could keep in check the overprotective parental side to him. There was a prominent pause on Jeff's side of the line. "Jeff? Are you good?"
"Yeah, I was just… would you mind driving over, and…" Jeff didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
"Sure thing, man. And Nick's with you, I'm assuming?" Jeff answered positively, and Blaine nodded to himself while forcing his feet into a pair of loafers. "Awesome, I'll pick up Kurt, too, then," he told him, happy to hear excited outbursts from Nick on the other side of the line. "Love you! See you in a few minutes!" Blaine hung up and quickly dialed Kurt's number.
"Hey, hon."
"Kurt? Our babies need us…"
That was so fun to write. I totally recommend Mommy/Daddy Kurt and Blaine to Babies Nick and Jeff. Very fun.
Also, I just love the idea of them all creeping in Nick and Jeff's room at night and neither of them caring… YAY!