trigger warning: sexual harrassment, groping

*

Everleigh loved nursing. There was no denying it. The science, helping people. Being able to make something of a difference in the world.

"Excuse me," she said, for about the fifth time in the span of her last fifteen minutes, "please take your hand off me."

"Sorry, sweetheart, didn't realize."

But if one more old man placed his hand on her ass while she was being forced to give him a sponge bath, she was going to do something that got her fired. It wasn't even a matter of firing, actually, it was probably getting her removed from her program entirely. What was worse was that it wasn't the first one of the day who had done it, and it was meant to be her last patient of her twelve hour shift. It was supposed to be something easy to do rather than, say, do laps around the hospital and take people's blood.

Everleigh would've taken sore feet and aching shoulders from pushing that cart all day than any more creepy old men an inch from death.

The next squeeze that happened was enough for her to take a step away and talk to her supervisor. She had been wanting to do more work on her own for her practicum.

"It was an accident, dear."

"Someone else will be here in a moment," Everleigh said, making her way out of the restroom.

She looked around before her eyes landed on her supervisor, a few steps away and talking to a receptionist.

"Hey," Everleigh said, walking over. "Can I switch patients? Someone needs to finish this bath. Um. It's been fifteen minutes and I can't—"

"Is he grabbing your ass?" the supervisor asked.

"I—" Everleigh faltered. "Yeah."

"Christ almighty." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yup. Get out of there. I got you." As he walked into the restroom, he started talking louder. "Ralph, what the heck, man? I thought we were past this—"

"Leigh?"

Everleigh turned. "Oh my God, hi!"

It had to have been Stevie's influence that she buried Lennon in a hug.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Lennon's hand tapped the back of Everleigh's shoulders. Rubbed gently when Everleigh didn't let go.

There was surely something to be said that Everleigh felt small in Lennon's arms when she was a head and shoulders taller than her. Everleigh hugged her a little tighter.

"Everleigh?"

"No."

"Is he not helping you?"

"Not particularly." Everleigh took a deep breath. "I mean, kind of—"

"You don't have to say yes."

"No."

Lennon gently pulled away and led her away from where residents could see her. Allowed herself to be taken, sat down.

"What's going on?"

"How are you here?"

Everleigh didn't believe in guardian angels until that moment. Lennon was always there when she needed it. Silently handed her a granola bar. Everleigh nibbled at it. She'd been getting better at nibbling at granola bars. Nibbling at food Maverick shoved in front of her around when a mealtime usually was for a person who could stand to look at themselves in a mirror.

"I was only filling in at that clinic," Lennon said. "Your turn."

"I—" Everleigh shook her head. Pushed the bite of granola to the side of her mouth. "Sometimes old men need to accidentally drop their head under water for five minutes."

"You don't mean that."

"No," Everleigh said. "But sometimes I feel like I should. Sponge baths should not lead to... fucking groping."

"Oh, hell, Leigh."

"I just need a minute."
"You need to give yourself a break."

"I'll be fine, it's not like anything that bad happened."

"I know they taught you better than that in school," Lennon said. "Patient safety also means yourself."

Everleigh looked up at her. Took a big bite of granola bar purely so she didn't have to speak.

"I know you know that what happened there was sexual harassment," Lennon said. "If not assault. Please don't pretend it's nothing."

Another bite of the granola bar. Everleigh brushed the crumbs off her thigh.

"Are you okay to file an incident report?"

Everleigh nodded. Stared blankly in front of her at nothing, really.

"I'm going to need verbal confirmation from you, tabloid bait," Lennon said. "Please."

Everleigh raised an eyebrow.

"My girl, I know you think nobody cares about you," Lennon said, "but your silly little lovesick grin has been plastered across those magazines for months. It looks good on you. I hope you lean on him after today, but know that there are counsellors for this kind of thing. Your school will have them too."

"Yes," Everleigh said. Finally looking up at Lennon. "I'll... um. I'll fill it in."

It took Everleigh an hour just to look at it. Another 30 minutes to write it out. So much for nothing too bad happening. Lennon sat with her the entire time. Made small talk. The only time she left was to reem out the supervisor for leaving Everleigh alone while she was supposed to be shadowed, especially when there was someone who he had known was going to touch people inappropriately. (Their excuse of "It happens all the time" did not go over well with Lennon.) (She ended up filing her own incident report for negligence.)

When she finally clocked out—after thirteen and a half hours—Everleigh got another hug from Lennon.

"Nurse Everleigh?" a receptionist called.

"Yes?" Everleigh asked. Lennon stayed beside her; she had already promised to walk her out to her car.

"Someone dropped some keys off for you." They held the keys over the counter, much to the dismay of the person checking in in front of them. "Said he dropped your car off."

Everleigh took them and thanked her; quickly flashing her phone to see a text from Maverick.

Went out with Roman. Dropped the car off before so you didn't have to wait for me to get there. Hope your shift went well. I love you.

Everleigh pocketed her phone. Lennon wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't talk about how much she really needed Maverick to be there and drive her home. How she didn't want to drive herself home because all she was going to be able to think about was how the ass that was touching the seat was grabbed by someone who seemed like it wasn't that big of a deal to do so. How she wasn't sure what she was going to do if Maverick did it playfully and she broke down in tears because was that all she'd worked for? A six year masters degree that took away extra hours of sleep she deserved and made her practically friendless and lost any semblance of a social life she might've had all for some disgusting old man to grab her ass?

"Promise me you'll text me when you're home. And that you'll stay with someone tonight. Whether it's your Maverick or, even, your sister, or your parents. Someone."

Everleigh nodded.

"You know the rules."

"Yes." Everleigh ran a hand up her arm. "Is it weird to feel like I'm overreacting?"

"You're not overreacting," Lennon said. "But it's not weird."

"Will this feeling blow over?"

"You know how in school we learned about language?"

"Will this feeling pass?"

Lennon opened her arms. Everleigh hugged her tightly.

"It'll pass like all things pass," Lennon said. "This one might pass a little more like cement through an intestine."

"Isn't cement poisonous?" Everleigh asked. A little muffled into Lennon's shoulder.

"It'll hurt but you won't die," Lennon said. "You've got this."

"Thank you."

"Text me whenever you need, okay?" Lennon asked, handing her a can of Coke. "This is your last semester. Focus on the practicum, and not the assholes. I'm going to go tell that supervisor he's a piece of shit again."

"Thanks." Everleigh gingerly took the drink.

"I promise," Lennon said. "There are days when this job is as rewarding as it is painful. I'm sorry you've only got the painful when we've seen each other. It's not always incident reports."

"I know."

"You're going to do amazing things," Lennon said. "Practicum isn't support to be this..."

"Chaotic?"

"Yeah."

"I understand."

"Get home safe, okay?" Lennon said. "And make sure you're taking care of yourself first. We can't sweep ourselves under the rug if we're going to take care of other people, right?"

Everleigh nodded.

Lennon gave her a look.

"Right."

"Okay," Lennon said. "I gotta go back. But I'll have my phone on me. As soon as you're home."

"Got it."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Bye, nurse."

Everleigh saluted Lennon. "Bye, nurse."

Lennon waved and walked back into the hospital.

Everleigh sighed and cracked open the can of Coke. Caffeine would be good. Keep her awake and alert as best she could be for her drive home. She took a small sip before pressing her keys and opening the door. She slid into the car, promptly bashing her knee on the steering wheel. The horn honked; her Coke spilled across her lap. Light brown on her pastel blue scrubs.

Everleigh slammed her hand on the edge of the wheel a couple times. "God fucking—"

She leaned over and grabbed the bar under her seat, sliding it backward.

A forced deep breath drew itself in before Everleigh decidedly hit her forehead against the steering wheel a couple times.

Everleigh pulled her phone from her pocket and typed quickly, where are you?

A few moments before: At our apartment. Another few moments: Are you okay? Did you get the car keys? I didn't want to interrupt you at work.

no, sorry, yeah, i did get them.

Closest bus route got him to about a ten-minute walk from the hospital. Which wasn't bad, except for the fact that it would take him about an hour to transit there in the first place.

just on my way home. wanted to know if you needed anything.

Think we're good. Should I get started on dinner?

not really hungry.

Can I call you? Are you okay?

can we talk when i'm home?

Another few too many moments passed: Okay.

And a few more.

Are WE okay?

Everleigh didn't even think about what that must've read like on his end. God damn it, she was a twat and a half. we're golden. i promise.

You're sure?

i'm sure.

*

When Everleigh got back to the flat, she silently kicked off her shoes, walked over to Maverick, who was lounging on the couch with Dewey on his stomach, promptly removed Dewey, and replaced his body with hers. Her head on Maverick's stomach and their legs tangled.

"Hello to you too," Maverick said, his arms around her shoulders like it was instinct.

Everleigh grunted. Turned her head so her nose dug into him. Contemplated suffocating herself with his t-shirt.

"How was your day?"

Everleigh turned her head. Pressed her ear to him, closed her eyes. Maverick hand gently ran through her hair. Pushed it away from her face. Burrowed into him a little more.

"That good?"

"It was shite," Everleigh said. Not opening her eyes. "What did you get up to?"

"Why was it—"

"What about you?"

"Wrote a song."

"What myth did you pick?" Everleigh was probably drooling with every word she spoke.

Dewey climbed onto the back of her legs. Oops. That meant she was stuck there for good. Sorry, Maverick. Stuck together for the rest of eternity.

The soft hair continuing to trail through her bangs didn't seem to mind either way.

"Achilles."

"Good one."

"You think?"

"Hit me with some of that acapella, babes."

Maverick chuckled. "I do have a keyboard..."

"Within arms reach?"

"No."

"Sucks to suck, Kingston."

"I've grown stronger / I'll live longer / Don't have to look / over my shoulder / You can't wound me / from you I'm free / Fuck me like Patroclus / and the patriarchy."

"Kinky."

"Everleigh."

"I like it," Everleigh said. "Is that it?"

Maverick's voice was soft as he sung. "You could stab me in the back / but I wouldn't bleed / Shatter a dagger on my skin / You can't harm me / Anymore / You're not my Achilles' heel, anymore."

"It's cute you think that's not about Rhylan."

"I didn't say it wasn't about her."

Everleigh opened her eyes and looked up from Maverick. "Are you okay with that?"

"I wrote two albums trying to piece together my life with her and how to navigate whatever we were at any given him," Maverick said, looking down at her. "I'm okay with writing one song about being without her. Prove she's not my weakness."

Everleigh smiled softly. "Song sounds amazing."

"I wrote one about Icarus too. Started one on Daphne."

"Let's hear it."

Everleigh would, at some point, tell Maverick what happened at work that day. Say that she had been harassed and that maybe the next time he wanted to slap her ass, he needed to not because she was still not feeling great about the idea of it. But if he kept smiling like he was, she was planning on staying there for the rest of the night. Even in her sticky scrubs.

"I was wax in your hands / sculpted not to withstand / The surface of the sun / unraveled me 'til I was undone / Told me to stay away from the fire / Icarus was unconcerned / You filthy fuckin' liar / this bitch doesn't burn." Maverick smiled while he sang, which Everleigh found out was one of the greatest things in the known universe.

"You're having the time of your life, aren't you?"

"I know that Keira could've picked MARS to do this soundtrack. They're a band, three of them are women," Maverick said. "But she offered this to me. I don't want to let her down."

"I don't think anything you do could let her down."

"What happened at work?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you wanted to talk when you got here."

"I'm over it."

"What happened?"

Everleigh moved herself so she was laid sideways instead of stomach-down. She didn't have to face him that way. "Nothing. Clients are stupid."

"Any details on why they're stupid?"

"Men are rats."

"God," Maverick said. "I hate men."

"You are a man," Everleigh said.

"You're not proving anything," Maverick said. "Sometimes I hate me too."

"King—"

Maverick tapped the small of her back, borderline top of her ass. "Come on, up now. You had a long day. You need some food."