“Vital Signs are incredibly important in regards to treating a patient,” she explained, pointing to the photo that was being projected behind her. “Chances are that if you go into any type of nursing, you will have to look at vital signs. That is why the sooner you can become comfortable with checking these, the better.”

Mark nodded, pen moving quickly over his notebook as he took notes. Mason took a fleeting glance over at Mark but wasn’t able to really take in the sight before he got back to his own notes. 

“Now, I am going to go over the main vital signs and go into detail with the ones we are going to be practicing today.” Mrs. Adams warned, clicking to the next slide in her presentation. “If I were you, I would take some notes so you don’t forget when you have to do it on your partner.”

The hardy chuckle she let out was hesitantly returned, most of the people in front of her genuinely worried about their partner or themselves.

Mason and Mark shared a look, but the bright smile Mark sent Mason’s way seemed to ease any nerves Mason had before they even started.

Today, the students were learning about vital signs. While some were nervous, it was easy to feel the general excitement in the room. Vital signs as Lorraine had said before, were very important to medical professionals.

Not only that, but these could be practiced outside of class and perfected before any of them went into school. Mason was especially excited to practice some of the techniques on his friends once they hung out again.

Lorraine went through her presentation, focusing the most on Blood Pressure and Temperature. Mark quickly realized that he and Mason would be practicing those two today and got a little nervous.

He had heard from others who had tried taking Blood Pressure before how challenging mastering the sphygmomanometer and stethoscope could be. Mark looked over at Mason again, smiling when he saw how excited and interested Mason seemed to be. 

It can’t be that bad. Mark thought optimistically, a soft smile on his face as he went back to his notes. The presentation went on for a while, and many began to lose steam. Gabe, one who was very disinterested in becoming a nurse anyway, had begun sleeping within 15 minutes.

Left and right some began to fall into a daze or fall asleep. Mason did not notice any of it while Mark chuckled under his breath at the sight. 

Lorraine looked down at the crowd again noticing how many of them were asleep and sighed with a warm smile before she finished up her presentation.

She stepped down from the stage and gestured for the few employees who had been sitting at tables at the front to start handing out the supplies in front of them.

“I guess we should just hop straight into the practice since so many of you decided to nap over the details.” The laughs that came from Lorraine and those who had stayed awake woke every person who had been napping in the room.

One of Lorraine’s employee’s heads shot up at the sound and the girl quickly stood up and began passing around the small packages in front of her.

Mark and Mason sat up straighter, excited to start the practice. Mason was especially excited to have another excuse to touch Mark. As a guy who has held an unrequited crush for so long, opportunities for skin to skin contact were always coveted, so he was pumped for this.

Pining after Mark for so long, while always believing that he could never have him was a confusing experience.  His mind and heart worked together to hurt him just as easily as they worked against each other to confuse him. Mason was constantly caught between being realistic and trying to give his heart to someone who would give him theirs or to end the cycle and try to move past friendship with Mark.

No matter what he chose for the moment, he always found himself falling back into his old habits and never changing anything. And that happened when he spoke to Mark alone again after so long, the feeling of comfort, home, and love making him never want to change what they had. Or, when Mark would touch him in any way possible. The tingles and rush of excitement would take Mason back to when he first realized he liked him, and Mason would lose his resolve to move on or move forward.

Mason was pulled from his thoughts when the two were handed a few different devices that were used to take temperature, and a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. 

Seeing the devices in person —some being cheaper versions than what they might use in the field— had Mark a bit nervous all over again. He saw few ways for him to hurt or injure Mason, but he still feared that messing up would suddenly have some dire consequences. 

Mason was just a bundle of excitement and itched to hear the instructions so he could get his hands on the stuff in front of them.

“Alright, we are going to start with the small strip of material with the numerated squares on it.” Lorraine announced, watching as those in the crowd in front of her began to pull out the two pieces. “This is one of the simplest ways of getting someone’s temperature out there. It is pretty accurate but most nurses use a more technologically advanced version. One: for the accuracy and two: so they are taken more seriously.”

Lorraine grinned when the students laughed in front of her.

“If you are in a pinch and need someone’s temperature, these aren’t bad.” Lorraine added before she quickly explained how to use the small and simple items. “You can just stick it on your forehead, hopefully not having enough oil or makeup on there that it slips off, and wait for about 60 seconds. Wherever the blue shows up is what your temperature is.” 

This continued on for about half an hour. Lorraine would explain one method for temperature and Mason and Mark would follow along. The two both thought that they would have been the most diligent students, solely focused on their tasks and getting the most accurate temperature possible each and every time. 

But, within minutes the two were joking around as they worked, laughing about how silly the other looked or about whatever nonsense they happened to see around before they met that day.

The two received several nasty looks from others who heard them joking and fooling around. Even Lorraine noticed as she walked around the room, but she never put a stop to it as she saw how many readings they had written down. They were doing their work, so she had no issue. At some point, Mason noticed a particular girl who kept looking over at the two with her nose pointed up and her top lip curled.

Mason’s eyes narrowed, insulted by her disgusted look, and Mark looked between Mason and the girl, noticing their interaction.

“I don’t know why she’s laughing. She was sleeping like half an hour ago.” Mark commented lowly, grinning when Mason chuckled quietly in response. “She probably doesn’t know whether we’re doing temperature or pulse.”

Mason began to laugh louder while shaking his head.

“That was weak, man.” He sighed, despite still laughing at the bad joke. Mark shrugged, smiling without much remorse. 

“It got you laughing, didn’t it?” Mark replied cheekily. Mason wanted to come back with another response, but he didn’t have one. So, he turned his attention back to joking about the girl and getting Mark’s temperature with the temporal thermometer.

“I was just laughing imagining her wrinkled lip sleeping.” Mason told Mark, laughing along when Mark let out a sudden surprised bark of a laugh. 

“Oh my god.” Mark gasped out, hand moving to rest on Mason’s knee. “I can actually see that.”

Mason quickly got Mark’s temperature, noting the number, before he placed the tools down. When he turned back around, Mark was laying back in his chair as if he were asleep, but his nose was pointed up and his top lip was curled ridiculously. 

Mason had to cover his mouth to make sure that his laughter didn’t get too loud.

“Oh my goodness, stop.” Mason gasped out, his laughter now sounding like air because Mark was pretending to snore with that disgusting expression on his face. Mark sat up, laughing behind his hand.

His laughter seemed to die down on its own, replaced by a smile as his eyes looked intently at the light and happy expression on Mason’s face. It was near breathtaking to watch, and he had to regularly remember to breathe.

It was odd for Mark, because moments like this have happened to him before, but they were always around Mason. Mark would think that things were normal when suddenly his whole world was focused on Mason for several minutes before he came back to himself again. It had started in middle school, but Mark knew that Mason was his best friend and nothing could change that.

Why then was he finding it hard to breathe because all he could see was the bright smile on Mason’s face? Why did his chest get tight and his palms feel clammy just because Mason’s big brown eyes found him in a room? And why did he get tunnel vision every time that sweet pink blush popped onto Mason’s cheeks?

Mason was a special friend to Mark. And until he figured out why, he would make sure the boy was always smiling when around him.