𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 [a rini au]

- FIFTY!

ricky felt his doorknob was stiff as he stuck his apartment key inside, twisting it until the stuffy air of his kitchen filtered into the hallway. it had been months since ricky had a night's sleep in his apartment, given his makeshift role as a BITTERSWEET world tour groupie for nini's international leg. luckily for him, ben mazzara was able to secure some brand deals and interviews overseas so the boy could keep supporting nini in person. while ben had trouble figuring out what exactly nini and ricky were to one another now, he trusted enough in his client that he would make the right decisions; ricky didn't let him down.

the singer was happy to finally be back in los angeles in part because of his home's familiarity but part the fact that this meant only a few more months until he and nini were back in the same place, permanently for now, and on the best terms they'd been in a long time. the thought was thrilling to ricky, and it's also what motivated him to head straight to his bedroom upon his arrival home and tear apart his walk-in closet.

he knew exactly where it was, even after all this time. buried under a pile of unfolded, raggedy sweatshirts was the cardboard box ricky searched for. he snatched it eagerly, tossing its lid onto his bed as his hand dived right where it needed to. his fingers gently tangled around the old chain, feeling cold and reminiscent on his skin. putting the box down, ricky took the gifted star necklace and latched it around his neck, the charm falling atop his t-shirt like it never left. as a smile twitched on his lips, a knock from ricky's front door disrupted his thoughts.

ricky's grin only grew wider, though, at the thought that perhaps nini was awaiting him. he knew her flight was getting in later than his, but she informed him that she was in an uber back from lax. with this expectation in his mind, ricky scurried down the stairs and ventured to his front door, pulling it open with his face beaming and hea–

"hey."

the quickened beats of ricky's heart cranked to a stop. "sorry for showing up unannounced," devon laurier stuffed his hands nervously into his jean pockets.

the curly-haired singer crinkled his brow, jaw tightening reflexively as it used to when he was faced with this boy that pulled nini from him. "what are you doing here?" was all ricky managed to say.

devon swallowed hard, ricky easily reading the anxiety on his face. "look, ricky, i...," devon freed his hands from the denim and began to use them to speak. "i don't want to fight you anymore. i don't want to be 'enemies' and i don't want to be your 'nemesis' or whatever. i don't want to harbor this weird distaste for one another, especially given your relationship with nini now."

ricky wanted to refute what devon said; rebuttal was his natural reaction for whenever the influencer spoke. but he couldn't, because for once, he was in slight agreement with the brunette. devon continued as ricky stomached the foreign feeling. "i don't know who i was trying to kid, because it didn't matter how much i love nini, a piece of her heart would always belong to you. i will always care for her, and i realized that in doing so, i need to make peace with you. i respect you, ricky, as both an artist and a person. i wish that in some universe we can be friends, but i understand if you want to go on in comfortable silence. i just wanted you to know that i'm letting go of the resentment. i'm not even sure if you care, but i wanted you to know."

it was ricky's turn to push down the lump in his throat. he wanted to think of himself. he wanted to think of the way his heart erupted into a million pieces when he caught devon and nini together that one fateful night. he wanted to continue holding some type of grudge because as long as he did, he would confirm that at least something he's felt in the past year was valid and real. but, what overpowered that selfishness was the boy's adoration for nini. ricky remembered her wish in abbey road studios, to finally move on and put the past behind them. maybe that rule extended beyond just the two of them.