Remnants of a Group Chat [Valdangelo]

part five

"Leo?"
 
"What's up, baby? Are you okay?"
 
"Ethan just kissed me, he...he was drunk and said some sappy shit and I thought everything was gonna be okay but then he fucking kissed me and oh my god, what do I do? He's my best friend, Leo, what if I lose him because I don't feel the same? I'm-"
 
"Hey, babe, listen," Leo said softly, and just his voice soothed Nico. "He probably only did it because he's drunk, okay? And he's probably really stressed with everything going on with Chris, I'm sure it's nothing."
 
"But what if-"
 
"Everything is gonna be okay. Breathe, Neeks."
 
Nick inhaled deeply and let it out, then repeated this a few times until he felt just a little more calm.
 
"Thank you for telling me, though," Leo murmured. "You should get some rest. Sleep on this, and maybe Ethan will apologize in the morning, or something."
 
  "Yeah...yeah, okay," Nico defeatedly whispered, his heart aching at the thought that maybe Leo didn't want to talk to him. After all, they only talked for an hour on the phone at least every night - sometimes not even that  and only texted occasionally. He wanted to listen to Leo's voice, to hear the way he breathed, just for a little longer. "Goodnight, Leo."
 
  "I love you," Leo cutely said into the phone.
 
  "Love you too."
 
  "Sleep well, babe."
 
  Then Leo's voice was gone and Nico was gripping the phone just a little too tightly. He sighed and set it down on his bed, curling up into a ball and burying his face into his knees. He wished he had drank more alcohol - that way he could be a little more numb to what he was feeling. God, he missed Leo so desperately, it was unreal. He just wished, that just for a split second, Leo could pretend he wanted to talk for a little longer.
 
No, Leo didn't want to hang up. He did it so Nico could rest. Leo still loved him, Leo still wanted him.
 
If Nico wanted to feel better in a healthy way, he would've called Leo again and asked to talk just a little while longer. But, against his better judgement, he took Ethan's phone and called up Connor Stoll to ask about his array of drugs.

———

"You surprise me everyday, di Angelo," Connor murmured as he lit a blunt in his car, quickly taking a drag and passing it to Nico, who inhaled deeply. Not a stranger to the drug, (this one, at least) it barely left a tickle in Nico's throat, and he inhaled one more time and passed it to Connor. "What's next?"
 
  "Whatever you've got," Nico muttered, waiting for the drug to enter his bloodstream and make him feel just a little bit better.
 
  "Hm, or we can go to that 24-hour Chinese place. I'm really craving some Chinese."
 
  "I second that," a voice said from the backseat, causing Nico to jump. "By the way, hello Nico, it's been a while."
 
  Nico's gaze immediately snapped to the voice in the backseat, noticing a pair of sky blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and a dash of freckles across his cheeks to match.
 
  "Holy shit," Nico whispered.
 
  "That's what I said," Connor contributed. "Imagine what I felt when I realized Will fucking Solace had broken into my car and waited for me to get off of work last night."
 
  "Dude, you fucking dick!" Nico exclaimed. "You left without so much as a goodbye and now you wanna waltz back into my life?!"
 
  "I can explain," Will said softly. "When you came out to me and I came out to you, and when Luke overhead and threatened to tell the whole school, it just...all got to be too much for me. My dad demanded that I up and left, so that every single trace of what happened could be completely erased. I'm really sorry, Nico. If I could've said goodbye, I would have."
 
  "Holy shit," Nico whispered for the second time that night. "What brings you back?"
 
  "Funny story," Connor commented.
 
  "Earlier this summer, I came back and tried to find you. Unfortunately, no one really knew who you were or how I could find you. Anyway, at a party, I met this kid named Travis. And he didn't know you, but I thought he was pretty cute, so I started hitting on him. And he was all like, 'Dude, thanks, but I'm strictly into girls, but my brother looks just like me and is into dudes,' so he introduced me to Connor and we hooked up," Will explained.
 
  "And we haven't stopped hooking up since," Connor finished, leaving Nico stunned and speechless. Connor took another drag and passed the blunt back to Will, who gratefully took it.
 
  "I'm at a loss for words," Nico admitted.
 
  "It's a crazy story," Will sympathized, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder. "But I'm glad I finally found you!"
 
  "This has been such a wild night," Nico dwelled, thinking back to the party, then Ethan kissing him, then finding out Will fucking Solace was back and gayer than ever. And banging a pothead.
 
  "So, how about Chinese?" Connor asked, noticing Nico's little pout. "And then we'll get our hands on some better drugs, deal?"
 
  "Deal," Nico agreed, finding himself a little too giddy at the idea.

(A/N: Why is this so short I wanna die.)