Both of them were fully clothed, Nate seated in the living room, feeling his brain suddenly sobered up as his heart beat seemed to slam into his chest with every single tap of Dante's foot. As for Eric, he didn't seem frightened at all, rather bored as he leaned beside the living room window. All he wanted to do at that point was sleep, but with a ferocious lion breathing terribly loud and heavy as if he had been murdered and brought back to life.
The silence stayed, heavy with tension, for a long while, almost half an hour. It was mostly because Nate and Eric were too tired to speak, and Dante was too shock to even utter a word. He had been searching for Nate all night, looking downtown at bars and roaming across the city, until he found out from his aunt that there was a high school party. Understanding that Nate was still young and deserved his moments of fun, he let him have his fun instead of storming inside that place.
But he never expected Nate to bring back a guy to his apartment and sleep with him, not after all that had happened between them. Dante needed a second to breathe; maybe he was overreacting, him and Nate were never dating and there was no way they would consider themselves in the talking stage. Regardless, Nate had admitted that there was at least something between them and that was what was bothering Dante the most.
He was never the one to be played, and realizing that Nate had toyed with his emotions for his own amusement was causing a fury to broil in the pits of his stomach. Nate and Eric both heard a metallic clank and when they looked upwards, they saw the blank stare on Dante's face as he nonchalantly lifted his pistol towards Nate.
"What the—" Eric started but was interrupted.
"That's not happening." They heard a disembodied voice mumble within the room, and before Dante could even take aim, a hand had been pressed on his arm to shove it down. "You're not going to kill every single person that hurts you Dante—you can talk to him."
Raphael ripped the pistol from Dante's grasp, glaring at him and wasn't surprised when all Dante did was glare back with his jaw stiffened. "I can kill him with my bare hands."
"Not while I'm here." He shoved Dante forward, watching him stumble towards the living room. "Talk," he hissed, walking towards the kitchen to sit down, "like a normal human being."
Dante's brow furrowed even deeper when he met the gaze of Nate who hadn't even moved from the couch, as if death didn't mean anything to him. The moment he finally saw his eyes, how droopy and red they were, he couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief, shaking his head and pointing to him. "You're drunk."
"Well yes." The sass in Nate's tone immediately made Dante's nerves explode, and he glanced towards Raphael who waved his hand, motioning for him to converse instead of thinking of shooting him. "I went to a party, of course I'd end up drunk."
"I didn't know you'd end up sleeping with a random dude in your apartment."
"Random?" Eric furrowed his brows, folding his arms across his chest. There was no way he would let Nate run around calling him a stranger. "He almost did but I stopped him; I'm his boyfriend."
"Ex-boyfriend." Nate grumbled, his fingers caressing his hair as he needed a moment to settle his thoughts.
"I'm in no way random," Eric corrected.
Dante's eyes lifted so wide, bulging from their sockets as he examined Eric. Blond curls, dark navy eyes, same height and a bit leaner than he was. Eric's face was much more rounded and appeared happier, friendlier, all attributes Dante did not have. Even his voice had been higher than his, and that made a sudden realization cross Dante's mind.
Dante was not Nate's type.
They were the complete opposite. Dante was of tanner skin while Eric was as pale as a ghost. Dante's black hair and sharp eyes were a direct contrast to Eric's, and even his sleek jawline was much different than his. And it angered him that the whole time he was losing it over realizing his feelings for Nate were growing, all Nate was considering was having a good time and that was it.
"I need my gun, Raphael."
"No." Raphael was heard from the kitchen.
Eric threw his hands in the air, unsure why the mention of a pistol kept returning. "I honestly don't even know what's going on but I don't want to die over this."
"You just might," Dante snarled.
"Eric," Nate spoke, deciding that the only way to calm the situation without anyone getting hurt was to separate them. "Can you leave? I would've let you stayed the night but I need to talk to him."
"Oh, so you were going to let him stay?" Dante spat, stepping towards them menacingly. "No, don't let me change your plans, Nathan," he said sarcastically, folding his arms. "I was just on my way out anyways."
"Why wouldn't he?" Eric challenged him, his shoulders broadening. He was never one to argue, but the combination of alcohol and dominating presence of Dante was making him feel weak, and he didn't like it. "Who are you anyway?"
"I swear if you even address me one more time, I'm ripping your heart out with just my nails."
"Relax Dante—"
"Don't tell me to relax, Nathan." His attention finally shifted to the person who had hurt him. When Nate saw the vulnerable agony through his gaze, he instantly pushed himself to his feet. That was when he noticed that Dante's fingers were shaking at each of his sides. "You've been playing me this whole time and I was dumb enough to believe you."
"I haven't played you."
"Then what do you call having sex with your ex-boyfriend all of a sudden?"
"A night of fun." Eric snorted.
"I swear if he talks again, I'm going to—"
"Yeah, I'll remove him." They heard footsteps approach the living room and in an instant, Raphael was in front of Eric with his shoulders broadened. "I'll take him home."
"Don't touch me—" Before he could even finish his sentence, Raphael had slammed two fingers at the side of his neck, cutting his airway for a split second and causing Eric to faint instantly.
When his body dropped to the floor, Raphael picked it up as if it weighed a feather, and threw the unconscious Eric over his shoulder. Then, he glanced at Dante and Nate who were both staring at him as if they had seen a ghost. He waved for them to continue their conversation and shrugged his shoulders. "Continue your talk, I'll bring him home and come back."
Nate frowned. "Do you know where he lives?"
"I know where everyone lives," he winked.