Lunchtime was pretty casual, as always.
Jason and Piper were attached at the hip, cuddled nicely together as they enjoyed their lunch. Leo and Nico were engaged in a game of Pokemon cards. Nico had started eating lunch with them, as opposed to eating in his car.
Nico mostly just talked to Leo while Jason and Piper ate together, which was fine. They would usually spend their time discussing the upcoming Pokemon movie or arguing about the logistics of dumb things (like whether blind people could see in dreams or if deaf people could hear their own thoughts). Sometimes, Nico would help Leo with his school work or vice versa.
It was a good set-up. Piper and Jason were both worried about Leo feeling as though he was falling by the wayside, but it seemed to be remedied by Nico's presence. Of course, the three of them were still thick as thieves and they all still hung out as a group and included Leo and sometimes Nico in their activities.
"Cannot wait until winter break," Piper muttered.
"Why?" Jason inquired, picking at the edge of his sandwich.
Piper opened his mouth to respond, but she was caught off-guard by the opening of the side doors. She hoped it wasn't a teacher, coming to chew them out for eating in the halls or being too loud.
Of course, of all the people to walk through that door, it was Drew Tanaka. Piper assumed that like the last few interactions they'd had together, it was probably going to involve Drew shoving her way into Jason's arms. Gross. "Drew, fuck off. Nobody wants to speak with you." Piper wanted to shut her down as fast as possible and get back to her conversation.
"Well, aren't we spicy today," Drew tutted, manicured hand on one hip. She didn't make any move to leave, instead rooting herself in place.
Piper sighed dramatically. "I'm serious, Drew."
"Think we should step in?" Leo asked Nico from the sidelines. Nico gave a deadpan stare.
"What do you think is going to be my response?" His gaze was almost intimidating, if it weren't for the Pokemon cards in his hands.
"So quick to assume, are we, McLean?" Drew asked, voice sugary sweet. Her inflections were smooth and clear, giving a slightly grating but overall pleasant effect to her voice.
"You have a shit track record," Piper retorted. "So get away from my friends, and my boyfriend, and we won't have a problem." She folded her arms and glared at Drew.
Apparently, she found this funny, evident by her bouncy giggles. "Wow! Okay, I'm not here for them." She flicked her wrist at Nico, Leo, and Jason disgustedly. "I want to talk to you."
Piper didn't anticipate Drew's response. "Umm…"
"Cool." Drew grabbed Piper's wrist, her sharp nails digging into Piper's skin.
"Could you not manhandle me?" Piper complained, trying to pry away at Drew's grip unsuccessfully.
"Maybe if you would just follow me normally," Drew scoffed. She released Piper's hand once they got to the girl's restroom.
"Why here? What, you gonna give me a swirly?"
Drew looked insulted at the very idea. "How unbecoming that would be. No. I'm serious, I just want to talk, Pipey." Piper winced at the stupid nickname.
"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
Drew took a deep breath. "Okay, I can not believe I'm saying this, but I'm sorry."
Piper did a double-take. She nearly keeled over by Drew's words. A part of her wondered if she was being pranked, like an over-the-top TV host was going to pop out of one of the bathroom stalls or the trash can and yell "you've been punked!"
"Oh, for real?"
"Yes, for real," Drew said, emphasizing Piper's mannerisms in a mocking manner. "It was not cool for me to try to butt into what you and Jason had going on. It's just-"
"It's just what, Drew?" Piper interrupted. "You were just bored, so you decided to fuck up my life even more?"
Drew growled. "Would you let me speak for once? I'm jealous of you. There, I fucking said it. I am jealous of you."
"I am lost," Piper admitted, kicking a wadded-up bit of paper. "Why would you be jealous of me?"
"Because you left the hivemind of popularity. You rejected all that to unapologetically be yourself," Drew explained, leaning on the sink uncomfortably. "I can't just abandon the life I have like you can."
"Why not?" Piper challenged. When she distanced herself from the popular crowd, she was only shunned for about a month before she found Leo, and by extension, Jason. "What's stopping you?"
Drew shook her head. "It's not that easy, Piper. I've already built myself a reputation. I'm not even close enough to any of the other popular folks, I'd be starting from the bottom as a junior."
"It's just high school, Drew," Piper said. "It's not that big of a deal. Do what you want to do, I'm sure it'll be more enjoyable with friends."
"I'm not that strong, Piper," Drew sighed. "You'll understand someday."
"This seems really fucking dramatic for this scenario, but okay," Piper laughed, sticking her hands into her pockets.
"Dramatic is my brand." Drew adjusted her posture. "It's more than just popularity, honestly. I felt like I was designed to be this mean girl stereotype, like school me and the real me were supposed to be separate, but the line blurred more and more until- until it just wasn't there anymore."
Piper didn't know what to say. "She's still in there, though. The real you."
"Buried deep."
"You can still uncover it," Piper insisted. "I mean, personally, I really like fashion. And the color pink," she admitted. "But like, if I show it, it'll make me look weak. So I just don't express it. I know it's kind of a stupid thing, but still."
"Who the fuck cares if you like fashion?" Drew said, flabbergasted. " It's not weak. Wear what you want. Like what you like. Who cares about society's view on it? Fuck them."
Piper laughed nervously. "T-thanks, Drew. I think…"
"You're welcome," Drew replied with newfound confidence. "It doesn't matter if some girls like fashion or beauty or whatever. It doesn't define your worth as a person."
"That's actually - oh man." Piper paused. She really didn't think Drew actually had a brain of her own- why? Because she liked stereotypically feminine things? Piper realized just then how stupid it was of her to judge a person off of their interests. "Wow. That's smart. I'm sorry I judged you for such stupid things…"
Drew gave a red-lipped smirk. "It's fine!" She crushed Piper in a hug, her perfume smell tickling her nose hairs. "Now that we have that out of the way, how is Jason? C'mon, I think you could use some girl talk- doubt Leo's very good at that," she snorted- an inelegant sound compared to her usual high-pitched giggle.
Piper realized in that moment that Drew was just another teenage girl, just like her. She wasn't such a bad person after all.
…
"Your turn," Nico said. Leo hummed, applying an energy card to his Squirtle Pokemon card. They both carried a strange concentration on the game at hand.
"I see," Nico mumurred. He put a Raichu card over his Pikachu and smirked. "Well, I evolved my Pikachu."
"Goddamnit!" Leo yelled. Jason did not understand the game- did Nico's placing of one weird animal card on top of another weird animal card really elicit such a reaction?
"So, Pokemon, huh?" Jason said awkwardly, finding himself in a strange position. With Piper gone, Jason was sort of on the side-lines of Nico and Leo's dynamic. They seemed to be engaged in a dramatic Pokemon card game, and it left Jason feeling almost like a third wheel, like he was intruding on something.
"Huh?" Leo's eyes flickered off his cards, like he forgot Jason was even there. "Oh yeah, dude. We're neck-and-neck. Whoever wins gets the pile." He gestured to a pile that held two breath mints and a half-used pen.
Jason arched an eyebrow. "I see…"
"Nico's a beast, I just learned the other day," Leo explained.
Nico rolled his eyes. "It's your turn, dumbass. Play a card." Nico never really paid much mind to Jason or Piper - they'd have occasional conversations at most.
"Fine! Pressure me," Leo grumbled. "I use bubble." He flipped a coin, which made Nico groan.
"Really? Now I'm paralyzed." Jason was confused as hell, but he was glad Leo had someone else to talk to and play Pokemon with. He knew if Nico wasn't there, Leo would coerce him into playing a round of Pokemon and Jason would end up with a headache.
A part of him was also happy Nico had a friend - the kid was always so sad looking. Jason gave a smile, like he was a proud dad. He was happy for both of them.
...
"Are you still on about the Callie thing?" Nico asked. The Blockbuster was empty, as it was ten minutes before closing on a Thursday night, so he took it upon himself to break the strange silence that had fallen between them. Leo had been silently stewing for the past week, and it was hard to ignore.
"You've already asked this, Nico," Leo grumbled, resting his chin on the counter. Nico rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I have, and you keep deflecting with stupid jokes." Nico sighed, watching Leo sulk from the other counter. "I know you just do that when you don't want to face your problems. So answer me: are you still on about the Callie thing?" he repeated.
"Do I haaavvve to answer you?" he whined like a small child.
"No, but if you want me to stop asking, yes," Nico replied. He opened a package of sour candy and tossed it over to Leo, who caught it easily. "Look, man, it's been nearly a week since the party. You're going to have to face the music someday. You can start by telling me what's wrong."
Leo sat up, shoving his hand into the bag and stuffing a handful of sour candy into his mouth. He swallowed and began to speak. "So, you already know she's pissed at me. Drunk me is a fucking snitch, apparently."
Nico snorted. "You don't say." Leo was a total fucking lightweight.
"Shut up! Anyway, I tried to call her, but she wouldn't pick up the phone," Leo recalled. "Which sucks, 'cause like, she was gonna be my junior prom date and my girlfriend. She can't just act like that."
"Seems a little conceited, but go on," Nico encouraged. He checked his watch. Closing time. "Oh, we have to pack up."
Leo grunted and continued his story as they went around the store, picking up fallen VHS's and restocking some of the shelves. "I went to the Burger King with Pipes and Jason, and guess what!" Nico opened his mouth to guess but Leo kept talking. "Some guy told me she quit! Was it because of me?" he wondered.
"Maybe it was just a coincidence," he shrugged, now knowing why he and Leo hadn't been to that particular Burger King in a while.
Leo shook his head vehemently. "No, because she knows me and you go there for Pokemon Burger King Toys and she didn't want to have'ta see us- well, me," he corrected quickly. "Doubt she's mad at you."
"I should hope not."
They finalized the closing process, doing their typical half-assed cleaning job. Nico locked up the doors with a set of keys. "Okay, so how are you going to win her back?" he asked.
"That's the fucking thing, Nico. I don't know!" He threw up his arms. Nico slumped into his car.
"Cool. Now get in the car, asshole, before I drive off." Leo hopped into the passenger seat and shut the door more forcefully than he needed to.
"So, she dropped out of school, so I don't know where she is, and she quit her job, so I can't just go to Burger King," Leo ranted, moving his hands anxiously as Nico backed out of the lot and bit back the urge to make fun of Leo's overuse of the word 'so'. "Nico, can you please help me with this? Come home with me."
"Whoa, hold on," Nico chimed in, redirecting his attention to their conversation. "Do what now?"
"You heard me," Leo scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "You told me to ask her out, so you are going to stay up with me as long as it takes to come up with a solution."
"Excuse me?" Nico said. "I just encouraged you to do it. I'm not responsible here."
Leo clenched a fist. "Please! I'll take your Tuesday shift, I know you hate that one," Leo reasoned. "If I do this alone, I'll get too anxious. Please?" he reiterated.
Nico sighed. "Fine." Leo cheered.
"All right!"
"But you need to take the Tuesday after that as well." Nico fiddled with his belt loops as he drove, mentally preparing himself for the night ahead.
"You got a deal."
…
Leo lived in a shitty little apartment in the bad side of town. Nico didn't demonize him for it, but it was definitely something he noticed when he would drop off Leo after work. It was even more emphasized by the silent game of 'kick the used needle' Nico and Leo had begun to play on the way up to his apartment.
Nico had noticed a look in Leo's eyes as they climbed up the stairs. They held a little bit of anxiety. His grin didn't work on Nico anymore, he could read Leo's emotions beyond his mask. He didn't feel it was right to question Leo, anyway.
"Here it is!" Leo announced, doing jazz hands and opening up his apartment door. "Casa de Leo!" Nico entered after Leo.
The apartment itself was definitely small- there was a little living room, a kitchenette, and a door that likely led to a bedroom. The furniture was mismatched and looked to be constructed out of other things. Despite the shabby interior, Leo had obviously tried to spice it up. There might have been pictures taped to the wall and crayon drawings from Leo's childhood pinned on the fridge, but it didn't hide the imperfections. The dents in the wall. The stains on the carpet.
The house was definitely clean, but it still didn't look fantastic by any stretch. "Okay, I know it's not great..." Leo admitted, slumping into the couch.
"That's fine," Nico said neutrally, dropping his bag on the floor and sitting next to Leo. "Are any of your parents home or…" he dropped his sentence after seeing the look on Leo's face. "Are you okay?"
Leo snapped upright. "I- yes." He rubbed his temple. "God, I just don't like having people around. I don't even know why I invited you over."
"You don't have to tell me every facet of yourself, Leo," Nico said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't great with physical contact unless he initiated it.
Leo smiled and nodded evenly, eager to change the subject. "Do you like enchiladas?"
…
When Nico di Angelo got a part-time job at Blockbuster, he didn't expect it to lead to him helping his coworker/friend (whom he used to hate) make enchiladas at eleven P.M. in his apartment while they brainstormed ways to get back said coworker's sort-of girlfriend.
But he was kinda glad it did.
"Yep, chop them up!" Leo hyped him up as he chopped onions. Leo was doing most of the work- toasting the flour and cooking the ground beef effortlessly while Nico struggled to chop onions. Tears flooded his eyes as he hacked away at the onions.
"I'm so bad at this, sorry," Nico mumbled.
"Oh, not really," Leo dismissed, removing the beef from the skillet.
"Easy for you to say," Nico complained, finishing up the onions and moving onto the tomatoes. "You're a natural."
Leo scoffed. "Please. My mom taught me most of this…" he said nostalgically. "You just need to practice. Position your hands like this-" Leo guided Nico's hands gently. "For this cut, don't saw on the fruit. Just press."
Leo helped him for the first few slices before taking his hands off of Nico's awkwardly. He hadn't even thought about it when he touched Nico - Nico was his friend, and if it were Jason or Piper he wouldn't have dwelled on it this much. But he never had any recollection of being in such close proximity to Nico before.
"I didn't get the chance to learn any of this myself," Nico admitted, chopping the tomatoes as Leo moved onto grating the garlic.
"Your mom wasn't big on cooking?" Leo ventured, putting aside the garlic for later.
Nico frowned. "No. She was a great cook. Made the best pasta. But only my sister remembered her recipes. I was too young to ever learn."
Leo bit his lip. "Oh. So I presume…"
"Yeah." Nico ceased his chopping for a second. "She died when I was ten. Me and my sister ended up moving here to live with my dad."
Nico waited. He waited to hear Leo make a stupid joke- or worse, give an empty 'I'm sorry.'
Instead, Leo smiled weakly. "I was eight when mine died." He let out a heavy sigh, and in the moment, Leo looked small. "It's hard sometimes, isn't it?"
They found a weird bit of solidarity in the fact. "I really...I really fucking miss her, Leo," Nico said, setting the knife down and looking at his shoes.
"Things hurt a lot less, but there's still those moments, I get you." Leo tapped out a pattern on Nico's shoulder absentmindedly. Nico stiffened.
"Morse code?"
"You know morse code?" There was a hint of panic in Leo's eyes for a second.
"No," Nico said honestly. "I just recognized what you were doing."
Leo softened. "My mom used to do that a lot." His shoulders dropped and he began to press the limes into a chipped glass lemon squeezer, something efficient to give his hands something to do. "Morse code. She knew I wasn't the best with people or conveying my thoughts in the most concrete way, so a lot of the time we relied on morse code."
Nico nodded slowly, holding onto Leo's words. Leo was at the most vulnerable point Nico had ever seen him at. Before, he would at least cling to his mask, his cheerful, humorous persona, as a safety blanket to avoid uncomfortable situations. But now, his mask was discarded, cast aside, and he was sharing another side of himself.
"She learned it from her grandpa, and we picked it up as a silent way to communicate when we were distant. I only learned simple phrases."
You okay?
I love you.
I'm sorry.
"When she - when she died -" Leo pressed the lime into the lemon squeezer harder and harder, lime guts spilling over the sides of the dish. "I kept it up, as a stupid little habit. Makes me think of her, like she's still here and I'm talking to her."
Nico swallowed heavily. "She sounds like a great woman. I'm sorry she's gone." Nico said it genuinely, empathizing with Leo's loss and feeling closer to him in the process.
Awkwardly, Nico pulled Leo's hands off the lime - he was beginning to shred through the peel of the lime and was dangerously close to rubbing his palm onto the lemon squeezer itself - and enveloped him into a hug.
Leo returned it, appreciating Nico's rare show of affection. Their first hug, Leo thought needlessly. It was a little bit awkward, with their differing height and Nico's stiffness, but it was comforting nonetheless. "Thank you."
They broke away and began a stilted transition back to focusing on food preparations. Leo's enchilada recipe was a complicated one, but it was a nice distraction to them as they worked in a warm silence. "My sister went only a year after my mom did," Nico said suddenly. He had been washing the dishes, lost in thought as Leo handled the skillet-work.
"You really wanna one-up me on this whole 'tragic backstory' thing, huh?" Leo blurted out.
Surprisingly, Nico just let out a bark of laughter. "No. No…" He shook his head. "But I figured…" he gestured wildly. "We might as well get all this over with in one session."
Leo's eyes flickered over to the kitchen clock. It was twelve A.M. on the dot now and he was making enchiladas with Nico and talking about their trauma. "Oh, I get it," Leo said, encouraging Nico to continue.
"It was a car accident," Nico began, speaking quickly like if he didn't share everything right that second all his memories would drift away. "I was mad at her - god, I was fucking mad at her - because she was going to middle school and she was hanging out with all these new friends and I was." Nico paused. "I was left in the dust."
"We had been living with my dad and my stepmother for a while then." Nico shoved another dish into the dishwasher. The sizzle of the skillet was oddly calming. "Bianca - my sister." The words looked hard to say. "She was dad's favorite as well. And when she died, I felt like we all drifted apart again. Everywhere I fucking went, I was an outsider, even in my own family, once Bianca died."
Leo took a deep breath. "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me that, Nico." His voice was serious. "Really."
"I had to, otherwise I'd lose the traumatic-backstory contest," Nico insisted with a knowing smile, stealing Leo's comedy coping mechanism for a bit.
Leo smiled. "Well, I don't know if I wanna just drop my own." He added the broth to the skillet and whisked as he spoke. "Tragic backstory, I mean."
"That's completely fine."
"I guess I should explain the apartment thing," Leo decided, eyes lingering on a crayon illustration of a dragon. "My dad can't make a lot of time for me. He pays the bills for the place, sends enough money to afford the basics, but he rarely comes around," Leo sighed.
"It's a lot better than foster homes but it's not ideal," he admitted.
"I like your apartment," Nico said. "It's cozy. Nice to cook in."
"I agree." They went back to their separate tasks, occasionally nudging each other's hips or making comments about random things and laughing because it was getting to be that time of night where everything was funny.
Leo tossed the food into the oven, satisfied with their work. The situation felt hideously domestic and foreign to Leo.
He hoped he and Nico could cook together more often.
…
Nico scooped a bit of the enchilada onto his fork. It was fresh out of the oven, steaming hot with melted cheese oozing over the tortilla. He blew on it and took a nervous bite.
"Well?" Leo asked. "Does Chef Leo's world-famous enchiladas hold up to your standards?" He was secretly nervous - this particular recipe was complicated and different than his usual enchilada recipe. He wanted it to be special, just for Nico.
"It's amazing." Nico was shocked - Leo didn't seem to be the type to be good at cooking. "Thank you."
"You did most of the chopping," Leo said, undermining his own skill.
"Still."
Leo swallowed. "Okay, let's just get to the Callie thing. How am I going to find her again?"
Nico focused on a hefty book resting on top of the fridge. "Uhh, have you tried the phone book?"
Leo smacked his forehead, his fork clattering onto the counter. "Shit."
…
"Her last name is Atlas, so this'll make it easy," Leo sighed, shoving the dish of enchiladas out of the way and plopping the thick book onto the table. Nico sneezed. He didn't take too well to dust.
"Well, let's start," Nico grumbled, flicking over to the 'A' section.
"Assenberg."
"Aston."
"Atkins."
"Atteberry."
"At-Oh! Atlas!" Leo said, straightening up and putting his finger firmly on the book so as to not lose his place. "Calypso Atlas," he read out loud.
He hummed as he read her information. "This feels a little creepy," Nico admitted, finishing up his bit of enchilada. "I hope Callie doesn't think it's creepy."
"No, it's not creepy, don't be silly," Leo said as he finished reading and writing down his ex-girlfriend's address, name, and phone number. He checked the clock. It was two in the morning. "Think we should go now?"
"Fuck that," Nico snorted. "I wanna get to sleep."
Leo sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep- the curse of ADHD would keep him up all night long. "Okay, fine."
He shut the phone book with a thud, setting it back on top of the fridge, right next to a copy of Naruto and the Charmander plush he shoplifted from the Toys 'R Us. "Let's clean up," he proposed, popping his hand into Nico's knee-pocket and smirking when his knees buckled. Nico smiled fondly, shaking his head and covering up the enchilada tray with some spare tin foil.
…
Leo shifted awkwardly in bed, laying on his back while Nico lay on his side, facing the wall. Their shoulders brushed awkwardly. In hindsight, Leo should have remembered he didn't have a sleeping bag or that his lumpy loveseat was much too small for Nico to sleep on or that his own bed was also Not Very Big.
The whole 'bed-sharing' thing really shouldn't have been such a big deal. After all, he and Piper had shared a bed plenty of times before, same with him and Jason. Not a big deal.
In the dark, with the smell of enchiladas still filling the room, the press of a bony elbow, and the two-a.m. sensation, the beating thought of you shouldn't be awake, it made his stomach churn.
His mind lingered on the night they had together, how much he enjoyed cooking with Nico. The enchiladas were not settling well like they had hatched into butterflies in the span of less than an hour.
...
here you are babes! working on a side valdangelo one-shot as well. look out for it... ;)