What Best Friends Do -- Skinsfans Ficathon #003
This was based on the prompt found here.
Rich, Nick/Alo. Nick and Alo have come out, and Alo wants Rich to befriend his boyfriend.
Rich cannot believe he's having this conversation right now.
Alo and Nick are a couple. Correction, AloandNick are an entity. Seeing them now, Rich wonders how they ever kept their relationship a secret. It's only been three days since Nick kissed Alo in the middle of the commons, both of them getting so lost in the kiss that it went from shocking, to adorable, to awkward.
And that's how they've been ever since. There's a rhythm between them. Their composition is pure. He's not sure he's even seen a straight couple as innocent and young looking at Nick and Alo. They hold hand anytime they're near each other. If they're not holding hands, they're wrapped around one another, or flirting like they're still in the beginning stages of infactuation.
It's not that Rich is jealous. More so that he's trying to understand how there can be such complete harmony between two people. He has that with Grace, maybe, but not like Alo has with Nick...
"Rich. Richard. Have you heard a word I've said?"
Alo's voice snaps him back to reality. "I uh... yeah. Something about... Nick."
Alo rolls his eyes, "Look, Nicholas is my boyfriend now. So please just... try get along with him. Or pretend to like him. Because he thinks you hate him."
"He called me Justin Bieber," Rich grumbles.
Alo scoffs then, and Rich prepares himself for one of his yelly speeches. But luckily, Nick chooses this exact moment to walk into Psychology.
Rich would say that Alo walks towards Nick, but it's more like they gravitate towards one another and meet halfway. They immediately start one of their rounds of pecking and smiling, and Rich rolls his eyes, turning around in his seat. He crosses his arms.
Fucking AloandNick.
--
Rich seriously considers ignoring Alo's demands and keeping a distance between him and Nick. He tells Grace about the whole thing, and regrets it once she goes on a spiel.
"Alo's your best mate, Rich. And best mates just do certain things for one another. You don't have to like Nick, but you do have to show Alo that you care enough about him to care about his feelings for Nick."
Rich frowns at his girlfriend. Partially because she seems to be on Team Nick, but mostly because she also seems to have a point.
Grace smiles and laughs at him, running a tender hand through his hair. "Just try," she says, "All he wants is for you to try."
--
Rich takes a deep breathe Monday morning as he steps into the lunch line behind Nick. He can't bring himself to say hello first, even after Nick gives him an awkward toothless smile.
Instead he says, "So... you snog Alos... I mean, boys! Erm... You're cool for... being gay."
Nick gives him an affronted look, and Rich stands there awkwardly for a moment before mumbling, "Fucking bollocks," under his breath and walking in the opposite direction.
--
Alo sits in front of him at the library and stares.
Rich fidgets under the gaze. "Yes?"
Alo stares some more. He crosses his arms.
"What, Alo?"
The staring continues. Rich gives a huff, slamming his book shut.
"Fine!" he says, trudging off.
Alo smiles.
--
Rich plops down next to Nick at the bar. Everyone's at the pub together, having a round to start off the weekend, and Alo's taken a moment to relieve himself.
Nick starts to rise from his bar stool, only to be stopped by Rich.
"Wait!" he says. Nick purses his lips, but stays put.
"I um... I uh..."
Rich really wishes that Nick would stop looking at him like he stupid.
"Okay, look. I'm not good with words. Actually wait, I'm shit with words. I actually don't know how I got Grace to marry me and then not marry me. But that's... anyway. I don't like you. Well, I mean, I like you, but not a lot. I'd say I 10% like you and 90% don't. Wait, no 20%." Rich can't stop the wrong words from falling out his mouth and he can tell that Nick is about fed up with it. So he jumps right back into his words, trying to make some sense.
"What I mean to say is... you make Alo... really happy. You walk into the room and it's like a fucking supernova or something. And you two are just... magnets. Really gross, overly affectionate magnets. But you're... good. And even though I haven't really... found it yet... there must be something likeable in you if Alo likes you so much, cause he's like... a way good judge of character, so..." Rich sighs, "Just... maybe slowly... with time... and less Bieber jokes... I could like you, too."
Nick raises his eyebrows, and then slowly starts to grin.
Rich quickly adds, "But um.. just as friends. Not like.. as boyfriends. Because I have a not wife -- girlfriend -- whatever, and-"
"Rich?" Nick says.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
Rich, Nick/Alo. Nick and Alo have come out, and Alo wants Rich to befriend his boyfriend.
Rich cannot believe he's having this conversation right now.
Alo and Nick are a couple. Correction, AloandNick are an entity. Seeing them now, Rich wonders how they ever kept their relationship a secret. It's only been three days since Nick kissed Alo in the middle of the commons, both of them getting so lost in the kiss that it went from shocking, to adorable, to awkward.
And that's how they've been ever since. There's a rhythm between them. Their composition is pure. He's not sure he's even seen a straight couple as innocent and young looking at Nick and Alo. They hold hand anytime they're near each other. If they're not holding hands, they're wrapped around one another, or flirting like they're still in the beginning stages of infactuation.
It's not that Rich is jealous. More so that he's trying to understand how there can be such complete harmony between two people. He has that with Grace, maybe, but not like Alo has with Nick...
"Rich. Richard. Have you heard a word I've said?"
Alo's voice snaps him back to reality. "I uh... yeah. Something about... Nick."
Alo rolls his eyes, "Look, Nicholas is my boyfriend now. So please just... try get along with him. Or pretend to like him. Because he thinks you hate him."
"He called me Justin Bieber," Rich grumbles.
Alo scoffs then, and Rich prepares himself for one of his yelly speeches. But luckily, Nick chooses this exact moment to walk into Psychology.
Rich would say that Alo walks towards Nick, but it's more like they gravitate towards one another and meet halfway. They immediately start one of their rounds of pecking and smiling, and Rich rolls his eyes, turning around in his seat. He crosses his arms.
Fucking AloandNick.
--
Rich seriously considers ignoring Alo's demands and keeping a distance between him and Nick. He tells Grace about the whole thing, and regrets it once she goes on a spiel.
"Alo's your best mate, Rich. And best mates just do certain things for one another. You don't have to like Nick, but you do have to show Alo that you care enough about him to care about his feelings for Nick."
Rich frowns at his girlfriend. Partially because she seems to be on Team Nick, but mostly because she also seems to have a point.
Grace smiles and laughs at him, running a tender hand through his hair. "Just try," she says, "All he wants is for you to try."
--
Rich takes a deep breathe Monday morning as he steps into the lunch line behind Nick. He can't bring himself to say hello first, even after Nick gives him an awkward toothless smile.
Instead he says, "So... you snog Alos... I mean, boys! Erm... You're cool for... being gay."
Nick gives him an affronted look, and Rich stands there awkwardly for a moment before mumbling, "Fucking bollocks," under his breath and walking in the opposite direction.
--
Alo sits in front of him at the library and stares.
Rich fidgets under the gaze. "Yes?"
Alo stares some more. He crosses his arms.
"What, Alo?"
The staring continues. Rich gives a huff, slamming his book shut.
"Fine!" he says, trudging off.
Alo smiles.
--
Rich plops down next to Nick at the bar. Everyone's at the pub together, having a round to start off the weekend, and Alo's taken a moment to relieve himself.
Nick starts to rise from his bar stool, only to be stopped by Rich.
"Wait!" he says. Nick purses his lips, but stays put.
"I um... I uh..."
Rich really wishes that Nick would stop looking at him like he stupid.
"Okay, look. I'm not good with words. Actually wait, I'm shit with words. I actually don't know how I got Grace to marry me and then not marry me. But that's... anyway. I don't like you. Well, I mean, I like you, but not a lot. I'd say I 10% like you and 90% don't. Wait, no 20%." Rich can't stop the wrong words from falling out his mouth and he can tell that Nick is about fed up with it. So he jumps right back into his words, trying to make some sense.
"What I mean to say is... you make Alo... really happy. You walk into the room and it's like a fucking supernova or something. And you two are just... magnets. Really gross, overly affectionate magnets. But you're... good. And even though I haven't really... found it yet... there must be something likeable in you if Alo likes you so much, cause he's like... a way good judge of character, so..." Rich sighs, "Just... maybe slowly... with time... and less Bieber jokes... I could like you, too."
Nick raises his eyebrows, and then slowly starts to grin.
Rich quickly adds, "But um.. just as friends. Not like.. as boyfriends. Because I have a not wife -- girlfriend -- whatever, and-"
"Rich?" Nick says.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."