"all i know, is this could either
break my heart or
bring it back to life
got a feeling your electric touch
could fill this ghost town up with life."
hsmtmts seasons 1-4
ricky bowen x fem!oc
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
walking into ashlyn's, ricky paused mid-laugh, catching sight of nini sitting on the staircase. the house buzzed with music and chatter, but there was something about the way she was sitting there, waiting, that made his stomach twist.
"hey! look who's here," nini shot up, wearing a grin as she walked over to him.
ricky let out a light sigh, more surprised than anything to see her here. "nice hat." nini smirked, gesturing at the red and orange yarn atop his head.
ricky chuckled, pulling it off and smoothing his hair down. "thanks. it was a gift," he said, glancing toward manny, who stood just behind him, though her eyes stayed down for now. "didn't think you'd make it."
nini shrugged, stepping closer. "oh, yeah. my moms are glued to the dog competition, and kourtney's out of town at her grandma's, so i figured i'd come check in on all my, uh, buddies." she dragged out the word buddies, her voice light but with an undercurrent of something else. ricky could feel her eyes on him, a familiarity that, lately, felt heavier than it used to.
ricky shifted slightly, forcing a casual grin. "nice. we heard a rumor that carlos went off the deep end," he said, nodding toward the chaotic scene at the table across the room. "had to come witness the carnage."
"we?" nini echoed, her brows furrowing. her smile faltered, just slightly.
at perfect timing, the door clicked shut behind them, and manny stepped up next to ricky, her presence immediately grounding him in the moment. after an awkward pause, manny smiled brightly at nini, her voice steady and warm. "hi, nini. happy thanksgiving."
the air shifted, and nini's smile flickered before slowly fading, her eyes quickly raking over manny's outfit. "oh... hey." she chuckled, but it was softer now, a little less sure. "that explains the hat."
manny glanced up at ricky, a soft blush creeping over her cheeks as she laughed lightly. "yeah, i kind of forced him into it."
ricky chuckled, the sound more genuine this time, nudging manny with his elbow. "can you believe it? her and youtube?"
manny rolled her eyes playfully, her smile widening. "don't get used to it."
the way ricky looked at manny, like she was the only person in the room, wasn't lost on nini. she let out a nervous chuckle, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling the weight of the space between her and ricky more than ever. "well, i'm glad to see you guys are having fun."
manny, sensing the tension in the air, shifted her weight and glanced toward ricky. "hey, i'm gonna grab us drinks, okay?"
ricky met her eyes, a soft, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "thanks," he murmured, his voice laced with the kind of warmth that made nini's stomach twist.
_______________
NINI, junior
"yeah, no, it's good. they have inside jokes.. it's cute. they're uh, a we now."
