Letterman Jacket

when they took the long route

"You look constipated."

"I do not."

"What the hell is going on in that tiny brain of yours?"

Nico shoved his shoulder and shot him a glare. "You're such a fuckface. Why did I agree to this?"

"Because you missed me," Faust sang cheerfully, climbing up another step. "Also, you said you were already thinking about taking this route before I suggested it. You getting tired?"

"I'm getting tired of your voice."

"Well, I'm getting tired of your face."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks."

"I'm handsome as fuck."

"Not really. Thea's blind."

"Newsflash, asshole, she dated you too."

Faust paused. "Oh. Yeah."

Nico didn't mean to, but he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Dumbass."

His best friend's mouth widened to a grin. "Glad to hear you joking about it."

Nico rolled his eyes and kicked a pebble on the ground. "Yeah, let's not make it a habit. I'm not too fond of the topic."

Faust nodded. "Understandable. So, what were you thinking about?"

"Why are you so nosy?" Nico whined, raising an arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. The heat was slowly becoming a little unbearable, but the two were already halfway back to the beach house. Besides, even if he didn't voice it, Nico did miss Faust. "Were you always this nosy?"

"Before we fought and fought and fought?"

Nico looked at him. Faust was smiling. "Yeah. Before that."

"Yeah, I think so. You had to deal with it then. Deal with it now, too."

Nico didn't need to deal with anything when it came to his friends, and Faust knew that. "JJ."

"I knew it," the basketball star said, shaking his head. "Now that I think about it...the signs were pretty obvious. We were just too dumb to see them."

"He always goes for a plain-flavored yogurt." Nico scrunched his nose. "And he isn't allowed to drink too much alcohol."

"Cereal," Faust commented, snapping his fingers. "He said it had way too much sugar."

Nico's features drew together. "I can't believe we didn't know. What kind of friends are we?"

His best friend was quiet as he walked beside him. They fell into step easily together. They always do. "Even when we were fighting, Nico, you still had my back."

His answer made Nico blink. "That's what we do," he countered slowly. "And as long as you acknowledge you were an asshole and you're never going to do it again, then that's what brothers do."

"Then as brothers, we gotta help him," Faust said, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "JJ didn't want us to know. But now that we do, we just have to look out for him."

Nico nodded. "Let's look it up tonight. I had no idea what an insulin pump was."

There was a twinkle in Faust's eyes when he looked at Nico. "Was already planning on it."

Nico hummed. He hung his head back and stared at the falling leaves. "Where are you going?"

Faust instantly got it. "We still have a few months to decide, but anywhere is good as long as I get to shoot hoops."

"If you're not going to Huxley with me," Nico started, looking down, "then I'm going to kick your ass in the court."

The basketball star laughed. "I'm going to miss you too, asshole."

Nico pushed him to the side.

Faust wobbled on his feet, but he was laughing. "Do you remember that time when you ate brownies at Young's party and got high? Alejandra was pissed. She smacked us both."

Nico snickered. "Don't bring up Young's party ever again. Someone kissed me for the first time that night and I was mad. I'm still mad."

"Nah, man, you were scared because she was grinding on you," Faust shot back, grinning. "You pushed her and she fell on her butt. That was mean."

"Fuck you, I didn't know what to do."

Faust's eyes shone with amusement. "You wouldn't let go of my hand."

Nico scoffed and rolled his eyes. He kicked another pebble and said in defense, "I was fifteen and attached to you—you were my first friend, alright?"

"You literally told me you missed me and wanted to see me every day."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up. I was high. I didn't know what I was saying."

"You wanted my name tattooed on your butt. I just stopped you."

"Okay," Nico barked, "you know what? I didn't want to say anything but this is going too far, Carter. After your wisdom teeth removal, you were high as fuck too, and you told me you were rejected by a girl when you asked her to be your girlfriend, and she said no, and as an excuse, she hugged a tree and said that tree was her boyfriend. You believed her."

Faust paled. "I did not, you liar!"

"She found you a week later kicking the tree."

"Fuck!"

"Also, you told me that one time, when you were waiting in line, you stepped backwards on someone's foot, and you turned around with open hands in apology and accidentally cupped someone's breasts."

Faust lurched forward and clamped his hand on Nico's mouth. "Alright, alright, I get it. Shut up now."

Nico was grinning. He slapped Faust's hand away. "I have you and your confessions on video, Carter. Don't test me."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks. You know, I've always wondered how girls say you have game when you clearly don't."

"Anya will disagree," Faust argued. "And please, you ain't smooth either. You had a crush on a girl so intense before and you didn't know how to deal with your feelings, so you wrote her a letter that said 'get out of my school'. I stopped you from sending it."

Nico could feel the flush of almost gave it to her if the heat rising to his cheeks at the memory. "That was for Thea."

His best friend blinked and turned around to look at him. "What, seriously?"

Nico shut his eyes, feeling embarrassed as he nodded. "Yeah."

Faust chuckled. "Loser."

"You're a loser too, asshole."

"Race you to the beach house, then?" Faust said with a sweet grin, already quickening his pace. "If I win, I'm telling Thea."

Nico's eyes flashed as he broke into a run. "You're on, Carter."

They fell into step together once again.

Ah, I'm really going to miss him.