Chemistry (Leafycynical)

(2(

Utah made him uncomfortable. 

Even as he waited for his Uber to arrive, he couldn't shake the uneasiness that wrapped around him, squeezing him like a snake would its prey. He should've ignored the curiosity that plagued his mind like a storm and instead stayed in Seattle where he could hide away from the world in his small bedroom. Of course he wouldn't be able to hide away forever due to his motherly roommate that was so concerned about his well being, but it was much better than being here.

He sighed thinking about Dylan. The man had woken up sometime in the morning just as he was leaving, confused about why his roommate was up before noon. The only information Calvin had given him before walking out was that he'd "be back in a few days" which would soon be a lie. It was kind of a dick move, to be honest. Leaving one of the only people that cared for him anymore in a constant state of worry for what Calvin might end up getting himself into. It didn't matter now, everything he did nowadays was a dick move.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a car pulling in front of the park, the tires slushing over the slightly watered down snow all accompanied by the loud engine that seemed to echo throughout the empty park entrance. 

"Mister Calvin?" The man in the car called out when he was close enough, rolling down the window and squinting his eyes a bit when he saw the slim man.

"Yeah, that's me." He said, dropping his nearly finished cigarette in the snow before entering the vehicle. Despite trying his best to ignore his massive headache that had only gotten worse as hours passed, he couldn't will it to leave him, the pounding in his temples never ceasing. He opted for the backseat of the car, not wishing to get stuck in an awkward conversation with the driver.

Calvin felt the car shift as he stared out the window until his attention was turned towards the driver once again. "Hey, aren't you Leafyishere?"

"No." He replied instantly.

"You look just like him-"

"No, I'm not him." He wasn't lying as much as it may seem. To everyone it may seem that he's the ever arrogant Leafyishere that did drugs and used people online, but in all honesty, that wasn't him at all. It was almost like an alternate personality, like he was two-faced. One for the real world and the other for the internet.

The man seemed taken back, taking a breath and staying silent for a moment before asking, "So, where to?"

"The nearest hotel is fine." His voice was somewhat distant as his mind distracted his with the events of the last few days. He didn't want to be here anymore. It was harder to breathe in Utah and he still had no factual reason to explain it.

The driver fucked off, leaving Calvin to his thoughts as the car advanced down the road and away from the park. Speaking of which, he didn't even remember how he had gotten to the park in the first place. It was all a blur of alcohol and maybe even a class A drug right after he had arrived in Utah.  He just remembered how his first instinct had been to go to a bar. Not visit his family or even get a hotel room. He just didn't want to feel.

The snow was slowly starting to melt outside, the ground becoming soggy as the cool water seeped through layers of dirt. The sky, though grey, was illuminated by the sun which shone through the clouds. Calvin wished that for once the sun would shine down on him.

-

Calvin sighed as he shut the old door behind him. He was so fucking exhausted. He just wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep forever but knowing how his brain was, it was highly unlikely he would get more than two hours. The room itself was small, the cheapest they had. One bed was placed in the center with brown sheets that were trying their best to match the cream colored walls. The floor was carpeted and there was a window on the far side of the room that let a small amount of light leak into the room. 

He set the key onto the oak nightstand next to the bed, the sound seeming to echo throughout the small room as he began to take off his shoes and coat. He managed to kick off his shoes and just as he was shrugging off his coat, he was distracted by a familiar buzz in the pocket of his jeans. He paused for a second, before concluding that it must be Dylan with his overprotective texts constantly wondering if he was doing alright.

Calvin threw his coat onto the brown sheets of the bed before sitting on the edge of it, taking out his phone only to be met with a different notification on his lock screen than what he'd expected. His eyes widened at Niall's skype contact. There was no way Niall would message him willingly. Maybe the blonde had just sent him a message to criticize him, although Calvin doubted he would ever do that, after all it would be a waste of both of their time.

Why was he calling him "Niall" again? They weren't even friends anymore, he didn't have that right. This was Pyro. He'd fucked up far too many times to be able to access Niall and instead was limited to the online version of his past friend.  He shook his head, running a hand over his face as he debated in his head whether or not he should read it. If he did read it, he imagined it would be like picking at an old wound or ripping stitched just as they had begun to heal. After about a minute, he came to a conclusion. Probably not the best conclusion, but a conclusion no less. 

He tapped the notification, the screen automatically bringing him to skype, his eyes widening as he read the message that Ni-Pyro had supposedly sent.

"Call me"

Calvin's eyes widened, his phone falling from his loosened grip and onto the carpeted floors. What had he done? Someone probably made another video accusing him of something that had to do with Pyro. Or maybe even one of Pyro's friends? Calvin wasn't sure as he felt anxiety silently creep out from every corner of his mind, causing the slight trembling in his hands and the faster pace of his breathing. He buried his face in his hands, pushing his overgrown hair back causing his hat to fall behind him on the bed. "Fuck.." 

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and turned it on before clicking on the call icon. A wave of uneasiness wracked through him as Pyro picked up almost automatically.

"Whatever I did, I didn't do it." Calvin said immediately.

The man on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before replying, "Calvin, what are you talking about?"

The brunette looked up from where he had planted his gaze on the wall, "Didn't someone make a video about me? Isn't that why you're calling?"

"No.. that's not why.. I just.." He paused, taking a breath, "I just wanted to.. call and see if you're doing alright."

Calvin's gaze stayed focused on the wall in front of him, his eyes widening before relaxing as a grin spread out onto his face and a laugh escaped him. Pyro wanted to know if he was doing alright? After making all those jabs at him in his videos? Pyro hated him, that was the end of the story. There's no way he cared, he probably just wanted to act like he was concerned in case he...

"I'm not going to fucking kill myself, okay. If I ever do, I'll be sure to mention your efforts to help in my suicide note.." He took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit, "Please, just.. don't call again."

"Wait, Calvin," Niall said just as he thought the other man was going to hang up, "You're still in Seattle, right?"

"Utah." 

Calvin ended the call.

[A/N: Pretty shit chapter, to be honest. I wrote it while I was half asleep and then deleted it and wrote it again after that. Still not happy with it but I figured this was as good as it was going to get so I hope it wasn't that bad.

Also, I'm trying to set up something of an update schedule. I'm thinking it'll be on Fridays or Saturdays, not sure yet. 

Have a good day, mate. ]