Chapter 88 - Is he trying to torment me?

Notes:

- AND FINALLY, WE'RE ON THE FINAL STRETCH FOR NERO AND LEO'S STORY. Banzai! Who would've thought we made it. And in SO MANY BLOODY WORDS.

- It was actually meant to be longer (there was going to be a Leo mum's arc) but that was before I realised I have written too many words and Wattpad has a chapter cap. So that isn't going to be there. So that chapter addressing Leo's mum now just kind of serves as a character development backstory shenanigans

- We're going to stick with this couple till their "end" so you won't see Aiden nor Erwin's POV for a while (yes I know, what a tragedy) but they'll be making significant cameos do not worry.

- I reiterate once again. Plan before you write. Or this clusterfuck of words happen

- I apparently still accidentally switch between tenses so sorry. Again. I don't think I'll ever grow out of it, to be honest.

- Lol idk when the next chapter is gonna be -> I'm procrastinating right now, hence why this chapter exists.

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POV: Third person

While Aiden was going through some depressing shit with his inability to cope with his feels, Nero wasn't doing any better himself honestly. He was initially when he and Leo became good mates and he was doing great when the friendship continued to persist and deepen further after that one D&M (deep and meaningful) session.

He had it all under control. Nero liked Leo in a more-than-a-crush way but accepted that it could never happen because he had too much baggage that he needs to carry throughout his life. Even after unloading some of that luggage onto his friend, there was still too much to carry out any sort of relationship.

Also, Nero had the self-esteem of a rock. Non-existent, and genuinely believed that Leo didn't like him in the romantic sense. He justified the couple of times they nearly kissed as Leo merely being attracted to his physical appearance (for some odd reason) and wanted to have fun a bit.

Nero is not that kind of guy and very much rather have a stable relationship with romantic interest at play. When Nero expressed all these thoughts and opinions over the phone, Aiden simply called him a dense dumbass and proceeded to cut the call then and there.

It was extremely uncalled for.

Enough about how much control Nero had over his life at one point. Now let's delve deeper into how not in control he is over his life.

It was an average workday where he was just working. Like Aiden, he was on break with the disgusting couple that he helped get together. The trio were talking and getting along as per usual in the café located on the ground floor, but ever since Mason and Pearl got together, there's the addition of PDA that Nero gagged. Now there's nothing wrong with PDA per se. In fact, Nero probably had a closeted love for PDA that he had always been in denial about. The issue was that when it was right in front of him and right next to him, he couldn't take it and felt every inch of his body cringe and squirm.

Mason and Pearl definitely noticed this and amped it up even more because apparently, they found it extremely amusing watching Nero go through different stages of discomfort.

Sadistic bastards.

But once again, this isn't about them. This is about Nero and how fucked he was.

As they were chatting away and complaining about the sudden increase in workload, Leo unexpectedly walked into the café. Nero says this was unexpected because he was on a brief call (call of friendship) with him the night before and the CEO mentioned that he was going to go on a business trip the next day.

So colour him surprised when the tall man confidently walked in with eyebags that obviously somehow still looked good on him. The rest of the patrons also couldn't ignore the sudden strong aura that entered the coffee house and the chattering turned into hush whispers, with everyone blatantly staring and swooning over him.

Pearl was also guilty of this and kept pushing Nero to go up to him and greet him, wiggling her eyebrows as if to suggest she knew something. She somehow found out about Nero's definitely not-crush crush on him (A/N: Denial is a trait of Nero's that is hard to overcome) and ever since kept pushing for Nero to pursue it.

What a joke.

Nero kept batting at her to shut up and Mason looked between the two of us, befuddled and slightly hurt for being kept out of the loop.

The poor oblivious boy.

Pearl's insistence got so annoying to the point where Nero actually had considered to go greet the other man to shut her up but as he was half up from his seat, he saw something that he had never expected to see, froze for a couple of seconds and promptly slammed back down onto his seat with his face in surprise and distraught.

The other two noticed this sudden shift and looked over to see the cause. Their faces shifted from confusion to also jaw dropping shock.

Somewhere at the end of Pearl's persistent badgering, Sydney Wein had entered the premise and had captured the attention of Leo.

Sydney Wein was famously known as Leo's ex-girlfriend who had the longest and healthiest relationship with her ex significant other.

For more background information, Sydney Wein's a very famous model slash actor. Miss worldwide kind of vibe. There is barely anyone who doesn't know her. And rightfully so. There is literally no flaw on her or in her or around her. She's drop dead gorgeous with chestnut hair that shines under the dimmest of lights and her facial a sharp, mature and super sexy. This is all without plastic surgery. Her director father and actress mothers gave all their best genes to her. Obviously, there were haters that declared that all she had was a pretty face, connections and no talent, but she quickly debunked the last point with her perfect runway struts and tear-jerking performance in front of the cameras.

You'd think that with her pure talent, tall height and jaw-dropping features she'd be a pretentious asshole that looks down on 99% of the population. But once again, she proved everyone wrong by being the humblest creature to ever exist who set up like seven different charities, donating on the daily on the side. She lives a humble, quiet life and makes good, trustworthy friends in the first go. It's like her sixth sense is judging a person's character.

So it made sense why a relationship hard-ass like Leonardo Covell got together with her in the first place. The entire world exploded when the news broke out about their relationship, with the majority fangirling and the minority crying in the corner that their idols aren't available. But for the first time ever, no one was actually against the relationship and people over Reddit began bets on their marriage date.

They were the power couple. People wanted to be friends with them or be them or just breathe their air from a close distance. Everyone idolised them and their healthy relationship, celebrities included. It was in like every interview ever.

So surprise surprise when the world exploded again when it was announced they broke up. People were quick to believe love didn't exist and other dramatic antics occurred. It was the biggest scandal for both parties. But when the details came out on the reason for their break up, everyone calmed down and accepted it without any question. The scandal stopped being a scandal immediately.

The break up was apparently mutual, where Sydney got an amazing modelling contract in another country that required her to be based there. On top of that, she was constantly travelling around the world for movie shoots, photoshoots and fashion shows. It had turned completely long distance at one point and both parties felt that they couldn't manage a long distance relationship like that and broke up on good terms. Amazing terms in fact. They were apparently still really good friends.

Now the mature break up was idolised and everyone began wishing that their break up was clean and beautiful like theirs.

Nonetheless, this was a couple of years ago and to this day, people were still hoping, wishing that they got back together.

If the sheer number of fanfictions and daily tweets said anything.

Now that's where Nero's issue lies, wasn't it? He was literally competing with someone that no one could hate because they were the least problematic person to ever exist. On top of that, they were in a completely unreachable league.

No, they were in another dimension.

Nero zoned back in from his shock when Leo leaned in for a friendly hug (Nero believes it wasn't just friendly) from Sydney. A couple of people's breath hitched in anticipation and the silence remained constant throughout the entire interaction.

Leo and Sydney either didn't notice the sudden shift in the atmosphere within the café or pointedly ignored it because they continued their conversational as per usual.

The conversation could be heard by everyone.

"How has it been going for you? It has been a solid while." Leo asked in delightful surprise.

Sydney laughed her pretty laugh and everyone in the building melted a bit. "Yeah, everything has been going well. It has definitely settled down thankfully. I wished it hadn't taken so long though. I thought it'd take a year max, not a couple of years."

Leo hummed, understanding her pain. "So what brings you to this part of town? Or country honestly." Leo then pulls off his lax and playful smirk that he keeps for his close friends.

The smirk that was USUALLY DIRECTED TOWARDS NERO. Sure he did it with other people sometimes but it was mainly reserved for Nero and as exasperated he acted; Nero secretly loved it. A wave of jealousy passed through his body and he clutched the ceramic mug in his hand a bit tighter. That doesn't go unnoticed by Mason (surprisingly) and he looked at his friend with mild concern but didn't voice out anything.

Sydney sent a smile back at him and moved a tad bit closer to her ex. "Well, as I said, everything has more or less been resolved over there so I made the decision to move back home and I was hoping that we finally catch up properly. Face to face frequently and not over text every couple of months. We can finally talk properly and I have a couple of things to discuss with you."

Anyone could tell from a mile away what she wanted to discuss, with the way desire and want were blatantly displayed in her eyes and words.

Leo gave his friendliest smile and agreed to meet up with her sometime during the week. That was all Nero could take for the day (and probably forever).

Nero chugged the last of the lukewarm coffee and informed his now very worried friends that he was heading back early. Mason opened his mouth, probably to tell him to stay longer but Pearl held him back with a headshake.

Nero sent an appreciative smile and rushed to the exit while trying to blend in with the walls, praying Leo doesn't notice the sudden movement. Regardless, Nero never turned and looked in Leo's direction as he left to ever find out whether the other man noticed or not but he swore that Leo called his name out as he left the premise.

Nero deemed it an auditory hallucination.

Once Nero was in the elevator, he laid his head back against the metal wall and sighed out a deep sigh.

"It's just my luck for something like this to occur just as I'm about to be slightly hopeful. I guess fate is telling me that he isn't my fate and never was," he says out loud to the empty box.

That night as Nero was about to go to bed, Leo randomly texted in the middle of their conversation about 'who's the better actor' that he noticed that Nero's responses weren't as frequent and a little dry during the day.

Nero lied and said he was busy, nothing else.

♤♧♡♢

Nero's shitty and gloomy week goes to absolute shit by the end of it. There was no saving the week nor was there any saving of Nero. All because Nero witnessed something he shouldn't have witnessed.

The week on its own was utter garbage, with the stress of the workload and the constant everyday reminder that Leo had a respectful, unhateable ex because the bitch wouldn't stop coming to his workplace to visit him. Apparently, she's on break and has a lot of free time to kill and would rather spend it on him and torment along with it, completely unintentionally. He somehow, every day, managed to run into her. Whether it be ground floor, the coffee shop, outside the building or even on his floor (she apparently accidentally got off which made absolutely no sense because her target was situated like a billion floors higher than Nero's). At one point, she started recognising him and gave her enchanting smile whenever they ran into each other.

Nero was going crazy.

To make it worse, Leo was extremely adamant about introducing her to him. What the fuck was the man thinking? When he first suggested it, Nero spat out his toothpaste and dirtied the sink, mirror and the area around it. It was disgusting. He asked every day and Nero managed to get out of it every single time with questionable excuses, making it clear that he very much did not want to meet her but either the man was oblivious as fuck or was just ignoring Nero's silent pleas.

At one point in the week, Nero was so frustrated that he fucking called Erwin out of all people. Not even Aiden. Once Erwin picked up the phone, he couldn't get out a single word before Nero blurted out,

"What the fuck is his-his problem?"

"... who's-"

"Like what does he want from me? Does he think I'm a maso because as much as I seem I am when it comes to him, I'm actually not that masochistic?"

"Ok, seriously I need some more cont-"

"Does he want to torment me that much? You and Aiden tell me that I'm SOOO obvious but-"

"NERO! Who in the ever-loving fuck are you talking about here?"

"Leonardo Covell, dumbass! Who else?"

"... Ah. What'd he do this time?"

"You and Aiden tell me all the time that I wear my heart on my sleeve whenever I'm in front of him right?"

"*mumble* I guess he could just ignore me... Yes. It's quite obvious that you have fallen head over heels for my best friend."

Normally, Nero would've denied such an allegation but he was so fucking done with the world that he just didn't care. That's when Erwin realised that the situation was bad bad.

"Tell me. If I'm so obvious, Leo should technically know, right? And he's a good person. Respectable guy. Except now, he's being an utter douchebag that I want to punch into oblivion before I go to a corner and cry."

Erwin himself was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed by the sudden exposure to anxious Nero but he does his best to help him out.

"Normally, I would say yes and agree with you. The man is usually smart. But there is more of a possibility that is actually oblivious to your feelings. Trust me. Something would've changed between you two ages ago if he knew. But if we delve into that mess, can you please explain what has gotten you so worked up to the point where you contacted me out of all people. Our relationship does not usually entail such conversation."

"I- I know that. I just... I'm having a bad couple of days and have become overly stressed. I'd go to Aiden about this but the man would just be my hype man and be on my side without looking at the other side and what I need right now is answers, not comfort. And you would most likely know the answers."

Erwin sighed heavily. "Nero, I can't help you if you don't give me context here. You called me complaining about Nero but never explained the cause of the complaint."

"...Oh. I hadn't?"

"... *sigh* no Nero you had not."

"My bad. Why the flipping fuck is Leo adamant about me meeting his fucking ex? You know Sydney is back right?"

Erwin now got it and Nero's overreaction seemed to be completely validated. He sometimes wonders how his best pal can be so smart but so stupid at the same time. This was the time he ponders that thought.

"Yes, I do know she's back."

"And you know that they're talking? A lot? Like literally coming into our building and torturing me with her presence. And then texting each other whenever they can?"

"I do know all that but doesn't he text you as much? From my understanding, your weird, sexually charged friendship had not been compromised. Plus, I'm sure he mentions you to her just as much."

Nero blushed at the sudden comment and felt the urge to fly over to punch Erwin in the face.

"Oh my god, you're the worst. Why am I speaking to you, you hypocrite? He still does speak to me, yes but it's not as frequent. But that's from both parts, not just him. The man keeps mentioning her like they did this together or they ate this or she said this, blah blah blah. I literally give zero fucks. So I subtly lowered my frequency of replies. Also, doubt X (A/N: this is a meme reference) to the last point. Now can you answer my previous question? Or do you not know."

Erwin felt really bad for Nero. He felt even more empathetic because his own love life wasn't doing so well himself. He felt the sudden need to invite Nero out for a drink or ten.

"Look I can't be sure but knowing the oblivious idiot, he's not trying to torture. Intentionally that is. Leo doesn't make friends that he trusts easily but when he does, he has this thing where he wants all of them to get along. I don't know why, maybe it's easier to invite all of them at once when going out rather individually but he tries to introduce everyone to each other so they get along and make a close group of sorts. Since Sydney has always been a good friend even before dating and he recently started his tight-knit friendship with you, he probably deemed it time for you two to get along. This is the theory I formed from observing him the last couple of times."

Nero stayed silent long enough for Erwin to assume that he had dropped the call but before he could check, there was a resigned sigh at the end.

"Yeah, that sounds like Leo alright. Stupid, not-ugly ugly bitch. Whatever. I refuse to get along with her. My mental sanity is already bad as it is and I don't need a breakdown dealing with the ex of the guy who I fell in love with."

The admission surprised Erwin and newfound respect formed. In honour of the respect, Erwin does the unexpected and actually invites Nero out for a drink (or ten) to drink their sorrows away.

Double surprise, Nero agrees and they both end up going to the local bar that night.

The night ends with both of them crashing at Erwin's place, where Mario Kart was idle on the TV screen as Nero sobs about how the world is unfair to him and doesn't give him what he wants. Erwin on the other hand looks close to crying but just angry rants about Aiden and his beautiful features but his addicting yet infuriating personality and how he never met anyone so... ugh. He really wanted to kiss him again.

One thing's for sure though, When they woke up the next day with killer hangovers, it was silent acknowledged they formed some sort of comradery only they alone understood.

That night was also the first time Nero hadn't responded to Leo after work. Nero believed this was a step towards getting over him and letting his heart be at ease.

That one night made Nero's week slightly better but as mentioned before, it turned completely unsalvageable by the end of the week because of one, single day.

Because on that one Friday, Nero witnessed the one thing he hoped, he wished, he prayed to never see.

And that was Sydney and Leo kissing.