“We were connected through our belly buttons,” Mal said, looking down to poke his own.
“Okay,” Nico said, now staring down at Mal’s belly button. It was a lovely story, but silly. That didn’t stop Nico’s insides from turning into a puddle of goo. Mal truly believed Nico—flaws and all—was his other half. Nico supposed he believed that, too. He didn’t ever say as much, but meeting Mal had felt like finding the last piece of a puzzle he’d been trying to complete his whole life.
Mal fell quiet, his breaths leveling out. Had he finally fallen asleep? Nico was afraid to look to find out.
When he couldn’t take it anymore, he carefully tipped his head up only to find Mal looking at him with heavy lids. “Mine.”
Nico’s stomach swooped. Nico had never seen Mal this faded before.
“Yours,” Nico confirmed.
“You won’t leave me, right?” Mal asked, voice small.
Nico startled, looking up at him once more. “What? No.”
“I know what I’m like,” he said sadly.
Nico felt like someone ripped his heart in half at the sorrow in his voice. “What you’re like?”
He nodded. “I know I’m weird. I know people find me…strange.”
Nico clung a little tighter to his side. “I like strange. Ineedstrange.”
“Good,” Mal whispered.
There was a quiet knock on the door, then Shiloh and Levi were creeping in. Before they could say a word, Mal said, “Applesauce.”
The two blinked at him. Levi finally mumbled, “What?”
“I want applesauce,” Mal said.
“I—Youhateapplesauce,” Shiloh said, amused.
Mal seemed genuinely shook by this information. “I do?”
Shiloh nodded. “Yeah, it’s a texture thing.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, expression dubious.
Shiloh nodded once more. “Yeah. Positive.”
“Pudding?” he asked.
“You don’t like that either. Or Jell-O,” Shiloh said, exasperated.
Mal pouted once more. “Boo.”
Levi stared at his best friend, expression hovering somewhere between horrified and astounded. “This is so weird.”
Mal’s head jerked up at Levi’s voice, like he’d only just noticed he was there. Mal gave him a Forest Gump wave and a silly smile. “Hi.”
“Hey, man,” Levi said hesitantly.
Nico shook his head against Mal’s bare chest, then turned to press a kiss to whatever skin was closest. He wanted to go home. He wanted to take Mal home and hide under the covers like last night. He wanted to go back to being lost in their own little world. The real world sucked.
“Jericho is ordering dinner for everyone. He’s hoping to get enough food in Mal to bring him back around,” Levi said. “We need to figure out our next move.”
Mal immediately started singing some pop song with the word “move” in it, dancing in tiny movements.
