Chapter Text
The turn of a century. That’s what it was; the first time Lewis felt Nico’s lips on his. The shock jock droned on about the top hits from the year of 1999 as Lewis and Nico laid on the floor, nursing their cold beers in hand. Even though the muddy faucet water at tracks tasted better, Lewis savored it. Every penny counted, even a cent spent in the wrong place or a costly miscalculation could cancel the next few races for him. Sure Lewis could dominate on track, but there was always one area he could never catch up on. Fortunately for him, he couldn’t be hidden under the blissful guise of hushed conversations his parents would have over the phone or the way his dad thumbed through the job ads in the paper claiming it was just out of curiosity’s sake.
The low chatter and a screeching radio ad pushed Lewis’ voice past his ale sodden tongue. ”You think the world might end?” He wondered if Nico found the beer as disgusting as he thought it was.
”Lewis, that’s the beer talking.” Nico scrunched his nose before taking another long gulp as Lewis watched from the corner of his eye.
”I’m just saying man, how do you know it won’t happen?” Lewis chimed back.
”Because I’m smart,” Nico snorted. Even in the low light of Lewis’ old tableside light and the odd string of leftover Christmas lights thrown above his window, he could clearly make out the flush now spreading across Nico’s face. Resting his own hand to his forehead, he began to wonder where his sudden spike in temperature came before or after Nico’s voice hoarsely interrupted.
“How much time’s left?” Nico asks as Lewis props himself up on one arm and cranes his head to view the dull red display on the CD player.
“Says, two minutes,” Lewis says as he takes another long swig. “What if we just died here?”
”You know what,” Nico turned on his side, now facing Lewis. “I’d be okay with that- here with you.” Lewis swore, the only thing telling him he wasn’t dreaming was the stomach turning aftertaste of the beer on his tongue. His senses seemed to kick into overdrive before fixating on the grating noise of the shock jock once more.
”Four- Well, that’s it folks!” What?
He didn’t have a chance to respond before he hazily watched Nico grab his pilled Christmas jumper, unsure if it was the situation or the beer that was making his head spin.
”Three- I’ll see you all on the other side... if there even is one! Did he- So does he-?
“Say something.” Nico whispers, urgency laced into his darting eyes, desperate to put an end to the silence that accompanied Lewis’ shocked stare.
”Two- So grab someone and make it a night to remember!” So Lewis did just that.
On cue of the shock jock and the muffled cheers of his neighborhood bleeding through the miserable, single paned windows: the world fell silent around Lewis and Nico.