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Chapter 1: Plans

They Skyped every single day, sometimes for hours on end, sometimes Leo would end up falling asleep on Nico. They lived in two different worlds, and in all honesty it sucked. When it was three in the morning in Texas it was mid-day in Italy.
Nico was a pretty Italian with dark hair that sort of caressed his face, and this adorable smile that made Leo melt sometimes, it was strange. But he always had this Italian accent and sometimes Nico would forget to talk English and just speak Italian, then Leo’s brain would just go ‘huirenkmds.’
Leo always stayed up and waited for Nico to come home from his job and by the time they started Skyping the Hispanic was munching on so many snacks it was horrible. Nico chuckled lightly, and tilted his head to the side and spoke softly like he didn’t want to wake someone, “Amore, non farti male.”
The other looked up to scan Nico’s face for a moment, even though he was over a million miles away Leo felt as if Nico really did care. He brought his hand up to his mouth and gave the Italian a smallish smile. Most of the time he thought that Nico thought he was a mindless idiot.
After Leo pushed his food to the side they’d stare at each other with small smiles.
Lovers, which are a million miles away from one another, that’s what we are. When they Skyped that was his only thought which he thought was strange, he was about to say something when he heard a female voice coming from Nico’s side. She spoke quickly.
“Nico! Scendere il computer dobbiamo pianificare il nostro matrimonio!” Leo didn’t understand most of that, but Nico scowled and replied.
“Zitta donna! Non sei il boss di me, augh! IO ti odio! Perché siamo anche sposati!?”
Sposato...Leo knew that word. Married. Was Nico married? Was he actually in love with a gorgeous married Italian man? Leo shook his head some and glanced to the side, until he heard Nico speak to him once more.
“Leo.”
The Hispanics head turned and looked at the other with a faint smile, “yeah?” He had a slight Texas twang which Nico has told him numerous times was the cutest thing on the planet.
Nico stayed quiet for a moment, and pressed his lips pressed into a straight line as he thought. Then something was chucked behind his head and he sighed. “I must go straighten something out for ten minutes; I can either hang up and call you back, or leave you on.”
Leo swallowed lightly, and his smile turned sheepish. “You can leave me on I don’t mind.” Nico gave him a small nod then got up walking off yelling something in Italian.
He sat there and eventually let his head fall to the desk, while he fiddled with something in his lap, he wondered if Nico loved him sometimes, he probably shouldn’t either Nico was married or he was getting married. Leo let out a soft sigh.
“Leo? Amore, ti addormenti?” Leo’s head jerked up quickly, ten minutes passed and he hadn’t even noticed.
“Sorry I was just playing with some wires...” He held up the little thing and smiled some more.
Nico chuckled lightly, and then they talked for an hour or so, then Leo finally fell asleep where he sat. Nico hung up and went to prepare dinner at his house.
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Saturday, 11th December

Leo pressed a hand through his hair as he looked at his band; he and his friends started a band a few years back. It was Piper, Jason, Frank, and himself. There band seemed a bit awkward but there were probably the best in Texas.
While they were practicing one day Leo’s computers started go off, it was five in the afternoon. So to him that was strange. He ignored it while Piper moved from where she was and clicked ‘Answer with Video.’
And there was Nico. Leo was busy singing but when he looked at him computer his eyes widened and he stopped singing completely. Piper looked at Leo and smirked playfully, “So Leo is this your sexy Italian boyfriend you keep bragging about?”
All the caramel color of Leo’s face drained and it became red completely, “P-Piper! Shut up...er...” He saw Nico’s hand go to his mouth as he chuckled some. After setting his bass down Jason moved over to Piper and joined her.
“Well look at that Leo it seems like your Italian boyfriend is nothing but his pajama pants!” Leo’s face became uncontrollably red.
Nico finally spoke, he spoke the only words he knew Leo would understand, “Era questo il momento sbagliato, amore?” Leo blinked rapidly and shook his head a bit.
“N-No, Nico you’re ah...fuck, you’re fine.” He let out a calming breath and shot his friends a small glare before moving to pick up his laptop and headed up the stairs.
Once Leo was away from his friends he moved and sat down on his couch. Then he questioned Nico, “Why did you call me? I thought you would have been asleep right now, isn’t it like three A.M. there?”
Nico laughed a bit and shook his head, “It’s only twelve, Leo calm down, I just wanted to see you in a non-half-asleep state.” That made Leo’s cheeks flush lightly.
Leo then cleared his throat, “B..but, Nico...Don’t you have a fiance?”
Nico scowled lightly, and shook his head a bit, “Abelie, I hate her, I just need the guts to tell my father I’m not interested in her.” He paused and pressed his lips into a straight line before speaking, in Italian, “I può essere nell'amore con un altro.”
Leo quirked an eyebrow and looked over Nico’s facial features for a moment. After a few moments a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, Nico was definitely strange but he loved when he admitted things in Italian.
They stayed quiet for a moment until Nico’s head jerked back, and he looked as if someone was holding him there, moments later a female hand pushed the Nico’s camera to reveal that instead of his head being held in place, he was being kissed. The girl, or well ‘Abelie’ was a semi-tall girl with white hair with gray streaks in her hair which seemed to capture her face, and her facial features were soft, childlike even.
Something in Leo probably took over because he coughed and said: “Excuse me, ma’am.” That’s when she moved away from Nico a bit and got closer to the camera and gave Leo a ‘sweet’ smile. Her green eyes seemed to be filled with darkness, power, and control. That alone scared Leo to death, finally he shook his head.
“I didn--” He was cut off by the girl hissing lightly.
“Leave Nicolas alone, he doesn’t have time for a baby like you he needs to be focused on our wedding.” Leo’s eyes seemed to widen a bit but he nodded lightly and clicked the ‘End Skype Call’ button.
When the Hispanic boy returned to his friends he seemed to be shaking a bit, Piper looked at him and worry suddenly flooded her eyes. She gripped Jason’s shirt before getting up and making her way over to Leo.
Piper put her arms around him, and he seemed to collapse in her grasp. One of his hands grasped her shirt, right now he didn’t seem like the over confident, flirty Leo Valdez she knew...He was different, something happened and she wanted to know.
After he regained his strength a bit he pushed back away from her and ran into Frank. The chinese boy stayed quiet for a moment, Jason seemed to appear too. Leo stared at all his friends wide eyed, he didn’t know what they were thinking.
Piper began. “Leo what happened in that call?”
Leo glanced down and stared at his hands for a moment, then spoke softly. “Nico told me he didn’t like his fiancee, then he said something in Italian which I’m pretty sure translates to ‘I’ve fallen in love with someone else,’ then his fiancee came, kissed him, then told me to leave him alone..b-because they were getting married..”
The group became quiet, then Piper spoke again with a slightly more annoyed tone, “He has a fiancee? And you’re in love with him? Valdez, even if he does love you what makes you so sure he isn’t Skyping with others and telling them that he loves them too?”
Leo’s eyes widened and his head shot up quickly, before he moved to press Piper against the wall and hissed lowly, “What makes you so sure Jason doesn’t go out with other girls and tell them that he loves them?”
Piper stared at him quietly, then her eyes drifted to Jason. “Because..I trust him..”
“And I trust Nico, are you really that against my petty crush, Piper?” Leo’s eyes softened a bit as he let his friend go.
He and his friends always had a close bond, ever since what happened to Leo’s mother, Frank’s mother, Jason’s mother, and Piper’s father. The house they stayed in was thanks to Piper’s father. They each had their own section. Jason on the top floor, Piper on the next floor down, Leo on the next down, and then Frank. They all had their part of the house decorated how they wanted, and then they had a living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room on the very bottom floor.
Leo finally moved away from them and let out a small sigh, “I’m going to take a nap..” He grabbed his laptop and headed up to his bedroom leaving his friends standing there speechless. They knew he wanted someone to love him for well, him, Piper and Jason had each other, then Frank had a girl in Italy named Hazel.
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That night when Leo was upstairs Piper, Jason, and Frank sat in the living room talking things over. Frank even had grabbed his computer and called Hazel who kept looking over her shoulder every few minutes.
An hour passed by and they finally decided something, there sending Leo to Italy. Piper was a bit giggly about how they were about to send their best friend to a foreign country! Then it hit them, they probably didn’t have enough money to send him.
That’s when Hazel piped up, “Guys you realize Nico’s my brother right? I could probably get him to send our plane to the US, I’ll even be on board, I’ve always wanted to see somewhere besides Italy!” she giggled a bit, when she talked her voice was laced with an Italian accent, which Frank found extremely cute.
The fact that Hazel just bluntly told them that Nico was her brother surprised them completely. They glanced at each other and then they stared at Frank, then they nodded to Hazel.
The caramel chocolate skinned girl smiled lightly, then turned her head and called out, “Nicolas! I’m going to the US with the plane!” It was quiet for a moment until someone called back, which they assumed was Nico.
“Alright, Hazel be careful, don’t talk to strangers, don’t hook up with random Americans!” Hazel puffed her cheeks in annoyance before glancing to the screen to see Frank grinning ear to ear. That was it she was going to America to see Frank and pick up Leo. She squealed with excitement, she felt like a spy!
They told Hazel goodnight while she went to start packing for her vogue, and then they shut Franks laptop and Piper yelled. “Leo Valdez! Pack your bags you're going to Italy!” it was quiet until there was quick steps down the stairs, and appeared Leo.
“Don’t lie to me woman.”
Piper smiled softly, then nodded a bit, “No lie, turns out Hazel’s Nico’s sister, she helped arrange everything,” She paused for a moment. “She’ll be here tomorrow.”
Leo’s face lit up slightly, before he spoke. “Thanks guys.” His heart started beating as he ran back upstairs, this was it he was going to Italy. He was going to see Nico.