Chapter Text
Leaving Nina so suddenly may be abrupt and maybe unorthodox, but it's necessary. Like puzzle pieces, everything in his mind has just clicked. It all makes sense.
He runs down the sidewalks, barely looking along the streets before crossing them, until, gasping for breath, he finds Pete.
Pete fixes him with a confused look. "Sonny. Why ain't you at the bodega?"
"Because I —" suddenly the words are stuck in his throat, and he just stares at Pete with big eyes and forces himself to speak, "— because I'm in love with you."
Pete does a double take. "'Scuse me? Thought you were in love with Nina." For once, Sonny doesn't miss the contempt that accompanies the statement.
Sonny puts his hand on Pete's shoulder, steadying himself after his uneven running, but Pete recoils. Frowning, Sonny catches his breath before saying, "Yeah, me too, man, I must've been — I dunno, projecting. Look, I was just with her —"
"I know," Pete interrupts. He seems uncharacteristically unhappy.
Sonny pauses. "What?"
"I passed the bodega, man. I was gonna stop in, say hi, but you had company, didn't wanna...interrupt your love-fest or whatever." Pete's voice is tainted with bitterness.
Sonny shakes his head quickly, determined to clear this up. "Man, would you just listen to me? I was with her, I told her I'm in love with her, and she was all like ‘nah, Sonny, you ain't in love with me. Because bein' in love is wanting to be with someone all the time and always thinking about them and wanting to sacrifice everything to be with them, and you feel it in your heart’, and then I realized, of course, I ain't in love with Nina — I'm in love with you, Pete. Y'understand?"
Pete doesn't answer him, just stares at him with a slight frown.
Now Sonny is feeling foolish, but he won't back off unless Pete tells him to. "Now, look," he starts to say.
"Being in love is a dumb fuckin' concept," Pete mumbles.
Sonny cocks his head to the side. "What? Why?"
"'Cause it makes you do stupid shit. Like this, right now. Man, you hearin' yourself? ‘I'm in love with you, Pete’, man, you're supposed to be working! What, you just left the bodega?"
"I left Nina in charge," Sonny says slowly. "Pete, listen, you don't have to say it back, but I swear to God I'm in love with you, alright? So just. Take it."
He turns, his cheeks bright red, prepared to leave this ordeal behind, but Pete grabs his arms and pulls him back. Sonny turns around, and before he can register anything happening, Pete's kissing him.
Sonny's kissed one person before — a girl in his grade, and it was gross and sloppy, like a slug. This is different — Pete's lips are soft and they taste like what Sonny has come to know as home. He feels breathless, clutching at Pete's t-shirt disbelievingly.
Pete pulls away, and Sonny tilts his head backwards, breathing heavily. "Thank god," he says under his breath. Pete hears and hits him with that beautiful half-smile.
"I ain't never been with a guy before," he mumbles.
Sonny grins. "Lucky me, then." Pause. "Although I do have to get back to the bodega. I told Nina I wouldn't be long."
"Go, then," Pete says, ushering him away. "I'll see you later, a'ight? Fire escape tonight?"
Sonny nods, bubbling with anticipation. "See ya."
Pete nods, his eyes soft.
Sonny runs back to bodega. Nina will have to know about this.