Misc.

better call saul 9

and to think nacho thought the man was confident without any drugs in his system. 

nacho stayed in a corner, next to a house plant, with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the party go on as the clock ticked further and further into the night. all of the music had blended together a while ago, and nacho wasn't even really listening anymore. it was all just a loud drone with a heavy bassline. he was tired, and he could feel it in his chest and in his eyes. he could feel his eyelids getting heavy, the warmth of the room getting to him. he felt a little bit like a kid at a christmas party that remained tucked away in the recesses of his memory all hazy and colourful with splotches of light, waiting for his dad to finish saying his neverending goodbyes to their family and friends before meeting nacho at the door, arms laden with leftovers from dinner. 

dear god, if only. 

the only thing that kept him grounded and awake was the inescapable, unmissable smell of alcohol, cigar smoke and men's cologne that smelled bad no matter how much it happened to cost. nacho thought that if this was how all cartel parties went, then he was packed and ready to start hunting for an alternative career, fully prepared to go running and crying back to his dad's automotive shop begging for another job. 

of course, he hadn't arrived alone. most of the night he'd been staring at lalo, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. making sure that the trust he'd bent over backwards to gain didn't vanish in the blink of an eye. or maybe nacho was just giving himself something to do so he wouldn't get bored. lalo was so much more unreserved than him, like he had a secret talent for socializing with anybody and everybody. he kissed the girls on their cheeks, and he clapped the men on their backs, laughing and sharing a drink with every person he came across. nacho debated stepping in and saying something when a baggie of cocaine started being passed around, but he remembered how nonchalantly lalo had snorted some a few weeks back and decided to not do anything. 

nacho watched as lalo made eye contact with him from across the room, and a devilishly maniacal smile curled onto his face. nacho was the one who broke first and looked away, but it didn't stop lalo from striding over, and grabbing the younger man, forcefully moving him around, like he was trying to make nacho dance. 

and to think nacho thought lalo was confident without any drugs in his system.

 "hey man, ow, what are you doing?" nacho asked stepping away from lalo, only to be roped into a bone crushing embrace where the only thing he could see was darkness. he heard a loud laugh reverberate through lalo's chest and when lalo finally let him go, he was still chuckling. 

"you're so funny, ignacio, i've been telling everyone here you're the funniest person i ever met." lalo said, sniffing and rubbing his nose, body subconsciously moving to the beat of the music. his pupils were black and round like plates, and though lalo didn't even notice, his hands were shaking. 

"i've been telling everyone like, 'go talk to ignacio, he just got in the game big time, he's a funny guy, you'll like him'. people been coming up to you? talking to you? i haven't seen anyone over here. assholes. maybe it's because of the light. it's definitely the light, nachito, trust me. man, why are you all the way over here? making buddies with the house plant? come on, hey, you gotta go check out the dance floor. the lights are wicked cool, especially with- oh right, man, i almost forgot, here, do you want a bump?" lalo said, speaking faster than a paranoid kid hopped up on pure sugar. he pulled a baggie out of his pocket. nacho frowned, not remembering seeing lalo with his own bag of blow. the taller man waved it under nacho's nose and he scrunched up his face, retaliating at the harsh chemical smell.

"no thanks." he said, looking up at lalo, almost apprehensive. it only made lalo laugh again, rubbing his nose and shifting his weight for the fifth time in thirty seconds.