Lighter Thief (PyrocynicalxReader)

blue

As we drove to the aquarium, I parked in the closest parking ramp and we all got out and walked to the aquarium. I walk in front of them and finally turn around when we're almost to the door.
"Are you guys ready?" I smile.
"Hell yeah, I wanna see a fucking cool shark or something," Tom smiles maniacally.
"That's the first on our list to look for," Alex adds.
As we walk in, we scan our tickets and we walk in. Every time I come here, Im in awe. We walk in and we are all suddenly covered in a dim blue light from the water above our heads.
"Wow." George says looking around.
"Wonderful!" Alex awes.
We walk around and I suddenly see a REALLY really ugly eel. I run over to it and kneel to face it. I just sit there smiling and I didn't even hear the rest of them run over to me.
"Dude, he's so ugly." I state, smiling wildly.
"Definitely." Niall says as he kneels next to me and stares into the reef behind the glass. I look over at him and the blue hue and the light reflection of water ripples hit his face and then I snap out of whatever was happening when I realize that the boys had left me and Niall to stare at that ugly ass creature.
"Niall, the boys are gone," I turn to him, stating flatly, not really caring that they're gone. I mean, they're adults, right?
"I noticed that also. Should we go look for them?" He asks, almost politely.
"In a minute. I want to show you something." I stand up and help him up, grabbing him by his hand and barely dragging him into a room that had suddenly changed the hue and tone of the moment to green and calm. It was a room that was covered in green plants and algae and coral and it felt like life was birthed here. I smile and slowly let go of his hand as I look up at the view above me, seeing bottom feeders suck at the sides of the tank overhead.
"This is..."
"Magnificent." I finish, turning and smiling at him. His eyes seem more green than usual in here and the light makes him look soft. As this thought runs through my head, I kind of fade out into my thoughts until I come back to reality and Niall has his hands clasping mine, extremely close.
"(Y/N), are you alright?" he sounds worried and confused.
"Yeah, I just got caught up in my head," I tell him, smiling reassuringly.
"W-we should probably go look for the guys." He then tells me, hesitantly pulling his hands away from mine and turning to walk away.
"Yeah.." I say under my breath, following behind him and staring at my feet. We eventually, silently, found our way to the shark exhibit and looked around for them, calling their names. They weren't there so we decided to check one more place that would be obvious before going on a manhunt, which was the cafeteria. I pointed and jogged over to them while they were in line getting various meals.
"Where did you guys go? We thought you were gonna a go look at sharks." I ask, trying not to seem like I knew that they tried to set us up to be alone.
"Oh, yeah, we did, and then.. we got really really hungry so we left." Roman tells me, handing his money to the cashier.
"Plus that eel was just too ugly for me," Alex chuckles.
"Looks just like you!" I sneer.
"(Y/N), I will beat you up right here, right now. Don't test me woman!" He makes a funny stern face and I giggle. I felt something on my back and I turn to see that Niall is not only behind me, but "secretly" putting his hand on my lower back and it's sending shivers up my spine. It's one of those touches that you can barely feel and it's a tickling sensation that sends tingles all over your body. I am surely confused by this and turn and look up to him, seeing that he is just talking to the guys, as if it's normal to have his hand there.
"Ahem." I clear my throat as the other guys walk to their seats. He suddenly notices that his hand is still on my back and pulls away rather irrationally.
"Shit, (Y/N).. I'm sorry, I literally didn't even notice." He says blushing cheekily.
"I'm assuming you say that to all the girls, huh?" I smile and then add, "even your girl at home?" I don't know why I said that. Maybe to clear up the air if he's into me? Am I into him? Do I want to know the answer to either of these questions? Probably not.

"N-...no, I don't say that to other girls. And my "girl at home" isn't official and Im not even really sure what's happening, so just keep it on the DL." he almost whispers to me, coming close to my face and making direct eye contact.
"Yeah, no problem, I guess... why haven't you told them exactly?"
"Too much drama. They bring shit into things that are unneeded, like bringing up I had a girlfriend around you? And it's just... they don't get what it's like to be super confused about everything. They're either dating someone they love or single and they like it that way." he tells me as we walk over to a table by a window.
"Y'all can come sit over here, I'm just cold so i'm sitting in the sun." I call the boys over and they just give me a finger telling me to "wait" and I just roll my eyes and turn back to Niall.
"I get how you feel. Single and wanting someone but not knowing who or what exactly you even want fuckin sucks," I say, sticking a french fry in my mouth, "but, sometimes, you just have to choose something and figure out if it's right for you. Sometimes you gotta try things out and sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad."
"Yeah, you're probably right.." He says quietly sipping his cup of water.
"Finding the right person to spend your life with is like finding the perfect movie to watch. It's never going to be perfect, but sometimes you like it that way." I smile to him and take a sip from my apple juice box, looking into his eyes deeply.
"Woah, (Y/N), that's..."
"Deep. I know right? Yeah, I'm pretty much the best at metaphors." I smile and flip my hair back and dust off my shoulders, slightly giggling. He's laughing now too and I just laugh and enjoy the moment until I hear Alex drag his chair across the floor, creating a wretched squeaking sound.
"Sorry guys, that was way louder than I thought it'd be," he laughs.
"Alex, for blasting my eardrums, go get me a cookie." I pout.
"Fine. God, who the hell do you think you are, my sister?" He turns and says, throwing his arms up as he walks away.
"I'm better! I'm your best friend!" I call to him, snickering.
After lunch, we all get together again and look at a few more exhibits, pointing out fish we recognized from various animated movies and the. we decide to head home so that the boys can clean up and head on their way. I 100% regret the decision of suggesting that they pack up and it wasn't meant to look like I was kicking them out, but they had places to be that weren't my apartment. We pull up to my rented car lot and I park, and we get out. We get upstairs and we all scatter, as I sit on my bed and the boys take turns taking showers and eating all my food.
Eventually, I go out to grab a granola bar and then go back into my bedroom. I flop on my bed and pull my phone out scrolling and then I turn my head and I see Niall, with nothing but a towel on, in my room, looking for clothes.
"Fucksake..." he mutters.
"Lower left drawer, stuff might fit you in there," I tell him, trying to not look at him but also not make it awkward so I just shift my eyes from him to my phone screen every time he turns to me. Fucking smooth.
"Sorry for the... uh.."
"All good. Change in the bathroom though." I faintly smile.
"Right."