Addicted

8

"I'm gonna go to work, okay? Feel free to come with if you want!" Will's voice rang through the house from the door. Nico smiled to himself. "I'm good. I might come in later." With the slam of the door signifying Will's absence, the dark-haired teen stood up and padded slowly down the stairs. The house itself was fairly empty. Nico's fingers lightly traced the pale yellow wall as he walked, taking note of the lack of photographs.  The first floor was just as devoid of pictures. Nico sat on the steps for a minute, leaning back and closing his eyes. The sunlight from the windows washed over him, warming the carpet and sending tingles up his arms. He reached up to fix his hair, eyes still closed, and withdrew quickly, as his hair burned with heat.  "Nevermind... I'll just sit here for a little while and work later..." 

Nico hadn't come to the bar that day, and Will was more than a little curious. He leaned against the counter, watching the clock tick from 5:58 to 5:59. One minute until his break, which meant that he could go home and visit his guest. He reluctantly stood up, stretching his arms and neck, and headed to the back of the bar. "Hey Kayls, I'm gonna check out now! See you." The other bartender, Kayla Knowles, shot him a smile as she slipped her apron on and headed to the front to face the music. Will's steps bounced as he breathed in the warm evening air, everything in sight bathed in a golden hue. His fingers restlessly played with his keys, rotating them back and forth until he saw his home come into view, and prepared to insert them into his door. The house was eerily quiet upon his return. 
"Nico? Neeks? Hello?" A muffled grunt could be heard from the stairway. Will quietly walked over, stifling his laughter with a hand over his mouth. The black haired boy was sprawled across the stairs, sleeping with his head on his arm. His face was tinted gold with light, his eyelashes long and sweeping. For once, his expression was completely calm. It was strange to see him this way. Will sighed, snapping himself out of his trance and leaned down, picking up the boy for the second time. This was becoming a bit of a trend.  Nico stirred in his arms, wincing. "Neeks? You awake?"
"No," the smaller boy groaned in return. Will, smiling, took him upstairs and lay him across the bed. "Will," Nico muttered, his pale fingers brushing his arm. "Yeah, Nico?"
"You're so pretty." His hand lifted from Will's arm and brushed through his hair for a moment, then dropped back to his side as he curled back up on the bed.  

The first thing Nico saw was a hand, brushing his hair out of his face. Then, his eyes fluttered open and he saw the full picture. "Hey, Will."
"Hey." Will smiled, his hand retreating into his pocket.
"You're not at work."
"It's late. I've finished."
"Oh." Quiet filled the room again. Nico felt a pillow beneath his head and decided not to try and remember what happened.