Okay everyone I've got an obsession over the play Hamilton. Anyone else?

Hi. I'm Will. Nico is making me write this.

He told me to erase that last part. Shhh, don't tell him I kept it.

Anyway, I have a sister in collage, a mom, and a dad.

None of them are ever home. So pretty much I've always got a house to myself.

I've had a crush on Nico for a while now, and I may have been...(I refuse to call it stalking)..taking very close interest in him for a long time.

He never really seemed happy and I have this dire need to make him smile. But I've never had the courage to talk to him.

Anyway, one day I followed him home. And found out he was abused.

Now back to the story.

-

I just left the bedroom Nico was in.

Why wouldn't he accept my help? I...I thought helping him would be a way to get close to him but if he won't even let me get close to him...

I composed myself and tried to sort out my thoughts.

I felt bad, Nico had been through enough-he didn't need to be taken from his home.

But then again, it's not even a home, is it? It's a house, sure, but not a home.

A home is where you look forward to going to at the end of the day. It's where your family that loves you is. It's where if you had a hard day, you get a break at home.

Home isn't a place that you dread and get hurt every day. Home isn't a place where the only relatives you have hate you. Home is good, not evil.

I took a few more minutes to finish composing myself, and then walked back in. Nico still had tears in his eyes, and a few more had slipped down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad at me." He said quietly.

"Oh, no, I wasn't mad at you." I went over and sat down next to him, tilting his head so he was looking at me. Then I wiped away the tears that were on his cheeks, but it only seemed to make him feel worse. The tears quickened and I stopped wiping them away, knowing it was useless.

I hugged him and he cried into my shoulder. I don't know how long we stayed like that but after a while, Nico pulled away, eyes puffy.

"Will, I don't want anyone to get hurt for me."

"We'll fight for you, Nico. But it won't be your fault if we get hurt. We chose this."

"No. No one can get hurt for me. I'm not going to let you!" His hands started shaking.

"We'll be okay. You need to let us take care of you."

"Not If it gets you hurt."

"I'm going to take care of you. You can't change that."

He put his head in his hands and I sighed.

"I'm going to go make you some food." I declared.

----------Npov----------

Why does Will want to help me?

It'll get him hurt and he doesn't even care!

Why won't he just listen to me?

He doesn't understand!

He will get hurt.

Why did he even want me here?

I'm just going to be a problem.

Why would he want another mouth to feed?

Obviously no one in our town has much money.

Why would he want to have to buy food for another person?

Why would he do this?

He's just going to get sick of me. And then he'll return me to my dad and I'll be back to being beaten almost every day.

"I brought you food." Will said, walking back in and interrupting my thoughts. I was grateful for that, as they had taken a bad turn.

He set a plate down next to me and I lifted my head from my hands. He had brought mac and cheese and fruit.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Will nodded.

"Our town's pretty poor..." I said uncertainly.

"I don't care. You need food."

Slowly, I took a bite of it. It tasted good, but I wouldn't admit that to Will. I set down the fork after three or four bites of it and said, "I'm full."

"There is no way you're full already, Nico. Your starving yourself."

"I'm not. I...had a large breakfast today."

"I doubt that."

I sighed. I admit, that wasn't a very good lie considering Will knew about my dad.

"Fine. You don't have to eat any more if you don't want to. But you are going to eat dinner."

I groaned. Why was Will so persistent? I mean really, I wasn't hungry and I won't be at dinner.

Then Will's phone buzzed. I jumped from surprise.

Will picked it up and it went to texts. It was a group with Will, Cecil, and Lou Ellen in it.

We're coming over. It said.

Okay. Nico just ate so we won't have to worry about food until dinner. Will typed.

Then he shut it off and a couple moments later, the doorbell rang.

Will carefully unlocked the door, making sure I wouldn't be able to get out, and then closed it behind him.

But he didn't lock it.

I could get out.

I tip toed over, and opened the door.

I went down stairs as quietly as I could and saw them talking by the door.

"Yeah, he's upstairs." Will said, probably as an answer to Lou or Cecil.

"Okay. Has he accepted that he's staying here?"

"I don't think so."

"That's not good."

"No. He's worried about one of us getting hurt for him."

Cecil snorted, "Whatever! I will bring his dad down if he comes in! I will defeat him with my bare hands! I will-"

"Cecil, shush, he might hear you." Will glanced nervously towards the stairs I was on.

He saw me.

I darted down them and towards the back door. They started chasing me.

Locked!

Next I ran through the kitchen, living room, and then it brought me back to the foyer in which they had just been talking. They had left the door open a tiny bit, and I darted through.

There were woods by Wills house, and I ran into them, dodging trees and jumping over logs.

Unfortunately, my energy was draining fast. I knew I had to stop soon.

Otherwise I would pass out and they would find me and take me back with them.

But luck was on my side. (A/N: luck, a.k.a. Fortuna)

There was a small treehouse, and I quickly climbed the ladder up. Hopefully they wouldn't notice the tree house like I did.

Will was the first one into the area with the tree house. I ducked out of sight, as there were some large windows that I didn't want to be seen through.

Next Lou Ellen came.

Both of them stopped for a short break.

Now Cecil came through, looking at some sort of map or blueprint or something and shaking his head.

"I don't know why it didn't work. The door to that room should have had alarms when Nico came through, warning us that he was trying to escape."

"Yeah, well, now we just need to find him."

Lou Ellen nodded her agreement.

"Maybe he climbed a tree...?"

They all looked up, and saw the treehouse.

No!

"Or maybe he climbed into the treehouse?"

"Let's check. And if not, then at least we found a treehouse." Cecil said, grinning.

I wanted to scream at them to not check the treehouse but I figured that would just signal that I was here. So I stayed quiet.

I looked around to see if there was anything to hide behind.

There was a couch...that could work.

As I hid behind it, I wondered why there would even be a couch in a tree house. I mean couches are heavy so it could make the treehouse fall (A/N: don't worry I'm not that mean).

"Woah..." Will said as he climbed through the door to the tree house. Lou Ellen just stayed silent, taking in the beauty of the treehouse.

Cecil spoke my thoughts, "Why is there a couch in here? I mean, it's a treehouse."

"Yeah, really. Why would someone do that? It's probably too heavy." Will said.

Lou Ellen got them both on task, ordering them to search everything.

They looked behind almost everything.

Everything but what I was hiding behind, the couch.

All eyes fell on it.

"He's back there, isn't he?" Will said.

"I bet so."

They cautiously walked over to the couch i was behind, Will on the left, Lou Ellen on the right, and Cecil ready to help whoever caught me.

Will saw me first, "hi Nico." He's said quietly.

Then Lou Ellen saw.

But neither of them could fit through. I was practically a skeleton and even I could barely fit through, meaning they definitely couldn't.

They resorted to try to convince me that staying with them wouldn't be so bad.

"C'mon, it'll be fine. If you come with us, you'll get fed properly and your dad won't be there."

"We can play games at Wills house."

I wouldn't move.

Next they tried to push the couch out of the way, but it was too heavy.

"Nico if you don't come with us I'll tell your dad where you are." Lou Ellen tried.

I tensed, but didn't move. Me getting hurt was better than them getting hurt.

But then Will thought of something that he knew would get me out.

"If you don't come out, I'll tell your dad I kidnapped you."

I paled as I realized what he was saying. "No..." I whispered.

"I'll do it." He said, and as I looked up at him I knew he would. He would tell my dad and get hurt for me. If my dad knew what Will did...I shuddered.

I couldn't let that happen.

Slowly, I crawled from behind the couch. Will looked proud, and he took my hand and lead me out of the tree house and through the woods.

"How did you know that would work?" Lou Ellen asked.

"He told me, remember? He said he didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him."

"I wish I know him as well as you do." Lou said.

But I was having a mental breakdown inside. So, if I didn't do what they wanted and go with them, Will will get hurt. But if I go with them, Will is still going to get hurt.

There is no way to win this.

Will saw my frustration and whispered, just loud enough so only I could hear it, "It'll be okay, Nico."

I shook my head a little. Will sighed, but kept walking.

Soon we reached his house but it was getting dark, so Cecil and Lou said they had to go. We walked in and Will's parents still weren't there, which kind of surprised me because I thought Will would have a perfect life. Apparently not.

But then why was Will so happy all the time?

I guessed he was actually hurting. I guessed he wanted his family to be home. I guessed he used happiness as a shield just like I sometimes use anger.

But if his parents were here...that would also mean that I wouldn't be able to stay here and Will seemed determined that I do.

"You know you don't have to take care of me."

"I know, Nico. I want to take care of you."

"But why would you want to take care of me? I mean, really. Why would you want another mouth to feed, another person to house? Why would you want to make sure this person was healthy if you didn't have to? It's not like I'm amazing (A/N: amazhang) or famous or anything. I'm not even very nice. So why would you want to take care of me?"

"Well, one, I'm lonely. As you probably have noticed my family is never here. Two, you are amazing. Earlier, you could've just let me go to your dad and get hurt, but you didn't. You didn't want anyone hurt. Three, I-I" he sighed.
"C'mon. Let's go upstairs. We can watch a movie or something."

I noticed that he changed the subject, but I didn't say anything. I followed him upstairs, and closed the door behind me, allowing Will to lock it.

I flopped down on the bed, exhausted. Will laughed.

"You guys are exhausting." I stated, yawning.

"If by exhausting you mean awesome, then yes, we are." Will said. I rolled my eyes.

Will smiled, and for some reason I just had to smile, too.

Hey guys and gals! How'd you like the chapter? Comment please! Oh and also, the word count is: 2153