Nico's POV

When Nico saw the boy from the house across from his gently rap on the window with a breeze playing with his golden hair and a smile twinkling in vibrant blue eyes, he could feel his heart pounding at the walls of his chest. He plastered on a smile to hide the nervous energy pumping through his veins, stepping over the wooden floorboards to pull up the window to greet the boy. 

"Hi," he said with a nervous smile, giving a small wave. "I'm Will." Will. The name sent shivers running down Nico's spine, as if it were a gorgeous song or the sound of rain pattering against glass late at night. 

"I'm Nico," Nico said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pajama shorts and giving a soft smile. As his fingers twirled the old candy wrappers he had shoved into his pockets after a late night snack and as they brushed up against the coarse fabric of the shorts, Nico was reminded of how shabby and rundown he must look. Will stood in front of him in a pale blue shirt that made his eyes sparkle like diamonds with his hair casually blown into the perfect position by the window dancing through the night. He looked like a prince. Nico probably looked like he had just rolled out of bed. Subconsciously he patted down the rat's nest on top of his head, his black hair dangling messily in his eyes. 

"I've never seen you here before," Will commented. "And I'd know, trust me. I've been coming here my entire life." Nico laughed, a real, genuine laugh but it sounded fake and he shut his mouth, a blush coloring his cheeks. 

"My parents sent me up here to stay with my grandmother for a month," he explained. "We live in kind of a big city, and they thought it would be good for me to get away a while."

"You probably find it boring, don't you?" Nico shrugged and Will laughed. It was a gentle laugh, a soft laugh, but somehow it was the happiest sound Nico had ever heard in his life. "Don't worry, everyone here does. But there are good parts about being here. The only problem is finding them." Will scratched the back of his head, glancing down and back up at Nico. His cheeks were bright pink as he gave Nico a smile. "So I thought since you're new here, and you're going to be here a month, I'd give you a little unofficial tour. It might be nice for you to have some places to go." He paused once more, chewing on his words before speaking again. "I mean, if you don't want to go off with someone you just met that's fine, obviously-"

"No, no I'd love to!" Nico said, cutting Will off, almost too quickly. "Do I need to bring anything, or-"

"Shoes, probably," Will said. "You're going to want shoes. But you won't really need anything. Not like money, if that's what you meant." Nico nodded, bending over to lace up his black high-tops. On a whim he tucked his sketchbook into his pocket. It was small, far too small to be a burden. And he liked having it with him. Even if he wasn't going to use it, it was nice.

"So, where do we go first?" Nico asked as soon as he had climbed out of the window to join Will. The way the breeze seemed to pick up Will's hair was mesmerizing and he watched as it swirled around his head like a halo, little blonde curls afloat. 

"It's a little bit of a walk," he said, bouncing on his feet. "It's one of the best places to know about, though." He seemed nervous but somehow his smile was calming and it made Nico's limbs un-tense and a small smile spread across his face. "Come on, follow me."

The road was dark as the walked, lit only by the occasional dull, flickering streetlamp but Nico could still hear the sound of feet on pavement and the waves crashing against the sandy beach. He could hear chirping in the woods, owls hooting and, somewhere far away a howl at the full moon that sent shivers down his spine. Next to him he could make out Will's blurry figure as if a child had taken a piece of chalk and sketched him out, slightly smudged at the edges. It was different from the city, where you were surrounded by lights and smells and people. Here it was quiet, and Nico liked that. 

"So," Will said after a few minutes. "Where are you from?"

"New York City," Nico replied. 

"Do you like it?" Nico shrugged. 

"It's alright, I guess. I like it here, though. I'm not really into the loud scene. I like the quiet." Will let out a soft chuckle. 

"You might not like this first place, than."

"Why?" 

"It's kinda a party scene," Will explained, pointing ahead of them. "It's right over there." When they turned the corner Nico could make out what appeared to be an old wooden house with boards falling from the sides and shattered glass hanging by a thread from the windowsill. But while it had clearly been abandoned for years there was music booming from the walls and strobe lights lit up the night, sending streaks of pinks and purples into the night sky. "It's a pretty popular hangout spot," Will explained. "Summer hookups, any kind of drink imaginable, it's all in there. Parties happen just about every night. None of the adults know this house is still being used, which makes it pretty ideal. But I feel like you're not the partying type?" 

"Parties make me nervous," Nico admitted. "I'm more of a one person hangout kind of guy."

"Yeah, me too," Will said. "My siblings will come here sometimes but for the most part, I'm never here. We can hang out with eachother, though. I have basically no one here." A flash of yellow caught Will's face and Nico could see his illuminated smile, bright, happy eyes. They made Nico's heart soar. 

"Yeah," he said softly. "We have eachother."

"I have a feeling you're going to like this place better," Will said, leading Nico away. "You like ice cream, right?"

"Is that even a question?" Will laughed and it was that sound again, the perfect sound that was filled to the brim with happiness.

"Come on, it's not far from here."

As they walked the sound of pounding music faded behind them and soon the house was a patch of glowing neon light in the distance. Will spoke as they walked, about his ever-present love for the city, about his friends in California, about his coming out story. Nico smiled as Will spoke, his voice washing over him like the waves beneath them. Will's voice was buoyant and bouncy, the light in his eyes shining even through the darkness. Nico loved hearing him talk. "So, what about you?" Will asked, turning to Nico. "Your likes, dislikes, friends. I'm taking you on this long tour in the middle of the night and I barely know anything about you." Nico shrugged. 

"I've got friends," he said. "They're nice. I hang out with them and they're great people, but somehow they're not special. And I love the beach. But not the really crowded beach, you know? I like the beach at sunset or at night, with the fires with your favorite people by your side." Will grinned. 

"You're going to like it here, than," Will said. "And you can always visit me in California, and I could visit you in the city. I can have hot dogs right off the street when I visit you. And at night when you visit me we can go to the  beach and make fires and roast marshmallows."

"That sounds great." 

Will craned his neck, staring at something in the distance. "There it is!" he said, a grin splitting his face. "Come on!" He took off running and after a few seconds Nico followed, the air cool on his skin as his feet beat against the pavement. He could feel his hair flying behind him as his legs pumped to catch up with Will. 

Will skidded to a halt next to an old building, covered in chipped white wooden boards with a rusted slat of metal covering the open part of the shaft. "Here we are!" Will announced, holding out his arms to showcase the building. He must have seen the look on Nico's face because his hands dropped but the glimmer in his eyes stayed. "It doesn't look like much, I know, but in July, when all the vacationers are here this place is packed. It's a snack shack, and they sell everything. We can go here sometime when it opens up. Their grilled cheeses are to die for, and they make fresh lemonade every day and it's ice cold. But that's not why we're here." 

"Why are we here?" 

"Come on, I'll show you." Will led Nico to the back of the shack, an array of vending machines lining the wall. He rummaged around in his pocket, pulling out a handful of quarters. "Ice cream vending machine," he grinned. "It's a cooler, too, so it doesn't melt. When the shack isn't open everyone comes here. They're open all year round." Nico stepped over to peer into the glass, curling black wire holding in eclair bars, drumsticks and character popsicles, staring at him with gumball eyes. "So, what do you want?" 

"Do you want me to pay you back?" Nico asked, looking up at him. "I have money at my grandmother's house, I just thought that since you didn't say to bring anything-" 

"No, no, I'm paying for you," Will said, slipping six quarters in and letting a strawberry eclair bar fall to the bottom of the machine. "So, what do you want? Everything's a dollar fifty." 

"You're sure?" Will rolled his eyes. 

"Yes, I'm sure. Pick out an ice cream."

"I'll take the spongebob popsicle," Nico said, blushing. Will smirked as he slid the quarters into the machine. 

"You're like a five year old." 

"Shut up!" Nico laughed. Will grinned as he swooped down, grabbing Nico's popsicle. 

"Don't worry, I won't judge you. Come on, there are picnic tables over here. We can sit and eat."

Will was smiling as he ate, a dash of ice cream on his upper lip. "So, your notebook." Nico froze.

"Yeah?" 

"What's in it?" Nico chewed on his lip, his fingers dancing across the black cover. He wasn't nervous to show his drawings. He was confident in his art skills, in the way his pencil seemed to capture a single moment on paper. It was simply what the drawing was of that made his nervous. 

"Just drawings, you know?" 

"Can I see?" Nico was wracking his brain for a clever response. Sorry, It's just that I'm really self conscious about my art. There's nothing in there right now, this one's new. My baby sister scribbled all over my drawings right before I left, they're just a mess right now. But then Nico looked up into Will's face, his sky blue eyes and his crooked grin and suddenly, he wanted Will to see what he had drawn. He needed something special in his life and if Will liked the drawing, he could be Nico's special. 

"Yeah," Nico said, pulling the notebook out of his pocket with shaking hands.  He flipped past landscapes and portraits of his family, smoothing it out once he got the picture he was looking for. "This is my latest one." Will tugged the journal closer to him, eyes widening once he spotted the glimmer in the eyes of the boy on the page, the windblown curly blonde hair. 

"This is me," Will grinned. "This is me! How did you draw me so perfectly?"

"You've got one of those faces," Nico said. "It's unforgettable. I saw you once and your face was stuck in my brain. I could remember every detail." 

"Well, it's beautiful." Their heads were bowed over the drawing, Will's fingers tracing every individual freckle dotting his nose. "I love this." Their foreheads brushed together, their noses touching and when they looked up their lips were inches apart. When Will pressed his lips to Nico's, it was as if a million fireworks had exploded inside of his head. He could feel Will's chapstick, taste the remnants of the strawberry ice cream. At one point they caught each other's gaze and Nico was staring into a sea of blue, stretching as far as the eye could see. He could feel every molecule of Will's being on his body, each eyelash against his skin. When they broke apart there was a dazed look on Will's face as if he had just been among the stars. 

"I've had a lot of great summers here," he said breathlessly. "But I think this one's going to be the best one yet." He was smiling as he stood up, devouring the rest of his ice cream in a single bite and tossing the stick into a rusted tin trash can a few feet away. "So, are you done yet?" 

"Is there a rush?" 

"No, but there are a few more places to get to. Two, to be exact."

"What are they?" 

"You'll just have to see," said Will, a devilish grin on his face. "So, are you done yet?" Nico rolled his eyes, taking one last bite out of spongebob's head before tossing the legs away. 

"Lead the way." 

Will pulled him with the force of a golden retriever puppy, glancing back occasionally with a wild gleam in his eyes. It had only been two days but that gleam, the one that could only mean good things, was becoming Nico's favorite sight in the world. 

They climbed up rocky foothills in the dark, scrambling for their footing as they ascended higher and higher into the sky with the stars just out of reach. When they could see the top Nico's eyes widened as the shapes of dozens upon dozens of tiny green dots began to come into view, lighting up the night sky. Nico felt his jaw drop as they stepped onto the cliff, the luminous green glow highlighting the miniscule bodies of fireflies. "It's like a fairy tale," Nico whispered, reaching up his hand so that it was surrounded with the fireflies, each one broadcasting their light onto his hand. It reminded him of the party house, with its neon lights but somehow on the top of the cliff with so many fireflies surrounding them, it felt ten times more special. 

"I thought you'd like it," Will said. "Beautiful, isn't it? Most people don't know about this place. We can come up here a lot, every night if you'd like. I've been coming here for ten years and it never fails to amaze me." With pebbles underneath their feet and green light surrounding them they stood in silence, their hands intertwined and eyes full of stars. "You ready to go?" Will asked, turning to Nico after what could have been five seconds or five hours. Nico nodded, turning back the way they came. 

"This way?" he asked, pointing at the trail they had just hiked up. Will shook his head, pulling off his shirt. 

"This way." He pointed over the cliff, at the water crashing up against the rock. It was opaque in the darkness, the reflection of the moon hovering at the horizon like a mirage. 

"Will?" 

"It's only thirty feet," he said. "I've done in dozens of times, trust me. It's safe." Nico pulled off his shirt and let his sketchbook drop on top of it, suddenly self conscious about his scrawny form next to Will's toned abs. Will didn't seem to mind, his toes curling over the edge of the cliff as he stared into the water. "I wouldn't lead you into danger, I promise," he said, turning to Nico. "Are you comfortable with this?" Nico stared at the rippling water, nodding. "Watch me." Will backed up slowly, shaking out his limbs before breaking into a sprint, tugging his legs up to his chest as he leapt off of the edge of the cliff, body growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely into the inky abyss. Nico waited anxiously until he spotted Will's head bob up and he flashed Nico a thumb's up. "Come on!" he yelled, his voice lost in the night. Nico couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from the water, seemingly impenetrable. He couldn't see five feet into it but when his eyes fell upon Will's smiling face, his hair plastered to his head, he couldn't seem to ignore him. 

When Nico backed up to take his jump his heart was pounding. It was scary, the thirty foot leap into the depths of the sea but Will was down there and every second was precious so without even realizing it he had taken off, feet pedaling against the ground until there was no more ground underneath him and he was falling, falling, falling to the sea. 

The initial shock of cold made his eyes fly open, his cheeks puffed up to conserve his air as he stared at his surroundings. There was nothing but a deep blue, deeper than any blue Nico had ever seen in his life. It closed around him, making his world nothing but the same shade of blue. He pushed himself up, his head breaking the surface of the water and as he stared up at the hundreds of stars twinkling above him he drew in a breath, letting it fill his lungs. "So?" Will asked, swimming up to him. "How was it?" 

"Amazing," Nico grinned. "Absolutely amazing." 

They floated on their backs as the stared at the stars like diamonds, their hands keeping them together as the waves rocked them gently back and forth. The water was cold but in the pleasant summer night air and with Will so close he was warm, warm and happy. They didn't speak, the silence to thick to break so they let the quiet take them over. It was enough, just being together. They didn't need words to make it memorable. 

"What do we do?" Nico asked finally, turning his head to Will. "When I have to go back. We live across the country. And this has been amazing. I can't not see you again." 

"We'll work it out," Will promised. "Plenty of people make long distance work- we can, too. And there are planes and trains and busses, we can visit. I do love the city." 

"And I love the beach," Nico said with a soft smile. 

"And there's always the summer," Will continued. "Come visit your grandmother every summer, I'll be here. But for now, don't worry about it. We have time." Some sort of tension released from Nico's body, tension that he didn't even know he had. 

"Yeah. We have time." There would come a day where they would have to say goodbye, there would be a time where it would be months until they saw each other face to face in person again. But there was time, as Will had said. So they used their time floating in the smoky water, hand in hand covered by a blanket of stars. 

Hi guys, so I didn't have time to look that over so I hope it's okay. Also, I almost had a heart attack at one point because I thought Wattpad deleted 2,700 words but I got them back. Anyway, I hope you liked that one!

Nina