WPOV

I walked along the dimly lit street, blasting Cavetown's cover of I Can't Help Falling in Love with You through my headphones. This was the best mood I've been in since I could remember.

Nico and I kissed. We're a couple now. The thought brought so much joy with it.

I like Nico.

He likes me back.

It's like some gloriously cliché romance movie.

Except it was better than that. I didn't have to pretend the way actors did, because I knew that Nico was kind and considerate and strong all at once. He might not see it when he looks in the mirror, but I definitely do when I look at him. He's more than I could ever ask for.

I hummed along to the music as I turned down another road, heading back towards the school. I didn't know how to get home from Nico's street, so I decided that it'd be easier for me to go to the school and take my usual way, instead of spending a bunch of time looking up directions on my phone. It was already late, and although it wasn't a long walk, I didn't want to spend anymore time than I had to.

But then I noticed the streetlights were being reflected by something on the ground, causing a glint in the grass.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I put my headphones away and bent down to find out what it was. On the ground I saw a plastic skull ring, which had a metallic, silver gloss. It looked like it was made to fit a child, kinda like the rings you can get out of a bubblegum machine for a quarter. And about a foot away from where the ring was, I saw a figurine of what I recognized as a Mythomagic character.

I picked both of them up and spent a long time debating what I should do. Some kid probably lost them while they were playing.

I was still close to Nico's neighborhood, I could go back to his house and see if him or his sister knew who they belonged to. I convinced myself to do that, even though the chance of them knowing was slim to none.

Let's be honest, I just wanted another excuse to talk to Nico.

I turned around and made my way back up the sidewalk. I was going to hate myself for staying out this late tomorrow, since I wake up early on default, but Nico made it worth it.

I was too lazy to plug my headphones back in, so I walked in a silence that was only broken by the sound of my own footsteps and crickets chirping.

~

I got about three houses from Nico's when I saw it; A familiar black pick-up truck was parked in Nico's once-empty driveway.

I couldn't fight my panic as it washed over me, stopping me in my tracks and causing my heart to stutter. The owner of this truck was tied to a murder, a kidnapping, and probably a shit-ton of other charges I don't know about yet.

And the guy is inside with Nico and his family.

I remembered that I could do something. I sprinted down the street and up the front steps. Adrenaline pumped through me as I banged on the door, willing it to open. I was just preparing to break it down when it finally swung inwards.

Juniper had a mixed expression of concern, confusion, and relief when she saw me. "Oh, it's just you." She breathed, "What's wr-"

I stepped past her and into the house. Nico was standing in the corner, his brow furrowed. Two guys I didn't recognize stood up from where they were sitting on the couch. One had an eye patch, the other had a long scar across his face. They looked a few years older than me, with toned muscles and intimidating expressions.

I automatically pegged them as the guys with the truck.

"Who the fuck are you?" The one with the scar asked me.

I ignored him and crossed the living room over to where Nico was. I grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes, which were wide and confused. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I nudged Nico behind me, putting myself between him and who I saw as a threat.

"My mom is a police officer, the truck parked outside has been connected to a murder and a kidnapping." I spoke so all four of them could hear me, and I kept my eyes focused on the two strangers in case they tried anything. "I could call her, or you guys could explain yourselves."

The guy with the eye patch laughed. What was so funny?

"Relax kid, we aren't the guys you're after." He plopped back down on the couch and gestured for his friend to do the same. "I'm Ethan, this is Luke. We're friends of Nico and Juniper's."

"Explain the truck, then." I spat.

Luke cut in, with a smirk on his face, "I won it gambling last month. The license plate has been changed since then, but feel free to run it through any little system you want."

"How do I know I can believe you?"

"Because I was with Luke when he got it." Nico said from behind me, I turned to get a better look at him, and his eyes told me he was telling the truth, "Ethan and Luke may do some sketchy shit, but they aren't bad people. I promise."

"Alright." I nodded, because I knew I could trust him. I looked at the rest of the group. "I'm sorry for barging in and throwing around accusations."

"It's okay, you were only trying to help." Nico said, a small smile on his face.

I wrapped him in an embrace. He was startled by the sudden contact, but he seemed to melt into it. He was small enough for me to put my chin on the top of his head. It felt so right, holding him like that. "I was so scared.... I thought something happened to you."

"I'm fine," I heard him say, voice muffled against me. He paused and added, more to himself than me, "I'm always fine."

We stayed like that for few minutes, but someone eventually cleared their throat and we jumped away from each other. Nico's cheeks were a deep crimson and I'm sure mine were, too.

Ethan, Luke, and Juniper were all sitting on the other side of the room from us, exchanging looks amongst themselves. Ethan raised his hand.

Nico rolled his eyes, "What?"

"Are you guys a couple?"

Nico turned to me, his expression clearly asking, 'What do you want me to say?' I was the one who wanted to keep us a secret in the first place, even though Nico agreed to it. I decided that my friends and family probably never even met these guys before. The news wouldn't get around to anyone I knew, so I gave Nico a nod. If he wanted to tell his friends and his sister, I wasn't going to stop him.

Besides, they can probably already tell by the way we act around each other.

After our small exchange, Nico turned his attention to the group and sighed, "Yes Ethan, we're a couple."

Everyone grinned and turned away from Nico and I, excitedly talking over each other as they discussed our relationship. We stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do.

The room soon fell silent, the group satisfied with the gossip.

"Will, what are you even doing here?" Nico cringed at his own words, "Not that I don't want you here, because I do, but I thought you were heading back to your house?"

I smiled at him. He looked so worried about hurting my feelings, it made my heart swell. "I found a few things on the ground, I was wondering if you or Juniper knew who they belonged to."

I pulled out the trinkets and held them between us. Nico's eyes widened and became glassy. He quickly checked every pocket he had. When he found them all empty, he choked out, "T-they're mine."

I grabbed his hand that was dangling by his side, and I noticed it was shaking. I looked to Nico's face and a few tears were gliding down his cheeks, which he didn't bother to brush away. "Neeks?"

"I can't believe they fell out of my pocket. I lost them...."

I didn't know why this was such a huge deal to him, and I doubted that he'd tell me, but he was crying and I hated that he was so upset.

I took the hand that I was holding, which was in a tight fist, and opened it, revealing his palm. I pressed the ring and the figurine into his hand, then closed his fingers around it so that he was holding the pieces of plastic that were worth more than gold. I kissed his hand before I let go of it, softly around split knuckles.

He was still sniffling, trying his best to keep it together. I put my hands on both sides of his face and wiped the tears that escaped his eyes with my thumbs. "It's okay, Neeks. You didn't do anything wrong."

He gave me a shaky laugh, "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. You know that, right?"

"I feel better about it if I do."

I was still concerned, but I could tell he wanted the subject to drop. That was okay, he'd tell me when he wanted to. This was obviously really personal, a kink in his armor.

~

The rest of the group caught on and joked around like nothing happened with Nico and I, which I could tell he appreciated.

"How do you know about the murder and the kidnapping that you talked about earlier? You said your mom was the police officer." Luke asked me, and I thought I felt Nico stiffen.

I didn't want to say more than I had to, so I chose to dance around the subject. "I overheard her talking about it to her partner."

"What all do you know about it?" He leaned forward, "Sorry, I'm just curious."

"It's fine.... Um, basically two siblings were walking home from school a few years ago. One was shot and the other was kidnapped. The police reopened the case and are looking for the guy responsible."

Nico was fiddling with the ring and figurine, lost in thought, "How close are they to finding him?"

"I don't know, the police department is trying to keep it a secret. To help their chances of catching him?"

He nodded distractedly, "That sounds like a good plan."

"Are you free tomorrow?" I asked Luke. "I know the license plate is different, but I'm gonna bring the police down and see if they can get any information off the car itself."

"NO!" Luke, Ethan, and Nico shouted at once.

"Huh?"

It was Luke who elaborated, "That truck is packed with drugs.... I'd like to not get arrested."

I wasn't even surprised. I sighed, "Can you at least tell me who you won it from?"

"I can't remember his name. I can tell you that he was tall, pale, and blonde. Sorry I can't be more helpful, I was wasted."

"It's better than nothing, I guess."

I opened my phone to check the time. It was one in the morning, I had a ton of missed calls from my mom, and one text from her saying 'Since you decided to stay out all night, I'm going to bed. I have locked all the doors and windows. There's a blanket on the back porch which is where you get to sleep! I'll chew you out properly in the morning.'

"Guys," I said, interrupting Ethan, who was explaining one of his conspiracy theories to Juniper, "I need to get home, my mom is pissed."

"Us too." Luke said, standing up, "You need a ride?"

"That'd be awesome, thanks."

Nico spoke up, "I'll come. I wanna get out of the house for a little longer so...."

"Are you sure, Neeks? It's already pretty late."

"I'm sure."

"Great." Luke said. "Get your stuff and get in the truck. I'll drop you off first, Will. Then I'll drive here and bring Nico back."

A/N ~ THATS RIGHT PEOPLE I UPDATED THIS THING TWO DAYS IN A ROW

I have surprised myself with my own commitment haha. Honestly im just a tiny bit stressed out about school, so, instead of studying, I spent all day procrastinating on the internet. Woooooo

Quick thanks to my sister, actIsceneI, for helping me edit this thingamajig.

(And I've been having this weird craving for chicken nuggets?) (they aren't even that good?) (what's going on?)

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