"Guys…? Guys?"

Will swiveled around, desperately looking for his friends in the dark. No one was in his immediate vicinity, and it was so dark, Will couldn't see past three feet in front of him. He was all alone in this scary haunted house that he didn't even want to go into in the first place.

Typical.

He was going to kill Cecil for dragging him in here and then deserting him.

For now, he would have to somehow find the exit without collapsing in fear or breaking through walls in panic. He took a few steps forward, hand tentatively reaching out to maybe feel a wall or something. Instead, a masked monster popped out of the shadows and Will screeched, stumbling backwards. He bumped into someone, presumably from the group behind him, and latched on immediately.

"Oh my gosh please help me," he pleaded, still staring at where the monster slunk back into the darkness.

The boy that Will was currently clinging to chuckled and said, "Not a fan of haunted houses?"

Will turned to look at his savior, making out few features in the low light of the room. The boy looked about his age, with dark hair and dark eyes. He didn't seem scared, the gentle smile on his face bringing Will comfort. Normally, he would never trust a stranger so quickly. But, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Absolutely not. My friends dragged me in here and then left me." Will glanced around them. "Did you come in here alone?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I actually also got separated from my friends. But I liked haunted houses, so it's not so bad for me."

"Oh!" Will was starting to feel better about his situation. "Then let's find the way out together! You can enjoy all the scary things and I'll just hide behind you."

The boy laughed, an angelic sound in this mad banquet of darkness. "Sure thing, blondie. Though I think your hair and your smile will give you away. You're practically glowing in here."

Will felt heat rush to his cheeks. Did he just say Will had a glowing smile? "Um," he replied eloquently.

The stranger continued, saving him from embarrassment. "I'm Nico, by the way."

"Will." They shook hands, and Will tightened his grip before Nico could let go. "Yeah, I'm just going to hold this to minimize the risk of losing you. I refuse to go through this alone."

Nico blinked at him, then laughed quietly, shifting their grip so it was more comfortable. "Sure thing. Don't worry," Did he just wink at me? "I'll protect you."

Will might have been losing it, or maybe it was some form of hero worship, but he was definitely falling for the dark stranger that found him in the depths of the haunted house.

They walked hand-in-hand through the turning corridors, Nico pulling Will along. Nico endured most of the jump scares, though he laughed immediately after. Some monsters waited to get Will, which only caused him to shriek and press closer to Nico's back. At one point, Will was basically hiding his face in Nico's hoodie, holding onto him for dear life. He could feel Nico softly chuckling, the sound reverberating through his chest. It brought Will comfort for the three seconds of peace he had before the next scare.

They eventually made it out, Will pushing Nico forward once the exit was in sight. They burst through the open door, Will letting go of Nico's hand for the first time since grabbing hold of it, only to fling his arms out at the open sky and gentle breeze.

"Oh, thank goodness. I'm alive. We're alive." He took several dramatic gulps of air, putting a hand to his chest to feel his heart still pounding. He twirled in place to find Nico watching him with a fond smile. He rushed up and threw his arms around him, squeezing tightly when he felt tentative hands come up around his back. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You literally saved me back there."

Nico's breath ghosted past Will's ear, making him shiver. "No problem. That was actually a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise."

Will pulled back enough to see the boy's face and pouted. "You mean because you got to laugh at my screaming."

Nico's smile stretched into something more akin to a smirk, his eyes glinting mischievously in the moonlight. "Maybe," he said.

The blonde rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and took a step back, dropping his arms back to his side. He felt a little sad to think that he may never see Nico again, after going through all that and really exposing himself as the scaredy cat he is.

But then again, why did it have to end here?

"So," Will started, a hand reaching up to rub his neck nervously. "Got any plans? I'm kind of down for some ice cream. My treat, to repay my knight in shining armor." He smiled, hoping the dark of the night hid his blushing cheeks.

Nico tilted his head, considering. He smiled and opened his mouth to reply when someone interrupted him.

"Will!" Cecil waved his arms as he ran up to him. "Dude, where did you go? We totally lost you in there!"

Will glared at his best friend. "You jerks left me behind." He turned a nose up at him. "Nico here had to come in and save me. So now I'm taking him out for ice cream and leaving you all behind." He quickly looked to Nico. "If you wanted to, that is."

Cecil looked to the stranger, bewildered. Nico only laughed and said, "I'd love to."

"Bu—" Cecil started, but Will cut him off.

"Nope, I don't care." Will looped his arm through Nico's like it was natural, and maybe it kind of was after the whole haunted house adventure. "You tell Lou Ellen and the others that you're all poops."

Cecil put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Will, so scathing."

Will turned and pulled Nico away without replying. The dark-haired boy laughed again, which was starting to become Will's favorite sound. "'Poops'? You really cut them deep there, huh?"

"You bet I did." Will turned to Nico with a smile. "Now, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

A/N: I call people poops, it's a very serious insult.