Awakened by the shrill ringing of the alarm, Nico woke up from what he thought was the best night of sleep he'd ever gotten. Unlike the other nights, nightmares didn't plague him and his peaceful dream had strangely consisted of lots of warmth and sunshine.

He checked his bedside clock. 6.30 AM. Huh, strange. That was the most he'd ever slept in a while. He got out of bed and stretched... And then he looked down at himself.

Hazel came rushing into the room as a very un-Nico like scream tore from his throat and he doved back under the covers shuddering.

"Nico! What's wrong? Is it the nightmares again?" Hazel cried out.

"My clothes! WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!"

She frowned. Clothes? She ripped the covers off him ignoring his cry of protest and seeing that he was only wearing a tshirt and his boxers, she gave a small shriek and threw the covers back on him while fanning her face.

"W-well, when we came back you were already fast asleep. So i supposed Will did it for you." Memories hit him like a brick. Will bringing him home, Will coming out to him and the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in Solace's car. Which meant that... OH GOD. Nico groaned and buried his head into his pillow.

Just then, his phone lit up with one new unread message. Grabbing it, he was met with this:

Hey there, Will here! You fell asleep in my car yesterday so I carried you home. I also took the liberty of undressing you (btw nice body but we have to fatten you up, doctor's orders) if you're wondering why you happened to be missing some clothes. Hope you didn't mind, but sleeping in clothes that tight isn't good for you anyway. Hope that you're feeling better too! Rest well:):):)
Love, Will
P.S. Your nice sister gave me your number.
P.P.S If you ignore me I'll just keep spamming your phone. HA. You're not getting away from me that easily di Angelo.

Will? Carried me home? UNDRESSED me?...Nice body?! And Hazel... Nico swiveled around to glare at her."Y-you gave him my number?!"

She grinned unfazed."Yeah! It's rare to see you get along so well with someone your age! He seemed like a good guy so- hey what's wrong?" The sudden realization that the hottest guy in the planet wants to keep in contact with him had caused a blush to diffuse into his cheeks, making him look like a ripe tomato. It reminded her of the time before she and Frank started dating...

A sudden thought occurred to Hazel. "Wait... brother, could it be that you... like him?" She had known about his preferences since a long time ago and he was grateful that she had accepted and supported him for it.

He tried to deny it."Me? And him? Ha you've got to be kidding me! Who would fall in love with that big pair of blue dreamy eyes with hair soft as silk and his sexy acce-" He interrupted himself by slamming his face into the wall.

She squealed,"OOOOH You totally like him! Im so happy for you brother!" She reached over and squeezed him tightly, laughing at his dazed expression from the wall slam.

"I've got it baaaad don't I," He groaned.

"Definitely!Why don't you ask him out?"

"Someone whom I just met?"

"Well, you could try being friends first."

Before he could say anything else, a still sleepy Frank trudged into the room interrupting the two siblings."Hey Nico, isn't it time for you to get to work?"

One glance at the clock and he bolted out of bed.

*at the amusement park*

"5 minutes!"

Nico tried not to fidget as Piper, his cousin Jason's girlfriend, did the last finishing touches of make-up which transformed him into a scary, yet attractive vampire.

"Seriously Nico, what happened today? You never got here this late before!" The make- up artist chastised him jokingly.

"Mmm sorry..." Her words didn't seem to have registered to him as he let out a half- hearted reply. He was still thinking about Hazel's words. Be friends, she had said. But how was he even going to interact properly with him when every brush of their hands make skeletal butterflies rise in his stomach? Lost in thought, Piper's next words pulled him right back into reality.

"So...who's the lucky guy?" She asked nonchalantly, still fixing his attire. He choked and Piper had to symphatetically pat his back a few times before he recovered. "W-what?"

"Oh c'mon Neeks! It is as clear as day that you've got it bad for someone. You're practically zoning out in your own little world and you have a blush on your face which is impossible to hide even under those thick layers of make-up. " She rolled her eyes.

He stuttered, trying to protest but gave up in the end. When it comes to love, no one can beat Piper. Bashfully, he stared down at the ground."Is it... Is it that obvious?"

She chuckled. This kid was too cute for his own good. "Only to me. Now hurry! You have one minute left before the haunted house attraction opens!" She quickly pushed him towards his place. As he took off, her last words echoed in his ears. "Just be yourself and everything will be fine!"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, unnoticed as he ran. He was lucky to have such supportive friends.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day passed without much excitement. Since he took the previous day off, he had to work particular hard that day with little rest.

As he leapt out from his hiding spot and sent another poor couple cowering in fear, he sighed inwardly. He was still distracted from thinking about ways he could text Will and seem casual.

Hey there Nico here! Nope too peppy.

Hey, it's Nico and Im totally not interested in asking you out for a date- No. Just... No.

Hey hot stuff! How would you like to come to my house and play tonight~~ ABSOLUTELY NOT. What was he even thinking?!

In the midst of his mental struggle, he failed to see an upcoming couple nearing his hiding spot. As a result, he jumped out at the last minute which added to the effect of the jumpscare.

"RAWRRRR-" A startled shout and a punch effectively(and literally) knocked the words out of his mouth. Nico felt something wet come out of his nostrils as he fell to the ground.

"OW!" He yelled out as pain blossomed in his face. Man, that person sure can pack a punch! Said person stood fretting over him."Oh no! Im so sorry I didn't really mean to- wait. Nico?"

That voice. He knew that voice. As his vision cleared and her tanned face swam into view, he gasped in surprise(and also pain)."R-reyna?"

No wonder the punch hurt like hell. The oncoming hug from her as she tackled him did too. He felt as though his ribs were going to crack from the pressure and strength she was using to squeeze him tightly. Finally realizing that he was choking for air, she quickly let him go.

The guy next to her, an unfamiliar face to Nico, chuckled and gestured towards him. "Hey Reyna! Maybe it would be best to get your friend to the infirmary first before catching up."

Even in the darkness, the trail of blood steadily flowing down Nico's nose was visible. "R-right. Ok then, let's go."

A very dazed Nico was thrown over Reyna's muscular shoulders as they went running through the dark, towards the light known as the infirmary.