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Will had made two mistakes when he left his dorm to explore somewhere that wasn’t his college campus. The first mistake was not knowing where he wanted to go. The second was not charging his phone before he left.
Walking aimlessly around New York was less than ideal but Will was sure he could find his way back to campus— he just needed to find that one corner shop. He definitely knew the way from there. Under different circumstances the busy city might’ve been the perfect backdrop for a new chapter in his life. As of right now he was being suffocated by the crowds of people and overwhelmed by the loud atmosphere. His earbuds died about 20 minutes ago, not like he would’ve used the last 5% on his phone to listen to music. He wanted to use it for directions to get back to his dorm but he wasn’t getting any signal.
He decided that he was going to just pick a direction and stick to it until he reached a recognizable location. He hoped acting like everything was fine would work out eventually. This attitude had worked with his math tests, so why not now.
Will was taking note of every street sign and building he passed. A Dunkin Donuts, another corner store, the 5th local coffee shop—
Something running into his shin dragged him out of his head.
At first he jumped and almost instinctively kicked whatever had touched him. But when he looked down he saw a small french bulldog at his feet. The dog was barking excitedly at him, putting both of his paws on Will’s right leg so he could stand. The dog has a thin black collar so Will briefly looked around him, trying to find a possible owner.
When he didn’t see anyone he tried to move off to the side so he didn’t block the sidewalk. He ended up walking next to the door of a local shop trying to keep the dog’s attention so it would follow him. Once they were off the walkway Will knelt to the ground to check the dog’s collar for a phone number or address.
There was a worn silver tag on the front of the dog’s collar. The front read, Cerberus. An awfully tough name for such a tiny dog. He flipped the tag over only to see that the address had been rubbed off. Thankfully the owner’s name was still visible.
If Lost Return to: Nico di Angelo
Suddenly Will heard a slamming door and boots quickly hitting the floor. His head shot up. The source of the noise was a black haired boy, looking quickly from side to side.
In seconds his hard stare zeroed in on Will only to immediately soften when he saw the dog at Will’s feet. He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the blonde.
“Are you Nico di Angelo?” Will asked once the boy was in earshot.
“Yes, and you have my dog.” Once Cerberus caught sight of his owner he ran right up to him, barking excitedly, “Thanks for keeping him safe.”
“It’s no problem, I wasn’t in a rush and he’s way too small to be alone out here. He could’ve gotten lost in a crowd or run out into the road.”
“Yeah we’re usually more careful,” Nico gaze carefully inspects every part of Will’s face.
“How did he get out?”
“Uhm my stepmom thought he was asleep and propped the door open so she could grab something from her car, he bolted pretty quick,” Cerberus had moved back to Will and began licking his shoe.
“Oh my god,” Will laughed out bending down to pet the dog, “He’s adorable.” Nico shook his head in agreement as a small smile played on his lips.
“Where’re you headed?”
“Uhm down the street,” Will gestured with his head, “I’m heading back to my dorm.”
“Where do you go?” Nico furrowed his brows.
“NYU,” he responded absentmindedly, Cerberus had captured all his attention.
“Really? Because NYU’s campus is in the other direction.”
Will paused before getting up to look Nico in the eyes. “I may have forgotten to mention that I'm a little lost,” he admitted embarrassed.
Nico let out an amused huff, “Well let me get his leash and we’ll walk you back.”
“Oh you don’t have to do that—”
“If I don't, I doubt you’ll make it home tonight.” Nico’s statement left no room for argument. “Where’re you from? Because I know it’s not anywhere near here.”
“A small town in Texas, so very different from here.” They both started walking to the store Nico had run out of.
“Definitely,” he seemed amused at the idea of Will wandering New York aimlessly, “what’re you studying?”
“Biology going pre-med,” the response was practiced after being asked the question a million times over the past two weeks, “are you going to NYU too?”
“Yeah, anthropology major,” the door chime went off as they walked through the door and Cerberus sprinted to his dog bed near the register. “What made you go so far?”
“Just wanted a change of pace I guess, and the scholarship money helped.” He leaned against the wall of the store while Nico went behind the counter.
“Hm,” he hummed in acknowledgement while grabbing Cerberus’ leash, “You’re smart enough for a scholarship but not smart enough to use Google Maps?”
“I—” Will stammered, “My phone died.” Nico had begun writing a note on a scrap of paper, lightly pursing his lips in concentration. He paused his writing to grab something from the drawer next to him. Will debated walking closer to get a better view but before he could Nico tossed the item, Will just barely catching it.
“It’s a battery pack, fully charged.” Nico resumed writing his note.
“Oh thank you, I’ll give it back before—”
“Nah don’t worry about it, you found my dog.” Nico recapped the pen he was using and placed the pencil holder atop the note as a paper weight. “Now next time you decide to go out your phone won’t die on you.”
“Yeah I probably should’ve charged it before I left,” Will admitted, plugging in his phone.
“Mhm,” Nico walked out from behind the counter, leash in hand, “Cerberus!” He immediately ran over to the call of his name. Nico securely clipped the leash to his collar. “Alright, let’s start walking before it gets dark.”
The walk back was almost serene, a comfortable conversation and Cerberus’ occasional barking made the sea of people less overwhelming. They talked about their families, complained about professors, and discussed the newest Mythomagic cards all while Cerberus led the way. Will had originally wanted to pay attention to his surroundings on the way back so he could learn where he was supposed to go, but the only thing he could think about while walking was Nico.
“Here we are,” Nico’s face had turned slightly pink, Will assumes he’s out of breath from the long walk.
“Thanks for walking with me,” Will said with a smile
“Thanks for saving my dog, we’re even.”
“Actually, could I get your number? Maybe you could show me around so I don’t get lost next time,” he laughed and pulled out his phone.
“I might have to, what would you do without me?” Nico took Will’s phone and typed his number in. “You’re lucky Cerberus likes you.”