Chapter Text
Nico stood at the back of the bus, gripping a pole as he swayed with the movement of the road. The sunset bathed the interior in warm orange light, and the gentle bumps of the road made him feel oddly cozy. His thoughts drifted through the day’s mishaps: mismatched socks, a tie left undone until lunchtime, and a calculation error at work that had frustrated him more than it should have. Then his mind returned to the cute blonde guy he had seen on the way to work. Nico had wanted to say something, but when he saw that guy's smile, his tongue twisted into a knot. The bus came to a sudden halt, making Nico stumble forward. He caught himself in time and looked up to see a young blonde man step onto the bus. His heart began to beat rapidly. Was that the cute guy he saw this morning? Heat rushed to Nico’s face, and sweat formed on his forehead. The guy looked at Nico and smiled politely. Nico almost passed out on the spot. Gods, he is so cute! Nico squealed in his head. He realized he had been staring for too long and yelped. He quickly turned around and began to whistle a tune to himself and fidget with his hands.
“Hey, is that ‘I wish you love’ by Laufey?” asked a soft voice behind him. Nico paused and went silent. His body tensed up and froze. He reluctantly turned around. He met eyes with the blonde sitting only 2 chairs away from him.
“Uh, yes,” he replied quietly, trying to hide his embarrassment. He wished he could just disappear and crawl into a hole.
“Oh, I love Laufey!” said the guy, smiling, brighter than he had this morning. His face glimmered under the sunlight, and his eyes shone with joy. It looked like he could explode into glitter and stardust at any moment.
“Wow, I’ve never met anyone else who enjoyed Laufey’s music,” replied Nico, trying to keep the conversation going. He didn’t necessarily listen to Laufey; he just heard one of her songs at the mall once.
“Me neither! Omg, I seriously can’t believe it!” squealed the guy, practically jumping up and down in his seat. Nico couldn’t help but smile. He loved it when people shared their interests. He had been the same when he was younger, playing Mythomagic with all his friends. He began to get lost in his thoughts once again.
“Hey, wanna listen to music with me? I brought my wired headphones.” Nico didn’t react. He isn’t talking to me. Wait, is he? Nico looked up slowly. Just as he feared, the blonde guy was looking directly at him, headphones in hand. Oh shit. Nico felt heat rise to his face. He began to fidget with his hands once again.
“Oh, umm..sure,” he said hesitantly. He walked towards the boy and sat down awkwardly.
“Oh, I just realized–I haven't introduced myself! My name's Will!”
“Oh, yeah, my name’s Nico.”
“That’s a cool name! Anyway, is there any music you want to listen to? Or is it fine if I pick?”
“You can pick, I don’t mind.”
“Okay then! Here’s a headphone,” said Will, handing over one of his earbuds. He plugged them into his phone and clicked on a playlist. Nico wasn’t familiar with the music, but he knew that it wasn’t really his personal taste. He didn’t mind, though. He wasn’t paying much attention to the music anyway. The only thing that his mind could think of was the fact that he was this close to a super cute guy. Their shoulders were only a few inches apart, and their knees were really close as well. Nico’s heart was practically beating out of his chest. Minutes felt like hours. After a while, though, Nico didn’t mind it so much. He let his mind wander again. The sunset was almost gone, the smooth bumps of the bus comforted him, and the music felt pretty relaxing. He kinda wished that this moment could last forever. He was glad he bumped into this Will guy again. Some time passed, and he soon saw the last strip of orange disappear beyond the bus window. He began to feel the bus slowing down. He wished the route took a dozen more stops. For once, he didn’t mind the ride home taking