Nico's POV

It's so dry sometimes, working at Newbury Comics, leaning against the counter as he watches teenage girls browse the records, flashing their Doc Martens and their cropped flower shirts just so everyone knows that they're the coolest. He blows out a sigh, drumming his fingers against the tile counter with the groove in the edge from where someone dropped their fake Goblet of Fire dragon's egg and it took a chip out of the whole thing. He glances out the door, watching the stream of people flowing past the door, laden down with shopping bags with aimless chatter between them. None of them eye the store so Nico turns to the counter, buffing out a smudge with his sleeve. 

"Hey, Leo," he calls, glancing around the display of cheesy coffee mugs to see Leo restocking the comic books, his hands moving at warp speed. "You need any help over there?" Leo barely glances over as he slips a handful of thin Spider-Man comics onto the shelves.

"Does it look like I need help?"

"I can get the ladder for you for when you need it."

"The ladder is five feet away."

"Still, maybe-"

"Nico, stay there," Leo says with a laugh. "Besides, I think they're going to need help soon." He nods at the two girls, flipping through the records, occasionally pulling one out and having lengthy discussions about the musicians, or the b-tracks, or the cover art. They very clearly have no concerns about time.

"Yeah, probably," Nico mutters, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the counter, fiddling with the buttons on his lanyard. He scans the wall of Funko Pop figures that take up the entire back, the displays of band tees and the Harry Potter stand that's constantly on display. There's nothing for him to do but stand, play with the buttons, make a new song with the sound of his fingertips on the counter. At least his manager will be happy.

The two indie girls are buying two indie girl records when a familiar mop of blonde hair walks by, his lanyard swinging around his neck as he scrolls through his phone, his steps slow and leisurely. Immediately Nico's attention turns from stuffing cash into the register to watching him walk down the hallway of the mall until he can no longer see even a flash of that sunkissed hair. "Did we give you enough change?" Indie girl one asks as Nico fights to catch another glimpse of the boy, begging the universe for just a flash of his khakis, his white converse.

"Huh?"

"Change?" Indie girl two asks, glancing at her friend and fighting to hold back giggles.

"Oh. Yeah, sorry." He crams the change into the drawer, his fingers shaking as he crumples the ones as he hands them their change, their records in a bag. "Have a nice day."

"You, too," Indie girl one says, giggling at her friend as they walk out of the store. Nico rolls his eyes, crossing his arms as he watches them walk out of the doors, and the store is empty.

"So." Leo meanders up to the counter, propping up his elbows and flashing Nico a cheeky smile. "You're complaining about being bored for your entire shift and when you finally have something to do, you're distracted." Nico rolls his eyes, rubbing out a nonexistent smudge on the counter and turning away from Leo.

"Don't you have comic books to restock?"

"Finished that. Now the only thing to do is bug you. Was it American Eagle boy again?" Nico feels his face flush but he rolls his eyes again, ducking underneath the counter to pull out the cleaning spray and the rag.

"Shut up."

"I'm going to take that as a yes." His smile softens. "You should talk to him."

"I should not talk to him. I just think he's cute, anyway. I don't even know him."

"Still." He reaches over the counter, patting Nico's shoulder and for one second there's a moment between them, something rawer and more emotional than their light, workplace friendship is used to. "You should talk to him." Nico blows out a sigh, hugging his chest and nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe." The three words are half-lies because he knows that he'll be too nervous to even say a word to American Eagle boy but still, the concept is nice to think about.

Will's POV

"You can go on your break, Will, if you want," Annabeth says from the register, calling over her shoulder from the register. There's a stack of pants that he's balancing on his shoulder and he gives one last push as he shoves them into the slot, wiping his hands on his jeans. "We're not busy." Will glances around the store, at the empty dressing rooms and the two boys browsing the sweatpants all the way across the room. The store carries that faint perfumey scent it always does, slightly too strong but not enough for anyone to complain. The displays are stacked, the jewelry swinging lightly from their hooks. The store has never been this dry. And Will could definitely go for a coffee. 

"Thanks," he says. Annabeth flashes him a smile as she fiddles with the card machine, frowning as it blinks red up at her. But none of that is Will's concern because he's already out the door, breathing his first breath of freedom that day.

His steps are quick as he leaves the store but once he's out he slows to a crawl, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his messages, his mom asking when he'll be home and Austin asking him to bring back a thing of pretzel bites. He rolls his eyes, going up through the two hundred messages in his group chat with his friends. The wave of shoppers part around him as he walks, their feet going twice the speed his are. They're harried, shopping around in a frenzy in a vain effort to hit every single store possible. For Will, it's different. For Will, the mall isn't an exciting experience, with stores to be explored. For Will it's the place he comes every day, works in every day, spends his summers in and desperately never wants to see again. So usually his attention is occupied by his phone when he walks, as he lets everyone else weave around him.

He looks up when he realizes he's passed Newbury Comis. His head snaps around and he pauses in the middle of the hallway, watching as the boy with the messy black hair rings in two girls buying records. His brow is furrowed as he crams cash into the register, slipping the records into the bags. From this angle, barely able to see him past the tee shirt displays in the window, he looks so natural, so effortless. He's not trying to look as good as he does as he hands the girls their bag, flashing them a smile but he does; his side profile smooth and soft, with the soft upturn of his nose, the fullness of his lips. Ever since he's laid eyes on Newbury comics boy he's been almost obsessed with that simple beauty, the way the lanyard swings around his neck, the sweet smile on his face when he thinks that no one's looking.

It's not like he'll ever get the courage to talk to Newbury Comics boy, though. He can't look at him without blushing so how on earth would he be able to walk into the store and start up a conversation without passing out on the spot. So he keeps walking as the short boy with wild black hair comes up to the counter, propping up his elbows and giving him a cheeky smile. It isn't worth pursuing, anyway. It's a passing attraction, nothing more.

The Starbucks is always packed so he passes it as he walks, turning around a corner to the tiny coffee shop that's almost always empty. "Hey, Will," Piper says, wiping it down with a clean rag. "You on your break?" Her hair is pulled back from her face in a half-up half-down style, her white shirt clean and simple, her smile sweet. The coffee shop is such a nice break from the hectic energy of the rest of the mall, and Will automatically feels himself relax.

"Yeah. Finally."

"You want your usual?"

"Yeah, thanks." He settles down in one of the soft armchairs scattered around the coffee shop, letting out a slow breath as he scrolls through his Instagram feed. He hears the cappuccino machine whirring and Piper humming along to the soft music that constantly plays through the coffee shop. It's the most calming atmosphere in the mall and he sinks into the armchair, relaxing into the material as the clock ticks his break away.

Nico's POV

"Hey, you wanna grab us some coffees?" Leo calls from across the store, his voice bouncing off of the walls.

"Don't yell in the store, idiot."

"There's no one here. Which is why you should go get us some coffees." Leo crosses his arms over his chest, towering five feet in the air on the top of the ladder as he changes the tee shirt displays.

"I already took my break."

"Come on, Nico. You won't even have to clock out, I won't tell anyone. I'll even pay for you." He hops down from the third step on the ladder and Nico winces; he swears he heard Leo's knees break but he bounds over to the counter, handing Nico a ten. "Come on, please?" He waves the money in front of Nico's face, a grin dancing across his lips. "I'm too lazy to go, but you look like you need to take a walk."

"Fine." Nico snatches the money out of the air, shooting Leo a glare. "Try not to destroy the store while I'm gone." He's pretending to be upset, but really, he could use a coffee. The store has been dry all day, and he's been doing his best not to fall asleep out of boredom at the counter. He shoves the money into his back pocket, his lanyard swinging at his neck as he walks purposely through the mall, slipping in between groups of teens and past old people who's canes clack on the tiled floor. He is grateful to be out of that store, with the stiflingly dry air and the two customers an hour, but if his manager finds out he's taking a coffee break without clocking out, she'll kill him.

He stops short of the tiny coffee shop at the edge of the mall when he sees American Eagle boy slouched in an armchair, a cappuccino sitting on the table in front of him as the glow of his phone lights up his face. He's about to turn around, go to the Starbucks just a few stores down from the Newbury Comics when Piper spots him, her face lighting up. "Hey, Nico. Coffee run?" American Eagle boy's head shoots up and his face pales in unison with Nico's and suddenly, Nico realizes that they both want to bolt because teenage boys have never been good with talking to cute people, and now isn't the time they're going to start.

"Uh, yeah." He flashes a nervous smile at American Eagle boy and he returns it, slightly trembling hands wrapping around his cappuccino and taking a sip. "Could I get a triple espresso with extra cream and sugar, and a mocha latte?"

"Did Leo send you?" Piper asks as she rings in their order, smiling softly at the computer screen.

"Yeah." Nico laughs gently, eyeing American Eagle boy from the corner of his eye. Piper looks in the direction that Nico is, a knowing smile on her face.

"He's cute."

"Uh, I guess." Nico feels his face heat up and he shoves the money at Piper, his hands shaking. "If you like boys."

"Which you do."

"I guess." He swallows hard as Piper's smile widens and she hands Nico the change for the coffees.

"You know, I think it's gonna be a minute or two on your coffees. Why don't you take a seat over there?" She nods at the other seat at Will's table and Will glances up, his cheeks beet red. He takes another sip of his cappuccino before wiping a line of foam off of his upper lip.

"The entire store is empty."

"Will, can Nico take that seat while he waits for his coffee?"

"Sure." American Eagle boy, Will, busies himself with his cappuccino, glancing over the top of it at Nico. He clearly thinks that he's subtle, but he's so far from subtle that Nico almost has to laugh. Maybe he isn't as intimidating as he looks. Maybe he's just another teenage boy, just like Nico. Maybe he can actually hold a conversation.

He takes a seat in the armchair across from American Eagle boy. Will. Nico has to stop calling him American Eagle boy in his head. He flashes Will a smile and Will turns off his phone with a click, smiling back. "You like coffee here, too?" Nico asks, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

"Yeah. Starbucks is too-"

"Too busy, yeah." Will's mouth parts and he tilts his head, his eyes glittering. They're this beautiful blue color, the color of the ocean, the color of the sky. Nico never would have noticed the color of his eyes if he had never sat down, had kept admiring him from afar. "You work at Newbury comics, right? I think I've seen you around." Nico's heart beats against the wall of his chest and his head suddenly feels lighter because that means they've been noticing each other. Watching as one walks through the halls of the wall, peers into respective stores to see if the other one is working. Suddenly, a date with Will doesn't seem so impossible after all.

"Yeah. You work at American Eagle?"

"Yeah." Will holds his cappuccino to his chest, staring down at the dot of foam sitting atop the white plastic cap. "Weird to me that we haven't talked before. I see you almost every day." Nico's heart is spinning a bit because he's definitely flirting at this point, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. There's a tiny smile on his face, one that makes his eyes sparkle.

"It's been fun," Nico says as Piper brings over the coffees, a tiny smiley face drawn on his mocha latte in black sharpie that threatens to bleed through the paper cup. "We should do it again sometime."

"I'm off at 6."

"Me, too." Nico is breathless because he can't believe he's actually talking to Will, having a real conversation. "You wanna meet at the food court? I consider Panda Express with sixty-four-ounce soda to be fine dining."

"It's the best there is. Food court at six?"

"Food court at six," Nico says, standing up. The coffees weigh heavy in his hands and even though five minutes ago he was a nervous, sweaty mess, there's nothing that he wants to do more than stay. But Leo is waiting for him at the store, expecting his triple espresso and probably wondering what's taking him so long. "Anyway, I gotta head back."

"It was nice talking to you," Will says, subtly leaning forward in his chair. Nico bites his lip, smiling down at the floor.

"It was nice talking to you, too." He gives Will a tiny wave and as he walks out of the coffee shop he catches Piper's eyes. They're shining, her smile wide and she flashes him a knowing look as he slips out of the shop, rolling his eyes as he turns back into the busier portion of the mall. Piper was so clearly smug about pushing their relationship; Nico could see it in the way she crossed her arms over her chest, the way her smile only grew wider as the flush spread across his cheek. And he'll act annoyed at her for a day or two as he gets his usual coffee, picks something up for Leo. But he's glad, grateful that someone finally pushed them together, and he thinks she knows it.

Hi guys, I hope you liked it!

Nina