Will's POV
His accent was thick and smooth as butter, his glossy hair falling over dark eyes that glittered with a quiet yet mischievous energy. Nico Di Angelo had been in his house for a week, living across the hall from him and yet, Will had yet to break the shell he surrounded himself with. The half of the summer that Nico was staying with them was ticking away, and Will was no closer getting to know him than he had been a week ago.
Will knocked gently on the guest room door, listening for any sounds of life. The only thing he could here were the faint sounds of Nirvana spilling out from under the door. It quickly shut off after Will knocked, the door cracking open and Nico's eyes peering out. "Hi," he said.
"Dinner's here," Will announced. "Mom ordered Dominoes." Nico slipped out of the door, shutting it tightly and giving Will a small smile. "And maybe after dinner, we could watch a movie? That is, if we can kick Kayla off of the tv. She's probably going to want to watch the newest episode of Seinfeld, but we can probably claim the tv after her."
"What movies do you like?" Nico asked as they thumped down the stairs.
"Well, I noticed you like Batman," Will said. "You know, your pillowcase?" A deep red blush colored Nico's face as they settled down at the small round table, two large pizza boxes and a two liter bottle of coke sitting on the weathered wood.
"I didn't know you saw that," Nico mumbled as he slapped a piece of cheese pizza onto a paper plate, grease staining where it hit down. "It's a little bit embarrassing, I guess. I'm a seventeen year old who still likes Batman."
"No, no, it's not embarrassing," Will said. "I love Batman. I've got a massive collection of comics up in my room, we can check them out if you want."
"You still like Batman?" Kayla laughed, coke splashing at the rim of her glass as she poured it from the bottle. "Batman's for five year olds."
"Hey, shut up," Will protested. "I love Batman. We're watching the movie after your show, if you want to join us."
"Nah, I'll pass," Kayla said. "I'll leave your nerdy life to you."
"Don't listen to her," Will said, turning to Nico. "While she's watching we can go up to my room and check out the comics? I've got some pretty cool ones I think you're going to like." Nico's smile split up his face.
"That sounds fun," he grinned. "I'm looking forward to it." Will hid his smile in his pizza. It had taken one shared interest, one light push and just like that, Will had broken the shell.
After stuffing their bodies with cheesy globs of pizza they raced upstairs and Will fell to his knees next to his bookshelf, pulling out the small drawer stuffed full with comics, the oldest tucked neatly in the back covered in thin sheens of plastic for protection. "Is this one of the first ones?" Nico gasped, carefully pulling out a comic from the back and gaping at the date. "1940? Is this an original copy?"
"One of my prized possessions," Will said, scooting up closer to Nico and watching as he pulled it out of the plastic covering and flipping it open to the first page, fingers dancing across the ragged paper. "It's the one where Robin was once introduced. It's just so cool, seeing the two of them come together. It's like the origin story but for a team, instead of just one person."
"You know, you're a really cool person," Nico said as he turned the page with the utmost care. "I'm glad I met you."
"I'm glad I met you, too," Will said, resting his back on the bookshelf. "Have you read this one yet?" Nico shook his head. "It's one of my favorites." Nico brought it closer to his eyes, squinting.
"It's hard to read," he said. "Everything's so faded."
"Here, let me see it," he offered, holding out his hand as Nico set the comic in his hands. "I've read it so many times over I've practically got it memorized." He began reading, using a deep, gruff voice for Batman and a higher voice for Robin. Nico was smiling, showing off the tiny gap between his two front teeth. His eyes lit up as Will read, focused steadily on the faded illustrations.
