❛ 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 ❜ - 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐝𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐨

[ 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 ]

"So, you've seen the east wing, the north wing, the south chambers and most of the rooms in the west wing.", Lil listed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Then one of the last stops would be my room!", he exclaimed, giddiness spreading through his nervous system quicker than he anticipated, and not even a second later he was back to buzzing on the balls of his feet.

"This is amazing. The ghosts were never allowed in my room, so you'll be the first to see it beside Mama!", he beamed, grabbing Nico's hand once more and pulling him towards a door on the right side of the corridor. Nico stopped noticing the moments where their hands would meet and when they would part, it all blended into one fuzzy moment filled with warmth and steady comfort.

     They entered the room, which was flooded with light the moment Lil set foot onto the wooden ground. Nico's eyes rushed through the room, taking in the sudden brightness. There was a table on one side of the room, overflowing with open textbooks, markers and loose papers. On the other side was a closet, one door standing ajar and a pile of shirts was lying on the floor.

     "Sorry for the mess. I woke up late and wanted to wear the fuzzy shirt this morning.", Lil apologized, cheeks flushing red as he rushed forward and pushed the pieces of clothing back into the closet.

      Nico's eyes wandered further, towards a messy bed with too many pillows and at least three blankets. He spotted a bunny plushie in between two folds. The lamp at his bedside resembled a moon and when Nico looked upwards, he saw that the entire ceiling was covered in the constellations of the night sky.

     "When it's dark, they glow and they move in real time. Mama had Botticelli paint it when I first got here, and Aunt Hecate enchanted them. It's really cool. Sometimes, at night, when I can't sleep, I just stare at them and watch them.", Lil explained plopping down on his bed. There was a carpet covering most of the floor and Nico almost bent down to pull his hand through the soft-looking fabric.

Nico straightened up, and it seemed like someone threw cold water into his face. He stared at the grinning boy who sat on the bed, fiddling with his fingers.

"Who are you?", he asked, voice turned apprehensive. He took a step back, hand finding the doorframe.

Liliom furrowed his eyebrows. That was a stupid question.

"That's silly, Neeks. I'm Lil. I introduced myself hours ago!", he giggled jumping up and pulling at his hand.
"Now come on, I wanna show you this really nice action figure Mama got me for my birthday and-"

"No, I mean seriously. Who are you? What are you doing here? Stop calling me Neeks.", he almost shouted, pushing the grasping fingertips off of him and almost falling backwards.

"What? I live here. I thought that was clear, we're standing in my room right now and all that dazzle.", he said, hand pointing back into the room with grey walls and green bedsheets.

"No, you don't understand.", Nico groaned:"Lady Persephone never had any children, ever. So who are you?"
Nico pried the hand off of his arm for good now and stared at green eyes that stared back.

"Oh.", Liliom simply said, suddenly back to fiddling with his fingers.
"I, uhm, I got here like two years ago? Thanatos came to get me and brought me home. I'm, uh, I'm nine, now, so I'm not that old yet."

     There was a pause.

     "I don't know why I said that.", he mumbled wiping at his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I never made friends before. I'm not sure if this is how it works.", he explained, smile strained and Nico gulped shakily.