Page 45 of The Summer of Everything

Wes only notices because his phone chimes with a message from Leo. He ignores it. He hasn’t even thought about the fact that Nico will arrive in forty-five minutes.

Today doesn’t feel likeThe Day.

Wes is almost finished reorganizing the comic book shelves when he collides with someone. Not someone—Lucas, who apologizes repeatedly under their breath with their head lowered.

“No. It’s my bad,” Wes says, smiling even though Lucas isn’t looking. “House rules—always apologize to the cool people for nearly giving them a concussion.”

Lucas’s head jerks up and their mint green eyes grow round.

“You okay?” Wes asks.

Those forehead wrinkles and teeth pulling at a chapped bottom lip don’t sit right with Wes. He can smell the anxiousness pouring off Lucas.

“Uh.” He pivots back toward his corner. “Lucas, right?”

“Ye-Yeah.”

“Do you wanna help?” Wes offers.

“Me?” Lucas’s voice is a bit of a squeak, a broken noise.

Wes extends an arm toward the comics. “Why not? You probably know the best ones anyway.”

“No way,” Lucas says, awed. “You’re here all the time.”

“Which also means I get in my own head too much about what’s cool and what not.”

Lucaspffts, and it’s the first time Wes has seen a slice of their personality. He likes it.

“Save this holy place before I wreck it, please,” Wes insists.

Slowly, with their head still partially lowered, Lucas follows Wes.

It takes ten minutes before Lucas mellows. They still talk more to their shoes than Wes, but a couple of dad jokes and letting Lucas take the lead opens things up. Eventually, they find a groove. Lucas fixes something. Waits for Wes’s opinion. Wes gives a thumbs up, a mild suggestion, then they move on. It’s hard to relinquish control over the spacing and shelving and placement, but Wes knows he needs to.

Of course, Wes deducts twenty cool points because Lucas is absolute trash for Marvel characters, but the way Lucas fawns over the last Wonder Woman issue earns a few checks in the good column.

“Who’s your favorite?” Lucas asks, carefully rearranging the Spider-Man titles.

Wes appreciates the meticulousness. “John Stewart.”

“The Green Lantern?”

Plus three points.

“Yup.”

“He’s badass,” Lucas concurs “Much cooler than that Hal guy. Ryan Reynolds ruined that for everybody.”

“Word.”

Lucas isn’t little, but they’re definitely undersized. Wes easily reaches over their head to adjust a strayRunawaysgraphic novel. He steps back to admire the spread of Superman issues Lucas has just worked through. He nods approvingly, enjoying the way the freckles across Lucas’s cheeks and nose stand out like dark constellations against the spreading crimson blush.

“You hang around here a lot,” Wes observes, softly.

Lucas shuffles their dirty Nikes over the carpet. “Is it weird?”

“Nah. I did the same thing before I started working here. Me and my best friend.”

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