Will kept true to his promise.

That same day of the Mark and Lucas...scandal, Nico would say, he began walking home with him. Will would show up at Nico's locker at the end of the day and be stubborn until they both started the journey towards their homes.

Will was always smiling and blushing when they talked on their way home, but Nico played it off as being red from the sun. Will's hands were constantly stuffed into his pockets, he threw his head back when he laughed, and Nico...Nico was very much changing his view of seeing the situation.

This sudden change of events didn't go unnoticed at school, though. Mark was the first one to say something.

"Hey," he said one day at gym, calling Nico over. Nico smiled at Will reassuringly before leaving him to go talk to Mark.

"Hey?" he asked.

"What's up with you and Will?" Mark smirked. "And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Never," Nico said quickly. A bead of sweat fell down along the side of his face. He looked down at his dirty gym shoes. "Will wouldn't...h-he doesn't-"

"Are you into him?" Mark asked. A bead of sweat rolled his off forehead and onto his shirt, but he didn't seem uncomfortable in the slightest. Nico didn't look at him.

"I-I don't know. He's nice and all, but..." he lowered his voice, "it's Will Solace. He's the most loved person in the whole fucking school and I'm literally..."

"God, you're dense." Mark smiled at him. "Dude, Will's totally crushing on you. I can see it."

Nico frowned and anxiously rolled his sleeve up.

"Stop fucking with me, McCoy. Will and I are just friends."

"Friends? Is that what they call lovers these days?"

Nico pushed him off the track.

After gym, though, Nico got to thinking. Maybe Will did like him.

Don't be stupid, he thought. It's Will. He's too good for you.

But when they walked home everyday together, it got harder and harder for Nico to believe himself. Since he was never one to waste his time wishing and hoping for something, Nico seriously considered asking Will how he felt about him. He couldn't do it, though.

For the first time in a long time, Nico knew something that made his heart flutter. Will was too important to lose, and he wouldn't risk his company all for a stupid question.

So he stayed quiet. He stayed quiet and pretended not to be frustrated all day long, racking his brain to try and figure out if Will might have feelings for him.

The Wednesday after Nico and Will found out about Mark and Lucas, their conversation took a dramatic turn from its usual light banter.

It started with a joke about Will's dad cheating then leaving, but Nico didn't think it was too funny.

"You don't always have to be a ray of sunshine, you know," he said quietly, glancing up at Will softly. The blonde boy looked down at him. "No one's here but me."

Will looked straight ahead in silence before his eyes began to fill up with tears. He rubbed his eyes hastily and plastered a pained smile on his face. Although Nico thought Will was gorgeous when he was smiling, he also thought he was beautiful when he was sad, too. He...he couldn't get enough of him.

Don't be a pussy, Nico chided himself. He reached his hand out and gently grasped Will's, tangling their fingers together. Will's eyes widened at his actions, but Nico looked into his bright blue eyes instead of their intertwined hands.

"Will..." he urged. Will was blushing like hell, but he coughed and looked into Nico's eyes.

"It was just...tough, you know? My dad...he was my role model. And I grew up thinking my parents were my soulmates, so for him to go off having an affair with my fucking babysitter..." His grasp on Nico's hand tightened, and he started to walk down their sidewalk a little slower since their apartments were already in sight. An ambulance zoomed past them, but Nico paid no attention to it.

Will sighed.

"But lots of kids go through this. I don't have it that bad." His eyes dropped a little. Nico stopped completely, stopping Will with him.

"Will, if you want to talk about it, I'll listen. You don't need to hold anything back, anymore. I'm here for you, Sunshine."

Kill. Me. Please. Nico wanted to kick himself. Had he seriously just called Will 'Sunshine' in a non-insulting way?

But it was worth it when Will stared at Nico with so much affection in his eyes that his knees almost buckled. They were closer than he has realized. Will glanced down at his lips.

An awkward moment of silence passed. "Um, but what about you?" he stuttered. Nico blinked, still drunk off of the moment.

"Hm?"

"Your life, Nico. What's up with your parents? Are they the poster board for perfect?"

Nico blinked again before he fully comprehended what Will was saying. He let go of his hand. Images of lightning, a wrecked car, his mother and sister, a huge trailer...

"I..." Nico choked on his own words. He started to stumble away towards his house.

"N-Nico?" Will said. He reached out for his hand again. "Are you okay? What did I say?"

Nico couldn't take the pain. Five years and it would still hit him fresh as day. He said a quick goodbye to Will and ran off to his apartment. He got a glimpse of the blonde-haired boy staring in confusion right before slamming his door shut and running up to his room.

Nico cried himself to sleep that night.

fluffy chapter ;)
poor nico, he's guarded:( he'll warm up to will tho, DUH
thanks for reading, you guys make my day:)
-reyna