#Also Willow is the best 2kalways

[banannabethchase]

Set the World Alight Chapter 7- Also on AO3

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Nick and Mox bond over basketball, Willow Knows, and Nick and Matt's parents learn something new about their daughter.

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Wednesday January 8th

Nick

Nick is practicing trick shots with Mox when his phone buzzes.

Practice is going late. Be out soon!!!!!!!!!

Nick groans. “Cheerleaders are gonna be late again today.”

Mox groans with him. “This is gonna suck.”

“You don’t have to stay,” Nick says, tossing Mox the basketball. They dance around the court like always. “I’ll take care of Matt.”

“Nah, I want to say bye before I leave,” Mox says. “As long as you don’t try to kill me or anything.”

Nick catches he pass and does an easy layup into the hoop, pushing the ball to Mox. “Why would I try to kill you?”

“I don’t know. You’re Matt’s brother, I’m dating – her.” Mox spins the basketball on his finger.

Nick trips over his shoes. “What did you say? About dating my brother?”

“Actually,” Mox says, shooting a basket, “I, uh. I think I’m dating your sister.” He looks over at Nick to gauge his reaction.

Nick’s jaw drops. “Holy crap. She told you?”

Mox nods, grabbing the basketball and tossing it over to Nick. “Yeah. A while ago.”

“A while ago?!” Nick half squeaks. The ball hits him in the arm and bounces back at Mox. “And neither of you told me?!”

“It didn’t come up!” Mox tries passing the basketball to Nick again.

“Dude,” Nick says, the ball bouncing off of his chest. “Dude, Matt loves you.”

“Don’t – Jesus, Nick, calm down.” Mox grabs the ball and shoots another hoop. “Matt just – she told me she’s a girl, and that you and Adam and Kenny are the only ones who know, and I wanted you to know I know.” He frowns. When he passes to Nick, this time Nick catches it. “You good?”

“I’m good,” Nick says, and he drains a three pointer to prove it. “Just.” He watches Mox run after the ball and grabs it, dribbling expertly back over to him. “You need to take care of this, okay?”

“Of Matt.”

“Of all of – of the – yes.” Nick squeezes his eyes tight. “Look, Matt’s scared about all of this, okay? And she told you, which is awesome, but now you have to take care of this and take care of her.”

When he opens his eyes, Mox looks confused. “Take care of her?” Mox asks. “Nick, she can take care of herself. She’s doing great.”

“I mean, yeah, she can,” Nick says. “But she –” He cuts himself off. “Matt puts herself in this places where she can get so hurt.”

“I mean, she’s not going to get herself hurt here,” Mox says, eyes hardening. “If people are shitty to her because she’s a trans girl, that’s on them, not on her.”

“Not what I meant,” Nick says. “I mean, she – she’s really fragile, okay? Not because she’s her, or whatever, but because she loves really hard and hurts really hard too.” Nick throws the ball again and misses the hoop.

Mox nods. “I know,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean she’s fragile. It just means she’s intense. That’s my favorite thing about her.”

Nick wrinkles his nose and backs up to go get the ball.

“I – god, Nick, I don’t mean it that way. I just mean she’s real, you know? She doesn’t play around or go into things halfway.” Mox shoots. A perfect swish. “Matty does everything at 100%. She doesn’t fuck around.”

Nick nods, and chases after the ball. “I know. Just. Don’t hurt her.”

“Nick,” Mox says, with a weird little smile. “I swear to you, I’m not gonna hurt Matty.” He goes a little pink around the cheeks.

“Holy shit, do  - Mox, holy shit, do you love her?” Nick asks. He chucks the ball at Mox and he catches it.

“Shut up,” Mox says, “I haven’t told her yet.”

Nick flops down on the ground, face up. “I can’t believe you being a good boyfriend to my sister is what makes me decide to like you again.”

Mox dribbles the ball a little, and Nick can practically hear the annoying smirk on his face. “I can’t believe you have a sister that cute and I get to date her.”

Nick groans, rolling back onto his back. “I can’t believe Matt’s managed to one up me in the dating department.”

“I can’t believe you have, once again, been out-cooled by Matt,” Mox says.

Nick opens an eye to see Mox grinning down on him.

“What? No response?”

“I’ve been out cooled by my older sister and I’m dying about it,” Nick mumbles.

“Why’s Nick on the floor?” Willow asks. “Mox, did you break Nick?”

“He’s fine,” Matt says. Nick sits up and, yep: Matt’s rolling her eyes. “Nick, you’re alive, yeah?”

“I’m alive,” Nick says, voice toneless. “Somebody help me up.”

An arm comes into Nick’s vision, and Willow pulls him up to standing.

“I had a feeling they were busy,” she says, nodding over to the counter. Nick follows her nodding, and –

“Why are they always making out?” he whines. “Hey! You two! Stop making out?”

Mox flips Nick off.

“Oh, real nice.”

“Has anybody seen Jamie and Britt?” Athena says, peeking in. “They’re going to be closing up the high school in, like, ten minutes, and I don’t think they’ve gotten their stuff from the locker room yet.”

“Haven’t seen them,” Nick says, turning around. “Want to go check in the locker room for them?”

Willow shakes her head, eyes wide. “Um. No, I don’t want to do that.”

Mox and Matt finally separate. “What’s going on?”

The door to the gym going out into the building shuts behind Athena as she checks outside.

And then, clothes wet and giggling, Jamie and Britt make their way out of the girl’s locker room.

“Um, what happened to you two?” Matt asks. She’s about to laugh. Nick tries to yell at her not to, but only in his head.

Jamie laughs, burying her head into Britt’s neck.

“Oh, nothing,” Britt says, grinning. “Made good use of the showers. That’s all.”

“I knew it!” Willow hisses. “I knew you two were back there!”

Jamie pulls her hair back into a bun, sopping wet and all. Nick remembers, in these moments, that Jamie is really hot and he’s really bisexual and –

“Shut up before Athena hears you,” Jamie says. She grins at Nick, nodding. “What? I got something on my face?”

“Just some lipstick,” Britt says. She’s less wet, but a lot more rumpled.

“The hell happened?” Mox asks. He steps into Matt’s space automatically, like he gravitates around her.

Nick rolls his eyes. “Were you two having sex in the showers again?”

Britt goes pink and Jamie goes smug. “Beat my record,” Jamie says.

“Record?” Matt asks.

Britt giggles. “It’s a girl thing.”

Nick flicks his eyes to Matt, fast enough that nobody else would see. The sting, the hurt in Matt’s face is almost as fleeting. But Nick catches it.

“Oh, god, not your record thing again,” Willow says, hanging up her phone. “That was Athena. They want to close up the school and we, apparently, are in the way.”

Matt grabs Mox’s hand like a lifeline, curling in on herself as they make their ways, ahead of Nick, to the parking lot

“Hey,” Willow says, sliding in next to Nick. She slows their pace so they’re a little behind Matt and Mox. Nick thinks he can hear Mox whispering something to Matt. It better be kind. “What’s up with Matt?”

Nick hesitates before answering. “It’s – a Matt thing,” he settles on. “You would have to ask Matt what’s going on.” He swallows, sure to keep his eyes forward.

“Okay,” Willow says, like she wants to push but knows better. “Matt’s okay though, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Nick says. He rolls his eyes when he sees the way Matt stands on her toes to meet Mox’s lips, the way Mox cradles Matt. “Those two are just fine.”

Willow laughs, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder. She swings her gym bag beside her, expertly missing any trees, walls, everything. “I remember that.” She sighs, looking a little sad. “You ever miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“The whole beginning of dating thing,” Willow says, sighing. “I miss Ruby so much, you know? But I miss that,” she points to the way Mox and Matt are melted together, Matt’s face buried in Mox’s chest like she belongs there. “When you like everything about each other and want to keep them forever. You know?”

Nick nods, slowly. “Sort of. I mean. Things didn’t go all that well with me and Candice in the end once she moved. And then everything with Jude…

Willow nods, sympathetic.

“So.” He shrugs. “I don’t really remember that part.”

Willow sighs. Her Disney princess vibes aren’t diminished, even when she’s wearing workout clothes and sweaty. Nick’s noticed before. He’s only halfway noticing right now. He thinks he could notice more, in the future. Maybe. “Well, I hope you get it again. It’s so nice.”

Nick’s phone rings in his pocket. Willow stares at him, looking interested.

“Oh?”

“It’s just a text.”

Willow raises an eyebrow. “That feels a bit serendipitous. Who is it?” She peeks over his shoulder before he can hid his phone. “Adam – Page, I’m guessing?”

“It’s not – it’s not serendipitous.”

“It so is,” Willow says. She grins and does a weird little stomping dance. Nick can feel the excitement from her, and wishes it was his own. “Do you like him?”

“No,” Nick says.

“I think you do,” Willow says. “Or, if you don’t yet, you will. You two are gonna happen.”

“Please don’t put it into –”

“I’m putting it into the universe!” Willow yells. Then, more quietly, “I’m also putting me and Ruby figuring things out into the universe, but I’m not as confident on that one.”

“Aw, Wills.” Nick pulls her in for a hug.

“I’m okay,” she says, wistful. “But I want to be all stupid and high school again, you know?

Nick thinks he can feel Adam’s message buzzing against his leg. “I know,” he sighs.

“Nick!” Matt yells. “Are you taking the car?”

“Siblings,” Willow says, smile soft. “Talk to you later. I’m parked over here, anyway.” She waves, and Nick thinks she knows.

“What?” Nick yells back. “Why are you yelling at me?”

“Do you like Willow?” Matt asks, peeking over Nick’s shoulder. “Because if you break Willow’s heart, Athena will kill you and she won’t apologize.”

“I’m – no,” Nick says. “That was months ago. We were just – talking.”

“You liked Willow?” Mox asks. He looks annoyingly casual leaning against the car, but the cool-guy image half disappears any time he glances at Matt.

“Only a little. Weren’t you trying to ask me something?”

“Am I driving you home or is Mox driving me home?” Matt asks.

Nick shrugs. “I can take the car. You two hang out or whatever.”

Matt thanks him, and he slides behind the seat. It’s not dark enough for his driving anxiety to kick in, but it’s dark enough that the anxiety about the anxiety is starting to happen, so he drives the ten minutes home listening to a rainstorm podcast.

He tries not to think about how Matt might have found her person, and Nick’s been single since July, when Jude was accepted to his waitlist school and high tailed it across the country without a single look back at Nick. He tries not to think about how he may have missed his shot with Willow, even though he doesn’t even like her like that anymore. He tries, especially, not to think about what Willow said about Adam. Serendipitous. He turns the word over in his mind as he imagines what that could look like – him and Adam, junior prom, the summer together with more than just summer heat burning through them, a school year left together.

He doesn’t think about it.

~

Sunday January 11th

Nick

“Look, I know you didn’t like the first song, but if you listen to Shiny, I think you’ll get it!”

“Who are you talking to?”

Matt pulls away from the phone. “Hold on a second, Mox.” He looks at Nick. “Mox. Obviously.”

“Well, now it is,” Nick says, “can I – can I talk to you for a second?”

Matt nods. “Babe, I’ll call you later, okay?”

Nick’s kind of glad he can’t see or hear what Mox just said, because the blush creeping across Matt’s cheeks says enough. ”What’s up?”

“So, I think I realized something,” Nick says, and recognizes that panic in a second.

“Are you coming out to me?” Matt says. “You look like how I felt when I came out to you.”

“Can you – can this be about me for once?” Nick blurts out. He knows it’s the wrong thing to say by the way Matt’s eyes widen.

“I’m sorry,” Matt says in a tiny voice. “I didn’t mean to…Go ahead.”

Nick feels strange now, a sudden need to apologize poking at him. He ignores it. “I’m not coming out. I’m still a bi guy. But, um. I think I like someone and I don’t know how to feel about it.”

Matt’s watching him with ridiculous focus, eyes intent on Nick’s in a way that almost makes him want to look away. “Can I ask who?”

Nick sighs. “You already know.”

Matt’s face breaks into a smile. “Took you long enough.”

Nick shoves at Matt’s shoulder. She flops back on the bed. “Stop it.”

“You and Adam are literally the last to know.” Matt pushes herself up on one elbow, beaming. Know it all. “So, how long’s it gonna be before you actually get together? End of the month? Valentine’s Day?” She cackles. “You gonna wait until prom?”

“Shut up!” Nick chucks a pillow at Matt, but even beaning her in the head doesn’t seem to make this any less enjoyable to her. “I’m having a crisis and you’re being a jerk about it.”

“Am not!” Matt says. “Come on, what’s the crisis. You like him. Ask him out.”

“We’re not all Matt Jackson, seducing the Coles and Moxes and –”

“Do not say the other names,” Matt says, suddenly deadly serious. “We don’t talk about them. Ever.”

“Yes, fine, we don’t talk Cody and Jay.” Matt chucks a pillow at Nick’s head, but he ducks in time. “The difference is Adam doesn’t like me. That’s my problem.”

Matt rolls her eyes. “Yes, he does. Of course he likes you.”

“He doesn’t,” Nick says. He’s not willing to argue this bit with Matt. Matt’s always loud enough that she wins. But not this time.

Matt’s smile deflates a little, like she’s fighting to keep it on her face. “Why do you keep fighting this, Nicky?” she asks, voice small. “What’s the problem?”

Nick shrugs. “I don’t know.” He scuffs his foot along the carpet of Matt’s bedroom, soft and scratchy against his bare feet. “I just – I don’t want to ruin things, you know?”

“I don’t think you would ruin anything,” Matt says. “And it can’t hurt to tell him, right?”

Nick laughs. “Can’t hurt. Sure.”

“He wasn’t weird when I told him I’m a girl,” Matt says. She freezes. “Not – not making it about me, I promise. Just giving an example.”

Nick smiles, sad and soft, and nudges Matt with his shoulder. “I know you are. But I think this is different. This involves him. This could make him look at the past few years differently. I don’t want him to be freaked out around me or anything.”

“You can’t know until you tell him,” Matt says. “Not pressuring! Just – just saying.”

Nick nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes, Matt throwing something on her laptop and the three of them watching absently, when suddenly she slaps the computer closed.

“I was watching that!”

“Deal,” Matt says, sitting up. “You need to learn how to braid hair.”

Nick blinks at her. “I need to what?”

“Mom’s terrible at it, and I can’t seem to do it right on my own head,” Matt says, like it’s a reasonable explanation. “So you need to learn, so I can have pretty braids like Jamie and Britt whenever I want.”

“That’s pretty presumptuous,” Nick grumbles.

Matt shrugs. “Like, am I wrong, though?”

It takes them seven different YouTube tutorials, four snapped hair ties, two hours, and three fights where one or both of them devolve into swearing before Matt is flicking her head back and forth, admiring two passable braids Nick twisted into her hair.

“I really like it,” Matt says, patting the top. “These are almost as good as Britt’s.”

“Why – can’t you just compliment me like a normal person?” Nick asks. He yanks on the end of one pigtail, Matt shrieking as she follows with it. “God, you’re the worst sister ever.”

“I’m the best sister ever,” Matt says firmly. “And the prettiest.”

“Um.”

Nick feels the entire room’s mood shift as he and Matt turn, slowly, to see their parents in the doorway.

“Hi, kiddos,” says their mom, looking, well, not concerned, but a bit confused. “Matt, you look pretty.” She elbows their dad.

“Uh, yeah,” he says, looking more than a bit confused. “Cool – braids, right?”

Matt nods. Nick can see the way her hands are shaking, the wide panic in her eyes. He steadies a hand on her shoulder. “Matt,” he says quietly.

“Um, guys?” Matt says, voice higher than usual. “Um. Hi.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” their mom says. She has this little smile on her face. Like she knows. Like she’s been waiting for this moment. Nick thinks he’s seen that smile from Matt more than a few times.

“I need to tell you something.” Matt reaches out and bumps his hand against Nick. Nick bumps back, solidarity.

“Anything,” his dad says.

“I’m a – daughter. I’m not a son.” She winces. “God, this is hard.” She tilts her head down and takes a deep breath. And then she lifts her eyes to meet their parents’. “I’m a girl.”

The silence in the room settles so heavily Nick feels fear begin to build in his own chest. He can’t even imagine how hard it must be for Matt. Their first born, the one with the same name as their father. If they don’t get it. If they don’t say the right thing, right here, right now…

“Oh, baby,” Matt’s mom says, smiling as tears well. “I have a daughter.”

Matt bursts into tears as their mother scoops her up in her arms, holding her and petting the braids almost reverently.

“I got one of each,” their dad says. Nick’s half startled to see him crying, just a little. “I got a little girl.”

Nick, while happy at the results, is a little taken aback. This is almost too soft, too easy.

“Wait a sec,” Nick says. “Does this have to do with the fact that you thought I was a girl before I was born?”

“It’s not about you, Nick,” Matt laughs through her tears.

“Oh, shut up,” Nick laughs back.

“No, Nicholas, it has to do with the fact that Matt is the bravest girl in the world and we’re proud of her,” their mom says. “Though it is nice to have a daughter and a son.”

“Kind of feels like a complete set,” their dad adds. “And, Matt – do I call you – is there a better name?”

Matt opens her mouth and closes it a few times, looking confused. “Um. Not that I can think of. At least not yet.”

“If you’d been a girl, you would have been named Elizabeth, if that helps.”

Matt wrinkles her nose. “That sounds like an old lady name.”

“It’s your grandmother’s name!”

“Exactly,” Matt says, smile almost bitchy. “But, um. If I choose a name, I’ll let you know? Right now I…I still go by Matt. It’s easier.”

Their dad nods, slowly. “Okay. So, is there anyone who needs to know who doesn’t? Or who I shouldn’t tell?”

Matt’s eyes widen. “What?”

“I think she’s trying to say she doesn’t want anyone to know until she tells them,” Nick jumps in. “So, don’t say anything.”

Matt nods her head vehemently, braids bouncing along her neck. “Yes! Exactly. Let me say it if I need to say it, okay?”

The night dissolves into laughter and television, pizza on the coffee table and heckling bad contestants on Survivor.

Nick thinks this is what home is. Not the place. But safety.

~

Willow in this chapter solidified her as my favorite tertiary character in this fic. I don't think I'll ever be able to write her, even in the background, without her being a sleeper hit.