#lou ellen this one's for u honey

[thaliasthunder]

hecate kids are into astrology and have everyone's astrology charts memorized at camp change my mind

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Warm Me Up Ch. 34

OH SNAP-WHAT’S THAT- A NEW CHAPTER FUCK YEAH, (To the tune of Usnavi’s excitement after getting a date with Vanessa. Can you tell I’m obsessed? Also, listen to Lady Gaga’s A Million Reasons as well as Secondhand Serenade’s Fall for You and Tori Kelly’s/ Ed Sheeran’s I Was Made For Loving You for this chapter <3)

Click Here for Ch. 1

Click Here for Ch. 33

index

It wasn’t until a little past noon that Will got worried. He hadn’t gotten a text from Nico, and when he called, Nico didn’t answer. He pulled Kayla along past the HEB and hefted a few bags in his other hand. “Come on, Princess time to go home. You sure you don’t want help with the bag?”

“I got it. I wanna give it to him.” Will smiled and nodded, walking along the sidewalk. The sun was beating down, but the wind that blew around them offered enough relief. Kayla bounded along in a pink sundress with her red hair pulled up into a ponytail, skipping over cracks in the sidewalk. Suddenly, Kayla stopped, causing Will to falter. “Look, it’s Nico!”

He frowned and looked up to see Nico pacing back and forth with a cigarette in one hand as his other ran through his hair. Immediately, Will felt the instinct to go to him and find out what was wrong. “Come on,” he told his sister, gripping her hand as they crossed at a light.

“Why is he smoking?” she asked as he pulled her along. “Isn’t that bad?” Will didn’t answer, his eyes on Nico as he paced. “Will, I’m scared,” Kayla whimpered.

“No, no, no, it’s okay,” he assured. “Just hold on a second, okay?” He reached the bus stop and reached out, stopping Nico mid-pace. He jumped, and looked up with frightened, tear-filled eyes. “What happened, Nico, what’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.

He took a few short breaths, and his eyes flickered down to Kayla. “Oh God,” he groaned, turning away to put out the cigarette. “Shit. I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Will turned him around and tilted his face to him. “Sorry for what? Nico, what happened?”

He pulled away and looked down, shaking his head. “Nothing. Nothing it’s stupid. I…. My dad called and… I got into an argument with him, that’s all. Really, it’s fine. I just… don’t want your parents to see me like this.”

“Okay. Okay,” he murmured, pulling him into his arms. “It’s okay. Come on, my favorite ice cream shop is just down a few blocks.”

“No, you have all these bags, I-”

“So help us. Here I take three, you take two, Kayla has hers. It’s okay. Come on, I thought you wanted to see my favorite places,” he said gently. Nico looked at him with anguished eyes. Will was worried. Terrified. But he couldn’t pull it out of him now. Not in public, not in front of Kayla, not when he was still distressed. “Come on,” he said.

He took Nico’s hand, and Kayla, with a worried expression, took his other. They walked over to Amy’s Ice Cream and sat outside with cups of ice cream. Nico was still solemn and quiet, and Will knew he was hiding something.

Kayla was busy eating her ice cream, smearing her face with chocolate. Will kept Nico’s hand in his own, rubbing his thumb along the back of his hand. He kept zoning out, staring at the table, watching the ice cream melt. And Will could feel his heart in his throat.

“Love, I know… how you are when something bothers you. I know you don’t like talking about it. But I’m scared. What happened? What did you argue about with your dad that it made you get like this?”

Nico didn’t react to his words. He blinked slowly and gripped his hand. After several long seconds, he looked up with tears in his eyes on the verge of falling. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he answered, feeling his heart clench. Nico nodded and leaned into him, taking a deep breath. Will knew he wouldn’t explain. All he could do was be there for him. Hold him. And wait until he was ready to talk.

Suddenly Will’s phone rang and he saw his Mom’s picture on the caller ID. “Hey,” he answered.

“Will, have you heard from Nico?” she asked, sounding breathless and angry.

“U-uh, yeah. Yeah he’s here with me, we’re at Amy’s.”

“Oh thank God,” she breathed.

“Yeah, he’s okay, just some personal family stuff. It’s okay.”

“Family stuff?” she asked.

“He hasn’t explained really. He just didn’t want to worry you guys.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. He heard her sigh and when she spoke, her voice was tight. “Honey, please come home when you’re done at Amy’s okay? All three of you.”

“Yeah, okay,” he answered. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” she said softly before hanging up. Nico was looking at him uncertainly and he pushed the hair out of his face. “It’s okay. She wanted to be sure you’re okay and wants us home after we finish our ice cream.” His only response was to look away. Will cleared his throat and leaned over to wipe Kayla’s mouth. “Princess, why don’t you give Nico what we bought him?”

She perked up and checked the bag she had. She went over to Nico with her hands behind her back. “Close your eyes,” she said with a smile. Nico did, and she grabbed his hand and placed a small stuffed monkey and a card.

He opened his eyes and looked at the monkey and the card in confusion. He opened the card and smiled as fun music played and a pop up chihuahua teetered back and forth. “Thank you? For what?”

“Well, I was gonna write in it at home. But it’s thank you for making Will happy. He’s my big brother and I love him, and you make him happy so-”

Suddenly Nico pulled Kayla into a hug and his shoulders were shaking. Kayla’s eyes went wide and she looked at Will in confusion. When Nico pulled away, he had tears streaming down his face. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. He looked at his new monkey and chuckled. “Thank you, Monkey,” he said, tapping the monkey’s face onto her cheek.

She giggled and sat down, trying to hide her smile. Nico looked at Will and leaned over to kiss him. His lips were salty and wet with tears, with Will didn’t care. He was just thankful that he was reacting. He sat back and sighed, wiping his tears away.

“Everyone done with their ice cream?” Will asked, feeling his cheeks warm with embarrassment at the display of affection. Kayla nodded, and Nico pushed his tub of melted ice cream away. “Come on, time to go home.”

The walk back home was a little less intense with the sun having gone down a bit. The streets sloped, causing a little more exertion, and Nico’s hand in Will’s was tense. Again, Will wondered if Nico would decide to talk to him about it or not.

As they got to the house, Nico pulled away. “I’m going to stay out here for a bit, okay? Just need a minute.” Will hesitated and Nico leaned forward kissing him lightly. “I won’t go anywhere. I promise.” He nodded and turned away, taking Kayla’s hand. Nico leaned against his mother’s car and looked at the stuffed monkey in his hands.

When Will walked into the house, he was surprised to see his parents at the table. His mom looked stressed, his father looked tired.

“Kayla, honey, go put the supplies in my room. Then go over to Lou Ellen’s house, she said she wanted to make cookies,” his mom said.

“Oh okay!” She raced to her room and was out the door again to go to the neighbor’s within three minutes.

“Where’s Nico?” Mom asked nervously.

“He’s right outside, he… what’s going on?”

She looked pointedly at his father who sighed and rubbed his forehead. “We may have-” His mother cleared her throat and he clenched his teeth. “I may have… upset Nico earlier.”

Will furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

He took a breath and interlocked his hands. “I wanted to talk to him. About his relationship with you.” Will scoffed and crossed his arms. “And… I may have overstepped my boundaries…. Until he had to leave the house.”

Will’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. “You did what?” he exclaimed. “What did you say to him? I found him on the verge of a breakdown at a bus stop! That was because of you? What the hell?”

“Watch it, Will,” his father warned. “Look, I remember how you got when you came for Winter break, and how upset you were. He hurt you-”

“No! Stop, that has nothing to do with our relationship now!” he shouted.

“You’d better watch that tone, young man!” he shouted back.

“Oh enough!” his mother snapped. They turned to her in surprise. “Now you both listen to me! You!” She stood and pointed at his father. “You cornered that boy, and you threw things in his face without even letting him explain! You don’t get to be upset at the things he said to you after what you told him!”

“Things he said, what did Nico-”

“Ah-ah-ah!” she said, wagging her finger at him. “It is my turn to talk. You,” she said with a stern look on her face. “You lied to me about the break up. I don’t know if you will ever tell us why or how it happened, but something tells me there’s a reason you didn’t tell us.” She raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath. “Now… Will, you need to explain some things. Your father said something about… Nico getting drunk, and cheating on you? What the hell? Why didn’t-”

“What! He nev-”

She cut him off with a glare and he stopped talking. Then she continued. “Now, Nico admitted to the drinking. He also said he’s been sober for four months. Do you… have anything to say about all of this?”

Will covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you did that to him,” he whispered. “Yes. Yes, okay! He used to drink a lot…. I… he used to flirt and go out a lot. But he doesn’t anymore, okay? Weekends, even before we started dating again, they’ve just been us sitting on his couch watching movies and binging TV shows! He stopped drinking, he’s going to therapy! I fell in love with him when he had those drinking problems and couldn’t manage his depression, and he decided on his own to change those things. And now I love him even more, you- you had no right to say those things to him! That’s why he broke up with me the first time! He thought he wasn’t good enough for me, he thought he was a burden, so he told me he didn’t like me and broke up with me! I was miserable!”

He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. “He has been trying so hard. You had no right to try and screw that up for him. When I found him…. He was devastated, okay? And he didn’t even tell me any of this! He told me he’d argued with his dad!” His parents looked at each other in shock. “I asked you guys to help him feel welcome. But he was right. You’d only make him feel like he’s not good enough.”

He turned away, but then his mother called after him. “Where are you going?”

“To make sure my boyfriend isn’t dealing with a depressive low because of him,” he spat, walking out the door. He walked over to the truck where Nico was leaning against the car, mumbling under his breath, his eyes closed. “Hey,” he murmured.

Nico looked up and gave him a tense smile. “They told you.”

He sighed and pulled him into his arms. “When were you going to?”

Nico shut his eyes and leaned into him, hiding his face into his shoulder. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I’m sorry,” he breathed.

“For what? This wasn’t your fault. My dad… this was on him.”

“I called him an asshole. Among other things, but… I can’t remember. I was so angry. I fucked up, Will.” Will held him tighter and sighed. “You know he’s right. I’m not-”

Before he would finish, Will pulled away and cupped his face. “No. Don’t you start saying that, Nicolas.” Nico froze and stared at him. “You are more than enough. You are more than worth it. I love you, okay? I have for a long time. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks, they don’t know you like I do.”

He shut his eyes and sighed. “He said… you take care of me. I don’t do anything for you. You’re the one… dealing with my depression, and dealing with my lows, making sure I sleep and wake up and eat and-”

“What do you mean you don’t do anything for me?” he asked incredulously. “Nico… you gave up partying and drinking and flirting for me. You started going to therapy. Yes, partially for you, but… you made that choice on your own.” His hand shook as he caressed Nico’s cheek. His voice was soft as he spoke. “You gave me space when I asked for it. You were my friend when I needed it,” his voice broke and Nico tears spilled over again. Will hated seeing him so hurt. “You went to my ceremony when you could barely get out of bed that day. Baby, you came home with me even though it scared the shit out of you. And you didn’t even tell me what my dad did. You covered for him.” He shut his eyes and pressed their foreheads together. He hadn’t realized there were tears in his eyes until they fell down his cheeks.

“You are not the only one with problems,” he insisted. “You have depression. I’m insecure. You used to be an alcoholic. I used to self-harm. We both have things in our past…. But that’s not who we are anymore. You bring me up, I bring you up.”

“You’re too good for me,” he moaned. He pulled Will into a kiss, holding him close, like he was afraid Will would be snatched away from him. When he broke apart, he looked afraid. “He told me he didn’t want me near his family. Will, your mom liked me at first. And Kayla- God I love her so much.” He kissed him again and took a deep breath. “And you. I can’t just stay away from you. I won’t let you go again. I can’t. I won’t.”

“And you’re not going to,” he said, clenching his jaw at the fact that his father said something like that. “We can go back. We can go home. We don’t need to be here.”

As Will held him and tried to make sure he knew that they wouldn’t be pulled apart, he heard his mother’s voice calling him from the front door. “Will, Nico, could you both come in here for a moment?”

He sighed and looked at Nico. “Come on. We’ll have to go in there eventually.” He took his hand and led him back into the house. The second they got into the house, Nico’s expression changed into a cold, passive one without emotion. “What?” he asked.

There was a long moment of silence before his dad took a deep breath and spoke. He kept his eyes casted downward and his eyebrows furrowed. “I… was out of line. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things to you, Nico, especially after Will asked us to be nice. It’s no excuse, but… Will is my only son. And I don’t want to see him hurt. Knowing what little I did… I wasn’t sure what to make of you. I….” He sighed and shut his eyes. “I’m just protective of him. But… after a very long discussion with Naomi… I know I have to let him learn on his own.” He cleared his throat and looked up to meet Will’s eyes. “Son, I’m sorry.”

Will nodded, but before he could speak, Nico did. “I’m sorry for yelling. And for the things I called you….” His father nodded and gave him a tense smile.

“We’re going to go ahead and go back,” Will murmured. He kept his eyes on the floor to keep from looking at the expression on his mother’s face. “I appreciate the apology, Dad, but… it doesn’t fix anything. You still said what you said and pushed Nico into an anxiety attack. So-”

“Will, maybe we should talk about this first,” Nico urged quietly. He glanced at him and frowned, but Nico’s gaze was clear and certain.

He sighed and squeezed his hand, agreeing. He led him to his room and shut the door. Nico glanced around with a smile and sat on the bed. “So this is your room,” he said with a slightly hoarse voice. “Come here,” he murmured with somber eyes. Will went over and sat beside him, but Nico pulled him down so his head rested in his lap. He began to run his hands through his hair, causing Will to sigh gently. “You should stay,” he said suddenly. Will opened his eyes. “This is your family. They should be with you on your birthday. I’m the intruder here.”

“Nico-”

“Amore, it’s okay. We can try again in a few months. We just started dating… again. Of course they’re apprehensive about me. And knowing about New Year’s?” Will winced, but before he could explain, Nico continued. “I was a bad person. Right now that’s all they know. We have to give them time to see I changed, and maybe that as to be from a distance. It’s okay.”

“I don’t want you to go back alone,” he said, reaching up to touch his face. “And you weren’t a bad person. You’ve always been good Nico. You just made mistakes.” Nico furrowed his eyebrows and scoffed, but smiled fondly at him. “I don’t want you to be alone the rest of the week.”

Nico leaned down and kissed him. “I can handle myself for a week, baby. You should stay. Kayla missed you. Your mom… you didn’t see her face when you said we were leaving. She looked heartbroken.” Will bit his lip and sighed, putting Nico’s hand to his lips.

“I’ll go tell her,” he relented.

“I’ll check tickets,” he answered. They stood and Nico disappeared into the guest bedroom while Will went to find his mom. He heard voices in the garage and went to check only to find his parents mid-argument.

“-stupid can you be to say those things, you’re a fucking psychologist for crying out- oh God. Will. Honey, I-”

“Um, Nico is finding a flight home.” Her face fell and she nodded. “I’m staying,” he clarified.

“Wait, but I apologized, why is he leaving?” his father asked.

His mother glared at him, but Will was tired. “Dad, you said the things that hurt him the most. He already felt like he shouldn’t be here, and what you told him just drove him out. And honestly, I’m still upset with you too. Don’t you trust me? Do you really think I can’t make my own choices?”

His father rubbed his face and groaned. “Dammit, Will! Maybe if you actually communicated with us instead of hiding things from us, I wouldn’t feel so nervous about this! If you’d told us when you broke up, if you’d told us when you became friends, if you’d told us when you got back together, I wouldn’t feel like he’s dangerous to you. You’ve always struggled with confidence, Will. I didn’t know if you were only defending him because he made you feel special by manipulating you or if he deserved it. We know nothing about him! You asked us to welcome a complete stranger into our home as your boyfriend, so yes, I was wary. Especially since all I know about him is that he got drunk and had you pacing outside for hours during break, made you become distant when you didn’t want to tell us you’d broken up, and showed up in pajamas to your ceremony!” He stopped to take a breath and shut his eyes, leaving Will shocked and speechless. “Will, we love you. We love you so much more than you can imagine, and we only want what is best for you. You’re our first kid, bud. So we don’t know how to deal with any of this yet.” He walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Regardless of how certain you feel and how mature you are, as a parent, I worry. I went about it horribly, I recognize that. But you have a part to play too.”

“He’s right about that, hon,” his mom said softly. “It’s hard to understand when we don’t even know what we’re being given to deal with. You have to talk to us.”

Taking a shaky breath, Will nodded and gulped. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.” She kissed his forehead and tousled his hair. “I can explain all of it,” he said. He pulled up a lawn chair and raised an eyebrow. His parents looked at each other and sat down.

Then Will started from the beginning, warning them that they may not like everything they hear, but to wait for him to finish.

He told them about Nico’s song, and trying to talk to him. He told them how defensive and angry he’d gotten. And he told them how drunk he’d gotten at the party, and how Will had to help him leave. He told them about how he’d gotten sick and muttered that he hated his life, which was the entire reason Will had even thought about talking to him more. He didn’t give them details about Nico’s life- that was for Nico to do when he was comfortable. But he explained that he’d had a lot of hardships, and struggled with his own style of harming and self-destruction. He told them about how reluctant he’d been to be friends, then about the misunderstanding that led to their first try at a relationship. He told them about the problem on New Year’s and what had really happened to Nico… then proceed to explain how Nico got in a fight for it. How that led to his internship and how Nico began to become distant after their first Valentine’s day. He told them about the breakup. He didn’t tell them the things he’d said… only that Nico had told him he didn’t like him anymore and that it was over. He admitted how broken he’d felt, and how his friends had helped him remain focused, how Paolo had helped him cope by crying and being angry. He told them about Nico’s excursions, and the alcohol poisoning, ignoring their shocked, disapproving faces.

Then he told them about Nico’s confession. The first time he’d told Will he loved him. How Will couldn’t bring himself to date him again for lack of trust. And how he’d tried to date again, only to find out that Nico had taken the initiative to start therapy for his depression and quit drinking. He told them about their friendship rebuilding, their boundaries. And how he’d found himself falling even harder for him. He told them about the day he’d finally managed to take him on a date and how Nico had kissed him, making them both realize they couldn’t be “just friends” anymore. They were too in love. And how they decided to try again… how much better it was… how he trusted Nico more than ever before.

“He doesn’t know,” he whispered. “But I found one of his sheets from therapy. He’d written a list of things he looked forward to. Most of them were about me. Being with me in the future.” He chuckled and tried not to blush. “This guy who never even wanted to date anyone, who enjoyed one night stands and parties… wants a future with me. I don’t know how far ahead he’s thought. Like I said, we just started dating again. And… one of them was even getting you guys to like him. He’s changed so much… all on his own. To be better for himself and for me. And ever since he became part of my life… I don’t struggle as much either. He has no idea how selfless he is.” He leaned forward and rubbed his neck, sighing. “I know I’m only twenty. Well, almost twenty. But I do love him. I really, really do.”

His parents looked at each other and seemed to be deep in thought, communicating with their eyes. If this boy could try so desperately for their son, then surely he couldn’t be a bad person. He had flaws, of course. But who didn’t? Naomi herself was known for having a one-track mind and being stubborn. Lester knew he was run by emotion more than rationalization, and that he sometimes didn’t know when to be serious. Will was stubborn and overly selfless. Nico had a temper.

But the point was Naomi and Lester loved each other enough to overlook and balance the flaws. And so did Nico and Will. They understood better. They knew the story. Most of it, at least. They knew who they were bringing into their home, who their son loved so deeply.

“Hon, why don’t you bring Nico out here?” his mother suggested softly. Will hesitated and stood, coming back out a few minutes later with a groggy-looking Nico. “Were you asleep?”

“Just a nap,” he murmured self-consciously.

She smiled at him and looked at her husband who nodded. She looked back at Nico and interlocked her hands. “I hope you haven’t bought your ticket back yet.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at Will. “I’m waiting on my dad to get back to me about the money…. Why?”

“Because we want you to stay,” Will’s father answered. “We have a better idea of who you are and what you’ve done for our son. And we want his birthday to be happy, and you, Nico… you make him happy. We know the story now… while there are a few blanks you’ll have to fill when you’re comfortable. But… I especially see that there is more to you than I originally thought. And it wasn’t fair of me to ask you for… a self-evaluation of your worth and intentions. That’s quite clear.”

Nico’s lips parted in surprise, as did Will’s. “Stay for the week, Nico. Let us get to know you for ourselves,” his mother insisted. “For my sake, at least, let me get to know the boy my son seems to be living with,” she teased light-heartedly.

“A-are you sure?” he asked, looking from them to Will. But Will was just as surprised. “After what I said….”

“What you said wasn’t uncalled for,” his father said with a smile. “I was being an arrogant, closed-minded, demeaning asshole.”

“Oh my God,” Will blurted as Nico’s eyes widened and he covered his mouth.

“Please stay,” he continued.

Nico looked down at the floor and looked at Will. Then his mother added, “Kayla would hate to see you go so soon.”

He laughed and nodded. “Okay, I… I get it. I’ll stay. Thank you.” Will smiled and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek and causing him to grimace and laugh. “I love you,” he chuckled softly.

“I love you too,” he whispered. He hugged him tightly and looked at his smiling parents. Thank you, he mouthed.

click here for ch. 35