Chapter Text
Living in different timezones did not make for an easy relationship. Sometimes, Nico would get home from work and call Will, forgetting that it would already be past midnight in New York, and sometimes they would schedule a time to watch a movie together, only for Will to show up an hour late because he got the times backwards. But they made it work.
They spent a lot of time texting, because texting didn’t require an immediate response, and with their busy jobs, immediate answers were never really on the table. (They’d tried Snapchatting for an easy way to see each other’s faces more often, but with twelve hours between each reply, most of their conversations became what did I say? and what were we talking about?)
Whenever they could, they tried to meet up in person. Will signed up for another conference - in Milwaukee, but close enough - and Nico found a work-related excuse to visit Long Island. Will didn’t really know what he was actually there for, but the important thing was being able to hold his boyfriend in his arms again. The only problem with conferences and...other work-related excuses, whatever they may be, was that they each still had their own responsibilities to attend to.
But Will’s high school best friend’s wedding? Sure, Will would have to play his part as a groomsman for a few hours, but aside from that, he and Nico would have a whole weekend just for themselves.
They rarely had the opportunity to FaceTime, but on this one night, Will insisted. When Nico answered the call, he was already in bed, laying on his side with his face half-smooshed into a pillow, smiling tiredly at his phone.
“Hey, Sunshine,” he said, yawning as soon as he opened his mouth.
“Hi, Darlin’,” Will replied, feeling a tightness in his chest like his heart might explode just from seeing his boyfriend again after so long - he could only imagine what it would feel like once they were together again. “How are you?”
Nico rubbed at his face with his free hand. “Fuckin’ exhausted,” he answered. “I’ve been working my ass off to make sure Jason knows what he’s doing while I’m gone, and double checking all the orders to make sure they’ll have everything they need.”
“He’s run the place before,” Will reminded him gently, “and the kitchen was still standing when you got back, wasn’t it?”
Nico let his arm drop onto the bed beside him. “Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t want to have to deal with him calling and interrupting my time with you.”
Will’s heart leapt. He was going to have so much time to spend with Nico. “Babe, I’ll understand if you have to take a phone call or two.”
Nico hummed, letting his eyes slip shut for a few seconds as he said, “Nope, not gonna let it happen.”
Will sighed - a happy sigh, one that said, “I’ve missed you so much.”
Nico’s eyes opened and he grinned. “I’ve missed you, too. And in three days you won’t have to miss me anymore.”
Will thought he might start crying from happiness, but he wouldn’t let himself. “I can’t wait,” he croaked instead.
“So, what’s up? Or did you just call to tell me how much you missed me?” Nico asked, blinking at him slowly.
“No, I have an actual reason,” Will said, picking up his pace because he knew from experience that Nico was moments away from passing out. “A few, actually. Can you send me your flight information?”
“Yep, I’ll text it to you in the morning.”
“Okay. And when you start packing, make sure you check the weather, because it looks like it’s going to start getting cold at night, and the wedding’s outdoors.”
“Gotcha.” His voice came out softer this time, and Will could tell by the peaceful look on his face that he was nearing the point of no return.
“Also, I got us a hotel room near the venue for the night of the wedding, because my house is, like, an hour away, and I don’t know how late the reception is going to go.”
“‘Kay,” Nico breathed.
“Okay, this is the last thing. Nico, are you listening?”
“Mhm.”
“This is super important.”
“Mhm.”
“You look really cute and cozy right now, but I need to know that you’re listening.”
“‘m listenin’.”
“I miss you.”
Nico’s mouth curled into a smile, and Will hurried to take a screenshot before Nico moved. “Miss you, too.”
Will’s heart swelled. “Did you plug in your phone? And did you remember to set your alarm?”
Nico hummed, which Will chose to take as a yes.
He whispered, “Okay. Goodnight, Nico. I’ll text you in the morning.”
Nico was already asleep.
Will laid back on his own bed, turning onto his side and holding his phone out so that, just for a second, he could imagine that he was falling asleep beside his boyfriend, but then Nico’s grip on his own phone went lax, and all Will could see was darkness. He sighed, ended the call, and stared out into the empty space of his own bedroom.
Will was falling hard.
Will had maybe shed a few tears when he picked Nico up from the airport, and Nico definitely teased him for it, even if he was a bit misty eyed himself. They were practically inseparable for the night, holding hands for the walk to and from the car, snuggling up next to each other on the couch, and finally falling asleep in each other’s arms in Will’s bed.
In the morning, Will was in a rush to get ready. He had his suit packed up with the intention of changing once he got to the venue, and was racing around the house finding other little things that he may or may not even need that night. All throughout his running around, he was throwing out bits and pieces of information at Nico.
Will would be taking an Uber, so Nico should take his car and the keys were on the counter. Nico hadn’t actually driven a car in more than six months, but Will said he trusted him. Nico tried not to feel anxious about this.
Since Will was in the wedding, Nico would be on his own for a little while, but Will’s mom would be there by herself as well. He assured Nico that she was the nicest lady on the planet, and that they’d get along great. Nico hoped his anxiety wasn’t showing.
The venue had a no smoking policy, but technically the parking lot didn’t count as the venue, so if Nico ever needed to sneak off for a smoke, the parking lot would be his best bet.
“Oh, I quit.”
Will stopped in his tracks, spinning around to face his boyfriend. “You what? What did you quit?”
“Smoking,” Nico told him from his seat on the couch. “I decided to quit after that conference in Wisconsin. So that’s...what, six, seven months ago?”
Will darted across the living room and planted a kiss on Nico’s lips. “Babe! I’m so proud of you! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I dunno, it never came up?”
Will thought back to the last time he’d seen Nico smoking, and frowned. “Wait, but you had a pack with you the last time you came to visit.”
Nico dropped his gaze and he scratched at the back of his neck. “Yeah, that was...a moment of weakness. But I never even opened that pack, I promise.”
Will pressed another kiss to his cheek before he moved away to continue gathering his things. “I believe you. And I’m proud of you!”
“You already said that.”
“Proud of you!” Will called from down the hall.
“Will!”
Nico’s anxiety was through the roof. Driving wasn’t as bad as he’d feared, and he was thankfully driving away from the city. He still had to worry about meeting Will’s mom all on his own. What if he came off as rude? He’d been a total asshole to Will when they first met, and he really had no idea how he’d managed to get even this far into a relationship - probably because Will only saw him once every three months, and hadn’t gotten tired of his constant swearing yet. Oh god, what if Nico swore in front of Will’s mom?
He really wanted a cigarette.
He pulled up to the venue, stuffing his hands into his pockets to hide his shaking as he walked toward the rows of chairs set up for the ceremony. He stayed on his feet, glancing around in search of somebody who might look enough like Will to be his mom, and probably looking like a scared animal that had been backed into a corner.
A woman started to approach him - about his height with brown hair that curled like Will’s, and when she smiled Nico knew she must be Naomi Solace.
“You must be Nico!” she said with a Southern drawl. “Will has told me so much about you!”
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Nico replied, holding out a hand to shake, though he was pulled into a hug instead.
“You are exactly how Will described!” Naomi told him, and hooked an arm through Nico’s to lead him toward a seat. She’d started rambling, something about Will and the way he lit up whenever he started talking about Nico.
He took a breath. He could do this. Nico could sit politely and listen to his boyfriend’s mother talk until the ceremony started, and Nico could get away with not saying a single word. He would not swear in front of Naomi Solace, but he would think about how cute it was that Will inherited his tendency to ramble from his mother.
The ceremony was nice, and surprisingly short. Will had winked at Nico when he walked down the aisle, and had continuously met Nico’s eyes throughout the ceremony. The wedding party had taken pictures beforehand, which meant that the guests were able to head straight for their tables where - after a few short speeches - dinner would be served.
Will was supposed to be sitting at the head table with the rest of the wedding party, but he kept sneaking over to the table where Nico and Naomi had been placed, which Nico was eternally grateful for. Will had been right: Naomi was the nicest lady on the planet. But Nico could only nod along to what she was saying for so long before he inevitably opened his mouth and offended someone.
After dinner were the typical wedding traditions - first dances, bouquet tosses, etc. Nico was content to lean against Will’s chest and watch everything from afar, but of course as soon as the dancing started, Will wanted to be right in the middle of it all. Luckily for Nico, the venue had an open bar, meaning that he at least didn’t have to dance completely sober.
Nico quickly became both tipsy and exhausted, so Will dropped him back off at the table where he’d eaten dinner, leaving him with a kiss on the cheek as he went to fetch them each some water.
Nico was so focused on watching Will that he didn’t notice when Naomi reclaimed her seat beside him until she started talking.
“I hope you know how happy you make him,” Naomi told him. “I haven’t seen Will smile like this in a very long time, and I know I have you to thank for that. I hope he makes you as happy as you make him.”
Nico grinned, catching Will’s gaze from across the grounds. “He does.” He turned toward Naomi and told her, “I fucking love your son.”