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When Nico meets Will it's after the longest day in his life and he just wants to sleep.
He knew, he'd gotten the email notifying him with the name of his roommate and everything, so he knew that he had a roommate. But just because he knew did not mean he was prepared for Will Solace.
When Nico finally trudges into his dorm room (after nearly missing his flight because of security and then giving the uber driver the wrong address to the dorms and then finally getting to the right place only to discover his room was at the top of the one residents hall that didn't have and elevator) he does not expect be confronted with a golden love child of the sun and happiness.
The boy nearly jumps on him when he hears the door open, but thankfully doesn't as Nico has his hands full of photography equipment and would really hate to punch someone for breaking it today. He can't really see much of the boy through the box piled high in his hands, but he gets the impression of yellow curls and a grin so wide it looks like it hurts.
"Hello!" he says brightly, following Nico over to the empty bed.
"I hope you don't mind that I picked my bed already and stuff, I really didn't think about it. Did you want the other bed?" He prattles, still in the same bright tone.
Nico idly wonders if he does everything brightly.
He sets his stuff down and turns around. And stops. The glimpse of curls and warmth didn't prepare him for the overall appearance of the boy. He's got curls, yes, and a wide smile, but also blue, *blue* eyes, freckles, and a fucking dimple. Nico stares.
"Hi, sorry, you are Nico right?" He stutters, seemingly unnerved by Nico's staring.
He has been told he's very intense when he's staring. It's really not on purpose. He's a photographer, what do you expect him to do?
"Um..." Red is rising on the boy's cheeks as he shifts nervously, his smile kicking down a notch so it's almost bareable.
And right, speaking.
"Yes, sorry," Nico finally says, shaking his hands out self consciously.
"I'm afraid I can't remember your name," he mumbles a moment later, and forces his face not to look like he's about to faint at the boy's feet.
"Oh," the other boy's face does something that looks complicated and odd, "Will."
Will sticks a hand out. Nico takes a deep breath and shakes it.
When he promised himself last week that he'd talk to more boys, he didn't expect to want to chat up his roommate. This wasn't part of the 'New place, New Nico' plan.
"Sorry," he says in a slightly stronger voice, "I didn't really read the email."
Will grins wide.
"It's okay, I didn't really read it either, it's just on the nameplate on the door."
Nico is startled by the sound of his own laugh.
After a moment of slightly awkward silence there's a knock at the door and Will's smile goes slightly supernova. Nico stares in mild awe.
When Will opens the door a girl flings herself into his arms. He laughs and Nico wonders distantly if he's going to survive the year with a roommate like this. Then the girl kisses him and Nico's heart drops. It's quick and nearly not there, but it definitely happened because Will's eyes have gone crinkly. Nico stands silently for a moment while they giggle quietly, then decides to leave and get his other bags. He needs to get out of this room.
He inches past them and doesn't say anything as he slips out of the room and nearly runs down the corridor to the stairs.
It's a bit silly, he knows, that he's this affected when they just met and he doesn't even know the guy's last name. But for some reason it hurts a lot that he doesn't even have a chance.
He's trudging back up the stairs with a backpack over his shoulder, a duffle bag in one hand, and a suitcase knocking on the steps behind him when Will bounces up to him.
"D'ya need some help with that?" He asks cheerfully.
Nico doesn't know why he shakes his head no. Actually, he does, but that's beside the point, and he has two other boxes to carry up after this.
Will looks slightly wrong-footed but recovers quickly and proceeds to ask Nico *questions* as he slowly lugs the bags up four flights of stairs.
Nico finally reaches his floor and nearly trips over his own feet as soon as he's on solid ground.
Will grabs him by the shoulder and steadies him with a hand on his lower back, almost causing Nico to fall again.
He steps quickly away from the warm weight of his hand as soon as he can, knowing that indulging for even a second can be dangerous.
Will doesn’t really seem to notice, just continues chattering. He opens the door for Nico and waves him through.
Nico steps through the door and sets his things down.
When he turns around, Will is smiling softly at him.
That’s how it starts.
~~~~~
It’s been two years. Two years of rooming with the loudest, most infuriating roommate to ever exist. Half the time Nico thinks he might actually hate him. Especially now. He has a paper he has to finish in two days and a quiz to prepare for and Will won’t shut up.
Possibly the most irritating thing about Will is that he still refuses to dislike Nico even though he’s been stubbornly ignoring Will since the first day, in a futile hope that Nico could protect his heart.
It didn’t work and now Nico is hopelessly in love with someone who’s had a girlfriend the entire time he’s known him.
Said person has been calling his name for the past fifteen minutes while hanging upside down off the edge of his bed.
Finally Nico snaps. Some days it’s actually easy to pretend he hates Will.
“What do you want?!”
Irritatingly, the other boy only smiles happily.
“You should come out with us tonight.”
Nico sighs. He knows that whenever Will says ‘we’ he means Will and his girlfriend, Emma. As nice as Emma is, he understandably doesn’t want to be anywhere near her. Fortunately, he’s mostly managed, and has only had about five interactions with her that lasted longer than a simple ‘hi’ when she picked Will up to go out.
“No,” he says stubbornly.
“But Nico! You need to get out of this room sometime.”
“Not with you, I don’t.”
Will flops over on the bed and Nico tears his eyes away from where his old shirt gapes at the front.
“I’m starting to think you don’t like me,” Will says, but he’s grinning so Nico doesn’t think that Will has actually taken a hint.
Not that he wants him to, really.
Nico sighs.
“I’ve got things to do, Will. School things. Don’t you?” He mumbles, turning back to his desk.
The bed creeks. Nico hears Will approach, but doesn’t react.
“I. I just think that you should relax. I know you’re doing really well, even if I never hear it from you,” Will replies softly, a bit of hurt creeping in at the end.
Nico wants to hit his head on the table, but refrains through great power of will.
He stares blankly at the screen in front of him instead.
“I don’t want to go out Will.”
There’s warmth by his shoulder and Nico sincerely hopes that Will doesn’t touch him because he would relent in .01 seconds. He knew each year would get harder, but Christ it’s been hell this year.
Falling for a taken straight boy never ends well.
Will eventually leaves.
~~~~~
It’s several hours later when he stumbles back into the room, flushed cheeked and smelling of alcohol.
“Niiico,” he calls when the door falls open.
Nico is still sitting at his desk, but he looks up when Will thuds against the wall.
He’s never seen Will this drunk, even after knowing him for almost two years.
The blond shoves himself off the wall and stumbles toward Nico. When he trips, Nico shoots up and wraps his arms around his waist to keep him upright.
“You’re so nice,” Will slurs, “to everyone but me.”
Nico frowns. He doesn’t want to hear this. He doesn’t want to know what Will actually thinks of him.
“Why?” Comes the plaintive whine.
Nico doesn’t answer.
He tries to wrestle Will toward his bed but the other boy clings stubbornly to his shoulders.
“You’re so pretty,” he mumbles into Nico’s neck.
Nico tries to ignore what he says, but the warmth of his breath and body is slightly distracting.
“You’re drunk,” he says instead of acknowledging anything that’s coming out of Will’s mouth.
“‘M not that drunk,” Will mumbles, pulling Nico down with him.
“You should stay.”
Nico tries to pull away but Will raps a leg over his hips.
“Will...”
Will sits up suddenly.
“I don’t get it,” he says, “you seemed so ready to be my friend that first day. I don’t understand what happened?”
Nico can feel his willpower crumbling and knows he needs to get out soon or he’ll be saying things he doesn’t want Will to know.
“Go to sleep Will,” he says.
Will frowns down at Nico, and he’s abruptly aware of the fact that one of his hands is clenched in Will’s shirt and he’s laying with his hair splayed on Will’s pillow. Nico doesn’t move, even though he can feel him face heating up. Will seems to make a decision at that and he’s suddenly flopping down mostly on top of Nico.
“You have to stay,” he mumbles.
Nico shivers at the feeling of Will’s lips on his shoulder.
He doesn’t say anything, but he untwists his hand from Will’s shirt and wraps it around him instead.
Will’s out like a light, but Nico stays awake staring at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry Will,” he whispers, “but anything more... it would ruin me.”
Will mumbles in his sleep and curls tighter into Nico’s side.
~~~~~
The next morning Nico wakes up to see that Will is already awake and staring intensely at him.
He groans and tries to roll out of Will’s bed.
“No.”
Will’s arms tighten and the leg that’s slung over his waist clamps down, pulling Nico closer and completely destroying his sanity.
“We’re going to talk,” Will says firmly.
Nico squeezes his eyes shut and sighs.
“About what?”
“About you,” Will exclaims, “and how you’ve been a terrible roommate for almost two years for no apparent reason!”
“I have my reasons, Will,” Nico replies, but it sounds weak, even to him.
“You were fine with me until-“ he pauses.
“Until you met Emma,” Will finishes softly.
There’s realization in his voice and Nico jerks away and stumbles off the bed. Will lets him go with surprising ease.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Nico is sure his face is giving him away, but Will can’t know. It’s bad enough to be secretly in love with your straight roommate, but to have him know? Nico wouldn’t survive if Will pitied him.
“Nico-“
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nico interrupts frantically.
Suddenly the anger is back in Will’s eyes and he’s standing up. Nico backs away, but there’s not many places to go with his bed behind him.
“Do you have a problem with her having a girlfriend or something? Because let me tell you-“
Will’s voice fades into the background.
Girlfriend? Emma has a girlfriend? But-
“Isn’t she your girlfriend?” Nico interrupts dazedly.
Will stops and frowns at the smaller boy.
“No?”
“But I thought-“
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Will says slowly, realization creeping over his face.
“Oh.”
“So you didn’t have a problem with her, but-“ Will’s eyes widen, “were you jealous?!”
Nico can’t say anything, he just blinks at Will because, hey, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend. Nico needs time to process.
“Nico,” Will says softly.
Nico nods numbly.
“Can I?” He makes an awkward gesture with his hands.
Nico doesn’t have to faintest clue what he means but he nods anyway.
Will is suddenly hugging him.
“I’ve had a crush on you since you smiled at me the first time,” Will whispers.
Nico stiffens.
“But she kissed you,” he says, confused.
Will laughs quietly.
“She does that to everyone. But I guess you wouldn’t know that, you never did seem to want to be in the same room as her.”
They’re both silent for a minute.
“Why didn’t you say anything,” Nico finally asks in a timid whisper.
“You never seemed to like me at all, so the best could do was try and be your friend,” Will replies in a voice just as quiet.
There’s hurt there and Nico feels abruptly like he’s failed.
“I’m sorry,” Nico whispers, “I didn’t know how to deal with you already having someone to love.”
Will sighs and pulls away.
“We were both stupid,” he says, “but we both know better now.”
Nico smiles tentatively and him.
“Can I kiss you?” Will asks suddenly, “I’ve wanted to every time you smile since I met you.”
Nico blinks, shocked by his honesty, but nods.
And then they’re kissing.
Will cups Nico’s cheeks like he’s afraid he’ll disappear, but Nico can’t have that.
He bites Will’s lip and yanks him in by the collar of his shirt.
Will makes a sound very close to a whimper and slides his hands back into Nico’s hair.
Will is the one to break away, gasping.
“I can’t believe we’re so stupid,” he sighs, “we could have been doing this for two years.”
Nico giggles and buries his head in Will’s shirt.
He can’t believe it either.