Chapter Text
God, Nico hated the Midwest. Did Oklahoma count as the Midwest? Was he even in Oklahoma yet? It seemed like they’d been driving for hours, but how large could Texas be? Experts remain divided on all three questions. And by experts, Nico meant himself and Hazel because no one in their right mind would study, live, or even visit wherever the fuck they were. For miles and miles it had just been rolling field of wheat and corn after rolling field of wheat and corn. They had passed a river at some point and some green that came with it, but other than that, nothing. They were almost out of gas, their phones were both dead, and, as a nice cherry on top, he was almost certain they were lost.
“There’s a town up ahead!” Hazel exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. Nico squinted and, surely enough, he could see the roofs of a few short buildings emerging from the horizon. “Civilization!”
“I think you have to have a little more than just 6 buildings and a general store to be considered civilization,” Nico shot back, but it had no bite. He had to admit that seeing any kind of humanity would be welcome at this point. A green sign emerged from behind a crop of rye, and Nico read it aloud. “Welcome to Brenton, Oklahoma. Health, Family, and Prosperity.”
“Sounds… lovely,” Hazel muttered.
After a few minutes, they pulled into town- which was admittedly little more than 6 buildings and a general store- and made a sharp turn into the gas station. The card readers on all the pumps were broken and Nico came to the unfortunate conclusion that had to go inside to pay. After a few looks around he promptly turned to Hazel. “Stay in the car, and keep the doors locked.”
“What? Why?” she exclaimed, pouting. “I want to go buy gummy worms.”
“First off, someone should stay with the car. Second, I can see four Trump signs without turning around,” Nico explained. Hazel glanced around, frowned, and slumped down further in her seat. He felt bad, but he knew he was right. Nowhere this red would take well to a young black woman. “I’ll be back in a moment. If you have to use the bathroom, just stay by the car and we can go together when I get back-”
“Wait!” Hazel called out as Nico stepped out of the car. She tossed him his aviator jacket. “Put that on and zip it up.”
“Hazel, it’s like 90 degrees-”
“Your shirt,” she stated. Nico glanced down. Maybe today had been the wrong day to wear a t-shirt with a huge rainbow skull that said ‘Be gay, do crime.’ He nodded, zipping up the dark leather jacket quickly.
Hazel didn’t say anything else, so Nico tossed her the keys and made his way into the gas station’s convenience store. A sign read in sharpie, ‘Cash Only.’ Just their luck. He opened his wallet and did a quick scan. 10.56 in assorted coins and bills. “10.56 on pump 4,” he told the cashier, about to hand her all of his and Hazel’s money. His stomach grumbled and she raised an eyebrow.
“Anything else?” she asked. Nico glanced back at the snack aisle for a second, his eyes falling on the gummy worms.
“No-”
“We’ll have these too, please,” someone said behind him, placing a pile of snacks and candies on the counter. The cashier glanced at the pile, then up at Nico and the strange young man.
“That’ll be $25.43,” she said dryly. The stranger flashed Nico a blindingly wide smile (his eyes were sky blue, Nico realized, and his hair was as gold as the wheat that grew around them like weeds) and handed the cashier a few bills.
“Thank you,” the stranger said sing-songedly. He had a slight southern drawl, Nico realized. It’s cute, said another, traitorous, part of his brain. Nico was jolted out of this train of thought by being handed most of the pile of snacks by the man.
“Huh?” Nico said, almost dropping them.
“I said we’d better get going soon,” the man explained, clarifying nothing, and he shot Nico another smile. He led Nico out of the store, and Nico just followed.
“Who are you?” Nico asked once they were outside, shoving the bags of candy into the stranger's arm. “And what the fuck?”
“I’m Will Solace,” the man said, tipping his head in greeting. “And I noticed you looked a little… lost.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Nico huffed, sweating a little from a combination of the Oklahoma midday heat and his dark leather jacket. And that was all.
“First off, you gave the cashier an oddly specific amount- which meant that’s either all the money you have or all the money you can afford to spend right now. You’re obviously hungry, but didn’t get any food, which only reinforces my first theory. Plus, your phone is dead; I saw you check it, probably out of instinct, but it didn’t turn on-”
“Alright! I get it! But for your information, I’m not lost. Just a little… turned around at the moment,” Nico stated, feeling oddly defensive. “What’s in it for you, though?”
The boy- Will, looked a little taken aback by this. “What do you mean?”
“Why did you pay for my gas and buy me these? What do you want?”
“What makes you think I want something?”
“You’re too nice,” Nico said, his eyes narrowing.
“I couldn’t have just done this out of the goodness of my heart? Haven’t you ever heard of Southern hospitality?”
“No. And it’s probably just all lies anyways.”
“That’s awful negative-”
“So I can just take these,” Nico snatched the candy back from Will. “And leave? Free of charge?”
“Well-”
“Okay, great! Thanks for the gas and food,” Nico exclaimed, flashing Will his best imitation of Will’s smile. He turned to the car, Hazel sitting on the hood, giving him a strange look.
“Wait!” Will called out. Nico turned back around, the grin on his face genuine this time. He quickly wiped it from his face when he realized what he was doing. “I- I actually… I need a ride.”
“Okay. And?” Nico knew he was being an asshole, but he didn’t know this guy. No matter how cute he was, or how sad his deep blue eyes looked, or how he was pretty much Nico’s type (this was the traitorous side of Nico’s brain talking again). “You’re some random guy who paid for my gas and snacks. If I owe you anything, it’s about $25. You could be dangerous- could be planning to kill me and steal my car.”
“I- I swear, I’m not. Please,” Will begged. He glanced behind Nico and turned pale. Nico turned to look as well, and saw a red pickup truck pulling into town and what looked like a furious white man behind its wheel. “I need to get out of here. Now.”
Nico looked at the pickup truck, then at Will, then at Hazel. Hazel gave him a look back. “What are you doing?” the look said.
“I’ll pay for your gas,” Will pleaded.
“I don’t know,” is what Nico responded with a shrug.
“Help him, you idiot,” Hazel ordered with a hand gesture. Although maybe she was just trying to ask what he was doing again.
Nico sighed and looked back at Will, who was practically trembling. He hoped his sister, or at least his interpretation of her silent gestures, could be trusted. “Fine. Get in the car. But we’re going to Seattle, and I’m not taking any detours or anything like that for you.”
“Thank you so much,” Will said, hurtling to the backseat of Nico’s car like a bolt of lightning. Hazel hopped in the passenger seat, glancing back at Will and out the rear window as Nico peeled out of the gas station.
“There’s a man who was in a red pickup truck yelling at us,” Hazel remarked. She looked directly at Will. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“Uh- I don’t… He was… I-” Will stammered, simultaneously blushing and turning pale.
“Nevermind. I’m Hazel Levesque, and this is Nico, my brother. You are?”
“My name is Will. It’s lovely to meet you, Hazel.” Will extended his hand and Hazel shook it firmly. Nico just scowled, glancing at them in the rearview mirror. “Nico Levesque, huh? It has a certain ring to it.”
“Di Angelo. Not Levesque,” Nico corrected.
“Nico di Angelo… That sounds oddly familiar,” Will muttered. Hazel and Nico shared a knowing glance moments before he exclaimed, “Like Hades di Angelo? Di Angelo Oil?”
“Yup,” Nico muttered gruffly.
“What are the children of an oil magnate doing in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma, with no cash?” Will asked, his face the perfect picture of confusion. “I thought gems practically fell out of y’alls pockets.”
“Well, we-” Hazel began.
“We have money. I just assumed everywhere in the US would use credit cards,” Nico stated. “Now, why were you running from that guy?” Will turned red and pale again, which Nico had to consider a special talent at this rate. Hazel frowned disapprovingly.
“You said you were going to Seattle, right?” Will said, awkwardly staring out the window.
“Among other places.”
“Well, that sounds far better than Texas, so if you wouldn’t mind taking me. I would be more than happy to pay for your gas, of course,” Will mumbled.
“You have yourself a deal!” Hazel responded, butting in before Nico could say anything.
“You would if we knew where we're going. I don’t see any signage, our phones are dead and we don't have a charger,” Nico explained.
“You can use mine to navigate for now and...” Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a short white cord. “I have a car charger.”
“Perfect!” Hazel smiled, plugging in her phone as Brenton faded into the distance behind them. “To Seattle we go!”