Work Text:
In this universe, once a person is born, a necklace would appear on their neck that has half a heart in it before disappearing again. The necklace would only come out at moments of love, it comes out for you to check whether the person you’re with- Well, if they’re your soulmate.
The necklace would only fit properly with one person among 7 billion in the world because only one person is your soulmate. Some have accepted to live and be married with those who aren’t really their soulmates, but most of those marriages don't last… And some, though the necklace appears, refused to check because it’s either the moment of love is caused by a family member, or they simply don’t want to ruin a budding or already amazing friendship, and that’s exactly the reason why it took Will Solace many many heartbreaks before he finally found out who his soulmate truly is.
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Nico was currently doing his homework in his and Will’s apartment when it all began. He and Will were roommates, and they’ve become close friends since then even though they were complete opposites except for the fact that they’re both gay.
Nico and Will have become so close that they have learned to love each other ‘as friends’, at least that’s what they say… At least, that’s what they thought… So, everytime their necklaces pop up at moments of ‘platonic love’, they ignore it and decide not to check, both afraid that this may turn towards the worse for their friendship.
Nico wasn’t going to rush looking for his soulmate… He knew that when the time came, he’ll meet whoever is for him and finally connect his heart necklace to theirs and feel the completeness people say it brings. Right now though? Ever since he and Will became roommates, he has felt… Satisfied. He’d love to say complete, but Will isn’t his soulmate, right?
Another reason why Nico and Will haven't had the chance to try it out is because Will was always dating someone, even though Nico could see that he isn’t always happy. Will just wants to find his soulmate already, that’s why he tries to date anyone who would ask him out, which is a lot since Will was a kind and really caring person, and when he dates, he gives his all as if he was ready to hand his life to everyone who would be willing to be there for him.
Eventually though, people would leave him because they would realize that Will’s life is messier than it seems, and though Will was tired of heartbreak, he never stopped in hope to find the one who was going to complete him.
The only person who was actually constant in Will’s life aside from his family is Nico, but they’re only and will only be friends, right? It’s not like Nico ever showed interest or asked Will out, and Will only goes on dates with those who do… He guess he was just afraid of being rejected, not knowing that rejection can come later on in the relationship.
Anyway, that night, Nico was studying as he waited for Will to come back and lock up since the latter had forgotten his keys. Will went on a date with a guy which Nico has hated the most among all the boys Will dated. Why? Because there’s just something about the guy that rubbed off wrong on Nico, and he tried to Will about it, but the latter insisted it was going to be fine, so Nico believed him.
That night, Nico was proven right as Will stumbled into the apartment with a bruises on his arms and tears streaming down his face, “Nicooo…” The older boy whimpered, fear evident in his voice.
Nico was immediately on his feet, shutting his books close and running to Will, worry and anger overwhelming him. Will didn’t deserve this. Nico growled, “Where is he? What did he do?”
Nico’s anger was dissipated when Will let out a heartbreaking sob, “Please don’t… I just need someone right now… Please…” he begged.
Will’s knees buckled, and Nico immediately caught him, putting his arms around Will to support him. Nico was angry at the guy who did this, but right now, Will needed Nico for support and as the good friend Nico was, he’s going to provide it to him.
Nico helped Will into his room then gently placed him in his bed before looking for the first aid kit, placing ice packs on Will’s bruises as the other boy groaned, still trying to recover. Nico shushed him, trying for his most gentle gaze (Nico wasn’t a naturally gentle person, but for Will, he finds himself always trying his best), “Shh, it’s okay, it’s alright, you’re safe now.” And as Nico continued to treat Will's wounds, he kept saying those soothing words until Will finally calmed down.
Once Nico was done, he kept the first-aid kit away then sat at the edge of Will’s bed. Will was laying down, his hair a mess, and his eyes in a daze, staring at the ceiling. All in all, he looked exhausted, and… broken.
Nico didn’t like what he saw, so he tried to nudge the boy lightly, “Hey, I know it’s all still fresh, but you told me that I should never bottle what I feel, and hey, you shouldn’t either.” Nico wasn’t good at comforting people, but he tries when he really cares for a person.
Will snapped into attention, turning to meet Nico’s gentle and careful gaze. Will sighed, tears forming once again, making his eyes sparkle, “I-I know you don’t like physical touch that much but… Can I get a hug?”
Nico smiled, then without hesitation nodded. Will managed a small smile then slowly sat up as Nico carefully placed his hand around him, despite Nico being the smaller one. Will leaned into Nico’s chest then began sobbing again, making Nico’s heart ache.
Then, Nico waited. He knew that Will’s way of recharging is through physical touch and he also knew that Will trusted him more than anyone, so he didn’t push. He just hugged Will and rubbed circles in his back as the other boy tried to gather himself.
After 10 minutes of silence with only Will’s sobs to be heard, Will finally spoke, “He wanted to have sex… and I wasn’t ready…”
That made Nico’s anger flare, already knowing where this was going, but he knew that Will had to talk about this so he hummed, trying to keep his voice calm as he waited for Will to continue, “When I said I didn’t want to… he hurt me physically… threw punches here and there, and you knew how I don’t fight, right?” He let out a humorless laugh as I nodded, trying to keep my temper at bay.
Will took a deep breath, as he held onto my shirt tighter, as if grasping for dear life, “Then… I made a run for it… I- I barely managed, but I did, and I guess he couldn’t possibly be my soulmate, huh?”
This time, Nico couldn’t hold it back anymore as he growled, “Even if he turned out to be, I would never let him close to you again.”
Will chuckled genuinely at that as Nico found himself wrapping his arms more protectively at the older boy, “From now on. I’m going to make sure you don’t date bastards like him.”
Will sniffled, once again letting out a chuckle, “Gods, I must be so lucky to not only be allowed to cry on and get hugs from Nico di Angelo, but also be under his protection.”
Nico shrugged, “I only have a few people who care about me, Solace. I try to return the favor.”
Will hummed wistfully, and that’s when it happened. A glow started at both their chest, then suddenly, their half-heart necklaces appeared. Now, this wasn’t the first time it happened, and normally they ignored it, but Will’s emotional vulnerability made him wonder, “Have you ever been curious or tempted to try, you know…”
Nico’s voice seemed to have stopped working, because indeed he has been tempted, but there was always something or someone in the way, but now… They were both single, but wouldn’t it be unfair that Will has just experienced something sooo… traumatic?
“Nico?”
Will sounded so vulnerable that it got Nico’s attention, he looked down and met Will’s eyes then felt his heart race. Everything he had kept down was finally rising. Does Will actually feel the same for him, or was it just the gravity of the situation?
Nico’s shaky hand grabbed onto his necklace and squeezed it, feeling how warm it was, “I have… actually.” He found himself surprisingly saying.
Will managed to sit up properly, grab his own necklace and held it out. He looked just as nervous as Nico as he did so, his eyes never wavering, “Do you… want to stop dancing around and- and try?”
Nico looked down at his own necklace and thought about it, “I’m just afraid, what if…?” He looked back up and saw Will shaking his head as he wiped a few tears out of his eyes, “Nothing’s going to change if it doesn’t work… You’re too important for me to lose, Nico.”
Nico nodded then swallowed, realizing that he was more afraid of the other what if… Will must’ve seen it in his eyes as the other boy gave him a reassuring smile even though he was just abused earlier, “If it works, then we’ll figure it out, okay?”
Sometime Nico wondered how Will could stay so positive even after all the heartbreaks, even after all the abuse. That’s what got Nico to agree. He wanted to protect Will more than anything. Will doesn’t deserve the heartache, and Nico would never hurt him, he just wants Will to be happy, and what better way to achieve that than to be Will’s soulmate?
With a brave nod, he offered his half of the heart, then nervously, the two boys let the two hearts meet. As soon as the necklaces met, there was a spark of light, then suddenly the two boys found what they were looking for… They finally felt complete.
Nico met Will’s eyes as Will laughed in joy, “I found you.” He said, and it was like music to his ears, as Nico stayed there, silent in shock before finally finding his voice again, a smile tugging on his lips, “You were right in front of me all along.”
At that, Will tackled Nico into a hug, completely forgetting about his bruises. Nico laughed (a rare sound that Will cherished when heard) in relief as he hugged Will back, gripping tightly on the other boy. So, Will was his soulmate, and if he was protective before, he was definitely more protective now.
Nico could feel the passion more now… Whoever has hurt and would dare hurt Will would definitely pay for it. When they pulled away from the hug, both boys were smiling so brightly, happy to finally found the one who would complete them despite that night’s earlier events.