Chapter Text
Will was walking home from university. He did this precisely one day a week - Saturday, which was when he would have dinner with his mother and sleep over until Sunday. He’d spend the Sunday with her and go back to his dorm by Monday. It was a regular routine and his house was only a subway ride and a forty minute walk. He was able-bodied, capable and hungry for his mother’s cooking.
On the way home, he generally took the wider streets. He could defend against a mugger but better safe than sorry. The only backstreets he used were the ones behind the bakery so he could avoid crossing the busiest road. They were quiet. He took out an earphone just in case.
Frank Sinatra filled his ears. He was singing Jingle Bells. It wasn’t even vaguely near Christmas. That was irrelevant.
“Shit!”
A dark shape barrelled into Will, hands full of cans and clearly running from something. The shape’s head collided with Will’s jawline forcefully. Will just about caught himself, ending up leaning against a wall with the cans clattering to the floor.
“Are you okay?” he asked, rubbing his chin and wincing in pain.
The shape staggered backwards, dropping the cans to rub its head and make various sounds of hurt and irateness.
“Ow! Fuck!” The voice that came out the shape’s mouth was young and male with a slight accent that Will couldn’t place.
“Hey!” A deeper voice called from behind them.
“Fuck,” the other man repeated. Will spun around just in time to see a burly police officer grab both his shoulders. Another police officer grabbed the stranger’s hands and cuffed them behind his back.
“You’re both coming with us,” the officer said, twisting Will’s arms into a pair of cuffs.
“Wait, what?” Will’s eyes widened. “I didn’t do anything.”
As they were bundled into the back of a police car, Will sent a despairing look to the stranger, who said nothing. His dark hair covered his face and his leg bounced up and down.
Fuck fuck fuck, Will cursed internally.
“I don’t know this guy,” he said as they started to drive. “I was just walking home. I didn’t do anything.”
Either the cops couldn’t hear him or were ignoring him.
Will slumped back, hitting his head against the headrest.
“Ma’s going to kill me.”
-
“Names?” a bored looking officer with a name tag that read ‘Janice’ at the police station asked.
“Will Solace,” Will said. “And this has all been a huge misunderstanding-”
The officer held up a hand. “Save it. And what’s your name, sweetheart?”
The stranger raised his head and Will caught a glimpse of his dark brown eyes.
“Niccolò Di Angelo,” he told the officer with a charming smile. She rolled her eyes.
“You delinquents enjoy yourselves whilst we call your guardians. Try not to get too cosy.”
Niccolò rolled his eyes as he and Will were shoved into a holding cell with a bunch of other twenty something year olds (most of them drunk).
“What the fuck?” Will immediately demanded. “Why didn’t you tell them you don’t know me?”
“I don’t?” Niccolò’s eyes widened dramatically.
Will glared at him. “Oh, I get it. Niccolò here is an asshole.”
Niccolò snorted. “It’s not my first rodeo, tesoro. I know not to talk to the police. And it’s Nico by the way. Niccolò is the name given to me so that I would be toughened up by American bullies.”
Will huffed. “Obviously they didn’t bully you hard enough.”
“That’s low.” Nico whistled. “I was just trying to be friendly.”
“Friendly? You got me arrested! My mother is going to kill me. What were you even doing?”
“Art,” Nico replied. He raised his voice. “I give free art to the world and they lock me up, Janice.”
“Aren’t your parents going to be mad?” Will questioned.
“My parents are dead and my sister lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend. My roommate, however, is going to pick me up, lecture me and then take me for shitty gas station pizza.”
“I was going to go home to cottage pie before you showed up.”
“Luck you.” Nico sighed. “We’ll be free as soon as our rescuers show up. They don’t charge you much for doodling.”
“I didn’t doodle at all!” Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You know what, I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am right now and I have an impeccably clean criminal record so I would appreciate you telling these police officers that I was just walking past the wrong bakery.”
Nico clicked his tongue. “Ah but if I did that then I’d have to admit that I violated the law and I’d rather not.”
“Then maybe you should have thought about that before you did the violating!”
A few heads turned to them and Will cast his gaze down, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“They know it was you,” he continued quietly. “There are security cameras and they caught you with multiple spray cans. Could you please just tell them the truth?”
Nico let out a long suffering sigh. “Fine. Only because you’re hot.”
“Charming. Am I more attractive than gas station pizza?”
Nico laughed. “I’ll have you know that pizza is the love of my life. I’ll have to introduce you some time.”
“Are you seriously asking me on a date whilst we’re in jail?”
“Are you seriously considering saying yes?”
Will wrinkled his nose. “Only because you’re hot.”
Nico grinned then glanced over to the front desk.
“I think I see your ride.”
Will looked up and sure enough saw his mother striding towards him with a face of thunder. He winced.
“Just ask Janice for my number,” Nico said. “I’m kind of famous around here.”
“Oh good,” Will said sarcastically. Nico nudged him.
“Good luck with your mother.”
Will grit his teeth. “I’m going to need it.”