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Theater had never been much of a calling for Will. He thought the drama club was full of freaky teenagers with too many hormones to handle. Like the band kids, but in black clothes instead of weird hats and stiff uniforms.
But when Will heard that the play they were going to perform was pro-LGBT, he couldn’t resist the urge to at least audition. It was about time they stopped performing shitty comedies and shitty hetero romances. Granted he wasn’t sure if this would be a shitty cliché gay romance, but he was willing to at least read the script.
When he got to the theater room where auditions would be held, he was surprised with how many kids crowded the room. “Here you go,” one girl said, handing him a paper and a packet. “It’s the audition scenes and an audition sheet. Fill it out with your name, how to reach you, school schedule, any other extracurricular activities you’re in, and what part you want. Then you can give it to the girl in the director’s chair.” Will glanced over and saw a girl with green hair talking excitedly with the boy beside her.
He sat down and began to fill out his sheet. He could hear the girl and the boy talking just a few feet away.
“Come on, Nico. Please audition. I think you could be a great Odysseus.”
“I’m a techie. That’s it. I’ll help out with the stage, but I’m not acting.” Will glanced at the boy. He didn’t look like a person who would enjoy being part of the drama club.
“This isn’t up for discussion. Take the damn paper, fill it out, and audition.”
“God, Kayla, fine!” he snapped, taking the paper.
“It’s gods today, buddy!” she called after him. He glanced back at her angrily and sat down at a desk. Will looked around for the director, but he couldn’t find them. Then Kayla stood and called for everyone’s attention. “Okay everyone! I’m glad to see so many new faces here! I’m Kayla, I’ll be directing this play, along with my friend Lou Ellen.” Another girl waved from the desk Kayla had been at. “So just fill out the sheet, hand them over, and we’ll get started. Did everyone get a script?”
She smiled when everyone nodded. Will stood up and handed Kayla the sheet. Maybe going for a lead role was too much, but he was up for playing a minor king. Beside him, Nico stomped up and handed Lou Ellen his paper. “I hate you both. Don’t cast me.” Will glanced at him with raised eyebrows. Nico looked back at him and furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”
“Nothing,” Will said, trying not to smile in spite of him. They went to their own desks and waited. He heard the girls begin to giggle as they looked through the papers.
“Ignore them,” someone beside him said. “They’ve been dying to direct a play. It’s not long before it goes to their head.” Will glanced over and felt his breath catch. A boy with shiny, sleek black hair down to shoulders and dark skin was smiling at him. “I’m Paolo. Drama geek.”
“Will. Nothing special about me,” he said softly, hopping he wasn’t blushing.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Paolo said, his voice low, his eyes boring into Will’s. He was definitely blushing now. He glanced for his audition sheet, hoping to see if their handwriting was similar, but the only thing on his desk was a script.
You weren’t supposed to ask to see a person’s handwriting. It defeated the purpose of finding a soulmate. But everyone knew that if you managed to find someone with handwriting the same as your own, then there they were- your soulmate. Supposedly it was a bad omen to ask to see someone’s handwriting, and although Will wasn’t that superstitious, he didn’t want to risk it.
“Where’s your sheet?” he asked.
“I filled mine out in class.”
“Who are you going for?”
“Achilles,” he said with a smile. “Kayla has two dads, happily married, so she wanted to put on a play with two male lovers. You’ve heard the story, right?” Will shook his head.
Before Paolo could explain, Kayla called for attention and the rest of the sheets. She began to call people up in twos and threes, even fours and fives for big scenes. Will didn’t know how she would choose. So many people were good at this, at acting. Despite changing roles, a handful seemed to fit any part. One of them was Paolo. Whether he took the part of one of the leads or one of the kings, even a servant, he seemed to fit it perfectly.
Then Will heard his name. “Could you go to the scene with Thetis, Patroclus and Achilles? Clarisse, Nico you too.” He heard a very disgruntled sound from Nico as he went up. “Nico, you’re Patroclus. Clarisse, you’re Thetis, obviously. Will,” she said with a smile. “Achilles.”
Will nodded tensely and took a breath. “Relax, they always go with the usuals for leads. Just read the script to make them happy,” Nico muttered.
And he did. It was a very tense scene, with Thetis sneering most of the time and Achilles remaining protective of Patroclus, which Will realized was his boyfriend.
Finally Kayla told them they could stop. “Will, Nico, stay up there.” She glanced at Lou Ellen. They shared some messaged with their eyes and then Kayla turned to them and said, “Please go to the fifth scene in your packet. Can you read that one for me?”
“Do we have a choice?” Nico bit back. They flipped the pages and Will skimmed the page. “Ah shit,” Nico muttered.
Will cleared his throat awkwardly. “Do we… have to do the movements it says?”
“That would be nice,” Lou Ellen prodded.
He sighed and turned to Nico. He grabbed his arm and nodded at him. “Let go,” Nico read.
“Please, wait. Please, let me explain,” Will read, surprised when he sounded like he was really begging for him to wait.
They read along, and Will paused, unsure if Nico would be okay with being touched by a stranger, but his dark eyebrows only rose slightly as if to say, go on when he did. So Will cupped his face and pressed his forehead against Nico’s. “Patroclus, do you hear me? Please say something.”
He must have sounded truly hurt, because a hush had fallen over the room. Nico was looking at him with somber ebony eyes. “You did it for nothing,” he whispered, sounding surprisingly pained for someone who didn’t want to audition.
“Okay, stop!” Kayla said, a strange amount of excitement in her voice. Nico and Will stepped away from each other. “Great. That was everyone. The list will be up tomorrow. Thank you guys.”
Will gathered his things and began to walk out. Someone latched onto his backpack, causing him to backtrack. It was Paolo. “Hey, you were great, man. You should audition more often.” Will blushed and smiled gratefully. “I’ll see you around.” Will nodded and wondered if maybe he could get the lead with Paolo. That would be interesting.
Then as he started to leave again, he ran into someone. “Oh, okay, whoops,” Nico said. “Sorry. Just wanted to tell you that you did pretty well.”
“Oh, well, I wasn’t looking, so it’s not your fault,” Will answered. “Thanks.”
Nico smiled and looked over Will’s shoulder where Paolo was. “I’d suggest you find a different piece of man candy,” he said in a low warning voice. “He’s notorious in the drama club.” Will furrowed his eyebrows. “You’ll learn. Anyway, I hope you get a part.” He gave him a two fingered salute and walked away.
The next day, Will hadn’t even made it halfway down the hall to his usual morning waiting spot when someone yanked him by the arm. “Have you seen the list?” they asked.
“Who are you?” Will answered in a panicked voice. He continued to be dragged by the stranger until he was in front of the drama door. A list of the cast was posted, a few names with initials beside it. Will looked for his own and was surprised when he saw it at the top. Achilles.
Beside him, someone else was shoved. “What the hell, get off me!” he heard Nico snap. Then, “What the fuck?” Will glanced at the name beneath. Nico di Angelo…. Patroclus. “I- What? Where’s Kayla?” he growled. “Oh my god.”
“Gods,” Will corrected.
“Zip it, Barbie.” Will look at him in confusion. “I didn’t want to play a part. Much less a lead. Oh fuck.”
“My, my, what a mouth,” Kayla chided as she walked up to them. “I expect you at rehearsals today, Nico. Congrats, Will.” Will smiled.
After school, Nico was being his usual grouchy self, not even bothering to try reading the script well. Kayla and Lou Ellen hit his arm a few times throughout the reading.
Paolo had been cast as Menelaus, but he wasn’t angry with Will. He actually offered to help him learn his lines when he had a free period. Nico always gave him a pitiful look when he saw them talking, but Will had learned that Nico was just angry with everyone and filled with bitterness. His opinion didn’t matter.
“I can’t believe I have to kiss him,” Will muttered.
“Technically, he kisses you. The second time that you kiss him it fades to black because pornography is not promoted at this school,” Paolo said as he flipped through the pages.
“I’ve been avoiding the scene. Even when we rehearse, we skip the kisses and hugs because he’s so….”
“Yeah, I know,” Paolo chuckled. “He’s used to working backstage or in the sound booth.” He sat up and scooted closer to Will. “Come on, let’s read it.”
Will knew what he was doing. There were only two lines in that scene. He knew that Paolo only wanted to go over it for an excuse to kiss him. But since Will was incredibly attracted to him, he played along.
Paolo looked at him, his dark eyes like a puppy’s as he looked at Will. “What?” Will asked.
“Nothing,” Paolo responded as the character. He stared at Will for a moment then leaned forward and kissed him. Will smiled and kissed him back, tossing his script aside and leaning into his helper. They were alone on stage, and somehow that made it more exciting. “You’re supposed to back away,” Paolo laughed against his lips.
“Whoops,” he answered. Then he kissed him again.
Suddenly they heard something slam onto the stage and echo around the auditorium. They split apart hastily and looked up to see Nico, an angry expression on his face. “Oh don’t mind me, just moving props. How’s rehearsal?” He glared pointedly at Paolo and scoffed at Will before returning to the classroom for more props.
“Is he… like an ex of yours or something?” Will asked.
“No. He just doesn’t like me.” Will frowned and grabbed his script.
That day at the afterschool rehearsals, Will started for the stage and stopped abruptly when he heard people arguing.
“Honestly, can’t you keep it in your pants for at least a week, Montes?” he heard Nico hiss.
“Jealous?”
“No, but I wish you’d stop trying to bone anything that moves.” He heard Paolo laugh. “Leave him alone. Seriously.”
“Make me,” he answered. There was a long silence after that. “That’s what I thought.”
“Alright,” was all Nico said. Confused, Will walked onstage and made himself known. Nico gave him a nod and turned away, flipping through his script.
After that, Will was never alone with Paolo. Whether he was rehearsing during free period or after school during their five minute break, Nico was always there. He’d sit on the edge of the stage, in a desk beside them, or quite obviously in between them. If they tried to sneak away, he’d call for one of them and ask an unnecessary question about the script. If that didn’t work he had Kayla call one of them, or even the drama teacher.
Finally, one day during break, Will pulled him aside. “Seriously, what is your deal?” he snapped.
“Relax, Barbie,” Nico said. “Trust me. You’ll thank me once the play’s over.”
“I don’t need you looking out for me. You don’t know me. You don’t even take this play serious. Leave us alone.” He scowled and walked away. For the rest of rehearsal, Nico kept his distance. The next day though, Nico walked onstage while Will was in the middle of kissing Paolo and cleared his throat. Will groaned and glared at him. “Really?” he asked.
Nico arched an eyebrow. “You said I don’t take the play serious. So I’m going to start taking it serious. I want to go over the lines with you. We have a lot to memorize.”
“You’re joking right?” Will asked. But Nico just looked at him expectantly. He sighed and grabbed his own script. Paolo made a face, but Will squeezed his hand and Paolo left. “Okay, Patroclus, go ahead.”
They spent their free time going over lines and testing their memorization. Nico made snide remarks about some parts, and Will found it easier to memorize certain lines because of it.
He thought they’d made progress. But at afterschool rehearsals that day, Kayla stopped them in the middle of the scene where Patroclus finds Achilles on an island. “You guys, come on,” she said. “You’re better, but I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that you’re in love and you’re supposed to be! Okay, Patroclus has admired this guy since the second he saw him. And Achilles, he is your weakness.”
“I thought that was supposed to be my heel,” Will said. She gave him a death glare. “Sorry. Patroclus. Got it.”
“You know what, both of you go to the classroom and figure out your damn characters. I’ll work with other scenes meanwhile. At least become friends you two. You’re too stiff.”
“To be fair, I never wanted to be part of this,” Nico reminded as he left the stage.
Kayla huffed and Will followed without saying anything. When he got to the classroom, he saw Nico sitting at a desk tiredly. “I guess this is when we vent all of our feeling towards each other and find the connection that lets us embrace our inner Broadway star,” he said sarcastically. Will fought back a smile and sat down beside him. “I’m not going to get all mushy, you know?”
“I didn’t think you would. But she’s right. We need to at least stop scowling at each other all the time.”
Nico scoffed and kicked the desk in front of him farther so he could use it as a footstool. “You’re only pissed at me because I keep cock-blocking.” He looked over and smirked when he saw Will’s mortified expression.
“God, are you usually this vulgar?” Nico snorted. “Why do you keep doing that anyway? What’s the big deal? Do you like him?”
Nico gagged. “No! I never did, contrary to most people’s belief,” he said. “But I’ve known him for two and half years now. He’s a flirt and a liar and he just likes getting into people’s pants. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, he manipulates them and gets what he wants only to pretend not to know them afterward.” He rolled his eyes and scrunched his face in disgust. “I caught him trying to flirt with my sister once. He broke one of my friend’s heart after he fooled around with her backstage then ignored her once the play was over. He screwed around with one of my other friends too, but he found out Paolo had been ‘dating’ someone on the decathlon team. He was inconsolable for weeks.”
Nico’s dark brown eyes, much gentler than Paolo’s, looked up and met Will’s. “I’ll be honest with you. You’re attractive. And Paolo noticed it right away and made you his next target. But you’re a nice person and I’m trying to keep that from happening to you. Not because I have a crush on you or on him or anything like that. It’s because everyone deserves to be warned.”
Will found himself staring at the marble tiled floor. He had a strange nauseating feeling in his stomach. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
“You didn’t exactly give me a chance. And if I told you in front of him… well he’s very good with words.” Nico shrugged. “I guess I’ve done my part though. If you still want to risk it, that’s on you.” He studied the ring on his finger and didn’t speak, letting Will take in everything.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.” Nico shrugged again. “Um, you know, you were really good at this when we read at auditions.” He raised a dark eyebrow in question. “Why don’t you read like that at rehearsals?”
“I don’t like spotlight,” he answered. “I know Kayla really wants me to do this, but… I don’t like being close to people. The fact that I have to act so completely enraptured by you is strange to me. No offense to you, I mean.”
“Well, it’s not real at least. I have an idea. Let’s make it a game. Whoever can act more in love during the play gets treated to whatever they want for lunch the day after the performance by the loser.” Nico raised an eyebrow. “Competition is always a good motivator.” He rolled his eyes, and Will smiled wider. “So?”
He bit his lip and looked at Will curiously. “Fine. Just because I think making Paolo think we’re actually in love will really piss him off.” Will laughed and shook Nico’s hand in agreement. “So… you think we’re allowed back on stage?”
“Ah they’ll live. Come on let’s try a scene or two without anyone watching. You might be more comfortable.”
They rehearsed in private and found it much easier to play their part. Without anyone watching or the tension between them, they were both able to add new things to their characters, laugh at themselves and each other, and add commentary that made it more entertaining.
By the end of the rehearsal, the others had been surprised to see them talking and joking like old friends. “What happened?” Paolo asked reaching for Will’s hand.
He pulled away, pretending to use one hand for his books and another to push his hair away from his face. “Nothing,” he said. “See you later.” He left in a hurry and tried to ignore the disappointment in his chest.
Their improvement was evident in the next few rehearsals. During his free period, Will searched for Nico and stayed with him discussing the characters, just to stay away from Paolo. Nico noticed and allowed him to follow wherever he went.
At one point they found themselves in the costume room looking for the clothes they could use for the play. “Hey, Achilles, try these on,” Nico called from one side of the rack. He tossed over some plastic armor painted to look gold. “You have to take off that shirt though. Greek warriors didn’t use anything underneath.”
“You’re just trying to look at my six pack,” Will accused, removing his shirt.
“You have a six pack?” came the muffled response.
“Nope,” he answered. Nico laughed and Will put on the armor. It was cold but he managed to clip it. “Check it out,” he said. Nico shoved the rack aside and popped out from between clothes.
His eyes widened in surprise. His eyes skimmed his upper half causing Will to blush a bit. “If I’m completely honest, you look kind of hot, Will.” He looked up at him and smirked. “The role suits you.” He disappeared again and Will removed the armor. He poked his head between the clothes to see Nico on the other side. He was surprised to see him shirtless and wiggling into a sort of dress. “Is this toga too long?” he asked. “It’s weird. It just looks like a pinned up sheet.” He turned to Will and spread his arms.
“I think it looks fine. Are we using costumes today?” Nico nodded. “Awesome.” He went to another rack to check out a few of the other costumes. He heard footsteps and Nico groaned.
“Where’s Will?” he heard a familiar voice say.
“Not with you, obviously.”
“What the hell did you tell him? Why did he start avoiding me?”
“I told him the truth about you. That’s it. Unless you’re trying to deny what you did to Bianca and Drew and Malcolm?” There was a long pause. “You don’t get to keep using people, Paolo. You lost this time. Deal with it.”
“He’s in here, isn’t he? Will, come on, just talk to me.”
Will stepped out from behind the rack, his shirt back on. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I don’t care what you have to say.” Paolo glare at him and then at Nico before turning and storming out of the costume room. Will sighed and felt his chest tighten. “I’m going to catch up on some homework.” He avoided Nico’s gaze and went back into the classroom. He opened his anatomy textbook, but he couldn’t lose himself in the work. He felt… heartbroken.
Afterschool, Lou Ellen had them go over a particularly sweet and romantic scene in which Nico’s character admired Will’s. Granted, that was nearly all of it. But each time this scene was read, the girls swooned despite the fact that Nico never read it to the best of his ability.
This time though, Nico seemed more in character with his robes and solemn expression. He approached Will where he sat on a platform and took his face gently in his hands. “Achilles,” he said, “I would recognize you by touch alone.” He pressed his forehead against Will’s, catching him by surprise. A hush had settled over the rest of the cast. “I would know you blind, by the way your breaths come and your feet strike the earth.” He pulled away and looked at him with raw anguish. “I would know you in death, at the end of the world.”
Then he neared Will as if to kiss him, but Will’s lips met his thumb rather his lips. It was what the theater kids called a stage kiss. Nico had preferred to use those rather than actually kiss him and Lou Ellen and Kayla had begrudgingly let him.
The lights dimmed, signaling the end of the scene and Will felt Nico pull away and go backstage in the dark. But he was still dazed by the tremor of his voice, by the look in his eyes, by the sudden jump from monotone to agony. It wasn’t until someone on the backstage crew hissed his name that Will stood and prepared for the next scene.
Finally, the day of the performance arrived. Will had been completely blindsided by the change in Nico’s rehearsal demeanor that he wasn’t sure what he felt. Part of him believed the emotion, but the other wondered if it was just part of the bet. Then he wondered why he cared or why it mattered. Regardless, a new tension had grown between them, though it may have been Will’s fault.
Before the start of the play, Kayla and Lou Ellen passed around a poster for the play. They were supposed to write a note on the back of it for a keepsake. Will had signed it later and was slightly relieved when Paolo’s writing didn’t match his.
He went to check his props and when he came back, Nico was staring at the poster in shock. Everyone else was looking at it and whispering, and when Will walked back in, their eyes went to him. “What?” he asked.
Nico grabbed the poster and gave it to Lou Ellen. “We have a play to do,” he muttered. “Five minutes until the curtain rises.” He stalked out of the room and towards the stage.
Will frowned and walked over to Kayla. “What happened?” She shared a look with Lou Ellen and Lou Ellen gave Will the poster. Confused, he glanced at it and read over the messages. Then he noticed it. His own writing at the top, and the same exact one on the middle right side. It was signed by Nico.
Will felt his blood turn to fire and his heartbeat increased tenfold. A shiver rolled through his body and his hands started shaking. “Clarisse noticed it,” Kayla said. She sighed and bit her lip. “We noticed it too. When you auditioned.”
“You gave us these roles on purpose,” he realized.
“You’re both so good at it, though,” Kayla said. “I had you audition together, but… I wasn’t going to give you the roles. Then something happened. Something that made it seem real and heart wrenching. And… it was because of that.” She pointed to the poster.
“Because we’re soulmates,” he whispered, feeling lightheaded as he did.
“We should’ve done this after the play,” Lou Ellen said. “I completely forgot about the writing.”
“It’s fine,” Will said, tearing his eyes away from the identical slanted, thin writing. “It’s okay.” He turned away and went on stage.
The play began. And Nico played his part well. Will kept looking at him wondering how he felt about it. When the play had begun, he couldn’t stand Nico. He was frustrating and lazy. But they became friends. They became friends and Will wasn’t sure how it had even happened. What did Nico feel?
Finally came the first kiss. When Nico was supposed to lean in and kiss him until Will ran offstage. Being so close to him, the hair on Will’s arms stood. He felt nervous and adrenaline filled his veins. Only Nico didn’t kiss him. He leaned forward and blocked the audience’s view. He looked Will in the eyes and whispered, “Go,” before he pulled away with a gasp.
Will stood, feeling hurt, and left. Was it such a bad thing that were soulmates? Did it disappoint Nico that much? The pain he felt proved well placed in the next part of the play when Achilles was supposed to be tense and upset. He managed to shrug it off when he needed to.
Then came the next kiss. The one that had left Will confused and unsure during rehearsal. “Achilles, I would recognize you by touch alone. I would know you blind, by the way your breaths come and your feet strike the earth.” He pulled away and looked at him with the same raw anguish from before, this time paired with desperation. “I would know you in death, at the end of the world.”
Will looked at him and thought to himself, You’re my soulmate. I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with you. We’re meant to be together. We found each other. He took a shaky breath as Nico looked at him, his breaths turning fast and afraid even.
Then he leaned forward and kissed him. Really kissed him.
An electrifying feeling coursed through Will at the sensation of Nico’s cold, trembling lips. A feeling of rightness and peace and wonder. Of pain and overwhelming joy and sadness and excitement all at once. Every emotion he was meant to feel at this shaggy haired teenager’s side.
The lights dimmed down on them and applause roared in their ears. Nico pulled away, panting against Will’s lips. “It’s you,” he whispered softly.
“It’s you,” Will echoed. He leaned forward and pecked his lips before scurrying to get off stage with him.
As the next scene set up and began Will and Nico stared at each other in shock and disbelief. “I thought I didn’t have a soulmate,” Nico whispered.
“I never thought it’d be you,” Will said with a chuckle. “But I guess it makes sense.”
Nico scoffed and smiled nervously. Will leaned forward and kissed him again, surprised when Nico responded. He pulled away and kept his eyes closed. “We have a play to finish,” he whispered. His hand found Will’s and their fingers tangled together. Again, Will was filled with a sense of peace.