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lilypxtter · 9 years

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here comes the sun

In which Nico steals flowers, and Will catches him. "I want to meet your date. Any girl who gets flowers from Nico di Angelo is a lucky one." Only Nico isn't going on a date. He's visiting his sister's grave. [ffnet]

inspired by this au post

There are just a few things that Nico di Angelo actually likes about his flat. One is that it is near to the local cemetery. It’s a little morbid, he has to admit, but it makes his journey to visit his sister’s grave far easier.

He falls into a routine just a month or so after moving in. His Sundays look a little like this:

First, he wakes up late, successfully avoiding his cousin and flatmate Jason, who never ceases to want to chat about Nico’s love life, or lack thereof. He talks to his half-sister Hazel for a while on the phone, usually while she is on the bus going to the jewellery shop that she owns. Nico shovels down a little breakfast to evade his best friend Reyna’s constant pestering – “You need to eat!” “You’re looking a little skinny.” “When’s the last time you ate something other than McDonalds?”.

Alright. Maybe he is being a little harsh; Nico loves his friends more than anything. They’ve pulled him out of some dark, dark places, and more than once he has stopped to shiver at the thought of where he would be without them. Still, they can be irritating. Above all, Nico values peace and quiet.

Which is exactly why he isn’t so pleased to see Will Solace on the way to his sister’s grave.

Let’s backtrack a bit. Nico is strolling, hands buried deep in the small pockets of his black skinny jeans, nodding his head along slightly to the beat of the music blaring into his ears. Then, he sees it. A front garden full of flowers, colours of red and yellow and purple. They grow just in front of a clinic, one that he had to visit only one month ago to pick up another prescription.

Surreptitiously, the dark-haired boy glances around, pocketing his earphones. No one in sight. With a little thrill, he crosses the road, reaching his hands through the metal bars of the fence. He tugs on a few flowers – white lilies, violet forget-me-nots – thinking that if he could just reach a little bit forwards, he’d be able to reach the lavenders and bluebells too –

“Hey!”

Nico stumbles, his left arm falling right through the fence. He cranes his neck around, blushing as red as the roses in the garden.

“Uh…sorry…” He begins to mumble.

A boy – a man? – is ambling towards him. Tall, with yellow hair that reminds Nico of buttercups. He wears a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a doctor’s coat thrown effortlessly over his shoulder. As he comes closer, something clicks in Nico’s mind.

“Will? Will Solace?”

Startled, the blond blinks, squinting through the bright sunlight at Nico. “Do I know you?”

“You probably don’t remember,” Nico says, feeling his face burning, “We sat next to each other in –“

“’Course I do. Algebra, right?” Will shudders at the memory. “Glad that’s over. I liked sitting next to you though, Nico.” He winks, and Nico’s eyes widen. Is he…flirting?

“Well. Um.” He flails for a response.

Luckily, – or perhaps, not-so-luckily – Will continues. “So, how did you become a flower thief? I gotta be honest, I always saw you as more of a skulls-and-bones guy than one to be obsessed with flora.”

“I – err.”

“Wait, are you stuck?” Will asks. A blinding smile spreads wide across his face. With horror, Nico realises that his upper arm is still sandwiched between the bars of the fence. His other arm is clutching a slightly squashed bouquet of stolen flowers.

Beaming, “You are stuck!” Will laughs. Nico would wince at the sound if it hadn’t been so endearing…wait, what?

Will, apparently oblivious to the battle occurring in Nico’s brain (since when is Will Solace cute?/Since always, duh. Don’t you remember those swimming classes you were both in?), continues. “Listen, the flowers must be for a girl, right, so I’m gonna help you get out of this fence so you can go on your date.”

Nico has just enough time to mull over the word ‘date’ (imagine going on a date with Will Solace./Jesus, get your shit together!) when he feels a pair of hands encircling his torso. He jumps violently. “What the –“

“Chill, Neeks. Gotta get you out of this fence for that date, eh?”

(Neeks?)

His arm is pulled out of the fence by the sheer force of Will tugging on his body. Nico must be heavier than he thought, because the second he pulls free, Will stumbles, still clutching at Nico’s waist. They fall to the ground, Nico landing with his head on Will’s chest.

“Sorry!” He says, clambering to his feet. He’s still holding the flowers, although they now look a little bent.

“Don’t worry about it,” Will shrugs, standing. Now that they are next to each other, Nico can see that Will is taller than he remembers. From where he’s standing, he has a perfect view of Will’s flawless jawline…

“Thanks,” Nico says hastily, tugging on the flowers to straighten them out.

“No problem. How’s your arm?”

“What – oh. It’s fine.” Truthfully, it’s hurting a little, but he isn’t about to tell that to a doctor who’s probably seen way, way worse.

There’s silence for a few moments, before Nico realises something. “Um, where are you going?” They’ve been walking side by side for about half a minute already.

Will grins, “I’m coming with you.”

“You what?”

“I want to meet your date. Any girl who gets flowers from Nico di Angelo is a lucky one, so I’m coming to see if she was worth getting stuck in a fence for.”

Nico feels his face reddening again at the compliment, then wonders how exactly he’s going to explain to Will that the girl he’s going to see is in fact, his sister, and very much not alive. “Don’t you have to, I dunno, work?”

“Nah, I’m on my lunch break.” Will smiles, “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What do you do?”

“Oh. I work at this Italian restaurant, you probably won’t have heard of it.”

“Oh yeah, your Mom’s Italian right?”

“Right.”

They arrive at the end of the road, and Nico notices that the graveyard is just across the street. “Listen, Will…”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t really know how to say this, but –“

“Oh, I get it. Don’t worry! I promise I won’t say anything embarrassing, I just want to see her and then I’ll leave –“

“What? No, I mean –“

“Like, I know I can be a little annoying, but seeing as you were stealing from my place of work, I figure I’m entitled to at least see the girl –“

“Will.”

Will stops mid-sentence. Nico continues before the other boy can get another word out. “I’m not going on a date. No, listen. I’m going to the cemetery, see? The one right across the road.”

Silence. Will’s mouth falls open a little, and his eyes widen almost comically. “Oh. Oh, shit. Nico, I’m so sorry –“

“It’s fine,” Nico says, waving a hand. Belatedly, he realises that it actually is fine. He enjoys Will’s company, and as strange as it may seem considering the fact that Nico usually is happier alone, he doesn’t want Will to leave. “You can come with me. Uh, if you want.”

Will’s expression changes, surprisingly not to one of pity. “Sure,” he says softly. The pair of them cross the street.

Will pushes open the creaky gate of the cemetery, and Nico takes the lead, treading through the rows of graves, around patches of unkempt grass. Finally, they arrive in front of a marbled headstone.

BIANCA DI ANGELO

The ones that love us never really leave us.

25th October 1993 – 19th December 2007

Nico kneels before the gravestone and places his crumpled bouquet carefully on it. Then, he sits, cross-legged, and begins to talk.

“Hey, Bianca. The flowers are for you – I know you like lilies, and I thought the purple looked nice with them. Anyway. This week has been fine. Hazel visited on Friday and bought me a bunch of cookies. I fell asleep on the couch with Mrs O’ Leary on top of me the other day –“

A strangled cough. Nico looks up, cranes his neck. He’d forgotten that Will was even there.

“Oh! Sorry, Will.” He pats the space next to him, and slowly, Will sits. “Mrs O’ Leary is my friend’s dog.” Nico explains.

“Ah, that makes more sense,” Will says, a little smile on his face. His expression reminds Nico inexplicably of sunshine.

“So, yeah.” Nico turns back to the pale stone in front of him. “This is Will. We went to school together – god, that was a long time ago. He caught me stealing flowers for you today; thought I was going on a date,” his lips twitch, and he glances at Will.

“Well, in my defence, I’m sure your sister was very beautiful. Definitely pretty enough to warrant flower theft if she looked anything like you.”

It takes him a second to register what Will has just said, before Nico blushes furiously and ducks his head. “Will’s a charmer,” he mutters.

Will laughs. It’s a strange sound to hear in the middle of a graveyard, but Nico likes it. It’s melodic, deep and reassuring, and the sound of it seems to fill the surrounding area with light and warmth. Hope, even.

The pair of them sit for a while, silent as they bask in the almost eerie quiet. Nico is hyperaware of the boy next to him, with Will’s leg pressed against his and their shoulders touching. He has a strong urge to lean over and curl his body into Will’s. (Look at that jawline…)

He isn’t sure exactly how long it’s been, but eventually Will looks at him. Their eyes lock; vibrant blue orbs melting Nico’s chocolate brown irises. Softly, Will speaks, “My break ends soon.”

“Oh.” Nico says, and realises that his voice has gone hoarse. He coughs hastily, “Okay, let’s go.”

They stand, and Will starts to walk from the place where Nico’s sister lays. Nico brushes his fingertips lightly over the headstone, – “See you, B” – and then follows Will back through the rows of graves, around the tall, moss-covered trees, and out of the gate.

Once outside, they begin their slow walk back to the clinic. Nico reddens again as his hand brushes Will’s, and the two of them glance at each other every so often, looking away when the other catches him.

“So.”

They reach the surgery. Nico wants to tug on Will’s wrist and wrap his arms around his waist, but refrains. “So?” he replies.

“Will I see you again?” Will asks, pulling his white doctor’s coat over his hands.

Nico starts to stumble over his words, “I – um. What do you – err.”

“Nevermind,” Will says quickly, and he gives Nico the most awkward pat on the shoulder ever known to mankind before turning, walking straight towards the clinic, through the garden that Nico had stolen from not even an hour ago.

Nico blinks confusedly. Then, “Wait – Will!” and he’s off, sprinting towards the blond. He catches Will just as he’s about to open the door.

“Nico?”

Trying to pretend that his ten-second run hasn’t tired him out, “I – what are you doing next weekend?”

Will frowns, “Working.”

Nico huffs impatiently, “Well, when d’you get off?”

“I don’t work tomorrow.”

“Right.” Nico says. He takes a deep breath, “Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What?” Will asks, but there’s a smile that’s creeping swiftly onto his face now. “Like, a date?”

Nico rubs at the back of his neck, trying not to sound too eager, “Uh, yeah. If you want.”

“Meet me here tomorrow at eleven,” Will says, and before Nico can even nod, he surges forward and drops a kiss onto Nico’s cheek. Will gives him a cheerful goodbye (while Nico feels a burning sensation on the spot where Will had kissed him) and pushes open the door of the clinic, waving.

Nico waits until the tail end of Will’s white coat has disappeared around the corner of the front corridor before he turns on his heel, walking back towards the garden. He looks at the buttercups that are the same golden shade as Will’s hair, at the white lilies that he’d left at Bianca’s grave.

As he heads for his house, he touches the spot on his cheek that Will had kissed, allowing his lips to curve up into a small smile. It’s not until he gets home that he realises that, for once, he feels happy. Like, skeletal butterflies in your stomach, jaw-achingly, wanting-to-skip happy.

Nico thinks he could get used to that feeling.

#solangelo #nicodiangelonet #percabethnetwork #nico di angelo #will solace #my writing #excuse ooc-ness this is the first time i've written them!

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