[ON HOLD!] Oblivion [Solangelo]

3 | The Mystery Of Nico DiAngelo

Turns out, Lou-Ellen and Cecil weren't particularly bothered by Will's new pets. Cecil spent most of the evening suggesting awful names for the crabs and Lou-Ellen was too absorbed in her textbooks to care that much.
It was decided that the tank would be kept in Will's room. He spent all of an hour making sure his small friends were settled in, and more time after that fussing over them and telling them all about his day. Growing up, Will was never allowed pets - not even a fish. He felt like a child again.
However, he couldn't for the life of him come up with a name for either of the crabs. Obviously he wasn't going to use any of the ones Cecil suggested, and all Lou-Ellen could come up with was Dan and Phil - a tempting offer but Will was looking for something special.
In the end, he decided he'd consult Nico about it tomorrow. For some reason, the short, dark haired Italian had been in the back of his mind since they'd met in the aquarium. He'd think about the boy's almost-smiles, the way they looked quite foreign on him, as if smiling was a new concept. He could sense upset under the calm exterior, Nico seemed a little broken. Maybe it was nothing. But Will couldn't ignore things that needed fixing. It was in his nature. Trouble is, emotional damage isn't that easy to fix. Sometimes you can't fix it at all. It is often up to the damaged person to repair themselves - support can of course help them. But in the end, it's their own decision as to wether they wished to heal or not.
Will shook his head. Why was he so interested in this stranger anyway? Probably medical instincts, he concluded. Of course. He couldn't help but seek out people who needed his help.
His lips drew back into a smile, as he went through his nightly routine. Lou-Ellen and Cecil seemed confused by his drastic change in mood, but they didn't comment on it. That night, as the stars filled the skies, Will said goodnight to his friends, and his little crabs, before star-fishing onto his bed and slipping into the darkness of sleep.

-

It was another humid morning. Will woke to bedsheets stuck to his limbs and the strong smell of sweat. He grimaced, dragging himself out of his bed and straight down the hall into the bathroom. Drowsily, he pulled off his pyjamas and stepped into the shower, turning the water on and leaning against the wall as he gained full consciousness. His thoughts began to slip back to yesterday. To Nico.
He wondered where the mysterious boy had come from, he said he'd been watching the shop for a friend - so he must be local. Yet, Will had been living in the small town for a while now and he'd never come across Nico before that. He'd definitely have noticed him if they'd passed in the street. Who wouldn't? He was so different from most of the people who called the little seaside town home. Not that it was a bad thing. Will found it quite interesting, a good interesting.

Once again, almost an hour later, Will was standing by the entrance to the quiet aquarium at the end of the pier. He sucked in a breath as he pushed through the doors, eyes immediately flickering towards the counter.
He frowned.
At the till stood a man, tall with dark hair and seaweed green eyes. He was texting someone on the iPhone in his hands, grinning widely. He didn't seem to notice Will's presence.
"Um, excuse me?"
The man's eyes moved upwards, and he smiled again.
"Sup, how can I help you?"
He had an American accent, just like Will's, but his voice was slightly deeper than the blonde's.
"Hi, I was looking for Nico? He was here yesterday and-"
"Oh," the guy interrupted, " so you must be Will! Nico mentioned you!" He winked, causing Will to go red in confusion. "I'm Percy, by the way, Nico was just looking after the store for me yesterday."
The blonde smiled back, "nice to meet you! Anyway, do you know where I can find Nico?"
Percy shook his head, face dropping slightly.
"Ah, sorry. Don't know where that guy's gotten off to. He doesn't really keep us updated on his life, just texts us if he wants to meet up or we have to text him first. Sometimes he's down at the library, but other than that we don't see him around much. It might be worth checking there though."
Huh. And the mystery continues.
Who was Nico? Will didn't have a clue, but he was more curious than ever to find out.
"Thanks Percy!"
"S'alright," Percy replied. "See you around Will!"
Will left Percy's aquarium, making his way along the pier and into town - in search of the elusive Nico.