Flatmates - Solangelo AU

TWENTY SEVEN

TWENTY SEVEN

Nico always had music playing. The flat seemed so big and empty and quiet, and he hated it. A few prospective flatmates had come by, but he had always found a reason to decline them. Either they seemed too clean, too loud, too pretentious, but he knew it was because none of them were Will.

"Have you called him?" Hazel asked, sitting across from him at a café.

"Once or twice, to check up on him. He seems like he's doing okay though." He sipped his coffee, grimacing.

"The coffee here sucks, why would you suggest this place?"

"I just wanted to try something new."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you and Will would go to the Yellow Piano every Saturday morning and now you're acting like a teenage girl going through a breakup?"

Nico almost spat out his disgusting, overpriced coffee. "I am not!" He shrieked before remembering where he was and resorted to glaring instead.

"You are, but if you're not ready to admit you're feelings yet, no worries. It's only the love of your life you're throwing away. No big deal." Hazel shrugged before standing. "I've got to go meet with the florist, talk later?"

"Love you."

"Love Will."

Nico rolled his eyes before heading out to his own car. Hazel didn't know what she was talking about. Anyways, he didn't have time to dwell on it, he had another person coming in to check out the apartment in five minutes and he was ten minutes away.

The girl standing awkwardly outside the door on her phone looked up when she heard him approach. "Hey! I'm Jaime, are you Nico?"

"Yeah. No offense or anything, but I didn't realize you're a girl."

"Today, anyways."

Nico shrugged off his surprise quickly before opening the door and letting her in. "Okay." He led her to Will's old room. "This would be yours, the bathroom is the door across from here." He led opened the door and let her look around. "Living room is right around the corner here, the balcony is really nice when it's not raining."

Jaime nodded her head, her black hair falling over her shoulder. "Do you have the expenses laid out so I can go over them?"

"The paper is in the kitchen, we can go through that now."

- - - - -

"Found a replacement for me yet?"

"Don't be ridiculous, it would impossible to find someone to equal your..." Nico trailed off.

"Amazingness?"

"Ha. More along the lines of absurdity. But I did have one person in mind, their name is Jaime. Doesn't seem like the type of person to get stuck in McDonalds, but they seem okay." They aren't you.

"I'm glad." There was an awkward pause where neither of them knew what to say.

"Will?" Nico whispered.

"Nico?" He whispered back softly. Nico could picture him laying on the couch upside down with his feet sticking up against the back. The way he usually sat for phone calls.

"I umm..." The words caught in his throat. "How are you and Naomi doing?"

"Yesterday was rough. We went through and cleared out her room to turn it into an office. I'm taking over the business and paperwork side of things for the bakery."

"Will," Nico sighed disappointedly.

"I know, but I can't just say no to my mother, besides, it's not forever."

"I know, just-" Nico closed his eyes. "Just take care of yourself." He hung up.

- - - - -

"How's Will doing?" Kayla was sitting on the chair in Art 'n Soul, getting another tattoo done. This one was an old car to go along with the quote she had gotten done a few months ago.

"Have you not talked to him?" Nico raised an eyebrow, but stayed focused.

"I've tried calling, but he doesn't pick up. I mean, I get that there's a lot going on in his life, but I'm his friend, you know? The most I get from him is the occasional text conversation with one word answers." Kayla rambled.

"He's working for Naomi right now."

"Gods he must hate it. He waited so long to get out of that house growing up, he always felt trapped. His dream was to move into a big city and work his way up to a hotshot doctor, make enough money so that Naomi could have the bakery as purely a hobby. It was worse when she married the idiot. I can't see why he would ever move back. I give it a month, maybe two before he goes crazy."

Nico hummed, acknowledging that she said something, but he wasn't paying enough attention to be able to form an intelligent response. "There, all finished." Nico slid his chair back, setting his tools by the sanitation area.

Kayla admired her arm, beaming. "Thanks Nico! Did you get selected for Professor Stein's class this summer?"

Professor Stein chooses three students each summer to personally mentor, and at the end he writes each one a letter of recommendation if you pass, which basically guarantees you a position after graduation. The students selected were supposed to get a letter any day.

Nico shook his head. "Not that I know of yet, you?" He had tried not to get his hopes up, because competition for that spot was intense.

He walked her out to the front, promising that he'd tell Will to give her a call before spending the rest of his shift talking to Alice. He took the long way back to the flat after work, not quite ready to face the silence, but not quite ready for Jaime to move in in two days.

His keys went in the bowl on the side table before going through the mail he had brought up. He tossed all the bills on the growing pile of paper before opening up the letter from the university, probably the scholarship information he had been waiting for.

Nico went to grab his phone after scanning the contents before changing his mind and grabbing his keys, heading out again. The long drive felt dragged out from anxiety, heart racing and palms sweaty.

He parked his car in the driveway. He was still working up the courage to go knock on the door, when Will stepped out, keys in hand and looking baffled. "Nico?" He tapped on the window of the car and Nico finally got out of the car. "What are you doing here?"

"I got accepted into the summer mentorship program I was telling you about." Nico was immediately wrapped in a hug.

"Nico! That's awesome! You could have just phoned though, not that I'm displeased to see you." Will joked.

Deep breath. "I know, and that's why I needed to come see you instead." Nico tried explaining, but Will tilted his head slightly in confusion, a stray curl falling over his eyes. "You were the first person I wanted to tell when I got the letter. The first person I want to talk to about anything. Maybe I took our time together for granted, but I do know that I miss you, Will, so much. And I like you, a lot." He looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Nico,"

"I realize that this isn't maybe the best time to admit this, but I need to know whether or not you still care about me."

Soft hands wrapped around his, and he finally looked the blond in the eyes. "Of course I still care about you, Nico, I'd be crazy not to." Will gave his blindingly bright smile, eyes full of emotion. "If I kiss you, will you promise not to run away again?"

Nico leaned down, placing his lips gently on Will's. It was everything he didn't know he needed until now.

"I promise."

(A/N: Ahhh! The story is done! I'm posting an author's note right away, so there isn't much to be said in this one...)