Inconvenient Love

Chapter 10

Will went to Lou Ellen's house after school, not that surprised when Cecil ended up joining them. Some work was done, sure, but they ended up watching a few movies before Will finally went home.

When he got there, his mother was at the door waiting. There was no worry, no anxiety, just anger. "Where the hell were you at?"

"I...I found a tutor, I was at her house." Will held his bookbag close and tried to slip passed her into the house, but she shifted her weight so that he couldn't.

"Her? You were at a girl's house?" she asked. Damn, did Will want to say he was gay. "Of course, that's what you were doing. Like father like son, of course!"

"I wasn't doing that," Will defended. "I was studying. My Algebra class is really hard-"

She smacked him, shut him up in one quick second. "Get to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the day."

Will didn't touch his cheek despite the stinging as he walked passed her, into the house he'd never be able to call home. Not anymore. Not when she was living there with him.

His room was cold, just like the rest of the house. His bags were stacked in the closet, and only a few things were unpacked. He closed the door, locked it, laid on his bed and stared at the old ceiling. What did Hades ever see in that woman?

Will turned on his side and stared out the window as the sun fell behind the horizon. Most nights, before he met Nico, he had prayed to get out of his life. Whether it be through a new life or through death, he would have accepted it. Now...now he just wanted to be alone with Nico, with Nico's family. But his mother stood in the way just as she always had done.

Would Hades believe him if he told him? Probably not. But Will made a note to himself to try and tell him, anyway. He didn't want his mother to ruin anyone else's life.

But the wedding was coming up.

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That weekend, he found Hades alone in his office with the door cracked open. He was on the phone, talking about changing his will. He had a new wife to add to it.

Will wasn't sure what made him act on such an impulse, but he threw open the door and stepped into the room, thankful no one else was home to hear him. "Sir, I need to talk to you."

Hades looked up, his dark eyes nearly identical to his son's. But they had been through much more, that Will could tell. They had been through heartbreak.

With a quick farewell, Hades hung up the phone and gestured for Will to sit. "What can I do for you? Is everything okay?" The office had the same feel as the rest of the house: old, cold, too full of sadness.

Will sat in one of the chairs facing the desk, his heart starting to race as he thought about what exactly he was doing. "Um...I just...I wanted to talk to you about my mom if that's okay."

"What about her?"

Will cleared his throat. "Well, um...I don't know how to say it, really...but...she's not a good person."

Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nico set you up to this, didn't he? Did he threaten you?"

"What?" Will shook his head quickly. "No, no. He didn't say anything. This is all coming from me."

Hades looked him over. "And you're telling me you don't like your mother?"

"You make me sound like the bad guy," Will muttered.

"I guess I just don't understand." Hades sat back in his chair. "What are you trying to say? And why tell me?"

Will looked down at his hands. "Um...honestly, I was going to warn you."

"Warn me?"

Will nodded. "My mom, she's not a good person. Morally. She's gonna try to cheat you out of your money."

"William..."

"Just hear me out," Will pleaded. "She's done it before."

"And why should I believe you?" Hades asked. "I happen to love your mother, William. We're getting married for a reason."

"She's going to leave you," Will warned. "She will. As soon as she gets her hands on your money-"

"Get out." Hades gestured to the door. "This conversation is over. I don't know what Nico put in your head, but that isn't going to happen. Now, please, get out of my office."

Will didn't like it but he did as he was told. Nico had been right about Hades and his ideas. That man didn't bend to anyone. And that would be the death of him.

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Will was laying on his bed that night when Nico slipped into the room, those dark eyes unfocused from one thing and one thing only. Alcohol. Will could tell the second Nico was seen.

"What did you do?" Will hissed, jumping up to close the door behind him. Their parents were asleep down the hall, not too far away. "You got drunk? Again?"

Nico grabbed Will by his biceps and pulled him to the bed. "I missed you."

Will followed but didn't have a very good feeling. "Nico...what are you doing?"

Nico laid on the bed and pulled his shirt off, revealing some bruises that immediately caught Will's attention. "I don't feel good..."

"Nico...what did you do?" Will sat beside him before running a finger over one of them.

"Some guys got mad..." Nico grumbled. "I don't feel good."

"You're drunk and you're in pain, of course, you don't feel good." Will grabbed Nico's dominant hand, not surprised when he found that his knuckles were also bruising. "You punched back? Or did you punch first?"

"Don't remember." Nico ran a hand over Will's arm, causing him to jump. "I just know they were mad."

Will shook his head in disbelief. "You're lucky they didn't hurt you worse." He wrapped Nico's ribs, not trusting that the large bruises didn't hide broken ribs. Then he pulled the blanket up over his boyfriend. "Nico, you okay?"

"Just don't feel good..."