ꜱᴏʟᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Roommates

Will was adopted. He had no recalling of what it was like to be adopted – he had been three according to his mother. It felt as if he had been part of this family his whole life. His two older brothers Lee and Michael had been adopted before him and were a part of his life from the beginning. Austin and Kayla came a bit later, but Will still loved them as much as he loved his brothers. They were his family, and the only constant presence in his life, no matter what happened.

That was a lie – a lie Will only figured out in his last year of high school. Because his family, his parents and siblings, were always there, so Will almost had forgotten that he was always there, even before his younger siblings younger the household.

Nico di Angelo lived next door to Will. He was a little bit younger than Will, but that never deterred him from becoming friends. And they were friends from the first time they met. And like his family, Nico never moved out of his life – it was just something he never realised.

It had been Lou Ellen who had pointed it out. She told him that, for starters, Will spend almost every weekend with Nico. She and Cecil were his school friends, but Nico was his out-of-school friend. Second to that, while he, Lou Ellen and Cecil met somewhere in primary school, he and Nico knew each other as long as they can remember. And most importantly, there was only one other kid in their year that was going to college in New York of all places. Nico. It was even mentioned that Nico was going to the same college as Will, to study English Literature. Which wouldn't have been odd if there weren't closer-by colleges who offered the same course, and Nico wasn't on a scholarship like Will was. Nico's parents willingly paid for college and were able to pay for it.

His reaction had been a fine mix of emotions. Surprise, warmth, a little bit of hurt, and acceptance. Surprise because he wasn't expecting it, warmth because he wasn't alone, a friend would go with him to New York. The hurt followed after Will had asked why Nico went to New York. Percy Jackson, of course. Nico's crush, or more likely the love of his life considering the lengths he went through to even see him. The issue was that while Nico was gay, Percy was straight and foremost, in a long-lasting relationship with someone. Will had been quietly fuming after finding out, feeling slightly betrayed. They had been friends for as long as he remembered, and Nico didn't even mention that it was nice they would go to the same school. It was just Percy Jackson that got him motivated. But in the end, Will buried his feelings and decided that Nico still was his friend – his best friend and that was enough.

It was enough until the first year of college, in which they played a 'mature' game called 'truth or dare' at a party and Will realised he was gay. He had kissed girls before, girls who had been sober. The kisses had been nice, but nothing more than that. So, a kiss with a drunk guy, considering you're a straight man, should be uncomfortable. It wasn't. It had been the best kiss Will had. Yes, it had been sloppy, and a little bit gross, but kissing a bloke felt right in a way that kissing a girl didn't. So, he turned out to be gay. Which was fine, he wasn't the only gay person he knew, but realising that he was gay brought him a new perspective on his life. And a new perspective on his feelings for Nico. Turned out he had been crushing on Nico while not even realising he was gay, which was all just great. Explains the jealousy he held for Percy though.

~*~

"I need to tell you something," Will greeted Lou Ellen.

It wasn't exactly the proper greeting for someone you hadn't seen in months, and Lou Ellen's annoyed reaction only confirmed his thoughts. But the words were spoken, and this was way more important than catching up. Catching up could be done on the trip back home. This subject, however, was a matter of great importance.