Summer Nights (Solangelo AU)

will xiv • coming out, moving out

   I stood outside of my house, my hands shaking. My face was already red and wet from tears, and my heart was pounding in waves in my ears. I slowly turn the doorknob, taking a step in. I was half-expecting the room to be broken out in full-war between my parents, but I was surprised to find complete silence.

   My dad sat in the living room, his head placed in his hands. Mom sat across from him on the loveseat, a wine glass in her hands. Kayla and Austin sat on the stairs, like they always do, as the local news played on the tv.

   God, so this thing was everywhere.

   Mom looks up when she sees me standing, and her eyes are red before she looks away.

   "I saw uh, the article," I clear my throat.

   Dad shakes his head. "My career is over. The business. The campaign. Everything."

   Mom takes a sip of her wine. "No, darling. I'll say that it's all lies."

   "How did they know, Will?" Dad looks at me. I press my lips together, the wind being knocked from my lungs. "Who did you tell?"

   I rubbed my forearm. "I'm sorry—"

   "WHO!" Dad yells, standing up angrily, his phone flying across the room. I could feel my face begin to heat up.

   "N-Nico," I whisper.

   Mom narrows her eyebrows and dad tilts his head, clearly confused. Dad rubs his temples. "Let me get this straight, I tell you to keep an eye on him, you promise to not let him write a bad piece, and you go and tell him our family secrets?"

I feel my breath get heavy. "He promised he wouldn't tell anyone."

"Why the Hell would you trust him?" Dad crosses his arms.

"B-because I-I—"

Dad's posture changes when he gets the gist. "Don't."

I raise my chin. "I'm sorry. I loved him."

A new tension masks the room. Mom presses her hand to her forehead. Dad's face scrunches up. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen, it j-just did..."

"You've destroyed this family, Will!" Dad yells. "Do you not care about anybody else but yourself? What, with these lies? You don't love that...that boy, you just hate me. You hate your mother and Austin, and Kayla—"

"That's not true!" Kayla stands up on the stairs, her voice loud. "Leave him alone!"

I feel tears slipping from my eyes. "Kayla, take Austin and go upstairs, okay?"

"No!" Kayla yells. "I'm sick of being told to go to my room. We hear everything, we have a say!"

"You're about to get yourself in big trouble, young lady," mom threatens.

"You're still taking his side!" Kayla screams.

   "Kayla, please," I beg. "This is my battle, okay?"

   She sits back down and Austin throws an arm around her as she cries into his chest.

   "You're never leaving your room after this," dad shakes his head. "I don't even recognize you anymore."

   "Why? Because I'm not complicit to your every move?" I wipe my tear away, frustrated. "Because I'm finally my own person?"

   "If you're your own person, why don't you leave? It's because you're not. You're my child, and you can't survive without me," dad states.

   I narrow my eyes. "Then I will leave."

   Dad straightens his back, and mom looks up at me.

   "I leave or you accept who I am and who I love," I cross my arms.

   Dad snorts. "You wouldn't dare. You need me too much."

   "I'm not like mom. I can leave," I stand my ground.  "And I will. If you don't say it. Say it, dad. I'm gay."

Dad chuckles hesitantly. "This is ridiculous."

"Fine. You made your choice. Now I make mine," I mumble, turning to walk up the stairs. I burst through my door, angrily throwing my things into a bag.

Austin appears in the doorway. "You're not leaving," he says slowly.

I don't gather the strength to look at him. "I'm sorry," I whisper, still shoveling my belongings. "I'll come back for you, okay?"

"We're coming with you," he says.

I shake my head. "No," I wipe my tears away. "Stay here. You're safer here. Just give me time to work something out, and I promise I'll come back for you." I zip my bag, pushing past them.

"Will, don't go," mom says, waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I jog down.

I feel my bottom lip quiver as Austin wraps his arms around my waist. "You could leave, too. You don't have to stay here. With him."

Mom looks away shamefully. Fine.

"You're overreacting," dad crosses his arms.

"Am I?" I sniffle. "Living with you is fucking suffocating. I was going to plan my one entire life to revolve around you, and what you want me to do. I was only miserable here. Sleeping on the streets is better than staying here with you."

"You'll come back as soon as you realize how hard it is out there," dad growls. "And you'll apologize for ever being so spoiled."

"No I won't!" I yell.

"Fine!" Dad yells back. "You walk out of those doors, don't ever fucking come back. You aren't my son anymore."

"No!" Kayla screams, wanting to run towards me, but mom holds her back.

"I never was," I mumble. I peel Austin away from my waist and shrink to my knees, looking him in the eye. "Hey, don't cry, okay? I'll still make sure to see you."

   Kayla kicks mom in the leg, sprinting my way. She throws her arms around my neck. "Bubba, please."

   She hasn't called me that in years. It makes my heart contract.

   "I'm sorry," I cry. "Take care of Austin, okay?" I whisper in her ear, squeezing her tight.

   "Will," dad says firmly. "Don't you dare leave. You can kiss your phone, car, everything away."

   I stand up, narrowing my eyes at him. "It's worth it."

   "Where are you gonna go?" Mom asks breathlessly, her face twisted in anguish. But my empathy for her was becoming slack.

   "Anywhere but here," I shoot dad a look, who I can see doesn't believe that I actually have the balls to walk out the door. I turn, wrapping my hand around the doorknob.

"You can't let him leave!" I hear Kayla scream. Her voice is so broken, hurt, and it takes everything in me not to turn around. I wish I could stay, but I just can't anymore. I can't.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She yells. I'm not sure if she's yelling at me or our parents, but I don't look to see. Instead, I take a step out, and slam the door behind me.

—

happy late Father's Day to all of the bad dads I write into my stories

(i feel like im constantly rotating between if Will or Nico will get the bad dad in each fanfic I write)

no but honestly, i've always felt so bad for people who've had to leave siblings behind in toxic environments

and a TRUE happy Father's Day to the eldest siblings who sometimes have to take on the role of a parent

anyway, proceed to the next chapter! i published 2 this time woot woot