Flatmates - Solangelo AU

TWENTY FOUR

(Not edited yet, so please ignore any mistakes. I'll go through and edit at some point this week, I just wanted to get this up this week for you guys)

TWENTY FOUR

"William Solace." The speaker finally called. Nico watched his roommate walk across the stage from the audience, seated beside Naomi. Will was smiling as he shook hands with the dean and a professor before returning to his seat. Nico got out his phone and sent him a text, 'You good?'

'I think so. I'm still alive so that must mean I remembered how to breathe.'

'Well the hard part is done, now you just have to party ;)'

'Pretty sure the party is the hard part...'

Naomi elbowed him softly in the side and raised an eyebrow. "Tell my son to stop texting during his graduation. Why is his contact 'Stronzo'?"

Nico's face was flushed, not wanting to explain to her that he called his son asshole, even if he meant it endearingly. "It's an inside joke." Which seemed to be a sufficient enough answer and she dropped it, turning back to watch the ceremony.

Two hours later, someone jumped on Nico's back, almost toppling him over before he managed to stand up again. He saw Naomi snap a picture with her fancy camera. "That's definitely going on the wall."

"Mom-" Will protested, but she was having none of it. He slid back onto the ground, leaning against Nico instead.

"I'll even get a copy printed out for each of you, and I can-" Her phone started ringing, and after checking the screen her face paled. "It's the hospital, William I can't-"

"It's okay Mom." Will grabbed the phone from her hands and hit answer "Will Solace speaking... Family... Okay, we can have her there within the hour... Yeah... Alright, thank you so much...Bye."

"She's okay?" Naomi's voice was laced with anxiety, and she was wringing her hands, but they stopped when Will nodded.

"I have to call Victor, but they just received a match for her, and they will operate in three hours. After I call we can go back to the flat and we can drive down. We can be there in time for them to put her under."

They walked to the car as Will talked to Victor. Nico wasn't sure what he should say, wasn't sure there was anything he could say to help make them feel better, so he just drove. The walk to the fourth floor was agonizingly long, Nico falling behind to give them space.

While Naomi was in Will's room, Will stopped and faced Nico. "Look, I know that my stepdad is the last person you would ever want to be around," his voice was shaking and he kept running a hand through his hair.

"Just let me pack my bags and text Hazel to check up on Nyx at some point this weekend." Nico finished for him, and Will nodded, noticeably relieved. Even if it had been awkward between them after Will's confession for a bit, it hadn't drastically changed anything. They were still best friends who needed each other to get through hard times.

"I promise that if Victor so much as looks at you funny I will kick him out of the hospital."

"You can't do that." Nico smiled. "You do realize that it's his daughter going into surgery? I don't want to cause problems, but even if I have to wait outside, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you." His eyes welled up with tears and he took a jagged breath. "I should check on my mom." He turned and walked away.

It wasn't any longer than ten minutes before Nico was behind the wheel of his own car, following Naomi, so that after he and Will would have a vehicle to get home in. He was alone so he played his music as loud as he wanted, starting his playlist. Lemminkainen Suite came on and he focused on that and the road instead of his thoughts. He knew that in order for Aurora to have a heart, some other family's child had to die.