Against His Will | Solangelo | High School AU

#6

"Why am I here?" Nico asked, his elbows resting on the menu. He was sitting across from Will at Taco Palace.

Will's eyebrows pinched together. "To eat lunch?"

Nico glared and fiddled with his ring. "You know what I mean. Why are you being nice to me? I... I'm me." He sighed. "Whatever you want, just tell me. Don't fucking play me."

Will sighed and looked at his menu. "I'm not going to play you. I'm not that type of guy."

Nico scoffed. "So what is this?" he asked. "Pity?"

Will looked at Nico with a really sad look in his eyes. "Oh my God, Nico. Do you really think that I brought you to lunch because I pitied you?" he asked. "God, what happened to you that made you think someone buying you lunch means they're using you?" Will made eye contact with Nico. "Listen carefully, I am not using you. I don't want anything from you. I am here with you because I want to be. There's no other reason."

Nico swallowed and tried to find something to say but he just stared at the table instead. He had a hard time believing Will was there out of the goodness of his heart. He seemed sincere, but yet, so did everyone. He didn't know what to think.

;;;

Nico opened the squeaky front door and walked into the small apartment. Thalia greeted him from the couch in the living room. "How was your afternoon?" she asked, flipping a page in her magazine.

"Will bought me lunch," he said, getting straight to the point.

Thalia, immediately interested, stood up. "He bought you lunch?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense."

Thalia resting her face in her hands. "Oh my God," she said. "I am actually going to murder you."

"Why?" he asked.

Thalia grabbed Nico by the hand and brought him to the kitchen. She began cutting up apples and scooping peanut butter. "Do you like him?" she asked, spreading the peanut butter across the apples.

Nico rested his elbows on the counter. "I don't know. Maybe?" he said. "It seemed kind of hopeless for a guy like him to fall for a guy like me."

"A guy like him?"

Nico gave Thalia that yes dummy look. "You know, popular, sporty, makes the world a better place, eyes that melt your heart, basically a fucking ray of sunshine."

Thalia smiled gently and munched down on an apple. "Sure sounds like you like him," she said through a mouth full of food.

Nico sighed. "Fuck."