Will's been planning today for so long, he might vomit if he tries to quantify it. His crush had to have started somewhere in middle school, very early on, and now they're both a few months away from graduating. How did that happen?
He has stop thinking about wasted time. Especially when the future's just a few minutes in front of him.
Quinoa and grilled chicken packed in recycle-friendly tupperware? Check. Veggie chips? Check (because Nico likes them, even if they aren't the epitome of healthy). A stack of Mythomagic cards is tucked in his back pocket, in case Nico wants a game, though Will will definitely lose. He can't think properly right now.
He exhales all his stress and leans back from the steering wheel, sinking into the worn out seat.
Knock, knock.
Nico's face is hovering in the window. Will reaches over to unlock the passenger's side door and Nico climbs inside, his scent flooding in after him. It's earthy and rich and bittersweet, and it makes the omega part of Will's brain giddy, like three shots of concentrated caffeine.
Once settled in, Nico quirks his lips. "You got here early. Did you ditch in the middle of third period or what?"
"Nah," Will pops a tupperware lid. "You're just slow."
"Ouch, cold." Nico takes the napkins and utensils that Will passes over. "What's on the menu today?"
"Nothing you'll like. But it is good for you. So, you'll be thanking me in about, say, twenty years."
Nico stares down at his container of food for a whole two seconds, then dives his fork in.
"Good?" Will asks.
Nico's mouth is too full to answer, but he nods meaningfully, his eyebrows cocked high.
Yeah, Will knew it would be. He woke up at five this morning just to make it fresh. He doesn't think he's ever done something so omega in his life. His mom couldn't resist commenting while she brewed her morning coffee.
'Who's the lucky alpha?' she asked, laughter sparkling in her eyes. It made Will turn as red as his tomato slices.
Come to think of it, his face feels pretty hot right now, and his pheromones aren't exactly behaving either. Nico sniffs.
"Prom's coming up." Will's container of food is sitting in his lap, untouched. He couldn't swallow if he tried. "Two weeks, I think"
"Yeah, it is," Nico says. "Do you still need those notes from bio? I know we already took the test, but you said you needed that grade high for-"
"You can text them to my phone," Will cuts him off.
"I can't believe this is all gonna be ending so soon." Nico lets out a sigh that's fringed with a low rasp, insanely attractive, just like everything he does. "Ever since you got this car, we've always spent lunch here. Maybe we should switch it up while we still can."
"You wanna go somewhere else?" Will brushes his fingertips over the keys, already jammed in the ignition. He hopes not.
"Sure." Nico shrugs, puts his fork down. "I don't know where though."
"Well think of something. Cole's Park, Seven Eleven, the mall."
"What do you want to do?"
"It was your idea, decide already!"
"Calm down, huh?"
Will twists the keys and the car reverses with a gutteral rumble. Nico catches his tupperware before its contents can spill everywhere, and soon, they're rolling out of the school parking lot and onto the main road.
"Holy shit," Nico murmurs. "I'm sorry I asked."
"We're getting milkshakes. That sound okay?"
"Um, but you hate milkshakes."
"No I don't. They're delicious, they're just super unhealthy."
"For you, that's the same thing. Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course I am." Will fiddles with the radio dials, only to realize that's the air conditioning, and he drops his hand. How easily he dissolves into an ugly mess. No wonder Nico doesn't want him. Alphas like composed, cautious omegas.
"My heat's coming up," Will mumbles, "So my hormones are kinda jumbled. Sorry about that."
Will's doesn't think he's ever mentioned his heats to Nico, since it's an awkward topic all around. Nico being an alpha and all that. Then again, he's never needed an excuse this badly.
"That's nothing to be sorry about," Nico replies, followed by a stiff pause. The DiAngelos are known for being traditional, and modesty is chained right alongside that. Will regrets opening his mouth.
They drive for a full five minutes before pulling up in front of an Baskin's & Robin's. Even with his nerves fried, Will's still a perfectionist parallel parker.
"I'll be honest," Nico finally breaks the silence as his unbuckled seat belt slides across his chest. "I'm not really in the mood for milkshakes."
Will shuts off the ignition. He tosses a smile Nico's way, because no one else would wait until the last possible moment to speak up. Leave it to Nico to be indecisive.
"You know what?" Will says. "Me neither. They cause diabetes."
"I knew you were a fraud, Solangelo."
"We might as well buy something, or walk around, since we're here."
"We can also chill out."
"What time's lunch over?"
Nico checks his phone. "We've still got fifteen minutes."
Will hums, clearing his mind, while Nico kicks off his shoes and folds his legs up on the seat.
This is your chance, this is your chance, this is your chance.
Will's tongue tastes and feels like dough. "Do you have a date for prom?"
"I'm planning on asking Percy." Nico sees the frozen look on Will's face and lets out a dry laugh. "I know it's a big risk, given how many admirers he has, but what the hell? If I get rejected, it's not going to matter in a couple weeks anyway. And it's better than wondering 'what if' for the rest of my life."
Percy. The overwhelmingly popular, yet still annoyingly friendly, omega Nico's had a crush on since he was a kid. That Percy.
The best option would be to give up and wish Nico good luck. In an alternate universe, maybe he would've done just that, if it wasn't for the jolt of fear he felt at hearing 'what if'. Will's still young, but he's certain that if he lets this go, Nico will always be the biggest 'what if' in his life.
"Or," Will says, forcing it out, "Or we could go together."
Will exhales a breath he didn't know he was holding. He takes a peek at Nico's expression, and his dark eyes are unreadable. Those long, olive fingers that Will's always craved to feel on his skin uncurl from the tupperware and move to set it aside.
"Do you mean as friends?" Nico asks, his voice even.
"No, not as friends." Will looks down at his lap, shaping his lips into a reluctant smile, before bringing his gaze back up to Nico. "We already get along so well, I don't think it'd be much different. We could try it."
Nico is examining him, mechanical, thoughtful. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
"Awhile."
Will doesn't want to lie, but he doesn't want to contaminate their years of friendship either. Nico probably sees through the veiled meaning. Nico's seeing all of Will for the first time, all the sticky feelings he's kept hidden underneath, and if this turns out okay, hopefully he'll forgive Will for lying for so long.
"I'm sorry," Nico says, and the apology in his tone is the worst thing Will's ever heard. "But I don't want to lead you on, so I'll just be honest. I can't imagine being with you like that."
A cold fist wraps around Will's heart, cutting it off from all its necessities. Will's staring at Nico, though he's not really comprehending the shapes his mouth is making. He's too distracted by the delicate flutter of Nico's eyelids, the fullness of his dark lashes, and what it means that he'll never see them up close.
"You're my best friend," Nico emphasizes. "You always will be, I hope."
Will blinks and reminds himself how to be a normal, functioning, human being. To breathe and lick his chapped lips, smile easily at Nico, like they've just shared a secret instead of crushed Will's heart into a big bleeding ball.
"Well yeah, that's not even a question." Will rests a hand on the steering wheel, sliding fingers along its perimeter, like he's bored, not shrivelled inside. "I knew you'd probably say no, but I was curious. You know how there's always that underlying dynamic with alphas and omegas. It's nature."
Nico visibly relaxes, so at least Will's accomplished one thing.
"Remember when you came back to school after your first heat, and you let me scent you?"
Will wrinkles his nose, "Yeah, that was…"
Nico grins like a wolf. "Inappropriate. But, nature."
Hot, is what Will's really thinking. They were only thirteen at the time, and it wasn't exactly normal or natural to let your best friend bury his face in your neck and whiff your pheromones. Will had shuddered, bone deep, when Nico had pulled back and looked at him with those heavy, hungry, black eyes. Suddenly, Will's knows exactly how is crush was formed. It's funny, because even back then, Nico had wanted Percy, and after five years, Will still hasn't been able to change that.
Rejection is no longer such a big pill to swallow. Really, Will should've seen it coming.
Will nods, says, "Good luck with Percy."
And Will means it, honestly. He looks over at Nico to convey that, and if his eyes feel a little wet, it's because the sun's reflecting off the rearview.
"Thanks." Nico's tone is too stiff to be used on his best friend, and maybe they aren't anymore. Maybe it's just denial that's keeping them from acknowledging their changed relationship.
Their drive back to school is filled with smalltalk that feels emptier than silence.