A/N: I joked to my friend about making a fic based off of someone asking out their crush bc of Adele's new album (like Sour) and the amount of times they told me to do it. I can't be known for these kinds of fan fics.

Anyways, enjoy the next chapter


If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you

John 15:19


It was surprisingly easy for Nico to convince his parents to let him go to Texas with Will for spring break. He was pretty sure it was because Bianca had planned to go to Rome with a few friends from university and with him being gone it would leave the house empty of kids. He wasn't going to think of it past that as he packed his bag.

Nico made sure to mentally go over his check-list, something Will made him do.

"We are not getting there and suddenly you remember you forgot your toothbrush," Will had told him the Friday before they left. He agreed to make a list and follow it. It wasn't much more than basic clothing and a few toiletries, but he did so anyways.

He had been basically packed as he glanced around his room one last time, making sure there wasn't anything last minute he needed. His eyes shifted on a polaroid of last Halloween where Hazel, Frank, Will, and him had done Star Wars. Will had been ecstatic when everyone agreed to do so.

At first, Will had suggested he should be Han-Solo, but Nico was quick to point out that it would have been easier if Will did Luke and he did Han, so the switch was made. Hazel had done Leia and Frank went as Chewie. Peanut, Frank's bulldog, joined them for the first half of their adventure dressed as an Ewok.

Nico couldn't remember much of the later parts of the night, but what he could recall, it had been one of the best nights of his life, despite Piper and Jason being so far away. It was a small reminder every time he thought about that night just how close they were getting to graduation and how everyone would soon be split up.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Nico pealed his eyes away and did one last check in. He paused for a moment on his closet before slamming his suitcase shut. He was going to be gone for just under a week, if he forgot something, it wasn't going to kill him.

He brought his luggage downstairs and said his final goodbyes to his parents for the time being. His mother smothered him in kisses, going on and on about being safe and having fun. Nico was still a bit cautious around her, but he was starting to relax around her affection once again. There was still unspoken tension every time she said she would pray for his safe travel, but it was just enough that he could brush it off.

With one final wave, he rushed out to meet Will who helped him load his bag into the back of his father's car. Lester agreed to drive them to the airport so Will wouldn't have to park his car over the week.

Small talk was made but it was mostly silent on the drive there. The flight was still pretty early in the morning, so no one minded that conversation wasn't passed around. The radio was nice enough to fill the void.

Everything went as planned as they went through security and they even managed to board early. Nico had stolen Will's window seat when the got to their row. Will had tried to convince his dad to not buy first class, but there were only so many battles he could win before his dad took over. He reasoned that if they got hungry, they wouldn't have to whip out the credit card. Will just sighed and went along.

By 9:12am, they had taken off.

The sun had already risen so there wasn't much for a fresh morning view, but it was still exciting to watch the sun hang above the clouds. Will took hold of Nico's hand as the younger man's eyes were glued to the view outside.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and their landing was nothing short of routine. When they were allowed off the plane, their carry-ons in hand, they made their way towards their gate.

The pair was greeted by Naomi, dawned in her jeans, flannel, and sunglasses, strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun, smile wide. She might have been a shorter woman, but she was not hard to miss. A small crowd had formed off to the side, a few cameras raised on her, but for the most part, people left her alone.

She ingulfed Will in her arms, pulling her son in for the biggest hug she could possibly give. Will returned the embrace, bending down to properly hug her back. It was obvious Will got his height from his father as Naomi stood at almost a full foot shorter than him.

"My boy," she said, not letting go for a solid thirty seconds before Will managed to pry her away.

"Mama, I can't breathe," he explained, taking a step back. She still held onto his shoulders, shaking her head as she smiled.

"You've gotten so big, haven't you."

"Ma…"

Nico felt a twinge in his chest watching Will with his mother. He adored Naomi and was envious of her and Will's relationship. As much as he loved his own mother, what he would give for the connection they had with one another…

Naomi turned to face Nico who stood off to the side, watching the interacting, biting his bottom lip slightly.

"And you," she said, shaking her head and opening her arms, "don't think you can escape me, boy."

Nico smiled and walked into her embrace. Even thought Nico wasn't as tall as Will, he still had to bend down a bit to fully hug her back.

Just like Will, her hugs were smothered in warmth. She always felt like sunshine and home. Nico had only met her three times before, but there was something addicting about receiving attention from her. The way she held you with her entire being was enough to send Nico into a spiral.

But he pulled himself together and pulled back. Naomi ran a hand over Nico's cheek with a content smile.

"You need a hair cut," she finally said, earning a laugh from Will.

"I keep telling him that, but he won't listen."

"You can cut my hair when you throw away your green flannel."

"Not gonna happen," Will said, pointing a finger at his boyfriend.

"Enough you two, we got a decent drive back and I will not be listening to your usual bickering," Naomi warned before taking Will's carry-on. "Now, your gate is over there so let's grab your bags and get out of here. Unlike your dad, I really don't like airports."

Nodding, the two boys followed along, Will slipping his hand into Nico's.

For a split second, Nico wanted to pull away. He was in a place he didn't know where people already were starting to put their eyes on him, but he pushed it aside and allowed it. It didn't end his anxiety, but it help to calm it a bit and stop him from constantly looking over his shoulder.

They got both the boys' bags from the conveyor belt and made their way to Naomi's car. It wasn't the newest model and the entire bottom was covered in mud, but it looked well loved and taken care off.

It was twelve in the afternoon and Nico was starting to get hungry so they swung by some fast-food place before heading out on their three hour drive to the small town Will grew up in and had originally left.

As Nico started to drift off, the landscape passing him by and his McDonald's bag empty, a single thought passed through his mind. All he wondered if this week was going to be fun. He thought to himself, yeah, it will be, as his eyes closed with heavy lids, and sleep taking him as the sound of country music filled the car.

….

Nico was jolted awake suddenly when the car hit gravel roads.

As he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he looked out the windows and saw a combination of fields and heavily forested areas. When he looked over to his side, Will's eyes were closed as he leaned on the window. He noticed Will had taken his hand sometime during his nap and their fingers were ever so slightly intertwined together. It brought a smile to Nico's face and a slight tug on his heart. The things this man did to him.

Shaking himself more awake, Will opened his eyes and looked over, meeting his boyfriend with a soft smile that seemed to glow.

"Look who's awake," Naomi said, glancing back at him through the rear view mirror. "Almost worried we lost ya'."

Nico just smiled as a yawn came over him. Will tugged at his fingers before pulled his hand back to his own lap, glancing back out of the window.

"Almost there. Promise it won't take longer than ten."

"'Kay," Nico said, voice cracking as he cleared his throat. Will hadn't been joking when he told Nico he lived on a farm. For a second, he wondered how he used to get to school.

"You were asleep when we drove through town, so you'll have to get Will to show you around later. He wouldn't let me wake you so blame him for that." Naomi winked at him through the mirror as he smiled back. Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. Nico could tell he was a bit tired but was fighting it off. He probably missed home too much to close his eyes even for a second. "The house is about fifteen out - if you're following the speeding laws; ten if you don't care."

"Don't look at me like that," Will groaned.

"I didn't do anything," she said, but there was a tell in her voice. "William here likes to race some of his friends when he think's I don't notice."

"I did it once back in freshman year, ma."

"None of you had your licenses." She took a deep breath in. "I didn't mind the driving on the farm, but road safety is different."

"Some one likes to break the law," Nico muttered, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter. Will gave him a look.

"Guess you like bad boys then."

"Thought I was the bad one here."

"Neither of you be the bad boy here," Naomi cut in. "Please, Will, I beg of you, just while you're here, stay out of trouble. I don't care what you do at your father's – okay, I do, but that's his problem – just… this one week, please?"

"I will, Ma."

Will looked at Nico and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Nico had to catch himself from laughing again but he understood.

Nico turned his attention back to the passing landscape out his window, just trying to let the world pass him without much care.

It wasn't long before they were pulling up to a rustic farm house with a porch that took up the entire front of the house and wrapped around a bit. It looked worn down, but not from neglect.

Getting out of the car, Nico took it all in. The property had to be at least a hundred years old and stretched for a good while. In the distance, he could spot a stable that had fencing that lined a section of field. An old doghouse sat vacant off to the side, weathered from ware. But on the opposite side laid a mass of trees that looked like it went on for miles as the darkness loomed even in broad daylight.

Seeing where Will had grown up was astonishing. He had seen pictures and heard stories but standing outside the house was a whole other experience.

"Like it?" Will asked, popping the trunk and pulling out the suitcases as his mother came around to help. She gave Nico a small smile before winking and helping her son grab the luggage.

"This place is a lot bigger than I imagined," he confessed.

"No way this place would have been any use if it was any smaller," Naomi popped in. "The stories my grandmother told me about her siblings growing up here… oh boy. Makes me glad I only had this one. But he makes up for it by causing havoc when he's home."

Will swatted his mother's hand from his hair as she tried to ruffle his locks. He started to blush in embarrassment.

"Stop it," he mumbled as Nico snickered.

"Here," he said, walking over to his boyfriend, "let me help take those in."

Will tried to refuse but Nico won out. To make up for the fact, he gave his boyfriend the lightest of the bunch.

"C'mon, boys, I'll whip y'all up something if you're hungry."

The two locked eyes for a moment before Will said, "I'll race ya."

In a second, Will regretted taking on multiple bags as Nico left him, trailing behind his boyfriend in three seconds flat.

When they got inside, Nico was blown away by just how simple yet expressive the place looked. Guitars lined the walls as well as a grand piano in the living room. The kitchen branched off from it and overlooked the back yard into the fenced off field. In the distance, Nico could see a few cows and a horse. That must have been Will's, he recalled.

Exposed wood and marble merged seamlessly, keeping the place looking clean yet homely - well lived in.

Naomi was already in the kitchen looking through her pantry.

"What are you boy's feeling for a snack?" Will was about to speak when she interrupted him. "And nothing huge because we still have dinner coming up." He closed it again and furrowed his brows in thought.

"I'm not very picky, so I don't care," Nico said, trialing behind Will as he headed to the stairs in the hallway, cutting through the kitchen.

"We're gonna go unpack upstairs and then I'm gonna show Nico around."

"I'll let you know when I have something ready."

Will's room was massive. Two giant windows that looked over the land, the hills in the distance just peaking out. His old desk and bed was still where he supposed Will had left them, a few posters hanging on the wall of various interests. On the ceiling Will had glow-in-the-dark stars, some representing constellations. It looked like what he expected a middle school Will would have his room to be like.

"It's cute," Nico said, dropping his bag down as Will crashed onto his bed with a heavy sigh. Nico could only watch his exhausted boyfriend take in the comfortableness of his childhood bedroom.

"It's weird," he mumbled with his head in his pillow.

Nico shook his head even though Will couldn't see him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No, it's not."

Will turned to face him, his hair a little tousled as his hooded eyes watched him. Will was silent as he studied his boyfriend. After a moment, he rolled over enough to open up the spot beside him and gestured for Nico to join him.

"Come."

Nico rolled his eyes and shed his jacket before crawlling into the spot beside his boyfriend. Resting his head on the pillow, he took in a deep breath, allowing Will's scent to wash over him like a calming river. Will kissed his forehead with gentle lips and Nico tucked his head into his neck. Gripping the front of Will's shirt, he was pulled in closer. Will draped his hand around him, gripping his back tight.

The sounds of Naomi putting around in the kitchen was faint and rhythmic, and for a moment, Nico almost drifted off, but Will's steady heartbeat was keeping him present.

"You know," Will hummed, his voice vibrating through his chest, warming Nico, "I can't wait to show you around. You'll meet my friends Lou and Cecil; I can show you where I went to school. The tree house, the barn, this creek I used to throw stones into when I was bored. I get to show you where I grew up."

Nico nodded, eyes closed still. Will's voice was like a song to his hears. He could listen to him talk for hours and never get board.

"I'd like that."

Nico felt Will smile.

When Naomi finally called them down, neither of them had actually unpacked. They laid wrapped up in one another's arms, just taking in each other like their life depended on it. The smell of cheese filled the air.

With tousled hair, they both stumbled back to the kitchen where Naomi was just plating up two grilled cheeses.

"Fuck yeah," Will said, taking his plate and missing his mother's hand as she swatted at him.

"Watch your language."

He was too busy stuffing his face to respond. Will smiled over at Nico who thanked his mom for the food, a piece of cheese hanging from his lips.

"You eat like a pig," Nico pointed out, taking a seat and starting on his own.

"Always has," Naomi sighed. "What's your plan for this week?"

Will swallowed hard before saying, "I'm planning on showing him around the farm a bit before heading out. Gonna hit up Lou and Cecil here in a bit to make plans." He smiled over at his boyfriend before sending him a wink.

"Sounds like fun. I'll be here if you boys need me but I will be heading into the city Saturday morning for sound check."

Will gave his mother a thumbs up before pulling his attention back to the snack. Shaking her head, Naomi wiped her hands on a dish towel.

"I'm heading up stairs for a bit, you two stay out of trouble." And without another word, she headed up the stairs and out of sight.

The two of them sat in silence, finishing their grilled cheese. Will obviously was the first one finished, tossing his plate into the sink before quickly pressing his lips to Nico's forehead.

"I'm just gonna go get changed real quick. I'll be back."

Nodding, Nico watching Will hop up the stairs, skipping every second one.

The ground floor was strangely quiet. It was open and large, making him feel a bit small sitting at the counter by himself. There was a silence one could only find on a farm that was consuming him. His entire life he had been intertwined in city life, but out here Nico found a peacefulness he had never known. And it was almost haunting.

For a second, Nico could see a family living and growing up in this house. Children running around while the parents picked up after them. He could see the fields full of cattle, those same children hard at work helping out.

Then he saw Will running around, barely three feet tall. He could see him playing blindly on his mother's guitars, wanting to be just like her. His little hands all over the piano he knew Will could play. This was where his boyfriend grew up and found himself. It almost felt like he was intruding a bit.

Moments later after he had finished off his snack, plate in the sink, Will came down.

"Oh, my fucking god," Nico muttered as Will finished buttoning up his red flannel, a jean jacket slung over his shoulders.

"What?" the blond asked with a smirk.

"You walking stereotype."

"What?" Will asked again, this time laughing as Nico stood up, shaking his head. "You know you like it."

"Die. I hate you."

Will only met him with a kiss.

"Want me to get the hat?"

"You do that and I'm calling your dad to come personally pick me up."

Taking his hand, Will only smiled.

"You ready to head out?"

"Do I need to dress as stupid as you?"

Will looked him over, glancing at his ripped jeans and band-T he was sporting.

"You know, you're the outlier here, right?"

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Just don't force me to wear those stupid boots and I'll be fine."

"Speaking of stupid boots…" Will trialed off as he headed to the front door. He opened the shoe closet and smirked. "They are still here."

"No."

"Yes."

Will pulled out a weathered pair of boots. They looked much too old to have been his at any given point.

"These were my grandpa's," he explained, sitting on a stool as he tried to put them on. "I was worried Ma might have thrown them out accidently, but they're still here."

"I can't believe you."

"Babe," he started, smiling up at his boyfriend as he slipped the other shoe on, "we're in the south. You gotta live a little different here."

Standing, he brushed himself off. He patted his sides down a bit before a look of realization rushed him.

"Hold on," he said before he hurried off to a room on the main floor. When he came back, he had a holster at his side and was holding a small pistol.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

Checking the barrel, he closed it and double checked that the safety was on.

"What?"

"Are you serious? A gun?"

Will shrugged.

"It's Texas. We have open carry here."

"I know for a fact you are not twenty-one."

"Eighteen, close enough."

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Still, open carry shouldn't be a thing."

"Nico," Will said, deadpan, "I know for a fact you have a switch-blade in your back pocket right now."

"So? I'm from New York."

"And I'm from Texas. Besides, we're not going into town and it's actually recommended you go loaded when you're in the woods."

"I still don't like it," Nico said, pouting.

"You don't have to like it. You just have to trust me to keep you safe."

They headed out the front door and down the front steps.

"If we are attacked, I'm leaving you as bait."

"Hey!"

"You have the gun, right? You can take care of yourself."

"You are too much sometimes," Will laughed, slipping his hand into Nico's.

"And yet you are still here. So, who's the real loser now?"

Will simply kissed Nico's knuckles as he led him around the farm. He showed him the barn and where the few cattle they kept resided. Each one had a name that eight-year-old Will had given them, so Obi-Wan grazing out in the field made a little more sense in context.

"You were obsessed with Star Wars when you were younger," Nico pointed out after Will showed him a brown cow named Padme.

"Still," he corrected him. "Best movies ever made."

"I can't believe I'm dating a nerd."

"You literally play DnD."

"I said what I said."

Will rolled his eyes and dragged him over to the fence the separated the house property from the old farming field. Pointing out to a horse running around, Will told Nico that was his baby.

"I feel bad when I can't be here with him."

Even from far away, Nico could make out its sleek black mane and shiny coat. He didn't know much about horses but he looked beautiful nonetheless.

"Anakin," Will said, a small smiling pulling at his lips.

"I literally cannot believe you also named your horse after a Star Wars character."

"Be glad I wasn't in my transformers phase back then," he said. "We used to have chickens and I got to name a few. All the autobots were present for that one."

"I can't believe people actually think you're cool."

"They don't need to because you already do."

"That is quickly changing."

Will pulled him around the property again, showing him the storage shed where his truck sat. It was his mother's old F-150 from the 90's that she let him drive around the field for practice when he was younger. He had been working on fixing it up when he got his license before he moved to New York.

"It's a bit rusty, but ma insured me she's still running."

"That thing is going to break down and kill us both," Nico mumbled, taking in the sight of what he could only place as something Will would call southern charm. Screw getting them on the road, Nico was sure it wouldn't even turn over.

Shaking his head and smiling softly, Will pulled Nico out of the shed and headed towards the wooded area that lined the eastern part of their property. Will explained as they headed into the brush that this is one of the reasons he wears double denim and his cowboy boots as Nico complained about the bristle getting stuck to his pants and scrapping his exposed sink.

"I don't care if it destroys every part of me, you will never even catch me dead in double denim or those boots."

The trek didn't take longer than ten minutes when they finally made it to the rickety-looking fort made from wood. It had a ladder that swayed gently in the breeze that rested a few inches above the ground, leading all the way up into a cut-out in the flooring. It hadn't seen use in years, so Nico worried its structural integrity.

Will told him they didn't have to go up that day, but he would force him up soon. Even though Nico swore he wouldn't get caught dead heading up, he knew he would cave if Will asked him to. He wouldn't tell him that, though.

Moving on, Will brought them to a stream that was only a minute away. It was shallow but flowed continuously. Will explained to Nico how he used to come out to this stream when he needed space or somewhere to think. The calm flow of the water helped center him and keep him from tipping over the edge.

"Honestly, when the bullying got really bad, this was the only place I felt safe or at home." Will's eyes went soft as he sat down on a falling log, Nico taking up the space beside him. There was a far away look that came over him, like he was living in a memory.

Looking out, it made sense to Nico why Will would retreat to here. He knew Will never struggled with his sexuality quite like he did, but there was still a stigma around it, especially being in the south. There were so many things about Will and Nico's lives that echoed and mirrored one another, but both came out so different. While Will had disconnected himself from the religious upbringings he experienced from his community and grandparents, Nico still waded in its water, praying to stay afloat and avoid the tidal wave he could see faintly in the distance. The two of them were so similar, yet never more further apart.

"As much as I love the city," Will spoke, his brows furrowed in thought, "there's a part of me that always wondered if I was meant to be there. I spent my entire life here, everything I knew growing up was this place. It just kind of sucks not being able to come here when I need to."

"I get that." Nico said, listening to the rustle of the trees through the spring air. Green was coming back to the forest, bringing forth new life. "There are times when being home isn't enough, and even though New York is the only place I've ever called home, sometimes it feels like there's somewhere else, just out of reach, I need to go."

Looking out, Will took Nico's pinkie into his own. They stared out, taking in everything that nature had to give them, just the faintest of touch between them.

….

Will and Nico called it a night their first day in Texas early, both exhausted after dinner and unpacking.

Nico had laughed at old baby pictures of Will as he whined and complained the entire time, telling his mother to please spare his suffering. She had disagreed and continued on, saying that this was Will's first boyfriend she had met and was going to make up for lost time.

Getting out of the shower, Will was toweling off his hair as he walked back into his childhood room. It was a sense of longing he never realised he missed. The last time he had actively lived in this room he had been going through the worst period of his life, but here he was, better – happier, with his boyfriend visiting his mother.

If he could show 14-year-old him that one day he would have a boy that he loved dearly on his bed, maybe things would have been a little easier for him.

"Yo," Nico said, staring at his phone, "did you hear they caught the zodiac killer?"

"Why?" was all he said, smiling.

"He died in two-thousand-and-eighteen, though." Nico frowned. "His name was Gary." Nico put his phone down and looked at Will with a frustrated look. "Imagine being a legendary serial killer and your name is 'Gary.' Like, if you're going to kill someone, at least have a cool name."

"Maybe that's why he went by the Zodiac Killer instead."

"True. But still."

Shaking his head, Will climbed on top of Nico and clung to him, resting his head on his chest and listened to him breathe. All this time and he still could barely process that Nico was his boyfriend.

At the beginning, Will was worried Nico would get over his crush, but as the days turned into weeks and the weeks bled into months, he had simply lost all feelings of second-guessing.

"Tired?" Nico asked, his voice low.

Will nodded, pulling himself closer to his boyfriend. A gentle chuckle vibrated through Nico as he ran a hand through Will's hair.

"I love you," Will mumbled, relaxing deeper into the touch of Nico's calculated fingers.

"I know," Nico replied, smiling. "I love you, too."

Will stayed there, listening to the rise and fall of Nico's chest as he played with his hair, humming some off-centered tune that was on repeat in his mind. Will didn't care. If given the choice, he would listen to Nico muttered the dictionary as long as it meant he would speak to him.


A/N: I'm so excited for this. All the initial responses have been exactly where I wanted them!

I just want to thank you all again for tuning in for the sequel. Writing this has really brought back my love of writing and how much I missed it. After finishing Side Friend in 2017, I wasn't sure if I was gonna get back into writing, but this series is keeping me going! I'm even planning out my next story after Sweet, so don't expect me to disappear again for almost 6 years.

But anyways, I'm hoping your all enjoying this story. It's not a lot of chapters, but it is a slower start. Most of you have already started to pick up on things (which I love hearing about ur theories) so keep paying attention. If it doesn't flesh out in Bitter, it'll come back around in Sweet!

Let me know ur thoughts, feelings, theories. They make my day!

Kitty