For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

Luke 8:17


The first morning, Nico awoke to the sounds of cattle, laundry, and Will humming. He knew Will was an early rising, but he had forgotten how it ran in the family. The sun had barely taken its place in the morning sky when Will had made his way to the bathroom, leaving Nico startled and unnecessarily awake.

"Aww," Will cooed when he came back into the room, "someone's in a bad mood."

Nico scowled through hooded lids as his boyfriend bounced around his childhood bedroom. The curtains her pulled back and there was no fighting the stream of light casting on his awaking face.

Groaning, Nico turned his face back into the pillow he had just been drooling on, trying to hide himself.

Will chuckled as he went back over to his bed where his boyfriend was trying to rest once again. He leaned down and kissed Nico's shoulder, leaving his lips lingering. The blond made note of the hum that came from Nico's chest.

"You can't stay in bed forever."

"Watch me," Nico mumbled.

Will smiled as he rested his forehead on his back, closing his eyes. He knew just how much Nico hated that he was a morning person, but he couldn't help it. Especially being back home, he found it hard to not get up early. Nico ran with the moon, always at his peak when the sun goes down. They couldn't be more opposites even if they tried.

"C'mon," he spoke, voice low and rough, still a little stiff from sleep.

Nico shook his head, a low rumbling sound vibrating his chest. Will smiled as he took in a deep breath. Shifting, he moved up and kissed his boyfriend behind his ear, earning a small exhale from the smaller male.

"Stop," Nico muttered, voice smothered by the pillow. Chuckling, Will moved his lips down his neck, kissing his entire way down. He felt Nico shift underneath him as he worked his way down. "Will, stop." Nico's voice was light yet restrained as he choked back a laugh that got caught in his throat.

"Why?"

"You need to shave," he said, tossing his head back to hit Will.

"I'll shave if you get up."

"No."

"Fine."

And then the fighting began.

Will already had the upper hand being on top, able to pin Nico down, but Nico was smaller and made good use of this. He managed to turn on to his back, grabbing at Will's arms as he tried to pin him. He made some headway doing so and Will instantly knew he had to fight back a little harder than expecting.

Back and forth they went, each side equally matched. Will had gravity and his weight on his side, but Nico could use the mattress as a solid backing to push from. Will knew not to question Nico's strength, and this was no exception. A few times he had managed to fully incapacitate the blond.

Instead of fighting against Nico, Will dropped his body weight on him, earning a groan of pain and frustration from his boyfriend.

"Get off of me," he shouted, but it came out strained from the sudden air getting knocked out of him.

Will didn't speak but instead rubbed his chin along Nico's jaw, earning a few screeches.

"Bitch," he cursed him out, the anger quickly turning into laughter as they went back and forth.

"Boys," Naomi had called from just outside Will's door, "breakfast is in a few minutes, so if you want anything to eat, you better quit your yappin' and get down here."

Nico and Will froze at her voice. There was a moment when they both wondered if she had gotten the wrong impression of what they were doing from outside, but they pushed past it as they got up and ready.

"Ah, I see," Will spoke, smirking, "I can get you up as long as there's food."

Nico rolled his eyes and shoved Will as he brushed past him, heading downstairs.

The pair found themselves outside after finishing up breakfast. Naomi had told them she had some meetings online that would take away her time, but if they needed her to just holler.

Despite the protests of wanting to go back to bed, Will managed to drag his boyfriend out to the barn. The blond had no problems getting his hands dirty, mud already smearing the bottom of his Levi's.

"This is disgusting," Nico called out to him, hosing down the pin where the cows had been grazing on the little bit of feed they got. Mostly it was the pasture that supplied them, but apparently the Solace's pampered their animals.

"Why are you complaining'?" Will shouted from the other side. His smile was plastered wide and loud as he watched his boyfriend whine and complain the entire time. "I literally have seen you drop food on the subway, pick it up, brush it off, and eat it. Half the time you don't even brush it off. What do you call it?"

"Building the immune system."

"No, that's how you get a disease that will kill you."

Nico smiled and sprayed the hose in Will's direction, getting his calves wet.

"To each their own," Nico said, smugly.

"I shouldn't have given you the hose, obviously."

"Nope."

…..

After a lot of convincing and a lot of screaming that involved Will chasing him down, Nico finally caved in and agreed to try and ride Will's horse, Anakin.

And he hated every minute of it.

At first, Nico thought it would be like trying to ride a motorcycle, (something he had never done but had always wanted to do) but he quickly learned that a 1,200-pound creature was absolutely nothing like a motorized bike.

When they first approached him, Will was hauling Nico out into the pasture, hands locked tight in a tight brace. Nico was heavy footed the closer they got, needing Will to pull him along. He told him that he had nothing to be scared about and that he had raised him from a baby.

"I don't care if you're that horse's mother, that thing will kill me."

Will rolled his eyes and dropped his boyfriend's hand when they got close. Smiling, he approached the horse that was obviously ecstatic to see him.

"My boy," Will spoke, his voice low and serine.

Nico stood back, a bit terrified and too proud to back down at that point, arms crossed. Even with his hands starting to shake – he swore it was because of the breeze that passed him as he stood – he was amazed at the sight of Will and the horse.

In red flannel and dirt-covered jeans, blond hair tied back into a haphazard ponytail, he was breath taking. His cheeks were dusted in a soft blush and freckles. Nico hadn't seen his boyfriend more relaxed than he did when he ran his hand across his chest, speaking only to the horse and snorted and nodded his head. Seeing him in action, Nico finally understood what Will meant when he said he was from the south; a farm boy.

City life had been much different on him. His accent weened out until there was only a ghost of if left on certain words. He had more modest clothing, his jeans carried less rips. But seeing him in his element, in the place he was born and raised, it almost felt wrong imagining him any where else.

"C'mere," Will called him over, reaching his hand out for Nico to take it. Gingerly, he took it.

"Are you sure?"

With Will's nod, Nico stood beside him.

The horse, Anakin, had deep brown hair that almost looked black if it wasn't for the blaring sun. His coat was shiny and well taken care of. With shaky hands, Nico reached out and settled his hand on the horse's side.

Smiling, Will said, "There you go. I told you he would like you."

Nico let out a nervous laugh.

"Do you usually ride him like this?"

Will raised his brow.

"Hm?"

"I mean," Nico said, pointing to his back, "he doesn't have a saddle."

Will let out a soft chuckle that was music to his ears.

"Sometimes, but not this time. I wouldn't make you bare back it on your first time." The wink that followed made Nico look away, his face heating up and his heart starting to race. "No, we're just coming out to get him to bring him to the barn. I thought about lugging it with me but…"

Nico nodded, understanding what he was saying.

The two of them walked back slowly, Anakin at Will's side. Every so often they would have to stop and redirect him to follow, but it was simply enough. It was clear to see that he trusted Will and loved him dearly. Will was so gentle when he interacted with him, for a second Nico thought the Will he knew and this man before him were two totally different people.

They made it back to the barn and Will maneuvered them to get the best access to the reigns. He made quick work strapping him in, feeding his apple slices Naomi had prepared for them earlier.

Will got Nico to feed him one. At first, he didn't want to, but he pushed back his fear and stuck out his hand. He squirmed a bit but after Anakin took it, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe he could ride him.

But when it came down to it, he failed several times to even get up on the horse. Will had demonstrated at first, making it seem easy, but that was much different in theory than it was in practice for someone who had no experience.

Will helped him up after he watched Nico fall on his butt several times. Laughing, he grabbed him by the waist.

"Just latch your foot – good, like that. Now push up – there!"

Nico managed to get up, stumbling only twice trying to get his footing.

"I did it!" Nico announced, feeling a rush of adrenaline warm his entire body.

"I'm so proud of you," Will said with an almost comedic mocking tone. Taking the reins, he continued to calm Anakin as he became restless. Once he settled, he gave the reins to Nico and took a step back. "Now, start slow. Don't go crazy and fight him. He will do all the work."

It started good at first, but quickly spiraled.

Nico had let Anakin do all the work, but it was obvious that only Will had ever ridden him. After about thirty seconds, he started to get antsy, flicking his head back and forth, letting out a huff. Nico's confidence started to run thin when Anakin began walking in place, shaking back and forth more.

"Will…" he called out, dragging out his name as he started to get frantic.

Just as Will was about to step in, Nico lost his grip and fell to the ground. He landed with a hard thud!, knowing that there would easily be a bruise there. Other than being a little rattled and knowing that sitting wasn't going to be fun for the next bit, he was relatively fine.

Will had managed to grab the reigns and calm him back down. He spoke softly to his horse, petting him until he stopped flailing about so neither of them would get hurt. Once Will let go, Anakin trotted off, flicking his tail.

"I hope he didn't get too stressed," Will said, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Your boyfriend just got hurt and your worried about your stupid horse?" Nico groaned, making no effort to get up from where he was sprawled out.

"Oh, darlin', you're fine," Will said, heading over to where Nico feigned pain.

"Says you," he moaned. "My ass fucking hurts."

"Let me help you up." Will reached down and tried to help his boyfriend up but Nico swatted his hand away.

"No, I don't need your stupid help."

Rolling his eyes, he watched as Nico struggled to gain his barring. When it was obvious that he needed assistance, he helped him stand up. Nico grumbled about "not needing help" the entire time, but he made no effort to reject it again.

"Let's get you back to the house."

Nico continued to huff as Will helped him stumble back.

….

Nico had never been in more pain in his life.

Okay, that was an exaggeration, but he swore it was. Or at least he was saying it was to get his boyfriend to stay with him longer.

Will had brought him back to his bedroom, laughing almost the entire time about what had happened. Nico had cursed him out about it a hundred times, but the blond simply smiled and nodded.

Will had left and returned with a plastic Ziploc bag full of peas he had grabbed from the freezer, handing it over to Nico who was still pouting and complaining under his breath.

"I'm going to get Anakin and remove the gear," Will said, kissing his boyfriend on the forehead. "I'll be right back and then you can go back to whining."

"I'm not whining," Nico shot back, putting the plastic baggie under his butt.

"Sure, sure."

Nico grabbed his phone from the nightstand and he noticed he had a few messages. A text from his sister – probably bragging how her spring break was so much cooler than his, a few messages from Jason complaining about how much he regrets psychology, and a TikTok link from Piper.

He quickly shot her a message.


Pipalini

Can I just say I am never riding a horse ever again

DAMN
Will got you riding a horse?

My ass hurts so much and he just a laughed
Pipes
HE JUST LAUGHED

Was it funny?

Not helping
and no

Aww,
Someones upset

OF COURSE IM UPSET
I FEEL OFF A HORSE
FELL*
AND NOW MY ASS HURTS EVERYTIME I SIT DOWN

Well,,,,
You know what they say

I really don't and I don't wanna

Sure sure
Hows hick town?

Eh
Havent seen much of the actual town but the farms nice
They got fucking cows and shit

Whos taking care of them?
Will's mom?

Apparently?
Idk if she gets help but its nice

Nice

Yo
Will has a fucking gun

Wh
what
Nico
Nico I need you to explain

Yah!

WHAT DO YOY MEA N GUN?

YEAH
HE HAS A FUCKIG GUN.
AND THE WHOLE SET UP TOO
HOLLSTER
STRAP
EVERYTING

Listen
that's kinda hot tho ?

PIPER

kinda
but don't tell him I told you

Ur secret is safe with me bestie ✨

How's class going anyways?

I wanna die
did I mention that?

Owch

Uni is my 13th reason
Don't do it
it's a scam

Never even applied so not worried

Nico
u didn't apply
What?

Yeah
I told you I didn't know what I wanted to do so I didn't chose

Listen, I know I joke about it, but what are you doing after grad?
What do you mean you didn't apply for college?
does ur mom know?

No
she just thinks I didn't receive any letters or some shit
Idk
But I'm not going
I don't even know what I'd do so whats the point?
Id just be wasting money at that point

Dude

And besides
it cost a shit ton to even just apply so whats the point if I know I'll get rejected?
I'm doing them a favor

Nico

Piper
Look
I promise ill think of it. im just gonna take a year off so I don't rush into something dumb that Ill regret

You better
cuz if not
Im gona be so upset with u

No you wont
u love me

Ive been debating that

Anyways
its nothing to worry about
Also I think Will's back so im gonna let you go

It is something to worry about
Tell Will I say hi

I will
Im gonna go back to pretending im angry at him so he gives me attention

I don't understand yall at all

Neither do I
bye

Yeet


Nico set his phone aside just as Will cracked the doorway, hands wet from being washed.

"Was he stressed?" Nico asked, watching as Will dug through his suitcase.

The blond paused for a moment as he tried to figure out what Nico was saying before he got it. Smiling, he said, "Just a little. But I don't think he can stay mad."

"Thank god," Nico said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Will grabbed a pair of pajama pants and quickly changed. Nico catcalled him as he stood there in his underwear. He ignored his boyfriend for the most part, a sly smile pulling at his lips the entire time.

Discarding his muddied pants, he climbed onto the bed next to Nico, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend.

"How's your butt?" he asked, pulling Nico in closer. Nico let out a small huff as he sunk into the warmth of the blond, feeling his body relax.

"It hurts," he mumbled, closing his eyes. He didn't realise how tired he was until he was finally allowed to rest.

"Want me to kiss it better?" Will joked. With a hardy hand, Nico smacked Will with one of the pillows on his bed.

"Shut up."

The blond only laughed and pulled his boyfriend closer.

They stayed there for a while, just listening to the other's breathe. Nico could feel himself slowly slip into unconsciousness as Will started to hum.

He felt safe, at home, in Will's arms. There was something he could never put into words when he was like this with him, but he could feel it. Will was like hot chocolate on a deep December night.

The conversation with Piper about college was weighting on him. It had always been a nagging thought in his mind, though he had managed to push it down. But as they got closer to graduation, he knew he was only buying stolen time.

Will was bound to get his acceptance letter at any time, knowing that there was no way he wouldn't. Between his grades and parents, no university would deny him. He had told Will he would figure it out, but he couldn't keep running from it.

But none of that mattered as he listened to the echo of Will's voice resonating from his chest. He felt himself slowly drift off, finally falling pray to sleep.

…..

Nico awoke to Will's fingers curling the tips of his hair mindlessly as he scrolled on his phone. He wanted to doze off again, curl up closer to his boyfriend and stay there feeling the rise and fall of his chest, but sleep was quickly leaving him.

He was resting against Will's chest, hand tangled up in Will's shirt. He buried is his face deeper into Will's scent, taking a slow and controlled breath in. It was earthy and sightly different from usual but attributed it to the fact that they were on the farm.

Will's attention shifted as he stopped twirling his hair and instead ran his hands through it, letting his fingers get tangled up in the strands.

"Someone's awake," Will spoke, his voice still deep and hushed.

Nico made a low rumbling noise from the back of his throat in protest but let out a huff as he relaxed.

Will put his phone down and sunk back a little more, running his now free hand across Nico's back. What Nico would give to keep Will's hands on him.

"You can't sleep for ever."

Shaking his head, Nico groaned in protest.

"Don't move," he said, voice muffled by Will's chest as he tried to get up.

"I wont," he insured him, pulling the smaller male closer.

"Good."

There wasn't much for conversation, just Will pulling gently at Nico's hair as he ran his other hand up and down his back. Nico just listened to his breathing and the occasional sound of cows from outside Will's window. The sun wasn't coming directly through the window, but there was still too much light in the room for his liking. Nico estimated he had been out for no longer than an hour.

"How's your butt?" Will asked, breaking the comforting silence.

"You really had to phrase it like that?"

"What?" he said. "How else was I supposed to ask?"

"I don't know, but saying, 'how's your butt' isn't it."

Will laughed.

"But that's what I want to know. You didn't hurt your arm or your back, so what else am I supposed to say?"

"My butt is fine," Nico lied. It still hurt and bringing his attention back to it reminded him of the bruise he knew was forming. It was a bit better than it had been initially, but that didn't mean he was going to tell Will and not milk this.

The last time Nico had been sick – so sick that he missed three days of school – Will hadn't given him a moment to breathe. He had gone home early on a Wednesday and was bedridden until Sunday morning. Nico claimed he was fine, but between Hazel and Will, he was forced to go home.

Will had stopped by and brought him meds and his homework, making sure he was getting enough liquids.

As much as he didn't want to admit it being bad, the fact that his mother let him stay home told him that it was bad enough to maybe warrant Will's worry. Between dealing with his mother's doctoring and his boyfriend's coddling, he didn't know which was worse.

But what he did get out of it was an entire day of dozing in and out of sleep with Will holding him, reading him the chapter he had missed from class as well as the assignment. Saying it was homework was the best way to get him to stay and allow him to even see him by his mother. Will had been nothing but undeniably kind and loving, and while Nico would never tell him how much he enjoyed it, he craved the attention that way. He assumed Will knew, but his pride would always be put first.

So, he refused to tell Will it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. It was his own personal loophole.

"Sure," was all Will said as he placed a single kiss to the top of his head.

A rhythmic knock came from Will's door, turning their attention to the creaking of Naomi poking her head in.

"Hey boys," she called out, her voice almost a whisper.

"What's up, ma?"

"Do you two think you could do me a favour and run into town real quick?"

"Yeah, what for?"

She straightened herself in the doorway.

"I went to go start supper but I just realised I'm out of some things, think you can swing by the store?"

"Yeah," Will smiled. "We can do that."

"Thank you so much. I just have one more meeting in a bit and didn't want to risk missing it."

"That's real easy."

"We are not taking your truck," Nico muttered, slowly pulling himself up. He knew his hair was sticking in all directions because of his nap as well as Will's adventures.

"Yeah, you can take the car," his mother popped up.

"You are no fun," he told Nico as he shifted to sit up more, flattening Nico's hair a bit as he settled himself beside his boyfriend on the bed. "What do you have against my Ford?"

"It's older than you, so everything."

"You don't know anything about trucks, so that doesn't count."

"I don't need to know shit about them to know that yours shouldn't be allowed on the road."

"It is perfectly road legal."

"I doubt it."

"Hey boys," Naomi interjected, raising her brows as the passed her glance between the two bickering, "you done?"

"He started it," Will said, pointing to Nico who pushed him.

"I don't care who started it, I just need you two to run into town before you give me a headache."

"Fine," Will sighed, pushing Nico off the bed as he stood up. His boyfriend flipped him off but complied. He was a bit slow in his movement but Will didn't push him any further than he already had.

"Good. Keys are on the counter and I'll text you what to pick up," she called as she headed back to her office.

"We going to Cal's?" Will asked, poking his head out of his door.

"Yeah, everything should be there."

"'kay."

"Cal's?" Nico asked as he reached for his coat and phone.

"Mhm," Will nodded, closing the door most of the way before rummaging through his drawers for a new pair of pants. He pulled out a couple of identical pairs before tossing one onto the bed and pulling the drawstring on his pajama pants. "It's just a local grocer. Just a local Ma and Pop shop. We don't have many chains out here, so it's a bunch of local businesses that keep everything runnin'."

"I guess that makes sense. Real community based."

Will nodded as he kicked his pants over to the side. Will's room was effortlessly clean. Nico knew in a blink of an eye the pants wouldn't be there anymore, almost as if they disappeared. As much as he wanted to look anywhere but at his boyfriend in his underwear, he couldn't help it. He knew Will would call him out on his staring, but it was worth the sneak.

Will only smirked when Nico caught his eye, winking as he slipped his jeans back on. Nothing was verbalized, but everything was said. He looked away.

"So," Nico cleared his throat, "what does she want us to get?"

"Umm," Will droned as he grabbed his phone, seeing his mother had already sent the list. "It looks like just simple things like rice, carrots – shit like that."

Nico nodded, shoving his phone in his pocket and heading towards the door. Will just finished looping his belt through his jeans, tightening them as he grabbed his own wallet, shoving it in his back pocket.

"You know," Will started, following Nico down the stairwell, "you're allowed to look."

"Shut up," Nico snapped, glad he was facing away as his cheeks swelled with heat.

….

Will had insisted that they didn't need a cart when they got to the store. It was smaller than what Nico was used to and resembled more of a house-sized pantry. The shelves were stocked floor to ceiling and movement was a bit tight, but it was nothing to worry about. It seemed as if they had more product than room and did their best to accommodate.

On the drive there, Nico had really gotten a sense of the town Will had grown up with. One elementary school, one middle, and one high school – and while it felt like there should have been one church on every corner, they only passed one.

Nico had offered to carry the basket on the way in, saying he was going to make Will carry the heavy stuff anyways. Will had rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder.

They roamed the isles almost aimlessly, Will complaining almost every turn that they had rearranged everything since he left. He said if they had kept it the same, they would have finished by then. It was Nico's turn to roll his eyes as he shifted the weight of the basket to his other arm.

As they walked, something seemed… off. It was as if something about Will's demeanor had shifted. He spoke as if he was more cautious about his wording and always seemed a few inches further than he normally was. At first, Nico didn't think too much about it, but as they checked off half the list, he grew suspicious.

He took a step closer to Will's side, doing nothing more than closing a bit more room between the two of them. Will had stepped aside, reaching for something he was looking at. Even if it was a coincidence, Nico wasn't completely convinced.

As Will was going between two cans of tomato soup, trying to remember the brand his mother usually got, Nico hooked his pinkie around Will's, needing to make sure he wasn't going crazy.

Will stopped muttering something and looked over at his boyfriend. Nico just looked up to him, face blank. The blond smiled softly but didn't pull away.

"William? William Solace?"

At the sound of his name, Will pulled away and took an extra step further back from Nico. He felt a lump grow in his throat as he confirmed the thought in his mind. Will didn't want to be seen with him.

He knew that was ridiculous, but it was something that started to grow inside of him. This was Will's hometown, of course things would be different. But Will had never cared about stuff like this before, so why now?

"My goodness, I did not expect to run into you here," spoke the heavier women with curly blonde hair pinned into an updo. Something set an alarm off inside Nico, but he couldn't place it.

"Helen?" he asked back, smiling widely, but it looked fake. There was no genuine emotion behind his eyes.

"What are you doing back in town? Visiting your ma'?"

Will nodded.

"Yeah, came for Spring Break. She needed somethings so I offered to run into town and pick them up."

"Why, aren't you such a good boy, and you've gotten so tall. My gosh, you were the size of my Bryce last time I saw you, now you must tower over your father."

"Almost," he said, a shy smile painting his lips. "He still has an inch or two on me, I think."

"You're still a growing boy, you'll beat him soon enough," she spoke. Her clothes did nothing for her but illustrate how almost fake put together she seemed. Her presences was enough to make Will pull away, but he still wasn't sure why. "And who's your friend?"

"Oh," Will said, soundly slightly shocked. It looked like he had put some wall up and forgot Nico was even there. "This is my friend, Nico. He hasn't been to the south so I thought I'd drag him along."

"City boy, huh?"

"Yeah," Nico said gingerly.

"Well, we do things a bit differently down here if you haven't caught on," she laughed, but it felt sort of like a threat. The look she had given him made him uneasy, the wave of dread coming back. He recognised the look but couldn't exactly place it.

The air around the three of them was stale as the conversation continued. As much as he tried to seem relaxed, Will had never looked stiffer. His words were as if he was reading from a script. All Nico wanted to do was to slip through the cracks and disappear.

"Have a girlfriend out in the big city?"

There was a nervous laugh that bubbled from Will's lips, as if he was close to slipping from whatever cover he was creating for himself. Nico felt his blood go cold; his entire body stiffened. He prayed he didn't come off as startled as he felt.

"No," Will managed to say, scratching the back of his head.

"I don't believe that. A man as handsome as you must be a lady killer."

"My last girlfriend and I broke up a while back. Been focusing on school, really."

"Ah," was all she said as she nodded her head. "And you?"

Nico inhaled sharply before swallowing.

"Nah, girls don't really like me." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was far from the truth as it could get.

"Now, I don't believe both of you are single. Two handsome young men like yourself in the big city of New York, my…" It was obvious she was fishing for something, but what that something was, was just out of reach.

"Senior year, what can you say?" Both Will and Helen shared a laugh that was heartless and empty.

"So, how's your mom?" she asked, changing the subject. Nico had never been happier.

"She's good. Just a bunch of meetings for work."

"Ah. Haven't seen her in a while. You know, we miss her at service."

There it was. The feeling. The dread. All the red flags made sense. This was a small town and she knew Will before he left. It was the same look his mother had given him when he first came out and she ignored it. She was trying to sniff out their relationship.

Will was standing further away from him to physically distance himself from the possibility of them being seen as a couple. As much as Nico hated PDA, he knew that even giving Will the wrong look for a second longer than normal could mean trouble.

Okay, he could play along.

"She's been real busy lately."

"You still go?" she asked, waiting on Will's every twitch.

"Not as much as I should," he joked, a dry laugh escaping his nervous lips, earning an amused chuckle from Helen.

"And you?" she asked, turning her attention to Nico.

"I used to be an alter boy, but I don't really go much anymore," he said, knowing it was what she was fishing for. Her eyes widened.

"Really?"

Nico nodded, feeling Will's confused eyes on him.

"My," she exclaimed, taken aback a bit.

"Really?" Will echoed a moment later. Nico looked over at him and saw his face was twisted up in bewilderment and awe. Nico nodded gingerly with tight lips.

"Well, I will leave you two to it. Tell Naomi we miss her on Sundays."

"Will do."

"Alright, well, you know what they say: 'Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'"

"Joshua, chapter one, verse nine, right?"

That left her stunned.

"Exactly," she said, nodding her head slowly. She gave Nico one last glance over, a thought crossing her mind but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. There was a test and it was obvious he had passed.

When she left their sight, Will let out a hefty sigh, catching Nico's attention out of the corner of his eye. Will looked physically exhausted, like he had just run a marathon. His eyes were wide, and while he appeared alert, Nico was worried he was about to topple over.

"What… was that?" Nico asked. He kept his voice low, but he was curious. As long as he had known Will, this was a first. His fight or flight had been activated and it seemed like he was close to snapping.

"Just," he stared, but his voice fell meek. After a pause, he shook his head and smiled at Nico, but he still kept the distance between them, even widening it as he tried to shake off any visible discomfort. "Nothing."

Nico followed behind his boyfriend as he grabbed the can he had decided was good enough and headed down the isle. The blond didn't give him a second glance as he led the way. Nico was more than confused, and even more so when Will refused to elaborate.

"Um, that didn't seem like nothing," Nico huffed, forcing a chuckle to make the whole thing seem lighter than it was.

Will made his way to the cash, not turning to face him until he stopped and started unloading the basket.

Will shook his head while he did a double check on the list of items. Once he deemed it good enough, he turned back to the cashier who started scanning them.

"I said it's fine," Will spoke, his voice falling flat.

Nico scanned his taller boyfriend, trying to find what was going on in his mind, but Will simply smiled at the young cashier when he handed her his money.

"Thanks."

Nico looked around, trying to see if maybe it was because Helen was near by, but it seemed pretty empty for the time of day. Turning back to Will, he almost caught the fact that he had grabbed the bags and already started headed towards the door. Nico grabbed the receipt and thanked her himself before chasing after him.

Out of the store, Nico called out.

"Will."

The blond fumbled with his keys as he shifted the weight of the three bags to his free hand. Nico headed to his side of the car as Will placed the bags in the back seat.

"Will, why are you-"

"Nico, drop it."

Nico stopped and stared at the blond from the other side of the car. Both boys held their ground, not moving and hardly blinking. Nico's tongue got caught in the back of his throat when a look he had never seen on Will appeared.

His eyes were dark and mouth thin. He almost looked older, the wind pushing his curls to one side of his head. For a brief moment, the man before him was someone Nico had never seen before. It wasn't the guy who made stupid videos in his bedroom for the whole internet to see, it wasn't the same guy who almost threw up for shoving one too many marshmallows in his mouth on a dare, and it definitely was not the man who held his hand when he got stressed and hummed "I love you"'s just to show that he cared.

Nico swallowed and bit his cheek.

Will was the first to move by opening and getting into the car. Nico stalled for a moment before following suit, gingerly buckling his seatbelt without glance over at the blond. Why was Will acting like this?

When the car started, he didn't pull out. They both sat there, the sound of the engine flooding their senses as not a whisper was uttered.

Will sighed.

"I'm sorry I snapped," he finally said, hands gripping the steering wheel.

Nico looked over at him and his Will was back. Even in his height, he looked deflated.

"What was that?" Nico asked once more.

Will's jaw hardened.

Shaking his head, he said, "She's just someone I knew from when I used to live here."

As much as Nico didn't want to say his next thought, he did.

"Well, I could see that."

Will turned to face him, his brows furrowed.

"I mean, it was obvious that she knew you – knew your mom, even – but why did you get so…" he waved his hands around to try and find the proper wording. When it didn't come, he just let the question land where it was.

"Nico," he started, putting the car into gear before starting to pull out of the parking lot.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine," he jumped in, seeing how tense Will still was.

"It's just… not everything was exactly picture perfect here." And he left it at that.

As they started the drive back, there was a bit of silence that got Nico's mind wondering.

He understood, he thought, what Will had meant. There was a reason he didn't live in Texas anymore, and that point was made pretty clear when they were back in New York. Seeing Will's eyes gloss over a bit as he waited at a stop light before moving on hit home that exact point. When he was out with Will, things had to be a little bit different. Will loved him, he knew that, but he also understood how dangerous it was for Will to have brought him home with him.

Nico was starting to realise just how much he didn't belong in Will's world.

"So," Will popped in, taking in a deep breath, "Alter boy?"

"We are not discussing this right now, William."

Will laughed. And it was like an ocean tide.


A/N: ive been going back and forth on some issues on this fic, but ive decided i will be taking a step back from some topics i was originally gonna touch on. it will not change a singe thing, i just know its not my place to step. instead, i'll be redirected that energy in another direction.

I'm sorry if updated have breaks between them, between my mom being in jail and in search of a new place to live, im working full time, so i only really can write late at night for a few hours, but i dont really foresee it harming the pace! But just in case!

I write this fic a few chapters ahead so when i edit these before posting, it really helps me catch things i need to keep consistent. with that being said, im so excited for the next few chapters and yalls reactions. what ive been hearing for you guys so far has been nothing but spectacular! i love ur theories and predictions on where this story is going as well as this series as a whole. im already planning out Sweet, and lets say the album ive been listening to for it is a little bit more than Sour. (i have been listening to a lot of Lil Nas X's new music while writing this!)

Also, for a hot minute, i was worried about not writing Will and the texas speech patterns properly, then i remember that the way i speak sounds texan to new yorkers which i find hilarious.

Anyways! hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kitty