XII
WILL
"Nico, bacon is meant to be eaten not to be stared at," Will said putting his hand on his hips. He pointed a spatula with his other hand on Nico. Nico sat on the dining table.
"Right," Nico said as he forked down the bacon on his plate and nibbled it.
Will stared at Nico. Ever since the death angel had knocked on his door early in the morning for their trip to Brooklyn, he had immediately noticed that something was off with Nico. The blond was so used to Nico's indifference that he was able to pinpoint the difference between aloofness and melancholy. Besides, Nico wasn't wolfing down the food in front of him and that was already saying something.
"Are you all right?" Will asked worriedly.
"Huh?" Nico looked up at him distractedly.
"I am asking if you are all right."
"Of course," Nico answered casually. "You should eat so we can go already to your mom. You're dying to see her, right?"
He let his concern passed for a moment. He smiled a little bit. "Hell yes, I am. I miss her so much." He put down the spatula on the counter and removed his apron. He sat opposite to Nico and started to eat too.
Moments later, they were on the road and Will was driving his black Chevrolet. He glanced briefly at Nico who was absentmindedly looking at the window. They reached the Brooklyn Bridge when Will broke the silence by voicing out the thought that had been nagging him for a while now.
"We can turn back if you didn't want to go." Will was staring straight ahead.
Nico's head whipped at Will's direction. He looked startled. "What? No! What makes you think that?"
Will frowned. "I know that something was up with you, maybe it's-"
"It's not." Nico cut in then he sighed. "I want to meet your mom, I swear. I know she's very important to you and I would like to meet the people who are dear to you."
"Then what is wrong?" Will looked at him.
"Eyes on the road, doc, we don't want you to be carted off to the nearest hospital." Nico chided.
Will followed and overtook the car in front. He grumbled. "You're always changing the subject."
"I just don't want to ruin the mood. I might tell you later." Nico resumed looking back at the window.
"Might," Will grumbled again.
"Just drive safely, Solace, and stopped complaining," Nico said.
"Do death angels have super hearing too?" Will protested. "You weren't supposed to hear that!"
Nico turned his head at him once again. He deadpanned. "We don't and I don't need a super hearing ability when you're not good at lowering your voice.
"Fine, fine," Will waved his one hand dismissively. Nico stared at the window.
"You're cute," Will said under his breath.
"You're annoying." He repeated at the same tone level.
"But you're still handsome." He continued.
"Solace, stop sounding like a bee," Nico said.
"Did you hear me?" Will glanced briefly at him. He suddenly got nervous.
"No."
"Ha!" Will said triumphantly. "Now who said that I am not good at lowering my voice?"
"I was wondering. Did your mouth ever get tired of talking? You talk non-stop." Nico spared him a glance.
The traffic light flashed red so they stopped. This gave Will a chance to face Nico. "Hey, I have a voice box that functions very well, why not use it? At least I am not a grumpy old man like someone out there…"
Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you referring to me, Solace?"
"Oh yeah, look at that, I forgot that there's a what, a 75-year-old passenger here!" Will feigned a surprised look. "And you are kind of cold-hearted and ill-tempered too! What a coincidence! Maybe it was really you?"
Nico shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. "I gave up, Solace. I gave up."
Will froze staring at him.
"Err, Solace. The traffic light's green now." Nico said.
"You smiled," Will said in wonder
"You have to move, Solace." Nico glanced at the rear mirror. Cars behind them started to honk angrily at them.
Will did not move.
"Damn it, Will! Step on the gas or I will do it!"
That snapped Will out of his trance and stepped on the gas pedal and that also concluded their whole drive. Moments after, they pulled over in front of a big white three-story Victorian house.
"Here we are," Will announced.
Nico looked over the window and observe the house briefly. He turned to Will. "Complete opposite of your cramped apartment in Manhattan."
"Well yeah but I really don't mind living there." Will pulled out his keys from the ignition. "Let's go and meet my mom." He opened the car door and Nico followed suit.
"I should have captured it with a camera," Will said when they had reached the front porch.
Nico looked back at him confusedly. "What?"
"You smiled and I missed the chance to preserve it. It might not happen again!"
Nico rolled his eyes. "Drop it, Solace. You are making a big deal out of it."
"But that's the first time I saw you smile!" Will argued. "And seriously, you should smile more often. It suits you."
"Yeah, whatever," Nico said absentmindedly.
"Will you smile again?" Will persisted.
"Solace," Nico chided.
Will was going to open his mouth to argue when the door opened.
"I opened the door for you. You didn't seem to have any plans of ringing the doorbell." The woman on the door said.
"Mom!" Instantly, Will was hugging Naomi Solace. She laughed.
Naomi Solace was in her early fifties. She had an auburn hair with streaks of gray into it. Her hazel eyes were calm and warm and the side of her eyes crinkled when she laughed. She was a real beauty of her time. She wore a gray cardigan over a brown turtle neck and black pants.
Will pulled away from the hug first and looked closely at his mom. He frowned. "You seemed to look a little bit paler than usual. You looked kinda thin too. Are you eating enough? And since when did you start applying glossy lipstick. I thought you don't like it?"
Naomi sighed. "I miss you too, son. Yes, I am eating enough. I didn't go out often that's probably why I look pale and preference changed over time. Does my answer satisfy you?"
Will grinned. "I miss you too, mom."
"Now, we are being rude to your friend here." Naomi turned to Nico.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Will said sheepishly and started the introduction. "Nico, this is my mom, Naomi Solace. Mom, this is Nico di Angelo, my friend."
"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," Nico said politely and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Just call me Naomi." Naomi smiled warmly and accepted Nico's hand. Then they all went inside.
"Wow. I miss this house." Will said as they went through the receiving area and headed straight to the living room.
The interior was more elegant with its maple wood flooring, a grand wood-burning fireplace and brick walls painted white. The whole area gave an open and bright vibe.
"Then you should come here often," Naomi said.
"If you just didn't kick me out of the house, there won't be any trouble." Will countered good-naturedly at his mom.
Nico looked inquiringly at the two.
"Oh, I think it will be more troubling that you are driving back and forth at night and in the early morning when I know you are dead tired from your work." Naomi laughed. She turned to Nico and tapped his shoulder affectionately. "Feel free to look around and consider this as your home too."
"Thanks, Naomi." Nico smiled a little bit.
"There!" Will exclaimed and pointed at Nico "You smiled again."
"Son, you treat Nico's smile like it is the latest scientific discovery. People do smile." Naomi said.
"Mom, for Nico, it's a rare occurrence. I swear!"
Nico rolled his eyes again and Naomi laughed. Nico's gaze fell on the stack of Vinyl records in the corner.
Naomi noticed this."Why don't you look at it, Nico. There might be some music you might like."
Nico nodded gratefully and made his way towards the vinyl records.
Naomi pulled her son to the dining hall where they would be out of earshot of Nico. "My... He's not much of a talker, isn't he? Is it that why you like him because opposites attract?"
The kitchen was occupying the back of the house. The area matches the coffee-colored theme of the house. There were several windows to let some air in.
Will groaned sitting on the bar counter. "Don't get me started at it, mom."
"Yeah, right. It's complicated." Naomi crossed her arms raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'm a little bit scared," Will suddenly said. "I like him too much and I don't know what to do if…" Will couldn't finish.
"Honey," Naomi held his hand. "If Nico can't accept and love for who you are, you don't deserve him. We both know that you deserve so much more than that. You are a good guy."
"Now, I felt like tearing up," Will said which made his mother laughed.
"I was hoping for a free hospitalization in your hospital just in case I get sick," Naomi joked.
Will frowned at that. "Please don't get sick. I don't want you to get sick."
"Yes, doc. I won't." Naomi smile tenderly at him. "Now, why don't you show your special friend around the house while I prepare something to eat?"
Will nodded and stood up. He found Nico still in the living room looking up at the abstract painting hanging on the wall. The painting was a combination of golden yellow and black curves and lines.
"What do you think about that painting?" Will asked when he reached Nico They stood next to each other.
"The sun touches the night," Nico said still staring at the painting.
Will raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't know you have knacks for interpreting the abstract painting."
"I don't. I just tell what I think I see. Who knows what the artist's intent on painting this. But still, I like it." Nico answered.
"Okay. Mr. Know-it-all, do you want a tour around. I can show you my bedroom upstairs." Will invited.
Nico shrugged. "Sure."
"So," Nico began casually as they ascended the stairs. "How many girls have you brought here?"
Will tripped on the steps thankfully he managed to hold onto to the banister. "What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you get a girlfriend or something…?" Nico looked away as they both stopped mid stairs.
"We have to clear something here, di Angelo," Will said. "I'm gay, not interested in girls..."
"Oh..."
"Yeah..." Will resumed climbing the stairs.
There was silence as they walked through the hallway. They stopped in front of a door at the end.
"My room," Will announced as he pushed the door open
The room was well lit by the sun streaming down the window. It was also big with an adjoining bathroom. The walls were cream that made the room even brighter. A mid-size bed with dark blue sheets was pushed against the wall and occupying the middle part of the room. There was also a big shelf that contained more medical books than what Will had in his apartment. Next to the shelf was a small cabinet with pictures frames adorning the top and in which Nico took interest to look at. Will just sat at the edge of the bed watching at Nico.
After a while Nico sat beside Will, his eyes roaming around the room. "You must really love working at JHH to give up living in here. There are hospitals here in Brooklyn too, why not work here instead?"
Will shrugged. "I don't know. I just got stuck in JHH and I already love working there. I have friends and good workmates there." He didn't add the fact that Nico was in there too so he didn't want to leave.
"Your mom is great too." Nico glanced at him.
Will grinned. "I know right. Mom is one of the reasons why I worked hard as a doctor. I want to give her a better life so when I earned enough I bought this house for her."
"She's lucky to have a son like you."
"Did you just compliment me?" Will raised an eyebrow at him.
Nico nodded. "Take it. It's rare."
Will burst out laughing. Nico shifted in his position and unintentionally laid his hand at the edge of the bed, just right next to Will's hand. Their pinkies touched briefly but that smallest contact seemed to shoot electric current on Will's hand. Will could swear that Nico had felt it too when he jumped slightly at the contact. Then there was silence again, a palpitating, condensing silence that seemed to push them together. Will felt like it was suddenly hard to breathe.
They had abruptly stood up as if they both felt the thickness of the atmosphere.
Will cleared his throat. "There's also the attic. You want to see it too?"
"Sure," Nico agreed immediately.
Then Will was at the door before anyone could blink. He was fanning himself when he was already outside. What had just happened back there?
They ascended again on the narrow staircase leading to the attic. There was a trapdoor so Will pushed it open upward. He crawled his way in first. The attic was small that they could touch the ceiling. There was also a light coming from the small window.
"Oh thank gods, it wasn't dusty here. Guess mom maintained it very well." Will said looking around.
There were various musical instruments scattered around, a case of violin lying on the floor, a guitar leaning on the wall and an organ in its stand. Stacks of musical sheets were on the shelf together with some music album and another set of picture frames. Will stared at them with nostalgia. Even though music was not his forte, those instruments and other related materials were part of his childhood.
"Your mom is a singer?" Nico asked.
Will walked towards Nico and looked at the picture frame he was holding. It was a younger version of Naomi Solace in front of a microphone. There was a band in the background.
"Was a singer," Will corrected. "Mom was an alt-country singer. That's how he met dad. They met in Austin." Then he turned his head at Nico only to realize the proximity of their faces. Nico looked up too and froze. No one dared to move for a heartbeat afraid of what would happen next.
Nico was the brave one who shattered the stilling of time. He turned around and put the frame back to the shelf. He cleared his throat. "So if you don't mind asking where's your dad now?" His back was still turned to Will.
Will backed away to get some space between them. He rubbed his neck. "Err, I-I honestly don't know. I haven't talked to him in ages. Last time I heard from him, which came from the news, he was in Greece and he was going out with some environmentalist named Daphne or Hyacinthus. Jeez, I don't know. By the way, my father is a bisexual."
"Ah," Nico's back was still turned to him.
Will cursed internally. He badly wanted to close the gap between them but what if he was wrong on the water he was trudging on. He couldn't afford to lose Nico.
"You're actually lucky, to be born in the time where people started to accept our sexual preferences…."
"Our?" Will asked faintly.
This time Nico faced him and Will was shocked to see tears running down on Nico's face.
"Nico!" In an instant, Will was in front of Nico. The blond held Nico's shoulders. "W-what's wrong?"
"The other day, I remembered something," Nico said hoarsely. "I remembered how I died and it was horrible... I died because of the condemnation of people because I'm gay… Gay people weren't really that accepted in the late 1930's you know..."
"Oh, Nico..." Instinctively, Will hugged him. Nico froze but Will understand his reaction. His heart had clenched when he realized how hard it must be for Nico to go through something like that.
"It's all right now. You are now in the present where people like us are now accepted... You live in the present now." Will rubbed his back comfortingly.
After a while, Nico pulled away from Will. He looked up at him. "I told you, I was just going to ruin the mood."
"So that's the reason why you're acting strangely earlier?" Will asked.
"Yeah, sorry,"
"Hey, there's nothing to apologize for. I totally understand it." Will reassured. His voice was soft.."I know you're still upset about it. I wish I could do something…"
Nico glanced at the guitar. "Then play a song for me. It will make me feel better."
"You will feel worse when you heard me sing."
"Please Will? I never heard you play or sing… I was curious..."
How Will could resist if Nico was looking at him that way, with his brown eyes wide and pleading? So Will found himself sitting on the floor with Nico and with a guitar on his lap.
"I warned you. Seriously." Will said.
"Just get on with it Will." Nico rolled his eyes.
Will took a deep breath and started strumming. He started to sing the first verse of the song, Inside Out by The Chainsmokers. As he sang, he couldn't help but stare at Nico. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Nico but couldn't when he was so scared that nothing would come out of it. He was afraid of rejection. He was afraid of Nico staying away from him. He was afraid that all this time, Nico didn't feel the same way about him. Did death angels even know what love was? Did love ever exist in their world?
There were a lot of things, feelings Will wanted to say and convey. His father once said that music was just feelings hidden behind words and melodies. So he continued to sing his heart out. Because Will was a coward who could only express what he had truly felt through a song, and maybe, just maybe Nico would be able to decipher it.
Will stopped singing when he felt like the air was humming with energy once again.
They continued to stare at each other.
It was as if the song did its magic.