Gods, Nico is stubborn...

Let's see how everything plays out!

Anyhoodles,

Enjoy!!

- Nico_Solace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You complete and utter moo idiot ass!" Hazel scream, bursting into my room.

I've been locked in my bedroom for three days. I haven't gone to school nor have I talked to anyone. I can't get that look on Will's face out of my head; I hate myself for causing it.

I am currently buried beneath my duvet and pillows, blaring Black Veil Brides and Twenty-One Pilots, trying to drown out the world and not think about bright sapphire eyes and a crooked, smug smirk. That golden blonde hair sweeping over his forehead. That bubbly laugh released whenever I glare at him. The way his silky lips taste of vanilla and whatever he's eaten that day. The way he stands up for me no matter who's throwing the jabs. How he's so willing to listen and give advice...

God, I'm hopeless!

"Go away, Haz!" I moan, covering my face with my pillow.

"Not until you explain yourself!" She tears the pillow away from me, turning my music off. "I talked to Will today. He gave me a ride home. Would you mind telling me why you haven't been going to school?"

"Haven't been feeling well." I lie, rolling over and burying my face in the mattress.

"Liar." Hazel hisses, eyes narrowing.

"Fine! I'm a fucking idot! I'm an idiot and now Will hates my damn guts and I feel like a pile of shit for hurting him." I mumble, turning to face my infuriated sister.

Her eyes widen. "What, exactly, did you do to him?"

"I lied. I fucking lied out my ass and he bought the damn thing and now he won't even look at me. He was annoying as shit but now- I just want him to talk to me."

"What? Is this why you were being all mopey on Tuesday after school? And why you haven't gone since Thursday?"

"No shit Sherlock."

Hazel's expression softens as she takes a seat on the edge of my bed. She grabs my hand and squeezes it comfortingly.

"What did you say?" She asks.

"He- he asked- he asked me to be his boyfriend. And you know I don't do commitments like that well. And, uh, I kinda-"

"Neeks-"

"I glared at him and asked if I hadn't made it obvious enough I wasn't interested. He kinda looked sad and everything and started to say something but then changed his mind and told me he'd leave me alone. And he hasn't talked to me since."

"You. Did. What!" Hazel smacked my head. "You complete dumbass!"

I feel tears brim my eyes again but don't attempt to blink them away. I look up at Hazel and she immediately goes soft.

"C'mere." She wraps me in her arms and I sob quietly into her shoulder.

---

»»Hazel««

Climbing off of Nico's bike with him two days after his breakdown, I march off without another glance at my brother.

"Hazel, where are you going?" He calls after me.

"I have some stuff to do! See you at lunch." I yell without looking back.

I walk into the main building and immediately head for Will's locker.

My brother has been completely miserable for a week and I'm sick of listening to it. So, I decide to take matters into my own hands to fix his problems.

I find Will right where I expected him to be; in the center of a crowd of jocks and cheerleaders, telling a supposedly hilarious story.

I decide against waiting for the crowd to disperse and push my way to the front. I grab Will's arm without a word to him or anyone else and begin pulling.

"Hazel, what are you doing?" He asks, fighting against me. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Not anymore. I need to talk to you. C'mon, Pretty Boy." I yank him away from his group of people and down the hall.

When I stop, I turn around and face him, my arms crossed, lips pursed, and eyebrow raised. "Well?"

"What?" He squirms under my gaze.

"When are you and my brother going to quit being pig-headed idiots and talk?"

"What are you talking about? He told me to leave him alone!"

"When he told you that, did he have a glare on his face? Were his arms crossed?"

"Yeah. How else would he look?"

I groan. "Will, you idiot! That's how Nico tells people to go away when he doesn't mean it! It's, like, a challenge to see if you really have the guts to go after him. He's been an absolute wreck since you stopped talking to him."

"What? No way. He told me-"

"That he wasn't interested, yes. That was a lie. Get it through your thick skull! Go talk to him."

"If he wanted to talk, he would come talk to me."

I surprise Will by letting out a loud laugh. "There's no way you're really that dense." He fixes me with a blank stare. "Oh my God, you are. Nico is an absolute coward when it comes to his feelings, Will. He would rather spend weeks being miserable and mopey than actually tell you he misses having you around and he wants to talk to you. Stubborn and scared of your own feelings don't go well together, Solace. If you don't go talk to him, you'll both be miserable."

"But he ca-"

"Talk to him."

"Hazel-"

"Go."

"But-"

"Now, William."

Without giving him time to respond, I turn and walk off to find Frank. I'm on a roll, I might as well talk to him, too.

---

»»Will««

I've been thinking about what Hazel said to me all day. By the time the day ends, I've worked myself into and out of talking to Nico about twelve times.

Before I can talk myself out if it again, I find him leaning against his bike waiting for Hazel in the parking lot.

Taking a deep breath, I set my features into a hard line and make a beeline for his bike.

"Okay." I start when I'm in front of him. "Before you say anything, I want you to know I've been entirely miserable since last week. I really like you, Nico, and I seriously want to date you. I have for two years now. Dating you would be a serious dream come true for me. And you're amazing. Like -I'm about to totally embarrass myself- I've thought about kissing you every day since our last kiss on your doorstep. And your hair is so soft and long, I think about running my hands through it all the time. I am entirely in love with your laugh; it's bright and so cheerful I can't help but join. Your snarky comments and sarcastic come backs make my day when i hear them. You're a huge nerd but not many people know that so I'm happy I get to see it. You think you aren't smart but, honestly, you're a genius. Your eyes are incredible and I feel lost every time I look into them. You're everything to me. So... Yeah. Be my boyfriend?"

He stares at me in total shock for a moment.

When he finally speaks, his famous smirk is plastered against his lips.

"You, my dear, are an asshole." Then he brings his face forward and presses his lips to mine.