The next day, Will washed his face and showered right away. "I'm going out, Nico. Be good to yourself." He smiled to himself, remembering his idea.

The shorter boy don't reply, but Will knew he'd heard him. He'd gotten used to Nico ignoring him.

Will grabbed his wallet, and with that he was out the door.

Meanwhile, Nico was contemplating on whether he should open up to the sunny boy or not.

He's lived with me about a month now. He's been talking to me, er, about three weeks. I can't just be like this to him all the time. He's been good to me, and frankly I don't mind at all when he walks around without a shirt on. But that's not the point. I need to stop being distant. I'll make it up to him.

~~~

Around five or so, Nico decided to make some spaghetti to try and show appreciation to his roommate.

He grabbed a pot, filled it with water, and turned the stove on. He then got a separate pot for the sauce, and two cups.

Most of the cups were Will's, so Nico was stuck using plastic yellow ones. Great.

When the water started to boil, he emptied the package of noodles inside of the pot and set the timer. He then dumped the sauce in the other pot.

While he waited, Nico decided to make himself look a bit more presentable. You know, just so he didn't look like he just woke up. That was his usual style.

Nico wasn't going to brush or comb his hair; he figured running his fingers through it was good enough. He discarded of the old shirt he had on for a new one, but that was all of the effort he was going to put in.

He had gotten ready just in time to drain the pasta and separate it into two bowls, dripping sauce over top of them. Hopefully Will would be home soon. Though he didn't want to admit it, sometimes his bright personality really did make him feel better, whether he liked it or not.

Nico waited for Will, twirling his spaghetti with a fork absentmindedly, but he soon began to grow worried. Will was always back by now. What if something happened to him? What if the reason he left was because of Nico's attitude, so it was all his fault? What if he was dead? Why did Nico even care?

He was regretting rejecting Will's phone number.

He was also regretting making dinner so early, because the food was beginning to grow cold. The one time I do something nice, he doesn't even show up! What if he's already eaten dinner? Nico thought. 

Nico's thoughts were interrupted when the door handle jiggled. He couldn't help but stand up to open it for Will himself.

He wasn't expecting what he saw when he opened the door.

Will stood there, with a gigantic smile on his face. He was multiple bags in one hand, and in the other was...a puppy?

"Will...?"

"Nico, hey! Look! A dog!" Will exclaimed.

"No, no no no. Will, why?" Nico bit his lip. He couldn't help but think the black fluff ball was cute, but this was very unexpected. He didn't know how to care for a dog! Also, he had permanent scratches on his arms from dogs. He wasn't so sure about trusting another.

Will's eyes suddenly got serious. "You need to learn to love, Nico," was all he said when he staggered inside and slammed the door shut with his foot. "Hey, it smells like-Nico! You made dinner?" He set the little puppy on the couch with the bags nearby.

And then he hugged Nico, with his strong, warm arms, and it felt like all of Nico's problems were wiped away. He let out a small sigh. His head fit perfectly on Will's shoulder, not that he cared, of course. But after a couple of seconds, he pulled away. Will looked confused.

"P-please don't do that again," he said, barely audible.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I shouldn't have done that," Will apologized.

Nico didn't reply.

"Hey! Let's eat! Then I'll show you all the stuff I bought today," Will said suddenly, as if he'd snapped back into reality. He scooped up the puppy, so she could lie on his lap while he ate.

Nico still didn't say anything while they ate until Will broke the silence. Or maybe he'd been talking previously, and Nico wasn't paying attention.

"-and she's already house trained, and she knows all of the basic commands! Also, she was by far the cutest dog at the shelter. So, ya know, I thought, why not?"

"Well, there are lots of reasons why you shouldn't just buy a dog without talking to me about it first," said Nico.

"I didn't ask you because I knew you'd say no."

Well, he did have a point.

"What's her name?" Nico asked.

"You can name her," Will replied.

"Mrs. O'Leary," Nico said right away.

Will didn't question it. "Okay."

They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. It was a little cold, but neither of them minded. Will smirked at the bright yellow cups, but he didn't make any comments about them. 

Mrs. O'Leary wiggled on Will's lap, which reminded him of the rest stuff he'd bought. "Oh!" He suddenly stood with the dog under his arm.

Nico lifted his gaze.

Will rummaged through the bags, grabbing out items like bowls, a leash, food, toys, and a plush bed. He then handed a folder to Nico. Their hands brushed uncomfortably, and Nico winced.

Inside the folder was Mrs. O'Leary's records.

He skimmed through, not really caring, as Will unpacked the rest of the stuff he brought home and put everything in its designated area.

Mrs. O'Leary was now on the floor, running around the house wildly.

Will scooped her up again and flopped on the couch. "C'mon, Nico. Sit with us."

"No thank you."

"I didn't say you had a choice. Come. Sit." Will patted the spot on the couch next to him.

"Fine," Nico grumbled, rolling his eyes as he sat down next to his roommate.

Mrs. O'Leary happily lied down between Will and Nico, whose arms and knees brushed. Unfortunately, Nico couldn't move now.

Will must've noticed, because he laughed quietly.

"I'll end you, Solace."

"Good luck with that," he smirked, suddenly yawning.

Mrs. O'Leary snored softly, and Will soon found himself dozing as well. Though one of the only things he did was sleep, Nico found himself resting his head on Will's shoulder and drifting off. He wasn't gonna lie, he was pretty comfortable. Maybe I could get used to this, he thought. 

For the first time in a long time, Nico di Angelo didn't have any nightmares.

~~~

There will be some stuff happening in the next few chapters that may or may not interfere with the Solangelo. *dun dun dunnn* As always, comments, votes, follows, and criticism are appreciated! Three cheers for non whiny Nico as well. Also, please don't be afraid to creect any mistakes I have, whether they be grammatical or otherwise. Have a splendid day!!