yes, i'm aware it's midnight. no, i don't give a fuck:)

Nico didn't know how to approach Will after the incident from the previous afternoon. Should he tell him what was going on?

He decided not to. If Will found out why Nico was so quiet all the time, why he wore black everyday, maybe the friendship could take a turn. The last thing he wanted was pity.

In the morning, Will was standing on the sidewalk with a beautiful smile plastered on his face. His white hoodie complemented his tan skin in ways Nico couldn't explain, and his jeans and yellow Converse were so Will that it made Nico want to go back inside and bury his smile in his pillow.

"Hey," he said. Will took something out from behind his body. He handed it to Nico.

"A muffin?" Nico asked. How the fuck did he know I like blueberry?

"I, um, thought maybe you were having a rough day yesterday? Hopefully today can be...better." Nico didn't respond to that, but he smiled as he looked down at the pastry. When they started walking down their sidewalk, Will grabbed Nico's hand.

Suddenly, the sidewalk didn't feel so lonely anymore.

***

Nico was actually having a great time, for once.

Him and Will had talked and laughed and smiled all the way to their school, but when Nico saw the huge building with kids surrounding it, he looked down at their joined hands.

"What?" Will asked, noticing how Nico had suddenly gotten quiet.

"Look..." Nico let go of Will's hand. "It's not a secret that we're on very different steps of the social ladder. I understand if you don't want to be seen holding hands with someone like me in school."

A group of laughing kids passed close to them, making Nico wonder when the last time he had a group of friends was. Will touched his fingers to Nico's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"I'm proud to be holding your hand," he told him. Will laughed, his eyes shining. "Hell, I'm proud that you even talk to me, Nico. I..." He looked like he wanted to say something, but a girl's shrill voice interrupted him.

"OMG!" she yelled. Nico turned and internally groaned when he saw Drew Casey making her way towards them. Her blue eyes were narrowed just enough to show she didn't actually like them, but not enough to look directly hostile. Her long, brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Hey, Homecoming King," she greeted Will. He blushed.

"I didn't put myself in the running," he told her, grabbing Nico's hand. Drew glanced down at their hands angrily before looking back up to meet his eyes.

"That's not how it works, silly!" she said. "Anyone can vote for anyone, and it's all online." She leaned in close. "And right now, it seems as though you two are winning."

Nico yelped.

"What?" he shrieked. "No, that can't be right..." Drew gave him a bitter look before showing him the data from an app on her phone. He was, in fact, almost tied with Will.

"Where's the Queen?" Will asked.

"Oh, the school decided that there can be two Kings, two Queens, or a King and Queen this year. It no longer depends on the winning boy and girl, it's just the two people with the highest number of votes."

Nico still couldn't believe it, though. Why would people vote for him?

He looked around. People were staring at him. He glanced down at his hand, at Will smiling at him. He finally understood. All those people...they had seen him with Will all week, all the time. Was it possible that he was now...popular by association?

Ah, fuck. Even the thought made him cringe. Or maybe, people were intrigued that this seemingly hidden away kid was now super keen with the most popular kid in school.

"Who's behind me?" Nico asked. "In the race...thingy." Drew glared at him.

"Me."

Oh my fucking-

"Oh," Will said, his voice cracking a little. The tension suddenly seemed to kick in. "Well, thanks for the information, but we got to get to class, so..."

"Wouldn't want to be late," Drew said, smiling in the fakest way possible. Nico coughed awkwardly and pulled Will along to leave.

When they got inside, Nico noticed more and more people staring at him. Throughout the day, he realized that people watched him. They glanced up at him, looked down at their phones, and clicked. Click, click, click, all day long. Nico felt like a presidential candidate who knew nothing about politics.

He also felt strangely...pleased. All these people that had previously ignored his existence for five years were now watching him like a greek god. Nico also felt happy when he learned that the winners of the Homecoming Royal Titles got to share a dance together, but he didn't tell Will that.

hehe thanks for reading
love you guys
-reyna