Beauty and the Beast AU! I'm not sure how similar this is to the real Beauty and the Beast but it took me a while to come up with this idea, so cut me some slack.

Will's POV

The moment I stepped into my new dorm room, bags in hand and a wide smile on my face, I knew that switching roommates with my friend had been the worst decision I had ever made. The grin slid off my face as I surveyed the boy on the bed, scowling darkly at a huge textbook, clutching a pencil so hard I could see cracks begin to appear on the yellow painted wood. He was paler than anyone I had ever seen, dark circles under his eyes and black hair hanging to just below his chin, un-brushed and unkempt. As I stepped closer a floorboard creaked and his head snapped up, his frown growing as he stared me up and down. I could see distaste in his dark brown eyes and I cleared my throat self- consciously, hoping to lighten the heavy ambiance of the room.

"I'm Will," I announced, holding out my hand as I tried to will a small smile to my face. The boy ignored me, the only sign of emotion a sharp glare.

"I don't care where you put your stuff, just stay out of my way." I could see why Austin hadn't wanted to be his roommate. I considered telling him that I didn't want to be this boy's roommate, but I figured it was a bit too late to go back on my decision.

"Your name is Nico, right?" I recalled, the brief conversation in which I had agreed to be his roommate popping into my head. Austin had come to me a week into the year begging me to switch with him. I had no idea what I was getting into, so I agreed.

"Yep." He popped the p, a clear signal that he was quickly becoming annoyed with the conversation.

"Alright then," I muttered, turning away from him. If he wasn't going to try to form a decent relationship, than neither was I.

He refused to be hospitable throughout the rest of the evening, turning his head away from me when I asked where the bathroom was and ignoring me when I asked him if he wanted a slice of pizza. Finally I decided to go to bed, doing my best to ignore the growls from the other bed.

The next morning I dragged my tired limbs out of bed, despite the fact that I hadn't slept a wink the previous night. I pulled on a pair pants and a tee shirt, Nico still snoring in the other bed. Quietly I crept out, although Nico was snoring so loudly I doubt he would have heard me anyway.

I begged anyone I could find to switch roommates with me. I only knew a few people in this new dorm, but they seemed friendly until I brought up Nico's name. "Sorry, man," said one person I came across, a boy about my age wearing a backwards baseball cap and an untied pair of shoes. "I wouldn't be roommates with him for a million bucks. Hes, like, a monster."

I found myself at the dean's office, pushing open the door to find her sitting back in her spinny chair, sucking on a lolli pop and seeming utterly bored. "Dean James?" I asked tentatively, stepping in front of her desk. "Can I talk to you about my roommate?"

"Sure, Solace, what is it?" She sat up, crunching down on her lolli pop.

"Well, I traded roommates with one of my friends, and he's terrible," I began, twisting the end of my shirt nervously. "Is there any chance I could switch into another room, or have my own?"

"Sorry, but you're here on a scholarship," she responded. "Freshmans almost never get their own room, let alone freshmans on scholarship."

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" I begged. "He snores all night, but the worst thing is that he's really mean. He refuses to talk to me."

"Lots of people have roommate problems, Solace, you'll just have to suck it up," she declared, sucking on her second lolli pop. "Now, shouldn't you be getting to class?"

"Yeah," I sighed. I turned around, resigning myself to a year with a monster as a roommate.

He was no better the second day, eventually throwing his textbook across the room so hard I could swear I heard the wall crack. I tiptoed over to him, tentatively sitting down on the edge of his bed. "What?" he spat, his head in between his hands. He turned to face me and there was rage in his eyes.

"Do you need help with anything?" I asked. I walked over to the far wall, grabbing the textbook and bringing it back over to Nico's bed. "Hey, this doesn't look too hard. Do you have a piece of paper?" Nico's expression softened as he handed me a slightly ripped piece of paper and a splintered pencil. I wrote down the problem from Nico's textbook, my arm rubbing up against his.

I walked him through the problem, and I could almost see Nico's anger levels go down until he was just another boy solving a math problem. By the second he was completely calm and by the last he was smiling, an expression I ever thought I would see on him. I shut the book, handing the pencil and paper back to Nico.

"Thanks," he said. "Do you want to order a pizza? I'll pay."

"Sure," I grinned.

We finished off the pizza amid laughter and smiles. We told jokes and throughout the evening I discovered a side of Nico that only a handful of people had seen before. As he closed the empty, grease covered pizza box a more somber expression took over his face. "Hey, I just want to let you know that a lot of times I have anger issues," he told me, shifting his eyes from mine. The feel of the room shifted as Nico began to open up, and I stayed silent as he continued to talk. "I'm working on trying to make it better but it's really hard sometimes, especially with my first year of college. Having ADHD and dyslexia doesn't help, either." That made sense. No wonder he had such a hard time with his homework.

"Don't worry about it," I responded. "I know it's hard, but I'll be there to help you every step of the way. After all, that's what roommates do." 

That night it was peaceful, Nico's snoring quiet and oddly soothing. His face was relaxed  and I found something about it oddly mesmerizing, somewhat similar to watching an angel sleep. His mouth twitched into a smile as a good dream passed through his mind. I couldn't sleep, but it was for a different reason than the previous night. Tonight I couldn't stop staring at the boy in the other bed. 

Nico's POV

"You're sure this will work, right?" I fretted as my friend Percy stood over me, a pair of scissors in his hand. 

"Of course!" he grinned. "I cut Annabeth's hair on the time, I'm like a pro now. When Will sees you he'll fall right in love with you." 

"If you're sure," I said. "I'm not even sure if he's gay." 

"Well, even if he isn't, you'll still be getting a nice hair cut. You kinda need one." I slapped him in the stomach. 

"Just get on with it," I instructed. Clippings of black hair began to fall to the ground and I watched in the mirror until there was a new boy staring back at me, one with clean hair and a wide smile. It was just barely long enough to pull back into a tiny pony tail and I ran my hands through it, amazed at the lack of knots. "Thanks!" I exclaimed, hopping out of the chair. 

"Hold up," Percy instructed. "If you really want to make an impression on Will, we're going to have to do a lot more work. Come on, lets get you some clothes, ones that don't make it look like you just crawled out of a dumpster." 

Three hours later I walked out of the mall with a single outfit, one that Percy had insisted made me look like a prince. It was simple; a black pair of pants, a white button down shirt, black tie, black jacket; but somehow it made me feel better than I had in my entire life. "See what a good outfit can do?" Percy grinned. "You can always come to me for outfit tips." 

"Percy, you're wearing dirty jeans and an aqua man tee shirt that's at least thirty years old." He scowled. 

"Hey, this was my dad's," he protested. "Come on, Will gets back to your dorm in half an hour. You need to get ready." 

He combed my hair back and scrubbed my face, straightening the tie hanging around my neck. I watched in the mirror as the transformation took place, in awe at what Percy could do with a few flicks of his wrist. He stepped back, allowing me a full view of the person staring back at me, the person I couldn't quite believe was me. "What do you think?" 

"Thanks," I breathed. "I think this is the best I've ever looked." 

"I know it is," Percy snorted. "I saw your prom pictures. Come on, we need to get you into position." 

I had decided that the rose petals were a little too far, considering I wasn't even sure if Will was gay, let alone if he liked me. Together, Percy and I agreed on soft music and just a touch of a romantic atmosphere. As soon as everything was in place Percy darted out of the room, making me promise to tell him everything that happened the next morning. That left me alone, with only the softly crooning voice of a nameless singer for company. 

The doorknob twitched and I stood straighter in my spot, clearing my throat and smoothing back a stray lock of hair as Will entered the room, his arms laden with loads of books. I swiftly stepped in front of him, taking his books and ignoring the look of shock taking over his face. "How was your day?" I asked nervously, setting down his books on his bed. Will stared around in awe, his incredulous eyes finally landing on me. 

"Never mind my day, what is all of this?" I blushed as I tried to stammer out a coherent sentence, the words jumbling in my mouth. He chuckled lightly, placing a gentle hand on my upper arm. I relaxed under his soft touch as I stared up into his beautiful baby blue eyes, the dancing sparkle entrapping me in his gaze. "Don't worry, Nico, I like you, too." 

"You can tell?" Will chuckled at my question, rolling his eyes. 

"Of course. You really clean up nicely." He placed a hand on my waist. "Should we let this music go to waste?" 

"I- I guess not," I stammered as I wrapped my arms around Will's neck, his extra few inches putting him at a perfect height for my slightly short body. I rested my head against his chest, letting his steady movements rock me into a rhythmic trance. At some point in the day I had expected a burst of anger to hit me and ruin my plans, but today had been blissfully calm, filled with blue skies and happiness. Never in my life had I encountered anyone who made me feel so peaceful but here I was in the arms of someone who finally gave me a sense of calm. 

Hi guys! So this was kind of like Beauty and the Beast, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless of how similar Beauty and the Beast and this one were. I think next week will be a Cinderella AU and then I might be done with this series, but let me know if you want it to go on, because I would be happy going on with it as well. 

Nina