Fourth of July

Will pulled Nico along through the crowds, a large smile on his face. "You won't regret taking me here, I promise!"

Nico followed but slowly, his dark jacket wrapped tightly around him. "The mosquitoes are already eating me alive, Solace."

"Relax, Nico." Will slowed down so he could walk next to Nico, their hands clasped together. "You're going to love it. I promise."

Nico scowled. "We're at an old fort. There are ghosts here. I can feel them."

Will kissed his cheek. "Ignore them."

"Solace, we're in public." Nico wiped his cheek off.

"So?" Will pouted. "You're my boyfriend."

Nico blushed. "Shut up."

"You know it's true." Will pointed up ahead. "How about there? That seems like a good spot."

The old fort they were walking to darkened as the sun went down. Couples and families laid blankets down and set up around them, waiting for the fireworks show that would begin soon. Nico could see white whisps moving about the living, looking as if they were still fighting after all these years. The ghosts didn't seem to notice him, seeming to be more residual than intelligent. Still, he kept close to Will in hopes that the bright energy of his boyfriend would keep them away.

Will laid their blanket down before sitting on it, kicking his sandals off. "Come sit, Neeks."

Nico hesitantly sat next to him with a scowl. "You know I hate that nickname."

"That's why I use it." Will pointed at the sky in front of them. "That's where the fireworks will be."

"Why are you so obsessed with fireworks?" Nico asked. "What's the big thing about them?"

Will smiled nostalgically. "A couple years ago my siblings from the Apollo cabin decided to help the Hermes kids with the fireworks show." He looked up at the sky and breathed in the heavy smell of the summer air. "It was so fun. You just...you feel alive when you do fireworks. You light one, you smell the smoke, you get to see it explode in the sky..."

Will raised a hand to the sky just as the first firework went off. "Beautiful."

Nico watched his boyfriend in silence with a small smile on his face. When he talked about things he loved, Will's eyes would light up and his face looked years younger. He got excited, an innocent tribute, and needed to share that excitement with the world.

"They are nice." Nico finally agreed, his dark eyes illuminated with the sparks overhead.

Will leaned his head on Nico's shoulder, a smile of gratitude on his face. "Thanks for coming, Neeks. It means a lot."

"Of course I'd come. Anything to get me away from camp." Nico joked.

Will rolled his eyes. "You can't ever get along with them, can you?"

Nico shrugged. "I dunno... But I'm glad I came, too. It's nice here."

Will glanced up at him. "Even though you're getting eaten alive by mosquitoes?"

Nico nodded, chuckling softly to himself. "Even though I'm getting eaten alive by mosquitoes."

As Nico looked back up at the stars being illuminated by the fireworks through the thick clouds of smoke, Will smiled to himself. Years ago, Nico wouldn't laugh or smile at anything. He had been a corpse of his former self after almost dying in Tartarus. Now, you could call him happy. You could call him content. You could say he was happy to be alive.

And that, dear readers, had been Will Solace's goal all along.