A/N: Sorry this wasn't supposed to be so dark/angsty but I can't help it I guess. Happy New Year!

KABOOM!

An explosion went off overhead.

No one seemed concerned by it, except for Nico. He flinched, hard, and looked around in a panic. He was walking towards his cabin a little before dinner. When another explosion went off, he shut his eyes, covered his ears, and ran into his cabin. Since no one else seemed worried, he thought maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

Once inside his cabin, he sat on the ground and leaned against his bed, breathing heavily. Suddenly, he felt afraid, the darkness in his cabin not really helping the situation. Foggy memories started to flood his mind. A bright flash, fire, screams, tears. Loud explosions. Another explosion outside, and Nico pinched his eyes shut, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he couldn't shake his fear.

The cabin door suddenly flew open, letting in a stream of light. "Nico? Are you okay?" Will must've seen Nico run into his cabin. "Darling, what's wrong?" Will walked up to Nico and kneeled in front of him.

"Did you not hear that explosion? Are we under attack?" Nico's voice trembled a bit, his eyes still closed tightly. He'd normally be ashamed of his vulnerability, but he didn't feel right, and it was only Will.

"Neeks, it's okay. Come on, look at me." Will's voice was gentle as he reached out to grab Nico's hands and pull them away from his ears. Nico slowly opened his eyes and immediately calmed down, the soft blue eyes of his boyfriend bringing down his panic. "Those were fireworks. The Stolls must be testing them for tonight. Have you ever seen fireworks before?"

Will's voice was light and he didn't seem worried, so Nico knew they must be safe. "Fireworks? I heard people talking about them. They're not, like, bombs? Because they sound like them."

Will noticed that Nico's breathing was steadying, so he felt a lot less worried about him. He wiped away the tear streak from Nico's cheek. "No, sweetie, they're not bombs. They are explosive, though. It's a really colorful… thing that explodes in the sky and looks super cool! I was going to suggest watching them together tonight, but we don't have to if you don't like them." Will sat down next to Nico, his eyes never leaving his.

"Oh… no, we should go. If you like them, I should see what these things are." Nico laughed, but it sounded nervous to Will's ears.

"Do you… do you have a bad experience with loud noises? You seemed terrified when they first went off." Will looked at his boyfriend with concern, not wanting to push him to do anything unpleasant.

Nico shook his head and looked away, as if remembering something. "No… well, I don't know really. I have a faint memory of something. I think… I think it involves my mother… It was loud, and… I don't know. That's just what my mind jumped to." Nico looked back at Will after a moment. He pushed the fear out of his mind, not wanting to worry Will anymore. Will hated seeing Nico like this, searching for memories that were just out of his reach. "But don't worry, if you're not worried about the fireworks, I'm sure they're not life-threatening." Nico gave a small smile, and Will could tell that it was genuine.

Will smiled back. "Of course, only the Stolls are in danger since they're setting them off," Will laughed. "I can get you some earplugs too. I have some really good ones in the infirmary. You won't hear a thing. Plus, I'll be right there with you. Stick with me, kid," Will winked, "I got you."

"Whatever, Solace," Nico chuckled as he stood. "Let's go to dinner." He offered a hand to Will. They walked hand-in-hand to dinner.

—

After dinner, everyone went to the beach to get a nice viewing spot for the fireworks show. The Hermes cabin always got a bunch of aerials somehow - Chiron never questioned them. The Hecate cabin also helped out to make the show way more fun. They weren't normal mortals after all - they were demigods. Nothing they did was ever just average.

Will and Nico stopped by the infirmary to get earplugs. Will got some for himself too, ranting to Nico about how everyone should wear some since they're so close to the launch point and hearing is important in battle and that everyone is slowly but surely going deaf and he wasn't about to be a part of that, etc.

"I can't wait to put these in. My ears are already being bombarded by loud, obnoxious, doctor-y noises," Nico said as he rolled his eyes at Will.

"Excuse me, I'm just trying to teach you about self-care and how I'm saving your LIFE," Will said indignantly.

"Sure, Solace. Whatever you say." Nico smiled to himself as they made their way towards the beach. Unfortunately, everyone had sprinted there and filled up all the good spots by the time they arrived.

"We should sit farther away anyways, so the sound isn't as jarring." Will looked around for a good spot, but was at a loss.

As Nico thought this over, he had a great idea. He eagerly grabbed Will's hand and ran to the nearest shadow.

They shadow-travelled to the roof of the Hades cabin, and Nico had to grab Will quickly before he tumbled to the ground.

Will recovered quickly and spun around, his face a bit red with frustration. "Nico di Angelo! No underworldy stuff!"

"Will, I'm totally fine now. You know that. I can jump across camp like nothing." Nico rolled his eyes again at the son of Apollo as he tugged him to sit down.

Will sighed, giving in and settling down next to his boyfriend. As they gazed at the dark night sky together, Will's mind went back to earlier, when Nico was scared. He'd never seen Nico so thrown off and lost. He seemed sad, but for reasons he couldn't explain. Will didn't want to bring that pain back again with the fireworks show.

As he thought this over, his smile fell into a frown, which Nico noticed. "Hey," Nico said, gently nudging Will, "don't worry about me, okay? You're here - I know I'm safe." Nico smiled, meaning everything he said. He was concerned about those memories, yes, but he knew that Will would always be there for him. He didn't have to fear his dark past when his sunshine was there to be his light.

Will breathed out. "Okay, Death Boy." Will put an arm around Nico and pulled him close. "If you ever wanna talk, I'll be here. So you're sure you're good with the fireworks?"

"If they're as cool as you say they are, then yes. Should we put these in?" Nico held up his earplugs.

"Yep, about now is good." They both put in their earplugs and snuggled closer together.

In a couple minutes, the show started. The sky lit up with bright blues, greens, and reds. The fireworks burst into stars, happy faces, hearts, as well as some animated magical creatures like centaur and hippocampi. It was incredible. Will had seen the fireworks show for most of his life, yet it still amazed him. He looked over at Nico to make sure he was okay.

Nico was more than okay. The fireworks were beautiful. They were loud and explosive, but they left Nico in awe. He didn't understand how they worked, but he's never appreciated the Stolls more than that moment. He couldn't believe he'd lived his whole life - which was technically pretty long - without seeing these things.

Will could see the colors reflected in Nico's wide eyes. Will found that more beautiful than the show. There wasn't a trace of fear, only wonder. Will couldn't believe how brave Nico was considering what happened earlier.

It only made him love his boyfriend even more.

Nico glanced over at Will, noticing him staring. His mouth moved, but Will couldn't hear what he was saying. He tilted his head and looked like a lost puppy, which Nico found utterly adorable and unfair.

Nico shook his head and leaned on Will, looking back out at the sky.

"Happy New Year," Will whispered to Nico, knowing he couldn't hear.

Nico smiled, "Happy New Year."