This is unedited, so if there any mistakes, I will come back later and fix them. This will be a short fanfiction. The next chapter will be in Nico's POV again, and then one or two in either Will's or Percy's. Please read&review. Next update will be tomorrow. Thanks :)


Nico POV

There's always a special gap between dating-fiancé- marriage. Dating has that thrilling teenage feeling, of stolen kisses between classes and after school on the bus. The fiancé step in love is where you realize you are either way over your head or that you are absolutely in love. Then you have marriage the no go. What always ends in horror, well not always, but you get the gist. Ask any divorced man or woman and they will probably say it was the worst thing they ever did.

But ask a happily married 80-year-old and their eyes twinkle with distant, almost forgotten memories. They sit in their old people's homes, clutching the hand of their old lover, grinning, their eyes old and wise but full of the same youth and love they did the same day they got married.

I wanted that. I realize, as a 19 year old boy, that is a very odd thing to want with all my might, but I just wanted to grow up, fall in love and die with memories of late night kisses and adrenalin pumping tours around the world where we jump out of planes and eat food that smells like my grandmothers underarm.

So, I reasoned. I had to find a boyfriend. Easy enough.

Wrong.

You really do only realize it's hard to find a gay college boy when you are looking. For a while, in my freshman year of college, I decided to put aside my want of love, and focused only on my studies.

Of course, that's when I stumbled across Percy. As soon as I saw him walking into a lecture ten minutes late an on his tongue, I knew I found The One. No questions asked. I did.

It doesn't help when you have social anxiety.

But that was easy to take care of, as I later found out, that Percy loves to talk to those who don't want it. It's like his eyes were infrared, scanning for a socially dysfunctional boy straight away.

There were at least twenty spare seats and he took the one on my immediate right side. The Fates either loved me or hated me.

We clicked almost instantly. He introduced himself before the teacher started the lesson again, sticking his hand out. "Hey. I'm Percy Jackson." He must be a freshman. No other person would be this enthusiastic to shake my hand.

I ignored the hand.

He awkwardly, after a minute of me ignoring his hand, put it on the desk. "No touching? No biggie. What's your name?" I resisted the urge to run screaming. In. Out. Breathe.

I looked up and met his green eyes and I don't remember my first meeting with him after that.

He insisted on sitting next to me, day after day. The class we shared was a weird class that covered the physiological mind of warriors and such in history, ranging from Hitler to Achilles.

Then we started bumping into eachother after and before classes. I remember once he saw me sitting under the shade of the tree, eating an apple, reading a text book for school and listening to ear splittingly loud music. He didn't say anything, just sat next to me, knee to knee, took out his things for studying and stayed there until he told me (I totally wasn't listening...) that he had a class to go to.

The next day, I decided to sit in the same spot. I thought he wouldn't come back. He did. That boy was full of a lot of surprises.

I learnt a lot about his mannerisms, on our under-the-tree-studying-together-but-not-together escapade. He likes a lot of different music, some of which I don't know and don't want to know. He doggy ears his books (internal cringe). He solely eats blue foods. He flips his hair Justin Bieber style to annoy me.

After about a month of this, I started to leave my earphones in my bag. With my earphones off, he would ask me questions. "Hey, Nico. What does this word mean?" "Hey Nico, do you think that cloud looks like a bunny?" "Hey Nico, don't go to sleep, we're studying,"

I once subtly walked passed him while he was sitting with a couple of his friends. "You totally like him," One said- he had a scar on his lip and short blond hair. "Don't not date him just because you don't think he likes you. Just go ask him on a date," He said.

I kept walking. I had the exact same conversation with my one and only friend, who also happens to be my sister, Bianca.

After two months of our dance, his friends practically forced him on me. Not in a sexual way or anything, they just made secret plans to join us together and blind dates and things of the like. Bianca thought we were perfect for eachother.

So, mostly only from peer pressure, we dated. I think the universe decided that two gay guys can't just be friends. They have to date, fall in love, or the world will implode.

I will admit I fell in love with Percy Jackson as quickly as anyone would when looking into his deep green eyes over a game of chess. It turns out, as well, that he didn't know how to play, either.

Percy is two years older than me, so when I was a mere freshman, he was a sophisticated junior. We did everything together. Classes, studying, kissing, dates, intimate moments that will forever be in my heart.

We were serious. By the end of my freshman year, I had met both his mum, his dad and all his fish.

By the end of my sophomore year, we were so familiar with eachother, we decided to move in. We rented an apartment near the university, and also near Percy's new work. It was an aquarium. He fed seals.

When I started my junior year, I realized how lonely I was. Being with Percy meant side-dating his friends as well. I became one with their group. Now I had no group.

On our anniversary of our first time ever meeting, by a twinkling lake, Percy proposed. I said yes, of course. Our engagement was a two year one, as he told me the next day that he wanted to travel to Africa and help children get fresh water. I wanted to come, but I wanted to finish my degree, too. He told me to stay. It's been six months since I've seen him.

So, now we are caught up to my present time. We call every second day, and he tells me tales of riding elephants and meeting this cool girl who has blond hair and is actually smarter than our professor. I laughed at the right moments, frowned at the proper times.

Monday rolled by, and my phone rang as Bianca and I were driving to the lake for a week away, seeing as the Spring Holidays had hit and we wanted some time away.

"Hello?"

"Nico! It's me!" Percy. I smiled and put him on loudspeaker, setting the phone on the dash.

"Hey Perce. You're on loud speaker. Bianca and I are driving to the lake!"

"Cool! Hey Bi!"

"Hey, Perce."

"I miss you heaps, Nico. I just wanted to call and check in,"

"Miss you too, Perce. How's Annabeth?"

"Great! She's out rocking an orphan right now, in the back," I felt an absurd prickle of jealousy prick, prick, prick, into my heart. African orphans? What is she? Jesus?

"That's awesome, Perce," Bianca tore her eyes away from the road to give me a sympathetic glance.

"I know right! She's so cool. Anyways, I've got to go."

"Yeah, okay."

"You alright, Neeks?"

"Yeah. Just tired,"

"I'll call tomorrow, I love you," My heart softened at that, and I smiled.

"I lo-" I didn't have a chance to finish my sentence, as blaring lights ran at our car, slamming into it on Bianca's side. I actually watched my big sister's whole body crumple in on itself, her bones crushing and her eyes balls literally popping out of her head as the metal around her killed her.

It was terrifying.

My seat belt clicked open, as a shard of metal fell down and popped it open. I went flying out of the car and onto the asphalt. I could distantly hear Percy calling at me through the phone 'Nico! Nico what just happened? Hello? NICO!'

I blacked out.


There's just some things you can never recover from. Like seeing your best friend and sister being squished between metal and metal.

There's just some things you can never forget. Like hearing my fiancée screaming at me through the phone to just please pick up, please Nico.

There's just some things that haunt you forever. Like how I know my fiancée is catching the first flight away from his big dream, to come and hold me while I cry in a hospital bed.

The guilt.

Someone, I found out later, had driven passed the crash and called the ambulance. Percy was still on the phone, when they came, I heard. Apparently he called 911 from Africa. And it went through. Don't ask me how. Apparently he had already scheduled a flight to come over. He thought I was dead. The ambulance told him that I was fine, but he didn't believe them. They said he really loved me. I didn't believe them, at that point.

I had four broken ribs, a shattered left leg and glass shard all along my chest. My left hand, my writing hand, was completely shattered. I had major head injury, physically and mentally. My doctor, a tall blond man, who went by the name of Dr. Solace, was put to me specifically. They said I was in shock. They said I was comatose. I would lie in bed, days upon days. Dr. Solace would sit next to me, legs up on a table, and do his college homework. He wasn't even a full doctor yet, but he was one of the best.

Percy arrived when I came out of ICU. He called my dad, who caught a flight from Los Angeles to New York that night. He came for my sister, I had presumed. He had thought she was alive. My dad didn't see me, at all. He would sit outside my room, every day, doing his paperwork. He never came in. I wished he would.

Percy came in, he posed as my cousin, even though Dr. Solace knew he wasn't. Percy would sit on the opposite side of where Dr. Solace would. When Percy took my hand, it spasmed. Dr. Solace would put his notes aside quickly and fix whatever was wrong. I hated it when Percy took my hand.

"I don't think he likes it when you take his hand," Dr. Solace offered.

That was the first time I ever saw Percy fall out of the wagon. I was conscious for this. I usually was conscious for everything. It was like I was normal, but numb everywhere. And I didn't want to wake up. Didn't want to respond. I felt like my body couldn't.

Percy stormed around my bed and grabbed Dr. Solace by the collar, shaking him. "What do you know? Have you known him since he was starting college? Did you take the time and effort to get to know him, to understand him, every second of every day?" They were standing just in my line of sight. Dr. Solace took the shaking, and when Percy finished, he calmly took his hands off of the lapels of his jacket. Percy burst into tears, my non-doctor doctor held him. I closed my eyes.

Percy came in every day after that, but he didn't touch me. He told me about the news, how Africa was. Mundane things.

I just wanted him to go away.

When he walked into the room, I would close me eyes. When he sat down, I would roll over so my back was to him. He stopped visiting every day, and then only on Saturdays.

Dr. Solace sat by my side for most of it. He spoke to me like I could answer. "Don't feel offended, but you're like... my final project. If I can help you to my fullest abilities, my boss is going to talk to my professor and tell him. They think I'll be moved up a year so I can finish med school next year." So he would sit beside me, ask me words for crossword. Once, he sat on the chair next to me just as I had woken up, and I had surprised everybody, including myself, when I rolled over to face the ceiling, and sort of him. He smiled and asked me for a nine letter word for where coffins are kept. Mausoleum. I didn't answer.

Eventually, what would have been my junior graduation rolled by. "Look. Nico. I really need you to respond to me. Or to Percy, to anyone. I know you can hear and understand me,"

I closed my eyes. Dr. Solace sighed.

Percy still came around each week. But the Saturday of my graduation, he came by angry. He loomed over me, stiffly asked Dr. Solace to leave and give them privacy for a second please. As he left to leave, without taking my eyes off the ceiling, I snapped my hand out and grabbed his wrist. He was my safety blanket. If he left, everything would shatter.

"So, you respond to him, but not me? You can touch him, but not me?" Percy seemed shocked, sad. Angry. Dr. Solace sat back down, and I knew he was pretending to work on his school notes. He misses school to come and sit with me, for god knows what reason. He takes his missed classes online, except for ones on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays. I have lunch and dinner all alone, on those days.

"Nico, I get that you are struggling, but I need you to respond to me," He seemed to be holding something in. I knew straight away, I was holding him back. "Annabeth invited me to a save the whales charity gig in Greece. I want to go, but I'm not going to leave if you tell me not to," I could tell, just by his face, that he wanted me to both tell him stay and leave.

I moved my eyes from his face to the ceiling again. So white.

"Percy, he came out of surgery again, today. Leave him-" I looked over at Dr. Solace, then at Percy. I realized my voice actually didn't work. I pointed to one of Will's crosswords puzzles and he picked it up. I pointed to letters.

G-O. I

Then a word. LOVE.

Then another. YOU.

Then I tried for a smile, and Percy started crying. He slid next to me and kiss my forehead, then my cheek. "I'll call your doctor to let him know I arrived okay?" I didn't answer. "And if you ever, ever want to speak to me again, I'm only a phone call away,"

I stared at the ceiling. Then at Will. I made Will follow my eyes as I looked down at my ring, that had somehow made it through all this. It was Percy's grandmothers. "I think he wants you to take the ring, Percy," I stared at the ceiling. Percy only kissed my cheek again.

"Keep the ring. If I don't meet anyone new, you can keep it. I'll come see you when I get back,"

As soon as he left, I felt a prickly sensation on the back of my eyeballs. Two hot streaks of tears fell out of my eyes and ran down my face, landing on the pillow underneath me.

Dr. Solace stood and used his fingers to wipe the tears away.

Eventually we worked out a system to get me working at least my upper body. Will would lift the back of my bed up, so I was in a sitting position, and he would sit next to me on the actual bed. We would do crosswords. I would point to a line, and messily spell it out with my right hand, seeing as I was left handed, but my left hand was destroyed. I needed physical therapy for that.

I would write the word on a separate piece of paper and Dr. Solace would write it (only slightly neater) on the actual grid.

He convinced me to start physical therapy. Even after all this time, he said, I still had hope. I wasn't quadriplegic or paraplegic. Just broken.

It started out simple. But the therapy was hard. Dr. Solace had to move onto other patients, but apparently, he had refused to hand me over. So he still visited me, at least once a day, maximum thrice, and he would do all my checkups, and give me new crosswords to do. My hands, after a couple months in therapy, were back to normal. I was even ambidextrous now- but I still preferred the left hand.

I actually spent a whole entire year in the hospital, on a whole. I somehow made friends with most of the staff. It was more of a 'I talk to you, you stare at the wall' kind of relationship. They were very chatty.

By the end of my seven months being in the hospital, I realized I still hadn't spoken. They were sending me home, the next day, because I could walk and think, but I only responded to Will. I was moved to the psychiatric ward in month 2, because I was spending too long in the normal ward. Dr. Solace took the extra flight of stairs every day to see me, like usual.

Surprisingly, my father still turned up every day to the hospital. He would stand outside my door and look through the window. I pretended I was asleep or didn't see him. He never once came in.

Percy called every week, but I made Dr. Solace pick up and take a message everytime.

Back to my father. On the day of my release, he came into my room for the first time, to fill out paperwork. I could walk, albeit with a slight limp, so no wheelchair.

When my father placed down some clothes from my apartment into my hands, I knew he had been in there. He had seen my wall mural of Percy and I, above my bed. The framed pictures of Bianca. The framed pictures of Percy's family and friends. Which he probably took, as he had decided to move to Long Island about two months ago. The apartment, legally, was mine anyway.

My dad probably saw the food I didn't have in my fridge. The mess I hadn't made. The homework I never did.

I stood warily in front of Dr. Solace, as my dad brought the car to the front. I put my hand in front of him, to shake. He took it warmly and with a gracious smile that made me look at my feet.

"Don't forget your weekly therapy lessons. I'll be here, so you better drop by," I nod. "And Nico. As your doctor, I wanted to tell you. Your speaking is completely psychological. It will not magically start working. You need to want it to," I nod. Will passes a small card to me, it's his number. "Text me anytime. If anything happens, okay?" I nod again.

I leave.

The car ride home is quiet, my father is keeping his eyes on the road, never taking them off. When we get onto the highway, he finally speaks. "I'm taking you to your apartment, Nico. I didn't move anything, in the apartment," I stare at my hands and nod. He sighs.

True to his word, my apartment is exactly like when I left, except now with a thin layer of dust. I place my bag down on the couch and turn to my father. "I'll check in on you every Sunday night. Text me if you won't be home. I have a meeting now, so I'll see you in a couple days," I nod. So much nodding. His voice is so strong, and rough. He'd be a great politician.

He leaves and shuts the door softly behind me, as if not to scare me. Pfft.

I grab a tea towel from my drawers and start wiping dust off of everything. When I walk into my room, I calmly take off all of the pictures of Percy and find a shoe box I can put them all in. With all the photo's of us, I needed two.

My life goes back to normal. I decide to change my degree, and go for a psychology major at a different school. I do most of it online, but I also go into

the college for some lessons. The professors were notified that I do not speak. They never called on me during class.

It was about two months after leaving the hospital that I texted Will. I was panicking. I went straight for my phone. My left hand was spasming and my head hurt like someone had punched it repeatedly. My first instinct was to call Bianca. When I realized she wouldn't pick up, I went crazily through my phone. When no one came across, I decided maybe I could work this out. I tried breathing deeply and grabbing hold of hands feeling. It didn't work. I then remember the business card in my jean pocket, which I had moved to my wallet.

I texted Dr. Solace.

Nico: I can't feel my hand

Will: Where are you?

Nico: Home. Can you tell me what to do?

Will: Yeah. Give me your address I'll be there soon. You caught me on my day off. Lucky.

Nico: It's okay. Just tell me what to do. You don't have to come.

I was typing with my right hand, and with my hand spasming like it was, it was increasingly difficult to type.

Will: Can you just not feel it or is it spasming as well?

Nico: both

Will: I'm coming. I'll get your address from the books, if I must.

I gave in and sent it, and he was knocking on my door almost 5 minutes later. When I answered, he smiled. "I was in the neighborhood. Lucky," His voice was quiet, but every syllable he said was like stabbing me through the eye with a fork.

I groaned and dipped forward, holding my head. He caught me and took me to the couch. I didn't watch what he was doing, I kept my eyes closed, but I knew he was holding my hand. I didn't hate it, like I did when Percy held my hand. It felt nice.

Eventually I had feeling in my hand, and Dr. Solace gave me pills for my headache. "Okay. Those pills will make you a bit drowsy. Next time this happens, please either text me or go to the hospital," I nod and sigh, holding my left hand to my chest. He stands to go, but I grab his wrist. Stay. I grab a pen and notebook. In my messy writing, I wrote: If you have nowhere else to be, stay. Please. Doc

"I think we're over formalities. Call me Will. AND. Ohmygod. Thankyou." Will grins at me. "I was looking for an excuse. My mum was forcing me to get a haircut. This is just the perfect reason why I should stay." He whips out his phone and I presume he is texting his mum. "You are my hero. I didn't want to cut all my hair off. Thankyou,"

'I think I just postponed the death of your locks' I wrote. Will nodded and sat in the chair next to me, but I tugged him over onto the couch. We sat knee to knee.

"So. What's on tv?" I passed him the remote.

'Hungry? I'm going to make some popcorn'

"Awesome,"

We worked out a system. Whenever something happened with me, I would text Will, and if he wasn't at work, he'd come over. If he was at work, or school, he'd talk me through whatever I had to do to fix it.

And sometimes, he'd just come over for no reason, and we'd talk (well he'd talk and I would write) about so many different things. His favourite colour is a greyish blue colour, what the sky looks like before the sun rise. That morning, after he had told me, I woke up extra early to have a look at the colours. It was beautiful.

I told him mine was green, because it was Bianca's, and when we lived in Venice, her whole room was covered in greens. We shared a room. I was accustomed to the greens.

Then he was bewildered because, ohmygods you were born in Venice? And I actually blushed. I blushed. Why did I blush?!

"You were born in Venice? I've always wanted to go but never had a travel buddy,"

'Maybe I'll go with you,' He grinned and bumped out shoulders together.

"Maybe. You can show me all the local tricks and tips,"

'Maybe'

On a cold, snowy day, Will came over. "I hate snow. Ohmygods Nico get me out of it, ugh," Was his greeting. I smiled and let him in. He took off three jackets and two scarves, and underneath he still had a dark green long sleeve shirt on.

I told him he was a wuss, on my pad of paper. He laughed and swung an arm around my shoulders. "Whatever," At that moment in time, I realized I was completely over Percy. It didn't happen slowly, like in the books. One moment I was still secretly in love with him, then the next, like a switch, I wasn't. It happened quickly, and I actually took a physical step backwards, like someone pushed me. Will caught me before I could fall.

At that point in time, I hated my brain. Why did you have to fall out of love so easily? And back into love so hard?

From that day forward, I realized I had fallen for a hyperactive blond doctor in training.

And I hated myself, because it was so freaking natural. We would sit on the couch, and I would be lying down, my feet on his lap. He would smile over at me in an ad break. I would think 'I love this guy so much' and I hardly thought twice about it.

In the same week as it was snowing, there was a ring at my door. Will was on the couch, and my dad was at a big conference in France.

I opened the door wearily. It was Percy. I felt my heart stop. Not because I loved him and missed him, but because it looked like he was freezing his ass off and would collapse at any second. I sat him in front of the heater and Will grabbed a blanket for him.

"So. You're probably wondering why I'm here," Percy said, standing. He didn't look so blue anymore. That's good. I nodded at him. "Do you still not talk?" I nodded again, and he smiled. "Okay."

"Nico. You just happened to be out of milk and bread at this extremely convenient time. I will go and grab some for you," Will was out the door before I could say anything. I smiled slightly.

"So. Do you remember Annabeth?" I nod and grab a pad of paper and pen.

'You're in love with her and you want to propose but I have your ring?'

"How did you guess?" I shrugged.

'You're like an open book,' He smiled.

About a week after leaving the hospital, I actually resisted the urge to throw the ring in the toilet. I just threaded it through a piece of string and wore it like that.

I gave Percy the string and ring. He smiled. "Thankyou. Don't think you aren't coming to the wedding, Nico." I shook my head. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

'No. That would be so awkward.'

"Annabeth wants to meet you,"

'Not on her goddamn wedding day, idiot' He chuckled and shrugged.

"Nico... I know that after every good relationship they're always like 'let's stay friends' but I actually do want to. If that's okay." I shrug.

'Yeah... okay,'

"It's not like I want to pretend we didn't date, I mean I saw your privates on more than one occasion," I felt a blush come on and he chuckled. "But... I don't know how to word it right,"

'Let's pretend we were just friends that whole time. Extremely close friends?'

"No... I just..."

'We dated Percy. We went through the motions."

"Yeah..."

'And you were my first love,'

"Mine too..." Percy said softly, brushing back hair away from his face.

'So let's just keep it at that. Do you want to love Annabeth forever?' He nodded. 'I am your first love, but she's your last, okay?' He smiles. I nod. 'Tell her that. Okay?' He nods.

Will comes back five minutes later to find us arguing about the best gods in Greek mythology.

"Will. Poseidon or Hades?"

"Oh come on guys, Apollo is obviously the best," I snort and shake my head, Percy frowns.

"No way," He says.

Later on, I tell Will what happened, and he smiles. I tell him I'm completely over Percy. He smiles and nods.

The next week rolls by, and it has been reduced to a small scatter of snow. It's two weeks before Christmas. Will knocks on my door, quite insistently. I open it without thinking, which means only in black pants and no shirt. He gets all flustered at me, and I roll my eyes, putting a thin black shirt on.

"Nico. I really, really need to tell you something but I'm afraid it'll ruin our awesome friendship you know? And I had this whole speech planned where I did a funny dance at the beginning, and I never realized that confessing my love to you would be so difficult and I just ruined it now ohmygods I need to take a breath," He breathes in deeply and I watch him. I can see my neighbours across the hall from me peeping outside to see the commotion.

"Can I restart that?" I shake my head. I open my mouth to speak, and when no words come out, I am mentally hitting myself. Why can I not speak?!

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying? Was it really that bad?" I shake my head and reach up to wipe my eyes, but Will is already there, using his fingers to wipe my eyes. I put my head on his chest and he wraps his arms around me, one hand on the small of my back, the other on my head.

I pull back and reach into my pocket for my phone.

'I'm sad, because I can't tell you that I love you too,' Will smiles slightly and places my phone on a table near the door. He holds my face in his hands (which are warm) and we kiss. It's beautiful. He holds my face and I put my hands on his chest, scrunching up the fabric of his jacket. He tastes like my tears and ice (I don't know how to describe that) and as well as that, he tastes suspiciously like pineapple.

When we pull apart, I wrap my arms around him and bury my head into his shoulder. I catch a glimpse of a dark skinned girl down the hall, and she's staring at us, but then she spins around and leaves.

I pull away to kiss Will again, and again. Chaste kisses that make him smile. I pull him into my apartment when I realize he's only wearing a hoodie and jeans, and a grey beanie.

I pull his beanie and hoodie off and set them near the heater. They are wet from the snow. Will kicks off his boots and stretches.

We sit on the couch and play video games all night, exchanging kisses every ten seconds. It's amazing. Wonderful. I can't get Will out of my head.


Edit: Just went over it quickly for mistakes and whatnot, there could be more though haha :) Next chapter will be out later today or tomorrow :)