Holy crap, this is awesome, Will thought to himself as he looked out over the crowd.

He had arrived shortly before the show started and had immediately made his way over to the dressing room, having promised Nico that he'd say hi once he got there. Percy had told him that this was one of the bigger venues they would play in on this tour and that he should watch the show from the stage instead of trying to squeeze into the crowd.

And so he did. He was a little hesitant at first, but after studying all day, having the space to calmly watch the show instead of standing in a sweaty throng of people sounded much more appealing.

He was just on the side of the stage, hidden behind thick black curtains that he'd pulled open just a little to get a glimpse of the venue. As he stared out over the sea of people, he was beginning to understand what Nico had meant when he'd said that being on stage is scary.

Seeing the crowd and being in it were two very different things, indeed. Will had been to some pretty big venues before, but he'd never realized how many people actually fit in them until he saw it from a whole different angle.

It wasn't just the crowd that looked different from the side of the stage. It was kind of weird to see the band playing from the side.

He didn't get to see a whole lot of Jason, because he was hidden from view behind Nico, but it was… interesting to see Percy playing.

It was the first time he could see more of Percy during a show. Usually - from his point of view in the crowd - Percy was nothing more than a head and a pair of swinging arms. From the side of the stage, without a drum kit to hide him from view, the scenery got a lot better.

He'd been keeping his eyes on Nico for most of the show, but once he'd caught a glimpse of Percy, it was hard to tear his eyes off him.

It was mesmerizing to watch Percy set the rhythm to the songs. Every part of his body moved in rhythmic perfection, emphasized by every beat of the drums and crash of the cymbals.

Of course it had to be hot as hell in the venue, so to top it all off, Percy was shirtless. Will could not keep his eyes off Percy, no matter how hard he tried. He was hypnotized by the way Percy's muscles flexed and relaxed under his tanned and tattooed skin.

Every few seconds, one of the stage lights would bathe Percy in a deep golden light, accentuating his features. Being as close as he was, Will could see individual droplets of sweat trail over Percy's body, dripping from the tips of his hair and crawling down his chest at an agonizingly slow pace before the light dimmed again.

Just because he had a massive crush on Nico, didn't mean that he couldn't admit that he thought Percy was, well, hot. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that much. He was sure that over half the world's population would agree with him, and considering Percy's reputation, they did.

He didn't know Percy as well as he knew Nico, and while Percy easily outclassed Nico in the conventionally attractive category, Percy was not Will's type. At all. Percy was confident, maybe even a little cocky - though with looks like that, he probably had a right to be - but it was not his thing. As nice a guy as Percy was, it was Nico that totally did it for Will.

He liked Nico's shy side and his incredibly-handsome-in-a-nonconventional-way looks. To the rest of the world, Nico was the scrawny, creepy guy that looked like a malnourished goth kid next to the muscular, chiseled Gods that Jason and Percy were, but to Will… Nico was the most attractive. Nico had a way of drawing Will in, a way of making him scratch at the surface for more. With every layer that he allowed Will to carefully peel away, Will fell deeper and deeper in love.

When the song ended and Will was pulled out of his thoughts by the crowd's cheers, he realized that he'd been staring at Percy the whole time. He shook his head and when he looked back up, he saw Percy smirking at him and shooting him a quick, mischievous wink before he started the next song.

A loud thud on the drums, and the song started. It took Will approximately half a second to realize that this was a song he'd never heard before, a fact that was confirmed when Nico murmured This is a new one into his microphone.

And just like that, Will's eyes were glued on Nico once again. The whole stage was dark, except for a single white light that shone down on Nico as he played the intro, standing stock still with his head bowed. Will could only see his hand moving as he rapidly strummed at his strings.

Get it now

Tell me how to get it now

To hold it in or let it out

Tell me to go, or stay

Did Nico just- Did he actually look at Will, even if only for a split second? No, he must have imagined it.

While he'd seen Nico shortly before the band had to go onstage, Nico had paid him no attention during the show so far. It was kind of amazing to see how focused Nico was while he was playing, especially after getting to know him a little bit.

Headed now

Show me where we're headed now

If only I had read the signs

I wouldn't be here going to waste

Because he wasn't in the crowd, Will could really concentrate on watching the show, something that was nearly impossible to do whilst standing in the crowd. It was too easy to get swept up with the rest of the people, dancing and singing along.

He could tell that Nico was nervous, and Will could be mistaken, but he thought that Nico seemed a little more nervous during this song than he had been before.

Nico's eyes were closed as he leaned in close to the mic, as if it pained him to get the lyrics out.

I really don't know

Oh, lost it a little

Don't go, must be a riddle

Don't you know

Oh, lost in the riddles

Lost in your riddles

Will could feel the tension rising on the stage as he watched Nico take a deep breath before launching into the chorus, which burst across the stage in an explosion of music, lights and the cheers of the crowd.

Where we will go, are we lost in the middle

Where we will go, are we lost in the riddles

Will's favourite songs were the ones that built up to a peak like that. He could feel the tension building in his gut, and it felt incredibly freeing when the song allowed the tension to release.

When the song returned to a quieter pace, Will closed his eyes and smiled lazily, coming down off his musical high. When he opened his eyes he had to blink twice to be sure, but… Yeah. Nico was definitely looking at him through narrowed eyes.

Better now

Tell me is it better now

Keep you right here by my side

Or have you like smoke, to fade

As he sang, Nico turned back to face the crowd again, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was smiling.

Will wondered why Nico would smile, all of a sudden. Surely it wasn't because of him?

He didn't know exactly what had happened in the few seconds that he'd closed his eyes, but looking at Nico, it was like a weight had fallen off his shoulders. Nico was moving his hips to the music in jerky, angular motions, like he was trying to dance but didn't know how to.

Settle down

If only I could settle down

I know that had I read the lines

I wouldn't be here going to waste

And that's where Will's brain ground to a screeching halt. Settle down? He couldn't recall all the lyrics, but there was more about that subject, right? There was something about wanting to be shown where he was headed, and being told to go or stay.

Was this song about him? It was a new one, so it… No. Nico wouldn't just write a song about him. It had to be about something, or someone else.

But I really don't know

Oh, lost it a little

Don't go, must be a riddle

Don't you know

Oh, lost in the riddles

Lost in your riddles

But I really want to know

Oh, lost it a little

Don't go, must be a riddle

Don't you know

Oh, lost in the riddles

Lost in your riddles

Will had to agree. He was completely lost. He shouldn't be thinking about who this song was written for anyway. There was a time and place for that, and it wasn't in the middle of a show. Maybe Nico would tell him, but he knew that Nico was notorious for dodging questions about the subjects of his songs.

One thing was for sure. As the band launched into the chorus again, Nico looked happier than Will had ever seen him on stage.

After the chorus, Nico spun away from the microphone and darted across the stage. The blissful expression on his face made a warmth bloom in Will's chest.

A few seconds into the solo, the lights slowly dimmed and Will nearly missed how Nico practically danced back to his microphone stand before the stage was completely dark, only to have the entire venue lit brightly to the beat of Percy's drums while Nico sang the chorus again.

In between the flashes of light, Will could see Nico lifting his hands. He'd never seen Nico try to pump up the crowd before, but it seemed to work. When Nico took his guitar back in hand, the crowd roared.

When the song ended, Will could've done a little dance of happiness, and he just might have, if he wasn't visible to all the crew standing around and if… Okay, maybe he did need to excuse himself for a moment so he could do that happy dance after all. He needed it, after that grin Nico just shot him.

"So, are you sure about Nico?," Percy grinned as he sat down on the couch next to Will. "Because I totally caught someone staring at me during the show."

Will was going to leave the backstage area immediately after the show, but Percy had swung his arm around him and taken him to the dressing room, saying he needed someone to keep him company while Nico hit the shower. Jason had lagged behind on stage, but joined them a few minutes later.

Jason shook his head and joined the two on the couch, sandwiching Will between him and Percy. "Don't answer that. We've all been there, and his ego really doesn't need to get any bigger than it already is."

Will was embarrassed at having been caught by Percy, but decided to take Jason's advice and kept quiet, chuckling nervously instead. Where was Nico?

"Aw, come on, Jay!" Percy pouted. "I just want to hear him say it."

Jason rolled his eyes and nudged Will with his elbow. "Go on, tell the man he's hot, or he'll never shut up about it."

Will groaned and turned to Percy, who had a smug grin plastered on his face. "Fine. I have eyes. You're hot." He let out a sigh and looked behind him, only to see Nico standing behind him with a towel draped over his head.

His heart immediately sank. There was no way that Nico hadn't heard that. Shit, he just admitted that he thought Percy was hot in front of the person he was… dating? Were they dating now? Technically, they hadn't gone on a date yet, and if the sour look on Nico's face was anything to go by, he could kiss the potential date goodbye.

He was hoping that the ground would rise and swallow him up when Nico burst into laughter. "Oh god, is he at it again?"

Will wondered what was going on. Nico wasn't making any sense, Percy was too busy gloating, so he turned to the only other person in the room, silently pleading with Jason to make sense of it.

Jason laughed heartily. "It's a bit of a running gag for us. We've never actually come across a person who didn't think that Percy was hot, so now his ego is so big that it has its own tour bus."

Nico sat down across from them and smirked at Will. "And when we say never, that's present company included. He never lets us forget it. So don't worry, Will. Nobody's holding it against you."

When Percy smiled proudly, Nico threw one of his socks at him. "Get in the shower, you dick."

"Alright, alright," Percy laughed as he got off the couch and actually strutted over to the bathroom, swaying his hips as he walked. "I'll go get my beautiful butt in the shower."

When the door closed behind Percy, Will exhaled a sigh of relief and sank deeper into the couch.

Jason patted him on the shoulder and got up. "You just know he's going to take his sweet time in there, so I'll be in the hall for a while. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," he grinned and left the dressing room to the sound of Nico sighing out his annoyance.

"So," Nico started and got up as well, only to sit back down next to Will. "How'd you like the new song?"

Will thought back to the way Nico had done a full one-eighty during the song, how he went from anxious to happy in the blink of an eye. It lit a fire in his belly, and when he looked up, Nico was looking straight at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Like it? I loved it. The way it just built up and then…" He made some vague hand gestures, unable to explain how the song made him feel. "It was great!"

What he really wanted to do was ask Nico about the lyrics in an attempt to confirm his suspicion, but he held himself back. He wasn't about to make Nico uncomfortable, especially not when Nico looked like he was floating on cloud nine.

It seemed like Nico was about to say something, but he just smiled and laid his head on Will's shoulder. "I'm glad. Thank you."

The damp tips of Nico's hair tickled at Will's neck, but he did his best not to squirm. He had no idea what was going on with Nico today, but he had to admit that he liked it. It was phenomenal to see Nico let go on stage, and of course he couldn't hate the fact that Nico was leaning against him right now.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself during that song."

Nico let out a breathy sigh and huddled even closer to Will. "Yeah. I was. It… made me happy." He turned his head to look up at Will, lazy smile on his face. He drew his legs up and laid them across Will's lap.

Will smiled back and swung an arm around Nico. If this was going to be the rest of their evening, he would go home a happy man.

"Hey," Nico almost whispered, "you still up for that date?"

Will thought his face was going to break if he kept smiling wider. "Yeah, of course. Are you?"

"Yes," Nico nodded. "I'm looking forward to it." He buried his face in the crook of Will's neck and closed his eyes. "I'm tired."

"Aww!" Percy cooed from the doorway, making Will look over his shoulder. "Look at you two being cute."

"Shut up, Perce," Nico muttered, not even lifting his head off Will's shoulder.

Will was about to lose himself in thoughts about how this was the first time that Nico was this affectionate with him while there were other people around, but he completely forgot what he was thinking about when Percy walked past the couch.

He'd been so proud of himself for containing his blush while talking to Nico for once, but he could feel his cheeks warming when Percy made a show of stretching his arms above his head, showing off his toned stomach.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Nico grumbled. "Cut it out. Go do that in front of the fans or something."

Percy just laughed and quickly dug a shirt out of his bag, pulling it on as he walked over to the door. "Fine. I'll go find Jason, so you can go back to planning your date."

Nico had settled back against Will's side when Percy turned around. "Hey, Will, question. Do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"Uh," Will mumbled, looking down at Nico to see him equally dumbfounded about the question. "I might go hang out with friends or something."

Percy nodded. "Okay. Well, if you change your mind, we're celebrating Christmas at my mom's." He added "Consider yourself invited," before disappearing down the hallway.

Nico let out a small yawn. "He's just messing with you. He loves getting people flustered," he said before sitting up. "The whole 'Look at me, I'm so hot' thing, I mean. Pretty sure he meant the Christmas thing."

"We'll see," Will said. Truthfully, he was taken aback by Percy's invitation, and he didn't want to accept just yet, even though he had celebrated the last few Christmases alone. It would be great to spend the holidays with the band, but if his date with Nico didn't go well…

He took a deep breath. "Wednesday."

"Huh?" Nico tilted his head.

"I have exams until Tuesday, so how about I cook for you on Wednesday?" He looked down at Nico, unable to hide his smile.

Nico returned the smile. "Wednesday sounds great."

Nico sat on the couch, huddled under a blanket. He'd just sent Will a quick text to say goodnight when Percy came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot cocoa.

Jason had already excused himself to his bedroom shortly after they'd gotten home, saying he needed to get up early tomorrow to study.

"Thanks," Nico said when Percy handed him a steaming mug.

"So, you finally planned that date, huh?"

Nico tried to play it cool, but he was unable to keep a smile from forming on his lips.

The same thing had happened during the show. While he was playing, he could feel Will's burning stare, and while he'd done a good job of not getting distracted by Will, he couldn't help but sneak a glance every now and then.

He'd worked hard on Riddles, channeling all of his anxiety into writing the song. It was a bit more straight forward than his other songs, and if Will were to really listen to the song, he'd figure out that it was about him in a heartbeat.

He wasn't worried about Will finding out - in fact, he kind of hoped that he did. He would never tell Will that he was struggling to come to a decision, but he was glad to have it out of his system.

Ironically, while he was singing about his inner turmoil, he'd looked at Will and it all clicked into place. He was going to have a date with Will, and for now, that was all that mattered. He was looking forward to it, and he wouldn't think about tough decisions that needed to be made. He needed to stop thinking about it as a question with a yes or no answer, needed to stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong. He'd try to enjoy the date and let the answer come to him.

Seeing Will enjoying the song, and knowing that he was the one who put that smile on Will's face made him feel so delighted that he completely let go on stage. It had felt so good. He didn't care about the crowd, didn't care that he was in front of thousands of people. All that mattered was that Will looked happy.

"Yeah, we did. Wednesday," Nico grinned. "He's going to cook for me."

Percy beamed proudly. "It's good to see you like this." He took a careful sip of his drink. "Hey, I hope you don't mind that I've invited him for Christmas. I figured that you'd want to spend Christmas with your boyfriend."

Nico snorted. "Yeah. It's cool. He, uh… He's not my boyfriend, though."

"Yet," Percy added quickly.

Nico shook his head. "I don't know. We're… trying to figure it out." He cradled his mug in his hands and blew the steam away from the mug.

Percy leaned forward. "What do you mean? You like him and he totally likes you too, what's the problem?"

There went Nico's good mood. So much for not thinking about tough decisions and letting the answer come to him. He sighed. "The problem is," he started, sitting up. "We're leaving in two months. And we live in the public eye and I don't know if he wants to get dragged into all of that. Hell, I don't even know if I'm okay with doing the long distance thing, should it come to that." He shook his head. "This is all new to me, Percy. Dating? I ended up screwing Jason twenty minutes after he came out. I've never dated."

Percy held his hands up. "Alright, I get that. I really do. But you know there's a third option, right?"

Nico's head snapped up quickly. "Are you seriously asking me if I'm going to leave the band?"

Percy only shrugged.

"No," Nico said with a tone of finality. "Don't get me wrong, I like Will. I really do. But we've known each other for like two months, and I'm not quitting on everything I've - we've - worked so hard for. Not now. Maybe years down the line, but… For now, this is my life, it's the only thing I know how to do, and… if he can't respect that…"

"I see," Percy hung his head. "Well, it was just a hypothetical question. Maybe the whole long distance thing will work out for you, you know?"

"I don't know," Nico said, looking down. "I'm kind of scared, to be honest. What if I just bare it all and then he decides that this life isn't for him? What if we end up going for it and I can't handle a long distance relationship? What if I end up having to choose between him and the band? I can't do that, Percy. I can't."

He felt tears starting to burn behind his eyes, and before he knew it the mug he was holding with shaky hands was taken away and placed on the table by Percy, who sat beside him and guided him into his arms.

"Shhh," Percy cooed, rubbing a hand over Nico's back. "You'll figure it out. Don't get yourself all worked up."

Nico's body shook as he let himself go for the second time that night, sobbing into Percy's shirt, which he'd grabbed onto. Percy let him cry, and Nico didn't stop to think about how unusual it was that Percy didn't run to get Jason.

Percy only shushed him quietly and gently rocked him in his arms until Nico fell silent and he only trembled. He pulled back and tucked Nico's hair behind his ears with a sympathetic smile. "You okay, buddy?"

Nico nodded and wiped at his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Yeah," he said hoarsely, "I'm fine now. Sorry."

"Don't be," Percy said, pulling Nico against his side. "It's tough, I get that. But you'll figure it out. Nobody's making you choose between him and the band, and you'll cross that bridge if and when you come to it. It's no use getting worked up over a lot of things that may or may not happen." He squeezed Nico's shoulder. "Anyone with a set of eyes can see that he really likes you, and I don't think anything's going to scare him away." He sighed. "We can all see that you're happy when he's around, and you shouldn't throw that away because you're scared."

Nico made a soft noise out of agreement and settled against Percy's side. He was right. He did feel happy when Will was around and his current situation emphasized that fact. Even though, years ago, he would have given his left arm for a chance to cuddle up against Percy like this, it couldn't hold a candle to how comfortable and content he'd felt when he was cuddled up with Will.

"So, if he's the one that makes you happy, you should go for it. Screw what the world might think, and you'll totally make it work if you both want to. You owe yourself a chance at happiness, and you're going to regret it if you don't take-" Percy stopped for a few seconds, frowning. "Yeah. If you don't take the chance, you're going to regret it. But it's your choice, and I'll back you up no matter what you decide to do. Jason too, I'm sure of it."

There were so many things that Nico wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words. Instead, he settled for a "Thank you" and a watery smile.

"Anytime, kid," Percy said before letting go of Nico and standing up. "You gonna be okay?"

Nico nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Percy smiled. "Alright. Sleep well, then. Take it easy, okay?"

Another nod, and Percy walked to his room, taking his phone out of his pocket and pressing it to his ear. Nico could hear Percy say "Hey, it's me" before his bedroom door closed.

Nico let out a deep sigh and walked over to the door to fetch his jacket. Shrugging it on, he walked out onto the balcony and pulled a cigarette and a lighter from the pack in his coat pocket.

He leaned on the balcony railing and looked out over the city, taking a long drag of his cigarette and letting the smoke burn in the back of his throat. New York was gorgeous at night, and he'd really miss this place when he left.

The cold wind bit at the salty tear tracks that were left on his cheeks and he longed for the warmth and comfort that he'd felt while he was snuggled up to Will earlier in the evening.

Just thinking of it made him feel warmer on the inside, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. When he thought about it, his feelings for Will ran deeper than he'd originally thought. Yeah, he liked him and he was crushing on him badly, but it wasn't just that. Not anymore. He was falling in love and he hadn't even realized it. He'd assumed that he'd be able to back away from Will if things didn't go in the right direction, but he couldn't have been more wrong. There was no going back without getting hurt. He was already in too deep.

Percy's words still echoed in his ears. "If you don't take the chance, you're going to regret it."
As strange as it was to hear those words coming from Percy's mouth, it didn't make them any less true.

He was right, of course. Deep down, Nico knew that if he didn't take the leap, he'd regret it. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year, but he was sure that it would catch up to him sometime.

His anxiety stood in the way of so many things, always making him think up an infinite number of ways how things could go wrong, and it was so hard to allow himself to think that things would be okay. He knew that things were not as bad as he made them seem, but that nagging little voice in the back of his head always told him that he was wrong, that he was worthless and unworthy of all the good things in the world.

He trusted Will. He felt comfortable and safe around him, so that really wasn't the thing that was holding him back.

No, he knew that because of his anxiety he'd become accustomed to taking the safe route, to hide himself away in an attempt to keep himself from being hurt. If he didn't put himself out there and only surrounded himself with people he knew he could trust and count on, he'd be okay, right? He needed to stop doing that. Some things were worth getting hurt for, and the more he thought about it, really thought about it and pushed his anxiety to the back of his mind, the more he recognized that Will was definitely one of those things.

If he took the chance, something beautiful could come of it, and if not, he'd have some valuable life lessons and experiences. A broken heart, too, but…

"You'll cross that bridge if and when you get to it."

Yeah. Thanks, Percy.

Dating would be a new and scary experience, but millions of people did it every day, so surely it couldn't be that bad. He could, no, would do it. If he could write songs and could perform in front of thousands of people, he could handle dinner with the person he'd fallen for.

As he ground out his cigarette, he smiled, feeling better about the situation. He was done hiding himself away, at least where Will was concerned for now. He was going to put himself out there and take whatever the universe decided to throw at him. If Will wasn't in the cards for him, he'd find out some way or another.

Just a few more days and it would be Wednesday and for once, the nervous feelings in his stomach didn't feel like poison. It was a happy nervousness, like he was a kid waiting for his presents at Christmas.

Walking back inside, he checked his phone. The picture of Will that he'd taken when Will wasn't looking appeared on his screen, next to a message.

"I'll see you Wednesday. I can't wait. Sleep well.

3"

It was all Nico needed to fall onto his bed with a smile that threatened to split his face. Yeah, he couldn't wait either.

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