Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.
This story discusses themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression. Trigger warning. Do not read if any of these things upset you. Trigger warning!
Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave suggestions! Enjoy!
Nico's POV:
It was after dinner on New Year's Eve. Nico was packing up all his belongings. For now, he would move into his father's palace and then maybe spend some time at Camp Jupiter. He just needed to get away from Camp Half-Blood and from all the painful memories it brought him. One day, he would be able to call the Camp his home again. Because that's what home is. It's a collection of memories of good times and terrible hardships, but in the end the people who are a part of home and your family, they will always be there for you. Nico needed to find himself and who he was as person before he could accept Camp Half-Blood as his home. He heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." The door slowly swung open. He turned to see Will standing in the door. He hadn't seen Will since that afternoon on the beach three days prior. He looked awful. He had bags under his eyes and his usually tan complexion was pale. Nico sighed deeply. He knew he was hurting Will by leaving, but he had to do it. This wasn't about his feelings towards Will. He felt terrible, but he needed time to heal. And he needed to do it alone. "Hello."
Will looked around at his packed bags. "When are you leaving?"
"I was planning to leave tonight." Nico stated, not allowing emotion to fill his voice. He turned away from Will as he tucked some shirts into the bag so Will couldn't see his face.
"I thought-" Will's voice cracked. "I thought you weren't leaving until tomorrow night. I thought you were staying for New Year's Day tomorrow."
"I was going to, but I really-" Nico stopped, struggling for the right words. "I feel claustrophobic. I feel like I'm being boxed in. I have to get out of here."
"I understand." A long silence ensued. Will broke it. "Have you told anyone that you are leaving yet?"
"No."
"Oh."
"I decided that since half of them are going back to Camp Jupiter, it won't make that much of a difference." Nico explained as he continued to pack. "I was going to tell the rest of them as I was leaving so they don't try to deter me from going."
"I see." Will mumbled. "Have you said anything about us?" He asked, referring to their break-up/space.
"No, but they have their suspicions." Nico said. "They've noticed that we haven't spent any time together the last couple of days."
"Right."
"Anyway, they will probably just interfere again, like last time, but I already made my decision. Letters aren't going to change that." Nico regretted his words a moment later. Will had spent a long time procuring those letters and had gone out of his way to ask his friends for help. He turned to apologize. "Will, I didn't mean- those letters were so-"
"It's fine." Will interrupted, implying that it wasn't fine. "I know what you meant."
"Perhaps it's better for me to leave now. Before I cause any more damage." Nico reasoned and sped up his packing process. He felt a tentative hand on his shoulder.
"Nico." Will whispered under his breath. Nico turned to face him. He looked deeply into his eyes. Water threatened to spill over the long lashes. "Please don't go."
Nico's heart broke. "I have to Will; you know I do."
Will blinked. "I know. Just please wait until tomorrow to leave. Please stay until tomorrow night."
"Will-"
"Spend one last night with me. One last good memory before you leave. Celebrate the New Year. Please. I need you." Will confessed. His eyes were huge. Nico couldn't say no. He dropped his bag.
"Okay." He agreed. "I'll stay."
Will smiled. He slowly moved in to kiss Nico, giving Nico plenty of time to stop him. But Nico didn't stop him. He knew that he should stop him. They were just going to be more attracted to one another, which would make it harder for him to leave. But he didn't stop him. Because as much as he tried to deny it, he wanted Will. He didn't want to leave him. Will's lips touched his. A mini explosion set off in Nico and he was overcome with a wave of passion. He pressed his lips harder into Will's. Will parted his lips. He took a moment to stop the kiss and breathe, but Nico wasn't having it. He grabbed Will's shirt and pushed him until his back was against the wall. He pinned Will's hands down and took control. He locked lips with Will. He wasn't ready to lose his boyfriend. He deepened the kiss and Will elicited a small moan. He smirked as he continued making out with his boyfriend. Will, suddenly overcome with passion, grabbed Nico forcefully and pushed him against the wall. As Nico gasped in surprise, Will kissed him. Nico's eyes slid shut as Will's hands knotted themselves in his hair. Suddenly, Will pulled on Nico's locks causing Nico to breathe in deeply as he tilted his head back, exposing his neck. Will attacked it, leaving searing kisses on Nico's skin. Will gently pulled Nico's shirt aside at the collar. Nico gasped loudly as Will began to leave a bruising mark on his pale skin. Nico moved to grab Will's hair, but Will possessively pinned his arms against the wall, not allowing Nico to have any control.
"You aren't going anywhere." Will growled.
"I.. I wasn't planning on it," Nico stuttered, breathless. Will smirked and focused back on the mark he was making. Nico's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he was focusing on the sensations he was feeling. Eventually, satisfied that he had claimed Nico, Will slowly lead him from the wall back to his bed. Nico laid down and Will propped himself over him. Nico reconnected their lips. They both tussled for dominance before Nico relented. Will deserved it. After all, Nico was leaving. As he thought about how he was leaving, Nico became distracted. He stopped kissing Will. Will looked into his eyes and saw what Nico was thinking. He had always been able to read Nico so well.
"Don't think about that right now. Just focus on me." Will whispered into Nico's ear, making him squirm. "Think about the way I'm making you feel."
"Good. You are making me feel good." Nico gasped.
"Then let that wash over you. No distractions. Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Focus on the present." Will murmured, sitting up. He asked Nico to turn over. Nico obliged and soon he found Will's warm hand between his shirt and his back. He squirmed away from Will's touch at first but then eased back into it. Will slowly started kneading into his back, working out all the tight knots. Nico groaned as Will loosened a huge tension in his shoulder. After ten minutes of what felt like a deep-tissue massage, Nico felt more relaxed than he had been in weeks.
"You have so much tension in you. You need to learn to relax and let go of it all." Will's mouth moved in close proximity to Nico's ear so he could feel Will's breath on him. Will lightly kissed the back of his neck before beginning to lightly trace Nico's back with his fingers. Nico writhed, trying to get away from the tickling sensation, but Will held him in place. Nico eventually stopped struggling and relaxed into the touch. The way Will's hands moved across his back left tingling sensations all over Nico's body. He felt an immense wave of pleasure go through him. He turned back over to look at Will. His eyes felt droopy with sleep and relaxation. Will smiled. He leaned back down and ghosted Nico's jaw and the moment Nico thought he was going in for a kiss, Will moved his mouth away again. He lightly kissed Nico's cheek and worked his way back to Nico's mouth, but didn't lean into to Nico's waiting lips. Nico sighed in frustration. Will smirked. The audacity of this boy. On his third go around, he ghosted Nico's lips and continued to deny Nico his kiss. Nico snarled and grabbed Will by his belt pulling the older boy down on top of him. While he was distracted, Nico eagerly kissed his boyfriend. The teasing had made the kiss all that more explosive. Nico turned them over so he was on top. He looked down at Will, whose tan skin was in deep contrast with the black bedspread he was lying on. He allowed his thoughts to become all about Will. He moved back down to recapture Will's lips into his.
About an hour later, a knock on the door startled Will and Nico from their make-out session. Nico sat up quickly, pushing Will up so they would look like they were just talking. Jason entered the cabin when no one answered.
"Nico," he said. He saw Will. "Oh, I didn't realize you were in here, Will." He seemed to be processing what he saw. Nico's shirt was ridding up and Will's hair was askew. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, we were just talking." Nico lied quickly.
"I'm sure-" Jason squinted his eyes. "Nico, is that a bruise on your ne-"
"Why did you come in here Jason? What do you need?" Nico averted from the question.
"Right, well, it's already 11 o'clock and the New Year's Party has already started so I was coming in here to check and see if you were coming." Jason explained. "I can go if you all need me to."
"No, that's okay." Will said. "We will come out and join you all."
Jason smiled. "Great! I'll see you both out there." He closed the door. Nico and Will looked at each other. They laughed in relief.
"That was a close one." Nico said.
"Yeah. You might want to wear a jacket to cover up that mark on your neck." Will teased. "You can wear your new aviator jacket."
Nico turned bright red. "Yeah, true. We should head out. Before they start to get suspicious."
He stood and grabbed his jacket from his chair. He also pulled on his shoes and his skull ring. He and Will walked outside of the cabin and headed to the beach. Some pavilions had been set up with fire pits keeping off the cold. Pop music was flowing throughout the beach and everyone was dancing in the center. There was a huge DJ stand, projector, and lighting booth, but Nico couldn't see who was DJing. Nico and Will skirted towards the outside of the group eventually coming across Jason, Hazel, and Frank who were sitting in lawn chairs. Hazel was sitting on Frank's lap.
"Nico!" Hazel said excitedly, speaking loudly over the music. "And Will." She saw their interlocked hands. "I haven't seen you recently. How are you?" As Nico had guessed, she had been suspicious of the two boy's failures to hang out.
"I've been doing great, swamped at the infirmary and busy with schoolwork too." Will lied.
"Oh? So does that mean after break, you are heading back down to Florida?" She asked warily, not wanting Will to abandon Nico again, not knowing that Nico was leaving himself.
"I wasn't planning to head back until February and catch up on school work, but my plans changed." He looked at Nico as he spoke. Nico refused to make eye contact with his sister whose questioning glare was burning into him.
"Like?"
"Just family stuff. My mom wants me home." Will lied so easily, Nico wondered how often he did it to him.
"Say no more, I won't pry. Glad you decided to come out and hang with us." She said happily.
"Where's Piper?" Nico asked as he turned to Jason. Nico and Piper had gotten relatively close over the holidays and he was tempted to tell her what was happening.
"Somewhere in the crowd dancing with Annabeth and Reyna and Thalia." He was surveying the crowd for his girlfriend and his sister.
"Reyna, dancing?" The thought brought a smile to Nico's face. "I'd pay good drachmas to see that."
"Well Romans do throw pretty killer parties. Back in the day, Reyna had some smooth moves."
"Oh yeah," Nico remembered. "I always forget how close you and Reyna were back before you came here. Didn't you guys used to date?"
"It was more flirting than anything else." Jason reminisced. "I do miss her being my other half. When we fought, we would move in sync and nothing would stand in our way. We were perfectly in unison. I kinda miss that uniformity and connection with her."
"That sounds pretty amazing." Nico said in awe. "I wouldn't be able to ever rely that fully on someone."
"Not even Will?" Jason said quietly, unaware that Will could most definitely hear him. Both Will and Nico tensed at his words. They reminded both boys that Nico was leaving. Nico was saved from answering as Piper jumped out of the crowd and grabbed Jason's arm, pulling him into the crowd.
Nico breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't trust himself to look up into Will's eyes. A second later, Percy appeared in front of Nico and pulled him into the pit as well. Nico started to panic, hating being around so many people. Someone grabbed his hand. He whipped around to find Will holding his hand, having seen his face of panic. Having Will there calmed him down immediately. He looked slowly around realizing that he was safe and nothing was attacking him. He relaxed even more and focused on the beat of the music. It flowed though him and everyone else dancing. He watched as some people danced gracefully, moving in time with the music, while others flailed around, causing laughter to those around them. Percy, Jason, and Thalia were pushing each other around in the center of what was called a mosh pit. Boys (and Thalia) will be boys Nico thought rolling his eyes. Leo was on the stage as the DJ with Calypso by his side. Seeing Leo gave him some hope that stage and lights had been built by him, but Nico didn't even want to know how much of that equipment had been stolen. He just hoped it would be returned in the morning. He glanced around some more and saw Jason and Piper doing some intense tangoing. Reyna and Annabeth were moving in time with the music. Nico eventually had started to tap his foot and now he was lightly bouncing. Will laughed with him and they both started to dance.
About a half an hour later, one of Leo's siblings came on stage and whispered something in his ear. His face focused with understanding and he clapped his sister on the shoulder. He slowly turned down the music and soon everyone started to quiet down.
"Alright party people, I know we all want DJ Valdez to keep the tunes blasting, but Nyssa told me that the fireworks show will begin. So start to find your favorite people and get a blanket on the beach because this is one event you won't wanna miss. Get ready to ring in the New Year, you crazy people." His words sent a loud cheer through the crowd. The crowd slowly started dispersing. Leo fiddling with some buttons on the projector and soon footage of the ball in New York City was depicted on the screen. Nico sought out Will, who had joined his siblings for a while to dance, and grabbed his hand. They picked a blanket on the beach near Hazel and Frank. Will sprawled across the blanket and Nico joined him, looking up at the stars.
"I don't want this night to end." Nico whispered. Will turned his head to face Nico.
"It's doesn't have to. You don't have to leave." Will suggested. "We could make it work."
"I have to, Will, you know I have to." Nico groaned. "Besides, you have to go back home to Florida soon anyway. There's no reason for me to stay if you aren't even going to be here.
Will pouted. "I know. You have to go. I know you are planning on leaving tomorrow during the day, but will you please stay for the Capture the Flag game? For tradition?" Nico was already pushing his luck by staying tonight and now Will was asking him to stay again. He had a feeling, if he stayed, that Will would continually ask him to stay and he would. Eventually, he would end up just living at camp again. He looked into Will's eyes. He couldn't leave him.
"Okay I will stay, but only under one condition." Will stayed silent to show that he was listening. "You cannot ask me to stay anymore. After tomorrow night, I'm leaving. And you cannot beg me to stay."
"Alright, I won't."
"Promise?" Nico asked.
"Pinky-promise!" Will said, holding out his finger. Nico rolled his eyes, but interlocked his finger with Will's. As they touched, the first firework went off. The two boys sat up quickly as the night sky filled with vibrant colors. They watched the sky, holding onto each other for support, when invisible nymphs began passing out sparkling cider. It was two minutes until midnight. Everyone got up, ready to ring in the New Year. The TV was turned up and the countdown began.
"60-59-58-57" the crowd chanted in Times Square.
"Nico," Will's voice made him turn around. "I know it's been a hard year for you and me, but it's also been an amazing one."
"46-45-44-43-42."
"I'm so happy that we started dating and I want you to know, that no matter what, I love you with all of my heart. And nothing will change that."
"32-31-30-29-28."
"Will." Nico stuttered. "Even though I'm leaving, I love you so much. You are my rock. You can calm me down. Will Solace, I love you."
"19-18-17-16."
"I'm so grateful that I get to spend the last moments of the year with you, Nico." Will lovingly said. Nico hugged him.
"Me too." They both looked towards the screen. Then all had almost hit the bottom.
"10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1! HAPPY NEW YEAR." The camp screamed in unison, as fireworks exploded behind them. Everyone quickly turned as the night sky lit up once more. Nico looked at Will and before he knew it, Will was kissing him again. Fireworks went off in Nico's stomach as much as they did in the starry night. Nico smiled, happy he had stayed for this. He felt so happy, surrounded by all the people he loved.