Will pulled Nico into the living room while Sally put the kids to bed and Poseidon made coffee. Food was eaten and put away, the table was cleared off, Nico was still bleeding. Will wiped that swollen lip again and felt more anger fill his stomach.

"Don't lie," he ordered. "Remember what we agreed on? No lying."

"I won't lie."

"Your father did this to you?" he asked. "That bitch ass did this to you?"

Nico's eyes widened, his lips twitching and his arms crossing. "William Solace. Cursing."

"Protecting my boyfriend," Will corrected.

"No, no," Nico shook his head. "You aren't getting yourself hurt. You're not doing anything to him."

"So it was your father-"

"Of course it was my father! He's the one damn person in this city that hates my guts! He hates all his children except for Bianca! Why do you think I fucking raise Hazel?"

Will's heart dropped into his stomach and melted in that pool of anger. "I'm killing him."

"No, you're not."

"You can't stop me."

"Try me."

"Nico, why are you defending him?" Will asked. "Look what he's done to you! To Hazel! He should be in jail, in prison, away from you and away from that little girl!"

"He doesn't hurt Hazel, Will!" Nico yelled. "He'd never lay a finger on her! He only hurts me!"

"Why?" Will stressed. "Why does he hate you so much?"

"I killed my mother!"

He remembered that big, empty house, that woman's portrait, the writing beneath it. How cold the whole place was.

"What do you mean, you killed your mother? You were tiny when she died."

"She died saving me," Nico choked. "I killed her."

"Nico-"

"That man wanted me. He wanted to kidnap me. She...she tried to save me, why wouldn't she? She was my mother. But she tried to save me and she got killed for it. That's my fault, Will. That's my fault. I got her killed and my father will never forget it."

"What man?" Will asked. "What happened? Fuck, this is supposed to be a small town. No...no kidnappings, no murders."

Nico gave him a look that didn't help his case. "All places have bad people, Will. They're everywhere."

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject, I'm just saying-"

"Is arguing in the living room the smartest idea?" Percy asked as he entered the room, three mugs of coffee balanced in his hands. His dark hair was swept aside and messy, wind-blown still from the ride home, and his green eyes still longed for the lake. Will was sure that boy would be happy to live in that green water.

Percy had them each take a cup before he collapsed on the couch, his feet propping themselves up on the table and his hair getting in his face. "I know I don't have anything to do with...you two, whatever you have going on, but I know enough to say arguing isn't going to help either of you."

Nico couldn't look in those green eyes and that made the situation all the more worse for Will.

"Percy, all you do is talk about shit that doesn't matter," Nico whispered. "Why are you trying to talk about this?"

"Because your dad gave you a black eye," Percy defended. "And Will's done so much for me and he's fucked up over this and your dad gave you a black eye."

Nico put his head in his hands, his voice coming out desperate and aching. "Percy, I don't want you in this conversation."

Percy's face fell. "Right. Um..." He stood up, scratched the back of his head, was no doubt remembering all the ones who claimed he'd never be friends with Nico. "I...I'll be going to bed, then."

"I'll come talk to you later, okay?" Will said in hopes to console but in no way going against Nico's wishes.

Percy nodded in a way that didn't give away his thoughts and disappeared up that back wooden staircase. Will turned to Nico, saw him sipping that coffee, wanted to hug him but wanting to kill the man that touched him.

"Want to go up to my room?" Will asked. "We can talk up there."

Nico nodded. "I need a smoke."

.

.

.

They found themselves in that small room Will once named the Burrow, and just like that Harry Potter series, he wasn't so sure if he liked it anymore. Not when he watched Nico smoke and ruin his lungs. Not when he fought there with the love of his life.

The love of his life. Nico really was the love of his life. And he didn't know if he could ever have a life without him.

"So...so this guy...wanted to kidnap you...and your mom got killed saving you?" Will summed up. "Did I get that right?"

Nico stared into the dark night, kept one leg hanging out that window and the other hanging into the room. "Yeah."

"And your father claims you killed her."

"Because I did."

"No, no you didn't," Will argued. "You didn't kill her. Your father's been feeding that to you all your life and that's why you believe it, but it's not true. And he...he..." Will clenched his fists. "He's a bastard! You're supposed to be happy! I'm trying to make you happy! And he's so hurt by his wife's death that he takes it out on you. But it was never your fault. It was never your fault, Nico."

Nico took a long drag of that cigarette instead of answering. Will could just picture his blackened lungs.

"Are you even listening to me?" Will asked.

"Of course I'm listening to you, Will," Nico whispered. "I'm just sick of arguing. I get you don't want a murderer as a boyfriend and I get that you wanted your life to be easier, but I can't erase the past. So I don't know what you want me to say."

Will felt hatred. True, heart-wrenching, full-body hatred. No one deserved to be raised like Nico was. Nobody deserved to think they were a murderer when they weren't.

"Nico, I'm going to use some hypothetical stuff. Will you listen for a minute?" Will asked.

Nico nodded but kept his eyes on the stars. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Let's say we got married and adopted a baby," Will started. "A little boy. And we both treated him like our own-"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Nico asked, his cheeks darkening in the dark room.

Will liked imagining being married to Nico. He liked the picture of them adopting. But why he was talking about it killed that mood.

"Just listen and you'll see," Will ordered. "Say we had a baby that we loved. Like, we treated him like he was our own, like I had birthed him or something. Say you were at work and I was home alone with him-"

"What would we name him?" Nico whispered.

Will blinked. "Well...what would you name him?"

Nico tapped his cigarette against his leg. "Willy."

"...You would name our son after me?"

Nico nodded. "Willy's cute for a baby. Don't you think?"

Some of that anger was draining. Nico was calming him without even meaning to.

Getting married, adopting... A life was Nico was so close and so far. He could see it, could reach for it, but something told him it would forever be right past his fingertips. And that it was his fault. He just couldn't see why yet.

"It's really cute," Will agreed. "But...okay, so..." He took a deep breath. "Say I was home alone with Willy while you were at work. Some guy broke in and tried to take Willy. He wanted to sell him on the black market or something, and he thought our family would be an easy target. I did my best to protect Will but I got hurt enough to later die. Who would you blame in that situation for me dying?"

Nico scrunched his eyes shut. "Please, I don't want to imagine you dead."

"Nico, who would you blame?" Will asked. "Would you blame little Willy?"

"Why would I blame-"

"Then why would your father blame you?"

Nico clenched his fists, extinguishing the cigarette and crushing it apart. His scabs were bleeding and now a burn scarred those already scarred hands. Blood dripped from his hangnails. Ash coated his fingertips.

His hands were beautiful like blood is in snow. Poetically, horribly beautiful.

When he spoke, his voice was the same. Full of pain, full of anguish, ready to give up but looking for hope.

"Will, he's my father," Nico whimpered. "He's my father. If he told me... I was to blame. She was saving me. If I hadn't been alive, she never would have gotten killed. And say all you want about Willy but it isn't the same."

"Why not?" Will demanded. "Why isn't it the same?"

"I...I..." Nico's face was too pained for Will to look straight at it. He wanted to hug him, wanted to comfort him, but knew he needed to understand what was right and what was wrong when it came to the situation of his mother. He couldn't go on thinking he killed his mother.

"It wasn't your fault," Will drilled in. "It wasn't your fault. Your father was taking his anger out on you. But you didn't kill your mother."

Nico dug his knees into his face but didn't disagree.

"Say it," Will commanded. "Say it. You didn't kill your mother."

"Will..."

"Nico."

"I...I..." Nico hiccupped. "I didn't kill my mother."

Will rushed forward and pulled Nico into a hug, both of them landing on the wooden floor. He held him close, felt him crying into his chest, cursed the world and cursed Nico's father for hurting him. He knew it wasn't over, that Nico's mind wasn't changed just like that, but saying those words had done something to him. There was change. Like an addict saying their problem to the mirror, or in front of their future AA group.

"Your father took his grief and anger out on you," Will whispered. "But you were not to blame. You were just a little boy. You never did anything wrong, you've always done what you could. I love you. Your friends love you. Never let your father tell you otherwise."

Nico heard, but Will could only hope that he accepted the words.