At eight o'clock Nico stood against a lamppost outside Jason's apartment, nerves roiling through his stomach like bubbling acid. He had actually tried a bit to make himself look presentable, which hadn't happened in quite some time. He had bought a new charcoal-gray sweater with his mortuary money and some new dress shoes, which he quite frankly hated. They were stiff and not nearly as comfortable as his battered combat boots. He had even run a comb through his hair, which had been a bit of a struggle. In the end his hair still hung loose and wild around his face, but at least it didn't look like wildlife had been living in it.

With a sigh he leaned against the lamppost. The metal was so cold he could feel it through the thick material of his sweater. Nico shivered and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them from going numb. It was freezing out here.

A shadowy figure appeared from around the corner and Nico felt his heart speed up.

Oh god oh god oh god….

The figure came closer and Nico realized that it wasn't Will at all. It was an older man, wearing a scarf and a look of distaste as he eyed Nico.

Nico let out a breath of relief that he hadn't realized he was holding. However, the relief was short-lived.

"Hey there."

Nico felt a hand on his shoulder and he spun around, adrenaline pulsing through him, heart slamming against his ribcage.

For a moment he simply couldn't speak. Will was standing there, the harsh light of the lamppost illuminating his hair, making it gleam silver. The light threw strange shadows across his face, making him seem otherworldly.

Will smiled, his teeth glinting. "I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said, oblivious to the fact that Nico's heart was racing about a mile a minute.

"N-no, you d-didn't," began Nico, cursing himself for stuttering.

"You look nice," said Will kindly, the smile never leaving his face.

Nico wished Will would take a step back. His thoughts were fuzzy, words abandoning him.

"Thanks," he choked out after a pause that seemed to stretch entirely too long. "You do too."

It was true. Will wore a crisp white button-down shirt and a tailored black coat. Nico had never seen him in anything dark colored, and it brought out the gold of his hair and the blue of his eyes. He had also gelled his hair so it was pushed away from his face, making him look sharper around the edges. It was different than he usually dressed, but Nico liked it.

"Shall we go in?" he asked, looking at Nico expectantly.

Nico nodded, grateful for the excuse to step away from the other boy. Immediately he felt his head clear. What the hell was wrong with him?

They headed up the stairs to Jason's apartment. Nico could hear the distant reverberation of music as they neared the door.

Nico pressed a thumb against the doorbell, shifting uneasily as they waited. Nico could feel Will's presence almost as if Will was squished against him and hoped that they wouldn't have to resort to small talk. He was truly terrible at small talk.

The door swung open and Jason was there, beaming at the two of them. There was a glass of wine in his hand, threatening to spill as he ushered them in.

"Nico! I'm so glad you could make it!" he said as they stepped into the apartment. "And Will! Wow it's been a while."

"That it has," said Will, giving Jason a hug. Nico noticed absently that Will was even taller than Jason, who was significantly taller than himself.

"So you guys really do know each other," said Nico, more to himself than the other two.

Jason looked over at Nico. "Totally man. Book club bros!"

Will slapped Jason on the back. "Stay ahead of the protagonist, eh?"

Jason burst into laughter at this, the wine in his hand sloshing dangerously. Nico watched them laugh, completely confused.

As Jason and Will talked, Nico took a few steps deeper into the apartment. The front entryway opened up to a high-ceilinged living room where the furniture had been pushed to the sides of the room to allow for more space. There was a considerable amount of people here already, and Nico noticed with a sinking feeling that it seemed to be mainly couples. He could tell immediately by the way they stood, leaning into each other, as if no one else was there. Ugh.

"Hey Nico! I want you to meet someone."

Nico turned back towards Jason to see that a girl had joined the small group. She stood next to Jason, a hand resting on his arm. Nico had never considered himself a good candidate for determining feminine beauty, but he knew immediately that she was beautiful. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face, several brightly colored feathers woven in here and there. Her eyes were mesmerizing—it was impossible to tell what color they were.

"Nico, this is Piper," said Jason, his grin conveying just how much he loved her. Nico deliberately looked away from Jason—raw emotions like that had always made him uncomfortable. Instead he looked at Piper.

"Nice to meet you," said Nico politely. "Jason talks about you a lot."

Piper cast a sideways glance at Jason. "Oh really?"

Her voice was smooth and laced with an accent that Nico couldn't quite identify.

"Only good things," Jason assured her, smiling down at his girlfriend with a sappy look in his eyes. Nico forced down the urge to gag.

"Well, I'm really happy to finally meet you," said Piper, addressing Nico. "Jason speaks most highly of you."

It was Nico's turn to shoot a questioning glance at Jason. Jason shrugged and looked away.

"And…you must be Will," said Piper. Will smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that's me," he said. "I'm glad I could make it to the party! Usually I just watch TV with my parents on New Year's," he added.

Nico was surprised by this. For some reason he had assumed that this party would be a step down from whatever Will usually did.

Jason was giving him a look that Nico didn't really want to decipher.

"Is anyone else from the book club here?" said Will excitedly. He looked a bit like an energetic puppy.

Jason nodded as he sipped from his wineglass. "Yeah, actually. Leo and Frank are here."

He pointed over to where two boys were talking to each other. One was gesturing wildly, threatening to knock over the bookshelf close by.

"Let's go say hi!" said Will, looking at Nico as if asking for permission. Nico shrugged and Will pulled him over to where the boys stood. Nico felt as if his arm were going to be ripped out of its socket. Will didn't look it, but he was strong.

"Will!" said one of the boys. He was tall and broad shouldered, his features distinctly Asian.

The other boy turned and his face split into a grin. His hair was curly and his smile was somewhat mischievous.

"Long time no see," said the curly-haired boy. "Who's this?"

Will put his arm around Nico's shoulders, which startled Nico, though he did nothing to move away.

"This is Nico," said Will, squeezing Nico to his side. Nico felt as if his lungs were being compressed.

"Nice," said the other boy, giving Will a fist-bump. "I'm Frank, by the way."

"And I'm Leo," added the curly-haired boy quickly.

"Gotta stay ahead of the protagonist, eh?" said Frank, mirth in his eyes.

Will and Leo burst into laughter at this. Nico, still pinned against him, could feel his ribs moving as he laughed. All he could think was what the hell is happening here?

The next hour passed in a blur. Nico wasn't exactly sure what happened, but Will tugged him around the room, introducing himself and Nico together, as if they were part of a package deal. Nico, though a bit bemused, didn't mind much. Will did most of the talking, allowing him to relax a little. At some point Jason pushed a glass of wine into his hand, which he drank quickly. He found that his lingering nerves were soothed a bit by the alcohol.

It was a nice change to spend New Year's with a group of people his age. Everyone seemed pretty cool here, which was a relief. He had been a bit worried that this party would have been like the last he had been to, with drunken dancing and lights that were far too dim and an air of chaos that hung thickly like smoke. Here, bright fairy lights twinkled and everyone was civilized and friendly.

Nico found himself thinking back to last year. At this exact moment a year ago he had been standing in a field in Iceland, utterly and completely alone. It had been cold there too, much colder than it was in London. Why had he gone there in the first place?

It took a moment for him to place the answer. Ah yes. He had gone to see the northern lights.

So he had. He had stood in that frosty field in the middle of nowhere, alone with his thoughts. And as the sky lit up with flares of blues and greens, he had allowed himself to cry. He could remember it all so clearly. The warmth in his eyes, the sting in the back of his throat. He had never taken his eyes away from the sky, and he had never moved to wipe the tears from his cheeks. He had simply allowed himself to stand there and think about everything that had changed, and how much more she would have wanted to be standing in his place.

"I'll be right back," said Will, shaking Nico from his thoughts. "I've got to use the bathroom."

Nico nodded absently, blinking away the memory. He slipped into a small hallway and leaned against the wall, grateful for the chance to recollect himself.

A girl appeared suddenly, leaning up against the wall beside him.

"Hey," she said, folding her arms over her chest.

Nico looked over at her, a bit alarmed to be thrown into a conversation without warning.

"Hello," he began slowly.

She had dark hair the color of raven's feathers, and it hung long and wavy around her face. Her features were regal— olive-colored skin, high cheekbones and full lips covered in dark lipstick. She wore a black party dress and an unzipped hoodie, which seemed like an odd combination.

"I'm Reyna," she said.

"Nico," he said, wondering where this conversation was going.

"No need to be so talkative," she said, a small smile curving her lips.

Nico blinked, not sure what he should say.

"I won't bite, you know," she continued. "You go to that university close by right?"

Nico nodded. "Term hasn't started yet, but yeah, I'm a student there."

"Jason told me you're pretty good at art. Are you majoring in that?" she asked.

"Jason told you that?" he said incredulously. He couldn't remember ever telling Jason about his interest in art. But then again, he had never told him about how he was seeing Will. He needed to remember that Jason was just a massive creep and couldn't mind his own business to save his life.

Reyna bobbed her head, her heavy bangs swaying.

Nico shrugged. "I'm just taking it as an elective for now. But I might end up majoring in it. I haven't really given it a lot of thought."

"I'm taking art as an elective too," said Reyna, which surprised him. She didn't exactly strike him as the artistic type. "We might be in the same class."

Nico found himself liking this girl he had just met, which was unusual. Most of the time it took him months to warm up to people. But there was something about Reyna that said she could be trusted. And besides, she was the only person he had met in London that didn't have a bubbly, outgoing personality. It would be a relief to spend time with someone that didn't act like a hyperactive puppy all the time.

"So…I saw that you brought that male model to the party," said Reyna slowly, her lips still quirked into that small, sideways smile.

"Who?" asked Nico, genuinely confused.

Reyna's dark eyes widened. "Uh, the blond godly type that came in with you?"

Nico cast his mind back and came to the startled conclusion that she was talking about Will.

"Oh, you mean Will?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Are you two dating?" she said, her voice so casual that it took a moment for Nico to realize what she had just asked.

Nico felt the familiar spark of panic (why did everyone keep assuming that he and Will were together?), but for once he willed himself to stay calm. He didn't want another incident. Not when this party was going fairly well.

"No, we aren't," he said, his voice surprisingly even. "We're just friends."

"Ah, alright," said Reyna. "I wasn't going to ask, but I was just too curious. He's definitely into you though."

Nico's eyelids fluttered quickly as his brain processed these unfamiliar words.

"What makes you say that?" he said dazedly.

Reyna rolled her eyes.

"It's obvious, isn't it? He's been introducing the two of you together the whole night—trust me, I've been watching. And you probably haven't noticed, but he's been looking at you like you're some kind of precious gem."

"Well that doesn't mean anything," said Nico quickly. "He always looks at me like that."

Reyna gave him a rough shove to the chest. "Dude! Are you hearing yourself?"

Nico couldn't backpedal quickly enough. "No that's not what I meant. I meant that he's really nice so he looks at everyone like…" he trailed off. The words sounded even weaker coming out of his mouth.

Reyna nodded. "Sure," she said, the word caked with sarcasm.

"Whatever," said Nico with finality, holding up his hands in defeat. "But he definitely—" he lowered his voice to a whisper "—doesn't like me."

Reyna still had that smirk resting on her lips. "Fine, fine. I'll drop it."

Nico exhaled in relief and cast around in his head for a change of topic.

"So, did you bring anyone to the party?" he asked, somewhat timidly.

Reyna laughed, the sound loud and clear.

"No, actually. I'm friends with pretty much everyone here, so that's how I got invited. But no, I'm not dating anyone at the moment. My girlfriend and I broke up about two months ago."

Nico was about to say something else when her words clicked in his head. She had spoken so smoothly that the statement hadn't even registered at first.

"Your girlfriend?" he said, his eyes widening in surprise.

She folded her arms again, regarding him with a steady gaze. As if she were daring him to comment. "Well yeah," she said. "Boys kind of suck."

A small laugh bubbled up inside of Nico, catching him off guard.

"No offense to your sexy companion," she added slyly.

"Does anyone else know that…you know….?" He began hesitantly. He couldn't believe that she could be so open about something that he himself had been hiding for so long.

Reyna looked shocked. "Well, yeah," she repeated, as if this were the most obvious answer in the world. "What's the point of hiding it? Me dating girls doesn't make me an outcast. My friends are still my friends."

She turned and gestured to the group of college students dancing in the living room.

"Trust me; the people here are the coolest I've ever met. They're totally chill with it. It's the elderly you've got to watch out for."

Nico barely had a second to think this concept over before someone else spoke.

"Oh, there you are," said a voice from farther down the hallway.

Nico turned to see Will walking towards them, appearing strange in the low lighting of the hallway.

"I don't think I've met you yet," said Will as he came to stand beside the two of them. He held out a hand for Reyna to shake. Reyna shook his hand, sending a meaningful look to Nico while she did so.

"I'm Reyna," she said politely.

"And I'm Will," he said, flashing one of his brilliant smiles. "Nice to meet you. Are you friends with Nico?"

"As of three minutes ago, yes," she said.

Will laughed. "Okay then. Any friend of Nico is a friend of mine. What were you guys talking about?"

Nico felt a flush of panic beginning in the pit of his stomach, and he shot a warning look towards Reyna.

"Pest-resistant foliage," said Reyna easily.

Will nodded, looking a bit confused. "Alright then. Do you want to dance?" he asked Nico.

Nico hesitated for a moment. He never danced as a general rule, but Will was looking at him pleadingly, his bright blue eyes clear and eager.

"Uh…" he began.

"Nico would love to dance," said Reyna cheerfully. "Wouldn't you, Nico?"

Nico shot her a murderous glare, which Will somehow missed.

"That's fantastic! Let's go!"

Before he knew it Will was dragging him into the middle of the living room, where most of the partygoers danced jubilantly. Techno music blared from the speakers, making Nico feel jumpy.

To Nico's horror Will began to dance quite…horrendously. It was as if he had embodied every middle-aged white man in Britain. He swung his arms wildly, threatening to decapitate those dancing around him. Nico quickly took a few steps back to protect himself.

"Why aren't you dancing?" yelled Will over the blare of the music. He began to swivel his hips so quickly that Nico nearly got motion sickness.

Nico couldn't have responded if he tried. He was utterly entranced by the disaster that was Will.

And it seemed like he wasn't the only one. Slowly, people were starting to notice his…particular style of dance. They began to mimic him, and soon enough the room was filled with college students dancing like complete idiots.

"Yeah Will!" shouted Jason, who was dancing with Piper nearby.

Will smiled broadly and gave Jason the thumbs-up.

Does anything embarrass him? wondered Nico, still standing stationary on the dance floor.

It was then that Will darted forward and grabbed Nico's wrists, shaking him back and forth to the beat of the music.

"Will!" hissed Nico indignantly as Will spun him around.

"Just relax," said Will, dipping his head to speak into Nico's ear. Nico could feel his breath ruffle his hair, warm and soft, and an involuntary shiver travelled down his spine. "Let the music move you!"

Nico closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths. The air was tainted with the smell of cologne and perfume and alcohol. He wasn't sure if it was physically possible for him to relax, but he decided to give it a shot.

He opened his eyes and the party reappeared in full force. All around him people danced in close proximity, but all he could see was Will. He was like a beacon in front of him, and Nico couldn't tear his eyes away from the glow he was exuding. Will was beaming down at him, with a light in his eyes that Nico had never seen before. How could he be so close to someone so bright and pure when he himself was nearly drowning in his own darkness?

The music picked up to an even more vigorous pace and Nico was spinning, the room a blur. All he could see were Will's eyes, flickering in and out of focus.

"It's almost midnight guys!" Jason shouted over the music. "Countdown in ten seconds!"

Nico was all too aware of Will getting steadily closer to him. He could feel his heart begin to speed up—or was that just the music?

"TEN!"

Jason's voice, loud and clear.

"NINE!"

Everyone else, joining in.

"EIGHT!"

Will, his hands on Nico's waist.

Nico blinked, the sensation so strange and unfamiliar that he lost track of time.

"FIVE!"

Nico, his pulse fluttering in his throat.

"FOUR!"

Only now beginning to realize what was happening.

"THREE!"

Will, so close that Nico could feel the feverishness of his skin.

"TWO!"

Nico stumbled slightly, jostled by the other dancers. He was faintly aware of Reyna drifting towards him, as if in slow motion.

"ONE!"

Nico looked up to see Will. His bright smile had faded, replaced by a strange look that Nico couldn't interpret. Nico felt himself move forward as if in a trance, taking a step even closer to Will, who was impossibly close already.

The room exploded with a raucous cheer, breaking Nico's trance. Nico looked over to see Jason kissing Piper passionately, and he looked away quickly. Unfortunately, all around him couples were embracing, the music still shatteringly loud.

Nico's eyes met Will's, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Will tilted his head slightly, as if in polite confusion.

It was then that some unseen force barreled into him, knocking him away from Will. Nico was all too aware of someone kissing him—arms wrapped around him tightly, their mouth hot on his.

"What the hell?!"

Nico pulled away to see Reyna there, smiling crookedly. She leaned close and for a moment Nico thought that she would kiss him again—but no, she was just whispering into his ear.

"You owe me one," she said before pulling back and slipping away, disappearing without a trace.

Nico eyes darted to Will who was—laughing?

His head was thrown back, his hands clutching his sides. His laugh was nearly hidden in the sound of celebration.

"Why are you laughing?" said Nico furiously.

Will gasped for air, rubbing tears from his eyes.

"Oh my god," he wheezed. "The look on your face! Priceless."

Nico felt a flare of anger and tried to force it down as best as he could. He wasn't completely sure why Reyna had kissed him, but he had a feeling that she must have had a good reason. She was gay anyway—she definitely hadn't done it because she was attracted to him.

"And also, there's lipstick all over your mouth," added Will, still giggling like a child.

Nico scowled at him and ducked out of the living room, heading down the hallway to the bathroom. He slipped inside and locked the door, grateful for the sudden privacy.

He looked into the mirror and winced. There was indeed dark magenta lipstick smeared over his mouth, and he did his best to scrub it off. He looked away.

His head felt heavy, like someone had stuffed it full of cotton balls. He could still hear the music, the bass thumping reassuringly from the other side of the bathroom door. His eyes stung and he realized all at once how tired he was, which was strange. Nico had stayed up much later than this wandering the city by himself. Maybe the constant social interaction was what had drained him. It had been a long time since he had been expected to be sociable for hours on end.

Nico turned on the sink, cupping his hands beneath the faucet. The water pooled between his hands, nearly freezing. The pipes were probably outside, collecting frost. He splashed the water on his face, leaning over the sink, his hands braced on either side.

Why had Reyna kissed him?

Surprisingly, he was more confused than annoyed. He hated PDA—he always had. He believed that something like that should be kept away from the eyes of strangers. And while the kiss should have disgusted and embarrassed him, all he felt was a bizarre sense of curiosity.

He cast his mind back a few minutes. He had been dancing with Will. Dancing. With Will. The sentence made no sense in his head, let alone in reality.

Will had been getting steadily closer to him, the look on his face slowly morphing to something Nico hadn't been able to interpret.

There had been a moment when Nico was sure something was going to happen. What that something was, he couldn't be sure.

And then Reyna had nearly knocked him over, and the moment had shattered.

What had been about to happen?

Nico lifted his head, looking back into the mirror. His reflection stared back and he was shocked to see that he looked—different. Sure, he had actually attempted to brush his hair for once and the circles beneath his eyes had faded considerably (he had been able to sleep longer lately), but the difference ran deeper than that. There was a glint in his eyes that definitely hadn't been there when he had arrived in London. And the angles of his face didn't look as…severe. The downturn of his lips wasn't as pronounced.

Nico turned away and wiped his hands on his pants, uncertainty flooding him. He had decided to stay in London to get his life back in order. And so far it had been working.

Yet why did he get the feeling that everything was about to slip away from him, farther out of his control than it had ever been?

So yeah. That was my favorite chapter to write so far, and I'm sure you can figure out why. If you liked it, or you like the story so far, leave a review! I was honestly really stuck with this story for months but your reviews made me want to continue it. So thanks again! Any ideas on what will happen next?

-Sid