Will's POV

Will can't quite be sure what's gotten into Nico, but there's a definite change. He's nice. He raises his hand in class rather than just blurting out some comment that makes the teachers stew, he smiles at them in the hallways, he uses please and thank you when he talks to them. And it might just be Will's imagination, but he thinks that he sees the teachers smiling back. Yes, Will misses the snarky comments that Nico used to whisper behind Sister Johnson's back every five seconds, but the nervous energy that coursed through his veins on the daily has slowed to an occasional occurrence, and he can kiss Nico in the chapel without fear. 

"Why are you doing all of this?" Will asks one night, huddled by Nico for warmth as the November air hugs their shivering bodies. 

"All of what?" Nico asks. 

"You're so- respectful." 

"Well, that's nice of you to say about me." 

"Hey, hey, I'm just joking," Will says, smiling as he presses a soft kiss to Nico's cheeks. "But your teachers like you now. It's weird seeing Sister Johnson smile at you." 

"It's all for you," Nico says. 

"What?" 

"I'm done getting in trouble," Nico says, sighing and looking at the stained glass window. "I'm tired of living on the edge, wondering when my next detention will be or whether or not I'm getting expelled. I'm going to make sure we both make it out of here." Nico's words hang heavy in the air as they sit, letting the moon bathe their faces and turn their skin to silver.

Most people like the new Nico. Percy talks about how much he misses the jokes made at Sister Johnson's expense, but for the most part, everyone enjoys not having their lunch table under constant scrutiny by Father Seymour. Most people, anyway. 

"I don't know what you're up to, but I intend to find out," Octavian says, slamming his tray down on their lunch table. 

"What am I up to?" Nico asks innocently, blinking up at Octavian. Percy hides a laugh behind his pizza. 

"Did you even listen to me?" Octavian says. "I said-" 

"I know what you said, Octavian," Nico says with a sigh. "But I'm not up to anything. I've changed, seen the error of my ways. I give Sister Johnson foot rubs every night and I use my bible as a pillow." Percy roars with laughter, and Octavian narrows his eyes.

"Whatever, Nico, I'll find out what you're up to," he says. He takes his tray and spins on his heel, holding his head high as he marches away. The dining hall goes back to its normal chatter, as Jason and Leo discuss their science project, and Annabeth and Piper giggle over how stupid Jason and Leo's science project sounds. 

"What was that about?" Percy asks, shoveling his pizza into his mouth. Grease stains his upper lip, and he licks it off. "It's like he thinks you're plotting something. Or you've got some massive secret or something." 

"Yeah," Nico says, laughing. Will kicks his leg underneath the table, and Nico throws him a glare. 

"He's so fucking weird," Percy says before gulping down his soda. "Hey, Will, have you heard about Nico's secret plot to overthrow Headmaster Seymour and take over the school?" Will forces a laugh but his chest feels tight and he wants to turn into a puddle and mealt into his seat. 

"Do you think he means it?" Will asks that night, curled up underneath a blanket that they keep stashed underneath the floorboard. He shivers in the cold night air that slips into the chapel through the cracks in the wall and the old architecture, and Nico pulls him close, slipping underneath the blanket with Will. 

"Means what?" Nico asks. 

"He said he's gonna find out what you're up to," Will says. "You're not even a little bit scared?" 

"It's Octavian," Nico says with a laugh. "What's he gonna do about anything? He's all talk, but he'll never find us." He takes Will up in a deep kiss and Will melts in the feeling of Nico's lips on his, Nico's hand on his arm, the feeling of just being with Nico, wrapped in darkness and the blanket that they keep stashed underneath the floorboard. But Will's head shoots up when he hears a tree branch snap. 

"What was that?" Will asks. His heart jumps up to his throat, and he swallows hard. 

"It was nothing, Will, probably just the wind." 

"It wasn't windy before," Will says quietly. A branch snaps again. "Get under the pews." 

"What?" 

"I think there's someone out there," Will says. His hands tremble like he's just had a quadruple shot of espresso, and he rolls underneath the pews so fast someone might think he was a professional spy. Nico climbs underneath the one to the right of Will's rather reluctantly, but fear flashes across even his face when they hear footsteps outside the chapel door. There's no pretending that it's the wind now. They can hear someone humming, to a beat that Will recognizes; a Christian rock song that sounds eerily familiar. Will makes eye contact with Nico from underneath the pews, and Nico's eyes flash with fear. 

"It'll be okay," Nico whispers, trying his best to smile at Will from underneath the pews. Will nods, and then they sink back into silence, listening to the footsteps and the humming that makes Will want to melt into the floorboards. Soon, the footsteps start to move in the direction of the dorm buildings, and Will and Nico roll out from underneath the pews. Will sinks down with his back against the seat, his breathing heavy and ragged. "Are you okay?" Nico asks, scooting over to sit against Will's pew and wrapping his arm around Will's shoulders. Will nods, but he's still fighting for control of his breath. Every shadow is a person, every blow of the wind outside is someone coming to expose them. 

"I'll get there," Will says, fighting to keep a smile on his face. "It's just- that was terrifying. I- I-" 

"I know," Nico says. He kisses Will's cheek, and even though his throat feels tighter than it did earlier and his butt is sitting on cold dirt, he feels the same butterflies he always does. "I think whoever was out there is gone now, though." He frowns. "I wonder who it was." 

"Yeah, me too," Will says. He stares down at the floor, and he can hear his own heartbeat. 

"Will, baby, you look really pale." 

"I wanna go," Wil says. "But I don't wanna get caught coming out." 

"That's ironic." Will slaps his arm. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry," Nico says with a laugh. "We can go out the back door. I'll go first and you can go second, just to be safe. If anyone catches us we make something up, like we didn't feel well or something and went to go try to find someone." He looks at Will with the sweetest smile, one that makes Will's heart melt into a puddle. "You'll be okay. I promise. Do you want me to go first, in case the person's still out there?" 

"Are you sure?" Will asks. "I don't want you to get in trouble." 

"Hey, I can handle it," Nico says. "Besides, getting in trouble is my specialty. I'll be fine." He stands up, kisses Will's forehead softly and before Will knows it, Nico is darting out the back door and Will is alone in the dark chapel, hugging his arms to his chest as his sweatpants collect dirt from the floor. 

He waits probably longer than he has to, until the only noise outside is the hooting of an owl and the sound of the wind blowing through bare tree branches. Then he slips out the back, careful to close the door so the only sound is the creak of the old hinges closing. The darkness of the campus shields him as he sprints across the withering grass, and when he's back into the dorms he lets out a sigh of relief as he presses himself into the wall. His heart throbs, and he finds himself looking around for any wandering students. It's late, close to one, and most everyone is asleep. Will can hear snoring through the walls, and darkness floods out of underneath the dorm room doors. Even if someone where to stumble across him, late at night, Will could pass it off as having just gone to the bathroom. Nico has long since been in his dorm, probably fast asleep by now, or maybe lying awake in his tiny twin sized bed thinking about the close call they had just managed to escape from. 

Despite Will's fears that someone is going to pop out of the shadows, he makes it up to his dorm with ease. Other than a quick stumble in the hallway on the last step, scuffing his sneaker sole, he makes it up quietly. Austin is fast asleep, snoring gently into his pillow. He doesn't even shift when Will walks in, slipping into his bed and rustling his sheets. As Will lies awake, thinking of their close call, Austin gives no indication that there is anything wrong, or that he suspects anything, even in his subconscious. It feels as if they're living in two different worlds, and Will's is one that he can't even begin to explain. 

Nico's POV

The walk to religion the next morning is quiet. Percy talks quietly to Annabeth as she smiles softly, and Jason and Leo talk about their science project. It's so calm, so serene; something is missing. Nico looks around as their little group walks through the halls. Everyone is there, everyone seems happy, but there's something missing, something that makes the walk to religion every morning theirs. 

Nico looks behind him, where Octavian trails after them, hugging a hot cup of coffee to his chest. His hair, usually so meticulously styled, is a mess, and his tie hangs loose around his neck. Dark bags sit underneath his eyes, and he glares at Nico when he sees him staring. A chill runs up Nico's spine and he speeds up his walk to match Will's pace, leaving Octavian to drag his feet behind them. "Hey," Will says, turning to face Nico with a smile. His eyes are sunken, and Nico can tell that they had the same long night. His smile falls when he takes a closer look at Nico's face, and he frowns. "Is something wrong?" 

Nico thinks back to Octavian's undone hair, the bags underneath his eyes, the quiet humming of Christian rock last night, the same sound he hears over and over, in classes, in the hallway, in the dining hall. "Nothing," Nico says, forcing a smile. He doesn't want to worry Will more than he already is. "Just really not looking forward to seeing Sister Johnson today. Like every day." 

"Oh, you'll be fine," Will says. "She doesn't even hate you that much anymore." 

Sister Johnson surveys the class with cold eyes as everyone filters into the classroom, dull eyes and lifeless grumbles. After Will sits he sighs, resting his head on his arm and staring out the window at the quickly dying campus, the layer of crisp leaves over the ground. Octavian leans over, glaring at Nico. "You look tired," he hisses at Nico. 

"So do you," Nico spits back. Sister Johnson glares.

"Quiet, boys," she says as she takes her seat at the head of the class. She organizes her papers, surveying them like a bird surveying its prey. 

"It was mostly-" Octavian starts. 

"Quiet, Octavian, it was the both of you," Sister Johnson says. "Everyone, turn to Romans 6:4." The sound of thin pages flipping fills the room and soon Nico is following along lazily, eyes half closed as he listens to Sister Johnson babble on about something that goes right over his head. But throughout the whole class, one thing remains steady. He can feel Octavian's eyes boring into his back, his gaze strong and intimidating. Nico wants to take Will into the bathroom, spill everything to him, take him up in his arms and hug him tight until neither of them can breathe. But Will's leg bounces against the floor even though he's close to falling asleep, his eyes dart around the class, and Nico knows that he can't put that on Will, no matter how much he wants to. But there must be someone who can help Nico, help soothe the worry in his heart and tell him that everything is going to be okay, even if they have to lie through their teeth. 

Will and Nico don't meet up that night. After a sob session in the empty bathroom during fourth period and maybe too many hugs(Nico hadn't thought that was possible before) they decide that it's too risky, so Nico gives Will one last kiss and they're off, pretending to be nothing more than friends; friends who have never kissed, never spent the weekend in a hotel room cuddled up underneath a comforter, had never fallen in love underneath the glow of the moon. So that night, instead of kissing in between the pews, Nico finds himself cross legged in his bed, trying in vain to study for his science test even though he's spent the entire class dydreaming about Will's dimples. 

"Hey, is something up with you?" Percy asks from his bed. 

"What do you mean?" Nico asks. His heart throbs and he kicks at his comforter, suddenly too hot even in November. 

"You've been weird today," Percy says. "I mean, you're studying, so that's concerning." 

"There's nothing up," Nico says. He knows he can trust Percy. Probably. He knows that, compared to most at the school, Percy is more open minded than most. When rumors of Rock Hudson's sexuality had come out, he hadn't participated in the giggling and the comments that made Nico's heart hurt. But Nico never knows who he can trust, and he doesn't want to ruin one of his best friendships. 

"I can tell when you're lying," Percy says calmly. "We've been friends for four years. I was there for you through your mythomagic phase. In sophomore year. You had a mythomagic phase in sophomore year. I don't think anything can get worse than that." 

"Nothing's going on," Nico says with a nervous laugh. He presses his fist into his forehead, listening to the beat of his heart. Percy is looking at him, his eyes soft and his smile small. "Perce, I promise, there's nothing." 

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Percy says. "Anything. You're one of my best friends." Nico frowns, twisting the tip of his comforter around the tip of his finger until it turns red. His stomach flips and he wants to hide underneath the guise of not sleeping well, not feeling well, not eating well. But as much as he wants to lie, he can't hide anything from Percy, and he feels like he's folding underneath the weight of a secret that crushes his lungs and takes his breath away.

"Anything?" Nico asks. He thinks that he's cutting off the circulation to his finger, but he doesn't mind. Anything to get rid of the dryness of his mouth, the palpatations in his heart. 

"Of course," Percy says. For once, that little smile is gone from his face and he somehow looks older, as if he's aged fifty years in five seconds. 

"I'm, uh, gay," Nico stammers out, his heart throbbing. He avoids looking at Percy for as long as possible. He isn't sure what he'll see on Percy's face; disgust, horror, hatred. But when Nico finally gets up the courage to look, there's just a small smile. 

"You know I don't care about that kinda stuff, right?" Percy says. "This school's kinda fucked, making you think you had to hide that from me. But I really don't care. And I don't think any of our other friends would care, either." His face looks like it's lit up from the inside, and for the first time since finding Will, Nico feels fully supported. Like he's being held up by two strong arms who won't let him down no matter how bad things get. 

"I hope not," Nico says. He trusts his friends, he really does. But Christian boarding school for four years can change a person, and he can't be too careful. 

"So, why now?" Percy asks. 

"I'm having a bit of an, uh, issue," Nico says. He thinks of the footsteps out of the chapel, the ominous humming, the bags underneath Octavian's eyes. "And I need to kind of unload." 

"Go ahead," Percy says, leaning back on his pillow. "I have nothing else to do, anyway. Besides, I feel like I've just found out about a secret part of your life. It's like a whole other side of you. So spill. But seriously, I wanna help you." Nico sighs, staring at his comforter. He needs to get everything off of his chest, but he can't out Will. To do that to the boy he loves so deeply would be the worst thing he could possibly do. 

"So, I have this thing with someone, and-" 

"Ooh, who?" Percy asks, smiling. 

"I can't tell you," Nico says. "It wouldn't be fair to him." 

Percy looks taken aback for a second, and it's clear to Nico that he's never had to consider that a parter might not be comfortable with their relationship being public, that they would have to hide for the sake of their pride, or the sake of their safety. Jealousy flashes through Nico's body for a second before Percy nods. "Makes sense," he says. "So, keep going." 

"Ok, so I have this thing with a guy, and we've been meeting in the chapel for, like, two and a half years now? Almost every night?" 

"Woah," Percy says. "So that's where you always go? I've always wondered, but I was always too afraid to ask. I was scared you were selling drugs or in the mafia or something." 

"Great to know you have so much faith in me," Nico says dryly. 

"Yeah, yeah, keep going." 

"Ok, so, things were going great," Nico says. Memories flood back, of the first time he realized that Will was into him, the first time they met up in the chapel after dark, the first time they kissed, the first time Nico realized he was falling in love. "For, like, two and a half years. But the other night we heard someone outside, and it freaked both of us out. I don't think he knows how much I was freaked out, but it just kinda shook me." 

"Well, it was probably a one time thing, right?" Percy says. "Someone just wandering around at night, right?" 

"I don't think so," Nico says. He swallows hard. "Because I think I know who it is." 

"Who?" 

"I think it's Octavian," Nico says. "And I think he knows I've been up to something, and I think he's out to get me." It hurts to say out loud, to admit what he's known since the other night, to admit that he's loving on borrowed time. "And it hurts, knowing that it might be best for us not to meet anymore. But I think we might have to cut it off, at least for a bit. He can't sleep, and I can't sleep, and I just don't know if I'll be able to do this, knowing that the risk of getting caught is out there." 

Percy looks down, and Nico can tell that it's his turn to evaluate how he lives, how he's never had to consider cutting off romantic contact with someone just because of how people could react, or the risk of getting in trouble. "You can't do anything else? You have to cut it off completely?" 

"Not completely, I guess," Nico says. "We have plans for next year. But for the school year, at least, I think we gotta cut it off. For our sakes." A tear pools in his eye and he wipes it away. Percy won't look at him. "But I just had to get it off my chest before I talked to him." He sniffs, and another tear rolls down his cheek. 

"Hey, it's okay." Percy moves to sit on the edge of Nico's bed, and wraps his arm around Nico's shoulder. Nico sighs shakily, leaning into Percy's touch. It's soft and sweet, and Nico feels warm. "Do what you think is best. Because you have pretty good judgement. Well, not when it comes to school, or interacting with teachers, or-" 

"Ok, ok, I get it," Nico says with a watery laugh. "But you really think I can do this?" 

"Of course, I do," Percy says. "And I'll support you through all of it." 

Will's POV

They meet up for what might be the last time that year in the chapel. Sitting on the pews in the glow of the moonlight through the stained glass, Nico holds Will's hand tight, running his thumb up and down Will's hand. "I think it's for the best that we stop meeting up here at night," Nico says. 

"You're sure?" Will says. It hurts to hear out loud, especially from Nico. 

"Yeah, I'm sure," Nico says. He leans in, kissing Will on the cheek. Even when his lips are gone, Will still holds onto the feeling of his lips on his cheek. Every touch feels like it could be the last, and Will cherishes every touch on the hand, kiss on the cheek. "I can tell you haven't been sleeping much. And neither have I. This is going to keep ripping us apart until it kills us." 

Will stares down at the dirty floor, watching as a bug crawls over a pebble. It's so small, so helpless, and Will finds himself relating to it, for once in his life. It feels like someone could step on Will right now and he'd splatter into Will smush. "We'll have next year though, right?" Will asks. 

"Of course, we'll have next year," Nico says. "We've been planning this for forever. But for now, we just have to pretend we don't like each other, right? Beuase if we get caught, everything could be ruined. And I can't let one mistake in my senior year ruin our whole life." Will nods, and hides a yawn behind his hand. "We should go," Nico says. "You need sleep. Well, we both do, really." 

"I know," Will says. "I'm just gonna miss you." He leans forward, kissing Nico on the lips one last time. His lips tingle, and he doesn't want to break apart from Will, or go back to his dorm, or leave his side. But for both of their sakes, they'll go their separate ways until graduation, pretending to just be friends, nothing more. "Wanna walk back together?" 

"You're always too nervous to walk back with me," Nico says with a small smile. "You always make me go first." 

"I know," Will says. He hates that it's just now he's letting himself be more open with his relationship. Now that they can't be together, Will feels bolder with his relationship, like he could go against the wishes of the world and be himself, with the person he loves by his side. "But I just need a little more time with you. Besides, it's just a little past curfew, and I'm not quite ready to give up our relationship. We can just say we were taking a walk, and we lost track of time." Will kisses Nico's lips one more time before they stand up. Will almost misses the feeling of the hard pew underneath his butt, the dirt underneath his feet. From now on, being in the chapel will always remind him of nights with Nico, of kissing in the moonlight and falling in love underneath the gaze of the stars. But Will knows that he'll have to push that from his mind, forget that anything ever happened until after graduation, when he'll let the memories come flooding back. 

The walk to the chapel doors feels too short, and Nico gives Will one last kiss before facing the doors. Their hands come unclasped, and Will sees Nico wipe a tear from his eye, no matter how discreetly he does it. "You ready?" Will asks. 

"Yeah," Nico says. "I'm ready." He sighs, pushing open the door. And when it opens, Octavian is standing in the doorway. His hair is disheveled, his eye twitches, and there's a wide grin on his face. 

"I knew it," Octavian says, staggering into the chapel. Will feels his stomach flip and he has to fight to avoid projectile vomiting all over Octavian, then and there. His finger bumps into Nico's and even as he feels as if his life is collapsing around him, at least Nico is there with him. 

"Knew what?" Nico says. 

"I knew there was something going on," Octavian says. His eye twitches again and with his face shrouded in shadows, he looks like some type of demon, risen from the pits of hell. "Ever since Nico started acting nice. I knew you were trying to hide something. And then the other night, after I had finished doing a sweep of the campus, I heard someone stumble outside my dorm room. And Will, that scuff on your sneaker; that wasn't there before I heard that." 

Will can't stop watching Octavian's eye twitch. "Man, you need a life," Will says, scratching his head. It's the only thing he can do to keep himself from passing out.

"No, no, Will, you don't get it," Octavian says. "I was right. I was right." 

"Listen, Octavian, I know we're out past curfew, but so are you," Nico says. He holds his hands out, trying to be rational, but Will can see them shaking. "We can just go back to our dorms, pretend like this never-" 

"Oh, no, I know what you've really been up to," Octavian says. "I know that you've been- seeing each other. Romantically. I heard you through the door, you idiots. It's disgusting, and wrong, and I'm telling Headmaster Seymour first thing tomorrow morning. You'll be gone by this time tomorrow, and I am so excited to see you go." 

"He won't believe you," Nico says. His entire body is trembling, and Will hides behind him, as if Nico's body will somehow protect him. 

"Oh yeah?" Octavian says. "Who do you think he's gonna believe? You, the resident delinquent or me, the resident suck up?" 

"I really don't think that's something you should be proud of," Will says. Nico laughs and even in Will's moment of fear, it feels good to still be able to crack a joke. 

"Oh, whatever," Octavian says. "My point still stands. You're done. Both of you. Goodnight, boys, and enjoy your last night as students." He turns on his heel and disappears into the night. His walk is slow and heavy, as if there's something attached to his ankle, but whatever exhaustion he might be feeling, it's nothing to what Will feels. 

When Will turns to Nico, he's crying. Tears roll down his face and his cheeks are flushed, as if he has a fever, or has been out in the sun. "It'll be okay, you know," Nico says, choking out his words. 

"I don't think I'm the one who needs to hear it," Will says. He takes Nico up in his arms, hugging him so tight he can feel Nico's heartbeat against his chest. 

"You're crying, too," Nico says. 

"I am?" 

"Wipe your face, hon, you've got tears everywhere," Nico says. Will breaks apart, and when he wipes his cheeks, his fingertips come back wet and smelling like salt. 

"Oh,"  Will says. He hasn't taken time to evaluate his feelings throughout their conversation but when he takes a step back from his life he realizes that his entire body is shaking, and that his gasping sobs make his chest hurt. 

"Hey, let's sit for a while," Nico says. "It can't get any worse, so we might as well stay here while we can." 

They're both in tears as they take a seat in their normal pew, feet on the normal dirt, the normal glow of the moon on their face. It's been two, maybe three, minutes since they were there last and still, it feels as if their lives have been flipped upsidedown and suddenly, Will is wandering around, trying to find his way through a maze he once had a map for. "What are we going to do?" Will asks as Nico takes his trembling hands, kissing them softly. 

"I don't know what we can do," Nico says. A tear hangs from the tip of his chin, and Will breaks out of Nico's grasp and wipes it off of Nico's chin. "I hate to admit it, but Octavian is right. Headmaster Seymour is gonna believe him over us any day of the week. And even if we manage to weasle our way out of this, we're never gonna live it down. Octavian will make sure the whole school knows. We won't be able to go anywhere together, not even as friends. He'll make sure our lives our ruined, even if we get to stay. So we own up to it, and hope for the best." 

"You know that's not going to go well, right?" Will says. His chest aches with the loss of what he could have had. "We're done." 

"I know, but at least we're going down together, right?" Nico says. "And we'll be able to be ourselves. Finally. Anyway, we have one last chance to make out in here, so you wanna take it?" 

They spent the night in each other's arms, kissing in the moonlight and talking about everything they can think of. Neither of them knows when they'll have this back, the feeling of being free to live their lives outside of the public eye. But until Octavian tells their secret, it still belongs to them. 

Hi guys, so just a quick question, but would anyone be interested in reading a longer Destiel fic? I won't say too much but it would be hopefully about 10 parts, kind of a mutual dislike/tolerance to romance? Let me know if that's something you would be interested in because I want to write it but if there isn't much interest I might not bother. Anyway, I hope you liked this, and the last part will be up next week!

Nina