Will's POV

"Hey, we should do something tonight," Nico says, falling onto Will's bed over his feet, making papers fly off of Will's lap.

"You're stupid," Will responds, rolling his eyes as he gathers the papers into a pile, flipping through to find the article he was reading. "I have homework. And besides, we have a curfew, or did you not remember the rules we've had to follow since freshman year?"

"We can sneak out," Nico says, shrugging as he plays with the fraying end of his shoelace. "People do it all the time. Percy and Annabeth did it last week. Come on, it'll be fun. We're close enough so that we can take a taxi to Manhatten and we can just explore for the night. Tomorrow's Saturday, Mr. Alberson took the day off so she won't be breathing down our necks and we really don't have that much homework. It's perfect."

"I have to finish this essay, Nico."

"Let me see that." Before Will can react Nico snatches his laptop, clearing his voice and holding it a foot away from his chest. "The main function of the body is to keep the individual alive, and the heart is the organ at the root of the function. This is why it is vital to keep it healthy. In this essay, three methods of keeping one's heart healthy will be explained." Nico slams the lid of the laptop shut so hard it makes Will wince. "Sounds pretty finished to me. The heart is important, you have to keep it healthy. Done."

"Nico-"

"Whatever you're gonna say, I don't want to hear it. Besides, you still owe me from that last time."

"I did you a favor by not letting you bring that stray dog into our dorm. Mr. Albertson would have ripped your head off."

"I think it would have been a nice addition," Nico says. "Come on, Will. Please. It'll be fun, I promise." Will heaves a sigh, gently setting his laptop to his side and setting his papers into his folder.

"Fine," he says, giving Nico a tight smile. "If we get caught, I'm blaming everything on you." Nico doesn't seem to mind. His face is glowing and his smile is splitting open his face. He leans down, pressing a hard kiss to Will's lips.

"Yes!" he says, bouncing on his feet. "Come on, grab a jacket. Let's go."

"Shouldn't we call an uber?"

"I already did, five minutes ago."

"Nico!"

"What? I knew you were gonna say yes." Will rolls his eyes, sliding out of bed and slipping on a sweatshirt over his tee.

"Fine. Let's just go."

They creep out of the dorm building, careful to not make too much noise. They can hear laughter behind doors, light spilling out onto the linoleum floor. Will can hear his heart pounding, thumping against the walls of his chest and his hands are coated in sweat. "Jesus, Will, why are you so nervous? It's like you've never done anything rebellious in your life."

"I haven't."

"What a pussy."

"Nico, shut up. I agreed to come with you, you have to be nice."

"Fine," Nico says, grabbing onto Will's hand. "I'm sorry, okay?" He kisses it lightly. "I love you." Will can feel himself heating up even more, but this time, it isn't from nerves.

"I love you too." He feels Nico give his hand a light squeeze as they step outside, the cool December air wrapping around them like a blanket. The remnants of last week's snowstorm are scattered across the campus, flecks of frost in the dead grass. Lights are on everywhere in the dorm rooms, showing off the silhouettes of students in the window but the classrooms are dark, and the buildings look like shadowy blocks. They jog down the long path that winds through the campus, Will's eyes searching their surroundings for any long shadow, listening for a crunching footstep that might mean a teacher is lurking. "Where are we meeting the uber, anyway?" Will asks as they reach the tall gate that separates Long Island Prep from the rest of the world. "You didn't tell them to come into the school, did you?"

"I'm almost offended that you think I'm that stupid," Nico says. "No, idiot, I didn't. We're meeting them on the street that leads onto the road. It'll be, like, a two-minute walk."

It feels strange slipping out of the metal gate and onto the main road, the Long Island Prep sign looming over them like an iron giant.

"Hey, do you remember the last time I was off campus?" Will asks, his head still turned back to the sign even as Nico pulls him down the street.

"I remember we went to get dinner two weeks ago," Nico says, frowning softly. "Was that the last time?" Will's heart plummets.

"Must have been. Maybe it's a good thing I'm coming with you."

"You're welcome."

Will can see the uber when he can see the bright beam of the headlights cutting into the dark night. He smiles at the driver as he and Nico slip into the back and the car rumbles, giving a jolt as they roll. "Do you want to split the cost or something?"

"No, I've got it," Nico says, his hand covering Will's lightly. Nico's hand is smaller than his, but he still feels a distinct sense of warmth and comfort.

------

It's been about twenty minutes when the car comes up on the city and all of a sudden lights twinkle around them like stars. "You can drop us here, thanks," Nico says, handing the driver a wad of cash. 

"Where did you get all of that?"

"Birthdays, Christmas, working during the summer," Nico shrugs. "I've been saving most of it for a special occasion." They slip out of the car, saying thank you to the driver before he zooms off into the night, swallowed up by the throngs of cars honking, their headlights touching on the parts of the world that the glow of the signs above can't. "Are you hungry?"

"Kind of. Yeah, I could eat."

"Sweet. McDonald's?"

"You'll take any chance to eat McDonald's, won't you?"

"Hey, I know you like it, too," Nico says, laughing as he grabs Will's hand. "I've never seen someone put away so many nuggets."

"Shut up," Will says as they push open the door, a small bell above them chiming. He catches a glimpse of his face in the mirror and it's red; he isn't sure if it's from the cold or Nico. 

They order a twenty piece and a large fry and take a booth pressed against the window, watching the bustle of times square as they eat nuggets slathered in sweet n sour. Nico is laughing, his cheeks rosy and his eyes shining and Will leans over the table, wiping away a spec of sauce. "Thanks," Nico says, meeting him in the middle and kissing him softly. He tastes like salt and nuggets and Will isn't sure why, but he loves it. 

When they've cleared the tray they step back out onto the street, staring up at the skyscrapers towering over their heads. The lights at the very top look like stars but they can just barely make out signs of movement inside, like ants high in the sky. "Where should we go now?" Will asks, barely able to comprehend the level of activity around them. The signs change at the speed of light and they have to hold hands so they won't get lost, not that Will is complaining. 

"Do you like skating? Because Rockefeller Center is only, like, a block away, and I thought it might be nice. It's cheesy, I know, but it would be nice."

"Yeah, I like skating," Will says. "Let's go." 

It's been a while since Will has been in the city and he gets the sensation of a balloon expanding inside of his chest as he looks at Rockefeller Center, the trees with lights strung inside of their branches, casting a rainbow glow over the concrete, the dozens and dozens of skaters moving simultaneously in a circle around the rink. He can hear the chink of skates on ice and for a brief second, he pauses, letting the scene sink in. "Will?"

"Yeah, sorry," he says, shaking his head. "It's been such a long time since I've been here, I forgot how beautiful it is." Nico stops walking, watching the skaters with Will for a few more seconds, a small smile playing across his lips. 

"You're right," he says. "Sometimes I feel trapped on that campus, you know?"

"Yeah. It's nice to be here right now, even though we might be fucked when we get back."

"Thant's true," Nico laughs, squeezing Will's hand gently. "Come on, let's grab skates."

With his skates on Will wobbles like a newborn deer out to the rink, grabbing onto the wall for support as Nico effortlessly soars out to the middle, his skate leaving a slit in his wake. "Come on," he says, sweeping over to Will. "I thought you said you liked skating."

"I do," Will says, gritting his teeth as shaking hands hold him up, preventing him from falling. "I just suck at it." 

"Come on," Nico says, offering Will his hand. "I'll help you." Will counts to three in his head before pushing himself off of the wall, wobbling for a second, scared that he'll fall until he feels Nico's arms around his waist, holding him up. "See?" Nico says, straightening him up and holding one hand tightly, his other still around Will's waist. "I won't let you fall. I promise." Will pushes himself cautiously, listening to his skates scrape against the ice. He can feel his ankles bending gently but he's still upright with Nico's arms supporting him and soon they're moving at a slow but steady pace, their moves in tandem. "See?" Nico says, grinning. "It's not that hard, is it?" 

"You were right," Will says. "Don't take your hands off of me, though."

"Because you're scared or because you like it?" Will feels his cheeks heat up. 

"You know exactly why."

"Yeah, I do." Nico grips Will's waist with both hands, spinning around and skating backward as he kisses Will. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Will says, latching onto Nico's arms and trying to smile through the pounding in his heart. "Don't do that, though. I'm gonna fall." Nico laughs, stopping only when Will shoots him a piercing glare. 

"Okay, okay, sorry you're a shitty skater." He spins back around, ice flecks flying up from the blades as he takes his place back behind Will. 

"Nico!" 

"Sorry," he says, laughing quietly. Will is about to protest but Nico presses a soft kiss to his shoulder and all of a sudden, everything is perfect.

------

When Will starts to yawn Nico pulls them off of the ice and Will leans against the wall, his legs shaking. "Do you want to go?" Nico asks, his eyes sweeping Will up and down. "You look tired."

"I'm fine," Wil says through a yawn that feels like it takes five minutes. 

"I know you're tired," Nico says, crossing his arms over his chest. "I kinda put this on you last minute, anyway. You want to go, don't you?"

"I don't want to," Will says, hiding the third yawn behind his sweatshirt sleeve. "I'm just exhausted." Nico smiles softly, wrapping his arm around Will's waist and squeezing his body softly. 

"Come on," he says. "Let's get a taxi and get out of here." 

Will feels strange once his skates are off as if he's wearing a new pair of feet walking through the city. It's cooler and he feels himself shivering as he and Nico walk down the street to where their uber was meeting them, just a few streets down. He finds himself unable to take his eyes off of the brightly flashing signs, his head swiveling just to look at them. But it's nice when they slip into the uber, the heat blasting and Will sighs as he rests his head on Nico's shoulder, the car rumbling as it takes them away from the heart of the city. 

------

"Shit." They're standing on the green in front of the door opens when Will watches Nico's eyes widen, his face blanching and his hand is sweaty in Will's.

"What?" Will asks, his heartbeat speeding up just standing there. 

"The light in Mr. Albertson's room is on," Nico says, almost in a whisper.

"Shit. Do you think he came back early?"

"Maybe," Nico says. "Do you think he knows we snuck out?"

"Maybe," Will says. "Actually, it is Mr. Alberson, so probably." Nico sighs shakily, casting him an apologetic look. 

"Sorry I made you do this," he says. "I'll take the fall if we get caught." 

"You don't have to," Will says, squeezing his hand. "If we go down, we're going down together." His eyes are still trained on the window when he sees a figure turn around and all of a sudden he can see Mr. Albertson's face, his eyes full of rage, his bushy mustache bristling. He points out the window at them and it feels like a stab to his gut as Mr. Alberson points to his room, almost foaming at the mouth. 

"Well, we're fucked," Nico says, letting out a shaky breath and laughing lightly. Before he takes a step he stands up on his tiptoes, smashing his lips into Will's. "Come on. Let's go get you your first detention."

Hi guys, sorry if that was a little abrupt, it's late right now and I don't have the energy for a better ending, but I hope you liked it!

Nina