Hey guys just to let you know this was written about a month and a half ago, and I'm not sure how good it is but I'm going to post it anyway because I have nothing else to post!! It's been kind of a hectic week I had to use this one. Also sorry about what I'm about to do to Solangelo hehe.

Nico's POV

When Nico heard crying in the bathroom he paused, his head turning to face the brown door. The school was silent, most of the students long departed. Outside the soccer team dribbled balls in between cones and he knew that upstairs a study group lounged in the library, preparing themselves for upcoming college applications. His detention had ended minutes ago, the others stuck in the room with him for the stifling hour hopping out of the school at the first chance they got. There shouldn't have been crying in the bathroom but yet the sobs filled his eardrums, pulling at a place in his heart that dragged him inside. 

Percy's back was pressed against the wall, his arms limp at his side as quiet tears slid down his face. "What happened?" Nico murmured, sliding down next to him. Their hands bumped together and Nico considered inching his away before deciding to let it stay, nestled against Percy's finger.

"She dumped me," he said, his voice low and husky. "Five years, and she dumped me. I can't believe she dumped me. Couldn't make the long distance work, she said. I would have come to California with her, if she had asked. I have time, I'd find a college close to Stanford and we'd see each other every day. But she didn't even try."

"Perce, I-" Nico bit his lips, trying to come up with something other than saying sorry. "I'm sorry." He couldn't even do better than that."

Percy shook his head, sniffling. "It's fine," he said. "It's just- I don't even know what I'm going to do without her. Five years, and now she's gone. Nothing's ever going to replace her."

"You'll find someone else," Nico promised. "It might take some time, but she's not the only one out there for you." 

"I know you're right," Percy said. "But it's like there's this hole inside of me, that I feel like I can never fill." Nico's hand inched onto Percy's, giving it a light squeeze. 

"I'm here for you," he said. Something thumped in his chest, a beast awakening after years of being shoved down. Outside he could hear the soccer team cheering a teammate on. Will was out there, dressed in his cute uniform, his hair tousled. But Percy was inside, tear tracks down his face. 

"Thank you." Percy threw his arms around Nico's neck, his tears staining Nico's shirt. Nico bit his lips, the beast inside of him roaring. When they broke apart Nico was staring into Percy's emerald green eyes, the beast inside of him crawling up his throat. He wasn't in control when his lips were crashing into Percy's but his emotions were a frenzy of joy and delight and all things good, the beast inside of him roaring its approval. He could feel Percy kissing him back, his lips soft and smooth. He tasted like blueberries, just like Nico had always imagined. 

They scrambled apart when the door swung open and Austin was staring at them with wide eyes full of questions. "Nico, what- what-" he stammered, his face pale. "Will- Will's out there. He's on that field, right outside. What are you doing?"

"Austin, I can explain." Nico leapt up, his limbs trembling. "It's not was it looks like, it's just- I was just-" 

"Cheating on Will." Austin's voice had gone cold, a voice that had been so nervous seconds ago turning to steel. "You know I have to tell him."

"Austin, come on," Nico begged, a tear pooling up in his eye. "You don't have to. It was one kiss, it didn't mean anything."

"It meant something alright," Austin said, turning out the door. "You had a choice, and you made the wrong one. Maybe Will won't care, maybe he'll forgive you. But he has the right to know."

"Austin-" the door swung shut behind him, Nico staring at the wood with tears snaking their way down his cheeks. 

------

He hadn't stayed in the bathroom for long. As soon as Austin's footsteps had faded down the hallway Nico had bolted, saying a quick apology to Percy as the door pushed him out of the bathroom. He had sprinted home, the low September sun burning the pavement. His feet throbbed, his heart screaming at him but he didn't stop until he was pounding up the stairs, flinging his body onto his bed as uncontrollable sobs wracked his body. His fingers curled tightly around his phone but he didn't dare look at it, the little bubble that would inevitably be floating on his screen would bring so much pain that he wouldn't be able to stand it. So he let himself cry, the tears soaking his pillow until his body was bone dry.

The sun had long ago set over Long Island Sound when he gathered enough courage to look at his phone. Texts crowded his screen, from Annabeth asking if she knew if Percy was alright to Hazel begging to know what had happened. One stood out among all the rest, the pink hearts next to Will's name popping out against the gray of the message boxes. We need to talk. Meet me at our place?  Nico's heart let out a sigh. It wasn't over, at least not yet.

Still up for it?  He typed back, his finger hovering just above the send button before hitting it. Will's response popped up immediately. 

Meet u there. Nico hopped up, a smile spreading across his face. He pulled on his shoes, grabbing his wallet from his floor. Words wouldn't be enough to make Will forgive him, he'd need a little something extra. He shoved it into his pocket, creeping down the stairs. He could hear snoring from his father's room but when he reached the living room a lamp shone onto the couch, illuminating Hazel sitting cross legged on the couch, scratching out math problems with soft music playing next to her. "Nico, hey," she gasped once she noticed him, setting down her work and joining him at the bottom of the stairs. "What happened? Jason said something about you and Percy but the details were jumbled, and I didn't get the whole story."

"I kissed Percy."

"No. You didn't. Nico, you did not cheat on Will."

"It was one kiss."

"So?" Hazel let out a mirthless laugh. "You cheated on Will. You love Will, and you cheated on him."

"It was one kiss," Nico said hastily. "It didn't mean anything, Percy and I are just friends. I do love Will, you know I do."

"Well, it's going to take a lot of work to convince him," Hazel said. 

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on it." He fished his phone out of his pocket but there weren't any new messages, like a strange silence that spoke volumes. "I'll see you later. I'm meeting him." 

He slipped out the door into the cool night, but before hearing a quiet "good luck" from the girl on the couch.

He shivered in his thin shirt, the moon aglow above him. His eyes caught a small grocery store and he slipped inside, the fluorescent lights blinding. He grabbed a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates, setting them on the belt and giving the cashier a tight smile. "Asking someone out?" she said, taking Nico's money and sliding it into the cash register. 

"The opposite, actually," Nico sighed. "I have to win someone back."

The chocolates and roses swung from his arm in a heart shaped bag, specially recommended to him by the cashier. "You'll get him back," she had promised him as she had grabbed it from a rack. "He won't be able to say no." As he neared the park his heart pounded inside of his chest. He had once chance. One chance to make the one boy he loved love him back again. 

Will was sitting on the same bench they always sat at, his shoes kicked off and his toes tracing patterns in the small pond. "Hey," Nico sighed, sitting next to Will. "I got you some presents." he set the heart shaped bag down on his lap, pulling out the rose and the chocolates. 

"Thanks," Will said dryly, biting into a chocolate. "Very coconutty."

"Do you like them?"

"They're alright." Nico stared at the dark water, the reflection of the stars glistening. The park was quiet, the awkward silence between them thick and heavy. 

"So," Nico sighed. "I think we should talk about why we're here."

"You kissed Percy," Will said. "What else is there to talk about?"

"Will, please, here me out," Nico begged. 

"Why should I?"

"Percy was just there," Nico said. "These feelings that I haven't felt in years were just there and then I just kissed him, and they were gone within seconds. Then it was just regret, because you were the only thing I could think about."

"Yeah, but you kissed him," Will said, his eyes shifting away from Nico. "It's not like other people don't have feelings for other people. I've had feelings for other people before. But I get rid of them as quickly as I can, and I don't kiss them. Because I love you more." Will wouldn't meet his gaze. 

"Tell me how I can make it up to you," Nico begged. He rested his hand on Will's hand but Will pulled it away, nestling it in his laps. "Please. I don't want you to dump me. I love you."

"I'm not going to break up with you."

"You're not."

"No, Nico, I'm not," Will sighed. "I love you too much." Nico felt his heart sigh in relief, a sweet release that he had waited for all day.

"Tell me what I can do," Nico begged. "To regain your trust."

"It's just gonna take time, I guess," Will shrugged. "I mean, this has never really never happened to me before. I don't know what happens next." Nico stared at the ripples in the pond, waterbeds skiing across the surface. An owl hooting in the distance broke the silence between them but there was still a distance between them, one that Nico was trying desperately to bridge. 

"Come on," Nico said after a few minutes of silence. "I have something to show you."

"Where are we going?" Will asked suspiciously, standing up and following Nico out of the park.

"You think the school is open right now?" Nico asked as they walked down the street with the moon staining the sky in silver. 

"Probably," Will said. "The night custodian is in around now, and they almost never lock it anyway. Why?"

"I just have something to show you," Nico responded. They neared the school, a single light on upstairs with a zamboni outlined against the window. He pushed open the door, his footsteps quiet against the swept down floor. 

"Nico-"

"See that staircase, right there?" Nico said, gesturing to the stairs winding up to the second floor. "First day of freshman year and I was hurrying to my class and we bumped into each other and you spilled your papers all over the floor and I helped you clean up."

"I remember that," Will said with a small smile. "My history teacher yelled at me for being late but I didn't care. That was the first time we ever met."

"Come on up," Nico said, gesturing for Will to follow him as he mounted the staircase. The lights hummed as they flickered on, a hazy golden light that stood out against the dark hallway. "Do you remember that room?" 

"Freshman english," Will said, grinning. "The first class we had together. We ended up sitting next to each other and I was shocked at how much you loved the class. Everyone else hated it, but not you."

"And then the theater, over there," Nico said, grabbing Will's hand and pulling him toward the mahogany door. "Come on, let's go in." He shoved it open, stumbling into the dark theater. The velvet curtains were pulled over the stage, the thousand seats empty. Gum was stuck to the bottom of the chairs, empty soda cans rolling around on the floor. "You remember that presentation they gave us in December of freshman year, right? The one about how we needed to be more grateful about our high school experience?"

"And we left halfway through," Will grinned, nodding. "You told me that you were as grateful as you were going to get and we left out those side doors." He pointed to the small set of double doors, blending in with the drab gray walls. They were shut tightly but Nico knew that with a light push they would give way, leading out of the school.

"You remember how hard it was to not get the teachers to notice us, right?" Nico laughed as they weaved through the seats. "Remember Mrs. Jones watching us like a hawk from the top, and we could barely escape her?"

"That was really fun," Will grinned. "Sometimes I forget about all of that stuff. But I wish I didn't."

"It's alright," Nico said as he pushed the door open, stepping out into the silent courtyard. During the presentation it had been coated with snow, the flowers dead and the air freezing but now flowers hung off of the bushes, an explosion of pink and purple and red. Underneath a weeping willow sat a picnic table and Nico took a seat, patting the spot next to him. "Remember we sat down right here?" he asked. "And we talked about everything, life and family and romance?"

"And I found out that you had the most beautiful way of speaking I had ever heard," Will said. 

"And then I kissed you," Nico said, his thumb tilting Will's chin down to his level. "Just like this." He pressed his lips to Will's, his lips warm and his cheek smooth. 

"Nico, what's this been about?" Will sighed when they broke apart. 

"Listen, I know I made a mistake," Nico said. "It sucked, what I did. But I wanted to let you know that we still have so many more memories, just like these. We have so much left to explore in our relationship, and I don't want it to be cut short just because of my bad judgement. This was the place I fell in love with you, Will." He spread his arms out as if he held the whole school in his hands. "And I still love you. So, so much."

"You really are a smooth talker," Will said, head dipped low to the ground. "You know I'm not ready to forgive you now, right?"

"I'm glad you're not ready to forgive me," Nico said quickly. "If you forgave me right now, I wouldn't be able to trust you to do what's right for you. But I just wanted to tell you that I love you, more than anything. And I hope that one day, you will be ready to forgive me."

"You made a mistake, and you admitted that," Will said. "But I still love you. It's going to be a little while until I can forgive you but just know that I still love you." Something burst in Nico's chest, leaking happiness through his body. He flung his arms around Will's shoulders, burying his face in his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, tears leaking out of his eyes. "I love you." Will wrapped his arms around Nico's body, resting his head on Nico's back.

"I know you're sorry," he whispered. A light breeze ran through the courtyard, the petals of the flowers rustling. "I love you, too."

Hey guys so like I said before this was pre-written so it's not as good as I'd like it to be, but I hope you still liked it!

Nina