Nico's POV

"Let's talk bucket lists," Will said, plopping down onto the couch next to Nico. Without waiting for an answer he reached down, snatching up the remote from the coffee table and clicking off the show that Nico's eyes had been glued to. 

"Hey," Nico complained, grabbing for the remote before falling lazily back to the couch. "What was that for?"

"Answer the question."

"I don't really have anything, I dunno," Nico shrugged. "What about you?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked." Nico rolled his eyes. "I've always wanted to go camping. And it's gonna get cold soon, and this campsite just opened up at this really cool campground. It's just a bunch of little clearings on a mountain, and you just set up. No store, no pool, none of that luxury stuff that takes away the real essence of camping. It would just be us and the wilderness."

"Well, we don't have a tent," Nico pointed out.

"Percy told me he'd lend us his," Will said. "Come on, I really want to do this."

"Will, I've never been camping in my life, and I didn't plan on it any time soon," Nico groaned. "What about Kayla? Or Austin? They'd go with you, they love the outdoors."

"But Percy said he had a two person sleeping bag," Will said. "Come on, just imagine it. Besides, you're too pale. You need to get outside more, doctor's orders. Maybe you won't look like a ghost after a weekend in the wilderness"

"Hey, that's not fair," Nico complained. "I'm not that pale. Besides, insulting me isn't gonna make me go with you."

"Please?" Will begged. "For me?"

"Fine," Nico sighed. "I'll go with you." A grin spread across Will's face and he gave Nico a small kiss on the forehead, making Nico blush. 

"Aw, look, you aren't completely translucent," Will teased, brushing Nico's cheek with his thumb. "You can finish your show. I'll pack the car, you don't have to."

"Me packing the car was never on the table," Nico grinned, turning his show back on. Will smiled softly, pressing a second kiss to Nico's forehead. 

"We'll be ready to go in twenty minutes," Will said, pushing himself up. "Enjoy your show. There isn't going to be a lot of technology where we're going."

------

Nico stared at the block of green that surrounded their car as they puttered up the mountain, the paved road sticking out in an otherwise verdant world. "Look at how gorgeous is it," Will sighed, grinning. "You know, there's a little river right near our campsite. We can go swimming, or fishing. Percy lent us all of his camping stuff. There's this little grill, and I can catch us some dinner."

"Do you know how to fish?" Nico asked as Will turned down a tiny side road, grass reaching for the tires. 

"Well, I can figure it out," Will said as he pulled into their campsite, surrounded by a thick blanket of trees that seemed to block out the sky, with only glimpses of the gray clouds visible through the leaves. "We should set up." He stepped out of the car, opening the trunk and pulling out the tent. "Percy said this was really easy, and I looked up a tutorial before we left. He did lose the directions, but it should be simple."

"You know I've never set up a tent before, right?" Nico asked, watching as Will spread out the flat tent on the pine needle coated ground. 

"It'll be easy," Will assured him. "Like I said, don't worry about it." He stuck a pole through the tent loops, threading it through before it was stuck in the middle. Nico shook his head, smirking as he helped to thread it through to the end. "See, this isn't too hard," Will said as Nico stuck the edge into the ground, hammering in the stake and letting it slide into the soft ground. "We make a good team."

"Yeah," Nico said as they weaved another pole through the tent. "I guess we do."

------

Soon a light green tent sat in the clearing, a darker tarp thrown across the top. Nico hauled his bag out of the trunk, unzipping it and peering inside. "Did you pack my bag for me? I would have done it if you had asked me."

"It's fine," Will said as he dragged the supplies out of the trunk, propping up the stove next to the picnic table. "You agreed to come with me, and I know you didn't want to. I can pack your stuff. I know your essentials, anyway. Your favorite pajama shorts, your sweatshirt, your lucky blanket."

"Are you making fun of my lucky blanket?" Nico gasped, throwing Will a hurt look.

"I would never," Will responded, tossing the sleeping bag inside the tent. "Come on, let's check it out." They crawled inside of the door, zipping it up and staring up at the ceiling. They laid on top of the sleeping bag, their fingers intertwined with Nico's lucky blanket sitting on top of their bodies. "You getting hungry?"

"A little bit," Nico said. "What time is it? Around four?" Will nodded. "Yeah, I could eat in an hour or two."

"Come on," Will said, pulling him up. "Let's go get dinner."

"Where?" Nico asked. "There isn't a restaurant for miles."

"I told you, we're going fishing," Will said as he zipped the tent back up. His footsteps marred the dirt as they trekked through the forest, the sounds of nature on all sides. "The river should be around here somewhere." Nico followed him, craning his neck to see the trees that loomed over them, bending in the wind that had begun to pick up. Birds came down from the sky to roost on the branches, nuts clutched in their beaks. Flowers rose from the ground, facing the sky for a gentle touch from the bright sun and underneath their feet pine needles littered the ground, chocolatey brown dirt peeking out from underneath. 

"It really is gorgeous here," Nico said, staring around in awe. "When you said camping, I didn't know you meant this."

"What else did you think I meant?" Will asked as he pushed aside a branch to reveal a river rushing through the forest, filled with clear blue water and leaping fish. 

"Like, the kind where you stay in a run down campsite with a single playground and a murky pool," Nico said. "I didn't think it would be this beautiful." He kicked off his shoes and socks, sitting by the riverbank and dipping his toes in the water. Minnows darted past his toes, occasionally coming closer to examine the strange, flesh colored object in their water.

"Look, here's our dinner," Will announced, sitting next to Nico with a fishing pole in his hands. His jeans were rolled halfway up his calves and the wind was blowing his hair back from his forehead, showing off his bright blue eyes and happy smile. "It's so cool, don't you think, to be able to just get your own dinner?"

"Yeah, if you can catch any," Nico laughed. "You know you have to put the worm on the hook, right?" 

"Well, I don't have any, so we're just going to have to wait," Will said. "We can just hang out and talk until we get a bite." Light conversation filled their lives as they sat by the river with their feet dipped in the water, distorted by the liquid running over the pebbles that sat underneath the waves. Clouds moved across the sky, darker and grayer by the second. 

"Will, I'm getting hungry," Nico groaned, his eyes trained on the fish darting around Will's hook. "You don't have a worm, they're not gonna bite. I saw a McDonald's on the way here, let's just bring it back here. I'll drive."

"I can get a bite," Will insisted. "Just a few more minutes."

"No, Will, you can't." Nico crouched down, kissing Will lightly on the cheek. "Come on, I'll buy you a filet if you really want fish."

"Fine," Will sighed, reeling in the line. "We came all the way out here to live off of the land but sure, let's go to McDonald's." As they slipped back through the trees with the fishing pole tight in Will's hand the sky above them darkened, thick gray clouds crowding around the sun. 

"Did you check the weather before we left?" Nico frowned, staring up at the sky. 

"Um, yes?" Nico rolled his eyes as they reached the campsite, the grill open and ready for a fish that would never lay on the skillet. 

"Let's go," he sighed, slipping into the car. "I'm starving." He slid the keys into the ignition, rolling gently back down the hill and pulling out of the campground, driving down the highway. An occasional glimpse upwards confirmed his suspicions of a quickly darkening sky and he pressed the accelerator harder, urging the car towards their destination. The McDonald's in question was nearly hidden behind a clump of trees, the huge golden arches the only things that kept Nico from completely driving past. "So?" he asked, pulling the car into the parking lot. "Do you want fish?"

"Nah, I'm having nuggets," Will said as they walked through the door, the air thick with the scent of fries. They could hear screams of joy from the play place but besides the small family of four the store was empty, the employees behind the counter chatting quietly or cleaning the surfaces. "I'll have the ten piece nugget meal," Will said once he was standing at the counter, his eyes reflecting the changing screens. "With sweet and sour. Nico, what about you?"

"I'll take a cheeseburger happy meal," Nico decided. "With a go-gurt, and soda." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Will rolling his eye and he gave his boyfriend a light jab in his side, earning a hurt look from Will. 

"What was that for?" he complained. 

"I know you're judging me for getting a happy meal," Nico responded. "I can do whatever I want with my money, I'm a grown up."

"Yeah, but you don't act like one," Will laughed as he filled his cup with root beer, chugging half the cup before sticking it back underneath the dispenser and watching the foam bubble up slightly over the top, the ice cubes glassy next to the bubbles popping at the edges of the cardboard cup. Nico sipped at his sprite, fizzy in his mouth and when their order was called he ripped open the happy meal box, pulling out the toy with a smile. 

"Cool," he grinned, flipping it over in his hands. "I got Mario." He thrust the box at Will, forgoing all thoughts of food as he tore into the plastic wrap of the toy, throwing it away the first chance he got and inspecting the toy more closely. "Do you think there are real stickers inside of that box, or are they just for show?" he muttered, drawing his fingers across the yellow plastic. 

"Just for show, probably," Will said, casting his gaze onto the toy. "Their toys aren't that good, anyway." A smirk spread slowly across Nico's face as they climbed into the car and he raised an eyebrow at Will, giggles rising up in his chest. 

"William Solace, are you jealous of my happy meal toy?" he laughed as he started the engine with a rumble. A twin rumble rolled across the sky and Nico's expression turned worried for a split second as he began driving.

"You know what?" Will said. "Yes I am. I am one hundred percent jealous of your happy meal toy." 

"Here," Nico offered as he drove back down the highway, handing Will the toy. "We can share it. But that's just because I love you. I wouldn't do that for anyone else, you know." Will blushed. 

"Well, I love you too." As soon as the words left Will's lips a fat raindrop fell from the sky, spreading onto the windshield as more joined it, exploding on the glass and making Nico curse.

"This is perfect timing," he groaned as the car pulled them up the hill, turning into their campsite. "We're not gonna be able to do anything else."

"It'll pass quickly," Will said uncertainly, grabbing their food and putting an arm over it protectively. "Come on, we can just eat inside. But we're going to have to hurry." He shoved Nico out of the car, sprinting inside of the tent with the food as he tucked it safely underneath his shirt. "Come on, Nico!" 

Once they were both safely inside he zipped up the tent tightly and heaving a sigh he let the food tumble out from underneath his shirt, fries spilling onto the sleeping bag. "We got in here just in time," he sighed as rain pounded on the roof of the tent, the fabric bending under the weight. A clap of thunder boomed, lightning splitting the sky. He opened a sweet and sour sauce, licking the cover and dipping a nugget, the skin crunching lightly underneath his teeth. "I'll always love these things. Do you want one? That's not much." 

"Nah, I've got enough," Nico responded as he flattened out the go-gurt tube into his mouth. "You brought the toy in, right?" Will's face went pale. 

"Sorry." 

"Well, we can't go back out there now," Nico sighed as he watched the outline of the rain fly past the tent door, hitting the ground and making the dirt wet. "Maybe it'll clear up soon. What should we do until then?"

"Let's just hang out," Will suggested, slipping inside the sleeping bag. "It's cozy in here. Nice and warm. Plenty of room, too."  Nico slid underneath with him, taking a bite of his cheeseburger with his head propped against Will's arm. 

"You're right," he said. "It really is nice." His gaze was trained on the roof of the tent, on the outline of the raindrops hitting the tarp and the faint sight of the clouds crying onto the Earth. Will was warm and he snuggled into his chest, taking another bite of his cheeseburger. "Tell me a ghost story," he asked, listening to the wind howl through the trees. He could see the branches bending and twisting around themselves but the tent made him feel safe. Will made him feel safe. 

"A ghost story?"

"Yeah, I'm in the mood for a ghost story," Nico said. "We can take turns."

"Alright, I'm gonna make one up," Will decided as he popped a sweet and sour slathered fry into his mouth. "Once upon a time there was the cutest couple in the world, camping deep in the wilderness on a stormy night." Nico smiled sleepily, tucking himself deeper into the crevices in Will's body as he let the story wash him away.

------

Will's POV

At one point, he noticed that the world had turned quiet. "Hey, I think the rain stopped," he said, interrupting Nico to lift his head from his pillow, rubbing his eyes and staring at the walls of the tent. "Yeah, it's over," he grinned, standing up. "Come on, let's go outside."

"So you don't want to hear what happened to the guy who took his friend's dare to spend the night in a haunted house?" Nico asked as he stood up, brushing fry crumbs off of his shirt.

"You can tell me later," Will offered as he unzipped the tent. The air was still wet from the rain and water droplets clung to the outside of the tent but the sky had cleared and they were now coated in a blanket of glittering stars, each one more brilliant than the last. His shoes slid in slick mud as he made his way to the trunk popping it open and grabbing a bag of wood and a small cooler, hauling it out to the fire pit. "What do you think about s'mores?" 

"You read my mind," Nico grinned. "Are you sure you can build a fire now though? It just rained."

"Hey, if there's one thing I know how to do, it's build a fire," Will said. 

"Isn't that what you said about fishing?" Nico snickered. Will rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey, I'm serious about this," he insisted. "Get the chairs out of the car, will you? And see if you can find some sticks for marshmallow roasting." 

Nico propped up the chairs five feet from the fire pit, venturing out to the edges of the trees to find sticks. When he returned he found a roaring fire, the orange standing out against the black of the night.

"Wow," he whistled, the fire reflecting in his eyes. "You really do know how to build a fire."

"Told you," Will smirked. "Did you get sticks?" Nico held one out, keeping one for himself and sitting down in a black chair, the warmth from the fire a furnace on his skin. Will handed him a handful of marshmallows and as the fire crackled they roasted their marshmallows until they were golden brown and gooey, and they were slapping them onto graham cracker halves and covering them with chocolate. 

"This is kinda perfect," Nico sighed, his mouth full of a mess of marshmallow and chocolate and graham cracker. The air was still cold from the rain but the fire kept them warm, embers flying up and landing on the ground, glowing a bright orange until dying out. "Just us, eating s'mores and hanging out underneath the stars. It's so beautiful here."

"I knew you'd love it," Will grinned. "That's why I dragged you out here. I knew it would be perfect, just like this. Just us, together in the woods." He inched his chair closer to Nico until they were close enough to kiss, their chair legs touching as they stared up at the sky. The stars dotted the sky like wildflowers, shining a silvery light onto the sky. The world around them was quiet, almost un-tained by humanity. The only evidence of human touch was two boys alone in the wilderness, sitting by a fire underneath a thick blanket of stars. 

Hi guys, I hope you liked that one! Also, if you ever have any constructive criticism, please let me know because I want to make my one shots the best they can be for you guys! Sometimes I feel like they're too long, or that they focus too much on unnecessary parts of the story, or they're too similar to each other. If you've noticed any of these or any other problems, just drop a comment and I'll do my best to fix it. And just so you know, I stayed up till one in the morning finishing this 3k word one shot for you guys because I didn't want to be late. Also, just a reminder, my first part of my special 200k reads story is going to be up Sunday night, so just be on the lookout for that.

Nina