Nico's POV

He's ashamed to say it but he's tired; when he was a freshman he'd stay up until three in the morning, watching badly written Netflix specials on his phone and writing a terrible essay that he had pushed to the very last minute. But now, with the hands of the clock not even past eleven, he knows he could pass out in his chair. He flips through one of Hazel's novels absentmindedly, checking his phone every five seconds to see if Will has texted him. But the only notifications he has are a text from Percy asking if he wants to go swimming on Tuesday, and an email from Dominos advertising their new deal that he will definitely be taking part in sooner or later. 

He glances out the window, already bored of the bland characters of the book and watches as the stars twinkle. They always shine differently in the summer; maybe it's the warm air, or maybe it's just that he finally has time to appreciate them. In the school year, he's constantly rushing around, passing in late homework or studying for a test but now, with nothing else to do, he could watch them for hours. They're the same ones every night but somehow, they always seem to change night to night. The night Will told him he was leaving they were dimmer than tonight. Everything that night had seemed dimmer. He remembers that pain well, the dull ache in his chest that made him feel abandoned, the sharp realization that he wouldn't be able to pull Will into the bathrooms and kiss him between classes, that they wouldn't be able to spend their afternoons walking to the coffee shop and drinking iced mochas on the hill overlooking the water. 

"I'll be back for vacations," Will said, resting his hand on Nico's shoulder. "And if you think about it, it's not that much time, anyway. And we've been together for a year, we'll be fine long distance." 

"It's not staying together I'm worried about," Nico said, glancing at the water rushing down underneath him. The iced mocha in his hands didn't taste as sweet as it usually did, and the normally calming water was menacing as it crashed down onto the rocks underneath them. "It's just- I'm going to miss you, Will. You're basically my best friend, you know." 

"You have other friends," Will reminded him gently. "Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Leo, Piper- you know they all love you. And I'm sorry, but it's an amazing opportunity. It's a full scholarship, Neeks, this could get me into college."

"Yeah, I know." Nico knew that he sounded miserable, but he tried his best to keep it out of his voice. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Will leaned in and pressed a kiss to Nico's lips, but it felt forced and Nico drew away quicker than he had meant to. "You could come too, you know. You're smart, and I bet your parents would let you." 

"There's no way I'd be able to go to boarding school," Nico said with a laugh that felt more like a bark at the back of his throat. "I wouldn't be able to get a good enough scholarship, anyway." He didn't speak, listened to the water crash below him. He could feel droplets of the spray on his skin and he focused on that instead of the throb in his head, heart, the pit in his stomach. He didn't know what to do. He had never considered that their time spent in the exact same place, drinking the exact same drink, might be finite. "It's fine, though," he said with a fake smile. "I'm really, really happy for you." 

Really, really happy for you. He can still hear himself saying those same words, even a year after he had said them. Even now they sound forced, like someone else speaking out of his mouth. He knew that Will didn't believe him; he had smiled the same saccharine smile that Nico was giving him and sipped his drink, the sound of the water filling the silence between them. He still regretted that night, regretted his own greed. Regretted trying to guilt Will out of going to boarding school all the way across the country, regretted trying to guilt him out of his following his dreams. It had come from a place of fear deep inside of his heart, one that he had been terrified to confront for months after Will left but now, a year later, he felt secure. And when his phone buzzed, the year apart had almost felt worth it.

He jumps up, slamming shut the cover of Hazel's book. Suddenly his heart is racing and everything seems brighter, and he bumps into about five things as he grabs his keys. "Mom!" he hollers, his voice too loud considering that it's nearly eleven. "I'm going to pick up Will!" He hears a soft groan from upstairs but he doesn't stop to wait for an answer as he bolts out of the house. The air is cool on his skin, and the stars feel as if they're smiling down on him. The moon is bright and he knows that somewhere in the sky, Will's plane is flying lower and lower to the ground. He's probably speeding as he zooms down the highway to the town next to his, the freeway empty this late at night. He can feel the rumble of the car underneath his feet as he presses down on the accelerator and the needle on the speedometer is pushing at seventy. One hand is gripping at the top of his steering wheel; his driver's ed teacher would be appalled, but he doesn't care, and the other hand hangs out the window, letting the cool air slap it. The hairs on his arms are standing up straight and he feels free as he races down the highway, free of the worries, constraints, loneliness of the year. Finally, he's free to love. 

Will's POV

He's antsy the entire plane ride home, his face pressed against the window as he watches the wings of the plane slice through cotton candy clouds. His foot is consistently tapping against the floor of the plane to the annoyance of the person next to him, and every five seconds he's checking his phone for a text from Nico. He isn't looking for anything in particular but he needs something, some sort of confirmation, that he's finally, finally going to see him. 

The final few months of that year had felt like forever, once the memories of his time spent with Nico over winter break became just that; memories. He had clung to every last one, staring at the pictures on his phone as he tried to relive those moments over and over again. 

The bad memories, though, they just seemed to keep coming back, pushing out any room for the memory of how Nico's hair felt, the way his eyes glittered when he smiled, the smell of his shampoo. He vividly remembers the very first few months, when his roommate hated him and he was filled with the most guilt he had ever felt in his life, watching Nico and his friends live their lives in New York and feeling completely and utterly detached. And the guilt when he first told Nico he was leaving, seeing the hurt and pain in his eyes, was the worst of it all. 

He cried as soon as got home, falling onto his bed and letting his tears soak his pillow. The image of Nico's face in his mind wouldn't stop coming up, the brief moment of shock and anger and betrayal before it was covered up by a mask of happiness. He wanted to text Nico, to tell him how sorry he was, how much he loved him, how much he wanted to stay with him. He wanted to tell him how much he didn't want to leave. But he couldn't not go; he knew that he couldn't give up an opportunity like that. He knew that his parents wouldn't let him give up an opportunity like that. 

He sighed, wiping at his eyes and turning his head so that he was facing out the window, watching a light summer breeze blow through the leaves of the trees. Their street was so classically suburban that Will couldn't help but love it; with the perfectly manicured lawns and the colorful trim, it was something out of a picture book. He knew that he would miss it, miss afternoons spent with Nico walking through quiet streets, the feeling of Nico's hand in his, their eyes connecting as they lay together in the deep of winter, curled up together, warm in a cold world. He couldn't give that up, not for anything.

HIs guilt only grew as he slowly walked down the stairs, trying his best to lessen the red rim around his eyes and wipe away the tear tracks still running down his face. His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a book as soft music played on the radio. She looked up when Will stepped into the room, her smile turning into a frown as she saw his guarded expression, the way his eyes avoided hers. "Is something wrong?" she asked, setting down her book. 

"I- I don't think I want to go." 

"Go where?" 

"Boarding school." He winced as the words left his mouth and his mother's face fell. She brought out a chair for him, gesturing for him to sit and he did, tucking his hands in between his legs in an effort to make himself so small he could disappear. "It's just that I already have friends here, and I'm in clubs, and I really, really like it here, and I-" 

"This is about Nico, isn't it?" Will fell silent, biting his tongue. "Sweetie, we've talked about this. This will be so good for you. I like the schools here, but they're not nearly as good as Squaw Valley. You'll flourish there." 

"I don't want to leave him." The words sounded stupid coming out of his mouth. He had never thought that he would consider giving up his goals for a boy but here he was, about to pass up what would end up being a hundred thousand dollar scholarship for Nico. But then again, Nico wasn't just any boy. "Mom, I-" 

"Will, you worked so hard to get that scholarship," she reminded him gently. "You gave it everything." Will glanced at his lap, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes for the second time that day. Every part of him felt horrible; his heart hurt and his head was in turmoil and he couldn't ask the one person in the world who's opinion really mattered what he thought because he'd just lie. He took a shaky breath, wiping underneath his eye quickly to stop any incoming tears. "Nico wants what's best for you and right now, that's a boarding school." 

"Does it have to be so far away?" 

"They gave you a full scholarship, they'll support your ambitions, and it's too late to apply anywhere else. I'm sorry, Will, but you're going." She smiled sadly at him, cupping his face in her hands. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but it'll get better. It really will." Will nodded, letting the tears splash down onto his cheeks. She pulled him into a tight hug and for the first time in ages he let himself sob onto her shoulder, sob at the prospect of leaving his friends, his boyfriend, cry at the prospect of leaving everything. 

Once he got his bags he waited for Nico in the lobby, sweat making his shirt stick to his body as he scanned the crowd for any sign of the familiar black hair he had grown to love. His heart leaped when he thought he saw it but it was just a spiky-haired grandmother and his heart sunk, the brief feeling of hope lost. 

He sees a flash of black by a newspaper stand with candy on display out front and his head snaps around to see a mob of messy black hair and the back of a black tee shirt. The shirt looks dirtier than the last time Will had seen it and the hair is longer, almost brushing the tops of his shoulders, but it's still Nico. Beautiful, amazing, lovely, lovely Nico. 

He finds himself running, shouting Nico's name with his bag bouncing behind him, the wheels scraping at the linoleum floor. When Nico finally hears his name he turns around and immediately his eyes are bright and Will has never seen him smile that wide in his life. He starts to run, too, and in the emptiness of the airport, he's able to drop his bag in the middle of the floor and sprint harder at Nico, scooping him up into his arms. Nico is crying and based off of the moisture on his cheeks Will can guess that he is, too, and for a while he just stares at Nico, taking in every inch of his body so that he'll never forget him again. "I missed you," Nico says, his voice gravely from the tears. 

"I missed you, too." He hugs Nico to his body, kissing him hard. The memory of his lips is familiar, the warmth of Nico's body against his and it's the only thing that he's been craving, after so many months of not seeing him. Because he doesn't' care if there are other people watching if someone gets annoyed because his suitcase is lying abandoned in the middle of the floor if people get upset that they're kissing in public. Because the passion in their kiss is so incredibly strong that it feels as if Will is being sucked into a world where they're the only two people in existence. 

Hi guys, I hope you liked that one!

Nina