Don't Fade Away: A Solangelo Fanfiction 2

Chapter 23: The City

"That doesn't matter. Cecil owes me 20 dollars right now, anyways. Plus, this is a special occasion! I want you to try some of the sweets you haven't tried before. We'll bring them back to Camp."

They walked out of the store with many bags.

After walking around a couple of other stores, they met back up with Naomi and had lunch at a burger place. After they ate, they walked around the city some more. They went to a music shop to look at cool guitars for Will, and a record shop to look at old music. They went to a bookstore and they went to a gift shop.

As Nico and Will were walking down the sidewalk holding hands, someone said something.

Nico and Will had gotten some stares and dirty looks, but no one had said anything yet. Not until a guy walked over.

"You're going straight to hell for being gay!"

Nico smiled. He thought this guy was amusing. "I don't know about the straight part." Then the two walked away, still holding hands.

Once it was dark outside, they all met at the car to drive back to the house. They were going to stay another night, and leave the next day.

Back in Will's room, Nico brought up what Naomi had told him earlier.

"Will, why didn't you tell me you were scared of bridges?"

Will set down the bag of candy he bought. They had been eating some. "I didn't think that was important."

"Will, everything is important. Especially something like that. You literally took me to a bridge and didn't say a thing."

"I was scared before we got there, sure. But when I was on the bridge, holding your hand, the fear felt farther away. It was still there, just in the background. You made it better."

"That's very sweet, but you need to tell me these things, okay? You need to tell me things. Like the fact that you had lasting trauma after what happened in New York? I mean, why would I even think anything otherwise? Anybody would have trauma from that, especially a kid."

Will sighed and took Nico's hand. "I'm sorry. I should've told you. I just- Other people are going through worse things than me. Who am I to take up their attention with the things that make me upset?"

"You don't compare trauma. You just don't. All trauma is important. You need to talk to people about the things that are bothering you. Then we can help you. Don't sacrifice your emotions for the sake of someone else's. Talk to me, okay?"

Will closed his eyes. "Okay. Let's start off with bridges, then. I'm scared of bridges because that's how Micheal died. And because me and a lot of my siblings almost died there, too."

Nico nodded. "I assumed it was because of Micheal. But I didn't know you were on the bridge."

"I had everyone there go ahead of me. I was the last one off. It was a really close call. I had to make the quick second decision to jump."

"Every time we have to go on a bridge, tell me when you get scared, alright?"

"Okay." Will gulped. "And you're right, by the way. What happened during the Battle of Manhattan really did affect me. I get- I get nightmares about it sometimes. When I see certain injuries with campers, sometimes it reminds me of those days, when I desperately tried and failed to save people. And when that happens I feel vulnerable and scared, and I feel like I'm 12 again."

"And that's alright. You have every right to feel scared. But don't feel like it's your fault that those campers died, okay? Because I know you, and I know that's exactly how you feel. So don't. Those campers who died, you tried your best. If you weren't there, so many more would've died. Annabeth would've died, to name one that I know."

"But if I knew more techniques on healing-" Will started to say.

"No." Nico interrupted him. He squeezed Will's hand. "You were freaking 12 years old, for Hades' sake. You did the best you could. And the best you could do was amazing. Better than anybody at Camp Half-Blood to date, and probably Camp Jupiter. You can't look at the past and imagine all of the what-ifs. If you do that, you'll destroy yourself. You have to focus on the present, and on the future. You couldn't have done anything more for those kids. Nobody could. So let go. You can let go of that guilt, Will."

A tear trailed down Will's cheek. "Okay. I-I'll try."

"Thank you." Nico slid over to sit next to Will. He hugged Will, and rubbed his back. "I'm so sorry that I didn't notice how much you were struggling before. I'm so selfish."

"You're not selfish, Nico. I just didn't tell you. And I'm sorry for that."

"You don't need to be sorry, okay?" Nico assured him.

"I still miss them. All of them."

"I know." Nico hugged him tightly.

Will cried into his shoulder.

A little later, when Will was done crying, Nico wiped the tears from his face and kissed his forehead. Then his nose. Then his cheek. Then his lips. "You're amazing. Never forget that."

They didn't even have time to lie in Will's bed to go to sleep. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

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WILL'S TRAUMA EXISTS!!! HE ISN'T JUST NICO'S SOLACE, NICO IS WILL'S SOLACE!!! WILL CAN'T BE OKAY AFTER EVERYTHING HE'S BEEN THROUGH!!! PEOPLE NEED TO STOP OVERLOOKING WILL'S TRAUMA JUST BECAUSE IT ISN'T AS OBVIOUS AS NICO'S!!! Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.