Solangelo One Shots

On the Night of Your Return

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.