Wills POV
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Fuck.
It's all my fault.
I walk in the store to get milk. I see a huge bottle of vodka. I hate alcohol with a passion, but I need something to ease the pain in my belly. A sip or two wouldn't hurt. And it would help me sleep. I grab it forgetting about the milk and take it up to the counter. "ID please." The woman says. She looks about thirty, with tired eyes, studying for something. "Every fucking time," I mutter. "I'm almost 28 do you seriously need my ID?" I lie to the woman. She chuckles. "I understand, I'm 35 and I get ID'd constantly. Honestly honey you look over 21 so I'll take your word for it." I smile at her and pay for the liquor. I get to the car and pop the top open. I take a sip, it burning terribly.

~*~

I wake up with a horrible headache. Nicos right beside me, his back to me. I see a cup half full of water and an aspirin. I thankfully gulp the water. Nico flips over and I can see the angry red lines across his left forearm. I've never hurt myself, but I have fooled around with weed and other such drugs. Alcohol was the one thing I never messed with though. I try to get out of bed without waking him, but the second I move Nico sits up. "Morning sunshine." He says quietly. "How's that hangover?"

"It's a bitch."

"At least it's not 'the entire pacific oceans?!'"

"What?"

"Something you said when you were drunk last night. Drunk Will is a pain in the ass."

"Oh no, what else did I say?" I ask trying to ignore the pounding in my head.

"You barely let me undress you because 'we just met and I have a boyfriend' I kept trying to tell you that your boyfriend wouldn't mind."

"That's kinda funny. Dam my head hurts."

"You drank an entire bottle of vodka?"

"On of the big ones." I say guilty.

"At least you didn't cut yourself." He says eyeing his arm.

"At least you didn't drive home drunk."

"At least you didn't have a a panic attack."

"At least I didn't have to deal with me."

"You win." He says smirking.

"I always win."

Faster than I could stop him he has me pinned down, his knees on my arms, my head throbbing.

"Kinky."
He blushes bright red and jumps off of me.

"Asshole."

"But I'm your asshole."

"You have work today." He says changing the subject.

"Are you gonna come get coffee?"

"Of course, central perk always has the best coffee, and the barista is really cute."

"I'll be sure to let him know." I say, winking.

Laughing, he gets out of bed, going to his room to get dressed. I get up pulling on a orange shirt, and a pair of jeans. Nico comes back wearing my blue shirt, and a pair of very ripped very tight jeans.

We set off to the coffee shop hand in hand. I go to the back room to get my apron. I serve him, making his coffee the way I know that he likes it. Nico tips me even though he knows I'll just put it back in the jar on the kitchen island when I get home.

"Your a dork," I mutter as he perches himself on the counter, sitting next to me. "But so am I, we're dorks together." I kiss his temple and dig my book from my backpack. After about ten minutes, the bell above the door rings and Nico jumps of the counter one way, while I jump off the other.

I turn around to see Meg, Joshua right beside her. He has his arm around her waist, his left hand in her back pocket. "Hey guys," Meg says, her voice a bit disappointed. "I didn't know you were working today will."

"Well I didn't know you were either so ha ha we're surprised!" I say trying to sound cheerful.

"Who's that?" Nico practically growls, nodding to Joshua.

"Hey, I'm Joshua, Megs...?" They both look extremely awkward and you can tell this is a sore spot in their relationship.

"Significant other."

"Significant annoyance." Nico grumbles and I laugh.

"What?!" Meg asks.

"Nothing." We say at the same time. We keep laughing and Meg rolls her eyes. "Dorks." That makes us laugh harder. After a couple minutes we stop.

"So what are you guys doing for Christmas?" She asks. Nico and I glance at each other.

"What day is it?" Nico asks. "December 14."

Nico and I both look at each other. How have we not noticed?! Holy-

"Holy fuck." Nico says, stating my thoughts.

"How have you not noticed?" Asks meg.

"Poor Piper."

Megs expression gets dark and cloudy. "What do you mean 'poor piper'?" She asks Nico.

"My friend pipers boyfriend died a year ago on the 18th."

"Jason?"

"Y-Yes?! Did you know him."

"No, no I didn't. That's what makes it so hard."
"What?"

"Every single day I wake up and think of that boy. I think of that boy, who had an ex-girlfriend that still loved him and he still loved her. That had a future. And sacrificed himself for a girl who didn't. Every single day I wake up and tell myself that I can't fail today. To many people have died to save me. My dad. Crest. My friends. I cannot get out of bed and fuck up. Become to many people have made sure that I didn't die. Jason could have had a good life. But instead he traded his for mine."

"That's just who Jason was, Meg." Nico says quietly.

"That's what his sister and ex girlfriend said.

"How have we never met?!"

"I'm not sure."

Joshua stands there a bit awkwardly as they hug. He looks jealous for a fleeting moment. Then the two of them go to the back room. Nicos comes back to the counter and sits on the edge. I wrap my arms around his waist and kiss his temple.

"I really am sorry." I whisper.

"I know. Me too."

He leans his head back onto my shoulder.

"Why can't we just be normal? I have to be a fuck up. And I'm gonna drag you down with me will."

"When I was 14 I was handed a blunt, it made me feel better, then it went from weed to pills and pills to meth. I was your regular old teen addict. So one day I stumbled into camp high and Chiron — our leader of sorts — stopped me took me to the infirmary and I passed out. I don't remember much past that just that I was never let alone. I trained so hard, I studied harder to right the mistakes I had made and graduated high school at 16. I went back to camp until this year when I decided to come to uni. You are by no means 'dragging me down' Neeks. We're all imperfect. And I love your imperfections."

A/N:
the end
Jk
Love y'all
Merry Christmas