the gay train is slowly but surely arriving ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o) 

NICO

"Leave me alone."

"But he hurt you!'

Nico whipped around and faced and blonde that was following him out of the school. He tried his best to put up a brave face but the shaking in his hands as he pointed them accusingly at Will wasn't helping.

"And you haven't?" Nico fumed. A logical part in Nico's brain told him right now wasn't the time or the place to start a fight. The other part couldn't hold it back anymore. He had unsuccessfully suppressed his panic attack the entire school day and he was ready to explode.

"That's all you have ever done you psychotic hypocrite You have no damn right to be meddling in my life on this. Nothing gave you the right- Get away from me!"

White knuckles from clenching his fist too hard, and gritted teeth from effort to stay sensible, his hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent. His face was red with suppressed emotion, and when Will even set a finger on his shoulder, he snapped.

"Nico, just listen to me-"

"Why?! You've done nothing but make my life a living hell since the day I met you! You want me to help me? Fine! Then leave me alone. I can deal with this myself, just like always have."

"But you don't have too!"

Nico scoffed. "How fucking ironic. Are you gonna offer me a lollipop next?"

Will frowned, obviously in great distress. "Goddammit, I know I'm an asshole! You have no reason to trust me, but that doesn't mean you can't at least trust other people. Go to someone with this! If not for yourself, but for whoever is next!"

Nico's angered face faltered. His hand dropped to his side. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Will huffed, glad he finally caught the brunet's attention. He looked conflicted as if was battling something in his head. He looked up and met Nico's eyes while biting his lip.

"I just mean..., " he inhales, "that if you don't tell someone, it could be more than you than he will hurt."

"And you think I don't know that?"

Nico starred tauntingly into Will's eyes. People had started to turn and stare at them but Nico didn't care. There was too much. Too much to get off his chest now that the damn had broke. People were starting to stare. Small gasps and whispered started to surround them. No doubt it would be the talk of the school tomorrow. But Nico didn't care. He had enough. There was just to much. Will was the reason his wall's were up, and now, the pressure was adding up. It was cracking and he'll be damned if he let William get away this time. If he was going to drown, so was he.

"Do you not realize your actions have consequences? Did you not realize the mark, not just physical, you left when slapped me for the first time? Do you understand?!"

"Nico, I-"

"No! No excuses! I'm done! I don't care if you are you like it or not, you're just as human as I am and you don't get to go around acting like some God. "

"You know what? You're right. And you have every right to be mad at me, but that doesn't stop the fact you're trying to turn the conversation away from what's the most important thing right now."

"I-," Nico faltered. "That still doesn't give you the right to meddle in my life when all you've done in ruin it." Yet something Will had said stuck in his head. Had William agreed with him. That hadn't been what he had expected. But, then, on the other hand, what had he expected? As he just said, Will was human just like him. Perhaps more than he ever thought.

Will started to look around at the people staring at them. He started to shuffle his feet to avoid everyone's gaze. "Look, we can talk about this is a minute, but can we go to someplace else first?"

Nico stared. Private? Private was bad with William. Private never meant anything good. But he had the advantage here, didn't he?

It struck him like a bolt of lightning. He always had an advantage here. He could easily beat Will in a fight if he wanted. He had years of training, and what did Will have? A couple of the? He didn't have to be afraid anymore.

So he took Will's wrist. Or, well, we had meant too. He ended up awkwardly meeting Will halfway and grabbing a hold of his fingers and lacing them together. His face was already flushed with color for anyone to even notice the pink that would've stained his face. Unfortunately, the same didn't go for Will.

Nico ended up dragging them through the crowd and into a small outside janitor's closet. Buckets and mops littered the floor and walls and the heavy smell of bleach made Will's nose scrunch up.

Nico imagined the dark cabin walls he had become familiar with over the years. He thought briefly that his cabin might not have been the best of spots to shadow travel too, as it was one of his safe only places. It was a little too private per say. But it was the best place he could come up with in his state of mind. Nico looked up and was Will's face was splattered and dipped in confusion right before the darkness engulfed the both of them.

Nico was used to the pulling and twist of his stomach after shadow traveling. Will didn't nearly have as much endurance. The fact that he was the son of the sun god probably didn't help.

The two boys tumbled roughly onto the hardwood floor of the cabin. Both of their legs and arms were in a tangled mess on the floor. Nico winced as an old bruise from training came in contact with something hard. His eyes flew open wide when he realized it was Will's shoulder.

He didn't have time to wonder why his aim was so off. He was busy noticing how utterly warm Will was. His body radiated warmth, as if warm sun rays were kissing his skin lightly, warming him from the inside out. This sun was not enough to burn - even for Nico. He was so caught up in he had totally forgotten that he was furious just moments before. Had Will always been this way, or had he just been to wrapped up in his own fear and thoughts to ever even notice?

"Nico...?" he heard a muffled voice say. It snapped his back to reality. His body was pressed up against Will Solace. Will Solace. One of the many people who had made his life a living hell. And he was practically hugging him. Nico found himself quickly recoiling, despite his body's best efforts in gravitating towards the blonde.

Nico stood up, wiped the dirt off his jeans, and cleared his throat to catch Will's attention. Which was kind of pointless as he seemed to be staring at him like he was a fish out of water anyways.

"What the hell was that?" Will asked, clearly thrown out out of his wits. His eyes were barely staying open. Nico could tell he was on the edge of passing out. His eyebrows furrowed. This hadn't happened the first two times they traveled viva shadows together. What was different this time?

He didn't tell this to Will. He just raised his chain in a dramatic show. "I have no idea what you mean."

Will finally lifted himself off the ground in a siting position. "W-what? I feel sick as dog and you say that nothings wrong? I-" He covered his mouth with his hand. "...think I'm going to throw up."

Nico's eyes quickly widened. Without thinking, he bent down and helped Will lean some of his body weight on him to make their way to the bathroom. The two wobbled on the way seeing as the other was over half a foot taller than him.

Nico gave William some privacy and shut the door. He bit his lip with his back leaning against wall right next to it and slowly slid down it in a dejected manner. He brought up his hand to eye level. The same one Will had been holding. He sighed and brought it to his chest. Everywhere William's bare skin had touched left a hot, tingly sensation that Nico had never experienced before. He didn't know weather he liked it or not and it made him uncomfortable. He decided it had to be a child of Apollo thing. Or was sick too, because the butterflies in his stomach weren't going away either.

~~

William came back out minutes later looking more distraught than Nico had ever seen him. Nico grimaced and handed him the small square of ambrosia he had been saving for himself. Will looked up at him like a kicked puppy but took it thankfully none the less. While he was stuffing his mouth, Nico shoved a plain orange Camp Half-Blood shirt in his hands that he had kept just in case of emergencies.

"You smell like shit, go change."

Will looked at him strangely. He still had some crumbs on the edge of his mouth that Nico had the urge to wipe away. "Why are you doing this," he asked. "Helping me, I mean."

Nico watched him carefully. "Because I want answers."

"What?"

"You said you'll explain if were some place private and so," he threw up his hands, "here we are. So I expect some answers, as that is the only thing I have wanted in so long-" He cuts himself from ranting. There was no reason to go there right now. "So start explaining right now before I kick you out."

"I'm sorry."

"I- what?"

Will's eyes are so different in moments like these, more soft and mixed with darkness than Nico knew eyes could be. The reckless, angry man is gone and instead it is the eyes of one who was in the need of mending. The emotion in them were fathoms deep, yet they carried the warmth and life of the sunlit surface. They had a thousand hues of blue and a small touch of hazel radiating in softly swooping arcs. Something told Nico it was taking everything in the blonde's body not to tear away from their painful eye contact.

Will's eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As he blinked, they dripped from his eyelids and slid down his cheeks. He bit his lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from his mouth.

Will's lower lip quivered as words slowly made their way out of his mouth. "I didn't mean-" He began, yet what followed was engulfed in the tremors.Nico's own mouth dummy slackened.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, Nico." He could hardly keep his voice straight, as if he couldn't believe the words were finally coming out of his own mouth and couldn't quite get them out fast enough. He couldn't whisper either because his voice always had a million reasons to shout. "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want too. I swear it. I never did! But I did, and I can never forgive myself for the evil and torment that I've caused and I never expect you too either. You have all the right to want me to suffer. But you haven't. And I don't understand! Why can't you just hate me like everyone else!"

The world turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was just gone. Nico paused trying to hold back the strange feelings rumbling inside him but he couldn't. His hands started to shake he had only experienced once in his life before. His chin trembled as if he was a small child. Nico breathed heavier than he ever had before. He was gasping for air that simply wasn't there.

"W-what?" Is all he is able to stutter out. He took a couple shaky steps back until his body was pressed against the wall. Will noticed, smilied pitifully at he room as if it was some sick joke and let out another choked sob.

"You're literally fucking perfect Nico! Fucking saint-like. Just hate me! Because I sure as hell do!" His hands were in his hair now, pulling at it in every possible way he could manage. "All I had ever wanted was to make him suffer just as I had...To make him pay...and.. I just... don't see how you don't want that...Why don't you want that...?" He asked in a broken voice.

Will's turns his head from looking down at his hands and meets Nico's wide, doe eyes. Through his muddled brain, he knew exactly what Will was trying but failed to completely say.

Nico was only a byproduct on his way to destruction. 

oh shit oh fuck was that a climax I just wrote? I've been planning this chapter since the very beginning of this book. holy crap. hopefully I didn't fuck anything up. I feel like it was all too rushed again. I'm so sorry, jeez. But serious, did it at least make you kinda sad??? Hopefully. That was the point :)

Words: 2216

Published: 10/28/19