ꜱᴘɪᴅᴇʀ ʙɪᴛᴇꜱ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴄᴀʙᴇᴛʜ/ꜱᴏʟᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ

xxɪɪ ɴɪᴄᴏ | ɴɪᴄᴏ ʙᴜʏꜱ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴍᴇᴀʟꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪꜱ ᴇx

Of course, Will can't commit to his new boyfriend, Bill. Nico isn't surprised. Will wasn't even able to commit to him.

The day he'd learned that major detail had started out so well. Will was about to graduate from his online GED program, and he was going to college in California. Nico was so proud of his boyfriend.

"Congratulations," Nico said, handing Will a gift wrapped in newspaper.

"Aw, you didn't have to get me anything!" Will said.

But Nico did have to get him something. He was the most special guy in the world, and he deserved it. Nico didn't deserve someone so amazing, or at least, who he thought was so amazing.

Will tore the paper open, revealing a photo album. "Nico! Are these pictures of us?" He flipped through the pages, wide-eyed. Most of Nico's favorite memories were there: the time they won the Aphrodite Cabin's 'cutest couple' award, the first time Will won a chariot race, the time Nico shadow traveled too hard and had to spend a week in the infirmary. You name it, and it was there.

"I'm tearing up! Oh, I'm going to miss you while I'm in college!" he said.

Nico held back his own tears. He was a sentimental guy too- he still is- he was just better at holding it in back then.

"But I'll be here when you get back," Nico had promised. "It's only four years, right? We can do long-distance. I can shadow travel and visit you, and you can come back here for the summers."

"But Nico," Will said. "It probably won't be four years, you know. I want to be a doctor. I'll have to get my master's degree, and then my doctorate, not to mention all of the summertime internships..."

"You can be a doctor right here though! Just think about it." Nico took a deep breath. This was the moment. The moment where Nico revealed his most secret wishes to Will. "You can run the infirmary here, and I can be a counselor. Everyone knows the Big Three are going to have more kids, and someone will have to teach them what to do with all that power. Will, we can have a future here. I want to be with you."

"Oh," Will had said.

Nico reached for Will's hand. "What do you think?"

"Well, you know I love you, Nico..."

"And I love you!" Nico said. "So let's just be together! It'll be great!"

Will stared at the photos of him and Nico. "I don't know..."

"Will, look," Nico said, flipping through the photo album. He'd left dozens and dozens of blank pages. "I left these pages blank so we can fill them with more memories. With our future."

"Nico, it's romantic, really. If this was a Hallmark movie, I'd be crying happy tears," Will said.

"You mean those... aren't happy tears?" Nico was starting to worry.

"I mean, I want to be a real doctor, Nico. I have to go through all that schooling. And I'm nineteen years old! I can't commit to you!" His shouting was upsetting Nico. "I can't commit to anyone like that. At least, not right now."

Will passed the photo album back to Nico. "Maybe we should take a break," he said.

"No, Will, you don't mean that-"

"Nico, we want different things right now. You can't argue with that. Let's just figure ourselves out, and if the Fates want us to be together..." They were both crying now.

"Will..." Nico cried.

Nico cried the day after that too. He hadn't even come to wish Will well at his send-off party. It was immature, sure, but he was just a heartbroken teenager.