Who Needs Sleep When You Have a Will Solace?

2:41 A.M.

 "You didn't have to rush over, Will. All I said was I couldn't sleep. It's not that uncommon of an occurrence."

"Well, I could go back to my cabin, and you would be here. All alone," Will replies, and I can sense the smirk on his face. He and I both know I'm not about to send him away.

The cabin is dark (it would be even without all the black decor I added), and the windows, which would ordinarily let in moonlight, are covered with blackout curtains. If any light gets into the room at all, I normally can't sleep. And yes, I realize how ironic it is that I invited a literal human glow stick to be with me.

Finally, after a moment of silence, I stand back from the door and let him come in. As soon as I shut the door, I realize how much of a mess the cabin is and immediately start picking up everything in sight.

"Nico, it's really late; you don't have to do that," Will says.

Ignoring him, I keep picking up clothes and other things. I swear everything keeps multiplying because every time I think I picked up the last shirt or book, another one appears.

"Nico, stop." Suddenly, Will is behind me, embracing me. I feel the clutter fall through my fingers, and I lean back against him. He lowers his mouth to my ear and says, "Just calm down, alright? You need to sleep. I don't care about how neat or messy the cabin is. I care about you."

The words are enough to bring tears to my eyes. I've never had anyone say anything like that to me since... well, since Bianca.

I turn around to face him, wiping my tears with the top of my t-shirt. "I'm sorry," I say, trying to laugh the tears away. "I shouldn't be crying. Or be self-conscious for that matter. I know you don't care. It's just... sometimes it's hard for me to leave things alone, especially if they aren't perfect. I'm pathetic."

"Hey," he says quietly, lifting my chin gently. "Don't say that. You're not pathetic. Never apologize for feeling something. I can't say I know exactly what you've gone through, because I don't think anyone could really say that, but I do know that grief can be a real bitch, and trauma isn't much better. I'm here for you, Nico, and I will always be."

Will leans down but pauses in front of my lips. "Can I kiss you?"

I nod and close the gap between us. It's like the rest of the world fades away, leaving just me and Will here, together. At the risk of sounding way too morbid, it's moments like these that actually make life worth living. When I'm with Will, everything else just shifts to the background, leaving genuine contentment, something I haven't had in so long.

I pull away and clasp both of his hands in mine. After a moment of hesitation, I say what I've been thinking this whole time: "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Will's smile makes me feel warm inside. "Of course I will, Neeks."

We walk over to my bed hand in hand. I lay down first, pulling back the heavy black comforter. I scoot closer to the wall, and Will lays down facing me. After he settles, I pull the comforter over both of us. His hand finds mine in the folds of the fabric, and his soft tenor voice fills the space. My eyes, which had just dried, start to water again as the words wash over me. It's about us. How, even though we're complete opposites, we found each other; we found our happiness in each other. He wrote this about us. I stare at his face as he softly sings, seeing every bit of emotion he has being channeled into his voice. In the back of my mind, I acknowledge that this might just be Apollo's DNA in his bloodstream, but that doesn't detract from this situation at all.

I shut my eyes. Inside my head, rather than seeing haunting memories of my past, I see the ones Will is singing about. The date by the lake, him bandaging an injured arm before he even knew me, us sharing our first kiss...

One after the other rolls through my mind; a movie of life, made for me and Will. As the song ends, Will's voice fades off, and I can hear the exhaustion in his voice when he says, "Goodnight, Nico." I feel his lips graze my forehead, leaving a warm spot.

Once I'm sure his eyes are closed, I open mine and gently caress his cheek so as not to wake him. "I love you, Will. Goodnight."