Solangelo One Shots

Sunset Lover(p2)

Part 2 to my last one-shot!

Nico's POV

"You haven't heard from him yet, have you?" Hazel asks. 

"I would have told you if I had," Nico snaps. Hazel draws back, her mouth settling into a thin line and Nico sighs, scrubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sorry," he says. "It's just- it's been kinda hard lately." 

"Have you even talked to him since you asked him?" Hazel asks. "It's been, like, two weeks, right?" 

"I think he's avoiding me," Nico says. "I mean, I get it, he's scared. But he could at least talk to me. Like, we used to meet up almost every day. And now two weeks of nothing- it hurts, you know? It's like I'm going through withdrawal, but with my kind of boyfriend." He sighs, sitting on the edge of his bed. His head is pounding and Hazel is looking at him with big brown eyes that stink of pity. 

"You should talk to him." 

"He's made his decision," Nico says. "And I get it. He's scared, it's understandable. And I'm not gonna pressure him into anything, not if he doesn't want to come out yet. If he's not ready, it's not my place." He sniffs, flicks a tear off of his cheek. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at Piper's right now? You guys are all getting ready together, right?" 

"I can stay, if you want," Hazel says. "It can be like a brother-sister thing."

"Haze, go get ready with your friends," Nico says, smiling. "I mean, Piper's makeup skills are unmatched. And you're really gonna miss Annabeth's trivia time?" Hazel laughs but her eyes are still wide, and she pats Nico's shoulder. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure," Nico says. "Go have fun, I'll be fine." 

"You know, Percy's invitation still stands," she says. "You could go hang at his house. Sure, you might miss Mom's famous pre-prom spam stew, but the boys are ordering, like, five pizzas and watching bad romance to remind himself that they can't be any worse than the characters Netflix writes. Oddly ritualistic, but it sounds fun." 

"I'm good," Nico says. "I think I need to be alone right now, but you go have fun. I'll meet you there." 

"Call me if you need me," Hazel says. She wraps him in a side-hug before picking up her dress, kept safe in a plastic slip. It's long and white, with a scooping neck and a ruffled bottom. It makes her look like a goddess. Nico is just wearing a black tux like everyone else. He'll blend in, and he'll leave and pretend like the night never happened. 

"I will," Nico says. "I'll see you there." 

He watches her leave, sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands tucked between his knees. He tries to control his breathing but it's hard and as soon as Hazel's footsteps fade away Nico lets his chin drop to his chest as tears stream down his face. This was supposed to be a fun night; the last hurrah of his high school career. His freshman year identity crisis, the bullying he took when he first came out, the pain of hiding his relationship for a year and a half- tonight was supposed to justify all of that. And now his dreams of the perfect prom are crumpling underneath him as he mourns the loss of a night he never had in the first place. 

Will's POV

His tux is calling to him. It's black, gold details trailing up the front. He had immediately fallen in love with it, and the second he had tried it on he had felt so powerful, and all of his insecurities melted away. Subconsciously, almost without realizing it, he had been imagining himself next to Nico. The gold on Will's suit would contrast with Nico's all black and they would look beautiful together, all cheek hurting smiles and bright eyes. Maybe that was why Will had felt so powerful; it wasn't the suit, it was his hopeless fantasy of dancing under the disco lights with Nico. The idea of throwing aside all of his fears once and for all makes this giddy feeling bubble up in his chest.