Sign of the Times

Chapter 4

Nico was waiting just as he promised. Will stepped out of the building and followed the others to the parking spaces, and there Nico was. His red motorcycle was like a beacon to Will. He associated everything red with it now.

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth greeted. "Skip again and you'll be sorry."

Percy hopped off the motorcycle and only then did Nico stop blushing. "Come on, once in awhile isn't bad, Nico here…"

Will tuned Percy out and looked to Nico. "You said you were picking me up. Where are you taking me?"

Nico tore his eyes away from Percy. "Away. Come on, I already took Hazel home."

Will didn't hesitate. He didn't think about the homework he forgot in his locker or the paper due Monday. He got on that red motorcycle and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist, felt his hip bones, thought about how he had kissed them the day before. In the lake. The dead plants getting in the way.

"See you assholes tomorrow!" Nico called, waving goodbye and driving off. The rocks kicked up around them and the wind beat their faces. Will wondered how hard it had to be to make the bruises Nico was covered with.

"You need to invest in a helmet," he whispered in his ear. A faint blush covered Nico's neck.

"Or what?" he asked. "If I bash my brains against the road, then I bash my brains against the road. No biggie."

Will held him closer and took in the wind. His fingertips started to leave bruises against that pale skin.

"I'm going to show you something," Nico said. "Not many people know about it."

Will was as close as he could get but kept wanting to get even closer. He wanted to melt into him. "What is it?"

Nico didn't answer but made the motorcycle go faster. The wheels made dirt roads as they raced through the forest. Nobody followed and nobody was around.

Will spent the ride with his head on Nico's shoulder, taking in the smell of his hair, listening to his quiet breaths. He didn't dare loosen his grip on him in fear of losing him. He has never been so emotionally attached to another human before.

(His first boyfriend was a runner up, however. Mark had been the forbidden fruit he was too tempted to let go. There were no kisses or touches or anything that made him think the relationship was meant to be, but harsh words and secret meetings and everything to prove his father's homophobia right. Being with Nico had been the first time being gay felt right)

The motorcycle slowed to a stop too soon for his liking. Will finally pulled away from Nico and got up with him, his shoes snapping the twigs and leaves at his feet.

"Where are we?"

Nico held his hand out. Some of his blood got on Will when he took it.

"Follow me," Nico ordered. "Trust me, you won't regret it."

And he trusted him. He trusted him more than he had ever trusted anyone. They weren't connected by blood or time, or the waters of the womb or anything else that deemed it right. They were just connected by that lake. Their bones and skin against each other.

Nico led him through the trees and non-existent path until stopping at the edge of the tree line. He looked to Will, smiled- actually smiled, and gestured for him to step forward.

"When I die, it'll be here. This is my favorite place."

Will looked over at him before stepping through the trees, his breath hitching in his throat when he saw what Nico meant. They were standing at a cliff, no fence or human-made device keeping them from going over, all nature spread out before them. The drop was over a hundred feet down, and at the bottom the forest was there again, continuing on for what felt like eternity. The horizon greeted the trees in a red hug as it did every day.