Chapter Text
Six years have passed since that first kiss under the night sky. Six years they have been together, torn apart and tossed around by the world. Six years of growing, learning, love, and insecurity.
They stood at the barrier to camp, shivering under the night sky and falling snowflakes. Nico never liked the snow much, it always reminded him too much of Bianca and that cold December before her death. White flakes fell to the ground, covering the toe of his dark boot. Looking up, he saw the white specks strewn through Will’s golden curls. The image resembled something straight out of a movie, breathtaking and ethereal.
Will had tears streaming down his face, almost frozen from the cold temperatures. This wasn’t how they were supposed to end- stuck in a stalemate at the top of Half-Blood Hill.
They weren’t supposed to end at all. All the promises made to each other about never letting go or leaving each other fell short at this moment, a crumbling bridge connecting the rift between them.
Nico promised himself so many years ago that he would never let go of Will if he didn’t have to. Now, here he was, watching and waiting for Will to take his leave. He was destined to do bigger things than be the camp healer- he could make a difference in the world. He deserved the chance to make that happen, but it killed Nico that he couldn’t be there for it.
This was a part of the relationship neither of them anticipated, choosing to ignore the possibilities of this happening as they climbed through the years. They weren’t naive, they knew it was inevitable, but they chose to ignore it in those moments in favor of focusing on the good. The part that stung the most was that they still loved each other.
They never fell out of love, that wasn’t the issue. Instead, they were just destined to different lives by the Fates. They spun their destinies in opposite directions, tearing apart all that they had done together. None of it was meant to last, regardless of how much love accumulated in their hearts.
He just wished Will would leave already. That he would make this easy and move on, not stand here and stare at him. It was a selfish demand, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure how much more loss his heart could take. He feared that if this were to be dragged out any longer, it would be so immense that it would shatter his heart once and for all.
“Why do we have to do this?” Will whispered, tears still streaming freely.
God , he wanted nothing more than to drag Will back into the camp borders and keep him for the rest of eternity. “Because, you have opportunities at New Rome. You’re going to study to be a healer, one who can work in both the demigod and mortal world, and be the best student they’ve gotten. I trust no one else to take care of me when I’m in need.”
Will laughed lightly as he wiped his eyes. “Gods know that you need a consistent doctor. I swear I’ve never met someone with less self-preservation skills.” He shoved the blond, small smiles blooming on both of their faces. “But, why can’t you come with me?”
“You know why, Will. I have things that I need to do- for my father, the camps.” He put his hands in his pocket and shuffled the toe of his boot, desperate to not let his own tears start forming. He knew that if he started crying then Will truly would never leave.
“What about long distance?”
“I don’t think that will work, Will.”
“We can make it work.” He was almost whining now, desperate for some compromise. They were long past that go, this conversation having been done a million times now.
Nico wanted nothing more than to agree and promise they could make it work. However, he wasn’t sure that he could promise something of that caliber. “I just-”
“I love you, Nico. I don’t want this to end like this.” Will was full on sobbing right now, a sight that broke down all his defenses and made tears form in his own eyes.
“I love you, too. But you know this is how it has to be.” Will looked like he wanted to argue. Wanted to throw all logic and previous agreements out the window if it meant staying together forever. “You can’t mess with destiny, Will. I’ll visit you when I can.” He closed the distance between them and placed a kiss on Will’s cold, chapped lips.
A silent goodbye.
He forced himself back and eyed a flower on the edge of the camp barrier. It wasn’t protected by the magic of other nature inside the barrier, so it was slowly wilting due to the cold. The final petal fell as he stared at it, and in that moment he knew. He knew that was a final sign from the Fates.
Like he said once before, their love was like a flower. Except only now, the petals weren’t blooming with renewed energy and love. Rather, they were slowly falling to the ground as death took their toll. Their short lifespan was over. But not to worry, because as they fall to the ground they become part of the Earth, destined to bloom into something new later on.
That was how he and Will worked, their love would never go away completely, only reform into something new down the line. Maybe that would be the same plant they have now, if their paths recrossed and destined it, but maybe it would be with someone else.
Nico took a step back as a single tear fell down his face, cold and wet and burning his skin. “Goodbye, Will.”
“Goodbye, Nico,” he choked out, bottom lip between his teeth in an attempt not to cry out.
With that, Nico pushed himself back into the camp borders, watching as Will finally began to take his leave and get into Argus’ van. Once safely within the borders and out of Will’s sight, he let himself break down and released all the emotions he had been withholding. He outstretched his hand, trying to grab onto the lasting remnants of what they had. Tears streamed freely now as he stood under the moonlight once more.
He hadn’t felt so alone in six years as he did at this moment.
The moon and stars used to be his solace- Gods, not the time for that word- yet in this moment he felt disconnected from it all. In the stars he still saw the same twinkle present in Will’s eyes, and the constellations they formed reminded him of the freckles across Will’s face. It was harrowing, the same feeling he used to get when associating these things with Percy.
There was no saying what the future would hold for them, but Nico would be lying if he said he saw a future without Will. No matter romantic or platonic, Will would always be as important to him as the moon and the stars.
The End.