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“I’d like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It’s hard to say i’d rather stay
awake when i’m asleep
because everything is never as it seems”
The Apollo cabin holds that last syllable a little too long. Even Nico knows this, and he doesn’t know what this song even is.
Why did he agree do this.
Because Will Solace. Will Solace and that fucking sunshine smile.
Nico intended to retire for the night to the Hades Cabin and skip out on campfire karaoke. Nico doesn’t like singing--he never did. He already gave his fair share of a food offering to his godly father (though the asshole didn’t deserve it), he had absolutely no reason to stay.
Except Will.
He was halfway through the Hades cabin door that night when Will grabbed his arm. “Join me for campfire. Please. Come on! It’s going to be fun! Just tonight” he said.
How could he resist?
Now he sits right in the front row, smushed against the bodies of at least a hundred other campers. As per usual, they sit around the blaze, of which today glows bright scarlet, with its tips of pink and purple. The roaring cacophony of singing campers rings in Nico’s tired ears. The Apollo cabin is directly in front of him, leading the sing-a-long, but Will is right next to him, his hand in Nico’s.
The sun-kissed boy seldom participates in campfire sing-alongs with his siblings. He never understood--still never understands--why Will would keep his beautiful voice clandestine.
He sings twice as well as the ratchet shit he hears on mortal radio.
“Fireflies! By Owl city!” says one of them. The crowd of campers cheer.
“Alright! Next song!”
Will squeezes Nico’s hands and smiles at him
Will has a beautiful smile. It’s not like the ones he has become accustomed to: pitiful and so clearly contrived. Even in the dark shadows of night, his smile is simply...brilliant. It’s radiant and pure.
Nico is never able to resist his smile.
Or his eyes.
Basically the guy in general.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine”
The crowd of campers take up the song
You make me happy when skies are grey”
Nico knows this song. It is one of the few he is fond of.
When Nico was still an patient at the infirmary, Will took Nico on a tour of Olympus for ‘rehabilitation’ as a pathetic excuse for taking him out on a date. He remembers Apollo finding them together, and calling Nico ‘Will’s sunshine.’ He remembers Apollo proceeding to take out his lyre and singing ‘You are my sunshine,’ with the pronouns changed to their names respectively. He clearly recalls Will’s red blush that lasted for weeks after the predicament.
Once Will got over it, hel would sing it whenever and wherever. Nico often Will humming the tune at the very least. Nico still sometimes expects his partner to spontaneously break out into the song at any moment--mostly because he still does.
The Apollo cabin is already halfway through the song, “ ......You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away…..”
This is their song.
It’s their song.
Nico turns to Will next to him. He furrows his brows, taking note to glare for effect. Asshole! His eyes say.
The golden-haired boy simply smiles.
He planned this. There is no doubt he absolutely planned this. Asshole
The song is about to finish.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine”
One hand in Nico’s, he brings the other to cup Nico’s cheek.
“You make me happy when skies are grey”
“You'll never know dear, how much I love you”
Will leans into him. His lips align with Nico’s.
“Please don't take my sunshine away”
They kiss.
“Please don't take my sunshine away”
He feels Will’s lips parts from his own. He hears the campers scream, ecstatic and blaring. He sees them jump around them in euphoric entropy.
“You planned this didn’t you,” Nico spitefully says. His golden-haired partner smiles and kisses Nico’s forehead. Nico swears he sees the Aphrodite cabin exchanging dollar bills.
“Yup.”