talk your talk and go viral (i just need this love spiral)

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/46368430.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandoms: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the
Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Trials of Apollo
- Rick Riordan
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Apollo &
Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace & Leo Valdez, Jason
Grace & Piper McLean & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace/Leo Valdez
Characters: Nico di Angelo, Will Solace, Leo Valdez, Apollo (Percy Jackson), Jason
Grace, Piper McLean, Kayla Knowles, Austin Lake, Percy Jackson,
Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson), Lou Ellen Blackstone
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - High School,
Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe -
Childhood Friends, nico becomes a popstar over the course of the fic so,
jason percy and annabeth r actors, apollo is nico's producer (eventually),
Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Childhood Trauma, Implied/Referenced
Child Abuse, Will Solace is a Ball of Sunshine, Trans Nico di Angelo,
Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Character Death,
it's just bianca, rip she must die in every fic i write, Secret Relationship,
Press and Tabloids, Texting, Social Media, Alternate Universe - Popstar,
minor/background valgrace, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Angst, Angst
with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, no angst between will and nico dw
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of dear reader
Stats: Published: 2023-04-09 Updated: 2023-11-27 Words: 122,217 Chapters:
29/33
 talk your talk and go viral (i just need this love spiral)
by wrongcaitlyn

Summary

“Keep telling yourself that,” Will says quietly, because even though the door is closed,
speaking any louder would seem wrong. “You’re too harsh on yourself. If you wrote songs or
something, you’d easily get on the Billboard Hot 100. Dad would help you. I would, too.”

“Promote it to your seven followers?”

“Yes!”

Nico laughs, and then Will is joining him, and they’re closer than before, but it’s nothing
unusual. It’s been this way since before stupid feelings and stupid crushes, and Nico would
be damned if he let it change just because of that.

or

a celebrity au ft. childhood friends to lovers, a bit of trauma, and a famous friend group (plus
leo).
 baby, we're the new romantics
Chapter Notes

omg!! another multi-chap fic!!! that explains the lack of angsty one-shots the past few
weeks. anyway, more rambles in the end notes, just know that this has been a long time
coming (ma&thp)!!

tw for some mentions of child abuse, alcoholism, and minor character death (yes, it's
bianca) at the end... not much tho this fic is pretty tame on the angst side. lots of fluff!!

title from lavender haze by taylor swift (ofc), and chapter title from new romantics (by
taylor swift, duh) - enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It starts in the cafeteria.

One could say that this exposure to fame is actually not Nico’s first - he’s been best friends
with the son of an actor/singer/producer/model/a-bunch-of-other-stuff and a faded country
singer-songwriter. But that’s not important, because Will is quite the opposite of anything
fame-related; it’s more like he runs in the opposite direction of it.

No, Nico is talking about Jason Grace and Piper McLean. In the cafeteria.

Theoretically, he knows that they go to this school. He’s known it since he started high
school last year, and he had known it specifically towards the end of the year. That doesn’t
mean he likes to think about it.

And yes, living in L.A. - going to a private high school in L.A. - means that he’s going to
meet celebrities. That, of course, means that the term ‘celebrity’ varies a lot in meaning. He
wouldn’t consider youtubers or people with over ten thousand followers on twitter celebrities,
because pretty much anyone could do that nowadays.

Jason Grace and Piper McLean, though, he can admit - they’re celebrities. Nico doesn’t know
by how much, but he knows they’ve easily got over a million followers, and they’ve been on
billboards. And they’re only-

“-Our age! I mean, can you even believe that?” Leo doesn’t bother to lower his volume,
blatantly talking about the ‘newest’ students. Grace and McLean aren’t new. They’re just
barely there. McLean is constantly traveling all over the world, and Grace is already working
on the next season of a TV show that’s been #1 pretty much everywhere. They’ve got
hundreds of thousands of dollars in their bank account at the ripe age of sixteen.
So, it’s easy for the kids at Nico’s school - even if most of them have met several celebrities
already, and have thousands of followers themselves - to forget that they go here, and to kind
of lose their shit when they arrive at school again.

“Yes, I can,” Will replies bluntly, opening his lunch bag, “Gotta say, I am so glad Dad didn’t
make me do that. I mean, can you imagine starring in commercials before starting second
grade?”

“Speak for yourself, ‘cause I would’ve done amazing-”

Nico tunes out Leo. Will is probably the only one of their trio that could fit in at this school if
he wanted. He doesn’t, of course, because he’s Will. His dad could’ve gotten him any job in
the industry (because Apollo has had pretty much every job in the industry), and yet Will is
set on going to college, and then med school.

He still could’ve gotten along with most people there. Even though his mother was famous
years ago, her death made her old news. No one recognizes the name Solace unless they were
an avid country fan, and Apollo’s last name is even more unknown, not that Will has it
anyway (Apollo had wanted to spare him the embarrassment of being called Papadopoulos ).
He just goes by Apollo.

And yet , Nico notes as he turns to his cookie after ten seconds of appropriately-timed staring,
Will has never once thought to join one of the tables in the center of the cafeteria. He’s been
in the left back corner with Nico and Leo for all of sophomore year, just like he used to sit on
the slightly-hidden bench during freshman year, and the only indoor hallway throughout
middle school.

“- I just think that if a nepo baby really had no talent, they’d expire as soon as they turn
eighteen. So what harm is really being done, anyway-”

“- Don’t call it expire, that’s just rude-”

“Can we sit here?”

Nico stares blatantly at the person in front of them, and Leo and Will’s conversation falls
short immediately. The cafeteria doesn’t go silent, but it sure does feel like all eyes are on
them.

Nico doesn’t say anything. He’s waiting for them to laugh, say it’s a joke, and then go to
Octavian’s table, like last year, or-

“Sure,” Will says, moving his lunch bag and sliding across the bench to sit closer to Nico so
that Jason Grace and Piper McLean can take a seat across from them.

Nico’s painfully aware of Jason not looking at him, of Will squeezing his wrist, and of the
entire cafeteria’s attention. He wants to run out, like he did last time, so it isn’t so very
obvious how uncomfortable he is. No one ever pays him attention, not since he arrived
halfway through sixth grade. He will not let these two ruin that.
It’s awkward. Jason and Piper don’t speak first, and Nico doesn’t know how to feel about
that. They probably both know, because maybe the rumors of them dating are true, and if so,
then Jason would definitely tell Piper everything.

A part of him wants to scoff, and remind himself that Jason Grace has probably met
thousands of people more interesting than Nico, has had hundreds of more memorable
experiences than being the only other person in a classroom where some kid gets outed-

“So,” Leo takes his plastic fork, pointing at them like a microphone, “Percy Jackson. Is he
‘never meet your idols’ kinda famous?”

Nico wants to slam his head on the cafeteria table.

“Nah, he’s cool,” Piper responds, and then- she takes her own fork out of the plastic wrapper,
and returns the gesture to Leo, “Octavian. Is he a dick all the time or just the few weeks I was
here last year?”

And with that, the apprehensiveness is gone. Leo laughs, loudly, and then Will and Jason do
too.

“All the time,” Will reassures them, “Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

The cafeteria feels quiet. Too quiet. But everyone’s returned to their conversations already,
they’re all talking. Nico has never felt so cornered in his spot in the cafeteria until now.

Then, Jason asks for their names, says that they had been out of the country for the first two
weeks of school, as if Nico hadn’t already known that. Everyone knows that.

“Will, Leo, and Nico,” Will answers for them, gesturing with his head. It’s simple, but it says
something, because everyone cares about last names here. The teachers don’t use them,
because the classes are relatively small, but everyone knows. They know who has D-list
celebrities as parents, who simply has rich parents, who’s parents used to be famous, but lost
it somehow, and everywhere in between.

That’s why it’s so easy for Nico to fly under the radar. No one knows the name di Angelo.
He’s changed so much in the years since sixth grade that he doubts anyone even remembers
that version of himself. That, and the fact that everyone looks to stand out here, even with the
uniforms, and Nico wears the same thing everyday. Hides in corners. Doesn’t speak. Doesn’t
bring attention to himself.

He has a sinking feeling in his stomach that that is about to change.

***

“You sure you don’t wanna come with me today?” Will asks, like he always does when Nico
says he’s going home. Leo’s been a part of the boarding school section of kids since high
school started because his scholarship covered it, and he spent hours after school in the
engineering club’s room anyway.

Nico, on the other hand. It’s complicated.

“Yeah,” Nico says, trying to seem unfazed, “I stayed with you all weekend. Gotta make sure
the ice in the fridge isn’t melting, y’know.” It’s a stupid excuse, but not the stupidest that
Nico’s come up with.

Will raises an eyebrow, but relents. He pulls Nico into a quick side hug, one that makes Nico
suppress a blush, as always, and gives him that grin that makes butterflies erupt in Nico’s
stomach. “‘Kay, see ya tomorrow, then!”

He runs back to his car, leaving Nico standing in front of his house. Nico turns to the door,
glancing back only when he hears the car start to leave. Will’s one of those sophomores
whose birthday is right at the beginning of the year, meaning he’s already sixteen. He got his
driver’s permit before the summer started, and spent the rest of the summer driving anywhere
and everywhere in Hollywood with his father and Nico. Then, he got his actual license right
at the beginning of the school year, because he’s an over-achiever like that.

Nico’s still fifteen. He has to wait until January, and even then - he doesn’t have a car. Well,
he has a car. He doesn’t have a key to it.

He doesn’t even actually have a key to his house. He shakes the handle, and- great . Locked.
That means that his father has come home from his business trip, and now Nico is regretting
not going with Will to his house.

He goes around the back instead, jumping the short gate, and checking whether the back
window is unlocked. Thank god, it is, and his father still hasn’t figured out that that’s his
backup. His backup- backup would be somehow trying to climb up to the balcony and climb
into his room through that. Maybe he should move a ladder to the backyard, just to be safe.

He’s silent, one of the many things he’s learned living in this house. He doesn’t have to be
half the time, because his father is rarely there - though that’s becoming less and less true as
the months go by. When Nico first arrived, back when he was eleven, his father would leave
for months. Now, he’s home every other week or so.

Nico waits a few seconds to make sure his father isn’t in the kitchen, and then walks in, his
suspicions confirmed. He drops his backpack on the ground, not making a noise as he picks
up the empty bottles, placing them carefully in the garbage bag before heading outside again
- this time through the door - and tossing them in the trash.

He tells Will everything - but not this.

Well, there are a few other things Will doesn’t know. He has a very specific list of secrets in a
very specific order, with a very specific number of people allowed to know only a very
specific amount of them.

He’s made exceptions to that list twice in his life. He won’t do it again.
What Will knows is that his home life isn’t the best. His father isn’t home much, and his
mother and sister are dead. That had taken a while to say, but he couldn’t have hid it forever,
especially with the fact that he spent most days of the week over at Will’s house instead of his
own.

He creeps up the stairs, not bothering to check the fridge. He lied to Will - the ice didn’t melt
because the fridge doesn’t work. It stopped working a few months ago, when his father had
left it open for hours, and Nico had tried to fix it, but he’s not smart like Leo, and he couldn’t
tell anyone, so he’s been relying on getting doubles in the cafeteria. He knows it won’t be
long until his money runs out, and he ends up having to tell Will, but he’s still got a few
weeks, at least.

It’s been like this since Nico moved to California. It’ll be like this until he finally turns
eighteen and moves out. He’s not entirely sure what the plan is after that, but it’ll be better
than this.

(He does have an idea. But it involves sharing his secrets, too many of them for him to even
consider it.)

He can hear snoring and some news anchor talking behind his father’s door. Nico slips past
and makes his way to his own room, closing the door without a sound and immediately
getting out his homework.

He’s not at Will’s house, so he immediately shoves the chemistry homework to the side.
Theoretically, English would be his favorite class, if it weren’t for the fact that he was
horrendous at it. Will and Leo have practically diagnosed him with dyslexia, even if he can’t
actually schedule an appointment. Will’s qualifications are reading twenty-three articles
about it and doing a deep dive in the library and Leo’s qualifications are I’m dyslexic too,
you idiot, and you’re literally describing it.

He’s not at Will’s house, so Will can’t read the assignment for him. He had hated it at first,
because he doesn’t need to be babied, goddamnit, but he has to admit that it helps.

Nico opens the book, already preparing for a headache and a night of no sleep.

***

dear reader,

the greatest of luxuries is your secrets

***
 Unknown Number

Today 8:37 AM

Hey, is this Nico?

read 8:42 AM

Today 9:35 AM

Lol sorry this is Jason. Leo gave me your number.

read 9:56 AM

Today 10:33 AM

Sorry for bothering you again. Just wanted to clear the air about last year.

I feel really bad for not doing more last time. You probably think that Piper and I sat at your
table to antagonize you or something, but last time we sat with Octavian and Bryce and that
crew, and obviously our judgement was bad. I’d never hold something like that against you,
but if you want us to leave the table, that’s totally cool too.

did u tell piper

No, of course not!!!

Not that there’s anything bad about it

But me telling her would be just as bad as what Bryce did to you

thanks

did u have anything to do with bryce getting expelled out of nowhere

Maybe

read 10:54 AM

Today 12:46 PM

u can sit with us if u want

just don’t bring any papparazi

Lol, thank you!

***
 leo fire count: 4

Today 8:42 AM

leo why the actaul FUCK did u gvie jason fucking grace my nmuber

will

LEO !!!

pyromaniac

he asked for it??

omfg

will

Dude cmon

pyromaniac

am i missing smth

do u not remmeber end of last year???

bryce lawrence????

and JASON FUCKING GRACE

will

What did he text you

just hi

i left him on read

pyromaniac

damn

umm pretty sure u never told me that jason grace was involved in that

oh

well he was

pyromaniac
sorry ://

Today 11:22 AM

pyromaniac named the conversation “leo fire count: 5”

will

Damnit Leo

Today 12:04 PM

r u good wthi the celebs sitting w us again

will

Are YOU okay with it?

pyromaniac

did jason ask u and not me

yep

pyromaniac

wow

betrayed

brkoe my heart jsut like that

will

???

pyromaniac

my one path to fame since william has so horribly taken it away~

will

Not this again

pyromaniac

THE WORLD MUST KNWO MY MANGFIENCE

i told them sure

 ***

Nico does wonder why he’s still able to go to this school. His father’s business has been
declining - probably due to the fact that his father spends more days drunk than working.
Nico could tell by the way that the driver stopped showing up to drive him to school, making
him run to Will’s house and beg Apollo to drive him to school a half hour late years ago. He
could tell by the way that the small amounts of money for cafeteria food stopped showing up
on the counter, because apparently his father’s stock of alcohol was more important than his
child starving.

It’s fine. Nico barely spends any time at his house anyway. He’s simply wondering when the
day will come that the school finally kicks him out, and he’ll be left with nowhere to go, a
high-school dropout.

These matters are more vague on his list of secrets. He knows that if the day comes, he only
has two people to turn to. Will, who would immediately offer up his place as somewhere to
stay. Apollo would probably pay tuition. It’s still a last resort.

Nico wishes he could stay at the dorms of his school, but his father would never pay the extra
fees, and Nico knows that his grades sure as hell aren’t good enough to get a scholarship like
Leo. He’s just waiting until his luck eventually runs out, and he’s left with no other choice.

His friend group of three had met back in middle school. Nico had been ten, nearly eleven,
newly moved to California, and the U.S. as a whole, transferring to the private school right
after winter break without so much of an adjustment period.

A storm on Christmas Eve, a flash flood, and some perfectly timed lightning. That was all it
took to turn Nico’s world upside down, because the next thing he remembered was a funeral
and a plane to his father’s estate in Los Angeles.

He hadn’t even known his father well. He was there, sometimes, but Nico had cared more for
his sister than either of his parents. It didn’t matter, though, because his father didn’t seem to
need to stick around, even if Nico was now living in his house, at least twice as big as the
house they had in Venice.

Nico hadn’t even been aware that he was starting a new school until he woke up to a
pounding on his door, and his father furious. It was a prestigious school, far more than Nico
deserved, and apparently he was determined to have a bad reputation there before even
starting.

It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t known. The next day, Nico prepared his things after scavenging
through drawers and closets and his father’s office. He wasn’t sure how different the
American school system was, but at least he had two pens and some blank paper. If he
needed more, well, hopefully his father would spare him a bit of time to take him to go
shopping - though Nico soon realized that his father wasn’t planning on taking him
anywhere.

He got in the back of the car, the old man introducing himself as the di Angelos’ chauffeur.
Nico hadn’t been aware that they were rich enough to have one, but then again, there hadn’t
been that much driving back in Venice. (Jules-Albert disappeared when Nico was in eighth
grade. It was just a minor inconvenience on top of everything else in his life).

He had arrived at school thoroughly unprepared. He knew how to speak English, yes, but it
was still his second language, and everyone spoke so fast. He didn’t want to be a bother,
though, so he nodded along to what the lady in the office was saying, and pretended he knew
his way to his class.

Nico arrived late, and the seats in the back were taken. Sitting up in the front, wishing
desperately that people would just slow down, was where he met Will.

Nico hadn’t allowed himself to be friends with Will for a while. It was middle school, the
time where people started realizing things like how to be mean, and what their social status
was. Nico found that this was even more prominent in the private L.A. school - where pretty
much everyone had a famous or rich parent - than his old school.

This time, he also didn’t have Bianca with him to make fun of them.

He had struggled for a long time to figure out where to sit at lunch. The cafeteria was always
so full. Despite the different lunch times, and the relatively small number of people (or at
least, compared to some other schools), there was never an empty table. And, yes, Nico liked
talking to people, but he wasn’t about to sit at some random table, lest he chose the wrong
one and was made fun of for the rest of his life.

There were barely any hallways, and even though it wasn’t raining in January, it was still
bitterly cold. Nico had looked up the weather on one of the computers, and was surprised to
find that- no, it wasn’t colder than Venice. Maybe it was the loneliness that made everything
more miserable. So, he didn’t want to sit outside on the lawn or the benches. Besides, those
were too out in the open - it felt like everyone would always be watching him.

He had been pulled out of a daze during his first class on January 28th, 2011. He had quickly
learned that his father was nearly never there, and that Nico would have to figure out how to
wake up on time on his own, a job that was made significantly harder considering his father
wouldn’t get him a phone or an alarm clock. There was enough money for cafeteria food, but
nothing more.

He had resigned himself to going to bed extremely early - seven pm, to ensure that he would
wake up with time to spare, and hopefully manage to finish his homework before school. Not
that it was enough time, ever, because he was a deep sleeper, and all the homework was in
English. Part of him was grateful that his father didn’t care enough to check his grades,
because he was already failing.

It made him exhausted. It didn’t help that this was his first birthday without his sister.
The sad thing about private schools and small classes was that they almost always pointed
out that it was someone’s birthday. Some people enjoyed it, most didn’t.

Nico did not. He had been stuck in the seat at the front of the class since the second day of
school, and he hated any teacher calling his name.

He found his way to the hallway he had found - which was honestly the jackpot. It was near
the counselor’s office, so most people didn’t want to go near it. But the counselor didn’t care
much - after all, Nico was probably one more test or tardy away from dropping out of middle
school as a whole, and god, wouldn’t that be embarrassing.

Then, two people sat down in front of him.

“Happy birthday,” Will had said, a smile on his face. Nico had known his name - he was
always raising his hand in class. “I’m Will, and this is Leo.”

Leo, who Nico was pretty sure he shared a class with, though he couldn’t place what exactly,
grinned. He tossed him a cookie from the cafeteria - something that was just barely out of
Nico’s weekly budget.

Leo then told him that Will always got it for him, which Nico didn’t get, because Will was
pulling out a container of home-made food, but that Nico could have it today as a birthday
gift from them. Nico hadn’t really been willing to speak, because surely this was a one-time
thing.

Then, the two boys found him again the next day, and the next. They continued on carrying
conversation, and Nico found that they had a different accent to most people at the school. He
heard almost everyone, even the teachers, talking in a way that made him think everything
was a question. Will and Leo talked just as fast as everyone, but they used different phrases,
ones that Nico had never studied, and pronounced their ‘i’s differently. It made it even harder
to catch up and understand, not that they would know.

One day, they decided to talk about accents. They were trying to imitate everyone else, with
what they called a “Valley” accent. Nico had no idea what that meant. He had only really
heard one kind of American accent, used by English teachers, movies, and songs.

“C’mon, Nicola, you give it a try.” Will turned to him, and his voice lifted at the end, leaving
Nico wondering whether it was a question or a demand. He frowned.

“Don’t call me that,” Nico responded immediately, before catching himself. He hated it. His
voice was too high-pitched, too unlike the boys’, with a different accent. Even his father, who
was Italian, but moved to the U.S. ages ago, lost the way they spoke. Not that Nico
necessarily knew if he ever had it.

Both of the boys’ eyes grew wide, though Leo’s was more in shock, and Will- Nico wasn’t
sure.

“Dude, talk again!”

“Leo!”

Nico pursed his lips, getting up to throw his food in the trash. He should’ve been used to
people saying his name. But he wasn’t. He wanted people to call him Nico, like Bianca used
to, but he hadn’t wanted to tell the teacher that. He hadn’t wanted to speak at all.

Leo spoke as soon as Nico returned, “What should we call you then? Neeks? Nicole? N-”

“Nico,” he said coldly.

“That’s Italian, isn’t it?” Will looked thoughtful, “That’s the accent too, right?”

“How’d you know that?” Leo stuffed a fry in his mouth.

Will kept looking at Nico, “‘Cause my dad did… uh… something in Italy. Can’t remember
what. I think it was a movie?”

Oh. So Will was also one of the rich famous kids. Then why would he be sitting here?

Nevertheless, Nico nodded slowly. “Sì.”

“You can speak in Italian?”

“Sick! I can speak Spanish, too- Will here’s the boring monolingual kid-”

“-Wow, I had no idea you could use such big words-”

“-Shut up!”

It was the kind of bickering that often happened. Nico found that after the first week, he
didn’t mind it that much. Then, they turned back to Nico, as if still expecting an answer.

When it became clear that they were waiting on him, Nico finally spoke. “Yes. I am from
Venice.”

It was choppy, and Nico felt insecure, and he wished he could go home and cry on Bianca’s
shoulder, because he had never had to try something new without her there to help.

The two boys immediately continued speaking, blatantly talking about Nico in front of him.
He liked it. It was better than the private gossiping and secret conversations that other kids
had, saying cruel things when they thought no one was listening.

They kept coming to the hallway during lunch, and Nico found himself talking more and
more. He was aware of his accent, of his voice that was so different from the boys, in a way
that he didn’t like, and that even as the weather grew warmer, and the two boys wore polos
and shorts, he continued to wear the uniform hoodies and pants that he had taken from the
lost and found, easily two sizes too big for him.

He found that the reason Leo and Will talked like they did was because they were from
Texas. Leo got here on a scholarship and was staying with a foster family, having run away
only a year ago. He had met Will at the start of the school year. Will had also lived in Texas,
but was moved to live with his father full-time when his mom died when he was seven.

He was one of the famous kids, and most people knew it. That’s why it made no sense to
Nico why he was spending time with them. Sure, Nico knew he had a rich dad, but he
honestly had no idea what he did. Will, on the other hand, had a mother who was a famous
country singer, and a father who was- well, pretty much everything.

Will said that the great Apollo had started with plays and small roles because his father was a
big director, then turned to singing. He had a phone, and he was able to show them his social
media- more followers than Nico could ever think about, despite not having released new
music or featured in a film in years.

He was always home, apparently. He made lunch for his son, and also for his daughter and
other son when they were around.

Nico suspected that they were wondering what his story was. He knew that they had seen the
red marks on his tests and essays. God, his essays. He loved to read and write, but it was
discouraging to say the least - the words on the reading assignments floated around and
formed random orders, and the words in his head were never written correctly on the paper he
was given. He wondered if it was the language barrier, or if it was just something wrong with
him.

(The teacher hadn’t cared much. Nico submitted the last essay entirely in Italian, and he had
still just marked an F- no comments.)

So, it was obvious that he wasn’t there on a scholarship like Leo, who was a math genius. His
last name wasn’t recognizable, like Will’s (if you had any adequate knowledge about country
music, that is).

He wasn’t ready to tell his story to them yet, though. He wasn’t sure if he ever would be.

His house was still mostly empty when he returned home. He found that he liked it better
compared to when his father was home, and the house was filled with pacing, yelling on the
phone, and the clatter of bottles in the trash.

***

Nico has lunch at a table that includes two more people. Kids stare, but they get over it in two
days.

He goes home with Will the next day, and he can pretend that things are normal. That he
doesn’t dread going to his house, that he isn’t filled with anxiety around Jason, who also
knows his secrets - ones that Nico hadn’t been willing to share - and that spending time with
 Will in his room, so relaxed and carefree, has been becoming harder since he realized what
the butterflies meant.

He ignores it. He listens to his best friend read the text, The Book Thief, and they toss
answers back and forth on the study guide. Apollo calls them down for dinner, and Nico
listens as Kayla talks about her day, then Will, then Nico.

It’s like he’s a part of a family. He can pretend.

Then, he goes back to Will’s room, the sleepover not even discussed, and throws himself on
Will’s bed, because they ditched the air mattress back in seventh grade.

He lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Words float around in his head, a blend of Italian and
English, and they form a story. They move around on the walls, but not in a way that makes
him frustrated. They form phrases, not sentences, and if Nico tries hard enough, he thinks he
hears them to a certain melody.

(He’ll write it on a post-it the next day, and shove it in his drawer in the back of a closet in his
room. He doesn’t tell anyone about the songs. He doesn’t plan for anyone - including himself
- to ever hear them.)

Chapter End Notes

OKAYY lemme just tell u that the idea for this fic came back in DECEMBER. i know
right. it actually started off as some weird in-my-head thing with a crossover of rwrb??
ikr. i shall imagine that this universe does have ellen claremont-diaz as president bc why
not ! she slays (not that u need to know anything abt red white & royal blue to read this
fic, but u should totally read it)

then, that changed into a one-shot idea, and as you can see, that definitely did not
happen. so it's a multi-chap, i have 10 chapters written already, and i'm guessing it
should end up being about 30 chapters? maybe more? we'll see!!

as u can tell, nico is most definitely NOT a popstar yet. it will happen over time, plus a
slow-burn between him and will (it's not that slow-burn tho. i won't tell u spoilers but
they def get together before junior year). and APOLLO!! i wanted to add sm apollo here
bc i love him SO MUCH and i sincerely HOPE he makes an appearance in tsats. which
btw. is coming out. in 23 DAYS???

i find it ironic that i'm posting this the day after all of these rumors abt taylor and joe
breaking up start appearing, but i don't believe it- we'll see if that statement ends up
being true lmao. just a headsup this fic will NOT include any angst pertaining to will
and nico themselves, or nico's career- it is very unlike fame au's in that aspect. there are
no dickhead managers or homophobic publicists or crazy fans (well, prob some crazy
fans but u can't rlly avoid those) - see the note above about apollo slaying and being
iconic
i'm hoping for a weekly posting schedule!! so next sunday ch 2 will be posted :) also
because pop music was PEAK during this time period (yes, i'm talking abt 1989, even if
i am a rep stan), i'll be trying to make chapter titles with lyrics from songs that were
popular at the time period (aka 1989). thanks for reading!!
 i think i am finally clean
Chapter Notes

chapter title from "clean" by taylor swift

tw for some implied/mentioned child abuse and homophobia/transphobia but it's like a
vague sentence describing it

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Nico doesn’t remember much from before California. Not that he remembers much of his
first few years in L.A. either, but he’s got Will and Leo to remind him of stuff that he forgets
in that case.

He didn’t have many friends back in Italy. Really, he just had Bianca. He clings on to the
memories of those times by looking at the stars, remembering Bianca teaching him the
constellations.

(He’ll always remember that; stars and storms and funerals.)

He remembers that his mother drank, but not like his father does. He remembers that his
father was mainly gone, only showing up every few months, and that he couldn’t truly tell if
his parents loved each other.

(He likes to think they did. At least then, he can blame his father’s tendencies on grief.)

Mainly, he remembers Bianca. How she took care of him, and helped him with his
homework, and did her best to teach him English even though she was still just learning and
their mother could speak fluently. He remembers her singing songs softly under her breath,
and attempting to play the guitar when she borrowed it from the music room at school.

(He’s learned, now. He wonders if she’d be proud of that.)

One thing that he knows for certain is that his life in Venice is astronomically different from
his life in L.A. It’s not just the culture shock, but it’s the atmosphere in the places he spends
his time. His school in Venice was also a private school, but it was smaller, with about twelve
kids in his class before he left. His home in Venice was also smaller, but it felt more like
home - though that was probably just because Bianca lived there.

In California, his school is huge. It’s also all outside, which he hates the most when summer
is near. His father’s home is not really his home, though he doesn’t quite go so far to claim
Will’s house as his either, even though that’s where he spends most of his time.
Apollo’s house is grand and luxurious, located up in the hills. So is his father’s, but anyone
could tell the difference - Apollo’s house, while perfectly clean and with shelves on shelves
of awards in the entryway, looks lived in. It’s fancy, and there’s chandeliers and gold
embellishments on the spiral staircases.

Nico thinks that if someone were to search up celebrity mansion on google, this is what
they’d see. He had been shocked when he first saw it. Nico lived only about a twenty minute
drive away, and yet his father’s house looked as if it was waiting to be sold.

(Now, though, it looks abandoned. The vines haven’t been trimmed in years, and Nico isn’t
around enough to actually clean it - not that he even wants to.)

He had been intimidated by Apollo at first. He’s one of those old-time celebrities that was all
over the place in the 90s’ (not that Nico would know, since he was born in 2000) and was still
going strong in the early 2000’s. He’s a household name, so much so that Nico had heard of
him back in Italy.

Then, he decided to focus on being a father. His children had all gone to their other parents
when born, but in 2007, Naomi Solace died, so he got full custody of Will.

Kayla’s other father (which was the scandal of the decade when it was first revealed)
originally watched over her when she was young, but he was going to be a coach at the
Olympics, and decided that it was time for Kayla to get a normal schooling experience. So,
Kayla moved in before the 2012 Olympics, and spent holidays traveling with Darren
Knowles and practicing archery.

Austin’s mother works at a boarding school teaching music, so he spends the school year in
northern California. He stays with Apollo over the summer, as he has for his whole life.

Nico is not related to Apollo, and he is not obligated to let Nico in his house at all.

And yet, it feels like the closest thing to his home since he practically moved in over the
summer between sixth and seventh grade.

At first, Apollo hadn’t even questioned it. Will is an outgoing kid, and Leo came over every
now and then (though he lived further away, so it wasn’t quite often), and it made sense to
have a new friend visiting every now and then, even if Nico was quite literally the opposite of
Leo in personality, at first.

It was before his and Will’s first sleepover that he questioned it, wondering what Nico’s
parents’ phone number was, and Nico said that he didn’t know.

He had been young and kind of foolish back then. It didn’t seem strange for a parent to not
want to be with him - his mother hadn’t either. So, he had told Apollo that his father wouldn’t
care, probably wouldn’t even notice. He hadn’t been home all month.

Apollo’s brows had furrowed, and he said okay to Nico staying over, but insisted on driving
him to his house the next day.
That was when he first realized something was wrong. Nico hadn’t been lying about his
father not being home. The next week, Apollo had bought Nico a phone, something brand
new, and put his and Will’s number in it. He told Nico to call if he ever wanted to be picked
up, or if he ever needed anything. At the time, Nico didn’t need much. Jules-Albert had been
nice enough to pick up groceries, and Nico knew how to cook, so he managed to fend for
himself.

Nico never texted Apollo, but he did eventually gain the courage to text Will towards the
beginning of the summer. He was bored out of his mind, and didn’t know the area well
enough to go wandering without being lost.

From then on, he spent at least a few days every week at Will’s house. Towards the end of the
summer, Nico had cut his own hair in the bathroom, so it was choppy and right at his
shoulders. He wished it was shorter, but he didn’t think he could do that - that wasn’t allowed
for him.

He had visited Will’s house again, and then Will offered to try and fix the choppiness, to
which Nico readily agreed. That ended up only turning out worse, so Apollo finally
intervened when Nico showed up for dinner, and asked how he wanted it.

Like Will’s , he had blurted out, instantly regretting it. He had watched Apollo carefully, seen
his face soften slightly. Before Nico could take it back, Apollo gave him a bright smile and
said that’d look great.

It felt like a weight lifted in his stomach. Apollo wasn’t that good at cutting hair, but he was
certainly better than Will and Nico, and when Nico returned to his house two days later, his
curls didn’t even reach his shoulders. They were light and short and boyish, just like Will’s,
even if Will’s hair was more wavy than curly.

Unfortunately, his father came home later that day, a rare sight. As quickly as his happiness
came, it was crushed.

That was the first time his father hit him. As Nico rushed to his room confused, eyes full of
tears, and breathing too quickly, he pressed call on Apollo’s number.

This, he doesn’t remember well. He doesn’t think he said much, but twenty minutes later, he
got a text from Apollo saying he was outside, and Nico snuck out of the house with nothing
other than his phone in the dead of night.

Apollo hadn’t said anything, even though after that day, Nico realizes he definitely woke him
up. He also realizes that Apollo must have had his notifications on, which is strange for
someone who’s retired.

Nico had managed to calm down a bit by the time they arrived at Apollo’s house. It was
enough time for Nico to think oh shit, he had just called his friend’s dad who’s also a huge
celebrity to pick him up in the middle of the night.

Apollo seemed frustrated, and Nico was debating walking back to his house. Or maybe he’d
run away entirely. He’d be homeless, but his final grades were just barely short of him
dropping out of middle school anyway. Then, his father would kick him out, and that would
probably be worse than him running away.

He didn’t run away, though, because Apollo was holding the door open for him and Nico was
pretty sure that he would be able to catch him. The entryway looked just as grand at night as
during the day, but Apollo kept moving forward, pausing at the hallway to whisper, c’mon ,
to Nico.

Nico realized that they were heading to the kitchen, and then Apollo turned the lights on -
and then came the interrogation. Nico didn’t want to speak; the last thing he wanted was to
hear his voice. But he would rather tell Apollo what had happened and then forget about it
than have Will there listening in the morning.

(Will found out part of it a few weeks later, anyway.)

It didn’t take that much coaxing for Apollo to realize what his father had done, and why. Nico
hadn’t wanted to be pitied, but the gentle way that Apollo dealt with his bruises and then
explained that there was nothing wrong with his haircut - or anything else that Nico was
feeling - made him feel cared for, seen in a way that he hadn’t since Bianca died.

She had known that Nico wasn’t a girl. She had said it was fine.

But Nico’s mother, the church, the teachers, other kids at school, and then clearly his father,
said it wasn’t. For months, Nico didn’t know what to think. He didn’t want Bianca to be
wrong; he didn’t want to be what others said he was.

But Apollo said it was fine, too. And then, only a few weeks later, when school started, the
teacher called his name as Nico despite him never saying anything about it.

(He thinks that was Apollo’s doing. He’s never confirmed it, but Nico can guess.)

He told Will that day after school. Then, at dinner, Will called him he while telling Apollo
about their day. From then on, that was that. Will is his best friend, Apollo’s house is safe,
and Nico is a guy.

It sounds so simple when he thinks of it like that.

***

telling you i’m fine

i don’t really need nobody

but you say through a sigh

that i said that lie already

 ***

will

Yesterday 11:43 PM

Nico Nico Nico when you change your name officially would you change it to Niccolo

But with the accent idk how to write it

Like Marco Polo’s brother

why wloud i change my name to marco polo’s borther

Idk

Have you done the history reading yet

is it abt marco polo

Yes

no i’ll just change it to nico

bc that’s my name

I’m gonna totally call you Niccolo when you call me William

but william is actually your name

:(((

Today 12:11 PM

why did i ever take chemistry

Because chemistry’s amazing

to YOU

i should’ve taken music

That’s what I told you to do

And what Dad told you to do

://
I bet if you ask the counselor they could change it

NO they wouldnt’

plus i dont even want to take music

i just hate chmestriy

You would do so well in music

yeah right

i cant even sing

YES YOU CAN!!!!

read 12:23 PM

Today 12:34 PM

Excuse you I know you read that

I’ll convince you at lunch

no u won’t

I’ll get Dad to convince you after school

i’ll go to my house

Pleaseeeeee

read 12:37 PM

Today 3:04

Parked at the small tree behind the field

omw

***

Follow Requests • 99+ >

@jasongrace started following you.

 @pipermclean started following you.

***

“Bad day?” Will asks as Nico throws his backpack to the floor and tosses himself on Will’s
bed. Nico groans in response.

Will just chuckles, quite used to this. He does the same as Nico, then rolls on his side and
waits for Nico to turn around as well.

Nico sometimes wishes that he could find more flaws in Will. And sure, there are some, like
the fact that he’s ridiculously stubborn and weirdly obsessed with science. He gets a horrible
bedhead and likes country music more than any other genre.

But he’s also patient and kind and so goddamn beautiful that Nico can ignore the country
music preference. Being with Will kind of makes him want to ignore everything else too, and
that terrifies him a bit. If he was a girl, this would be fine. Great, even. Who could imagine a
more romantic story, childhood friends who just grew closer over time?

But Nico isn’t. He’s very sure about that. He’s also very sure that he’s gay, and theoretically,
he can say that it’s fine, if it were just crushing on celebrities and people on magazines and
billboards.

Crushing on Will, however. That’s not okay. And he’s tried to deny it for a bit over a year
now, but then Will does stupid things like driving him home from school, explaining
chemistry assignments, reading out loud, smiling, running his hands through his hair -

Nico doesn’t stand a chance. And even after all these years, even after Nico came out as trans
and gay, they still share a bed - which technically, he realizes is a similar situation to sharing
a bed with Will as cis and straight, but still. The treacherous voice in the back of his head that
sounds an awful lot like his father tells him it’s wrong.

Nico knows that there are guest rooms in this house, but being with Will makes him feel
lightheaded in a good way. Actually, he feels everything in a good way. Will makes the
nightmares go away, he makes sure Nico actually does fall asleep, and he keeps him warm
(not that that’s much of a necessity in September in California, but it is nice in the winter
months).

He’s stared a few seconds too long, so he diverts his gaze to the blanket, and sighs. “Do you
think things are gonna change this year?”

Will, of course, gets the message. Of course, he does. He knows Nico better than anyone else,
even if he doesn’t know everything.

“Is this about Jason and Piper?”

Nico shrugs.

“I think they’re good people. I mean, Jason seemed pretty genuine, and Piper gets along well
with Leo. But things don’t need to change unless we want them too.”

“...Do you want them to?”

Will hums. “Depends.”

Nico looks up. Will is staring at him.

“I think change is good,” Will says, “But I also like some things as they are. You and me, for
example.”

Nico raises an eyebrow. Will looks away, and if Nico wanted to get his hopes up, he could
think that Will’s cheeks look slightly pink.

“I don’t want us to change. I- like this. I don’t want this to change.”

That could mean a million things , Nico thinks. He doesn’t know whether to feel elated or
depressed - he loves moments like these, but he also loves Will. And if things don’t change
between them…

“Yeah. Same.”

***

kayla’s #1

Today 7:20 PM

Apollo named the conversation “Family Group Chat”

Apollo

Pizza for dinner tonight!

kayla

why’d you change the name

“family groupchat” boringggg

Apollo

I don’t have favorites.

Get back to your homework

read 7:26 PM

***

It’s not very often that Will gets Nico to sing. If it were anyone else, Nico would never sing,
but Will is probably one of two people who can get Nico to relent to nearly anything.

He used to sing quietly with Bianca when she would try to play the guitar. He didn’t think
much of it until one day after school when Will saw him eyeing one of Apollo’s guitars
(because he has several ), and asked whether Nico knew how to play. He didn’t, so Will had
grabbed his wrist and told Apollo that Nico wanted to learn how to play guitar, and Nico
stammered that really, he didn’t need to -

But then both Apollo and Will were excited, and so he couldn’t really refuse. And he doesn’t
regret it, most of the time, except for when Will asks him to sing and play something, and
Nico can’t say no.

It’s an acoustic guitar that Will has in his room, one of his mom’s from an old tour she went
on. Nico doesn’t get why Will wants to hear him , not when he has dozens of records and
CD’s lining shelves - or he could stream music too. He also knows to play the guitar as well,
but Nico thinks he prefers listening because playing reminds him too much of his mom.

Nico’s voice has grown slightly deeper over the years, but it’s still too high-pitched for his
liking. His accent has only faded slightly, but it’s still prominent when he gets excited or
when he’s sleepy, and Will has formed a decent Italian vocabulary from times where Nico
couldn’t remember the right word.

He doesn’t speak much, and when he does, he tries to make it even deeper than usual,
imitating Will. When he sings, though, he doesn’t really know how to explain it. It doesn’t
necessarily sound like a girl, but it also doesn’t sound like Apollo or any other male artists he
hears.

He only knows this because of the times he sang in front of Will. No other living person has
heard him sing, and he likes it that way. But Will always gets this cute smile and folds his
hands in his lap, rocking slowly side to side on the floor as Nico strums the guitar.

Clean by Taylor Swift, he had chosen today. Nico knows that it’s for him, because even
though Will’s the Taylor Swift fan, he would have chosen one of her country songs. 1989 is
easily closer to Nico’s music taste, even if that’s definitely not what people would consider at
first glance.

He supposes that it was a small part of the culture shock. His mother had always been a huge
fan of opera, whereas Bianca had occasionally stolen a few pop CD’s from the music room.
Then, when moving to L.A., pop culture was everywhere and especially in Apollo’s house.
He doesn’t admit it, but he likes it.

Will’s doing the stupid thing where he hums softly along, and Nico finds himself thinking
that fuck, he’s so in love with him. He’s only fifteen, and he’s not entirely sure what love truly
means, but he thinks it’s this.

He thinks that he would’ve drowned years ago if it weren’t for Will. The last year had
probably been the worst - his father growing more violent, staying at home more; Nico
wanting to throw up at the mere sight of himself, dressing in baggier hoodies and crying
himself to sleep more nights than not; the strong feelings of he doesn’t belong that Will
probably assumes just has to do with everything else, but more to do with the fact that he’s
fallen in love, and that can only have negative outcomes.

And yet, Will never made him feel that way. He never once shamed Nico for spending weeks
at Apollo’s house, never complained about helping with school, never pushed when trying to
figure out his home life.

Nico thinks that he wants to tell him, but he’s scared. Everything he tells Will feels like one
step closer to the point of no return, the line where Will will finally realize that he’s had
enough, that Nico has monopolized too many parts of his life.

But it never comes. So Nico will allow himself the peace, just for these few moments, and
lets himself stare without counting the seconds, because Will is staring back. It’s something
rare and special that reminds Nico of a time where things were better - but it’s so different,
because it’s Will.

There’s a knock on the door, and Nico immediately stops strumming. Apollo says through the
door that dinner arrived, and to head downstairs when they’re ready.

He hopes that Apollo hadn’t heard. It was probably so terrible that he wouldn’t mention it
anyway.

Will grins, unaware of the pressure in Nico’s chest, and says that they’re coming. Nico puts
the guitar away, and he can suddenly hear the noise outside, because Apollo’s playing some
music as always, and Kayla’s chattering about something down the hallway, and even in the
hills, there’s a faint buzzing that Nico knows comes from the highway and the main city.

Everything’s normal when he and Will show up at the dining table, except Apollo’s gaze
lingers only a few extra seconds.

By the time he gets in Will’s car the next morning, he’s forgotten about it.

***

Unknown Number (1), Unknown Number (2), will, pyromaniac

 Today 7:12 AM

Unknown Number (1)

Hey guys

I just wanted to let you know that a film crew is coming to school today and following me
around so if you guys want us to sit somewhere else for lunch, that’s totally cool.

Unknown Number (2)

we tried to convince them that they didn’t need to film lunch and shit but they’re very
persistent

pyromaniac

no way that’s totally cool

make us famous and all that

who is this

Unknown Number (2)

sorry, this is piper!!

oh cool

and the other prseon’s jason?

Unknown Number (1)

Lol did you not save my number

pyromaniac

nico’s truly heartless

shtu up

will says its fine

and i say it’s fine too so dw

jason grace

Is Will with you?

he’s driving

piper mclean
 omg luckyyy you guys live outside of school

yeah

k just arrived

jason grace

Sweet

We’re the ones with a bunch of cameras around us

really i had no idea

so many people with film crews today you know

pyromaniac

burneddd

pyromaniac named the conversation “operation get leo famous”

You named the conversation “lunch table”

will says to stop benign stupid

pyromaniac

ouch

***

Jason Grace Official ✔ uploaded: A Day In High School (ft. Piper McLean)

September 27, 2015

Chapter End Notes

yk how ao3 authors always have like the weirdest stuff going on in their lives?? i think
that's somehow gotten to me bc I SAW TAYLOR SWIFT IN TAMPA FLORIDA ON
THURSDAY??? I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA YALL i'm like so shook i can't believe it -
my family and i were on vacation and then there was a flood in ft lauderdale so the
airport shut down and our flights got cancelled TWICE so we ended up driving to tampa
and getting slightly obstructed seats in the back but like IT WAS AMAZING OMFG. i
can't and will never get over that

anyway that's just a mini ramble i had to say bc aghlaskdfjsl i still can't believe it?? but
yay!!! second chapter and we get some more nico lore and solangelo fluff~
one thing that i wanted to mention abt this fic is that i'm writing abt a lot of things that i
do NOT have personal experience with (i am not trans, i do not have abusive parents, i
am not a popstar-) so! if there is anything that u find off or not right pLEASE let me
know bc i do want this fic to be accurate and good. i have done quite a bit of research
while writing this stuff but yk google isn't always right so don't be afraid to point out
anything!! or if it's just like w my writing style or whatever im always open to
constructive criticismlfks

another thing: i just KNOW that there are gonna ppl reading this and thinking "nico
would never listen to 1989" "nico wouldn't be a pop fan" bro this is a popstar!nico fic
ofc he is going to like pop music. do i think that canon nico would listen to 1989 in in
his spare time?? prob not BUT THIS IS FANFIC AND IT'S AN AU AND HE JUST
LIKES POP IN THIS. im basing it off of the fact that in this fic, bianca was a big pop
fan and so nico just kinda followed that and ended up enjoying it - so yes. he will be a
popstar. he will make POP music.

i have a playlist of songs he ends up "releasing" and i can explain more abt that- like
basically it's not saying that taylor swift, for example, doesn't exist since i'm using one
of her songs as his (i have very limited music taste, i am aware that i am very basic, u do
not need to point that out bc i knowLSDF) it just means that she wrote a different song
that takes that song's place
(idk if that makes sense, i can explain more in the comments if u want)

anyway! if u wanna know what his music style is - im thinking like conan gray?? like
his voice is almost like conan gray (when i imagine it) and his writing/musical style is
taylor/lizzy mcalpine/conan gray/lorde-ish
more on that when we actually get to the popstar part of the fic

thanks for reading!!! and thank u sm for all the comments on the last chapter those
literally make my day. like i grin and squeal whenever i see an email like that so
YESLSKDF
 we need someone to lean on
Chapter Notes

some lost trio lore and.... the possible beginning of nico's career?
jk. that's still a long time coming but it's kinda getting there

chapter title from "lean on" by major lazer, who i've actually never listened to, but this
song was all over the radio in 2015, and i actually checked the billboard hot 100 around
this time- it's there!! the first title not by taylor swift as well, but the song slays. very
nostalgic.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Playing: A Day In High School (ft. Piper McLean) uploaded by Jason Grace Official ✔

[A boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his lip is looking past the camera, and then
at the camera. He’s in the passenger seat of a car, smiling.]

Jason: Hey guys! It’s Jason Grace.

[The scene switches to a short montage of different moments throughout the day, some parts
sped up: Jason in a classroom. Jason and Piper at lunch with three other boys. Jason walking
through the hallway, talking to the camera, muted.

He gets out of the car, a backpack over his shoulder. He looks at the camera again.]

Jason: So, you’ve seen a lot of vlogs on set, and before red carpets, but I also go to high
school whenever I’m not filming. My first class is Math, so… let’s get going.

[The clip speeds up, showing Jason walking through school. A few people wave at the
camera or at Jason, and he waves back. He doesn’t stop walking until he’s reached a
classroom, and the video returns to normal speed.]

Jason: And now I get to learn about functions. I’ll see you after class.

[The camera follows Jason inside the room, and skips through Jason taking notes. He raises
his hand twice, but the answer is muted. After a few seconds, Jason puts his notebook and
pencil into his backpack, and a bell rings. He’s followed through the hallway until he gets to
another class.]

Jason: Time for English. I’ve got a quiz in this class today, so, uh. Hopefully that goes well.

[Jason sits closer to the front in this class, and returns to taking notes. The scene skips to the
teacher passing out the quizzes, and the camera zooms in on Jason circling answers, but the
page itself is blurred.

Eventually, he gets up and places his paper on a pile of a few other quizzes, and then goes
back to sitting down. He takes out a binder, and mouths, ‘homework’.

The scene switches to Jason walking through the hallway again.]

Jason: Next is actually my favorite class, History. I also share that with one of my friends,
and then I’ve got lunch.

[The camera once again follows Jason into a classroom, and he sits next to another blonde
boy, who’s got a textbook open. He looks up when he sees Jason, glancing at the cameras
shortly before grinning.]

Jason: This is Will. We share AP World History and… lunch.

[Will snorts.]

Will: All sophomores share lunch.

Jason: Okay, but like- you get what I mean. We-

Will: Sit at the same table? Yeah, don’t worry, I get it.

[The clip changes slightly, showing a scene change. Jason and Will are still in the same
seats.]

Jason: Other friends that you’ll meet are… Piper. I have French with her. You’ll meet Leo
and Nico at lunch, but I don’t share any classes with them, unfortunately.

[The bell rings, and Jason sets his backpack down, taking out the same textbook as Will. The
video speeds through the class, showing Jason raise his hand a few times more than in Math.
Then, they get out of class, and Jason and Will walk down the hallway. They split up at one
point, and Will waves to the camera before leaving to the other side of the cafeteria.]

Jason: Will gets his lunch from home so he’s saving our seats. I’ve gotta get in the lunch line,
so- hey, Piper! Leo!

[The camera focuses on two people walking to the lunch line, changing direction and waving
to Jason. The girl’s hair is curled and she’s wearing only slightly noticeable makeup. The boy
has bouncy curly hair and his shirt is untucked with two buttons undone.

Leo immediately runs over, throwing an arm around Jason’s shoulder and grinning at the
camera.]

Jason: This is-

Leo: Leo Valdez, baby. Resident genius and-

Piper: -The person who just set the engineering room on fire again.
Leo: I was gonna say your best friend, but sure. If you say so.

[Jason chuckles, and turns to the lunch line, with Leo and Piper following.]

Jason: How were your guys’ classes?

[The video speeds up as Leo and Piper talk, until they make it to the front of the lunch time.
The camera moves around the kitchen to the exit, where Jason, Leo, and Piper walk out in
what seems like seconds, holding their lunches.

Jason waves at the camera again, and they walk to the back corner of the cafeteria, where two
boys are waiting. Will, from earlier, is sitting next to a boy with curly black hair wearing a
large black hoodie.

The boy in black’s eyes widen when seeing the camera, but the angle changes to Jason again,
as they all sit down. Piper sits on the left, then Jason, Leo, Will, and Nico on the very right.]

Jason: You’ve already met Will, and this is Nico.

[He gestures to Nico, who offers a small wave before looking at his food…]

***

“ Please tell me that’s never happening again.”

Jason winces, “Hopefully never in school again. I don’t know what my mom wants.”

“How can you live like that?”

“You don’t,” Piper says bluntly, “Everything we said today was scripted. Jason had to leave
the school to get into a car to pretend to get out. Hair and makeup were all over my dorm this
morning-”

“-And mine, too! It was awesome-”

“-You just got out of it because you don’t live here.” She rolls her eyes amusedly at Leo,
who’s grinning. Nico just sighs in relief, and he can tell that Will feels the same way. Leo-
well, he definitely could be famous. Apollo’s offered to give him a head start, but Leo always
declines, and really, it’s just a running joke at this point. He doesn’t actually want it.

Some part of Nico feels sympathy for Jason and Piper. Whereas his father never cared at all
what Nico did, their parents - or at least Jason’s parents - care too much. Probably Piper, too,
because Nico had never seen her wear makeup or style her hair before today, and with the
way she acts about it, he can guess that today wasn’t her choice.
It’s after school, but Nico and Will are hanging out in Jason’s dorm, because that’s the only
one that’s not a complete mess.

“The whole thing’s really stupid anyway,” Jason explains, “I mean- my schooling has always
just been on-set tutors. Luckily, I’m not working on Heroes of Olympus at the moment, so I
was able to convince her to give me a break, and that was only because Piper was gonna go
here-”

“- and I only managed that because I told my dad’s manager that Jason was going here.”

“Yeah. I’m hoping that I can get out of the next season too. Like, I know I’ve only been in
one season of this show, but I could ask them to kill my character off or something-”

“ No!” Leo and Nico exclaim, horrified, and Nico realizes his mistake only a half-second
later, but Leo continues, “You can’t kill him off, not when he doesn’t even have all of his
memories!”

“...You watch my show?”

Leo grins, “Nico got me hooked on it-”

“I’d hardly call it your show,” Nico mutters, the tips of his ears turning red as he pulls his
hood over his face.

“Right, it’s Percy Jackson’s show-”

“I will kill you-”

“Really? That’s perfect, because now I need you to complete our survey,” Piper clears her
throat, “Does Paige actually love Jason’s character, or is it just because of the altered
memories? Because in my opinion-”

“I think Jason’s gay.”

Everyone turns to Will, who quickly alters, “I meant- Jason the character. Hey, did they name
that after you?”

After only a few moments of silence, Jason bursts out laughing, and shakes his head. “Nah,
it’s after the hero. Y’know, ‘cause Jason’s the only hero that Hera favored. But I think so too.
Him and Elio should’ve gotten together, in my opinion.”

“They still could, if you don’t kill Jason off-”

“No,” Jason shakes his head sadly, “There’s no way my mom would allow it. The most I
could do is, like, say it in ten years once I get out of all my contracts.”

“ Ten years?” Will looks horrified.

“Eight,” Jason says, “After Thalia left and ditched Hollywood, my mom just… tightened
some strings. It doesn’t mean I have to stay with this show specifically, but it keeps me stuck
to the company, and she’s on the board of directors for it. It’s like, ‘yeah, you’ll be an adult,
so I can’t control you as your mother, but I’m still your manager.’”

Silence.

“That’s horrible! ” Will stammers, eyes wide, and Nico nods in agreement. He theoretically
knows about the industry, has heard horror stories on the internet or from Apollo, but it never
really occurred to him that Jason and Piper were not people to be jealous of.

Nico doesn’t understand it, probably never will - but if he tries hard enough, he can see small
specks of tiredness in their eyes, something that Nico is all too used to. He replays what
Jason had just said, about his character, about the contract, then thinks about last year, when
Lawrence had made fun of him, had called him horrible things and looked to Jason for
approval, as if it would impress him.

He thinks about how disgusted Jason had looked. How horrified. And during the heat of the
moment, when all of Nico’s fears were lining up and tossing themselves at him, he had
thought that it was a reaction to who Nico was, what Bryce had revealed.

Now, he can see - Jason was disgusted by Bryce. And with the way Jason was talking about
the industry…

Oh. He thinks he understands.

“You guys should come over to my place today. It’s the weekend, anyway,” Will says, as if
it’s the easiest thing ever, even though he’s talking to four people who very much do not have
homes - houses, yes, but not homes.

“ And, ” Will adds, “one day, my dad can look over your contract too. If you don’t wanna do
any of the acting stuff, you shouldn’t. I’m sure he can find something.”

“Your dad’s a lawyer?”

“No. He’s just got experience with these kinds of things.”

Nico thinks that’s a funny way of saying he’s a celebrity. But it’s Will, and he never thinks
much of things like that.

***

We rot, thinkin’ lots about nothing

Yeah, i could spend a lifetime

Sitting here talkin’

 ***

Leo, Jason, and Piper end up staying for dinner, and then agree to stay the night as well. Nico
does too, but that’s nothing unusual.

They set up two air mattresses in Will’s room, because Apollo just has those lying around.
He’s never said anything about Nico never needing one, but now, in front of the others, Nico
feels wary of sharing a bed like they always have.

Jason and Piper had freaked out when seeing Apollo. Kayla had freaked out when seeing
them. It’s always funny, in Nico’s opinion, how celebrities can be fans too. Either way, they
all thank Apollo for dinner, which he actually cooked this time, and Leo applauds him for
finally using spices.

Nico’s been giving me cooking lessons , Apollo had responded, and Nico had ignored Jason
and Piper looking at him with curiosity. He drove to school with Will, they had the same
containers of lunch, and apparently Nico was always at Apollo’s house. Nico knew what they
were wondering, but that didn’t mean he had to tell them.

The next day, Nico wakes up with his head on Will’s chest, as always, and Will’s hand
stroking his hair. It only takes him two seconds to realize that they’re not alone in the room,
as always, and he pulls back sharply.

Will just smiles, because he woke up earlier than Nico, as always, and he understands.

Luckily, it seems like Piper is a deep sleeper, and even though Jason’s awake, he’s opted for
scrolling on his phone, still on the air mattress.

Nico thinks that it’s strange how easily they’d fit into this friend group, if they haven’t
already made their way in. Leo has obviously become best friends with them already, and
they’re - nice. Nico doesn’t like to admit it, but they’re both charismatic and funny, and he
doesn’t know whether that’s who they are, or something they were taught to be.

So, they’ve definitely won over Leo. And Nico knows that Will would accept them easily,
that part of him already has, but he’s just waiting on Nico.

He gives a soft smile to Will, resting his head on the pillow again and moving closer, quietly,
so that hopefully Jason doesn’t hear him. Leo and Piper definitely won’t.

Nico can feel himself falling into another hour of sleep, and his eyes fall on the pride flag on
the wall before they close. He knows that Piper and Jason saw it, but they never commented.
It’s been there for three years, ever since Will first came out. It fits both of them, but their
individual flags are down in one of the hallways downstairs - Will and Apollo’s bi flag,
Austin’s pan flag, Kayla’s lesbian flag, a gay and trans flag for Nico, though those are
technically shared with Kayla’s other dad, and another rainbow pride flag.
It’s a bit of a strange hallway, compared to all the other ones, filled with photos and posters
and awards, but Apollo’s had it for as long as Nico’s seen this house. Of course, back then,
there were less flags, seeing as Kayla, Will, Austin, and Nico hadn’t come out. But Apollo
never explained it, just added them as time went on.

It’s one of the things that makes this house feel like a home, even if Nico still won’t allow
himself to call it that. Not even when Will says that they’re going home, as if it applies to
both of them, or Apollo asks if he’s coming home today.

It’s all complicated. He’ll sort it out when the time comes.

***

Jason and Piper leave on Saturday, but Leo stays until Sunday, and they watch Jason’s ‘ vlog’
when it comes out, though it looks more like a documentary. Then, Leo leaves that afternoon,
and Nico stays, because it’s been a weird week, and he doesn’t have the energy to deal with
his father’s house, much less his father.

They had put off their homework, as high school students do, so Nico chooses to wander the
house a bit while Will gets his done - he’s the one in Honors Chemistry and AP World
History, rather than the normal classes that Nico’s in. The only advanced class he managed to
take, which is still a bit of a shock to him, is Honors French II, probably because of how
similar it is to Italian.

He doesn’t get to share that class with Jason and Piper, though, and Will and Leo take
Spanish (which Nico still thinks is Leo completely cheating, but he was right when he asked,
if they had an Italian class, you’re saying you wouldn’t take it?).

Still, it means that Nico’s homework load is much less stressful than Will’s, even if
sometimes it takes just as long. He thinks that it might just be a bit too obvious, though, if he
spent his time staring at Will, so he’ll see if he can maybe find Kayla outside, and ask her to
try to teach him to use a bow and arrow even though they still can’t find the arrow he shot
last time.

He gets distracted, though, by the sound of music down a hallway. Even after all these years,
Nico hasn’t been in all of the rooms - at first because he didn’t want to go anywhere without
Will, and now because he just doesn’t really feel the urge to explore.

He’s got nothing better to do, though, so he follows it. It’s coming from a door that’s slightly
open, and something makes him think that the room probably would have been soundproof if
it were closed.

Nico peeks through the door, and finds Apollo. Vaguely, he remembers what Will had told
him all those years ago, when first introducing his dad.
He says he likes producing more than singing and acting and all that, but his dad didn’t like
it, ‘cause that doesn’t get as much fame or money. He still does it sometimes, though, I think.
I can hear music coming from his studio, but I think they’re just remixes and stuff. He hasn’t
released anything in ages.

This must be Apollo’s studio. Nico wonders why he’s never seen it before.

It’s a remix, because he can recognize the melody of some song that’s at the top of the
Billboard Hot 100. It sounds cool, but Nico can guess why Apollo wouldn’t release it -
everyone wants new music, not just remixes. And with Apollo’s declining reputation towards
the ‘end’ of his career, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to show up out of nowhere with
nothing new.

The remix stops. The door opens, and Apollo is standing right in front of him.

He looks surprised for a moment, and Nico’s about to run the other direction - he’s long past
being afraid or intimidated by Apollo, but that doesn’t mean he wanted to be caught
snooping.

“Sorry-”

“Come on in, Nico,” Apollo says, and he’s smiling. Nico steps into the studio, and- wow.

He had thought there were a lot of awards in the entryway of the house, but this studio makes
that seem lame. In the entryway, there’s stuff for acting - an Oscar, three Golden Globes, four
Emmy Awards, posters of movies he’s been in, articles that are framed, pictures from award
shows.

Here, though, it’s all music. He has eleven Grammys all lined up next to each other, and a
wall of records. There’s a few pictures, one that Nico recognizes - Naomi Solace and Will,
when he was only three. Three years old, and on a red carpet, which Nico can’t really believe,
but the proof is right in front of him.

There’s more awards lining the walls, but then there’s a clear wall and a door leading to
another room that has a microphone, one that Nico could guess probably hasn’t been used in
years. There’s a desk with computers and other musical tech stuff, and a guitar and keyboard
in the corner. On his computer, an application is open, probably what Apollo was working on
before Nico interrupted - or maybe Apollo had just been about to leave, seeing as Nico hadn’t
made any noise.

“I don’t think you’ve ever been in the studio, huh?” Apollo says, and Nico is snapped out of
his daze. He’s never been that impressed by the other stuff, with the acting and modeling and
magazine covers, but this-

A treacherous voice in the back of his head tells him that he wants this. He wants to know
what Apollo was doing on the computer before he came in, how many instruments he can
play, had he written anything that resulted in the trophies, and could he teach him more than
just the guitar?
 “No,” Nico responds, and he realizes that his jaw has dropped slightly, so he clamps it shut.

Apollo laughs. “Do you want to learn?”

He says it so easily, like when Will had first convinced him to teach Nico the guitar. Nico
wants to say no, because he’s not sure that if he starts, he’ll ever be able to accept that his life
can’t be this glorious. He knows that he won’t get into college, and L.A. is so expensive to
live in, it’s really only a matter of time before he ends up on the streets after high school.

Apollo and Will have been too kind. They’ve been too welcoming, and Nico’s gotten so used
to the luxury that sometimes he forgets that it won’t last forever. Will doesn’t have an exact
college in mind, but Nico knows that he wants to get out of L.A. Out of California as a
whole, actually.

Once Will is gone, and Leo gets a scholarship to some Ivy League, Nico couldn’t possibly
continue leeching on Apollo’s wealth, living in a house without a rent that would cost ten
million times more than what a 9-5 could possibly bring him.

He certainly would never be able to afford this . But-

Apollo is the other person he can’t say no to. Whereas with Will, it’s the fact that he always
looks so happy when Nico says yes, and that happiness is contagious, so then Nico ends up
happy as well - with Apollo, Nico can’t bear to disappoint him. He’s given so much to Nico,
allowed him freedom and safety, and cared for him in a fatherly way that Nico so sorely
lacked in his own house.

He answers, slightly breathless, “Sure.”

Chapter End Notes

another chapter!! and i'm actually working on another fic (much shorter, hopefully) bc i
got stuck in a hyperfixation. still working on this one tho!! i am SO excited for y'all to
see what's to come

in the meantime i am desparately trying to survive pre-AP and pre-final season, which is
a struggle, but writing does help a lot :)

i know that i already mentioned that this is NOT a stereotypical fame au - if anyone was
similar to that, it would be the valgrace going on in the background, or the apollo lore
(which i will get into eventually, yk i love to add my apollo lore). also!! valgrace!!
gonna be honest i hc leo in canon as aroace, but in this fic, he's bi, and jason is
unlabeled. they will def have some struggles w their relationship but it's not rlly gonna
be a huge part of the fic - like leo will occasionally mention it, yk, but it's not like it's
about them. the whole fic will be from nico's pov!!

and with that,,, take the fluff bc the next chapter will be a bit heavier
ALSO ALSO ALSO !!! PLAYLIST !!! someone asked me for it in a comment the other
day so here it is!!! some notes about it is - these are singles and track titles that he
eventually releases. his songs are NOT all about him. some lyrics would obviously be
altered. the songs were mainly just chosen based on vibes, do NOT take any of them
(*cough* illicit affairs) as signs of what happens in the fic (aka nico's not cheating they
do not break up pls do not think that bc it doesn't happen). also!! folklore/evermore
songs (once again looking at illicit affiars) imagine them as the kinda rock versions that
taylor plays at the eras tour (if you haven't seen that, go look them up. asap. they're so
good) so just like heavier drums and whatnot. nico IS a popstar but a lot of his songs are
also a bit rock-influenced.

and LAST THING I PROMISE. i mentioned "heroes of olympus" as a tv show and

basically that's just a running gag throughout the fic, it holds no plot importance
whatsoever. but just so the timeline makes sense, "heroes of olympus" includes pjo AND
hoo. percy and annabeth (actors, will be introduced later) have worked on it since it
began, and jason was introduced in the last season (which filmed last year, aka why they
were always gone last year, and why they are here now bc percy's filming son of
neptune). PIPER DOES NOT PLAY HER CHARACTER. she's more a model than an
actress. the actors of "paige" (piper)" and "elio" (leo) hold no importance do not worry
about this show AT ALL it rlly doesn't matterlkjdfjs

okay yea just clearing that up andddd i always end up making these end notes so long. i
love and appreciate your comments SO MUCH PLS KEEP WRITING THEM BC I
LIVE FOR IT!! and thank you for reading :)
 come and pick me up, no headlights
Chapter Notes

ch title from "style" by taylor

tw for implied physical abuse and transphobia/deadnaming (more than the last few
chapters, not detailed at all though)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Apollo asked if Nico wanted to learn, Nico should’ve realized that that could apply to
ten million things. He could learn the keyboard, or he could learn how to make a remix, or he
could probably also learn how to polish a VMA.

He doubts that Apollo was referring to that, but the point is that he could.

It doesn’t seem like Apollo’s going to be teaching any of those things, though, because he
goes through the door to where the microphone is, and presses a button, speaking into it.
Then, he comes back out and sits in a rolly chair, gesturing towards the smaller room.

“You can sing whatever you want, and then I can show you how to adjust stuff or add effects
after.”

What?

“What?”

Apollo had been grabbing for some headphones, but now he just sits there with his arm
outreached. “Didn’t you want to record something?”

“Wh- no. No, definitely not.”

Apollo looks confused. Nico fights the urge to run.

“But… I heard you sing the other day.”

“I don’t- wait, what? You heard that?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Apollo shrugs, grabbing the headphones, and turning around in his chair to face Nico fully, “I
thought you’d tell me if you wanted to. And I thought that was now, but if you truly don’t
want to sing, that’s fine. I could show you something else.”
Nico should go along with it. He’s always been interested in the grand piano that mainly
collects dust in one of the living rooms, and a keyboard isn’t far from it. Or he could look at
remixes and whatever else Apollo was doing before Nico came in. He bites the inside of his
cheek.

“But if you do,” Apollo continues, “I’d be more than happy to help you make something with
it. You have a beautiful voice, Nico. I’m sure Will’s told you that.”

“He’s wrong,” Nico mumbles. “I don’t-”

“Just give it a try. You were singing, uh- Taylor Swift yesterday, wasn’t it? I can pull that up
right now. Is Style good?”

“Um-”

“I won’t force you to do anything else, and I can delete the recording as soon as you say so,”
Apollo is looking at him intently, and Nico has no choice but to listen, “But I think you’d like
hearing it.”

And if he puts it like that, how could Nico refuse?

***

It’s hours later when Nico has the decency to check his phone, only to find several texts and
two missed calls from Will. Apollo had actually remembered to close the door fully this time,
and it turned out the room is soundproof, so Nico does feel bad for making Will and Kayla
worry.

They hadn’t stopped at one song. Well, they had, but then Apollo had played back the
recording, and Nico hated to admit that Apollo was right. Partly.

Nico still didn’t necessarily like it, but he didn’t hate it. It was a far cry from what Apollo and
Will claimed it was, but Nico could hypothetically admit that it wasn’t really as bad as he
claimed it to be.

He thinks he would choose to listen to it, if only he weren’t painfully aware that it was his
own voice.

But then, after Apollo showed him, he didn’t seem keen on stopping. He showed Nico how
the computer program worked, how he could change the pitch, add autotune ( Not that you
need it, he had said, and Nico had rolled his eyes), even overlapping the actual vocals on top
of Nico’s, and then sending Nico back into the recording room to try some harmonies.

Apollo wasn’t afraid to give some criticism either, and he seemed to gain more excitement
the longer they went on. Will’s words echoed in Nico’s head - this is probably the career that
Apollo wanted for himself, what he would have done without his father’s pressure.
And Apollo had done so much for Nico - he could surely sing a few songs to repay that.

(That’s what he’ll tell himself, because admitting that he actually enjoyed it would be going
too far.)

Apollo curses when he sees the time, because he is in charge of his kids. He orders pizza,
which usually doesn’t happen twice in the same week, but none of them are complaining.

“Where were you guys?” Will asks incredulously as Apollo rushes into the kitchen, ruffling
Will and Kayla’s hair and getting plates.

“The studio,” he says casually, but nothing else. Will looks like he might question it, but
Kayla moves on, whooping in excitement of pizza (which, really - Apollo’s cooking isn’t that
bad. He’s certainly improved over the years, but there’s still a childish excitement in getting
takeout occasionally).

It’s only late that night, after the backpacks are packed and uniforms laid out, as they’re
getting into bed, that Will questions it.

“The door was open, so I heard him working on something, and then he showed me some of
his stuff,” Nico says as he tucks himself under the blankets, then pushes them off, because it’s
still above seventy degrees at the end of September for some reason.

Will doesn’t respond, just lies down next to Nico, waiting for him to explain further because
he knows he will.

“He may have… recorded some stuff.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Nothing serious, though. He, uh, apparently heard me the other day and just
convinced me to sing some covers.”

“Taylor Swift?”

“And others. Yeah.” It’s quiet for a few seconds as Nico hears Will turn, shoving off his
blanket as well.

“So, I’m right.”

Nico turns around, met with Will’s bright blue eyes that he can make out even in the dark.
“About what?”

Will grins, “About you being a good singer. It’s always, ‘ No, Will, I can’t-”

“Stop mocking me!” Nico giggles, pushing at his shoulder with no real strength, “I still think
you’re wrong. It was… fun, though. I guess.”

“You tell Dad that, and he’ll get you a record deal before the end of next week.”
“I think he’s just glad to work with something different. It has nothing to do with me,
specifically.”

Will rolls his eyes, and Nico shifts onto his side fully.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Will says quietly, because even though the door is closed,
speaking any louder would seem wrong. “You’re too harsh on yourself. If you wrote songs or
something, you’d easily get on the Billboard Hot 100. Dad would help you. I would, too.”

“Promote it to your seven followers?”

“Yes!”

Nico laughs, and then Will is joining him, and they’re closer than before, but it’s nothing
unusual. It’s been this way since before stupid feelings and stupid crushes, and Nico would
be damned if he let it change just because of that.

“I’m serious, you know,” Will says once the laughter dies down, but he’s still smiling, “I
think you’d be amazing. Everyone else would agree too.”

Nico moves forward, resting his head under Will’s chin, if only so he doesn’t see him blush.
“Okay. I believe you.”

He’s not sure he does, but it’s enough. Will sighs, sleepily, and one arm reaches around
Nico’s waist to pull him closer. “You better,” he mumbles, and before long, they’re both
asleep.

***

A Day In High School (ft. Piper McLean)

Jason Grace Official ✔

1.4M views 1 day ago

4,588 Comments

Liz

I love that Jason has friends that aren’t celebrities, he just seems so down to earth and kind.
And being a student in AP classes while also filming shows and movies? Applause to him!
ur mom

he’s literally so awkward it’s adorable

Lacyyy

Piper looks so gorgeous in this !!!

Are piper and jason dating

I think so

no, they’ve said they’re just friends

hello.89732

9:23 lmao nico looks absolutely done

He is a mood. Have we seen him, Will, or Leo anywhere?

no idea i’ve never seen them before

Jasper !!

Jason’s face at 2:56 when talking about his english quiz - so relatable

lol

damn i had no idea he went to high school

Jason Grace <3

I love Jason in the Peter Johnson series!! So sad what happened to Thalia, I’m glad you’re
still acting Jason!

What happened to Thalia??

She quit acting, just completely disappeared for a while. She deleted all her social media too

Omg :(( is Jason still in contact with her??

Peter JOhnson

6:32 is it just me or does will look familiar?? Have I seen him anywhere?

#1 swiftie

brb i’m a leo stan now

***

[ An Instagram Story: Leo throws a peace sign while Piper is seen in the background,
goggles over her eyes, blurry as she seems to be grabbing something. There’s a fire on the
table in front of her.

Text says: @PiperMcLean is def regretting being in my engineering class ]

[ An Instagram Story: Piper is holding a thumbs up, and her hair is a mess. The table that
was previously on fire is no longer on fire.

Text says: she put it out!! ]

***

lunch table

Monday 6:48 PM

piper mclean

will i miss your dad’s cooking

pyromaniac

REALLY?? that’s a first

jason grace
I thought it was good

will

You guys weren’t here years ago. He’s improved a LOT.

piper mclean

well i miss it

will

You should be thanking Nico then

He’s the one who basically taught him to cook

i did not

i just tuahgt him how to make it taste good

will

Exactly

piper mclean

nico pls cook for me

i require payment

pyromaniac

you didn’t make will or apollo pay

that’s bc if they don’t know how to cook, i’m the one suffering too

MCLEAN WHAT THE ACTAULL FUCK

piper mclean

is that enough

I WAS JOKING

I THUOUT YOU’D PAY LIKE IDK TWO DOLALRS

jason grace

How much did she send you

HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW MY VENMO

pyromaniac

youre wlecome

fukcin hell

yeah i’ll cook somethng for you

anything

what do u want

piper mclean

i actually didn’t think that far

can you make a good pizza

YOU PAID ME A HUNDRED DOLLARS FO RA PIZZA???

will

LMAOOO

He’s Italian ofc he can make a good pizza

it’ll be the best damn pizza you’ve ever tasted

pyromaniac

piper i can make pizza too pls pay me

piper mclean

i don’t think i trust you near an oven

pyromaniac

!!! how dare you make that assumption !!!

i am an EXELLENT COOK

i’ll prove it to you

piper mclean

NO

jason grace

Please don’t
 Today 7:25 PM

jason grace

I’m leaving for a few weeks again :(

pyromaniac

</33

you’ve broken my heart

will

Why?

jason grace

A shoot :/ and then they want to film some promotional stuff

piper mclean

i shall miss you dearly

(jk)

jason grace

Thanks a lot Piper

pyromaniac

wehn will u be back

jason grace

Before halloween

Which reminds me

piper mclean

HALLOWEEN PARTY

jason grace

I’llprobably have a Halloween party!!

Damnit

pyromaniac
OMG JASON GRACE CURSED

will

NO WAY

piper mclean

LMAO

jason grace

Wow I can see how appreciated I am here

I guess you guys don’t want to meet Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase?

pyromaniac

OMG NICO

PERCY JACKSON

litreally shut the fuck up right now

no

pyromaniac

YES DUDE

im cmoing for sure

will

Cmon nico it sounds fun!!

no

jason grace

It’s totally cool if you don’t want to go! Just wanted to let you guys know.

You’re my friends and I have to invite some people just because but I’d also like some of my
friends there

piper mclean

my presence is apparently just not enough </3

jason grace
:)

read 7:47 PM

***

Nico sometimes wishes that he didn’t have to return to his house. Technically, he doesn’t,
because he knows that his father wouldn’t notice. But he tells himself he has to, because if he
didn’t visit every once in a while, the house would surely fall apart, and it also reminds him
that he doesn’t actually live at Apollo’s house.

It becomes a bit easier to avoid his father as the years go on. The last time he was awake to
see Nico, he had actually called him Jules-Albert, their old driver, which- okay, it hurt a little.
But Nico knew to count that as a blessing, because if he had realized that it was his.. child-
well, Nico probably wouldn’t have gotten out of the situation as easily as he did.

It’s often a real gamble to choose which day he’s going to go home, because once he decides
it, he can’t turn around. He still has to wait three and a half months before he can get his
license, and even then, he has to figure out how to ask Apollo to borrow a car.

He doesn’t want to do it, but it’s better than seeing that sad look in Will’s eyes every time he
drops Nico off.

He bites back a grimace when he sees his father’s car in the driveway, and keeps it to himself
that one of these days, continuously choosing to drive a car instead of calling an Uber is
going to get his father, or someone else, killed.

Will still doesn’t really know about the abuse. Nico had never gotten a bruise that he couldn’t
easily hide with a big sweater, and since he wears those all the time anyway, Will has never
noticed anything wrong. Apollo is the only one who knows, the one who occasionally has to
pick him up - though Nico has made sure that it’s never as late as the first time.

Apollo has offered to get the CPS involved. Nico knows that Apollo could win the case,
because a lot of times, it has to do with money, and- well, Nico’s father would probably be
drunk at the trial, anyway. But what would Nico do then? Live with them full time before he
inevitably gets kicked out when he turns eighteen?

No. It’s good for Nico to get a taste of reality every once in a while. And he knows that Will
and Apollo don’t like it, but it’s for his own good, really. He waves goodbye to Will and waits
for his car to disappear from the road before checking the front door first.

Nico’s caught by surprise when the door unlocks. Then, again when he sees his father at the
kitchen table.

He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

Nico’s quiet, yes, but he can’t get out of this because his father’s already looking at him.

“Where’ve you been?” he says, loudly, as if Nico’s the one who’s not sober.

“Out,” Nico responds shortly. He needs to get out again, but that’s a bit impossible because
he’s already waited for his ride to leave. “At school.”

“School doesn’t end at- at-” he squints at the clock behind Nico, “Four o’clock.”

It ends at 3:10, Nico wants to say, and it’s a forty-five minute drive. Four o’clock is perfectly
reasonable.

“Sorry,” he mutters instead.

Nico takes this as his cue to leave, makes it to the door that leads to the stairs before-

“You cut your hair again.”

More like he never stopped cutting it, but sure. He grimaces. He doesn’t respond, bracing for
the pain.

“Answer me, Nicola.”

“-It’s Nico.”

Fuck.

It’s barely louder than a mumble, but of course this is the time that his father hears him.

***

all that i did to try to undo it

all of my pain and all your excuses

i was a kid but i wasn't clueless

someone who loves you wouldn't do this

***

It’s the worst beating he’s had in years, because he’s got a bruise on his jaw, and that can’t be
covered with a hoodie. He manages to make it in his room after that, and he wonders if his
father even knows the way to his room- well, the room that Nico claimed as his own back
when he was ten, because his father had never bothered to show him around the house.

He doesn’t want to risk it.

His sight is a bit blurry from tears, and he hates that after all this time, he still cries. But he
doesn’t want to stay in this house, and it’s Friday, so he can’t wait until school the next day.
He tries to call Apollo.

“Nico?”

The fuck?

“Will?”

“What’s up?” Will’s so casual, as if nothing’s wrong, and Nico pulls his phone back to check
the contact - shit. He called Will.

“Uh. No-thing.” Of course that’s when he chokes on his words, and-

“Are you crying?”

“No,” Nico says, too quickly. He should end the call. But then Will will be even more
concerned, and he’ll probably drive all the way over here-

Nico’s got a fucking bruise on his face. He can’t hide this. He can say that he tripped down
stairs, or accidentally knocked something off a shelf, but-

Will’s not stupid. He’ll see right through that.

“Nico,” Will says softly, “Is everything okay? I can drive back.”

“You probably just got home,” Nico mutters.

“I’m nearly there. But I’ll drive back.”

Nico’s the stupid one.

“Yeah. If you can-”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Should I- do you want me to stay on the line, or-?”

Maybe he could stage a sound, as if he just fell, and then blame it on that. But then his father
would surely hear it, and he’s in one of his moods- he’s unpredictable, violent, and on a
rampage.

Nico covers the phone as he hears his father on the stairs. “No, it’s fine. Just-”

“I’ll be there.”

Now Nico has to figure out how to get his backpack from the kitchen and get out the door.
 “Nicola!”

He bites the inside of his cheek until it bleeds. Fuck. He could probably outrun his father- but
there’s only one staircase that leads to Nico’s room, and he’s pretty sure that his father is on
it.

Nico gets up from behind his bed. His door is only slightly open, just so that Nico can hear
where his father is.

“-Good for nothing, spoiled- where’d you go?!”

Nico creeps to the balcony. He knows that this is very stupid and is only going to lead to
more questions from Will, but he’s done it before and knows he can survive it. It’ll hurt like
hell the next day, but he already knows he’ll be sore tomorrow.

Twenty minutes. He jumps off the balcony, landing in the bushes underneath, as he faintly
hears his father call his- not his name again.

From there, it’s a short distance to the kitchen to grab his backpack, and rush out the front
door, not even bothering to close it.

He runs. Runs down the road that he knows Will will be driving on now, since there’s only
one road that leads through these hills anyway. If Nico wanted, he could probably run all the
way there, but he doesn’t think he has the endurance for that.

It’s only after what feels like an hour, but is probably just a few minutes, when he sees Will’s
car, driving at what’s definitely above the speed limit, that he stops and heaves a sigh of
relief.

Chapter End Notes

this ch went from very fluffy to very angsty very quickly

ANYWAY. TWO DAYS. UNTIL. TSATS. IM LITERALLY DYING OF

EXCITEMENTTLKDSD i didn't preorder it bc i was worried that it would come after
the release date so i'm hopefully gonna stop at target before school and get it??? worth
the early wake up time. I CANNOT WAIT OMFG. i haven't read like any of the
spoilers/leaked chapters or anything bc i want it all to be a surprise - i'm prob gonna read
it and then reread it right after

ALSO MOURNING THAT TAYLOR SANG THE FIRST REP SURPRISE SONG. if u
didn't know, i'm actually the biggest rep stan to ever exist so i'm hoping and praying for
a rep song (or the lakes bc that is also one of my fav songs) for the july 28 concert.
however, i did get very lucky - my all time favorite song is don't blame me, and that's on
the permanent set list!!!
okay few things: ik i mentioned it in the last chapter i think but again, i do not have
experience with these topics. if there is ANYTHING that seems off, please let me know.
when i first started thinking about this fic idea, i rlly just incorporated it bc i was binging
'family line' nonstop, (as well as the trans hc, i've actually never written a trans character
but it just seemed to fit for this fic), but yeah - i almost thought abt leaving out that part
of the story when actually writing it bc i didn't want to mess it up, but either way, this is
the most detailed it will ever get bc uhh yeah i just don't feel comfortable writing that
stuff and i'm like rlly stressed abt messing it upSLKDF

on the other hand my brain keeps coming up with new au ideas. this fic IS still posting
every sunday (i have eleven chapters written already) but i keep getting sidetracked +
studying for finals/ap tests r killing me - BUT UR COMMENTS!!!! YALL R THE
LITERAL BEST I LIVE FOR THEM. im so glad you guys are enjoying this fic bc
again, i've been thinking about it and imagining it for so long, it's crazy that ppl are
actually invested in it. i'm so excited for u to see what's coming!!!

up next: the Trauma Talk™

 'cause i'm a little unsteady
Chapter Notes

ch title from "unteady" by x ambassadors

tw for implied/referenced suicidal thoughts & past sh, mentions of physical abuse

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“ Nico! What the hell happened?”

Will’s words are sharp, and it makes Nico flinch just the slightest. The car stops right in the
middle of the road, and thank god they both live in the middle of the hills or else it would’ve
caused an accident. Will jumps out of the car only a half-second later, while the car is still
barely moving, and- fuck, who gave this guy a driver’s license?

Not that now is the time to be thinking of that. Will has gotten Nico pretty much everywhere
through L.A. traffic, so he’s not one to judge his best friend’s driving skills.

Nico just shrugs. It hurts a bit.

“Wh- you’ve got scratches all over your face, a bruise, and- did you run all the way here? I
told you I was coming, and- what, did you jump into a thornbush?”

“Yes, actually,” Nico mutters. “Wait- no, it didn’t have thorns.”

Will stares at him in disbelief.

He had nearly tripped over himself trying to get to Nico, because he had driven just a bit past
him, but now he stands just a foot in front of him, looking completely- lost?

Confused, too. And sad. Probably because it’s not that hard to put the pieces together, and
he’s trying not to assume the worst, but- Nico doesn’t want to be the one to tell him either.

“Nico, I- why did you jump in a bush?” He doesn’t give Nico a chance to respond, reaching
out just barely to check whether it’s okay, and then grabbing Nico’s wrist and leading him to
the car when Nico tilts his head slightly - yeah, go ahead.

“I didn’t choose to-”

“-Yeah, no shit-”

“-Just seemed like the best idea at the time. I dunno.”

Will starts the car as soon as Nico shuts the passenger door, clutching his backpack to his
chest and slipping his phone in the front pocket. Nico can tell that he’s hesitating.

“And… what prompted you to do that?”

Nico lets out a harsh laugh, absently covering his bruise with his hoodie sleeve, leaning
against his elbow and looking out the window. Will is driving slower than he had been to get
here, but not as slow as he usually does when driving Nico home. It’s not like there are police
around here to monitor the speed of one car that drives down this road.

“What d’you think?” It’s muffled in his sleeve, and Nico feels a few tears form in his eyes
again. He uses his sleeve to wipe them, though he’s sure that it’s already apparent he had
been crying.

Will is tapping his finger on the steering wheel, and Nico knows that he’s trying to figure out
what he wants to say. Honestly, Nico would take anything, because at this point he knows he
can’t have what he’d prefer - Will completely forgetting this ever happened and returning to
normal.

Did he jinx it when he asked whether things would change?

“It’s- it’s just bruises and scratches, right? You’re not hiding anything like… a broken leg or
something?”

“You think I ran whatever distance I ran from my house on a broken leg?”

“I don’t know! Apparently, you jumped into a bush!”

“Better than jumping on concrete!”

The car lurches to a stop. Nico’s breathing heavily, and he had meant that literally, just
because of the position of his balcony, not actually-

“ Nico .”

He’s biting the inside of his cheek again, shutting his eyes tightly. He knows how Will’s
looking at him, has seen it before, but it’s not like that this time-

“I didn’t- I wasn’t…”

“Nico, look at me.”

Nico hesitates for a few seconds before turning in his seat, still clutching his backpack so
hard that his knuckles turn white. Just like he expected, Will’s hands are off the wheel;
they’re in the middle of the road, but he doesn’t care. He’s looking at him with soft eyes,
those big blue eyes that make Nico want to do stupid things like kiss him, even though he
shouldn’t, can’t, especially not now. His emotions are all over the place right now, anyway.

The last time they were in this position, though, was entirely Nico’s fault. This isn’t the first
time that Will’s found him hurting himself, and fuck - he really hadn’t been trying this time.
He was just trying to get out of the house, and he didn’t want it, not like what Will might be
thinking.

Besides, if he was actually trying to hurt himself, it wouldn’t be somewhere stupid, like right
on his jaw where anyone could see. Where Will could see.

He doesn’t think that pointing this out would help the situation.

Will is quiet, and one of his hands reaches out, just halfway over the console before returning
to his lap, as if he wanted to touch Nico’s face. He’s sure that it’s a mess. The bruise is one
thing, which he was able to see in his room’s mirror, but falling in a bush from a fifteen-foot-
high balcony is bound to be visible. He didn’t have time to check, though.

“Nico.” It’s barely above a whisper, and that’s all it takes for Nico to break.

His whole body shakes as he chokes out a sob, tears flowing freely now. He’s not even sure
what it is specifically that set him off - his father, who hadn’t talked that much to him in
months , and yet Nico wishes that he hadn’t even seen him, or the fact that Will is looking at
him with such softness that he knows he’s undeserving of- or maybe also just the physical
discomfort; the inside of his cheek is still bleeding, his face is itchy and sore, and his ribs hurt
because fuck, he really shouldn’t have run that far without taking off his binder.

He’s pretty sure that Will knows this already, because he always needs to remind Nico to take
it off. But he just lets Nico cry, placing a hand on his shoulder, and what the fuck did Nico
ever do to deserve Will Solace?

Because he just knows him so well. Nico can’t talk right now, and can’t be touched, because
that will just make it worse. He’s sure that once Nico eventually calms down, Will will wait
patiently until he finally explains, won’t berate him until they’re home safely and he’s had the
chance to clean Nico’s scratches.

Home. Nico would really, really like to go home.

His sobs come a little quieter now, and Will’s hand moves from his shoulder to his back,
rubbing in gentle circles. If this weren’t serious, he would probably already be making jokes
and bossing Nico around, but he just- gets him. Understands him. In ways that Nico can’t
explain, because he’s never outright told Will, but he’s always just known.

Will leans further over the console, and Nico knows that it must be uncomfortable. It would
be much easier to have this conversation in the back seats, where Nico can bury his head in
Will’s chest and have the illusion that they’re at Apollo’s house, in Will’s room, safe and
sound. They’re still too close to Nico’s father’s house than he’d like (not that his father would
go looking for him, anyway).

The clock on the patrol panel blinks 4:51. Nico doesn’t know how much of the time was
spent running, or crying in the passenger seat of Will’s car.

“M’sorry,” he mumbles. He knows Will is shaking his head without even looking. There’s
complete silence for a few seconds, just the light wind, the car rumbling, and the faint sounds
of the city in the distance.

Will’s hand moves, and Nico turns without thinking, allowing him to brush his fingers against
Nico’s jaw. It’s still sore.

“How long has this been happening?”

Nico really doesn’t want to answer that.

“Nico-”

“Years.” That’s all there is to say. Nico doesn’t want to look Will in the eyes, because he was
never supposed to find out. Yeah, Nico’s father is shitty, but everyone’s parents are shitty
every now and then. Apollo forgets to make dinner every once in a while. Leo’s foster
parents neglect him during the summers. Apparently Jason’s mom makes him sign contracts
to control his career. Piper doesn’t see her dad much. It was never anything to worry about.

“I wasn’t trying to- to do anything,” Nico stutters, because he needs Will to know - freshman
year was horrible, and he definitely did some things he regretted, but he’s not suicidal
anymore. He hasn’t been for a while. “I knew the jump wouldn’t hurt me too bad. I just- I had
to get out-” he trails off, refusing to be distracted by Will still holding his face in his hand,
too gentle.

A few seconds pass. Nico dares to look up, and- Will looks fucking devastated. Nico hates it.
He’s never seen Will like this, except for maybe twice. Both times, it was Nico’s fault.

He hates himself for it. It’s like every single traitorous voice in his head is telling him exactly
how he’s to blame - all he’s doing is making Will sad, and he’d be much better off if Nico ran
away. It would spare him the pain of a goodbye, because they both know that Nico would
never get into whatever college Will gets into.

But he’s so goddamn tired of feeling that way. He wants, for once in his life, to forget about
the past and to not focus on the future, but now it seems like they’re clashing in the worst
way ever. Nico needs to look away, but he can’t. He wishes he could somehow turn back
time, and just not go to his father’s house today, and then everything would have been
avoided, and Will could go on living in ignorance-

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Nico’s breath hitches, and he’s pretty sure his heart is beating a million times per second.
Will’s voice cracked as he said it, and Nico probably deserves whatever pain he’s in, but Will
doesn’t.

He swallows, trying to figure out how to answer, thinking of some lie to maybe cover it up-

“Nico.”

“I knew you’d- I didn’t want you to worry,” Nico stammers, because how the fuck is he
supposed to lie when Will looks at him like that? “I just- you would’ve-”
“I wouldn’t have driven you back here!” Will says, his voice full of emotion, and yet Nico
doesn’t quite feel like he’s being yelled at. He knows how that feels like - Will isn’t doing it.
He’s angry, but at something else. “Why- Nico, why would you keep asking to come back
here? You made me think- you lied to me! For years?”

“I knew you wouldn’t drive me back here! And- and I had to get here somehow-”

“ Why?” Will’s hand left Nico’s face, and there are tears running down his face. Nico’s never
hated himself more. “Why do you need to come back? You know that you can stay at my
house- you could’ve moved in permanently- you don’t need to-”

“ I do! Will, I can’t stay there all the time. I can’t just- pretend that that’s my life, because it
isn’t. I don’t expect you to understand, but it’ll hurt less when I eventually need to leave.”

Will looks as if he's been slapped. “What do you mean?” His voice is a mere whisper, and it
sounds completely broken.

Nico had never meant to reveal that much. He had thought Will would know, and that it was
just unspoken between them like a lot of other things, but apparently he doesn’t know
everything.

Not that Nico made it easy. He’s starting to think that Will’s job as his best friend is probably
the worst in existence. He should’ve given up years ago - he shouldn’t have even tried.

“Nico, what do you mean by when you leave?”

“Don’t act stupid, Will,” Nico needs to stop looking at him. He’s going to end up doing
something terrible if he does. “You know that I’ll never get into college with you. What do
you expect to happen to me? You think my father’s the type to pay college tuition?”

“I thought that you weren’t planning on ditching me as soon as we get out of high school!”
There’s a hand on Nico’s arm, and he needs to fight the urge to look back at Will. “Where’d
you even get this idea from? You think- what, did you think that we were gonna kick you
out?”

Yes.

Nico doesn’t answer. He shuts his eyes, and he feels the grip holding his arm loosen.

“Oh.”

Nico doesn’t want to see it. He wants- well, he wants a lot of things, but right now, he wants
to get out of the car, run far away, and maybe never see anyone he knows ever again.

That’s a lie. But it’s one that he tells himself anytime things get complicated, so he thinks it
again.

He could run.

But Will has a car, and could easily catch him.

Maybe he won’t try.

It would certainly make things easier. Will would realize that he was just dragging around
dead weight, because apparently Nico was planning to ditch him, so he’d finally let him go,
and stop pretending as if Nico actually matters.

Will isn’t saying anything, but Nico thinks he hears a sniffle. He doesn’t want to, but-

He looks. It’s enough to make him cry all over again, because Will is crying, and staring at
Nico as if he had just broken his heart. It’s just a comparison, though. It’s not as if-

For the briefest second, in one faint moment of hope, Nico thinks he’s going to kiss him.

He doesn’t. He lurches forward, though, and then his arms are thrown around Nico’s neck,
pulling Nico closer to the console.

“ Fuck, why the hell would you think that?” Will’s words are muffled in Nico’s hoodie, “How
could you- Nico, you’re my best friend. I just- I just want you to be hap- safe , and happy,
and- why wouldn’t you let me help?”

Nico wants to cry. He does.

The way Will says it, so confident and obvious, makes Nico feel stupid. But- he had been so
sure, and what was even the other option?

“I-”

“ Don’t go blaming yourself,” Will says, as if he can read Nico’s mind, “You’re- you’re really
stupid sometimes if you think we’d just let you go like that. You’re stuck with me, idiot, you
know that?”

Nico wants to laugh. He waits, until Will pulls back over the console, and then the car
suddenly lurches forward for a second before stopping- and then he does.

“I’m- fuck,” Nico laughs and cries at the same time, and he frantically wipes the tears away,
because, yeah . He’s a fucking idiot. “Sorry.”

“ No apologizing.”

“Sor- shit, uh, okay.”

“That’s better,” Will’s looking at him, eyes scanning his face, and then the rest of him, and
Nico feels very exposed, but- his life has just been flipped upside down again. “Okay. You,
get in the backseat, take off your binder, because that’s gotta hurt like fucking hell. Then,
we’re gonna drive home, and you’re gonna tell me if you’ve got any other stupid thoughts.”

Nico wants to scoff. So many, dude. Most of them have to do with you.

Instead, Nico stifles a laugh, and wipes the last of his tears away, because there’s the normal
Will again .
He ends up asking Will some stupid chemistry questions. He hates to lie so soon after the last
ones were just revealed, but- this one, he’s sure. He’s taking this secret to the grave.

Best friend, Will had said. Nico can live with that.

***

and i'll never go home again

place the call, feel it start

favorite friend

and nothing's wrong, when nothing's true

***

lunch table

Today 4:32 PM

pyromaniac

nicoooo willlllll come back to shcool

we’re bored

piper mclean

take us to the mall pls

jason grace

Piper you have a driver

piper mclean

yes that driver’s name is will solace

WILL !!!!!

my driver works for jane

and jane never lets me go anywhereeeee

pyromaniac

the struggles of being famous </3

piper mclean

shut up

WILL NICO WHERE R YOUUUU

pyromaniac

nico always has his notifs off

WILLIAM ANDREW SOLACE

piper mclean

omg you know his full name

jason grace

Will you’re gonna regret Piper knowing that

pyromaniac

damn

ignored </3

piper mclean

mmmmm they must be busy

pyromaniac

do you know something

piper mclean

idk do you know something

pyromaniac

i know many things

jason grace

What are we supposed to know

DID YOU GUYS DITCH ME

piper mclean

:( shouldn’t have left us

jason grace

Worst friends ever

Today 6:27 PM

will

Leo you better sleep with one eye open.

pyromaniac

you didn’t seeanthying

***

Leo fire count: 6

Today 6:29 PM

pyromaniac

nico r u ok??

will

He’s taking a shower right now

All good

pyromaniac

kk

will

He’ll prob tell you later if he wants to

pyromaniac

dw abt it
neeks hope ur ok

txt me if anyhting

Today 6:38 PM

thanks

***

Despite living in L.A. for nearly five years now, Nico has never actually been to the Los
Angeles Mall. On one hand, it’s quite a bit of a drive, and before Will got his license, that
immediately dropped the matter, seeing as- well, they couldn’t drive.

Plus, Apollo always preferred to shop online, because he’s still too recognizable in public.
So, he had never taken them to the mall. It’s not like they ever asked, anyway.

Piper, though, is dead set on going to this mall. When asked why, she says it’s the most public
one.

And that makes absolutely zero sense to Nico. Is it a girl thing? If it is, he doesn’t have the
innate understanding, and for some reason, that makes him happy, even if he knows it’s more
likely that it’s just a Piper thing.

“Fine,” she says as they make their way to the entrance, “My manager- well, my dad’s
manager, but she’s in charge of me too - never lets me go anywhere public. I don’t even think
I’m that recognizable! Like, Jason, sure, but I’ve only ever done a few magazine covers and a
short appearance on Heroes of Olympus . Besides, I got a haircut before school started. Who’s
actually gonna recognize me in a mall?”

“Nico probably could,” Leo offers, so very unhelpfully. Nico smacks his head.

“Stop making me sound like some kind of superfan!”

“Well, you kinda are-”

“Leo, shut up,” Will says, because he is helpful.

Nico was hesitant to go out in public after Friday and Saturday. Friday was spent mainly
resting, because Will kept pestering him and trying to see if he had accidentally bruised a rib
or hurt himself in any other way when jumping from his balcony.

It was also the first time he had ever seen Will and his dad have a serious fight. Not, can’t we
have a pizza tonight? fight, but actually arguing . About Nico. He had felt sick.
Will and Apollo were stiff around each other on Saturday, and even more stiff around Nico.
Thank god that Kayla was at a friend’s house this weekend.

The thing is, Nico doesn’t blame Apollo for allowing him to return to his house, so Will
shouldn’t either. Apollo had been there when Nico really needed him, and that was more than
enough. All Apollo had done was respect what Nico asked for.

Will believed that there was a certain line where someone should intervene. He thought that
physical abuse counted as such, and was upset with Apollo for not intervening.

It was very clear that Will’s words had made Apollo feel slightly guilty, but Nico had tried to
say that, really, he was fine.

It ended up with Will agreeing to take Piper and Leo to the mall, and convincing Nico to
come as well. Apollo, after seemingly looking to Will for permission (which was really
stupid, but Apollo has never had his child angry with him like this), helped Nico cover his
bruise with makeup. The scratches had already mostly faded, but he covered the few visible
ones too.

“I think it’s funny,” Piper says, grinning at Nico, “They’ll be at the Halloween party. You’ll
probably get along with Annabeth. Percy’s kind of annoying, but in a lovable way. Reyna
will probably also be there, and she pretends that she hates us but she really doesn’t. She and
Percy are always designated drivers, in case anyone gets drunk, so-”

“Drunk?”

Piper notices Nico freeze. Will notices too. Leo- well, Nico hasn’t told him yet, and he just
spotted a hot dog place at the entrance, and he has ADHD, so he does not notice.

“Yeah,” Piper shrugs, “I mean, they’re older than us, but not legal age, but- well. A few
people that are gonna be invited are of legal age, and they’re gonna want drinks. At the
Halloween party. But don’t worry, you don’t have to drink anything - Jason and I always have
a stash of just some soda in his room.”

“Right,” Nico says faintly, “Cool.”

Will reaches over subtly, squeezing his wrist. Nico’s fine.

Piper looks like she might want to push the topic, and Nico can see her eyes drop to their
wrists, and- fuck, Nico pulls away immediately. His thoughts turn to the group chat the other
day, even though he desperately doesn’t want to think what do you know something means.

Leo would never out him. He’s pretty much Nico’s saving grace when he returns, loudly
asking Piper for her credit card to buy a hot dog, and then the conversation is derailed.

They go into the mall. Nico tries not to feel like everyone’s eyes are on them.

“Do you have, like… a shop you wanna go to?”

Piper shrugs, “Honestly, no. I don’t even like shopping that much. I just- I thought that if I
can get through a day at the mall, then Jane would have to see that I can be out in public
without a bodyguard or whatever.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Leo grins, standing in line and flapping the credit card in his hand,
“Don’t worry, Pipes, you’re dealing with an expert shopper here.”

Will raises an eyebrow. “When was the last time you went shopping?”

“Over summer!”

“Wait, really?”

“No.”

Will doesn’t even look surprised, tossing his head back with a laugh. Leo gets his hot dog,
and Piper gets one as well, but they put it under Leo’s name. Before long, they’re out of the
entrance to the mall, and going up an escalator with no plan.

But Piper and Leo are laughing, exchanging jokes, and Will’s arm is resting over Nico’s
shoulder, being even taller than usual because he’s a step higher on the escalator, and-

Nico feels happy.

They end up going to the Disney store, until they see Jason pop up on one of the screens, and
leave without buying anything, in a flurry of giggles, as Leo snaps a picture and sends it to
the group chat.

***

lunch table

Today 2:18 PM

pyromaniac

[ one image attached ]

he’s with us in spirit

jason grace

What the hell

WHY

Is that a Disney store????

 pyromaniac

<3

***

Leo convinces them to get Starbucks, as if he needs any extra energy, and then they rush from
one store to the next, not looking to buy anything, just laughing, and talking, and at one point,
Piper calls Jason, who’s on set but looks glad just to be included.

Nico thinks that this is the kind of stuff that belongs in movies, the teenagers that pretty much
everyone is annoyed by, but none of them care. It’s something that’s always shown as a
normal part of any adolescent’s life, but, now that Nico thinks about it-

None of them have ever had that before.

Nico’s on a caffeine and sugar rush by the time he throws away his drink, and allows himself
to get dragged along by Will as they all make their way into another store. They’re about to
go in, Leo already a step ahead, when there’s a flash and the sound of a camera shutter.

Piper freezes. She doesn’t turn around, only takes a few steps back, and-

There she is. Not her, but a picture of her, and she’s nearly covering the whole storefront.
Nico glances behind him, and sees where the flash came from, briefly noting that of course
something was going to go wrong.

One flash turns into two, which turns into three, and then there’s another camera, and Piper
hasn’t even turned around. Leo does, though, and quickly realizes the problem - so does Will.

“Okay,” Piper mutters, and Nico’s confused, because what the fuck are they supposed to do?
Wait until the cameras leave? Are they going to leave?

Piper takes another two steps back, and the cameras go off all over again, and then she’s
grabbed Leo and Will’s wrists, and Will’s still holding onto Nico, and-

“Run!”

Chapter End Notes

heavy chapter!!! but completely honest, this chapter is gonna be the heaviest for a while.
the next few (at least what i've written) are def more fluff. we have gotten over the one
major hurdle: nico is OUT of his father's house. thank god. silly nico for thinking that
will would ever let him go back there, and poor apollo for not understanding how his
children could possibly be upset with him. dw we WILL get into apollo backstory....omg
next chapter!!!

now to get to the important stuff: SPEAK NOW TAYLOR'S VERSION IS COMING
OUT??? AND TSATS IS OUT. HOLYFUCKINGSHIT.
i read tsats on the literal day that it was released (stopped at target before school and
read it throughout the whole day) and god it was amazing. i actually wrote a fic based on
one of the mentioned scenes (called "all along there was some invisible string (tying you
to me)") so go check that out if you've read tsats - if you haven't, dw, i won't be putting
spoilers here. except for one minor thing! i changed will's pride flag that was mentioned
in a previous chapter to bisexual, which has been confirmed as canon. it's not like i
mentioned his sexuality much anyway, so might as well make it canon compliant :)

SPEAK NOW. i cannot put into words how excited i am for haunted (taylor's version),
dear john (taylor's version), ALL OF THEM. OHMGYOD long live (taylor's version)
AND VAULT TRACKS. I WILL DIE.

okay that's enough of my rambling - i hope u enjoy this chapter! i actually took a small
break from writing the fic bc i was so caught up in studying and studying and more
studying but thankfully i had several chapters in the vault (haha. my google doc) and
now i'm back to writing it- this time to give myself a break from studying. (no joke i
talked to my teacher after class and she told me to take a break. i hate when teachers do
that. my mom said the SAME THING such betrayal)

other than that i do have another... two fics in progress. idk if i'm gonna finish them
(they WILL only be oneshots i swear but i'm really bad at not going into too much
detail) but we'll see!! i finish school in three weeks so hopefully i'll have much more
time to write over summer - but for now, y'all don't have to worry about me not posting
because i still have... 7 more chapters in the vault. posting next sunday!!
 it's gonna go down in flames
Chapter Notes

ch title from "blank space" by taylor <3

tw for mentions of slut-shaming (very minor)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Nico, no matter what anyone else may say, actually does have some self-preservation skills.
Meaning, he usually does not put himself in situations where he has to run for his life.

(That’s a bit dramatic, but the point still stands.)

Now, he’s had to do it twice in three days, and quite frankly, he’s tired of it. Physically and
emotionally.

He’s pretty sure that with paparazzi, you just have to wait it out, but apparently, that’s not the
approach that Piper’s going for. Which Nico kind of gets, seeing as Will’s car is parked all the
way on the other side of the mall, and Piper is technically here against orders.

How did they even find her?

The point is, that throughout Nico’s breathlessness and exhaustion, he can guess that Piper’s
just trying to get far enough that she can say it wasn’t actually her - just some girl with a
similar haircut. It’s kind of a dead giveaway, though, because they’re running through the
mall with a hoard of paparazzi behind them (not that close, but Nico can hear them). They’re
shouting things, and he recognizes Piper’s name, and- Jason? Whatever, he’s not really
focusing on that.

So, Nico’s just going to follow along. The problem is that Will is fast, and Nico is not.

He’s much better at getting places unnoticed, quietly and sneakily, rather than running
through a crowd of people, shouting “Excuse me!” and “Sorry!” every few seconds to no one
in particular, just everyone they’re pushing past.

If he let go of Will’s hand, he could probably just sink into the shadows of some store, wait
until the paparazzi leaves, and then call Will and get them to pick him up somewhere in the
parking lot. He probably should, because he’s pretty sure that he’s slowing them down, and
there’s a pain in his rib, but-

He doesn’t really want to let go of Will’s hand.

They run until they get to one of the side entrances, and it’s not the one they parked near, but
it’s better than running through a bunch of other poor people who are just trying to do their
shopping.

They don’t stop for a breath when they get outside - they don’t stop until they reach Will’s
car, and Nico gets in the passenger seat, Leo and Piper behind them.

As soon as Nico can hear anything over his own panting, though, Will starts driving, and
Nico can hear the paparazzi still shouting in the distance.

They don’t say anything for a few seconds, all just catching their breaths. It’s only when
they’ve fully made it out of the parking lot that Leo finally says, “Wow. That was…”

Piper groans. “ Horrible. That was fucking- I’m so sorry, guys, I really- I didn’t think-”

“Piper, it’s not your fault,” Will’s looking through the rearview mirror at her, “We’re all-
we’re all fine, and that’s what matters. And I had a good time.”

“Ditto,” Leo grins, “That was cool. I’m not gonna say I wanna do it again, but it was cool.”

Piper lets out a choked laugh, and Nico’s about to chuckle to, but-

Fuck. His ribs really hurt.

What comes out instead is a wince, and he rests his head back; he can’t take off his binder
here, not when Piper’s here. The wind blows hair in Nico’s face, and it helps just a bit to
relax. He just needs to focus on breathing, in and out-

“You good, Nico?”

“Yeah,” he says through a sigh, “Yeah, I’m fine. Today was fun.”

Will sees right through it.

“Didn’t you mention needing to use the bathroom? I think I could stop at a McDonald’s or
something-”

“What? No, I’m fine-”

Leo catches on, “Neeks, if you gotta pee, you gotta pee-”

“Why don’t you ever shut up?” Nico groans, but Leo manages to deflect the tension, and it’s
a rare occasion that Nico is actually really grateful for him. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”

There’s another moment of silence, and Will looks like he’s about to turn on the radio when
Piper blurts, “Did you hear what they were saying?”

A pause.
“I think I heard your name,” Leo says thoughtfully, “Was kinda too hectic to listen, though.”
Will and Nico nod.

“What’d they say?”

“Nothing,” Piper mutters after a few seconds, “It’s not-”

“C’mon, Pipes, tell us,” Leo says, and if Nico were to turn around, he’d guess that he was
comforting her in some way. They’ve gotten oddly close over the past few weeks.

“It was stupid. Just- you’d think I’d be used to it by now, but-”

“Piper, this wasn’t your choice,” Will says, “You don’t owe anyone anything just because of-
your dad, or whatever. You shouldn’t have to be used to that.”

“Yeah, yeah. They were- shouting stuff about… you guys. And Jason. Like-” she lowers her
voice mockingly, “ Three guys, really? What about Jason? What a- I don’t… Fuck, it’s
stupid. I’m- I’m sixteen, I’m not- I’m not even dating anyone! And- and even if I was, like,
why should they care? What’s so interesting about it? About me?”

Silence.

“That’s fucked up.” It’s Leo who scoffs, and Nico agrees. The mere idea that- the
implications-

It’s fucked up.

He notices Will grip the steering wheel a bit tighter.

“Yeah,” Piper lets out a sharp laugh, “And- and it’s just- it’s so frustrating! I don’t even
fucking like guys that way!”

Nico’s eyes widen and he turns around, just to see Piper shouting it out, because the car
doesn’t have a roof, and surely anyone who has a window open can hear-

“I’m a lesbian! I’m gay! I like girls! I don’t- I’m not dating Jason, and I’m never going to!
Ever!”

“You tell ‘em!” Leo whoops, and he’s got a hand on her shoulder. “I’m bi, so- uh, I like girls
too?”

Piper laughs loudly, and Will joins in, too. Piper’s wiping tears out of her eyes, hunched over
laughing, and Leo and Will join in only a few seconds later. Then- Nico laughs too, because
somehow this absolute dumpster fire of a day has turned out to be one of the best in his life.

He thinks he’ll remember this forever. They all will.

***
 livin' in a movie i've watched and

funny, 'cause you couldn't have called it

met you at the right time

this is what it feels like

***

Will exits the highway when he sees a McDonald’s sign, and drops Nico off while they
choose to go to the drive-thru.

He’s finally able to breathe when he takes off his binder, and part of him feels guilty about
before - he doesn’t owe anyone his coming out, even if he knows that Piper isn’t like that. He
probably should’ve known that since Jason’s friends with her, but for a good part of the year,
they were also friends with Octavian and Bryce, so he was just keeping a safe distance.

He can assume that Piper had come out to Leo before today, which makes sense. Leo must
have also told her, because she didn’t look surprised at all, and Will- well, they had all seen
the flag.

It’s just Nico now. And Jason, but he’s not here right now.

He’s not ready. He honestly doesn’t know if he’ll ever be ready, because he hadn’t been
prepared to invite new people into his life this year. He’s only ever told four people, and he
had never really named it.

But it’s also suffocating him. He doesn’t like having to review everything he says everyday,
even if he doesn’t talk much about crushes or his gender in general. They’re just simple facts
of life, and he likes it that way. That doesn’t mean that it’s hard to avoid overall- it’s his
identity, after all.

Maybe he can just tell Will and Leo to tell Piper. But that feels disgustingly like gossiping,
and he’s entirely done with someone else revealing his gender or sexuality for him - if Piper
gets told, it’s going to be by him.

He really doesn’t need to worry about this right now. It’s not like Piper’s going to force him.
They’re all a bit high on adrenaline and leftover caffeine from the Starbucks, and he’s 99%
sure that Leo’s going to order a McFlurry and then get a sugar high as well.

He just wishes it weren’t so complicated.

Nico stuffs his binder under his hoodie, thanking himself for always getting three sizes too
large, and makes sure that no one can see it in the mirror. Will, Leo, and Piper are waiting in
the parking lot, and Nico tries not to make it obvious that he’s hiding something.

If they do notice (which Will, at least, probably does), they don’t mention it. Nico steals a fry
from Will, and they laugh, and they eat, chattering about everything and nothing, until they
see the sun start to set, and Will drives them out of the parking lot.

They spend the night at Apollo’s. Will doesn’t smile at Apollo, but he does acknowledge him,
and Nico’s only slightly ashamed that his best friend is so miserably terrible at holding
grudges. Mostly, though, he’s relieved.

They FaceTime Jason again before going to sleep. They don’t mention the paparazzi, but
Piper does mention coming out, and Jason says that’s awesome, and that’s all. Piper and Leo
share an air mattress. Nico and Will share the bed.

It doesn’t feel so different, honestly. There’s one more person in the room, but in the end, it’s
just Nico and his best friends. Like it has been for years. Like Nico hopes it will be, forever.

***

[ Image One: A behind-the-scenes photo of Jason Grace modeling in front of the camera.
He’s wearing a jean jacket and a label tee, looking past the camera. ]

[ Image Two: Jason Grace smiling, holding a coffee in his hand with the New York skyline in
the background. He’s wearing a Peter Johnson hoodie, and has sunglasses resting on top of
his head. ]

jasongrace ✔ Back in NYC for the week!!

***

The History Of Piper McLean And Jason Grace’s Relationship

From meeting on the set of a commercial at age six to Piper McLean featuring on the show,
Heroes of Olympus, where Jason Grace has a recurring lead role, this couple has been seen in
a variety of public situations throughout their careers.

While there has never been any confirmation of their relationship, fans can all agree that they
have a closer bond than just co-workers. In Jason Grace’s recent vlog, A Day In High School
(ft. Piper McLean) , he reveals that they even go to the same high school, and seem to share
the same friend group.
There’s not much to find about the friend group, except for one notable member - some fans
have pieced together that the ‘Will’ from the video is none other than Will Solace, son of
deceased country singer Naomi Solace and superstar Apollo .

Still, because of their lack of commentary, can we assume that they are simply friends? Or
are they hiding their relationship because of career-related concerns?

When Piper McLean was spotted on Saturday at the Los Angeles Mall with three boys, it was
easily recognizable that none of them were Jason Grace.

[ one image attached ]

Jason Grace also just posted on his instagram that he was spending the week in New York
City, without Piper.

[ one image attached ]

Does this mean a breakup? A struggling relationship?

Fans have also noticed a common figure in Piper McLean’s stories, who also appeared in
Jason’s video - a boy named Leo (last name unknown), who goes to school with the two
rising stars. While he seems to be on good terms with Jason, not much is known about their
friendship because of the limited posts that Jason has about his private life.

Going to Leo’s instagram , though, we can see multiple people make common appearances in
posts and stories - though he is the only person in his friend group to have a public account,
not including Jason and Piper.

The unknown ‘Nico’ and Will Solace were the other two boys, along with Leo, who
accompanied Piper to the Los Angeles Mall on Saturday. Rumors have spread about cheating
and a breakup between Jason and Piper, but no comment has been made by either.

More Like This

Piper McLean Cheating On Long-Term Boyfriend, Jason Grace?

Piper McLean Spotted at Los Angeles Mall

Who is Will Solace?

Jason Grace’s Response To Piper McLean’s Recent Outings

***
Nico can’t really recognize himself except for the large black hoodie and short curly hair in
the blurry paparazzi photos, but there’s some strange kind of euphoria at being described as a
guy by an actual news article. That happiness, however, is immediately replaced by anxiety,
because Piper leaves early the next day after an hour on the phone with her manager.

The things written about her are horrendous. Some of them are only marginally better than
others, but Nico doesn’t read much after the second one.

After dropping off Leo and Piper at school, the house is stuck in an awkward silence. Nico
wishes he knew how to fix it, but Will locks himself in his room to do homework, as he
usually does on Sundays, and Nico - well.

He doesn’t want to bother Apollo in his studio, because now he knows that’s where he is. But
Kayla isn’t there this weekend, and Will is busy. He doesn’t want to say his only
entertainment relies on people, but he doesn’t feel like going down a YouTube rabbit hole
every weekend.

Nico doesn’t end up finding Apollo - Apollo finds him.

He had decided to cook lunch, because why not? He didn’t have anything better to do. But
Apollo finds him and asks if he wants to go back to the studio, and Nico- he says yes.

He doesn’t really know what excuse he has anymore. Apparently, Apollo and Will would
never kick him out, because Apollo had seemed astounded that Nico had thought so. He
thinks it’s kind of embarrassing now, but his fears had been genuine.

It’s still somehow hard to accept. He never has to return to his father’s house again, ever. The
worst thing that his father could do would be to call the police on him, but he would never
care enough to do that.

The only belongings he has at this house are some clothes and his box of songs. Nearly
everything had been destroyed from the flash flood in Venice, his only proof of Bianca being
the skull ring that he never takes off. His father certainly hadn’t had anything, because Nico
has searched the house from top to bottom and never found a single picture.

Clothes, he doesn’t need to worry about. Apollo pretty much already bought his entire closet
- the only things remaining at his father’s house are a few duplicates of large black hoodies,
black jeans, and a few large tee-shirts for pajamas during the summer, because he’s not
foolish enough to try and survive California summers with just hoodies. He also has a spare
binder, but all of that is replaceable.

His songs… they were probably worthless anyway. They’re hidden deep in a closet where his
father would never find them, so they’ll either decay or be found by people after his father
inevitably has to sell the house. He’s not too worried.

There’s a nostalgic part of him that wants to rescue them, but he already finds it odd that his
father was at his house two weeks in a row. Had he finally quit his job or sold his business?
Was he planning on staying entirely?
Nico doesn’t want to risk it.

He focuses on the fact that he can call Apollo’s place his home now, which it really has been
ever since that summer between sixth and seventh grade.

“So, what do you wanna work on?”

Nico shrugs, because honestly, he hadn’t thought of it much, had tried to convince himself
that it was a one-time situation. He’s eyeing the awards on the shelves, this time comfortable
enough to look at them closer. “How many albums did you release?”

It’s kind of stupid that Nico has never really looked Apollo up online, but it would also be
stranger if he did. Apollo doesn’t seem to mind, sighing and picking up one of the AMA’s.

“Five,” he says, “That was the contract I was under with my father’s record label. They
wanted me to sign another, but I got out of it.”

“Wait- your dad had a record label?” Nico turns around, “I thought he was a director.”

Apollo waves his hand, “He did a lot of stuff. One of those business guys who had a share in
pretty much any Hollywood project.”

“Is he…?”

“Dead? No. He’s actually not even retired; he just disowned me.”

“Wait- What?” Nico’s eyes widen before he shakes his head, “Sorry, I-”

“Don’t worry about it, Nico,” Apollo turns to him, and Nico’s surprised to see a sad sort of
smile on his face, “Really, it’s all in the past. I don’t miss the career I had, and I certainly
don’t miss my father or the contracts. I’m much happier now than I was fifteen years ago.”

Nico hesitates, fiddling with his ring before asking, “But- why? I mean, with… all of this-
why would your father…um…”

Apollo sighs. “You remind me a lot of myself, you know? My father wasn’t abusive
physically, but he certainly wasn’t the nicest. He decided that enough was enough when my
relationship with Darren was leaked. Cut off all ties and contracts, and honestly - I was
relieved. Then, Naomi…” he pauses, looking at the ground. “Well. Anyway, life moved on
and people forgot about it relatively quickly, because fans tend to forget about things that
they don’t like or that don’t match the idea they have of me in their head. I don’t hide who I
am, and I’m glad that I don’t have to anymore. Hollywood has become much more accepting,
but that doesn’t mean I’d ever go back to the kind of life I had.”

“Like- the fame?”

“Partly. And doing things I didn’t enjoy, being micromanaged, having to give up my
identity.”
Apollo places the AMA he was holding back on the shelf, and Nico looks at the Grammy in
front of him. Song of the Year.

“So… you didn’t write your songs?” It’s not accusing, just curious. Apollo laughs.

“Not necessarily, no. Well, rough drafts, I did, because I do like poetry, but they were always
changed so much by the other songwriters on the team that they were barely recognizable
once they were released. Not to mention that the songs I did write about guys- you can
imagine how much they’d be altered.”

Nico bites the inside of his cheek, nodding.

“I’m happy with my life now, though, because I can ensure that my children will follow their
dreams no matter what,” he continues, resting a hand on Nico’s shoulder, “Originally, Naomi
was looking forward to teaching Will guitar, and singing, and… all of that. I had nothing
against him learning, of course, but it became clear very quickly that he never wanted that
career path. Kayla, however, seems more excited than anything to follow Darren into archery.
Austin seems more interested in classical music than anything else, despite being surrounded
by it his whole life.”

He pauses. “I want you to know that you wouldn’t be disappointing me if you don’t like
being in the studio. I would never want to force you into a record deal, or a contract, or
anything that’ll make you commit to something you don’t want to do. But… it’s your
decision. I’ll support you no matter what.”

Nico nods absently. If it were a few days ago, he would brush it off and forget about it.

But now.

Apollo doesn’t want Nico to move out immediately after high school. Apollo wants to
support his career, no matter what it is. The way he says it, Nico thinks he would probably
write a recommendation letter to McDonald’s if that was his true passion.

It isn’t, obviously. But this… it opens up a whole world of opportunities that Nico had never
given himself the chance to think about. He could go to college, travel, get a job that pays
more than $9 an hour-

He could record music, if he wanted to.

He wouldn’t have to release it.

But he could.

Suddenly, the thought of leaving that box of songs at his father’s house feels a lot heavier.

Apollo’s waiting in silence, and Nico can feel his eyes on him. He wants to give him an
answer, wants to confess that he’s been writing songs all along, wants to record them- he
wants to make Apollo proud of him.
 It’s stupid , he thinks, because he’s not even Apollo’s kid. Actually, the thought of that
grosses him out, because of one major crush on his best friend. But the look that Apollo gives
him- he can only assume is fatherly.

He’s never had that before.

“You don’t need to choose anything right now,” Apollo says, and Nico’s eyes dart up,
wondering briefly if he could read minds - or maybe Nico had just been too obvious. “You’ve
still got so much life ahead of you. Right now, focus on having some fun with it, and then let
me know if you ever want to do more… career-wise. Not that it matters if you don’t.”

Nico nods again, this time a small smile on his face, because the way Apollo repeats it makes
him actually believe him.

“Do you still write songs?” he asks hesitantly. He’s desperate to change the subject, because
he thinks if he continues with this, he’ll end up crying twice in less than a week.

Apollo takes the question in stride, removing his hand from Nico’s shoulder and walking to
the desk, “Sometimes! I don’t really produce them, even though I could, because- well, then I
think the temptation to release them would be too strong.”

“...Why wouldn’t you?”

“Release them?” Apollo glances back, still digging through his drawers. Nico nods. “I’ve
given up fame many years ago, Nico. I am out of the spotlight and very glad about it. I don’t
want to drag my children back into it just because of my music. Besides, I don’t need
anyone’s approval of the songs I write.”

“Could you… could you sing me one?”

Apollo stays quiet until he pulls out a few loose papers, then grins at Nico. “I was hoping
you’d ask.”

Chapter End Notes

Some notes that i had to write ahead of time so that i don’t forget bc i KEEP
FORGETTING

1 - I realized that a lot of ppl actually didn’t know abt my tt/insta if they knew my ao3,
and then the other way around - so!! If y’all are interested in edits (pretty scattered
fandoms atm, i’m just doing whatever) check out thaerchxr on insta and tt!!! There’s
also a link in those bios that has a bunch of stuff - fic recs (trust me. There are a lot), my
yt channel (pretty much just edit inspo), and my spotify (lots of fun stuff there including
a full-length, in order, canon-compliant, solangelo (taylor’s version))
2 - Omg. what are those random lyrics that keep popping up throughout the fic!! They
aren’t from the songs that are on the playlist, so why do you keep using them??
EXCELLENT QUESTION. I was actually a bit iffy on adding the lyrics at first bc i
didn’t want to make this a songfic (not that i have anything against those, but this fic is
very much not that), BUT those lyrics are actually from ANOTHER playlist that was
created back in december and then heavily edited and changed throughout the months as
i pretty much revised the entire plot of the au. All of these lyrics/songs are directly
related to nico’s life, unlike the other playlist, which is mainly based on vibes. I will be
giving you guys *that* playlist (which, btw, tysm for the compliments on the playlist bc
i was lowkey worried since i rlly don’t have diverse music taste at ALL) when i get to…
the sequel!!!!

3 - Yes. the sequel. Obvi it’s way too early to be talking abt that. There’s still a lot to
come here. But you’ll notice that this fic is only tagged as a high school au, and nico’s
story goes WAY further than high school. This fic will end when he graduates, and then
a sequel will be started to follow nico and will as they move on to… post-high school
situations (a world tour and college?? whaaat) as well as multi-pov and lots of new
characters!! The fun fact is that this entire fic was inspired by events that take place
TEN YEARS past what’s happening right now. So yes, this is essentially all…. A
prequel. A prologue. Call it what you want but there will definitely be more to come
once their high school lives come to an end…

4 - BUT DO NOT FEAR BC I HATE RELATIONSHIP DRAMA AND LONG

DISTANCE COULD NEVER SEPARATE THESE TWO SO THIS IS JUST UR
DAILY (well more like weekly) REMINDER THAT THIS FIC WILL INCLUDE NO
RELATIONSHIP ANGST. ALL ANGST WILL BE RELATED TO OUTSIDE
CIRCUMSTANCES. Obvi they do have arguments but there will never be a break-up
scare or a huge fight or smth bc i just don’t like writing that since i’m a hopeless
romantic!!
Okay goodbye friday version of me, who just had to write all this out so i don’t forget to
mention it in the end notes on sunday. Damn that’s nearly 500 words.

not gonna make these end notes longer than they already are but... POPSTAR NICO
POPSTAR NICO POPSTAR NICO. i'm so excited. it's still a long time coming but i'm
currently at ch 15 through writing, and i'll be on summer break in two weeks (fucking
finally) so i'll get to write a lot more!!!

and APOLLO BACKSTORY. god if u read staying on guard then you'll know i love
adding a good apollo backstory. i'm so attached to him as a character. if y'all want
anymore details abt apollo's life (*cough* how he ended up with three kids and the
stories behind those...) i will gladly explain. i've got this full picture of him in my head
so i'll prob also go into more detail eventually but it'd be a bit hard bc this is nico's pov

ANYWAY HOPE U LIKED THE CH AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE
COMMENTS AND KUDOS ILY <33
 these are the nights that never die
Chapter Notes

ch title from "the nights" by avicii

tw for an overwhelming amount of fluff. literally this chapter is just fluff.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Jason and Piper had first brought up the Halloween party, Nico’s answer was a firm,
solid, definite, no. He doesn’t need a reason, but if he did need to explain, he would have a
whole list of them.

He’s never been to a high school party before (not that this really is a high school party, but
the point still stands), and he’s been just fine without them. Plus, he’s only known Jason and
Piper for nearly two months, and he’ll know no one other than them, Will, and Leo. Seeing as
both Will and Leo are extroverts, and Jason is technically hosting, that means that he’ll
probably be abandoned within a few minutes.

Okay, he probably wouldn’t, but he’d be dragged around and forced to talk to people, and
that also doesn’t seem like a fun experience.

Add that to the fact that it’s not even mainly high school students, but just a random variety
of people that Jason (and probably Piper) have met through work? The fact that they’re
apparently serving alcohol? How Nico has never even been to Jason’s house?

He has half the mind to tell Will to turn the car around and pretend he’s sick. He wouldn’t be
here if it weren’t for him, anyway. He just had to be his obnoxiously persuasive self that Nico
physically could not hate, and convince him. He’s pretending that he hates Will right now,
even though they both know it’s completely untrue.

Nico doesn’t know where the past few weeks have gone, and how it’s become Halloween so
quickly. Because it’s Halloween, it is technically a costume party, and Nico did technically
have a costume idea , but he’s not wearing it to the party.

He’s wearing a large black hoodie and black jeans - the exact code for please pretend I’m
invisible, don’t let anyone talk to me.

It’s a foolproof plan. And even though Will has protested it about twelve times already, even
just on the drive to Jason’s house, Nico insists that this is the only way he’ll go, because if
anything gets even slightly annoying, he can sink into the shadows and text Will for them to
leave.
Nico isn’t entirely sure what to expect. Apollo had given them the classic lecture before
going - which actually was more of a “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do- wait, actually, don’t
do anything I would do.”

Nico’s pretty sure he hasn’t gone to a party since the early 2000s’, so his advice probably
wouldn’t be helpful either way.

There’s a bit of a breeze, but it’s still relatively warm, despite it being the end of October.
Jason’s hosting the party at his mother’s house up in Beverly Hills, which is also technically
where he would live during school breaks, if he weren’t always traveling for work.

When he texted the address, he had added that they wouldn’t miss it - and Nico can tell why.
He can hear the music before the house comes into view, packed with cars and limos and
some driving out- probably to be picked up later, while some are parked on the driveway.

The whole front lawn is decked out in Halloween decorations, which Nico would bet were
not Jason’s doing, and the front door is wide open with people coming in and out.

“Okay, Leo says he and Pipes are coming out now,” Will announces, glancing at his phone
before turning around, trying to find somewhere to park.

“There,” Nico says, reaching over and putting one of his hands over Will’s on the steering
wheel, gesturing to an empty spot up in front of them to their right. It isn’t long after they get
out that they can hear Leo and Piper over the people talking. Only a few seconds later,
they’re being dragged into the house, listening to Leo and Piper talk over each other about
the people who have come.

Will glances over to Nico, and nudges him with his shoulder. He smiles at him.

Nico rolls his eyes, and looks around in the other direction so Will can’t see him smiling too.

Finally, they find Jason on the second floor, talking to someone that Nico’s pretty sure he’s
seen in some show, or maybe an ad. He can see Jason apologize when he sees them, but he
looks extremely grateful when he walks over to them.

“You guys made it!” Before they can respond, Jason jumps forward, hugging them both. Nico
has half a mind to jerk back and glare at him, but instead he just stands stiffly until Jason
pulls back. If he noticed, he doesn’t show it.

“C’mon, I’ve got people for you guys to meet,” Jason continues, already moving in the other
direction. Nico feels his anxiety grow second by second as Jason leads them through the
crowds, and Leo grins - not the nice grin when he’s genuinely trying to be a good friend, but
the slightly manic grin that he wears when he’s got a stupid and reckless idea in his head - at
him.

He knows immediately to whom Jason’s leading them, and he’s going to kill Leo as soon as
they get out of the house.
As if reading his mind, a hand reaches for Nico’s, and Will brushes them together before
interlocking their pinkies. He’s giving him an encouraging smile, and Nico- fuck, Nico can’t
run away now. He can’t disappoint him.

His old celebrity crush on Percy Jackson, the lead actor in the Peter Johnson series, is more
of a running gag now. He doesn’t actually like him, but he kept it up, because he’d rather
them know about his celebrity crush than his actual crush.

He never thought he’d actually meet him. It’s a bit terrifying.

“Bro!”

“Bro!”

He looks almost exactly like he does on the screen, if only a little taller - though that’s
probably just because of Nico’s own height (not that he’s necessarily short, but- well, yeah,
he is). Next to him is Annabeth Chase, and it seems like they’re matching costumes.

Obviously, rumors about them dating have been going around since the beginning of their
show (which is strange for twelve/thirteen-year-olds, but it’s Hollywood), though Nico’s
never really read that much into them. Still, maybe he was a bit too much of a skeptic,
because they seem very close in real life.

Percy runs over, nearly jumping in Jason’s arms. It’s all clearly for show, because everyone
laughs, but both of the boys are laughing too.

“Annabeth!” Jason turns to greet her as well, then immediately looks back, “Guys, this is
Percy and Annabeth! And these are my school friends- you’ve already met Leo, and that’s
Will and Nico.”

Nico fights the urge to sink back, because now they’re looking at him. Annabeth smiles
gently, and Percy gives them a grin- and Nico doesn’t feel anything. It’s nothing like when
Will smiles at him and his insides get turned around and he feels like he’s kind of floating.
He’s attractive, there’s no doubt about it, but at least, hopefully, Nico doesn’t need to worry
about making a complete fool of himself in front of him.

He tries to look at them in a way that doesn’t make it seem like he hates them - which he
really doesn’t. He kind of hates Leo and Jason for watching his reaction so intensely (not
really, but still).

Thankfully, Will takes over, saying hi and just casually mentioning that they’re fans-

And that’s it.

Percy and Annabeth laugh it off, and say that it’s cool, and then they move on, talking about
the song that’s currently playing and what kinds of soda they have. Leo only nudges him
teasingly once before the whole group is talking, and Nico is allowed to peacefully watch the
conversation without having to interact.

He could almost say that despite all the people around him, he’s comfortable.
 ***

It’s not long before some other people find them, and Jason, Piper, Percy, and Annabeth get
dragged away. Leo and Will decide to get some soda, and Nico is going to follow them- but
somehow he looks away for a mere second and they’re gone.

He tries not to worry as his breathing gets quicker, and he nearly walks straight into another
person before stumbling through a door. A sharp wind blows through his hair, and he clutches
the sleeves of his hoodie, even though it’s not actually that cold.

He’s on some balcony with a giant plastic spider in the corner and cobwebs all over the wall,
but at least no one’s there. He debates sending a text to Will, because they’ve already been at
the party for- nearly two hours.

That’s not very long, but he hadn’t been expecting to stay long anyway. Apollo hadn’t given
them a curfew, probably trusting that Nico would ask to go home early no matter what.

He doesn’t text Will, though, because he had seemed like he genuinely was having a good
time. Nico knows that he and Leo are extroverts at heart, and they rarely go to these kinds of
things - even though that’s because they’re not invited.

Nico just sits on the cold ground, because there’s no chair, allowing himself to calm down a
bit. It honestly- it wasn’t that bad. He doesn’t hate it. That doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t
prefer to be at home, just watching a horror movie and eating candy.

He tunes out the jumbled talking in the background, nudging the door fully closed with his
foot so that it’s a bit quieter (though that doesn’t help with all the people talking outside, and
the various other windows that are open).

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when his breathing finally returns to normal and
he takes out his phone to check the time, only to be met with several texts from Will.

***

will

Today 12:05 AM

Where are you

Nicooo
??

Do you want to leave

If you don’t answer in two minutes I will be concerned

sorry

im fine

lsot u guys and then ended up on some baclony but im good

?? Where is the balcony

Leo found the others again but if you wanna go home we can leave

r u sure

i’m fine here rlly

Nope

Coming to find you

r u gonna check like every balcony

Yes duh

lmao

well i’m on one that’s got a giant spider and cobwebs

idk if that narrows it down tho

Nope but I’ve got ur location

oh

damnit

<3

***

Nico only waits a few minutes before the door is pushed open, and Will looks around the
balcony before spotting him on the ground. Nico offers a half smile and Will laughs before
closing the door and sitting down across from him, right next to the giant plastic spider.
“Well, this is a nice spot.”

“I know, right?” Nico responds sarcastically, glancing at the ground which is full of flashing
lights and groups of people talking, “Might ask Jason to move in instead.”

Will scoffs, “Dad’s already texting us asking if we’ve forgotten about him. He’d beg you to
come back.”

“And you wouldn’t?”

“I’d move in with you, duh.” Will grins while he rolls his eyes, and Nico can’t help but stare.
Only for a few seconds, though, before he looks back at the ground, hiding a soft smile.

“So, do you wanna go home now?” Will’s voice is gentle, and Nico looks back, biting the
inside of his cheek.

He shrugs.

Will reads his mind, of course, “C’mon.” He crawls over to the other side of the balcony so
that he can nudge Nico with his shoulder, then wrap his arm around him. It’s not for warmth,
just comfort. Nico finds himself unconsciously leaning into it.

It’s only a few seconds, but Nico savors it - this feeling, resting his head on Will’s shoulder,
ignoring the people behind the door and below them. It doesn’t really matter if they leave
now, because he’s got Will beside him, and he feels safe, comfortable.

Will doesn’t even object, the hand on his shoulder moving up to play with his curls. It’s
calming, and Nico doesn’t feel the anxiety of being around anyone - he doesn’t feel any
anxiety at all.

He thinks this is how being in love feels like. He doesn’t know, because he’s only fifteen, and
people don’t necessarily write a handbook about it.

But he’s pretty sure.

Another minute passes, and then the song changes inside, which seems to snap them back to
reality. Will glances at him, another soft smile that makes Nico’s heart flutter - that makes
him briefly consider kissing him, before he shakes the thought out of his head and stands up.

Will holds his hand while leading them out of the party, texting Leo and his dad once they
reach the car. He only lets go once he starts driving, and Nico misses it, even if it was
something natural, something that Will does casually all the time.

It’s not a bad night.

***
 they said the end is coming

everyone's up to something

i find myself running home to your sweet nothings

***

[ Image One: Jason Grace with his arms around a group of people, all dressed up except for
one in a plain black hoodie. Around them are various people, and a chandelier with fake
cobwebs on it is seen in the background. Users tagged (from left to right): @the_ghostking,
@willsolace, @pipermclean, @valdezinator, @percyjackson, @annabethchase ]

[ Image Two: A picture of some Halloween decorations, a skeleton and cauldron next to some
cobwebs and orange lights. ]

[ Image Three: Jason Grace next to Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, standing next to a plastic
skeleton. Jason is smiling and Reyna looks like she’s in the middle of rolling her eyes. User
tagged: @reyna ]

jasongrace ✔ Happy Halloween 🎃

***

[ Image One: Piper McLean on the left, with Leo side-hugging her, and Jason holding a can
of soda, laughing, on the right. Users tagged: @valdezinator, @jasongrace ]

[ Image Two: A selfie of Piper McLean, an arm around Annabeth Chase, both smiling with
their eyes closed. Annabeth is holding up a small pumpkin. Percy Jackson can be seen
photobombing with a peace sign in the background. User tagged: @annabethchase ]

[ Image Three: A group picture with Piper McLean and Leo squatting, and behind them are
six other people, all grinning. Users tagged: @the_ghostking, @willsolace, @percyjackson,
@reyna ]

[ Image Four: A picture of the DJ set, decorated with cobwebs and lights. ]

[ Image Five: A mirror picture of Piper McLean, showing off her costume. ]

[ Image Six: A picture of a jack-o-lantern next to another pumpkin that’s painted purple. ]

pipermclean ✔ !!
 ***

[ Image One: Leo, slightly blurry as if moving, in the front, with Will Solace smiling behind
him, and Nico looking at him unimpressed, but with a small smile. ]

[ Image Two: A group picture with Piper McLean and Leo squatting, and behind them are six
other people, all grinning. Users tagged: @pipermclean, @jasongrace, @percyjackson,
@annabethchase, @reyna]

[ Image Three: Leo on Jason Grace’s shoulders, holding a can of soda. Percy Jackson and
Piper McLean can be seen in the background, laughing. ]

valdezinator HALLOWEEN BABYYY

***

Nico sleeps in the next day, if only because he can, since it’s a Sunday. It’s not like they
actually stayed out that late - not any later than they would be awake if they had a test the
next day or were cramming in some homework or were in an intense game of Mythomagic.

Before he knows it, he's going back to school, and it's November, and he's just counting down
the days until Thanksgiving Break. He spends more afternoons hanging out at the dorms with
Leo, Jason, and Piper, even when one of the latter is off traveling somewhere for photoshoots,
filming, or interviews.

He doesn't return to his father's house, and before long, he doesn't even think of asking about
it.

Will simply drives them home, and Nico goes along with it.

He spends his weekends there, even agreeing to let Kayla attempt to teach him archery again-
which he fails miserably at, but now they have something else to laugh about at dinner.

He even spends more time in the studio. It's not necessarily something that he tries to do, but
it happens nonetheless.

It's mainly covers, because Nico's box of songs are still at his father's house, and he refuses to
go back there - at least, not so soon. That doesn't mean that he stops writing entirely, because
what would he be without it? Just because he never told anyone and hid his songs somewhere
no one would find them didn't mean that he could simply quit.
So, he still writes, and finds somewhere else in Apollo's mansion to hide them, which isn't
really hard. The family does a deep clean of the whole house once a year, even if Apollo
could easily hire someone - he considers it family bonding. That doesn't mean that there
aren't several rooms that simply collect dust for most of the year.

For now, however, they’re preparing Austin’s room, who stays at Apollo’s nearly all school
breaks.

Nico doesn't think that Austin will feel anything off with Nico staying there over
Thanksgiving Break, seeing as he and Leo have been doing it for years. They drive home
with Will on the Friday before Thanksgiving break, and Austin arrives the next day, Apollo
himself picking him up from the airport.

Those moments are actually some of the only public appearances Apollo makes these days -
so if anyone searched his name, the most recent pictures would just be a selection of him with
sunglasses at the airport, sometimes with one of his kids with him. He's earned both praise
and criticism about this - praise about being a good father, criticism about being a bad
celebrity.

In Nico's mind, the praise is far more important, but he's pretty sure Apollo knows that.

They decide to watch a movie that first night, made complete with popcorn and leftover
candy from Halloween (because those really don't have an expiration date, and it's not like
they get trick-or-treaters up in the hills anyway), and Nico feels more at home than ever. He
falls asleep on the couch, his head resting on Will's shoulder, and Leo's feet in his lap, and
Kayla's head resting against one of his legs as she dozes off on the rug.

The next day is spent baking, a tradition that only gets more chaotic every year. Despite what
Piper had originally thought, it's actually both Nico and Leo attempting to keep the kitchen in
order as Kayla and Will nearly set it on fire, Austin gets covered in flour, and Apollo nearly
mixes up the salt and the sugar for the tenth time.

They make two batches of cookies, one made by the whole family, and the other that Nico
and Leo had snuck in on the side, which would actually be edible.

After having slept in most of the day, they turn on the TV to watch the AMA's, boo-ing when
the artists they like lose their nominations, and cheering when they win. Apollo had gotten an
invitation, of course, but he says that this is far more fun.

While Nico and Apollo go to take out the cookies, the rest of them end up building a blanket
fort in one of the many living rooms, completely tearing apart some of the guest rooms.
Apollo just laughs. He runs up the stairs and returns a few minutes later with fairy lights and
extra pillows, and they all fall asleep in a tangle of limbs and blankets once again.

When Nico wakes up the next morning, the blankets covering the windows so he can't tell
whether the sun is up yet, he only glances around once before hiding his face back in Will's
chest. Will's arm moves slightly, his hand just barely touching Nico's neck, and-

Nico feels more at home than ever.

Chapter End Notes

omfg i wrote this over a month ago but i still remember how HARD it was to get this
chapter right
- i've never been to a party
- i don't like halloween
- it's FLUFF

anyway i hope it turned out alright in the end. gonna say there's a LOT more fluff in the
upcoming chapters... the past two chapters were the worst of it for a while. not to say
that there's never gonna be anymore angst (bc there will be) but you do get a nice little
break <3
on the OTHER hand i ended up starting another multichap. not posted yet but... god i
have a thing for fame au's and it's a serious problemDSLKJF

BUT i'm out of school next week! finally!! i'm so fucking done !!! which means i will
have SO much more time to write. i mean, i'm still quite a few chapters ahead in my
drafts, but it'll make me feel better to have a load of chapters ready to post when i need
to :) honestly not much to add except... something exciting is happening very soon. i'm
excited. y'all should be excited.

and lastly thank you so much for the comments and hits and everything!!!! we're over 2k
hits which is INSANITY y'all are the best. i live for ur comments. they make me grin
and squeal whenever i get an email from ao3. u kept me ALIVEE during finals so thank
you for that - and hope u enjoyed !!
 like i got this music in my mind
Chapter Notes

ch title from "shake it off" by taylor bc rlly. would this be a popstar fic without shake it
off? i'm sorry hate on it if you will but it was iconic and i'll forever defend it

i don't think there are any tw's for this ch :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

[ Image One: Percy Jackson with an arm around Sally Jackson's waist, wearing a matching
apron in what looks like a kitchen. They're both smiling. User tagged: @SallyJackson ]

[ Image Two: A selfie by Percy Jackson with people surrounding a dinner table. Users
tagged: @annabethchase, @groverunderwood, @jasongrace ]

[ Image Three: Percy Jackson helping a toddler stand, smiling at the camera. Paul Blofis is
standing in the background, holding a camera. ]

percyjackson ✔ family <3

***

"Okay, but you gotta- wait, wait-" Nico collapses in laughter as his head falls on the
keyboard, resulting in a sharp clang of notes and Apollo groaning in frustration.

"I'm getting there-!"

"Yeah, yeah," Apollo chuckles, shaking his head. "You nearly got it that time."

The piano lessons are a new occurrence, but something that just came along with their studio
sessions. After Apollo showed him a few of his old projects, he had agreed to recording them
and producing them, but also insisted on Nico being a part of that so that he wouldn't be
tempted to release them.

Nico thinks that's just an excuse, but he doesn't really mind. He has more fun than he'd like to
admit.

He sits back up, trying to get his hands in the position they were before messing up, then tries
again. It goes better that time, and Apollo cheers when he finishes and turns off the recording,
rolling his chair over to the desk.

"That was it! That was- actually, really, really good."

Nico can't help but smile, moving over as well, watching with wide eyes as Apollo starts
working. He doesn't mind that he gets caught up in his work- he actually loves it. It makes
him feel like he's actually a part of something, that what he's helping with matters, even if
they’ll never end up releasing it.

He can take a guess that Apollo actually would like to release it, but he's not going to
mention that.

"You know," Apollo starts, not taking his eyes off the screen, "If you wrote some of your own
songs, we could totally mix them up with these and make an album. I'd help you."

It's not the first time he's mentioned something like this, but every time he does, it makes
Nico think a bit harder on it. He's tried to convince himself that that's not even an option, and
that he shouldn't consider it- but what else does he have to do? If making an album became a
job, where all he had to do was this; hanging out in the studio and being surrounded by
music, then he might want to give it a shot.

Apollo seems to take his hesitance as some kind of answer, turning around and looking at
him carefully. "Do you... want to try and write a song?"

Nico snorts, brushing it off. "With my F in English? Yeah, right."

"I'm serious!"

"Well, I'll stick to singing your songs. They're actually good- mine are shitty."

Apollo shrugs, looking like he's about to return to the computer when he freezes. " Are ? You
mean you already write them?"

" Would be -” Nico replies immediately, “They would be shitty. If I wrote them."

"You said 'are'!"

"I have an F in English!"

"No, you have a D-."

"Close enough-"

"Okay, fine," Apollo grins, but Nico can see a small gleam in his eyes as he rolls them, and
he doesn’t think that the conversation is over. "But if you change your mind and want to
show me your songs, I'm here."

"I don't have any songs."

"Mhm. So, you think you can add that piano in yourself?"
Nico only hesitates a moment, before nodding, and rolling his chair over so he takes Apollo’s
place at the computer. They’ll finish the conversation another day.

***

On Tuesday evening, they finally return to their rooms rather than sleep in the blanket fort.
Leo's in the bathroom when Nico turns to Will, rotating his ring on his finger and staring at
the blanket for a second too long.

Will notices, of course, simply raising his eyebrow as a question.

"Apollo thinks I should try songwriting." He says it quietly, moving the blanket to the side
and not looking at Will.

When Will doesn't answer, Nico looks up, seeing Will smile softly. He can't help but grin in
return. "What?"

"Don't you... already do that?"

Nico's eyes widen. "What?"

"I haven't read them!" Will raises his hands, letting out a chuckle, "I just- I thought you did. I
dunno, I just saw a post-it in your notebook once, and- well, it kinda looked like lyrics, but it
might not be-"

"You knew?"

"I didn't know you didn't want me to know!"

"I- well, I didn't tell you-"

"Nico," Will's eyes soften, "I'm sorry- I swear I didn't mean to find out. I just- I guess I
thought you'd tell me eventually, but if you want me to, like, forget about it, then I can."

Nico bites the inside of his cheek, shaking his head. He had thought no one would ever find
that out, and yet his best friend has known all along- and he's not even sure which post-it Will
found.

Did he know?

Will would never lie to him on purpose, but if- if he thought that he was sparing Nico's
feelings, trying to make him feel better...

"It's fine," Nico mumbles, "So- then, what do you think about what Apollo said?"
Will smiles. "I think it's a great idea. Really. I know you think that just 'cause of dyslexia you
don't do well with that stuff, but you have a way with words."

Nico raises an eyebrow and scoffs.

"Really! I think-" Will's cut off by the previously muffled music from the bathroom
becoming clear, the door opening, and Leo entering the room. He doesn't recognize the
tension, just runs in and throws himself on the bed.

"Okay. What're we doing?"

Will gives Nico one more look, and Nico shrugs with a small smile in response. It's not
something to worry themselves about right now.

"Sleep?"

Leo gives Nico an unamused stare.

Nico laughs, and they end up pulling out the board games, and then falling down a YouTube
rabbit hole, where they fall asleep, a video still playing.

***

lunch table

Yesterday 11:01 PM

pyromaniac

JAY PIPES WE MISS U

WHEN R U CMOING BACKSDL

will

He’s on a sugar high

Dw about it, he’ll crash in about half an hour

pyromaniac

u undersetimeate me

unserstimate

underestimteae
jason grace

Underestimate

pyromaniac

fuck u grace

i was almsot there

jason grace

Lol

I miss you too

Percy says you guys were cool too

pyromaniac

PERSUSD JACSKON

PERSUES

PERSEUS

piper mclean

SDLKJFSDLFK

Yesterday 11:51 PM

will

Update he crashed

And Nico’s been out for like twenty minutes already

piper mclean

wake them up

will

Are you kidding

Do you want to plan my funeral

Nico sleeps like the dead and Leo will smack me in the face with his foot

piper mclean
LMFAO

well good luck

will

And I always wake up first :(

Nico’s like a literal cat my leg is numb

piper mclean

SEND A PIC

RN

jason grace

YES

will

Better plan my funeral

[ two images attached ]

Goodnight

piper mclean

OHMYGOD

THAT IS THE CUTEST FUCKING THING

jason grace

Aweee

piper mclean

sleepover again when we get back its an order

Today 10:31 AM

pyromaniac

will and nico r fighting abt whether nico acts like a cat

he totally does

FCUKSDLF
jason grace

We dont actually have to plan a funeral right

yes u do

***

"But it's probably stupid, right? Like- it's him ."

Leo's voice is muffled, his face in the pillow, as Will and Nico look at each other.

The night before Thanksgiving is really the last night of relative peace, seeing as they have to
deal with a cooking fiasco the next day, and the challenge of Christmas decorating on Friday
and Saturday, followed by cramming in homework on Sunday.

So, of course, it's spent ranting about whatever they have to complain about, before they have
to be 'thankful' the next day.

"Well, we don't know that for sure."

Leo turns around, huffing. "Okay. Look at me seriously and tell me you think Jason Grace
isn't straight."

Nico shrugs. "I don't think Jason Grace is straight."

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't! There's no way he's straight!"

Leo doesn't look convinced, and Will shrugs. "I... hmm. I actually don't know. But he's
friends with us, right? Like, technically, he could be a token straight, but usually, we kind of
naturally group together. Like an invisible force that convinced us to be friends with Nico."

"You became friends with me in sixth grade because of gaydar?"

"No!-"

"Totally," Leo nods, a jokingly serious look on his face. Then, he laughs. "Actually, I didn't
even know I was bi at that time."

"None of us knew anything. That's what I'm saying! Invisible force!"

"The force -"

"Shut up, Nico, I swear I didn't mean to make that pun."

"Good."

"..."

"...So...Jason...?"

Nico watches Leo carefully. It's not very often that they get into feelings and all that- and
probably for good reason. Obviously, there was the whole pit of depression that Nico had
gotten into during freshman year, and there was the anniversary of Will's mom's death, and
then the few times that Leo's foster home got really bad, and he had to be picked up by
Apollo for a weekend of comfort.

Leo's never had the easiest childhood. Well, to be honest, none of them did- but does anyone
actually grow up perfectly? Nico doesn't think he can compare them.

All three of them lost their moms when they were young, which was just a strange
coincidence to find out. But, whereas Will and Nico were sent off to their fathers - for better
or for worse - Leo's father had always been absent.

He was put in the foster system, which had originally failed miserably. It still is a failure, but
at least Leo isn't running away anymore, not like he had before sixth grade. Somehow, over a
span of two years, he managed to make it all the way from Texas to L.A., which is certainly a
feat.

He was then caught by authorities, etc. He was put into the foster system again in L.A., but
that family had originally put him in a normal school system only to figure out that he was
totally gifted, specifically in math. Long story short, they signed him up for a scholarship,
and he got it.

From what Leo says, because Nico's never met them, his foster parents, along with his two
foster siblings, aren't the greatest- they're kind of neglective, and they don't really care what
Leo does, so long as he stays out of their way, but at least they aren't as bad as some previous
ones.

He's in a good place now, living at the high school for most of his time, visiting Apollo's for
some weekends and some school breaks, and living at his foster home for the summer,
because it's required. But he still has more sleepovers than most kids, seeing as for all of
them, Apollo's house has become more home-y than anywhere else.

The point is that family issues aren't new to them. They know how to deal with them. Will's
mom wasn't the most present, but she was kind, and Will loved her more than anything
before she passed (cancer, which she originally just brushed off as exhaustion from
performing, but then struck her from behind with a stroke before a concert).

Nico's family, well, that's obvious.

But they've become vulnerable with these things. They don't mind talking about it. They
know that they'll receive comfort, not pity, and not a comparison.
These kinds of feelings, though - it's definitely out of their comfort zone. Joking about
celebrity crushes is fine, and there was this one time that a girl asked out Will in freshman
year and he got overly anxious that he was too mean when rejecting her- which he really
wasn't, but it's Will. So.

Leo's had a few crushes, but he's always been joking about it, never serious.

And Jason's their friend.

Nico can understand how that feels. He wishes he could tell Leo that without making it
glaringly obvious.

"I think you should just tell him," Will says, ever the logical one, "If he doesn't feel that way,
it's not going to ruin your friendship. He's a good guy. And not gonna lie, he's probably had to
reject like thousands of people-"

"That's really not helping."

"What Will's trying to say is that you don't really have anything to lose, so you should just
ask him out," Nico says, as if that isn't the most hypocritical statement he's ever made. "He
didn't react badly when we all came out."

"That's very different."

"Okay, yeah, it is," Nico shrugs, "But I still think he's not straight."

"How would you know?"

Truthfully, he doesn’t. The fact that Leo has a crush on Jason... Nico didn't really see it
coming. To be fair, he's not the best at spotting these things.

Surprisingly, he had noticed Jason having a thing for Leo before he noticed the other way
around. Which should, probably, be a comfort to Leo, if only he believed Nico.

"Just-" Nico sighs, "I dunno. But, like, that time where he was talking about the show and his
character? I just- it gave closeted vibes."

"'Closeted vibes'?"

"Shut up! You get what I mean-"

"Uh huh," Leo rolls his eyes, but he's back to grinning rather than looking frustrated, "Say,
Nico, if you had to confess to your best friend that you've got a crush on him, how would you
do that?"

Nico freezes. That look in Leo's eyes- fuck .

He doesn’t want to think about the fact that Leo knows, and what if Will found out? And if
Leo knows, then it could be possible that Piper and Jason know as well, and that’s just going
too far. He hasn’t even come out to Piper. He doesn’t want to consider it.
They don’t know. Maybe Leo does, but the rest- they can’t.

Will, thankfully, brushes off Nico’s internal conflict, but Nico can’t look him in the eyes to
tell if he noticed. "So Jason's your best friend now? What happened to us?"

"Pfft, the term 'best friend' isn't exclusive."

"It kinda is, though-”

“So? Are you gonna ask him out?”

Leo considers the question, and then smirks, even with the breakdown he had just had. Nico
wishes that it was so easy to come to a conclusion- but Leo, and also Will, have always had a
kind of courage, some confidence that Nico never had.

He’s used to it. It’s why he knows. If Will felt the same, he would’ve told him by now.

“Yeah, maybe,” Leo shrugs, “Depends, I guess- Maybe someone could do it first.”

“Do what?” and Leo isn’t even looking at Nico, but at Will, who asked the question, even
though Nico’s panicking, and nearly certain that it’s about him.

“Ask someone else out first, of course. C’mon, we’re in high school and haven’t even dated
anyone yet.”

“Plenty of people don’t date anyone in high school,” Nico says, and he’s pretty sure his voice
is too high- or maybe he’s just being paranoid.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Leo rolls his eyes, “So. Who wants to complain next?”

There’s only a brief pause. Then, without looking at Nico, Will takes the lead. “Well, there’s
this guy who sits behind me in math- and I swear, he does not ever stop kicking my seat.
Like, I get needing to move and stuff, but c’mon! There’s a million other ways…”

***

i wait patiently

he's gonna notice me

it's okay, we're the best of friends

anyway

***
"Yes, you two- get in the picture!" Apollo huffs, "You may have gotten out last year, and the
year before, and... wait, do I not have a Thanksgiving photo with you two? Okay, now you
have to be in the photo."

Nico rolls his eyes, but lets Will drag him back to his seat, Leo on the other side, and does his
best to smile, even though he's not really sure if it works. On the other side of the table are
Kayla and Austin, both used to this, and Apollo sets the timer before running to the head of
the table and sitting down.

***

[ Image: A table with five kids and a man with blonde hair, half tied up, at the back. They're
all smiling, except for the girl, who seems to be laughing, whereas the boy next to her's arm
is slightly blurry, as if having just moved. Users tagged: @kaylaknowles, @austinlake,
@willsolace, @valdezinator ]

apollo ✔ Thankful for my wonderful family ❤

***

musin_gss Apollo release a new album challenge

.il0ve.tayy Omg who r the two other kids??

jenna.823 they've made appearances on @jasongrace yt video they go to school w will

and jason grace and piper mclean!!

.il0ve.tayy And they spend Thanksgiving with Apollo??? Dude pls can I go to that
school

jenna.823 LMAO LITERALLY

miss.grace_ his first post in MONTHS he took 'taking a break from music' very seriously

musin_gss It's been like 12 years do you think he'll ever come back

miss.grace_ no😭😭

kaylaknowles why'd u choose this pic :((

 apollo ✔ What's wrong with it??

kaylaknowles i'm not looking at the camera smh

apollo ✔ You look amazing darling

kaylaknowles ew

valdezinator WOOO PAPADOPOLOUS FAMILY

apollo ✔ Leo, no

valdezinator :-)

harryyys.wiife why's the last guy not tagged? lol

jenna.823 idk but it's @the_ghostking based on @jasongrace 's post

harryyys.wiife lol ty!

darrenknowles ✔ ❤❤

kaylaknowles :)

Latricia__lake Beautiful children

lou.ellen13 just finished binge listening to all of apollo’s albums and please i need more from
him

***

Finals arrive quicker than they expect, but then again, they always do. Teachers assign the
last few assignments and put dates for the final tests, giving just a day or two in between to
study for their first finals.

Nico does actually try to study; he always has. He's able to manage decent grades in most
classes except for English, not because he's good at them, but because he puts in the effort -
and he's also friends with a science genius and a math genius. (Will won't admit that, but Leo
would).

It puts a pause on his studio sessions with Apollo, but he doesn't mind at all. Kayla takes
pleasure in mocking them, because she's still in seventh grade and doesn't need to worry
about finals for two more years.

Will isn't that much of a good influence when it comes to fixing their sleep schedule in favor
of studying, however, so it does depend on Apollo, who forces them to go to bed at a
reasonable hour (or, at least, what he deems a reasonable hour, which is much later than most
parents would say).

Jason and Piper are in town for finals as well, so they get to share the misery of having to
study for them for the first time. Of course, they don't need to worry quite as much, though
that doesn't mean that they don't worry at all.

"Are you guys even planning on going to college, though?" Leo asks one day at the lunch
table before taking a bite of his lunch- some kind of salad with chicken.

"Technically, no," Piper answers first, "Or at least I'm not. I dunno. I'd be shit at college, but I
also don't wanna do modeling for the rest of my life, so..."

She turns to Jason for his answer, and he plays with his food for a few moments, as if not
realizing that the question is for him too. Leo nudges him, and he just shrugs.

"I mean, I'd like to. But I don't think I could. I'm already missing, like, most of high school,
and that just wouldn't work in college, would it? What about you guys? Where are you
planning on going?"

Nico notices the quick change of subject, but doesn't mention it. To be honest, he feels kind
of similar - at least, about the topic of college. Now that he thinks about it, he could go to
community college, seeing as Apollo would give him a place to stay, but he doesn't know
what he would study.

He doesn't want to admit it, but he likes to produce music. Could he study that? Not that a
college degree would necessarily be that helpful for that career, or at least that's what he
assumes. The more that he wonders about his future, the more he accepts that all that Apollo
suggests - songwriting, singing, producing - could be an option. It would be better than
studying something that makes no sense, probably on the opposite side of the country as Will
and at least a good distance away from Leo, with the hope of getting a 9-5 job, living with
Apollo, even when Will moves on with life and gets new friends... a partner...

That is not what Nico thinks about, though. Because how would following Apollo's advice
solve those issues? It wouldn't. It would probably be better to create a distance between Will
and Nico before he goes off to college, or before he gets back from it.

Right now, Nico doesn't think he could stand a life without Will. He's Nico's anchor, his safe
space - he's his home . He doesn't think he could live apart from that, even if he knows that
one day, he'll have to.

It's a bit codependent. The only thing that makes him feel slightly better is that Will feels
somewhat the same, even if it's just a platonic way. He had said that he wouldn't let Nico go,
and Nico was going to hold him to it.

"Whichever place gives me the best scholarship," Leo answers the question in a light tone.
He's obviously not worried; he's gotten this far on scholarship applications, and Nico has no
doubt that he'll get into whatever university he applies to.
 Will shrugs, "I'm not sure yet. I know I wanna go to med school one day, but I'm not sure
which major specifically, or what school. I guess it all depends."

It's a vague answer, but one that Nico expects. Will's an anxious person, but he tends to live
in the moment. He's kind of impulsive, and even if he chose a school right now, it could
change at any time.

He knows that it won't be in California. Definitely not L.A.

When it gets to Nico, he just laughs it off, says, "No idea," and lifts his sandwich up to take a
bite, hoping that they'll move on.

And they do. Everything's fine.

He’ll watch Will laugh and pretend that they don’t only have two and a half years left
together, and hope that Leo isn’t watching, even though he probably isn’t, but is watching
Jason instead, because he doesn’t need to worry about Nico pining for the third year in a row.
He feels like there's a weight in his stomach, one that Leo probably understands, but that Will
could never find out.

There's a risk, a devastating one, that comes with falling for his best friend. He's not willing
to take it.

Chapter End Notes

i feel like the first part of these end notes are always me ranting abt whatever taylor
swift has done this week so - HITS DIFFERENT OHMYGOD. I LOVE. and HOW
DARE SHE NOT RELEASE YOU'RE LOSING ME???? I NEED TO BINGE THAT
SO BAD. honestly i think i prefer the og's of karma and sotb but i don't hate either of
them either soo. AND SHE SANG GETAWAY CAR. DYING SCREAMING CRYING.
i find it ironically funny that i started this fic with like "so there are rumors that joe and
taylor broke up but i dont believe it".... well past me, you were wrong. they are most
definitely broken up. rip

okay that's out of the way tbhhh this chapter feels like the closest chapter i have to a
filler chapter. it's not RLLY a filler, bc obvi there's some things that i did need to include
at one point, but it's not rlly plot heavy either. NEXT CHAPTER THO??? OH
GODDAMN YOU GUYS ARE NOT READY. I'M SO FUCKING EXCITED TO
POST THAT.

on other news i am FINALLY out of school. thank god. while i was taking my finals, i
was actually writing the chapters that take place during nico's spring sophomore finals
(which is. haha. i am a sophomore. i'm pretty sure i literally just ranted abt ap world
history for a bit bc it SUCKS and also abt lit bc i hate lit and that sucks too <3) BUT
ITS OVERRR so hopefully i'll be able to write more- maybe even post twice a week? i
don't think i'll do that yet, just bc i wanna make sure i'm still writing enough and that i
dont feel forced to write but i am SO excited to keep going. it's so much more fun to
write when you're at the same part as the characters, and atm, we are both in summer
break after sophomore year.
which leads me to another thing that i never rlly mentioned? this 'school' is kinda based
on my own. i also go to a private school in california so i just kinda gave characters the
classes/work that i do bc it seemed like that would work out yk? either way i wont be
able to do that for junior/senior year but ig it shouldn't be that hard to figure out

funny. the schoolwork is literally the only thing that i'm writing in this fic from
experience

on PLOT - omg valgrace agenda?? yea so they're very much in the background but we
will eventually get some progress with them. also... there was a name
mention...foreshadowing....lemme know if u spotted it ;)

also i love apollo so much. thanks for reading!! love ur comments pls keep em coming
<3
 you can hear it in the silence
Chapter Notes

ch title from "you are in love" by taylor <3

fluff tw ;)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Will blasts Christmas music in the car on the way home, which, for once, Nico doesn't
complain about, because it is nearly Christmas. All he does is breathe a sigh of relief, because
finals are over, and despite him knowing that the results would disappoint him, at least he
doesn't need to worry about them for a few weeks.

Leo is planning to stay at the school for a few days before coming to Apollo's for Christmas,
and then returning to school when Jason and Piper come back after New Year's.

Nico, however, plans to stay at Apollo's for the entire break, and he honestly couldn't be more
excited. As much as he enjoys spending time with Leo, he'll be able to have days of one-on-
one time with Will, and he'll be able to join Apollo in the studio more often, seeing as he
doesn't have any homework over the break.

Part of him feels like he's been too optimistic lately. The part of him that encourages him to
try to release (or at least record) music is also pushing him to tell Will about his feelings -
what if he already knows? Then, at least Nico can get some closure. And if he does feel the
same? Then, Nico has no idea what happens. Do they date? Or do they ignore it for the few
years until Will goes to college?

Despite those concerns, he actually has been collecting all the spare post-its and pieces of
scrap paper where he's written down lyrics. Partly because he doesn't want to risk anyone else
finding them, and partly because he just might want to show Will and get his opinion.

Because he does trust what Will says. As much as Nico wants to deny it and drown in a pool
of self-hatred, Will's a horrible liar. Nico can tell when he lies. Anyone would be able to. And
that logic is just maybe enough to make Nico reconsider.

That's still an entirely different topic than confessing his crush- his feelings , how he may be
in love with the boy sitting in the driver's seat, currently singing his heart out to All I Want for
Christmas Is You .

Still, his plan for the break is to see what Will thinks, and then maybe, just maybe , show
Apollo. It's not like there's anything set in stone; he can turn back at any moment. That's part
of the reason why he feels like he can finally do this.
He doesn't tell Will this yet, though, just lets them enjoy the car ride home, and probably the
first night, before he pulls out the folder of (what he's pretty sure are) shitty lyrics and half-
written songs.

***

Family Group Chat

Apollo added austin to this conversation

Apollo

Austin's flight is tomorrow, arrival at 3:30 PM

austin

!!

kayla

rip to the ppl who have school today

stfu

kayla

*gasps* NICO !!!

will says the same

Apollo

No cursing in the groupchat

austin

didn't you literally say fuck when making the turkey

kayla

LMAOO

Apollo

No, I did not

You're delusional
Nico, are you and Will on your way home?

yea

eta tne min

Apollo

Pasta for dinner!

kayla

:))

***

[ Image One: A selfie of Piper McLean with her dad, Tristan McLean, who is grinning. Piper
McLean's smile is slightly strained. There are Christmas lights in the background. User
tagged: tristan]

[ Image Two: A view from an airplane showing clouds and a city beneath them. ]

pipermclean ✔ home for the holidays <3

***

for once, you let go

of your fears and your ghosts

one step, not much

but it said enough

***

Nico waits until he's entirely sure that they're alone, that Apollo won't knock on their door for
dinner, and that Austin and Kayla won't come in saying they're bored or if they want to join
in on a card game.
It's not really late, but it's after dinner, and everyone in the house agrees that that's their
private time, seeing as they're all early risers (not Nico, but he's adapted).

He waits until Will comes out of the bathroom, and stands awkwardly in the middle of the
room with a folder in his hands.

"Um- songs," Nico mentally curses himself, because he's been planning this all day. Will
seems to get the idea, though, because his eyes widen and he smiles.

"Really?"

Nico nods carefully, placing the songs on the table. "These are just the ones from like, the
past year or so- I have more at... um... my father's house. But- I dunno. You can look at them
if you want. I... kind of wanted your opinion before showing Apollo."

Nico averts his eyes, watching Will take the mess of papers carefully, and he can almost
picture what Will would look like - soft smile, gentle eyes, as if Nico were sharing something
precious with him.

Which, in a way, he is.

He had taken extra care into making sure that not a single lyric that barely hinted at romance
was in the pile of notes. That doesn't mean that it's not vulnerable. Sure, there are a few
things about movies that got him emotional, and maybe a few that he wrote in class while
learning something extremely boring, getting caught up in fictional scenarios in his head.

But there were also ones about Bianca. About his family. About acceptance, and the
depression that he went through last year. He's surprised at the number of random thoughts he
had put together over the years that weren't collected back at his father's house.

It makes him want to check on everything he left behind, but he's still not ready to return.

Anyway, Nico is positive that whatever Will finds- it could hurt, or it could make them laugh,
but at least it wouldn't reveal-

"What about this one?" Will's voice is slightly breathless, and Nico snaps out of his daze to
look. He's reading the paper, a ripped out piece from one of his notebooks, with a growing
smile.

Fuck .

Nico recognizes that one.

He could've sworn - he read through them all, and he sorted out the ones that made obvious
references to Will, but also some that were just generally romantic, and he was so sure that
that piece of paper had been put in the other pile-

How did it get there?

Why is Will reading it?

Why is he smiling ?

Nico couldn't hide the gasp that fell from his lips, and he bites the inside of his cheek so that
he wouldn't start rambling excuses.

Will is smiling.

Why would he be smiling?

Nico doesn't know what to think, and he's not entirely sure how much time passes as he just
stares at the paper in Will's hand, wondering if there's any way to turn back time and do a
more thorough check of the folder.

He really has no one to blame except for himself. He knows that. But, now that it's happened,
now that he can't reverse it, and now that Will is looking at him with a faint blush on his
cheeks, reading the note that Nico had written in the middle of a study hall period, where
Will had sat across from him, and the references to blonde hair, blue eyes; who else could he
possibly be talking about?

"Can... can you sing this one for me?" Will finally breaks the silence, and Nico is reminded
that he's watching him carefully. As if he needs to know Nico's reaction as much as Nico
needs to know Will's.

He swallows. He doesn't want this to happen, but a part of him is screaming, Yes! Finally!
Tell him!

He doesn't want Will to know.

But he does.

"Sure," Nico's voice is shaky, and this- this was so not what he had planned. It wasn't
supposed to happen yet; it wasn't supposed to happen ever.

He walks across the room and grabs Naomi's guitar, and, as always, takes a seat on the floor.
Will places the paper in Nico's hand and sits down.

He's closer than usual. It makes Nico pause.

He almost starts getting lost in his staring again, and Will doesn't look away. It's a moment,
like they have so often, but this time, it feels like it means something.

Time passes. Nico realizes what he's doing, his eyes widening, and he fumbles with the paper,
gulping again when his worries are confirmed - not that he had any real doubt about it. He
doesn't remember writing all of his songs, but he does remember this one.

He remembers looking at Will while he was doing his chemistry homework, and looking
away when Will looked up, and feeling his gaze for only a few seconds on the back of his
head before Will started complaining out loud about his worksheet, and then Nico looked up,
as if he had actually been focused on his reading, and agreed casually. He remembers hiding
the paper in his backpack, it getting crumpled at the bottom, until just two days ago when he
was sorting through all of them.

He strums the guitar. He knows how it’s supposed to sound, but he's never tried playing it
before. Never risked anyone hearing.

He knows that Will won't care. And it doesn't seem like he does. Nico messes up a few times,
and his voice- he's barely singing at this point, just reading out the lyrics with some music
behind it.

He looks up. Will isn't humming, isn't swaying side to side with his eyes closed. He's staring
right back at Nico.

Nico falters. His fingers stop strumming absently, and he stops singing, if he was even
singing in the first place.

Will seems closer.

Nico's pretty sure that he stops breathing for a second, the pounding of his heart so loud that
he's sure Will can hear it.

"Was that..." Will pauses, and his voice is so quiet that Nico can barely hear, it's just above a
whisper. He bites his lip. "Was it about..."

Will? Was it about Will?

How was that even a question?

Nico's in too deep now; he can't find an excuse. What's he supposed to do? Lie ? He's never
been able to lie to Will.

He nods, just barely.

And then Will leans in, and Nico isn't prepared- how could he possibly be prepared for this?
Will is leaning in, and his hand reaches up, his fingers lightly tracing Nico's jaw, and Nico's
lip part, like a gasp without the sound.

"...Nico?"

His traitorous eyes flicker to Will's lips, and that seems to answer whatever question Will was
asking - Nico knows the answer is yes.

Will kisses him.

It's just a peck, and Nico barely has a second to comprehend it, his brain a rush of Will Will
Will . His eyes flutter open, and he doesn't even know when he closed them. Will is watching
him, a small smile on his face, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

Nico knows that he's in love.

The thought, somehow, makes him smile instead of frown with anxiety, and he sits up fully
from where he was on the ground with his knees tucked beneath him, leaning forward and
pressing his lips to Will's again.

He can feel Will smiling, and he reaches up so his hands are in Nico's curls, and he's done it
so many times before but this feels brand new and special and Nico never wants to leave.

Then, Will tilts his head, and he starts to deepen the kiss, even though they've never done this
before, and Nico's legs give out. They collapse, Nico falling on top of Will, with the guitar
making a clutter of noises that's drowned out by them laughing.

Nico only waits a few seconds before scrambling up, placing the guitar carefully next to them
and quickly looking it over to make sure he didn't pull one of the strings, even though he's
sure that the guitar has been through far worse than a fall on carpet.

He looks back to Will, who's watching him with a sparkle in his eyes, a smile on his face, and
Nico doesn't know why he was ever worried.

"Nico," Will whispers, and Nico leans forward, resting a hand on Will's chest as if there’s a
magnetic force pulling him towards him. "I-" he chuckles, and that, for some reason, makes
Nico laugh as well, even though he has no idea what they're laughing about.

"I like you, Nico- like, a lot- like, well, like-"

"That's a lot of likes," Nico mumbles through a laugh.

Will rolls his eyes jokingly, "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

Nico leans down fully, not caring that they're on the ground in the middle of Will's room,
placing his chin on Will's chest but looking up so that he can still see Will's eyes.

I'm in love with you .

"I like you, too. A lot."

Will laughs, "No, but the word-"

"Romantically?"

"Yes!"

"Dude, how did you forget the word romantically ?"

"Shut up. See, this is why you're good with words."

"Right. Because I know the word romantically," Nico giggles, burying his face in Will's shirt,
allowing himself to memorize the moment.
Eventually, he looks up again, and he only stares at Will for a few seconds before Will pulls
him up by his hoodie sleeve, and Nico kisses him, again and again and again.

He doesn't think he ever really wants to stop, because this- it's pretty much all he's ever
wanted. He thinks of Will's words, how he wasn't going to send him away, how he was his
best friend.

He had thought that that was an understatement. That it was being said because Will tolerated
him, because he thought of Nico as a friend and nothing more.

But Will is Nico's best friend . That doesn't change. Not when Nico's kissing him until he's
breathless, and needs to pull away for a moment, and his heart melts when he sees Will
breathing heavily beneath him, not looking away from Nico for a second.

Nico's in love with him.

"You're my best friend," Will whispers.

He thinks, or he'd like to think- he can assume, that Will is in love with him, too.

Will starts to sit up, but then he pulls Nico into another kiss, and Nico- he can't really think
right now. It's a blur of the song he sang, along with the feeling of Will's lips against his, and
the fact that Will likes him back. It's more than Nico could have ever imagined.

He wonders what he did to turn his life around so much. It seems like another lifetime where
he would cry himself to sleep every night, but how could he cry when Will was right next to
him, tying him down to earth and chasing away any darkness that followed?

At one point, the absurdity of it is enough to make Nico laugh, and it's contagious, so Will
starts laughing as well. It makes it hard for them to kiss each other, so they end up falling
apart, but they’re still close together. Will's hand is still in Nico's hair, and Nico is still twisted
kind of awkwardly so that he can face Will.

"So... does that mean you're my boyfriend now?" Will asks through his chuckles, and Nico
lets his head fall into Will's shoulder at the question. God , he'd hope so.

"Well... yeah, if- if you want-"

"Yes," Will cuts him off, and he looks so genuinely happy right now, "I want that."

"A lot?"

Will shoves him, but immediately pulls him back, "Shut up, oh my god-"

Nico laughs at him.

He feels happy.
 ***

and you knew what it was

he is in love

***

They're lying in bed, and Nico's not sure how much time has passed, but the digital clock on
Will's desk flashes 10:44. Will had originally asked for Nico to play a few more songs, and
how could Nico refuse?

The guitar now lies abandoned on the right side of the bed as Will plays with Nico's hair and
Nico simply stares at the ceiling. He doesn't know how today went so well. If he didn't want
to jinx it, he'd say it was perfect.

"How long?" Will asks quietly, but Nico can hear a grin on his face without looking, "Did
you... like..."

"How long did I like you?" Nico replies, and Will hums in affirmation. "Well... I'm not sure."
He blushes lightly, thinking back on it- he knows that it's been at least since ninth grade,
since that was when he was finally able to admit it, along with all the other things that made
his mental health go downhill. But it was probably before that. "Maybe since, like... thirteen?
Probably."

He hesitates on looking back at Will, but then his curiosity takes over. Will stops fiddling
with Nico's hair, and he's looking at Nico with a wide smile; his eyes have a certain gleam to
them, and Nico can see how blue they are even with the lights out.

"What about you?" Nico whispers. He's not worried. He's done being scared of Will- his best
friend, his boyfriend . There's nothing to be anxious about.

"Summer between sixth and seventh grade."

"What the fuck?"

Will laughs, and Nico watches, gaping slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, well- it was... I dunno, it was confusing," Will answers softly once he stops
laughing, looking at Nico carefully, "Like- at first, I realized I just had a crush on you. And
then I was like- I wasn’t sure if I liked guys, but then you came out, and that- well that kind
of made everything make sense. But I was still super confused about all of it, and, well, I
didn't want to tell you without knowing for sure."
He bites his lip, shrugging, "Then, towards the end of eighth grade and ninth grade... You
were just going through so much. I didn't want to accidentally make things worse, or- I
dunno. I just- I felt like you needed a best friend more than a crush, or whatever, so...I was
going to tell you this year. Promise."

"I believe you," Nico murmurs, and there's a soft smile spreading across his lips. Will knows
him so well. "You're probably right, though. If you told me that last year, I'd- like, think you
were lying or something and try to run away."

It's a bit hard to admit, but it's true. Will knows that. Nico isn't going to lie to him.

Will pulls him closer, Nico burying his head in his neck, and it's silent for a few moments
before Nico speaks again. He remembers what all of this was about in the first place.

"So...the songwriting? What do you think?"

Will pulls back slightly so that he can look Nico in the eyes. He scoffs. "I think it's incredible.
And... I think you enjoy it. Which is priority number one."

"Uh huh."

"Really! I see how you look when you come out of the studio, and when you were just
singing those songs- I'm not going to pretend I know you better than you know yourself,"
even though you probably do, "But I don't want you to block yourself from these things just
because you think you aren't good enough. I say go for it."

Nico hums in response, and leans back down into Will's gentle embrace. He thinks he's
known it all along.

"Yeah," Nico says, barely loud enough to hear, even in the silence, "I'll do it."

***

APOLLO: Over A Decade Of Disappearance

If you listened to pop music in the early 2000s', you were most definitely a fan of the actor-
turned-singer Apollo . However, as we all know, he hasn't released an album in over ten
years, his most recent being released in 2004.

So, that leaves the question: What happened?

Though the details are blurry, most can assume that his 'break' began with leaked photos of an
affair between him and Darren Knowles , a trans man who, at the time, was still in the
running for the Olympics on Canada's archery team. Their affair resulted in their daughter,
Kayla Knowles, who seems to be living with Apollo full-time since 2012.
 Apollo's record deal with Olympian Records was cut off, though sources aren't sure whether
it was due to the affair, or simply because Apollo's five-album contract was complete. Since
then, however, he claimed that he was "taking a break" from music.

He has not made major public appearances since the announcement, though he has been
spotted at LAX a few times, and was seen at his estate in New York during the holidays in
2011.

[ one image attached ]

[ one image attached ]

Apollo is still active on some social media, mainly instagram, where he occasionally posts
pictures of his family. For more information on his children, click here .

Most notably, however, is that in his recent Thanksgiving post , his photo includes two new
children, which we can assume are friends of Will Solace , due to their presence in Jason
Grace and Piper McLean 's recent posts.

[ one image attached ]

The question that many fans are still asking remains. Will Apollo ever return to music?

Some of his works do have him credited in the production, so would we be hearing an
independent record? Or would he be planning on signing to another record label?

It has been about twelve years since the end of his career, so it's easy to assume that his break
was actually an ending. Still, many fans hope for some closure, specifically in the form of a
final album, or even a single.

More Like This

A Full History Of APOLLO's Career

Who is Will Solace

APOLLO Spotted At LAX

Opinions On Darren Knowles Coaching For 2016 Olympics

Chapter End Notes

ohmygod. OHMYGOD. OHMYGOD?????

well. we've reached it. THEYRE TOGETHER !!!!!

ive been seeing ur comments and how y'all r worried things will go downhill and all that
and trust me when i say i DO have angst planned,,,, but nothing will happen to THEM
now that they're together. obvi there will be situations and problems and issues but they
will NOT be related to their relationship (no breakups or shit like that i dont wanna do
that) THEY ARE HAPPY.

anyway moving on THE LAKES WAS TAKEN AND I AM SOBBING BC THAT IS

MY SECOND ALL TIME FAVORITE SONG (other than don't blame me, which is
already on the setlist) AND TAYLOR HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME????????
also she sang i dont wanna live forever. SDLKFJSLDFJLSDFJKS taylor pls sing eyes
open or sweeter than fiction i would die

sorry for getting this chapter out pretty late in the day - i kinda pulled an accidental all
nighter reading fanfic. and typing up fanfic (not writing) bc i wanna print some of my
favs and do y'all know how hard it is to get stupid fucking page numbers to show up
correctly??? it's HARD. but it's so worth it (i finished preparing art heist, baby earlier
today and i'm also prob gonna print 'only the brave' and 'the stolen god' both of which
are incredible fics!! highly recommend!! (ahb and otb are jegulus/marauders but the
stolen god is an INCREDIBLE toa/mcga canon divergence au it's literally so good)

but anyway yea i was doing that and then i read... until six in the fucking morning THE
SUN WAS RISING and then i slept for like two hours and then got back to preparing
the typeset and THEN got to proofreading this chapter so it could be posted for u <3

I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR WHATS TO COME U ARENT READYYY i

haven't been writing as much as i'd like (writing slump hit hard :/) but i made like three
other playlists and whatnot so HOPEFULLY I'LL GET BACK INTO ITTT

and that's all !! thank u SO MUCH for the comments i live for them <3 thanks for
reading !!

(also is this a slowburn? bc i dont feel like it's a slowburn i mean we're only like 30k
words in... but idrk what classifies as a slowburn bc TECHNICALLY they've been
pining for years. yes me writing this chapter as an aroace was absolute torture. i am
LITERALLY THEIR EXACT AGE and here i am writing abt this shit bc i'm a hopeless
romantic aroace)
 it's a beautiful sound
Chapter Notes

ch title from "hey angel" by one direction

tw for mentioned character death/grief? idk if that needs a tw but there's just a small part
talking abt bianca and depression and all that

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Nico first wakes up, he almost thinks that the day before was a dream. Nothing seems
extremely unusual - he's lying pretty much on top of Will, his face on his chest.

He knows that Will is awake; he always wakes up before Nico. At first, it was kind of
horrifying, because Nico was worried that he had trapped Will in a position for possibly
hours. Over the years, however, he’s gotten used to it, and he takes a few seconds to just rest
in that position before being blinded by the daylight coming through the open windows.

He feels himself falling back asleep, comforted by the gentle fingers playing with his curls,
and a soft kiss on his forehead-

Nico jerks back slightly, eyes still full of sleep. He blinks a few times as his head only gets
slightly dizzy, until he can see Will in front of him. His eyes are just half open, and there's a
lazy grin on his face.

"G'mornin’," he mutters, his voice slightly raspy and with the accent that has pretty much
faded over the years. Nico has to blink a few more times, then rub his eyes, trying to clarify
his memories from yesterday.

His eyes drop to Will's lips. It seems like Will's smile grows, and Nico remembers everything
so clearly - there's no way it was a dream.

He's staring at Will, gaping, until Will leans up, moving one of Nico's curls behind his ear. It
falls back in his face, and Will chuckles lightly, sitting up, so that he can push it back again,
but this time keeping his hand there. Nico leans forward, resting his forehead against Will's,
and he's smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.

"Morning-" Nico is cut off by Will kissing him, though it's really just teeth, because they're
both smiling. Nico moves his hands to hold Will's neck, one reaching up into his hair. He's
pretty sure they've both got morning breath, but it doesn't really matter. Nico melts into the
kiss, because it's real and it's happening, and he couldn't think of a better way to start his day.
He might actually start trying to wake up early if this was what he was going to receive.
Eventually, Will pulls away, but Nico's eyes are still closed, partly because of the sun shining
through the window behind Will, and partly because he doesn't want the moment to end.

Someone bangs against the door.

"BREAKFAST!" Nico hears Kayla's voice yell, and then there's a pounding of footsteps
down the stairs, and Nico laughs, tossing his head back to face the ceiling. Will chuckles as
well, and he lies down on his side next to Nico, so now, they're upside-down on the bed, their
feet on the pillows.

Will presses a kiss to Nico's cheek, as if he can't help himself. Nico rolls onto his side,
grinning back at him.

Nico opens his mouth to say something, but all that ends up coming out is a small giggle,
and- "God, what are we gonna tell Apollo?"

He doesn't get a reaction for a few seconds, probably because their brains are still half-asleep;
then, Will's jaw drops slightly, and his eyes widen.

"Uh."

Nico ends up laughing again, because for once, he's actually not that worried.

"Nico," Will groans, and he's obviously trying to hold back a giggle too. "He either already
knows, or he'll throw a party."

"Throw a party?"

"He's- Dad! That's just how he is."

"Mhmm," Nico rolls his eyes. "How could he know? We got together yesterday."

Will shrugs, staring blatantly at the blanket. "Well... he definitely knew that I... like-liked
you."

"Like-liked? Oh god, are you a first-grader?"

"What? No! That-" Will shakes his head, letting out the laugh, "Okay. Well he definitely
knew that I had a crush on you."

"That's, like, even worse."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know!" Nico doesn't actually care, but he slaps Will's shoulder without any force.
"We're gonna be late to breakfast."

"Gotta make sure they don't burn the kitchen down?"

"Please, Apollo wouldn't dare use the stove without me."

"He's been getting better!" Will pauses, "But you're right. I say we just pretend like
everything's normal and see if they notice."

"I bet he won't, but Kayla will."

"Ten bucks that Austin notices, and tells Kayla. I also don't think Dad'll notice."

"You're on."

***

Nobody actually ends up noticing anything, probably because they're too busy arguing over
cereal. Nico and Will get caught up in it soon enough, and it's almost like nothing changed at
all.

Nico doesn't really mind. He actually likes the normalcy of it, the casual way that they can
return to their normal life, as if their new relationship fits perfectly in it.

Apollo has to leave to pick up Austin from the airport, and Kayla simply goes back to her
room, flipping around the sign that says NO BOYS ALLOWED. Nico thinks it's funny,
because literally every person in her family is a guy, and Kayla had told him "that's the point"
when he said so.

The rest of the day is spent doing some deep cleaning, which Austin claims he doesn't need to
be a part of, and Apollo lets him go because he's weak like that. Nico feels relieved that he
had decided to collect all of his songs together, because usually the deep cleaning doesn't
happen until after Christmas; the timing this year, though, makes it so that they have nearly a
whole week before Christmas of winter break, so Apollo decides to get it over with.

By the time the sun sets, some pop song still blasting, everyone is wiped out. Apollo orders
pizza, and they barely say goodnight before returning to their rooms.

Kayla and Austin don't even look at them strangely when Will grabs Nico's hand on their way
to his room.

***

pyromaniac

Today 5:23 PM

bro
have u asked out will yet

wtf

WILL SAYS UR DATIGN NOW

WHY DDINT U TELL ME

read 5:28 PM

***

Nico squints at his phone, then turns around, scrambling over to the other side of the bed and
looking over Will's neck to see his phone. Will grunts as Nico practically climbs over him,
letting out a bit of a confused laugh.

Nico grabs his phone, saying, "Dude! You told Leo?" He scans the texts, surprised to see the
exact same text that he had gotten.

"Yeah," Will says, then coughs, and Nico gets off of his stomach so that he can breathe.

***

Leo

Today 5:22 PM

bro

have u asked out nico yet

Kind of

WHAT !!!!

We're dating now

DUDELJSFD

Leo why tf did u ask us both thte same thing

oh
HI NICO

okay well since ur together now can u pick me up from school

read 5:31 PM

***

"He totally set us up!" Nico groans, falling back onto the bed and tossing the phone back to
Will, who looks more confused than ever. "Leo literally texted me asking if I've asked you
out just now."

"But... he was telling me to do that?"

"He knew we were being idiots!"

Will scoffs, "We weren't... okay, yeah, but now we can make him ask out Jason, right?"

Nico hums, nodding miserably until he looks to his side at Will. "I can't believe Leo knew."

"He is our best friend."

"Still!"

Will just laughs, and he reaches around Nico, pulling him into a hug and pressing his lips to
his forehead. "We just won't pick him up 'till tomorrow."

"Day after tomorrow."

Will giggles into Nico's hair, and Nico ends up laughing too.

***

pyromaniac

Today 5:45 PM

bro

WOWWWW ghost king ghosting me

stfu
 ***

Will is terrible at holding grudges, so he ends up driving to the school to pick up Leo the next
morning, but Nico stays back to hopefully talk to Apollo before he gets cold feet. He's pretty
sure that Austin decided to sleep in, and Kayla is on the phone with her dad (Darren, not
Apollo), so he seeks out Apollo, who is, thankfully, in his studio.

He no longer feels awkward opening the door when he hears music inside, because it seems
like Apollo spends even more spare time than usual in the studio since working with Nico
(though he's not entirely sure, since he didn't even know about the studio before working with
him).

"Nico!" Apollo exclaims as soon as he notices him, taking off his headphones fully and
setting them on the table. "Did Will already leave to pick up Leo?"

Nico just nods, a smile forming on his face. He wishes he wasn't anxious, but he is.

"I, uh, was thinking about what you said with the songwriting." The folder is tucked behind
Nico's back, and his mind is moving a million miles a second, even though he knows he
could turn back at any moment.

He doesn't.

Apollo visibly lights up, and it's moments like these that Nico can definitely see the relation
between him and Will (besides, well, pretty much everything else - the hair, the freckles, the
eyes - but they don't really act similarly at all except for when they get excited). "Yeah?"

Nico relaxes slightly.

"Well- most of them are back at... um, y'know- my father's house... but, I've got some."

"Nico," Apollo's voice is soft, and he looks incredibly- proud ? Nico's not sure. It's a look he's
seen quite a few times, but he never found himself able to admit that that was what it was.

Nico realizes he's still holding the folder behind his back, so he moves sharply, nearly having
the papers drop out of the folder- "Shit-"

It's enough to make Apollo laugh, and then he cracks up because Nico trips over a cable as he
tries to catch a scrap piece of paper that fell out.

"Fuck!"

Apollo just laughs.

Nico huffs, pushing his hair out of his face, but he's wearing a grin. He stumbles to his feet,
and says, "I'll just keep them to myself, then-"
"No, no," Apollo lets out a few last chuckles, but gets up to help Nico, simultaneously taking
the folder out of his hands. "Sorry!"

"No, you're not."

"I am!" Apollo rolls his eyes, and holds the folder up as if asking whether he can look at it.
Nico shrugs, waits a few seconds, and then nods.

Part of him wants to watch carefully, observe all of Apollo's reactions, but another part of
him wants to leave the room. Still, he actually feels a lot more confident than he did before-
and that was in front of Will.

So, he stays and watches, taking a seat on a stool that he moves over to the desk from the
keyboard. He knows that most of them are only a few verses, and he doesn't think that he's
ever actually completed a song. Maybe he will, one day.

Apollo scans the ripped pages and post-its, moving from one to the next, frowning at some,
smiling at more, and he seems to sort them into piles as he goes through them, though for
what, Nico has no idea.

He's fidgeting with his ring, because Apollo hasn't said anything, and if Nico wasn't anxious
before, he definitely is now.

Finally, Apollo finishes, and simply stares at the desk for a few seconds.

Nico tries to ignore the voice in his head: This is the shitty pile, and this is the not-so-shitty
pile, but they're still horrible. Sorry for overestimating you.

"Nico," Apollo says quietly, tapping his fingers on the desk, "When did you start writing?"

It catches him off guard.

"Um... well, they used to be in Italian," he stutters, because- when did he write his first song?
He can see a half-faded memory of him and Bianca, her strumming a borrowed guitar and
them singing together, and he can remember writing down whatever they were singing later
that night.

(Those songs were lost in the flood. He can't remember them.)

"I don't know."

Nico bites the inside of his cheek, looking down to the ground. "If- if they're bad, then it
doesn't matter- like, I can just-"

"What?" Apollo looks astounded, "Nico, they're incredible! I was just wondering, because
English being your second language and all, how you managed to write so many good songs
in only a few years. And you were hiding these from me?"

Nico gapes, pretty much frozen. What the fuck?

"Shit, sorry, Nico, I should've told you that first-" Apollo chuckles, leaning over to give him a
side hug, "They're really good songs. I knew they would be. I was just kind of sorting them
into some that could fit together, or if there were any verses I felt like could be mixed up with
stuff we've already recorded."

"Oh," Nico breathes a sigh of relief, "Wait, really?"

"Yes! And, to be honest, I'd like to know some of the inspirations for these. Like- some I can
kind of understand, but, like, this one?" Apollo turns around, digging through them until he
finds a post-it and hands it to Nico. "Is it supposed to be a metaphor?"

"Uh, no. I was bored during English. We were watching a movie for the book but I never read
the book."

"Ah, that makes sense. What movie?"

"Can't remember. Rebecca , I think?"

Apollo hums for a moment, thinking. "The one where there's like a dead wife and a new wife
and an old guy?"

"Dude, I don't think I comprehended a single second of that movie."

"Fair enough- but the verse is amazing."

Funnily enough, Nico thinks that he's telling the truth.

"Is there anything you want to start with?" Apollo asks.

And Nico never really thought he'd get this far. It was one thing to start recording anything,
another thing entirely to record something that he actually created. He thinks of Bianca, and
he hopes that what he's doing would make her proud.

"Yeah, I've got one.”

***

Will must have told Leo not to tell the others anything, because he doesn't make a single
comment about their relationship throughout lunch, which must have taken an extreme
amount of effort.

Obviously, he's bursting to let his opinions be known as soon as they're on their own- through
the most ridiculous and cliche way possible.

"Oh my god. No way. Mistletoe!" Leo says it in an exaggerated way that only makes Nico
scoff with a grin. They do have mistletoe throughout the entire house, and it's become a sort
of tradition for the family members that end up underneath it together to "kiss" each other in
the most ridiculous way possible.

For example: Last year, Apollo landed under it with Kayla, and he dropped down on one
knee, dramatically placed a kiss on her hand, and then swept her up and swung her around a
few times, resulting in plenty of laughter from both of them, and everyone who was watching
(which was everyone, because the mistletoe was in the kitchen). Another time, Will leaned
down to kiss Leo's forehead (post-growth spurt, which made him about a head taller than
both Leo and Nico, and they still haven’t caught up) right when Leo stood sharply on his tip-
toes, causing Will to literally fall over. That one wasn't planned, but Nico nearly tripped from
how hard he was laughing.

Anyway, it's the first time there's actually a couple in the house, even if only three people
know about it. Nico looks up to Will, who rolls his eyes, and- they're clearly both thinking
the same thing: revenge on Leo.

Will leans down, and they kiss, and it's perfect, but Nico has to stop himself from laughing.
It's not like they try to deepen it or anything, but after two seconds, Leo starts complaining,
and-

"What the fuck? How long has this been going on?"

The sharp contrast of Kayla's voice from Leo's whining makes Nico and Will jump apart, and
they both turn red.

"Uh, Kayla-"

"Gross! Ew ! Why in the hallway?"

There's silence for a few seconds, and Nico's pretty sure that Leo's about to start cackling.
Will says quietly, "...Mistletoe?"

Kayla raises an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, we're dating, but we just wanted to see how long it would take-"

"DAD! AUSTIN! WILL AND NICO WERE MAKING OUT-"

"WH- We were not!"

But it's too late. Kayla is running up the stairs and there's shouts from the other two, and Nico
groans, dropping his head onto Will's shoulder. "Fuck you, Leo."

"I think you meant thank you. It's okay, I know I'm hot, but you've got a boyfriend now, so-"

"WILL? NICO?" Apollo's voice comes from the top of the stairs, "KAYLA'S SAYING-"

"Oh, god," Will mutters, but Nico can tell his voice is fond, "I guess you won the bet."
Nico lifts his head, grinning when he sees Will's beautiful face looking back at him. "Damn
right," he murmurs, and he kisses Will again, because why the fuck not-

"What the fuck? How long has this been going on-"

"I said the exact same thing! Ew, why are you kissing again?"

Will and Nico immediately step back again, and Nico turns around to shoot a glare at Leo,
who is barely able to contain his laughter.

Nico is bright red as he looks back to Apollo, and mutters, "Two days."

"Two days?"

They nod.

Apollo is frozen for a moment, before he shrugs, turning to Leo, "I guess I owe you. I was
sure that it would take 'till New Year’s. My wallet's in my room, though, so-"

"Wait, what the fuck?"

"No cursing in the hallway!"

"You just said what the fuck-"

"Nico," Apollo clears his throat, completely denying the accusation, "I feel like it's necessary
to say don't hurt my son, blah, blah blah."

Nico blanches.

"Will," Apollo continues, "Don't hurt Nico, blah, blah, blah. Okay, thank god that's over with.
I gave you both The Talk, right?"

"Dad!"

"Eh, Leo, you can make sure they don't get up to any funny business."

And it's pretty much all worth it when Nico watches Leo's jaw drop in fear.

***

Jason Grace Retweeted

E! News ✔ @enews

Jason Grace on being in high school while starring in 'Heroes of Olympus'

 [ one link attached ]

***

Piper McLean Retweeted

Teen Vogue ✔ @TeenVogue

Teen Model Piper McLean's Daytime Glam Routine!

[ one link attached ]

***

Even after years of trying to move past it, Nico still can't feel the urge to celebrate on
Christmas Eve.

Will's family isn't necessarily religious, but they do celebrate Christmas, because why not
have another holiday for presents and fun decorations? Nico does feel guilty for bringing
down the mood, but looking at the rest of the family, he can't help but think of what he's lost,
of what Bianca would think if she were still there, or what the holidays would look like if he
had parents who actually cared about and accepted him.

Yes, he's improved from last year. It doesn't mean this feeling goes away.

He hates that it keeps happening at this time of year. He hates how concerned Will looks,
even though he knows exactly what death anniversaries feel like, but this is the first time
Nico's at his house for it - he used to be able to use Christmas as an excuse to go back to his
father's house and grieve in solitude.

(Will found out last year, of course, with Nico hitting rock bottom and Will being his best
friend. That only made Nico feel worse.)

The day before Christmas Eve, he knows what will come the next day, and he warns Will,
who looks at him softly, but not with pity. It makes Nico smile a bit. Then, he wakes up, and
for a moment he feels happy with Will's arms around him, and- Leo's feet in his face,
apparently.

It only hits him when he's getting ready, and Kayla shouts, "Happy Christmas Eve!
BREAKFAST!" through the door, and he remembers what day it is.
As much as he tries to convince himself that it's been five years, and he should be over it by
now- it's not like two years ago, when he reached the age that Bianca would never be, or
three years ago, when he had to deal with his father being home for the holidays, or four
years ago, the first Christmas Eve without her.

He should be over it.

But he isn't.

He sees Will and Leo's knowing glances, and he falls face-first into the bed, wishing for some
motivation to get back up. He needs to get it together by the evening, because he'll be
damned if he ruins Christmas for a family that has only offered him support and love.

Leo is rambling about something in his math class that Nico does not understand at all, but it
works to distract him a bit, and Will is listening quietly next to him, just giving Nico his
comforting presence.

Nico gets up. He goes to breakfast, and he doesn't really speak, but then again, Kayla and Leo
are always the talkative ones, so no one really notices.

(They do, but they don't point it out. Nico appreciates that).

He goes back to Will's room for a few hours, just staring at the ceiling, because that's all he
really can do right now. He won't cry, but he can't get himself to do something productive.
Will stays and strokes his hair for a few minutes before Nico shakes his head, turning around,
and-

He feels really bad.

Will doesn't say anything, though, and he leaves and closes the door, and Nico feels grateful
even though he's completely hogging Will's room.

Will understands.

He's not entirely sure how much time passes, but he's sure that it's better to be in the room,
not bothering anyone, than making everyone else gloomy with his presence. He tries to give
himself pep-talks, and he manages to make it to the hallway, and looks down the staircase,
and sees Apollo helping Kayla up the ladder to put up a few ornaments on a second
Christmas tree that they decided to put up yesterday just for fun.

Nico runs back to the room. He cries.

And it doesn't really get better that day. He's starting to accept that yes, maybe, he just won't
be able to function for one day a year. It's better than what he started out with. It's better than
what he thought he'd get to. And when Will and Leo come back to the room at the end of the
day, a few hours past the sunset, he's able to curl up in Will's arms and receive the comfort
that he lacked all the years before.

It's better.
 ***

it's hard to put it into words

how the holidays will always hurt

i watch the fathers with their little girls

and wonder what i did to deserve this

how could you hurt a little kid?

i can't forget, i can't forgive you

***

lunch table

Yesterday 7:21 AM

jason grace

Merry Christmas!!!

Yesterday 8:13 AM

will

Merry Christmas!

What were you doing up so early?

jason grace

Photos :(

You?

will

Little siblings

And Leo
jason grace

Lol

Yesterday 10:24 AM

piper mclean

u are psychos who tf wakes up so early

jason grace

Not our fault!

Today 2:22 PM

jason grace

Btw do you guys want to come to a New Year’s party?

Percy's hosting and he said you could come

piper mclean

YES YES YESSS!!!

PLS COME

Today 2:45 PM

pyromaniac

LESGOOO OFC

will

Sounds good! We'll be there.

Today 4:22 PM

will

I have a boyfriend now

piper mclean

wHATSDLKFJ

DUDE
???????

i cant beleive u got a bf before i got a gf :((

will

</3

***

"She just private-chatted me and asked if it was you," Will says through laughter, showing
Nico and Leo his phone.

Leo whoops, "I told you she already knew!"

***

jason grace

BRO

CONGRATS

Who is it??

piper mclean

yeah who is it will <333

jason grace

Is Leo with you?

And Nico

Why aren't they reacting to this??

will

Yeah they're with me

pyromaniac
jason ofc i knew smh

and nico had like no idea

jason grace

??

***

"This is literally the stupidest thing ever-"

"Just text them or I'll steal your phone!" Leo threatens him, and Nico just rolls his eyes, but
clicks send.

***

leo is an asshole

i knew before him

pyromaniac

yeah rihgt

nicooooooooooo

i got a boyfriend too

piper mclean

AHHGLASKDJFLSJDFL

FINALLYGODMANIT

jason grace

??

pyromaniac

they're dating now jason

nico and will

jason grace

OH

Omg congrats guys!!!

Wait how long have they been dating?

piper mclean

i s t g if u guys tried to hide ur relationship the entire time

will

Lmao

No, we just started dating at the start of winter break

also im trans and gay

which prob isn't news but uh

piper mclean

thanks for telling us!! tbh i actually thought u and will were dating at first anyway

so i guessed on the gay part but i didnt know u were trans so im glad u felt comfortable
telling us :)

wait was i the only one to not know

pyromaniac

sorry beauty queen

jason grace

If it makes you feel better, he never told me, I just found out

yea and leo and will were friends w me before i transtitiond so

transitioned

thanks for being cool abt it

piper mclean

stfu ofc!!!
 so

how did it happen

how long was the pining

i want details or leo will give them to me and i don't think they'll be accurate that way

pyromaniac

ECXUSE U

it was thanks to me that they even got there shit together

dude that was bc u werent there

piper mclean

LMAOOSDFLKJ

Chapter End Notes

FUCK DETROIT. FUCKING MICHIGAN. HOW DARE THEY. WHY TAYLOR.

FUCKING HAUTNED IM GONNA DIE AND HAUNT MICHIGAN FOREVER.
okay that's all haunted is just literally like. one of the two songs that i desperately
wanted taylor to save for santa clara but okay !!! it's okay !!! i'm fine !!!
i'm not fine but anyway i STG if she sings new romantics, it's over-
also THE SPEAK NOW VAULT TRACKS!!!! OHMYGOD!!! FALL OUT BOY AND
PARAMORE?? I DIED DEAD. i can just tell that these songs are going to SCREAM
nico. like it's gonna slay so hard. i'm so excited. less than a month left!!!

now onto the actual fic rant

small details i love:

- there's no fucking way that in movies and books a person just moves curly hair back
and it STAYS that way?? like my hair is ALWAYS falling in my face no matter how
many times i push it back so yes will is all romantic and pushes a strand of hair back but
then it falls right back bc hair is stubborn like that
- kayla being an absolute QUEEN in a household full of guys AND she has two dads
like pls
- apollo FULLY takes off his headphones when nico enters the room. like it's such a tiny
thing but he gives all his attention to him? aghlkdfjs. calling myself out with my daddy
issues ig
- nico being clumsy asf. it'll come into play more but i hc that like 99% of the time he's
super graceful and elegant and all that but randomly he'll just start tripping over his own
feet
- the book nico mentions, rebecca, is one of the books i had to read. it sucks. i was
reading fanfic while watching the movie in class so slay nico !!
- also ik i've done this for the whole fic. but like. they're californians. we call
EVERYONE dude and we say like in every sentence. apparently i have used the word
"like" over 300 times in this ficSDLKJF
- leo and apollo bet on literally everything. and the funny thing is that apollo would
never take money from leo, so if apollo wins the bet (which he usually does), he ends up
taking the money from leo and then sneaking it right back into his wallet
- and lastly, just will leo and nico as a trio. i fucking love their friendship so much. will
is the type of person who's completely stoic all night long and leo and nico toss and turn
so that nico is literally lying ACROSS will and leo usually ends up upside-down or
sideways or smth (i am leo)

this was a bit of a longer chapter but ugh i just love them so much <3

on the other hand i posted a new fic!! which i'm very excited to keep writing. if you're a
part of the marauders fandom/like jegulus then check out my reputation era regulus au...
yes i'm a bit obsessed with fame au's. what can i say i like to imagine im famous despite
having crippling social anxiety !!!
meanwhile from here on out... we're gonna be moving forward a LOT with the
popstar!nico agenda. i'm so excited for y'all to see how that turns out. it's gonna be
incredible :)

as always, i love ur comments and live for them, and i'm so glad u guys are enjoying
this!!! 3.9k hits?? absolute insanity. thank u so much for reading <3
 every night with us is like a dream
Chapter Notes

ch title from "new romantics" (again) by taylor swift

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Wait, so how many instruments do you even know?”

“A lot,” Apollo answers, scanning the room. It is yet another room that Nico has never
thought to look into, but he never would have imagined it in his wildest dreams. It’s filled
from top to bottom with instruments, various guitars hanging from the walls and a drumset in
the corner.

“Not all of them,” Apollo flaps his hand, “But a lot. I mean, being retired and having Will in
elementary and middle school gave me a lot of spare time. I decided to do random shit I
didn’t have time to do before. Latricia actually sent me some good YouTube channels, and
then I bought the instruments, and… yeah. Anyway, you were thinking of some violin?”

Nico doesn’t answer for a few moments, still looking around in awe. Finally, he pulls himself
together and shrugs, “Yeah, sure.”

“Nico, you know that you’re the only one who can tell me how this song is supposed to
sound like.”

“...Yeah.”

“So, violin?”

“Yeah,” Nico’s voice is slightly more confident, but he’s still gaping. “And drums- lots of
drums. And guitar, obviously.”

Apollo opens a drawer, nodding along. “Acoustic, like when you were showing me?”

“...Probably, like in the background. I dunno, I think the feel is more rock- but not like heavy
metal rock, just like, pop-rock? I don’t think that’s it either-”

“We don’t need to label it, but from the instruments, I kinda get it,” Apollo turns to Nico with
a grin, blows the dust off the violin, and pulls the bow over the strings of the violin, resulting
in a high-pitched squeaky sound that makes Nico cringe. “Yeah, that needs some tuning. I…
also haven’t tried playing in ages. But it’s like riding a bike, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ll learn it again, anyway!” Apollo scoffs, setting the violin down. “You’ll see. And then
drums-”

“I wanna learn the drums.”

Apollo smiles at him, genuinely, “I’ll re-teach myself so that I can teach you. Actually,
Austin might know; I think he was really into that a year ago. More saxophone now, though.”

Nico doesn’t really mind. It matters more that he cares enough to offer it.

“We can start by recording the instruments I really know how to play - and your guitar - and
then do your vocals and then do the rest. Or the other way around?”

“You’re the producer.”

Apollo practically lights up, and Nico will pretend that that’s not the reaction that he had
when Apollo originally reacted to the finished song. After showing them to him, he couldn’t
get it out of his head - and somehow, because he doesn’t really remember all of it, he finished
the one he had begun to show to Apollo.

The few days between Christmas and New Year’s are spent beginning their first real project.
Not some acoustic recordings of Apollo’s old songs, and not some covers with excessive
additional production.

It’s built from scratch - all of the lyrics, the melody, the idea. And now they’re actually going
to record it, and Nico admits to himself that he’s excited, more excited than he has been about
something in a long time.

(He thinks he’ll tell Will when it’s done. He wants him to be the first one to hear it, aside
from Apollo, of course, even if it isn’t necessarily romantic. He’ll understand.)

***

“...And I thought that he was, like, actually mad at me for a moment and it freaked me out.
‘Cause, like, he’s a legend, y’know? And I didn’t even know I had gotten the part yet, even
though, well, my mom was pretty sure-”

“That does give total Percy Jackson vibes, though,” Leo says through a mouthful of chips,
passing the bag to Piper.

Will is driving, as always, with Nico in the passenger seat, and the other three in the back. It
hadn’t taken as much convincing to get Nico on board with the idea of going to Percy’s New
Year’s party as it had with the Halloween party, but he still wasn’t exactly enthusiastic.

“But then I get a DM from Grover that Percy’s, like, totally messing with me- and it was just
so strange?” Jason finishes his story, reaching over to steal a chip from Piper.
She nods, “Normally sets are so boring. I’m kinda sad that your season didn’t even include
Percy and Annabeth together. They seem so fun on set.”

“Next season,” Jason sighs, and Nico’s head snaps up.

“Peter comes back next season?”

“No spoilers.”

Nico groans in response, and the others laugh- he’ll totally dig out the information another
time. If it were even a few weeks before, Nico probably would have felt insecure, anxious
about being so open. It had taken him months to relax around Leo and Will. It technically
also took months for him to open up to Jason and Piper, but it’s still nice for Nico to look
back at his progress.

“But yeah,” Jason continues, even though he just said no spoilers, “That’s why I’m not being
called around as much as last year. The next season is mainly Peter-focused, plus some other
characters. I’ve got, like, two flashback scenes or something, but we filmed those over
summer, ‘cause they already knew the next season would be greenlit.”

Jason had been talking about how he originally met Percy, because it hadn’t been on set.
Apparently, after Percy got the news about how the next season of Heroes of Olympus (
which was more commonly known as just Peter Johnson) was going to go, he messaged
Jason as soon as he found out who got the part, talking about “replacing” him.

Obviously, it was a joke, but Jason had been freaked out.

“Do you know the release date yet?” Nico looked back around his seat to see Jason miming a
zipper across his lips. Nico scowls, but it’s all in good fun.

“Sometime later next year. The special effects take a while to get in order, but I’m pretty sure
filming’s nearly done.”

“Are you gonna be invited to the premiere?” Leo asks, “Can you take me?”

Jason just laughs, “Yes and no. I’ll probably have to invite Piper-”

“-As if I’m not great company!”

“Of course, Pipes-”

They’re interrupted by the GPS loudly announcing that they’ve arrived at their destination, as
if they didn’t already know. It’s not far from Jason’s mom’s house, but they had all been over
at Apollo’s the day before, so they drove here together.

Apollo had dramatically weeped about his children leaving him during the holidays, but also
offered to drive anyone back if they wanted to leave at different times. They had watched
New York’s countdown and celebrated that before leaving. Nico’s pretty sure that Jason will
stay over, and maybe Piper, but obviously Will, Nico, and Leo will be returning to Apollo’s
house.
They end up talking over each other trying to tell Will where to park, and it’s only due to his
great skill (and the fact that he has two younger siblings plus Leo) that he manages to
actually understand what they’re saying and park without any trouble.

“Percy’s in the backyard with Annabeth and Reyna, and Grover’s getting drinks, I think,”
Jason says, leading them all through the scattered groups of people.

The house looks slightly smaller than Jason’s, though when Nico looks through the window,
he can tell that it’s much more lived in. There’s pictures above a TV that has a countdown on
it that look candid, not posed and professionally-photographed like in Jason’s house. They
pass another window, and Nico can see the posters for previous seasons of Heroes of
Olympus, along with a display of books written by Sally Jackson.

The walls aren’t polished and white (well, some are, but he supposes that with a house that
big, there isn’t time to adjust them all), but have wallpapers and bright colors. It reminds him
somewhat of Apollo’s house, except with a bit more of an interest in interior design, seeing as
Nico doesn’t think Apollo tried to change much of the house after buying it.

As for the number of people at the party, Nico isn’t entirely sure. There’s a pool that he spots
in the backyard, but no one in it (because yes , this is California, but who goes swimming on
New Year’s?) It’s about sixty degrees - oh , wait, someone just jumped in.

It seems the person who jumped in is Percy, because he’s a maniac, and Nico just shares a
glance with Will, who’s clearly thinking the same thing.

“It’s heated, come on!” Percy shouts, but no one comes in - though there are a few people
surrounding the pool with phones. It doesn’t deter Percy, though, who just grins, throws a
peace sign, and exclaims, “Bro!” when he sees Jason by the fence.

“Hey, guys!” Percy’s still in the pool, but Annabeth walks over to them, followed by another
person who Nico definitely recognizes - Reyna. She’s rumored to be in the next season of
Heroes of Olympus, but she’s already well known throughout Hollywood because of several
award-winning movies, despite just being a year older than them.

“It’s good to see you again,” Annabeth says with a smile, “Ignore Percy being an idiot. You
remember Reyna, right?”

Also, she was at the Halloween party; very intimidating, but Nico hadn’t spoken much at all
when the full group was together, so she might not even recognize-

“Leo Valdez, Will Solace, and Nico di Angelo,” Reyna says, looking at each of them when
saying their names. She gives a thin smile. “And Piper McLean. It’s good to see you again.”

Nico doesn’t even remember ever saying his last name to her. He doesn’t think he said
anything, but then again, this is Hollywood. It’s not like his last name is his deepest hidden
secret.

“Yo, you remember me!” Leo grins, and Nico has to applaud his confidence yet again. He
thinks he might have goosebumps. “Is Percy for real? The pool’s heated?”
Annabeth rolls her eyes. “Percy would swim in anything no matter how warm it is, but yeah.
You can check the warmth, though, I still wouldn’t-”

“Sick!” And Leo’s off to check the water temperature, even though he’s got no swimwear
with him-

Nico doesn’t know why he even thought Leo would check the temperature. He never does at
Apollo’s house either, just jumps right in.

Percy laughs his approval, and waves for the rest of them to join, though it seems that Leo’s
jump encourages a few other people to dip their feet into the shallow end. Not Nico, of
course, but Piper looks like she’d be willing to jump in fully clothed, if only to piss off her
manager.

“Do you guys want some soda?” Annabeth asks, turning to the few remaining that aren’t
complete psychopaths who jump into pools during winter, “Grover left a few minutes ago to
get some, but he gets side-tracked easily, and I don’t think you met him at the Halloween
party?”

Nico shakes his head absently, and Will responds with a quick, “Nope,” as Jason follows
Piper over to the pool, waving a short good-bye.

“Okay, well, we’ll introduce you guys, and then- What time is it?”

“10:22.”

“Still plenty of time ‘till midnight!” Annabeth grins, “I’ll show you around, ‘cause Percy’s
gonna be in the pool for a while longer, I think.”

“He’ll try to push you in the pool for the New Year’s kiss,” Reyna comments, and Annabeth
elbows her playfully.

“He better not, or he won’t be getting one next year.”

Nico spares a glance at Will, who seems to be thinking the same thing. It’s not like they’re
really into celebrity gossip, but- okay , it’s kind of cool to see people they’ve only seen on a
screen casually chatting about their relationships in front of them.

“You won’t tell anyone, right?” Annabeth glances back at them, not looking the slightest bit
concerned, “I mean, I’m pretty sure everyone knows already, but I’d like to get a few more
dates in peace without being stalked.”

“Oh- yeah, no, of course,” Will immediately says, and Nico just nods in agreement.

Annabeth smirks. “Thanks. Hopefully I won’t be dragged into the pool, ‘cause if you go to
the second floor, there should be a few balconies on the right side - if you’re looking from the
entrance - that’ll have a perfect view of the fireworks at midnight.”

Nico sincerely hopes that that wasn’t meant to be suggestive, but the look in Annabeth’s eyes
says otherwise. He’s not even holding Will’s hand this time (even though now that he thinks
of it, he’d really like to).

It’s not like they’re necessarily trying to hide their relationship - at least not here. They’ve
told the people who matter, and nobody here even knows who they are. It’s just that Nico
hasn’t talked to Will about school, even though he knows theoretically that no one pays
attention to him, and no one would care.

But there’s a part of him that’s slightly terrified. He remembers last year, when he was
struggling to get through a day, falling asleep during classes, not sleeping at night, and
skipping school for days in a row. Then, the worst possible scenario took place, and Nico’s
secrets were being revealed to some stranger and he could do absolutely nothing about it.

So, yeah. He hasn’t spoken to Will about it yet, but he doesn’t think he could possibly be
prepared to be… out at school, not when he’s spent so long trying to have a blank slate, and
knows exactly what the other students may think.

He wasn’t necessarily bullied in middle school. He doesn’t think that people ever noticed him
(aside from Will and Leo) enough to do that. But school projects, teachers, teaming up in P.E.
- they all came with misgendering and deadnaming.

It’s somewhat comforting that no one, despite the additional attention from Jason and Piper,
has realized or figured it out - or at least no one has leaked it on the internet or started a
rumor at school. He thinks it’s only a miracle that, because he showed up halfway through the
year and pretty much went unnoticed, the eighth graders on the yearbook committee forgot to
add him to his class’s page.

He’s under the radar right now. He’d like to stay that way. At least, as long as it pertains to
that.

***

Annabeth ends up going with Grover back outside to “make sure Percy doesn’t drown,” even
though Nico’s pretty sure that’s nearly impossible. He’s played the son of Poseidon on TV for
seven years, which comes with plenty of swimming practice (Nico knows; he’s watched the
behind the scenes clips).

Reyna is still with them, and Nico’s trying not to feel too intimidated, but it’s still Reyna.

“So, you two go to school with Jason and Piper?” Reyna speaks up. Nico’s not entirely sure
why she doesn’t just leave them, because it doesn’t look like she wants to be with them, but
then again, he’s not the best at reading these things.

“Yeah,” Will answers, “You met Jason on the set of a movie, right? The one with the
pirates?”
“Circe’s Island,” Nico adds, because of course he needs to make himself seem like even
more of a nerd. Really, he just went through a Greek mythology phase. And a pirates phase.
Will only knows of the movie because Nico forced him and Leo to watch it in exchange for
Nico finally watching the Star Wars original trilogy (He still doesn’t think it’s fair that he had
to watch three movies and they only had to watch one, but he was outnumbered).

Reyna nods. “Yes. You’ve watched it?”

“Oh, yeah, Nico was obsessed -” Nico elbows Will in the rib, making him shut up. Will only
chuckles lightly. “So, are you actually going to be on the next season of Heroes of Olympus ?
Or if that’s, like, classified info or something, that’s totally fine-”

“Yes,” Reyna cuts off his rambling, and grabs a soda from the mini cooler. “Annabeth seems
to trust you, and I trust her judgment. But honestly, it isn’t that large of a role, at least for this
season. I’m on another project, too, though, so we’ll see how it changes in the future. But
what about you two? Any plans in the… music industry, Solace?”

Damn. She’s done her research.

Will remains unfazed. He laughs and shakes his head, “Definitely not. People would pay to
not hear me sing.”

“It’s really not that bad-” Nico scoffs, before realizing that he’s drawn attention to himself,
something he was somehow avoiding so far.

Will rolls his eyes. Reyna’s gaze turns to Nico.

“And you?”

He shrugs, hoping to seem casual. “Still got time to figure it out,” he says, channeling his
best normal L.A. citizen accent (a.k.a. trying his best to imitate Jason). It’s hard to act casual,
though, when Reyna’s looking down on him (literally and probably metaphorically) with a
face he can’t read.

Reyna opens her mouth, probably to ask another question, or maybe reveal that she knows,
like, every single thing about them both, when there’s a loud shriek from outside, and Reyna
looks toward the open door. She sighs.

“It seems that Percy has managed to get Annabeth in the pool. I should make sure there’s no
murder happening,” she says, deadpan, and even though Nico’s 99% sure it’s a joke, it’s only
the thin smile on her face that confirms it. Will lets out a small chuckle.

“You’re interesting people,” she says as she takes a step toward the door, and Nico wonders if
that’s a compliment or not, “I’d like to talk about something that’s not school or work
sometime, probably. Maybe Jason will plan something, or whenever the next party happens.”

And with that, she heads out the door, and Nico can hear a bit of shouting and some laughter
coming from the pool area. His muscles relax unconsciously.

“That was terrifying,” Will mutters, “Does she know how terrifying she is?”
“I have no idea. Probably?”

Will exhales through a laugh. “She’s cool, though. God, I need a drink. Diet coke?”

***

They end up going upstairs, where they find a window that has a clear view of the pool, and
make fun of the things they see. Leo and Piper seem to be trying to convince Jason to get into
the pool, even after over an hour, and Percy is holding Annabeth in his arms as they sit in the
spa on the far right side of the pool.

A few other people are swimming, or at least have their feet in the water, while most seem to
be inside as the air gets a bit more windy and it gets closer to midnight. Nico can now tell
that there are significantly less people than there were at Jason’s party, and he can recognize
almost all of them.

Nico thinks he might have even seen Sally Jackson, Percy’s mom and bestselling author of
some of Nico’s favorite books (because he does like to read sometimes, even if it’s by
listening to the audiobook or suffering through a headache), downstairs, but he had wanted to
get out of the crowded room, so he didn’t point her out to Will.

All the screens in the house are set on a countdown to midnight, which is now less than ten
minutes away. Nico can hear some fireworks going off early in the distance, and some more
people rushing in. Leo finally gets out of the pool, sitting at the edge and talking to Jason
(which Nico thinks is a very risky move for Jason if he doesn’t want to be pulled in), while
Piper is talking to Reyna, Percy, and Annabeth by the spa.

Will reaches for Nico’s hand, making him look away from the window. “Wanna find a good
view of the fireworks?”

Nico smiles and nods.

They walk down the hallway, and take a right until they find some windows that show the
city skyline just as a bright yellow firework goes off. Nico tries not to worry about getting
lost, and follows Will through the house despite him not knowing where they’re going
anymore than Nico does.

It seems they’re going the right way, though, when they find a few glass doors that show the
city and have the railing of a balcony outside them. Will leads them outside. There’s a breeze
that passes them, and a few people talking below about who knows what. They can see the
skyline and another early firework go off, but there’s no one in the hallway behind them.

Nico rests his hand on the balcony railing with Will’s hand over it, covering him completely.
They’re silent, and Nico leans his head on Will’s shoulder as the talking from below gets
slightly quieter - most people are trying to get inside to see the countdown or find their
friends.

“Any New Year’s resolutions?” Will asks quietly. Nico just looks up, and rolls his eyes,
making Will chuckle.

“I dunno. Not have to take summer school again?”

“That’s a good one. I missed you so much last summer-” Will stops when Nico punches him
lightly in the ribs.

“I wasn’t even gone that much,” Nico sighs, “It was, like, three weeks. And it was horrible.”

Will turns, moving his hands over Nico’s shoulder to pull him into a hug, Nico’s face buried
in his chest, “And it was the longest three weeks ever. I swear Kayla and Austin wanted to
murder me by the end of it.”

“What about you?” His voice comes out slightly muffled, because he’s not pulling away from
Will’s embrace. “New Year’s resolutions and that shit.”

“Well, it would have been finally asking you out.”

“You technically haven’t done that yet.”

Will pulls back, confused, “What?”

Nico blushes slightly, even though he has no reason to. He wonders if thinking about Will as
his boyfriend will ever not make him turn red like some middle-schooler with a crush. “You-
well, you asked if I was your boyfriend… but you never asked me on a date.”

“Well, that’s an issue.”

“No, really-”

“Nico di Angelo,” Will smiles taking Nico’s hands in his own, and Nico has to resist the urge
to scoff again, “Will you do me the honor of-”

“-Oh, shut up-”

“-going on a date with me? I don’t know where yet, but it’ll be the best date you’ve ever gone
on.”

“I’ve never been on a date.”

“That automatically makes it the best,” and then Will tilts his head and winks, and it’s so
stupid that Nico can’t help but laugh, throwing his head back.

“God, you’re an idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot, aren’t I?”

“Shut up-”

“Are you gonna answer the question, Nico?”

“ Yes, stupid,” giggling into Will’s flannel. “Of course I will.”

“Then I’ve accomplished my New Year’s resolution,” Will says, lifting Nico’s chin up, and
before Nico’s able to point out that it’s not 2016 yet, he leans down to kiss him, and- yeah,
Nico doesn’t really care about the technicalities.

Nico lifts his heels, just barely standing on his tiptoes to melt into the kiss, his arms hanging
aimlessly before he wraps them around Will’s neck, pulling him in closer.

It’s perfect.

Will is warm, and despite the fact that it’s not even that cold and Nico’s wearing a heavy
jacket, it’s always a welcome feeling - having Will close to him, and now kissing him. Nico
doesn’t think he could ever tire of it.

In the back of his head, he hears another firework go off and people starting the countdown,
loud enough to be heard outside with the door closed.

He pulls back slightly, breathing heavily and lips forming a grin as he looks up at his
boyfriend.

…8…7…

His eyes reflect the city lights and fireworks going off. The light from inside makes his eyes
shine, and they’re so, so blue Nico could drown in them.

…6…5…4…

He’s smiling, and it’s that smile that Nico fell in love with, those lips that he had kissed. He’s
smiling because of Nico and that’s enough to make Nico burst with happiness.

…3…2…

God, Nico loves him.

…1.

Will had been waiting, because of course he had, the lovable dork. He had been waiting to
lean in again at midnight, and Nico meets him halfway, and he’s pretty sure this is the best
start to a year he’s ever had.

He can feel Will’s hands move up to his hair, and Nico presses deeper, because he loves Will
Solace and he needs him to know it, even if he just can’t say it yet-

Will mumbles something against his lips, and Nico would have ignored it, because Will
keeps kissing him, and the thing is that it shouldn’t mean anything-
Will’s the kind of person who throws the word ‘love’ around everywhere. For as long as Nico
has known him, Will has been eager to give his love away, because it’s always been returned
in full. It’s why he ends his calls with Love you, bye and says Love you, too whenever anyone
teases him. At first, it kind of threw Nico off, because what? The first time Will said it, they
had only known each other a few weeks and Nico was just going home for the weekend.

Leo had sensed his confusion and brushed it off, telling Nico that he’s just like that, you’ll get
used to it.

And he did. He knows that the words aren’t careless, but they also aren’t important. Not to
Will. He doesn’t feel offended if Nico has only said it back a handful of times, all of them
stiff and kind of forced because he’s never said it to anyone other than Bianca.

Some people just have an easier time showing affection - whether it’s in hugs or jokes or
casual I love you’s. Nico isn’t one of those people. Will is.

That’s why Nico shouldn't feel thrown off, shouldn’t question it, because it might not mean
the same thing- you can love a person without being in love with them.

But. Something feels different. Everything has changed.

“Ti amo,” Nico whispers, taking a step back. His brain is a mess. Will’s cheeks are flushed
red, and his lips parted.

He looks a bit confused, which makes Nico confused, because- even if it didn’t mean what he
thought it meant, Will usually beams whenever Nico pulls together the courage to drop a
simple Love you or sends a flurry of emojis if he texts even just ily.

“I really hope that means I love you, too,” Will mutters under his breath, but he’s smiling,
which Nico doesn’t understand-

Oh. Nico had fucking messed it up and said it in Italian, and- fuck, he’s such an idiot.

“Si-” he says immediately grabbing Will’s hands, “-No, yes. I mean yes. It does- it means-
fuck, I-”

Will hushes him softly, holding his hands to his chest. He looks almost amused.

“-It means I love you -” Nico sputters, before cursing again, “That’s not how I wanted to say
it!”

“Nico,” Will moves his head to enter Nico’s gaze, wearing a gentle smile that makes Nico
automatically calm down, just a bit. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it - I love you. I’m so in
love with you.”

Nico’s worries go silent.

He’s smiling so hard, but he’s smiling because he loves Nico, is in love with Nico, so Nico
couldn’t possibly have messed something up. He thinks it must have been worth it to be
placed in this life just to make Will smile like that.
 “I love you, too,” he breathes, this time in the right language, and Will fucking lights up. Not
literally, of course, but if humans could glow, he thinks that Will would’ve been brighter than
any fireworks that night.

***

it’s brighter now

i don’t want to look at anything else now that i saw you

i can never look away

i don't wanna think of anything else now that i thought of you

things will never be the same

***

leo fire count: 7 ½

Today 12:06 AM

pyromaniac

hey whre are yall making out

do u think we could go home nwo

srsly pls

will

Yeah one sec

we were not making out

pyromaniac

im by the car

Chapter End Notes

SEVEN. THE STORY OF US. MR. PERFECTLY FINE. THE LAST TIME.
so many losses. i am mourning all of them. may they rest in peace. pittsburgh you are so
fucking lucky ALL OF THOSE WERE 13/10 SONGS.

anyway

the song in the beginning IS haunted by taylor swift. yk how i had a mental breakdown
when taylor sang that as a surprise song? yeah. this fic is pretty much entirely
surrounding it. not BASED on it, but... well it has a very important role in nico's career
:) obvi there would be a few lyric adjustments (that's in pretty much all the songs on the
playlist but im not gonna tell you how *i* adjusted them bc i am not a songwriter and
they most likely suck!!) but i imagine it to be abt bianca. also just the sound, the word
*haunted* like- it's NICO.

leo and percy ARE the kind of ppl who jump into the pool in the middle of winter (i am
this person too. i love midnight swims. i will jump into any pool that's heated.) also,
though, don't underestimate the cold in california!! depending on where you live, it gets
from extremely EXTREMELY hot (i was going to school in 120 degrees and a sweater)
to very very cold (i was also going to school in 40 degrees) so- yeah. i hc that will is the
person who wears a teeshirt and shorts all year round, even in the cold, and nico is the
kind of person to wear a hoodie all year round, even in the heat (this is me).
fun fact actually!! i was writing this during spring break, in which i took a break from
writing to go swimming in the rain, and then immediately returned to write leo jumping
in the pool bc it's just that kinda mood

annabeth knows!! of course she does. also, reyna just dropping that "yes i stalk you guys
mr. nico di angelo bc no one else knows your last name but i've found it bc reyna has fbi
skills. also her being an absolute LEGENDD im so excited to eventually add more of
her <3

im actually pretty proud of this chapter even though i was DREADING going into it...
just because parties. not my thing. i never know how to write them, seeing as i have
never been to one!!! me being a sophomore in hs writing these sophomores and just
being like: hmm... yes... i didnt even know parties existed at my school until like the end
of freshman year. i maybe know fifteen people from my school by name. that AND
writing a romantic scene and all that...
but i like how it turned out!! and also i actually had to go back and fix the whole "ily"
scene bc i realized a few chapters later... wait a sec.. will is TOTALLY the kind of
person who just says "love you, bye!" and mentions it offhandedly all the time. my only
irl friend is also very much like this. and me, being very much like nico, FROZE
COMPLETELY bc it was like "i have only known you for two weeks?? and you are
telling me you love me???" but apparently it's a casual thing to some people, and it def
seems like it would be a casual thing to will. until now, ofc <3

but anyway. FIREWORKS!! KISS!!! SWIMMING!!!! and LEOO WHATS GOING

ONNN- so much to come !!
and again, THANK YOU for the comments and everything bc they mean the world to
me ahgaslkdf!! i got so much writing done this week and i am SO fucking excited for
y'all to see it :))
 no one has to know what we do
Chapter Notes

ch title from "wildest dreams" (taylor's version)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

As soon as Will unlocks the car, getting into the driver’s seat, Leo jumps into the middle of
the back row, fidgeting more than usual, and says-

“I kissed Jason. At midnight.”

Nico hasn’t even gotten into the car- what the fuck?

They should have seen it coming. Nico had been so caught up in everything Will - the kiss,
the confession, the fireworks, the date - he hadn’t thought about the abruptness of Leo’s texts,
the fact that he would never decide to leave a party so early, even when Nico had been sure
he was having a good time right before midnight.

“And…” Will starts the car. Nico closes the door. “...did it go…well?”

“I don’t know.” Leo shrugs and Nico can see through the mirror that he’s biting his
fingernails, something they’ve tried to stop over and over again. Nico understands; if he
didn’t have his ring, he’d do the same.

“Did he say anything after?”

“Uh…”

“Please tell me you didn’t run immediately after,” Nico says, because even he knows that
that isn’t a good idea-

“No. He did.”

Will still hasn’t started driving, and both of them turn around to face Leo.

Oh.

Nico turns around, shrugging off his jacket and climbing to the back seat. Leo shifts to the
side, and he’s shaking a bit. He’s probably cold - his hair is still wet from the pool.

Nico grabs his jacket and uses it to give Leo a hug without getting wet himself, while also
effectively drying him and warming him up.

“He’s a dick, then,” Nico says decisively, giving Will a small nod.
Will turns back to the steering wheel and starts driving. “He is,” he says.

“No, he’s not,” Leo says nearly a minute later, and he’s stopped shivering a bit. They’ve
driven far enough to not hear the party music. Leo’s voice is so miserable that any other time,
Nico would have made fun of it, but he doesn’t.

Fireworks continue to go off in the distance, and they drive down a road where Nico can see
them lighting up the night sky. “Okay,” Nico murmurs. “Okay.”

They’ll figure it out. Leo rests his head on Nico’s shoulder, and Nico ignores that his hair is
still wet and therefore making his tee-shirt wet.

Leo’s his friend. One of his best friends, actually. The longest, tied with Will. The three of
them - no matter who joins them or changes them along the way - stick together.

“We still have five days of winter break,” Will says. “Let’s make a blanket fort when we get
home.”

Nico smiles softly, trying not to seem so in love in front of Leo, even though that’s exactly
what he is. He almost can’t believe it, because it’s so soon and so quick and how had just a
few weeks changed everything in his life?

He’s not good at hiding it, though. He doesn’t think he’s ever been that good at hiding his
emotions, not from his friends.

“You’re good for each other, y’know,” Leo mumbles, and his breathing is evening out like
he’s falling asleep. He probably is - they’re a trio of insomniacs, but the stress must have
caught up to him. “‘M happy…you…” he drifts off, but Nico can guess what it was.

He’s happy for them. And though it certainly hasn’t been on the forefront of Nico’s thoughts,
it fills a small gap of anxiety, makes him feel more confident in this, more happy.

“You’ll be happy, too,” Nico whispers, even though Leo’s already asleep, “You and Jason. Or
someone else.”

He looks at Will, who seems to realize it and glances back through the rear-view mirror,
giving a small smile to Nico.

***

Leo stays with them until January 5th, when they have to go back to school. Nico’s pretty
sure that Apollo can tell something’s wrong, but they don’t talk about it.

They finish the song.

It starts loudly with drums and violin and guitar and Nico thinks that that’s exactly how he
felt when it happened - the lightning and the thunder and the crashing of waves and
destruction. Nico listens to it with an open mind, well aware that Apollo is watching him
carefully.

He heard the song first, of course, because he had decided to finish it off while they were out
at the New Year’s party, saying that he ‘needed something to do’. Kayla had spent the night at
a friend’s house as well, so it wasn’t like anyone was there to be bothered.

Nico listens to the song and tries desperately not to think of it as his own voice, because that
will surely make him hate it - but he doesn’t.

He doesn’t hate it all, actually. He could almost say he likes it.

(Almost. He’s not entirely there, yet.)

He listens to it fully, the whole four minutes and two seconds, and then takes another minute
to figure out his thoughts.

He loves the production. He should tell Apollo that, since it was mainly him anyway. He’s
still questioning the vocals. But- he can’t help but think that he likes the lyrics. Likes them.
He never thought something of his could become something like this.

It makes him want to make more.

So, he does. He tells Apollo what he thinks, then shows the song to Will and Leo, and then
Kayla because she’s the only one in the house who hasn’t heard it and she can tell when she’s
being excluded.

He’s not sure if he would show Jason and Piper, even if they were here.

Then, he sneaks into Apollo’s studio at night, closing the door to make sure no one would
hear. He’s used to the mic now, and the computer, and how nearly everything works. He
chooses one of Apollo’s songs that he had shown him, and sings it like how he remembers
Apollo singing it. He records it and puts it together without the instrumental (because there is
none for this song, not yet), and leaves the file open on Apollo’s computer at 4:22 AM.

A few hours later, he sits in the passenger seat with Will and Leo in the car, pushing down the
anxiety that fills his stomach. Hopefully, Apollo will like it.

***

well, i hope you know how proud i am you were created

with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred

 but, god, i hope that you're happier today

'cause i love you

and i hope that you're okay

***

Jason and Piper sit with them at lunch as if nothing happened at all.

Nico wonders whether Piper even knows that something happened, but then again, they are
both actors. They must be used to this.

Leo, it seems, must be a good actor as well, though, because he acts as normal as ever.

They’re all acting, then. They’re all used to it, for better or for worse. Will’s the only one who
looks like he’s confused. He’s the only one who doesn’t know how to lie.

No one brings up the party either, though, and Leo complains about how his AP Calculus
class has already assigned homework, and Will jumps onto it with history, and Piper talks
about her annoying manager who’s trying to convince her to film something in France next
week.

The bell rings and they leave. Leo gets into the backseat as they drive to Apollo’s house, no
explanation needed.

Apollo drags Nico away after dinner to listen to a partly assembled instrumental for the next
song.

Nico likes it.

***

Nico doesn’t really know how to feel about his birthday. Most people he meets either love it
(Kayla and Will) or they hate it (Leo and Apollo).

Nico doesn’t hate it, but it’s not like it’s special either. Bianca used to make it seem special,
and he does kind of associate it with his friendship with Leo and Will - but at the same time
there’s this bitterness to it, the fact that he can’t spend it with Bianca anymore, the fact that
his parents never cared about it.
He kind of forgot that it existed the year before. It had been raining and so he hadn’t left his
bed all day (the bed at his father’s house), and he’s pretty sure he slept through most of it,
because that was the only way to avoid the crackles of thunder and flashes of lightning. The
next day was the same, but he had managed to get out of bed to grab his phone from his desk
and respond to his friends’ texts. Birthday texts.

Nico had looked at the date on his phone that read January 29th. So, he had missed it.

The years before weren’t much better. Back then, he had been able to convince Leo and Will
that he was spending the day with his father.

His father had never once been home on his birthday.

Now, there was no real way to miss his birthday, because he was living in a household that
took birthdays very seriously. Even if Apollo and Leo weren’t fans of celebrating their own
birthdays, they were fans of parties. Nico had managed to talk them out of that, thank god.

He opens his lunch to find a cupcake that he did not pack, and Leo and Will wearing
matching grins. The frosting is sloppy and there’s a poorly drawn record design with the
number 16 underneath. It must have been hand-made.

Nico almost wants to cry.

He doesn’t, of course, because he’s good at hiding these things. Piper and Jason arrive and
Piper nearly screams in outrage at the fact that she didn’t know it was his birthday. For some
reason, Nico is the only one of them whose birthday is not in summer.

Piper asks him if she could post him on her story with a short message, and Nico says sure,
as long as you don’t tag me. The username @the_ghostking was created back when he was a
seventh grader, and no seventh grader should be in charge of choosing their user. He tells
himself all the time that he needs to change it, but he always forgets - except for the one time
he did do it and then Leo stole his phone and changed it back.

Jason and Piper obviously didn’t know this the first time they tagged him, but they removed
that since it happened. Even then, he continuously gets follow requests every day, and he
literally has zero posts.

It doesn’t matter much anyway. People will go crazy for a day and then lose all interest by the
next week; that’s how all of it - the internet, social media, celebrities, Hollywood - is. Piper
still senses his discomfort and posts it to Close Friends only.

***

[ An Instagram Story: Nico glances up with a small grin, a half-eaten cupcake in his hand.
Will’s blonde hair can be seen on the side. ]
 Text says: HAPPY 16TH NICO <33 ]

***

All five of them end up going to Apollo’s house, and despite Nico convincing them not to
throw a party, it certainly seems like it. Apollo claims that it’s a total coincidence that there
are birthday balloons in the kitchen.

The cake is the same as the cupcake, just larger, and Nico blinks back tears. He hasn’t had
something like this, people who cared since he was ten.

They sing Happy Birthday and Jason swears that he’s going to get a birthday gift, Piper
nodding in agreement. He blows out the candles and wishes for more days and nights like
this.

Meanwhile, Apollo brings out the presents - way more than Nico expected, though, to be fair,
he hadn’t expected any.

It’s clear that they’re a family project, but Nico can guess who recommended which items.
Will definitely suggested the two vinyls, because he knows what music Nico’s been
streaming lately. Leo got the Heroes of Olympus hoodie from etsy because Nico knows that
it’s not on the actual website. Also, Leo takes any opportunity possible to joke about that -
which is fair, of course, because Nico does the same to him.

When dinner’s over, the rest of the family (and Leo, Jason, and Piper) end up doing the
dishes, probably for seconds of the cake, while Will pulls Nico out of the kitchen. Nico’s not
sure they leave unnoticed, but no one tries to stop them.

It is Nico’s birthday, after all.

He’s had significantly less alone time with Will since New Year’s because of Leo’s presence
at the house - even though he says he’s totally over it. And Nico doesn’t blame Leo at all,
because it’s not like he doesn’t see Will ever. They still spend all their time together, just with
Leo as well; Nico doesn’t want to make him feel like a third wheel.

Even though now he’s more aware of how much they already acted like a couple before
dating. It would a bit embarrassing, honestly, if Nico weren’t so happy.

Because it’s been over a month. He’s been dating the love of his life, his best friend,his
favorite person, for one month and ten days.

When they get to Will’s room and he closes the door, Nico only does what he’s naturally
obligated to do - they’re boyfriends and they’ve finally got a few minutes alone. Maybe more
than ten, if the others are generous.
He kisses Will, and Will almost seems a bit surprised, but not too much. It’s been too long,
even though it’s only been since the weekend, which was four days ago. Nico survived for
years without kissing Will; a few days should pale in comparison, but it doesn’t.

Will’s leaning against his door, so at least Nico’s not worried about someone walking in - not
that he can really worry about anything when Will’s kissing him. But after probably a few
seconds, Will pulls back, smiling.

“Wait- that’s-” Will lets out a small chuckle, so Nico grins too, even though he’s not sure
what they’re laughing about. “That’s not what I brought you here for,” Will says, but he looks
at Nico’s lips anyway. Sure.

“Okay,” Nico says simply, not moving back at all. “What is it?”

“Your birthday gift! Well, not really. It’s not- I-”

Nico giggles, and Will just stares at him for a moment before Nico taps his chest, reminding
him that he was about to say something.

“Right! I planned our first date. Because- well, okay, this is probably so stupid, but-”

“Will, did you plan our first date on Valentine’s day?”

“Aha!” Will exclaims, “No, I didn’t, because I knew you would say that’s ridiculously cheesy
and stupid! I planned it on February 13th.”

Nico actually wouldn’t have anything wrong with a Valentine’s day date, even if Will’s right
and he would joke about it forever. He wouldn’t mind, because it’s Will.

But the fact that Will made it the day before only makes Nico fall in love a bit more.

So, he reminds Will of that fact (I love you so fucking much), and kisses him again. This time,
Will doesn’t pull away, and there are no interruptions. He can feel Will smiling against his
lips, and Nico can’t think.

God, a year ago, he wouldn’t have thought this would be possible. Was he sure that this was
real? How could anything this good be happening to him?

“To be fair,” Nico mumbles breathlessly, “You’re still ridiculously cheesy and stupid.”

“But you love me anyway.”

I love you more because of it.

“Yeah.”

***
“Yeah, but Album of the Year has to go to 1989 .”

“Will, you say that for every award Taylor Swift has ever been nominated for,” Nico rolls his
eyes, setting the bowl of popcorn on the table. Kayla immediately grabs it.

“It’s not even your favorite Taylor Swift album,” Leo points out. They’re watching the
Grammys, because it’s the biggest night in the music industry (according to Apollo), but they
watch all the shows during award season anyway. They always have spare popcorn.

“It’s my second favorite!” Will says. That’s a lie; his second favorite is Speak Now. 1989 is
third. “And Fearless is my favorite, and that got Album of the Year, too, so clearly I know
these things.”

“You said Blank Space was going to win Record of the Year.”

Will nods seriously, “It’ll win Song of the Year instead.”

“You know, back in my day, I won Song of the Year,” Apollo says as he, too, steals popcorn
from Kayla.

“My bet’s on Ed Sheeran for Song of the Year,” Kayla adds, swatting away Apollo’s hand.

“You just want to support the gingers.”

“I’m not-”

“Dyed green hair doesn’t make you not a redhead!”

Leo gets popcorn thrown in his face. He doesn’t necessarily look disappointed.

“Okay, but Album of the Year-”

“Shhh!”

Will nearly gets soda on the couch by how he leaps up. Taylor Swift does win Album of the
Year, and Ed Sheeran does win Song of the Year. Nico thinks that they must be somehow
cheating as the children of Apollo. Leo and Nico had placed their bets on The Weeknd and
Kendrick Lamar.

Apollo always writes down his guesses before the show, so he can prove that he guessed it
without influencing their decisions. He always gets it right.

“Bets on next year?” Apollo asks. Meghan Trainor just won Best New Artist. They had all
predicted that, except for Leo, who wanted a different answer from everyone else.

Leo shrugs, “There’s only, like, two albums so far-”

“Nico di Angelo for Best New Artist,” Will shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth, but
keeps talking, “‘M callin’ it right now.”

Nico just laughs it off. “I’m not even ever releasing anything, you idiot.”

“I’m telling you, I know these things!”

***

On February 13th, Nico is suspiciously in the studio all morning with Apollo. He’s quite
literally not allowed to leave.

Will has never been good at subtlety.

Then, around noon, Will finally shows up and takes Nico’s hand in his while saying see you
later, Dad, and shut up, Kayla, when she says use protection!

Kayla’s only in seventh grade. Nico thinks Apollo might be a bad influence, though it might
also be Leo.

Either way, Nico isn’t stressed as they take a long walk across Apollo’s property - which is
seriously way larger than it needs to be, because Nico wasn’t even aware it was all his. But to
be fair, Apollo has everything more than he needs.

They finally make it past the “archery range” that Apollo and Darren had set up for Kayla,
and reach the end of the fence. Nico sees a blanket set up. There’s a picnic basket, a record
player, and a guitar.

There’s no fence. It’s a perfect view of the Hollywood skyline.

“Will…” Nico pauses what he was saying and gasps.

It immediately turns Will to rambling. “Do you… like it? Like, I know that it doesn’t have to
be super special, but I wanted to make it special, and technically this isn’t on Dad’s property,
but no one comes here anyway, and he told me about it, so I just thought-”

Nico cuts him off with a kiss. He stands on his tip-toes, one hand still holding Will’s and the
other reaching up to his hair.

Will smiles. Nico could say a million things - thank you, I love you, this is perfect - but he
thinks Will already knows that.

He’s not entirely sure how long they stand there, because everytime one of them pulls back,
the other pulls them back in. It’s not like Nico minds. He’s pretty sure Will doesn’t either.
 Finally, though, Will takes a step back, but gives Nico one last peck before grinning. “The
date! C’mon, I planned it all.”

“What do you even do on a date?”

Nico already spends nearly all his time with Will. Is it just that? Spending time with each
other?

“I have no idea.”

***

They lose track of time, returning to the house just as the sun begins to set, and ignore
Kayla’s teasing as they take a seat at the dinner table.

Nico’s still not necessarily sure what a date is supposed to be, but he enjoyed himself. More
than that, actually. It felt natural, because even though it was under the label of a date, it
wasn’t anything different than what they usually did together - except this time, there was
some kissing, a great view of L.A., and a picnic basket.

Nico holds Will’s hand under the table. He could get used to this.

Chapter End Notes

SCREAMING CRYING I DIED DEAD. so many good ones lost. paper rings. if this
was a movie. daylight. the story of us. DEAR JOHN and SEVEN????
i am devastated. but anyway INTERNATIONAL DATESSS ah that's so exciting. obvi i
do live in america but i hope that a lot of swifties get tickets!!! with how horrendous it
was to get tickets with the us sale, i rlly hope that everyone else's works a bit better :/
and fuck those scammers bc they're the real enemy here. it's honestly so sad to think that
there are empty spaces at the eras tour just bc a scammer won't give up the tickets and
sets an absurd price.

so. did i make the title this simply bc of the leo thing at the beginning?? ... yesLJKSDF
im sorry but all i could think abt was the tt trend where it's wildest dreams "no one has
to know what we do- his hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room" and im just
like THIS IS THE FRIENDSHIP. leo immediately gossiping to them even tho it's a bit
sad butlDSFJLKSF i can't its hilarious imo. but jason obviously has a lot going on with
his life... im not gonna spoil stuff but he's def struggling with the idea of dragging leo
into his crazy life, as if leo wouldn't jump in (head first, fearless) (sorry, i had to) dw the
valgrace agenda will continue... eventually ;)
THE FEBRUARY 13TH DATE. I CANT THEY'RE SO SWEET AND IN LOVE AND
UGHALDSFKJSDLFJS
and will being a swiftie. i love him !! so much !! fearless is 100% their album and his
album and uhladsjflkdsjf there are going to be SO MANY fearless references just
becauseee it's solangelo. it just IS. also him just manifesting his bf a grammy?? iconic
behavior. (i know that the grammys are rigged, but let's pretend that they aren't. just in
this fic <3)
also, me writing the date: um. what even happens on dates. like, they're best friends.
dating as a whole is just so confusing to me ngl.

thanks for reading!!

 i'm fallin' so i'm taking my time
Chapter Notes

ch title from 'ride' by twenty one pilots

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The end of March means spring break, which is simply an excuse to do literally nothing all
week. Nico usually spends his time at Apollo’s house anyway, because no one questioned
him spending time with his friends over a school break.

This week, however, Will has it in his mind that he has to study all week long for his AP tests
(there are only two) and his finals (which are still a month away).

Nico isn’t going to blame him, because he knows that this is just how Will is. He doesn’t
even care for World History, and yet he’s watching review video after review video, taking
notes on things that he’s already read over ten times.

Part of Nico is disappointed that they aren’t spending as much time together as they did over
winter break, and part of him is completely soft for Will because he looks cute while
studying, and now Nico doesn’t have to worry about him staring for too long.

So, the first few days of spring break go like this - Nico wakes up in Will’s arms and they
kiss despite the morning breath until Leo realizes they’re awake and tosses himself in the
middle of them to start ranting about something. He seems to have taken Apollo’s
instructions way too seriously, which is stupid, because it’s not like Will and Nico would be
doing anything - especially not in the morning when Leo’s literally sleeping in the same room
as them.

Then, they go down to breakfast and say hi to Kayla, who is with Darren in Canada, over
facetime until she ditches them to practice archery, but they all know that she loves them
because she sends progress of her practice later in the day, just before dinner.

They eat whatever is left for breakfast, because Apollo and Austin are always up extremely
early (as well as Will, but he always has to wait for Leo and Nico to wake up), and eat all the
food first.

Finally, Leo and Will split off to go do their respective school work. For Will, this is studying
for AP World History and AP Computer Science Principles (which Nico says is stupid
because if he’s going to be a doctor, why does he need it? But it doesn’t really matter,
because Will is Will and that is how he is). For Leo, it’s going to the garage and working on
some mechanical project for his dual enrollment college engineering course, which seems at
least a bit more interesting than what Will is doing, but Nico just hopes that he doesn’t end up
burning down Apollo’s house.
Nico then makes a decision: Either he pretends to also study and watches Will in his room for
a while, or he goes with Apollo to the studio.

And as much as he loves Will… world history is incredibly boring.

So, he goes with Apollo to the studio, and they’ve already finished the song that Nico had
recorded on impulse using some of Apollo’s lyrics - they’ve actually already recorded ten
songs total. Two of them were solely Nico’s, three of them were Apollo’s, and five of them
were originally a single verse from either Nico or Apollo, but then ended up as full songs
with Apollo’s help.

It turns out that Apollo gets very bored when all of his kids are at school. After all, he’s only
thirty-seven and retired (with more money than most people have if they retire at sixty, but
then again, he does get monthly paychecks because people still stream his music).

So, when Nico doesn’t have a lot of homework (because he would like to graduate, and no
matter how much his teachers think that he’s lazy and inadequate, he tries and has never
turned in a late assignment, even if he pulls an all-nighter finishing it), he goes to the studio
and records some vocals or guitar or works on lyrics with Apollo. Then, only three or four
days later, Apollo has finished the song.

Nico has yet to be disappointed in them. He wonders why the fuck anyone would ever not
want Apollo to be a producer when he’s clearly made for it?

He does a few scans after the first two songs over the shelves. There’s an award for pretty
much everything - album, song, artist, performance - but there’s no Producer of the Year.
There’s nothing that mentions production at all.

It’s the middle of the week, halfway through spring break, when Apollo brings it up again.
They’ve recorded two more songs, making that twelve.

“You know… twelve is an album.”

“Huh?”

Apollo laughs, turning around in his chair as Nico pulls down his headphones.

“I think it’s decreased over the years, but back when I was releasing music, twelve songs was
the average number of songs on an album. My management didn’t want me putting out too
much, so whenever I came to them with another song idea or something, they’d always tell
me: Twelve is an album. Any other songs would have to be put on the next one, ‘cause they
didn’t want fans getting bored.”

Nico raises an eyebrow, “That’s stupid. People should make longer albums again. If you had
more songs, why wouldn’t you release them?”

“That’s what I said!”

“So that’s why all your albums have exactly twelve songs,” Nico says, “I thought that was a
bit weird.”
Apollo shrugs, “Yeah. I was able to get away with adding, like, two to three extra on deluxe
editions.”

“Deluxe editions are also stupid,” Nico takes his headphones off his shoulders completely,
resting them on the mic and stepping out of the sound booth, “I mean, all it is is another
cover and some extra songs? Why wouldn’t they just put the songs on the album in the first
place? It’s a total scam. Most of the time, the original album cover looks better anyway.”

Apollo nods solemnly, and then opens his mouth like he’s about to say something before
pausing. He hesitates, then asks, “How many songs would you put on an album?”

Nico just shrugs and takes a seat on the keyboard bench, playing around with a few notes. “I
don’t know. I mean, I guess twenty might be too long. It’d make it hard to make the whole
album cohesive. I’d probably have, like, fifteen songs, or something- that’s basically a deluxe
album, isn’t it? But for artists that, like, need to pay for songs to be written and stuff, I guess I
get why the albums are shorter.”

Nico continues, “And there definitely wouldn’t be deluxe editions. I mean, I think a dream
album would be, like, a hundred songs . Maybe a person could write a bunch of albums and
then have their covers all match so that when you put them together, it’d basically be one
album, but without the restrictions, ‘cause seriously? Twelve songs?”

He doesn’t seem to realize he’s gone on a rant, his arms gesturing wildly at the albums on the
wall, until he notices Apollo grinning. For some reason, he looks oddly proud.

It’s weird. Nico hasn’t done anything. Has he done something?

“I think you’re right,” Apollo nods, “Fifteen songs it is. We’ve got three to go, then - what do
you think about the chorus for this one? A bit repetitive, but I think it kinda works.”

Nico doesn’t think twice about it. He looks at the song, agrees with Apollo, and they get
straight back to work - but it hardly feels like work.

It’s only after dinner, late that night when he’s back in Will’s arms and nearly falling asleep,
that he wonders what Apollo meant by we’ve got three to go.

***

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

jason grace and piper mclean’s friend group: a thread

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

starting with the celebs! most notably we have @percyjackson @annabethchase and @reyna
who have been seen together in a lot of paparazzi pics but also have posted a lot of pictures
together on their social media

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

it seems like piper mainly knows percy and reyna through jason, but piper and annabeth have
worked on projects together in the past (photoshoots, commercials, and their roles in the
movie “charmspeak” - obvi they were minor roles but they were still on set together)

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

okay now individual - most ppl expected percy and jason to not get along bc jason was
essentially taking over percy’s role in “heroes of olympus”, but they’ve had like a dozen
interviews together and seem to genuinely be good friends

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

reyna and jason were featured in the movie “circe’s island” when they were just kids, and
have been seen together over the years. they don’t seem as close as him and piper, mainly
because of how booked reyna is (she’s been in 4 movies the past two years + the feature on
HoO)

[ two images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

other than that, there r jason’s co-stars from HoO, but ngl, they haven’t been spotted together
outside of set, which is what i’m focusing on, so i’m not including them (even tho i am the #1
elio stan don’t get me wrong)

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

now for the non-celeb friends… which was a LOT harder to get info on and before y’all call
me a stalker, all of this is public on the internet and i have no life so… don’t blame me

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

the three friends that we know of go to school with piper and jason and they all seem rlly
close - based on the glimpse of jason’s life in that one yt video - leo, will, and nico

[ one link attached ]

[ two images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

gonna start with will bc he’s the easiest one to find info on since he’s *technically* a celeb??
but not rlly?? okay y’all he’s the son of fuckin APOLLO and also naomi solace (who if u
don’t know was a super talented alt country singer but sadly died in 2007 - my mom’s a huge
fan)

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

he kinda disappeared when his mom died (age 7) but obvi he seems to be a nice and smart
kid now (he takes apwh w/ jason). he has an insta that has no photos but a few thousand
followers?? the only updates abt him are the pics on apollo’s insta & tweets from leo’s acc

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

then on to leo @valdezinator who is prob the most public out of the three - he has a public
insta and twitter where he posts very blurry photos and apparently sets off a lot of fires, and
he’s been posted by piper on her story a few times

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

he’s also publicly bi (in his insta bio) and he’s 16 so yes shippers this is opening up… a lot of
opportunities for y’all - don’t blame me i just provide the info !!! his insta has so many posts
it’s kinda crazy, but piper and jason only showed up in the photos relatively -

[ one image attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

-recently, so i can assume that they became friends around the beginning of this school year
(?), whereas nico has a few photos 2-3 years ago, then stopped being posted, then started
being posted again, and will has been posted since the start of the acc (back to 2012)

[ four images attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

THEN comes nico idk the last name (will is will solace, i’m guessing leo is leo valdez but
that might not be right don’t take my word for it) who was IMPOSSIBLE. to find. his user is
@/the__ghostking on insta and i haven’t found a twitter -

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

-he literally has nothing earlier than those few blurry pics on leo’s insta, and every photo has
him wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, and headphones (emo much?) but anyway he was
part of the whole fiasco where the paparazzi ambushed piper in the mall-

[ one link attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

but other than that, there’s nothing. his bio is empty, his acc is private, and he hasn’t accepted
any followers bc his follower count (of 7 people) hasn’t increased in weeks. HOWEVER he
was (along with leo) in the apollo family thanksgiving post so whatever made leo stop-

[ one image attached ]

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

posting him for a bit obvi hasn’t caused a huge rift. i haven’t found anything on leo or nico’s
families but i’m not THAT nosy (i am) so i’ll leave it be for now. @jasongrace PLEASE i
would love another one of those day in the life vids i rewatch it every week

|
LEOOOO @valdezinator

yo this is sick. @jasongrace @pipermclean i’ve been properly stalked does this mean i’m
famous now

mentally ill @alltoo_notwell

LKSDGLASJDLJSAFDLJSDLFJWLEJLAJFSF WHATHEFUCKDSF

LEOOOO @valdezinator

im takin this as a yes and shwoing will and nico

LEOOOO @valdezinator

will rolled his eyes and laughed and nico got offended u called him emo but didn’t deny it (he
totally is) - jason and piper say that this is hilarious (don’t ask why aparantly i have to be the
messenger bc none of them will open twitter)

#1 leo stan acc @alltoo_notwell

changed my name for this i can’t believelksdjflkJLKJDSF JASON GRACE AND PIPER
MCLEAN NOTICED ME?????

LEOOOO @valdezinator

LSKDFLKSDJFLSDJF LMFAO @twitter get me verified now i have a stan acc

***

Piper comes back on Friday, and Jason on Saturday after spending the rest of their break
doing interviews and photoshoots. Jason’s stardom from Heroes of Olympus is just starting to
fade, and it’s obvious from his exhausted face that his mother is trying to get him into another
project.

The other thing that’s obvious is that Piper’s manager must have pissed her off, because she
wants to go somewhere public. This time, she chooses a Starbucks because her manager
specifically told her not to go to any more malls.

It goes surprisingly easier. Jason gets recognized, and then so does Piper, but they were
noticed by a few fans rather than the paparazzi, so Will offers to take a picture of them
together, and then Jason and Piper sign their Starbucks cup, which seems a bit ridiculous to
Nico, but he knows that he probably would have done the same if he had seen Percy Jackson
in a Starbucks three years ago.

That’s a lie - he would have never got the courage. He probably would have taken a photo
and then stressed out about it for a week, so he changes his thoughts about the fans from
judgemental to admirable.

They walk out of the store with their drinks, and Nico takes a sip of Will’s before having to
refrain from spitting it out - how had he forgotten that Will drinks plain, bitter, black coffee
with no sugar?

Will laughs at him. His boyfriend laughs at him.

Nico just rolls his eyes and uses his straw to scoop the whipped cream from his drink to his
mouth.

“Can you believe we’re almost done with sophomore year?” Piper asks, and Nico kind of
knew that this question was coming, because that’s what everyone’s thinking during spring
break. God, the school year is almost over. Can you believe it? It went by so quickly.

And it’s stupidly accurate, because Nico can’t believe it. Last year, he truly wasn’t sure if he
was going to make it through sophomore year - whether that be because of his mental health,
his abysmal grades, or his father’s money.

“I wish it was longer,” Jason sighs, “Summer’s gonna suck.”

Not the usual opinion, but before this year, Nico would have agreed with it. Obviously, he
spent a lot of time with Will over summers, but he also spent a lot of time with his father -
more than he did during the school year.

On the other hand, Nico thinks, what if his father finally realizes that he hasn’t returned
home in months? What does that mean for him? Would he have to go back?

No. Will and Apollo wouldn’t let him. He wouldn’t accept it, would fight it, because the past
few months have been the best months of his life.

They get into the car. They take their usual seats, something that has become so easy and
normal, even though now that he thinks about it, Will couldn’t even drive (legally) last year.

Will reaches for Nico’s hand and squeezes it before turning on the car and starting to drive.

“Well, we’ll find a way to meet up,” Leo says, “It’s only two months.”

“Yeah… two months. Hey, Will, is your dad busy today?”

Will looks slightly confused, but focuses on driving. “Uh.. yeah, probably. I mean, he’ll be in
the studio I think, but I can get him.”

“The studio?” Piper leans forward, “He’s working on music? Can we hear?”

“Uhh…” Will grimaces slightly, sparing a small glance at Nico. It’s up to you.

There’s a small gap of silence as not even Leo answers, something that Nico’s privately really
grateful for, until he responds.

“Yeah. But- uh, it’s not really…” Nico pauses, trying to figure out how to answer it. It’s not
like he can say that it’s not Apollo’s music, because some of it is. He also can’t say that it’s
his music, because… well, he could. But some of the songs are written by Apollo, and he
produces all of them, so it’s not really. But then- does he want to lie and say they’re just
covers? What if they want to listen to it anyway?

“It’s just a side project,” Nico says quickly, “Something we’ve been doing for fun. It’s not,
like, serious or anything.”

“You sing?” Piper’s eyes are wide and gleaming, and there’s something just a bit
mischievous in them.

“That’s not what I said.”

“You implied it!”

“What do you mean? Apollo could’ve been the one singing, I just play guitar-”

“You play guitar? ” Piper exclaims, “Nico, you’ve been holding out on us! How did we not
know about it?”

“Uh, because I don’t talk about it.”

“But he’s really amazing,” Will cuts in, and there’s a slightly proud smile on his face, “And
he can sing, so don’t listen to him lie.”

“Will!” Nico huffs, “You’re wrong. You just say that ‘cause you’re my boyfriend and you
have to.”

“No, I do not-”

“Nah, Will’s right,” Leo joins in, and Nico can hear the grin on his face, “It’s really good. He
wrote it, too-”

“A songwriter? God, Will, I can’t believe you- wait, he totally sang a song to confess to you
didn’t he?” Nico risks a glance back, and Piper is leaning forward, clearly finding the news
incredibly important. Leo’s stifling a laugh, and Jason is smiling, too, even though he’s
staying quiet.

“ No-”
“He did,” Will confirms, and Nico sends him a look of betrayal, “But I kinda set him up for
it. He was just showing me a bunch of lyrics, so-”

“That song wasn’t even supposed to be in there,” Nico groaned, “I could’ve sworn I sorted
out all the love songs.”

“All the love songs? ALL THE LOVE SONGS? Nico di Angelo, I need to hear these now. I
can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.”

“Well, it wasn’t like we were gonna release it or anything, it’s not good enough-”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Piper proclaims, as if that’s the end of the argument.

It is, but Nico wasn’t really arguing in the first place.

***

shut my eyes to the song that plays

sometimes this has a hot, sweet taste

***

They end up liking the songs. Nico kind of wishes he could say that he’s surprised, but he’s
pretty sure that even if the song was static noise for four minutes, they would say they liked
it.

What he is surprised about is that they’re asking for it on their phones. That would imply that
they would listen to it during their free time, which is… weird.

Leo and Will both tend to like listening to music through records and CD’s, probably because
they want to hear what else is going on around the house and usually listen to music with
other people. Nico does this as well whenever he’s with them, but he also tends to listen to a
lot more music than them, as well as audiobooks, so he understands wanting music on his
phone rather than on a vinyl. He’s almost never seen without bluetooth headphones (one of
the more expensive gifts from Apollo three years ago, and Nico continuously swears that
he’ll one day pay it back) or wired earbuds that are practically falling apart, but do their job.

Jason and Piper are similar - they take a lot of flights and car rides and stay in hotels where
they can’t really blast music. Piper says she does have a collection of vinyl records, but
they’re mostly just for show because she’s never home enough to listen to them anyway.
“That’s weird,” Nico says bluntly, “Why?”

Piper looks at him confusedly. “Because I wanna listen to them. Are you gonna put them on
Spotify?”

“No… definitely not. I wasn’t planning to.”

“Oh,” Piper shrugs, “You should. I wanna add haunted and out of the woods to my Tuning
Out Jane By Blasting Music playlist.”

“I like i know it won’t work more, I think,” Jason added, “for my flight playlist. Did you write
that one?”

“No- well, kinda. Apollo had the first verse and chorus written, and then I helped with the
rest.”

Jason nods, “The ghost and haunted line definitely sounded like you.”

“Wh-”

Piper ignores him, grinning as she goes back to the file and plays it- “ Just brush me off
'cause I'm your ghost right now, your house is haunted? That’s so Nico.”

“Yeah,” Leo nods, “Just gonna assume that every lyric that somehow includes ghosts or
haunting is Nico’s. You wrote all of haunted, didn’t you?”

Nico sputters, “Well- yeah, but-”

“See!”

“Does that have anything to do with why your instagram user is the ghost king? ” Jason asks,
and now they’re all teasing him, and Nico kind of wishes he could fade into the shadows to
disappear.

“That was a mistake that seventh-grade me made, and Leo just won’t let me get rid of it!”

Leo nods proudly, “I steal his phone every month to add or delete another underscore so that
he can’t change it back.”

“One day, I’ll just make a new account -”

“But this one has so many memories!”

“I literally don’t post.”

Leo waves his hand as if that’s insignificant, and turns back to the songs, “You didn’t tell us
you wrote more though. I just knew about haunted. Are you working on an album or
something?”

It throws Nico back to his conversation with Apollo. We’ve got three to go.
 Is Apollo planning on making this an album?

He can’t, is Nico’s first thought, because he sang the songs and he wrote nearly half of the
lyrics, so surely, Apollo would need permission and Nico would never give that-

Except.

Except-

-he might.

It’s a big if because he honestly hasn’t thought about it enough, and he surely wants to ask
Will for his opinion, too - not because he needs his approval, but because Will generally
gives really good advice.

If Leo had asked this a few months ago, the answer would be absolutely not. But somewhere
through those studio sessions and living in Apollo’s house… he’s not as opposed to the idea.
He thinks that how much he enjoyed making those songs wore him down a bit, slowly tearing
down the walls that kept him shielded from too high expectations.

And… they do already have twelve songs.

“No, definitely not,” is what Nico says instead of what he’s thinking, and then Apollo returns
from getting them snacks and the conversation gets sidetracked. Eventually, most of them
leave as Jason seems to want to talk to Apollo about legal stuff (which reminds Nico again of
his contract, and makes him feel a bit bad for taking over all of Apollo’s time when Jason’s
issue is much more important).

He’ll ask Will about the album tomorrow.

Chapter End Notes

FIRST. VAMPIRE. IS. SO. GOOD. OHMYGOD.

AND SPEAK NOW TV IS LITERALLY COMING OUT IN SEVEN DAYS IM SO
FUCKING EXCITED.

and! this chapter is being posted two days early (ohmygod, it's ur lucky day) just
because i'm leaving for a trip on sunday and wanted to make sure this would be posted
on time bc ao3 very unfortunately doesn't have a "schedule chapter" option :/ next
week's chapter will also probably be posted on friday or saturday depending on my
family's plans bc the flight home is also! on sunday. and i *could* post it technically but
i like reviewing and proofreading my chapters one last time before posting :) THEN
we'll be back to the sunday schedule lmao

can you tell i wrote this chapter during ap season? yeah. i just ranted in place of will abt
ap world history (which btw. ohmygod results are coming next week and i am not
ready??)
and i am with nico. i'm sorry but why do we have deluxe versions. all it does is mess up
my spotify stats. like, theoretically, i understand, but i just don't like itDLSKJF

the user mentally ill @alltoo_notwell.... i have big plans for them. they're iconic. i love
them. so much. at first it was just kinda a placeholder but now i've got a full idea for
them and everything and im so excitedSLKDJFLK

and then... we have unlocked the second and third song off his debut album! out of the
woods. it's also the one that apollo originally talked about with the "repetitive chorus but
it works". i love ootw so much. and i know it won't work! gracie's songs match nico SO
well. and yes all the songs are lowercase... simply because nico def would have all his
songs lowercase. it's part of the aesthetic !!

and thank u for reading and leaving all the lovely comments <3
 and i care what you think
Chapter Notes

ch title from 'stressed out' by twenty one pilots (i did not realize i used two of their songs
in a row)
no tw's!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Nico and Apollo finish writing one more song before spring break is over, and their time in
the studio is cut short by a significant amount. Teachers realize that there are only a few
weeks left of school and assign as much as they possibly can, and the students’ sleep
schedules are suffering for it.

At least, Will and Nico’s are. Nico has managed to actually get a B in Chemistry (thanks
solely to Will’s help and tutoring, which he claims is helpful for his own studying), and has
passing grades in everything else except English.

Technically, a D isn’t failing, but the school would make him take summer school for it - he
barely got out of repeating a grade last year because he wasn’t allowed to retake over two
courses in summer.

Still, he doesn’t want to take summer school. He wants to spend time with Will, go on more
dates, and work on songs in the studio. He doesn’t want to go back to school and stress over
essays that he knows will only get C’s out of pity.

He’s determined. He studies and studies and even watches some of Will’s review videos
because he takes the normal World History class, not AP, but it’s still helpful (hopefully). He
writes his essays the day they’re assigned and then reviews them every day until they’re due,
gives them to Will and Apollo who, for some reason, aren’t tired of reading them and points
out the spelling and grammatical errors.

He nearly stops listening to music entirely and streams the audiobook version of the books
they read in class that semester, hoping that it’ll make the information seep into his brain and
allow him to pass the final - but that doesn’t help with the fact that he has an in-class timed
write as part of it.

He’ll need to get an A on this essay so that he can flunk the in-class timed write, because it’s
the only chance of him getting his grade up to a C. Thank the gods for Leo, who gladly made
the calculations (for all of his other classes as well).

But even then, he occasionally gets so stressed that he slips out of Will’s bed at night and
sneaks into the studio, recording whatever he can find even if it’s shitty.
Apollo, thankfully, doesn’t bring this up. But he does leave notes on blank paper - either
telling Nico that there’s a file on the computer he should listen to (usually a finished song) or
some new ideas for lyrics.

Sometimes, Nico will just listen to the music and calm down. Sometimes, he’ll add on to
Apollo’s lyrics or write down some of his own and see where that leads him. Most of the
time, he doesn’t even know what they’re about - maybe a mix of a fictional relationship, a
real one, and his own personal issues. It doesn’t matter much, because no one would ever
know. Thankfully, Apollo doesn’t talk about what could be considered concerning because
the depressive lyrics seem to just come more naturally sometimes.

Nico doesn’t keep track of how many songs he ends up singing and writing throughout those
few weeks that lead up to finals.

He also continuously forgets to ask Will about the idea of an album - but it’s not like he’s
running out of time, anyway. They’ll have plenty of time during the summer if Nico can get
his English grade up, and every time that his brain reminds Nico of it, it’s usually in the
middle of class because he’s bored or stressed.

He’ll get to it eventually.

Right now, however, his main goal is to not run away as his English teacher talks to another
student and he waits in his seat.

Nico is not the kind of person to ask a teacher for help. He’ll try, he always has, but that’s his
own problem and no one else’s.

Besides, last year, summer school was an escape from his father’s house. He didn’t care as
much about his grades. He didn’t care much about anything.

There have only been a few times where a teacher called him after class, and it was usually
some version of “You know we offer tutoring, right?”, “I think you need to just try a bit
harder,” or “I’m disappointed in your lack of improvement.”

He had brushed it off. He does know that there is tutoring, but he couldn’t make Will (or,
before Will’s drivers’ license, Apollo) stay after school just to drive him home. He has been
trying harder than any of them thought. And he’s fucking disappointed in his lack of
improvement, too, but it’s not something he can fix.

The other student leaves, not taking any notice of Nico in the back corner, and it takes a few
seconds of the teacher scanning the room before she sees him. It’s typical, because Nico
knows that he blends into backgrounds. He’s never been one to stand out, and he’s ever
wanted to.

“Nico! I’m glad you got my email,” she says, gesturing for him to come forward. She seems
nice, at least nicer than last year, where his English teacher wouldn’t even read his essays
after the first two. She leaves notes on his work and Nico feels like he improves them slightly
every time, but never by enough. Still, his All Quiet on the Western Front did manage to get a
80%, which is much better than anything else he’s done.
She’s a bit different than most of his teachers, going by her middle name, Ms. Hestia, rather
than her last name - not that Nico knows it. But he does pay attention during syllabus days, if
only to guess how much the teacher will hate him.

(They see a kid in the back of the classroom in a black hoodie with headphones and
automatically assume he’s trouble. It’s nothing new.)

Nico just gets up and stands awkwardly by her desk. She pulls up something on her computer
- probably Nico’s grades.

“So, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of your grade in my class.” Nico tries
not to zone out. You need to keep trying… blah blah blah… I don’t want you to fail… blah
blah blah. Nico knows his grade. He checked it yesterday.

“I actually sent you that email before I finished grading your most recent essay - I just
uploaded that to the gradebook earlier today.”

Was it so horrible that he had dropped to an F?

“And you’re actually only one percent off from getting a C-.” She smiles, and Nico’s jaw
nearly drops. “I was able to talk to your counselor, who said some… things about your past
grades and behavior last year…”

Nico grimaces. His counselor hates him. He had over ten absences last year, all unexcused,
and a handful of tardies. He’s pretty sure that Apollo talked to the counselor to not get him
expelled, even though he couldn’t excuse Nico’s absences, since he’s not his guardian.

“And honestly, I was shocked, because you haven’t missed a single class of mine! Anyway,
he pulled up the records and showed that this was the only class that you weren’t passing, but
you’ve turned in every assignment this year and done pretty well on the tests. I checked if
maybe there were any accommodations that I was missing, but it doesn’t seem like it, so I
just wanted to know if there was anything you think could help you on the timed write next
week, because those seem to be what you have the most trouble with.”

Nico doesn’t respond for a few seconds. This is pretty much the opposite of what he thought
she was going to say.

She waits while Nico fiddles with his ring, quickly looking away to the wall behind her to
avoid eye contact. What could she do to help him?

He doesn’t have any accommodations, because he’s never been diagnosed for anything, and
he doesn’t ask for help. No one has ever thought he could be helped.

He can’t say he’s dyslexic, because he has no proof and even though the teacher seems nice,
surely she won’t just accept that as an excuse. So instead -

“English isn’t my first language.”

It’s obviously true, but it’s not that big of a deal. He can speak English just fine.
“I… uh… I moved to America when I was ten, so… I know how to speak it well, but it’s
just…harder to write. I usually listen to the books I have to read.” The last sentence comes
out as a bit of a mutter, and he really doesn’t know how this is helpful at all. It’s an excuse,
not something he can change.

Ms. Hestia nods, taking the answer with a small smile, “Ah, yes, I talked to your teacher from
last year and he said that you wrote a few essays in Italian. You’re from Italy?”

“Venice, yeah,” Nico mumbles, “And it doesn’t matter-”

“Of course it matters, Nico, it’s your education. This might be a bit intrusive, but have you
thought that maybe you might have dyslexia?”

“...Yeah. But I’m not, like, diagnosed or anything, so…”

“I’m only asking because in your take-home essays, they seem a lot better, if a bit…scattered.
But your timed writes usually lose a lot of points because of spelling errors, which are similar
to a few other dyslexic students I have. Do you think your parents could take you to a
psychiatrist or diagnostic specialist?”

Nico bites the inside of his cheek. “No, they wouldn’t.”

They.

Ms. Hestia hums, “Alright then. What classes are you planning on taking next year?”

“Oh, uh. The required ones,” Nico shrugs. “Pre-calc, U.S. history…I’ll probably take French
again and a study hall period…I guess a music class and some other elective and then some
English class. I don’t know which one. Maybe creative writing, I think.” Piper takes that
class, and told him that it was easy because all they had to do was write during class, and it
would be graded based on participation.

“I teach that,” Ms. Hestia smiles, “Do you like writing if it’s not in an essay format? Or do
you like reading in Italian?”

Nico has no idea where the conversation is going. He’s pretty late to lunch, but he did tell
Will that she wanted to talk to him after class, so he can only hope it doesn’t drag out too
long.

And it should be an easy question to answer. No, he doesn’t read in Italian, because he has
dyslexia and that doesn’t magically change with the language. Yes, he does like writing
songs, but that’s way too personal.

He just tilts his head, shrugging in a manner that he hopes says can we be done with this?

“Alright. Here’s what I’m going to do. You’re going to take a music class, right? And
creative writing?”

Nico stares at the ground and nods.

“I’ll give you an extra credit assignment, then,” Ms. Hestia says, “You’ll still have to do the
timed write and the rest of the final, of course, but I think that this should hopefully help
boost you to a C-. I’ve seen the work that you put into this class - your study guides have
more detailed answers than any of the other students.”

What the fuck?

“So, give me any piece of writing - a song, poem, short story, whatever you like. Because it’s
extra credit, you can’t lose points, but I’ll decide how much extra credit to give based on the
grade, alright? Now, head off to lunch - and I hope to see you in my class next year, Nico.”

Nico just looks up, nods blankly, and tosses his backpack over his shoulder as he walks
towards the door. He mutters a short Bye, thanks before he pulls out his phone and opens his
gradebook.

Sure enough, his grade in Sophomore Lit & Comp has gone from a 63 to a 69. One more
percent, and he’ll have a 70 - a passing grade.

He opens his assignments.

Macbeth Essay 92/100 | 92% | A-

One percent. No summer school. A passing grade.

Suddenly, it’s all within reach.

***

[ Image: A studio with scattered papers on a desk. The light is harsh on the papers, making
the writing illegible. There’s a computer in the background and a keyboard on the table. On
the edge of the photo is what looks like a hoodie, and some headphones around someone’s
neck, but the person’s face is cut off. There’s a skull ring on the person’s finger. ]

apollo ✔ ;)

***

musin_gss NEW ALBUM NEW ALBUM NEW ALBUM

jenna.823 the black hoodie…. this screams the_ghostking

.il0ve.tayy LMAO u think they’re working on something???

 jenna.823 who knows it’s apollo

kaylaknowles ew why’d you put a winky face as the caption

apollo ✔ You comment ew on all my posts :(

kaylaknowles ew <3

miss.grace_ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

***

#1 leo stan acc @alltoo_notwell

@valdezinator we’re bffs right so WHAT IS APOLLO’S RECENT POST ABT

LEOOOO @valdezinator

unforutnately my lips r sealed. someone would kill me

#1 leo stan acc @alltoo_notwell

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING AHHSLKDFJS

***

By the time the end of May comes around, Nico is, somehow, more stressed than ever.

He turned in the extra credit. He said fuck it to being too personal, because those songs are
the only thing he has some semblance of confidence in. Besides, if he only ends up getting
one point, then he’ll have solid proof to show his friends that his writing sucks, and-

He doesn’t know if he wants that, but it gets him through the last week of school.

Now, he just has to wait an indefinite amount of time before he gets those grades back.

At least it’s the end of the school year, so all five of them go to Apollo’s house for a
celebration. Kayla’s school goes for a few days longer, so for once, they’re the ones bragging
about getting time off - though her school starts later as well.
They drink soda and the others jump into Apollo’s pool, something that he knows Leo has
just been waiting to do - Leo and Piper jump in with their clothes on, Will after getting some
swim trunks and Jason borrowing some of his.

Nico sits on the side, his socks off and jeans rolled up so he can sit at the edge of the pool, the
sun nearly boiling him in his black hoodie.

It’s a good thing he runs cold, because he doesn’t even mind that much. He’s laughing, and
Apollo tosses a few bags of chips to them before going to pick up Kayla from school.

“Dude, how are you not sweating right now?” Jason asks, then shouts as Piper splashes him
with water. It’s a good question. The temperature is just around 100 degrees.

Nico just shrugs.

“It’s not that hot,” he says, which is only half-true.

Piper raises an eyebrow, “You don’t have to come in, but at least take off that hoodie. You’re
gonna get a heat stroke!”

Nico rolls his eyes. “I’m not wearing anything underneath it.” Other than my binder. It’s not
really necessary because of how big the hoodie is, but that’s never stopped him before.

“So?” Jason looks genuinely confused, and Nico almost laughs.

“So, it’s…” Nico gestures aimlessly around his chest, “Awkward. I dunno.”

Jason’s eyebrows furrow for a second before he gasps, “Oh!” and-

Did Jason actually forget that Nico was trans?

“Sorry,” Jason laughs, “But Pipes is right, you should get a tee-shirt or something. It’s boiling
out here.”

Will glances at him with a slightly triumphant look - because he has been telling Nico that
every single summer. He swims over, grinning. “You could steal one of my tee-shirts.”

Nico scoffs, “As if I wouldn’t do that anyway.”

He glances into Will’s eyes and unconsciously smiles, getting a bit lost in the moment before
Leo splashes them both. With a sarcastic groan, he goes to Will’s room to get a tee-shirt - a
huge black concert one from some tour that he usually wears as pajamas - and then comes
back to the pool and sits in the same spot as before, feet in the water.

He still hides his chest, crossing his arms over his stomach, because he doesn’t want
questions. For once, he feels normal, even though there’s nothing normal about swimming in
the pool of a huge celebrity with another two teen celebrities.

But it is normal. Nobody pushes for him to get in the pool, or looks at him like it’s weird.
He shouldn’t be surprised by it after so long, but he still is.

***

so now we live beside the pool

where everything is good

***

The grades come out five days later. Will and Nico are in bed, and Leo is spending the night
with his foster family because he’s legally required to that every now and then - Nico doesn’t
know the technicalities, but Leo’s coming back next week, and he seems alright with it
because his foster parents’ house is near the community college where he’s taking some
summer course.

Nico doesn’t really want to wake up, and he relishes in the fact that he doesn’t have to. He
buries his face into Will’s neck and pushes aside the blanket slightly because Will is warm
enough; he doesn’t need it.

That, and it’s June in California, so it’s not exactly cold.

For a few minutes (or maybe longer; Nico’s not exactly keeping track of time), they just lie
there, and Will runs his fingers through Nico’s hair and breathes in a way that Nico knows
he’s awake. Then, he stretches to the side, and for a brief second, Nico’s worried that he’ll
say it’s time to get up, or maybe he’ll have to go to the bathroom or something… but he
comes back just as quickly, so Nico guesses that he grabbed his phone.

Nico doesn’t mind. He just tries to fall back asleep (which is only a bit hard, because Will
refuses to close his curtains and claims that daylight is the perfect way to wake up).

“Nico…” Will says quietly, “Grades are out.”

Of course he knows that Nico’s awake. And of course Nico would like to sleep longer and
would usually grumble something like shut up, I’m sleeping.

But instead he lifts his head and turns around, squinting at Will’s screen. “All A’s?”

Will hums and nods, but Nico knows there’s a grin on his face. He shifts so he can see it.

He’s so goddamn beautiful.

Nico gives him a short peck on the lips and steals Will’s phone so that he can look at the
grades without squinting. As expected, Will did incredible. His lowest grade is a 92 in AP
World History, which Nico suspects he’s a bit disappointed about, but he’ll pretend that he’s
fine.

“Will, that’s amazing,” he says, not pointing it out. He’s genuinely happy for Will - always
has been. “A 99 in Chemistry is insane.”

Will moves an arm across Nico’s chest, and because Nico’s lying on his side, it turns into a
hug. “Shut up,” he mutters, then - “Thanks. I love you.”

Nico kisses him, partly because he really does love his boyfriend and is super proud of him,
but also partly because he wants to distract himself from his own grades - there’s nothing he
can do to change the results now. He’s either enough or not enough.

He’s never cared so much about his grades before. Then again, he’s never cared so much
about his life before. Maybe it’s something to do with finally having hope and glimpses of
happiness.

Will kisses him back, but only for a few seconds before he pulls back. “Don’t distract me,
what about you? You turned in those songs as extra credit, didn’t you?”

Nico nods. Will knows him too well; he can practically read Nico’s mind.

Nonetheless, he thinks that he might as well get this over with, so he grabs his phone and
opens the website, unconsciously tensing with anxiety. Will can surely feel it, but his hand is
back in Nico’s hair and it’s really hard to be stressed when his boyfriend’s doing everything
in his power to make it feel better.

He holds his breath as it loads.

CP Sophomore Lit & Comp C- | 72%

What the fuck.

What the fuck?

“Nico, you got a 72!” Will says excitedly, and Nico almost wants to laugh at how absurd it is,
because Will had obviously been holding back a frown at the 92 in history.

And yet it seems genuine.

“That’s incredible- look, the songs got you 25 points! You only needed a 70 but- and you got
an A- on the Macbeth essay? You didn’t even tell me!”

He hadn’t wanted to get Will’s hopes up. Even with the A-, it wasn’t assured that he would
do well enough on the final, so he had mentioned the extra credit, but not the essay grade,
but-
 Will is right. He only needed a 72. And he got a 78 on his final, which was good enough for a
passing grade overall, something that Nico can’t really believe-

But he got 25 extra points.

What the fuck.

“I… yeah…” Nico says, still half-asleep, because this must be a dream. He goes out from the
English tab and back to the overall grades. 2 C-’s, 2 C+’s, 2 B-’s, and a B+ in French.

He’s passed.

***

[ An Instagram Story: A selfie of Piper and Jason in the pool. Will can be seen in the
background talking to Nico, who still has a hoodie on. ]

Text says: SUMMERRRR (finally) ]

Chapter End Notes

first things first, obviously:

SPEAK. NOW. TAYLOR'S. VERSION. OHMYFUCKINGGOD. I CAN'T BELIEVE
IT. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I WILL TAKE ABSOLUTELY NO
CRITICISM BC EVERY PIECE OF IT IS PERFECTION. THE ECHOES ON
HAUNTED??? THE VAULT SONGS??? THE INSTRUMENTAL ON STORY OF
US?? LONG LIVE AND EVERYTHING I LOVED IT SO MUCH. and unpopular
opinion, i rlly don't mind that she changed the lyric for better than revenge, i'll love the
song just the same <3 also i mean.. she compared a guy to a moth so like. love that.
currently listening to mine (taylor's version) and will be listening to this album on repeat
for... probably months tbh
castles crumbling is my fav vault song, with i can see you as a close second, but i also
LOVE timeless. timeless is for the fanfic writers and readers. it's for me. and for
everyone reading this fic. bc yes, these characters would meet in ANY universe. they are
timeless. i just got so excited for it bc it's SO SO SO fanfic-coded !!

okay, and then the second important announcement is: i wrote this chapter specifically
while studying my ass off for ap world (and you can tell bc of how i just ranted abt it for
will) BUT I GOT A FUCKING FIVE LETS GO THIS WEEK HAS BEEN
INCREDIBLE (minus the fact that i've had like zero time to edit or write 3) but IT PAID
OFFF and i just find it so funny that these chapters aligned perfectly. wrote it when i
was taking the test and posting it when i got the results :) also i channeled nico so hard
in this. i'm horrendous at writing essays. it's so fucking frustrating when you put a lot of
effort into stuff but it's just never enough :/ (i say, as i get straight a's. i'm a will person in
this scenario, clearly) though i WISH i was will bc chemistry literally killed me. never
taking it again.
and hestia!! i love adding her into fics. she'll def make another appearance eventually, bc
she's just <33 i WISH i had an english teacher like this. mine sucked. he literally didn't
grade our essays (for the ENTIRE semester) until AFTER the final. like wtf??

also this is another early post! just bc idk if i'll have time tmrw or sunday, so i figured it
was best to get out of the way now :) next chapter WILL be posted on sunday, so sorry
for the long-ish wait, it'll be worth it ;)

they are out of school... there is SO MUCH to happen over summer!!!

and thank you for all the comments, i literally love y'all so much <3 it makes my DAY
to read them
 are we out of the woods yet
Chapter Notes

ch title from "out of the woods" by taylor

tw for mentions of past character death (bianca), also past depression/referenced abuse
(just nico reflecting on leaving his old house)

there will be two songs in this chapter that are played/sung so i highly recommend
listening to out of the woods by t swift and long sleeves by gracie abrams while reading!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The song plays again, and Nico clicks the space bar once to pause it, then to go back to the
end of the bridge.

He listens through it for a few more seconds.

Then clicks space again and rewinds.

Then again.

And again.

“I just feel like it’s missing something, y’know?” His eyebrows are furrowed, as if staring at
the computer will fix what he’s hearing. “It’s just the chorus, which is good- like, repetitive
but in a good way, but… I dunno. The drums are good…and the bridge was super fucking
cool…but…”

He spins around in the chair to look at the people in the room - Will, who’s nodding along as
if he understands (he doesn’t), Leo, who’s blatantly obvious about his confusion, and Apollo,
who’s mirroring his son’s expression, but seems to actually think about it.

“Layering something else, maybe?” he suggests, “Some harmonizing?”

“Mm, yeah, harmonizing,” Leo nods.

Nico rolls his eyes. He rewinds the end of the song again, trying to think about it. He had
been thinking about adding something to the instrumental, but maybe Apollo’s right - he
usually is, with production.

Twice more, then he pauses in the middle of it, and stands up to grab the headphones and
steps into the sound booth. “‘Kay, I’ll try something. Start at the bridge.”
It’s the second time that Leo and Will are sitting in on an actual studio session, because it’s
the weekend, so Leo’s visiting, and Will has somehow already finished his summer
homework, so he’s bored. He also decided to take a college course ( Nerd, Nico had said
fondly), but that’s later in the summer.

But this is the first time he’ll be singing in front of them. He and Apollo have been going
over ‘finished’ songs and trying to fix them up, so long as Nico continuously pushes the idea
that this seems a lot like finishing up an album out of his head.

This is one of the songs that he recorded in the middle of the night during finals. He had
taken a look at Apollo’s notes - something that simply said Are we out of the woods yet? Are
we in the clear yet? Good.

Then, he just repeated it over and over again. It was almost cathartic - he was so close to the
end of the school year, and even though the song was obviously about something else, it fit.

He likes that about music. Sure, there will always be an inspiration and an original message -
but in the end, it’s whatever the listener makes it to be.

The next day, Apollo had put a few post-it’s of verses, and Nico had sung them, and he could
almost hear the hope in his voice.

Two days later, Apollo had added the drums. That had pretty much brought the whole thing
together - then, he wrote the bridge, and Nico helped with the second verse, and they had a
‘finished’ song.

Now, he just needs to figure out what’s wrong with that fucking ending.

But the monsters turned out to be just trees

When the sun came up, you were looking at me

You were looking at me, oh

You were looking at me

The repetition of the chorus plays again, this time with some effect that Nico can’t name, and
then there’s the chorus again.

Oh, I remember

Are we out of the woods yet?

The song plays through until the end, and he hasn’t sung anything, but-

“Play it again.”

Nico spares a glance at his friends, who don’t look judgemental, just curious. He almost
wants to tell them to leave, because surely it must be boring - yeah, he knows that they like
the end result, but there are also so many songs, verses, lyrics, that are scrapped.
It’s relaxing for Nico. It might not be for Leo and Will, but he decides not to overthink it.
When the end of the chorus comes around, he jumps in towards the end. It’s not words, just a
sound. He doesn’t really know what it’s doing, just adding something so the song has some
layers.

It’s a continuous ahh-ah-ah in addition to the background vocals he had added to the song
about a week ago. It’s repetitive too, but he thinks it just might fit.

The song comes to a sudden close, just like the sudden beginning, and he takes one side of
the headphones off and looks to the others.

Will and Leo are now standing right behind Apollo, who’s smiling at the screen. A bit
strange, but Apollo tends to do that whenever Nico sings something good, or whenever he’s
inspired, so…

He takes the headphones fully off, resting them on the mic, and leaves the sound booth.
Immediately, he hears the sound of what he had just sung - minus the original chorus -
repeating over and over again.

“So?” Nico asks, trying not to let his anxiety show, “I didn’t feel like this was a guitar piece,
but y’know, maybe-”

“No- no, Nico, that was fucking perfect,” Apollo says, and Will turns around to grin at Nico.

“It was.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

“No, but really!” Leo joins in, “You didn’t hear it with the out of the woods, out of the woods,
part playing, because it sounded really fucking good together.”

“No swearing,” Apollo says distractedly.

“You just-”

“I didn’t do anything. Now, listen. I need to work on it a bit more, but this is what we were
hearing.” Nico lets out a small chuckle at Apollo’s words, but then the song plays again at the
bridge. Nothing has changed so far, but then-

Then, he hears what the others are saying, and he has to kind of agree. The something missing
isn’t missing anymore - it sounds complete. Obviously, Nico can tell that it might just be a bit
too loud, and would definitely need to be adjusted to fit the main lyrics, but-

“Now that’s a song I need on vinyl,” Will says, “It’s my new favorite.”

“You say that about every new song I play you,” Nico nudges his shoulder. “But it would
sound cool on vinyl.”

“ Nico di Angelo - Self-titled debut, comes out tomorrow at midnight everywhere, will climb
to the top of the charts and win Album of the Year-”
“Shut up, Leo,” Nico laughs. “As if.”

Leo nods solemnly, “Of course. You wouldn’t do a self-titled album. What would you call it?
Teenage Angst? Ghosts Ghosts Ghosts- No, wait, haunted, all lowercase.”

“You did name a song haunted, all lowercase,” Will adds.

Nico scoffs, “Well, good thing I’m not naming an album-”

“ haunted, all lowercase, would be a cool album title,” Apollo says, because they’re all
teaming up on him now, “Very much matches your vibe.”

“My vibe?”

“Yes, your vibe. Ghosts and haunting and death and stuff.” Leo looks serious.

Apollo turns around in his chair, “Yeah, he added it to my song, too! ‘Cause I’m your ghost
right now, your house is haunted. I liked it, though.”

“We can make it your signature thing, and the album cover would be a ghost- or, like, your
skull ring- ooh, a mysterious rainy day with a candle and a ghost smoke thingy coming out of
it.”

“Wow, Leo, I think you missed your calling to become an album cover artist,” Nico
deadpans. “And why are you acting as if we’re actually making an album?”

Will raises an eyebrow. “You’ve shown us thirteen songs. Are you not making an album?”

“No! I mean m- no, of course not.”

“You’re totally thinking about it,” Leo says, “How many songs do you have?”

“Uh…”

“Twenty-one written, seventeen produced, and twelve ‘finished’,” Apollo states. “Well,
thirteen now.”

“Seriously?”

Apollo nods. “You did a lot with stress-writing and stress-singing. Not that I’m encouraging
stress, but they all turned out really fucking good.”

“You just swore again-”

“I didn’t say anything, Leo. So, what about that album? Given it some thought yet?”

Nico is torn between laughing at Leo’s expression, shutting down the argument immediately,
or…

He was going to ask Will. He really was. It just kept getting pushed to the bottom of his
priorities because even though the answer should have been simple…
He really wants to make an album.

“Not…really,” Nico ends up saying, “I mean, I didn’t think…”

Apparently, they’ve produced seventeen songs. He remembers the conversation he had had
about the number of tracks on an album. He had thought that fifteen would be a lot…

An album had felt so out of reach. And yet he’s done it. Done even more, actually, because
they have twenty-one songs written, and seventeen produced. There were probably also lots
of scraps that could be pulled together easily.

“I think it’d be sick,” Leo says, “And I want it on vinyl.”

“All you do is steal my vinyls!”

“Geez, Will, not everyone has enough money to get a vinyl collection like yours. You don’t
even notice when they’re missing.”

Will rolls his eyes, “I noticed you took Fearless last week.”

“You only noticed that because you listen to it every fu- freaking day,” Leo points out, “And
that’s exactly why you have two copies, anyway.”

“Dad, why didn’t we get Leo a Fearless vinyl for Christmas?”

Apollo chuckles, “‘Cause we did. That’s why you have three copies in your room.”

“Oh. Right, well-”

“You know what you should get me for my birthday, though?” Leo grins. “A Nico di Angelo
debut album!”

“Oh, shut up, Leo.”

“You’ve used up all your shut up, Leo cards-”

“Shut up, L-”

“Seriously, it’s like that’s all your vocabulary!” Leo says, but he’s clearly joking, and so is
Nico, “New idea! The album name is shut up, leo, all lowercase.”

“Why do you keep pointing out the lowercase? You type in all lowercase!”

“Yes, but when I do it, it’s cool. When you do it, it’s emo.”

“ You were the one who changed the setting on my phone -”

“So,” Will cuts in, brushing his hand against Nico’s, “What about that album? You wanna do
it?”
Nico looks at him, and he looks surprisingly just as excited as Apollo and Leo. He still wants
to ask for his opinion, because it probably means more to him than anything else. But-

“...Not sure.”

“That’s not a no!” Apollo looks ecstatic, “How about this? We finish up the other five songs.
We figure out a track list and we press it on a blank CD. We listen to it. You three and Kayla
and Austin and your other friends if you want. Then, you make a decision - however long it
takes. This could be released years from now if you want.”

And the funny thing is, Nico doesn’t think he wants that. There’s a voice in his head that
began talking the moment he walked into the studio, and that continuously gets louder and
louder the longer he spends there.

“Okay. Deal.”

***

lunch table

piper mclean named the conversation “celebs (and leo)”

piper mclean

can’t believe we used lunch table for so long

lame

anyway

my place on sautrday? my dad’s out of the country for some movie

and jane’s going with him

just us five and then i’m thinking annabeth percy and reyna too

pyromaniac

YESSS IM DWON

dwon

down

and excuse u

im such a celeb
i have a fan acc

pyromaniac named the conversation “celebs (and nico)”

pyromaniac

we can change it once nico gets around to releasing his album

not hpapening but ok

piper mclean

mhmm

jason grace

I’ll be back on Friday so ofc

piper mclean

and will??

kayla’s trying to teach him archery again

it’s hilarious

he just lost an arrow to beyond the hill

piper mclean

I WANT ARCHERY LESSONS

TELL KAYAL TO TEACH ME

will do

i think apollo knwos how to

jason grace

Have you asked him if he’s like the actual god Apollo

pyromaniac

omg

SO. MANY. TIMES.

AND HE KEEPS SAYING NO BUT I SWAER

ONEDAY IM GONNA CATCH HIM

 AND HE’S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DENY IT

pyromaniac

nico’s been on this rant so many times

OKAY BUT HIS CHILDREN

ARE LITERALLY

AN ARCHER PERSON WHO SWEARS SHES GONNABE IN THE 2020 OLYMPICS

A PERSON WHO’S SET ON GOING TO MED SCHOOL

AND AMUSICIAN

AND HES A MUSICIAN

LIKE THAT IS NOT A COINICEENCE

jason grace

I think this is the most emotion I have ever seen you show

i’m right and y’all know it

piper mclean

y’all

omg ur influenced by ur bf

pyromaniac

nah that was both of us

nico says y’all

y’all

shtu up

piper mclean

YOURE FROM TEXAS TOO???????

***
“So, it’s between doomsday or getaway car,” Nico says, biting the inside of his cheek. He’s
already taken for real this time off of the track list because it feels too personal. Obviously, he
could just have an album with sixteen songs; it’s not like that would be the end of the world.
But he’s honestly not entirely sure whether either of them fit on the track list.

He likes them. He wrote doomsday during a very long, boring school lecture and finished it
while cramming for finals. And he wrote getaway car with Apollo in the studio over spring
break. He likes them as songs, but there’s something that just makes him hesitate when trying
to figure out their place on the ‘album’.

Maybe he could work on one of the songs that wasn’t produced yet? After all, it’s not like
they’re in a time crunch. Nico can take as long as he wants figuring out this hypothetical
track list.

He’s leaning towards adding getaway car, though, simply because it was written with Apollo,
which makes it automatically a better song in his mind. He knows that that’s part of the
buried self-doubt that he’s been working on, but he’s going to put that out of his mind for a
bit, because he’s already gotten this far, hasn’t he? Nico has made a lot of progress.

“What about this one?” Apollo asks. Nico glances over to see him pulling out another sheet
of paper that was ripped out of a notebook, which Nico can easily recognize.

They haven’t produced it, yet. Honestly, Nico doubts they ever will. If Nico considered for
real this time personal, then this one is on a whole other level.

He wrote it shortly after leaving his father’s house for the last time. His head had been such a
mess, and writing down the lyrics helped organize his thoughts. It was like being able to go
through them one at a time - the guilt, the stress, and longing, and the hatred.

They were all so conflicting. On one hand, that was the house that he had spent nearly five
years in. It was the place where his only remaining family lived.

And he doesn’t want to call his father ‘family’, because he isn’t. His real family is with him
in this house. That doesn’t change the fact that he is the only remaining person who probably
remembers Bianca, who knew her. Sometimes, Nico wonders if their old teachers and
classmates wondered about what happened to them, or if anyone other than him mourned his
sister.

He didn’t know. And even though he had no memories of Bianca in that house, there was
something about it that he felt would always haunt him - something that would always
connect him to his blood family, to his sister.

So, there was a sense of longing for a family that could have lived there, a what-could-have-
been. A house of what-ifs.

When he left, he chose to abandon those thoughts. He should have abandoned them earlier,
because it was doing him no good to stay there. It was obvious during his freshman year - the
longer he spent locked in his room, crying himself to sleep, hiding from his father, the further
he spiraled. The house had been suffocating him.
And that was what led him to his hatred. It was specifically towards his father, even if
sometimes those thoughts became complicated.

Nico knows that he does not love his father. He doesn’t like him either. Most of the time, he
is positively sure that he hates him.

But sometimes, he isn’t. Sometimes, his thoughts blur together in a storm of childish hope
and teenage angst that makes it impossible to think.

That’s why he writes. At least, these songs. Writing is fun even when he doesn’t have to, but
he’s found that it’s one of the only ways to calm himself down from a downward spiral.

That’s what he’d been doing when he began writing this song - he’s not entirely sure what it’s
called yet. When starting to work with the studio, he decided to pick writing back up, but he
hadn’t shown it to Apollo when it was done.

It was incredibly vulnerable. And depressing. Depressing in a vulnerable way.

He had been worried about showing it to Apollo. Most of the time, even when Nico had
presented haunted and for real this time, he had taken it without much conversation, and then
asked him if he wanted to talk about it after they were done. Only after.

It was good because usually, singing it helped clarify it to Nico in a way. And he knows that
he could just go out to the backyard and sing it out to the sky, but Apollo is there and willing,
so Nico will take it.

Even with all the emotions he had gone through with other songs, this one feels the most
private. If, and only if he ever released an album, he’s not entirely sure he’d be able to put it
on the record.

But maybe that would be good for him. He’s improving mentally. He eats full meals at lunch
and he sleeps better with Will at his side. Obviously, these were the effects of staying at
Apollo’s house temporarily in the years prior, but it’s like there’s a weight lifted from his
chest now that he knows it’s permanent. He feels lighter.

And maybe this last bit of baggage, this one remaining song from those dark times, are what
he needs to move forward. Closure.

“I can give it a shot,” Nico takes the paper, and his hands only shake slightly. He can guess
that Apollo might be slightly surprised, but he’s pretty good at hiding his emotions - other
than excitement - in the studio. “I could try to play it acoustic first? It feels… quieter.”

Apollo nods with a supportive smile, and Nico takes his seat on the keyboard bench,
grabbing the acoustic guitar that’s leaning on the side of the wall.

He starts off by just strumming a few chords, trying to get the feel for it. He knows how it
sounds, theoretically, but he hasn’t tried actually playing it before.

Packing while you’re asleep

You were the catalyst

He takes a few extra seconds in between verses, trying to figure out the next chord, which
only makes sense. It’s his first time actually singing it.

If you hear me

Leaving in the morning

Could you please pretend that

It was only wind?

He pauses and repeats parts a few times until he gets it right, and at the chorus, he tries to
make sure his voice doesn’t crack.

Got a lot to work through

You don’t know where I’ve been

It’s been a long time coming

He sings it, over and over again, despite it only being written once on the page, as if he’s
trying to convince himself. Nico knows that it was for the best. He knows.

Used to the turbulence

I wore long sleeves

I wore long sleeves

When he finally gets to the end, he strums the last few chords a few more times, just to think
about what to do with the ending. He’s pretty sure a simple fade out will work, maybe just
some humming in the background. Or maybe it didn’t even need an instrument at the end.
He’d figure it out when they actually record it.

It’s that thought that reminds him that Apollo is listening. Nico feels exposed, even though he
chose to sing it himself. He wonders if this is how Apollo felt when showing him his own
songs. He wonders if Apollo had ever also written songs like this, only for them to be turned
down by his label.

When Nico looks up, Apollo is staring intently at the guitar, and his eyes look- watery? Not
really, because he’s surely not crying, but-

“I think… I think that you should definitely record that one.”

Nico smiles. He was right. He feels like the song had reached inside of him and tossed out
some of the damage in his heart. He’s not completely healed yet, of course.

But he’s a lot closer.

 ***

Piper’s house is huge. Nico would have thought that he’d be used to seeing his friends’
mansions by now- hell, he lives in one, and yet he’s still a little impressed every time.

Piper greets them outside and leads them to the kitchen, where Percy Jackson is sitting on the
counter, Annabeth Chase is looking through the fridge, and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano is
scrolling on her phone at the kitchen island.

Again, Nico thought he was used to it. He is not.

“Jason’s flight came in late last night, so I think he’ll be here in half an hour or so,” Piper
tells them, leaning over Annabeth’s shoulder to look in the fridge as if this is normal. It
probably is. They’ve walked through about eleven different rooms, all with so much empty
space that Nico would probably feel overwhelmed if he owned it.

The thought of owning a house like this is ridiculous, though, so he mentally laughs at
himself and then stands with Will at the island.

Annabeth hums in response, then turns around to Piper, “Hey, Pipes, why do you have
bananas in your fridge?”

“Because…bananas taste good?”

“No, not that- why are they in your fridge?”

“Dude!” Leo says, jumping over to look in the fridge, “Seriously, Pipes?”

Piper looks completely confused. “Are bananas not supposed to be in the fridge?”

“No! I mean, they could, but-”

“Definitely not,” Percy shakes his head, “To the counter!”

Leo grins, and he’s obviously getting along with Percy already. It’s probably because they
were the two insane enough people to jump in the pool at New Years - Nico honestly can’t
believe that it’s already been five months since then.

Leo puts the bananas on the counter and Annabeth closes the fridge, hopping onto the kitchen
island next to Percy. “Anyway, it’ll probably be after the announcement date, but before the
release date. I guess if we go public anyway, might as well help with promotion, right?”

Reyna snorts, “That won’t help with the disappointment of no reuniting.”

“Shhh! Spoilers,” Percy looks at Leo, and then back at Will and Nico. Wait-
“So you’re actually dating?” Leo asks, because of course that’s what he’s focusing on, “Hey,
N-”

“Do not finish that sentence.”

Nico doubts that Leo would have actually said something, but he and Will already knew that
Percy and Annabeth were dating from the New Year’s party. Unconsciously, Nico reaches for
Will’s hand and interlocks their fingers loosely. These are friends; it’s not that big of a deal-

When he glances to his right, Will is beaming.

Annabeth nods, “Yeah. For a while, now-”

“One year and eight months,” Percy says with a smile, causing Annabeth to elbow him in the
rib.

“As if the whole world didn’t already know,” Reyna adds, getting up from her seat and typing
something before putting her phone in her pocket, “But that’s good for you. Less tabloids,
hopefully.”

Piper groans, “Fuck the tabloids.”

“Agreed,” Percy nods seriously, and then asks if they could go swimming in Piper’s pool,
because apparently that’s the only thing on his mind.

Every single second that Nico spends around them makes them feel more… normal. They’re
just like Piper and Jason. They’re genuinely good company.

Annabeth, of course, notices him and Will holding hands. She gives them a small smile with
a clear message - she must have known since New Year’s.

Nico finds that he doesn’t actually mind.

***

Does APOLLO’s Recent Post Mean New Music?

If you follow the retired superstar, Apollo , you’ve surely seen the recent post that has been
circulating the internet. While Apollo has been out of the music industry for over a decade,
could he be potentially hinting at new music?

[ one image attached ]

Some fans in the comments have suggested that the person in the corner of the photo is the
same kid that’s seen in Apollo’s Thanksgiving post and Jason Grace’s vlog , Nico.
 [ one image attached ]

[ one image attached ]

This is mainly because of the black hoodie, which Nico is seen wearing in all of the photos
we’ve found of him - including posts from his friend Leo’s instagram , and some photos
taken of Piper McLean and her friends running through a mall. For more information on this
famous teen friend group, click here .

Apollo captioned his post with just a wink emoji, which many fans speculate to be him
teasing the music. The photo has clearly been taken in a studio, though there have been no
public appearances of Apollo to suggest that he went out to record anything.

The celebrity himself is an incredibly private person, so some fans have suggested that he
may be recording in his own home. One fan even managed to gain the attention of Leo on
Twitter , asking what the recent post was about. He responded that his lips were sealed, and
that “someone would kill me.”

[ one image attached ]

Does this confirm that there is something in the works? And what do Jason Grace, Piper
McLean, Apollo’s children, and their friends have to do with it? We’re awaiting any updates
from Apollo to see if this summer may bring back some nostalgic pop music.

More Like This

A Full History Of APOLLO's Career

Who is Will Solace?

Jason Grace and Piper McLean’s Friend Group: What You Need to Know

An Update on 2000’s Superstar APOLLO

Chapter End Notes

LONG LIVE IS ON THE SETLIST AND MY SHOW IS IN TWO WEEKS. I AM

CURRENTLY DYING. IM GOING TO HEAR LONG LIVE LIVE??????
we lost some good ones this week. rip back to december, TIMELESS (sobbing),
starlight, PICTURE TO BURN. very disappointing but all i can think is please please
please new romantics on july 28LKJDSF

okay: out of the woods!! i stand by what nico said: music will always have an original
meaning, but in the end it's how you relate to it. so yes, throughout this series, there will
be a lot of songs you may think don't fit the scenario, but that's just how i interpret it in
relation to nico, usually with some switched lyrics!
also, if you have song recs, COMMENT THEM PLEASEEE i have such limited music
taste and am always looking for more songs to add to nico's playlists (of which i have
many).

anyway some new songs were revealed:

- doomsday by lizzie mcalpine (not put on nda1)
- getaway car by taylor (not put on nda1) (also, apollo and nico r literally jack and taylor
IF U HAVENT WATCHED THE VIDEO ITS THEM)
- for real this time by gracie abrams (not put on nda1)
- long sleeves by gracie abrams (track 12 on nda1!)

and we already know about

- out of the woods (track 15)
- i know it won't work (track 2)
- haunted (track 1)

i love literally every person who comments u own my heart <33

 heaven help a fool who falls in love
Chapter Notes

ch title from "ophelia" by the lumineers

and. and. AND. it's here. haunted by nico di angelo !!! (ignore any songs that have
multiple ppl on it, pretend it's not)
enjoy <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When the final track stops playing, Nico watches Will with anticipation. Of course, Will had
said his thoughts after every song, but now he’s heard the whole thing. He’s also heard the
three unreleased tracks, of course, and claims that Nico better make another album just to
include them.

He’ll get to it eventually, if he actually decides to release this.

At the moment, he’s leaning towards yes. That kind of terrifies him.

He’s going to show the CD to Leo, Piper, Jason, Kayla, and Austin later, but he knows that he
wants Will’s reaction privately. Obviously, Apollo’s already heard the whole thing, and so has
Nico, but he wants to make sure that Will is the first person to hear it - the first person who
wasn’t involved in the production.

“Nico…” Will turns to him, eyes wide. “That was incredible.”

It’s so simple, and Will has used various adjectives throughout the whole reaction that mean
the same thing, but Nico smiles nonetheless. It’s not like he depends on what Will thinks of
his music, or what Apollo thought, because he pretty much already knows their opinions.

But it means something more. He’s known that these songs have existed for years. He’s never
opened up about them, no matter the constant reassurance and support he received from his
friends and Apollo.

Now, he’s done it. He’s laid out his work, the last secret (which had never really counted as a
secret, because he never held it in that high of a regard) revealed, the last piece of his story
displayed.

And they liked it.

So, no, it’s not Will’s opinion on the songs specifically that made Nico smile. It’s the way he
hummed along to the few songs that he knew, and pointed out when something was added -
he didn’t know what exactly the term was, but he heard a difference.
It’s the way that he grinned and held Nico’s hands when renegades started playing and pulled
him into a side hug as the chorus to best friend began. The way that his fingers remained
loosely intertwined with Nico’s hand throughout the good - team, labyrinth - and the bad -
long sleeves, motion sickness.

It’s the way he pulled Nico up to dance to overdrive despite not knowing the lyrics, and then
hurriedly took his seat on the floor next to the CD player as out of the woods came on, and
his hand reaching for Nico’s about halfway through for no reason other than to be there.

Because it’s not just listening to an album. Sure, some of the songs are about Apollo and his
own experiences, and then another few are stuff that Nico wrote for no reason with no
correlation to his life.

But it’s still his. It’s him, bare and vulnerable, showing the cracks and crevices of Nico’s life,
the ones that he had always hidden, for better or for worse.

Nico shouldn’t really be taken aback by Will pushing forward to kiss him - he rarely gives a
warning these days, not that Nico minds - but he kind of is.

No matter how much you tell anxiety to stay hidden, or give explanations as to why you
shouldn’t be worried, it can’t just go away with simple logic. To some people, it can, but not
to everyone.

Not to Nico. And so he can repeat it over and over again, like a mantra - Will loves you.
You’re safe. You can make a living for yourself. You can be happy. And he can believe it in his
brain. His mind will tell him it’s true, because it is.

But his heart won’t accept it. Not until the fear is over- like a bad test, no matter how much
he studies and tells himself it’ll be alright, he can’t rest until it’s finished.

And now it is. He smiles into the kiss and falls backward onto the ground, pulling Will down
with him. He’s not free of his anxiety. It doesn’t work like that.

But he feels less scared of it now. He’ll always have that stirring in his gut, those headaches
that come from thinking too much, those sleepless nights. But he knows that they don’t have
substance to them. They don’t have proof.

No matter how much that voice in his head will tell him that it’s not worth it, that it’s a lie,
and that one day, his whole life will be turned around like it was five years ago, he has Will
pulling him back to reality with the small touches, the grins, the memories.

So Nico smiles. He lets Will drown out the anxiety, lets himself become carefree and fearless.
His anxiety has only been holding himself back- it was wrong about Will’s feelings and it
was wrong about his living situation.

Would it be wrong about this? Would he be willing to take a chance?

Both of his past problems had been solved by mistakes. He didn’t mean to call Will’s number.
He didn’t mean to leave that song in the pile of papers. And he’s grateful it happened,
because he’s never felt this happy before, but he doesn’t need fate to keep nudging him.

He’s ready to try for himself. He’s ready to take control of his future and give a major fuck
you to anyone who doubted him - including himself.

When Will pulls back after what feels like ages but was probably just a minute or two, Nico
tells him that. Not in so many words, just -

“I’m going to release it.”

***

Everything moves so quickly after that. The thing is, it’s summer, so they have nothing to do-
at least, Nico doesn’t.

Austin arrives, and he spends most of his time either hanging out with his siblings (he’s okay
at archery, mainly because Kayla once begged to teach them all and it was immediately
apparent that Will and Leo shouldn’t be allowed near the weapons, even with blunt tips),
hiding out in the music room, or FaceTiming his friends back home or his mom.

Kayla returns home and spends nearly everyday in the backyard, practicing archery. She
visits some friends occasionally, but it’s clear what her mind is on - the Olympics are this
year, and even though she always sees them, thanks to Darren getting tickets as a coach, she
made her intention clear at dinner one night - she said that this would be the last Olympics
she would watch from the audience.

She’s only twelve, nearly thirteen, but Kayla is nothing if not persistent. And it’s not like
Nico really doubts her - none of them do. She’s been raised around archery, and had been
taught to shoot a bow around the time that most kids learned to ride bikes. It’s something
natural to her, and Nico guesses that it’s similar to how he feels when in the studio. When she
told them all, there was no real surprise - Nico guessed that at the back of his mind, he
always assumed she would one day go professional.

Leo is still busy with his summer course at the community college, and Will only has a few
weeks until his own class, which starts in July. Right now, however, he and Nico and Apollo
spend most of their time in the studio, finalizing the album.

Nico has never heard his voice as much as he has in the past few days. It feels like he wakes
up, then immediately listens to the album a few times, because they’re still adding little
details and adjustments, and re-recording certain harmonies - there’s honestly only one song
that’s left untouched, and that’s by Apollo’s suggestion.

Nico doesn’t think he would leave the voice cracks in long sleeves if Apollo hadn’t told him
to keep them, but he doesn’t really mind that much. It’s not like he doesn’t want to re-record
it… but there’s something special about that first take - where the only backing track was
Nico playing the guitar. It was basically acoustic, and Apollo even thought that he might like
to keep it that way, but Nico likes it a lot more with the faint humming and instrumental in
the background.

The only thing left to do is the cover and all the legal stuff. The thing is, if it were any
random person uploading a song, there isn’t that much that needs to be done - but with the
song having Apollo working on it, who is such a big name in Hollywood and anything
music-related, they need to make some preparations.

That’s the kind of stuff that usually a record label would take care of, but after hearing so
many management horror stories from Apollo and his friends, Nico’s extremely wary of
them. And it’s not like he’s in it for the money - no, record labels help with promotion and
publicity, both of which are things that Apollo brings by just adding his name to the credits.

In fact, the idea of promoting the album makes Nico second-guess releasing it for a moment.
Apollo said they wouldn’t have to, so Nico’s going to go with that- at least, then, it could take
a while for people to figure it out.

He’s not so blind to think that having Apollo produce the record will allow it to stay
underground. He knows that people will listen to it, if only just to criticize and review it.

He’s okay with that. He’s accepted it.

Either way, it allows for Nico to be much more involved in the process than a normal artist
with a label would.

It takes ten days.

The first two are non-stop recording, reviewing the tracks, and seeing what needs to be
changed or added. This, Nico is experienced with. He knows how nearly everything in the
studio works, now- he’s a quick learner when it comes to the things he enjoys.

The next five are copyrights, registering the songs and the album, and royalties. At first, Nico
was extremely confused - but Apollo took the time to explain it all, step by step. Even he has
to do some research, because it was the kind of work that had previously been taken care of
by his label, but understanding what’s going into it, what’s being owned - that makes Nico
feel a lot better.

His music is his. The writing credits go to both him and Apollo depending on the song, and
the composition is also split up between them (mostly Apollo), but Nico has seen every
single detail laid out in front of him.

This also includes the question - did he want to use his name? The thing is, it’s hardly a secret
that he’s Nico from Jason’s video. The entire internet can figure that out with a quick search
on twitter. But they don’t know his last name, or anything else about him.

“Do you think…your father would find out?” Will asks him one night, when Leo is staying at
his foster family’s house and it’s just them. “You know that we’d defend you through it all,
but-”
Nico shrugs slightly before shuffling around and facing Will in the bed. “I doubt he’d ever
look up anything pop culture related,” he reasons, “And it’s not like it’ll be that huge. If
anything, it’d be your dad’s name that’s popping up everywhere.”

Will raises an eyebrow, but a small smile forms on his lips.

“And besides,” Nico continues, “What would he do? He wouldn’t even know where I live, let
alone call- what, the cops? I’m not worried.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Will says. His eyes are half closed, like the idea had just formed as he
was falling asleep. “It’ll be amazing. You know I’m not just saying that ‘cause I’m your
boyfriend, right?”

“‘Course. You’re my best friend, too.”

“No, no,” Will grins, forcing his eyes open and reaching to hold Nico’s hand gently, “Like, if
it were a random person on the internet and I heard it, I’d be like, that’s amazing. I hope that
person becomes famous, whoever he is. ”

Nico bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling. He just nods. “You think
that’d be weird?”

“What?”

“Being famous. That whole thing.”

Will lets out a small chuckle, bringing Nico’s hand up so he can look at it more closely- what
he finds so interesting, Nico has no idea. He presses a small kiss to Nico’s palm.

“Have you seen our friend group? I think it’s weirder that you’re not famous. Like, how have
they not figured out your last name yet?”

“No one would try so hard to find my last name of all things,” Nico mutters, letting Will play
with his fingers. He considers it for a bit- not like the thought of fame hasn’t been on his
mind, but he’s not sure he fully understands the magnitude of it. He doesn’t think he could
predict it.

It all depends on how much people care. Obviously, a few million people care about Apollo
enough to follow him on Instagram. And that’s a lot. But how many people would extend that
interest to Nico?

Probably not that many. At least, that’s what he’s been telling himself. The truth is that he
isn’t really sure what he wants. He’d like to make a living for himself- he’d need people to
listen to his music in that case, unless he does want to go with the backup option of trying to
find a nine-to-five that doesn’t require a college degree.

But does he want the fame? What Apollo, Jason, and Piper receive whenever they go out in
public? Would he hate it? Would it change him?
“Pretty sure they would,” Will responds, “Are you putting your real name on the record,
anyway?”

Nico nods. Apollo had brought up the fact that they didn’t have to- if he wanted to hide
behind some false name, no one could stop him.

And it was a tough decision for a whole five seconds - but as much as he hates sharing a last
name with his father, and even his mother to a certain extent - di Angelo is also the name that
he shares with his sister.

It’s the last thing he has of her. Everything was destroyed, there’s no records that he knows
of, and no pictures. Back when he was younger, he had searched on Apollo’s computer for
the house back in Italy, but Venice was slowly sinking, and they hadn’t bothered to rebuild a
house that was going to be underwater eventually anyway. It was turned into a public beach,
as far as Nico knows.

To do that, he guesses that his father sold everything, or maybe just got rid of it. He had
managed to find his own files- security number and passport and whatnot - in his father’s
office ages ago, and he moved it to Apollo’s house around eighth grade because he didn’t
want to risk his father accidentally do something to it - he does still want to exist legally - but
there was nothing of Bianca’s there. Not a single paper.

So, he’s not going to change his last name, despite the history. And it’s not like using a false
name would make him impossible to find- some people in Apollo’s comment section have
already guessed it based off of his hoodie .

“Not that it’s gonna be self-titled,” Nico adds, “We’ve figured out the cover, too. Still need to
take the photos, but it’s pretty simple. Apollo said we’d do it tomorrow.”

“Not a ghost?”

Nico chuckles, but shakes his head, leaning just slightly closer to Will. “Would be fitting,
though.”

“A ghost?”

“Yeah. But I wasn’t gonna let Leo be right.”

“Of course,” Will whispers sarcastically, then leans in to press another kiss to Nico’s
forehead. “Are you gonna make a vinyl?”

“Do you want one?”

“Hell yeah. But are you gonna, like- make them, to sell?”

“We’d need people to want that first,” Nico rolls his eyes, but Will yawns, just barely awake.
Nico turns around to the position he was in originally, relaxing as he feels Will’s arm reach
around him.

“Maybe one day.”

 ***

The last three days are cover art and long talks about what kind of publicity they want- or
whether it should all just be a surprise drop. Nico thinks that Apollo is making it seem a lot
more important than it actually is- or maybe Nico just needs it to feel less high-stakes so that
he doesn’t second-guess it for the ten millionth time.

They did a mini-photoshoot, if one could even call it that. The thing about living in the hills
where celebrities pay good money for privacy is that the land surrounding the houses are far
apart, and filled with trees. It’s nearly a forest, or as close to a forest as you can get to in L.A.
So, Apollo takes his camera (because he pretty much has anything Nico could think of lying
around), and they walk down the road and then into the trees. Apollo is at least twenty to
thirty feet away from Nico, so he’s really just a silhouette.

Nico thinks it would have worked better if they had taken the photo during winter, when the
trees were bare and the fog settled around the hills. But one of Apollo’s hidden talents (or,
things he learned while his kids all went to school and he was bored) is photo editing, and it
actually turns out really well.

Nico thinks that his silhouette looks like a ghost. It’s the only reason he agreed to being on
the cover in the first place - he’s making a lot of progress in building confidence, but he
hasn’t made it to the point where he’d be okay with his face being an album cover. Not yet.

They question whether to put the title on the cover, and they try out a few fonts. In the end,
they choose not to. Sure, Nico guesses that it could be considered boring, but he’s happy with
it. It’s simple, and it doesn’t make him overthink it. The album is called haunted, and the
cover is a ghost in some foggy forest.

He ignores the fact that it actually is what Leo predicted. Originally, Nico had just thought
the woods. It matched the first and last song and was good enough. It was only when Apollo
got to editing that he actually really liked the idea.

The ghost is him. And that’s the truth, isn’t it? He’s haunted by himself, his memories, his
thoughts. It’s all inside him.

But he’s out of the woods now, isn’t he?

Because both Piper and Jason are out of town, Nico sends them a digital copy of the songs,
and lets Leo hear it when he arrives, the day before the album is dropped.

He’s not searching for praise, just acceptance.

***
 It’s June 17th.

The album is finished.

***

[ Image One: A blank CD that has ‘haunted’ written on it in Sharpie. There are some pages
of lined paper underneath it, some of which containing lyrics. ]

[ Image Two: An album cover. It’s a picture of a slightly transparent, nearly glowing,
silhouette surrounded by trees and fog. It’s all black and white. ]

[ Image Three: A boy in a black hoodie singing into a microphone. His face is barely visible
behind the mic. A computer with a sound program open can be seen in the corner, slightly
blurry. ]

[ Image Four: The same boy in front of a window, hand in front of the camera with a small
space between his fingers. In between his middle finger and his ring finger, which has a skull
ring on it, is a tracklist. ]

apollo ✔ Easily my favorite album that I’ve ever worked on - Haunted by Nico di Angelo - is
out now.

It’s been an absolute honor to get to work with you, Nico, and I can’t put into words how
proud I am of you (first) and this album (second). I didn’t think that I would ever get back
into making music until you showed up, and I remembered why I enjoyed it so much. Thank
you for letting me be a part of this - and thank you for showing up randomly one day after
school in sixth grade as my son’s best friend. He chose well.

***

It’s June 18th.

The album is released.

Chapter End Notes

NO!! BODY!! NO!! CRIME!! IS ON THE SETLIST!!!!! i cannot WAIT for my show
(which is. ohmygod. in less than a week. what???) i am SO FUCKING EXCITED. also
in terms of surprise songs, we have lost some good ones 3 but NEW ROMANTICS
AND I DID SMTH BAD ARE STILL ON THE TABLEEEEE (and a lot of other ones
tbh, there are so many songs i'd like to hear live)

important news! this fic now has an estimated chapter count! i kinda split up my outline
into pre-haunted and post-haunted, so now i've finally finished writing out my post-
haunted outline, and it should be 29-31 chapters! as you can see, we're gonna be picking
up the pace a little bit now, and the last chapter will be when nico graduates high school
:) i can't believe that it actually ended up being, like, perfectly divided in half that's so
crazy

ANDDDD IT'S HAPPENED. OHMYGOD. IT'S OUT. (why do i feel like i'm releasing
an album, this is literally just a playlist) but i KNOW y'all have been waiting for it and
i'm so so so very excited to finally show you guys :) i can go into more detail on why i
chose certain songs in the comments, and if there are any songs you think would fit on a
future album, please let me know! i'm still adding songs to his playlists literally every
day, building up his discography for the next ten years bc i am obsessed
also just fair warning, i'm not a popstar, i don't know how these things work, i did a lot
of research but if you happen to know a lot abt this stuff and smth is wrong, pls let me
know! i think that writing/releasing an album is a lot easier for nico bc he doesn't have a
label or anything to go through, and smth that's very important is that he is owning his
music from the very beginning <3 love that!!

also! for the cover! imagine the folklore album cover, except at night, and instead of
taylor, a kinda ghost-like figure. i imagine it a lot like the background of the haunted
lyric video (https://youtu.be/4cC6fw8EqWU)
nico's just aesthetic like that

and fun fact... i was actually writing this chapter. on june 18th. that's insane isn't it? i had
it written down in my notes for ages that like he would be releasing the album mid-june
but the fact that it feels so real time... like woah...

thank you all so much for supporting/reading/commenting !!! i struggle with finishing
projects a lot, but seeing ur comments and getting excited as much as i am makes me SO
motivated and rlly excited to write <3 ILY
 free to be the greatest here tonight
Chapter Notes

ch title from 'the greatest' by sia

See the end of the chapter for more notes

APOLLO Returns To The Music Industry By Producing A New Album

Updated on June 18, 2016 4:21PM EDT

‘Retired’ superstar Apollo broke the internet last night by announcing the drop of a new
album - but it’s not his.

With no promotion or publicity beforehand (except for a vague post by Apollo three weeks
ago), Nico di Angelo dropped his debut album, produced by none other than the musical
legend, Apollo.

The album was announced on Apollo’s instagram at 1:16 AM, over an hour after the album
actually dropped - which was midnight PT. Nico’s instagram, which fans of Jason Grace have
stated to be @the_ghostking , is still private and has accepted no new followers. No one other
than Apollo has made a statement about the drop.

[ one image attached ]

So, where did this all come from? Who even is Nico di Angelo? How did ‘ haunted ’ come to
be?

There has been no response from Apollo or any of Nico’s known friends about the album,
leaving most of us with only more questions. Nonetheless, the album’s title track haunted has
already made its way to the Spotify charts, currently at No. 89, and the album, if it continues
to grow as it has in the past day, may debut in the Billboard Hot 200.

This is already a huge achievement, especially with the fact that no one even knew di
Angelo’s last name until last night, and there doesn’t seem to be any website to buy physical
copies of the album. Some fans even noticed the album before it was announced by Apollo,
causing about an hour of chaos on Twitter, and getting Apollo, Nico di Angelo, and ‘
haunted’ trending.

It has been expected for Apollo’s potential return to the industry to break records, but is
Apollo’s name enough publicity for a brand new artist?

The album itself has already reached a success that most debut artists could hardly dream of
without promotion, but it will be up to Nico di Angelo to see if the album can stay in the
charts or keep climbing them.

More Like This

Who Is Nico di Angelo?

APOLLO Reveals Connection To Nico di Angelo

Nico di Angelo Review: ‘haunted’

Does APOLLO’s Recent Post Mean New Music?

***

Nico knows that Will is awake for the same reason he is. It’s taking everything in him to not
reach for his phone and check the news, but he told himself that he wasn’t going to do it
tonight.

He should be used to his life changing so quickly, but he’s not, even if it’s his own decision
this time.

He finds that he’s not actually upset by it. This time, he hopes it’s changing for the better.

“You think it’s on the Billboard Hot 100, yet?” Will whispers, and Nico glances over to see
him staring at the ceiling. They’re both supposed to be sleeping. Not that Apollo really told
them that, and not that he could really stop them, but it’s kind of expected when Nico said
he’d put off looking at the response to the album until the morning.

He didn’t anticipate how stressful it would be. A good kind of stressful, but still.

“No,” Nico whispers back, glancing away, “I doubt it’ll make it on there. Also, that updates
weekly. We wouldn’t know ‘till Tuesday.”

“I’ll bet on Top Ten.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy for you-” Will’s interrupted by a laugh and Nico throwing his arm over Will’s face.
It’s not like they have to whisper. Nico doubts that Apollo actually thought they’d sleep- all-
nighters are natural for teenagers. At least, two insomniac teenagers.

Nico rolls his eyes, letting out a small chuckle. “Shut up,” he mutters, then takes a much
comfier position with his head resting in the crook of Will’s neck. “I don’t know. I feel like- I
should be hoping for something, right? Like, I should have a goal with all this. But I don’t.
It’s just… happening.”

“Then we’ll make you a goal,” Will responds simply, “But you don’t need one. It’s just life; I
doubt that there’s a right or wrong way to release an album.” He moves his arm around and
Nico lifts his head just the slightest so that Will can hold him. “If you make it to the Top Ten,
then you owe me ten dollars. And if you don’t, then I owe you ten dollars. Either way, you
win.”

Nico scoffs, “You know all my money is just birthday money from Apollo. That’s, like,
basically your money.”

“Well, my money is Apollo’s, too. We don’t have jobs.”

“Nah, I’m a musician now. I can make a sixteenth of a cent per spotify stream.”

Will laughs, clear and bright, even though it’s the middle of the night and it’s pitch black.
Nico admires him. He doesn’t need a goal with the album - he’s got Will right next to him.
Every critic could call it the worst thing in existence, and Nico doesn’t think he’d mind that
much.

“I think it’s actually less than that, isn’t it?” Will says, letting out another giggle in between
his words, “Doesn’t apple music pay more or something?”

“No idea,” Nico laughs, “I don’t really care. You and Leo will just stream it 24/7 and then I’ll
eventually get you- what, Starbucks with it? I think that’s too expensive, actually.”

“How do musicians even become millionaires then?”

“Ask your dad,” Nico looks up, “I think it’s mainly selling CDs or vinyls… or concerts and
stuff. Or music videos- does YouTube pay more per view?”

“Ask Jason. I’ve got no clue.”

Nico hums in response. Usually, this late night talking, just being in Will’s arms, is enough to
make him at least a bit sleepy. Or sometimes, Will just falls asleep, and Nico follows soon
after. But tonight, his nerves are too high.

“Well then, I guess we’re counting on your doctor money.”

“Damn,” Will sighs sarcastically, “I was hoping I could quit and then just follow you around
tour. I love concerts.”

“How will you pay for the tickets without doctor money?”

Nico’s response is a sharp shove, and he falls into another fit of laughter. He looks up, just
barely catching Will’s fond stare before he switches to an eye roll, acting annoyed.

“Nico di Angelo, canceled for making his boyfriend pay for concert tickets. Nico di Angelo,
exposed as a horrendous boyfriend. Nico di-”
“Okay, okay,” Nico sighs, leaning up just so that Will can see his expression, “I guess I’ll
give you a discount.”

Will grins, and he only waits a few seconds before asking, “This is probably… I dunno. But,
say the album does really well and you become super famous. Do you… Would we tell
people? Like, would you want to come out?”

Nico’s smile falters just a bit, and he drops his head onto Will’s chest. He has thought about
it. And he’s not… worried about their relationship. But he’s not sure if he knows the answer
yet.

“You don’t need to answer now,” Will says immediately, because of course he knows exactly
what reassurance Nico needs. One of his hands gently strokes through Nico’s hair. “I just- I
feel like it’s something to talk about. Just… you know I’m in it for the long run, right? Like, I
don’t see myself ever breaking up with you. I don’t see us ever breaking up.”

“This a proposal, Solace?” Nico mutters into his shirt, “We’re only sixteen.”

Will freezes for a moment, shrugging slightly to make Nico sit up. He grabs Nico’s hands
and- yeah, he suddenly looks more serious.

“You know that, right?” He repeats, “Obviously it’s not a proposal. But… I’m in love with
you. I don’t care if you want to keep it a secret forever. I just… want to be with you.”

Nico’s heart melts. He knows it. Will told him back in the car on the day he ran away, despite
them not even being together yet. He knows.

But he doesn’t mind Will telling him again. He doesn’t mind it all. Because even though that
memory still plays through his head every now and then… it’s still the future. They’re still
teenagers. They’d be long distance… unless Nico moves wherever Will does, which- to be
fair, he could see himself doing that, depending on the place and whether he could afford it.

I don’t care if you want to keep it a secret forever. I just want to be with you.

And Nico wants that, too. He wants it more than anything. Will is putting it all in his hands,
letting him know that he won’t leave- no matter the circumstances, the career, the lifestyle
that he might be falling into. It’s him and Will. They’re in it for the long run.

And Will’s right. Nico doesn’t try thinking about the future a lot- he actually tries to avoid it.
It’s not that hard, because Nico’s always struggled more with getting caught up in the past.

But he could never imagine a life without Will. Now that he has it, especially, he couldn’t
bear the thought- him dating someone else? Impossible. Will in another relationship? The
thought makes him want to throw up. And a break-up? That would destroy him. Nico’s not
sure he’d survive that.

Will is it for him. And it’s something that he’s always known, something that’s lingered in the
back of his head, but he’s never put it into words- never accepted it, truly. Because a part of
him always worried that if he acknowledged it, Will would disappear.
Like Bianca.

Nico remembers thinking that it was him and her. That was all that mattered. None of the bad
luck or abuse or neglect could break them, because they had each other.

And then he lost her.

So, yes, he’s admitted he loves Will. He knows that Will is his favorite person. He’s aware
that Will was a shining beacon of light that led him out of the darkness he fell into.

And if Nico lost him, he doesn’t think he’d be able to bounce back. It kind of hurts him to
realize that he’s still hiding, still pulling up barriers that he doesn’t need. It’s unconscious so
he doesn’t notice it, even after continuously pushing down more walls to reach Will.

Well. He’s done with that. He doesn’t want it. He’s tired, so tired of hiding-

“-Nico?” Will’s voice is soft and quiet, but it manages to pull Nico out of his thoughts. Will
always does that, somehow.

He’s still holding Nico’s hands, and Nico can tell that he’s anxious, even if he can barely see
Will’s eyes in the darkness.

“Yeah,” Nico whispers, not entirely sure what he’s saying yes to. But he wants to be with
Will. For as long as he’ll have him. For as long as he can .

He just never realized that could be forever.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it now-”

“No, I do,” Nico insists, shaking his head slightly just to get his brain back to functioning. It’s
probably early in the morning already, but he’s wide awake. “I do know. And- I do want to- I
love you, too-”

Will leans up, pressing a short kiss to Nico’s lips, and gives him a reassuring smile.

Nico kisses him. Properly, this time. And he wants to keep doing it, before he realizes- he
needs to talk about this. They need to talk about this.

“I want to be with you, too,” Nico finally says, slightly breathless. He needs to put his
thoughts into words, needs to find some way to explain how he had a bit of a crisis just a few
seconds ago, along with a realization. “For the long run. I just- wait,” he pauses, giving
himself a few seconds to sort out his thoughts. Will waits.

“I think that you’re my soulmate.” A pause. He doesn’t actually believe in soulmates or fate,
so he rephrases- “You make me want to believe in soulmates. Because I can’t imagine loving
anyone the way I love you. I couldn’t.” He takes another breath, not allowing himself to look
at Will yet. “That terrifies me. Just a bit. Because I don’t think I could stand to lose you,
and… I never let myself believe that I wouldn’t. Lose you, that is. Not… us breaking up. I
just…”
Nico furrows his brows, biting the inside of his cheek.

“I… associate love with loss. They’re just connected, in my head. I didn’t let myself think
that… I could love you without losing you. That it wouldn’t end.”

Nico finally glances up, but at the second that Will seemingly realizes that Nico’s finished, he
shoots up, pulling Nico into a kiss. It’s different from the brief reassurance he gave earlier-
it’s so much more. And Nico doesn’t have all of their kisses memorized; he actually lost
count a while ago, despite his best efforts.

But, he can remember a few of them with utmost clarity - Their first kiss. New Year’s. His
birthday. Their first date. And short ones, in Will’s room, or in his car, or in the kitchen, just
because they can. Because they’re in love. And Nico couldn’t imagine it any other way.

He knows that this will be one he remembers, and a part of him wonders if it’s allowed for
him, only sixteen, to feel such strong emotions. He’s aware that high school romances are
something that only works in the movies, apparently - what did Nico ever do to deserve this?
To deserve Will?

But all his doubts and worries get drowned out by Will, who’s smiling into the kiss before
melting into it, and Nico thinks he’s said the right thing.

He’s not really sure there was a wrong thing to say, though. Wasn’t that what Will said? Nico
was stuck with him. Will would stick by him. They’d stay together.

***

#1 leo stan acc @alltoo_notwell

me just scrolling on twitter at 3 am as one does when suddenly ‘nico di angelo’ and ‘apollo’
start trending and i get flooded with notifs SO LEMME JUST SAY I DISCOVERED HIM
FIRST!! definition of an og stan here (i haven’t even listened to the album yet)

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

back on my bs - NICO DI ANGELO: a thread #nicodiangelo #haunted

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

so first appearance is the video with @jasongrace ‘s friend group in the iconic ‘day in the
life’ video, in which he’s just sitting at their lunch table. jason introduces him as nico but we
don’t learn anything else about him
[ one link attached ]

[ two images attached ]

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

after looking into it, nico also made a few appearances on leo’s instagram, but all the photos
are blurry, and there’s that one year gap where he doesn’t make any appearances (yes, i
scrolled all the way down leo’s instagram so you don’t have to)

[ four images attached ]

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

he also shows up on jason and piper’s halloween posts, and was previous tagged as
@/the_ghostking, but since then, the tag has been taken down- so he’s the only untagged
person in those photos (leo and apollo also don’t tag him)

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

that instagram, @/the_ghostking or @/the__ghostking is private with only 7 followers. the

pfp is a pic of the night sky (i think) that’s rlly blurry and dark

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

we can guess that he’s in the same grade as jason and piper, who just finished sophomore
year of hs, so nico’s probably around 16-17, but leo’s never posted about a birthday or
anything

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

then there’s three more appearances of him: first, apollo’s thanksgiving post, which has
apollo’s three children as well as leo and nico, so they’re clearly all really close (still haven’t
been able to find anything on nico’s family, BUT now i have last name so gimme a bit to put
the fbi skills to use)

[ one image attached ]

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell
nico can also (possibly??) be seen in the background of this picture (posted on piper’s
instagram story), the one in the black hoodie (because he’s the only one in the friend group
who wears black hoodies, and the hair matches up)

[ two images attached ]

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

and lastly, there’s what some people guessed, but now it’s pretty much confirmed - he’s the
person in the picture that apollo posted of his studio, but he’s cut off so we can only see a side
of his body and not his face (once again in a black hoodie) and the skull ring that’s on the
tracklist of haunted

[ four images attached ]

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

SO with apollo’s announcement post, we know that he and apollo have been working on the
album for a while, and they met when nico was in sixth grade (about five years ago). nico is
will’s best friend (apollo has one other son, austin lake, who hasn’t ever been seen w/ just
nico)

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

will be updating this as more info is found :))

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

okay now i’m listening to the album will be giving reactions bc I EXPECT A LOT FROM U
NICO

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

LKSDJF lowkey got a jumpscare from the start of that okay IS THIS ROCK?? IS APOLLO
TRANSITIONING TO ROCK MUSIC?? WTFKLSJDF

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

DAMN HE CAN SING WTF

|

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

i wanna claim my spot as the first nico di angelo and leo valdez stan @valdezinator can u
confirm that for me pls

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

i expect vip tickets to all concerts (jk, sorry for stalking you, but not sorry, ily)

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

lowkey want to sob he IS emo

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

okay on lovely now WHO IS PLAYING THE VIOLIN genius hasn’t updated lyrics and
credits yet :((

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

RENEGADES IS ABT LEO NICO AND WILL IM 100% this trio >>>

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

im so… how does one bring me to tears with the first four songs and then add best friend to
the tracklist IMD EAD

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

i absolutely need to know what is being said by will or leo or both in the outro of best friend
and also i desperately need a best friend to relate this to im opening applications

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

crying
|

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

CRYING EVEN MORE

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

okay so he just put long sleeves and motion sickness and then was like WELL time for some
pop and then added overdrive and out of the woods to put me under the illusion of listening
to a happy album THIS WAS NOT A HAPPY ALBUM

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

@valdezinator does nico di angelo have a twitter and if he doesn’t can i start a petition to get
him to make one

***

“I love you,” Will murmurs between kisses, and Nico can’t help but smile in return. He finds
that most of their kisses end this way, when they’re smiling so much that it’s all just teeth and
then laughter.

When Nico finally pulls back, he searches Will’s eyes for- what, exactly? Pity? There is none.
Nico feels less scared every time he opens up, and isn’t that something to be astonished by?

He can make his own decisions, tell as much as he wants to tell. No secrets, unless he wants
them. Because even if it takes time for Nico to explain things, Will is supportive- he always
is. Always has been.

Nico’s about to kiss him again when he remembers what they were originally talking about.
And as much as he’d like to put it off… Communication. It’s important. Will would say that,
and Nico’s pretty sure he just has innate knowledge on love and how it works.

Maybe Nico had that once. Maybe Will could help him learn it again.

“You asked me a question,” Nico says, rolling over on his side so that he can face Will- who
promptly copies his position.

Will takes a moment to think, then his eyes light up with recognition. “I did- but you don’t
have to answer that now, it’s-”
“But I should,” Nico shakes his head, “And… I don’t know. Right now, I don’t think… I
don’t want to come out. Not to people I don’t know. And- I think my main thing is school.
We still have two years left. And I don’t want to show up and have them all… know.
Y’know?”

Will nods, “I thought so, too, actually. I mean, I figured you’d at least wanna wait until we
graduate. After that, it’s up to you. I meant what I said. Take as much time as you want.”

“Would you?”

“Hm?”

“Would you come out? After you graduated. If you were me.”

Will tilts his head slightly, furrowing his brows. “I think it’s really different. And I would ask
you, anyway, because we’re dating. Not that coming out has to mean having a public
relationship, but… I feel like you’d be watched more carefully after that.”

“This is assuming I’m super famous and whatever.”

“Exactly. A what-if situation.”

“You’re thinking about checking your phone right now.”

Will groans, throwing his head back, and nods. “Yeah. But we said not tonight.”

“When does tonight end?”

“...When the sun rises?”

Nico snorts. “So are we pulling an all-nighter?”

“Do you want to?”

“Do you want to?”

“It’s not my album!”

“But you’re clearly more curious,” Nico grins. “It’s fine. I don’t think I could really sleep
anyway. But in that… very hypothetical situation - I think it’s a question for future Nico to
answer.”

He looks at Will, who’s listening carefully. Nico continues, “I feel like… so much has
changed in the past year, y’know? Not just, like, with music and living here and stuff. But
also coming out to Piper… and I just don’t know how I’ll feel about it when we eventually
graduate. So, for now…”

“We keep it private,” Will finishes, “I’d like that.”

“Really?”
“What?”

Nico shrugs, “I don’t know, I just… I kinda figured you were just doing it for me.”

“Oh, I would,” Will says immediately, “But…the internet sucks sometimes, y’know? I mean,
Dad tried to keep me out of it all for a while, especially after… Mom. But I still see stuff
online sometimes and I remember how invasive it all is. And… we’ve only been together for
half a year. I don’t think it’d break us up, but…”

“But it’d still be horrible,” Nico nods. “Yeah. That, too. So, we’ll just talk about it again after
graduation?”

“After graduation.”

***

Nico di Angelo Review: ‘haunted’

Updated on June 19, 2016 10:02AM EDT

[ one image attached ]

Apollo , pop legend of the 2000’s released a surprise album last night with no warning until
the announcement, over an hour after the album was released. The biggest surprise of it? It
wasn’t his album!

There’s no trace of Nico di Angelo before this album, but we listened to it anyway to let you
know what we think - is its placement on the charts and immediate popularity simply because
of Apollo’s name, or is it actually worth the listen?

One thing to note is that usually, albums are created by a large team of people - producers,
engineers, co-writers, etc. However, the credits and copyrights of this album name only two
people: Apollo and Nico di Angelo. Based on this and the caption on Apollo’s post , it’s
implied that the album was simply a project between the two of them, no labels or
management involved, which is a far cry from how Apollo used to work.

Well, everyone who listens to Apollo is probably immediately surprised by the opening and
title track of the album, “haunted”. It starts with heavy drums and a violin, giving us an initial
shock. Is this a rock album?

Even though it isn’t, “haunted” does its job as an opening track. Not only do we hear
Apollo’s versatility as a producer, we also get a taste of who Nico di Angelo is; the song is
solely written by him. It talks about the loss of someone important, perhaps a breakup, and
begging for them to not leave. What stands out the most, however, is definitely his vocals,
and the electric guitar solo towards the end. It certainly got me excited to hear the next track,
and find out where the album was heading, especially because it immediately differentiated
di Angelo from Apollo.

After the opening track, di Angelo goes a bit back and forth between “i know it won’t work”,
“till forever falls apart”, and “lovely”, showing his range as both a vocalist and lyricist. While
“i know it won’t work” is co-written by both di Angelo and Apollo, the other two are also
written solely by di Angelo. The three songs also vary greatly in vocal range, from strong
belting to a soft and fragile timbre.

From there, the album seems to take a break from sad songs and darker themes, piling
together three songs about friendship: “renegades”, “best friend”, and “team”. From Apollo’s
caption on the album’s announcement post, we can even guess that “best friend” was written
by di Angelo about Apollo’s eldest son, Will Solace, as they’ve been friends since the sixth
grade.

The next four songs are co-written by Apollo and di Angelo, but there are a variety of
parallels between these songs and the music off of Apollo’s fourth and final album.
“labyrinth” and “gold rush” both seem to depict a longing for a relationship, while “difficult”
turns to self-hatred and doubt. They’re all a bit quieter, except for “the very first night”,
which is probably the most Apollo song on the album. It’s clearly pop music at its core.

As the album was starting to look more upbeat, “long sleeves” and “motion sickness” turned
it straight around. “long sleeves” seems to be about leaving a toxic relationship or home,
while “motion sickness” is about the emotional aftermath and dealing with the fallout. Both
songs were written by di Angelo, and his voice throughout them makes the songs even more
emotional.

Still, the last two songs, “overdrive” and “out of the woods” pull us right out, both with a
catchy chorus and upbeat pop production.

The album showcases some features of Apollo’s past music, but it is clearly di Angelo’s work
and influence in both production and lyrics. Looking past Apollo’s name on the credits, we
heard an incredible debut album and an artist who clearly has more of a story to tell. The
lyrics are descriptive and at times heartwrenching, something that was mostly missed with
Apollo’s previous catchy music. haunted shows a much more vulnerable and personal side of
music, but can still be easily listened to.

So, is the album worth it? Looking at the songs individually, we could group them together
into specific stories and genres, but the album itself seems to be exactly what Apollo
described it to be - a project between the two of them that was heavy in both musical and
emotional growth. With the talent that di Angelo is showcasing in haunted, it wouldn’t be a
stretch to see Nico di Angelo move forward in the industry, with or without Apollo’s name
attached.

More Like This

APOLLO Reveals Connection To Nico di Angelo

 Who Is Nico di Angelo?

APOLLO Returns To The Music Industry By Producing A New Album

Does APOLLO’s Recent Post Mean New Music?

***

lou ellen !! @sapphowasawitch

APOLLO ALBUM??? not saying i manifested it but…🕯

lou ellen !! @sapphowasawitch

will be streaming reaction to #haunted by #nicodiangelo tmrw !!!

Chapter End Notes

well. WELL. WELL!!!!!

i heard castles crumbling and right where you left me LIVE two days ago. i am not
okay!!! i will never reach the kind of happiness that i had on friday!!! i have hit my peak
in life!!!!!
DO Y'ALL REMEMBER ME?? LIKE TWO AUTHOR'S NOTES AGO??? SAYING
THAT CASTLES CRUMBLING WAS MY FAV SN VAULT TRACK???? I AM
LITERALLY DYING I KNEW IT BEFORE SHE STARTED SINGING AND I
CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I WAS PART OF THE CROWD TO HEAR THAT FOR
THE FIRST TIME.
i also tailgated on saturday! i didn't get a good view at all bc they blocked off the road to
the parking lot :/ but i was able to hear pretty quickly and i got a GORGEOUS view of
the fireworks!! i also watched barbie on the same night so like... basically single-
handedly balancing the economy by watching eras and barbie in one weekend!! *plays
the man on repeat*
i ALSO heard no body no crime and long live live!! which is!! insane!! ohmygod!!! and
i could SEE HER. fun fact i am very very short. i was very terrified that i wasn't going
to be able to see anything bc i was row nine even tho i wore platform boots. but!!! the
view was so incredible i can't get over it. honestly the best night of my life <3
i also cried twice bc of social anxiety... i got to see GRACIE ABRAMS LIVE. but the
security working at levi's stadium was honestly so rude. i was pushed back into my seat
when trying to get to the front when gracie came by (the stadium was halfempty. there
were two girls standing there. literally no one else.) and then during the show i was
hoping that i could see her but i was on the opposite side of the tent, when i got there the
lady yelled at me to leave (i wasn't even in view of gracie, just before the section by the
tent) and so i cried during no body no crime but!! it's okay!! i got to hear her and that's
all that matters, she is quite literally my second fav artist ever (can you tell by my
playlist?) so... overall got some very high highs and some lows but focusing on the highs
because it's so incredible that i got to be there in the first place <3

and then moving on to the chapter: this was nearly a day late! i have never missed a day
with this fic which is kinda crazy BUT it's NOT late bc it's still 10 pm pst (my time)...
apologies to ppl who didn't get this chapter on a sunday :/ i spent pretty much all of
today driving home and then cleaning my room bc i left it as a MESS and i cannot
function with a messy room - and then i had to edit this chapter/proofread it one last
time but!! this is essentially just soft solangelo and some extra reviews of the album :)

i do NOT claim to be a journalist. if you ARE a journalist.... ignore my shitty writing

okay i cannot do this and i'm not gonna pretend that i can... i read a few articles of
albums but! i simply do not have that skill. i rewrote this a few times and fought with
myself over "is it realistic??" "who the fuck cares it's YOUR fic" "but is it realistic...."
anyway. it might not be realistic but at the same time i think it is! we'll see more of how
the album progresses in the next chapter, but the truth is esp with social media, music
can blow up SO quickly. so i don't doubt it.. especially if apollo is such a big name as i
have made him seem like (i don't have a person to compare him to bc i have zero pop
culture knowledge pre-2017 BUT just take my word for it)

can u tell i just love soft solangelo. i love them so much. like so so so so much. they
deserve everything good in life and I WILL GIVE IT TO THEM!!! (after a bit of angst
eventually...not yet y'all are in the clear for now dw) if you didn't know i'm currently
writing two fame au's at the same time (the other is a jegulus reputation au) and i keep
getting whiplash from the differences - like THEY ARE LITERAL OPPOSITES AND
ITS HILARIOUS. my marauders era characters need to learn a bit from nico and will....
as nico said, 'communication. it's important.' YA HEAR THAT WOLFSTAR AND
JEGULUS???? jk i love writing them struggle as well it's hilarious

and... lou ellen?? hmm???? whaaaat?? very excited to bring more characters into this
overtime... including lou ellen and alltoo_notwell who is an absolute icon as always!

and last thing! this fic has 8K HITS???? y'all are the best. i love you guys so much and i
LIVE for ur comments (ik i say that every time but IT'S TRUE) AND!! two lovely ppl
made fanart for the album which is the best thing ever. anyway this fic has just such a
special place in my heart so i'm so glad that you guys love it as much as i do <3
 that green light, i want it
Chapter Notes

ch title from "green light" by lorde

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Playing: listening to HAUNTED by NICO DI ANGELO streamed by sapphowasawitch ✔

[A teenage girl with bright purple hair, brown roots grown out, is adjusting the camera. The
background is cluttered with various objects - posters all over the wall, a desk with books and
a record player on it, and some vinyls on shelves. The girl messes with the lighting for a few
seconds before it’s just right, and she sits back down, clicking something with a mouse.]

Lou Ellen: It is way earlier than my usual stream time, but oh my god? I can’t believe this is
happening right now-

[She pauses for a few minutes, greeting viewers and tampering one last time with the
lighting.]

Lou Ellen: Which is why the lighting is so stupid- I’m not used to streaming in daylight.
Anyway. Nico di Angelo? Who is he? Because this is crazy. I was waiting for Genius to put
up the lyrics but I was going to record today, lyrics or not.

Lou Ellen: I mean, I did have a vlog that was gonna go up tomorrow- guess it’s two posts this
week! But, as I was saying, it’s kinda insane that you were all forcing me to listen to Apollo’s
music, and now there’s a new album, right? Like, after twelve years?

Lou Ellen: So, the album’s called haunted. It’s by Nico di Angelo, who I’ve never heard
about. Wait- oh, that’s the guy on Apollo’s instagram post! Right? The one a few weeks ago.

[She looks through the comments, nodding absently before turning back to the computer.]

Lou Ellen: Okay, someone’s saying to look him up on twitter because there’s no, like, actual
info about him yet, just fan stuff. Which, to be fair, I trust way more than wikipedia. But
anyway, I guess we’ll do a bit of stalking after listening to the album. I’m just pulling up the
lyrics right now- haunted, title track, got it.

Lou Ellen: Also, Cecil says that he’s already listened to it- which is not cool, ‘kay? So not
cool. I’m the one with the YouTube channel-! Yeah, I know, right? Cecil, get out of the chat.
He doesn’t even listen to music, just podcasts. It’s crazy.

Lou Ellen: Oh, lots of new people here- Cecil’s my friend, and also my worst enemy, and an
absolute idiot. Ignore everything he says in the chat.
[Lou Ellen pulls her headphones over her ears, and the stream is immediately blasted with
loud drums, the beginning of haunted. Lou Ellen quickly moves forward to lower the
volume, then pauses.]

Lou Ellen: Fuck! Okay, wait- god, that was my bad. Shouldn’t have had it on full volume. I
think I’ve burst some of my ear drums- Cecil, you told me the first song was quiet!

Lou Ellen: Mhm. Fuck you, but okay, we’re gonna start that again- but I swear, if Apollo’s
switching genres- or, what, I don’t know, I just heard drums, and, like, violin. I mean, I
fucking loved his original albums, but it’d be sick to hear some other stuff.

[The song starts from the beginning again, this time at a slightly lower volume.]

Lou Ellen: Honestly… I could probably see this at the top of my spotify wrapped this year.
No joke. Also Nico? Dude, the vocals, the production, everything- Is this his debut?

[She waits a few seconds, answers being given in the comments.]

Lou Ellen: There’s no way there was a single and I didn’t know… I mean, yeah, maybe
without Apollo?

Can’t turn back now, I’m haunted

Lou Ellen: Ohh fuck, the guitar. That was amazing. But it’s his debut? That’s crazy, oh my
god. Honestly, that’s just some insane kinda luck that he met Apollo and all that. Could you
imagine?

Can’t breathe whenever you’re gone / Can’t go back, I’m haunted

Lou Ellen: Damn. Watch this song be on the Billboard Hot 100 for sure. Wait, does he even
have a website? Because I can’t find anything.

Lou Ellen: Honestly, I don’t know if the other songs could beat that? But consider me a fan
already.

Lou Ellen: Next song is i know it won’t work …

***

“Shh not yet,” Nico says, rolling his eyes, but Will has already opened his phone.

“The weather app literally says that the sunrise is 5:41. It’s 5:42!”

“Okay, but does the sun look like it’s up?”

Will scoffs, “Yes, it does.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“It definitely does- I’m checking spotify streams first.”

“Go for it.”

Will rolls his eyes at the sarcastic tone, but he grins anyway. They had tried to fall asleep for
a bit, but it didn’t work. Instead, they anxiously awaited the sunrise, because Nico is nothing
if not spiteful, and he said that he wouldn’t check anything on the day of the release. Though,
to be fair, it had been released at midnight, making today the day that it was released-

Nico isn’t going to think about the details. Will gasps, and Nico guesses that he’s opened
spotify. He knows enough about Will’s mannerisms to know that it’s an excited gasp - but
again, he really doesn’t know what he’s hoping for. Around 10,000 streams is probably his
guess, most of them just from the first song and solely by die-hard Apollo fans, and it’s only
been five hours since the album was released, and four since Apollo announced it. He
guesses that a majority of fans would still be asleep when it was announced, and as the day
passes, more fans of Apollo will listen, and then ignore.

“Nico,” Will says, his eyes wide. He flips around his phone and practically shoves it in
Nico’s hands.

He nearly drops it.

At the top is the banner, which is the same black and white picture of the sky that he had
taken ages ago, and also made his instagram profile picture because Leo refused to let him
make it plain black. He had just lowered the saturation, even if it was so dark you could
barely see the color in the first place.

Under that is Nico di Angelo. Then, 0 monthly listeners.

Which is funny, because under the follow button (which is pressed and says following,
because it’s Will’s phone) is Popular, and his top five tracks.

1 haunted 266,102

2 i know it won’t work 167,899

3 till forever falls apart 161,349

4 long sleeves 149,856

5 out of the woods 147,473

It’s only been five hours. Closer to six.

He expected haunted to have the most streams, obviously. It made sense for people to click
on the first song on the album. He also expected a pretty big gap between haunted and the
second track, i know it won’t work.
But he had expected, at most, maybe 50,000 streams on haunted. Having Apollo post the
album to his account would send people running - though, maybe he had underestimated it,
seeing as Apollo has over nine million followers. Still, Nico had guessed that most were
sleeping or just wouldn’t bother to check it out. After all, it wasn’t Apollo singing.

Nico was wrong.

Will grabs Nico’s phone from the side of the bed as Nico continues to stare at the phone.
Another thing he hadn’t expected - out of all of the tracks, he had expected his most popular
tracks to just be in order, going from the first track to the fifth.

He can’t see the number of streams on his phone, so he’ll check the computer later and see if,
out of all of the fifteen songs, long sleeves is actually the fourth most listened to. That seems
absurd.

And then out of the woods - the very last track on the album. Honestly, Nico barely expected
anyone to make it that far, maybe a few thousand streams at most. But it's over 100,000.

And it’s only been six hours.

“When do the spotify charts get updated?” Will asks, eyebrows furrowed, “Is it like the
Billboard stuff?”

Nico blinks. “Yeah, but it’s daily, I think. Nothing will be on there because it was released at
midnight.” Not that Nico would think anything of his would end up there in the first place,
but now he’s not so sure.

Will nods in response, and continues scrolling through Nico’s phone (he’s known the
password, Bianca’s birthday, for years) while Nico stares at Will’s phone, trying to make
sense of it all.

His mind comes up blank, except for what the fuck?

“You’ve got articles,” Will says, a grin forming, “Like, a lot of them.”

“Seriously?”

Will hums in response, “Give me my phone, I wanna check Twitter.”

Nico gives it to him, and he decides to click on the first article that came up after Will
searched nico di angelo: APOLLO Reveals Connection To Nico di Angelo. He’s not entirely
sure why every article about Apollo writes his name in all-caps, but assumes it has to do with
him just using one name. He’s never asked.

The article goes on to cite twitter threads (the one person that Leo befriended, and a few other
extreme fans of Apollo) before summarizing and quoting Apollo’s caption on his
announcement post.

It’s short and it’s boring. He goes back and moves to the next one. Who is Nico di Angelo?
The article doesn’t actually know. He reads it, finds another few twitter threads and Apollo’s
instagram post linked, but there’s no actual information. It doesn’t even seem like the person
listened to the album.

To be fair, it’s only been a few hours, and it’s way too early in the morning for anyone (who
lives in the US) to have shown up to work, listened to an album, and written an article
already. He guesses that somebody will eventually get to it later today, or some other time
that week.

“You’re trending,” Will says, finally looking up from his phone, “Both haunted and Nico di
Angelo. Leo’s so going to force you to make a Twitter account.”

Nico scoffs and rolls his eyes, but he knows that Will is right. And the strangest thing? He
doesn’t even mind.

***

Will and Nico take the car to pick up Leo at nine in the morning. They’ve already been up all
night, and Leo’s been blowing up their phone (30% articles that he’s found or screenshots of
nice and/or funny posts, 70% begging Nico to make a twitter account).

Apollo hadn’t said anything about it at breakfast, seeing as Kayla, Austin, and Will spent the
entire time talking over one another - Kayla about the fame, Will about Nico, and Austin
about the music.

But after, Apollo had pulled Nico to the side and hugged him. He didn’t say anything, but
when he pulled back, the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.

Nico thinks that maybe, just maybe , writing and releasing his music had helped Apollo just
as much as it had helped Nico. Maybe, after all those years in the industry, being burnt out
and exploited, haunted had been Apollo’s opportunity to express himself for the first time as
well. Maybe it had helped him move on from his past.

The more he thinks about it, the more he knows for sure that he doesn’t regret it.

They had agreed that the first day would be only observing, but honestly, Nico doesn’t think
he wants to wait until tomorrow. He’s seen the general reaction: it’s positive.

Jason and Piper have also been spamming the group chat with thoughts on the album (despite
already hearing it). Piper posted it to her Instagram story, but Jason doesn’t actually use his
accounts (he has a publicist with access to all of them), so he doesn’t.

Percy fucking Jackson also posted it. Nico doesn’t follow him (but he probably should,
because they’re kind of friends now), but Leo sent a screenshot of the story, which just had a
few exclamation marks as a caption.
So, yeah, Nico’s kind of living in a dream right now. None of it seems real. At some point
throughout his sophomore year of high school, he must have stepped into some kind of
alternate reality where everything went his way, and now he’s just riding the high.

(He didn’t, though. This is real. All of it.)

Will is blasting haunted through the speakers, and Nico has somehow grown accustomed to
hearing his own voice so much over the past few months. He’s still not entirely a fan of it, but
it’s worth it to hear Will belt along. He’s already memorized all of the lyrics.

Leo comes running out the door as soon as Will pulls into the driveway, not wasting any time
when he gets into the car. Nico tries to convince him otherwise, at least at first, but he
eventually gives in, tossing his phone back to Leo and allowing him to make a twitter
account as long as the username is not the ghost king or anything related to it.

***

nico @nicodiangelo_23

@Twitter stop deleting my accounts i swear i’m real

HAUNTED???? @alltoo_notwell

@valdezinator does nico di angelo have a twitter and if he doesn’t can i start a petition to get
him to make one

LEOOOO @valdezinator

WROKING ON IT

LEOOOO @valdezinator

working*

LEOOOO @valdezinator

TWITTER KEEPS DELETING HIS ACCUOUNTS FOR IMPRESOATING LMAO

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_132823

i was forced to make this

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_132823

omG i have a checkmark hahah @valdezinator

LEOOOO @valdezinator

WOWWWW

***

They ended up having to ask Apollo for help so that Nico could actually verify his identity
and let him use his actual name in his account. He probably should have made the account
before releasing the album, but he’s not going to say that now.

While he’s at it with the identity verification, he changes his instagram username as well. It’s
a big change, because it feels like commitment, somehow.

He keeps taking it one step at a time. One day. One week. It’s the only way to keep his head
on his shoulders and not floating up to space.

First, recording music. He’s done that. Honestly, that was the biggest hurdle. Everything just
started to fall into place after that.

Second, releasing said music. Again, another large step, but Nico’s done it, and he can’t say
he regrets it. Not one bit.

Third, social media. It’s not necessary for personal growth, but it is necessary for his friends.
And he even finds it fun to mess around, especially because the album drop essentially threw
the internet into chaos. Nico thinks that that’s his greatest accomplishment.

Fourth - this is where things start getting tricky. For a normal person, selling physical copies
of their music is usually combined with releasing the music on streaming platforms. The
fourth step for those people would probably be to release some kind of merch or do some
interviews (if they had that big of a platform, which most indie artists didn’t - especially on a
debut album).

But Nico never bothered to prepare physical copies of the album except for that one CD. So,
logically, that would be the next step, wouldn’t it?
He can tell himself that, really, it’s just for Will and his ever-growing vinyl collection.

And, obviously, to sell stuff, a person would need a website. So that’s fifth. Or forth, seeing
as he can’t sell CDs and vinyls without having a website, could he?

He decides to ignore whatever list he was coming up with in his head, because the reality is
that Nico is doing absolutely nothing for this album release in order. He’s pretty sure that if a
manager or publicist saw what Nico’s thought process was right now, they would quit on the
spot.

But Apollo, much like Nico, isn’t too worried by this. There’s a method to their madness, and
it’s simply doing things at the pace that they feel comfortable in. There’s no rush or deadline.
Just music.

So, Apollo gets started on the website, and Nico makes his Instagram account public, despite
not posting anything on it. It’s not like it really mattered in the first place, did it? There was
nothing there. It was just for comfort, and now he’s comfortable with it being public.

His instagram crashes. He physically can’t open the app for six minutes, and he spends all six
minutes laughing into Will’s shoulder.

***

June 19th, One Day After Release

Nico di Angelo | 549,327 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 1,001,392

Emma @wolf_star2791

@nicodiangelo_ HOW DID YOU MEET APOLLO??

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

i was adopted by extorverts in 6th grade

dev @calyg.ocat

so who even is nico di angelo??? im so confused

|

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

idk same

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

um. what.

[ one image attached: a picture of spotify open on a computer, showing the numbers of
streams on ‘haunted’ ]

***

[ An Instagram Story: From the backseat, showing Nico in the passenger seat and Will
driving. Nico is fumbling with the radio, and the camera is shaky.

Nico: I don’t even think-

He switches stations one more time, and then ‘haunted’ is blasted through the speakers. Leo
lets out a whoop of excitement. Nico turns around, his eyes widening slightly when he sees
the phone on him. His eyes narrow.

Nico: Leo-

Leo: It’s you!

Nico: I-

He turns around to try and switch the station, but Will slaps his hand off the controls.

Will: No, it’s my favorite song.

Leo: That one’s not your-

Will: I said it’s my favorite song!

Nico bursts out laughing, shaking his head.

Nico: Right, right, Leo-

Leo: Say hi to your fans!

Nico: I don’t have-

 The video ends abruptly.

User tagged: @nicodiangelo ]

***

June 20th, Two Days After Release

Nico di Angelo | 842,188 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 1,530,197

People ✔ @people

Nico di Angelo’s Debut Album: A Successful Surprise Drop

[ one link attached ]

Variety ✔ @Variety

#nicodiangelo appeared out of nowhere to drop his debut album, simultaneously bringing
APOLLO out of hiding and climbing charts.

[ one link attached ]

Los Angeles Times ✔ @latimes

Apollo makes a comeback in #haunted . Read our review of #nicodiangelo ’s debut album.

[ one link attached ]

***

“You know,” Apollo says, “My inbox is full of people asking for interviews.”

“Of you?”
“No, of you.”

Nico scrunches his nose in confusion. “How do they even have your email?”

“It’s the one for business inquiries. Do you want to do one?”

Does he want to?

“No,” Nico shakes his head and returns his focus to the computer. “Not yet, at least.”

And that’s that.

***

June 21st, Three Days After Release

Nico di Angelo | 1,298,297 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 1,981,439

[ Image One: The ‘haunted’ album cover. ]

[ Image Two: A blurry selfie of Nico di Angelo and Apollo in the studio. The saturation is
lowered, so it’s also black and white. ]

[ Image Three: A screenshot of ‘haunted’ (the song) at the top of Spotify’s ‘Today’s Top Hits’
playlist. ]

[ Image Four: A screenshot of Billboard’s Hot 100, with ‘haunted’ (the album) at No. 56. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ what even is my life rn

***

June 23rd, Five Days After Release

Nico di Angelo | 1,538,742 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 2,438,538
 [ Image One: A picture of the ‘haunted’ vinyl on a bed. ]

[ Image Two: The same vinyl, flipped over to see the back. It’s a drawing showing a window
of a rainy day with a candle on the windowsill, all black and white. ]

[ Image Three: A picture of Nico holding the vinyl out in front of his face. He’s sitting cross-
legged on a piano bench. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ !!!

[ Image: A picture of Nico holding the vinyl out in front of his face. He’s sitting cross-legged
on a piano bench. User tagged: @nicodiangelo ]

apollo ✔ For an album we decided to make on a whim, you’ve shown it so much love. Pre-
order Haunted now!

***

nicodiangelo ✔ shit i knew i frogot to mention smth in my post

apollo ✔ …You didn’t even mention the album. It’s just !!!

nicodiangelo ✔ captions make me anxious

f4everac_ So Apollo’s basically just Nico’s publicity now

miss.grace_ i mean this is his first project in a rlly long time so it makes sense

f4everac_ Yeah but it’s just weird. Where did Nico even come from?

musin_gss Obsessed with haunted. So glad he’s back!!

valdezinator i feel kind of offended that you’ve made a black and white album in JUNE

nicodiangelo ✔ should i have waited until july 7?

valdezinator NICO

***

June 25th, One Week After Release

 Nico di Angelo | 2,593,842 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 4,239,534

<333 @cait2sw

what happened to the ghost king???

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

we don’t talk abt the ghost king

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

Just the way that I’ve never heard of Nico di Angelo before last week but now I need to hunt
down the person who broke his heart and led to writing Haunted

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

they’re already dead. do u know what haunting means?

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

I DIDNT MURDER ANOYNE IM ONLY 16

LEOOOO @valdezinator

excseu you i could totaly murder somoene

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

i’ll help you hide the body

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

#haunted is 100% going to be at the top of my spotify wrapped i know it specifically long
sleeves i’ve been listening to it on REPEAT

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

have u considered therapy

c @celes_angel

i just think that the way nico di angelo came out of nowhere with a retired popstar and has
now been trending for a week is iconic. that’s all

ash @fr.3290dea

Is it him though?? Or like, just Apollo. Idk it’s strange that he just happened to be friends
with Apollo’s son AND want a career in music…

c @celes_angel

didnt apollo literally say they met in sixth grade? idk that seems a bit early to be like planning
his career like that. i think it was just luck

motherfucker @di34y0u

Sorry but who is Apollo? Like, the greek god? What does he have to do with the masterpiece
#haunted ?

haunted ! @musing_sss

oh god i feel old now

REMEMBER WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES TOO SOON @wronghuntress

i NEED to hear out of the woods from #haunted live. i feel like that would change my life.
HAUNTED TOUR WHEN??

|
nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

um let me graduate high school first then i’ll get back to you

Percy ✔ @PercyJackson

Kind of offended that you didn’t tell me you were going to release an album
@nicodiangelo_

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

i didn’t know i was relaesing an album until like a week before

Percy ✔ @PercyJackson

How…

piper mclean ✔ @pipermclean

HE LITERALLY ONLY TOLD US AN HOUR BEFORE IT DROPPED. HE DIDNT EVEN

TELL US HE KNEW HOW TO PLAY GUITAR UNTIL WED BEEN FRIENDS FOR LIKE
A YEAR

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

you never asked?? and it was like 2 months i met u in september😭

***

June 28th, Ten Days After Release

Nico di Angelo | 4,193,934 Monthly Listeners

1 haunted 10,940,233
Nico throws his phone to the side when Will walks into the room, hair still wet from his
shower. They (including Leo, before he was driven back to his foster parents’ by Apollo) had
all gone swimming earlier, and despite not much changing between them as friends, it still
brought a sense of normalcy that Nico missed.

He flops back onto the bed dramatically. Will laughs. It’s so, so simple, and it lets Nico fall
into the illusion that everything else in his life is also simple.

It’s not. But he’s okay with that. Some things are difficult, but they’re also worth it.

“What were you reading?” Will mutters as he practically throws himself on Nico before
rolling to the side. Nico’s laughing, and he feels the leftover anxiety from earlier in the day.

The Billboard Hot 100 had released again, and haunted (the song) had made it. In 93rd place,
sure, but Nico can hardly believe that it's there in the first place. With the presale for the
vinyls and CD’s, it all counted towards the actual album sales, and that makes it place higher.
Not to mention the fact that it was also played on the radio now, with the title track basically
being upgraded to single status, and that the streams kept climbing.

“You owe me ten dollars,” is all Nico says.

The last few days specifically made the biggest change. The album’s streams went above
Apollo’s follower count, and though Nico avoided social media except for just a few hours,
the album just kept growing. People kept talking about it.

Nico thinks that that’s the craziest part.

So, obviously, when the album first broke ten million streams (which happened much quicker
than expected), Apollo and Nico talked about it. There were a lot of different approaches to
promoting the album, if that was what they wanted to do.

The truth is that Nico isn’t entirely sure that he has what it takes. He’s gotten over a good
portion of his fear regarding the actual music - being too vulnerable? He can just say it’s
fictional. Who’s really going to know? Being a shitty singer? Well, millions of people
disagree. That’s kind of hard to argue against. Not being a good songwriter? Critics have
reviewed the album. Sure, not everything is completely positive and supportive, but there’s a
good amount that says the opposite.

But being a celebrity is different. Nico has a dry sense of humor. He doesn’t speak much.
He’s socially awkward. He gets way more stressed about pressing the post button than pretty
much anyone else he knows.

Still, he takes it one step at a time. He focuses on responding to people who mention him
rather than posting his own thoughts. He keeps his captions simple (sometimes too simple),
but it’s okay, because that’s what Apollo’s there for. And if he messes up a few times, can
anyone really blame him?

They can, but no one who matters will. That’s what he reminds himself. That’s what’s
important.
 “Percy Jackson asked why I didn’t tell him about the album,” Nico responds once the
laughter dies down, and he buries his face in Will’s neck. “How would he expect that? I don’t
even have his number!”

“Should I be jealous?”

Nico punches Will’s shoulder half-heartedly. He’s grinning.

“You know better.”

Will leans back before pecking Nico on the lips, then shifting to get more comfortable. “Yes,
I do.”

It’s moments like these that anchor Nico to the world. He doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s so
easy to get caught up in it all - especially without school, just spending all day in the studio,
working on anything and everything. Nico’s always been obsessive, whether that was with a
show or his studies. He never expected to get obsessed with the album, writing, singing in
general, but here he is.

However, he also knows just how easily that relationship with the internet and the industry
can break. He’s seen it and he’s heard of it. He knows that despite his obsession and passion,
he’s cautious above everything else. He’ll keep his distance from it, and Will gives him that
safe corner that he can always rely on.

The fact that he’s the love of Nico’s life also helps. Nico loves what he’s been doing in the
studio, but none of it would be worth it if he couldn’t also come back to Will’s arms at the
end of the day.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Will says quietly. Nico glances up. “I don’t think I’ve said
that yet.”

He hasn’t, but Nico knows. He responds by kissing Will, letting the world that he’s just
entered fade away into the distance. He loves music, but he loves Will more.

Chapter End Notes

TAYLOR??? WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? THESE REPEATS?? HUH??? IM SO

CONFUSEDLKSAFD she repeated MY song (our song, vegas n1) which is just a tad
bit devastating. she didn't mess it up so WHAT. anyway we also lost you are in love.
which, i'm, yk, obsessed with. wow. AND I CAN SEE YOU?? THEN MAROON AND
DBATC AND YOYOK?? WHAT IS HAPPENINGGG
personally, i'm a rep tv next type of person, but honestly i have no idea what she's gonna
do. maybe debut tv just to throw us all off. im TERRIFIED. if nothing happens on 8/8 or
8/9.... idekLKSDF
SO. A LOT HAPPENED THIS CHAPTER (sorry i've been updating so late, this ch
made me anxious bc of all the spotify numbers and i'm like ahglaksdf what is realistic
and what is a bit over the top, i changed them like 6 times)

LOU ELLEN!!! unfortunately, she's not here a lot. but she WILL enter and be a bigger
character in the sequel which im SO excited to get to. as u can see, she's just kinda a
streamer/youtuber. mainly an artist, but she also does like music reactions and whatnot.
while writing i was kinda imagining hthaze tbh but she does more other stuff which we'll
eventually get toooo
THEN. y'all love the twitter threads. I LOVE THEM TOO. i was SO excited to get nico
a twitter acc and get him on there bc i'm sorry he's just hilarious. if u didn't notice, at
first it was nicodiangelo_23 (hehe will's birthday), then that acc got suspended and he
made nicodiangelo_132823 (13 bc will's a swifte, 28 nico's birthday, 23 will's birthday)
which did NOT get deleted and then he got to change his user back to nicodiangelo. bc
lets be real everyone would be pretending to be him esp with it trending
and solangelo <33 my babies <33 i love them so much <33

thank u for reading!! and commenting!! i love u guys!!! i also have less than two weeks
till school and am terrified!!! but i am desparately hoping i wont have to change my
update schedule!!! see you next sunday!!!! :)
 the city sings 'em back to you
Chapter Notes

ch title from "green light" (again) by lorde

tw for some mentions of past transphobia/implied abuse, very vague

See the end of the chapter for more notes

They’re sitting in a Starbucks with Jason and Piper when it happens for the first time. It’s
Leo’s birthday. They’re not celebrating, but they’re all aware of it. But if Leo doesn’t want to
bring it up (which he never does), then they won’t. It’s just a casual, completely normal
hangout with friends. June has passed, and they’re now at the part of summer where (most)
people say that they kind of miss school.

Nico doesn’t, of course, but his summer has been a bit more hectic than most.

The barista calls out Will’s name, because he, as one of the two resident unrecognizable
extroverts, volunteered to order the drinks this time. A group of girls enter the coffee shop at
the same time.

Piper decides to help Will carry the drinks to their small table, and that’s who they notice.
Nico watches it all unfold from his seat: One of the girls, short, dyed-blonde hair, gasps
quietly, and nudges the other two, who were focused on a phone. Will and Piper make their
way to the table, and Nico glances away just so that the girls don’t notice him looking.

Jason and Leo don’t notice, of course, because they’re too busy arguing about whether math
is blue or red. Nico always thought it was green, but he’s not about to interrupt their
bickering.

“You’re both wrong,” Piper says as she sets the drinks down and then takes her seat next to
Jason. “Math doesn’t even deserve a color.”

Leo’s jaw drops, then he shakes his head. “That’s just offensive. Just because none of you can
appreciate it-”

“Hey, what about me?”

“Will, you agree with me. Math is red.”

“Sure.”

“See-”

“He said sure, that doesn’t mean-”

There’s a sound that’s somewhere in the middle of um and hi and clearing one’s throat. Nico
pretends that this is the first time he notices them.

“Hi,” says the girl on the left, the one who had noticed them in the first place, “I-” her eyes
wander across the table and Nico sees the moment that she recognizes Jason as well. They
really hit the jackpot with their coffee run.

It’s not the first time that Jason and Piper have been recognized while hanging out with Leo,
Will, and Nico, so he’s almost kind of used to it. He’s accepted that every time they go out in
public, at least one person will stop them, and Will usually ends up offering to be a
photographer and take their picture together, and then they move on with their day.

Nico turns his focus to his drink, taking the straw and scooping up some of the whipped
cream. He’s tuning out pretty much all of what the girls are saying - something about being
so excited that he was casted in something (probably a book-to-movie adaptation if Nico is
guessing), and then Jason replying with something else that Nico doesn’t pay attention to,
then Piper saying something, and then -

“-Nico di Angelo?”

Nico’s head snaps up so abruptly that he nearly flings whipped cream over at Jason’s face. He
hasn’t realized it, but it’s been so long since he’s heard his last name. It’s not like anyone he
talks to uses it. He’s been seeing it all over everything, but there’s something so surreal about
someone else saying it, someone who he’s never even met before.

“Huh?” He blinks before looking at the girls, and he sincerely hopes that he doesn’t have
whipped cream on his face. God, that would be embarrassing. Will would tell him that,
though, right?

“Oh my god, it is,” the girl in the middle says - did they introduce themselves? Nico really
hopes not because if he didn’t remember, that would be rude - “This is so crazy.”

She could say that again. Nico glances at the other side of the table, where Piper looks like
she’s refraining from laughing, and Leo is grinning like a maniac. He’s sure that Will looks
similar.

“...Hi?” He doesn’t mean for it to come out like a question, and he really hopes that it doesn’t
sound rude or impatient, but he’s never been the absolute best at tone. How the hell do Piper
and Jason do this? They always act so casual. They strike up a small conversation, take a
photo, then move on.

Even though Nico mentally prepared for pretty much any reaction of haunted (mostly the bad
ones), he is absolutely not prepared for someone recognizing him and talking to him in
public. God, he had been chased by paparazzi with Piper a few months ago - why did that
seem easier than this?

“Hi!” the girl on the right says, and she looks happy so Nico better not ruin this experience.
He’s pretty sure that they have to be around their age… high school, for sure. Maybe a bit
younger. “We love haunted- I convinced them to listen to it last week.”
Ohgodwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck-

Nico’s panic must be apparent, at least to Will, who gets up from his seat and offers to take
pictures. Jason and Piper go first, and then the blonde asks Piper to sign the picture on her
phone (how did that even work?), and then the girl who had been on the right with waist
length brown hair turns to Nico and-

It’s kind of a blur. He gets up, sends Will a look that asks Please tell me if there’s whipped
cream on his face and Will rolls his eyes but shakes his head. Nico doesn’t really know how
to pose (is he supposed to?) and he nearly flinches when the girl’s shoulder touches his, but
he manages a smile and stands awkwardly.

The girl turns to the side, then says, “I just wanted to say- uh, I really like your album. Like,
I’ve been listening to it on repeat.”

Nico’s eyes widen slightly, and he tries not to look as terrified as he feels. “Thanks,” he
manages, fidgeting with his ring.

The girl smiles, and there’s something familiar in her eyes that Nico can’t place. “Of course.”
She hesitates for a moment, glancing back to her friends who are now ordering. “I just- I first
listened to it because of, well, I heard about it everywhere, but then I… long sleeves means a
lot to me. And, obviously, it’s your song, but, like- nevermind. It was so nice meeting you.”

Without giving Nico a chance to respond (not that he would really know what to say if he
had), she turns around and stands next to the blonde girl, nudging her shoulder.

“Nico?” Will looks at him, his expression just slightly worried.

What the fuck just happened?

Nico blinks, trying to regain his focus. He pushes the conversation to the back of his mind
and just shrugs to Will. He takes his seat, ignoring Leo, who seems even more excited about
the reaction than Nico is.

It’s only later, when they’ve left the Starbucks and start the drive home, that Nico realizes
what was familiar. It’s the same look that he sees everyday in the mirror, the same worries
about not being enough, the same anxiety about his life. He doubts that the girl has gone
through the exact same things that he has, but she understands it enough to relate to
something he wrote.

And he’ll never know her name.

***

REMEMBER WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES TOO SOON @wronghuntress

so it’s been a month since #haunted for the ppl who are still here WHATS THE FANDOM
NAME

REMEMBER WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES TOO SOON @wronghuntress

ghosts bc like haunted?? and he wears that skull ring but idk not the hugest fan of that

c @celes_angel

may be basic but… angels? nico di angelo? nico *of angels*?

REMEMBER WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES TOO SOON @wronghuntress

now i feel stupid for not thinking of that

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

happy one month anniversary #haunted <33

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

when trying to work on a song turns into apollo going on a 2 hr rant abt some ex from last
century

kayla!! @kaylaknowles

WHICH ONE

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

not ur dad

kayla!! @kaylaknowles

damnit
LEOOOO @valdezinator

makign all the nico di angleo fans jealous bc i’ve heard the unreleased songs

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

not all of htem

LEOOOO @valdezinator

????? SHOW THEM TO ME????

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo_

haha no <3

***

The summer passes without much else happening. When August comes around, Kayla gets
picked up by her other dad (who, out of all of Apollo’s exes, Nico thinks Apollo might
actually still have feelings for, at least based on the songs he’s written) to go on a plane to
Brazil for the Olympics.

Will is also missing for some of the summer, taking some biology class at a community
college, and Nico finds himself in the studio more often than not. It’s become a place of
comfort for him, and he’s not really sure what he did during all of his free time before this.
While Will is gone and Austin is visiting his parents, he also lets Apollo give him driver’s
lessons, and he works on getting his permit. It’s not like he’ll really use it, seeing as Will
actually likes to drive, but it’s a skill he’s been looking forward to for a while, so why not?

Mostly, he’s really happy with how his life is going right now. But sometimes, he does get
caught up in the past, because he can never really avoid it. He wonders what his father’s
doing. He wonders if he noticed that Nico hasn’t returned all year. He wonders if he’s heard
of Nico on the news, if he even recognized his name, despite it just being a shortened version
of his deadname.

He doesn’t really know if he wants his father to miss him, but he does know that it kind of
hurts to think that he doesn’t. It’s not like he was ever a present part in Nico’s life, and when
he was there, he wasn’t a good person. Now, Nico has people who genuinely care about him,
who are proud of him, and who support him. So why does he still wish that his father was
that?

It’s just wishful thinking, so he shoves it to the back of his mind. It won’t do him any good to
get caught up in what-if’s and maybe’s. He just needs to keep his head up and keep moving
forward. He has a future now, one that he thinks will bring him real happiness . He has a
boyfriend and a job (technically, though the money is going to a separate bank account under
Apollo’s name that will be opened up to him when he turns 18 because he knows his father
would never leave him anything).

It’s still an adjustment. There are interview offers, of course, but Nico is pretty sure that he’s
missed the high of it all, so he thinks he’ll wait until the next album to give those a shot. He
knows which talk shows have been given the Apollo stamp of approval, and he knows that he
doesn’t need to talk about anything that he doesn’t want to.

There are also offers from record labels, of course, but he ignores them all.

Apollo has basically slipped into the position of manager/publicist, but he still gives Nico full
reign over his social media - except for when there are announcements and he’ll help Nico
come up with what to post ever since Nico literally forgot to mention the presale on the
announcement post of the presale.

It’s incredibly embarrassing, but apparently to some fans, it’s endearing. He’s not entirely
sure how he feels about that. It’s better than being outright hated (which, to be fair, some
people have - there are already ‘nepo baby’ and ‘talentless’ claims, though most insults are
nothing Nico hasn’t thought about himself before), but it’s still really strange.

He doesn’t really take it personally, though. He knows that, technically, he isn’t a nepotism
baby, seeing as he isn’t related to Apollo, but he’ll never deny the fact that his entrance into
the industry was made much easier because of his connections. He wouldn’t have even
thought of the career if it weren’t for Apollo.

Piper and Leo are still the most active on social media out of the five of them, and Nico finds
himself in posts and stories more often than not. It’s become a bit like a scavenger hunt for
fans, to search through all of his friends’ social media for crumbs of Nico - always identified
by a black hoodie, sometimes a school ring, curly dark brown hair. Oh, and his face. Which
people recognize now. Crazy.

He’s kind of used to it by now. The first month was absolutely insane, but now it’s a bit easier
to manage. He’s been recognized two other times, both with Jason and Piper also in their
group, and then a person recognizing Nico at a second glance. For once, his ability to blend
into the shadows and remain unnoticeable is paying off.

That’s why he’s not that worried when school comes closer and closer. He’s gone years
without being noticed in any way. He’s skipped picture day ever since he first came to
America, and he’s pretty sure that everyone forgets his name ten seconds after it’s said on the
first day of school during roll call. He can’t even count the number of times that group
projects have been assigned, and his partner asked Wait, who’s Nico?
It would be embarrassing, except for the fact that the other option is being talked to - so yes,
Nico will stay in the shadows and enjoy it.

Will drives on the way to school, and Leo is already there because the boarding school kids
get there a day early. He talks about some teacher that he’s apparently been warned about,
and Nico reads over his schedule for the seventh time that morning.

“Do you remember before you released the album?” Will asks as they exit the hills and enter
the city, “And we were like, imagine if you became famous, and what we would do?”

Nico lets out a laugh. “Oh, yeah.”

“I think you qualify as famous, now.”

“That’s… weird.”

“Is it, though?” Will glances at Nico, “I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean?”

Will shrugs. “Just that it’s not really that strange. Maybe it’s just ‘cause of how I grew up, but
it doesn’t feel like much has changed.”

“That’s because we’ve mostly been at home.” Nico fiddles with his ring. “I still get
jumpscared everytime I hear my voice somewhere.”

“But you’re happy,” Will says matter-of-factly, “I’ve seen it. You get freaked out for a
second, and then you smile and get this look in your eyes- like kind of shocked, but in a good
way. Dazed? I don’t know. I didn’t tell you, but I was a bit worried. That week leading up to
it, you were really anxious. But after… you just look like you feel lighter now.”

Nico stares at the road in front of him and breathes. In. Out.

Will is right. He feels lighter now.

How did he know that before Nico did?

“Yeah,” he says quietly, “I am.”

He knows that Will is smiling without looking over, and after he makes the turn, he rests his
hand in the middle. Nico grabs it and gives it a squeeze.

***

No one bats an eye when Nico enters the school. This is what he expects. He finds his locker,
which is unfortunately a good distance away from Will, Leo, and Piper but at least it’s
relatively close to Jason.

No one stares when Nico walks down the hallway. He keeps his headphones on, but takes off
his hood, sweating because it’s 98 degrees, but he refuses to take off his hoodie.

No one looks as they enter the classroom one by one, Nico already sitting in the back when
the bell rings. He takes his headphones off when the teacher clears his throat and tells them to
put away their phones. The teacher gives an introductory speech and starts to take roll -

“Nico di Angelo?”

He raises his hand and says, “Here,” at that perfect volume that he’s perfected- loud enough
for the teacher to hear, but not loud enough for anyone to look at him.

But they do. Because in the back corner of the U.S. History classroom, an inconspicuous
junior is actually the person who’s released an album this summer, has over 5 million
monthly listeners on Spotify (It was, at some point, 12 million, but then after the “monthly”
stopped including the original release week, it went down again, though 5 million was still
insanely high), and was trending for two weeks on Twitter.

It’s the same person who’s sat in the back of the classroom for the past two years, but no one
ever noticed. It’s the same person these kids walked past for years without giving a second
thought.

And they stare. For those three and a half seconds that it takes for the teacher to mark Nico’s
name on his attendance sheet and move to the next name, everyone in Room 472’s U.S.
History class is turned around in their chairs and looking at Nico di Angelo.

Nico hopes that his face hasn’t turned red at the attention. He had thought he was in the clear,
that no one would care - but no, it’s just that no one knew his name.

Well, they do now.

The teacher moves to the next person, and some people return their attention to the class or
their phones, while some stares linger. Nico looks past them at the whiteboard, as if there
isn’t just one thing written on it, which is the name of the class.

By the third person after Nico, everyone’s back to what they were doing before. The teacher
eventually moves on from attendance and passes out the syllabus. He reviews it. It’s normal.
He focuses on the paper even though the tiny font gives him a headache, and he pretends not
to feel periodic glances towards him.

The class ends, and his headphones go on the second the bell rings. Normally, he would wait
a few moments, then follow the crowd and move on to his next class.

But things aren’t normal anymore. He waits a few moments, opening his phone to check his
schedule as music blasts through his ears. He looks up, and there’s still someone in front of
him. The guy is talking to someone, and Nico really couldn’t care less because he and his
friend are blocking the way out of the classroom-
Hello? the guy mouths, no sound coming out.

Oh, fuck. Nico nearly rips off his headphones, but still carefully, and then he looks back and
forth between them and-

They were talking to him.

“Sorry,” he mutters, glancing behind them at the door without trying to look too desperate,
“Didn’t hear you.” He wishes he shared a class with Will. Or Leo. Or Piper or Jason. But no,
Will has to be taking six AP classes just because. Why do all his friends have to be smart?

There’s the guy who was talking to him, and another guy next to him, a girl behind them, and
a few other people lingering at the doorway. Nico glances at the teacher, but he’s staring
intently at his computer. Don’t these people know that they only have five minute passing
periods?

“No worries,” the first guy says, “You’re Nico di Angelo?” Straight to the point.

Nico nods. It takes everything in him to not insult him, because didn’t he literally hear his
name during attendance?

“That’s sick,” says the girl behind them, “You know, I played piano when I was a kid.”

Cool. I didn’t.

“Nice,” he says. He glances at the clock. He feels trapped. “Uh-”

“So, are you new here or something?” the guy on the left says.

No, I sat behind you in seventh grade. I remember you constantly fell asleep, and you
continuously asked the teacher for help during tests and her butt was in my face the whole
time.

“No,” he says. “Sorry, but- class-?”

Their faces change from expectant and curious, even somewhat kind, to offended.

God, Nico is terrible at this.

He decides that these three people can wait. He’s not about to start his first day with a tardy
in his second class. He swings his backpack over his shoulder and (gently) shoves his way
past them, pausing and offering a wave and a half-smile before squeezing his way out of the
door and to his next class.

***
 leo fire count: 11

Today 9:33

im diyng

pyromaniac

WHAT HAPPEND

will <3

???

ppl kept STARING

the whole leson

and then these ppl

cornered me

like

???

will <3

LMAO

No one noticed you earlier though?

pyromaniac

SLKFSDFSLD

did u sign ataugraphs

autagraphs

autographs

NO.

and prob bc litreally no one knows my nmae

they all truned around when the teacher called my name

THIS GUY ASKED IF I WAS NEW

pyromaniac
HE DIDNT

HELPSDLF

will <3

That’s…

How did no one notice you before????

pyromaniac

not everyones a simp will

will <3

Leo

pyromaniac

I MEAN

LSDKFSD

wowwww

pyromaniac

will’s been down bad since 6th

will <3

LEO

***

The rest of the day passes as such: He enters class. The teacher calls roll. Heads turn when
his name is called. The class continues as usual. At the end, there’s one to four people who
stay back and attempt to talk to Nico, and he awkwardly makes his way through one to two
minutes of conversation before trying to get to the next class.

He’s gotten an invitation to the open mic club, five people who just so happen seem to be
interested in being his friend and giving him their Instagram, and two people from the school
newspaper who think he “has a great voice and should think of giving it a shot.” He doesn’t
bother letting them know that he is horrendous at that kind of writing, and can barely spell.
Songwriting is different.
 On his fourth one, right before lunch, he has the wonderful experience of sharing a class with
Octavian. He’s in the front, but in Nico’s column because Nico was late and ended up having
to sit somewhere in the middle.

When the teacher calls his name, the same occurs. It’s even more terrifying when he’s in the
middle of the classroom rather than the corner, and he really wishes that he had gotten here
earlier. He stares at the whiteboard, but he can’t help but feel the stare, and-

Does he know? Octavian had been friends with Bryce before he got expelled… Technically,
not even Bryce had known. Nico’s pretty sure it was just said to antagonize him. It’s not like
there’s a picture of him in the yearbook from before he started transitioning. And ‘di Angelo’
is actually a pretty common surname. But if he had told Octavian… if he’s still in contact
with him? What would that mean?

He doesn’t regret what he’s done. That doesn’t mean he isn’t scared.

By the time Pre-Calculus is over, and Nico throws his headphones around his neck, not
willing to risk having people talk to him without him hearing again, Octavian is in front of
him.

“You look familiar,” Octavian says, “Were you new last year?”

Oh. Oh, thank fucking god-

Nico shrugs, because he’s not going to lie, but he doesn’t want to risk Octavian remembering
anything. “Transferred,” he says, but he leaves out the fact that it was in sixth grade.

Octavian looks at him with a bit of a frown for a second before shaking his head and smiling.
“I’m Octavian.”

I know. You and your friends ruined my life. I wanted to die.

“Nico,” he responds. And without an explanation, he puts on his headphones and squeezes
between the chairs- finding the exit of the room without walking past Octavian.

His whole body is tense until he sees Will in the cafeteria. Then, he can finally breathe.

Chapter End Notes

HOLY FUCKING SHIT I AM SCREAMING AND CRYING AND PERFECT

STORMS BC ??? 1989 TAYLORS VERSION??? IS COMING OUT?? OCT 27???
yeah i died. i DID clown on 8/3 and then i clowned again on 8/8 and 8/9 bc i thought rep
was next (now i think debut is next, and yes, just let me clown in peace)
WELL. WE LOST A LOT OF GOOD SONGS. RIP NEW ROMANTICS I WILL
FOREVER MISS YOU but also like. i wouldn't have had it any other way bc new
romantics was the PERFECT song for the announcement. AND NEW YEARS DAY
TOO??? and so many other good ones. king of my heart, dress, i know places, off the
top of my head
anyway i already ranted abt the announcement a bit in my other fics end notes but i am
so fucking excited <33

on other news. i start school in two days! not excited.

i am projecting through will, as i am going to be having 5 ap classes and an honors class.
going to suffer, but hopefully i will be able to keep up the regular posting schedule :)
this fic is my main priority, tho tbh i have kind of neglected it for the past few weeks just
bc i hoped to finish starry eyes (my other fic, jegulus fame/rep au if u wanna check it
out) before school started... and that did not happen.

it's kinda crazy that i'm writing them go into junior year as i'm going into junior year??
and yet i do not have an extremely viral album so... damn what am i doing wrong. oh,
yeah, writing about it through fictional charactersLKJSDF (i can't even sing, i'm scared
of talking to people, i'm delusional)

FUCK OCTAVIAN!! but also nico "sinking into the shadows" di angelo not being
recognized by anyone is HILARIOUS. i am like him and would like to not ever be
perceived thank u very much
and will <3 my sweetheart <3 my baby <3 #1 boyfriend award goes to this man right
here!!!

and um....*slowly pushes the darren x apollo agenda* :)

THANK U FOR READINGG!!
 i want something just like this
Chapter Notes

ch title from "something just like this" by coldplay and the chainspokers
tw for some references of past suicidal thoughts but the chapter is fluffy i promise

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Will’s birthday is a big event. It falls on a Tuesday, which is unfortunate (though their little
family - Apollo, Kayla, Will, Nico, Leo, and Austin over FaceTime - did make a cake and
give presents on the date), so they decide to celebrate the weekend after, which is also just
after the first full week of school and the weekend of the VMA’s.

The fact is that Will actually does have a lot of friends. He’s a likable person, in quite a few
clubs, and extroverted. Just because, for some reason, he chose Leo and Nico back in sixth
grade to be his best friends, and eventually included Jason and Piper in that, doesn’t mean
that he isn’t close with anyone else. He’s the kind of person who participates in every class
and makes conversation with his desk neighbors. He waves to people in the hallway and
remembers the names of pretty much everyone in his classes (a skill that Nico could never
have - he doesn’t know how Will does it).

So people know him. They’ll talk to him in between classes. Occasionally, Will mentions
hanging out with someone from one of his classes, or staying after school to watch a football
game. It’s something that Nico is used to being left out of, simply because being on campus
after school to watch a football game sounds like torture to him.

But Will, as a birthday lover, likes birthday parties. And he’s well-known enough to have
them, plus a big house, and a dad who’s almost more excited than Will is. It’s not like his
birthday parties are legendary, or whatever those high school coming of age movie cliches
call it. But they’re pretty big.

Leo and Nico have an automatic invite, seeing as they basically live at Apollo’s. Then, Will
invites his other closest friends - people he’s in clubs with, or acquaintances that he generally
chooses to work with as partners for class. Then, those people invite their closest friends, and
so on.

There are usually about twenty to thirty kids there, half of whom leave about an hour in just
to be able to say that they’ve been to the Apollo’s house. Will doesn’t mind.

This year, though, there’s apparently an added bonus that brings even more people coming.
Because the friends of Will realize that Will is a friend of Nico’s, and Jason and Piper’s, and
therefore they will be at the party along with Apollo.
Nico kind of feels bad, because isn’t it basically a bunch of people using Will to hang out
with them, or post them? But when bringing it up, Will just shrugs and says, “The more the
merrier.”

Later, he explains in more detail, and Nico is reminded just how differently they were raised.
While other kids get lectures to just be themselves and talk to other kids, Will was reminded
time and time again that eventually, people would try to use him. It’s a fact that he’s just
accepted as a normal part of life. Because Will is used to this - he knows that half the time,
people get close to him just to get close to someone else. And sometimes, he ends up making
a friend out of them anyway, and sometimes, they ditch him. In the end, he knows that his
real friends like him for him, and that’s all that matters.

Plus, if going to a seventeenth birthday party is the peak of someone’s high school career,
then that’s just sad for them.

Jason and Piper arrive at six, and people start trickling in around an hour later. Back when
they were younger, the parties took place at more of a 1-5 time frame on the weekend, but
Apollo is just fine with shifting it back to later on a Friday night, especially since he’ll be
gone on Sunday for the VMA’s.

Will actually seems to know the first few people who show up, and Nico hides out with Piper
in the kitchen as they eat all the snacks. He knows that Will is at the door, welcoming people,
but if Piper is here, then-

“Hey, where are Leo and Jason?”

Piper holds the chip she was about to eat in front of her mouth, slowly pulling it away. “Um.
Probably talking.”

Nico narrows his eyes. “Do you know something?”

“Do you know something?”

“I know what Leo told me.”

“Well, I know what Jason told me.”

And so eating snacks turns into gossiping about Jason and Leo, and how obviously Piper
wasn’t about to out Jason, but if Nico already knows that Jason kissed Leo, then she can
finally talk about it. It’s nearly been an entire year since that party, and Nico hasn’t heard
much updates, but it turns out to be much more interesting from Piper’s perspective.

“-And I told him to talk to him, but then I also told Leo that, but neither of them listened to
me! And Jason thinks they’re better off as friends just because of his stupid contract,” she
pauses to shove a chip in her mouth, “But I keep telling him that he’s gotta just risk it, right?
Because Leo thinks that he just doesn’t like him that way.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Nico says, “I knew Jason liked Leo before I knew Leo liked Jason!”
“That’s what I’m saying! It’s so obvious. But Jason’s not entirely sure about his sexuality-
which, like, fair, of course, but he knows he likes Leo. So, like, I’m torn between just making
him tell him his feelings, but also, it’d be a bit unfair to Leo, wouldn’t it?”

Nico raises an eyebrow at Piper, stealing a chip from her bowl. “Why?”

“Well- see, I know I told Jason the opposite, but the contracts. He wouldn’t be allowed to
come out, if he wanted to, of course, unless he got permission- which is stupid, by the way,
but his mom would never let him. So, I think he’s just kind of closed off that entire section of
his brain.”

“If Leo really likes him, which I think he does, then he wouldn’t mind waiting, would he?”
Nico shrugs. “Well, not that I’m saying he’s wrong if he didn’t want to wait, or if Jason just
didn’t want to come out. But, like, that’s Leo’s decision. Jason should at least admit it to Leo
and then tell him.”

“But he’s scared.”

“Yeah, well-” Nico pauses, frowning. “Yeah, actually, that’s fair. But people would probably
openly speculate anyway, right? ‘Cause Leo’s bi and he says it in his bio.”

Piper sighs. “Yeah. But you know rumors. Have you talked about it with Will, anyway?”

“What?”

“Coming out. That whole thing.”

Nico winces slightly, stealing Piper’s last chip before getting up to grab a soda from the
fridge. “Yeah. We’re gonna wait at least until graduation.”

“Really?” Piper sounds surprised, “Why?”

Before Nico can even answer, she continues quickly, “Not that you have to, just curious.
Like, you haven’t signed with a label or anything and I would guess Apollo’s- uh, well.
Y’know, okay with it.”

“Oh, yeah, he is,” Nico says casually, “But, it’s just like- the idea of going to school and
everyone knowing is just… kind of terrifying. To me, at least.” He glances back at Piper,
who’s nodding, but doesn’t look like she completely gets it.

It’s strange, in a way. Because he knows that Piper would want, more than anything, to be
free of the control of her manager and come out, and yet Nico has that freedom but doesn’t
do anything with it. She doesn’t make him feel guilty of it, but he still knows that there’s
some kind of envy there. Not in a bad way.

Just strange.

“I never told you, like, the full story of what happened with Jason, did I?” Nico ends up
saying as he sits down again, glancing at the door. There’s the muffled sound of some people
talking, and music has started playing (Nico had told Will clearly that yes, I love you, but if
you put one of my songs on the playlist, I will break up with you).

Piper shakes her head. And so Nico explains.

It’s hard, revisiting the memory. He glosses over a lot of details. Like, he says that, “I was
just- really not doing well mentally, at the time,” without mentioning that he was being
abused and suicidal. She doesn’t need those details. He doesn’t owe that to anyone, and he’s
not about to risk being a sobbing mess on Will’s birthday.

“-And so, I guess, I just… I don’t know. I know that I want to come out, one day, and do it
myself, right? But, would I have to come out as both trans and gay? Or one at a time? Would
anyone try to find my deadname, or… shit like that, you know? And I know that a lot of
people would be nice about it, but a lot of people would try to make me hate myself again.
And I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

By the end of it, he’s been talking for about seven minutes straight, and for the first time, he’s
actually put his thoughts about coming out into words. It’s something that, for some reason,
he’s extremely proud of.

He’s understanding himself. And as he gets better at doing that, he also gets better at not
hating himself.

“That makes sense,” Piper says finally. She’s looking at Nico a bit differently than the
beginning of the night. And Nico realizes that, really, he’s never spent that much time alone
with her. Always as a group, with Leo or Will or both. And Nico, who has always felt like
people just see right through him, feels like Piper is finally seeing him.

Will started seeing him that first summer they hung out together. Leo, just soon after, when
they went back to school for seventh grade. Jason, when he sat down at Nico’s cafeteria
table.

It’s always happened slightly out of his control. But with Piper, he’s laying it all (okay, not
all, but quite a lot) in front of her, and he sees the moment that something clicks in her eyes.

And she sees him.

“I think… if I had the choice,” Piper muses, “I might be like that. But- it’s like, when it’s
summer, you wish it would rain, isn’t it? We always want what he can’t have.”

Nico shrugs. “Might be. Or maybe it’s because you’re used to… that kind of stuff. Like, if
people are gonna criticize you anyway, might as well own it.”

“Ugh,” Piper groans, slouching dramatically in her chair, “People will literally hate on
anything. It’s ridiculous. Like, we should be getting a new Taylor Swift album, but no, people
had to start hating her!”

Nico goes along with the change in topic easily. “And right after she switched genres, too.
You know, Will has a twitter account that he uses just to hate on people with Kanye West
profile pictures?”

“No way,” Piper gasps, “Show.”

And so they end up on their phones for a while- Nico isn’t keeping track of time, but at some
point, a few people that Nico vaguely recognizes from the school hallways come in searching
for snacks, and then look like they’ve won the lottery when spotting them.

They act casual and introduce themselves, and Nico is very aware that Piper is much better at
this than he is. He decides to brave the living room in hopes of finding Will, and Piper shoots
him a slightly betrayed look when he leaves.

As soon as he starts walking down the hallway, the music gets much louder. Some One
Direction song is playing - Nico thinks it’s Perfect, but he’s not entirely sure. Either way, he’s
sure that Leo must have hijacked the playlist.

When he enters the living room, it’s immediately obvious to him that there are a lot more
people here than he expected. He doubts that Will had a sudden rise in popularity for no
reason, so word must have gotten around that Jason and Piper would be there. As far as Nico
knows, they don’t go to any of the other school parties (because why would they, really, if
they knew nearly all the celebrities in Hollywood?), so it’s a bit of a big deal.

Nico makes his way through the crowd of people, keeping his eyes on his phone, and he
nearly makes it out unnoticed until he slips into the other hallway and bumps into someone.
He thinks he recognizes her- actually shares a class with her, because she was the one who
invited him to the open mic night.

He’s not planning on showing up, of course. Logically, his head knows that releasing albums
comes with live performances in the future, but it definitely wasn’t going to be in front of his
high school class.

He mutters an apology and rushes off, but not before he hears her loudly whispering to her
friend about who he is, and he thinks he’s heard his full name more in the past week than in
his past life. Like, why did everyone have to go, “Oh, that’s Nico di Angelo,” instead of just
saying his first name? It’s ridiculous.

When he’s finally in the entrance hall, he realizes that Will must have left. The door is wide
open, and he sees some people standing outside, so Nico just ends up running up the stairs
(which he hopes everyone knows is off limits) and texting Will.

It’s a lot of people. And sure, he’s been around this many people before at parties that Jason
and Piper invited them to, but he was prepared for that. He wasn’t prepared tonight.

The song abruptly changes to Our Song, which means that Will must be by the music. He
wonders how many of the people in the living room are aware that they’re actually here for
Will Solace, and not just friend of Jason Grace and Piper McLean.

Well, they better not complain about the country music. Only Nico is allowed to do that.
While waiting for Will to respond, he ends up scrolling on Instagram, and from his
recommended following, he finds several posts and stories of the party already. He’s aware
only after stalking three of these accounts that they can see him view their stories, but he
doesn’t think he cares enough about that. As far as he can tell, it’s a bunch of students who go
to their high school who don’t even know Will. There’s no ‘Happy Birthday @willsolace !’
caption.

Well, that won’t do. Will still hasn’t responded, so Nico leans against the wall, scrolling
through his camera roll for the right photo. He’d never admit it, but his phone is filled to the
brim of Will candids. And he has an excuse, now. He’s just being a good boyfriend, after all.

***

will <3

Today 8:02 PM

where r u?

In the kitchen!!

There are so many ppl here Dad’s ordering more pizza

Piper says you left a few minutes ago??

just upstairs rn

omw

***

[ An Instagram Story: Will wearing a paper birthday hat over a fuzzy cowboy hat, tilted
slightly, taken during his birthday dinner. He’s laughing at something in front of him, with the
picture being taken from his right. There’s a cake on the table, and Kayla Knowles can be
seen in the background. He’s holding what looks like a bright orange shirt. ]

Text says: happy (late) birthday ride or die

Tagged: @willsolace

Music: ‘Starlight’ by Taylor Swift; “-out the window / We were seventeen and crazy, running
wild, wild / Can’t remember what song it was playing when we walked in / The night-” ]
 ***

He’s on his way to the kitchen when he spots Leo and Jason in a room just a few doors down
from where the main party is. The music’s so loud that he can’t really tell what they’re
saying, but he quietly closes the door and then continues walking.

Will is beaming at his phone when Nico finds him, and he doesn’t realize why until Will
notices him and shifts his phone just slightly, so Nico can see that it’s open to the story that
he had just posted. He had wondered whether it would be better to do a post, but he didn’t
know how to add music that way, so he just went with the story.

Apollo spots him too, on his way out, and ruffles Nico’s hair as he leaves, saying something
about pizza. Piper must have left, so it’s just them in the kitchen.

Will takes advantage of that. He pulls Nico into a kiss, and Nico keeps it chaste just because
there’s no real ‘door’ to the kitchen, just two hallways that lead to it.

“What is it?” he chuckles, leaning back slightly.

Will shrugs. “Just missed you.”

“It’s been, like, an hour.” I missed you, too.

“More like two, but okay,” Will rolls his eyes, “I saw you posted me.”

For a brief second, Nico’s worried. He knows that Will loves his birthdays and makes sure
everyone knows it, but he also knows that Will keeps off his public accounts on purpose.
Should Nico have asked him ahead of time? Did Will want him to delete it?

He’s pretty sure that ten thousand people have already seen it, but that’s fine, and he’s already
taking out his phone and apologizing when Will grabs it from him, shaking his head. “No, I
like it.”

“Oh,” Nico says. “Really?”

Will nods, a huge smile on his face. He looks excited. “Of course. But now I need to know
how many photos of me you have on your phone-”

“Will!”

Will’s holding Nico’s phone just out of reach, and that’s one of the very few times that Nico
is actually annoyed by Will’s height. It’s all in good fun, though, because Nico is laughing
even as Will opens his camera roll and finds the horde of Will pictures. Nico groans loudly,
making Will laugh at him before he swipes his phone back.
“I’ve been through your phone, like, a million times,” Will rolls his eyes, “How have I never
seen those?”

“Because I took them last week?”

“But it’s a lot.”

Nico scoffs, shutting off his phone and putting it in his pocket. “Yeah, well,
IalwayshidthembecauseIdidn’twantyoutoknowIhadacrushonyou .”

Will blinks. “Huh?”

“I hid them, okay?” Nico covers his eyes, turning around to face the wall. “Like, that feature
that the phone has-”

“Oh my god, you have pictures of me from years ago, don’t you?”

“Wh- no. Definitely not.”

When Nico turns him around, Will is looking at him with a smug grin, and Nico resists the
urge to kiss him, if only to distract him from the extremely embarrassing information that he
just uncovered. He doesn’t have all the pictures, of course. He got a new phone just two years
ago and didn’t transfer the photos because he wasn’t about to let Apollo see them.

He’s still staring a few seconds later, and Nico feels his face relax into a soft smile. “Wh-”

That’s all it takes for Will to snap out of whatever daze he was in and grab Nico’s arm,
walking down the hallway to- the stairs?

“Will, it’s your birthday pa -” Nico whispers, nearly tripping over himself while turning a
corner.

“And?” Will shrugs, “Half the people there don’t know that, so…”

There’s a small pit in Nico’s stomach at that, because that’s just… sad. And he knows that
Will tells him that it’s alright all the time, and Nico would like to think that he isn’t lying
about it - because Will doesn’t lie, not to Nico - but that doesn't mean it isn’t hard, does it?

He decides to let it go, just this once. Will’s tone doesn’t sound sad, and it is his birthday
party. He lets Will lead him up the stairs and push him against the wall and kiss him and kiss
him and kiss him- It’s kind of fun, actually, sneaking around. Nico had thought he would hate
it, but he doesn’t. It doesn’t make him feel ashamed or scared or nervous, it makes him feel
like this is theirs. Something they get to protect and keep to themselves, like an inside joke,
except it’s the fact that Nico’s in love with Will and nothing could ever change that.

It’s not secret. Secret would mean no one knowing at all. It’s just private. The people who
matter know.

And Nico loves it. He’ll protect it with his life for these small moments, the sound of the
party and the music and the laughter all beneath them, because they’re in a world of their
own. No one will ever really understand it as much as he does - he can’t explain the feeling,
can’t quite put it into words like the other parts of his life. It’s just him and Will.

At some point, Will’s phone starts buzzing and it turns out that the extra pizza has arrived,
and Leo is making fun of them in the groupchat for apparently sneaking off. So, they return
to the party, and even though Nico isn’t holding Will’s hand, he’s watching him, a fond smile
on his face.

***

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

when nico di angelo literally doesn’t post anything for like two months and then out of the
blue posts a birthday story😭 i love him but PLEASE NICO RETURN TO UR ACTIVE
ERA

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

SO ik ride or die is like a common phrase but?? basically confirms that best friend is abt will
solace and i just live for their friendship like pls

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

when it’s apparently will solace’s birthday and so jason grace piper mclean AND nico di
angelo are all at a party in la singing taylor swift songs they are fr living in a movie

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

@valdezinator DO I GET AN INVITE NEXT TIME?? (i live like a five hour flight away)

LEOOOO @valdezinator

ALWAYS DUDE i shoudl force nico to have a bday party next eyar

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

OHMYGOD U BETTERRRR
og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

wait we don’t even know nico’s birthday. angels, we as a fandom have to be better. HE
DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS PROFILE HELP??

c @celes_angel

the fact that we as a fandom have made will solace start trending just because nico posted
him on his story is iconic tbh - and guys. it’s not even will’s birthday. HIS BIRTHDAY WAS
ON TUESDAY HELP

[ one image attached ]

TVFN STAN @gaylor_.swift

i know ride or die is a lyric on best friend,,, but it’s ALSO a lyric on overdrive

TVFN STAN @gaylor_.swift

also overdrive, tvfn, and ootw are three of like the most queercoded songs ever

Emma @wolf_star2791

okay but all of those songs were mainly written by apollo, who has come out as bi.

TVFN STAN @gaylor_.swift

okay but then why wouldn’t apollo sing them if nico didn’t like them and relate to them too??
and then using that lyric on will’s story…

Emma @wolf_star2791

idk but nico hasn’t said anything about it, and i would guess that the ride or die is a reference
to best friend, which is something only nico wrote
haunted ! @musing_sss

For people who don’t know, Will Solace is Apollo and Naomi Solace’s son! If you don’t
know who that is, Apollo is Nico’s producer and a huge popstar/actor in the late 90’s/early
2000’s. Naomi Solace was a famous country singer who unfortunately died in 2007. Will’s
birthday is Aug 23 1999

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

NICO DI ANGELO RETURNED TO SOCIAL MEDIA FUCK YEAH

dev @calyg.ocat

wasn’t he active on twitter like a week ago😭

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

yeah but it’s been so long since he posted something :(

***

[ An Instagram Story: Three girls, Piper McLean in the middle. She’s smiling. The girl on the
left is holding up a peace sign while the other has her arm around Piper.

Text says: Absolute best night w/ @pipermclean!!]

[ An Instagram Story: A video of a group of friends dancing as a country song plays in the
background. One person is holding a plate. The video zooms in to Jason Grace, who is
talking to Kayla Knowles in the background. Kayla is mimicking holding a bow and arrow,
and Jason looks confused.

Tagged: @jasongrace ]

[ An Instagram Story: A photo of Apollo as he’s holding several boxes of pizza. It’s slightly
blurry.

Text says: OMG. @apollo ]

 [ An Instagram Story: A video, zooming in to Nico di Angelo, who’s grinning, and Piper
McLean, who’s standing next to him and whispering something into his ear. Nico looks at her
with a look of shock on his face, then whispers something into her face, and she throws her
head back, laughing. ]

***

#1 peter stan @perc_beth1.3

i ship.

[ one screenshot attached: Piper McLean whispering into Nico’s ear. ]

[ one screenshot attached: Nico di Angelo looking at Piper McLean. ]

[ one screenshot attached: Piper McLean laughing at something Nico di Angelo said. ]

REMEMBER WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES TOO SOON @wronghuntress

SHIPPING THESE TWO TILL THE DAY I DIE

[ one screenshot attached: Nico di Angelo’s story, a picture of Will Solace. ]

Chapter End Notes

there are... no taylor swift updates this week?? what???

anyway this chapter was completely unplanned- it literally wrote itself. i didn't give will
a birthday party in the outline, and then i sat down to write, and i was just like: he
NEEDS a birthday party. and then i started writing it, and my brain said nico and piper
friendship- so YEAH this chapter was all *ig* kind of filler but not rlly?? anyway i
might have to up the chapter count but we'll get to that when i'm closer to the end

a HUGE part of this fic is really just... i mean it's a coming of age story tbh. there's a lot
of themes about coming out/doing that when you're ready + just friendship and getting
through abusive homes. *obviously* this is not the same experience for everyone, and i
can't claim to know that, but there's a lot of internal dialogue that's essentially nico
giving himself therapy,,, though i think he def does need a therapist. he will get one
eventually!!!
ALSO i was mainly inspired by the fact that i desparately wanted nico to post with
taylor music in the background. and will 100% has a private taylor stan account
because... yes this is summer 2016, aka fuck kanye west and kim k. it's honestly kind of
hilarious bc my other fic is literally a reputation au, so they're both the exact same
timeline, just VASTLY different relationships

thank u so so much for reading and commenting, it makes my day <3 esp with starting
school i'll open my email during classes and see ur comments so i might not get to them
*immediately* but they just get me rlly excited to get home and write :)
 know we'll be alright this time
Chapter Notes

ch title from "perfect" by ed sheeran

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It would be so easy, Nico thinks.

There are rumors, now. He’s not really sure why he thought that he could be the exception
and avoid them - the simple fact is that he’s a young white boy who’s friends with a girl, and
that’s just the way the world works. Just because he’s gay and in a relationship doesn’t mean
the whole world already knows that.

But they could.

i have a boyfriend, is all that it would take. And he just talked about why he isn’t planning on
coming out yet the day before, but now he’s got the perfect opportunity, doesn’t he?

He thinks it’s kind of funny. And he knows that he’s lucky that he can think it’s funny, instead
of Piper, who’s putting her best foot forward but is clearly pissed off.

“Hate to say it, but you’re just not my type,” she said sarcastically the day after the party.

And Nico responded that she clearly wasn’t his either. So there’s no harsh feelings between
them but rather with the media, and the news, and even some of the fans. As far as Nico can
tell, though, it’s mostly Piper’s fans - not that he’s blaming them, but more so that he’s
defending his own.

Which is a strange concept to think of, obviously, but he’s going to move past that. The only
thing that really matters is that he wakes up in Will’s arms, and Will, somehow, finds it all
hilarious. He is, however, going undercover on his Kanye West hate account to become the
number one Will Solace x Nico di Angelo shipper, and to most of stan twitter, he’s probably
coming off as insane and delusional.

He does have a few people that support him, mainly because of that story that Nico posted.
Apparently, Nico using the words “ride or die” rather than just “best friend” is a sign that he’s
secretly gay and in love with his best friend.

And, well. It’s true. But Nico hadn’t thought he was so obvious.

Either way, the party is pretty much everything that people talk about the week that they go
back to school, and it fills Nico with a touch of pride when Octavian turns around in their
shared Pre-Calculus class and mentions that it sounded like a cool party, with a bit of envy.
Whoever said to forgive and forget was simply wrong. Nico can write a long list of pros and
cons to his new popularity status, and the fact that he’s higher than Octavian now just makes
the top of the pros.

On the cons, however, at least four girls have asked out Will this week. And Nico has been
present for every single one.

The first time, he watches with amusement as Will tries to be overly polite, apologizing about
eight times, and the girl ends up literally rushing off as Will says again, “Sorry!”

The second time, Nico starts feeling a bit invisible. It’s not jealousy, because he really
couldn’t care less and knows Will better than anyone, but there’s still some kind of pit in his
stomach.

But then, someone tries to flirt with him , and he would rather get buried alive.

He finally realizes Will’s problem with over-apologizing, and he vows not to make fun of it
anymore. He kind of wonders if this is just something he’ll get used to, like taking pictures
when going out with Jason and Piper, or Leo setting things on fire.

Well, after the first week, people move on. And Nico could not be more grateful.

What’s more important is that he’s realized he’s basically abandoned his social media, and so
he responds to a few things, and- well, he’s really not sure how to deal with rumors. With
Jason, Piper has told him that they’re not allowed to speak against it, because it gives them
good publicity. But after a lengthy talk on the phone with her manager, Piper tells Nico to just
fuck it and deny it all.

And so, Nico does. He’s really not sure how to, so he just responds to Pop Base with a meme
of a confused cat.

Then, he realizes that the cat doesn’t actually say anything, so he spends another ten minutes
trying to figure out whether he wants to lie and say he’s never dated anyone, or just say that
he’s not dating Piper - he, Will, and Leo discuss this in depth because Nico doesn’t want to
lie, but saying something like “I’ve never had a girlfriend” is a bit obvious, isn’t it?

***

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

rip to the piper x me shippers bc its not happening xx

***
The other exciting news is that Apollo had (once again, like always) been invited to the
VMA’s the weekend before (and Nico had gotten an invitation too, despite not being
nominated for anything, obviously - though he’s also pretty sure that his album didn’t make
the cut-off deadline ). This time, he actually went.

He was there to present an award for Best New Artist, and it’s strange to watch him on TV,
instead of him watching with them, stealing popcorn from Kayla and guessing all of the
winners correctly.

Leo had tried his absolute best to get Nico to accept his invite, but Nico refused vehemently.
He’s barely able to now respond to people on social media, and he is not ready to talk to
people in real life. That’s horrifying.

Apollo finally going to an award show, though, is kind of pushing the start of Nico’s career as
well. It’s not like they’re necessarily a pair, but at the moment, their names are linked
together.

Nico does post a story of the group of them (Will, Leo, and Kayla) watching Apollo and
throwing popcorn at the screen when he does a cheesy intro line.

The only thing that kind of makes him regret it is the performances. It’s basically a private
concert, and so Nico tells himself that the next invite he gets, he’ll go, no matter what. As an
introvert, it’s terrifying, but as a music lover, it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up. And
he’s not really sure how long the hype of haunted will last - but he’s already committed to
making the next one better.

The thing is, with haunted, he hadn’t been planning on making an album. He was proud of
the songs individually, and wouldn’t have released them if he wasn’t, but he’s not sure if it’s
something he’d just play on repeat. He’s pretty sure some of the fans would disagree, seeing
as he still has millions of monthly listeners on Spotify, not to mention Apple Music listeners,
but he thinks that if he’s going to do this again, then he’s going to do it right.

He doesn’t mean signing a record deal or creating a five-year plan, of course. Nico doesn’t do
well with routines and schedules and planning. Hell, he’s done everything out of order so far,
and it worked out well - so why stop now?

The concept of release dates and announcements just doesn’t click with him. Sure, he
understands the reasoning behind them. But if he’s ready to release something, he’s not really
patient enough to wait. Another reason why he isn’t fit to sign with a record label - he’s not
about to give up control after just finally regaining it.

For once, he can figure out what he’s doing with his life and do it at his own pace. Right now,
that’s extremely fast, but that’s okay with him.

Now, August is coming to an end. It’s been over two months since haunted. Some people,
he’s seen, have been quick to jump to the conclusion that Nico was a one-hit wonder, while
others suspect that Apollo’s appearance at the VMA’s meant that haunted was just a sneak
peek at what’s to come.

He does try to refrain from reading too much about himself - but he can’t help but be curious.
He thinks anyone would be. And yeah, some of it stings a bit, but it’s nothing that he hasn’t
thought of himself before - except for the excuse that he’s an industry plant, which doesn’t
even make sense because he’s not signed to a label.

Either way, he knows that he wants to keep doing it, and he knows that he wants to make a
good sophomore album. A great one, actually. He’s aware of the fact that he could have made
it much higher on the charts if only he had announced the album ahead of time, or prepared a
presale for the physical copies. At first, he hadn’t seen the point, but now he’s got a whole
map of opportunities laid out in front of him.

It’s a bit hard, because on one hand, he’s really just in it for the music. It’s a hobby, one that
he’s found enjoyable and helpful, and he’s promised himself not to let the music industry
change him as a person.

But he’s starting to understand that in some ways, change is good. He knows that at the
beginning of his sophomore year, he was terrified of change - scared of what Jason and Piper
would bring, scared of leaving the only remaining ‘family’ he had left, scared of confessing
his feelings to Will or sharing his music.

The change that his sophomore year brought him was good. And so now he’s wondering
whether changing again by actually committing to the whole celebrity deal will also be good.

He’s not really getting carried away, he’s just considering his options. He doesn’t care about
the money, now that he’s already making enough to live without college and with another
album, even more, but a part of him wants to see just how far he can go.

He’s gay and he’s trans, and he does know of a few artists from that community - actively
seeks them out, actually. And he’s seen and heard a few mainstream ones. Times are
changing, that’s for sure. He knows that he’s not ready to come out now, but he wants to see
that when he does, he can just maybe be someone that his younger self would be proud of.

And yeah, it’s also spite. He’d be lying if he said that wasn’t a part of it. After so many years
of thinking the worst of his future, now that he’s got a glimpse of hope, he’s not eager to let it
fade away.

He wants to make a name for himself. That’s becoming more and more clear. It’s something
he never really expected - not because he isn’t ambitious, but because he’s realistic. And it
just never seemed like anything could happen to lead to that.

The validation that he’s receiving for his music is unlike anything else. He works his ass off
for his grades, but they’re never good enough to be worth complimenting, except for Will.
It’s just him trying, but people don’t tend to point out how hard that is - just trying.

Now, he’s got a new outlook on the whole ‘popstar’ thing. Not saying that he is a popstar,
even though he technically released pop music… that’s a rabbit hole that he doesn’t want to
go down.

The point is that music was a secret. And now it’s not.

He released it, and remembered what music did to keep him afloat. He’s not going to pretend
that it singlehandedly saved his life, but it really fucking helped.

Nico’s never really been able to imagine himself living to eighteen, and now he’s seeing so
much further, and so much brighter than before. It’s like stepping into daylight after years of
standing in the night, thinking he only had one dead end street in front of him, but finding out
that he actually has hundreds of paths that he can go down now, just because he can see
them.

He hasn’t chosen one yet, but just knowing that they’re there has made all the difference.

So, he’s going to give it a chance. And, like the first time - it starts with Apollo.

***

[ Video: Nico is sitting on the floor, electric guitar in his hands. The phone seems to be
propped up, and in the background, you can see a keyboard and shelves of awards. Music is
blaring, just drums and Nico’s voice, slightly muffled.

Background: …looks a lot like a tragedy now

Nico jumps in, playing a short guitar solo. Before long, the voice comes back.

Background: This is-

Someone claps. Nico looks up, grinning at someone in the opposite direction, and the video
cuts off. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ hi

***

style4ever WHAT IS THIS

thedamsnackbar the BACKGROUND help is this apollo’s room or something?? apollo’s

house?? does he record IN apollo’s HOUSE
 grac3jas_ Well he was in Apollo’s Thanksgiving post… I don’t think it’s that strange to
assume he goes there quite often + to visit his best friend

alltoo_notwell NEW MUSIC??? ALREADY???

taylorstan132328 so obsessed it’s unreal

musin_gss i literally want an in depth documentary so bad of how haunted was made bc like
the credits say it was just the two of them?? as a production nerd i NEED TO KNOW

stillha4nting NICO DI ANGELO COME BACK THE KIDS MISS YOU

d1rectioning.13 he is 16…

stillha4nting I thought he was 17/18?? His friend is 17

d1rectioning.13 no he’s confirmed on twitter that he’s 16

emma13falling “Looks a lot like a tragedy now” THIS IS GONNA HURT ME

Birdith_ omgomg i am so ready

wronghuntress “hi” nico di angelo the king of inspirational captions

diAng_la3 so you addressed the rumors abt you and piper but not the ones about you and
will….

chasejacks0n21_ He’s not gay

diAng_la3 i didn’t say he was?? he could be bi or smth but how would you know

chasejacks0n21_ Just because one of his friends is bi doesn’t mean that he is… He has
like three other straight friends, including Will

diAng_la3 okay but did they personally tell u that?? just cause their not out doesnt
change their sexuality and he hasn’t used she/her or anything in his songs

***

APOLLO Q&A: Returning To The Music Industry And Working With Nico di Angelo

Apollo had one of the most successful careers in both the music and film industry, and yet he
seemed to disappear off the face of the earth since 2005. He made a sudden and spontaneous
comeback this summer, producing Nico di Angelo ’s debut album, haunted, but stayed away
from most media until appearing at the VMA’s and presenting its Best New Artist category.
While there was much to say about Apollo’s original disappearance and his reclusiveness
since then, it’s still a wonder why he decided to return now - over a decade since his last
album.

“I didn’t think that I would ever get back into making music until [Nico] showed up, and I
remembered why I enjoyed it so much,” he captioned his post announcing the new album. As
he’s becoming more present once again in Hollywood, he discussed the reasoning behind his
disappearance, and his life since then, as well as what is to come in his and di Angelo’s
future.

A few months ago, you and Nico di Angelo released haunted. How different was that
from anything you had worked on before?

Well, first of all, we weren’t planning on it being an album until, like, two weeks before
releasing. We were making music just to make music. There was no promotion, which…
that’s very different from anything I’ve done.

It wasn’t with a label, meaning that it was just us and the songs, as opposed to a huge team of
songwriters, engineers, a management team, publicity team… My old albums had, like, a
hundred people all working on it at the same time, and it was very focused on, “What will
make this a big hit?” “How will people perceive this?” And, obviously, “Don’t sound gay.”

Working with Nico was… he actually described it as half a therapy session and half a gossip
session. I think that’s kind of accurate. A lot of the time, we’re laughing and tossing around
random sh--ty lyrics and he’s making fun of me for all the s--t I did back when I was a teen.
And then the next, we’re holding back tears, because… you can’t really control the music, it
just happens. It’s a part of you. It reveals a lot and sometimes we don’t even realize that
we’re doing it.

When we were working on songs, it was just the songs - we weren’t worried about what
anyone would think about them, because we weren’t even planning on anyone hearing them.
It kind of felt like passing on a torch to the next generation - like, “These are all the things I
couldn’t say or do. This is how I felt about it. And now you’re feeling the same feelings, but
for an entirely different reason, because we’re all just human, aren’t we?”

Over the years, there’s been continuous speculation about your sexuality. Did you want
to say something about that?

There shouldn’t be, really. I’m bisexual. I came out in 2004, but I had known it a while
before then. I mean, it definitely wasn’t the best time and the industry has gotten…better
since. But that’s not something I’m trying to hide.

Was that a part of why you left the music industry? The details never really aligned
when it came to 2004-2005.

I wouldn’t say that. My sexuality wasn’t the reason I left, but me having to hide it was one of
many. My contract had been cut when I was outed, and it was a really tough time. I think I
expected to just take a year or so off, and then return to the industry, but most labels wanted
to force me back into the closet. One year turned into two, and then my eldest son, Will,
started living with me full time, so I put all my focus on that. Eventually, I just realized that I
was happier than I had ever been while working, and I stopped looking to return.

Well, that changed, didn’t it? Did you know when meeting Nico that he would bring you
back to releasing music?

Definitely not. He was just eleven when I first met him, and I think I was more focused on
making sure that he and Will did their homework instead of binge-watching Star Wars all
night. I did teach him the guitar when he was… eleven, yeah. He was interested in learning
and I saw no reason not to. It was actually only last year that he wandered into my studio and
I invited him to record some covers, just for fun. I figured I would show him production, too,
because he seemed interested.

Recording covers turned into recording some songs that I had written over the years and
producing those, and then it turned out that he had been writing songs for years, and they
were incredible. So we started recording those. Then, one day in June, I told him that we had
recorded and produced seventeen songs already, and asked him whether he wanted to make
an album. And he said yes.

So, you had never stopped writing over the years? Did you find inspiration as easily as
you had when you were out in the public more often?

Well, when you’re retired, and all your kids are going to school for six hours a day, it does get
pretty boring. I spent a lot of time writing. The inspiration mostly came from memories or
past relationships, since I had basically put my social life on hold. I certainly wrote a few
songs about my kids, but I wasn’t going to make Nico sing them. I watched a lot of movies,
too, and read some great books. Those are always good inspirations.

And producing? Was that something new as well?

I always played a part in producing my old music. I didn’t do all of it, of course, because I
was kind of being rushed everywhere - movies, touring, recording, songwriting, marketing…
it all blurred together. So going from severely overworked to having to do nothing all day
was a big adjustment. After probably the first year of… well, basically moping, I told myself
to get my s--t together and do something, even if I wasn’t actually going to release it. I took a
bunch of online courses, and as YouTube started becoming more popular, watched a bunch of
tutorials on there.

I eventually built a studio into my home- because I really didn’t need an extra office anyway,
and I taught myself how to use anything that I didn’t already know. Spent a lot of money on
buying instruments, too, so there’s a storage room that’s basically fit for an orchestra. When
Nico and I started producing new music instead of just covers, I had to re-teach myself quite
a few things, but I’d say it’s worth it. Almost all of the guitar and some of the piano is him,
but anything else was me and online tutorials.

So, do you see any plans to continue it in the future? Or any music of your own?

With Nico, yes. He’s got a bright future. It’s all up to him, and I… I joined the industry - the
music industry, that is, because I’d been in films since I was a kid - around the same age as
 him. I was being pushed this way and that, and I was still figuring out myself at the time;
who I was, what kind of legacy I wanted to leave. I think I’m happy with what I’ve done for
myself. I’m most proud of my kids- and, hey, I’m turning thirty-six next year. That’s not old,
but I’m definitely not starting anything before my kids go off to college…f--k, I can’t believe
that’s happening soon. Anyway, I’d be around forty, and that’s just a bit past the prime,
especially with music.

So, not for me. But I know that Nico’s going to go a long way. He’s got a kind of passion and
a style of writing that’s just unique. It’s hard to be vulnerable in music, because most of the
time, we’re worried about someone hearing it and then judging us because of it. Then, a lot of
the mainstream music is just put through so many filters to make sure that the person singing
is still sticking to whatever persona or aesthetic they’ve created - it’s rare for an artist to break
that barrier, but I think that being vulnerable is one of the things that will make them stand
out. Because yeah, some people want that filtered version, but a lot of kids are just looking
for someone who feels the same way they do. Doesn’t matter the cause.

Anyway, we’ve never stopped working. There’s a lot of stuff in the works. When that
eventually comes out… no idea, honestly. Nico kind of lives for the chaos, and I’m just
letting him pave his own path.

Chapter End Notes

okay. wow. ohmygod. CORNELIA STREET. YOYOK FOR A THIRD TIME. IFTYE,
SWEET NOTHING, TELL ME WHY. i was at vegas n1 so i heard sotb
butSLKJDFKLSDFJ THE SURPRISE SONGS?? HAVE BEEN?? WHAT THE
FUCK??? AND SABRINA HAS SLAYED SO HARD ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER
OPENING SET she's such an icon and i'm so proud of her <3

also, i realize that last week, i was like "oh well there's no taylor news here" but then i
forgot that WE LITERALLY GOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE PJO SHOW
RELEASE DATE??? AND I DIDNT EVEN MENTION IT??? LIKE HOLY SHIT IM
SO FUCKING EXCITED. fun fact i share a birthday with percy and that is my biggest
flex/greatest accomplishment!! so yes that teaser was released on my birthday i
*literally* manifested it and posted on my story an hour before it was dropped like "pls
drop a trailer for my bday..." AND THEN IT HAPPENEDSK

now on to the fic: APOLLO IS LITERALLY SUCH AN ICON IM SORRY like i knew
when writing this that he was gonna be a *pretty* major character, but i'm adding more
and more of him and i'm so fucking excited to show y'all where his story is headed. i've
got an idea on how to add more of his backstory in the future, because that'll def be
included. i'm literally just so invested in his little side plots
his interview was probably one of my favorite scenes to write. just writing in apollo's
voice is so... IDK but let's say i 100% understand why rick said that apollo was his
favorite narrator. i love writing nico, the sarcastic and traumatized little shit, but apollo's
just so fun too. yk how they say that people get stuck at the age they turned famous? i
think apollo struggles a bit with that - which is also one of the ways i paralleled how, yk,
he appears as a teenager in his godly form in pjo. i think even as a father he's still kind
of stuck in that time period, in who he was back then, bc his life was quite literally
just.... put on hold. and now he's finally moving forward :)

and PIPER TOO!! she's got sm going on... i'm rlly sorry abt that. i def wanted to reflect
how women are treated in media compared to men- kind of the major difference
between jason and piper, despite having relatively equal levels of fame. most of the mc's
in this fic *are* guys, so piper is just everything to me <3 AND KAYLA I LOVE
KAYLA SM im gonna add more of her for sure

and also!! how fans treat celebrities with coming out. that's a major theme in this fic. just
that celebs do NOT owe us anything, and we as fans should not be "searching for clues"
about their sexuality. we can relate to music in any way we like, but unless they come
out on their own terms, it is NOT OUR BUSINESS. (yes. looking at gaylors.) we don't
know what they're going through. not assuming their sexuality also doesn't "default" to
straight... i feel like that's such a common thing in fanbases. so yeah i feel pretty strongly
abt this and it's such a huge thing with nico's story, waiting to feel ready to come out, it's
a big deal!!

AND THE STORY OF US. fourth track revealed from NdA 2 (the first three: getaway
car, doomsday, and for real this time) (not in order). the story of us to *me* has always
felt like such patrochilles vibes im SORRY "a tragedy now" "battle's in your hands now,
but i would lay my armor down" "but you held your pride like you should've held me"...
and while i'm on that, timeless is ALSO patrochilles. i stand by it both songs are abt fate
and falling out and repetitive tragedy, and it just!! fits!! and so in my head, bc nico is
such a greek mythology nerd, he read/listened to the iliad and wrote this song abt it!

okay that's all the mini rants <3 love y'all so much i live to see ur commentsSKJDLF
 baby, let the games begin
Chapter Notes

ch title from "ready for it" by taylor (yes, i know it's not in 2016, but i've reached the
taylor swift void and i need some rep)
highly recommend listening to "there it goes" by maisie peters while reading :)
and tw for some vague references of past abuse(?) not rlly but nico thinks abt his dad a
bit so nothing huge

See the end of the chapter for more notes

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

APOLLO?? JUST?? DID AN INTERVIEW??? FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER

TWELVE YEARS???

c @celes_angel

“I did teach him guitar when he was eleven” what if i wanted to kms imagine you get taught
at 11 how to play guitar by one of the greatest musicians in history

Emma @wolf_star2791

HEAR THAT EVERYONE??? APOLLO IS BISEXUAL. Y’ALL CAN STOP DENYING IT

NOW EVEN THOUGH HE CAME OUT A DECADE AGO

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

“There shouldn’t be, really. I’m bisexual. I came out in 2004, but I had known it a while
before then. I mean, it definitely wasn’t the best time and the industry has gotten…better
since. But that’s not something I’m trying to hide.” i just think this is iconic tbh

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

NICO CALLING WORKING ON THE ALBUM “HALF A THERAPY SESSION AND

HALF A GOSSIP SESSION” IS ONE OF HIS BEST QUOTES AND WE LEARN THIS
THROUGH APOLLO??
lou ellen !! @sapphowasawitch

stan apollo for clear skin tbh

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

when apollo said his inspiration came from watching a lot of movies and reading books and
that he spent hours just watching youtube tutorials - he is SO RELATABLE

tiwycf @4erasw1n

this guy is a multimillionaire… has an oscar and grammys…

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

idc he’s just a cool music dude

haunted ! @musing_sss

I honestly need a full documentary on Apollo’s life, or a memoir or something. This

interview was so short but I feel like we NEED to understand all the shit he went through
back when he was outed… it just completely glossed over that.

haunted ! @musing_sss

Still, it’s so wonderful that he’s happy with his kids now and has become comfortable in his
sexuality. He really deserves everything

ash @fr.3290dea

i have to wonder what nico’s parents think of all thisLKSDF do you think nicos mom and
apollo just have like weekly gossips or smth?? “oh yeah and i was just hosting the vma’s, are
you bringing the snacks this saturday?”

dev @calyg.ocat
NICO DI ANGELO IS A STAR WARS FAN IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THANK YOU
APOLLO FOR DOING GODS WORK

***

Nico’s creative writing class quickly becomes his favorite. There’s no homework and it’s all
very lenient - sometimes there’s a prompt, and sometimes there isn't. Sometimes, he’s even
allowed to work on other class work, which he does every once in a while as the teachers
pick up the pace.

He does spend most of his time in the class working on lyrics, though. It’s a nice pause in his
day, where he just gets to relax and sort out his thoughts. It’s a kind of therapy, honestly.

Nico’s other classes are nothing in comparison to Will’s schedule, which he quickly finds
himself swamped in. Nico ends up staying after school in Leo’s dorm for a while as Will goes
to his teachers’ office hours and runs all the clubs that he’s committed himself to. Nico
actually ends up finishing most of his homework during that time, and is able to return home
to the studio and work.

That’s the second best part of his day. It’s become a routine, as everything does once students
enter school again, and he loves it. Even when Apollo has other things to do, like the one day
that he actually had an interview, and the several emails/calls that he does on behalf of Nico,
there’s always something happening in the studio.

He’s gotten better at the piano, and he enjoys it. He thinks he’ll always rely a bit more on the
guitar, but it’s always nice having something new to learn, and something his head can use as
proof that he’s not completely useless. Nico sometimes wonders how his life would be if
math or science came as easily to him as music; he certainly wouldn’t be here, because he
would have been up in Will’s room studying for AP’s rather than wandering into Apollo’s
studio.

At one point, he looked at that with a bit of envy. He had been willing to put in the work for
it, but it just never paid off.

Now, though, he can’t find the jealousy in him anymore. It’s not like he ever held it against
his friends for being geniuses, but he sometimes wondered where that would leave him. He’s
found it, now. He knows his path.

It’s incredibly fulfilling, so much so that it doesn’t bother him as much when the kids come
up to him in class, though he thinks that the girl who’s heading open mic must be a bit
annoyed with him by now.

It shouldn’t, but it pleases him. He wonders how Bryce Lawrence is doing. Wonders if he’s
heard his name.
He wonders whether Octavian will ever connect the dots on the kid he made fun of in eighth
grade. Nico’s changed a lot, but will he ever remember?

He wonders whether his father will see his name on the news one day, years from now. If
he’ll recognize that that’s his son, or he’ll just see a guy with the same last name. Surely that
couldn’t be the child he was supposed to take care of.

Or maybe he’ll be dead before he hears about Nico di Angelo. Maybe he’ll just be another
ghost, and he’ll see a young man singing in front of crowds, and maybe he’ll finally accept
that his words and his punches were never able to change Nico. Maybe he, just like Bianca,
will only exist in Nico’s memories. The alcohol finally killing him. A drunk driving car
crash. Falling down the stairs or accidentally setting his house on fire.

It’s cruel of him to think that way, but he can’t help it. When the last remaining family Nico
has is gone, he won’t even know it. It’s not like his father would ever leave him anything in
his will - and Nico wouldn’t even want it, to be honest.

When Nico turns eighteen, all connection between them will be lost. He won’t look back.

For once, he’s letting go of the past and focusing on the present. He’s doing better.

Before Nico knows it, he’s made it to September. He’s written enough between him and
Apollo to probably make another album, and recorded at least half. He doesn’t exactly have a
date, or even a month, set for the actual album release date (he said he was focusing on the
present, not the future), but he does have a plan for a single.

Which is just a strange concept to think about, because that means he’s actually promoting
something and trying to get people to listen to it instead of just dropping stuff and hoping for
the best. Even though he doesn’t even take himself seriously half the time - a part of him
wants others to.

He’s planning on adding the three songs that didn’t make the cut on the original album -
doomsday , getaway car, and for real this time - to the second album. He also dropped a
snippet of the story of us on his Instagram, but he’s not actually planning on releasing that
first.

He’s taking music seriously, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have fun. He’s planning on that
song being the very last song on the album, just to keep people wondering where the hell that
guitar riff is, and if it’s ever going to show up.

Anyway, his favorite by far is getaway car. They’ve added to it since originally recording it,
and it’s going to be the first single of what Nico is 99% sure is going to be called doomsday -
his sophomore album.

He’s just a bit terrified of releasing something while he’s still at school. When he first came
back for school, the news was all old, and yet he still caused a bit of a commotion.

But it’s not like he should limit himself just because of people paying attention to him. He’s
not about to let them all affect him so much more than they already do.
It’s his first time announcing something, and for some reason, it feels more stressful than
releasing haunted. This is the moment where he’s going to either prove that he was a one-hit-
wonder, or whether he can actually do this. He probably shouldn’t put so much pressure on
one song, but his mind does it unconsciously.

He’s also aware that he doesn’t need to do it so soon. But the fact is that he’s going to keep
writing and recording anyway, and he’s not going on tour until he at least finishes high
school.

Maybe years after. Or maybe never. He’s never sung in front of more than four people.

Coming up with a cover is probably the hardest part. He doesn’t want a picture of himself,
but taking a picture of, well, a car… that seems really basic and boring. But does it really
matter?

They end up relying on photoshop once again, and a drone that Apollo buys for the sole
reason of a cover shoot. The picture is a bit grainy, and it’s black and white (though Nico
argues that it’s not for the aesthetic - it definitely is). The car is edited to look like it’s on the
edge of a cliff, with a giant black X underneath it, but just a bit behind, as if the car was
aiming for the X, but just went a bit over.

It’s the second Friday of September when he makes the post, and this time there’s a whole
deal about presaves that he had Apollo explain to him for about an hour. Apparently, it’s
important - though Nico doesn’t understand why Apollo knows so much about it, because his
time was before streaming became huge.

It’ll be the week after when he releases it - and Saturday at midnight, because that gives him
the most distance between the drop and returning to school.

***

[ Image One: The single cover of ‘getaway car’. A car pictured from above, slightly over a
large X and at the edge of a cliff. ]

[ Image Two: A scrap piece of paper which looks like it was torn out of a notebook. There’s
writing on it, half-cursive writing and messy: ‘nothing good starts in a getaway car’. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ hi there’s a one week warning this time. getaway car out sep 17. pre-save
link in bio

***
mia2livv OMGOMGOMGOMG

AnN3gel HAUNTED LITERALLY ONLY CAME OUT TWO MONTHS AGO WE ARE
GETTING FED

Kory21nh apollo DID say they “never stopped working”... i just didn’t expect it to be so
soon omg??

art3m1se thank you for giving us one week nico but i think i’m still working on processing
haunted

wonder_l123 WHAT DOES THE X MEAN

🔥🔥
valdezinator this song is

nicodiangelo ✔ 🔪🔪

valdezinator AND YOU CLAIM TO NOT BE A MURDRERR??

apollo ✔ !!

nicodiangelo ✔ r u making fun of me :// i rmembered the presale link thsi time

apollo ✔ 🚓💨
ngsiagc1.1jo I AM SO READY FOR THIS

musin_gss nico being active again and apollo going to the vma’s YES

***

“Will,” Nico says, looking up from his phone. He’s on the bed, mindlessly scrolling, and Will
is still at his desk. It’s 1:32 AM.

When Will doesn’t respond, Nico thinks about throwing a pillow to get his attention, seeing
as he’s wearing headphones, but instead tosses his phone down and slowly gets out of bed.
He drags the blanket he was under with him, tiredly making his way to Will’s desk.

He looks over Will’s shoulder, who still hasn’t moved, concentrating on some kind of math
that Nico definitely doesn’t understand. After a few seconds of Will still not sensing Nico’s
presence, he taps his shoulder lightly, resulting in Will jumping up and nearly falling out of
his chair.

“Nico?” Will’s voice is sleepy, and Nico wonders whether he was actually sleeping while
sitting straight up. “Gotta finish this,” he murmurs. He blinks a few times and turns back to
his textbook, and- well, Nico is really tired. And he can tell that Will is, too. And he’s gotten
a bit too used to sleeping with Will’s arms around him. It’s a bit codependent, he knows, but
it’s for Will’s own good, too.

“When’s that due?” Nico asks. The page of Will’s notebook that’s open is half-filled, and
there are pencil marks that were erased over one part of the page. It looks like he’s fixed it
multiple times.

Will hesitates for a few seconds. “Thursday.”

Nico blinks. “But it’s Monday.”

“Yeah?”

“So why are you doing it now?”

“Well-” Will shrugs half-heartedly, as if trying to convince himself as well, “It was assigned
today, and I know that my history teacher’s going to assign stuff on Wednesday, and Gracie
asked me to sit in on her club tomorrow afternoon-”

“Will.”

“-And I should’ve gotten this done today, but it’s just not clicking, because the answer key
says it’s zero but I keep getting one-”

“Wait, you’ve had an answer key this whole time?”

Will pauses. “...Yes?”

“So, you’ve been working on this for hours… while having an answer key,” Nico repeats,
and he’s sure that it’s not sleep-deprivation that’s making Will sound insane.

“Well, if I don’t get it, then an answer key isn’t going to help me on the test,” Will tries to
explain, “And the teacher said she’s gonna be doing assessments every week so I know I
have one on Friday-”

“Okay,” Nico mutters. He closes Will’s textbook despite Will telling him not to, and picks up
the blanket that he had dropped. “It’s due on Thursday. Just wake me up early tomorrow, and
we’ll go to school so you can visit your teacher’s office hours and ask her what you’re
missing.”

“But- Nico-”

“I am letting you wake me up early, Will, because I love you and otherwise you’re never
going to go to sleep.”

Will gives a slightly guilty, half-hearted smile.

“Now, please come the fuck to bed because I’m tired.”

Will laughs softly. “I didn’t mean to keep you up-”

“Will,” Nico sighs, “Sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” Will picks up the other end of the blanket so that he doesn’t trip on it, and then
ends up crawling over Nico to get to the other side of the bed. “God, we act like an old
married couple.”

Nico hums in response, burying his head into Will’s chest. And he’ll regret it a bit when Will
wakes him up at six in the morning, half an hour earlier than usual, but in the moment, all
that matters is that Will is holding him and Nico feels happy.

***

Nico starts trending again. The presave numbers make him almost drop his phone. He doesn’t
really get the point of selling a single, seeing as people should really just wait to buy the
album, but he follows Apollo’s advice and they do it anyway, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever
understand it - the number of people who haven’t even heard the song, and yet they’ve
bought it and are waiting for a copy of it.

Some people ask him about it at school, but not many. Actually, most leave him alone at this
point, and Nico could not be more grateful.

It’s all a bit monotonous once he gets into the routine again. He shows up, goes to his classes,
then goes to lunch, then more classes. Then, he hangs out in Leo’s dorm, and eventually, Will
texts him and they drive home, sometimes with Leo, Jason, and Piper as well.

There haven’t been updates - at least from what Leo’s told them - about him and Jason.
According to Piper, though, Jason hasn’t given her any updates either, so Nico’s not really
sure what to think about that. He’s not going to intervene, though, because he’s starting to
believe that some things just have to figure themselves out on their own.

As the first tests come around, the grades slowly drop. He’s trying not to feel surprised or
disappointed - but he does get pissed off when his history teacher asks him whether maybe he
should take a break from music to focus on his schoolwork. As if he doesn’t turn in every
single assignment that is given, and has barely recorded anything new in the past two weeks.

But he’s passing. And that’s enough.

What makes the pressure lessen quite a bit is when getaway car debuts at No. 18 on the
Billboard Hot 100. That makes him feel like he’s flying, and he promises himself that he’s
not getting too caught up in the numbers - but it feels good. Something he’s working towards
is actually paying off. People care.

***
 [ Video: The camera is propped up to the side, showing Apollo standing, and Nico in the
corner, sitting down. It’s the same place as the previous video was taken.

Background: Never win…I’m in a getaway car

Apollo: And I’m losing my- something…To get back the-

Apollo turns around, pausing the music.

Nico: I’m in the getaway car, I- bar? Something?

Apollo: Left you in the motel bar-

Nico: I’m in a getaway car, and I- left you in the motel bar… ‘cause I’m twenty-one and
drinking…in this- heist…?

Apollo laughs, throwing his head back.

Apollo: Took the… wait, heist kinda thing? Took the money and the…

Nico: Took the money and the bag and I stole- Put the money in the bag and I stole the keys,
that was the last time you ever saw me-

Apollo claps once, turning around as the original background music starts playing - getaway
car. ]

[ Image Two: A screenshot of getaway car’s place on the Billboard chart. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ dying

***

apollo ✔ (In a getaway car)

nicodiangelo ✔ so original

valdezinator when’s the hiest going down

nicodiangelo ✔ no idea but will can drive

valdezinator LMFAO I FROGOT U DONT EVEN HAVE UR DRIVERS LISENCE

nicodiangelo ✔ 🖕
f4everac_ BEEN STREAMING THIS NONSTOP WTF
miss.grace_ this right here. this is the dream duo. this song is PERFECT.

musin_gss I honestly can’t believe that there’s already another song and a debut album. I’m
still trying to process Apollo coming back to music

angellss1_8 nothing could have prepared me for how good this song is WTF

***

Nico, before October 2016, would have said that he was entirely used to how quickly life
could change. He could divide his life into precisely three sections, and they were always
turned upside down in a single day.

But this October brings Nico a different kind of change. He’s used to abrupt and immediate.
He’s used to change coming up from behind him and throwing him completely off his path-
even if it’s for the better.

He’s not used to the kind of change that he’s prepared for. A change that’s been a long time
coming, and that he can see in the distance for a while before it joins him.

And that’s what it feels like. He’s not thrown onto an entirely different path, but he is
reaching another fork in the road. He has Will, and he has his friends, and he has a career that
he’s decided to keep growing - so he supposes that’s what September, for him, is all about.
Growth.

Growing so that when October hits, he is somewhat prepared, but also not, for the sudden and
insane increase in streams, sales, and overall attention.

He’s obviously heard of it happening, sometimes, with other artists- the ones that just break
through out of seemingly nowhere because they just have insane luck. And Nico’s never
really thought of himself as a lucky person, but things are shifting now - and it’s all for him.

Because when he wakes up, and it’s October, everyone’s eyes are now on him. Getaway car
does not fall lower on the Billboard Hot 100, but instead only goes higher. haunted also re-
enters the charts (the song), and the album looks like it’s heading that way.

When people will ask him what could cause him to break through in such a way, months after
the original album came out, he’ll say it was getaway car. After all, that’s only logical, isn’t
it? A song release in mid-September leading to climbing charts and an extra spotlight in
October.

But the truth is that it’s never up to one thing. After all, haunted already had its moment. It
got pretty big for a debut album. Insanely big for a debut album with no promotion. And then
getaway car debuted high as well, but nothing in comparison to October - so what was it?
 It could be the YouTubers with tens of millions of subscribers going on some kind of
nostalgia trip and finding Nico when looking at Apollo.

It could be the spooky season, which Nico guesses he’s somewhat(?) connected to now, with
the whole ghost theme.

It could be the actors that bring up Nico’s music, and then their celebrity friends who also
find it, and promote it to their friends, and so on.

Or it could just be fate. There’s never really one reason behind changes - it’s always different
strings of events, connected together, all intertwining and causing one big commotion.

That fall, the big commotion is Nico di Angelo.

Chapter End Notes

omg!! hi!! it is a wednesday and i am posting!!

so YES i finally missed an update. god. why. i was able to update my other fic bc it was
just proofreading and then posting, but if u didn't see my comment on the previous
chapter - i got sick. from FRIDAY and i am STILL sick. as in i've missed two days of
school + my entire three day weekend. (not) slay!! anyway i had most of this chapter
written but throughout the weekend i had migraines and generally felt like shit and was
not able to finish it up. i got the chapter finished last night but wanted to wait until today
to post it bc i wanted to make sure it wasn't some fever migraine delusional writing that
only i could comprehend (and yes, there were several typos when looking through it
todaySKDLF)

but anyway! it is up! i am *hoping* that i'll have another chapter to post on sunday and
get back into the schedule but i also have a ton of makeup hw (slay ap classes) so no
promises 3 i WILL promise a chapter by next sunday for sure tho. so not more than a
week will be lost 100%

moving ON no taylor swift news :( BUT nico just. released a song. like whattttt yeah
that was sudden i know!! nico in this fic is generally just,,, very chaotic. so yeah i have
like a vague outline of when he's gonna release stuff but tbh i just let it go wild
whenever i write. he's got that adhd scheduling and no management team to hold him
back so.... yeah!!

i feel like this chapter in general was very chaotic, and i can't tell whether that was bc of
my sickness or bc the outline was just very vague here. i mean really the only thing that
was going through my head was september-october, getaway car release (which YES i
stand by should have been a single taylor) and fluffy solangelo at some point. and - well,
it's all here, so!!! and then i was just streaming there it goes bc we HAVE made it to
september, so i'll just say rn- yes, there it goes will be on 'doomsday' the album (NdA2).
i *think* that is all,,, GUTS COMING OUT TMRW SO EXCITED FOR THAT OH
AND?? THE ERAS TOUR FILM?? see even when there's no eras tour and i think
there's no news there's ALWAYS taylor news. SO EXCITED FOR THE ERAS TOUR
FILM i have two tickets for the opening weekend and the weekend after and then it'll be
1989 tv!! it is HER YEAR!!

anyway thank you all for reading and kudos-ing and commenting (esp those who dug
through the comments and found me saying i'm sick and wishing me well, i literally love
y'all, thank you so much <3) i *am* feeling better!
 i kept runnin' for a soft place to fall
Chapter Notes

ch title from 'runaway' by aurora

tw(?) for like one very brief reference to nico having been outed

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Since when has that been there?”

It is, admittedly, an odd time to notice it, but Nico literally lives in Will’s room and hasn’t
seen it for the past few months. It only stood out because Will doesn’t have many black and
white album covers, and in a room so full of color (except for the drawers where Nico puts
his clothes), it’s strange.

Will pulls back, a questioning look on his face. They had been kissing - or, really, Nico had
just been distracting Will from his homework. He doesn’t feel guilty. Two months into school
and Will still has straight A’s; he’ll be fine.

“What?” Will turns around, and Nico raises his hand from Will’s lower back to point at the
wall. Now that Nico looks closer, he’s pretty sure that the vinyl wall used to only have six
albums hung up, and now there were nine, with haunted right in the middle. “The album?”
Will asks, looking back to Nico.

Nico nods. He’s so far away in the album cover that no one would actually be able to
recognize that it’s him unless they knew who he was. Honestly, it could be any guy with dark,
curly hair.

“Oh, yeah,” Will grins, and he’s got a funny look on his face. “I ordered some more mounts.
‘Cause there’s space for more and I didn’t want all the vinyls on the shelves.”

“And you put mine up?”

Will raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”

Nico shrugs. His eyes are still stuck on it.

He doesn’t really know why. The album’s been out for ages. He’s also released a single since
then. And yet, it still catches him by surprise when he sees that photo anywhere. He’s gotten
kind of used to his name, but- well, it’s hard to explain.

“It’s your room, too, anyway,” Will says quietly, “I dunno, I thought of it, like, me putting up
a school award or something. I finished some homework early last week and put the new
album mounts up - you were in the studio, I think.”
It’s your room, too. Another thing that Nico had obviously been aware of, but it just hadn’t…
set in yet. Like, the fact that it’s something permanent, and has been for a year now.

Because he remembers it like it was yesterday. His father, and the balcony, and the car. And
then he was at Apollo’s, and he didn’t leave.

So, he supposes that it is his room, now. Not like he hasn’t been practically living in it for
years, of course- it's already filled with pictures of their friends, and there’s traces of Nico all
over.

There’s a warmth in his heart. Everything these days seems to be falling into place.

“Nico?”

He blinks, returning his gaze to Will, who’s watching him with a fond smile. Nico’s felt a lot
of emotions at once in the past, but he doesn’t think he’s felt so many good ones at the same
time. It throws him off course in the best way possible.

“Yeah?” he smiles, and finally recognizes the funny look on Will’s face. He’s proud.

Well, for once, Nico is too. He’s really fucking proud. Proud of his boyfriend, and his friends,
and even Apollo, but mainly himself. And that’s also something new.

Will leans in and leaves a kiss on Nico’s lips, as if he can’t resist. Nico understands the
feeling. But instead of continuing it, Will just turns around and sits next to Nico before
leaning his head on his shoulder, sighing dramatically.

“Remember last year? When you said that, like, everything was changing?”

Of course, Nico does. He thinks that’s probably the most true thing he’s ever said. He hums
in response, one hand absently moving to play with Will’s hair.

“Do you think it’s happening again?”

Nico hesitates, eyebrows furrowing at the question. Are things changing again? Yes. Life
doesn’t just… pause. It’s constantly moving, constantly changing. But in a way, he does sort
of understand what Will is asking.

“No,” he says quietly, “I don’t think so.”

This time, it’s Will who hums in response, and Nico continues. “Not compared to last year,
you know? Like, things are still changing, but…it’s not as sudden.”

“Yeah,” Will agrees, with a small nod. “I’m liking this kind of change. It’s just…”

Nico lets Will take his time, because this is the tone he uses when he’s worried about
something in the future. It’s something that balances them out - Nico getting caught up in the
past, Will being anxious about the future. Together, they pull each other back to the present.
Will lets out a small chuckle. “It’s just that we’ve had, like, ten different meetings and talks
about how… It’s your junior year! Colleges! Grades! SAT! And we still have two years,
don’t we?”

Oh. Hm. This is different. Nico doesn’t quite know how to deal with this, because he never
really saw Will as the type of person to be unprepared about this kind of thing. Nico spent so
much time thinking about how one day, Will would leave him behind and go to college, and
yet that hasn’t been on his mind as much lately.

“I’ve just been thinking,” Will continues, “about how…I don’t want to stay here. But I wanna
be near you. And, I mean, I can get my degree at any school, I don’t really have a preference.
But it’ll be weird, won’t it?”

That they won’t spend every waking second together? That they won’t go to sleep in the
same bed and wake up together? That they may even be in a different time zone?

Yeah. It’s weird.

Nico nods, not mentioning that he’s thought this over a million times. He had never brought it
up to Will anyway, not wanting to seem codependent, even though they most certainly were.

“Where would you want to go? If it was the same as now, but just somewhere else,” Nico
asks. The silent message is this: I would follow you anywhere. And I think that now, I might
just be able to.

“New York,” Will says. It throws Nico off a bit.

“Isn’t it freezing there?”

“Yeah. I think it’d be nice.”

Nico lets out a confused noise. “But- you? In cold, rainy, snowy weather? You hate when it
gets under sixty degrees.”

“Are you judging my decision?”

“No! Well… kind of. I’m just wondering why.”

Will nods, slightly hesitant. “That’s what Dad said, too. Because he says that we should visit
colleges and stuff if I want to, and I brought up New York, and…I dunno. Is it that weird?
Like, I know it’s different, but… maybe I’m just choosing it because it’s far away. Maybe I’d
be miserable.”

Nico leans in slightly to Will. He’d have to pack a bunch of warm clothes, even though Will’s
entire closet is made of tee-shirts and shorts. “Well, New York sounds good. And if you’re
miserable, then we’ll move again.”

Nico feels Will’s breathing stop for just a second, before he’s sitting straight up again,
smiling wide at Nico. “Really? You’d… you’d go?”
And Nico just rolls his eyes, trying to ignore how his heart races. “I’ve always said
California’s too hot. Plus, New York is… New York is good. Lots of great concert venues.”
That’s something Nico hasn’t brought up yet, because like Will said, graduation is still two
years away, and Nico meant what he said about not touring until he graduates. But after that,
well…

“It’s just an idea, anyway,” Will says, in a tone that means he’s 100% serious. Nico doubts
that he would bring up college if he hadn’t already done his research- he’s just been avoiding
bringing it up because it’s so far away. But did Will think that Nico actually wouldn’t follow
him? Now that he actually can, and now that he has the opportunity to move without just
living off Apollo’s money?

And Nico’s almost grateful that Will is the one who brought it up, because now his mind is
flooding with ideas, things that he never would have considered otherwise. It’s the first time
he’s also brought up the idea of a concert out loud. In the far future, of course, but he thinks
that he’d like to do it someday.

So, yeah, he thinks, the idea settling in. New York.

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

calling it rn that nico di angelo is gonna release/announce smth on halloween

Pop Base @PopBase

Nico di Angelo earns his highest charting song on Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘getaway car’ at
#11.

[ one image attached ]

c @celes_angel

NICO IN THE BACKGROUND OF LEO’S STORY

[ one image attached: a screenshot of @valdezinator’s story, with Leo Valdez grinning and
Nico di Angelo mid-eye-roll on his phone. Text says: i won a bet!!!! ]

-
It had been a stupid bet in the first place, but Nico guesses that this is his punishment for
extensive self-doubt and hatred. Either way, Leo had claimed that Nico would get a B on his
math test after he tutored him, and Nico had thought no fucking way, but, well- Leo was
really good at math. It ended up being a B-, and Nico argued that that technically wasn’t a B,
but Leo was convincing - especially when Will teamed up with him.

(Truly, it was unfair. His boyfriend is supposed to be on his side, right?)

So, now, Nico is going live on Instagram. The things that he does for his friends.

He’s in Will’s room, simply because it’s comfier (even though he’s literally sitting on the
ground), and Leo and Will are watching, sitting on the bed. He has his guitar (not Naomi
Solace’s, but the acoustic one he tends to use from the studio) and a heavy load of anxiety in
his gut.

He wonders whether what would be worse - the stress of a lot of people watching him, or the
embarrassment of no one joining.

He thinks the former, but there’s only one way to find out.

Before he starts, he sends a very direct glare to his friends, and Leo just grins while Will
gives him a supportive thumbs-up. Traitor.

As soon as he clicks the button, he distracts himself by fiddling with the guitar. He’ll look
back in a few seconds, but for now…

He plays the first few chords of an unreleased song. He’s not entirely sure that it’s gonna be
on the album, because he’s honestly written so many songs that a fair few (probably over
twenty) are going to be cut out. This one hasn’t been recorded yet, anyway. He hasn’t had
much time for that.

He counts the seconds in his head, reminding himself of a time when he was pining over
Will, and would have to avoid staring- well, he’s not going to think about that, now. Either
way, it’s enough to get him to look up, but not stop playing.

And oh. Wow. There are over a thousand people already. It’s only been a few seconds?

He’s pretty sure the surprise is apparent on his face, because he hears a stifled snort from Leo
on the bed. His head snaps around, glaring at Leo, who’s clearly also watching the live on his
phone, which- what’s the point of that? Nico is literally right in front of him.

“I have the worst friends,” he says, redirecting his attention to the phone because Leo didn’t
see his glare in person.

He’s lying, of course. He loves them. He wouldn’t be alive or happy or here without them,
and truly, he is grateful.

But he’s also sarcastic, and the exaggerated gasp from Leo is well worth it.
Either way, Nico decides to ignore him and focus on the steadily growing viewer count, and
then the rapidly incoming chat. God, how do celebrities read anything on them?

Oh, wait. Nico is that celebrity now. Huh.

He hasn’t stopped playing, the chords still coming easily, but he’s obviously not singing right
now. He tries to catch some of the messages, then realizes that he should probably talk.

“Uh… Hi.” God, you’re a fucking idiot. “I lost a bet. So now I’m here. I’m… not really sure
what I’m supposed to do-”

“We’ll read you questions!” Leo declares loudly, obviously having prepared this.

Nico restrains himself from glaring again, because he’d really like to not be perceived as an
asshole, but… well, Leo deserves it. He glances at Will, who just shrugs, but his phone is also
open, and… his boyfriend was in on this. Wow. Nico feels betrayed.

Not really. He knows that his friends would never pick a question that Nico clearly wouldn’t
want to answer, and they know him better than anyone. It’s part of the reason he’s never
chosen to do an interview, actually, because even if he knows he can probably ask them to not
cover certain topics- he’s terrified of the chance. What if the interviewer misinterprets
something? What if they change his wording? What if they ask a question that Nico can’t,
won’t answer, and they write something shitty about that?

So, no interviews. Not yet, at least. Maybe one day. He’s not sure. Honestly, as he catches
glimpses of questions (as well as the steady stream of hi’s and hello’s and Can you say [insert
name]? ), he thinks - why not take questions directly from the people listening to his music,
instead of going through another party? It’s also a way that, no matter what he says about
himself, will be coming through his mouth.

He thinks that’s another problem of his, courtesy of his experience of being outed, but he’s
not going to dig too much into it.

So, he sighs exaggeratedly, and says, “Sure, go ahead.”

He turns back to the camera. “That’s Leo, by the way. You probably know him better than
you know me, to be honest.”

“We’re working on his social media presence!” Leo shouts.

Nico rolls his eyes. He decides to say hi to someone’s name that he catches, and instantly
feels guilty because he won’t be able to do that for everyone.

Then, he sees a familiar username pop up, and he grins. “Hey, Piper.”

“Wait, Piper’s on here?” Will asks, the first time his voice pops up. Nico wonders whether he
should introduce him too, but… Will doesn’t use his social media for a reason. He’ll ask Will
later if he feels comfortable with Nico talking about him.

“Yeah, I just saw… I dunno, the notification is gone, but-”

“Okay, okay, first question! And yeah, I told Pipes that we were doing this. She’s got some
good questions.”

“What the fuck, Leo?”

“So,” Leo clears his throat dramatically, “User Ang-3-el-oh-thy-nah, I can’t read that.
Dyslexia and weird usernames don’t work well together, so anyway, the person asks Are you
working on a second album?”

“Oh,” Nico blinks, finally stops strumming the guitar. “Um, yes. No promises on when it’s
coming out, though.”

“I’m gonna say February,” Leo says, causing Nico to sputter.

“You can’t just choose when I’m gonna release an album!”

“I just said I’d guess!”

“Well, now I’m purposefully gonna make it not come out in February. So probably next year,
or the year after that, but not in February,” he turns back to his phone, answering to the
camera.

“Lame,” Leo mutters, “What song were you just playing?”

“Unreleased,” Nico shrugs, “Not sure if I’m gonna record it yet, but it does have lyrics.”

He sees the chat, a few seconds later due to the delay, immediately explode. The viewer count
keeps increasing. Leo continues.

“I like this one - When did you meet Leo and is he your best friend?”

“Oh, wow, so you’re just sending your own questions now,” Nico scoffs, but a small grin is
on his face. He’s willing to bet the second part was added by Leo, but probably not the first.
Either way, it’s fine. “We met in sixth grade. And yeah, sure, if he weren’t an asshole.”

A pillow is thrown at Nico’s face. He just barely dodges it. “So, yeah, Will’s my best- god,
Leo! They’re both my best friends. I can have more than one best friend.”

Leo nods, happy with the answer. “Very true. So, next…”

And so it continues. He gets asked everything from if he’s going to be making a music video
(there aren’t any plans to, not yet, but maybe one day) to who his favorite artist is at the
moment (he’s been listening to an EP by Alex Fierro, it’s kind of indie-rock if he were to
describe it - oh, and yes, Taylor Swift, Will) and even people noticing his accent that becomes
kind of present when he goes on a mini rant, complete with excessive hand gestures, about
ghosts and why he likes them (oh, yeah, I was born in Italy).

The livestream ends two hours later, and Nico only really used the guitar twice, and
vehemently refused to sing - only accepted because he promised that next time, he would.
He’s not really sure if there’ll be a next time, but he’s not completely opposed to it anymore.
Either way, when he scrolls on his socials later that night, he finds that he doesn’t regret it.
He did share stuff about his life - he isn’t a complete mystery anymore.

But also, it’s different. It’s not in some article (well, it is, but those articles were only written
after the livestream), or some late night talk show. It was just him, and it was his friends, and
it was the people who listened to his music, and he was never once reluctant to talk about
anything, because the whole thing was so easy.

It’s another step forward. He’s a bit confused, honestly, because he keeps responding to fans
with dry humor and sarcastic quips, and he doesn’t think that he was all that charismatic -
that’s really just not who he is, and yet everyone seems to find that funny. He’s not used to it.
Except for Will and Leo, and then Jason and Piper, and probably Kayla as well (even though
she’s four years younger than them and made it extremely clear how much she finds her older
siblings/older siblings’ friends annoying) people don’t tend to be interested in learning about
him, or don’t even notice him at all.

This has clearly changed.

October comes to a close, and November begins, and with it come a lot of preparations.
They’re going to New York over Thanksgiving Break to look at colleges (for Will), to see
Darren (for Kayla), to hang out with Jason (for Leo, while Piper is unfortunately stuck in
LA), and Percy and Annabeth, who have also invited them to some fancy restaurant at some
point throughout the week (because apparently they haven’t seen each other in forever).

But before that, they remain in L.A. to go to the American Music Awards.

For Nico.

[ An Instagram Story: A dark picture of Nico di Angelo in the car, only half his face is shown.
In the other corner of the picture, Apollo is seated on the other side of the car, looking at his
phone.

Text says: @Apollo ama’s?? ]

The lights are brighter than Nico expected.

Of course, he had been warned about it, and Apollo had kind of prepared him, but he guesses
that it’s one of those things that you can’t know until you’ve experienced it.

The American Music Awards, 2016.

Usually, it’s not really the first award show that artists go to. Nico knows that there are
several smaller ones, and he keeps track of them, of course, but he doesn’t really want to go
to an award show - or at least his first one - without Apollo, or at least someone he knows.
And there’s truly no reason for Apollo to go somewhere that isn’t filled with A-list
celebrities, so that leaves some limited options.

He’s not nominated for anything, obviously- with the only categories he could be nominated
for having actual stars that Nico still can’t really believe he’s in the same building as. Also,
the nominations had been announced in early October, so Nico can guess that getaway car
wasn’t included in the nomination period.

Still, this is his first ‘public’ appearance… ever. Kind of. He’s been seen in public, of course.
He went to Reyna Ramírez-Arellano’s Halloween party (which… wow. If he thought he had
been starstruck at Percy’s party, Reyna’s was on an entirely new level). He’s been
photographed while going out with his friends. He makes common appearances on Leo and
Piper’s instagrams, and he’s been… somewhat active on his social media.

But going to an award show is different. He’s pretty sure that he’ll be overshadowed by quite
literally everyone else, but it’s still more eyes on him than he’s used to. He’s watched these
award shows for years, but always at the comfort of Apollo’s couch, with Will, Leo, Kayla,
and sometimes Austin next to him.

This date, though, was the best possible choice for going to his first award show. It’s the
weekend before Thanksgiving Break, meaning he has a whole week before going back to
school - a whole week for everyone at school who watches the AMA’s to forget that he went
there.

The routine is very similar to when Apollo went to the VMA’s (which, really, Nico doesn’t
understand why there are so many of these award shows in the first place) - he has a stylist
come over (just one) and he drives to some parking garage where he’ll then get into another
car with a driver. It’s all for privacy purposes. This time, Nico goes along with him.

Which leads him to where he is now - the flashing lights of a red carpet. God, how did he end
up here?

He internally braces himself and hopes that he’s not blinking in all of the pictures. His outfit
is certainly not extravagant, nothing like Apollo’s bright gold suit ( I’m the sun god, it’s my
color - he says to explain why it’s always gold, as if he’s the actual god). It’s a bit baggy,
despite him also wearing a binder underneath. Thankfully, he hadn’t had to explain anything
to the stylist; Apollo had told her in advance that Nico simply prefers dark colors and baggy
clothing ( It’s part of his aesthetic - he’d say).

Anyway, Nico’s eternally grateful that his outfit is comfortable, or as comfortable as possible
while he’s walking down a red carpet. He practiced with Apollo and had wondered whether
the relentless teasing from Leo was worth it, but now he’s sure it was. Even with the
‘practice’, he still feels like he’s about to throw up.

Thankfully, this isn’t one of the red carpets where the paparazzi are holding out microphones
and he’s forced to answer questions. He’s still a bit terrified of interviews. If there’s
something he’s not prepared for, is he supposed to lie? Change the subject? He knows now
that the really serious stuff - anything about his family, or his past, or his sexuality - he
doesn’t want to share through an interview. The idea of the words coming out of anyone’s
mouth other than his own makes him feel sick. He prefers the livestreams.

And it’s not like some reporter on a red carpet would ask that, but anxiety isn’t logical. For
now, he just has to walk, stop every few seconds, and then keep walking, and then he makes
it to the end.

Walk the red carpet. Find your seat. Sit. Watch the show. Clap. Don’t look like you’re pissed
off.

It’s so, so simple. He can do this.

Turns out that the interview red carpet is separate from the photographers’ red carpet, which
Nico probably should have expected. But it’s fine.

He gets asked whether Italian pizza is better than American pizza, which is met with an
exasperated stare, before he remembers that he’s actually supposed to be nice to these
people.

He gets asked his favorite song at the moment, which leads him into a rant and a long, long
list that’s made up of several different genres, and artists that go from less than a million
streams to billions of streams - he really can’t decide, and eventually he has to stop himself
when his hand almost wacks the reporter next to him.

He gets asked what the last thing he googled was, which is strange (is the reporter’s company
being sponsored by google or something?), but he pulls out his phone, already mentally
preparing a lie - he doesn’t have to, though, because his last search was “how to spell-” and
then a blatant misspelling of ‘hierarchy’ which he needed for a history assignment that he
was rushing through while his stylist did his hair. Is it slightly embarrassing? No, not really.
It’s a weirdly spelled word, okay?

And he gets asked whether he thinks Apollo will ever release something new of his own,
which makes Nico roll his eyes (because shouldn’t they know that Apollo has already
answered this?) and just says, “No,” once again forgetting he’s supposed to be likable.
 But when he finally finds his seat (thankfully next to Apollo, though Apollo hasn’t arrived
yet), he opens his phone (because that was way too much social interaction with complete
strangers, and he is ready to just treat the rest of the night like a concert and clap for people
winning), he finds all three of his main group chats (Leo, Will, Kayla, and Apollo; Leo and
Will; Leo, Will, Jason, and Piper) flooded with notifications.

They’re all the same things, though. Plenty of screenshots from Twitter, pictures of them
watching the show from home, reactions to things he said, and even memes. God, he’s
become a meme within an hour of showing up at an award show - he isn’t sure if that’s a
failure or success.

Either way, he makes his way through the messages, not really aware of things around him;
the seats are filling up, and Apollo is probably just now making his way down the red carpet,
seeing as the more well-known people go last. His heart has stopped beating out of his chest,
and his breathing has turned to a bit more normal.

They make their way home around midnight, ignoring the various invites to afterparties, and
Nico ends up flopping himself on Will’s chest as soon as he gets home, resulting in a soft
chuckle from Will, and somehow, the whole family ends up having a sleepover in the living
room on couches that are truly just as comfortable as some beds (though Nico really just uses
Will as a pillow, so there’s no difference for him).

It’s a great night.

Chapter End Notes

OKAY SO first of all:

TAYLOR AT THE VMA'S. GOD. HELP ME. "SLUT!" IS A VAULT TRACK.
DYING. WE HAVE JUST OVER A MONTH UNTIL 1989 (TAYLOR'S VERSION).
SCREAMING CRYING PERFECT STORMS
AND. CHALICE OF THE GODS COMING OUT IN TWO DAYS I WILL BE DOING
THE EXACT SAME THING AS I DID FOR TSATS (meaning driving to target before
school and probably finishing the book before i leave)

okay next:
so sorry that it took so long for this update!! i truly did want to be able to finish this by
last weekend, but i ended up being flooded by more hw (i had to also miss two days
bcof pneumonia at the end of the week before), and this week was- well, chaotic and
extremely busy
- had to make up four tests all before school (i am *not* a morning person)
- went to a maisie peter's concert (got barricade, one of the best nights of my life!! if you
don't listen to maisie, you totally should, i've included a few of her songs into playlists
<3)
- and started a taylor swift club at my school!!
so yeah i've just been rlly busy, and so the fic was put on a short hold (and i felt bad for
not updating my other fic in two weeks, so i prioritized that one)
ANYWAY this chapter was a bit longer to make up for it! some very exciting things
happening, we will be continuing the aftermath of the ama's next chapter bc this ch was
just getting too long, unfortunately - the nextx chapter SHOULD be up next week, but,
well. as will said, it's your junior year! colleges! grades! sat! i literally related to every
single word i wrote about willDLKF

i also increased the chapter count! with will's birthday party + a few other scenes that i
added, i'm very behind on my outline (ch 23 is supposed to be feb-may), so... yeah.
hopefully i won't have to increase it again, and 31 is good, but we'll see, there's still a lot
to get through

and then one other thing that i wanted to make clear right here! AWARD SHOWS. so. i
want everyone to keep in mind that if/when nico *eventually* gets nominated for/wins
ANY awards, it is NEVER an idea of "oh, this song is better than this song" or this
album/this artist. i will NOT be looking up who wins an award, just to compare nico and
that person, because- well, nico's fictional!! i try to keep my mention of real life
celebrities to a minimum, even if i definitely have headcanons in my head about who
he's friends with/a fan of and stuff. lemme know if you wanna hear thoseDSJF but the
main point is!! AWARDS FOR NICO ARE FOR PLOT PURPOSES ONLY. IT IS
NEVER ABOUT THE ACTUAL MUSIC. i like making playlists and choosing songs
just bc it helps me imagine them better, but you are ALWAYS welcome to just add a
different song in your head that you imagine nico playing, because let's be real, my
music taste is not the same as everyone else's!! and i am not a music professional or
anything, so i rlly can't decide whether one song/album is better than another/deserves to
win an award more

the highlights of this chapter are def nico's red carpet interviews. (did you catch one of
the references??) and... oh, alex fierro name drop? wonder if that'll ever be important,,,
anyway! thank you so much for being patient with me and being respectful when
checking in <3 i def welcome asking when the next chapter might be coming, but yeah,
school is unfortunately always gonna come before writing this fic :/ i wish it
wasn'tSDLKJF

please keep up your comments and theories, i live for them!! until next week <3
 they'll hang us in the louvre
Chapter Notes

ch title from 'the louvre' by lorde

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Family Group Chat

Today 9:01 PM

pyromaniac named the conversation “AMA UPDATES”

pyromaniac

[ one screenshot attached: a tweet that says “HE’S LITERALLY SUCH A MOOD”; attached
is a short video made up of clips of of Nico di Angelo rolling his eyes at the reporter, scrolling
on his phone and glancing around him in his seat, an exasperated stare at a reporter, him
mouthing to words to one of the performances. ]

[ one screenshot attached: a tweet that says “NICO DI ANGELO AT THE AMA’S AND
DOING A LIVESTREAM LAST WEEK ANGELS WE HAVE WON”. ]

[ one image attached: a selfie showing Leo pointing at the TV in the background with Nico
on it. ]

kayla

KSLDJFS NICO “no” DI ANGELO

will <3

[ one screenshot attached: a tweet that says “god have mercy nico di angelo at the ama’s”
with two attached images of Nico on the red carpet ]

kayla

no will

will <3

Yes will

kayla
THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR UR SIMPING WE’RE MAKING FUN OF HIM

will <3

😔 💔
pyromaniac

i agree wthi kayla ur outnumbrerd

will <3

Homophobia

[ five images attached: Nico di Angelo on the AMA’s red carpet ]

kayla

[ one image attached: the lesbian flag ]

pyromaniac

THERES A VID OF HIM LTIERALLY ON HIS PHONE NICO R U IGNROING US????

kayla

nico get me ariana grande’s autograph pls

no :)

***

They leave for New York on Monday and arrive early in the morning on Tuesday. Because
it’s with Apollo, they use a private plane, and Nico knows that it’s an experience he’ll never
forget. Not really because it isn’t a commercial plane, but because the last time he was on a
plane - well, he’d been so confused and stuck in grief that he never actually saw the view.
Nico doesn’t really remember it, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he had slept through the
entire flight.

This time, though, he gets to appreciate the skyline, listen to a book, watch Will do
homework (because his teachers are evil, Nico has decided), and scroll on Twitter for a
while.

The next day, they wake up early because Will, Leo, and Nico booked a tour of NYU (which,
Will had told them that they really didn’t have to come- it wasn’t like any of them are looking
to go there, but Leo had insisted that he was keeping his options open and Nico just rolled his
eyes). If Will is serious about possibly going there, then the least Nico could do is spend half
a day walking around the campus.

“Besides,” Nico points out, “I’d have to know my way around here to visit you, wouldn’t I?”

That shuts up Will pretty quickly, and his face switches to a really adorable grin with flushed
cheeks.

Nico regrets the decision, though, when he’s jet lagged and has to wake up earlier than usual.
Either way, they stop at Starbucks first, and then make their way to the campus. It’s a bit
strange, as most of the other high-schoolers also have parents walking with them, but
bringing Apollo into such a public place is sure to be a safety hazard.

He’s in conversation with Leo toward the back of the crowd when he notices a girl in front of
them furtively glancing back at them every few seconds.

Nico glances at Leo (Will is unfortunately at the front of the group, asking questions and
being his usual self) to see if he notices, and with Leo clearly trying to hide a laugh, he
definitely did. Nico isn’t really used to this - Jason and Piper aren’t with him, this time.

The process continues throughout the tour, and Nico just tries to focus on what the tour guide
is saying until they eventually stop at the gift shop.

Will doesn’t hesitate to look at the tee-shirts, and Nico wanders over - Leo is looking at the
keychains.

“What about this hoodie for you?” Will asks, looking through for Nico’s size (or actually, two
sizes up for Nico, because he never actually buys his size).

“You can get it, and I’ll just steal it from you,” Nico smiles, and then Will starts talking about
one of the answers that the tour guide had given him, and some thoughts about whether he’d
get in - “Will, you’re the smartest person I know, you have ten million extracurriculars, and
you’re great at writing essays. You’ll definitely get in.”

Will just shrugs. It’s alright, though, because Nico has enough confidence in him for the both
of them.

He almost forgets about the girl from the group when he gets the feeling that he’s being
watched, and then turns around to see a phone pointed at him - the girl, standing in the
corner, clearly trying not to be noticed.

It would bother him, but he had already resigned himself to the fact that someone was going
to notice him in New York - at least, by the point he would hang out with Percy and
Annabeth, for sure.

He’s just highly aware that he’s out of his element, and he’s not exactly sure what to do- is he
supposed to walk over there, and ask if she wants a picture? What if he’s taking a picture of
him because she doesn’t even know who he is, but just knows she recognizes him from
somewhere. Or, maybe, she’s taking a picture of Will.
It probably isn’t that one, but, well. Nico can relate.

She quickly realizes she’s been spotted and turns around sharply, walking over to a woman
who’s talking to the tour guide; it’s probably her mom.

“-Nico?” Will asks, and Nico blinks and glances back to him. “I’ll get the hoodie and the
shirt. Wh-”

“There’s a girl over there,” Nico says quietly, “She took a picture. Should I- What do I do?”

Will’s face turns soft, and he smiles a bit. “Well, you could offer to take a picture with her?”

Nico’s eyes narrow, and Will raises his hands in mock-surrender. It’s really to be blamed on
the fact that he’s still half-asleep right now, but he turns around and starts walking to the girl,
who’s now talking with her mom as the tour guide talks to some other kid.

When he’s just a few seconds away, he remembers that he has no idea how to do this, but,
thankfully, the girl notices him before he can say anything. There’s a sharp intake of breath,
and then Nico blurts out, “I like your shirt.”

He hadn’t noticed it before, but it’s a Peter Johnson tee-shirt from the third season. Nico
would recognize it, of course, because he had the same one - it’s too small for him now, of
course, but still.

The girl freezes for a second, before frantically looking down at her shirt and then back at
Nico. She looks around Nico’s age, and probably is - a junior is most likely to be at a college
campus tour in November.

The next few minutes are honestly a blur. One second, Nico is standing there awkwardly,
wondering if he made a mistake; he blinks and then girl is smiling, and they’re taking a photo
together; another blink and he’s waving good-bye and then Will and Leo are next to him, two
bags of college merch in their hands.

“She seemed sweet,” Will grins, his hand brushing Nico’s, and Nico knows that it’s a sign
that he would be holding his hand if they weren’t in public, “Okay, Columbia next. Wanna
stop at McDonald’s on the way there?”

Nico says yes, of course, and then they go to the second college of the day.

***

Lacy <3 @perc_angel1.18

SO??? I WAS LITERALLY WITH MY MOM AT NYU FOR A CAMPUS TOUR AND??? I
MET NICO DI ANGELO THERE?? HE AND WILL AND LEO WERE LITERALLY JUST
ON THE TOUR AND THEN HE NOTICED ME IN THE GIFT SHOP IM DYING
[ two images attached ]

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

NO FUCKING WAY NICO DI ANGELO IS IN NEW YORK???

Lacy <3 @perc_angel1.18

YEAH I CANT BELIEVE IT EITHER

c @celes_angel

meeting nico di angelo on a COLLEGE CAMPUS TOUR has to be the craziest thing ever😭
lowkey forgot he’s just a junior in hs

Lacy <3 @perc_angel1.18

KLJSDF IKR LIKE HE WAS AT THE AMA’S 2 DAYS AGO AND NOW HE’S
CHECKING OUT COLLEGES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY

dev @calyg.ocat

THESE PICTURES OF NICO DI ANGELO IN NEW YORK WHAT IF I DIED??

[ three images attached ]

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

nico di angelo on leo’s story THEY ARE IN NEW YORK!!! HE’S WEARING AN NYU
SWEATSHIRTKLJDS

ash @fr.3290dea

him topping the charts rn and just wandering ny with his friends and some mcdonalds is
honestly such a vibe

|
i know it won’t work @n_diangels

ICONIC

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

GUYS GUYS GUYS AT A RESTAURANT RN AND???

[ two images attached: Slightly blurry, six people walking into a restaurant: Percy Jackson
and Annabeth Chase at the front, with Annabeth’s head slightly turned around to talk to Nico
di Angelo behind her, holding Percy’s hand. Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are behind them,
with one of Nico’s hands in the air, mid-motion. Two people are behind them, extremely
blurry, but in the second picture, Jason Grace and Leo Valdez are more clear. ]

Emma @wolf_star2791

OH?? OMG?????

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

DID YOU MEET HTEM

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

NO😭😭 i didn’t want to bother them plus me and my gf were like on the other side of the
restaurant :/

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

whatever they’re talking about i NEED to know

[ one video attached: showing, from a distance, Annabeth seemingly telling a story to the
others with her back to the camera. Nico is across from her, while Will is just slightly cut off
of the video. He reacts visibly. ]

***
They go back home on Friday, getting the weekend to themselves before having to go back to
school. Nico, without any homework to do, is finally able to get back to the studio and get
some work done. He hadn’t truly realized how much he missed it, being busy with everything
else, but he does think the time away helped.

For one, it was nice to get time together with Will again. Obviously, they spent a lot of time
together, but it was usually when he’d be busy with homework and so would Nico, and then
they’d be tired.

For the first break since summer, it really helps. It also makes Nico think that holy shit,
they’ve been dating for almost a year now.

The thought becomes even more present as December starts, and Nico brainstorms ideas for
their one year anniversary. They have gone on dates over the past year, and Nico has planned
four of them, but it’s really not that often - firstly, they didn’t really go on dates in public,
especially since the album was released. And they already spend so much time alone because
they literally live in the same room. So does a study session count as a date?

Nico doesn’t really think so, because he never studies with Will (being in different classes),
so they really don’t have many planned out dates - and Nico doesn’t even mind. He really just
wants to be around Will.

Still, one year is special. And since Will planned out their first date and is swamped with
studying for finals, Nico decides that this one is his to organize.

He’s planning on getting Apollo’s help to set up something in one of the various guest rooms
that are never used. It’s not like Will would go in them anyway, so Nico can ensure that it’s a
surprise, and Will doesn’t even notice when Nico slips out of their room, assuming that it’s
just to go to the studio.

“Grammy nominations are out,” Will says on the way to school. December sixth, so they still
have plenty of time until winter break, and Nico still has plenty of time to prepare. Luckily, a
few of his classes are actually doing projects instead of tests, which he feels ten million times
more confident about.

Nico nods. They have a tradition for when nominations for award shows are released - they
all give some guesses before dinner, and then go over it together. It’s like a lower stakes
version of the bets they make for who wins the awards. Then, of course, they make their final
predictions for the winners.

He honestly had forgotten that they were coming out today, but of course, Will is on top of it.
It’s probably because Nico feels like was just at the AMA’s, but he knows that these award
shows are all year-round.

“Guesses?”

Will hums thoughtfully, turning onto the highway, “Adele is in this nomination period, right?
Definitely her.”
Nico nods. She wasn’t in the last Grammy’s, so Nico thinks Will is right. “It’ll probably be
mostly the same as AMA’s, though. Are they usually so close together?”

“Yeah,” Will shrugs, “But the nomination periods are still different. I can’t think of anything
really huge the past few months, though.” He pauses for a moment, then tilts his head and
smiles. “Except for you, of course.”

“Ha, ha,” Nico says, deadpan. “Then…oh, that Chainsmokers song- with Halsey, I think?
That’ll be nominated for something.”

“ Getaway car-” Will starts, but Nico cuts him off by turning on his phone and blasting a
random playlist, and Will just laughs.

***

Will seems in an extremely good mood that day, which is a bit strange, because Nico knows
that he has a Calculus test and a History test, which usually stresses him out, because he
always feels like he hasn’t studied enough for one of the tests. Nico usually has to reassure
him a few times before every class that he’ll be just fine, and that three hours is a lot to study
for a test, and he knows the content.

But he doesn’t even mention his tests. It’s weird, and Nico takes note of it, but doesn’t bring
it up, because Will not having anxiety is a good thing.

Nico goes to class, as usual. He’s back to using his noise-cancelling headphones on full blast,
because after a few months of being constantly anxious, he decided to just fuck it - most
people don’t try to talk to him anymore, anyway, except for Octavian who still tries to talk to
him before every class because Nico always gets there earlier.

That’s even more reason for him to go back to listening to music. Either way, it might just be
paranoia, but he feels like more people are watching him.

It’s paranoia, he decides, taking his seat. Octavian walks in about a minute later, and
immediately starts talking to him, and Nico purposefully turns up his music. Whatever
Octavian’s talking about, Nico doesn’t care.

Then, at lunch, just as Nico’s about to ask him how his Calculus test went, Will leads him
behind the cafeteria and kisses him.

It’s not… the weirdest thing. Obviously, Nico melts into it and goes along with it, because it’s
Will. They’ve kissed behind the cafeteria before, because a) bathrooms are gross and they’re
absolutely not going to kiss there, b) the bleachers are too out in the open and Nico claims
they’re cliche, and c) classrooms are always locked if a teacher’s not inside and hallways
always have at least one person walking down them.
So, behind the cafeteria is their spot - the only way someone would see them is if they’re
coming from the parking lot, and even then, they wouldn’t know who it was, because they’d
be too far away. With a school that’s mostly outside, with a bunch of windows and not a lot
of walls, it’s pretty much the only private place in the school.

But it’s still a bit weird, because- well, what, was the Calculus test really that great? Usually
there’s a reason as to why they want to risk kissing in a technically-public space.

“Will?” Nico murmurs against his lips, pulling back just slightly before leaning in again,
because- well, as he said, it’s Will. “Wh-”

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Will says, almost a whisper. He’s smiling and it’s bright,
beaming, contagious. Nico finds himself smiling and he doesn’t even know what for.

This, though, is a little less weird. Will is occasionally random with his words of affection -
this would be back when they were just friends, too.

And then Will kisses him again, and Nico forgets why he thought it was weird in the first
place. Being with Will is the most natural thing in the world.

***

They do eventually talk about Will’s classes on the way home. Will is, as always, a bit over-
anxious about them, which just makes Nico a bit confused, because he would have guessed
that the tests went perfectly with the way that Will was acting.

But no, Will is still worried. Nico’s pretty sure that the teacher could specifically tell him the
answers right before the test, and Will would still second-guess himself.

Either way, Leo comes home with them that day, and they end up having an incredibly boring
afternoon of homework. Nico honestly forgets about the fact that Grammy nominations are
coming out until the end of dinner, when Apollo finally brings it up, pulling out his phone to
pull up the list.

“Alright, Album of the Year guesses?” They all go around the table- the same as every year.
Kayla, then Nico, Will, Leo, and then Apollo reads who actually got nominated. They start
with the big categories, because it only makes sense, and then they usually take a look at the
pop ones, as well as Producer of the Year, and sometimes the country categories because Will
is hoping for someone specific to win.

Record of the Year. Song of the Year. Best New Artist.

Nico ends up getting one of the nominations for Record of the Year ( Stressed Out by Twenty
One Pilots), and Will is right with the Adele nominations. Leo goes with Justin Bieber for
some reason, but ends up being right, and Kayla checks her own phone for confirmation that
Ariana Grande didn’t get nominated, grumbling about the Grammys being “totally rigged”.
Then, Will being the idiot he is, says “Nico di Angelo” for Best New Artist, and Nico just
rolls his eyes.

“Don’t you need to, like, submit yourself for that stuff?” Nico scoffs, “I didn’t do that.”

Apollo reads the nominations. He’s smiling too widely. “Well…”

Nico blinks. Holds his breath, and he doesn’t even know why.

Apollo clears his throat and reads out four nominees. Then pauses. Then says-

“Nico di Angelo.”

Nico blinks again. He’s still holding his breath until a sharp laugh is pulled out of him.
“You’re fucking with me.”

Apollo doesn’t even comment about the cursing (which he always does, the fucking
hypocrite, because he curses all the time too), and turns around the phone, which Nico grabs
just a bit too frantically.

And there it is. His name. On the page.

He doesn’t really know how long he stares at it, but at some point, Apollo says, “Scroll down
to the pop nominations, too.”

His head snaps up, and Nico notices briefly that Leo’s got his phone out. He’s recording him.
Nico’s pretty sure that his jaw has dropped, but he can’t even pretend to act nonchalant,
because-

“When did- you never said-?”

Apollo shrugs. He’s smiling. “Thought I might as well.”

Nico scrolls down without saying anything. He notes in his head that Kayla must be happy
that Ariana Grande is at least nominated in the pop category, but then that’s brushed to the
side, because his name and “getaway car” are listed under Best Pop Solo Performance.

His eyes skim over the rest, and then he goes back to re-read his nominations. Then again.
And again.

Two nominations.

What the fuck?

Vaguely, he knows the signs were there. Will kept on bringing it up, and the people
whispering that he had thought was paranoia. God, had that been what Octavian been talking
about? The idea of him finding out he’d been nominated for two Grammys by Octavian
makes him snort.
It’s random, and he’s reminded that- oh, fucking hell, Leo better not post that video. The
sudden thought makes him glare at Leo, who abruptly puts his phone away but is grinning
way too widely. They knew, didn’t they? Of course they did.

“So?” Will says finally, dragging out the ‘o’. “How does it feel to be a two-time Grammy
nominated artist?”

Thrilling. Terrifying. “Give me 3-5 business days to figure that out,” Nico manages, slightly
breathless. He turns to Apollo. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, with haunted, I had to admit that the chances weren’t high, and I didn’t want to get
your hopes up- we didn’t even have a single for it anyway,” Apollo admits, “Especially with
the VMA’s and AMA’s. But with getaway car, I thought you had a pretty good -”

Nico doesn’t really know why, but he throws himself out of his seat and to the other side of
the table so quickly that Apollo can’t even react before Nico’s hugging him.

He doesn’t have an explanation. First of all, Nico isn’t really a hugger - physical contact is
reserved for a very short list of people (read, Will. And maybe Leo once a year). That being
said, he’s only ever hugged Apollo in post-traumatic situations (repeatedly running away
from home).

He’s not crying, but he’s emotional - he’s excited, and scared, and still kind of confused. But
fuck-

“Thank you,” he whispers. It’s obviously not about submitting his music. Nico doesn’t really
know what it’s for. Maybe for getting him out of his house in the first place, or inviting him
into the studio, or convincing him to record something, then convincing him to release it, for
giving Nico the choice of what he wanted to do, for letting him move in -

Apollo hugs him back. “Anytime.”

***

“You knew!” Nico says once they're alone, and even though he’d like to act annoyed, the
laughter kind of gives it away. Dinner’s finished, and Leo’s in the bathroom taking a shower.

Will just rolls his eyes with a smile. “Yeah.”

“But- that’s cheating,” Nico says, “We never look at it until dinner-”

“Today was an exception! Dad told me and Leo earlier today, so we’d get your reaction.”

“I can’t believe-” Nico cuts himself off, knowing that he absolutely can believe it. It was so
obvious, now that he think about it. He can’t even pretend to be mad.
Will takes a few steps forward, and then his arms are wrapped around Nico, and he really
can’t pretend to be mad.

“I called it, didn’t I?” Will murmurs, his forehead against Nico. He presses a kiss to Nico’s
cheek.

“You did.”

“So, if I say Nico di Angelo for-” Will gets cut off by Nico kissing him, because- well. Nico
doesn’t really need an excuse, but he’s not sure if he actually wants Will to finish that
sentence. He’s doing well, right now. Focusing on the present.

He’d rather not get too caught up in the future. Not yet.

Will laughs against his lips, then continues kissing him, taking steps forward until Nico falls
back onto the bed, and they’re both laughing. It’s been nearly one year that Nico’s had this,
and he’s still sure that he wouldn’t change a single thing.

He isn’t sure how much time passes, but it’s way too easy for Nico to get lost in the feeling of
Will’s lips on his, his hair under Nico’s fingertips, his hands lightly grazing Nico’s neck-

“Woah, save room for Jesus, will you?”

Nico abruptly pulls back, but there’s no real fear - this is Will’s room, and Will’s room is safe.
“Oh, fuck off, Leo.”

Will’s cheeks turn a bit pink, but they do separate, Nico climbing across Will to get to his
side of the bed while Will stays in the middle.

“You don’t get to talk until you get a boyfriend,” Will says, then adds, “Or a girlfriend,
but…” he glances at Nico. They both think, Jason.

Leo groans dramatically and throws himself onto the bed, which flicks water onto Nico’s face
from Leo’s wet hair. “I’m going to die alone. Born to die a third wheel.”

Nico stifles a chuckle, leaning forward so that he’s now lying on his chest, head in his hands.
“You’ll always have us. And Piper and…”

“Do you think he actually likes me, or is he just…rejecting me politely?” Leo doesn’t need to
specify who he is.

“He wouldn’t kiss you if he didn’t like you,” Will points out.

“Yeah,” Leo mutters, “That’s what I thought, too. We kissed again at your birthday party, by
the way.”

“Wait, wh-”

“-And that time, it was me, because I just- I really thought he liked me, and you guys are so
happy, and so I just… ugh. But then he pulled away, and he said we wouldn’t work, and I
 don’t know whether it’s just because he doesn’t like me that way, or if it’s because of his
job… He hasn’t even told me if he’s not straight!”

“Okay, well, I definitely don’t think he’s straight,” Nico reasons, “Did he kiss you back?”

“Yes.”

“Not straight,” Will says. “I think… you guys need to talk. You need to ask him why you
won’t work.”

“He’s been avoiding me!” Leo turns around, this time causing a drop of water to go flying
into Nico’s eye, which makes him blink rapidly. “I literally never see him unless Piper’s
there, and then when I hint to Piper to leave us alone, Jason makes some excuse to leave,
too!”

“Oh… that’s really shitty.”

“I know.” Leo is staring at the ceiling now, and Nico just… wishes he could help. Shitty
parents? They know how to deal with it. Dead moms? Grieving is natural, they all have
experience. Just general trauma? Yeah, they know.

But this just… isn’t what they’re used to. It’s ridiculous, because this is high school, and it’s
probably the most common trouble in high school - relationship problems.

In the end, all they can say is that they have each other, no matter what.

Chapter End Notes

bit of a longer ch to make up for missing a week!!! and!! THE ERAS TOUR FILM IS
COMING OUT IN FIVE DAYS WTFFFFF

anyway, just a quick reminder: ALL AWARD NOMINATIONS / WINS ARE FOR
PLOT PURPOSES ONLY. this is not me saying that this fictional album is better than
another album, or that nico is better than another artist, i am not qualified to be a music
critic!!! if/when nico wins, it will be solely because i have a reason to add it into the plot
:)

is it reasonable for nico to be nominated for a grammy??? PROBABLY NOT! BUT

THIS IS A FANFIC! and also, apollo is his producer. so,,,, not saying he's a nepo baby
but he def has a leg up in the industry (nah, he kinda is a nepo baby... but they all are,
so!)

and also, i've been working a lot on my playlists lately, editing them and whatnot, and i'd
just like to say: there are a lot of songs that won't make it onto the 'albums' and a lot of
songs that i kinda just added as fillers!! anyone reading is entirely free to imagine a
different song on nico's album, i just have limited music taste and that is how i make the
playlists. so, yeah, if you feel like nico would def listen to another song, just make a new
playlist with that song and imagine it in your head - because most of my playlists are
(hopefully) finalized-ish? i tried to include quite a few recs into them, but not all of them
soooo

yes, kayla is an arianator in this fic. i just feel like she would beDLKJS
AND THEY WENT TO VISIT COLLEGESS!!! i totally have done that!!! def not going
to avoid that for as long as possible!!!
and me just adding a little valgrace in there <3 i'll def work on a one-shot for them so
y'all can get the full story, because we're just going through gossip atm. i think it'll prob
be posted after the last ch of this fic and before the sequel, we'll see

anyway, i should *hopefully* be back to a normal posting schedule, but school is hectic
and i am stressed and doing my best. thank you so much for the support in the comments
and also just anything y'all noticed in the fic, i love reading them!!
 took the year like a bandit
Chapter Notes

ch title from "starboy" by the weeknd

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Nico and Will’s one-year anniversary falls on a Sunday the week before finals.

It’s been a hectic few weeks, of course, mainly just consisting of homework and Nico getting
used to the fact that he’s a Grammy-nominated artist. Like, what the fuck?

After the first day, there aren’t as many stares, but he still keeps his headphones on and his
head down. There’s no reason for him to get caught up in the opinions of others when he’s
doing perfectly fine on his own - plus, he has more important things to worry about.

The simple truth is that he can’t really do anything. He’s been nominated, and that’s that.
He’s seen both good and bad reactions to it - once again, the nepo baby card being thrown
around, which Nico really has no excuse for. It’s true, isn’t it?

And then there are the people who are excited for him, and Nico wishes that he could
completely agree with them, but he’s really just… stressed. He doesn’t want to worry about it
too much, and he doubts he’ll win - so he’ll take his achievements as they come.

For now, he needs to convince Will to stop studying. Nico knows that he can get a 60 on his
history final and still get an A, so he has no idea why Will is still at it, but it’s certainly
enough. If he doesn’t know the first fifteen presidents by now (which he does), is he really
going to cram it into the last few hours before midnight?

Will apparently thinks so, even when he clearly has not forgotten about the date. He woke
Nico up with kisses all over his face and a promise to take him somewhere, supposedly a
secret, the next weekend when they had time. And Nico is excited, yes, but that just won’t do
- not when Will is clearly stressed out of his mind and the only thing that’ll help him ace his
exams is a break.

He needs that reminder, sometimes, just like Nico does on occasion. They’re there to give it
to each other.

So Nico coaxes the textbook out of his hands, with Will still staring at the desk even when
the book is closed, as if he can still read the information. Actually, he probably can with how
long he’s been reading it.

“C’mon,” Nico says quietly, then flicks Will’s forehead to snap him into focus. “I’ve got a
surprise.”
Will raises an eyebrow, mouth forming a small grin as he twists his around looking for the
‘surprise’. Nico just rolls his eyes and holds out his hand.

Will takes it, and then they take a short trip around the house - it’s not very far away, but the
house is big, so getting anywhere takes a bit. Nico leads him to one of the many guest rooms.
He tilts his head, gesturing for Will to open the door.

Will looks intrigued, and opens it. Nico watches closely for his reaction, seeing the
confusion, then fondness, and then… guilt?

“I told you to wait for next week,” he murmurs, “I’m sorry, I-”

“What?” Nico shakes his head, taking Will’s hand in his. “This was my surprise. You did our
first date, remember?”

“Well- yeah,” Will looks like he’s being split into two - whether to be excited, or guilty. “I’m
just sorry if-”

Nico scoffs, leaning up to kiss Will’s cheek. “Don’t feel sorry about anything. I’m glad you
didn’t plan anything because now I got to set this up.”

Will still looks like he’s slightly hesitant, but Nico just drags him inside and shuts the door.
The room has been decorated with a blanket fort right in the middle. There’s some treats that
Nico had made earlier, while Will was still studying, and fairy lights across the blankets and
the walls. The window curtains are shut, even though it’s already 7 PM and the sun is going
to set any minute now.

Nico squeezes Will’s hand another time, then looks at him again. He tries to find any
remaining traces of guilt - they’re still there, but just slightly. Nico can work with that. As
long as it won’t affect Will’s mood - which Nico knows that it won’t, not when Nico has
clearly put in effort to make the night perfect - it’ll be wonderful. Romantic. An escape. A
break.

That’s what they both need, right now. So Nico sits down on one of the pillows, and then Will
finally smiles and takes a seat next to him. “Did you make these?” he asks, and Nico nods,
taking a bite out of one of the cookies and resting his head on Will’s shoulder.

They talk, and they soon forget that there’s anything to be stressed about. No finals, no
Grammys. They kiss, and it’s like that first night again, and Nico knows that it’s a year of
their relationship, but it’s also a year since he decided to start recording his own songs. What
a year it’s been.

They don’t ever make it back to Will’s room, with Nico falling asleep with his head in Will’s
lap, and Will apparently deciding he’d rather sleep on the bed of pillows than wake Nico up.

***
Nico finally gets the opportunity to return to the studio once finals are over and winter break
has started, and he pretends that the only reason he does that is because he’s been dying to
record a song (which, technically, is also true) and not to give Will some time alone to plan
his “surprise,” which he insists on doing even after their anniversary has passed.

When he reaches the studio, the door is cracked slightly open, just enough for the sound-
proofing to not work and for Nico to hear Apollo speaking inside. He must be on the phone.

“-Right, well, I don’t even know how you got my number- no, there’s nothing to talk about.
I’ve told you.” There’s a pause, and Nico waits outside, unsure of whether to step in or walk
away. He really doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but then Apollo keeps talking.

“I’m sure it’s going great. We’re just fine. Uh-huh- fuck, I’m thirty-six, you can’t-” He’s cut
off abruptly, and then there’s a groan of frustration and the sound of a phone dropping on the
table.

Nico really doesn’t know what to do. As much as he wishes he could have just left it alone,
his brain tries to piece the words together - hard to do when he only heard one side of the
conversation, and only about a minute of it at that.

He had honestly been looking forward to writing or recording something - tomorrow is

Christmas Eve, and he never does well around that time, but he thinks that channeling that
seasonal depression into something else will make it better. Or maybe it won’t. He never
really tried.

He hesitates a few more seconds, the silence from inside the studio practically glaring at him,
until he decides to knock and open the door.

Apollo is sitting on the piano bench, his head in his hands, one of them rubbing his eye. He
doesn’t look like he’s been crying, but he certainly doesn’t look happy. Nico’s gotten used to
him being a sort of constant - carefree and at peace, a figure of stability that Nico had never
really had.

And he’s seen Apollo sad - apparently, his mother died a few years ago, but Nico was young
and he didn’t live there full time yet. Will hadn’t said much of it, having never met his
paternal grandmother (well, Will says that he probably did, but at such a young age that he
doesn’t remember), but there was a distinct lack of a smile for a week or so before he
snapped back like it had never happened. They don’t talk about that week much. Or ever.

Either way, this doesn’t look like he’s sad. Nico’s never been the best at telling emotions
(aside from probably Will and Leo, just because of how much time he spends around them),
but this seems complicated.

And Nico can definitely understand that. Complicated is basically his middle name.

Apollo’s head snaps up, just a second delayed, at the sound of Nico’s knock, and then he
offers a grin. “Sorry, Nico- did you…?” He looks at his phone for a second, laying on the
desk.
Nico shrugs. “Just a few seconds at the end.” He wants to say do you wanna talk about it? or
are you alright? or what was that about? It’s what Apollo would do if he had overheard that
conversation on Nico’s phone.

But Apollo just brushes it off, getting up and shaking his head. “Business call. Someone I
used to know back in the industry wanted to offer you a record deal, etc.”

“Oh.”

Apollo smiles at him assuredly. “Don’t worry, though, he’ll leave us alone. He’s not… there
are good people in the industry, but it’s rare. He’s not one of them, trust me.”

And Nico does. Trust him, that is. He’d be a fool not to, wouldn’t he?

He just can’t help but think that there’s something else Apollo isn’t telling him - but Nico
knows well enough that some things are just better off not spoken about. So he lets it go, and
shuffles through the papers left on the desk to see what they can work on.

***

There are invites to different New Year’s parties when the time comes around, but the family
- aside from Kayla, who has a sleepover planned - decides to stay home.

Nico says that it’s because there have been too many social outings lately and that the
weather forecast says it might rain - Nico absolutely despises rain - and Will says that it’s
because he’d prefer just a quiet night in with his friends, but they both know that it’s probably
best to not go to parties with Jason anymore for Leo’s benefit. It’s not like they don’t spend
any time with him, of course - their friend group hasn’t changed at all in the past few months.
But it’s always as a group.

Leo doesn’t tell them that, of course, but he doesn’t argue when Nico and Will suggest
staying home, which is an answer in itself.

They end up binging the first five seasons of Heroes of Olympus, purposefully stopping
before Jason (the character and the person) is introduced. By then, it’s just around ten, and
they decide to bake something (Nico), make popcorn (Will), and go live on Instagram (Leo,
despite it being Nico’s account).

“-And they all pretend that I can’t cook when, really, I’m way better than Apollo.”

“Anyone’s better than him, Leo,” Will mutters under his breath, but Nico’s pretty sure they
all heard it, so he laughs. He’s decided to make cookies, an old recipe that had been perfected
by Bianca on boring winter days with nowhere to go and no one to see. He’s glad, out of
almost everything he’s forgotten, that he’s remembered it, though it’s more muscle memory
than actually memorizing the recipe.
“Right, but this is baking,” Nico reminds Leo, lifting his whisk to point at him. “You make
your own cookies if you think they’ll be better.”

“And no one’s better than you,” Will murmurs again, but quieter as he walks past Nico and
throws away the empty popcorn bag. Nico smiles.

“Will and me versus you,” Leo declares, setting the phone down. The chat for the past few
minutes has been a mess of people apparently being surprised that Nico can cook and
declarations of love. Nico thinks that these people need some higher standards.

“Go for it,” Nico shrugs, “But my recipe is in my head, and I doubt you can find something
better online.”

“Well that’s not fair, is it? Can you write it down?”

“No. It’s in Italian.”

“Can you… translate it?”

“No, è in Italiano.”

Leo groans in frustration and Will cracks up laughing. Nico hides a grin.

Then, he goes to grab his phone and center it to where he’s stirring the batter, skimming over
the chat. Now, it’s turned to people asking Nico to speak more Italian. As if they can’t search
the language up on their own?

Seeing as this is the first time that he’s really been on socials (except for reposting his
nominations with a caption of wtf ) since the announcement, there are also a few comments
about the Grammys - which Nico has been purposefully avoiding, because he still doesn’t
really know what to think of it, and it’s been a month.

The problem is that it’s winter, and these months he already struggles to get over his usual
seasonal depression (not that it goes away the rest of the year, but everything’s just worse
during the winter), so he really doesn’t need extra anxiety added on top of that.

He has mixed feelings. He likes winter because it’s cold enough that he can wear a hoodie
without sweating, but he hates it because there’s rain (not much, but still some) and
occasionally even thunderstorms (which means automatically staying home and hiding under
covers with music blasting so loud that he’ll forget which reality he’s in) and there are bad
memories and traumatic experiences.

Now, though, he does have some good memories. It’s New Year’s, which means it’s the one-
year anniversary of him telling Will that he loves him, and vice versa. And just two weeks
ago was the anniversary of them getting together. Sandwiched in between, though, was the
anniversary of Bianca’s death. Six years now.

And it is getting better, he knows, but it’s sometimes tough to have such an abrupt switch. As
the days pass and his mood lifts, there’ll be some heavy rain that reminds the back of his
head that he shouldn’t be happy right now - should he?
He should, which again, he knows, but sometimes his head doesn’t get that. Now, though, he
has something else to focus on, which is lifting Leo’s spirits - and he thinks they’re doing a
pretty fucking good job at it.

It’s only fair, isn’t it? They balance each other out. People say that trios never work, and that
one of them will always be left out - which, yes, Will and Nico are dating. But Will and Leo
knew each other first. Leo and Nico have shitty families to bond over. Leo comes over to
Will’s house less often now that Nico and Will have started dating, but they know that when
they truly need each other, they’ll be there.

“Is Apollo going to be coming to the Grammys,” Nico reads out one of the comments,
“Probably, I think. We’re both major procrastinators so we haven’t really…”

“They can write ten million new songs but they can’t coordinate outfits,” Leo leans into the
screen, glancing over the comments as well. He clicks his tongue, “A shame, really.”

“Why would we coordinate outfits?”

“ Well-”

“But Nico goes for more gray-scale outfits and silver,” Will inputs, “And Dad always does
gold. It wouldn’t make sense.”

Nico points at Will with appreciation and nods, giving an I told you so grin to Leo. “What’s
your favorite genre of music?”

“Cou-”

“Anything but Country,” Nico declares, and Will makes a sound of outrage in the
background.

Leo nods in agreement. “Very true. Pop for the win. But honestly, Nico listens to literally
everything.”

Nico shrugs and nods. “Yeah, pretty much. I’ve been really liking this… I don’t know how to
describe it… indie-rock kinda album recently? I forget the name. But there’s also this one
Ita-”

“Oh my god,” Leo takes the camera away, “I once was stalking Nico’s spotify and saw him
listening to opera- What the fuck?”

Nico grabs the phone back, despite getting some flour over it - he just threw a handful at Leo.
“It was nostalgic, thank you very much. You wouldn’t understand - can’t understand it,
actually because she sings in Italian, so. But yeah. My Spotify Wrapped is a complete mess.”

“Remember that time I managed to get Fearless as your number one song?” Will pokes his
head into the camera, “I kept stealing his phone every time we had a sleepover and playing it
on repeat every night- then wake up early and turn it off so he never noticed.”
“I literally had, like, 100 thousand minutes of that song. Ruined my stats forever,” Nico
shakes his head, “Well, it’s a good song, obviously, but I swear, if I look up my spotify stats
now, it’ll still bet at number one. And he did it in seventh grade!”

“Damn, I should do that,” Leo muses, “How do you feel about One Direction being your
number-one streamed Spotify artist in 2017?”

“They literally broke up. Get over it.”

“You say that as if you don’t have Night Changes on, like, ten of your playlists.”

Nico huffs, setting the phone down and getting back to the batter. “I’m really not appreciating
all the criticism of my music taste-”

“You don’t have music taste-”

“Okay, well, Apollo was your number-two most streamed artist last year! I remember that!”

Leo sighs, “I was trying to win a bet against him that we made, like, two weeks before
Spotify Wrapped came out. I was so close.”

“So, he was making you stream his music for a bet?” Will asks, “You know he gets paid from
streams right? He was making you pay off your own bet.”

“But Spotify pays, like, barely anything!”

“How much was the bet for?”

“20 dollars.”

“Okay, and how many minutes was your top artist?”

“Uh… Taylor, probably over fifty thousand or something. This was 2015, so post- 1989 .”

“How much was Apollo?” Nico grabs Leo’s phone from the counter, “So, 0.0033 times…
what, like, forty thousand?” Nico bursts out laughing. “Oh, you so got played. He would’ve
made over a hundred bucks.”

“ What the fuck?”

“Should’ve asked him for 200,” Will shakes his head, letting out a disappointed sigh.

“Well, there would’ve been money going to the label…producers, writers, and stuff,” Nico
considers, “But still definitely more than $20.”

Leo blinks, grabbing the phone from Nico’s hands. “No fucking way. He totally owes me that
money then.”

“I don’t know why you keep making bets with him anyway,” Nico rolls his eyes, “You
always lose.”
“Not always! I know that I won-”

“-Okay, so, this person wants to know if you’ve ever written any songs in Italian, or if you
translate them after writing.” Will interrupts, side-tracking the conversation before Leo
accidentally spills which bets he won - including the bet about their relationship. Nico knows
that Leo would never purposefully say anything, but better safe than sorry.

Nico tilts his head, then snatches the phone back and returns to his baking. “Like, my first
few songs when I was still really shitty at English? Yeah, definitely. But those were also
shitty songs. I don’t really write in Italian anymore… and I definitely don’t translate them,
because I feel like that…God, what’s the word? Like, waters it down-”

“Dilutes?”

“That doesn’t sound right, but sure. I dunno, I think it changes the meaning of the song too
much,” Nico shrugs. “Usually changes the message, too, because you need to figure out how
to make it rhyme and sound good, too.”

And on the night goes, like everything’s fine. Because it is. Will and Nico share a kiss at
midnight, and they decide to watch another movie in a blanket fort with the popcorn and
cookies Will and Nico made, and Leo makes a few dozen paper airplanes and then they all
somehow fall down an origami YouTube rabbit hole.

It’s all fine. And Nico will take the peace while it lasts.

***

Time moves quickly when you don’t want it to. Nico knows that, and yet it still comes as a
surprise as the days seem to pass by within seconds, and all he can really remember is a blur
of important events.

The iHeart Radio Music Award nominations come out on January 3rd, and Nico is nominated
for three awards, which is a shock. Then, it’s already the end of the month and his birthday. It
falls on a Saturday, but he doesn’t want a party, as always, and it’s very much similar to the
year before. Small, unnoticeable, and enjoyable.

It’s the perfect weather and it’s sunny, and even though Leo begs him to let them throw a
party, he does go along with what Nico wants. He does, however, post a cryptic photo of a
cake with ‘17’ candles, though when Nico checks Twitter, apparently everyone thinks that it’s
Leo’s birthday. Which, fair - except he’s already been 17 for half a year.

Either way, it’s Nico who blows out the candles, and none of his friends post anything
birthday-related, because Nico thinks it’s funny to keep it a secret. Not that it really matters,
but someone from his school leaked his height (which, what the fuck? Why does that even
matter? They also got it wrong, but they guessed two inches taller than he actually is, so he’s
going to just let that stay on the internet and not correct it) so this is his form of revenge -
very lame, yes, but he does it anyway.

Then, it’s already February. And then, it’s a week later, and then it’s another week and the
weekend of the Grammys (as well as the day before his first date anniversary with Will,
which- Nico isn’t really sure if they’re supposed to celebrate that as well, but they’re
celebrating anyway because it’s Grammys weekend).

They leave much earlier than they did for the AMA’s, seeing as last time, they skipped the
pre-show. It’s not that big of a deal (except it is, because everything is a big deal today - it’s
the Grammys) , just a few extra performances to watch (which Nico doesn’t really mind) and
the stress of sitting through one of his nominated categories being announced.

He loses. He’s pretty sure that he was holding his breath the whole time, ensuring himself
that there was no fucking way he was going to win, and then he was right. It doesn’t feel…
bad, really. He’s honestly just relieved that it’s over. He’s not really sure how the expression
on his face turns out, because he thinks it may have been scrunched up in anxiety the entire
night.

Now, he can let go a bit. The first nomination is over, and that was the only one he had any
actual chance of winning - and it still wasn’t realistic in any way. He doesn’t need to stress
over his name being called during one of the main four categories, because that’s literally
impossible.

And so he waits in his seat, and just lets the rest of the night unfold.

***

Grammys: Nico di Angelo Wins Best New Artist

In the second category of the 2020 Grammys‘ “Big Four,” Nico di Angelo wins his first
Grammy, with it also being his first step onto a stage.

He didn’t seem like the frontrunner to the award when nominations came out, some people
even opposing the idea. Despite it being an award for new artists, di Angelo seemed a bit too
new. Even he looked surprised when his name was called, clapping before he realizes his
name is called by Apollo pulling him into a hug.

The award, though, also looks into the chances of a long-term career in the music industry,
and with Apollo by his side, di Angelo’s future career is looking strong. The young popstar
released his debut album, with no promotion or singles beforehand, last summer. While it
certainly caused a commotion in the music industry by having Apollo as the sole other artist
in the credits, it was nothing in comparison to later that fall, when di Angelo released his
single “getaway car.”
 Still, neither the album nor the single reached the top of the Billboard charts, and with barely
any other public appearances, it’s debatable whether this award was actually deserved.
Despite being an award for “new artists,” it has often gone to artists with a history in the
music industry, or at least with more than one single, or a performance.

That’s right. Di Angelo has yet to have a single concert or performance, and yet is racking in
tens of millions of monthly listeners. Choosing to answer questions and talk with fans
through Instagram live streams instead of interviews, and recording videos of acoustic covers
instead of performing on stage, he is a modern phenomenon.

The beginning of his career is certainly thanks to his producer, Apollo - who was the first
person he thanked on stage, saying, “Literally nothing in my life would be happening if you
hadn’t supported me- I wouldn’t be here right now.” However, he owes the rest of it to the
fans, who he thanked next, along with his close friends, who he says are his biggest fans.

He also took a moment to give a shoutout to the fans of his competitors in the category,
telling The Chainsmokers, “I made a bet with my best friend that [you] would win - I’m a
huge fan. Of you and like everyone here.”

Watch full video of the moment below.

[ one video attached ]

Chapter End Notes

um- okay!!! hi!!! i have no excuse for missing the last update, i just had a shitty week.
but we're BACK and hopefully i can get back to weekly updates, but no promises. if
there's no update next week, it'll def happen the week after :)

THE ERAS TOUR FILM WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE i watched it twice and
am so obsesesed. also. 1989 tv coming out THIS WEEK HOLYSHIT im so excited i
can't even??

another reminder about the award show wins: it's NOT comparing nico to the actual
artists in his categories, or anything, it's literally all for plot purposes!!! i had this in
mind for a while anyway, soo yeah!! please don't take it too seriously LMAO

he's got his first award!! they grow up so fast. god i was actually terrified of getting into
writing actual award shows, because there hasn't been much of that so far, but i *finally*
got it done. things may be a bit fast-paced for now, bc im tryna wrap this up (meaning
the rest of this year + his entire senior year) in... *checks notes* ah, six chapters. i may
have to add some more, but we'll see about that when i get to it :)

as for nico and will <3 just wonderful. and some banter with the trio, that wasn't planned
*at all* but!! gotta love them. and yes, ik i said nico is a pop fan in this au- he is!! but i
think he also listens to literally whatever. his spotify wrapped IS a mess, 100%
thank you so much for the comments and 19k hits?? tf?? love you <3
 there's nothing holdin' me back
Chapter Notes

ch title from "there's nothing holdin' me back" by shawn mendes

and a brief reminder that nico! is! an unreliable! narrator! do not forget!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

He doesn’t think he deserves this.

Now, here’s the thing. Nico is trying to be logical about it. He’s been overwhelmed all night,
not having slept (although Will and Leo didn’t sleep either, deciding that eating cake and
throwing a mini-party involving watching Nico’s ‘speech’ on repeat for hours was more
favorable) barely able to get a coherent thought through his brain.

He never does seem to remember the craziest parts of his life. It’s like he watched it from a
distance- his name being called out, and then thinking Oh, congrats to that person before the
realization of oh shit, that’s you.

The award had felt heavy in his hands, and he deeply regretted not taking Apollo’s advice to
prepare anything. Because he hadn’t. It wasn’t even- it wasn’t supposed to be in the realm of
possibilities.

And yet it happened.

So, he’s trying to have reason, and see if it’s just his continuous self-hatred, or if it’s a
genuine problem with the Grammys being rigged, or whatever. This is what school is for,
after all. Pretending to do work when he’s actually solving his life’s many problems.

He’ll probably get a song out of this as well, though, so. Worth the existential crisis.

Either way, he decides at the end of his third class that he didn’t deserve that award. And you
know what? That’s fine. He’s fine with it. It’s not like he made the decision - if he had, he
surely wouldn’t have chosen himself. He didn’t even bet on himself.

But now- now , he’s held that weight in his hand, and he’s felt the sound of the crowd
cheering, and he’s seen the response on the internet, and - he can swear that it’s not
materialistic or fame-chasing because he’s never liked attention all that much anyway - he
wants it again.

It’s deeper than trophies and glory.

What he wants, now that he’s won something without deserving it, is to win it again with
deserving it. Because once he does that, it’ll mean something.

It feels a bit like being thrown into the deep end while only barely knowing how to swim. He
has an option, and it’s either to give it his all or to give up entirely. Because this is a chance,
an opportunity, that he’s never going to get again. And if he doesn’t move forward, he’ll fall
off the cliff and never be able to climb back up.

He knows this is true. When you’re in an industry like this- which Nico has observed from a
distance for years- there’s no time for hesitation. People will move on in a week. He has a
week to take advantage of the major publicity that’s just been given to him, and decide
exactly how he wants to do that.

All he knows is that nothing will be the same after this. And- he wants that. He’s pretty sure
he does. Sure, it’s anxiety-inducing and terrifying and breath-taking, but in a good way.

He’s not going to be one of those fools who claims that the award doesn’t mean anything.
Because it does- it means a lot to Apollo, to his friends, to the fans. It means even more to
Nico, not just because it’s him winning - it’s because it’s someone like him winning. That
person just happens to be him.

That’s why he needs it to be real.

No one knows, other than his close friends. But history had just been made. He’s the first
trans artist to win one of the main categories - or at least, as far as the internet knows, but
maybe someone was in the closet. Not like he can go back in time and check. First trans man
to win a Grammy, second trans person overall to win a Grammy. He’s looked it up.

Does it kind of suck it hasn’t happened before? Yes. Would he still have won if he was out?
No idea.

But it’s happened, now. So it isn’t really a choice for Nico anymore, or at least not one that he
makes consciously, because it’s not just for his own career. It’s for anyone like him who’s
been waiting for this - they don’t know it yet, but they will. And suddenly he’s striving for so
much more than just a break from school, therapy through lyrics. He’s no longer writing for
his past, but for his future.

Unfortunately, these great revelations are all made in between a quiz, turning in assignments,
and taking notes. His history teacher (who still has it out for him, for some reason) makes a
joke in front of the whole fucking class about his busy weekend and whether he had time to
finish his homework. Nico finished it at three am on Saturday night, thank you very much,
and he passes the paper forward with a not-so-subtle glare.

The real planning comes when he eventually goes home. Obviously, Will has been in bright
spirits all day (and claims that it’s from winning $20 off of Nico because of their bet, but they
both see right through that), and so Nico decides that he’ll lay it all out to Will on their drive
home before working out specifics with Apollo.
“-And I think I just want to… I dunno. Make it really something. I don’t wanna say that I
didn’t try.”

Will looks contemplative, but not upset. He thinks visibly for a few seconds before
responding, “If you really want to, then go for it. I just- you’re not just saying this because
you feel like you have to, right?” Will glances to the side quickly before focusing on the road
again.

Nico nods. “I know. And- I mean, it’s not that big of a change, right? I was planning on
finishing this album anyway.”

“Yeah, of course! And- again, I’ll 100% support you through anything you want. There’s
just… a lot of pressure. That you’ll be putting on yourself. And I want you to know that you
don’t need to do it.”

As much as Nico would like to snap at that - he knows what he’s thinking - he also gets it. He
doesn’t need to worry about the money or the fame. It’s not a necessity. And if anything is
getting too stressful, he should back out.

But he wants this. He’s sure of it.

He tells this Will this, and he responds with a smile and reaching to squeeze Nico’s hand over
the console.

***

Interviews. Performances. Merch. The majority of work they have cut out for them is less
music and more promotion, but Nico expected this. Apollo, funnily enough, says a similar
thing as Will - and Nico knows that he’s being a bit abrupt, and it may seem like this is just
the pressure of the award getting to his head, but he’s going to see this through.

That’s the thing that’s kind of hard to put into words and explain. He really couldn’t give less
of a fuck about a shiny gold trophy that a bunch of old men voted on. He’s aware that this
system - pretty much all the notorious music award ceremonies - are often rigged and not
worth anything other than prestige. He listens to plenty of artists that haven’t won a single
award in their life, never even made it to the award ceremony red carpet, and that he
considers better than himself. Way better.

So, the system is flawed. But it’s still popular. It’s still prestigious. It’s still something that
feels out of reach for people like him, and if he can just reach it once more, then it will,
hopefully, raise the rest of them just a step closer.

To break the barrier is always the hardest. He’s opening that door. Or maybe someone will
get to it before him - someone who’s out, that is - he’d actually be glad, because this is a very
stressful position. But he’s already here, he’s already won, and they can’t take it back.
He is the first. Whether he likes it or not.

None of these steps are actually hard to get, at least for him. Another reason why he needs to
stop slacking and take advantage of what’s been handed to him on a silver platter. Apollo has
had multiple talk shows and news platforms lined up asking for interviews for months, and
they’ve already increased tenfold from the Grammys.

As for performances, Nico still stands by finishing high school, and Apollo fully agrees - he
actually says that as the closest thing to Nico’s guardian, he wouldn’t let Nico drop out.
Which, like, fair enough, even though Apollo never finished high school himself.

That doesn’t mean performances aren’t possible. Tour withstanding, he could have concerts
in smaller venues in LA (or larger, but he knows that he’s definitely not ready for that), and
there are award shows. Nico is terrified of it, because as several articles so kindly pointed out
- he hasn’t sung live yet. Ever. At least not in front of a crowd. And this is his whole
reputation on the line, because if he messes up one of his first concerts (assuming he does
them), then- well. Game over.

And what if no one shows up? What if the people who show up aren’t even fans of his
music? Yes, he has listeners on Spotify, but those are a global thing. He has no idea how
many people in LA would be interested enough to go to a concert.

Merch is something that’s pretty much entirely put as Apollo’s responsibility, but even
though their photoshop capabilities have been good enough for album covers, he suggests
hiring someone. And- well, Nico has finally gotten used to the fact that money is not a
problem. So, they’ll get on with that as well.

Everything rolls into motion in March.

Scheduling is something that Nico still isn’t the greatest at, but he’s got Apollo as a human
reminder app and an addiction to coffee to keep him sustained. His sleep schedule (if it could
be called that) has been thrown out the window.

He can tell that his friends are worried. But Nico? He’s never felt better. He’s doing
something with his life. He’s making it all worth it. He’s saying fuck you to his fourteen-year-
old self that didn’t think he’d make it to eighteen. He’s proving a point. And every day is one
day closer until the whole world realizes what that point is - Nico doesn’t have that day
marked on his calendar yet, but mark his words, it’ll be there.

His first live performance is at the iHeart Radio Music Awards, where he gets a slot during
the pre-show. His heart is pounding outside of his chest, but he’s rehearsed this a million
times. He’s gotten to meet his band. He’s got his guitar in his hands, fingers anxiously
tapping on it.

And then, he goes out there and sings haunted.

It’s over in a flash. He’s breathing heavily. He’s in his seat, and his chest hurts from the
anticipation, or maybe from belting with his binder on. He wins Best New Pop Artist.
 ***

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

HIS OUTFIT I AM OBSESSED???

[ one image attached]

lou ellen !! @sapphowasawitch

nico di angelo’s live vocals. that’s it that’s the tweet. OMG???

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

He’s doing live performances… DOES THIS MEAN WE’RE GONNA GET A HAUNTED
TOUR?? PLEASE @nicodiangelo

[ one video attached ]

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

oh my god nico’s performance of haunted. I DIED DEAD. I LITERALLY NEED HIM TO

SING LIVE MROE like he does on livestreams but not much :((

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

also to all the ppl who were like “he doesn’t deserve these awards” and calling him a nepo
baby and claiming autotune:

[ one video attached: a clip of the end of Nico di Angelo’s ‘haunted’ performance, a vocal
run after he sings “I can’t go back, I’m haunted.” ]

dev @calyg.ocat

please nico take my money i literally live in LA and would give anything to go to a concert P
LEASE
|

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

god i wish i lived in la I BELIEVE IN YOU YOU’VE GOT A CHANCE

dev @calyg.ocat

forever jealous of those who just run into him on the streets it hasn’t happened yet to me :(

forever haunted @thaerchxr

absolutely LIVING for nico being so active. that’s two awards now and he’s only got a debut
album and one single?? watch me predict it rn he’s gonna be a legend

***

It’s April, and he’s got a photoshoot for a magazine. He’s mentally prepared for this, the fact
that it’s his first time coming out to someone he hasn’t ever met before. A stylist. She’s under
an NDA. He hates the fact that he waits to see her reaction, as if it matters - it doesn’t, he
knows.

But it does. Her eyes widen slightly, but then she smiles (he can’t tell if it’s genuine) and
nods (thank god), saying decisively, “No shirtless options then?”

Nico lets out a strained laugh and shakes his head.

He’s only seventeen. This is, supposedly, normal. Seventeen is like twenty-five in the
industry. He knows that. He’s aware. He’s chosen this.

And he’s still in charge of everything. He’s got control. He can back out at any second, can
cancel whatever he likes, can decide to ditch it all in a moment. It’s something he repeats in
the back of his head, and it’s honestly kind of annoying.

Because he wants this.

He spends nights in the studio and then goes up to Will’s room and finishes his homework,
finding himself staying up just as late as he used to complain about Will doing. They used to
balance this out, didn’t they? But Nico understands, now- having something to work toward.

Spring Break isn’t really a break, because Nico is more busy than ever. Thankfully, he
doesn’t need to travel anywhere, already being in LA.
He has an interview, once again dealing with NDA’s and topics to avoid. Nico hates
spreading his secrets, but he has to look at it logically. And- he trusts Apollo. NDA’s aren’t
concrete unbreakable vows, but they’re as close as you can get.

He films a music video. He feels incredibly awkward on the camera, and kind of wishes that
he could just…not. And Apollo brings up the fact that actually, yes, Nico could just not,
except that brings him back to his thoughts at the beginning of the year - is he putting in the
effort? Is he deserving of this? Tons of people have to occasionally take a step outside their
comfort zone in order to get to where they want to go. Does Nico want this enough?

He does. He really, really does.

***

Playing: Nico di Angelo | Grammys, ‘haunted’ live, and Apollo uploaded by The Stolls Show
✔

[ A boy with dark curly hair is sitting behind a mic, with a neon light half-cut off that says ‘
The Stolls’ behind him. The camera switches to show two other boys with brown hair,
looking nearly identical. One is just slightly taller than the other. They also have mics in front
of them and a different, orange background behind them. ]

[3:43]

Travis: -that’s, like, huge, though! I mean, how’d you celebrate? A Grammy, well, it’s gotta
be something Apollo’s used, to, but…

Nico: Oh, yeah. I don’t think it really, like… clicked in my head until the next day. I know
that one of my friends made some cake, and Apollo and I stopped at McDonald’s on the way
home.

Connor: McDonald’s after the Grammys, I can respect that.

Travis: What kind of cake?

Nico: It was… I think it was chocolate. I honestly can’t remember, it was all kind of a blur. I
didn’t sleep.

[ Connor laughs while Travis nods, contemplative. ]

Travis: Well, you know they’re good friends if they make you a chocolate cake in the middle
of the night after winning a Grammy.

Nico: Oh, for sure.

[ 9:22]
Nico: -I mean, it’s really fucki- scusami, well, it’s just- god, I can’t remember the word.

Connor: Terrifying? Exciting? Uh…

Nico: Esaltante, yeah, kind of. Both at the same time-

Travis: Woah, wait, I completely forgot you were Italian.

[ Nico raises an eyebrow and the screen switches again to Connor laughing. ]

Connor: It’s literally in his last name-

Travis: Well, yeah, but like a bunch of people have last names that come from different
languages! So, wait, when did you move to the US? Because your accent is, like- I didn’t
even notice.

[ Nico nods, a small grin on his face. He’s glancing back between the camera and past it,
where the twins are. ]

Nico: Well, I moved when I was ten, nearly eleven. I was nowhere near fluent at first, but-
well, I got really good at mimicking voices. My two best friends were from Texas and- Will,
especially, had this really heavy country accent. He doesn’t have it as much anymore, but
yeah. I just kinda copied everyone I was around and hoped for the best.

Connor: So what I’m hearing is you could be a voice actor.

[ Nico scrunches his noise, but tilts his head in thought. ]

Nico: I never… considered it? I mean, I’d guess it’s more than just mimicking accents and
stuff, right?

Travis: Yeah, kinda, but if you’re good at accents first… Wait, so can we hear your country
accent then?

Nico: Oh, god no. Only comes out when covering country songs- which I don’t do, like, ever.
Only when I’m forced to.

Connor: Are you forced to often?

Nico: Mm…occasionally. Like, maybe a few times a year.

Connor: Well, now I need to hear some Country Roads by Nico di Angelo. Dude, I feel like
that’d be great-

[32:32]

Travis: And you said that it was partly inspired by Apollo-

Nico: Well, the songs that he wrote are inspired by his life. I don’t really write about his life
unless I’m adding onto one of his songs- and even then, I’m not thinking abt him, y’know?
Travis: Oh, yeah, of course. But are there any other inspirations in the songs you write
yourself?

[ Nico shifts in his seat, considering. One of his hands, fully submerged into his hoodie,
reaches up to scratch the back of his head. ]

Nico: As in, like, a relationship? No. I don’t really… I feel like I write more about feelings
than people. Sure, I’ve been inspired by like a movie or just a bad day or something, but it’s
not all about that one thing.

Connor: And there are no relationships? I mean, you’re in high school, so-

[ Connor wiggles his eyebrows exaggeratedly, and Nico laughs. ]

Nico: Yeah, nope. People, now, don’t believe it when I say that I’m really unnoticeable. Like,
I’ve definitely had a few people at school ask if I was new.

[ He looks at the camera and speaks deadpan. ]

Nico: I’m not new. I’ve been at my school for six years. I just blend into the background
really well.

Travis: Well, damn. Did people actually ask that?

Nico: Oh, yeah, at the beginning of the year. I don’t blame anyone who did that, because,
like, I get it. I barely spoke three words the first year I was here because I could barely speak
English- or at least wasn’t confident enough to… you know. Just talk. But yeah, definitely
not popular or anything. Or at least I wasn’t.

***

It’s May, and his finals kick him in the ass. He’s got passing grades at the moment, thank god,
and he’s spent hours upon hours studying, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s absolute
shit at tests.

But Will was right with what he said at the beginning of the year. Nico feels lighter. Yeah,
he’s not good at this, but he’s still trying even though he’s good at something else. No one
(not even himself) can tell him that everything’s pointless, because it isn’t. The sleepless
nights are worth it.

He attends the Billboard Music Awards the night before his first few finals. He scrolls
through his notes in between performances and announcements, and he claps, and even
though Apollo told him that he really doesn’t need to go- sure, he’s nominated for two awards
(the Grammy’s really seemed to start a chain reaction), but that doesn’t mean he’s required.
But he goes anyway and spends half the time studying, then pulls an all-nighter to continue
studying until he can barely hold his eyes open.
He passes. It’s not as… extraordinary as the year before. The overall GPA is actually higher
because he took a few easier classes this year, including a study hall period, and he’s proud of
himself, of course, but it’s more a relief than a miracle.

He’s not burnt out. Not even close.

It’s not unhealthy. He’s doing fine. Fantastic, even.

His album is pretty much done by the time he finishes his junior year of high school. His first
single is set to drop that weekend- a surprise drop, because he’s going back to his roots. Sure,
he’s really trying with this promotion thing, but he thinks it’s a bit fun to drop things out of
the blue. It’ll keep people guessing. Keep them anticipating.

And Apollo says that it’s good because it sets him apart from others. Funnily enough, Nico
feels like this is the only part that is really him. Other than the lyrics, of course. He supposes
that it’s just another thing that makes him an outcast, but at least he doesn’t need to hide this-
people find it funny, his complete lack of schedule.

Mess it up is released that Friday at midnight, along with a post that is honestly- well, it’s
meant to be a bit confusing. Scattered.

The photo itself is his next album, doomsday’ s, cover. It doesn’t say the title, though, similar
to haunted, and it doesn’t have Nico’s face on it. It’s in the same artstyle as haunted as well,
edited by Apollo with some extra details by Nico - the main thing is a gravestone, but it’s
blurred in a similar way to Nico, as a ghost, on the haunted album cover. There’s a knife on
the ground and a tree in the background - same forest as before, just in their backyard - and a
crow sitting on one of the branches. It’s all black and white.

Nico thinks it looks cool.

The caption is meant to be misleading:

nicodiangelo ✔ mess it up mv 5/31 12 : 00

(in september, don’t wanna die in june)

Does it make any sense to anyone other than himself, Apollo, and his friends after he
explained it?

Definitely not. But it will.

The music video is dropping on the 31st at midnight, with a doomsday lyric underneath it -
the ‘june’ and ‘12’ lining up so that maybe(?) someone may guess that something will be
dropping on june 12th.

They probably won’t guess that it’s an album.

But it is.

And Nico thinks that this - the surprise, the waiting, the shock - is his favorite part.
Twelve days to go.

In the meantime, his friends make it their personal goal to let him relax a bit. Funny, because
that’s what he used to have to do. At least he supposes they’ve learned their lesson.

He doesn’t mind, actually. The past few months have been hectic, yes, but now he’s done
pretty much all there can be - he’s got another music video they’re planning to film, (which
Apollo is directing, like with mess it up; he says that he enjoys getting to try out all these
different jobs, and Nico appreciates not having to work with someone new, so it’s a win-win),
but the filming day is scheduled for mid-June.

Other than that, he’s writing. As always. He records. And he’s got an interview- not an article
one, but one of those YouTube videos, scheduled in two days, so that it’ll be ready by the
time of the album release.

For now, he gets to follow Will and Leo out into the backyard, full of laughter and childish
freedom as they drag out a tent and attempt to set it up.

“You know what we haven’t done enough of?” Leo asks, then shrieks when he nearly trips
over- something. Probably a rock.

Nico isn’t really paying attention. He honestly doesn’t look at the stars as often anymore. For
one, they’re hard to spot, because of light pollution and all that. LA really isn’t the greatest if
you want to avoid that. And another, he’s usually busy late into the night. He doesn’t just go
outside for no reason.

“What?” Will responds, and Nico decides to let them set up the tent themselves as he lays flat
down on the grass and stares at the sky. He can spot a few constellations- the main ones that
are so bright not even LA can drown them out.

“Dumb teenage shit.”

“Huh?” Nico twists his head, lifting his arms up so he’s resting on his hands. It’s like a world
of their own out here. He loves it.

He’s missed it.

“Well,” Leo shrugs, “I’m turning eighteen in a month, which is- ew. Will’s a goody-two-
shoes and you go along with what Will says, so we’ve never done any really stupid stuff.”

Nico hears Will scoff, and can imagine the incredulous look on his face. “Leo, you’ve set off
the fire alarms- with actual fires at least seven times.”

“Yeah, but that’s me. C’mon, I’d be a terrible friend if I didn’t share some of my mischievous
skills.” Nico turns around on his side to see Leo wink exaggeratedly at them and pretend to
flex on of his muscles.

“Ew,” he deadpans, “Never do that again. And what kind of stupid shit are we talking about?”
Leo doesn’t seem offended in the slightest. Nico thinks that all good friendships balance each
other out in some way or another, and this is it with Nico and Leo. Nico can be as mean as he
likes, and Leo will take it in stride, somehow twisting it into words of affection.

Which they are. Nico just doesn’t show it outwardly very often. And he’ll deny it to his last
breath if anyone asks. But he does love Leo, inflated ego and all.

“Got any suggestions?” Leo wiggles his eyebrows, and Will lets out a loud laugh in the
background. Unrestrained, free, and absolutely perfect. Nico loves him. In a very, very
different way than Leo.

“That’s why I’m asking you,” Nico lets his head fall back again, trying to spot some more
constellations. “Like, criminal stupid shit or just dumb stupid shit?”

“We are not committing a crime.”

“Oh, c’mon, Will, just a little something illegal-”

“A little?”

“Yeah, a little!” Leo throws whatever he was holding to the ground, tossing himself on his
side so he’s now lying next to Nico. Will joins them. Maybe they don’t need a tent- they’re
literally a two-minute walk from the house. “Like, something that’s illegal but won’t get us
arrested.”

“Like setting the engineering room on fire?”

“That was my teacher’s fault,” Leo says vaguely, “the first time. And the third time. I’ll own
up to the other ones, but it was in the name of science.”

“Right, so you want us to commit arson?” Will’s voice sounds amused.

“No!” Leo shoots up, “That’s my thing. You gotta choose something else.”

“What?” Will sighs, “Drugs? Tattoos? Piercings?”

Leo scoffs, “I said something stupid, but not that stupid. No drugs- hey, don’t you already
have a piercing?”

Nico hums, nodding. “Got my ears pierced when I was a baby. Haven’t worn any earrings in
ages though, so they’re probably closed up. But piercings aren’t illegal .”

“You think you’ll ever get them repierced?” Nico turns to glance at Will. “I think you could
rock some piercings.”

“Oh, for sure,” Leo nods, “Get the whole rockstar vibe going.”

Nico scrunches his nose and shakes his head. “Definitely not. Or, maybe. Nah. What’re the
other options?”
“Uh… tattoos- ooh, tattoos!” Nico squints, and Leo is practically vibrating from excitement
now. So he’s found something new to hyperfixate on. Good for him.

“Hey, no,” Will sits up as well, and so Nico gets up on his elbows so he can see them without
squinting, “That was a joke. Wait until you’re eighteen.”

“Well, that defeats the whole purpose!”

“ Leo-”

“Hey, doesn’t your dad have some tattoos?” Leo muses, “I bet he’d help us. What’d you guys
get? I’m thinking- wait for it…” he pauses. “I actually don’t know. I’ll think on it.”

“Oh, god,” Will sighs, flopping forward so his head is now resting on Nico’s stomach. Leo
lies down again, and they’re all a pile of limbs, except it’s on the ground instead of Will’s bed
like they usually are. Still, it’s comfortable. And Nico thinks Leo’s right. Nico’s never been
one to think that certain ages are their peak or whatever, but there’s definitely some
significance in turning eighteen.

He’ll have made it. Made it out of those dreadful teen years. Made it out of his traumatizing
childhood. Made it into a world of new opportunities.

He still hasn’t got his driver’s license though, so maybe Nico won’t get ahead of himself. But
still-

“I’d get stars,” Nico says, not really sure why he’s thinking of it so much.

“Stars?” Leo asks, “Like, constellations, or just regular stars? Or one big star?”

Nico half-shrugs. He hasn’t put too much consideration into a possible tattoo, ever. But it’s
his childhood. Stars and storms and funerals. Storms are his fear. He’ll stay away from them.
Funerals, he’s made his brand, his aesthetic. Graves and ghosts and all that. They aren’t as
depressing anymore. He appreciates grieving; it means that there’s memories to hold on to.

But stars. They’ll stick with him. They’re his fondest memories. Memorizing constellations
with Bianca. New Year’s Eve with Will. This moment right now, with the three of them.

“I dunno. Both? I think the first one I’d want would be Sagittarius. The constellation. Then…
I don’t know, I guess a star design would be cool.”

“Sagittarius? The zodiac?”

Nico nods. He’s not really all that into horoscopes - he knows the basics, and can sometimes
think oh, that’s so Virgo of Will or something like that, but he doesn’t know anything more
than that. Sagittarius, though, is the first constellation that Bianca showed him, as well as her
own zodiac. It had been a rainy August afternoon, back when Nico could enjoy being out in
the rain, and they had been running along the beach until the clouds were replaced with stars,
and Bianca taught him everything she knew about them - which, at the time, wasn’t actually a
lot, but to Nico, it seemed like she had all the knowledge in the world.
 “It was my sister’s sign,” he says quietly, not really wanting to dampen the mood, but
otherwise they’d ask and worry if he’s okay. And he is. It doesn’t… hurt that much. It aches.
But it’s had time to heal. And Nico can think of things like Bianca’s zodiac sign without
bursting into tears. “But anyway, yeah. I think constellations would look cool, too. Not like
I’m gonna do a ghost or something.”

They don’t push it, which Nico is grateful for. Instead, Leo just laughs, and Will does too, but
he also absently reaches for Nico’s hand and finds it. Nico gives it a short squeeze.

“Will?” Leo turns to him, “Tattoo ideas.”

Will groans, shaking his head, “If I say what I’m thinking, y’all are gonna tease me for it.”

“Y’all,” Leo and Nico say in sync, and Will groans again and turns around, hiding his face in
Nico’s shirt - Nico suspects it’s because he’s smiling and doesn’t want them to see.

“Oh, come on,” Nico chuckles, running a hand through Will’s curls. “No teasing. Promise.”

“A sun,” he says, muffled against the shirt, and Leo automatically laughs.

“A sun? That’s the most stereoty-”

“You said you wouldn’t tease!”

“I said no such thing.”

“ Nico-”

Leo rolls his eyes and says matter-of-factly, “Nico is his own person and makes his own
decisions. I have no obligation to follow his suggestion.”

“Damn,” Nico mutters, “That’s a lot of big words in one sentence.”

Nico gets grass thrown in his face. It turns into a full-on battle, and they end up using the
sticks that were meant to hold up the tent as pretend swords, laughing until early morning.

They don’t end up getting much sleep, but this is a good kind of restlessness.

Chapter End Notes

another late chapter, but a long one!!! my goal is to finish this fic by the end of the year,
which i think i can def do with thanksgiving/winter break- and only 5 chapters left!!
which i do think will be the final chapter count, if everything goes as outlined

1989 TV. IS ABSOLUTELY. PERFECT. i'm so obsessed like?? best re-recording. SAY
DONT GO, IS IT OVER NOW, SUBURBAN LEGENDS, SLUT, NOW THAT WE
DON'T TALK, THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD I CANTTT
and the eras tour is coming back this weekend!!! so very excited to see, but also
devastating bc we'll be losing more surprise songs. rip. my main goals are to not lose i
did something bad and say don't go, i'm guessing she'll prob sing is it over now this
weekend bc of the release

we're really going quicker now!! i don't want this all to seem rushed, but it kinda is-
really, it's bc i *could* add a bunch of small scenes, etc, but like... there's just nothing
really THAT huge and i don't wanna be repetitive. so yeah, nico's entire senior year will
just be five chaptersLKDFS
these past few chapters have just been really hard for me to write bc i keep doubting
myself and how i want nico's journey to go... as i said at the beginning, nico's not really
a reliable narrator. it hasn't shown up as much in the past as it is now

but he is absolutely slaying the game! such an icon. and if you do want to look it up, the
first trans artist to get a grammy is wendy carlos who won three classical awards- and,
of course, there's kim petras who recently won best pop group/duo performance! but
since this fic is currently set in 2017, i didn't mention her, just wendy- but would just
like to bring her up in these end notes because it's worth mentioning!!

i feel like it's pretty brushed over how selfless nico is. like, especially in tsats and as he's
healing, but also before that - he's constantly putting his life on the line for quests and
wars, etc, like searching for the doors of death/getting hades to join the battle of
manhattan. and obviously he's not fighting a war here, but he definitely does want - now
that he knows he *can* - to make the most of this opportunity for other people. i think
that's really the main thing i was struggling with, deciding whether his character would
want to go full on popstar, and this is my reasoning as to why he would!

thank you for reading and commenting, y'all make my day <3 hopefully there will be an
update next sunday!!
 send us to perfect places
Chapter Notes

ch title from "perfect places" by lorde

andddd doomsday!!
NdA2 is here <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Rachel Elizabeth Dare looks the exact opposite of her art.

It’d been something towards the end of their planning, but Nico and Apollo had been
searching for certain jobs to be filled. Obviously, not all of them, seeing as Apollo was still
doing mostly everything, but as there was more and more to get done, they decided that at
least a few of the responsibilities needed to be switched around.

The one that Apollo decided to give up were the designs- though they hadn’t really been
doing much of that anyway. They had said they would put out merch, but never got around to
it- until now.

Because Apollo had told Nico that he’d know when an art style clicks with him, and when he
had seen Rachel’s portfolio? He had fallen in love with it, basically.

She’s a very colorful person, in real life. Her art is mostly grayscale, though there were a few
odd outliers that looked like a rainbow threw up on them, in a good way. Now, Nico supposes
that that’s because she knew exactly who she was applying to work under, and Nico? Well,
he’s about as grayscale as it gets. Literally all of his photos have the saturation lowered to
zero.

Rachel has bright red hair, her curls a mess in a way that looks purposeful. Most of them are
held back by a bandana, with just a few strands falling out at the front. She’s wearing overalls
splattered with paint over a baggy tee-shirt and some jeans.

She looks fucking cool.

Anyway, she does both photography and painting (as well as some sketches and a bit of
dabbling in videography) which is great for them, seeing as Nico would really prefer to not
hire more people than he absolutely has to. Not for monetary reasons, but privacy ones.

The thing that really made Nico click with her art was because of how much detail and life
she somehow brought to a black and white picture. Some of them also feel like… there’s
some kind of dread to them. It’s not a horror-like style, and the photos aren’t scary at all, but
there’s just this gut feeling in Nico’s stomach that has him drawn to it. They look like they’re
taken from a scene that’s right before disaster, which is really just perfect, especially for this
album. It’s doomsday, isn’t it?

They managed to get an interview with her over the phone a few days ago, learning a bit
about her experience - she dropped out of art school, is only about three years older than
Nico, and has been working on and off for various concert gigs and art competitions.

She easily clicked with Apollo, and now she’s here at their house (in their studio, which- also
for interviews, has become a kind of part-time office), with the first sketches for merch ideas
and the back cover of the vinyl. Somehow, one thing led to another, and now they’re doing a
photoshoot in the same place as always, the woods behind Apollo’s house.

And here’s the thing: Nico isn’t really all that comfortable in front of a camera. He’s skipped
picture days at school for years. He refuses to let his friends post pictures of him that aren’t
blurry. Most of the photos posted on his feed have him turned around, or holding something
in front of his face, or just cut off at least half of his body.

His album covers, too. The first one had him so far away and edited so much that you could
barely tell it was him. He’s not even on the second one.

But there’s something about the casual way Rachel directs him that takes off some of the
pressure. He honestly just wanders around for a bit, following the few instructions that
Rachel throws out, and then he’s looking at the results.

And Rachel- well, she’s made him look fucking cool. One of them, he’s staring up at a tree,
and even though his whole face isn’t in the photo, it’s still a photo of him. And Nico’s never
seen a photo of himself that he didn’t immediately want to set on fire.

And yet, he finds himself smiling at it.

The excitement of his fans and his friends and pretty much everyone is rubbing off on him.
There’s surety in his posts now, no questioning of what he’s doing. He’s sleeping a bit more.
Keeping track of the dates, even though it’s summer.

And he’s planning for a future he never thought he’d get to see. He’s excited for it.

***

[ Image One: Nico di Angelo in the studio, a ‘doomsday’ vinyl lying next to him. He’s turned
around so you can’t see his face. There’s a keyboard on the ground next to him. ]

[ Image Two: A note with messy handwriting that says “i don’t get a choice in the matter. why
would i? it’s only the death of me.” ]

[ Image Three: The back cover of ‘doomsday’. The tracks are listed on the side of a tree.
There’s the same crow sitting on it as the front cover, and Nico is standing underneath, mid-
 walk, staring up at the tree. There’s a strike of lightning in the far background, and
gravestones scattered across the grass. ]

[ Image Four: A book that’s held open with a guitar on the side. There are two underlined
sentences: “I hope that Hector kills you.” / “Do you think I do not hope the same?” In the
margins, a lyric is scribbled: “since the twist of fate where it all broke down, the story of us
looks a lot like a tragedy now.” ]

[ Video Five: A behind the scenes clip from the studio, showing a computer playing
‘doomsday’. “-you did it on Halloween.” There’s a loud, exaggerated gasp, and the camera
turns to show Will, Leo behind him with headphones on. “Of course it’s Halloween.” Nico,
behind the camera, laughs for a second before getting cut off. ]

[ Image Six: A cropped tweet that says ‘i have a feeling this means something but i am not
smart enough to figure it out.’ There’s a screenshot attached to the tweet of Nico’s caption on
his previous post. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ !!

***

og haunted stan @alltoo_notwell

another day, another nico di angelo album release with no warning whatsoever

forever haunted @thaerchxr

he is INSANE for this

[ one image attached: a screenshot of the ‘doomsday’ album on Spotify. ]

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

WHY AM I WAKING UP TO FIND OUT THAT??? NICO DI ANGELO RELEASED A

NEW ALBUM?? WHAT THE FUCK

dev @calyg.ocat

no promotion whatsoever i thought he changed with getaway car😭

|

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

No literally same but the album is a BANGER omg

c @celes_angel

1. nico. NICO DI ANGELO. is this or is this not from song of achilles and did you or did
you not write the story of us about patrochilles.

[ one image attached ]

jason stan @rip.tide332

Like from the Iliad??

c @celes_angel

yeah!! song of achilles is like their story from patroclus’ perspective, and they’re lovers in it-
as they should be. but NICO READ IT??

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

im a greek mythology nerd don’t tell apollo

LEOOOO @valdezinator

pLEASE everyone knows this nico

#1 the story of us stan @diAng_la3

this is literally confirmation that he’s gay anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional

[ two images attached: one is a screenshot of Nico’s post, the other is a screenshot of the
summary of ‘The Song of Achilles’. ]

|
R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

Or… we could not speculate on someone’s sexuality who has said that he hasn’t had any
relationships!

#1 the story of us stan @diAng_la3

so your homophobic

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

doomsday is out!!

[ one link attached ]

Percy ✔ @PercyJackson

HELL YEAH I GOT A WARNING THIS TIME

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

i told you yesterday. in a groupchat.

Percy ✔ @PercyJackson

what I’m hearing is that we’re bset friends now

Lacy <3 @perc_angel1.18

The story of us is literally the clip that he teased us with A YEAR AGO. AN ENTIRE
YEAR. And Nico says that he doesn’t plan things

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

don’t wanna die in june bc it’s PRIDE MONTH WOOO AND AN ESPECIALLY HAPPY
PRIDE MONTH TO LEO THE GREATEST TO EVER EXIST
[ This post has been deleted. ]

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

my phone was hijacked. UNhappy pride month to leo. happy pride month to everyone else.

LEOOOO @valdezinator

homophobic

kayla!! @kaylaknowles

leophobic more like !!

DOOMSDAY @alltoo_notwell

this is simultaneously the best and worst fandom to be in because we got an album two years
in a row, but we never get any announcement of when those albums drop

nico ✔ @nicodiangelo

makes it more fun

***

“You know what I think,” Will says as they wander down the street. It’s casual. To anyone
looking, it’s just Nico hanging out with his friend- and Nico knows now that people look. He
still isn’t noticeable by any means, and most people won’t take a second glance, but if they
do, they’ll know. And they’ll look. They’ll stare.

Nico takes another bite of his ice cream and tilts his head as a response.

“I think that you should do the whole concert in a country accent. And- wait, hear me out!”

Nico nearly chokes on his ice cream and starts laughing. He gives Will an incredulous look,
who’s staring at Nico with such fondness it makes his insides squirm. In a good way. Always
in a good way.
The truth is, with everything going on, he had been a bit worried. Not because he doesn’t
love Will just as much as the day he first kissed him - in fact, Nico probably loves him more,
and feels it growing every single day - but simply because there’s so much going on and
Nico’s terrified of growing distant. He knows that it’s a possibility, because Will occasionally
does it when he gets too in his head.

It’s not usually one of Nico’s responses. He used to hide away in his father’s house, sure, but
it’s a lot harder to hide when he’s living with Will. And while Will is very well-practiced in
the art of denial, convincing himself until his last straw that he’s just fine, Nico is very aware
of when he’s not doing okay. It tends to take over his entire body.

He’s still worried. Because it happens. What if he just doesn’t notice it? What if they start to
fade and then it’s too late? He’s in love with Will, no doubt about it, but two people can
change. And Nico doesn’t want to see that happen.

It hasn’t, though. And they’ve gotten into a much more solid routine once summer started.
They don’t really go out that often, at least not unless they’re accompanied by Leo, Piper, or
Jason, but - well. They live together. It’s a lot easier to make time for each other, even when
it’s not technically classified as ‘dates’, when they always sleep and wake up in the same
bed.

That doesn’t mean they’re around each other constantly. So maybe they’re a bit codependent,
and Will has pointed this out, but Nico doesn’t really see the harm. Throughout the day, Nico
spends a lot of time in the studio, or planning things, recording music, planning more things,
doing interviews and photoshoots, and planning more things. And Will has already started
preparing for college applications and has managed to get into a medical internship for high
schoolers that’ll start in a week.

There’s just something comforting about always being able to see Will when the day is over.
And seeing him first thing in the morning. And being able to kiss him and talk to him about
whatever, not withholding any secrets because Nico doesn’t have anything to hide anymore.

God. Nico’s so fucking lucky. He understands now, when people say it’ll get better: it does.

“It’ll show your musical diversity and attract a wider audience-”

“Okay, but what if I don’t want an audience that expects country music?” Nico asks, his
voice sarcastic. Will gasps dramatically.

“Well, that’s just rude! Your biggest fan is a country music listener.”

Nico just hums, resisting the urge to just give Will a short kiss on the cheek. They’re in
public. They are platonic. Friends.

And it’s not like Nico would kiss Will in public even if he weren’t in the music industry now-
he isn’t really comfortable with the idea of PDA anyway. Hasn’t been, ever.

“Well, maybe one song,” Nico rolls his eyes. He’s weak. So, so weak. But it’s for Will
Solace, so it’s all worth it.
Without even looking at Will, Nico can tell that his smile is blinding. They continue to
chatter about anything and everything, because there is surprisingly a lot to catch each other
up on- late nights are spent with more kissing than talking, usually, and as stated earlier, they
do spend a lot of time apart throughout the day. They’re busy teenagers.

They talk about Will’s condensed list of colleges that he’s finally decided on applying to.
They visited another three colleges in the LA area over spring break, and are planning one
more trip in July to New York, which coincides with an interview that Nico’s booked, as well
as a few other cities that Will and Leo want to check out. Multitasking, everyone.

Then Nico brings up the chart numbers that have come in so far (even though Will already
probably knows all of this), which are far higher than haunted, and it honestly feels fucking
amazing. He put a lot of more work into this album. A lot of more effort. He had a few goals
going into it- he wanted to make the album more cohesive than his debut. He wanted to send
a clear message and add a storyline as best he could.

He and Apollo ended up writing over fifty songs for the record, and recording over twenty,
before pushing it down to fifteen tracks. He remembers when originally deciding to do
haunted, he thought Why the fuck would someone not release all of their songs? Why are
albums so short?

And fifteen tracks isn’t necessarily short, but it also isn’t extremely long. But he understands
it now. He has songs that have, regrettably, not made the cut, but he knows that it makes the
album better as a whole. The sacrifices have to be made so that it’s enjoyable for everyone,
the general public included, and not just the die-hard fans (which, apparently, he does have a
few of). Kill your darlings, and all that.

They perfected those fifteen tracks over and over again. Revised lyrics. Added on harmonies.
Messed with the engineering. Added and removed so many factors that some of them are
nearly unrecognizable from what they originally were- but for good reason.

And it paid off.

His biggest accomplishment has to be the 4.5 star review from Rolling Stone. Firstly, just the
fact that they listened to his album. But also- what the fuck?? That’s near perfection. It makes
his heart rate faster just thinking about it.

Then there’s the fact that, despite not having any promotion (again) aside from the singles,
the album debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 200. That doesn’t say much about the
quality of the album, of course, but it does say something about popularity, and Nico has
learnt that that is also incredibly important.

After that, topics range from the idea of swimming that weekend, the merch drop that Rachel
and Nico had designed together, the continuation of driving lessons that Nico has consistently
put off because why would he drive when he can watch Will from the passenger seat?, and the
records that Will recently bought.

And, for some reason, tattoos.

“-And so I thought, just- maybe, Leo was right about the tattoo thing. Not that we have to do
that, specifically, but that… I mean, we should do something stupid for once.”

“Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?”

Will laughs, shaking his head. “Just that it’s not anything that’s really harmful, and- I dunno.
The more I think about it, the more I want it.”

“The sun tattoo?” Nico hasn’t really considered it much since Leo brought it up. He’s been
kind of busy. Not as busy as he was in school, but still. Busy. He technically has a job now,
and he still doesn’t have a huge team or anything, just him, Apollo, and Rachel.

Will nods. “It’s not just ‘cause of Dad, you know. I just feel like…” he trails off, then shakes
his head. “I just think we need to do something stupid, because things’ll get stressful again
soon, and we might as well. And a sun is nice. And if you want-slash-get a star, then, like…”

“It’s not really matching, but it kinda is?” Nico can’t hide his small smile. Of course Will
would think of something sappy like that. But also, Nico knows that his mom’s debut album
has a sunflower field on a sunny day in the background. He also knows that that album is his
favorite. So. Nico will just pretend like this is the only reason.

Will hums and shrugs, changing topics. “Anyway, it was more just a passing thought. Hey,
did you see Octavian post something about meeting Percy the other day at the premiere?”

Nico smirks. “That’s why I told Percy about the album.”

***

[ Image One: Nico di Angelo in front of a black backdrop, a guitar at his feet. The picture is
black and white and his eyes are closed. There’s a handwritten title that says “haunted
acoustic shows”. There are concert dates listed on the left side under ‘hollywood forever
cemetery’. ]

[ Image Two: A blurry photo of Nico covering his face with one hand and holding a guitar in
the other. ]

nicodiangelo ✔ tickets on sale this friday at 10 am.

***

Apollo had been convinced that they needed a larger venue. Nico, though usually going along
with pretty much any of Apollo’s advice, vehemently refused.
One hundred-fifty people is already insane. At least, to him. He knows that people sell out
arenas and stadiums, etc. with tens of thousands of people. He knows. And Apollo tried to
convince him that he should at least go for, say, a few hundred.

But c’mon. The venue is literally a cemetery. So, like. He had to. It was necessary. For the
aesthetic.

So, Nico is now on his way to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where he’ll be having the
first of three acoustic shows- first show of his own, ever. It’s absolutely insane. He’s terrified.

He rehearsed, of course. And he’s got a soundcheck once they arrive. Apollo and Rachel are
already at the venue, having set up some stuff, and Will and Leo are with Nico. Jason and
Piper will be showing up later. And Nico had seen the numbers of people looking to see him
live (which, again- what the fuck? ), but it’s just one city, and he’s not really looking to travel
much this summer. Not when Will and the rest of his friends are in LA.

And yet.

The shows had sold out.

Like, immediately.

So Nico knows that there was some kind of logic behind Apollo’s reasoning- there always is.
Apollo had pulled up the stats- which he apparently could do, from various music platforms
and streams and whatnot. And, well. LA has a population of nearly 4 million. That’s not
counting suburbs nearby and other cities in SoCal with people who would be willing to drive
a bit. Apollo had said that he’s got a few hundred thousand people listening to his music daily
in the city. Surely three shows with a capacity of 150, a total of 450 people, would not be
enough.

They went with it anyway. And then all the tickets were sold for all three dates in less than
ten minutes. And then he went on his socials, and there were at least one thousand
notifications complaining about not getting tickets.

Well. That’s unfortunate for them.

They arrive at the location at noon. The whole thing is pretty casual- at least, compared to the
iHeartRadio Music Awards, definitely casual. It’s all acoustic, so Nico doesn’t have a band
with him, and he also doesn’t have an opener. They definitely could have gotten one, but
Nico was already so hesitant about having the shows himself- headlining his own show is
very different from just being one of many performances.

Either way, his jaw pretty much drops when they drive past.

There’s a fucking line.

It’s only a little past noon. And yet.

And yet.
Leo whistles in the back seat, and Nico is thankful that their windows are tinted so that no
one sees how he is literally in awe right now. It’s not a huge line, but he can see at least-
twenty people? Maybe thirty? Certainly enough to fill the first few rows of the venue. They
hadn’t sold any VIP tickets (Nico thought that the only purpose of VIP tickets should be for
meet-and-greets, and Nico hadn’t planned for any- hadn’t thought anyone would buy them,
either), so it was truly first come, first serve.

Nico knows that people line up for concerts. He’s done it several times. Usually, they don’t
go for GA, because Nico and Leo are very short and Will is very tall, so it’s always very
stressful - but they have done it, lined up before shows and waited on their blankets while
entertaining each other.

Now, people are doing that for him.

“Where’d Dad say the parking was again?” Will asks, as Nico’s eyes stay fixed on the crowd.
There’s a few people on their phones, some towels and blankets on the ground for them to sit
at. He wonders how long they’ve been there. Apollo will probably know.

Nico doesn’t really hear Leo answer. His head is all fuzzy and his thoughts are too loud. How
is it possible that a simple sight can fill him with both warmth and fear?

He knows he can sing. He just doesn’t know if he can perform.

It was different at the award show. They weren’t there to see him. Half of the audience wasn’t
paying attention to him, and it was more people, yes, but it was just one song, him standing
up front with a guitar, and that was it.

Now, it’s him headlining. And yes, it’s barely a fraction of the audience he sang in front of
last time (which was also the only time he’s ever done this), but it means more in the grand
scheme of things. Truly, it means everything.

They end up parking and going through the back door to get into the venue. It feels big when
it’s empty, and feels even bigger when he thinks of people standing next to each other all on
the floor. There’s a stage with a keyboard and two guitars set up - one on the ground and one
leaning on the keyboard. There’s a microphone, speakers. Some seated spots at the back of
the venue, which Leo immediately decides to run up to.

“Nico, you’re here!” Rachel steps out on stage, a wide grin on her face. Her camera is resting
at her hip from a lanyard and she sits down, letting her legs dangle off the edge of the stage.
“Did you see the crowd outside? I was thinking of waiting a bit and then taking some
pictures. We’ve mainly been figuring out the lighting, and it’s looking good, so-”

“Nico!” Apollo steps out as well, followed by someone dressed in black that Nico assumes
works here. “Rachel, lighting’s good to go. You guys are here a bit early, so sound check’s in
half an hour. We’re still setting up some of the speakers, so feel free to do whatever you guys
want. Should we order some food? Will, are you guys hungry?”

Nico just nods absently as Leo comes running back down, rattling off his food order, and
Apollo gets out his phone. His mind keeps replaying the scene outside, and that he has half
an hour before soundcheck, and that this is his first fucking show and it better be a good one.

“You think we can go check out the line outside?” Nico surprises even himself by saying it.
He’s interacted with a few fans here and there, of course, but never more than four at a time.
It’s usually random. And he doesn’t tend to put himself in the situation purposefully. But-
well. Maybe it’ll help with the nerves?

Apollo lights up. “That’s a great idea! Rachel was just saying-”

“Yes!” Rachel hops up, shoving away some of her hair falling in her face. “Pictures! That’ll
be even better than just the line. Does someone have a sharpie? I’m guessing they might
wanna sign stuff.”

Nico feels a bit lightheaded. Right. Pictures and autographs and lines and oh god, what even
is his life?

Will and Leo stay behind, checking out the backstage area as Rachel and Nico go to the
entrance and Nico peers out the window. The first few people, two girls that look just a bit
older than Nico, maybe college-age, are sharing earbuds and watching something on one
phone. He can only see the back of the person behind them, a black jacket of some sort, and
so he glances at Rachel. She peers at him, gesturing her head as if to say, I’m ready when you
are.

He inhales. He can do this. He wants this. These people- they’re all here for a reason. He
doesn’t have to prove anything, and yet he feels like he does. He’s always trying to prove
something - whether it’s to himself or someone else.

Without another thought, he pushes the door open. He hears the chatter of the people, and a
few fans instinctively look toward the door. There’s a brief second where there’s no reaction,
but before Nico’s second foot is out the door, there are people screaming.

It makes Nico hesitate just a second, blinking, that the scream is really a cheer, and that
cheering is a good thing. It, somehow, brings a smile to his face.

He holds the door open for Rachel and looks down the full line. It isn’t wrapped around the
corner yet, so he can see pretty much everyone there - a few people at the back standing up
and jumping. It’s absolutely insane.

“Oh my god,” comes the voice of the first girl in the line, immediately followed by the girl
with her, and both of them taking out their headphones and scrambling to stand up.

Nico exhales. He can do this. He wants this.

“Hey,” he manages, voice breaking halfway through into a chuckle of disbelief. His eyes
keep trailing to the rest of the line but he tries to keep his focus on what’s in front of him.
One person at a time. “Damn, how’d you guys get here before me? I literally got here, like,
five minutes ago.”
The two girls are standing now, and Nico can recognize their excitement from himself and his
friends, the years of waiting in lines of concerts and sitting through openers and opening
Spotify at midnight to hear a new release.

He’s on the other side of it now, and it’s- breathtaking, honestly.

“We’ve been here since 10:30,” one of them, the one to the left with short brown hair and
freckles, answers. She’s fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, eyes wide. “Oh my god,” she
says, repeating what her friend said, and then again, as if the moment just doesn’t seem real.

Nico understands the feeling.

“We’re- god, we’re literally obsessed with doomsday,” the other girl says, managing to reign
in her excitement a bit more. “And haunted- I mean, literally everything. Like, especially
doomsday, though. I can’t believe-” she trails off a bit and speaks slightly quieter, as if
speaking to herself. “Can’t believe this is happening.”

And the smile that Nico gives her? It’s genuine. He feels his heart warm, the idea that
absolute strangers could be anything near obsessed. It’s not necessarily an ego thing, but it’s
certainly boosting his self-confidence. And, somehow, it makes him a bit more relaxed. The
tension in his shoulders loosen.

“Thank you so much,” he ends up saying, slightly breathless. “I can’t believe it either,
honestly. I have no idea how this all happened.”

There are more compliments, and Nico ends up taking a picture with them, and then he asks
what they were watching on their phone and Nico gets a few song recommendations, getting
out his own phone to add them to a playlist labeled with the two girls’ names - Alice and
Julia.

When he gets to the next person, he realizes that they’re recording him, and yet - he doesn’t
feel off put by it. He just pretends that the phone isn’t pointed at him and starts talking to the
guy in the black jacket, joined by his younger sister and her friend. They also take photos,
and then they have a shirt that they’d like him to sign, even though the sharpie really isn’t all
that great for fabric, but Nico manages it anyway.

And on he goes. Down the line. More people are recording him, so he knows it’ll be all over
social media the next day, but he doesn’t even mind. This, plus Rachel - it’s insane to Nico
that he doesn’t feel extremely uncomfortable. The fact that he doesn’t eases his mind a bit.
Maybe the stage won’t be much different.

He takes a lot of photos with fans, and ends up having conversations with a few. He gives life
advice (somehow), answers a few questions about the album, gets some book
recommendations, and even signs a copy of The Song of Achilles, which- well, frankly, that
has to be one of Nico’s greatest accomplishments.

At some point, probably twenty minutes later, as Nico is only halfway through line (which is
also growing; he’s seen a few people join it since he walked outside, one of them letting out a
screech when they saw him outside), Will shows up, saying that food arrived.
 That makes the crowd go crazy again, because Will (and Leo) are kind of like extremely
niche celebrities of the fandom. Nico had been kind of worried about it, but Will takes it all in
stride, being willing to join a few of the pictures as well.

Nico ends up running inside quickly, grabbing his fries and a cup of Starbucks before
returning outside. Unfortunately, with the limited hand space, he can’t be signing things
anymore, but- well, he thinks they appreciate it. It makes Nico happy, too.

His conversations at the end of the line turn brief, which he’s a bit guilty about, but then he
has to get inside for soundcheck- this announcement delivered by Leo, and so he waves
good-bye with a fry in his hand and a smile on his lips. He feels, quite honestly, like he could
take on the fucking world.

Chapter End Notes

IS IT OVER YET X OOTW MASHUP. END GAME ACOUSTIC. KARMA IS THE

GUY ON THE CHIEFS. TAYLOR SWIFT YOU ARE INSANE AND I LOVE YOU
FOR IT
it feels absolutely wonderful to add the surprise song updates back to the end notes i feel
like a part of myself was missing with the eras tour on pause <3
and other exciting news, gracie abrams and noah kahan nominated for best new artist??
ohmygod??? gracie grammy-nominated abrams?? I LOVE HER SM AND IM SO
PROUD OF BOTH OF THEM

anyway, on to the star of the chapter, RACHEL <333

god ive been so excited to introduce her. we've got a lot of new characters coming in the
last chapters of this fic + the sequel, and rachel is def one of my favorites!!! i just
absolutely love her, she's an icon, and she is the moment!! her and apollo as an
unstoppable duo >>>

this was a very long chapter and, believe it or not, it was gonna be even longer, like, 7k,
and then i ended up cutting a scene out and moving it to the next chapter, but hey!!! i got
a lot of writing done this week so you WILL have an update next sunday!!

also, as the tweets say, the picture of the book with the story of us lyrics are from 'the
song of achilles' by madeline miller, and it's absolutely incredible. i love her work, but
also, i may or may not be referencing the author of tsoa as sally jackson, just because:)

and the concert!! ahh!!! the full concert will be in the next chapter bc i did have to cut
that but <3 just nico being a celeb idk why i'm so obsessed with it but i amSDLKJF

thank you for reading and commenting ily!!!

 wanna leave my own life behind
Chapter Notes

ch title from "thunder" by imagine dragons

(no way, another playlist!!) - haunted acoustic show (n1)

background info - i mentioned that alex fierro is an indie-rock artist, and i don't really
know many from that genre, so i just decided to go with boygenius as her music
discography!
cw for tattoos (idk if that needs a warning, but it happens), and...
wow it's actually been so long since i've had to put warnings in my notes. tw for
references to alcoholism, child abuse, grief/past death, indirect deadnaming (idk if that's
a thing, but like no one is directly deadnaming nico, just talking abt nico while using the
wrong name)
and also for some google-translated italian! i do not speak italian, and there isn't much of
it, but if it looks horrible and you do speak italian, please correct me!!

there's also some descriptions abt grief and healing that is very wrong. healing isn't
linear. don't take nico's word for it he desperately needs some therapy!! will go over that
more in the end notes <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

dev @calyg.ocat

UPDATES FROM THE HAUNTED ACOUSTIC SHOWS QUEUE: NICO JUST SHOWED
UP AND IS TALKING TO THE FANS IN LINESLDF

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

OMG??? NO WAY?? WHAT TIME IS IT OVER THERE

dev @calyg.ocat

i just got here like twenty minutes ago it’s around 12 rn, i’m like tenth in the line

dev @calyg.ocat
WILL BE POSTING VIDEOS AND UPDATES!!!

lucy!! @gray_ballads28

i just. met. nico di angelo. WTF

[ two images attached: one with Nico giving a small smile to the camera, and the other
looking at the girl taking the photo, looking like he’s speaking. ]

[ one video attached: a screen-recording of the photos the girl was taking, flipping the
camera to show Nico walking up to her. He says, “Hey, I’m Nico- oh my god, wait, is that an
Alex Fierro shirt? Dude, I’m so obsessed with him you don’t even understand.” The girl
laughs in response and says, “Yes, the livestream you had? I started listening because of that
and-” they continue to chat before the girl asks for a photo, and Nico leans in. After the first
photo, he turns to the side and asks, “Wait, so what’s your favorite song of hers?” “‘Black
Hole’, I think, but I also love ‘Salt In The Wound’-” The video is cut off. ]

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

Nico di Angelo is talking to all the people in line for n1 of his acoustic shows!!

[ two videos attached ]

ivy @vv_cf2lark

DSLKDFSJ I SHOWED UP TO NICO’S SHOW AT LIKE 11:45-ISH AND THE LINE

WAS ALREADY PRETTY LONG AND HE HAD TO LEAVE BEFORE GETTING TO ME
IN LINE BUT THEN HE FR JUST RAN INSIDE, GRABBED SOME MCDONALDS
FRIES, AND BEGAN TALKING TO THE FANS IN LINE AGAIN

ivy @vv_cf2lark

he is genuinely so sweet like i only got to talk to him for a little and got a photo with him but
he was so nice😭😭

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

so jealous of everyone at the haunted acoustic shows rn WDYM PEOPLE ARE JUST
CASUALLY TALKING TO GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST NICO DI
ANGELO??
|

R WE OOTW @wronghuntress

Will Solace and Leo Valdez also showed up apparently HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LIVE MY
DREAM

doomsday <3 @15angels__

So I got one of the few seated tickets for Nico di Angelo’s show and it’s toward the back
right? Tell me why PIPER MCLEAN AND JASON GRACE JUST SAT DOWN LIKE TWO
SEATS AWAY FROM ME. WHTA THE FUCKDSFLA

doomsday <3 @15angels__

I got photos before the show started and also got to talk to Leo and Will!! All of them were
honestly so nice I can’t

[ four images attached ]

***

That meeting honestly sets the tone for a perfect concert. Well- not perfect, but goddamn, it’s
really fucking close. Nico wouldn’t trade it for the world.

He shows up onstage at 8:00, seeing as there was no opener, and is pleased to recognize
pretty much the entire first two rows from his trip outside earlier.

The rest of the venue is packed. Like, shoulder to shoulder, filled to the brim, packed. He
knew it would be- the tickets did sell out. And yet, it’s an entirely different thing to actually
see in real life. Right in front of him.

The fact that he managed to talk to a lot of the people beforehand actually makes it much less
awkward when he gets to talking to the crowd and singing. Because it’s acoustic, he just
starts by- well, introducing himself, which he feels a little strange doing (after all, they did all
pay to show up here), but he does it anyway, because all his favorite artists do it, and he
doesn’t know how else to begin.

Then, he grabs the guitar, and starts with the first few scheduled songs.

He has a set list, but really, it’s up to him in the moment. It’s not strict at all. Seeing as he
does have thirty songs released, and them not being short ones, he can’t exactly sing his
entire discography, so he’s chosen thirteen of them (five from haunted , eight from doomsday
), leaving some wiggle room for talking to the fans and singing a few covers. He has three
covers planned, but again- there’s room for adjustments. As long as he knows how to play it,
it can be sung.

He starts with doomsday.

It should feel awkward, shouldn't it? He should be frightened. But he isn’t. He makes eye
contact with a few people in the crowd, and then his eyes get drawn to Will, who’s up at the
top, Leo on one side and Piper on the other with Jason to her left. It takes everything in him
to not smile up there.

He moves on to the next song. He answers a few questions about them. He switches to the
keyboard at some point, and he laughs more than he ever expected to on stage.

It’s so intimate, truly, and to be honest- concerts have always felt that way to him. He’s just
never seen it from another perspective, and some part of him had assumed that the other side
couldn’t possibly be as special as seeing your favorite artist in front of you.

He was wrong. So, so wrong.

Seeing the fans sing along the words to songs that he wrote? Barely able to hear himself sing
because they’re all doing the same? Seeing them light up with excitement when he looks at
them? Hearing them scream when a song that he assumes is one of their favorites begins?
Knowing they recognize it with the first lyric?

That. Is so fucking special.

And when he gets to his first cover, Ribs by Lorde, which he feels hits so much harder,
knowing that his friends will be going to college in just over a year, he gets to experience a
whole new side. Seeing them share the same fondness of songs that he had, seeing them share
the same excitement as he does. Not even the dozens of phones focused on him can make
him feel insecure.

A part of his brain is still, of course, slightly worried that he’s got awful stage presence. He
can’t really tell until after the show, but he knows that Apollo will tell him the truth, because
he’s always willing to help Nico improve. For now, all he can do is keep the show going.

He runs backstage to grab a water bottle at some point, and then when he’s back, he gets
bullied into singing Picture to Burn with a country accent. And then, back to back, he also
gets bullied into singing a song that he didn’t originally add to the setlist - out of the woods.

If anything, it only makes him happier. He never thought he’d see a day where he was excited
to get bullied, but he is, because they love the songs and Nico loves them in the weird,
parasocial relationship they have, but it’s some kind of love nonetheless.

He ends up singing an unreleased song- one that he truly doesn’t know if he’s ever going to
release, which is also only half-completed, with only a verse and a chorus put together, on the
piano. And then he finishes, singing haunted.
When Nico sees the pictures and videos and scrolls through social media later, he’ll think that
this was one of the best nights of his life.

And it’ll remain to be so. It’s the beginning of something legendary.

***

lucy!! @gray_ballads28

i’m currently dying nico sang black hole by alex fierro FOR ME i literally started crying

[ one video attached: Nico is playing a few notes on his guitar, as if trying to find out the
right ones. He leans into the mic. “Right, so I was actually planning on singing one of Alex
Fierro’s songs, because I’m just, like, obsessed with her music.” There’s a loud cheer behind
them, specifically from the person holding the camera, which shakes a bit. The person is right
at the very front, and Nico glances at them. “It was a different song, so I might make a few
mistakes with this one- wait a sec, okay. In a rainstorm…” ]

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

NICO DI ANGELO UNRELEASED SONG: “forevermore”

[ one video attached: Nico is sitting at the keyboard, speaking into the microphone. “This
one’s not actually finished, it’s kinda depressing.” There are a few cheers. Nico laughs.
“God, that’s not supposed to be a good thing- well, actually, yeah, depressing music is the
best kind. Anyway…” He plays a few notes before starting, “Hey, December…” ]

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

Lyrics: Hey, December, guess I’m feeling unmoored. Can’t remember what I used to fight
for. I rewind the tape, but all it does is pause on the very moment all was lost, sending signals
to be double-crossed. And I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter, catching
my death-

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

And I couldn’t be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be forevermore. Can’t
not think of all the cost, and the things that will be lost. Can we just get a pause to be certain
we’ll be tall again. Whether weather be the frost or the violence of the dog days-
|

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

I’m on waves out being tossed. Is there a line that I could just go cross? And when I was
shipwrecked, I thought of you. In the cracks of light, I dreamed of you. It was real enough to
get me through. But I swear you were there.

i’m ur ghost @angels_NdA1

OHMYGOD?? THIS IS POETRY WTF???

#1 the story of us stan @diAng_la3

full version pls

DOOMSDAY @alltoo_notwell

@nicodiangelo next single better be forevermore

livv @outofthewoodss33

can you believe nico wasn’t going to sing out of the woods live. like. WHAT @nicodiangelo

livv @outofthewoodss33

thank you for doing it though <3

[ one video attached ]

Nico di Angelo Updates (fan account) @NdAupdates

Background info of ‘the story of us’!

[ Nico is looking at someone behind the camera, a small smile on his face. He has his guitar
strapped around him and is sitting on a stool in front of the mic. “Oh, yeah, it was a huge
inspiration,” he says. “I mean, I’m gonna be completely honest, I didn’t read the book - I
listened to it. The picture with the lyrics in the margins was entirely for the aesthetic.” The
audience laughs.
“Right, but, like, Sally Jackson is literally the best author ever. I’m obsessed with her. And so,
yeah, there was definitely a lot of book-related inspiration in this album…mainly death-
related books, but yeah. I really loved ending the album with ‘the end’, because, it’s like,
starting the album with doomsday - which should be the end, right? It’s doomsday. But, to
me, it’s like, telling you right at the beginning that yeah, you’re gonna die, and then the rest
of the album is just showing how.” He pauses, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

“That’s the thing about tragedies, and, like- in this case, Greek heroes. Like, you’re fully
aware at the beginning that Achilles is gonna die, and yet you still get attached to the
characters anyway. I think it’s really beautiful, to be honest, but always devastating.” He
begins strumming the guitar again, and then starts the song, a much softer and sadder
version of the original: “I used to think one day we’d tell the story of us…” ]

angel @hauntdooms__

Nico di angelo’s vocals in the story of us and haunted are literally to die for. I cried??

[ one video attached ]

i know it won’t work @n_diangels

YALL WE HAVE THE PROOF NOW. NICO CAN DO A COUNTRY ACCENTSLKDJF

[ one video attached: Nico singing ‘Picture To Burn’ by Taylor Swift. ]

forever haunted @thaerchxr

i’m going to n2 of the show next week and i CANNOT wait omg he’s growing so quickly
<33 proud to be a fan since haunted

***

“If you’re gonna do something stupid, you’re going to do it safely,” Apollo states matter-of-
factly, “but also, I’ve got, like, seven stick-and-pokes and I’m still alive, so.”

“This was not in the job description, but I am absolutely not complaining.” Rachel,
unsurprisingly, was eager to design tattoos for the three of them. Technically, it’s illegal, but
it really isn’t, because Leo and Nico’s guardians aren’t their guardians in anything but the
name, and Apollo is totally fine with it.
Over the few weeks of knowing her, Nico is aware that he’s technically Rachel’s boss, but
he’d like to think they’re friends too. Maybe that’s a naive outlook on life, but Rachel acts so
natural around them that it’s hard to believe anything else.

Now, Will finally agreed with Leo to get tattoos the week before his eighteenth birthday. Leo
has also officially moved out of his foster home and moved the rest of his belongings to a
spare room in Apollo’s house, claiming that it’s to give Nico and Will privacy, despite the
three of them (sometimes five, when Jason and Piper are available) hanging out until the
early morning hours pretty much every night. Jason and Piper are here for moral support, and
Will and Nico will join him just because they want to.

They needed an artist, and Rachel answered on the first ring.

Because they’re not extremely rebellious teens, Will told Apollo beforehand (which Leo
claimed ruined the experience, while Nico inwardly thought that Will would probably know
more about tattoo cleanliness and safety than Apollo so there wasn’t much of a point).

Leo decides from the collection of drawings that Rachel had provided to get a kind of dragon
design- though instead of scales, it looks more mechanical, with small bolts on the wings.
There are a few flames, and Nico knows that this one is really just for the look, but he also
vividly remembers Leo being obsessed with dragons as a kid. He probably has some kind of
reason behind it that Nico doesn’t know, or maybe he doesn’t - it’s for him, and he’s happy
with it, so Nico’s happy with it, too.

“I am literally so jealous right now,” Piper sighs as Leo takes off his shirt, preparing for
Rachel to do the tattoo on his back. It’s really small, honestly, tiny enough to fit on a sticky
note, but they’re certainly not going to try anything extravagant at home. “If I ever got a
tattoo, Jane would freak out.”

“All the more reason to do it then, huh?” Leo teases. Piper and Jason are both already 18,
with Jason’s birthday being only a few days ago, so really, they could get it done without
permission. But Nico gets that it’s probably more serious - especially for Piper, who’s
literally a model, to get these things done without telling anyone. Even if it was small.

Piper continues to complain, though it’s all relatively lighthearted, while Jason is clearly
pretending to not care at all that Leo’s shirtless in front of him. Nico shares a small glance
with Will, who’s clearly thinking the same thing: they need to get their shit together already.

Like, seriously. Nico wasn’t this bad with Will, was he?

By the end of the day, Leo has a dragon on his back, Will has a stylized sun on his chest, the
rays almost looking like flower petals - just as Nico expected, having sunflowers make an
appearance, though it’s clearly still meant to be a sun.

And Nico has the Sagittarius constellation just above his ankle - right where the water would
rise to on his bare feet while running across the beach behind their house in Venice. Also,
easily covered by the height of his boots or the length of his jeans.

The stars, he will continue to keep to himself.

 ***

The thing they don’t tell you about healing is that you can go months feeling just fine, and
then still wake up one random night with a nightmare and the strongest urge to do something
stupid.

Things don’t just go away. As much as Nico would like them to, his memories- mainly the
bad ones, never just fade. He’s stuck with them. And he’s stuck with questions and regrets
and what-ifs.

“...for closure, you know?”

“Closure,” Will repeats, some weight to his voice.

This, what Nico is bringing up to Will, is honestly not something he’s been thinking about for
long. He actually thought he had already left things behind entirely, ever since living with
Will and having things fall into place. And yet, he woke up in the middle of the night three
days ago with a nagging in the back of his head.

And really. His father’s house is only twenty minutes away.

“He probably won’t even be there,” Nico reasons. “And- well, I just want to make sure
there’s nothing I left behind, alright?”

“And if he is there?” Will asks. He doesn’t seem judgemental, which Nico is honestly
grateful for. Will doesn’t understand this- not truly. The only loss he’s felt has been a clean
cut, and Nico knows that that hurts like a knife, but Will has never had to worry about that
knife being twisted.

And Nico shouldn’t have to either. Nico should have had a clean cut, too.

But if he’s still writing songs about his fucking father, then it couldn’t have been that clean
after all, could it? And what Nico really wants at this point, is to just be able to let it go. He
hasn’t been looking back, but he knows there’s something behind him that keeps tempting
him.

He thought he was done with this last year. Well, he was fucking delusional, because he’d tell
himself that he had moved on, and then he’d go to the studio and write something that was so
obviously inspired by his past. At least, it’s obvious when he looks back on it. He was so
busy for the past year that he didn’t actually notice, and now he’s reading all the lyrics and all
the speculations and thinking well, fuck, I never did escape, did I?

The ghost he left there is a question, he thinks. It’s just- the possibility, of maybe there being
something good in his father that Nico just didn’t see, or something good that just couldn’t be
present around Nico. He thinks he can live with the knowledge that his father is just an evil
person, but Nico doesn’t think people like that exist. There has to be good somewhere.
Nico just wonders if he’s the reason that good vanished. The longer he stayed away from his
family, the more his thoughts got to roam - his mother must have loved his father at some
point, right? They had two children. And so- his father must have known how to love, didn’t
he? At least, in some capacity, he should have at least been able to love his children, maybe
before Nico became tainted with grief and hatred and what his father thought was rotten.

But Nico doesn’t think his parents have ever done anything more than tolerate him. Before
Will, before his new life, the only love he had known was from Bianca.

His head tells him that it just can’t be right. There has to be a gray area somewhere. There
must have been a trigger that caused it. There must have been one good memory that’s been
buried.

And he just doesn’t want that question there anymore. He wants to be free. He hates the fact
that it’s been nearly two years since he moved out and it’s not enough. Shouldn’t the time, the
space be enough? Shouldn’t Will be enough? And Leo, and Apollo? Shouldn’t this new life
be enough?

He’s said good-bye to his father, though he’s never actually known him. Maybe- maybe what
he needs is to say good-bye to the house.

He’s grasping at straws, he knows, but it can’t hurt, can it?

A short drive. Sneaking into his house and grabbing a few things - his songs, mainly, but
maybe he’ll come across something else; he can’t really remember much of his time there,
because the days all blurred together.

Nico just shrugs in response to Will’s question. He doesn’t know. He supposes that’s another
test for himself. He’s left, so his father shouldn’t affect him anymore. It’s not like he actually
matters.

“I’ll go in with you,” Will says, and Nico goes to refuse it immediately.

Will is separate from his father and that house. Will is everything good in Nico’s life,
everything bright and colorful and lovely. He’s an escape, but he’s also a home.

Will is daylight, and his father’s house was always full of shadows.

But the look on Will’s face shows determination, and so Nico doesn’t argue.

He’ll be alright. He’s better now.

***

There’s a car outside the driveway. So, his father is home.

Nico wonders if he ever left.

Will parks outside and gets out of the car; it’s his first time not leaving after dropping Nico
off or picking him up. Nico leads him to the garden gate and walks around the backyard. The
door is unlocked, as always. It’s exactly how Nico left it.

The inside of the house stinks of alcohol and trash, and Nico watches Will’s nose scrunch up,
tempted to do the same himself. So, his father hasn’t changed his habits. Well, Nico supposes
that won’t help answer any of his questions. How will he ever know who his father truly was
if all he gets to see is a glimpse of him, a version that’s all hollowed out?

He should have known better.

He shrugs off his thoughts, then avoids the kitchen altogether. It won’t do him any good to
see the mess that’s been built up, because he isn’t going to clean it up this time. Instead, he
grabs Will’s hand, being comforted by the gentleness of it, something he’s never had in this
house, and he leads him to the stairs.

Nico knows exactly where his box of songs is. He knows exactly where his room is, where
his father’s ‘office’ is, despite it not having been used for any work in years. The layout of
the house will probably always be ingrained in his head, even though Nico kind of wishes
that he could forget every single second he existed here.

But he can’t wipe that memory away. Doesn’t think he should, either way, because- well, as
much as he despises it, it’s a part of him. There’s a lot of parts that he hates about himself,
and this will just have to remain as one of them.

He grabs the box opening the lid just slightly to find the scraps of paper torn out of notebooks
and ripped off of sticky note pads. His handwriting has changed. When rummaging through
the notes, he finds one written in Italian. These go back a long time, and they’ve been living
here, collecting dust.

Nico will finally put them to use or to rest.

He goes to his closet, handing the box to Will, who’s quiet, just looking around. He’s never
been inside before. Nico’s aware that the whole place is frankly a mess. There’s cobwebs and
dust on every windowsill.

Nico grabs a few old concert tees that he had gotten over the years, and two of Will’s
sweaters that he had stolen. There’s his old binder, but he got a new one last year, and this
one probably doesn’t fit him anymore anyway.

A part of him wonders where his father is. Probably in one of the rooms- it is a pretty big
house. He might be sleeping, which could be why Nico can’t hear him. Either way, Nico
supposes that it’s fine that he won’t see him. He came to say good-bye to the house. Just the
house.

They make their way back downstairs, and that’s when Nico hears some of the clatter coming
from the kitchen.
He glances at Will, whose eyes clearly say to get out of there and that they should leave as
soon as possible.

But fucking hell. Nico wants answers. And he’s never coming back to this place, so he might
as well try to get them now.

In an abrupt shift, he changes directions from the back door to the kitchen, which as Will
frantically shaking his head and mouthing Nico, what the fuck?

He whispers back. “Just stay here, please?”

Will immediately shakes his head, lips forming a thin line. But Nico gives him another look,
and then he wavers.

“Fine, but if I hear anything-”

“Yeah, I know.” With that, Nico turns around.

He makes noise as he walks over, not bothering to silence his footsteps, and he rattles the
doorknob for a second before pushing the door open. He doesn’t know why it’s closed; it
never used to be. Either way, Nico thinks- well, he wants to see his father’s reaction.

It’s probably some innate part of himself, just as a child, who wants some kind of approval,
except Nico knows that he won’t get any. When he thinks about it more, it’s the opposite: he
wants disapproval. He wants to have his father say that he hates him, just so that Nico will
feel justified in hating him in return.

He’s grown into himself, he thinks. Maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s age, maybe it’s
distance from the person who made him feel so goddamn insecure in the first place. It’s not
just growing into his body, but also his personality. He’s not as afraid to be himself anymore.
He doesn’t feel the need to hide.

What Nico sees inside isn’t really a shock. The trash is overflowing, but the floor isn’t filled
with bottles, so that must mean that at some point, his father got sober enough to haul his
trash outside.

At the moment, though, that is not him. He’s drunk. Nothing new there.

He seems to be trying to make some kind of food, though, the clatter from before apparently
being a plate. Honestly, a quiet voice in the back of Nico’s head wonders how his father is
even still alive. It, unfortunately, makes Nico feel just the slightest bit glad. He doesn’t want
to hear it. He doesn’t want to know of it when it happens.

Nico is not alone anymore, but he thinks that the loss of anyone he feels anything for - even if
that feeling is hatred - would break him all over again.

His father looks up at him and squints.

Oh. He doesn’t even recognize him, does he?

It should make Nico happy. He’s someone that his father can’t recognize anymore. He can’t
even be considered close to the girl that his father wanted him to be.

And yet, it just makes Nico feel hollow. He’s changed, yes, but he hasn’t changed that much,
has he? So much that his own father can’t recognize him? Did he ever care enough? Would
he recognize Nico if he looked the same as he did two years ago?

He’s conflicted. About himself, about his father, about everything. And he hates it. He should
have continued living in ignorance.

Nico thinks about just turning around and forgetting this ever happened. He won’t be able to,
he knows, but it’ll be a nice illusion to live under. But then-

“You look like my Bianca.”

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

Nico freezes up, just as he did the day he left. His thoughts are scrambled, and all the
confidence he had, the belief that he was going to put an end to this immediately, just
evaporates. He should have stayed at home.

Bianca. He looks like Bianca.

Not even himself.

His father continues to stare at him, and then he starts muttering to himself, which says
everything Nico needs to know about his state- the fact that he didn’t even question how
someone seemingly broke into his house. “My Bianca… she died,” he says quietly, starting to
wander around the kitchen. His movements are wobbly; he can’t walk in a straight line. He
opens a cupboard that’s empty except for cobwebs, shuts it, and then moves to a drawer.

“What about your other child?” Nico asks. His voice wavers, but it’s blunt, because he wants
to leave, but he also wants answers.

His father’s head snaps him. He isn’t looking at Nico, but the wall behind him.

“Yes, yes, Nicola,” his father rambles, “Troublemaker, that one. Couldn’t ever figure herself
out.”

Nico feels like a knife is being twisted in his gut.

“Fathers shouldn’t have to outlive their children,” his father continues to murmur. “No, no,
Nicola- well, she should have never…”

Never what? What shouldn’t he have done? What could he have done to fix it?

Nothing, that’s what. Nico couldn’t ever do anything.

The words he mumbles get drowned out by him slamming a drawer closed, and Nico hates
the fact that it makes him flinch. He hopes Will doesn’t come in.

“Marie was a mistake,” his father grumbles, and seems to finally find what he’s looking for in
one of the drawers, another bottle. So, Nico had just been optimistic with the plate.

But then he replays it. Marie? Is it a mistake? His mother’s name is Maria. Surely he hasn’t
forgotten his wife’s name.

Well. He’s never even known his son’s, so Nico wouldn’t put it past him.

“Shame, though… shame,” the senseless rambling continues. Nico needs to leave. His father
is delusional. He doesn’t know who Nico is, has probably never cared. It’ll only hurt Nico
more to stay. He turns around.

“Shouldn’t’ve died…Bianca would’ve known better…”

He pauses. And then, he inhales and forces his voice to not waver. “What happened to
Nicola?”

His father looks at Nico, now, truly looks at him, and yet it feels like he doesn’t, because his
stare is blank. “She died.”

And, well. The knife has been pulled out, and Nico is left to bleed. Fitting, because
apparently, he’s dead.

He pushes open the door and slams it shut. He doesn’t even feel tears in his eyes. That means
he’s fine, right? He’s fine. He’s numb. He’s used to it.

But he hadn’t expected it. Because now, well, he’s left with more questions than he came here
with.

Nico swallows, trying to keep his breathing steady. He can leave. He should leave.

But he wants to know.

“Did you love…” Nico inhales, trying to grasp onto any remaining wisps of hope. “Her? Did
you love her?”

It’s crazy, is what it is, that his father is still roaming around the kitchen, talking about his
dead “daughter”, when his son is right in front of him.

If Nico were a better son, he would have tried to fix it. His father is clearly a danger to
himself, and Nico could call someone or something- an ambulance, get him into rehab. He
was too young to do it before, but Nico’s seventeen now, and running out of excuses. The
only thing he knows is that if he ties his name to his father’s, especially when he’s not yet an
adult and has tabloids running every story they can find about him, he won’t get out
unscathed.

But Nico is not a better son. His father, as far as Nico knows, does not deserve that.
 Please say you didn’t. Say you hated her. Let me be free.

His father squints at him again, starting to walk over. Nico instinctually takes a step back, and
his father pauses, then turns around again. He mumbles, “Nicola looked so much like
Maria…”

He did. Well, he technically still does. Nico has the same eyes, the same hair, inheriting his
mothers’ curls (though she always straightened them), same facial structure and same olive
skin tone, though it’s gotten a bit darker seeing as Maria was always inside, and Nico’s spent
more time outside under the California sun this summer.

“Mi dispiace,” his father starts, and then continues slurring through words that Nico would
probably understand if he was paying more attention. But he isn’t.

Why can’t you just hate me?

But it’s clear, now, that he doesn’t. Or maybe he would, if he was sober enough to know who
Nico really was. If he was sober enough to ever care.

He doesn’t need to say a word to Will, just shoving open the back door and leaving through
the garden gate, knowing that Will is right behind him. When Nico gets in the car, Will
leaving the box and the clothes in the backseat, there’s a hand on his thigh, a comforting
presence. I’m here.

Nico is fine. Will, and everything else he’s made for himself, is enough.

Because even though Nico had been hoping for justification so he could hate his father, he
knows that he can’t. Not with those responses. Not without any violence, any harsh words.
What he had felt from his father was honestly just grief.

And Nico, though always believing it had affected his father, never got to see it. Not once
while he lived with him did they think about Bianca and Maria and remember who they were
or reflect on their time together.

It seems that his father can only grieve now that he thinks Nico is dead, too. And if that
assumed death brings him comfort, then Nico will do the same, until he can be a better son.
He turns eighteen in about six months. Then- he’ll be an adult, and he’ll figure out how to get
his father some help. It’s not like Nico doesn’t have the money to do it.

It’ll be helping just another person, though, not his father. He’ll do it entirely separately. He’ll
change his name and ensure that he’s entirely unrecognizable, and he’ll let his father believe
that Nicola truly died, because in a way, she did. Or at least, the illusion of her. And then one
day, Nico will find him again and get his closure.

As far as he’s concerned, at least for now, though, his father has died. And if someone were
to ask him, Nico would say that his father died before he was ever born.

Chapter End Notes

another very long chapter!! the next one will be even longer, which really hadn't been
planned but i couldn't find a good spot to cut them short, so y'all are getting more
content <3

some notes-
"forevermore" as the fans have called it is evermore by taylor swift, and it's only the
second verse + the chorus, and not the part that bon iver sings! unreleased, we'll get back
to that eventually. this song is so underrated and im obsessed with it
does nico sing picture to burn (homophobic version)? that's up for interpretation... jk he
prob didn't do it bc he's not out, but lets be real, leo is screaming "YOU'RE GAY" from
the back of the venue

another fun fact, ik that bianca's zodiac isn't canon bc she doesn't have a canon birthday,
but! hazel is also a sagittarius! and i thought, when looking it up, that the description
matched bianca pretty well, and also, sagittarius' constellation is an archer, which... well,
archery's a big thing. bianca being a huntress, kayla being an archer, apollo being apollo,
and the song "the archer" which will most definitely appear at some point! but yeah,
that's why i chose that zodiac :)

and... okay here we go. i did say that eventually some angst would return. well! clearly
nico's got some issues that he has to work through, because this stuff doesn't change
overnight. especially in these last few chapters, i wanna emphasize that he isn't an
entirely reliable narrator, mainly while discussing his own grief and trauma - he assumes
that because things have gotten better, he should be entirely better, but really, he's just
been overworking himself so much that he doesn't have time to think about it. now, he
does have time, and so clearly some things are confusing him/making him revisit the
trauma
as for nico's father, i definitely don't like writing one-dimensional characters. i am by
NO MEANS saying that he is a good person, because he's not (and personally, i'm
separating him from hades in my head, but you can think whatever you like), but he's
def got a lot of issues! a lot of people have been asking if hazel will ever make an
appearance, so yes! she will be there in the sequel! i have a lot of plans for her ;)

anyway, that's all i'm gonna say on nico's father right now, but he will be brought up
again at some point. thank you for reading and commenting ily!!! <3
 let the seasons change my mind
Chapter Notes

ch title from "writer in the dark" by lorde

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Nico insists that he is unaffected by the visit to his house. Sometimes, people die, and Nico is
quite used to the process. When Will mentions that his father isn’t dead, Nico kind of just
curls in on himself and remains silent until his boyfriend lets him continue to pretend.

He doesn’t tell Apollo that he went there. He had been planning to, if it went well, but he’d
rather just block it out of his mind.

It isn’t healthy. But then again, when has Nico ever been? He’s surely healthier than he used
to be, maybe not as much as last year, but better than the years before.

Still, mid-August brings a new sweep of events and work to get done and through that keeps
them all busy enough. Nico thinks that the period of summer- late July to early August- gave
him too much time to think. He likes this better. He’s doing more.

There’s a music video for doomsday that was already filmed, but is going through another
round of editing, which will be released at the beginning of September. Only fitting, isn’t it?
There was the thought of releasing it on Halloween, but that seemed a bit too basic. He’ll
save a Halloween release date for something else.

Either way, his friends get caught up in college applications, which Nico is eternally grateful
he doesn’t have to do. Instead, he goes back to school and has to deal with his usual
schoolwork, though he’s taking a few more free classes - study hall and no-homework
classes, plus a free period because he’s a Senior now, which leaves him with a lot more free
time.

He works on merch with Rachel, with the first collection having been dropped in June, but
there’ll be another collection that will drop with the doomsday music video, which will make
doomsday a single - also, just in time for Grammy eligibility, which is something that Nico is
thinking about now.

Then comes Will’s birthday, which is exciting in itself, but also turns out to be less of
celebrating Will and more of celebrating the fact that Taylor Swift announced a new album,
which, like- honestly? Fair. And very great for Will, because that actually makes him more
excited than any kind of present his friends could give him.

They have a party again, but it’s a bit more limited with who can come, and it ends up being a
great time nonetheless. These friendships, these moments- they’re a constant. Nico owes
everything to them.

He has the VMA’s, where he performs a mashup of doomsday and the story of us. He wins
Best New Artist, which is- according to some critics, practically a given, and that is just
insane. He’s doing everything, giving everything he has, and it’s fucking working.

He doesn’t have any shows after the three acoustic ones, but there is something that Apollo
brings up, which Nico honestly… he’s conflicted.

A tour.

Logically, he knows that it’s the next step. And he actually thinks he would enjoy it.

But he can’t help but think about him and Will, and New York.

“What would we need to do… if we were to start planning it?” Nico asks. He’ll talk about it
with Will. That’ll always be his first instinct - he needs to talk about it with Will.

Would he feel disappointed? Well, if he is, he wouldn’t show it, especially not if Nico looks
excited for it. Nico wonders if Will had already thought of it. Nico has kind of just been
taking it one day at a time, ignoring the fact that there’s stuff to be done after high school,
meanwhile Will has had to focus on it, doing college applications and all.

“Well, we would need to call venues and make a schedule,” Apollo starts matter-of-factly. It’s
all hypothetical. “You would need a band, so we would have to find people for that. We
would- closer to the start, of course, have to start rehearsing and make a setlist. Find a date to
release tickets, and probably talk with Rachel to get a merch drop prepared for the tour. And-
well. Hm.”

Nico raises an eyebrow. “What?”

Apollo sighs, and he tilts his head from side to side, visibly contemplating something. “Well,
depending on how close the dates are to each other, it would… well, it would be a lot of
singing all at once. And if you go for some bigger stages, which I would definitely
recommend,” he gives Nico a look, which Nico knows means I told you so in reference to the
acoustic shows’ ticket sales, “You’d probably be moving around a lot, jumping and walking-
at least for certain songs, because it’s a part of stage presence.”

Nico knows that. Part of the reason why he had chosen to sing with his guitar at the award
show, and only done acoustic for the smaller shows, so that he’d get to sit down at the
keyboard and while playing the guitar. The acoustic shows were also all a few days apart. He
wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t get lightheaded or dizzy because of binding, and even
though singing is really just fine, any kind of strenuous activity probably shouldn’t be done a
lot-

Ah. That makes sense.

“The binder?” Nico asks, and Apollo nods with a small grimace.
“I’d need to do more research,” Apollo says, “but I think it could be fine in the long run. Still,
I don’t- well, I don’t think I’d recommend it, especially if we have to do soundchecks and
multiple shows a week… which you don’t have to do, of course, so it’s all really up to you.”

“Well,” Nico mutters, thinking about it. If he doesn’t do multiple shows a week, the tour
could last ages. He’d really like to get back to Will as soon as possible if this tour happens.
So. He can think of a solution off the top of his head, something he’s thought about for a long
time but never really thought could happen, realistically, so he asks Apollo anyway. “What
are the other options?”

When Apollo answers, Nico immediately brightens, thankful that they thought of the same
thing. Because Nico will be eighteen in January, which means he doesn’t need guardian
permission, and with Apollo helping him and his funds from streams and sales of his music…

Well, top surgery may actually be a reality. With that, the topic of the tour is brushed to the
side, instead focusing on the possibilities of top surgery happening, and doing a bunch of
research. Tour is toward the bottom of his priorities, whereas this is something that he’s
wanted for ages.

***

Believe it or not, Senior year is the first time Nico is going to the Homecoming game and
dance. Freshman year rarely saw him out of his house anyway, and throughout Sophomore
and Junior year, he just didn’t think it was really worth his time, or that he would enjoy it.

This year, Will managed to convince him, but only because of the fact that it’s his last year,
and Leo, Jason, and Piper will be going too.

It’s a bit odd, to be honest, because even though Nico has seen Will with his other friends at
his parties and at school events and in the hallways, it’s always been entirely separate. And
on some fundamental level, Nico always just thought- that, well, the image of Will with his
other friends would be different than him with Nico and Leo. Less.

Nico wonders if that makes him a bit of a bad person, because he is also aware that even if
Will is just as friendly with other people, he’s still more when he’s with Nico.

But then- if Nico weren’t there…

He has to shove the thoughts out of his head, because Will is loyal, and kind, and would
never do anything to hurt Nico. So he would never replace him.

But sometimes- sometimes, things just change. Not on purpose. And Will would never
purposefully hurt Nico, but the way that he just slots in so perfectly with the people he talks
with, waving hello when he sees them and taking a seat in the bleachers, chattering about
something in a shared class, is just so easy.
Nico has his own place in Will’s heart, separate from everything else. But if Nico can’t also
blend in with the rest of his heart- what if his place just fades away?

It’s the thought of a tour that’s getting to him. He hasn’t spoken about it with Will yet, though
he has brought up the surgery, which Will was entirely supportive of- as Nico knew he would
be, because Will has always just wanted Nico to be happy, whether that’s with his body or in
his house. On days where Nico felt worse about himself, Will has always been a source of
light and comfort.

Nico doesn’t know if he brings the same things to Will. He hopes he does, of course, because
he wants to give only good things to Will, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. What if Will just
finds someone better? Someone easier?

Them as a couple have always been easy. Natural. Like Nico was born for it - for loving Will.
But he knows that Nico himself isn’t an easy person, especially not if he factors in the
distance that could keep them apart.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts as Will turns around, introducing his friends to his other
friends, and Nico can just tell in their eyes that it’s not the same. That there’s a wall in the
shape of his reputation standing in front of him, the same way that there used to be in front of
Jason and Piper before Nico got to know them.

Because Nico, now, has a life outside of Will, too. And he’s worried that he isn’t enough to fit
in both places.

***

The football game is incredibly boring. The dance is also- well, he wants to say it’s boring,
but he’s got Will’s hand in his, Leo’s arm around his shoulder, and he’s laughing at something
Piper said, so he doesn’t mind it as much.

He thinks that a year ago, he would have thought this was dreadful. But, funnily enough, the
parties and award shows that he’s been exposed to makes this a bit more tolerable - it’s
casual, and it’s friendly, and this is Nico’s last year here, so he might as well make the most
of it. He’s the only one of his friend group, actually, that’s still a teenager (which he uses to
tease Will, who’s now eighteen and an adult, endlessly), and it gives him a feeling of childish
carelessness that he doesn’t usually get a chance to experience.

However, it’s also October, which means there’s a lot of stress on Senior students, and a lot of
stress for Nico in other aspects.

Leo and Will have to deal with AP classes and college applications, and Nico has to get a
grip on himself and makes some fucking decisions.
With a sigh, he drops his phone and leaves the studio. He’s been working on adjusting some
of the lyrics that he got from the box in his father’s house - there’s actually a lot that Nico
thinks he can work with, some that just pulled out more from inside him, parts of his
childhood that he had buried. He’s written a lot the past few months.

He doesn’t think he’ll release these, though. At least, not all of them, because quite a few of
them are about being trans, some are more explicitly about his father (which, yes, his fans
know that he’s been depressed, because it’s obvious, but the abuse is not something he really
wants to get into with the general public), and some are in Italian, so that’s pretty obvious.
Some of them are also just plain shitty, which Nico kind of expected, seeing as the box dates
back to when he was ten.

Either way, he’s been putting a bit less time into actually recording music and more time into
doing the, in his opinion, less fun parts of the job. But even that - he doesn’t actually mind it.
He can see himself start to enjoy it, and that is already more than he ever expected out of his
job in the future.

He thinks that the only thing that’s holding him back from a tour is the idea of not being with
Will. Because he could never ask Will to not go to college, and yet Nico really enjoyed the
three concerts he’s had so far. And he also knows the demand from people all across the
country, and even across the globe, who are anxiously awaiting a tour.

He doesn’t want to let either of them down.

When he opens the door to Will’s room, he looks up with a smile at seeing Nico. He’s doing
some math homework, and immediately returns his gaze to it, probably expecting Nico to just
throw himself on the bed and lie down a bit, so they can just share each other’s presence.

It’s things like that that Nico would miss. Conversations can always be done over phone, but
Nico, despite disliking touch from others, is a very touchy person. At least with Will. But
even more than touch, he’d miss just knowing that Will is right there in front of him, and that
he could touch Will if he liked.

He wouldn’t be able to have that on tour.

But then again, he wouldn’t be able to have that when Will is in college anyway, would he?
With lectures, and possibly internships, and studying, Will certainly wouldn’t have as much
time as he has now - which is already pretty limited.

Nico does go over to the bed and lie down, but he also speaks to Will. After repeating his
name a few times, Will gives an exaggerated sigh and puts down his pencil again, throwing
himself onto the bed next to Nico and pressing a kiss onto his cheek.

“What?” he asks, amused, and Nico can’t help the smile that comes to his face.

“So,” he starts, knowing that he better get started before talking himself out of it like he has
for the past few weeks, but also not wanting to ruin the moment. Sure, these moments are
common, but that doesn’t make them any less precious.
“So,” Will repeats with a grin, leaning on his elbow. He’s in a good mood today, clearly, and
it makes Nico’s chest pang.

“Apollo brought something up,” Nico says, rushing through it. “Well, he brought it up a
while ago, but I haven’t really been thinking about it because it’s- well, it’s just kinda big,
and I wanted to talk to you about it but it stresses me out to think about it.”

Will frowns slightly, and Nico rambles on, “Well, not really stressing me out, because it’s
kind of exciting, but also I… I dunno, I just- don’t know what to think.”

“Okay,” Will says slowly, sitting up properly and grabbing Nico’s hand so that he can hold it
gently. “What’s up?”

Nico almost snorts at that, just because this is so huge and Will is treating it like Nico’s
asking what they want to eat for dinner, but in a way, that makes the words a lot easier to get
out.

“A tour. Apollo was bringing up a tour.”

Nico’s sitting up straight now, legs crossed as he watches Will’s reaction carefully. He
actually- brightens?

“Oh, yeah? That’s definitely exciting then,” he says cheerfully.

Huh?

Nico inhales again, eyes now focused on the bed. “Right- but it’s…I mean, it, well-” he
pauses, not entirely sure how to frame it so that Will knows that this is all entirely
hypothetical. “-it wouldn’t… all be in New York. If I were to go on tour.”

Will nods slowly. “Yeah, I know. Would it be, like, a North America tour, or are you guys
thinking world?”

Nico blinks.

And Will- well, Will recognizes the confusion immediately, and he smiles softly, almost a bit
sadly. “Nico, you’re a Grammy award-winning artist. You’ve got two albums out. Your
shows here sold out in less than an hour and you’re an incredible performer. I mean- if you
don’t want to go on a tour, then that’s an entirely different story because it’s completely your
choice. But, I mean- I kind of… expected it?”

“But…New York?” Nico questions, voice shaky. He doesn’t know why this feels so
overwhelming. This- this is good, because Will expected it, and because Will clearly doesn’t
hate the idea.

Will shuffles around so that his legs are under his knees and he holds Nico’s hands in his
own. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have you in New York. Like, full time, 100%,
let’s get an apartment and move in together and get married-” Nico inhales sharply, “-in, like,
five years! In five years, okay? This is not a proposal! But- and again, it’s entirely up to you,
but I knew when you won that award - actually, when you got nominated - that your music
career was gonna be more than just a few shows, that you were… I dunno, gonna be bigger
than that.”

“And I didn’t wanna bring it up because it’s a lot of pressure, but…” Will’s eyes soften. “Just
know that I’ll support you no matter what, right? Even if that means- you know. I’ll call you
so much you’ll get sick of me. And airplanes exist.”

He squeezes Nico’s hands. “But I know you want to do it. I was worried, at first, but then you
did your shows, and- god, Nico, this is what you were made for. And I’d never want to hold
you back from that. It’s something really, really special.”

Nico blinks back tears, not finding the words to explain his thoughts. He opens his mouth to
say something- thank you, or maybe I love you, or I could never get sick of you, please never
forget me, but none of those come out. Instead, he leans in and kisses Will, soft and gentle,
while at the same time firm.

He and Will are a constant. Nico holds on to that belief because it’ll be the only thing that’ll
get him to commit to this, and he has to do this, because every word Will spoke was truthful.

Logically, he knows that just doing nothing except recording music and having occasional
shows while Will is busy with college would drive Nico crazy. Logically, he knows that this
is the best-case scenario for both of them. And also logically, he knows that Will and Nico
will pull through with long distance. Will is right- they’re luckier than most, because Nico
has the funds to fly back and forth from wherever he is to wherever Will is whenever he
likes. Even on tour, Nico will mostly be in charge of his own schedule and be able to plan
visits.

Will kisses him back, one of his hands reaching up to cup Nico’s face, thumb stroking slowly
against his jaw as if saying I’m here, I’m constant. I’m not leaving.

Seven years, Nico has known Will, and he’s finally choosing to believe it. When he pulls
away, resting his forehead against Will’s, his lips pulled into a grin, his decision is already
made. Will can tell it in his eyes, and he pushes Nico back against the bed, peppering his face
with kisses that makes Nico laugh, and then bombarding him with questions and
considerations about the possible tour.

In a way, Nico has prepared for this over the years. He knew that after high school, they
wouldn’t be able to spend everyday together. He knew that they would be physically
separated.

Nico just never thought that he’d be the one to leave.

***

November is an anxious time for everyone.

Firstly, the early action college applications are due around the beginning to end of the
month, so that has Leo and Will scrambling to have last minute meetings with their college
counselors and asking Apollo to proofread their essays, despite Apollo having never gone to
college.

Nico talks to Jason and Piper one day in Jason’s dorm- Leo and Will turning Leo’s dorm into
a study prison- whether they’re planning on applying for anything. He knows that he won’t,
obviously, and has known this for a while now. Piper’s spinning around in a spinny chair,
while Nico has sprawled himself on Jason’s bed with Jason sitting on the edge like a normal
person.

“Honestly, I think you could get into a college,” Jason points out, “You’ve got the whole
Grammy-award winning artist thing going for you. I mean, maybe don’t apply for pre-med or
computer science, but a music course would definitely accept you.”

Nico shrugs. He has thought about this, and the only reason Jason is bringing it up is because
Nico hasn’t told them about the potential tour yet. But the simple truth just comes down to
this:

He doesn’t want to.

“I don’t think it’s really cut out for me, though,” Nico says, fidgeting with the hem of his
sweater, “I mean- what would really be the point? I definitely could learn an instrument or
two; I’d actually want to do that. But I could learn that online or something. Classrooms are
just…”

“Agreed,” Piper sighs, “I absolutely despise modeling and everything associated with it, but I
despise classrooms more.”

“Are you gonna keep doing it then?” Nico asks. He’s not really sure how the contracts they’re
under work, seeing as they’ve both turned eighteen but are still missing school occasionally
for gigs that they’re obligated to.

“I mean, I don’t really need to- like, obviously I don’t need to for money. I’ve got enough
that I could retire,” Piper stops spinning for a second, “But I’d also get bored as fuck,
y’know? I’m thinking of finding some way - once I’m off my contract - to keep doing this
kinda stuff and use my platform for good.”

“Like a philanthropist?”

“Eh, I guess? I mean, I’ve got a good following, and right now Jane keeps telling me not to
comment on anything that could be possibly controversial- but like, what good is that doing?
Annabeth’s cousin- do you know him?”

Nico shakes his head, while Jason squints and says, “Name that starts with an M, right?”

Piper nods, a small smile growing on her face. “Right, well, Annabeth’s been supporting his
charity for a while now- I got to meet him and his team a while back and they’re doing some
great stuff. He inherited this huge mansion when their uncle or something died, and they
turned it into this homeless shelter. Their charity is all about supporting homeless youth, with
a special focus on the queer community, too. Magnus- that’s his name, he’s also publicly pan,
which is just-”

“Wait, Magnus Chase?”

Piper tilts her head. “I thought you didn’t know him?”

“Oh, well- that’s stupid, I didn’t realize he was Annabeth’s cousin,” Nico laughs, shaking his
head. “Yeah, I read an article about him a while back. It was like, queer role models or
something like that.”

“Yeah, that’s it. I just- I wanna do promote something that’s a bit more important than the
latest mascara brand, you know?”

Nico nods in agreement. He does know. He’s just, obviously, using a different route to get
there. He glances over at Jason, who’s also nodding, but has been quiet for a bit.

“You’re going to,” Nico assures Piper, “I mean, when does your contract end?”

“When I turn nineteen,” Piper scoffs, “I know right? Like, why not eighteen? But it’s because
my dad thought it’d make sense to have it go ‘till I graduate high school, and my nineteenth
birthday is close enough.”

Nico hums, seeing the reasoning behind that. He does have to agree that it’s strange. He turns
to Jason. “And are you gonna go to college?”

Jason jumps slightly, blinking like he had zoned out. He adjusts his glasses- something that,
in most of the photos, he never wears. Nico wonders if there’s something about wearing
glasses in his contracts, too, and the worst part? He actually wouldn’t be surprised if there
was.

He tries to force a smile, acting casual. Nico sees right through it.

“I’d… like to,” Jason says quietly, “But I’ve got season 8 of Heroes of Olympus.”

“And there’s no way out of that?”

The fan in Nico is screaming at himself for suggesting it, because he’s actually gotten
extremely attached to Jason the character and would hate to see him killed.

But he’s just a bit more attached to Jason the person. So Jason, Son of Jupiter, will have to
suffer.

“Well, I’ve been talking to Apollo about it, and- he thinks that I could sue, but that’s just…
It’s a lot, and I don’t really know if that’s a good…plan. I can wait it out.”

“But you wanna go to college, don’t you?” Piper asks, pointing out the obvious.

Jason shrugs half-heartedly.

“What would you major in?” Nico glances at Piper, whose look makes it clear they’re
thinking the same thing: they have to keep pushing the topic, because otherwise Jason will
never make the decision he truly wants.

“Haven’t really thought about it,” Jason lies. He’s horrible at it.

“Where is filming for Heroes of Olympus?” Piper pushes.

“In LA. I mean, the first five seasons were in New York, but now it’s mostly filmed in LA
because they’ve got sets designed for it.”

“Mm,” Nico tilts his head in consideration, “There are a lot of good colleges here in LA. And
you’re balancing school and filming right now.”

Jason winces. “Well, college and high school are different.”

“But colleges have more flexible schedules, don’t they? And I’m guessing you don’t wanna
study… Uh, what’s the hardest major?”

“The STEM ones?” Nico guesses. He pulls out his phone and starts researching.

“Leo and Will are insane,” Piper mutters, “Right, I’m gonna go out on a whim and guess you
wanna study either history or classics. Or both. Or something related to those two. You don’t
even like math.”

“Well, if I had to choose-”

“You know, you have until the end of November for UC applications,” Nico says innocently,
“If that’s something you’re interested in. Community colleges are good, too. Or online ones.”

Jason huffs, though he looks more sad than angry, “Why are you guys teaming up on me?
Neither of you even like school.”

“Yes, but you do,” Piper says, then mutters, “For some weird reason.”

“And if you want to quit acting at some point- only if you want to, then you’re probably
gonna need a college degree to get a different job, right?”

“That’s a lot easier said than done- I can’t just disappear-”

“Why not? Your sister did it.”

Jason’s expression freezes, and Nico can tell that it’s a stiff subject - to be honest, Nico
doesn’t really know much about Thalia Grace either, other than that she used to be an actress
and then, one day, disappeared. It happened a long time ago, though, when she was eighteen -
so Jason must have been around twelve or thirteen.

He never brings her up. Nico doesn’t wonder why. It’s not hard to guess.
“Yeah, well,” Jason mutters, shaking his head. That’s all the response they get to it. “What if I
still want to be an actor?”

When Nico glances at Piper, he can tell that she probably wants to say something else in
relation to Thalia, who she probably knows more about than Nico does. But Nico interrupts
first. “Can’t you do both? And you’re only doing Heroes of Olympus, so you won’t even have
to travel as much as you were doing, like, freshman year.”

Jason bites the inside of his cheek and adjusts his glasses. He contemplates it for a few
seconds. In the end, all Nico and Piper get is a tired, “I’ll think about it.”

***

College acceptance results don’t actually show up until December 15th for both Will and
Leo’s top colleges, but they’ll probably get a few other responses (Will having applied to
seven, and Leo to twelve) scattered throughout December all the way through February.

Will has a clear ranking that’s been decided on after hours of research, because he likes to
plan things out like that. Leo has stuck with his original statement - he’ll be going with
whichever school gives him the largest scholarship, despite Apollo saying he didn’t mind at
all to contribute some funds.

Nico’s important news comes earlier than all of the college acceptance letters, though.

Grammy nominations come out November 28th.

It’s a Tuesday again, because of course it is, so Nico will just be in his first class when they
announce them. His class schedule changed this year- the year before giving him a late start
on Tuesdays, which is how Apollo and Will and everyone else knew the nominations before
they got to school.

This year- well. He’s not sure he can handle the anxiety of waiting until dinner when they
usually go over the nominations, and if he does get nominated, he knows that people will tell
him about it beforehand. So, they have decided to let go of the tradition this year, and Nico is
now in his study hall period, holding his phone under his desk with the livestream open and
pretending to do math homework.

It’s terrifying. They’re still doing the introduction, and the teacher is calling out roll, and
Nico is aware that this could change everything. He made six submissions, plus convincing
Apollo to submit himself as Producer of the Year, despite him only producing one album.
What Nico’s really hoping is just one nomination in the main categories. He just needs a
chance.

“-I thought I saw… Nico?”

Nico blinks back into the classroom and raises his hand so the teacher can see him, but she
just sighs and says, “Please put the phone away, this class is for studying-”

Nico scrambles to stuff it in his backpack and opens his textbook to the right page. He’ll find
out after class. Apollo will text him, or he can just look it up-

“Were those the Grammy nominations?” the girl sitting next to him whispers as the teacher
returns to the roll call. Nico hasn’t ever talked to her, but he knows her name is Leila and that
she was at Will’s birthday party the year before.

He nods.

“How many are you up for?” the girl whispers again, voice still covered by the teacher.

“Six,” he responds quietly.

The girl’s eyes widen and she says, “Good luck.”

Nico gives her a thin smile.

The teacher eventually finishes roll, and announces, “Well, you know what you have to- yes,
Leila?”

“Do you think we could watch the Grammy nominations in the background?”

Nico’s head snaps up. He’s about to mutter to her that no, really, it’s fine, he’ll get the results
right after class, but-

The teacher just raises an eyebrow. “The Grammys? You know that this is a study hall, not a
free period-”

“ Oh, but I bet Nico’s up for some,” says a boy in the front row with a snicker, “Doesn’t he
have another album out or something?”

Nico isn’t sure whether it’s meant to be teasing or congratulatory, so he doesn’t react, but the
teacher’s focus is now on him.

Leila speaks up again. “He’s up for six! We could just keep it on low volume and still get
work done.”

Another kid near the wall speaks up, followed by a few more, and Nico’s pretty sure that it’s
mainly because this is a study period right after Thanksgiving break, and everyone will take
any excuse not to do work.

But, well, he can’t complain.

The teacher gives him an accusatory glance, but he just taps his pen on the side of his
textbook anxiously. God, if he doesn’t get nominated now, this will just be incredibly
embarrassing. Six submissions, and nothing nominated- sure, it happens to plenty of people,
more than the number that actually do get nominated, but after winning a main category last
year?

His heart is racing.

The students lead the teacher onto youtube where she finds the livestream, which is now on
the R&B album category. Nico doesn’t know which ones have already been announced, but
he’ll just hope that he hasn’t missed all of his categories.

“Okay, but I still need you all to focus,” the teacher clarifies, giving a pointed look at Nico,
“This is no excuse to not get any work done, alright?”

The class gives a few scattered confirmations, but as Nico glances around the classroom, he
sees absolutely no one doing any work.

Nico sneaks his phone out again, the teacher focused on her computer. There’s one message
from Apollo.

“Oh, god,” he mumbles, unable to contain the sharp gasp. Leila immediately looks over,
because Nico is in the back corner and there’s no one on his left, and he tilts his phone so she
can see the photo that Apollo sent, the category that Nico missed.

“Oh, god!” Leila says, much louder than Nico and grabbing the attention of the rest of the
class, “Hey, he got one! Best Pop Vocal Performance for the story of us!”

That, somehow, helps calm Nico down. He’s got one nomination. So, he can’t say that he just
interrupted class for nothing, right?

It’s absurd that that’s his first thought.

He’s just been nominated for his third Grammy. Holy fucking shit.

Two people start clapping, which starts a chain reaction. This, surprisingly, makes Nico more
bashful than being in a venue that’s cheering and screaming his lyrics does. He does feel a bit
inconvenient for making everyone turn their heads to the back of the classroom, though.

The teacher doesn’t even tell him to put his phone away, having looked up from her computer
and blinking at him. He puts his phone away anyway, but just after spamming a few
exclamation points to Apollo.

“Hey, wait, can we play the song?”

“Yeah, I haven’t listened to it-”

“Oh, yeah, let’s do that!”

Nico almost feels a bit bad for the teacher at how quickly this class has become derailed. But,
well. Nico just got nominated for a Grammy. It’s hard to feel bad about anything.
 The class continues with this for just two minutes, throughout which Nico kind of wishes he
could tell them to shut off the music or just say something, but no words are coming to his
mouth.

Really, he’d like to see Will. But he has to wait forty more minutes until class is out.

Two minutes later, Song of the Year is announced, and Nico holds his breath throughout the
whole thing.

doomsday is announced fourth.

It takes a few seconds for someone to look at the screen and realize that doomsday is Nico’s
song, because he’s stuck frozen, staring at the screen in awe. Then, the class cheers again, and
some people get out of their seats to crowd toward the back of the classroom, near Nico’s
seat. He’s pretty sure someone’s recording him, too.

By the end of the class, he’s got six new Grammy nominations, three of which are main
categories.

Chapter End Notes

writing this just as taylor sang say dont go and it's time to go. i wanna CRY and also safe
and sound yesterday?? like??? hello??? but she is resetting the whole thing so,,,

anyway there's a lot going on here! i increased the chapter count because i've written a
bit more ahead and think that this should be good enough for what i want to fit in - i
think, though i may end up needing to add another chapter. we'll see.

A TOURR!!! i feel like it was kinda obvious that it was going to happen at some point,
but also, like, i kinda led you on with the new york thing. anyway, nico is most
definitely getting a tour.
and then the top surgery! so i did a bit of research when originally outlining this speech,
and you can totally sing with a binder on and everything, it's completely fine. but i think
that with the amount of singing and jumping around on stage, plus just his general
comfort - that's the decision they would make. i'm probably not gonna go into much
detail about it, but it's just something that may be referenced here and there

will, winning the award for best boyfriend literally every chapter <3 he's just so <3 in a
world of boys, he's a gentleman was written about him canon
him just accidentally proposingLKJDSF THATS THE SECOND TIME HE'S DONE
THAT what can i say he knows solangelo is endgame

"november is an anxious time for everyone" so true. i hate this month, i dont want
thanksgiving break to end, and yet i've got school tmrw. yay.
anddd MAGNUS NAME DROP?? HM?? i feel like every chapter towards the end i
keep bringing up new characters, and it's really all setting up for the sequel... god i love
fierrochase so much ofc they're gonna make an appearance at some point. magnus using
annabeth's fame for charity and annabeth completely supporting it- icons!!!

GRAMMYS!! GRAMMYS!!! AHHH!!! again, nominations/wins will always be for

plot purposes. i did look up the winners in 2018, but the quality and impact of their
music did not affect my decisions on whether to make nico win/lose. i'll be giving more
info on my decisions once i actually post the chapter that includes the grammys results!!

thank you for reading and commenting <3

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