#i basically planted it on somebody who tripped and their pockets emptied to show they had a shit ton of meth on them

[stonerzelda]

God damn it i slept in until just now WHY!!! But i did have a kiefer centric dream even if it was incredibly stressful. Fine

[slowcrazydeath-blog]

A Little Solangelo Valentines Angst

This is my present for @patroklosandachilles for the @pjodiscordserverchronicles Valentine’s Day gift exchange. It’s a bit long, and it’s just a Solangelo angst titled A Twisted Kind of Valentine. The whole thing is under the cut. 5255 words

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It was snowing. It rarely snowed in camp, but nobody stopped it from falling. The flakes danced around solemn faces, melting on warm skin, collecting on a chilled face. A gloved hand reached out and brushed the white from the body’s lips and eyes, which were slightly blue from the cold. The face belonging to the hand bent down and placed his forehead to the other boy’s, dark hair intertwining with gold. Then he lifted up and backed away. Chiron stepped forward slowly, his hooves making light tracks in the snow, and lit the casket to a bonfire. The snowflakes melted as they approached and evaporated, covering the campers in steam, warming their red noses. Eyes were filled with tears, and they began to fall.

“Oh come on, you can’t mean that,” Will pouted.

“Yes, I do. I do not want to see you at all today,” Nico said back, not giving his boyfriend a glance.

“C’mon Neeks, can you at least tell me why?” Will was a bit hurt, and grabbed Nico’s shoulder from behind.

“Nope,” he said curtley, and walked away, leaving his boyfriend at the infirmary alone.

He walked past the camp and into the strawberry fields. He stopped, and turned around to make sure that nobody had followed him. When he saw that the coast was clear, the bent down to the nearest bush and picked some of the fresh berries from their stems, and collected them in a satchel he had at his waist. When he had picked enough, he got up and walked back to the Hades cabin.

Will had helped Nico redecorate the interior so it felt more homey and not nearly as dark and gloomy as it had before. He had windows that allowed sunlight to stream in. He had a couch and a bookshelf, even though he barely had any books. His bed had two comforters, and three pillows, and he had a desk with some basic books on modern life and school subjects, though he only opened them when Will wanted to help him learn more.

Nico went over to the coffee table in front of the couch, and put the bag down. He went to the bathroom that now looked like a normal bathroom with a cream-colored shower curtain rather than completely black (which wasn’t good when he wanted to take a shower and couldn’t see anything), and he reached under the sink where he’d hid a bowl and chocolate mix. He poured water in the bowl and grabbed a spoon he’d also hidden. He took the items out to the coffee table and mixed the chocolate until it was smooth. He dipped the strawberries in one at a time, then placed them onto the center-plate in a circle starting from the center and making rings outward to dry.

Once they were all coated, he licked the bowl clean, and grabbed a pencil and paper from his desk. He drew the shape of a heart, filling most of the paper, and then cut it out with a pair of red scissors. There was a pink highlighter amid the stationary that Nico had never dared to touch, but he uncapped it and colored in the heart. Some of the ink spilled onto the desk, which he was worried about, but after scrubbing it with a damp towel, the pink lifted off of the varnished wood. After he dried the table, he wrote on the dreadfully pink heart in black ink,

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I will never love somebody

The way I love you

He signed it; Love, Nico, and drew a mini heart to the side of the poem. He stopped and smiled a moment, then folded it and stuck the valentine in his pocket. The chocolate was done drying, and Nico carefully lifted each strawberry and placed them into the now-clean bowl. He left them there for the time being, and went out for lunch.

Will was left saddened and dejected in front of the infirmary, but it wasn’t long before a camper had hurt themselves and seeking out Will’s help. It was merely a scratch, but Will went a little extra in wrapping it up because he had nothing better to do. The camper was slightly annoyed, but could tell that Will was upset, so they let him do as he pleased.

After that, Will went over to the window and placed his arms on the windowsill, then lowered his head into them, watching the campers fool around outside. They reminded him of his old siblings who would run around and play tag when it was warm out, and he would join them. But then his mother died and his father kicked him out. Will didn’t know it at the time, but his mother had cheated on her husband with Apollo while he was gone on a business trip. When she told him that she was pregnant, it didn’t take long for him to figure out what she had done. He’d only been supporting them because she was his kids’ mother, and Will was her son. But he never acknowledged Will as his son, so it was to the streets after she lost the fight to cancer.

A satyr had found him and brought him to camp quickly. He was one of the lucky ones. He couldn’t help knowing that they would all die young in the back of his mind, so he enjoyed watching the campers live their lives to the fullest, especially the year-rounders. Some had been kicked out like him, some ran away like Annabeth, and some didn’t have any family to go home to. But they were all here, able to live safely in Camp Half-blood, and he was thankful for that every day.

He picked his head up and walked over to one of the beds, and flopped down onto it, facing the ceiling. He’d met Nico before the battle, but he only really got to know him when he came back after the confrontation with the Romans. It only took a little while for Will’s feelings to be reciprocated in the infirmary. It was sudden, and Will blushed so much he could barely hear anything and his face felt like it was on fire. He wasn’t expecting his crush to feel the same way, and he supposed that Nico didn’t think that either, but one day it just slipped out of his mouth after he got hurt in a camp activity.

“Maybe I wouldn’t get hurt so often if you face wasn’t so stupidly handsome,” he’d said, then his eyes went wide when he’d realized what he’d said and his face turned as bright as a cherry.

Will found it cute, but he was just so overjoyed that he didn’t remember what had happened next, but after Nico left, Kayla said, “So when’s the wedding?”

“Oh shut up,” he’d said, but he knew that he must have done something stupid, and avoided Nico as much as possible until Nico had confronted him about it. Then they started “dating” and they were boyfriends.

Will still didn’t know what had happened, but clearly it wasn’t something extreme. Now he felt that he’d done something stupid again, but now Nico was avoiding him. He didn’t like being avoided, and he wanted to know what he did wrong, so he resolved to find Nico and ask him.

Nico had said that he didn’t want to see Will at all that day, but he didn’t expect Will to not even show up for meals. He went over to the Apollo table and asked them if they’d seen Will at all.

“Sorry, man, haven’t seen him. Should we go search?” Austin asked, though clearly nobody was overly concerned. It wasn’t very unusual for a camper to not show up for lunch as it was more of an optional meal.

“No, thanks. He’s probably busy researching or something,” though Nico knew that it wasn’t the likely case. He sighed and sauntered back over to his table, though he was no longer hungry.

He walked away after a minute or two of not eating and went to the infirmary, but there was a sign on the door that read “Out to Lunch” which was just a phrase to say that there wasn’t anybody there, but he sighed “No you aren’t” regardless. He checked the Apollo cabin quickly, though he knew that Will wouldn’t be there. He wandered the whole camp looking for him, then found himself back in the strawberry fields, the last place to search. He walked forward, and was startled to see that the plants were slightly wilted when they had been healthy that morning.

His hand grabbed the sword in its hilt out of reflex, and he carefully made his way around the bushes. He found nobody around, and accidentally stepped outside of the magic shield. It turned cold, and he felt like he had just walked out of a sauna with the temperature difference. His boots sunk in the snow, and goosebumps covered his arms. His breath came out in clouds, and he stumbled completely out of the protective field. When he looked back, he only saw more forest and snow, the camp nowhere in sight.

He walked forward, expecting to find himself back in the warm camp, but he just made more footprints in the snow. His nerves went on red-alert, and he scanned the area for predators. All was silent, a silence that made the world feel empty and lifeless. He couldn’t even hear his own existence. He reached up to his ears, and felt the warmth of his own blood. He was deaf, and alone in a forest where monsters could be lurking. He was also freezing.

A dark figure passed in his vision, and he turned to try and track it, but he lost it. He kept his eyes peeled and stayed in a fighting stance with his sword drawn, ready for anything to come at him. A gust of wind blew his dark hair in front of his eyes, but the darkness didn’t go away. He was blind. He reached out with his powers to try and find a life force somewhere, but came up with nothing. He shadow-travelled out of the forest, picturing Camp Half-blood, but he was unconscious before he could find where he’d landed

Will returned to the infirmary exhausted, having scoured the whole camp. He took down his sign, and realized that he’d forgotten lunch. It was too late for him to do anything about it now, so he grabbed one of his reserve snacks for late nights. He sighed and sat back in a chair and munched on his granola bar, then he looked up and spotted Nico lying on a cot. He shot up from his chair and ran over to him. He was unconscious and his ears were bleeding. He got the blood out and inspected Nico’s ears, and found that they were completely broken inside. He turned Nico from a sideways position into being seated upright, and grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge.

He tried shaking Nico awake, and he groaned a bit as his head tipped to one side. “Neeks, Neeks, can you hear me?” When he didn’t get a reply, he patted Nico’s face until he was attentive, and he shot forward and grabbed Will’s arm tightly, making Will yelp. “Neeks, it’s me, Will. Open your eyes,” he pleaded. He grabbed Nico’s hand with his free arm, and Nico seemed to back off a little.

Nico opened his mouth and made a small noise, then closed it again. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, but Nico reached up and grabbed his own face and began to shove his index fingers in his ears until Will pulled them out. Then he went for his eyes, but he still didn’t open them. Will grabbed his hands before he pressed his eyelids, and let Nico’s arms gently fall to his lap. Will very carefully touched Nico’s cheeks, then gently placed his thumbs on Nico’s eyelids, and when Nico didn’t respond, he slowly began to lift the skin on one of his eyes.

His iris was still a dark chocolatey color, but it seemed glossed over and didn’t reflect light, but rather seemed to absorb it in a haze. When Will let go, the skin drooped right back over his pupil. Nico still seemed tense, so Will thought of the only way that he could let Nico know that he was with Will, and pecked his cheek gently. Nico instantly relaxed, and reached up to where Will’s lips had landed. He then tried to speak again, and he said “Will,” though it was slurred so that it was barely understandable.

Will grabbed Nico’s hand and started making circles on the back of it, then lifted Nico’s hand to his forehead. Nico then moved his wrist so Will would let go, then brushed his cheek and kept his hand there, his palm cupping Will’s heating cheek. He leaned forward and kissed Will where his thumb lie. When he gently moved back, Will could see that his eyes were watering. Will brushed the tears from his eyelashes, then moved forward and hugged him.

They remained there for a few moments, holding each other, tears falling down their faces. Nico was howling, but Will just let him and rubbed his back, knowing that he probably didn’t even know how loud he was being. Kayla came in to see what was going on, but when she saw Nico crying, she just sat down at the cot closest to the entrance. Will kindly pushed Nico away, and reached for the gatorade on the table next to them. Feeling the movement that Will was getting off the bed, Nico grabbed his arm, then was relieved when he sat back down. Will opened the bottle, then grabbed Nico’s hand and put the bottle in his palm so Nico would clasp it.

Nico brought the bottle to his lips, dribbled a little, but began drinking it. He had to stop frequently because his throat was caught from crying, but he slowly made his way through. Kayla brought Will a towel to clean up the spilled drink, and was slightly offset when Will spoke to her, “Please bring Chiron here,” because nobody had said a word for so long, and Nico didn’t seem to react in the slightest. She nodded and did as he asked.

Will helped Nico move so he was sitting with his legs over the side of the bed, and remained next to him. Chiron came in shortly after they were situated.

“What happened?” He asked, full of concern.

“I don’t know. He was here when I walked in, and he had lost his sight and hearing,” Will responded wearily. He was almost spent having wandered the camp and then having Nico suddenly appear blind and deaf and them both crying.

Chiron moved to grab Nico’s hand, but Nico flinched away. Will slid his hand under Nico’s then brought it up as though offering it to Chiron to show that it was okay. Chiron bent down and let Nico touch his beard, showing who it was because Chiron was the only one at camp with a beard. He shook Nico’s hand firmly to show that things were under control and they would find a way to fix this.

Chiron said, “I’m afraid if we don’t know the circumstances I cannot do anything. Whatever happens next is up to you.”

Will nodded and said, “I understand.”

Chiron left the infirmary and Kayla walked forward from her place by the entrance. “Will you be okay?” She asked.

“You know he can’t hear you, right?” Will responded.

“I wasn’t talking to him,” she said, then sat down next to Will. Nico fidgeted a little, then sat still, holding Will’s hand.

Will turned over to Kayla. “No,” he confessed. He started to cry again, but took breaths to stop himself.

“Hey, it’s okay to cry. It’s a frustrating situation, I know.”

“Yeah, except crying does nothing to fix the situation, no matter how frustrating. I don’t even know what did this to him, let alone how to fix it.”

Suddenly Leo and Calypso bursted through the door. “What’s going on? What happened? Is he okay? What can I do?” Leo spat, practically running over to them.

“Well, for starters, you could stop asking so many questions,” Kayla responded, then said, “We don’t know how this happened, but he’s deaf and blind, but otherwise he’s fine.”

Calypso stood awkwardly behind Leo, clearly uncomfortable. It was understandable, since she was still just getting used to being around other people again. She always seemed to be putting on a performance, but when she clearly wasn’t the main character, she didn’t seem to know what to do.

Nico reached out, aware of their presence, and Calypso grabbed Nico’s wrist before Leo, and bent in so Nico could feel her face and braid. She then let Leo do the same. These characteristics seemed unique enough that Nico would be able to tell who it was, though what was the real indicator was the feeling of soot covering the both of them. They spent so much time building in Bunker 9 that it was always on them.

“So what are you gonna do?” Leo asked after Nico’s hand receded.

“I guess we’re just going to have to work around this, look for solutions, things like that,” Will responded.

Kayla directed her speech at Will, “You’re going to have to lead him around everywhere and help him through everything. It doesn’t seem like he’s going to let go anytime soon.”

Nico’s hand had crept up to Will’s upper arm, and was gripping under his tricep. Will barely noticed, but let Nico be. Whatever was comforting for him was what was best.

The dinner horn blew, and the group stood up to head over to dinner. Will patted Nico’s leg and began to stand, Nico following suit. They made their way over to the tables, and Will sat between Kayla and Nico, with Nico closer in on the bench. Kayla and Austin were attempting to make casual conversation, but it eventually died because Will was too busy helping Nico with his food to talk, plus they were always the ones to cause the banter. Campers at other tables stole glances at Nico having heard rumors of his condition.

It was fairly quiet at the pavilion, and only the Stolls were really talking. “Hey, did you see the strawberry fields today? They were completely wilted!”

“Wonder why. Maybe the weather barrier is slipping.”

“Nah, wouldn’t be that. Weather wouldn’t wilt them that fast. Besides, it was warm over there too.”

“Yeah, there’s gotta be something going on.”

Will, along with the other campers, without choice, overheard this conversation. Will immediately thought of going there, but he didn’t want to bring Nico with him in his condition.

Chiron walked over to the Apollo table after finishing his meal. “I expect that Nico will stay in your cabin tonight, or in the infirmary with somebody with him. There are enough beds in both places. I can trust you with taking care of him?”

“Of course, he can stay in our cabin,” Austin said.

“As long as Will thinks it’s a good idea,” Kayla added.

Will looked up from his plate and said, “Yeah, the Apollo cabin would be best. Closer and comfier beds than the infirmary, and we can have more than one person to help.”

“Then he is in your hands. We will look into the strawberry fields the Stolls were talking about in the morning. For now, I’m sure you could use some rest. I will not advise you to go to the campfire tonight. You may simply sleep in your cabin if you wish. There will be no ill will against you for doing so,” Chiron said, and the three nodded.

The four went back to their cabin following dinner, while the rest went to the campfire. Chiron was planning on informing the campers of what had happened and what they would do the next day. They slowly worked their way along the paths, avoiding as many obstacles as possible. Nico and Will seemed joined at the hip as they walked, and Austin would run ahead to clear anything such as doors and clothes on their cabin floor. Kayla stayed behind and talked to Will.

“Did it look healable?”

“No.”

“How will he survive?”

“I’ll stay with him.”

“What if something happens to you?”

“It won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I won’t let it.”

“There are some things you can’t control.”

“Obviously. If I could control everything, then this wouldn’t have happened. Then Michael wouldn’t have died. Then Lee wouldn’t have died. Then nobody would have died. Then my mom wouldn’t have died…”

Kayla grabbed Will’s hand, which had clenched from frustration. Nico had leaned his head on Will’s shoulder, which rather than calming Will as it normally did, only seemed to make him more frustrated.

They approached the cabin, and Austin stood at the door, holding it open for the group. Will led Nico to an empty bed, and sat him down. He patted Nico’s thigh, and moved to get up. He continued pressing on Nico’s leg as he stood up, but Nico gripped onto Will tighter, and made a squeaking noise. Will sat back down.

“What were you getting up for?” Austin asked, having witnessed the little scenario.

Will let out a small sigh, then said, “I was going to get him some more comfortable sleeping clothes. We don’t have much, so I was going to check his cabin for something.”

“Austin and I can go get them for you. C’mon,” Kayla piped. She grabbed Austin’s wrist and pulled him out the door before he could object. She closed the door behind them, and they disappeared.

Will sat for a few moments, tapping his leg in a nervous pattern. Then he looked over to Nico, and grabbed his face, shoving their lips together. It was a desperate kiss, but Will was upset, tired, and he really just wanted Nico fully back with him. When he pulled away, they were both out of breath, and Nico blushed, a silly smile spreading over his face. Will began laughing and crying, wiping Nico’s bangs back. Then Nico shuffled a bit, and reached into his front pocket. It was a wrinkled piece of paper.

He pressed it into Will’s hand, and Will opened it. “Roses are red, violets are blue, I will never love someone… Oh Neeks. I love you too. So much.” Will caressed Nico’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over his reddened skin. He leaned forward and encased him in a hug, which is what his siblings found when they walked back in.

“Should we come back later or…” Austin trailed off.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Will said, wiping back tears and tucking the valentine under the covers. He took the pajamas they brought back and helped Nico get changed into them while Austin and Kayla went to brush their teeth and shower before bed.

Nico let go for Will to sleep in his own bed. They wouldn’t have minded being together, but Kayla and Austin had boundaries, and it would have been inappropriate even if it was simply sharing a bed. Besides, Will had other plans.

Once everyone in the cabin was asleep, and it was long after hours so nobody else would still be awake, Will got out of bed and carefully went outside. It was completely dark, but Will knew the camp well enough to get around until his eyes adjusted. He walked to the one place that he could tell that someone had been to when he was looking for Nico earlier; the strawberry fields. There, he could see that the plants were all withered.

He stepped cautiously over to the farthest part of the field, and saw the snow that had built up outside the camp’s protective barrier. He also saw footprints going out, and back in, but nothing was showed that the foot went back into the barrier. The print simply cut off, with no decline into the grassy area.

Will swallowed the build-up of spit, which dried out his throat. He reached his hand through the barrier, then found himself in the snow, the camp nowhere to be found. He first felt the cold, which was a slap in the face from the warmth of the camp, even at night. His sandals provided no protection from the snow, and his barren legs were covered in goosebumps. He wrapped his arms around him, and stood shivering, scanning his surroundings. It was very quiet all of a sudden, and his ears warmed.

He reached up to his ears, and when he brought his hand back in eyesight, his fingertips were covered in blood.

No, he thought, Not me too.

He looked around frantically, and a dark figure passed in front quickly, so Will’s eyes couldn’t follow. He turned around, and a large gust of wind blew in at him, forcing him to close his eyes. They immediately felt heavy, like he hadn’t closed them in days. He tried to look around, but he saw nothing. He started to panic, his blood pumping through his body at rapid speeds.

He felt the snow attacking his nerves in his feet, becoming numb with the cold. He collapsed into the snow, and tried to warm them by rubbing them with his hands, but he was too cold. His efforts were in vain, then his chin was lifted upwards. He felt claws digging into his skin, drawing blood that poured into his mouth, filling it with the taste of iron, until he was simply aware of a liquid in his mouth. He could no longer taste or smell the blood pouring out.

Shit. No, it can’t be like this. Nico needs me. The campers need me. I can’t abandon them. These thoughts rumbled around in his head, overwhelming him. He snapped and whistled.

He couldn’t hear it, but he knew that it worked because the claws were no longer lifting him up. He doubled over and spit out the blood that was collecting in his mouth. He crawled on hands and knees in some direction, until he ran into a tree. He tried to move around it, but it never seemed to end, as though it was infinitely ginormous. He felt the roughness of the bark, and then a sharp pain right through his back. He breathed, and collapsed.

His blood spilled out, staining the snow around him. A monster turned to dust next to him, and blew through the wind. Will’s body grew numb as the cold wind blew crisp, white snow over his lifeless face.

When Kayla woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was Will’s absence. She was normally the first one up, and she didn’t imagine that Will would leave Nico alone on purpose. She wandered the cabin in search of her missing brother, but didn’t find him anywhere.

“Austin, wake up! Will isn’t here! Austin!” She was shaking Austin awake , but he just ignored her and rolled onto his other side. She tore off his blankets, which was the best way to get him up.

“Ugh, what is it? Isn’t it too early for your antics?”

“Will is missing! He’s nowhere in the cabin!”

“Probably just went for a piss. Can I have my blankets back now?”

Kayla doubted that Will would go out at the crack of dawn to use the bathroom, but she supposed that Austin wouldn’t help for at least another five minutes. She went over to Nico and lightly shook him. He woke with a jolt, clearly having just been woken from a nightmare, though she couldn’t imagine what could be worse than what he had already and was currently experiencing.

Nico’s abilities had heightened to compensate for his lost senses, and Kayla was surprised when he got up and shadowtraveled away. He’d sensed death close to camp, and went to where it was. When he appeared in his new location he sunk in the snow, and the pajamas weren’t of much help against the biting cold. He did manage to come very close to Will, so it only took some reaching in the direction of death to find his body, stiff from the effects of rigor mortis. His skin was frozen, and Nico felt a small frost across his arms.

He moved his fingertips very slowly across Will’s body, until he reached his face. He cupped Will’s jaw line and brushed his thumb over Will’s cheek. He leaned down and kissed where his thumb was, feeling the frozen dew that replaced the warmth Will usually gave off. He moved his hand upwards and ran his fingers through his wavy, soft hair. He remembered the golden locks that he would stare at for hours, mesmerized. He remembered his blue eyes, the small freckles that dotted his face. His sunny demeanor that lit up Nico’s life.

He’d tried this Valentine’s Day. Last year he was too full of resentment toward Eros to get into the spirit, but Will had tried. This year he tried. He’d gotten over his grudge against Eros for Will, and this was what he got.

He doubled over and cried, howling more than he had before, so much so that he lost his voice and was silent as he hung over his boyfriend’s body, trembling. He summoned the shadows to take him to the infirmary, scooping up Will and taking him with him. He lay Will on a bed, and searched for a chair. When he found one, he sat down and succumbed to his exhaustion.

It began to snow in camp, and Kayla and Austin found Nico and Will in the infirmary. Chiron sent a satyr to inform their friends at Camp Jupiter, and they came over that afternoon to comfort Nico and for Will’s funeral that evening.

Nico sat between Hazel and Reyna, who helped him with his meal, of the little they could get him to swallow.

Will’s body sat upon a pile of wood, organized rectangularly to perform a proper ritual. Hazel stayed by Nico’s side, and guided him toward the casket, where he thought his final goodbye.

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are gray

You’ll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take

My sunshine away

The song seemed cruel, but he couldn’t help but accept the inevitable. That’s what Will did every day, with every death and every battle. He’d hated it, but he continued anyways. He was so strong, even knowing that they would probably die before they could amount to anything. He had faced so many challenges, but he still shone so bright. Nico couldn’t imagine that light extinguished, so he was glad he couldn’t see that. Will’s hair was still golden, his eyes still blue, his freckles still adorably placed.

Nico went to stay with Reyna in Camp Jupiter, where he was cared for and learned to communicate even with his disabilities. Will was on his mind every day, and was all he could see. Back in Camp Half-Blood, the Hades cabin was empty, void of life. A bowl remained on the table, where the strawberries wilted in their chocolate casings, the color slowly leaving them.