The Three Times You Celebrated Christmas and the One Time You Didn't - Will Solace x Reader

(because Wattpad apparently has a character limit on titles grr)

WARNING: ANGST

_______

December 25th, 2012:

A SWEET MELODY DRIFTED through the apartment, enticing you out of your cozy bed, where you'd been curled up under the covers with a book since you'd woken up this morning.

Will, of course, had gotten up a long time before you. He usually did.

Of course, it was noon, so it wasn't that hard to achieve that certain feat.

You had a hazy recollection of him trying to get you out of bed, to which you promptly rolled over and went back to sleep. Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, he left you to huddle under the covers, sleeping soundly, mouth thrown open and eyes firmly shut.

Sighing, you threw back the covers and slowly stood up. Stretching, you made your way over to your closet, where you picked out skinny jeans and a grey sweater.

You changed in the bathroom, then promptly went downstairs to see what this new melody was all about.

Slipping on a pair of fuzzy socks that you'd left outside last night, you padded outside to the main room of your apartment-

And promptly froze.

Will was playing quietly, a wistful old melody. But this, in itself, wasn't surprising.

No, what was surprising was the grand piano he was playing on, one with a rich, marvelous, tone and a glossy finish.

You ran to him, skidding on the worn wooden floor. "Will? Oh my - how on -"

"The neighbors next door were selling," he said casually, as if it weren't a big deal. "Their only daughter just moved to college and they don't need it anymore. They said that she hated playing piano anyways."

Although you shook your head at anyone who could hate playing such a marvelous instrument, you gently pressed the middle C key, wondering at the beautiful, smooth tone. "It's perfect, Will."

"I had someone tune it, so everything should be in order." His face was to you, earnest and open. Do you like it?"

"Like it?!" you laughed. "Will, I love it, you nitwit!"

"That's good." Will pressed a butterfly kiss to your nose. "Merry Christmas, Y/N."

"Christmas?" you repeated. "Oh! Wait right here."

When you got back down, Will was still sitting on the piano bench, although he swiveled round to face you, wearing a bemused expression.

"What on earth are you doing, Y/N?"

"Oh, I had to... um, make a phone call. C'mon." Covering his eyes, you carefully steered him through your apartment to the doorway. Outside, a gift sat innocently.

Removing your hands, you grinned at him. "C'mon, open it!"

Slightly apprehensively, he precisely and methodically unwrapped the gift, to reveal a photo frame, with a completely black photo slid into the center. "Thanks...?"

Sighing, you rolled your eyes. "You dummy, press the button!"

And sure enough, although he hadn't noticed it before, a button was there, made out of the same Celestial Bronze that the photo frame was, so it was virtually invisible.

Once he'd tentatively pressed the button, the photo inside sprang to life. It was like a slideshow, showcasing all the memories that he and Y/N had had together.

You watched as the slideshow came to a close, and looked at Will. "Connor and Travis took most of the pictures." you explained. "And Leo made the frame. So really, I didn't do anything, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

Wordless, he pressed a kiss to your lips. When he pulled away, he smiled at you as if you were the only star in the sky. "Let's go inside. Your lips are turning blue."

______

December 20th, 2013

SHIVERING, YOU RUBBED your hands together to try to warm them up. "I knew we should have decorated earlier."

"Oh, don't be so grumpy," Will lightly remarked, passing you a huge box of Christmas decorations, "It's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say," you shot back, gingerly feeling your ear. "You've got like, three hats, four scarves and a pair of gloves that probably used up ten alpacas."

Scoffing lightly under his breath, he unwound his scarf and wrapped it around your neck. "Happy now, ya goof?"

Tucking the ends of the scarf away, you grinned, although Will probably couldn't see it, because of the scarf. "Perfectly so."

"Okay, let's go decorate then!" Will tugged your hand, and you couldn't help but laugh. His enthusiasm was infectious, like a child's. You let yourself be led around the corner of the house to the front porch.

You sighed, gazing up at your house. "I love this house."

Will grinned. "You'd better, because you're stuck here, forever, with me."

You nestled your head against his shoulder. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

*

"Almost - there - ha!" You cried out, stretching on your very tiptoes on your rickety wooden ladder. The F/C lights were hung up and were now twinkling merrily. Now, you were attaching a wreath to the roof of the front porch, although it was a bit high up.

"Y/N," Will came over to you, brow wrinkled. "Maybe you should get down from there, yeah? It doesn't really look like the safest place to be."

"Alright, I'm coming down." You took a step down the ladder, but put too much faith in your right foot. It grazed the step, but then missed completely, and then you were falling, your mind a total blank.

Instinct took over, and you tucked and rolled, standing up effortlessly.

Will chuckled. "Show-off."

"Nah, just instinct, actually."

Will grinned, playfully socking you in the shoulder. "Let's go. We have to put these up. And these. And these. And -" He continued pulling decorations out of the box, seemingly endlessly.

"I get it!" you groaned. "Why the Hades do we have so many lights?"

He shrugged. "To rack up our energy bill."

You laughed, quietly. "But it's worth it, because our house will be the best-decorated in the neighborhood."

"That's the Christmas spirit!" He pulled you up and the two of you ran around to the back, giggling to each other like love-drunk teens.

*

"Will? A little help here?" The two of you had started to decorate the Christmas tree, and Will had ducked into the kitchen to make the two of you hot chocolate.

Will ducked in the kitchen, one hand clutching a mug of steaming hot chocolate. He took one look at you and had to set the mug down so that he could laugh. And laugh he did, doubling over at the stomach and laughing until tears came to his eyes.

"Ha, ha, really funny, Will." you groused. "Now, if you're done laughing, could you help me?"

Still chuckling quietly, Will set about untangling you from the lights on the Christmas tree, smiling softly at you.

Finally, once he'd untangled you from the lights, you hopped down from the stepladder with a sigh of relief.

"Maybe we should take a break, before you break something." Will suggested.

"I second that." you replied, starting to giggle.

Will turned to look at you, a smile starting to curl his lips up at the sound of your giggles. "What's so funny?"

"I really am an idiot, aren't I?" you managed to get out.

He drew you close, tucking you under his arm. "But you're my idiot."

_____

December 24th, 2014

YOU SPOKE QUIETLY."Why're we babysitting Percy and Annabeth's kid again? It's Christmas!"

Will replied in an equally soft tone. "Percy and Annabeth need to get the house ready. Some sort of 'huge surprise' for her tomorrow."

"Besides," he continued, smiling at you, "She's adorable, you have to admit."

"Silena is pretty cute," you concurred. "But she starts crying every two - oh, there she goes again, I jinxed it."

The little baby had started crying again, filling the normally quiet and peaceful house with her cries. You rushed upstairs and picked her up, holding her close. "Shh, shh, it's okay," you soothed. "Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?" You started rocking her back and forth, willing her to go back to sleep.

Eventually, her cries died down as she went back to sleep, her expression calming down to an almost angelic one. You gently set her down, turning back to face Will with a relieved expression. "That wasn't that long."

"You look tired, why don't you go to bed?"

"It's-" you punctuated your words with a yawn, "Christmas Eve. We always stay up on Christmas Eve."

"True." Will led you back downstairs and fiddled around with his phone, waiting until a slow song quietly poured out. He held his hand out to you. "May I have this dance?"

"But of course," you giggled.

_____

December 25th, 2016

"WILL!" YOU slurred, swaying slightly. "A little help, if you don't mind!"

Will came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and carrying a mixing bowl. His smile quickly dissipated and his face turned ashen grey. Dropping the bowl (it shattered on the floor with a resounding crash as the bowl splintered,) he rushed over to you and grabbed you, putting an arm around you and helping you to the sofa.

Will pulled out his first-aid kit, lips compressed into a tight line, hands shaking as he fumbled in his medic bag. "What the Hades happened?"

"Hellhounds." you gasped, struggling for breath. "One of them got a pretty good claw in my stomach before I killed it."

Will's hands were a blur as he took things out of his bag, desperately searching for the one thing that might save you. Ambrosia, nectar, they were useless now. You'd lost too much blood. Still he looked, trying, hoping...

"Will," your voice cut through his desperation. "Will, give it up. You can't do anything."

"No, no," he muttered, still searching. "What good am I if I can't heal you?"

"You can't save everything," you whispered. "The important thing is the time we had together." A crooked smile laced your lips; the last smile of a dying girl.

"Please, let me try one more time," he begged, scarcely conscious of what his hands were doing. "Maybe a hymn to Apollo -"

"No, Will. I will not have you giving up your life for me."

He slumped, finally giving up. "I was supposed to give you the world, though. We were supposed to travel the world, we were supposed to be happy...."

"And you have, Will, I -"

"We were supposed to get married!" A little velvet box was held in a white-knuckled grip, filled with big possibilities of what might've been.

For the first time, a hint of shock and regret in your eyes. Bitter melancholy, for what could have been.

"Yes." The word came out as the slightest whisper. "I'll marry you."

He slid the ring gently, carefully, on your bloodstained hand. The ring winked in the light of the lamps, as if it was unaware of the two hearts being torn apart at that moment.

"We'll get married in Elysium. Don't go before your time, okay? You are destined for great things, Will." The words came out as a shuddering sigh. "The least of which was you loving me."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Y/N." He closed his eyes as if to block out the suffering that had just occurred.

"What would you have done?" The words came out as the merest breath.

"I would've - I would've made you dinner. Not too elegant, because you hate that. I probably would've made some really cheesy joke because I was nervous, and you would smile and hit my arm."

You smiled, quietly, drowsily. "That would be nice."

"Y/N? Y/N! Stay awake, please, N/N."

"I'm awake."

"And then, towards the end of the dinner, I'd put on some slow music and ask you for a dance - just like last year, when we babysitted Silena - and then, at the end of the dance, I'd asked you to marry me."

He noticed, frantically, that your eyes were beginning to close, knowing that this heralded in the beginning of the end.

Your next words seemed a sort of cruel irony to him. "Merry Christmas, Will."

And then the last spark of life flitted out of her body.

_______

bad. bad. bad, bad, bad.

this is horribadible.

well, merry christmas, guys, i guess. i'm sorry that this writing is so bad. and i'm sorry for killing you.

oh gods this is so bad. bleh.

^^ that was the sound of me throwing up from how bad this is

um, well, merry christmas again. comment what y'all got for christmas here!

love you all, have a merry xmas.

~ cali