Will's POV-September

Will has never liked airports. The food makes his stomach hurt, the chairs are uncomfortable, and the air always aches of loss. Parents hugging children as they leave for college, summer lovers wishing each other goodbye as their time together comes to a close. And now it's Will, wrapping Nico up in his arms, knowing that when he lets go, Nico will have to leave. "It's only for a school year," Nico says, smiling gently. "I'll be back in June, and you know I'll send you letters, and we'll face time every night and I'll tell you everything." 

"I know," Will says, fighting back tears. His head is spinning and his surroundings go in and out of focus, like tunnel vision focused solely around Nico. "It's just- I'm gonna miss you. A lot." 

"I couldn't give up the chance to go to Italy for a year," Nico says. "I mean, I'll be staying with extended family, and I already know Italian pretty well. This is going to be amazing. Like, once in a lifetime experience." He gives Will's arms a squeeze. "You get it, right?" 

"Yeah, of course," Will says. He sniffs. "I'm really happy for you." He forces a smile onto his face, but all he can focus on is Nico's backpack. He knows what it has; Nico's laptop, chargers, a bag of chips, and a photo album of his and Nico's first year as a couple, put together by Will with the hopes that maybe Nico won't meet some cute Italian boy and forget all about their relationship. Will had helped him pack, digging his favorite book out from behind his bookshelf so Nico wouldn't be bored on the plane ride. Will had cried, alone in his bed, after that. 

"Last call for gate 16 to Venice, last call for gate 16," calls the woman over the intercom, her voice crackly and obnoxiously chipper. Will glares at the nearest intercom, targeting the tinny voice trying to take away his boyfriend.

"Listen, Will, I gotta go," Nico says, wincing. "I'm gonna miss my plane." 

"I know," Will says, his eyes watery and his smile sad. "Be safe, okay? And call me when you land and make sure you stay in touch." He brushes a strand of hair out of Nico's face, fingertips lingering on Nico's soft skin. 

"We've been over this, like, a million times," Nico says. "I'll send you a detailed itinerary of every day, and I'll start a vlog specifically for you, and I'll make sure not to talk to strangers. Ever." Will laughs gently, watches as strangers part like waves around them, making their way to their own separate destinies and their own separate lives. "But I really do have to go." 

"I know," Will says, trying to hold back tears. He takes Nico's face in his hands, kisses him as he cups his cheeks. "I love you." 

"I love you, too, but I have to go, Will. I really am gonna miss my plane." 

"Bye, Neeks," Will whispers, watching as Nico turns around, his carryon thumping against the floor behind him. 

He sits, alone in one of the uncomfortable chairs as he watches Nico's plane take off. Will likes to imagine that he can spot Nico in one of the windows, his cheek pressed against a windowpane, and his feathery black hair falling across his forehead. But in reality, Will can't see anyone and soon the plane is slicing through the clouds and disappearing above them.

Will leaves the airport alone, walking through a group of people who don't seem real. It's only when he's in his car when he lets himself cry.

Nico's POV-November

It isn't as easy as he expected. His extended family is lovely- they make him fresh cannoli, miles better than the ones his local Shaw's makes- and all of his classmates are so impressed that he's nearly fluent in Italian he's become somewhat of a god, attracting a gaggle of girls, not like he's interested. 

He didn't expect to miss America so much. He doesn't miss the country as a whole, the horrible school food and the constant battle for things that really shouldn't need to be battled over, but he misses the band posters on his wall and the chicken noodle soup that his mom always makes when the weather starts to get cold, and seeing Will's face, in person, rather than over a screen. 

He smiles through his dinner, laughing along with his family's jokes even though they talk so fast he can barely understand them. He eats the cannoli they make for dessert as they watch bad reality tv and once he's watched an episode he goes upstairs, citing homework for an excuse before shutting his door for the night. 

When he gets upstairs he doesn't pull out his laptop, rather his final present from Will. A photo album, filled with pictures from their first year together; their first date, their six month anniversary, the time when Will's family fostered a puppy and he and Will spent the entire three months taking care of him, brushing his fur and cooking chicken to make him a gourmet puppy dinner for his last night with the Solace family. 

Nico traces his finger across Will's face, his eyes shining bright blue and his smile wide. Even when they facetime for hours at night, talking about the tiniest things they can think of, Will doesn't smile like that anymore, and his eyes are tired. Nico is sure he can't look much better. He hasn't been sleeping well, his dreams plagued with nightmares of him getting back to America and Will not being there to greet him when he returns. He can never go back to sleep after dreams like that, his body always slick with sweat, and his heart always beating too fast for his liking. 

He hears a knock on his door and his little cousin Martia pokes her head in the door, her smile showing off her newly lost tooth as she asks in Italian if he wants to watch a movie with them downstairs. Nico agrees, his heart sinking in his chest. Watching a movie means that he won't be able to facetime Will that night, but his family has been too nice to let down so he nods, forcing a smile onto his face. He leaves the photo album open on his bed, to the smiling picture of him and Will when both of them looked happy.

Will's POV- January

"Will, hey, wait up!" Hearing a voice behind him in the hallway Will turns around to find Hazel running after him, a wide smile on her face. "How've you been?" 

"Good," Will says, hugging his arms to his chest. "What about you?" 

"Don't lie to me, Will," Hazel says, ignoring Will's question. "You haven't been over in ages. Just because Nico's in Italy doesn't mean you can't swing by for dinner once in a while. We all love you, you know." 

"I know," Will says. The hallway begins to empty out around them; the doors always turn to floodgates in the afternoon, and soon, it's just him and Hazel, listening to the gentle hum of the radiator. "It's just weird. Me being at your house and him so far away." 

"I know it's weird, but he's been gone for going on four months, you have to let yourself start living normally at some point," Hazel says. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Mom's making pizza and we're watching a movie, and I know she misses you. And I miss you, too. It's weird not having you around all the time anymore." Will laughs softly. He misses his constant presence in the Di Angelo household, sitting on Nico's fraying couch watching Netflix for hours after school and participating in their bi-weekly movie and pizza night. And even though it feels strange to be on that fraying couch without Nico, Maria Di Angelo makes killer pizza. 

"What time should I be over?" 

------

He knows he made the right decision when Maria brings out her pizza, steaming and dripping with cheese. She smiles, handing him a plate along with a  cup of coke with bubbles clinging to the glass sides. "I really am glad you decided to join us," she says, taking her spot in her bug fluffy armchair. "It's been a while, hasn't it? You haven't been over since-" 

"Since Nico left, yeah," Will says. His heart sinks just thinking about it. He essentially abandoned a family who had been so kind to him, treated him like a son, and welcomed him into their home. And when Nico left, so had he, acted like a group of people he had, at one point, considered his second family, had never existed. "Listen, I just wanna say I'm sorry about that. I should have come over, or kept in contact, or at least-" 

"Will, honey, don't worry about it," Maria says, her smile soft and sweet. "It's hard, I know. But I do hope you'll come over a bit more. We've missed you over here." 

"I've missed you, too," Will says with a smile. He pulls his legs up to his chest, taking a bite of his pizza as the movie begins. Nico had always pretended to hate High School Musical but whenever they watched it, Will would always catch Nico singing along to the songs, and he always smiled when it was Sharpay's turn to sing. 

------

Halfway through the movie, he gets up to use the bathroom, leaving his third slice on the couch as Troy's voice backs him up as he leaves. 

He's coming back from the bathroom when he spots Nico's room, the door shut tight, and not even a bit of light coming out from underneath. He pushes it open to find a dark room, the clothes packed away neatly and the bed made. His posters are still up on the wall, of the bands that he's loved since middle school and still loves to this day. And the picture of the two of them, framed in gold, sits on his dresser, their eyes staring out into the dark room. 

Will had put a copy of it in the photo album that he had made for Nico, so there was no need to pack it. It's of them on their six month anniversary, dressed up in nice fancy clothes for their nice fancy dinner that they had saved up for two months to go to. Nico always said he looked bad in ties but even now, he's never seen Nico look more beautiful. 

Will takes a seat on Nico's bed, holding the picture frame in both hands. His eyes water as he looks at it, their eyes filled with smiles, and their smiles stretched to the end of their faces. Will had been hoping for another year of memories, of dates filled with happiness and nights filled with nothing but one another, in each other's arms watching movies until the sun comes up. Now, he'll have to make do with staring at Nico's picture, hugged by the darkness of his empty room.

Nico's POV-March

He's starting to have fun. It was a slow change, at first; staying downstairs late into the night to talk to his family, going to school events like dances and parties rather than shutting himself up in his room, and staring at his photo album all night. He started to enjoy the weekend trips with his family, going up to their lakehouse for a week and spending a night in Rome, going to all the museums and historical sites his brain can handle before exploding. Instead of their nightly facetime being filled with Nico's complaints, it's filled with stories from that day, like when Isabella, a girl in his science class, accidentally knocked over their experiment and how they got to leave for the rest of class so their teacher could clean it safely. Will always nods along, smiling even though Nico knows it feels like they're drifting further and further away by the day.

Even despite his newfound love for his school year abroad, Nico is almost bouncing with excitement when it's time for his facetime with Will. He waits, sprawled out across his bed for Will to pick up. When he does, he's wearing a soft orange sweatshirt that brings out the blue in his eyes and the freckles on his face. "Hey," Will says, his smile shining through the screen. "I miss you." 

"I miss you, too," Nico says. Their facetimes always start out like this, almost as if they need to reaffirm how much they miss each other. "How are you?" 

"I'm good," Will says. "I had dinner with your family again. We watched the third high school musical this time, we've been doing one every time I come over." 

"Those movies suck," Nico says. 

"I know you like them," Will says, smiling. "You know all the music. I always catch you singing it." 

"Fine, maybe I like them a little bit," Nico says. "Just a little. But it's not like they're my favorite, you know? Like, it's not like they're some sort of cinematic masterpiece or anything. They're ok." 

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Will says. "But I know how much you love them." Nico laughs. He misses this, the constant banter, the laughter that always filled his ears. It was like the soundtrack to his life, and that's one thing that Italy can never give him. "Anyway, how are you? Still wanna come home so much?" 

"Not really, actually," Nico says. "I mean, it was rough at the beginning, with missing you, and my friends, and my family, but especially you. But I don't know; I've started to make friends, and we've been doing some really cool stuff on the weekend, and I feel like I've started to come alive a little bit. Like, really appreciate my time here. I don't know. I feel like there's just been this shift in just everything, and I'm really gonna miss it when I leave." 

"Oh," Will says. He's clearly trying to hide it, but his face drops, just in the slightest. "That's really great, Neeks, I'm happy for you." 

"That doesn't mean I don't miss you, though, because obviously I do," Nico says. "Maybe sometime I can come back here, and you can come with me, and I can show you everywhere I've gone. And you can see me speak Italian." 

Will smiles but it isn't as wide as it normally is, and his eyes just look tired. "Yeah, that sounds great," Will says. His voice is quiet as if something had come and drained the energy out of it. "And it would be kinda hot to see you speak Italian." 

"I thought you'd like it," Nico says. He smiles, and Will barely matches it. 

"Anyway, I gotta go," Will says. "I've got a test tomorrow, and you know how Mrs. Smith is with her tests." 

"Really?" Nico asks. "We've been talking for, like, five minutes." 

"I know, Nico, but I'm exhausted," Will says. "But I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you." 

"I love you, too," Nico says. Then, his screen goes black, and Will is gone. Nico is left staring at his blank screen, wondering where he could have possibly gone wrong. 

Will's POV-March

He shouldn't be sad that Nico is having a good time, he thinks to himself as he stews in his emotions and time he used to prepare for a non-existent test. The first few months for Nico had been rough, filled with two-hour nightly facetimes of Nico crying about how homesick he was, how much he wanted to go home, how much he missed Will. And as that discomfort began to fade away for Nico, Will began to gain an emotion he never thought he would get from Nico; betrayal. He feels it deep in his gut, tugging at his stomach and whispering lies into his head, lies like you're not enough, and lies like he'll never think of you the same again. A lump rises up in his throat and he buries his head in his pillow, a guttural scream coming from deep within him. Will didn't even know he could make those sounds. 

He flips through pictures to make himself feel better, pictures of the happier days, days when it didn't feel as if he was being betrayed for want of a better, more exciting life. Sure, his life with Nico hadn't been exciting, more filled with happy meal boxes and late-night walks when it felt as if the world belonged to them. And piece by piece, that life had begun to be taken away, like disassembling a puzzle until every spare piece was tucked into a box, the picture gone. 

He flips back over, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky outside of his window. He never used to be bored. Nights without crushing amounts of homework used to be spent with Nico, walking to McDonald's or down to the waterfront, where they'd dip their toes in the water and watch the reflection of the moon ripple across its surface. Now, he has nothing; no one to spend his time with, and nothing more than a made-up test to occupy his mind. He falls asleep on top of his covers, with memories of the good days dancing through his mind. 

Will's POV-April

He doesn't know when it happened, but he begins to heal, very, very slowly. The loneliness comes and goes in waves, but he finds himself spending time with his friends again, getting used to the absence of Nico's presence at his side. It still hurts a little, to watch Nico post pictures of him and his new friends on his Instagram, the one of him and the cute boy who, unless Will read the picture entirely wrong, was definitely interested. And although Nico had assured Will that, of course, he had nothing to worry about, the smile on the mysterious Italian boy haunts his dreams. 

Despite all his worries, he's begun to adapt to a new normal. A new normal where he spends every other Friday night at the Di Angelo house, eating new variations of old favorite pizzas and trying to get through the world's vast supply of movies. One where he's finally stopped sitting alone in History class, even though he and Nico had sat next to each other in every History class since Freshman year, and he fills Nico's empty lunch seat, the one that had remained empty for the better part of the school year. There's no longer a gap between him and others, a gap the size of a lunch seat. And he still misses Nico, still, maybe more than Nico misses him, but he's begun to live a little more, no longer playing the role of the boyfriend who spends his whole life waiting for his lover to come back, like someone waiting by the window for an eternity, waiting for their spouse to return from war.

------

"And we all piled in the back of Percy's car and went to a drive-in," Will is saying to Nico on facetime. "You know, I expected Percy to be a horrible driver, but he's only slightly below average. I don't know how we all managed to fit in that thing but we did. And we all got popcorn and watched the movie, and did you know I've never been to a drive-in movie before? Leo and I ended up on the top of Percy's car, but we had a better view, I guess. You should come to one when you're back, although you'll have to deal with the constant smell of cigarettes and beer." 

"You know, I think I can deal," Nico says with a smile. His face is bright and, for once in his life, he's begun to get a tan. It's odd seeing Nico any other shade than pasty pale, but according to Nico that weekend had been the warmest it had been in a while, and he had gone swimming with a couple of friends. "You seem like you're doing better, by the way." 

Will blinks. "What?" 

"I mean, I could tell you were trying to hide it, but I know that the first few months were hard for you," Nico says. "You really aren't very good at hiding your emotions. And I kinda started to get used to it and have fun, and I could tell you were still upset. But it seems like you're doing better." 

"Oh," Will says. He's a bit hurt- he really had thought he was hiding his emotions well. The last thing he wanted was to ruin Nico's year with his moping. But clearly, his plan hadn't gone so well. "Yeah, you're right. I mean, it was hard, not having you there every time I turned around. But, I don't know- I've just kinda accepted it, you know? And I'm really glad you're having fun." 

"Thanks," Nico says. His face is bright and in the background, Will can hear someone yelling in Italian. "Anyway, I gotta go; the season finale of this horrible reality show we're watching is on, and I can't miss it. But I'll talk to you tomorrow." 

"Love you," Will says. 

"Love you, too." The screen goes dark after that, and Will is left staring at his reflection in a dark screen. In the past, it had always been frowning, the quickest smile-drop Will had ever witnessed. In the past, the reflection looking back at him had always been sad, as if it was mourning something it had lost. But this time, the smile remains, and Will can see his eyes glitter, even in his reflection. 

Nico's POV-June

He had a week after school had ended with his extended family, a week spent lounging on sandy beaches and taking day trips to Rome. He has a real tan now, and when he looks in the mirror, he barely recognizes himself. He smiles more now, and his laugh is louder. But now, with his time coming to an end, all he can think about is getting back to Will. He's loved Italy, but out of everything he's experienced, nothing will compare to him wrapping Will up in his arm for the first time in nine months. 

His goodbyes are filled with tears and hugs that crush his lungs, and promises are made on both sides to visit more often. They wave at him as he steps onto the ramp that will lead him to the plane and when the door shuts, he feels everything that's happened over the past nine months-the relationships strengthened, the friendships made- come to an end. Even so, when he's on the ramp and the door is closed, he doesn't look back until he's in his seat. He has someone to get back to, someone more important than everyone else combined. 

The plane ride is long, made longer by Nico's antsiness, his constant checking of time remaining on the flight. He tries to watch a movie, read a book, but he never gets far in until his mind is elsewhere, wandering a couple of hours in the future when he's back in Will's arms. Eventually, he falls into a blissful sleep, filled with dreams of waking up with Will by his side. 

He catapults himself out of his seat when the plane lands, shaking his leg at a steady beat as he waits for the plane to empty out. When it's his turn to step out of it he's barreling through the crowd, his carry-on thumping behind him. He's breathless as he steps out into the airport, eyes scanning the crowds. They're so dense he almost has trouble picking out individual people but then his eyes fall on one person, and his face breaks into a smile. 

It's impossible to miss Will, for him, at least. His smile makes his cheeks rosy pink, and he's bouncing on the balls of his feet, holding up the cheesiest Welcome Home! sign that Nico has ever seen. He knows that his carry-on will only slow him down so he leaves it where he stands, catapulting himself into Will's arms. No one will want to steal a bag with a crappy laptop and a cheesy book, anyway. 

The first few seconds of the hug are so blissful he can't hear the world around him. All he feels are Will's arm's around him, Will's heartbeat against his ear, Will's hands on his back. Out of all the people he met in Italy, none of them gave hugs like Will. 

When they break apart, Nico can see tears pricking at the corner of Will's eyes. He smiles a watery smile, kisses Nico's forehead gently. "I missed you so much," Will says, his voice husky. 

"I missed you, too," Nico says. He blinks back tears, smiling. It feels almost surreal to be back in America, with Will standing next to him, just like the dreams he had been having for the past nine months. Even 4,000 miles couldn't fully separate them and now, nine months later, they're together again and despite Nico's every worry, nothing has changed.

Hi guys, I hope you liked that one! It was definitely a bit longer but school ended for us last week so I'm gonna be able to start hopefully putting out better content! Also, I know I'm a couple of days late, but thank you so, so much for 400k!! It's so crazy to think that what literally started as just a couple fics I wrote during middle school would turn into something like this, and I couldn't be happier. I couldn't ask for better readers, you're all amazing and the fact that people care enough to read my stories means the world to me! It's honestly so crazy thinking about how this book is almost at the story limit, like I've been working on this book for four or five years now and it's so weird to be able to just look back and see my growth in writing since when I began to when I'm about to have my first published book! Trying to plan something special for my last couple of parts so stay tuned for that, and I know this got very rambly but if you read this far just know that I love and appreciate you, and thank you so much for being such amazing and supportive readers! You've all helped me grow as a writer and with my self-confidence so much and I love you all for it!!

Nina