Part two to the fine line series! Enjoy!

Nico's POV

It's strange, but he's always found graduation parties to be vain. Sure, high schoolers work hard. Sure, the idea of even walking into school makes him nervous sometimes and sure, there have been nights where he had to stay up until three in the morning studying, but he's always felt off about them. Graduation parties, he thinks to himself as he scoops up more fruit punch into his cup, are essentially congratulating you for something society expects you to do anyway. 

Especially for Jason, who spent most of high school chasing after Piper and goofing around in the back of the class with Leo. For a person who barely passed his senior year English class, it feels strange to be at a massive blowout party for him with the word Congratulations plastered over every other surface. But Nico still showed up in nice-ish clothes, with a bright shining smile and a twenty-five dollar Domino's gift card that'll buy him one meal in college. Besides, Jason eventually got Piper, so maybe there is something to celebrate after all. 

Nico lingers by the snack table, mostly. If there's one thing Jason's good at, it's getting good snacks. He exchanges quick hellos and small talk; friends who he hasn't talked to in two years, parents who he vaguely recognizes from end of the year awards nights and middle school band concerts. They're prompted by a sense of nostalgia that's thick in the air that night; that, post-graduation, they may never see each other again. It's one final conversation, the last goodbye, until all these people who Nico only consider an acquaintance split off and make their own way. 

He's getting his fourth(fifth?) cup of punch when he sees him. Standing in the middle of the party, head thrown back in laughter, hands swinging at his side like he doesn't have a care in the world. His clothes are light and summery, his skin sun-kissed and his hair brushes the nape of his neck, giving him that surfer boy look Nico has always adored. Will looks happy, and Nico's heart shatters. Will is supposed to be miserable. Will is supposed to stay in his room and eat a pint of ice cream a day and listen to old Taylor Swift songs at midnight. But he looks fine, and Nico doesn't know whether or not he's hurt or jealous. Both, probably. It's only been a month. You're supposed to take more than a month to mourn such an intense relationship. But, clearly, Will hasn't gotten that memo. 

He almost feels bad for ambushing Austin on his way to get a drink. Everyone was supposed to be able to enjoy this party, celebrate their last couple of days in school. That's probably what Austin thought was going to happen when he came. Not be interrogated by a lonely and insecure eighteen-year-old. But, Nico tells himself as he turns to Austin with a wide smile, sometimes life works in funny ways. "Hey, Austin, how've you been?" 

"I've been pretty good," Austin says with a wide smile. He was always a nice guy. Reasonable, level-headed. Nico always liked that about him. Hopefully, he can use it to his advantage and dig up some dirt on Will. "What about you? How've you been?" 

"I've, uh-" Nico scratches the back of his head. "I've been good." His voice falters, and Austin raises an eyebrow. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. I've been great, actually. Really, uh, really great." Maybe Austin will report back to Will, about how good Nico is allegedly doing. Maybe if he does, Will will realize what he's missing. Even if he doesn't, it'll make Nico feel better. He's tired of feeling horrible while Will is apparently having the time of his life. 

"Nico, dude, I know you," Austin says. "It's cool if you haven't gotten over Will yet. He hasn't gotten over you. It'd be weird, you know, coming out of a relationship that lasted so long and just being fine."

"Oh." That's the opposite of what he expected to hear. "But he looks fine." 

Austin rolls his eyes. "You know Will. Of course, you know Will. He doesn't really show his emotions unless they're good ones. But he misses you." He gets quieter, running his thumb across the outside of his red plastic cup. "We all miss you. We used to hang out all the time, you know? And now it's kinda nothing. And I know it's weird because Will's your ex, but we should hang sometime." 

"Yeah, definitely," Nico says. "I miss you, too." It isn't a lie. They'd spend hours in Austin's room, talking and playing stupid games and eating the fresh cookies his mom would always bake. But Will would always be there, and it would be a strange feeling for him to be absent. "Will misses me?" 

"Don't tell him I told you," Austin says, glancing at Will. "But yeah. A bunch. I know it doesn't really look like it but he's pretty torn up about you."

"Oh," Nico says. It makes him feel a little better, at least. That Will is just as miserable as he is. "I miss him, too. But don't tell him I told you." 

Austin laughs. He has a very distinctive laugh; it's loud and draws all eyes towards him. It's the kind of laugh that's genuine, the kind that makes you want to laugh along with him, even if there isn't anything to laugh at. Nico has missed that laugh, hearing it through a mouth of chocolate chip cookie as they lounged on Austin's bed. He didn't think it would be something he'd miss, after the breakup when he started to feel uncomfortable talking to Will's friends. But, strangely enough, it makes him want to cry. "Don't worry, dude, I won't." He pats Nico's shoulder, giving him a genuine smile. "Seriously, though. We should hang out. And if you need anything- someone to talk to, someone to support you, I'm here. Don't think we can't be friends just because you and Will broke up." 

"Thanks," Nico says. He can feel a tear brimming in his eye. This is supposed to be a party, and he doesn't want to cry. "Seriously. For everything." He doesn't know how to put it into words, the strange sort of nostalgia that talking to Austin brings back, the reassurance that Will isn't as happy as he pretends to be. Maybe it's cruel, to want Will to be just as miserable. Or, maybe, he's completely sane. 

Austin gives his shoulder one last squeeze. Nico is pretty sure Austin can sense his pain and it makes him uncomfortable to wonder how many other people can sense that he's mourning a relationship. 

When Austin leaves, Nico is left alone by the snack table. His punch is still in his hands- it's warm now but he gulps it down as if he hasn't had a drink in a year.  He can't put a pin on his feelings. Feelings are funny like that, a whole mess of tangled emotions. It's like he's a ball of tape and all of his emotions are one piece of it, impossibly stuck together and unwilling to come apart. But he can pull a couple out of the mess; happiness, sadness, confusion, nostalgia, and guilt. He may not understand why he's feeling so many things but at least he has something to latch onto as he drifts alone in a sea with no shore. 

He tries to go to sleep when he gets home. He puts on his pajamas and crawls underneath the blankets, trying to use the cocoon of warmth to take his mind off of the party. Will, standing there, laughing. Will, drink in hand. Will, with a bright smile on his face and laughter in his eyes. He knows what Austin said but it doesn't quite feel real, and his mind fills with images of Will with some other person, his arm wrapped around their shoulders like he used to do with Nico's. 

He rolls across his bed to get out of it. He didn't use to be able to do that- Will would take up the complete other side of the mattress, curled up underneath Nico's blankets with his head on Nico's pillow. The memories of Will in his bed are still the strongest; it was where he felt most raw, where he spilled his emotions out onto the table and gave Will as much trust as one person can give another. Sometimes, when he falls asleep, he hopes that when he wakes up, Will will be on the other side, like nothing ever happened between them. 

He doesn't know what else to do, so he grabs his notebook and makes a pot of coffee. His dad is already asleep, and Hazel- he can't keep track of her anymore. As she gets older she gets more friends, goes to more parties, spends less and less time in the house. There are times when he misses when they were younger, playing in the yard outside of their house and pretending to be ghosts or monsters or Greek gods. But that night, he's thankful that she's gone. It gives him the chance to be alone, to have his pot of coffee and sit at the kitchen table, to spill all of his secrets out on the table until he doesn't have any left. 

Will's POV-Three Years Ago

He looks so beautiful in the light of the canyon moon. In the wash of the moonlight, he looks younger, more carefree, and he spreads his arms out, grinning crazily at Will. "Isn't it beautiful?" he says, laughing as a firefly flits through the air. It's a warm night for March and the snow is just beginning to melt; the slush pools at their feet but there isn't enough to soak through their shoes, and they slosh around in it like children as the canyon moon pulses with light above them. 

"Beautiful," Will repeats, taking Nico up into his arms and kissing him hard. His body fits so right into Will's arms and Will hugs him tight. If he hugs Nico close enough to his chest he'll never disappear, and they'll stay swaying underneath the canyon moon forever. 

"Do we have to leave?" Nico asks, his face buried into Will's chest. "I don't wanna go to school tomorrow." 

"Neither do I," Will says. He keeps swaying; back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Nico sways with him as if they're slow-dancing to the music of the world. "We still have a little while, though. Just us." Just them and the canyon moon lighting their world. 

"Hey," Nico says. 

"What?" 

"I think I'm in love with you." Nico says it quietly, so quietly it's almost lost in the wind and if Will hadn't been listening he could have missed it. He says it as if it isn't a big deal, just another couple of words that don't really mean much. But to Will, they mean the world.

"I think I'm in love with you, too." He tightens his grip on Nico as if he's scared he's going to slip out from underneath his fingers, like a gust of wind could blow him away. Realistically, he knows that it could happen. That in a couple of months, Nico could be gone from Will's life forever, just an ex that he rants about to his friends during late-night sleepovers. But for now, they hold each other underneath the glow of the canyon moon and for that moment, they are together. 

Nico's POV

The coffee is out, and his hand hurts from writing. His thoughts are spilled out onto the page; memories of kisses, hours spent watching tv and petty fights. Every moment, even the tiniest memory feels significant, and he feels himself tearing up as he finishes. Before him on the table are papers filled with memories of the past, of eraser marks and shavings from the led of his pencil. They hurt to look at; four years of memories summed up in a series of stories, poems, songs. The memory of the night of the canyon moon sits before him, the words mocking him from the page. He once loved you the page says in a snide voice that makes Nico feel attacked. And now you're no one to him. 

It hurts too much and almost impulsively he balls up the writings, cramming them into an old shoebox and shoving it in the back of the closet. There they sit- they're innocent in the box, nothing more than a couple of pieces of paper with a couple of words scribbled onto them. But if he takes them out, reads the first sentence, any one of them could bring back a tidal wave of emotions that could have him sobbing in five seconds flat. They're better in the closet, covered by old sweatshirts and gym shorts from freshman year, where they'll sit forever, untouched and unread. 

It takes longer than Nico would like to stop thinking about Will. It takes too long to stop wishing that Will was on the other side of the bed, to stop expecting a text or a call. To stop missing the feeling of his lips, the sensation of being wrapped in one of his hugs. Will gave great hugs but they weren't Nico's to take anymore and, slowly, he begins to accept this. 

There are times when he still thinks about that night under the canyon moon. About how the feeling of being newly in love felt, the feeling of safety in Will's arms. There are times when he doesn't think he'll ever be able to forget that feeling but slowly, the memory is replaced by others, and slowly but steadily, Nico begins to heal.

Hi guys, I'm really sorry because I'm pretty sure this partially incoherent, I'm too tired to check over it and make sure it makes sense. But I hope you liked it, and part three will be up in two weeks!

Nina