Hey guys, just to let you know that this will be a four-part series, so parts 2-4 will be up later this month!

Nico's POV

It still feels like a dream, pulling out of their tiny suburb town, the excitement of graduation still in his veins like a drug. It still feels like a dream that they're leaving, Will humming in the driver's seat and Nico in the passenger's, their map spread across his lap, their map with the coffee stain splashed across Florida, notes like ghost town?? and grand canyon!! scribbled in the margins, their route traced in bold sharpie across the country. "How much longer till the city?" Will asks, briefly taking his eyes off of Albany's sleepy suburban streets to glance at the map. 

"Just under three hours," Nico says, looking at the carefully marked out stops across their map. "Then it's another four hours until Cleveland, so we're gonna be driving a lot." He laughs lightly. "This is a fun start to our road trip, huh? Seven hours of driving past a lot of nothing." 

"That's what a lot of this is gonna be, you know," Will says. "It is a road trip, after all." 

"I know," Nico says, tracing his finger along the sharpie lines, lingering at the stars that stand out against everything else. "I'm just excited for the prettier parts. The deserts, the beaches. The cities." 

"We're stopping in NYC for lunch." 

"Yeah, but we've been there tons of times." 

"Yeah, but this time is gonna be different. We've been planning this road trip for the past three and a half years." They're deeper into Albany and Nico can see their friends walking down the streets, smiles spread wide as the warm June breeze dances through the air. It feels strange, to not be with the massive groups of friends spending time with each other before they'll inevitably never see each other again. But when Nico glances to his left, he knows he'd rather be in the car with the ac sending chills down his spine, his legs already cramping, snacks bouncing around in the back. When he glances to the left he sees Will, the window open just enough to let in the breeze that toys with Will's blonde hair, the sun streaming through the window and lighting up his face, he's the only one of his friends that matters. 

"Put on some music," Will says, glancing over. "You have the playlist we made, right?" 

"Yeah, hang on." He plugs in the aux cord, clicking on the playlist he's had downloaded for years, the one with hundreds of songs each different than the last, each one holding a different memory. When he puts it on shuffle it's The Ballad of Mona Lisa, and he swears he can hear Will laugh. "What? It's a good song and you know it." 

"Yeah, I know." He shakes his head. "It just brings me back to freshman year, you know? With you blasting that at one in the morning, and then my mom coming to yell at us to shut up." They pass the Thanks For Coming to Albany! sign, the one that plucks them out of the city and spits them out onto the highway. They're surrounded by forests bursting with green, cars speeding past them. Nico hears Will sigh just as Teenage Dream comes on and he glances over. 

"What?" 

"Nothing." Will shakes his head but there's a shadow of a smile on his face, one that looks like it's hiding a hint of sadness. "Are you scared everything's gonna change when we go off to college? Like, we've been best friends for so long, and I don't want to drift apart." Nico smiles, watching the sunlight glint off of Will's face, kissing his skin. 

"Don't worry about it." Nico sets his hand on Will's arm, sparks of electricity running through his body as if he'd rubbed his head against a balloon. "We'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." 

------

Despite the fact that he lives in the same state, New York City had always seemed like it was in a different country. It's loud and crazy, and Times Square always seems like it's the day. There are weird smells everywhere and he's seen someone sprinting away from the cops butt naked at least once during every trip. He loves it. 

They manage to find parking behind a seedy looking building that's nearly falling apart, the smell drifting out from the dumpster threatening to trigger Nico's gag reflex but once they get out into the street it's better, and he feels as if he's floating, with Will by his side. They had both agreed a long time ago not to spend too much money; they couldn't afford any of the fancy restaurants that seemed to be begging them to come in, or the tourist traps in time square so they settle on a tiny diner a few blocks away from Time's Square, with the scent of grease wafting out from the door and a sizzle coming from the fryolator. They order burgers and fries and slip into a booth at the back of the diner, a split running down the back of the booth and a water stain running down the wall. 

"It feels real now," Will says, staring around the diner. "It didn't feel like we were really gonna do this but here we are, already three hours away from home." He laughs and the sound makes Nico's heart flutter in his chest. "And I'm happy I'm doing it with you. You're my best friend, Nico, and I'm really, really glad we're doing this." His smile is wide and it reminds Nico of days spent by the beach in the summer, laughter as they drink hot cocoa in the winter, birthday parties with cake frosting smeared around the edges of their mouths. 

"I'm glad we're doing this, too." Will's hand is lying across the table and Nico's almost tempted to reach out and grab it but he doesn't, letting his hands drop to the smooth plastic, pressing in his hands. "Hey, what do you want to get out of this?" Will frowns as the waiter comes over to their table with two red wicker baskets, two cheeseburgers sitting atop a throne of fries. 

"What do you mean?" Will bites into his burger, a spot of ketchup dotting his upper lip before he wipes it away with a napkin. 

"Like, what do you think you're gonna gain from this? In five years, what are you going to remember about this trip?" 

"Ooh, a deep question, I like it." He leans back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. "I want to see more of the US. I'm gonna be moving across the country in a few months for college, and I think I need this. And the memories will be nice, too, you know, the memories that people always have of stopping in random places and seeing stuff for the first time. But I also want to make sure we don't drift apart. I care a lot about you, Nico, and I don't want us to lose our friendship." His words give Nico a feeling of warmth that feels like it's spreading from his heart all the way through his veins and he feels a smile spreading across his face. "What about you? What do you want out of this trip?" 

"Same things, I guess." He dips a fry in his ketchup, chewing until it turns to mush in his mouth. He feels a little bit bad, that Will gave a long speech that made Nico's heart grow in his very chest and Nico gave a half-assed response with as much depth as the kiddie side of the pool, but he couldn't help it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get his feelings out.

------

Pennsylvania is bursting with color as they drive, trees sweeping down to brush the edges of the highway with the sun bouncing off of the leaves and making them shimmer. They're singing along to the songs on their playlist, Will's voice soft and sweet. His fingers are tapping on the wheel, his head bobbing and his face is lit up like a Christmas tree. Nico finds himself staring, unable to tear his eyes away from the bright blue of his eyes, the freckles splashed across his nose. "What are you looking at?" Will asks, laughing. 

"What?" 

"You keep looking at something outside of my window." 

"Oh." Nico feels his face flush. "I was just looking at the scenery. Everything is so much more beautiful than I thought it would be." Will's smile widens. 

"You know, you're a lot sappier than you look. You look like you're all tough and brooding but on the inside, I think you're just a big softie." He laughs and Nico lightly punches his arm. 

"Shut up." 

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Will says. "It's kinda cool. I feel like I'm one of the only people who really know you." 

"Yeah, probably," Nico says, smiling as he props his feet up on the dash, watching the scenery fly by. Will might know a lot about him, but he knows that there might be some things Will may never know. 

------

Cleveland smells like cigarette smoke and bacon, the lights look like the stars that the buildings cover up and there are people packed in like sardines. Nico loves every inch of the place. "Dude, look, the rock and roll hall of fame." Will points out his window, at the building with the lights of the city bouncing off of it. "This place is cool. Almost too bad we couldn't stay longer." 

"Yeah, it would have been nice to stay a day," Nico says, watching buildings fly by. "But we have places to go, places to see. We're gonna have to leave tomorrow morning." 

"Yeah," Will says. "We can get breakfast, at least." He pulls into the parking lot of the hostel, the lights spilling onto the ground. "Come on, I'm exhausted." 

They check in and get to their room, a closet with two beds squished inside. They change into their pajamas and fall into their beds, and Nico can still see Will's eyes shining, even in the dark. "So, day one over," Nico says. "Was it everything you had hoped it would be?" 

"Actually, yeah." Nico hears him shift, hears cars blaring their horns outside. Above him, he can hear talking but all he cares about are Will's words, soft and quiet and calming. "Better, actually. It was really nice, just us. I love our other friends but you; there's something about you that makes you stand out against all of them. And it's nice that we're gonna be able to spend, like, two weeks together, driving across the country." He yawns. "We should go to sleep. We have to be up early if we wanna make it to Chicago by lunch." He shifts again, his blankets falling over his body. "Night, Nico." 

"Night, Will." Within minutes he can hear Will's breathing slowing, soft snores coming out of his mouth but Nico can't sleep. He lays in his bed, listening to the sounds of the city around him and the sounds of the boy in the bed next to his. 

------

They grab pancakes and sausage and boiling coffee pumped full with cream and sugar from McDonald's and hit the road, Nico pumping the gas as he shoves a sausage in his mouth. "Next stop Chicago," he says, grinning with a mouth full of meat. 

"I'm so excited." Will's foot is tapping on the floor of the car, sipping his coffee and staring out the window as Cleveland passes by. "Hey, I have a request." 

"Shoot." 

"Can we go to the art museum? I've always wanted to go but I never got to, and this might be my only chance." 

"Oh, really? What happened to Mr. We have to get up at seven o'clock and be on the road by seven thirty or we're gonna die Solace?" 

"Come on, Nico," Will says with a laugh. "Please?" 

"Of course, Will, we can go there and then get lunch. This is about experiences, after all. We need to do things spontaneously, or it's not a real road trip, right?" Will laughs as he stretches his limbs, grinning. 

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me do this, Neeks, I owe you one. Anywhere you wanna stop, we're stopping." 

"You might regret that later, but thanks," Nico says, smiling. They turn up the music, Vance Joy's voice crooning over the speakers as they drive further and further away from home. 

------

"You were right, Will. This is beautiful." They're staring at art mounted on the walls, the quiet hum of conversation surrounding them. Nico can't tear his eyes off of the paintings; he's fascinated about how he can somehow feel every emotion of the artist, even two hundred years after it was made. 

"I've been wanting to come here for forever," Will says, his eyes bright. "Look at that one. American Gothic, reminds me of the Newman's Own logo." He laughs. "I've always liked that one. And then over here you have the pop art" He and Nico walk over to another room and Nico's eyes are hit by a blast of color and he feels as if he's spinning. "These were some of my favorites. There's something about them that just draws you in and doesn't let them go." He glances at Nico, smiling. "Do you get that feeling?" 

"Yeah, actually, I do." He isn't lying; there's something about Marilyn Monroe's eyes that don't let go, something about them that are asking questions he doesn't want to answer. 

When they're done at the art museum they walk onto the streets of Chicago, the air around them surprisingly fresh, trees with light green leaves sprouting out of the ground. All the people walking the streets look gray compared to Nico, like Picasso in his blue phase against Warhol's Marilyn Monroes. "So, where do you want to eat?" Will asks, his hands tucked in the back of his shorts as they meander through the streets, their pace snail-like compared to the hectic energy of everyone else around them. The air is warm and they can hear music; drums to their right, violin to their left and somehow they blend together, creating one of the most beautiful sounds Nico's ever seen. "We're camping tonight, so we can afford to splurge. So, what do you say we go to a restaurant in the fancy part of town and pretend we're rich?" Part of Nico knows that they shouldn't, that they should be saving the limited funds that they had so they could make it back to Albany with a little bit of money left for college. But another part of him knows that financial issues were a problem for him of the future, and he feels his grin widen. 

"You just read my mind." 

They race through the city, brushing past men and women wearing clothes that scream millionaire! past teens wearing the latest trends, old people who flash them angry glances as their laughter rings through the city. They reach what looks like a fancy restaurant, the pure white exterior unsullied, classical music drifting from the inside. The host gives them a frown when they walk in, his eyes sweeping up past their muddy sneakers, shorts, tee shirts. They smell like a gas station bathroom and they stand out in the classy restaurant, out of place among the wealthy but they had money, and there was no way they were going to turn away a couple of paying customers. "Table for two?" the host asks, grabbing two menus.  They nod and follow him to a small table at the back of the restaurant, a single candle flickering in the middle as the sound of a violin drifts over from the middle of the restaurant. The tablecloths are plain white, the chairs cushioned and somehow it looks more elegant than anything Nico's ever seen before in his life. The chairs are noiseless as he slides it out to sit down, and he runs his hand across the tablecloth, the silk smooth underneath his fingertips. 

"I feel so out of place right now." Will's eyes are sparkling and he and Nico are silent for a split second before they both burst out laughing. "We look disgusting," Will says, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "I love it." 

"Let's order the most expensive thing on the menu." Part of Nico wants to be reckless, throw out half their menu before they even get to California. Will perks up. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, let's do it. I've never had escargot before. Also, I want steak. Like, a massive half pound of steak. Let's get steak dinners for lunch, with a side of escargot." He pauses for a second, leaning back in his seat. "Do you think we'd be able to get away with buying wine? We're both eighteen." 

"You're stupid. The drinking age is 21." Will laughs again and this time they get a few glances from the people around them, mostly spiteful but Nico doesn't care. He wants to tell them all to shut up but he doesn't because he doesn't want to risk getting kicked out. He can't ruin this.

"Fine. Let's get some of that fancy soda, then. The kind that comes from bottles and is like three dollars." Will grins. 

"Sounds perfect." 

Their food comes, the rich scent of steak making Nico's stomach growl. Their McDonalds that morning had been good but this was one of the best things Nico had ever smelled in his life. When he takes a bite he feels as if the world ended at that moment, he'd be fine with it. "I'm really glad we decided to do this," Will says with a mouth full of steak. "This is really good. The bill is gonna be insane, though." 

"It doesn't matter," Nico says as he takes a bite of the escargot. "We knew we were gonna be broke on the way back, anyway. Let's enjoy this." 

The waiter seems surprised when they give a generous tip on top of what ended up being a sixty-five dollar bill and they step outside with their stomachs so full they feel like they can't walk. "That was absolutely amazing," Will says, a sleepy grin on his face. "I'm so glad you talked me into this." 

"I'm so glad I talked you into this," Nico says, smiling. It's warm out, the sun streaming down and cooking the concrete as birds flit around their heads and the sounds of the city surrounding them. He's never felt better. 

"Check the map. How much longer to the campsite?" Will asks, starting the car and pulling it out of the lot. 

"About four hours," Nico responds. "Do you think we can pitch a tent in the dark? We'll get there at around nine, I think." 

"Probably," Will responds. "And we don't have much planned for tomorrow, so we can sleep in if we want." He weaves through the city, cars blaring their horns around him and pedestrians shouting. "I wish we could stay in some of these places longer. It would be nice to have a day in Chicago, too." 

"Tell you what," Nico says. "When we graduate college we plan out another road trip, but this one's massive. We hit every single state, spend a night in each one. It'll take us months. Deal?" He glances at Will to see that he's grinning. 

"Deal." 

------

It's pitch black once they get to the campground but they can still see campfires burning hot, embers in some pits still glowing a vibrant orange. They haul their tiny tent out from the back seat, aiming their headlights so they can see what they're doing as they struggle to put it up. But they somehow manage and Nico sets up their sleeping bags as Will starts a fire that's roaring within five minutes. "Impressive work," Nico says, watching as the fire lights up Will's face. It's strange to see him like that, the rest of the world so dark but every curve and dip of Will's face visible. 

"Thanks," he says, reaching into their cooler. "My mom taught me how ages ago." He holds out a hot dog and a stick wiped clean. "Here, eat." They roast them over the fire until they're dark brown and when Nico takes a bite it tastes ashy but he loves it, loves the feeling that he made it himself, even if all he did was roast it. 

"This is really nice," he says as he watches the fire burn. "I like this a lot." He smiles as he watches sparks fall to the ground, burning pinholes through leaves still scattered across the ground like a patchy blanket. 

"I knew you would," Will says. "You seem like the type of person who would like sitting by a fire and eating s'mores and singing campfire songs. By the way, I brought stuff for s'mores." He tosses Nico a bag of marshmallows, a couple of Hershey's bars and a box of gram crackers and Nico feels his heart melt. 

"You're my favorite person." Will smirks, leaning back on the picnic table and biting off the final bite of his hot dog. 

"I know." 

For the rest of the night, they sit by the fire, the flames warming their bodies as they eat s'mores and sing campfire songs, their voices rising up to join the stars that seem to be littering the sky. Neither of them has ever looked happier, Will's cheeks rosy and Nico's smile wide. When it gets too late to sing and neither of them wants to go to sleep they lay down on the ground, their backs pressing against the dirt and look at stars as they let the silence of the world consume them. 

------

They're both exhausted the next day as they rise at the crack of dawn and pack up their things. "Not too many stops today," Will says as they grab cold pop tarts for breakfast at the camp store. "We've got thirteen hours till we get to Denver, which means fast food for lunch." 

"Do you think I'm complaining about that?" Nico asks as he gets into the driver's seat, taking a bite out of his pop tart. The sweet taste of s'mores reminds him of days reaching into the box at home with grubby hands after school, the exhilaration of using his allowance when he was ten to buy a box of his own and hoard them in his room but most of all of last night, eating s'mores by the fireside with Will. 

They start driving and as they do Will seems to slump over in his seat and despite the coffee, his eyes droop and soon he's pulling a blanket over his body, grabbing a pillow from the backseat and reclining his chair. "Wake me up in Kansas and I'll drive, okay?" he says, yawning. "I'm just gonna take a little nap." 

"Yeah, sure." He changes the playlist from their road trip playlist to one that's soft and sweet, with barely any lyrics and soft piano notes. Occasionally his eyes fall to Will as he sleeps, his breath making his hair flutter and he listens to the occasional mutters of words he can't quite make out. More often than not he finds himself brushing Will's hair out of his face and despite the fact that he had used camp store shampoo and conditioner in a disgusting shower that morning it's soft, and it smells faintly of flowers. He hears Will murmur a quick thanks as he does so and he almost smiles, but he isn't sure whether or not he had imagined it. So he drives on, continuing on the open road. 

------

He shakes Will awake when they reach a tiny shop in the middle of nowhere, and he's finding it hard to keep his eyes open. He would think that after being a student for thirteen years he'd be able to function on four hours of sleep, but he guessed not. "Hey, Will," he says, hiding a yawn behind his sleeve. "We just hit Kansas." Will groans but he shifts underneath his blanket, his hair a mess when he sits up. 

"Thanks," he says. "You should take a nap, too. I feel so much better." 

"Hey, can we check this place out really quickly?" Nico says as he hops out of the car. "It looks kinda cool." Will wrinkles his nose as he stares at the store, the grimy windows and the shingle that's about to abandon the rest of the roof. 

"Neeks, it's a country store in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Wouldn't you rather just keep driving?" 

"We're supposed to be making spontaneous stops," Nico reminds him. "That's the point of this whole road trip." Will frowns, but after a second his expression relaxes and he smiles. 

"Yeah, you're right. But not too long, okay?" 

"Okay." 

The woman at the counter looks genuinely surprised to see them and she sets down her novel, giving them a bright smile. The store is silent save for the ac roaring in the back, and soft music drifting from a CD player. "Welcome to Marcie's Country Store. We've got everything you could ever possibly need." It sounds rehearsed but she still seems excited to say it and Nico and Will both give her smiles as they drift through the aisles, tossing pointless fifty cent toys in, like fake bug ice cubes and a hay bale keychain that says Welcome to Kansas! in bold lettering that looks like it belongs on a ranch. 

"Let's get ice cream," Nico says, pointing at a cooler with ice cream bars stacked tightly together inside. "We can eat it outside before leaving. What kind do you want?" 

"I'll take chocolate chip cookie dough," Will says. 

"Great. Excellent choice, Will, I love it." He grabs Will his chocolate chip cookie dough and a chocolate 'splosion for himself, the wrapper cold underneath his fingers. It's by a brand he's never heard of, Kansas Ice Cream Co. we're in the business of smiles! Before heading up to the counter and dropping their basket of junk on the counter. 

"That'll be ten sixty-five," the woman says, ringing in their final purchase of a lasso with Spongebob's face printed too many times to count on the rope, just in case they needed to get a horse in style. 

"I'll get everything," Nico says, pulling out eleven. "It was my choice to come here, after all." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course. Besides, you got lunch yesterday, so technically I owe you for the rest of the trip." They thank the woman and step back outside, the sun beating down on their faces. The ice cream makes it better as they lay on the hood of Will's car, shielding their faces from the sun as they laugh about nothing. 

"So, you ready to go?" Will asks, sucking the last bit of ice cream off of his stick and shoving it in their trash bag. 

"Yeah, gimme one second." He bites into the last of his popsicle and it's so cold that it burns his teeth and he winces as Will laughs at him. 

"That was a stupid idea." 

"Yeah, I know." He wipes his mouth with his sleeve as he takes Will's place in the burrow of pillows and blankets and Will starts the car, glancing at Nico as he drives. 

"You should take a nap. You look exhausted, and we have six and a half more hours till we get to Denver." 

"I don't really want to, though. That's not in the spirit of the road trip." He is exhausted, though, his eyelids are begging to be closed, and Will rolls his eyes. 

"Sleep, Nico." 

"Fine." He nestles into the blanket and lets his eyes flutter shut and soon he's being lulled asleep by the rumble of the car across the highway and Will's humming, sweeter than honey.

------

The hotel they're staying at is shockingly nice for its cheap price so they order room service and sit in their beds watching bad reality tv until their food comes. They're both ravenous after accidentally driving through lunch so they attack their mac and cheese, and it's gone within minutes and they're left with their desserts, thick slices of cake that make Nico so full that he has to lie down, tucking his hands behind his head. "That was really good," Nico says, turning to Will with a smile. "We got a deal here." 

"I'm glad we did, we need to at least try to save money," Will says before wrinkling his nose. "I'm turning into my mom, and I don't like it." Nico laughs. 

"One of us needs to make responsible decisions around here, and I'm glad it's not me. I suck at it." This time Will laughs. 

"Yeah, remember the time you decided you were gonna get a dog but your mom said no so you went out and found one and then your entire family got fleas?" 

"Hey, shut up, I was ten," Nico says, his face burning with laughter. "Besides, Cerberus is now a happy addition to the Di Angelo family. My dad loves him." 

"Yeah, but remember the time last year where you took a bet to eat anything Percy handed you out of the trashcan and ended up sick for a week? Were those ten dollars really worth it?" Nico throws a pillow at him. 

"I said shut up." Will only laughs harder and Nico rolls his eyes, turning his attention back to the tv and trying to hide his smile behind his blanket. 

Will's yawning within the hour and soon the tv's been turned down to a low murmur and he's sinking deeper and deeper underneath his covers, his eyelids drooping. "We should get some sleep," he says. "We have to be up at seven thirty if we're going to make it to Salt Lake City by three. Remember, we're having dinner with my cousins." 

"I'm not tired right now, actually," Nico says, watching as the glow of the tv lights up the dim room. "Might have been my six-hour nap that I only took a few hours ago, but I'm not sure." He smiles. "You go to sleep, I'll sleep in the car tomorrow." 

"Okay. I'll drive there, and you can drive for the second part of the day so you can sleep on the way to the city. Sound good?" Only Will's head is visible from above the mess of blankets, and his smile is bright. 

"Yeah, sounds great. Thanks." 

"Just promise not to turn nocturnal," Will says as he closes his eyes. "Night." 

"Night." 

Will's asleep within seconds but Nico isn't tired in the slightest so he keeps watching tv on the lowest volume he can get it at, his eyes occasionally settling on Will, watching as the blankets rise and fall with his breath. He looks beautiful right then, with the glow of the tv lighting up his face and a sleepy smile playing across his lips. He looks more beautiful than anyone Nico's ever seen before, which might end up being a problem. Because he thinks he might be in love with the one person he should never be falling in love with. 

Hi guys, so I want to start out by saying that I'm sorry that this is late but it ended up being more than five thousand words, which I didn't expect, so I honestly don't think I could have finished this in one night. I think that this might be the shortest part of the series so I'll start everything else early so I can get the other three parts out on time for you guys, but I hope you liked this one!

Nina