Hi, guys here's part two to last week's one shot!

Will's POV

They're up when the sun is, tossing the mess that they somehow managed to make in the span of the night into their bulging duffel bags and checking out with the tired woman at the counter. Nico is sluggish, rubbing at the dark circles underneath his eyes and straying behind Will as they drag their tired bodies to the car. Will is warm, with a cup of hotel coffee in his hand and when he glances over at Nico, it looks like he could use a cup. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he teases.

"A little," Nico says with a shrug, hiding a yawn behind the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "I was thinking about stuff. I'll just sleep on the way there, though."

Nico's out almost as soon as they climb into the car, his head leaning against the window with light snores coming out of his mouth. He tugs the blanket further over his body unconsciously, and he murmurs something quiet as his body slips down further into the seat. The pastel colors of the sunrise, the blues and purples and oranges shed shadows onto his face, making it look as if it has dips and grooves and indentations. His hair is fluttering up and down with his quiet breaths, his lashes just barely brushing against his skin. His entire body looks relaxed and just before pulling out of the parking lot Will tugs the blanket higher up onto his body, patting it lightly before whispering a quiet good night and pulling out of the parking lot.

"Night, Will," Nico says with a small laugh as the car begins to drive. Will smiles softly. Maybe he wasn't totally asleep, after all.

------

The car ride there is quiet, the roads nearly empty at seven thirty in the morning and surrounded by the fields that stretch for miles, he feels as if he's flying. Nico wakes a few times to ask how much longer until they're there, or how Will's doing, or when they're going to make their next stop but for the most part he sleeps through the ride, his head bumping against the condensation-filled pain as the car rumbles with the hum of the engine under the hood. Will had never been much of a driver; he had preferred to walk in a city that was packed so tightly together but when he's flying down an empty highway at seventy-five miles an hour, it begins to grow on him.

They make it to Salt Lake City just after three, their stomachs growling as they park the car at his family's house. "So, have I ever met this part of your family?" Nico asks, cracking his back. Will frowns, staring at the house. It's on the outskirts of the city so the driveway is long and there are trees surrounding the yard, bursting with green leaves.

"No. You've met both sets of my grandparents, I think, and my mom's youngest sister."

"Anything I should know about them?" Will frowns.

"You remember that time when we were fifteen and we saw my mom kinda tipsy but not totally drunk?"

"Yeah."

"That's what they're like the whole time." He cranes his neck to see inside of the window, watching movement as his aunt cleans a pan and his uncle sweeps the floor. "Just be friendly and they'll love you." He smirks, swatting Nico on the arm. "I know that won't be a problem for you." Nico rolls his eyes as Will steps up to the doorstep, ringing the doorbell.

"Oh, come in!" they hear from inside, and two pairs of tiny feet sprint up to the door. When Will opens the door a massive golden retriever jumps up onto Nico's leg, its tongue hanging out of its mouth and its tail wagging. "Will? Is that you?" They hear more footsteps, these ones human and a tall blonde woman holding a pan rounds the corner, her round face beaming. "Will! It's so great to see you again!" She wraps him in a hug, squeezing the life out of him and when she turns towards Nico she hugs him, too, saying "it's so nice to meet you!" with a wide grin on her face. "I'm Monica. I'll get the rest of my family, I made reservations for three thirty." She turns around and Nico flashes him a grin, raising his eyebrows. You were right, he mouths, and Will has to hold back a laugh. "Hal, Annie, Jack! Will and Nico are here!" she turns back to them, pulling a strand of hair out of her mouth and smiling again. "They'll be right down," she says. "You two use the bathroom, get cleaned up, anything you need and then we'll go!" She turns around, wiping the excess water off of the metal and Nico laughs softly, turning to Will.

"You really were right," he says. "I've never met anyone like her before, someone so hyper. I like her, though."

"The rest of them are exactly the same," Will says, tucking his hand in his pocket. It had been a while since he had been in the house and it hadn't changed a bit; it was still clean, organized, the surfaces dusted, the faint scent of rose lingering in the air. It's like a suburban dream house. "They're all nice, though. Never really a dull moment." They hear more footsteps and Jack hops down the stairs, the same blonde hair and blue eyes as his mother. Same blonde hair and blue eyes as any of them, Will supposed. When the family got together, it could be hard to tell which one was which.

"Hi," he says, his eyes flitting between Will and Nico in awe. "I'm Jack." He sticks out of his hand for Nico and Nico smiles as he shakes it, raising an eyebrow at Will. "That's my sister, Annie." Annie hops down the stairs, giving them a wide smile. She's gotten taller since Will had last seen her, transforming from the bouncing pre-teen that Will remembered to a fifteen-year-old with a bright smile.

"Hey, Will." Her smile gets wider when she sees Nico and as she takes a step closer Will instinctively moves closer to Nico. "Hi, Nico. Nice to meet you." Will might be imagining it, but he swears he sees her bat her eyelashes. Maybe he wishes she was still the same pre-teen he remembers her as.

"Are we ready to go?" His aunt steps back into the room followed by his Uncle Hal, an almost carbon copy of Jack. They exchange their greetings and pile into Aunt Monica's minivan, with Jack stuck in the back and Nico in the middle. Aunt Monica and Uncle Hal talk the whole way there and even though it seems to be directed at him and Nico they seem to be dominating the conversation. Will isn't sure if he's imagining it but the whole ride to the restaurant Annie's hand seems to be inching closer and closer to Nico's leg.

------

The restaurant is fancy, with fountains in the corner and clean tablecloths with tiny potted plants in the middle of every one. The hostess leads them over to a table in the back and Will scans the menu, taking occasional glances at Nico. Annie doesn't seem to be paying any attention to the menu; instead, she's talking Nico's ear off, her face bright red. He catches Nico's eyes and can barely hold back his laughter. "So, Nico, do you have a girlfriend?" Annie really has a long way to go with her flirting and Nico glances at Will, his cheeks rosy.

"Nope."

"I don't have a boyfriend." Annie laughs. "I think it would be nice, though. Don't you think a girlfriend would be nice?"

"I, uh, I'm fine with being single." His back is shaking with repressed laughter.

"Oh." Annie seems to sink.

"Will, do you remember that last girlfriend you had?" Will feels his body tense when Aunt Monica opens her mouth and he glances at Nico, feeling suddenly hot. "What was her name? Bella?"

"Ella. That was when I was fourteen, though. It's been a while." Nico's staring at his menu, flipping through and refusing to look up. "It was a messy breakup, too. She was kinda mean about it. You remember that messy breakup, right?"

"Huh?" Nico glances up and Will might be imagining it but his face looks like it's fallen. "Yeah. You were really broken up about it."

"I can imagine why," Uncle Hal says. "She seemed so nice when you talked about her to us." Will isn't imagining it; Nico definitely looks sad.

"It was a long time ago," Will snaps. "We don't have to keep bringing up the past." He glances at Nico again but he still looks sad, and Will's heart drops a little bit in his chest.

------

"That was interesting," Nico says, sliding into the driver's seat. "They're nice."

"Sorry they're a little nosy," Will says. "They've always been like that." He winces. "Did they make you uncomfortable?"

"Nah, it's fine," Nico says. "Felt kinda bad for denying Annie like that, though."

"Yeah, you could date my cousin," Will says, laughing. "Nico and Annie."

"Hey, shut up," Nico says as he pulls out of the driveway, the leftovers bouncing around in the backseat. "You can sleep if you want. We have six hours till we get to Silver City." Will rests his head on the window pane, watching his family's house get smaller and smaller as they speed onto the highway.

"Maybe later," he says. "I'm not really that tired." There is a part of him that wants to sleep, his stomach full from the meal and his eyes falling. But he knows that as hard as he tries he won't be able to because the second part of him feels too bad, that as hard as he tries, he won't be able to get Nico's disappointed face out of his mind. There was this look on his face when Aunt Monica had brought up Ella as if he had been stabbed in the gut and left to die. And as they drive down the highway, he can't seem to shake it.

------

"This place is creepy." Despite the fact that it's summer, Will shivers as a cool wind blows through him and he wraps his arms around his body, hugging tight and wishing he had worn a sweatshirt.

"Really?" Nico bounces on his feet, dust flying up underneath his shoes. "I love it here." His eyes scan the town, falling over the ramshackle buildings that are probably filled with mice and the sign that says Welcome to Silver City, Idaho with rust running down the metal like tears. It's creepier in the dark, every shadow in the houses looking like a person staring at him from high above.

"It's creepy." Will finds himself drawing closer to Nico as he stares at the town, a gust of wind howling through the buildings. He hears Nico sigh and he glances at Will, frowning.

"We can go if you really want to. We can just stop in the morning and check it out in the light."

"But you wanted to see it in the dark, right? For maximum creepiness or whatever?" Nico scratches his arm, glancing at the ground.

"Yeah. But we really can go, if you want."

"No, no, it's fine," Will says, smiling. "It's not that bad, anyway. I'm probably just freaking myself out." A gust of wind blows a door to an abandoned building wide open and Will jumps. "Come on, let's go."

They walk through the ghost town, the dust they kick up irritating their noses and every noise in the distant a spirit, ready to attack. But Nico seems happy; his face is bright and he peers into every building, running his hands across the rotting wood and the dusty tabletops. It's strange, seeing somewhere that used to thrive be so empty. "What was this place, anyway?"

"It used to be a mine," Nico says, running his hands across a dusty piano and pressing down on a key. The single, tinny note sends a shiver down Will's spine. "It was pretty big, actually. But mining got less and less popular and rural Idaho isn't the best place to live in the first place so after a while I guess it just... died. It's a cool place, though."

"You really like it here, huh?" Will laughs softly and instead of being comforting, the sound is eerie. It doesn't sound like his laugh.

"Yeah, it's cool. It's interesting." He glances at Will. "You want to leave, don't you?" They step out of the building and back onto the main road and even though Will feels as if he's going to be stabbed at any moment, the sight of millions upon millions of stars in the sky with the moon glowing silver calms him down.

"No. It's okay here." He presses closer to Nico, watching the stars glitter.

"Will, I can read you like a book. I know you're scared." He nudges Will, smiling. "Come on, let's go. I've had my share of creepiness tonight, anyway."

Will's glad to get out of the town, leaving behind the buildings that feel like they're alive and the dust that looks like it's half bone. There's a campground up the road and they climb into the car, Nico driving as Will watches the town get smaller and smaller. He's still unsettled, even as they set up the tent and toss their sleeping bags inside, crawling underneath. He knows that he's freaking himself out, making everything up but he still can't seem to shake the feeling that he's being watched and he can't seem to make himself tire, flinching every time he hears a noise. "Will?"

"Yeah?"

"You good?" Nico's eyes flash in the dark, and he's smiling softly. "You look freaked out."

"I'm fine." He inches closer to Nico anyway and Nico reaches out a hand, putting it on Will's arm. Will inches closer and Nico pulls him in for a hug, and Will immediately feels warm.

"Sorry you're freaked out now. It was darker than I thought it would be."

"It's fine. As long as you had a good time, that's all that really matters." He sees Nico smile in the dark and in his embrace he feels himself relax, listening to crickets chirp outside and watches the glow of the dying embers of their neighbor's fire, and he lets himself sleep.

------

It's a long ten hours to San Francisco and they take turns napping, the rumble of the engine lulling them to sleep. They stop at a burger king for lunch at around one and get to the city by six, just in time for the sun setting over the water. There's a restaurant by the water and they grab burgers, laughing about stupid jokes from their sophomore year as they watch the colors paint the water. "What do you want to do?" Nico asks, cracking his back. "We can sleep in tomorrow, we're staying in LA, so it won't be that much driving."

"Let's swim," Will says, watching the water glitter. It's calm, with tiny waves lapping up on the beach and washing grains of sand into the ocean. There's a fire roaring on the beach and silhouettes dance across the sand and even from a couple hundred yards away, he can hear the laughter. "You brought your bathing suit, right?" Nico's eyes glitter.

"You know it."

They change in the porta-potties lining the beach and sprint out onto the sand, the grains soft underneath their feet as they sink an inch deep. Will wiggles his toes and feels the sand shift, as if it's a living, breathing creature that's awakening underneath him. It gets softer as they near the water and the sand turns to mud, clinging to the bottom of their toes and clumping up between. The first step into the water is cold and it makes Will jump a little in his skin but when he looks over at Nico he's laughing and he takes another step in, the waves lapping at his calves, splashing up to his torso. "Are you going under?" Nico asks, glancing at Will. Will is shivering but Nico's arms are hanging free at his side, his face bright.

"Are you?"

"Yeah. Come on." Nico dives underneath the waves and Will is shocked for a second as he stares at the place where Nico disappears and watches him pop up fifteen feet away. Will can feel goosebumps popping up on his arms as Nico yells "come on!" waving at Will to join him. Will takes a deep breath before diving underneath, letting the cold water engulf him.

He's too scared to open his eyes for the first few seconds but as he drifts aimlessly he realizes that he needs some sort of direction and when he opens his eyes he's met with a reed waving in his face, and a school of fish darting past his eyes. He sees Nico's legs a few feet away, distorted into fragments by the movement of the water and he gives a kick, soaring over to his legs and grabbing on. Bubbles from laughter raise up to the surface as he watches Nico jump and he feels a hand pulling him up, and Nico is crossing his arms and frowning. "Fuck off," he says. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Yeah, that's the point," Will says, a smile dancing across his lips. He's beginning to warm up, the final rays of the sun heating the water and he runs his hands across the surface of the water, watching the ripples that come out from the tips of his fingers. "Come on, I'll race you."

"To where?"

"Doesn't matter. Just follow me." He dives underneath the water again, passing through the reeds and the fish and the shells and leaving Nico to follow.

------

They swim until they can't breathe and when they're too tired to continue they flip up onto their backs, watching the moon and the stars glitter. The city is yards away but they can still see the stars, the ones that reflect onto the water and create a second galaxy underneath them. There's laughter coming from the beach, music playing from a speaker somewhere far away but where they are it's quiet and their words sound extra important. When they're shivering in the light breeze bouncing off of the water they swim back to the beach, collapsing onto the sand and letting it cover them. "What do you want to do?" Nico asks, staring at Will. "Where are we going to sleep?"

"Dunno," Will says. "We could stay at the nicest hotel in San Francisco, or we could sleep in a Walmart parking lot in the car. Let's take it a second at a time." They lay on the sand for a few minutes as Will scans the beach, a volleyball taking place at one end and a musician playing the guitar at the other end. "Come on, let's check out the bonfire. It looks nice." They push themselves up, wet bodies slipping in the sand before they make it to the bonfire and collapse back onto the beach, letting the flames dry them. Will isn't exactly sure when it happened but over the course of the night, Nico tucks himself closer and closer into Will's embrace, his body warm in Will's arms. He pulls Nico closer, smiling softly as he watches the glow of the fire cast warm tones onto his face. He looks like an angel, not that Will would ever tell him that.

At some point, Nico's breaths slow and he glances down to see his eyes closed and his mouth parted slightly, his face peaceful. One hand is tucked to his side and the other is resting lightly on Will's bare chest and at that moment, Will feels a sense of intimacy he's never felt before. He can't say that he doesn't enjoy it. Nico groans softly, shifting in Will's grasp and his eyes crack open and he smiles sleepily. "Hey," he says. "Sorry I fell asleep. You wanna go or something?" He doesn't make any move to get up.

"Nah, I'm good," Will says. "I like it here. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Thanks." Nico shifts again, every inch of their bodies pressing together. "Night, Will." He's asleep within seconds, his breathing slowing again and a soft smile on his face, one that brings more warmth to Will's body than the bonfire ever will.

"Night, Nico. I love you." There isn't an answer. And even if there was, it wouldn't be what Will wanted it to be.

Hi guys, I hope you liked that one and part three will be up next week!

Nina