This is going to be a two-part series based off of Saturday Sun by Vance Joy, so if you haven't heard the song yet I'll put a video at the top. Hope you enjoy!

Will's POV

It's so much warmer than Boston, the bright Californian sun shining over him and the breeze blowing off of the Pacific is pleasant. Percy is bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hand wrapped around Annabeth's. "I'm so excited," Percy says, looking around at the white clouds floating across the baby blue sky. "I'm so happy you came with us."

"Yeah, I guess," Will says, his eyes scanning the long beach, packed with people dancing in the waves lapping against the sand. "I've never been here."

"You don't sound excited," Annabeth says, frowning. "Did you really want to spend all of spring break in Boston? Or go visit your family again and complain about how your sister sleeps in your room now, and how your dog pees consistently on your rug every morning?"

"No." Will's shoulders deflate. "I just feel like I have a lot of stuff to catch up on. I'm behind."

"Dude, loosen up," Percy says, clapping him on the shoulder. "Even Annabeth's not stressed about school, and she's the most uptight person I've ever met." She jabs him in the side.

"Shut up," she says, but the small smile dancing across her lips makes Will think that she doesn't mind it. "So," she says, turning to Will. "Percy and I are visiting my dad today and most of the day tomorrow, so we're staying with him tonight. So you have the hotel room for yourself."

"You know, just in case you meet that special someone," Percy says with a smirk. Annabeth throws him a glare before she keeps talking.

"If you want to come with us you can, but part of me doesn't think you want to spend a day and a half discussing the tactics used in World War 1 with a middle-aged college professor?"

"I'll pass," Will says. "I'll find something to do. I brought my laptop, I can get my research paper done."

"Oh, yeah, that'll be a great conversation piece," Percy says. "Because the way to every guy's heart is telling him how you can remove it."

"Jesus, Percy, do you ever shut up?" Annabeth asks, fire in her eyes. Percy's grin only widens and he bends down, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head.

"You know you love it," he says.

"Yeah, I do." She's flushed when she turns back to Will, a crazy grin on her face. "So you're all set, right? You know where the hotel is and everything?"

"I'm fine, Annabeth, I'm alone for a little over a day. I can manage."

"Great. Bye, Will, and we'll meet at the hotel at five for dinner." She waves goodbye as she and Percy race to get a cab. Will turns to the beach, a wide expanse filled with billions upon billions of grains of sand, bodies jam-packed together in crystal blue water. He wishes he hadn't left his textbook in the hotel room. His research paper is nearly finished, and it would be a good time to get ahead on some of his reading. But the hotel is two miles up the street and he doesn't want to get a cab so he steps onto the beach, his shoes sinking into the sand as he walks.

He feels out of place, in his khaki cargo shorts and a gray Boston University shirt as he stares at the bleach-blonde girls in bikinis and the ripped guys with neon swim shorts. There's a volleyball game going on directly to the left of him and he ducks as it goes whizzing past his head, the static sticking up the hair on his head. He needs to find someplace quieter.

There's a tiny surf shop at the very edge of the beach, hovering on the edge of the four seasons resort, palm trees bending in the warm breeze. He sets his backpack down in one of the chairs, grabbing a bottle of water from a dark-haired boy behind the counter just so he doesn't look like he's loitering. Then he settles down in the chair, his feet dipping into the sand as he fights to keep the spotty wifi connection that's making the rainbow circle on his laptop spin round and round. He groans, throwing his head back against his chair as he waits for his paper to load, the site he's using for his research bright white. There are other networks- the strongest being the one for the Lotus Surf Shop. If their sign was accurate, the service would be so good he'd want to stay forever. But at that moment all he wants to do is leave and find a better connection.

He's just closing his laptop when the boy from behind the counter steps over to him, a small smile on his face. "Hey," he says. "Having trouble with the connection?"

"Yeah, actually." A flood of relief passes through Will's body and he turns to face the boy, his blue eyes connection with his dark brown.

"A lot of people try to connect to the free wifi around here," the boy says. "Doesn't really work, though. Our password is Cerberus, though. You can use the network."

"Really?" Will frowns. "You won't get in trouble or anything, will you?"

"Nah." The boy sits down in the sand, drawing circles with his finger. "We only have one person working at a time, and it's not exactly busy right now. I can do whatever I want."

"Cool. Thanks." Will types in the password and his pages load immediately.

"I'm Nico, by the way." The boy, or Nico, is still sitting next to him, staring up at Will with an intense look on his face, but for Will, it's difficult to place an emotion.

"I'm Will."

"So, what are you working on?" Nico deftly pulls himself onto the chair next to Will, slinging his legs over one side so his head is inches from Will's arm.

"A paper for my human anatomy class. I have to get it done by the end of the vacation."

"So, you come to San Francisco, the party capital of the world-"

"I don't think anyone calls in that." Nico ignores him.

"And you do your school work? That's an interesting method of having fun."

"I'm not exactly here to have the time of my life," Will says, scrolling through a text block of information. "My friends brought me but they're visiting people, so I'm here."

"I'll tell you what," Nico says, swinging his legs to the front and propping his elbows on his knees. "Have you ever gone surfing before?"

"No."

"Huh, 'cause you have that surfer-ish vibe. Strong, tan, blonde. I can teach you if you want."

"You don't have to."

"It's my job," Nico says. "That's literally what I'm paid to do. And, I'll give you a deal. The first lesson is free. But it's an exclusive offer. I've never offered it to anyone before, technically not allowed to. And you have a minute to decide."

"I don't have a swimsuit," Will points out. "And my laptop will get stolen."

"I'll lock it in the break room," Nico says. "And we have swimsuits you can borrow. Come on, what do you say?"

"I don't know."

"Really?" Nico says, rolling his eyes. "You came here for a vacation and you don't know if you want a free surfing lesson that usually costs twenty-five bucks? I'll extend the offer for another minute, just for you." Will heaves a sigh, putting down the screen of his laptop and standing up.

"Fine," he says. "Just so you'll stop pestering me." He throws his things into the office, stepping into a pair of loose black swim trunks and stepping back out into the open. Nico has taken off his shirt, the faint breeze toying with strands of black hair.

"So, you've really never surfed before?" Nico asks as they weave through the crowd, a vibrantly colored surfboard tucked underneath Nico's arm.

"No. I don't really go to these types of beaches much. I live in Boston, so we don't have the massive waves like there are here."

"Well don't worry, because I'm a perfectly adequate teacher. I'll have you surfing like a pro by the end of the day." He sets the surfboard down in the water, the waves bobbing it back and forth as water laps at Will's ankles. It's warm and clear, and Will watches as the sand shifts underneath him. "Alright, get on."

"Already?"

"You're not gonna learn if you don't practice," Nico says. "Don't worry, I'll help you." Will keeps his eyes trained on Nico as he steps onto the board, gripping Nico's shoulders for balance. They're toned underneath his fingers and he finds himself digging into them as Nico sets his hands on Will's waist, holding him as he wobbles. "There you go," he says, smiling up at Will. His cheeks are rosy in the breeze and his eyes sparkle. "It's not too hard, is it?"

"Not really, I guess." He still won't let go of Nico's shoulders and he stumbles as the board jerks underneath him, clinging to Nico for support as his grip tightens around his waist.

"I'm gonna let go, okay?" Will nods and as Nico takes his hands away he finds himself missing the comforting feeling of Nico's fingers wrapping around his waist.

"Good?" When Will looks into Nico's eyes they're still shining and his heart skips a beat.

"Yeah," Will says, nodding. "Good."

------

He doesn't know how long it's been but the lesson ends when the sun begins to paint the sky gold. "Your boss won't be mad, will they?" Will asks, his arms swinging at his side as water drips from his body, staining the sand.

"Nah, she's pretty chill," Nico responds. "The shop is never really that busy, anyway. Most people here either already know how to surf or have no interest." He wipes the water off of the board with a towel, hanging it up next to the others. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"Homework, probably. Why?"

"There are bonfires on the beach," Nico responds, slipping on a shirt. "They're pretty nice, actually. Bunch of people just show up, play music, talk, make friends. I was gonna go and you can come if you want. They're usually pretty cool. And if you're hungry we can grab, like, a hot dog or something. There are stands everywhere around the beach, and I'll pay."

"Are you sure?" Will asks, scratching nervously at his arm. "I don't want to be a burden or anything."

"Well, I offered, so you're not gonna be a burden," Nico points out. "Do you wanna leave your stuff in here or bring it with you, because you should come. It's obvious that you don't know how to have fun on your own." Will chews on the inside of his lip, his leg bouncing up and down as he stares at the floor, grains of sand slipping in between the boards.

"I'll leave it in here," he says, heaving a sigh and letting his arms drop to his side. "And you're paying for soda, too."

"Yeah!" Nico says, fist pumping the air. He leads Will out of the shop, the hand blowing his hair into a frenzy and sand dusting their feet. "So, there are more options on Fisherman's Wharf, but the best place by far is this little place a little way's away from the Presidio. They've got this way of toasting the buns that I haven't quite figured out yet, but it's amazing."

"You really know this place, don't you?" Will asks with a laugh as they begin to make their way down the long street, the lights spilling out onto the sidewalk, illuminating the grains of sand that the waves flung from the beach.

"I've been here for a while," Nico responds, his head tilted up to the sky, his eyes reflecting the glow of the sunset. "After my sister died my dad sent me to boarding school and when I graduated I just never really left. I kinda found a home here. It's a nice place to live." There's a small part of Will that thinks he should ask Nico about his sister, but they met a couple of hours ago and it seems too personal to dive into so he bites his lip. "You go to college in Boston, right?"

"Yeah." Will shrugs as they turn the corner, the street significantly quieter than the last. There aren't as many lamps and the shops are covered in shadows, the sidewalks empty. "It's alright, I guess. I have friends and stuff, but it doesn't feel like home like you talked about. It feels like I'm just there to wait for the next phase of my life."

"That's what I like about San Francisco," Nico says as a hot dog stand comes into view, a lone man standing behind the counter, the smell of sizzling meat in the air. "It's a big city, yeah, but there's a sense of community that you don't get with a lot of places. Even when I lived in smaller towns, no one was as close as they are here. I've bounced around a lot; Maine, Los Angelas, New York, but this is the best place, by far." His eyes sweep Will up and down. "I think you'd like it here. Ever thought about where you're going after college?"

"Not really," Will says, his eyes roving over the menu stapled to the stand. "It's a long ways away."

"Think about San Francisco," Nico says, stepping up to the stand. "You'd like it, really. And I'm not going anywhere for a while." He turns to the man behind the stand, pulling a ten out of his pocket. "I'll get a hot dog and a coke, please."

"I'll have the same. Nico, are you sure you want to pay? I have money."

"Will, I've told you I'll pay," Nico says with a small laugh, taking the food. "I invited you, anyway." He hands Will a hot dog, the heat spilling onto his hand, the coke bottle covered in droplets of condensation. "And, even if I never see you again, at least we can hang out tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Will says. "It doesn't have to be for just tonight, does it? I'm here for three more days after this, we can hang out tomorrow or something." They're walking back through the dark streets, but when Nico passes through the light of a streetlamp he's illuminated, the glow glinting in his eyes and showing the shine in his hair.

"Yeah, yeah, definitely," Nico says, bouncing lightly on his feet, a spec of ketchup at the corner of his mouth. He wipes it off and his smile beams brightly. "I'm almost surprised that I made a friend. I always hope it'll happen, but it never does."

"I'm surprised, too," Will says, taking another bite into his hot dog. Nico's right- the bun is toasted perfectly and he can't place why, but the hot dog tastes better than it ever has before. "I thought I was just gonna do a bunch of work over the vacation, but this is nice. Meeting someone new. Even with college, I only made a few new friends."

"Well, now you have one more." Nico smiles as they approach the beach and in the distance, Will can see a five-foot fire raging against the dark sky. Will takes a swig of his coke as they approach the fire, taking a seat on the sand next to Nico. He can feel Nico's skin against his, soft and smooth and warm. There are other people sitting next to them, people who Will doesn't recognize but greet him with warm smiles. There have to be at least twenty-five, all young, all happy, their feet buried in the sand, one girl strumming a guitar, her face lit by the fire. There's a beauty in every single person there, in the way the fire casts a golden glow, in the way they're all wearing wide smiles that make their cheeks rosy. But Nico looks more beautiful than anyone.

Over the course of the night, Nico's head drops to Will's shoulder, nestling into the crook of his neck. When the girl with the guitar begins to play Let it Be Nico begins to sing along, his voice low and husky. His head is still on Will's shoulder and he can feel the vibrations in his vocal cords as he sings. On a whim he wraps his arm around Nico's waist, pulling him as close as he can get him. He isn't sure why he did it but Nico doesn't seem to mind; instead, his singing strengthens and soon his voice is ringing out through the night, rising up to the stars. And even though Will can hear the waves lapping onto the beach, the soft strums of guitar strings, Nico's voice is the most beautiful thing he's ever heard in his life. And as time passes Will finds himself joining in, quietly, but Nico turns his head up to him, smiling softly.

"Your voice is beautiful," he says quietly. "You're amazing."

"I'm not that good," Will says. "I'm average. My dad just put me in a ton of singing lessons when I was younger."

"No," Nico says firmly, his eyes hardening. He lifts his head off of Will's shoulder and the air around them seems to intensify electricity crackling. "You're amazing." Will feels all of the air leave his body and for a second he can't breathe as Nico wraps his arms around Will's waist, their eyes connecting. But when Nico swoops up, pressing a long, hard kiss to Will's lips, his body fills with air, and he can breathe better than he ever has before.

Hi guys, sorry this isn't that great quality, it's been a really busy week and honestly my brain is fried at this point and I wrote this entire thing before seven in the morning, so I wasn't exactly at my peak. But I hope you liked it!

Nina