Mentions of drinking/sex if that stuff makes you uncomfortable. Also, make sure to read to the end because I have a really special announcement!!

Nico's POV

There are benefits of being roommates with "Party Animal Percy." Free booze whenever he wants, boys coming to their dorm looking for a good time and someone to share it with, a decent reputation as someone at least kind of cool. But there are downsides, as there always are. One of those downsides being dragged to a bar in a part of New York City that he didn't even know existed, watching Percy dance his way into the crowd on the floor with Annabeth following suit. That leaves him at the bar, sipping on whatever drink Percy had ordered him with the vague instruction to have fun still ringing in his ears. Looking around, he doesn't know anyone except for Percy and Annabeth, doesn't recognize the buildings outside and has no method of getting back to his dorms other than taking the subway by himself at midnight. The night isn't shaping up to be fun in the slightest. 

"Hey, Perce," Nico says, cutting his way through the crowd. The music makes his ears throb and the strobe lights make his eyes sting, but Percy and Annabeth look like they're having an amazing time. "Perce." He doesn't get a response. "Percy!" 

"Nico," Percy says, grinning crazily. His face is covered in a sheen of sweat, but he's still bouncing on the balls of his feet like a child at a birthday party. "What's up? You wanna dance with us?" 

"Nah. I'm gonna step outside for a sec, okay?" Nico says, tilting his head towards the door. Percy nods, already slipping back into the depths of the crowd.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Have fun, 'kay, Neeks?" Nico can't help but roll his eyes. Percy has the best intentions, he really does, but he's the dumbest person Nico has ever met. 

"Yeah, don't worry. I will," Nico says. Percy flashes him a thumbs up and Nico heaves a heavy sigh, slipping out the door and leaving his drink on the counter. 

The air is cool around him and he draws his jacket tighter, shivering lightly as a breeze blows through the street. The city is usually crowded, a bustling metropolis even so late at night, but this area is quiet, and the only sound is the music from inside of the bar, and the hooting of the people inside who have had just a few too many drinks. He can hear Percy's voice loud and clear. 

He sighs, taking a step to the right so that he's standing inside a tiny circle of light cast from the streetlight above. It's warmer in the circle, somehow, and he appreciates it in the chill of the November air. He isn't sure how he can possibly be so bored in such a big city, but the only thing he wants at that moment is to go home. He would go inside, drag Percy out and all the way back to their dorm, but he's having so much fun Nico thinks it might be considered a crime. 

"Hey." Someone steps into his circle of light, someone with blond hair that shines in the night like gold and the stance of someone looking for an adventure, and Nico thinks the night may not be so boring after all. "What're you doing out here?" 

"Got bored in there," Nico says, nodding towards the door of the club. "What about you?" 

"Just about the same," he says, flashing Nico a grin. "I'm Will." 

"Nico. Did you come with someone?"  

"Just a couple of friends," Will says, glancing back into the club. "They're so drunk it's not even worth trying to have a conversation with them. I think you're the only sober person I've met tonight except for the bartender, and they're not even that sober." Nico laughs softly, a sound that might have been drowned out by the music inside, but Will seems to have heard it. There's something about that moment underneath the streetlight that seems surreal as if he's living in a dream. He feels as if he's drunk, but he isn't; his head is clear and he's holding his breath, waiting for something to happen. 

"You think your friends will be fine without you for a night?" Nico asks, his heart in a flurry. Will glances back as if trying to pick his friends out of the crowd but after a few seconds, he shakes his head, grinning. 

"Probably. They're pretty resourceful. So, you wanna get out of here?" Will asks. Nico purses his lips, staring down at the sidewalk underneath his feet. It's a general rule of thumb not to leave a bar with someone you just met. Things can get dicey, he knows, and the people you meet out on the streets or in bars late at night often aren't the best. But there's something about Will that's different, a connection between the two of them that he hasn't felt with anyone before. Something instantaneous, something almost magical. And neither of them are blackout drunk; sure, Nico's had a few sips, but for the most part, he's completely in control of his decisions. And he knows exactly what decision he wants to make. 

"Sure." He isn't sure exactly what he's doing as he follows Will down the streets of New York, the music of the bar fading behind him until it's a distant memory. But the rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins is too good to give up. 

As he follows Will, the scenery gets more and more familiar. The scenery changes from the run-down buildings and the scent of alcohol to the proud architecture and green park of his campus. "Hang on," Nico says, staring up at the buildings that brush the bottom of the sky, the same ones he sees every day. "Do you go to NYU too?" 

"Yeah." Will looks confused until a grin spreads onto his face and he looks almost crazy. "Do you?" 

"Yeah," Nico says. Will laughs, the sound bouncing off of the walls and echoing all throughout the city. 

"It's kinda like fate, isn't it? That we met?" 

"Yeah," Nico says. There's so much adrenaline rushing through his veins he feels like he should be drunk. But he isn't. He's never been this clear-headed in his entire life. "Just like fate." Will grins crazily and he steps up closer before pulling Nico into a passionate kiss, the cool night air around them. It feels like part of a fairy tale, a magical event that shouldn't be happening to him but is. He's never felt so lucky in his life and he kisses back hard before they stumble into Will's dorm room and his world melts into nothing but pure passion.

The next day is spent in a frenzy of Instagram searches and surfing every inch of the internet as he searches desperately for any person named Will he can find. "You didn't even get his last name?" Percy asks, his arm slung over his eyes and an untouched glass of water on his bedside table. Percy always claims that he's the king of getting over hangovers, but that morning is proving him wrong. 

"No, Percy, stop asking me that," Nico says as he hits the backspace key with a stuttering sigh. Blond hair Will New York University hadn't yielded any results, but maybe a more specific search will give him something better. Maybe if he mentions the long legs, the perfect smile, the glimmer of excitement in his eyes, he'll find Will. "Like I said, it all moved kinda fast. And then his roommate was coming home at like six in the morning, and I left really fast, and I didn't even get a glimpse at the building we were in." 

"Dumbass." 

"Shut up," Nico says, checking his texts. He's well connected but somehow, not a single person he has in his contacts knows a Will. After all, there are fifty thousand students at NYU. Will could be any one of them. 

"What was so special about this guy anyway?" Percy asks. He raises the water glass to his lips but barely anything gets past them before he winces, setting it back down and wrapping his arm around his stomach. Nico would feel bad if he was being at all sympathetic. "He sounds like just another hookup."

"It was different this time," Nico says, heaving a sigh. He rests his chin on his knees as he pulls them up to his chest. He can still feel Will's hands on his back. It's not like he hasn't been in relationships before, or been in bed with a guy, but last night with Will was different. Almost as if it had happened before, as if they've known each other for years, and last night was just as amazing as all the others. "He was different. There was something about us together that just felt so right. Do you get what I'm saying?" Percy sighs heavily, and for a second Nico is scared that he's going to throw up. It's not like he hasn't been expecting it, but he isn't looking forward to having to help clean it up. But then he nods, smiling softly at Nico. 

"Yeah, I get it. The first night with Annabeth- it was like it was meant to be. She did everything right, and so did I." 

"It was like that last night, with Will," Nico says. He glances down at the floor, a tear pricking at the corner of his eye. "Do you think I'm gonna find him?" Percy sighs, staring up at the ceiling. 

"I really don't know," he says. "You met on a coincidence, and because of that, you might never meet again. I mean, maybe someone you know will know him, and maybe you'll run into him on campus, but it's a small chance and you know it."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning," Nico says, falling across his bed and letting his arms splay out on the mattress.

"I'm just being honest, Neeks, I'm sorry." He sounds sorry, but it doesn't make Nico feel any better. "Maybe he's just the one who got away. Everyone has to have that one person who they think about for the rest of their life. Maybe yours is Will."

"Yeah." Nico's voice is quiet; his body is in the room, talking to Percy. But his mind is still back in Will's room last night, and if he closes his eyes hard enough, he can remember the way their skin felt together. Nico could keep trying to find Will. Knock on doors, ask the people in his classes, wander the campus for hours until he's searched every nook and cranny. Or, he can just let it go. "Maybe you're right." He can search for Will all he wants. But maybe they'll just remain strangers in the night.

Hi guys, I hope you liked it and also, I have a special announcement! Since it's getting closer to the holidays and I want to try and interact with you guys a bit more, I'm going to be holding a holiday/winter-themed writing contest!  The only requirements are that it has to be somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 words(a little more or a little less is completely fine!) and it has to be related to either winter or a winter holiday of your choice. I think the best way to do it so that it's anonymous is to have you guys email your submission to me, preferably on like a google doc or a pdf at [email protected] and then dm me the title of your work just so that they're judged as anonymously as possible. 

I'm not sure how many submissions I'm going to get but right now I think I'm going to post the top 3 with permission from the writer and send the first place winner a 25 dollar gift card of their choice, probably over email but we can get that sorted out once you win. The submission period is now until December 21, and I'll have everything judged and the winners will be notified hopefully by December 31! I think I got everything that I needed to say here but if you have questions about anything feel free to leave a comment or dm me, and I hope to see your submissions!

Nina