Btw guys I am absolutely using my other story for this one, as it was the reason I wrote it.

Narrator POV

"You are my Sunshiiiiiiine," Will sang, holding Nico's hand tight. "My on-lee Sunshiiiiiiine. You make me happyyyyyyyyyy, when skies are gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. You'll never know deeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaar, how much I love youuuuuuuuu, please don't taaaaaaaaaaaake, my Sunshinnnnnne a-wayyyyy."

"Gods please don't take, our Sunshine's away." Kayla joined in.

"No please don't take, his Sunshine a... way..." Austin added, outshining all of the other kid's singing.

Time skippity-skip because I FUCKING FEEL LIKE IT

The first thing Nico registered was the blinding ache in his skull, a symphony of hammers echoing behind his eyes. His mouth was cotton, throat sandpaper, and every breath felt like dragging Stygian boulders. He blinked, blurry shapes resolving into sterile white... a hospital?

Then, warmth. A hand on his, steady and comforting. He flinched, fear a hot coil in his gut. Who dared touch him in this desolate wasteland?

Before he could react, a face swam into view, blond hair haloed by the stark light. A boy, too close, his eyes the color of a sun-drenched sky. And then, without warning, the boy leaned in, lips aiming for Nico's.

Panic flared, hot and primal. He shoved, the blonde boy stumbling back, his face a portrait of stunned disbelief.

"Get off me!" Nico snarled, the word raw and rasping. "Who in Hades are you?! And what are you thinking?!"

Will, his eyes shining with a nervous hope, "You're my boyfriend, do you not remember...?"

A silence hangs heavy in the sterile room. Then, Nico scoffs, a harsh, grating sound that echoes off the white walls.

"Pfft," he spits, the sound laced with venom. "I was mad before, but now I'm mad and annoyed. This is ridiculous."

Will's hopeful smile crumbles. His fingers tighten around the edge of the bed, knuckles white against the stark linen.

"What do you mean?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper.

Nico fixes him with a cold stare, his eyes devoid of their usual spark. "What part did you not understand, sunshine?

Wills eyes lit up at the reference, but the dissolved almost immediately.

A cruel laughter bubbled up in Nico's throat. "Boyfriend?" he spat, the word tasting foreign on his tongue. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't even know you."

Will's face crumpled, the sun in his eyes dimming. "But... but we... we've been together for months. Camp Half-Blood, the Underworld training, remember? We even—"

He cut himself off, a wounded silence filling the room. Nico stared at him, a cold detachment settling over him. This boy, whoever he was, was playing some sick game.

"Look," Nico said, his voice laced with icy disdain, "I don't know what kind of twisted fantasy you're weaving, but it ends now. I don't have boyfriends, never will. And someone like you..."

He trailed off, a chilling mockery playing on his lips. "Someone like you wouldn't even be on the gay-dar." Nico laughed at his own moronic joke.

The words, barbed and cruel, hung heavy in the air. Will's shoulders slumped, defeat clinging to him like a shroud. But beneath the pain, a sliver of steel glinted in his eyes.

Will's eyes teared up, and Nico scoffed.

"Don't try that with me. It's not going to work. Bianca used to cry on demand. We got out of a lot of trouble that way. Speaking of... where's my sister?"