Happy birthday Jen! I wrote this as soon as the idea came to me. I suck at Solangelo so... I'm sorry it's so tiny. I still hope you like it, 'cuz!

I own nothing. I mean, my name isn't Rick Riordan, it's John Green... (I'm joking!)

Hope you like it!

Nico hated white.

Don't get him wrong, he's sure some people find white comforting and a symbolism of safety. But why is it so dam bright?

And Will notices this, of course, which is why he gets Nico put in the only room with dark blue walls. But Nico doesn't notice. He's only glad to be away from all that white.

Then Nico's not sure how the Hades cabin should be decorated.

"Maybe," Will suggests when he comes to check up on the son of Hades, "you should have candles as the only source of light. The shadows might provide you with the opportunity to shadow travel."

Nico takes up this suggestion, but he forgets to say thanks.

This continues. Nico gets stuck on something, Will suggests how to get out of it, and Nico forgets to thank him.

Will's life is dedicated to helping people. He doesn't expect everyone to thank him, thought most times it's appreciated. But for some reason, it hurts him that Nico wouldn't thank him.

He knows Nico felt unwanted at Camp Half-Blood, which is why he made a point to wave and smile at him everyday. After all, no one should feel so separated. But Nico doesn't notice, and it somehow just gets to Will.

He sneaks into the woods late-October, planning on getting killed by some monster in the woods. He doesn't know why Nico's rejection hurts so much.

"What are you doing here?" a quiet voice asks him, and Will just wants to scream because it's the one person who drove him to do this.

"Nothing," he manages, and he would've gotten away with it too.

But he had to look back, and when he saw him clearly in the shadows, he felt like screaming.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping like the dead?"

Nico shrugs, smiling as he leans against the closest tree. "The woods are my business. And when someone else turns gloomy, Nico notices."

Will's eyes widen as he realizes Nico di Angelo is teasing him.

"You're one to talk, Underworld."

Nico's grin seems to stretch across his face, and Will decides everyone's been lying to him. Nico's smile is actually cute.

"Why have you been ignoring me?"

Nico rolls his eyes at the son of Apollo. "No one wants to make a fool themselves in front of the person they have a crush on."

Nico leans forward and presses his lips to Will Solace's before turning to walk away.

Forget white walls, he decides. Will's smile is brighter.