Song: Summer Child by Conan Gray

(With slight adjustments to better suit characters)

Characters:

Nico, Aurora, Rowan, and River (aka, the only ones who actually love/loved Nico, haha)

Context:

This song is very different than the others in the sense that it's not from the perspective of Nico, who's the "main character," but rather from the perspective of those who truly care about her.

You see hints of Nico's past as well as hints at their current state.

I'll show the transition, but most of the time when Rowan and Aurora are talking, it's from beyond the grave as they continue to watch over Nico as best as they can.

*TW for mentions of abuse and death*

Okay, enjoy!

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(We start in Nico and Aurora's childhood. Rora is tasked with shielding her sibling from the terrors of their household, but she's aware she can't hide everything, even as much as she tries, and she watches with a mixture of fondness and sadness as Nico continues to smile at her and love her even after she's convinced she's not doing enough, and even as he continues to get traumatized by their parents)

Aurora (15), smiling and watching Nico (10) marvel at simple nature in the park, dragging her behind: "You see all the flowers in the weeds."

Aurora (15), waking up in the middle of the night to comfort Nico (10) from a night terror, noticing the fact that he's wearing long sleeves again, which is never a good sign: "You're scared of the dark when you sleep, you cover up your arms with your sleeves even in hundred-degree heat."

(Small timeline jump. Rowan and Nico have been dating for a few weeks and Rowan has picked up on most of Nico's habits. Things are put into more perspective when they witness Nico running out of her house, panicked, with a bloody lip.)

Rowan (14), tending to Nico's (14) wounds and offering as much support as they can: "Your father was awfully mean..."

Nico (14), trying to smile and redirect the attention: "My favorite color is blue!"

Rowan (14), picking up the story with ease, having already heard it and humoring Nico's topic change: "It reminds you of the summer you turned three, twirling through the ice rink by your street."

(Another time skip. Rowan and Aurora now watch from beyond the grave, examining Nico as they continue to smile and fight their way through life, eventually meeting Adiar and River.)

Aurora (19, dead), watching with a mix of sadness and wonder: "And you laugh and you dance in the wind."

Rowan (14, dead), approaching Aurora and sitting beside her to watch, pain reflecting in their eyes: "And you sway and you hug and you kiss, but there's darkness behind those eyes even when you smile."

Aurora (19, dead), sighing softly as she watches Nico interact with Adiar and River: "Oh, summer child, you don't have to act like all you feel is mild."

Rowan (14, dead), on the verge of tears as they watch Nico go through continued abuse while still smiling: "You don't really love the sun, it drives you wild! You're lyin', summer child!"

(Same timeline, but new perspective. River watches Nico pull through Adiar's abuse and still act kindly towards both him and River, continuing to love and smile. They regret ever allowing Nico to join the relationship, but see no way out now without causing more harm)

River (22), sighing as Nico (21), runs a hand through their hair and hums softly, comforting River despite getting, what River considers, the worst of the abuse: "Aren't you way too busy taking care of everybody to take care of yourself?"

Nico (21), smiling tensely and fighting back tears as he tries to stay optimistic: "When the sun goes missing aren't the flowers just as pretty, aren't the oceans just as deep, the trees as green?"

River (22), clenching their hands and feeling useless and hopeless as Nico begins to cry, apologizing quietly for not being able to do anything: "And as for me, I'll watch you weep."

(Timeline change. Now we're back near the beginning of Nico, Adia, and River's relationship. This takes place around the same time as the short story "Betrayal," and it's basically River first starting to recognize how bad it was that they let Nico join the relationship while also realizing that they do love Nico and don't want her to go. Still, even feeling conflicted, River encourages Nico to be honest with them, even if they can't be honest with anyone else. After all, they're in the same boat.)

River (16), smiling weakly and sitting down next to Nico (15), who wipes away his tears in an attempt to hide: "Oh, summer child, you don't have to act like all you feel is mild. You don't really love the sun, it drives you wild."

River (16), pulling Nico into their arms and feeling as they tense before breaking down. Sadly, River shakes their head and buries their face in Nico's hair, hating that she feels the same way they do, and hating even more that he's scared to show them: "You're lyin', summer child."