I'm sorry if this is a little rough. I'm a little rusty at writing Fanfiction and it's 11:36 at night. However, after reading the Blood of Olympus, I couldn't NOT write some WillNico fluff (speaking of which, what is the official name for them? Wico? Nill?).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All PJO and HoO characters belong to Rick Riordan!
WARNING: Blood of Olympus spoilers! I suggest reading the book first, otherwise this won't make any sense!
He never expected to belong anywhere.
His whole life he had always been cast into the role of loner. Maybe he had been doomed to the lifestyle by birthright, being a son of Hades. It started when he and his sister Bianca were forced into the casino for over half a century. Everything went downhill from there. He lost his sister, lost his childhood, and eventually lost any chance at a home. He roamed between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, belonging to neither encampment. Sure, he had met his half-sister Hazel, and for that he was eternally grateful, but even she had to leave him. He had to watch his hero, his crush, the one person he trusted most fall in love with another girl.
It was no wonder the darkness had eaten away at him, full of hurt, anguish, anger, fear, tragedy. It was a miracle he hadn't succumbed.
The son of Hades was currently dressing himself for the upcoming day. The cabin was empty except for himself, but he appreciated that. Of course, he wished Hazel were with him, but he was honestly glad she was happy. Nevertheless, he was used to being on his own.
Ever since the cabin had been built, it had felt unusually cold the few times he had stayed in it. Almost as if his bitterness had been projecting itself into the room. But after the events with Gaea and his decision to stay at Camp Half-Blood, it felt significantly warmer. Comfortable.
Nico slipped on his black t-shirt. His jeans were ripped up and his shoes had definitely seen better days. His skull ring was in its place, as usual, and his pitch-black hair was unruly, but there was no saving that.
His dark-eyed reflection stared back at him in the mirror. There was a light edge to his gaze that hadn't been there before, and his skin was less gaunt, the shadows underneath his eyes nearly erased. There was an aura about him that was friendlier, not so dark as it had once been. He seemed to carry himself a little better.
He allowed himself a small smile at the obvious change in appearance. He even felt better.
Nico slipped outside into the warm sun. It was late morning and people were bustling around continuing the cleanup from the war. Some of the Romans that had stayed behind were helping to fix cabins, and some Greeks were reassuring the tree nymphs that more trees would be planted in the forest where a few monsters had run amuck.
It had been about a week since the final battle with Gaea. Nico still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he had shadow-traveled thousands of miles within a couple weeks. He still couldn't quite believe that they had defeated the Earth goddess. All thanks to Leo and his stupid, clever plans.
Nico was still positive that Leo had died, but…well, he still couldn't shake that feeling that something was different about his death. He suspected Valdez had pulled some spectacular trick, but he didn't have the heart to get everyone's hopes up (especially Jason's and Piper's) only to find out he was wrong. He wouldn't mention anything until he had concrete evidence.
The thing that shocked Nico the most about the whole mission—the whole past year, really—was that he had made relationships with people he never expected to.
Like Reyna. He missed the Roman praetor, but like Hazel, he was glad she was happy and safe. She was an excellent leader, and she had become one of his most trusted friends within days. They had both shared parts of each other they usually kept hidden and accepted them. For that, he would always be grateful to her. She had literally seen him at his worse during the fight with Bryce, but she had forgiven him instead of casting him aside like everyone else.
He felt the same way about Jason. He had inadvertently seen a part of Nico he hadn't told anyone about, a side he had wanted to keep hidden forever. Maybe…maybe it was a good thing he had been there. Jason had accepted him, too. He knew how Nico felt about Percy, and he hadn't judged. By all means, he wasn't best friends with Jason Grace, but it felt good to know someone genuinely enjoyed his presence and even worried about him.
It was an unfamiliar feeling, but a good one. And truth be told, he rather enjoyed hanging out with Jason. His eagerness when Nico had announced his decision to live at Camp was amusing.
Things are better than expected, Nico thought optimistically. He clambered up the pathway, his focus on the dining pavilion. His stomach growled at the prospect of food—his appetite had improved greatly since the war ended.
He passed by giggling daughters of Aphrodite talking to some Roman kids. He even saw Hedge chatting animatedly to his son Chuck, making his way into the dining pavilion. As Nico approached, he spotted another unexpected friend sitting off by himself, picking away at some bread and jam.
Initially, Nico didn't have a problem with Will Solace. He had never been around Camp long enough to recognize him as anything other than the healer from Apollo's cabin. He had always thought of him like he thought of Apollo—lazy, arrogant, but relatively easy-going.
On that final day against Gaea, he had discovered how wrong he had been.
Will Solace was infuriatingly stubborn, possibly even more arrogant than his father, and made stupid decisions (like when his big "distraction" against the Roman army had consisted of running straight at them). He didn't flinch away from Nico's death glare, and he had dared to touch him within minutes of meeting up with him and Lou Ellen.
He was possibly the most frustrating person Nico had ever met.
But that didn't explain why Nico's heart sped up and butterflies erupted in his stomach whenever Will smiled at him.
He had suspected that Will Solace had hated him for allowing Octavian to ultimately kill himself. He hadn't been surprised. Not everyone could be like Reyna. But he had gone with his gut, and he wasn't about to apologize. Besides, what did he care what one lousy Apollo kid thought of him?
Fortunately, that hadn't been the case. He had felt equal parts dread and relief when Will had motioned to Nico during his conversation with Jason. Will had practically interrogated him as to his whereabouts, and Nico had been pleased that Will had craved his company, because a small part of him had been craving his, too.
"You can't help out a friend? Maybe cut bandages? Bring me a soda or a snack? Or just a simple How's it going, Will? You don't think I could stand to see a friendly face?"
Nico could clearly recall his tone of voice—annoyed, indignant, offended and hurt. The same tone he'd used when Nico had initially declared to leave both camps. It was the same tone that made Nico feel a particular emotion crossed between protectiveness and hope that someone actually wanted him around.
"You owe me at least three days of rest in the infirmary. Starting now."
He had definitely felt the butterflies then, and he knew there was no denying that feeling. He had felt it for Percy, only this time it was light and free, not tinged bittersweet.
And that was when he realized his crush on Percy had passed. He knew then that Percy was an old, trusted friend. An equal. Not an idol.
He had spent his three days in the infirmary—and essentially with Will (that was a whole other story in itself). He felt closer to the son of Apollo, maybe because Will felt a sense of loneliness within his own cabin. He loved his siblings, but they were all better with archery and music. He was limited to high-pitched whistles and healing.
But Nico saw more than that. Being a son of Hades, surrounded by death, it was comforting and reassuring to be around someone who saved lives. Nico had told him as much, and the answering smile he had received from Will was as bright and warm as the sun.
Nico entered the dining pavilion. There weren't many campers since it was still a bit early for lunch. Will Solace was sitting at his own table. As soon as Nico had his food, he made his way over and sat across from the son of Apollo.
Onyx eyes met light blue. A smile spread across Will's face. "Hey," he greeted.
Nico swallowed against the butterflies. "Hey."
The two hadn't spoken since Nico had left the infirmary two days ago. He was a bit nervous that since he was feeling better, Will wouldn't want to be around him. It wasn't the first time it had happened.
But that worry was quickly squandered when Will said, "You know, I don't understand why you still think nobody wants to be your friend. I like hanging out with you. Isn't that enough? Can't we be friends?"
Nico felt his face flush. "I'm sorry." The words tumbled out. "It is enough. I-I'm just not used to it." He swallowed thickly.
Will's warm blue eyes studied Nico's face. "You're looking better," he commented. Nico hoped it wasn't too obvious why he was feeling better. "I've been stuck in the infirmary still. Resupplying everything. I tried to look for you on my breaks…"
Nico looked down at his food. He'd mostly been busying with remodeling his cabin—one could only take coffin-beds for so long—but he was partly avoiding Will. But his earlier words had sparked some hope in him.
"I've been in my cabin…" Nico admitted.
"And avoiding me," Will finished, narrowing his eyes at the dark-haired boy.
Nico's ears grew hot with embarrassment. "Maybe a little," he answered honestly. "But not for the reasons you think."
"Then why?"
"It's…complicated."
"I can keep up."
Nico stared at him. Will stared back, his gaze intense. He was determined to get his answers. There was an unmistakable pull between them. A tingling warmth spread through Nico, his heart hammering in his chest.
He shook his head, breaking the tension. "I…" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "I really like you, Will," he said in a rush. "And I'm just really afraid because I'm not used to having friends and feeling needed and I really want this to last because I don't think I can handle any more tragedy."
Nico sucked in a breath, refusing to look Will in the eyes. He wasn't one for sharing his feelings so openly. If he were rejected, he was pretty sure he would crawl into his cabin for the rest of time.
There was a moment of excruciating silence. Then Will mumbled, "I really like you, too."
A myriad of emotions raced through Nico with those words—shock, relief, fear, hope. But one thing was for sure—Nico felt incredibly happy.
He finally looked up to meet Will's gaze. It was open and inviting, a lazy grin spread across his face. Nico felt the warmth of that smile spread throughout his chest down to his toes.
A warm blush crept its way onto Nico's face as he gave a genuine smile in return, a gesture he was unfamiliar with—but it felt nice.
The two continued to stare at each other in awe, stuck in a sort of trance. Voices began closing in on them, becoming louder until they arrived at their table. Nico barely registered Percy and Annabeth taking a seat on either side of him, bickering about something or other. He barely even noticed Jason and Piper chatting as they took seats beside Will, opposite Nico.
All Nico saw in those moments was Will and his bright blue eyes and charming smile.
"So wait, Nico," Percy called, grabbing Nico's shoulder. Nico reluctantly looked away from Will. "What did you mean, 'You're not my type'?"
Nico's lips twitched. "Exactly as it sounds." Percy pursed his lips, unsatisfied. Nico rolled his eyes. "You're too brunette for me," he said, half-joking. He decided to ignore the devious grin Will flashed him.
Annabeth, who had seen the exchange, gave a sly smile. "Sorry, Percy," she called. "Nico prefers blondes."
Nico gave her a sharp look, but Annabeth only grinned in response.
Jason readjusted his gold-framed glasses and addressed Nico. "Did you need help with your cabin? Piper and I can help."
Nico affirmed that he did, causing Jason to smile in satisfaction.
He looked around at his friends, chatting happily with the weight of war lifted from their shoulders. He never imagined he would be sitting here now, eating lunch at Camp Half-Blood with people that accepted him. He had acknowledged long ago that his future would be filled with loneliness and dark shadows, never quite fitting in, wandering the world on his own.
But sitting here, he felt whole. Nico no longer felt as if he was slipping between the mortal world and death. The shadows that had threatened to swallow him had finally disappeared.
He caught Will's gaze again. Those blue eyes filled him with hope and a sense of belonging he'd never felt before. His smile was sunshine, filling Nico with warmth. He grinned back shamelessly.
He never expected to belong anywhere, and yet, somehow, he had found his home.
And there you have it! Will and Nico is definitely my third OTP (Percabeth, ThaliaApollo, WillNico). This book really made me appreciate Nico. I loved his development throughout the series, but especially in this book. Overall, the book was great. I absolutely loved it!
Also, liber umbrarum (the title) means "free from shadows" in Latin. Clever, eh?
As always, thanks for reading and drop a review! I can promise there will be more NicoWill (Solangelo? Angelace?) stories in the future! (Specifically about Nico's three days in the infirmary...hehehe)
-Akatsuki Child