Disclaimer: I do not own the series that this is based on, nor do I own the characters I am writing about. I am also not making any money from this. I am simply getting my perverse thoughts out there to share, hehehe.
Nico had always been somewhat quiet. He generally preferred to observe others and abstain from commentary. Today, though, he seemed particularly reticent. He and Will were in the new apothecary next to the infirmary, preparing herbs for various remedies. The blonde had been tittering away about the benefits of each herb when he noticed that his boyfriend was acting glum and distracted. Will had hoped that Nico would eventually come out of it like he usually did. He had even purposely mashed up some citrus smelling herbs to help, but Nico continued to sigh and adroitly clip the leaves and stems.
The blonde took some took some of the compounds to the refrigerator across the apothecary and returned with more fresh herbs. He handed Nico a few bundles of rosemary and briefly explained what to do with it before lovingly kissing the smaller man on the temple and starting to work on the dried aniseed. He was making a ruckus with the mortar and pestle when he thought he heard Nico say something. He stopped grinding, "What was that?"
Nico quietly repeated, "Bianca wanted to name her first daughter Rosemary." He looked over at Will, "She liked it because we had an old neighbor lady with that name and she was always very kind."
Will stayed silent for a moment, making sure that his boyfriend was finished speaking. "That's really sweet," he said, not really sure of the appropriate response. He then continued, "Would you ever give a daughter that name?"
Nico looked out toward the low sun, bathing his face in golden light. "Rosemary di Angelo." he said, seeming to taste the words on his tongue. He looked at Will again, "Sounds like a mouthful for a little baby."
Will smiled. Nico's mood was elevating. "She wouldn't be a baby forever... What about Rosemary Solace?"
The blonde delighted in the blush that washed over Nico's pale skin. He was glad that his boyfriend had picked up on what he was saying; that he wanted to be co-parent and all the meaning that came with it. He kissed Nico's forehead and went back to work on his herbs. After a beat, Nico returned to his rosemary. As Will started grinding again he could hear the other man singing quietly to himself. Knowing that Nico was self conscious about his low vibrato, Will contented himself with grinding more slowly so that he could continue listening.
"Is there anything else?" Nico asked a while later. Will nodded and handed him another bunch of rosemary. Nico looked outside again, "It's going to be dark soon."
"Yeah, that tends to happen when the sun goes down." Will lightly teased.
"Better start finishing up." Nico said, then surprised Will by asking, "Do you want to come over tonight?"
The other man dropped the pestle and it clattered loudly on the counter. He recovered quickly, "Uh sure. I'd love to."
The blush returned to Nico's face and Will absolutely melted. He suddenly needed his boyfriend in his arms and pulled him closer. Nico wrapped his arms around Will and held him tightly. They stayed that way for a long time, and when they let go they kept a reverent silence. These moments were Nico's favorite, when they communicated in a way that didn't make a big deal of itself. The two young men shared a peace that he absolutely loved.
By the time all of the herbs were boxed up and placed in the fridge it was dark outside. Nico held his hand out to Will as they left the apothecary. Will followed his companion into the darkness and was expertly led to the Hades cabin. When they entered Will was instantly enveloped in his boyfriend's earthy scent.
"Come sit with me." Nico said, pulling off his shoes and throwing them in the other man's general direction. Will toed his shoes off and gleefully joined his boyfriend on the couch. They casually hunkered down into their typical spooning position.
"Your cabin is always so quiet. It's kind of weird."
"Sorry, do you want me to put music on or something?"
"No. It's nice."
"Hmm... Good." Nico said, turning to wrap his arms around Will's ribs. "Will?"
"Yes, Nico?"
"Are you mad that we haven't had sex yet?"
Will laughed at the absurd question, then realized that Nico was being serious. "Of course not." he said, "Who put that in your head?"
"I just heard a guy in the mess hall talking about how this girl is a tease because they lay around together but she won't let him do anything."
Will sat up a little, "First of all, that's not even the real definition of a tease. Secondly, that guy is a jerk for just expecting that of her." he got serious and cupped Nico's face, "I would never want you to feel pressured into anything, and I trust you not to pressure me. Our relationship is moving at the pace it needs to."
Nico blinked slowly; a sign that he was processing Will's words. "What if I want to do stuff but I'm afraid of asking?"
"Why would you be afraid?"
"I don't want you to think I'm some kind of sex-crazed pervert." the smaller man admitted, face warming in Will's hands.
"Oh sweet Nico. It would take something extraordinary to make me think you you were a pervert. Even then, I'd probably be up to trying whatever you were into."
Nico laughed, "I don't even know what to say to that."
"Well," Will settled back into the couch, "Tell me something you want to do."
The smaller man thought for a moment, "I don't know..." he said as he turned bright red, "I guess I just want to... explore."
Will's face had also gone pink, "I think I would like that very much."
Nico gave a shy smile and kissed his boyfriend. Shaky hands rested on Will's shoulders, starting to feel up and down Will's arms. His hands were cold at first, but warmed quickly against Will's skin. Nico's hand began moving down Will's chest and he found it oddly fascinating to feel the expansion and contraction of it as Will took a deep breath. When he felt comfortable, he slipped his hands up underneath the other man's shirt, looking at Will's face to make sure that it was okay. Will gave a reassuring smile but Nico could feel his thundering heartbeat and see that his hands were nervously clenching and unclenching.
"I don't know what to do with my hands." Will admitted, noticing the dark stare. Nico removed his hands from under Will's shirt and and grabbed both of the other man's hands, placing them on his own hips. He raised his eyebrows as he slipped his hands back under Will's shirt, "Better?"
"Mhm." Will said, nervously drumming his fingers on Nico's hips. His grip tightened as a hand swept on either side of his ribcage and down, moving over to brush across his stomach. He hands twitched and he clenched his stomach when Nico repeated the action but with lightly running his nails across Will's skin. Will thought he might die when Nico removed his hands again.
"Too much?" Nico asked, holding up his hands like a caught criminal.
Will shook his head, "I just wasn't prepared for it."
"Sorry." the son of Hades said, leaning back a little, "Your turn?"
The other man prayed to the gods that Nico couldn't feel how embarrassingly hard he was as his boyfriend sat on his lap again. When he put his hands inside Nico's shirt he was first amazed at how soft the other's skin was. He could feel the evidence of developed abdominal muscles beneath his fingers and lifted the material of Nico's shirt to peak at what he was running his hands over. The other man's skin was a mesmerizing milky white.
"Do you not take your shirt off when you practice fighting?" Will asked, thinking out loud.
Nico blushed and pulled his shirt down, "No. I like to keep my skin covered. I get dark really easily."
"Hmm. I'm not encouraging sun exposure, but I bet your skin is gorgeous with a bit of sun on it. Of course, it's wonderful now..." he reached for the hem of Nico's shirt again but was rebuffed.
"You look like you want to eat me." The smaller man said, sounding nervous.
Will laughed, "Nah. I do desperately want to kiss you, though."
Dark eyes looked into hopeful blue, "Hmm, okay." he said before leaning down to kiss Will. He then moved moved to tuck himself on his side between Will and the couch. Will moved to his side as well to have room. He kissed his boyfriend again and they began the familiar movements of making out. Nico pulled the other man close against himself and his hands returned underneath Will's shirt, causing the blonde to moan. Embarrassed, Will hid his face in the other man's shoulder. Nico gently moved Will's face back to his and kissed him slowly, gently, lovingly. Nico's hands continued roaming, but he kept his hands outside of his boyfriend's shirt. Will kissed over Nico's face down to his neck, earning an interesting and wonderful sound. The Italian moved to capture Will's mouth again, pressing against him harder and slipping his thigh between Will's. The blonde moaned again and Nico held his head in place, kissing him hard. They moved against each other until the smaller man made a pained noise. Will immediately stilled.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Nico nodded, "Yes. It's just...um..."
Will watched as Nico reached into his pants and Will realized that his boyfriend was adjusting himself.
"Okay, I'm good now." Nico said, then noticed that Will was staring. The blonde reached down and traced the outline with his finger. It pulsed against Will's fingers.
"Do you want to stop?" Will asked, pupils so dilated that his eyes looked dark.
"Do you?" Nico asked evasively.
Will smirked, "How about this: How far do you want to go tonight?"
The son of Hades was quiet for quite a while as he thought on it. He knew he wasn't ready for everything, but he was ready for something. Still, they had gone awfully far tonight already. Would they regret more?
"Nico?"
"I think... I think this is enough." Nico said, knowing it was the right answer. He looked at Will, "Are you mad?"
Will kissed him, "No. It makes me feel better knowing that you're not afraid to set the boundaries."
"Okay."
"I'll be right back though. I'm a little bit uncomfortable." Will said before getting up and heading to the bathroom.
He wasted no time dropping his pants and starting to work himself. He sighed in relief and leaned against the door frame. He thought he heard a soft moan on the other side.
"Nico?"
"Yeah?" Nico sounded breathless.
"Nothing." Will answered, getting even more aroused at the fact that his boyfriend was on the other side of the door doing the same thing he was. He could hear the soft sounds Nico was making and knew the other man could hear his. It wasn't long before Will heard his own name through the door. This sent him over the edge and he leaned against the door to catch his breath. He could tell that Nico was gone from the other side of the door, presumably to clean himself up. Will also began to clean up, almost nervous to see the smaller man after what had happened. Would things be weird now? He started when he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." he said.
Nico entered, looking shy and satisfied. "I need to wash my hands." he said quietly as he moved to the sink. As he washed his hands Will fought the urge to pull him over to hold him.
"Do you still need help with the herbs tomorrow?" Nico asked and just like that, things returned to normal between them.
"We're almost done but I'd love it if you stopped by." Will said to Nico's reflection in the mirror. Nico turned around and pecked Will, "Okay. Let's get you back to your cabin before the siblings get suspicious."
"They already are." Will smiled, then took his boyfriend's hand.
As he was led through the darkness again Will could feel the smile plastered on his face. He was replaying everything that had transpired because he just couldn't believe what had happened. He was excited that they were taking their relationship to the next level, but also nervous about how real things were getting.
"We're here." Nico said, stopping a few feet from the cabin. Will could see his boyfriend illuminated in the light coming from the moon and felt... warm. Suddenly he wasn't nervous anymore. "Are you okay?" the other man asked.
Will nodded, "Yes. I just... like looking at you."
"Dork." Nico smiled, then stepped closer to his boyfriend before kissing him, "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yes." Will said, kissing his boyfriend one last time... then two more times. As he walked to his cabin he turned around one more time and waved at Nico, who was waiting for him to get inside safely. His heart did a little dance as he turned away and continued to the door.