Despite being out of the closet and having admitted to a crush on a boy, there was something that prevented Nico from going up to Hazel and saying, "hey, Will and I are dating, now." Maybe it was the ship name that the Aphrodite cabin would come up with. But deep down Nico was aware that it was fear.
Nico feared the truth getting out and Will deciding that he wanted to leave him. He was afraid that one day Will would realise that there were better people out there and soon enough he would let Nico go. Heck, he was terrified.
But it was mostly of the ship name. Definitely.
When Nico woke one day in August, he found his vampiric cabin devoid of his sister's presence. Shrugging at this, he got up and entered the bathroom, although sluggishly.
Nico went about his normal day routine, but when he reached for his black toothbrush (don't judge him, he likes the colour!), Nico found his holster devoid of the brush. With a frown, he kneeled under the sink and opened the press, but there were no spare toothbrushes there, either.
Throwing on his aviator jacket, he grabbed a drachma and left his room, heading to the 'gift shop'.
On his way, Nico saw Percy and Annabeth sparring, Hazel and Frank sitting and cuddling and Piper and Jason laughing as they watched 'Percabeth', obviously nicknamed by the Aphrodite cabin. He didn't want to know what they'd call himself and Will if they found out. Wico? Nill? It made him uncomfortable to even think about it.
Coming upon the gift shop, he had just purchased a toothbrush when Will approached him. Recognising the look in his eyes (as if Nico were some sort of experiment or patient), Nico quickened his lace to his cabin.
However, the Son of Apollo caught his arm when he was just outside of his cabin. "We're going to the Infirmary."
"I have to brush my teeth," Nico held up his newly purchased (unfortunately yellow, it was the only one left) toothbrush, pushing against his boyfriend's arm.
"Too bad," Will answered. "I'm your dentist." Nico threw his arms up in exasperation.
Nico decided to go the easy route and threaten him. "I won't kiss you again if you don't leave me alone."
Will leaned in, planting a chaste kiss to his lips. Nico glanced around to see if anyone had spotted, but the demigods were too preoccupied. "I'll just steal them."
"I'll have rotten breath," Nico said. As Will dragged him away, he heard him chuckle.
"You'll be brushing your teeth, Nico, don't worry," Will said. Nico suspiciously nodded, holding his yellow brush in front of himself like a weapon. He pushed away Will's hands as they came upon the Infirmary. "Why'd you buy a new brush?"
"How do you know it's new?" Will looked down and Nico's eyes widened as he saw him blush. "Did you steal my toothbrush?!"
Will dragged him inside the Infirmary. "I had to do a check up on your teeth, and since you refused to let me, I had to borrow your toothbrush and do a little snooping." Will sent him a condescending look and said, "there was a lot of blood in the bristles."
"Oh really, Sherlock?" Nico muttered. Will grabbed his arm and pushed him into a chair. Nico glared up at him defiantly. "What's next; you'll steal my shoes in case I actually have a sixth toe?"
"I'm going to check on your teeth properly," said Will. "Or would you rather your teeth rot away?" With an annoyed scowl, Nico relented. As he prepared the equipment, Will asked, "why do you hate dentists, anyways?"
He distracted himself with looking at Will's arms. They were nice arms. "They pull people's teeth out." Will released a laugh at this, putting sunglasses on Nico's eyes as he pulled a light overhead.
"You've fought in two wars, Zeus knows how many battles, have had too many injuries to count and you're afraid of getting a tooth pulled? Well, there's no reason to worry, because if it is necessary, you'll be under Anesthesia. But that's if it's necessary. Now open up."
Reluctantly, Nico opened his mouth as Will propped a mirror like thing and what looked like a scalpel inside. He shivered at the feeling of the scalpel prodding around his teeth.
After a few minutes, Will smiled triumphantly. "Nico, you're very silly." He quirked an eyebrow as the tools were extracted from his mouth. "From now on I'm brushing your teeth."
"I will bite your hand of," Nico said. Will held out his hand, yet Nico made no move to bite it. Will only grinned.
"The reason there's blood is because you've been brushing too hard."
"You can do that?" Nico asked. Will nodded, placing toothpaste onto his old toothbrush! Nico glared at it. "Robber," he said, as Will continued.
"Yes, and you're wearing down your teeth. Come here." Nico shook his head, extending his palm to take the brush. "You'll hurt yourself, Nico."
"Because I haven't down that before," Nico mumbled. Will's eyes narrowed at him. "Just give it to me, Will. I'll be gentle." Tilting his head, Will looked to be considering and his response seemed that it would be negative. "Don't you trust me?"
Will evidently fell for the guilt trip as he offered Nico back his toothbrush. "Good." Doing what he'd originally set out to do that day, he brushed his teeth.
When that entire ordeal had passed, Nico found himself sitting outside the Infirmary, waiting on Will. He'd be done in about two minutes, and then they'd head down for lunch.
When the supposed doctor arrived, he took Nico by the arm and leaned down to kiss him. Nico held up an arm to stop him. "People will see."
"Let them," whispered Will. He bent down, placing a kiss on Nico's lips.
Nico wondered why he was ever self conscious about people ever knowing in the first place.
When Will pulled away, Nico glanced around, but nobody really looked surprised, despite the many observers. Piper and Annabeth grinned at each other, and the Connor Stoll extended his palm, where Travis dropped a couple drachmas into it. Only Percy looked dumbfounded, but that was probably because of his sheer obliviousness to anything romantic.
Nico turned back to Will. "Don't steal my toothbrush again."