A/N: This is basically just my take on the development of Nico and Will's relationship through the first year. It's a series of firsts that occurred inside the Hades cabin (not like that you pervs), as seen from their point of view. I have thought my other story, Hey You, to be a sort of continuation for this, as that is where they have another first (yes like that you pervs), and I'd appreciate it if you read that after this one.
I have included here some of my favorite headcanons of the two. And I dare say I'm really proud of how this turned out. So please read and review. :)
The first time that Will held Nico's hand (that one time on the Half-Blood Hill during a war didn't count – there was nothing romantic about baby satyrs and that hideous tropical shirt), he didn't exactly ask for permission. Nico wasn't big on physical contact, that much Will had figured out during the last few weeks, and he kept touching to the minimum. Apart from the occasional check for pulse or spread of healing cream on a bruise Will kept his distance to Nico, and he was okay with that. He figured he'd just have to find other ways to show the boy his ever growing affection.
After a while, though, Nico stopped flinching away from his touch. The son of Hades stopped trying to get as far away as he could and started sitting closer at campfires. He stopped shaking like a leaf every time Will got close to him and started hanging out in the infirmary just to be near him. He stopped pulling his hand back right the second he thought Will had gotten his pulse and started to linger. And there were smiles – barely a tug on the boy's lips, but clearly there, always sent towards Will, never to anyone else. Will was positive none of the other campers even knew if Nico di Angelo actually knew how to smile. But Will knew that Nico did smile, and that smile was breathtaking.
The two of them had taken to hang around in Nico's cabin. Nico still didn't feel comfortable in crowds, but Will sensed that both of them felt the urge to spend time together. The Hades cabin was in serious need of redecorating from the whole Dracula scheme, and at first the project gave them a chance to get to know each other. Later, when the cabin had long since been finished, they just simply stayed behind. Talking, or not talking, and sometimes just looking at each other and trying to figure the other out.
Sometimes, like on that particular afternoon, Nico would sit at his desk learning about burial rites in different cultures, and Will would sit on top of the desk, leaning his back against the wall and reading a medical book or one of Nico's many books. (Annabeth had tried to suggest Nico get a real book case, but he had refused, so the books were just lying around the cabin in neat piles.) They'd stay in silence – apart from Will's occasional humming, which Nico didn't mind as much as he said he did – and would only look up from their respective works hours later, at the sound of the horn informing dinner.
This time, however, Will wasn't really reading. Yes, he was holding the pre-med chemistry book he'd found from the infirmary, and it was open in his lap, but he hadn't turned a page in half an hour. He wasn't even looking at the book anymore. He was looking at Nico, the way the boy's black hair cast shadows on his forehead, and the faint spray of freckles that had only emerged a few days ago. Nico was leaning on his left elbow, and his right hand was lying on the desk next to Will (really very close to his thigh, actually), and every so often a frown appeared on the young boy's face, when he read something he didn't entirely understand.
Will thought the son of Hades looked like an angel (which, of course, sounded corny even in his own head, and was also kind of ironic, considering Nico's last name). He felt a small fond smile appear on his face, and didn't bother hide it.
"Stop looking at me like that", Nico suddenly mumbled, not even looking up from his book. A tint of pink had appeared on his cheeks, hiding the barely there freckles, but Will didn't mind – Nico looked just as beautiful with a blush as he did with freckles.
Will just continued smiling. "Like what?"
Nico huffed, but didn't answer. He continued reading, and slowly, very slowly, the blush left his cheeks. Will didn't even think of turning his gaze away. He felt like he couldn't get enough of Nico, and all he could do was stare. The silence between them was comfortable, even after Nico made it clear he was aware of Will's staring, and it almost felt like time had stopped entirely. Will almost wished it did stop. Calm and quiet, peaceful moments like these had been so very rare for the past few years, and Will wanted to make the most of this one.
After a while Nico turned another page on his enormous book, and laid his hand back on the table between them. He started silently tapping on the wood, not really making a noise but certainly drawing Will's attention from his face. Nico had long, elegant fingers, a lot like a pianist, and for a while it almost looked like he was playing without keys. Will was fascinated.
Without saying anything, Will slowly reached out and touched the back of Nico's hand with his fingertips. Nico took in a sharp breath, surprised, but didn't pull his hand away. That was a good sign, right? Will traced the barely visible vains under the still too pale olive skin, carefully keeping his touch light as a feather, the smile never leaving his face. He drew meaningless patterns on the pale skin of the boy's wrist, marveling on how surprisingly warm Nico's hand was under his, then slowly turned Nico's hand around.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Nico's voice was small, merely a whisper, and he had finally turned his eyes from the book and was now looking at their hands.
Will smiled at the deep red on Nico's cheeks, feeling his own face heat up quickly, too. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked with a voice just as small as he laced their fingers together. Nico responded to his touch without a second thought, and Will was at awe when he realized how perfectly the smaller boy's hand fit in his.
"Yes, but…" It sounded almost like Nico was afraid to speak up, afraid to break the spell. Wll felt the same. "But why?"
Will chuckled quietly and felt his blush deepen at how nervous he sounded. "Because I want to, you dense dork."
Nico could have stopped him. He could have taken his hand away from Will, or told the other boy to stop, or even asked Will to leave, but he didn't. He didn't even flinch, and instead he slowly turned back to his reading, still letting Will hold his hand, and once he was fully relaxed, he gave Will's fingers a light squeeze. It wasn't much at all, but it was still a big reassurance, and it was enough to make Will smile brighter than before.
They could have stayed like that for hours – Will finally returning to his book while still stealing a warm glance at the son of Hades every now and then, and Nico deep in thought and letting go of Will's hand only to turn a page and then immediately taking hold of his fingers again. It was a small change for some, maybe, but to them it felt huge, and every once in a while Will noticed one of those tiny smiles tugging at the corners of Nico's mouth. At some point Will started tracing his thumb in a soft caress, and heard a barely audible sigh leave the younger boy's lips, so quiet Will wasn't sure if he'd just imagined that.
Soon – way too soon – the sound of dinner call broke their small bubble of bliss, and Nico's whole person snapped like coming out of a trance. He quickly stood up from his chair, letting go of Will's hand in the process, and started gathering his stuff in neat piles on the desk. He didn't look up even after he had moved the same book three times around the desk.
Will couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the sudden change. He had been feeling the progress in their relationship (or was it still just a friendship, neither of them really knew), but was afraid he had read too much into the situation.
"Nico – "
"I'm sorry", Nico said hastily, not looking at Will. "I mean, not sorry about – about that", he gestured somewhat vaguely to the general direction in which their hands had been tangled on the desk before running his fingers nervously through his hair. "Sorry about… sorry."
To someone else, Nico's babbling wouldn't have made any sense. But Will had learned to read Nico's body language and moods better than the others in camp, and had a general idea of what Nico meant. "Okay, well, what is it, then?" he asked, even though he could pretty much guess what the problem was, now that Nico didn't seem to mind him holding his hand back there. (Will was unnecessarily happy about that.)
Nico took a few deep breaths, and Will didn't push it. "It's… I mean, that was nice", Nico mumbled, and his face turned red once more. "That – that thing we just did. Really… really nice. But…" Will watched as the son of the Underworld struggled to find words, waiting patiently to fully understand what this was all about. "Can we not, I mean – I hope we wouldn't – you know… out there." Another vague gesture, this time towards the door. "I mean, it's okay here – more than okay, really… but just…"
As Nico fell silent (and looked extremely nervous, fumbling with the strings on his hoodie and staring at his shoes and looking unbelievably adorable), Will had a feeling he understood. Nico didn't like to be touched, and he didn't like crowds. It wasn't exactly a surprise he wouldn't like public displays of affection that much, either. Will felt privileged to be one of the only people (or, rather, the only person) who could touch Nico without the boy immediately flinching away.
And yet… "Okay, sure, but why, exactly?" Will made sure to keep his voice steady and understanding, so that Nico wouldn't feel like he was prying or forcing him into anything, even if he felt slightly hurt about the fact Nico didn't want to hold his hand in public.
"It's not like it wouldn't be as nice", Nico said, but then scrunched his nose. "No, wait. It wouldn't – I mean", he ran his fingers through his hair, desperately looking for a way to make Will understand what he was trying to say. "It's just – this, this thing, it's…" And then, when Will had almost come to the conclusion that Nico didn't make any sense after all, the son of Hades sighed heavily. "It's private."
Will almost had to smile at that. So this was a thing, now? "Care to elaborate? And please, Sunshine, use your words."
Nico gave him a quick annoyed look, but still didn't meet his eyes. "I mean that it's no one else's business what we do." It was almost scary how red Nico's face now was. "It's private. And it's not like I don't know that most of the other campers already believe we're dating – " something they had discovered a few days prior and still made Will blush almost as badly as Nico " – it's just that I don't care, and I don't feel like putting up a show for them. I'm not some circus act. We are not a circus act. I mean…" Nico looked down and almost hid his face from Will, but the older boy could still see the red cheeks and now tightly closed eyes. Will was just happy there really was a we. "I'm a dense dork, but I'm your dense dork. Not theirs."
His voice had lowered to almost a whisper now, and Will had some difficulty to hear him. But the son of Apollo certainly heard enough. He smiled even brighter than before, brighter than he probably had since the second Titan war, and stood up from the table, taking his place near Nico. The almost non-existent distance between them would have made Nico very uncomfortable had it been literally anyone else.
"That you are", Will smiled and held out his hand expectantly. Nico hesitated for half a second before linking their fingers in a now familiar way. It felt really okay. "And just so you know, I get it. It's private, and I can very well respect that." He traced his thumb over Nico's knuckles, and the other boy seemed to relax. It was still weird to Will, seeing the impact he had on the once sulking, brooding, kind of creepy son of Hades. "If they want a circus act, they can get it from someone else. I think Jason and Piper would be more than happy to oblige."
Nico finally looked up at him, met his eyes, and Will couldn't help but notice the apparent relief in the dark brown eyes. If he'd known how much this thing bothered Nico, he would have left the questioning out of it. Will felt like he should have known. Still, he was happy they had the talk. It brought them closer.
"Good." Nico's voice was still quiet, but then again, it normally was. He slowly let go of Will's hand as he stepped away towards the door. "Now come on, we're gonna be so late for dinner."
It wasn't uncommon for Will to spend most of his free time with Nico in the Hades cabin. He saw his other friends on a very regular basis during the daily activities – canoeing with Lou Ellen and the rest of the Hecate cabin, archery and infirmary duty with his siblings, lava wall practice with Cecil and the Stolls – but since Nico mostly practiced sword fighting and combat or hung around the stables due to his new found interest in the pegasi, there was only so much he saw of his new boyfriend.
(It still felt weird to call Nico his boyfriend. Not like they actually called each other boyfriends around camp, just in his head. But still, weird. In a good way.)
After the word about them actually dating now – or rather, the word that they stopped denying it, really – spread around camp, it was made pretty clear that two campers shouldn't be alone in a cabin. Due to the fact that Chiron actually started following the rule more strictly, the door to the Hades cabin was more or less always open. (It wasn't like there was anything shady going on in there, anyway.) And yet they still got to keep their privacy – not that many people felt comfortable enough to approach cabin Thirteen, never mind look inside. Percy would come up and say hi when he was at camp, and Cecil came by every now and then to look for Will. Jason visited sometimes, if only to make sure Nico really didn't want to help him with the shrines (Nico really didn't), but most of the other campers steered clear.
So it wasn't an unusual sight to see Will and Nico sitting on the floor of the cabin, leaning against Nico's bed and sharing a bag of gummy bears (courtesy of Cecil as a son of Hermes). On that particular day (a Sunday, free from activities and also a pre-informed rainy day to help the strawberries grow) Nico was talking more than he usually did, slipping out of his carefully conducted ghost king shell and momentarily becoming more like a little kid again, telling Will about the wonders of Mythomagic.
Will had intended to listen – he really had. He had heard from both Percy and Nico himself that the son of Hades had been obsessed with the game only a couple of years back, and with the new friendship between the Greeks and the Romans the game was becoming popular in Camp Half-Blood, too, and he really did want to hear more about it. But as soon as Nico lost himself in his stories, let down his guard and actually showed indivisible interest on something as simple as a game of cards and figurines, Will was struggling to keep focus.
When Nico talked, his Italian roots surfaced as he emphasized forcefully with his hands. His eyes started shining in a way that was new to Will, to everyone at camp really, and his voice lacked of the usual lazy sarcastic tone. His cheeks were slightly pink, but different from the blush that Will every so often managed to cause – this was a healthy flush, one that had been absent from Nico's face for so long it was impossible not to stare. And if that wasn't enough, every now and then the son of Apollo saw the younger boy's lips curl into a real smile, one he hadn't seen that many times, one that simply took his breath away.
There was no way of telling how long Will could have stared at Nico for – maybe a full hour, maybe the rest of the day, maybe even forever – but as soon as the younger boy realized the other wasn't listening anymore, he stopped talking and started retreating back to his shell.
"I'm sorry", he mumbled, and the flush on his cheeks had turned into a full-on blush in the matter of seconds. "That's not – you're not interested in Mythomagic. I'm sorry. We can talk about something else – "
"No, no no no!" Will stopped, maybe with a little too much panic in his voice, and he quickly grabbed Nico's hand. He felt a light blush creeping up his own cheeks too. "No, sorry, don't stop. I mean, if you want to talk about something else, that's fine, but…" He didn't know what he was going to say, exactly, but he hated to see Nico so quickly slipping away. "Please. Please tell me about Mythomagic."
Nico narrowed his eyes at Will. "You weren't even listening to me."
"I was!" Nico gave him a look and tried to take his hand back, but Will didn't let him. "I was! At first, anyway. It's just that – I got kind of… distracted."
"By what?"
"By you."
Will was sure that if he could see himself, he wouldn't have been able to tell who's face was a darker shade of red, his or Nico's. The son of Hades stared at him in shock, lips slightly parted and eyes widened (the size of plates, really), and Will could tell he was tense. Gods forbit, they both were. But Will held Nico's gaze and wouldn't look away, no matter how badly his face was burning.
"By… by me?" Nico's voice was strained, like his mouth had dried, which it probably had. It looked a lot like he wanted to look away but couldn't, and neither could Will. Couldn't, and wouldn't. "But – how?"
Will let out an unintentional huff. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" It took him a moment and a strange look in Nico's eyes to realize it came out a lot harsher than it was supposed to – not that it was supposed to come out at all. "Okay, sorry, I – I know most guys don't like to be called beautiful, exactly, but… For a while there, I saw a side of you I hadn't ever seen before. A side I'd love to see again. And – you know, I don't even know what it is, but you seemed so… I don't know. Happy. And it makes you so beautiful, and I'm not even going to apologize for calling you beautiful anymore, because there's no other word for it."
Nico stayed completely still, like a statue, but Will couldn't read his face. Will felt like he had over stepped, since they hadn't really been together for more than three weeks now (counting from the day they'd finally held hands), but in a way he knew the words had needed to be said. Nico had needed to hear that. Will was slowly learning to know the Nico under the Death Boy glare, the wounded and slightly terrified teenager in need of caring and love, and if Will telling Nico he looked beautiful was any help… well, Will would pretty much do anything.
"I'm sorry", he still said, when Nico hadn't moved or said anything for a while. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I just – I really care about you, Nico. To me, you are beautiful, and I don't even care how corny and idiotic that sounds, because – "
"Shut up." Nico's expression hadn't changed, but his voice was small and fragile. Will snapped his mouth shut immediately, scared he had said too much. "You're a dork, you know that?"
And just like that, without waiting for Will to answer, Nico had cupped his face and pressed their lips together, and Will didn't even remember what they were talking about anymore. It wasn't like Nico to initiate anything, and that was fine with Will, but between holding hands and less than daily hugs and the very rare occasions where Nico laid his head on Will's shoulder, they had never kissed before. Will hadn't wanted to rush Nico, even though there hadn't really been that many opportunities either, and the son of Apollo couldn't really help the small surprised yelp before returning the kiss.
It was maybe a little too forceful at first, kind of rushed and fast and hard, but then, ever so slowly, they relaxed. The battle turned into a slow dance. Nico's hands grazed down around Will's neck, and the other boy tangled his own fingers to the black mob of hair, and slowly, surely, their movements slowed down, until the roaring in their ears stopped and their breaths evened out. They didn't exactly break apart, but stayed there even as the kiss itself ended, foreheads touching and eyelashed tingling cheeks and noses brushing together, and when Will slowly opened his eyes, he saw Nico's closed ones closer than ever.
The only sound Will could hear was the gentle fall of rain from the open door, and his own pulse in his ears. He suddenly realized he'd never been this close to Nico before, or anyone, ever, and the thought made him slightly giddy. He closed his eyes again and leaned a little closer, so his lips barely touched Nico's, and stayed there as a soft smile broke to his face again.
It took them a few more minutes until they both opened their eyes again, and still they didn't move. Nico's eyes were shining the same way they had before, and Will was well aware of the blush they were both sporting, but the small smile on the shorter boy's lips (that Will felt more than saw) was worth everything.
"Hi", Nico breathed, as if he was seeing Will for the first time. In a way, Will though, he was.
"Hello." If he wanted to, Will would have been able to count Nico's eye lashes. "You know, if this is what I get every time I say you're beautiful, I'm not going to stop. Like, ever."
Nico huffed, trying to look annoyed, and slowly leaned back as he drew his hands back from Will's neck. "Shut up." Despite the almost legit frown on his face, Nico laced his fingers with Will's as he retreated back to his original position, leaning to his bed. The red had yet to fade from his cheeks, but after a while a content smile made it's way to his lips, and Will couldn't complain. Nico noticed his staring. "What? Why do you keep looking at me like that"
Will smirked as he, too, leaned back to the bed, playing absentmindedly with Nico's fingers. "You're cute, that's what."
"Am not."
"Cute."
"Death and destruction."
"Adorable."
Nico glared at Will for a while, his eyes speaking a different story, until he gave up and sighed, leaning his head on Will's shoulder and reaching for the bag of candy that lay forgotten on the floor. "You're a dork", he said again, but Will couldn't help but notice the remarkable softness in his voice.
"Mmh", Will hummed and got bold as he turned his head to press a soft kiss on top of Nico's head. The water kept dropping on the porch, and the smell of rain just made the moment all the more special. "But I'm your dork."
It wasn't until late November that Hazel next visited Camp Half-Blood with a few other Romans. Nico hadn't seen his sister in person since the Giant War had ended, so he hadn't exactly had an opportunity to tell her about… well, Will. Not like he had been keeping it a secret, no; it just hadn't ever come up in their Iris Messages, plus Nico sort of felt like he should tell her in person. Both of them being children of the past and all that. He wasn't exactly sure how Hazel would react to him being in a relationship with another boy.
The very same night (after a nasty s'mores food fight by the fire that had only ended when someone had managed to get a half melted marshmallow stuck in Chiron's tail), way past curfew, Nico and Hazel both sat on Hazel's bed, leaning against the wall and talking. It felt nice, Nico thought, to have someone to share the cabin with. He wasn't exactly lonely, with Will spending more time in cabin Thirteen than he did in cabin Seven, but with his only living sibling far across the country in the Roman camp… Nico sometimes watched the campers from other cabins and felt like he was missing out on something.
"So", Hazel stated after a moment of silence and fixed her golden eyes at Nico. There was a mischievous glint in them. "How's it going with Will?"
Nico felt his face heat up in seconds, as well as his neck and chest, and he had to look away from her. "You – you know?"
"You honestly thought I wouldn't?" Her voice was amused, and Nico was sure she was about to laugh. He had nothing against Hazel laughing, but he didn't exactly like it when it was on his expense. The situation wasn't funny to him. "Jason told Reyna as soon as you two stopped denying it, and of course Reyna told Frank and Frank told me. Besides, you are not as subtle as you think you are. You know, with the looks you give each other? I would had to have been blind not to catch on during campfire today."
Despite being royally embarrassed, Nico made it a point to keep the conversation on track. "And you're… okay with it?"
Hazel was quiet for a moment, but when Nico sneaked a peek at her face, he knew that she had understood the question. "Yeah, I am. I mean, I was shocked at first. I hadn't known about your… you know, your preferences before, and – well, you know as well as I do what it was like with those sorts of things back then." Nico nodded, waiting for his sister to continue. "It was really confusing at first. But Frank explained it to me. You know, the way things are now. That you – and people like you – are safe, and accepted. I'm not saying I understood half of the things he was saying, or the terms – gods, there were so many terms…" Hazel let out a breathless laughter that Nico would have joined, had he not been so eager to hear what she was going to say. "The bottom line is that I'm happy for you. Really happy. Because you deserve this."
It was like a huge weight was lifted off Nico's chest. He let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he'd been holding, and finally turned to look at his sister. She was smiling softly, her golden eyes glinting in the torch light, and the curly hair that flew around her head looked like a big ball of golden string. Nico hadn't noticed before, but she didn't look as young as she had before – no one in either camps did. The war had changed everyone in ways that were unexplainable, and Nico hated that. Hazel looked more mature, more solemn, more sad.
But all that aside, she also seemed happy. Really happy. Nico didn't know if it was just about him and Will, or if also had something to do with Frank, but he didn't exactly care. What mattered was that his sister was happy, even if she was also sad, and if it was Frank that made her happy then that was quite fine with him.
Because after all, was it really so different from the way Will made him feel?
"I've missed you, Hazel", he murmured, and Hazel chuckled and softly punched his chest before leaning her head on his shoulder.
"And you've gone soft", she said. Nico could still hear the smile in her now a little sleepy voice. "I guess I should thank Will for that."
Nico rested his own head on hers and sighed. He should deny it, he thought. He should deny it and say that no, he hadn't gone soft, and if he had it had nothing to do with Will Solace. But this was the first time he had ever actually talked about Will to anyone, and it made him surprisingly happy. It was so different from the times Jason was pestering him about it ("Are you okay? Is Will treating you well? You know you can talk to me, right?") or when Cecil and Lou Ellen tried to pry whether Will was a good kisser or not because they had some stupid bet. (He was.) Hazel's hair tickled him, but he didn't care.
"Yeah. Yeah, you should."
The first time Will spent the night in the Hades cabin wasn't exactly planned. If anyone asked, it was an accident, and it wasn't even a complete lie.
It was right after the last capture the flag game of the year, two days before New Year's Eve. Nico had twisted his ankle badly when jumping down from a tree, then used shadow travel to get away from some Ares campers, and by the end of the game he had been so exhausted and so in pain that Will had practically had to carry him to cabin Thirteen. Will gave him another lecture about him not being strong enough to use shadow travel yet (like Nico didn't know that already, half asleep in his bunk) and about not pulling stupid stunts like that ever again.
"And jumping from a tree, of all things? Seriously, di Angelo, do you have a death wish? You're lucky it's only a sprain – if it had been anything worse, I would have locked you up in the infirmary for days, and banned you from capture the flag just to make a point."
But it was the first ever capture the flag victory for Hades cabin, and Nico was so adorably happy in his sleepy state, that Will couldn't really scold him that much. It was like Nico didn't have a filter on his emotions when he was half asleep, and you could see every thought and feeling on his face. Will sat on the floor next to his bed, and when his fingers ran through the black curls, there was a sleepy smile and a contented sigh, and it stroke like a lightning when Will realized that he seriously loved this dork.
(He was slightly alarmed by the thought, and decided to bury it deep down for now. He couldn't love Nico. They were stupid kids, both of them. What did they know about love?)
Will was not planning on staying, no sir. He had no intention to become harpy dinner or a practice dummy for sword fighting if someone caught him there after curfew. He knew that he should leave now if he wanted to get safely back to his cabin when he closed his eyes just for one second.
When he woke up with tense shoulders and a sore bum from sitting on the hard floor, his neck hurt and he knew he was screwed. It was way past midnight now, probably closer to three, and there was no way his absence from the Apollo cabin after the game had gone unnoticed by his siblings. Will cursed as he slowly rose from the floor. Nico seemed to be fast asleep, buried deep under the covers, so he started to the door, praying to his dad that the harpies wouldn't catch him.
"Will."
Will stopped in the middle of the cabin. He had never heard Nico's voice that soft. He turned around to look at the son of Hades, and at first he thought the boy was still asleep (which, by the way, would have made Will super giddy, to think that Nico had said his name in his sleep). Then he saw Nico push the sheets away from his face and open his eyes slightly, just enough to convince Will that, no, he wasn't in fact asleep. Not fully, at least.
"Go back to sleep, Nico. I'll see you in the morning."
"Don't be an idiot, Solace." Nico's sleepy voice was softer than a pile of feathers. He nuzzled his face to his pillow, and Will felt like his heart would burst out of his chest at the sight. "The harpies will get you the second you step out of that door." He moved a little closer to the wall behind him, making more room on the bed. "C'mere."
Again, Will wasn't quite sure if Nico was sleeping or not. He even wondered if he was still dreaming himself. His heart was racing and his mouth suddenly felt dry. The whole situation was so absurd – Nico would never had asked him to share a bed with him if he was fully conscious, Will was almost certain of that. He felt his face burning, but Nico didn't seem flustered. Maybe the boy was too sleepy to get flustered, the same way he couldn't stop smiling a few hours ago. (Will thought he could grow to love the sleepy, no filter state.)
Nico kept his eyes shut, but as Will didn't move from his spot, an unsatisfied frown appeared on his face. "M'serious, Will. C'mere. And hurry up, I wanna sleep."
Will knew that Nico was right. There was no way he would be able to get back to his cabin in the middle of the night without being caught. He was also so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, so the chances of him walking straight to another cabin other than his own were quite high.
So he sighed slightly, took off his shoes, and lied down next to Nico, who held up the sheets for Will to crawl under. (Oh gods, Hades was going to kill him.) He was a little tense at first, trying to keep his distance to Nico and stay on his side of the bed, careful not to touch the boy. But as soon as he got comfortable and closed his eyes, he felt the bed shift. Nico crawled closer, placed his head on Will's chest and sneaked an arm around his waist, and Will was quite positive there was more nuzzling involved, too.
Will gave an inaudible chuckle.
"Shut up. M'sleepy."
"Should have known you were secretly a cuddler." Will buried his face to Nico's hair and smiled. This was really nice.
"I said shut up", Nico mumbled half asleep against his chest but didn't try to deny it, and instead of letting go he tightened his hold of the son of Apollo. "One word about this to anyone and you're dead. Now go to sleep."
Oh gods I really love you, Will thought, but kept his mouth shut. Nico was warm against him, the younger boy's breathing slow and even, and he was pretty sure he was already asleep again. Will smiled as he held his boyfriend close to him, closed his eyes and relaxed. This felt good, this felt very good, and he was so freaking tired and happy he didn't even try to fight his own thoughts when all that he could think of was iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou.
Will woke up early, of course, right before the sunrise. But, to his surprise, so did Nico, but only because someone thought it was a good idea to knock on his door at an ungodly hour. The smaller boy buried his face in the crook of Will's neck and let out a quiet whine when the knocking just wouldn't stop.
"Go away, I'm sleeping."
Kayla's voice was more amused than annoyed, when she replied: "Don't even bother with me, Nico. I know Will's in there."
Will stopped breathing and could feel Nico tense up, too. They didn't move. Will knew he'd be dead now, really truly dead, and not just because he was caught but also because Nico's dad was going to kill him and then bring him back to life only so that he could kill him again and again and again and oh my gods Will was too young to die and –
"Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up", Kayla continued. "Most of Apollo cabin is already up, but the others are still more or less asleep. You have probably less than half an hour before Jason's out for his morning run, though. If you want to come out of there unnoticed, that is."
After a few seconds of weighing the pros and cons of speaking up and admitting to his sister that yes, fine, he was in the Hades cabin, Will sighed. "Thanks, Kayla." He softly rubbed his hand up and down Nico's back to ease the tension as he listened to Kayla step off the porch and (hopefully) leave the matter be. He could feel how, little by little, Nico's muscles relaxed until the boy was once again in a more sleep-like state, legs tangled with Will's, and their hearts beating so close to each other they might as well have been one and the same.
It took a solid fifteen minutes for Nico to finally lift his head up. Will could see that he still wasn't happy to be awake that early, but there was no real anger in his eyes – not towards Will, anyway.
"Morning", Nico muttered. His eyes were still half closed as he tilted his head just a little to the side, almost like the movement was unconscious. Will wondered absent-mindedly when the boy had started doing that.
"Good morning, Sunshine." Will leaned in to give him a small, lazy kiss, before letting his head fall back in the pillow with a frown. "Ew. Remind me to never kiss you before brushing my teeth first. Like, ever again."
Nico gave out a small huff that Will was almost certain was supposed to be a laugh. "Yeah, fine. Whatever."
For once, Will wanted to stay in bed for as long as he could. He'd always been a morning person, getting up before the sun and being out and functioning before pretty much anyone else was even awake yet. But this Saturday morning, waking up in a different cabin and having a cuddly son of Hades pretty much all over him, nuzzling his neck and pressing closer, he just wanted to stay under the covers and not care.
He could feel Nico's steady breathing on his neck, the patterns the other boy was drawing to his side, the way cold toes were pressing against his calves to get warmer. Nico's hair on his cheek tickled him, and once or twice he was almost certain he felt cool lips pressing against his collar bone. Will smiled and secured his arms tightly around Nico.
"I could get used to this, you know", he murmured to Nico's hair and felt the other laugh rather than actually hearing it.
"Too bad we can't. Also if Jason finds out you stayed here last night I'm sure I'm never going to hear the end of it, and neither will you."
"Right. Can't we just kill Jason or something?"
"Hmm, tempting." Nico propped himself up with his arms on either side of Will's torso, looking down at him with an amused expression. "I think I've had a bad influence on you", he mused as he leaned his forehead against Will's. "It's not like you to want to kill someone this early in the day, I think."
To Will, Nico looked breathtaking when he was barely awake and hovering above the other like that, hair pointing everywhere and a soft tint of pink on the cheeks. He nuzzled their noses together and grinned, wondering what had made Nico's affectionate side surface all of a sudden. Maybe it was a morning thing. Will didn't complain.
"It was bound to happen at some point." He pressed a few quick kisses on Nico's jaw before sighing. "Now get off me. I really really want to kiss you but I still haven't brushed my teeth."
(It took three more "accidental" sleep overs at the Hades cabin before Jason found out, and even then it was only because Piper told him. Traitor.)
It wasn't the first time Nico had seen Will shirtless. Not exactly. There was that time Will's shirt had mostly burned off on the lava wall, and the few times when Will had rushed from the Apollo cabin while still pulling his shirt on, and that incident during capture the flag when a young Athena camper got a flesh would and Will tied the bleeding leg with his shirt. Nico's own personal favorite was that particularly happy occasion Will had become super sweaty during combat practice so he'd just taken his shirt off because it didn't do any good anyway.
But this was the first time Nico was able to actually appreciate the view.
It was one of those special days when they decided to just not follow the rules at all, instead just hiding inside cabin Thirteen, behind the closed door, everyone else be damned. It wasn't like this happened often – only once or twice a month, really, and even then they made sure not to be late from any meals or camp activities. (Will was actually very scrupulous about that, to the point it was almost annoying.) But no one could blame them for wanting a few moments completely to themselves, curled up in Nico's bed, cuddling or making out, sometimes napping, just enjoying each other.
For a while now, Will had noticed a slight change in his boyfriend. It was mostly Nico now who grabbed the other boy's hand as soon as they were alone (sometimes even in infirmary, where anyone could barge in any second), and on more occasions than not the son of Hades was the one to initiate a kiss, if only by slightly tilting his head the right way. Maybe it was the lack of physical contact in the boy's life, or perhaps the fact that he hadn't gotten the love and affection he should have when growing up. Whatever the case, Will obliged, more than happily, while still making sure Nico was comfortable and not pushing any limits.
At some point during their noticeably intense make out session Will had lost his shirt. (Nico may or may not have been responsible for that, but if anyone asked, it was Will who was showing off. Obviously.) Nico had been tracing slightly daring kisses on the older boy's freckles, dipping from the nose to the cheeks to the jaw line to the neck, until the stupid piece of clothing had just simply been in his way. It hadn't taken much convincing until the shirt had been on the floor, but once it was, the whole situation had changed.
Nico was still lying on top of Will, between his legs, and Will still had one of his hands in Nico's hair. But there were no more heated kisses, no more intensity, no more soft sounds leaving lips as they explored. Will's eyes were half closed as he looked at Nico. Nico's, on the other hand, were shining and bright, and he looked down at Will in awe.
In the dim light of the Hades cabin, Will was all but glowing. Of course Nico had noticed the way Will's freckles seemed to stand out when the son of Apollo blushed, but this was something else entirely. Will's whole chest was covered in tiny glowing dots, scattered to his neck and shoulders too, and Nico just knew there would be more on the boy's back. Will was beautiful – no, Will was gorgeous, and Nico felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest.
Slowly, as if in a trance, Nico reached out and touched the freckles with only the tips of his fingers. He could feel the heat of Will's skin, the rapid beat of the boy's heart, the shift of muscles as the other boy reacted to his touch. Nico knew his own face was blood red by now, but he couldn't find it in himself to care, not when there was such a unique piece of art right in front of him. He felt like he finally understood why Will kept calling people beautiful. People were beautiful – just none of them nearly as beautiful as Will.
Nico smiled. He couldn't help it. He looked at his boyfriend of six months, the glowing freckles and reddening skin and shining eyes like clear afternoon sky, and he just smiled, because there was absolutely nothing he would rather be looking at.
"What?" Will asked, his voice soft and laced with silent laughter. Nico looked at him, and their eyes met, and Nico could see his own reflection in Will's sky blue orbs. "What are you thinking?"
Nico hummed and ran his finger across Will's left clavicle, watching the goosebumps appear. "I'm thinking", he whispered before pressing a feather light kiss on one extra bright freckle, "that you kind of look like a night sky."
(And gods, Will really was a lost case, and his head was spinning a thousand miles per hour with a never ending chant of iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou even if he thought it was still too soon.)
If Will had an objection, he didn't voice it. There was a contented sigh, and soft fingers running up and down Nico's spine, and after a while Nico settled to lay his chin on Will's chest, looking up at the bright blue eyes in the slowly vanishing glow. They stared at each other for quite a while, neither of them turning away even after the last trace of glow was gone. The smile on Will's lips matched the one on Nico's, two hands fit perfectly together, and Nico's breathing tickled Will's bare chest.
And even if they were a little late from lunch that day, it was definitely not Nico's fault.
No one had actually said it, but everyone seemed to agree. It was never discussed, it never came up in a conversation, nor was it even remotely important. But still, if you ever were to ask, every living soul on Camp Half-Blood would have told you that Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, Ghost King and Hero of Olympus, did not dance. Every living soul. Including Will Solace.
So when Nico missed dinner one day in May and Will went to the Hades cabin looking for him, he was pretty shocked by what he saw at first.
Nico was wearing Jason's old and worn out, purple praetor hoodie. (How the boy had gotten it was beyond Will – Nico was like a son of Hermes when it came to stealing other people's – mostly Will's – clothes.) He had his hair in a messy bun that he had been sporting ever since Piper had mentioned he needed a hair cut a few weeks back (Will loved the bun). He had his head phones on, and in his hand was the iPod he'd gotten from Leo last Christmas. Nico was jumping up and down around the cabin, almost knocking over furniture and the piles of books he had lying everywhere, and there was a wide, free, happy grin on his face as he listened to the his music with his eyes closed.
It wasn't elegant. It wasn't graceful. Will wasn't even sure if Nico was following the rhythm, and the still shorter boy was constantly tripping over his own feet. (Nico had grown five inches since New Year's, and was yet to get used to his limbs. It was nothing if not adorable.) But it was one of the most wonderful things Will Solace had ever witnessed in his entire life.
Will leaned against the door frame and smiled. He could have admired the view forever. It was rare to see Nico let go like that, be truly at ease, without a care in the world. Will just had to stare, he couldn't have looked away even if he wanted to.
(He didn't want to. He never wanted to.)
He was able to just stand and stare for a good five minutes before Nico tripped over a shirt laying on the floor (Will's, actually, judging by the fact that it wasn't black) and finally opened his eyes to gain balance. Nico's face went white as a sheet when he realized he wasn't alone anymore, and once he saw the look in Will's eyes, he turned a shade of red that was so intense it wasn't really even red anymore. Most of the black locks of hair had already escaped the bun, Nico was breathing heavily from jumping around for gods know how long, and his lips were slightly parted in surprise. Will wasn't convinced it was even allowed for someone to look that hot.
Nico pulled the buds from his ears in one swift pluck. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Will wasn't alarmed by his boyfriend's harsh tone. "Missed you at dinner. Came looking for you, liked what I saw, didn't want you to stop."
"How long have you been standing there?"
The smile had now widened into a full on grin, as Will stepped inside the cabin and made his way to Nico. It was funny how they were now almost the same height. "Long enough to know you're an adorable dork. Not that it was any news." He pulled Nico close and trapped him between his arms, burying his face to the nape of the younger boy's neck. His hands sneaked under the hem of Nico's shirt, like they had done so many times before, tenderly caressing the soft skin there. "What were you listening to anyway?"
"Fall Out Boy, mostly. Why?"
"Hmm. No reason." Will started leaving a trail of kisses on his neck, on his jaw, all over his face. He gave Nico one very long, very sumptuous kiss on the lips while trailing his thumbs on the hip bones before continuing with his pecks, making the son of Hades all but whine for the lack of real kisses.
"No! Will – stop! Why are you – seriously, stop!" Nico complained as Will kept on peppering kisses all over his face, but there was more amusement than angry force in the words. Instead of actually pushing Will away, his hands were holding on to the son of Apollo's collar, pulling him closer. "Stop it, you dork." Will silenced him with another slow, lazy kiss on the lips that left Nico even more flustered than before, making his knees weak. "I'm seriously gonna summon some zombies soon, Solace. Why are you even – "
"Because I love you, that's why", Will smiled. Nico's eyes widened and all blood drained from his face, but Will just grinned and kissed the tip of his nose. "Oh come on, don't act like you had no idea. I'm actually shocked I was able to keep that to myself this long."
Will saw how Nico swallowed dry and how the dark eyes looked almost like he was in physical pain. "Will…"
"I know, Sunshine", he sighed against the skin on Nico's cheek. "I know. I'm not saying it because I want you to say it back. I'm saying it because I want to. I love you, Nico, and I don't care if it takes you sixty years to say it back, because it's still gonna be worth it." He felt Nico relax and his arms sneak around his neck, fingers finding their way to the tangled golden hair. Will smiled and let his mouth wander again. "And it's not like this is going to change anything. I've known for a while, and I think you have too. Now I'm just going to say it every day; when I see you in the morning, when I kiss you good night, when you scrunch up your nose in disgust, when we sing that stupid song about the drunken sailors in camp fire, and especially when I catch you dancing."
Nico hummed happily when Will pressed a kiss against his pulse point and massaged the blond's scalp with his fingers. "Yeah, well, you're never going to catch me dancing, like, ever again. I think I'm never again going to dance, period. That was mortifying."
Will laughed, and his lips found Nico's ear while his heart was loudly beating against his ribs with iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou. "No, love", he breathed and nibbled on the earlobe, enjoying the way it made Nico tremble like a leaf, "it was hot."
The first time that anyone else saw Nico and Will kissing was after they had been officially together for almost a year. Sure, there had been some sweet pecks on the cheek from Will, but if you asked Jason, they didn't count. The whole relationship seemed like a big mystery. Half the time people weren't even sure if the two were even together, what with the death glares and insults and yelling and lack of physical contact. They were almost convinced that Nico and Will had broken up a couple of times, but then they'd see a shy look or a delicate touch of fingertips or an admiring look from afar and oh yeah, there it is.
And let's not forget about that time Cecil had pointed out an actual hickey on Will's shoulder, barely hidden under his shirt collar. Nico wasn't able to look at anyone in the eye for weeks.
But despite Jason being the one pestering the two about public displays of affection, it was almost funny that the ex-praetor wasn't the first to catch them kissing. You could hear him whine about that for years after. Instead it was Reyna, who had come to Camp Half-Blood in advance to help set up the celebration for one year of peace between the two camps.
Since the war against Gaia, Nico and Reyna had become close. It mey have seemed like a very unlikely friendship, but there was so much that others didn't know. The way Reyna had shared her strength with Nico had made them trust each other, and it still remained their highly guarded secret that no one knew about. But it was more than that – they enjoyed each other's company in a quiet, reserved way, and Nico really appreciated the way Reyna didn't pry on his personal life, but in stead waited for him to open up in his own time. It was nice, having a friend like Reyna outside of his immediate circle of relations.
(Nico and Reyna also kicked some serious butt in capture the flag when ever they teamed up. And they always teamed up.)
Whenever Reyna visited the Greek camp she made it a job to spend at least a whole afternoon with Nico. This custom made Nico feel a little strange – apart from Will, no one else had went through that much trouble to spend time with him in a very long time. Not since… not since Bianca. And despite himself, Nico found himself smiling a little brighter at Reyna than he did at rest of his friends.
They didn't talk about much this time. Reyna had brought a bag of potato chips with her, and the two of them were just lazing around in the Hades cabin, eating chips and catching up. Nico thought that it was good for Reyna to relax and not be a praetor every once in a while, and Reyna laughed that it was healthy for Nico to hang out with someone else than Will for at least once a month.
"I do hang out with other people", Nico glared at her and threw a chip at her. "I practice combat with Jason six times a week. I paired up with Cecil in a three-legged race just last week, and I get well along with the Apollo cabin, you know, after spending so much time in the infirmary." At this, Reyna shot him a meaningful look that made him blush. "Shut up. And ever since the summer season started and Annabeth came back, she's been helping me with the burial rite research. See, I don't spend all my time with just Will."
"I know", Reyna smirked, and for a moment she looked like just any teenager, not a praetor to the Twelfth Legion, not a war hero. "I'm just messing with you. Though your description sounds a lot different from what I've been hearing from Jason."
Nico huffed, annoyed. "Yeah, well. Jason has a problem. Ever since he found out about me he's been hovering all over, and he just wants me to talk to him and stuff. It's really annoying. Plus, I think he's enjoying the fact that I'm dating Will way too much."
Reyna just gave out a small laugh, one that Nico hadn't even realized he had missed, and they fell into a comfortable silence. It was a same sort of silence he had with Hazel, Nico thought; he could feel Reyna's eyes looking at him when he stared at the bag of chips, like she was searching something from his face. It wasn't unnerving, exactly, but it made Nico very aware of himself.
"It's good to see you happy, Nico", Reyna said then, and Nico raised his eyes to meet hers. Her face was a mask, free from any emotion once again, but Nico had learned to read her eyes. "I mean – you are happy, right?"
Nico knew at once what Reyna was implying. Are you happy with Will? His face felt hot when he looked away, and he felt his lips curve into an involuntary smile. "Yeah, I am."
"You love him, don't you?"
And at first Nico wanted to say no, absolutely not. He had barely admitted it to himself a while ago, and he didn't want to tell anyone else before he had told Will. That was only fair. But the way Reyna kept looking at him and reading his face, Nico just knew there was no point denying it. His face turned to an intense shade of red as he nodded and kept looking at his hands in his lap. He loved Will. He loved Will so much even the thought made his heart beat painfully against his chest.
Was love supposed to hurt like that? From what Nico had heard, it was supposed to be all sunshine and rainbows and cotton candy. That's what it seemed to be for Will, most of the time. But Nico had also met Cupid. He still painfully remembered all the times he'd seen Percy with Annabeth. He remembered Cupid's words, he remembered how much it had hurt to tell Jason about Percy, he could still feel the stabbing pain in his chest.
But the thought of Will, the thought of being in love with Will Solace… that was somehow different. It hurt, yes, but it didn't burn like someone was roasting his heart out of his chest. It was more like a gentle hand squeezing tightly around his lungs, taking his breath away. It was like his heart skipped a beat whenever he saw Will just to remind him that it existed, and every time Will said he loved Nico the son of Hades felt his nerves tingle all over his skin, up his chest and down his back, making him squirm.
So yeah, maybe love was supposed to hurt. But now Nico thought he had learned a lot about how.
Reyna didn't say anything. She just looked at Nico and smiled, and Nico didn't mind. He didn't mind that Reyna was the first to know about his feeling towards Will, because truth be told, it was either her or Hazel or Jason, and he really hadn't wanted it to be Jason.
After a good fifteen minutes of absolute silence (which Nico had really learned to appreciate, what with Will'l constant humming, no matter how endearing) there was a knocking on the Hades cabin door. Nico got up and walked to the door, already forming a declining line in his head in case it was Jason again (the son of Jupiter had been pestering him about wanting to hang out with him and Reyna). But when he opened the door he was attacked by soft lips before he even saw who was standing there.
"Oh my gods, you will not believe the day I've had!" Will all but groaned before continuing the kiss. Nico was stunned; mostly because Reyna was there, and he could practically feel her staring at them right then, but also because it wasn't like Will to just barge right into the kiss like that. Will was nothing if not discreet, always making sure Nico was okay with things to the point it was getting really frustrating. Under normal circumstances Nico wouldn't have minded one bit – now he was just shocked.
When Will finally seemed to notice how uneasy Nico was (sure, he had been responding to the kiss, because what kind of an idiot wouldn't have, but he was very guarded) he leaned back and furrowed his brow. "Nico?"
Nico was kind of embarrassed. He shoudn't be like this about PDA, he thought. It wasn't that big of a deal, really, and they weren't even anywhere public now. But there he was, unable to show affection to his boyfriend of eleven months (give or take a few days, they still weren't exactly sure about the actual day they had stopped being just friends) because someone else was in the cabin, too. Nico just looked at his feet, feeling how bad his face was burning. He didn't think he'd be able to look at Will. Will didn't deserve that kind of standoffishness from him.
From the corner of his eye Nico saw Reyna move, and knew Will saw it too when the older boy stiffened and suddenly took half a step back towards the door, away from Nico. Nico now regretted his actions even more.
"Oh. H-hey, Reyna", Will's voice was high-pitched, and if Nico wasn't so deep in self-loathing he would have laughed at the sound. Will cleared his throat. "Didn't know you'd be in here."
"Evidently." Nico swore he heard the laughter in her voice, and a part of him wanted to stab her for it. This wasn't all that funny. "But do tell me. What would you have done if it had been me who opened the door and not Nico?"
"Shut up, Reyna", Nico muttered and sneaked a peek at his boyfriend. Gods, Will's face was like a tomato, his freckles glowing like stars from a pitch black sky. Nico knew this wasn't the time, but Will looked just so amazing that he wanted to slap the boy. "It's not funny."
But Reyna stood up from the armchair she had been occupying and smirked. "You have to admit, it's a little funny." Nico raised his head to shoot her a warning glance, but the just shook it off. Reyna was one of the very few people that didn't seem to get intimidated by Nico's glare. She picked up her hoodie and made her way towards them and the door. "Well, I'm off to find Jason. You two play nice. Don't do anything I wouldn't."
Nico couldn't risk saying anything in fear of Reyna making more stupid remarks. But he should have known she'd manage well enough without his help, anyway.
"Just so you know, Will", she said just as she was stepping out. Her whole body and expression was relaxed, but only a fool would think what she was about to say was less than a threat. "I have two metal dogs that are not that very fond of people who cross me and my friends. Is that understood?"
Will's swallowing was both the cutest and the hottest thing Nico had ever seen, despite the whole situation being so ridiculously stupid.
The son of Apollo nodded and muttered his confirmation, and Reyna was off.
"Oh my gods, Nico, I'm so sorry", Will started as soon as Reyna was out of earshot. He closed the door and leaned against it, his face red and freckles glowing and eyes the size of plates. Nico now understood what a deer in the headlights must have looked like. "I had no idea she was in here. I didn't even remember she was in Camp now! If I'd known I'd never… I mean I know how you feel about that stuff, I wouldn't – "
"Shut up, Will", Nico said, still mortified by his own actions, his own weakness. He made it a point to look straight at Will, not away or to the side. Will deserved that much. "It's okay. Honestly. I mean, it's just Reyna, anyway. It's not like she didn't know of us dating or something. Hell, I'm positive Jason's made sure the whole world knows by now."
His attempt at a joke doesn't earn any laughs, but it does make Will relax a little. "It's okay? You sure?" And just looking at Will's eyes Nico realized that this was a step to the right direction for them.
Nico smiled. "Yeah. I'm sure." Will smiled, too. Maybe after a while Nico would start feeling more comfortable with showing affection in public. Baby steps. "Now, are you going to just stand there or are you going to pick up where you left off? Because it's really rude to kiss me like that and then just – "
Nico wanted to go back to sleep as soon as he gained consciousness. He tried to roll over and bury himself to Will's side, like he had planned on doing since Will had decided to spend the night, but the bed was depressingly lacking of his boyfriend. Instead, he heard an all too familiar tune that was keeping him from falling back to sleep.
"…you never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away…"
Now, it wasn't the first time Nico woke up to Will's off tune singing in the Hades cabin, not by far, but it still made him try his hardest to hide his smile. He had told Will time and time again that the boy was a terrible singer, and that the song was a huge cliche, but the son of Apollo didn't seem to care. Both of them knew that Nico loved the song, no matter how harshly he tried to deny it. (But only when it was Will singing it.)
"And what exactly do you think you're doing now?"
Will looked up from where he was putting Nico's clothes to a neat pile on top of the drawer. "Morning, Sunshine. Sleep well?"
Nico rubbed the sleep off his face, but didn't quite sit up yet. Instead he very much wanted to bury his face back to the pillow. "Don't try to change the subject, Solace. What are you doing?
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm organizing your wardrobe. Seriously, you'd think that after a whole year of dating I would have managed to teach you some basic domestic skills, but apparently not." Will sneaked a peek at his boyfriend, and saw a frown forming on the boy's face. "I know you only have black clothes, so there's no reason for Apollo-style color arrangement, but it'd still be nice to have them at least organized, don't you think?"
A groan and a rumble of sheets, as Nico drew the blanket over his head. When he talked, his voice was muffed. "It's way too early for this, Will. We've talked about this. You have no right to be up and running before noon. It's Sunday, come back to bed."
"In a minute, love."
Nico peered from the pillow and huffed, trying to look as demanding as he could while still partly asleep. "Now. I'm sleepy."
But Will just continued to hum the stupid song, and so Nico continued to stare from the cocoon he had made for himself. The son of Hades felt a light tint of pink creep to his cheeks, as he watched the muscles shift under the skin of the older boy's bare back. He watched as the other carefully folded all his t-shirts back to the closet, along with the jeans and hoodies, all the while humming. Will's head was nodding slightly to the song, and a few golden locks of hair flopped on his forehead. Nico tried to count the freckles on Will's shoulders, but lost count before he even knew it.
"I love you, Will."
Nico hadn't exactly meant to say it, not like this. It had just escaped his lips before he could think. His face felt like it was burning off, but he could't look away when he saw Will turn around and smile at him. Nico didn't even know why it made him so nervous – Will had said it many times before, to the point it was only natural for Nico to say it back. It wasn't like the healer was going to leave him hanging.
Ever since Will had said The Words in May, Nico had known he actually did return the feeling. How could he not? But saying them was just too big of a risk. Everyone he had said them to had died, and Nico really didn't want that to happen; not again, not to Will. He had almost slipped a couple of times; first the day right after Will had said it, then once after a very intense game of capture the flag during which Will had gotten injured and had been unconscious for two days. Nico was sure Will had known since the Fourth of July fireworks, when he had opened his mouth and been this close to saying it, only to be interrupted by Lou Ellen throwing enchanted water balloons at them and everyone else.
But now it was done. All was out in the open, and despite being scared as hell, Nico felt like a pile of stones was lifted off his chest. Will closed the wardrobe and took the few steps that he needed to be by Nico's bed. He lowered himself beside the smaller boy, over the blankets, and placed a sweet chased kiss on the cool lips.
"I love you too, Nico", he whispered while peppering his feather like kisses. "But of course you knew that already." He didn't say anything about the fact that it was the first time Nico had said the words, but his smile gave away how happy he was.
Nico leaned into Will's touch and hummed in contentment. "It's still nice to hear, you know."
"I know, Sunshine", Will breathed in between kisses, and his warm breath tingled on Nico's skin. "And it's nice to say, too, isn't it? I love you."
"I love you, Will", Nico said again, and this time it didn't make him blush. Not that much, anyway. He pressed his forehead against Will's, and their breaths mixed together. Blue eyes locked to the dark ones, and both boys were smiling. "I really do."
Will chuckled and pecked his lips. Nico thought that he could stay like this forever. "I know. But if you think that's going to change my mind about you helping me out in the infirmary today, then you don't know me as well as you thought."
One more slow, languid kiss, and Will got up. Nico whined a little at the absense but sat up anyway. "Well, it was worth a try." It took all Nico's courage to peel himself out from under the blankets to get ready for the day. "I guess I just have to find another way around that one."
"Good luck with that." Will threw him a t-shirt and some jeans before exiting to the bathroom. "Breakfast in fifteen, Sunshine."
Once Nico was finally dressed and ready, and after a few (dozen) more kisses, Will opened the door and stepped out into the morning sun, knowing Nico would follow. And if it was the first time Nico reached out and laced their fingers together while walking towards the dining pavilion, not caring about the people smiling at them and pointing at their linked hands… well, maybe Will just smiled all the brighter.
A/N2: I am well aware that this was so sugary sweet it makes your teeth hurt, and that Nico and Will won't be like that 24/7. I just chose these scenes, because I believe that in the Hades cabin, away from their friends and the prying looks, they would be super affectionate to the point that they make even themselves sick. So please no hate about that. I'm sure there are plenty of snarky remarks and dorkiness and other idiocy happening in public.