A/N: It's Christmas almost all over the world by now. So MERRY CHRISTMAS! This was supposed to come out earlier in December, but oh well. Maybe I'll still do an actual Christmas one. In the meantime, enjoy :)
Fresh snow fell upon Camp Half-Blood early one morning. It was December, a time when Chiron held a vote to see whether or not campers wanted snow. Majority rules, so this year Chiron allowed the magical border around camp to let in snow. For some, it was their first time experiencing snow. In general, the campers enjoyed having the snow, especially around Christmas.
Nico di Angelo didn't know how to feel about it. He couldn't quite remember his experiences in snow, but he knows it was a long time ago in Italy. He vaguely remembered playing with Bianca in the snow, but that could be his imagination trying to give him just a bit of Bianca to hold on to. The anniversary of her death was in December too, which didn't make this his favorite month.
He mostly told others that he didn't like it. It wasn't in his personality to like things. The snow was blinding, it made him even colder than he already was, and he had to walk through it every day. It was just annoying.
Just like most people, the cold made Nico stay in bed longer than normal. Unlike most people, this meant he woke up at around 2 PM. Or at least he would if someone didn't bang on his door each morning.
"Get up, di Angelo! It's 10 am, breakfast is basically done!" a certain annoying son of Apollo shouted outside Nico's cabin door. "I know you're still in bed, Nico!"
"If you know, then why are you waking me up?" Nico shouted back. He then realized it was a mistake to reveal that he was awake. His door flew open and Nico looked up to see Will Solace silhouetted against the bright white snow outside.
He groaned loudly and threw his arm over his eyes. "UGH why can't you leave me alone?"
"No one likes to be alone, Death Boy. I'm giving you the company you don't know that you need." Will shut the door behind him and sauntered over to Nico's bed.
"I like to be alone when I'm trying to sleep, Solace. And I never want company." At this hour, Nico meant every word he said.
By now, Will was used to Nico's grumpiness and negativity. He remained his ever-happy self, stating, "This is the season of togetherness! I shall not allow you to sleep for most of it. Plus, as your doctor, I am required to make sure you're eating well and getting proper exercise."
"You are insufferable." Nico threw a pillow at Will, who caught it easily, as he sat up. He knew he was never getting back to sleep, even if Will allowed him to. He simply got up and stretched, lifting his shirt up a bit. As he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, he swore that he saw a bit of pink on Will's cheeks as he looked anywhere but at Nico.
"Don't you have an infirmary to tend to?" Nico asked as he walked to his bathroom.
"Nope, I don't work 'till later, so I thought we could hang out until then. Make snow angels, throw snowballs at each other, that kind of stuff. We don't get snow every year here." Will rambled on as Nico was getting ready for the day. Nico was comfortable with Will being in his cabin by now, considering Will just forced himself in all the time. Nico kind of liked having someone else there who would just talk without expecting him to say much.
"Why do you wanna hang out with me? Don't you have friends?" It was a half joke. Nico still didn't understand why Will always wanted to spend time with him. He was still getting used to people actually choosing to be around him.
Will rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated at the number of times they had to have this conversation. "Neeks, do I really have to tell you again? I LIKE spending time with you. You ARE my friend. And I WANT to do fun stuff with you while I'm not working. It's not a joke, Death Breath."
"Gods above, will you stop with the nicknames? They're terrible." Nico was a bit embarrassed by the way Will talked about him, like he was worth something. It's all a work in progress.
"I won't stop until you stop being self-deprecating. So, by the looks of it, you'll be getting nicknames for the rest of your life, Nicolo."
"Wow, Solace, I see your faith in me. And I already told you that's not my real name," Nico rolled his eyes at Will, accepting that he'd be spending the day with him. Not that Nico really minded, but he had to pretend that he did.
At that moment, Nico's stomach grumbled. He looked up embarrassingly at Will, "So… is breakfast really done?"
Will just sighed, grabbing Nico's hand and pulling him out the door as he mumbled something about eating regularly. Nico felt momentarily flustered by Will's hand in his, but it was quickly replaced with annoyance when he walked out into the blinding snow. He all but hissed like a vampire at the light, to which Will looked back with a smirk. "I feel like the coffin beds suit you more than you think."
"Shut it, Solace," Nico snapped with a glare (or squint). Will only laughed and kept pulling him along to the pavilion.
"Why would someone want to lay in the wet, cold snow just to make something that looks nothing like an angel?" Nico watched as Will wiggled around in the snow with a bright smile on his face. The snow didn't look particularly inviting to Nico.
"Oh, come on, Nico! You said you've never made a snow angel! You gotta try at least once." Will carefully stood up, then turned back to admire his work of art. "Look at that. You can't tell me you don't want to try. Who wouldn't want to lay in the snow? It's so fun!"
Nico was surprised with how the snow angel turned out, but still felt no need to make one of his own. "First off, I said I didn't remember if I made one before or not. Second, like I already said, why would I want to lay in the wet, cold snow that will make me even colder than I already am?" Nico was bundled in a gray puffy snow jacket that Chiron had let him borrow. Even so, he still felt the chill of the cold through his black jeans and combat boots. He was in no way prepared for snow.
"Look, I found you a fresh patch of snow. There!" Will herded Nico towards the snow. Nico stood looking at it and was about to turn to Will and complain when he was tackled to the ground. Will had launched himself at the son of Hades and sent them both into the soft snow.
"Agh! Will! Dammit, why are you like this?" Nico shoved Will off and sat up in the snow. The newly fallen snow was now ruined, but Will was laughing anyway. When Nico looked up at Will, he had intended to tell him off and shadow travel back to his cabin. Instead, the words died in Nico's throat as he took in the son of Apollo. The snow in his hair coupled with his laughter made Will look like an angel playing in snow. Nico supposed that was pretty accurate. Will's cheeks were red from the cold, but his freckles were still visible. When he finally stopped laughing, Will locked eyes with Nico. Nico noticed that his eyes were a paler blue than during the summer, but they still had that lively twinkle in them. Nico could get lost in those eyes.
When he realized he was staring, Nico glanced away, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks. He hoped the red from the cold hid it.
"Hey, Nico?" Will asked softly. Nico had expected more jokes or teasing, but the tone of Will's voice made Nico look back at Will.
"Yeah?"
Will looked almost hesitant, his smile softening a bit. "I don't know much about your past, not that you necessarily do either, but I hope I can make this Christmas fun for you." Will glanced down at his hands buried in the snow. "I know this time of year is hard, but I want you to know," Will reached out to put his hand over Nico's in the snow, "that I'm here for you and I want to make it better." Will finally looked back up into Nico's eyes.
Nico was stunned. He didn't realize that Will had thought about all that. He didn't realize that the purpose of Will's silly antics was to make new, happy winter memories for Nico. Will cared, a lot, and it still didn't make sense to Nico, but it made him feel hopeful nonetheless.
Nico broke into a smile, a real, genuine one that scrunched his nose a bit. "Thanks, Will. I—" He didn't really know how to outwardly express his appreciation; it felt awkward. "Um, yeah. Thanks. But maybe next time don't push me into cold, wet snow when I have no snow gear at all?" Nico felt relieved when Will smirked and rolled his eyes.
"I'll find you some proper snow pants and boots then, because this is only the start of the snow fun, di Angelo. We have got to make a snowman!" Will stood up and offered Nico a hand, which he gratefully took. When Nico looked in Will's eyes, he saw understanding in them. Will understood what Nico couldn't say just yet.
Nico desperately wanted to tell Will how grateful he was. Maybe he'd even say how his feelings towards Will have been growing. With so much to say, Nico knew he had to build his courage. But Will understood that. He'd wait for Nico, however long he needed.
Will didn't let go of Nico's hand as they walked toward the infirmary for some hot chocolate and warmth.