fuck you (and fuck me, too)

by Significant What

Class Reunion AU. Everyone from their batch knew how much Will Solace and Nico di Angelo hated each other back during high school. So, when their reunion took place ten years later, none of their batchmates ever expected for the two to get along so well with each other much less find out that they're actually…engaged? Just what happened during those ten years? (prompt from tumblr)

reunion day

"Do we have to?"

It's not like Nico doesn't want to go. Not really. He hasn't seen Jason for a few weeks, and while he doesn't actually need a class reunion to see his best friend it'll still be fun to catch up. Plus, there's going to be spiked punch. That is sure to give him enough courage to get through the night. Also entertainment. Drunk people can be amusing.

But for Nico, high school isn't exactly a fond memory. For Nico, it's a dark time after his mother's death, before he got to understand himself, before he even accepted who he is, before he found his place in the world and crawled out of his father's shadow. Before he understood there's more to life than just making it through the day, keeping your head up until the next obstacle rolls around.

Before Will.

"Yes." Will taps his shoulder to get him to turn around, then fixes the tie Nico's been struggling with for the past fifteen minutes. (Nico's actually good with those, usually – his hands are just shaking.) "And not just because Jason will kill you if we don't go. Or because pregnant or not, Piper will come after us and drag you to that gym if we don't show up."

Nico knows this. They've been over this a thousand times since they got the invitations. He was the one who told Will they should go in the first place.

"I know", he mutters, sighs, and briefly wonders if he could convince Will to stay at the hotel instead. Could Will be bribed with sex? (Probably, Nico thinks, though he'd be fucking pissed off after.)

Will finishes the knot (it's flawless, naturally) and smiles brightly as he straightens Nico's collar and runs a hand through his hair. It's not that Nico actually needs the grooming, but he knows that Will is aware how much Nico likes the little touches, the tiny things, the small moments of undivided attention, the subtle intimacy of domesticity. And Nico loves Will for it.

"So tell me again", Will says softly, his voice honey and lemoncakes and warm summer evenings, and Nico has to struggle to keep listening to the actual words. "Why are we going to this thing?"

Nico looks into his eyes, those incredibly blue eyes he has spent hours staring at, wondering how it is possible he didn't fall for them the first time he saw them. "To show people I don't give a fuck." Will's smile grows fond, and Nico smirks back. "We're going as a huge fuck you to everyone who ever doubted me."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"By being normal and boring and so fucking grown up that no one will recognize us."

Will leans in to press his lips to the corner of Nico's mouth. "That's my boy", he mutters, then gives him a real kiss. "And anyway, if someone gives you shit, you can always tell them you're marrying the handsomest man in the room. That'll shut them up."

"The handsomest man in the room, huh?" Will's lips taste like the cheap cherry lip balm he uses even though Nico has told him at least a thousand times he hates it. (He doesn't, not really, and he thinks that Will probably knows.) "And who could that be?"

Taking a step back, Will looks at him tenderly, the way he looks at him in early Sunday mornings, and when he cooks dinner, and when he says something stupid without thinking. "Right, that won't work. You can't very well marry yourself, now, can you?"

Nico rolls his eyes and swats Will's arm. "Shut up. Dork." He turns to look at the mirror one more time, then checks the time. "We should go. It's almost six."

Will takes his hand. "Let's go."

high school, freshman year

"He's looking at you again."

Nico smirks. He's felt the eyes drilling holes to the back of his head for the last ten minutes. "Damn right he is."

Jason sighs and shakes his head, reaching to steal a fry from Nico's tray. It's not like Nico's going to eat them all, anyway. "What did you do?"

"Who says I did anything?" Jason just gives him a look, and Nico can't really hide it anyway, so he shrugs and smiles cruelly. "I may have filled his locker with pink confetti."

A roll of eyes. "Really, Nico? Pink confetti?"

"Matches his eyes."

"His eyes are blue."

"I know." Nico looks over his shoulder and spots Will Solace three tables away, glaring at him and murdering his lunch with a plastic fork. He has a piece of pink tissue paper stuck in his yellow curls. "Oi, Solace! Pink's a good color on you."

A few people giggle. The war between them is no secret to anyone in the school.

"I will end you, di Angelo." If Nico didn't hate Will Solace so much, he could maybe admit that the red tint on his cheeks looks nice. But he does, so he can't. "I will make you regret this, and then I'll end you."

Nico gives him an arrogant grin. "You can try." Truthfully, Nico isn't too afraid. Solace is clever, he knows, but he hasn't been too creative with the paybacks in the past. The worst he's done is change his locker combination so he's had to ask the janitor for help. "Everyone knows you don't have what it takes."

Solace keeps glaring at him, but Nico just turns his back again (kind of risky, really) and starts eating his lunch. He's kind of proud of his last move. It took ages to get the small pieces of paper to the locker without anyone noticing, and he had to skip both History and Chemistry, but it's so worth it.

He's halfway through his bag of chips when he notices Jason staring at him. "What?"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Nico wants to groan and bang his head against the table. This again. "As far as I know, Will is a really cool guy. Everyone else seems to like him. Percy said he's really fun, and Piper has French with him and says he's really clever without being a smartass about it."

Nico rolls his eyes. "Of course Piper would like him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

It's not that Nico really dislikes Piper. She's cool. She's weird in the way that she has feathers in her hair and wears ski jackets over her school uniform, but she's cool. It's just that now that Jason likes her and she has actually noticed that, the two of them have turned into those annoying people who don't exactly date but give each other heart eyes all through home room. Nico feels like he has to dislike her for something, and liking Solace seems as good a reason as any.

"He's exactly the type of person she would like", Nico explains, taking a fry and deciding they taste like shit now that they're getting cold. He pushes them away. "He smiles at strangers. He tutors people. He plays sports and cheers on his team mates. He's – "

"A decent human being?"

Everything I've always wanted to be. "A pain in the ass." Deciding that lunch is over for him, Nico gets up and gathers his stuff. "That's all he is. I don't need a reason to hate him; he hasn't given me a reason not to."

He leaves the tray for Jason, knowing he will probably get an earful about it later, and makes his way out of the cafeteria.

Nico isn't the cool kid in Goode High. He doesn't get pats on the back for a good prank. People don't congratulate him for getting Solace again. They don't exactly glare at him, but the looks are not really friendly, either. Jason is right. People like Will, and the fact that Nico pulls prank after prank on him doesn't do him any favors.

But it's okay. Honestly. Nico doesn't even want to be on their good side. Maybe he once did, back when he actually cared what people think, when he didn't dread going home as much as going to school, when his sister was still alive and his father didn't put the pressure of continuing a legacy on him. But not anymore. These days Nico is just happy to walk the halls alone, with people making way and avoiding eye contact, almost as if they're afraid of him. It's all fine.

Nico gets to his locker and decides that since he already skipped all the morning classes he might as well skip the rest, too. He gets his leather jacket, slams the locker shut, and makes his way out the doors without no one trying to stop him.

He's in the middle of the parking lot when he realizes his jacket is dripping. He holds it up and puts an arm to the right sleeve.

It's the confetti. All the pink confetti has been soaked in water and stuffed inside his jacket.

Someone snickers behind him.

"You're dead, Solace!"

reunion day

Will's phone rings when they're ten steps away from the gym doors. Nico immediately knows it's nothing good.

"It's work", Will mutters regretfully and turns to look at Nico. "I told them to only call if it's an emergency. I need to take this."

"Of course." Nico is used to this, it's not the first time Will's work has come in the way of their plans. Nico admires his morale, can't find it in himself to get upset even after the tenth time they've had to reschedule the same dinner. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

Will smiles slightly and shakes his head. "It's okay. This could take a while." He leans to peck Nico's cheek quickly. "You go ahead, I'll find you after."

Will answers the call, switching straight to Doctor Mode, and Nico spends a good ten seconds looking at his retreating back with a tiny smile. Then he turns his focus on the ugly grey building and sighs, counts to ten (eleven, twelve), and walks in.

It's like he has walked through a portal that has brought him back in time. Nothing in his school has changed; he swears even the yellow stains on the white tile walls are exactly as they were ten years ago. It's a little depressing, really. Nico thinks he has made such progress in the past decade, yet some things seem to remain the same, no matter how much time passes.

Nico finds his way to the table under a sign that informs it's the place he needs to inform his arrival at. The woman sitting behind the table is wearing a light purple sweater and a pearl necklace, and her hair is in curls that can in no way be natural. Her long purple nails look a lot like talons. As he steps closer he can smell the sickly sweet flowery perfume that makes his nose itch.

"Nico di Angelo", he informs the woman with a neutral, almost cold voice, and once she looks up with shocked (and heavily made-up) eyes he notices that her name tag says Drew Tanaka, accompanied by a black and white copy of her year book photo. He remembers her, then; she was the cheer captain. She's the one who sent the invitation e-mails. Her appearance now isn't really surprising, considering the way she looked ten years ago.

"Oh! Di Angelo!" Her voice is high-pitched and sickly sweet and annoying, which also isn't surprising. "I saw you listed as attending but we didn't think you'd actually – "

"Right." This was a really, really bad idea, Nico thinks, but it's too late to turn back now. He takes a calming breath and tries not to scowl too much. "Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

Her pink painted lips curve into a flirty smile, showing her perfectly white teeth, and Nico has to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, you are. Here you go, sweetie", she hands him a name tag similar to hers. (Her nails are long and pink and remind Nico of talons.) He immediately wants to hide the picture from the world. "Wear that throughout the evening, please, so that old friends can find you. God knows you look different from ten years ago. The years have been very kind to you."

Nico knows he looks good. He knows the navy blue button-up compliments his skin, that the rolled up sleeves show just enough of his tattoos to make him seem interesting, that the shiny grey neck tie is flashy enough to catch attention but not too obnoxious. He knows exactly how Will looks at him when he wears these jeans, knows how much the man likes to run his fingers through his undercut, knows he's wearing earrings that make him look better than good. Nico knows.

Which is why he isn't surprised Drew Tanaka can see it, too. It's annoying, of course, and the way she looks him up and down like he's a piece of meat is down right creepy, but it still gives him some weird sort of satisfaction. After all, no one gave him a second glance back when he was seventeen, unless it was to criticize his looks or posture.

"Thank you", he manages to say without sounding too smug and attaches the tag to the front of his shirt. He can hear other people arriving and coming towards them, so he takes a step back to signal he's going to join the party. "Good to see you", he adds, even if it's not, and turns to the direction of the gym where he can hear music and chatter coming.

Nico has taken a total of three steps when Drew calls him again. "Oh, and Nico, sweetie?" He groans internally and turns to look at her. "Will Solace has been listed as attending, too."

He nods and wonders if he should tell her, then decides against it just to be a little shit like everyone here knows him to be. "Yes, I heard something like that."

For a moment, Drew looks like she's almost uncomfortable. She sits stiffly in her chair (Nico can't really blame her, they were never very ergonomic) and twists her fingers nervously together. "Just… let's not make a scene, okay? I know you two didn't get along for God knows what reason, but this is a classy event and – "

Nico almost laughs. Classy event, my ass. He lets an almost evil smile spread on his lips as he turns back around.

"Like you said, Drew, I am a lot different from ten years ago."

high school, graduation day

Nico wakes up to the beeping of the machines, but he thinks he's heard them through his sleep for what feels like hours.

When he finally registers something other than the beeping, he comes to the conclusion that everything hurts. From his throat to his ankles, from the back of his head to his left arm to his stomach. Every breath feels like the air is made of sand paper, and when he opens his eyes the lights are so bright in the white room that his eyes burn. The whole place smells like antiseptic.

"Oh, good, you're awake." His father doesn't sound overly concerned for the fact that Nico is in the hospital, lying there in a hospital bed, with what feels like a million bandages all over his body. "I need to get to a meeting in an hour, I was going to postpoint it if you didn't wake up." He looks briefly up from his phone to scan Nico's face with his cold eyes. Nico tries to read the emotion behind them but doesn't find one. "How are you feeling?"

After several tries and a rather painful coughing fit, Nico manages to rasp out two words. "What happened?"

"You fell down three flights of stairs at school yesterday morning. Got startled about something, I guess." Father taps on his phone a few times as a nurse walks in. "I'm sure the medical professionals here can give you the details. I must be going. I'll have someone check on you in a couple of hours and bring you a change of clothes for when they let you go home."

Father is out without much sentiment, already talking sharply on the phone before he even leaves the room. Nico doesn't expect anything else. It's been cold between them for years.

The nurse checking his vitals seems nice enough, so Nico turns his attention to her and tries again. "What happened?"

She has a sad smile. Nico guesses it might be because of the cold exchange between him and his father, but it could also just be her face. She has sad eyes, too. Nico doesn't particularly like looking at her, so he turns his eyes back to the blank ceiling without asking her to help him sit up.

"If my understanding is correct, you were surrounded by a marching band at the top of the stairs and – well, freaked out a little. Lost your footing and fell, like your father said, down three flights of stairs. You have a broken leg and wrist and three fractured ribs, and you're suffering a concussion. You were out for over thirty hours."

Her explanation on the events that lead to his accident are vague, but it's enough for Nico to know exactly what had happened. He's furious by the time the nurse finishes her check-up and starts making her way towards the door, probably to continue her rounds. And that's when something else registers to Nico.

"Wait – you said I've been unconscious for a whole day? It's Saturday already?"

The nurse gives him another one of those sad smiles (this time it's definitely deliberate). "I heard you had your high school graduation today. I'm sorry you didn't make it."

Nico thinks he should feel at least a little bad for missing the ceremony. He doesn't, not in the slightest. He's actually really relieved he doesn't have to see certain people again, possibly ever again for the rest of his life. And sure, the graduation ceremony is traditional and is supposed to bring closure to the whole high school experience, but Nico didn't want to go anyway. His father wasn't even pretending to come, and he was only going to go because Jason had told him to. No big deal.

So high school is done with me, Nico thinks and almost smiles, and I'm done with high school. That's awfully convenient.

"Oh, and before I forget", his nurse says before she leaves the room for good. Her smile is still sad, even if she clearly tries to make it look happy. Nico gives A for effort. "There's a boy outside that wants to see you. Tall, blond, blue eyes."

Jason. Nico wants to sigh in relief at the thought of his best friend. "Please, let him in."

It's not Jason. Of course it's not Jason, that would be too good. Evidently Nico is not very lucky.

reunion day

Nico scans the gym and quickly finds Jason and Piper from a table close to the photo wall. Piper notices him approaching and grins brightly, and Nico can't really help but smile back by the time he reaches them.

"Hi, Pipes."

"Nico! I can't believe you actually came!"

Rolling his eyes, Nico claps Jason on the shoulder before taking a seat next to his wife. "Of course I came, I value my life." Piper glares at him but doesn't wipe the smile from her lips. "Who knows, maybe this won't be a total waste of time."

Jason booms a laugh that draws the attention of a few by standers. "That's the spirit, my friend!" He looks around and knits his eye brows together. "Where's Will? I thought you two were supposed to come together?"

Nico reaches for Jason's drink and sniffs it, wrinkling his nose in disappointment when he doesn't smell any alcohol but taking a sip anyway. (Why anyone bother with fruity drinks without alcohol is beyond him.) "He got a work call. He'll be in shortly. Although I am a little disappointed we couldn't make a scene walking in together. The reactions would have been priceless."

Piper grins from across the table with one hand on her huge belly and stretches the other towards Nico. "Come on, lover boy, show me the ring already. I can't believe that wasn't the first thing you did coming here."

"Not all of us are so keen to show off our love life, McLean."

"Grace."

"My point exactly", Nico chuckles and removes his ring to let Piper look at it. His finger feels strange and cold without it, even if he's only been wearing it for two short weeks now. He almost asks Piper to give it back before she even gets a good look. "Anyway, thanks for the card. And the flowers. And the gift basket. And the balloons. Seriously, Jason, can you please control your wife's whims?"

Jason grins and winks. "The balloons were actually my idea. Piper tried to talk me out of it, but Leo supported me wholeheartedly."

"Why does that not surprise me – "

"Oh my god, Nico, this is so cute!" Nico turns his attention back to Piper, who is now looking at the engravings inside the ring. He blushes a little, slightly regretting showing it to her. It's kind of really personal, something private, something meant for him and Will only. "Choose love. That's so romantic! Jason, we need to get ours engraved, too."

Jason talks back and probably soon starts making fun of the way Nico is blushing, but Nico hardly listens. He takes the ring back from Piper, slips it to his finger and feels instant relief. It feels a little stupid, maybe, to be so dependent on a piece of metal. Had someone told him a few years ago, or even a few months ago, that he'd be like this, Nico probably would have laughed. Even as he stood there at the small boutique, choosing the rings and paying for them and requesting the engravings and discussing fonts and styles, he hadn't thought he'd get like this.

But that piece of metal in his finger is identical to Will's. And to Nico, that makes all the difference, no matter how sappy that sounds.

high school, graduation day

"And what the fuck exactly are you doing here?"

Nico knows he's being beyond rude, but he also thinks he kind of has the right to be. He's the one stuck in the hospital, after all. He glares at the guy standing at the foot of his bed and tries to sit up – only to gasp as pain shoots from his head and his ribs and blinds him for a moment.

His visitor takes a step closer. "Here, let me help – "

"Haven't you done enough, Solace?"

Solace winces at his tone, but Nico doesn't care. He can't remember being this angry at someone for years. Sure, he's been pissed off at Solace on a daily basis for the past couple of years, and he's gotten into pretty impressive fights with his father every now and then, but it hasn't been like this since… well, he really can't remember.

Nico reaches for the remote control and pushes the button to get the upper half of the bed moving. When he can finally look at Solace without straining his neck, he notices that the guy is pale and has the world's biggest bags under his eyes. He looks like he hasn't slept a wink last night. That gives Nico some satisfaction.

"I'll ask you again", Nico says, calmer this time but still feeling white hot anger burning in his belly. "What the fuck are you doing here, Solace?"

Solace doesn't answer right away. It looks like he's choosing his words carefully, as if to not push any more of Nico's buttons, and that seems like a good idea. It also makes Nico furious. He doesn't want Solace to be considerate and kind; he needs the annoying Will Solace, the one that always says the wrong things and does everything to get Nico on edge. That Will Solace Nico knows how to deal with. That Will Solace Nico knows how to be mad at.

Taking a deep breath, Solace finally opens his mouth and speaks. "It wasn't supposed to land you in a hospital." Nico had assumed his first words to be some lame excuse for an apology, so he's a little taken aback. Solace continues. "It was supposed to be harmless, like all the others so far. I didn't know you'd get… like that."

By like that Nico supposes Solace means the way Nico freaked out about being cornered by people he didn't know playing loud instruments right to his face. He narrows his eyes. "Oh, so you're saying this is all my fault, now?"

"I'm not saying that." It's annoying how calm Solace is. Really fucking annoying. "I'm just saying I didn't think you'd react like that. It was unexpected. I should have thought about the possibility of you freaking out. That's where I went wrong."

Nico looks at Solace. He doesn't get it. The guy has been a pain in the ass all through high school, and now he actually has a decency to look guilty? That's so not what Nico wants at all.

"Well, I'm glad I could act as your fucking lab rat in this learning experience", Nico growls and balls his fists in the sheets. What would it take to get Solace to leave? "That still doesn't explain why the hell you're here."

For a fraction of a second, Nico actually thinks he sees a familiar emotion on Solace's face. Like he's the one who's in actual physical pain, and not Nico. When the blond speaks again, it's with a hollow voice that gives Nico chills and makes it impossible to look away from the icy blue eyes.

"How long have we been doing this? Three years? Four?" Nico doesn't answer. He doesn't know. "Why did it even start? Is there even a real reason we keep making each others lives miserable?"

Nico really doesn't know. Frankly, he thinks he barely even cares anymore. For so long, his life has been a consistent circle of school, frustration and revenge that he doesn't really know how to deal with one without the other. Maybe he's just always thought that Solace felt the same and didn't ponder on it any more.

Nico doesn't remember a reason they've done this; why they started, or why they kept on hating each other. All he knows is that for as long as he's known Will Solace he's wanted to pay back for one thing or another. All things considered, it's very much possible Nico was the one who started it, but then again it could just as well be Will.

"Don't tell me you suddenly want to hold hands and sing Kumbaya."

Solace glares at him, and that's good. That's familiar.

"I mean, I'm not saying we should smile and make up and be all buddy-buddy from now on. That'd be stupid." Well, at least they can agree on that. "I just… high school is over, and it's unlikely we see much of each other anymore. I feel like it calls for a truce, at least. You know, because we're supposed to be functioning adults now or some shit."

Initially, Nico wants to laugh coldly and tell Solace to keep dreaming. That there's no way in hell they could manage a truce, that he doesn't even want a truce. But Solace is right; high school is over. I'm done with high school and high school is done with me. And it really is highly unlikely that they'll meet again, possibly ever. It's not like Nico is planning on spending his days looking for a way to get back at Solace now that they won't see each other on a daily basis.

As much as it pains Nico to admit it, Solace does have a point. But no way is he going to give the guy the satisfaction by telling him that.

"If I agree to a truce, will you leave me alone?" Nico asks, calmer now than he's probably ever been in Solace's presence. "You'll stop bugging me, for good?"

"Trust me, I have no desire to follow you around to keep bugging you."

And just like that, it's done. Nico watches as Solace sets his jaw, and they both nod. Truce. It feels weird, after all this time. The thought that he might actually never see Solace again after this is thrilling and liberating, but it also leaves an empty pit in his stomach. Maybe it's because he's so accustomed to their rivalry, their stupid childish war, that he finds it hard to think of a day without it.

"Seriously, though", Nico says just as Solace is about to leave the room. The blond turns to look at him with raised eye brows. "A marching band, of all things? How did you even manage that?"

Solace's smirk is still annoying; it still makes Nico want to punch something, makes his insides turn in a way that makes him want to puke. It's… surprisingly reassuring, in a way that doesn't make sense. "I tutored half of them in Biology."

Nico rolls his eyes and lets his head fall back against the pillows. "Of course you did."

reunion day

Nico hates to think he's become that guy from romance novels that knows without looking when his significant other enters the room. (He also hates to think he's become the guy that actually reads romance novels. He doesn't. But the selection at the air port was very narrow.) But he has his back turned to the doors, and he swears he can feel Will's eyes on him the second he places his cup back on the table.

He doesn't turn to look, though. Piper is just telling him about something ridiculous Leo did last week, and Jason has disappeared to catch up with his old baseball team mates. Nico and Will will have plenty of chances to shock people later.

"Oh, Piper, it is you!" Piper is suddenly tackled by a blonde woman in a plum dress. "I was just talking with Mitchell and wondering if you'd come."

Nico watches as the woman finally lets go of Piper and settles down in Jason's chair. She looks vaguely familiar to him, but then again so do half of the people here. He can't see her name tag since it's hidden by her long hair, but just then Piper addresses the woman by her name.

"It's good to see you, Lacy." Piper is one of those people who were friends with pretty much everyone in high school. Will is like that, too. It's fucking annoying. Nico has no idea who Lacy is, but figures that they maybe had one or two classes together. "How have things been?"

Lacy starts telling her life story from the past ten years, but Nico tones it out. As much as of an ass it makes him seem, he really doesn't care about Lacy's career or marriage or semi-famous brother in law. Instead he looks past her, toward the servings table, and sees Will engaged in a conversation with someone he knows. Will looks slightly uncomfortable, like he's only having the conversation to not seem rude, and Nico almost laughs. Even after the years they have been so much more than rivals, he still gets some sort of satisfaction seeing Will in awkward situations.

"…see you've been busy as well!" Lacy's voice cuts through Nico's thoughts, and he briefly wonders why half of the women he's met in his life have such an annoying laugh. "Congratulations", she smiles as looks pointedly at Piper's belly. She spares a glance at Nico. "I always thought you and Jason would be together forever, but I suppose – "

It's Piper's turn to laugh. Her voice has never been annoying to Nico, but it could also be for the fact that he's always been too used to her to notice. "Oh, god. You think me and – ? No, no chance in hell." It's then that Nico catches the implication, and he snorts when Lacy's cheeks turn to a light shade of pink that's different to her make up and makes it stand out. "Jason and I are perfectly happy and married, thank you very much."

Nico almost feels bad for Lacy. She looks thoroughly embarrassed. But then again, the very idea of Nico and Piper ever ending up together is nothing short of ridiculous, and Nico is actually borderline disgusted. "Oh. Right. I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed – "

"Lacy, that's Nico." The way she says his name leaves the impression as if that should explain everything – which, he guesses, kind of is the deal. "Di Angelo."

And suddenly Lacy's eyes widen to the size of plates. "Oh. Oh." She looks down at the table, then back at Nico, then the table again. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you. You…" If possible, she turns even redder, and Nico glares at Piper when the woman covers her mouth to keep from laughing. "You look very different, now. Than you did back then."

Nico wants to die a little. Probably kill Piper first, and then die. He wonders if the infant would survive without a mother yet. He makes a mental note to ask Will. "I know. It's okay."

It takes a little while, but eventually Lacy gets back to her bubbly self. Nico actually remembers her now; he used to sit behind her in multiple classes. He remembers staring at the back of her neck during exams and wondering if it'd be worth it to just bolt out without even trying to answer the questions on his sheet.

"So, Nico! What's been going on?" Lacy's smile isn't exactly contagious, but it's warm and friendly and Nico thinks she could probably be worse. "I heard you moved to California some time ago. How's that been?"

Behind her, Will finally manages to get rid of the man he's been talking to. He locks eyes with Nico and smiles, then takes a few steps towards their table only to be stopped again by a small group of women, all loud and glittery and touchy. Nico smiles softly at Will's apologetic expression, then takes another sip of his drink and really wishes it had alcohol in it.

"It's been really good."

college, sophomore year, new year's eve

The party is in full swing by the time Nico gets there. He instantly regrets the fact that he's driving; there's no way he's going to survive the whole night sober.

It's your typical frat party. Nico's seen the same parties in New York; it's not like he expected college frat parties being any different in California. It's just that he doesn't find sticky floors, half naked girls and excessive amounts of body glitter all that attractive. Everywhere he looks he sees people grinding against each other, sucking face and drinking and making the whole house seem more like a zoo than a human living establishment. There are certainly noises coming from somewhere in the house Nico really doesn't want to further explore.

What he does is make his way to the living room (or what he assumes is the living room with the largest mass of people moving to the loud music that's more bass than melody) and lets himself get lost in the music. He briefly nods to the guy that invited him and closes his eyes, letting the music wash over him and the moving bodies around him guide him to the rhythm. This is what he needs; a distraction, a way to let loose, one night to forget all that's happened in the past couple of months.

He gets that for what feels like exactly two songs.

"Nico di Angelo? Is that actually you?"

Nico curses. No one is supposed to know him here yet. No one is supposed to be able to call him out and make him actually think about something other than the music coming from the speakers. There's a reason he transferred to UCLA, why he packed his things and moved to the other side of the country without informing anyone but Jason beforehand. He wants to start over, clean slate. He doesn't want reminders of his miserable life in New York haunting him all the way in California.

Nico freezes, and then curses some more, because now he can't even pretend he didn't hear. So he stops dancing, sighs, and turns around to see who could possibly have recognized him.

It's probably the second to last person Nico wants to see right now. Or ever.

"What are the odds?" Will Solace continues. He isn't exactly smiling, but Nico thinks his face is actually far from hostile, so he tries to do the same – they had agreed on a truce, after all, the last time they saw each other. "What are you doing in LA?"

Nico swallows his first response ("What's it to you?") and asks, "What are you doing here?"

And now Solace grins. It's the same stupid grin that's made Nico want to hit something all through high school. The same grin he had already thought he wouldn't have to see again ever in his life. "I go to college here. UCLA. My medical program of choice since fifth grade."

"I didn't know you wanted to study medicine."

Solace gives him a small laugh that can barely be heard through the noise. "And I never knew you wanted to study… uh…"

"Linguistics", Nico supplies and looks down at their feet. They're so close that their toes almost touch. Nico doesn't think he's ever been this close to Solace before. He doesn't know what to think.

"Linguistics! See, that's the kind of stuff you miss out on when you're too busy making each other's life a living hell."

Nico's head snaps back up, and he's all ready to see the usual taunting smirk, the one he's so accustomed to. The one that tells him that he's not the only one trying to piss the other off. But what he sees instead is a kind face, lips curled into a half-smile, eyes sparkling in the low light. They're not as cold blue as Nico remembers; not blue like ice, but blue like the sky, or falling snow in the evening glow. It's strange. Nico could swear Solace's eyes used to glare icy daggers twentyfour-seven.

"You know", Solace says and leans forward a little so he doesn't have to yell over the music. Their faces are as close as their toes, now, and Nico really doesn't know what to think. He seems to be unable to read Solace's expression. "I don't know if it's weird, but I'm actually happy to see you. I always wondered how things turned out for you."

Standing this close, Nico lets himself look at Solace properly. Really look at him, not just face him with a scowl. And he hates to admit it, but Solace is pretty fucking attractive, in the way that being this close makes his heart beat a little faster by default. Which is stupid, because this is Will Solace. The same Will Solace he spent all high school hating and trying to piss off. Will Solace is not supposed to be attractive.

But he is. He's so attractive Nico isn't sure he can ignore it anymore. It's not just the eyes, it's also the tan skin and those damn freckles that are splattered everywhere like paint on canvas, without a pattern. It's the curve of his lips, and that damn half-smile that creates a dimple to his left cheek. It's that one strand of hair that curls stubbornly away from the rest of the mass of golden hair and casts a shadow to his forehead. Nico looks at this attractive guy inches away from his face and has to work really hard to remind himself who it is.

"Right." Nico clears his throat. He tries to look away but can't; it's like Solace's eyes are holding his captive. It's a cliché and Nico hates it, but that's exactly what it feels like and he doesn't know what's going on. His mind is dizzy. "You, uh – do you want to get out of here, to catch up? Somewhere we can actually hear our own minds?"

Nico knows what it sounds like – notices the choice of words as soon as they leave his mouth. He can only hope Solace understands what he means.

With a nod, Solace grabs Nico by the wrist and guides him towards the back door. They find themselves from the back yard soon after, and yes, Nico can finally think. The cool night air sharpens his focus and he's now fully aware of things. Like the way he's only wearing a leather jacket and if this were New York he'd be freezing to death. Or the fact that he'd apparently been dancing for quite a while because there's a drop of sweat trailing down his neck, tickling his skin.

Or the way Will Solace is still holding his wrist and is now tracing patterns to the delicate skin over his pulse point and it's making him crazy.

Nico actually wants to say a lot. He kind of wants to apologize for being an asshole in high school, and maybe solidify their truce further. He wants to ask if it'd be weird to run his hands through Solace's hair (he knows it would). He wants to say that he, too, is kind of glad they ran into each other, even if he first wasn't. He really, really wants to ask if Solace would pretty please continue stroking his hand like that for the rest of the night.

Okay, so maybe the fresh air and relative quiet didn't help as much as Nico had anticipated.

When Nico finally opens his mouth to say something it seems like the whole crowd inside explodes. A countdown.

Is it midnight already? Nico looks up, and Solace's face is way too close to his own, closer than it was inside the house. This is not happening. The counting is down to five already.

"We don't have to, you know", Solace whispers. His breath smells of fruits and alcohol.

3. 2. 1.

Nico doesn't hear the cheers and Happy New Year's. He doesn't see the fireworks that light up the sky. He doesn't notice people flooding through the back door to the back yard to see the lights. He doesn't realize some drunken idiot bumps into him and brings him closer to Solace. Nico doesn't register any of that, because Will Solace kisses like that's his sole reason of walking the earth, like that's all he was made to do in his life.

His lips are soft but demanding against Nico's. Nico really hasn't kissed that many people, but he forgets everyone else as soon as Will's lips slot with his. No one could ever compare to Will, he's sure of that. He doesn't have the words to describe it; the whole situation is ridiculous and unexpected and unreal, and his heart is beating loudly against his chest because this is Will fucking Solace and it's hands down the best kiss he's ever had. Nico doesn't know what to think about anything.

Then Will parts his lips and slips a tongue to lick at the seam of Nico's, and that's when every last bit of reason leaves Nico's mind.

Nico doesn't know how it happens, but he somehow finds his arms around Will's neck, their bodies flush against each other and lips and tongues dancing a battle of dominance. And this works so much better than any amount of mindless dancing ever could, because Nico's mind is totally blank, and he's forgotten everyone and everything that isn't Will Solace's lips or tongue or hands oh my god those hands. Nico knows, somewhere in the back of his head, that this could get complicated, but he's finally reached his oblivion. He's going to worry about that later.

They lean back after what seems like years, just enough to take a deep breath. Solace's arms are holding Nico close, like he doesn't want him to disappear, and Nico doesn't mind. Like, he doesn't mind the slightest. He pants heavily against Solace's face and, without thinking, leans back in for another kiss, and then another, and another. And Will grands them to him, answering his countless kisses with equal enthusiasm, and Nico's mind is so dizzy he's pretty damn happy Solace is there to hold him.

Well there's a sentence I never thought I'd ever form in my wildest dreams. The thought snaps Nico's eyes open and he breaks the kiss. He's still holding the collar of Will's shirt when their eyes meet, blown wide in shock and gleaming in the night. Nico can see the fireworks reflected in Solace's dilated pupils.

"What the hell just happened?"

reunion day

Nico knows as soon as he gets up from the table that it's a bad decision. But what else is he supposed to do? It's not like he prefers to sit around and wait for Will to make it across the room to him. They can make a scene right here right now.

Still, Drew Tanaka is not Nico's first choice to include in the plan.

"Ooh, Nico darling", she says rather dramatically and appears from seemingly out of nowhere. Her manicured hand comes to rest on Nico's left bicep, the talon-like nails digging slightly to his skin, and he fights the urge to take a step back. "We didn't really get a chance to talk back there, but I couldn't help but notice a certain piece of jewellery!" Her sing-song voice is probably the most annoying thing Nico has heard in years. He bites his tongue to hold back a rude grimace. "Tell me, dear, is that an actual engagement ring?"

"Yes."

That one small answer, delivered with a less than friendly tone, sends Drew and her two companions squealing and petting his arms excitedly. (Seriously, what's up with that?)

"Oh my goodness, congratulations! What's her name? Did you bring her? Is it someone we know?"

Rolling his eyes, Nico turns and looks around until his eyes land on Will. "There. I think you recognize him – it's not like he's changed all that much on the outside." Will catches his eyes and he waves him to join them. Nico can feel the women buzzing with excitement.

The excitement, however, turns into shock and disbelief once they recognize who it is Nico is looking at. He wonders if they're more shocked about his fiancé being a guy or the fact that it's Will. (Really though, he thinks they shouldn't have even bothered with thinking he'd ever marry a woman. He wasn't exactly subtle about his sexuality back in high school.)

Nico knows that it's really sappy, and there's no way he's ever going to tell this to anyone, but as soon as Will is there with him he feels much better. Will sneaks an arm around his waist with practiced ease and stands by his side close enough that Nico can lean on him without being too obvious. No, they're not molded together like two pieces of a puzzle; that'd be ridiculous, they're people, not puzzle pieces. But it does feel like Nico is a little more whole with Will there.

"I'm sorry, I got caught up", Will mutters and presses a quick kiss to Nico's temple. The shock emitting from Drew and the two other women pulses around them in waves. "A colleague needed my all-clear for a surgery."

"Everything okay?"

Will smiles. Nico's heart beats that much faster. (It's stupid, actually.) "Yes, it's a very routine operation. The mother was just very persistent on getting my opinion."

It's then that the women seem to find their tongues again, and of course it's Drew who manages to draw all the attention to herself again. "My, my, Will Solace. I take it you followed your dreams and became a doctor like you always wanted?"

Yes, it hurts a little to know that Drew Tanaka new about Will's plans in high school when Nico didn't, but Nico brushes the thought away. They've been over this. Neither of them hold a grudge about all those years they spent torturing each other. It's in the past; they have a much brighter future to focus on.

Will turns his blinding grin to the women, and Nico feels a little smug when they swoon. "That's correct. And boy, am I glad I did. Who knows if I'd ever had the chance to reunite with Nico if I hadn't gone to med school in LA?"

Or if my father hadn't kicked me out and disowned me for not following in his footsteps to the finance world, Nico thinks, but manages to act the part of a blushing fiancé in reaction to Will's words.

The brown haired woman next to Drew (her name tag says Kelli) lets out a dreamy sigh. "So, let's hear the details: who asked who?"

"I did", Will tells, and Nico is just about to tell him that there's no need to sound so smug about (seriously, Solace, so unnecessary, jeez) it when he continues, "I mean, Nico had the rings, but I did the talking."

Nico snorts and rolls his eyes, bumping his shoulder to Will's side. "To be fair, you always do the talking."

"Well someone has to, Mr. Anti-Social."

college, end of sophomore year

Nico is sitting in the living room with his French Lit essay, listening to Will do the dishes, when he pretty much fucks up everything.

"I want to marry you, Will."

Will drops the pan to the sink. It splashes water everywhere, his shirt is now soaked, and Nico winces slightly when a boiler cover falls on the floor with a bang. But Will doesn't seem to register any of that. He turns around to look at Nico. "What?"

Nico's heart is beating so hard it almost breaks his ribs, and he can feel his face burning. "Not now, obviously! Fuck", he takes a few deep breaths and wants to hide his face to his hands. When will he learn to keep his mouth shut? "I just – you know, some day. Or whatever."

He turns back to his papers and tries to ignore the way Will keeps staring at him. Just standing there and staring. It's getting on his nerves. Nico wants to go die in a hole somewhere. He wants to turn back time so this whole episode never happened. God, I'm such a fucking idiot.

"It's just a stupid thought", he mutters and doesn't look up at Will, who's still staring. Please stop staring. "Just forget about it. Do you want to get thai for dinner?"

Nico feels like the biggest idiot on the goddamned planet. They've been together for barely four months; Will has moved in just two weeks ago, more out of convenience than anything else; everything is still brand new, and Nico is still learning to think I love you, Will instead of you're dead, Solace when he sees the man in the morning. Everything between them is just starting to make sense, and now Nico had to go and throw that into it? He might as well go ahead and kiss the idea good bye already.

What kind of an idiot talks about marrying his first boyfriend four months into the relationship, anyway? Sure, he's twenty-two, but that doesn't change the fact that this is his first real relationship. Nico wants to die right there and then. Thinking about marrying Will one day is one thing; that's acceptable and possibly even somewhat romantic. But talking about it, at this point?

Even though he can't read a word, Nico keeps his eyes on the piles of papers and refuses to look up.

That is, until Will sits down across from him by the coffee table.

"Do you think we could have a conversation before you tell me to forget about it?" Will's face is hard to read. Nico hates that. He's never been able to tell what it is exactly that Will is thinking. Not when they were in high school, not when they met again five months ago, not now. That's another thing that makes Nico feel like an idiot. Aren't you supposed to be able to read someone like an open book when you love them enough to get married?

Maybe I don't love him enough, Nico thinks. It would make sense. He hasn't even said the words out loud yet, after all.

Then he thinks he's being an idiot again. Because they've been dating for four months and they're not getting married any time soon. Possibly ever.

"Whatever", Nico mutters, still feeling miserable, and fixes his eyes down to his hands on the table. He knows he's being difficult. But he really, really doesn't want to talk about this now, not when it would almost certainly mean breaking up, and he really, really doesn't want to break up with Will. At all. "You can talk if you want", he says anyway, keeping his voice quiet. It echoes in the silent living space of their tiny apartment. "I think I made myself clear already."

After, Nico is certain that the silence isn't that long, but in that moment it feels to him like Will lets it drag on for forever before he finally says, "Yes, you did."

There's something strange in his voice. Nico doesn't want to look up; there's no point when he knows he can't read Will's face anyway. But the voice is different from what he expected. It's warmer, gentler, maybe a little amused. There's nothing in it that indicates the break up that's bound to happen now, and Nico is getting restless as the seconds tick by and Will doesn't say anything.

"You know, I thought I was getting way ahead of myself when I started thinking that maybe we could look for a bigger apartment together this summer." That's… not on the list of things Nico expected Will to say. His breath hitches and he watches as one of Will's hands creeps across the glass surface of the table to delicately touch his. "I've never been this glad to be wrong."

Will doesn't make any sense. He's a puzzle Nico can't solve; a 5000 piece jigsaw he's not sure he has all the pieces to, and he doesn't even know what it's supposed to be when it's ready but he knows it's something beautiful, something perfect and out of this world. Every time Nico thinks he's got one part of Will figured out he's presented with a new part that's even more complex and wonderful. It's a constant cycle Nico doesn't want to break.

Turning his palm up to hold Will's hand, Nico gazes up. He still can't read Will's face properly, but maybe that's okay for now – they've only been together for four months. But Will smiles, and Nico is in love, and he swears in that moment that he's going to tell that to Will soon, when the time seems right.

"Here's what we're going to do." Will's thumb presses to the palm of Nico's hand, stroking gently up and down the fate line. Or maybe it's the life line, Nico isn't sure. "We're going to wait five years. If after five years we're still together and you still want to marry me, ask me. Sound good?"

Nico doesn't think he deserves Will Solace.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." He smiles weakly, and Will laces their fingers together. Nico wants to think that their fingers slot together perfectly, like the spaces between his fingers were made for Will's. But that's not how real life goes. They're just hands – and really, most hands fit well together.

(It still feels nice.)

(Very nice.)

"So, thai for dinner?"

reunion day

Nico thinks they're being very discreet about their relationship – even more discreet than they had originally planned to be – but they still get plenty of weirded out looks. And that's pretty much all they get; only one or two people ask about the fact that they're not, in fact, tearing at each other's throats, and Will seems to be more than happy tell those people that yes, well, that's what happens when you fall in love, funny isn't it?

Of course Nico knows the news are spreading around the gym like a wildfire. He'd be stupidly naïve to think they weren't. But he's surprised that after Drew, Kelli and Tammi are satisfied in their curiosity, no other stranger comes bugging them.

Instead Nico spends the next two hours listening to Will catch up with various team mates. The guys don't seem to know what to think about the way Will never leaves Nico's side, or the way Nico helps Will wipe away some spilled punch, but they still don't say anything. It's maybe a little bit annoying. Nico had come to the reunion with the hope that he'd be able to shock everyone shitless with his relationship with Will, and so far everyone had been only mildly surprised. That's not how he imagined this at all.

Nico is about ready to ask Will if they could leave already (rude, yes, but he really doesn't actually care that much) when Drew Tanaka takes the stage, announcing that it's time to relive "one of the most important moments" of their senior year. Which, apparently, is the dance between the prom king and queen.

Drew herself was, of course, the prom queen. No surprise there. Nico hadn't really been paying attention to prom back in high school; he'd only attended because Piper had threatened to smash his guitar if he didn't. During the dance he'd been too busy trying to spike the punch to notice such mundane things as giving people plastic crowns.

"You know, three more votes and I would've been prom king", is what Will has to say on the matter, and Nico rolls his eyes when Drew takes the floor with one of the football players who look like they've spent the last ten years drinking.

"Surprise, surprise", he mutters, low enough so that only Will can hear. Hopefully. "Mr Golden Boy is still bitter about the vote." Nico thinks the whole situation is like from some stupid rom com. "So what, are you jealous? You want to be there swaying awkwardly with Drew while everyone watches like the past ten years never happened?"

Will sighs. To anyone else it probably sounds annoyed and barely contained, but Nico is standing close enough to know that there's no tension in Will's body. This is how they work.

"You're a real ass, aren't you, di Angelo?" Will's words are loud enough to attract the attention of a few bystanders, who turn to look at them with alarmed faces. Nico fights back a smirk. He spots Jason a few steps away, looking at the two of them like this is is favorite TV-show.

"Yeah?" Nico shoots back and turns to look at him, glaring daggers made of cotton candy. "Took you long enough." He's having so much fun he barely notices that there are at least ten people around them looking ready to come between them if a real fight takes place. "The question is same as always, Solace: what are you going to do about it?"

Will stands still for a long moment. The people around them are frozen in spot, waiting for the pin to drop. Somehow it registers to Nico that this is fucking stupid; do the people here actually think that they are the same people they were when they were in high school? Do they seriously think so little of them that they really believe Nico is ready to pick up a fight with Will over something so stupid as calling him an ass? He's heard so much worse, even from Will, and very recently. This is how they work.

Will is slow to let the smile take over his features. Others may not even see it, but Nico has every inch of that face memorized, he knows Will inside and out, no matter what people think. And he sees the twitch of Will's lower lip, even if Will doesn't even feel it himself, and he notices the dimple on Will's cheek that always makes itself known before the actual smile.

"You know, it's going to be weird if you still call me Solace after the wedding."

Nico shrugs and still tries to keep a straight face, even if Will is being borderline sappy and making his knees weak. "Well, I'll just have to think of a new nickname, then. I could call you an ass, too. Or maybe I'll buy you a plastic crown and keep calling you Mr Golden Boy, how's that?"

That's what finally makes Will break and let out a small laugh. Nico grins back and leans their shoulders together once more, enjoying the dumb looks on everyone else's faces.

"You're impossible", Will mutters against his temple, and Nico likes the way he can feel the lips curve into a smile. He leans a little to the touch, enough to feel but not enough to let anyone else see.

"Isn't that why you love me?" he teases, hoping that his sappy words wouldn't make it to the wrong ears. Will's whole body shakes with silent laughter against his.

After a few shocked moments, a guy Nico faintly remembers as one of Will's old team mates they talked with before, opens his mouth and asks what everyone is probably thinking. "What the hell happened in those ten years?"

Jason is looking at them with knowing eyes, but Nico only looks at Will, who's looking right back at him. There's that twinkle again. It's clear that there's no way they'll be able to tell them everything, nor do they want to. Too much of it is personal, or coincidences, or just so incredibly unbelievable that no one would believe them if they told.

So Nico just smiles and laces his fingers together with Will's. "A lot of things happened."

two weeks ago

Nico has been thinking about his sophomore year a lot lately. The spring semester in particular; the short weeks it took for him to go from reacquainting Will to fall for the guy hopelessly, and the lack of thought process behind that. To this day he still doesn't know how it had happened, how he suddenly had found himself falling in love with the guy he had once thought to be his worst enemy, but sitting there, watching Will suffer with some online course he's taking for his masters degree, he's very happy he did.

Because contrary to common belief, it's not opposites that attract. Not in this case, anyway. Sure, Nico and Will don't like the same movies or the same books, and while Will spends hours watching a football game in front of the TV Nico couldn't really care less of the sports. Their likes and dislikes don't always go hand in hand, and Will is a morning person while Nico likes to sleep in, and yes, there have been arguments that have ended up with one of them taking the couch for the night. But they're not opposites.

Nico loves the way Will insists on making breakfast even when they both know he sucks at it. They both prefer quiet nights at home from going out. It was never a question which side of the bed Will took in Nico's apartment all those years ago when they first moved in together; they fell to that part of each other's lives seamlessly. If their dinner of choice for a Friday night is take-out, Nico knows Will's preferred thai place and Will knows what kind of sushi Nico is in the mood for. Any argument is best solved with crème brûlée ice cream and reruns of The Amazing Race.

Nico doesn't know how or why or what for, but he knows that somewhere between kissing Will on that New Year's Eve and finishing sophomore year he fell in love with Will Solace. He fell so thoroughly and hard that it sometimes hurts to think about it.

A part of him still wonders how he did it. How he managed to push away his hatred and pettiness, all the days and weeks he'd spend planning on different nasty pranks to pull on Will. How Will had done the exact same thing, how they pushed away those horrible memories and decided to create new ones, happier ones. And when Nico digs deep enough, he thinks it must be about choice. They chose to let go of the petty rivalry. They chose to give love a chance, no matter how stupid that sounds.

Nico watches Will suffer for three more pages and sixteen more sighs before he gets up and plugs his phone to the sound system.

Will looks up when a silly pop song starts playing, looking at Nico's outstretched hand like it's something completely foreign, like he doesn't know what to do with it.

"Come on", Nico smirks, "don't act like you don't love it when I get sappy. Come and dance with me, idiot, you need a break."

So they dance. For half a song, at least. Nico keeps his arms locked behind Will's neck like a teenage girl at prom, and they sway in slow circles in a rhythm that makes little sense and doesn't really follow the song. It's silly and peaceful, and Nico likes to think it's exactly what they need. The box in his pocket burns.

"Nico?" Will breaks the silence between them after the first chorus, speaking lowly against Nico's hair like he's done a thousand times before.

"Hmm?"

"Let's get married."

Nico sighs and hits his forehead against Will's shoulder. "Three minutes, Solace." He digs to his pocket and fishes out the small box he's been walking around with for days now. He pushes it to Will's chest. "You couldn't have waited for the three minutes until the song ends?"

Will has stopped moving. "What?"

Nico leans back just enough so that he can look at Will's face. Will doesn't loosen his grip around his waist. The situation is eerily similar to that legendary New Year's Eve, and Nico swallows a lump in his throat. "Remember that day in the old shitty apartment when I couldn't keep my mouth shut and I blurted out that I wanted to marry you?" Will nods. "Do you remember what you told me then?"

"To ask again in five years." Will's voice is barely above a whisper, and the romantic side buried somewhere deep inside Nico bitches that he should have put up some candles because Will's skin looks pale and sick in the cold, unnatural light.

Nico opens the box and smiles. "It's been exactly five years, Solace."

reunion day

Nico thinks he's never been happier to be in a hotel room in his life.

"Hey, Will", he says, his voice muffled by the pillow from where he's flopped face first on the bed. "Let's not do that, like, ever again, okay?"

Will hums, and judging by the sounds he's sliding off his tie and kicking off his shoes. "I might agree with you", he says, and Nico feels the mattress dip as Will sits down next to his feet and starts unlacing his sneakers. Nico has half a mind to roll over and do it himself just to be an ass. "But you do realize we have another reunion in ten years? Who knows, maybe you'll want to go."

Nico turns his head just enough to see Will. "Not very likely."

It's very comfy, lying there on that bed and having Will take off his shoes and jacket. Nico sighs happily when Will scoots up the bed and lies beside him, face to face with the tips of their noses the only things touching. He wonders how it's possible that after the monstrosity that was high school they somehow managed to become this wonderful thing and be this happy without saying or doing much. It's possible that it's one kind of a miracle, even if he doesn't believe in those.

"So", Will says quietly, as if not to disturb the serenity of the room. "How do you feel now that you've given the whole class of '07 the world's biggest fuck you?"

Nico looks at Will's blue, blue eyes and thinks for a moment. "I want to say great." He sighs, closes his eyes, and after a second feels Will's hand in his hair, pushing back the few stubborn black locks from his forehead. "But… honestly, it makes literally no difference."

Will's fingers feel nice in his hair, even if his hair is still full of various products to keep it neat all night. "Not even a little?"

"Not even a little."

Nico knows that somewhere deep (or maybe not even that deep) inside Will wants to say I told you so. He's glad he doesn't. That would be a real mood killer. Will moves his fingers in tiny circles, massaging his scalp behind his ear in a way that feels a lot more intimate than it sounds. (Or maybe Will just wants to feel the undercut. Nico almost asks but decides not to.)

"So basically what you're saying is that this whole trip to New York was just waste of time?"

Nico opens one eye and peeks at Will, a mischievous smirk rising to his face. "Well, we do have the room booked for a whole weekend, don't we?"

It's enough to make Will roll his eyes, but when Nico leans in to close the distance between their lips he doesn't back out. Will shimmers closer and Nico rolls to his back, welcoming the familiar weight of Will's body on top of him as the slow, languid kisses make him breathless and giddy. A part of him still hates Will a little for being able to affect him like this, but that part is quickly shut up by experienced hands trailing down to his waist.

"You know", Will mutters against Nico's skin as he trails his sloppy kisses down his throat, "Jason had an interesting suggestion concerning the wedding."

The wedding. They haven't talked about it much yet, having been engaged for barely two weeks, but just a mention of the wedding makes Nico's heart beat faster, and he can't stop the stupid grin that spreads on his lips. He gently strokes the soft hairs at the nape of Will's neck, living for the hum that escapes Will's throat. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. About what should be thrown at us once the ceremony ends."

Nico sighs without bothering to mention that he really doesn't think he wants anything to be thrown at him at his wedding. (And maybe the sigh also has a little something to do with the fact that Will's hands are splayed all over his chest under the shirt, but there's no way he's admitting that to anyone.) "And what's that?"

Will doesn't answer right away. He takes his time sucking on Nico's collar bone (possibly leaving a mark that they'll have a row about in the morning) and then slowly making his way back up his neck, kissing and nipping and licking and eliciting all kinds of embarrassing noises from Nico. By the time Will's lips find their way to the shell of Nico's ear, Nico is so turned on that pretty much any word would probably sound like a seduction to him.

"Pink confetti."

(Well, almost any word, as it turns out.)

Nico ends up trying to suffocate his fiancé with a pillow.