Title: All I Want

Ship: solangelo

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,359

Summary: Nico di Angelo very much does not appreciate it when Hades has the worst and most inconsiderate timing ever. Like, for example, Christmas Eve. Nico's sentiment is especially true on this particular Christmas Eve when he has other plans that involve a certain Will Solace.

A/N: a lot of family activities got in the way of me actually writing this thing so i'm really sorry this is late for christmas. i still hope you enjoy though~

If looks could kill, Nico di Angelo would have banished the decaying skeleton standing in front of him to the Underworld several minutes ago. But unfortunately, that kind of power wasn't in the arsenal of a child of Hades. Nico had tried. And failed. He could only imagine how convenient a power like that would be. Instead, he settled on giving the skeleton the coldest and hardest glare he could muster.

The two of them had been at a stalemate for some minutes now. They were both in the Hades cabin at Camp Half-Blood, the skeleton having popped out of the shadows. Nico had been sitting on his bed and he'd nearly had a heart attack as the skeleton slowly slinked over to the center of the room to stand in front of his bunk (though in retrospect, Nico should've been used to weird dead things suddenly showing up around him by now). The skeleton had opened its jaw and out of it had come Hades' voice, telling Nico of some monster problem in the Underworld that the Lord of the Dead, for some reason, couldn't deal with at that moment.

Nico was speechless.

"Nico?" A frustrated sigh. "We'll get this over with quickly if you'd just stop it with this childish tantrum."

"Dad, seriously? You want me to take care of a monster problem… on Christmas Eve? And no Dad, this is not some petty tantrum!"

Nico was so tempted to yank out one of the skeleton's ribs and use it to hit the skeleton over the head. Several times.

"Yes, I do want my son to take care of it. Is there a problem?" Hades sounded for all the world like he didn't understand what the problem was with his not-quite request. Nico figured they didn't celebrate Christmas down in the Underworld.

"Yes, there's a problem! It's Christmas Eve and unlike some people, I have somewhere to be! Can't this wait until—oh I don't know—maybe next year?"

"Exactly. This is urgent and if you get started on it now, you might still have time to no doubt spend with- I'm not even going to say his name!"

Nico ignored the heat that flushed his cheeks.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it."

"Good."

The skeleton sounded so smug that Nico wanted to take back what he said and adamantly refuse. But whatever. It's not like Nico had a choice in the matter anyway. He just hoped he would make it back in time.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Nico didn't make it back in time. He almost didn't even have the energy left to shadow-travel.

Nico stumbled out of the shadows, nearly knocking over the coat rack near the front door. He glanced around quickly, checking to see if he was in the right apartment (Nico once gave the neighbors a fright when he accidentally shadow-traveled into their apartment). Nico let out a sigh of relief at seeing the familiar sparse décor of the apartment he'd now come to call his home. He leaned against the wall for a moment, struggling to keep his senses awake and not pass out right there in the entryway.

He placed his black sword in the small rack that was supposed to be for umbrellas, careful not to make too much noise, and stepped into the living space.

The apartment wasn't much, but it suited them just fine. The living room, the small kitchen, and the detached island that served as the dining table all shared one big space. The doors to the bedroom and the bathroom were off to the side. They didn't have much in the way of décor; just random things they'd decided to keep over the years. Nico figured they could be worse off.

Nico sighed as he neared the couch. Will had fallen asleep on the couch; the movie they were supposed to watch and the now-cold obligatory bowl of popcorn still lay waiting on the low coffee table. It was already way past midnight and all the Christmas festivities had died down by then. Nico cursed quietly under his breath as he went into the bedroom, took the blanket, and came back to gently drape it over Will's shoulders.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Nico wasn't all that surprised when, as he was exiting the bathroom after cleaning off the icky stuff that was generally associated with monster-slaying, Will appeared in front of him and wordlessly offered him a smoking cup of hot chocolate.

"You should've woken me up when you got back," Will greeted, a still slightly sleepy smile stretching across his face. Will's hair was still tousled pretty badly from falling asleep on the couch and it made Nico want to reach up and smooth down those unruly locks of blond hair.

"I didn't want to disturb you," Nico replied. He gave Will a nod of thanks as he accepted the hot chocolate. The cup was delightfully warm after the cold of the Underworld that still lingered on the surface of his skin. He cradled the warm cup between his fingers. "Not to be ungrateful but what's with the hot chocolate?"

Will shrugged. "I figured you'd be cold by the time you arrived."

A smile. Then a flash of worry in his eyes as he noticed the collection of cuts and bruises scattered across Nico's arms and even some on his face. "Did you even clean those cuts properly?"

"…maybe?" Nico sheepishly replied. "It's nothing big anyway."

Will just slowly shook his head with a small smile on his face as he took Nico by the shoulders and guided him towards the couch with a fond mutter of "what am I ever going to do with you?"

Nico sat patiently on the couch, blowing on his drink and taking an occasional sip, as he waited for Will to come back with his ever-present first aid kit. He'd quickly learned a long time ago that there was no arguing with Will when he was in his 'son of the god of healing' mode. It wasn't long before he came back with the afore-mentioned first aid kit in hand. Will quickly set to work, taking the cup from Nico's hands and placing it on the coffee table before dabbing antiseptic onto the small cuts on Nico's face.

This had become a kind of routine for them now: Nico coming back from a mission with cuts and bruises that were tended to by an insistent Will. They'd ended up carrying the practice over from when they were still at camp and neither of them was complaining, not like when the two had just met and Will had to practically manhandle Nico into letting his wounds be taken care of at the infirmary. Nico had eventually gotten used to the physical contact, Will's hand applying a firm yet gentle pressure on his wounds and his other hand steadying Nico's face or arm or whichever part of Nico's body needed tending to. This time around was no different and Nico found himself smiling at the focused look on Will's face and the little crease that formed between his eyebrows.

Nico couldn't ever get tired of Will's eyes. They weren't like Jason's, whose eyes were as light blue as the sky on the clearest of days. Will's were much more interesting. The hues of blue ranged from the cold blue of ice to the cobalt of clouds right before it started to rain. At this proximity, Nico could pick out the different hues of his irises and the pale yellow of his eyelashes; he couldn't help but stare. He didn't even notice when Will locked gazes with him. When he did, he looked away, blushing at the knowing look on Will's face. Knowing that Will would never let this go, Nico decided to voice his thoughts, which was what he always found himself doing when it was just Will and him.

"Have I ever told you how nice your eyes are?"

"Well, not explicitly. But it's pretty obvious that you're thinking it."

And there it was again. Will's smile that, to Nico, was brighter and more radiant than the sun itself. From the startling first moment that that smile was directed solely at him to now where he saw it practically every day, Nico couldn't help but wonder at it. How could any one person hold so much light in them that a simple smile of theirs could instantly brighten up anyone's day? And why did Will decide to be with Nico, of all people? Why choose the dark, gloomy outcast, the son of the god of death?

Will had always been different to Nico. Will had treated him differently from most other people right at the start. People generally stayed away from him. The campers treated him with respect and sometimes awe, but they were always wary around him. They were intimidated by or even outright scared of him. He was, after all, Hades' son and that was something nobody ever forgot. And yet, Will had singled Nico out and stuck to him like glue, though he'd tried to push him away. He'd seen past the shadows and the unnatural powers and looked at Nico for who he was. Will was stubborn and pushy with him and Nico had never been able to get him out of his head. To him, Will was the brightest person in existence; no one could compare. Will was the sun, always commanding his attention and totally distracting, that burned away the shadows that Nico had been trying to break away from. The two were instantly attracted to each other like magnets and they'd been inseparable ever since.

Will was everything to him and yet here he was, ruining their Christmas Eve because of his responsibilities to his dad. Nico felt the guilt settle over him, heavy and suffocating. Will had given him so much, had put up with so much just to be with him, and Nico believed he didn't deserve any of it. Will belonged to the sunshine, to crowds of friends, to happiness; not with Nico and his shadows, his loner tendencies, his gloom. Will could have so much more, but here he was with Nico, who always brought him down.

Nico looked Will in the eyes and tightly squeezed Will's hand in his.

"Will, I'm sorry. I ruined our-"

"Stop," Will held up a hand to stop Nico from continuing. "Stop right there. There's no need to apologize. Especially not to me."

"But—"

Will didn't let him finish.

He leaned forward and caught Nico's lips in a kiss. It was sloppy and a little forceful; it was more to shut him up than anything else. And yet it sent Nico's heart beating fast and his skin tingling, in the way only Will's touch could elicit. Will withdrew, but only a little, their warm breaths mingling in the small space between them. He pressed their foreheads together, forcing Nico to look right into his eyes.

"Don't apologize. It's okay that things didn't go as we planned. I'm totally fine with it. You haven't ruined anything. Because what's important to me is that right now, you're here with me. That's all I want and that's all I need," Will whispered softly, his words careful and certain, sounding much heavier with meaning than they initially seemed.

Nico let out a small sigh—a breath that carried with it all off Nico's doubts—and let a smile slowly lift the corners of his lips. He caught Will's hands between his and squeezed them tightly.

"How do you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better?" Nico grinned.

Will only made a noncommittal sound in his throat before pressing his lips against Nico's again. This kiss was softer and gentler, expressing love more than and better than any words could. They moved slowly against each other, Will's hands coming to wrap around the curve of the nape of Nico's neck, tilting his head up, pulling him in deeper into the kiss. Nico's hands fisted in the back of Will's T-shirt, holding on to him as his mind blanked and all there was was Will and this sweet sweet kiss that made him feel like he could burst with all the happiness that was making his heart swell.

It felt like an eternity for the both of them before they had to come up for air. Will held him close and Will's arms were warm around him, solid and safe. Nico held these kinds of moments close in his heart. Moments like these didn't need words, only the sure belief in the arms that held him like they would never let him go. He felt that he could live the rest of his life in those moments and have no regrets at all.

"Come on, let's just go to bed. You look like you need a rest," Will smiled.

Nico wanted to refuse but he couldn't deny that the mission had been more exhausting than he'd expected it to be. Will didn't let go of his hand even as he led Nico to their bedroom.

They lay together in bed, their limbs entangled with each other's. Nico nuzzled his head into Will's neck, breathing in his scent and soaking up the warmth that seemed to perpetually emanate from the son of the sun god. Nico was about to fall asleep when he felt Will shift.

"Hey, Nico?" Will whispered.

Nico opened his eyes to give Will a questioning look.

"Merry Christmas."

Nico buried his face in Will's neck again, trying to hide the blush that had risen to his cheeks and the smile that stretched across his face.

"Oh, just go to sleep already."

Will laughed and they resumed their previous position, the one that they had eventually developed after several instances of sleeping beside each other in the same bed.

This was something very familiar and dear to them: sharing their warmth, their breaths evening out, and their heartbeats slowing down in sync as they fell asleep in each other's arms once again.

Neither of them could've asked for a Christmas Eve that was better than this one.

-end-

this is like my second longest one-shot. lol i'm surprised it even reached this long.