*** Hi! I edited this story alone so im sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. Feel free to point them out to me and let me know about anything else I should fix. ***
NICO POV
Almost a year had passed since The Giant War with Gaea, and the camp was just starting to get back to had been busy traveling from camp to camp helping Jason with the shrines, and teaching him about his new role as Pontifex Maximus. It was fun seeing his sister and Reyna who he now considered an honorary sister, but in his time away he found himself missing a certain son of Apollo. After three days in the infirmary and spending most of his free afternoons with Will Solace they had become quite good friends. Secretly Nico was wishing they could be something more, but he didn't want to risk losing one of his new best friends so Nico did what he does best. He repressed the crap out of his feelings.
Nico stepped out of the shadows with a small grunt, leaning against the wall and shaking off the slight dizziness that came with big shadow jumps. Thanks to the strict medical attention Will had forced on him, Nico was pretty much back to his old strength, but it had been a hard couple of weeks not being allowed to use his power at all. It was even worse with all the gross potions and the amount Will forced into him, but in the end it was worth it to be healthy again. Even so with all traveling between the two camps and going on a bunch of recon missions lately Nico was exhausted. It was draining to be using this much underworld power, but Nico didn't mind too much. Compared to his younger years when he was constantly fighting off various monsters and scrounging for food, this kind of work was like a vacation to him.
Walking out of the shadows from behind the gray hades cabin, Nico took in the sight of the camp laid out before him. Bright yellow lights lit the dining pavilion and silhouettes of campers could be seen from behind the thin white curtains that surrounded it. The kids sat around the different tables made Nico smile, but it was a bit wistfully as he thought of all the campers that were no longer there. He thought of the ones who had died in the Giant War, so the rest of them could enjoy evenings like this, free of danger. Nico took his time walking down the hill dragging his weary legs through the lush green grass of the commons. By the time he got down there only a few campers still remained, talking quietly or just relaxing. Most of the campers would either be in their cabins getting some sleep or at the traditional friday night bonfire. A few of the cabins scattered around the green had lights on, but the most of them seemed to be dark and empty. "Must be a big turn out today," Nico murmured to himself, as he continued on his way towards the woods that bordered the camp. He angled, towards the sound of laughter and music floating on the warm breeze.
Upon entering the clearing Nico was immediately assuaged with the the smell of burnt marshmallows and the sound of uncontrolled giggles coming from one of the Stoll brothers. The bright light of the huge yellow bonfire lit up the faces of the people sitting around it and it cast a warm glow on the surrounding trees. The sight of the assembled campers made him smile, 10 months ago he wouldn't have thought this would be possible. The camp had been completely destroyed by the armies of Gaea, leaving a mess of monster dust, burnt cabins and the bodies of their fallen friends. The atmosphere had been one of grief and misery as the repairs and cleanup were started, over time as the camp was returned to its former glory contentment and happiness slowly crept back into the grim camp. The injuries both mental and physical hadn't fully healed, some never would, but they were getting there.
Still lingering in the shadows Nico glanced around the clearing, spying Will and his smile grew a little more, Will was sitting with the recently turned mortal exgod Apollo. Said god was attempting to roast a marshmallow without much success and a petulant frown on his face, his children were all seated nearby, trying and failing at holding in their laughter watching the god burn marshmallow after marshmallow. Quickly, before anyone saw him and gave him away Nico stepped back into the shadows with a mischievous grin. He tiptoed quietly behind Will, then nudged him a little to get his attention. Will turned and began to say something but Nico slapped his hand over his mouth, Will's eyes widened and he began to struggle before he realised it was just Nico, then he raised his eyebrows. Nico made a gesture in the direction of Apollo and then mimed pushing, a wicked smile took over Will's handsome features as he realised what Nico was planning.
Carefully slinking around the campfire, Nico snuck up behind the god much like he did with Will Nico glanced back at Will who flashed him a thumbs up, blue eyes bright with barely contained giggles. That was all the urging he needed, Nico took a deep breath and grabbed Apollo by his shoulders giving him a good shake while shrieking BOO! The god screamed so loud Percy could probably hear him from his apartment all the way in the city. Nico shadow jumped beside Will and they collapsed against each other in helpless laughter as the god whipped his head around frantically, looking for the threat. Finding only Nico laughing his head off the god narrowed his eyes, " I hope you're happy with yourself, scaring an innocent like that" the cackling only intensified at the angry sun god's words, Apollo threw his hands up and walked away muttering something about stupid mortals and why him.
Will and Nico stayed around the campfire late into the night, leaning comfortably against each other and swapping stories with the other campers about the various quests and adventures undertaken throughout the years. Nico got coerced into retelling the story of transporting the Athena Parthenos again (excluding Bryce Lawrence's ghostification, Nico wasn't quite ready to tell anyone but Will and the 7 about that yet).
When the large fire was finally dying down and only a few of the senior campers were left, Will and Nico took their leave, heading off in the direction of the Hades cabin. It was late November out in the real world and even with camp's magical barrier that controlled the temperature Nico could almost feel a chilly bite to the air. Nico held back a shiver as he and Will began to head up to his cabin. The silvery moonlight from behind cast deep shadows on the boys faces, yet somehow even in the dark Nico could see Will's illuminating Blue eyes glancing his way with a smile, he could almost imagine that maybe his crush wasn't so hopeless. Nico shook the thought from his mind, wishful thinking would get him nowhere, he of all people should know that. They walked in companionable silence all the way up the until they reached the Hades cabin, once on the the porch Nico expected Will to take his leave, and go to bed, but to his surprise (and excitement) Will asked if he could stay for a while so they could catch up. Nico was more than happy to oblige.
They pushed Inside the cabin and found a rather lovely surprise, instead of the mess and chilly cabin Nico had expected to find, he was greeted with the sight of a perfectly neat cabin. A fire had been lit and it projected warm light around the red painted walls and warmed the cabin, the floors were clear and all his clothes scattered around must have been put away. Nico made a mental note to thank the cleaning harpies for their hard work because no one else had the access to this.
Once through the door Nico made a beeline for the couch with cushy black pillows dominating the main space, all the soft rugs strewnl around were a welcome feeling for Nico's sore feet and he relished the comfort they brought. The dark cabin had a cozy homey feeling with the fire flickering cheerily in the grate, reminding Nico of his old friend Hestia. Nico was just getting comfy and settling in when Will decided he had other ideas, grabbing a fuzzy blanket from the foot of the bed (Will didn't asking for stuff after Nico told him he could pretty much do whatever he wanted since he spent most of his free time here) and completely ignoring the plush black leather couch he spread it out on the floor flopped down and motioned for Nico to do the same. Nico slid off the couch with a dull thud and a grunt then shifted until he was lying beside Will. Hanging out with his best friend on the floor Nico felt more content with his life than he ever had in all his 15 years.
Will flopped over, eyes scanning in doctor mode, giving Nico a once over, " when was the last time you slept? " Will asked in an accusatory voice. "Ummmmm" Nico stalled, cheeks going red and glancing away, "you know how it is, with the monsters and stuff, I didn't want to sleep and get caught unawares." Will gave him an unamused expression at the weak deflection, " don't make me ask again" he says in a serious voice but Nico knew he wasn't really that upset, if he was they would probably be bickering already, normally Nico would bite the head off anyone talking to him like this, but Will was different, he didn't mind admitting weakness in front of him. Nico knew Will meant well and was genuinely worried about him, so he mentally braced himself for the lecture that was sure to come and gave the honest truth. " about 2 or three days ago, i'm not really sure." Will's only reaction to this information (to Nico's surprise) was the slight shaking of his head and an exasperated expression, " and how many shadow traveling jumps have you made in that time?" Nico hangs his head and mutters quietly "more than 5" the unmasked concern on Will's face instantly makes Nico feel guilty. Before he left for Camp Jupiter he promised to take better care of himself, he probably should have tried a little harder.
Rolling closer to Will he put a comforting hand on his shoulder, " I didn't mean to go that far but I was being tailed by these gorgons and I didn't want to be ambushed, I tried to shadow travel away but they caught my scent again. I didn't lose them until I was inside the camp borders and they couldn't follow me anymore." The expression on Will's face softened then, and he let his head fall to Nico's shoulder, unruly blond hair falling in a mess across his face, "Nico you are going to be the absolute death of me" Will sighed with a fond smile peeking through the straw coloured hair. He sat up and pulled Nico into a hug, long arms wrapping around the lean torso of the other boy. This wasn't new for them, Nico was pretty starved for physical affection and Will used hugs as a personal way to make sure those he cares about are ok. Hugs were a way to release tension both parties were extremely grateful for. That's not to say it wasn't hard at first for Nico to get adjusted to touch like this with Will, he only really allows physical affection with those he trusts, and fortunately Will is on that list. After a minute of hugging Nico pulled back and smiled at Will.
On a normal night after this they would curl up like this, fall asleep, and Nico would wake up first in the morning. Not bothering to hide goofy smile that took over his face when he saw Will drooling into his pillow as he slept. But this was no normal night. Nico didn't know if it was the sleep deprivation or the relief from being home again that gave him the courage to press his lips to Will's. Either way he didn't care because it was the best decision of his life. As soon as their lips touched his body turned to flames. The fire began in his stomach but soon roared all the way through his body from the tips of his fingers to ends of his toes when Will sighed and pulled Nico even closer, fingers twisting up into his dark hair and smiling into the kiss.
Kissing Will was warm and soft and just as nice as he had imagined it would be. Will was so familiar to Nico, all his mannerisms and quirks and the shift from friendship to something more felt as natural as breathing. To Nico it was like a button had been pressed and all his fears melted away. He felt like kicking his past self for not doing this sooner, thinking of all the times if he had only gathered his courage that he could have been doing this for so much longer
. Will pulled back with his arms still around Nico's neck, and the two boys stared at each other for a few seconds, reveling in the moment before Will reclaimed Nico's lips with as much enthusiasm as before and all coherent thoughts were lost again.
When they finally stopped kissing for a minute Nico was so happy he could practically feel it dripping out of him, his smile stretched across his face and saw that Will's expression mirrored his own. They had shifted horizontally somehow without conscious thought, Nico was now lying on top of Will, His head resting on the warm chest of the taller demigod. "Why didn't we do this earlier?" Nico bemoaned with a soft smile, " think of all we've been missing out on." Will planted a kiss on the dark head of hair in front of him and laughed, " mmmm we're idiots." Nico could feel his eyes growing heavy so he closed them,deciding that he deserved a nap and that they could figure all this out in the morning. The last thing he registered before slipping off into unconsciousness was Will tightening his arms around Nico's waist and whispering "goodnight." Nico's mouth turned up into a smile and then he closed his eyes for good and fell asleep.