Written for the Marathon Competition (Violet/love)
Will watches as Nico dozes, his head resting against the trunk of the pine tree. "Oh, he's going to kill me when he wakes," he laughs to himself, his fingers weaving flower stems together.
His crowns are not as elegant as the ones the Demeter kids could craft, but Katie has helped him to improve his skill, as well as telling him which flowers are best for weaving into crowns.
Carefully, Will places the fourth crown atop Nico's head, grinning as he admires his work. An array of dainty white, yellow, and violet blossoms adorn the other boy's head, contrasting brilliantly with his dark hair.
"You do know I've been awake for the past half hour, right?" Nico asks, peeking up at him.
Will waits for him to scowl, to throw the crowns to the side and call him an idiot. Instead, Nico just rolls his eyes. "Flowers? Really? Who decorates a child of Hades with flowers?"
"Your boyfriend, obviously," Will answers, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Nico's lips. "You look nice. Very spring-like."
Nico laughs, tracing his fingers gently over the crowns. "Why do you do this?"
"Because you're so cute when you're sleeping. I just can't resist," Will says wrapping his arms around Nico.
Nico rests his head against Will's chest. It amazes Will how comfortably they fit together, as though they were made perfectly for each other. He keeps telling himself that he's going to leave Aphrodite and offering of thanks, but he never gets around to it.
"What? You're never quiet," Nico says, craning his neck to look at up Will. "What are you thinking about?"
"How lucky I am to have you. How much I love you," Will answers, and it surprises him how easily the word rolls off his tongue.
Love. He's never given much thought to it, not when applied to a person. But he knows that's what he's feeling. That flutter in his stomach like butterflies, that complete calm in his heart whenever Nico is near him. There is nothing else that it could be.
"I love you, too," Nico says, just as easily.
Will kisses him again, inhaling the sweet aroma of the flowers that adorn his head. He doesn't know what he's done to deserve something so great in his life. He isn't a hero like Percy or Annabeth. He's never completed a quest or stopped a primordial goddess from destroying the world. And yet, somehow, the Fates have smiled upon him and brought him something so perfect, so beautiful.
"We'd better get back. Should be lunchtime by now," Nico says, climbing to his feet.
He removes the crowns from his head, and Will is surprised when, instead of tossing them aside, Nico smells them, smiling, before tucking them away in his pocket like some sweet little keepsake.