Story: So This Is Christmas
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Heroes of Olympus
Rating: K
Main Pairings: Pre-slash, Will/Nico
Summary: In which new memories help to make the old brighter. Pre-slash, Solangelo. Fluff. One-shot.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Heroes of Olympus. Uncle Rick does, and he is an asshole for making Nico's life a living hell 24/7. I don't own the cover art either. Not sure who made it, but whatever.
"Christmas?" Nico exclaimed incredulously. "You celebrate Christmas?"
Will smirked up at him from his clipboard. "Yes, Death Boy. Christmas. You know, Santa Claus, Jesus, virgins giving birth?"
Nico crinkled his nose. "I know what Christmas is, Solace. But why do you celebrate it?"
The blonde grinned toothily. "Why not? I mean, think about it. If the Greek and Roman gods are real, couldn't God be real too? Everything is pretty subjective, especially for us. For all we know, the Egyptian gods could be real, and the Norse gods, and the Indian gods-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get the point," Nico sighed. His legs hung off of one of the infirmary's exam tables, and his hands fiddled mindlessly with the waxy paper crinkled around him. He glanced over at Will, whose face was set in fierce concentration. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"
"I think I'll be okay," Will said with a small chuckle. "Inventory's usually a breeze."
Nico nodded. He studied Will for several seconds, watching as the blonde made various notes on his clipboard. "That wasn't exactly what I meant, you know," he said, stealing the silence for several seconds.
Glancing up at him, Will shot him a questioning look. "What did you mean then?"
"I know there are possibilities of other deities being out there. And let me just say, I'm pretty sure that even if the Christian's God does exist, Santa Claus probably doesn't." He ignored Will's scoff and continued. "But why bother celebrating? What's the purpose?"
Will's face fell, and he set his clipboard down on a box overflowing with gauze. "Well, I suppose there are a lot of reasons to celebrate. It's a time of joy, and hope. New beginnings and all that." He took a shaky breath. "Also, my mom and I used to celebrate together."
"Used to?"
"Yeah," Will bowed his head and pursed his lips. "She passed a couple of years ago."
Nico felt his chest tighten. "I'm really sorry,"
"Thanks." Will replied stiffly. He was studying his hands intently, and a frown had settled itself on his face.
They were quiet for several moments. Nico felt puzzled, unsure of what to say. "What was it like?" he finally asked.
Will let out a choked laugh. "It was great. All of my uncles and aunts and cousins would come over to our house, and my mom and I, we would spend hours baking and cooking and setting place mats. We lived in Minnesota, so every year we would get a bunch of snow, and then we would build forts, and have snowball fights, and decorate the house. All of that cheesy family stuff."
The air stilled, and Nico racked his head, thinking of things to say. "Do you talk to any of your family anymore?" he asked timidly.
"No, not since. . ." Will coughed and turned his back to Nico, hastily busying himself with the task he had abandoned. "Anyways, Cecil and Lou Ellen have helped me organize Christmas parties the last couple years. Mr. D hasn't allowed it to snow but, but he's okay with us putting up lights and stuff. It seems to cheer a lot of people up, considering a lot of us are stuck here for good. That's what the season's supposed to be about, right?"
Nico nodded. "Do you think you'll need any help with setting up this year?" he cringed, the words slipping out before he could stop himself.
Will swirled around, eyeing him skeptically. "Really?"
Nico hesitated slightly before nodding. "Yeah, really."
And suddenly, Will's face was bright with a blinding smile again, and Nico found his cheeks flushing with warmth. "Thanks, Death Boy."
"It's nothing."
Will studied him intently, and then somehow his grin widened. "Hold on, I'll be back."
Nico watched bemusedly as Will sprinted out of the infirmary. He shook his head and busied himself with deranging the bed's wax paper again, thoughts of ornamented trees and small blonde boys creating snow angels flooding his mind.
He glanced up when he heard footsteps approaching the infirmary and the door being flung open. Will was carrying something bunched up in his hands, and a goofy, lopsided grin hung off of his blushed lips. Will stopped in front of him, and Nico couldn't help but flinch as something soft and fuzzy was unceremoniously jammed onto his head.
"What the Hades?" Nico yanked the object off of his head. He glared up at Will, his dark eyes boring into sparkling blue as the blonde began to laugh uncontrollably.
Will calmed some, his cheeks still flushed faintly. "It's required if you want to help. It'll help you get into the Christmas spirit."
"I'm not wearing a Santa hat, Solace."
"Aw, come on. It'll be fun."
"Says you." Nico crossed his arms defiantly.
"Please?" Will's lower lip pouted out slightly, and his eyes were wide and hopeful.
Nico fidgeted, and he bit his inner cheek, trying to bolster his crumbling resistance. "Fine," he muttered. "Only one day, though. That's it."
Will ruffled his hair as he walked past Nico. "You're the best."
The red and white hat sat limply in Nico's hands, and he found himself looking down at it with a small smile.
A/N: Hey all, I hope you like this little snippy tidbit. I am currently working on an upcoming long chapter story which is coming along, though not as fast as I had hoped. Happy Holidays to all, and Merry Christmas and New Year!