Nico di Angelo did not blush. Absolutely not. Children of Hades just didn't blush. Yet here he was, staring at Will Solace's gyrating butt, red as one of Apollo's sacred cows.
It wasn't Nico's fault he was in this predicament; when he went to open the wooden door to Camp Half-Blood's infirmary, he hadn't expected Will to be dancing on the other side. Watching the son of Apollo dance was not one of Nico's favorite things. That is not, of course, to say it was his least favorite.
Nico wasn't a rarity to been seen in the usually crowded hospital area. After the prescribed three days of bed rest there, the son of Hades often stopped by to see the head healer. Will and Nico had grown close in those days, and, even though Nico would never admit it, they had been some of his best. Thoroughly expecting to die of boredom, Nico had actually been rather entertained by the golden haired child of the sun god. Will had acquired a box of playing cards from the Stoll brothers, and spent every free moment trying to beat the younger boy at Hearts. Once he got past the peppiness and constant smiling, Nico actually found himself enjoying the company of Will.
Nico had pulled away the first time Will had reached for his hand, very few people were allowed to touch him, and Will was not on that list. After a while, Nico had gotten used to it and even found himself being the one to reach out. On the last night of his stay in the infirmary, Nico, moments from falling into a hopefully dreamless sleep, had heard Will quietly tiptoe into the room and whisper his name. He hadn't responded and seconds later felt a light brush on his cheek, a kiss from Will. Nico had held his breath until the demigod had departed, before letting out a shaky breath. Being kissed on the cheek wasn't something unknown to the boy, his late sister Bianca had often said goodbye to him that way. But, this had felt different, not as familial, and it made Nico blush crimson against the blackness of the night.
Nico was pulled out of his revere by Will, spinning around and finally noticing the other boy. His cheeks darkened in embarrassment, but Nico knew they couldn't compare to his own.
"Sorry Nico, didn't see you there." Will mumbled, reaching down to stop the pop music blasting from a small boom box placed on a bench.
"You're a good dancer." Nico hastily blurted out. He cringed at the stupid comment, but Will's face broke into a cocky smile.
"Am I, Death Boy? So you liked what you saw?" The son of Apollo teased. Nico glowered.
"Don't call me that. I'm only here for my stupid check-up." He flopped on the bed, arms folded. "I need you to say I can shadow travel again. I want to visit Hazel." Nico missed his sister, all the way at Camp Jupiter with her boyfriend, Frank. Nico trusted Frank, he had proven himself a good fighter that year, but Nico still wanted to check up on her.
"I know. I just don't want you to get hurt doing so." Will reminded, hands on his hips. Nico huffed and gave the son of Apollo one more glare.
After the examination, the gong for lunch rang and Will eagerly grabbed Nico's hand, pulling him out the doors, and into to crowd of demigods. Nico found himself packed tight against Will, his face smushed against the half-blood's shoulder. He took a breath, savoring the smell of sunshine coming off the boy. Will suddenly turned, putting their faces almost nose to nose with each other in the packed space.
"There's too many people, come on." Once again, they were off, Will dragging the son of Hades behind him as they ran up Half-Blood Hill. The child of the son god quickly sat on the grass, legs crisscrossed and arms behind him, grinning wildly.
"I thought you wanted to eat?" Nico panted, slightly out of breath. He was used to it, by now, the snap decisions and pattern less way life went with Will. He sat down next to him, fiddling with a piece of grass.
"What do you dream about?" Nico blanched at the question, thoughts immediately racing back to last night's dream, one where he and Will had walked along the beach, hand in hand. He couldn't know, could he?
"Why?!" He snapped at the blond boy, eyes biting into him.
"Whoa," Will, responded, eyes wide, "No reason, I just wanted to know. I mean, you've seen so much, with Tartarus and all." Nico softened, feeling guilty about being so harsh.
"Clearly, you dreamed about someone special!" Will laughed, and Nico panicked, lettting out a squeak.
"What?!" He said hurriedly and Will laughed again. "Why do you say that?!"
"You look like one of my dad's cows!" He said, still giggling. Nico ducked his head in embarrassment, praying to the gods for his face to go back to its normal pale shade. Suddenly, he felt Will's breath closer to him, the other boy's lips brushing his ear.
"It's a good look on you." Whispered the sun-kissed teen. Nico stared straight forward, not even breathing, eyes wide. He felt Will pull away and something tugged at his heart; he had never been so close to Will.
"Nico?" Will asked quietly, but Nico didn't respond, still sitting like a statue. "Okay then, I'll just talk, and gods know I can blab enough for the both of us." Nico gave a small smile, invisible to Will, due to his long, shaggy, black hair covering his face. He had definitely experienced the never ending, one person, tangent that Will was prone to embarking on. After a few moments of silence, Apollo's son spoke.
"So, I was talking to Percy." Nico's head snapped up. Only a few months ago, right after the battle with Gaea, he had finally admitted his crush to Percy himself. Despite all the rejection Nico had built up in his head, the older boy had been understanding, despite being prone to bring it up at random, awkward intervals. Gods know what Percy and Will would have been talking about, all they had in common was…Nico.
"What!" The paler boy squeaked, "What did he say?" Nico was worried now, afraid he would lose the best friendship (or more) of his life.
"He says you like boys, and used to like him." Will said nonchalantly, patting the ground behind him before laying down on it. Nico stared at the older boy, shocked by how dismissively he had said it.
"And?" The son of Hades managed to croak out, voice quivering.
"And what?" Asked Will, eyes still closed, the rays on sun reflecting on his tan skin.
"You don't hate me?" Will's eyes open, peering up at the other boy, with surprise. When he saw the fear on Nico's face, he pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Will reached for Nico's hand and was happy to see that the dark haired boy didn't pull it away.
"Why in the world would I hate you?" He said with earnest. At the pale boy's imploring look, he was shocked. "Because you're gay?! That's ridiculous!" He tilted his head at Nico's downward facing one. He smiled. "I am too, you know."
Suddenly, Will found himself gazing into the haunted, brown eyes of the son of Hades. Seconds later, he was tackled in a bear hug by the smaller boy. He laughed and hugged him back, feeling honored; he had never seen the boy hug anyone, ever. When they pulled back, Nico had a small smile on his face, and Will couldn't help but notice the little dimple on his left cheek. He suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, right on the crease. Nico froze, and Will pulled back, expecting the black haired boy to run, but he didn't. They just stared, each face growing a deep red.
Will found himself leaning forward once again, but this time, placing a peck on the son of Hades' lips. He began to lean back, but Nico suddenly surged forward, smashing their lips together. It was sweet and gentle, but meant so much.
When they broke apart, Will was lying back on the grass, Nico pressed onto of him. The smaller boy tilted his head down to speak something in the other boy's ear.
"I think I like you, Will Solace."