For Querencia's Quarter Quell Round 1


Prompts:

[Pairing] Prompt 6: Nico/Will
[Scenario] Prompt 2: The lake has dried up and treasures are found at its bottom
[Colour] Prompt 8: Bubblegum-pink
[Setting] Prompt 14: The Big House
[Song] Prompt 20: Bad at Love — Halsey (Don't own the song or the rest of the prompts or PJO/HoO.)


"So," Chiron announced, ceasing all idle conversation around the ping-pong table. "The lake has dried up."

"And we completely haven't noticed it, especially with Prissy there complaining all week," Clarisse scoffed, kicking back on her chair, legs on the table and arms crossed, a look of impassiveness on her face.

"Its not my fault the naiads love to complain," Percy complained, huffing with indignation.

Then the duo started bickering, as per usual.

Nico rolled his eyes as other campers got dragged into the argument as well. Half-bloods these days, they have no idea how to stay out of fights that weren't theirs. …Great, now he sounded like an old man.

"And," Chiron continued, raising his voice above the commotion so everyone could hear him and, more importantly, settle down. "We have found some treasures at its bottom."

That changed the topic almost instantaneously. Mainly…

"What sort of treasures?" Katie piped up curiously.

Chiron sent a wry grin at the two Hermes head counselors, who seemed suspiciously enthusiastic at the thought of treasures, knowing what he was about to say would crush their spirits. "Sentimental sort of treasures."

The two Stolls face-faulted and Chiron made it a point to ignore them as he continued as if nothing had happened. "That I would like to be claimed if wished to and if not, they go to the cleaning harpies. …Or alternatively, straight into the lava."

Nico watched his boyfriend carefully as the latter's features shifted from borderline panicked to relieved then purely ecstatic. He didn't suppose that Will's items would be amongst there. …Would it? Was there something his boyfriend was hiding?

Meanwhile, said boyfriend was internally celebrating, while feeling a twinge of guilt. He really ought to tell Nico about everything, but Will just couldn't bring himself to ruin the peace of the post-war.

Out of the corner of his eye, Will noticed how Nico was edging towards the box of "sentimental treasures".

Oh gods I'm in so much trouble right now…


"Explain, Solace," Nico huffed in frustration, unloading the items from his grasp, Will flinching back as the objects clattered to a halt in front of him.

"Well?" Nico asked impatiently. "The least you could do is explain. Or tell me who's been hitting on my boyfriend. Or clarify if you're cheating on me."

That snapped Will out of his stupor. "What? No? Cheating on you? No. Never."

Nico raised and eyebrow at Will, eye glancing suggestively at the four items. Nico's worry, jealousy and overprotectiveness were evident in his glimmering brown eyes.

"Fine," Will finally conceded. Nico's eyes were possibly his greatest ever weakness when it came to his and Nico's relationship.

Picking up a small handheld red object, Nico handed it to Will, silently demanding an explanation.

"This?" Will muttered, looking over it sceptically. He understood his boyfriend's worries that he might up and leave at any moment, but this was new even for him, simply outrightly demanding some answers in a very Nico-like manner from him like that.

It wasn't really much special, just a little ruby red bluetooth speaker with his name plastered on the side in bright sunshine yellow.

"It was a gift from my first ever boyfriend, Thomas. He gave me this bluetooth speaker. Just goes to show how incompatible we were, since he got me a piece of technology that can't be used since I'm a demigod," Will scoffed. "I did tell him I can't use technology… He grew an alcohol addiction and well… My boyfriend, an underage drinker? I couldn't handle it, he couldn't handle it, and we just couldn't continue. Nothing much."

Nico handed the next object to Will.

The next object was a pair of gold rimmed sunglasses with reflected purplish violet lenses, with a little smudged but still slightly readable name "Will" on a paper tag covered and secured with tape.

"My second boyfriend, Clifton," Will answered dutifully. "This pair of sunglasses was from him. He thought that since I enjoyed being out in the sun so much, I needed something to protect my eyes. Well, sun and light is my dad's domain so I really have absolutely no need to worry. He was sweet, but too controlling though, so we broke up."

Next object, a bubblegum-pink slap-on watch with a hastily scribbled leaf green "Will" on it.

"Tyra," Will obliged willingly. "My first girlfriend. She was pretty, and looked kind of like a female Jason, if you get what I mean. Blond hair, sky blue eyes and all. She acted like it too. Only one issue. She was a drug addict. Shows to how messed up she was, mixing up my favourite colour inky night for bubblegum-pink."

Nico nodded, then placed the next box, a dark inky velvet box, again with Will's name engraved on it, right in front of Will, eyebrow raised in a threatening manner.

Will gulped silently as he recognised the box. "Can we skip this one?"

Nico's eyes narrowed in suspicion, answering with a curt "No."

Will sighed, "I expected as much."

He opened the box and turned it over for Nico to see, avoiding his boyfriend's angry gaze.

Inside the box lay an engagement ring, with two separate silver circles crossing each other. One was purely decorated by little diamonds and intricate engravings into the silver, while the other was simpler. The outer layer of that circle had the words "Today, Tomorrow, Always" engraved on it, the inner layers with "Will and Veronica".

"Who is this Veronica so I can murder her?" Nico growled, eyes flashing with anger.

"Nico," Will soothed. "Calm down and let me explain. Veronica. That girl was always a little too extravagant. We didn't work out, I swear. She always wanted more to our relationship while I was just trying to figure out my sexuality because it didn't quite feel right with girls like with boys. Apparently I must have been a really good boyfriend or something, because one day, she just shoved this engagement ring in my face and asked for my hand in marriage. I freaked out, mainly because I didn't want to, but also because we were both thirteen and the Titan War was, at that time, nearing. She wouldn't take no for an answer, shoving the ring in my hands and telling me to think about it. I threw it into the lake first chance I got."

Nico looked much calmer after that, seating himself next to Will. "Sorry you have to deal with me and my jealousy spikes. I'm just not good at this whole relationship thing."

Will chuckled to himself, then smiled warmly at Nico, making the latter's insides feel like a gooey mess. "Well then. I guess we'll have to work out this complicated thing called love together."


Word Count: 1127 words


(A/N: I suck at this romance fluff thing. Okay, so, again, this is written for Querencia's Quarter Quell, Round 1. I feel like I'm doing this a bit too fast. Prompts are up above, at the beginning. I'm sorry for not writing other things, I'm working on it.

Peace,
Summer)