Part 2
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except plot.
Nico was sweating his ass off. Today, Chiron had said they'd just 'mess around' on the halfpipe. Nico wanted to know his definition of mess around. He had him running down it constantly. On the way up, he held a radio where he told him how to improve. He hardly got to see Piper or Will except when they were on the halfpipe. And they were amazing. Will didn't get enough air, though. It was decent, but Nico could see just how much he lost while getting the right footing and such. And Piper? Piper tried everything. She fell more than half the time, but she sure as hell gave it her all.
By the end of the session, Chiron started telling him a few things to try. He'd taken off his coat, but even that didn't help him cool down from the constant runs. He started falling, too. He told Chiron he'd never done this shit, but Chiron said to do it anyways. It was getting on his nerves, honestly. He wasn't going to be able to sit on his butt for days after this one training session.
After a particularly bad fall, Nico let himself fall the rest of the way to the bottom of the halfpipe. He didn't even bother picking up his radio; he could hear it from there. When Will went, Chiron stopped yelling.
Nico stared up the halfpipe. Will could really board. He never missed his flips unless he ran out of airtime, which was common. Still, when he had a perfect run, it made Nico just stop and stare. And from his position on the ground, Nico could see under his helmet. The facial expressions he created with each jump made Nico's heart soar.
Will's final jump was so complex, Nico swore he got hard just watching him.
Panting, Will stopped by Nico and sprayed him with snow. Nico didn't even flinch. Will removed his goggles with a loud smile. "Chiron said to check on you."
"Tell him to fuck off."
Will offered him a hand up. "He's tough. Odd. He seemed like such a nice old man when he picked us up." Nico didn't remember grabbing his hand, but soon Will had yanked him up and onto his feet. "Piper said halfpipe days are the worst."
"Think he'll ever give us time to go up on the mountain? I've only been here once before."
Will shrugged. "I've never been."
They headed to the lift together, both ignoring Chiron's barking voice in the radios. "You seriously came here without even testing out the mountain?"
Will shrugged. "Just check out my Instagram comments sometime."
"Yeah, you stopped posting."
Will beamed at him, nearly running over somebody ahead of them. "You stalk me?"
Nico scowled. "No. My sister does. She's fourteen and thinks we'd 'make good friends' since we're always placing near each other at competitions."
Will snickered. "Good friends. Not exactlywhat I had in mind."
Nico glanced wearily at him as they undid one foot from their boards. "If you flirted this openly before, it's a wonder you weren't found out sooner."
Will gave a fake laugh, which made Nico grin. They pushed forward to the lift and waited for the chair to bring them back up to the top of the halfpipe. "Listen here you little shit-,"
The chair hit their butts and scooped them up, but absolute pain originated from his butt at the abrupt contact. "Fuck!" Nico clenched his butt, and he looked at Will with vengeance in his eyes. "Does your ass hurt as bad as mine? That fucking old horse…"
"Nah, but I'd be happy to give you a massage," Will continued to flirt, moving heat into Nico's already heated body. "Doesn't even have to end in a 'happy ending' if you don't want."
Nico shifted uncomfortably. "Dude. I'm tempted to take you up on that."
They rode to the top and got an earful from Chiron long enough for Piper to meet them there as well. In the end, he decided to let the three continue practicing on their own for a few hours until dinner/yoga.
Piper was smiling. "Yoga is really cool. Grover and Juniper teach it. It really is less yoga and more of a stretching our muscles thing."
"That's good. According to Nico, he can hardly sit on his butt right now."
"It's not a muscle thing! It's because I fell so many times my butt bone is bruised!"
"Your coccyx."
"My what?"
"That's what your butt bone is called," Will hopped to his feet with a grin. "See you at the bottom."
He took off with a holler of glee. Nico watched in annoyance as he flipped effortlessly through the air. "I want to kill him."
Piper laughed and helped Nico to his feet. "Or kiss him."
Nico scoffed, instinctively responding with, "In your dreams."
Piper smirked. "Or in yours."
With one last look of annoyance, he jumped down onto the halfpipe. Piper was nosey.
. . .
Nobody told Nico how this yoga thing worked. He'd never done it before. So when he walked into the room to see people partnered up, he was surprised he knew that was unusual.
"Hello, I'm Juniper. And you are?" She had green eyes and pastel green hair. Her skin was pale, and he swore it had a green tint to it.
"Nico di Angelo. Why-?"
"We find you more masculine male athletes are more eager to do yoga with a partner. Since you're new, though, we're short on female partners. We do have a male who requested you – if you don't mind."
Nico's eyes drifted over her shoulder to look for the blonde hair. He found it. "Let me guess. Will Solace?" She nodded eagerly. "Sure, whatever."
Will was sitting on a yellow yoga mat, which Nico found very fitting. He smiled sheepishly as Nico sat his water bottle down next to his. "Sorry. Percy said he'd get Jason's sister to take us up on the helicopter to the backcountry if we partnered up."
Nico stared at him for better explanation.
"Because now Annabeth is forced to partner up with him. He didn't have a partner before this. Apparently, the girls all reported him to Grover for sexual harassment."
"Whatever."
"Is that your favorite word?"
"Are you always this annoying?"
A loud brass bell rang from the front of the room. Nico spun around and noticed they were at the back of the room. That was comforting for Nico. Ahead of them, Percy was standing behind Annabeth as she glowered at Juniper. Jason had his arms wrapped around Piper. There was a hulky Asian dude who was standing as far away as he could get from another Asian girl, who was as pissed as all get out. Finally, the last pair was a dark-haired girl who reminded him so much of his older sister. She was speaking in hushed tones to the dark-skinned man beside her, and when he said man, he meant man. Nico couldn't figure out what that giant of a man was training for.
"Everyone, welcome our newest members, Will Solace, Nico di Angelo, and Annabeth Chase. I'm Grover and this is Juniper," said a chill white dude who had a smile that screamed 'I just smoked a gram of weed.' But then again, his eyes were too alight to be high, as if he'd just eaten his heart out on enchiladas.
Juniper stepped forward with a similar, peaceful smile that truly weirded Nico out. He scooted closer to Will, enjoying the way it made his muscles tense. "They're smiling like they just had sex. It's weird."
"Is that how you smile after sex? Like you had a relaxing bath? Dude. Step it up."
Nico whirled around. "What? No! That's not – I wasn't -,"
"Shh, they're beginning," Will whispered, grabbing Nico's shoulders and spinning him around. Nico ignored the flair of heat in his veins.
"Okay. Let's begin…"
An hour later, Nico really didn't expect to be caught in any of the positions they did. He was on his back, watching Will push one of his legs toward his chest. Pain flared in his hamstrings, but Nico didn't stop him. With a slight smile, he watched as Will's face grew more serious by the second.
"H-how are you so, uh, flexible?" Will gulped as Nico's leg hit his chest. Their faces were inches from each other, and the flush in Will's cheeks made Nico grin.
"This isn't just a yoga position, Sunshine," Nico said. Will's pupils visibly darkened. His entire body stiffened.
"Dammit, di Angelo, next time? Wear sweatpants."
Will let go of his leg to pull his shirt down and adjust something in his exercise shorts.
"What? Something…bothering you?" Nico winked, shifting his hips upward. Will gulped. "I don't know, Will. The longer we're like this…this position is a little hard." Will looked like he was facing death itself, and Nico found that oddly inspiring for his dirty thoughts. "Come on, Solace. Go deeper. I like a little pain."
Expecting a giggle or eye roll, Nico was both mentally and physically thrown when Will huffed hotly and threw his leg to the side, silently storming out of the room. When he looked up, Piper was staring at him with irritation.
Groaning, Nico slipped away after Will, sighing with relief as he saw the angry man walking up the halfpipe. The lights were on in the otherwise dark night. Nico wrapped himself up in his coat as snugly as possible, hating that he gave Will enough time to throw on his actual boarding jacket. By the time Nico made it near the half pipe, Will was halfway up it.
"Hey! Where are you running to, Sunshine?"
Will refused to look back, but he did raise his hand and flip him off. Huffing, Nico sat in a crouch. He'd have to come down eventually. Will tried to wait him out, but Nico was a stubborn person, even if it felt like his dick was freezing off.
Finally, Will jumped down and began his run.
As always, Nico was just amazed. He moved effortlessly, mastering techniques that made Nico's heart quench without a thought. Still not reaching optimal height, he was limited to the number of rotations compared to Nico's, but it was somehow more impressive. The skill he squished into his limited time was perfect.
When he made it to Nico, he began to steer away from him, but Nico began to jog after him. "Don't think I won't tackle you!"
Will hesitated, glancing skeptically at Nico. Then, his shoulders sagged and he steered back to Nico, tugging off his helmet in the process. His eyes were cold, all joking and flirting from earlier gone away. "What do you want? Come here to toy with me more?"
Nico flinched back at that, surprise and disgust simultaneously on his face. "What are you talking about?"
Will rolled his eyes, and then he bent down to undo his boots. "I thought your flirting was fun, but clearly, it's just a game to you. And I don't enjoy being used for a laugh. I had plenty of that before."
"I – no, Will, that's not -,"
"Oh? Then what is it? You're actually into me?" Will scoffed, grabbing his board and straightening. "Or are you just trying to distract me? I'm not stupid, Nico. I'll see you at practice tomorrow."
"Will. Come on."
"Just forget it, Nico," Will mumbled, pushing past him, voice as exhausted and strained as his eyes looked. Nico's heart constricted painfully. He wanted to reach out to him, to explain that he'd never do any of that. He wanted to confess that he'd been in the closet all his career, that nobody knew about his interests aside from his sister and a few carefully selected men he'd been with. He wanted to say he'd never consider trying to get in his head.
But then, how would he prove it?
If he refused to come out of the closet, why would Will believe him? And more importantly, if he believed him, wasn't that messing with both of their heads regardless? Searching for love months before the Olympics was a recipe for disaster, but partaking in a secret, closeted relationship with your top competitor before the Olympics offered no chance of a happy ending.
So Nico let him walk away, sinking into the snow and trying to ignore the painful pounding of his heart.
. . .
They fell into a routine. Nico had abandoned any hint of flirting, going out of his way to second check every action and phrase before doing anything that would hurt Will. And slowly, they became friends. It was stressed and hesitant at the least, but it was more than Nico would say he had back home. They spent more time together than Jason did with Piper, and that was hard to beat.
It seemed effortless for Will now. He'd clearly gotten past his thing for Nico, all hopes going down the drain that night merely five months ago when Nico didn't correct him. When Nico didn't fight for him.
Everyone was gathered around after stretching. Well, everyone but Percy and Annabeth. They were in the corner, arguing about their newest topic of debate. Nico swore they spent more time arguing than he spent staring at Will.
"Alright. Next week is our last week here. I say we take the mountain by storm tomorrow to kick off our journey!"
That was how Nico found them all standing at the top of the mountain, staring into the haze of a light flurry of snow that obscured their view. They'd all taken a helicopter up top and now were just waiting on the sun to rise. Nico took a seat next to Will, nudging closer to make it seem like he was preserving body heat. Without the sun, even in their gear it was chilly.
"Just wait. The view is beautiful," Nico grinned. Will turned his head, eyes misty and unfocused but still so bright.
"Yeah?"
With a sheepish grin, he bumped his shoulder into Will's. "I don't know. You're like the sun yourself. Bring us a pretty view, Solace."
Will wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "You're looking at it." Will instantly burst into laughter, but Nico's chest tightened, and he found the joke not at all funny because of how true it was.
"Yeah. I am."
In all their time together, Nico avoided the topic of his sexuality. It'd created a distinct border between them, unfortunately, but he just didn't have the heart to tell Will that he was hiding in the closet while Will had to unwillingly endure the hardships of being a gay snowboarder. Nico was embarrassed by how unfair it was. So he tried to avoid saying too much or looking too long or anything that would out him to Will.
Sometimes, he slipped up.
Will's frown was instantaneous. He glared into the snow, kicking at his board lightly. "Nico. Come on."
Nico sighed in exasperation. He let his head fall and swing into Will's shoulder, but the blonde just turned away. "Why can't I compliment you?"
The only response he got was a groan. There was no real way for Will to make the argument that when Nico complimented him it was different. Nico understood that he probably sent off the sexual vibes, but he still didn't know why it would affect Will that much.
He didn't have long to dwell on it, though, because soon the sun was up and a low buzzing was on them. Nico looked around but was disappointed to find the clouds still blocking most of the view. Will, however, seemed to continue straining, taking in everything. When he turned to Nico, finding the dark haired boy already staring at him, the grin on his face lit up the sky like the sun clearly could not.
"Wave to the cameras, guys!" Percy yelled, staring up at what looked like three drones.
"What are they doing? How are they even up this high?" Jason asked, shocked and confused.
"It's the Olympic committee. They get whatever they want in order to promote us," Nico snorted. "Who called them?"
Annabeth pulled down her goggles after flashing them a smug smile. "Me. More money that can go into putting fucking lights on the mogul practice," she huffed. "Let's go, Jackson."
"Wait, let me get my gog-,"
"Hope you can keep up!" Annabeth shouted as she took a plunge off the steep incline that was essentially a cliff. Percy gulped as he struggled to go after her. One drone followed them expertly.
Piper waved, grabbing Jason and shoving him in the direction of the drop off, and before Nico or Will could utter a word, they were left alone on the mountain, wind howling loudly around them. They pulled on their goggles, both glancing hesitantly at each other.
"You ready, Sunshine?" Nico grinned, pulling his face cover up around his lips.
Will did the same in a challenging manner. "Absolutely. Be careful. Don't want to mess up that pretty face of your in front of the cameras."
"You wish," Nico snorted, intending to move forward without much more conversation, but then Will grabbed his hand, pulling him closer. Through their low light goggles, their eyes met, and Will seemed very serious suddenly.
"I'm serious. Be careful. I intend on us two on the podium. Not some country with crazy colors. Okay?"
Nico rolled his eyes. "Of course. We've got each other's backs, alright?"
Will offered a hesitant smile. "Always.
"Until Beijing. Then, you better watch out," Nico challenged. Will giggled in the way he did when he was having too much fun.
"Aw. You're too in love with me to sabotage me," Will laughed, like it was the funniest thing in the world. Nico's smile slipped from his face.
"I think I may be, yeah." The words were out of his mouth without thinking, as if he were agreeing what movie he wanted to watch rather than professing his possible love for his hot competitor. Will's smile faded away as he watched Nico's face pale, horror slipping onto his expression. It was just Nico's shitty luck that Will would think he wasn't joking the one time he really slipped up. "I – yeah."
Then, Nico hopped to the edge and jumped without a thought. He was lucky he'd been boarding all his life or the sudden drop would have had him tumbling down the hill. He heard Will vaguely behind him, asking him to wait up. Nico couldn't though. His adrenaline was pumping and every instinct in him told him to get away.He'd probably just scared off the biggest crush in his entire life.
Nico tried to forget about how much of an idiot he was. The slope was already challenging enough without him not entirely focused. This was good footwork for them, and definitely an intense workout. It certainly helped him try to perfect his skill. He'd always been weaker at hitting things perfectly, and that was why it didn't surprise Nico but certainly did infuriate him, when Will zoomed past him.
Nico wanted to choke and die in an avalanche suddenly.
Watching Will disappear into the trees, Nico did nearly fall, which would have been the worst because the slope was so steep, Nico was sure he wouldn't be getting back up for a long, painful time. Thanking the gods for looking out for his idiotic self, Nico followed Will into the trees. The drone shifted to above Nico, but the trees were so spread out that it still got a shot of him. Then, it moved on to Will, who was trying to exit the trees up ahead. Nico saw the exit he was going for, but it was not a good one. The jump back into the open slope was too steep.
"Will! No!" Nico shouted, but it was too late. His course was set, and Nico watched in horror as Will soared into the air with his back parallel to the ground. Unprepared for such a jump, Will twisted midair, desperate to find his center of gravity and failing horribly. He hit the ground directly on his back, and then he skidding out of sight. Nico's throat sank to his stomach, and Nico felt equal urges to cry and scream. Instead, he quickly found a safe exit and searched for Will.
It was all white haze due to the increasing snowfall, and Nico shouted out with fear, horrified that he'd never find Will, but there was no response. Then, the sight of the drone rapidly moving up and down in the air caught his eye, and Nico squinted at it, deciding to move in that direction.
Will had slid, board still intact, into a nearby tree. He was slumped against it, staring into the sky. At least, Nico hoped he was awake and staring instead of unconscious. He hurried over, unstrapping his boots and dashing to his side.
"Will! Fuck, Will, talk to me," Nico said, fingers slipping out of his gloves to pry at his goggles. "Will. I swear to fuck you better be okay. I'm not going to Beijing without you. I – what the fuck?"
When he finally got his goggles off, Will was staring at him, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Please continue, Neeks. I'm intrigued."
It was like the relief struck a nerve and suddenly, Nico was on top of Will, hugging him desperately, burying his face in Will's neck. "I hate you. I hate you so much."
"I thought you said you loved me," Will whispered, hot breath moving past his ear and sending a shiver down Nico's body.
Looking up with a glare, Nico found his eyes glistening. Will reached up with shaking hands and moved his goggles and face mask away, fully exposing how terrified Nico was. "I can do both easily," Nico bit his lip, voice teetering on the edge of breaking. "Don't scare me like that again. I thought -,"
"It's okay. I'm a little sore, but I'm fine," Will breathed, pulling at Nico until the boy fell back on his chest. They breathed heavily against each other for a few quiet, peaceful moments. "Did you mean it?"
Nico pulled back slightly, just enough to be able to look into the glossy blue orbs that shone so beautifully in reflection of the snow. Biting his lip, Nico nodded. "Yeah."
Will beamed, and that sight alone quelled his clenched heart. His hands ran through Nico's hair in a soothing pattern. "Good. Unreciprocated feelings suck ass."
Will's lips were so close Nico could instinctually sense it when he licked them. "I thought you hated me," Nico hissed, confused and painfully hopeful all at once. Now, even the cold stinging of his fingers or the way his throat burned didn't matter, not when his heart suddenly jumped again for the tenth time in the span of a minute.
"If you can do both, then so can I," Will mumbled as he inched his way closer, bringing those pink, Vaseline-coated lips essentially against his. And Nico couldn't take it. Releasing all restraints and running with the high of relief, Nico pressed Will back down into the snow, lips crashing onto his with an incessant need.
They were soft and greasy from the Vaseline, which was perfect for Nico's chapped and frozen lips. They moved against each other quickly, trying to catch up to the other without a direct goal in mind. Nico braced himself against the snow, but he didn't miss the way Will's hands caressed his face, holding him as if he was the most delicate thing in the world, and the affection surged within Nico, warming him from the core outward.
Nico darted his tongue out, wanting to taste Will before this chance disappeared again. It felt like this moment should last forever, and that the second it stopped, everything would crumble. It was all right here. Will was all right here.
When Will bit his lip and met his next kiss with his own tongue, Nico moaned, lower body pressing into Will's with pent up desire. Their thick layer of clothes hid it all, but even the idea of grinding his body against Will's was enough to get his head spinning.
However, Will cried out sharply, and Nico was off him in seconds. "What? What hurt?"
He winced, hands falling down to his leg. "My hip. I hit the tree on my right side," he said, voice tight and breathless, like if he held it in he wouldn't be able to feel the pain.
"Shit. Can you walk?" Nico worried. He could not break his leg, not now. They were two weeks away from competing. They were one week away from traveling to the fucking Olympics. Nico was not going there without Will. There was no way.
"I hope," Will whispered, voice cracking.
"No. Shut up, Solace. Don't worry yet," Nico struggled to find his demanding voice when all he wanted was to cuddle him until he smiled. Now, in the freezing snow miles above any civilization, was not the time. "Come on. Try to stand."
"Nico," Will looked up, eyes startlingly bright. "What if I can't?"
"Will. Shut up." Nico hissed, nose scrunching in frustration. Will blinked again, slowly, and then he nodded, muttering to himself as Nico extended a hand. He pulled him up on his good leg, and when Will put weight onto his other, he winched, nearly falling but, thankfully, not. "Will?"
Breathing deeply, face crumpled in obvious discomfort, Will nodded. "I'm fine. Not broken. Just gonna leave a hell of a bruise. Probably as big as Gus Kentworthy's was at his Olympics."
Nico snorted. "Hot guys act alike, I suppose."
Will's eyes flashed with a challenge, and Nico got the message quite clearly. Why didn't you tell me you're gay?
To which Nico would only have his stupidity and fear as his defense.
"Take it slow, okay? I'll be right behind you."
Will nodded, pulling on his goggles and flexing his knee experimentally. "Nico?" He'd already begun putting his gloves and goggles on, but he turned to Will anyways, eyebrow raised in expectation. "Kiss me?"
Nico grinned, leaning over as Will did and pressing their lips together chastely. The motion sent electricity shooting through his body, and he knew he'd have no trouble with stamina while getting down the rest of the mountain.
"See you at the bottom, babe," Will called behind with an evil glint before turning and going down the slope.
And if Nico grinned the whole way down, well, it was worth the chapped and bleeding lips.
A/N: Oops, went missing for minute. I think it's done, but I feel like it needs a little kissing/possibly smut scene? Thoughts? Who would want to see some? We'll see... anyways, leave your thoughts please! i love hearing what readers think!
