With their hectic schedules combined, it took Will and Nico over a week to find an evening they were both free—and not coming right out of a double shift—for their second date.
Nico arrived a little early, standing out in the street in a suit, and waited for Will to arrive. Will had said that Nico could choose what they'd be doing again, since Will had been the one to "ruin" their first date. Even when Nico had assured him it had been all right, Will had been adamant, and it had taken Nico a few hours of brainstorming to find the perfect idea—and another hour to work up the courage to suggest it to Will.
Nico spotted Will's car from far away—the bright red Maserati was visible, and audible, from a distance—though Nico had no idea it was his at first. It was only when it pulled up right in front of Nico, and Will emerged from it, that Nico realized it.
Will had dressed up, as Nico had recommended him. His suit was a deep, almost electric blue, a few shades darker than his eyes, and it framed his body perfectly—it had to have been tailored to him. Even on the rare occasion when Will wore a suit to work, Nico had never seen him wear anything quite as fetching as this.
"Hey there," Will said, grinning as he walked around the car to join Nico. "You're staring," he added in a lower voice.
Nico shook his head, feeling a blush covering his face already. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine. I like the way you look at me."
Nico wondered if he should ask what Will meant by that, then decided it would probably be too embarrassing. "So—what's with the car?"
"It was my dad's. Gave it to me when he moved to Europe. I love it, but it's kind of showy."
Nico stared at him, dubious. "And you mind that?"
"Depends," Will retorted, grinning. "I wouldn't go to work with it, but if it's to impress a date…" He made a dramatic pause, raising a suggestive eyebrow. "Is it working?"
"I'm a lot more impressed by how you look than by your stupid car."
His blunt retort had the intended effect: Will let out a soft gasp, as if Nico had knocked the speech out of him, and a blush spread across his cheeks. "Thanks," he managed to say after a moment. "You're not too bad yourself."
"That's your best compliment game? You should probably stay silent and look pretty," Nico teased.
"Would you like it better if I improvised poetry about your beauty?"
Nico wondered if Will was serious; but he decided he didn't want to find out. "Let's just go inside."
There was a sparkle in Will's eye, as if he was holding himself back from laughing out loud, but he nodded. "Yes, sir!" He took a step forward, and offered Nico his arm, like they were going to some kind of old-fashioned ball.
Nico let out an exaggerated sigh. "You know, it's just a jazz club. That's not necessary." Will remained silent, only gazing at Nico with an ever-growing smile. In the end, Nico hooked his arm with Will, and they went together to the club's entrance.
"Why a jazz club, by the way?" Will asked as they walked across the club's lobby.
"Well, it's not so loud that you can't talk, so I thought that'd be good for a date. And I like jazz music." Bianca had once joked that she and Nico that they liked the music so much, they should have been born in the jazz age.
The memory made him nostalgic for a brief moment, but before he could dwell on it, they were in the club proper, and Will was already leading them towards the dance floor.
"Do you even know how to dance to jazz?" Nico asked him, suddenly nervous at the realization that this was it, this was happening.
"Nope," Will confessed, shrugging. "Music runs in the family, though. I'm no good with an instrument, and barely tolerable a singer, but I got all the dancing genes. I'm sure I'll learn. Just take the lead."
Nico stood frozen for a moment, surprised by how casually Will would let him take the lead. In his (admittedly limited) past experience, Nico had always had to struggle a little for anything that looked like dominance with his partners. And now, here was Will, an expectant glimmer in his eyes, his hand already in Nico's, nodding almost imperceptibly in time with the song. Completely open to be led. The prospect was almost frightening.
Taking a deep breath, Nico smiled. "All right. This is swing dancing—pretty simple, you'll see."
"I told you, you don't have to keep it easy for me."
He wasn't lying—unless he'd also lied about never swing dancing before. Will got the basic steps down by the end of the first song, and while Nico doubted they could perform any of acrobatics like some of the couples around them. Even as the tempo hastened, Will followed Nico's lead without missing a beat, until Nico caved in and declared he needed to sit down for a moment.
They found a small table on a corner, away from the dance floors and the speakers, and Will went to fetch them drinks. As he made his way to the bar, Nico couldn't help but stare after him; even though they weren't dancing anymore, every step he took was still in rhythm with the music, Nico noticed. He was still smiling about it when Will returned, who raised a questioning eyebrow as he sat down with their glasses—Will's, Nico noticed, was filled with soda.
"Were you checking me out?"
Nico shook his head, suddenly torn out of his contemplation. "Not exactly. It's just—you weren't lying when you said you got the dancing genes."
"You clearly have more experience than I do, though."
"Me and my sister have always had a thing for jazz." Before Will could ask, he shook his head. "And we'll talk about it some other time. Let's try to have a date without any deep conversation on our dark respective histories, shall we?"
Will looked hesitant for a moment, but he smiled and raised his glass. "Cheers to that."
They talked, and danced, again and again, all throughout the night. Nico hadn't planned to stay out all night, and he doubted Will had either, but every time he'd think about leaving, there was a new topic of conversation, or a new song he just loved. Or maybe he didn't want to end this night just yet. Just the prospect of being parted from Will felt disappointing already. It was almost embarrassing.
When they did leave, it was only because the club was closing. Outside, the first lights of morning once again greeted them, but Nico didn't feel tired the way he had during their first date.
"Do you want me to drive you home?" Will said. He'd once again linked their arms together to leave the club, and didn't seem to want to let go any more than Nico.
"I don't suppose you'd be up for another breakfast, would you?"
Will remained silent for a moment. "While I wouldn't mind, I'll have to pass on the offer. The first time was a little embarrassing, and I don't want anything to tarnish this night."
Nico nodded silently to the last part. "All right. Home it is."
"Perfect. All according to plan."
Nico frowned at Will as he led them to his car, but he offered no explanation. Instead, he only let Nico guide him—the drive was short, ten minutes at the most—until he pulled up in front of Nico's apartment complex.
To his surprise, Will followed him out of the car and to the two steps leading to the front door, though he didn't climb them. "Well…this is it," Will said. "I had a lot of fun tonight."
Nico smiled down at him. "Me too." Then, in a bout of curiosity, he asked, "So…that plan of yours?"
Will gave a start, blushing. "Right. Well, I'd hoped—" He climbed the first step, putting their eyes almost on the same level, and reached out with one hand, gently cupping Nico's face with it. "I mean, if that's okay with you—"
Nico didn't let him finish: he pulled Will towards him by the lapels of his suit jacket, closing the rest of the distance and kissing him, a little too forcefully at first, then softer, shifting to fit his body close to Will's as he felt Will's arms wrap around his waist.
Their kiss was short, but even after it ended, they remained close to one another, the sound of their breathing the only disturbance to the silence around them.
Will was the first one to step back, almost stumbling. There was a giddy smile on his face—though Nico was pretty sure he had one to match—and his skin was flushed dark. "Well…talk to you soon."
Nico gave a sharp nod, biting his lips. "I can't wait."