After Nico had finished eating, Will pushed him in the direction of the bathroom where he had stuck the first aid kit. The angel pulled the hoodie and t-shirt over his head to reveal the bandages around his torso. He tore the bandaid off of his face and muttered a string of curses under his breath. Will rolled his eyes playfully.
"You don't just go ripping off bandaids, sunshine," Will said as he went to undo the bandages around the other boy's torso. Nico grumbled something again. The blond didn't say anything, just continued to focus on the task at hand. When the bandages were off, Will reached into the first aid kit for a roll of new bandages.
"We should probably wait just a few minutes before I rewrap that up for you," Will suggested. "Gotta let your skin breathe."
At this, Nico started to take the bandaids and bandages off from his arms and hands. Will watched in silence, biting his lip and studying the curve of the muscles in the boy's arms.
The fallen angel had turned to the side just a bit, and Will could see the tufts of feathers that poked out of his back, just next to his shoulder blades. They were pitch black. Will looked to Nico's face.
"Do all fallen angel's wings turn black?" He murmured as Nico turned to face the boy opposite him. His face looked hard but his eyes looked tired and sad.
"Yeah," He replied, his voice cracking. "I've only seen it happen once before. He was maybe a year or two older than us. His name was Ethan. He went behind everyone's backs and was working with Hell. For what reason, I don't know. Ethan was cast out of Heaven not too long after Zeus had found out. I watched as he fell, and soon, he had been lost in the clouds. Nowhere to be seen."
Nico cast his eyes down, avoiding direct eye contact with Will. The blond sighed. "And you think you're lumped in with him because you fell, right?"
The raven haired boy snapped his head up to look at him. His blue-black eyes glistened and he cast his eyes away again.
"Of course I'm like him, Will. We were both cast out, we both fell because we went against what we were supposed to do," Nico muttered darkly.
Will suddenly grabbed ahold of the boy's shoulders, and Nico faced him, bewilderment in his eyes.
"Nico," Will started in a shaking whisper. "You are nothing like him. He went behind his companions' back to work for the bad guys, and he got what he deserved. You, on the other hand, we're being controlled by those above you. Nobody can tell you who you can and cannot fall in love with; it's just not right."
The dark haired boy roughly shook out of Will's grip, causing him to nearly fall over. He grabbed the counter to steady himself. "What's not right is that I fell in love with a mortal-a mortal man, no less-who was in a happy, healthy relationship with someone else. That's what's not right."
Nico's breathing had picked up, and he was becoming red in the face with anger and embarrassment. Before he could bolt out of the bathroom, Will firmly grasped his wrist. Nico seethed, trying to shake him off, but Will wouldn't let go.
"You're upset because you were in love with another man, right? Not just because he was already in a relationship, but because he was a guy, too." Will stood up, letting go of Nico's wrist. The blond could feel his own heart race in his chest as he pulled the fallen angel into an embrace, careful to avoid touching the tufts of feathers on his back.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Will whispered to Nico. He was shuddering and silently sobbing against the blond's chest. "No one should ever tell you who to love, it's none of their business, alright?"
Nico only responded by making a noise while inhaling deeply. His thin frame shook against Will's, and Will stood there rubbing soothing circles into the boy's bare back. His fingertips tingled at the touch, but Nico didn't shy away from it. The blond carded his fingers through Nico's dark locks.
After maybe fifteen minutes of standing like this, Nico pushed away from Will, wiping at his eyes vehemently. "J-just fix m-me up already, okay?"
For a moment, Will wasn't sure what he meant by that, but remembered that he had to reapply bandages to the other boy. Blushing, Will sat back down on the edge of the bathtub and started to wrap the bandages carefully around Nico's torso.
Once he was finished, he helped the dark haired boy put bandaids on the little scratches on his arms and hands. When that was done, Nico snatched the t-shirt and hoodie he had been wearing beforehand, but he didn't put them back on. Instead, he left wordlessly. Confused, Will quickly packed up the first aid kit and slid it next to the counter. He heard the back door close, and Will groaned. it was still raining outside, what the hell was he thinking?
Will grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of sneakers from his room and ran outside. "Nico, what are you-"
The one stopped midsentence and stared in awe. Nico's wings had sprouted from his back, and they glistened in the overcast light and the rain. The fallen angel spread them as much as was comfortably possible and let them fold in towards his body. He turned to face Will (who had been staring, as much as he hates to admit), and the blond blushed. Hesitantly, Will walked up to him.
"So," Will started awkwardly. "A-after you heal up fully, you're going to leave, aren't you?"
Nico looked up at him through the bangs that were now plastered to his forehead. Then he looked down, half of a smile on his lips. "You know? I don't think I could even if I wanted to."
At this, Nico's face flushed red, and he got on his tip toes to press a light kiss on Will's cheek. The blond blinked stupidly, as he looked down at Nico. The fallen angel wouldn't meet his gaze. Will sighed through his nose, gently grabbed the sides of Nico's face, and leaned over to press a kiss to the fallen angel's lips.
His lips were stiff against Will's for a fraction of a moment, but after that Nico melted into him and returned the kiss.
Nico pulled away from Will, but pressed his wet forehead to the blond's. The dark haired boy looked into his bright blue eyes.
"I'm all yours," Will whispered to him.
And Nico, for the first time in what seemed like forever, felt content.
