So, this is the last chapter I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for your reviews, follows and everything. This is for my friends Angie and Laura; they have no idea what an OTP is, but they supported me and they are major Solangelo shippers now.
Song: La Vie en Rose - Louis Armstrong version.
They were in Nico's cabin, as usual, sitting on Nico's bed with their backs against the headboard. After dinner, they came here and talk about everything and nothing.
Nico was happy that he had been brave enough to stand up, walk towards Will and kiss him right in front of everyone. However, that rush of adrenaline disappeared as soon as he sat down on the table with Will and felt everyone's eyes fixated on them. He didn't dare to look at the head table, what would Chiron think of them now? Although, the man was half horse; he was sure that there was not going to be any judgment there. When it came to the rest of the camp, that was an entirely different story; people were talking and pointing. Nico wanted to shrink down in his chair and vanish. He could have done it, but that would have been the coward's way out and he was not a coward, not anymore.
Will didn't help with the feeling either; he was just sitting there with a stupid smile on his face. Nico didn't know whether to smack that smile off his face or kiss him. There was no middle ground with Will, you wanted either to slap him for being so happy or kiss him for being that happy. Nico woke up every morning without knowing if that was the day when he would finally slap the son of Apollo. Didn't he feel it, though? The mocking looks, the condemnation, Nico knew he was exaggerating with that last one, yet it was the only thing he could think about. Was Will that oblivious of what other people thought?
At that moment, as if Will knew he needed. He looked at Nico and smiled. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. There was only Will with that blinding smile that was a beacon of light for Nico's dark soul. Will and his overconfidence. Will who made Nico believe that anything was possible and that they could make it despite their differences. There was hope again in this dark and twisted world. Interesting what a simple smile could do for someone.
It all went a little better for Nico when Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper sat with them, showing their support and probably breaking some implied rule about the seating arrangement. Nico couldn't care less; he got out of his comfort, boring zone and as a reward, he got the dreamiest guy ever, who somehow thought that Nico was the best thing that ever happened to this world and fantastic friends that showed him with their actions how important he was to them. They could be annoying, but Nico wouldn't have it any other way.
Whisperers could go to hell (his Father would have some punishment ready for them) for the first time in four years he was genuinely happy and no one was taking that from him.
"You better be thinking about me because if that smile is for someone else, I'm gonna be pissed." Said Will, who was trying to get Nico's attention by poking him in the ribs with his finger.
Will had been telling him something and he had been day dreaming. "Sorry, I still can't believe that I had the guts to do it."
Will took one of Nico's hands and kissed his palm tenderly. Nico melted every time Will did that. Seriously, that should be illegal. "I, on the other hand, am ecstatic that you did it. Everybody is going to be so jealous. The hottest guy in camp Nico di Angelo kissed me in front of everyone. You broke so many hearts today Ghost King."
"I am not the hottest guy in here. What about you Dr. Solace?" Nico wiggled his eyebrows, which was something he was not used to doing, so it came out looking like he was having some sort of attack. Will kissed him on the forehead.
"I am hot; I am not going to deny it, but you have this bad boy aura around you. In addition, you are Italian. You are literally the hottest guy I have ever met."
"I think you meant figuratively, and that is impossible. I can't be the hottest guy you have ever met. You need to take into account the percentage of people that you have met in your entire life. Then, you throw in there the ones you have considered hot, and next we have to think about what you consider hot, and that is just a variable. The probability of me being the hottest guy you have ever met is like 1 in 100." He looked at Will. Why was so difficult for him to accept a compliment? The guy said you were hot, take it.
Will was smiling at him. "I love when you talk math to me. Now, shut up and kiss me."
"You are the one who is talking."
"Kiss me, Doctor's orders."
Nico just laughed, "I can't believe I missed that cheesy line of yours." Will kissed him then and damn if those kisses didn't make his toes curl. His brain turned to mush, his knees gave up (good thing he was sitting) and he could have sworn that he felt healthier. If Annabeth's kisses made Percy smarter; Will's kisses healed him from the inside out. If that was Apollo's gift, thank the Gods he was the only one who got to enjoy it.
After that earth-shattering kiss, the only coherent thing Nico could say was "Wow."
"That's all a guy wants to hear." Will kissed him on the cheek and went to nuzzle his neck. He was about to go all vampire on it. Nico needed to say something else before he got distracted.
"You were right, you know."
"You are going to have to be more specific," whispered Will and kissed him on that sensitive spot on his neck that sent shivers down his spine. " I am always right."
Nico could feel Will smirking, so he smacked him in the arm and pushed him away for a moment. He needed to say something important. "Stop being an idiot. I am trying to talk about feelings and crap."
"Fine, I'll behave. For now." He wiggled his eyebrows, which Nico hated because Will knew how to do it.
"You were right when you said that I tend to focus on the bad things and that I might have been trying to sabotage this. I forgot how it was to trust someone; before you, I was not living I was barely surviving. You showed me every day that life is different and that I deserve to be happy. I am sorry that it took you leaving that night for me to realize it."
"You don't need to apologize Nico. I am sorry too and if anything I'm the lucky one here, my boyfriend is a king."
They laughed and looked into each other's eyes. Nico had been trying to match the blue of Will's eyes with something. The sky wasn't that blue, neither was the ocean. Maybe the reason he couldn't find a match was because Will's eyes were always changing, normally they were pale, but they turn kind of a dark blue when he was kissing Nico. They were like steel when Will was mad, yet soft and gentle when he was helping people in the infirmary. Nico often thought of that color as Will blue. It was his personal favorite, although it still came second to black.
Nico realized that they have been looking at each other for like a thousand minutes, and he said, "We are a disgustingly romantic couple now, aren't we?"
"I think we are."
"I'm revolted by myself. I think I'm going to throw up."
"Don't say that," he put an arm around Nico's shoulders, held him tight and kissed him on the forehead. "I think we are a cute couple. I like that you are not trying to escape my hug."
"I am not going anywhere. I'm afraid that you are stuck with me, Solace."
"Then, I am the luckiest man on earth." He leaned to kiss Nico, but he kept him away. Nico just remembered something important.
"I almost forgot. I won the bet. I finished The Deathly Hallows in less than a day."
Will's eyes gleamed with mischief, "Really? Then, I guess I am your slave for one day. What are your plans?"
"Honestly, I was going to make you redecorate this entire cabin by yourself, but I thought of something else," he didn't say anything for a minute. He was building up the anticipation and to be honest, he was a little bit ashamed of saying as well.
"WHAT?" asked Will, who was getting impatient.
"I thought that you could be my kissing slave," Nico winced when he said it as if someone had punched him. It sounded way different in his head, and he was definitely not made for this. "Sorry, that sounded better in my head." Nico covered his face. This couple stuff was so embarrassing.
"No need to be sorry, Mr di Angelo. Actually, it sounds really, very, extremely hot."
Will uncovered his face and kissed him. Nico was seriously considering doing this for a living. Someone might pay him for doing that, right? His hand moved up from Will's waist to his hair. No one should be allowed to have hair that soft. This was probably Nico's new obsession, touching Will's soft, stupid hair. Nico tugged at it a little to see what happened. Will groaned and deepened the kiss, clutching at Nico's shirt for dear life. Holy shit, to think that I almost miss this, Nico mused.
Nico heard a gasp. He ended the kiss abruptly, looked around and saw Hazel, who was covering her eyes and saying, "Why do I always have such a bad timing with this message thingy?"
Nico didn't know what to do, so he just panicked, pushed Will off the bed and said the first thing that came to mind, "Hazel, it's not what you think." He knew how lame that line was, but his brain hadn't come back online after that kiss.
"So, you weren't kissing passionately, I must add, that cute guy," said Hazel uncovering her eyes to see Nico's deer in headlights face.
"Nico, you have got to stop pushing me off the bed. You are giving me mixed signals," He had his elbows on the bed and face on his hands. "By the way, I can't believe you use that line." Then, he looked a Hazel, giving her his Prince Charming smile, "Hello Hazel, and thank you. I think you are cute as well."
"Thank you. I am sorry, I can't seem to remember your name, but I do know that you are the doctor. The one who made Nico go to the infirmary."
"Will Solace, at your service." He saluted.
"Will could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Hazel." Said Nico, finally recovering his wits.
"Sure thing sweet pie," Will stood up, kissed Nico and left with a smirk on his face. Nico was going to make him pay for that sweet pie thing later. Now, he needed to come clean to hazel too. It was going to be difficult because the minute Will was out, Hazel started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Sorry, it's just, who is going to believe the "it's not what it looks like" line? Really Nico."
"You got a point there. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I thought that you… maybe…"
"What? Please, don't tell me that you thought I was going to have a problem with it."
Nico looked embarrassed. That was exactly what he had thought. Hazel was from the 30s, she probably grew up hearing that homosexualism was a disease, a sin, and all those horrible things. Nico thought that if she found out about him, he would lose her; he didn't want to lose another sister.
"Nico, I don't mind. Although I admit I could have live without watching you in such an intimate situation," she was fanning her face with her hand, as she often did when she got embarrassed about something. "Anyway, I already knew you had a boyfriend. Dad told me."
"I had no idea he was such a gossip," Nico was looking everywhere but at Hazel. Was it possible that everything was going to be so easy? Was he the only one with the Doomsday mentality? He had been living all of his life hiding his feelings and as it turned out, it wasn't that big of a deal. Everybody was taking the news so calmly. He had been the one holding himself back all those years. "You really don't mind?"
"I don't Nico. I mind that you didn't tell me."
His father and sister didn't mind. Bianca knew and accepted him, why was he so worried? For the second time that night, he had the certainty that everything was going to be okay. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to lose you."
"That would have never happened, Nico. Let me ask you this, are you happy?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then, I'm happy too. Should I go and scare him like you try to do Frank?"
Nico finally smiled, "Dad already did it. It was the most embarrassing experience of my entire life."
"Good. By the way, I know this is none of my business, but you shouldn't be alone like that in the cabin. It's not proper."
Nico was blushing and was about to fan his face like Hazel did. They were definitely siblings, "It's okay Hazel. We were talking. I know we were kissing when you call, but we were talking before that happened."
"If you say so, but be careful; dad is always watching."
"Gods, that sounds creepy. I think you just fuel tonight's nightmares."
Hazel had the most beautiful smile in the world. It made Nico happy to see it, knowing how much she had suffered in her previous life. "I was calling to see if you would come visit. Dad said you are going back to school, so I thought we could spend some time together before you start."
"Yes, I will visit."
"Awesome, bring Will. We are going to have so much fun," she was clapping her hands in excitement. Nico was excited too, but he also wanted her to finish the call, like yesterday. Will was outside and he wanted to continue with the make out session. "You are obviously desperate to go back to your "talking" let me know when you are coming. Remember what I said, not proper. Bye, have a good evening." She waved her hand through the mist, ending the call.
Nico leaped out of the bed and opened the door to find Will sitting on the ground. He stood up the minute the door was opened, pushed Nico inside, closed the door with his foot and kissed Nico. When they finally came up for air, Nico almost fell, he had to grab Will's arm for support.
"What was that for?"
"I missed you."
"It was like 10 minutes. Not complaining, just stating the facts."
"How was it with your sister?" Will took his hand and they sat in bed again.
"Okay, she already knew. Dad told her. She invited us to Camp Jupiter before the beginning of the school year. Do you wanna come?"
"Yes, I do. She is my sister-in-law, we ned to spend time together and stuff. Anyway, can we keep making out?"
Nico nodded and jumped Will giving him a kiss and this time, Nico was the one who went vampire on his neck.
Next day, Will was in the infirmary, getting congratulated by his siblings the minute he walked in. There had been even a round of applause from the few patients they had. Some of his siblings were making fun of him for his expression of surprise last night when Nico came up to their table. He hadn't been expecting it, of course, he was going to look like an idiot.
"Anyway, we are just happy for you bro. We were wondering how long it was going to take before you make it official." Said David punching him in the arm. It was what bros did according to him.
"How did you all know?"
"You are transparent to us, Will. Also, the fact that di Angelo started smiling after those three days holed up with you in here was a giveaway."
Yep, every single one of his siblings knew about them. Apparently, he wasn't as good as he thought in stealth. They noticed when he left the cabin at night and came back in before the sunrise. They were just waiting for him to make the announcement, so they could collect the bet money.
Will was so happy, actually happy wasn't the right adjective. He was ecstatic, cheerful, glad, jubilant. None of those words felt right. His feelings were much greater than that. Will still couldn't believe that Nico went after him like that, and today he was the one with the hickeys. Interesting what a little confidence did to people. One day he was a shy boy who thought his dad bought him a date, the next one he was kissing Will as if there was no tomorrow. He was smiling so much that day; his sibling decided to throw him out of the infirmary, saying that he was making everybody else feel miserable because they didn't have anyone.
So, he started walking around camp. He was not looking for Nico, he could spend an entire day without seeing him. However, Will knew that Nico was in the training grounds with his friends if he happened to go there, he wasn't stalking on anything. Will needed to practice, it had been a while since the last time. He would just go, practice a bit and then leave.
Will entered the Arena, his eyes immediately moved to the spot where Nico was standing. He was like a magnet. He always knew where Nico was; he always knew when Nico looked at him. It was something that not even science could explain.
Nico was, as usual, all in black. Black t-shirt with a skull pattern on it. The skinniest jeans Will had ever seen. Not that he was complaining, the view was nice. Nico was the only one who could wear so much black and not look like someone in a Death Metal band. The fact that he didn't believe he was the hottest guy in camp, escape Will's understanding. Especially today. Nico was smiling, broadly. It was a sight to behold. Nico didn't realize how mesmerizing that smile was. Will's heart skipped a bit. It happened every damn time he saw Nico. He should be worried; he was a doctor after all, but he knew what it was, love.
He was irrevocably in love with Nico di Angelo, that's what his heart was telling him. And sometimes his lungs too. He had the tendency to lose his breath at Nico's sight. Unfortunately, he could not tell Nico that. At least not yet. He was not ready to hear it and Will was not ready to say it. They still had a long way to go. The only thing he could do was showing his feelings for Nico with actions every day until they were both ready for the big L word to come into their relationship. Nico took his heart without realizing it. Will was just hoping that he wouldn't smash it to pieces. He didn't think that he could survive it.
Will left before Nico noticed that he had been there. Not stalking. He had a surprise planned for tonight. Actually, it was something that he had been wanting to do since the night they first kissed, but Nico might get embarrassed. Although, just because they were official now, it didn't mean that the embarrassment was gone. He'd just have to wait and see.
"Lou Ellen, I'm hungry. I need to go left my sword in the cabin and then go the dining hall." Nico had been all afternoon with Lou Ellen plastered to him like a second skin. He knew something was going on, but he couldn't get it out of that girl. She could be really chatty when she wanted, however, tonight her lips had been sealed.
"Come one, Nico. We can still practice just a bit more. You could win the next round."
"We have done everything today; sword practice, archery, we climbed the wall, we even helped in the stables. I am tired and I need nourishment. My doctor can tell you that, I believe you know him."
"We haven't gone to the strawberry fields. There must be some strawberries that need picking. Let's go." She grabbed Nico by the arm and started taking him towards the field. Nico was tired, he put his foot down and asked.
"What's going on? You have been keeping me busy all day. I want to know, now."
She looked at him, kept looking. Nico was not going to budge, he was tired and damn it, for the first time he wanted to eat. He crossed his arms and stood there, waiting for an answer. This was a battle of wills and that girl didn't know with whom she was competing.
They stared at each other for a long time and Nico decided to make the first move. "Fine, don't tell me. I am hungry and I am going. Stay if you want." He was leaving and Lou Ellen called after him.
"Nico, come one. We were bonding, I am like your sister-in-law. You are not going to abandon me, right?"
He waved at her and started running to his cabin before she decided to use the mist to stop him or something like that.
Nico got to his cabin, safely. He opened his door and he stopped at the threshold. Will had redecorated his cabin. There were balloons hanging from the ceiling. There were vases filled with flowers on the night tables and the beds/coffins were on the back, and in the middle of the room, there was a dining table. There were candles on it and food that smelled delicious and made Nico's stomach growl. The best thing was Will standing by the table, he was wearing his usual outfit of shorts and orange t-shirt, but he looked as handsome as ever. He had some flowers in his hand.
"I was supposed to go change. I supposed Lou Ellen couldn't distract you anymore."
"What's this?"
Will looked nervous, he moved the flowers from one hand to the other. "I wanted us to have an especial, private dinner. We never had like a real date and I thought this could be it. Do you like it? I know it can be a bit too much, but we deserve it."
Nico was speechless; this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. It was a little too romantic, but it was from Will. He went to Will grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down for a kiss. The perks of being short, he could drag Will down and the guy was not going to complain about it.
"I love it," said Nico after the kiss. It was the right thing to say; Will lighted up like a Christmas Tree after that. He gave Nico the flowers and pulled out the chair for him to sit, like the gentleman he was.
They ate and talked and laughed. Nico couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy. The food had been delicious and the company, of course, made it all better.
After they finished, Will stood up and went to a turntable. Had that been there this whole time? "I have a surprise for you, Nico."
"Another one? Dude, you are setting the bar too high. How am I suppose to level this?"
"It's not a competition, Nico. I just wanted to show you how important you are to me. Also, I found our song."
"We have a song?" Nico frowned, he wasn't sure he liked where this was going.
Will nodded. He put a vinyl record on the platter, he positioned the needle thingy on the record and a soft song started coming out of it. It was jazz or something like it. Nico's heart started beating faster when Will came to him with an outstretched hand. He was not asking for a dance, was it? Nico didn't dance. It was a foreign concept to him. Something other people did, not him.
"I don't dance."
"Not even with me? Come on, Nico. It's not so hard and it is our song." Will pouted and damn it and in that moment, Nico vowed that he was going to sew that mouth together. It was impossible for him to say no to that expression.
He stood up and took Will's hand. The smile that Will gave him was definitely worth it. "Just followed my lead," he said, placing Nico's hand on his shoulders and putting his own hands on Nico's waist. "Now, move like this."
Dancing was not so hard. Why did he avoid it? He had to move back and forth and that was it, no big deal. It was really romantic, which was something he never thought that he would get to experience.
"How do you know this is our song?"
"Listen carefully." And he did. After what felt like half an hour; a man started singing and Nico paid attention to the lyrics.
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast, this is la vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom
And when you speak angels sing from above
Everyday words seems, to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be la vie en rose
The song ended, but they didn't stop dancing. They kept moving, their eyes closed and pressing their foreheads together. Time stood still. Nico could have died right that second and he would die a happy man.
"That's every day with you, Nico."
Nico thought of the night of their first kiss when he ran away and Will came for him. Will said that they were meant to be together. At the time, he didn't believe it. He didn't believe that it could be possible for him to find happiness with someone that was his complete opposite, but here he was slow dancing with Will and feeling as if his heart was going to explode for all the emotions inside it. He was all teary eyed.
"You were right. We are meant to be." Will closed the space between them and kissed him, tenderly.
Nico didn't know what was waiting for them. Nico didn't even know if this relationship was going to last, but he was sure of one thing. He would fight for this, for them. He was not going to give them up. This night was the beginning of his new life.