Chapter 10:

Will Gets Poisoned

Will knew a strategic exit was in order the moment Nico's shirt came off. It just wasn't fair. The smaller boy had no idea what even the tiniest tuft of his unruly black hair did to Will. Pulling his clothes off willy-nilly with the Apollo boy around was just pure, undiluted torture for him.

And gods, that back. All smooth and rippling with muscles from sword training, with the odd scar from Capture the Flag but otherwise unmarred. It looked like a weaved work of the gods. Something for him to admire but not touch.

Athena and Arachne could go home because Nico's back was a tapestry art no one could out do.

And this all needed to be vented quite heavily, because if Will didn't complain to someone how unfair Nico's beautiful existence was he'd explode his feelings right over the object of his affections and wouldn't that be messy to clean up?

Lee was no help. Will sighed and got to his feet, dusting the dirt off his jeans and looking longingly at the Hades cabin. Somewhere in there was a person who had no idea he was the sun and the stars to Will and carrying that around was starting to get a little heavy in his chest. But he had a practice to get to, and Will didn't even know if Nico, well… swung that way.

His play was hanging out of his pocket still. Will grabbed it and flipped to the tag that marked the final interaction involving Romeo and Juliet – the death scene. He started back to the Hades cabin to apologise to Nico. He'd say he'd forgotten his play.

Nico was sitting on his bed when Will re-arrived, and he looked on the verge of a philosophical breakthrough he was concentrating so hard.

"Alright there?" Will asked, leaning against the door frame. Nico jumped, his eyes darting up to meet the Apollo camper's. His cheeks flushed bright pink.

"F-Fine," he replied, fumbling over his words. Will raised his eyebrows. Nico frowned.

"Dizzy from getting up so early," he said, standing up. He looked at Will critically. The blond sheepishly held up his play.

"Forgot it," he offered, and was glad when Nico seemingly dismissed the whole disappearing thing and started to wander off outside. Of course, now it was Will's turn not to see the heavy blush painted all over the pale boy's face and the cogs going to work in his brain.

"So I was thinking under the tree," Will said as they passed the last of the cabins, their feet automatically taking them to the spot where they'd met while individually practicing. Nico nodded, his fingers fidgeting in his pockets, his play tucked under his arm. Will had to physically hold his own hand to stop himself reaching out and pinning back a stray fringe of hair hanging beside Nico's ear.

"You read my mind," Nico said, smiling shyly. Will looked away, covering his mouth. It was neither healthy nor okay for Nico to be this cute all the time.

"This scene's the last one we have to go over," Will interrupted his own thoughts, thumbing the pages mindlessly. "Juliet's in her pseudo-death state, Romeo's suicidal and Paris had just been killed. You ready?"

Nico nodded and sat down, leaning back until he was lying on the ground. Will swallowed, biting his lip.

"What're you doing?" he squeaked, almost dropping his book. Nico stared at the tree next to him instead of making eye contact.

"Juliet's dead, isn't she?" he asked rhetorically. "So it makes sense for me to pretend."

"R-Right," Will replied dumbly. Why he didn't think of that before, he wasn't sure.

"Besides," Nico continued, rolling his arms, "this hurts my shoulders less."

He opened his play and lifted it up so he could see it.

"Okay, go."

Will dragged his eyes away from the milk-white skin shining in the sunlight at his feet, and focused on the play. He could do this. He just had to walk around Nico and swoon in grief.

Will took one step and his legs wobbled.

Maybe he should kneel.

Will crouched down and bent his knees into the dirt until he could curl in on himself and 'weep' over Nico. He held his play in front of him.

"Ah, dear Juliet," he whispered. "Why art thou yet so fair?"

The opportunity to caress Nico's cheek – even if he was playing Juliet for Will's Romeo – presented itself and Will caved, his tanned hand gently touching the abnormally cold, pale skin of the Hades camper's face.

"Will I set up my everlasting rest, and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh.

"Eyes, look your last!"

Will watched as Nico's eyes fluttered open a tiny bit to watch.

"Arms, take your last embrace!"

He gripped the side of Nico's neck softly.

"And, lips," he leaned down, "oh you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss."

Will could feel the air from Nico's mouth blow over his chin, and he shivered. Should he? He was so close it almost snapped his sanity. Shakespeare demanded he act…

"A-A dateless bargain," he stuttered as he pulled away, "to engrossing death. Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark."

Will moved his hands from Nico's neck, feeling his nerves already starting to miss the chill. Instead, he clasped the black haired boy's unmoving fingers and brought them to his lips.

"Here's to my love."

A kiss was a kiss, be it on Nico's hand or his mouth, and wherever it was, Will was sure he'd feel exactly like someone had just poisoned him. The symptoms were the same:

An accelerated heart rate and pulse. Snapping nerves. Shortness of breath. Flushed skin. Muddled thoughts. Frozen muscles.

Will didn't even have to pretend to know how Romeo felt then.

"Thy drugs are quick," he murmured, lowering his head. "Thus with a kiss, I die."

If a brush of his lips on Nico's hand had done this much, exactly how addicted was Will to poison?

"That was one Hades of a performance, Will."

The pseudo-Romeo's eyes snapped open.

And then Satan said, 'let there be cliffhangers.'

Another famous quote by Satan is, 'leave it for a few weeks and let them suffer.'

Which is something I'm trying not to do. But WRITER'S BLOCK! I've been going hand-to-hand with that devil-incarnate for weeks now and it's not getting any better AGH! EXCUSE THE CRAP CHAPTER, PLEASE!

Just-*inexplicable angry noises*!

Jasmine Out!