The next morning, it took Nico a while to figure out where he was.
He woke slowly. He was laying on his back, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. This wasn't his ceiling. The ceiling in his apartment was cracked and stained by water damage. This ceiling was covered in pristine white paint, crisscrossed in hanging paper lanterns.
Nico sat up, running a hand through his tangled hair.
Oh.
He was in Will's apartment, on his couch. He remembered now. Will had offered to let him sleep over on his couch. Nico knew he should have refused, but for whatever reason, he hadn't.
Nico touched his lips gently. He could remember it all so well—Will kissing him. Will kissing him. It felt like a dream. If he hadn't woken up on Will's couch, he might not have believed that it had happened at all. Maybe that's why he had stayed. Some part of him knew that only this would convince him that he hadn't imagined the whole thing.
Will had kissed him.
He couldn't believe it. How many years had he spent trying to convince himself that him liking boys was wrong? And yet, kissing Will had completely erased that notion in his head. Kissing Will not only made him feel right—it made him feel whole again. He hadn't even realized that part of him was missing until Will's hands were in his hair, Will's mouth on his.
Nico swung his legs over the side of the couch, stretching his arms high over his head. He felt his back crackle as he stretched.
The windows were uncovered, letting in bleak early morning light. The drifting clouds that obscured the sun painted watery shadows on the walls. The rain had probably stopped sometime last night, but Nico hadn't noticed. He'd been…quite distracted, to say the least.
Sitting on the couch, still in his clothes from yesterday, hopelessly crinkled, Nico smiled. Not a halfway, humorless smile. A real one. It felt strange, but in a good way.
The smell of brewing coffee caught his attention. He turned toward the kitchen to see Will there, wearing an oversized baby-blue sleep shirt and yellow plaid pajama bottoms. His feet were bare, and his hair, normally wavy, looked ridiculous, sticking up in all directions. He probably hadn't brushed it yet.
Will looked over, catching sight of Nico. Will smiled brightly—brighter than Nico had ever seen (which really was something considering that Will's smiles were like sunshine itself).
"Good morning, sunshine," said Will, stepping into the living room with two cups of steaming coffee. He took a seat next to Nico.
"Your hair's a mess," said Nico. He paused only a split second before giving it a ruffle. Will laughed.
"Yours isn't much better," said Will, handing him one of the cups.
Nico took a sip. It was perfect—not too hot, not too sweet.
"My hair's always like this," said Nico. It was true.
"Not everyone wakes up with artfully tousled hair like Nico DiAngelo," said Will, smiling over the rim of his cup.
The conversation faded to silence, but it was a comfortable one. A steady, still, companionable silence.
"So, about last night…" Will began.
Nico glanced up at him, feeling a prickle of nervousness begin to creep over his skin. Was Will about to tell him that kissing him hadn't really meant anything? Nico was positive that if Will said that, it would shatter him.
"Yeah?"
Will's eyes flickered to Nico's.
"I just wanted to say that I really…liked kissing you," he said. He laughed, sounding timid. He rubbed a hand over his neck.
"You weren't too bad yourself," said Nico evenly. He couldn't help but wonder where this was going.
"God, I'm terrible at this. I guess what I'm trying to say is…I really like you, Nico."
Nico blinked. He had imagined Will saying those exact words, but never thought that he'd hear them out loud.
"You do?" he said quietly.
"Why are you so surprised?" asked Will, eyebrows lifting.
"Because I'm so…dark," said Nico lamely.
Will rolled his eyes. "No you're not."
Yes I am, thought Nico. You don't know the half of it.
"You're just…so bright and so happy and…" began Nico. God, why was he doing this? Will was trying to tell him he liked him, something Nico had been wanting for weeks. And now Nico was trying to talk him out of it.
"Nico?"
"Will?"
Will kissed him, silencing the dismal thoughts racing through Nico's head. When Will pulled away, Nico felt dizzy.
"And your freckles look like constellations," finished Nico, nearly breathless.
Will smiled, pressing a kiss to Nico's forehead softly.
"Nico, will you be my boyfriend?"
"Okay."
Okay.
Okay.