Will sat back and patted his stomach.

"That was the best cheeseburger I've had in years."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and watched as Cecil ate the last of the lettuce that had fallen out of his burger.

"Thanks for the food, man."

Cecil grinned at him, dumping his napkin on his plate. "I'm glad you liked it, this place is awesome. A bit expensive, but it's your birthday so whatever!"

Will checked his phone for the time. "Shit, I have to run soon." He shot an apologetic look at his friend and picked up his glass to quickly down the rest of his coke.

Cecil waved him off. "No worries, dude. You go have fun on your date. I kind of promised to help my sister with inventory tonight, anyway."

"It's not a date," Will huffed, pulling his coat off an empty chair.

Cecil gave him his best unimpressed look. "Oh, you mean like it wasn't a date a few days ago?"

Will shrugged. "Wasn't a date either. Shut up, Cecil."

"Let me tell you something," Cecil crossed his arms. "I know you're new to this whole dating thing, but if you go out with the person you're interested in - the person who you've played tonsil hockey with before, might I add - and drink two bottles of wine, only to make out when you say goodbye, it's called a date. I'm pretty sure the dictionary says exactly that."

Will buttoned up his coat and did his best to look as unimpressed as Cecil did. "It wasn't a date. Tonight isn't a date. I'm just going to see the show."

"Pull your head out of your ass, Will," Cecil mumbled. "Anyway, wouldn't want you to be late to your not-date, so get going, you. I'll be rooting for Nico to give you birthday smoochies."

Will grinned and jerked away when Cecil made kissy faces. "Thanks again for the food, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Say hi to Lou for me!"

As he walked out, he could hear Cecil shout "Use protection, Will!" after him, which made him hurriedly pull the door shut behind him.

When he started walking towards the subway station, he had to admit that Cecil may have had a point.

The last three times he had met with Nico had ended with a kiss or even more than that. The first time, at Lou's, it had definitely not been a date. Neither had the second time. That had just… happened.

But their meetup a few days ago? Maybe it had been. He didn't want to slap a label onto every meeting, and he certainly wouldn't classify it as a date unless Nico made it clear that it was. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

No, until further notice, last Wednesday had been a friendly get together that just so happened to end in the two of them making out after saying their goodbyes, even if everything about that night ticked all the boxes on what counts as a date.

He couldn't help but smile, and hope that maybe one day, he'd get to go on an official date with Nico.

After soundcheck, Nico had returned to the dressing room. He was sitting on the couch, tuning his guitar while Percy and Jason were still on stage after getting caught up in an impromptu jamming session.

Yesterday, he'd finally gotten rid of the bandage, and after playing in his room for a good thirty minutes he'd called Reyna to tell her that the next shows could go ahead as planned, much to Reyna's relief.

His wrist was still a bit sore and tender, but he chalked that up to a solid week of not being able to use it. He just had to get back into the swing of things and he'd be right as rain again.

It had been a strange week, and he was happy to be able to play again tonight. Sitting at the hotel all week had left him anxious to go out again.

The last two days had been lonely. Jason had locked himself in his room to study, and Percy hadn't been around. He'd left early Thursday morning and hadn't come back until earlier today, just before they had left for the venue.

He was convinced that he would have gone crazy, had it not been for Will.

Inviting Will out for drinks turned out to have been the perfect move. It had provided him with a little cloud of bliss to linger in, instead of moping around the suite because of his hurt wrist.

He couldn't remember the last time that someone had wanted to spend time with him for who he was, rather than what he was. Everyone wanted to get close to his rockstar persona, and nobody gave a crap about the person behind that.

Will was different, though. Will seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, and who he really was, and it was like finally being allowed to take a breath of fresh air, after having spent years cooped up in the same damn place.

He hoped that Will would show up today, and liked the small birthday present that he had left for him. It had been quite tempting to get Will an actual present, but he'd scrapped the thought, not wanting to be forward.

Will had also told him that he was uncomfortable with him paying for everything. That and the fact that he was still getting to know Will and didn't have a single clue what he would like for a present had made the decision easy. Sure, it would have been easy to give him something Thrice Greek related, but that just seemed lame and easy.

"Hey dude, what are you up to?"

He'd been too caught up in his own thoughts to notice Percy coming in. When he looked up he saw his friend holding a bottle of water out to him.

After Nico took the bottle from him, Percy started digging through his bag.

"I'm just relaxing before the show," Nico said, gesturing up and down Percy's body. "Unlike you, apparently. What's with the sweat, Perce?"

Percy shrugged before pulling a roll of sports tape out of his bag with a short "A-ha!"

"Jason and I got a little carried away, seeing who could play the loudest." Percy grinned triumphantly. "I won."

"Good on you." Nico shook his head, opening the bottle of water before sitting back to face Percy properly. "What's going on with you?"

Percy's grin quickly disappeared as he sat down and picked at the tape, not responding aside from a single shrug.

Nico sighed. "Look," he began. "I know that something's up. I'm not going to force it out of you, but…" When Percy didn't so much as look at him, Nico took a deep breath and plucked the tape from Percy's hands. "Whatever's going on, take care of yourself, okay? You've always been there for me and if you need someone to vent to…"

Percy nodded and turned to Nico with a fond smile. "I know. I'm fine, dude. Promise."

"Good," Nico smiled and handed Percy the tape back, not wanting to waste more words on the whole thing. He'd said what he needed to say, and he knew how much he appreciated it himself when people didn't drone on endlessly, trying to get him to talk about whatever was bothering him. He only hoped that Percy would take it to heart and come to him if or when he needed to.

"Blisters?" He pointed at the tape, which Percy was now wrapping around his fingers.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. I might have overdone it just now, going to tape these babies up before I end up with mad blisters after the show." He made a fist before flexing his fingers, leveling Nico with an inquisitive stare.

"So, how's Will?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "You should be asking him, not me," he said, grinning.

Percy put the tape down, raising his eyebrow at Nico. "Oh, so that's how it is? Okay, smartass, how'd your date go?"

He could feel his cheeks warming up. "Wasn't a date. But it was fun." Shit, he just couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Who was he kidding? It had totally been a date, and if he couldn't even convince himself of the fact that it hadn't been one, he stood no chance at convincing Percy.

Sure, his initial reason for asking Will to meet him for drinks had been boredom, and if anyone asked, that was definitely what he was going to tell them.

A date, though… It just felt like such a commitment. Hanging out was casual, no strings attached. Dating felt a bit more official, and he didn't know if he wanted to go there, not just yet.

He did like Will, gods, he really did. He was handsome, but he seemed totally unaware of it, which only added to his attraction. Nico didn't know if he had a type, but after the last couple of weeks, he knew that if he did have a type, Will would probably be it.

He still didn't know Will all that well, though, and if it were up to him, that would change. He hoped that they could spend more time together, even if it was at gigs like these. Maybe he could invite him out again.

One thing was for sure, Will made him feel at ease, and the sense of comfort and familiarity that Will gave him only grew with time.

The only thing he could really hope for was for Will to be his friend. Maybe that made him a hypocrite. After all, Will wasn't the one jumping on him every chance that he got.

It wasn't like he'd meant to, it was just that Will was so… kissable. He didn't really know how to explain it, but Will just had a way about him that made Nico want to kiss him silly. He just didn't want to stop doing it, unless Will gave him any indication that he wasn't enjoying it.

Last Wednesday he'd had to hold himself back from throwing himself at Will, which got harder and harder over the course of the evening. Will had looked so dashing, and just thinking about how Will had pretty much dressed up made his heart skip a beat.

He wouldn't dare hope for anything beyond being able to call Will amongst his closest friends, and even if they were headed down a different road, there were a lot of things they would have to talk about before it could happen. He'd have to keep his head in the game and not jump into things before he could think them through, as hard as it was.

He snapped out of his thoughts when something moved in the corner of his eye. When he blinked his eyes into focus, he saw Jason waving his arms to grab his attention. Percy stood next to him, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh, there he is! C'mon, daydreamer. We're going for dinner."

"Excuse me, are you Will Solace?"

Will frowned. How would this woman know his name? "Uh, yes? Is something wrong?"

Being stopped at the entrance shortly after having shown his laminate made his nerves flare up. Was he being refused entrance? Was it because of Nico? Shit, shit, shit.

"Can you give me your laminate, please, sir?"

He handed the laminate over, trying to keep a smile on his face, but on the inside he felt nauseous, like he'd been punched in the stomach. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was incredibly disappointed, and right now, all he wanted was to go home and crawl into bed.

Worst birthday ever.

Behind the counter, the woman rummaged around before coming up with an envelope. "I was told to give you this, sir. Have a good evening."

He nodded in thanks and walked away from the box office, the envelope a heavy weight in his hand.

Giving himself a few minutes to process having to give up his laminate, he went over to a nearby bench and sat down on it.

He checked the envelope over. There was nothing special about it, just a white envelope, without a name on it. Without giving it another thought, he opened it with trembling hands and pulled out a white card.

Happy birthday!

It's just a small gift, but I hope you like it.

See you after the show, maybe?

- Nico

When he looked in the envelope again, he pulled out another laminate, similar to the one he had before, but there was one difference. Where the word 'GUEST' had been printed in bold letters on the other one, this one had just three letters: 'AAA'

Access All Areas. Holy crap.

All this fuss over nothing. Damn, he really needed to stop assuming the worst every time something happened.

He turned the laminate over in his hands and read the card again. It was incredibly sweet that Nico remembered that today was his birthday. He'd only mentioned it in passing, and he hadn't even let Nico know whether or not he'd be coming today until about two hours ago.

So his night was back on track. Not only was he going to see the show, he now got to go backstage. He shook his head in disbelief and wondered when he would wake up and find that it was all a dream.

He tucked the card back into the envelope and put it in his bag. He'd have to make sure to keep it safe with the rest of his Thrice Greek memorabilia.

Unable to keep the smile off his face, he got up and walked over to the entrance, where the same woman let him in without a problem, even offering to take his coat.

When he checked the time, he found that the show was about to start. He couldn't thank Cecil enough for agreeing to have dinner a little bit earlier, so he would be able to be here tonight.

Once he had made his way over to the bar, the lights in the hall went out. He quickly ordered a drink and found a spot where he had a good view of the stage.

Nico ran onto the stage to the deafening roars from the crowd that had started once the lights had dimmed. The darkness on stage made it difficult to see where he was going, so he navigated by the blinking little LED-lights of their amps and foot pedals, as well as the camera flashes coming from the crowd.

Much like every time he performed, he was beyond nervous. He hated the thirty seconds or so between when he got on stage and when he started playing the most. Once he got going, it was like a switch got flipped; he had a job to do and nothing or nobody was going to stop him.

In those thirty seconds, he felt vulnerable, hearing the crowd scream out his name. Once he started, he let the cheers and the shouting fuel him. The way that the crowd sang along made it like they were a fourth band member, a massive choir adding another layer to their performances.

He strummed a few chords on his guitar and looked at his band members, who nodded at him.

Behind him, Percy tapped his drumsticks together three times and on the count of four, Jason and Percy started playing.

Will watched the show in awe, quietly singing along to all the songs. He didn't quite know how to describe these gigs, but he likened it to a religious experience of sorts.

It was like time slowed to a crawl and the whole world fell away. Nothing existed except for right here and right now. The music tore him down and built him back up again, over and over.

The music energized him, but at the same time he felt a profound sense of calm. It felt right, felt like coming home. It was so many things at the same time, bringing him into a euphoric high that could last him for days.

All the shows he'd seen up until now had been different. He guessed that the band liked switching up the setlist a lot. Sure, their most famous songs were mainstays, played dutifully at each and every show, but other than those, different songs were played every time. Not knowing which song was going to be played next excited Will to no end.

His heart skipped a beat when Nico played the first chords of a song he hadn't heard the band play live yet.

You got to go

Go stop it or you will be left here

It's coming and it won't be asking

Got nothing when there's nobody left in your home again

You'll get it all

All coming when you least expect it

If I'd lead the type of life you lead here

I'd lose my heart, my head, my home

He looked at Nico on the stage, guitar in hand. As the drums got louder, the guitar playing more intense, Nico looked almost glued to the microphone stand, with one leg behind him as if he was bracing himself.

So, we're running our own way home

We're running our way

The song exploded during the chorus, and Will screamed along with the lyrics. He kept his eyes trained on Nico, with that trademark vice grip on his guitar as if it were a weapon and he was about to fight something. Nico almost looked like he was in pain, his eyebrows furrowed, eyes squeezed shut and his mouth open in a scream as he sang for all he was worth.

A chill ran across Will's back when the crowd joined in Nico's singing. The venue was relatively small, but it felt like he was surrounded by thousands upon thousands of people.

So, we're running our own, we are

We're running our own way home

We're running our own, we are

We're running our own way home

And all of their waves won't bring me down

Not letting my days fade out

The crowd roared after the bridge of the song, which made it hard to hear Nico sing the last part of the song, which was quieter and absent of drums before the song built back up to the ending, washing over him in beautiful violent melody. The way the song went from almost cheerful to angry, quiet, sad and angry again was truly one of Will's favorite things about it. It was a wild, three-minute rollercoaster ride full of conflicting emotions.

We'll run on our own

Their laws won't take us now

We'll run on our own

Their walls, we'll break them

After the last chorus, Nico vaulted away from the microphone and almost danced across the stage. It was sensational to see him make his way from one side of the stage to another with quick, nimble movements, sharing a smile with Jason whenever he came close enough for the other to notice.

Will howled along with the crowd when the song ended, clapping his hands. He knew that Nico would never be able to see him from where he was standing, but he hoped that Nico knew he was there, in the crowd, having the time of his life.

After the show, Will stood by the merchandise table, hoping that Nico would come out to greet the fans, so he'd get to say hi.

Technically, with the new laminate, he could go anywhere he wanted. He could go find Nico in the dressing room, but it would probably be weird if he barged in there uninvited. It wasn't any of his business.

The gig only ended a few minutes ago, so he'd have time. If the band was going to come out, they would come here, so he couldn't miss them if they did.

If they didn't… Well, he'd worry about that later.

When he checked his phone a few minutes later, to see if Nico had maybe texted him, a hand came down on his shoulder.

When he turned around, he came face to face with a smiling Jason. "Hey, Jason. That was an awesome show!"

Jason didn't get a chance to respond. Within seconds, they were surrounded by a bunch of fans asking for autographs and pictures. He briefly nodded his thanks to Will, who quickly stepped away from the group that was growing larger by the second.

He leaned against the wall and huffed out a breath. Just like that, he completely understood why stuff like that set Nico's nerves on edge. He didn't even want to think about being swarmed like that.

Jason handled it like a pro, though, and it was kind of cool to watch. He patiently posed for pictures, signed whatever the fans wanted him to sign and his smile never went away. He even stopped to talk to a few of them.

He hadn't realized that he was leaning against a door until it opened, and he pretty much fell into Percy, who was coming into the hall.

"Whoah there," Percy laughed as he caught Will. "Hey! Will! What are you doing leaning against a door?"

Will quickly regained his footing and apologized to Percy, all the while blushing profusely. "Uh, I hadn't realized that it was a door. I'm sorry."

Percy shrugged and brushed himself off. "No worries, nobody died. You waiting on Nico?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I was here to see all of you play, of course, but…"

"Second door on the left," Percy said, pointing down the hallway. "He should be out of the shower by now."

Will shook his head. "Oh, no, I couldn't. I-I-"

Percy dug around in his pockets, coming up with a laminate attached to a lanyard. "You're gonna need this if anyone stops you. I don't think I'll have a lot of trouble getting back here without it. Just leave it in the dressing room later, if I don't catch you again."

The grin on Percy's face was almost blinding. Will looked at the laminate, eyes widening when he realized that it was exactly like his own one. Three letters: 'AAA'.

He handed it back to Percy before pulling his own laminate from his pocket, holding it up for Percy to see. "I, uh, guess I don't need that." He chuckled sheepishly. "Birthday present from Nico, I guess."

"Oh, sure! I was wondering who that extra laminate was for. Anyway, I should get out there, can't keep the fans waiting." He clapped Will on the shoulder. "Happy birthday, man. Now go collect your birthday spankings."

Before Will had the chance to look properly stunned, Percy was out the door and he was left standing in the hallway.

Okay, while he was here, he might as well make the best of it. He started down the hallway and stopped in front of the door that Percy had pointed to.

He quickly ran a hand through his hair and straightened his clothing before opening the door.

"I told you, Piper, I'm not going to go out there today. Let me ease back into- Oh, hey."

Will froze, standing there with his mouth open, staring at a half-naked Nico who was still busy toweling his hair.

For just a second, he couldn't help but stare. The tattoos that he'd seen under Nico's shirt last Wednesday were clearly visible now, black ink contrasting with pale skin. Even in the harsh fluorescent lighting, Nico still looked, well… hot.

"Sorry! Shit! I should've knocked first." He quickly averted his eyes, staring at one of the walls like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He could feel his blush spreading down his neck and chest. Even the tips of his ears were glowing.

He could hear Nico come closer, and before he knew it, a damp towel was flung over his shoulders and he was yanked forward into a harsh kiss.

He didn't even stop to think about it before returning the kiss, hands coming up to Nico's sides, which felt cold to the touch but quickly warmed the longer he held him.

Nico shuddered against him, running the tip of his tongue over Will's lower lip, making Will groan into the kiss and part his lips.

Within seconds, he found himself pressed against the door while Nico's tongue curled around his. Nico let go of the towel and Will felt Nico's hands travel slowly down his chest.

The longer they kissed, the lower Nico's hands went, and when one of Nico's hands ghosted over the zipper of his jeans he broke the kiss.

"Nico, stop."

Nico let go of him immediately and took a step back. He looked confused for a moment before his expression morphed into one of guilt. "Fuck, Will, I'm sorry."

No, this isn't what he'd meant, damn it. He opened his mouth, but Nico wouldn't let him intervene. "I went too far, sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-"

Will stepped forward and laid his hands on Nico's shoulders. "Nico…"

Nico stilled. "Yeah?"

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is definitely not what he'd expected to happen once he'd opened that door. "I, uh, don't…"

"Like me that way," Nico finished. "It's okay, I'm sorry for jumping on you like that."

"No, you idiot," Will groaned. He was getting frustrated. He needed a damn moment to think. "I just really don't want to go home with sticky boxers again, okay?"

It came out way harsher than he'd intended it to. Urgh, why did he have to ruin everything?

Nico looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. Will was sure that he would explode if his blush didn't go away soon.

It was Will's turn to be surprised when Nico let out a roar of laughter, so loud that it made him jump back a little in shock. Nico shook from laughter, and Will couldn't help but chuckle along.

After a long minute, Nico's laughter died down, and he wiped the tears away from the corners of his eyes. "Okay, that was… something."

Will ruffled the hair at the back of his head and let out a chuckle. He was still blushing, but his embarrassment had pretty much died down. There was no way this was getting any worse, and the only way forward was up. "Yeah…"

His embarrassment might have gone away, but that didn't mean that he suddenly knew what to say. Thankfully, Nico saved them from an awkward silence.

"Let's start over, okay?"

Will nodded happily. "Good idea. Hi, Nico, thank you for the present."

Nico smiled, extending his hand. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, Will."

Will shook Nico's hand, and he couldn't help but let his eyes follow the trails of ink starting at Nico's wrist up his arm. His tattoos looked so stunning up close. He followed the ink all the way to Nico's shoulder when he was reminded of the fact that Nico was still shirtless in front of him, causing him to avert his eyes. He didn't want to end up staring at Nico like some sort of creep, regardless of their kissing just a few minutes ago.

"Thank you. I had a great one, thanks to you. The show was spectacular!"

Nico smiled his brightest smile and let go of Will's hand, walking across the room and digging a clean shirt out of his bag. "That's good to hear."

"This is awkward," Will commented, pulling the towel away from his neck. All he'd wanted was to go home with clean underwear, and now there was this distance between them that grew larger by the second. He took a deep breath and waited for Nico to put his shirt on.

He was just about to open his mouth when he heard someone walk down the hallway.

With everything going on, he'd forgotten that he was in Thrice Greek's dressing room and that Jason or Percy, or even Piper could walk in any minute - after all, Nico had been expecting her earlier. He took a deep breath and started folding the towel to keep his hands busy. "Listen," he said before taking a deep breath. "Do you have time for a cup of coffee maybe, later?"

"Coffee?"

Will nodded. He'd taken the first step, and it was up to him to see this through. "Yeah, or something else, it doesn't matter. I-I really need to talk to you." He put the folded towel down on a nearby table before leaning against it.

There was a long silence, and before Nico had answered him, the door opened and Jason walked in, followed by Percy.

"Piper says we're out of here in ten minutes. You got your bag packed, Nico?"

Will shook his head, defeated. Out of all the times, why now? "Guess it's time for me to go, then." See you next time, maybe. Bye guys." He forced a smile on his face and walked out the door, letting it close behind him before any of the band members could say something.

Immediately after, the door opened again and Nico stepped into the hallway. "Coffee sounds great. Give me ten minutes and meet me in the parking lot, okay?"

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