Okay this chapter is in no way done. I had like a whole second half "planned" out but whatever, it's better than nothing right?
For once, Nico woke up peacefully. Not to sore neck pain, not to a dry, stinging throat and not to his arm falling asleep. He blinked slowly several times and sighed deeply.
Was there anything better than getting to wake up to no alarm clock?
Nico closed his eyes and stretched luxuriously, his mind automatically piecing together the events of last night.
Drew's party. Arriving with Will. Seeing Jason, Percy and Reyna. Hanging out by the pool. And then…
Nico frowned. Wait a minute… how did he get home last night? He couldn't remember anything from being at the party to waking up in his bed.
Ellis. Nico's eyes flew open. Shit. Wait, he remembered now. Running into Ellis at the party, going with him upstairs, meeting Connor and Travis and then… oh fuck.
He'd gotten high. Those little white pills of perfection. He hadn't even thought twice.
Then…
Nico shot upward in bed. Oh no. Will.
Will had found him. Will had carried him to the car. Will had driven them both home. Will had given him a bath and tucked him into bed.
Nico's hand raised to cover his mouth.
There were several memories he shouldn't have. Sitting in the car, grinding in Will's lap. Staring intently into his eyes while his brother scrubbed a loofa over his private areas.
Bad Nico.
But perhaps more importantly, what was he going to do now? Will had caught him getting high. He was going to be in so much trouble. Was he going to tell their parents? Had he already? He'd be grounded forever. Shit.
Nico looked at the rumpled left side of the bed. Pillow dented, covers tossed aside, the half open bedroom door.
Shit, Shit, Shit.
Nico cautiously descended the stairs and entered the kitchen. He'd caught no sight of his parents yet so they must still be asleep.
Will was there, though. Moving from the counter to the stove, making breakfast.
Before Nico could decide whether he wanted to run or not, Will looked up and caught his eyes.
"Hey," he greeted, sliding a plate of eggs, bacon and avocado toast towards him.
"Hey," Nico echoed, sitting down and blinking in surprise as Will set a glass of blueberry smoothie down next to his meal. "Thanks."
Will leaned back against the counter sipping from an identical glass.
Nico picked up his fork and knife but paused, feeling Will's gaze on him. He hesitantly forced his eyes up to meet his brother's intense stare. The tension hung thick between them and too many seconds were passing without either of them saying anything, Nico only getting more nervous by the moment. Will's stare was hard to decipher. He didn't look angry but he didn't look sympathetic either. He looked… resolute, but also like he was trying to figure something out. Like Nico was a puzzle he was working on. Finally his mouth opened and Nico took a sharp breath in anticipation, but before either of them could break the pregnant silence, their parents burst into the room.
"Morning boys," Nico's hair was rustled as Apollo walked by.
"Good morning, dad," Will greeted.
"What are you making, honey?" Naomi asked as she opened the fridge. Will turned back to the stove as Nico sighed in relief. He'd never been so relieved to see their parents. Saved by the folks.
The feeling abruptly ended once they were all situated around the kitchen table and Naomi asked, "So how was the party last night?"
Nico immediately tensed and held his breath. His eyes darted to look at Will, barely concealed panic in their depths.
"It was…" Will glanced at him, "great. I met up with Austin and Kayla. We ate ice cream floats. And some kid jumped off the balcony into the pool."
Apollo chuckled. "Sounds like a fun time."
Nico had to work to keep his jaw from dropping. For once in his life, his brother had actually covered for him.
Nico didn't believe for one second that Will wasn't actually mad about what happened or that he was really going to let it slide. He knew there was a catch here and Will not telling their parents only left a sense of foreboding inside him. Whatever Will had planned, it was apparently worth lying to their parents about and suddenly Nico wasn't sure whose punishment would be worse.
After the family had finished their breakfast, they'd migrated to the living room to watch the morning news.
"So," Apollo clapped his hands. "Your mother and I will be heading off to her concert-"
Naomi swatted him. "Don't call it that. Performing in a couple of bars and nightclubs can hardly be considered "concerts"." She snorted.
Apollo took her hand. "My dear, you undermine yourself," he kissed it lovingly. She rolled her eyes fondly. Naomi Solace was a moderately successful country singer with a small but loyal fanbase which led her to taking infrequent trips throughout the year to nearby cities attending gigs at small venues.
Apollo turned back to them. "But before we go, we want to ask one last time whether either of you'd like to come with us?"
Both boys shook their heads.
"Nico, how about you? You haven't been to one of your mom's performances in a while. And it might be nice to go away this weekend? Get some air, see some sights, you feeling up to it?"
Nico opened his mouth-
"No, dad," Will cut in smoothly. "Nico has a big project due Monday he needs to work on. I'm going to be helping him so he can't go."
Nico gulped. Will wanted to keep home. Will wanted to keep him home with him while their parents would be away all weekend long. Oh god.
"Well, okay. We'll be calling you once we arrive which should be around five. You boys look after each other, okay?" He was clearly looking at Will when he said that.
"Yeah dad, you guys have fun."
"Come on, dear. We need to get ready," Naomi nudged her husband into following her upstairs. In no time at all were the two ready and packed, carrying bags to the front door.
"Good luck, mom," Will said as she hugged Nico.
"Thank you, dear," she kissed his cheek. "Watch over the house."
"We will." The boys waved goodbye as they watched the car pull out of the driveway.
Once it was out of sight, Will closed and locked the front door. Nico stood staring at the wood for a minute longer while Will retreated to the living room. He took a deep breath and tried to let it out slow before following his brother back into the living room which was now eerily quiet except for the quiet murmur of the television.
Nico stood just inside the doorway watching it for a moment until he could ignore his brother no longer. His eyes irrepressibly slid to Will's. His brother had made no such pretense and was once again staring at him with a serious expression, blue eyes firm.
"Nico," his brother said calmly. Nico almost started.
"Come here." He felt a cold sweat break out on his neck at those words.
