Possession

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Rick Riordan owns the characters.

A/N: this story was inspired by a request from a guest! I loved the prompt! and then i started writing this anddd idk it was a little off to me, but it's okay, i think. not my fav which is weird bc i loved the prompt! anyways, i hope you enjoy, and thanks for the prompt!

Nico di Angelo was a feared name at Half-Blood High. It wasn't that he was a giant or anything. In fact, he was the opposite. He stood at a menacing 5'8". He was pale, but he had more tattoos than the football team combined. He was slim, but his muscles stood taught and lean, and nobody really questioned his strength.

He kept his friends close. There weren't many people he trusted, and there weren't many people he could stand to be around. It just so happened that two of his closer friends were Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, both of whom were on the swim team and very popular. So people knew of Nico. He was at Percy's parties and hung out with Jason at the skate park. But very few people dared to enter close enough to get to know him very well, and for a good reason. The last time a kid deliberately touched him, he was knocked to the ground in two seconds. Nico may have been small, but he was raised in the inner city and learned how to fight hard and fast.

While Nico was good friends with Percy and Jason, and he was also somewhat close with his sisters, Hazel and especially Bianca, but there was always one person he could never stand to be away from for longer than a day.

Will Solace and he had been friends ever since the beginning of freshmen year. It was instant and easy and never wavering. They were such opposites, but Nico hadn't yet found Will's innocence to be a problem. All he knew was that Will was perfect – more than perfect, and any possible flaw he had only turned out to be a cute quirk that Nico secretly adored.

"You're going to make that kid piss his pants again," Annabeth hissed from Nico's left. It made the boy jump, and he turned to her with a glare. "You know he's new here."

Nico's nose scrunched. "I don't care. He needs to lay off Will. It's annoying him. I can see it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You can't possibly know that."

"Well, it's annoying me," Nico pushed up from his chair. They were in art, Nico's favorite subject, but it didn't stop him from noticing the new kid, Jake, scooting his easel closer to Will's. Will had always been bad at art. It was one of the few subjects he could not master. Nico found his shitty paintings adorable, but the teacher did not, so when Nico started 'editing' his paintings, she moved Will across the room.

Once Nico reached Will, he made it a point to walk past Jake, bumping his shoulder, before settling behind Will and reaching his arms around him. "Hey Nico," Will beamed up at him, eyes bright blue and distracting. Nico offered him a soft smile in return. "If you came to make fun of my painting, you can stop now. Jake's already beaten you to it. Have you met Jake?"

Still resting his chin on top of Will's soft blonde curls, Nico gave Jake a sideways glanced and waved his hand. Frowning, Jake began to ask something, but Nico turned his attention back to Will. "It looks much better. Maybe try adding some dimension."

Huffing and getting those cheeks even redder than before, Will turned around, arms crossed. He wore that amused yet pouting expression that never failed to make Nico's heart falter. He was adorable. "None of your art talk, di Angelo. It's as bad as my medical talk is for you."

Disappointed at having been separated from Will's warm body, Nico smirked. "Shadows, Sunshine. I meant shadows."

Then, the perfect smile with bright white teeth was back on his tanned face. How he was tan in the winter in New York was a mystery. "Thank you. Movie night tonight?" Nico faltered. He told Percy he'd help him out with tips to get Annabeth to go out with him. Will's smile began to slip, and that was enough for Nico and reach out and squeeze his hand.

"Of course. I choose though," Nico grinned devilishly, eyeing the way Jake was watching the interaction with a disgruntled frown. It only made Nico smirk more.

"You're going to try to scare me again, aren't you?" Will groaned, head falling forward to rest on Nico's shoulder.

"Only a little. You're cute when you're scared," Nico brushed his hands through his curls, making Will's head whip upward with an astonished smile.

"Really?"

"Duh."

He looked ready to say something else, probably a compliment back at Nico, but then the teacher called his name. "Come get your, er, attempted watercolor piece."

Will gritted his teeth, and just by the expression on his face, Nico burst out laughing. "I hate you," Will pinched his side and pushed away from him.

Nico was still laughing as he turned to face Jake directly. The smile he had slowly turned to a slightly crazy expression. "Jake is it?"

"Yeah…" he said, eyes still studying Nico.

After one look to ensure Will wasn't watching, Nico's smile fell and he stepped into Jake's personal space, sneering, "I think you'll quickly learn, Jake,to stay away from Will. Think you can do that?"

"Y-yeah," Jake stuttered, like he didn't have any air in his body at all.

"Good. Keep it that way, Jake," Nico said with emphasis once more. Then, he stood, brushing past Jake enough to knock him out of his chair completely, and went back to his own table.

Annabeth was shaking her head. "You're ridiculous, Nico."

He shrugged.

Maybe he was. Nico didn't care. Will didn't need to be bothered by fuck-up's like Jake.

. . .

Will most likely would have been bullied in their school for a few reasons. For starters, he had glasses, and most people could efficiently rock glasses in a non-nerd way. Will was not one of them. He had these black, square glasses that emphasized how insanely smart he was but also painted him a nerd.

Nico personally loved nerds.

People in the school were not as fond of nerds as he was, mainly because Will was the person who set the curve grade into the high ninety's every time.

Secondly, he was gay. There were a lot of gay guys in their school. It was in New York, after all. The problem was none of them were quite so innocent or meek as Will. He was the type of person who stammered when confronted by people he didn't know. Will was confident, but he was a nervous person in general, and that made him a target. So there was a chance the rich snobs didn't send him annoyed looks of disdain because he was gay, maybe it was because of his personality or his intelligence or the way he dressed without any sense of fashion, but sometimes, Nico thought it was because he was gay.

Will Solace, however, wasn't bullied.

There had been a few incidences in the beginning of freshman year. There was once somebody shoved him and his books down in the hall, calling him a 'know it all freak.' Nico had pitied the beautiful boy, but he hadn't done anything, curious to see how he took it. And for a moment, he was upset, but by the time he stood back up, he'd forcibly brushed it off.

Back then, someone did call him a fag under their breath as they shoved him out of their way. This was the time Nico and Will officially met. Not many people heard, and nobody did a thing about it, but Nico heard. Regardless of his interest in the blonde boy, Nico did not care for that name in the least. As short as he was now, he was even smaller then, but he'd grown up in the streets of the inner city, and everyone knew how to fight by the age of nine there. Fighting someone wasn't something new for him, but he'd never beaten somebody unconscious before, so it was a little jarring.

Will had been in hysterics, and originally Nico thought it was because of the insult he'd been called, but then Will flung himself around Nico. At that time, they'd been the same height, though Will still had more meat on him than Nico.

"Why would you do that? You'll get in trouble," Will panted. Nico has frozen in shock at his personal space being invaded. At first, he didn't like it. He never liked being touched by anyone, but his touch was warm and didn't send Nico's body into instinctual defensive mode. It was probably because Will looked like he couldn't hurt a fly.

"I don't like that word," Nico huffed, shoving Will off him finally. "I don't like homophobes in general."

"Hell yeah," said a younger Percy Jackson. "Get our of here before the teachers come. Jason and I will cover for you. Badass, dude. I like it."

Within a day, Nico had gained three new friends. He didn't mind Will. Jason and Percy never really let him decide if he wanted to be friends with him or not. Then, they introduced him to more people than he could imagine, again, mostly against his will.

Since then, Will may have been teased once or twice, but each time, Nico found the culprit and never failed to either scare them into oblivion or punch them there. It never took more than a few punches to scare them straight.

Still, Nico would never forget that first encounter with Will. He'd never forget how disgusted he'd felt. Nobody deserved to be harassed like that. And it'd be so easy for kids to continue doing that to Will. He was too nice and too passive, and people would take advantage of that.

At least, that's what Nico had concluded as to why he felt such a strong urge to protect Will. He was too bright to be diminished, and Nico didn't know what his purpose in life was, but he wondered if maybe that was it. Maybe he was there to keep that brightness in Will. He'd been doing it for three years now, and it was working, so maybe that was it. If that was his purpose, Nico would never complain.

Towards the end of junior year, though, the brightness wasn't necessarily going away, but it seemed to be dimming slightly. And Nico was very concerned for it.

"Ah!" Will jumped, burying his face into Nico's shoulder. It was funny. Will was taller than Nico now, and he was much more muscular. It was a fact that Will seemed to ignore, but Nico did not. It didn't stop Will from dressing in his preppy fashion, but it did stop his pants from fitting so loosely. Sometimes, that created a problem for Nico, but Will never noticed, so it was fine. Still, his growth spurt should have affected their interactions. It felt like Nico should have been the more timid one between them, that he should have been cowering into Will's shoulder, but that wasn't the case. Well, sometimes, but those were dark times.

"If you cry on my jacket, you're buying me a new one," Nico muttered teasingly.

"I wouldn't even begin to know where to buy such a thing," Will snickered, purposefully messing up Nico's hair. As the movie came to an end and the ghost reappeared, Will flinched again.

"Oh my gods," Nico goaded again. This time, Will elbowed him harshly.

"Hey! Do I need to remind you of the time you cried watching How to Train your Dragons 2?"

Nico's eyes went wide. "His dad sacrificed himself for his son! What more do you want from me, Will? Would you prefer me to be heartless like you?"

"Heartless? Me? Nico -,"

"You didn't cry! How did you not cry?"

Will scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue, fingers digging into his side as he scooted closer. "Because I don't have daddy issues."

Nico narrowed his eyes precariously. "Fuck you."

Will smirked slightly. "You wish."

Sometimes.

The smirk fell from Will's lips before Nico could respond. His fingers stopped grabbing at Nico as he pulled away. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Will shrugged, falling so his head rested in Nico's lap. The blue color seemed to be growing brighter, so Will closed his eyes and whispered as he spoke, as if he was about to choke on unshed tears. "I just forgot, that's all."

"Forgot what?"

Nico began playing with one of his curls. What he wouldn't give to run his hands through them and tug just hard enough to elicit a moan from Will…but he couldn't do that. He couldn't taint Will's innocence. He couldn't infect him with the pessimism only found deep within the streets of the inner sitting. And laying on the couch in Will's basement, which was the size of Nico's house, they certainly were as far from the inner city as they got. It was a miracle they even went to the

same school.

"I forgot…that nobody would want to fuck me," Will said dejectedly. He opened his eyes, staring into Nico's with resignation. "It's okay. I get it. Sometimes, I just forget."

Nico scoffed. "What are you talking about? Anyone would kill to fuck you."

Will pursed his lips, so Nico continued.

"But you don't want a quick fuck, Sunshine. You deserve so much more than that."

Will didn't seem ready to accept that, but he still whispered, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Nico said firmly. "I've been there before. They suck. Sex…it can't be like that. Good sex, I mean."

Will smiled sadly at him. Neither would forget the day Nico barged through Will's front door at 2 in the morning. He'd had sex a few times after that, but it'd all ended the same with Nico staring at the empty space beside him, wondering why the hell he would do that with someone he didn't care for at all. He wondered why they didn't care for him. He wondered why it'd felt so mechanic. He wondered why he never felt any of the emotions people raves about.

"It's not. I know I haven't done anything, but I just know it's not like that with the right person," Will said definitely, with no wavering emotions. "That's the thing, though. I know I'm attractive physically, I guess, but he'd have to get past my weird personality to see that, I think. And not many people like that about me."

"Shut up. I love your weirdness. It's what makes you so funny and awesome," Nico was grateful to turn the conversation back to Will. "Where is this coming from? Do you like somebody?"

Will bit his lip. "I just thought that Jake was interested. Or somebody."

"Do you like Jake?" Now Nico was concerned for his judge of character. Jake was not good enough for Will.

"No. I just thought he liked me. I, like, wouldn't have said yes, but it would have been nice. Getting asked out for once."

A hint of guilt seeped its way into Nico's heart. There were many times where Annabeth had witnessed Nico gently guide guys possibly interested in Will away that she had told him to stop messing with Will's love life unless he wanted to step in first hand. It was always then that Nico would either throw paint at her or explain that Will was too pure for him. It was so painfully true. Will was all Nico thought about most days, but he wanted what was best for Will. And Nico certainly wasn't that. Still, it didn't mean Nico didn't know what was best for Will.

"If you're looking for an ego boost, you should ask Percy what the swim team says about you. He said Connor wouldn't shut up about your butt. And Mitchell made a bet with Cecil that your abs are better than your hair."

"How do you even compare those two things?"

Nico snorted, smacking him on the forehead lightly. "Just saying."

Then, Will's smile was back. "Thanks, Nico. You know, you're very good looking yourself."

Nico smirked. "I know," he winked, and maybe he didn't know completely, but that comment made him feel ten times better about it.

. . .

Nico was slightly more aware of his actions from then on. He was less abrasive with possible contenders for Will. If it was upsetting him, maybe he'd back off. The thing was, he just couldn't stand the idea of any of those jerks playing Will. He'd be so easy to play, too.

Nico swore he'd let up.

The only problem was the new kid. Ethan Nakamura was one of the snottiest guys Nico had ever come across. His hair was always greasy, he smacked his gum constantly, and his eyes never failed to eye-fuck Will in the halls.

The tipping point happened within two weeks of Ethan's arrival at school. He'd situated himself into the school. He'd seen Nico walk Will to class, a new habit he'd taken up since Will mentioned the stares Ethan gave him made him feel weird inside. He'd seen the glares Nico sent him in the cafeteria. Ethan should have known he wasn't welcome near Will Solace. At this point, it was just blatant disrespect, really.

It was at the football game. Will, as always, was at the front of the stands, cheering at the edge of the student section. He had a few of his friends around him that Nico knew from his more advanced classes. Will always got so into the football games. He got into any sport he watched, regardless of how well he knew the sport. That boy single handedly worked on ruining the millennial style of not giving a shit about anything.

Nico and Percy were walking back toward the student section only a few minutes after the fourth quarter began. They were winning by 14, so they weren't feeling too horribly about not being on time to see Jason run another perfect play. Percy had just made a joke when Nico saw Ethan Nakamura's greasy black hair bob its way down the student section.

He stopped beside Will, who turned to greet him, and the thought that he might have been expecting Nico instead of Ethan sickened him.

Nico started storming over to them, ready to interrupt them without any regard to his manners. Honestly, all he was planning on doing was stepping between the two and glaring at Ethan until he left. However, Ethan's next move was to fiddle with Will's hair.

Nobody touched his hair. It took months before Nico got to touch his hair. It was just a thing.

Then, Ethan stepped forward and whispered something dirty into Will's ear while his hand grasped his bottom with a little smack. He went to step closer while moving his other hand to the stiffened cheek of a pale-faced Will, but instead, Nico grabbed his wrist and turned it upside down, pressing into the pressure point just before his hand.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Ethan was hunched over in pain, now shorter than Nico. He almost began to speak, but Nico shoved him against the fence at the front of the bleachers instead.

"You keep your fucking hands off of him, got it?"

Ethan fought against Nico, clearly unsure why he couldn't kick away someone much shorter than him, but each time he tried, Nico moved at double his speed. "What's it to you, di Angelo?" Ethan sneered maliciously. "He liked it, didn't you, Will?"

"No," Will shuddered from his side, inching closer to Nico as a crowd formed around them. "Nico, come on, he's not worth it."

As if Will's protests were an agreement, Ethan slipped out of Nico's grasp and wrapped an arm around Will's waist. "See? He's all mi-,"

Within a second, Nico had Ethan pressed against the fence again. His eyes narrowed as he stepped so close he could smell the stench of the boy in front of him. He inclined his head and snarled, "Will Solace is mine. Stay the fuck away from him unless you want your dick chopped off, Nakamura. Are we clear?" He hissed into his ear at a deathly low pitch. "He's mine." When Ethan tried to speak again, Nico punched him firmly in the jaw, sending the scrawny rat to the ground crying in pain.

The crowd instantly started a chorus of murmurs around them. When Nico stepped away, Will stared at him with eyes the size of the moon. His mouth matched it just as well. The whispers were spreading fast.

"Are Nico and Will together?"

"We all saw that coming."

"I thought they've been together for years!"

"One time I was going to ask Will out, but Nico slammed a locker in my face before I could even say hi. Now it makes sense!"

"That's hot."

Nico wasn't really listening to what they were all saying. The words he'd been holding back for years had just accidentally spilled out of his mouth. Gods, he was an idiot. He was about to scare the only person that mattered to him away.

Nico's eyes locked with Will's. Neither of them seemed ready to sum their thoughts up into words. It was too complicated and yet so clear at the same time. There was nothing Nico could do to fix this. He couldn't just denywhat he'd said. He couldn't just act like Will wasn't all he thought about and now Will knew, along with the whole school. He couldn't ignore the disgust surely to be in Will's heart at the idea of Nico putting such a claim over him – for years behind his back.

Just when Nico was ready to bolt, ready to abandon the hope that Will would still be his friend, Will grasped and grabbed Nico's wrist, yanking him out of the stands.

"Teachers are coming!"

It made sense. Nico had punched a kid in front of the entire field. The odds of no teachers seeing were slim.

"Doesn't matter," Nico protested, following along sluggishly. He didn't care if he had a month of detention. It gave him something to do while he'd be fighting to move on from Will.

He hadn't realized until just then how strongly he felt for Will. How much he wanted him, in every single way. How his desire to protect him was just as strong as to kiss him. Gods, he was screwed.

"It does too matter! This way!" Will and he sprinted out of the stands and veered sharply off into the woods, tumbling down the hill until they reached a secret path that lead to a little alcove of a cave. It was a common smoke spot Nico knew about, but the fact that Will knew about it shocked him. They situated themselves on the moss-covered ground with their backs pressed against the stone. They were just far enough away from the football field that the stars began poking out.

If it wasn't supposed to rain tonight, this place never would have been abandoned.

They were both still breathless, but Will slumped against Nico's shoulders, hot breath tickling the skin of his neck. Once they figured they were safe, they straightened up a little and met eyes again. His blue ones made his heart falter, and this time, Nico didn't try to stop it.

"So…" Will began in a very Will-Solace-like manner. It made Nico snort. He bit his lip hesitantly.

"So…"

"You said I'm yours."

Nico hissed. He had to start out strong, didn't he? "Yeah…" There was no denying it, and there was no apologizes coming until Will made it clear he disliked it.

"That's, um, different," Will continued in his shy ways. It caused Nico's cheeks to blush.

"Yeah," Nico pressed his palms into his knees so hard he wondered if it'd leave bruises.

"Are you going to say anything other than that? This is kind of a big deal, Death Boy!" Will snapped suddenly. Nico knew this was a big thing, otherwise, he'd never slip up and use the old nickname Nico never really loved.

"What do you want me to say? What are you asking, Will? You haven't asked anything!" Nico glared angrily. He hated how badly this was going. Anyone interested would have asked what it meant or why he did it or something. Instead, Will just couldn't process a single question. He was probably avoiding breaking the harsh news to Nico. For the first time in a long time, Nico felt their height difference.

Will just continued to look at him. Nico would have pulled away or left, but there was a glimmer of curiosity in those bright blue eyes. He was analyzing Nico's every move, and as little as he liked it, Nico waited. He'd probably always wait for Will.

"Oh my gods! That wasn't the first time, was it?" Nico stiffened, but he didn't say a word. "Are you the reason nobody's even looked at me before!"

Nico growled shortly. "Trust me. They've looked."

Will gaped even further, if that was possible. "What the fuck, Nico? Have you been beating up everyone who's looked at me?"

"No," Nico snorted, muttering under his breath. "Only some. I might have given the others a look or two, though. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Nico, why?"

Nico shrugged. "You're better than all of them. You deserve more."

Will paused. He pursed his lips, eyes scanning Nico's face. Nico felt far too exposed. "Really? It's not because you're jealous, is it?"

Nico's teeth dug so far into his lip he started to taste blood.

"Nico. Please. Answer me."

"Maybe it was, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Will was so quiet Nico thought he'd just imagined he was here the whole time.

"Yeah. It was," Will said.

It took Nico a second to process that. He whirled around despite the fact that the alcove offered little room. "What?"

When Nico looked at him, he found Will with blushing red cheeks and a nervous expression on his face. He inched closer, eyes scanning Nico's face. For a fleeting second, Nico didn't understand what he was doing.

And then, Will moved forward and pressed his lips to Nico's.

A/N: i hope you enjoyed part 1! I have part 2 ready to post, so leave me some love an feedback pls!

to JustASolangeloStan, I am going to begin your prompt soon! It is kind of similar to my PornStar Roommate story (just the enemies to lovers part) but who doesnt love more enemies to lover stories!? cant wait!

:))