It was weeks before Will came back. During the lonely days, Nico spent his time drawing out sketches of the house, including his room and the attic. In both pictures, he drew himself and Will.

Will had yet to see the attic, however. He drew lies.

In another picture he drew his father with a knife in his chest, laying on the kitchen floor. It made him laugh, his first laugh in years, but it wasn't of humor. It actually scared him, scared him to the point that he hid it away. He wasn't crazy, he wasn't a murderer... Right?

Will didn't seem to think so. Before he had left, he had made sure to hug Nico and ask to hang out again sometime. Nico had nodded his acceptance, unable to form words after that hug. Will Solace truly was a miracle.

After two weeks the trio came again, this time Mr. Solace dressed up for a night out. He simply dropped his son off before leaving with Hades, not a care in the world for where the boy would end up. "Don't break anything," he said. And that was it.

"Nico?!" Will called for his friend once he had watched the two men leave. "Are you here?!"

"Will?" Nico peeked down the staircase. "I thought I had heard you."

Will smiled. "Dad left me here with you. They both left."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Where did they go?"

Will shrugged. "Didn't say."

"Hm." Nico cracked his neck. "What do you want to do?"

Will didn't answer, his eyes focused on Nico's face, causing him to start to blush.

"What is it, Solace?" Nico asked. "Do I have something on my face or something?"

Will's face grew red as he quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm sorry. I just...zoned out. Sorry."

"It's fine." Nico gestured to the second-floor landing. "Let's go upstairs. It's better to be out of the way if they come home drunk."

"Agreed." Will moved to the staircase, slowly losing his blush as the seconds ticked by. "Where are we going to go?"

"My room?" Nico looked to him to see his reaction. "If you don't want to we can go somewhere else."

Will hummed to himself. "What are the other options?"

"Library, attic, um...basement..."

"You have your own library?!" Will's eyes widened. "That's so cool!"

Nico just shrugged. "I guess."

"Can you show me?" Will asked. "I want to see. We don't have to stay long."

Nico nodded. "I guess. It's on the third floor so we'll have to head up there. Just don't ruin it or dad will kill me. And you. He'd kill both of us."

Will climbed the stairs slowly as the conversation faded, his eyes on Nico who was leading the way...that dark hair, that pale skin, the way he looked at everything with hatred but Will himself...

"Are we friends?" Will asked as they got to the second floor, starting up another staircase.

"Friends?" Nico frowned in confusion.

Will nodded. "Friends. This is the second time we've hung out together. I think we could be friends."

Nico shrugged. "Sure."

"Sure...?"

"We're friends." Nico's fingers ran over the railing. "Just don't go boasting about it."

Will smiled. "I can't promise anything."