A/N: Here's chapter 22! Sorry I didn't update for a while, guys. Unfortunately, I got a really bad case of the flu and was bedridden for a week. Blergh D: But the important thing is I'm back now, and ready for action! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and remember to let me know what you think down in the review section ;)

No texting this time. Sorry. But it's a bit of a long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it c:

22

Will

Nico and Will did justice to their crappy Naruto marathon. It was nearing eight o'clock, and they'd already watched almost the entire first season. Of course, it wasn't strictly watching: They made fun of the situations, dialogue, and characters, too, of course. Nico seemed to be having a lot of fun, and Will was glad about that.

The few weeks he'd known Nico, the boy had seemed introverted and preferred to keep his emotions to himself, which, of course, was the exact opposite of Will's personality. But gradually he was starting to see that Nico was changing; smiling and laughing more, being more open around him, goofing off, and showing all of his different sides, which Will found both adorable and endearing.

And he also found himself relaxing around Nico. Usually, he was the type of person to put on a smile no matter what was going on as if it were a shield to protect him from any unwanted emotions. But could feel himself slowly beginning to let that shield down when he was around Nico, almost as if the very sight of him was a comfort in and of itself. Which maybe it was.

Nevertheless, it was all so weird, but almost perfect, in a way. Lou and Cecil were the only people Will had ever really gotten close to outside of home, and even then, it had taken years for them to fully solidify their friendships. But with Nico... everything was different. It was almost like the very moment he saw him, Nico had pulled Will to him like a magnet, throwing his world into complete chaos.

But from that chaos came possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him. Nico was changing everything, and if Will could hang on to him long enough, maybe, just maybe, he would be able to change, too.

Around nine, Nico's dad offered to buy them pizza. The boys jumped on the offer instantly, the very idea of food nearly driving them crazy. Will had texted his dad around four and had permission to stay at Nico's for as long as he wanted, which was all the better. Though he wished his father wasn't around—his sister was staying over at a friend's house—so they could have some alone time... And immediately afterward felt guilty for thinking that.

But he couldn't help himself. New relationships were always intense, and this one was all the more intense considering it was Nico. If it had been someone else, Will probably could've controlled himself much easier, but it wasn't someone else, and he found himself having a very difficult time, which was pissing him off, to be frank.

It wasn't particularly lustful... No, much more innocent than that. He just wanted to touch Nico, hug him, hold him close. Which was a new feeling in and of itself. Just thinking about this all with Nico sitting next to him and his father in the other room made Will blush. But he did know one thing: He wanted to hug Nico. Immediately. And if Hades didn't leave soon so he could, he might explode in a fiery ball of death.

Uggggh! He nearly sprung up and threw something, but managed to restrain himself. Though he probably looked like he was having a brain aneurysm while doing so... Leave leave leave leaveleaveleavvvvvveeeeee! He kept repeating it to himself until Nico tapped him on the shoulder, scaring him so badly he squealed and jumped, nearly falling off the couch.

Nico raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Um, are you okay? You're acting kinda weird."

Will straightened with a nervous laugh. "Uh, w-what? Me, acting weird? No, I don't think so."

Before Nico could respond, his father ducked out of the kitchen, holding an iPhone in his left hand, fitted with a black silicone case featuring a cartoon skeleton wearing a top hat and holding a cane, which was defintely an... interesting choice. (Then again, if he thought about it, it was most definitely Nico's doing, so he couldn't help but laugh a little.) "Hey, boys!" he said, sounding slightly breathless. "I'm going to pick up the pizza. Is it okay if I leave you two alone for about thirty minutes?"

"YES!" Will shouted at top volume, vaulting to his feet and nearly knocking over the coffee table. He paused a second later with an embarrassed blush as both Hades and Nico stared at him with questioning looks. "Uh..." He laughed nervously. "I mean, sure thing, Mr. di Angelo."

"Um... alright then?" Hades turned to Nico for the final word. He rolled his eyes and sighed, waving his arms in a gesture of dismissal. "We'll be fine, Dad. Go ahead."

"Okay." Hades glanced at Will once more before shrugging and heading past them to put on his shoes and grab his keys from their hook by the door. "Be back around nine." With those parting words, he ducked out the door, leaving them alone in the empty house.

The second the door closed, Will turned with a yell and launched himself at Nico, nearly knocking them both off the couch as he latched his arms around him and squeezed. "W-Will?!" Nico squirmed underneath him. "Will, what're you doing?" He struggled to free his pinned arms. "Will, get off," he whined, tapping on his back.

"No," Will responded stubbornly, tightening his hold on Nico's midsection. "I really need to hug you right now so shut up and let me snuggle you, you adorable bastard."

Nico huffed, but stopped his struggling and relaxed against the couch. Will rolled onto his side, scooping Nico with him and trapping him against the back of the couch, resting one leg over Nico's to secure his hold. "Will..." Nico muttered, not meeting his eyes, his cheeks flushing a lovely shade of red. "This is embarrassing..."

Will scooted closer to him, and Nico grabbed a fistful of his shirt as the couch dipped underneath their combined weight. He paused, face still flaming, while Will watched him with an endearing smile. Nico was way too cute for an emo otaku whose personality was made up of 80% scowling and 20% sarcastic comments. But Will loved him just the way his way. If he was any different, he wouldn't be Nico.

"Y-you're really warm," Nico murmured after a while, sighing and relaxing once again, his eyes fluttering closed. Will started as he felt Nico's arms wrap around him a moment later, the touch so light he almost didn't notice it at first. He felt himself smile and leaned down to rest his chin on the top of his black curls. "You know, you're the perfect size for cuddling," he whispered with a smile.

Nico didn't respond, and Will pulled back slightly to see that his breathing had evened out, his mouth slightly open as he let out quiet breaths: He was asleep. Will smiled and nestled close to him again, focusing on the sound of his breath. Sleep well, Nico. I'll watch over you for now.

By the time Hades got back, Will had gotten up and covered Nico with a blanket, having taken to sitting in the armchair, watching him sleep. He was so cute when he slept, his face losing any sign of strain and adopting a look of complete innocence. Just another thing that made Will fall even deeper in love with him.

He looked up when Hades walked in the door toting two pizza boxes, and held a finger to his lips in the universal gesture for silence, quietly gesturing at Nico's sleeping form. Hades shook his head with a fond smile and kicked off his shoes, being careful not to make any noise as he padded into the kitchen. Will got up and followed him, able to relax once he reached the kitchen.

"He fell asleep a little while ago," Will explained, carefully avoiding any mention of cuddling. "Do you think I should wake him up for dinner?"

"No... Let him sleep for a few more minutes," Hades said, casting a glance back out at the couch, where Nico still safely slumbered. "He never gets enough sleep." He sighed as he went over to the counter and grabbed some plates from the cabinet. "But, of course, I can't get him to change his habits. He never listens to me."

Will laughed, feeling more relaxed. He was still rather intimidated by Nico's father, but the guy seemed really nice. His worry for his son was touching. "Yeah, I don't think he listens to anyone. I keep telling him he needs to eat more, but he always just scowls and tells me to shut up."

Hades let out a laugh. "Exactly! That boy is such a troublemaker. But I suppose that's my fault. Gods only know he probably got it from me." He started setting out the plates and opened up the pizza before turning to the fridge to grab some bottles of soda. He paused as he set them on the table and looked Will in the eye. "Say, Will... You're close to Nico." It wasn't a question. "Would you mind... Would you mind looking after him for me?"

"Uh..." Will blinked in surprise, stunned into silence by his words. He hadn't expected this.

"It's just... I can't be with him every second of every day." He laughed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Even though I wish I could." He adopted a more sober look but still kept a smile on his face as he rested a hand on Will's shoulder. "So I'm leaving it up to you, kid. Those times when I can't be there... It's up to you to watch out for him."

"O-of course! You can count on me, sir!" Will responded quickly, turning as Hades moved past him to head back into the living room. He knelt over the couch and gently shook Nico, while Will turned around with a blush. It's up to you to watch out for him. He felt himself smile and tried to shake it off as he began pouring soda into a cup.

I will. Without a doubt, I will.

I promise.

After they'd eaten, Nico sprawled out on the couch, groaning. "I don't think I'll ever eat again..."

Will collapsed next to him with a moan. "Ugh... Too much fooooddd..."

"You two are pathetic," Hades called as he passed them to throw away the pizza boxes. "Men are supposed to have iron stomachs!"

"Nooo," Nico protested weakly. "I'm pretty sure my stomach is made of wet paper."

"Stomach?" Will mumbled, falling onto his side on the couch and hugging his stomach. "What stomach? I don't think I have one anymore."

"You two are such drama queens," Hades scoffed with an eye roll, pausing in front of them with his hands on his hips. "Come on, it will feel better in no time, so pick yourselves up and at least pretend that you have a single strong bone in your body." He reached forward to pick up Nico, who had mirrored Will and collapsed on top of him. "Come on, son, you can do it!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Nico grumbled, allowing his father to pull him back into a sitting position. Will dragged himself up a second later, using the armrest for support. Hades pulled back with a smile. "See, there you go! Now, it's getting late." He turned his attention to Will. "Are you planning on staying over, Will? You can always sleep in Nico's room if you want."

The words took a moment to reach Will's brain, and when they did, his face flushed as he fully registered their meaning. "W-what?" His brain was overheating. The words 'sleep' and 'Nico' in the same sentence was making him woozy. He felt like he might faint. Sure, they'd technically slept together once before, but that was different. It was on a couch, and completely accidental, and they weren't a couple at the time...

He gulped. "U-um..."

Nico nudged him with his elbow and offered a small smile. "You can if you want. It would be dangerous for you to drive home so late at night, right?"

"R-right!" Will took a deep breath, trying to collect himself a bit. "Um, yeah, sure, that's fine. Let me just text my dad real quick." He pulled out his phone, trying to breathe normally as he typed out a quick sentence and hit send. A second later, his dad responded with a simple thumbs up, giving him permission. He turned back around and nodded. "My dad said that it's fine."

"Alright then!" Hades clapped his hands together with a smile. "You two get to bed, then. It's already almost ten."

"Okay," Nico agreed, turning without another word and heading towards the stairs. Will hurried after him, his head still spinning. Calm down, he scolded himself. It's not like anything will happen. You're a responsible young adult. Why are you worrying so much? Just take a deep breath. Everything will be fine. At least... I hope.

"Sorry I don't have any pajamas you can wear," Nico apologized as his exited his bathroom, decked out in black pajama pants patterned with skulls and a loose black tank top that made him (in Will's opinion) look about 1000 times cuter. "I don't think my clothes would fit you." He looked Will up and down and frowned. "You're a lot... taller."

Will shook his head quickly. "That's fine. I can sleep in this."

"Okay," Nico said simply, pulling back the edge of his blankets and crawling in. Will was a bit surprised that he wasn't as nervous as him. He got embarrassed from just cuddling, but sharing a bed was fine? What kind of logic was that?

But whatever. Will could admit he was being kind of stupid. Forcing himself to loosen up, and carefully crawled in beside Nico, who scooted closer to him to accommodate for the amount of blanket he was taking up. "If you have any weird sleeping habits, you better tell me now," Nico warned, flashing him a teasing smile that instantly made Will relax.

"Nope, but I noticed that you're a bit of a sleep cuddler." He winked, and Nico rolled his eyes.

"I'll just cuddle you now, then," he muttered, startling Will as he wrapped his arms around him. However, he quickly relaxed, feeling a spark of warm happiness in his heart as he hugged the smaller boy close to his chest, breathing in his familiar scent, which calmed him even further.

"Okay..." he murmured back, already feeling sleepy. "Goodnight, Nico."

"Dormi bene," Nico said sleepily against his chest, barely awake. "Ti Adoro... mio raggio di sole..." As soon as the words left his lips, he was asleep, his breaths softly brushing against Will's neck. Will himself closed his eyes, trying to keep Nico's words in his mind to look up later, though the phrase seemed somehow familiar. Ti adoro...

He let out a breath. I'll remember later, but for now... He yawned, and relaxed against the pillow, sleep consuming him before he could finish the thought.

A/N: Aw, pure fluff :3 I hope you guys liked it. I thought we needed some new relationship adorablness, so this chapter happened purely for that purpose. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it, and as always, remember to follow and favorite if you liked the story, and leave comments, corrections, and suggestions down in the review section! :)

Translations;

- Dormi bene. = Sleep well.

- mio raggio di sole... = my sunshine... (I think that's even cuter than 'my ray of sunshine' :3)

(I decided to keep 'Ti Adoro' a secret for now, but I bet most of you can guess what it means c;)

Anyway, until next time, miei amici! Ciao~ ;)