A/N: Hey, guys! I'm back with chapter 23 :3 I was so grateful for all the positive feedback on the last chapter, so thank you guys :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter everyone ^-^

23

Nico

Nico woke with something warm pressed against his back, and he paused in his dreary, half-awake state to contemplate what it was. He eventually decided that whatever it was, he didn't care, because it felt amazing, and he didn't need to know. He yawned and relaxed against the pillow, still not ready to fully wake up, just wanting to bask in the warmth for a while before he committed to getting up.

But now that his brain was conscious, he noticed all the sounds and minuscule things around him, preventing him from getting back to sleep. But he persisted anyways. After two minutes, he shuffled farther down on the pillow. After four, he had a terrible itch on his side that he had to scratch. After six, he could hear the humming of the AC as it kicked on, and he finally groaned and opened his eyes, giving up on his pursuit of sleep.

He tried to get up, but with a slight yell of surprise, he crashed back down on the mattress, something restricting him from moving very far. Surprised, he looked down to find a set of tan arms wrapped around his chest and blinked a few times, confused. "Che diavolo..."

Peering over his shoulder, he let out a breath when he caught sight of a soundly sleeping Will, which explained the arms strangling him from behind. That's right... Will slept over last night. Nico breathed out a light sigh. "Geez..." Studying their position, he tried to figure out a way to extract himself from Will's arms without waking him.

"Who's the sleep-cuddler now?" he muttered as he grabbed a hold of Will's arm and tried to ease it off him. Unfortunately, Will did not like that, and he let out a noise of protest in his sleep, his grip tightening until Nico could barely breathe. "Ah—" He clawed the mattress, struggling to get loose. "Will..."

He finally managed to wiggle his way out, and tumbled head-over-heels across the mattress, landing head-first on the floor with a painful thwack. "Owwww..." He clutched his head and kicked the floor several times in a weak attempt to lessen the pain. These struggles are what finally woke Will, who yawned and pushed himself to a sitting position, giving Nico a tired, confused look. "Nico? Why are you on the floor?"

"No reason," Nico muttered in annoyance, using the edge of the bed to pick himself up off the ground, still rubbing his head irritably. "Geez, I had no clue you were such a heavy sleeper."

"Huh?" Will blinked, looking even more confused. "What are you talking about?"

Nico rolled his eyes but found himself smiling in affectionate amusement. "Nothing."

Will still looked lost, but shrugged and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing and letting out a yawn as he stretched every which way. "Wow, that was the best sleep I've ever had." He twisted around to smile at Nico. "What about you? How did you sleep?"

Nico paused to think about this for a moment, brows furrowed. "Huh. I think I actually... slept better than ever." He flushed slightly recalling Will's warmth against his back when he'd woken up and shivered, already missing it. He could definitely get used to waking up like that...

"I'm glad," Will said to his previous comment, giving Nico a wide, genuine smile that made his cheeks turn a brighter shade of red. He walked around to rest his hands on Nico's shoulders and bent down to look him straight in the eyes, causing Nico to fidget in embarrassment. "W-Will, what are you doing?" He squirmed uncomfortably. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I just really want to kiss you." His voice was completely earnest and sincere, and his blue eyes held not the barest trace of irony. "Can I?"

Nico flushed and hid his face in his shoulder. "Idiot... How can you say something like that so bluntly?" Will said nothing, still staring at him with an innocent gaze, waiting. Nico puffed out his cheeks, which were undoubtedly redder than before. "W-well, obviously you can." He looked up, but couldn't meet Will's eyes without blushing even further, which might not have even been possible at that point.

"I just had to be sure," Will said with a small smile. Before Nico could respond, he kissed him, and he lost the ability to speak, even if he'd wanted to. The first kiss was supposed to be the best, but this one seemed even better, as if a whole parade were going on inside his chest, fireworks included. His fists tangled in the fabric of Will's shirt as he felt his ankles go weak.

He had to pull away when things started to get a bit heated because he felt like he might faint any second. Holding a finger to his lips with a slight blush, he mumbled out an apology. "Sorry. I just, um... I don't want to pass out before breakfast."

Will laughed. "Aw, that's fine, Nico. It's kinda cute that you're so easily flustered."

Nico felt himself blush harder, giving an annoyed scoff. "Shut up..." But he found himself smiling anyway. That was all he could seem to do lately.

"Wait a second; this is seriously yours?" Will was circling Nico's Ducati Monster with a disbelieving expression.

Nico nodded, looking at his bike with a proud smile. "Yep. It used to be my dad's, but he gave it to me for my last birthday. Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say." Will ran a hand along the leather seat with a whistle, eyeing with appreciation the perfect blue paint job. "It's amazing." He looked up at Nico with an amused smile. "But no matter how hard I try, I just can't picture you riding a motorcycle."

"Oh yeah?" Nico raised an eyebrow with a challenging grin. "Want me to prove it to you?"

Will flashed him a mischievous smirk in return. "Of course."

"Challenge accepted." Nico grabbed his black helmet, which was resting on the seat, and handed it to Will. "Put this on." He climbed on and adjusted his position, looking back at Will over his shoulder, who had yet to put on the helmet he'd been given. "Well? Come on."

"Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet, too?" Will asked incredulously, but put it on anyway. Nico rolled his eyes. "Your concern is touching, really, but I'll be fine. You have never been on a motorcycle before, whereas I have been riding one for about seven months. I think it's safe to say I'll be alright without it just this once."

Will rolled his eyes as he climbed on behind Nico. "Okay, point taken. Just... don't go too fast, okay?"

Nico smiled, trying to ignore the flush creeping up his neck from Will's close proximity and instead focusing on the building adrenaline in his chest that always came with riding the Ducati. "I can't promise anything, sunshine. Better hold on tight."

"How tight exa— AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Will screeched like a cat who had just been dropped in water as Nico kicked the motorcycle into gear and went speeding down the driveway and out onto the street, his arms tightening around Nico's chest, nearly cutting off his air supply. But he didn't care. He let out a whoop of joy as he went speeding down the road and towards downtown.

He could hear Will breathing heavily behind him, obviously afraid, but Nico could hear him laughing, so he wasn't worried. He was right not to be, because a second later, Will leaned forward to shout, "This it amazing!" There was a laugh hidden in his voice, and Nico felt a warmth in his chest, which brought a wide grin to his face.

The sun shining, the wind in his face, the warmth of Will pressed against his back, and his arms wrapped around his waist; in that singular moment, life felt perfect. Of course, the moment had to be ruined by an incessant and annoying buzzing come from Nico's left jeans pocket. Cursing, he lessened the pressure on the gas, slowing to a cruise as he pulled the phone from his pocket and answered it. Of course, he couldn't talk, so he handed it to Will.

"Um..." The blond held it to his ear with a shrug. He cleared his throat and said in his best telemarketer voice, "Nico is unable to come to the phone at the moment, how may I help you?"

Nico couldn't help but snicker at that, before turning his attention back to the road. He could hear a muffled voice say something on the other end that caused Will to laugh nervously. "Um, hey, relax. Nico's fine. He's manning a motorcycle at the moment, so I was given the phone."

There was another murmured reply. "Well... I mean, give me a second. He held the phone away from his ear and leaned forward in order to be heard over the wind and other cars around them. "Hey, it's your friend Jason! He wants to know if we want to meet him and somebody called Piper for lunch?"

"Uh, well, sure..." Nico shrugged. He hadn't been expecting this. "Ask him where to meet them."

Will spoke the question into the phone, and listened to the answer before turning back to Nico. "He says Olive Garden." Nico wrinkled his nose and quickly shook his head. "He's joking. He knows I hate that place. Ask again, and tell him no bullshitting this time or I'll kick his ass."

"Um... Nico says tell us the real place or he'll kick your ass," Will said into the phone, the resulting laughter loud enough for him to hear clearly. Will listened for a moment before saying goodbye. "He said, and I quote: 'Tell that emo little fuck that he needs to get over his fear of Olive Garden before you meet us at Applebee's."

Nico laughed and shook his head. Jason really was an annoying bastard, but he still loved him to death. "Tell him to fuck off. Olive Garden is trash."

"What's your beef with Olive Garden?" Will asked with a raised brow. "I'm genuinely curious now."

"It's a long story," Nico said with a shudder. "A long, horrible story, which if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Will laughed, resting his chin on Nico's shoulder. "I'll bet. But who knows? Maybe you'll tell me someday."

Nico smiled into the wind, the sun warm against his skin, Will's heart beating against his back, and headed to meet Jason and Piper. "Yeah. Maybe someday."

When they arrived, Nico smoothly pulled into a spot near the entrance, and he and Will hopped off the bike, Will placing Nico's helmet on the seat. He was grinning, and his blue eyes were shining, showing how excited he was. Nico grinned at him and raised a brow. "Well? Now can you picture me riding a motorcycle, sunshine?"

"Maybe," Will answered with a smile of his own. He laughed and ruffled Nico's hair, causing him to blush and quickly duck away with a whine. "W-what was that for?" he murmured, fidgeting in embarrassment.

"Your hair is all messed up from the wind now," Will explained with a little laugh.

Nico blushed further and messed with his hair. "Really? Does it look bad?"

"No." Will gave him a warm, sincere smile. "It looks cute."

Nico quickly turned away to hide his flushed cheeks. "Di Dio," he muttered to himself, holding a hand to his chest, where his heart was beating overtime. "Questo ragazzo sarà la mia fine..." He shook his head, feeling a small smile cross his lips. Even so, I'm ready. Whatever he brings with him, I'm ready for it.

Turning back around, he met Will's eyes and let himself smile fully. "Let's go inside?"

The blond nodded in agreement, a smile still resting on his face, as if it belonged there, which Nico supposed it did. "Yeah," Will agreed. As he walked past, his scent briefly brushed against Nico's senses, faintly reminding him of a sunlit meadow. "Let's go inside."

Nico pulled the key from his Ducati and followed after him without hesitation. He found his life rapidly changing all around him, and that was in a large part due to Will. But Nico didn't mind. Life was full of change, and this was a good one. And he would be glad to have it around. Very glad.

He smiled as Will held the door open for him. Very glad indeed.

A/N: The plot should be picking up after this last fluffy transition chapter, so I hope you guys liked it ;) I'm sure a lot of you guys are now wondering why Nico hates Olive Garden XD Don't worry; that will eventually be revealed. Anyway, until then, remember to follow and favorite if you like the story, and leave comments, corrections, and suggestions in the review section :)

Translations;

- Che diavolo... = What the hell...

- Di Dio. = Gods.

- Questo ragazzo sarà la mia fine... = This boy will be the end of me...