UHHHH…. Happy September everyone.

Thanks for reading.

Fez.

Nico didn't want to be up this early but he knew he had to be.

He was going to Camp Jupiter for a series of meetings with Reyna and the other higher-up Romans. He knew it was going to be boring but it was necessary. He wriggled out from under his bed sheets, trying his utmost to avoid waking Will up. He'd tried telling Will to stay in his own bed so he wouldn't be disturbed but Will had clung to him and asked for just another night together before Nico had to go away.

"Neeks?" Will's voice was thick and sleepy and Nico paused, brushing his hair back from his forehead to kiss him gently.

"Go back to sleep Will." He said softly and gently removed Will's hand from around his waist.

"Stay with me?" Will asked, cracking his eyes open and clinging on to Nico's hand. Nico felt his resolve weakened and he cradled Will's face gently for a moment.

"I have to go sweetheart. I'll be back soon enough."

Will made an unhappy noise but released him. "Iris message me." He murmured and Nico could hear the pleading in his voice.

"Of course. I'll see you soon." Nico told him, kissing him once before.

He called an 'I love you' before he left the Hades cabin but Will had already lapsed into sleep again and he gave him a fond look before vanishing into the shadows.

The meetings were long and boring and could've done without Nico for all the help he offered.

He thought of Will throughout them, wishing he could've pulled him in as a plus one, or representative of Camp Half-Blood or some other weak excuse.

He wondered how Will was managing in the infirmary alone, and if he was resting properly each night. He lay in his bunk at Camp Jupiter, wishing each night that he get back to Will.

Finally the meetings and dinners and even a feast was over and the issue- about which gods to make new monuments to, and how to go about rebuilding after the war and a bunch of other problems that Nico couldn't contribute to- was finally fixed.

He found Reyna after everyone had filed out of the hall, surrounded by her soldiers and right-hands.

He didn't have a chance to say much more than a thanks for allowing him to attend and a goodbye which he returned gratefully before being swept away from him.

He grabbed his bag and walked to the outside of the protection of Camp Jupiter to shadow-travel away. Barrier safety had been upped since the war and Reyna promised to find a way he could slip into the centre of Camp Jupiter by the time he visited again.

He was ready more than anything to see Will again and sleep on his own comfy bed with is own comfy boyfriend next to him and he hoped Will had managed to shift the schedule of the infirmary so he could greet him at the top of the Hill as he came in.

He shadow-travelled easily enough, rather unsure if the long meetings had just taken it out of him or the jump was a little too big and slipped through the protective barrier around the camp.

The dragon did not seem bothered whatsoever and Nico sent him a concerned glance to check it was still alive. It opened an eye to watch him and sniffed, sending a plume of smoke into the air lazily, and shuffled around to get comfier. Nico assumed it was a little less nonchalant with monsters.

His attention was taken away from the dragon quickly enough at the sight of his boyfriend, suddenly barrelling towards him.

"Nico!" He called, his usual seriousness being shed in favour of a bright grin and wide eyes. Nico immediately dropped his bags and held his arms out for Will to fall into.

Will didn't… quite fall into them per se, but instead he jumped into them and Nico almost toppled them both over as he tried to adjust to the weight.

Will was suddenly all around him, squeezing him tight and then his lips were against Nico's own.

"I've missed you so much." Will told him when they pulled away and Nico was forced to set him down.

"Not as much as I've missed you." Nico admitted, still holding Will close. Will cupped his cheek to kiss him again and Nico melted against him happily.

"Do I miss anything major?" Nico asked as Will picked up his bags and they set off down the hill towards the Hades cabin.

Will shrugged. "Someone almost got decapitated in Capture the Flag."

Nico knew he shouldn't but he chuckled. "I meant major."

Will nudged him with a roll of his eyes but there was a smile on his face. "It was pretty boring otherwise. How were the meetings?"

Nico shrugged, tangling his fingers with Will's. He didn't make any effort to carry his own bags as Will shuffled them on his bag. He'd carried them from Camp Jupiter to here, Will could manage them.

Plus they were light.

"Boring. Everything was sorted, but I don't think I said more than ten words during them." He laughed to himself and Will gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well even if they were uneventful you need to relax." Will said pointedly and Nico looked up at him with a grin.

"Can we watch the Nightmare Before Christmas?" He asked. Now that was a good movie.

Will's face fell a little. "Nico it's September."

Nico shrugged. "That's best Halloween movie watching time." He said with a smirk. He knew Will liked the Nightmare Before Christmas just as much as him, but maybe not in fall.

"I was planning on watching a movie anyway."

"Did you get popcorn?"

"Of course."