Nico is woken up - rudely, brusquely, annoyingly because he's not a morning person and opening his eyes before nine am stands against his code of never abiding to Westover's cursed wake up hours ever again - at the crack of dawn by the telltale sound of Will climbing through his unlocked window with the grace of a panda; which is to say grunting and only narrowly avoiding breaking an ankle on the landing. A muffled yelp, a groan and a few muttered curses that would make sailors impressed later, he's up and well, standing in the middle of the room.
Will coming to his cabin ? a common occurrence. An encouraged and welcomed one. Nico is without doubt the strongest supporter of Will breaking rules to sleep in a cabin that's not his own.
Will coming to his cabin when the sun is just barely starting to rise in the purple sky ? Highly unusual, bothersome, and he's considering filing a report to Chiron (It wouldn't work because everyone knows Chiron has a soft spot for Will like he has for Annabeth and the Stolls, the ones that have been since they were children, under his care. But it's the thought that counts.)
In any case, report or not, he now makes his annoyance known by glaring at the intruder who, at least, has the decency of looking sheepish. He's slouching, scratching the back of his head with one hand, and his face is the textbook picture of sorriness - and gods it's unfair how those bashful wide eyes with remorseful bitten lips melt away a good chunk of his resentment already. Will just rolled out of bed clearly - hair defying gravity, shirt inside out and sporting only one slipper - but he still looks handsome, more than enough to be welcoming sight, even at ungodly hours.
"I know." The son of Apollo says, marching up to the bed to sit at his feet, cross-legged. "It's early, but I kind of needed your help now."
He flashes him a tiny smile. "It really couldn't wait."
Nico blinks once, slowly, straightening up. Curiosity has washed away any kind of annoyance left. "What do you need my help with ?"
And Will, instead of answering his question with words like any normal person would, decides to do something else altogether.
Something that leaves his mouth dry, his heart beating faster. "What..."
Will has taken off his shirt, and thrown it off the bed, and is now staring at him with his big, wide, blue eyes like he expects him to understand.
Nico does not understand.
Neither will he if Will doesn't say anything to help him, because he's glowing like he always does in dark places, his dark-inked sun tattoo contrasting with his tanned and freckled skin. How many brown dots he has, splattered all over his face and chest, disappearing behind his shoulders to scatter across his back.
Gods, those shoulders. Broad and from from years of archery - failed, but Will has tried, and his frame shows it - and daily man-handling pesky demigods. They lead to his arms, who are worth admiring too, lean but well-defined, ending with nimble hands.
He's lost in the planes of his stomach - there's a dark line above his hip bone, a faded scar that is doing something to his brain chemistry, driving it wild with the urge to touch, to run up his fingers across every inch of Will's body until the crave is satisfied - when the boy in question finally deigns elaborate on his shirtless presence.
"I want another tattoo." His boyfriend says. "And Cecil is willing to do it today but only if I show up knowing what tattoo I want-"
"I may have spent an hour debating which one I wanted the first time." Will mutters, brushing his hand over his sun tattoo. "And I'll admit having two ideas for the second one, and that's where you come in."
Ah. "I'm going to help you choose."
He leans forward - muscles flex, and Nico holds his breath, resisting the growing desire to just rush forward and to feel them under his hands. Will is not here for that. Not yet anyways. Perhaps later. Helping with the tattoo first. - and shuffles closer.
"You're going to draw them on me with shadows." Will explains, pulling off a phone from his shorts. A strictly forbidden device that almost all older campers have. "And I will decide which one I like best."
"Sure." He agrees easily, already tugging the shadows under his command. It pools in his open hands, dark tendrils wrapping around his fingers and up his wrist, waiting for his order. "What do you want ?"
The first picture Will shows him is a snake. Not any snake, but a snake crowned with rays of sun, slithering.
Nico raises an eyebrow. "You want a snake ?"
"I find it funny." His boyfriend shrugs, stifling a smile at his surprise - while he knew Will didn't share his siblings' fear of snakes, he didn't know he was so fond of them as to get one tattooed. "And they do represent healing, amongst other things. My immortal brother, Asclepius, he has a snake."
He hums, shaping the shadows into the wanted form, the sleek and coiled body of the animal appearing in his hands. "Where do you want it ?"
"Right below the neck." Will explains, shifting to turn show him his back. "Between my shoulder blades."
A spine shouldn't be so attractive. Between the muscles - still glowing, still tantalisingly pretty - a line that runs from the neck to below, passing through his shoulder blades and disappearing beneath his shorts, a line that Nico is aching to trace with his fingers, knowing it will make Will shiver.
"Yes." He whispers, voice low, ragged. "Between your shoulder blades, got it."
The snake he has created is resting in his palms, and Nico wills it to move forward. It does so, sliding over his finger towards Will's lower back. Upon contact, with his skin, his boyfriend lets out a gasp that nearly makes him break all shreds of control he managed to maintained over his own desires until then.
He wants to hear it again.
"You're okay ?" He asks, letting the snake go up, following the spine until it's resting in the wished place, nestled between the shoulder blades.
"Yes." Will answers, a bit breathless. "It's just cold."
Nico lets out a hum, a smile curving his lips up. "Well, it looks good. Go see in the mirror."
"It does look good." The son of Apollo whispers appreciatively, twisting his neck to catch his reflection. He grins, happy. "I like it. I'll do this one."
"You don't want to see the other option ?" Nico raises an eyebrow, pulling the shadows off Will's body with one flick of the wrist.
His boyfriend sprawls on the bed, quite literally melting into the mattress with a content sigh. "No, it's fine. It was a small set of stymphalian bird wings on the wrist. I was already leaning more towards the snake anyways."
Tenderly, Will grabs his hand and squeezes it, looking at him with a lazy smile. "Thanks for helping me, Nico."
Languor turns into something sharper, turning the smile more playful, lightning his eyes with a coy glint.
"Do you mind if I stay here until breakfast ? I don't want to make the trip back to my cabin." He asks, hugging the blanket in his arms, gazing at him with mirth.
Nico is half-tempted (more like quarter. He really doesn't want to, actually.) to tell him to leave, just to jest. But there's one hour before breakfast, and he doesn't mind spending with Will, who hasn't bothered putting back his shirt.
"As long as you don't hog the blanket, I guess you can stay." He says.
Will beams with the strength of the sun he has tattooed on his chest. Then, he reaches out to him, and Nico lets himself be pulled in. It has been what he wanted since his boyfriend got here and had the good idea of getting shirtless, after all.
("Will." Cecil says , singsongs, snickers later, holding the tattoo stencil over his back, and Will fears the worst. "Is that a bite mark ?"
"Just do the tattoo." He groans, closing his eyes.
"Can't say I blame him." Cecil adds, poking his shoulder. "They do look biteable."
the tattoo idea comes from @imbarelyjustexistingatthispoint (:
