(A very fluffy self-indulgent fic by yours truly)
“Go away Solace. I need to be alone.”
The son of Hades sat like a tightly wound coil at the top of half-blood hill, his back arched against the legs of the glowering Athena Parthenos, which was, for whatever reason, somewhat more tolerant of Nico than other demigods. He had his slim, pale fingers locked around his ankles in a way that made his already small frame look even smaller.
Will loosed an involuntary frown.
It was heartbreaking to see how badly this boy clearly longed to just dissolve into the shadows and be gone. That’s just how Nico operated. He kept a close eye on things, popped in whenever he was needed, and before anyone could even prove he’d been there, he was gone. A walking deus ex machina. Not to mention that the kid was practically teen angst personified. Brooding and handsome. Something plucked out of a John Green novel. Or at least, what he imagined John Green would write about.
It was that annoying, all-consuming childish sort of crush. The one where you simultaneously wanted to hold their hand and push them off of the swings. It had crept up on him when he wasn’t really paying attention, almost as stealthily as a Stoll twin.
Sure, Will knew Nico. Everybody at camp did, in that sort of distant urban legend kind of a way, but seeing him again had sparked something new. Watching him fight in the Second Giant War, Will was no longer content to simply know of Nico. He wanted to actually know him. Like, who he was in his spare time and what his favorite color was (besides black) and what his aspirations were for the future. He longed to pull him affectionately into his arms and play with the unruly tufts of hair at the nape of his neck. Heck, he would settle for a smile.
Will sauntered over to Nico’s Designated Corner of Self Pity™ and plopped down in front of him. “What exactly are you trying to prove here Di Angelo?”
Nico shrugged. “Nothing. I just don’t exactly play well with others.”
The Argo II crew had practically told Will as much. Jason and Hazel had actually even voiced their concerns that Nico might be depressed. Will, who possessed an innate ability to diagnose mental disorders, had looked into it and come to the conclusion that Nico Di Angelo was…not exactly fine. He fell into that gray area that wasn’t really diagnosable as anything. He was just sad. Really sad. And lonely. For understandable reasons.
“People care about you Nico, they like you. Isolating yourself isn’t going to stop that. It’s just gonna make you feel more miserable.” Will cringed at how condescending and doctor-y he sounded, but it was the truth.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Nico sniffed. “Besides, nobody really wants me around anyway. I scare them.”
Will quirked a brow. “Well just cuz you’re scary doesn’t mean people can’t like you. Look at Annabeth.”
Nico let out the briefest, most reluctant of smiles. It made Will’s chest soar. He wanted to write an entire symphony dedicated to those precious three seconds.
“Besides,” Will continued, leaning closer. “I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be.” He said without hesitation.
Nico gulped, a gesture that definitely did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. He also looked like he could easily murder anything within a five mile radius, which, Will was embarrassed to admit, he found kind of hot.
Now Will couldn’t stop staring at his lips. He wondered for a moment if they would feel cold against his own. They looked cold, and slightly blue, but for all of his efforts to look like one, Nico wasn’t a zombie. At least, Will was like 75% sure…
“People who care about me get hurt.” Nico whispered after a moment of meaningful silence.
Will let out a soft, sad sigh as the tidal wave of protective affection washed over him. In that moment he was more of a healer then he’d ever been, and every single thing about Nico was aching and broken and calling out to him. He leaned in and gave Nico a hug, which he did not reciprocate, but he didn’t push him away either.
“Everyone gets hurt, Ghost Boy.” Will whispered into the smaller boy’s ear. “That doesn’t make it your fault, and it especially doesn’t make you any less lovable. You deserve happiness just as much as the rest of us.”
When he pulled away there was something soft behind Nico’s eyes, at odds with the hard, stubborn set of his jaw, almost like he was holding back a smile.
Will adjusted himself on the grass so that they were sitting side by side against the statue and placed a tentative hand on top of Nico’s. Nico’s eyes darted down to it for just a moment and a slight flush started creeping up the base of his neck. It didn’t really look like he was blushing, per se, more like regaining some color after a prolonged illness. Nevertheless it was cute. Again, Nico didn’t try and pull away.
After what felt like a small precious eternity of companionable silence, Nico leaned in and rested his head on Will’s shoulder.
“I know.” Will traced the veins on the back of Nico’s hand thoughtfully.
“I don’t want to hide anymore,” this one was a whisper. The sentence was clearly referring to more than one thing.
“Then don’t,” Will said simply.
Nico lifted his head and scowled at him. “Easy for you to say, you walking ball of sunshine.”
“Every rose has its thorn.”
Nico squinted. “And what would yours be?”
Will leaned back and let out an easy smile, “Well for starters, I’ve got this huge crush on a total loser.” He gave Nico a pointed look. “He can be a real downer sometimes.”
Nico’s face began to redden. “What else?”
Will searched his mind for some of his more annoying traits. “I’m not great in combat, I always have cavities when I go to the dentist, I’m afraid of clowns, I get overly attached to people, and apparently I snore.”
Nico looked up at him. “Clowns, huh? I would’ve thought you’d be more afraid of the dark.”
Will smiled and nudged Nico’s shoulder. “I’ve never been afraid of the dark.”
“And this boy you like…” Nico trailed off. He looked like he genuinely might die of embarrassment.
Will turned so that they were facing each other. He couldn’t tell if Nico was more hopeful or terrified. Hope was definitely one of the emotions involved though, so he leaned in and gave Nico a soft and gentle kiss on the lips. Just the slightest bit of pressure, careful and tender. He did his best to infuse the kiss with all of the love and happiness he thought Nico deserved. His lips were not cold, but they were slightly chapped, roughened by years of not taking proper care of himself no doubt.
When he pulled away Nico’s eyes were open and there was a misty sheen over them. Will watched him bring a trembling hand to his lips.
“Remember how I said people liked you?”
Nico nodded, dumbfounded.
“Well I was mostly talking about me.”
“How d-did you know y-you were…?” Nico stammered.
“Gay?” Will asked, amused. “Dunno. Always have I guess. I understand what you’re going through though. Knowing you’re gay and accepting that you’re gay are two different things. You don’t have to be afraid though. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” He looked down at Nico. “You are gay, right?”
Nico paused for a second and then nodded, all of the tension in his body going slack at the confession.
Will grinned like he’d just been gifted a pony.
“Shh. It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I know you’re probably confused and I know you have a lot on your plate what with all the post world-saving shenanigans and all, but I just wanted you to know that I–”
“Will,” Nico interrupted. The force behind it made the Earth shake beneath them.
Will looked down at him in stunned silence. Nico was biting his bottom lip. The air between them was so charged that it felt like pop rocks were sizzling though Will’s bloodstream.
And then Nico Di Angelo, face aflame, reached up and kissed him. This kiss was like falling into a campfire. Nico moved his jaw with all of the intensity and fury bottled up inside of him and it made Will crumble to pieces. He was not gentle. He did not hold back. It was honestly such a mess.
This was their dynamic, Will realized as his hands settled in Nico’s hair. Nico set them both on fire, and Will applied ice to the burn. Yin and Yang. Hakuna Matata.
He was so stupidly happy.
When Will finally broke away (mostly because he couldn’t stop himself from smiling) all of the grass beneath their feet had withered and died. They were now sitting inside of a crop circle that the Demeter campers would be furious about for months. Athena was radiating annoyance down on them, no doubt scandalized by the display.
Nico looked very in shock, like he wanted to get up and start pacing.
Will twined his fingers through Nico’s to keep him from moving away. “Wow. That was much better than the long and drawn out pining from afar scenario I had envisioned. You’re a pretty good kisser Di Angelo.”
Nico buried his head in his other hand and muttered a muffled, “Shut up, Solace.”
Will laughed heartily and brought Nico’s hand to his lips.
“You’re stuck with me now, you do realize,” Will teased.
“I’ve been through worse.”
“Tell me.” Will suggested.
Will smiled both at the nickname and the suggestion of more days (and hopefully more kisses) to come.
The two of them sat side by side and watched the sunset over the strawberry fields, neither of them worried about the cleaning harpies because, well, Nico is scary.
Will was smiling brightly, pressed against Nico’s side like a layer of saran wrap. Nico sat completely still with a scowl on his face, but he had yet to remove his right hand from Will’s sturdy, affectionate grip. And he knew in his heart that he never wanted to.
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