Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Nico sought comfort from his boyfriend as soon as Will returned from Texas. He tried not to let Will know that anything was wrong, though Will knew him well enough by that point to notice that Nico was being a bit clingier than usual. Luckily for Nico, Will had seemed content with the reasoning for Nico’s clinginess being that he’d missed his boyfriend during their time apart.

Will had been sure to hold Nico closer and shower him in kisses after that, which Nico appreciated despite the guilt gnawing away at his stomach.

They’d split their last few days off before the start of the next semester between their two homes, barely leaving each other long enough to sleep through the night - aside from Will’s first night back in the city, when Nico had accidentally fallen asleep in Will’s apartment and ended up spending the night. (And Nico would freely admit that sleeping beside Will in his bed had been the most restful sleep he’d had in years.)  

They’d gotten a lot more comfortable around each other to say the least, and more comfortable in each other’s spaces. As the semester started and they tried to find a rhythm between their differing class schedules, they ended up spending more time at each others’ homes rather than studying at the library or in a nearby coffee shop.

Will tended to let himself inside, calling out a greeting to Nico and then to Bruce as he kicked off his boots and hung up his coat. Though on a particularly chilly January morning, his greeting turned into, “It’s fucking freezing outside! I’m borrowing a sweatshirt!” 

Nico had snorted in response, not moving from his place at the kitchen counter where he was stirring the perfect amount of sugar into his tea. He himself was already bundled up in his warmest sweatshirt and a pair of fuzzy socks, having returned from his one class of the day a few hours before Will. He’d had a feeling that Will was going to complain about the weather, so he’d pulled out the spare blankets and even dragged the space heater closer to the couch in the hopes that he’d be able to convince Will to skip studying for the afternoon and join him for a short movie marathon instead.

He nearly dropped his mug as he made his way out into the living room, finding Will exiting his bedroom with a dark purple hoodie that he was pulling on over his clothes.

“I swear,” Will was grumbling as he wrestled with the bottom hem of the sweatshirt, “even after they plowed the sidewalks, that snow is at least a foot--”

“Take that off,” Nico said before he even knew the words were on his tongue. 

Will paused in the middle of the hallway, glancing up like he hadn’t heard what Nico said. “What?” 

Nico narrowly avoided dropping his tea on the rug, the mug barely balancing on the edge of the coffee table as he set it down. “You can’t wear that,” Nico told him as he started to march closer, “so take it off!”

“Wh-- Okay,” Will said, though not before Nico had grabbed a fistful of fabric in his hand, like he was going to rip the sweatshirt off his body. “Hey! Hang on, I’m taking it off!” Will had to pry Nico’s hands away before he could finally pull the hoodie back off over his head, balling it up and shoving it at Nico’s chest. “I’m sorry, but-- No, hang on.” 

Will cut himself off with a shake of his head before he placed his hands on Nico’s shoulders and marched him back toward the couch, sitting him down and kneeling at his feet. “Okay. We need to talk about that. What did I do?” 

Nico blinked, suddenly coming back to himself as he glanced down at the sweatshirt now in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said, hugging the fabric to his chest as his breathing hitched. “This is Jason’s, and--”

Will nodded. “Okay, understood. I’m sorry for not asking if it was okay for me to borrow this one - I won’t do it again.” He rested his hands on Nico’s thighs, his thumbs brushing across them slowly, helping Nico to pace out his breaths. “But you know you can just tell me when I do something that upsets you, right? You don’t need to raise your voice, or…get physical in any way. If you had just said, you can’t wear that, I might’ve still asked why, but I wouldn’t, like, argue with you about it.”

“I know,” Nico told him softly, “I’m sorry.” 

“And I forgive you.” Will leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nico’s once, quickly, before he leaned back once more. “Do you forgive me?” 

Nico exhaled, still feeling a bit shaky, and nodded. “Of course.” 

“Thank you. So, do you think you could help me find another sweatshirt that you won’t try to tear off of me?” He smiled at himself, and playfully rolled his eyes. “I mean, obviously anything of yours will look so good on me that you’ll want to tear it off, but you know what I mean.” 

Nico scoffed with an eye roll of his own, and he shoved Will back so that he could stand and start toward his bedroom. “And to think that I was going to willingly watch Star Wars with you.”

Will scrambled up to follow after him. “Wait, you want to watch Star Wars? Like, seriously?” He caught Nico in the hallway from behind with his arms wrapping around his waist, and he pressed his lips to the side of Nico’s neck. “You’re the best boyfriend in the world!”

Nico squirmed in his hold until Will released him and let him continue onward into his bedroom, where he quickly found a sweatshirt of his own to lend to Will. “I’m only putting on your dumb movies because it’s the only way I can get you to sit still and cuddle with me.”

Will gasped. “We’re going to cuddle, too?” He launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist again and lifting him off the ground. With a few quick steps and a spin, Will was able to throw a laughing Nico down onto the couch and follow after him, draping himself over Nico as he peppered his face in kisses. 

“Wait, wait,” Nico said through his laughter, “I thought you wanted a sweatshirt!” 

“I don’t need it now,” he replied with his lips pressed to Nico’s cheek, “not when I have you to keep me warm.” 

His lips met Nico’s, and a short second later, Nico brushed his fingers through the hair on the back of Will’s neck, sending a shiver up his spine.

“Ah. Okay, never mind. Hand it over!”

Nico could probably die happy with Will laying on top of him, his head pillowed on Nico’s chest and his arms wrapped halfway around Nico’s waist as they both struggled to stay awake after a long day of homework and studying. Will had insisted on taking a break when his eyes couldn’t focus on the words in his textbook any longer, and practically tackled Nico against the arm of the couch so that they could cuddle. 

He probably would’ve fallen asleep with his fingers tangled in Will’s hair, had his phone not started going off on the coffee table, just out of reach. Nico had no intention of checking it, too comfortable in his position and having a pretty good idea of what the call was going to be about anyway, but Will still breathed out a heavy sigh against Nico’s shirt before he asked, “You need t’get that?” 

Nico hummed a negative, shaking his head even though Will couldn’t see him. “Probably just Annabeth again.” 

He’d been avoiding calls and ignoring texts from his friends ever since the Christmas party - since he’d let slip that he’d been lying to their faces about how well-adjusted he was. Will had caught on that Nico was dodging calls, though Nico hadn’t let him in on why - because how could he explain to his boyfriend that he’d accidentally spilled a secret under duress, after having been screamed at by an old friend (acquaintance? What even was Leo to him anymore?) about how he shouldn’t be allowed to move on from his late husband? It was better to just leave it be, and maybe try to explain things to Will once it had all blown over. 

The buzzing on the table ceased after a few moments, and Will sighed contentedly as he nuzzled against Nico’s chest. 

Nico let himself stare down at the golden blond curls on Will’s head as he brushed his fingers through them, studying the way the light almost seemed to make him glow. Will had such nice hair - so soft, and it always smelled amazing (citrusy? Nico had never been great at determining smells), and when Nico stretched out his curls, he was always amazed to see just how long Will’s hair really was.

He’d always wondered what Jason’s hair would be like if he grew it out. Would it be pin straight? Would it wave, or curl? Would it frizz? But he’d never had the chance to find out, since Jason’s parents had always forced him to keep his hair clean-cut throughout high school, and the military had only been more strict on his appearance. He hadn’t even been allowed to go two days without shaving. And sure, Nico hadn’t minded having a smooth face to kiss, but what was wrong with a little bit of stubble?

As his mind ran, Nico let one of his hands move to Will’s cheek, the one that wasn’t pressed against Nico’s chest. He let his palm rest against Will’s jawline, and his thumb brushed slowly across Will’s cheek, catching on the two- or three-day-old stubble he found there. He wanted to feel that stubble against his lips, his cheek, his throat, and he wanted Will to know how much he loved the stubble and his longer hair, and how much freedom Will had to change his appearance whenever he felt like it.

It wasn’t even his body, but Nico felt more free knowing that if he told Will how much he liked his stubble, that Will might stop shaving altogether - for him. Will could get a tattoo wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted to. He could drop out of college and change his entire life’s trajectory at the drop of a hat if he wanted to. 

They could move across the country, if they wanted to, or across the world, or even across the city, away from base, because neither of them had anything forcing them to be nearby. 

He could be with Will and not feel trapped, or tied down, or like he was being ripped away from his family without a say. He hadn’t even realized that he’d felt that way with Jason - with a military husband - until he didn’t have those restrictions any longer. 

Will shifted against his chest, lifting his head and pressing a kiss where his cheek had laid before placing his chin there instead, blinking up at Nico. He looked like he was about to say something before he stopped himself. 

“What?” Will asked, his voice barely above a whisper, rumbling through his chest and into Nico’s more than it was spoken aloud. 

Nico frowned. “What?” 

“Were you going to say something?” Will asked. “You have that look you always get when you have something to say, but you can’t decide if you want to say it.” 

Nico felt himself flush. It never failed to amaze him how Will seemed to know him so well after so little time. “Were you going to say something?” 

Will grinned, tiredly. “I asked you first.” 

With a huff, Nico rolled his eyes. His hand found Will’s cheek again, his thumb running over the prickling stubble. Another day or two and it would probably feel soft to the touch rather than scratchy. “It’s nothing important,” Nico muttered, his eyes looking anywhere but at Will’s. “I just… I like your stubble.” 

Will’s smile grew impossibly wider, which Nico felt against his hand more than he saw. “Oh, do you?” He leaned into Nico’s touch, rubbing his scratchy cheek against Nico’s hand. “How would you feel if I grew a beard?” 

Nico’s nose twitched.

“What about a mustache?” Will tried with a twinkle in his eye.

“Absolutely not,” Nico said, reading Will’s mind, “because I know you would do handlebars, and I couldn’t live with that.” 

Will hummed. “I dunno, it seems fun. And technically, you wouldn’t be the one living with it, so…” 

Nico pinched Will’s cheek. “What were you going to say?” 

Will bit his lip, gazing up at Nico with a look in his eyes that made Nico’s heart stutter in his chest. “I was just gonna ask if you wanted to get takeout.”

Jason was white - like, eggshell, sheet of paper, reflected the sun like a mirror, blinding anyone who looked in his direction on a sunny day kind of white. He didn’t tan, unlike Nico, who got pretty pasty in the winter but had that olive skin tone that ate up whatever bits of sunlight it could catch.

Nico, though, wasn’t a fan of being out in the sun, and even when he was dragged out by his and Jason’s friends, he lathered up with sunscreen just to go sit in the shade. 

On a long weekend for Jason, Frank and Reyna, Nico and Hazel joined them on a day trip to the beach, where the four of them splashed around in the ocean while Nico held down the beach blanket, reading under the shade of an old umbrella. He’d forced sunscreen onto Jason’s face and shoulders before they left their apartment, but while Nico had seen each of the others return to reapply, Jason only came back to the blanket for snacks, water, or to try to coax Nico out into the ocean with them. 

Nico gladly told Jason I told you so after they’d returned home that night, Nico lightly tanned after spending maybe thirty minutes in direct sunlight, while Jason looked as though he’d taken on a full-body blush.

“You’re like a lobster,” Nico told him as he pressed a finger against Jason’s chest, watching as the skin turned white at the point of contact before the red slowly seeped back in.

Jason pouted as he held a bottle of aloe out to Nico. “But I’m your lobster.”

Nico sighed, taking the bottle and gesturing for Jason to take a seat on the floor in front of the couch. He poured some aloe into his hands as he settled down behind Jason, and started smearing the aloe into his skin.

“Lobsters mate for life, you know,” Jason reminded him as he reached back and wrapped one hand around Nico’s ankle.

“I know,” Nico replied lightly, because Jason had been keeping a list of every animal that mated for life since they were in high school - he seemed to think it was the ultimate flirting technique. Because romantic partners loved to be compared to lobsters, or seahorses, or--

“Vultures do, too,” Jason added, turning his head to glance at Nico over his shoulder. 

“Oh.” That was a new one - usually he said things like beavers, or field mice, or--

“And grey wolves,” he continued, starting to smile as he noticed that Nico’s interest was piqued. “And coyotes.” 

Nico let his hands trail down Jason’s arms as he leaned forward, about to hook his chin over Jason’s shoulder before thinking better of it - he didn’t want aloe smeared all over himself, after all - as he asked, “Did you look up a bunch of cooler animals just for me?” 

Jason nodded, grinning. “It seemed like the barn owls weren’t really making you swoon like they used to.” 

“That’s right,” Nico replied before pressing a kiss to Jason’s cheek, “but comparing me to a wolf or a coyote instead of a bird doesn’t make me any less grossed out about having sticky aloe hands.” 

Jason’s smile melted away. “Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about that. I’ll try to remember sunscreen next time.”

Nico kissed the side of Jason’s head, just above his ear, before he smeared his hands down Jason’s bright red back with a sigh. “You won’t.” 

He pouted. “I said I’ll try!”  

“I know.” Nico let himself begin to smile once more as he ran his hands back up toward Jason’s neck, where he dug his thumbs into Jason’s muscles, starting to massage him in the place that always had Jason relaxing in an instant rather than just slathering him with aloe. “I appreciate the thought.” 

It took a while for all of the snow to melt, but once there was finally a day with decent weather where the parks had more grass than mounds of snow, Will insisted on taking Nico for a walk to enjoy spring air.

It was sunny enough that Nico had chosen to apply sunscreen at least to his face, and tried to get Will to follow suit, though Will assured Nico that he would be fine without.

They held hands as they walked through the park, chatting idly as they went. Sometimes, when Will got excited about something, he would swing their hands higher between them, which never failed to bring a smile to Nico’s face.

When they’d both decided it was time for a break, Will pulled Nico off the sidewalk and onto a sunny patch of grass, where he shed his jacket and laid down on top of it, pillowing his head on one bent arm.

“Isn’t the grass wet?” Nico asked, hesitating to join him.

Will sat up with a grin, reaching out for Nico’s hand. “Guess you’ll have to find out.” With one swift tug, he pulled Nico down with him until Nico was kneeling over him, his knees pressed into the cold, dry grass.

“You’re such a jerk,” Nico told him, though since he was already so close, he leaned down to kiss Will anyway. 

“I know,” Will replied with that soft look in his eyes he seemed to always get whenever he looked at Nico for a little too long recently. “Now, get off of me. You’re blocking my sun.” 

Nico scoffed, and swung one leg over Will’s waist so that he could lay down beside him - though not before he dug a knuckle into Will’s ribs as punishment for his last remark. “You’re going to burn,” he pointed out.

“Oh, baby, I don’t burn,” Will shot back as he let his eyes fall shut once more.

With a huff, Nico settled down on his back, mimicking Will’s pose, though the sun was so bright that he had to close his eyes. “Whatever. Just don’t come crying to me when you need someone to help you apply aloe.”

He had just started to relax when he felt something brush against his fingers, causing him to flinch away from the feeling. A second later, it happened again, and Nico had to open his eyes and see what kept trying to touch him, only to find Will’s hand patting the grass in search of Nico’s own.

Will still had his eyes closed, which meant that he didn’t know Nico was watching his every move. Nico inched his hand toward Will’s, and watched as Will’s lips stretched into a smile while their hands began to intertwine. 

Nico rolled onto his side - Will was much more interesting to watch than the insides of his own eyelids. His smile softened but never disappeared, and his hair moved gently in the breeze. His eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, making Nico briefly wonder if Will had fallen asleep and started dreaming. His face was dotted with freckles that had started to fade over the winter but stood out clearly in the sunlight. He already had smile lines besides his eyes, and he was so, so beautiful. 

Part of him wanted to reach out and poke Will in the cheek - the smooth cheek, which he’d shaved that morning, and Nico couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed that his stubble was gone again - just to make sure that he was real. Because how could someone as perfect as Will actually exist? And how could he stumble across Nico of all people, and want to be with him, and make Nico fall in love with him?

Oh. Nico was in love with him.

The thought scared him a bit at first. How could he be in love with Will when it didn’t feel the same as when he’d loved Jason? But-- He didn’t care that it felt different. He knew that his quickening pulse and swooping stomach and the warmth he felt down to his toes every time he saw Will - he knew that was love. It didn’t mean that the things he’d felt for Jason were any less real, or that the feelings weren’t as strong.

Maybe he’d been without Jason for so long that he’d forgotten what love felt like.

But he knew, then and there, that he loved Will.

Will, whose eyes were fluttering open, and who was turning his head toward Nico, and whose smile was growing in size once more at the sight of him. “What?” Will whispered.

“What?” Nico repeated, studying that softness that Will still held in his gaze, and wondering if he looked at Will in the same way.

“What are you looking at me for?” 

Nico grinned. “Just picturing what you’ll be like when you’re all red and sunburnt, because you didn’t listen when I told you to put on sunscreen.” 

Will hummed as he rolled onto his side, sliding the arm that had been under his head around Nico’s waist to pull him close, until their lips brushed with every word that Will spoke. “Darlin’, I told you, I don’t burn. So you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about it.” 

Hours later, back at Will’s apartment, Nico was still waiting for Will’s face to color, though it would appear that Will had been right that he didn’t burn.

But he tanned oh, so beautifully.

Nico found himself smiling at the thought of never having to touch aloe again.

Nico kept looking at Will.

They were supposed to be quietly studying together in the comfort of Nico’s living room, but Will couldn’t help but get distracted every time he caught Nico watching him out of the corner of his eye. He really wanted to power through - he had his first midterm of the semester in just under a week, and he really wanted to be prepared - but the part of him that wanted to give Nico the world kept pulling his focus away. 

He thought that maybe Nico just needed a little bit of attention, so he reached across the couch and placed a hand on Nico’s thigh, stroking his thumb gently back and forth as he continued working on his study guide. He wanted to give Nico more, but for now, it would have to wait. 

Will managed to get through two more questions before he felt Nico’s eyes on him again. This time, Will noticed that it wasn’t any old look that Nico was giving him - that was his death stare. The look he always got whenever he had something important he wanted to say, but didn’t know how to get the words out. Will lifted his head, meeting Nico’s gaze head-on, but Nico quickly ducked his head.

That was different.

“Do you want to take a break?” Will asked, already setting his textbook aside. He shifted closer to Nico, closing the space between them as Nico set his own homework aside. He was chewing on his lip when he looked back up at Will, still hesitating to speak.

Maybe Will would have to break the ice for him. “Do you want--”

He was cut off when Nico grabbed his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss.

And, okay, it wasn’t what Will was expecting, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

He shifted closer again, pulling Nico’s legs across his lap. He’d just wound an arm around Nico’s shoulders to bring him closer when Nico shoved himself back, still holding onto Will’s face.

He stared Will down again, his gaze even more intense than before. Will wanted to ask if he was alright, but he didn’t want to disrupt Nico’s concentration, or make him lose the courage for whatever he had to say.

“I want to have sex with you.” 

Will’s jaw dropped. 

He struggled for a moment to find a response - yes, absolutely, or are you sure it’s not too fast? - and he was pretty sure his mouth kept opening and closing like he was a fish out of water, but finally he said, “Okay, uh. But not, like, right now. Right?”

Nico’s face quickly grew pink, and he yanked his hands back, holding them against his chest. “No. Of course not - we’re…in the middle of studying. I just, um, wanted to let you know where I’m at.” 

Will took a deep breath, trying hard not to let it seem as though he was relieved to not have to jump into bed with his boyfriend right that second. Don’t get him wrong, he’d love to, but knowing Nico, jumping into bed probably meant sex on the couch, and Will wasn’t sure he was into that idea.

“Cool,” Will replied with a smile, darting forward to press a kiss to Nico’s cheek. “Me too. I mean, I’m there, too. Just not…today, you know? But…soon would be… nice.”  

Nico nodded. “Yeah. Maybe…this weekend?” 

“Sounds great,” Will replied, leaning in again for another kiss, though he stayed close this time to trail kiss along Nico’s jaw. “You could come over to my place so I have a chance to properly woo you--” Nico snorted and shoved at Will’s shoulder. “--and then you can spend the night after. We can make a whole weekend out of it. No textbooks, no homework. Just you and me. What do you think?” 

Nico nodded, careful not to bump his chin into Will’s head as Will began kissing down the length of his throat. “Sounds perfect.” 

“Good.” Will kissed the underside of Nico’s chin on his way back up. “In that case… We’d better get all of this homework taken care of.” 

In one swift move, Will tossed Nico’s legs off of his lap and sent Nico falling back against the arm of the couch in surprise. 

Everything in Will’s life seemed to be going perfectly. 

Despite any distractions, his grades hadn’t fallen over the course of the semester, meaning he was still on track to graduate with a perfect GPA. He had the funniest, smartest, most handsome boyfriend in the entire world, who he was head-over-heels in love with.

And he’d just been accepted to their school’s medical program.

It was perfect in so many ways. All of the worries he’d had after losing his TA position had vanished into thin air. He already knew the campus and a handful of the professors. He didn’t need to worry about finding new housing at another school, or deal with moving fees. And best of all, he didn’t have to fear moving away from Nico, because neither of them were going anywhere.

He’d wanted to celebrate with Nico as soon as he read the acceptance email, though they’d had to wait until their schedules aligned before they could go out for a celebratory dinner and drinks. Will had been supposed to have a double date with Nico’s friends that night - Will couldn’t tell if he was more excited or nervous to meet the people that knew Nico better than anyone else on earth - but once he’d learned that the acceptance emails would be sent out that day, the combined anxiety had been too much, and he asked for a rain check. Nico had been understanding, though Will hoped that Nico’s friends wouldn’t take it the wrong way. 

He’d gone out drinking with his own friends that night instead, planning on popping bottles or getting shitfaced, depending on everyone’s results, though the mood was high for just about everyone - even if they hadn’t been accepted to their first choice program, they’d been accepted somewhere else.

Still, Will had wished Nico was there with him.

He wanted to share every perfect moment in his life with Nico. He wanted to share the good things, the bad things, every mundane moment in between. He wanted to tell Nico about his day, and hear about Nico’s. He wanted to meet Nico’s friends and spend so much time with them that they became Will’s friends, too - and he wanted the same for his own friends and Nico.

When Will received an invitation to a med school mixer, a place for any incoming first year medical students to meet with their professors as a way to help them decide on which medical school to attend, Will brought it straight to Nico. It would be the perfect place for Will to introduce Nico to his friends. And when Nico agreed to go as his date, Will didn’t stop bouncing off the walls in excitement for days.  

Will couldn’t wait to see Nico, all dressed up for the mixer - even if all dressed up just meant a button-down and slacks, like Will was wearing. Due to Nico’s class schedule, he’d told Will ahead of time to go on without him, and that Nico would meet him there, though Will had been checking the time non-stop in anticipation of Nico’s arrival. 

Even without Nico there, Will tried to engage with everyone else at the mixer. He talked to the professors he knew, and tried to introduce himself to the ones he didn’t. His friends asked him about Nico, and potential new friends kept wondering why he was always looking over his shoulder at the door.

He felt like he went through almost all five stages of grief over the course of the evening. He refused to believe that Nico would blow him off without any explanation. He felt sad at the realization that the end of Nico’s class had come and gone a long time ago, and that Nico really should have either shown up or called with an excuse by then. Rather than feeling a peaceful acceptance at Nico’s absence, Will got angry.

He tried not to let it show. He still wanted to make a good impression, after all. So he waited out the night, shook hands with so many people that he’d lost count, and stayed as late as possible to enjoy the night with his friends before he finally left. 

He wanted to go home and scream into a pillow, but a part of him refused to believe that Nico would ditch him for no good reason. He hopped on the first bus toward Nico’s house. 

The door was unlocked when he arrived - not that Will hadn’t learned where the spare key was a long time ago. He opened the door, poking his head inside as he knocked to announce his presence. He kicked his shoes off by the door as he made his way further inside, and found Nico on the couch, wrapped in a blanket with Bruce on his lap and something…delicate in his hands that Will could barely see in the glow of the TV - the only thing illuminating the room. 

“Nico?” Will said lightly, and when Nico looked up at him, Will could see the shine of tear tracks on his cheeks.

Nico quickly wiped at his face with the sleeve of his shirt. “Hi,” he croaked, dropping his gaze to his lap.

Will felt his irritation growing like an itch just under his skin. Did Nico forget about the mixer? Or was he just going to pretend that Will hadn’t been waiting around for him for the last three hours, telling all of his friends and his favorite professors that his boyfriend was due to arrive any minute now?

He didn’t want to be roped into comforting Nico right now - not when Nico was the one that had him so pissed off to begin with. But, he tried to rationalize with himself, Nico probably had a good excuse, and then Will would probably feel like an ass for getting angry. 

Still - Nico couldn’t have sent a single text?  

“What’s wrong?” Will asked as he made his way to the couch. He sat down beside Nico, and reached out to scratch the top of Bruce’s head in greeting.

Nico started to respond, but couldn’t get the words out right away. He took a breath, then another, until his chest stopped shaking quite so much, and finally he said, “I’m sorry, I-- You don’t want to hear it.” 

Will frowned. “If something’s upsetting you, I want to know if I can help. What happened?”

Nico huffed, and after a second, he held out the object in his hands - a pair of wire-frame glasses with one missing lens and a broken-off arm. “It was one of those days - just… A really shitty day, and I couldn’t stop thinking, and-- I don’t even know why I was going through his stuff, but I found an old pair of his glasses, and I-- I fucking broke them!” Fresh tears began to fall as Nico’s voice rose, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I know it’s a stupid thing to be upset about, but it’s just been one thing after another today, and I just-- I want this stupid fucking day to be over already.” 

He moved the glasses into one hand and reached out for Will with the other, gripping his sleeve and pulling him close until Nico could bury his face in Will’s shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re here,” he said softly.

Will knew he should let it go - Nico was already having a shitty day (though why he hadn’t bothered to tell Will about it when Will had specifically asked him to do just that--) so the best thing Will could do right then as his boyfriend would be to offer him comfort, or maybe even try to fix the glasses, but…

But why did Will have to be the one fixing all of the problems that Nico kept causing?

“Why were you going through his stuff?” Will asked before he even knew that the question was on his mind. “Why-- Why do you even still have those?”

Nico flinched. “My therapist said it was okay to keep some of his things, if they make me happy - and glasses are so small, and… And what else are you supposed to do with them?”

“You can donate glasses,” Will replied, pulling himself out of Nico’s grip. “They can reuse the frames for somebody else. And what about a pair of glasses makes you so happy?” 

“That’s none of your business,” Nico snapped. “Why are you getting so pissed at me for this? What’s so wrong about holding onto a pair of glasses?” 

“I’m not mad about that--” Will replied, which he realized instantly was the wrong thing to say.

“But you are mad. At me?” Nico demanded, and held his arms out. “What the fuck did I do? I’ve been here all day, and if I wasn’t here, I was in class. So how could I possibly have done something to piss you off?” 

“Exactly! You were here.” Will pushed himself to his feet, unable to stay seated any longer with the anger coursing through his veins. As he moved, he watched Bruce flee from the room out of the corner of his eye, probably sensing a fight coming that he wanted to stay out of. “Can you not think of anywhere else you were supposed to be tonight?” 

“What are you talking about?” Nico asked. “My classes ended at-- Oh. Oh, fuck. Will--”

“Yeah,” Will cut in, balling his hands into fists at his sides, “fuck. I can’t believe you forgot about this, Nico! You know how excited I was for you to meet anyone, and how important this was to me - and you blew me off for a pair of fucking glasses!”

Nico struggled to rip the blanket off his legs and rise to his feet. “I’m sorry, Will, I--”

“It’s too late for that!” Will exclaimed, feeling his own eyes starting to well with tears. “You can’t just say you’re sorry, and make it all better. I’m so angry!” He turned his back to Nico, running his hands over his face and through his hair as he tried to collect himself, but he couldn’t get the words to stop flowing. “I made a fucking fool of myself tonight, waiting around for you and telling everyone that you would be there any second, and then you never fucking showed. Sometimes it feels like all I ever do is wait around for you, you know? And I know - that one’s on me. Because I said that I would wait for you, until you felt ready to be with me, but I thought… I thought we were there. But I guess I was wrong, you know? Because here I am, stupidly, heartbreakingly in love with you, and you still can’t get over Jason.” 

He started pacing - anything to keep from having to look at Nico as he spoke. “And I get it - I know that his death was sudden, and unexpected, and it’s not like I ever expected you to totally forget that he ever existed, because that would be wildly unfair of me, but… But I’ve tried to be understanding, Nico, but you-- You keep saying that you’ve moved on, and you keep acting like everything is fine, but then you turn around and start pitying yourself all over again - because there’s always going to be something that reminds you of Jason, but you can’t always let yourself fall apart over it! You can’t keep giving up your entire life for someone who can’t even appreciate it, when you’ve got a living boyfriend right in front of you who wants to give you the entire fucking world, and it’s like you can’t even see that! Because it’s always going to be about him, right? And nothing’s ever going to be about me - nothing’s ever going to remind you of me. Because you never actually bothered to make room for me in your heart, did you?”

He took a breath - what felt like the first one all day - and finally turned to face Nico. He hadn’t moved from his space in front of the couch, the blanket dropped at his feet, though his mouth had fallen open in surprise, and more fresh tears were falling. 

Will wanted to take back everything he’d said at the sight. He had done that - Will had been the reason for Nico’s tears this time around. How could he do that to someone he loved? How could he inflict so much pain on Nico?

But he was only giving back everything that Nico had dealt to him.

“I’ve waited so long,” Will told him, his voice falling until it was just above a whisper, breaking as he felt like he himself was falling apart. “I thought, maybe, finally, we were-- But still, after all this time--” He ran his hands over his face again, shaking his head, unable to complete even a single thought. “It’s okay. I get it, now. I should’ve realized sooner, that if you hadn’t made any room for me by now, that you clearly were never going to, and… And just like tonight, I’m the fool who’s been waiting around for something that’s never going to happen.” 

He took a step back, and Nico startled forward, almost like he was going to chase after Will, but couldn’t seem to figure out how to move.

Will sighed. “If you ever find some space for anyone else in your heart, then--” He cut himself off with a laugh. Who was he kidding? “Well, I won’t hold my breath.” 

He stepped around the couch, making his way back toward the door. He kept waiting to hear Nico move, to hear him make any sound at all, though nothing came, even as Will was stepping into his shoes. He pulled open the door, and waited, because he was never going to stop waiting for Nico.

If he had heard even a single sound, he would’ve stopped. He would’ve given Nico another chance, or two, or three, or a million.

But Nico didn’t call out to him. He didn’t make so much as a peep.

Will stepped outside, and pulled the door softly shut behind him. 

“...and then he left.”

Game night wasn’t going as planned. 

First of all, Will was supposed to be there. When he’d asked to reschedule dinner with Percy and Annabeth, he and Nico were invited over for their somewhat-monthly group game night instead, which really only meant there would be more people for Will to make introductions with. 

When Nico had shown up alone, after barely managing to leave the house for the first time since Will had stormed out, the questions hit like bullets. Instead of sitting down at the table for a board game, or around the TV for Jackbox, everyone had circled around Nico in the living room, listening intently as he told them about his fight with Will.

“That’s so shitty,” Piper finally spoke up, and Nico felt his lip begin to tremble.

He leaned further into Hazel’s side, taking a deep breath in the hopes that it would keep him from crying again. “I know,” he whispered, “but it’s not like I forgot about his meet-and-greet thing on purpose--”  

“That’s not what she meant,” Annabeth cut in quickly, and Nico’s eyes flickered up to see Piper struggling to correct herself. “What Will did was shitty. It’s not fair to you for him to make such a big deal out of waiting for you to be ready, only to throw it in your face when you’re already having a bad day.” 

“But he still wasn’t wrong,” Nico argued. “I… I have been having some setbacks, even though I thought I was okay--”

“Working on your mental health doesn’t always have a linear progression,” Frank pointed out. 

“And I’m working on it,” Nico continued, “and he knows that. And any time I’ve had a problem like this in the past, I always waited until after to tell him what was wrong, but I thought…maybe this time, if I tell him what’s happening while it’s happening, then maybe next time, I’ll be able to stop it before it starts, but… But it only made everything so much worse!”  

“You were both having a bad day,” Hazel told him. “It happens. Frank and I can get on each other’s nerves, and you’ve seen what Percy and Annabeth are like when they get into a fight. He probably just needs some time to cool down, and then as soon as you get a chance to talk, you’ll be able to sort everything out.” 

Nico took a breath. “I just don’t understand how… It feels like everything I do is the wrong thing. And with Jason… I’m not saying it was easy being with him, but… It didn’t ever feel like it was this hard.”  

“Look,” Percy said with a sigh, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, “I don’t want what I’m about to say to piss you off more, but… From the outside, it never really seemed like you and Jay really had to work for your relationship. I’m not saying you didn’t work, because I didn’t know everything that was going on - like, I know how hard it was for you when he enlisted, and how much you hated having to move away - but for the most part, everything seemed to just click into place for the two of you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the two of you had such an easygoing relationship for as long as you could, but… I mean, Annabeth and I broke up, what?” He glanced back at his wife. “Six? Seven times?” 

She shrugged. “I stopped counting after the fourth.” 

Percy turned back to Nico. “At a certain point, your fights stop leading to breakups, and start just being…fights. Every couple fights. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, like, statistically, every couple has broken up at some point - besides you and Jason, of course, because like I said, you guys seemed to have some sort of miracle relationship, or something. But maybe you and Will are going to break up fifteen times before you finally figure things out, or maybe, if you’re lucky, the one breakup is enough for both of you to get your heads out of your asses and work things out.” 

“You’ve known each other for…how long? Eight months?” Piper asked, and Nico shrugged, then nodded. “So you really don’t even know each other. Maybe he has abandonment issues, and that’s why he was so set off by you not showing up to his dumb event - but you don’t know. But fighting with your partner is definitely a sure-fire way for you to learn more about them, whether it was something they wanted you to know, or not. Maybe your take away from this is going to be that he was never actually super okay with waiting until you were ready, and was lying to you the entire time while his fuse grew shorter and shorter. Or maybe you’ll discover that he’s really uncomfortable around people who are crying, which might suck for you, because you’re kind of a crybaby.” 

Nico wiped at his eyes with a huff of laughter that he tried to disguise as irritation. “Fuck you,” he muttered.

Hazel squeezed Nico’s shoulder with the arm she had around him. “It’s all going to work out. You’ve both had some time to clear your heads now, and I bet he’s gone off to his own group of friends to whine about everything he did wrong, so I bet he’ll be knocking at your door with a bouquet of apology flowers any day now. And if he doesn’t show, then he’s probably feeling rightfully guilty, which means you’ll have to make the first move.” 

Nico took one deep breath, then another, then let his gaze travel across everyone in the room. “You’re sure it’s not…me?” 

“You can be a pain in the ass sometimes,” Annabeth offered up freely, “but I really think that this is a textbook fight - you were both having an off day, and you took it out on each other. As long as you both realize that, there shouldn’t be any problems sorting yourselves out.” 

“From what you’ve told us, he really seems to care about you,” Frank added on, reaching around Hazel to clap Nico’s shoulder comfortingly. “One fight isn’t going to change that.” 

Nico nodded. “I really hope you’re right.” He tried for a smile. “Thanks, guys, for helping me to stop thinking in circles about--” 

The front door opened, and Nico’s voice caught in his throat at the sight of Leo, letting himself in unannounced as they all did. His gaze caught Nico’s for only a split second before he was dropping his attention to the floor as he toed off his shoes. “Hey,” he said into the suddenly tense room, “sorry I’m late.” 

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Nico said quickly, pulling his feet up onto the couch cushion he sat on as he reached for the TV remote. “Are we playing Jackbox, or what?” 

Will finished out his final semester alone. 

A small part of him had wanted to ditch his classes, forget about his homework, and coast through his final exams in the hopes for a passing grade at best, since he’d already been accepted into the medical program. But the part of his brain that was still functioning properly after his breakup with Nico knew that his acceptance status could easily be overturned if he let his grades slip. 

He had to try to wipe Nico from his mind. He found new people to study with, spent more time in the library than he had all semester, and he passed all of his classes with flying colors - as long as his exam grades pulled through.

Will didn’t have a chance to go home in between semesters, either, because as long as he passed all of his exams, his first semester of medical school was due to start only a week after the end of his final undergraduate semester. He felt like he barely had time to see his mama in the midst of his hectic graduation schedule, and suddenly he was being spit back out on the other end of the week with a new class schedule in hand. 

Nico had been pushing himself to the point of exhaustion - not intentionally, it was just that it took way too long for him to get comfortable sleeping in his own bed again after so long. (He found that, if he slept on Jason’s side of the bed instead of his own, he didn’t find himself reaching out for someone who wouldn’t be there, because he found himself reaching off the side of the bed instead. Still, sometimes, he caught himself glancing back over at his own side of the bed, wishing that Will was there with him.)

While he was having difficulty sleeping through the night, he tried not to let it affect his schoolwork. He spent more time than ever studying. And when his eyes lost focus and the words started swimming off the pages, he forced himself to take a break - time that he used to clean out his bedroom, instead.

He didn’t need to hold onto old pairs of glasses. He didn’t need Jason’s ratty workout clothes that hadn’t been touched - even by Jason’s hands - in years. He threw things away, he bagged up clothes that could be donated, and anything he really couldn’t part with - pictures of him and Jason that he’d taken off the walls or his nightstand or the top of his dresser, letters that Jason had written to him while away at boot camp, and Jason’s high school varsity jacket - were all tucked away in a box, shoved back into a corner of the closet. 

The house felt bare when he was done with it, but he didn’t have time to worry about it until after he’d finished his exams. 

Every moment that he spent on campus, his eyes were always searching for Will. 

Will wasn’t going to make it through the day without caffeine - more caffeine, really, because he was pretty sure he’d already downed three times his usual intake before noon, but med school was kicking his ass. He knew that if he could make it through the first semester, he’d survive until the end, but…

He wished his mind would let him focus on school, instead of replaying his last argument with Nico over and over in his head when he was trying to study.

He wanted to reach out to Nico every day - every minute of every day - but he didn’t think he could put himself through it. He could apologize for what he’d said - he should, and needed to apologize - but what then? They would get back together, and nothing would change? Would Will always take second place in the ranking of men that Nico chose to be with?

If he put Nico first, then he deserved the same. And if Nico wasn’t going to put in the work, then… Like Will said, he shouldn’t have to wait any longer. He was going to do his best to move on, and maybe - maybe - if Nico decided that Will was worth the effort, he would work on himself.

And maybe, someday, in the distant future, they could run into each other on the street, and reconnect. And maybe this time, everything would go perfectly, and Will could fall in love with Nico all over again, and they could live happily ever after. 

Like he said, Will wasn’t going to hold his breath.

Though his breath did catch when he entered his favorite coffee shop in a rush for caffeine between classes and found Nico sitting at their usual table, almost like he was waiting for Will to walk through the door.

There were two drinks in front of him, like always. He had his phone in one hand, while the fingers of his other tapped out a mindless beat against the side of his own takeout cup. 

He couldn’t have known that Will would be there, right? Will had hardly known that he would be there.

Nico lifted his gaze, glancing out the window, then toward the door, and his eyes widened when they landed on Will. 

In a second, he was on his feet, the legs of his chair screeching against the tiled floor, though he didn’t move any closer or further from Will. 

But Nico called out his name, and Will might’ve done anything he asked, if it meant hearing that voice again.

Will approached the table cautiously, glancing down at the extra drink opposite Nico - in Will’s spot. 

“How did you know I would be here?” Will asked quietly. 

Nico frowned, his head tipping to the side. “I didn’t--” He followed Will’s gaze, and understanding struck. “Oh. No, that’s for my sister. She’s supposed to meet me here. But I can get you something,” he added quickly, already taking a step toward the counter.

“No, don’t--” Will told him, reaching out to stop Nico but aborting the action halfway through. Nico stopped anyway, which Will was grateful for. “You don’t have to get me anything. I have a class to get to anyway, and I would feel bad if you got something for me, when I don’t really have time to talk anyway.”

Nico’s face fell - he looked heartbroken all over again, and Will wanted to kick himself for it - and he took a step back. “I get it,” he said with a nod. “Don’t let me get in your way.” 

Will wanted to stop him from moving away, but he knew he didn’t have any right to. As Nico returned to his seat, Will continued on toward the counter, quickly ordering his drink before stepping toward the pickup counter. He pulled out his phone, just for something to do so that he wouldn’t let himself get sucked into a conversation with Nico, but he ended up staring blankly down at the screen.

“I made space.” 

Will’s head snapped up toward Nico, the words barely processing in his mind. How could he have made space if the only thing stopping Will from sitting across from Nico was a single coffee cup in the middle of the table?

“You could come over,” Nico continued, his voice soft as he lifted his head, meeting Will’s eyes with an almost pleading gaze, “so you can see what I’ve done. And we could talk.”

If you ever find space for anyone else, Will remembered himself saying, and the memory filled him with irritation. Did Nico think that Will had wanted him to erase any traces of Jason from his home? “Nico,” he said with a sigh, “that’s not what I meant--”

A barista called his name to get his attention before setting a takeout cup on the counter between them. Will thanked her quietly as he grabbed the cup and turned to leave, prepared to walk out of the building without so much as another look in Nico’s direction, but Nico stopped him, running out in front of Will before he could even get halfway to the door.

“Whenever your classes are done,” Nico said quickly, “today, or tomorrow, or… whenever. I’m free. And you should come over, whenever you’re ready. You don’t even have to text first, or anything like that, just… Please, come over.” 

“I have to go,” Will told him before side stepping Nico and continuing toward the door. His entire body ached with every step he took away from Nico, and when he reached the door, he couldn’t find the strength to push it open. He glanced back at Nico, who hadn’t moved from where he stood in the middle of the floor. “I’ll check my schedule,” Will called back to him, and Nico spun around at the sound of his voice. 

The last thing he saw was the hope in Nico’s eyes before he pushed himself out the door. 

Hazel had gone shopping with Nico as soon as the semester ended. They’d picked out a new bedspread for Nico, new throw pillows and curtains for the living room, and even a new rug. And when a week had passed without Nico making any changes to his house, she’d come back over to push him into action.

Out with the old, with everything having been bagged up and tossed into Nico’s trunk so that he could make another donation drop off, and in with the new - a house that Nico could change and redecorate however he pleased, one that could grow with him instead of holding him back, with memories caught in the soft fabrics of the old decorations.

They’d taken down more pictures throughout the house - anything where Jason had been the center of attention, though they left up any group pictures where Jason mostly blended in with the crowd. Hazel had brought over some of her own artwork to slip into the now-empty frames, which Nico had appreciated - the house felt more alive now, and less like a constant memorial for his husband.

He could live, and grow, and change. And there was room for someone else to come into Nico’s life, to live and grow and change with him, to make adjustments to this house, or even to leave this house behind, sometime in the future. 

Now he just needed someone to share it with.

For the last month or so, his friends had been constantly pestering him about getting in touch with Will. He received texts almost daily on the subject, and any time Hazel came over to help with the redecorating, she asked about Will.

“What if I’m not actually ready?” Nico asked her when she finally arrived at the coffee shop, after he’d relayed his minutes-old conversation with Will. “Or what if… Everything you and I did, what if it’s not enough?” 

“You’ve been keeping up your appointments with Mr. D, right?” Hazel asked, reaching across the table to set a comforting hand over Nico’s. “What has he said about all of this?”

Nico shrugged. “A lot of the same stuff that you guys have been saying. And that it was good of me to make physical changes to the space around me to remind me of the work we’ve been doing in therapy.”

“And does he think you’re ready?” she tried again.

“I don’t think he’s allowed to make decisions like that for me,” Nico replied, his nose scrunching up. “I kind of wish he would, though. Like, if he would just say, okay, you’re normal now, and if your boyfriend doesn’t take you back, then he’s the one with the problem, not you. But I don’t think that’s how therapy is supposed to work.” 

Hazel grinned. “Well, first of all, you’re too weird to ever be considered normal--” Nico kicked her under the table. “--but if your boyfriend doesn’t take you back after all the work you’ve done for him, then he’s the one with the problem, not you.” 

Nico started tapping his fingers against the side of his empty takeout cup, and he aimed his frown down at it. “I didn’t do all of that for him,” he said softly, and almost as if he was trying to convince himself that what he said was true. “It’s for me. It was time that I did something for myself - not for Will, or for Jason, or you or Annabeth - even for Bruce. And I should’ve started doing all of this stuff years ago, but… Jason told me this dumb saying once, it goes something like - the best time to start something is yesterday, but the second best time is today.”  

“He always did kind of sound like a walking motivational poster, didn’t he,” Hazel commented with a wide smile. 

“And it was fucking annoying sometimes,” Nico replied with a smile of his own that slowly turned sad as his heart began to ache - not as much as it used to, though. “But I loved him anyway.” 

Hazel gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m really proud of you, Nico,” she said softly. “And he would be, too. And I think that if you repeated everything that you just said to your therapist, he’d be proud, too. And he’d probably tell you that you’re ready, and that if your boyfriend doesn’t take you back, that he’s the one with the problem.” 

Nico let out a puff of laughter. “And that I’m normal?” 

“I think you need to let that one go.” 

Will knocked on Nico’s door. As soon as his knuckles made contact with the wood, he wanted to turn and run, but he forced himself to stay put. He had to hear Nico out, at least. For his own peace of mind.

The door opened, and Will was hit with a cool rush of air from the air conditioner Nico always had blasting. Will’s eyes landed on Nico, and his heart ached at the sight of him - his hair pulled back, his t-shirt baggy, and the hems of his sweatpants rolled up so that they didn’t drag across the ground. He clearly hadn’t changed out of his pajamas all day, and Will wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with him on the couch. Fuck, he would probably sleep over on Nico’s shitty couch if Nico asked him to.

“Hi,” Nico whispered, his eyes wide and sparkling, like he was excited to see Will but surprised that he’d shown up at all. “Um. Come in.” 

He stepped back, opening the door wider so that Will could step inside. “Make yourself at home,” Nico told him as he carefully shut the door behind Will, his nerves seeming to spike if the way he started twisting one of his rings was any indication. “Just, uh, give me one second.” 

He darted off toward the living room while Will toed off his shoes and set his backpack near the door. He was fresh off of his anatomy class, and he kind of wanted to pass out for the next six-to-ten hours, so a part of him wanted to follow after Nico and tell him not to clear the pillows and blankets off of the couch so that he could take a nap, but he stopped himself. He was there to talk, not nap. 

Will followed Nico into the living room, feeling his jaw drop at the sight. The room was almost unrecognizable, with new curtains that made the place seem brighter, and art on the walls that had replaced old pictures. The couch was clear of any bedding - only new throw pillows tucked into the corners and a blanket folded over the back - as Nico made his way over to it, picking up his phone that he must have left abandoned on the middle cushion. 

“Hey, sorry,” Nico said toward the phone, tapping the screen a few times to unlock it, “I have to go.” 

“Don’t worry, dude,” another voice came through the speaker. “Oh! Wait, does that mean--”

“Yes, so I’ll call you back later,” Nico cut in quickly, and rapidly tapped his thumb against the screen until the call finally disconnected. He glanced back at Will before reaching for a game controller, which he used to quickly save whatever game he was playing on the TV before shutting it off. “Sorry, just another second.” 

“Don’t be,” Will told him. “I can come back some other time, if you’re in the middle of something.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Nico assured him, tossing the game controller onto the couch, turning to give Will his full attention. “That was just Percy - I can talk to him any time.”

Implying that he couldn’t talk to Will any time. “Right,” Will said, trying to shake the negative thought out of his head. It was partly his fault that he and Nico weren’t talking the way they used to, so he shouldn’t be allowed to get pissed off by something like that. “So, um--”

He was cut off by a loud, high-pitched noise from somewhere behind him, and Will turned to find Bruce running toward him, meowing up at him. As soon as he reached Will, he pushed up on his back legs and stretched his paws up past Will’s knees, like he was asking to be picked up - and, of course, Will obliged. 

“Hi, baby Brucie,” Will cooed as he cradled the cat in his arms. “Have you sent any violent criminals to Arkham recently?” Bruce brushed a paw across Will’s cheek while meowing in his face. “I know, you missed me, didn’t you?” 

“He did,” Nico answered, his arms folded loosely over his chest as he smiled lightly at the sight of Will and Bruce together. After a second’s pause, he added, “I missed you, too.” 

“What did you want to show me?” Will asked instead of falling at Nico’s feet while he begged for forgiveness.

Nico exhaled. “Right. Well, um, you’ve seen the living room, so…” He nodded his head toward the hallway, and led Will further into the house. As soon as he started to move, Bruce wiggled his way out of Will’s hold, so Will stooped over in between steps to give Bruce a softer landing before he continued on - through Nico’s bedroom door.

This room, too, seemed brighter - and less cluttered. The bed had been moved so that it was framed between the windows. The blackout curtains remained, though they were open to let in the light. Two dressers stood together against the wall at the foot of the bed, leaving an open path to the closet.

“You redecorated,” Will commented in monotone.

“I did,” Nico replied, smiling proudly as he continued into the room, though Will stayed in the doorway, leaning one shoulder against it. “I donated a lot of old clothes, and packed up a lot of things that didn’t need to be out on display, and…” He took a seat on the edge of the bed, glancing toward the twin dressers. “I made space. A lot more than I thought I would be able to, actually.” 

Will sighed, letting his head drop against the door jamb. “When I said that I wanted you to make space, I didn’t mean physical space. I wasn’t trying to ask you to get rid of all traces of your past relationship.” 

“I know,” Nico replied quickly, jumping to his feet, “and I didn’t get rid of Jason - that would be impossible. I’ve just been doing some reorganizing, and I did a lot of thinking about what really makes me happy, and… And I know now that I was holding on to a lot of things out of grief - denial, or bargaining, or whatever stage you want to call it - but I feel so much lighter now without all of it. And doing all of this has helped me to remember that… That Jason is my past, and that I have a long future left to live.”

Nico’s words left a sour taste in Will’s mouth. It almost felt as though Nico was rubbing his happiness in Will’s face - as if Will had shown Nico how to be happy again, but he wasn’t going to be given the chance to share in that happiness with Nico. That Nico was better off without him.

“That’s great,” Will said shortly, trying hard not to let his frustration show, “but what does any of this have to do with me?” 

Nico’s smile faltered. “I… I know you said that you didn’t mean for me to make physical space, but doing so has helped keep me on track with all of the work I’ve been doing with my therapist - I’m better now. Not, like, totally, but I mean… I’m doing better than I was before. I have a better understanding of how patient you were with me, and I know that I haven’t been the easiest person to be in a relationship with, but… I’m ready now. I’m sleeping in my own bed again - for real, this time - and I emptied out Jason’s dresser, and moved all of my stuff into it, so now my old one is cleared out for extra storage, or… Or if you ever wanted to leave some of your things here, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about packing a bag, or being unprepared if you wanted to spend the night…”

Will blinked, and as if a switch had been flipped, his frustration disappeared, replaced by confusion and uncertainty. He felt like he must not have heard Nico right - he wanted to get back together?

“Not that I’m saying I did all of this for you,” Nico added quickly, taking a step back from Will, out of his personal space. “I did it for me. Because I should’ve done a lot of this stuff a long time ago, and… And really, I should probably be taking this time to learn how to be happy by myself before I try being happy with anyone else-- But I’m also not saying any of this to, like, try to pressure you into getting back together, because I know you weren’t happy with me when…you ended things between us. But if you don’t want to get back together, and if I ever tried to find somebody else that I like even half as much as I love you, then it would only be fair to them for me to…to make space, like I did for you. But I’m kind of really hoping that there won’t be anyone else somewhere down the line, because…” He took a breath - and somehow, Will wouldn’t be surprised if it was the first breath he’d taken since he started talking - and forced himself to calm down, then met Will’s eyes. 

“I did this for me, but I can’t deny that I had you on my mind for…pretty much all of it. I’ve thought about you every single day since you left - I almost texted you on your graduation day, but I just wasn’t ready yet. I’m sorry for not trying to call you, but I was trying to give you the space to process everything, and then I didn’t want to stress you out during finals, and then I was afraid that I was too late, and that you had moved on, but I promise that I always had the intention of letting you know when I was ready. And… Even at the coffee shop, when we ran into each other, I didn’t know if I was ready, but… I am now.” 

There was a spark of determination in Nico’s eye that had Will catching his breath, but it faded just as soon as it appeared. 

“But if you’re not ready, then… I understand,” Nico continued, his face falling once more. “Or if you’ve moved on and found someone else, or… Even if you don’t want to be with me anymore, I’ll understand. If that’s the case, I won’t make you put up with me anymore, and--” He ducked his head, already starting forward like he was going to push Will out of the doorway. “I’ll walk you out.” 

“Nico, wait.” Will caught Nico before he could force them both out of the room, and turned Nico to face him. There were tears welling in Nico’s eyes as Will leaned back against the door jamb, his hands on Nico’s arms. “You did this for me?” 

Nico huffed, turning his head away and knocking it back against the jamb behind him. It was as if he’d looked at Will enough for one day, and couldn’t stand to do so for another second longer. “No,” he replied quietly, “I very clearly stated that I did not do this for you, specifically.” 

One of Will’s hands slid up Nico’s arm to his shoulder, watching as Nico squeezed his eyes shut, like the touch hurt him. Like he wanted to lean into it, but refused to let himself have any sense of comfort in that moment. “You did this because you love me?” Will whispered as he reached up to brush his thumb across Nico’s cheek, catching a tear that had started to roll down.

Nico flinched away from the touch, turning his gaze on Will as it hardened into a glare. “I did this because I’m trying very hard to love myself,” Nico told him harshly, “and it’s been made apparent to me that you’re supposed to know how to love yourself before you can love another person.”

Will pushed himself off the jamb, crowding Nico against the doorframe as his hands found Nicos face. “And… I’m another person.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Yes. Obviously you and I are not the same person. You’re another person.”  

Will couldn’t take this much longer - did Nico really have no idea of what he was trying to say? He tipped his head forward, resting his forehead against Nico’s. “Please tell me that I didn’t imagine hearing you say that you love me,” he whispered. “Because I would really love to say it back, and know that it’s going to be reciprocated this time.” 

Nico’s gaze softened. Will felt a hand grasp the front of his shirt, almost as if Nico was afraid Will might disappear as soon as he spoke. “It was reciprocated last time,” he promised, “but you didn’t really give me a chance to get a word in. There was a lot going on, and I wasn’t sure that I was ready to say it yet, but… Yeah. I’ve loved you for months, Will.”

“I love you too,” Will told him, feeling like he might start to cry himself. “Can I--”

Nico pressed forward and kissed him before Will could finish asking for permission.

“Since that day in the park,” Nico told him, whispering the words against his lips. “Or maybe even before that.” 

Will brushed the tip of his nose against Nico’s as he let out a giddy breath. “I think I started falling in love with you the first time you let me walk you across campus.” 

Nico huffed, rolling his eyes. “Well, that’s because you’re a sap.” 

“But you love that about me,” Will pointed out with a grin.

Nico groaned and shoved Will backwards, just far enough that Nico could slip out into the hallway before he grabbed hold of Will’s hand to pull him out into the living room behind him. Will hurried to catch up with him, dropping down onto the couch before Nico could and dragging Nico down onto his lap. 

Will wound his arms around Nico’s waist and guided their lips together once more, though it wasn’t long before their kiss was interrupted by Bruce jumping into Nico’s lap. 

Nico started to laugh and hid his face in Will’s shoulder while one of his hands automatically reached up to scratch behind Bruce’s ears. “We should talk about this, right?” 

“Oh! Good call!” Will exclaimed. “We’ll have to do a whole new relationship negotiation, now that we’re officially back together--” He cut himself off, quickly leaning back so that he could meet Nico’s eyes. “We are officially back together, right?” 

Nico smiled. “I’d like to be.” 

Will darted forward for another kiss. “Good. Me too. So that’s step one settled. Honestly, I really wasn’t expecting this all to happen when I decided to come over today, so I’m actually really unprepared for this negotiation, but I think the main points that we need to hit are what is and isn’t okay to leave over at each other’s places, and probably how often it’s acceptable to have sleepovers - oh! And I have summer classes, but you don’t! So we’ll need to figure out a schedule around that, and--”

Nico couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer, wrapping his arm around Will’s neck and nearly tackling him back into the couch cushions. “Will, I don’t care. I don’t care if you move half of your wardrobe in, or if you’re here five days a week. I’ll help you study if you want, or I won’t bother you if you want to be alone. I just want you, okay?”

Will pursed his lips. “So… I can’t get that in writing?” 

“You’re such a jerk,” Nico breathed against his neck before placing a kiss there.

Will’s arms tightened around him. “Yeah, but you love--”

“I love you,” Nico finished for him.

Will could’ve died happy. 

“Actually,” Nico said, leaning back as he twisted the fingers of one hand into Will’s hair, “I do have one question.”

“Anything for you,” Will replied.

“Do you still want to meet my friends?” Nico asked, sounding almost nervous. “I know you said you wanted to before - and it’s okay if you don’t anymore! I just thought-- I mean, I’m hoping that letting you in on more parts of my life will help to prove that I want to make you more of a priority, and Annabeth and Percy are hosting another game night next weekend, so--”

“Of course I still want to meet them,” Will cut in, “as long as you don’t think they’ll try to tear me apart for breaking your heart.” 

Nico grinned. “You helped me put it back together again, so I think they’ll give you a pass. Just don’t do it again.”

“Deal,” Will replied, and sealed his promise with a kiss. 

Everyone took to Will instantly - Nico didn’t see how anyone couldn’t instantly love him. It had probably helped that Nico had already told them all so much about Will, so he hardly seemed like a stranger anymore.

Nico had just been bumped from the current round of murder trivia party - because that game was full of trick questions and stupid tie breakers and Nico shouldn’t have to do math in a trivia game - so he’d gone to the kitchen to refill his and Will’s drinks.

He’d just been about to return to the living room where, from the sounds of things, Annabeth was about to win the lightning round (as she always did whenever Nico wasn’t playing against her) when someone stepped into the kitchen behind him. 

He was half expecting Will to have followed him into the room, but when he turned around, Nico found Leo lingering in the doorway. 

Nico’s slight smile fell as his mind flashed back to the last time the two of them had been in that kitchen together.

“Uh, hey,” Leo said, scratching nervously at the back of his neck as his eyes focused on a spot on the floor somewhere between them.

“Hi,” Nico replied, awkwardly holding his and Will’s glasses in his hands. Should he set them down? Should he take them out to the living room to avoid whatever conversation Leo had in mind?

“Will seems nice,” Leo commented.

“He is,” Nico said, almost defensively. “He makes me happy.” 

“That’s good,” Leo replied, shuffling his feet. “I’m happy for you, Nico.” 

Nico frowned, unsure as to whether or not he trusted the words coming out of Leo’s mouth.

He sighed. “Look, man, I’m sorry for everything I said. I know it was a lot for you to lose Jason, but… It was a lot for me, too, and I feel like… Sometimes, it felt like everybody only acted like you lost him. Like he wasn’t my best friend long before he was ever your husband. But it wasn’t fair of me to take my hurt feelings out on you. So, I’m sorry. And I really am happy for you.” 

“Oh,” Nico said. “Thank you. And… I’m sorry you felt that way - I had no idea, but… I was kind of trapped inside my own head for the better part of the last couple of years. It probably won’t help, but I always tried to reach out to you before anyone else, because I always thought that, out of everyone, you would know best what I was going through - because you and I were the two people who loved Jason the most. But when you started cutting me out, or dodging my calls, I thought… I thought that maybe you never really cared about me, that you were only putting up with me for Jason’s sake.”

Leo shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. It was just too much for me, when everyone was always trying to take care of you, and-- It was selfish of me, I know that now. And… I hope this is okay to share, but Piper told me that you’d been working on yourself a lot over the last few months, and it made me realize that I had never really stopped grieving, either. But I started seeing a therapist, too, and--” He shrugged. “I guess it’s helping. She said that apologizing to you would be a really big step, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it, but--”

“How do you feel?” Nico asked. “Now that you’ve apologized, I mean.”

“Kind of wigged out,” Leo replied truthfully, stuffing his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders, “but…lighter, I think.”

Nico let himself smile. “That’s good. I’m happy for you, Leo.”

Leo nodded, seeming uncomfortable with all of the honesty - he’d always been much more of a jokester, so this conversation was probably killing him inside. Though, now that Nico thought about it, he didn’t think he’d heard a single joke from Leo in a few years - maybe the jokes would return as he came back to himself and out of his grief. 

Before Nico could say another word, someone else poked their head into the kitchen behind Leo, calling out, “Hey, Neeks!”

Nico’s head snapped up, finding Will grinning at him, though his smile slowly started to fade as he tried to read the mood of the room. 

“Uh, we’re starting another round,” Will said, now addressing both of them. “You guys coming?” 

Nico nodded. “We’ll be right--”

“I don’t think we were properly introduced,” Leo said loudly and with a bright smile, turning toward Will with a hand outstretched, “because I think somebody over here wants to keep you all to himself. I’m Leo - Jason’s best friend. And I think he’d probably come back and haunt me if I didn’t make sure that Nico was being taken care of, so, uh. Keep up the good work! And just know I’ve got my eye on you.” 

Nico couldn’t help but feel a bit weird about Leo’s outburst - given the way Leo had treated him over the last few years - but at the same time, hearing that Leo cared about his happiness made Nico feel warm down to his toes. Maybe there was hope for the two of them yet. 

After shaking Will’s hand, he started back out into the living room, clapping Will on the shoulder as he left.

Once Leo was out of the room, Will stepped toward Nico, quietly asking, “Everything alright? You guys were in here for a while, and everybody in the living room seemed a little freaked out by it, like they were waiting for a fight to break out.” 

“We’re fine,” Nico assured him with a bright smile, feeling even lighter than he had before. “What about you? Are they being nice? You’re sure you’re not too tired after having class all day?” 

“They’re being nice,” Will replied, though Nico could see right through him. “They’re pretending to be nice. I’ve gotten, like, four shovel talks since you’ve been in here, and I really wasn’t expecting another one - especially not one that made it sound like Jason’s ghost might come after me, too.”

Nico cooed. “Aw, poor baby. Don’t worry about them, none of them would dare come after you.” 

“Thanks, darlin’,” Will replied, pressing a kiss to Nico’s forehead.

Nico grinned. “They all know I can take care of things myself, if it comes down to it.”