Chapter Text
***
Waking up to Will’s soft kisses all over his face was one of favorite Nico’s things in life. Despite the 5 years of marriage that they have gone through, Nico did not think that he would ever get bored of it.
But it didn’t change the fact that it was a Saturday morning.
Saturdays and Sundays were almost sacred for Nico, as weekends were the only days where they could stay in bed for a little longer. On weekdays, Will had to be in the hospital where he worked early in the morning. Nico himself, after getting his degree in social works, he got a job as one of the counselors in the Social Service Centre in New Rome. His job at the Center started at 9. Now they have adopted two kids, mornings on weekdays were usually hectic.
Nico made a small grunting noise. He opened one eye to peek at Will for a second, then closed it again.
“Good morning, darling,” Will whispered. He kissed the patch of skin next to Nico’s ear, making Nico shiver.
“Will, it’s Saturday,” Nico said, voice still raspy from the sleep.
Will laughed lightly. Nico groaned. How Will could laugh so happily like that in an early morning, Saturday morning, it was something about Will that Nico still could not understand.
Nico opened his eyes, finding Will half-lying next to him, propping himself on his elbow.
“What time is it?”
“Five minutes past 8,” Will answered, gently brushed away a lock of Nico’s hair from his forehead.
Nico closed his eyes again, letting Will rake his fingers through his hair.
“Why you’re up so early?” Nico asked. He opened his eyes, and Will smiled at him with that soft smile.
“Why not?”
“It’s Saturday, right?”
Will chuckled and leaned to place a quick kiss on Nico’s temple. “Yeah.”
“So why you’re up so early?”
“Is that all that you remember about today? That it’s a Saturday?”
Nico’s brows furrowed down, trying to remember whether there was anything that he supposed to do.
“Rosa’s training is at 10.30, right?”
Rosa, a legacy of Mars, was one of their two children that they adopted three years ago. Now ten years old, Rosa had soccer training 3 times a week. She started playing soccer about a year ago, at first just because a boy in her class told her that girls should not play soccer because sports were for boys, not girls. Will and Nico had to come to her school as she kicked the boy and then punched him.
When the teacher asked her why she did that, she simply told her that she just ‘wanted to show him how a girl punches properly’. Will had to kick Nico’s leg under the table when Nico grinned as the teacher repeated her words.
When she got home after her third training session, she stood in the kitchen, still wearing her soil and grass-stained kit. She confidently told Will and Nico that she realized that soccer was more than just a sport, it was a way of life.
“Yeah. As usual.” Will nodded, gently rubbing the creases between Nico’s brows.
“So she usually won’t wake up until 9.”
Will hummed.
“Or is it Asa’s cooking class today? No. His cooking class is on Sunday. Not today.”
Asa, a legacy of Venus, was the other child that they adopted. Just a year younger than Rosa, Asa was more quiet. But there was one thing that the boy seemed to be passionate about. Cooking.
When he was asked why he liked cooking, the dark-haired boy only shrugged his shoulder and said, ‘People look happy when they eat. I like making people happy’.
“Yes, it’s on Sunday,” Will said, now running his fingertip along Nico’s jawline. “But his violin’s lesson is today.”
That’s another thing that Asa liked to do. Violin. Again, he came up with the same reason for why he liked cooking. ‘Music makes people happy. I like things that make people happy.’
“Yeah, I remember that,” Nico said. “But it’s in the afternoon, right?” He traced imaginary abstract on Will’s chest with his finger.
“Yeah. At 3.”
“So we still have time to stay in bed…” Nico said, a small smirk playing on his lips. He pressed a kiss on Will’s collarbone.
Will laughed and sneaked a hand around Nico, pulling him closer. Nico nuzzled his nose against Will’s chest.
“You’re really not getting off the bed?” Will asked, rubbing Nico’s back.
“Later,” Nico said, voice muffled as he still had his face buried against Will’s chest. “Give me half an hour.”
“You really don’t remember?”
Nico huffed. His mind was still hazy as he did not really want to wake up yet. But he tried his best to remember what it was that he supposed to remember. He pulled back a bit from Will’s chest, and started counting with his fingers.
“Our dating anniversary is next month. Our wedding anniversary is on May. Your birthday is on July. Rosa’s birthday is on August and Asa’s is on September.”
He looked up at Will and huffed. “That’s all, right? Am I forgetting anything?”
Will smiled at him softly but there was a bright light twinkling in his eyes.
“You know,” Will said, cupping Nico’s cheek with his hand. “Sometimes I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have a husband like you, who really care so much about me and the kids.”
Despite all those years that they have spent together, Nico still felt his heart fluttering pleasantly to hear Will’s words.
“Of course I care. Because I love you all so much, remember?” Nico said as he looked up at Will.
Will gently pressed his lips on Nico’s forehead.
“I love you too, darling.”
Nico snuggled against Will’s chest again, looking for the comforting and familiar warmth. Will kissed the top of Nico’s head, but much to Nico’s disappointment, he pulled his arms away from Nico, and get off the bed.
“Will…” Nico whined. “Where are you going?”
“Kitchen,” Will said as he took his sweatshirt from the foot of the bed.
Nico huffed as he flipped so he was lying on his back again.
“Why?” He asked, slightly frowning at Will who was now putting on the sweatshirt. “Are you going to make some breakfast in bed for me?”
Will turned his head to Nico, “Do you want it?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “If you really are making breakfast for me, make sure that you make some for the kids too.”
Will chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry about them,” Will said. He winked at Nico then opened the door.
“Will!”
But Will had already disappeared.
Nico rubbed his eyes with the side of his hand then checked the alarm clock on the nightstand. The digital bluish number told him that it was 8.15.
Nico groaned and buried his face in Will’s pillow. If Will really was leaving him alone in their bed this early on a Saturday morning, it was better be for a good reason. Like some breakfast in bed.
He closed his eyes back, the silence of the morning softly wrapped him back in peace.
Nico was about to drift back to sleep when he heard muffled laughter from the door. He lazily opened his eyes, right when the door swing opened.
“Happy birthday, Papa!”
Rosa and Asa standing by the opened door. Asa was holding a tray, and there was something that looked like a cake with two candles on the tray. Rosa was holding a black gift bag, decorated with silver ribbons. Will was grinning just a step behind the kids.
Nico quickly sat up, rubbing his eyes again. Rosa, Asa and Will sang Happy Birthday as they walked closer to the bed. Nico shifted so Will had some space to sit close to him, and he crossed his legs so he was sitting Indian style.
“I forgot that it’s my own birthday,” Nico said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Will chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to his temple. “Yeah,” he said. “You kept on thinking about others, you forgot about yourself.”
Nico could not help but smile as Asa carefully placed the tray on the bed in front of him.
“Let me guess,” Nico said and looked up to his son. “Asa, you made this?”
Asa nodded shyly. “Daddy and Rosa helped too,” he said.
“I was the one putting the candles,” Rosa said, beaming a smile. “I remember last year it was your 29th, but Daddy said you are actually more than 100 years old.”
Nico chuckled and looked at his daughter. “Do I look like 100 years old?”
Rosa stared at him for a while, like she was contemplating it. But then she shook her head. “No,” she said. “Uncle Percy is 33 and you look younger than him.”
Nico laughed at her words.
“Come on,” Will nudged his shoulder lightly. “Make a wish.”
Nico nodded. He closed his eyes, knowing that the only wish he had was to always be surrounded by the people that he loved the most. He opened his eyes, taking a deep breath, then blew the candles.
Asa and Rosa clapped their hands and Will kissed his temple gently.
“Before we eat the cake,” Will said as he reached out for the tray then put it on the nightstand. “Let’s open your present first.”
“Yes! Present!” Rosa handed out the black gift bag to Nico. She took a seat on the bed in front of Nico while Asa sat close to Will who wrapped an arm around the boy. They watched Nico pulled out his gift from the bag.
Nico stared at the album photo that he just took out from the bag. The cover was black. And in the middle of the cover, was a black and white picture of the four of them, glittery silver washi tape held the picture on place. He slowly ran his fingertip over their frozen smiles.
“It was Rosa’s idea,” Asa told him.
“Really?” Nico lifted his head up from the album to look at Rosa, who beamed a smile.
“Asa and Daddy helped too. Collecting the pictures and the notes,” Rosa said.
Nico looked back to the photo album. He opened it, and started flipping the pages. On each page were two or three pictures of Nico with someone else. The first two pages were pictures of him with Will, and then pictures of him with Rosa, then Asa in the next pages. As he kept on flipping the pages, he saw pictures of him with Jason, Percy, Reyna, Hazel, and all the others. But more than that, there were small notes that each person wrote about what they think of Nico. Nico’s heart swelled with warmth as he read the lines that his friends have written about him. Some of them wrote about what they remember most about Nico, some wrote their most treasured memories about him.
“Do you like it, Papa?”
Nico looked up to Rosa.
“Like it?” Nico closed the photo album and put it aside. “Rosa, dear, I love it!”
He opened his arms and Rosa grinned widely as she leaned into Nico’s embrace.
Nico hugged her, and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Rosa. I love it.”
“We want a hug too!” Will said from. Nico laughed and let a giggling Asa wrapped his arms around him. Will joined them in a messy but warm group hug.
“I love you, darling,” Will said, and pecked his lips.
“I love you, Papa!” Rosa kissed his right cheek.
“I love you, Papa!” Asa kissed his left cheek.
“And I love you all too,” Nico said, kissing his husband then his children. “I love you all so so much.”
In between the hugs, kisses and laughter, Nico could not think what else that could make him happier than this, being surrounded by the people that he cared the most, and to feel how much he was loved by them.
***