Chapter Text
It had been two weeks since graduation, almost seven months since Will and Nico got together, and Will still honestly couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten.
Nico was - well, he was great.
He was funny and the biggest cuddler and he was a surprisingly good cook and he gave the best hugs - basically, he was a great boyfriend.
And Nico thought the same of Will.
Will was - wonderful.
He was so kind and lighthearted and he was able to make good of any bad situation which was something Nico had always struggled with.
Since that first day of school, the first day Will saw Nico at their lockers, he knew that they were total opposites. It was plain for the eyes to see, clear as day. And over the course of the school year, it was proven to be true.
Will and Nico were total opposites that were simply perfect for each other.
Will, Nico, and all of their friends had a beach day planned ahead. It was hot and sunny and only slightly windy, therefore, it was perfect beach weather. Will was horrified to discover that Nico had never been to the beach.
"Nico, what the hell have you been doing your entire life?!" Will cried out in agony.
"You do know there's more to life than going to the beach, right?" Nico questioned. Will scoffed.
"No shit, Sherlock. But that's a key part!"
Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed Will by the hand, interlacing their fingers. "Well, come on then. Why don't you show me what I've been missing, dork?"
~
"Holy shit, I'm literally going to burn to a crisp."
They'd only been at the beach for half an hour and Nico's cheeks were already sunburnt bad. Will winced, carefully applying more sunscreen to his face, trying not the hurt the burn.
"Well, you are very pale, so I'd say yes. Just, um, use lot's of sunscreen!" Will cheerfully said, earning him a glare from his boyfriend.
"Jeez, didn't think of that one! Look at you, using that big brain of yours. So proud of my baby." Nico cooed, pinching Will's cheeks and squeezing hard.
"Ouch, you little shit!" Will called out, smacking Nico's hands away from his face. This quickly turned into a small slapping match before Will grabbed both of Nico's wrists and kissed him hard.
Nico immediately stopped hitting Will and he sunk into the kiss, wrapping his hands around Will's waist.
"Boys." Reyna scoffed, amused at their sudden change in behavior. Not breaking the kiss, both Will and Nico lovingly flicked her off.
Nobody had been very surprised when Nico and Will had announced that they were dating. Will had already told Lou, Cecil, and Reyna and Nico had apparently told Percy, who accidentally told Annabeth, who accidentally mentioned it to Piper...
You see where this is going - rumors spread like wildfire, especially in high school.
The only ones who hadn't suspected anything at all were Jason and Leo, but that was to be expected of them. They seemed to be too tied up in each other - yes, each other, not their girlfriends - to really notice anybody else.
Speaking of girlfriends, their little group had made another addition! Leo's gorgeous girlfriend, Calypso. She fit right in with them, especially with Piper. Sometimes, Will was convinced that they had couple swapped - Piper with Calypso and Jason with Leo. They made quite an interesting group, that's for sure.
In the months that Will had been dating Nico, he'd gotten a lot closer to Hazel, Percy, and Thalia. He'd discovered that Hazel was not only the sweetest girl ever, but she was quite the badass. Thalia had a tough exterior, much like Nico, but she had a lovely personality. And Percy was, well, Percy. What else can you say about him?
When Will had told Lou and Cecil that he'd kissed Nico on the roof of an abandoned hardware store, Lou and squealed giddily and Cecil had laughed like a maniac.
"Your first kiss with him as on the roof of some beat up tool shop?! How romantic!"
Lou and shoved him, mouth ajar. "As if our first kiss was any better! It was in front of your mother, for heaven's sake!"
That had shut up Cecil pretty quickly.
All in all, they got only good reactions. From friends, from parents, from siblings, from teachers and classmates - everyone was happy for them.
And Will and Nico were happier than they'd ever been.
Once Will had finished re-applying sunscreen on Nico, they headed out to the water. Will wanted to teach Nico how to surf, but Nico had never even been in the ocean before and the waves weren't all that great. So, they settled for swimming instead.
They waded out about waist deep before sitting down on the wet sand, letting the waves crash over and around them. The sea salt burned Will's eyes but he welcomed the feeling. It felt like home.
The ocean breeze blew Nico's hair all over the place and Will couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked with his messy hair and red cheeks. It made him look so alive.
"Hey, shorty. What do you think of the beach so far?" Will asked.
"Other than my face feeling like it's actually on fire, it's not that bad. It's pretty out here."
Will looked out at the horizon at the seagulls flying in the sky and the clouds passing overhead. Other swimmers and surfers splashed around in the cool water all around them, shouts and giggles were heard everywhere. The crashing of the waves mixed with the smell of the water had always created such a peaceful environment for Will.
"You should teach me how to surf this summer. I'd like to learn." Nico said, genuinely curious about the activity. Will grinned, eyes lighting up the way they always did when someone mentioned something he was passionate about.
"Oh, definitely. Then we can finally have proof that I'm better than you at something."
Nico laughed. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, maybe I'm a natural born surfer." Nico added nonchalantly with a shrug. They stared at each other for a moment, Nico in full seriousness and Will with a face that said 'You sure about that?'
Then the act broke and they laughed at the ridculous idea.
"Ah yes, the boy who's never been in the ocean and get's destroyed by the sun in under thirty minutes is going to be a better surfer than me, someone who's been surfing for fifteen years. Love the confidence, di Angelo."
"Hey, watch yourself, Solace. You never know!" Nico defended, even though he knew it was ridiculous too.
Will scooted closer to Nico, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and hugging him to his side, kissing him gently on the forehead.
"You know shorty, I'm real lucky to have you. You- you mean a lot to me."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, neither having to really say anything to understand what the other meant. They didn't have to say how much they loved each other. That was just something they knew.
Will knew Nico. He knew that he preferred the moon to the sun, he knew that he had an obsession with Edgar Allen Poe's poetry, he knew that for some reason he liked green tea. He knew his favorite color and book and movie and quote and the way he tied his shoes. He knew that he was short as hell and he loved piggy back rides and sitting way up high on Will's shoulders. There were so many little details that factored into Nico - that factored into Will's love for Nico - and he was determined to learn and study and love them all.
"You're a big dork, y'know that?" Nico teased with all the adoration in his voice possible. Will chuckled.
"Yeah, but you love me, sunshine."
Nico laughed, hugging Will closer to him as a tiny wave rolled past them.
"I do love you."