Chapter Text
It’s not that Nico didn’t like to smile, it was just he didn’t think he was particularly good at it.
Sure, he was good at it as a kid. Bianca had a certain way of pulling smiles out of him in any situation. But now Bianca was gone, and he was no longer a kid, so Nico had no one to make him smile. It didn’t help that he had a reputation to maintain. Being a child of Hades, having darkness follow your every footstep, speaking only to the dead, feeling more pain in his fifteen years than more people felt in a lifetime- it all left a mark on him that instilled a certain fear in others. And when people are afraid of you, smiling in front of them or, gods forbid, laughing would cause their world to crumble. Nico would rather not cause a paradigm shift at camp, so he preferred to keep his smiles hidden.
He’d gotten good at it, too. Anytime something made the corners of his mouth tick up, he bit his cheek, turned his head away, covered his face- did anything he could to keep it under wraps. The only person he didn’t have to do this was Hazel. She was the only one he could keep his barriers down with. Even then, his smiles felt fake, like someone else was controlling him and making his face move like that. Hazel always said his smile washed away years off his face. It was supposed to be a compliment, but Nico heard it as something to avoid. So, in his world, Nico tried not to smile.
Then Will Solace came around.
Something about that boy made Nico’s stomach twist and head go fuzzy. It was a dangerous, vulnerable state to be in. When Will was around, he had to keep special watch over himself. Keep himself in check. It didn’t help that Will had a ridiculous sense of humor. Nico didn’t understand half his jokes and references, but his dorky moments made Nico want to smile. But he usually didn’t. He bit his cheek and left blisters, turned his head so fast he got whiplash, hid his face under his hand like he was shielding himself from the sun (which, in a way, he was- stupid Apollo kids). Nico did everything he could to protect himself from the swarm of feelings that threatened to knock everything down.
And then it all came crashing down.
Did Nico regret it? He’d say of course if you asked him, but when Hazel cornered him through an Iris message the next night, he paused and shook his head, not trusting himself to use words. Okay, maybe smiling in front of Will wasn’t so bad. It led to an invitation: After dinner- me, you, back here. What was that supposed to mean? It left too many thoughts swimming in Nico’s head, blocking his vision like fog.
And then dinner ended.
Nico had rushed through his meal in five minutes, but took his time walking to the infirmary. He didn’t want to seem too eager, after all. His feet eventually led him to the door of the infirmary, and his hand eventually reached for the doorknob, and he eventually stepped inside.
And there was Will Solace.
He was dressed exactly the same as he was before, except for a new, unstained hoodie. He was sitting on the chair, seemingly twiddling his thumbs as he waited for Nico to arrive, but he jumped up as soon as he heard the door chime.
Nico stood in the doorframe, forgetting usual greetings. What does he say to the boy who asked him on a date four hours ago?
“Hi,” Will said, stealing Nico’s opportunity.
“Hi,” Nico responded. He began twisting his skull ring just to have something to do with his hands.
“So.” Will stepped towards Nico. “I have an idea.” He paused, waiting for Nico to ask a question. He didn’t- Will was close enough for Nico to stare into his blue eyes. Then Nico realized he was being creepy and looked away. Please don’t act creepy. “I was thinking we could head to the lake?”
“What do you want to do?”
Will grinned and grabbed a tupperware box off the nearby table. “I brought cookies.”
Nico blinked. “Oh?”
“They’re the chocolate filled ones. You like those, right?” Will asked, unsure.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Will smiled sheepishly. “I noticed they’re the only kind you eat.” And then he started to blush.
Nico couldn’t believe he, some creepy kid who only talked to ghosts for a solid year, could make some like Will Solace blush. How did he get so lucky?
“Thank you,” Nico finally said after fighting through his surprise.
The walk to the lake was silent. Given it was a three minute walk, it wasn’t all that awkward. Nico spent the time going over every small detail. Should he have worn something different? He looked down at his outfit: a black tee for a band he didn’t know, black jeans ripped and stained from months of training, black denim jacket Hazel had gotten him for a birthday gift. If he changed, that probably would be weird, right? Nico looked over to what Will was wearing: orange camp hoodie, bright blue jeans that fit him perfectly, and yellow converse that matched his blonde hair. They couldn’t be more different of a pair. But then again, here they were, walking to their first date(?) by the lake, four hours after admitting they liked each other.
And then they made it to the lake.
The sun was beginning to set, and it’s dying rays danced across the water. Will led him to the pier, where they sat with their legs dangling and the box of cookies between them.
Will was right- he did like those cookies. Alot. He ate the first one and had to fight the urge to melt. He didn’t realize Will was watching him until it was too late.
“Hey,” Nico said.
“Hey yourself.” Will took a cookie for himself, his elbow bumping into Nico’s. The contact made something dance in Nico’s stomach. “Can I ask you something?”
A small spark of anxiety flared through Nico’s chest. “Okay?”
“Is this a date?”
The anxiety melted and was replaced by that familiar urge to smile. By instinct, Nico turned his head away, staring out into the horizon. “I was about to ask that same question.”
“Really?” Nico could practically hear Will’s smile. It made it all the harder to keep his own hidden. “I think it could be a date if we wanted it to be.” Nico was silent. He was biting his cheek again, so he couldn’t talk. “Nico? You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” Nico mumbled.
“You’re trying not to smile, aren’t you?”
Nico was found out. At this, he slapped his hand on the side of his face so Will couldn’t see his smirk.
“Oh, come on, let me see!” Nico shook his head. He took a deep breath, recomposing himself, and turned to Will.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes you do. Okay, I came prepared for this. I made a list of all my best jokes to get you to crack. First off: what’s a skeleton’s favorite snack?”
“Spare ribs.”
“Dang it, how did you know?”
Percy had told him that same joke about a year ago. “Intuition.”
“Okay, this next one is a story. It’s a foolproof way to get someone to laugh. It’s never failed, and it won’t fail now, death boy.” Will was wearing a grin that took up half his face. In the fading sunlight, his blonde hair seemed to glow, and the reflection of the lake was dancing in his eyes. In this moment (and, if Nico was being honest, everyday of his life), Will Solace was absolutely beautiful. Stunning, almost.
And that made Nico want to smile.
“Bring it on,” Nico rushed. Immediately, he bit his cheek and narrowed his gaze into Will’s. That second part didn’t exactly help, but it was too late to turn back now.
“Oh, this is way too easy. You’re smiling already!”
“Am not.”
“You totally are!”
Nico was way too far gone. He immediately tried to drop his head in his hands, but Will was too quick. He grabbed both of them before he could move.
“Nice try.”
Nico threw his head to the side, looking anywhere but in front of him, until Will’s soft hand pulled him away.
Will’s hand was on his cheek. Will’s hand was on his cheek. It was soft, and smelled vaguely like hand sanitizer. Cute.
“Please?” Will asked.
And then the dam broke.
Nico released his grip on his cheek, letting it fall aside. He kept the smile small, until Will’s adoring eyes forced it to grow. No one had ever looked at him like that before- mouth slightly agape, eyes wide like the sun. No one ever had a reason to. Was now a good reason? Well, Will’s mind always worked a bit differently than most people Nico had met, so maybe it was to him.
And that made him want to smile. So, in the first time ever with someone that wasn’t his sister, he let it happen.
Nico thought Will might cry.
“Are you okay?” Nico asked.
“Of course I am,” Will answered. “You’re really pretty.”
Nico had never been called pretty before. Not by someone as breathtaking as Will Solace. Will Solace, who still had his hand on his cheek.
Will looked like he was about to combust.
“Are you sure?” Nico asked again.
“Yeah, you’re, like- um…”
“I mean are you sure you’re okay.”
Realization dawned on Will’s face, his mouth forming a perfect “o” before he started laughing at himself. “Sorry. I’m not very good at this date stuff.”
“Neither am I.”
“But I guess any date is a good date as long as I’m with you.”
Nico blinked as he processed what Will had just said. “What?”
“I’m- was that okay?”
Nico tried to turn his head, but Will’s hand was still there on his cheek like an anchor. If he moved, it would fall away. Which did Nico want more: to keep that contact or to hide a smile Will had already seen? At this moment, it dawned upon Nico that he liked it when Will touched him. The only other person he allowed to touch him like this was Hazel. Why was he allowing Will? Maybe it’s because the area of his brain that would normally dislike this was shut down by the way Will was blushing right now. Yeah, that’s probably it. Why was Will blushing?
“Yeah, it’s okay.” He was smiling.
“Oh, great.” Will laughed again. “Sorry, I’m a nervous laugher.”
“I… noticed.”
“Hey, don’t make fun of me.” Will’s thumb had begun to move across his cheek minutely. Nico shouldn’t have been able to feel it. Will was just a very tactile person, it appeared. Maybe that was okay.
Nico swallowed. They were so close right now. There was one thing Nico had always wanted to do. He knew now was the perfect- maybe only- time to act. But how did he go about it? Was he supposed to ask? Hey, Will, can I kiss you? No, Nico knew that if he opened his mouth now all that would come out was dumb mumbling. But he had to do something besides staring at Will.
So he did something.
It only lasted a second. It was more of a peck than anything else, really. But when Nico pressed his lips against Will’s for that split second, he didn’t care about anything else in the world. That split second was warm, filling Nico’s stomach with sparks that made him wish he had the bravery to pull Will closer. When he eventually pulled away, he stared at Will for some kind of response.
Will just stared back, dumbfounded.
(Was he upset?)
And then he started to smile.
And then he pressed his fingertips to his lips.
And then he started to giggle.
Nico’s heart was going to break.
“Did you just kiss me?” Will asked. Nico nodded. “Well, uh- thank you? I mean-” Will slapped himself in the face.
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Will looked up between his hands to see Nico smile. A big one, too. One that he had only shown his sisters before. But now he and Will had just kissed, so maybe he should start being more open with him. (He could do that.)
Will looked like an idiot. The sun had really set now, making his eyes look like a bright purple in the reflection of the lake. He was still giggling and he had no clue what to do with his hands. His hair was a total mess- when had he brushed it last? But here Nico was, smiling. Because of Will Solace.
He could live with that.