Chapter Text
Nico wakes up in a bundle of nerves. He knows he can always reschedule. They weren’t flying back until the twenty-seventh, but Nico kind of really wants to do this on their anniversary. He knows Will would appreciate the full-circle moment, and there’s something satisfying in it for Nico, too. Five years, and they’re about to become fiancés. Nico’s so excited he wants to throw up. But he can’t because that would be a really sucky proposal.
“Can hear you thinkin’, darlin’,” Will mumbles. His accent always seemed stronger in the mornings or when he was sleepy. Or when he’s spent the last four days with his family. Nico loves it, the soft, syrupy way Will just glides through the vowels.
Will makes grabby hands for Nico, eventually giving up and scooting closer to he’s spooning Nico from behind. Nico hopes Will can’t feel his heart pounding. He doesn’t want to be a nervous wreck all day, but he still hasn’t figured out how he wants to ask Will. Or he hasn’t decided amongst the hundreds of ideas that have popped into his head. Gods, maybe he should just wait for Will to ask him.
“When does Michael usually get up?” Nico asks.
“Seven? Unless Mama told him later.”
“Does that work?”
Will hums. “Only if he doesn’t wake her.” Nico feels Will press a kiss to the back of his neck. “Which means he can still wake us.”
“Of course.”
Nico wonders if he should just let this day run its course. He’s never spent Christmas Day with the Solaces, so maybe a perfect time will present itself. He just has to make sure he doesn’t freak out before that.
Luckily, he doesn’t have a lot of time to freak out because someone’s banging on their door shortly, and Olive starts scratching at the doorframe.
“Put those claws back in your paws, miss!” Will huffs.
There’s laughter in the hallway. “Better have some clothes on!” And then the door is falling open. Olive zooms out, probably headed for the kitchen. Nico has enough time to roll over just as Michael lands on the bed. There’s a slight tussle and then Will is falling off of the bed, sheets and all. Michael follows after him, Will grabbing his arm on the way down. Nico just rolls his eyes.
“It was my turn to wake them!” Kayla huffs. “I’m getting Lee!”
“Oh no you don’t!” Nico hears Lee shout.
“I called dibs on Nico and Will!” Austin yells.
“I think your mom’s awake now.”
Will laughs. “She can sleep through anything if she wants to.”
Michael’s already racing out of the room, probably headed for Austin’s room. Nico leans over the bed to help Will. He’s got his legs caught.
“I guess that means it’s time to get up.”
They manage to catch some peace in the bathroom, brushing their teeth and combing their hair. Will makes sure to set out their ugly Christmas sweaters. Apparently, the picture usually happened after presents but before lunch. Even though they were definitely ugly, Nico still likes the sight of the three sweaters lined up on the bed. He can’t believe he’s going to match with a cat.
The kitchen is already bustling. Naomi’s up and sipping tea while Lee and Austin are cooking up eggs and bacon. Katie’s brewing coffee, and Kayla and Michael seem to be chasing each other in the backyard.
“Don’t ask,” Lee says. Nico opens the fridge for some juice, carefully shifting everything in the fridge. They’d gone ahead and prepped some dishes for today, and they were all carefully stacked. “Oh, do we have any mushrooms in there?”
Nico finds the juice and the mushrooms, stealing a piece of bacon from Austin. Will’s hoarding the bowl of fruit, and Katie’s setting out the yogurt and granola. Basically, anything that wasn’t going to be eaten for Christmas dinner was fair game.
“Alright, time for presents!” Kayla says, bursting into the kitchen. She’s got grass stains on her pjs and a leaf in her hair. Michael looks about the same.
“Eat something first!” Naomi says. “There are cinnamon rolls in the oven.”
Nico’s thankful for Will manages to grab him one. He hasn’t quite gotten the hang of fending off the Solace siblings for food yet. It seems to be a holiday feralness that he doesn’t have to worry about any other time of the year.
Eventually, though, everyone manages to get food on their plates. Will chooses a spot by the tree, Olive already peeking out between the presents. She’s somehow squished herself in there, looking like a spy. Nico hopes she doesn’t think all the gifts are for her.
Katie passes out the gifts. Nico’s about to ask if they all take turns or just open them all at once when he’s interrupted by the sound of ripping paper.
“It’s just a free-for-all,” Will says. “But that gift is from Olive.”
Nico unwraps the smallest gift, finding a plush mouse. He’s pretty sure it’s full of catnip. “Thank you, Olive. How thoughtful of you.”
Olive just stretches, looking at the wrapping paper around her. She’s probably declining which colors she wants for her nest. Nico can’t really see too much through the haze of wrapping paper and glitter. Seriously, why was there so much glitter? But he manages to keep his gifts close enough that he doesn’t lose them.
“This one is from Mama,” Will says. Nico starts tearing up when he sees the picture frame. It’s been decorated with their names in beautiful calligraphy and a picture of them together. Nico doesn’t even remember this picture being taken, but it probably sums up their relationship pretty well.
Will was riding piggyback on Nico, both of them were laughing. Will’s legs looked ridiculously long, and there is dirt on Will’s knees from the first several attempts. If Nico looks hard enough, he can see Will’s flip-flops thrown in the grass behind them. Piper was just out of the picture, but Naomi had cropped her out of this particular photo.
“I love it. We should hang it up.”
Will laughs. “I don’t even know where she got this.”
“I bet Piper gave it to her the last time she visited.”
Nico smiles, looking around the room. The floor was a sea of paper and bows. Olive was rolling around with her new toys. Nico notices someone has given her a new collar.
“Are you having a good Christmas, princess?” Will asks, scratching her ears. She purrs loudly, stretching her back legs out, while Will coos at her. Nico hopes she lives forever.
Eventually, Lee gets a trash bag, and they cram all of the wrapping paper and debris into one giant ball. Kayla and Austin race outside to test their new water guns, and Nico politely declines the invitation to join them. It may be warm in Texas, but he doesn’t think it’s warm enough for that.
“Did they forget we have a picture later?” Michael asks.
“Did you forget?” Will asks, nodding towards Michael’s grass stains.
“I prefer the rugged look.”
“Would explain your hair,” Lee says snorting.
“My hair is fine, thank you!”
“Could use a trim,” Katie says. “Here and maybe there. And are you wanting to keep the twig or not?”
Michael pouts. “Don’t forget: Santa can still put you on the naughty list.”
“But now I’ve got a whole year to make up for it,” Nico says.
“You, too?” Michael asks. “I’m wounded.”
His hurt feelings last only as long as the cinnamon rolls do, and soon they’ve all been conscripted into doing the dishes. Katie and Lee stay behind to start preparing lunch, and Michael digs out his own water gun.
“Should we help?” Nico asks. “Or just me, I mean?”
Will gives him a playful shove. “You’re still technically a guest, which means you shouldn’t be helping so much.” He kisses Nico’s cheek, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist. Nico leans back against Will’s chest. He loves sitting like this, his head tucked under Will’s chin, Will’s arms around him. It always makes him feel so safe and loved.
“You ready for the family photo?” Will asks.
“I still can’t believe you’re gonna make Olive wear that.”
“She puts up less of a fight than you do,” Will says.
“If only I had claws.”
Will hums, kissing his hair. “Like you’d use them against me.”
“If I had a good enough reason.”
“Like what?”
“Like forcing me into an ugly sweater covered in glitter.”
“Good thing there’s no glitter.”
Nico lays his arms over Will’s, hugging him closer. He feels kind of sleepy, which he’s sure is a mix of staying up late last night and feeling so warm and cozy right now. He doesn’t understand how everyone else was running around in the backyard. He can hear someone squealing and Kayla shouting some kind of chant.
“Your family is chaotic.”
Will laughs, and Nico can feel the vibrations against his back. “You’ll become immune soon.”
Nico looks down at their hands. Would now be the time? He can imagine just sliding the ring onto Will’s finger and calling it a done deal, the ring glinting off of the Christmas lights, maybe a kiss or two. If only it weren’t still in their room. These pj pants don’t have pockets, and Nico wonders if this is how Hazel feels every day. At least he doesn’t have his phone either. He’s sure his friends are going to be curing their hangovers and blowing up the group chat soon.
“I can’t wait until we have a home like this,” Will says softly.
“Like with five bedrooms instead of two?”
“No, with a family. Though we would have to get more bedrooms probably. I doubt we want our kids sleeping in the same room as us.”
They’ve talked about this before, but it’s never felt so real to Nico. It’s always been something for Future Nico to think about.
“Aren’t we already a family?” Nice asks. “You, me, Olive.”
He feels Will’s arms tighten a little around him, like he wants to make sure Nico’s real and won’t disappear. “Yeah, we are. You, me, Olive. We should get married.”
If this were a cartoon, Nico’s jaw would have dropped open. As it is, he whirls around to face Will. Will looks so surprised that he immediately lets Nico go and Nico tumbles out of Will’s lap. He catches himself, and then Will’s apologizing.
“Gods, Nico, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean— well, I did. But I didn’t mean to drop you. Shoot. I just thought— but you don’t have to— unless you wanted to— gods, did you hit your head? Why are you laughing?”
Nico manages to sit up, grabbing WIll’s hands from where they’re trying to inspect Nico’s head for any bumps. He didn’t hit his head. Will’s lap wasn’t that far from the ground. He wants to tell Will it’s okay or maybe yell at him a little for getting the jump on Nico or just kiss him silly, but he’s laughing too hard to get words out.
It takes him a few moments to calm down, and then he’s gently pecking Will on the lips. “Wait right there. Don’t you dare move,” he says.
Will looks adorably confused, but at least Nico’s wiped that concerned look from his face. His hands are shaking a little as he walks down the hallway. The ring is right where he’d hidden it, and he debates finding a pair of pants that has pockets. But then Will might get worried again and come find him. So he just attempts to hide it in his palm.
“Nico, what’s that?”
“A surprise. Just let me surprise you.”
Will had always been the one to surprise Nico, always thinking up sweet gifts or treats. But it’s Nico’s turn. (Even though technically Will’s just surprised him once again.)
“Will, sunshine, um. I had this all planned out and now I can’t remember anything I wanted to say. Except that I love you so much. Your smile and your laugh and your ridiculous tattoo. I love that you care so much about everything and can always make me smile even when I want to punch something. You’ve put up with me through school and this past year, even with everything you’ve had to do. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And Olive. Because I know you two are a package deal.”
“You got that right,” Will says, but he’s already crying.
“So, um, basically I’m asking you— I mean.” Nico takes a deep breath, almost dropping the ring box when he tries to open it. “Will you marry me, sunshine?”
“Gods, yes.” Will barely lets him even try to put the ring on him before he’s pulling Nico into the tightest hug possible. Nico just wraps his arms around Will. Luckily, Will lets him go before his legs fall asleep. Will uses his shirt to wipe his face, grabbing a tissue from the coffee table to blow his nose. It’s not quite romantic, but Nico thinks it’s close enough.
“I, uh, hope you like the ring.”
“Nico, it’s beautiful. I love you.”
Nico smiles, sliding the ring onto Will’s finger. It fits perfectly, which Nico’s so glad of. It was hard to subtly guess Will’s ring size. Will stares at it for a full minute before leaning forward to kiss Nico. Nico thinks he probably should have blown his own nose, but it’s too late for that. He does grab a tissue, though, once they’ve pulled apart.
“Can I tell people?” Will asks. He’s beaming, and Nico’s so in love with him.
“Yeah, you can.”
“Mama, look!” Will says, holding out his hand. Nico hadn’t even realized Naomi was standing in the doorway, her phone in hand. Nico’s sure they both look like messes, but he doesn’t care. He’s going to frame at least one of those.
Lunch gets put on hold so Will can gush, and Nico’s too happy to be embarrassed that all of the attention is on them. He finds his phone buried underneath some laundry and sends them a picture so they’ll finally stop asking him how and when. Then he silences his phone until they all tire themselves out.
Later, they all get dressed in their ugly sweaters. Nico fights Olive for Will’s lap and ends up with the cat in his lap. But he doesn’t mind.
“You’re gonna adopt Olive, right?” Will asks when Michael halts the process to switch out his socks.
“I suppose that’s the responsible thing to do.”
“I know you love her.”
Olive was currently purring up a storm on Nico’s lap. Somehow his ugly sweater next to her ugly sweater didn’t clash as much as Nico thought it would.
“I do. Fine. Are there papers to sign?”
Will grins. “Oh, definitely. She’ll be so happy.”
Nico doubts that Olive really cares as long as she gets fed, but he does love the idea of their little family. He scratches Olive’s chin. She bats at his hand when he pauses long enough for the photo to be taken.
“Hey, Nico,” Will whispers. “Happy anniversary.”
“Merry Christmas, you dork.”
Will presses a kiss to Nico’s hair. “I love you, baby.”
Nico squeezes his hand, feeling the warm metal of Will’s ring. He’s so happy. “I love you, too, sunshine.”