Chapter Text
Will woke to a dark room and silence, leaving his senses stripped and trying to grasp at anything that gave him a hint as to where he was. A moving body wrapped in the sheets beside him cleared his mind instantly, reminding him that they were tucked away in Nico’s apartment. Here, laying together and just cherishing each other’s presence, they were hidden from the world–the prying eye, the dangers, all of it.
A groan disturbed him from his thoughts of a perfect life here, just him and Nico. A mess of black hair poked from under the duvet and plopped onto a pillow face down, groaning yet again. The clock on the nightstand read 10:42 A.M., too early by Nico’s standards and too late by Will’s. He rolled onto his side to wrap an arm around Nico, feeling the man curl into him instinctively. “Good morning, my love,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to Nico’s messy bed head.
“Shut up. Sleeping,” Nico muttered, but his hand grasped at the material of Will’s tee shirt and twisted, pulling them closer together. He rested his head on Will’s pillow, cheek pressed against his chest. “Better.”
Will giggled before moving his free hand to card through Nico’s hair as he hummed softly below him. This was all of the things Will dreamed of–sleepy Saturdays with the love of his life, curled into bed and having lazy conversations that would mean nothing in an hour. He inhaled deeply through his nose, appreciating the way that his scent mixed with Nico’s, creating an aroma unique to them. Nobody else on Earth would get to smell this scent, and luckily it happened to be Will’s favorite.
When Nico dozed off once more, he untangled himself from this boyfriend to stand shakily from the bed. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, he made his way to the kitchen to attempt breakfast in bed. Their three month anniversary neared closer with each day, so Will figured that he would get as much practice in now as he could.
Whisking all the ingredients together and heating a skillet on the stove, he poured a thin layer of batter to cover the surface and watched as it browned. He repeated this over and over again until he had a decently sized stack of thin crepes. He smiled to himself, then pulled the Nutella from the pantry and scooped a heaping into a random icing bag.
He cut up an assortment of fruit and threw them into individualized bowls, then poured some powdered sugar into a shaker. Placing everything on a tray, along with two flutes filled with champagne and orange juice, he tip-toed quietly back to the bedroom and a sleeping Nico. He knocked lightly on the door as he stepped inside, taking in the way Nico looked as he woke.
Outstretched arms, a small yawn, and hands rubbing lightly at sleep-filled eyes. The thin strips of light peeking through the blinds landed on Nico in a way that made him glow and look like an angel. He thought this was the most beautiful sight of the world and he wanted it to play on repeat constantly in his mind.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of Nico’s head after crossing the room and reaching the edge of the bed. He placed the tray in between both of their spots, then shuffled around the bed to take his own seat.
Nico covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned again then turned to look at him. “What’s this?” He eyed the food suspiciously, undoubtedly calculating the odds that his atrocious cooking skills came out and were destined to poison them.
“I made us crepes. Breakfast in bed.”
“What did you do?”
He laughed, a deep throaty sound with the slightest hint of sleepiness laced at the edges. “Can I not just treat my wonderful boyfriend to breakfast in bed?” Arching his eyebrow with a defeated look on his face, he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted in defeat.
A whack to his chest broke him from his façade, then they were both giggling lightly. “Thank you,” Nico smiled, darting over to place a kiss on his cheek.
They made their crepes in silence, the only sound filling the room being the humming Nico did as he worked. Will watched him spread a variety of fruit along the Nutella coated crepe then fold it expertly. He, on the other hand, only put bananas in his then struggled to fold it neatly. Nico laughed at him and rolled his eyes, then leaned over and helped him fold it.
As they ate, chocolate occasionally became smudged at the corners of their mouths, resulting in it being wiped or kissed away by the other. They sat and enjoyed each other’s presence, not even needing to talk and fill the silence.
When they both finished off their portions, Nico quickly jumped into Will’s lap, attaching their lips instantly. They kissed with renowned fervor and passion, fueled by the bubbling love growing between them. They kissed like it would be their last or as if their lives depended on it, not even wanting to break away for air.
Nico’s hands ran through his blond curls, tugging slightly as their lips sped up and chased each other more desperately. His own hands glided down Nico’s back, taking their place on his hips. Lips kissed a path from his mouth down his jaw, resting on his neck where they switched between delicate kisses and light, frantic sucking.
A quiet noise slipped past his lips as his head lolled back slightly. “Nico,” he panted between breaths. “I have a question.” His words were breathy and exhausted, thickly coated in lust fueled desire.
Nico pulled away, lips separating from his skin with a pop. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, not wanting to be disturbed from their previous activities. “What?” his tone sounded annoyed but the loving look in his eyes conveyed otherwise.
“When did you take that picture?”
Nico’s expression shifted from annoyed to confused. “What picture?”
“The one you used in your presentation. At the very beginning.”
The red on Nico’s face flushed deeper as his eyes widened in shock, mind clicking with the realization. “I– That’s not–” he stammered, desperately searching for something to clutch on to. “What do you mean?”
A smile spread across his face, reveling in the power he held to mess with his boyfriend. “Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean, darlin’.” Nico’s face darkened, something he didn’t even know to be possible in his exasperated state. He took pride in the way the other man got so flustered at the slight Southern accent, especially when he called him, “darlin’.”
“Can you stop that?” Nico gritted between his teeth, head tucked in the crook of Will’s neck. He pulled back after a second to glare daggers at him, but he just flashed a toothy smile. “Okay! I took it during one of our first meetings. Happy?” He grunted before plopping back down to rest his head on Will’s shoulder.
“Hmm,” he hummed, tapping his fingers against his temple. “Why’d you take it?” His fingers slithered across Nico’s sides and torso, tickling him senseless and reveling in the giggles that came from the other man.
“Stop, stop! I took it because Jason wanted to see what you looked like, okay?”
He stilled his fingers. “Oh, so you talked to Jason about me? I thought I was so insufferable.” A pause of silence. “Oh my god, did you…”
“Shut up, Will. I hate you so much,” he groaned. “Yes, I talked to Jason about you because I found you so annoying but also so attractive. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
He hummed approvingly. “Yes, thank you darlin’.” He kissed the top of Nico’s head. “Glad to hear you think I’m attractive.”
Nico snorted beneath him. “Oh shut up. You know you’re pretty.” He pulled away from Will’s chest and gazed up at him, searching for a reaction.
He inhaled deeply, heart skipping a beat at those words. Nico smirked at the reaction then rested his head against his chest and let his hands draw random shapes across Will’s body. “Doesn’t hurt to hear,” he finally choked out, breathless and so utterly in love with this man.
“Is that so? Well,” he paused, “maybe I’ll just have to remind you.” Their lips connected once more and did a slow dance together, drawing each ounce of love from each other. As smaller hands rested atop his own, Will knew that he was a goner. He knew that he would do anything for this man and never regret a minute of it.
Mid-December weather in New York despised Will Solace, and he hated it just as much. He stood outside Nico’s apartment building bundled in multiple layers, shivering as boxes of his things rested in his arms. The door swung open to Nico on the other side, dressed just as warmly. “Hi, you,” he smiled, standing on his tip-toes to press a quick kiss.
Will smiled and glided past, bringing the boxes into the elevator and taking it to Nico’s apartment. A smaller box propped the door open, making it easy for him to set his pile of boxes on the floor near the kitchen table. It only took a couple more trips to finish lugging the rest of Will’s belongings upstairs, and the door slammed shut as he placed the last box on the floor.
“I can’t believe we’re going to be living together,” he breathed, running a hand through his curls. Despite the chill of the weather, he worked up a decent sweat carrying everything up. Nico stood across from him, twisting the ring on his finger nervously as he stared at the ground. He simply nodded before moving away to begin unpacking. “Hey, is everything okay? If this is too much we don’t need to do this right now.”
They had talked extensively about this, but Will knew how scared Nico still was about being abandoned or sudden changes. He figured that sticking in his apartment would make this easier, but now he questioned if it just made things worse. Nico shook his head quickly, sighing lightly. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m okay. Just give me a minute.” He took a deep breath and turned to face him, then took another one. “Good. Just old anxiety creeping in, but I will be okay.”
Will walked forward and took his hands into his, noticing the way they shook slightly. He raised Nico’s knuckles to his lips and pressed a delicate kiss to each individual one, humming as he felt Nico relax a bit under his hold. “I know that you have a hard time with change and letting new people in–and that is a completely valid thing–but I want you to know one thing: I’m not going anywhere. I promise I won’t leave you, Nico. I love you more than I have ever loved someone before.”
A tear slid down Nico’s cheek and he wrapped Will in a tight hug. “I love you, too, dork.” They stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms in the safety of their apartment. Their apartment. Now, he could get used to the sound of that.
“Hey, babe, I’m home,” Nico called from the front door of their apartment. Will turned from his seat and saw his boyfriend shrugging off his coat and kicking off his shoes. He smiled and stretched out his arms, desperate for physical contact and affection. Nico rolled his eyes before jumping onto the couch next to him and wrapping his arms around Will’s neck. “What has you so clingy and smiley today?” He flicked the tip of Will’s nose lightly before running a hand through blond curls.
“Maybe I’m just happy to see my boyfriend. Is that a crime?”
“Absolutely not, but you see me everyday. You aren’t fooling me, Solace, what is it?”
“I got my finals grades back for the semester,” he said, grinning like a fool.
“And…”
“I passed! With flying colors nonetheless.”
Nico threw himself further into Will, squeezing him with a hug so tight it could kill. He littered kisses across every inch of skin on Will’s face, refusing to leave any place neglected. Will’s laughter made Nico laugh as well, which sent vibrations across his skin and made the affection feel even more pleasant. “See, I knew you would, Sunshine. You have a natural gift for helping people, and I’m so proud of you.”
Will smiled goofily at him, eyes filling with love. “I love you. Any news on your project?”
Nico drew back slowly, face set in a grimace that made Will’s heart race. “Yeah… I wasn’t gonna mention it after that, though.”
“Oh, babe, what happened? I thought it was perfect, and if your professor couldn’t see that then he is an idiot.”
The brunet’s scowl deepened as he chewed on his bottom lip. “I… I got an A+,” he whispered, a grin breaking out on his face. Will felt his grip on Nico tighten with the mix and shift in emotions, but he embraced Nico with every ounce of his being.
“I. Am. So. Proud. Of. You.” He kissed a different part of Nico after each word, which resulted in small laughter from beneath him. “You are literally the smartest person I know.”
Nico huffed but smiled up at him lazily. “Oh shut up, Doctor Solace. But, I love you.” Will leaned down and connected their lips, sliding his hand to the small of Nico’s back. A pleased hum passed between their lips and he honestly wasn’t sure which of them it came from.
First holidays with a new partner were scary. Will didn’t know what to get Nico despite knowing everything about the man, and he didn’t know how serious they were making this. Instead of doing the rational thing and, you know, asking Nico, he took the hard route and tried to guess.
But as they sat across from each other on Christmas morning, a couple presents scattered beneath the tree, Will knew he messed up. All of the presents for him from Nico were neatly wrapped and situated, while his were significantly more sloppy and strewn across the expanse underneath their tree.
Honestly, he was just shocked that he had been able to keep it a secret for this long. He loved to buy gifts for people, but absolutely hated keeping the secret. They sat cross-legged in front of the tree, quickly handing off gifts to the others. Once their individual piles were made, they each picked up one they wanted to start with.
Nico began to tear at the wrapping paper but Will stopped him hastily. “Wait!” Nico paused, raising an eyebrow. “I– I didn’t know exactly what to do or how we were going about this, so some things may be weird so I’m sorry,” he rushed out sheepishly. He only received a laugh in response before Nico resumed tearing off the paper.
In his hands laid a small, dark box with a sun and moon engraved on top and outlined in gold. He opened the lid to find a gold band inside, the shape of a sun being spread across the top like Nico’s own skull ring. Will held his breath nervously, searching Nico’s body for any sort of reaction. He took a steady breath before leveling dark eyes with blue ones. “William Solace, if this is a proposal I am going to kill you.”
“No!” he cried, leaning forward. “Not that I don’t want to propose–because I do one day–but not now! It’s just, you have that skull ring and I know that it was your sister’s and that it’s important to you because it’s how you remember her, but I also want you to have something positive. And to remember me by.” He let silence hang between them. “Do you hate it?”
Nico sighed, which began to crumble his heart into a million pieces. He opened his mouth to apologize when Nico began to shake his head. “No, I don’t hate it. I love it.” He leaned across the gap and cupped Will’s hands in his face, kissing him tenderly. They broke away and stared into each other’s eyes. “I love you.” Will smiled brightly before turning to reach for his own gift.
They went through the rest of the gifts rather quickly, most of them just being a couple miscellaneous things the other mentioned wanting or that they needed for the apartment. Nico got him new baking supplies while he got Nico a couple classic books and a note that said, ‘Maybe you’ll have a newfound appreciation for these.’ That comment earned him a punch to the arm.
Will’s final gift sat between them, a large rectangular shape. Nico sat across from him rocking back and forth nervously as he watched Will tug on the edge of the wrapping paper. He dragged it slowly, intentionally wanting to draw out Nico’s reaction. However, when he saw the beginning hints of the gift he gasped and tore the rest off.
Crumpled wrapping paper strewn aside, he held a framed print of the photo of them in bed that he loved so dearly. The one that he wanted to frame and hang on every street corner in the city. He wanted it on every billboard so that someone would look at it and say, “I want what they have.” Tears brimmed in his eyes as he stared down at it.
“Do you like it?” Nico asked nervously, hand twisting at his new ring.
Will nodded furiously, tears beginning to stream down his face. “It’s perfect.”
“I figured we could hang it over by the dining room table on that empty wall. Especially since that was where we first really got to know each other?” Nico’s eyes lit up as he talked and Will couldn’t do anything but stare and appreciate the wonderful man in front of him. He nodded and leaned forward, connecting their lips for the hundredth time that day.
As their lips crashed together and he relaxed into Nico’s hold, he knew that this would be the man he married.
Four years had passed since that fateful day in the Starbucks where he spilled coffee on Nico. Since he found the love of his life. The two of them treated this day like a holiday, a date more special than their anniversary.
In that time, Nico worked on writing a book and having it published, but also volunteered to teach English classes at their local community college. Will graduated from medical school and began his residency, today marking the two week mark from the beginning. They still lived in the same apartment, still had all the same friends, and still loved each other. Well, maybe they loved each other a bit more now.
He had made dinner reservations for them, but as he sat at the table he couldn’t help but nervously tap his foot. A lot of strings had been pulled to manage what he wanted to do for Nico tonight, but he knew that it would be worth it in the end. The box in his coat pocket seemed to weigh a thousand pounds and he constantly felt himself distracted from whatever Nico was saying to think about the plan for tonight.
Nico excused himself to use the bathroom, so Will took his phone out and began furiously typing. Texts were sent to Hazel and Jason, guaranteeing that they had done their part, then to Lou and Cecil making sure set-up was going well. Affirmative texts from all parties set him at ease, so he pocketed his phone as Nico returned to the table.
After splitting a dessert, chocolate mousse cake, between the two of them, Will took Nico’s hand and nearly dragged him out the restaurant door. They chatted aimlessly as he led them towards Central Park, which was only a slight deviation from their normal route home so not much suspicion came from Nico. He had been getting increasingly handsy as they walked, but Will restrained himself and focused on the task at hand.
“Will, why aren’t we going home?” Nico whined, tugging at the blue tie Will wore.
He swatted Nico’s hands away and fixed the tie, lacing both of their hands together. “It’s been four years, can we not go on a nice walk together? Then we can go home.” He winked and led Nico in the right direction, not accepting anymore debate.
In the distance, he spotted the soft glow of fairy lights and the faint hum of music playing exactly where he directed everyone to set things up. He led Nico to the place where they enjoyed a picnic together towards their two month anniversary, an event that felt like forever ago by now. Nico’s hand squeezed his own and his steps slowed down. “Will…”
“Come on,” he whispered, tugging Nico toward the set-up. A blanket covered the grass and a song Nico told him reminded him of his mother and sister played lightly over the bluetooth speaker. He couldn’t see Hazel or Jason, but he trusted they were nearby. They sat on the blanket and Will took in the way Nico looked around like this was a dream and he would wake up any moment. Tears dotted his eyes and he looked at Will like he handcrafted the world.
“You…” he trailed off, gazing around in awe.
“Shh,” he whispered, pressing a finger to Nico’s lips. He stood and extended a hand. “Dance with me?”
Nico grasped his hand and shakily stood, looping his arms around Will’s neck clumsily. He rested his hands on Nico’s waist and they swayed slowly to the music. No words needed to be spoken at the moment, because this was perfect. Everything and more that he wanted in life.
As the song came to a close, Will broke off from Nico and dropped to one knee. With shaky hands, he reached into his pocket and produced a box, smiling up at Nico. Hazel and Jason emerged at that moment, one from each side recording to get both angles.
“Nico di Angelo, I don’t even know where to begin. You make me the happiest man alive, and each second with you is as natural as breathing. You have never given up on me, and I will never give up on you or on making you the happiest man on Earth because you deserve that and so much more. Now, the context isn’t perfect but, you taught me to hope as I had scarcely ever allowed myself to hope before. So,” he placed the box on his and opened it, “will you marry me, Nico?”
Nico stared down at him with wide eyes and tears forming in his eyes, hands clenched into fists at his sides. “William Solace, I hate you with every fiber of my being,” he seethed. “But, of course I’ll marry you, you idiot.” He let himself fully sob as Will slid the ring on his finger before embracing him tightly. “I love you,” he whispered into the hug.
“And I love you,” Will whispered back. Tears blurred his vision but he held onto Nico like he was his anchor to the real world. As if this moment would fall apart if he let go. They stood there, holding each other and pressing the occasional kiss to each other’s lips before a steady stream of applause surrounded them.
Breaking apart, they found a small crowd of their closest friends and family. He hadn’t planned this part, wanting to keep it small, but the wicked smile on Jason’s face told all he needed to know. His mother stood there, dabbing a tissue at her eyes with a man that he assumed to be Nico’s father. All of Nico’s friends stood in a semi-circle, clapping and wiping tears from their own eyes.
Will laced their hands together, never having been more proud of the path his life took than in this moment. Navigating a first love was tough. But, as he gazed at Nico he knew that everything they had been through was worth it. The good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. Every ounce of pain and every word spewed in a fight led them to this point in their lives, and he knew he wouldn’t do a single thing differently if given the chance. Because nothing compared to being with Nico. He was the only one for Will, forever and always.