Work Text:
Nico didn’t like to cry, but sometimes he found himself doing it.
Sometimes every single thing that had happened to him in the last years suddenly arose to his consciousness in the form of a bubble, so his brain was like a box full of bubbles and every time one exploded, and eventually all did, he was left with a fresh memory. Or several. And now, on top of all that… he felt alone.
Maybe because it was Valentine’s Day… yes, probably that was it. And he had no one to share it with. It didn’t mean he wanted exclusively a boyfriend, just someone to talk to. He wanted Bianca, but he knew that wasn’t possible, so he thought of Hazel, but that was also not going to happen because his half-sister was at Camp Jupiter. And even if she hadn’t been so far away, she was supposed to spend the day with Frank and the last thing he wanted was to spoil her day, too. Percy and Annabeth, Piper and Jason, Tyson and Ella, all of them were in their silly little world, full of happiness and fluffy words and puppies and hearts. They didn't have time for him and today he didn’t have anyone. Everybody was busy making out and even though they had offered him to spend the evening with them he had refused, not wanting to be the third wheel. So there he was, hidden in the woods.
He had stumbled across this huge tree with branches so long they hid him from the rest of the world, and he just lay there on the grass with his arms wrapped around his legs and his face buried in his thighs, crying like a baby.
He hated to cry, it made him feel weak, like a little kid. The thought of someone finding him crying made him panic. It was so embarrassing! That was why, in order to avoid people finding him in a random corner of Camp, he had escaped to the woods. No one would find him there. Nobody knew where he was. Well... maybe someone would. The only person who knew him well enough to know exactly where he could be. Nico felt a warmth spreading through his body. It was inevitable.
Will, he thought. His best friend. The boy that knew him better than everyone.
He had needed eight months. Eight months to become his best friend and read him like no one ever could. Eight months to be able to glance at him and know what he was thinking. The only thing Will never seemed to notice -and thank the Gods, Nico thought- was that every time Will did something, well, Willish, Nico smiled. It was his I-love-you-so-much-stop-it-I-hate-you smile. Because after eight months, he had finally allowed himself to say it, even if only in his mind. He had a little crush on his best friend, the word ‘little’ being the biggest understatement ever.
Would he ever admit that to anyone? Gods, no! Over his dead body, and not even then. Will was an amazing person for whom he had a special spot in his mind, where he could think about his best friend all he wanted and feel really guilty after. He wasn't what Percy had been. He did admire his healing abilities and his constant need to help people and make everyone feel happy and safe but Will wasn't an unhealthy obsession, a hero he put on a pedestal and looked at from below. He was a great influence, a good advisor (except when it came to weapons and fighting tactics, he was horrible at that) and the best company he could ask for. Will was this little demigod cupcake who helped everyone and was nice to everyone all the time. Everyone at Camp Half-Blood adored him, sentiment they didn’t share over Nico because he was too creepy and made everyone feel unsettled, and that was another reason he felt alone.
He couldn’t help his powers, and people seemed to be freaked out every time he shadow travelled or talked about his dad and Persephone, no need to mention any incident where he summoned certain dead entities.
Right now Will was probably with his normal friends so he didn’t wanna interrupt and make everyone feel awkward. He knew he wasn’t welcomed. Nico wished he could be alone with Will because he was the first person that had been able to make him truly happy again. And not being with him right now... was part of the reason he was crying. Not that he would ever admit that. Nico di Angelo was stubborn.
Now, concerning his friend: Was Will gay? Definitely. Did Will know Nico was, too? Nico hadn’t said anything but somehow the blond one had hinted that he knew. Did Will like Nico? Of course not, why would he? He did flirt with him but Will Solace was the kind of person that would flirt with a bowl of fruit was he given the chance. He really was Apollo's son. He cared about Nico as a friend, but that was it. Once again, he wished Bianca was there, so he could talk to her. It was times like this when he felt he was going crazy. Nico had way too many secrets and he kept them to himself, so every now and then he felt he was going to explode if he didn't share them with someone. He had told Will a couple but he certainly couldn't tell him this one. How would he even start?
"So, I'm in love with this guy, what should I do?" He tried to speak but his voice cracked from all the crying. He felt so pathetic.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" He felt a soft voice coming from his left and he froze. How long had he been there? Nico quickly dried the traces of his tears and took a slow, shaky breath, trying to put himself together as nonchalantly as possible but didn’t quite manage it. He had been crying for an hour, after all.
"What are you doing here?!" He spat angrily, winning a grin from Will.
"I came looking for you. I figured you’d probably run off to the woods where no one could find you. I've been walking around for fifty minutes.” of course he had been “Thought I wasn’t going to find you and get lost instead." Nico felt the urge to hug him, but he rather managed to look upset.
"I want to be alone" he said even though it was exactly the opposite of what he wanted.
"Yeah, sure" Will said, clearly not buying it.
They were quiet for a few minutes. Nico knew Will was giving him his space. He could either tell him what was happening, or he could keep acting like a stubborn child for another twenty minutes. He was honestly tired from all the crying, so he started:
"There is this guy I sort of... like" he could feel his cheeks getting red and he realized he would have to tell him who it was sooner or later so he backed down. "I don't really want to talk about it".
"Okay" Will said softly, understanding. They locked eyes. "Nobody should be alone on Valentine's Day, though."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I am not flirting with you, Honeybunch. I meant that Valentine’s Day isn’t only for couples, you know. Friends can hang out too. " he explained "So I came looking for you because you don't deserve to be alone. Nobody does." Will was smiling and Nico was dying because of the smile.
"Don't call me Honeybunch!" he whispered sternly.
Will stood up and offered his hand to Nico. He stared at it. Will rolled his eyes and pulled his friend up by the hand, smiling widely. They began to walk, holding hands for a moment before Nico yanked his out of his best friend’s clasp. He fixed his fringe so Will wouldn’t notice he was blushing furiously.
"Give me a smile" Will said teasingly.
Nico grunted and Will laughed.
"C'mon. Wanna play Mythomagic? I bet I can kick your ass."
"Ha. You wish. The only ass getting kicked around here will be yours, Solace." Nico responded as they walked out of the wood. He was trying not to smile but it was hard.
...
Four hours later, they were done with lunch and heading back to the Hades cabin to continue their Mythomagic war. So far, the score was easy to remember: Nico had won the last 20 games. He would've won 21 but he had got distracted when Will yawned and streched his arms, lifting his camp t-shirt slightly and showing off part of his belly. This had made Nico attack without his additional instant card. Rookie mistake. He, Nico had made an incomplete attack in mythomagic. Stupid raging hormones.
"Oh my Gods, you are the worst player ever, you really haven’t got a clue!" Nico teased while they entered the cabin, sitting on Nico's bed, where they had been playing before.
"It's not my fault! I'm an amateur player and you are like the best I've ever seen!" Will said in response.
"Well, I have devoted many hours to this game for years" Nico shrugged, smiling.
Just a few hours earlier he had been crying his eyes out, feeling like the pain was going to eat him away like the shadows once tried. And now he was happy. He was playing his favorite game with his favorite person in the world (not that he would ever say that out loud) and couldn't stop laughing. He had been saved from the shadows by Will again.
"Okay, okay, I need a break. Loosing so many times in a row cannot be good for my self-esteem" Will announced.
"We just came from a break!" Nico huffed but relented. More rounds of his favorite cards game weren't worth chasing Will away.
He threw the game cards to the floor and Will did the same, changing from a vertical to a horizontal position so now he was lying down on the bed. Nico did the same thing, putting his head beside Will’s legs and they stayed like that for a while, in a comfortable silence. After a few minutes Will started humming softly. And then he sang.
"Have you ever had the feeling you're drawn to someone?
Any reason anything they could've said or done?
And everyday I see you on your own..."
"What are you doing...?" Nico interrupted with a voice that was calm but cautious.
"Singing...?"
"Yeah, but why are you singing that?"
"Singing what? What is wrong with what I'm singing? I'm just singing!"
"Okay..."
Will kept singing the song, which seemed to be called something like 'Your boy boy b-b-boy-b-b-boyfriend', which made Nico feel more anxious by the minute. He finally exploded.
"Stop it!"
"Stop what?! I am not doing anything!"
"You are indirectly flirting with me!" Nico sat up and his friend followed.
"No, I am not! I'm just singing a Big Time Rush song that I like!"
"No! You are singing something about boyfriends and love and being drawn to someone and all that shit! Why did you pick that song?”
"I did not pick the song, you poptart! It's just a song that's stuck in my head!"
They looked at each other intensely.
"Do you want me to flirt with you?" Will asked suddenly.
"Why would you even ask that?!" Nico was going crazy. He was fighting a lot of emotions. He wanted to scream 'YES PLEASE FLIRT THE SHIT OUT OF ME' but he also wanted to run away so they wouldn't have this conversation.
"Because it looks like it" Will stated.
"Well, I don't." Nico stated firmly, though he knew Will was aware that his “statements” were usually quite insincere.
They continued to look at each other. Nico was speechless. The truth was that Will was great. He made him very happy, he was always there to cheer him up and always cared about his well-being. He was the best friend he could ask for, but sometimes he couldn't even look at him. His face, those blue eyes and the freckles that made him look so adorable. His smile and his tanned skin, all those things made Nico crazy. Every time he checked him out his brain would short-circuit for a few seconds. Like a machine, he wasn’t able to function. The thought that he felt attracted and connected to Will in that way freaked him out.
Back to reality, he felt trapped. So he did the only thing he knew how to do. He fled. He stood up and ran out of the cabin.
Again, he thought, Will had done it again. He was left confused and unable to think straight. Literally.
Nico wasn't ready. He scanned his surroundings looking for a shadow to vanish from having to face the music like he so often did but before he could reach a patch of shade, a hand grabbed hold of his arm. Will pulled both of them into the cabin, Nico's attempts to get away failing miserably.
"You are not getting away again. I want to have a serious conversation with you that does not involve you shadow-traveling away every time things get tense or emotional". Will stated firmly, making Nico look at him. "Also, I am gonna tell you one last time: Stop. Shadow. Travelling. You will get hurt again." He had never looked so serious.
A few seconds passed but Will didn't say a word.
"Didn't you want to have a conversation? Well, talk, Solac..!"
He stopped as he felt the clash of Will's lips against his. It didn't last more than three seconds. He pulled away from Nico and simply walked out of the cabin, leaving Nico stunned, confused and blushing furiously.
He didn't remember his name, where he was or what day it was. He only knew one thing: even if he had been left alone, he didn’t feel lonely.