Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The thing was, Nico has no idea when he and Will moved from being friends to being in love. Honestly, Nico doesn’t even know when they started officially dating. It’s not entirely his fault. Will has been his best friend for as long as Nico can remember and probably before. And Nico doesn’t want to go around messing things up by trying to pin specific dates to things. Was it their first kiss? When Will’s high school girlfriend broke up with him and they spent all weekend cuddling in Will’s bed and eating way too much junk food? Every time they’d ever said they loved each other?

The first time they kiss is far from romantic. It’s at some stupid middle school dance that Nico doesn’t even want to go to. But he goes because Will had said that it was going to be something that they’d want to remember and tell their grandchildren.

“It’s just a middle school dance. Nothing that special,” Nico whines when Will tells him about it. “Just the same stinky gym and same annoying peers. Only, we’ll all be crammed into the same room.”

“It’ll be fun, okay? There will be music and dancing and food. I’ll even pay for your ticket, okay?”

Nico sighs. “Do I have to dress up?”

Will shakes his head. “Nope. You can even wear what you’re wearing now.”

Nico huffs. “What kind of dance is it if I don’t even have to dress up?”

Will rolls his eyes. “You can dress up if you want. Your dad just got you that new suit, right?”

Nico nods. His dad was always buying him stuff that he might need. Nico had all sorts of stuff that he might need crammed into his closet for whenever that time would come. Sometimes, he and Will liked to go through it and make up scenarios when he could whatever the item was.

“Yeah, but I’m not dressing up if no one else is. I’ll just be lame.”

“Suit yourself,” Will says, winking. Nico shoves him playfully.

“That was a bad pun.”

“You mean a very good one.”

In the end, Will manages to convince Nico merely because Will hasn’t let Nico down yet. If he said a middle school dance would be fun, Nico had to at least try it. Maybe it would be. It sure beats another Disney movie marathon. Nico was pretty sure he could quote every single one word for word by now. (Not that Will thought that was a bad thing.)

Nico’s mom drives them both to the dance, smiling as she tries to tame Nico’s hair. He hasn’t done anything to change his appearance other than switch shirts. He thinks Will would like it if he put at least a little effort into looking nice.

He knows he’s right when he sees Will’s grin. “Nice shirt. Thank you, Mrs. di Angelo.”

Nico knows he should have stayed home the moment he sees the school. There are a few students standing out in front of the doors waiting to collect tickets. Will grins at Nico, producing two tickets that he hands proudly to a girl from Nico’s social studies class.

“Have fun!” she chirps.

Will grabs Nico’s hand, pulling him towards the doors.

“Promise me you’ll at least try to have fun, okay?”

Nico nods. He really means it. Until he makes it to the gym. It’s crowded and loud and kind of dark. It looks like a good place to catch the plague, Nico thinks. Not that he’ll say that out loud. It’s definitely still the same stinky gym and the same classmates. Except, there has been some effort to decorate.

“Let’s get food,” Will says.

Nico doesn’t argue, letting himself be led to a small assortment in the corner. There are a few bowls of chips and pretzels and a cooler full of juice boxes. He guesses he should be glad that they’re trusted with that much. He and Will fill up their plates before sitting on the bleachers.

“It’s kind of loud in here,” Will shouts. Nico rolls his eyes, nodding. There are kids everywhere dancing or attempting to talk or just looking bored. There are a few kids who have gathered near the center of the gym to have a dance-off. That might be the most fun part of this dance, Nico thinks. If he actually wanted to dance.

“We should dance,” Will says as if reading Nico’s mind.

Nico sighs, but he stands up. He did promise to try and have fun after all. And he doesn’t want to let Will down. It’s clear that Will’s have some fun at least. He moves to the music, and Nico has to keep himself from laughing. They both know that Will is a bad dancer, but that doesn’t stop him. Will waves his arms around and shakes his hips. It’s endearing in a way that Nico can only describe as Will.

Will could make almost anything endearing.

They’re about to get more food when a group of friends comes up to Will.

“Hi, we’re going to play a game. Wanna join?” Nico silently hopes Will’ll say no, but he watches in horror as Will just nods.

“Can Nico come, too?” The girl nods, smiling. She leads them to a quieter corner where they’ve set up what looks like spin the bottle. Only it’s a plastic soda bottle that someone must have snuck in. Nico groans. Spin the bottle is for middle schoolers, he knows, but he feels above that. Besides, he’s never been kissed, and he doesn’t want his first kiss to be like this. With a stranger because a bottle said so.

“You don’t have to play if you don’t want to,” Will says just loud enough for Nico to hear. And Nico knows Will won’t make fun of him for stepping out. And he won’t let anyone else say bad things about Nico for feeling uncomfortable. But maybe there’s something else, something Nico can’t quite place his finger on yet that makes him say yes.

“I’ll play.” Will smiles at him.

They sit in a makeshift circle. Nico kind of zones out while the other people take their turn. He’s never been interested in party games, and he doesn’t even really know these people. But Will and his parents were always telling him to at least make school friends (because Will would always be Nico’s best friend), so he’s making an effort.

Nico blinks when Will nudges him. “It’s your turn.”

“Wait. Did you go?” Nico asks.

Will shakes his head. “We’re going this way. I go after you.”

Nico takes a deep breath and spins the bottle. Maybe there is something about this game. It definitely strikes Nico’s nerves a bit. Maybe it’s because he’s grown up beside Will, Will who believes in true love and happy endings, Will who believes in first kisses and romance. But Nico believes that first kisses shouldn’t be in stinky gyms surrounded by sweaty peers, and they definitely shouldn’t be determined by a bottle.

He’s not sure if it’s fate or luck or what that stops the bottle on Will.

“We, um, don’t have to,” Will says after a few silent moments. It’s most definitely pointing at Will, almost touching the toe of his sneaker.

“It’s fine,” Nico says, only he can feel his entire face heating up.

Will gives him a smile, leaning forward to peck Nico’s cheek.

“A real kiss, you guys!” a girl calls from across the circle. (Later, Nico will secretly thank this girl. But right now, he’s mentally flipping her off.)

Nico locks eyes with Will, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, that feeling is back, the one Nico can’t quite put his finger on. He looks at Will, not sure what to do. He’s been told that he doesn’t have to give in to peer pressure, but there’s something else inside of him telling him to take this chance.

It’s Will, he thinks. It’s Will. But he doesn’t know what point he’s trying to make.

“Nico?” Will asks.

And then Nico’s leaning forward, gently taking Will’s face in his hands. (They’ve waved enough movies to know how kissing looks.) He presses their lips together. It’s nothing special like in the movies, but Nico’s heartbeat definitely does a dance. When they pull away, Will’s smiling at him.

“We’re still best friends, right?” Nico asks.

“Best friends forever,” Will says as the game continues without them.
-
Though they kissed in middle school, they don’t start dating. Not really. Will starts dating this pretty blond girl named Katie sophomore year, and Nico’s okay with that. She’s nice and lets Nico hang out, and she makes Will happy. He still thinks about that kiss from time to time, but they haven’t made a big deal of it.

Sometimes Nico wonders if it even really matters. Nothing changed for better or worse. Sometimes, though, when they’re hanging out, they’ll almost be cuddling during a movie. Or Will will play with Nico’s hair or hold his hand. They’ve always been affectionate with each other, especially Will. But it’s not a big deal. Especially since Will’s dating Katie.

Until he’s not.

The news hits Nico sometime during his last block. He’s coming out of the bathroom when he hears someone say Will’s name. It’s not uncommon to hear Will’s name. He was pretty active in different clubs and had a lot of friends, but he’s never really been a part of the gossip train that circulates the school from time to time.

“Heard Solace’s skipped last block,” someone says.

It’s not really a big deal. Except Will never skips. Only if he’s sick, and he looked perfectly fine at lunch. And Will was a big baby about being sick. He’d never fake being okay just to stay in school, no matter how important his classes were.

So Nico knows something’s wrong.

He quickly ducks past his classroom, dialing Will’s number.

“Nico?” He hears a few sniffles.

“Will, what happened? I heard you skipped.”

“Yeah.” A pause. “Katie dumped me. Well, it was kind of mutual. But it still sucks.”

Nico hums. “Are you at home? I can drop by.”

“What about biology?”

“You know more than my teacher. I think I’ll be fine.”

This gets a small giggle out of Will, and Nico considers that a win. He hangs up once he knows that Will’s okay before hurrying to the parking lot. He doubts any teachers will really stop him. In about half an hour, everyone will be flooding this area, so he’s not missing that much. And he meant what he said about Will knowing more science than his teacher.

Before heading to Will’s house, Nico runs by the local corner store to pick up all of Will’s favorites. Will wasn’t exactly an emotional eater, but food always helped. Especially chocolate and popcorn. Will’s parents aren’t at home, so Nico lets himself in. (He’s known the code to the lock since third grade.)

He finds Will curled up in his bed, textbooks lying around him. Nico snorts, dumping his grocery bag on Will’s nightstand.

“Are you actually studying?”

“I’ve got a history test tomorrow. Not all of us can be history nerds, di Angelo,” Will huffs. Nico rolls his eyes.

“C’mon. I’m a better distraction than a history textbook.” Will pouts. “Fine. I’ll help you study. And I brought snacks.”

They manage to study for about an hour before Nico sees Will’s mouth start trembling again. He puts the books and notes aside before scooting closer to Will. Will lays his head on Nico’s shoulder, picking at his blankets for a moment.

“I don’t think I loved her, but I really did like her, you know? I thought maybe it’d turn into love someday. But I guess not.” Nico hums. He’s not quite sure what to say. They’d never really been interested in anyone before. Katie was Will’s first serious girlfriend. Before, there had only been crushes. “I think I’m just upset because I didn’t see it coming. Did you?”

Nico shakes his head. He thought they were happy together. “Did she say why?”

Will shrugs. Nico lets him think. He knew he’d hear the whole story eventually, but sometimes Will liked to process things for himself first. “She said that she didn’t want to feel tied down or something. That it wasn’t me or anything.”

“But you guys are only juniors. There’s still senior year.”

“I kind of feel like she likes someone else. We’ve been okay recently. Like we haven’t fought. But I guess we have been kind of distant.” Will scrubs at his eyes. “I just thought that was what happened, you know? The honeymoon phase is over, and it’s just kind of back to reality. But together.”

It makes sense to Nico. He knew his parents loved each other, but they didn’t really go out of their way to show it. They kissed and sometimes went on dates. His dad brought flowers home, and his mom sometimes made his dad’s favorite dinner. But it all seemed pretty normal to Nico. They didn’t even dress up anymore for their dates.

“Dating is confusing.”

“Yeah. Can you hand me the popcorn?”

They end up opening all of the bags on Will’s bed. Will stays cuddled close to Nico, sometimes even dropping crumbs on Nico’s shirt, but Nico doesn’t mind. He knows that even though Will’ll probably look back on Katie with happy feelings, he’s upset right now. And it’s Will’s bed. He’ll have to sleep with the crumbs.

When Will’s parents get home, they just tell him not to spoil his dinner, smiling at Nico as they leave.

“Do you want to talk to them?” Nico asks.

Will shakes his head. “I’ll tell them later. Right now, I’m sleepy.”

“Go to sleep, then.”

Will hums. “You’ll stay, right?”

It’s not an odd request. They’ve had lots of sleepovers, lots of impromptu naps at each other’s houses. Sometimes, Nico just hung out at Will’s house until Will showed up. But this feels different, something Nico still can’t explain. He pats Will’s shoulder, brushing off what he can of the crumbs before pulling the blanket up.

“Night, Will.”

He ends up staying the whole weekend until their junk food supply runs out and Mrs. Solace bakes them a casserole.
-
Sometimes, Nico thinks he’s been too busy trying to point out the big things that he’s missed all of the smaller ones. He still has no idea when he fell completely and totally in love with Will. It probably happened before one of them had even used the L-word. It probably happened when Nico was asleep or one day walking through the hallways at school or when he tried to convince Will that he snored.

It wouldn’t surprise Nico. Will’s been saying ‘I love you’ so many years now, and Nico’s just discovering it all.

It started as a simple story Nico had told Will about his mom, something completely random that he’d shared just to make Will fall asleep. He had no idea that Will had actually been listening. The story was about when Nico’s mom was a small child and how she’d thought that her parents didn’t love her. They hadn’t been cold and distant, but she didn’t think they’d ever said the L-word before. Especially not to her.

But then Nico’s mom had realized something amazing. They were always saying ‘I love you’. She told him that they had a secret code. Three taps, anywhere on the body, meant ‘I love you.’ And then she’d started noticing. Three taps when her mom brushed her hair. Three taps when she set the table with food. Three taps when she was playing in the living room. And not just with her. Her parents were tapping each other, too.

“Three taps means ‘I love you’?” Will had asked, yawning. Nico had nodded, rolling over to get ready to sleep. He didn’t even remember telling the story in the morning, and he didn’t notice anything too different. Will had always been touchy, had always just liked being close to people. Nico didn’t think it was anything special when Will started tapping his pencil, his eraser, his fingers against Nico’s knee, his nose, his back. It was just Will being Will.

And it was.

By the time it all comes out, they’ve been dating for at least two years. The first time they say it out loud, Nico catches himself by surprise.

They’d been baking muffins in their rented apartment because Will missed his mama’s baking, and Nico was bored. Nico was quickly learning that Will was a disaster in the kitchen. It hadn’t seemed as bad when they were kids. Maybe he thought Will would grow out of it.

But their kitchen was a mess, and it was mostly Will’s fault.

“How was I supposed to know the paper plate trick with the mixer?” Will pouts.

“If you weren’t being so impatient, I could have told you,” Nico says. He’s not really mad. (Okay, maybe a little. Seriously, how was he supposed to clean the ceiling?)

“But I wanted muffins,” Will says.

“Oh, we’re still having muffins. After all of this, I need a muffin,” Nico says. Will perks up at this, moving to kiss Nico’s lips.

“You’re the best, Nico.”

“I’m not cleaning this mess.” Will pouts again, trying his best to put on the best puppy dog face he can. And he’s pretty successful. “You made it, you clean it up.”

“You’re mean,” Will says, pecking Nico’s cheek.

“You know I love you,” Nico throws back, and then he freezes. He didn’t mean to actually say it. He’s looking at Will, towel in hand.

“I know, sweetheart,” Will says softly. He smiles at Nico, cupping Nico’s cheeks. “I’ve known all along.”

“You’re such a dork,” Nico huffs, but he’s relieved that he hasn’t completely thrown everything for a loop. Will’s still cupping his cheeks, now blushing, too. “And you’re not even going to say it back.”

This time, Will does look surprised. “I’ve been saying it all this time,” he says.

“What?” And then he feels it. Three taps on his cheek. It all comes flooding back to him. He’d chalked the tapping off as a fidgeting habit, something Will did when he was studying or reading or nervous.

“I think in a way I’ve always loved you,” Will says. “But I didn’t want to scare you, so I thought that maybe you’d still get the message this way. I guess it was too subtle.”

Nico gives Will a gentle shove. “I can’t believe you.” He feels like crying. Suddenly, it’s clear to him what this feeling is. “I think I’ve always loved you, too, dork.”

Will’s face breaks into a grin as he pulls Nico into a hug. “I think we should celebrate, yeah? Pizza bagels, muffins, and a Disney marathon?”

Nico laughs. “Sure. But after we clean the kitchen.”

Chapter Text

“Mom! We’re going to be late!” Lee calls as he rushes into the kitchen. His footsteps are followed closely by Michael’s. “Also, tell Michael he can’t come.”

Will watches as his older brothers start arguing. He remembers that Lee’s going to meet a friend at the arcade in town. He kind of wishes he could go, too, but Lee’s already pretty annoyed that Michael wants to tag along and Will’s even younger.

“Lee, Michael’s allowed to come.” Lee glares at his brother. “But, Michael, you aren’t to bother Lee and Jordan, okay?” Michael huffs.

“But it’s no fun to go alone.”

“You can stay home, then. Will and Kayla are around. You can play with them.” At this, Michael shakes his head. Will turns back to the window, not caring to know more. The neighbors are back outside, unloading more stuff from the truck. Will’s counted two couches, a TV, a big dog, and lots of boxes.

Mama turns to Will now. “Will, I’m just going to be gone for twenty minutes. You know the rules, right? Dad’s in his study, so please stay quiet. I promise we’ll go over when I get back.”

“Yes, Mama.” Mama smiles, kissing his head. He waves as Mama, Lee, and Michael walk down the driveway. Will counts more boxes, wondering what’s in each of them. From here, he can’t read all of the labels. He’s still got his face pressed against the glass when his sister comes down the stairs.

“What’cha doing?”

“I’m waiting for Mama to come back.”

“Looks like you’re spying.”

“I’m not spying.” Kayla’s favorite game was to imagine stuff, and usually, Will would go along with it. But right now he’s busy. He wants to see the boy that had gotten out of the car. He looks to be Will’s age, and Will’s already imaging them becoming best friends “I’m just waiting for Mama, so we can deliver the brownies we made.”

Kayla nods. “Can I spy with you?”

Will just nods. He scoots over to make room for Kayla’s fairy wings. She’d gotten them for her birthday and only took them off when Mama said she had to. They sit there with their faces pressed against the window until Mama’s car pulls into the driveway.

“Hope you two didn’t get your faces stuck,” Mama laughs.

“Never!” Kayla squeals. “Will and I were spying on the neighbors.”

Mama just smiles, kissing Kayla’s head before she darts into the kitchen. Will hops up. “So we can go over now?” he asks. Mama nods.

“Yup, get your shoes, and I’ll get the brownies.”

When they’re finally ready, Will gets a little nervous. What if the boy doesn’t want to play with Will? What if they don’t like brownies? Mama squeezes Will’s hand, and Will feels a little better. If he didn’t want to play, Will would just wait for someone else to move into the house. Mama rings the doorbell.

“Oh, hi,” says a tall lady.

“We just wanted to say hi and welcome to the neighborhood. My son and I baked some brownies for your family.”

The tall lady smiles. “I’m Maria di Angelo. It’s nice to meet you. I have a son that I think might be around your age,” she adds, looking at Will.

“Naomi and Will Solace,” Mama says.

“I’m seven.”

Mrs. di Angelo nods. “Nico’s just turned seven.” She ducks inside the house, calling. She looks at Mama. “Nico’s not too happy about moving, but this should help make him feel welcome.”

Will smiles. He wants to make Nico feel welcome. He waits patiently for Nico to appear. He looks shy and just like his mom except for her long hair. He gives them a small wave, glancing at his mom. “This is Mrs. Solace and Will,” Mrs. di Angelo says.

“If you’d like, Nico can come over to our house while you get settled,” Mama says.

Mrs. di Angelo nods. “That’d be wonderful. His sister’s already found some friends to play with, so he’s been a bit lonely.”

Will smiles at Nico. “I’m Will.” Nico shakes his hand, nodding. “Want to come over and play?”

Nico shrugs. With a little coaxing from his mom, Nico eventually follows Will across the street. Will’s trying to think of things that Nico might want to play. He didn’t see any of Nico’s toys, so he has no idea. So he leads Nico up to the playroom and over to his cubby.

“You like Legos?” Nico asks.

Will shrugs. “Those are Kayla’s. But if we ask nicely, she might let us play with them.” Nico nods, so Will goes to get Kayla’s permission. She says yes, but only if she can play, too. Will doesn’t want to fight in front of his hopefully soon-to-be-friend, so he says yes.

“This is Kayla. She’s my sister.”

“I’m five.”

“My sister is almost thirteen,” Nico says.

“Wow. Lee’s twelve,” Kayla says. “He says he’s too old to play with us now.”

Nico nods like he understands. Kayla hands him a few blocks before making her own pile. Will’s not sure what to build. He doesn’t usually play with Legos. His cubby is mostly full of stuffed animals and plastic doctor equipment and coloring books.

“I’m making a castle,” Kayla says. “What’re you making?”

“A fort.” Will watches as Nico explains all of the features of his fort, his own pile of Legos just sitting in front of him. “You don’t want to play?” Nico asks. He seems disappointed, and Will sticks several blocks together like he just forgot what he was doing.

“Will doesn’t really play with Legos,” Kayla says. She jumps up, her fairy wings hitting Will in the face. “I know! We can build little houses for your stuffed animals.” She looks at Nico. “Will has a lot of stuffed animals that he cares for.”

Will glances at Nico, hoping that having stuffed animals isn’t lame. He knows a lot of his school friends are giving away their stuffed animals now, but it’s not like he’s allowed to practice doctor stuff on actual people. And Kayla won’t let him use her dolls.

“I have a stuffed cat,” Nico says quietly. “Her name is Fluffy.”

Will smiles. He pulls out his cubby, sitting beside Nico. “Here are most of mine. The others are on my bed.” Will pulls them out, telling Nico their names and health. Like Scout the dog is on Will’s bed because he’s got a cold and needs rest.

“You want to be an animal doctor?” Nico asks.

“Yup. Then less animals will be sick. And I get to be with animals all day.”

Nico smiles. “That’s cool. I have a dog at home. Her name is Mrs. O’Leary.” Kayla giggles at this, and Nico nods. “My sister named her when she was a kid.”

Kayla pushes her castle to the side so that they can build homes now. Will tells them about the type of homes that his stuffed animals will want. Nico builds a really nice house for Fred the turtle, even though Fred technically already has a house.

“Kayla!” Mama calls. “Time for dance!”

“You can keep playing,” Kayla says as she gets up, “but don’t touch my castle!”

Will nods. He looks at Nico, wondering if he should keep playing. What if Nico was bored?

“Will, there are some crackers and peanut butter down here if you want some,” Mama calls again.

“Want a snack?” Will asks. Nico nods. They follow Kayla down the stairs. “Thank you, Mama.” Mama kisses his forehead before taking Kayla to dance. Will suggests they sit in the backyard. Mama’s garden is looking really pretty, and the sun feels nice.

“So you live here?” Nico asks.

Will nods. “Yup. My whole life.”

“Must be nice,” Nico says. “I’ve already moved three times.”

“Why?”

Nico shrugs. “My dad’s job keeps moving him. So we have to go with him. Bia says this is going to be permanent, though. She’s my sister.”

“Hopefully you get to stay,” Will says. “Then we can be friends forever.”

Nico smiles. “Friends forever. Should we make a contract?”

“What’s a contract?”

“My dad says it’s like an agreement. So we agree to be friends forever. No matter what. Even if I move or whatever.”

Will nods. “I can get some paper.” He rushes inside, grabbing some yellow paper and a crayon. “You write it. Lee says my handwriting is illegible. That means he can’t read it.”

Nico laughs. He writes their names on the paper. Under that, he writes: We promise to be best friends forever. No matter what!!

“Now, we need to sign it.” Nico watches Will sign his name. “Your handwriting is messy.”

“So what do we do now?” Nico shrugs.

“My dad puts his contracts in a special folder so he doesn’t lose it.”

“I have a box for important things,” Will says. “We can put it there. Then I’ll never lose it, and we can be best friends forever.”

They go to Will’s room. While he’s putting their contract away, Nico looks at his stuff. “I like your room. I want mine to be like this.”

“Only you’ll have your own room,” Will says. He gestures to the other bed. “That’s Michael’s bed. Lee gets his own room because he’s the oldest.”

“Maybe next time you can come to my house,” Nico says.

Will nods. “So we’ll really be best friends forever now?” He closes the lid on his box and puts it under his bed.

“Yup. Forever and ever.”

Will smiles. “So, what do you want to do, best friend?”

Chapter Text

Today was the day that Nico di Angelo, son of Athena, was going to tell Will Solace, son of Demeter, that he likes him. He has it all planned out, the romance, a speech, what to do if Will says no. Everything is planned down to the weather, and Nico’s only a little bit nervous.

It was a garden workday for the Demeter cabin, so Will has been outside all day. Nico’s been watching from the volleyball court. Will was wearing overalls with flowers embroidered on the pockets, and Nico wishes he could actually garden instead of just having read about it. Even sweaty and flushed, Will looked way cuter than he had any right to be.

“Are you sure you can’t just tell him?” Jason asks. “I mean, you’ve planned kind of a lot.”

Nico shakes his head. He’s researched what Will likes, how to woo guys, how to make sure Will says yes. Because he has to. Nico can’t have been reading the signals wrong. They’d been flirting for the past several months, and now Nico is going to make a move.

“It’s not that much. Just a mini-date.” Jason looks like he wants to say more, but he just closes his mouth. “Can you make sure the picnic is there? I don’t trust Percy not to get distracted.”

Jason sighs, nodding. “He’s going to say yes, okay?”

Nico nods. Once Jason’s out of sight, Nico squares his shoulders and walks over to the garden. Katie smiles at him, opening the gate. There’s a small pathway between the plants, and Nico’s careful not to squash anything. He has to make a good impression.

“Hey, Nico,” Will says. He wipes the sweat off his forehead, his freckles popping in the sun. “Wanna help?”

“Um, sure.” Will grins, showing him what green stuff is a weed and what’s a plant. Nico crouches down, tugging on the weeds. They pop out of the soil easily, and Nico’s trying to get up the courage to ask Will on a picnic. He can’t just pull him away from the garden workday, but today was the perfect day. It was the only day that Chiron could guarantee perfect weather.

“After this, um, do you want to have lunch? With me?”

“Sure,” Will says. “I’m getting hungry.” He tosses a weed into a wheelbarrow, and that should not look as attractive as it does.

“Go ahead,” Katie calls. “I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on these weeds. Besides, I think your song works better in the early morning.”

“What song?” Nico asks.

“I sing to the plants. It encourages them to grow,” Will says. He grins at Nico. “I do it pretty much every morning. If you wanted to hear it. But you’d have to get up early.”

“I guess I could manage one morning at least.”

Nico stands up, stretching his back. He’s used to hunching over desks reading books, but he’s not usually in the sun. He hears Will’s back pop as he stands up, dusting the dirt off his hands.

“Let me just wash my hands. Then we can go eat.”

“He’s going to say yes,” Katie says when Will’s gone inside. “You have to know he’s head over heels for you.”

“What?”

“Will only sings for the plants, so you must be pretty special.” She smiles at him, winking before turning back to the tomatoes. Nico blinks, not sure how everyone seems to know about his plan. He thought he’d kept it on a need to know basis. And Katie hadn’t really needed to know. Even if it involved her brother.

“Ready to go?” Will asks.

“Yeah. I was thinking we could walk through the strawberry fields, though, maybe?” Will seems confused, but he nods. The fields are technically out of their way, but Will takes it all in stride, talking about the plants that he’s growing and how the garden is this year. Nico can’t keep the plants straight, but he doesn’t care. Just listening to Will is very nice.

“Looks like someone’s having a picnic,” Will says, breaking his monologue.

“Yup,” Nico says. “That’s us.” He glances at Will. “I was thinking we could have a picnic.”

“Oh, that’s fun!” Will smiles, sitting on the blanket. Nico opens the basket, hoping that he’s gotten all of Will’s favorite foods. It’d taken a lot to get them, but he was sure he had everything. Nico lays out the pasta salad, the fruit, the drinks. He’s got some other snack items in the basket, too.

“Is this okay?”

“These are all my favorites,” Will says. He smiles at Nico, and Nico gets a little lost in it. “Especially grapes.”

Nico lets out a breath, relaxing. The picnic goes well. They sit next to each other, soaking up the sun. Will teases Nico on his complexion, and Nico tries not to get too involved in counting Will’s freckles. Will makes Nico a flower crown of dandelions.

“I think it looks cute on you,” Will says. “Well, you’re always cute.”

Nico blinks. Did Will just say that?

“Thanks.” Will pulls a bag of chocolate-covered nuts from the basket, gasping.

“These are my absolute favorites! How’d you know?” Nico just shrugs. Will tears open the bag, grabbing a small handful as he tries to guess what nut in under each bit of chocolate. “Here, try one.” And then Will’s feeding Will some chocolate. His finger brushes against Nico’s lip just like in those romance novels Nico pretends not to enjoy. “Is it good?”

Nico just nods. Should he ask Will now? He’d been planning a walk by the lake after this, but everything was perfect right now. Will feeds him another chocolate nut, and Nico wants to just lean forward and kiss Will. Which is definitely not in the plan. Because it’s not romantic to kiss with food in your mouth while you’re sweating on a scratchy blanket in a strawberry field.

But Will just looks so cute in his overalls, and Nico’s been wanting to kiss Will forever. So he swallows the nut he’s just been fed and looks at Will.

“You okay, Nico?”

“Yeah. Just, can I ask you something?”

Will nods, setting down the bag of nuts. Now that his full attention is on Nico, it seems more serious. Nico takes a deep breath. “Do you want to go on a date with me?” It seems to take forever for Will to open his mouth and speak, and Nico’s already gone through a hundred reasons why Will could say no.

“Of course. I’d love to.”

“Really?” Will nods.

“Yup. It’s not really a secret, but I think you’re pretty cute. And so smart. And I’ve had a crush on you forever.”

“Really?”

Will laughs. “Yes.”

Everything is so off-script now, so Nico just goes for it. “Can I kiss you?”

“Definitely.”

And it tastes like chocolate and almonds and sunshine, and Nico thinks it can’t be more perfect. Will giggles, his hair tickling Nico’s forehead. Nico just feels ridiculously happy and so relieved.

“I was kind of planning a walk around the lake after this,” Nico says, “but I think I’d rather just stay here and kiss.”

Will giggles again. “I agree.”

Chapter Text

Nico is freaking out. Just a little, though. Not that anyone really believes that. Jason’s been texting him all week to make sure he’s okay, and Piper keeps patting his shoulder whenever she sees him. Even Will’s caught on, which isn’t much of a surprise. But Will’s supposed to be the last person to catch on because the secret Nico’s keep, he’s hiding it from Will.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Will asks. “You’ve been whispering to yourself all afternoon.”

“Isn’t talking to yourself healthy?”

“To a certain extent. And in the second person.” Will pauses, looking Nico over. “But this is kind of new for you. You sound kind of like Gollum.”

“Hey!” Will laughs, moving across the room to kiss Nico.

“You know I love you, darling, but what’s up?”

Nico shakes his head. He can’t spill this secret. Not early. “I’m just trying to make sure your birthday is really good,” he says. Which is partially true. He really is trying to make sure Will’s birthday is perfect. Specifically Will’s present. He’s letting Lou Ellen and Piper handle the rest.

“My birthday will be amazing, no matter what happens,” Will says, wrapping his arms around Nico. “You don’t have to worry, okay? For me?”

Nico smiles, looking up to kiss Will’s chin. “Okay, but if everything falls apart, it’s your fault.”

Will laughs. “I doubt that’ll happen.” He kisses Nico again, grinning. “So, wanna do something? I feel like you’ve been really busy this week.”

Nico shrugs. He has been busy this week, but it’s not why Will thinks. “Sure, what do you want to do?”

Will hums. “Get some ice cream with me?”

“You’re going to have ice cream tomorrow, though.”

“But it’s my birthday.”

“Tomorrow is your birthday.”

“It’s my birthday week, then,” Will says, looking proud of himself. Nico rolls his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s go get ice cream.”

There’s an ice cream shop just down the road from their apartment that they probably frequent way too often. Will loves ice cream, and Nico’s never been one to say no to Will (especially that puppy dog face he can do). The girl working greets them, already moving to get two cones ready.

“Chocolate peanut butter,” Will says. She nods, smiling at them. “Getting anything, Nico?”

Nico feels a bit too nervous to eat, but he nods anyway. The girl had already prepped his cone with the little marshmallow at the bottom. “Strawberry.”

Will pays while Nico secures a table for them. The shop wasn’t that busy, so he was able to find their usual table.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” Will says, handing Nico his cone. They sit by the window, knees bumping under the small table. Will licks at his ice cream, mashing it into the cone. “Your ice cream is melting.”

“Huh?”

Will gives him a soft smile, reaching out to lick the stray drop. “Hey, Nico, look at me, please?” Nico does so. “I don’t know what’s bothering you, but it’s going to be okay. And I’m always right, remember?”

Nico rolls his eyes. “That’s a lie! You were totally wrong about the laundry detergent, remember?”

“You bought the detergent!”

“Well, you were the one who put it in the laundry. I was going to return it the next day.”

Will shakes his head. “I thought it was good since you’d bought it. There wasn’t a note or anything.”

Nico smiles. Even without knowing why Nico’s been so occupied, Will could still make him feel better. “Well, either way, we did need a new washer.”

They finish their ice cream in comfortable silence, Nico thinking about how everything was going to change tomorrow. Will doesn’t press the issue when Nico goes quiet again, instead just slipping his hand into Nico’s as they walk back to their apartment.

“Should we think about dinner?” Will asks. “I mean, we kind of just ruined it, didn’t we?”

“We can have a later dinner, I guess. We don’t have anything tomorrow morning, so it doesn’t matter,” Nico says. Will goes to change into his pjs, which Nico takes as a signal that they’re getting take out tonight since he doesn’t want to cook.

Nico settles on the couch with some work he needs to finish. Will sits opposite him, their legs crossing in the center of the couch. Which just makes it harder for Nico to concentrate on the work he needs to get done. Because Will looks so cosy there, his hoodie wrapped around him, glasses slipping down his nose as he reads, his sock feet brushing against Nico’s legs.

He looks like everything Nico wants for the rest of his life.

“Will,” Nico says, his voice quiet. He hadn’t meant to speak, but now Will is looking at him.

“Yes?” Nico’s mouth feels dry now, and he’s trying to come up with a good reason to suddenly speak when he feels Will’s hands on his face. Will’s scooted closer, a soft smile on his face. “What is it, darling?”

“Will you marry me?”

Will blinks, and Nico can hear his heart pounding. A tear falls down Will’s cheek, and then he’s pressing himself so close to Nico. He can’t seem to get a single word out, and Nico just holds him tightly.

“Yes, Nico. Of course. Oh, gods. I can’t believe- you really- yes.”

Nico laughs, wiping his own face. Gods, Piper was going to give him an earful tomorrow, but he can’t care less right now.

“I have a ring,” Nico says. Will pulls back a little, sniffling.

“I am completely unprepared, Nico,” Will says, laughing. “I’m in my pjs. I’m all snotty.”

Nico smiles. “No one’s here to take pictures, Will.” He rushes to their room, grabbing the ring. Will gasps when he sees it. The ring isn’t anything fancy, just a silver band with their initials carved on the inside. Will’s hand is shaking as Nico slides the ring on.

“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful. Gods, I’m so emotional.”

Nico laughs again, pulling Will close. Both reading and work are forgotten as they cuddle on the couch in their apartment. Nico brushes his fingers through Will’s hair, kissing his forehead.

“Happy birthday, sunshine.”

Will beams, kissing Nico softly. Then he pauses. “We’re going to have to do this again tomorrow, aren’t we?”

Nico groans. “Totally.”