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Nico doesn’t know what he’d expected. Knowing Will’s mom is a pretty successful niche country singer he was afraid he would be assaulted by paparazzi the second he appeared in front of the address. Instead, he’s greeted with a medium-size family house with unkempt hedges in the front yard but bright yellow curtains and a clean driveway.
Blinking the dizziness out of his eyes, he makes sure the street number is correct and approaches the front door, but stops short of the porch, frowning. It’s faint but he can almost feel some sort of vibration in the pavement below. Deciding it’s probably his geokinesis, acting up after shadow-travelling, he knocks and waits.
A very pretty woman in her late thirties throws open the door. Her smile would be too dazzling if Nico wasn’t already used to a copycat version of it.
“You must be Nico!” Naomi Solace claps her hands together and gives him a quick look over. Her smile doesn’t fall, like Nico was kinda afraid it would, but turns a bit mischievous instead. “Oh, you definitely are! Come in sweetie, come in!” She ushers him into a well-lit, colorful living room “But you are early! Will said you would be dropping by around six, and it’s barely four.” She huffs a strand of auburn hair from her face and clicks her tongue, her southern accent flowing like thick honey from her glossy lips.
Nico tries to open his mouth to say something but can’t even get a word in edgewise “I’m afraid he’s still practicing. Oh well, let’s get you to his room, we’ll give him a surprise!” She winks and, with a gentle hand on Nico’s back leads him further into the house and down the stairs, instead of upwards.
Nico can definitely feel the vibrations now, both in the ground and the air. They stop at the bottom of the stairs, in front of a heavy metal door and Naomi sighs. “I guess knocking would be useless.” She turns the knob and then literally raises her foot and kicks the door with a slipper-clad foot, putting not a little force behind it.
The moment it opens a literal wall of sound attacks Nico almost throwing him back onto his ass. He makes a grab at his sword but quickly realizes that what almost gave him a heart attack was nothing more than music.
Extremely loud, extremely hard music.
Naomi rolls her eyes, covering one of her ears with the palm of her hand and the other with her shoulder, head tilted. She pats Nico on the back and points inside with her thumb.
The wall speakers are blasting out some hard rock song at maximum volume and in the middle of the rather spacious basement Will Solace in person is unleashing the full fury of Olympus on a large drum setup that probably did nothing to deserve that much demigod violence.
His blond hair is flopping around, dripping with sweat around a pair of large noise-cancelling headphones and his tightly set face. Nico recognizes the intense look of concentration as the same he makes when treating a particularly tricky injury, but his shoulders jerk and twist as his arms fly around hitting apparently anything unfortunate enough to be caught under the drumsticks clutched in his hands. Although even after a few seconds it’s obvious he’s following a rhythmic pattern.
As Nico watches, mouth hanging open, Naomi pushes him inside the room and he barely stumbles or registers as she closes the heavy door behind him, leaving him trapped in a dangerously vibrating room with a Will that’s yet to notice his presence. Not that he minds, because, as Rachel would put it, Nico.exe pretty much stopped working the moment he saw these exposed biceps strained with effort and glistening with sweat.
Meanwhile, Will just throws one drumstick into the air, catching it with immaculate precision as it turns in the air and hitting it with force on the biggest gold plate as the song comes to a halting end. Nico’s afraid the aftershocks from that just rattled his teeth out of his gums. But Will just closes his eyes, breathing hard and smiling at the ceiling, letting his hands drop.
It’s not until he makes a move to remove the headphones that he notices Nico just standing there, like a cement pillar of dumbass. He looks surprised for all about four seconds before his face breaks into a bright grin.
“You’re early!” He jumps from his seat, rounding the drums and skipping to Nico, stopping a couple feet away, his arms already raised. “Oh” He goes to scratch at the back of his head instead, smiling apologetically. “I would hug you, but I’m probably gross.”
“No!” Is all Nico can say, because his brain is still refusing service and Will being that close isn’t helping. He is dressed in a black muscle shirt, that clings to his body in just the right places, and battered down jeans ripped at the thighs.
Will chuckles, a knowing gleam in his eyes. The bastard knows he looks anything but gross, specially after a performance like that. “I’m going to take a shower and change for tonight.” He declares. “And then I’m hugging you because I missed you. So it’s a warning. Just-” He gestured around. “Get comfortable, look around. I’ll be right back.”
He rummages through his closet and then disappears behind a door in the back that Nico assumes must be the bathroom. Nico walks around, twisting his neck to look at the posters that must have been fixed to the wall with an industrial nail gun or else they would have fallen the moment Will picked up his drumsticks. Black and red and a lot of jean or leather. Nico flops down on Will’s bed, clad in crimson sheets, and feels like an elusive piece of a puzzle he didn’t know he was making, just slid into place.
In retrospect, it should have been obvious.
First had been the jacket.
With the infirmary in full swing and the long hours, Will was running on manic energy during Nico’s three-day stay there. Feverish wide eyes, grins too crooked and messed up hair. He would often just plug in earphones and tune out the rest of his siblings as he worked, yelling through whatever he was listening to and startling everyone every time he needed anything, or he took them out and Nico could hear some sort of rapid noise or screams from the other end of the room.
“Music keeps me going!” He assured when one of the volunteers from Athena cabin begged him to go take a nap. To the tune of two of his siblings yelling ‘That trash is not music!’ he turned in his chair, wheeling away from Malcolm to the nearest cot and drumming his hands on a girl’s leg. “I will sleep when I’m dead” He said, locking eyes with Nico, peeking from behind his curtain at the corner cot, and winking at him. “Or when all of you are!” He declared at the room at large, barely dodging an empty cast that somebody threw at him.
He’d (hypocritically) assigned Nico a sleeping-and-eating regime and stitched up his arm, completely ignoring Nico’s discomfort at having to take off his shirt (which Will proceeded to throw in the trash, least the microbial life on it turned intelligent) or his insistence that it was fine.
“No it’s not! It’s infected. What the fuck Di Angelo? You should have let me know asap! Now it will take longer to heal.”
Nico had grumbled about bedside manners under his breath and Will rolled his eyes. “Do I look like Florence Nightingale to you? Anyway, hold still, this is gonna sting.” He’d washed down Lycon’s scratches with mortal antiseptic and a reserve of nectar before pulling out the stitching needle.
Nico was pretty sure a doctor’s hands should not be shaking and he wondered how many of those contraband coffees that the Hermes kids distributed had Will dunked down already.
“If you mess it up even more than it already is and it heals worse, I’ll be pissed.” He’d warned. Will snorted, patting his forearm below the wound.
“Chill, it’s going to look pretty cool either way.”
Nico scrunched up his nose. “It’s going to scar, I know that much already.”
Will shrugged. “Scars are beautiful. I like them on people, they tell a story of how strong and resilient those individuals are, like medals of honor.” His gaze jumped from his work to trail over Nico’s torso, and he smirked suggestively, azure eyes twinkling under his eyelashes.
Nico’d raised his eyebrows, momentarily caught off guard. He had been through too much to care about the state of his body, the badly healed cuts, rips and burn marks from training accidents and missions, and he’d never been very bothered with what people thought of him (at least, he’d become very good at pretending not to be bothered) but the sincerity in Will’s statement, devoid of any sort of pity or sympathy, and the implications in his body language, made something hot and tingly unravel in his gut.
“I still don’t like people staring.” He’d said, trying to think of something else to dispel the blush gathering on his cheeks. “And now I’ve lost my Jacket.”
Jason and Annabeth had dropped by earlier to give him a change of clothes gathered from the camp store or their friend’s hauls. Percy had thrown in a dark tee that was more or less Nico’s style, but most was definitely too bright or tacky. However, until he could open a portal to the underworld and retrieve his extra stuff from his room, Nico knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was mostly summer clothing tho, and the t-shirts would definitely not cover all of his marks. That was one of the things he’d liked about his old, over-sized aviator jacket. Plus, he always ran cold, even in summer.
Will actually stopped working at that. Blinking tiredly as his brain apparently switched gears to think up something. He gave Nico another once-over, humming. “I might have something.” He said, slowly. It would look… really good on you.”
“That’s not necessary!” Nico quickly tried to rebuff. “Besides, I don’t want to look like a surfer reject. No offense…”
Will actually guffawed at that, making a nymph that was sweeping the floors nearby jump in surprise and sprout a branch from her boob.
“I think you’ll be surprised, Death Boy.”
On his last day of bedrest, just as Nico was getting ready to leave, Will showed up, despite being off duty, and after dodging a screaming-murder Kayla and assuring her he was not there to work, he made a straight line for Nico.
“Cha-chan!” He grinned from ear to ear, extending in front of him the promised jacket. “This is for you! Keep it, I always run too hot to wear jackets well into the fall anyways.”
Nico’s jaw dropped.
And as he put on the jacket he knew he would never want to take it out again. It had a pleasant weight to it and the soft silky interior felt amazing whlist the metallic studs on the outer sleeves gleamed in contrast to the black leather. The diagonal zipper closed well on him, feeling rather loose, and the pocket pull tabs had little skull designs to them. Nico figured the waist belt was more decorative than practical, but it could be used to hold a knife sheath. The lapels reminded him of his former jacket because of the the fur, although this one’s was black.
“How do you even own something like that?” He marvelled, as Will practically bounced on his heels, eating him up with his sparkling eyes. “You, mr. flip-flops and rolled-up fake-flannel.”
“What can I say?” Will winked at him. “I may be more full of mysteries than you think.”
It was hard to pinpoint how over the following months they switched to spending most of their free time together. Will was annoying on the best of days, but he challenged Nico, took none of his crap, and had never shown a sliver of fear or distress in his presence. Even when Nico lost perspective of the way he talked about death or lost his temper, or in the bad days when he just had no patience for civility, Will never shied away. He gave him space, but only after making sure Nico had eaten and drank water.
“Water helps with everything!” He would say.
“You sound like Percy.”
“Well, not saltwater. But at least six cups a day should be the norm for us growing boys.”
“Can water vanish my nightmares?”
“No, but talking about them while drinking water might help.”
Nico snorted at that. Will had listened to him once after he’d barged on Nico taking a nap gone sour, and narrowly avoided being decapitated, again. He now knocked.
“Can water make Persephone like me and stop trying to turn me into weeds?” He was finally well enough to start using his powers again and the first thing he did was go retrieve his stuff before it was late enough in the year to run into her.
“Well water is important to make flowers grow, and you can use those to distract her.”
“Smartass. Can water fix my shoes?” Nico’s old sneakers were practically disintegrating, the soles detaching and making slappy noises as he walked. The camp store had some footwear but it was all insultingly bright orange, so Nico was pushing it back as much as he could.
“Hmm…” Will tapped his chin. “Water maybe not, but I can. We are going into the city tomorrow for supplies. I know just the place, what’s your size?”
Nico tried to convince him otherwise, curse him, promise the jacket was more than enough of a payment for saving his ass that one time, make him swear that he would not be buying shoes, of all things, as a present but… well let it not be said Will Solace could be barged once he dug his heels in.
The next evening, as soon as he jumped out of the creepy white van that had taken him and some other counselors into Brooklyn, he grabbed Nico and dragged him back into his cabin.
“I have something for you!” He exclaimed, looking like a puppy that had just been gifted a new chewtoy while handing Nico a shoe box with the words NEW ROCK written on it.
“I said I didn’t want you to-”
“You are walking on your socks. And I really want to see you in those. C'mon, indulge me.”
Nico frowned, not for the first time wondering what was with Will and giving him presents to wear. It was almost like… but he discarded that train of thought, opting to inspect the box instead.
When Nico took the lid off he almost gasped. “Will this is… how much did they even cost you?”
“Don’t worry about it. My mom gives me money for every holiday and I never use it. Put them on, I want to see if the size fits.”
Nico took off his shredded sneakers and zipped up the black combat boots instead. He was grateful for the zipper because the shoelace-and-four-buckles system looked way too complicated, but really cool. He was instantly pleased with the two inches of elevation the robust soles gave him, and the steel tips. They would need to be broken in, but felt like could last a lifetime. Or probably more, if speaking in the average demigod lifetime.
“How do I look?” He asked Will, walking in a circle. Jeans and non-descript black tee aside, he hadn’t taken the leather jacket off since Will gave it to him (despite what Jason kept saying) and it matched the new boots perfectly. For some reason, and for the first time in probably ever, he just felt good about his appearance. There was something about the fit of the combat boots and just made him feel confident.
Will leaned forward, sitting on his bed, hands clasped under his chin and elbows resting on his knees, as he kept checking Nico up and down with a dopey grin, eyes dark under the shadow of his bangs.
“Damn”. He finally said, biting on his lower lip, and Nico almost lost his newfound confidence to the blush that he felt creeping up to his neck and cheeks.
Just as the Jacket, the boots became his everyday ensemble. He’d received compliments for style even from the Aphrodite cabin, which felt awkward as hell, but it was the way Will would sometimes beam with possessive satisfaction after checking him out what made Nico all dizzy and mushy inside.
And then, he found out Will would be going away for a while.
He didn’t think much of it by the end of the summer, just glad to know that Will would be staying when most of the camp left, but end-November he announced that he would be gone for five weeks.
“I always go home when my mom is not touring. Usually a few weeks at a time throughout the year. We have a skiing trip planned for Christmas and I will be back at camp for New Year’s, since she’s got a gig and recording season until march.” He set to explain to Nico, sitting on the steps of cabin seven, going all excited and soft like a melting ice-cream cone. “But until then we will be staying at home in Houston. I really want to spend time with her, and practice my music.”
“That crap is not music!” Kayla and Austin, the only other Apollo campers left, yelled in unison from within the cabin. Will waved them off.
“But you’ll IM, right?” Nico didn’t want to sound pouty but he probably did, going by Will’s reaction. He chuckled and threw an arm around Nico’s shoulders.
“Yeah. How could I go five weeks without your pretty and murderous face?”
Nico elbowed him in the ribs. Will doubled over, but didn’t let go. “I wanted to actually ask you something, since you’ve been doing well with your powers lately.”
“Yeah?” He still couldn’t make long jumps with passengers or in one go during the day, but solo or at night was easier. Not to mention he had now another As up his sleeve, namely, the Labyrinth. What? Hazel wasn’t the only one with geokinesis. He just needed to hone it up a bit.
“I want you to come visit, for a check-up. Five weeks is a long time and I don’t trust you not to fuck up all the progress I’ve made with you.”
“Asshole-”
“-and I also have a concert coming up in two weeks that I think you’ll like.”
Nico tilted his head, frowning. “What kind of concert?”
“Oh” Will grinned down at him, in that mischievous way that usually only Hermes kids could manage. “The kind we should not be going to.”
He’d then made a pretty confused Nico stand in front of a white wall and took a photo of him with his old digital camera, collected his homework from Chiron, and was off in two days.
Nico was not amused. He missed Will immediately. It was just not the same without him. He still took classes with the other year-rounders and went through the motions of camp life, went on one mission for his father, trained to improve his Labyrinth orientation, helped Hailey design a death trap for a race, and generally walked around like a brooding cloud.
“You should try to liven up a little. Maybe be friendlier and smile more, wear some color, take up a nice hobby. Like music or painting.” Jason tried to advise him. Or at least Nico thought that was what Jason said, since the Iris Message connection has been progressively going crappier. But Nico knew his spiel by heart now. He sighed and waved Jason off, attempting to call Will instead, who didn’t look any better, Nico could barely make up the shape of his face through the fog and the static. And he kept disappearing momentarily to show a rerun of The Price is Right.
“I’ll be by on the day of the concert!” He tried to yell, as if that would help any. “After morning class I’ll take the Lab as close as I can and jump from there! Will ty to get there before six!”
“What’s that? At six?!”
“No I-” The connection jumped to the game show again and Nico had to bite his lip from cursing at Iris. What the hell was up with the crazy hippie goddess now? She should get her crap together.
“Nice! Wear your black jean-” the call dissipated entirely. Nico punched through the air in frustration. He just wanted to talk to Will! Was that too much to ask?
So that’s why he’s here now, sitting in Will’s room, that he’d have never guessed to be a soundproof basement without windows, still a bit dizzy from the shadow travel and reading the band names on the posters and the framed vinyl discs; Rhapsody of Fire, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Sabatton, Metallica, Dark Moor, Skillet, Delain… He has no idea who all of those people are, but the make-up, clothes and art style are a pretty good giveaway. He snorts, shaking his head in disbelief. Oh Will…
After a while something different catches his attention. A paper taped on a wardrobe door. He walks towards it, inspecting the beautifully colored drawing of an anatomically correct human heart, meat, fat, nerves and all, but from the veins and arteries yellow flowers spring in bunches and Nico recognizes then as the one that grow all around cabin seven. Behind the heart a pair of crossed drumsticks stand out in stark black contrast.
“My future tattoo. Mom said she would pay for it if I survived to sixteen.” Will’s voice startles him and Nico turns around to find Will, hips leaning on the door frame of the bathroom, steam still dissolving behind him.
Nico, curse his teenage hormones, can’t do anything else but stare. Will’s hair is still damp under the towel he’s got draped over his head. He is dressed in a red, form fitting shirt with a drawn silhouette of a wolf’s fangs; an open jean vest peppered in band logo stickers; combat boots similar to Nico’s and, (oh gods) leather pants hugging his thighs. He’s also got a belt chain and a choker with a Greek omega in silver around his throat, completing the picture of tantalizing surprise.
“Um… if you survive to sixteen?” Is all Nico can manage to say while his brain is still rebooting. If Will could stop trying to kill him of high blood pressure today that would be really nice, thank you.
“Yeah.” Will peels himself from the wall and walks to him, looking at the drawing as well. “Most mothers promise rewards for academic success or sports accomplishments, mine is content with me just managing to keep myself in one piece. She says it’s all about managing expectations.” Will snorts and Nico has to chuckle because honestly that’s pretty funny.
“This is not what I imagined your room to look like.” He confesses, waving one hand around. Will grins and flops on the bed, unzipping his boots to be able to sit cross-legged and motions for Nico to follow.
“I used to have one on the top floor, but the neighbors would often complain about the noise, ever since I picked up the drums. So my mom saved from her last album and sound-proofed the basement. And since I like to practice whenever it strikes me, I just moved in down here.” He explains as they get comfortable.
“No I mean, the style.” Nico clarifies. “Although I should have known, but I’m not really, um, up to date with these things.”
“I figured.” Will shrugs. “But I can teach you. It’s just that I really don’t have anything at camp to illustrate- oh, right!” He cuts himself as he remembers something. Shifting up on his knees he leans forward and engulfs Nico in a strong bear hug. “I told you I would.”
Nico returns the embrace hesitantly, but he’d missed Will too, and he smells so nice, of citrus shampoo and leather, as always so warm, so Nico buries his face in Will’s curls and feels himself be held even tighter.
“Oh sorry, boys!”
They spring apart, both flushing red as Naomi Solace peeks from behind the door, tray in hand.
“Mom!” Will squeaks. “Why do you never knock?”
“I didn’t know if you would hear me dear, you never hear me.” She grins at them and comes closer to leave a tray with two mugs of steaming tea and a packet of cookies on the bedside table. Nico notices that she’d changed too, into a night dress and kitten heels, with her hair up.
“Now, I’m going to head out, hot date tonight, you boys have fun too and be careful out there. Nico, sweetie, I hope you will stay for a day or two, I’ve been hearing so much about you I feel like it would be a travesty if we don’t get to have a nice chat.”
“Uh…”
“And Will, I know you are a responsible boy, but it’s my duty to tell you to be safe. If you need any, there’s a box of condoms in my drawer-”
“ MOM! ” Will shrieks, hurling a pillow in her direction. She deflects it and laughs, bending over to kiss the top of his head as he hides his red face in his hands. Nico is not sure if he looks any better, absolutely mortified by the implication. Ms. Solace pats his shoulder and with a wink saunters away, leaving the door closed behind her.
“I’m so sorry.” Will mumbles. He peeks at Nico from behind his fingers, still crimson like his bed sheets. “She is just hellbent on embarrassing me every single time she gets a chance. I think it’s payback for every time I embarrassed her as a child.”
“You were a trouble kid?” Nico would have expected Will to have been a little angel, but now he is not quite sure what to assume anymore.
“Not really. But I practically grew up on the road. My mom would often bring me on tours when I was little and that gave me the opportunity to get into a load of trouble, whether intentional or not. I would just wander off whenever nobody was looking and get lost or break stuff. You know, cows and shiny things are hard to resist when you’re a child with ADHD. Since mom’s band usually goes to the same festivals, fairs and events in all these towns every year, I even managed to be brought back to her by the same police officers a few years in a row. It was a disaster.”
He laughs and Nico snorts too. “So you grew up around musicians?”
“Yeah but country…” He scrunches up his nose, passing Nico his mug of tea, before taking a sip of his own. He leaves the cookies between them. “I don’t know. Maybe because I grew up with it, or because it seems kinda plain, but it’s boring for me. It doesn’t speak to me the same way metal or hard rock does. I don’t mind it in the background, but I don’t listen to it on purpose unless I want to fall asleep.”
“And your mom doesn’t mind?”
“Like I told you, she knows there’s a big chance I might get killed before I even reach adulthood. I guess she wants me to enjoy life, just in case, so she doesn’t waste time trying to make me be like her. Besides, it was an ex-boyfriend of hers who introduced me to this world.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she… doesn’t have the best luck with men. Which should be pretty obvious considering she banged Apollo. Anyway, she used to date that biker dude. He was a nice guy and treated us well, but was irresponsible as heck and didn’t want to settle down, so it didn’t last. Anyway, she left me with him one weekend when I was twelve. I was pretty depressed because that had been just after the battle of the Labyrinth and uh… Lee. Anyway, he didn’t know what was up but he had a concert planned and managed to sneak me in. Avenged Sevenfold-” He points towards one of the biggest posters, featuring in the middle a skull sprouting bat wings. “I fell in love that night, and released something I didn’t know I had been holding in me.” He shakes his head, smiling slightly. “Well, you’ll see tonight.”
“You think I’ll like it? I don’t- really listen to music.”
“I think you have the soul for it.”
“Because of how I dress?”
Will raises an eyebrow, chuckling. “Yes. But it’s more than an aesthetic preference, it’s a visible manifestation of what’s brewing inside you, something that I think this music and lifestyle can emphasize with.”
“Who are we seeing tonight?” Nico asks, between bites of cookie.
“This band called Halestorm. It’s fantastic, but leave your 1940’s sensibilities here. These guys don’t fuck around with hard themes and sex.”
Nico rolls his eyes. “Says the one that was mortified when your mom made earlier one comment.”
“Hey! It’s because she was teasing me specifically. And you were not any better.”
“Well, she is not my mother. And what was that even about?”
Will blushes again. “Well, I’ve told her a lot about you and she decided to start poking fun at me. She will even more now that she’s seen you. That skiing trip will be hell.”
Nico snorts, enjoying Will’s exasperation, who pokes his tongue out at him in return. They talk for literally hours, basking in being with each other again, light flirting and bickering a lot. Nico tells Will about life at camp and classes (same as always), Will about the family meetings and songs he’s learning. All the way it’s rather hard for Nico to stop checking him out (Will just looks way too good in leather pants). When night falls they make pizza rolls in the microwave and engulf them as Will calls an Uber.
“Oh, before I forget. You’ll need this.” He hands Nico a card with his photo on it.
“Is that a fake ID? How even-?”
Will scratches the back of his neck, that mischievous smirk back in place. “Another of my mom’s exes introduced me to a guy, you know, trying to win me over by being cool and shit. I’ve had mine for two years now. We’ll need them to get in since the concert is age restricted.”
“Will it even work? We are fifteen?”
“Yeah, but honestly? We all al camp look like shit for our age. It’s the trauma. Every time somebody questions my age they look me in the eyes and let me pass. With you, even more so.”
“I feel like I should be insulted. Did you just call me ugly and old?”
“Eh, only old.” They get into the Uber and Will gives instructions, leaning forward to talk to the driver. He leaves his hand on Nico’s thigh for balance and when he settles back doesn’t move it. Nico says nothing about it, allowing its warmth to seep through his jeans as they talk during the entire car ride. He misses it immediately when Will gets off, but follows him to the line forming in front of the venue. The bouncer takes one look at their tickets, at Nico’s ID, another look at his face, then gives it back and lets them pass, mumbling about how short some dudes are nowadays.
“Told you” Will chuckles, taking his hand so they don’t get lost. “Well tonight is to unravel some of that angst.”
The venue isn’t big, but it’s full of people mingling around. Most dressed just like them, except for some women in very elaborate lacy dresses, and there’s no order or rows, so Will pulls them almost to the front. Nico exhales in relief at not having anyone’s back pressed into his face. He doesn’t like crowded spaces, but he’s been getting used to them at camp and he trusts Will. As the main lights dim but the stage lights up, Nico squeezes Will’s hand more firmly and turns to look at him.
Will’s eyes are shining, reflecting the colorful beams of lights above and twinkling with the sort of anticipation and fire that could only be described as Wonder. The lead-ins finish their speech and as the first guitar strums fill crack the air, his face splits into a gigantic grin.
Nico admires him for a few indulgent moments and then turns to the stage and lets himself be engulfed in the music, the vibrations and the energy.
It’s fast, and loud, the ground shakes with the feet of the fans and the waves front the speakers. The colors dance like a maniac kaleidoscope and the performers on stage look almost like ghosts among the fog, their shadows cutting the light beams like daggers. The woman’s voice reverberates through the venue, strong and confident, rough, unrelenting in her passion, her words falling like hail, uncensored, unbothered with common courtesy. She is like a commander of an army and at her order the crowd raises their fists into the air, some closed some showing horns or clapping. The tempo goes up and Nico understands what Will meant. This music is hard and violent, and so are the lyrics. They are meant to be screamed out and shouted and Nico lets go. They jump and he feels the bass in his bones, the drums, the fire and burning, raw, emotion.
She starts a song about a youth that attends her first rock show and it wakes up something in her, turns her, so she will never be the same again. Heart and soul, in the front row and finding her place in the world. Nico can’t help but feel it tug at him and when he looks at Will he sees his eyes shine. He wonders if that’s how Will felt for the first time at that concert, years ago, finally, finding something for himself, something that made him into who he is now.
She sings of liking it hard and ragged, of finding the beauty in the broken and the unconventional. Of a drive, a revolution in her chest, and the need to go further, to try harder, to be wild at heart and give it up for her music. And for some reason Nico feels like it’s a good description of the boy by his side.
He lets the energy engulf him, closes his eyes and feels it in his chest. And he shouts along to the chorus of every song, even if he doesn’t understand if fully. But it resonates with the resentment, the fears, the rage and the defiance within him, validating them and opening the dams to flood them out. It’s a trance- like state, like he’s letting go of something, releasing it, until his body moves on its own. His throat burns and he has to tie his jacket around his hips because it’s just so damn hot.
An instrumental comes on and Nico refocuses on the present when Will grabs his elbow. He makes them turn around and Nico sees that the people had made a circle in the middle of the venue, standing around and cheering as some break from the crowd and run at each other, crashing and bouncing away, laughing. Will pushes him and Nico runs into some girl, her shoulder colliding against his chest. Will jumps on his back then, almost pushing them over but some big dude balances them out. People keep flinging themselves against each other, yelling and teasing but helping out the disoriented few. Nico ends up back in the border of the circle, face flushed and laughing, as Will stumbles into some couple a few feet away. Nico reaches out and pulls him close by the collar and Will winds his arm around his waist.
The song changes into a slower ballad and Will screams something in his ear.
“What?!”
“Stay here! I’ll be right back!”
Nico gives him a thumbs up and turns to the stage, catching his breath and enjoying the reprise. His face is flushed and his hair a mess, and he pushes it back, combing his hand through it.
The song is almost over by the time Will comes back with a big cup in hand full of frizzy liquid that he hands over. Nico almost chokes at the first gulp. “What the?!”
Will laughs, mischief dancing in his eyes and bangs clinging to his forehead with sweat. “Beer!”
“Seriously?!”
“Trust me, I’m a doctor! I know my limits. Just this bit if we share won’t be a problem!”
Nico narrows his eyes, but his throat is dry and he’s having fun, so he decides to hell with it and downs several gulps. He doesn’t quite like the taste but it alleviates his thirst and the cold drink feels amazing. Will finishes the rest just in time to yell and start bouncing when one of his favorite songs comes on. Nico picks up his enthusiasm, his head and chest feeling uncharacteristically light.
When the show is over they spill out of the venue with the rest of the crowd. Nico’s got a new shirt of the band tour that Will bought him and he tugs the old one off as they laugh like silly geese. His upper body is on display against the night air and the streetlights, but he can’t find it in himself to care. Will helps him to tug the new one on and they stumble among the crowd, holding onto each others and Nico’s bangs are a mess, getting in his eyes when Will pulls them back, his fingers carding through his hair, closing against his nape and then they are kissing.
It’s sloppy and uncoordinated and just a hit and miss of lips against lips, noses bumping and this is not how Nico has ever imagined his first kiss, but he would not change it for anything in the world. They can’t stop giggling and Will has to hold his face with both hands, Nico standing on his tiptoes, to be able to align their mouths and kiss properly. And Nico gets lost in the plumpness and heat of those lips, sucking on le lower one on instinct and moving his own against Will’s, learning how they fit together, fumbling through the inexperience and the smiles, Will biting Nico’s lip and it sends a jolt of pleasure down his spine that makes him gasp. He opens his mouth and Will takes it as permission, deepening the kiss, his soft tongue making its way into Nico’s mouth and stroking his own as Nico answers and pulls Will even closer, both sharing a breath. Now he is the one holding Will’s face and he can feel arms around his waist, pulling him tight against Will’s body as they stumble backwards, and turn around, Nico pressing Will against a parked car.
They jump apart as the car’s alarm goes off. Effectively breaking the spell. Everybody still hanging around stops and looks in their direction, before returning to their companions and making a move to leave. Will and Nico exchange a look “Ouups.” Says Will, and they burst out laughing. Nico doesn’t know what’s so funny, except that it is hilarious, and he can’t remember the last time he felt so elated.
Will throws his arms around Nico’s neck. “Get us out of here!” He shouts over the blare of the alarm, and Nico abides.
They lay on the grass on top of one of the hills overlooking the city. Nico’s head on Will’s stomach as Will shares some of his favorite songs on speakers, or some from tonight’s band that were not sung but he is fond of.
“Now that I think about it, this one makes me think of you.”
It’s a ballad, and Nico closes his eyes, listening to the lyrics. They speak of trust and intimacy, but he teases by the end of it. “You’ve been in my cabin many times, and my dad doesn’t write letters, just shows up or sends a ghost.”
He can’t see Will rolling his eyes but he’s sure he must be doing it. “I know you know what a metaphor is, Neeks.”
Nico chuckles, his fingers interlaced over his own waist, while Will shows him another band. “There’s a lot of fantasy lyrics.”
“Yeah. There are some, like Spartan, that talk about Greek Mythology. But that’s a bit too on the nose for me. I did think about working them into campfire songs at some point maybe.”
“You are very different at camp tho.” Nico comments, and he can feel Will attempt to shrug.
“I usually run too hot - sun kid, you know? - to wear leather and black in anything but winter. And injured children usually prefer their doctors to look more… pastel, angelic-like, it’s calming for them. I don’t really mind, although I do miss playing the drums and I know my siblings are only joking about my tastes not being real music, since to be fair they caught me in my death metal phase once, but, well, it can get a bit annoying and alienating.”
“Because it’s important for you.” Nico looks over, even if he can only see the underside of Will’s chin. He reaches over to tug at a strand of blond hair and thinks he can feel Will smiling.
“By the period of that first concert, the world was about to end and I was scared, and angry, and anxious, but that night, the music washed it all away. I was amazed at the drummer’s arms, and the battery solo, so I picked it up even if my music talents are not that good. I’ve heard of demigods falling into drugs and bad habits young out of trauma, but the most I ever do is a cup of beer from time to time, because metal and hard rock are my support mechanism, it helps me feel stronger and to release tension. Chiron has a permission slip from my mom to allow me to go into town once or twice a year, if I really want to go see a concert in New York.”
“And he allows it?”
“Not at summer. But we talked about it and through the rest of the year the rules are looser. I take the chance to run some errands for him and get an overnight for myself, to unwind. Sometimes I really come to need it, you know? I love my role as the camp healer, and my siblings, but I also like to have a part of my life apart from the Greek Bullshit. A life that is only mine.”
“But you brought me into it.” Nico notes.
Will laughs, and Nico can feel the shaking of his muscles under his head. “That’s because I’m crazy about you, Nico di Angelo.” Nico’s breath hitches, warmth unwinding in his gut, and he isn’t surprised when Will reaches for his hand. “And everybody’s been teasing me mercilessly, because they know you’re just my type.”
“So you like my edges, and dumb dark moods and scars because of your preferred style?”
“Not exactly. This lifestyle glorifies many things, not all of them good. I choose to take what I think is best for me. But in this case… well I love to see you in the clothes I give you, it’s a treat. However it’s not just that, you know?”
Nico twists around, shifting into a sitting position so he can lean his elbow on the ground across Will’s chest, half sprawled on him but being able to look him in the eye. “So what is it then? Because I’m hardly anybody’s perfect ideal of a guy.”
The dim light coming from the city below them and the moon on top play with the shadows of Will’s face and swim in his pupils. His voice is soft when he speaks, intimate and low even though they are probably the only people for a mile around.
“Perfect not always means better. Sometimes harsh, and put back together, and unique is far more alluring. In that aspect you are a lot like the music I like. Maybe not the popular ideal, but that only means you are beautiful in a different way. On first impression you are like a thunderstorm, like a volcanic eruption. Intimidating and deadly, but impossible to look away from. However when one gets to know you-” He smiles shyly and a darker shade colors his cheeks. “you are just a genuinely caring person, and loyal to the bone. That’s the first thing I learned about you, really, on that sunrise of the battle with Gaia. Your drive to give everything to protect the innocent, even if they did nothing to earn your loyalty, you still pledged it. That’s what I see within you, what I think is most important. Even if the exterior doesn’t hurt the eyes either.” He adds that last part as a joke, to lighten up the air, but Nico can feel his hand tremble and his heart hammer like a hummingbird’s. Nico’s own heart can’t be any better. He’s broken eye contact at some point, lowering his head to hide his eyes under his bangs.
“Damn it, Solace.” he barely manages in a whisper. “Did you rehearse that?”
Will lets out a hysteric giggle. “I may have written a lyric or two. Please don’t tell my brothers.”
Nico inspires deeply and shifts forward, because he really needs to look at this perfect boy right now. His hair is spilling on the sides of his face and Will combs one side back, holding his nape gently.
Will’s lips are chapped and his curls a mess where he’s laying on the grass, and his eyes are full of questions. Nico rests a hand against his collarbone, two fingers slipping under his choker, against Will’s pulse point. His eyes darken, breath hitching.
“You won’t make me change.”
“No.” It’s laced with a promise “I like it all. Your style, and your edges and your stubbornness.”
“What if I decide to change?”
“Then we can be tacky in flannel and flip-flops together.”
Nico laughs and leans in to kiss him, getting lost in the movement of Will’s lips against his, in the caress of his tongue, the heat emanating from his body, until Will’s lips are plump and soft again, until they have learned how to kiss and breath together, giddy and high on one moment after another.
Until a new day breaks over the horizon.