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22 May, Age 51
"Papa, come on we're gonna be late," Nico hears Annie's voice just outside the room, tapping her leg impatiently against the wooden floor. He doesn't reply, busy looking for his black leather jacket in the closet. He could have sworn it was right there the last time he'd seen it. Around ten years ago, give or take.
It takes him another five minutes to find the jacket and another two to dust it clean. It's got the signature slightly mildew smell of old clothes, but it will have to do.
Annie raises her judging eyebrow as soon as she sees him in the jacket. "Really Papa, you're gonna wear that? You know the leather jackets were out of style before I was even born, right?"
"Yeah well, your Dad thought I looked extremely hot in it, so—" Nico shrugs.
Annie doesn't give him a look of mild disgust or resignation like she usually does whenever he’s like this, but instead smiles fondly. "Papa."
"Let's go, love, your dad's waiting for us. He doesn't like to be kept waiting, you know that."
10 November, Age 49
"To Lieutenant Nico di Angelo, you served the New York Police Department for almost three decades, and I’m sure you are excited to move on to the next step in your life. On behalf of the police department and all the people you helped, we wish you a happy retirement and great future ahead, Nico!"
"To Lieutenant Nico di Angelo," The crowd raises a toast in his honour.
“Thank you, Captain Chase, and thank you everyone.” Nico looks at all these people around him; the familiar faces he came to learn at different points in his life, and looks back to the memories they made, both happy and not so happy, and mourns the people he lost along the way.
“If I may ask, Lieutenant,” one of the detectives asks after congratulating him personally, “What made you retire so early?”
“Figured I’d want to spend more time with my family,” Nico simply smiles. It’s not a confident smile by any means; he is terrified for what is to come, and he hopes to gods he’s prepared for the changes.
Getting used to not seeing these people every day might be difficult, but when he thinks of the man waiting for him at home, his stupid smile and a promise of spending whatever is left of their life together, it doesn't sound so hard.
4 August, Age 48
"Annie is coming over for dinner tomorrow with her boyfriend," Will informs him over breakfast.
"Ughh, why'd she invite him for an intimate family dinner? It was supposed to be the three of us. What's next, inviting him over Christmas?"
"Yes, given the way their relationship is heading, the next step is inviting him over Christmas," Will shrugs. How he's taking it so casually Nico will never understand. "And play nice, Annie seems to adore him."
He doesn't really have a problem with his daughter's boyfriend, per se. He’d never imagined he would one day be one of those shotgun dads with too much time to get involved in his daughter’s love life, but here he is anyway.
"Maybe I should slip in between conversations that I’m a Lieutenant at the NYPD, you know," he grumbles through his bite of pancakes.
"I'm sure Annie's told him." Will presses a kiss on his cheek and stands up leave when Nico stops him.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come to the hospital with you?"
"I'm sure, love, and it won't even take long. Maybe once my shift is over at the hospital we can meet up for groceries, is that okay?" Nico gives a nod. "Great, remind me to buy some vegan butter 'cause Annie's boyfriend refuses to eat dairy."
"He's vegan?"
"Nope, he just refuses to eat dairy. He's not lactose intolerant or anything though, before you ask."
"So like a reverse vegetarian? By choice? Gods this man is a mess."
"Oh hush, you grumpy old man."
02 June, Age 47
"10 bucks says you’re gonna cry.”
"Shut up, Will. What are you, five?"
“Nope, but I’m gonna be 10 soon,” Will grins, not bothering to hide his glee, “10 bucks richer than you.”
It's so childish and stupid, but Nico is hardly one to pass up a bet. “You’re so on.”
Nico is confident he’s not going to cry today; he promised himself as much this morning. He likes to believe he spent his quota for ugly tears when he read Annie’s final draft of valedictorian speech yesterday, so he should be good.
“She’s all grown up now, isn’t she?” Will isn’t looking at him but at the stage, where Annie is about to give her speech any minute now.
“If you’re trying to make me cry, that won’t work.”
“I wasn’t.” Nico gives him an unimpressed look. “Ok maybe a little. But it’s true, isn’t it?”
Nico looks up at the stage, where Annie is just starting her valedictorian speech. Even in a crowd of hundreds of high school graduates it wouldn’t be difficult to spot her, seeing the confidence with which she always carries herself. Ahh, damnit, he promised he wouldn’t cry.
“Yeah, she is.”
Will does end up being 10 bucks richer than him, but in Nico’s defense, he never saw the part about how she learnt everything from two best parents in the world coming.
15 March, Age 47
“Happy twentieth Anniversary, love.”
“Happy twenty years, sunshine. I love you.”
"We've officially become old, haven't we?"
"Shut up, Will. You're ruining the moment."
25 January, Age 45
"Hey babe, can you pick up some spring onions on your way home? Apparently we're out of those."
"Be careful with that tone, Dr. Solace, it's the Lieutenant you're speaking to."
"Well Lieutenant or not you're still gonna need dinner so— wait, oh my god babe, you passed the Lieutenant's exam!?"
Nico's cheeks hurt from grinning so wide, more so from Will's reaction than the actual news, as he confirms what Will just said. "I passed the Lieutenant's exam."
11 April, Age 39
"You know, this reminds me of our first date." Will takes his hand and places it between his, letting the warmth seep into Nico's slightly cold one.
"Is that your way of telling me this date is a complete disaster?" Even after all these years, he remembers their first date all too well, right down to the number of times he wished he could simply disappear from the face of the Earth.
Will doesn't seem to think so. "Okay first of all, that was one of the best dates of my life," Will counters. Of course he would say that, he wasn't the one dying of embarrassment and despair the whole time. "And second of all, it reminded me of the first date because of the fighting and yelling two days before."
"That's a weird thing to remember our first date by," Nico chuckles. Of course, the situations are nothing alike, even though both dates did involve a huge fight two days before. Nico likes to believe they have come a long way since. "And also, there's a huge difference. We're both to blame for this fight, while before our first date I was the sole idiot."
"Aw babe, don't be so hard on yourself," Will smiles sweetly, too sweetly for it to be innocent. "You weren't an idiot, sunshine. You were downright an asshole."
Nico can laugh about it now because yeah, he was an asshole, and because, well, it's been years since Will made him stop beating himself up over it.
Don't be so hard on yourself, he had said, just like he said it a few moments ago.
Nico puts his other hand on top of Will's, not before kissing it. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." And he means it.
Will smiles sweetly; not the too-sweet smile but a genuine one, and Nico knows he's already forgiven. "I'm sorry I called you selfish."
09 April, Age 39
"Papa, are you and Daddy getting a divorce?"
The question looms like a shadow over the living room, and renders Nico speechless. When he finds his voice, he reaches out to Annie and plants a kiss on the top of her head.
"No. No baby, your daddy and I love each other very much. What made you think that?"
He knows exactly what made her think that. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised, but it hurts to think it had this big of an impact on their daughter.
"Because you and daddy were fighting. Nicole's parents used to fight all the time and she said they're divorced now."
Last night wasn't their first fight by any means— definitely not big enough to warrant a divorce— but it wasn't their worst one either. They have had some more serious fights over the years, but back then they didn't have their impressionable daughter to take into account.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, love," Nico wraps her into a hug just as Will appears in the living room. The dark circles around his are more prominent than they were yesterday. Nico feels a little guilty, but when Will gives him a smile, he knows everything will be alright.
"Your daddy and I had a small misunderstanding, but we'll make it alright," Nico says without taking his eyes off Will. "And we love you a lot, so we're never getting a divorce, okay?"
24 December, Age 33
"Papa, why didn't we go to Meemaw's this year? I miss her cookies."
"How about I make you some chocolate chip cookies, hm?"
"But it won't be the same. I miss her sugar cookies."
"I know, love. I miss her too."
26 May, Age 33
Nico enters their bedroom to find Will sitting on the edge of the bed, shoulders hunched like a defeated animal. He seems to be holding something in his hand.
It breaks Nico's heart to see him like this.
"I found this," Will whispers his voice hoarse from endless crying and exhaustion. On a closer look, it's a baby blue dress Naomi had gifted Annalise when they had welcomed her home. It was several sizes too big then, and Annie had just a year ago grown out of it. It used to be her favourite, just like her Meemaw.
Nico hopes Jason won't bring Annie here and witness Will cry. She's very perceptive for her age, and extremely kind, just like her daddy. Nico would simply break if he were left to pick up the pieces of two most important people in his life.
Nico puts an arm over Will's shoulder and helps him stand. "C'mon love, we gotta go. It's time to say goodbye to her."
23 May, Age 33
"Hey Will, I'm still at work so can I call—"
"— Nico."
The urgency and desperation in Will's voice stops him from hanging up. "Will, what's the matter?" He doesn't hear anything other than the laboured breathing from the other line, and a cold fear spikes up in his heart. It's hard not to imagine the worst scenarios that might have happened. "Did something happen with Annie? Are you alright? Please say something, you're scaring me here, love."
"I'm so— sorry," Will's sobs get louder and more heartbreaking.
"No no, sunshine, don't be sorry. Just take deep breaths, okay?" He hears a faint hum from Will, oh god what must have happened, what if— no, focus. "C'mon one, two, three—"
"Kayla called and— it's Ma. She's— she's." Will's voice becomes incoherent after that, like a TV static, and suddenly Nico goes numb; the only thing he can register is the growing cold feeling in his stomach.
19 May, Age 32
"I hope Annie grows up to be as sassy as Lily," Will talks over the television for the hundredth time since they've started a Modern family marathon.
"Oh, is one person in this family not enough to insult you?" Nico snuggles further into Will's lap, soaking up the warmth and security it provides.
"Pshh, you're not fooling anyone, di Angelo. You're so in love with me." Will starts stroking his hair just how he likes to prove his point, that bastard, and Nico does all he can to stop leaning into it. He surrenders after three seconds. "And anyway, we're so similar to their family— two caring dads who are so in love with each other, an adopted daughter who's too precious for this world—"
"— One way too overdramatic dad who grew up on a farm," Nico supplies helpfully.
"Exactly! And one— wait, did you just compare me to Cam?"
"Well I'm obviously the Mitchell, so, laws of elimination and all."
Will moves from the couch so Nico has to sit up, and faces him. "Okay firstly, that's not how the law works, and secondly, I'm not that dramatic."
Nico pretends to think for a while, and smiles deviously. "You're right—"
"— Thank you—"
"— Cam is actually tame in your comparison—"
"Whyyy are you always so mean to me?" Will cries in mock-hurt, thus proving Nico's point, and Nico can't help but push Will's buttons just a little more.
"I'm sorry for making you cry, do you want me to call you a Whambulance?"
All the police experience and instincts to this date fail him the moment Will decides to throw a pillow and hit him square on the face.
02 March, Age 31
Nico practically groans as he walks the last few steps leading to his home. It's been a very exhausting day at work today, both physically and mentally. At the end of the day, all he wants is a nice long bath and a warm meal with his family.
The first thing he hears as he enters his home is a movie playing on the TV. He hates himself for knowing it's Frozen just from the dialogue 'Some people are worth melting for,' but that's to be expected when he has had to sit through the movie only a million times and endure Will's godawful habit of mumbling the entirety of the dialogues. And he absolutely hates that Annie has started learning the behaviour.
As he follows the sound, the sight in front of him stops his heart for a moment.
Will is sprawled on the couch, his head comfortably positioned on the armrest. He's holding their daughter on his chest, both arms secured protectively around her while Annie's plump arms rest loosely over Will's shoulder. But the most beautiful part, the one that warms him to his core, is the rhythmic rise and fall of Will's chest, a solid evidence of his life and Nico's life as well, and how Annie moves slowly along with it. This, it's still so unbelievable that he's a part of something as beautiful as this, and they're his family.
Some people are worth melting for.
In his case, some people are worth not giving up for.
Nico picks up the remote and turns off the TV, and slowly, so as not to break the magical spell around them, kneels down on the floor over the couch and kisses softly on both their foreheads— first Annie, then Will.
Come to think of it, it's not such a bad day after all.
29 June, Age 29
“No Annabeth, we did not name our baby in your honour, so don't go getting all emotional on us.”
28 June, Age 29
Nico has never been so scared in his life.
Not when he was outed to Jason, not when came out to Percy and Annabeth, not even when he got shot on his shoulder or asked Will to marry him, but this, this little bundle resting peacefully on the crib he and Will bought over a month ago, it scares the life out of him.
Weirdly enough, he doesn’t remember being so happy ever before.
"She's so perfect, isn't she?" A voice comes from behind him, and a second later he feels Will's hands rest on his waist. "How is she so perfect, Nico?"
"It's our daughter, I wouldn't expect less," Nico leans into the taller man immediately. Will looks like he wants to say something, but a shrill cry breaks them out of their trance. With a reassurance of I got this, Will moves towards the crib and starts rocking her. Annie stops crying almost immediately.
He could stare at them all day long, and he would still never get enough.
While Will is still rocking Annie and now singing a lullaby, Naomi comes up to him. "How're you feelin', darlin'?"
"Terrified out of my mind," he cracks a nervous laugh.
Annabeth and Percy have shared enough horror stories about parenting to last two lifetimes, the others haven't been so helpful either. There are a million things he doesn't know, a million things that could go wrong, a million ways they could mess up.
"You're gonna be fine, love," Naomi puts a reassuring arm on his shoulder, and flashes him a warm smile that is so reminiscent of Will's. "I was scared out of my mind when I had Will, but he's turned out just fine."
He wants to say that Will has turned out more than just fine, that if they manage even half the upbringing Naomi has done for Will, they will have succeeded with flying colours, but he doesn't have to. The sight in front him speaks for itself.
"And of course," Naomi continues with a grin, "She's always gonna have her cool Meemaw right by her side."
25 June, Age 29
"Let's name her Annalise."
"Oh that's perfect— no wait! Oh my god, you remembered."
"Of course I did, it's you."
"But that was years ago. You still remembered."
"Again, it's you, Will."
"You and Annalise, you two are the most precious people in my life, Nico. I hope you know that."
Beside Nico, Annalise coos in her sleep. She knows, and Nico knows too.
20 April, Age 29
Will cries as soon as he begins reading the email in his phone, right in the middle of the grocery store. This doesn't soothe Nico's anxiety even a little.
"What is it?" He tries not to be impatient; Will needs time to process the news and it's okay, except he's also been waiting for months alongside Will and spent sleepless nights together and Will is crying and it's definitely bad news and oh god why did they think they could have this— "It's okay, Will, we'll try again next time." He wishes he could convince himself so easily, but from one rejection email after another after another, he's used to disappointment. "Did they say why they rejected—"
"—They didn't."
"Oh." Then it must have been the same fucking reason it always happens.
"No no, they didn't reject us, I mean. They accepted us."
Nico looks into Will's eyes to see if it's a joke— not that he believes Will would be as cruel to joke about something like this, but with the continued rejections and one excuse after another and sheer hopelessness, it's a lot to take in.
"I can't believe it," Nico whispers as Will shows him the email, and there it is, Congratulations Dr. Solace- di Angelo written in bold letters, and he doesn't even care that he's started crying in the middle of a grocery store. "We're going to be parents."
15 March, Age 27
Will walks up to him, all suited up and oh so beautiful, and takes Nico's breath away so effortlessly.
"Hey stranger," Will grins, and Nico laughs at the absurdity of it all. This stupid, beautiful, precious man is his husband now. He continues to give Nico the same butterflies in stomach as he did since the first time they met, and—
His train of thoughts come to an abrupt stop when Jason clears his throat from behind.
"What?" Nico asks a little pointedly, annoyed at him for ruining the moment.
Jason looks unfazed by his glare. He holds his hand out confidently and directs his smug smile at him. "I believe you owe me 10 bucks."
Nico gets confused for a minutes, until until a distant memory hits him, about a bet he'd made with Jason at Percy and Annabeth's wedding. Oh that.
"Can't you wait until we've had our first dance?" Nico's death glare turns into a soft, sappy look as he turns to his fianc— husband. This man in front of him, with eyes that hold his universe and childlike smile that make most of his worries go away, this man is his husband now. His family.
It's his wedding day and he's emotional. Sue him.
"Sorry, detective, but I've waited almost a decade for it so no, no I can't."
If he weren't the best man, Nico would have killed Jason by now. It's what the groom wants, so he might just be excused. But he knows Jason won't budge, so he looks into his pocket and hands over a 10-dollar bill towards him.
Even so, he can't help but have the last word.
"You think you won the bet, but I'm the real winner here, Jace. I hope you know that."
"What bet?" Will asks him, who had been watching their conversation with a lot of confusion. Nico takes his hand and walks him to the floor. It's time for their first dance as a couple.
"Not important, I'll tell you later."
12 January, Age 26
"And we caught her just as she was trying to frame her husband— well ex husband— for the drugs. Apparently she it did to gain full custody of her daughter, Annalise, I think. Too bad she won't be doing much of parenting from prison."
Will hums throughout Nico's retelling of a case at work today, occasionally asking follow-ups. "Annalise. I've always liked that name," he says once Nico is done.
"Yeah?"
"Uh huh, I like the sound of it. Annalise. It's lovely, isn't it?"
He hasn't really given it much thought, to be honest. But Will likes the sound of the name, and that's good enough for him.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
22 September, Age 26
"Yes."
18 September, Age 26
Black and gold. Sun and moon. Heart and soul.
"This one. It's perfect."
15 September, Age 26
He's at a stakeout with Reyna when he disturbs the silence.
"Are you free this Saturday?"
Reyna shrugs, not taking her eyes off the car they have been keeping an eye on. "I guess, why?"
"I need your help."
"You'll be disrupting my date with Aurum and Argentum and a movie marathon with tons of ice cream, so this better be good."
"I'm going ring shopping this Saturday and I need your help," he finishes in one breath. Reyna looks directly at him, the suspect forgotten for the time being, and just in case he wasn't clear before, Nico says the words.
"I'm gonna ask Will to marry me."
28 January, Age 26
"— Birthday, Nico! I love you so much."
27 January, Age 25
"Oh wait, it's almost midnight. Happy—"
20 October, Age 25
"If I have to do one more paperwork, I'll just kill myself."
Will flicks his forehead twice and it hurts. "It's too soon to make such jokes, death boy."
18 October, Age 25
"Hey babe, what's up?" Will's voice fills his ears through the phone. In that moment, it's the only sound he hears, excluding his rapidly beating heart.
"H— Hey Will." He tries to sound normal he really does, but everything is moving too quickly and his heart won't shut up and he's sweating and everything is just too much and—
"Nico, is everything alright?" Will's cheery tone is gone in an instant as it changes into worry.
Everything is not alright, because he just got shot about half an hour ago during a stakeout. The perp must have had a terrible aim, since the bullet went by just above his left collarbone, grazing his shoulder. Not enough to be fatal, but deep enough to draw a lot of blood render him incapable.
Had Reyna not returned with reinforcements on time—
"Yeah, everything is fine," he tries, but his focus shifts on his leg that won't stop twitching. "Just wanted to hear your voice."
"Nico—"
"—I was just— tell me about your day, please?" He's so desperate for a sense of normalcy.
Will doesn't sound convinced, but doesn’t question any further, hearing the desperation in his voice. "Okay let's see, so far I've had two kids with fractured wrists today, and three follow-ups for throat infection, and one of them had managed to insert an eraser in her ear. Oh, and one kid told me I had a pretty smile," he laughs. Nico can almost picture Will's flustered cheeks he gets when someone even remotely compliments him, and it brings a smile on his lips too.
"And I had penne pasta for lunch today," Will continues, "The sauce wasn't nearly as good as the one you make at home. What did you have today?"
"I, uh, I haven't had lunch yet."
"Why not? You should know lunch is the most important meal of the day."
"You said just the other day that breakfast is the most important meal of the day," he smiles in spite of himself.
"I said no such thing. Anyway, how has your day been?"
That sobers him right up. The cold feeling settles once more in his stomach, and more than anything he wishes he was at home, sitting comfortably without a care in the world. "I wish I could see you right now."
The moments leading up to the gunshot are hazy now, but he remembers too clearly, just before the first spike of adrenaline, when Will's beautiful face and eyes and smile appeared before him, and he remembers how he had feared he would never get to hear that beautiful voice again.
Reyna signals him to hang up the phone and come with her. "Hey, I need to go now, so I'll see you at home, okay?"
"Yeah, uh, hey Nico?"
"Hm?"
"I don't know what's going on with you today, but I hope everything gets better for you. I'll see you at home, okay? Love you."
Nico whispers an I love you too and hangs up. Now that he's back in the real world, he realizes that his leg has stopped twitching, and his heart beat is returning to somewhat normal. He doesn't feel as anxious, but since the adrenaline is going down, pain starts shooting up. Nico takes a look at the gunshot wound at his shoulder, now cleaned and bandaged neatly. He might be biased, but Will would have done a better job at it.
Reyna comes up to him and takes his hand. "You're good to go now. Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah, something to eat. Lunch is the most important meal of the day, apparently."
16 June, Age 25
"What's with your new obsession with putting Soy sauce over everything?" Nico raises a skeptical eyebrow at Will, who has been talking about his new dip that he claims to have invented.
"I like the taste of it, alright?" Will shrugs. Nico puts two bottles of Soy sauce in the cart; one for him, one for Will.
"You know," Will clears his throat. All the confidence and defensiveness he had before is gone now, replaced with a nervous hesitation. "If we lived together we'd only have to buy one bottle."
"Are you asking me to move in with you just because we'd have to buy only one bottle of soy sauce?"
"No. I'm asking to move in with you, actually. Because your apartment is bigger and better." Something blooms in his chest at the words, the anticipation and thrill of starting a new step in their relationship as he walks away from Will towards the aisle where he'd picked the bottles from.
Will calls him from behind but he doesn't answer; he knows what he's doing. Will catches up to him, a little breathless and afraid, and opens his mouth to say something but stops. Nico puts the bottles back to their original place and takes the bigger bottle from the shelf above it. The stupid bottle is a promise of commitment.
"Let's move in together."
05 May, Age 25
"Have I ever told you I love you?"
"Only about a million times."
"Yeah well, you deserve a million more."
28 March, Age 25
"I'm dying."
"..."
"Nicoooo, I'm dyyinggghh."
"No you're not. It's just a fever, Will, and it's not even that high." Nico shows him the thermometer reading, steady at 101 degrees.
Will doesn't bother to look at the thermometer, now distracted with Nico's jacket. He runs his fingers up and down the zip in slow, lazy motion. "You're so hot."
Nico places his hand on Will's forehead and gives him a fond smile. "Clearly not as much as you."
"You look so hot in that leather jacket." Stupid Will, managing to make him blush even when he's sick with fever.
Will suddenly stops playing with the zipper and looks directly into his eyes, forcing Nico to do the same. "When I die, will you wear this jacket at my funeral?"
Nico snorts at his boyfriend's dramatics. It was the first thing Naomi had warned him about, how Will rarely got sick, but when he did, he made it everyone's problem. "Sure, Will," he decides to play along.
"Promise me."
"You want me to promise you that I'll wear this jacket to your funeral?"
"Yeah. And when I get better, will you take me to Disneyland?"
"Oh, I thought you were going to die?"
"Why are you so meeeean."
18 November, Age 24
"Can I confess something to you?"
"Sure."
"The first day I moved in to this apartment, you know how I burrowed sugar from you?"
"Yeah, and we've established that you made a terrible first impression."
"About that, uh, I didn't really need the sugar. I'd seen you before when I was moving in my stuff, and I just needed an excuse to talk to you."
13 August, Age 24
To: Jason ⚡
(14:21) Will says he'll be there at six.
(14:22) I need you to be at your best behaviour, and don't you dare scare him away.
(14:24) If you make jokes at my expense or share embarrassing stories about me, I'll have to kill you.
(14:28) I really like him, okay?
To: Jason ⚡
(20:54) You're a dead man tomorrow, Grace.
02 August, Age 24
"No, nope. I forbid you."
"You can't just forbid me."
"Well tough luck, I just did."
That's not how it works, Nico mumbles to himself. Because it doesn't. Just because Will was kind enough to forgive himself, it doesn't take way the fact that he hurt Will. He will always have to live with it, no matter how much Will forbids him to look down on himself.
"Nico, don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"
Maybe sometime in the future, he won't.
22 July, Age 24
If gods were truly real, they would have had mercy on him and struck him down when they had the chance.
Because everything is falling apart and there's nothing he can do and Will's gonna hate him and—
"Hey, deep breaths, Nico." Will is calming and sweet as ever. Of course he is. "Now tell me what's the matter."
"What's the matter? Everything is ruined," Nico wants to laugh at how terribly his plans have gone tonight. "It was supposed to be this big fancy dinner, and we missed the reservation and your favourite ice cream place is closed and now it's raining and we don't even have a decent place to take shelter, and—"
Will places a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiles. "— Hey, it's okay. If you cant tell, I enjoyed my date with you, I promise."
"You don't have to say that Will, and well— I'm sorry. This was supposed to win you back and— please give me another chance, I'll make it up to you, I promise." He's practically begging now, desperate for anything Will bestows upon him.
"Are you kidding me? There's no winning me back, Nico, because I forgave you the minute I asked you for the date." Will tilts his chin up with a finger, forcing him to look into those blue eyes. "And well, I enjoyed tonight because it's you."
There's something soft about the eyes, something Nico can't quite place, but knows it's reserved for him.
"Really?" He's almost sure he's going to cry very soon, but it's the last of his concerns now.
"Yes, silly." There's a subtle change in his eyes now; the sift look changes into something mischievous.
"And well, we can still turn things around with a little kiss in the rain, can't we?"
20 July, Age 24
When he answered the door, the last person he would have guessed was Will.
But somehow, he's here now, tired and messy and just so Will, who doesn't say anything as he lets himself in to Nico's apartment.
Nico doesn't have the presence of mind to say anything, because Will's here and he's hopefully here to talk and work things out and—
"Did you mean it?" Will says without much emotion in his voice, but Nico knows him enough to trace the subtle hurt and hopefulness radiating through his eyes.
"I meant every word I said, Will." It hurts so much now, to think that he could have ever run away in the first place, without taking Will's feelings into consideration.
"And you promise never to run away from me again?"
"Yes, I promise." He doesn't think he could ever forgive himself if he hurt Will like that again. "I'll do anything to make it up to you."
"Alright then, take me on a date. If everything goes well, I'll decide whether to forgive you or not."
13 July, Age 24
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm— I'm so sorry, Will. I thought it was for the best—"
"—No, you don't get to say sorry, alright?
I've been beating myself up over it a thousand times, thinking maybe I overstepped, maybe I crossed boundaries. It's taken me this long to realize that it's not my fault, and you're just an asshole."
"I— you're right, Will I was an asshole and I was scared. But I want to make this right and make it up to you, please, I'll do anything."
"You could always ignore me, di Angelo. That's what you're the best at anyway."
12 July, Age 24
When the fates decided they'd make Nico ride the elevator with Will, their thought process must have been something like, Oh, this is gonna be fun.
Will is just a few feet away from him, leaning against the other wall of the elevator and pointedly looking away from him, which is fair, he deserves it. It's what he had wanted.
The elevator dings, and a girl walks in. Nisha, who's the eight year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sharma that live across from Will. She walks in with a cheery smile and greets them, holding a bunch of wildflowers in her hand.
"Good afternoon, sweetie," Will smiles at her, which does funny things to Nico. He's missed the smile, and the voice, and the easiness that comes with just being around Will. But he's in no position to complain, not when he's the reason for the unmistakable exhaustion in Will's voice. "Those flowers are so beautiful, where'd you get them from?"
Nisha jumps in excitement. "Oh, I got them from the park for mom. Papa said she wasn't feeling well." She stops, thinks for a moment, and offers Will some of the flowers. "Here, I hope you feel better too."
Will looks confused, but holds his hands forward to accept the flowers anyway. "Love, I haven't been sick in years."
"Oh, I saw you look really sad yesterday and the day before that, so I thought you were sick."
Will turns to Nico in reflex, and well, it's him. He put the expression on Will's face.
08 July, Age 24
"Hey Nico, wait!"
"Yeah?"
"Look, can we talk for a moment? It won't take much, I promise."
"I really need to be somewhere right now—"
"It won't be long, I swear. We can talk as we walk to your car, I—"
"— Will, I really need to go, okay? Sorry."
06 July, Age 24
From: Sunshine boy
(13:05) hey everything is okay between us, right?
To: Sunshine boy
(18:58) Yeah, it's cool.
From: Sunshine boy
(18:59) Cool
(18:59) wanna come over for dinner?
(20:00) I'm sorry if I made things weird
(21:34) I just miss you
(21:35) please talk to me
03 July, Age 24
The world could have ended, and Nico wouldn't have bothered to move. Because Will is kissing him, and it's easily the best feeling in the world.
Because Will wants him, wants to kiss him. Will. Kind, sweet Will who dreams of being a Pediatrician one day, who's always smiling at strangers and helping the elderly, who brightens Nico's world just by existing, and Nico—
Nico moves away from Will, suddenly very aware of their proximity. What does he have to offer? Disappointment? Heartbreak? One burden after another?
But Will deserves better— he deserves more than better, and Nico can't, not in good conscience— he shouldn't.
23 July, Age 23
"Hey Neeks, where are you going? We're headed to the bar, you coming?"
"Sorry Percy, but I have plans with a friend tonight. You guys go on."
"Friends? You don't have other friends apart from us."
"Well I do, idiot."
25 August, Age 22
"Hi, I'm your new neighbour, just finished moving. May I borrow some sugar?" A blond man around his age greets him as soon as he answers the door. He's slightly taller than Nico and damnit, just so beautiful, and— Sugar, right.
He makes sure not to touch the blond's hand while handing him the sugar, he doesn’t want to know what it'll do to him.
"Thank you," he smiles, and Nico knows gods are out for his blood because it's the most beautiful smile he's ever seen. "I'm Will Solace."
"Nico uh, di Angelo."
"I'll see you around, Nico uh, di Angelo."
Fuck.
05 June, Age 21
He's over Percy, he's been over the guy for seven years, but it still hurts to see him have the first dance as a married couple with Annabeth.
He's happy for them, obviously, but he's also jealous, and sad for himself because he'll never have that. He tells Jason as much, who then makes his life goal to cheer him up.
"You're gonna fall in love one day, Nico. You're gonna find yourself a nice boy, and get married and I'll be the best man, and you're gonna have the first dance with him." Nico can't help but scoff, because even if he does find himself a nice boy, what are the chances he's going to want him?
"Oh, you don't believe me? How about a bet, di Angelo?" Jason's eyes are weirdly challenging.
What's the harm in it, Nico thinks as he accepts the bet.
22 May, Age 18
"We should join the police academy once we're of age and out of high school."
"Are you out of your mind, Jason?"
18 August, Age 14
"You're cute, but not my type."
23 July, Age 12
Two people walk past him, hand in hand. Two men. One of them puts his hand around the other's waist, and he lets him. The other whispers something into his ears, and both of them laugh. Carefree.
Nico watches from a distance, longingly. He's never going to have that.
16 November, Age 56
A familiar face greets him, welcomes and guides him towards the light with a smile. He's missed watching those eyes shine with love and pride.
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long."
The face smiles, more radiant and serene than he remembers, and takes his hand.
"I would have waited an eternity for you, Love."