Archive of Our Own

“Hello, welcome to 5 Star, what can I get you?” A dry, monotone voice came out of the raven haired boy standing behind the counter. It was a nice, sunny day today and the coffee shop was swarmed with customers as usual—maybe a little busier due to the juice sale they had going on. The customer, a fiery-haired girl with eye makeup that looked as if the sun was exploding, grinned, flashing a row of pearly, white teeth.

“Yeah, can I get a green juice and a passionfruit mango juice—it’s buy one get one half off, right? Great, I’ll take those in large.” She finished reciting her order and fished out her wallet, placing a crisp ten dollar bill on the counter, not even giving the cashier on the brink of death a chance to reply.

The raven haired boy took the money silently, punched the order in, before looking back at her. “Alright. Will that be it for you today? Here’s your change by the way.” He drawled, sliding the money across the counter. She made a grab for it and brushed her fingers against his hands, which, naturally, made him retract it uncomfortably.

The girl’s bright smile turned sheepish as her cheeks tinted a light pink. “H—How about your number?” She giggled softly and looked down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing, which, to be completely honest—it was a pretty damn nice floor, made out of white marble and all that expensive jazz.

Now to say Nico di Angelo was on his last string was a huge step forward from where he currently was—which would definitely not be a pretty sight if for some reason said string was suddenly snipped or something. He was kind of used to it—not that he enjoyed it or anything. Sure, it was flattering sometimes to get random people brave enough to come up to him and blatantly ask him out—a real big ego boost—but today he was not having any of it. Nico was completely and utterly over it.

He sighed and neutralized his expression as best as he could before flashing her a tiny, sympathetic smile. “Um, I’m sorry ma'am, but I’m working…”

The girl’s smile faltered a little, but she quickly regained her cheerfulness and tried to smile bigger. “Oh, that’s no worries. If it’s okay, we can always meet up after.”

What the hell? Nico must’ve missed the part where he gave her his phone number, let alone an answer because he sure was confused as hell. He wondered if she would take the hint even if there were big, bright neon signs that illustrated his uninterest. He furrowed his eyebrows, about to give her the old smackdown when Percy Jackson, his annoyingly, infuriating co-worker, swooped right in from his side and slid the two juices right in front of her face.

“One green juice, one passionfruit mango juice coming right at ya!” He announced excitedly, bumping Nico away with a swing of his hips. Nico grumbled quietly about how damn strong his hips were but was internally grateful for his friend saving his ass. Percy turned back to wink at him before turning back to address the girl, who had a disappointed pout on her face. She stalked off and the next person walked up.

“Long day?” Another voice said from beside Nico, and he turned to find his other annoyingly, infuriating (though slightly less, but he would never tell him that) co-worker, Jason Grace, smiling at him. 

Nico rolled his eyes and stepped away from the register where Percy had taken over, moving to sit on one of the back counters. Jason followed him. He huffed out a sigh and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Like you don’t even know.”

Jason grinned and handed him a cold water bottle, which he opened gratefully and downed. He muttered a small thanks to his friend before setting the bottle down, staring at the fancy lights that hung from the ceiling. “Can’t imagine how you must feel getting hit on all the time. You’re too hot for your own sake and you don’t even know it.” Jason teased him and Nico threw him a death glare.

“Shut up, Grace. It’s annoying as shit when all I’m trying to do is make money. Plus I’m gay as fuck and I only ever get girls who ask me!” He complained petulantly while Jason laughed loudly. This caused another head to poke out from the back room and Nico was met face to face with an unamused glare.

“If you two don’t quiet the fuck down… You’re annoying all the customers.” Reyna, their scary boss, commanded, but the strands of hair sticking out from her messy braid made it look a lot less intimidating. Nico wanted to point out the fact that they were barely talking in a volume louder than a whisper but he was too scared of Reyna—especially when she had bloodshot eyes and messy bedhead. He just knew she had spent the entire night working in the office.

Nico and Jason both threw up their hands in surrender and she rolled her eyes before disappearing back into the office, where she was most likely completing paperwork. It wasn’t easy running a small business. Especially one that was such high caliber, at least as Reyna described it. The little coffee shop that she owned was named 5 Star (with their little catchphrase being ‘and don’t forget to leave 5 Star five stars on Yelp’) and it was inspired mostly by Greek and Roman architecture, as Reyna had a deep fascination for that kind of stuff. The interior was very minimalistic and chic (rows and rows of white columned marble as well as the brightness of the place that just exuded an air of regality), which drew in the young people like swarms of flies, and it was overall very Instagram-y. Nico wasn’t sure though, as he wasn’t a connoisseur of said ‘gram worthy aesthetics, but Reyna was his old college buddy (yes, even when she acted ten years older than him—seemed like it too) so when he found out she was hiring, he immediately took the offer. Plus, it was sort of nice getting to hang out with his friends while working. That way he wasn’t completely alone and was even paid decently.

“Man I’m starving!” Percy complained after he served the last customer in line and walked up to where they were chilling. Now that lunch rush was over, the influx in customers would, no doubt, soon die down. “Anyone up for pizza?”

Jason raised his hand eagerly like an excited puppy while Nico rolled his eyes but didn’t oblige. “Not real pizza, but whatever.”

Percy mocked him in an annoying high pitched voice before running off to the back and phoning the pizza company, which was so undeniably American—at least the kind that Percy and Jason liked, which was so greasy and tasted so artificial it made Nico’s Italian blood boil. But whatever, he was hungry so he wasn’t going to complain (that much at least).

When the pizza finally came 20 minutes later, Percy was basically half expired. He nearly squealed in excitement as the pizza guy walked into their shop, looking slightly out of place compared to the teens snapping pictures all around them, but Percy just handed him a wad of cash and he was on his merry way.

“Fuck! This shit is why I live.” Percy moaned as he bit into his slice and Nico fake barfed at the disturbing sight. Did he particularly want to see Percy Jackson having a foodgasm as he shoved the disgusting imitation pizza down his throat? No, not really.

“Gods who let this untrained animal in here?” Nico complained as he scooted a good inch away from Percy, who had already inhaled his first slice and was working on his second, a tiny dot of tomato sauce was smeared across his cheek and Nico scrunched his nose up in disgust that he didn’t even bother to hide.

Percy glared at him, though there was no malice in his tone, and stuck his tongue out. “Okay, Mr. ‘I’m salty because I can’t get laid.’” He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, smirking when Nico grew quiet, knowing that he had won.

At that, Jason, who had been watching the exchange quietly (with amusement if one might add), choked on his pizza as he tried—and failed—to hold in his laughter. Nico prayed to whatever god was out there that he would choke and die (it didn’t happen much to his dismay). He felt his face heat up as he frowned, putting down his pizza and crossing his arms across his chest. “I…Wh— You have no right to comment on my sex life, which is perfectly fine, mind you. In fact, I got laid yesterday. And the night before that!” He retaliated, wanting so badly to summon some skeletons or whatever just to wipe the smugness of Percy’s face. Too bad he didn’t have magic powers.

“Sure you did.‘Twink fucked by daddy’ porn doesn’t count.” Percy teased, sticking his tongue out again. Nico wanted to chop it off, stick it on a stake, and feed it to the wolves. His face reddened ten shades deeper and he pointed a threatening finger in Percy’s face as he stood up and spluttered.

“I do NOT watch porn!” He yelled a little too loudly. 

The table nearest them snapped their heads to stare at them and Nico felt his ears getting red as Percy and Jason covered their mouths to muffle the laughter that was threatening to spill out. He stood there mortified and was about to defend himself, but at that moment Reyna stormed out of the office. 

“You! Nico di Angelo, you better watch your damn mouth or I’m sending you packing!” She hissed silently and Nico gulped thickly, embarrassment flooding in his chest.

“Yes, ma’am.” He muttered, glaring at his two idiot friends, who had the audacity to look away and pretend like they weren’t a part of this conversation. Reyna hmphed before she retreated back to her cave.

Nico turned back to finish their argument but by then Percy and Jason had linked their arms together and were feeding each other pizza, effectively shutting Nico up. He huffed and plopped back down, too jittery to even finish his slice. Jason ended up eating the half he hadn’t and Nico wanted nothing more than to just go home and greet his sweet, sweet bed.

-

12:50

Ten more minutes. Ten more minutes and Nico was free to go, already imagining the soft, velvety touch of his bed aka the thing that could never disappoint him. He could hear the dramatic climax of some musical piece—the kind with violins that made him feel like he was ascending to heaven—in his head as the clock ticked nearer and nearer. As much as Nico enjoyed working (ever since he had dropped out of college), he was still a major insomniac and as such—never got any sleep. It only meant that he should probably be taking the sleeping meds his doctor prescribed him, but did he want to? No. Nico’s not a coward. Stubborn? Yes. But coward? Definitely not. He was either going to sleep like a normal, sane person, or he was going to die trying. Anyways, sometimes the 10 hour shifts took a toll on him, which could be considered a good thing since he usually slept like a log after he got home around 1:30 am. For the most part, the cafe closed at 1 and Nico had volunteered himself to always take the night shifts so it's not like he could complain. He also wasn’t allowed to close early, even though the cafe was practically barren, but Reyna made sure he followed the rules. That still didn’t stop him from cleaning up the rest of the sitting area (rules be damned), leaving only one table open in case any crazy person decided to show up at this hour, which never happened so he really didn’t see the point in this.

Five more minutes, he thought gleefully, nearly drooling at the thought of sleep. The sound of a loud crash broke his train of thoughts and Nico remembered that Percy was still here doing toilet duty. He wondered if Percy had somehow gotten his head stuck in the toilet (yes, it happened once and no, Nico did not want to reminisce about it so don’t ask him) and was about to go over to see what the commotion was, but thought better of it. With a few minutes left to spare, Nico decided to step out of the counter and make his way over to the door to lock it when his literal worst nightmare came to life. 

A shadow looming on the other side, pulled open the door aka the one thing keeping Nico from his bed. Nico watched as a guy wearing a ridiculously bright and hideous orange hoodie stepped in, and he could only stare in shock. The silent pitter patter sounds of flip flops hitting the polished marble floor rang surprisingly loud in the empty room. What the fuck, was the only thing he could chant internally as his mind went on overdrive.

The guy had fluffy blonde hair, though it looked a little messy with the hood covering it and all, and the bluest eyes Nico had ever seen, which were crystal clear even at this late hour. Even though the lighting was a shitty yellow, which casted an eerie shadow across the stranger’s face, Nico didn’t doubt that those eyes could sink him anytime. 

“Hey, what time ya close?” The guy’s voice, which was soft and coarse, dipped with a slight Southern accent smoother than butter, broke him out of his trance and Nico stuttered awake.

“Um…one.” He supplied robotically, the vision of his bed drifting further and further away as depressing piano music replaced his previous upbeat tune.

The guy checked the digital wall clock that flashed a bright, neon 12:59, which was conveniently placed just behind Nico, and grinned. “Cool. Made it just in time.”

Nico’s eyes started twitching and he had a sudden urge to grab a chair and fling it as hard as he could at the guy. Instead he gripped the washcloth he was holding for dear life, only to keep from doing something he was going to regret.

“So what can I get you then?” Nico muttered, anger beginning to bubble within him. He prayed his face didn’t reflect what he felt because of Reyna’s ‘customer hospitality’ rule, but at this point he really didn’t give a flying fuck. No one was going to get in the way of Nico and his much precious sleep.

The guy hummed, looking up at the menu before glancing back at Nico, dragging his gaze agonizingly up and down his body like he was analyzing him or something. His piercing stare sent a weird jolt down Nico’s spine, which he dutifully ignored in favor of hating the guy. Yeah, hating the guy was much better. The guy smirked. “A beer.”

Nico grabbed the nearest bottle and threw it at the guy’s head, the glass smashing brilliantly like an exploding star, which unfortunately didn’t happen. His fingers twitched violently, until Percy burst in at that exact moment and rushed over to his side, pushing him away. The stupid guy was still holding a toilet brush, which he comically threw to the side, and a pair of soaking wet gloves was halfway shoved inside his pants. Nico seriously did not want to know what the hell he had been doing in the bathroom.

“A beer you said? Comin’ right up!” He whipped around and grabbed a cold bottle of beer from the mini fridge, sliding it across the counter. Nico almost made a comment about how unhygienic it was (the whole touching the toilet and serving a customer without washing his hands thing) but at this point, he was too mad to care. Percy rang the guy up like a civilized person and all Nico could do the entire time was glare daggers at him.

It wasn’t until the guy paid and Percy nudged his side that Nico realized what he had been doing. The guy was staring at him, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. 

“What?” Nico muttered—nearly hissed—out.

The guy shrugged, smirking slightly as he popped open his beer on the side of the tabletop, slipping the cap in his hoodie pocket. (And if that was singlehandedly the most attractive thing Nico had ever witnessed—no it definitely fucking wasn’t. It wasn’t, okay?). “Nothing. See you around.” He raised the glass before striding out of the cafe, a strange feeling washing over Nico once the door shut behind him. It was like relief but at the same time, he wondered if he was ever going to see those blue eyes again. Nico wasn’t a fan of swimming but he’d chance at taking a dip in the lagoon of those darned sparkling eyes. Speaking of eyes, Nico could feel Percy’s gaze burning a hole into his back and he turned around with a scowl, only to meet Percy’s shit eating grin.

“You will speak nothing of this.” He threatened, wagging a finger in Percy’s obnoxious face.

Percy only laughed and said something along the lines of ‘our little Nico is gonna get laid,’ to which Nico responded by rightfully smacking him repeatedly with the damp washcloth until he surrendered. 

-

“Hey, Annabeth.” Nico greeted the blonde girl who was wiping the area of the counter in front of her with a determined look. Her tongue was sticking out slightly and it resembled Percy so much that Nico wondered if they were literal soulmates at birth or something. There was a guy sitting at the bar in front of her, making small talk, but Nico paid him no heed as he slipped into the back.

Annabeth stared at him with her calm gray eyes that often comforted him like a cup of steaming hot tea. She was the complete opposite of Percy—intelligent, wise, and all-knowing, traits that Percy, unfortunately, hadn’t inherited over the years they’d been dating. Nico still didn’t understand how someone like Percy Jackson could’ve scored a girl like Annabeth Chase—but hey, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had his fair share of what Jason dubbed his ‘Percy Jackson phase.’ It was a rough time in his life, okay? Besides, he was completely over it. “Hey, Nico. You’re here early today. Your shift doesn’t start until 3.” She pointed at the clock which obviously stated the time as 2:30.

Nico shrugged and pulled on the muted gray apron that Reyna had meticulously chosen when they were decorating, pre-opening. “Thought I’d swing by earlier. I know you just have a shift with Jackson and well…we all know he’s not gonna get anything done. No offense.” He flashed her a sympathetic smile and perched his butt on top of the back counter.

Annabeth laughed, a little delighted, high pitched noise that bordered a wheeze, as she threw the washcloth in the sink, wiping her hands dry on her apron. She only worked partial part-time (if that was even a thing) in the morning shifts, only because she had killer classes and needed the money, so naturally Percy had begged Reyna until she agreed to hire her. Therefore, Nico didn’t see her much—only on the very rare occasions he decided to show up to work early when their shifts overlapped. “None taken. Plus you’re absolutely right. I don’t even know where he went.”

Nico rolled his eyes and muttered a quiet ‘idiota,’ the Italian flowing naturally through him when he heard a loud crashing sound coming from the back room, which could only mean two things. One, Percy Jackson was up to no good. Two, Reyna was so going to skin them alive.

“Hey, let me introduce you to someone.” Annabeth’s melodic voice drifted his thoughts away from Reyna maiming him and he focused once more on her face, a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth as she expertly ignored the muffled yelp that Percy screamed out. She waved a hand to the guy who was sitting at the counter behind her, who Nico barely even noticed, let alone remembered had existed. 

Nico’s jaw dropped when his gaze landed on a familiar looking guy. This time, however, he was wearing a simple blue shirt that matched his eyes (not that Nico noticed or whatever), hair looking considerably better than it did last night without a hoodie to ruffle it. Now if the shitty yellow lighting made him look decent still, put him in a room that reflected light and he might as well have been one of the Greek sculptures that Reyna had insisted on having as decoration. Nico was in awe at just how golden his curly hair was, wondering if it would feel like velvet if he ran his fingers through the locks. Not that he wanted to, of course. His face was nicely defined and every single one of his features seemed to have been hand-crafted with how perfect they were. His skin seemed to glow brighter under the rays of the afternoon sun and Nico could only describe him as a living embodiment of one word. Sunshine. 

Sunshine grinned at him, borderline smirking, as he casually waved two fingers in greeting. “Nice to properly meet you.”

Nico quickly snapped his mouth closed, but his eyes were still wide as he darted his gaze between Sunshine and Annabeth. The girl was staring at him with a knowing look and he didn’t like the sly smile that was forming on her pretty face.

“Oh, you two know each other?” Annabeth inquired, but Nico knew what she was up to. He threw her a glare that screamed ‘stay out of it’ but shook his head.

“No. He just came in at 12:59 last night, one minute before we closed.” He drawled sarcastically, huffing out a breath of annoyance. Yes, he was petty and he knew it. Call him whatever, but Nico di Angelo held grudges like no one else.

Sunshine snickered and Nico hated how much the sound softened his hardened heart, creeping its way into his body like a virus—one he was very much dreading to catch. “Well I would apologize for it, but I’m not exactly sorry.”

Annabeth waved him off before Nico could bite back. “Oh don’t worry about him. He’s always like that. Nico prioritizes his sleep over anything.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at her and grumbled. “Yeah and I would very much like you to prioritize your job over talking, or Reyna is going to get your ass.” He smirked victoriously when Annabeth’s face dropped, paled two shades lighter, and she mumbled an excuse before running off to clean some tables in the far corner.

Sunshine laughed and Nico had no choice but to make his way over to where Annabeth was standing moments earlier. From this position, he could see Sunshine much clearer and noticed just how…handsome he was. Even though Nico was salty, he could admit when someone was good eye candy and this guy wasn’t just eye candy. He was eye the whole store . A trail of freckles dusted over the bridge of his nose, settling themselves in random areas on his cheeks and Nico could probably count them if he tried (which he was trying really hard not to ). Under the bright, white artificial light and the natural sunlight permeating the room through the wide windows, his eyes were a gleaming cerulean whirlpool and when he stared into them, they reminded him so much of the beaches of Venice. The ones he used to explore with Bianca and his mamma. 

“Like what you see?” Sunshine’s smug voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Nico felt his cheeks redden as he quickly averted his eyes. 

“Don’t flatter yourself.” He snapped before briskly turning around so he wouldn’t have to embarrass himself further. He could hear Sunshine’s low chuckle and pretended to be busy by toying with some of the machines behind him.

“So are you gonna take my order, or what?” Sunshine teased him and Nico whipped back around only to send him a glare. The guy merely smiled. Even his teeth were white as if the guy couldn’t get anymore perfect, looking like he came straight out of a damn teenage romcom. 

“Why should I?” He questioned, but his feet automatically took him to the spot behind the register. Sunshine got up and walked over so that they were facing each other, separated by a counter.

He quirked one of his eyebrows elegantly and cocked his head to the side, a teasing smile that crinkled his eyes resting nicely on his face. “Because I’m a paying customer and that’s your job?”

Nico hmphed and scrunched his nose in distaste. “I suppose you’re right.” He sighed. “So what can I get for you?”

Sunshine grinned, flashing his pretty teeth (why the fuck did he use that word to describe teeth? ) and Nico’s stomach churned weirdly. He wouldn’t be surprised if someone could make butter in it. “That’s what I thought.” He hummed in consideration, eyes inching their way down Nico’s body (and he was a lot of inches), causing the raven haired boy to shift uncomfortably, before glancing at the menu. “Well I want to know what you recommend.”

Nico quirked the corners of his mouth upward into the most polite smile he could muster as he stated. “Well I recommend this super yummy drink. It’s called the get out drink.”

Sunshine laughed and rested an elbow on the counter, his warm eyes never leaving Nico, who had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. For the first time, he sincerely wondered why there wasn’t a long ass line of customers—anything to make Sunshine go away.

“My aren’t you feisty? Is this how you treat all your customers?” Sunshine questioned, but there didn’t seem to be a hint of annoyance or malice anywhere in his tone. Nico wondered if this guy just enjoyed watching him suffer or had a death wish.

He huffed and rolled his eyes, not really caring if he dropped the formalities in front of Sunshine. Plus, if he really minded he could’ve walked out ages ago, considering Nico hadn’t been anything but hostile towards him. If Reyna were here, he would’ve already been castrated and fed to the lions. “No. Just the annoying ones.”

Sunshine grinned with such boyish charm that Nico wondered if he was the reincarnation of every annoying as fuck young adult book character (that he always fell for too) because there was no way a guy could physically be as good looking as him. On one side, he was infuriating and Nico wanted to punch him, but on the other…Well let’s just say maybe Percy was indeed right after all. Maybe it was time for him to get laid.

“You hurt me.” He feigned, bringing a hand to his heart. Nico rolled his eyes at the dramatics and turned away so that he wouldn’t have to respond. He began randomly making a drink, unsure why he was doing it, but he kind of wanted Sunshine’s opinion. Even though he liked the casual banter (though he would never admit it, duh), he wouldn’t do anything that would actually hurt him. Nico could feel Sunshine’s unsettling gaze on him all while he worked, causing the butterflies in his stomach to flutter around uncomfortably. When he finished, he capped the drink and turned back with a scowl, sliding the drink across the counter.

“Try that.” He found himself saying as he watched Sunshine poke the straw through the lid with such precision it was almost childish. 

Sunshine stared up at him, a glimmer of awe in his eyes, and frowned. “It’s not poison, is it?”

Nico snorted, then mentally slapped himself for even the slightest hint of a laugh because it absolutely wasn’t funny in any way (also he was trying to keep up the edgy façade). Only ridiculous. “You literally watched me make it. Plus if you died, I wouldn’t have anywhere to hide the body. You’re not worth the effort anyways.” He said in complete nonchalance. 

Sunshine’s frown was replaced by a shit eating grin at that and he happily slurped the pinkish yellow drink, which Nico made because it reminded him of the sunsets he used to watch with his sister in Venice. It was a long time ago but for some reason, he felt nostalgic today and it had nothing to do with a certain someone. Nothing at all. Damn it, why was the stupid blonde in front of him bringing back the memories he had tried so hard to bury deeply within him.

Sunshine’s eyes widened slightly as he took another sip and Nico’s chest bubbled with a strange sense of pride. “Wow, that’s good. What is it?”

Nico couldn’t help but roll his eyes and gently leaned a hip against the counter. “Passionfruit lychee lemonade. One of my creations and also not on the menu.” He flexed, smirking when Sunshine took another sip. Sunshine better be grateful for the special treatment he was receiving from Nico, who never gave out on anything—which was kind of one of the main reasons all his exes dumped him, but whatever. If they don’t love you at your worst, they don’t deserve you at your best and all that bullshit, right?

“Nico last name, you’re a man of mystery. I dig it.” Sunshine smirked up at him and Nico blushed, deciding to pointedly ignore the compliment.

“Nico last name? ” He asked, barking out a laugh, staring at Sunshine with a rather fond and amused look.

Sunshine chuckled and shrugged. “Well I don’t know your last name.”

“I don’t even know your first.” Nico retaliated, crossing his arms over his chest.

They had a stare down and Nico felt like a second and an hour had passed by the time he yanked his gaze away, feeling like he was seriously drowning in those deep blue eyes. 

“Will.” The guy eventually responded and Nico snapped his eyes back, only to find him smiling warmly. “Will Solace.” Shit, even his name sounded hot. For a moment, Nico contemplated giving out his full name if only to have the upper hand or whatever (as Will had dubbed him as ‘mysterious' ), but saw no point in it. Sunshine—Will—already knew his first name so why not. 

Nico released a quiet, shaky breath as he jerked his chin up in acknowledgement. “Nico di Angelo.” The thick accent that always appeared whenever he was nervous rolled out the vowels like rich, smooth chocolate.

He could already feel that this was going to be the death of him.

-

“Soooo” Long after Will had gone, Percy chimed in a singsong voice, Annabeth trailing behind him looking a little more worn out than when Nico had last seen her, as he took a seat on top of the counter. “Will Solace, huh?”

Nico glared at him, deciding that it would be best if he just ignored the nuisance and focused on the job at hand, which was to prepare a latte for a waiting customer tapping, rather sad and slowly, away at their phone.

“Fine then, play the silent game all you want, but he is kinda cute…I’m just saying, Nico, maybe this won’t be a bad thing.” Percy nudged his side with the toe of his shoe and Nico scowled as he quickly finished up the drink and served the patient old man waiting by the side.

“I don’t know why Reyna is still keeping you around. You’re supposed to be working, you know? That’s what a job means, you animal.”

Annabeth snickered as Percy glared at both of them, pouting like a petulant child. “Hey! I work plenty and I am totally good at my job. Who was the one who saved your ass twice, if I say so myself, last night. Hmm?” He smirked smugly when Nico didn’t—couldn’t—answer him. Percy was right, even though Nico would never admit it out loud. Instead he just rolled his eyes and didn’t glare at him, which was his way of saying thanks.

“Just what happened last night? I am so curious…” Annabeth’s sharp voice drew his attention to her. She was cleaning the rim of a glass cup, a curious expression on her face, making her look so much more mature and wiser. (Which, out of all of them, she most definitely was—no doubt).

“Didn’t I already tell you.” Nico huffed at the same time Percy interjected with his obnoxiously hyper voice.

“Nico here, got himself a little fanboy.” Percy grinned at him, his sea green eyes crinkling into little crescents. His hair was always ruffled and in need of a trim, which Annabeth never failed to remind him of, but it just brought Nico back to his early teen years when he had had the biggest crush on Percy. As much as it pained him to say it…Percy had been his gay awakening. Now, just the thought of liking the guy disturbed him and sent straight shivers from the North Pole down his spine to the core of his soul. He had already accepted the fact that he had had serious issues as a kid. Anyways, Nico broke the spell by throwing him one of his signature glares.

“He is not my fanboy. He is not my anything. Get off my ass.” Nico growled.

Percy snickered and brought a hand to his heart. “Ooh~ Save those words for Will, darling.”

Annabeth smacked the side of his arm in warning but even so, the amusement evident in her gleaming eyes gave her away. Nico felt himself getting hot and prayed his cheeks weren’t as red as he thought they were, stomping a foot down on the hard marble floor.

“Shut up!”

Percy turned to Annabeth and lowered his voice, even though Nico was right there and could still hear him. “Basically, this guy showed up a minute before closing and gods, you should’ve seen Nico’s face. Dude was practically throwing knives with his glare, even a volcano would’ve been burned. I was dutifully doing my toilet duty, obviously” He rolled his eyes for good measure and Nico didn’t fail to point out that he had heard the entire room collapse while Percy was supposedly “cleaning,” but Percy ignored him. “Then I heard him order a beer so I dashed outside like a knight in shining armor and saved this dork’s ass.”

Nico groaned in complaint and buried his face in his hands. “I mean I just don’t understand why he had to order a beer! There’s literally a bar right next to us that’s open until 3. I was so close to locking the door too.” He pouted and gestured wildly with his hands, a bad habit. Even though Will hadn’t even stayed that long and he had still gotten home around his usual time. Still, Nico di Angelo was petty and was not going to lose this fight.

“He came for the beer, stayed for the barista.” Percy teased, flashing him a wink, which only made him look stupid since he couldn’t even close his eye properly, and a cringy finger gun. Nico felt like strangling him with the washcloth he was gripping for dear life.

Annabeth, who had been watching his whole exchange silently, spoke up and effectively shut her boyfriend up by placing a hand on his knee. “Nico, you know Percy’s right. It’s okay to let loose sometimes and I know Will. I used to have him in my bio class at university and he’s in med school right now. He’s a really good guy. Despite what you may think of him, I know he would never willingly annoy you if he had known. You should get to know him, I think you’d really like him.” She said with a gentle smile which could only be described as motherly. As annoyed as Nico was, he couldn’t help but to nod and smile back at her. Even though he had resented her for a short period of time, over the years he had grown to like and respect Annabeth—a lot. She never backed down from a challenge and was the only one who could keep Percy…sane (ish).

Nico huffed. “Why is everyone telling me what to do with my love life?” He groaned in despair as he raised his hands to the sky, as if some sort of supernatural beings were listening to him rant and be a hopeless fool.

Percy smiled, no hint of teasing this time, and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “We just want you to be happy.”

-

A week later, Nico found himself struggling to write a piece of music for his upcoming recital. He had played piano for as long as he could remember and it had always been his dream to become a musician. One of the many reasons why he dropped out of college in the first place was to spend more time practicing so that he had a chance at getting noticed. After discovering his real father, Hades, the man tried his best to be good—which in his mind meant showering Nico with gifts. Anyways, after Bianca had died, Nico lost the motivation—to do anything really—but Hades had found him a reputable teacher and that had reignited his passion for music. His upcoming recital, which was one week away, was where he was supposed to make his debut as a serious musician on the market, but Nico was stuck. Instead of the smooth flowing notes that usually transcribed easily from the maze of his brain onto the paper, there was instead a tangled ball of music lines, bars, and everything in the world that just confused him. He couldn’t think and that never happened , especially when it came to music. He was what his mamma had said the moment he laid hands on a piano ten times bigger than him as a four year old—a natural. Nico flung the wooden pencil, watching as it hit the floor with a sickening snap, and groaned as he buried his face in his hands. He closed the cover of the piano gently and stood up from the bench, legs feeling like jelly from the hours of sitting. There was no point dwelling on things that couldn’t be helped.

Nico made his way automatically to the cafe he had grown so used to. It was almost like a daily routine. Even if he didn’t have work, Nico still found himself wandering around the city before eventually landing in front of the familiar door, the big blue neon sign staring down at him. He opened the door and stepped inside the air conditioned place, already feeling a lot better in the presence of the marble room that trapped all the cold air inside. (Percy always complained that it was too freaking cold but Reyna—and Nico—had told him to suck it). Jason looked up from the drink he was making and grinned at the sight of him.

Nico sauntered over to the bar counter and plopped down onto the spinning seats. He sighed, hunched his shoulders and planted his face on the tabletop. A moment later, a cup was placed right next to his face and Nico glanced up to see Jason staring down at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Drink this.” He directed, pointing at the pink liquid. Nico didn’t have the energy to argue so he meekly took a tentative sip on the drink. It was just strawberry lemonade, but nonetheless it helped clear his mind.

“Thanks.” He mumbled.

Jason fixed his glasses which had been threatening to fall off his face and nodded. “You wanna talk about it?”

Nico shook his head, opting to stare down at the floor as he swung his feet like a child. “It’s nothing…just piano stuff. I’m going through a block right now and it sucks. I feel like shit.”

Jason hummed and opened his mouth to reply just as the small bell over the door frame tinkled gently, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Or scratch that. The arrival of a whole pack of customers that could very well make up a small town. (Okay maybe he was exaggerating but he was in a mood). 

“Jesus…” Nico heard Jason whisper frantically as he rushed to put away the cup he was holding and straightened his apron. Nico frowned and slid off the stool, prepared to put on his big boy pants if necessary.

“Need help?”

Jason shook his head quickly in disapproval and waved him off as the gang of college students all talking their ears off to one another made their way up to the register. 

“Nah you’re not supposed to be working, don’t worry about it. Reyna!” He yelled for their boss then turned back to Nico. “But you’re probably gonna have to take that somewhere else though.” He said, flashing Nico an apologetic smile. Dork.

Nico rolled his eyes but got the hint. He grabbed his drink and made his way to the far corner of the cafe, which wasn’t as crowded as the main area, and sat down by one of the tables near the window. He watched as the city, busy as always, continued to bustle with life—pedestrians, cars, and even the occasional bird or two (or even three fighting over a stray chicken nugget that had Nico quietly cackling into his sleeve as he watched). Nico sighed in contempt, wishing he had answers for all his predicaments, but he knew that the world wasn’t going to stop spinning for him. He needed to get his shit together—and fast. 

Well… Nico thought as he took another lazy sip of his drink without even turning his head. Maybe the world could wait one day.

A shuffling noise from nearby caused Nico to turn his head, only to find Will Solace sliding into the booth across from him, the usual, easy-going smirk already plastered on his face. Nico stared at him incredulously with narrowed eyes as he had the audacity to make himself comfortable at Nico’s table, as if Nico didn’t exist at all. He glanced behind him to find at least two other tables that were completely empty.

When Will was settled, he looked over the top of his drink and winked before taking a sip. Nico felt his cheeks warm and he quickly looked away. “Now you’re just stalking me.” He muttered for lack of better things to say. He decided that the pink of his drink was very interesting. Ah yes, what a pleasant shade of…what was it, coral?

Will clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Not everything revolves around you, Nico. I’m actually here with my study group.” He jerked his chin toward the gang of students that had come in not long ago. Oh. Nico hadn’t even noticed him. Will chuckled, swirling the straw around in his milkshake before replying. “I know.” Nico realized he must’ve said that outloud and blushed, turning his head to stare out the window like he was originally doing.

“W—Why aren’t you with them then?” He asked, braving a peek. His eyes settled on Will’s hands, which looked big and warm, still swirling the straw around. He stopped and Nico forced himself to drag his eyes back up, meeting Will’s own, which held such warmth in them it, ironically, caused Nico to shiver. 

He shrugged, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards into a small, playful smile. “Hang out with those idiots or hang out with you? I’d pick you any day.” Nico could feel his face heat up and scoffed at the way Will’s stupid eyes gleamed. Gods what was wrong with him today, blushing like a schoolgirl with a hopeless crush—which was not what was happening to him at all.

“You don’t even know me.” He deadpanned, drinking his lemonade because he didn’t know how to hide his face any other way. The sweet liquid suddenly tasted sour in his mouth and he cursed Will for ruining his peace and quiet.

Will hummed, a very pleasant sound to Nico’s musically trained ears. He wondered if Will was perhaps a singer or something on the down-low because his timbre was naturally good for the ear—not too high or low pitched. It was very gentle yet somewhat raspy in a way that stirred Nico’s cauldron of a stomach, boiling the dormant feelings insides he didn’t even know he had and it was ridiculous! He didn’t even know the guy, so why was he feeling this way?

“Perhaps.” Will’s voice infiltrated his ears like an annoyingly catchy pop song (to add on, one he never wanted out of his head) and Nico fiddled with his fingers underneath the table as he felt another pair of eyes on his back. He didn’t even have to turn to know that Jason was probably watching him gleefully, taking loads of pictures to send to Percy. Those two never knew when to mind their own damn business. “But I mean…” Nico looked up when he paused, not knowing if it was his delusional brain playing tricks on him or if it was somehow the lighting, but Will was blushing. His cheeks tainted a pale pink similar to the watered-down color that was Nico’s lemonade and he looked so… adorable? Nico wondered why his breath hitched for a fraction of a second. “I would like to know you.”

Confused, Nico fumbled the words around in his mind but was unable to find a clear answer. “Why though? Like, why me?” And if Jason and Percy called him an oblivious idiot, well…it was true, there was no arguing that. 

At that, Will cocked his head to the side and smiled slyly, smugness back to full power that made Nico wonder if he had an on-off switch for it—or perhaps a big red button on the side of his brain that stated in bold letters SMUGNESS LEVEL 100000, OBLITERATE ANY NICO’S ON SIGHT. “There’s no fun if I tell you now so I’ll let you figure it out.” He teased and Nico decided that he hated him.

Nico huffed out a breath, thankful that the awkward air that had surrounded them for a moment was dissipating, and he mumbled out a quiet. “Jerk.”

When Will laughed, with his eyes squeezed shut, cheeks a rosy pink, and smile brighter than any light in the room—Nico’s heart began racing at a hundred miles per hour and suddenly he heard it loud and clear—the first melody hummed to him in the core of the tangled ball aka his mind.

-

The next morning, Nico woke up abruptly after having the most revolutionary dream of his life involving sunshine and curly blonde hair that almost faded into the background like bokeh. Obviously, he ignored the implications of said dream and instead rushed over to the wall piano that had taken a whole team of workers to haul into the corner of his room. But hey, he couldn’t help it if New York apartments sucked ass—but then again he had been the stupid idiot who refused the nice big house Hades had set aside for him, so he couldn’t really complain. Brushing the stray sheets of music off the bench, Nico quickly pushed the cover up and took a deep breath, trying to remember the faint tune that had somehow formed in his sleep. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to remember, finally exhaling when he could no longer breathe.

“Damn it, come on.” He gritted out and bashed his head (lightly) on the instrument. He even tried humming but only got through the first note before flatlining, unable to piece together the missing sequence. Curse his stupid good-for-nothing brain.

It was only when his mind drifted back to a flash of blue and warm laughter that sounded better than any piano rendition did the music hit him. Nico slammed the pedal with his foot and pressed down on the weighted keys, his fingers flying around gracefully. He played a couple chords while humming along, the raspiness of his morning voice contrasted the gentleness of his playing quite terribly and he was aware he probably sounded like a lake monster, but he kept playing. Nico played until his brain could no longer skip ahead and tell his fingers what to do, but by then he was satisfied. With a small smile, Nico grabbed his phone to record and replayed the piece again as best he could remember. It wasn’t anywhere near finished but it was definitely a start.

-

“Hey, Nico!” Percy’s obnoxious voice was unfortunately the first thing that greeted him when he showed up for his shift later that day. 

Nico rolled his eyes but couldn’t help flashing a bright smile at his friend. Whatever. He was too happy to care which Percy, apparently, hadn’t been expecting because his eyes widened into saucers.

“Woah…” He said, voice a little dazed. “You smiled. Like smile smiled.”

Nico rolled his eyes again as he stepped behind the counter and smacked the older guy on the neck. “Shut up, Jackson.”

“You’re in a good mood today. Care to tell me why?” He said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. “Did you get laid?” He said the last part quietly under his breath so Reyna wouldn’t come out to murder him.

Despite his good mood, Nico flushed a dark red and he glared at the green eyed man, who was laughing his ass off. “I didn’t.” He gritted out. “But I finally started on my recital piece. I think I’m really getting somewhere and I’m liking it so far.” He sighed dreamily as he thought about his piano sitting at home, waiting to be played, all the chords and melodies in his mind drawing to him like he was a magnet. Nico wanted to leave so badly but he still had nine hours before he could go. In the meantime, he busied himself by whipping up a drink for the newcomer who’d just walked in.

Percy oohed and nodded in understanding. “Hey, that's real nice, Nico. See that’s what happens when you see this face.” He pointed to his own face and grinned cheekily. “Betcha you were inspired by it, weren’t ya? It’s ok to admit that you like me—or er, still do—Nico.” He laughed again when Nico, with a face redder than a tomato and eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets, literally threatened to smash a glass bottle on his head until it inverted. Eventually, Percy surrendered by raising his hands, laughing once more before he set off to serve a few customers who were waiting.

Nico worked the entire day while begrudgingly making small talk with Percy, then later Jason when he came in for his shift, and before he knew it—the clock overhead was flashing 12:55. He sighed, slumping his shoulders and rested his forehead against the cool marble countertop. Five more minutes. 

“Hey, you good?” Jason asked and soon after, a hesitant hand touched his shoulder. Nico tensed and immediately straightened up, throwing Jason a wary glare. Jason smiled sheepishly before removing his hand and held up a mug of steaming liquid in his free one. “Thought you could use a pick-me-up.”

Nico took the cup and mumbled a small thank you as he took a sip. It was just hot chocolate but it was the way Nico liked it—sickeningly sweet. “You know me so well.” He said with a sigh of content after he swallowed the tooth rotting liquid. It warmed his tummy up nicely.

Jason snickered, proudly puffing out his chest. “I’m a better friend than Percy, right?”

Nico rolled his eyes as he set the cup down on the table, scoffing at the mention of the sea-green eyed bastard who had left hours ago. “Please. Anyone is better than Percy.”

Jason stared at him for a moment before they both broke out into fits of laughter. Nico doubled over as he wheezed, feeling a little lightheaded. The excitement of today’s events had reached its high and was now spiraling toward the big red zone labeled ‘Warning! Danger!’ After they settled down, Jason excused himself to his toilet duty and Nico walked over to the door. He was just about to lock it when it swung open, revealing a tired looking Will Solace, who was grinning albeit it not being as bright as it usually was.

Nico glared at him and pushed him out. “Nope, nope, nope. Out! We’re closed.” He huffed as the door closed behind him. He was facing Will, who still looked serene under the gentle moonlight. 

Will whined, pulling at the strings of his oversized gray hoodie. “Cheater! You legally can’t do that.”

Nico stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m the boss, I can do whatever I like.”

“You are definitely not the boss because if you were this place would’ve collapsed a long ass time ago with the way you treat your customers.” Will pointed out like the smartass he was, smirking smugly when Nico didn’t respond. 

“Why are you like this?” Nico asked, rubbing his temples for dramatic effect. Even though he was kind of annoyed that Will had the gall to come in a minute before closing, a part of him liked it. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Nico couldn’t deny he quite enjoyed the other’s company, even though he was still an infuriatingly annoying, stupid idiot. “Do you get off on annoying me?” He blurted out without thinking. He was tired alright, but it was too late to take it back now. Nico was going to roll with it and pray it ended up in his favor.

Will’s eyebrows raised slightly and from what Nico could make out under the flickering golden streetlight above, it appeared as if his cheeks were splotching a wine red—a sight Nico could get drunk off. “W—What?” He stuttered out after a moment of tense silence in which Nico was staring up into his eyes. 

Nico puffed out a warm breath, aware that his face was like inches away from Will’s, and smirked. “Hmm, what did I say?” He teased, not sure where his burst of confidence came from. Maybe it was the slow start of what Jason called a “sugar high,” which Nico dismissed because he did not get hyper. He never got hyper. He was perfectly fine!

Will’s breath hitched (Nico’s stomach twisted) and he cleared his throat before seemingly snapping out of it, his slightly glazed over eyes clearing up as he pushed Nico, who had been standing on his tiptoes, by the shoulders back down. “You—” He started and he was staring into Nico’s eyes with such an intense gaze it rooted him to the ground. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

Nico quirked an eyebrow, still smirking as he asked, hoping Will would take the bait. “Oh really? How so?”

Will sighed and Nico swore to the gods that he leaned down an inch, a determined flash in his eyes and all time seemed to stop as the crickets paused in their…cricketing, with even the air around them seemingly holding its breath. Before he could do anything else though, the door opened loudly, startling the shit out of Nico, who jumped ten feet back.

“Hey— Oh—” Jason’s voice came from behind him and he turned around to find the blonde staring at them with a grin slowly creeping onto his face. “Thought you left without locking up.” He explained, eyes gleaming wickedly. Nico was never going to hear the end of it come tomorrow.

“Err.” Nico stumbled for an explanation. “It’s fine, you can go, I’ll lock up. Solace here was just leaving. Weren’t you?” He said, rather than questioned, that last part to Will, who looked kind of embarrassed like a lost puppy under Jason’s watchful eye. Will nodded along dumbly and Nico wondered why he had suddenly gone shy.

Jason weighed the offer down before nodding. “Alright, I’ll head out. Make sure you lock up, okay?” Then he turned towards Will and stuck out a hand. “You’re Will right? Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you from this guy.” He said, jerking his head in Nico’s direction, a grin on his face.

Will seemed to snap out of his daze and chuckled as he shook Jason’s hand. “Good things I hope.” His voice was a little raspy and fuck, Nico was screwed. 

Jason smirked and Nico glared at him. “Ask him yourself. Well goodnight then, don’t stay out too long!” He singsonged before walking off to the parking lot where his car was. Nico watched as his figure retreated further and further away until he couldn’t make out the darkness past the circle of light the overhead lamp was providing.

“I’m gonna kill him one day.” Nico muttered.

Will laughed and he turned to look at him. There were faint dark circles under his eyes and he looked a lot more tired than when Nico had seen him this morning. Even so, he was still incredibly handsome and Nico wanted to run his fingers through those locks of silky, golden curls.

“Well come on in then.” Nico said as he opened the door and gestured for Will to step inside. The other boy did but only after he shot Nico an unamused look.

“Oh so now you let me in.” Will complained before sauntering over to the bar, plopping himself down onto one of the stools. He groaned quietly and rested his face on the tabletop.

Nico chuckled as he made his way over to the spot behind the bar. “You look tired.” He pointed out and Will guffawed, nearly sending the spoon in Nico’s hand flying out.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Mr. Perfect Vision.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes like it usually did. Nico had never seen Will look so defeated and his insides churned just thinking about the idea of comforting him. All his friends said he sucked at consoling but to be fair, it was kind of hard to be serious when they were sobbing their hearts out in front of him. Nico hoped that Will wasn’t a crier, but it didn’t seem like he would be right.

Nico hummed, the quietness always brought him comfort but now it was just awkward. He wondered if he should play some music but then he remembered Percy had lost their speaker a few weeks ago. “I’ll be back. Don’t steal anything.” He wandered off to the small kitchen, but not before hearing Will’s quiet snicker.

Nico came back out a few minutes later to find Will snoring quietly, his head now rested on his arm. He looked so peaceful, his mouth smoothed out into a line, and Nico almost felt bad for waking him up. After one last glance at the sleeping man, Nico nudged his shoulder. “Will.” He dragged out his name. “Solace, get up.” When he didn’t budge, Nico sighed and sat down on a chair that they always kept under the counter. He stared at Will’s pretty face, his heart thumping louder by the seconds. In a quick motion he sure was going to regret, Nico reached out and laced his fingers with Will’s curly hair, rubbing his head in gentle, circular motions. It was softer than he had dreamed of and Nico felt himself getting lost in the feeling when he felt a pair of eyes on him.

He snapped his gaze downwards to find Will staring at him, a twinkle in his eyes and a playful smile on his lips. Nico stopped his hand and retracted it, standing up abruptly as he felt himself blush furiously. “I— Uh…Didn’t know you were up.”

Will sat upright so that he was leaning his cheek against his hand and shrugged. “Thought I was only dreaming of an angel’s touch.”

Nico ducked his head down so that Will wouldn’t have to see his beet red face, then spun around to grab the stuff he had prepared earlier. “Here.” He said for lack of better things to say. “Jason made some earlier. I hope you like sweet stuff.” He gently placed a cup of hot chocolate, along with a muffin, in front of the blonde.

Will smiled brightly and took a sip of the drink. He coughed aggressively and smacked his chest with a fist. “Wow! This is really bad for you, you know that right?”

Nico rolled his eyes and couldn’t help letting out a laugh, passing a water bottle to the other boy who took it gratefully. “I like sweet things alright.”

Will hummed. “Noted.” Then he fished out a wallet from his back pocket. “How much?”

Nico rolled his eyes again (gee he really needed to stop doing that). “It’s on the house, dummy.”

Will pouted at the name and Nico had to drag his eyes away from those soft, plump lips. Why did he want to kiss them? “You can’t just keep giving me free drinks or else your business will go bankrupt.”

Nico fought the urge to roll his eyes again and instead chuckled. “So you keep telling me. Anyways, I’ve never heard anyone complain about free drinks before.” He threw a questioning look at Will.

“Free drinks aren’t the reason I keep coming here.” Will said, so quickly that it took a moment for Nico to process it. When he did, he blinked dumbly, ignoring the heat that inched its way up his neck.

“Right. You’re just here to annoy the shit out of me.” Nico drawled as he casually rolled his eyes. 

Will laughed and raised his hands in the air, but there was some sort of disappointed look in his face—or maybe it was just Nico’s brain tricking him. He really needed to sleep. “Oh no. You got me.” He mused, dropping his hands when Nico didn’t show him any signs of being amused.

Nico decided to change the topic, seeing as their playful banter wasn’t going to help un- confuse him. “You seem tired, is everything okay?”

Will sighed and slumped in his seat, rubbing his face with his hands. Nico almost felt bad for reminding him of whatever unfortunate events had occurred for him and even though he hated talking about his feelings, he found they always went better over a cup of hot chocolate. “Yeah, I’m good I guess. I’m just a little stressed. We have this big group project coming up that my professor has been hyping up the entire semester and it’s worth like thirty percent of our grade. Well one of the kids in my group decided to mysteriously disappear off the face of the Earth and he won’t answer any calls, texts, or emails, and he hasn’t done his part. The project is due in three days and my group and I are just freaking the fuck out. If I fail this, my grade will never recover.” He looked up from his hands and Nico noticed just how bloodshot his eyes were—him being the king of not sleeping so he was all too familiar with bullshitting last minute projects.

Nico hummed and thought for a moment before replying. “Well, you’re probably like the smartest person I know—besides Annabeth obviously, no offense—” He flashed an apologetic smile towards the blonde, who didn’t seem to mind the backhanded compliment; in fact, he was grinning. “—Not that I know that many smart people to begin with but you know, that’s not the point.” He cut off his rambling and shook his head. “What I do know is the feeling that you’re going through. The kind that makes you feel like shit as if you were running on three days worth of caffeine. I also know that you are going to get through this because you are determined and you are going to make a damn good doctor, so what you need to do right now is eat that muffin and drink that hot chocolate—I don’t care how unhealthy it is, Solace, but I’m not going anywhere until you finish both.” Nico ended his surprisingly motivational speech and he wondered just how he managed to pull that out of his ass when all he could ever say to his other friends when they were down was “Uhh, feel better soon?”

He let out a deep breath and immediately felt his cheeks redden because goddamnit, that was embarrassing. Nico glanced at Will, who had his mouth opened slightly like a fish out of water. The blonde snapped out of his daze and beamed, lighting up the entire room—at least in Nico’s eyes it did. 

“Thanks, Nico. I really needed that.” He said before taking a big gulp of the hot chocolate, face scrunching up in disgust as he set the cup down. Then he took a bite of the muffin, practically inhaling half of it in one go. 

Nico watched for a moment as he continued to eat and take occasional sips on his hot cocoa (ignoring how he always needed at least two sips of water after drinking one sip of the chocolatey drink), before speaking again. “You know I’m kinda in a similar predicament as you.” He glanced at the wall behind Will. “I’ve been on a writer’s block these past few days and it sucks because I never get blocks, ya know? I’m also stressing out because I have an important recital next week and like, what if I’m not able to do well?”

He glanced back at Will, who only raised an eyebrow. “You’re a writer?”

Nico chuckled dryly and shook his head. “Pianist. I write music. This” he gestured to the room with a wild wave of his hands, “Is just because I’m bored. My real dream is to someday become someone recognizable.” He sighed and stared into the starry expanse of Will’s eyes.

Will puckered his lips into an ooh motion and nodded slowly like he was still processing the information. “Oh wow that’s really cool, Nico. Not the fact that you’re in a block, I mean, but the fact that you play the piano. Betcha you’re really talented.” He said with a strangely proud smirk.

Nico shrugged, glancing at his nicely manicured nails. He had always hated how lithe his fingers were, much preferring them to hold a little bit of muscle like Will’s were, but all his friends had always voiced their envy at not having his fingers. At least they played the piano nicely. Will seemed to take notice because he reached a tentative hand across the counter and gently brushed his fingers against Nico’s own. His were freezing and the sudden warmth that emanated off Will caused Nico to shiver violently, forcing himself to not pull away. 

“Hm, I can see it.” Will observed as he gently traced the top of Nico’s fingers, almost like he was scared of going too far. Nico didn’t really mind though, only because he was Will. “I’d love to hear you play someday.”

Nico huffed out a breath, willing his entire brain power to not blush at the soft touches that left his skin feeling all tingly. “Are you free next Saturday at 6? My recital is then.”

Will’s eyes widened in disbelief like he couldn’t believe that the Nico di Angelo was inviting him somewhere which…actually now that Nico thought about it, was pretty sudden. They didn’t even know each other and Nico hadn’t seen him anywhere outside the coffee shop so perhaps he was taking a big step forward. Also, he didn’t really know what he wanted it to be. A date? No, too early. He settled for a hangout. 

“Er, I mean if you want to.” He quickly backtracked before Will had the chance to respond. “I mean I know it’s a bit sudden and you don’t know me too well but—”

Will cut him off. “I would love to go. I’d be honored that you would have me there, Nico.”

Nico didn’t bother hiding the blush that crept onto his cheeks, instead ducking his head. “O—Okay then. I guess I can text you the details.” Then he remembered that he didn’t even have the other’s number and Will must have realized as well because he pulled out his phone with a sheepish grin. 

“There. Now I can annoy you digitally as well.” Will teased when they had finished inputting their numbers in each other’s phone. Nico glared at him before threatening to block his number, to which Will promptly surrendered and laughed.

“Okay now you should go home because it’s late and we both need sleep. Come on, your project isn’t gonna do itself!”

-

“Can I get a Nico special, please?” A familiar voice broke Nico out of his half-dead haze, his forehead kissing the counter (Reyna would skin him alive if she caught him sleeping on the job and thankfully she took the day off), two days later. Nico shot up faster than those car dealership balloon men and rolled his eyes only when they landed on Will Solace.

Will grinned, looking attractive as ever at four in the afternoon. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater that hugged his arms snugly—contrasting his bright yellow hair like Yin and Yang—and Nico could probably trace the lines of those biceps like counting sheep but obviously that would be super inappropriate! 

“What?” He asked, dragging his eyes upwards again to avoid getting caught being weird. Too late. Will was staring at him with an amused smirk and Nico wished he really was dead. Not a good idea pulling an all nighter to finish the first draft of his recital piece. 

“Make a drink for me, please.” He repeated, leaning an elbow on the counter. “No hot chocolate though.”

Nico laughed and debated making him a hot chocolate, or perhaps just giving him straight up sugar in a cup, just to fuck with him, but decided against it. He turned around, humming a bit of ’sole e luna,' the ballad piece he was putting together, under his breath as he quickly whipped up one of his favorite drinks. 

“Here.” He murmured, sliding the cup sealed with plastic across the table, grabbing a big straw and handing it as well. 

Will hummed and stabbed the straw into the cup. “Boba?” He mused and took a sip. His eyes widened a bit as he chewed on the tapioca balls.

“Yeah. I live for that shit. That’s jasmine milk tea, my favorite.” Nico smirked, ringing up the price. “You’re paying for that by the way.”

Will chuckled, handing him a plastic card. “Wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

As he swiped the card, Nico tapped his foot on the ground, wanting to say something more. They were going to meet up outside of the coffee shop in less than a week's time already, but why did he want to see Will much earlier than that? Was he being greedy? Plus they had been exchanging a good amount of texts.

“So” he drawled, handing the card back to Will. Their fingers brushed—just the slightest feathery touch of skin—and it nearly caused Nico’s already teetering motor skills to crash and burn. He coughed and steadied his voice. “How’s the project going?”

“It’s going well actually. We’re like ninety-five percent done and I think we’ll finish today. I’m actually supposed to be meeting up with them at the library in…” He trailed off, glancing up at the clock behind Nico which he knew read 3:25. “Shit. Ten minutes.”

Nico snorted with a casual roll of his eyes. “You better get going then.”

Will nodded. “Yeah, I better.” He said, but made no effort to actually move his legs and leave. They stared at each other for what seemed to be ages and Nico wondered if his heart was going to beat itself right out of his rib cage. Will coughed, ending their little moment, and the two of them turned equally red faced as Nico ducked his head down. “Well I’ll be going now. See ya around.”

Nico waved, murmuring a quiet bye before he turned back around and promptly stuck his head into the fridge.

-

Nico needed something greasy, fast, and delicious (okay, that word was questionable) in his stomach and he needed it now. As Percy never failed to remind him, “You’re like a pregnant lady whenever you get stressed, I swear to gods.” So what? Nico was high maintenance and he was proud of it and right now—he was stressed and distressed.

“McDonald’s, my love.” He sighed dreamily as he stepped inside the little building, immediately bombarded with the heavenly (again, questionable word of choice) aroma of nuggets, fries, and everything that was bad, but so damn good, for his body. Even in his state of near delusion, Nico wondered what Will would say if he caught him at the fast food joint. He would probably just fuss about Nico, who was painfully aware, and his terrible eating habits. The perks of being naturally skinny.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” The bored voice of the employee penetrated his ears and he glanced up to meet the face of a pimply guy, probably in high school, with brown, shaggy hair. He shivered slightly because it kind of reminded him of how he used to look back in the golden emo phase of the 2000s. Nico definitely wore the guyliner better though.

“Happy meal, please. Chocolate milk and I don’t care about the toy.” He stated in all seriousness, aware that he was indeed a grown ass man, with no kids, ordering a meal meant for tiny children, but it was his thing, alright? A tradition he used to share with Bianca.

The kid took his money without ever moving a muscle on his face and directed him to the side, where he stood to wait for his order. After a couple minutes and the weird look he got from the girl, also in high school (he thinks), Nico grabbed his precious Happy Meal and moved to look for a seat in the far back of the dining room. He sat down in one of the booths next to a window near a shady corner of the cafe—the one with the flickering yellow overhead light and the weird smell coming from the trash can. It was disgusting but it sure felt like home (no he was not sick in any way, shape, or form).

“Nico di Angelo!” A voice that was practically engraved in his brain at this point caused Nico’s head to snap up and his eyes to widen into saucers when Will stomped his way over, scrunching his nose distastefully at the foul odor. Seriously, what was in that trash can?

Nico put his hands in the air after trying, unsuccessfully he might add, to hide his Happy Meal aka his guilty pleasure behind his back. “Solace? I—It’s not what it looks like.”

Will frowned and said nothing as he grabbed Nico’s wrist, quite forcibly, and dragged him out of the restaurant. Nico had to grip onto the flimsy handle of his Happy Meal, scared that Will was going to tear it out of his hands. He would not go down that easily without a fight.

“What are you doing at McDonald’s?” Will questioned, pointing a finger in his face once they had stepped outside in the fresh—but not as fragrant (yes he had problems)—air.

Nico gulped thickly but realization hit him as he scowled. “What are you doing at McDonald’s?”

“Bathroom.” Will said simply with a shrug. Oh well, he tried.

“Me too. Me bathroom too.” Nico said dumbly, nodding along, and he tried to bring out the best puppy eyes he could muster, hoping Will would find it in the good of his heart to forgive him.

“Then what are you holding in your hand?” Will stated the obvious, pointing at the Happy Meal still clutched tightly in Nico’s now gradually whitening knuckle.

“Okay, fine! It’s a Happy Meal alright, sue me! I like them and you are not taking this away from me, I don’t care how doctor-y you are.” Nico groaned and hugged the tiny red box closer to his chest.

Will snickered but the hard look on his face still remained. “Unacceptable. Do you know how many additives are in that? You’re eating crap.” He lectured in his doctor-y voice. Nico should have found it annoying but all he could think about in his brain was how hot he sounded and damn, he could lecture me anytime (but preferably not here, not now). 

“I am well aware of that, Willbert the third, but guess what? I don’t give a fuck. Let me have this.” He blurted out and then promptly destroyed the box of his Happy Meal by ripping the top open. “It comes with apples, see? If that’s not healthy, I don’t know what is.” Nico was aware he sounded like an airhead right now, but he just popped a fry in his mouth—pure salty goodness—chewing obnoxiously just to rile the blonde up. 

Will snorted and playfully rolled his eyes. “First of all, those apples are shit and also pumped with sugar and second of all, my name is not Willbert the third—seriously? Where did that even come from? Lastly, you’re coming with me di Angelo.” Will said as he grabbed the box in one quick swipe, Nico (still with a fry half-hanging out of his mouth) didn’t even have time to complain before he was being forcibly dragged away again.

“Noooo, please. I’ll do anything.” He moaned in protest, trying to reach for the red box, like Tantalus chasing after the low hanging fruit, dangling just out of reach from Will’s other hand. 

“Nope.” Will said calmly as they neared a trash can.

“Wait—” Nico stuttered to a stop which made Will turn around too, a guilty sort of expression forming on his face. His grip around Nico’s wrist loosened a bit as he waited. After a moment of silence, with a sigh, Nico pleaded in a last minute attempt. “At least let me keep the toy.”

Will’s face broke out into the brightest grin Nico had ever seen, nearly blinding him, and the bubbly laughter that followed was almost worth it when the traitor still ended up throwing the Happy Meal—toy and all—inside the nearest trash can. It was definitely his fault that Nico moped the entire short walk over to Will’s car.

But then Will had taken him out to a nice restaurant that topped McDonald’s astronomically, and Nico had smiled and laughed way more than he usually did. They got to know each other a little better and Nico discovered that Will’s full name was actually William, which, in his opinion, was no different from Willbert the third. In return, Nico had told him of his upbringing in Italy and even briefly mentioned Bianca, something he rarely ever did, but something about the blonde’s patient demeanor made Nico trust him a lot more; plus, it was nice talking about Bianca once in a while, rather than bottling up all those feelings.

By the end of the night, the Happy Meal toy was forgotten about—becoming a thing of the past—as Nico fell asleep with a goofy smile plastered on his face.

-

2 days.

His recital was in two days and Nico was absolutely not freaking the fuck out. 

Obviously his piece was finished, revised, and perfected. Now he was just in the process of memorizing it, engraving each melody into the pads of his fingers to ensure that his playing would be flawless. Truthfully though, it wasn’t that he was worried about. Not that he liked to brag, but Nico was fairly confident in his skills. It was the fact that Will fucking Solace was going to be there, watching as Nico played a piece that may or may not have been inspired by him. 

Nico was freaked out because he had all of a sudden realized that he had a big, fat stupid crush on the blonde and it had hit him so hard and unexpectedly like a truck, he couldn’t even process it. All he knew was that he wanted to impress Will and perhaps serenade him with his music—the one thing he could do best (second being making drinks of course). 

In the meantime, Nico took the rest of the week off from the cafe to focus on his practicing, which Reyna actually approved of. Surprisingly, she was the one who forced him out, claiming he was too much of a “workaholic.” It wasn’t his fault he just wanted her damn business to do well.

Anyways, he had texted Will to dress formally for the occasion and it was not because he wanted to see him in a suit or anything like that. Nope, not at all.

Now all Nico could do was wait and pray that everything went well.

-

On the day of his recital, Nico was pacing around in the dinky room of his apartment, hyperventilating as Jason watched from a safe distance on his bed.

“Relax, you’ll be fine.” Jason mused, tapping away on his phone. He was probably texting Piper or Leo—or both. Nico didn’t understand what type of relationship the three of them had, but he had made it clear he wanted no part of it.

“Yeah, easy for you to say.” Nico gritted from between his teeth as he clenched and unclenched his sweaty hands into fists. “You’re not the one whose future is on the line here.” He adjusted his tie again because he felt like he was being choked, then ran a hand through his hair which had been slicked back, revealing his “sexy” (as Piper claimed) forehead, for the occasion.

Jason snorted, sliding off the bed in one graceful motion, and made his way over to where Nico was critiquing himself in front of the mirror. The blonde grabbed him by the shoulders, straightened his tie, and clapped him on the back. “First of all, stop fussing—you look great—or you’re going to ruin all of Piper’s hard work. Second of all, stop worrying because you’re literally a natural at piano like I’m pretty sure you can go into it blindfolded and still blow the minds of everyone. Lastly, we should get going otherwise you’re going to be late and we definitely don’t want that now do we.”

Nico gulped, nodding along, as he exhaled deeply. Breathe in. Breathe out. “Okay, okay you’re right. I can do this, just…give me a moment.” He beelined to the window which gave him an overlook of the street below, cracked it open, and screamed as loud as he could. A moment later he heard his neighbor yell back a shrill shut the fuck up so Nico nodded in satisfaction before closing it again. He turned back to see Jason staring at him with an amused look on his face and Nico merely shrugged. “It helps.”

He grabbed his music sheets and phone, stuffed them in a tote bag, and left the apartment with Jason trailing behind. 

-

“Can you tell that I’m freaking out right now?” Nico blurted out as soon as he saw Percy, who was dressed in a nice navy suit, standing around with a flute of champagne in hand. Annabeth was beside him, looking beautiful as ever, in a stunning silver dress that dropped just below her knees. It brought out the glimmer in her eyes as they glistened like diamonds under the chandeliers that washed the room in a golden glow. 

Percy snickered, chugging at his drink and placing the empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray, before grabbing his shoulder. “Nico. You’re going to do great, we believe in you.”

Annabeth nodded along, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her shoulder. “Yeah. Plus you’re dressed to impress and you look great. If anyone was star material, it would be you.”

Unable to help himself, Nico blushed at their compliments, blowing at a stray piece of hair that fell over his eyes. “Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.”

Annabeth smiled warmly and pointed her finger in a different direction. “I saw your dad over there. You should go say hi.”

Nico nodded and blindly walked off in the direction she pointed but not before hearing Percy wish him luck one last time. He saw his father, looking regal as ever in a nicely pressed Italian suit, chatting with a few other people that Nico assumed were important. They were so engrossed in their conversation that Hades didn’t even notice Nico standing to the side until one of the guys, which Nico recognized as Hades’ colleague, pointed in his direction. Hades turned around, face immediately cracking into a wide smile when he saw who it was.

“Nico, mio figlio!” He gasped and pulled Nico in for a bone crushing hug. Nico felt Hades’ warm breath on the back of his neck as Hades continued blabbering about how good it was to see him again. As usual, his father smelled good—like expensive cologne—and truthfully, Nico was happy to see him. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

Nico rolled his eyes fondly as his father’s colleagues dispersed after silently agreeing to leave them alone. “It’s my recital, father.”

Hades waved him off. “Still. It’s good to see you, son. Why do you never come visit me?” He asked in a pathetic little whine that was so childish it made Nico snort.

“I see you at least once a month, plus you know I’ve been busy.”

Again, Hades ignored him and changed the subject. “Look mio figlio, I know how important this is to you and I just want to say that as your father, I am so proud of you. I know your mother and Bianca would be too if they were here.” Hades paused to smile down at him, his eyes glistening wet with tears and Nico had to look away. He wasn’t about to open the floodgates twenty minutes before his performance. “I just want to wish you good luck and know that whatever happens, you’ll always have a place by my side.”

Nico smiled, greatly touched at his father’s words of affection. Despite Nico thinking coldly of him for most of his life growing up, he felt like these past few years they had connected quite well and even though he seldom said it—Nico loved his father.

“Grazie papà. It means a lot knowing that you’re here to support me.” He said, grabbing a hold of his father’s big, warm hand. Hades gave him a reassuring squeeze before guiding him away by his shoulders.

“Of course. Now there is someone that I invited and would like you to meet.”

The ballroom that his teacher had rented was decked out in all kinds of decorations. Gold streamers hung on the walls from the ceiling and clear balloons with confetti in them guarded every entrance. Waiters had been hired to carry around trays of hors d'oeuvres and flutes of champagne which, judging by the faint rosiness on Hades’ cheek, he had consumed quite a few already. Meanwhile, Nico hadn’t even had a chance to chug down any alcohol and gods knew he needed it. A gentle piano composition (not live though) filtered in through the speakers installed in random areas around the room. People, all dressed up for him, were wandering about aimlessly, chatting and drinking as they waited. Nico felt like Atlas holding the world up on his shoulders as he thought about having to entertain all these people. He had never had a crowd for himself before and it felt exciting, but extremely nerve wracking at the same time.

Hades led him through the crowds of people in their finest clothing until he discreetly pointed at one woman, who stood out from the others like a sore thumb. She wore a golden sequined gown that reflected the light from the chandeliers, creating a kaleidoscope on the floor so it seemed as if she were a walking disco ball. Her hair was done in an elegant up do, blonde locks framing her youthful face nicely. Nico was sure she was a celebrity because he had never seen anyone as beautiful as the woman now staring directly at him. He hitched a breath when her crimson painted lips curled up into a wide smile, icy blue eyes gleaming as Hades pushed him forward.

“Why Mr. Di Angelo, it’s always a pleasure.” She spoke in a soothing voice, her Southern accent buttering her words. Nico swore she seemed oddly familiar but his brain was too far gone to even process his own name right now.

Hades scoffed and bent down to place a delicate kiss on each of the woman’s cheeks. “Oh please, Naomi. No need to be so formal.” Then he turned to look at Nico and grinned. “This is my son, Nico.”

Nico smiled politely and moved to kiss the back of her hand when she offered it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs…” He glanced nervously at Hades and the lady broke out into laughter.

“Oh dear, you didn’t even bother giving him a background check.” She mused, eyes twinkling with mirth as she scanned Nico up and down. He gulped, suddenly feeling like he had done something wrong but her face showed no signs of anger.

Hades chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have forgotten.”

The woman waved him off and turned her attention back to Nico, who froze and stood just a little straighter. “It’s good to finally meet you, Nico. I’ve heard so much about you from your father here and my son.” She paused to smile at him knowingly and Nico wondered who her son was. Did he perhaps know him? “I’m Naomi Solace.”

Oh shit. 

Nico’s eyes widened and he felt his face redden once he realized who the woman was. The Naomi Solace aka the country’s current most popular Country singer (who his father apparently knew, what the fuck?) was standing right in front of him and Nico, being the idiot that he was, hadn’t even realized at first. 

Naomi broke out into a fit of giggles while Nico apologized profusely. 

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m a big fan.” That was a half lie. He didn’t listen to Country at all, but he still had the cultural knowledge of knowing who she was at least. Nico smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth.

“Oh don’t even start. I’m here because Hades wants me to put in a few good words for you. I hear you’re trying to make it into the industry.” She winked. “Well if this all works in your favor, I can help you out darling.”

Nico smiled and thanked her again, his heart beating at a thunderous pace. Holy shit, he just got a superstar to back him up. Score!

Naomi grinned, flashing him a row of perfect teeth. “Have you seen my son yet?”

“Er, I’m not sure who you could be referring to.” Nico answered her bashfully.

Naomi scoffed, clicking her tongue distastefully as she glanced around the room. “Oh dear, I guess he didn’t bother telling you about me either hmphf. What good are they for?” She muttered that mostly to herself and Nico only felt the slightest bit offended. “Ah there he is. Mind if I grab him, Hades?”

Hades grinned and pushed Nico forward. “Be my guest. I’ll see you up there, Nico. Buona fortuna.” He wished him good luck before waving and sauntering away, probably to meet up with Persephone, Nico’s stepmother. 

In the meantime, Nico tailed after Naomi, who was expertly weaving through the sea of people that had Nico wondering how she managed to even move in that dress and look fabulous while doing it. Finally she stopped and grabbed Nico by his shoulders (what was with everyone grabbing his shoulders today?) and pushed him forward until he stopped in front of a familiar looking blonde.

“Will darling, there you are!” Naomi’s bright voice said from behind him, which Nico barely registered because he was too busy ogling Will fucking Solace (he’s a dumbass for not putting two and two together), who had no business looking this damn good in a plain black suit. His hair, which usually sat a fluffy mess on top of his head, was still curly but the streaks of gel in them made them less wild and more shiny. Also the way the damn suit was fitted just right, hugging all his muscles in just the right places that caused Nico’s throat to dry up faster than he could even imagine—it was actually quite embarrassing to say the least.

Will turned and when his eyes landed on Nico, flashed him that movie star smile of his. “Hey, Nico. You look nice.” He muttered in that soft voice of his that Nico wanted to bottle up and keep a secret forever. If he could be the only one to ever be on the receiving end of the way Will’s voice dipped a lower octave then his life would be complete because that sound was straight music to his ears.

Nico flushed an embarrassing red, aware that Will’s mother was literally standing right next to them, probably watching their exchange in amusement. He didn’t dare peek a glance though, his eyes never leaving Will.

“Thanks…You don’t look too bad yourself…I guess…” He stumbled out stupidly, ducking his head and wanting the Earth to just swallow him whole.

Will chuckled and Nico had to strain his ears to hear him but he wondered if that was nervousness in Will’s voice, or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him again. It suddenly felt like the air around them was heavily fogged with tension and Naomi seemed to sense it as she suddenly blabbered something about meeting someone else before speed walking away, leaving them alone.

Nico looked back up and punched the side of Will’s arm lightly. “Why didn’t you tell me that she was your mother?”

Will shrugged, stuffing his hands in his too tight pant pockets and Nico had to drag his eyes up. “I thought you knew…We have the same last name ya know.”

Nico groaned at the reminder of just how stupid he was. “Yeah I know but I don’t know if you’ve maybe noticed this, but…I’m a little slow…”

Will laughed, a delightful sound, and his eyes curved upwards into little glimmering crescents. “Oh believe me, I’m aware.”

From the corner of his eyes, Nico spotted his piano teacher walking towards him, with a stern look on her always passive face. He turned back to Will who was scanning the room with interest and at that moment with the lights shining down on him, casting a golden aura around him that made him look like a literal angel, Nico had suddenly never wanted to kiss anyone as much as he wanted to kiss Will right now. All the feelings had hit him a couple weeks back but it was now that he realized that he liked Will and he wanted Will to like him back. Nico wanted to feel what it would be like to hold his hand, pepper his face with kisses, run his fingers through his hair—he wanted to know what he tasted like. Then as Will’s blue eyes connected with his, Nico gulped thickly, afraid that his emotions would evidently show on his face. 

“Um, I have to go. I’ll see you later.” He mumbled and turned around, already making for a quick escape. Before he could move one step forward though, he felt a warm hand holding onto his wrist tightly, preventing him from moving.

Nico turned around and stared at Will expectantly. Will took a deep breath, sighed, and gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Good luck, Nico. Find me when this is over.”

He forced Nico to promise that he would look for him after the performance before letting go of his hand. Part of Nico didn’t want to go—wanted to just stay in Will’s proximity the entire night—but he knew that the dream he had worked his entire life for was nearly there, knowing he could brush his fingers against it but not yet grab it. So after one last hopeful glance as if he were afraid that Will would straight up disappear, Nico turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

-

“Now here is the moment you have all been waiting for—” His piano teacher, Matilda’s, coarse voice amplified by an attachable mic clipped onto the neck of her dress, resonated loudly within the now quiet and dim hall. Nico sat on the bench of his piano, reviewing over his sheets, separated from his audience by the thick velvet curtains that waited to be opened. His heart was pounding in his ribcage and Nico took five deep breaths, humming a soft melody in his head to calm down. He thought of Will who was probably looking up at the stage expectedly, knowing that he couldn’t fail on the deliverance of his composition—vaguely inspired by the blonde. Nico had to make his friends, family, and his teacher proud. He needed to show Will that he was worth it.

“—My dearest student. Please give a warm welcome to Nico di Angelo!” Matilda’s heavily Italian accented speech finished and suddenly the curtains were parting like the Red Sea, the heavy spotlights overhead shone down on him. This was it. 

Nico cast a wary glance at the crowd booming with thunderous applause before morphing his face into what he hoped was a more charming look. He stood up and walked over to the microphone that had been placed in the middle of the stage. Clearing his throat and willing away the nerves threatening to explode out of his stomach, Nico spoke into the mic.

“Good evening, my name is Nico di Angelo but I’m sure you already know that…” He started off awkwardly and a few chuckles scattered through the audience. Nico could hear his own slightly trembling voice, accent turned on in full power as it always did whenever he was extremely nervous, but he just took a breath and trudged on. “I’m glad that you could all be here tonight and I hope that you will enjoy my performance. Starting off, I’ll be playing a few classical renditions that I’ve tweaked to fit the mood a bit more. The last piece you'll hear is my own creation, titled sole e luna, and I don’t really know how to explain it but…it’s very important to me. You know, I’m not good with words so I only hope that you’ll hear me through my music. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the performance and thank you once again.” He finished with a bow and watched as a crewman took the microphone away. The room was flooded with applause and Nico glanced around, hoping to find a certain set of eyes.

A subtle hand shot in the air from the center and Nico’s gaze latched onto a familiar face, grinning up at him. Will shot him a thumbs up and Nico curled the corners of his mouth upward into the most faintest of smiles, hoping Will would understand that it was aimed at him and for him only. 

Nico proceeded to glide his way over to the bench and sat down, ignoring the feeling of hundreds of eyes on him as he grabbed his music sheets and threw them carelessly aside. Then he brushed the polished keys of the grand, which he had grown accustomed to after having practiced a couple hours beforehand, and started a countdown in his head. The room was silent, with everyone waiting for him to start with a baited breath, and Nico found comfort in knowing that he was the conductor, able to control all their emotions with the simplicity of his music.

The moment Nico’s fingers pressed down on the first key and he started playing, the world around him was lost, drowned to the crashing waves of his music as rolls and rolls of notes reflected from his soul onto the piano. As the gentle, gradually intensifying, sound of Rachmaninoff's Elégie drifted through the hall, Nico could only focus on the parts he pressed down on his keys with such force that the notes boomed, or the parts that were so melancholic that he drifted his fingers instead, pumping the pedals with his foot. The original composition was eerily beautiful and it captured Nico’s heart the moment he had heard it. He’d had so much fun changing a few of the chords here and there in his room late at night, something to make the song a lot more devastating than it already was. It had invoked a nasty sort of feeling in him —the kind that caused him to cry himself to sleep at night—because it reminded him so much of Bianca and his mother. Instead of letting the grief consume him though, Nico took that and turned it into a breathtaking rendition of the original, knowing that he poured his entire soul into it and could feel the emotions churning deep within his stomach. He pressed the last note of the song, holding his hands there before lifting them both up slowly, the sounds of applause followed soon after. It went on like that for several more compositions until he finally arrived at the one everyone had been dying to hear— his original.

Nico began playing the first lines of sole e luna, crafted after a love story he had made up on the sun and moon. The first part of the song was serene and calming, describing the moon perfectly. Then when they met, Nico pounded his fingers onto the keys, the climax representing an explosion of a force so alien that it nearly blinds the two star-crossed lovers. As his fingers move on their own accord, Nico dragged out the chords to make it more dramatic. With one final slam on the piano, signifying their powerful, yet impossible, love, Nico finished the song similarly to how he started—very soft—to portray the understanding of the ever kind moon. He held the keys for a couple seconds before lifting both hands at the same time. Then he proceeded to stand up to face the room of people who were now on their feet, cheering so loudly that it energized him, jump starting every single molecule in his body as he smiled widely and took a bow.

Matilda made her way to the center of the stage and for the first time since Nico had seen her, there was a proud smile on her face and tears pooling in her eyes. “Buon lavoro, ragazzo mio. I’m so proud.” She whispered into his ears and Nico ducked his head at the high praise. “I’ll just say a few more words. Go and take a short rest, I’m sure there will be many dying to speak with you.”

Nico nodded and allowed himself to be guided off the stage by one of the workers on standby, aimlessly drifting down the hallway until he found himself outside, probably having exited a back entrance of the stage. He took in the fresh air and exhaled in content, a relaxed smile on his face as he recalled everything that he had done during the last hour. It had all gone by in a blur that Nico could barely register the way his fingers trembled—but it was good. He felt good.

“Hey.” A soft voice said from behind him and Nico turned around to be met face to face with Will. At Nico’s questioning look probably, he smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “One of the staff told me where you’d be. It’s okay, right?”

Nico nodded, unsure if his voice could even work. He cleared his throat, which was parched as hell, and nudged the side of Will’s arm with his own. “So what did you think?”

Will let out a huff and grinned, eyes shining with delight. “Nico you were… amazing… I’ve never seen anything like it…” Then he nudged the side of Nico’s arm back, resulting in a mini nudge war until Nico dropped out with a petulant roll of his eyes. “Who knew that the hot and hostile barista was so talented?”

Hot and hostile.

Nico chuckled, choosing to ignore the way his cheeks burned, and opted to look away. The view in front wasn’t to die for—it was just the crummy parking lot—but it sure as hell beat looking at Will’s eyes knowing he couldn’t have them. Even though he felt like tonight had been one hell of a victory, there was something else that he hadn’t won yet and it was standing right in front of him. If only Nico was brave enough to speak up.

“Well I’m glad you liked it…My piece—sole e luna—is very special to me and like I said on the stage…I was never good with words…”

Will took a slow step forward, a sort of fire in his eyes that Nico had never seen before. A stare that rooted him to the ground and vaguely turned him on. Basically, he was so screwed.

“I think I’m quite good with words…you know being a med student and all, so I’m going to say something that I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now.”

Nico gulped, eyes widening slightly when Will took another small step forward. He was holding in his breath, expectations raised to the roof. Was Will going to ask what he was thinking? He sure hoped so.

Then with one deep exhale, Will threw up a jumble of word vomit. “Okay well here goes nothing…Ithinkyou’recoolandreallycuteandIbasicallyjusthaveacrushonyouokaymaybemorethanacrush—” He stopped, a cute blush spread nicely on his cheeks, and flashed Nico a sheepish don’t kill me grin.

It took a moment for Nico to process the words, with Will blinking at him expectantly, looking like a dejected puppy the longer it took for Nico to respond. When the message finally got through his thick skull though, Nico laughed wholeheartedly, feeling like an incredible weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. Gods he felt stupid.

From the small slit of his eyes, which were brimming with joyous tears, he saw Will frown. “Hey, I get that you might not reciprocate my feelings but you don’t have to laugh…”

Nico abruptly stopped cackling like a maniac and shook his head, waving his arms out like a grandpa to prevent Will from walking away. He was not letting him go that easily. “N—No wait! I wasn’t laughing at you, well sort of, but I was laughing because we’ve both been idiots this entire time.” He cracked a wide grin and closed the distance between them, peering up at Will’s face, his mouth was shaped like an o. 

Nico paused for dramatic effect, letting the moment wrap them up in a bubble that was solely theirs—nothing else in the world mattered at this moment. Then he continued in a low voice. “I like you too idiot, if it wasn’t obvious already. I would like to be with you and get to know you better, if you want that of course.”

Will moved to wrap his arms around Nico’s waist, pulling him flush against his chest, and Nico’s breath hitched at the intimacy. He slowly responded by grabbing onto Will’s shoulders, not yet brave enough to experiment further down. He already felt like his heart was going to explode into a goopy red mess and he really didn’t want dying in front of Will to be number one on his to-do list.

“I’m going to kiss you now.” Will breathed out, sending chills creeping down Nico’s spine. 

The words he had been longing to hear had been uttered and he couldn’t believe it when he felt himself nod. Then the next moment, a pair of luscious lips, softer than anything he could’ve ever imagined, planted themselves on his own, which had been chapped due to the constant licking he did whenever he was nervous. Warmth budded at the spot their lips met, blooming in his chest, spreading like vines throughout his body now practically conjoined with Will’s. Nico fluttered his eyes shut and kissed him back, hoping that it made Will feel good. Nico thoughtlessly parted his lips open when he felt Will’s tongue brush against it. His hands flung upward on their own accord, grabbing onto golden strands of hair like a sort of tether as if he were afraid of somehow getting blown away. Will slipped his tongue into his mouth and Nico saw supernovas in the blackness of his still closed eyelids, letting out a breathy moan. He sipped on Will’s lips, pinker than any lemonade Jason could’ve ever whipped up for him, for quite some time until the need for breathing outweighed their desire to kiss each other breathless.

Nico pulled away first, opening his eyes as he took in a deep breath. There in front of him and in his arms no less, Will Solace looked stunning with the moonlight shining down on him, making his hair look more of a dirty blonde than the golden Nico was used to. Will was breathing heavily, biting down one side of his swollen lips and the sight of it was nearly enough of a reason for Nico to kiss him again. He didn’t though. Self fucking control, he thought.

“So…” Nico spoke out into the quiet night. “Boyfriend?” It was too late out for big words and his brain was a pile of mush from the recital and now this.

Will grinned, leaning down to press a chaste kiss on his cheek, which left his skin feeling tingly. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes, though they contained nothing but undying fondness. “Good.”

-

The rest of the night went perfectly. Dozens of important figures had talked to him, practically begging for Nico to perform at their weddings, parties, and he’d even gotten one funeral (to which he politely declined for obvious reasons). Will was glued to his side, smiling that dazzling smile at anyone who talked to Nico, grounding him whenever he felt like suffocating in the act of socializing. One glance at Will and Nico knew that it would be alright. He would be alright. Hades and Naomi had shared a knowing look when the four of them went for a late dinner and Nico honestly couldn’t care enough to hide his new relationship, outwardly giving Will a smooch when the blonde had excused himself to the bathroom. Then right after he had left, Hades instantly burst out into tears and Naomi chastised him for not telling her sooner. Nico had grumbled something along the lines of guys it just happened alright, please sto— FATHER THAT’S THE TABLECLOTH! All in all, a perfect night.

Afterwards, Will had insisted on driving Nico back home, which Nico stated was a poor excuse to find out where he lived. Will hadn’t denied it. Then when they were standing outside the door, with its wood peeling off, of Nico’s apartment, Will had smiled at him and gave him another mind blowing kiss. The kind that would most definitely haunt his dreams at night and not in a bad way. They had talked about telling Percy, Jason, and the others, but Nico had told him to not worry about it—to let things play out. Definitely not because he knew that he would never hear the end of it from those two.

“So I’ll come pick you up tomorrow night after your shift?” Will said as Nico unlocked his door with a struggle because the doorknob just did not want to work with him.

Finally after one big push, the door opened and Nico stumbled in with a scowl etched on his face. He turned back around and leaned on the doorframe, smiling back at his boyfriend (he would never get used to that word). “I’ll look forward to it.”

Will grinned and pressed a kiss to his forehead, smoothing down his probably messy hair. “Good. Hopefully you won’t get mad this time.”

Nico rolled his eyes and playfully hit his arm, pushing him away. “Get out.”

Will laughed all the way down the stairs (because the stupid apartment didn’t have a functioning elevator) and Nico could still hear it even when the blonde was long gone. He shut the door with a sigh, pulled off his clothes and got ready without another thought that wasn’t Will on his mind. When he flopped down onto bed and shut his eyes, letting the tranquil moonlight lull him to much needed sleep, Nico dreamed of sunshine and blue skies.