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At the time, Nico thought it was a good idea. In his defense, he was approaching hour forty of sleeplessness, and Will looked like he wasn’t too far off, and sending Will home meant it would be at least an hour before Will would actually be able to go to bed, and he was going to have to be back there first thing in the morning anyway, and--
Fuck that. Nico didn’t need to justify his actions. It was his fucking house, and he was fucking exhausted.
He blamed his exhaustion on the fact that he’d forgotten about Hazel’s newest art project upstairs - also known as: Nico’s guest room. She’d pushed all of the furniture into the middle of the room and covered it in plastic before painting all of the walls with the intention of creating a mural on one of them. Honestly, Nico didn’t care what she did with the room, because it wasn’t like he ever had any use for it, except now it made him realize that he didn’t have a spare bed for Will to use, and the loveseat in the living room was way too small for Will to fit comfortably, and the floor was just cruel, and--
No! He didn’t need this kind of judgment!
He pointed Will toward his own bedroom and didn’t wait to see his reaction before starting into the room, grabbing a pair of three-day-old pajama pants off the floor, and heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change his pants.
When he stepped back into the bedroom, Nico found Will laying face-down on the bed, stripped out of his jeans and left in a t-shirt and boxers, his face stuffed into a pillow. Nico rounded the bed, swatting at one of Will’s feet as he passed, and said, “Hey. Do you want a toothbrush?”
Will grunted in response but didn’t otherwise move, so Nico took that as a no. He tossed his jeans in the direction of the hamper, shut off the overhead light, then flopped down on the empty side of the bed. Will elbowed him in the side with another grunt, and Nico elbowed him right back.
“Go to sleep,” Will whined.
“Quit laying on the blankets,” Nico shot back, giving Will a shove before he started tugging at the comforter.
Will huffed, but shifted enough that Nico could slip underneath the blanket. “It’s ninety fuckin’ degrees, what do you need a blanket for?”
“I sleep cold,” Nico replied, “and you’re going to want the blanket, too, when the air conditioner kicks on.”
“Doubt it,” Will grumbled, and rolled onto his side away from Nico.
Nico curled up with his back to Will, and was just starting to doze off when he heard Will hiss a quiet, “Fuck,” before scrambling to get under the covers.
Nico grinned to himself, but didn’t make a sound.
Nico was warm. Almost like the air conditioner had shut off, leaving the house to heat up in the California summer, but no - the part of his face that was still exposed to the room felt the cool air of the room.
As his brain slowly came online, Nico realized that the heat was localized - to his back, his legs, around his waist and up his arm, a steady puff, puff against the back of his neck--
Oh, fuck. Will was in his bed. Was Will a cuddler? Nico didn’t remember any cuddling after they’d slept together that one time, unless Nico had just happened to sleep through it. It wasn’t really an unpleasant feeling, so he wouldn’t have expected to be woken up by it - it wasn’t even why he was awake now. Really, Nico had to pee, and he was sure his full bladder had been the thing that woke him up. Now, though, he found himself distracted, not wanting to move and leave the comforting warmth that surrounded him.
He should feel annoyed that Will had plastered himself to Nico’s back. That Will had one of Nico’s legs pinned under his own, that one of Will’s arms was draped over his waist, his hand loosely curled against Nico’s chest. He realized, as he shifted to see how difficult it would be to slip out of Will’s hold, that his own fingers were tangled with Will’s.
Nico found himself frozen for a moment, counting the puffs of Will’s breath against his neck until he remembered why his body had woken him up in the first place, and he practically jolted in place. He wasn’t gentle as he tried to slip out of bed, but in his sleep, Will didn’t seem to want to let him go. He mumbled something in his sleep and tightened his hold around Nico’s waist, though as soon as Nico grumbled, “Let me up,” Will backed off.
He started to sit up as Nico did, muttering, “Wh’ time’s it?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Nico replied, and intended to reach back and shove Will back down to the pillows, but found his hand resting on Will’s shoulder and gently coaxing him back down. “Go back to sleep.”
Will hummed and pulled Nico’s pillow closer to himself, tucking his nose against the fabric.
Nico forced himself to get to his feet, because watching Will fall back asleep in the darkness of the room might make him feel like he was going insane, regardless of the fact that it would be creepy as fuck.
He stepped into the bathroom, swung the door shut until it bounced against the latch, and kept the light off as he navigated the room by feel and memory alone, and returned to the bedroom after washing and drying his hands. He made it to the foot of the bed before he realized that Will was basically centered on the mattress. Whether Nico laid back down in front of him or behind him, he wouldn’t be able to avoid basically being pressed up beside Will for the rest of the night.
He didn’t have long to make his decision before a full-body shiver passed through him, his body still accustomed to the heat of the blanket - and Will. He stepped back toward the side of the bed he’d been sleeping on and dove under the covers, jostling Will as he quickly tried to bury himself under the blankets as fast as possible.
“What the fuck?” Will grumbled, giving Nico another shove.
“Shut up,” Nico shot back, pushing at Will’s chest, “I’m freezing, and you’re hogging the whole bed.”
Will huffed. “What ever,” he groaned, and finally let his arm fall around Nico’s shoulders to tug him closer.
Nico pressed his face against the side of Will’s neck, draped an arm around his waist, and tucked one of his feet between Will’s calves until--
“Fuck!” Will exclaimed, and Nico was sure that if he could jump backwards, he would have. “How are you so fucking cold?”
“I told you,” Nico replied, pressing even closer with a grin on his face, “I sleep cold.”
Will’s arm tightened around him, and suddenly started rubbing Nico’s back like he was trying to warm him up. “Probably your ice cold heart,” he muttered into the top of Nico’s head.
Nico snickered. “Finally, you’re getting it.” He let his hand trail down Will’s back, slow enough that Will didn’t even seem to notice until Nico’s fingers slipped underneath the edge of his shirt, and Will flinched again.
“Fuck you,” Will whined, shoving at Nico’s shoulder until he rolled onto his back and laughed up at the ceiling. “You’re so annoying. Would you just shut up and go back to sleep?”
Nico let his giggles die down, knowing that lightheaded feeling he had was probably due to lack of sleep, and rolled onto his side once more as he tried to get comfortable. He had a feeling that Will was going to move back to the other side of the bed to get as far from him and his icy hands as possible, so he was surprised when he felt Will move in behind him again, their legs tangling together. Will’s hand found Nico’s among the sheets and curled their fingers together until he could hold their joined hands against Nico’s chest.
Nico’s breath caught, but he tried not to tense - he didn’t want Will to think he was uncomfortable, or that the touch wasn’t allowed, because--
Fuck! If he wanted to indulge in the simple pleasure of cuddling up with the guy he liked while he had the chance, nobody was going to stop him!
He just hoped that Will couldn’t feel the way his heart stuttered in his chest when Will sighed and settled in closer. After a moment, he was able to relax, his breathing evening out until he was on the verge of falling asleep again.
Then, he felt the graze of soft lips against the back of his neck, and Nico’s eyes shot open.
He wasn’t going to be getting any more sleep that night.
Nico must have managed to doze for a little while longer, because the next thing he knew, his face was pressed against Will’s chest, and somebody was shouting his name from somewhere else in the house.
He jumped back as soon as he recognized the voice. He may have accidentally kicked Will in the shin or even punched him in the chest in his scramble to get out of bed, and he shushed Will as soon as he made a noise.
Nico rushed out of the room, making sure to pull the door closed behind him. Hazel was near the front door, unlacing her shoes and then stepping out of them before lifting her gaze. She smiled as soon as she spotted him with his back still pressed to his bedroom door.
“Hey!” she greeted. “Sorry, were you still sleeping? I kinda figured you would be downstairs already - or, still downstairs from last night.”
Nico frowned, and let out a jaw-cracking yawn. “What time is it?”
“Still morning, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Hazel told him with a laugh. “Anyway, I just wanted to check on the paint - see if it needs another coat. I’ll probably only need a minute.”
“I couldn’t have checked for you?” Nico grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“It was on my way.” Hazel waved a hand dismissively before stepping into the guest room to look around.
After a couple of seconds, Nico called out, “How’s it looking?”
Before she could answer, the door disappeared from behind Nico, and he stumbled back a step into Will’s chest. Nico was sure his eyes were the size of dinner plates as he realized how easily Hazel could see them if she stepped out of the guest room. “What are you doing?” Nico hissed, and shoved Will back into the bedroom before slamming the door between them.
“Nico?” Hazel called. “You alright?”
“Fine!” Nico shouted, and whipped around just in time to see Hazel poking her head around the doorway. “Uh, so. How’s the paint?”
Hazel frowned. “I already said that it’s good to go.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “I should be able to come back after work today to start sketching.” She paused, trying to gauge Nico’s reaction. “If that’s alright with you?”
“That’s fine,” Nico said, too quickly. “Uh, I mean. I’ll get back to you, once… Once Will gets here, I mean, and we see how much work we still have to do, and--”
“That’s fine, just text me,” Hazel assured him, her head tilting slightly to the side like she was trying to glance behind Nico, even though he had a firm grip on the doorknob behind his back in case Will tried to step out again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” he answered, though he could tell she was getting suspicious.
Her frown deepened. “You're positive?” When he nodded, she hummed, crossing her arms. “Alright, well, I’ll get out of your hair then. Do you mind if I use the bathroom before I leave?”
Nico shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”
“No, I meant-- Can I use your bathroom?”
Nico tensed. “The guest one’s right there.”
“So, you’re saying I can’t use yours? Any reason?”
“Of course not,” Nico shot back. “It’s just that-- Why use my bathroom when there’s one right there? Maybe I haven’t cleaned mine in a while, did you ever think of that?”
Hazel grinned. “What you’re saying is, you’re not hiding anything from me other than a messy bathroom? It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Why would I be hiding anything?”
“Good question! We’re siblings, after all. Don’t we tell each other everything, Nico?” She took a few steps closer until she was only halfway across the room from him. Still, he found his back pressed up against the door. “You wouldn’t keep a secret from me, would you?”
“I don’t have secrets,” he insisted, though he could feel heat rising up on his neck. He was certain she had some idea of what - or even who - was in his bedroom, but he would rather die than stand down. “So, if you wouldn’t mind--”
“We haven’t hung out in so long,” Hazel cut in, “and I did come all this way, you know. Maybe I could stay for a cup of coffee!”
Nico could’ve screamed. “Don’t you have a job to get to?”
She waved him off. “It’s just Seph, she hardly needs me anyway. So, I’ll get a pot started?”
“Hazel,” Nico said, as close to breaking as he would allow himself to get. “Leave. Please.”
She beamed. “Of course, my dear brother. All you had to do was ask.” She crossed the room to press a kiss to his cheek, then started back toward her shoes. As she tied them on, she called back to him, “Love you, Neeks! And tell whatever guy you’ve got in your room that your sister said hi!”
She ducked out the front door before Nico could yell - but thankfully also before she could comment on his no-doubt bright red face.