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From Will’s perspective, it wasn’t surprising. He knew where the problem had stemmed from. It was disgustingly clear where it started. It wasn’t a mystery, it wasn’t something that happened out of the blue. It was plain as day, right before their very eyes, unfolding blatantly, like it was occurring for the sole intent of bothering Will past the point of no return. Will knew what the root, the cause, of the predicament was.
It all started when Percy and Annabeth got engaged.
It was inevitable, of course. Not even the slightest bit shocking. Sure, they were only twenty three (which in Greek demigod years was ancient, Will’s brain unhelpfully supplied), but Percy and Annabeth had been dating for the past seven years. They were soulmates, two halves of a whole. They had known each other for a decade, best friends before dating, battle partners and lovers, and so it made sense for them to get engaged. Annabeth and Percy were made for each other and neither would have it any other way.
But, when one person or couple does something, it’s all anyone can talk about. Suddenly, hangouts were centered around the proposal, and what the eventual wedding would be like, and where it would be. Will and Nico couldn’t get through one IM call without someone bringing up the Percabeth Wedding. Will liked a wedding enough, and he was happy enough for Percy and Annabeth, but a guy could only go in circles so many times about flowers and seating charts before he snapped. It was tortuous, but not because he didn’t want the wedding to happen.
Mainly, Will hated it because getting engaged was one thing Nico and he hadn’t discussed. They knew they were going to spend forever together, they had been dating long enough, and gods! They had even moved in together! There were no questions about whether they were it for each other. The years and devotion proved that much. But, engagement and marriage was one topic they hadn’t touched on yet as a couple.
At first, Will decided the best course of action was to ignore it. Nico, gods he’d gotten better over the years with being honest about his feelings, but he still wasn’t great when topics were too touchy for him, and Will didn’t want to make Nico uncomfortable. He could wait until Nico was ready. He would wait years for Nico because he loved him and would do anything for him. Giving him some space, giving him time to sort out his feelings, was nothing. Nico was worth any amount of time he needed.
But, after the third month of wedding preparations, Will couldn’t stand it anymore. He could handle almost anything, he could wait, but Will’s patience really could only extend so far, especially when there wasn’t a timeline in sight as to when, if ever, they would have the marriage talk. It became like an itch Will couldn’t scratch. The more he tried not to think about it, the more he thought about it. If Nico at least would give him a definite yes or no, Will would maybe be able to stop thinking about it. If Nico gave him a ‘yes,’ then Will could be content knowing that it was coming, eventually. But if Nico gave Will a ‘no,’ well Will would cry about it, but he would mourn and move on. Getting married would be nice, but it wasn’t a necessity, especially since it was clear they would be together forever, wedding or no wedding.
And, so, Will tried. He really did try his best to let Nico be the one to bring it up. He kept his mouth closed when Cecil teased them one night, asking if they were next to get engaged, and when he woke up that one morning where Nico was so beautiful in the morning light that Will thought he was going to die. He didn’t bring it up when they met up with Percy and Annabeth at a coffee shop and spent two hours talking about wedding destinations, and when they grabbed lunch with Reyna and Thalia and talked about wedding attire. Will didn’t bring up when he was drunk or high, and he certainly didn’t ask about weddings when he came home one day to Nico sitting on their couch and flipping through channels on their TV, many of which were devoted to wedding dresses and cake decorating and bridezilla antics.
However, like with most things, Will eventually cracked. He found himself saying his thoughts before he could stop himself, his impulse control not quite allowing for a filter from his brain to his mouth.
“Do you ever think about us getting engaged?” Will asked one sunny afternoon, watching Nico unload the dishwasher in their small, brightly colored kitchen. Nico immediately dropped the pot he was holding onto his foot and let out a curse in Ancient Greek. Will empathized, knowing it was seemingly out of nowhere from Nico’s perspective, but his anxiety was too much to keep pushing this conversation away, the icy pit growing colder and colder in his stomach with every day that passed.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Will commented wryly, standing up from his chair, and grabbing the pot. He looked briefly at Nico’s foot while he was bent down and decided Nico would make it, luckily. Will looked up at Nico, admiring the way the sun steamed in from the window, making his dark hair look more brown than black. The sun was like a halo behind his head, really making him look like an angel.
Will wasn’t sure he would ever get tired of looking at Nico. It was his favorite view.
“Sorry,” Nico replied, looking sheepish as Will stood up. “I just wasn’t expecting it,” Nico explained, leaning against their counter top, arms crossed around him. “I have thought about it.” He sighed, looking out the window. “It’s something I would like to do. One day.”
Will hoped he didn’t let it show on his face how deflated he felt at Nico’s words. Normally, he would have believed that it would happen one day. But, given Nico’s reaction, Will did not feel convinced in the slightest. Nico was probably saying one day to be nice, to spare Will’s feelings, because Will knew that Nico knew him by this point and knew that Will was asking because he wanted to get married.
Will placed the pot on their counter, smiling lightly at Nico. “Yeah, I get what you mean!” Will said, nodding very seriously, trying to ignore the way his heart was crumbling to dust in his chest. “One day for sure. We have time!”
Nico gave Will a look, which Will had come to know as Nico’s Will stopping being an idiot look. Nico sighed and squeezed his arms tighter around himself. “I want to marry you. It’s just… we’ve been together only five years, right? Why rush it? We have time.”
“But do we?” Will said, unable to keep himself from voicing his anxieties about the whole thing. He didn’t care about who was or wasn’t getting married. Will was a realist. He knew demigod lives were shorter than the average human life just by nature of the lives they lived. Will had seen too many people die, too many of his friends, too many of his siblings, that he was beyond grateful to have made it to his twenties. He was one of the lucky ones, especially by Greek standards, and he was terrified of wasting a second he had with Nico. “You know the life we lead, Nico. Yeah, we’ve been lucky. We are safe and in one piece and have gone to literal Hell and back and have survived, right? But when does our luck run out? It’s not limitless. We can’t live forever.”
Nico sighed again, before uncrossing his arms and rubbing his eyes. “I understand, Will. Believe me, I know better than anyone else that we are not immortal. We won’t live forever and our lives are hectic and confusing and treacherous. I know all of that.”
“Then why shouldn’t we get married?” Will asked, despising how whiny he sounded. "Why should we wait?"
“Because I’m scared, alright?” Nico said suddenly, his voice louder than normal, seeming to bristle in anger. It nearly made Will take a step back, goosebumps forming on his arms. Nico wasn’t a scary guy, years and years with him had proved that much. He was kind and sweet and loving and caring.
But he wasn’t particularly loud all the time, so when he was, it was settling, and Nico was, Will’s mind reminded him, an incredibly powerful demigod who exuded unreal amounts of energy and ability. Just being in his presence was a little unsettling, especially when he was feeling any kind of heightened emotion. Nico could be scary when he wanted to, and he certainly was not someone you wanted upset.
Will fought back his instincts to retreat and took a step forward, grabbing one of Nico’s hands in his own. “Talk to me,” Will said, rubbing his thumb across the back of Nico’s hand. Nico looked up at Will, his eyes bordering on watery, which made Will’s stomach constrict. He hated making Nico feel bad, he never wanted that for him and he wished he had never brought up the stupid conversation in the first place.
Nico seemed to settle down a little after looking up at Will, his tension dissipating slightly. “Gods, it sounds so stupid to say out loud. It used to be because of the gay thing, that marriage felt so out of the question for me. I definitely never imagined it as a kid, and only in recent years have I let myself entertain the idea of marriage with you. I don’t think what we do is bad, and it’s taken some getting used to, thinking about us like that. You’re the only person I want to marry,” Nico said, a little smile on his face, which made Will’s stomach beat so loudly in his chest, he was sure Nico could hear it.
“But,” Nico continued, “we do not have a lot of experience with marriage.” Will nodded at that one. None of their friends were married, Nico’s family was long dead, and Will… well Will would rather not think about his family. “But marriage is supposed to be forever. I know that much. Are you going to want me forever?” Nico asked slowly. Will locked eyes with Nico. Nico was trying his best to keep a blank expression, but Will had watched Nico enough over the years to know when he was scared, when he was tentative. This was it, a guarded Nico hellbent on putting on a neutral expression, with only his wide, expressive eyes giving away his feelings in a heartbeat.
“What are you even talking about? That’s absurd,” Will said, feeling like it would be less painful if Nico just stabbed him in his heart. “Of… of course I am going to want you forever. We have been together for five years and I love you more and more everyday.”
Nico huffed. “I know you do, logically. I’m not an idiot,” Nico said. “It’s a big step. And we need to think and be serious about it. So, yes to the marriage, but also like… yes to waiting a bit longer?” Nico asked, wincing at himself.
Will nodded slowly, a little hurt that Nico would think so little of him, but understanding it. “I’ll wait forever for you,” Will said honestly and Nico sighed.
“I know you would. You’re too damn good for me,” Nico replied. “Waiting for me to catch up to you sure is the theme of our relationship,” Nico said glumly. Will shrugged.
“A bit. But you’re consistent. And it doesn’t bother me,” Will said. It didn’t, truly. Now that Nico said he did want to marry Will (some day in the future, not now moron, stop thinking like that), he felt more at ease, lighter. He would wait for forever for Nico to feel ready. Pushing Nico never did him any good, and Will knew that better than anyone. Will wrapped his arms around Nico, who all but melted into Will's touch. They would be okay, Will thought to himself, rubbing a hand up and down Nico's back. They always were.
Later that night, after they ate the dinner that Will cooked (see: burned), Nico turned to Will. “My only stipulation is that we can’t do it in winter. Too cold.”
Will stared at Nico, wondering what he could possibly mean, before it hit him. “Oh yeah! No winter weddings. I am thinking fall or spring.”
“You could actually see the wheels turning in your head with that one,” Nico said, a teasing smile on his face. "I caught you by surprise."
“Well, you dropped that out of nowhere, di Angelo. You know how to surprise a guy,” Will said, unable to help himself from smiling like a gigantic fool. “I love you.”
“I love you too. For some reason,” Nico said, causing Will to roll his eyes. Will snuggled in close to Nico, chastising his previous self for being so worried about the marriage answer. He loved Nico, and he always would, and Nico clearly felt the same way. Marriage would come, even if Will was chomping at the bit for it, and he should just try to focus on what they had now. Why waste what time we have by worrying? Will thought as Nico ran his hands through Will's hair.