Chapter Text
DAY ONE : UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT
SOLANGELO
Nico was half asleep when he heard the sniffling. At first, he brushed it off thinking it might have been just Jason in his sleep, as he had a cold.
As it turned out, the sniffles didn't stop and Nico found out that it was not Jason and his cold.
After a while of hearing the sniffles, Nico turned around to see who it was. Percy was already asleep, mouth wide open and drool rolling down his cheek. Nico checked his name off the list he had made in his head. So, it wasn't Percy. Above him, on the top bunk, Leo was tossing and turning around in his sleep, but he didn't make any noises except for the occasional grumbles escaping his lips.
"No, Harley! ¡No bebemos aceite de motor! ¡Mierda!"
Nico didn't know and didn't even want to know what that meant.
He looked to the side to the other bunk bed in the room. Jason was sleeping soundly, curled around his sleeping dog, Tempest. So, it wasn't Jason either.
Nico looked up, above Jason's bunk with a frown on his face.
It couldn't be him, his brain screamed at him, Don't be stupid.
The sniffles became muffled sobs and Nico decided that it was time for him to actually look up properly. He slowly crept out of his bunk, the floor creaking beneath his feet. The sobs stopped and Nico blinked a few times to see if he wasn't dreaming, or worse- hallucinating.
It was Will Solace with tear streaked cheeks and red rimmed eyes. His nose was running and every few seconds he furiously wiped it off with his sweater sleeve. His lips quivered as he noticed Nico.
"Go back to sleep, Di Angelo!" His voice was extremely shaky, "There ain't no show happening here for you to gawk at!" Nico's frown became deeper.
He wanted to say that he was there for Will and all that shit. That he was there to support him and Solace could trust him.
Obviously, that was not what came out of his mouth.
"Spill it, Solace. You'll feel better and I'll finally be able to sleep!" Nico retorted in a cranky voice and immediately cursed at himself.
You fucking suck, Nico Di Angelo.
Nevertheless, Will climbed down from his bunk and sat himself down on Nico's bed. Nico awkwardly brought his hands closer to Will's and put his over them, offering comfort. Will immediately snatched up Nico's blanket and began to wrap it around him, clenching it at the edges. Nico gave him a shaky smile and Will exhaled deeply.
Their fingers barely grazed each other and Nico felt his face and neck heat up.
"Things have been going to shit lately." He said in a sad voice, "My dad is missing and my mom is freaking out over it. My grades are slipping and Ronnie's death still bothers me even though it was a month ago and he was just my pet fish. But he wasn't just my pet fish. He was the pet fish. I don't know! I feel like I'm an idiot and I feel like I'm acting like a kid! Twenty years old and still grieving for a pet fish! How much more childish can I get?!" He began to rant and tears streamed down his cheeks once more. Nico felt himself cringing at the situation. This was most unlike Will, who was usually the living embodiment of the sun. Nico couldn't help thinking that he never should've checked on Will in the first place.
His eyes came to rest on Will's wrecked face and tired eyes. He sighed. Sympathy and pity were not the only two emotions running through his head at that moment. He knew how it felt to be at the verge of breaking down and how it felt to feel completely alone. Nico admired his past self for not giving into to the darkness and now a strong determination filled him up to never let Will- or anyone else- ever feel the same way he did.
"D'you need a hug, Will?" He asked quietly and Will nodded.
"Yes, I do" He replied in the same quiet voice. Nico opened his arms and let Will lay in them, holding the older boy together in his arms. Will sighed and began to cry into Nico's shoulder, who- once again- felt himself cringing at the action. " However, he didn't pull away until Will crawled out of the tight embrace a few minutes later.
"Thank you, Di Angelo" Will said in the softest voice Nico had ever heard. He automatically smiled. "Anytime, Solace" He said in a whisper, a smile hanging on his lips. Will quietly climbed back up into his bunk.
Nico woke up early in the morning and went to make his coffee. It was seven and he was exhausted from all the emotional support he had lended in the night. Jason and Will were already there, both of them at the counter. Jason with a piece of toast and a glass of Orange Juice while Will was sipping on some herbal tea that he had insisted everyone should have for the health benefits.
"Hope you have a shit day, Di Angelo!" Will grinned as he called out from the counter and Nico turned around, grinning back.
"Fuck you, Solace!" Nico giggled, happy that nothing was awkward or different between them. Happy that nothing had changed.
Will's grin became sweeter and so did Nico's, neither of them could take their eyes off each other.
Will looked down at his phone with a fierce blush invading his cheeks. Nico internally laughed knowing that he was the cause of it.
Jason was eating his toast with a suspicious look on his face. He then began to smile and looked down at his plate. He could tell that something had changed between the ever-bickering duo that was Nico and Will...
And he loved it.