Chapter Text
Nico di Angelo in no way considered himself a lucky person. There were small things, however, that he felt extremely lucky about. Things like the fact that he’d actually managed to find people who enjoyed being around him. Things like meeting Will Solace. Even trivial things like never having to go to American high school.
Until now.
Ever since the war with Gaea, Nico had stayed at Camp Half-Blood and enjoyed it. Even his growing feelings for the head of the Apollo cabin didn’t scare him away. Still, there was a small part of him that still felt like he didn’t belong there, like he’d never belong there, and it was this small part of him that pressured him into helping out the camp so much.
Whenever a new quest arose, Nico was first in line for the job. The quests were generally a mix of recruiting new demigods and taking care of miscellaneous monsters around the country. Nico’d been sent on a fair amount of monster hunts so far, but they were luckily all in the same area. Every time he returned, Will would be there, fussing over his wounds and making small talk. Nico began looking forward to returning to camp, where Will would always manage to find something to give the son of Hades a hard time about.
But now he was sitting in a science class, taking half-assed notes and trying not to fall asleep. He glanced up to where Will sat towards the front of the class. The blond was actually interested in the lesson, and continually raised his hand asking the teacher questions. Nico wanted to strangle him.
Will had been enthusiastic about this quest from the beginning, though that was only to be expected since it was his first. The son of Apollo had smiled brightly, saying to Nico, “This is great! We’ll get a chance to get a normal education for a bit!”
Nico had not been looking forward to the trip.
The high school was down in New Jersey, where Nico and Will were currently staying with a legacy of Hermes and her family. They were great hosts, with the exception of how loud their four year old son could be at times. Nico spent most of his time at home holed up in the room he shared with Will, exploring the internet he’d been previously deprived of.
Will was more than happy to show Nico how social media worked and help him set up accounts. The son of Hades got really into modern alternative music, and frequently shared his new favorite songs with Will. The blond, being the geek he was, knew most of the music already, but loved seeing Nico discover the songs on his own. Will frequently teased Nico for becoming a good example of a typical American teenager, which Nico always returned with a scowl.
Finally the bell rang as Nico leapt up from his seat, ready to be home. His orders were to spend as much time at the school as possible so that he’d have a better chance of finding the demigod they were here for, but it was Friday and he just wanted to leave.
“I’ll meet you at your locker!” Will called out to the younger boy as he rushed away from class.
As long as you don’t make me stay here, then fine.
The son of Hades spun the dial on the locker door too quickly, causing him to mess up the combination. He scowled and tried again. By the time he’d managed to get it open, Will had shown up at his locker, a smile on his face. “Gods, I’m glad that class is over. I’m really nervous about next week’s test and every minute in there was just stressing me out even more.”
Nico looked at him incredulously. “Then why the hell were asking so many questions?! You were acting like you live and breathe off of that lesson.”
Will frowned. “Well, I do find the subject fascinating, it’s just the fact that I’m going to be tested about it that stresses me out. I was asking questions because I want to do well in this unit.”
Nico groaned. “Stop being so responsible and making me feel obligated to do more.”
The taller boy laughed. “Sorry, I can’t help that I’m a stellar student. Now hurry up so that we can start looking for the demigod that brought us here.”
Nico scowled. “But it’s Friday. I just wanna go home.”
Will nodded sympathetically. “Me too. But let’s just focus so that we can finish up soon, okay?”
The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes, but followed Will regardless.
The two walked the perimeter of the school grounds, watching for any signs of a demigod. They knew all the signs to look for, and had been doing as much socializing in school as possible to get to know people. Okay, well Will had been doing as much socializing as possible, Nico had been finding excuses for not doing that part of the job. Fighting monsters? Easy. Talking to other kids his age? That was terrifying.
Sports practices began to end, the last kids leaving the school, and Will and Nico still hadn’t found anything new.
Exhausted, Nico slumped down against the brick wall of the building, watching the sun beginning to set. “Can we go home now?”
Will frowned. “We probably should. The only problem is that requires more walking.”
The son of Hades groaned, making Will laugh a bit.
“How about we just rest for a little while? We can walk back later. Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss a sunset like this.”
Nico thought that was wonderful logic, and settled back against the wall. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but things could be worse.
Will sat directly next to Nico so that their thighs were touching and wrapped his arm around the younger boy. Nico froze at the contact, glancing up at Will who glanced back, an eyebrow raised as if asking for permission.
Nico slowly relaxed, carefully laying his head on Will’s shoulder. Will’s arm tightened around him slightly and the younger boy settled in. A small smile graced Nico’s features as he sat, leaning on the boy he loved, watching the sun disappear behind the horizon. They sat there for a long time, neither one wanting to ruin the moment. Once the sun was completely gone, Nico was worried Will would decide it was time to leave, but the blond said nothing and Nico wrapped his arms around him. They’d have to get back to school work and searching next week, but for now the son of Hades was content in Will’s arms.