Chapter Text
Nico hurried across the campus, knowing he was already late but not wanting it to be worse. He was horribly torn between wanting to impress his professor and wanting to do anything to show that he didn’t give a fuck. He let himself into the warm library, rubbing his hands together and trying to regain feeling in his toes. It was exceptionally cold for November that year.
Nico went up to the second floor, making his way to the table he had planned to meet Mr. Solace at. His professor was already there, of course, with his books spread out and a pencil tucked endearingly behind his ear. Nico grumbled to himself, letting his hair fall in his face. He’d promised himself he was going to start trying harder in his literature class so that these stupid one-on-one sessions could end.
Will looked up, spotting his student. “Hey! I was starting to worry you’d gotten lost,” he joked.
“Yeah, my roommate’s going out to a party tonight and he left the dorm a mess. I had a hard time finding my book.” That was a half-lie, Jason was going out that night, but he was a total neat freak.
“That’s fine,” Will replied, smiling warmly.
This was the third time Nico had met up with his teacher after class. For some reason, the brunet had no idea what half of the vocabulary in his Lit class meant, and had the hardest time explaining his thoughts on paper. This was Will’s first year teaching at the university and he wanted his students to do well, so he had offered Nico extra tutoring sessions.
“Alright,” Mr. Solace said, pulling out his copy of Waiting for Godot. “I have some practice questions here to work on. The first is, ‘If it’s true that nothing happens in Waiting for Godot, how is it that we manage to be entertained as the audience/reader?’”
I’m not entertained, I’m bored out of my mind.
“Um,” Nico started. “Well, the play isn’t so much about plot as it is about spreading a moral. So, I guess the audience is entertained by having to think instead of just watching a story play out.”
Will nodded. “That’s not a bad start.” He kept talking, going on and on, but Nico didn’t hear a word he said. He was too enraptured by the shapes his teacher’s lips made as he spoke.
Nico was frustrated beyond belief with this class, with this tutoring, with Will. His professor looked way too young to be working there, and was constantly smiling, making his blue eyes shine. Nico had started to blame his slipping grade on the fact that he had such a hard time focusing around his goddamn teacher.
“Nico?”
The younger snapped out of his thoughts, back to reality. “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?” he asked, face turning red.
Will furrowed his brow and bit his lip. He watched Nico for a moment before closing his binder and leaning back in his chair. “Are you okay, Nico?”
The brunet shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know, it’s just that… Whenever I see you, you always seem distracted. Is something going on?”
“No, of course not. It’s nothing. We should just get back to the play.”
“Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but if you want to talk, I’m here. I know that must be weird with me being your teacher and all, but if something outside of class is affecting your grades, I want to help.”
You need to stop being so fucking nice and making me want you more, goddamnit.
“I’m fine, really. Now what was the question you asked?”
~*~
A week later, Will sat waiting in their normal spot at the library. He’d given a quiz that week that Nico didn’t do so well on, and his plan for the day was to go over it and make sure that Nico understood why he got so many questions wrong.
Nico.
The short Italian was on the scrawny side and had an angry demeanor that most people were put off by, but not Will. The professor instead found himself infatuated with Nico’s deep eyes, his soft hair, his smooth skin. Will hated himself for feeling that way about a student, but found himself making excuses to be near him anyways.
Will’s eyes stayed trained on the direction from which Nico always came, waiting for him to show up. When he spotted the boy making his way towards him, he self-consciously ran his fingers through his hair and put on a smile. “Hey, look who decided to show up.”
Nico rolled his eyes a bit, making Will laugh.
“Alright, so the last time we met, we left off trying to decide what the moral of the play is. Any new thoughts since last time?”
The younger boy seemed preoccupied, shifting in his seat and not meeting Will’s eyes. “Uh… Not really.”
The professor bit his lip, pushing his books away. “Okay. New plan. I don’t think there’s any way for you to improve your grades if this other issue of yours is in the way. That should be your new priority. I don’t want you sitting at your desk, banging your head and waiting for the information to click, you need to sort out whatever’s been bothering you.”
Nico scowled. “I appreciate your concern, but this isn’t exactly something that can be ‘sorted out’ so easily.”
Will frowned, concern washing over his face. “What is it?”
“It’s none of your business,” Nico spat. “Now, as long as you don’t mind, I thought we came to study.”
Nico was flushed and glowering, and his student reminding him to stay on task should not have been as arousing as it was. Will gulped, shaking his head slightly to remove the mental images of other situations where the brunet could be blushing and growling at him. “Right, I know, I just… I just want you to do well.”
Because for some fucking reason I’m falling in love with you and I need to do something for you to see me as more than your teacher.
He was so getting fired.
~*~
S-O-L-A-C-E.
Nico di Angelo wrote the same six letters numerous times wherever he could. On the back of his napkin when he went out to lunch with Hazel. On his arm with a pen, before covering it up with his sleeve. Across the margins of his notes from class. Solace. Nico didn’t think he’d ever heard a more beautiful word.
For the next tutoring session, he was actually on time. He needed to make sure they finished up when they were supposed to because afterwards he’d promised to meet up with Reyna and fill her in on what she’d missed in math the previous day. He rushed into the warmth of the library and up to his usual table with Will. He attempted to open his bag, pull out his chair, and sit down at the same time, and only succeeded in spilling his things and slamming his forearm into the edge of the table. “Shit!”
Will attempted to hold back his laugh, but ended up giggling anyways. “Jeez, are you okay?”
Nico pulled back his sleeve to see if his arm was bruising, before quickly pulling the fabric back to normal after remembering whose name he’d written on his skin. “Yeah, sorry, I’ve just got a lot on my mind today.” Great job, you just managed to successfully embarrass yourself in front of your unbelievably sexy teacher, you idiot.
“It’s fine,” Will said, leaning down to help pick up Nico’s things. He picked up Nico’s history notebook, which had landed face open. Turning it towards himself, he moved to close it, but froze at what he saw written in the margin of the page.
S-O-L-A-C-E.
As realization hit Nico hard and cold, he snatched the notebook out of his professor’s hands and shoved it back in his bag. “Th-thanks,” he mumbled, mind racing as he tried to come up with an excuse.
“No problem,” Will replied, nonchalantly. He helped the poor boy finish picking up his things, this time not looking too closely at any of the belongings. “Okay, I’ve got an idea for today.”
“What?” Nico asked, still nervous as to what Will was thinking. Was it possible he hadn’t actually noticed his name doodled on the history notes?
The blond smiled and leaned forward on his arms, getting as close as he could to Nico with the table in between them. “We’re not going to talk about the play today. That hasn’t gotten us anywhere so far, so instead I want to get to know you.”
When his professor’s hand rested on top of his own, Nico’s heart began racing because he was too fucking close and friendly and hot and why why why was this happening.
“What do you want to know?” Nico managed.
“I dunno. How’s your day been so far?”
Not that bad until you started making me this sexually frustrated.
“Um, well I had a few classes in the morning and studied for a bit before rushing here. I’m supposed to meet a friend afterwards to help her catch up in history class.” Nico mentally patted himself on the back for being able to carry on a normal conversation despite being able to feel Will’s every breath across his face.
“Ah, well it sounds like you’ve been pretty busy. Why don’t we reschedule? That way you have some downtime before meeting your friend.”
“Uh, I guess.” That sounds wonderful, I need to be anywhere that isn’t this close to your body. “Wh-when?”
“Hmm,” Will’s fingers lightly brushed the side of Nico’s face, making his breath hitch. “How about Saturday morning at 8? In the main coffee shop on campus?”
“In- In the coffee shop?”
“Mhm. Oh, and don’t worry about bringing your books. We can just talk some more.” Will pulled back with a smirk. “I’ll see you then.” He grabbed his things and left swiftly, leaving Nico in his chair, his mind reeling.
He wasn’t sure whether he should be excited or terrified.