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“If this is how you’re goin’ to kill me, at least make it painless.”
Will gripped the hilt tightly. It was heavier than he expected and longer than what he was used to. He made sure to hold it out as far away from himself as possible because if he ended up dropping it, at least it would land on the ground and not slice through his foot.
(It was a valid concern, especially considering he had seen it happen way too many times to count.)
Across from him, Nico rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, I’m not going to kill you.”
“Uh-huh,” Will nodded, doubtfully. “Sure, maybe not on purpose, but I think you’re overestimatin’ my combative capabilities.”
Honestly, he would be fine if he was going against like, a straw dummy or something, but Nico had decided, for some reason, that it would be a good idea for Will to spar against him. Why? He didn’t know. What he did know though, was that he was screwed because he had watched Nico fight.
And he was amazing. Mesmerizing, even.
Where the Ares kids used their brawn advantage, and the Athena kids preferred calculated moves, Nico fought almost like he was dancing. Like it was an art form. And while he was graceful, he was also adaptable. He never stuck to one type of attack style, evading around his opponents before he struck them in a way that was simple, but effective.
“I think I’m estimating them the perfect amount,” said Nico, plucking a shorter sword from the weapon stand. He had placed his Stygian Iron one to the side, which Will was extremely grateful for because one nick from it would actually kill him. “You were holding your own pretty well the other day, so how is this any different?”
“Because I was usin’ a plastic toy lightsaber. Not a lethal blade that could slice through my skin like it’s a piece of paper and cause all of my intestines to spill out and bake under the sun.”
“It’s literally snowing.”
“Freeze, then.”
“What, like your legs?” Nico smirked, gesturing to Will’s cargo shorts.
Will winked. “I run hot, darlin’.” He tried not to stare too long at the pretty blush that darkened Nico’s cheeks. “Besides, it’s not like I was expectin’ you to drag me here so I could bring dishonor to my family and die from embarrassment.”
Nico rolled his eyes again. “You’re such a drama queen.” And Will liked to wear that title proudly. “We’re not fighting to the death, I just wanted to test your skill level.”
Famous last words. The last time someone had tried to test his skill level was when he first came to camp. Michael had been curious to see if he was just as talented at archery as he was at healing. Unfortunately though, that curiosity had resulted in an arrow to someone’s infraspinatus, a painful surgery, and Will being banned from using most weapons.
“I’m afraid, Death Boy, that you’re about to be very disappointed,” Will mumbled, but he mimicked Nico and slid his feet into a guarded stance. Then he raised his sword just in time to block a powerful strike.
Surprisingly after a few stumbles and sloppy parries, Will didn’t end up face-planting into the dirt and eating shit. Even though lightsaber duels were different than actual sparring, he found that the mechanics were quite similar. All of those years obsessing over Jedi forms had paid off, and while Nico was moving way too fast for his brain to comprehend, his muscle memory managed to pull through.
Swing. Strike. Block. Parry.
Will grit his teeth when Nico slammed his blade against his again. He was starting to regret his decision to wear flip-flops now. The balls of his feet pressed down into the rubber insoles, desperately trying not to slip out. It was fine though. They’ve stayed on during worse and more life-threatening events.
“I can feel you holding back, Solace,” Nico stated. And wow, what a bastard. He had no right to be that relaxed while Will’s bronchi were being overworked to the point where they might possibly collapse because this was the longest he had ever dueled someone. “Come on. Fight back.”
So Will did. Or at least, tried.
He had mainly been using Form I (Shii-Cho) because it relied on defense and basic attacks, but immediately switched to Form V (Shien/Djem So). Rolling his wrist, he leaped forward with a twirl of his blade. He increased the speed of his attacks, falling into a familiar rhythm.
Spin. Strike. Lunge.
His arms burned. His muscles ached with strain. But he was doing it. He was actually starting to be at least a bit of a challenge for Nico.
However, he had been so focused on not getting impaled that when he looked up, he subconsciously sucked in a breath because Nico was smiling.
His mouth was curved so wide that it caused small indents in his cheeks. Brown eyes sparkled with life and instead of his sweat making him comparable to a wet rat, it made Nico practically glisten.
Will could have honestly recited lines of poetry that described how ethereal he was. He could have written songs. He could have sang those songs, despite his tone-deafness.
But he didn’t get the chance to because as he was distracted, he had accidentally tripped over his own feet. Then there was a mess of yelps, limbs, and swords clattering to the ground.
Well, fuck. He knew that was going to happen.
Groaning, Will cursed the bruises that would eventually bloom on his back as he waited for his head to stop swimming. When it did, he opened his eyes but froze, breath hitching when he realized the warm pressure on his thorax was not from the crushing weight of the world. Instead, it was from a certain son of Hades who was blinking back at him.
While he’d had no shame in cuddling up to Nico before, that had been in the dark shadows of their cabins. This felt different. Here, he could clearly see every inch of Nico’s face. The cute slope of his nose. His dark eyelashes. And his pink lips that seemed to be very close.
Instinctively, his hands gently grasped around Nico’s waist, inducing a soft gasp. Will wanted to confess right then and there. This boy had taken his heart so many years ago and ever since their second Movie Night, he had a small hunch that Nico had somewhat fallen for him in return.
But even though he wanted to pour out all of his sugary feelings, he held back because it didn’t feel like the right time.
So instead, he just said, “Yeah, I think I might need a bit more practice.”