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Nico glanced up at his best friend's window. It was early morning and the sun dusted the thin sheets of ice and snow a rainbow of pale pinks and yellows.
Nico curled his hands into fists, regretting wearing fingerless gloves. He slid his puffer jacket's sleeves down over his hands and grabbed a handful of snow, smoothing it over with his fingers until it made a perfect sphere. Well, perhaps not perfect, but Nico rarely had perfect things.
He squinted, aimed and threw the snowball at the window. It sailed right through and there was a distinct sound of someone screaming. Oops.
A blond mop of messy curls stuck out of the window, snow clinging to the tightest coils.
"Nico!" Will yelled.
"I'm sorry!" Nico held his hands up. "I didn't know the window would be open! It's the middle of winter for gods' sakes, you weirdo!"
"I run on high temperature!" Will shouted, marching away from the window, likely to get dressed.
Nico waited, tapping his fingers against the wheels of his chair. His dad had been busy that morning but had dropped him off at Will's before heading to work. His sister, Bianca, was at university and Hazel had her horseriding club. His mother was dead. His stepmother was not someone he wanted to spend all day with. All in all, he'd been feeling rather bored.
He could hear Will's heavy footsteps plodding to the front door before it swung open. Will stood in his largest jacket - the one that made him looking like he was drowning in bright yellow fluff - and his knee-high fuzzy boots. He'd pulled a yellow beanie over his head with a white pom pom. The disgruntled look on his face did not match the rest of his ensemble.
"You could have knocked," he pointed out.
"That would have woken up your family," Nico protested.
"I woke up my family by screaming at the giant lump of snow falling on my head."
"I hope you apologised for that."
Will pinched his nose bridge and shook his head. He shut the door behind him and followed as Nico turned.
"At least keep to my speed," Will said. "You drive like a maniac with the electric power on."
"It's not my fault you're slow," Nico grumbled but he slowed down nonetheless. "Besides, snow is ableist. I had to get Persephone to help me change into my snow tires this morning."
"I can see that," Will replied, nodding to the bulky tires. "Looks like The Cocopuff got enlargement surgery."
Nico shot a glare at him. "Don't phrase it like that. And don't call my wheelchair The Cocopuff."
Will grinned, the expression falling comfortably and familiarly onto his dimpled face.
"What? But that's her name!"
"The brand is called The Cacodemon!"
"And she is called The Cocopuff. And the power on is called The Smaller Cocopuff."
"What's my cane then?"
"The Long Cocopuff."
Nico considered rolling over Will's foot.
"Your crutches are The Twin Cocopuffs," Will continued, "and your rollator is called The Rolly Cocopuff and-"
"I get the picture!" Nico sighed. "You're so annoying."
Will beamed. "I know."
Nico ducked his head to hide a small smile. Will could be sweet. But he still wasn't calling his mobility aids The Cocopuffs.
Nico took of his power on to enter the corner shop and put it the skeleton backpack Will had bought him for his last birthday. The aisles were too narrow for it.
"You push," Nico said. "My hands are freezing."
"You should have worn better gloves," Will tutted, adjusting the handlebars to his height because he was a giant.
"The grip isn't as good with full hand gloves," Nico countered as they went over to the drinks section. Will brought them to a stop and moved so he was stood in front of Nico.
"Give me your hands."
Nico blushed as Will stretched out his own calloused hands.
"What?"
"Give me your hands."
Tentatively, Nico held his hands out, unsure if he should touch Will's or not. Will rolled his eyes and grabbed Nico's hands, rubbing him between his own.
"What are you doing?" Nico's voice nearly came out in a squeak. He cleared his throat.
"I'm warming your hands up," Will said as if it was obvious. "You're already chronically ill. You don't need frostbite on top of that."
Nico felt like melting into a puddle of heat. His hands may have been cold but the rest of his body felt like it was on fire.
"What a nice young man you are," a voice said, snapping him out of whatever plane of existence he had landed on.
Will stopped and Nico prepared himself to lose the touch but their hands remained together.
"Excuse me?" Will asked. The lady smiled, showing bright white teeth. The dim light of the store made the highlights in her hair look like an accumulation of dust and dirt.
"For looking after him." She gestured to Nico, who was in too much shock to say anything. "Plenty of people wouldn't. You're very kind to look after your boyfriend like that."
There were a few seconds of horrified silence.
"It's not being nice," Will said in the tone of someone trying to explain fractions to a six year old. "It's called liking someone."
"Oh, I know!" The lady said."But it's so lovely to see caring youth looking after people! What happened to him, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I don't look after him. I'm going to the store with him to buy soda because we both want soda," Will said. "And he can speak."
"Of course!" The lady blinked, her smile never wavering, and bent down to Nico's eye level like a nursery teacher. "You've got a very nice young man, don't you?"
Nico had never wanted to kill someone more than he did right now.
"Gina!" A male voice sounded as a bald man approached them. The lady straightened up.
"Oh, Charles! I was just saying to this young man and his boyfriend how nice it is to see someone looking after someone less fortunate."
"Less fortunate?" Will spluttered.
Charles raised an eyebrow, locking eyes with Nico.
"What happened to you, then?"
"What?"
"What did you do to yourself?" Charles elaborated.
"I didn't do anything."
Nico gritted his teeth . The row of drinks was suddenly looking like a tempting display of projectiles.
"He means why are you in a wheelchair, dear," Gina said.
"I know what he means!" Nico snapped. "Do you normally go around asking strangers for their medical history and telling their partners how generous they are for being with them?"
He didn't have time to check for Will's reaction to the insinuation that they were dating. That was a problem for later.
"We were just curious." Gina gasped like she'd been slapped.
"I bet you're not even disabled." Charles folded his arms. "You don't look disabled."
"How do people 'look' disabled?" Nico rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Will, can we get our drinks and go?"
Will nodded and Nico adjusted so his legs were folded one over the other.
"You can move your legs?" Gina asked.
Nico shrugged. "Uh, yes. I'm not paralysed. I can stand and walk as well."
"Then why are you using a wheelchair?"
"Because I need to."
"But you can walk!" Gina protested.
"So can you but you still use a car!" Nico shot back. "80% of wheelchair users can walk just like the vast majority of car users can walk but I don't see you walking to Canada just because you technically can!"
Will handed the drinks to Nico, dropping his hands and pushing them away to the counter, ignoring the couple's irritance.
Once they escaped outside again, Nico let the tension ease a bit.
"What utter ignorant assholes," Will muttered. "As if being around you is a chore! As if you'd chose to have your life made ten times harder!"
"It's not unusual." Nico bit his lip. "Thanks for sticking up for me."
"How could I be amazing for dating you? The more amazing thing would be you deciding to be with someone like me!"
That made Nico pause. Will seemed to realise would he said and cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"I don't think it would be that amazing of a decision," Nico offered hesitantly. "Or, you know, that shocking."
Will halted. "Wait, seriously?"
Nico considered changing the subject but the look of vulnerability and shock in Will's eyes told him that he had to keep going.
He pulled over to the side of the pavement to look at Will's face, not quite brave enough to meet his eyes.
"Yeah," Nico said. "I mean, you're smart and funny and pretty good-looking. Even in that hat."
"I thought you liked my hat," Will said weakly.
"Maybe."
"Would you, um..." Will trailed off, searching for the words. "Would you want to, er..."
"Go... on a date?" Nico finished for him quietly. Will nodded, his cheeks a deep rose.
Nico managed a shaky exhale. "Um, yeah. If you did."
Will's head snapped up, eyes meeting Nico's.
"I do," he answered quickly. Nico couldn't help but mirror his smile.
"Cool," Nico said. "It might be a while before I have the energy to anything big though."
"That's fine," Will assured him hastily. "I knew that already. We can do whatever you feel up to doing."
"And I can't hold your hand if I'm pushing the wheelchair," Nico added lightly, his smile growing. Will laughed.
"That's fine too. Me and The Cocopuff have a mutual understanding."
Nico rolled his eyes and batted Will's arms. "Shut up."
Around them, the snow was beginning to melt and snowdrops reminded them that spring would be here soon.