Work Text:
Take #1
There's a soft click as the camera starts whirring.
With a slight frown, Nico finishes adjusting the angle and sits back. He's sitting cross legged on a bed covered in stuffed animals and above the headboard hangs a progress pride flag. The room is dark, except for a dim lamp turned on that illuminates Nico's face.
His frown slips and is replaced with a small smile. He clears his throat and waves to the camera.
"Hi. This is my first recording on the camera Jason bought me. It's been sitting around for ages. I've been doing a lot of work with Mr. D and I decided that if your dead best friend leaves you a gift then you might as well use it!"
His eyes flick away from the camera and his fingers tangle together.
"Um, yeah."
There's a brief pause before Nico abruptly sits up and picks up the camera. The screen shows a haze of colours.
"This is dumb," Nico mutters.
The screen cuts to black.
Take #2
"Hi, again."
The camera is facing a stuffed bat toy that was seen on the last take. It's a little bedraggled: it's clearly well-loved.
Nico's voice is hesitant. The lights are on this time but Nico is out of view.
"I thought maybe this would be easier if I wasn't in front of the camera so you're facing Bartholomew instead."
There's a brief shuffling followed by a sigh.
"There's not a lot going on. Percy and Annabeth are in New Rome. Piper and Shel are off trying to start a life together. Leo and Calypso are exploring. Reyna's doing her usual commander thing. Frank and Hazel are visiting in a week. Normal teenager stuff."
Nico huffs a short laugh.
"It feels weirdly nice to say out loud. We sound like normal kids. I'm becoming sort of normal. I'm not iron deficient anymore. Will loves the sun too much. We've gone on a few dates. It's going well. I'm settling in. It feels a bit more... stable."
There's a knock at the door.
"Nico?" Will's voice calls off camera. "I brought strawberries."
The video ends.
Take #5
The camera shakes as it's carried to a door. The door is gently kicked open to reveal Nico standing over a sink and brushing his teeth. Will, holding the camera with a wide grin, is visible in the mirror over the sink. His and Nico's eyes meet. Nico spits out his toothpaste.
"What are you doing?"
"I found this!" Will replies cheerfully."I wanted to get some cute videos of you. You don't mind, do you?"
Nico pauses. The tension in his body eases.
"It's alright."
Will fist pumps. He zooms the camera in on Nico's unimpressed face.
"This is the Nico in his natural habitat," Will says dramatically. "This nocturnal creature is very rarely spotted. He hunts at night, preying on unsuspecting cereal."
Nico scoffs. "Demeter got me hooked. Now are you filming or are you coming to bed to cuddle?"
"Coming!"
Click.
Take #12
"The statistically most common way for a female killer's motive to murder is financial."
The camera is pointed upwards towards Will, who's in the middle of a rant. His arms are up in the air and his eyes are alight with excitement.
He's sitting on a picnic blanket with the strawberry fields stretching out behind him. The sky is a little cloudy and the wind is a little high but that doesn't seem to bother him.
"And usually, they murder using poison. Hit contracts aren't unusual and recruiting cousins, husbands, boyfriends and sons happens a lot.
"Now, male killers often kill out of passion, which is a fancy way of saying they can't control their emotions. The most intimate way to kill someone is strangulation because it takes a long while for the person to die and you're looking right at them."
Behind the screen, Nico snorts. "Are you trying to hint at something."
"No, I'm just saying-" Will looks over and his eyes meet the camera. "Nico, why are you filming me?"
"So the cops know who did it."
Will's face is one of indignation. "I would never kill you!"
The camera turns to Nico's face.
"I should have known it would end like this when he took me on dates and talked about murder," he says darkly.
"Nico!" Will protests, wrestling the camera off him until it shows his flushed, freckled face up close. "Don't listen to him! He's a liar!"
"Will, let me take a good video! They'll need it when I go missing."
There's the sound of playful fighting and laughter followed by soft murmuring.
The camera clicks off.
Take #56
Will's lifting some boxes up a flight of stairs. He glances over his shoulder at the camera following him.
"Are you going to help or are you going to film me?" he asks.
Nico hums. "Film you. Flex your muscles for the camera, amore mio."
"Fuck you," Will replies teasingly. Nico walks past him to open an apartment door.
"Welcome home," he says.
Will dumps the boxes on the floor unceremoniously.
"Hey! There could be fragile stuff in there!" Nico says.
"It's a box of your stuffed toys, darlin'. They're fine."
Nico flips the camera to face him. He's pouting but he leans forward, angling the camera to have both his and Will's heads in shot.
"Moving in kiss?"
Will grins and chastely kisses Nico's lips.
"Now shut that camera off," he says, "and help me bring up the plants."
Take #65
The screen in pitch black. There's rustling, giggles and hushing. Footsteps creak and a key turns in a lock. The lights turn on and people jump out with big grins.
"Suprise!"
The camera sits on a chest of drawers and captures Nico's reaction to the guests. Pressing a hand over his likely racing heart, Nico laughs giddily.
"I could have stabbed you!" he says.
"We figured it was worth the risk," Will says, walking over to give Nico a kiss.
"Enough soppy stuff!" Percy says."Let's celebrate!"
Take #66
Will holds the camera up to show just his and Nico's faces. It's late and they both look tired.
"Say happy birthday, Nico," Will murmurs, kissing Nico's unruly curls.
Nico smiles sleepily. "Happy birthday, Nico."
Take #88
The camera shows a domestic scene. Will and Nico are baking a cake; hips bumping against each other, smiles shared and the occasional kiss to the cheek.
Will puts flour on Nico's nose. Nico yelps and chases him out of view of the camera. Laughter can be heard and then the footsteps suddenly stop. There's heavy breathing and a moment of quiet.
"Marry me," Will says.
Nico lets out a barely audible gasp.
"I'm serious," Will insits. "Nico, will you marry me? I have a ring in the cupboard. I can go get it."
Nico exhales shakily. "Later, idiota."
"Is that your way of saying yes?" Will asks hopefully.
Nico laughs. "Yes! Yes, Will."
There's a few minutes where all that can be heard is light scuffling.
"Can I go get the ring now?" Will asks afterwards.
"Si," Nico says fondly. "Andare."
Footsteps hurry off. Nico gasps again.
"I forgot I left that on."
The camera is picked up. Briefly, Nico's teary, beaming face comes into view before the lense is turned to Will rushing back with a small black box. He eyes the camera and grins, sinking down onto one knee.
"Nico di Angelo-"
"You've already proposed," Nico cuts him off. "Come on."
Will stands up, eyes shining. Nico points the camera to where the ring is being slid on his finger.
"Ladies, gentlemen and others," Will announces dramatically, taking the camera and pointing it at Nico. "I introduce to you, for the very first time, my fiancé!"
"Dork," Nico fondly says, voice cracking. "I love you so much."
The camera lowers to face the floor.
"I love you too."
Take #101
"Woo!" Percy cheers from behind the camera. The footage is blurry as a result of the shot never being steady but it's possible to make out Nico sitting with all his friends at a bar, chatting to Piper.
"It's Nico's bachelor party, baby!" Percy hollers. Nico glares at him.
"Where did you even get that?"
"Will gave it to me. He wanted me to record this," Percy says, his words only slightly slurring. "Piper, hey. Whatcha think about our boy Nico getting hitched?"
Piper downs the rest of her beer. "Bring it on! This wedding is going to be awesome!"
"Dam right it is!" Percy says.
Nico smiles into his drink. "Dam right."
Take #107
"Shit." Percy fumbles with the camera, aiming it at Nico and Will standing at the alter.
Nico is wearing a dark suit, his hair tamed and his face wet with tears. Will, in his gold suit, is crying just as much.
"Do you, Will Solace, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Reyna asks from where she stand between them.
Will grabs Nico's hand with his own and wipes his face with his other.
"I do." His voice trembles with emotion.
"Do you, Nico di Angelo, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Nico squeezes Will's hand.
"I do."
Reyna beams. "I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss the groom."
They lean in to kiss and everyone stands up. The camera sweeps over the rows of friends and family before moving back to Will and Nico as they start to walk down the isle.
Take #110
Reyna can be seen checking the camera is on before she turns it to capture Nico and Will's first dance. They're barely dancing. It's more of a sway. Every so often, one of them will whisper something and they'll start laughing.
Will dips Nico and Nico throws his head back in unrestrained glee.
"Look at our boy," Reyna murmurs proudly.
"I know," Hazel's voice replies quietly. "I know."
Take #115
Nico is curled up against a tan body, blinking blearily.
"Hey, darlin'," Will says, running a hand through Nico's hair. "How's the first day of married life?"
Nico closes his eyes, leaning in to Will's touch and humming.
"Pretty perfect."
"Good."
Take #197
"Happy one year of being married!"
Two wine glasses clink. Nico and Will's faces appear on screen. Nico kisses Will's cheek.
"Hello from Paris," Nico says. "Someone please rescue me. It's been one year of torture!"
"How dare you!" Will kisses his head. Nico's expression melts.
"I'm kidding. I've loved every second."
Will smiles. "Me too, honey."
Take #308
Nico is sitting on a sofa as Will approaches, holding a tiny bundle in his arms. As Will sits beside him, Nico smiles up at him, adjusting the bundle so that the camera can see a tiny face and tiny hands.
"Who've you got there, Nico?" Will asks in a hushed voice. Nico laughs softly.
"This is Aurora Bianca di Angelo-Solace."
"And how old is she?"
"She's eight months old," Nico says, bursting with pride. "And she's beautiful."
"She is," Will agrees. Aurora's deep brown eyes blink open. Will boops her on the nose.
"Hello, Aurora. Did you hear us talking about you?" Nico asks. He offers her a finger that she can grab at.
"Look at my beautiful family," Will says.
Nico smiles.
Take #408
The camera moves down a flight of stairs and heads to a kitchen where a meal is being prepared. Nico is cooking, wearing a flowery apron he's borrowing from his daughter. He's older now with wrinkles and laughter lines.
"Nonno!" a young girl's voice says. "Look what I found! It has a bunch of videos of Mom and you and Grandaddy."
Nico shares a look with his husband, who steps in to frame with a grin.
"I remember that!" Will says, wrapping an arm around Nico's waist. "We used to take videos on it all the time."
"Your Great Uncle Jason gave me that," Nico added wistfully. "Back when I was young and beautiful."
Will nudged him. "You're very beautiful now."
"Gross," the video taker teases. Nico points a spoon at her.
"Now, Eva, you respect the one who's making you dinner."
"Mom wanted to make us dinner," Eva says.
"Your mom can forget it. As long as I'm alive, I'm cooking every time I'm here."
Will laughs and takes the camera from Eva, spinning it to get her in shot with him.
"Never get between Nico and his cooking," he says, winking at Eva. Eva winks back with a giggle.
Take #409
The camera is placed on a dresser, leaving Will and Nico sitting on their bed in view. Will's arm is around Nico's shoulders and Nico's hand is resting on Will's thigh.
"Our last video before we give it to Eva," Will says. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking it's going to a good home," Nico says, leaning in to Will. Will rests his head on Nico's.
"Definitely," he agrees. "There's a lot of memories on that thing."
"Yeah." Nico smiles. "And now it's off to make some more."
He moves to pick up the camera and bring it up close.
"I love you," he says to Will, pulling him in for a kiss. Will grins.
"I love you too."
Nico turns back to the camera, smiling.
"This is Nico and Will signing off."