Chapter Text
They didn’t make it to December. Instead, November rolled around and Will was insistent that Nico joined him and his family for something called Thanksgiving. Nico had a pretty good idea what that entailed, (he hadn’t been living under a rock for gods’ sake) but it wasn’t something he had ever experienced firsthand and the idea seemed more than a little daunting.
“It’ll be fun,” Will said from over an Iris-Message, ignoring Nico’s doubtful look. “You eat until you hate yourself and then you fall asleep on the couch. It’s like the most American thing you can do.”
“I’m not American.”
“Yeah but you live in the United States, so it’s just something you’re going to have to come to terms with. Plus, it’s just food, Neeks.”
It wasn’t just food though. It was a whole lot of people that Nico didn’t know. It was Will’s aunts, and uncles, and cousins. It was too many people in one place and the thought made him anxious. Will’s plea continued for days, but Nico declined every time. The idea of being surrounded by people he didn’t know sounded like something he desperately wanted to continue to avoid – Will or no Will.
Will, however, was determined to give new meaning to the word relentless. Thanksgiving was the topic of every conversation and when Nico continued to refuse, Will changed his plan of attack.
“Okay. Fine” Will conceded. “How about the day after Thanksgiving? It’ll just be my mom and me. The rest of the family won’t be there.”
And unfortunately for Nico, he couldn’t think of a decent excuse that didn’t involve a blatant lie, so he agreed.
Now, standing outside an apartment building in Santa Cruz, Nico still wasn’t entirely sure how Will had managed to talk him into this. It was cold, colder than he expected. His aviator jacket had been ripped to shreds months ago and it never occurred to him to replace it, nor did he have the means to. However, as the sea air bit at his arms, sending chills deep into his bones, he regretted the lack of forethought.
And since when, he thought, have I ever been cold?
He shuffled awkwardly outside the doors, eyes scanning up the windows and wondering if maybe he still had the chance to turn around and leave. Maybe Will hadn’t seen him yet and Nico could come up with some sort of excuse on why he couldn’t show up at the last second.
Something could go wrong at camp. I could say I had to go see my father…
His thoughts never came to fruition though. The front door of the building came crashing open and Nico barely had time to register what was happening before Will was skipping the six steps that led up to the building and landing at a screeching halt in front of his face. The son of Apollo’s hair was a mess, but his grin was blinding and his eyes were bright. Nico was quite sure his eyes hadn’t been so blue the last time he had seen them, and he also was quite confident that he no longer knew how to breathe.
How did we ever manage to do this? Nico’s mind stuttered.
“You’re here,” Will breathed out like he couldn’t believe Nico was real. His arms jittered at his sides, trying to contain themselves from reaching out.
“Yeah,” Nico replied, his eyes glancing up the building, to the windows and anywhere but Will. “I’m here.”
“Did you shadow travel here?”
“To Camp Jupiter yesterday, but Jules-Albert gave me a ride here today.”
Without another word, Will’s arms darted out, grabbing Nico’s hands in his own as he poured over them meticulously. The shorter boy’s olive skin jumped to life, buzzing and making everything around him feel vibrant and intense. He tensed up, letting Will look at his hands until the feeling was too much and Nico yanked them away.
“Is that really necessary?”
“I’m just checking. What kind of attending physician would I be if I didn’t?”
“You aren’t attending anything.”
“But you are,” Will smiled. “My mom is really looking forward to meeting you.”
Nico made a noise in the back of his throat, his eyes still watching the windows above.
The feeling isn’t mutual.
The building was decently nice. The apartments didn't look very big, but they seemed to be relatively new. Most of the windows were covered with blinds, but Nico could see shadows moving through a few of them. Idly he wondered which one belonged to Will's mother.
“Hey,” Will said, waving a hand in front of Nico's face and attempting to make eye contact. His smile had slipped into something less confident and his eyes looked concerned. “I know you didn’t want to come, but can you at least try to have a good time? I promise it won’t be that bad.”
Nico’s chest gave a weak jerk and he immediately threw his eyes to the ground, feeling guilty. “I uh... sorry. This is sort of weird.”
“Well yeah, but it’s better than waiting an entire year like you wanted to.”
“I didn’t really want to.”
“Well then try to look a little more excited.”
“I am trying.”
“You’re sure about that? That’s your excited face? It looks like your scared one. You're practically shaking in your boots.”
“I- wh- what?” Nico sputtered. “I’m the Ghost King. I don’t get scared of things like you. I’m the terror that lurks in the night.”
Will snorted, all concern gone from his face. “Yeah, all right Darkwing Duck. Believe it all you want but you’re still shaking.”
“It's cold!” Nico cried. “And you still haven't invited me inside!”
“What are you? A vampire?”
“What?” Nico said blankly. “What are you even saying? Because I’m cold?”
“No. Because I haven't invited you inside. Vampires can’t come inside a home unless the man of the house invites them in.”
Nico paused. “What are you- Is that another pop culture reference? Because if it is, I don't get it. I don’t even know what a Darkwing Duck is.”
Will laughed to himself and clapped a hand on Nico's shoulder, leading him towards the door. “Oh Neeks, there is so much to teach you.”
“Will, if you want me to make it through this dinner, you're going to have to start making sense.”
The son of Apollo gave him a sunny smile, and something familiar twisted in Nico's stomach – something warm and hot and a little disorienting. “I hope you're hungry,” was all Will said before opening the door and rushing up to the stairwell, taking two steps at a time. “But if you want dinner, you're gonna have to catch me.”
Right, Nico thought, unable to stop the small smile curled onto his face as Will stood just a few steps ahead of him, challenging him with a smirk. I forgot. This is how we manage.
Nico darted up to meet Will and the other took off. He wasn’t entirely sure of where Will was going but he was determined to beat him to wherever that was. The blonde immediately scampered up the stairs, tossing out an elbow to trap Nico against a wall as they ran, but the dark-haired boy ducked away. His success was indisputable, but short lived as a hand fisted itself into the back of Nico's shirt, pulling him backward before Will darted up the next flight of stairs.
Nico ran up behind him, catching Will’s ankle with a hand and causing the son of Apollo to stumble on the stairs, catching himself with one hand before he fell. Nico snuck past him to the next flight, but when he didn’t hear Will’s footsteps behind him, he looked down just long enough to see Will smirk and run down a hallway.
The smaller boy cursed at the ceiling and jumped back down, chasing the other down the hall.
When Will came to a sudden stop, Nico was right behind him and the son of Hades ended up with a face full of the taller boys' back.
“Not fair,” Nico said into Will’s sweatshirt, pushing himself off. “You knew where you were going.”
“Yeah well,” Will shrugged, not looking even a little guilty. “Next time is fair game.”
“Next time I'm shadow traveling ahead of you.”
“No way! That's cheating!”
“And what was that?!” Nico cried, gesturing behind them.
Will bobbed his head back and forth. “A competitive cardio workout?”
“A competitive cardio workout,” Nico repeated, the corners of his mouth twitching. “You’re annoying.”
“I know, but don't lie. You missed me. Even if it was just a little. You still totally missed me.”
“Right. I’m sure,” Nico said plainly, unable to deny that there might have been a bit of truth to his words.
Will studied his face carefully, eyes searching intently before breaking into another smirk and saying: “you totally did” and twisting the door open.
Nico was greeted by a barrage of smells, some of them familiar, and others (while delicious) were things he couldn't quite place. The apartment was small, Nico could easily see most of it in a single glance, but he was surprised by the ease in which it welcomed him in and how it didn't seem all that unfamiliar.
It looked a lot like Will.
The rooms were bright and the colors soft. There were simple, little things that reminded Nico of a home he had once in Italy. It stirred something deep in his gut, but he tried to push it aside as his eyes moved across the living room, and back to the kitchen where a tall, thin woman was standing by the stove. Her blonde hair was drawn up into a high ponytail, and her movements light and fluid.
“That was quick,” she said in a musical voice, wiping her hands on a rag before turning around with a bright smile. “You must be Nico.”
Nico’s mind lapsed momentarily. It wasn't as if Will's mother was earth-shatteringly stunning, but she was unquestionably beautiful. Her features were delicate and her skin light gold. She was certainly someone Nico could imagine Apollo losing his head over, but there were other things that made her seem gentle and real. The hair at her temples was graying slightly, and the edges of her eyes crinkled when she smiled. She was a perfect image of Will, and for a moment, Nico couldn’t see any of Apollo at all.
Will nudged an elbow into Nico's side, and the son of Hades stuttered out a clumsy introduction, feeling like he was six years-old again.
Will's mother's smile got impossibly bigger and she turned the last of the stove’s burners off. “The pleasure is all mine. I've been looking forward to meeting you. Will talks about you quite a bit.”
Will paled for a moment before a flush rose high into his cheeks. “Mom.”
“What? You do,” Will’s mother responded, rolling her eyes in a perfectly Will sort of way before turning her attention back to Nico. “You look cold, honey. Did you not bring a jacket?”
“I don’t uh… don’t have one. I did, it just sort of got… lost this summer.”
“Well that’s all right. You can borrow one of Will’s.”
Before Nico could protest, Will was gone, ducking into a nearby room. The dark-haired boy shifted in the kitchen, looking at the small, round table that Will’s mother was placing dishes on. Most of the food looked vaguely familiar, and although it wasn’t what he was used to, that unsettling feeling of longing spread through his chest as he remembered family dinners with his own mother and Bianca.
“Go ahead and grab a seat,” Will’s mother said brightly, putting the last dish on the table and pulling out her own chair across from where Nico was sitting before beginning to hand him dishes full of food, encouraging him to start piling his plate. “I know some of these things look a little strange, but I promise they’re all pretty decent.”
“Except for the casserole,” Will interjected, tossing a sweatshirt into the side of Nico’s head and ignoring the “Will!” from his mother. “Steer clear of that if you value your life, Death Boy.”
“Don’t be so critical. And Nico, dear, take some more stuffing. You look like you’re starving.” Will’s mother set a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of Nico and then, as if suddenly realizing what Will had said, she turned to her son with an unamused look. “And Death Boy? Honestly? That’s the best you can do?”
“If you saw him at the end of last summer, you would know exactly why I call him that. You think he’s skinny now? You should’ve seen him. He was literally half-dead. Not joking. He was fading into nothingness.”
“Still managed to save your life though,” Nico muttered as he skewered a piece of turkey onto his plate.
“Saved your life, hm?” Will’s mother repeated, eyebrows raised as she watched Will with open curiosity. “Something you forgot to mention about your summer, Will?”
“I mean, he wasn’t saving-“
“Definitely was,” Nico interjected.
“There were a couple guys-“
“Six.”
“And I was totally fine.”
Nico opened his mouth to reply but Will’s hand was muffling his response and Will’s mother was batting it away and telling Will to knock it off immediately after.
“Seriously?” She said in mock exasperation. “Are you always like this? How do you have any friends? People must think you were raised by wolves.”
“On the contrary, most people think I am quite charming and they often compliment my mother’s excellent parenting skills.”
Will’s mother rolled her eyes again but Nico could almost see the affection bleeding off of her. “You sound like your father.”
“Do I? I wouldn’t know.”
“You,” she said with a finger pointed at Will. “Don’t start with that. Just pass the stuffing.”
Will obediently handed the bowl to his mother, sticking out his tongue, to which his mother responded by mimicking the same expression.
Nico ducked his head down to hide the smile he couldn’t stop.
Will’s mother turned to look at Nico and asked: “Is he like this all the time with you too?”
Nico bit back at his smile. His plate filled with food and his body wrapped in a sweatshirt two-sizes too big, but it smelled like Will. This wasn’t what he normally did, it was out of his comfort zone but Will was already telling him to: “not say a word”, and Nico couldn’t help saying: “You have no idea.”
Will’s mother laughed and the sound reminded him of holidays and sidewalk cafes. She gave Nico a full, blinding smile and said: “Oh Nico. I think you and I are going to be good friends.”
When the dishes were done and Nico was sure he had eaten more cumulative food than he had in his entire life, he dropped down next to Will who was sprawled out on the couch, groaning dramatically.
“I hate myself,” Will bemoaned, voice muffled by the arm thrown across his face. “Why do we do this every year? This is terrible. You think I would know better. Neeks, put in a good word for me with your father. I’ll be seeing him soon.”
Nico gave Will a shove, attempting to clear some more space as he settled into the couch. “I don’t feel that bad. Everything was really good.”
“That’s because you’re a bottomless pit now,” Will responded, peeking out from beneath his arm. “Seriously, where do you put it?”
“You just wait Will,” Will’s mother said, shuffling by the two of them and into her room. Will swatted at her as she walked by. “He’s going to have a growth spurt and be a twice as tall as you.”
“First of all, that’s not funny. I have very few things to be proud of and my height is one of them. Second, if he turns out to twelve feet tall, we’re going to have a lot bigger problems than him being taller than just me. Namely, where in Olympus would you ever find pants that were long enough?”
“Probably exactly where you said,” she called from her bedroom. “I’m sure there is a god of custom tailoring or something.”
Nico snickered from next to Will and the blonde smacked him in the arm. Nico snorted. “She’s great.”
“Don’t encourage her.”
By the time Will’s mother re-emerged, Will had thrown both his legs over Nico’s, the two of them battling the inevitable drowsiness that occurred after a full meal. She gave Will a quick shake and when Nico looked back at her, her make-up was fresh and there was a backpack slung over her shoulder. Will blinked at her several times, giving her a questioning glance before looking at the clock. “Did you get called into work early?”
The question seemed a little bizarre to Nico, but he followed Will’s eyes to where the clock read eight o’clock. He was just about to ask why she was going to work so late, but he recalled a conversation he had had with Will several months ago about how his mother worked late shifts at a hospital.
“Not quite, but I need to make a couple stops before I start,” Will’s mother said before looking at Nico. “I’ll see you both in the morning?”
“Yes!” Will cried, abruptly more awake than he had been seconds ago. He sat up awkwardly, legs still draped over Nico’s but looking at the son of Hades excitedly. “Come on. It’ll be awesome. I don’t have school tomorrow. We can go check out the boardwalk, or walk around town, or watch a million movies. Whatever you want. It’ll be great.”
Nico sat back, unprepared for any type of response. Will’s mother was shrugging her arms with a gentle smile and watched as Will looked expectantly at Nico.
“It’s your decision, honey,” she said to Nico. “But you’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you’d like.”
“I don’t…” Nico said weakly, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t want to be in the way or any extra-“
Will leapt up and Nico’s words died out as he watched as Will dashed to what, Nico assumed, was his bedroom. Will’s mother sighed out a brief: “here we go”, before taking a seat on the arm of the couch and folding her hands in her lap to look at Nico again.
“You certainly won’t be any of those things,” she started. “Will has been really excited to have you here, but don’t let his enthusiasm pressure you into staying.”
Nico wanted to explain to her that he really did want to stay, it just seemed strange to be in someone else’s house, eating someone else’s food and them being… happy to have him around. Most of the time people couldn’t wait for him to leave, and they certainly never asked him to stay.
“I think he gets lonely. He has a couple friends but I think it’s hard because… well, you know.” Will’s mother gave him a tight smile. “Things are never easy for demigods, and I’m sure playing mortal isn’t any fun either. Having someone who really understands has been hard for him to find.”
Something fell off the wall in Will’s room and there was a brief bout of creative cursing before a mattress slid through the doorway, dropping onto the living room floor in front of the couch. Will bounced down on top of it, grinning proudly at both of them. “See? All the extra work is done. I’ll sleep on the couch and you can sleep on the mattress. All our problems are solved.”
Will’s mother paused and then shook her head, letting out another quiet laugh.
“You’re a disaster,” she said, rising up from her spot to take Will’s head in her hands before planting a kiss on his forehead. “But I love you. Please be nice to Nico while I’m gone.”
“What? I am always nice to Nico.”
Will’s mother hummed out something that sounded a lot like a disbelieving “I don’t know about that” but before Will could retort, his mother was placing a hand on Nico’s shoulder on her way toward the door. “If I don’t see you in the morning, it was a pleasure to meet you. Come back any time.”
“Thank you,” Nico answered, completely aware of the hand on his shoulder and noting that while it lacked the same sort of spark that Will had, there was the same familiar warmth. She nodded, gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and then said another quick goodbye before heading out the door.
When Nico looked back, Will was watching him expectantly. Nico blinked. “What?”
“So?”
“So what?”
“Are you going to stay?”
“I don’t know... Maybe?”
Nico was expecting Will to come back with some quick remark, but the blonde surprised him by giving him a nod and a small smile. “Okay. I can deal with maybe.”
The son of Apollo tugged at the other boy’s leg, gesturing for him to get off the couch and join him on the mattress. Without meaning to, Nico found himself responding, sliding down and sitting cross-legged in front of Will, so close that their knees were almost touching.
“So...” Will drawled, his eyes low. “This isn’t all bad, right? She was pretty okay?”
“Your mom?” Nico asked. “No… she’s great. She didn’t- Does she know who my dad is?”
“Of course,” Will said, giving him a weird look. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Well, she never asked and I didn’t know if you told her.”
“Why wouldn’t I tell her?”
“Because,” Nico said obviously. “He’s Hades.”
“And she’s a nurse,” Will responded, mocking his tone. “She’s got more respect for him than most people do.”
“Respecting someone doesn’t always mean you like them.”
“Pretty sure that’s Mr. D’s motto.”
Nico barked out a laugh, quick and brief, but the damage was done. Will was looking up at him sunnily and his eyes, the ones that looked just like his mothers, were crisp and clear.
Nico had forgotten what it was like. Being with Will was odd and comfortable all at the same time. Will brought a sense of calm that made relaxing, enjoying, all just simple, basic emotions. It kept everything easy and even when Nico was nervous, it was in a new, entirely exciting way. Happiness was no longer some grand, out of touch idea. Now he was finding little things and plucking moments of joy just from them. He liked the way Will’s hands looked, the way they felt when they managed to grab hold of him while veiled under the thinnest of excuses. He liked the sound of his voice, the way it changed when he was talking to Nico, like it was softer and more private. These were all things that he should have felt guilty about enjoying, but Nico’s belly was full of strange, delicious foods, and the sweatshirt he was wrapped in was cozy and smelled like summertime.
He was too content to be chased by demons right now and there were a lot of places in the world, but Nico couldn’t think of a place he would rather be.
Will’s hands inched toward Nico’s, the look in his eyes a very clear question of: Can I? And Nico, who was warm and calm all over, just placed his hands in Will’s and let the healer study them with the same intensity he had outside.
His touch was gentle, and the entire ordeal seemed strangely intimate, so much so that Nico caught himself feeling heat rise high in his cheeks. A small smile was tugging at the corner of Will’s lips and without looking up he said: “You’re stronger.”
Nico swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lean forward. “I’m getting there.”
“How was the trip to Camp Jupiter? That’s the longest one since this summer, right?”
“Yeah, and it was fine. I slept for maybe an hour or two but I was okay after.”
"That’s good,” Will smiled, finally looking up to meet Nico’s eyes. “And no fading or weird shadowy stuff?”
“Not even a little.”
“Awesome.” Will dropped his eyes back down to where Nico’s hands were still loosely in his. The shorter boy wasn’t sure if he should let go, or if Will was still looking for something. Instead, the blonde moved his fingers to rest against the leather wrap of the bracelet around Nico’s wrist, gently touching the hanging sun-shaped bead that was glowing against Nico’s skin. “You still have it?”
“Of course,” Nico said without much thought. “You told me to watch it for you.”
“I know… but I ask you to do a lot of things and I’m pretty sure this is the first time you’ve ever listened.”
Nico set into a glare and the magic that had been hanging around them dissipated. He moved his hands out of Will’s, shoving at the other boy’s shoulder, who immediately started laughing and squirming away. “You’re the worst.”
“I know. But you totally missed me.”
“Believe whatever you want but you’ll think differently when I try to drown you in your sleep tonight.”
Will’s head perked up. “What was that? That kind of sounded like you just said you’re going to stay the night.”
“Wh- What is wrong with you? I just told you I’m going to murder you in your sleep.”
“I know. And I ignored the parts I didn’t want to hear,” Will replied, getting up to turn on the television. “You want to watch a movie?”
“I don’t- No! Why-” Nico huffed. “Fine. Let’s watch a movie. But I’m leaving after.”
“No you’re not,” Will said dismissively, popping in a DVD. “I’ll be surprised if you make it through the whole movie awake.”
Nico wanted to argue, but Will was flopping back down onto the mattress, hooking one ankle over Nico’s, and not even listening when the son of Hades made an annoyed sound.
“Do you even know what personal space is?”
“Yeah, but I don’t believe in it.”
Nico split into another reluctant half-smile and Will looked over at him as the beginning sequence of the movie started. He bumped his shoulder into Nico’s, a smile still ghosting his lips.
“Hey,” Will said. “Just for the record, I missed you. And I’m glad you’re here.”
The smaller boy’s cheeks heated and Nico found himself ducking further into the sweatshirt Will had given him, trying to hide the blush that was betraying him. He muttered a brief: “yeah, whatever” but it sounded a lot like: me too.