Chapter Text
Upon the end of Wills shift at the infirmary, he gathered his things, big his siblings goodbye, and made his hurried exit before anyone could wave him down to ask about bandaging techniques, preferred stitching threads, or how to get blood out of their clothes.
He had plans.
First, he stopped by the Hades cabin to drop off his things—he had moved over to Nico’s cabin about a year ago when he and the Son of Hades had essentially aged out of camp but agreed to stay on as independent counsellors, teachers, and general chaos wranglers as needed between Will’s pre-med classes and Nico’s increased Underworld responsibilities. The Hades cabin remained empty aside from Nico and the rare occasions Hazel came to visit Camp Half-Blood and the pair had managed to convince Chiron that them living there together was most practical—at least until Annabeth’s plans to establish a village similar to Camp Jupiter’s was realised here at Camp Half-Blood (it was a work in progress and Nico and Will had already signed up to move in once Annabeth declared it ready). He stripped off his scrub top, switched into an oversized black t-shirt he definitely did not steal from Nico (yes he did), and stole an old blanket from the depths of his camp trunk.
Next stop was the Demeter cabin. He knocked thrice and entered.
“Katie? It’s me,” he called, looking for the familiar brunette.
“Almost ready,” she said, her back turned to him as she worked at the windowsill. Will approached and peeked over her shoulder, watching as the placed things in a wicker picnic basket, closing the lid with a snap. “There.”
She turned and passed Will the basket with a knowing smile.
“Have fun!”
“Thanks, you’re the best,” Will said, backing out of the cabin.
Last stop was the sparring arena to collect a certain dark-haired Italian and steal him away for some much needed one-on-one time, but as Will entered, he stopped in his tracks.
Percy was visiting camp for a few days with Annabeth as she discussed building plans with Chiron and Mr. D and he and Nico had taken to sparring in the afternoons. Neither of them had a particularly evenly-matched opponent to practice with now that Percy was attending college in New Rome and Nico had taken up his vacated role teaching sword fighting to new campers. The sword fighting in and of itself was fine, but in a real fight, both Nico and Percy also utilised their powers quite extensively. Percy’s visit offered a rare opportunity for both of them to really lean into the fight without sending someone to the infirmary—at least not with anything serious.
Will watched, captivated, as shadows swirled with saltwater and wind flashes of lethal metal. Nico and Percy danced around one another, the Son of Poseidon fluid and aggressive as Nico seemed to blink in and out of existence, dissolving into shadow and reappearing elsewhere so quickly and effortlessly that Will half-thought his brain was glitching as he watched.
More than the scene of violence before him, Will was distracted.
They were both shirtless and the sight of Nico’s tanned skin, no longer sickly pale as he grew and healed as he aged, and toned muscles, well developed from years of disciplined combat training. He still fought with the wild recklessness of a boy forced to fend for himself, but his dark eyes were sharper, more calculating as he observed Percy’s movements and planned his next strike. His feet were bare on the dirt floor and he wore loose, black sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips. His hair was a bit longer than he typically liked, so he had pulled some of his dark curls into a half-bun to keep it out of his eyes.
Will had many a time lost his train of thought at the sight of Nico frustratedly tugging his hair back, all long, deft fingers and veins that made Will’s mouth water.
“You’re drooling,” a voice said behind him, making him jump.
Annabeth laughed and nudged his shoulder.
“Do you blame me?” he asked, eyes not leaving Nico.
Annabeth sighed.
“Nope.”
She raised a hand and waved, getting Percy’s attention. His head snapped to her and for a moment, he gave a giant grin before Nico kicked the back of his knee, sending him sprawling in the dirt. He levelled his blade at Percy’s throat.
“I win.”
Percy growled deep in his throat. “Not fair.”
“Never take your eye off of your opponent, Seaweed Brain!” Annabeth shouted.
Percy grumbled and accepted Nico’s outstretched hand, pulling himself upright. Nico shot him a self-satisfied smirk and Percy retaliated by sticking his tongue out before jogging over to Annabeth. Nico followed.
“I want a rematch tomorrow,” Percy called, taking Annabeth’s hand and heading towards the exit. “See you, Will!”
Nico waved them off.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, leaning in to kiss Will’s cheek.
Will raised his picnic basket.
“I have plans,” he said, dragging his eyes down Nico’s sweat-soaked body. “Had plans. Nothing I couldn’t abandon.”
Nico gave him a wolfish grin and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him close.
“Plans?” He asked.
Will nodded and ran a hand through the sweaty curls falling loose from Nico’s bun into his eyes.
“Surprise date night?”
Nico’s eyes softened and he leaned their foreheads together.
“I’m disgusting,” he huffed.
“There’s a lake,” Will offered. “I could go for a swim.”
Nico nodded. “Sounds perfect.”