Archive of Our Own

“What do you mean you knew?” Nico glared at Jason and Percy, eyebrow raised, though it didn’t hold its usual fear factor. Probably due to the way Will’s hand cradled his waist gently, like it meant the world. It was pretty hard to ignore, given how much Nico seemed to melt at the touch.

“Wait, so I prepared this picnic for nothing?” Will motioned to their setup, but in the end, he sighed, relieved. Nico rustled in his hold, restless.

Jason’s hand traced the back of his neck while Percy let out a low whistle, looking to the floor.

“Well, we could always tell you liked him,” Jason laughed, eliciting a light smack on the arm.

“Hey! I wasn’t that obvious!” 

Percy snorted. “Sure.” He paused. “But I’d probably say we first suspected Will liked you back after that one lockdown.”

“Oh.” Nico said.

——————

It started out as a normal day at school. Mrs Dodds’ pen squeaked against the board as she muttered something about ‘disrespect in the younger generations’, like always. She was most definitely referring to Leo, his feet proudly kicked up in the second row after he practically handed their teacher’s ass back to her. 

Nico wasn’t too fond of the hag either – she reminded him too much of his step grandma; wrinkles central and always angry, though Mrs Dodds didn’t share the same obsession with cereal, which was a breath of fresh air. Percy and Grover once joked that she wasn’t human, and Nico felt that was close to the truth.

Nico consciously decided to focus on how annoying their math teacher was, lest he’d think of the smoking hot blonde placed right next to him in the seating plan. And Nico wasn’t just talking attractive – they brushed hands once while grabbing the same ruler and his tanned skin was warm to the touch, comforting like a campfire with your friends. He felt hot just thinking about it.

Nico was pretty sure Mrs Dodds sat them next to each other in hopes that Will’s perfect work ethic would rub off on him, but if anything, it was doing the opposite. After all, his tanned arms tensed while taking notes in a way that made Nico practically swoon – who could blame him for not finishing exercise 3E when he was busy watching the show?

From behind him, Nico could feel Jason’s eyes glued to his head, burning holes into his scalp, but if he pretended he didn’t notice it, he could pretend it wasn’t happening at all. He was adamant that he didn’t like Will to his friends any other time, but math class was the one place he allowed himself to fall into the feeling. He couldn’t help but gaze longingly when his crush was so close but so far; just out of reach. It felt like one of those Greek myths.

“You okay, Nico?” Will asked, glancing up from his notes. He seemed concerned yet shy, and butterflies fought to leave Nico’s stomach at his tone.

“Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Just tired.” Nico shrugged, his cheeks flushing a bit.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Will joked, his Southern accent slipping into his words in a way that definitely didn’t make Nico blush harder.

Nico let himself laugh. “Yeah-”

A loud, blaring alarm echoed throughout the classroom, and Nico jumped. It was a different sound from the one he remembered, but the reactions it evoked were all the same. Fear settling in his gut—dread flowing through his veins—flashes of memory.

Murmured gasps were heard from the students underneath the ear-splitting noise, and Mrs Dodds called out something Nico couldn’t make out, probably instructions.

Nico covered his ears on instinct, screwing his eyes shut as he tried not to remember. Tried not to feel. Yet he did. He felt Bianca’s hand leave his as she whispered, I’m sorry . He felt tears in his eyes as she pressed an action figure into his palm. He felt the sobs, muffled by his hand, get louder. Most of all, he heard the high-pitched scream; her final breath, accompanied by a deafening pop.

Nico’s breath quickened, and he scrambled to get under the desk to hide. He flailed blindly, sitting himself on the floor as tears pricked his eyes.

A hand found Nico’s shoulder, and the shock of it sprang his eyes open. He was ready to pounce, to bark out at Jason for touching him, someone who he thought knew his boundaries. But the electric blue eyes he expected were sky blue, and eons more comforting.

“Hey.” Will was perched on the floor next to him, a worried but relieved smile on his face. “There you are.”

Nico scrubbed the back of his hand over his eyes, clutching at his hair to try to pull away from the screeching sound of the alarm. Nico’s eyes darted everywhere, noticing the other students under their own desks, wide eyes closed in on him. They were probably used to his fragile facade, but the last thing Nico wanted to be in front of Will was a sobbing mess. He just couldn’t help it – the memories were all encompassing. 

The dull pain from his scalp worked for a moment to ground him, at least until a hot palm reached out to entangle his hand in his hair.

“This is just a drill.” Will assured him. “Squeeze my hand instead.” He said it so simply, like he didn’t even think twice.

The alarm was still booming through the speakers, but Nico found Solace in Will’s hands. They were even cozier when you held them, and soon enough, both of Will’s hands were holding Nico’s. The tears still flowed, but Will’s grounding gaze and his soft, muttered words were enough to sort Nico’s scattered thoughts, weeding out the bad ones.

“You’re okay.” Will’s frizzy waves bounced a bit over his eyes, framing his face like an ethereal halo. “I’m right here.” His thumbs caressed Nico’s fingers, who let out a shuddery breath. The alarm seemed quieter, though Nico was sure its volume hadn’t lessened.

Nico was more than aware of Jason's eyes, once again staring holes into the back of his head, but he still ignored it. He even ignored Percy’s loud whisper of his own name, presumably into Jason’s ear. All he needed was Will and those sky blue eyes, feeling like coming home after so long being out on your own. And those same eyes were filled with a feeling Nico couldn’t exactly put; maybe fondness?

“We’re okay.” Will exhaled calmly, smiling. In a way, it almost seemed like he wasn’t just talking about their safety.

——————

Jason nodded, bewildered. “Yeah, I’ve never seen Nico calm down that fast. Lockdowns bring up a lot of stuff for him.”

Will pulled Nico just a bit tighter. “I kind of got that message, too. Do I really calm you down that much?” He turned to Nico, who blushed and nodded. “Aww, love you too.”

Percy chuckled. “You guys are cute.” He looked Nico in the eyes. “I’m really happy for you, Nico.” His face was contorted in the same way a parent watching their child grow up too fast. “I know you’ll take care of him, Will.” He smiled, patting the blonde's shoulder like an approving dad meeting his son’s boyfriend.

“Wow, someone’s getting sappy.” Nico snorted at Percy, shaking his head somberly. “I’m not getting married off, Jackson.”

“We’re not at his funeral, either, bro.” Jason caressed his back, comforting, though he grinned like he was trying not to laugh. 

“I know, I know.” Percy’s face flickered into his usual smirk. “I just remember that small little Nico pulling at my sleeve.”

Nico huffed. “Shut up,” The upturned corners of his lips told the others he was joking, despite his words, and Will decided to say a question that was on the tip of his tongue.

“When was the next time you thought we were dating?”

“Well, we didn’t exactly think you were dating, but…” Percy let out a breath through his teeth, thinking. “I’d probably say that business workshop a few weeks back.”

——————

Students crowded outside the assembly hall, their hushed chatter growing louder as they waited for the doors to open. Percy spoke eagerly with Leo as he yapped about his newest project. Percy’s arms were looped around Annabeth’s waist, who was looking over her notes for a history exam coming up. Percy still hadn’t studied, but that was nothing his girlfriend couldn’t help him with.

Percy wasn’t exactly eager to find out how to ‘Become an Entrepreneur’, especially with that equalling a full day listening to Mr D and Mr Brunner blab on and on about business, but he wasn’t complaining about missing classes for the day, either.

Breaking the ambiance, Mr. Brunner called for them to enter and await further instructions. People spilled into the hall, where tables were grouped in twos, each table pressed against the other. They had stationery kits and worksheets piled on top, and Percy knew they were in for a long day.

“Welcome, students.” Mr Brunner’s warm yet stern smile greeted them. “As you are all aware, we are taking a page from an Entrepreneur’s book today. By the end of class, you’ll know the highs and lows of business and how to problem-solve.”

Mr D sipped from his mug loudly (which was rumoured among the students to harbour something alcoholic – Percy didn’t think it was too far off). “Now you’ll sit down with the doofus you’ll be paired with for the rest of today. No switchy-switchy.”

Mr Brunner cleared his throat. “I would have phrased it differently, but yes. We’ve formulated pairs, and they are mandatory . Unless you have a valid reason, I suppose.” He retrieved a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “The first partnership is…”

Percy perked up, paying attention to the pairings. Though he wanted to get partnered up with his bro, Jason, or his girlfriend, Annabeth, he was fine with almost anyone; the people at their school were surprisingly nice. If he got partnered with Octavian, though, he’d make a valid reason to smash his head into a wall.

“...Leo and Piper, Valentina and Kayla…” Their teacher called out from his wheelchair.

Piper approached and ruffled Leo’s hair, who got a fiery, wreak-havoc look in his eyes as they made their way to a table. Kayla gripped Valentina’s hand as they giggled, finding their seats. Percy heard a few more names, but he didn’t pay much attention—instead tracing the tall roof with his eyes—until he heard something that shocked him.

“...Nico and…” Mr Brunner paused, squinting his eyes at the paper and bringing it closer to his face. “Jas–” The teacher adjusted his glasses. “My mistake; Nico and Will S.”

Percy did a double-take, swivelling to face Nico, whose eyes widened. He didn’t look too perturbed, though – his cheeks flushed a light pink as Will found him in the crowd, finding their table to sit at.

In the background, Mr Brunner spoke on, reading out more partnerships, but Percy could feel the gears turning in his head.

Now, Percy wasn’t known for his attention to detail. Hell, he could remember numerous times where Annabeth called him clueless with a lovesick look in her eyes. But ever since Nico became more confident in himself and his sexuality, he noticed things. It seemed like the moment Nico told Percy about his old crush on him, but how he wasn’t his type , it’d been pretty obvious who his new type was.

Nico’s face seemed to light up every time Will so much as looked at him, and it made Percy’s heart soar each time Will made the boy with frown lines at the ripe age of fifteen smile. 

Every time Percy saw Nico, all he was was that little kid, distraught and clinging to him, shivering outside the school and waiting for the ambulance to come, knowing that there was no saving the lost. And if that blonde guy made not-so-little-anymore Nico happy, then Percy was all for it and more. All he wanted was for them to finally quit the pining and confess. They were taking slow-burn to a new level, and that was saying a lot from Percy, who took years to ask out Annabeth.

Percy elbowed Jason, his gaze stuck on the two. “Did you see the way Nico reacted?”

Jason nodded, swallowing. “Yeah, he looked like a deer in headlights.”

Percy pulled at his face. “I just want them to date already.” His eyes glinted with mischief, and he grabbed onto Jason’s bicep, shaking him. “You sure we can’t do some meddling?”

Jason, ever the level-headed one, soothed his back with his palm. “Good comes to those who wait.”

“Okay, Shakespeare.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “I just mean we shouldn’t meddle in their private business; it might make it worse.”

Percy deflated further against Jason, watching as the crowd around them got smaller as more people were called.

“Nooo, you saw them during the lockdown. They’re going to stay like that forever if we don’t do anything.”

Jason exhaled, thinking it over. “You know what, why don’t we just observe for now, and if they really need the push, we’ll do something.”

Percy stood straight, satisfied. “Deal.” He shook hands with his bro, suddenly professional. That was one thing he loved about being friends with Jason; he could be as serious or silly as he wanted, switching in an instant, and Jason was fine with all of it. It was nice to have a grounding friend, to be around someone who just let him be .

Content, they turned their attention back to Mr Brunner, who was rattling off the last of the names.“...Connor and Mitchell, Jason and Percy…”

The boys made their move, sitting at the tables right behind Nico and Will, which were luckily free. Percy looked to their targets, listening out for their supposed banter, which was almost always present whenever Sir Darkness and Mr Sunshine interacted. Unsurprisingly, it was ever present, almost screaming out the word FLIRTING.

Percy leaned his face in his hand as he watched Will laugh, taking out one of the markers from the pile on the table.

“We meet again, at last!” The blonde said, making wooshing noises, batting around the pen while Nico held a blank stare. “The circle is now complete–” Will let out a gasp, raising a brow as he noticed Nico’s expression. “What, have you not seen Star Wars?”

Nico shrugged, sliding one of the worksheets from the middle of the table into his grasp. “Never heard of it.” He unsubtly glanced lovingly at Will, who was writing his name on the sheet.

Will looked up at Nico, who escaped his gaze, looking back to the table. “Oh man, I’ve got to show you Star Wars!”

While that conversation about Star Wars was painfully sweet and hard to watch, it surprisingly got worse.

Around the halfway mark of the workshop, Will shone like the sun as he drew a shape on the corner of Nico’s worksheet. With a fair deal of squinting, Percy made out a smiley face in a blinding yellow-gold glitterpen.

Nico seemed to scoff, drawing a shape in his black texter on Will’s sheet in return.

Before long, the boys had drawn all over each other’s paper, scattered doodles in growing intensity as they laughed and teased, ignoring the lecture going on at the front of the room. 

And soon enough, it wasn’t just their worksheets covered in ink. Percy was pretty sure Nico took the first move, scribbling what looked to be an ebony skull on Will’s wrist. The blonde followed suit within seconds, giggling as he drew a sun on the back of Nico’s hand.

It was hard not to feel like they were intruding. Percy was almost sure his teeth were rotting out of his mouth.

“Strictly for research purposes,” Jason assured Percy while they watched intently as the boys continued to tattoo each other with meaningless doodles. 

Nico’s arms soon became filled with bright suns and flowers, while Will’s arms were covered in bones and graveyards, smudged just like Nico’s dark eyeliner.

It was almost a metaphor, seeing the sprawled gold shimmer on Nico’s hands and the raven ink shine on Will’s tanned skin. It was clear as day that the two were very different, but it was just as clear they were embracing it, loving all of each other, even the bad parts. It was like they were made for each other, yin and yang. 

Nico looked at Will like he hung the moon, and Will looked back at him like he was something to be treasured.

Even so, they avoided gazes, chuckling coyly in the occasional silence, awkwardly parting.

Jason faceplanted onto the table beside him, and Percy felt much the same. “Yeah, we have to do something.” Jason spoke into the wood of the table, muffled.

“Yep.” Percy agreed, popping the ‘P’.

——————

Jason shook himself out of the memory. “Yeah, that’s when we thought you guys needed a push.”

Nico gasped. “So that’s why you asked me to invite Will to the sleepover! I knew it wasn’t just a Voltron marathon.”

Percy clapped his hands together. “Hey, I mean, you two are dating, so it must have worked!”

“I’m sure we would have been fine on our own.” Nico let out a sigh, leaning back onto Will.

Will let out a breath, blushing. “Yeah, I guess so. That sleepover was… a lot.”

——————

3.

Before Will allowed himself to overthink any further, he rang the doorbell. It chimed, muffled until the door opened to see Percy Jackson himself.

“Hey, Solace.” Percy grinned, an almost devilish look in his eyes. Behind him, Will spotted Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, and the one he was most excited to see, Nico. All of them were in separate conversations, talking excitedly. Nico seemed to notice him first, stopping his conversation with Jason as he averted Will’s gaze with a slight flush of his cheeks.

Will had liked Nico for a while now; from the first time he saw him with that emo haircut when they were twelve to when they met again in high school, smudged eyeliner galore. Hey, he had a type, okay? Plus, it wasn’t just Nico’s looks that drew Will in like a moth to a flame. Nico had a killer personality (pun intended), and matching ‘villain backstories’ with Will, as Cecil had once put it. Losing family members was hard, but it was nothing new to them, and that fact was almost comforting.

Both of them had changed so much since 7th grade, but it almost felt like they’d grown to complement eachother, two halves of a whole. The times Will felt himself falter, Nico seemed to step up, and the opposite was true. Many teachers had felt Nico’s wrath on his behalf, and many hidden wounds were wrapped by Will’s unjudging hand.

You’d think with their history and just how close they seemed that Will would finally man up and confess, but he just couldn’t get himself to do so. He didn’t exactly know why he was invited, but hopefully this sleepover would be the push he needed. That didn’t make him any less nervous, though.

“Welcome in!” Percy tugged him inside, taking his bags off him and putting them with everyone else's.

Will entered with an awkward wave as he greeted everyone, trying not to blush when he noticed the shimmer of silver makeup – along with his usual messy eyeliner – in the corner of Nico’s eyes, making his irises pop in a way that did funny stuff to Will’s heart.

“Hey y’all-” Will could barely get in a word, the chatter of multiple conversations enveloping him in an overstimulating instant. There weren’t too many people, but Will got whiplash going from a quiet car drive with his mother’s album softly playing in the background to a full-blown hangout with sugar-infused ADHD kids.

“Good to see you, man!” Jason smiled, shaking his hand as Leo buzzed next to him, chugging down a gulp from an energy drink that Will doubted he needed.

“Hi Will!” Leo’s Texan accent, much like Will’s, was much more obvious when he was riled up. “You’re finally here!” Less than a second passed, and Leo’s attention was on something else as Will walked down the cluster of people.

Hazel, in the middle of a conversation, sent him a shy wave, and Frank turned, sparing him a smile.

Piper ruffled Will’s hair as he went past her, making him chuckle, and Annabeth gave him a high five like he was a celebrity. He didn’t even really know exactly where he was going, but he found himself led towards Nico.

“Hi.” Will said, much softer than he meant to. Nico looked up at him, a light smirk on his face.

“Hey.” He whispered in reply, equally as gently. They shared a moment of comfortable silence in the eye of the storm of chaos, but it was soon interrupted by a movement behind Nico, leading Will to break eye contact.

“You’re Will, right?” Percy’s mother asked, a fond smile on her face like Will was one of her own. “Lovely to meet you!”

The rumours were true: Sally Jackson was a saint. Will could tell within seconds of meeting her – that warm, welcoming hug told him everything he needed to know. She adopted half-orphans left and right – and Will’s father had said something about chips and dip to die for when they met at a PA conference? He didn’t know what that was about, but it was clear Sally was the nicest person on Earth.

They entered the living room, and Wow , Will had never seen so much food in one place. It was all sprawled across the coffee table: chips, popcorn, and every other junk food you could think of. The star of the show was most definitely the seven-layer dip, and a few bites in, Will immediately understood his father’s comment. 

The group made themselves at home as Sally had asked, most of them lounging on the family-sized couch, while others sat in front of the coffee table, leaning against the bottom of the sofa. Percy left his mother with a kiss on her cheek before she left, ensuring everyone would reach out if they needed anything.

“I can help with that sort of thing, Mom. But thanks.” Percy picked up the remote as the rest of the group cheerily waved goodbye to Sally Jackson, excited like schoolkids on a playdate, which, thinking of it, Will realised that was exactly what was happening.

Leo blew Sally a kiss as she closed the door, causing her to giggle as she left with a final, “Have fun, kids!” Her chuckling could be heard through the door, eliciting the group to start cackling. Percy raised a brow, chuckling a bit.

“Dude, that’s my Mother.”

Leo shovelled a bunch of Cheetos down his throat, speaking as he chewed with his mouth open. “Hey,” He swallowed dryly. “I don’t have a Mom, can’t you share?”

Nico – silently sitting beside Will, who was on the end – burst into laughter, cackling through his mouthful of corn chips. “Yeah, Percy. Share.” He choked out through shallow wheezes.

It should have been unattractive, seeing his crush snort and having full view of the fragments of tortilla chips migrating around his mouth. Yeah, it went against the manners Naomi Solace had hammered into him all these years and it was as dark as it got joking about such a thing as Leo and Nico’s dead mothers, but if anything it was endearing as hell. To see someone laugh with so much intensity at something that must have been Earth shattering, to fully let loose and laugh, not caring about how attractive they looked. Man, was Will smitten.

Sadly, the moment passed just as quickly as it started, and Will averted his gaze as to not get caught. As much as Will was helplessly in love, he was just as much of a coward. Maybe he’d wait until the next hangout, if there ever was one. He still wasn’t sure why he was invited, or even what ‘Voltron’ was, but he assumed he’d find out.

Breaking the chatter, Piper spoke, holding up her bottle of blue gatorade like it was a sceptor. “Guys, are we here to watch Voltron or whattt?”

The group erupted into roars, and Piper started chanting. “Queen Allura! Queen Allura!” Soon enough, everyone joined in, along with Will, even if he had no idea who that was. Something told him Piper had a crush on this Allura girl, but he didn’t know what.

Percy picked up the remote, and cheering stopped. “It’s time.” He said solemnly. Percy navigated to Google Drive. “Netflix shall not halt us!”

And soon enough, they were watching the wonders of Voltron Legendary Defender. Will didn’t know what to expect. The start of the first episode was interesting, but he had to admit, the first time Keith popped on screen, he spat his strawberry lemonade back into the cup, prompting a giggle from below him.

“Well, Will likes what he sees.”

Will gasped jokingly. “Hazel!” He was happy she was coming out of her shell, especially since he hadn’t really spoken to her before. “Not wrong, though.” He chuckled with everyone, though it was glossed over pretty quickly, when the first-time watchers focused in on the scene, with ‘Shiro’ getting introduced during a fast-paced mission. Nico snuggled up beside him, eyes focused onto the screen.

The rest of the episode was certainly alluring (pun intended – Piper was right, Allura was cool as heck), but it only got better when the characters transformed into the giant robot, ‘Voltron’. And that wasn’t just because it looked cool on screen.

Jason, Nico, Percy, Leo, and Frank all decided to recreate the scene, stacking on top of eachother in this sort of blobby pyramid, making the rest of the girls (and Will) cackle like witches.

Frank went first, on his hands and knees with Jason beside him. Percy crawled across their backs, with Nico and Leo competing through scissors, paper, rock between their laughter to see who’d get to be on the very top.

“Let’s be honest, I’m the most leaderly person here, I deserve to be at the top.” Leo announced, arms up like he was thanking the audience after a big performance.

Jason let out a loud scoff at the bottom of the pile. “Sure, tell yourself that!”

Everyone laughed, and they laughed harder even harder when Nico won and climbed his way to the top, Leo obliging with an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m a leg!” Frank called excitedly, quoting the show and Nico chuckled just a bit too hard, leaning this way and that way.

In less than a few seconds, the boys all toppled to the floor, panting as they laughed and failed to get up from under the pile.

Will spent the next few hours almost completely enamoured with the series. It was amazing – every scene, he watched with bated breath, not suspecting each plot twist and story point. 

They called it quits at around 2:30 am, and everyone was almost passed out immediately. Will was teetering on the edge of sleep, too – he was exhausted, and even just the reminder of Nico next to him on the couch was enough to make him want to sleep near him forever. It was hard enough not to stare every two seconds. Nico was already asleep – as were most of the friend group – but he didn’t want to seem like a creep.

Will was drifting off, cozy as can be, when he felt it.

Will groaned, getting up and rubbing his eyes as he walked to the bathroom – maybe all of those cups of strawberry lemonade weren’t a good idea. He was just comfortable, too!

Will walked to the bathroom, opening the door and doing his business. He kept his eyes squinted shut, a desperate attempt to prolong his sleepiness. But with his eyes mostly shut, he was locked in the Nico-fied prison of his brain. The loose lock across his brow, his shimmery makeup, the way he exhaled when he slept. Wow, Will was a creep. Hel sighed, turning on the sink.

Will looked around the bathroom as he washed his hands, trying and failing to get out of his Nico prison. There was text on the bathroom mirror, he realised. HEY GORGEOUS , it read, and man, if that wasn’t Sally Jackson core, he didn’t know what was. 

Will hoped Nico thought he was gorgeous. He doubted it though. Plus, every time he tried to confess, it just didn’t feel right. Will sighed, one that came from the bottom of his lungs, this time. It was hopeless. He was hopeless.

He stared at his own reflection, mentally chiding himself for being so dumb. Behind him, a yellow and black poster on the back wall caught his eye. He squinted at it for a moment before turning to read it as he dried his hands.

NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME , it read, and Will gasped, shocked.

Maybe now was the right time.

Thanks, Sally Jackson , He thought, smiling as he left the bathroom, returning to his sleeping friends.

Will settled back into bed, looking down at the sleeping lump of blankets lying against his shoulder. He watched Nico lovingly, finding himself imagining those deep brown eyes looking into his own. Until he wasn’t imagining it.

Will gasped softly, regaining his composure. He leant on his elbow. “Can’t sleep?”

——————

“Wait, I don’t understand.” Will asked, “What from that sleepover told you we were dating?”

Percy choked on his sip of lemonade, and Jason cleared his throat.

Nico sends them a sceptical look, and Percy splutters through his coughing.

“Well… we were up texting about… stuff, early in the morning when we heard you guys talking about… stuff.”

Nico’s jaw dropped and Will gasped, his cheeks tinting pink.

“We didn’t mean to listen in, we promise!” Jason assured them. “We just happened to be awake and texting, I swear.”

——————

+1. 

Jason was a few seconds away from the depths of dreamland when he heard a bzzt from beside him. He blinked open his eyes, yawning as he checked his phone to see a notification from ‘Broseidon, god of the brocean’. Long story – it was a bro thing.

Jason raised a brow, eyes searching the room until he saw Percy’s sea-green eyes staring at him, an air mattress away. Percy motioned silently to his own phone, and Jason got the memo, opening his message, although still confused.

—

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:42 am

did u end up thinking of smth we could do about them

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:44 am

Who?

Oh, you mean Nico and Will

I haven’t yet.

—

Leo and Piper, sleeping on either side of Jason, stirred, and Jason huddled underneath the covers so as not to disturb them.

—

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:45 am

Hey, we should go under the blankets so we don’t wake people up. Leo’s already had a sugar crash and you know how he gets without sleep.

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:45 am

woof ur right. ill go under i dont want to wake annie ethier

but i was thinking we should have pushed them more

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:46 am

Like how? I thought them being in the same spot would have helped enough

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:47 am

no it wasn’t enough we should have pulled out 7 mins in haven

*havean

ive give up on spelling yk wat i mean

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:47 am

Maybe you’re right. They seemed so oblivious at the business thing.

Do you think there’s anything we could do to make them confess tomorrow? It’s like painful to watch them flirt, I admit

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:47 am

maybe ig? they seemed to cuddle up a bitwhen we were watching stuff

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:49 am

wait are they sleeping tg rn???

—

Jason popped his head out from under the covers and squinted his eyes at the faint blob of the couch. Lo and behold, after the few moments it took for his eyes to adjust, Jason could see their silhouettes sprawled next to eachother. He sat up a bit more and gasped, scootching back under the quilt.

—

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:50 am

Omg Nico’s head is resting near Will’s shoulder. Does that count?

I can’t tell, but they look pretty close

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:51 am

ayy id say that counts

a win is a win 🔥🔥🔥

i still think they need a push tho theyre my otp and this is a hella slowburn

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:53 am

hol’ up did jason muthafrickin grace just use an acromim💀?

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:54 am

Do you mean acronym? I got excited, okay! I’ve been waiting for this too

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:54 am

i rlly thought army camp taught you better man

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:54 am

It was Boy Scouts, but you’re right. I’m sorry to the army gods 😭🙏

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:55 am

EMOJIS? man the sleep deprivation is getting to u

yk what we should probably sleep then

i think wise girl would be upset with me if im too cranky tomorrow anwyay

im sure its fine if we wait just a little longer right

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:56 am

Yeah, you’re probably right we should sleep. Wing-manning is tiring huh 

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:56 am

pacifically when they dont know theyre gettin wingmaned 😭

Bropiter, king of the brods - 2:56 am

Especially.

Ok, good night bro. I’ll see you tomorrow

We’ll figure it out for our boy Nico

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 2:57 am

night my dude 🫡 ly2

—

Jason sighed fondly, placing his phone back by his hip. They’d figure out what to do later; for now, he could relax. He let his head pop out of the covers, breathing in the fresh air and readying himself to go back to sleep, properly this time.

Jason’s eyes were slowly getting heavier, lulled to sleep by the soft snoring of Leo and the quiet puff of Piper’s exhale, when he heard something he didn’t expect.

“Can’t sleep?” A voice said under its breath, though it was loud in the silence. The words were thick with a Southern accent, though it wasn’t Leo’s. Was it Will?

Another voice mumbled. “You could say that.” There was the rustling of sheets, like the person was turning to face the first voice. “I’ve got insomnia. Just can’t stay asleep.” Yeah, that was most definitely Nico’s voice.

Omg.

Jason scrambled to pick up his phone, diving back under the covers. He paused for a moment, listening out for movement before turning on the screen, only to see already-sent messages from Percy.

—

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:03 am

PLS TELL ME URE HEARING TIS 2

GOIN INSANW RN

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:04 am

OMG THEY’RE TALKING

THIS IS IT

—

Jason held himself back from squealing. The two think they’re alone - they’re definitely going to confess! He’d been watching their pining for months, and this could finally be the end of it! If he was honest, though, Jason was more excited for Nico – Will really seemed to care about him. Nico was like a little brother to him, and seeing him being treated right made him happier than ever, especially after witnessing his outing in 8th grade. Eros was an asshole all around; Will was eons better, for sure.

It was quiet in the room for a few moments, static in Jason’s ears. Then, Nico spoke up once again.

“So… Keith, huh.” He teased, and Will seemed to scoff.

“Hey, have you seen him!? He’s hot. My fault for having a type, I guess.” Will rattled off in a joking tone, but underneath, it was clear there were strands of truth in his words.

Nico paused, the blankets rustling as he presumably re-adjusted.

—

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:06 am

UR CLOSR WHAT R THEY SAYING

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:06 am

They’re talking about Keith??

Like from the show we watched

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:07 am

What about him thooo spill the tea

cant believe this is actually happengn rn

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:07 am

Wait let me listen I’ll let you know

—

Jason dropped his phone onto his chest, hoping they wouldn’t notice him being awake. He closed his eyes for optimal listening – it isn’t crazy if it works! Leo has joked that Jason was like a wolf pup, and upon further consideration, he might be a little bit right.

Nico cleared his throat. “Type, you say?” His voice was low and gravelly, or at least more so than usual. 

While they were watching Voltron, Jason had heard Leo whisper to Nico something about how Keith and him were ‘both emo boys’ and looked exactly alike. Jason could see where this was going.

Will chuckled. “I dunno. I mean, he’s got the hair just above reaching his shoulders.” He sounded a bit starstruck, and Jason heard the sheets crinkling, like Will swivelled his body towards Nico. “And he’s always wearing this… cute smudged eyeliner.” Will chuckled softly, and something told Jason he wasn’t talking about Keith anymore.

—

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:08 am

Oh my god.

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:08 am

what

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:10 am

WHAT?

BRO PLEASE TELL ME

—

“Huh,” Nico replied, an undertone in his voice that Jason just couldn’t pitch.

“Yeah,” Will exhaled. “I’m a sucker for makeup and pretty boys; what can I say? And he’s so determined to keep everyone safe, too.”

—

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:11 am

WILL’S SAYING HIS TYPE IS NICO

IT’S DEFINITELY A CONFESSION

THIS IS NOT A DRILL

I REPEAT

THIS IS NOTT A DRILL

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:11 am

WAR IS OVER 🗣️🔥

SOLANGELO 🔛🔝

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:11 am

I have no idea what that means but YES

—

Nico let out a shaky breath before speaking. “You know…  I’d say Lance was my type. But not his looks. More…” He thought it over, and Jason was getting closer to screaming at them to kiss, which was totally not like him. It could be the sleep deprivation, as Percy said, or maybe it was the anticipation of it all – Jason didn’t know or care. Luckily, he had just enough self-control to clamp a hand over his mouth before he ruined the moment.

Nico resumed, speaking casually, but there was more to it, under it all. “I like how charming he is. Always caring for his friends like they mean the world to him. And his… height doesn’t hurt either.”

—

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:13 am

Bro I could cut the tension with Piper’s knife

Silently frothing at the mouth right here right now

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:13 am

man leo was onto something

werewold?

*werewolf?

No but they ARE SO IN LOVE

MY SHAYLAS

—

Will cleared his throat. “So, uh. Do you think someone like Keith would ever go out with someone like Lance?” Jason could hear a slight wobble in his voice, and he jolted in place under his blanket at the words. 

Jason was half sure he was ascending into the sky at this point.

Nico was silent for a moment, and Jason could almost see the blush on his face.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d say.”

“Um, is that a yes?” It was odd to see the confident guy; Will Solace, be so lost for words, but Jason could tell it was endearing as heck. “Could I please be your boyfriend?”

—

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:14 am

hey what else are they saying?

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:15 am

jason my guy

PUHLEASE I NEED THIS

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:16 am

OMG HE POPPED THE QUESTION

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:16 am

MARAGE?

Bropiter, king of the brods - 3:16 am

NO PERCE WILL ASKED HIM OUT

Broseidon, god of the brocean - 3:16 am

WAHTTT WHAT IS NICP SAYIN

—

Nico took a deep breath, and Jason heard the peck of lips. “Yes. Please.”

——————

Nico leaned his head back against Will’s collar. “Nooo. You’re telling me you heard all of that?”

Percy giggled. “I didn’t, sadly, but my broseph Jason did!” Him and Jason dapped palms, laughing casually.

Will’s eyebrows tensed. “Wait, it’s literally been a month, why didn’t you guys say anything?”

Jason shrugged. “Just didn’t come up.”

Percy nodded. “Plus, Annabeth had me studying extra hard after I failed that one history exam.”

Nico sighed fondly, wiggling further into Will’s hold. “Man, you two are idiots.” He nuzzled Will’s neck. “At least I have you, Solace.”

Will smiled into his hair. “And you always will.”