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After giving a child of Athena her dessert for an entire week, Lou Ellen finally got her hands on a spell book that she had been waiting for. All she wanted to do was stay in her cabin and read, but her day was interrupted by, surprisingly, Nico slamming her door open with the reddest face.
"Lou, I need a spell, asap!" Nico demanded.
There went her day, but at least this seemed interesting.
She put her book aside to give Nico her full attention. "And why's that?" Nico looked around Lou's cabin, then waved her to come outside. You never really know what was listening in her cabin anyway.
"Look," Nico said once they were outside, "Will and I have this bet going on, and he didn't mention any rules, so this is technically not cheating. I just need a spell or portion to keep me from blushing."
Lou raised an eyebrow. "And what's the bet?"
Nico crossed his arms. "You don't need to know that."
"On the contrary, Di Angelo, if I'm going to help you win, I want in. So spill."
Nico looked around, making sure no one was nearby. "Will said I was... easily bothered... by very simple things," Nico said carefully.
Lou smirked. "Such as?"
"Do you really have to know?"
"If you want my help, yes!"
Nico grumbled. "Things like... Being called baby, holding hands, when he stares at me. And... kissing in public."
"So normal boyfriend stuff?" Lou summed up.
"Shut up! Yes, boyfriend stuff!"
"So what's the bet?"
Nico sighed. "Will was just teasing me, but I said that I could make him feel the same way. So Will told me that if I can make him blush as badly as I do, he'll admit defeat and do what I say for a whole day. But if I can't... I have to admit that I'm very shy."
Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. "I thought it would be juicy," she mumbled.
"So will you help me?" Nico asked, a bit hopeful.
"Heck no. I'm not wasting a spell on that. You're just as bad as Cecil, who wanted a spell to seem sexy and irresistible." Lou scoffed.
"But-"
"But nothing. You don't need a spell when you have his friends to help you out." Lou shrugged. "And besides, it's very simple to make Will blush. All you have to do is be confident."
Nico frowned. He was confident! He fought monsters and came close to death multiple times!
He was plenty confident!
"What I mean by confident," Lou added as Nico looked annoyed, "is just flirt with him. Flash him a pretty smile and flutter those eyes, and he'll be putty in your hands. He's used to all the crying, pouting, and attitudes of most of the campers here. Stand out from the bunch. He already finds you cute if he's dating you."
Nico ducked his head down. He didn't know how to flirt. From his time, flirting meant exchanging love letters and going on dates. Within camp, you can't really find a cute date area without other campers barging in.
"Um, how do you flirt?" Nico asked. He wasn't an idiot. Yeah, he was easily flustered when Will flirted with him. Terms of endearment were new to him, especially receiving them.
Lou smiled. "Glad you asked!"
***********
Will was having a slow day in his infirmary. Minor scrapes here and there. Perfect time for him to restock for the next capture the flag and other planned activities over the summer. He'll be busy when summer break begins.
Until then, that meant he and Nico could be alone in peace.
Will greeted Nico with a smile as he walked in.
"Hey, my sweet boyfriend of mine!" Will said happily. His favorite word was boyfriend, and he was going to say it however many times until it became annoying. Usually, Nico would blush and give a shy hey back.
"Hey, my sweet ball of sunshine."
But that was new.
"W-what?" Will asked, unsure if he heard right.
"What are we doing today, gorgeous?" Nico asked, ignoring the cringey feeling in his chest.
"Excuse me?"
Nico smiled. Despite the cringe, he was starting to like this. "What are we doing?" he repeated. Will narrowed his eyes at him.
"The boring stuff, babe," Will stated. Nico's eye twitched.
"Okay, sweetie," Nico said with a smirk. Will raised an eyebrow. He was going to get his shy boyfriend back. Meanwhile, Nico smiled in triumph at surviving the pet names.
According to Lou, the next thing he can do is touch. Apparently, he didn't have to hold Will's hand. Simply touching on the shoulder and arm was enough. That he can do. So Nico got to work.
He went to the supply closet for the usual Band-Aids, bandages, cotton balls, and alcohol. For the things he couldn't reach, he would go up to Will, lay a hand on Will's arm, and ask for help while batting his eyes. At first, he didn't see a difference in reactions, but it was smaller than his earlier reactions.
Will's ears would turn red, and he was noticeably quieter, doing what he was told without complaint. It was sweet, but Nico wanted more. So he waited. He let Will get comfortable, letting the blond focus on looking at paperwork he needed to update, and watched him do an inventory check. It was neat anyway. Will was really professional.
Nico waited until Will sat down again to come close, placing a hand on Will's cheek, then making the blond look up at him. "Don't work too hard, okay?" He said in a soft voice. He would usually call Will out a bit more harshly whenever Will would overwork himself, but this had a much better reaction.
Will actually turned red, stuttering out a response. "O-Okay, um, you too. Take it easy." Will said quickly. Nico's hand felt nice against his face.
"If we get things done here, maybe we can go on a date later," Nico suggested.
Will's eyes grew big.
"Did you just ask me out on a date?" Will asked. Nico nodded like it was an everyday thing.
"Yes, you are my boyfriend. A cute one at that. Maybe we can go to Strawberry Fields and pick them together."
"What?!" Will exclaimed.
As far as Will knew, Nico wasn't a romantic, but that was the romantic suggestion he had ever heard.
"And can I feed it to you? I want to take care of you." Nico added. He was enjoying Will's panicked look. Lou did tell him that Will often takes care of the sick and wounded, so he should offer to take care of Will for once.
Lou's suggestions were so simple.
Pet names, gentle touches, and loving words were all it took for Will to lose it.
Will really was used to attitude.
Then again, Will was a good friend of Clarisse and quickly matched his energy when they first met, so maybe he shouldn't be that surprised. Will was the independent type since he always tended to help others and not himself.
Will was used to giving, not receiving.
Both Cecil and Kayla shared that Will sucked as a patient, but that was probably due to Will rarely getting sick and never really being in a position to be taken care of.
Not since his older brothers passed.
Not since the Titan war.
It gave Nico a new perspective when he looked at Will.
"I can feed myself, thank you. My hands work just fine." Will said.
"I know," Nico said, remembering Piper telling him to be honest above all else instead of hiding away. "I admire that about you. That you can help so many people and take on so much without complaint. Not to mention you take care of me all the time. Just let me take care of you for once. You deserve it."
When Lou told him to be confident, he thought it meant being macho or something similar to Leo. He wasn't confident like that, and he was pretty grateful that Will agreed to go out with him.
Maybe a little shocked.
Nico wasn't comfortable with public displays yet, and Will knew. Nico agreed with hand holding, and Kissing was at a minimum. He still dealt with nightmares, sometimes woke up panicking to the point he would sometimes shadow-travel into the Apollo cabin at night to lie with Will, then leave before anyone woke up. Will would help him with proper meals without being pushy, give him things to do, and overall, make him feel wanted and welcomed.
Call him selfish or ignorant, but he didn't think Will needed to be taken care of. He thought it was already included. Will was very well-liked. Nico learned a lot by speaking to Will's siblings and friends.
Just as Nico hides in the shadows, Will hides behind a smile and a need to be helpful.
Nico was confident enough to try to reciprocate the affection Will gave him. It wouldn't be the same considering he was still going through his own stuff, but he can do this.
Maybe not call him babe, but Will was his sunshine.
Maybe not hold hands, but smaller touches were okay.
And right now, this feeling to kiss him, he can act on it.
Nico gave him a small kiss to the lips, only lasting a second, but it was just as soft and loving as any other.
Will blinked, surprised that Nico gave it without warning. "Um, is this for the bet, because if so, you won. You can stop now."
Nico shook his head. This was more than a silly bet.
"Can I take care of you?" Nico asked. Will felt his eyes water.
There was no reason to cry.
"Uh, I guess. I don't know." Will answered. Nico kissed Will's head, then finally moved away.
"Let's get this done so we can go on our date."
"You were serious about that?" Will asked. Nico nodded.
"Yep. I was serious about feeding you, too. So prepare yourself." Nico said.
"But-"
"Nope! I won the bet, which means you have to listen to me. Boyfriend's orders."
That was the day Will was rendered speechless, and Nico treasured it for the rest of his life.