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“Well, that was fun…” Nico grumbled.
“Oh come on, sunshine.” Will squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t all that bad. They were trying their best,” he added at the outraged face his boyfriend was making.
“I suppose…” Nico conceded after a few long minutes of contemplation. “I guess it could always be worse.”
Will smiled, gracing his death boy with a radiant smile that was worth more than any holiday present. “Mum is probably home already after the post-holiday gigs so maybe we can grab a bite before heading out to camp Jupiter and check-in with her.”
The son of Hades smacked his lips, remembering the scrumptious meals Naomi Solace had made them for Thanksgiving. There was nothing quite like a proper southern feast. And Naomi saw her boys quite rarely, so she enjoyed spoiling them a tad bit extra. Still, after nearly a couple of weeks in the Underworld with his father and Persephone for the Solstice-Saturnalia-mas (his stepmother and boyfriend had a very weird sense of humor) what he needed was a special kind of comfort food.
“I love your mother’s cooking, and I know you are trying to get me to rest more after shadow travelling, which I absolutely appreciate,” Nico rose to his tiptoes to give his caring boyfriend a chaste kiss, “but I… you know, I was thinking… I… that is…”
It was still a bit difficult for him to be assertive with his needs and taking care of himself.
No matter how much Will encouraged him to be. Baby steps…
As if reading his thoughts, because he always did, Will smiled and offered, “How about we grab a couple of Happy Meals instead? If I remember correctly, there was a rest stop just outside town. It will be even more like a roadtrip!”
Nico blushed and nodded, letting Will grab his hand and drag him to the car. It was one of their first joint purchases and held so many memories. As much as Nico had become accustomed to the convenience of shadow travelling everywhere, the freedom the vehicle afforded him and Will was immeasurable. He would never admit it, even at blade point, but it had made travelling enjoyable rather than a chore. Too bad it couldn’t reach the underworld.
This trip had been their most ambitious yet. Both in the overall distance and time.
It started back at the end of October with a few days for Halloween with Sally, Percy and Annabeth in New York.
After they had recovered from their respective sugar crashes and the blue candy dye had finally faded enough so they would not freak any random people out (well, no more than usual), they had headed west through the country to spend some much needed comfort time with Naomi. This was their longest spot during the entire endeavour, but it was Naomi. And Naomi’s cooking. And also, Nico needed time to mentally prepare himself for spending time with his father in the Underworld. In an effort to improve his abysmal parenting skills (no doubt spurred on by Persephone), Hades had invited both him and Will for extended family time for the end of year festivities. Nico would probably never not only admit it but even think about it, yet he had almost cried when the invitation had come. It had been incredibly theatrical and dramatic and all around cringe-worthy, but the gesture itself was deeply meaningful.
Don’t get him wrong. After all, this is what he wanted. For his father to make an effort, to care. And this was definitely a start. And seeing Persephone and Will animatedly discuss flowers and herbal cures was somewhat cute. Still, there was a limit to how much of all this Nico could bear. And around the ten-day mark, he had more than enough of it all. Especially since the Underworld was not the last stop on their holiday tour.
No, no. They still had to reach camp Jupiter, preferably in the next couple of days if they wanted to make it on time for New Years. Hazel and Reyna had been ecstatic when Nico had suggested it when they were visiting him and Will during the summer. What is more, it would be an amazing opportunity to spend more time with Jason and Frank as well, who had missed out on the summer trip.
“Here we are. Do you want to wait for me in the car while I go grab us something? There is a small, secluded clearing five minutes’ drive north. We can then stop and eat there.” The son of Apollo’s melodic voice brought the Ghost King out of his thoughts and back to the present.
Will’s attentiveness and care always brought Nico to tears. He will not cry, no. Instead he took a deep sniffly sigh and just said, “Ok.”
“Any special orders or just the usual Happy Meal?” Will’s smile was intoxicating. Nico could get lost in it for days.
“Maybe a shake and some pie if they have any? Or a few?”
“Hungry, death boy?”
“Something like that.” Nico gave Will a cheeky grin as the son of Apollo squeezed his hand and went to order them some food.
Nico knew that Will would make sure to get the shakes and pies even if there weren’t any, which was what happened most of the time. But while his boyfriend waited for the treats to be prepared, this afforded Nico the extra time to make sure his extra special plans were going on without a hitch.
With shaking hands he drew his Leo-made special phone and waited with bated breath for the call to connect.
“Nico, my dude!” Percy’s voice was way too energetic for both this time of day and year. “Happy holidays! How are you doing?”
“Hi, Percy. Happy holidays. Listen, I don't have much time. I just wanted to check in on… hmmm… the special quest.”
“Jeez, Di Angelo. Everything is proceeding to plan. Plus, there is plenty of time. I am not so good with holidays and calendars and all that shit, but isn’t the Lunar New Year in like a month and a half?”
“Yes, jackass, but this is special. I want everything to be perfect. And leaving most of the preparation in your hands is already quite nerve wracking.” Nico sighed as he almost smacked his head on the dashboard.
“Hey!” Percy shrieked with indignation. “Rude much! I am very reliable. I will get your special holiday ready and everything. I have already been in contact with your creepy butler. And Annabeth is also here to supervise. You know, my better half and all.”
“Jules-Albert is a chauffeur, not a butler, but yes, having Annabeth there is reassuring. Tell her hi from me.”
“I will.” Nico could practically hear the smile even over the phone. He was getting ready to cut the call short if not for anything else, to stop the constant big brother irk radiating from the son of Poseidon, when he heard Percy’s voice change to something incredibly fond and soft. “Hey, Nico. Thank you for trusting me with this. I love you like a brother, and I will make sure you and Will have an amazing time during your holiday.”
No, Nico would not cry. How dare Jackson be this sappy and considerate? Nico would not fucking cry, damn it.
“Thank you, Percy. Me too… love you, I mean. See you soon.”
He disconnected the call before anything else could slip out.
Nico took a series of deep breaths in the effort to compose himself before Will came back. He had been planning this surprise for almost a year, and he was not going to blow it now because of Percy fucking Jackson. He squeezed the tiny box in the depths of his jacket pocket to ground himself further. This was going to be a memorable holiday indeed.
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