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"Would you go to hell and back for me?" Will looks away from the starry sky to face his boyfriend, the question being a joke.
"I'd go to hell if it meant getting to stay with you for all eternity," Nico responds sincerely, expression and position unchanging.
Will looks a bit more alarmed now, sitting up a bit straighter on the blanket Nico brought out. Will can feel the slight shift of the sand beneath the blanket as he adjusts his hand placements to support his new position. "But you know you don't have to, right?"
Nico finally faces Will, his dark brown eyes reflecting the stars. Just looking into his eyes is enough for Will to lose the ability to think, but he forces himself to focus so he can hear what Nico has to say. "There's a lot I don't have to do, Solace, but that doesn't mean I won't do them." Nico sighs and rubs his arm through his jacket sleeve, where the Lycaon scar is. "...Sorry, that was kind of corny, wasn't it?"
Will chuckles, "So what? I think it's cute." Will reaches out and takes the fabric of Nico's sleeve without touching Nico himself, "Annabeth did a good job at putting this thing back together, huh? It should've been impossible to do so, and yet..."
"Child of Athena," Nico shrugs, effectively removing Will's hand. "...Let's change topics."
"If that's what you want," Will nods, looking at Nico as the necromantic boy looks back up at the stars, marveling in his beauty and wondering what he did to deserve someone like--
"What constellation would you be?" Nico suddenly asks.
"Huh?" Will zones back in, still staring at Nico. "Constellation? I don't really know any."
Nico nods, still staring at the stars, "I think we'd be similar constellations. Maybe... Ursa Major?"
Will nods, intrigued, "Why that one in particular?"
"Because it symbolizes strength and endurance. Something we have a lot of... I think." Nico seems sheepish, glancing away from Will. Or at least it would seem that way to the natural gaze. But Will knows better, Nico's trying to hide hurt. Hurt for remembering the stars are linked to Artemis. Hurt for knowing Artemis is linked to the hunters. Hurt for knowing the hunters were connected to Bianca.
"Uh... Different topic?" Will gently asks, getting a nod from Nico. "Okay. Well... If you were a plant, what would you be?"
"Uh?" Nico looks at Will, baffled by the question. "I'm... not sure. What do you think? And if you say dandelion or corn--"
Will smiles softly, the smile along interrupting Nico, "Well, I think you'd be an alpine pasqueflower. They symbolize hope and renewal. And... In some circumstances, perseverance, because they can bloom in the snow."
Nico stares at Will before chuckling slightly then laughing, catching Will off guard so all he can do is stare. Nico speaks when his short laughter dies down, "Sounds like you put a lot of thought into that."
Will looks away, a slight blush on his cheeks hidden in the night. "Well, y'know, I have to do research on plants with medical benefits."
"And you happened to think of me when that specific flower came up?" Nico smiles softly, tilting his head.
Will chuckles and nods, "I guess so... Though you remind me of a lot of beautiful flowers."
Nico rolls his eyes with a smirk, looking back at the stars and leaning towards Will. Will doesn't lean toward him, afraid that he'll overwhelm Nico's touch aversion. Though the worry melts away when Nico fully leans on Will. Slowly, at first, then with a bit more weight resting on his shoulder.
Will glances at Nico. "You okay?" He softly asks, trying not to disturb the peace of the moment.
Nico doesn't respond for a moment, as if judging the weight of his answer, before responding.
"...Yeah," Nico nods a little, "With you I am."
"Oh- Well, I, uhm... I- I, same here," Will smiles, looking back at the stars.
"You're usually the smooth one," Nico comments, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Will responds, "Just, our first technical date. At least one where there's nobody to bother us."
"Oh, right," Nico buries part of his face into Will's shoulder, "I guess it is, huh?"
Will hesitates before wrapping an arm around Nico, softly sighing, "It's nice out."
Nico nods, his weight against Will growing heavier. Will recognizes Nico is falling asleep and starts rubbing his thumb on the younger's shoulder, causing Nico to put more weight on Will until he's in a slumber.
"Seems I'm stuck here now..." Will mumbles, "Oh, well, I know you've had trouble sleeping for a while, so it'll be worth it."
Will gently shifts, leaning back on the blanket while hugging Nico to his chest as he slowly drifts off.
"I hope I don't let you down like I did the others," Will thinks before falling asleep.