Chapter Text
The sun was steadily beginning to lower by the time Nico had finished up training.
Not his own training, no, thank the gods he was done with that. He was training the younger demi-gods of Camp Half-Blood.
Shocking to some, but not to those who knew him well. If you told a random kid that grew up with Nico that he was mentoring children and was recognized as a safe figure by many of the younger demi-gods, they’d have stared at you with a look of bafflement and perhaps a bit of horror at the thought. If you told Percy or Hazel though, they’d simply smile fondly and go “Yeah, sounds like Nico!”
Nico rolled his neck as he turned to look at the group, made up of mostly 10-13 year olds. Each had a wooden bow clutched in their hands, a few still attempting to fire arrows at the already beaten and abused targets. He whistled, shrill and loud, and each of their heads turned to look at him like a group of puppies that heard the word ‘treat’.
“Alright everyone! Dinner’s probably being served soon. Time to call it quits!”
Bows clattered to the ground as the kids began to rush off to the dining pavilion. The once concentrated silence was shattered by the excited rambles and chatter of children as they switched from work time to play time. Nico couldn’t help but watch fondly as they rushed off, kicking up dirt as they ran. Blurs of orange continued to blur past him until it was just him.
It was nice to see young demi-gods smile. Perhaps it was because Nico never had much of a reason to smile when he was their age. A normal childhood is something you simply aren’t allowed to have as a demi-god. Nico knew that better than anyone else. He had spent his pre-teen years fending for himself on the streets, eating out of dumpsters and sleeping on benches.
He didn’t want anyone to feel as helpless or miserable as he had been. Perhaps that was why he came back to Camp Half-Blood as a volunteer camp counselor. He liked seeing the demi-gods smile. He liked guiding the new, scared kids who reminded him painfully of himself. He liked seeing their faces light up with smiles as they ran around and played, acting like normal children who had their whole lives ahead of them.
Nico heard an arrow hit the ground with a dull “thwack,” and turned around to find one lone girl still behind him.
She had a determined pout on her face, gaze fixated on the target as she fumbled to notch another arrow. Her long brown hair kept sweeping over her eyes as the breeze swept through the field. Her green eyes were filled with nothing but immense focus as she fired the arrow. It landed just a few inches from the bullseye.
“Claire? Don’t you want to head to dinner?” Nico chuckled, standing beside her and watching as she notched another arrow.
Claire was an 11 year old child of Apollo. She had a bossy and determined attitude that reminded Nico of Annabeth. She shook her head, firing the arrow. A firm pout settled on her lips that looked awfully similar to Will’s. Perhaps it was an Apollo thing? He was quite sure he had seen similar expressions on Kayla and Austin.
“No, not until I hit the bullseye,” she insisted, voice stern and determined. His gaze softened as he watched her notch another one. Her brows were furrowed, eyes squinted as she honed in on the target.
FWSHHHHH
Just a few centimeters off.
Nico let out a fond chuckle as he crouched down to her height. “Want some help?” He offered. He watched as her face scrunched up. It was obvious she didn’t want to accept the help. Nico could only assume she was embarrassed at not being able to complete the task at hand by herself. Nico knew the feeling all too well.
“…Fine.” She huffed.
Nico was surprised, but quickly smiled as he carefully grabbed her arms and helped her fix her posture. He had never been good with a bow himself, but he had watched the Apollo kids train numerous times.
Admittedly, his gaze was mostly focused on Will, watching the blond with interest. Could you blame him really? Even if he missed a lot of his shots, just watching Will was a sight that Nico cherished deeply.
“Got it? Try it now,” Nico stood back up, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets as Claire focused her gaze on the target. There was a beat of silence before her arrow cut through the air and…
It pierced the bullseye, straight through the middle
“Awesome! I knew you had it in you!” Nico grinned, a sight that was becoming more and more common nowadays. He saw the way her eyes lit up, a wide grin spreading on her face. All her seriousness faded away, giving way for pure, innocent joy as she practically bounced in place.
“I did it!!” She sounded almost out of breath. Nico chuckled and crouched down, holding up both his hands. She enthusiastically slapped her own hands against his in a double high five. She dropped her bow and picked up her quiver. Nico could practically hear her stomach growling.
“Thank you Nico!! Bye bye!!” She waved, a wide, cheerful smile on her face as she ran off towards the dining pavilion. Nico waved back, grinning softly as he rose back up. He stretched his arms above his head, only to shriek as two arms wrapped around him and practically lifted him up.
“Solace!!!”
He heard his boyfriend’s bright, endearing laughter. Will buried his face into the crook of Nico’s neck, a nearly lovesick gaze frozen on his face. Nico couldn’t help laughing a bit himself, pressing his lips to the top of Will’s head. “Where’ve you been? You said you’d meet me two hours ago.” Nico wasn’t offended about being left to teach by himself. He was simply curious as to what had possibly drawn his boyfriend away for so long.
“Capture the flag gone wrong,” Will mumbled against his skin, his thumb gently rubbing Nico’s waist as he leaned some of his weight against him. Just a few years ago, Nico would have toppled over. While his height was still stunted, he had been able to build more muscle and put on some more weight, allowing him to support Will’s dramatics a bit easier than he would have prior.
“They sure are wreckless, aren’t they?” Nico snickered, leaning his head on top of Will’s as he watched the children swarm the dining pavilion. Will simply nodded, letting out a long, tired sigh.
The two had been camp counselors for about a week now. While Will’s schedule was tight thanks to medical school, he showed up when he could. Nico didn’t mind. He loved staying at the camp, whether Will was there or not. Although, it was obviously far better when he had his boyfriend there with him.
After a moment of silence, Will finally lifted his head and let go of Nico’s waist. However, the distance didn’t last long, as he soon captured Nico’s hand with his own. “Cmon, let's go get some dinner. I have a surprise for you afterwards,” he grinned, smiling brighter than the sun itself. Nico’s curiosity suddenly piqued. Will wasn’t usually one for surprises. It didn’t take long for curiosity to become suspicion, which Will quickly picked up on and laughed.
“It’s a good surprise, trust me. Food first.”
Despite Nico’s skepticism, he allowed Will to drag him off to the dining pavilion. Sitting down at the Apollo table brought a sense of deja vu. It resurfaced simple memories that Nico cherished deeply. Memories of leaning his head onto Will’s shoulder, listening to the gossip of the Apollo kids as the sun began to set.
His meal was light, but enough calories and food groups to satisfy Will. The young Apollo kids were excitedly talking about their days, shoveling food into their mouths as they happily chattered. While some of them resembled their mortal parents, others were blond and sunny, just like Apollo.
Nico slumped onto Will’s shoulder without even noticing. Will slung his arm around Nico’s shoulder just as thoughtlessly. The son of Hades couldn’t help but smile as he saw the shimmer in his boyfriend’s eyes. Will had been especially stressed about college recently. It was nice to see him carefree and happy for once.
Nico gently took Will’s hand and squeezed. Will paused in his talking and looked down at Nico. The dark haired boy grinned even more as he saw Will’s freckled face light up a bright shade of red. Despite his constant compliments and affection, Will struggled with receiving the same treatment. Nico quickly learned that all it took was a soft, adoring expression like the one he no doubt wore in that moment, and Will was practically fried.
Will quickly averted his gaze, which only made Nico smile wider. Before he could tease Will, one of the older teens blurted out.
“Are you two married?”
Will choked on his food and Nico’s head quickly snapped forward. The kid’s face showed his question came from innocent curiosity. Nico shot a panicked glance towards Will as he stammered over his words.
Will and Nico didn’t exactly hide their relationship from the kids. The occasional leaning against one another, a stolen kiss here and there, hands linked together, an affectionate gaze shared during passing, it was obvious that the two were together. Nico didn’t mind the kids knowing.
He shouldn’t be so flustered really. There was no problem with being married to Will! The thought of marriage certainly shouldn’t have gotten him into such a frenzy.
“N-No. We’re not married,” he managed to stammer out. The boy made a quiet hum before going back to his food, curiosity satiated. Nico twirled a curl of his hair around his finger, a nervous habit. He turned to look at Will, expecting to crack a nervous joke and clear the slightly awkward air.
But then, he saw his face.
Will seemed a bit flustered as well, but he seemed lost in thought. It was like the question had touched a nerve. He didn’t seem upset, not by any means. Nico couldn’t really pin what he was feeling. That made him nervous.
“Will?” He spoke up, squeezing their intertwined hands. The son of Apollo hummed quietly, gaze leaving the ground and meeting Nico’s. His neutral expression quickly grew into a smile. He squeezed back.
“Sorry, just thinking. Have you had your fill?” He asked, glancing towards Nico’s plate. Nico gazed downwards, finding more than half of his plate empty. It was more than he usually ate. That made him feel a twinge of pride.
“Yeah, I think so.” He nodded, looking up to Will with a smile. The blond’s eyes lit up, a grin quickly spreading across his face as he took Nico’s hand and stood up. Nico felt his face warm. He grabbed his plate as Will pulled him up.
“Good! Now I can show you the surprise I wanted to show you!” Will was practically beaming as he began leading Nico away from the dining pavilion. Nobody spared them a glance, simply waving a goodbye before going back to eating. Nico didn’t think twice, allowing Will to drag him off to whatever surprise he had planned.
As they continued walking, Nico began to recognize the path they were taking. They had taken this path many times over the years. Sometimes they’d go alone, most of the time they’d go together. Sometimes they had others with them, sometimes it was just them. It was a path they sought when they needed privacy, or perhaps just a bit of wind-down time.
“Can I know what the secret is for?” Nico inquired.
“Nope!” Will replied, almost mischievously. Nico rolled his eyes fondly, but it was hard to deny that he was excited to see what surprise Will might have planned for them.
They eventually arrived at the lake, just as Nico expected. He had practically finished his plate by now, as he had been picking off more pieces of food as they walked. Nico raised an eyebrow as Will pulled one of the canoes out and set it onto the water. He turned to Nico with a hopeful, sparkling grin.
“Well?” He offered out his hand as he stepped into the canoe.
Nico scoffed, rolling his eyes and accepting the gesture. Will helped him into the canoe, and Nico was quick to settle in beside him. Will was very warm, just like always. Nico couldn’t help stealing some of his heat. He watched as Will pushed the canoe off and began to paddle them out into the lake.
The lake had always been a personal spot for them. During most afternoons, the lake was relatively deserted. It made it a perfect spot to sneak away to when the two wanted some peace and quiet. Well, when Nico wanted peace and quiet.
They had spent many dates on that lake. Nights spent staring up at the stars, watching the sunset, or simply basking in each other’s presence as they unwinded from a long, tiring day. The lake was very sentimental to them, carrying almost all of Nico’s pleasant memories in its waters.
As much as Nico loved the nostalgia that came with the lake, he couldn’t help wondering what this was for. He and Will hadn’t taken a canoe out to the lake in years. Not since they had left Camp Half-Blood, that's for sure. He doubted Will’s ‘surprise’ was a simple trip to the lake. He wouldn’t pull Nico away from food for something like that. Whatever it was, it was something important.
He noticed that as they approached the middle of the lake, Will seemed to get more and more nervous. He still held a smile, but his hands seemed to shake a little as he rowed. Nico caught a bead of sweat falling down the side of his face, which he’d probably blame on the summer heat.
With the sun setting like this, Nico couldn’t help but take a second to admire how his boyfriend looked under the setting sun. The sun perfectly highlighted his features, making his hair appear almost golden. His eyes shimmered in a way that reminded Nico of home. He looked almost ethereal. Nico realized he was staring and glanced away to the water before he could be caught.
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” He blurted out, gazing at the clear surface of the water beneath them. He saw Will’s gaze glance towards him in the reflection, before also settling on the water. He smiled, a softer, more genuine one.
“Yeah. It sure does,” he spoke softly. He gently intertwined their fingers as Nico slumped his head onto Will’s shoulder. A comfortable, peaceful silence overtook them. The water lapped at the canoe as Nico gazed at their reflection.
He dwelled on himself for a moment. He looked…healthy. Healthier than he was when he arrived at camp at least. His deathly pale skin had returned back to its original olive shade, not too far from his mother’s. His hair had grown out, stretching past his ears and stopping just an inch past his shoulders. His eyes, while still haunted by bags, no longer looked sunken in and skeletal. Speaking of skeletal, he certainly had more weight to him now. He had put on more muscle during his time as camp counselor. He still appeared lean and small, especially compared to his peers, but he looked better. Healthier. Happier.
Will’s thumb was rubbing circles into his palm. His touch was tender and loving. However, with their fingers intertwined like this, Nico could feel the tremors in his hand. He was still shaking. He was still nervous.
“Will?” He finally spoke up. “Is something on your mind?”
Funny. It was usually Will asking him that question. Nico saw Will’s eyes widen in surprise. He then smiled nervously, squeezing Nico’s hand.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t.” He scratched the back of his neck, hand snagging on a few tangled strands of hair. His freckled face turned red as he glanced off to the woods around them. He avoided Nico’s gaze, which only further worried him. Before he could speak up, Will was already talking again.
“Its been, what, nine years? Ten?”
“Yeah, around that length.” Nico responded. He was beginning to feel anxious as Will shuffled in place, seemingly unable to sit still.
Will took a deep breath. He took both of Nico’s hands in his, shifting so that the two were facing each other. “Nico, we’ve been through a lot. Both together and just in general,” he chuckled. His ears were turning pink. Nico screamed at himself to focus on Will’s words and not his looks for just a moment.
“I’ve seen you at your worst, you’ve seen me at mine. We’ve been to literal hell and back for each other. We already have fifteen technical children…” that line in particular drew a snort out of Nico. Will's smile seemed to widen. He stood up, letting go of Nico’s hands for a moment. Nico almost followed his movement, but Will put a hand on his shoulder. So, he stayed put, watching with burning curiosity as Will crouched down in front of him, getting down on one knee and—
Oh.
Nico’s eyes widened. His throat went dry. He watched in shock as Will fished in his pocket and pulled out a velvet case. Nico placed his hands over his mouth as he watched the son of Apollo open the case, revealing a very simple ring. It was a simple silver band, no gem, but the design was rigid and bumpy, resembling a spine. Macabre, but perfectly fitting for a child of Hades.
Tears began to well in his eyes as he watched Will continue speaking. A soft, affectionate grin graced the blond’s features. Ethereal no longer felt fitting. Will’s beauty in the moment, appearance graced by the beautiful sunset colors, far surpassed any English or Italian words that Nico could muster.
“Nico Di Angelo, my little ball of darkness and light of my life, will you marry me?”
Will had barely gotten to take in a gasp of air before Nico hugged him with all the strength he could muster. Will’s back hit the canoe, the wooden boat rocking under their weight as the melody of their combined laughter rang out. Will peppered Nico’s face with kisses as he slipped the spine ring onto his finger.
“Is that a yes then—?”
“Shut up and kiss me, Solace.”
…
The moment news got out, their friends unsurprisingly wanted to celebrate.
It was a very small celebration. Nico didn’t really want to celebrate anything big until their wedding came around, which Will agreed with wholeheartedly. However, they still wanted to do a mini celebration.
So, they invited some family. Hazel, Kayla, and Austin, namely. As much as they loved their friends, they had agreed that they should keep things small for now. However, that didn’t stop Percy and Annabeth from mailing them an engagement gift. It was two matching necklaces, one shaped like a star, one shaped like a sun. Nico had immediately thanked them over iris message, nearly fumbling over his words as tears welled in his eyes.
(He was still getting the hang of accepting affection, Will had noticed.)
Now, the excitable energy from earlier was beginning to die down. The two had bid their siblings farewell, and now Will was simply cleaning up the mess left behind. It wasn’t a big mess, really. Just a few dirty dishes and glasses. Nico had retreated to their shared bedroom, social battery and energy battery both completely drained.
He turned off the sink and dried his hands after placing the last clean plate onto the stack. He sighed quietly, appreciating the quiet for a solid moment. He loved his siblings and Hazel dearly, but the silence following their departure was amazingly peaceful.
That is, until he felt tiny teeth tugging on his pant leg.
He looked down and smiled fondly. One of the Cocoapuffs had sunk its teeth into his pant leg, tugging gently as it looked up with wide, expecting eyes. He was able to identify it as Grief, judging from its stubby antlers and lack of lower legs. He carefully crouched down, scratching the top of its shadowy head. He shuddered, goosebumps popping up along his arm as a chill ran up his arm. However, it was worth it to see the way its eyes peacefully closed, leaning into the touch with a low grumble that Will thought was best comparable to a purr.
He grinned, but he sadly couldn’t pet their demon children forever. He retracted his hand, turning to open one of the kitchen cabinets and reaching for a hidden stash of chocolate. He grabbed two kitkats and began to head to their bedroom, Grief slinking behind him. He gently nudged the door open with his foot, taking in the sight before him.
The lamp on the bedside table was on. Nico himself was curled in their blankets, arm thrown over his eyes. He was surrounded by maybe four cocoa puffs, although it was hard to tell when their shadowy bodies merged together like they were doing at that moment. A tangled mess of shadows, limbs, and eyes.
Will felt his heart melt.
He carefully approached the pile, watching as Grief scampered up the bed to join the evergrowing mass of shadows, curling across Nico’s middle. Will’s now fiancé gave a grumpy mumble, throwing his hand over the shadowy fur and gently scratching the surface.
Will carefully leaned over Nico, cupping his face. The son of Hades shifted his arm only slightly so he could look at Will with one eye. All Will had to do was hold up the two kitkats in his hand, and he was swiftly accepted into the shadowy cuddle pile.
He got himself comfortable, being careful not to crush any of the cocoapuffs, and settled his face into Nico’s hair. Nico leaned into his warmth, unwrapping the treat offered to him and breaking off a piece.
Will sighed as he relaxed into their bed. In truth, he had been stressed recently. Studies had been weighing on him recently. Keeping up with his homework and classes while also balancing his social life had certainly been a challenge. These weekends at camp were some of the few moments he got to completely relax, and even then he often wound up in the infirmary just like always.
He had grown to appreciate simple moments like this a lot more in recent times. Moments where he and Nico got to be alone and relax. Moments filled with silence and comforting touches. Moments surrounded by warmth and safety.
Safety was a rare thing to get as a demi-god.
He rested his chin on Nico’s chest, taking comfort in the steady rise and fall of his chest. Maybe it came with being a doctor, but to Will, there wasn’t a more pleasant sound than the subtle beating of Nico’s heart. A reminder that he was alive and breathing, despite everything he had been put through.
He felt Nico’s slender hand find its way into his hair. He hummed with content as he wrapped golden strands around his fingers, coiling and twisting the blonde’s hair in a mindless, relaxed action. Will leaned into his hand, inhaling softly. Nico smelled mostly of the campgrounds, but Will could pick up on the underlying scent of his shampoo.
“We’re getting married,” Nico suddenly muttered, voice filled with disbelief and almost sounding wistful. Will smiled, squeezing his hand. Truthfully, he found it hard to believe as well. He rubbed his thumb over the ring and finally opened his eyes. He gazed at his fiancé with a loving gaze.
“We are,” he confirmed. He traced the outline of Nico’s scar with his eyes, before carefully moving his hand from Nico’s side to his cheek. His heart melted when Nico leaned into the touch, a soft, yet loving smile stretching across the son of Hades’ face. Will gently pressed his lips to his forehead, pulling back with a smile.
The moment was broken by a knock at the door. The sound resonated through the apartment. Numerous of the cocoa puffs in the shadowy mass lifted up their heads, cooing and chittering with curiosity. Will patted Nico’s side, sitting up.
“I’ve got it,” he said quietly. Nico was visibly exhausted. Will would much rather answer the door and spare his fiancé unnecessary social interaction, especially after such an eventful day. Nico gave him a tired nod and nestled back into their blankets. Two cocoa puffs, however, decided that whatever Will was doing was far more entertaining. They slipped out of the blob of demons and took shape on the floor, circling his legs as he walked.
Nico always had interesting ways of communicating. One of these methods was sending skeletons to let Will know when he was needed. This was used less and less as their relationship progressed, but it was still something that happened. There were times that a stray skeleton would wander into the infirmary or the Apollo cabin doorstep, and he understood that he was being beckoned to the Hades cabin.
So you’d think that opening his front door to find a tall, menacing skeleton butler wouldn’t have scared him that badly.
Well it did.
He jumped backwards, unable to muffle the yelp that left his throat as he stared at the hollow gaze of the skeletal form in front of him. One of the cocoa puffs let out a little defensive hiss as the door swung open.
The skeleton was dressed in a rather fancy suit, seemingly freshly ironed. One of his arms was tucked behind his back, the other holding a silver platter in front of him. He had a slightly askew top hat and a high quality bow tie. The fabric was obviously expensive, and perhaps that should have been Will’s first clue as to who had sent this mysterious message. Well, that and the skeleton.
“Is this the di Angelo residence?” The lifeless husk asked. Will felt rude for staring, but could you really blame him? It was nearing midnight, and some fancy skeleton with a fancy accent just showed up at his doorstep!
“Uh- di Angelo-Solace, but yes,” Will answered. He felt the need to add the hyphen. This house was equally his as it was Nico’s. Not that it mattered to the fancy talking skeleton.
The skeleton lifted the lid of the platter, revealing a letter with a black wax seal. Will hesitantly took the letter, rubbing his thumb over the wax. It was in the shape of a dog, one of Hades’ numerous symbols. Yet somehow, it still didn’t click for Will. He blamed it on his exhaustion.
“Hades has summoned his son, Nico Di Angelo, to the underworld for a meal. More details are included inside the letter. Please forward this message to the young son of Hades,” the skeleton announced, offering a deep bow of respect. Before Will could speak, the skeleton grabbed the knob and slammed their door shut.
His mind was spinning. There was so much he was attempting to process at once, but his mind kept circling back to what the skeleton said.
“Summoned to the underworld?” He whispered aloud to himself, as though repeating it would help the words make sense. Nico was being summoned to the underworld via letter. It set alarm bells off in Will’s head. Usually, Hades only reached out to Nico when he needed something done.
The cocoa puffs were both looking at Will—or more accurately the letter he was holding—with great curiosity. He gave one of them a mindless pat as he began to return to their bedroom, eyes still glancing over the seal. The wax felt a little warm, meaning this letter had been made just recently.
An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach as he walked back to their bedroom. He walked in with the two cocoa puffs in tow. He finally tore his gaze off of the letter and met Nico’s.
The son of Hades was now sitting upright, his legs crossed and his hair mussed. His gaze fell to the letter in Will’s hand. The son of Apollo sat down on the edge of the bed, the two cocoa puffs scrambling up after him. They both inspected the letter with curiosity as Nico shuffled closer, a questioning expression on his face.
“It’s from your dad,” Will began, carefully handing it over to Nico once the two were side by side. “Delivered personally by a skeleton butler, which I suppose is on brand for him,” he added with a bit of humor. He watched as Nico rubbed his thumb over the seal before tearing open the envelope. He slipped the parchment out and unfolded it. A few cocoa puffs left their blob to peer over his shoulder, unable to resist the urge to be nosey. Truthfully, Will was resisting the urge himself.
Nico was never very expressive, but Will could somehow tell he was just as nervous as he was. What reason would Hades have to send Nico a letter rather than an iris message? It left both of them uneasy. Nico slumped his weight against Will as he read the paper. Once he finished, he placed it down back on the envelope and exhaled softly. His shoulders slumped as he visibly relaxed.
“He knows about your proposal. He wants to invite us to celebrate. Being my father, he just wanted to be dramatic about it,” Nico explained, sounding relieved that he wasn’t being summoned to do any sort of underworld work.
Will blinked in surprise. He wasn’t expecting either of their parents to find out so quickly. He also certainly wasn’t expecting to be personally invited to the underworld.
He looked at Nico and squeezed the hand not holding the envelope. “Well, do you want to go?” Will asked. Nico already said he didn’t want any big celebrations, and well, Hades knew how to turn anything into a big deal. It should be a shocker to no one that the god of riches likes to make everything as extravagant as possible, and his son’s marriage would certainly be something he’d want to go all out for.
Nico seemed to contemplate for a moment, rubbing the wax under his thumb as he considered his options. He chewed at his lip, a nervous habit that Will had tried to get him to break to little success. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” he spoke, voice soft and contemplative.
It was true. Nico hadn’t personally visited his father for quite some time now. It had been months, nearing a year since Nico last paid a visit to the underworld. While that might not seem like a long time, Will knew that Nico got a little home sick every so often. He occasionally would accompany him on his trips back home, but the underworld was far too draining for constant visits.
Nico thought about it for a few more seconds, before nodding and placing the envelope aside. “I want to go see him,” he stated firmly. “But not tonight.”
Will let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, squeezing their entwined hands. “Alright. We can go once I get home tomorrow,” he suggested casually. Nico looked at him with surprise.
“Are you sure?” He asked, hesitation clear in his voice. “Will, the underworld is draining for you, and I know my father will probably want to keep us there for a while. Are you sure you’d be fine with that?” He frowned, and gods Will felt his heart skip a beat.
So, maybe he was a bit hypocritical to call out Nico for not accepting affection well when Will himself was still getting the hang of it.
Despite this, Will smiled softly and squeezed Nico’s hand. “I’m sure. I want to celebrate with you, Nico. Besides, outside of Tartarus, I never really got the chance to meet your parents,” Will added humorously. That drew a quiet chuckle out of Nico.
“Alright then. Tomorrow,” Nico agreed, lying backwards and pulling Will down with him. Will happily joined him and pulled him close. The nosey cocoa puffs began to take their places around them, curling into the warmth of the two demi-gods.
Will pressed his nose into Nico’s hair as Nico buried his face into Will’s collarbone. Their legs were quick to tangle together as Will’s arms comfortably found their place wrapped around Nico’s waist.
Will silently dreaded the trip a little bit. He did want to meet Hades and Persephone properly, but he wasn’t looking forward to the draining effects of the underworld. However, this was for Nico. He also reminded himself that he could ask to leave at any point and Nico would no doubt agree.
“I love you,” Will whispered.
“I love you too, dork,” Nico murmured in reply, squeezing his arms around Will.
The son of Apollo chuckled weakly, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he exhaled slowly.
Was he prepared for tomorrow? Absolutely not. But really, how bad could one dinner be?