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Nico wiped his sweaty hands on his skinny jeans. Not ripped. He was fancy today.
Pulling his favorite fidget from his pocket—a tangle—he continued to pace outside of the Apollo cabin.
Thirty seven minutes until sunset. It is two minutes from when I asked Will to meet me on the porch. He is always exactly on time.
Today wasn’t just any day.
It was Will’s birthday.
Years ago, Nico didn’t get the big deal with birthdays. It was just another year.
But he was informed, after ignorantly missing celebrating Will’s last year, that they were important to him. And just because Nico didn’t get the appeal personally, didn’t mean he couldn’t logically understand it.
He’s been educating himself since.
And he had an entire bullet point list.
Social & Psychological Reasons
- birthdays create a socially acceptable time to give gifts
- people appear happier upon having a birthday related event as it increases dopamine due to feeling appreciated, seen, and a center of attention (???)
- strengthens social bonds between gatherees due to a shared awareness and ritual
- group membership and activities are a good thing (???)
Time Keeping
- birthdays mark another year of age (important?)
- help evaluate goals
- give a sense of progression through time instead of endless days (we have months, though???)
The list could go on and on.
Nico understood it logically. That was good enough, as a lot of things seemed to be.
But now Will was opening the door and being shoved out by four of his siblings who screamed “Good luck!” And suddenly they were face to face.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
They both looked at each other. Face to face. Or, face to chest and chest to air. Considering Will was eight whole inches taller.
Nico held out his hand. Will took it.
He took this moment to analyze Will’s outfit. He’d asked for “Nice but casual.”
Then realized if he would panic at that vague description then Will certainly would too. So he clarified to a simple button down or polo and jeans and whatever accessories he wanted.
Once Will took Nico’s hand, a smile on his face, Nico held out the thing that was hiding behind his back. “Put this on.”
It was a sleeping mask. One with big owl eyes that were constantly open. They’d gotten it as a gag joke for Christmas half a year ago.
Will laughed. “Okay.”
Nico waited patiently until Will put it on and then ever so, so carefully led him to The Spot.
Every time Will just slightly stumbled on a root Nico felt his heart drop to his toes. Well, not literally. That was a metaphor. He hoped his heart didn’t fall from his body. Then Will’s birthday would be ruined because he’s be saving Nico.
“Be careful,” Nico chastised, as if it was Will’s fault. Old, bratty, sarcastic habits died hard. Will knew he wasn’t actually mad. Some people didn’t.
“Well, I don’t know if you knew this Nico,” Will put on a tone that told he was beginning something stupid. “I can’t see.”
Nico squeezed Wills hand from where he was still holding it. “I had absolutely no idea.”
Nico liked this lying-for-fun thing once he’d gotten the hang of it.
“Okay, okay.” Nico finally made Will stop. “Stand there. Don’t move. Don’t peek.” Nico said, running off to the picnic blanket.
He grabbed a match and struck it, quickly lighting the candles before overlooking everything and making sure it was just as he laid it out. And—yes!
The sun was perfect. It would set in four minutes. That would give Will enough time to be momentarily excited over his gifts and be able to see the beautiful, perfect sunset as his emotional peak was winding down, which would bring it right back into a high spike.
Nico knew logistics.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Nico stood about three feet in front of Will, between the picnic set up and the blond. “You can take it off.”
Will was grinning so wide that Nico was surprised his lips did not crack open.
He slowly took it off and looked at Nico, then looked at the picnic blanket, and then his unwrapped presents and—
fucking screamed.
Nico clasped his hands over his ears and stepped to the side but was still watching Will, seeing the way he was jumping up and down and flapping his hands.
“Oh my gods, oh my gods!!” He kept shouting. He turned his voice down, thankfully.
“No way!” He basically ran the few feet over there and knelt down to cradle them in his arms. “No way!”
They were Lego sets—the Millenium Falcon and AT-AT—together priced at around 2,600. Will had been saving for months.
“Do you like them?”
Will began talking at rapid fire speed, just as Nico suspected—something about Star Wars and saving or another. Nico meant to listen. He really did.
But Will was glowing.
And Nico’s brain shut off.
Because, well, Will was beautiful. Golden hour basked him, but he shone brighter than anything in the clearing.
Brighter than the fireflies, the candles, the sun for all he knew.
Now, logically, Will was not shining that bright—otherwise he would not be able to look, and he would follow the fate of Icarus for flying too close.
But he could not help it. Will was so beautiful. The pores on his skin filled with light so golden that it would’ve been a sin had Nico not wandered forward and trailed his fingers along them.
“Nico?” Will asked, looking to Nico who was crouched in front of him, fingers tracing the bridge of his nose.
The light was fading. That can’t do.
“You’re glowing”. Nico said.
“I am?” And the glowing faltered again at his confusion, but when he looked at his arms the light pulsed back brighter before falling again. “Woah.”
“Bring it back.” Nico, in his language, basically pleaded. He grabbed Will’s hand and pulled it to himself, tracing the areas where light had just lit up his skin.
“I don’t know how.” He looked back at the Lego set and the light flickered brighter.
Nico, with only the conclusion he could come up with, decided: “The Legos make him glow.”
So he shoved the box in Will’s face.
And sent him falling on his ass.
Knocking the picnic basket and thunking his arm on it.
And falling into a patch of half-wet dirt.
And with a wild hand trying to catch himself, knocked over a candle.
“Shit!” Nico jumped up and stomped where it knocked over and stopped the fire before it began.
Nico was absolutely certain he looked like a cat who’d just gotten in trouble.
But Will just bust out laughing.
And then he was glowing again.