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It was late in the afternoon. The cold winter breeze making his hair dance all around and keep hitting his face. The beach was a weird location to be in the middle of january, but there he was, because he couldn't bring himself to stop thinking.
"You guys fight a lot."
He was sure Meg hadn't meant anything by it, after all, she barely knew them. But after all the mess with Apollo becoming mortal finally calming down a bit, the words kept coming back to his head. Was it true? Did they fight all that much? Was it common in relationships like his and Will's?
They surely bickered a lot, but fighting? He really liked Will and all of the playful bickering they did held no actual venom behind it. Right? It was just how they were. That's how they show they care about each other. Right?
He looked at the sea, trying to bring his eyes to see as far as he could, as if the farther he looked the closer to the answer to his questions he would get. Then he heard footsteps behind him getting closer, but he didn't bother to look up.
"What are you doing out here in the cold? Are trying to get sick, di Angelo?" Will said frowning with feigned confusion in his voice, coming to a stop besides the dark haired boy.
Nico finally looked up staring at the so much taller boy in this position, and said, the small frown from thinking too much never leaving his face.
"I've been thinking."
"Couldn't you do that somewhere you don't risk getting ill?" Will said laughing and sitting down near the son of Hades, shoulders lightly touching.
That brought a little smile to Nico's lips and lessened his frown, but not by much.
He looked at his boyfriend who was now provinding a nice warmth at his side and was staring out at the sea. Nico wondered if he was looking for answers as well or just appreciatting the view. Knowing the blond and that imposing head of his, it might as well be both or neither.
Will noticed his staring and shoved him lightly, a rare shy smile pulling at his lips.
"What have you been thinking about so much that brought you out here anyways? It's almost dinner time, I've been looking for you."
Nico's smile dropped and the warm feeling in his stomach vanished, leaving behind only emptiness. He averted his gaze and looked at the ocean once again, taking a deep breath.
"Do you think we fight a lot, Will?"
The words were said at a low volume. Loud enough to be heard but low enough to portray his feelings of uncertainty.
Will's soft and content expression gave away into a frown once again, but this time his confusion was not feigned.
"No? I-I guess we bicker a lot but- Is that what's been bothering you? Don't you like some of our jokes? Did I say something wrong?"
Will moved forward a bit, trying to meet Nico's gaze that was still directed towards the ocean. Nico looked back at him, and he searched for any emotion's that he could see on the son of Hades face, the thought of having hurt the boy in any way slicing a deep cut in his heart.
"No" Nico said softly "That isn't it. It's just- Yeah, I-I like the way we are, I-uh I like you. But Meg said that we fight a lot and- I just thought that maybe I'm doing this wrong? Maybe I'm making you feel that I don't care with all this.... playful bickering." he paused taking a deep breath "I just don't want you to think I don't care about you, Will."
The last words were said quietly, with such a shy tone to it that Will's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, Nico"
The blond said, voice fond and full of emotion, frown and confusion long gone, washed away by the soft words spoken by his boyfriend.
On a swift movement, he brought the smaller boy in for a hug, burying his face on the mess that was that black hair of his.
"I know you care about me, I never doubted that. And never-ever doubt that I care about you too." He moved back a bit, Sapphire eyes meeting dark obsidian pools. "You can drive me crazy sometimes, and our way of showing affection might not be like other couple's but, it's ours and I don't want it to ever change. No matter what -and I know this is sappy- I just want to be with you."
Nico smiled softly up at him, and with one quick movement buried his face on the other's neck, arms around him tightening the embrace. The touch of his nose, cold because of the weather, on his neck made the son of Apollo shiver, but he couldn't bring himself to push the smaller boy away.
"You're right-" Nico said softly, and Will looked down lovingly "That was really sappy."
Will shoved the other boy away, both of them laughing non-stop. When it finally quieted down, Nico looked back at Will, with a serious sweet smile on his face.
"Thank you" he said " for showing me that everything is okay."
Will smiled and brought him closer with a choke-hold that was just pure playfulness and affection.
"That's what I'm here for, Death Boy. But now, let's get inside before both of our asses freeze out here." he said standing up and offering Nico his hand.
Nico took it and there they went, hand in hand.
So what if their way of showing affection wasn't that common? They knew they cared about each other, and that's all that really mattered.