Chapter Text
Will walked into the lunch room and immediately made a beeline for his table. He found it quickly in the crowd, scanning the faces at the table and locking his eyes on one in particular. Nico’s dark eyes were peering up at him, shining with amusement as he raised an eyebrow at him. Will smiled back, charming and adoring, as he sat beside him. Neither said anything as Nico pressed his knee to Will’s, locking their ankles next to one another.
“Will, my bro!” Percy exclaimed.
Nico rolled his eyes as he looked to Percy and frowned. Will looked at him without disdain, he was used to Percy’s teasing and overenthusiasm and he took it in stride, never letting his annoyance be seen. He let his smile stretch into something laidback and fond as he responded, “Hey, Percy. What’s up?”
“Oh nothing, we were just talking to Neeks here about his chemistry test. Isn’t it awfully funny how he does so badly on the tests but so well on the homework and labs?” Percy asked, his eyes flickering with mirth.
Will laughed, his fingers brushing against Nico’s thigh beneath the table, “Well, he can look at his notes for the homework and lab write-ups.”
“ His notes?” Percy questioned.
Nico jumped into the conversation, his gaze level and cold as he stared at Percy, “What about your economics homework, Percy? You’re saying that you do that all by yourself.”
Percy snapped his mouth shut, his eyes wide, and then he grinned, “Of course.”
“Oh? Please, explain aggregate demand to me. I want to be ready for when I take the class,” Nico said.
Percy smirked but didn’t say anything. Annabeth was chuckling quietly beside him and she placed a hand on his arm, “Yeah, Seaweed Brain, tell me about aggregate demand. We have a test on Monday, maybe I need a refresher.”
Percy paled and looked to her, “We do?” he mumbled quietly.
Annabeth threw her head back and laughed. It drew the attention of everybody else at the table who had been focused on their own conversations. Piper leaned forward towards Annabeth, “What’s so funny?”
“Percy knows nothing about economics,” Nico jumped in.
“Obviously,” Piper stated.
“Hey! Not nice!” Percy spluttered, “Nico copies off of Will!”
Nico scoffed and turned his head toward Will, his cheek nearly pressed against his shoulder. Will could feel the heat radiating off his face and it made his hair stand on end with the desire to pull Nico close to him. His thoughts were interrupted as Piper turned to look at them instead of Percy and Annabeth. She paused for a moment before grinning at the couple, “Obviously,” she repeated.
Jason gasped beside her before craning his head to look at them too. “Nico!” he feigned scandal, “Are you saying you are participating in academic dishonesty? How are you going to learn if you don’t do the work yourself?”
Nico scoffed, “Shut up, Jason.”
“Don’t sass me because I take your education seriously,” Jason said.
“It’s high school chemistry, I don’t think whether or not I’m actually the one doing packets about balancing chemical equations is going to make or break my entire educational career,” Nico told him dryly.
“And what if your teacher finds out?” Jason pressed.
“Oh, he totally knows already,” Will piped in, “He clearly just doesn’t care.”
Nico looked at Will again and smirked. It made Will’s heart flutter and he scooched closer to him still, their thighs pressing together and shoulders bumping. Jason huffed across the table and leaned back, but he was fighting back a smile as well. Still, neither boy turned their attention away from each other as they held eye contact. Will studied the color of Nico’s eyes, so dark they would be black if not for the glints of amber throughout, making them just different enough from the darkness of his pupils that he could see them dilate when Nico looked at him. His eyelashes were dark too, long and thick and gorgeous. Nico looking at him up through his eyelashes made Will’s entire body burn wonderfully. He sucked in a breath and bit his cheek, desperately trying to get a handle on his pounding heart. Just when he thought he had calmed down, Nico’s smirk broke into a wide smile, his nose scrunching and eyes crinkling beautifully. ‘Oh god,’ Will thought, his heart hammering again, ‘He’s so perfect.’
“You’re so perfect,” Will whispered.
Nico’s smile dropped and he blinked in surprise, his cheeks flushing. He turned away from Will as he cleared his throat and it made Will’s heart shatter. For a moment he contemplated begging Nico to look at him again, or simply tugging his chin toward him. Instead, Leo sat down abruptly at the end of the table and the world came crashing back into Will’s periphery.
“Where have you been?” Piper asked Leo.
“The real question is where haven’t I been, Beauty Queen. Mechanics room, pottery studio, chemistry lab, teachers lounge. Things to do,” Leo said.
“Why?” Annabeth asked.
“Supply collections,” Leo told her.
Everybody chuckled and Nico stuck his head out to glare at Jason. “You scold me for copying homework answers but not Leo for literally stealing?” he asked in outrage.
Jason blushed slightly but shrugged, “Yeah.”
“What the fuck?” Nico huffed.
“Language,” Jason said, “And it’s just different.”
Nico frowned and leaned forward more, “I’m not a child Jason and you’re not my fucking father.”
Will could see the tension and frustration in Nico’s shoulders so he brought his hand up to Nico’s lower back and tried to calm him down. Although the action was more for himself, something to distract him so he didn’t punch Jason in the nose himself. Jason smiled, not quite sensing Nico’s genuine anger as he continued to tease him, “Maybe not, but someone has to parent you.”
Normally, jabs at Nico’s father were fair game. Nico hated him and encouraged anybody who wished to tarnish his name. But Will knew how strenuous their relationship had been lately and he knew of Hades’s recent attempts to insert himself into Nico’s life and he knew how much Nico detested it. So instead of Nico laughing along and making a joke about his dad being shitty, he clenched his jaw and sat back abruptly. His arms were crossed and brought tightly to his chest and he turned his head away from Jason and everybody else, his nose brushing against Will’s curls. His reaction was clearly a surprise to everyone else and they all looked at him curiously or with concern. It was silent for a moment as Nico refused to respond and just sat stiffly, even as Will’s hand continued to rub soothingly against his back.
“Nico,” Jason said cautiously.
“Shut the fuck up, Jason,” Nico said coldly.
Rationally, Will knew that Jason couldn’t have possibly known that this had very recently become a sensitive topic and that he can’t really be blamed. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to smash Jason’s face against the table until he apologized for upsetting Nico. He bit back the urge and instead leaned forward, looking past Nico and smiling hesitantly at Jason.
“Jason,” he said calmly, “Not now.”
Jason looked at him quizzically, his eyes apologetic but confused. He backed off and turned to Piper. After a moment, conversation resumed hesitantly as they stopped looking at Nico, who hadn’t budged. When Will decided they were all distracted enough he leaned down to rest his chin on Nico’s shoulder and whisper in his ear. “He doesn’t know,” Will reminded him.
Nico didn’t say anything, his nose twitching and eyes fixed forward. Will decided to try a different approach, deciding that Nico probably didn’t want to hear about why he shouldn’t be angry at Jason. He took a breath and moved closer, his breath brushing against Nico’s ear. He continued, “I’m sorry that he said it though. It was stupid and insensitive.”
Nico slumped slightly, his arms dropping to his sides, a hand coming to rest on Will’s leg beside him. “You know, you’re awfully cute when you’re mad,” Will whispered, “I like it.”
He watched the blush creep up Nico’s neck as he scoffed quietly. “I wouldn’t say it’s a good idea to make me mad just so you can see me be cute .”
Will huffed out a laugh, his breath against Nico’s skin making him shiver, “I don’t like when you’re mad at me .”
He watched Nico smile softly and he decided to push his luck. “Although, I don’t think you really could be mad at me,” Will added.
Nico turned to face him, their faces centimeters apart as their noses brushed, “You seem like you’re trying to test that theory.”
Will smiled brightly at him, his eyes flickering across Nico’s face, “I would never.”
“I’m not sure if I believe you,” Nico teased.
“So,” Will started, “You should come over tonight. It’s a friday which means my mom is making fried chicken,” Will said softly. He didn’t really need to ask, Nico came over almost every day anyway. Still, he liked the way Nico would nod bashfully.
Nico’s face dropped its soft amusement instantly, becoming cold and frustrated again. Will’s stomach dropped and his heart surged, “What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.
Nico frowned and looked down, “I can’t,” he mumbled, “My father said we need to have dinner as a family tonight.” He spat out the word like it was poison on his tongue.
Will felt a rush of annoyance and he frowned as well. Part of him considered convincing Nico to come over anyway, he knew that he could if he tried. He wanted Nico to come to his house and spend time with him like he always did and he hated that he couldn’t have what he wanted because of Nico’s father, who Will detested. Will clenched his jaw and moved his hand off of Nico’s back.
“I’m sorry,” Nico mumbled.
Will was startled and he blinked stupidly, “Why?”
“For,” he huffed, “I don’t know. I guess for not being able to come over. Because you’re upset.”
“Hey,” Will whispered, placing his hand atop Nico’s, “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything. And I’m not upset with you, never with you. I’m upset you have to spend an evening with your shitty dad.”
Nico didn’t say anything and Will sucked in a breath. “Will Hazel be there?” he asked.
“Yeah,” the smaller boy replied, “She said she would be.”
“And do you think she would ever let your dad pull some bullshit?” Will asked.
Nico huffed a laugh. “No,” he conceded.
“See? It will be alright. And if it isn’t, you can just come live with me while Hazel tears your dad a new one,” Will assured, silently thinking about how if anything did happen, he would never let Hades near Nico ever gain.
Nico smiled wryly and met Will’s eyes. “I kinda like you sometimes,” Nico told him.
“Oh really?” Will smiled, “Kinda? Sometimes? What an honor this is.”
Nico leaned away and shoved Will’s shoulder, “Nevermind, I take it back.”
“You wound me,” Will cried, clutching a hand to his chest.
“Such a drama queen,” Nico sighed.
Annabeth looked over at them cautiously. Nico smiled softly at her and she smiled back, nudging Percy’s shoulder. Percy looked over as well and smiled, “Are you two done being gooey now?”
Nico spluttered, “We weren’t!”
Will grabbed Nico’s waist and placed a dramatic kiss on his cheek, “Yes, we were.”
Nico turned bright red and ripped himself from Will’s grasp. “You’re the worst !”
Will just laughed alongside Percy and Annabeth as he grabbed Nico again, pressing messy kisses to his cheek and jaw. Nico squirmed in his grasp but didn’t try to escape again, instead focusing on suppressing his laughter at Will’s antics.
“You two are gross,” Percy teased.
“Shut up, Percy,” Nico said.
Will was sitting on his bed, clad in pajamas and trying to focus on the homework in front of him and failing. It was somehow infinitely more difficult to complete it when Nico wasn’t there too, even though they always distracted each other anyway. It was especially bad as his mind was racing with worry for Nico as well. Nico was supposed to call him when dinner with his dad was over but it was nearing eight o’clock and Will hadn’t heard anything. He had asked his mom a hundred times already if anyone had called and she told him not to ask again. So he waited anxiously on his bed, math book open on his lap as he strained to listen for the phone ringing.
Instead, he was startled by a bang on his window. He whipped his head to look. It was dark but he could see a figure at his windowsill, a hand pressed against the glass. He shoved his homework from his lap and walked over cautiously, trying to make out the face. Will knew that he should be afraid by a mysterious finger banging on his window at night. His most basic instincts were telling him to get away, to run and tell his parents. But a bigger part of him was curious and convinced that nothing could truly harm him. So he approached and as he stood in front of the window, his heart jumped to his throat and he let out a strangled sound. He rushed to open it, grabbing the person outside and pulling them in quickly. The force of his tug sent them both tumbling back, the figure landing on top of Will in a huff.
“Nico!” Will cried, immediately bringing his hands to the side of Nico’s face. “What happened? How did you get up here? What’s wrong?”
Nico sat up but didn’t pull away from Will. He squeezed his eyes shut, “The fire escape.”
“What?” Will asked.
“You asked how I got up here. The fire escape,” he mumbled.
Will sat on his knees in front of him, his thumbs brushing across his cheeks and pushing the hair from his face. “Why?” he asked again.
Nico looked up and met Will’s eyes for the first time. The look in them made Will’s heart stop, desperate and panicked. “I-'' Nico's voice broke, “I had to get out.”
“What happened?”
Nico took a heaving breath and Will watched the panic well up in him. But as he spoke again, Will saw how angry Nico was too. “I hate him,” Nico seethed.
“Your father?” Will clarified.
“ Yes ,” Nico snarled, “I hate him. He hasn’t been a parent since Bianca died, he left me to mourn alone, to survive alone. And now he thinks that after all this time he can just step back into my life and tell me what to do, where I can go, who I can see.”
Will tensed at his words and brough one hand down from Nico’s face and placed gently on his waist. He spoke softly, “What did he say?”
Nico looked away, suddenly downcast and his anger deflated slightly. He brought his hands up and gripped Will’s shirt, clinging to him. His silence filled Will with dread. “What did he say?” Will pressed.
“He said we spend too much time together and tried to tell me that I can’t see you anymore, not until he decides what is and isn’t okay for me,” he spat out, “Like he has any idea what's good for me, what I need .”
The fury that flooded Will was consuming for a moment. His grip on Nico’s waist tightened as he choked back the urge to find Hades and smash his head in. ‘How dare he?’ Will thought, ‘How dare he have the audacity to try and take Nico away from me?’ His face contorted in uncontrollable anger for a moment but it was washed away as the anxiety and fear hit. He was terrified that Nico was going to be pulled away from him. The thought made his stomach lurch and hands shake. He bit his cheek and swallowed, trying to push down the terror and anger, hide it before it overwhelmed him. Still, Nico saw it all and his eyes flashed for a moment, a look Will didn’t recognize. Nico uncurled one hand from Will’s shirt and brought it to the side of his face, his fingers woven in golden curls. “I don’t care,” Nico whispered, “I don’t care what he thinks and I don’t care what he says. He doesn’t get to just decide anything for me. I’m not going to stop seeing you, ever.”
Will stared at Nico, lips parted and eyes wide. He snapped his mouth shut after a moment and tipped his head forward, resting his forehead against Nico’s. He sighed at the contact and Nico gripped at his hair. “I promise, Will,” Nico said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Will kissed him softly. Nico gasped quietly and kissed back, chasing Will’s lips when he pulled away. Will smiled and pressed another chaste kiss to his lips as consolation. “Me too,” Will whispered, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave and I’m not going to let anyone take you away from me.”
There was a knock at Will’s door and they both froze. “Will?” his dad called from the other side.
Will sucked in a breath, “Yeah?” he called back.
“Are you okay? We heard a thud earlier,” he said.
“Uh, yeah, Dad. I just-” Will paused, “Dropped my math book. I’m fine.”
There was silence for a moment and Will thought maybe he had walked away but then his dad spoke again. “Will, I know you’re worried about Nico,” Will met Nico’s eyes, “But I’m sure he’s fine. And maybe it’s good that you two are spending a night apart.”
“Really, it’s fine, Dad,” Will called out, “I’m uh, going to bed, actually. I have a test tomorrow.”
“Will,” he started again.
“Goodnight, Dad,” Will said.
There was a pause and then, “Goodnight.”
They stayed silent for another moment, listening to Will’s dad’s steps recede. When they no longer heard them, they both let out a sigh and then looked at each other again and burst out laughing. Nico slapped a hand over Will’s mouth and shushed him. “He’ll come back!” Nico warned, grinning and suppressing his own laughter.
Will let go of Nico and stood up, rushing up to his bedroom door and locking it as quietly as possible. When he turned back around, Nico had moved to sit on Will’s bed. He moved and sat beside him, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers. “You were worried about me?” Nico teased, looking at Will.
Will scoffed, “Shut up, of course I was.”
Nico tipped his head and rested it on Will’s shoulder, scooching closer.
“Stay here with me tonight?” Will asked quietly.
Nico didn’t lift his head as he sighed, “I don’t know.”
“Please?” Will begged.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Nico told him.
“I won’t. And if I do, I don’t care . Please , stay with me.”
“Okay,” Nico whispered, “I’ll stay.”
Will smiled and squeezed Nico’s hand. Nico lifted his head from Will’s shoulder and looked at him, his eyes studying the side of his face. “Do you have pajamas I can borrow?” he asked.
Will thought about Nico wearing his clothes and almost keeled over. He was sure that Nico could see the blush on his face and the way that he gulped. “Yeah,” he said, his voice cracking.
Nico laughed and stood up, moving in front of Will, who looked at him in awe, “Can you give them to me?”
Will nodded fervently and jumped to his feet as Nico took a step back. He pulled out an old t-shirt and some pajama pants from his dresser and handed them to the smaller boy who took them with a smirk on his face. Will stared at him with wide eyes, his mind two seconds away from melting.
“Uh, can you turn around?” Nico asked, raising his eyebrows.
“What?” Will asked dumbly, “Oh. Oh yeah, of course.”
He turned around and faced the wall, holding his breath. He heard Nico rustling with his clothes behind him and the distinct sound of a zipper. He nearly flinched as his hands twitched at his side. His brain was a constant loop of ‘Holy shit, holy shit, Nico is behind me with no clothes on. Nico is behind me with my clothes on. Holy shit.’ His heart was nearly beating out of his chest and he could feel the blush creeping up his neck.
“Will?” Nico called from behind him, “You can turn around now.”
Nico was standing awkwardly, clutching his balled up clothes to his chest. Will’s shirt hung off his frame loosely, even though it was a few years old. The pants were bunched at his ankles, also far too big for him. Will cleared his throat and took a breath, “You can put your clothes wherever.”
Nico looked around before walking to the corner of Will’s room and placing them on the floor gently. He turned back around and crossed his arms self consciously across his chest as Will sat back down on his bed, his back to the headboard. Will looked at him and cocked his head, “Are you coming?”
“Do you want me to sleep on the floor?” Nico asked.
“Obviously not,” Will said quickly, “But uh, if you’re uncomfortable I can.”
“No!” Nico all but shouted, “I mean, no . It’s fine. I’m fine with it.”
“Cool,” Will tried to say nonchalantly, his face red, “So, are you coming?”
Nico walked over slowly and climbed onto Will’s bed, sitting beside him carefully. They weren’t touching, which was a rarity for them, and the room was tense. Will broke the silence, “I’m, uh, gonna turn the light off.”
“Cool,” Nico whispered, scooching beneath the covers of Will’s bed and laying down.
The light flickered off and Will got under the covers as well, laying stiffly beside Nico. They stared up at the ceiling in silence, both too nervous to say anything or move even an inch. Will’s heart was still pounding and he was desperately trying to keep his breathing even.
“I’ve never done this before,” Nico mumbled suddenly.
“Done what? Showed up at your boyfriend’s window in the middle of the night or slept in your boyfriend’s bed?” Will teased.
“Yes to both. But also, slept in anyone’s bed, besides my sister’s. Also, had a boyfriend,” Nico said.
“Neither have I,” Will whispered.
They were quiet for another moment and Will fidgeted, working up the courage to speak again.
“Do you wanna like, cuddle?” he asked.
Nico groaned, covering his face with his hands. “I hate that word,” Nico complained.
Will smiled, “What word? Cuddle ?”
“Yes,” Nico groaned.
“Would you prefer snuggle ? Or spoon ?”
“No, absolutely not!”
“Oh, I know! Embrace ! Or maybe, nes-”
Nico cut him off. “Shut up!” he grumbled as he basically blanketed himself on top of Will’s chest, his face buried in the crook of his neck and one leg thrown over the blonde’s. He squirmed for a moment, getting comfortable against his boyfriend.
Will thought that maybe he was going to burst in that moment. His brain was entirely blank as Nico settled against him but then he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the smaller boy’s torso, pulling him closer. Nico sighed contentedly and Will could feel his breath against his skin. It made him shiver but he just smiled and bit back a giggle of pure giddiness that was threatening to bubble out. “I can feel you smiling,” Nico mumbled into his neck.
“I’m not,” Will whispered back.
“You totally are. Stop,” he muttered.
“Okay,” the taller boy conceded, still grinning.
“I’ll pretend that I can’t hear the smile that’s still on your face,” Nico told him.
“Goodnight,” Will said.
Nico sighed, “Goodnight, doofus.”
Will woke up the next morning, with Nico still on top of him, to what sounded like his door shutting. He looked up in a panic but the door seemed undisturbed, along with the rest of his room. ‘I locked it last night,’ he tried to assure himself. He listened carefully for a moment and he distantly heard his mom in the kitchen.
Nico began to stir on top of him and Will craned his head down to watch him. Nico blinked his eyes open groggily and scrunched up his nose, pouting at the sunlight hitting his face directly. The sight of him made Will’s heart stop. He lifted his head from Will’s chest and met his eyes blearily, a smile stretching across his face lazily.
“Hi,” Nico mumbled, his voice gravelly.
“Hi,” Will repeated, just as softly.
Nico laid his head back down and groaned, “What time is it?”
“Uh, eight-ish I think,” Will told him.
“That’s so early,” Nico muttered, “Why are you awake?”
“I thought I heard my door open,” Will said.
“What?” Nico shot up, “Oh god, what ?”
“Calm down,” Will sat up as well, “I don’t think anybody came in.”
“Didn’t you lock your door?” Nico asked, his voice strained.
“ Yes ,” Will assured him, “It’s fine, I promise. I’ll even get up and check, make sure that my parents aren’t suspicious.”
Nico sat back on his knees beside him and looked at Will with wide eyes. His hair was messy and cheeks flushed and Will thought for a second that maybe he would actually just stay here and stare at Nico for a little longer. But Nico shoved him gently, “Go!” he commanded.
Will swung his legs outs and stood up, padding quietly to his door. He looked over his shoulder and saw Nico still sitting on his bed, in his clothes, looking sleepy and cute, and he was overwhelmed by the sight. It distracted him enough that when he twisted his door knob, he didn’t notice that the door was not locked. He sucked in a breath and turned away, stepping out of his room. He walked down the hallway and into the kitchen where his mom was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes out of a pan, and his dad was seated at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in hand. Will slid into the chair across from him just as his mom turned around to set a plate of pancakes on the table. He smiled up at her, “Good morning.”
She raised her eyebrows as she sat down as well but didn’t say anything. Anxiety ran up his spine as he looked to his dad, who was staring at him with the same expression. He took a breath and collected himself, sitting up straighter. “What’s wrong?” Will asked.
“Are you going to invite Nico to breakfast?” his mom asked.
Internally, Will choked. He cocked his head and feigned ignorance, “What?”
“Nico, you know, the boy you’re hiding in your room. Are you going to invite him to breakfast?” Naomi pressed.
For a moment, Will was unsure if he should continue to deny it. He decided that was stupid and part of him wanted to not even pretend to be sorry, because he wasn’t , but he knew well enough that would just make his parents angrier. So he chose to play remorseful and he gulped, dropping his gaze.
“Nothing to say?” his dad questioned.
“I’m sorry,” he said, forcing his voice to crack.
“That doesn’t do much now, William,” his mother said sternly.
“Still,” Will continued, “But he couldn’t stay at his house and he didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
It wasn’t really a lie, just a misappropriation of the truth. He lifted his gaze and looked at his mom, keeping his gaze apologetic and pleading. Will could see the way she softened slightly and he knew exactly what to say. “Mama,” he spoke gently, “I really am sorry. I just, didn’t know what else to do.”
“You could have told us, Will,” she said, her voice having lost the sharp edge.
“I thought you would say no,” he told her.
“Of course we wouldn’t,” she looked at him pointedly, “You should know better.”
He hung his head again and slouched. “If Nico ever needs a place to stay again, of course he can come here. But you need to tell us. You can’t sneak boys into your bedroom,” his dad said.
“It isn’t boys ,” Will sighed, “It’s Nico .”
“Exactly,” his dad said, “Nico, your boyfriend.”
Will huffed and frowned but his dad continued, “We understand why you did it. But it can’t ever happen again. And you’re grounded for two weeks. That means no going to the library after school, no going out on the weekends. You go to school and you come home, that’s it.”
Will’s anger choked him for a moment. He’d had enough of people trying to stop him from seeing Nico, it wasn’t going to happen and it pissed him the fuck off. Still, the only expression of his anger was a twitch of nose. He kept his eyes locked on the table.
“Do you understand?” his dad asked.
“Yes,” Will said shortly.
“Now,” his mom interjected, “Go get him. He needs to eat breakfast. He’s always been too skinny and if he had as difficult of an evening as you say, he especially needs some good food.”
Will pushed his chair back and stood up, stalking out of the kitchen and back to his room. He took a breath to calm himself down before he pushed his door open again. Nico was sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. He looked up anxiously as Will walked in and launched forward, perching himself on the edge of the bed. “So?” he asked expectantly.
Will sighed, “My parents know you’re here.”
“What?” Nico croaked, his face paling.
Will stepped forward, grabbing one of his hands. “It’s fine,” he assured, “They aren’t mad. Well, they aren’t mad at you . I told them that you couldn’t stay in your house last night and you didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Oh god,” Nico groaned, “I knew I shouldn’t have stayed.”
Will frowned at his words and Nico glanced up at him. “Not that I didn’t like it, I did. I really did, but now this is going to be so awkward and your parents aren’t going to like me anymore,” Nico rambled.
“They definitely still like you. My mom made pancakes and invited you to breakfast,” Will told him.
“That’s it?” Nico asked.
“No, they grounded me too. But I don’t really care all that much, it isn’t going to stop me from seeing you.”
“Will!” Nico scoffed, “That’s not good.”
“Yeah, it kinda sucks. But like I said, I don’t particularly care. Now come one,” Will tugged Nico up from the bed, “They’re expecting you.”
“Maybe I should just leave,” Nico mumbled.
“No,” Will gripped his hand tighter as he pulled him toward the kitchen, “You’re staying for breakfast.”
“I really don’t think I should.”
“Too late,” Will said, pulling him into the kitchen with his parents.
Nico froze in the doorway as Will’s parents smiled warmly at him. “Good morning, Nico,” his mom said kindly.
His face turned bright red and he mumbled something indiscernible. Will tugged him again, toward the table. He released his hand as he sat down and nodded to the other open chair.
“Kayla isn’t up yet,” Naomi said.
Nico sat dawn cautiously, his hands at his sides and his eyes wide in fear like a deer.
“Help yourself,” she said, gesturing to the plate in front of him and the pancakes on the table.
Will immediately picked some up with a fork and put them on Nico’s plate for him, raising an eyebrow and smiling. ‘ Eat’ he mouthed at him.
Nico picked up his utensils carefully and slowly cut off a piece of pancake.
Lester and Naomi were watching Nico with concern. They all ate in silence, only the sound of chewing and scraping utensils echoing in the kitchen. Nico kept his gaze down the entire time, his hands trembling and making his fork clatter occasionally. Under the table, Will stuck a leg out and locked ankles with Nico. It made him jump but he didn’t pull his leg away. As they finished eating, Naomi spoke carefully, “Do you need anything, Nico?”
He looked up, visibly flustered. “Uh, no ma’am,” he stuttered, “But thank you for breakfast. I really should be going soon, though.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes warm.
Nico nodded, “Yes ma’am. Thank you again.”
Naomi turned to Will, “Help him get his things,” she told him.
Both boys stood up and moved to leave the kitchen. Nico was stiff as he walked and he froze again as Naomi called out to him. “Nico?” he turned to face her, “If you ever need anything, you can always ask. You don’t need to sneak in through Will’s window.”
Will snickered as Nico turned bright red. “Thank you,” his voice cracked, “I appreciate it. And, uh, sorry for sneaking in through a window.”
Will grabbed the smaller boy’s hand again and pulled him from the room as his dad called out, “Have a good day. And Will, you better not leave with him.”
Will shut the door as they got back in his room and Nico immediately groaned, “Oh my god! That was awful!”
“Oh please, it wasn’t that bad,” Will said.
“Yes it was!” Nico shouted as he grabbed his clothes from the corner he set them.
“Okay, it was pretty bad,” he conceded.
“Turn around,” Nico commanded.
Will did as he was told and gulped and he heard Nico shuck off his pajamas, Will’s pajamas, and tug on his own clothing. “I am so embarrassed,” Nico sighed.
“Uh huh,” Will mumbled, desperately trying to focus on the wall in front of him and not the thought of Nico behind him.
“You aren’t listening to me,” Nico complained.
“Yes, I am,” Will said, his voice weak.
“You can turn around,” Nico told him, “And you clearly weren’t.”
“I was,” Will insisted as he turned around, “I was just distracted.”
“By what?” Nico asked, his brow furrowed.
“Uh,” Will laughed tensely, “My boyfriend was taking his clothes off behind me.”
“ Oh ,” Nico mumbled, blushing and looking to the floor.
“Sorry,” he shrugged.
“Um, it’s fine,” Nico said, biting his lip, “I really should go. Hazel is probably worried.”
Will nodded and stepped forward, grabbing Nico by the waist and pulling him close, “Yeah, you should.”
Nico looked up at him and smirked, “You don’t want your parents to get even angrier.”
“That would be bad,” Will agreed, leaning down.
“You’re already grounded,” he whispered.
“Mmhmm,” the taller boy hummed in acknowledgement.
“We won’t see each other outside of school for two weeks,” Nico said, raising up on his toes.
Will kissed his cheek and whispered, “How terrible.”
“Truly,” Nico sighed, “Because you would never break the rules.”
A kiss was pressed to Nico’s jaw, “Never.”
“Not even for me.”
A kiss to the juncture of his throat, “Nope.”
“What a shame.”
A kiss to the corner of his mouth, “Yes, shameful.”
“So you better give me a pretty good goodbye kiss.”
“Of course,” Will whispered.
He kissed Nico soundly, the smaller boy’s lips pliant and soft. He raised a hand to cup his jaw, his lips moving smoothly against Nico’s. He worked his mouth open and Nico sighed into the kiss. It made Will smile, the kiss becoming chaste for a moment. He could feel the pout on Nico’s lips and surged forward, deepening it again. Nico’s hands made their way into Will’s hair, gripping the curls tightly as he tried to pull him down lower. Absentmindedly, Will thought about trying to pick Nico up but he knew they had a time limit and that would make it so much harder to pull away when they needed to. But as Nico sighed again, all thoughts flew out the window. Will was desperately trying to coax sounds from Nico’s throat, kissing him insistently. When Nico pulled back, Will chased his lips. It just made the smaller boy smile as he lowered himself down from standing on his toes. Neither said anything as they caught their breath, still clinging to each other.
“See you Monday?” Nico asked quietly after a moment.
“Yeah, I’ll have figured out what to do about being grounded by then,” Will assured.
“You better,” Nico teased, “We promised that we wouldn’t ever be pulled apart and I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I know,” Will whispered, “And we still won’t. I won’t let it happen because I love you.”
It was the first time either of them had said it out loud, but they’d both been thinking it for months. Of course Will loved him, Nico was his person, his purpose. He knew that even now, at sixteen, and he knew when they kissed the first time. He knew on the day that they met and his breath caught in his throat at the very sight of him.
“I love you too,” Nico whispered back, his voice thick with adoration.
Will felt euphoric, entirely engulfed by the pure, unadulterated love he felt for the boy in front of him. He grinned and kissed Nico again, gently this time. It somehow left them both even more breathless than before.
“Get out of here,” Will mumbled, although it was the last possible thing he wanted in that moment.
As Nico climbed back out his window and smiled at him again, Will’s heart was simultaneously breaking as he watched him go and bursting as he thought about the look in his eyes when he said that he loved Will. He watched him climb down the fire escape and when he reached the ground, Nico looked back up and waved. Will waved back, even after Nico had turned away and started walking home.
‘I love him’ he thought, ‘More than anything, than anybody, than myself.’