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If Nico were to try to count the ways his boyfriend made his heart soar like one of those sappy movies the Aphrodite cabin, he daresay they might be about as numerous as those adorable freckles dotting that handsome face.
In fact, there was number thirty-five. Cute freckles.
No, you don’t get a freaking exhaustive list! If Percy didn’t quit trying to bribe other campers to rat him out, even Poseidon wouldn’t be able to save his son—then again, something told Nico his sea god uncle might be too busy laughing as he watched his son run from the rightly-deserved consequences of his actions.
Anyway.
Nico had found himself a nice spot in the shade of a nearby oak tree, not so hidden that one might think him a stalker, but away enough from where the students would surely crowd as they came out the school doors. The perfect way to surprise Will.
It had been difficult, losing out on having Will as a year-rounder, but Nico had adjusted. Meeting Naomi Solace and finding that she not only accepted him as Will’s boyfriend, but practically adored him helped. Oh, it made him a bit squirmy at first, and Will teased him horribly for how flustered he got, but it helped more than the dear woman could ever know. And besides, she had moved up north specifically to be closer to Will when he was at camp.
And so Will could be closer in the event of an emergency.
Which all worked out perfectly in a number of ways. Namely, that Nico could shadow travel right outside Will’s school and feel only slightly out of breath, and his overly protective, sun kissed boyfriend couldn’t scold him.
In theory.
Maybe.
He shifted in place to get a bit comfortable, enjoying the way the breeze played across his forearms. The early autumn air was brisk and cool, just enough so that he could enjoy the feeling without needing to wear his bomber jacket at all times. For now, it was folded and placed behind his head, serving as a makeshift cushion. His Stygian sword and sheathe lay across his lap to allow for comfortable rest, but ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.
Across the street, the school bell sounded and rang like the cacophony in the dining pavilion. Nico winced, wondering how his boyfriend could stand such an obnoxious thing. Then again, Will managed to corral his younger siblings and deal with the mess that was the infirmary, so perhaps it was normal to him.
The doors burst open to release a swarm of teenagers, all chattering, yelling, and laughing together as they celebrated surviving another week. Nico sat up a little straighter, his eyes flitting from one face to another as he searched for that curly blonde mop and befreckled (was that a word? It should be) face he so adored. After several seconds of searching, his efforts were rewarded. His face lit up.
Will chatted with a pair of, admittedly, rather good-looking girls and another guy. Their faces were all bright and full of mirth as Will continued his typical excited babble, only to fall to laughter as the other boy chipped in a quip that seemed to derail the conversation.
But then, Will fixed the boy with a sly look and made a retort in that slow, drawling Texan accent of his that left the girls howling and the other boy blushing and grinning ruefully. The Will Solace special.
Gods knew, Nico had found himself in much the same spot. Usually after Will made a point to whisper something in his ear that made him want grab the boy and shadow travel somewhere private to kiss him senseless.
The small smile playing upon Nico’s lips broadened. He couldn’t help it—seeing Will happy and having fun made him happy. And they’d both well crossed the point where either felt angst or jealousy toward the other for having friends of the same sex. Or, in Will’s case, either, given his chaotic bi energy.
As if sensing Nico’s presence, Will looked across the street. Bright blue eyes met dark brown, and that sly smirk turned into a smile as bright as his father’s Sun Chariot. The son of Apollo hastily bade his friends a farewell and hurriedly made to cross the street.
Nico rose, sliding his sheath into its place to hang on his belt and throwing on his jacket as he did so. He stood, waiting and ready as Will crossed the street and wrapped him in a tight hug.
“Well, hey, darlin’,” he drawled. Nico suppressed a shiver, both at how he felt Will smiling into the crook of his neck and how he almost seemed to lean into his accent when he was happy. Will drew back to hold him at arm’s length and grinned. “What’re ya doin’ here?”
“I can’t come see my boyfriend after he moved closer to me?” Nico arched a brow. “Close enough that I can—” he hesitated, noticing Will’s friends coming over to investigate, their playful smirks telling of an intent to tease, and altered his phrasing “—hitch a ride from dad.”
Will caught his meaning. He hummed, pulling Nico close and muttered, “Well, we’ll talk ‘bout that’n later.” The boys leaned in and shared a quick kiss. Then, he reached up and mussed up Nico’s perpetually messy hair.
Nico batted at his hand. “Gah! Will!”
Laughing, Will yanked him back into a hug. This time, pinning his arms to his sides so Will could press their cheeks together. “You’re the one who came to surprise me, darlin’! Ya had to know I’d wanna play with that mop of yours!”
“I take it back,” Nico deadpanned. “It was an accident. I was just passing through and wanted to check on you. I got lost on the way to Boston. The sun was in my eyes. There was a flash flood.”
“Ain’t all that contradictory?”
“Ain’t isn’t a word.”
“Reckon it is.”
“Reckon it’s not.”
“Well, ain’t ain’t a problem from where I’m standin’, handsome.” Will planted a lingering kiss on his cheek, and had the gall to grin at the way Nico tried to squirm out of the hug. “Aw, whatsamatter, Sunshine? Lil’ kiss all I need to tame the Lord of Darkness?”
Nico fixed him with a glare. One ruined by the blush coloring his cheeks. He sighed and threw up his hands—at least, as best as he could. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Will barked a laugh. “I’m freaking adorable, darlin’.”
“You both are,” one of the girls tittered, her hazel eyes glittering. “Now, are you gonna introduce us to your apparently real and no longer mysterious boyfriend, Will? So this one—” she jabbed an elbow into the other boy’s side, drawing a yelp “—can pay me my five dollars.”
The grin Will wore made those skeletal butterflies flutter in Nico’s chest. As if on cue, would you just look at that! There was number one—grin warm, bright, and worthy of the son of the sun god. Guaranteed to melt the heart of even a Ghost King or your Drachmas back.
Nico made himself a mental reminder to find Valdez, wherever he was, and kick him in the shin for daring to infect him with that sort of banter.
“Well, can’t keep ya waitin’ if it means seein’ Greg lose money, can I?” Will turned to face his friends, snaking an arm around Nico’s shoulders as he did so and pulled him into a side hug. “Y’all, adorable sweetheart is my boyfriend, Nico. Nico, these two are my friends, Eva and Gabrielle, and then Greg’s a stray we took in when we found him out in the rain and housebroke him.”
Greg rolled his eyes skyward. “I’m already losing five bucks!” he whined. “And you’re still roasting me, Solace?”
“He says,” Will deadpanned, “after makin’ a ‘my boyfriend in Canada’ joke not two seconds before we walked out the door.”
“Lovingly! I’m only teasing because we hadn’t met the guy!” Greg gesticulated at Nico wildly. “And now we have! I stand corrected!”
“And five dollars poorer.” Eva held out her hand and beckoned to him. “Money. Mine. Now. Gimme.”
“Can’t you at least let me be overdramatic a bit first?”
“Nope. Pay up, Donnie Dorko.”
Gabrielle, meanwhile, beamed at Nico. “Nice to meet you!” she said, bouncing on her toes. “Will’s told us so much about you!”
“L-Likewise.” Nico shot Will a look. That grin broadened, a sly glint shone in his eye. “I promise I’m not nearly as sappy as he claims,” he said slowly.
“Oh, I’m sure.” She shared a knowing smile with Will.
The son of Apollo feigned a sneeze. “Is so!” he said, not even bothering to try and disguise it well.
Nico’s renewed glare did little to dim the boy’s smile. Stupid, smug, handsome jerk.
Gabrielle’s laughter did little to help him maintain his image. “I’ll just take your word for it then,” she said with a wink. Then, she gestured to the arguing couple and quipped, “These two are our married couple—don’t mind them. They argue because they’re helplessly in love.”
Eva pulled a face. “I’m in love with the money I win off his constant suckers’ bets. Get your facts straight!”
“One day,” Greg said, more to Nico than Eva, “she’ll say yes. She’s just putting it off out of spite.”
Eva responded by stepping on his foot, hard, and smiled as he hopped about on the other.
“Or not!” Greg hissed. “Jury’s out!”
Nico got the slightest hint of Valdez vibes from this one. Though perhaps slightly less irritating, if only because he hadn’t fully committed to the alleged “ladies man” gimmick if the eye rolls and teasing banter rather than overt frustration were any hint. But it was there.
It reminded him of the infirmary, oddly enough. Like how Austin and Kayla would alternate between driving one another up a wall, then switch to needling Will until he chased them out for the day—or drove him spare enough that he left to take a break. Trust Will to find friends who would play off each other so easily. He huffed a laugh.
“It’s nice to finally meet you all,” he said, smiling slightly. “Will’s told me a lot about you on our, er, calls.”
If they noticed his slight hesitation, the trio seemed to pay it no mind. Nor did they seem to notice Nico’s little habit of fiddling with his fingers when nervous or anxious over something, a substitute for the way he used to twist the skull ring currently hanging from the chain around Will’s neck.
Or, so he thought. Right up until Eva glanced down, then bumped her knuckle against Gabrielle’s hand.
The bubbly girl caught her look and seemed to take whatever silent hint was passed in an instant. Gabrielle clasped her hands together and aimed another of her thousand-watt smiles at Nico and Will. “Well! It was nice to meet you finally, Nico,” she said, practically bouncing on her toes. “But we’ll leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your afternoon!”
“Wait, huh?” Greg glanced at Gabrielle and Eva.
The latter rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the wrist, Gabrielle swiftly looped her arm through his opposite arm before he could protest. Together, the girls began to steer him down the sidewalk as Eva drawled, “Come on, genius. We’ll explain after you’ve bought me a smoothie—I’ll even use small words for you.”
Nico watched the trio as they went, Greg protesting while the girls cheerfully (in Gabrielle’s case, at least) shot him down at every turn. He found himself shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself, almost in disbelief.
He felt Will’s knuckles brush against his right hand. Nico glanced up to share a smile with his boyfriend.
His heart fluttering, Nico took Will’s hand, their fingers interlacing and fitting together so perfectly it just felt so right. The best he’d felt in the month since Will had started school.
“So,” Will drawled. “Since you decided to come ’n surprise me, what’ve you got in mind for the weekend, Sunshine?”
Nico ducked his head as if to hide the fluster coloring his cheeks. To no avail, naturally. “Honestly? I didn’t actually plan anything,” he admitted in a low mumble. “Just wanted to see you.”
Will beamed and leaned down to kiss him as he led Nico down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of his friends. “And you say you ain’t given to mushy things,” he teased, his voice soft. “You lil’ romantic, you.”
“Shut up, Solace.” Nico bit the inside of his cheek to try to hide a smile. He failed miserably. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t gotten eaten by a monster yet.”
“Uh huh. And you brought your sword to make sure, huh?”
His deepening blush betrayed him. Will grinned that stupid grin that never seemed to fail to turn his insides to mush and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.
Damn him. Why’d he have to be so adorable?