and i'll never go home again (place the call, feel it start)

by introvertedhufflepuff

Summary:

Camp Half Blood holds a volleyball tournament every summer. This the first time Nico di Angelo has ever had a chance to participate, and on Will Solace's team nonetheless.

title from buzzcut season by lorde

Notes:

HEY GUYSSSS omg. if you follow me on tiktok, you probably saw this coming, but here it is!!!! my first solangelo fic!!!!! i've been soooo deep in solangelo/pjo brainrot these past couple of weeks that i had to write this for my own sanity.

i hope you guys like it!! i'm expecting it to only be a couple of chapters, just the duration of the tournament. i'm vvvvv hyped.

happy reading!!!!!!!!! if y'all want to listen to a playlist that i listened while writing, here is one: solangelo playlist

 

come chat with me on tumblr!

 

come scream about nerdy things with me on tiktok

Chapter 1: Chapter One

It’s too early for this. The pavilion is still mostly empty, only filled with the Apollo kids because they’re insane, Jason, who’s also insane, and a few stragglers from Athena and Demeter. Nico’s eyes are only half-open as he stabs half-heartedly at his eggs.

 

“Nico,” comes the soft voice to his right, a finger reaching out to poke him in the temple. “Nico. Di Angelo. Death Boy.”

 

“Holy gods,  what?  What is so important right now, Solace?” Nico growls, his brain barely functioning this early in the morning.

 

Will Solace has become a thorn in Nico’s side from the moment they first spoke on Half Blood Hill just a couple of weeks ago, with his constant hovering and watchful eye on Nico, always telling him what to do with a chirped “Doctor’s orders!” and a too-sunny smile.

 

Nico loathes him. His stomach also does backflips any time Will is in his vicinity. It’s all very confusing. And frustrating. It sort of makes him want to sink into the shadows of every room whenever Will approaches him with a grin that lights up his entire face, but that would be counter-intuitive seeing as Will would likely skin him alive for trying to use his shadow powers so soon after he nearly dissolved while fighting Gaea. 

 

“I just wanted to know if you’d be at the tournament today,” Will explains, taking the liberty of sitting down beside Nico despite his standing as a son of Apollo. 

 

“What tournament?” Nico asks, subtly trying to scoot a few inches away from Will. He’s so warm and smells like freaking sunshine–which isn’t that surprising, Nico supposes, but it proves to be very distracting.

 

“What do you mean  what tournament?  Only the best and most awesome volleyball tournament that this camp has to offer! You’ve never played in it before?” Will asks, his blue eyes wide as he regards Nico with part offense and part horror.

 

“I was kind of busy.” Nico deadpans, deciding not to go in-depth on his life before finally settling in at Camp Half Blood. 

 

Will pales, seeming to notice his mistake a beat too late. “Right. Um. Well, it’s this volleyball tournament that most of the campers get involved in. You pick your teams of four and play against each other until there’s one team left as the winner. Last summer it took a full week before it finished. The first round starts today.” 

 

Nico squints at him. “What’s volleyball?”

 

Will flushes. “Right, I forgot that you probably never got the chance to play. It’s basically a game where you try to hit a ball over a net for points. You throw it in the air and sort of–” Will mimes spiking a ball over a net. “Like that. It’s fun. I was going to ask if you’d be on my team.”

 

“I don’t think you want me.” Nico shrugs.

 

“Of course I want you.” Will protests. 

 

Nico’s head shoots up from where he had been staring at a fray in his dark jeans, the heat rising in his cheeks as he glances at Will. The blond’s ears promptly go red and he scratches at the back of his neck. Nico’s heart pounds in his chest, his palms going sweaty. Did he hear that correctly?

 

“I just meant–” Will breaks off, laughing a little. “I want you on my team. We work well together, don’t we? And volleyball isn’t difficult to learn. It would be fun.”

 

Nico bites his lip in thought, worrying it with his teeth. “I don’t want to embarrass myself. I probably wouldn’t be any good.”

 

“You wouldn’t be embarrassed! Plus, it’s supposed to be fun, so it doesn’t matter how good you are. That’s how I see it anyway.” Will shrugs, his face split into a small smile as he looks down at Nico. “I could teach you the basics so you know what you’re doing. I’m sure you’d already be way better than half the other people playing.”

 

Nico opens his mouth to turn down Will’s offer, but the arrival of the most insufferably irritating demigod interrupts him in the form of Percy Jackson sliding down in the seat across from them, a sly smile on his face as he looks between Nico and Will curiously. “Sup, Will. What’re you doing here?” He asks, immediately digging into his waffles.

 

Nico sighs loudly, wishing he could be anywhere but here. The only reason he’s even up this early is because Jason has insisted on waking him up every time he makes his way to breakfast, making sure that Nico is up and will eat. All because Will suggested it, of course. It’s like having his own personal at-home nurse in the form of cargo shorts and flip-flops. He glances over to see Jason still making offerings over at the fire, Piper at his side as they chat quietly. No hope in him coming over to save Nico anytime soon.

 

“I was asking Nico if he wanted to join my team for the volleyball tournament,” Will explains, his nose wrinkling a bit as he watches Percy shovel food into his mouth without a care in the world. 

 

“Oh yeah! Damn, it’s a good thing you reminded me, or else Annabeth would’ve had my head.” Percy smiles, shaking his head. “You should do it, Nico. It’s fun.”

 

Nico scowls, immediately put off by the idea merely because Percy suggested that he should do it. If Percy wants him to do it, then Nico knows he won’t.

 

“Plus, Annabeth and I are on a team with Jason and Piper, so we’ll definitely kick your asses,” Percy adds with a smirk.

 

Narrowing his eyes, Nico immediately reacts. “The only ass that’s getting kicked is yours.”

 

Percy grins. “So, you’re gonna do it?” 

 

“If it means watching you lose, then sure,” Nico says, still glaring over at the older boy across the table.

 

“You will?” Will cuts in, his eyes bright with excitement.

 

Having forgotten that the other boy was there, Nico immediately flushes when he looks over and finds Will only a few inches away again. He looks down and scoots back again, ignoring the snort that Percy lets out.

 

“Um, yeah. If you’ll teach me beforehand.” Nico shrugs, trying to resist the blush that heats his cheeks and ears.

 

“Great! Meet me on the court in an hour!” Will hops up and waves to Percy before patting Nico’s shoulder lightly and walking back over to the Apollo table.

 

Nico looks up to find Percy watching him with a knowing look. “What?”

 

“Oh, nothing.” Percy sings, shoving more waffles in his mouth. “Just can’t wait to crush you later.”

 

“You fucking wish, Jackson.”

 

~

 

Nico approaches the volleyball courts an hour later, a scowl on his face as other campers watch him with interest as he trudges over to where Will is standing with his siblings. Kayla is telling a story, her eyes wide and animated as she flings her hands out and nearly hits Nico in the face.

 

“Woah,” Nico says, moving out of the way at the last second. “Careful.”

 

“Nico, you made it!” Will exclaims, his gaze roaming over Nico, a frown pulling on his lips. “Is that… what you’re wearing?”

 

Nico furrows his eyebrows and glances down at his dark jeans and hoodie. “Yeah?”

 

“Nico, it’s the middle of summer and we’re about to play a sport for multiple hours. You need shorts and a T-shirt.” Will says, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly.

 

Nico makes eye contact with Austin and Kayla, who try their hardest to act like they’re not eavesdropping. Nico rolls his eyes and shoots Will a look. “I’m not exactly swimming in options, Solace. I have this outfit and pajama pants.”

 

Will frowns again and steps forward, his hand reaching out towards Nico but pulling back at the last second. “Right. I, uh, I’m sure we’ve got some extra clothes in the Apollo cabin. Come on.” He gestures for Nico to follow him towards Cabin 7, so Nico reluctantly does. “I think Austin’s clothes might fit you, or maybe some of my old ones.”

 

They walk through the front door of Cabin 7 and Will immediately goes over to what Nico assumes is his bunk. There are medical textbooks on his comforter, and pictures plastered on the wall beside his bed. Will kneels and rummages through his drawer of clothes, occasionally throwing some things out on the floor next to him. Nico fights the squirmy feeling that plagues his stomach when the idea of wearing Will’s clothes pops into his head. It’s a completely normal suggestion, friends wear each other's clothes all the time. But Nico’s brain snags on the question of whether Will’s clothes also smell like sunshine and if Nico will subsequently smell like that, too. He thinks that smelling like Will all day would instantly make everything better.

 

“Aha! I thought I still had these.” Will exclaims, holding up a pair of red swim trunks with a wide smile.

 

Nico’s eyes go wide with horror. “What the fuck are those?”

 

Will tilts his head, his eyebrows furrowing in a truly endearing manner. Nico imagines that if he were a dog, his ears would be sticking straight up. “They’re swim trunks. Most people play beach volleyball in their swimsuits because it’s so hot. Plus, we can jump in the water quickly if we get too hot.”

 

“Right, but… do they have to be so  red?”  Nico grimaces.

 

Will raises his eyebrows, his expression unimpressed. “You can’t spare your goth aesthetic for one day?”

 

“I’m not goth.” Nico frowns.

 

“Fine. Emo, goth, punk–whatever you’d like to call it–can rest for a day so you don’t overexert yourself and pass out from heat stroke, alright?” Will hands the shorts over to Nico with a stern expression. “Go change, I’ll find you a T-shirt.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes and walks over to the bathroom, grumbling to himself as he pulls on the unseemly red shorts. They’re a truly ghastly color of red, and Nico winces when imagining Percy and Jason’s reactions to seeing him in them. He’d never live this down.

 

But they did smell like Will.

 

To resist being a complete fucking weirdo, he walks back out into the cabin in the infernal shorts, still wearing his large hoodie. Will smirks the moment he steps out, not even bothering to hide his amusement. Nico glares.

 

“You look great!” Will giggles.

 

“Fuck off,” Nico grumbles. He notices the white t-shirt in Will’s hands and holds his hand out. Will passes it over, and Nico looks at the design on the front. In clunky letters, it reads, ‘I ♡ NY’ with a huge red heart in the middle. Nico rolls his eyes. “This was the best you could find?”

 

“Oh, come on! The heart matches your shorts! Honestly, I think it’s pretty genius.” Will says, doing a terrible job of trying to hide his laughter.

 

“I hate you,” Nico says before shrugging his hoodie off.

 

Will abruptly stops laughing and Nico glances up at him with raised eyebrows. Will’s ears are red as he looks away from where he’d been staring. Shaking his head, Nico pulls the shirt on and spreads his arms wide, a sarcastic smile on his face. “How do I look?”

 

“Absolutely stunning. Like a true New Yorker.” Will says, his voice a bit shaky.

 

“You’re from Texas, Will.” Nico deadpans, though the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Will’s very mature response is to stick his tongue out and lightly smack Nico’s shoulder. “Nice,” Nico laughs, ditching his clothes on the foot of Will’s bed and following him out the front door.

 

The resulting looks that Nico gets from other campers make him want to sink into the surrounding shadows and go literally anywhere else. Will seems to notice this and reaches out to grab Nico’s wrist, effectively tethering him here. “Don’t even think about it, di Angelo. You’re sticking with me.”

 

“Lose a bet, di Angelo?” Lou Ellen calls out with a teasing smile, Cecil laughing from beside her.

 

Nico shifts, willing his cheeks to stay cool. He doesn’t respond, just looks away and tries to ignore the snickers and hoots coming from various campers that they pass. Will tries to bump his shoulder into Nico’s, only for Nico to lean away from him, unintentionally covering himself with shadows.

 

Nico scowls. “Everyone is laughing at me.”

 

“Oh, come on, no one is laughing in a mean way. They’re laughing because I found the corniest outfit possible for you to wear and it’s funny. No one is trying to be mean.” Will says, his gaze earnest as he glances down at Nico. “Don’t sink into the shadows, please. If it bothers you that much, we can swap shirts.” Will gestures to his plain gray t-shirt. “But I personally love your outfit. It’s cute.”

 

Nico weighs his options. He could take the shirt off of Will’s back and stop feeling so humiliated. Or he could continue wearing the outfit that Will thought he looked cute in.

 

He goes with the second option.

 

“Oh my gods, Nico. Are those Will’s clothes?” Kayla asks when they step back onto the volleyball court.

 

“Unfortunately.” 

 

The three Apollo kids all burst out into a fit of laughter, Austin needing to lean on Will to stay upright. Nico watches them with a blank expression.

 

“You’re so mean, Will,” Kayla says, fully doubled over from laughter. “This is the best thing I’ve seen in a while.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes. He doesn’t dignify their comments with a response. Instead, he scowls and addresses the group. “Are you guys going to teach me how to play volleyball or just stand here all day?”

 

“Alright, alright, he’s right, y’all,” Will says, his laughter calming down. 

 

“Y’all,” Austin and Kayla chorused in unison, their wide smiles directed at Nico. 

 

Nico finds himself smiling despite himself, looking over at Will hesitantly. The son of Apollo is beaming as he steps a bit closer and bumps his shoulder into Nico’s. “Come on, let’s play some volleyball.”

 

~

 

After an hour of Will, Kayla, and Austin explaining the rules of volleyball to Nico, he finally takes a shot at serving the ball.

 

“Just keep your eye on the ball and bump it. Doesn’t need to be very hard to start.” Will encourages. 

 

Nico does as they all taught him, throwing the ball straight up and spiking it over the net. It doesn’t go very far, but it does make it just over the net, landing too quickly for Kayla or Austin to attempt to hit it back. Will immediately cheers, running over to sling his arm around Nico’s shoulders and shaking him a bit. “You did it! That was awesome, Nico!”

 

Nico could feel his mouth twitching upwards in the corners, slowly blooming into a wide smile the longer he looked up into Will’s bright blue eyes. He swears he can see the sunshine in those eyes, a bright halo beaming down around him, warming up Nico by their proximity. He fears being this close to Will, the story of Icarus nagging in his mind. He couldn’t possibly be allowed to stay this near to the sun, to this bright boy, without his wings melting off in a puddle below him.

 

He can’t stay away, though.

 

“Good job, Nico!” Kayla calls from across the net. “I’d say you’re ready for the tournament now.”

 

Nico turns his grin in her direction, feeling shy from all of the attention. Will notices, quickly letting Nico go and changing the subject. “I think that we all deserve a dip in the lake before lunch.”

 

Kayla and Austin immediately break out in cheers, leaving the court in a rush of pushing each other in an attempt to get in the water first. Nico watches them go with a fond smile, looking over at Will, who still has his arm around Nico’s shoulders. Will grins back, rocking the two of them back and forth. 

 

“Having fun yet?” Will teases.

 

“This is torture.” Nico deadpans, struggling to keep his face blank. Will scoffs and pushes himself off of Nico. Relieved, Nico takes a small step back only to squawk when he’s lifted into the air and marched across the court towards the lake. His world tilts as he’s settled over Will’s shoulder, his upper body bouncing with every step the son of Apollo takes. “Solace, what the fuck? Let go!”

 

Will tuts, his arms holding firmly to Nico’s legs. “If you thought that was torture, let’s see how you like this.” He walks them over to the dock, speeding up his stride the closer he gets to the water, giving Nico next to no warning before jumping in and plunging the both of them into the depths of the cold lake.

 

Nico resurfaces sputtering, sending Will a harsh glare as the other boy laughs as he swims away. “You’re a dead man, Solace.”

 

“Oh, I’m terrified.” Will grins, not even bothering to act a little bit scared.

 

With a grunt, Nico swims over and jumps on Will, pushing him under the water with all his strength. Kayla and Austin appear out of nowhere, cheering Nico on. They’ve somehow caught the attention of multiple other campers, all of them watching Will and Nico with varying degrees of amusement. 

 

Will swims back up, a new gleam in his eyes as he scans his eyes down Nico’s form. With a smirk, he throws himself at Nico, pushing him under the water with a strength that Nico never could’ve guessed that he possessed. Nico’s hands wrap around Will’s wrists and pull him under, too, the two of them struggling as they attempt to keep the other under the water. Nico manages to wrap his legs around Will’s waist and pin his wrists to his side as they both surface the water. They’re coughing and struggling to breathe, but Nico still refuses to let up.

 

Will’s eyes gleam as he looks at Nico, his pupils blown as he looks from Nico’s face to his legs that are still locked around Will’s waist, to the spot where Nico’s hands tightly clasp Will’s wrists. Nico, suddenly realizing how close they are, flushes and leans back a bit. “Given up?”

 

“If you’ll stay like this, then sure.” Will grins.

 

Scoffing, Nico pushes himself off of Will and swims away. Kayla swims in front of Nico, her eyes bright with amusement. “Will never loses.”

 

Nico blinks, still coughing up water. “Hm?”

 

“In wrestling. He never loses.”

 

Nico frowns, looking over at Will. The other boy is talking quietly with his brother, rolling his eyes when Austin leans in and pokes his chest. 

 

“Let’s get lunch, I’m starving.” Kayla nudges Nico and nods to the ladder. “We’re going, I’m not waiting for you losers!” She directs at her brothers who are still splashing each other in the water.

 

Will looks over, his eyes meeting Nico’s for a moment before Austin splashes him and he’s distracted again. Nico ignores the flip in his stomach.

 

Nico follows Kayla, quickly climbing the ladder to the dock and walking beside her as they go towards the pavilion. He grimaces as he looks down at his outfit, his T-shirt, and shorts fully soaked and dripping on the grass. Kayla notices his grimacing and goes over to where they had dropped their stuff on the volleyball court. She pulls two towels out of her bag, handing Nico one of them.

 

“Here. They were supposed to be for Austin and me, but he can suffer.” Kayla wiggles her eyebrows as she wraps herself in the beach towel.

 

“Thanks.” Nico wraps himself, unintentionally taking a deep breath and smelling the same sunshine scent that Will always permeates.

 

“I’m glad you’re doing the tournament,” Kayla says as they walk towards the pavilion. “Will is, too.”

 

“Yeah. It’ll be fun.” Nico murmurs, trying to will the blush to leave his cheeks. Will was glad that Nico was doing this, and that thought made him weirdly giddy. “We’re going to kick everyone’s asses.”

 

“Heck yeah!” Kayla holds her hand out for a high five, and Nico chuckles before hitting her hand lightly.

 

They arrive at the pavilion a few minutes later, still wet but not dripping water on the ground anymore. He bids Kayla goodbye to go grab his food, burns his offerings with a quick prayer, and makes his way over to Jason at the Zeus table. Jason looks up as Nico slides down on the bench beside him, his eyes bulging comically as he takes in Nico’s outfit. “What are you wearing?”

 

“Solace’s stupid clothes,” Nico grumbles, taking a forceful bite of his sandwich.

 

“Those are Will’s clothes?” Jason asks, his face blooming into a devilish smirk.

 

“Would you shut up for once in your fucking life?” Nico glares harshly.

 

Jason holds his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”

 

“You’re looking at me.”

 

“Am I not allowed to look at you?”

 

“Not with that expression.”

 

“What expression?”

 

“That dumbass expression like you know something I don’t, Jason.” Nico turns his glare over at Jason again, feeling some of his power crackling beneath his veins.

 

“Hey guys–why does Nico look like he’s about to murder you, Jason?” Percy asks with wide eyes as he slides into the spot across from them.

 

“Because he wants to,” Nico answers.

 

Percy looks between the two of them in confusion, his eyes snagging on Nico’s outfit with interest. “I didn’t believe Annabeth when she told me you were wearing a color other than black, but here you are.”

 

“You guys are so fucking ridiculous.” Nico rolls his eyes, reaching up to massage his temples.

 

He’s about to cuss the two of them out even more but is interrupted by hands brushing against his shoulders. Startling, Nico looks up to find Will smiling down at him, his fingers wrapping in the towel still on Nico’s shoulders. “Mind if I steal this from you? I forgot to bring mine.”

 

Nico sputters, feeling his entire face go red as Jason and Percy both snicker. Will tilts his head, an amused smile on his face as he waits for Nico to answer.

 

“Yeah, go ahead.” Nico finally manages, cursing the slight crack in his voice.

 

“Sweet, thanks.” Will gently removes the towel and wraps it around his shoulders, grinning at the three of them. “You guys ready to be completely humiliated in the tournament?”

 

Percy and Jason both scoff, immediately puffing up their chests and denying it. Will laughs, reaching down to rest a hand on Nico’s shoulder while making silly faces as Jason and Percy go on their respective rants as to why and how their team is going to win. Will leans down to whisper in Nico’s ear, “I just wanted to see how they’d react to that.”

 

Nico chuckles, shaking his head lightly. “That’s quite the cunning move.”

 

“Oh, I’m very cunning. So cunning.” Will says before straightening back up. “I’ll see you after this, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Nico confirms, waving as Will walks away.

 

“–and Annabeth’s got a whole strategy going for us, so we’ve got it in the bag.” Percy finally finishes his rant, his gaze going to the space where Will had been standing. “Where’d he go?”

 

“The sound of your voice was so irritating that it sent him away. If only I were that lucky.” Nico rolls his eyes.

 

“So, you’re on Team Apollo, eh?” Percy wiggles his eyebrows.

 

“I think Nico would prefer Team Will,” Jason adds.

 

“You two can fuck right off.” Nico growls. “But, yeah, I’m on their team. And we’re going to crush you two.”

 

That spurts Percy and Jason into more trash-talking for the rest of lunch. When Nico raises his eyes over to the Apollo table, he’s met with sparkling blue eyes that are already watching him. Nico raises an eyebrow, and Will grins. 

 

Idiot.

 

~

 

“Okay, so we’re all going to play one game to start. Our first opponent is the Stolls team with Katie and Mitchell. No offense to them, but we’ll get this in the bag.” Will explains to Nico as they warm up before starting the tournament. “They’re all great, but Mitchell hates sports and Katie and Travis are usually too invested in each other to pay much attention. Connor is really good, but he can’t play for three other people.”

 

“Why doesn’t he join another team?” Nico asks.

 

“He usually uses this as blackmail material for months to come.” Will shrugs.

 

Nico nods, looking around at everyone gathered around. Most of the younger kids are watching, along with the majority of the Aphrodite cabin, all of them sitting in a circle and gossiping. Percy’s team is against Lou Ellen’s team, all of them having started already. They’ve been in a tie for a while now, all of them growing increasingly frustrated.

 

“You’re great at serving, so we can either have you serve every time, or we can switch off serving. Usually, that means we go around in a circle and take turns. It’s whatever you want.” Will says.

 

Nico bites his lip thoughtfully. “I think we should all switch off serving to start.”

 

“Alrighty. Kayla, Austin, you guys catch that?”

 

“Heard, boss.” Austin salutes before going back to talking with his younger siblings.

 

Nico and Will watch the other teams, and Nico can’t help but worry that he’ll mess this up for everyone. He just learned how to play the gods-damned game today, how could he help them?

 

“Don’t worry, Nico. You’re going to do great.” Will says after seemingly reading Nico’s mind.

 

“Don’t hate me if we lose because of me.”

 

“Firstly, I could never hate you. Secondly, we’re not going to lose. We’re gonna be great!” Will says.

 

Nico just shakes his head, smiling a bit. They sit in silence for a few more minutes until their team is called up. Percy’s team had just managed to score another point before the end of the game, putting them in the winning category.

 

“Okay, guys, let’s do this thing,” Will says, taking his spot in the front corner, and giving Nico a thumbs up.

 

They flip a coin to decide who serves first, Will winning the first serve. Nico takes the ball and sighs, looking around at the other campers. Percy and Jason smile, Annabeth and Piper cheering him on. He blocks them out and looks forward, his gaze catching on Will. He’s standing there, watching Nico with a soft smile, his eyes crinkled in the corners. Relaxing, Nico throws the ball and spikes it over the net.

 

They win their first point in two seconds. None of the other team is quick enough to even touch the ball before it hits the sand with a gentle thump. Will immediately goes insane, rushing over to wrap his arms around Nico’s shoulders. “You sure you don’t wanna take the lead on serving?” Will asks him breathlessly.

 

Nico blushes, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean… if you want me to, then I can keep doing it.”

 

“Y’all got that?” Will calls out to his siblings. “Nico’s taking the lead on serving.”

 

“Copy that,” Kayla says, Austin nodding in understanding.

 

Will pat Nico’s shoulders. They share a long look between the two of them, Will grinning while Nico lightly rolls his eyes.

 

“We’ve got this.” Nico mumbles.

 

“Yes, we do.” Will grins.

 

“You’ve got this, Nico!” Annabeth yells through cupped hands.

 

Nico takes a deep breath. He’s got this.

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Summary:

Team Apollo plays their first round in the tournament.

Notes:

hey y'all!! punched out another chapter on this snowy (for me) day. god i hate the winter. why can't i be lazing in the sun on the beach rn????? why must i be freezing my ass off???? ugh.

the craziest thing happened to me while writing this chapter. i was writing the scene between nico and sami (you'll meet her this chapter, she's my lil sweetheart) and i had this memory come back to me that i used to think volleyball was called "ball-y ball" cuz i didn't understand that it was a v bahahahah. so i included that cuz i thought it was hilarious.

ANYWAY-- if u wanna chat with me on tumblr please do! i love talking about pjo or anything really. i also have tiktok if y'all wanna see my dumbass content i make on there hahaha.

 

thank u for reading!!

They take their position, Nico grabbing the ball. He serves again, Connor hitting it back this time and Will dives to save it from hitting the ground, just managing to bounce it back over the net. Travis hits it back, Austin spiking it before it hits just on the inside of the boundary line. They cheer and pat each other on the backs, readying to go again.

 

Nico wipes his forehead, trying to resist the urge to smile. It’s fucking difficult because every two seconds, Will is looking back at him with that huge, beaming grin that’s so contagious it takes more effort not to smile back. 

 

The sun starts moving out from behind a cloud, the bright rays hitting Nico’s vision harshly. Cursing, Nico summons some shadows to block them from his vision, unintentionally doing the same for Austin, Kayla, and Will, too. The three of them turn to him in surprise, elated smiles decorating their faces.

 

“How do you do that?” Kayla calls to him, her eyes fully open instead of squinting like they had been seconds ago.

 

Nico shrugs. “It’s just my shadow powers. I’m blocking out the sun with them.”

 

“That’s so fucking cool.” Austin gushes.

 

“Language,” Will scolds.

 

“Wha–Nico says it all the time!” Austin argues, outraged.

 

“Nico is older than you, and I’m not his head counselor. He can do whatever he wants.” Will says sternly, his eyes bright with amusement as he glances back at Nico. “Unless you want me to scold you, too, di Angelo.”

 

Why is that making Nico blush?

 

“I’m good, Solace.” Nico manages.

 

“Whatever you say,” Will sings, readying himself for another round.

 

Nico takes that as his cue to get ready to serve again, noticing that the other team has been watching their exchange with amusement. Katie even winks at him when they make eye contact, her eyebrows wiggling as she suggestively looks between him and Will. Nico narrows his eyes and spikes the ball hard, smirking in satisfaction when it lands directly over the net, too close for Connor to hit it back.

 

The group around them cheers, Percy and Jason dancing around and attempting to chant his last name, though their sense of rhythm is awful and can’t be understood. Nico flips them off before serving yet again, Connor managing to hit the ball back this time. Austin and Kayla both dive for it, but it hits the ground first.

 

They all cuss as the other team has the serve this time. Connor serves, sending a shallow hit just over the net. Nico thinks it’s a lost cause, but Will somehow manages to dive and hit it at the last second, sending it over the net and watching it hit the ground before any of the other team members have even moved.

 

Nico cheers, rushing forward to help Will off the ground and hugging him tightly. “That was amazing!” Nico says.

 

He swears that he can see a light flush on Will’s cheeks, but Nico assumes it’s from the heat. The other boy thanks him quietly before he’s pulled into a tight embrace by his siblings.

 

The rest of the game goes by in a flash. Nico finds himself having a lot of fun. He scores the most goals with his shallow serves, Will gets them a few more points, and Austin and Kayla pull out a few more. They win by a landslide.

 

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about!” Will cheers, pulling the four of them in for a group hug. 

 

“Language,” Austin, Kayla, and Nico all remind him.

 

“Oh, fuck off.” Will waves them off with a laugh. “And good thinking with your shadow abilities, Nico! Even though I’m not thrilled by the prospect of you using your powers and potentially wearing yourself out–”

 

Nico violently rolls his eyes and pushes away from Will’s embrace, only to be pulled right back in.

 

“I will admit that it was quick and clever thinking. Keep it up.” Will finishes.

 

Nico allows himself to smile freely at that, his muscles relaxing into his natural smile, not the one that he used to creep people out, or the tiny twitch of his lips he sometimes did. He actually smiled, feeling his cheeks start to ache from the sincerity of it.

 

Will’s pupils were huge again as he stared down at Nico, his gaze flicking all over Nico’s face, finally settling on his mouth. “Your smile is so beautiful.” He breathes out, chest still heaving from the game they’d just finished.

 

Nico knows that his face is bright red as he pushes away from Will with a small sound. “Shut up, Solace.” He murmurs before he’s bombarded by his friends.

 

“Bro, that was awesome!” Percy says, his tall frame hitting Nico with force and almost causing both of them to tumble to the ground. Thankfully, Jason seemed to see it coming and was there to support Nico from behind, basically catching them before they could fall.

 

“It was really cool, Nico. How did you get so good at serving?” Jason asks once he’s righted the three of them.

 

Nico opens his mouth to answer, only to be swept up in another hug. Piper and Leo are both practically crushing him, their excited chatter filling his ears before he has the chance to say anything.

 

“That was  so  badass, dude. So badass.” Leo says, pulling back so he can lightly punch Nico’s shoulder.

 

Piper nods in agreement. “Very nice. You’ll be a worthy opponent for our team.”

 

“But he won’t beat us!” Annabeth calls out, her eyes teasing as she walks over to pat his shoulder. “You can try, though.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes. “You’ll be the one trying. We’re gonna crush you.”

 

Everyone but Leo starts sputtering, all promising that they’ll be the winners. Nico just snorts, looking back for his familiar head of blond hair. He finds Will still on the court, surrounded by his friends and family. His little siblings are all attempting to jump up into his arms, pulling at his shirt and pants until Will finally relents and pulls the youngest one, Gracie, into his arms with a grin. Nico watches them, his heart pounding almost painfully in his chest. Will laughs as Gracie reaches forward to smooth down his golden curls, her small hands mussing his hair even more.

 

Nico’s chest feels tight as he watches Will. He’s reminded of a younger version of himself, desperately trying to capture his older sister’s attention. Bianca would usually entertain him but eventually go off on her own and leave him to his devices. He remembers coming to Camp Half Blood for the first time and trying everything to get Percy to notice him. For years, he’d assumed it was a crush, and it may have been at one point, but he’s come to terms with the fact that a lot of it was him longing for another older sibling. Someone who would take care of him like Bianca used to.

 

Will takes care of his younger siblings with ease, a smile lighting up his face every time a new one runs over to him and starts chattering away. Nico feels his face crack with a smile the longer he watches. Will sets Gracie down and crouches down so he’s on the same level as the other ones. He lifts his hands, a silly expression on his face as he suddenly jumps up and starts chasing them around. Nico laughs as he watches the little kids scream and dart away, their laughter echoing around them.

 

His gaze catches with Will’s, the blond boy’s smile softening as he slows his run. Nico blushes, attempting to look away and act like he hadn’t been staring, but Will’s already on his way over.

 

“Hey, good job out there. Everyone was impressed.” Will informs him, his arm swinging around to rest on Nico’s shoulders.

 

“You too,” Nico mutters, looking down at the ground to avoid getting lost in the magnetizing blue of Will’s eyes.

 

Suddenly, a small hand starts poking at Nico’s hip quite insistently. He looks down and is greeted with huge, blue eyes, the same shade as the boy’s beside him. One of Will’s younger siblings, though he can’t remember her name. Nico tilts his head, a confused smile on his face. “Hi there.”

 

The little girl grins, waving a bit shyly. “You were very good. I thought Will was the best at ball-y ball until I saw you. Now he’s second-best.” 

 

Nico’s eyebrows fly to his hairline as he regards this small child. Truly, he has no experience with children whatsoever. He feels incredibly awkward around them most of the time. “Why, thank you. What’s your name?” He asks.

 

“My name is Sami!” She practically screams.

 

“Hi, Sami. I’m Nico.” 

 

“I know who you are. Will talks about you  all the time .” She says with wide eyes. “Can you give me a piggyback ride?”

 

Nico looks around for help. Will offers none, his cheeks strangely pink. His other friends watch the interaction like a sports match, all their faces eager to see his response. He shrugs. “Sure,” And crouches down so she can hop on.

 

Sami cheers and all but throws herself onto Nico, her little legs crossing around his stomach like a vice, her hands winding around his neck and squeezing. He chokes and taps her hands lightly. “Release a little bit, kiddo.” Sami relaxes her grip with a small apology, Nico waving it off. He looks at the group surrounding him with a blank gaze, ignoring all of their grins. “Well. This was fun. Sami and I will be going now.”

 

“Where are we going?” Sami asks eagerly.

 

“How do you feel about the Underworld?”

 

“Cool!” She cheers.

 

“We could pay my father a quick visit,” Nico suggests, keeping a straight face while his friends stare at him with varying degrees of horror.

 

“Yes! Let’s do it!” 

 

“Ah, ah, Nico is banned from shadow travel for now, Sam. No trips to the Underworld for him anytime soon.” Will steps in, his gaze knowing as he looks down at Nico. “We can play a board game, though.”

 

“Board game!” Sami cheers. Nico is quickly learning that Sami is very enthusiastic about everything. “Can Nico come?”

 

“Of course, he can. He’s practically an honorary member of our cabin now, isn’t he?” Will says, leaning in to bump their shoulders together.

 

“Yes!” Sami agrees.

 

Nico rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

 

Sami gasps from behind him and promptly starts climbing him until they’re face-to-face. “You don’t want to be in our cabin?” She asks with honest-to-Gods  tears  in her eyes.

 

“I-I mean–well, I suppose–” Nico stutters, at a complete loss for how to rectify this.

 

“Yeah, Nico, you don’t want to be a part of their cabin?” Percy cuts in, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

 

Nico glares at him, silently promising him a slow death if he keeps that up. Piper and Leo are stifling laughter in their palms, Jason and Annabeth full-on laughing while Percy continues smirking. Nico hates all of them.

 

“C’mon, Death Boy, you’re practically one of us now, right?” Will teases, his warm breath hitting the side of Nico’s neck like a brand.

 

Right. Well.

 

“Yes, I suppose I’m fine with being an honorary member of your guys’ cabin.” He relents, hoping that Sami’s devastated expression would go away now.

 

It does. She immediately starts smiling again, and Nico has a sneaking suspicion that those tears hadn’t been real in the first place. “Yay! Take me to our cabin now.” She demands, pointing in the direction of Cabin 7.

 

Nico huffs out an exasperated breath and tightens his hold on her. “Alright, fine.” He glances over at Will and the gaggle of Apollo children still standing back. “You guys coming?”

 

The response is immediate. Kayla jumps into action, her auburn hair nearly falling out of its braid as she whips around and scoops up a small boy, declaring a race to the cabin. “The last one there has to shuffle the Uno deck!” She calls out.

 

The group of Apollo children all rush to catch up with her, Will standing back to wait for Nico. “Can you shuffle a deck of cards?” He asks Nico.

 

“I spent 70 years playing games in an arcade, Solace. Of course, I know how to shuffle a deck of cards.” Nico says.

 

“Sweet.” Will grins before taking off at a sprint.

 

“Wha–?” Nico sputters, his gaze straying back to his group of friends still standing there and watching. “I suppose I’ll be going now. See you guys at dinner.” He waves.

 

“Have fun with Will!” Piper calls out teasingly.

 

Nico flips her off stealthily, making sure that Sami can’t see. Laughter follows him the whole walk there.

 

~

 

Nico wins the first three rounds of Uno, much to the dismay of every Apollo camper. 

 

“He’s cheating! He has to be!” Kayla insists, her face scrunched into a frown.

 

“How could he be cheating?” Austin asks, his expression thoughtful.

 

“I–” Kayla stops, throwing her hands up. “I don’t know, but he is!”

 

Nico watches this exchange with a grimace. He supposes his year's worth of playing games comes in handy. He should probably tone it down. Will is shaking with silent laughter from his side, their bodies pressed close to one another. Nico’s been trying to ignore it for the past hour, though he’s been unsuccessful.

 

“Kayla, I love you, but Nico isn’t cheatin’, you’re just bitter,” Will says, his grin wide as he tries to console his sister. “Sometimes, people are just better at things than others.”

 

“He can’t be good at volleyball  and  this, it’s not fair!” Kayla whines.

 

Nico watches them with wide eyes. He didn’t mean any harm. “I can sit the next round out?” He offers.

 

“No,” Kayla says viciously. “I need to beat you.”

 

Nico sits back, honestly a bit scared. Will leans in and whispers in his ear, his warmth leeching into Nico’s entire body. “She’s a real sore loser. Ignore her.”

 

Nico suppresses the shiver that runs down his spine and grins sidelong at the blond boy. Will’s gaze is heavy on him, his dimples poking through his smile, freckles more prominent in the warm light of the cabin. Nico swallows, desperately looking for a distraction. Sami seems to hear his silent plea as she crawls over to him and looks up at him with big eyes. “Can I sit in your lap?” She asks politely.

 

Nico’s eyes go wide. He’s never had a child who wants to spend time with him. He’s used to people being creeped out by him, but Sami is quite the opposite. He looks over at Will for help and is offered none. Will just grins and gestures to her. Nico looks back down at her and shrugs. “If you want to.”

 

She smiles and swings her body to plop down in the center of his lap, right between his criss-crossed legs. Nico flounders around awkwardly for a moment, not quite sure what to do with his hands. Sami solves this by taking both of his hands in hers and holding them. He’s quickly learning that kids are pretty plain about their wants and needs. Nico finds it weirdly refreshing.

 

Sami turns around so she’s facing him again. Nico is quickly learning that Sami loves making eye contact while she’s talking to someone, her eyes so expressive and earnest that they could be used as a lethal weapon. Her light blonde curls bounce as she maneuvers, looking at Nico seriously. “Can you talk to ghosts?”

 

Nico hesitates. “...yes.”

 

“Oh my gods! Can you summon them?”

 

“Yes,” Nico says, grimacing as he glances over at some of the older campers. Everyone looks just as interested as Sami.

 

“Can you summon Bloody Mary?” Sami asks.

 

Nico frowns. “I’m not sure I know who that is.”

 

Sami looks at her siblings accusingly. “I knew she wasn’t real! You guys can’t scare me with her anymore!”

 

A few groans fill the room, Kayla’s being the loudest. Will laughs again as Sami turns her focus back on Nico.

 

“What else can you do?”

 

“Er, well, I can summon ghosts and talk to them, as well as skeletons and zombies. I can control the shadows. I can help lost souls find their way to the Underworld.” Nico lists off his powers hesitantly, worried he’ll scare the little kids.

 

“Awesome!” A little boy yells. “Can you summon a zombie right now?”

 

Nico frowns, looking over at Will for help. “Zombies might be a bit too scary,” Nico says.

 

“What about a skeleton?” The little boy asks.

 

Nico is still looking at Will for permission. He doesn’t want to be the cause of these kids having nightmares. Will shrugs.

 

“Alright.” Nico agrees, reaching his hand out to summon the skeleton of a dog.

 

It forms and instantly darts around the group, headbutting everyone and accepting pets. The room fills with loud laughter as they all take turns petting the dog. It eventually settles in Will’s lap, which Nico tries not to think about too hard. Are his thoughts connected with the creatures he raises? No, it’s not possible. Right?

 

The dinner horn breaks up their fun, as Will stands and instructs them all to go off to the pavilion. He starts cleaning up the game as the other campers all run outside. Nico lingers, crouching down to help. Will shoots him a grateful smile.

 

“They love you,” Will observes.

 

“They don’t know any better.” Nico waves him off.

 

“I think they know better than anyone else. Children are some of the best judges of character.” Will says, accepting the stack of cards that Nico hands over.

 

“Yeah, well… your siblings are sweet.” Nico shrugs.

 

“So are you.” Will grins.

 

Nico does not blush. Definitely not.

 

“Thanks for letting me hang out. I’ve had a really good day.” 

 

“Don’t say it like it was a one-time thing. I and everyone else in this cabin will expect to see you with us again tomorrow. We still gotta finish the tournament, after all.” Will says. 

 

Nico fights off every intrusive thought that enters his brain telling him that Will’s being polite, there’s no sincerity in his words. Because it’s not fair of him to jump to conclusions like that, especially when Will’s staring at him so earnestly. 

 

“Uh, yeah. The tournament.” He just has to last until then. He’s sure they’ll all be sick of him after that.

 

Will beams. “Yeah.” He steps forward to squeeze his shoulder, handing over Nico’s clothes from earlier. “Ready for dinner?” His voice is low, their faces only inches apart. How does this keep happening?

 

Nico’s eyes jump down to Will’s lips, tracing the plush line of his bottom lip, slightly larger than the top one. His hand twitches at his side, every muscle in his body aching to reach out and find out if those lips are as soft as they look. They slowly curve into that achingly attractive smile, and Nico looks up to see Will’s eyes soften in the dim light.

 

Nico stumbles backward, quickly snatching his clothes while clearing his throat. “Dinner. Right.”

 

Will furrows his eyebrows but shakes his head.

 

Nico’s hands twitch the entire walk.

 

~

 

Jason and Percy are sitting together at the Poseidon table when Nico walks into the pavilion. He waves goodbye to Will and grabs his food, quickly muttering a prayer to his father as he scrapes a portion into the fire before sinking down on the spot beside Jason. They both turn to him with matching smiles, and Nico suppresses a groan.

 

“I already know that I don’t want to hear this,” Nico grumbles.

 

“How was your evening with Cabin 7?” Percy asks, his face too innocent.

 

“Fine.”

 

“Adopt any more children?”

 

“I haven’t adopted any.”

 

As if summoned, a small hand starts tugging on the hem of Nico’s shirt quite insistently. Nico turns and is faced with Sami, who’s joined by a small Hermes boy, as well as an Athena girl. Nico raises his eyebrows at them.

 

“They want to see your cool powers,” Sami explains.

 

Nico frowns. “They do?”

 

“Yeah! Can you summon another animal?” Sami asks.

 

Nico looks between the three kids, noting all their ecstatic expressions. He glances at Percy and Jason, who are watching this interaction closely. He shrugs. “Alright.” And summons the skeleton of a rabbit that hops all around them excitedly. The children all scream happily, laughing as the rabbit occasionally hops up on one of them.

 

The Hermes boy looks up at him with adoring eyes. “Can you do more?”

 

Nico shifts. “I can tomorrow. As long as you’re all going to go back to your tables and eat your dinner.”

 

They all agree immediately, rushing back to their tables as the rabbit disappears. Nico watches them go, a tiny smile on his face. He meets gazes with Will  again,  who’s been watching the interaction the entire time. Nico raises his eyebrows while Will waves quite obnoxiously. Nico rolls his eyes and turns back around, suddenly faced with two boys attempting their best Cheshire cat impressions.

 

“Not a word.”

 

“I didn’t know you were so good with kids!” Percy exclaims.

 

“I’m not.”

 

“We literally just watched you entertain three small children and then convince them to go eat their dinner without a fuss. You’re good with children, Nico.” Jason says.

 

“I hate both of you. I’m not good with children.” Nico says.

 

Jason hums, looking over at Percy with a knowing expression. Nico huffs loudly, a deep scowl on his face.

 

“Just know that I’m going to kick both of your asses in the tournament,” Nico says, knowing that’ll get them going for the rest of dinner.

 

As predicted, both Percy and Jason rant for the rest of dinner about how capable they are at volleyball and how Nico has no chance. He sighs with contentment, glancing over at the Apollo table one more time. Will winks, his hand rising to wave at Nico playfully before his attention is taken by one of his siblings.

 

Nico eats the rest of his dinner with a smile.

Notes:

love y'all!!

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Summary:

Nico spends more time with Cabin 7

Notes:

hi hi hi y'all!! happy friday!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am very excited that it's friday hahaha. this week was ROUGH, so i'm sorry it took me a bit to write this. I was sick with something nasty and had absolutely no energy to do anything. but i'm better now and i have a new chapter yayyyy.

if i didn't already say before, i created a few apollo oc's because i need will to have lots of siblings (it is very personal and important to me hahahah), so if you're not familiar with the names sami, noah, isla, and quinn, it's because i made them up (and i love them).

anyway, this chapter is super fun and silly, so i hope y'all enjoy it!!! <3

Nico wakes to Jason’s insistent knocking on the door of his cabin, Nico groans with frustration as he chucks one of his pillows at the door. Jason continues knocking, and Nico curses viciously, knowing that he won’t leave until he sees Nico up and moving.

 

“I fucking hate you.” Nico snarls while opening the door, his mouth snapping shut the moment he realizes that a different blond is on his doorstep.

 

Will’s eyes are wide, his hands held up in surrender. Nico sputters, briefly debating just shutting the door in Will’s face and attempting to forget this entire interaction. Will speaks before Nico can finish the thought. “Don’t kill me, Death Boy. That’d be a little too on the nose.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

 

Will holds out a small duffel bag with a sheepish smile. “Found you some more of my old clothes, along with some of Austin’s. Since you said you didn’t have any.”

 

Nico looks from Will’s smiling face down to the black duffel, his brain taking a bit longer to process the words than normal. “You’re giving me more clothes?”

 

“Yeah. Everyone needs clothes, Nico.” Will says. “Even the brooding Ghost King.”

 

“I’m not brooding,” Nico says with a frown, not sure if he should reach out and take the duffel or wait for Will to hand it over.

 

“He says while brooding,” Will says with a teasing smile. He solves Nico’s internal debate by stepping closer and pushing the bag into Nico’s arms, his warm hands brushing against Nico’s. “Breakfast is in ten, you wanna come with me? I’ll wait.”

 

Nico bites his lip. He could tell Will to go away and get a few more hours of sleep, or he could let Will inside and spend even more time with him. Alone.

 

“Sure, come in,” Nico says, jerking his head for Will to follow him.

 

The dim lighting in his cabin seems to grow a bit brighter at the new presence of the son of Apollo. Nico ignores that, instead heading for the bathroom, turning around to gesture awkwardly at the room. “Feel free to, uh, look around. I’ll just be a second.”

 

“Sure thing, boss.” Will playfully salutes him before walking over to Nico’s unmade bed.

 

Nico takes a deep breath before pushing the door to his bathroom open and locking it shut behind him. He glances around, quickly deciding that he should shower as he was too tired to do it last night. That decision has nothing to do with the blond currently waiting for him just beyond the door, or Nico’s desire to smell nice when he’s around said blond. 

 

He just needs to shower, alright?

 

His knees pop as he crouches down to root through the duffel bag that Will had given him, searching for something to wear for the day. He silently thanks the other boy for seemingly sticking to darker and more neutral-toned clothing. He does find a pair of light pink board shorts that have small yellow suns printed on them and briefly fantasizes about strangling Will when he realizes it’s the only swimsuit that is in there. He glares at the door, hoping that Will can feel it in the next room. After a few seconds of sulking, he sighs and stands with the shorts and a black tank top in his hands. He may as well own it.

 

Nico brushes his teeth while he waits for the shower to heat up, pushing his hair out of his eyes and checking himself in the mirror. He looks how he always does. Pale, tired, scrawny, and gloomy. He glares at his reflection and spits the toothpaste out, turning to shuck off his pajamas and step into the steaming water.

 

Taking the quickest shower of his life, he quickly rubs some sunscreen on his face, swipes on deodorant, and maybe sprits some body spray that Hazel had gifted him before she returned to Camp Jupiter before he steps into the shorts and tank top and shoulders the duffle, his expression unimpressed as he walks back out into his cabin. Will is sitting on his bed, one of Nico’s books in his hands.

 

“It’s very fitting that you have various books on ghosts. You’re very committed to the whole ‘scary, haunted’ aesthetic, Nico. I salute you.” Will says, his eyes peeking over the top of the book as he wiggles his eyebrows.

 

“And you’re ridiculous,” Nico says, rolling his eyes as he sets the duffle down beside his bed. “You really couldn’t find a swimsuit that isn’t a huge eyesore?” He says, gesturing to his shorts with an unimpressed expression.

 

Will is obviously trying hard not to laugh, his body shaking with the effort. “Whatever do you mean?” 

 

Nico gives him a look before walking to his front door and putting his sneakers on. “I’m leaving with or without you.”

 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Will says, scrambling up from Nico’s bed and rushing to keep up with him. “Those were actually the least-offensive shorts that I could find. It was either those or purple shorts with rainbow unicorns on them. I figured you’d prefer the suns.”

 

“Why don’t any of you have regular clothing without ridiculous patterns?”

 

“Because we’re fun.” Will grins. Nico scoffs, shaking his head lightly. The Apollo cabin is absolutely ridiculous. Will keeps on smiling, his shoulder bumping Nico’s every few seconds as they continue walking. “What are your plans for today?”

 

Nico bites his lip in thought. “I’m not sure. What are yours?”

 

Will beams. “Well, all of us Apollo campers have arts & crafts after breakfast, then the tournament after lunch. Wanna join us?”

 

Nico shrugs. He figures that joining the Apollo cabin will be more fun than whatever Percy and Jason are getting up to. “Sure.”

 

“Sweet! They’ll all be happy to hear that. Sami hasn’t stopped asking about you, she actually woke me up this morning asking if you could stay over for a sleepover tonight.” Will says, his eyes shining with amusement. “I told her that it was up to you.”

 

“You guys want me to come over again?” Nico asks.

 

Will tilts his head. “Of course we do. You’re awesome.”

 

Nico resists the blush that paints his cheeks, his eyes downcast as they approach the pavilion. “Thanks. So are you.”

 

Will puffs his chest out. “I know.”

 

“Wow.” Nico laughs, punching Will’s arm lightly. “So humble, too.”

 

“I get it from my dad.” Will winks as they enter the pavilion, both of them walking over to the food.

 

As they’re both filling their plates, a small mob of children surrounds them, their voices much too loud for this time of day.

 

“Will, I need help cutting my pancakes, can you do it for me?” The smallest one, Gracie, asks with big eyes.

 

“Yes, of course, darlin’.” Will smiles down at his sister.

 

Small hands poke at Nico’s side, and he looks down. Sami stands there with a big grin on her face, her arms outstretched. “Good morning, Nico! Pick me up.” She demands, and well, Nico doesn’t really have a choice there. He picks her up.

 

“Good morning, Sami. Did you sleep well?” Nico asks, maneuvering his plate into his right hand as he holds Sami with his left.

 

“Yes. Kayla stopped scaring me with ghost stories because I knew that you wouldn’t let any ghosts hurt me.” Sami says, puffing her chest out proudly in a very Will-mannered way.

 

“That’s very true, Sami.” Nico agrees, nodding seriously as he finishes piling food on his plate. He walks over to the fire to scrape some of his eggs and bacon into it, silently saying a prayer to his father. He’s about to walk over to the Hades table when Sami taps his cheek. 

 

“Aren’t you going to sit with us?” Sami asks.

 

Nico frowned, glancing over at the Big Three tables, finding them all empty. Jason and Percy must still be asleep. Chiron wasn’t anywhere to be found either, and Nico knew that Mr. D didn’t care what anyone did. He looks over at Will, who shrugs.

 

“Why not?” Will says.

 

Nico nods, laughing a little when Sami cheers and wraps her arms around his neck. They walk to the Apollo table, Nico placing his plate on the table before gently extracting Sami’s arms from his neck and setting her on the bench. He plops down beside her, chuckling when Sami scoots even closer and shoves her plate in front of him.

 

“Would you cut up my pancakes?” She asks.

 

“Sure.” Nico laughs, grabbing her knife and fork and cutting the food into small bites before passing it back over to her.

 

He’s still laughing when he lifts his gaze to find Will sitting directly across from him, his blue eyes warm and filled with mirth. Nico flushes, his eyes dropping to his plate as he stabs at his eggs. As he attempts to distract himself with his food, a foot reaches out to gently kick at Nico’s ankle. Looking up in surprise, he finds Will still looking at him.

 

“Looks like you’ve been chosen, Death Boy. Once they ask you to cut their food for them, you’re basically family.” Will says.

 

“It’s true.” Austin cuts in, sliding into his seat beside Will. “Once you’re cutting her pancakes, you’re part of the cabin.”

 

Nico just shakes his head. He ignores the fluttering in his stomach at their words. He’s never felt so… welcome before. No one has ever told him that he’s a part of something. Not even on the Argo II, or at Camp Jupiter. People were usually creeped out by him, and though he had made more friends recently, they’d never accepted him as plainly as the Apollo campers had.

 

Nico doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t need to. The other Apollo kids carry the conversation while Nico is tasked with cutting more food. A little boy that Will introduced as Noah forced his way into the seat on Nico’s other side before politely asking him to cut his food, too. By the end of breakfast, both Noah and Sami are fighting for Nico’s attention. Eventually, he summons the same dog from the previous day and urges them to play with it outside. They hadn’t returned since.

 

“I had no idea you were such a good babysitter, di Angelo. Connor would’ve hounded you for babysitting duty months ago if he knew.” Will says with a wide smile, nodding over to the full Hermes table where Connor was roping all his siblings into a single file line as they all took turns scooping their food into the fire. 

 

Nico shrugs, standing from his seat at the Apollo table and following Will towards the arts & crafts building. “I had no idea either. I’m not trying to do anything.”

 

“That’s how you know you’re good with kids. They come to you because they can tell that you’re trustworthy. It’s an admirable trait. One that I will be exploiting.” Will teases.

 

Nico playfully rolls his eyes. “As long as you repay me.”

 

Will’s eyes practically glow. “That can be arranged.” He says in a low tone, his mouth twisted in a smirk that Nico finds way too attractive. “What sort of payment do you want?”

 

“For you to shut up.” Nico snarks while pushing Will’s face away.

 

Will’s laughing now, doubled over while they’re trying to walk. Nico shoves him, annoyed by Will’s constant laughter. The blond just laughs harder before straightening up, and Nico gawks when he sees tears in the other boy’s eyes. 

 

“You’re so ridiculous,” Nico says as they walk into the arts & crafts building.

 

Kayla and Austin are already there with the majority of their younger siblings surrounding them. Miranda from the Demeter cabin is at the front of the room with Yan and Jerry, all three of them making friendship bracelets together. Will’s hand darts out and wraps around Nico’s wrist as he pulls them over to Kayla and Austin’s table. Nico’s eyes follow the hand that Will has wrapped around his wrist for an embarrassingly long time, his cheeks growing warmer the longer that Will touches him. He scoots in beside Kayla, pulling Nico down beside him with a sunny smile.

 

“Hey, guys. I’ve convinced Nico to join us for our cabin duties today.” Will says.

 

“Sweet. Nice of you to join us, Nico.” Austin says, his expression genuinely happy as he smiles at Nico.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure Will’s ecstatic about you joining us,” Kayla says, her grin sharp as she raises her eyebrows at her older brother.

 

Will clears his throat. “Yeah. Anyway, have you ever made a friendship bracelet before, Nico?” He says, his cheeks a light pink as he reaches forward to grab some string.

 

Nico shakes his head, glancing around the room to watch everyone else. Sami is in the corner of the room with the other little ones; Noah, Isla, Quinn, and Gracie. All of them are dutifully making their bracelets quietly, broken up by the occasional hum that’s joined in by matching harmonies. Damn Apollo kids.

 

“Pick your colors.” Will’s voice snaps Nico out of his daze, big blue eyes filling his vision.

 

Nico tilts his head in confusion before he realizes that Will is gesturing to the huge box filled with strings of every color imaginable. Nico winces, truly hating the sight. The most color he can handle is dark blue or green. He hesitantly picks up some black string, then white, and then a dark green. Will watches him with an amused smile.

 

“Those are the colors you want?” Will asks.

 

Nico nods. Will sighs and passes over some scissors, showing him how to measure and cut the string. Nico follows the instructions carefully, cutting the string, folding them in half, and then knotting them together. Will shows him how to knot the string into a bracelet and Nico does it effortlessly. He finds the motions soothing as he gets into the groove, knotting the bracelet until he can’t anymore.

 

He hesitantly shows Will the finished product, and Will beams. “Wow, sunshine! You’re good at this.”

 

“Sunshine?” Nico scowls.

 

“It’s supposed to be ironic.” 

 

“Yes, I understand irony, Solace.” Nico rolls his eyes. “Here. You can have this. It’s supposed to be a friendship bracelet, right? You give it to your friends?” Will’s cheeks turn a light pink as he stumbles over his words for a moment. Kayla snorts loudly from her spot across from them, and Nico frowns in confusion. “Did I do it wrong?”

 

“No! You did it exactly right.” Will says, gently taking the bracelet from Nico. “Thank you. Could you tie it for me?”

 

Will holds his wrist out, handing the bracelet back to Nico so he can tie it. Nico’s cheeks go hot as he carefully wraps the bracelet around Will’s warm wrist, his fingertips grazing the soft skin there as he ties the bracelet in a knot around the blond’s tanned wrist. “There,” He finishes and leans back, admiring the string on the other boy’s skin. When he glances up, he’s met with deep blue eyes that are already looking at him. Nico blushes and scoots back, his eyes dropping to the floor.

 

“Thanks,” Will whispers.

 

“No problem,” Nico whispers back, too afraid to look up and drown in those mesmerizing blue eyes.

 

“Nico! Look at the bracelet I made!” Sami interrupts their moment, barreling over as she shoves her tiny hand in Nico’s face, displaying the rainbow bracelet tied around her wrist. 

 

“That’s a very nice bracelet.” Nico compliments earnestly.

 

“Thanks! Do you want one?” She asks.

 

“I’d love one,” Nico confirms, laughing when Sami immediately takes off to the other side of the room so she can start making his.

 

When he glances back over to the older Apollo kids, he’s met with three identically grinning faces. Nico raises one eyebrow, leaning back to try and distance himself from whatever the fuck it is that they’re doing. Kayla breaks the silence, leaning forward with her all-knowing smirk. “So, Nico. We usually do a movie night every Friday in the Apollo cabin. We were wondering if you’d want to join us for it tonight. Sami really wants you to go.”

 

Oh. Nico had expected some teasing remark about how shocking it was that he was accepting a rainbow bracelet from their 8-year-old sister. “Uh, sure. That sounds fun.”

 

Kayla claps her hands excitedly. “Great! Sami and the little ones will probably bug you the whole time, which is great for me. I can finally relax for a night.”

 

And that makes a lot more sense. Nico just laughs quietly. “Glad to give you a night off.” 

 

Will lightly smacks Kayla upside the head, his expression scolding. “Kayla Knowles, you are not going to invite Nico to our movie night just so he can get stuck babysitting. You’re in charge of the gremlins tonight. No exceptions.”

 

Kayla pouts, though Will’s expression stays the same. Austin is openly laughing at the two of them, his eyes occasionally meeting Nico’s as he looks between the two of them like ‘Wait for them to really get into it’. Nico just grins back.

 

“Fine.” Kayla concedes, albeit very grumpily. “I’m sorry for attempting to sic the gremlins onto you, Nico.”

 

Nico just smiles. “No problem.”

 

Will nods, clearly satisfied with that. “Right. Carry on.” He gestures to Kayla and Austin, and the two go back to their bracelets.

 

The four of them continue their bracelet-weaving in a comfortable silence. Will moves closer to Nico at some point, and Nico leans into the warmth that emanates from the other boy. It was like sitting next to a space heater, heat seeping into Nico’s side the more he leaned into Will.

 

“Here,” Will murmurs, his hand reaching out to poke Nico’s wrist. “I made you one.”

 

Will hands him a bracelet decked out in the most garish shades of yellow, orange, and pink. Nico winces, raising an eyebrow at the other boy. “I’m not wearing this.”

 

Will gasps. “But I made it for you! It’s a sign of our friendship, Death Boy, it would be a blight on our very new and sacred friendship.”

 

Nico shoots him an unimpressed glare. “Does it have to be so… bright?”

 

“Yes! I made one for you to symbolize me, like you did with this one.” He points at the bracelet that Nico had tied on his wrist earlier.

 

Nico sighs exasperatedly before shoving his wrist into Will’s hands. “Fine. Tie it on.”

 

Will grins before tying the eyesore onto Nico’s wrist, giving him a little pat when he was done. “There, all set.”

 

Nico examines it, his nose wrinkling the longer he stares. “I’m making you an ugly bracelet in return.”

 

“I’d expect nothing less,” Will says cheerfully.

 

Nico shakes his head and gets to work on making Will’s. As he chooses the colors, he can’t help but glance over at Will’s arm and decipher what colors would suit his skin tone. His tan contrasts with a light blue that Nico finds quite nicely, so he pairs it with a white and navy blue as well. 

 

Yes, he’s aware that he’s pathetic.

 

He knots the bracelet together and promptly manhandles Will to hand over his wrist so Nico can tie it on for him, right above his first one. The other boy gives no resistance, instead watching him with a soft smile. “That isn’t ugly at all.” Will comments.

 

“Yeah, well…” Nico shrugs, not having a good comeback. He isn’t about to admit that he would never make Will wear something that didn’t suit him. That would probably be a bit much.

 

“Thank you, Neeks,” Will says, his voice barely audible. Nico looks up to find their faces much closer than they’d previously been. Flushing, he leans back a bit, knowing that his face has to be bright red.

 

He’s saved in the form of a tiny mob of children. Sami leads the group, as Nico is learning to be the routine, with Noah, Quinn, Gracie, and Isla a few paces behind her. Sami jumps up on the bench and squeezes her way between Will and Nico, eventually settling half of her body on each boy. These damn tactile Apollo kids.

 

“Here, I finished!” Sami says, handing Nico the brightly-colored bracelet.

 

Nico accepts it with a small grin, holding it up to the light. He’s admittedly impressed by Sami’s handiwork, each stitch perfectly even and neat, the pattern never deviating from the rainbow. She’d even gone in the correct order of the rainbow, Nico notes. His grin blooms into a full smile as he looks down at the girl. “This is great, Sami. Way better than what I can do.”

 

Sami looks like she’s about to explode, her eyes so bright and filled with excitement that Nico is worried she’ll cause some sort of freak Apollo accident. “Thank you! I really tried. Can I tie it on your wrist?”

 

“Of course.” Nico hands it back over to her.

 

Sami ties it carefully, her teeth biting into her bottom lip in concentration. Nico glances up at Will and they share an amused look between the two of them. Nico ignores the pleased thrill that shoots down his spine, directing his gaze back down at the little girl. Sami finished tying it and admiring her hard work now, her tiny hand displaying Nico’s wrist like a prize. She hums to herself, nodding. 

 

“Do you want me to make you one now?” Nico asks.

 

He’s genuinely worried that Sami’s eyes are going to pop out of her head. “Yes! I would love that!”

 

Nico chuckles. “What colors?”

 

Sami goes about picking her favorite colors as the other little ones start bugging Will. Gracie takes it upon herself to climb directly into his lap while Noah, who looks like a tiny version of Will, climbs up on the other side and pokes his shoulder with a pout. “I’m bored.”

 

“Hi bored, I’m Will.” Will replies instantly.

 

Every single Apollo kid groans in unison. Kayla points an accusatory finger at him. “William, we talked about the dad jokes.”

 

Will is giggling to himself, clearly pleased by his sibling’s reactions. “I’m sorry, y’all, I can’t help it.”

 

“You can, though. You really can.” Austin grumbles.

 

Quinn heaves himself up beside Austin and leans his head on the older boy’s shoulder as Austin continues working on his bracelet. Isla does the same for Kayla, all of the little ones are apparently done with friendship bracelet making. 

 

Nico gets to work on making Sami’s bracelet while the other Apollo kids hum softly with each other, harmonizing effortlessly. Will jumps in every once in a while with his awful off-key singing, making the rest of them wail in despair at him. 

 

“Y’all don’t appreciate me,” Will says, giving them all an overly sad pout.

 

Nico’s heart jumps when Will’s puppy-dog eyes are trained in his direction, and he briefly considers doing anything to get Will to stop looking at him like that. What the hell is this? What is happening to me? He wonders helplessly.

 

Sami is exceedingly ecstatic about her bracelet when Nico finishes and ties it to her wrist. She declares that she’ll never take it off and she’ll cherish it forever. Nico glances over at Will, who’s watching them with a fond smile.

 

“You Apollo kids love your dramatics,” Nico whispers.

 

“Oh, it’s our favorite thing in the world. Don’t come near our cabin when we’re in a fight, though. It can get nasty.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Their arts & crafts are interrupted by the lunch horn. Will gathers all his siblings and ushers them out, Nico following them towards the pavilion. 

 

“We’ll come find you after lunch for the tournament, alright?” Will tells him when they approach the pavilion.

 

Nico nods. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

 

Will nods, his face lit up with a big smile. “Thanks for my bracelets!”

 

“You’re welcome, Solace.” Nico rolls his eyes, waving goodbye to the little ones.

 

He sighs and turns to the big three tables, finding Percy and Jason at the Zeus table with identical smirks on their faces. Nico sighs. So much for a peaceful lunch.

Notes:

thanks for reading cuties <3

Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Summary:

Nico joins the Apollo cabin for movie night.

Notes:

HI HI HI! welcome back. i hope yall know that i have absolutely no knowledge of volleyball and am making this up as i go. please don't read this for accuracy lmfao. i write for vibes and vibes only. anywho, thank you so much for the feedback on the past couple of chapters! i'm glad y'all are liking this as much as i am.

don't have too much to say today other than thanks for reading and ENJOY <3

Nico makes his way over to the table with a scowl. Percy wiggles his eyebrows suggestively while Jason smiles serenely at him. Nico slides in beside Percy and glares at both of them.

 

“Nice bracelets,” Percy comments, lifting Nico’s wrist for inspection.

 

Nico snatches it back with a growl. “Get fucked.”

 

“Woah! Such aggression!” Percy slaps his chest with a hurt expression. “All I did was comment on your frankly stunning new accessories.” 

 

“They are very colorful,” Jason adds, nodding in approval.

 

“You two are idiots.” Nico shakes his head. “The Apollo campers made them for me.”

 

“Oh, any camper in particular? Maybe a healer we all know and love? One that you love maybe a bit more than the rest of us?” Percy says, leaning in and bumping Nico’s shoulder with his a few times.

 

“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’ll leave this table without eating and you can deal with Solace.”

 

“You’re just further proving my point.”

 

Nico stands, already over this, only to be pulled back down by a laughing Percy. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. I’m just happy for you, bro.” He says, wrapping an arm around Nico’s shoulders and squeezing.

 

“Thanks. I… feel happy.” Nico admits, his eyes downcast on the table in front of him.

 

When he looks up, he finds both boys staring at him with watery eyes.

 

“Bro,” Percy says, reaching up to wipe at his eyes.

 

“Bro.” Jason echoes, doing the same.

 

“What the fuck.” Nico says.

 

“Bring it in,” Percy says, gesturing for Jason to come around the table to them.

 

Jason does, immediately wrapping his arms around Nico’s other side and pulling them in for a group hug. Nico stays still, his eyes lifting to find the majority of the pavilion occupants watching them with varying expressions. Annabeth is laughing behind her hand, Piper watching them with a warm smile, Leo is standing up to presumably join them, and Will is sitting between his siblings with raised eyebrows. Nico huffs, shooting Will a dry look that gets a loud laugh in response. Nico’s lips twitch as he fights off a smile, turning back to the idiots still hugging him and roughly shoving them off.

 

“You two need help,” Nico says loudly before standing and walking to sit a few feet away from them at the table.

 

“He doesn’t appreciate us, Jace,” Percy says.

 

“He never has. All we have is each other now.” Jason says, and for a moment, Nico genuinely expects them to kiss each other.

 

They don’t, because Leo has arrived and is throwing himself between Jason and Percy, loudly claiming that he’ll join a Big Three sandwich any day of the week.

 

“Trust me, Leo, we are well aware,” Nico says before biting into his sandwich. “And somehow, I’m the gay one of all of us.”

 

“Nico! That’s so rude of you to assume our sexualities.” Jason argues, his eyes wide and affronted.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Somehow, I’m the only openly gay one of all of us.”

 

Jason nods. “Better. Less homophobic.”

 

“I’m gay, I’m allowed to be homophobic.”

 

“False.”

 

“Fuck off.” Nico rolls his eyes.

 

He spends the rest of lunch ignoring the heavy gaze on him from across the pavilion.

 

~

 

Day two of the tournament has team Apollo up against Leo and the rest of his Hephaestus siblings including Nyssa, Jake, and Harley. He’s huddled in a circle with Will and the rest of the Apollo cabin, all of them listening intently to Will’s strategy.

 

“Okay, this team is going to play dirty. They’ll use their every advantage, which is strength, height, and ingenuity. We have to be prepared to think outside of the box and do whatever we can to score points. They won’t be using regular techniques, so we shouldn’t either. Nico, is it possible to use your shadow powers on them? Potentially to direct the sunlight towards them?” Will says, turning his full gaze on Nico, serious and focused.

 

Nico does not want to admit to the flip that his stomach does when Will turns to him. “Er, maybe? Although, sunlight is your power. Can any of you manipulate the sun?”

 

Will’s expression turns thoughtful. “I don’t know if any of us has ever tried. I’ve never heard of an Apollo kid being able to control sunlight, though it would make sense…” He trails off, slowly closing his eyes.

 

Nico watches in fascination as Will’s eyebrows furrow and he holds a hand up, his eyes slowly peeling open and focusing on the patch of sunlight warming the grass beneath their feet. The sunlight slowly starts moving across the grass until it’s bathing Nico in its warm rays. Will’s eyes are wide with surprise as Nico glances up at him with pride.

 

“Holy shit!” Will exclaims excitedly, his smile taking up his entire face. “I had no idea I could do that!”

 

“Language, William.” Kayla chides, but her eyes are wide with wonder. “That was pretty freaking cool, though.”

 

“That was insane!” Austin says, rushing over to shake Will by the shoulders. “Teach me!”

 

Will’s bewildered expression turns to Nico, his eyes begging for help. Nico obliges, stepping forward to make everyone focus. “He can teach you later. We should figure out our strategy now.”

 

“Yes, let’s do that. I’ll, um, do that weird sunshine thing to the other team to distract them. I’m sure Harley already set some traps for us. That kid is dangerous.” Will says, his eyes haunted as though he’s remembering something traumatic. “But it’s okay! Because we’re good, guys. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

 

Nico doesn’t quite believe him, but he doesn’t have time to think too hard because the horn indicating the start of the tournament sounds loud. Will pats him on the back and steers them towards the court, his warm hand remaining on Nico’s lower back the entire walk there, his palm burning the skin like a brand and making it difficult for Nico to think clearly. He sighs in relief when the hand is taken away and they’re standing on the sandy court opposite of the other team.

 

Leo smirks, waving at them mockingly. “Ready to get your asses beat?” He calls.

 

“Oh, totally.” Nico rolls his eyes.

 

Leo laughs and gets into position. Nico focuses his shadow powers so all of his teammates’ eyes are shielded from the sun. He nods over at Will, who closes his eyes in concentration and bends the sunlight to shine into the other team’s vision.

 

“Yo, what the hell?” Leo exclaims, his eyes squinting as he tries to block it with one of his hands. “How are you doing that?”

 

“Apollo perks,” Nico says.

 

“Motherfucker.” Leo grumbles, resigning himself to having the sun directly in his eyes. “If I go blind, I’m taking it up with you, Solace.”

 

“Sure thing, Valdez.” Will says, before walking up for the coin toss.

 

The other team wins the first serve, though it’s not a very successful one. It doesn’t make it past the net, winning Nico the serve. He spikes it hard, smirking when it just barely passes over the net and lands softly on the sand before anyone on the other team has even lifted a finger. 

 

“Yes, Death Boy!” Will cheers, running up and hugging him from behind. “You were what our team has been missing this entire time!”

 

Nico will not be thinking about that sentence for too long. Or ever again. Or about what it would sound like if Will had changed just a few of those words.

 

You are what I’ve been missing this entire time.

 

Nope. No. That’s preposterous. 

 

“Yes, Nico! Well done!” Austin comes crashing in on Nico’s side, giving him a side hug as Will continues hugging him from behind. Kayla flounces over to pat his shoulder lightly before they all get back in position.

 

“So, that’s how you wanna play, di Angelo?” Leo says, his hand still over his eyes to block out the sun. “Bring it.”

 

Suddenly, multiple small mechanical devices come to life beneath their feet and threaten their footing in the sand. They’re shaped like small dragons, sort of like mini-Festus’, which Nico will not be thinking about any further, and one of them unhinges its jaws to promptly bite Nico’s toes. 

 

“This cannot be allowed!” Nico squawks, trying to kick off the tiny demon.

 

“It's a free game! You can use your freaky powers, so we can use ours!” Leo says.

 

“He’s insane,” Will says, jumping over one of the tiny dragons and dancing away from it.

 

“Extremely.” Nico agrees as one opens its mouth and blows actual fire at him. “Okay, fuck this. Let’s hurry up and beat them so we can get out of here.”

 

“On it.” Kayla barks from behind them, her shoulders set with determination.

 

Nico kicks one of the dragons away from him hard, not caring if he breaks it, and tosses the ball up so he can spike it. It flies over the net, right into Leo’s waiting fists as he bumps it back. Nico runs for it, but trips over the dragon that he’d just kicked seconds before.

 

“Fuck!” Nico curses as he falls to the ground, twisting his ankle in the process, pain shooting up his leg as he clutches at his ankle in pain.

 

Kayla rushes forward to save the ball, just managing to hit it over the net and watch as it lands on the sand too quickly for the other team to hit it. Will crouches down beside Nico with furrowed eyebrows, his warm hands gently going for Nico’s injured ankle. “Can I look?” He asks, his blue eyes hard as he looks over at Nico, and he’s briefly breathless as he takes in the raw beauty of Will Solace.

 

Wordlessly, Nico nods. Will grasps his ankle, causing Nico to wince as the other boy starts to hum, his warmth seeping into Nico’s bones and turning him to mush. He has the embarrassing urge to close his eyes and rest his head on Will’s shoulder, so comforted that he could cry. He does none of those things.

 

Instead, he takes this precious moment to simply look at Will. The other boy's eyes are closed in concentration, his hymn throaty and low enough for Nico to barely decipher the melody. It settles over Nico’s skin like a blanket, and he swears the air around them is glowing brighter with their proximity. Will’s scent fills Nico’s nose and he breathes it in deeply, his cheeks growing hotter for every second that Will holds his ankle.

 

“Is he okay?” Nico vaguely hears from somewhere behind him, and he can hear Sami and some of the other little ones yelling from a few paces away.

 

“It’s okay, Will’s got him. He’s the best, remember?” Nico hears Austin murmuring.

 

Will jerks when he hears his name, the hymn falling from his lips as Nico’s ankle stops throbbing with pain. Their eyes meet, and Nico’s face flames with heat. Will’s cheeks are tinged pink, and he glances down with a small smile. “Better?” He asks.

 

Nico nods. “Much. Thank you.”

 

Will grins, standing and offering his hand out to Nico. “Let’s kick their asses.”

 

Nico laughs, quickly agreeing.

 

~

 

They demolish the Hephaestus team. After Nico’s injury, they come back with even more aggression, spiking the ball harder, and diving to save impossible hits. They’re all completely covered in sand by the end, all four of them sporting small burns from Leo’s torture devices. Will has bite marks running all up and down his legs, Kayla has a few on her hands, and Austin has one on his face. Nico has a few littered everywhere, and a large burn mark that started to blister on his shoulder.

 

“They should never be allowed to play this game again,” Kayla grumbles as Will herds them all to the infirmary. 

 

“I second that,” Austin says, holding a T-shirt up to his bleeding cheek. 

 

“I agree, y’all. What they did was completely unfair and frankly unsafe. But they still lost.” Will grins, always one to look on the bright side.

 

“But at what cost?” Kayla whines.

 

“Just shush and go sit in a bed while I get some cream for the burns. Austin, Nico, you too.” Will orders in his not-fucking-around voice.

 

Nico looks over at the other two, all of them shrugging their shoulders before doing as they were told. Nico sits in the bed beside Kayla and fiddles with his burn, trying everything in him not to itch. But damn it, it’s itchy. 

 

“Death Boy, you better not be messin’ with your injuries,” Will says sternly, immediately making a beeline for him and slapping his hands away from his shoulder.

 

Nico glares at him, grumbling about overbearing kid doctors. 

 

“I may be overbearing, but it’s all in your best interest, darlin’,” Will says, smiling sweetly at him before promptly attacking Nico’s shoulder with antiseptic and burn cream.

 

Nico hisses but stays still through it all, knowing it’ll make it easier in the end. He tries not to think about Will’s nickname for him. Darlin’.  Damn him and his stupid Texan accent.

 

When Will is done, he lightly pats Nico’s cheek. “Good job. Now help me with them.” He jerks his head to his siblings. 

 

Nico rolls his eyes but follows him, helping him clean their wounds and cutting the bandages when he’s asked to. Their hands brush every few seconds when they reach for the same thing, or Nico hands over the items that Will asks for. His heart is racing by the time they’re done, his cheeks uncomfortably warm.

 

“You okay? Do you need me to look at you again?” Will asks, his hand reaching out for Nico’s wrist to take his vitals.

 

Nico jerks away, heart pounding. He does  not  need Will to see his skyrocketing pulse that only gets faster the closer that Will gets.

 

“I’m good. Just tired from that.” Nico says.

 

“Well, good thing we have dinner now, huh? Tomorrow should be a bit easier. We’re against the Demeter team and then the Ares team.” Will says, retracting his outstretched hand and scratching the back of his neck.

 

Nico furrows his eyebrows at the mention of the Ares cabin. “Won’t the Ares cabin be good at this?”

 

Will laughs. “The Ares kids are good at sparring and that’s about it. When it comes to games like volleyball, they crack and get too aggressive. They don’t play with a strategy in mind. They’ll be a quick team to beat.”

 

“So, if we continue beating every team we play, what happens?”

 

“We’ll be put into the semi-finals, and then the finals against the last remaining team. Sometimes, tournaments continue with the losing teams playing one another, but that takes too long. If we continue winning, we move onto the next round, and then it’ll be us against the final winning team.”

 

Nico hums. “Seems complicated.”

 

Will shrugs. “Not if you grow up watching sports. I suppose you didn’t have that opportunity in the 30s.”

 

“Not at all. The majority of my days were spent running around with Bianca and drawing.” Nico admits, his heart constricting at the mention of his sister.

 

Will seems to notice his switch in mood and doesn’t comment any further. They walk to the dining pavilion in silence the rest of the way, Austin and Kayla way ahead of them. Nico ignores the way their hands brush against each other every few seconds, though it sends a sharp thrill down his spine every time. 

 

“You’re still joining us for movie night tonight, right?” Will asks once they walk into the pavilion.

 

Nico looks over at him, frowning when he sees the unsure expression on Will’s face. “Of course. If I’m still invited?”

 

“Yes!” Will exclaims, his eyes widening for a second, his cheeks going pink. “I mean, uh, yes. You are totally still invited.”

 

“Cool. I’ll meet you guys after this then.” Nico says, smiling at him and waving before going to grab his food, scrape a bit into the fire, and join Percy and Jason at the Hades table.

 

He’s not sure when they started eating at the different tables in a pattern, starting the day at Poseidon, then moving to Zeus, and ending at Hades. It’s nice, though, to have a schedule and stick to it. He remembers the days when he would go weeks without a proper meal or even a bed. He shudders when he thinks back to the time he spent camped out next to the River Styx. Those were dark days.

 

“Yo! How was your match against Leo?” Jason asks when Nico sits down.

 

“Horrendous. They created mini Festus’ to attack us. I got burned.” Nico says, turning to show them his bandaged shoulder.

 

Both boys wince. “Yikes. Ours was not that eventful. We beat the Aphrodite kids pretty quickly.” Percy says.

 

“Piper played against her own cabin?”

 

“Yup. However, they tried to use charmspeak on us and she had to counteract it with Annabeth and score most of the goals. I think I was doing the macarena at one point?” Percy says thoughtfully.

 

Nico snorts. “Better than having bite marks all over your legs.”

 

“Definitely. Though we heard you and Solace were using your powers together, so be prepared for us to do the same.”

 

“I’d expect nothing less.” Nico muses, his gaze straying to the Apollo table unwittingly.

 

Will is sitting in the middle with all the little ones surrounding him. Per usual, Gracie is in his lap and talking his ear off while Will dutifully listens, nodding along and smiling at her. Nico sighs. How could he be so kind all the time? Nico’s patience would be wearing thin by now.

 

“What was that for?” Jason asks with a knowing smile.

 

“Huh?” Nico asks.

 

“That sigh.”

 

Nico glares. “I can’t sigh now?”

 

“Just seemed like you were lost in thought. While watching your boyfriend.” Jason says, jerking his head towards the Apollo table.

 

“My– what the fuck are you talking about?” Nico says, feeling the ground start to shake beneath them.

 

Jason holds his hands up, scooting away from Nico. “I didn’t mean anything by it!”

 

“Then why did you say it?” Nico demands, cracks beginning to form under their feet.

 

“Nico, calm down–”

 

“What’s wrong?” A warm voice asks from behind Nico, a firm hand settling on his shoulder.

 

Nico takes a deep breath before looking up, met with stormy blue eyes. Will’s glaring at Jason with furrowed brows, his expression unnaturally serious. Jason looks over at Percy for help, who offers none, opting to sit and watch them like he’s enjoying the juiciest reality TV episode.

 

“It was nothing, Solace,” Nico says.

 

“Didn’t look like nothing.” Will nods at the large cracks in the ground below them.

 

Nico flushes, silently wishing that the cracks would disappear. He hates it when he loses control of his powers like that. “I’m good. Got a bit upset, but it’s fine. You can go.”

 

“Come with me,” Will says, reaching down to grab Nico’s tray.

 

Nico sputters. “What?”

 

“As your healer, I won’t have you using excessive power while you’re upset, and clearly sitting here right now is upsetting you. Come on, you’re sitting with me.” Will says, his tone leaving no room for argument.

 

“Solace, you’re being ridiculous.” Nico protests.

 

“No, I’m not. You’re going, Nico.” Will says, reaching his other hand down to lace his fingers with Nico’s and pull him from the bench.

 

Nico’s cheeks flame as he glances back at Jason, who looks properly chastised now. He gives Nico a weak smile and waves, muttering a quiet apology as Nico is dragged away to the Apollo table. 

 

“You don’t need to do this,” Nico mutters in Will’s ear, a scowl forming on his face when he sees how many heads are turned to watch them.

 

“I’m not supposed to make sure you’re alright? Isn’t that what friends do?”

 

“No, I mean–well, yes, but…” Nico trails off, lost for words.

 

“Exactly. I will not sit there and watch you overexert yourself because your friends are being idiots.”

 

“It was my fault, I overreacted–”

 

“Nico.” Will stops, turning him so they’re face-to-face. “Your emotions are never silly or ridiculous. If you’re uncomfortable or upset, it’s a valid feeling. Gods know that I can be overdramatic at times, dealing with my cabin and having the father that I do, but I allow myself to feel that because it’s necessary. So, feel what you feel and lean on me when you need to.”

 

Nico opens his mouth to reply, coming up short with an answer. How was he meant to respond to that?

 

Will seems to notice his struggle and softly smiles. “Good. Now, come on, let’s eat and get out of here.”

 

They walk over to the Apollo table where Sami is waiting for Nico with eager eyes. “Hi, Nico! Are you ready for our movie night?”

 

“I am.” Nico nods, sliding into the seat in between her and Will. “What movie are we watching?”

 

“Tangled! It’s a Disney movie about Rapunzel. It’s my favorite.” Sami informs him with a wide smile. “And it’s a musical, so we can sing along? Have you seen it before?”

 

“I have not.”

 

Sami gasps loudly. “Oh my Gods, you’ll love it! My favorite character is Flynn Rider, he’s so handsome.” 

 

Nico snorts, glancing over at Will, who’s nodding enthusiastically. “He really is.” Will agrees.

 

Nico ignores the heat that spreads through his gut at those words. He’s still not used to hearing cute boys openly admit that they find other boys attractive. 

 

“Well, I’m excited to see it then,” Nico says.

 

Sami talks through the rest of dinner, her constant chatter a sort of calming presence as Nico eats. He appreciates when other people talk and don’t feel the need for the other person to talk back. Nico’s always been the type to sit back and listen to conversation rather than be an active participant.

 

When they’re all finished, Sami demands that he give her a piggyback ride again, which Nico has come to realize that he can never say no to. They arrive at the cabin and everyone immediately goes into action. Will goes straight for the TV in the corner, turning it on and fiddling with the strange box beside it, pulling out some kind of book and sticking a tiny disc in the box. Nico is very confused by that.

 

Everyone else goes about changing into pajamas while Nico awkwardly stands off to the side, trying not to feel scandalized. He knows that they’re all siblings and therefore don’t care about changing in front of each other, but Nico was raised in 1930s Italy, so his cheeks are red as he avoids looking at any changing campers. Will seems to notice his discomfort a beat too late as he rushes over.

 

“I’m sorry, we’re all very comfortable with each other. Living in such a crowded cabin has taught us to not have modesty when it comes to our bodies. Plus, we’re healers, so we sort of see bodies all day long.” Will rambles, his hand scratching the back of his neck. “I should have warned you.”

 

“It’s okay. I’m being ridiculous.” Nico says.

 

Will gives him a look. “What did we just talk about?”

 

Nico flushes. “Right. I’m not being ridiculous, I’m just uncomfortable by your shameless siblings,”

 

“Better!” Will beams. “You wanna borrow any of my clothes?”

 

“I already am.” 

 

Will laughs. “Any pajamas, I mean.”

 

“Oh.” Nico smiles bashfully. “Sure. If you have any to spare.”

 

Will rolls his eyes. “Most people have a lot more clothes than one outfit, Nico. I have plenty to spare.”

 

He leads Nico over to his bunk and rummages around his wardrobe for clothes. He eventually pulls out soft-looking pants and a hoodie. They’re both disgustingly bright colors, the pants patterned with what look to be bright yellow dogs. Wonderful.

 

“You can change in the bathroom.” Will nods to the door that Nico had previously used.

 

Nodding, he enters the room and locks the door, quickly stepping into the pants and light blue sweatshirt. He looks at himself in the mirror and grimaces. Bright colors just don’t suit his skin tone. But he’ll survive this one time, he supposes.

 

Walking back into the main cabin, he’s greeted with all the Apollo campers huddled around the TV on bean bags, some cuddled on a couch, and a few stragglers lying on sleeping bags on the floor. Will pats the free space beside him on the couch, so Nico pads over to him and slumps on the couch, leaving a bit of room between them. He doesn’t want to seem clingy or anything. Even though he definitely is.

 

Will takes the initiative to scoot closer until their shoulders are brushing, and Nico sends him a tiny smile. Will beams in response as he grabs a blanket from the floor and drapes it over their laps, tucking it around them snugly. Sami finds her way to Nico’s other side, her head immediately resting on his shoulder. He freezes up for a moment before grinning down at her and lightly patting her head.

 

The movie starts with all of the kids quieting down to give their full attention to the movie. Austin pops some popcorn at one point, and they’re all passing the bowls around to share. Nico had never tried popcorn before, but he found it unreasonably addictive. He finishes the rest of the bowl without even noticing. 

 

As the movie progresses, Nico’s eyes slowly start to fall shut, the warmth and comforting atmosphere of Will and the Apollo cabin, in general, catching up to him, and his head ends up resting on Will’s shoulder. The other boy lifts his arm so Nico can fit more comfortably on him, and he’s asleep in seconds. 

 

Hours later, he’s aware of being held in a strong pair of arms and laid down in a comfortable bed that smells divine. He opens his eyes, still half-asleep, to see Will slipping in beside him. Nico falls asleep with a smile and comforting warmth surrounding him for the entire night.

 

Notes:

hehehehehehheeh let the cuddling ensue.

THANKS FOR READING!!

Chapter 5: Chapter Five

Summary:

Some miscommunication leads to some problems.

Notes:

heyyyy y'all. sorry for the wait. work has been kicking my ass recently and i have been SO TIRED all of the time. i literally forced myself to sit down after work today and get this chapter out cuz i had the entire thing outlined, i just needed to actually WRITE it. but it's here. yay. this is the most angst we'll get in this fic. it's mostly nico dealing with self esteem issues and self doubt. poor will is very confused.

i feel like a mess rn and that it probably v clear. i'm gonna put us all out of our misery by ending this now.

THANK U FOR READING I LOVE Y ALL SO MUCH

Nico has never been as warm as he is at this moment. It’s like all of the blankets in the world have been gathered and tucked around him in the world’s warmest and most comforting hug. He shifts a bit, his eyes still firmly shut as he burrows his nose further into the warmth, taking a deep inhale and smiling contentedly. It’s at that moment that he processes a hand that rhythmically cards through his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp. Nico makes a pleased noise, melting into the touch and nearly falling back asleep until a soft laugh startles him awake.

 

His eyes open and he’s greeted with the overwhelming blue of Will’s eyes peering down at him, his smile soft and adoring. Nico jolts, sitting up so quickly that his vision swims. He can already feel a blush staining his cheeks and briefly considers shadow traveling out of this, but Gods damn it, there are no shadows anywhere in this cabin. 

 

“Nico, hey–” Will says, his hand dropping from his hair and reaching out in a steady manner.

 

“Morning, yeah,” Nico says, his gaze roaming around the cabin in pure panic. The rest of the cabin is empty, which means that everyone witnessed him sleeping in the same bed as Will Solace and will likely go tell the rest of camp. Right. Nico’s breaths come shallower and shallower. “I’m gonna go.”

 

“Hang on there, Death Boy. Take a breath.” Will holds his wrist in an iron grip, forcing him to stay in place and look at him. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

 

Nico shakes his head because it’s  not.  Nothing is okay. He fell asleep on Will last night and, wait, did Will carry him to bed? While everyone else in the Apollo cabin watched? And they slept in the same bed together! If he were still back in Italy, he would have been killed for that. Or worse.

 

“I need–” Nico breaks off, his throat constricting. “I need a moment. Away.” He manages before he wrenches his wrist out of Will’s hold and stumbles out of the cabin.

 

“Nico!” Will calls after him, but Nico ignores it.

 

His feet carry him to his cabin and he immediately shuts himself in, his breath coming out of him in harsh puffs. He rests his forehead against the cool surface of his door, his eyes slipping shut as he resists the urge to bang it a few times to forget everything about the past twelve hours. His hands shake, memories assaulting him in waves.

 

He remembers Will resting his cheek on top of Nico’s head after he fell asleep, and the way their fingers intertwined beneath the blanket spread around them. He remembers the ease in which Will lifted him and gently deposited him onto his bed, and the careful way he slid in beside him and covered them both with blankets. He remembers waking up in the middle of the night to warm arms wrapped around his middle, a toned stomach pressed up against his back. He remembers  he remembers he remembers. 

 

Sinking down on the floor, he miserably clutches his head in his hands, uselessly attempting to rip the memories from his mind and forcefully rip the name Will Solace out of his mouth. He doesn’t deserve to say such a sweet name, doesn’t deserve to know someone as perfect as him. Nico is wrong, he’s dark, and he’s the polar opposite of the son of Apollo. Where Will heals, Nico breaks, and where Will smiles and laughs, Nico sneers and scowls. 

 

They would never work. And of that, Nico is completely sure. 

 

He isn’t sure how long he sits there on the cold floor of his cabin, head clutched in his hands. Time moves differently when Nico is stuck in his spiraling thoughts, and he has no idea what time it is when a soft knock raps on his door. He shakes himself out of his stupor, pushing off the floor and slowly opening the door. 

 

“Hey,” Will says, his teeth piercing his bottom lip in worry. Nico really doesn’t want to focus on that action too much, forcing his eyes to stay on the freckles that dust across Will’s nose and cheeks. “Can I come in?”

 

Nico shuffles to the side, opening the door a bit wider. Will enters, standing in the center of the cabin awkwardly. He glances around, clearly noticing the lack of decoration and personality. The cabin is dark, cold, and gloomy. Much like its occupant.

 

“So, I want to apologize. I sort of just carried you to my bed and forced you to sleep there with me and I shouldn’t have done that. I’m really sorry, Nico, I know that it made you uncomfortable and I will  never  do anything like that again. I promise.” Will says earnestly.

 

Nico gazes down at the floor, biting his lip nervously. Just as he suspected, Will regrets everything. Obviously, he wouldn’t want to share a bed with a son of Hades, someone who’s been told he radiates death while Will is the personification of life and healing. They just don’t work.

 

“It’s okay. I, uh, just wasn’t expecting it. That’s all.” Nico eventually says. 

 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I know it’s not necessarily normal to sleep in the same bed as your friends. I guess I’m just used to being touchy. You know, cause of the whole Apollo thing. We’re all cuddly.” Will says, his cheeks flushed pink as he struggles to meet Nico’s gaze. 

 

Right. Because they’re just friends and Will has probably done that with his other friends. Nico isn’t special, he’s not sure why he would ever have thought that.

 

You’re delusional, stop assuming he likes you. He’s just being a good friend.

 

“Will, it’s fine. Honestly.” Nico says, ready to be done talking about this.

 

They lock gazes for a moment, and Nico does his best to hide his hurt. He masks his expression, a trick he learned after Bianca died. When he acts like nothing hurts him, it gets easier to believe it. Even when this hurts way more than he had ever expected it to.

 

Will watches him uncertainly for a moment, clearly still a bit wary. But after a few moments, his gaze clears and he offers a tiny smile. “Right. Well, good, because the tournament starts in twenty minutes. Us against Demeter.”

 

Nico nods. “I need to change. I’ll meet you out there in ten.”

 

Will grins. “Okay, Death Boy. I’m sorry.”

 

“Stop apologizing, Solace.”

 

“Sorr–” He says before stopping himself. “I see what you mean.”

 

Nico shakes his head as the other boy slips out of his cabin.

 

~

 

Nico is struggling. He’s disoriented, anxious, wired up, and currently tripping over multiple vines that are attempting to wrap around his ankles. As he runs forward to hit the ball back over the net, a vine comes out of nowhere and drags him to the ground so he hits the sand face-first.

 

“Okay, that’s it! Stop tripping Nico, you’re going to hurt him!” Will yells, his tone deadly serious.

 

“We’ll stop if you stop your sun thing,” Miranda argues back, her hands stubbornly placed on her hips.

 

“You know what? Fine. I’ll stop. Just quit hurting him.” Will snaps, his hand warm as it latches around Nico’s wrist and pulls him up. “You okay? That was a hard fall.”

 

Nico roughly yanks his wrist back. He isn’t sure why he can’t let Will’s words from earlier go. He’s not special, and Will definitely doesn’t like him, and their short cuddling session meant nothing. Nico can’t be turning it into something it wasn’t.

 

“I’m fine, Solace, stop babying me.” Nico snaps. Will rears back, his eyes hurt. Nico briefly feels guilty for snapping but pushes it away. He shouldn’t care. He  doesn’t  care. “Let’s just win this stupid game.”

 

Will furrows his eyebrows, his eyes bright. He opens his mouth and hesitates before snapping it shut. He settles for a curt nod, turning away from Nico and focusing back on the game.

 

And why the fuck does  that  hurt so much? Is that not what he’s been asking for this entire time? For everyone to stop caring about him so much and let him be alone? But he never… well, he never expected Will to be one of those people.

 

“We don’t have all day, di Angelo!” One of the boys from the other team calls out, waving at him impatiently.

 

If this were a normal day where Nico was feeling completely normal and not on the brink of an extreme mental breakdown, that comment wouldn’t have bothered him. Seeing as he is one wrong step away from losing his fucking mind, the comment grates on his skin like sandpaper. He reacts accordingly.

 

He tosses the ball in the air and spikes it directly at the other guy’s face, nodding in satisfaction when it hits its mark. The boy bends over, cursing viciously as blood starts to pour from his nose onto the sand below him. Nico watches with a blank stare, his body vibrating with emotions he doesn’t know how to control.

 

The game lasts a few more rounds after that, all of them ending with Nico scoring more points and eventually winning the game for them. He doesn’t celebrate their victory and barely speaks as they’re rounded up for their next game directly afterward.

 

“Nico,” Will corners him a couple of minutes before their other game. “I know you’re not okay. Was it something I said? Was it… what we did?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean, Solace. I’m completely fine.” Nico says.

 

Will huffs. “Neeks–”

 

“We should get on the court.” Nico cuts him off, walking out onto the sandy court and preparing himself for another vigorous game.

 

The Ares kids are on the other side of the net, all of them sneering and calling out petty insults. Nico rolls his shoulders back, completely ready to take them.

 

“Hey, di Angelo! How would you feel about me targeting your Will, huh? I’ll aim the ball for his nose like you did for the last team.” Sherman Yang, the only one that Nico knows by name, says to him with a taunting smile.

 

And that… well, everything about what Sherman said rubs Nico the wrong way. It makes him so mad that his hands start to shake, and he’s almost certain that he’s unconsciously summoned some shadows to surround him. The Ares kids leer and chuckle at Nico’s display, delighted by his reaction.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave his important bits alone, I’m sure you’d miss his di–” Sherman continues, breaking off when a ball hits him in the nuts. Hard.

 

“Don’t talk about them like that,” Kayla says, her voice soft but stern. “My brother might not stick up for himself, but I definitely do.”

 

Nico briefly thinks that if he were attracted to girls, he’d probably kiss Kayla right now.

 

The game continues similarly.

 

“So, what’s your favorite position? Is doggy style the same when you’re gay? Although, I bet you two get off on staring into each other’s eyes and being all disgusting.” Sherman continues, grinning when he gets a violent reaction.

 

He knows that he’s hit the jackpot by teasing Will and Nico about their… relationship. Friendship. Whatever it is they’re doing.

 

The ground shakes beneath them as Nico’s anger starts to grow out of control. The Apollo team is winning by a landslide, but none of them are celebrating. Nico can barely keep his powers at bay, and he realizes that he’s not doing a very good job at containing them when he looks down to see multiple cracks running through the ground beneath them. 

 

“Come on, guys, ignore him. He’s goading us. It’s what Ares kids do, you know that.” Will says, somehow staying semi-level-headed through all of this.

 

“He’s being a dick.” Kayla spits.

 

“And an asshole,” Austin adds.

 

“He’s not going to be doing much of anything when I’m done with him.” Nico snarls.

 

“We’re winning! We just need to score four more points and we can go to dinner and relax.” Will says desperately.

 

They somehow manage three more points, and just as Nico is scoring the winning point, Sherman meets his gaze and smiles. The Ares boy is still calling out vaguely homophobic insults, his smirk never leaving his face. He knows that he’s beaten them all mentally. None of them feel like winners right now.

 

“I bet you two cuddle each other all night. Solace seems like a clinger.”

 

Nico can’t really explain what happens next. It sort of passes in a blur of blinding anger and uncontrollable rage lashing out. The ground shakes violently, and he can see Sherman fall into a hole that Nico had created, keeping him there. He’s screaming, and storming over to the other side of the net. Then there’s warm hands pulling him back, and soft blue eyes trying to calm him down, and he can’t fucking calm down.

 

“Please, Neeks, just breathe, please.” Will is saying, his hands cradling Nico’s face so carefully, his thumbs running across his cheekbones.

 

Nico can’t breathe. He can’t speak. He glances around desperately, looking for any kind of escape. His gaze slips to the shadow that Will’s body is casting on the ground, and Nico moves without thinking. He uses Will’s shadow to transport himself to his cabin, ignoring Will’s startled pleas for him to stop.

 

He lands in his cabin, exhaustion creeping into his bones immediately. It’s a struggle to make it to his bed and curl up in a ball before he passes out.

 

~

 

“I don’t know, bro, he looks so peaceful.” A voice speaking near Nico’s head causes him to stir.

 

“Yeah, he’s pretty fucking angelic when he sleeps.” A different voice says.

 

“Like a cherub. Or an angel.  Wait –”

 

“Shut up, he’s waking up.”

 

Nico blinks his eyes open, cursing when two faces appear directly in front of him. “What the fuck–”

 

“Dude, you’re in such deep shit with Solace.” Percy greets him. “He’s been pacing outside your door for, like, two hours now. He snapped at us when we came in.”

 

“Wha–? Why?” Nico asks, rubbing his eyes as he sits up.

 

“You shadow-traveled despite not being cleared to. He’s pissed.” Percy informs him, looking quite happy.

 

Nico scoffs. “Whatever. I don’t care what he thinks.”

 

Jason frowns, sitting down beside Nico in his bed. “What happened?”

 

Nico looks down at his hands and starts fidgeting restlessly. So much has happened in the span of one day, his brain can barely keep up. Percy sinks down on Nico’s other side and both boys patiently wait for Nico to respond. It’s probably the longest that Nico has ever seen either of them go without speaking. It’s nice.

 

“I sort of fell asleep in the Apollo cabin last night. On Will’s shoulder. And then he carried me to his bed and we both slept there. And I remember waking up in the middle of the night and he was… cuddling me. And then I sort of ran out of there this morning, but Will followed me, and he basically told me that it didn’t mean anything.”

 

Both Jason and Percy take a deep breath, neither saying a word for a moment. Nico finally lifts his head, grimacing as he prepares to see disgust on their faces. Instead, they look sympathetic. Even sad. 

 

“That sucks, Nico. What did he say exactly?” Jason asks.

 

“He said that Apollo kids are all touchy and I shouldn’t think it’s weird because he does it with all of his friends.”

 

“Well, it’s not weird,” Percy says.

 

Nico frowns. “What?”

 

“Bros can cuddle platonically. Grover and I do.” Percy shrugs.

 

Both Nico and Jason tilt their heads in confusion and slight bewilderment. “You do?” Jason asks, looking like he’s trying not to laugh.

 

“Fuck yeah. You know what? Let’s all cuddle right now.” Percy says.

 

“I think I’ve had enough cuddling,” Nico says.

 

“No, we’re doing it. I’m not saying that what you and Solace were doing was platonic bro-cuddling, but I am proving to you that it’s real and it’s nice.” Percy says, standing and forcefully pushing Nico and Jason down.

 

“This is so strange.” Jason muses, sprawling out in Nico’s bed as Percy manhandles both of them.

 

“You stay here and Jason can go here,” Percy mumbles to himself, rearranging them to his satisfaction. “And I’ll go here. Alright, bros, let's cuddle.”

 

And Nico is stuck in a Big Three sandwich. If only Leo were here. He’d likely have an aneurysm. Percy wraps his arms around Nico’s back, while Nico’s face ends up buried in Jason’s chest, the other boy’s arms looped around his waist. Ten-year-old Nico would be having a field day right now. Fourteen-year-old Nico wishes the arms were attached to someone else. A son of Apollo, preferably.

 

“See, it’s nice,” Percy mumbles after a moment.

 

“I hate to admit when you’re right but… it is kind of nice,” Jason admits.

 

“I am seriously rethinking both of your sexualities right now,” Nico says before pushing himself out of the sandwich. “This isn’t helping. If anything, it’s making things worse.”

 

“Then talk to us. What happened at the tournament?” Jason asks, sitting up despite Percy’s protests.

 

“It was just… Sherman Yang was saying… things about me and Will. I got mad and buried him in the dirt and then shadow-traveled away. It was all too much, I felt like my head was going to explode.” Nico says, his eyes squeezing shut as he tries to block out the memories from earlier.

 

A heavy hand settles on his back, and Nico shoots a tiny smile in Jason’s direction. Percy does the same, and they sit there for a moment.

 

“Sounds like Yang deserved it,” Jason says.

 

Nico laughs. “Yeah, he sort of did.”

 

“And it sounds like you should talk to Will. It might have been a misunderstanding earlier. But the real question is… did you want last night to mean something?” Jason continues, his eyebrows raised in question.

 

Nico flushes. “No.”

 

Both boys give him disbelieving stares.

 

“Okay, fine. Yes, I do. But… I’m scared.”

 

“That’s normal, Nico. We’re all scared about things like that.” Percy says.

 

“I hate it. I feel weak.”

 

“You’re not weak. How could you be weak with your bros here with you?” Percy says, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

 

Nico laughs despite himself. “You’re an idiot.”

 

“No, I’m your bro. We both are.”

 

“Yeah, Nico, we’re your bros.”

 

“I’m quickly questioning my choice of friends.”

 

“Your choice in  bros.  C’mon, you gotta say it.” Percy urges.

 

“I’m not saying it.”

 

“Say it,” Jason says.

 

“No.”

 

“We’re your bros, and we’re not leaving until you admit it.”

 

“Oh my Gods, fine, you’re my bros.” Nico snaps, huffing a bit when Percy and Jason cheer.

 

“I knew you could do it.” Percy pats his shoulder lightly. “And as your fellow bro, I think you should go find Will and tell him how you’re feeling.”

 

“I hate it when you’re right,” Nico grumbles.

 

“Good thing it doesn’t happen often,” Jason says.

 

Percy squawks and the three of them get into a tussle that ends with all of them on the floor, panting up at the ceiling.

 

“Thanks for coming here,” Nico says quietly.

 

“Always, bro. Always.” Jason says, his grin bright.

 

“That’s what bros do,” Percy says.

 

“I will pay both of you to stop saying bro for the rest of the night.”

 

“Deal.” 

Notes:

i love the bros

Chapter 6: Chapter Six

Summary:

nico talks to his bros and attends the campfire with everyone

Notes:

hey y'all!!!!! sorry for the wait. if you follow me on tiktok, you probably know about the shitty week i had hahahaha. i've been pretty stressed with school/work so writing has been difficult, but i finally finished this chapter!!! you probably noticed that i changed the chapter count, because i anticipate this fic to end at 8 chapters. we've just got the semi-finals and the finals left and then we'll be finished!!! i'll try to bang out the last two chapters fairly quickly, so be on the look out.

i've really enjoyed writing solangelo, so i'm sure i'll write more eventually. thanks for sticking with me and commenting/leaving kudos!!!!!! i appreciate it so so much.

anyway, without further ado, chapter six!! enjoy <<<<3

A bit later, Nico carefully makes his way across the camp, his eyes straining a bit in the dark. He follows the sound of gathered voices and instruments plucking away tunelessly. Percy and Jason are a few paces behind him, both of them stuck deep in a debate about their preferences for milk. Nico really can’t be bothered to listen to them.

 

His mind wanders to the day he’s had instead. Waking up in bed with Will was a surprising but not unpleasant start to his day, though it quickly derailed when he second-guessed everything and fled. Then it all went to shit pretty quickly. The tournament, his losing control of his powers and passing out in his cabin. Not to mention the entire misunderstanding with Will… or at least Percy and Jason think it was a misunderstanding. Nico is too wary to assume anything. 

 

In the distance, Nico can see the campfire burning away, though it looks a bit smaller than usual. He wonders if his mood has managed to influence the bonfire from across camp. He wouldn’t be surprised in all honesty.

 

“Nico, bro–” Percy starts, and Nico rolls his eyes.

 

“What did I just tell you less than an hour ago, Percy?” Nico says, shooting a glare in the older boy’s direction.

 

“Right. Nico, my not-bro, oat milk is way superior to dairy milk, right?” Percy says, placing his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out.

 

“I have no idea,” Nico says.

 

“What, why?”

 

“Because I have never tried an oat, let alone its milk.” Nico deadpans.

 

“Br– dude!  We’ve got to get you to try it. Your life will be forever changed.” Percy says, his hand reaching out to grasp Nico’s shoulder with wide eyes.

 

“Oh, I’m sure it will,” Nico says, shrugging off Percy’s hands.

 

He looks over to the other boy, he and Jason sharing a look between them, both rolling their eyes heavily. Jason wraps an arm around Nico’s shoulders and pulls him along, leaving Percy a few paces away until he runs to catch up with them.

 

Nico’s about to ask them about s’mores until his gaze catches on bright blond hair flashing in the distance. Nico’s mouth goes dry, and he can feel his cheeks begin to heat up. He briefly considers turning right back around to hide in his cabin for the rest of the night, but Jason senses his instincts and grips his arm a bit harder, forcefully dragging him closer to the fire. Nico rolls his eyes, unwittingly glancing back over in the other blond’s direction, trying to decipher what he’s telling Lou Ellen, and Cecil.

 

“I think Annabeth is saving our seats. You’re gonna sit with us, right, Nico?” Percy says though Nico is only half-listening. “Nico?”

 

Nico snaps out of his reverie, turning to Percy with furrowed brows. “Huh?”

 

“He asked if you’re sitting with us,” Jason says, his mouth pulled into an amused smile. “Unless you want to sit with another cabin? 7, maybe?”

 

Nico scoffs, shaking his head. “I’ll sit with you guys.”

 

“Your bros.” Percy nods in satisfaction. 

 

“At this rate, I’m not paying you anything, Jackson,” Nico says.

 

“We all know you will. You literally have infinite money.” Jason points out, and damn him.

 

“I still might not,” Nico says, his tone not at all convincing.

 

Percy and Jason share a look between them as all three of them approach the fire. The noise grows louder around them, and Nico is tempted to cover his ears. Loud settings like this have always bothered him, causing him to wince and close his eyes. He leans a bit more into Jason, the other boy supporting him without a thought.

 

Nico is too focused on finding their saved spot to notice a small figure bounding over and running into his legs. Nico startles, looking down only to be met with a familiar head of blonde curls. 

 

“Hi, Nico! Are you sitting with us tonight?” Sami asks with a sweet smile.

 

Nico smiles back, albeit slightly strained. “Not tonight, kid. I’m sitting with my other friends tonight.” Nico nods to Percy and Jason, who are both watching the interaction with rapt attention.

 

Sami pouts. “But I want you to sit with me. Will does, too. He’s been talking about it for  hours  now.” She rolls her eyes dramatically, and Nico immediately sees the family resemblance with the aforementioned blond.

 

Nico glances over towards the spot where he knows Will is sitting and catches gazes with a pair of familiar blue eyes. Nico looks away before he can get lost in them, focusing back on Sami instead. He crouches down in front of her, smiling a bit. “How about you come and sit with me then?”

 

Sami’s eyes glow. Like, seriously, Nico thinks she’s actually glowing a bit, which is an extremely weird side effect of Apollo children. He’s only ever seen Will do that.

 

“I would love that!” She says, throwing herself into Nico’s arms and trusting that he’ll catch her.

 

He does. Obviously. He’s not a monster.

 

Now carrying a small Apollo child, he follows where Percy and Jason had walked off to a few moments before. He glances back at Will, his eyebrows raised in question as he nods down at Sami. Will just grins, waving his hand in acceptance. Nico takes that as an okay to take Sami and walks over to where Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Leo, and Piper are all sitting.

 

“I see you’ve brought your child,” Leo comments as Jason slides into the spot beside him.

 

“I can feel the jealousy from over here, Valdez. Don’t worry, I’m sure some poor girl will take a chance on you eventually. In 20 years.” Nico deadpans, his face impassive as Leo sputters and Jason chokes. Nico smirks in satisfaction as Sami walks off to talk to Annabeth, climbing into the older girl’s lap and talking her ear off in an instant. Nico slumps down at the space beside Jason at the end of a log, his other side empty, and stares out into the fire mindlessly. 

 

He can feel eyes on him from across the fire and objects every instinct in his body that wants him to glance up and look back. Will Solace may think he’s being sly, but unfortunately for him, Nico could likely sense his eyes on him even if he were blind. They scorch his body like a brand, and he shifts a bit uncomfortably, searching around for some type of distraction.

 

“Nico, are you feeling better?” Annabeth asks, and Nico swears that the girl is part psychic. She always seems to sense when he’s distressed and needs someone to save him.

 

He shrugs, feigning nonchalance in hopes that his friends didn’t classify him as a grade-A nutcase. They likely still do, but what can you do? “I’m fine. I just needed some time to myself.”

 

Annabeth’s gray eyes implore him, searching for something that only she can understand. Nico sits there and allows her scrutiny, gazing back with a bored expression. Eventually, she nods, accepting his answer. “Well, good. I’m glad that you’re better because we’re going to beat your ass in the finals.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes. These people and their inane competitive nature are so exhausting. “That’s quite presumptuous to assume that you’ll be in the finals with us.”

 

“With you guys?” Annabeth asks, her mouth curled into a smirk.

 

“Well, obviously I’ll be there. Your team on the other hand…” Nico raises a single eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be so confident.”

 

“You’re such a little shit, dude,” Jason says fondly, reaching out to pat Nico’s head like he’s some sort of dog. Nico leans into it, which sort of proves the whole dog thing but… he likes it when people touch his hair. Sue him. 

 

Nico shrugs in response to Jason’s words, not denying them. He accepts being a little shit. Enjoys it even. 

 

“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you, Nico. Our team is unstoppable.” Percy says. “I mean, with Piper’s charmspeak, Jason’s control of the wind, Annabeth’s wondrous brain, and my athletic skills, well… I would be worried if I were you.” Percy finishes, stretching his arms out languidly, a lazy and confident smile spread on his face.

 

Nico’s face remains blank as he says, “I am quivering with fear.”

 

Everyone sitting near them bursts out laughing, Leo’s being the loudest and most obnoxious. “Holy shit, I had no idea you could be so funny, man,” Leo says with a dumbfounded smile, his eyes alight in the firelight. “Please keep roasting Percy at any chance you get.”

 

“I already do,” Nico says.

 

That just makes Leo laugh even harder, to Nico’s confusion. Truly, he doesn’t understand that boy most of the time. But it’s nice to have someone laugh at his objectively hilarious jokes for once. He’s used to keeping them in his head and only having himself to laugh at them. Which, in reflection, is a bit psychotic and a lot sad. Anyway.

 

“It’s true, he does,” Jason confirms, his arm reaching out to rest across Nico’s shoulders comfortably. Nico leans into it, a tiny smile lifting on his lips.

 

“Why don’t you roast me, Nico?” Annabeth asks with a wicked grin.

 

Nico’s response is instant. “I respect you too much for that.”

 

Annabeth and Piper both coo at that while Percy scoffs indignantly. “So, you don’t respect me?” Percy says.

 

“Not one bit,” Nico confirms with a mean smile.

 

“Wow, Nico. Wow. I’m freaking heartbroken right now, dude. I thought we were br–” Percy says with an overly-sad pout on his face, as Jason smacks a hand to his mouth.

 

“I love you, man, but you’re overdoing it with the ‘bro’ thing,” Jason says with a slightly apologetic smile.

 

Percy’s beaming when Jason pulls his hand away. “You love me?”

 

Jason bristles. “I mean, yeah?”

 

Percy surges forward and hugs him, completely ignoring Leo from where he’s currently squished between them. Nico gets pulled into the hug from where Jason’s arm is still wrapped around his shoulders, though he protests it the entire way. He and Leo make eye contact, the other boy’s face bright and pleased. Nico snorts.

 

“Finally got your Big Three sandwich, huh?” Nico says.

 

“I did. It’s great.” Leo says, sighing in contentment as Percy snorts and rubs his knuckles on top of Leo’s head.

 

“We’re so weird. I love us.” Percy says. “Even you, Nico.”

 

“The feeling is not mutual. And I am not weird.”

 

All of his surrounding friends make various noises of amusement and Nico bristles. What kind of friends do they think they are?

 

“You’re the weirdest!” Leo says.

 

“Says the guy that considers a ship his baby.” Nico rolls his eyes.

 

“Don’t slander my love! She’s more magnificent than you could ever  dream  of being.” Leo says.

 

“Sure, Leo,” Nico says, only half-listening at this point.

 

“He’s just jealous,” Percy assures Leo.

 

“I can assure you that I’m not, Jackson,” Nico says.

 

“Oh? And who is your love?” Percy says, his eyes gleaming with mischief in a truly scary impression of a Hermes kid.

 

“Your mom,” Nico says, and then sends a brief apology to Mrs. Jackson for reducing her to a Yo Mama joke, but some things just have to be done.

 

The resounding laughter is entirely worth it, especially the face that Percy pulls amid everyone laughing at Nico’s joke. He pulls away from all of them, turning to promptly lay all over Annabeth in an attempt to ignore them. They all keep laughing.

 

After it all dies down, Jason glances down at Nico with knowing eyes. “I think I have a guess as to who your love is.”

 

“Shut up, Grace.”

 

“Could it possibly be a certain blond that we all know and love?” Jason continues, clearly looking to be maimed by Nico today.

 

“If you don’t shut the fuck up, Jason–” Nico growls, the power beneath his veins rumbling in a desperate attempt to be let out.

 

“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Leo asks, his face curious as he watches them.

 

“Just who Nico’s favorite person is.” Jason shrugs.

 

“Well, it’s obviously me,” Leo argues, and Nico rolls his eyes.

 

He stops listening as Jason and Leo start bickering about who Nico’s favorite is and allows his gaze to wander again. He’s not looking for anyone in particular. Definitely not. 

 

His eyes find Will of their own volition. He’s got Gracie and Quinn fighting for the spot in his lap, eventually settling to stretch his legs out and plop Gracie closer to his lap and Quinn farther down on his legs. Nico snorts in amusement and a second later, Will is looking over at him with raised eyebrows. Nico swallows, his entire body heating up at the eye contact. Will doesn’t back down, continuing their little staring contest with an unreadable expression. It’s unnerving. Nico can usually guess what Will’s feeling because he wears it on his sleeves for everyone. But right now… Nico is lost.

 

“Nico, pay attention to me!” A little voice shouts into his right ear. 

 

He startles, jolting out of his distraction to see Sami standing at his side with her little hands held on her hips, her expression strict and eerily like her oldest brother. Nico smiles on instinct. “What’s up, Sami?”

 

“I want to sit with my family,” Sami says.

 

“Oh, yeah? Want me to walk you over there?” Nico says.

 

“No, I want you to come with me and sit with us,” Sami says, and damn this kid is so freaking stubborn.

 

“Well, maybe I want to sit with  my  family.” Nico counters with raised eyebrows.

 

“But we’re your family, too!” Sami protests, gesturing to where the Apollo campers are seated from across the fire. “Will says that you’re an honorary member of our cabin, so that makes you family. So, you’ll still be sitting with your family if you come with me.”

 

That… definitely doesn’t make Nico feel emotional. Nope. He’s not fighting down the embarrassing urge to cry in front of a 7-year-old right now. Totally not.

 

“You should just take the poor kid and sit with them, Nico,” Jason says, his eyes sympathetic as Nico glances over at him. “We’ll still be here for you. Always.”

 

Nico swallows, catching onto the double meaning in his words. He slowly nods, standing and reaching out to hold Sami’s hand gently. She smiles happily, skipping across the grass to the area that the Apollo campers are occupying. Kayla grins over her guitar when she spots them, her hand lifting in a friendly wave. Austin does the same, continuing to sing along to the song he and Kayla are currently harmonizing in, but smiling at Nico at the same time. Well, at least he’s got that. He’s not scared that the Apollo campers suddenly hate him for his outburst… well, actually, that’s exactly what he’s scared of. He knows that his powers are freaky, and that he’s way too powerful than any demigod should be, and that he’s scary when he loses his temper. He’s heard it all. He’s tried to stop it, especially because he loves hanging out with the Apollo campers. He sort of assumed that he blew it. But maybe not.

 

“Will, look! I brought Nico!” Sami says, gesturing to Nico excitedly with her free hand that isn’t in Nico’s.

 

Will looks up from where he had been engrossed in conversation with Gracie and Quinn, his face brightening considerably when he spots Nico. And that… well, that’s something, right? It’s a sign that Will doesn’t completely hate him, which is what Nico had been expecting.

 

“Hey, sunshine.” Will greets, his lips lifting in that pretty smile of his, and Nico  doesn’t  blush at the nickname. He doesn’t. “Nice to see you alive and well.”

 

“Uh, hey.” Nico greets awkwardly, allowing Sami to pull him over to sit beside Will as she climbs into his lap without shame, her little arms wrapping around his neck as she gets comfortable. Nico holds her close, laughing gently when she goes still and presumably falls asleep. “Sami wanted me to come over here.”

 

“You didn’t want to?” Will asks, his eyebrows furrowing with hurt.

 

“No, I mean–” Nico shakes his head, wanting to wipe that expression off of Will’s face for eternity. “I  did,  I just didn’t know if you wanted me to come. After earlier.”

 

Will’s face clears and he nods. “Of course, I want you here. I always want you, Neeks.”

 

And gods above, Will is really laying it on thick with these nicknames tonight. He can feel how hot his cheeks are, how sweaty his palms have grown. His heart is pounding in his chest and Will looks entirely too attractive in the firelight than is fair.

 

“Oh,” Nico says, his voice higher than usual as he scratches the back of his neck. “Well, um, that’s good to know.”

 

Will beams. “Scoot closer.” He gestures to the couple of feet that Nico had left between them in his wariness of Will’s attitude towards him. But he apparently takes too long to move closer because hands are suddenly wrapped around his waist and he’s being bodily shifted until his side is pressed right up against Will’s. Sami makes a noise of discontent from where she’s hiding her face in Nico’s chest but goes quiet when he’s settled comfortably on the ground, his back leaning against the log behind him. He lifts his hands to softly brush through Sami’s curls, gently detangling them as her breathing slows down and she flops more firmly into his body. He watches her with a fond smile, wondering if this is what it could’ve been like if he’d had a younger sibling. He thinks of Bianca suddenly, and wonders if she’d ever felt this overwhelming surge of love and protectiveness that’s rushing through his body right now.

 

She had to. Because she’d died trying to get a gift for Nico, something she knew he’d wanted. And those tears from a few minutes ago are making their appearance once again. This day has just been one thing after the other.

 

“She loves you so much.” Will comments from beside him, and Nico jolts, having forgotten that he was there. Their eyes meet and Will nods down to where Sami is softly breathing into Nico’s shoulder. “You know she talks about you all the time, right? I wake up and it’s, ‘Where’s Nico? I want to see Nico.’ or we’re walking to breakfast and she wants to know if you can sit with us. Even after the game earlier, she wanted to come visit you in your cabin. I told her you might need some space, but I had to physically pull her back a few times.” Will says, laughing a bit as he recounts the story.

 

Nico’s heart is in his throat and he struggles to swallow around it. Will continues looking at him with an open expression, that damn smile still curling his lips in an infuriatingly attractive way. He doesn’t realize that he’s been staring at them until Will leans a bit closer, ducking his head down to catch Nico’s eyes. Nico flushes, looking away for a moment and trying to calm the heat rising in his cheeks. But his nose is filled with Will, and his body is warm because of Will, and his eyes are practically begging to just catch one more glance at Will. 

 

“You’re not mad at me for earlier?” Nico says, finally risking a glance back over at the blond.

 

Will’s eyes darken a bit, and Nico definitely doesn’t find that even more attractive. “Oh, I’m furious, Neeks. Don’t think that I’m letting you off the hook. Really, I should be locking you in the infirmary for the next week just to show you that I’m not messin’ around about this shadow travel business.” Will says, using that stern doctor voice that Nico is intimately familiar with. “But we’ve got a tournament to win. And I’m gonna trust that you didn’t overexert yourself too badly.”

 

Nico nods, lost in the blue of Will’s eyes, enraptured in the way that he speaks, the words falling off his lips in an almost lazy fashion, the southern accent coming out at the end of all of his words, sweetening them and sending skeletal butterflies to swarm Nico’s stomach at a rapid pace. “I know my limits.” Nico breathes out.

 

“I’m not so sure about that,” Will says, tilting his head to examine Nico a bit closer, his lips still curled upwards. “But I’ll help you find them.”

 

Nico swallows, glancing from Will’s eyes, down to his lips, then back up to where his hair catches the light and glows golden. He wants to reach out and touch it, because in his sleepy panic this morning, he hadn’t had a chance to feel it, and he so desperately wants to. He just wants to be closer to Will, to smell that sunshine scent, to soak up his warmth. And then he remembers what Will said earlier, about Apollo kids being touchy, and well…

 

“Will,” Nico says.

 

“Sunshine.” Will replies, a cheeky smile on his face.

 

“You know what you said earlier, about Apollo kids being touchy?”

 

“...yeah?” Will says, his smile dropping, his expression growing guarded.

 

“I don’t mind it,” Nico says, deciding to be brave for once. “I, uh, don’t mind with you. I like it.”

 

Will’s eyes brighten, and the smile is back. “You don’t?”

 

“Not with you,” Nico confirms, knowing that his face has to be bright red.

 

“Oh,” Will says, and then laughs softly, his gaze turning to the ground. “That’s good to know.”

 

“Yeah, um, I feel like we didn’t understand each other earlier, but… yeah.” Nico shrugs through his stuttered explanation.

 

Will nods and then lifts his arm, his eyebrows raised in silent question. Nico nods, and Will drapes his arm around Nico’s waist, pulling him in even closer. Nico goes willingly, a sigh of contentment rushing out of him as he relaxes into Will. 

 

“You can rest your head on my shoulder, Neeks. I’ve got you.” Will whispers into his ear, sending shivers down Nico’s spine.

 

Nico doesn’t respond, only nodding and gently laying his head on the blond’s shoulder, delighting in how perfectly it fits. How perfectly  they  fit. 

 

And if he can hear his friends teasing him from across the fire, well. He doesn’t mind it for once. 

 

Notes:

THANKS FOR READING MY LOVES <<<<<3

Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

Summary:

Team Apollo competes in the semi-finals and someone ends up in the infirmary.

Notes:

heyyyy guys!!! welcome to the second to last chapter!!! thank you all so much for commenting/leaving kudos for this fic. i appreciate you all so much and am so happy that y'all liked thid fic! i was worried that i wouldn't characterize solangelo correctly, but y'all have been so kind with your feedback!

there's only one more chapter following this one :') i'm so happy/sad for this fic to be finished. but i loved writing these sweet boys, so don't think that this will be the last solangelo fic i write, i will definitely write them again!!!

thanks for reading!!!!! love u guys!!!! <3

“Sunshine!” Comes a booming voice from outside his cabin, effectively startling Nico awake with a harsh jolt. “Get up! We’ve got a big day today!”

 

Nico groans. Rolls over. Flips off the air in his grumpy, mostly-asleep stupor. 

 

“I can tell that you’re not getting up,” Will says and Nico can tell that he’s smiling, the prick. “Don’t make me come in there.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes, silently daring Solace to go through with it. He stays stubbornly still, eventually falling back into the early moments of sleep when he’s suddenly being shaken awake by warm hands.

 

“I told you, Neeks,” Will says, a sweet smile pulling on his annoyingly gorgeous face. “Good mornin’, by the way. Get up. We’ve got a tournament to win.”

 

Nico glares at him halfheartedly, resisting a smile with every muscle in his body. Will notices, because of course he does, and only smiles wider. He reaches down to grab Nico’s hand, interlacing their fingers before pulling him upwards out of bed. Nico, always one to be stubborn, relies on Will to solely support his full body weight, figuring that if he wants Nico up that badly, then he’ll have to work for it.

 

Will settles for reaching down and lifting Nico effortlessly, much to Nico’s chagrin and embarrassment. He squeaks, hands hurriedly swinging up to lace around Will’s neck in his haste to keep himself from falling. “Will! What the hell?”

 

“Aw, what? I wouldn’t have let you fall.” Will says, blue eyes clear in the dim light of the Hades cabin.

 

And Nico is captivated by him. His scent, still like sunshine, which is as baffling as it was the first time he smelled it, and his warmth leaches into Nico’s body as if he’s standing under the sun itself. Will’s got one bottom tooth that’s slightly crooked and only makes his smile that much more attractive. 

 

Deciding that it’s way too early to be waxing poetic about Will’s  teeth,  of all things, he wriggles and squirms until Will puts him back on the ground, his hands lingering on Nico’s waist for a moment before letting go. 

 

Nico huffs, his cheeks warm. “Okay, I’m up, gods. Did you need to wake me up at an ungodly hour or do you just enjoy torturing me?” Nico says.

 

“Probably the second one,” Will says, his eyes glittering. “I’m here because you need to eat breakfast, which starts in…” He glances down at his watch. “Approximately one minute. Let’s get a move on!”

 

“I hate you.” Nico deadpans, standing to walk over to his dresser, and rifling through it for a shirt and pants.

 

He promptly forgets about Solace or accepts that he doesn’t care if he sees Nico like this, and shrugs out of his shirt and pajama pants, quickly replacing them. He turns back around to throw his clothes in his hamper, only to be met with a pink-cheeked Will. Nico raises an eyebrow. “You good?”

 

Will sputters, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he shakes his head a bit. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He says, sounding decidedly not fine.

 

Nico stares at him for a few more seconds before shrugging. “Okay.” The breakfast horn blows and he turns for his door, opening it and expecting to feel the warm presence of Will from beside him. But it’s cold in a non-Will manner and he looks up to find Will still standing in the same spot in the middle of Nico’s cabin. “Will? Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Will jumps, whirling around and racing over to where Nico is standing with a bemused expression. “Yep! Coming.”

 

Nico shakes his head, deciding that Will is having some sort of Apollo freak out before walking towards the pavilion. Will follows, keeping up a steady stream of chatter that Nico listens to but doesn’t contribute to, too tired to converse this early in the morning. Will doesn’t seem to mind, chatting away as they approach the pavilion.

 

“Alright, so we’re going straight to the court after breakfast to verse the Dionysus team, and then we’ll be up against your friends.”

 

Nico frowns. “The Dionysus team?”

 

Will nods. “Yeah, they’re weirdly competitive when it comes to sports. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the madness gene. They can’t give it up until they win.” Will shrugs.

 

Nico nods. “Right.”

 

“Yeah. So, I’ll see you after this.” Will waves, walking towards the Apollo table. “And wear the red shorts!”

 

Nico rolls his eyes. “Over my dead body!”

 

Will’s answering laughter sends Nico’s mouth curling upwards as he grabs a tray and fills it with waffles and a bowl of fruit that Solace would be proud of before he makes his way over to the Zeus table where Jason is residing with a half-asleep Percy. Nico feels for him.

 

“Morning,” Nico says, sliding in beside Percy and poking his cheek. 

 

Percy grumbles incoherently as Jason smiles. “Morning, Nico. Feeling better?”

 

“Yeah,” Nico confirms, digging into his breakfast with fervor. He hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been until right now as he nearly devoured his entire waffle before he remembered to scrape the last little bit into the fire. It seems to brighten a bit as Nico quietly thinks,  wish me luck, Dad. 

 

“Ready for the finals?” Jason asks as Nico returns.

 

Nico shrugs. “I suppose.”

 

“I’d wish you luck but…” Jason grins deviously. “Wouldn’t want to give you an edge.”

 

“You’re the one that’s going to need an edge.” Nico snarks.

 

“You’re an edge,” Percy says sleepily from Nico’s side, his cheek eventually resting in the crook of Nico’s elbow, his eyes falling shut in an instant.

 

Nico looks up at Jason. “What’s up with him?”

 

“Pretty sure he and Annabeth snuck out last night.” Jason shrugs.

 

Nico nods in understanding. “Hopefully it doesn’t affect his playing ability.”

 

“Hopefully it won’t affect your likeability,” Percy says.

 

“Good thing I don’t have that then.” Nico quips.

 

Percy waves him off, leaning even more into Nico’s side and fully falling asleep. It’s funny because if this happened to him two years ago, he’d be having the time of his life. He wouldn’t be able to believe that it was happening. But now, as he looks down at Percy, all he can see is his close friend. His brother. And he’s glad that he got over that idiotic crush and grew the fuck up. 

 

Because he would have been missing out on something even better. But that train of thought is a bit too sappy for it barely being 8 AM, so he turns to his fruit and stabs at it instead.

 

“What’s that face for?” Jason asks, reaching over the table to poke Nico’s forehead.

 

“Just thinking about how nice it’ll feel to completely humiliate you guys later,” Nico says, delighting in how Jason’s chest puffs up indignantly at his words.

 

“I know you’re baiting me, but I’m going to argue anyway,” Jason says before ranting on and on about why his team is the best and blah blah blah.

 

Feeling sufficiently bored and amused, he allows his gaze to shift over to the Apollo table, as it often does. Bright blue eyes meet his instantly, and Nico flushes. Will wiggles his eyebrows playfully, his smile so wide that Nico swears he can see his molars. Sami is currently trying to climb atop Will’s shoulders, her hands waving wildly in Nico’s direction, and he laughs before waving back at her. What a loon.

 

The other Apollo campers are in various stages of eating their breakfasts, the younger ones chatting away happily to each other, most of them looking to be semi-calm. Other than the gremlin that has declared herself Nico’s, who looks to be trying to climb  over  Will now in an attempt to get to Nico. Will is holding her by the armpits with a slightly exasperated expression, his laugh ringing through the pavilion. Nico smiles at the sight, shaking his head fondly. What strange creatures, those Apollo children.

 

“Nico, are you even listening to me?” Jason demands.

 

“No,” Nico says, shrugging unapologetically. “Percy was, though. I’m sure he agrees.”

 

Percy snores in response, his hand reaching out to wrap around Nico’s waist like he’s trying to cuddle him. Nico grimaces, allowing it because it looks like Percy needs the rest.

 

“Should I be jealous?” Annabeth says, scooting into the spot next to Jason with a small smile.

 

“Knowing him, he thinks I’m you,” Nico says.

 

Annabeth hums. “You ready for today, Nico?”

 

Nico shrugs. “I suppose.”

 

Both Annabeth and Jason groan. “You’re no fun to trash talk with!” Annabeth says.

 

“I’m… sorry?”

 

“Ugh, whatever. Well, if you don’t want to trash talk, do you want to tell us about what’s going on with you and Will?” Annabeth says, her eyes gleaming in a truly terrifying manner.

 

Nico can feel his cheeks get warm as he clears his throat. “What do you mean?”

 

Annabeth rolls her eyes. “You guys obviously like each other. Have you kissed?”

 

“What?” Nico squawks indignantly, looking down at Percy for help, who is very unhelpfully asleep, a bit of drool leaking out of his mouth and onto Nico’s arm. Gross.

 

Two more figures sit down at their table, and Nico huffs when he makes eye contact with Piper and Leo. Piper is smirking as she slides into the seat beside Nico. “Are we talking about Nico and Will?”

 

Nico denies it while everyone else agrees. Percy continues snoring. 

 

“Dude, it’s so obvious. Have you guys kissed yet?” Leo says, reaching out to steal some food off of Jason’s tray, smirking when Jason half-heartedly smacks his hand away.

 

Nico scowls. “No, we have not. And we won’t be.”

 

“Why not? You guys are good together.” Piper tilts her head in confusion from beside him.

 

Nico’s entire body feels like it’s burning with embarrassment. “Yeah, we’re good friends.”

 

Every single person besides Percy and Nico groans in unison.

 

“Nico, you guys were literally cuddling at the campfire last night.” Annabeth points out with raised eyebrows. “There is no platonic explanation for that.”

 

Nico turns to Jason with a crazed expression. “Oh, I thought cuddling platonically with your bros was okay? Is it not?”

 

Jason holds his hands up in surrender. “Of  course  it’s okay! Cuddle me any time you want, bro.”

 

Nico rolls his eyes, turning back to Annabeth. “See? I was platonically bro-cuddling with Will.”

 

Annabeth groans in frustration. “You’re impossible. Do you like him?”

 

Nico is seriously ready for this conversation to be over. “Of course I like him. He’s my friend.”

 

“Nico, stop being purposely obtuse. You don’t like Will in the same way that you like any of us.” Piper says.

 

“Maybe that’s because I don’t like any of you guys at all.” Nico snarls. “I am significantly irritated with all of you except Percy.”

 

Percy makes a strange sound from the crook of Nico’s elbow, his hand lifting in a fist and lazily punching the air before smacking back down on the table. All of them watch him for a second before turning their attention back to Nico.

 

“Look, man, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all have crushes.” Leo says, shrugging as he grabs another piece of bacon from Jason’s tray.

 

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Nico says.

 

Everyone exchanges looks before accepting his answer and switching the subject. Annabeth and Piper start a conversation about their plans for the school year while Jason and Leo bicker over Jason’s stolen breakfast. Nico sighs, closing his eyes for a moment and leaning his weight into Percy. Who would’ve ever thought the day would come when Nico’s preferred person is Percy?

 

“Hey, Neeks. Ready to go?” A warm voice says from behind him.

 

Nico opens his eyes, turning to see Will with Sami on his back and Gracie hanging off his legs. Nico smiles unwittingly, pulling a funny face at Sami that makes her laugh with delight. He looks down and shakes Percy’s shoulder none too gently. The older boy startles awake, his hand flying outwards and smacking Nico straight across the face. 

 

“Bro!” Nico exclaims, hitting Percy’s hand away.

 

A gasp sounds from around him, and Nico looks over to see Jason beaming. “Bro!”

 

“Bro!” Percy says, his eyes still half-closed.

 

“Percy, he said it!” Jason says, looking so happy that Nico wonders if he’s about to burst into tears.

 

“Hell yeah, Nico. My bro.” Percy tiredly ruffles Nico’s hair with a grin.

 

“You just slapped me in the face.”

 

“It’s a step to becoming true bros. You can slap me back.”

 

Nico narrows his eyes. “I think I should save that offer for a better time.”

 

Percy looks rightfully scared. “Well, maybe not… just slap me now. Or better yet, Jace, come slap me.” Percy waves Jason over. “Just come at me.”

 

Jason sighs, walking around the table and standing beside them. He lifts his hand and smacks Percy across the face, his palm making a satisfying  slap  as Percy grimaces and holds his cheek. “Fuck, dude, I wasn’t expecting you to hit me that hard!”

 

“You told me to slap you.” Jason shrugs before going back to his seat.

 

“Anyway,” Will says loudly, and they all startle, having forgotten that he was there. “Nico and I need to go win another round. We’ll see y’all later.” His hand darts out to gently wrap around Nico’s hand and pull him up, interlacing their fingers as they start walking together.

 

Nico flushes at the contact and turns back to wave goodbye to his friends, only to see five identically smirking faces. Nico flips them off instead.

 

“Good breakfast?” Will asks, smirking down at him knowingly.

 

Nico scoffs. “Yeah. So good.”

 

“It’s nice to see you hanging out with them. They all really love you.” Will says, his tone softer than before.

 

Nico shrugs. “Yeah, I mean… they’re the closest thing I have to family besides Hazel. I literally wouldn’t have survived without them.”

 

Will smiles. “I’m really glad that you have them.”

 

“I’m glad that I have you,” Nico says, then freezes and sputters for a few seconds. “Er, I mean–”

 

“I’m glad I have you, too.” Will cuts him off with a sunny smile.

 

Nico shuts his mouth, smiling in relief at the other boy’s response. They walk the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, the two girls filling their silence with their inane chatter. Sami asks Nico if he can summon her cat which died when she was three years old, to which he responds that the cat is likely in the Underworld and frolicking around happily. That seems to appease her, which is relieving. The truth is that Nico just doesn’t feel like searching for her cat in the depths of the Underworld. At least not while he has a tournament to win.

 

“Nico! You ready?” Kayla calls out happily from where she’s already warming up on the volleyball court.

 

“As I’ll ever be,” Nico calls back and turns to Will and his two dangling sisters. “I’m going to change into my swimsuit, I’ll be right back.”

 

Will nods. “The red ones!” He reminds Nico.

 

Nico rolls his eyes. He doesn’t want to admit that Nico had already decided on wearing the red ones after Will asked earlier. They were the decidedly more bearable option out of the two that Will had lent him. He grabs said shorts and slips them on, deciding to stay in his black T-shirt with the skull printed across the front. He slips back into his sneakers and makes his way over to the court.

 

He’s met with the sight of Will bent in half, his hands touching his toes effortlessly. Nico swallows harshly around his suddenly dry mouth, clearing his throat. Will hears him and straightens up, beckoning Nico over with a smile. “Hey! You wore them!”

 

Nico shrugs, not answering as he stands beside Will. Kayla and Austin are stretching, too, and Nico is amused to find all the other little Apollo campers stretching with them off to the side. 

 

“C’mon, Sunshine, touch your toes with me,” Will says, starting to bend over in his stretch again.

 

Nico glares at him, stubbornly crossing his arms across his chest and arching an eyebrow. It only makes Will smile wider. “Don’t make me come over there.” Will playfully threatens.

 

“I’d like to see you try, Solace,” Nico says, a pleased little thrill running down his spine.

 

“Oh, would you?” Will stands and stalks over with gleaming eyes. He lunges at Nico, his hands grasping around his waist like a vice as Nico struggles, eventually losing his footing in the sand and falling, dragging Will down with him. They land in a crumpled heap on the ground, sand everywhere as they wrestle each other, both fighting to be on top.

 

“Stretching is good for your muscles! I’ll physically bend you over if I have to!” Will shrieks as Nico loops his feet around Will’s waist and rolls them over.

 

“Oh, you’ll bend him over, Will?” Kayla calls out with a wicked grin.

 

Will sputters, his cheeks going a violent shade of red right as Nico sits atop him with a heaving chest. Their eyes meet, and both boys go quiet, their gazes darting all around each other. Nico glances from Will’s ruffled curls, down to his smiling mouth, then lower to where his shirt is riding up, and a sliver of a toned stomach peeks out. He has the insane urge to reach down and feel the skin there, wondering if it’s as taut as it looks.

 

Woah there. He shakes his head, rolling off of Will in one smooth motion and flopping down on the ground beside him. He’s breathing heavily, the sun beating down uncomfortably warm on his skin, and Nico briefly wonders if Apollo witnessed that entire ordeal. He decides it’s better not to think about it.

 

“You’ll never get me to stretch, Solace,” Nico says.

 

“I will eventually,” Will says, his voice even breathier than Nico’s.

 

“If you guys are done with your wrestling match, I’d like to get some warm-up rounds in before we verse Dionysus,” Austin says, tapping his foot impatiently.

 

Nico and Will nod, struggling to their feet and attempting to brush the sand off of their clothes. Will’s hair is full of sand, and Nico laughs before reaching up to try and brush it out. Will abruptly stops moving when Nico’s hand touches him, and Nico freezes, getting ready to pull back when Will starts to lean into the touch. He takes that as his cue to continue, so he does, not stopping until he’s vaguely sure that the sand is mostly gone. Though he can’t totally tell with the shade of Will’s hair.

 

Will’s lips are slightly parted when Nico pulls away, his eyes soft. “Thank you.” He says, his voice a bit shaky.

 

“No problem. It was sort of my fault.” Nico shrugs, his cheeks warm as he turns away to face the rest of his team.

 

Austin and Kayla are watching them with identically unimpressed looks. Nico flushes harder.

 

“Can we start now?” Kayla asks.

 

“Yes, let’s do that.” Will quickly agrees.

 

~

 

Nico has never sweated this much in his entire life. In fact, he’s never used his muscles this much in his entire life. Everything aches, and he’s seriously worried that he might have heat stroke, considering he’s still wearing his black T-shirt from earlier, though it’s completely soaked through now, sitting on his skin uncomfortably.

 

Team Dionysus is beating them horribly, and every step he takes squelches uncomfortably over the grapes that litter the sand beneath them. Multiple vines are growing around them, tripping them at every turn. And Nico is furious about it. How is he meant to hand Percy and the others their asses if they don’t make it to the finals? 

 

“Sunshine, you need to go drink some water. You look like you’re about to pass out.” Will says from beside Nico, his face flushed from exertion and heat.

 

Nico shakes his head. “I’m fine. We need to win this.”

 

“We won’t be winning anything if you’re passed out on the ground,” Will says, forcefully shoving a water bottle into Nico’s hands. “ Drink.”

 

Nico scowls, gripping the bottle and chugging it until it’s empty. He’s loath to admit that he feels better after, but he does. He wipes at his mouth with his damp shirt and shudders from the fabric sticking to his skin. After a couple of agonizingly long moments, he decides to say fuck it and shuck the shirt, balling it up and throwing it off to the side.

 

Some of the girls that are sitting off to the side start wolf-whistling, leering, and making lewd comments at Nico, which only pisses him off even more. He scowls and bends down to grip the ball in his hands, and turns his gaze to the rest of his team. Will’s ears are bright red as he glances from Nico’s face to his chest and then back up. Nico raises an eyebrow at him, which only causes Will to flush even more as he turns away. Nico shakes his head, wasting no time in serving the ball and spiking it aggressively across the net.

 

It lands just a few feet over the net, giving the Apollo team its first point in a while. Will’s cheer is the loudest out of all of them, his warm hand gently squeezing Nico’s arm as they ready themselves again. They need to get at least ten more points to tie, and there are only fifteen minutes left in the game. Safe to say, things aren’t looking great for them.

 

Will had made Nico tone down on his powers, too worried about yesterday’s incident, but he’s getting a bit desperate now. They need an edge, and they need it now.

 

He closes his eyes, feeling the power beneath his veins hum at the attention, and opens his eyes determinedly. He raises his hands, focusing on the shadows surrounding the entire camp, and releases them. The Dionysus team all make startled sounds immediately.

 

“I can’t see! Where are you guys?” Pollux yells, running around the small circle of shadows that Nico has surrounded them with.

 

His other siblings are screaming similarly, and Nico takes it upon himself to serve the ball over the net into the bubble of darkness. It bounces on the ground, startling the demigods stuck in the shadows. 

 

“Yo, this isn’t fair! Someone knock out that Hades kid!” One of the other kids–Nico thinks his name is Oliver–yells in distress.

 

“It’s fair game for everyone’s powers! It’s not my fault that you guys can’t manipulate shadows!” Nico yells back, accepting the ball that Kayla had run to grab.

 

“Neeks, I don’t think you should do this,” Will says, walking closer to him with worried eyes. “You overdid it yesterday, I don’t think this is safe.”

 

Nico waves away his worries. “I’ll be fine.”

 

“You’re a little cheat, di Angelo!” Pollux yells angrily, and more vines pop up to wind around Nico’s ankles.

 

Nico kicks them roughly, ignoring how his ankles roll slightly when he pulls them free. He throws the ball up and serves again, surprised when one of the other kids manages to hit the ball back over the net. These damn Dionysus kids just won’t quit. 

 

Austin manages to save it, just bumping it over the net before it lightly hits the ground on the other side. Nico glances at the clock, swearing when he sees how little time they have.

 

“We need three more! Come on!” Nico yells, and his team reacts accordingly.

 

They get the ball and pass it to Nico, who spikes it forcefully over the net. The Dionysus kids are still swearing and stumbling around in the dark, more and more grapes and vines popping out of various spots in the ground in their attempt to trip up the Apollo team. Nico ignores them and continues his assault, spiking one hit, then two, then three. 

 

“Fuck yeah! We really turned that one around!” Austin cheers after they hit the winning point, all of them coming together in a group hug.

 

Nico sighs in relief, letting the bundle of shadows go as he relaxes into Will’s strong grip. His body feels faint and weak, but he’ll be damned if he allows himself to make it this far only to overexert himself and lose to Percy of all people. 

 

“You need to rest. Come on, we’re going to the infirmary.” Will mumbles in Nico’s ear, wrapping a warm arm around his waist and helping him across camp.

 

“I’m fine, Will.” Nico protests, though his eyes are falling shut of their own accord.

 

“Damn it, Neeks.” Will swears and gently lifts Nico into his arms just as the world starts to go dark.

 

~

 

He wakes a bit later to a low voice humming a soothing tune and a warm hand carding through his hair. He blinks his eyes open slowly, groaning as he stretches and attempts to sit up.

 

“Welcome back,” Will says from beside him, a stern expression on his face. “You overdid it back there. Majorly. You’re lucky that I didn’t force you to sleep for an entire week. In fact, I’m still debating it.”

 

Nico glances around at the empty infirmary, completely out of it. He is startled when he sees the dark sky outside of the windows. “What time is it?”

 

“It’s nearly midnight. You’ve been out for over twelve hours.” Will informs him with a straight face, though Nico can tell that he’s refraining from freaking the fuck out. Nico’s impressed at how well he’s keeping it together, honestly.

 

“Right. Cool.” Nico nods. "What happened to the finals?"

 

"They're postponed until you're better. And I'm not letting you do any kind of exercise for at least two days."

 

Nico nods again. He supposes that's fair.

 

Will’s biting his bottom lip, his eyes looking a bit crazed, and Nico just waits for him to snap. They stare each other down, Nico calmly examining the other boy. Will’s wearing his usual cargo shorts again with a camp T-shirt, and his hair is a bit damp. Nico guesses he recently showered.

 

“Do you realize how much you make me worry every time you do that?” Will demands, his tone louder and slightly strained. “I had to carry you across camp while you were lying half-dead in my arms! Your skin was freezing and you were white as a ghost, Nico.”

 

Nico flinches at the use of his real name rather than one of the ridiculous nicknames that the blond usually preferred. It’s such a small thing, but it’s how he knows that Will isn’t messing around. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Nico whispers, shame coating his skin like a film. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to win.”

 

“Nothing is worth endangering yourself. Especially not some dumb tournament that I roped you into.” Will laughs bitterly. “Gods, this is all my fault.”

 

“What? No, it’s not. I’m the idiot that doesn’t know my limits.” Nico argues.

 

Will gives him a look. “Well, I suppose that’s true. But it’s my job to take care of you, of everyone at the camp. I should have stopped you earlier.”

 

“It’s not your job to do any of that, Will. You can’t be held responsible for all of our idiotic actions. That’s too much responsibility.” 

 

Will breathes out a shaky sigh. “Sometimes I feel like that’s all I’m good for.”

 

Nico’s spine straightens at that, because  what?  “That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”

 

“Now, hold on–” Will protests, but Nico raises his hand in dismissal.

 

“No, shut up.” He sits up and holds Will’s eyes. “You are worth so much more than that. You’re the kindest, smartest, funniest boy I know. You saw something in me that no one else saw, and you didn’t give up on me when everyone else did. You befriended me and opened up your family to me, and you never pushed me to do something I was uncomfortable with. Will, you’re like… the best fucking person I know. You’re amazing and wonderful, and, like,  so  pretty that I feel like I’m losing my mind most of the time, but I’m basically trying to say that you’re my best friend and I view you as so much more than what you can offer others.” Nico finishes, his chest heaving from all the words he vomited out.

 

Will’s cheeks are bright red, his eyes wide and mouth parted. The air between them grows thick with electricity and Nico is worried that he’s said too much. Did he call Will pretty? Fuck.

 

“I’m about to ask you something that you can say no to if you want,” Will says, stepping closer to kneel beside Nico’s bed, folding his hands on the edge and resting his chin on them.

 

“Alright…” Nico says.

 

“Can I kiss you?” 

 

And, wait what? That’s definitely not what he expected Will to say.

 

“You want to kiss me?” Nico asks.

 

“So much.” Will breathes out, his lips stretched into a wide smile, his eyes soft in the dim light of the single lamp that’s on beside Nico’s bed.

 

“Oh.” Nico breathes out, not completely sure that this is happening, and also desperately hoping this is real. “Well, yeah. Yeah, of course you can. Please do.”

 

Will laughs softly before he leans in, his sunshine scent filling Nico’s nose and his warmth completely covering Nico’s body as he gently leans over him and takes the bottom of Nico’s chin between two fingers. Nico sighs shakily, his hands lifting to fist in the collar of Will’s shirt as the other boy finally connects their lips. Nico’s eyes slip shut in pure bliss, his mouth opening under the gentle urging of Will’s, his head tilting to get a better angle as Will’s tongue curiously darts out and caresses Nico’s bottom lip, sending violent shivers through his entire body. His hands travel from the collar of Will’s shirt to the back of his neck, one of them finding home at the base of his head, fingers tangling in the soft hair there. Will groans when Nico experimentally tugs at the hair, and it sends a hot jolt of something to his gut, and that’s what makes him pull away.

 

Will’s lips are red and puffy now, his eyes as wide as before, and he slowly touches his lips with one hand, a small grin hiding behind it. “Woah.”

 

“Yeah.” Nico agrees.

 

They continue their little staring contest until Will breaks it with quiet laughter, his eyes squeezing shut as he bends over. Nico watches him, entranced and fond. 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.” Will says, his eyes shining happily.

 

“Me too,” Nico admits, his voice breathy and his head foggy.

 

“Gods, sunshine, I–” Will breaks off, giggling again. “I know I’m supposed to be mad at you but I’m so happy right now that I don’t remember why I was angry in the first place.”

 

“I don’t remember either.” And he doesn’t. His brain is full of Will’s eyes and his lips and his hands that are still gripping his chin.

 

They laugh again, and Nico can’t remember the last time he’s felt this carefree. He’s fucking  floating  right now, and can’t be bothered to think about anything else.

 

“So don’t be angry,” Nico says, gripping the back of Will’s neck and pecking him again. “Let’s just do this.”

 

“I know I probably shouldn’t, but I want to so badly that I’m not going to listen to myself right now,” Will says, and they kiss again.

 

And again. And again.

Notes:

HOW WE FEELIN

Chapter 8: Chapter Eight

Summary:

The final round of the tournament!

Notes:

RAHHHH WELCOME TO THE FINAL CHAPTER!! thank you all so much for sticking with me through this! I had so much fun writing my first ever solangelo fic!! i appreciated every comment and kudos and look forward to writing these boys again soon!!

i don't have much to say other than thank you for reading and i love you all. see you soon :)

Nico usually despises the infirmary. He gets flashbacks to being sick as a child and feeling as if he’s dying, remembering how clammy his skin got and how warm his entire body felt when he had a nasty fever as a toddler. Even his recent memories of staying in the infirmary following the battle with Gaea aren’t exactly pleasant, not with Solace forcing him to sleep beneath sun lamps and build his appetite back up to a normal amount. He’d really just wanted to sleep, but continued being rudely awoken by a warm voice, and warm hands, and… well, maybe he didn’t mind that stay as much as he initially thought.

 

His point is that this stay in the infirmary is infinitely more enjoyable than any other experience he’s had with doctors. Seeing as this doctor kisses him after each step, even when Nico’s just woken up and is a bit grouchy. Will accepts it all and offers unending kindness. Nico adores it.

 

“Will, it’s been three days. I feel fine. Can I go now?” Nico whines while Solace reaches out for his hand to check his vitals for the millionth time.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you the doctor now? Am I the one that passed out from over-using my insanely powerful shadow abilities?” Will snarks back, rolling his eyes in a way that’s much too attractive for Nico to handle.

 

“Yes, Solace, that’s exactly what I’m saying. So, let’s go already. If we wait any longer Percy and Jason are going to drag me out there whether you say it’s okay or not.” Nico says, snorting as he recalls Percy and Jason’s visit from the previous day.

 

The infirmary was silent, as Will had gone to get him and Nico some dinner and check on his siblings. Nico heard the door open and smiled reflexively, expecting to see Will’s lovely face at the door. His grin dropped when he saw his idiot friends standing there instead.

 

“Bro! You’re okay!” Percy said, rushing over to plop himself on the edge of Nico’s bed and reach out to pat Nico’s shoulder lightly. “We’ve been so worried, dude. Solace hasn’t let anyone see you cause he keeps saying you need rest. We had to wait until he was gone to come and see you.”

 

Nico was admittedly charmed by Percy and Jason’s sneaking into the infirmary just to make sure that Nico was okay. It warmed his chest from the inside out, although that may have been the after-effects of spending one-on-one time with Solace for an extended period.

 

“I’m fine, Will’s just a worrywart. I should be out of here soon.” Nico said, brushing Percy’s hand off his shoulder with a shrug. “How have you guys been? Are you waiting for me to get out of here before finishing the tournament?”

 

Jason sat down on Nico’s other side, gently bumping their shoulders together. “Of course. We can’t win fair and square without versing you first.”

 

Nico scoffed, though he could feel his lips twitching upwards. “I’m surprised you’re willing to compete against me, considering how hard we’re going to beat you.”

 

“That sentence isn’t nearly as intimidating when you're tucked in bed in the infirmary,” Percy said with a grin. “You look so cozy here. Can we trust that Dr. Solace has been taking good care of you?”

 

“Can you shut the fuck up for two seconds?” Nico snarled, though the usual heat was gone. “Yes, of course he’s taking good care of me. Um,  really  good care, actually.” 

 

“Bro!” Jason and Percy chorused together. 

 

“You’re serious?” Jason asked, his smile so wide that Nico could see his molars.

 

Nico was blushing, but he was also laughing. “Yeah. We kissed two nights ago. And more since then.”

 

“Holy shit! Nico!” Percy stood from the bed so he could start doing a strange mix of the macarena and the robot. Nico didn’t question it, just rolled his eyes fondly.

 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not a big deal.” Nico waved them off.

 

“It’s a huge deal, man. I mean, you guys have been dancing around each other for weeks! This is great news.” Jason said sincerely.

 

Nico shrugged again, but he stopped resisting his smile and leaned a bit into Jason’s shoulder. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

 

Percy made a strange sound from beside the bed, and Nico turned to him in question. When his eyes met Percy’s, he swore he could see hearts in the other boy’s.

 

“I’m sorry, Nico, but you look so fucking precious right now, oh my gods. I need to get Annabeth and show her how adorable you are.” Percy said.

 

Nico scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, Jackson.”

 

“I will not. You’re in love, di Angelo, and it’s the best thing ever.”

 

Jason tsked from his spot beside Nico, his eyes rolling as well. “Tone it down a bit, bro.”

 

“Only for you, Jace,” Percy said before he flopped down at the foot of Nico’s bed. “So? How was it?”

 

Nico raised an eyebrow. “How was what?”

 

“The kiss, obviously. Was it good? Did he use tongue? Oh my gods, did you guys do more than kiss?”

 

Nico covered his warm face with his hands, unwilling to talk about this. “Ew, Percy! I’m not talking about this with you.”

 

Percy frowned. “Why not?”

 

“Because it’s weird and I’m uncomfortable.”

 

“But we’re bros! We can tell each other anything.”

 

“Maybe you’re fine with sharing every detail of your life, but I’m certainly not,” Nico said, looking over to Jason for support.

 

“He’s right. And you do have an oversharing problem. I know way too much about the scent of Annabeth’s hair than I’m comfortable with.” Jason admitted.

 

Percy gasped, dramatically slapping his chest with a wounded expression. “I can’t believe this. My bros have betrayed me. How will I go on?”

 

“I’m sure you’ll find a way, Percy.” Came a voice from the doorway that had Nico perking up in his bed.

 

Will was watching them with his usual warm grin that got even wider when Nico’s eyes met his. Nico softened, feeling his lips twitch upwards of their own accord.

 

“Dude, look at him! Look at  them!”  Percy whispered to Jason.

 

“Yeah, bro, I see it.”

 

“I wish I had my camera.”

 

“Can you be normal for five fucking seconds, Percy?” Nico said, though the words lacked their usual bite.

 

“No, I cannot,” Percy said.

 

Nico rolled his eyes, sitting up straighter as Will made his way over to them. The blond boy set down a tray of food on Nico’s bedside table and looked down at them with a tiny grin. He reached out to gently push some of the hair off of Nico’s forehead, his hand lingering on the top of his head for a long second as Nico leaned into the touch.

 

“Oh my gods.”

 

“Shut up, Percy.”

 

“Hey,” Nico said, feeling breathless for no reason.

 

“Hi, sunshine,” Will replied, his eyes twinkling.

 

“He even has a nickname for him!”

 

“Dude, he’s had nicknames for him this entire time,” Jason said tiredly.

 

The spell between Nico and Will seemed to snap as the older boy turned to the other boys that currently occupied Nico’s bed. “I see you two snuck in while I was gone, despite my wishes for you to stay away and let him rest.”

 

“He’s fine. I think you just wanted him for yourself.” Percy grumbled petulantly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

 

Will rolled his eyes, though his mouth was still quirked up at the edges. “Well, I can’t refute that.”

 

That caused Percy’s mouth to fall open, a dramatic gasp leaving his lips. Nico rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Jason before he turned to Will with burning cheeks. “Yeah, I can’t either.”

 

“Oh my gods, you guys are flirting. You’re flirting in front of me.” Percy said to no one in particular.

 

Nico and Will looked over at him with matching unimpressed expressions, and Percy finally took the hint. “Right, okay, I’m gonna go. I’ll see you later, bro. Glad you’re doing better.” He lightly ruffled Nico’s hair before pulling himself off the bed and making his way out of the infirmary.

 

Jason followed soon after, leaving just Nico and Will to stare at each other.

 

“Dinner?” Will eventually asked.

 

“Yes, please.” Nico grinned.

 

“Okay, maybe you’re right. But let me do one more check-up. I can’t have you passing out again.” Will says, reaching out for Nico’s hand gently.

 

Nico allows it with a fond smile, holding Will’s hand back as the other boy closes his eyes in concentration. Nico takes this moment to admire the blond; he notes how the sunlight that streams in from a nearby window paints Will’s freckles in just the right way, how his curls pile on top of his head in the most perfect way, and Nico’s especially attentive to Will’s lips that his bottom teeth are currently biting into. He traces the plush outline of them reverently with his eyes, wishing he was just a bit closer so he could press his own against them.

 

And then Will’s eyes are open again and smiling down at Nico in a way that can’t be interpreted as anything but adoring. “You’re staring, Neeks.”

 

“Yeah, and? Can I not stare at you?” Nico asks, one of his eyebrows raised in challenge.

 

“No, please do. It makes my staring look significantly less creepy if you’re doing it, too.”

 

Nico snorts and looks away, shaking his head.  This boy,  he thinks with a smile,  such an idiot. 

 

“Well, we should go get some breakfast before the tournament. Sami is especially eager to see you. She practically disowned me as a brother when I told her she couldn’t come visit you.” Will says.

 

“Will, how could you? Depriving your own sister from seeing me. You’re cruel.” Nico says, his lips twitching in their effort not to smile.

 

“I know, I’m heartless,” Will says, laughing. “Come on, I picked up some of your clothes. You can change in the bathroom if you’d like.” He hands Nico a pile of clothes with a grin before walking into another room.

 

Nico sighs loudly, watching the other boy go with a grin. He slowly swings his legs out of the bed and pads over to the bathroom, flicking the light on and checking his reflection in the mirror. The image is surprising. His cheeks are pink and his eyes are bright under the fluorescents. He looks… happy. Really happy.

 

He shakes his head and goes for the pile of clothes, gently shaking them out so he can inspect what his idiot picked out for him. And he immediately scoffs. It’s the same red shorts and ridiculous ‘I ♡ NY’ shirt from the first round of the tournament. He chuckles, reluctantly pulling the ridiculous outfit on before brushing his teeth and walking back out. Will’s waiting for him with a slightly evil grin, his eyes brightening when he spots Nico.

 

“It’s just as good as I remembered.” Will laughs, walking over to place his hands on Nico’s shoulders.

 

“I’d only do this for you.” Nico states, which is very true.

 

“I’m honored,” Will says before leaning down to gently kiss him. Nico responds immediately, his hands raising to tangle in Will’s curls and pull the taller boy down to his height, his weight shifting to his toes as he lifts himself to meet Will’s lips more easily. They both melt into the kiss, lingering and deepening it lazily. Nico never expected to enjoy kissing so much, let alone to have someone  to  kiss, but he doesn’t think he could ever stop now that he’s had a taste of it. Will eventually pulls away, his forehead warm against Nico’s, his breath puffing against Nico’s lips. “That’s just as good as I remembered, too.”

 

“No shit.” Nico snarks before surging upwards to kiss his… Will again. Wait. Are they boyfriends now? Is that what this is? “Um, Will.”

 

Will pulls away a bit further, his head tilting in question. “Yeah, sunshine?”

 

Nico flushes from the nickname. Will found his weakness and exploits it at every turn. “Are we, um, dating?”

 

Will’s face goes serious and Nico briefly panics that he’s ruined everything. But then Will grins sweetly, a pretty blush staining his cheeks as he leans a bit closer to Nico. “I’d really like for us to be.”

 

Nico straightens. “You would?”

 

Will laughs. “Yes, Neeks, was that not obvious? I’m sorry, I should have told you. Jumped the gun a bit and sorta assumed we were dating from the moment we kissed.” He says the words a bit sheepishly, and wow Nico likes him so much.

 

“Oh, good. I thought the same.” Nico says, sighing in relief.

 

They keep each other’s gazes for a long moment before they burst out laughing at the same time. Nico rests his forehead against Will’s clavicle, his body shaking helplessly from the onslaught of laughter. Gods, he hasn’t laughed this much in years.

 

“We’re kinda dumb,” Will says, his arms coming up to wrap around Nico’s shoulders.

 

“Yeah.” Nico agrees, relaxing into the embrace. 

 

They stand there for so long that Nico loses feeling in his fingers, and even then he stays in the same spot.

 

~

 

“Nico! You’re back!” Sami screams, and Nico does mean  screams,  as she runs over to him and launches her small body into his arms. “I missed you so much.”

 

“Hey, little one. Yeah, I’m back. I missed you, too.” Nico says, supporting her weight effortlessly as he maneuvers her body to his right arm so he can hold his breakfast tray with his left.

 

Will chuckles from his other side, rolling his eyes. “Well, hello to you, too, dear sister.” He drawls.

 

Sami lifts her nose in the air. “Hi, Will.” She drones with a blank expression.

 

Nico can’t help it; he laughs. “You’re really that mad at him for not allowing you to visit me?”

 

Sami’s eyes go wide. “Of course! I was so worried.” She says while reaching out to loop her arms around his neck and squeeze. “You passed out right into Will’s arms! It was so scary.”

 

Nico is admittedly charmed by her worry. “I’m fine. Look, I can hold you  and  get my breakfast. If that doesn’t prove I’m better then I don’t know what does.”

 

Sami glances from Nico’s face, then down to his tray, then back up again. She shrugs. “I guess you’re right.”

 

Nico nods in satisfaction. “I am. And you’ll see it later when your siblings and I win this tournament.”

 

That cheers Sami up. “Oh, yes! Everyone at camp is going to be there, we’ve all been waiting for you to leave the infirmary. Chiron even said he’s going to make an announcement about it today.” 

 

Nico tilts his head. “Really?”

 

“Really,” Will confirms from behind them, scooping up food for him and Sami on the same tray. “After I told him you’d be released today, he told me he’d be announcing breakfast.”

 

Nico purses his lips. He wonders what sort of announcement it will be. But his thoughts are interrupted when a gaggle of Apollo children approach them at the same time. Nico grins at all of them, unable to wave with his full hands.

 

Kayla and Austin wave at him but seem to be waiting for the little ones to break the silence. Finally, Gracie steps forward with something in her hands. “We made these for you!” She says, her little hands displaying a huge pile of handmade friendship bracelets of varying colors.

 

Nico’s mouth parts a bit, feeling weirdly touched. He can feel the gazes of every other camper watching him and forces himself to keep his gaze on the kids. “For me? You guys shouldn’t have.”

 

“They have special healing powers in them! Kayla and Will said so.” Isla says proudly, her words forming awkwardly around her ‘S’s’ due to her missing two front teeth.

 

“That’s awesome. Could you guys help me put them on later?” Nico asks.

 

“Yes!” All the kids chorus together before scurrying away to the Apollo table.

 

Nico sighs, his lips twitching a bit before he lifts his gaze to find the entire pavilion grinning wildly at him. His smile abruptly drops then, and he ignores the intense burning on his cheeks. 

 

“Why is everyone staring?” Nico murmurs to Will.

 

“Because that was adorable in every possible way.” Will whispers back.

 

Nico gapes, his eyebrows furrowing together as he turns his gaze to the blond. Will’s smiling a bit helplessly and Nico softens despite himself. Damn, Solace.

 

“I’m gonna go sit at my table and pretend like that never happened,” Nico says before walking over to the Zeus table.

 

Percy and Jason are waiting there with the rest of their friends because no one cares about the seating rule anymore. Not that Nico minds. He slides in his usual seat across from Jason and Percy, between Piper and Annabeth, and realizes that he’s still holding a small child. “Oh, crap. Sami, go sit with your family.”

 

“I am,” Sami says stubbornly, tightening her hold around his neck.

 

Nico sighs, resigning himself to being her chair for the next half hour. “Fine, but let’s at least go get your food from Will.”

 

“I’ll get it!” She announces before jumping down and sprinting across the pavilion to the Apollo table.

 

Nico watches her go with a smile before a loud throat clearing interrupts his thoughts. He looks up to find every single person at his table grinning at him. It’s sufficiently creepy. “Um, what’s up?” He asks awkwardly.

 

Percy leans forward. “Are you going to share what you told us last night with the rest of the group?”

 

Nico scowls. “And why should I?”

 

“Because I’m sweating, bro! I can’t keep this secret for much longer.” Percy whines.

 

Nico’s face remains blank, completely unbothered by Percy’s whining. “That sucks for you.”

 

“Oh, come on, Nico, please?” Jason asks, a lot calmer about it.

 

Nico sighs heavily, glancing around the table tiredly. “Will and I are dating.”

 

“Wait  what?  You didn’t say that last night! You just said you kissed!” Percy says, affronted.

 

“Maybe because Will and I just discussed it a few minutes ago, Percy. Honestly, I wonder what Annabeth sees in you sometimes.” Nico says, rolling his eyes.

 

“I do too,” Annabeth says, her eyes weary as she glares at her boyfriend. “But that’s great, Nico! I’m happy for you.”

 

“Yeah, it’s about time.” Leo cuts in, his grin devilish.

 

“It really is.” Piper agrees.

 

Sami, the divine creature that she is, chooses that moment to barge back into the conversation, forcing her way between him and Piper before eventually crawling directly into his lap and placing her pancakes onto Nico’s tray. He doesn’t bat an eye, merely shifting his hands around to eat around her. The others all stare at him with varying expressions, all of them with an amused undertone. Nico ignores them in favor of eating.

 

“Who’s ready for the tournament today?” Piper eventually says, breaking the brief silence that everyone had fallen into.

 

“Oh, I am! I’m ready to watch Nico beat you all!” Sami butts in excitedly, jerking around in Nico’s lap with her hands flying everywhere.

 

Nico calmly stills her, shifting his hand that had a spoonful of cereal in it to the side before she can knock it out of his grip. His gaze goes across the pavilion like it always does, and he finds a familiar pair of blue eyes watching him. Nico raises an eyebrow, biting on his lower lip to keep from smiling, though it’s difficult when Will practically has hearts in his eyes.

 

“They’re looking at each other. I repeat, Nico and Will are looking at each other.” Percy says unhelpfully.

 

“Yes, Percy, we all have eyes.” Annabeth sighs.

 

Nico snaps out of it to glare at all of them. “You are all very annoying.”

 

“I am?” Sami asks, turning around to pout at him.

 

“Of course not. You’re perfect.” Nico tsks, booping her nose lightly.

 

Sami beams and turns back to her pancakes, humming softly as she cuts them up. Nico can feel the others watching him but ignores them in favor of eating his breakfast. They all fill the silence with chatter that Nico mostly tunes out, but he perks up when Chiron raises his hands and calls for their attention.

 

“Hello, campers, I’m glad to see all of you alive and well.” He greets them, his eyes snagging on Nico for a moment. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, today will conclude the final round of our volleyball tournament. I want to congratulate the two remaining teams; you’ve all done wonderfully. But, seeing as the injuries sustained in the last round, I have decided to ban all use of powers in the final round. And by that, I do mean  all  godly powers. If I catch any member of either team using any sort of godly power, you will be disqualified from the game, and forfeit your win to the opposing team. Am I understood?”

 

“Wait what?” Percy says, loud enough for Chiron to hear.

 

“It’s just as I said, Percy. No powers. The winning team will win by sheer skill. Will that be a problem?” Chiron asks with raised eyebrows.

 

Percy sputters for a moment before Annabeth saves him. “No, it will not, Chiron. No powers from us.”

 

Chiron nods in satisfaction, dismissing them all with a wave of his hand as he turns to walk away. Nico immediately looks over to Will, who’s purposely looking away from Nico. That’s all the confirmation he needs. Will had gone to Chiron and requested that all powers be banned so Nico wouldn’t use his powers anymore. 

 

“Oh, he’s in for it.” Nico growls. He gently places Sami on the bench beside Annabeth and quickly stalks over to where Will is trying to hide behind Gracie at his table. “Solace! What did you do?” Nico demands, stopping a few paces away with his hands on his hips.

 

Will grimaces, still crouched behind Gracie as if a little girl is a shield for him. Nico taps his foot impatiently. “I, ah, did what I needed to do?” Will says, his hands raised in surrender.

 

“It was highly unnecessary. I’m completely fine! I don’t understand why you had to do that.” Nico says in frustration.

 

Will lifts his chin a bit, finally coming out from behind his sister and standing to his full height. He takes a step closer to Nico, his light eyebrows furrowing so a crease forms between them. Nico tries not to get distracted, but then his eyes trail down to Will’s lips and…

 

Focus, Nico.

 

“I did it because you drained yourself so much during the last round that you passed out in my arms, Nico. Or did you forget about that?” Will asks, his expression stony as he glares down at Nico. “Because I didn’t. I had to watch you lay unconscious for hours as I nursed you back to health, and that wasn’t against any Big Three kids. What if you overestimate your abilities and start fading again, huh? Am I supposed to just watch that happen?”

 

“That wouldn’t happen.” Nico bites out.

 

“Oh, because you’re so good at knowing your limits?” Will shoots back.

 

“I know my limits just fine, Solace.” 

 

Sometime during this argument, they moved closer and closer until their faces were only a few inches apart. Nico glances down at Will’s lips, wholly distracted, and startles when Will laughs. “See something you like?” He murmurs, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

 

Nico can’t decide if he’s attracted to Will or so angry that he wants to smack him. Maybe a bit of both. “That wasn’t your decision to make.”

 

“I think it was, as your healthcare provider. Chiron agreed, so it’s done now, sunshine. Accept it.” Will says.

 

“Whatever. Just don’t do something like that again.” Nico says, frowning again.

 

“What? Care about you? I’ll never stop doing that.” Will shoots back.

 

A few gasps sound around them and Nico finally looks away from mesmerizing blue eyes to find every single camper staring at them with interest. Nico’s eyes widen as he takes a step away from Will, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he realizes that everyone has been listening to that entire conversation.

 

He looks back to Will, who seems to find Nico’s embarrassment amusing. “Right. Well, I’m going to take a walk before the tournament.” He says lamely.

 

“I’m joining you,” Will says.

 

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

 

“Oh? Your boyfriend isn’t allowed to escort you around camp?”

 

“Yo!” Comes a loud yell from across the pavilion. Nico looks over to find Leo half-sitting on top of Jason with an elated expression. “Since when are y’all boyfriends?”

 

“Since this morning, dumbass,” Nico says.

 

Excited chatter immediately breaks out around them, and Nico rolls his eyes. Everyone at this camp is so damn nosy. A warm finger traces down Nico’s hand, and he looks back up to Will. 

 

“Look, I’m sorry for doing that without telling you, but it was for your own good. I’m not risking your health for some dumb tournament, okay? You mean way too much to me.” Will whispers sincerely.

 

Nico flushes, looking down at their hands where they’re just barely touching. He intertwines their fingers and pulls Will a bit closer. “It’s okay. We’ll just have to win this the old-fashioned way.”

 

Nico grins. “Guess so.”

 

~

 

A couple of hours later, after every camper had time to lose their respective shit over Nico and Will casually announcing their new relationship status, everyone gathers at the volleyball courts to watch the final round in the tournament.

 

Nico is warming up with Austin, both of them hitting the ball back and forth with each other as Kayla and Will do the same beside them. Austin is filling Nico in on what he missed while he was in the infirmary, which is that Leo and Jason have been taking suspiciously long walks together, Percy and Annabeth got stables duty, though no one knows why, and the Stolls had somehow managed to turn Mr. D’s hair green for an hour before he noticed and changed it back. So, basically the usual. 

 

“And of course, you and Will got together,” Austin concludes, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. “Though we all saw it coming.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Nico rolls his eyes.

 

“I’m happy for you, though,” Austin says, his face going serious as he catches the ball instead of bumping it back. He holds Nico’s gaze, suddenly looking so much older. “He hasn’t been this happy since before Manhattan.”

 

Nico’s heart drops to his stomach. He remembers Manhattan; how the Apollo cabin had the most casualties by far. As he clocks the haunted look in Austin’s eyes, he can tell that it’s still a sore spot for all of them. Nico can’t blame them, he can barely say Bianca’s name out loud.

 

“And I think you’re really good for each other. You fit in so seamlessly with us and I’m just… really glad that you decided to stay here.” Austin says.

 

Nico opens his mouth a few times, the words stuck on his tongue. Austin doesn’t seem to need a reply, though, because he merely smiles and bumps the ball back. Nico’s mind is reeling for the remainder of the warm-ups, his gaze occasionally straying to the blond beside him and pondering Austin’s words. 

 

People were happy that he’d decided to stay at Camp Half Blood. And, well… he’s happy that he did, too.

 

Percy’s team approaches them a few minutes later, all of them accompanied by a stern-looking Chiron. They all have matching T-shirts, which Nico is almost 100% certain that Piper had specially made for them. The shirts themselves are light blue, with the words printed in black ink saying, ‘Team Annabeth’, which Nico finds fitting.

 

“Alright, demigods, remember what I told you all at breakfast. Absolutely no powers of any kind unless you want your team disqualified.” Chiron says, shooting Percy and Jason severe looks. “Good luck to you all and have fun!”

 

The crowd cheers, and Nico’s eyes snag on the group of Apollo campers who are watching from the sidelines. Sami somehow got her hands on a posterboard that had about a thousand little suns drawn all over it, with the words ‘GO NICO AND SIBLINGS GO!’ 

 

Nico finds it adorable.

 

“Okay, team, let’s do our best. Remember it’s not about winning!” Will says with a bright grin.

 

“But it’s still definitely about winning.” Kayla mumbles.

 

Will tsks before they all take their starting positions. Nico catches his eye and Will winks dramatically, which definitely doesn’t make Nico blush. Nope.

 

He switches his eyes forward only to be met with his friend’s stupid smirking faces. Percy opens his mouth to say something stupid, only to squawk when Nico harshly spikes the ball over the net, earning them their first point immediately.

 

Riotous cheering and laughter sound from the spot where the remaining Apollo campers reside, and Nico can’t help but smile over at them. Sami is jumping up and down, waving her arms to get his attention. Nico waves back before turning his smile back in Percy’s direction. 

 

“Try to be a bit faster!” Nico taunts.

 

“You’re such a little–” Percy says, only to be stopped by Annabeth’s hand smacking over his mouth.

 

“Nice serve, Nico.” Annabeth finishes with a strained smile.

 

Nico salutes them, bumping fists with the rest of his team before readying himself again. This time when he serves, the other team is ready. Jason dives to save the shallow serve, and hits it over the net in a wide arch, nearly going over Will’s head before he jumps up high and harshly hits it back. Annabeth dives for it and just barely bumps it over the net, hitting the sand a millisecond before Kayla can reach it. 

 

Nico swears, glaring as the other team cheers obnoxiously. Percy starts doing the moonwalk while the others smile and clap excitedly. Nico just rolls his eyes.

 

“It’s alright. We’re tied, it’s going to be fine.” Will says encouragingly.

 

“Whatever you say.” Nico drawls.

 

~

 

An hour and a half later, and they’re still tied. Nico’s shirt had to be shucked a while back when it got completely soaked through with sweat. Will and the other boys are in similar situations, and the girls have resorted to playing in their bathing suit tops. No one is having a good time anymore.

 

Every time one team scores a point, the other retaliates by scoring a point as well. They’ve been going in this maddening loop for nearly two hours, and Nico is frankly sick of it.

 

“I’m fine with ending at a tie, guys. This is fucking exhausting.” Nico groans after Percy ties the score up with them once again.

 

“We need to win,” Kayla argues.

 

“I’m with Nico. I’m fine with ending in a tie.” Austin says while wiping sweat off his forehead.

 

They all look to Will to decide on what they want to do. Will withers under the attention, his cheeks growing red under the scrutiny and Nico has to resist the urge to reach out and brush some of the sweaty curls off his forehead. “I think… well–” He winces as he makes eye contact with Kayla, who looks positively murderous at the prospect of a tie. “We should try to win, but tying is also great?”

 

The rest of them groan, Kayla’s the loudest of all. “We can’t have Will be the tiebreaker, he’s too much of a people pleaser.” She says.

 

Nico nods in agreement before looking over to Austin. The younger boy shrugs, gesturing for Nico to decide. Nico sighs, taking pity on Kayla. “Fine, we’ll try to win, but if we end up losing, I’ll remind you how I tried to end it at a tie,” Nico says.

 

“We won’t lose,” Kayla promises before readying herself again.

 

Nico sighs, blowing out a harsh breath of pure exhaustion. The other team doesn’t look much better; all of them are sweaty and huffing. Nico just sort of wishes they could call it quits and end this thing now, but then he glances over where the younger Apollo campers are still cheering them on and decides to keep going.

 

Nico grabs the ball, making weary eye contact with Jason from across the net. “Ready?” Nico calls out.

 

“For this to be over.” Piper groans, holding a stitch in her side.

 

“The feeling is mutual,” Austin calls back.

 

Nico takes their distraction as his opportunity to serve the ball, watching in satisfaction as it lands just over the net, too quickly for anyone to try and save it. Nico grins as Will rushes over to wrap an arm around Nico’s shoulders, yelling his praise into Nico’s right ear. 

 

“Do that one more time and we’re free!” Will says happily.

 

“I got lucky. I don’t think they’ll let me get away with that twice.” Nico says, though he hopes he can.

 

“You’ve got this, Neeks. I believe in you.” Will says, his tone low and sincere.

 

And, well. Nico has to win this now. If just to have some alone time with Will before lunch.

 

“Yo, bro!” Percy calls out, interrupting Nico’s thoughts.

 

Nico raises an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

 

“Don’t hold it against us when we crush you,” Percy says, somehow still cocky in his exhausted state.

 

And if you know Nico, you know that his main motivator is spite. It’s how he performs an insane serve that somehow goes directly over Percy’s head and lands right inside the boundary.

 

Everyone is silent for a good five seconds before Annabeth’s loud laughter breaks everyone out of their stupor. She’s pointing at Percy and doubled-over herself with laughter and Nico can’t help but join her as everyone else bombards him.

 

Will reaches him first, warm hands cupping Nico’s face to pull him in for a passionate kiss, both of them sweaty and exhausted but happy. Nico is so, so happy.

 

When they break apart, everyone is watching them with varying expressions. Nico spots the Stolls exchanging money with a few other campers while others have their mouths open in shock.

 

Somehow, Percy is the one to break the ice. “Bro, seeing you willingly make out with Solace in front of everyone almost eases the sting of losing to you.”

 

Nico snorts, his hands still tangled in Will’s curls as he leans forward to rest his forehead in the crook of Will’s neck. “I hate them so much.” He whispers.

 

“I think you love them,” Will says.

 

Nico squints up at him, his mouth twisted as he makes a face. “I’ll never admit it.”

 

“It’s okay. You can keep all your sappy thoughts with me.”

 

“Fine by me,” Nico says.

 

~

 

Later as the campers are all sprawled around the campfire, most of them still talking about the epic ending of the volleyball tournament, Nico finds himself lying across Will’s lap with Sami’s head on his shoulder and his friends sitting a few feet away. And he thinks about how lucky he is, to be here with his family that he chose, not who he was born with. And he just soaks in their presence, grateful to have this peaceful moment.

 

As he closes his eyes, melting into Will’s hand that scratches lightly at his scalp, he lets his thoughts free. “I love you guys.”

 

And if Percy and Jason make inhuman noises at that, none of them acknowledge it. They just soak it all in.

 

Notes:

THANKS FOR READING MY LOVES I WILL BE BACK WITH MORE SOLANGELO SOON