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By noon, Will can already feel a headache forming behind his eyes. He isn’t quite sure what triggered it, but it started somewhere between the second minor explosion at the climbing wall and the glitter incident at the training arena that was most definitely caused by an unholy alliance between the other Apollo campers and the Hermes kids. As head counselor, Will knows that he’ll have to talk to them about it, but he just finished flushing glitter out of a cursing Sherman’s eyes. He needs a minute.
With a roll of his eyes, Will turns to Cecil. He’s laying in the cot next to Sherman’s and is a lot less pissed off about the incident.
“C’mon, man! It was awesome! You should’ve seen it.” Cecil cackles as Will uses a syringe filled with special healing juice (aka: a solution consisting of 2% nectar and 98% saline) to rinse the chunky glitter out of Cecil’s left eye.
“Shut up, Cecil. If I woulda seen it, we’d all be blind.” Will gripes and gently pulls back Cecil’s right eyelid to rinse. “Plus, I’m a medical professional. I try to avoid causing injury to other campers.
“Oh please. Don’t try to pretend like you didn’t give me chicken pox when I caught you and Nic-” Cecil begins but is cut off when a goose flies past the window and lands somewhere outside with a crash. “What the hell?!”
Will feels the headache strengthen as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
Why is the goose wearing a tiny helmet?
“Whelp. I’m gonna ignore that.” Will opens his eyes and continues flushing the remaining glitter from Cecil’s eye. Vaguely, Will registered the infirmary door creaking open behind him. Will doesn’t bother turning around. “If you’re bleeding, grab a cot. If you’re cursed, go to the Hecate cabin and beg for mercy. If you’re here about the glitter, I had nothing to do with it.”
“What if I’m here to ask you to lunch?” A soft, humoured voice asks from behind him.
Will turns sharply, ignoring Cecil’s yelp as he bumps the cot in his haste. Nico’s standing by the door. His dark hair is windswept and a bit damp with sweat. His black t-shirt is a bit dusty, and his sword is still hanging at his side. Given the lack of glitter, he must have been training somewhere other than the arena.
“Hi.” Will feels his face soften into a smile as he takes in the sight of his boyfriend.
“Hi.” Nico replies, lips twitching into a small smirk.
Beside him, Cecil makes a dramatic gagging noise. Without looking away from Nico, Will empties the rest of the syringe directly into Cecil’s eyeball with more force than required, narrowly avoiding poking him in the eye.
“Damn! Okay, my bad. Not disgusting. Very cute. Lemme just-” Cecil grabs the gauze Will was using to wipe away the glitter, hops off the cot, and flicks Sherman the middle finger before bolting out of the infirmary. Thankfully, Sherman just sends it right back instead of running after him.
“So…lunch?” Nico asks again with his eyebrow raised as his eyes flick briefly over to Sherman.
“Given the pace of the day…I can probably spare fifteen minutes?” Will cringes as he begins to clean up the materials sprawled on the table beside the cot.
“Will, you need more time than that. You’ve been working nonstop since sunrise.” Nico’s eyebrows are drawn together now. Will hopes it’s out of concern and not disappointment in him.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just-”
“I already talked to Kayla. She and Austin are coming to take over in fifteen minutes.” Nico interrupts him with a stern look that brooks no argument.
Will can’t help the smile that crosses his lips. “I hear ya loud and clear, darlin’.”
When Will finishes cleaning up, they exit the infirmary just in time to wave to Kayla and Austin. They cross the camp hand-in-hand, weaving through the kind of disorderly midday traffic that’s common during the summer at Camp Half-Blood. They pass a screaming Lou Ellen, who is chewing out a group of chagrined looking campers who apparently tried to train the goose to fight on their side during the next game of capture the flag.
The tiny helmet makes more sense now… kind of.
Nico briefly stops by the Hades cabin to grab a backpack containing their lunch. Even though Will has told him to stop a thousand times, Nico shadow traveled to a deli and got them some sandwiches.
Instead of staying at the cabin, which is what Nico usually prefers, Nico leads Will along the edge of the woods. The noise of camp fades as they walk, with the clang of weapons and yelling being lost the further they walk. During their walk, sunlight filters through the trees, breaking across their path is broken dots of golden light. Will can’t help but admire how the sun brings out the brown in Nico’s dark hair.
They walk until they reach a narrow break in the trees near the canoe lake. It’s not exactly big enough to be a clearing. It’s just a flat stone nestled perfectly between a couple of old oak trees that stand like sentries around the rock.
Nico settles down on the rock and begins pulling out food, so Will sits down beside him. As soon as he’s resting, Will finally notices the ache in his feet and back.
“Ugh. I’m getting too old to be working this much.” Will groans and lays back against the sun-warmed stone, eyes closing to block out the glare from the lake.
“You’re eighteen.” Nico snorts as he clangs around with something that Will can’t bother to look at, not when the sun is warming his aching muscles and soothing the worst of the hurt.
“Nineteen soon. Practically ancient by demi-god standards.” The words escape him a bit too bitterly to be a joke. Will cracks his eyes open when a heavy silence falls between them. He finds Nico looking at him with…a smile?
“You really know how to set the mood on a date.” The dark haired teen snorts and keeps arranging the items from the backpack.
“I’m sorr-”
A distant scream cuts him off. Then, a magically amplified voice rings across the entire camp. “THE GOOSE FOUND A KNIFE! RUN!”
Will shares a wide-eyed look with Nico. Only a second passes before they both burst into laughter. It hits Will first, bubbling up helplessly. Nico follows soon after, a bit quieter, but no less amused. He has his hand pressed to his mouth and his shoulders shake. The sun filtering through the leaves highlights the starbursts in his rich, brown eyes. For one insane second, Will finds himself praying to Apollo for armed geese to invade the camp just so he can keep watching Nico laugh.
“Fuck. You’re so beautiful.” Will finds himself saying before his brain can catch up with his mouth. As soon as the words leave his lips, Nico snaps his mouth shut. Even though they’ve been dating for a few years now, Nico can still get a bit reserved around him.
“You really are your father’s son.” Nico rolls his eyes with a snort. Still, when Will finally sits back up, he can see the dusting of pink across Nico’s cheeks.
They eat in a comfortable silence. When Will takes his first bite of his slightly squished sandwich, he knows he’ll be a poor conversation partner. He’s starving. Nico was kind enough to bring a large water bottle with him, which explains the clanging. Between too-big bites of his sandwich, Will takes turns sipping from the bottle with Nico.
When they’re both done, Will scoots a bit closer to Nico, stretches his legs out, and leans back on his hands. The rock is warm beneath his palms, but a cool breeze is filtering through the trees surrounding them. Enjoying the peace of the afternoon, Will shifts further into Nico’s space and leans against his shoulder.
“Thanks for planning this.” Will presses a light kiss against Nico’s shoulder, pleased when Nico doesn’t pull away.
Respecting Nico’s boundaries is something that Will’s learned early on in their relationship. The guy hates public affection and rarely allows it. Even in private, Nico isn’t exactly a tactile partner. He likes his personal space, which Will understands. However, Nico also told Will that he doesn’t always know how to ask for affection or closeness. So, they’ve slowly been working on communication and physical intimacy. Emphasis on slowly.
“You’re welcome. I missed you.” Nico presses his shoulder more firmly against Will’s and turns to brush a soft kiss along his cheek.
Will turns his head at exactly the wrong moment, and Nico's cheek-kiss lands at the corner of his mouth instead. They both pause for a moment, then, very deliberately, Nico kisses him again.
It’s soft at first, tentative in a way that Nico isn’t with anything else. Will brings his hand up and rests it on the back of Nico’s neck. He doesn’t pull him closer, just keeps contact, and kisses him back with the same amount of care.
It feels like the world stops turning as Nico keeps kissing him with a tenderness that makes Will’s pulse pump loudly in his own ears. He doesn’t know what to do. Nico doesn’t do this. He doesn’t kiss Will like this when anyone could just stumble upon them. So, Will just matches the energy. He keeps it slow and sweet, not rushing a single second as he traces his tongue along the seam of Nico’s lips.
Then, Nico presses closer and makes a small, impatient sound in his mouth. One of his hands tightens on the back of Will’s neck and the other digs sharply into his shoulder. Surprisingly, it’s Nico that dissolves their careful exchange into something greedier, something hungrier.
Will isn’t sure how long they kiss like this, pressed together on the rock with the remnants of their lunch pushed to one side. It’s long enough that Will loses track of the bird sounds and the breeze and everything that isn’t the warmth of Nico’s mouth against his or the brush of Nico’s hands against his skin.
Eventually, Nico moves himself into Will’s lap, knees on either side of Will’s thighs. Instinctively, Will’s hands grip his hips, fingers digging into the waistband of his jeans. Nico kisses him deeply and winds his hands into Will’s hair. He tugs lightly, which pulls a low moan from Will’s lips.
Seemingly encouraged by the noise, Nico shifts forward on Will’s lap, deepening their kiss even further. For a moment, Will loses himself in Nico’s touch. Will’s hands slide from Nico’s hips to the small of his back, pulling him closer without meaning to. When the movement rocks Nico against him, Will feels something that instantly turns his brain back online.
Will immediately pauses, hands still on Nico’s back but no longer moving. Nico notices the shift and pulls back slightly, just enough to look at Will. There’s a pink flush high on his cheeks and something uncertain flickering in his eyes.
Will opens his mouth, not liking the way Nico seems to be shutting down before him. He has every intention of saying something calm and mature, something that resembles legitimate healthy communication. Unfortunately, his brain has other ideas.
“Wow.” Will breathes out and flicks his gaze down for a moment. “I didn’t realize you picked up Italian sausage at the deli too.”
“What?” Nico crinkles his brows, uncertainty giving way to confusion.
As soon as the words process in Will’s brain, he feels his face flush deeply. Unfortunately, Will can’t help flicking his eyes down to Nico’s lap again and swallows violently.
Nico glances down then back up. His gaze meets Will’s, and Will watches as Nico’s eyes grow wide.
Will feels disconnected from his body. He can barely hear the words that come out of his own mouth due to the blood roaring in his ears. "That was the worst thing I could've possibly said. I am so sorry Nico. Fuck. I don’t have an excu-"
Will stops his desperate rambling when a sharp laugh cracks through the air. Nico’s shoulders drop and he presses his face into Will’s neck, arms hanging over his shoulders, as loud laughter heaves from his chest.
"You are genuinely the worst.” Nico manages to choke out between convulsive chuckles.
"I panicked!” Will wails and throws his head back. “I felt it and I didn’t know what to do!”
“So you went with Italian sausage?” Nico howls again, so genuine and full of mirth that Will contemplates not throwing himself off the nearest cliff.
“It was the sandwiches…the deli…” Will moans to the sky.
Soon, the laughter peters out and Nico lifts his head. His expression is soft in a way that Will’s learned to recognize as Nico's silent version of I love you. It makes the embarrassment fade, somewhat. Instead of burning throughout his entire body, it’s just a little warmth lingering in his cheeks.
Surprisingly, Nico doesn’t move out of Will’s lap but settles back in comfortably.
"I didn’t mean to make you panic. I wasn't trying to rush anything." Nico says. His voice is even, but Will can hear the sincerity in it.
"I know that.” Will promises and runs a reassuring hand up Nico’s back.
"It's just..." Nico looks away for a moment, something dark flickering in his eyes. "It's been a few weeks since we’ve had any real time together, and I’ve missed you.” He shrugs his slim shoulders and tightens his arms back around Will’s neck
"I’ve missed ya too, sweetheart." Will presses his lips together to keep from smiling. The look on Nico’s face is serious, but Will can’t help feeling happy that Nico noticed their lack of quality time.
“I-I want to tell you something.” Nico whispers into the space between them. His shaggy hair is sticking lightly to his forehead, but he’s never looked more beautiful to Will.
"I'm listening. I promise."
Nico goes quiet and breathes in shakily. Will meets his eyes and breathes in dramatically, a signal for Nico to match his breaths. He makes a point to pace them in a calming pattern for Nico. They breathe together until Nico finally breaks the silence.
"I want more than what we've been doing." Nico says carefully. "Not, like, right here in the middle of the forest. But…I’m at the place where I want to talk about it. Actually talk about it, not just-" Nico waves his hand vaguely between them.
"Not just orbit around it?" Will asks, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah." Nico smiles back, dark eyes crinkling at the corners.
"I want that too." Will keeps his voice easy even though his stomach is twisting itself in excited knots. "Not today, but I don't want to keep not talking about it just because that’s what we’ve always done, I guess."
Nico nods. He looks relieved. His shoulders seem lighter, as if he’s been carrying this around with him for a while.
"Okay." Nico says with a grin.
"Okay." Will repeats, smiling in return.
Nico leans forward and rests his forehead against Will's. Will closes his eyes as Nico's hands settle back at his shoulders.
“We are talking about sex, right?” Will blurts after a moment of unexpected panic tears through his chest.
Nico just sighs and sits up straighter, eyes open. “Yes, Will. We are talking about sex.”
“Phew. I got worried again and just needed to be sure.” Will laughs hesitantly and squeezes Nico’s hips.
Nico stares at him blankly. The silence stretches between them. Just when Will is about to break the silence, Nico speaks.
"Italian sausage?” Nico narrows his eyes and pinches Will harshly on the neck.
"Ouch! Hey! I’m sorry!" He yelps, slapping Nico’s evil fingers away from his delicate skin.
"It was genuinely awful, Will. And it was a rude stereotype. If my dick was a phallic food item, it would definitely be an English cucumber. It’s more true to size.” Nico states confidently, eyes serious.
Will tries not to feel inadequate as he mentally compares an English cucumber to a Persian cucumber.