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gatesofember · 4 years

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The Squire’s Favor

Rating: G | Pairing: Solangelo | Read it on AO3 or continue below

Summary: Nico, a young squire in Olympus, has been best friends with Will since he was eight years old and Hades sent him away to train to be a knight. Over time, his feelings for Will have grown beyond friendly admiration. He hopes that his performance at the squire’s tourney will finally impress his friend—perhaps even enough for Will to want to court him.

...or maybe Will has felt the same way all along.

For Solangelo Week Day 4: Free Day ( @solangeloweek )

As a general rule, Nico did not enjoy going to the physician. He did not like being prodded with strange medical instruments, smeared with rancid salves, or force-fed foul concoctions that would supposedly make him feel better.

But Nico dreaded it a little bit less nowadays. His best friend, Will, had wanted to be a healer ever since his mother died of fever when they were children. After Lord Apollo approved Will’s request to study under Chiron a few years ago, going to the physician had started to become almost pleasant.

Almost. Nico still held off going to the healing tent until it became obvious that he’d be at a disadvantage in the tourney’s melee if he didn’t get the cut on his arm tended to.

To Nico’s surprise, he found Will waiting for him outside the tent. His arms sat crossed over an undyed tabard and the leather strap of his medicine bag, but his doublet was awfully brightly colored for someone tending to the wounded. Will didn’t usually risk ruining his clothes like that. Nico noticed a spot of brown blood on the hem of his sleeve and smirked as he imagined the fit Will must’ve had when he saw it.

“Don’t give me that look,” Will snapped, but his tone didn’t have much real bite. “I was beginning to wonder if I’d have to drag you back here myself. What took you so long?”

Nico blinked, bewildered by Will’s temper. “What?”

“You certainly took your time coming here for treatment,” Will said, pulling back the flap of the tent and gesturing Nico inside.

Nico didn’t move. “How did you know I was hurt?”

Will suddenly averted his eyes like he was embarrassed. “Heard from some of the other squires ‘s all,” he mumbled. “It’s not like I was...you know....”

Nico tried and failed to fight back his smile. “Will,” he said, “were you watching the tourney?”

Will sniffed. “Of course not. You know I hate those things—men running around swatting each other with sticks and swords for no good reason.”

Nico beamed. “You did watch, didn’t you?” he asked. He hadn’t thought that Will would get the chance, but he’d hoped anyway. Maybe once he saw Nico competing in a tourney, Will would suddenly realize how dashing his best friend had grown to become and he’d sweep Nico off his feet—

Except, of course, Will had seen him unseated in a joust. Nico wasn’t going to impress anyone by falling off his saddle.

“I’m usually much better than that, you know,” Nico said. “It’s just that horses don’t like me.”

Will’s expression softened. “I think you did wonderfully,” he said. “Now are you going to make me keep holding the flap open or are you going to get inside and let me look at that arm?”

Nico happily acquiesced. Once inside, Will had Nico sit on an empty cot before he helped remove Nico’s gauntlet and arm braces, tutting when he saw the blood-stained rip in Nico’s sleeve.

“I still think you’re too young to be participating in these tourneys,” Will said as he dipped a cloth in a bucket of water. “At least there aren’t any knights competing in the squire’s events.”

Nico bristled like an angry cat. “I’m no younger than you!”

“I’m not the one running around with a sword,” said Will. He wrung out the excess water before returning to sit beside Nico. “But I really do think that you did well—I was just scared when I saw you fall and sometimes I worry because the other squires are so much older than us. It wasn’t long ago that you were only a page.”

Nico sighed. When he became a squire last year, he’d hoped that Will would see how brave and handsome he’d become in the six years since Hades had sent him off to become a page in Olympus. But no; Will still looked at him the same way he always had.

“I’m fifteen now; not all of them are older than us,” Nico grumbled, but his argument was cut short when he hissed as Will pressed the cloth to his wound.

“Does it hurt?” Will asked.

“Just stings,” Nico answered. “It’s not deep.”

Will nodded. “Good,” he said. “Much better than last year, anyway.”

“That was as much Percy’s fault as it was mine!” Nico protested. “He wouldn’t have broken my arm if he’d tilted properly.”

“Yes, you’ve told me,” Will said as he wiped Nico’s skin clean of blood. “I was furious with Percy until I found out how guilty he felt about it.” Satisfied with the cleanliness, Will held Nico’s arm up to examine the wound more closely. It was still bleeding steadily, but Will didn’t seem concerned. “This isn’t the worst I’ve seen today. Connor was a mess after facing Sherman.”

Nico grimaced. “Sherman got quite the lecture on knightly decorum for that.”

“Good,” muttered Will. He released Nico’s arm and stood back up to fetch the salve and some bandages. “Honestly, I was glad to see you unseat him.”

Nico sat up straighter. “You watched that round?”

“I wasn’t going to sit here when I heard you’d be facing Sherman after seeing the damage he’d done to Connor,” said Will. “Obviously I didn't need to worry. You got him at the first pass.”

Nico beamed proudly, glad that Will had witnessed more than his embarrassing defeat by Jason’s lance.

“Weren’t you scared?” Will asked as he rejoined Nico.

“Not really,” Nico replied. “Sherman doesn’t have good balance.”

Will shook his head with a smile. “You aren’t afraid of anything, are you?”

Nico blushed. He was scared of a lot of things—most notably, confessing his feelings to Will, being rejected, and sullying their friendship forever. That was terrifying, even if Will did sometimes look at Nico in ways that made him hope....

“I’m not scared of a friendly duel,” Nico said instead. “Especially not when I know you’ll take care of me if I get hurt.”

Will dipped his fingers in the jar of salve and didn’t look up. “Of course I will,” he said. To Nico’s surprise, he noticed that Will had gone red.

Nico forced himself not to jump at the first touch of Will’s fingers, gently rubbing the salve over his wound and leaving a cool, tingling sensation in their wake.

This was why Nico didn’t mind visits to the physicians so much anymore. He loved the tender touch of Will’s soft, healing hands. He loved the excuse to sit close to Will—close enough to make out each individual golden eyelash and to see light, faded freckles that he didn’t notice from farther away. He loved the serious, focused look in Will’s eyes and the careful attention that Will always paid his injuries. When Will showed him such tenderness, Nico felt safe and warm and for a wonderful moment, he could almost believe that his feelings for Will weren’t one-sided.

Will glanced up. Nico wasn’t fast enough to pretend he hadn’t been staring, but Will didn’t say anything. He just blushed and silently reached for the bandages.

Sometimes, Nico thought that being with Will was more dangerous than any joust or melee. When Will looked at Nico like that, with his cheeks pinking shyly and his pretty eyes watching Nico like he was the most important person in the room, Nico couldn’t help the hope that maybe there was a romance blossoming between them. Maybe Will did feel the same way.

But Will finished the bandages like he always did, rinsed his hands clean of blood and salve, and cleared his throat. “That’s enough for now,” he said. “You should be fine for the melee. I’ll change your bandages in a few days.”

Nico tried to repress his disappointment. He didn’t know what he’d been hoping for—that Will would suddenly confess to him? That Will would kiss him right there in the middle of the tent?

That last ridiculous thought made Nico blush so hard that he felt dizzy.

Regardless, that fantasy wasn’t going to happen. But it was alright. Nico was happy enough being Will’s friend.

“Thank you,” he said, gathering his discarded braces and gauntlet.

“Do you need help putting that back on?” Will asked.

Nico shook his head. “No, that’s alright. I have to change my armor anyway.”

When Will nodded, Nico thought he imagined just a bit of disappointment in his eyes. “Be careful,” Will said. “Come right back if you get hurt.”

“I will,” said Nico. “Will you watch the melee?”

Will averted his eyes again. “As long as there aren’t any emergencies that Chiron needs my help with, I’ll go. I promise.”

Nico beamed. Will would watch. He always kept his promises. Before he thought better of it, Nico reached out and touched Will’s arm. “Thank you,” he said again, and left.

Nico had only gotten two steps out of the tent when the flap opened behind him and he heard Will say, “Nico, wait.”

Nico stopped and turned to see Will rummaging through the bag hanging at his side.

“I thought you might take this,” Will said, pulling out a white handkerchief embroidered with a golden lyre.

Nico’s breath caught. He knew what it meant when a lady gave a token like this. Annabeth had given Percy favors like ribbons and handkerchiefs before, and Percy, in peculiar fashion, had gifted some to Annabeth, as well. Bestowing favors was something ladies did only when they had a romantic interest in a man—or, in the case of Percy and Annabeth, when a man had a romantic interest in a lady. Although Nico had never heard of one man giving such a token to another, the implication was clear.

But this handkerchief, if possible, meant more than that. Nico recognized the embroidered lyre immediately.

“That’s your mother’s,” Nico said, and Will nodded. Naomi had been a favorite minstrel of Lord Apollo before her death and she’d embroidered her instrument of choice as often as she could; many of Will’s clothes had had lyres embroidered on them when they were young. Although Nico, who had also lost his mother, had tried his best to comfort him, Will had been so distraught when Naomi died. Will treasured everything that she had left him, so if he was willing to give this handkerchief to Nico....

Nico set his braces and gauntlet down on the ground and stepped forward, slowly reaching out to cover Will’s hands with his own. “Are you sure?”

Will nodded again. “I want you to,” he said. “Actually, I meant to give it to you this morning before the joust, but...I didn’t get the chance.”

Nico remembered Will coming to his tent that morning while Nico was preparing with Percy and Jason. Will had wished him luck and left abruptly. Nico had thought Will’s behavior seemed odd, but he’d brushed his concerns aside before the joust. Had Will been nervous? And if Will had intended to give the handkerchief to Nico before the joust, then maybe Nico hadn’t needed to try so hard to impress him. Maybe Will had already liked Nico the same way Nico liked Will.

Will cleared his throat. “But I expect you to bring this back to me in perfect condition. Not a single tear or drop of blood. So you’ll have to be careful.”

Nico nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

He felt Will’s fingers tense under his hands, then Will suddenly lifted the handkerchief to his lips and kissed the fabric. Nico’s fingers brushed against Will’s face, feeling the warmth of his skin for just a second before Will pushed the handkerchief against Nico’s chest.

“For luck,” he said, his face going dark red as he pulled away. Nico doubted that he looked much better. “I’d like you to wear it under your arm braces. If you want, of course.”

Nico’s fingers curled into the fabric as he fought to stop himself from going into a daze or swooning on the spot. He blinked three times to wake himself up, then held out his bandaged arm. “Help me tie it?”

Will nodded and took the handkerchief back, folding it in half before wrapping it around Nico’s forearm and knotting it beneath his wound. Nico felt Will’s touch burning him through his sleeve and bandages.

“Be safe,” Will said when he finished, stepping away and putting his hands behind his back.

Nico’s tongue felt too heavy and his mouth felt too dry to respond, so he just nodded, picked up his braces and gauntlets, and hurried back to his tent. He could hardly feel the ground under his feet.

* * *

Nico didn’t win the melee, but he hadn’t expected to; the victory usually went to the older squires who had trained longer than Nico—Percy or Jason in particular. This tourney had been Percy’s win, but Nico suspected that Jason allowed Percy to beat him. Everyone had known that the victor’s reward would be a kiss from the Lady Annabeth and the honor of escorting her to the feast.

After Percy happily accepted his prize, Nico had congratulated him and returned to the castle to clean and change for the night’s celebration. He’d been sitting with the other squires throughout the feast, occasionally glancing up the table to where Will sat beside his father (and, Nico noted, where Percy and Annabeth sat next to a grumpy-looking Lady Athena). A few times, Nico caught Will looking back at him, and once or twice, Will glanced up and caught Nico doing the same. Every time their eyes met, Will smiled and offered a shy little wave. That much alone made Nico feel like melting on the spot. He had to stop himself from causing a scene by getting up in the middle of the feast either to run away from his nerves or to sweep Will off his feet—he wasn’t sure which was more likely. Nico had a gift for Will tucked in one sleeve, burning against his skin, and Naomi’s handkerchief tucked in the other. Will had made the first gesture. Nico would reciprocate it properly.

Later, when the feast ended and the dancing began, Will caught Nico’s eye again and smiled, whispered something to his father, and then looked back at Nico and tilted his head towards the door as an indication to follow as he left. Nico made his excuses to the other squires and went after him.

He caught sight of Will in the corridor, descending the palace’s stairs, and then found him outside in a secluded corner near the physician’s tower. It was dark, but dimly lit by the torches along the castle and the brightness of the night’s half moon.

“You shouldn’t wander into dark corners by yourself,” Nico chided, but his breath caught when Will turned around. He had to remind himself not to get swept away in the firelight’s reflection in Will’s eyes. Looking at Will’s eyes for too long was always dangerous.

“I’m not afraid,” Will said. “Not when I have a certain noble squire watching over me.”

Nico blushed. “I-I kept it safe for you,” he blurted out.

Will tilted his head to the side. “What?”

“Your handkerchief,” Nico said, looking away from Will’s dangerously blue eyes to pull Naomi’s handkerchief from his sleeve. “No rips or blood. It did get a bit wrinkled and sweaty under my braces, but that can be cleaned easily. Oh, I...I should have washed it before returning it to you. I can—”

Will stepped forward and Nico stuttered to a halt. “Thank you for keeping it safe,” Will said. “I knew you would.”

Nico swallowed and stopped fiddling with the handkerchief. When he offered it to Will, Will accepted, his fingers brushing over Nico’s as he did.

“Did you watch the melee?” Nico asked.

“Of course I did,” Will answered.

“Good,” Nico said. “I mean, you didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did.”

“I know. That’s why I went. It’s important to you.”

Nico hoped that the heat on his face wasn’t obvious.

“I thought you were impressive,” Will added.

Nico huffed to hide how pleased the compliment made him. “Hardly. I didn’t win. Many of the others are far more impressive than I am.”

Will cast his glance downward. “I wouldn’t know.”

Nico rolled his eyes, aiming for playful rather than truly bothered and hoping that Will understood. “Right, you know nothing about swordsmanship and melees or anything to do with ‘men running around hitting each other for no good reason,’” he teased.

The corner of Will’s mouth twitched in amusement. “That wasn’t what I meant, actually,” said Will. “I wouldn’t know how impressive anyone else was because you were the only one I was paying attention to.”

Nico’s mouth felt dry. He swallowed. “The only...?”

Will raised his shoulders like he’d said nothing of consequence, but it was clear from the way he avoided looking directly at Nico’s eyes that he felt nervous. “Why would I want to watch anyone else?”

Nico’s mind went blank and for a second, he thought he had quite literally swooned. “I...” he started, then he cleared his throat, remembered the gift still in his sleeve, and steeled his resolve. “I have something for you,” he said, and pulled the second handkerchief from his sleeve. It had more embroidery than Naomi’s, with vines connecting asphodel flowers around the perimeter and an elegant M in the center.

Nico wasn’t brave enough to look, but he heard a soft intake of breath from Will’s lips.

“That was Lady Maria’s, wasn’t it?” Will asked.

Nico nodded.

“Why are you giving it to me?”

Nico tried for a shrug, but doubted he seemed as nonchalant as he would have liked. “I just want you to have it,” he said.

There was a single beat of terrifying silence before Will said, “Then perhaps you should hold onto this one a little longer,” and offered Nico Naomi’s handkerchief again.

“Thank you,” Nico stammered as he accepted Naomi’s handkerchief. He noticed Will was standing closer than usual. When had that happened? They were only ever this close when Will helped Nico tend to his wounds. But this time it was because....

Nico felt dizzy in the most thrilling way possible. Will was wooing him. Nico was wooing back. He was going to court his best friend and Will wanted it as much as he did.

“Do-do you want to go back in?” Nico asked. “We could join the dances.”

Will loved dancing. Nico loved the way Will smiled when he danced.

To his surprise, Will shook his head. “We can if you’d like. But I thought that we could stay out here a little while longer. Just us.”

“Oh,” Nico whispered. He curled his fingers in Naomi’s handkerchief and held it to his chest. “Yes,” he said. “I’d like that very much.”

#solangelo #Nico di Angelo #solangelo week #Will Solace #courtly love au #solangelo fanfiction #solangelo fanfic #medieval au #my fic #solangeloweek #solangeloweek2020 #solangelo week 2020

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blue-tongue · 5 years

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Examining the Group Dynamic of the Seven

I feel like I see a lot of posts complaining about the lack of friendship between the various seven members. Since I have an ungodly about of time on my hands, I’ve taken it upon myself to take a deep dive into all of the friendships between them.

Before anything, I should note- there are seven main characters in this series- Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel. That means you have twenty one relationships you have to develop (each of the seven times each of their viewpoint on the other six divided by two to make the relationship go both ways).

I’m going to breakdown how their relationships develop book by book-

1) The Lost Hero (TLH)- POVs: Jason, Piper, Leo

Percy and Annabeth- well developed from the previous series.

Jason and Piper- complicated as frick. Since Hera just happened to plant fake memories of their relationship in Piper’s head, there’s this awkward one-sided relationship going on while they have crushes on each other. Percabeth started on a clean slate and had four years to slowly come together. Jiper is condensed into one book/quest, meaning that their relationship has less time to develop.

Jason and Leo- Best friends. Similar Percy/Grover in the sense that Jason is supposed to be the HeroTM and Leo doesn’t fit the archetype as much.

Piper and Leo- Sibling-esque friendship.

Piper and Annabeth- Beginning a best friend relationship

Jason and Annabeth/ Leo and Annabeth- Acquaintances I guess? They have to work together? They might call each other friends but only in the vaguest sense of the word? They’re work colleagues?

2) Son of Neptune (SoN)- POVs: Percy, Hazel, Frank

Percy and Hazel- Big brother/ protective friendship. Hazel literally thought Percy was a god when they first met. It should be noted that Percy sees the chemistry between Hazel and Frank and starts ashipping like there’s no frigging tomorrow.

Percy and Frank- Friends. Percy sees Frank’s potential besides his deep insecurities. Percy serves as the older, more experienced (although he can’t remember his experiences) one. Again, Percy is a huge Frazel shipper.

Hazel and Frank- Everything that is good and pure in this world.

3) Mark of Athena (MoA)- POVs: Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo

The group is finally together! Yeehaw!

Things that happened in the time jump between TLH and MoA:

Piper and Annabeth- Best friends

Piper and Jason- Have a stabler relationship. Congrats on that.

Things that happened in the book:

Percy and Annabeth- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I can’t describe it better than this)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Percy and Jason- BROS. Little bit competitive because they’re both alphas, but BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS

Leo and Hazel- Long sigh. Leo is a carbon copy of Hazel’s ex (from seventy years ago) and Leo’s like oh. Hazel’s kinda pretty. I mean she has a boyfriend sure I respect that but still. Pretty. (Turns out she’s his great grandpa’s girlfriend. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.)

Leo and Frank- They start of great. Frank is paralyzed with fear that Leo’s going to steal his girlfriend and then murder him with fire. Leo spends the entire book teasing Frank without realizing this. Yey.

Annabeth and Frank- The have one scene together where Annabeth’s like “Aw look at this adorable manchild” and that’s pretty much it.

Leo and Percy- Leo’s kinda disappointed that Percy’s so basic. Percy’s big brother instinct kicks in and he’s like “Listen here lil’ punk *jabs finger into Leo’s chest* if you lay one hand on Hazel and break up this pure relationship I SWEAR TO THE GODS-”

Piper and Percy- Piper’s kinda disappointed that Percy’s so basic. Percy’s like okay. Her. My girlfriend’s friend. We’re work colleagues. She’s okay I guess.

Also as a side note:

Annabeth thinks Nico has a crush on her

4) House of Hades (HoH)- POVs: Hazel, Annabeth, Leo, Percy, Frank, Jason (literally everyone except Piper WOW)

Percy and Annabeth- Surviving through Tartarus. There’s So Much Development To Their Relationship. Downside being Dark! Percy. Which isn’t really acknowledged as much as it should be. Like do they ever really talk heart to heart about it? No?

Leo and Hazel- Leo gets a girlfriend so he stops his weird soft pining @ Hazel.

Leo and Frank- Frank’s not scared of Leo stealing his girlfriend and then murdering him with fire because he now has a ^girlfriend^ and Leo gave him a fire-proof pouch thing for his stick.

Hazel and Frank- Frank’s hot now so... yeah!

Leo and Percy- .....So we’ve both on Calypso’s Island, huh?

Piper and Hazel- They... apparently practice sword fighting? I mean, it’s not much but it’s something? Points for that?

Jason and Frank- They bond over being praetor/ roman although WE DON’T GET TO SEE THEM ACTUALLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION DO WE RICK?

Bonus relationships:

It should be noted that although I love Nico, he really isn’t one of the seven. I think Rick originally intended him to be a secondary character like he was in the first series, but then he became a main character. This wouldn’t be a problem except Rick is having enough trouble juggling the seven on their own.

Nico and Percy- SO SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH (although honestly wow doesn’t have a crush on Percy at this point). Their relationship is still strained from the last series.

Jason and Nico- Jason is basically Nico’s supportive Straight AllyTM/ Life Coach/ Mom who wants to grab Nico by the Ramones t-shirt, shake him a bit, tell him that there there are millions of queer kids in the world finding love everyday, that he’s his own worst enemy, he needs to get away from the underworld, go outside, make some friends, stop hating Percy, get some hobbies and then who knows maybe he’ll develop a disposition that others find more approachable (yes this is Contrapoints reference thank you for noticing)

5) Blood of Olympus (BoO)- POVs: Jason, Reyna, Leo, Nico, Piper (Note that Percy, Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel are not included >:((((()

Jason and Piper- Their relationship is developed a little bit. They work together the most out of all of the seven to defeat Gaia. They say I love you to each other at the end of the book (*represses all my knowledge of Trials of Apollo for the sake of this post*) Except for Leo’s “death”, everything’s great!

Percy and Annabeth- Everything’s fine. Percy’s fine. Percy doesn’t have a dark side. Nope. “If I can’t drown neither can my pancakes!” Haha. Ha. Funny.

Piper and Annabeth- Let me cup your face, pull you forward until our foreheads are touching, and feel your rapid pulse as I whisper softly, “Fear can’t be reasoned with. Neither can hate. They’re like love. Stop thinking about it. Just feel. Let it scare you. Trust that it’ll be okay anyway”~

Leo and Percy- They address the Calypso thing (in the middle of a battle). So. You know. They’re on okay terms I guess?

Piper and Frank- Frank goes and “Brings the family full circle” offscreen and he’s like ‘yeah they didn’t like me because I’m not white’ and Piper’s like ‘well white people do suck sometimes’

Leo and Hazel/Frank- Oh hi I know we just resolved the awkwardness between us a few seconds ago but can collude with me on this top secret plan in which I’ll die and then maybe (if we play are cards right) come back to life?

Bonus relationships:

Hazel and Nico: They’re cute siblings and I love them

Reyna and Nico: They’re cute adoptive siblings that have shared trauma and I love them.

Nico and Percy: Nico comes out. Percy’s confused because he doesn’t understand how internalized homophobia works (Wait... but you hated me... but then... you liked me this whole time??? What?????)

Nico and Annabeth: Oh I guess you didn’t have a crush on me then. Well. Good for you anyway *high five*

Nico and Will: SOLANGELO!!!!! *rainbow flags*

Nico and Jason: Aw Jason’s so proud of him.

Reyna and Piper: Reyna! Doesn’t! Need! A! Man! To! Be! Happy! She Has Friends! And Two Camps! They can get some sleep now! Wheeeeee!

In Conclusion, the Underdeveloped Relationships Are:

Percy, Piper, & Leo BROTP

Annabeth and Hazel

Piper and Hazel

Annabeth and Jason

Annabeth and Leo

Jason and Frank

Jason and Hazel

Piper and Frank

All in all of the underdeveloped dynamics, you’re really left to believe that they’re just acquaintances fighting in the same war together. And I honestly believe that Rick just gave himself too many characters to work with. That, and tacking on two major characters in the end of the second to last book made a lot of the developments of Blood of Olympus feel rushed and weak. We call them the Seven, but honestly, it’s really the Nine. Part of what I really enjoy about this fandom is that people fill in the gaps and try to make all the interconnected friendships within the nine main characters really strong.

In PJO, there was only one POV- Percy’s- and each book consisted of a core group of three or four characters going on one major quest together. The simplicity of both the narrative and group dynamic made developing character relationships more straight forward. Although the alternating POVs in HoO allows for more complex characterization and group dynamics, it’s a hard ship (pun intended) to handle. The structure of a core group of three characters going on one major quest continues in TLH and SoN, but dissolves when all the characters come together in MoA. The sheer number of main characters mean that characters and character relationships get starved of development. Riordan has himself said that although he loved all his characters, having he regretted having so many.

#percy jackson #heros of olympus #annabeth #annabeth chase #leo valdez #jason grace #Piper McLean #reyna arellano #Nico di Angelo #frank zhang #hazel levesque

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buoyantsaturn · 6 years

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Willow and Niccolò (1/1)

summary: They spent time together on their own, outside of school, and Nico learned that Will had made a promise not to date or even kiss anyone that wasn’t his soulmate. He claimed he was a romantic. Nico thought he was stupid. (And cute. And Smart. And Funny. And he wished there was even the slightest chance that he could be Will’s soulmate, but he knew that would never happen. Even if his soulmark now said Will, there was still time for that to change. He couldn’t get his hopes up.)

word count: 1444

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Ever since Nico’s soulmark had first started to appear when he was thirteen - a single W on the inside of his arm, up near his elbow - he’d wished for it to disappear. He was afraid to think about his soulmate in any way, so he tried his hardest not to think about them at all. He’d realized by thirteen that he was gay, and had already suffered through his first crush on a straight boy - he couldn’t imagine what would happen if his soulmate had turned out to be straight, too.

He started wearing long sleeves no matter the weather and got defensive whenever his classmates started bringing up their soulmates.

Things got better in high school, if only a little bit. The original excitement over the idea of soulmates had tapered as people got used to the marks on their arms, and so the constant questions Nico used to get about his soulmark had stopped altogether. Until Will moved to town and befriended all of Nico’s friends. He didn’t know not to talk about his soulmate in front of Nico, or that he shouldn’t ask Nico about his.

Eventually, Will learned to stop bothering Nico with the soulmate talk, and the two became close friends. They spent time together on their own, outside of school, and Nico learned that Will had made a promise not to date or even kiss anyone that wasn’t his soulmate. He claimed he was a romantic. Nico thought he was stupid. (And cute. And Smart. And Funny. And he wished there was even the slightest chance that he could be Will’s soulmate, but he knew that would never happen. Even if his soulmark now said Will, there was still time for that to change. He couldn’t get his hopes up.)

Will started talking about colleges when they were juniors. Nico thought that the end of high school would mean the end of their friendship, but then Will started talking about schools with great English departments and Nico realized that Will was looking at places for the both of them. And figuring out how they could room together.

And that was how Will and Nico found themselves sharing a dorm their first year of college.

Nico’s heart had sunk when the name on his arm turned into Willow, but he realized that he was finally free to move on from Will. He also knew, though, that he had to be more cautious than ever when concealing his soulmark. He’d learned how to cover up his tattoo with makeup so that it was completely invisible, and had started showering late at night so that there was no chance for Will to see his arm before Nico went to bed.

Will caught Nico with a makeup bag one morning right as he was leaving for class. “What’cha got there?” Will asked as he poured coffee into his travel cup.

Nico hugged the bag close to his chest. “Nothing. Don’t you have class?”

“Yeah, I’m just about to leave,” Will replied. “I’ll see you later.”

Will watched as Nico walked into the bathroom. He saw the quickest flash of ink on Nico’s arm before he shut the door behind himself, and so Will left for class.

There was a mark on Nico’s arm. Right where his soulmark should be. Which meant that Nico had a soulmark. Which meant that...there was no way for Will and Nico to be together, even on the off chance that Will’s soulmate might reject him. Will’s mark said Niccol, and there were no words to express how disappointed he’d been when Nic hadn’t turned to Nico when they were in high school.

Will spent the entire day trying to figure out why Nico wouldn’t want to talk about his soulmate, and wound up returning home after dark. Their room was pitch black when he walked inside, and he could hear soft snores coming from Nico’s bed.

Will turned on the flightlight on his phone and tried to stay quiet as he got ready for bed. At one point, he heard the rustling of sheets on Nico’s bed and he froze, hoping that he hadn’t woken the other up, but when he looked over it seemed that Nico had just rolled over in his sleep. His arm was hanging off the bed, and Will could just barely make out the vague shape of a name on his forearm. Will inched closer to Nico, shining the light up just a little until he could read the name - Willow.

Will almost fell over backwards at the sight. That was his name on Nico’s arm. Him! Will! Willow Solace, that’s what was going to be on Nico’s arm for the rest of his life! And Will-- He looked down at his arm. During his class that day, Will’s tattoo had turned into Niccolò. He didn’t ever think that he would be in one of the rarest soulmate situations to exist - being caught between two soulmates.

He couldn’t imagine having another soulmate, someone that wasn’t Nico. How could he consider turning Nico down in favor of the person the universe had chosen for him? Or vice versa?

He needed to sleep. He couldn’t think about this right now, couldn’t risk having a panic attack in the middle of their dorm at eleven at night. He crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Days passed and he still couldn’t get the image of his own name on Nico’s arm out of his head. He couldn’t think of a way to tell Nico, because even the slightest mention of soulmates had always caused Nico to shut down. How would he even take it?

Will hadn’t been able to focus on anything. Not his classes, not his homework, not his study groups. He ended up skipping one of his tutoring sessions to come home early, finding Nico in their kitchenette making himself dinner. He was on the phone, talking to his mother - Will could only tell that much because they always spoke in Italian to each other - with the call on speakerphone as Nico moved around the space.

Of course, Will couldn’t make out what was being said, but their tones sounded argumentative. Then, suddenly, Will heard Mrs. di Angelo say, “Niccolò di Angelo--” and Will tripped on his own foot on his way over to his bed.

Nico spun around, spotting Will on the floor, and picked up the phone. “Mama. Mama, Will’s home, I have to go. I’ll call you back later.” Nico came to stand at the foot of Will’s bed, staring down at him. “Will? Are you alright?”

Will sat up quickly. “Did she say Niccolò?”

Nico tensed visibly, arms crossing over his chest as he looked away.

Will scrambled to his feet and stood toe-to-toe with Nico. “Niccolò?”

Nico gazed up at him.

Will swooped down and kissed him.

Nico pushed him back. “Will!” Nico shouted, jumping back toward his own bed. “What are you doing? I thought you wanted to save your first kiss for your soulmate!”

“I do!” Will told him. “I did. I did. Nico--” Will walked toward him, and Nico moved back until his knees hit his own bed. “Nico, you are my soulmate.”

Nico shook his head. “No…”

Will rolled up his sleeve, revealing the name Niccolò on his forearm. “Niccolò di Angelo, we’re soulmates.”

“No,” Nico said again, and pushed Will back until he could get to his desk. He pulled a pack of makeup wipes from the drawer and scrubbed at his arm until the tattoo appeared. “No, Will, we can’t be. We have different soulmates.”

Will cupped Nico’s cheek in his hand and forced him to look up at him. “My name is Willow. C’mon, Nico, you’ve met my mom, you know how she is. Do you really think she would name her son William? My name is Willow.”

Nico dropped onto the edge of his mattress, and Will sat gently beside him. “You can’t be.”

“I am,” Will whispered. “My name is Willow Solace, and you, Niccolò di angelo, my soulmate, I love you.”

Nico’s eyes had started to water when he looked up at Will again. He darted forward and pressed his lips to Will’s. “I was so scared,” he cried, pressing his forehead to Will’s. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t love me, I-- Will, I love you, too. So much.”

Neither of them could bare to let the other go for the rest of the night, meaning that Nico’s dinner burned on the stove and he missed his evening class, but it was fine. They had each other.

thanks for reading!!

buy me a coffee | more (solangelo) auctober stuff

#solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #mine #my writing #soulmate au #auctober

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vlindervin7 · 7 years

Text

For the wonderful anon who asked: Could you maybe do a canon verse solangelo situation in which they're about to have their first kiss and they're like, nose to nose, but something interrupts them and they're suddenly brought back to earth lmao- I just love things like this! Basically I just want an internal freak out from Nico and to see what he does about it afterwards x

Hope you like it x

Ours are the moment I play in the dark

When he turns his head to look at the boy beside him, Will is already looking at Nico, that same intense yet gentle look in his eyes, the one that reminds Nico of a blue summer sky when you know a storm is coming; right now it’s still good and pleasant, but don’t get too comfortable, the sky can break open any moment now. Nico loves the thrill of it, the expectation, the way your skin tingles with the weight of the air and your lungs get filled with heaviness.

He wonders what kind of storm is approaching at the moment. Will only gets that look in his eyes when he’s deciding whether to do something or not, weighing the positive and negative outcomes in his head. It’s clear the positive side is winning, although it seems like he’s struggling with something.

Nico would ask what it is that has him looking like that, but for some reason can’t force the words to come out. Like there’s something pushing them back inside. Or maybe he’s just too overwhelmed to speak; a ray of sunlight streams through the clouds and perfectly rains down over Will, like a velvety cloak, doing that thing sunlight always does to Will, bringing out the best parts of him and making him look softer, coloring his skin a deep, tanned bronze and his hair golden. His freckles are brought out and stand out more prominently on the bridge of his nose.

The sun hitting Will in all the right places is not a coincidence, Nico thinks. It seems as if the sun, the brightest creature in this universe, has picked Will as her favorite, most likely because he burns as bright as her. The effect the sun has on Will, is the effect Will has on the rest of the population. Pulling out beauty. The lake glistens.

Without realizing, the two have gotten closer to each other, two raindrops knitting together. Nico’s heart is beating like crazy when he realizes he can count the different shades of green hidden inside the blue of Will’s eyes, when he realizes their pinkies are touching, that the goosebumps on his arms are from Will’s breath on his cheek. He suppresses a shudder when Will touches his cheek, seemingly wiping away an eyelash.

Nico is pretty sure Will is going to kiss him. Nico is absolutely sure he wants Will to kiss him. There is no doubt in his mind that if Will doesn’t do it soon, he will.

Will moves closer still, impossibly without their lips touching and now his breath isn’t landing on his cheek, it’s falling onto his own lips and gods, Will smells really nice, like peppermint and early mornings, and his eyes are probably, most likely, absolutely the most beautiful thing Nico’s ever seen, his hand moves from the ground up up up, onto Nico’s cheek again, not doing anything, simply laying there and then --

CRASH

‘Godsdamnit, Jackson!’

They jump back, almost as if they’ve gotten an electric shock. Nico’s heart is still beating harder than before, Will averts his eyes, runs a hand through his hair. A blush is sitting sweetly on his cheeks, pink and standing out like a brush of paint, applied by the careful hand of an artist.

‘Um I -- I should probably go check what’s going on. See if no one’s hurt’, Will mumbles, scrambling to a stand.

‘Yeah -- yeah, of course. I’ll come with.’ And Nico is standing too.

Still not catching each other’s eyes, sneaking looks when the other isn’t. In front of them, Jason is lying under a tree, soaking wet, with Percy laughing so hard he’s wheezing above him.

fuck this no I hate my friends I hate my friends I hate my friends is what goes through Nico’s head among other things. He can’t believe his idiotic friends managed to ruin this perfect moment, a perfect moment he’s been waiting months to happen mind you, just because they weren’t able to resist a challenge or something? Because they couldn’t act like the grown-ups they are. They’re only back at camp because it’s summer and they have a break from university.

Nico was begrudgingly happy to see them when they arrived, but he’s taking every positive feeling he’s ever had about them back and if he could, he’d burn them in front of their eyes as one does with pictures of an ex. And he’d make them watch.

‘What the fuck is happening?’, he hears Will exclaim next to him. He turns his head and is greeted with the sight of one angry Will, a blush still sleeping on his cheeks, eyes spitting fireballs. Damn, he’s hot.

Nico has seen Will get angry maybe once or twice in the two years they’ve known each other. He doesn’t get angry very often, is a firm believer of the ‘don’t fight violence with violence’ stuff, but when he does get angry it’s explosive and the opposite of when Nico is mad. He gets frightfully calm and intense.

Will takes a deep breath and his anger somewhat evaporates, is lead into his clenched fists. He closes his eyes, brings one of his hand through his hair, closes his eyes for a second.

‘What is happening?’, he repeats, collected. Jason, who’s still lying on the ground, and Percy, who is definitely not laughing anymore, just look at him like they have no idea of what’s happening or why they deserved such an outburst. Well, Nico supposes they don’t and really, honestly didn’t really do anything wrong. The real crime here is bad fucking timing.

‘Uh’, Percy lets out. ‘Nothing?’

‘Are you unable to act like adults for once in your life?’, Nico snaps then, finally out of the trance that was Will’s lips millimeters from his plus the sight of angry, hot Will, and back in the real world.

Percy and Jason shift their eyes to Nico and look just as confused, if not more, than they already did.

‘You know what? I don’t have time for this’, Will says, already walking away. ‘I need to be at the infirmary. If anyone’s hurt, find me there, though honestly? I’m not sure I want to treat either of you right now. Hope you have a good day.’ The last bit is said so sarcastically, he might as well have said Go to hell and the effect would’ve been the same.

He doesn’t look at Nico at all.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Jason gets up. ‘What did we do?’ He sounds extremely confused.

‘Maybe it’s the fact that you act like children?’

‘We don’t act differently than we normally do? I don’t -- ‘, Percy’s speech is cut off by Jason interjecting: ‘Wait, did something happen between you two?’ He has his concerned I-must-take-care-of-fragile-little-Nico-older-brother voice on and Nico does not want to deal with this right now.

‘No, thanks to you two morons.’ What he wants to do right now, is go back to his cabin, lay on his bed for three hours, stare at the ceiling and etch the breathtaking sight of Will under the sunlight looking like he should be the sun god, into his brain so as to never forget it. Maybe imagine what would inevitably have happened if they weren’t interrupted. Then he wants to meet Will for dinner and ask him why he didn’t look at him at all after they got up, if he regrets it. And after Will then hopefully says that Of course he doesn’t, he wants to take him by the arm and lead him into the woods and shove him against a tree or something, to continue where they left off.

Jason is looking at him, all narrowed eyes and suspicious, while Percy is still in the background saying: ‘I’m so confused!’

Poor guy, Nico thinks, he deserves it.

‘Are you okay?’, Jason asks, still looking entirely too suspicious for his own good.

‘I’m fine, Jason’, Nico answers and then he’s gone.

That night, at dinner, after Nico spent almost three hours doing nothing and replaying the events of the day in his head and adding an ending to where the story abruptly ended, Will does not talk to him. He does not look at him. He does not ask him to go the woods and shove him against a tree. He does not acknowledge his existence. And coming up with an ending to an ongoing story is nice and all, but only if the answers are actually clear at the end. Nico has never been a fan of open endings. He likes it straightforward and clear.

This is everything but. No, that’s not right. This could be how the story ends. They’re friends, by some sort of power they almost kiss, Will realizes that is not what he wants at all, he doesn’t want to be Nico’s friend when it inevitably dawns on him that Nico does want that, their friendship is over, the end.

He would’ve been fine simply being Will’s friend and admiring his beauty in silence, at least for the time being. It’s not like he would know what to do at all if something were to happen, having no experience whatsoever. So he would’ve been content imagining what Will’s lips taste like, if they’re sweet, soft, warm. He would’ve been fine touching Will’s arms sometimes, under the guise of wanting his attention for something, would’ve been fine having his breath taken away by the otherworldly blue of his eyes and being endeared when Will excitedly tells him about something. He would’ve been fine.

It would’ve probably gotten difficult after a while, but he figured his feeling would eventually fade, like his feelings for Percy did.

But now that Will knows, his vision of the future is shattered. And it hurts. It really fucking hurts.

Because for so long Nico didn’t acknowledge his own feelings, he pushed them down, forced himself to ignore them. The whole thing with Percy, though he’d gotten closure, wasn’t something he was too keen on experiencing again. Especially with Will, his friend whom he cared about. Their relationship as it was, was wonderful and not something to touch or taint.

Well, Nico should’ve knows his feelings have a life of his own.

It had gotten too much for him to keep pretending they weren’t there, but he told himself he wouldn’t deal with them the same way he did with Percy’s. He’d deal with them healthily and be fine.

Only now he isn’t fine and he isn’t dealing healthily and he’s hurting.

While eating, Jason had subtly murmured that he was there if Nico felt like talking to him or something. Nico didn’t answer, but it was nice all the same. He doubted he would, Jason wasn’t always the best at advice, but he was there and that kind of destroyed the familiar urges of leaving camp and being on his own that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

It just – it’s just so stupid. Because he’s convinced that if he trusted himself enough and that if Will reciprocated his feelings, they could be something very nice. He knows, he’s been imagining it for months now, not that he’d ever admit that to anyone.

There’s no point in dwelling on what could’ve been when it’s never going to happen, because that’s just what life is. You have all these expectations and dreams, but in the end everything ends up being five shades darker and grayer and duller than you initially planned for. It’s better to not hope or expect anything at all, because life never turns out to be that good and all it leaves is bitter disappointment on your tongue and darkness in your heart.

Nico knows this all too well.

‘Hi, Hazel.’ The apparition in front of Nico’s eyes is a little blurry, but he sees Hazel well enough. Lying on his bed once again – he feels like the Nico from two years ago who barely left his room to eat and who eventually got dragged out by a very persistent Jason.

‘Hey, Nico. Reyna says hi.’

‘Tell her hi back. How are you? How’s Frank?’

‘I’m fine and Frank’s doing great too. How are you?’

‘I’m fine’, Nico answers instinctively. It’s still not super easy for him to talk to people, tell them how he feels. Hazel was always the one that was able to drag it out of him more than other people, but the response to hide and pretend nothing gets to him is almost automatic. He’s not sure he feels like having a real conversation about feelings today.

Well, it’s just his luck Hazel always picks up on his lies. He sighs when she raises her eyebrows in preparation to what will, without a doubt be emotionally draining.

‘Are you sure, Nico?’

And Nico does not like to lie to Hazel, especially when he knows it’s no use anyway so he answers: ‘I guess? Kind of.’

The raised eyebrows don’t go down, but stay eerily high. ‘Okay, not really. But it’s fine, I don’t really feel like talking about it.’

He doesn’t, not really, but he has to admit, when Hazel’s eyes turn concerned and, impossibly, get even softer, the urge to just spill everything and let her soothing presence lift him up is strong.

‘I’m your sister, Nico. You can talk to me, it’s what I’m here for.’

‘Pretty sure that’s a therapist’, he chuckles, but those words pierce his heart and transport him into a spiral of memories featuring Bianca wiping away his tears, wrapping her arms around him and whispering sweet nothings into his ears until he fell asleep cheeks wet, but calm and feeling safe. Then he thinks of the way Will’s eyes make him feel safe and honestly? All these feeling inside him get to be a little too much. He’s on the verge of actually crying real tears, but he’s practiced at keeping everything inside and off his face.

It seems like Hazel recognized something on his face, anyway, because her eyes, once again, turn softer (seriously, how?). ‘I’m serious, NIco.’

And, really, he doesn’t stand a chance to that voice, it would be like kicking a hurt kitten when it lets out these pitiful noises. So, he gives in.

‘It’s -- It’s Will.’

Suddenly Reyna appears in his line of vision next to Hazel, looking as fierce and beautiful as ever. Nico thinks that if he were into girls, he’d probably fall for someone like her. Or not. He can’t actually imagine being into girls, so he has no idea of what it’d be like.

‘Do I need to come down there and kick his ass for you?’

‘You’re still there?’, he exclaims. Now, if he tells Hazel, Reyna will no doubt want to hear everything too. ‘Anyway, I am perfectly capable of defending my own honor if needed, thanks.’

‘Oh, I’m well aware that you could, but we both know you won’t. Not to Will’, she says, accentuating that statement with a pointed look.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘That you’re a big softie around him.’

‘Now, that is just a lie’, Hazel interjects.

Nico sends Reyna a dirty look. ‘Thanks, Hazel.’

‘Nico’s a big softie in general. He just doesn’t let it show around anyone but Will.’

The girls laugh, Reyna high-fives Hazel while Nico looks at them darkly. He’s not actually pissed, he can’t blame them for telling the truth, but he can pretend. Hazel, picking up on his mood, turns back to him and transforms her expression back into one of concern. ‘But seriously, what happened. If he did do anything, the jokes will stop, promise.’

Nico lets out a sigh. ‘I -- he --’, he groans. ‘We almost kissed. Three days ago.’

Neither of them look surprised, which he appreciates. He came out to Hazel a couple months ago and she, unsurprisingly, accepted him immediately and simply hugged him fiercely.

He’d never told Reyna, though, but she doesn’t show any sign of surprise or disgust. She doesn’t bat an eye, patiently waits for him to continue his story. A feeling like a warm blanket in winter spreads through his veins at the reminded that he has friends who accept him. That he can be himself without being scared. With that comforting thought in mind, he continues:

‘We almost kissed. But then Percy and Jason did some stupid shit that interrupted us so we went to see what happened. And then Will left for the infirmary and hasn’t spoken to me since. He just avoids me at dinner and I -- what if I screwed up? He probably doesn’t even want me, you know? Like, he probably realized I’m not enough or that I’m too fucked up or something.

‘I just -- It’s’, he’s quiet for a second, not sure how to proceed. ‘I really want to kiss him. I’ve wanted to kiss him for so long and I don’t know what to do. I guess his silence says enough, though. ‘

He swallows, looks up to see the girls looking at him with an expression he can’t read on their faces. No one says anything for a while. Then Reyna opens her mouth: ‘No offence, but that’s bullshit.’

‘What?’, Nico sneers. This is not the response he was waiting for.

‘That he doesn’t want you. Obviously I don’t know what goes through his head, but have you seen the way he looks at you. I’ve only seen him a couple times, but I’m sorry, Nico. That is not the look of someone who doesn’t want to kiss you at least as much as you want to kiss him.’

‘She’s right, Nico’, Hazel says. ‘I’m pretty sure he likes you, if you would just give him the chance. Why did you almost kiss in the first place? That wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t like you.’

‘It still doesn’t explain why he’s been avoiding me for the past three days.’

Reyna gives him an unimpressed look. ‘Haven’t you been doing the exact same thing?’

‘Yeah, but I -- ‘ She’s right, so he cuts off his sentence there. ‘Why did he get so angry after it almost happened then? Because he regretted it.’

This time it’s Hazel who answers: ‘Probably because he was pissed they interrupted you.

'Don’t tell me you didn’t get mad at them, too. I know you did.’ He shrugs.

‘Maybe.’

‘Definitely’. Reyna says.

‘Will you be okay?’, Hazel asks. ‘It’s going to be fine, okay? Just talk to him.’

‘I’ll try.’

‘I wish I could hug you right now.’ ‘And I wish I could yell at Will to wake up and make a move already.’

‘Thanks’, he says weakly. He didn’t imagine talking would feel this freeing, how encouraging sweet words and reassurances are. He says thanks and he means it. He’s so, so thankful for his friends and his sister, for never giving up on him, believing he’s a good person always and holding him up when all he wants is to drown in his misery.

‘We have to go, but please talk to him? I promise it’ll be better than this. I love you, Nico. Remember that.’

‘I love you too, Hazel.’

‘Nico?’, Reyna says. ‘You deserve him. You deserve happiness, okay? Never forget that.’

And his bedroom wall appears again, washing away the faces of the two girls who took his heart between their hands and gave it a few squeezes. To restart it and restore its energy.

You deserve happiness, okay? Never forget that.

These words will be echoing in his mind for weeks to come, he’s sure. And not only because he does need to remember that, as he has the tendency to convince himself he’s not good enough for Will, but also because they came from Reyna of all people.

Reyna who doesn’t just give away compliments like that. Who doesn’t believe in anyone, who needs time to trust people. And if she thinks Nico deserves to be happy, she probably has a good reason to. Nico has no reason to doubt her, she’s one of the few people whose opinion he values and whom he trusts because her head stays clear. Nothing clouds her judgment, instead she knows clouds are only water and can be easily ignored. She’s painfully true to her mind. So when she says Nico deserves this, he actually believes that.

He deserves Will. He deserves good things. And if they don’t just happen to him, he’d have to go out there and get them himself.

The next day brings sunshine after three days of rain. If this is the universe’s way of showing Nico it approves, he’d rather the universe just fucks off. He doesn’t need the reminder that soon enough the world will be drenched again. Probably.

Though, he’s not as certain Will doesn’t maybe feel the same way as he was before. Hazel and Reyna did a good job of somewhat boosting his self-esteem. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and cursing the sun god and his children like he’s spent the last three nights doing, he instead stayed up all night paging through his memories in search of every moment Will acted as though he liked Nico. There are admittedly a lot. Which is one of the reasons he got up this morning, bone-tired, but determined to go talk to Will and find out what the hell his damn problem is.

Leaving his cabin that morning, the name Ghost King fits him better than it has in months. Due to his intense lack of sleep and frantic worrying, the bags under his eyes are now darker than his dad’s morbid sense of humor and larger than Will’s stupid grin when he wins an argument (it’s an endearing grin really. But saying that would warrant admitting he finds anything about losing an argument endearing and hell no, that’s not going to happen.) He looks exactly like someone who hasn’t slept in three days and he’s not sure he’s happy that WIll will know, or that he’s absolutely mortified.

He doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter, though, it’s not like he can change his appearance so this will just have to do for now. It’s not as if Will hasn’t seen him look worse anyway.

So, he eats breakfast, he trains a little, he smiles at Jason who nearly has a heart attack when he sees Nico outside his cabin looking as tired as death itself, he keeps himself busy until dinner that night. He does not see Will, or rather he avoids going to the places he’d normally go to. Seeing Will now would mess with his head and he’s not sure he’ll feel as confident after. And he needs all the confidence he can get, otherwise he'll be too scared.

The truth is that he's missed Will. It may only have been three days since they last spoke, but he misses Will’s stupid jokes, he misses the way his eyes glisten when Nico says something funny, his witty response to anything sarcastic Nico says. He misses talking to him, misses having someone who knows him as well as Will does. His stubbornness. His big heart and seemingly infinite goodness, never running out of forgiveness and kindness somehow, in situations where Nico would've been long gone. He misses how calm he feels around Will, and more than anything, the way he feels whole and like a good person, how Will has a way of quelling his bad thoughts and swallowing the thunder in his mind and replacing it with summer rain: pleasant, calming, soothing.

It's part of the reason he decided to confront Will finally.

Now, around the campfire, Nico watches the sun set behind the mountains, painting the world in vibrant pinks and oranges and purple. He's been doing this for the past ten minutes. He's seen the sky transform from soft blue to colorful to almost entirely erased. Anything to avoid accidentally catching Will’s eye. He's sitting directly in front of him on the other end of the fire, his golden hair becoming one with the flickering heat. He's a little faded, a little unclear, but Nico prefers it this way. He doesn't think he's able to be faced with the glorious sight that is Will Solace right now.

Around him, the other campers start singing some song. It's vaguely familiar, but he can't properly hear it over this sound of his heart beating like the flapping of a bird’s wing. Camp feels too small all of a sudden, like everywhere he looks, there's Will. Or fragments of him, memories buried somewhere in Nico's mind getting pulled out when confronted with the places. He wants to flee, get out. But he knows he has to do this or he'll regret it. If Will doesn't want to be friends anymore then so be it, at least he'd have tried. And if it happens otherwise… well, Nico doesn't want to get his hopes up.

So, with all that in mind, he lowers his eyes when he sees the first stars appear against the stark black of the sky and tries to hold Will's gaze.

When he looks at Will, Will is already looking at him, though he shifts his gaze when he notices Nico's eyes on him. But Nico is determined so he doesn’t look away, forces Will to look at him again. He does after a while, blue and green through the fire, as intense as if it's just the two of them, as if everyone around doesn't exist, nothing is real except for the two boys staring each other. Nothing is of importance.

Then Nico jerks his head to the side, indicating he wants Will to follow him when he gets up and disappears into the woods. He does not look back. A couple metres into the woods, he sits down on a fallen tree. He waits. A minute, two minutes, three minutes and he thinks Will isn't coming. And then he's there, coming through he trees looking all magnificent and pretty.

‘Sorry. I couldn't get away immediately. Austin kept asking me where I was going,’ he softly says, awkwardly standing in front of Nico, not touching or coming closer or sitting next to him like he would've done before. He speaks quietly, the bustling noises of the campfire can be faintly heard from where they are and Will’s voice cuts through it like a knife through soft butter.

‘It's okay,’ Nico answers just as softly. Something about the night makes his voice feel like something sacred, only to be used when it matters.

‘So, uh,’ Will rakes his hand through his hair, something he does when he's nervous or unsure, things he hasn't been around Nico for so long. ‘Why did you tell me to come?’

Nico has never been one to beat around the bush, preferring straight truths and harsh reality to pleasant lies and soft illusions. So he just looks Will in the eye and says: ‘You've been avoiding me.’

A crunch appears between Will’s eyebrows. ‘Huh? You've been avoiding me too!’

‘I have not!’, Nico answers with a little more force than is strictly necessary.

‘You haven't been in the general vicinity of the infirmary in like, three days straight. You don't look at me, you eat your meals so fast I barely have the time to even notice you're there. To me, that sounds like someone who's avoiding me.’

And, well, Nico can’t really argue with that, it is what he’s been doing.

‘Only because you didn’t look at me at all after’, he pauses, not sure how to call whatever happened between them. ‘you know. I thought you regretted it or something.’

He wishes he hadn’t spoken as soon as the words are out of his mouth. Nothing really happened, what should Will regret? Their friendship? Nico meant to ease into it, find out what Will was thinking and then tell him they could forget about it or continue where they left off. Not this. He didn’t mean to spill his fears immediately.

A crease appears on Will’s forehead. ‘Regret what? The -- the thing by the lake?’ Seems like Will doesn’t know what to call it either. ‘I didn’t. I mean, not like anything really happened anyway, but I didn’t.’

Relief is more of a tangible thing than an emotion, Nico thinks. It falls down on him like a warm shower, spreads through his body, lights a miniature flame inside.

‘So, why didn’t you look at me or talk to me?’

Will blushes, and Nico allows a part of him to melt at the sight and promises himself that if he has the chance, he’ll try to make it happen again.

‘I wanted to give you time for one, I didn’t know if you’ve ever, you know. And I was kind of embarrassed.’

‘Why?’ ‘You did hear how I snapped at Percy and Jason, right? ‘I’m not sure I want to treat either of you right now, have a good day’? What is wrong with me?’

‘You weren’t exactly alone. I got mad too.’

‘Yeah, but they’re your friends, it’s different.’

‘They deserved it.’

Will lets out a small laugh, Nico wants to replay the sound over and over. ‘And then you started avoiding me, so I figured something was wrong’, Will continues

They’re both quiet for a while, the trees are whispering around them, somewhat filling the silence.

‘So, we both avoided each other because we thought the other was avoiding us. Wow’, Nico says then, in awe at his own stupidity.

‘Guess we’re both pretty stupid, huh?’, Will adds with a small chuckle attached to the end, voicing Nico’s thoughts aloud.

‘Guess so.’ Neither knows what to do now. The air has been cleared, but barely, there’s still some smoke left. They know the other doesn’t regret the almost-kiss and they know they were both avoiding each other because the other boy was doing so, creating a vicious circle. But that’s it. Nico doesn’t know if he can kiss Will now, maybe take his hand, just ask him? The last one seems awkward, but probably not as awkward as it would be if Nico kissed Will and he pulled back or didn’t want that at all.

Will is looking at him with those piercing blue eyes, duller and darker at night. Nico’s always thought they reflected the sky, like a sweater that always brings your eyes out differently. On summer mornings his eyes are alert and intensely blue, Nico almost expects to see the sun in there too. Cloudy, grey afternoons, bring duller blue, almost grey, but no less beautiful. And at night… at night they’re affected by the silver of the moon, shedding her fairy dust of light into them and turning them into stars, bright and illuminating the darkness.

He’s staring at Nico with the stars in his eyes, an intense looks, like a thunderstorm is coming and Nico recognizes it immediately as the same one he was wearing by the lake and the reminder sends a thrill through him, lightning through a tree, an electric shock.

Then he comes closer, leaving very little space between their feet, noses close to brushing, his breath on Nico’s skin. He’s fidgeting, his fingers curling around a fray on his jeans and releasing them curling releasing curling releasing. He’s nervous, Nico realizes.

‘Um, can I -- ‘, he mumbles, awkwardly extending a hand out and letting it hover over Nico’s cheek, not touching, but not pulling back either. Nico has stopped breathing.

For all the times he’s imagined this moment happening, for all the times he thought he wanted to shove Will against a tree, he now does not know how to act. This is all very new to him. Should he lean closer, press his lips against Will’s? Or is that not what Will wants? But what else could he possibly want like this? What if Will does want that, but Nico doesn’t know what to do and messes it all up because he does it wrong? What if --

It wasn’t this nerve-wracking when they shared the moment by the lake, but Nico thinks it’s probably all the time he’s had to overthink everything and imagine and analyze it that makes this seem more difficult than it probably is.

Then suddenly, Will starts grinning and Nico’s never been able to resist Will’s laugh, so he joins, though he’s not sure what exactly is so funny about this situation. Will makes a decision and pulls his hand back in the end, using it to rub at his face while his laughing gets louder and louder with every second passing. ‘This is so stupid’, he repeats between wheezes of laughter.

And, Nico has to admit he can somewhat see the humor in the situation. They’ve been friends for months now. The only person who ever knew Nico better than Will was probably Bianca and feeling this flustered in his company is something new, he doesn’t know how to deal with it, being used to the comfort Will’s presence usually brings him.

Two teenage boys in the woods wanting, trying to kiss each other, but freezing up and ending up not doing anything? He laughs.

‘It’s just, I’ve been trying to kiss you for months now and now that I have the chance to do it, I’m too scared’, Will sputters.

Nico laughs at his expression and adds his own stupidity: ‘I don’t know what to do like, at all. I have no idea, but I want to. I mean, it’s just you, why am I like this?’

He has tears in his eyes and through the water he can see Will does too.

‘I know, right? It shouldn’t be this awkward.’

About five minutes pass before their laughter somewhat dies down, spreading silence through the woods again. Will breathes in once, twice and then drops his hands from his face, looks Nico in the eye. He looks serious again, though there’s a happy glint in his eyes that is slow to disappear after a laughing fit.

‘So, can I?’, he asks, his voice a little smaller than it was two seconds ago, but still strong and confident. ‘Kiss you?’

Nico himself is still a little breathless from the laughing, but he nods. The nerves never really left, but they kind of faded to the background at the sight of Will laughing, but now that it’s continuing they flare up again.

Will brings his hand up again, but actually lays it on Nico’s cheek this time. And Gods, they’re so close, closer than they were by the lake. Nico can feel Will’s eyelashes fluttering and then they’re getting even closer, closer still, until there’s no space left between them and Will is kissing him.

He doesn’t immediately register it’s happening, but when he does it feels… stiff, hard, weird. Not like he expected. And then it’s over already, barely allowing Nico to make anything of it.

Will is smiling when he looks at Nico and whispers: ‘Relax.’

And that’s what Nico was scared of. He knew he would do it wrong somehow, he knew it and he was right.

‘You’re cute’, Will says then and that snaps Nico out of thought.

‘I’m not cute’, he protests, but he can feel his cheeks heating up. ‘I’m the son of death, remember? People are scared of me.’

‘I was never scared of you.’

‘Yeah, well, you’re a fucking weirdo.’

‘Hmm, you’re still cute’.

Nico grumbles in lieu of answer. Will continues: ‘Which is why I would really like to kiss you again, if that’s okay with you. But just… Just relax this time, okay? It’s just me.’

Nico nods, Will leans in and Nico tries to relax. He thinks of all the wonderful moments he’s spent with Will, how he never thought he was scary or weird. He may call Will a weirdo for it now, but the truth is that he’s forever grateful that he wasn’t. He thinks of how they took walks at night and found the perfect spot to talk where no one would bother them, when Nico had nightmares of Tartarus. How Will could be ridiculous, how he met every one of Nico’s dark remark with his own dry humor. How when everything felt wrong and all Nico wanted to do was leave, the thought of Will was a firefly slowly guiding his thoughts to a lighter place and, even though he couldn’t fix all his problems for him, he always helped and brought him comfort, speeding up the process. He thinks of all that and it’s surprisingly easy to relax and let loose after that, because it’s just Will after all. His best friend. There’s no reason for Nico to be nervous, not really. So why is he? So he relaxes. So he lets it happen.

And when their lips touch this time, he feels it. The magic of a first kiss. He feels the fireworks and the butterflies and whatever else people use to describe kissing.

But most of all it feels like sunlight and comfort and a hand in his own when he needs the reminder that he’s not alone. It feels like seeing the sky again, after spending so much time down in Tartarus. it feels like coming home, like how it used to feel back in Venice. It feels like the sunset, casting thousands of pretty colors over the earth, like seeing snow for the first time ever and that childlike wonder that never really leaves a person unfurling inside him and filling him with magic.

It feels right and it feels good and Nico never wants to stop feeling like that, wants to kiss Will forever and live in the overwhelming feeling it brings him.

After what was probably only a mere seconds, Will pulls back with a smile on his face that almost makes breaking the kiss worth it. Nico can’t believe he’s allowed to have this. Will is so beautiful, so good and kind and… beautiful. Inside and outside alike.

‘That was better’, he laughs, breathily.

Nico only nods and yanks Will’s head to his to kiss him again and again and again. There might even have been shoving against trees happening.

And later, when they’ve had their fill for the day, they walk back to camp, hand in hand, dopey smile on their faces and Nico is happy. His mind is at rest. He thinks he’ll Iris message Hazel and Reyna later, if it’s not too late. Or he’ll go find Jason and spill everything, knowing he’ll be excited for him which is exactly what he needs right now.

But for now, Will’s hand in his and the ghost of Will’s kiss on his lips is enough.

Title from Supercut by Lorde, because I’ve been listening to Melodrama non-stop. Thanks for reading!

Request a thing!

Other writings of mine

Love, Jasmine

#solangelo #Will solace #nico di angelo #my writing #pjo #hoo #toa

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bazzledazzled · 7 years

Note

First kiss+solangelo amybe?

YUSSS!! Lol this turned like a lot more angsty than it needed to be i am very sorry I have a problem with angst okay someone pls stop me before I make myself die of the feels XD

As a doctor, WIll always had to remain calm. No matter what came through that door. It didn’t matter if it was a minor cold, or blood was gushing out from their side, the campers of Camp Half-Blood could always trust him to be cool and collected, the eye of the tornado.

But, alas, there are times when even the best of the best crumble away.

All of it was so sudden. Really, no one knew it was happening, except Nico di Angelo. Nobody expected him to come when he did. One moment Will was just sitting on his bed, reading some book called Carry On that Annabeth recommended to him, the next he was looking up as someone appeared out of nowhere, causing him to jump a foot in the air. He looked up to see a familiar pale face.

“Gods Nico I thought I told you not to do that anymore,” Will says with a laugh, standing up. Nico looks like he wants to say something, and he tries to, but he’s interrupted as he falls against Will, unconscious. Will gasps, reaching his arms around him to support him.

“Nico?” he says worriedly, his breathing starting to speed up. That’s when he notices Nico’s hands pressed firmly to his side, both of them coated in a thick layer of wet blood.

“NO. No no no no no!!” he cries. A few of his siblings rush into the room to see what the commotion was about, and immediately stop. Will looks up at them, tears glimmering in his eyes.

“We have to get him to the infirmary. We have to save him.” Nobody told Will that it was probably too late as they helped him with Nico’s lifeless body, taking him to the infirmary as quickly as they could. None of them mentioned that it was almost impossible for someone to lose this much blood as they opened the doors, causing campers to hoard around them. And they did not mention how cold Nico’s skin was as Will ordered everyone away that wasn’t a doctor.

“I need stitches,” Will tells one of the Apollo kids that rushed to their aid as soon as the door bursted open.

“And bandages. Lots of bandages.” Another person nods, heading off.

They set Nico down and the campers arrive with stitches, bandages, nectar, and ambrosia. Another camper removed Nico’s hands from his side. That was when his world came crashing down. That’s when, for the first time, the campers saw Will cry.

“I-I-I can’t–” he says, his hands shaking. Someone puts a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright Will. We got this one.” They all knew Will and Nico where friends. In fact, they where almost inseparable. Some even wondered if their bond went deeper than friendship. Either way, they never left each other’s side. They where the sun and moon. Always.

So, for the first time in forever, Will left the room, the thought of blood spilling onto the pristine white sheets making his stomach twist painfully as he gazed at Nico’s chalky while face in his mind’s eye, cold and unmoving.

Nico isn’t going to die, he told himself as he clutched his head in his hands. Nico won’t die. He’s a fighter, he’s always been. He’s probably been through worse. Your siblings will save him. They always do. But, no matter what he told himself, he kept thinking about what would happen if his heart stopped, bringing the sun down with it. The world would stop spinning and there would be a hole in his heart, bigger than anything he’s ever experienced. He never even told Nico he loved him, and that would be the worst part of this whole situation. He would regret it till the day he died.

By the time his sister came out it could’ve been an hour or five, Will still wouldn’t have known.

“He’s stable. For now,” she says solemnly. Will nods his head.

“I want to see him.”

“I’m not sure if that’s–”

“I’m going to go see him,” Will says firmly, ending the conversation. He stands up, brushing imaginary dust off his jeans in an attempt to keep his heart from racing a thousand miles an hour. It doesn’t work.

The hallway seems to grow longer than ever now. Every step seems to ring in his ears like a drum. Thump. Thump. Thump. He doesn’t know what he’s going to see when he walks up to Nico’s room, but it’s not going to be good.

The door creaks open like something out of a horror movie. The air around Nico smells and feels like death, and that’s when Will realises that the ghosts have gathered around him, mourning.

The other doctors cut off his shirt, which is now deposited in a trash can, stained permanently with blood. His side looks like an animal attacked him, all of it marked with bright red scratches that go in every direction. It must’ve been a monster or something.

Will then looked up at his face. It was paler than normal and his eyes were closed, but it didn’t look like he was sleeping. It was something more grotesque than that. It was someone’s awful version of sleep, something that showed more pain than peace. The worse part was always waiting for them to wake up. Even if it wasn’t someone Will got along with too well, because people where counting on him to save them, but the truth is, when you get to this point, there was nothing much you could do. You just had to wait by and hope that the gods think their life is worth saving.

The machine beside him was beeping steadily. Good. There wasn’t anything to worry about. Not yet. Nico would be fine. He was always fine. Even when he had to get seven stitches in his head when a minotaur had a little too much fun with him. Even after he shadow traveled all the way from Greece. Even when he almost got his arm chopped off. He was constantly fighting battles, whether they where with inner demons, or the demons demigods faced everyday, and each time he was okay. Always okay.

Will did something that he’s done to countless of patients as he stayed by their bedside late at night, hoping he wouldn’t fail someone else. He started to talk. He always hoped that his words would reach them, and that it would help them resurface. But this time, his voice came out choked up.

“Nico I… You can’t die on me, okay? You’re my friend, you’ve always been. Even when you tried to push me away, I still wanted to be with you. I know you try to be something dark, something that people want to stay away from, but to me you where the stars in the night sky. You where the moon guiding my way home. You where the brightest thing in my sky. Always. I need you, Nico. I–” Will can’t continue because tears are starting to stream down his face and weak sobs are escaping his throat. He presses his forehead against the scratchy sheets.

“Gods I can’t do this. I can’t–” he groans and sits up. He grabs Nico’s lifeless hand, squeezing.

“Please keep fighting. For me?” Nico doesn’t answer. Will pulls up a chair so he can stay by his side. He grabs Nico’s hand again.

“I’ll be right here. Always.”

Will was woken up by the monitor beeping. At first it didn’t really worry him, but then he realised that something about it was off. He bolted awake to hear it beeping warningly and seeing others rushing in. Oh gods no no no no no.

“Is he breathing?” someone says.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

“Check his pulse.”

“It’s faint but it’s still there. We need to get him an oxygen tank asap. Someone try to get him breathing at least a little bit,” a girl with frizzy black hair nods her head, pressing her hands to Nico’s chest, giving him CPR.

Then, oh gods, no. There’s one final, long beat, and then nothing. Absolutely nothing. Dead silence. The room is suddenly a lot colder as the ghosts form again, crowding around Nico, their eyes sad. Tears stream down Will’s face as he forces himself right by Nico’s side, pressing his fingers to his stone cold face. He presses his face to Nico’s chest as the other’s quietly slip out and the ghosts disappear, letting him mourn in peace.

“Nico…. You can’t die on me. Why did you die on me….” he starts to shake with grief.

“Nico after everything you’ve been through…. it’s not fair for you to die. Not like this. Not after–” he pauses, deciding to choose his next words carefully.

“Look. I wish I could’ve told you this when you where….. but oh gods Nico, I love you. I love you so much you can’t even begin to understand. I’ve always loved you, Nico. I wish you knew. Maybe…. maybe it could’ve ended different.” He puts both of his hands on Nico’s still cheeks. He wish he could see a smile crack on them. He wishes he could see blushes spread across them and he wishes he could’ve wiped curls out of his eyes as they gazed at each other. But now…. now…..

Will leans forward, his face inches from Nico’s.

“I’ve always wanted to do this, and I guess you’re not around to care,” he whispers, then he presses his lips to Nico’s cold ones. Softly. Gingerly. Then, to his surprise, he felt them move underneath his. For a moment, he wonders if he’s imagining it, if he wants it to happen, but then hands cup the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Will pulls away and looks at Nico, who’s brown eyes are wide open, his face full of innocent wonder.

“That was my first kiss,” he whispers, sounding excited, and pretty shocked.

“What the fri–” Will’s heart is beating faster than ever. Nico looks over at him, cocking his head.

“Why are your cheeks wet?” Nico asks. Will lets out a cry of joy and wraps his arms around Nico, burring his face in his neck. Nico yelps.

“Oh right. The stitches. Nico how–”

“How what?”

“How are you alive?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You where dead, Nico. I heard your heart stop.”

“Well it’s working fine now….” he trails off, thinking for a second. Then–

“DAD!” he roars. The god Hades vaporises in front of them.

“Okay look I had to. You know I’m a sucker for love stories,” Hades says, putting his hands up defensively. Nico crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“That doesn’t mean you can just raise people from the dead.”

“Yes I can.”

“No you can’t.”

“I just did.” Nico opens his mouth to say something, but then Hades disappears. Will shakes his head, chuckling.

“I love your dad.”

#hadesissolangelotrash2k17

Send me a word + a ship and I’ll make a fanfic out of it

#solangelo #solangelo fanfiction #nico di angelo #will solace #angsstttttttt #so mach angstttttt #almost mcd #candy writes pjo

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fangirlingatthreeam · 7 years

Text

Write my love and draw my heart

Story idea by: fangirlingatthreeam

Solangelo Highschool Au where Will is like basketball team captain and really popular and sun shiny and Nico is that one art student whoes drawings are amazing black and white and red but theyre really dark and creepy and they kinda scare people so a lot of people avoid Nico but then Will gets assigned to write a creative piece from his advanced english class for like a school showcase so he talks (read:bugs) Nico into helping him and their exhibit just wows everyone even if it freaks them out a little.

And if Nico is later seen wearing Wills varsity jacket before a big game? Well, no one comments.

Ch.1

Will Solace has always been well liked by everyone who knows him and he has a way of getting along with pretty much everyone, he’s kind, caring, and athletic, so it went without saying that he was very popular.

Nico di Angelo is the dark and lonely artist type that most people stay clear of because they are a little scared by his dark clothes and quiet personality but most of all his drawings that are always done in red and black ink on stark white paper making the images more dramatic and horrifying.

No one would have ever expected these two to ever have anything in common or to even get along, so imagine the surprise when these two pair up for a class project and get closer than anyone could have guessed.

Senior year had been going pretty well so far, Will was captain of the basketball team, his grades were going well, he had plenty of friends and he thought that he could handle anything that came his way, that was at least until his AP English teacher assigned a project that required partner work and he got paired up with Nico di Angelo, his secret crush. The project was a writing assignment that could include any accompaniment such as artwork, dioramas, video trailers, or dramatic reproductions (read: short plays). Will had some confidence in his writing abilities but he knew that with Nico working with him then they were sure to get an amazing grade if Nico’s artwork was involved.

…

Will had admired Nico and his artwork for years now, it had all started in freshmen year when Will had been taking a breather after first trying out for the basketball team and had decided to catch his breath over on the bleachers. He had been about to head to the locker room to shower and change before heading home when he thought he heard the sound of music playing faintly somewhere nearby. He stood and looked around and as he got closer to the edge of the bleachers the sound became clearer and when he found the source his heart skipped a beat. Sitting beside and a little behind the bleachers in a small alcove was a boy about his age dressed from head to toe in black with headphones around his neck, the music playing loud enough that Will could hear it from where he stood, the boy seemed too absorbed in what he was working on to notice Will. Will was curious about what he seemed to intent on so he moved closer to get a better look, as he got closer he saw that it was a sketchbook that the boy was holding, and he had his supplies sitting next to him Will noted as he saw a pencil, eraser, and black pen that went with the red one that he was currently using on whatever it was he was working on.

Will loved art and was really interesting what it might be that this boy was drawing with only these two colors so he decided to announce his presence. “Um hey there… what are you working on?” Will felt bad when he saw the boy jump when he heard Will speak to him “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that, I heard your music and saw you drawing something so I was curious.” The boy looked up at him and Will couldn’t believe that he had never noticed this boy before, his eyes looked a little sunken in and had faint dark circles under them like he had lost sleep recently but those same eyes drew Will in even more, they were on the larger side and were so dark he couldn’t tell were iris ended and pupil began, they were like twin pools of shadows that he felt like he could get lost in…

Will snapped himself out of his oddly poetic thoughts when he realized that he was staring and likely making the other uncomfortable as a result. “Sorry I guess I should probably introduce myself or stop bothering you and mind my own business…” he trailed off when he received no response from the other “Sorry I’ll just go and leave you alone now.” He could feel his face burn from his embarrassment as he turned away to head over to the showers like he had planned on doing before.

“It’s okay; you can look at it if you want…” Will stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the other boy speak to him, what really caught his attention was the faint accent that he couldn’t place. Will turned back to see that the boy had set down his pen and was just holding the sketchbook in his lap, he seemed kind of shy though so Will tried his best not to act too excited about getting permission or that the boy had spoken to him so he calmly walked over to where the other sat and took the sketchbook when the boy passed it to him. He looked at the page that it had been open to; he assumed that it was the one that he had just been working on. Will was totally mesmerized by what he saw, the bold outlines, the shark angles, the bright red ink mixed with the black ink and white paper gave the image the illusion of leaving the page. Will was blown away by the level of skill he was seeing and though he wasn’t quite sure what it was that he was looking at exactly he still knew that this was incredible talent.

“Wow you are amazing; I’ve never seen anything so cool. What is this?” he smiled as he looked at the artist sitting in front of him. Apparently this talented artist wasn’t used to receiving such praise because his face turned as red as the ink on the page “A demon…” he said it hesitantly as though he was sure that Will would criticize him for his choice of subject, but Will just looked closer at the drawing and now that he knew what he was supposed to be looking at he was even more blown away by it “Whoa seriously?!” Will smiled even brighter at the boy sitting in front of him, now looking at Will as if he was some kind of strange creature “what?” clearly he was confused by Wills response.

“This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. It would look so cool in a horror movie or in a video game or something! Do you always draw things like this?” now the other boy was completely speechless and could only nod in answer to Wills question. “Really can I see?” Will was excited to see more of these drawings and the amazing work like this. When the other nodded again Will flipped to another page and saw a drawing of a skull with what seemed to be a single red rose and black thorns encircling the two, again Will couldn’t believe the awesome artistic skill shown on a single page. Will sat down next to the other boy and showed him the page that he was looking at “This is so cool, does it have some sort of meaning behind it?”

But then he remembered being told that an artist’s sketchbook could be the same as a diary or journal and therefore should be treated as such “Oh sorry, I guess that’s probably personal. But really you have so much talent! Oh and by the way my name is Will, nice to meet you.” He held out the sketchbook to hand back to its owner. “Nico.” Well now he had a name to go with the face. But before Will could say anything more the coach blew his whistle and signaled that tryouts were over and that it was time to head home for the day “Well I guess it’s time to go, I’ll see you around Nico.” Will said as he stood up and headed over to head to the showers. He hoped that he’d get the chance to talk with Nico again sometime.

…

Over the next few years following their first encounter Will and Nico had sat together and talked from time to time, Nico liked to sit in that same spot and draw whenever he found the time, he claimed that it was secluded enough that people other than Will that is, wouldn’t bother him there. It also meant that when Will finished with practice he’d have a bit of time to talk to Nico and see more of his artwork. You might be able to call it a friendship but they didn’t talk much other during these times or spend time together any other time. Will blamed it on the fact that he was always busy with something or always taking to someone and couldn’t get close to Nico, but his heart soared when in his final year he walked into his AP English class and saw that Nico was in his class. He hoped ever since for a chance to spend more time with Nico and get to know him better.

When their teacher announced this writing assignment Will saw it as a gift from above. “And the best story and accompaniment will be displayed in the upcoming school wide showcase so I want all of you to put your best effort into this with that in mind.” Well that was unexpected but Will wasn’t worried, as long as he could convince Nico to draw some illustrations to go with the story that they come up with then they were sure to do well.

…

The bell rang and the class let out for lunch. Will quickly packed up his things and headed out to meet Nico by his locker, it was close to the gym which Will had learned one day after leaving practice and finding Nico standing at his locker grabbing a pencil case before heading back to where he had left his sketchbook at his usual spot.

Will was glad to see that Nico was still by his locker when he finally made his way over to him “Hey Nico!” Will called cheerfully, causing a few curious passersby turn and look at the two of them, as far as anyone else knew these two were as different as night and day so seeing them talking to one another was an odd sight. Nico turned when he heard Will call out to him “Oh hey Will, is this about the English assignment?” even after four years Will still loved hearing that slight accent when Nico spoke, it had taken some time but Will had eventually learned that it was Italian, though what with Nico’s last name it was no surprize. “Huh? Oh yeah!” Will chided himself for getting distracted again but he always got distracted when talking to Nico.

“So I was thinking that we could come up with the story together and you could add some drawings to go along with it, I’m sure that whatever we come up with your drawings would be incredible!” but Nico didn’t seem as sure about it as Will did. “You’re the only one who would think that Will.” Nico said as he grabbed his bag from his locker, it was only lunch but Nico looked like he was getting ready to leave school for the day. “But it’s the truth, your art is so amazing I’m sure it could really help bring our story to life better than anything else could.” Will tried his best to sound convincing.

Nico still didn’t seem willing to go along with it though “I don’t know Will, but could we talk about this some other time? I have somewhere to go this afternoon so I won’t be here after lunch, good luck in your game later.” Will was a bit surprized by that last part but then again Nico’s favorite spot was in the gym so it should come as no surprize that he knew that Will had a game today after school… “Huh? Oh right thanks.” But before Nico could walk away an idea came to Will and he pulled out a pen and reached out for Nico’s hand stopping him as he was about to leave and Will wrote his cell number on Nico’s arm “There, this way you can text me later after you’ve had some time to think things over, no rush though. Just brainstorm some ideas for our story if you want.” he gave Nico a bright cheerful smile before turning and heading to his own locker.

(P.S. If you liked this I will continue.)

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purple-urself · 7 years

Text

Play Nice - Solangelo Haikyuu!! AU

This is a gift for the amazing @lordzarcock for the @pjosecretsanta2016

I’m so incredibly sorry you had to wait this long for a gift Maya, especially since this project literally would not have happened without you.

When your santa dropped out, I knew I had to be the one to create your gift. You’ve been such an amazing friend throughout the project, and you’re the one who made me believe I could complete it, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I care about you a whole lot, and I wanted to create something you’d really really love.

So anyway, I really hope you like it, and Happy holidays!

A03

Nico didn’t play well with others.

As a child, he would hoard his own toys, playing with them by himself. He refused offers of friendship from the other boys in the playground. So what if they also had a race car toy? So what if they could race them together? Maybe Nico just wanted to race by himself.

Bianca told him that he should stop being rude, that people would stop talking to him if he didn’t try to be their friend back. Bianca had said that one day, he’d need a friend to help him, to support him. Bianca had been right.

Nico didn’t play well with others, but volleyball isn’t something you can play by yourself. Teamwork wasn’t something that came naturally to Nico whatsoever, proven by his middle school volleyball career. He didn’t listen to his teammates, he expected too much of them, he demanded more and more from them, until they had no more left to give.

They had left.

Bianca had been right, but it was too late to heed her words. His team had abandoned him without a backwards glance, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He’d taken his team for granted, and as a result, volleyball had been snatched away from him.

He would not make that mistake again.

It’s a promise he made right before entering High school, and if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t one he could see himself keeping. Especially when he ran into the vibrating ray of blinding sunshine, know to him now as Solace.

Solace, whom he distinctly remembered from a past middle school match, immediately upon seeing him had challenged Nico to a one-on-one passing game. This was not how he’d hoped his high school experience would begin.

The competition quickly began to get heated once the other boy realised he had no hope in hell of beating Nico. The dumbass had eventually gotten so worked up, he managed to get them both kicked out of the gym by the team’s Captain, a boy named Grace.

And worse still, Grace had issued an ultimatum. They would not be playing in the club until they worked together as a team. The exact thing Nico struggled with most.

“Look, we’ll just have to work together.” The blond told him as they waited outside the gym for practice to finish. “Neither of us want to be kicked off the team before we’ve even set foot on the court. We can do it!”

Nico found his optimism extremely irritating.

They did, in fact, come up with a plan to prove to the Captain and the rest of the team that they could work together. Which is how Nico found himself on on the court the following week, facing off against Captain Jason Grace, and his right hand man, Percy Jackson.

“You newbies remember the rules, right?” Jackson smirked, twirling a volleyball around his palms. “If you win, you’re allowed into regular practise, if we win, neither of you will be starting players this year.”

It was a deal Nico found it difficult agree to, since not playing competitively for a whole year would seriously hurt his chances at a scholarship. It just wasn’t an option. And worse still, his teammate lacked even the basic skills needed to play the game, and against two third years no less? They were doomed.

But no. Nico wasn’t giving up. This was an opportunity to start over from middle school, erase the reputation he’d created for himself. All he had to do was win.

The match was a tough one, the third years were putting them through their paces, even if it was obvious they were holding back. Jackson’s arrogant smirk every time he spiked a ball onto their side of the court had him seething.

Solace, on the other hand, seemed to get more and more determined every point they lost.

“One more!” He would shout, earning them an unstoppable jump serve from Grace.

“Idiot!” Nico hissed, moments away from throttling the other. “Why the hell are you egging them on like that?!”

“Because it would be no fun if we beat them when they weren’t even trying.” Will told him in earnest.

“Win?” Nico asked incredulously, “We can’t win against them!”

“Not with that attitude!” Solace said, flashing him a grin that made Nico feel hot under the collar. With anger of course. “I don’t know if you’ve realised this sunshine, but you’ve kinda been hogging the ball. You might want to try tossing to me sometime?”

Nico almost growled with rage.

“I’ll toss to you when I think you’re essential to winning.”

Nico was done with this conversation, turning back towards the game, but Solace stuck his hand out, grasping at the ball between his own.

“Listen to me you dumbass.” He pitched his voice, and Nico glanced up to find baby blue eyes piercing his own. Determination shone out of his very being, Nico nearly took a step back. “You’re going to toss to me, got it? You’re going to toss to me, and I’m going to hit the best goddamn spike you’ve seen in your life.”

Nico gaped at the other boy, not knowing how to react. The brightness Solace radiated had turned up fever pitch, focused entirely on Nico. He could feel the energy pouring out of him like waves, slowly drowning him until he could barely breathe. This boy believed so strongly in his right to win, he could make it so with a mere thought, a mere word. Nico couldn’t look away.

“Are you two done?” A loud voice rang out around the gym, breaking the spell. “Stop staring lovingly into each other’s eyes and let’s play some volleyball.”

Jackson. Nico gripped the ball tighter, wrenching it out of Solace’s grasp.

“Just get into position.” He muttered, making his way over to serve at the back of the court.

Play continued as before, Nico making no effort to include Solace until finally the boy seemed to have had enough.

The ball was up in the air on their side, falling in the perfect position for Nico to set it. He was about to try a spike instead when he heard Solace’s voice call out to him instead. The boy had already moved from the back of the court, and before Nico knew it, he’d jumped, hand outstretched as if to spike the air. Time slowed down as Nico calculated.

The ball was coming toward him at an awkward angle, there was no way he’d be able to score. Solace on the other hand was in prime position, Jackson and Grace weren’t even there to block. Getting the ball to his hand wasn’t a simple task, but Nico hadn’t earned himself the title ‘genius setter’ for nothing. That, plus the fact his setting speed was above average at worst, and monstrous at best, meant that he was sure he could get the ball to Solace’s awaiting palm in time for him to spike it over the net.

The sound of rubber smacking against the wooden floor could be heard around the gym, followed by Solace landing heavily beside the net. The boy in question stared down at his palm, as if he could quite believe what had happened. The two third years were also staring, faces mirroring each other’s shock.

Nico watched as Solace looked up at him, face splitting into a smile so powerful that it had Nico’s own lips twitching in response.

Nico didn’t play well with others.

But he could learn.

#pjo #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo #haikyuu!!#my fic #maya

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gatesofember · 5 years

Text

The Whitethorn Hearth: Chapter 4

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 9

Rating: M | Pairing: Solangelo

Prev | Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: The long-awaited celebration of Prince Nico’s wedding to William of Solace has finally arrived. Between all the wedding duties, keeping Octavian as far from the royal family as possible, and dealing with the occasional fiasco, the grooms still manage to find plenty of time to themselves. But as they enter the new chapter of their life, they will encounter new challenges. Will must say goodbye to his family and move to a new home. Nico remains unpopular among his own people and sometimes still struggles to express himself to his husband-to-be. And what will happen between Nico’s guard and the pretty maid who works for Will’s family?

When Nico woke up the next morning, he was alone. It took him a moment to realize that something was wrong; with Asterion getting older, it wasn’t uncommon for him to get up to relieve himself while Nico was still sleeping. Once Nico recalled Will staying with him the night before, he bolted upright and looked around his room for any sign of him. The space beside him in the bed had been slept in, but Will himself was nowhere to be seen. Had he left? Where was he? Had he gone to his own bed? What was he doing? Why...?

A sudden memory flashed through Nico’s mind—a terrible morning in the Lotussium, years ago, when he woke up to find Asterion missing from his bed. They’d stolen Asterion away while Nico was sleeping, and by the time Nico finally found him—

Nico shook his head to banish the thought. That would not happen. Nico had been promised that Asterion would never be taken from him again. Asterion was safe and Will would be safe, too. No one would come to steal Will away.

There was a quiet knock on the door to his bedroom before it opened and Will’s blond head poked in. Nico let out a breath in relief, like he hadn’t quite managed to convince himself that everything was fine until that moment.

Will smiled and asked, “May I come in, Your Highness?”

“Of course,” Nico answered.

Will stepped inside and shut the door behind him, then stood in front of it with a lost, shy expression. “I...uh...good morning,” he greeted.

“Good morning,” Nico answered, tucking a loose lock of hair behind his ear. More memories flashed through his head, this time of what had occurred the night before—the hands, the kisses, the flushed cheeks, and the mess of their arousal....

Nico swallowed and gathered his courage before continuing to speak. “I was surprised when I woke to find you missing.”

Will nodded and stepped inside a bit further. “I’m usually an early riser. I didn’t want to wake you, so I sorted through my belongings and then I sat down in the common room to read for a while.”

“How long have you been awake?” Nico asked.

“Dawn, I think.”

“So early?” Nico asked. “Why, Will, you must be a lark.”

Will laughed softly and moved towards the bed, but stopped at the edge without joining Nico in it. “I can be your lark.”

“My lark? Then will you sing for me every morning?”

Will carefully sat on Nico’s bed, like he wasn’t sure if he should be there or not. “I’m afraid that I’m not very good at it, but if that is what my husband desires, then I will.”

“What your husband desires is to be greeted with a kiss each day.”

Will shifted closer and said, “If a kiss is your wish, then I shall gladly grant it.” He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Nico’s forehead.

“I didn’t mean there,” Nico mumbled.

“Oh?” Will asked. He brushed his lips against Nico’s cheek. “Then you mean here?”

“No, not there, either,” Nico said, trying to keep a smile out of his voice.

“Then surely you mean here.” Will pecked Nico’s nose.

“Will!” Nico laughed.

“Not there?” Will asked. “Then I’m afraid I must continue kissing you until I guess correctly.”

And he did. He kissed Nico’s chin, his jaw, his cheeks, and his temple, and all the while Nico laughed. Eventually, Nico put his arms around Will’s neck and stopped him by planting a long kiss on his lips.

“Nico,” Will whispered, and the simple sound of his own name sent a shiver down Nico’s spine. “I wanted to tell you that I...um...I enjoyed last night.”

Nico felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Will continued speaking before Nico could compose himself enough to think of what to say.

“You...uh...you made me feel good,” Will said. He took one of Nico’s arms from around his neck and laced their fingers together. “Very good.”

“You made me feel good, too,” Nico said. “And I liked talking to you and spending time with you.”

“I felt the same,” Will said.

“Perhaps, if you’d like, you could stay with me again tonight?”

“Yes,” Will answered. “I would like that very much.”

They kissed again, and again, and just when Nico started to wonder if they had time to fall back in bed together and repeat the previous night’s activities, Will pulled away. “Before I find myself more distracted, I must report that I came in here with the goal of informing you that your manservant brought our meal. The tea is probably cold by now.”

Nico sighed, but got out of bed without feeling too regretful about it. They only needed to suffer through one last day of the wedding, and then he could whisk Will away for a romantic week-long excursion at the Privilla.

* * *

The most stressful part of any wedding was gift-giving day. Scattered through history were tales of bloody battles and political scandals that occurred as the result of a simple mishap during a gifting ceremony. A present had to perfectly balance lavishness and modesty; simple and inexpensive gifts made their givers seem greedy, selfish, and uncaring, while the most extravagant ones threatened to outshine the receiver’s wealth. Fortunately, barbaric wedding catastrophes were mostly a thing of the past, but lesser disasters were still known to occur. Cecil must have been counting on his friendship with Will to prevent serious insult, because he and his husband gifted Will and Nico with a hog, saying that they hoped it would remind Nico of them. Will had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing. Nico pursed his lips and thanked them through gritted teeth, then said that he was sure it would provide him with a nice dinner.

The remaining presents were substantially less dangerous. Precious stones from local mines were especially popular among Plutons. One of Will’s favorite gifts was from Piper of Venus, who offered them fine Neptunian cocoa beans. Another was part of the Royal family’s gift to Will and Nico; a week-long stay in the Privilla, which would begin at the end of the evening. However, the most important part of the gifting ceremony was the conclusion of Will’s dowry payments, in which Apollo presented a specimen of the herd of black cattle he was giving the royal family.

Aside from Lee, Michael, and Lou Ellen teasing Will and subtly alluding to his recently lost virginity, the rest of the day passed in a blur for Will. His body still felt light and airy after his night with Nico, and once the gifting ceremony and the dinner banquet finally ended, he spent the next several hours dancing with his new husband. But in spite of the celebrations, a gnawing sense of sorrow hung over Will the whole day. His family intended to leave Pluto the next morning, so when he and Nico left for their trip to the Privilla that evening, Will would have to say goodbye.

Will had been preparing for their separation since his family departed for the wedding, but nothing could have made him ready to see them go. Having studied abroad every summer since he was seven, Will was accustomed to not seeing them for months at a time, but they always parted knowing exactly how long it would be before they’d meet again. Even while in Venadica, Will had been around family; he’d been with his aunt and friends that he’d known since childhood. Living with Pluto’s royal family promised none of that security. Will loved Nico and he was optimistic about forming a good relationship with the royal family, but his future was still clouded by unknowns. How long would it be until he saw his siblings again? Would they be able to keep regular contact? What about Will’s medical studies and his friends in Venadica? Without the Duke of Diana’s patronage, how often would the royal family’s budget allow Will to return to the City of Enlightenment? Whenever he wasn’t busy basking in the glow of his happy new marriage, Will felt afraid.

Late that evening, Lee found Will as he was making his way through the guests to personally thank them again for their gifts.

“Have you come to tease me more?” Will asked.

“Alas, not this time,” Lee answered. “I wanted to tell you that Austin took Kayla to bed. I thought you might like to go see her before you leave for the Privilla. She’s probably not asleep yet.”

“Ah, thank you,” Will said. “I’ll do that.”

“Also, I thought you should know that Michael and Austin are having a hard time today. I’d like you to talk to them if you can.”

Will nodded. “Where are they?”

“Austin never came back after taking Kayla to bed. I left him alone because I didn’t want to crowd him, but...check on him for me?”

“I’ll see if I can get him to talk to me. And Michael?”

“He’s around here somewhere. I was trying to keep track of his wine, but I lost him at some point. I’ll try to find him while you’re with Kayla and Austin.”

Will thanked Lee and left the Chamber of Ouranos for the suite where his family had been staying in the palace. The door the room Will had shared with Austin was closed, but Will went to Kayla’s room first to see her before she fell asleep. When he opened the door, Kayla sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. “Will?” she called sleepily.

“Did I wake you?” Will asked.

Kayla shook her head. “I can’t sleep,” she said. “Not if you’ll be gone when I wake up.”

“Oh, Kayla,” Will said. He quietly closed the door behind him at set the candle on the table beside the bed. When Kayla’s arms reached out for him, Will sat next to her and hugged her tightly. “Kayla, I’m going to miss you so much.”

Kayla hid her face against Will’s shoulder and sniffled. “I don’t like it when you go.” Her voice cracked even before she finished her sentence, then she sobbed into Will’s jacket. “You always go, every year. I hate it so much.”

Will felt a painful throb in his chest. Kayla had always been the hardest to leave behind summer after summer. Every time he returned home in the fall, Kayla had grown so much during his absence that she seemed like an entirely different person. He’d missed so much of her childhood already.

Will squeezed his burning eyes shut. If he cried, too, it would only make it harder on Kayla. “I know,” he whispered. “I hate going, too.”

“And this time, you won’t come back.”

“Of course I’ll come back,” Will said. “I’ll visit you and I’ll write to you every month.”

“It’s not the same!”

“No,” Will agreed. “It’s not.” He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. “Maybe you can come visit me.”

Kayla sniffed. “I can’t do that by myself.”

“Why not?” Will asked. “I was younger than you when I started going to Venadica. If you want, you can bring a few brothers along with you. How does that sound?”

Kayla wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Good.”

“You’ll need to bring Mellie, too. She’s quite taken with the Prince’s guard.”

“Really?” Kayla asked.

“They are completely smitten and they’ve been exchanging secret love letters for about a year,” Will said. “It would be cruel for us to separate them, so I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. Perhaps there will even be another wedding soon. And after that, you and I will find plenty of new excuses to meet each other. My getting married doesn’t mean that we won’t see each other anymore.”

“I’m still going to miss you,” she said. Her voice cracked again and fresh tears stained her cheeks.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” Will said, squeezing her tightly. “Do you promise to be good for Chiron while I’m gone?”

Kayla sniffed. “No.”

Will sighed. “It was silly of me to ask.”

“I’ll be terrible.”

“I know,” Will said as he coaxed her to lie back down.

“I won’t listen to him at all,” Kayla continued. “I’ll break everything I can get my hands on.”

“I’m sure you will,” he said, then he tucked her into bed again.

“I’ll let the pigs inside again,” Kayla added. “And I’ll burn those ugly orange draperies in the library.”

“Just be careful not to hurt the books.” Will listened to Kayla until she couldn’t keep her eyes open, then he held her hand until her breathing became even and she fell asleep. He kissed her forehead and wished her goodnight before leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind himself.

Will closed his eyes and leaned against the wood. The door to Austin’s room was still shut, but Will knew he couldn’t face him until he composed himself. Later, when he was on his own, Will could allow himself to mourn, but he wouldn’t make the separation harder on his family by crying in front of them.

After taking a deep breath, Will left the family’s suite to clear his head. He took a tray of sesame cakes from a server to lure Austin out into talking and requested a jar of honey to sweeten them. Once he’d calmed himself, Will went back and knocked on Austin’s door before letting himself in. He found Austin lying in bed with his face mashed into the pillow.

“Austin?” he called. “I came to check on you.”

Austin glanced up. “I’m alright.”

He’d been crying. Will could tell.

“I brought you sesame cakes,” said Will.

Austin pouted. “I don’t like the way Plutons make them. They taste like sawdust.”

“I know,” Will said. “But they tastes much better if you add a bit of honey.”

Austin eyed the tray in Will’s hands for a moment, then he sat up, still clutching his pillow, and nodded.

Will smiled at sat down next to him. “If we’re being honest, I’ve never liked Plutonian food much,” Will said as he lathered a few cakes in honey. “I’ll have to go back home to get my fill of good southern Juvian cuisine every so often.”

Austin didn’t answer, but he did accept the sesame cake Will offered him.

“Do you want to talk?” Will asked.

Austin shook his head. “That’ll only make me more upset.”

“Alright,” Will said. He took a bite of his own cake and Austin followed suit.

After a moment, Austin said, “You’re right. Honey does make it better.”

“Honey makes everything better,” Will answered.

“Not as much as butter.”

“Gods, yes,” Will agreed. “Plutons just don’t understand how good butter is.”

“It’s a good thing that we’re giving you so many cattle. Surely you’ll get some butter from them.”

“I hope so. Otherwise, I’m not certain this marriage will work.”

Austin didn’t laugh, but he did smile at Will appreciatively. “I think I’ll be alright on my own now. You can go back to your party. Thank you for the cakes.”

“I’d rather stay and eat cakes with you for a while. What about you?”

Austin nodded. “That sounds good.”

Aside from the occasional jab at Pluto’s bland cuisine or Octavian’s existence, they mostly ate in silence. When the fireworks started, they quietly watched them together through the window. By the time they finished their cakes, Austin seemed to be feeling better.

“I have to talk to Michael before I leave,” Will said. “Would you like to go with me now, or would you rather stay here for a while come later to see me off?”

“I’ll go with you now,” Austin said. He got out of bed and Will helped him fix his hair and clothes. Before they left, Will poked his head back into Kayla’s room to find her still fast asleep in bed. He kissed her forehead and whispered that he loved her, then he led Austin back to the Chamber of Ouranos.

Lee caught them soon after they entered, looking delighted to see that Austin had emerged from his room. He informed Will that he’d seen Michael walking to the gardens by himself, and then offered to help Austin find a few pretty dance partners. Austin eagerly accepted. He had quickly grown popular among the wedding guests his age, which was unsurprising; Austin was kind, charming, empathetic, and Will suspected that he’d soon challenge Lee’s claim to the title of best-looking brother. Austin, like their father, had always been a romantic at heart and he’d enjoyed being wooed over the past few days.

Will left Austin in Lee’s care and went outside to search for Michael. He spotted several guests that had broken off in pairs or small groups to tour the gardens together, but most were socializing in the courtyard. The wedding hearth was still burning strongly into the evening sky, but once the wedding was over, it would be allowed to die out on its own.

After asking around and searching on his own, Will eventually located Michael in the Grove of Nyx. He was alone with a glass of white wine, glaring over the gardens in annoyance.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Will asked.

If Will had surprised him, Michael didn’t show it. He looked over his shoulder and scowled at Will. “What are you doing out here? Go back to your party.”

Will sighed. Michael’s mood always went sour when he drank, or perhaps it was that he drank when his mood was sour. “How many glasses have you had tonight?”

“Not enough,” Michael muttered.

“You know that’s not good for you.”

“Really? Because it feels good.”

“Michael. Give me your glass.”

Michael glared at him, but relinquished the wine and didn’t bother to fight when Will poured it into the dirt.

“No more,” Will said. “If you cause problems, I can and will have the servers cut you off.”

“Since when have you been so bossy?” Michael demanded. He glowered, but the effect was lost on Will. Beneath his rough exterior, Michael was harmless.

“Don’t take your frustration out on me,” Will answered calmly.

“I’m not—” Michael stopped like he’d caught himself raising his voice, then he pursed his lips and averted his eyes. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“I know,” Will said. “It’s alright. The whole family is having a difficult time, especially with Octavian threatening to break loose.”

The scowl reappeared on Michael’s face. “Gods, I hate that useless jackass.”

“It’s good to hear some healthy self-expression from you,” Will encouraged. “Tell me how you feel about him.”

“He’s an absolute shithead.”

“Let it out, Michael.”

“A complete blunderfuck.”

“Oh, you’re getting creative now.”

Michael tilted his head back and laughed loudly. Will considered it a success; Michael had barely even smiled over the past few days, much less laughed.

“Where did you learn to be so snarky?” Michael asked.

“My older brothers were good models.”

Michael snorted, but Will thought he saw him smile just a little bit.

“I’m going to miss you, Michael.”

“You should. I’m a gift from the gods.”

Will laughed and bumped his shoulder good-naturedly. “I’m serious.”

“I suppose I’ll miss you too,” Michael answered. He bumped Will’s shoulder back, harder than Will had. “I should take you back inside. They’ll start looking for you soon.”

Will nodded and they got up to leave, but took their time walking through the gardens on the way back to the palace. Will spotted a flower in the bushes and broke it off to give to Nico later on. “For the Prince,” Will explained as he tucked it inside his coat.

Michael smiled ruefully. “You’ve become a disgusting, love-struck fool, just like Lee,” he said. “At least I know you’ll be happy here.”

“And what about you, Michael?” Will asked. “Are you going to be happy?”

Michael sighed. Will expected him to avoid answering and change the conversation, but then Michael said, “Listen, Will, I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“Can you promise me that you’ll take care of yourself back home?”

“I’m not going to suddenly destroy myself just because you left and got married, if that’s what you’re asking,” Michael said. “I’ll still have Lee and Lou Ellen fussing over me and Chiron telling me what to do. If I don’t take care of myself, you can trust them to take care of me.” Michael paused, then aggressively added, “But at the same point, you’re still part of the family and I expect you to act like it. Write to us every month.”

“I promise.”

“You’ll have to come back home to visit every now and then. You’d better be there when I...if I ever get married. For Kayla and Austin, too.”

Will tried not to show his surprise. Michael hardly ever referred to the possibility of his own marriage. “I will,” he said without pressing further.

“And when Lee and Lou Ellen start having children,” Michael added. “I want you to see the baby.”

If they had children, Will almost corrected, but he didn’t want to express his doubts out loud. He suspected that Michael also knew that there was a possibility they’d never conceive, but neither of them wanted to face that yet. “Yes,” Will said instead. “I’ll be there.”

“I’ll never forgive you if you break that promise,” Michael growled.

“I know,” Will said.

“Good,” Michael said. “As long as we understand each other.”

If Michael seemed just a little bit brighter after that, Will didn’t comment.

When they reached the palace again and went back to the Chamber of Ouranos, they found that the whole family—minus Kayla, who was sleeping, and Octavian, who was conspicuously absent—had gathered to prepare for their goodbyes.

Will tried to have a normal conversation with them, but he didn’t succeed before Reyna and Nico arrived, signalling that it was time to leave. Nico took Will’s arm as they walked out of the chamber. When Will looked over his shoulder at his family following behind them, a sense of dread knotted in his stomach. How could Will leave them behind? How he leave Lee and Lou Ellen while they were struggling to start a family? How could he leave Austin as he was just beginning his transition to adulthood, or little Kayla, who was still so young that Will worried she’d forget the memories they’d made together? And most of all, how could he leave Michael as he was trying to drown himself in a bottle, struggling with emotions he wouldn’t share, and fighting a maybe-engagement in a battle that no one understood?

“I’m going to walk with my brother and sister-in-law,” Will whispered to Nico, and Nico nodded in understanding before releasing his arm. Will motioned for his family to keep following Reyna outside as he approached Lee and Lou Ellen. Although Apollo and Daphne were the Duke and Duchess of Diana by title, Lee and Lou Ellen had grown to be the unofficial heads of the family since they’d married. Aside from Lee’s occasional spats with Michael, he and Lou Ellen were the ones who held the family together. When Will asked if he could speak to them privately, Lee and Lou Ellen slowed their pace to trail behind the others.

“Where’s Octavian?” Will asked first.

Lou Ellen beamed. “He may or may not have eaten something unpleasant while I was on duty and he may or may not be confined to the toilet for the rest of the evening,” she answered proudly. “Why, did you want to say goodbye?”

Will sighed. Lee and Lou Ellen may have been the ones holding the family together, but that didn’t mean they always behaved with decorum.

“I couldn’t care less about Octavian,” Will mumbled. “I need you to promise to watch over Michael.”

Lee raised an eyebrow. “Don’t we already?”

“I don’t think that you realize how dangerous his...pastimes can be,” Will whispered. “His mood, too—something is wrong with him. I’m scared for him.”

“Michael is upset about losing you right now,” Lee said.

“It’s not just that,” Will insisted.

“And alcohol isn’t evil,” said Lou Ellen. “I’ll admit that I think he drinks too much, but having a little bit is alright.”

“For us, maybe,” Will replied. “But I’m afraid that it’s something else for Michael. Please, believe me—I know what I’m talking about. I’ve studied the way things like alcohol affect the body. I want you to write to keep me updated on his progress. Try to stop him from drinking.”

“Alright,” Lee relented. “We’ll watch him and I promise we’ll keep you informed. But what do you expect to do about it from all the way in Pluto?”

“You are mistaken if you think I wouldn’t run across the Romanus Terris on foot for my family,” Will said. “Listen, before I go, I want you to promise to look after Austin and Kayla, too. Lee, try not to antagonize Michael. And Papa—he’s absolutely useless without Hyacinthus. Mama gets lonely sometimes, so make sure to keep her company. Pay attention to Chiron’s health. And take care of each other.”

“We will,” Lee said. “But don’t worry so much. Losing you is going to be hard on us, but we have a strong family and we will recover from this.”

“I know that leaving home is scary,” said Lou Ellen. “I’ve been through it, too. For now, I want you to focus on settling in here. Lee and I will watch over the family for you.”

Will sighed and nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

By the time the three of them exited the Hall of Gold at the entrance to the palace, the rest of the family had already assembled to say goodbye. Nico was waiting for him and Reyna stood nearby. Mellie and Hedge were off to the side, holding hands as they bid each other a tearful, heartbroken farewell. Hedge was going to to accompany Nico to the Privilla and Mellie would leave in the morning to return to Diana with Will’s family.

When Will joined him, Nico looked at Will’s family and said, “You’re always welcome in Divitia. Until me again, may Aether light your way.” To someone else, his voice might have sounded awkward and stiff, but Will knew his words were genuine.

Will’s family echoed the response to Nico’s farewell, then Nico turned to Will and said, “I’ll meet you in the carriage.” With a squeeze to his hand and a smile, Nico left Will to say goodbye alone.

“We’re going to miss you, Will,” Apollo said.

“Be sure to write,” added Daphne.

Lee and Lou Ellen kissed Will’s cheeks. Daphne embraced him and whispered a few kind words in farewell, along with a short prayer for his happiness. Austin hugged Will so tightly that he couldn’t breathe, and then he started to cry and wouldn’t let go. Eventually, Lee and Lou Ellen disentangled him and took him aside to comfort him. Chiron wished Will good fortune, and gave a hug when Will insisted upon it. Apollo recited a haiku:

I’m miserable. Will’s exiled in tundra. I’m far too gorgeous.

And then he started to cry. Even Michael, who typically avoided physical affection, hugged Will. When everyone had said their goodbyes, Will stepped back and took a deep breath. “When Kayla wakes up, tell her that I love her and I miss her already,” he said. “I promise to visit Diana. And the Prince meant it when he said that you’re welcome here.”

“Then until next time, Will,” Lee said. “May Aether light your way.”

“And may Ouranos look on you kindly.”

* * *

Nico nearly jumped in surprise when the door to the carriage opened and Will climbed inside. He smiled at Nico, but his eyes were red. “Ready?” Will asked as he sat down next to him.

The carriage jerked and started to move. “How do you feel?” Nico asked. “I know saying goodbye was hard for you.”

Will hesitated and his smile faltered. After a moment, he sighed. “I may have lied last night when I said thing only thing that concerned me about marriage was Plutonian weather.” He attempted to smile again, but it looked flat and lifeless. He didn’t hold Nico’s gaze for long before he looked away. “I’m going to miss them so much.”

Nico chewed his lip. What could he say to comfort Will? What did Will need from him? Nico had never been good at figuring out that sort of thing on his own. “I know it’ll be difficult for you,” he said slowly. “But I...I don’t know what I can say or do to help you. I’d like to help, though.”

Will looked up at Nico again. That time, his smile was still small, but seemed a bit more genuine. “Thank you—that’s all I need to hear. For now, I don’t want think about it. Anyway, I have a gift for you.” He reached into his coat and pulled a flower from the inner pocket.

“A purple rose?” Nico asked. The flower still had a few thorns on the stem and the petals were slightly bent.

“The flower of lovers in the color of royalty,” Will explained. “Only the best for my beloved prince.”

Nico lightly poked one of the thorns with the top of his finger. “Did you take this from my mother’s garden?”

Will smiled sheepishly. “Yes, well, I was pressed for time.”

Nico laughed and threw his arms around Will’s neck to pull him in for a kiss. “I love it,” he said. “And I have a gift for you, too.”

“Oh?” Will asked. “What is it?”

“Patience, Will. You’ll have to wait until we get to the Privilla.” Nico put a finger under Will’s chin and pulled him closer to kiss him a few times, then he pulled back and asked, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Will sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “This is going to be hard for me, but right now, I’m on my way to spend a wonderful week alone with my new husband. I don’t want to think about anything else. I want you to distract me with reminders of why I’m so happy be married.”

“Such as?” Nico asked.

“Such as, we’re able to do things like this whenever we want.” Will picked up Nico’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “Or because I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”

Nico smiled. “How about, ‘because I want to spend the rest of my life with you’?”

“Yes,” Will said. “Or because of the way I feel when you touch me, or because I want to wake up next to you every morning.”

“And what about things like this?” Nico asked, leaning forward to kiss Will’s lips.

“Just like that,” Will replied in a deep, pleased purr, then he kissed Nico back.

Nico swung his leg over Will’s lap and straddled his thighs, then put his hands on either side of Will’s head. “And this?” he asked.

He felt Will’s hands on his hips with a barely-there touch, then his fingers slid up to Nico’s waist and helped him balance against the carriage’s jerky movements. “Exactly this,” Will said.

Nico didn’t wait another moment. He kissed Will until he couldn’t breathe and started to feel dizzy. Will’s arms wrapped tightly around Nico’s waist, holding their bodies firmly together, and he gasped beautifully when Nico nipped at his lip.

“Nico,” Will mumbled in a soft, husky voice that sent a shiver of delight through Nico’s body. Nico. Will had called him Nico. Will said it with a tone that was so intimate, so scandalous, and Nico wanted to swallow it and keep it all to himself. Nico kissed him again, but then Will suddenly pushed Nico’s hips away, turned his head to the side, and said, “Actually, perhaps this is not the place—”

Nico pulled back and blinked at him. “I don’t understand,” Nico said slowly. “I thought you liked this.”

“I do like it,” Will assured. “I like it too much. If we keep doing this, it’ll only become more difficult to stop. The ride won’t last much longer.”

Nico frowned. He wanted to touch Will immediately. He wanted to touch him right there in the carriage, barely hidden from the outside, where they could be so easily discovered if they weren’t careful—

Nico stopped himself before his imagination ran even more wild.

“Yes, we will wait,” Nico agreed. “But until we get there...perhaps we could kiss a little bit?”

Will laughed. “Just keep your tongue to yourself for now,” he said, then he pecked Nico’s lips. Nico was careful to be more gentle that time, grazing his teeth on Will’s lip instead of biting and twirling Will’s hair around his finger instead of clawing at his back.

When they arrived at the Privilla, their rooms were already prepared and their belongings had been brought ahead of them. Reyna escorted them to their apartment, and then Nico informed her that he didn’t expect to require any assistance that evening or the next morning, so he wanted to remain undisturbed unless he called for someone. Reyna eyed their tousled hair and interlocked fingers. She muttered a prayer of thanks that she no longer had to be a chaperone, then opened the door for them and left them alone.

Asterion was already resting on a couch in the apartment’s common room. He quietly raised his head in greeting, but didn’t get up when they entered. The puppy, however....

“Who is this?” Will asked as a white and brown spaniel bounded up to them. She yipped loudly and excitedly until Will bent down to pick her up and pet her curly coat.

“Your wedding gift,” Nico answered. “She’s a land-hunting spaniel, about six months old. I have documentation of her lineage if you’d like to view it. She comes from a strong line of dogs, and with your permission, she’ll start training with the rest of her litter.”

“Wait,” Will said, still holding the puppy and scratching behind her long ears. “You are giving me a dog to celebrate our wedding?”

“I know it’s frightening for you to come to Divitia without your friends and family,” Nico explained. “You have me, of course, and you know Reyna and Hedge, and I think you’ll get along well with Hazel, but I thought it might be good for you to have a companion. Several of our dogs had puppies recently and I observed them for months to find the one that suited you best. I chose her.”

Will frowned. “I gave you a flower that I stole from your mother’s garden. You gave me a dog.”

“Well, you did also bring my family several hundred heads of cattle,” Nico pointed out. “And I like the flower. Do you like her?”

“I love her,” Will said as the puppy nibbled on his fingers. “She’s so...gods, she’s so soft. Look at her face! She has the sweetest face I’ve ever seen.” Nico’s heart swelled with affection as he watched Will pepper kisses on the puppy’s head. “What’s her name?” Will asked.

“I was going to let you choose.”

Will looked back down at the puppy’s face. “I’ll have to think about it,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to need to pick a name. Did you really mean what you said about wanting me to have a companion? You thought that through?”

“Of course I did,” Nico answered. “I want you to be happy here.”

“I love her so much,” Will said. “I love you so much. I can’t believe you did this because...gods, Nico, I really do feel much less afraid now.”

Nico smiled proudly. He’d worried that he should have asked Will before making the decision on his own, but it seemed that he’d made a good choice after all.

“But,” Will continued, and for a moment Nico was afraid that he’d done something wrong. Then Will set the puppy back down on the ground and said, “It still doesn’t feel right that I only gave you a flower.”

“Oh, I don’t care about that,” Nico said. “I’m just happy you like her.”

“Even so, I feel like I’m indebted to you,” Will said, reaching out to touch Nico’s waist. “I should thank you.”

Nico’s face burned when he realized what Will was saying. “Oh. Right. I see.” He cleared his throat. “You know, that rose you gave me still has thorns, if you want to factor that detail in while you’re calculating your, um, debt.”

“How careless of me,” Will agreed. His hands slid to Nico’s hips, then he pulled Nico closer and kissed him.

When their lips separated, Nico whispered, “You know you don’t actually owe me anything, don’t you?”

“I know,” Will said. “But I would like a continuation of what we started in the carriage, if you’re interested.”

“I’m interested,” Nico said. “Very interested.”

They kissed again and Nico pulled Will into his bedroom, leaving the dogs locked outside. Will helped Nico disrobe—Nico had always struggled with buttons, as he had very little practice dressing himself—and once they had gotten rid of their clothing, they stumbled their way towards the bed. Nico thought about bringing up the topic of consummation again, but abandoned the idea in favor of surrendering to the way their touches naturally progressed.

They spent their second night together exploring and learning each other’s bodies. Nico asked Will to show him how he pleased himself, then Nico showed Will how he did it. They taught each other what felt good and started to discover how their bodies worked when they brought them together.

Afterwards, they stayed in each other’s arms, bare under the blankets and whispering nonsense in the afterglow. Will’s skin felt soft and warm against Nico’s and the press of their bodies against each other seemed intimate in a way that wasn’t merely physical. Nico felt like he was touching more than naked skin—he was touching Will’s mind, his heart, and his soul.

The puppy eventually started to cry outside the door, so Will borrowed Nico’s dressing gown and let the dogs in the room. At Nico’s request, Will undressed again before he slipped back into bed with him. Like the night before, they fell asleep wrapped tightly in each other’s arms, but that time they had an additional companion snuggled next to them.

#solangelo #Nico di Angelo #Will Solace #solangelo fanfiction #arranged marriage AU #solangelo arranged marriage au #pjo arranged marriage au #royalty au #pjo royalty au #solangelo royalty au #pjo #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #The Heroes of Olympus #Heroes of Olympus #the trials of apollo #trials of apollo #hoo #toa

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