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gatesofember · 5 years

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The Whitethorn Hearth: Chapter 4

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 9

Rating: M | Pairing: Solangelo

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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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imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch · 7 years

Text

Valentine’s Day Part Five

I realise this has been kind of a long time coming. I’m sorry! I love you all. Hope this makes up for it somehow. x

Part Four

“But,” Nico said in a very small voice. “I don’t want to break up.”

He was staring at the spot where Will had vanished into the trees, looking so vulnerable Kayla felt like she might break him just by looking.

“You might want to get after him then,” Austin prompted gently.

Nico turned to look at Austin slowly, blank and uncomprehending and so miserable, then something in his expression finally clicked and he ran off following Will’s path into the woods.

“This is my fault,” Kayla said. She glanced at Lou Ellen. “We should have let them be. I just wanted them to have a good Valentine’s day and now –“ her voice broke.

Lou Ellen squeezed her shoulder.

“It’s not your fault,” she said gently. “It’s his.”

She turned on Cecil with fierce eyes.

“What were you THINKING?”

Cecil balked under her gaze momentarily, but then glared back.

“None of this is my fault,” he protested. “Nico started it: he was the one who wanted me to keep Will busy.”

That was met with collective silence as the group tried, and failed, to reason through Nico’s motivations.

“Maybe we should –“ Kayla began though she wasn’t really sure what she was going to suggest and was glad when Austin interrupted.

“No,” he said. “I think this time we just let them be. They’ll work it out. They have to.”

“They both looked so sad,” Kayla said.

“Austin’s right,” Lou Ellen replied. “Our meddling partly caused this. We have to just trust they’ll be okay.”

“And if they’re not then we move onto Plan B,” Cecil said. “Valentine’s Rescue Part Two.”

“NO!” the others protested as one.

“They’ll work it out,” Austin said again.

Kayla wished she could feel as sure as Austin sounded. She just hoped Will was prepared to listen and that Nico had a hell of a good explanation for his really weird behaviour.

“Will!” Nico called.

He had no idea which way Will had gone and the trees seemed to be closing in on him. He felt sick and he was sure it wasn’t just from all the running.

“Will?” His voice cracked, and he stumbled to a stop to catch his breath. He scrubbed the tears from his eyes but it was a slightly pointless exercise because they just kept coming. Now he’d stopped running he wasn’t sure he could start again and, though he wanted more than anything in the world to find Will, he found himself sinking to the floor. The tears came faster then as he realised exactly how badly he’d screwed up.

“Will,” he tried but this time his voice was barely more than a whisper. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to ignore the way he felt all hollow and empty.

“What?”

Nico had had his arm in front of his eyes and he took it away slowly, barely trusting his senses because that sounded an awful lot like Wil’s voice but –

No he was there, he really was. His eyes were red like he’d been crying as well and he wasn’t his usual sunny, confident self but he was there and that was enough for the moment. Now Will was here he could fix this, somehow he could fix this.

He was on his feet and moving towards Will, but his boyfriend took a couple of hurried steps back, expression defensive, and Nico stopped still.

“Can I explain?” he asked.

“Go on then,” Will answered. His words were clipped but Nico thought that came from hurt rather than anger.

Will gave him a pointed look and Nico realised he wasn’t talking. He didn’t have any idea how to begin. It was only when Will gave an exasperated sigh and turned to leave that Nico was shocked into action. He reached out for Will’s shoulder, turning him round and ignoring the way Will jerked out from his grip he began talking.

“I don’t want to break up,” he said insistently and he didn’t miss the way Will’s eyes widened slightly. He took that as a good sign and carried on talking.

“I just wanted to be a good boyfriend,” Nico said miserably. “I wanted to prove I could do it. But I can’t. I ruined everything.”

“I don’t get –“ Will began.

“I wanted to give you an amazing gift. But I didn’t know what to get and I thought if I just had some time I could figure it out. So I kind of bribed Connor and Cecil and the whole of their cabin to distract you so I could – are you laughing?”

He was. He was trying to stifle the sound with a shaking hand, but he was laughing.

“I -?”

“I asked Cecil to find something for me to do so we could spend the day together. No wonder he was looking so stressed.”

“You -?”

Nico thought he had lost all ability for words.

“I just wanted to spend the day with you,” Will admitted. “So I thought if we had something to do, some kind of job it would be an excuse to hang out.”

He looked down at the floor.

“So you really don’t want to break up?” he asked, a little nervously.

Nico thought he was going to cry again, but he stepped forward. This time Will didn't flinch away so Nico took his boyfriends hands.

“Never,” he said.

Will’s mouth quirked at the corner and then he let out a breath and closed his eyes.

“You really scared me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I thought we were over and I didn’t know what I’d done. I didn’t know how I was going to cope.”

“I’m so so sorry,” Nico said again. He wondered if he said it enough it would ever make him feel less guilty. He somehow doubted it. He wiped Will’s tears away with his thumb and wished he had his boyfriend’s healing abilities and he could also wipe away all the pain and confusion he’d caused.

“I guess I ruined our first Valentine’s day?” Nico asked in a small voice.

Will opened his eyes and gave Nico a small smile.

“Nah,” he said. “There’s still the fireworks right? And besides it’ll be something to tell the grandkids. Our first Valentine’s day and your grandfather was inadvertently partially responsible for the creation of a giant demon cookie monster…”

Will was joking but his words hit Nico like a sledgehammer.

“Grandkids?” he asked shakily. “You really think we’ll be together that long?”

Will gave him an odd look.

“Longer,” Will said and it sounded like a promise. “Unless you were lying about not wanting to break up?”

Nico shoved him away lightly in protest, but then changed his mind and pulled him back by his shirt and kissed him.

“Shut up Solace,” he said when they broke apart.

He thought Will’s laughter, fragile and shaky as it was, might just be the best sound in the world.

Will was right, there was still the fireworks. But first they had a mess to clear up, both literal and figurative. They’d found the others cleaning up the forlorn remains of the demon dough. The relief in their eyes when they saw them holding hands was obvious, just as Kayla’s excitement would have been kind of hard to miss. He let her hug him while he apologised for being a moron and scaring her.

He gave up entirely on finding Will a gift and focused on spending time with his boyfriend which – who knew – was infinitely preferable to running around trying to avoid him all the while stressing about the perfect present. They finished off the cookies just in time for Piper to arrive to collect them, and they did it properly this time with no flour fights and absolutely zero input from Lou Ellen and her worrying book of spells.

At dinner he sat close, practically in Will’s lap, unwilling to let Will get too far away. After their break-up scare he wasn’t afraid to admit to suddenly becoming clingier than an octopus.

Besides Will didn’t seem to mind.

Will disappeared briefly after dinner which sent Nico into a panic and then he realised that this was what he had been doing to Will all day. He really was an idiot. He pulled out the list of things he loved about Will, by now crumpled and torn, and stared at it.

He puts up with me.

Will returned with a box. Nico glared suspiciously at it.

“No presents,” he accused. “You said.”

“I don’t think I did,” Will said mildly, though his tone was belied by his slight grin.

“You said all you wanted was to spend time together.”

“That was true,” Will said with a shrug. “Is still true. But I really want to give you this so can you just shut up and let me?”

Nico sighed but he owed Will not to turn the fact Will was an awesome boyfriend into an argument so he just caught his hand. They walked down to the beach together, ahead of everyone else. Nico sat down on the sand and watched as Will skipped stones out across the water.

It was hard to grow tired of watching Will, bright and beautiful against the dying sun but the box kept drawing his attention. He poked it subtly and when Will didn’t turn around, he picked it up.

“You can open it if you want,” Will said without looking back.

“I don’t care what’s inside,” Nico lied as he shook the box.

“Well you better hope it wasn’t breakable,” Will said with a slight smile, coming to sit opposite him.

Nico glanced at him and Will nodded like go ahead. Nico pulled on the red bow, letting it unravel and fall away. With shaking hands – the box was so light and what on earth could Will have gotten him? – he pulled off the lid.

Folded neatly inside the box was a black tshirt on top a necklace with three beads on it. He lifted the necklace first.

“Is this - ?”

“Cecil somehow managed to find some spare beads.” Will shrugged with a slightly rueful smile. “I only did the years I thought you were around for.”

Nico ran his fingers across the necklace in wonder. There was the bead from the first year he’d set foot in camp, the battle against Kronos and finally the bead from this summer the first time he’d made Camp Half Blood home. He felt his eyes grow hot again noticed Will was watching him closely when Will grabbed his hands and squeezed them.

“I’m sorry if it brings up bad memories. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea?”

Nico shook his head firmly but couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat. He reached in for the t-shirt and pulled it out. It was the traditional camp half blood shirt all the other campers wore, but with the colours inverted: a deep orange on black.

“Halloween-y,” he said.

“Suits you then, Death Boy,” Will said with a grin. “Couldn’t really see you in bright orange somehow.”

Then his smile faded.

“If you don’t like them-“ he began, but Nico shook his head again.

“I love them.”

“I know you said you’d stay and you promised but you’ve been kind of, I don’t know distant recently and I wanted to remind you that you belong here.”

“Will,” Nico said softly.

He’d thought he’d been subtle about his creeping doubts and fears. He thought there was no way Will had picked up on, had tried to keep it secret so Will wouldn’t pick up on it.

“You belong here,” Will told him again insistent and stubborn and so sincere. “You belong here with me.”

Nico ducked his head so Will wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes.

“Oh no!” Will said sounding very worried and shifted closer so their knees touched. “I didn’t mean to make you cry see now I‘m ruining Valentine’s Day!”

“I’m crying because I’m happy you idiot,” Nico told Will. “How dare you come up with such a thoughtful and awesome present? This was exactly what I was worried about!”

Will smiled and relaxed.

“I meant it when I said I didn’t want anything you know,” he said. “Though I don’t quite get what you were doing all those times you ran out on me if it wasn’t gift shopping.”

“I tried to make a card,” Nico admitted.

Will laughed.

“Well since you haven’t got it on you I guess I dodged a bullet. I’m not sure even I’d be able to pretend to appreciate your artistic efforts.”

“Rude. And there was this.” He pulled out the list once more and thrust it at Will rather defeatedly.

“That’s all I got, which is to say nothing.”

Will took the list with a slight frown and began to read. His expression cleared and then softened.

“You wrote all this out?” Will asked, turning the pages over. “There’s so much!”

“I was trying to figure out what you’d like. So I wrote down everything we’d done and all the reasons I liked you and I thought maybe it would trigger – “

“Nico this is –“

Will shook his head, seemingly at a loss.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“It’s just a stupid list,” Nico said, a little confused.

“It’s us,” Will said. “It’s all our memories. Neeks I love it. Maybe one day we’ll have to write it up properly. Like a proper scrapbook.”

“You are disgustingly cutesy,” Nico told him, even though he had to admit he kind of liked the idea.

“And yet you’re with me anyway,” Will pointed out. “Because apparently my –“ he scanned the list, “- beautiful eyes are enough for you to look past my annoying qualities.”

“And there are so many of them,” Nico said. “Like if I had a balancing scale with your annoying qualities on one side –“

“Yeah yeah,” Will grumbled good naturedly. “I get it. It’s –“

“Lucky you’re pretty.”

“-lucky I’m pretty.”

Nico would normally be content to leave it there but it was Valentine’s Day.

“You’re incredible Will,” he whispered. “I’m lucky.”

“Well I’m lucky too,” Will said. “Sure you kind of created a situation where Lou Ellen felt the need to give cookie dough life but you cared so much about getting me something. I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend. And maybe now people will finally get that.”

“I don’t care if they don’t,” Nico said with a shrug. And he really didn’t. Will believing in them was more than enough.

“The others will be coming down soon,” Nico said.

Will nodded. He stood and pulled Nico up too.

“I think Cecil hates me now,” Nico said.

“I don’t think he’s too fond of me either,” Will agreed as they wandered further down the beach towards the sounds of over-excited demigods.

“We should probably make it up to him somehow,” Nico said.

“We could promise never to ask him for anything again.”

“That would probably do it,” Nico agreed.

As they walked along the beach to rejoin their friends Nico thought about the feeling in his chest, the way he felt about Will. He knew there was a name for it and the more he thought about it, the more right it felt. It almost slipped out, as he glanced at his boyfriend and saw Will watching him in turn. Will’s eyes were surprisingly dark in the twilight but the last orangey glow of the setting sun set his hair ablaze.

He didn’t say it though, just squeezed his hand. Somehow despite everything now didn't feel quite right. Besides Will knew, he thought and he’d had all the time in the world to say it.

Longer.

#Will Solace #will solace/nico di angelo #Nico Di Angelo #solangelo #writing #percy jackson and the olympians #fandom

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