How Icarus Fell From the Sun (a Solangelo fanfic)

holy hades, it's a new chapter written a whole year and a half later

Unfortunately, parting with Mia, and consequently their incredibly uncomfortable conversation, only brought Nico a moments peace. He was immediately reminded of his problem when he walked into his room for the night and came face to face with it.

Nico was greeted with a very tired Will, whose head was in his hands. Somehow, the sight alone made him think of how often Will had slept in bed with him only days before, which would not be happening today, he was sure.

Will looked up as Nico gently shut the door behind him, sitting up straighter and messing with his hair. He was nervous.

Instead of moving in further, Nico leaned silently against the closed door, leaning his head down to give them both a moment.

Eventually, Will sighed, ran another hand through his hair, and stood up. He slowly walked over to Nico, who kept his eyes on the ground, afraid of what Will was about to do. He wouldn't hit him, right? Technically it was Will who had initiated their kiss- but Nico had already established that that was probably a heat of the moment comfort thing. Still. There was no way Will could tell what had changed for Nico. The way he felt. There was no way. There couldn't be. Nico wouldn't let it happen. So he kept his eyes defiantly on the ground.

Will didn't like that, making a small sound of discontent and moving even closer, so Nico was no longer staring at his feet, but at his stomach, gracefully covered in a plain yellow t-shirt. Will was much taller than Nico, not that he would ever admit this particular defeat, so when Will moved forward Nico had to adjust his stare higher to make sure he got an eyeful of stomach and nothing else, but apparently it still was not high enough for Will. He gently placed two fingers under Nico's chin, urging his gaze upwards but never forcing it. Nico followed anyway, scolding himself for allowing himself to be moved but never once regretting it.

Will didn't move him any further once they were eye to eye, but he did stare deeply, as if he was hoping to find an answer in Nico's brown eyes.

Gently, he ran a thumb over the edge of Nico's jaw like a question, his fingers firm under his chin. Nico was most definitely not terrified, thank you very much, but he knew his eyes were wide, and legs were wobbly, and his breath was shaky, and- okay he was terrified, anticipating whatever Will's next move would be.

But instead of attacking, or... doing anything else, Will nodded abruptly and stepped back. "Okay."

"Okay?" Nico's voice was barely a whisper, his head staying firmly upright as if Will's fingers were still there.

"Okay." He confirmed, moving further back. Nico got colder with every step.

"Okay," Nico parroted quietly with a nod, despite his confusion. He noticed that at some point he had lightly lifted himself up on his toes, and quickly moved back down, moving away from the door to prove he was still capable of standing on his own. For a moment his legs had been so wobbly he hadn't been sure.

Will walked to the cabinet on the side of the room, bending down into one of the larger bottom drawers and pulling out an extra pillow, before fluffing it up, placing it on the bed, and patting it. "C'mon, di Angelo. You must be exhausted. It's nearly midnight."

"Right," Nico nodded. "That. I'll... sleep, then."

Will smiled as Nico slowly walked over to the bed and sat down, and it stayed on his face even when Nico began to speak again. "Solace shouldn't we... talk about-?" He cut himself off, unsure of how to continue, but he knew Will would understand. What else could he possibly have been referencing?

"Look, Nico," He sighed. "It doesn't have to matter. It doesn't have to mean anything," He explained, straightening the sheets around Nico as he laid down. "For now... just get some sleep. Your body has gone through major trauma. I did my best, which is pretty great if I do say so myself, but you need rest for it to work. I'll be in my cabin tonight, but call me if you need me. I promise I'll hear."