ꜱᴏʟᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Clearing the Air

Light Behind your eyes~ My Chemical Romance

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It's odd, Nico thinks, Will Solace has always seemed to be the sort of guy that has his shit together.

During Nico's three day stay in the infirmary, Will functioned like he was an extension of the room itself. He'd check up on Nico at regular intervals, not-quite pulling off 'professional', but certainly competent and in control.

Will had listened to Nico's half-assed excuses – that the stitches on his werewolf scratches were fine as they were, that he didn't want to wear the infirmary gowns and even an orange camp T-shirt would suffice, that he honestly could recuperate in his own cabin and didn't have to take up space when the infirmary bed might be used by someone who really needed it – and then cracked a grin and firmly said no. And even though Nico grumbled and acted moody, Will got his way and worked his healing magic with a smile. By the end of the third day, Nico had felt good, healthy even for the first time since before his fall into Tartarus, but even more than that, he felt like all the parts of himself were finally slotted in the right order.

It wasn't only Will that accomplished that; Nico's not stupid. He's not going to start hero-worshipping another guy so soon after moving on from his obsession with Percy, but he does admit, if only to himself, that he's very aware of Will's presence at camp. He watches him from time to time, even stops by the infirmary with a coke and a snack on occasion. The odd part though, is how Will seems to be turning into a klutz.

Earlier in the week when Nico dropped by for a snack break, Will turned to say hi and sent an entire tray of sterile instruments skittering across the floor. When Nico joined him on his hands and knees to help pick them up, Will stabbed himself with three different scalpels, and then again with the scissors when he tried to cut himself a bandage and Nico had to tell him to stop and bandaged him up himself. Will's face and ears had gone bright red, but they laughed it off and Nico had fun just hanging out.

The day before yesterday, Will and his siblings were canoeing on the lake when Nico noticed and stopped to watch. Will wielded his paddle as if he were one with the canoe, slicing through the water ahead of the others. Nico enjoyed the view of his shirtless back, glistening under the sun, his muscles working hard, and then Will's sister, Kayla, noticed him. "Hi Nico!" she'd called. Nico had scowled, feeling like she was calling him out for doing something wrong. There was no rule against walking past the lake and stopping to watch. And then Will had flipped his canoe and Nico left as soon as he saw him surface, before he too called Nico out for being a distraction.

Last night, Jason and Piper ganged up and dragged Nico to attend the campfire with them. Will was leading the sing-along and full of high spirits, strumming his guitar and even the sight of him – surrounded by friends and family, his blond hair wild in the firelight – sent Nico's heart into a tap-dance. He'd quietly accepted his seat, squished between Jason and Piper to prevent him from escaping. When Will caught sight of him, he smiled, and then seemed to forget how to play the guitar. After a really awful attempt at 'On top of Olympus', he passed his guitar to Austin and spent the rest of the sing-along watching the colors in the fire and sometimes catching Nico's eyes.

Now, lying in bed, not wanting to get up yet, Nico wonders if his presence at camp isn't good for Will. Perhaps his old creepy vibes are starting up again, poisoning Will's ability to focus. If that is the case, it totally sucks. Maybe if he cleared the air, like he had with Percy, it would put Will at ease around him. Nico doesn't think his feelings are anywhere near as unhealthy as they had been with Percy. He's actually kind of enjoyed allowing this new interest to develop, but if it's making Will uncomfortable, he'll stop.

Nico groans and pushes his blankets down, then sits up. Yeah. Clearing the air is probably the right thing to do. It's the least attractive option and he dreads it. There's also the risk that Will won't want to be around him anymore, that he'll be creeped out at the thought of the son of Hades having a thing for him, but that's a risk that Nico's willing to take if it will stop Will from tripping over his own feet whenever he catches Nico watching him.

Nico dresses on autopilot, black jeans, skull T-shirt, boots, wondering where Will might be at this time of morning. He'll try to pull him aside so there aren't any people around to witness his embarrassment. He tells himself he can do it. He's faced titans and monsters, even Cupid, the biggest bully of them all and survived. Telling Will why he's watching him should be a breeze. Maybe he'll be able to even laugh it off and blame it on teenage hormones or something.

He opens his cabin door and stops short. Will's sitting on the steps, resting his elbows on his knees, and bouncing with nervous energy. He doesn't seem to have heard Nico open the door.

Nico clears his throat. "Hey."

Will turns and looks up at him. His face is flushed, his normally far-away blue eyes bright and focused. "Oh, hey. I wondered when you'd be up."

Nico sits beside him on the top step. It seems the safest option. If he asked Will to stand up, chances are he'd fall down the stairs before Nico had a chance to say what he needs to.

Will stops bouncing his legs and Nico can sense him relaxing. That's good. He looks out at the empty green. "Where is everybody?"

"Breakfast," Will says. "I ate earlier before my run. I never see you up for breakfast, so I didn't bother checking the pavilion. Thought I'd just hang out a few minutes and see if you were up." He's rambling, nervous. Nico sighs and figures that now is as good a time as any to have it out and see if it helps Will get back to normal.

"I think I should clear the air," Nico says. He grimaces inwardly. He used that same line when he'd confessed to Percy. And similarly, Will gives him a worried sort of look. His forehead wrinkled, eyes focused on Nico.

"What do you mean?" Will asks, confused. "You're not thinking about leaving camp again, are you?"

Nico detects anger in Will's tone when he asks the second question. He shakes his head. "No. I'm staying put." The tension seems to melt off Will at his response, and Nico's heart flutters in his chest at the sight. "Thing is, that I've noticed I seem to make you nervous. Like, you get clumsy when I'm around, and I just want to come clean about something so maybe you won't be ..." he searches for the right word, finally settling on "... uncomfortable."

Will nods for Nico to go on, his eyebrows furrowing a little with suspicion.

Nico stares at his boots. It's easier to talk to his boots than to a person looking back at him. "I, uh, sorta like you, like a lot ... like in more than just a friend way. And I know that's probably not what you thought you'd hear me say, and that it might weird you out a little –"

"Nico," Will interjects. Nico stiffens, then forces himself to look at Will, to face the consequences. Will's eyes sparkle in his face, his smile huge. Not the reaction Nico expected. "I like you too. It's 'cause I like you that I turn into a giant bumbling fool."

The corners of Nico's mouth twitch, tugging his lips into a smile. His cheeks flush when Will grabs his hand. Oh gods. What now? Nico wonders. He never thought about what he'd do if this talk ended well.

Will leans in closer, his expression mischievous. "Can I kiss you or are you gonna make me earn that privilege?"

Nico's face explodes with heat. Kissing is something that happens to other people, not him. But why not? Why not him? He nods, eyes falling shut as Will's soft lips brush his. His nerves go haywire in a flurry of good feelings beneath his skin. He moves his lips against Will's and teases them with the tip of his tongue, ready to break free from his body when Will does the same.

They draw back, all smiles and laughter, hands clasped, knees bumping. Sometimes, a gamble can pay off, and Nico feels like he hit the jackpot.