Will Solace was so angry he could barely form words. The Stoll twins were up to their pranks again and they had gotten the Apollo cabin this time around. There had been so much chocolate sauce to clean up. He storms down to the archery field, the afternoon sun beating down on his neck. Will takes a quiver of arrows from the table, hooking it on his shoulder and adjusting the strap over his chest. The blond grabs a bow from the table, as well. Will is soon releasing a barrage of arrows at the targets. Despite the anger he feels towards the Stoll twins, his thoughts drift to his boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. The dark-haired demigod had only slightly surprised Will when he'd agreed to date. It had been nearly a year since they first happened to sit down and talk. They've had late night talks frequently by the lake ever since. Nico wasn't much of a talker but Will gently broke down the walls over time. Over the course of the year, the blond developed feelings for the other. And that takes us up to arrows are eventually all used up. Will goes to the targets, taking each arrow out and slipping them back into the quiver. The heat is only getting worse, forcing the son of Apollo to take off the quiver long enough to divest himself of his shirt. He felt better, but still needed to release some frustration. He hooks the quiver back over his chest to shoot another round at the targets.

Nico is heading to the archery field. One of Will's brothers had seen the blond walking that way about an hour ago. The Apollo cabin had smelled vaguley of chocolate, which was strange. He hears some of the Aphrodite girls gossiping about 'how hot Will Solace had become.'

"His arms are so great, I wish he would sweep me off my feet", one of the girls says dreamily.

They squealed about his abs, too. The girls scurried away to their cabin when they noticed he'd been glaring at them. Their relationship wasn't public but that doesn't mean he wants to hear what other people think about his boyfriend. Nico's cheeks flush bright red and he keeps his head down the remainder of the journey to the archery field. Thoughts of Will always turned him into an embarrassed, blushing mess.

Will wipes sweat from his forehead, the sun renewing his energy. He sends a silent thanks to his dad and the sun seems to shine a little brighter. He's about to retrieve his arrows for another round when he catches sight of Nico approaching the field. A smile breaks on his face, the arrows momentarily forgotten.

"Nico!"

Will calls out to the son of Hades, joy in his features. Nico looks up when Will calls out to him. His brain short circuits and he stops short. Shirtless. That's the word bouncing around in his mind as he takes in - no, drinks in - the sight of a shirtless Will Solace. His heart starts to thump wildly in his chest; he can't seem to catch his breath. Cheeks flaming, he bites his bottom at the less that pure thoughts that stutter across his brain. Gods damn that son of Apollo. Gods damn his amazing body, too.

Will laughs as Nico grumbles under his breath as they walk back to the cabins together. The blush hadn't let up on the dark haired boy's cheeks at all. How cute. Will never bothered to put his shirt back on after his last round of practice, which Nico stayed to watch. He could feel the other's eyes on him each time an arrow was released, the arrow singing through the air, a dull thump resounding when it makes purchase through the bullseye of the target. The practice and Nico's company had significantly improved his mood.

"Come on now, sunshine, no need to be so nervous. No one is around."

Nico walks at a faster pace to the Hades cabin, flinging the door open but he doesn't close it. Will assumes that means it's alright to follow him inside. Nico has retreated into a shadowy corner of the cabin.

"Close the door."

He hears the shaky command from the son of Hades and closes the door with a soft click. The brunet slowly slips from the shadows, still looking at his shoes. Wasn't there a shirt Will could put on?

"Do you have another shirt?"

Nico still couldn't look at the blond without the probability of squeaking. He would never live that down. Will was surprised Nico was stuttering so much. Maybe he should ask where the shirts were and put one on. They had only just started dating and he didn't want to make Nico too nervous. Will watches Nico go to the bed and sit down, hands covering his blushing face. The blond approaches him a couple minutes later. He rests a gentle hand on a thin shoulder, glad Nico didn't jerk away. The blond slips the hand to Nico's back; he tries to coax him to uncover his face. It eventually works after about 30 minutes of infinite patience, understanding, and whispered words.

"I'll borrow one of yours. Where do you keep them?"

"...Shirts are in the top drawer of the dresser."

Nico slowly lifts his head from his hands. The blush is still prevalent. What a cutie. Will continues to gently rub Nico's back, not doing anymore than that. The brunet lays back on the bed once Will has headed to the dresser to get a shirt. This guy was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it.

"...Well, I don't think this is what either of us had in mind."

Will sounds like he's trying not to laugh. The son of Hades peeks at him, curious. Borrowing one of the son of Hades's shirts turned out to be a bad idea, too. The shirt Will is wearing is is usually pretty billowy on Nico's lean frame, but on the blond, it was nearly skin tight.

"This is almost as bad you being shirtless. Gods damn it."

The brunet groans, hands flying to his blushing face once again. A soft laugh echoes through the dark Hades cabin. Will slowly approaches the bed. He didn't want to startle Nico.

"You're so cute."

The son of Apollo sits beside the younger male, initiating innocent cuddles. He hears Nico grumble at the 'cute' remark, but the brunet lets it happen. Slender fingers thread through blond hair. Will sighs happily. This was a step forward in their relationship and the blond would be lying if he said he didn't like that they were taking it so slow.

As evening falls over Camp Half-Blood, Nico is cuddled in Will's arms in the bed. After the whole shirtless archery practice, butterflies had settled in Nico's stomach and hadn't left since. Being cuddled in Will's arms, he was beginning to feel like he could do this, like he could actually try to be in a relationship and make it work. The thoughts scared him a little but he squashes down the irrational fear. This was certainly a big confidence boost. He feels a gentle finger tilt his chin up. His dark eyes meet Will's soft blue.

"Not falling asleep on me are you?"

The blond chuckles musically, a pink flush spreading on Nico's cheeks. Will presses a gentle kiss to the brunet's lips. When he pulls away, Nico has to swallow thickly and get his brain back on track.

"No, just thinking."

The son of Hades shifts closer to Will's warmth, the soft whisper of sheets sounding loud in the room. Instead of asking what he was thinking, the son of Apollo presses another kiss to the younger boy's lips. The brunet is quicker to reciprocate this time, butterflies fluttering in his stomach tenfold. When he pulls away with a soft smack, Will has a large grin on his face. He runs his thumb along Nico's cheek.

"Maybe I should practice shirtless more often, if I'm going to get to cuddle with my adorable boyfriend as the result."

Nico groans and hides his face in the blond's chest. Musical laughter fills the Hades cabin.