In lieu of the Trials of Apollo (I SCREECHED when Solangelo was officially confirmed), I felt inspired enough to write another one-shot. I also attempted for the first time ever to write something ~steamy~ so I hope I did a satisfactory job... I, at least, really really really enjoyed writing this. Probably more than I should have.

Anyway, here ya go. I most likely won't write anything new after this for a very long time.

Disclaimer: All characters and places from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians/related series belong to Rick Riordan.

To Ease the Pain

Nico felt Will's hand tremble in his own while they watched the mahogany coffin lower into the ground, the hot Texas sun beaming down on the smooth surface as if Apollo was paying his respects.

"William."

Will and Nico looked over to see Will's uncle holding out a shovel. Slowly and shakily, Will accepted the shovel, let go of Nico's hand, and approached the hole in the earth where the coffin now lay. Nico scanned Will's face as he shoveled the first scoop of dirt into the grave. Tears flooded his usually bright eyes and made their way down his cheeks, glistening in the sunlight.

Will gave the shovel back to his uncle and returned to his place next to Nico, holding Nico's hand tighter than before. The rest of the service went by in a blur; Nico didn't really remember much of it because he focused all of his energy on comforting Will, but suddenly Nico and Will found themselves standing silently alone in front of the now filled grave.

Finally, Will took a deep breath and walked forward. He reached into his suit jacket pocket, pulled out a leather-bound journal, and opened it to a page where a single yellow carnation lay flat. Crouching down, Will set the carnation on top of the fresh dirt, his fingers lingering on the flower like he didn't want to let go.

"Goodbye, Mom." His voice was hoarse, and it hurt Nico to hear such pain.

Distant thunder rumbled, taking Nico out of the moment. He looked up and saw dark clouds that were uncharacteristic of a Texas summer starting to roll in. Upon hearing the thunder, Will stood before wordlessly grabbing Nico's hand and leading him away from the grave to a shadowy area. Nico immediately understood and transported the two of them through the shadows back to the Hades cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

As soon as their feet hit the solid floor, Will removed his suit jacket and began to fumble with his tie, refusing to meet Nico's eyes. With a violent flick of his arm, Will ripped the tie off of his neck and clenched it in his fist so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"Will?" Nico asked cautiously, watching his boyfriend's entire body shake.

Then the dam broke.

Will threw his tie at the floor and followed up with a hard punch to the wall. He cried out, and Nico wasn't sure if it was from pain or anger, though he assumed both. In the almost three years that Nico had been with Will, he had never seen the son of Apollo as enraged as he was now. Nico knew that anger was a part of the grieving process, so he let Will unleash his wrath on his cabin wall, and he watched patiently while Will overturned his armchair and kicked the ottoman hard enough to break off one of the legs. He finally stopped and stood there panting, more tears streaming down his face.

"I couldn't save her!" Will yelled, ripping off one of his shoes and chucking it at another wall. "I'm a fucking useless healer!"

He tore off his other shoe, but Nico grabbed his arm.

"There was nothing anyone could do! It was not your job to save her!

"Well, it should have been!" Will dropped his shoe and hung his head, defeated. "I just feel so helpless," he whispered.

"Hey, listen to me!" Nico cupped Will's face, thanking the gods that they were almost the same height now, and made him look into his eyes. "Will, you are a damn good healer. But even you can't cure cancer. Hell, your father can't cure cancer! Your mother's death is not on you. Okay?"

Will stared at Nico for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay." He reached up and placed his hands over Nico's. "I'm sorry I lost control. I don't know what came over me."

"You're fine," Nico told him. "I kinda did the same thing."

Will suddenly dropped his hands and stepped back. "Oh gods! Here I am throwing a tantrum around you when you've gone through more than I have!"

Nico shook his head. "Don't say that. My experiences don't cancel out yours. You are one hundred percent entitled to grieve." Nico grabbed Will's hands once again. "And I'm here for you every step of the way."

Will pulled Nico into a hug, burying his face into Nico's hair. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Nico chuckled. "Hey, that's my line."

"Well, right now it's mine." The two boys stayed in their embrace for a few minutes before Will released him and surveyed the damage he did to Nico's furniture. "Yikes, I'm such a menace."

Nico peered at the armchair and ottoman. "Eh, I like it better this way."

"Stop trying to make me feel better."

"No," Nico replied. "Just like you told me when you kept me captive in the infirmary, I will never stop trying to make you feel better."

Will gazed at the son of Hades and did something Nico wasn't expecting—he smiled. It was a small one, yes, but he still smiled, and when he did, a little bit of light returned to his eyes.

"Look at us, Death Boy," Will said. "We've switched roles."

"Yeah, but gods, being the optimistic one is exhausting," Nico teased.

Will snorted. "You're such a drama queen." He reached down and took Nico's hand. "But thank you. For everything. I can't imagine how I would have been able to get through this without you."

Nico shrugged. "You helped me overcome so much all those years ago, so I figured it was about time I returned the favor."

Will moved closer to Nico so that their faces were merely inches apart and pressed their foreheads together.

"You know what would make me feel even better?"

Nico smirked. "I think I can guess.'

He closed the gap between them. The kiss started soft, sweet, gentle to match the moment they just shared, but it quickly grew deeper and more passionate, filling both boys with an eager desire. Will tangled his hands in Nico's hair, prompting the other boy to respond by grabbing Will's hips. Their tongues mingled and explored each other's mouths as if searching for water in a drought-ridden desert.

Tenderly Will moved from Nico's lips and kissed his jaw, followed by a trail of kisses down his neck.

"Fuck," Nico gasped. "If this is how you grieve, Sunshine, then I'm so down to help you out."

Will chuckled softly into Nico's ear. "I'm just… appreciating what I have." Nico thought he would surely melt right there as the heat of Will's intense gaze almost became too much.

"Then by all means, appreciate away."

Will happily obliged, slamming his lips against Nico's. The son of Hades groaned and wrapped his arms around Will's neck as Will tugged at the back of Nico's shirt to untuck it from his pants and expertly undid each button. Nico's heart threatened to beat right out of his chest when his shirt fell away and Will began to run his warm hands up and down Nico's back. Every touch of Will's fingers burned like fire on his skin, and as Nico worked on removing Will's button-up shirt, he realized how badly he wanted—no, needed—to let Will know how much he meant to him, how much he cared about him, and how much he so desperately desired to ease Will's pain, to make him forget about his grief for even a short time.

Normally Nico would let Will take control in situations like this, but the heat of a thousand suns blazed inside his chest, and with a sudden vigor, Nico pinned Will's now bare back against the wall. Although this took Will by surprise, he had no complaints, but instead reveled in the feel of Nico's hands on his chest as he tried to memorize every muscle, every line, every curve of Will's body. Nico kissed and sucked at Will's collarbone until he earned a satisfying "shit!" from the son of Apollo. He smirked in victory before he continued to slowly kiss a path down Will's chest, relishing in the way Will's breathing hitched or how his grip in Nico's hair tightened every so often.

Nico finally made his way back up his chest and brushed his lips against Will's, but Will was having none of that teasing bullshit. He cupped Nico's face and brought their lips fully together once more. Fueled by the electricity of Nico's hunger as well as his own, Will lifted Nico off of the ground, who responded by wrapping his legs around Will's waist. But before Will could take Nico to the desired destination (i.e. the bed), an unexpected knock on the door startled the two boys, and they froze in their current position, staring at the door.

Flustered and red-faced, Nico finally put his feet back on the floor and walked to answer the door, forgetting the fact that he currently was not wearing a shirt.

"Hey, Nico!" Percy greeted when the door opened. "Is Will with you…?"

The son of Poseidon trailed off when he noticed Nico's appearance. Upon hearing his name, Will came to the door, having managed to put on his shirt and button a few buttons.

"You're looking for me?"

Percy glanced back and forth at the two boys, and, connecting the dots between their swollen lips, the disheveled hair, the sweat glistening off of their chests, and the small bruise on Will's collarbone, he came to the embarrassing realization of what he had just interrupted.

"Oh gods," Percy stammered. "Um, yeah, Chiron wanted to see if you were back and if you needed anything, but, uh, looks like Nico's handling it. I'll let him know that you just, er—" He coughed. "—want to be alone right now."

Will nodded. "Thanks, Perce."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll just see you guys later then." Percy began to walk away when he stopped and turned back to them. He fished his wallet out of his pocket and removed a small wrapper, which he tossed to Will. "Be safe." He winked before strutting towards his own cabin.

Nico quickly shut the door. His heart was palpitating, not from the awkward encounter with Percy but rather from the actions prior to their interruption. Sure, he and Will had made out on many occasions, and, yes, shirts did come off from time to time, but this time it felt different. Something deeper, more profound, more intense just occurred between them, and Nico couldn't stop himself from wondering what would've happened if Percy hadn't disrupted them.

Will cleared his throat. "I—um—"

It was then that he saw what was in Will's hand, what Percy had given to him, and Nico forgot how to breathe for a spit second. A condom. Percy had actually given them a condom.

Will noticed how Nico tensed up at the sight of it. "We don't—Percy was just teasing."

The captivating sensation of Will's hands still lingered on Nico's skin, and he found himself wanting more, craving more. He looked up and saw all over Will's face that he too craved it.

So Nico made up his mind and took the condom from Will, and, with a new confidence that surprised them both, he said, "Percy was generous to give us this… It would be a shame not to put it to good use."

Will's eyes widened as he registered what Nico was insinuating.

"Are—are you sure?"

"Fuck yeah," Nico breathed. "I mean, if you want to…"

Will answered by kissing him hard, but he pulled away quickly. "Oh, that was a yes, by the way." He softly caressed Nico's face. "Also, I just remembered I haven't told you yet today that I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too." Nico grabbed Will by the belt and drew him against his body. "Now, shut up and take off my pants."

*cheeky grin* Thanks for reading!