A/N: I've been working on this one for a while. I really like this universe I built up, so I think I'm gonna make it a multi-chapter fic! It'll be my first AU one (with very slow updates) but I'm excited for it :) Anyways, enjoy this first installment!

Coffee is a staple for college students. It's almost a crime to dislike coffee and doing homework in coffee shops. It's insulting to some people because that means you don't need the caffeine in coffee to survive college. To others, coffee is an experience, a heavenly one at that. Cecil fell into the latter category. Will, though he was a struggling med student (as all med students were), didn't like coffee. He was more of a tea person, or you know, a person who got enough sleep to be functional (usually). Unfortunately for him, Cecil was his best friend, meaning Cecil was quite offended that Will disliked coffee and tried to shove it down his throat whenever possible.

"Will, smell this." Cecil rarely made normal requests to Will, but he was used to it by now. He was leaning across their kitchen counter with his mug outstretched.

Will leaned over and smelled the coffee Cecil had brewed with his new roast. It smelled amazing. "Smells great! What is it?"

Cecil grinned widely. "It's this chocolate macadamia nut coffee from Hawaii! It is SO GOOD. The smell alone is mouth-watering. Wanna try?"

"Yeah, no thanks. You know I only like the smell. Coffee itself is so bitter, why do you like it? You don't need any more energy." Cecil was never lacking energy, but he was also never lacking coffee, so Will couldn't actually tell what his normal, non-caffeinated self was.

"One day, Will, one day you will fall in love with coffee and you'll have me to thank. I will gladly take all the credit for it."

Will just rolled his eyes and went back to his homework. He was swamped, but at least he kind of enjoyed all the medical stuff, though that didn't make it easy.

"So, whatcha working on?" Cecil asked as he eyed Will's papers.

"Human anatomy and physiology. I have a lab midterm next week and we have to memorize way too much stuff. I also have a lab report to do for bio, or was it chem? Plus, memorizing med terms for that other class." Will was reaching his limit. He couldn't even list off his work to Cecil, his mind already thinking about his other assignments.

Suddenly, the textbook that Will was staring at wasn't there anymore and Cecil's face replaced it. He was currently lying on the table Will was working on, looking upside down at Will. "Will, you're insane. Know what you need?"

"I swear if you say coffee—"

"COFFEE. Seriously, good coffee makes you more alert and focused and you can be more productive in a smaller amount of time. I'm telling you, it's scientifically proven." Cecil sat up on the table in front of Will.

"Proven by whom? They ran an experiment?" Will quirked an eyebrow at his energetic friend.

Cecil simply waved his hand aimlessly. "Eh, doesn't matter, not the point. Okay, this new coffee shop opened up and Lou Ellen is working there. She told me the coffee is good, even for my refined tastes, so we gotta check it out. Let's go later this afternoon!"

"Why does it have to be 'we'? Why not just you?" Will tried to discretely pull his textbook back, but Cecil snatched it away at the last moment.

Will let out an exasperated reply as Cecil responded smugly. "Because YOU have lots of work to do and you know the home environment is harder to study in. Studying in coffee shops is the college thing!"

"Yeah, well so is drinking coffee and I don't do that either. I could just go to the library."

Cecil rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah, but that's boring. Plus, you'd be ditching your best friend and roommate, and that's not very nice." Cecil pouted, giving his best puppy dog eyes. To Will, it just looked like he was in pain.

After staring for a bit, Will leaned back and groaned loudly. Cecil knew he had won. "UGH FINE. But you better let me do work there and not just talk forever. And I'm NOT drinking coffee."

"You say that now, but I'm telling you, you'll convert one day. And anyways, they have chai lattes there and I'm pretty sure you liked that the last time I got it for you." Cecil got up and pushed Will's textbook back towards him. "How about you get that lab report done here and then around 7 we'll go to the coffee shop? It's in walking distance, right down the road."

"Sure. I can do my studying and memorizing, and you can do whatever history majors do. I swear, you're gonna fail your classes if you don't do your homework."

"Yes, MOM." Cecil dragged his feet as he walked towards their shared bedroom. "I do homework, I just don't have as much as Doctor Solace over there."

Will rolled his eyes and went to work on his lab report. He's glad to have Cecil though. Without him, Will might never leave his apartment except for class.

—

At a little after 7 PM, Cecil and Will were standing in front of Descendants' Cafe. It was cute. Very aesthetic, very hipster, but it still had this authentic, oldie feel, like it's been there forever.

"The story of this place alone is cool," Cecil stated while gazing at the sign. "The ones who built this are actually only a bit older than us. Remember Annabeth Chase?"

Will's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Annabeth? Super smart, dating the captain of the swim team, that Annabeth?"

Cecil grinned. "Of course you'd remember her boyfriend." Will rolled his eyes as Cecil continued. "That's the one. So she and Percy are still together, probably going to get married soon. Anyway, they started this place together, along with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She's the art student with crazy red curls." They seemed like an interesting trio to Will. "Each of them is the child of very successful parents. Rachel's parents are rich business people. Percy's mom is a famous author while his dad is a world-class surfer. Annabeth's mother works high up in the government doing top secret stuff and her dad is a history professor at some ivy-league school. Needless to say, they had no need for money, let alone starting up their own business. But, they wanted something that was theirs, not their parents'. And so, this place was born."

"That's... incredible. Wow, they must be an awesome team! I wonder how their parents took that." Will was in awe of their bravery. That's a huge step Will didn't think he could take, especially if his parents were against it.

"From what I've heard," Cecil said, "there were many issues and fights at first. Percy's parents were the first to support them, and they helped convince the others. But, yeah, they really had to fight for this place. And they didn't accept any financial help from their parents. So, right out of college, they started their business."

"Wow. Wish I was them." Will and Cecil walked in to the coffee shop, the door chime signaling their entrance.

"Yeah," Cecil scoffed. "As if they all weren't great enough, they had to add to their awesomeness."

Upon entering, Will was hit with the smell of coffee. It was a good smell to him, even though he knew he didn't like the taste. The interior decorations were very aesthetic - hanging succulents, bare lightbulbs, dark brown wood paneled floor and countertops. The walls were covered in brightly colored abstract art, not too distracting, but definitely bringing character to the place. Will thought they must've been by Rachel, recalling some of her art exhibitions that he had seen. She was really talented, but was always one of those artists who didn't fit the school mold and was never fully appreciated. Now she could show off all her work, on top of being a proud co-owner of the place.

Cecil grabbed them a table near the back corner, knowing Will did need to do some studying. The table had a tiny succulent, as if the ones hanging everywhere weren't hipster enough.

"So, what do you feel like drinking? I can order for you, so you can start working. I know, I know," Cecil began to say when Will looked at him suspiciously. "No coffee. I just wanted to get you out of the apartment. You're becoming a recluse with the amount of time you spend studying there."

Will rolled his eyes, he was sure one day they'd roll right out of his head with Cecil around. "You're so over dramatic. It's not an unhealthy amount of time, I'd know, I'm the one trying to become a doctor." Will peered over at the menu, not really sure what anything was. He looked over at Cecil. "Get me something you think I'd like—THAT'S NOT COFFEE. I'm trusting you as my best friend."

Cecil grinned widely. He loved picking out drinks for others. "Alrighty, prepare to be amazed!" Cecil wiggled his fingers at Will as he sauntered over to the counter. Lou Ellen was at the register and happily chatted with Cecil. Will began pulling out his books.

He was already into memorization mode when Cecil came back and sat down. "Damn, you really waste no time. I don't even get a little bit of conversation?" Cecil rested his head on his hand and gazed at Will's books uninterestedly.

Will sighed. "Sure, sorry. So, how was your day?"

"Will, what are we, strangers? Don't ask me such basic questions. Does our friendship mean nothing to you?" Cecil never lacked drama in everything he did and said. Sometimes, Will wondered why he didn't major in acting instead.

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about?"

"Eh, I dunno." Cecil shrugged like he didn't just make a big deal out of having a conversation.

Will groaned and went back to reading his textbook. "I swear, you make no sense to me. You hurt my brain more than these medical terms do."

"But you love me anyway." Cecil grinned, and Will tried his best to suppress a smile. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, can you get the drinks when they're called? It'll be my name."

"Sure thing. What did you get me?" Will asked as Cecil got up.

Cecil winked, "A basic chai latte with two pumps of vanilla and soy milk. I wanted to play it safe this time around. Next time, we'll be more adventurous." He turned and walked swiftly away, not giving Will any chance to protest a 'next time'.

Will looked around the place, admiring the little details. It was definitely hipster at a glance, but a closer look told Will that someone with a good artistic and architectural sense designed the interior. The center column holding up each table looked like a Greek pillar, complete with carvings depicting a scene on the bottom. In fact, the whole place had subtle Greek undertones. There were Greek letters up on the top wall trimming near the ceiling. Even the abstract art on the walls had vague images of temples, thrones, and nature. He couldn't believe that this place was founded by people only a couple of years older than him. The courage and confidence required to pull off what they did was above Will.

"Cecil!" The barista behind the counter called.

Will got up and took stock of everything on his table – he could never be too paranoid about leaving his stuff unattended. When he turned to the counter and saw two drinks, he also made eye contact with the barista. Will was a pretty social guy, no matter how awkward he felt. Eye contact with a stranger wouldn't have been a big deal, except that he felt his eyes widen slightly when his brain suddenly shouted CUTE GUY ALERT. He nearly stopped in his tracks, having to force his feet to keep walking as he looked away from the cute barista and back at the two drinks. His brain couldn't process any emotions, it was too focused on making sure Will kept breathing.

When he finally reached the counter, Will naturally looked up and smiled at the barista as he reached for his drinks. The guy seemed to be around his age, so there was a good chance he was a student at Will's college.

"Thanks," Will said, or tried to say. It came out as a whisper, like he suddenly lost his voice. Will cleared his throat and tried again, "Thanks!"

The barista gave a small smile back. Will reached out for the drinks at the same time the barista held out the drinks to him, causing Will's hands and the drinks to collide sooner than Will had expected. They almost dropped the drinks, but the barista got a grip on them at the last second.

"Sorry!" they both squeaked at the same time. They locked eyes with each other once again, this time a noticeable red tinge on both boys' cheeks.

The barista quickly looked away and thrust the cups into Will's hands. "Sorry about that," he said quietly.

Will blinked, slightly stunned by the boy's dark brown eyes, and gathered his thoughts together. "Um, no problem. I mean, it's fine, it was my fault. Not that anything spilled or anything. Uhh, yeah, um, thanks." Will cleared his throat again, highly self-conscious about his social skills at the moment. He immediately spun around and headed straight back to his table, feeling the blood rush to his face.

Once seated, he breathed out as if he had been holding his breath the whole time. He resisted the urge to look back at the counter, worried that he'd make eye contact again, cause that poor boy to be more uncomfortable, and, if Will was being honest, hurt his chances of at least finding out his name.

Cecil suddenly appeared in front of him. "Will?" He waved his hand in front of Will's face. "Did the latte taste that bad? Or did you melt your brain with all your medicalness?" He raised an eyebrow as he sat down and grabbed his drink from in front of Will.

Will belatedly noticed that his heart was beating too fast. Maybe he wasn't breathing again. He physically shook his head as if to jumble his thoughts with the hope that they would fall back into place. "I, uh, I didn't try the drink yet. I just got them." Now he glanced over to the front counter. He couldn't see Cute Barista Boy. He probably scared him to the back room. Or out of the coffee shop entirely.

"Oh, good. I want to see your reaction. Not that you haven't had this order before, but I just want to have the validation of being your personal drink advisor."

Cecil's smug look brought Will back to reality. He rolled his eyes out of habit, replying, "Whatever makes you happy." Will took a tentative sip, didn't hate it, took another sip, then set his drink down and got back to work. "It's good," he muttered, knowing that Cecil wanted a response while also knowing that that statement would annoy him like crazy.

Will didn't see it, but he could feel Cecil narrow his eyes in irritation at Will. "So unrefined. You're lucky you have work to do and I respect you." He leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone.

Will didn't respond. He was trying to focus on his studies while simultaneously regret everything he did in his one interaction with Cute Barista Boy. He was an incredible multitasker.

—

Cecil didn't pester Will to go back to that coffee shop in the following days. Will almost wished that he would, but his pride would never let him admit that. It's not like he wanted to go back because his drink tasted good anyway – he knew exactly why that place appealed to him.

Thus, the next Thursday at around 7 PM, Will suggested they go to Descendants' Café.

"You what?" Cecil's expression made it seem like Will had just suggested they quit school and join the circus.

"I said, I liked studying there and want to go back." Will tried to say it as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Cecil would just jump for joy and head out the door.

Instead, Cecil narrowed his eyes suspiciously, presumably trying to figure out if his roommate had suddenly been replaced by an alien. "Solace, I have known you since forever, and not once have you ever, EVER, said that to me. EVER. Like, never ever."

"Yeah well—"

"EVER."

Will waited a beat, meeting Cecil's stare with his own. "Are you done?"

He took Cecil's silence as an answer. "Hey, it was just a suggestion. We don't have to go, I have no need for coffee or tiny succulents. The apartment has more than enough space—"

"No no no no no," Cecil wagged his finger in Will's face, effectively stopping him. "You don't get to bait me. Ya hear? We're going to that café. I'm choosing a new drink for you and you can't complain because this is your choice." Cecil went back into suspicious mode. "But I'm watching you, Solace. Aaaaalways watching…" He slowly backed away into their room and shut their door.

Will let out a huff of air. He didn't know if going back – on the same day and time – was a mistake or not. But he couldn't get Cute Barista Boy out of his head, so the only logical thing to do was see him again, and maybe even talk to him so he didn't think Will was just an awkward klutz. Yup, Will nodded to himself, this is indeed the only option.

—

Entering Descendants' Café for his second time, Will didn't really pay attention to all the art and architecture, though he pretended to. This time, Will glanced behind the counter to make sure a certain someone was there. This time, Will stayed in line with Cecil so he could 'get to know some stuff on the menu so he wasn't so incompetent.'

This time, he would find out Cute Barista Boy's name.

When they reached the register, Lou Ellen was once again working it. "Hey, Cecil! Hey, Will!" she greeted with a bright smile.

"'Sup, LouE," Cecil grinned as Lou Ellen reached over and whacked his arm. She hates being called Louie, but Cecil insists spelling it like LouE makes it a legitimate nickname.

Will laughed, "Hi, Lou Ellen. How's your day been?"

"Pretty average," she shrugged. "School sucks as usual. And since this place is a bit too new still, we don't really have a huge crowd. Nice place though, right?"

"Yeah, I like it a lot. Perfect for a coffee shop near a university." This was easy conversation for Will. Casual, not stressful. He was feeling pretty good.

"Will's the one who wanted to come back. Can you believe it?" Cecil said incredulously, jabbing his thumb towards Will. "Anyways, I'm taking this opportunity to get him something really good. Maybe this is his first step towards enlightenment." Cecil tapped his chin as if in deep thought. Will only rolled his eyes.

Will currently didn't see Cute Barista Boy. He was really hoping that he worked today, otherwise he'd be putting up with Cecil's coffee craziness for nothing.

Cecil suddenly snapped his fingers. "I got it! How about a caramel macchiato? That's really sweet, pretty much masks the bitterness of the coffee." He gave Will a side glance. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"Okay, whatever." Will said a bit distractedly.

"You see this? This is the thanks I get." Cecil and Lou Ellen's words faded into the background. Cute Barista Boy came out from the back and Will couldn't really bring himself to look away. He wanted to get comfortable with looking at him so that he could actually talk to him later. That was the plan, at least. Then Will realized that the boy was way too cute for Will to ever get used to him.

Cute Barista Boy was all dark compared to Will's light, but in a way that intrigued Will to no end. He had dark hair to go with his deep, brown eyes. He had a black T-shirt and black skinny jeans on under his apron, which unfairly didn't take away from his look. His skin was a bit pale, but had a light olive tone to it. His fingers were long and deft as he fiddled with the espresso machine. Will was probably about five inches taller than him, but his presence seemed stronger. Or maybe that was just in Will's eyes.

"Hey, LEB, what's the drink order? I can start it while you hold up the line." Will was taken aback by the boy's voice. It was firmer than he had imagined, though the only time he had actually heard it was in an awkward situation.

Lou Ellen groaned and spun around. "Don't be dramatic, di Angelo. There's no one else here, you're just impatient. And don't call me LEB!"

"Or maybe I just enjoy my job that much, LEB" The dark boy smirked as he walked over to get the order. He didn't look up at either Will or Cecil.

"You're so annoying."

"You could always quit."

When Lou Ellen turned back around, she glared at Cecil, who was barely containing his laughter. "LEB! Hahaha… Because… Your last name…" He couldn't even get a full sentence out, he was laughing so much.

"This is what you do to me, Nico," she called over her shoulder.

"You're welcome," Nico replied.

"THANK YOU!" Cecil shouted.

Will finished paying and ushered Cecil to the same table they were at last week. Nico di Angelo. Will rolled that name around in his head, trying not to be immediately enthralled with how beautiful it sounded. He shook his head and decided to distract himself with homework. As he pulled out a few textbooks, his name was called.

Will took a deep breath and got up to get their drinks. This is what he'd been waiting for, he could do this. Just have a normal conversation with the guy. Be your normal, friendly self. Who knows, maybe he's actually a jerk, Will thought to himself, though he didn't think that would be the case. His friendly banter with Lou Ellen already made him like the boy. If Nico could befriend someone as headstrong and tough as Lou Ellen in the short amount of time they'd been working together, then he had to be something special.

Before he knew it, Will was at the counter. He put on a smile and pretended that he didn't rehearse this conversation several times over the past week.

"Hi," Will cleared his throat. "Um, thanks for the drinks."

Nico nodded, "No prob. Kinda my job, so…"

Will gave a short laugh and continued. "Right. So, you're friends with Lou Ellen?"

Nico smirked, "Yeah, LEB and I met working here, but I see her around on campus nowadays. You know her?"

"Yeah," Will affirmed. "I met her through Cecil, the guy over there. Them two together are quite the pair."

"Ha, I could see a bit of that from just earlier." The conversation seemed like it was going to end, so Will quickly kept it up.

"So, you go to Olympus University?" Will tried not to sound too hopeful.

"Yeah, second year, but I just transferred in."

"Cool! I'm also a second year! I'm guessing your major isn't coffee-ology?" What are you even saying, William, he thought to himself.

Nico chuckled at the horrible joke. "Nah, wasn't for me. I'm an art student. What about you?"

"I'm a med student. I want to be a doctor someday."

Nico whistled low. "Medical. That's hard. Surprised you have time to come here." He glanced around the place. "Not that it's too busy. I'm sure that'll change though. I've known the owners for a long time, they're not quite the type to give up."

Will smiled at Nico's faith in them. They must've been good friends. "I'm Will, by the way. Will Solace."

"Nico di Angelo."

"I know," Will said. "I mean, um, sorry. About last week. If you remember, of course, you probably don't because it was, like, a whole week ago. I just, um," Will was internally cringing at every word coming out of his mouth. "I almost knocked over the drinks. Last week. So, yeah, sorry." Will was sure his face was completely red by now. He had been doing so well to.

Will turned around to walk shamefully back to his seat when Nico's voice stopped him. "Oh, I remember."

Will looked back, "You do?"

"Of course," Nico grinned. "How could I forget the cute blonde who almost made me drop his drinks?" With that, Nico left the counter and went back to making drinks.

Will stood there for probably a bit too long, stunned and speechless. He forced himself to move and robotically sat back in his seat.

"AHEM," Cecil cleared his voice loudly, causing Will's head to snap in his direction. He had a grade A smirk on his face with his eyebrows raised. "So, I now know why you wanted to come back. If your red face and dopey smile is anything to go by."

Will hadn't even realized he was smiling, but he didn't really care all that much. He glanced over to the counter and found brown eyes already looking back at him.

He didn't know what to make of all this. It had never happened to him before. But Will knew one thing. Coffee was definitely starting to grow on him.