It's officially December, and as a rule I don't say it's the Christmas season until December, despite having watched Elf already and watching my little brothers while my parents put up the Christmas tree and various other decorations.
I have a multi-chapter Solangelo fic up. It's called "How Not to Get Your OTP Together." If you read it already, hello and welcome to...whatever this story is.
This one-shot is SEPARATE from "How Not to Get Your OTP Together." In no way do the events of that story influence this one, and vice versa.
Oh yes my Tumblr is gamzee-makaraoni if any of you are interested. I am multi-fandom trash though so been warned.
Also, Alex is non-binary and uses the pronouns zhe/zher. Just giving you a heads up.
Disclaimer: I don't think Rick Riordan is multi-fandom trash.
Will Solace was going to murder an entire cabin. The Aphrodite cabin, to be precise.
To be honest, he should've seen this coming. The sly looks from the other campers, the whispers whenever they stood together, the waggling of eyebrows after ever sentence. But Will had chosen to ignore them. It had been going on ever since Nico's three days in the infirmary, where Kayla had jokingly said that Will saw to Nico so often it was like Will was married to him. Of course, she had been joking, but the idea had spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone had been dropping some not-so-subtle signs of shipping Will and Nico.
It wasn't that Will didn't like Nico in that way, of course. To tell the truth, he harbored more than a small infatuation with the son of Hades. He didn't even know where it came from. He had just woken up one day and thought, "Whoa. Nico is actually kinda hot."
Nor was the problem being that Will wasn't used to liking guys. He was. He had his entire life. Sure, he had tried to date Atsuko Honda from the Demeter cabin around sixth grade, but both had quickly learned that the opposite sex was not their type when it came to romance. Will had had a few more flings since then. He had even gone out with Jake Mason from Hephaestus the year before for a few months, but both had broken it off and decided to stay friends. Jake was happy with Mitchell now, and Will was happy for his friend.
No, the problem was that Will thought Nico was not into him. At least, not in a more-than-friendly-way.
Will knew Nico was as straight as he was, which was very far from straight. Will had heard the gossip from the cabins about Nico having had a crush on Percy, and thought he should let him know so he could set things right himself. He had expected Nico to say it wasn't true and tell those gossipers so, but he had not been expecting Nico to shuffle his feet and stare at the ground, mumbling that it was true, that he did have a crush on the son of Poseidon. Although he didn't anymore, Nico was still reluctant to confront his sexuality. Will had comforted the smaller boy and told him that he wasn't the straightest of lines when it came to the equations of sexuality either. The look in Nico's eyes at the news, the hopeful look of someone being able to relate to him, made Will's heart flutter. That might have been what led to his decision a few days later that Nico was a fine piece of ass.
And after all, Nico's jeans were a bit skinnier than what straight boys liked to wear. Not that Will knew that because he stared at Nico. Nope, he did not stare at Nico at all, no way.
...Maybe a little.
But Will was positive Nico did not feel the same way. After the dramatic confession, he had stayed the same as always, sarcastic and teasing. Although he had a little more material to tease Will with now (re: The time Will tripped and he and Jake fell into the lake fully clothed on their third date). But no other change whatsoever.
Will accepted this, albeit grudgingly. His heart told him to keep on hoping, that eventually the son of Hades would tell Will how he truly felt about him. But his mind gave him the rational answer: No way in hell did Nico like Will.
So Will didn't do anything. He just ignored the snickers of the other campers and went about his business. Honestly, he was flattered that the entire camp thought he and Nico were a great match, but he didn't like how dirty they could get, especially the Stolls. Will kept on going to the infirmary for his daily shifts and tried to improve his archery skills. He sang horribly at campfire and hung out with his friends. He even got to stare at Nico a little, which was always a bonus.
But now, Will was convinced the camp was out of hand.
The day had started like any other. Will and the rest of his cabin woke up first, and all got busy for the new day. The late-night shift people came in and passed out on their respective bunks, while the early-shifts got ready to leave, knowing they'd find breakfast in the staff kitchen of the infirmary. Instructors polished bows, musical instruments, or even poetry books. Infirmary workers with later shifts in the day got their supplies ready as well. It helped to wake with the rising sun every day.
Will did all this and endured constant teasing from Kayla, Austin, Alex, Samuel, and Meredith about Nico. Even Alice threw in a few jibs, which was rather surprising. The Polynesian girl was rather moody for a child of Apollo, grumpy and scowling. But even she smirked at Will.
Will should've known something was up, even when the entire cabin had told him to "Have a VERY nice day!" and Alex nudged him with zher elbow and winked when Will broke off from them to go to the Hades cabin as he did some mornings. Will shoved zher off and frowned, while Alex laughed. He just assumed it was his cabin being their usual crazy selves.
Will walked up to the door of the Hades cabin, ignoring the sly grins that other campers milling about gave him. Will usually picked Nico up from his cabin for breakfast, and it was a routine that both boys had fallen into.
The blonde boy rapped on the door. Knock knock knock-knock knock knock.
There was a shuffling sound from inside. "Password," a slightly ticked-off voice called out.
Will rolled his eyes. Who else pestered Nico right before breakfast? But he still relented. "Do you wanna summon Hades?" he sang out, off-key.
"That's not all of it and you know it."
Will pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Gods, he hated singing. "It doesn't have to be just Hades..." He added.
"Good." The door opened and Will found himself staring down at Nico di Angelo.
The three days in the infirmary, along with Will's constant pestering afterwards, had done Nico wonders. His skin was lightly tanned and even had a few freckles here and there, and he wasn't so skinny it was like you were hugging a skeleton when you hugged him. He had also shot up in height, now standing comfortably at five foot six. Good thing too, Will was tired of having to crane his neck down to see him.
Nico brightened at the sight of Will, and even gave him a small smile that made the son of Apollo weak at the knees. "Hey, Solace."
"Death Head, I swear you made that password just to mess with me."
Nico raised an eyebrow. "You're not as bad as you think you are. That whistle of yours is a lot worse."
"Oh, wow, that's why nobody wants me to lead the campfire songs! It's because of my whistle that saved both camps, and not my horrible singing! Thank you, Nico, you have lifted a terrible weight from off my chest! I must share this news with the world!"
Nico snorted and rolled his eyes, leaning against the door frame. He was wrapped warmly in a dark gray jacket, halfway unzipped, with a black shirt underneath. He wore his usual attire of black skinny jeans and boots, and Will found himself trying not to look at those jeans. "I'm glad to help. Go on, don't you have news to share with the world."
Will laughed, and for a split second he could've sworn Nico's cheeks turned red. But the blush disappeared, and Nico stayed Nico. "Nah, man, just came to get you for breakfast." Someone snickered from Will's left, off the porch, and he turned to shoot Chris Rodriguez from Hermes a glare. The boy just waved at Will and grinned cheekily. His girlfriend Clarisse stood beside him, and she punched Chris in the shoulder. Will rolled his eyes.
But something was a little off again. More campers than usual were lingering about, and most of them seem to have their attention focused on the Hades cabin. When they noticed Will glaring at them, they all looked away and feigned interest in the sky, the ground, or a conversation with a friend. Many of them he recognized as Aphrodite campers. Will had no idea why, but he decided it didn't really matter.
He turned back to Nico and jerked his head in Chris's direction. "What an idiot."
"Yeah."
"Well, most Hermes kids are, save for a few. Even though Cecil can be pretty stupid at times. You remember what he did with the turkey at Thanksgiving..."
Something colorful caught Will's eye, which was very surprising. Color? In the Hades cabin? He hadn't even noticed the color before walking up the steps. Typically, any color was him.
But, no, this was a different color. A mix of green, white, and red...
Will's gaze flickered up to the top of Nico's doorframe, and his heart suddenly felt like it was doing fifty jumping jacks per second.
An all-too-familiar plant was tacked to Nico's doorframe. Its green stems were tied neatly together with a bright red ribbon, and its white berries glistened in the morning light. At first it didn't register in Will's brain what it was, and then suddenly he placed it.
Mistletoe.
Will's brain started going wild, different sections of it thinking different things.
Seriously? Mistletoe, of all things? How more cliché could it get?
I am standing under mistletoe with my crush Nico di Angelo ohmygodsssss
I am going to kill every child of Aphrodite I see.
Oh my gods I have to kiss Nico I have to kiss Nico ohgodsyesyesyesyesssss
Is this why everyone is staring at us and laughing today? Screw just killing the Aphrodite cabin. I will personally inject every camper here with Greek Fire.
OH MY GODS I AM GOING TO KISS MY CRUSH
The entire world will feel my fury.
OHMYGODS OHMYGODS XHXLGXGLXYLSLYDLYXYLXLYSLYYAKYUDKTSLYCTKX
Suddenly, Will felt a tugging at his arm.
"Will? Hey! Will! Everything alright?"
Nico was violently shaking Will, and Will was extremely close to falling over. But he managed to keep his balance.
"Um, Nico, there may be a slight problem with your doorframe." Will pointed up at the plant.
Nico looked up, and once he realized what it was, unleashed a violent string of Italian curses that made Will glad he couldn't speak Italian. Nico turned bright red as well, and Will thought about how cute Nico was when he blushed. He mentally slapped himself, although he did blush as well.
The other campers in the area started giggling and pointing at them, whispering to their friends. Will knew that they were the cause of this.
"Oh, ha, ha. You guys think you are sooooooo funny!" Will yelled, turning around to face them. He tried to fight down the violent blush creeping up his neck.
"Yes, yes we do," Paul from Aphrodite replied, shooting Will a thumbs up. Next to him, his sister Lexi scoffed.
"Things like things make me glad I am not interested in romance of any kind," she said. Paul glowered at her.
"Seriously, though. Mistletoe? How long did it take you to come up with this?" Nico yelled out. His voice seemed to be higher than normal, Will thought, perhaps because he was embarrassed.
"Long enough! Say, Nico, you look a bit frustrated. Perhaps you need to kiss to loosen up a little!" Chris shouted back.
Nico made a strangled sound and turned so bright red that Will was afraid he was going to burst a blood vessel. He was tempted to drag him down to the infirmary right there and then. "Are you insane?!" the son of Hades squawked.
"Maybe. But, c'mon, give it a shot! We'll stop bothering you after this."
Will opened his mouth to respond. But "If Nico doesn't want to kiss me, he doesn't have-" was all he got out before a voice interrupted him.
"You know what? Fine. Get down here Solace."
Suddenly Will was being yanked down by the collar of his sweater. He had no idea what was going on until a pair of cool hands cupped his face and lips the same temperature as his hands crashed into his own.
The kiss wasn't very long, only a second or two. A moment later the cool lips slipped off of Will's lips and Will found himself staring at a very flustered son of Hades.
The entire camp was silent, until Will broke it by asking, "N-Nico?"
"...I'm going back into my cabin." Nico fumbled with the knob of his door, trying to open it.
Will shook his head, trying to clear his head of the excited screaming that Nico di Angelo had just kissed him. "Wait, what?"
Nico stopped, and looked up at Will. "What do you mean?"
Will swallowed. He was probably about to fuck things up royally, but he didn't really care. "You just kissed me."
Nico glared at the porch's wooden floor, like he wanted to summon the dead through it. "Yeah. Isn't that obvious?"
"Willingly. You kissed me willingly. Now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but does that mean you like me?"
Another heavy pause, then a mumble and the Hades door swinging open.
Will growled. "Death Head, you are NOT walking through that door."
"Why not?"
Will crossed his arms and glared at him. "I didn't hear your answer."
Nico ran a hand through his messy hair, the other still wrapped around the doorknob, and took a shaky breath. "Yes," he said quietly.
Will couldn't believe his ears. The air left his lungs, and all of his internal organs stopped functioning properly. "What?" was his shocked answer.
Nico glared up at him. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "Want me to tell the whole camp?!"
Will shook his head slowly, before breaking out into a wide smile. "Only if you want to."
Nico frowned up at him. "Why are you smiling?"
"You said you liked me." Then it really hit Will. "Oh my gods. Oh my fucking gods. You just...You like me!" He was on the verge of pulling an impromptu flashmob right then and there.
Nico frowned. "Your point being...?"
"You like me. You like me. Oh my gods, you actually like me." Will paced around on the porch, hands running through his hair. He had forgotten entirely about the small crowd gathering outside the Hades cabin. "I was not expecting this at all holy shit."
"Are you okay?"
"No, actually. I think...I think I'm feeling great! Like, fantastic, stupendous, marvelous, et cetra..." Will stopped in front of Nico and turned to look at him. "We kissed."
Nico glared at him. "Yeah, we did," he snapped. "Can you get hung up over this somewhere else, please? I...want to be alone for a bit."
"Nope."
"Will-"
"You get alone time after I get a redo."
Nico stared up at him, and Will could've sworn he heard a large group of people behind him gasp. "What?" Nico asked in disbelief.
"You heard me! What kind of first kiss was that, anyways? C'mon, you can do better than that."
Nico still stared up at him. "I'm not following," he said.
Will groaned. "You kissed me. It was not a good first kiss. I say we need a redo. Understand?"
"I get that, but...first?"
"Yes, first."
"First?"
"Obviously."
"Does that mean..."
"Death Head, I basically just said I want to kiss you. What else could that mean?"
"You...like me too?"
"Okay, I'm hungry, and this is taking much too long," Will grumbled.
"But..." Nico trailed off, cheeks still bright red.
"Yes, di Angelo! I like you too! So let's just kiss again, because that first one was sort of shitty!" And with that, Will leaned down and kissed Nico.
At first, the other boy didn't react, and Will thought that maybe he was being too forceful. Then he relaxed and leaned into the kiss, even standing on his tiptoes so Will wouldn't have to bend over so far. Nico's arms reached up and wrapped themselves around Will's neck, and Will did the same with his, only around Nico's neck.
A loud whooping interrupted them, and they turned to see nearly the entire camp burst into applause. The Apollo cabin whooped the loudest, yelling, "WHO GOT A BOYFRIEND, A BOYFRIEND, A BOYFRIEND? WILL SOLACE, THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH! WILL SOLACE, THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH!" The Aphrodite cabin was jumping around and squealing. The Stolls tossed confetti into the air, causing many of the younger campers to jump up and grab for it.
Some Demeter kids were so excited mistletoe began to sprout everywhere. Will was certain he even saw some money being passed around.
Jason Grace stood a few yards away from the large crowd of celebrating demigods, talking eagerly into a phone. "Yeah-Hi!-Listen, I know I shouldn't be calling right now-Yes, I know you're in school-NO NO NO WAIT DON'T HANG UP ON ME PERCY YOU SHIT-Okay, okay-Annabeth there? Good, she'll want to hear this, so put it on speaker-Oh, it is already? Good!-Hi, Annabeth!-Yeah, things are good-Listen, listen, okay-Some Demeter kid put mistletoe on Nico's door-And Will didn't notice until he walked up to his door-So Will and Nico noticed they were under mistletoe, right?-Yeah, yeah-Hang on, this is the good part-Nico kissed Will and said that he liked him and was about to go back in his cabin-NO IT GETS BETTER I SWEAR-And Will is all 'oh hell naw that kiss sucked I deserve a better one'-And Nico was like 'what'-So Will leans down and he kisses Nico this time-AND THEN NICO STARTS KISSING BACK-OW OW OW DON'T YELL INTO MY EAR-Yes I am certain that they are a thing now-OW WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY ABOUT YELLING IN MY EAR-Okay okay I will ask-Dude of course I'm gonna tell Hazel and Frank and Reyna-There's a time difference I can't right now-Listen I gtg Thalia really needs to hear this-LIKE NOW-Okay, bye Percy! Bye Annabeth!"
Will rolled his eyes again. "Amazing," he muttered. Nico unwrapped his arms from around his neck. "You guys are too much!" he yelled to the camp.
"We can't help it!" Lou Ellen yelled back. She and Cecil were doing the Macarena for some reason. Her girlfriend, Miranda Gardner from Demeter, did it with them.
"Heroes! What is going on here?"
The festivities stopped as Chiron clip-clopped up to the demigods. People stuck noisemakers in their pockets and tried not to look guilty.
"Um, nothing?" Katie from Demeter lied, trying to look as innocent as possible.
Chiron raised an eyebrow and looked at Will and Nico. Will gulped as Chiron seemed to scan him with his brown-eyed gaze. He suspected that the centaur knew exactly what was going on.
"At any rate," he continued, "there are empty tables in the pavilion, and our camp director is interested as to why. May all of you continue your little...party there?"
"Whoops," one of the Stolls muttered, and the demigods started walking down to the dining pavilion.
Will and Nico stared after them. "Now what?" Nico asked.
"Well, I suppose we go with them," Will said. "Unless, of course," he added, turning to face the son of Hades, "you still want that alone time."
Nico thought for a moment, and then looked up at Will, smiling so deviously the son of Hades couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into. "Only if it's with you."
Despite his fear, Will smiled brightly. He felt like he was floating, somehow. His feelings were reciprocated, and he hadn't lost a friend, like he had feared he would've. "Thought you would've said that," he chuckled, holding out his hand for his new boyfriend-wow, Will would have to get used to that-to take.
Nico grabbed it without a second thought, and his grin lessened to a more bashful one. Will smiled back, and together the two walked to the dining pavilion where the camp was gathered, hand in hand.
IT WAS 2 AM WHEN I FINISHED THIS YOU SHITS YOU BETTER LIKE THIS
I'll probably go through it and fix it later but I want this shit up and out of the way first
Anyways check out my tumblr and other story and stuff
But please if the publication date of any story that I have written is not 2014 but either 2013 or 2012 DO NOT READ THOSE THEY ARE TERRIBLE I THOUGHT NICO WAS STRAIGHT WHEN I WROTE THEM
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this! Bye!
Deranged Shadow Fangirl