A/N: Like promised, here I am with Will's POV of my soccer mom au. And I managed to keep my deadline! Anyway, I'm going to leave the long notes about this story to the end, because I know you want to get inside Will's head already, but I do have one warning.

As you might have noticed in And I can't stop, Will is a silly romantic. And that was just what he lets out; now we get to see his thoughts, too. So I'm warning you, this will probably be the most sugary sweet story I have ever written.

HOX! Before going any further, I would like to recommend you read the aforementioned story first, if you haven't already. This is just one side of the story, and I'm afraid it won't make much sense without knowing what happened in Nico's POV.

Will can't quite recall the exact moment when he became friends with Cecil.

They were room mates first, back in college. He does remember the move in day, the excitement buzzing everywhere in the dorm building and the short guy that waved at his dorm room door with a grin that made him a little uneasy. Will remembers getting acquainted and setting rules and falling into routines, but when he tries to understand when room mates turned out to be friends and eventually best friends, he's at a loss.

He does, however, remember a night at the end of the first semester, right before Christmas break. He keeps telling Cecil he doesn't (because Cecil keeps saying it's so fucking embarrassing), but he does.

Cecil had met a girl that day. A girl he had quickly claimed to be the love of his life and who in time turned out to be just one of those stories you tell your embarrassed grandchildren about. Cecil had acted on impulse and asked the girl out, right there in the busy hallway in front of everyone, and she had turned him down in the most humiliating way possible. She had laughed.

Cecil, of course, had been miserable, understandably so. Will, being the good room mate and always eager to make people happy and comfortable and ease their pain in any way he could, had offered to cheer him up. It had turned out that Cecil's idea of cheering up included a lot of cheap alcohol and sappy 80's classics. Will doesn't remember minding that much, lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling fan that had long since stopped working and was now just collecting dust.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Now, years later, Will can't remember what his answer had been. Had he believed, back when he was twenty and finally done with his first semester in med school, letting out the stress of that morning's chemistry test, listening to Cutting Crew and Alphaville from broken speakers and thinking that maybe this kid Cecil wasn't so bad after all? Had he believed then that you could fall in love with someone simply by looking at them? Will really doesn't know.

But if Cecil was to ask that question now, when Will is standing by the bleachers of a soccer field, surrounded by twenty three seven-year-old girls, twenty two suburb moms in jeans and button ups and an exotic looking guy with deep brown eyes and gorgeous bone structure and lean frame all covered in black clothes…

Now, Will is pretty sure what his answer would be.

It doesn't take Will longer than twenty minutes to learn that the guy's name is Nico di Angelo. It takes even less to see that there's no wedding band on his finger, and Will scolds himself for being so stupidly happy about that.

Nico di Angelo looks too young to be Ciara's father, but the girl looks so much like him that there's no question about it in Will's mind. When the soccer practice starts properly and the moms climb the bleachers, Will notices that Nico di Angelo keeps his distance and sits alone in the back. When the practice ends and Ciara runs off, Nico di Angelo nods to Will and blushes slightly before turning away to attend to his daughter.

To Will, Nico di Angelo is the most beautiful name in the world.

To: cecil: [17:01] do you believe in love at first sight?
From: cecil: [17:03] i'll be there in 5
From: cecil: [17:03] this ought to be good

Will regrets the text as soon as he sees Cecil's reply, but then again, he does want to talk about it, right? He's never been good at keeping things to himself. Here's how it usually goes: if he's sad or miserable or frustrated, he cries. If he's happy or in love or even just really really glad, he most likely cries. If he's hungry or miserable or in love, he calls Cecil – and probably ends up crying, most of the time.

So yeah, Will cries a lot. That's not necessarily a bad thing. He also talks about things more than Cecil probably wants to listen.

Cecil helps himself in with the spare key and drops on the couch next to Will without a greeting.

"So", Cecil starts, and Will can already tell his friend is way too excited about this. "Who is it? Is it someone I know? Wait, probably not, you did say first sight."

Will sighs (not paying any attention to Cecil's teasing tone, thank you very much) and hopes he doesn't sound as dreamy to Cecil as he does to his own ears. "His name is Nico di Angelo." It's the first time he's said the name out loud, and it tastes like sunlight and warm days of spring. "I met him today at the season's first soccer practice."

Cecil tilts his head to the side like a confused dog. "A guy at the little league soccer practice? I thought it was usually mostly moms that go to – wait a minute." He turns so that he's fully facing Will now, one leg folded under him and left arm thrown over the back of the couch. His face looks funny, almost like he wants to yell at Will for doing something he shouldn't have. "You fell for a dad? Will, I thought I taught you better than this!"

Will ignores the fact that Cecil actually thinks he could ever have taught him anything. "It's not like that. I mean, he doesn't have a ring, and he's the only one listed as his daughter's contacts. He could be single."

"But he's a dad! Will Solace, you are twenty eight years old. I refuse to believe you have fallen for some boring dad guy with a mortgage and a mid life crisis and a bitch for an ex wife."

"Why do you say mortgage like it's some kind of a disease?" Will asks before shaking his head. "No, actually never mind. Cecil, he's not middle aged. I think he's actually younger than me. And – okay, I have to admit that the idea of an ex wife is kind of unnerving, now that you mention it, but it's not like anything's happening yet. I met the guy today, for god's sake. I didn't even really talk to him!"

"Yet you talk about love at first sight."

Will stops for a second. "Okay, you got me there." He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees and hides his face to his hands before letting out a long, frustrated sigh. "I don't know. I just – I don't think I've ever seen anyone so beautiful before in my entire life. He has these eyes that are just crazy brown, and unbelievably thick lashes, and his jawline is just heavenly. It's been two hours now, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about him for more than thirty seconds."

Cecil laughs, and without looking Will knows that he's rolling his eyes. "Okay, so you met a hot guy you want to bang. Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but I don't think that exactly qualifies as love at first sight."

"No! It's not – " But who is he kidding. Nico di Angelo is gorgeous, and yes, it had been a soccer practice, but that doesn't mean Will hadn't noticed how fit Nico is. Not just anyone could rock skinny jeans like that. (Will had most definitely not stared when Nico had walked away with Ciara.) "Yeah, so okay. But that's not all. Okay? Banging him wasn't my first thought about him." It had been the third or fourth, but Cecil doesn't have to know that. "I saw him, and I kind of thought, wow, this guy is going to change my life and everything I thought I knew about love."

"Yeah, okay, Nicholas Sparks", Cecil says as he gets up from the couch and heads to the kitchen. "Do you have any beer? Because I need, like, six if you're going to keep this up."

"You tell me, you're the one who fills my fridge with drinks anyway."

Will feels a little stupid. He knows Cecil is probably right, and the whole thing is probably just sexual attraction, nothing to do with love. After all, isn't it said in every book and movie he's ever read and seen that you need to know someone in order to love them? Will saw this man today, exchanged maybe six words in total (eight, not that Will is counting), and watched him walk away. Now he's suddenly convinced that Nico di Angelo is the love of his life?

For the second time that day, Will remembers the drunken night in college. Except this time he realizes he's Cecil. And that's never a good sign.

Still, he can't shake the feeling that maybe this is it. Someone (Will can't remember who; could have been Lou Ellen, or maybe his mother) once told him that he could walk past the love of his life in an escalator and never know. Will remembers thinking that no, I would know; I have to know, right? because the thought of seeing the love of his life has always been a big deal for Will. He doesn't believe in soulmates, not exactly, but he does believe that there is one person out there that you will love most of all, no matter how many times you fall in love during your time on this earth.

Well, Will thinks he's been in love once in his life. And seeing Nico di Angelo had felt a lot like that. Only a little better.

"Hey, Cecil", he mutters a few hours later, blindly staring at the cop show on TV without understanding what he's looking at. It's probably a re-run anyway. He's only a little drunk (Will didn't have any beer, so they had to make do with the wine Will had stashed away for a rainy day), but he's warm and fuzzy and his head feels light when he thinks about Nico di Angelo's polite smile and that jawline and those incredibly brown eyes. "Cecil, have you ever seen a man so beautiful you wanted to cry?"

Cecil sighs heavily, turns off the TV and puts his glass on the table next to Will's feet. "That's it. I'm done. You, sir, are drunk and in over your head, and you need to go to sleep it off. Come on, up with you now", he grunts as he coaxes Will to his feet. "Jesus Christ, you're heavy."

Will falls to his bed and slowly registers that Cecil lies down with him. He thinks it's kind of nice, having another person there with him. Just before he passes out, he tries to imagine Nico di Angelo there instead of Cecil.

Lou Ellen isn't much better than Cecil when it comes to understanding Will's feelings, but at least she doesn't crush his dreams right away.

"I don't know, Will", she says and taps away on the computer. Will tries to ignore the fact that he's disturbing Lou on her shift, that other nurses are already giving her dirty looks and that unlike him, Lou doesn't have a break for at least twenty more minutes. "I mean, you said it yourself: you only just met the guy. There's not much there yet."

"I know", Will sighs and leans his head on the counter. His new scrubs itch in weird places and the coffee he bought only ten minutes ago is still burning his throat. He kind of wants to hit his head hard and end up in a coma for a few years. The beds in the long-term ward are the comfiest in the entire hospital – he has tested. "I just can't stop thinking about him!"

"Have you tried?"

Will turns his head just enough to give her a dirty look. "Of course I've tried." Maybe not hard enough, but he has tried. "But I bet that if you saw him you'd agree with me. That man is a freaking piece of art, let me tell you."

Lou Ellen smirks in a way that makes her teeth catch light and hurt Will's eyes. "Oh yeah, Cecil told me about that. Oh Cecil, have you ever seen a man so beautiful you started crying? Nico, oh Nico Nico Nico – "

"Shut up, Lou!" Will feels himself blush like never before and hides his face again. What has he done to deserve such horrible friends? "I'm never going to tell you two anything ever again, and that's a fact!"

"You know you love us, honey." Will can't deny it, but he sure as hell is going to make them suffer a little. Maybe he'll hide his wine the next time they come over for a movie night. "But hey, you have practice again tomorrow, right? Maybe seeing him again will clear your mind."

Will can only hope so.

To: lou ellen: [16:42] i'm in love what do i do
From: lou ellen: [16:42] oh for fuck's sake will
From: cecil: [16:57] lou told me you're in love. just letting you know that i don't want to hear a word about nico di angelo until you've grown a pair and fucked him

The day that Nico di Angelo comes to his daughter's soccer practice in a baggy black hoodie and extremely stylish sunglasses, hair one big mess like he just woke up and a large take away coffee in his pale hands, sitting in the back row of the bleachers, leaning back like he doesn't give a fuck about the other parents… Yeah, that is the day that Will officially dies.

After a short moment of observation (not staring, just observing, thank you very much) Will can tell that Nico is hungover; it's pretty evident in the way his face is paler than normal and his hands shake as they try to hold the coffee to his chapped lips. If the man was to take off his sunglasses Will is sure he would see massive bags under his eyes. Will has seen hangover thousands of times, but never on Nico, and while he feels a little bad he's also fascinated. How can someone so hungover look so damn hot?

Will most definitely doesn't stare. Nope. Not at all. He's observing all the parents equally. (Truthfully Will doesn't even remember most of the parents' names. Still he could probably tell you how many different shades of black Nico has so far worn to the practice, with a foot note on how each shade brings out Nico's eyes differently. Will is not a stalker.)

During the practice, Will tries his hardest to keep his focus on the team. That's what he's here for, the little girls in his soccer team. Not for one of the dads, definitely not for Nico di Angelo. That'd be ridiculous.

He makes a mistake when he spares a look once, just when Nico is taking a sip of the coffee. The guy's neck looks like it's made of marble, and it's arching in such a beautiful way that yes, now Will is staring. He wonders what it would feel like to run a finger right there, or maybe his tongue, past the pulse point toward the barely exposed clavicle –

Nico swallows and his Adam's apple bobs.

Shit.

Oh fucking hell.

Will's face feels hot when he quickly turns his back and focuses on the practice again. Or tries. Because his mind is suddenly filling with all sorts of images of Nico di Angelo and his exposed marble neck and maybe getting a taste, and Will's breathing is getting ragged. If he doesn't find another trail of thought he's going to be in so much trouble. He wants to blame the summer heat but can't.

Will tries. He tries so fucking hard he has no idea how he manages to keep his cool. He's maybe a little too harsh on the girls, making them run laps without a real reason and having them practice the same feint figure over and over until they're collapsing to the ground, one by one. He tries so hard to keep his mind otherwise occupied that he almost misses the way Nico suddenly disappears from the bleachers.

Not entirely, though. But all it does is it makes Will afraid Nico had seen his reaction, which makes Will's neck burn – and it has nothing to do with the unapologetic afternoon sun.

When he blows the final whistle, Will feels so relieved he wants to cry. Nico di Angelo stays in the shadows and leaves with Ciara as soon as she reaches him, but for once Will is happy about not making contact.

Will has never been this happy when a soccer practice ends.

It has been years since Will last had those kinds of dreams, so when he wakes up sweaty and panting and the sheets a total mess he doesn't really know what to think. He feels embarrassed, like he's a teenager again, and he wants to bury his face under the pillow and never leave his apartment again.

Which is silly because he lives alone, and no one knows about this. No one needs to know, and no one is going to.

Will wants to burn the sheets, but ends up just putting them to the laundry basket. Then he makes coffee and sits down on his couch to think.

It's not like he's entirely surprised to have a sexual dream about Nico di Angelo. Nico has been the center of Will's attention for two months now, it's like his whole world revolves around the black haired man. And he's been thinking of these things awake, too, so the thoughts coming to haunt his dreams too is probably only natural.

What does surprise him, however, is the intensity of the dream. It had been so real, more like a memory than a dream. Will has noticed that before; it seems to be way too easy to think of Nico's lips trailing all over his body when he's showering, or imagine the hand around his shaft isn't really his own but actually Nico's, or whisper the beautiful name to his pillow over and over and over again when he ruts against the mattress like a horny teenager and wonders what his own name would sound like from Nico's lips.

Will really doesn't have that good of an imagination, so the fact that he's able to make up these images must mean something, right? Will just hopes that it means he's destined to be with Nico or something, rather than that he's a total creep and some sort of a pervert. He decides this is yet again one of the things he's not willing to share with Cecil.

(He ends up telling Cecil anyway, a few days later. Cecil thinks he's a pervert and pats his back appreciatively with that unnerving smirk of his.)

With a sigh Will drowns the rest of his coffee (it's still too hot and burns his throat) and gets ready for work. It's become his safe haven; at work he doesn't have the temptation to take out the soccer team emergency contact sheet and use Nico di Angelo's number for something stupid; he doesn't have time to think about all the unspeakable things he wants to do to the man; he doesn't have to think about the consequences if someone found out about his thoughts.

And it works. Will loves his job, and it's a busy day, and he has barely had any time for lunch, and it works as a perfect distraction.

Until Ciara di Angelo sprains her wrist and Nico di Angelo appears in Will's working space, his safe haven. Then it doesn't work anymore. At all.

The next morning Will wakes up sweaty and gross again and wonders if it's against his work ethics to have a sexual dream about his patient's father if said patient is also in his little league soccer team. It's so complicated it makes his head hurt.

Will has always been terrible at flirting. Cecil has voiced his wonder on how Will has managed to get two girlfriends and three boyfriends in the past. Lately Will has been wondering the exact same thing, because nothing he tries doesn't seem to work on Nico di Angelo.

He has tried to be subtle. Will has been told his smile is extremely foretelling, that if he wants to get his point across all he needs to do is smile the right way and everyone in a mile's radius will get it. He's tried all his best smiles on Nico di Angelo, going from hi gorgeous to please tell me you're free tonight because hot damn real quick. But apparently Nico di Angelo isn't affected.

Will has tried to be a little less subtle. He's tried winking at Nico, but all that has done is make the younger man blush and look away. He's let his eyes linger on Nico just long enough so that the guy would notice, but that hasn't gotten any reaction whatsoever. Last week Will even made a point to laugh and gently touch his arm when Nico told him a stupid joke about aliens and cheap beer.

Nothing. It's like Nico di Angelo lives in a universe where things like Flirting and Sexual Tension have no place among men. It's safe to say Will is frustrated.

It's a hot day, and Will has made sure to put on the shirt that is maybe a little too snug, the one that clings to his skin easily and that Cecil always claims reeks of sex. It's not like Will to show off his arms and toned upper body (he knows he's somewhat good looking, there's a reason he goes to the gym), but it's been weeks now. Will is tired of pining, he's tired of the long glances that lead nowhere and the aura of oblivious coolness Nico has around him. It's time to get grip and possibly gain a date with Nico di Angelo while on it.

(Truth be told, Will is terrible at making pep talks to himself. He's even worse at following them. He's sweating at the mere thought of the possibility of speaking with Nico today. His hands tremble as he holds the whistle to his lips.)

Will knows he looks good in the shirt. On the down side, most of the moms seem to notice that, too. From the moment the practice ends he's surrounded by several ladies, batting their lashes and getting a little too close and commenting on his biceps. Will can's smell anything but the terrible combination of their perfumes, and their perfectly manicured nails look like talons to him. He's prey, and the ladies are closing in on him.

But not Nico di Angelo. No, Nico di Angelo stands a few feet away with his back turned, seemingly uninterested in Will. It gives Will a very good view of those skinny jeans again, though, and the really nice curve of Nico's thighs. Will wants to frown. Why are the women all over him when there's a Greek god standing right there?

(Will is glad, though – he wants Nico all to himself.)

"Excuse me, ladies", Will tries to say politely before he kind of rudely turns his back to the moms and walks to Nico. He has no idea what he's doing, the only thing clear in his mind is that he wants to talk to Nico di Angelo again. He watches as Nico waves to someone by the bleachers, and clears his throat. "Nice to see you again, Mr. di Angelo."

Will doesn't usually swear, but when Nico turns around his mind is only capable of forming the words oh jesus god fuck holy shit. Will doesn't know if it's the sun or the heat or the fact that he's probably in love with Nico, but the man in front of him is even more beautiful than he remembers. The burning afternoon sun is making Nico's eyes a shade of lighter brown, almost golden. For a second there, Will sees them flicker down his neck, but they're back up to his face so fast he can't be certain if he imagined the whole thing.

"Please, call me Nico." Will isn't able to celebrate the fact that they're now officially on first name basis because seriously, who's voice is that smooth? "Mr. di Angelo makes it sound like I'm thirty – which, I now realize, will be true in a couple of years. Oh my god." There's something very amusing in the way Nico averts his eyes and turns a pale shade of pink. Gorgeous. "Not that I'm saying there's something wrong about being thirty. No. I just – " Is Nico di Angelo nervous? "Can't I just stay, like, twenty-five for the rest of my life?"

Will grins. This is good. Informative. Also Nico di Angelo being flustered in front of him takes his heart rate to a whole new level. "You're twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six, but who keeps up after twenty-five, anyway."

"True."

All that Will can do is stare. He knows the others can see it, too; knows from the way the women are leaving him alone for once; knows from the whispers he ignores. But Nico is so beautiful, so radiant, and he's staring right back into Will's eyes, and wow, they've never held eye contact for this long before. Will kind of wants time to stop, but he also wants to take a step to the right direction with Nico.

That being said, he says the first thing that comes to his mind that doesn't involve declaring his undying love to Nico di Angelo.

"Twenty-six is still kind of young to have a seven year old child, don't you think?" Oh fuck. I sound like I'm judging him. I never want to judge him. "No offence."

"None taken", Nico says and bites his lower lip, drawing Will's attention to it briefly. Focus, WIll. "She's not actually – I mean, it's complicated. She's my daughter, but she's not mine. Biologically. It's a really long story, to be honest."

It takes Will half a second to register what Nico has said, and a good two months to finally really understand it. From what Will has so far seen and heard, Nico is Ciara's only family, and there's no question about the family tie – just look at them! Ciara is a miniature version of Nico, with the hair and the eyes and the cheek bones and the smile. But then again, Will has no reason to question Nico's words. It just makes the man seem that much more interesting to him.

Will knows he's staring, but he doesn't really care that much anymore, because Nico is obviously staring, too. He briefly wonders how long they have left until Nico has to turn his attention back to his daughter. That in mind, Will mentally braces himself and inhales slowly to calm his nerves.

This is it, he thinks. This is the opportunity he has been waiting for. What's the worst that could happen? Sure, Nico could be offended, maybe even insulted, and leave the field at once, taking Ciara off the team, and Will would never see him again. But it's not like that's a real possibility here, right?

Right?

"You know, we should get coffee sometime." Will feels his neck burn, the way it does every time he starts blushing, and that's when he realizes how blunt his words sound. "I mean, we could. You know, if you, maybe, want to tell me about it. The long story, I mean. Over coffee." Oh my god, Solace, just shut up already.

Nico di Angelo blushes evenly, beautifully (it's really unfair), and still doesn't look away. Will's heart is pounding in his chest as he waits for an answer. He feels like a teenager asking for a date to prom. His palms are sweating and he tries to subtly wipe them to his shorts, but it doesn't do much and he gives up. He can feel droplets dripping down his neck, tickling his skin, and while he really likes the sun and warmth he would actually probably have preferred a little chill right now.

Will wants to look away, but he can't because Nico is still staring and still not saying anything, and Will feels too warm and too cold at the same time.

"Shit", he mutters and forces himself to look away, somewhere, anywhere that isn't Nico di Angelo and his beautiful blushing face. The way he runs a hand through his hair is mostly a habit now, something he has noticed he does when he really needs to stop his hands from shaking. "I just ruined this, didn't I? You're not actually – "

"I am", Nico di Angelo breaths out quickly, and just that tiny little thing makes it so much easier for Will to breathe again. "And we should. Get coffee, I mean. Are you free tomorrow?"

Ever so slowly Will's gaze returns to Nico's face, and gosh, how is it even legal to be that beautiful? It's ironic, really, that Nico di Angelo looks like a literal angel, considering his last name. Will puts the thought to the back of his head, mentally noting himself to maybe bring it up later – that is, if he manages to not ruin this whatever this is before it has even begun.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. Uh", Will tries so very hard to focus he needs to swallow and blink a few times before he's able to form a coherent thought about anything other than Nico's beauty. "Three o'clock?"

"Sure. The coffee shop across the street?"

"It's a date." William Solace, please shut your mouth before you have no dignity left. "Or not. It doesn't have to be. I mean, it's cool either way – "

"It's a date." Nico di Angelo's laugh is like an angelic melody, pure and clear and celestial, turning Will's insides to mush.

Will is definitely in love. He watches as Ciara comes to her father and demands ice cream, and Nico smiles at him quickly before turning to look at her, telling her they just had ice cream yesterday. They walk away hand in hand (Will is totally staring), and Will can't wipe the stupid smile from his face for the rest of the day.

Will is fairly certain he has never wanted to have sex with someone as much as he wants to have sex with Nico di Angelo right now.

Nico's lips taste heavenly. The small sounds he makes are music to Will's ears, and he doesn't even care that they aren't exactly supposed to do this in a public bathroom. (Later he thinks what he would have done if someone had walked in on them. The thought makes him very uneasy.) He briefly wonders if Nico is uncomfortable, pressed against the cold tiles of the wall, basically unable to move, but then the younger man takes his lower lip between his teeth and Will just loses it.

Will lets his hands wander freely. He wants to feel every inch of Nico, touch every sliver of skin he can find, memorize every curve and edge and plane of muscle. He feels Nico's long fingers in the nape of his neck, running through his hair, and his breath falters. It's a little too much, he thinks. Nico is too much, but at the same time he's not enough. Will wants time to freeze just so he can stay in this moment forever, feeling Nico squirming against him and learn every way the man's muscles flex and shift and tremble under his touch.

Giving Nico time to breathe, Will turns to kiss down his neck. Nico turns his head to give him better access, and Will is very pleased with himself when Nico shivers to the graze of his teeth. He wants to bite down so badly, taste that olive skin and mark it as his territory, but settles on sucking on the skin right under the collar on Nico's shirt. Out of sight for others, their little secret.

The sounds Nico is making are driving Will crazy. He isn't even sure Nico is aware of the way he's panting, the way his fingers dig into Will's skull, the way his hips rock forward in a desperate attempt to meet with Will's. Will angles himself so that his right leg slips between Nico's, and that simple action is praised with a low moan that escapes from Nico's throat and makes it almost impossible for Will to keep breathing.

"Will", Nico breathes out, and oh, it sounds so much better than anything Will has been able to imagine in the past, and he groans against the exposed neck. "Will, please, slow down." The way he says it sounds desperate and he tightens his hold on Will's hair. Will hisses a little (because god-fucking-damnit that feels good) but stops attacking Nico's throat, taking deep breaths and trying to slow down his heart rate while ignoring the fact that every intake brings another wave of the scent of Nico's skin with it. "I – I want to do this right. And I hate myself for stopping you, I really do." Nico's hand travels gently down Will's back in a soothing motion that Will absolutely loves. "But this… I don't want it to be just a fling."

That sends Will's heart racing on a whole new level. He wants to laugh, he wants to scream and shout and kiss Nico everywhere because fuck, Nico, you have no idea. Will stops caring if it's possible, all he knows that he's definitely in love and this wonderful, wonderful man is doing all the right things and saying all the right words, and Will has to bite his tongue to ground himself again.

Will traces his thumb against a delicate hip bone under the hem of Nico's shirt and counts to ten. This is good, he tells himself and lets a smile spread on his lips as he finally raises his head to look Nico in the eyes. Taking it slower is good. We have the rest of our lives – oh fuck he looks incredible.

"Yeah", Will manages to choke out, his voice strained and breathless, and it's a little embarrassing. "Yeah, you're right." He can't help himself, he has to kiss those lips again, and he does. Soft and sweet and short this time, just a little slice of heaven, and then he pushes himself off and takes a step back to allow himself think. "I want to do this right. Although I also kind of hate you for stopping me, too."

Will winks, but Nico is already breathing out a heavy sigh. As Will turns away to look at himself on the mirror (gosh, he looks looks thoroughly fucked after such a brief make out; what are they, sixteen?), he wonders if his words have the same kind of effect on Nico as the younger man's have on him.

Well, he thinks and steals a glance on Nico through the mirror, a wicked gleam in his eyes, you never know if you never try, right?

With a deep breath, Will chooses his words carefully and prays to every god there is that he's not crossing a line here. "The things I want to do to you, Nico… you'd probably be offended."

Bingo.

The groan that leaves Nico's mouth then makes it extremely difficult for Will to keep himself decent in what he has to constantly remind himself is a coffee shop bathroom, not a private room and not even a locked one. Nico hides his face to his hands while Will tries to busy himself in making himself look presentable to the outside world so he won't try jumping Nico again.

"Fuck, Solace. Stop saying stuff like that." Nico's mumbled voice sounds almost needy, and Will is really proud of himself. "I'm not the kind of guy you get to screw on the first date, but if you don't shut the fuck up – "

"Don't tempt me, Nico", Will says and smiles through his teeth but somehow manages to sound teasing despite the underlying promise in the other guy's words. He turns to grin at Nico, who is now peeking through his fingers and looking both extremely adorable and so unbelievably sexy that Will's heart makes a cartwheel. "Come on. I promised you coffee, and I will get you coffee."

Will finds out a lot of things about Nico that day. He learns he's actually from Italy, and that he moved to the US from Venice when he was six due to his father's business. Nico drinks his coffee black, but if he wants to indulge himself he orders a pumpkin spice latte. He runs a small authentic record store a few blocks from the coffee shop, one that Will has actually walked past countless of times but never stepped inside. Will learns that when asked about his family Nico grows quiet and starts fidgeting with a napkin before answering vaguely and changing the subject. Will doesn't push, he understands.

Instead he tells Nico how he has always wanted to be a doctor like his father, while simultaneously nudging Nico's calf with his foot under the table. He tells about a few funny cases from the emergency room and enjoys the blush that creeps on Nico's face when their feet continue their play. He speaks fondly about his grandmother's porch back in Texas, and the swing that creaks in the wind, and commits Nico's small warm smile to his memory.

The kiss Will receive from Nico outside the coffee shop tastes like coffee and late afternoon wind and sweet promises. It's not intense, not like a few hours prior in the bathroom, but rather a gentle brush of lips against each other, like a dance of their own. It sends tingles down Will's spine, down to his toes and to his fingers and everywhere all at once, and when he cups Nico's cheek with his hand he feels the other man smile. Will doesn't want to let go, but he knows he has to. He just wants to keep kissing Nico maybe a few hours or days or years longer. They're so good at it already that it's a real shame to stop.

But when he watches Nico walk away, it doesn't exactly feel like he's lost something. It's more like Will has gained something, gained someone. The way Nico spares a look at him over his shoulder tells him he's not the only one.

Cecil keeps talking over the movie. It's not like it actually bothers Will, not really, he's seen this film probably a hundred times. He just knows Cecil will eventually ask for his opinion on something, and he isn't sure if he should be paying attention to the movie or to what his friend is saying. The fact that Lou Ellen is mouthing the lines along with the movie and squirming in her seat next to Will, occasionally kicking his thigh quite painfully, doesn't actually help.

"… so like, I was going to ask her out, you know? But then she smiled at me all sweet and kind and introduced me to her fiancé, can you believe that…"

"… agitation or disturbance of mind; vehement or excited mental state. It is also a powerful and irrational master. And from what Magenta and Columbia eagerly viewed on their television monitor…"

Will stops listening the second he feels his phone buzzing in his pocket, signaling a text. He knows it's silly, waiting for Nico to text him when he's only seen the man a few hours ago, but looking at the sender he can't really stop the smile making its way to his face.

From: nico di angelo: [19:30] i had a great time today, just so you know. sorry i had to leave early
From: nico di angelo: [19:30] turns out it was a false alarm. ciara's fine, jason just made her eat some poorly cooked pasta and that made her stomach ache
From: nico di angelo: [19:30] i swear to god that man's gonna get someone killed one of these days

Totally ignoring the way Lou Ellen has now stopped with the quoting and is now looking at him suspiciously, Will smiles warmly as he types his answer.

To: nico di angelo: [19:30] good to hear that. and i had a really great time, too
To: nico di angelo: [19:31] some honey and tea might help to soothe ciara's stomach, you know

He locks his screen and turns his attention back to the TV. He can't stop smiling, though, even when he has never actually smiled before while watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Will doesn't even know why they watch it every month – what is so special about this movie that Cecil keeps insisting every single time?)

Lou Ellen spares him a strange look before she turns to look at the movie again.

"… and yeah, obviously the guy wasn't that happy about that, so I kind of made a beeline to the door…"

From: nico di angelo: [19:32] oh, thanks. we'll try that before she goes to bed
From: nico di angelo: [19:32] where would i be without you giving me medical advice whenever needed?
To: nico di angelo: [19:33] i know you're teasing, so i'm not going to answer with any romantic sap

"Will, are you even aware that we're having a movie night?" Cecil's voice cuts through Will's mind as he locks his screen again. "Like, we're right here. Me and Lou. Right here. And we have a movie going on. Who are you even texting?"

Will chooses not to mention that Cecil himself hasn't really been paying any attention to the film since the opening credits, and instead smiles dreamily, just the way he knows Cecil hates. "I'll have you know that I'm texting Nico di Angelo, thank you very much." Yes, that's right. Sass your way through this. "The same man who I made out with on this very couch not more than four hours ago, I might add."

"Well finally!" Lou Ellen sighs as she reaches for the remote to pause the movie. Cecil, on the other hand, shrieks a loud "what" and freezes, eying the couch suspiciously. "I was getting really sick of your pining. Now, shoot. I need details."

"Why would you need details about my love life?" Will asks. His phone vibrates again.

From: nico di angelo: [19:34] too bad. maybe i'm into that kind of stuff

"Because we were having a bet at work and I need to know when this whole thing started!" If Will was paying a little more attention to his friends, he might have been offended by the fact that the nurses (and probably other doctors, too) were having a bet on whether he and Nico would end up together or not. But he isn't, so he just hums and smiles at Nico's text. "Oh god, he's having the lovey dovey smile. Cecil, do something."

"Like what? Pour his beer to his head?"

Will glares at him, even though he knows he wouldn't actually do it. "Don't you dare. This couch was expensive."

To: nico di angelo: [19:34] i'll keep that in mind
From: nico di angelo: [19:35] speaking of stuff, i was wondering that we could have dinner on friday. jason and piper promised to look after ciara
From: nico di angelo: [19:35] i could cook?
From: nico di angelo: [19:35] that is if you're free friday night?

Before Will can answer Nico, Lou takes the phone from him and tugs it into her pocket. "You won't get that back before you give me details."

"Yeah", Cecil echoes, taking a better seat on the couch (that he has stopped glaring at) and raising his beer to his lips. "And they better be some really good details, because I'm giving up Rocky Horror for this. Start talking, lover boy."

Will figures he doesn't have much choice. He sighs and rubs his face as he starts to talk, but can't help but feel a little giddy about the fact that he's finally telling his friends about his relationship. He hasn't really talked about it with Nico, but they have had a silent agreement to keep it down for now, mainly because they don't want to upset Ciara with something that they don't really know yet how to define.

There's so much he still needs to know about Nico. And so much he wants to tell the man. They've grown very close these past weeks, but Will still craves for more; more knowledge, more closeness, more Nico. Will feels like this could be it for him – Nico di Angelo could very well be the love of his life. And that's exactly why he needs to take it easy, why he isn't anxious to tell the world, why he's fine that they have to dance around Ciara after practice, only sparing a few hidden looks every now and then.

Why he only ends up telling his friends the essentials, no matter how much they beg.

To: nico di angelo: [20:18] i never say no to a man who offers to cook
To: nico di angelo: [20:18] my place, at 6?
From: nico di angelo: [20:22] it's a date
To: nico di angelo: [20:22] looking forward to it

Learning about Ciara's background and Nico's dead sister seems to break some sort of a dam between Nico and Will. It's like they have now overcome some emotional barrier, like there's nothing keeping them apart anymore, no secrets and dark pasts whatsoever. (Which, of course, is only partially true, because Will still hasn't told Nico about his mom, but it can wait.)

Nico has been through so much, and all that before he was even twenty. Will has never had so much respect to a single person before. He can't imagine what it must have been like to wake up one morning to the knowledge that your sister, your only remaining family member, is gone, and that you suddenly have a child to take care of. Will can tell by the way Nico was trembling while telling all this that the Italian man had been scared, so scared, and he could understand why it was hard to talk about.

But Nico had told him. Nico had opened up to Will, told him everything, and that had taken courage. Nico had let all his walls down, one by one, until he had been all bared to Will, and Will thanked every higher power for that. Seeing Nico that fragile, that vulnerable… it had been the last thing Will needed to convince himself that he wasn't being stupid, he was actually, truly, hopelessly in love with Nico di Angelo, and he wasn't going to let that go any time soon. Or possibly ever.

And what had happened after that… Nico hadn't only opened up, he had let Will in. Invited him to the small world that he had created around himself and Ciara. And that made Will's heart swell.

That night had been one of the best nights of Will's existence. He had always been a firm believer that sex was so much better if you knew and loved and trusted your partner, and it was like he had now been given a text book example. The way Nico moved together with him, how their bodies reacted to each other's touch, what it felt like when Nico slotted into him perfectly like they were two parts of a whole… Will had almost cried to his first orgasm. And second. He isn't really sure he had been able to stop himself by the third one, not when Nico had been making those desperate little noises and their hips had moved in sync to a melody they couldn't hear.

Will grins tiredly as he holds Nico closer now. The Italian is asleep, his head against Will's chest and an arm across Will's waist, and his body feels warm and the weight is comfortable, like something Will hasn't known he's been missing from his life. Nico's breath tickles a little, but Will doesn't mind in the least, and he smiles as he presses his lips to the dark curly hair. Nico's hand squeezes his, probably unconsciously, and it makes Will's hear ache because he's so in love it hurts.

I could get used to this, Will thinks, listening to the way their heart beats fuse together and the soft rattle of summer rain in the bedroom window. I could get used to being with Nico like this, every day. He doesn't doubt it for a second. He knows it's kind of silly, and he's not stupid enough to tell Nico that yet, but he can dream.

He can dream of casual nights after long days of work, cuddling together under the covers because they're too tired to anything else. Week day mornings, when they wake up early and untangle themselves slowly before getting ready for work. Lazy Sunday mornings, waking up to Ciara asking for breakfast and ending up having breakfast in bed. Date nights, just him and Nico, kissing every inch of that olive skin, making Nico pant and squirm and moan and whimper and scream his name under him, making love to the early hours of the morning.

Yeah. Will can see all of that. He graces his lips across Nico's hairline and feels the other man sigh a little in his sleep.

"I want all that with you", Will whispers, and he's really glad Nico's asleep, because his voice gets stuck in his throat and he has to blink back a few tears. "All that and so, so much more. I want everything." Nico stirs, but only slightly, before nuzzling again against Will's side, his toes digging into Will's calf and one of his legs between both of Will's. It's calm and quiet, and Will is happy. "I love you, Nico di Angelo."

Will feels equal parts excitement and nervousness as he rings the doorbell. Even though they have been seeing each other for over three months now, this is his first time in Nico and Ciara's apartment. Cecil keeps saying that the fact that Nico hasn't invited him over sooner means he has something to hide, but Will knows better. He understands that it must be different for Nico to invite Will over because he's not exactly the only person who lives in the apartment. And it's okay – it's not like there's been any complaints from either parts of the way things have turned out on their dates in Will's place.

"Hey, you", Nico smiles as he opens the door, and that alone is enough for Will to drop the nervousness and leave it on the threshold. The man reaches a hand to Will's neck, pulling him into a kiss. "I missed you."

Will chuckles as Nico drags him inside and closes the door behind them. "It's been four days, Nico, that's hardly enough time to develope separation anxiety." He pulls Nico closer and kisses him properly this time, deep and slow, making sure to leave the man shivering when he pulls away to take off his shoes.

Nico laughs, and his voice is breathless in the best way possible. "So I take it that you missed me too, huh?" Will doesn't bother answering.

The apartment is only barely larger than Will's, but it feels smaller because it has so much more furniture, decorations and personal items. Will isn't big on decorating; he doesn't know how, and he hasn't bothered to learn, no matter how many times Lou Ellen has complained about his bare walls and rugless floors. Nico's apartment, however, is warm and cozy. There are pictures on the walls, glass ornaments on the window sill, blankets thrown over the back of the couch. The book case is a beautiful mix of classic novels, music industry magazines, kids' story books, and framed photographs, and the dining table is flooded with what looks like newspapers, crayons and coffee mugs.

It feels like home, more so than any apartment Will has lived in for the past ten years. He feels quite envious when he looks at the smudged fingerprints on the living room window and the colourful drawings on the fridge. The fluffy rug under his feet feels soft, the air smells like coffee and breakfast muffins, and there's a steady hum coming from somewhere in the house that Will slowly recognizes as the washing machine.

"I'm so sorry about the mess", Nico says as he grabs a stuffed animal from the floor and takes out a plate that's been sitting on the coffee table long enough to leave a stain. "I've been trying to clean up, but I had to stop by at work, the new idiot I hired managed to jam the printer – "

"It's fine, Nico", Will smiles. It's not often that he sees Nico this nervous, and it's really adorable. "Don't worry. This place looks like someone actually lives here; I wasn't expecting anything less."

Nico keeps running around, trying to put things to their right places, and Will knows better than to stop him. Instead he walks to the wall with most pictures on it, curious about the people close enough to Nico to make it to the wall.

The biggest picture, black and white and in the middle, is of course a family portrait of Nico and Ciara, perhaps a year or two old. Nico in the picture is smiling as his daughter is placing a flower crown on his head. His eyes are closed, the dark lashes creating a beautiful contrast to the pale skin. Ciara's hair is flowing freely down her shoulders, something Will hasn't seen before since he only sees Ciara in soccer practice. Her smile is identical to Nico's.

Around that photo are others. Will sees Ciara in many of them, sometimes alone, sometimes with a little boy, once or twice with a man and a woman Will doesn't recognize but who he also spots in a wedding photo. The man is tall and blond, kind of looks a little like Captain America to Will, and the woman has beautiful light brown hair and features that strongly suggest she has native American roots. Judging by the picture next to it, of Nico and the man both in tuxes, back against back in a spy pose with finger guns and everything, Will assumes these are Jason and Piper Grace, two of Nico's best friends.

One of the older pictures is a family photo, too. The man and woman in this one look very Italian – like, stereotypically Italian. The man has his hand on the shoulder of a young girl – wait. Is that Ciara? But it can't be, the girl is older, maybe thirteen or fourteen. But the similarities are so striking… It hits Will like a cannon ball when he realizes this must be Bianca, Nico's sister and Ciara's mother. Which means the little boy holding her hand, grinning with the front teeth missing, is Nico.

"Piper insisted I put these up", Nico says as he comes to stand next to Will. "I don't really let her do most of the decorating she wants, but I actually think the pictures are a nice touch. That's her", Nico points at the wedding picture, smiling fondly as if he's recalling the day as he speaks. "Jason was head over heels for her all through high school but only got the courage to ask her out senior year. I think it was because Leo said he was going to ask her if Jason didn't get his shit together."

Nico sounds oddly nostalgic as he speaks of his school years now. It's weird to think that only three weeks ago he refused to say a word about what happened in high school. Will knows why now, and wraps an arm around Nico in a kind of side hug, which the other man returns.

"There's Leo", Nico says and gestures to a photo of himself and Jason with a guy that has a real trouble maker smile. Will can't be sure, but it looks like Leo's eye brows are missing. "He's a mechanic, but he likes to think he's also some sort of an inventor. That picture was taken when he did an experiment that ended up burning off his eye brows. No one was really surprised."

When Nico stops talking and doesn't say anything for a while, Will's gaze returns to the picture of his parents. They look so happy. Judging by the way Nico can't be older than seven in the photo, it must have been taken around the time they moved to America. It's strange to think that only a few short years after taking the picture Mr. and Mrs. di Angelo had died tragically, leaving the kids without parents.

"I see what you mean, when you say Ciara looks like her", Will says slowly, testing the waters. Nico hasn't really talked much about Bianca since the night he told about her death, but he has said multiple times how Ciara is a splitting image of her. Will finally understands.

Nico's hold on his waist tightens, like he's trying to anchor himself on Will. Will lets him, more than happy to be there for him. "Yeah. And Bianca looked like mamma. I do too, I guess. Can't really tell."

Will turns his head a little to press a soft kiss on Nico's head. "They're beautiful."

They stand there looking at the picture for a long while, and Will doesn't mind the slightest. Looking at the picture is like looking through a window to Nico's past; something hidden, not exactly secret but very private, something only the selected few have access to. Will feels extremely honored when he realizes he is now part of that small group.

"You never talk about your parents", Nico mutters, and Will feels him drawing soothing circles to his lower back. It feels so good Will doesn't even tense up that bad when the subject of his parents comes up.

"I know", he says, equally quiet. It's funny, considering they're alone in the apartment and there's no real reason not to speak up, but it feels more fitting to keep quiet. "There's not much to tell, really. I didn't know my dad when growing up, only knew that he was a doctor. I tracked him down when Mom kicked me out, but I was sixteen, so I guess I was a little too old to form a proper relationship with him."

Nico's hand has stopped on his back. "Your mother kicked you out?" The beautiful melodic voice sounds like broken ice on pavement.

"Yeah." Will clears his throat. He doesn't like talking about it, but he owes this to Nico. And he wants to tell this to him, wants Nico to know everything. He keeps his eyes on the picture of the di Angelo family to keep himself from crying. "I was barely sixteen when I came out as bisexual, and Mom said she's not going to have a faggot in her house. I was out and halfway up from Austin to Brownwood before the end of the day. My grandmother took me in without another word."

He turns to look at Nico. He feels sad, for some reason. Usually talking about his mother just makes him angry. "I haven't really talked to Mom after that. She's tried calling me, but I've hung up as soon as it has become clear she hasn't changed her opinion of me." Nico hugs him with both hands now, resting his head against his shoulder, and it feels good the same way it used to feel good to sit on Grandma's porch, drinking sweet tea and listening to stories about her youth. "Dad calls a few times a year, and I sometimes see him in bigger conferences. But in the end, Grandma was my real family."

Will feels Nico's lips against his neck. The touch is different from the ones they have shared previously around that area; it's gentle and caring and sweet, not needy and lustful and hungry. It's like Nico is telling him it's okay to be sad. Will falls in love again.

It's nice, Will thinks, standing like that with Nico. There's no rush. They're not needed anywhere for hours. Ciara won't be back from school before two, and Will is working the night shift. Will is given the gift of just being there, inhaling the scent of berry shampoo and black tea and Nico, holding and being held, like they have all the time in the world.

"Hey, Nico", Will whispers, because he still doesn't feel like using his voice is necessary. "Can I ask you something that's probably pretty stupid?"

Nico's laugh is inaudible, but Will feels it against his neck and it vibrates from there through his entire body. "I have a feeling that you're going to ask it anyway, no matter what I say." There's no jab in the words, just good hearted tease.

"Can you still speak Italian? After so many years in the States?"

Nico hums thoughtfully and nuzzles his cheek against the material of Will's shirt. "I don't know. I mean, I know I can, at least the basics. When mamma and papa died, me and Bianca started switching back and forth, using more and more English as the years went by. And then after she… I haven't really used Italian since then. I was supposed to, I know she wanted to raise Ciara bilingual, but I just…" He takes a deep breath. Will gives him the time, tracing his thumb against the vertebrae he feels through Nico's shirt.

"It felt too hard, you know", Nico finally says, quieter than before. "Speaking Italian. Everything connecting me to Bianca was too fucking hard. I already saw her every time I looked at Ciara, and that was almost more than I could handle. So I guess I didn't even really try the Italian." A small chuckle, letting out a feel of warm breath through Will's shirt, across his neck. "It's a shame, really. A bilingual child would be awesome."

Will laughs too and thinks about it. "Yeah, it would." He wonders if he dares, if there's any way it'd be okay to think… It's way too soon, Will knows that, but if it's just a thought? "It really would."

To: nico di angelo: [15:14] you look hot when you're all flustered
From: nico di angelo: [15:38] shut it solace
From: nico di angelo: [15:39] cancel your plans for tomorrow, you're having dinner with me and ciara
To: nico di angelo: [15:41] breaking down the news?
From: nico di angelo: [15:41] long overdue, don't you think

Will can tell that Ciara is confused. It's evident in the way her brows are furrowed and she keeps sending him odd looks across the table between bites.

The silence is pretty awkward, but Will doesn't know how to break it. The same question that has haunted him for weeks rises to his mind: how do you tell a child her soccer coach is now also her dad's boyfriend? There are no guide books for this, no specialized professionals you can call. They have to work this out as they go, and Will does not like how it's been going so far.

It's almost too much, and Will is half way opening his mouth to say something, anything, when Ciara finally breaks the silence.

"So, why exactly is Coach Will having dinner with us?"

Will looks at Nico expectantly. How does he want to do this? Nico looks like he wants the earth to open up and swallow him, and Will doesn't feel much better – but this has to be done, they've known it for weeks now. Slowly, like buying time he can't afford, Nico puts down his utensils, and takes a sip of water to clear his throat. Will can see that his hand is shaking, creating ripples to the water, and Will wants to reach for Nico to help calm him down. He doesn't.

"Honey, remember that time Leo brought that lady to Thanksgiving dinner?" Nico says slowly, carefully, choosing the words in a way that would best explain the situation to Ciara.

The girl still looks confused. "Calypso?" Nico nods. "What has she got to do with anything?"

"Well, the reason Leo brought her over was because he really liked her." (What Will and Nico will find out later is that Leo still likes her, and the whole situation starts making a lot more sense to Ciara.) "A lot like the way Jason likes Piper, okay? That is…" Nico swallows, Will watches his Adam's apple bob painfully. "That's why Will is having dinner with us. Because I like him. A lot. And – and he likes me too."

"Oh."

Ciara goes quiet for a while. Will doesn't say anything either, but he does finally take hold of Nico's hand under the table and squeeze. The worst part is over. At least Will thinks so. Nico's palm in his is sweaty but he doesn't let go.

"Do you kiss him a lot?" the girl asks then, and really, Will should have been prepared for that. She's a child, and a curious one at that. He feels Nico freeze next to him. "Because Uncle Jason kisses Aunt Piper a lot. Like, all the time. Is Coach Will a good kisser?"

Nico clears his throat, and Will almost wants to laugh. He would, too, if he wasn't so damn nervous. How can a young child make me this nervous? "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. And he is." Nico takes another sip of water. His hand doesn't shake that much anymore, but it's not completely steady, either. "Ciara, do you think you could, I don't know, not call him Coach Will outside of practice? It's a little weird."

Ciara turns to look at Will now, and Will meets her eyes kindly, determined to stay calm and not show her how freaked out he actually is. "What should I call you then?" she asks, and Will can tell she's really confused by the whole situation. Will really can't blame her.

But Will smiles, because really, that's what he does best. "Will is fine", he says. "That's my name, after all."

And Ciara nods, returning to look at her food with a thoughtful look on her face.

Will finally spares a glance at Nico. The Italian has been nervous all day, fidgeting with his fingers and not being able to sit still. He hasn't even met Will's eyes once the whole time Will's been there. But now Nico is looking at him, and Will can see the relief in the brown eyes; from what Will has learned so far and heard from Nico, Ciara isn't one to whitewash things. If she had an objection to Will and Nico being together, she probably would have said so by now.

Nico smiles a little, and Will smiles back. Things are turning out great. It's bound to be awkward at first, Will knows that, but it seems like Ciara is ready to accept him to her life – maybe not as a part of the family, but as an important part of her dad's life. And that's more than Will really could ask for at this point.

"Hey, Will." Ciara says his name strangely, like she's testing how it rolls off her tongue. Will meets her eyes. "Is Dad a good kisser? Because Uncle Leo keeps saying he is, but then Uncle Jason says he has no way of knowing, and Uncle Leo just laughs and says he has his resources, whatever that means." Without looking, Will knows Nico looks like he wants to strangle both Jason and Leo. Understandable. "So is he? Because then I could tell them I have my resources."

Will can't help it anymore. He laughs. Not loud, not even that long, but he lets out an amused chuckle that makes most of his tension evaporate. He feels Nico's hand shake in his a little, and a quick look tells him the other man is laughing, too.

"I tell you what, Sunshine", Will grins and leans across the table like he's telling Ciara a great secret. "You can tell your Uncle Leo and Uncle Jason that your father is in fact an excellent kisser. And you can tell him it was me who said that."

And just like that the whole situation isn't that weird anymore. Because, as Will reminds himself half an hour later while listening as Ciara teaches him to play her favorite video game, Will is good with kids. He knows how kids work, and he knows how to deal with them. Will loves kids. It's almost ridiculous that he could have thought he couldn't handle a situation involving a child as sweet and wonderful as Ciara di Angelo.

Ciara actually seems to like the fact that Will is there. She still says his name funny, scrunching up her nose and slipping the coach from time to time. But she also shows him her favorite games and toys, and tells him about the books she's reading in great detail. Will takes that as a seal of approval, as a sign that Ciara is comfortable enough around him to let some of her guard down. She's a lot like her father, Will thinks and loses to Ciara on Mario Kart third time in a row.

Every once in a while Will catches Nico looking at them with a quiet smile in his face, and every time Will's heart jumps to his throat. Nico is wonderful, and Ciara is wonderful, and their little family of two is just wonderful. And Will feels so privileged to have been invited in, to be able to see this place and the way the two go about their day. Will knows Nico doesn't let many people into their lives, and that alone makes this whole day a special one in more ways than one.

"I love you, Nico", Will says later that night when Ciara's back in her room looking for some book she wants to show him, and Will just can't hide it anymore. He watches how Nico's head snaps up from the magazine he's been reading, the brown eyes the size of plates and lips slightly parted in surprise. "Sorry, that was kind of out of nowhere… I just – I really, really love you."

Nico blinks a few times, and while Will tries to keep up his relaxed posture and the fond, carefree smile, he's freaking out internally. Did he go too far too soon? Has he read the situation way off?

"No, it's – it's okay. I think I knew already, I just… you kind of ruined it, you know?" Will decides not to care if he dies because of those words, because if that smile is the last thing he sees then he can die a happy man. "Because now it's going to sound like a meaningless reply when I say it. And mind you, I wanted to say it before you could."

It takes Will a few moments to register what Nico has said, and by that time Nico has already turned his attention back to his magazine and all Will can think of is oh fuck, I love this man so much I can't breathe. He turns to look at the three days old morning paper with a grin even though he has totally forgotten what part he was reading before and nudges Nico's foot under the table. "Well then, you just have to wait for the right opportunity I guess. I promise to act surprised."

"Hmm." Nico's bare foot travels gently up and down his calf, but the brown eyes keep glued into the pages. It almost looks like Nico is trying to hide a smile. "How very considerate of you."

A short hour later Will thinks it's time for him to go. He needs to go to work before six in the morning, and Ciara has a school day tomorrow, and judging by the way her eyes keep glazing over she isn't really following the movie she's watching anymore. Will says a quiet good night to her, to which she answers with a nod, and goes to the hall to leave.

Nico follows him, and when Will has put on his shoes the Italian reaches for both of his hands. It's perfect, Will thinks, just standing there holding hands with Nico by the front door, listening to the way too upbeat music from the movie in the living room and recalling every single good moment they have had throughout the night. Will watches as Nico's thumbs trace circles on his knuckles and wonders if he could somehow freeze this moment in time so that he could come back to it over and over again.

"Hey", Nico mutters, and when Will looks up from their hands he sees Nico's face closer than expected. "I love you."

Even if it's not a surprise, especially after the events of the day they've spent together, it's still the first time Nico has said the words to him out loud. So it's only fair that it makes Will smile like an idiot and nuzzle their noses together. "I know", he whispers, feeling the feather light touch of Nico's lips as his own move. "I love you, too."

The kiss is light and happy, but a little guarded, since Ciara is sitting in the living room. It doesn't really feel any different now, Will decides when they break apart and he looks at Nico's bright eyes and slightly flustered cheeks. It doesn't feel any different. Does this mean I've known he loves me all along? Will doesn't know, nor does he even care. The main point is that he loves Nico, and Nico loves him, and that things are finally moving to the right direction.

"You could stay the night", Nico suggests quietly, as if he wasn't sure if it's okay to suggest that, and his shy appearance is so sweet that Will almost forgets how to breathe. "If you want."

And the thing is, Will does want to. He wants nothing more than to stay the night, sit on the couch and watch the movie with Ciara, fall asleep next to Nico and wake up next to him, knowing they have nothing to hide anymore. Will wants that so desperately it's almost impossible for him to say no.

But he has to think about Ciara, too. Will can't claim to know what's best for Nico's daughter, but he has a feeling that having her soccer coach stay the night right after finding out he's also her dad's boyfriend is not it. And Will is pretty sure Nico knows that, too, even if he did suggest that. Will realizes that this must be what people mean when they talk about including your partner to the decision making. It feels good.

Will leans to give Nico another soft kiss. "Next time, okay?" he promises, watching as Nico's face morphs into a smile. There's no disappointment in the smile, no regret, no shame. Just acceptance and love, that makes Will's heart beat faster. "Baby steps."

To Will, Nico di Angelo's smile is the most beautiful thing in the world. "Okay."

Will doesn't know why he's so nervous about meeting Jason Grace.

Maybe it's because the guy is Nico's best and pretty much oldest friend. It's pretty impressive that those two have been able to maintain a friendship of this level for over a decade – Will isn't sure he even talks to anyone from high school anymore. From the way Nico talks about him, Jason Grace seems to know every single detail there is to know about Nico, and Will isn't that sure that it excludes their sex life (though he's not so sure Nico has given any details willingly).

Being Nico's closest friend through these past twelve years must have been one hell of a job, and Will has huge respect for Jason. High school must have been hard in and on itself, but Nico has also told Will about his problems with coming out with his sexuality and about Jason standing by him through all of it. Not to mention all the stuff with Bianca's death and becoming a single father basically overnight… It has made Nico tough, but it must have made Jason tough, too.

But what it has definitely also done is made Jason somewhat a expert on what (and possibly who) is good for Nico. And even though Will likes to think that he himself does actually fall into that category he can't be certain that Jason will think that, too.

"Hey", Nico says quietly next to him in the elevator and grabs his hand. Will looks down at his eyes. Of course Nico has picked up on him being nervous. "It's just Jason and Piper. Nothing to be nervous about."

Will would like to disagree. Instead he just squeezes Nico's hand and smiles slightly before letting go as the elevator doors open on floor seven.

Jason Grace is an impressive man. Will has seen as much from the wedding photo Nico has in the living room, but it doesn't exactly make justice for the real deal. He's slightly taller than Will with board shoulders and military cut blond hair. His eyes are almost icy blue, piercing right through Will the second they land on him, making Will want to just turn around and leave and at the same time bolting him to the floor. Jason has a scar on his lip, and Will thinks that it makes him look dangerous. He wonders if he wants to know how he got it.

(When he later learns the story about a two year old Jason trying to eat a stapler, Will thinks he should have known. He feels kind of stupid.)

"It's nice to finally meet you, Will." Jason's handshake is friendly but firm, and Will is sure Jason could break his fingers if he wanted to. There's a smile on the guy's lips, though, so Will is positive there would be no broken bones in this apartment today. He's Nico's friend, for god's sake. "We were worried Nico was going to keep you all to himself."

Will tries really hard not to sound nervous when he laughs and says, "Well, he did try." He watches as Ciara kicks off her shoes ("Ciara put the shoes in line, what have I told you!" Nico's voice is more amused than stern) and lets herself further into the apartment without much more than a "Hi, Uncle Jason". "If it wasn't for Ciara, I think he could have been able to convince me that you don't exist at all."

Jason lets go of Will's hand and turns to look at Nico with eye brows raised. "Really, now? Why would you do that?"

"Because you're fucking embarrassing, that's why", Nico mutters so that Ciara can't hear him curse from the other room. "I hope you have that good bottle of Bordeaux ready if you're going to keep talking. I need that to survive."

"Oh, you're going to need a little more than wine, because I'm going to need Jason to tell me everything", Will smirks, feeling bold. "Every little detail. Starting from your high school year book that you refuse to show me."

Turns out that Jason actually has a very nice laugh that catches easily and makes his face soften. He claps a hand on Will's shoulder and it doesn't feel as intimidating as it could have, not when the guy's smirking like a goof. "Will Solace, I like you already. And you're going to love that year book photo. Come on, Piper's been dying to meet you."

Unlike Jason, Piper makes Will feel at ease from the first glance. It isn't because she isn't intimidating – she is, she looks like a freaking warrior even in a messy bun and a white apron that has cats on it. But her smile is warm and friendly when she turns to look at Will with her caleidoscope eyes (Will is extremely curious about those), and Will finds himself returning the smile without hesitation.

"Well won't you look at that", she says as she wipes her hands to the apron and comes closer. "I know you said he's dreamy, Nico, but damn. For the first time ever I think I actually agree with you." Will knows without looking that Nico's face is beet red, and it makes his heart flutter. Nico is too damn adorable for his own good. "It's good to meet you, Will", Piper continues and pulls Will into a short but fond hug without warning. Will doesn't mind. "We've been curious about the man that has finally been able to steal Nico's heart."

Will sneaks a peek at his boyfriend and smiles. "To be fair, he's done his share of stealing hearts, too. At least we're even now."

Okay, Nico sports a full on blush now and it feels like a victory. "Shut up. Dork."

Jason gives Nico an amused look and Piper snickers. "You two are adorable. Nico, could you get the wine glasses from that cabinet behind you? No, the ones for red wine, honey. On the left." She rolls her eyes at Will. "Every single time. I swear I've told him the difference a hundred times."

Will thinks about telling Piper than he's pretty sure Nico does actually know the difference, but figures that she knows. After all, she has known Nico for years, while Will only met him a few short months ago (five, not that Will's counting).

It's then that Ciara comes to the dining room, holding hands with a small boy that Will knows to be Tom. For some reason Tom is wearing a kids' Batman suit.

"Uncle Jason, can you come help us with the DVD? We wanna watch The Aristocats."

"Aristocats", echoes Tom with a serious nod (he sounds like he's been rehearsing the word, that's how carefully he says it) and turns to look at Nico. "There are cats, Un-ca Nico."

"No kidding?" Somehow Nico manages to keep the sarcasm away entirely. The smile he spares to the boy warms Will's heart, as does the sound of Un-ca Nico.

"Honey, we're eating in a minute", Piper says from where she's putting down the glasses Nico gave her before Jason can so much as blink. "You can watch a movie after dinner, okay? Go wash your hands. And Tom", she calls before Ciara can drag the boy away, "say hi to Will, dear."

"Why?"

"Because he's a guest, and it's polite."

Tom looks warily at Will, who smiles gently and kneels down to his eye level. Now this Will knows he can handle. Kids he doesn't have to worry about that much. He's actually good with kids. "Hi", he says, offering his hand in greeting. Tom gives the hand a suspicious look but takes it anyway. "I'm Will. It's nice to meet you."

For a moment Tom just stares at him. Will notices he has his father's eyes, as well as the blond hair that is so long the edges curl out from under his mask. "I'm Batman."

Will nods. "I can see that. It's an honor."

Tom nods back before letting go of his hand and turning around to run off. Will hears him humming the theme song on his way to the bathroom. God, I love this kid, Will thinks as he stands up again – but then again, he does love most kids.

Nico gives him an amused smile. "Look at you, socializing with super heroes like a big shot." When Jason goes to check that Ciara and Tom wash their hands properly and Piper turns to get something from the kitchen, they're left alone briefly and Nico leans a little closer. "You still worried? I told you they'd love you."

Will looks at Nico, who's eyes look calm but who appears to be chewing the inside of his cheek. Then it hits him that Nico has been nervous, too – this dinner with the Graces is as much a big deal to him as it is to Will. Nico has told Will multiple times that he considers Jason and Piper family, that the two are the closest thing he has to siblings since Bianca died. Nico bringing Will to meet them is pretty much the same as taking him to meet the parents, and to Will that means a lot.

So he smiles reassuringly at Nico and says, "No. I'm not worried."

With a tiny tug on his lips Nico reaches a hand and gently brushes Will's cheek and jaw – a gesture that is strangely intimate without being all that sexual at all, leaving Will's skin tingly and butterflies in his stomach. "Good." The hand drops the second Piper comes back, but the fingers find Will's in a silent dance that continues through the dinner under the table, hidden from prying eyes.

Will decides quickly that he likes Jason and Piper. The way they easily tease and jab on Nico is amusing, as is the fact that Nico doesn't seem to mind as much as he says he does. Piper scolds Ciara for bad table manners like only a mother can, and Tom refuses to take off his cape but removes the helmet when his mother threatens to leave him without dessert. Ciara makes Jason promise to come to her next soccer game, and Will thinks that this is the kind of family dinner he would have liked to have more often when growing up.

Piper is interested in Will's work, and he learns she has actually wanted to go back to studying for a while now. She wants to be a nurse. Will makes a mental note to introduce her to Lou Ellen, and the thought of merging his friends with Nico's feels weird in a good way.

Jason has a million stories of Nico from the past decade. Nico needs to make Jason shut up more than once about an especially nasty retelling of a prank or an embarrassing moment, but Will has a feeling Jason is already holding back a lot due to the children sitting at the table.

"So!" Jason claps his hands together once he has set down the pie meant for dessert. He has an evil gleam in his eyes that Will has a strange feeling about. "Year book photos! Who's ready for some nood natured torture, hm?"

"Jason!"

(Will absolutely adores Nico's year book photo.)

Despite what Cecil might say, Will really doesn't care about the fact that he doesn't get to go to the fancy restaurant he has been talking about for weeks. To be honest, it's hard to care about anything at all when Nico's lips are so demanding and his hands rake through Will's hair.

"We're going to miss the reservation", Will pants against Nico's mouth while tugging up the shirt that looks so good on Nico that it's almost a crime to take it off so quickly. Will doesn't care. "I heard they have some really nice chicken."

Nico grunts and starts pushing Will back without letting any distance between them. Will's pulse skyrockets by the action; when Nico gets all dominant, even just for a moment, Will knows it's going to be good. He feels the edge of the couch hit the back of his knees and falls back, thankful for the fact that he no longer has to worry about supporting himself. Nico climbs on top of him and makes Will lose the last faint memories he has about any other plans for their anniversary.

"Will Solace", Nico breaths, and the voice is so fucking sexy Will almost loses it, and that's even before Nico sinfully moves his hips and makes Will see stars. "You have to learn when to stop talking."

All Will can do is moan. He's almost embarrassed of how needy he sounds, but he really doesn't care – not when Nico di Angelo's hands are undressing him and a pair of hot wet lips mark his neck, making way to teeth and tongue from time to time.

The way Nico moves above Will has become familiar, but that doesn't mean it's any less obscene than it was the first time. Their clothes are off in what Will later thinks must be a record time, and Will's skin feels like it's burning everywhere. His hands go up and down Nico's body with a feverish pace; arms, chest, sides, back, thighs, legs and up again. Nico's skin is smooth and hot and familiar, and Will just wants to touch him everywhere at once. It's frustrating, really, and Will lets out a desperate whine when Nico sits up and lessens their skin contact vastly.

"Shit, Will", Nico says lowly, his lips bruised and hair messy, and Will decides that this is his favorite sight in the whole wide world. Nico places his shaky palm gently against Will's chest, right above the wildly beating heart, and he looks at Will's face in aw and disbelief mixed with want. "How are you even real?" he asks so quietly Will isn't sure it's meant to be heard, then shakes his head and laughs breathlessly. "I fucking love you."

Will doesn't see much sense in many things right now, but that he understands perfectly. He's sure Nico can feel his heart skip a beat or two under his palm, because the Italian then digs his nails to the skin of Will's chest. It's not painful, not in the least, but it grounds Will just enough so that he can sit up, gather Nico in his arms securely and move them to the bedroom before he loses control again.

"I love you, Nico di Angelo", Will repeats his favorite words against the delicate skin of Nico's neck while hovering above him, and feels the smaller body tremble when he reaches a hand between them. He gives a few experimentals strokes before he flicks his wrist just so, just the way he knows Nico loves. "And I want to make you feel so good."

In truth, it's Nico who ends up making Will feel good. But Will does his best to return the favor. He reaches around Nico to tease the man with his fingers, and collapses on top of Nico for the slightest moan and sigh and whimper. He stops breathing when Nico sinks his teeth to his shoulder, has to stop everything for a few seconds when the Italian does this one sinful thing with his tongue. Will holds Nico's hips almost painfully to keep them at place, don't you dare move just yet, but ends up on his back, completely at Nico's mercy as the younger man flips them around.

It's like a constant battle between them, a race on who gets to make the other feel better faster. And with Nico rolling his hips like that, sinking on Will with a long moan and fluttering eyes and arching back, Will is convinced that Nico is going to win. Because nothing, nothing can make Will feel better than seeing Nico bouncing on top of him, supporting himself on Will's chest with his hands and so clearly enjoying himself. Will watches as Nico bites his lip, drops his head back in ecstasy, and the sight is so much, it's so much it almost overdrives whatever feelings being inside Nico has risen in him.

But then Nico smirks down at him and sends him over with a painfully slow rocking, a well calculated roll of hips in just the right way. And Will is chocking, he can't breathe, he can't see anything. All he can do is feel Nico on him, feel skin against skin, feel the way Nico moves and moves and moves until he falls forward on Will's chest, sticky with sweat and come.

And it should be gross, Will thinks once he can think of anything other than Nico's skin against his. It should be disgusting, but it isn't. It's a comfort, in a way. And Nico's lips are once again on Will's throat, kissing and sucking and nibbling, even though they're both still panting and coming down from their high.

"I'm gonna die", Will breathes, not being able to speak properly. He tangles a hand in Nico's hair and pulls a little, just enough to get the man to face him. "You… you're gonna be the death of me, Nico. I swear."

Nico laughs, and oh my god, it feels so good to hear him laugh like that. Breathless and disoriented, chuckling freely like this is the happiest moment of his life. It sounds a lot like Will feels like.

"Feeling's mutual", Nico answers before meeting Will for a wet, sloppy kiss that has more tongue than lips. Will's head feels dizzy. The kiss goes on and on and on, and it doesn't really end as much as shifts, because then Nico is kissing Will's chin and jawline and neck again and Will can't fucking breathe. "But then I guess it's a good thing we're so fucking good at this." Nico has made his way to Will's ear, and his teeth are making it hard for Will to focus. "Makes dying that much more fascinating, don't you think?"

Will has to admit, Nico has a point. But the way he says it, breathing hot against Will's ear with his hands already roaming down Will's body… "Yeah, sure", Will says, even though he has no idea what they are talking about anymore.

And Nico knows that. Will can tell. It's obvious from the way he sits up and smirks at Will before getting up from the bed and heading to the bathroom, hips swaying as he sends him a look over his shoulder. "You coming or not?"

Will groans and follows without having to be asked twice.

Will has loved waking up next to Nico since the first time he got to experience it. The warmth of another body pressed against his skin. The feel of Nico's breath against his chest or back, depending on how they're positioned, the tingle of hot air on his skin. The way sleep slowly leaves his body and he's left to admire the gorgeous man that looks like a piece of art from a royal collection.

This time Nico is awake, too, and they stare at each other for a long time before either of them say anything or even move. Nico's eyes look bright, sleep still fogging them but staring at Will in a way that Will isn't sure he'll ever get used to. They rest their heads on the pillows next to each other, so close that their noses almost touch, and Nico's hand holds tightly to Will's under the warm cotton sheets.

Will knows that the illusion of timelessness will be broken any minute now. They have alarms set at nine; judging from the light filtering through the curtains, it's already after eight. They're supposed to pick Ciara from Jason and Piper's by eleven so that they can have lunch and feed ducks at the park before soccer practice. They're on a schedule, Will knows that, but it doesn't stop him from drowning in Nico's eyes and hoping that he could just lie there with the man he loves and forget the rest of the world.

Despite the fact that they have now been together only six months, Will has long since come to the conclusion that Nico somehow knows how to read his mind. So in reality he shouldn't be that surprised by what Nico says when he opens his mouth.

"You should move in with me and Ciara."

Because that's the only option that makes any sense to Will, right? He's been thinking about it for weeks. It'd be practical; they could maximize the time they spend together without having to worry about who's going to look after Ciara; their apartment is bigger than Will's, anyway; it's not like they actually need to live separately, not when they spend most nights together anyway. And moving in together would be a good step forward, one Will hasn't been aware they're both ready to make this early into the relationship.

So really, Nico's words don't shock Will. Not exactly. They come as a small surprise, however, as they haven't really talked about it before. But then again, Will thinks as he keeps looking at the brown eyes and neither of them turn away or blink, what is there even to talk about? The whole thing is really simple, after all.

Will smiles and catches Nico's lips with his, indulging in a slow, lazy kiss he wants to last forever. "Okay", he whispers against the lips and feels them curve into a smile matching his own, "then I will."

He feels Nico's laughter through both of their bodies. "Really? Just like that?"

And Nico's voice isn't only amused. There's disbelief in it; like he honestly can't believe Will has agreed to his suggestion. And in that moment Will realizes that he needs to make it very clear to Nico that this is it for him, that he's not going anywhere, that he'll be right here for as long as Nico will have him. He needs Nico to understand that – he just doesn't know how yet.

"Yes", Will says, pressing their lips together again, eliciting a moan from the Italian's throat. He leans in and pushes so that he's partly on top of Nico now, and hovers over the man as they break from the kiss. "Just like that."

Because Will loves Nico di Angelo. He loves Nico so much he sometimes can't breathe, and if Nico wants him to move in with him then yes, he's going to do it in a heart beat. How can Nico not see that?

It takes a whole month before Will finds a perfect way to show him.

Will doesn't know what about this morning is different. Is it different? Everything seems normal, just like yesterday.

He wakes up at six forty-five to the sound of his alarm and kisses the back of Nico's head before unwrapping himself from around the man and getting up. He takes a quick shower and is already packing Ciara's lunch by the time he hears Nico stumble out of the bedroom to wake her up. Will grabs a bagel and his take-away mug of coffee, kisses Nico quickly on his way out of the kitchen. Checks the keys and the phone and takes his case, utters a still sleepy "love you" to Nico (accompanied by another soft kiss) and is out of the door before seven thirty.

Everything is just like it has been pretty much every morning since Will moved in; normal, quiet, framed by routine. Except this time when the door closes behind him, Will realizes something.

The morning at work goes on in a haze after that. Will works like he's on autopilot, but if someone notices something they don't say it. It's kind of a dull day, no emergencies, just minor infections and a fractured rib, and it gives Will plenty of time to think. By the time lunch rolls around his mind is already much more clear, and he manages a very bright, very happy, very genuine smile when he passes a few nurses on his way out of the break room.

To: nico di angelo: [11:12] hey, something's come up, i'll be home a little later today. shouldn't be too late, though

Cecil answers the phone almost immediately. "Talk to me."

"I need you to cancel everything you might have planned for this afternoon", Will says in a huff as he looks around to be sure no one's listening in. It's not like he would actually mind someone hearing his plans – he just wants to keep it down, for now. "I need your help."

"Sure, it's not like I have any actual plans anyway. What do you need?"

"I need you to come ring shopping with me."

Will half expects Cecil to try to talk him out of it. He knows it's kind of fast, that they have actually been together for a little over seven moths and that they have been living together for barely three weeks. Will knows that if he goes through with this, people are probably going to talk. But he's made his decision, and he stands by it, because seriously, there was never any other way this could have gone.

Part of Will also waits for the joke storm Cecil is sure to cook up at some point. However, his friend surprises him, like he so often does, and just says, "About time, too. I'll pick you up around three thirty, okay?"

From: nico di angelo: [11:18] everything ok?
To: nico di angelo: [11:18] yes, just a hold back at work. nothing to worry about
To: nico di angelo: [11:19] i love you
From: nico di angelo: [11:22] you better. i'm making chili for dinner

Will doesn't find the rings he wants that day. Cecil is more of a burden than actual help, pointing out the most expensive diamond rings and making sure to tell Will what kind of a ring he is going to buy when he proposes (to which Will is glad to reply with a remark on how Cecil doesn't actually have anyone to propose to), but Will is still glad to have him. It's a very emotional task, and he looks a little less like an idiot when he wipes the tears away when he's with Cecil and not alone.

He ends up deciding to come again a few days later after he has had some time to actually think what kind of rings he wants, and Cecil drops him off at their apartent building by six.

The smell of Will's favorite food greets him even before he opens the apartment door. He has to work on the door, because some of the still unpacked boxes are blocking his way, but Ciara is happy to help; she is apparently building a castle in the living room. It's easy to tell that the girl is starting to enjoy their lack of living space a little too much, and Will makes a mental note to talk about the new apartment with Nico later that day.

"Hey", Nico grins from his spot by the stove when he sees Will leaning on the door frame. Will smiles back, letting his eyes linger down Nico's back and legs. He knows Nico can feel it by the way the younger man's neck turns red. "Down, tiger. How was work, you okay?"

Will pushes himself off the wall and walks to Nico, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend from behind and nuzzling the black hair. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm good."

Nico hums and slips out of Will's hands to retrieve something from the fridge. When he gets back to the stove he gives Will a smile that could cure cancer and reaches out to brush Will's cheek with the back of his hand. Will falls in love all over again.

"Check on Ciara, will you?" Nico asks as he turns his attention back to the dinner preparations. "I'm afraid to even ask what she's doing in the living room. She hasn't tried to bother me once since I started."

Will nods, but before he leaves the kitchen he takes one more good look at Nico. The Italian has a small, somewhat permanent smile on his lips while he cooks, he's humming to a song Will doesn't know, and with a closer observation Will recognizes the shirt as one of his own older gym shirts. Nico's hair is getting a little long, and he swipes a few strands behind his ear as he leans in to taste the sauce and burns his tongue.

And it's just a regular evening. Nothing special.

Damn, Will thinks and smiles, watching as Nico reaches for a glass of water and curses under his breath, I'm going to marry that man.

Will watches as Nico scrolls the pictures. The kitchen. The balcony. The third bedroom. The pictures are good, and Will is sure the apartment would be perfect if they were to check it out.

It's perfect, to be honest. They'd have a guest room. The kitchen is to die for. It's close to Ciara's school and Nico's record store, and it's also a huge bonus that Will can take a different train and get to work ten minutes faster than before. It's beautiful, and they can change the tiles in the second bathroom if Nico wants to, and just look at those tall windows. Will is certain Nico can see the appeal.

"This looks stupidly expensive", the Italian mutters as he swipes for another picture on the tablet. Will keeps a careful eye on his face when he searches the price. "There's no way this…" And there it is. "Will – Will, this is for sale."

Will bits his lip and waits for Nico to look at him. He's so nervous all of a sudden. How am I supposed to ask him to marry me if I get this nervous about buying an apartment together? "I know", he says, determined not to break the eye contact. "I think that's the best part of it, to be honest."

(That's a lie, the best part is obviously the walk-in closet in the master bedroom, but this small lie will hopefully work in his favor.)

Nico sighs as he lowers the tablet and leans his head back against the head board. "Will…"

"I know, just hear me out." Will turns so that he's facing Nico on the bed and reaches for the hand that isn't holding the tablet. Nico's left hand. "I know we were talking about renting, but let's face it, there are so many perks to this. We could renovate any way we want. No obnoxious landlords knocking down our door six AM on a Sunday morning. We could invest on hardwood floors and increase the value if we decide to sell again." He traces a thumb on the back of Nico's fingers, giving extra attention to the ring finger. He wonders if Nico notices. "We could start our life together there. You and Ciara and me. This could become our home."

Will knows he's talking about more than just the apartment, and he knows Nico knows that too. It's not just about it being convenient; it's about building a future, a life for them together. It's closing in on the subject of stability in their relationship, and Will thinks that if he can sell this idea to Nico, he'll know for sure if marriage is on the table. (He feels a little cowardice for not just asking directly, but this works too.)

But Nico keeps quiet, just looking at Will with those deep brown eyes. Will knows him well by now, he knows Nico needs time to think about a big decision like this. But the look in Nico's eyes is still not an immediate no, and that's enough for one night.

"Look", Will continues anyway, takes the tablet and moves to sit next to Nico again. He pulls up the pictures of the kitchen again. "The cabinets are maple wood. The whole kitchen was renovated just last year. There's room for a bigger dinner table in the dining room if we want to invite friends over." Nico leans a head on his shoulder with a sigh as Will continues scrolling. "And here. The guest bedroom. It could double as a study if needed; bed here and a desk in the corner by the window."

Will keeps going, smiling as Nico takes hold of his hand again. "We could have a grill on the balcony, I've always wanted to host a Fourth of July barbeque. And it's glassed, so you could plant those herbs you want." Will knows he's wheedling, but if Nico's nuzzling on his neck is any indication, it's working. "Ciara's room would have enough room for a study desk, so she wouldn't have to do her homework at the dinner table anymore. And look at this wall", he says gently, pulling up a picture of the hallway. "We could have the pictures here. All the pictures from the living room – and also new ones. New memories."

When he finally decides to stop talking, Nico doesn't say anything for a long while. Will can feel his breath against his neck, and Nico still holds his hand tightly, the fingers laced together, but they keep quiet. Nico reaches out to swipe through the pictures a few times, pausing longer for the balcony and the walk-in closet before settling on the one that shows most of the kitchen in a warm morning light.

"There's no way we could afford this, Will." It's still not a no. Nico's voice is quiet and dreamy, like he's trying to imagine them in the apartment. "Not without a mortgage."

"But what if we can?" Will says just as quietly. "I sold my grandmother's house last spring. That combined with the money I put on my savings account from every pay check – "

"No, Will, stop." Nico shuts off the tablet and puts it on the night stand and turns to look at Will. "That'd make it your apartment. You can't pay for all of it. If we're going to buy an apartment – and I say if – it's got to be ours."

Will nods. He understands Nico's point (and hearing the words makes him way too happy for a Thursday night), but still… "But what if the apartment is sold by the time we get the money? Banks work slow with mortgages. Nico, you have to admit, this is a once in a lifetime deal." He takes both of Nico's hands in his and brings them to his lips, kissing each knuckle. "I could take care of this. I could pay for the apartment. And later, if you still want to, you can pay me back. But you know I don't care about that. I just want a home with you."

Nico's sigh sounds a little like a surrender, but Will knows better than to take that as a consent. The Italian leans in to press their foreheads together. "You're a dork. How could I ever pay you back something like that?"

A picture flashes before Will's eyes; a picture of Nico wearing a golden ring, identical to Will's, smiling that soft smile as they kiss and people cheer around them. Will grins. "I could think of a few ways." When Nico slaps his shoulder he knows Nico thinks he means something else entirely. "Just think about it, love. Okay? We can go see the place next week, and then talk about it again. We don't have to decide today."

As they settle down to sleep, all Will can think about is that it's not a no. The biggest problem for Nico seems to be the money, and that's something they can fix easily. Will smiles to the back of Nico's head. What's mine is yours. His hand reaches for Nico's, and once again he plays with the ring finger.

Will doesn't particularly like moving from one apartment to another, but the fact that he owns this one and that there's also Nico's name in the papers makes all the difference.

Ciara isn't much of a help, so they have assigned Jason with her to put up the furniture in her room, somewhere where she won't be in their way. As Will watches, Cecil helps Nico carry in the couch, and he smiles. Nico had only met his friends a couple of times before, and always briefly. Now, however, both Lou Ellen and Cecil have volunteered to help moving their stuff in, and Nico has time to get to know them.

To be frank, Will has had his doubts. It has been very difficult for him to see a scenario where Nico and Cecil could possibly work out a friendship – there is seemingly nothing those two have in common. But apparently it's enough for Nico to listen to Cecil's stupid stories from college, and Cecil has many of those. Nico grins slightly when he hears about a terrible all-nighter they pulled second year in college, and they place the couch in it's spot in the living room.

"So just in case you haven't learned this already", Cecil concludes and wipes sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, "don't let Will drink more than three cups of coffee after three PM. If you do, you deserve all that's coming for you."

Will feels his ears burn with embarrassment, and Nico sends him a quick wink. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, if we're sharing stores, I have a great one!" says Leo, who Will has just met that day and still isn't sure should be trusted with putting up the curtain rods in the dining room.

It's Nico's turn to turn pink. "Ah. No, Valdez, you don't. Another word and you get banned from entering this apartment forever." From what Will has learned from Nico and Jason, Leo is the one who seems to know everyone's dirty little secrets and doesn't mind sharing them with others. It's a scary thought that he is now in the same room with Cecil.

Leo seems to consider the threat, then shrugs as he reaches for another screw from his tool belt. "Too bad. But you know, Will, if you ever need any black mail material, you know where to find me."

Will rolls his eyes and thanks Leo before continuing to unpack the boxes in the kitchen with Lou Ellen while Nico and Cecil walk out to get more furniture. He hears a slight bump from Ciara's room, followed shortly by both Jason and Ciara laughing, and he can't help but smile when he places the pans in the cupboard beside the oven. Ciara's laugh is melodic the same way Nico's is, and it's become one of Will's favorite things to hear.

"Okay, so", Lou Ellen starts, and when Will looks at her he notices her checking that Nico and Cecil are properly out of the apartment. "A little bird called Cecil might have slipped something about a certain purchase."

Will feels himself blush and almost drops the cast iron pan he's holding. "Damn it! I should have known Cecil can't keep a secret to save his life."

"Why wouldn't you tell me? I've been the more supportive one, anyway. Besides, there's already a bet going on whether you two get married before – "

"Shut up, Lou!" As much as Will loves Lou Ellen, he's going to kill her if she doesn't stop with the bets. He quickly glances at Leo, hoping he hasn't heard anything, then casts a stern look on his friend. "You can't talk like that, okay? Not before I can even ask. I don't want everyone knowing what's going on before he does, you know."

Lou Ellen hums, seemingly untroubled by the fact that Leo almost heard her. "So, you have them yet? Cecil ony said you went looking together but you were going to make the buy on your own."

Wil thinks about the small velvet box, hidden in the pocket of his winter coat inside three napkins and under a glove on the off chance Nico has a reason to go through his stuff. "Yeah", he whispers and can't hide his smile from Lou. "Yeah, I have them."

"Do you have a plan? Please don't tell me you're going to wing it. You're really not that good at improvising."

Will does have a plan. It's kind of brilliant, actually, if he says so himself.

Nico always teases Will for being a romantic fool. It's not like Nico doesn't do romantic stuff, but Will has to admit that he's the cliché one in the relationship. Will brings Nico silly gifts for no reason, showers him with kisses every morning and every night, pulls him to a slow dance in the living room after Ciara's gone to bed. Just last week Will sent Nico a bouquet of pink and white camellias to his record store on his lunch break and got back a text "you're a fucking sap" with a heart emoticon that made his day.

So Will's plan is to go overboard. He's already made a reservation to the French restaurant they were supposed to go to on their six month anniversary. Candles, champagne, red roses, violins, the whole thing. Will wants to overdo it so well that Nico will know what's coming way before it does. He's even looked up some pretty cheesy proposal lines on the Internet. They'll take a walk in the moon light (Will hopes it's a full moon, that'd be great), and maybe Will should even make some remark about how Nico's eyes remind him of the stars above them. He can already hear the way Nico's going to laugh.

"I have a plan", Will says and smirks, hearing the voices from the hall indicating that Cecil and Nico are back. "I'm just not telling you. Anything", he adds when he sees Lou Ellen starting to argue, and she flips him off.

Ciara runs to the dining room only moments later right as Nico comes to get a glass of water from the kitchen. "Papa, I'm hungry."

Nico grins (Will almost hears the hi hungry, I'm Dad Nico is clearly thinking), and really, Will should be used to it by now, but his heart still swells at the sight. "I figured. Cecil and I were talking about lunch just now." It's subtle, really, the way Nico reaches out to gently stroke the back of Will's neck with his fingers when Will kneels next to him to figure out how to turn the fridge on. Nico doesn't even seem to notice he's doing it, and Will smiles in secret. "There's a pizza place across the street. How about we go get pizza for everyone?"

Will stands up just as Cecil walks to the kitchen, and he just knows that if Cecil stays he will have to deal with either questions about the planned proposal or Cecil and Leo bonding over the most embarrassing stories they know.

"Great idea. Take Cecil with you", he says and Nico nods. "He might be an idiot, but he does know exactly what's good in pretty much every pizza place in town."

"Yeah, I do. And you", Cecil is happily unaware that he's just been called an idiot as he grins at Ciara who has appeared to the doorway, "get to spend time with your Uncle Cecil!"

"But –" Ciara seems a little lost as she looks at her father. Will can't really blame her, she just met the guy today. "But he's not really my – "

Nico pats her shoulder gently before sharing a quick smile with Will. Will doesn't know what the smile means, but it's beautiful. "Just humor him, sweetie."

Will gives Nico a small and soft kiss on the lips without caring about Leo's wolf whistle and Lou Ellen's cooing, and then the trio is out of the apartment (Will does not stare at Nico's ass). Jason emerges Ciara's room only for a minute to get a glass of water before returning to piece together Ciara's new desk that has proven to be a much trickier process than anticipated. Leo finishes with the curtain rods and climbs down the ladder, promising to give Jason a hand as the blond grunts something that's not very pretty and would probably insult the person who designed the desk and disappears to the room.

Leo gives a little laugh and is about to follow when he seems to remember something and turns to smirk at Will. "Oh, and by the way, your secret is safe with me", he winks, and Will wants to die. "You two aren't as quiet as you think you are. But don't worry, he's gonna say yes."

Will sighs. He really, really hopes so.

The word echoes in Will's head all day. Dad. It's something he hasn't dared to hope with Ciara, not this early anyway. Dad, can you show me how to make pancakes? Of course it's been the ultimate dream, to have Ciara see him as a part of her family, but he's only been in her life for such a short period of time. Like her father, Ciara has a way of surprising Will in the best of ways when he least expects it.

Dad, I can't reach the plates.

When does the soccer season start, Dad?

Hey Dad, did Papa really go back to sleep?

She says it so easily, like she's been doing it her whole life. Well, Will thinks, she kind of has. He just hasn't been Dad until this morning. Will almost chokes three times before breakfast, thinking about it. After the third time he has to lean down to press a soft kiss to Ciara's head to hide the way his eyes are once again flooding with happy tears. She doesn't seem to mind. She chatters happily about the Christmas play they're doing in school.

"You're coming to see it, right, Dad? Papa said you would."

Will flips the pancakes, watching the chocolate chips Nico requested melt. Had someone told him a year ago he'd be here one day, making breakfast with a girl who calls him Dad, in an apartment he owns with the love of his life, an engagement ring hidden away to wait for the perfect moment… He would have laughed darkly, told them to keep dreaming, then sighed sadly and turned away.

Now? Now Will smiles softly at Ciara and feels his chest swell with warmth when he sees her bright brown eyes. "We wouldn't miss it for the world, Sunshine."

The fact that Jason and Piper are expecting their second child comes as not a surprise but maybe as a slight stun. Sure, Will's been noticing certain things in Piper, things his trained eyes as a doctor have picked up many times over the years. And then there's Jason, of course, who Will has learned is the worst at keeping secrets, and has been looking at Piper with these doe eyes for weeks. Once or twice Will thinks he has even seen Nico staring at Piper's midsection with a thoughtful expression, lips curled in a barely there smile.

Yeah, this lot is really not very subtle. But then again, neither is Will.

So when on New Year's brunch Piper refuses alcohol again and they finally confirm that yes, she's almost three months pregnant, Will doesn't know why his initial reaction is to stop and stare. He shakes it off quickly, grinning as he hugs both Jason and Piper and ruffling Ciara's hair as things are explained to the girl, but his mind is still in shock. He doesn't even know if he's more shocked about the news or the fact that he's actually shocked.

It isn't until he turns to sit back next to Nico at the table that it occurs to him. Oh. Oh wow. Nico is smiling brightly at his friends, looking happy as ever, and Will has seen that look countless of times before. Yet something is different when he sits down and reaches out, leading their fingers to their silent dance under the table cloth, a dance that has recently been giving more and more attention to Nico's ring finger.

Of course Will has thought about it before. He's planning on marrying this man, for heaven's sake, and Ciara thinks him as a father already. Of course the thought of having kids with Nico has come to Will's mind. It just… It has never been this intense before.

Will thinks about bringing it up all day. Thinks about it when they give a bag of leftovers for the Graces to take home and wave them goodbye. Thinks about it when they find Ciara dozing off on the soft living room carpet late afternoon because they let her stay up late last night. Seriously thinks about it when he sits reading on the couch and Nico brings him a steaming cup of decaf herbal tea with honey and a hint of cream. Really considers bringing it up when he sits on their bed holding the box of rings and listening to Nico humming in the shower.

He doesn't bring it up, though. Not even when Nico lies in the bed looking at the picture of Annabeth Jackson's newborn son and says, "Yeah, okay, so maybe he's pretty. You know, in a way that all babies are pretty."

They have time, after all. There's no need to rush things. After all, Will is quite content with how things are going. He holds Nico close to his chest, feels the tender touche at the small of his back, and smiles.

Yeah. Will's in love and he's going to marry the love of his life one day, and already has a beautiful daughter. He thinks that's a pretty good start.

Will thinks he should have known that Nico would beat him to the proposal. It's just like them; both of them thinking about the same thing only for Nico to get a little more impatient and do something about it. The good thing is that Nico proposes on impulse and doesn't have the rings, so Will can have at least that.

They also decide to go on that dinner date anyway; there's no need to throw away weeks of planning and plotting, right? Will hides the rings until Friday and keeps them in his coat pocket all through the most expensive dinner either of them has ever had, in a French restaurant drinking champagne that actually doesn't taste as good as the waiter promised. The food is good, though (they have excellent chicken), and the soft candle light makes Nico's eyes shine in a new way, and they hold hands over the table and feed each other desserts. It's cute and sickly romantic and Will loves every second of it.

The walk in the park is cold, and Nico pulls their intertwined hands to his coat pocket to keep warm. There's no moon light, which is a shame, or a starry night, only gray clouds that make everything seem dull. Will is just super glad that it's not raining, because even though that would have been kind of romantic, too, he is not kneeling down on the wet ground in his dress pants. Even he has his limits.

Will leads Nico near the pond where they sometimes come with Ciara to feed the ducks. All the ducks are gone now, so they don't have an audience, but that's okay; this is probably going to be the most ridiculous proposal ever, anyway.

"I know we kind of established this already", Will mutters as he lets go of Nico's hand and fishes the small velvet box from his pocket. "Which is good, because now I'm not a nervous wreck that's likely to drop these to the pond or something."

"Wouldn't want that", Nico chuckles, and his cheeks are a lovely shade of pink and Will doesn't know if it's because of the cold or something else.

Will lets out a laugh, too, then gets down on one knee. He manages to land on a sharp pebble and curses under his breath. Nico keeps laughing. "Now, honey, don't laugh. This is a serious matter, after all. Could be a turning point in our lives if someone hadn't gotten impatient." Nico gives him a dirty look and stops laughing, but a soft grin takes place on his lips not long after. Will takes his hand again. "I had a whole speech planned for this, you wanna hear it?"

"Does it involve clichés and declarations of undying love?"

"Oh, most definitely."

"Am I allowed to laugh?"

"No. Well, a little. If you really must."

Nico looks like he might start laughing again, and Will thinks that it's really not that bad to have someone laugh like that. To him, laughter is rarely a bad thing at all. Especially Nico's laughter. "Then by all means, let's hear the speech."

It's crap, mostly. Will quotes at least three different movies, including The Notebook and When Harry Met Sally, and he has to stop a few times to keep a straight face and to get Nico to stop laughing. He can maybe get halfway through the thing when Nico finally tells him to just stop and skip to the end because shit Will you're killing me seriously where do you come up with this stuff. And Will is grinning like a fool and it's okay because Nico grins back, and there's no need for a deep breath and shaky hands because we said yes already.

Will pops the box open in one hand with ease (he has not practiced this one move for half an hour last week) and holds it up. He's a little disappointed to realize there's no one else in the park to gasp dramatically and take pictures.

"Nico di Angelo", Will grins, and Nico squeezes his hand. The beautiful, beautiful brown eyes shine again like they did in the restaurant, and Will falls a little deeper in love. Again. (How deep can one person fall?) "Love of my life. My sun and stars. Bonnie to my Clyde – "

"How come you get to be Clyde?"

"Hush. Bonnie to my Clyde, peanut butter to my jelly – "

"Now that's just plain disgusting – "

" – will you marry me?"

Nico rolls his eyes. "Not after peanut butter to my jelly I won't", he mocks, and Will laughs, because he just loves that man more than anything ever. "I mean seriously, Will. I could have lived with literally everything else, but that? Yeah, sorry, not gonna happen."

But Will stands up again and leans in to kiss Nico because he can. And Nico kisses back through his grin, holding onto the collars of Will's jacket to pull him closer, and okay, maybe it's possible that Will almost drops the rings anyway because for a second there he pretty much forgets everything that isn't Nico's lips. But that's okay, because Nico takes the box from his hands and breaks the kiss with a happy sigh that leaves Will breathless, and then he looks at the rings and Will swears there are actual tears in Nico's eyes.

"Will, these…" Will watches as Nico takes in the golden gleam, the delicate swirly engravings on the surface, the twi identical rings resting in the velvet box. "These are fucking beautiful."

Not as beautiful as you, Will wants to say, but that's a little too much even for him. He takes one of the rings and slips it to Nico's finger, and no matter how many times he has imagined this, nothing could have prepared him for the emotional rush it brings him. He has promised himself he wouldn't cry, but he chokes anyway, and the tears start falling when Nico takes his hand and places the other ring in his finger before bringing the hand to his lips.

For once, Nico doesn't wipe his tears away or chuckle at him, or affectionately tell him he's a big baby. They stand there by the pond for a long time, holding each other with their faces so close that their tears mix, and Will thinks that he's the luckiest man in the universe.

"I still want to hear the rest of the speech, you know", Nico sniffles against Will's cheek.

"I have it on paper, we can have it framed for you."

They're quite extraordinary, Will thinks, the two of them. How many people can say that they have had two perfect proposals for the same marriage? Who else can say they're as happy as Will is right this moment? Who could possibly be as happy as he is, as lucky as Will has been to find Nico from a freaking little league soccer practice?

Will knows everyone thinks they're the world's happiest person at some point in their lives. He knows it's actually impossible to determine who's right. But he also believes, if even just for one moment, that he is.

Will has never felt clumsier in his entire life.

"No, Dad – you need to hold them firm. Firm – ouch! Not that firm! Okay, now twist the left one around – no, the other left, Dad!"

"There's only one left, Ciara!"

Apparently it had come as a surprise to Ciara that braiding isn't something you learn overnight once you become a dad, so she had sat down in front of the couch and told Will she was not going to eat dinner before he managed a French braid. And right now it's starting to look like neither of them is going to eat any meals any time soon.

"I don't understand", Ciara complains as she reaches out for a hair brush to hand over to Will – again. "Papa is so good at this."

"That's because I've had years of practice, sweetie", Nico calls from the kitchen where he's preparing the dinner Will won't probably be allowed to eat. Something smells really good, and Will's stomach rumbles. "Give it a little time. I'm sure Dad will get it sooner or later."

Will doesn't get it sooner, and probably won't get it later. Ciara gives up after ten more minutes, complaining that her head hurts, and settles on making two plaits herself so quickly that Will's eyes can't follow her fingers. How does she do that? Will sighs in defeat when he hands her an elastic band, wondering if he's ever going to learn to braid her hair. Maybe Nico can give him some tips.

(Later that night Nico introduces Will to the world of YouTube tutorials. It still takes Will a month to learn a French braid, but then he masters the waterfall braid just in time for Ciara's ninth birthday.)

"Hey, Dad", Ciara says thoughtfully, and it's only then that Will realizes she's looking at his hands. "Is that new? I haven't seen you wear a ring before."

Will looks down in his lap. He's been toying with his engagement ring without even noticing it – which is strange, because he's only been wearing it a day now, and it still feels a little alien. But the point is now that Ciara has noticed, and she's smart goddamn it, and they're now forced to have this conversation a few hours sooner than anticipated.

Which is fine. Because Will is not nervous. Why would he be nervous? She already accepts him as her dad. She probably has no objection to him being her papa's husband. Right?

(So okay maybe he's a little nervous.)

Will looks up to see that Nico has appeared in the door way, clearly having heard Ciara's question. He's wiping his hands to a towel, maybe in an unconscious attempt to hide his own ring from the kid for a little while longer. But Nico only answers Will's silent question with a small smile and a shrug.

"Good catch, Sunshine", Will says and looks at his ring again. Ciara finishes with her plaits and leans a little closer to look at the golden band, too. "Yes, it's new. Papa has one, too."

"You do?" Her voice gets high in surprise, and Nico holds up his hand to show her the ring, draping the towel over his shoulder (Will thinks it looks pretty damn cool). She looks between them. "Oh." Will and Nico stay quiet, watching as she connects the dots and things start making sense to her. "Oh." Will thinks she looks absolutely adorable, with her eyes the size of plates and her mouth open to a little o as she turns to look at him again. "Are you and Papa married now?"

Will smiles softly and Nico chuckles. "Not yet, honey. But soon." He looks at Will briefly, and it hits Will again that wow, I'm actually going to marry this man. He can't take his eyes off Nico as the Italian turns to look at Ciara again. "How do you feel about that?"

Ciara isn't good at keeping her emotions in check. It's something she has in common with Will, even though he's still the one in this family who cries the most. But Ciara smiles easily, she smiles a lot, and her smile is bright and radiant like Nico's, and it makes Will smile right back. And Will can't really remember why he was so nervous about her reaction in the first place.

"Can I be the flower girl?" is all she's worried about, and she turns to look at both of them in turn with pleading eyes. "Like I was in Uncle Jason and Aunt Piper's wedding?"

Will has seen the pictures, and Ciara was definitely too young back then to remember anything about it now. But he catches her in a hug and tickles her sides and she giggles and Will is so happy, and once she's completely out of breath he grins at her and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Nothing would make me happier."

The meals with the Graces every Sunday are pretty much a given now. Will doesn't know when it happened, but they have fallen into a routine, meeting up for lunch or dinner punctually like their lives depended on in. And ever since the move to their apartment (their own apartment, which they own) Will and Nico have been happy to invite the Graces over, too, and maybe Will doesn't even need to remember when the decision was made.

It's Will and Nico's turn to host, this week, and they have prepared lamb stew with Will's grandmother's recipe. Will has never really been much of a cook, and so he hasn't even dared to try this one since Grandma died five years ago. But Nico has some serious skill, and when Will tasted the stew in the kitchen before Jason and Piper and Tom arrived he almost cried, because it tastes just like Grandma's.

That's one of the many things Will loves about living with Nico: the way they seem to blend their histories together seamlessly, creating something entirely new that's still familiar but also so them. The stew is a great example. It's something Will has thought of as his grandmother's for his whole life, but as soon as Nico manages to prepare it just right it becomes his, too, without taking anything away from the original. It's about the memories, Will thinks, old and new. And it's beautiful.

It's almost as beautiful as the way Will can feel the ring on Nico's finger when they hold hands under the table like they always do. He has to resist the urge to hold the hand up and kiss the ring.

Nico can probably tell, because he gives the hand a slight squeeze before he says, "Jason, there's actually something I wanted to ask you."

Will knows what's coming, and he has to bite his cheek to keep himself from grinning like an idiot and ruining the surprise. He thinks if it's really a surprise, however; to him it feels like his whole life has lead up to the point where he marries Nico di Angelo, and surely everyone else must have seen that, too? But Jason looks positively clueless as he looks up to Nico's face, question evident in his raised eye brows as he munches on his stew.

Will almost tells Nico to wait until Jason's mouth isn't full of food.

"I – I would be very honored if you'd be my best man."

It takes Piper two seconds to understand. Jason follows five seconds later, and then it's all grins and hugs and Piper's tears that she blames on the hormones and oh my god you guys I knew this was coming soon. Tom looks confused, but Ciara smirks and announces she'll be a flower girl and that she wants Piper to braid flowers to her hair too, and Jason is hugging Nico so tight that the Italian seems to almost stop breathing, and Will feels his hand yanked as Piper examines the ring closely, turning his palm in her hands.

"I can't believe it", Piper breathes, then chuckles and wipes another tear away. "I mean, of course I believe it, I was just talking about this with Jason a few days ago. But this is just too great." Jason has finally released Nico, who looks so red that it makes Will wonder what the other man said to him. "So, details. Who asked who?"

Will looks at Nico, whose smile is incredibly soft when he reaches for Will's hand without caring about the fact that Jason is definitely calling him a softie later. "I think we both did."

"Well", Will has to tease, "technically you didn't ask anything, you just announced and then assumed."

Nico rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and then you went and called me peanut butter, so I do think we're kind of even with this."

"I'm not even going to pretend that I understand what's going on", Jason mutters at the same time as Piper sight, "You two are so incredibly cute it's unfair." Nico kicks Jason under the table and glares at Piper, but Will doesn't look away from Nico's eyes, because they're shining again, reflecting the light from the lamp and turning it a softer shade that burns its way to Will's soul. Will can hear Jason asking for the whole story and Nico refusing to tell, he can feel himself nodding when Piper begs to take care of most of the wedding planning, he hears Nico scolding Ciara for telling Tom he's going to have to wear a dress and making the boy cry. During all that, all Will can think about is, I'm going to marry Nico di Angelo.

When the Graces are leaving, Piper hugs Will so tightly he can feel the baby kicking in her belly. He has loved Piper's hugs since the very first one, and he hugs her back, and he thinks that Piper might just be the worlds best hugger.

"I'm so happy he found you", he hears her whisper near his ear when the hug drags on and Jason rolls his eyes behind her while holding Tom, asleep against his chest.

And Will smiles and holds her tighter. "Me, too."

To: cecil: [23:22] is my best man reporting for duty?
From: cecil: [23:31] omg you finally asked?
To: cecil: [23:32] weeeeeell not exactly
To: cecil: [23:32] long story
To: cecil: [23:32] bottom line is that we're getting married and i need a best man, so are you in?
From: cecil: [23:33] just like you to fuck up a proposal. yes, i'm in. you're gonna need my help so you don't fuck up the wedding, too

When the question about having kids is finally placed on the table, it isn't neither Will nor Nico who starts it. It's Ciara and her stupidly effective puppy eyes. Will can never say no to those eyes. He supposes he can also thank Annabeth Jackson and her knowing smirks, and Fred Jackson just for being wonderfully adorable and barely four months old.

Will spends the whole walk home from practice wondering how he should start the conversation. He holds Nico's hand and watches in terror as Ciara causes havoc with her crutches, swinging her injured leg around and nearly knocking the cast to a fire hydrant. Will has avoided the subject before because he hasn't been sure how Nico would react, but lately there's been a different aura around the man. He doesn't know if it's about Piper's now noticeable baby bump or the constant pictures of Fred Annabeth sends them or the not so subtle hinting Lou Ellen does every time she's over, and quite frankly Will doesn't care. The important thing is that there's been a change.

By the time they make it back home Ciara seems to have forgotten everything about any babies as she demands Nico sit down at the dinner table with her to paint her nails lime green. Will doesn't mind; he much rather have the conversation with Nico later in private, just the two of them, when he can be sure they can both say what they really think about it. This is not a thing you discuss with your daughter before you have had a chance to talk about it with your partner first.

They go on about their day like any other Saturday. They have to fight a little to get Ciara to finish her homework (she has to write a story about someone she admires, and for some reason she wants to write about Leo). It's Will's turn to cook, so they have a chicken salad because he's feeling lazy. It only takes a little smile and a couple of syrupy endearments to get Nico to take out the trash. Ciara only tries to overwork her injured leg twice before bath time.

Will puts Ciara to bed and tells her a story about a boy who built a tree house but forgot to nail the floor boards in place so he fell from it and broke his leg and wrist. (What she doesn't need to know is that the story is true, and that he's the boy.) When he comes to the living room Nico is just putting a vinyl to the player, and as the soft sounds of Fleetwood Mac and Songbird start playing they fall to a silly little slow dance without thinking. Rumours is one of Nico's favorite albums, Will knows, so he doesn't make a remark about the song being abnormally mushy for Nico.

(Briefly Will wonders how this is Nico's favorite. Mostly the man listens to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Then at home it's all Beatles, Elvis and a fortuitous album of Queen. Fleetwood Mac just doesn't seem to fit.)

It's only when the song changes and they stop swaying that Will speaks, still not taking his arms from around Nico, still resting his head on top of his. "Do you want to?"

He doesn't have to specify what he means. He knows Nico knows exactly what he's talking about

Nico's arms around his waist are warm, and the way the man plays with the hem of his shirt is familiar in a way that isn't as suggestive as it sounds. Nico's chin presses against his collar bone, and it's almost painful but not quite, so Will doesn't say anything.

"Yeah", Nico says quietly, but his voice is clear as day. "So much that it's actually pretty fucking terrifying."

Will is relieved that he's not the only one scared about having kids, no matter how much they both want it. He slowly leans back and kisses Nico's forehead before sitting down on the couch, taking the other man with him. They sit there for a while, facing each other, and Nico plays with Will's fingers without breaking the eye contact for a second. There's a small smile on both of their faces, because yes, we're talking about family, and it feels good and right.

"It's not going to be easy", Nico mutters. Will knows that. "It's going to be fucking hard, and we're going to want to give up."

"But we won't."

Nico smiles at him, and Will squeezes the fingers with his. "We won't", the Italian agrees, and Will has a lump in his throat because he's been waiting for this conversation to happen for so long. "Not even when they out right tell us to."

Will leans his head on the back rest of the couch and lets the moment wash over him. It still amazes him every day that he's actually going to marry Nico, and now that they're talking about kids, about extending their tiny little family… it's almost unreal. And Nico's face looks like the other is thinking the same, and it's kind of crazy that they're both this stunned.

"Have you considered our options yet?" Will asks. Nico mirrors him and leans his head to the side, too.

"I have." It's a slight surprise how sure Nico sounds. His hand is warm when it comes to touch Will's cheek, jaw, forehead before settling on running through Will's hair again and again. He has a spot of lime green nail polish on his wrist where the brush slipped earlier. "I want to find a surrogate. I want a baby with your curls and freckles and smile." Nico's hand is soothing, but his words almost give Will a heart attack. "We already have a kid that looks like me – I think it'd be perfect to have one that looks like you, too."

If Will is being perfectly honest, he might have thought about the exact same thing once or twice; how much Ciara looks like Nico and how beautiful and balanced their family pictures would look like with another kid. But that has been purely for aesthetic reasons, and really. It's not like Will thought he'd care if the child had his DNA, or Nico's DNA, or neither of their DNA. It'd be their baby, their child, and that'd always be more than enough.

But when Nico says it like that it sounds like so much more. Nico has clearly given this a lot of thought. It's evident in his eyes: Will looks at them and sees what he assumes is shown on his own face every time he looks at Nico. Pure adoration, love, unlimited affection, trust, love, wonder, delight, and so much love it's overflowing. Will loves Nico so blindly that he sometimes forgets the man actually returns the feelings, and when he remembers it knocks the wind out of him.

"It would, wouldn't it?" Will's throat is tight. The record player repeats the crackling sounds as the last song ends, but neither of them get up to pick up the needle. Nico's hand doesn't falter in Will's hair, his fingertips gently massaging Will's scalp. "You're really the most wonderful human being in this world, did you know that?"

Nico hums, his cheeks taking a hint of pink in them. "As a matter of fact I did", he says before reaching out to wipe away a tear Will hadn't noticed had already fallen. "You keep telling me. But I still think that's actually you."

(Will has learned by now that, despite his original assumptions, Nico di Angelo does flirt. He just happens to be just as terrible at it as Will is. Another reason why they are just perfect for each other.)

Will would like to argue that no, it's you, it's definitely you, but there's no real point. Nico would just argue back, and they'd get no where. Although, Will thinks as he looks at Nico and those eyes and that smile and that jaw line and oh my god is that a freckle, this is the kind of argument he's actually willing to fight through.

Fighting is so god damn stupid. That's the only thing clear in Will's head when he lies in bed and listens to Nico's breathing, too fitful to convince him the other is asleep. So stupid and unnecessary. Nico is so close that if Will moved his hand only an inch they'd touch. He doesn't, and the rain taps to the window in a way that overwhelms Will, and it's just so stupid.

It's been like this all day. This was supposed to be a good day; a Sunday, both of them free from work, Graces out of town so dinner's cancelled, and Ciara had voiced her interest in going on a picnic. Morning had been great, and they had packed lunch together. Ciara had put on one of their favorite records (Café Bleu, by The Style Council) and danced around the living room clumsily with one leg still in a cast when she was supposed to be looking for a proper blanket to take outside.

And then it had started raining. Will feels like that's where everything started to go wrong.

The rain didn't stop their picnic, it just moved it to the living room. But it did make lunch shorter, and they had decided to use the remaining time to finally settle on the guest list for the wedding. They agreed on most guests; Nico doesn't have much friends he wanted to invite and no family left, and was happy enough to let Will fill the blanks with his extended family. Ciara had run off to the balcony (she has made a habit of playing with her small plastic animals in Nico's herb pots, pretending they are rain forests – Will doesn't have the heart to tell her that penguins don't live in rain forests), and they had lists and address sheets and notebooks and invitation samples spread all over the dinner table.

Now, laying in the bed that feels too cold even with both of them in it, Will thinks he shouldn't have been so intransigent when Nico had asked about his mother. How easy it is to be smarter when the damage is already done. But at the same time he feels like Nico shouldn't even have had to ask; Nico knows what happened between Will and his mother, and he knows why Will doesn't want to be in touch with her. He knows, yet he still asked why Will didn't want to invite her to the wedding. It feels a little like betrayal, and Will hates it.

Nico and Will are not those people who yell and throw things when they fight. To an outside eye they may actually seem completely normal, but their eyes are cold and distant. They exchange words, but they don't talk. They live in each other's space, but they don't touch, they don't look. Sometimes they can even laugh, but the sound has sharp edges in places it shouldn't. And it's a million times worse than yelling, Will thinks.

Will likes to think that Ciara didn't notice, but she probably did. She's smart. Maybe that's why she spent most of the day doing her own things, on the balcony and in her room, only coming to them when she really needed something. Will really hates himself for fighting in front of a child, making her witness that.

"It's a little like a cold war, don't you think?" Nico's voice is quiet and lacking the usual warmth. It cuts through the silence like a knife, stabbing Will a little in the process. "A state of conflict that doesn't involve direct military action. Isn't that what we do? When we fight?"

A part of Will admires the encyclopedia like definition and the fact that Nico has it memorized. Maybe he has thought about this before and looked it up. Will turns his head slightly to see that Nico's eyes are glued to the ceiling, his left arm is bent under his head and right hand so close to Will's that their little fingers almost touch. The room is dark, but Will can still make the frown lines in Nico's forehead. He wants to reach a hand and smooth them out with his fingers. He doesn't. There's still a part of him that doesn't even want to, not yet.

"Yeah." Will wants to turn his gaze back to the ceiling when Nico turns to look at him. He doesn't. "Yeah, I guess it is." Neither of them move. They just look at each other, really look for the first time since the fight started. "It's kind of stupid, actually."

Will wants to take the words back the second he says them, because that's just a really stupid thing to say when you're still fighting, right? But Nico seems to understand what he means (of course he does – he always does), and there's an almost nonexistent tug in the corner of his mouth that Will absolutely loves, even if it doesn't reach Nico's eyes.

"It kind of is."

The silence isn't quite as heavy anymore. It's still almost unbearable, and it still makes Will want to scream, but he can breathe now. Nico is looking at him with his beautiful eyes, and he can breathe. Nico turns to his side, never looking away from Will, and Will can't see properly in the dark but what he sees of Nico is beautiful, and it's frustrating that he really wants to touch Nico but he also still wants to stay mad at him.

"I know you have a valid reason not to want her there", Nico states, and his voice is understanding, if still a little put out. And Will really doesn't want to talk about this anymore, but he knows he has to.

With a sigh, Will closes his eyes. He's tired, and his eyes are dry and they sting. He doesn't want to argue anymore, he just wants to settle this and hold Nico and go to sleep. "Which is exactly why I don't understand why you feel like I should invite her anyway."

Nico's hand lies between them, palm up and open. It's almost inviting, and when Will opens his eyes he considers lacing their fingers together. He doesn't. Yet.

"It's strange, I know." Nico looks like he's searching for words, and Will waits. Counts seven different ways he wants to kiss Nico before falling asleep. "I just feel like we should just send the invitation. That doesn't mean she'll come. I'm not even sure I actually want her to come, I just…" It sounds a little crazy to Will, but Nico looks like it matters a lot. "We should invite her. Because – because we can't invite my mother. I know it's not the same, it's completely different, and inviting your mother doesn't have anything to do with mine. But I – " Nico swallows hard, and now Will reaches out for the hand. "I just feel like we should."

It doesn't make much sense. Will doesn't know much about Maria di Angelo (mostly because Nico doesn't remember much and talks even less), but he wants to believe she was nothing like his mother, the woman who kicked out her teenage son because he liked boys, too. The thought of inviting Maria di Angelo to the wedding doesn't feel bad. But Will barely wants to speak to his mother, and now Nico wants to invite her to their wedding, their big day, to witness them starting their life together?

True, the invitation alone doesn't mean she'd come. She has been very clear with what she thinks about faggots like Will, she probably wouldn't want to attend a wedding for them. But to let her think that Will is willing to let her into his life just like that…

That hurts.

"Nico, I don't think that's a good idea."

Nico closes his eyes for a second, takes a deep breath and opens them again. Will assumes Nico wants this argument to end as much as he does. "I know. And it's your choice, in the end. I just want to be there for you, and…" Another pause, and this time Will has a feeling Nico knows exactly what he wants to say, he's just wondering if he should say it.

Will gives the hand a slight squeeze. It's a little weak, but he's really tired. "Say it, Nico. I don't want you to feel like you have to censor your words when you talk to me."

"I think you should think of this as giving her a chance. A chance for her to try and act like the mother she hasn't been for the past twelve years."

Will is halfway opening his mouth to argue when he decides not to. He does not want to give his mother a chance. Not when he's given her so many already. But something in Nico's voice is so calm, so tender and loving and caring despite the fight that's been keeping them apart all day, that Will shuts up before he says another word.

Nico means well. Will knows that, and he loves the man for it. Loves him with all his heart. But Nico could never understand the kind of abandon Will has gone through. They've both lost their mothers, but there's a huge difference between death and a decision to disown your own son. And Will understands that Nico wants what's best for him, best for both of them, for their little family, and he knows that Nico would cling to the slightest chance to mend things between Will and his mom.

Maybe that's why he sighs and holds Nico's hand a little tighter. Maybe that's why he rolls to his side so that the tips of their noses touch and brings their hands to his lips. Maybe that's why he says, "I'll think about it", and finally sees how the last bits of tension leave Nico's body. Will wants to kiss Nico, and he does, softly and without any rush, tasting Nico's tooth paste and swallowing the small yawn before it makes itself properly known.

Nico shifts so that his back is against Will's chest, and Will curls around him with such ease that he wonders if this is how they were created, back when the world was born. Their legs tangle together, heartbeats fuse into one, and Nico's hair gets to Will's mouth when he speaks. "I really, really hate fighting."

"I don't think anyone actually likes fighting, Will." The amused cadence of Nico's mutter is the most wonderful thing Will has heard all night.

Will wants to say so much, but finds words for so little that he decides to not say anything. The room is calm and quiet, the silence now like a feather light veil over them, covering them in a peaceful respite. The rain still taps on the window, maybe harder now than before, but it no longer overwhelms Will – it's calming, now, it's cleansing and almost reassuring. Nico's hair smells different, because they bought a cheap family shampoo from sale, but under that Will finds Nico's own faint scent, and it makes the thoughts about his mother leave for the night.

After what feels like at least half an hour Will wonders if Nico is still awake. The man's breathing is even and the reassuring beat of heart under Will's palm is strong and calming. Nico's thumb goes back and forth against the back of Will's hand, but Will has long since learned that it doesn't mean the Italian is awake.

"Nico?" Will whispers silently in case the other is in fact asleep, but quickly hears a silent hum in response. It doesn't make him raise his voice above the whisper, though. "I've been thinking about my name. About changing it after the wedding."

They haven't talked about this at all. Will thinks that the assumption has been they both keep their names, but that's not what Will wants. It hasn't been since the idea of marrying Nico di Angelo first came to his mind.

"Oh?" Nico's voice is surprised, and Will smiles. He hopes it's a good kind of surprise.

"I want to take your name", he says, kissing the back of Nico's head. "Well, I'd hyphen it, because my name has some influence in the medical circles thanks to Dad, but yeah. I want to have your name once we're married."

Nico turns around in his arms, and they're once again face to face. Nico's eyes catch the street light from the window, shattered into tiny fragments by the drops on the glass.

"I want to have your name, because then we'll seem like a family to everyone else, too", Wil continues as Nico says nothing. He reaches a hand to cup one olive skinned cheek, tracing the cheek bone with his thumb. "Then we'll all have the same name, you and Ciara and me. And – and any other kids that may come." The thought makes them both smile. "I want to have your name, because from the moment I heard it I fell in love with it. Because it's like music, the way it slips from my lips. And you know I'm a sucker for romantic shit like that."

Will loves the small laugh that shakes Nico's body. "I know." Nico looks at him for a moment, a small smile on his lips, and Will has already almost forgotten that they've spent the last eleven hours fighting. Almost. "You're a real sap, aren't you, William Solace-di Angelo?"

Will has thought about the name many times, he's tried writing it down on occasion, but he's never had the courage to say it out loud. Hearing Nico say it now, in their dark and quiet bedroom with that amused, slightly teasing tone of his… it does things to Will's heart. He feels himself shudder. Will might actually die before the wedding.

Still, he somehow finds it in himself to not break down crying like someone may expect him to. "Isn't that why you love me?" he asks instead, nuzzling their noses together and mentally trying to tell his heart to get some chill for fuck's sake.

Nico tilts his head just enough to peck his lips gently and smile. "I do", he whispers like practice. "Love you, that is."

As they finally settle to sleep, Will chuckles a little and holds Nico's hand that much tighter. "Good, because otherwise the whole wedding thing would be pretty awkward."

"Shut up."

Will has always been pretty much the biggest romantic there is, but right now a part of him just wants to grab Nico and walk to the court house so this whole thing would be over and done with.

Piper has been wonderful, taking care of things like flower arrangements and the DJ and catering and all that other stuff Will and Nico know nothing about, but when it comes to things that actually matter to them, they have to have real opinions. And it's exhausting. Piper brings them color palettes to choose from, and has narrowed the cakes to five options, and she even offers to come with Will to the tailor's, and seriously they couldn't ask for more of her. But Will is getting tired of planning; he just want to get married already.

"If I'd realized how much work this is, I would have suggested we elope", he mutters one day when Piper and Cecil are over to help them post the invitations. Nico scoffs and keeps stamping the envelopes. Will grins and nudges his leg under the table. "Now that would have been romantic. Running off to like, Vegas for a weekend, posting a picture of the chapel to social media and then ignoring our phones for two days. It's not too late, Nico, just give me the word. I'd do that for you."

"And risk Piper murdering both of us? Tempting." Nico may roll his eyes, but he's smiling anyway. "I thought you liked big weddings? Isn't that why we're sending off a million invitations?"

"Seventy-eight", Piper corrects him, but Nico just waves her off.

"Will once told me he wanted to get married in Westminster Abbey like royalty", Cecil says, and Will grins at the memory. "Then another time I caught him looking up beach weddings in Hawaii. A few years ago he asked me if I thought getting married underwater would be cool."

"Underwater?" Will can hear the terror in Nico's voice. "Well thank fuck you didn't suggest that. Shit, I might have still said yes."

Oh. Well that's a small surprise. Will knows Nico really doesn't like deep waters. It's almost a phobia. "Really? You would have said yes even if I wanted to have the wedding underwater?"

Nico's face is a little pink and he gives the eggshell white envelope in his hands his undivided attention. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's you. It really doesn't matter where or how we get married, as long as we do. Right?"

How? Will wants to scream as he looks at Nico. How the fuck do you do that? How do you make me fall in love with you every time you open your stupid mouth? How? "Piper, where is the nearest authorized wedding chapel from here?"

"No."

"Hey, Will." It occurs to Will that Cecil isn't teasing him, and he turns to look at his friend. Cecil is looking at the envelope in his hands, the one where Will can now see Piper has written his mother's address in Austin. "Will… you're from Texas."

Will isn't fazed by the sudden subject change as he rolls his eyes. "Good catch, Cecil. Seriously, we've know each other for years. How is this news to you?"

"It's not news, idiot. I just… I just never thought about it, I guess." Cecil shrug and goes back to shoving the cards to the envelopes (Piper has to constantly remind him to do it gently). He looks like something's bugging him, and just when Will is about to give up and just decide once again that Cecil has finally lost it, the man speaks again. "How come you don't have the accent?"

Because the accent reminds me of the mother who decided I'm not good enough for her just because I don't fit in her sexuality mold. Will doesn't want to bring that up now, though, so instead he just smiles sweetly, and when he talks he lets his mouth form the words the way it used to ten years ago. "I do when I want to, darlin'."

Like expected, Cecil looks at him with wide eyes. Piper chuckles and whistles a little, muttering something about unnatural charms.

But what's really interesting is Nico's reaction. "Oh my god, Will. Please stop." His voice is a little breathless, and when Will turns to look at him he sees the man has hidden his face to his hands. Nico's ears are red. "You can't just do that."

Wow. Is he… "Do what, darlin'?"

A groan. "Shut up, Will!" Oh, he is.

Will feels like he's been given a wedding gift in advance. "Is it the endearment or the accent?" he asks teasingly, keeping the accent up the best he can, and Nico drops his head to the table. Cecil bursts out laughing, and Nico gives him a finger. Well, points it to Cecil's general direction, anyway. "Who'd've known you find my accent such a turn on, darlin'."

"No! It's not – I'm not – " Nico can try all he wants, but they're all laughing at him now. He kicks the closest leg under the table. It's Will's. "Fuck you. Fuck all of you. Will, I'm divorcing you."

"We're not married yet, love." Will's not mean, so he drops the accent. For now. "Maybe I should use the accent when I say my vows – "

"I said shut up."

Will could stand there and stare at Nico for the rest of his life, and he'd be completely happy and satisfied.

Nico is curled up on the couch under Will's favorite blanket (the fluffy white one that's so soft it feels like it's made of clouds and that Nico always complains is too soft). It's obvious he's been reading, but the book is now lying on the floor next to the couch, close to Nico's hand that is hanging down the edge. There's only the small standard lamp lit up in the living room, and in the dim light Nico's features look softer than usual, like he's part of the dream he's having.

The soft lips are slightly parted. The black strands of hair fall delicately on Nico's forehead, reaching for his closed eye lids. The golden ring in Nico's finger shines bright and new on top of the blanket (Two more weeks, Will thinks, and a smile appears on his face), and it takes Will a while to register that Nico is wearing one of his dress shirts. The one he has specifically told Nico not to wear to bed because it's expensive. The one Nico still wears every time he can because apparently it feels nice to his skin. Will has to admit that the light blue compliments Nico's olive skin in a way that makes his throat dry.

Will takes his shoes and coat off quietly, careful not to alert Nico of his presence just yet. He drops the hanger twice due to his overly tired state, then checks quickly on Nico to see the man is still asleep. He doesn't bother moving his suit case from the hall, it's almost two in the morning and he can do that later. Instead Will kneels next to the couch in the living room and smiles as he gently strokes the black hairs away from Nico's face.

A sharp intake of breath is the first indication to the fact that Nico is waking up. It's a beautiful process; he stiffens, then relaxes, then stretches out his legs to whatever space he has. He nuzzles his face to the pillow he has brought from the bed and is most likely Will's, and lets out a sigh before opening his eyes just a crack. When his eyes land on Will it's like his whole face lights up.

"You're home", Nico whispers and reaches out a hand to touch Will's cheek. It feels nice, and Will closes his eyes and leans to the touch. God, he's tired, and the feeling of being here, being home and with Nico… it makes him feel so content and happy he's nearly collapsing of exhaustion.

"I'm home", he smiles and leans in for a small kiss, one that is mostly given just to feel Nico there than anything else. He's missed this man so much it's ridiculous. "Why are you sleeping here?"

"I was gonna wait up for you." Nico struggles to sit up, popping his shoulder in the process and wincing – the couch is not meant for sleeping. "Ciara's hogging the bed. I've let her sleep there since Wednesday. A terrible mistake."

Will hums as Nico leans down again for another kiss. "You're spoiling her", he mutters against his fiancé's lips before turning away to yawn. "And I'm exhausted. I don't think I've had a good night's sleep all week."

He doesn't have to say why. The week he has spent in San Francisco in the medical conference has been good, but they both know they sleep better when they're in the same bed. These past five days have been the longest they have spent apart since they started going out, and now that there's only two short weeks to go before the wedding… Will really doesn't want to waste any time with Nico, even with the rest of their lives starting right around the corner.

"Me neither", Nico mutters, stands up with the pillow under his arm and drags Will with him. "Which is exactly why you need to take Ciara to her bed so we can sleep. I'm too tired to move her, and she's literally taking most of the bed."

Turns out Nico isn't even exaggerating that much. Despite being small and delicate, Ciara has long limbs, and that means she can easily make it impossible for anyone else to sleep in the same king sized bed as her. Will has half a mind to tell Nico she's a lot like him in that matter, that Nico too knows how to take his space in bed, but decides to keep his mouth shut.

She stirs slightly when Will lowers her down on her own bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Dad?"

It's funny how such a small simple word can make Will's heart clench every single time, no matter how often he hears it. "I'm here, Sunshine. Go back to sleep, okay?" He leans down to brush his lips against her forehead. "Love you."

"You too." Ciara is already asleep by the time Will walks out of the room and leaves the door open just a crack behind him.

Nico snuggles to Will's side the second he slips to bed, and Will can't stop the contented sigh that leaves his lips. Their legs tangle together in practiced ease, their bodies fitting together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle, and when Nico buries his face to the crook of Will's neck it feels so much like home that Will would cry if he wasn't too tired. He pulls Nico closer and inhales the scent of his shampoo. It's only been five days, but he makes a decision right there and then that he's never going to do that again. Five days is way too long to be apart from Nico di Angelo.

"I missed you so much it was a physical pain", Will feels the words whispered against his neck, the small pressure of a kiss under his pulse point. Nico must already be half asleep, Will figures; he usually isn't that vocal with his affections. "I love you."

Will smiles to Nico's hair as he starts drifting off to sleep. "I love you, Nico", he mumbles, even when he's quite sure the other man can't hear him anymore. The steady beat of heart and the slow breathe in, breathe out against his neck are the sweetest lullaby in the world, and Will's last conscious thought is that it's good to be home.

"So", Will grins and crawls back into the fort they've finally perfected with Ciara. "I have a very important decision to make, and you need to help me with that."

Ciara's eyes glint in the low light that comes through the blankets, and she points the flashlight momentarily to his face before turning it away with a soft sorry. "What's that?"

Will holds up two packets of patterned shoe laces. "I want to have fun laces on the new shoes for the wedding, but I can't possibly choose between these." He places them on the carpet in front of them and points at the first packet: purple with white dots. "These would match our bow ties; you know, the ones Papa bought and Piper thought were hideous so of course we're wearing them?" Ciara giggles and nods. Will shows her the rainbow laces. "But then again, Papa's going to be wearing his rainbow sneakers, so I thought it would also be cute to somehow match my shoes with his. What do you think?"

In the end, Ciara doesn't even spare a glance to the first set of laces. "The rainbow laces", she says with absolute certainty, and Will nods. Thought so, too. "But Aunt Piper said she doesn't want Papa wearing the sneakers?"

Reaching under the coffee table to get the shoes, Will laughs and winks at her. "You and I both know that that's one of the biggest reasons he's going to wear them anyway, right?" He decides that giving Ciara a lecture about the other reasons why they're so adamant on wearing rainbows right now would probably do more harm than good. It can wait. "You wanna do the other shoe if I do this one?"

It's not often that Will and Ciara get quality time like this, just the two of them. But right now (despite all of Nico's efforts to avoid just that) Jason, Leo, and Reyna have taken Nico to a bachelor party (Will had his own two days ago and still isn't talking to Lou Ellen), and Ciara had been almost too happy to have Nico out of the house for the night.

("Ciara, you're hurting my feelings!"

"Just go, Papa! I want to built a fort with Dad!"

"Will, I trusted you!")

Blanket forts have become Ciara's favorite way to pass time. Will can't blame her; he remembers making forts all the time when he was a kid, and here, lying on the carpet and changing the laces to his shoes in the dark, the only light coming from Ciara's Disney flashlight, snacking on grapes and graham crackers and orange juice, Will can see the attraction. It's like a whole new world, hidden from responsibilities and stress and things like electricity bill and taxes and did I remember to buy more laundry detergent yesterday. It's a very nice thing, a blanket fort.

"Hey", Will nudges Ciara's shoulder with his and admires how focused she is on her work. He's already done with the left shoe, so he puts it aside so that Ciara can use it as a model. "Remember when Papa and I talked to you about the adoption thing?"

A few weeks back they had sat Ciara down and told her about their plans to have Will adopt Ciara so she could have two legal parents. She had been confused as why it was necessary, but then they had explained it was for purely legal reasons, just in case something happens, and that Will had already been his parent in every other sense anyway. Will isn't yet fluent in Ciara's facial expressions, but he's pretty sure she had been happy when she had heard that.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, we got mail earlier this week." Ciara looks up at him, and in the dark fort her eyes are almost black. "Next Monday me and Papa are going to the office to sign some papers, and then it's done. Then we're legally a family, Sunshine."

"You and me and Papa?"

"You and me and Papa." And the new baby we're going to have as soon as possible. He pulls Ciara to an awkward side hug before letting her continue on the laces. He takes another cracker. "But really, nothing's actually going to change. Except that now I'm allowed to sign your report cards, too. And you get my full collection of vintage Pokémon cards when I die."

The last statement loses a little of it's sentimental value when it becomes clear that Ciara has no idea what Pokémon cards are and why they're so important. It hurts a little, sure, but it gives Will a valid reason to go get the box from the basement storage and spend the next three hours explaining the glory that is playing with these things.

It's fun, honestly. And nostalgic. Ciara doesn't really get the fact that the cuteness of a Pokémon doesn't ensure it's power, but she likes the cards. And Will enjoys telling her about them and watching her excitement, and they listen to music from Will's phone and eat snacks and talk about Mario Kart and the wedding and Pokémon cards, and graham crackers have never tasted so good. Nico comes home at three in the morning and finds them sleeping in the fort, and instead of waking them up he grabs a pillow and joins them.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano is probably the most intimidating person Will has ever met. Of course, Will used to think Jason was intimidating (the thought makes him laugh, now), but Reyna is something else entirely. He muses why 80 per cent of Nico's friends are scary to look at.

It's not even that she actually tries to look scary right now: she's wearing a deep purple dress that reaches her knees, and her hair is in a neat bun, and when she had walked to the room Jason's jaw had dropped to the floor and Nico had said that "I don't think I've ever seen you wear a dress, please don't let this happen again". Will thinks it's the eyes, the black orbs that look into your soul and judge you in a fraction of a second. Or maybe it's the way that just like Nico, Reyna really doesn't smile. At all.

"Since we have a few minutes before this thing starts, I want to make one thing perfectly clear", she announces, and Will feels all the color leave his face when she turns to look at him. "If you hurt Nico, if you ever as much as upset him, you will have to answer to me."

Nico's voice sounds shocked, but Will barely hears it over the sound of the blood roaring in his ears. "Reyna – "

"No, shut up, Nico. I'm serious." Will tries his best to keep his cool. Reyna's make up is flawless, the eye shadow blended perfectly and lipstick just on point, but her features are like stone, and she looks like a goddess of war. "That guy has been through hell. He may be tough, but he's not indestructable, and if you break him I will fucking skin you. Are we clear?"

Will hears Nico trying to protest ("Seriously, Reyna, that's enough, what are you doing?"), but doesn't break eye contact with Reyna. He wants to, those eyes are fucking terrifying, but he can't. Besides, Reyna really kind of pisses him off a little now.

"If you think", he says slowly and quietly, not wanting to alarm Ciara who has just walked in with Cecil, "that in the off chance I would ever hurt Nico I could even live with myself, then you've got me all wrong." There's no time for this now, he's supposed to get married in less than five minutes, he doesn't want to be arguing with one of Nico's best friends. "Nico is my everything, Reyna. If I ever end up hurting him there won't be anyone left for you to skin after I'm done with myself."

Around them people have gone quiet. Well, everyone except Cecil and Ciara. Will is going to have to thank him later for keeping her unaware of what is being said right now. She really doesn't need to hear this.

"I know what he's been through", he continues. "Sure, I don't know everything first hand, but I know. And what I also know is that Nico is perfectly capable of defending himself, so he really doesn't need me or you or anyone to do it for him. But still, if I ever am to hurt him, don't think for a second you could hurt me worse than I'll already be hurting myself by the time you get to me." Will can see from the corner of his eye that Nico is fidgeting again, but he doesn't look away from Reyna. The woman holds his gaze with steely determination. "Do we understand each other?"

There's a brief moment of absolute silence, during which Will registers that his heart is hammering painfully in his chest. He isn't used to giving speeches like that. Hell, he isn't really used to being angry at people in general. His breath comes in huffs, and he can only hope he isn't ruining his suit with his sweating. (It's a really nice suit.)

And then Reyna smirks, and if it's possible, that makes her look even scarier than before. Will tries not to flinch. "Yeah, I think we understand each other perfectly."

Nico steps between them and looks like he's losing his mind. Will knew he was nervous, but now it seems to be getting almost out of control. "Are you two done? Because Will and I have somewhere to be. What was it again? Oh, right. Our wedding." And with that sassy attitude and narrowed eyes and a palm pressed against Will's chest to push him a little further away from Reyna Nico is able to turn Will from pissed off to positively lovestruck and screwed in a matter of seconds.

Will takes Nico's hand and grins, hoping that the change of his mood is even a little unsettling to Reyna. "Yeah, we're done." He kisses the back of Nico's hand. "Come on, love. Let's get married."

"I remember the day Will first met Nico." That's how Cecil starts the speech, and that's when Will knows he's going to die of embarrassment. He groans and hides his face to his hands while Nico leans forward, clearly interested in hearing the story.

"I got a text from Will on a Saturday afternoon. The text said, and I quote, do you believe in love at first sight?" There's a collective mix of laughter and cooing around the room, and even Will has to chuckle. That seems to like a lifetime ago. "I know, I know. It's adorable now. But let me tell you, this is a man who claimed to fall in love every time he found a new TV series he liked. A man who once called me in the middle of the night that he's dying because he saw a puppy and it smiled at him. So when he said love at first sight… well, I wasn't convinced. Sorry, Nico."

Will has to admit that Cecil is really good at giving speeches. He has already captured the audience. But still, as he lowers his hands from his face to glare at his best man, Will makes a promise to himself that if Cecil ever gets married he's going to bring up that night in college.

Cecil continues. "Will tells me he met a guy in soccer practice. My first thought? A balding dude with a five o'clock shadow and three kids from two wives. Again, sorry, Nico. Will's response? I quote again: have you ever seen a man so beautiful you wanted to cry?" Will groans again. Cecil, I swear to god, I'm going to kill you. Nico's angelic laughter saves Cecil's life.

"I'm afraid me and Lou Ellen didn't take Will very seriously at first. At least I didn't; some of you know that Lou organized a bet about these two at the hospital she works in. Oh, by the way, she wants me to remind Dr. Yew that he still owes her thirty bucks." Another round of laughter. Will is slowly relaxing in his chair. "But I think I deserved it when it took a whole month of dating before Will was gracious enough to tell me he finally got his shit together.

"It didn't take very long after that before I realized that this thing with Nico di Angelo is nothing Will has experienced before. It's like watching a roller coaster ride, except that the car only seems to be going up and up and up, and you wait for the drop and crash and it never comes. Sure, there are small dips, I'd be worried if there wasn't, but then they're off again, and eventually they're so high up there that just looking at them makes you feel dizzy. Will and Nico are so disgustingly in love that half of me wants to puke and the other half wants to write sonates about the way they look at each other – there it is, look! Do you see what I mean?"

Will has turned to look at Nico and their eyes have met at the exactly right time for Cecil to make a point. Nico hasn't let go of his hand since they walked to the altar, and now Will squeezes the fingers; because Cecil's right, they're so in love, and he wants to make everyone jealous.

"I was going to end this with a story about one crazy night in college", Will hears Cecil say and spares him a quick look. "Leo, Jason, you'll love it. But I'm not telling it here, because suddenly I don't feel like making fun of Will anymore. I'm happy for you, man. You found a really good one. And Nico, just know that while Will is a complete idiot, he's your idiot now. Cherish him. Love him. And while you do that, remember that Uncle Cecil can always look after Ciara."

Will can't even roll his eyes at the stupid wink at the end, because Cecil has just made him cry. Nico hands him a napkin when everyone in the ball room raises a glass for the happy couple, and kisses him when they cheer, and it's only then that it all registers to Will.

They are the happy couple. They're actually married now, after all the planning and stressing and even after the arguments.

Will has to kiss Nico again. Sue him – it's his wedding day. He's entitled.

Will may have a little biased opinions on all things considering his family, but he will still fight anyone who says Nico doesn't look good holding a baby. Because he does. Nico looks like a celestial being with Bea Grace in his arms.

(True, Will thinks Nico looks like a celestial being any time of day, doing anything. But that's hardly the point here.)

Will feels like crying openly, but seeing as Nico is doing his best to hide his tears Will chooses to bite his lip. William Solace-di Angelo loves babies, and Bea is one of the prettiest babies he has ever had the fortune to hold. She's small and fragile, and she wiggles a little in his arms but settles quickly, looking at him with those big blue eyes. He can feel Nico pressing against his side on the couch, and Ciara is leaning so close she's almost sitting in Will's lap in order to see the baby – and this is what Will wants. He wants it so bad.

"Look", Nico says softly, so softly that it makes Will's heart ache. "She has Jason's chin, poor thing. Wouldn't want that for my worst enemy." Will doesn't really see it, but Nico has spent more time looking at Jason's face than he has.

Jason snorts from where he's taking pictures (Will makes a mental note to ask him to send them to him), but grins anyway. "Thanks, Neeks."

Piper looks tired, sitting in the arm chair, but that's understandable. The years working in the hospital and seeing women come in screaming only to cry of happiness mere hours later has given Will huge respect for mothers. There are still visible bags under Piper's eyes that Will knows won't be going anywhere for a while, and she shifts painfully when Tom climbs to her lap, but she looks so happy that Will wonders if there's some secret to life you can only uncover by giving birth. Her face is practically glowing.

"We were talking", Piper says when Tom has finally stopped fidgeting in her lap and she can relax again. She looks at Nico kindly, the way a sister looks at her brother. "Nico is already Tom's godfather, but…" Her eyes turn to Will, and the warmth stays. Will swallows hard. Keep it together. "We'd really want you both to be Bea's godparents."

Will doesn't need to look at Nico to know that the tears are finally falling. He knows his are. And he grins and nods and tries to say something and fails, and he looks at Bea Marie Grace and her beautiful blue eyes, and wow. Will really loves babies. And he can't wait to have his own.

Will wakes up to the sound of waves.

They have left the window open last night, and the cry of sea gulls reaches his ears as he gains consciousness. The air smells pleasantly like the sea, salty and fresh and clean. Will stirs and slowly opens his eyes, rolling to his side to see the man next to him.

Nico looks like an angel when he sleeps. His hair is a huge mess of silky black strands sticking to any and all directions. His lips look still red and bruised from all the kissing last night. There's a new dust of freckles on the bridge of his nose that Will only found the day before, after spending the entire day out in the sun. Thick black lashes create gorgeous shadows on Nico's cheekbones. His neck is exposed, clean and pale and beautiful with a small nic near his right ear where Will teased him with his teeth.

The sheet has ridden low and it barely covers anything anymore. Like every part of Nico, his back is a piece of art; like a clean canvas only seconds before the first brush of paint. Will runs a finger down the vertebrae one by one with a feather light touch, counting down as he goes. It's soothing, in a way. He only stops his hand when he reaches the sheets by Nico's coccyx and hears a tiny sound, something between a sigh and a whimper.

"Good morning", Will whispers, not bothering to use his voice and disturb their beautiful bubble of bliss. It feels unreal, really, the way the whole cabin seems to exist in an entirely different world.

Nico doesn't open his eyes or even move, but his lips curl into a small content smile. "What are you doing?" he asks once Will's fingers start travelling back up, taking a detour every now and then to pay attention to a variant in pigmentation or to the dip right under a scapula.

Leaning down, Will presses his lips against the sweet smelling skin of Nico's shoulder and lets out a pleased hum. "Admiring." He drags his lips across the skin, slowly, up to Nico's neck. "Worshipping." Down, down Nico's back, gracing his teeth on the delicious curve of his ass, pushing the sheets away with his nose. "Making love."

As Will continues with his teasing kisses, Nico just laughs almost inaudibly and reaches out a hand to lace his fingers with Will's. "Not the worst thing to wake up to", he mumbles and takes a sharp intake of breath when Will's lips wander really close to his entrance. The blond man loves every second.

Will starts slow, with just his lips pressing gentle kisses around the tender skin, slowly closing in on the ring of muscle. He knows Nico is still tender there from last night, knows how sensitive the man gets, and takes his time before giving an experimental lick with just the tip of his tongue. That makes Nico's body tremble slightly with pleasure and a small sound leaves his lips, sending electric waves down Will's spine. The second lick causes Nico to squeeze his hand tighter. The third one helps the man relax his muscles again.

"That feels good", Nico whispers to his pillow, and Will smiles and licks again, this time putting more pressure to the rim. "Ah… really good."

With a grin, Will detaches his hand from Nico's and uses the tip of his finger to massage the rim gently. "I know, love." Nico is still slightly loose from all the sex they had last night (Will knows he is, too, he can feel it every time he moves), so it's easy to slip one finger inside. "That's kind of the whole point."

"Mmmh shut up, Will – oh." Nico's whole body jerks as Will pushes deep enough in the right angle. "There."

As if Will doesn't know how every inch of Nico's body works by now. He rubs the small of Nico's back tenderly and repeats the thrust of his finger. The sounds the younger man is making are heavenly; small whimpers, silent moans deep from his throat, almost inaudible sighs. They blend into the roar of the waves from the window, creating a pattern that wouldn't make sense to anyone but Will. He will forever connect the calming sound of waves to Nico like this, puddy in his fingers in the bed, making noises no one thought he was capable of making.

Will adds another finger slowly, and Nico doesn't even hiss before moaning, enjoying the slight stretch. His hips jerk back against Will's hand, silently asking for more, and Will is happy to give him that. He'd give Nico anything, everything. All Nico has to do is ask. He pushes his fingers in and out in a steady rhythm, all the while letting his other hand roam on the soft skin of Nico's back and thighs, and Nico is so beautiful like this, exposed and so thoroughly enjoying himself.

After only two thrusts with the third finger Nico turns his head and meets Will's eyes. The brown eyes are misty from sleep, but they're heavy with want, too, and Will almost groans at the sight.

"Please, Will", Nico breathes and rolls around on his back. Will withdraws his fingers and watches in awe as Nico lies there and spreads his legs. "Please."

Nico isn't the begging type. Will can count the times Nico has begged for something in bed with one hand. Maybe that's why the whimpering please makes Will's whole body burn, why his throat is suddenly so dry and tight, why the kiss he leans to give Nico isn't as gentle as he intends it to be. It's not that gentle at all, actually. It's all tongue and barely lips at all, and he blindly reaches for the bedside table for lubricant, not wanting to separate from Nico for a second.

Sometimes it can be too much. There are times when Will just can't make himself thrust inside Nico because the feeling is just too overwhelming. On occasion they settle on touching every inch of each other's skin, and that's always, always enough for Will. Then there are times when he wants nothing more than to feel Nico inside him, have the Italian fuck him to the mattress or take him slowly and gently while he lets himself go, feeling so good that his shouts turn into sobs and his skin feels like liquid fire under Nico's hands.

But it's times like this when Will pushes in Nico while holding his gaze, never breaking eye contact while creating their rhythm, not once looking away when the fire builds up inside them and and their breaths mingle together and their heads get dizzy. It's times like this that Will knows they both like best; the way Nico's hands hold tightly to Will's hair or nails dig to his back; the sound that leaves Will's lips when Nico lifts his hips to meet his thrusts; the weightless feeling when they come at almost the same time, calling each other's names like prayers and falling from their high just in time to catch the other.

Neither of them say anything for a long time after that. They lie in the bed side by side, not bothering to pull the sheets up to cover their bodies, basking in the sunlight that starts peaking through the curtains. Will looks at Nico, and once again thinks about how the man looks lke he's carved from marble, perfect and flawlessly beautiful, a piece of art; but unlike statues, Nico is warm and soft to the touch, and so, so alive. The sweaty palm against Will's radiates heat, and if he focuses real hard and stares closely to Nico's neck, he can almost see Nico's pulse.

Will sees how Nico's lips twitch and turns his gaze to his face. The brown eyes look at him like he's the most wonderful thing in the world, the same way he catches himself looking at Nico all the time, and his already calming heart skips a beat. Will is certain he will never get used to the knowledge that Nico loves him just as much as he loves Nico.

Nico reaches to stroke Will's hair gently, swiping a few locks from his still sticky forehead. The touch is gentle and soft and so loving that it almost takes Will's breath away.

"Good morning, love", Nico whispers in a raspy voice, and his wedding ring glints in the sun as the seagulls answer him.

Will smiles and closes his eyes as he feels himself falling all over again.

Nico has looked tired for weeks, and if Will didn't know exactly why, he'd be really worried. But he does know why, knows exactly and from first hand experience, and it's all so unfair that for the first time in his life he actually wants to hit something.

They've seen at least twenty different women from three different surrogacy programs, and so far it's been nothing. Wil is slowly going insane. He knows same sex couples who have found a surrogate during the first five meetings. He knew what he was getting into, knew the whole process of having a baby with Nico would be long and nerve wrecking and hard, knew that it could very well break them both. But knowing and experiencing, Will has learned, are two very different things.

It's only been months. Will knows that some people wait years and years. But there are only so many times Will has enough strength to put on a brave face and keep his hopes up only to be let down again by prejudice and ignorance and hatred. There are only so many times he can stand to watch Nico's face fall, feel his hands tremble, listen to the silence after midnight.

It's even harder when they have to keep Ciara from seeing just how tired her parents are, just how much they are hurting. It's been almost five months now, Will counts as he takes the stairs instead waiting for the elevator, and wonders if six months is where they can start being openly angry at the unfair system. Ciara is almost nine. Would it be okay to start teaching her about the world's cruelty, about the fact that despite what people say they still have a long way to go before there's real equality anywhere? Will knows they're not going to burden her with that yet, that they'll protect her from that world for as long as they can. But he still wonders.

Unlocking the door proves to be a bigger challenge than it was only a few months ago, but Will still manages it. He takes a deep breath before stepping in the apartment, calming himself and putting on on happy face for Ciara. He hates the fact that he has to wear a mask at home, but better a happy mask than constant sulking.

"I'm home", he announces rather unnecessarily as he closes the door behind him, and is greeted by two hellos; Ciara's cheery one from her room, followed by a crash that indicates she's making her way over to him; and Nico's, from the living room, neutral as always but with underlying emotion and a little tremble in the end, making Will stop and raise his brows in surprise.

"Dad", Ciara almost tackles him when he kicks off his shoes, "guess what!" And because she's only eight, she continues without waiting for Will to guess: "Aunt Reyna is going to teach me Spanish, and she already told me how I can tell Uncle Leo to mind his own business without Uncle Jason knowing what I'm saying."

And okay, it's in these moments when keeping a happy face for Ciara turns out to be actually the easiest thing in the world. Her genuine excitement in learning a new language makes her face shine, and Will doesn't even mind that her elbow digs painfully to his ribs when he picks her up.

"That's great, Sunshine. Next summer we'll take a trip down to Argentina and you can work as our translator", he jokes as he carries her giggling and squirming frame to the living room where he finds Nico sitting on the floor in front of the couch with a cup of black coffee, scrolling down his phone. "Or maybe you'll get so good that you'll forget English altogether and we'll need Reyna to translate you."

Ciara laughs and runs off as soon as Will puts her down, leaving Will in the living room with his husband. Something's off with Nico, Will sees it right away, but he can't put his finger on it. He drops down to lie on the couch behind Nico with a sigh, then reaches a hand to gently touch the Italian's neck when the man doesn't say anything.

"Hey", Will mutters when Nico turns to look at him. To his surprise the brown eyes are not clouded with sadness or anger or pain like most of the time these days. If he had to take a guess and say what the glint could mean, he'd say Nico is actually hopeful. That makes Will curious. "Everything okay?"

Nico bites his lip before leaning in to give Will a quick kiss. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'll tell you later."

Even more curious. Will nods.

The second Will steps out of Ciara's bedroom after telling her goodnight Nico's arms are around him, and shit he's trembling. Will would be terrified if he hadn't been in that exact state not once but twice during the past week only. And he knows there's nothing he can say or do to make it better, so he just holds Nico and lets him cry for as long as needed, which never really is that long when it comes to Nico.

Will runs a hand up and down Nico's back even long after the sobs die and Nico's breathing evens out back to normal. It pains him to see Nico like this, but at the same time he wonders; Nico had seemed so different when he got home. Had he really read the other's facial expressions so wrong?

Turns out he hadn't. "Reyna wants to become our surrogate."

Honestly, Will doesn't even know why he's surprised. During the past few months Reyna has been a constant help and support. Will has learned a lot about the woman, including the interesting fact that she's almost more furious about the way the system treats gay couples than Nico is, which already is very furious.

After their argument before the wedding (if you can even call it an argument) Will and Reyna have developed a silent companionship where they respect each other for wanting the best for Nico and Ciara, and where Will constantly bites his cheek to not let Nico know he's actually still a little terrified of her. But Will really likes Reyna, and really wants to know her better, and he's really happy to have someone fearless like her by their side in the life long battle against the norms.

Will has read so much about surrogacy lately that he thinks of himself some kind of an expert. That's how he knows that surrogacy does actually have a higher chance to success when the surrogate is a close friend or a family member – and really, Reyna is both. Why any of this hasn't occurred to Will before, he has no idea.

"She – she does?" he asks, keeping his voice just as quiet as Nico has, and doesn't let himself hope too much yet. Because to have their problems solved just like that would just be too good to be true.

"Yeah." Nico pulls back just enough for their eyes to meet. Now Will allows himself to read the hope from the other man's eyes, because now he knows it's there. "Will, is – is it possible? Do you think it'd be possible?"

Will doesn't know. But he sure as hell is going to find out.

That's how they end up rereading every single document they have hoarded in neat binders. That's why they sit in the living room and go through every detail step by step, laptop open and ready for every time they come up with another scenario of how things could go wrong. Will starts a new binder dedicated to this possibility only, to this chance that maybe, just maybe, Reyna might be the link that's been too close for them to notice before.

Nico falls asleep around four in the morning, around the same time that Will realizes that he doesn't have any other problematic scenarios to solve, that he's gone through everything he can think of and he can't find a reason why Reyna couldn't be their surrogate.

When Will finally gets to hold his baby girl in his arms, he cries so much he can't really see her. She feels so small, so tiny and fragile, and for the first time since he was ten and first held a baby he's afraid he's going to drop her. His hands are trembling, but Nico is at his side, a hand firm on his arm, and he lets out a shaky breath.

She's beautiful. She's probably the most beautiful thing Will has ever seen. Nico wipes his cheeks with a watery laugh and Will blinks, looking down at the small bundle that is his daughter, their daughter, and it's entirely possible he hasn't yet felt this happy in his life.

"Hey, baby", Will almost whispers, like if he spoke out loud he would break her. Nico leans his head on his shoulder and reaches out, and a tiny little fist takes hold of his little finger. Will chokes. "That's your Papa. We've waited so long to meet you."

Nico sniffles, then laughs a little. It's not often that Nico cries, and Will treasures the moment that much more. "Yes, we have", he says, then presses a soft kiss on the baby's forehead. She barely has any hair, but what she has is light, almost platinum, and it curls at the edges just like Will's. "But Aunt Reyna took such good care of you for us." A single tear drops on the girl's forehead, and Will isn't that sure if it's his or Nico's as he wipes it away. "Daddy and I love you so much."

They sit and cry at the foot of Reyna's bed for hours, taking turns in holding their daughter, making sure she gets to eat, watching her sleep. Reyna sleeps, too, but she assures she doesn't mind them being in the room – in fact, she says she prefers it. When the baby opens her eyes and Will sees the orbs of bluest blue, clear as the afternoon sky, he feels like falling in love. (The feeling is familiar – he's been doing that every day for well over two years.)

The first visitors they let in are Jason and Piper. Ciara, Tom and Bea are with Leo (something Will is only slightly worried about), Reyna's passed out and snoring slightly, and Nico has finally stopped crying. Mostly, anyway.

Will is almost reluctant to hand the baby over to Jason – this is his baby, his flesh and blood. He finally understands why it's so important for new parents to keep so close to their child. But Jason takes her in his arms, and Will can't help but smile. Jason Grace is one of the most important people in Nico's life, and Nico is one of the most important people in Will's. That makes Jason important to Will, too.

Jason grins down at the baby girl, who opens her beautiful eyes to look at him. Piper leans in and smiles at her, too, and Will watches as they dote over the girl like the godparents they don't yet know they are going to be asked to become.

"What's her name?" Piper asks as she holds the child close to her chest on mother's instinct. Will may not have known Jason and Piper for that long, but he has grown to love them like a family, which is part of why he feels so much joy about naming the new baby.

Will watches as Nico's smile goes soft and tender, and listens how the melodic voice trembles a little with emotion as he speaks. "Grace Leeann Bianca di Angelo", he says, quickly exchanging a smile with Will before turning to look Jason in the eyes. "Leeann means light. Grace was Will's grandmother's name, but…" Nico needs to take a deep breath, and Will understands. He reaches out to hold Nico's hand in his. "But the biggest reason we chose the name is because I – because we wanted to name her after you."

Jason is crying. Will remembers the first time he saw Jason Grace, how he saw the man as a soldier, as a man with a face of stone and a steely self control. Of course he had quickly learned that Jason isn't like that at all, but the comparison to the man with tears streaming down his cheeks as he leaps to hug his best friend is still remarkable. Will can't hear what they're whispering to each other through their sobs, but he doesn't have to either. He feels like he's intruding, and moves to hug Piper who is also crying. How is it that newborn babies make everyone cry?

That night Will doesn't sleep. Reyna snores in her hospital bed. Nico is dozed off in the uncomfortable chair next to her, a cup of melted ice chips in hand and legs draped over hers on the bed. Will knows they're not supposed to have Grace in the room this late, but it helps that he works here, and he's able to bend the rules a little and now he's free to hold his baby girl and just look at her peaceful face like it holds answers to all of the worlds secrets.

Will remembers the night in college when Cecil asked about love at first sight. He thinks about it constantly these days. Did he believe back then? Did he believe when he first met Nico, unexpectedly on that soccer field? Does he believe now?

When Grace makes the tiniest noise before turning her face to the pink blanket, Will's heart wants to beat out of his chest. If this isn't love at first sight, he thinks and kisses her head, then I don't know what is.

A/N2: That's it. That's finally it. This story has wrecked me so many times and in so many ways that I'm at a complete loss right now. I have so many things to say about this right now, but I don't have many words left in me, so I'll just do my best.

About the name. I told you in the end of And I can't stop that I have my reasons for the names, and I try to explain it in a way that makes even a little sense. And I can't stop started with Nico not being able to stop staring at coach Will from the soccer field bleachers, which I think works as a theme for the whole story. When thinking about a name for Will's POV, So please don't stop was the first thing that came to my mind. In a way it's Will's response to Nico; you don't have to stop, I know I won't.

About the timeline. I know it's fucked up. Somewhere along the way I realized I have no idea how soccer seasons really start and end, and the one in this story makes no sense. But I feel like, as it's not a main theme in the story, you can maybe forgive me for that. Please.

I know I said before that this story will answer the questions that I left open in And I can't stop. I'm also aware that this didn't answer them all, and that this may have left you with even more questions. I apologize. I haven't included here many of the scenes I originally wanted to, but I slowly started to feel like I was already repeating myself too much, and the story ended up much longer than i thought. I have decided not to make a decision whether to continue with the AU or not; I have some ideas, but only time will tell if I will actually write them or not.

Lastly, I would like to voice my eternal gratitude towards Elsa ( achildofsun in tumblr), the person who's pretty much the reason this AU ever saw the light of day. She's helped me in so many ways with this, pushing me forward, giving me inspiration, helping me with the dialogue, keeping me sane. If you like this AU, you have her to thank; who knows what would have happened if she had a different reply when I sent her a text on December 3rd, saying, "If a fanfic starts with Nico has a thing for his daughter's soccer coach, would you be interested?"

To you, dear reader: thank you for making it this far. I wouldn't have had the courage to keep publishing if it hadn't been for the incredible response I've had from you. Thank you. Please favorite and review if you liked this, and keep an eye out for the possible spin-offs and additional stories!

Now I think I'm finally done. Probably not, though. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

(Come hit me up in tumblr significant-what - send me headcanons, ask me anything, or just come and say hi!)