"I want to do it with you." – Nico's words still echoed in Apollo's son's mind, long after returning to his cabin. Every time that memory replayed in his head, it filled him with something Will wasn't quite able to describe. He sighed, laying on the bed, and burying his face in a pillow.

After his boyfriend had spoken, there was a moment of hesitation, while Will was too shocked to articulate anything. The whole situation seemed out of this world, mostly because it was happening with Nico. Nico, who never took the initiative first. The same one unable to hold Will's hand in public for almost half a year, and now he was asking him to...

"Just... let me know what's your answer, ok?" di Angelo said quietly, grabbing one of the blankets and going back through the window, leaving Will alone with attempts to wrap his head around what just happened.

"I want to do it with you" – a single sentence flowed back to the surface of his thoughts, unsinkable like an empty piece of wood. He wanted it too. Obviously. But wondering about it loosely in the night, and discussing the matter with a real timeline (not very long one too) set ahead, were two entirely different things. Would he be able to make Nic enjoy it? What if he himself won't like something, and make his boyfriend feel insecure?

Even despite those doubts, Will's both biggest concern and greatest encouragement, was the fact how excited he got about the idea. Not only that, but seeing Nico's determined expression deprived him of guilt connected to his thirsty thoughts. If he wanted it too... Will's own attraction couldn't have been such a bad thing, right?

Which was exactly why he was now typing his response, without sending it, for the fiftieth time, trying to phrase it in the best way possible. He eventually settled on "About what you asked me before – yes. Let's do it." That wasn't the brightest text he'd ever written, but it got the point across, and didn't seem too bold or too nonchalant. At least, that was what Will hoped for.

Nico's response made his phone buzz, and Solace unlocked the screen to see a short "ok" in his messages. He didn't expect anything else, but it still made him shiver to think about what just happened. It had been settled. They were doing this.

Will glanced around the room, and not seeing any of his siblings, the boy's gaze shifted towards his medical notes. Apollo's son always felt like he had to be thoroughly prepared for any task set for him, therefore his notebooks were full of detailed comments, analysing every topic from the textbook. Will looked at his phone, and then back at precisely scripted information.

He needed to do some research.

***

Will expected, that seeing Nico again, but this time after a studying session connected with rather wild imagining, was going to be quite an awkward experience. What he didn't predict, was that next time they'll meet, di Angelo would stand in front of him with blood pouring from a cut on his arm.

"Do you have some... peroxide or something?" Nico asked calmly, looking at Will with anticipation.

"Gods, Nic! What happened? And yes, I do, but you can't clean a wound like that with it." answered Apollo's son in distress, not panicking only because the injury didn't seem severe. "Come inside." He ordered, heading towards the cabinets with bandages.

"Percy wanted to duel, since I haven't been here for a while. I guess we got a little bit carried away..." Hades' son related recent events, as Will was cleaning his wound and applying the bandages. "Though you should've seen him after my final strike. Jackson seems so inviolable to everyone... It's only because he can heal himself with those water powers immediately... Honestly, he was totally helpless!"

Will chuckled, finishing what he was doing, and then bring two of his fingers towards his lips, to place an indirect kiss on Nico's bandage. "It'll heal faster now." the blonde explained.

"Is that a medical opinion?" asked di Angelo jokingly, happy to see his boyfriend in a good mood, not too freaked out by Nico's injury.

"It's mine. So yeah, theoretically..." Will admitted, putting away the scissors. "Come back in the evening, before you go to sleep. I'll give it a look and change your bandage, ok?"

"Sure, doctor. Any other remedies?" said Nico playfully, getting up from a chair.

"Be more careful." answered Will with a serious expression. "And get some extra sleep."

"I'll try. But, to be honest, it's hard to take the advice from someone who looks this drained." said di Angelo, looking into Will's eyes, which was his way of asking if everything was okay.

"I'm fine. Didn't sleep much. I was... studying" answered Apollo's son thinking, that it technically wasn't a lie. "I'll probably go take a nap soon." he followed with a yawn.

"You can come to 13 if you want. I know your cabin can be crowded sometimes." offered concerned Nico, washing the blood off of his hands. "After all, my absence didn't stop you before..."

"I had a feeling you'll remind me about that. Didn't know it'd come so soon." said Will, still slightly embarrassed about that situation.

"You're a suspicious man, Solace. The world needs to know." stated di Angelo with overexaggerated seriousness.

"Sure. Though from what it seems so far, my suspicious actions are a concern of only one guy." Pointed out Will, opening the door for his boyfriend.

"Which is exactly why I need to let him know that." answered Nico passionately, walking through them. "Thanks for help. When are you going to take a break then?" he asked, turning for the last time before leaving.

"I don't know. Probably in an hour, if that new Asclepius' son won't be late again..." he answered with a sigh.

"Okay, I should be free as well. I'll wait for you there. Try not to pass out until then!" di Angelo shouted, already on his way towards the training area, to make sure that Percy acknowledged his victory.

Will smiled to himself, once again surprised by his boyfriend's sly methods in arranging a way for two of them to meet, without asking about it directly. Next hour passed quickly, with Solace treating only two more demigods and studying from his notes, this time the ones relative to his actual biology course. Before he even realised, he was free to go.

When he got to cabin 13, and knocked on the door, Nico called to him to come in. Will's boyfriend was already laying on the bed, playing a game on his phone. His chin was placed on the pillow, legs in black jeans mindlessly moving with excitement, bare feet flowing in the air. Will smiled at the sight.

"Come, just wait a sec." said the other boy, focusing his eyes on the screen, and biting his lower lip in concentration. Will took off his shoes, and as he was almost ready to settle comfortably next to Nico, he realised that there hadn't really been a chance for him to wash off the scent of the few hours spent in infirmary.

"Nic, can I use your shower?" he said without a thought, quickly realising it might've been a weird thing to ask. But before Will had the time to take it back, his boyfriend already answered.

"...yeah, sure. Do what you want." said Nico, without taking his eyes off the screen.

Well, in that case, there really wasn't a reason not to do it, right? The boy walked towards the bathroom, asking his boyfriend if he could borrow a shirt, and grabbing it on the way, after hearing a confirmation.

A few moments later, refreshed and wearing a black t-shirt with a small "I don't care." written on it in white, Will came out of the bathroom, hearing Nico talk before he even walked through the bedroom's door.

"Where have you been? Sorry for being distracted, you probably did say what you were going to..." di Angelo started saying, only to pause after seeing his boyfriend come back from the bathroom, wiping his hair with a towel and wearing Nico's clothes. "Did you just... shower here?"

"Well, I didn't want to lay down smelling bad. And you said yes before, so..." Will tried to explain, not really sure what he'd done wrong, but still feeling slightly ashamed.

"No, that's fine. Would be weird if you had to come back to nine." his boyfriend said, thinking how he should be paying more attention, instead of blindly answering yes to everything Will asks him sometimes. Even if in this situation it worked in his favour. "What are you waiting for? Come here, you're tired." Nico pat the space next to him with his hand.

"Yeah, ok..." said Will, hanging the towel on a turned off heater, and laying down with a sigh of relief, snuggling in the other boy's shoulder. He could feel how a sleepless night affected him - all the strength disappeared from his limbs, making it impossible to even imagine getting out of bed.

"What you want to do, then? We can watch some Netflix. Or would you like to just go to sleep?" di Angelo asked his boyfriend. He looked down questioningly, but Will was already breathing steadily against his neck, not responding in any way. Nico smiled at him. "I guess it's a nap then."

He lowered the pillows beneath them, and buried his nose in blonde hair. It smelled of his own shampoo, which was weirdly... domestic. He liked it. After reading Will's text from last night, he expected them to be more awkward, but he didn't complain about ignoring the topic. They needed to make sure, that it didn't change anything. Especially for Will, Nico felt like it was important to show that their relationship was steady. Di Angelo himself, even though he didn't like it, deep down always believed in a possibility of everything being taken away from him once again. It was both soothing and worrying, but enabled him to take some steps in their relationship, that he wouldn't risk if he was being more careful. But Nico knew Will. His boyfriend wouldn't be able to forgive himself, if he started to believe that something irreparable happened because of him. Throughout this week, Nico should focus on reassuring him it was alright. They could worry about everything else later.

Deep breath suddenly escaped Will's mouth, as Apollo's son relaxed under his boyfriend's touch. The blonde always helped everyone, taking their problems deeply into his heart, carrying their weight like they were his own. Nico admired him for that. Will's selfless nature played a huge part in dealing with issues di Angelo never expected himself to overcome. But, Hades' son thought to himself, it was about time for someone to take care of Will as well. Even with a bright smile and positive attitude, the boy had problems like everyone else. Still, everyone subconsciously expected reassurance from him. Nico couldn't blame them for it. His boyfriend's presence was like a warm hug, constantly reminding there was someone supportive by your side.

Their stories were different, two boys' lives being almost contradictive to each other until this point, and Nico didn't like comparing them. But even though it wasn't the matter of who had it more difficult, di Angelo often felt like what Will was doing, was much harder than anyone thought. When Nico could show he was in a bad mood freely, without any pressure to keep his worries inside, Apollo's son had to deal with everything on his own, or when he was alone with a person he trusted. It made Nico tired only thinking about it – being positive despite not feeling like it at all. But it was all Will was, the ray of sunshine enabling them all to smile. Nico's boyfriend always denied it, accusing him of exaggerating his role. But di Angelo knew, that without people like Apollo's son, they'd all loose a will to do anything in a matter of few days.

Which is why all he could do for now, was being someone, with whom Will would be able to feel relaxed – both in a matter of problems, and not having to be an authority all the time. Someone telling Will to take a nap, to whom he could admit to being tired.

"We'll be fine" said Nico before falling asleep, petting his boyfriend's hair, until both of their breathes settled in a slow rhythm.

*** 

***

Will couldn't believe how it was possible for him to prepare a thorough list of things to pack, make sure that both him and Nico didn't leave any matters unsettled, but did not think about the mean of transport they'd be travelling by.

"Nic." he said to his boyfriend, slightly worried. Di Angelo looked at Will from behind his new sunglasses, that Hazel bought as a joke. They had little, shining red stones on the front of the frame, and an inscription that said bad boy on each side. It was hidden behind the ear, unless Nico decided to put his hair up (which di Angelo finally never shortened). Hades' son would never admit it, but Will knew dark-haired boy grew to love them, despite making fun of his sister's poor taste when he got the present. "You bought us the plane tickets, didn't you?"

"What? No." Nico answered calmly, looking back at the stack of clothes on his bed.

"What do you mean no?" Apollo's son started panicking. "How else are we going to get there?!"

"Shadow travel, obviously." the other boy said, like it was the most logical thing in the world. "I didn't do it for a week, and two of us with some baggage is not much weight to transport anyway."

"But..." Will tried to oppose, but was immediately stopped by his boyfriend.

"Please, just agree. I'm going to be fine, I swear." said Nico without a doubt in his voice. What else was for the other boy to do, than agree, if he didn't want to break the other one's trust?

"Fine. Just... be careful." answered Will, still quite unsure.

"Always." said Nico happily, placing the last piece of clothing in his bag. Boy's excitement grew with every second, since he had never really gone on vacation. "So, you got everything?"

"I think so, yes." answered Will. "When are we going to leave?"

"Since we're ready, I thought about now, actually." said Nico quietly, embarrassed due to his own eagerness. "Is that okay?"

"I mean, sure. I just thought we would say goodbye to everyone and..." Apollo's son spoke, realising that all those things might be his own excuses not to go. As it turned out, he might've not been as prepared for the trip as he expected. "You know, actually, let's just go. We did that yesterday." Will added, waving his hand. But Nico already opened the door.

"Bye, losers! See you next week!" he shouted towards Percy and Jason who stood nearby. This trip really awakens the kid in him. – Will thought, while looking at two older demigods waving enthusiastically, and shouting phrases like "We love you too, Nico!", "Bring us a postcard, Ann loves those for some reason!", or "Solace, we know you're inside. Take care of him there!".

"Let's go then." said Nico nonchalantly, although with a spark in the dark eyes, that revealed his impatience. Di Angelo reached towards Will with his hand.

"Let's go." his boyfriend repeated Hades' son's words, before he took it, and the darkness surrounded them both.