Nico

December 7, 1941

"Nico, are you coming or what?" Will shouted from the hall.

"Coming! Gosh, be patient!" I answered as I pulled on my trench coat. 

Will and I had been living together for about two months now. So far, everything had been grand. Over the past several weeks, Will and I had developed a close bond. Now, I considered him as one of my closest friends. 

I finished buttoning my coat and dashed out the door. Will was leaning against the wall, smiling eagerly as he watched me approach him. He was wearing a thick white coat, gray gloves, and heavy black boots. "Ready to learn how to ice-skate?" Will asked. 

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied, shrugging. Will grinned and snatched my wrist. He hauled me through the building and onto the bustling sidewalk. 

"Will- ack! Slow down!" I cried as he dragged me down the street towards Rockefeller Center.

"No way, Nico! I want us to be the first people on the ice!" he answered. I let out a sigh and continued to allow him to pull me along. Finally, we reached the ice rink. We shouldered our way to the front of the crowd of people gathered around the rink. When we reached the railing, I gasped. 

A large area of ice stretched out before me. Sunlight reflected off the shimmering surface, making the ice appear as if it were glowing. A golden statue of a man who seemed to be flying through the air with a piece of cloth draped loosely around his hips stood on the opposite side of the rink, his head tilted in such a way that made him appear to be watching over the skaters. Around the statue, jets of water spewed upward, the sound water gurgling merrily mingling with the bustle of the city. A gargantuan tree covered with colorful ornaments and strings of lights towered over the ice rink. It looked like something out of a hallmark card. 

"Pretty great, huh?" Will said. 

"Yeah. I've seen pictures, but wow! It's amazing!" I answered, my eyes still glued to the winter wonderland laid out before me. 

He grinned, "Wait 'til you skate on it." 

Just as the words left his mouth, a small man dressed in a fancy suit stepped forward. He began rambling on about how iconic the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink was and about how it was a New York City tradition that must be preserved. Will and I used the time to slip on our ice-skates and place our boots on a nearby bench alongside a pile of other people's  shoes. Finally, the man finished talking and opened the gate. Will grabbed my arm and helped me hobble towards the open gate. Miraculously, we were quick enough to beat the surging crowd behind us and managed to make it to the ice first.

As soon as our skates touched the ice, Will threw his hands up. "Yes! Victory!" he cried. He pulled me into a tight embrace, "We did it, Neeks! First ones on the ice!"

I laughed and pulled away, "All we did was make it to the ice first. You act like we just won the Olympics or something."

"But don't you see how great it is? We were first! First on the ice at Rockefeller Center!" he shouted. He whooped and took off on a victory lap around the rink. I couldn't help but smile as I observed him. That's something that I really loved about Will, he always found joy and excitement in the littlest things. 

Will came hurdling towards me at full speed. I immediately gripped the wall and tried to pull myself out of the way as quickly as possible, but I soon realized that I wouldn't make it. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the impact as Will came rushing towards me. But instead of being smacked into and knocked to the ground, I simply felt Will wrap his arms around me. I opened my eyes to find myself in Will's arms as we slid to a gentle stop several feet away from the wall. 

Will chuckled, "Did you really think I was going to plow into you like a truck?" 

I punched his arm playfully, "I thought you had no idea what you were doing or how to stop."

"Well, I do," Will answered. He released me, but he kept his hands on my arms to help steady me on the ice. "Ready to learn how to ice-skate?" he asked. 

I gulped, "Now?"

"Yes, now!" Will exclaimed. "Don't worry, it's easy and I'll help you." He pushed off the ice with his heel and helped guide me as we glided over the slippery surface. At first, I was a bit wobbly. I relied on Will for balance most of the time, and I wasn't that great at getting myself moving. But, after several minutes of Will's help, I finally managed to figure out how to balance myself and accelerate. 

"Will, I think I'm getting the hang of it," I said as I propelled myself around the rink. I gently leaned to the left and then made a sharp right, forming a figure eight in the center of the ice. 

"You're doing great!" Will called from across the ice. I continued to glide gracefully across the ice. I accelerated and passed several other skaters as I skated laps around the rink. I noticed Will grinning proudly as he watched me skate, his sky blue eyes following me across the ice. A warm, fuzzy feeling rose in my chest, as if someone was suddenly stuffing me with heated cotton balls. 

I turned and skated towards him. Will glided forward and caught me in his arms, sending us into a gentle spiral across the ice. "You're a natural, Neeks!" he exclaimed, pulling me closer. 

I felt the blood rush to my face, "Thanks, for, you know, teaching me and stuff."

His face lit up, "No problem." We came to a stop in the middle of the ice rink, but Will didn't let go. Then, something completely unexpected happened. 

As we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms in front of about seventy people, Will kissed me. At first, I was shocked. I felt myself freeze up, every bone in my body screaming that this was wrong. But I didn't care. Instead, I kissed back. It felt like the sun had exploded inside of me. Heat and joy coursed through my veins. I felt like I could fly. We finally separated after several moments. 

Will's eyes widened in the sudden realization of what he'd done. "N-Nico, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have-"

I quickly cut him off with another kiss. When we pulled apart, I couldn't help but give him a smug grin, "Yes you should. You should've done that a long time ago."

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise before grinning, wrapping his arms around my waist, and kissing me once more. To be completely honest, I'm not sure how long the kiss lasted. I assume it lasted just a few moments, maybe slightly longer, but to me, it felt like lifetimes. When I was with Will, time seemed to stop. My fears and worries melted away until all that was left was his smile. 

Will smirked as we pulled apart, "You're not a bad kisser."

I grinned in return, "You're not so bad yourself."

Several hours of skating and flirting later, we removed our skates and headed home. We walked side by side down the sidewalk, our arms just barely brushing against each other. 

"So, what did you think?" Will asked.

"It was fun. A bit difficult at first, but fun," I answered. 

He grinned, "Want to go again sometime? I promise we can make out some more."

I felt the blood rushing to my face. "Shut up!" I replied, punching him playfully. 

He chuckled, "Come on, did you at least enjoy it a little bit?" 

"Yes," I admitted, my voice just barely above a whisper. 

"So, does that mean you want to be my boyfriend?" he asked suddenly. 

My eyes widened in surprise, "What?"

"My boyfriend. You know, be together. A couple," he repeated. 

"How would you feel if I said yes?" I responded. 

Will tangled his fingers with mine, "I'd feel like I was on top of the world." 

I grinned and leaned my head against his shoulder as we walked. I listened to the gentle thump thump, thump thump of his heart. It was so steady and sure, ready to take the world by storm, but it still maintained a laid back and peaceful vibe, just like Will. That was the amazing thing about Will: he was strong and confident, but gentle and relaxed as well. He was the perfect blend of determination and joy. 

We reached our apartment several minutes later. Will unlocked the door and we stepped through the door. I took a seat on the edge of my bed while Will let out a loud sigh and flopped onto his "bed" in the most ungraceful way possible. I couldn't help but giggle a little. 

He looked up at me, "What are you laughing at?"

"You."

"Why?"

"Because you're funny."

"Should I be embarrassed?"

"No."

Will grinned and gestured for me to come closer. I got up from my  bed and joined him on the pile of pillows and blankets. He draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled my close.

"Nico di Angelo is my boyfriend," he sighed dreamily. 

"I'm right here, you know," I reminded him. Will chuckled and brushed my hair off my forehead. He placed a soft kiss in the center of my forehead and gazed at me with a far-away look in his eye.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You. You're beautiful," Will said. 

I raised an eyebrow, "I'm... beautiful?"

"Mmm hmm," Will responded. He traced his fingers along my jaw and across the side of my face, his thumb gently brushing my cheekbone. "You're not handsome, you're beautiful. It's a different kind of beautiful, though. You have these high cheekbones and sharp features and dark eyes hiding behind your black hair. I like it." Will continued to marvel at my features. He studied my face, his gentle blue eyes exploring my face. Honestly, I didn't mind it. It just felt nice to be appreciated by someone in this damn city. 

Several minutes later, Will finally took his attention away from me. He reached for the radio sitting on the floor nearby and began twisting the nobs. 

"What are you doing?" I asked. 

"Looking for a bit of music," he answered. 

He stopped on a station where a peppy piano tune was playing. Suddenly, the song was interrupted by a female news anchor speaking in an urgent tone. 

"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news from Washington," she said. Will leaned forward and turned up the volume. "It has been confirmed that Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese as an act of war against the U.S."

I felt my stomach flip. We had been hearing about the conflict in other countries, but our country had pretty much avoided it. Well, that is, until now. I thought about all my plans, ideas, and hopes for this city, all suddenly gone with a bang! Just like Pearl Harbor.

"Will..." I whispered. He shushed me and continued to focus on the news. 

"It has already been decided that every man over the age of eighteen will be required to enroll in the draft to better our armed forces and prepare for combat overseas," the news anchor continued. 

"A draft..." Will muttered under his breath. 

"Little information has been gathered thus far, but we hope to bring you more coverage in the coming hours." The radio fell silent and returned to the piano music, which no longer seemed very joyful.

"We're in a war. We're caught in the middle of a world war," I said to myself. 

"Neeks, it's not that bad," Will assured me, wrapping his strong, tan arms around my body. 

"Yes it is!" I cried, pulling out of his grip and jumping to my feet. "Didn't you hear the news? There's going to be a draft! We'll have to register! We might get drawn and carted off to Europe or Asia and be killed!"

"Nico, that isn't going to happen," Will answered.

"How do you know?" I shot back.

"Because I won't let it," he promised. He slipped his hand into mine and leaned close, "As long as I'm alive, nothing's going to happen to you, I won't let it." He stood and pulled me into a tight embrace, "I swear on my life, it's all going to be fine."

"Will, you can't promise that," I said.

"Yes I can, I just did," he answered.

"But you can't keep it," I reminded him. 

"Yes I can, just watch me," he replied. 

I sighed and buried my face in Will's chest. His shirt still smelled of shredded ice and pine needles from our day at the ice rink. Even though it wasn't more than two hours ago, it felt like another lifetime. A lifetime without war. A lifetime without worry. A lifetime with just me and Will, a pair of nut jobs in love.