hadriel_logs | (no subject)

"Just... just listen before I lose my nerve," Nico asked, not moving his face away from Will's shoulder and voice growing more quiet because he only wanted to Will to hear this. "When you were just lying there... and after you disappeared... I had a lot of time to think. And I thought about a lot of things. All the things you do for me even just... just being near me... and I realized... that I... Will, I..." Why was one little word so hard to say?! And this was important too so he shouldn't just say it mumbled into Will's shoulders. Taking another deep breath, he pulled away and even though he could feel his cheeks burning, he made himself look up and into Will's eyes. "I... I love... you..."

At first Will honestly wasn't sure he heard Nico right.He paused for a moment, replaying the scene in his head to make sure he got it right. Nico had just told him he loved him. He'd expressed his feelings. And said them out loud. In public. That was amazing. He knew how hard that must have been for Nico, even without the blushing. And he knew how hard Will's own simulated almost death must have been for him, if he was confessing this now.

The last thing Nico wanted was probably more embarrassment, but Will couldn't help himself. He probably should have been grateful he wasn't leaping for joy or proclaiming it to the world. But he had his own processing to do. Instead, Will let go of one of Nico's hands, and pulled him closer, kissing him. This time, he wasn't pulling away.

Nico allowed it, even returning the kiss and keeping it up for a bit longer than he normally would have. Eventually though, he pulled back but stayed close enough they could easily touch foreheads, clearing his throat as the beginning of a smile tugged at his mouth. "I'm going to take that as a good sign and not a I-just-scared-you-off sign..."

"Take it as a very good sign. It's going to take a lot more than that to scare me off, di Angelo. You're not going to get rid of me that easily."

Will kept their foreheads together, amazed at how far Nico was coming every day and how small things were becoming easier for him. And not so small things.

"Does... that mean you...?" Nico asked hesitantly, trailing off mid-sentence and wondering if Will felt as strongly about him as he did about Will.

Will wasn't sure he was ready to verbalize his feelings for Nico. He felt so strongly about him, but was that love? He wished Mitchell or someone else from Cabin 10 was around for him to ask. He thought about it for a few seconds, trying to imagine how he'd feel if Nico had been the one lying there, close to death, just hovering.

"Yeah, I think I do." There was a little wonder in his voice, as if he was experiencing it, playing with the emotion for the first time, a realization.

Nico would have been content with just an 'I like you very much' because even that in itself was amazing and mindboggling to him if he thought about it for awhile. Of course he knew Will liked him at least somewhat because why else would he want to kiss him? Unless he was crazy, which Nico wouldn't put past someone who actually liked him like that. After having grown used to people shunning him just for existing, anyone actually liking him in a romantic sense was just... It was still hard to really believe it sometimes.

In a move uncharacteristic of Nico di Angelo, he actually grinned so much his face hurt from doing so. "Good. Great. That's great. Because otherwise I'd really feel like an idiot for just blurting that out if you didn't even like me like that."

If Will had just been shown this snapshot of Nico grinning from ear to ear he would have thought his boyfriend lost his mind, or that some god was behind this. Nico just didn't smile like that. As it was, it was a welcome sight. Strange, but welcome.

"You know, I didn't think your face could do that." Will quipped. "I'm glad you blurted it out. I am sorry I scared you though." It was no coincidence that Nico chose that moment to find his feelings. He knew what Nico must have gone through, and while in some cases their powers might work very well together, he knew the weight Nico carried with him.

Nico gave a little eyeroll in response to that first comment. "I just don't have very many reasons to do it," he said back. "It's fine. Not all your fault. Just be more careful next time."

"Well I'll just have to give you some more reasons then, don't I?" Everyone should have reasons to smile. Will did it all the time. As much as he knew and accepted Nico's typical demeanor, he wanted him to be happy. Really, really, really happy. Even if it weirded him out.

"I will. I didn't mean to scare you. Do you want to.....go someplace more private?" Yes Nico, he wanted to make out with you and the party was not the best atmosphere to do it. Nor did he think Nico would tolerate it.

"Yeah." Nico nodded resolutely. "Yeah, definitely. I was never really the party type anyway."

"Great. Come on."

Will stretched out a hand to hold Nico's and head him away, toward one of the groves. Hopefully no one wanted to pick some fruit, Will had other plans. And after, if they wanted to pick some fruit, well, it was the best place for it? Besides, it wasn't strawberries, but it was the best they got here.

Nico took Will's hand and willingly went along, staying silent for a little bit before he asked a question. "Did it... did it hurt at all? When you got hit?"

Will enjoyed the feeling of Nico's hand, skin to skin. He liked touching Nico, even if he knew his boyfriend wasn't exactly the touchy feely type, or that comfortable with touch all the time. He took what he could get.

"A little? Not really?" Will pulled Nico closer, because, damn, that question, Nico.

Trusting that Will was being honest with him, Nico visibly relaxed a bit more at that. "Good." It would only have made him more angry at the gods if it had actually hurt.

Will headed to the grove, holding Nico's hand in his. It was a nice feeling. Skin against skin. He was ever so glad you didn't completely overreact Nico. He'd been a little worried for a moment. Although, maybe, realizing that he loved him was enough of an overreaction.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."