Work Text:
“You’re doing it wrong.” A voice startles Nico out of his focused work.
The cards he had been working to meticulously lean together in an attempt to create a card castle shakes slightly and folds. The cards scattered across not only his lunch table but the floor as well blowing around the dining pavilion like falling leaves.
He kind of wanted to scream. Instead he slowly turns his head to the side, eyes narrowing at the flowing warmth of his favorite person. His fingers twitch when a card flutters over them and his eyes stay focused on Will.
He had been dating Will for a year at this point. It had been a pretty nice year. His boyfriend and him got along well, like oil and fire easily swimming to fuel each other. Sadly though in this moment it didn’t mean that Nico didn’t want to wrestle the taller man smirking down at him, clearly trying not to laugh at the mess around them while also doing his best not to show that he thought he was hilarious for causing Nico to knock his cards down.
“Really? Why, pray tell, do you think that,” Nico scuffs, shifting to flick the card away from his hands in a lazy manner. He didn’t really care that the tower stack had fallen, it had been teetering on the edge of instability since Connor Stoll had stumbled past his table earlier and smashed into the edge of the table.
At this point it was an inevitability that it would collapse at one point but it doesn’t mean Nico isn’t insulted by his boyfriend's lack of acknowledgment of his architectural prowess. Will, the devil, shifts to throw himself onto the bench next to Nico, swiping some cards from the bench and pressing their shoulders together gently. His natural heat was soothing to the chronic chill that covered Nico.
His long limbed boyfriend smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek and comments, “Well clearly something was wrong, it fell down.”
Nico’s face scrunches up sharply. He turns his head to stare down at his boyfriend who was leaning against his shoulder with fake dislike, “You knocked it down.”
Will’s face shows mock offense as his pretty blue eyes scrunch at the corners clearly showing him fighting back a smile, “That’s false! I did no such thing and the fact that you’re accusing me of such a crime disgusts me.”
He sounded like a lawyer from his stupid true crime podcasts he had been listening to recently after the Hephaestus cabin had gifted him a antimonster phone. It had been a big deal, a ‘Thank you’ gift for constantly putting up with their endless accidents. If Nico had been the one to corner Leo into helping convince his siblings to band together for the gift well, no one but Nico needed to know.
“You literally walked over and opened your mouth expelling hot air which knocked my cards over, dummy.” Nico teases, ducking his head down to bump their foreheads together. He wanted the other to know he was joking even behind his sarcastic tone. He didn’t ever want Will to think he actually was annoyed with his presence near him.
Will dramatically gasped, hand raising to clench at his chest over his heart and throwing himself dramatically into Nico’s lap forcing him to slide his arms around the other to stop them both from toppling to the ground. “You wound me! My own Sunshine!”
Will’s voice is a low wail full of fake tears and when the other tips his head up slightly he can see the joy in those pretty blue eyes. God he was such a dork. Nico in turn smirks down at the other and squeezes his arms tighter around the others torso pulling him closer even if it forces him to shift on the bench. He couldn’t help but crave the attention of the other.
“Yeah, Yeah, Nico’s the devil, old joke. Now tell me what you wanted,” he teases softly, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's golden curls. He liked holding him like this and enjoyed the lazy way Will seemed to lounge along him. It reminded Nico of a lazy orange cat stretching out to sleep in the sunlight. It was a selfish gesture, as if conquering Nico’s lap and attention was the sunlight and Will would never share it with anyone.
“What makes you think I want something? Can’t a poor boy just seek out the attention of his handsome boyfriend for no reason?” Will tilts his head slightly, chin pressing a bit painfully into Nico’s chest but the son of Hades refuses to acknowledge it, instead Nico raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend. “Ugh, you’re no fun Deathboy.”
Another look passes across Nico’s face making Will’s nose scrunch up in a goofy smile. The other loved working Nico up, it drove Nico mad to know his boyfriend found as much joy in being a menace to his sanity as he did being soft. In response to his stupid smile Nico ducks his head down pressing a quick kiss to the others lips, just enough to brighten that sunkissed skin with a pretty pink blush.
“Out with it Pretty boy,” the teasing descriptor doing its job and making Will squirm a bit. He knew his handsome boyfriend experienced a gooey sensation in his stomach when he was called Pretty, something shared with him during one of their late night star gazing dates about two weeks ago. He liked that he could get his boyfriend thrown off like this, made him happy to see Will as affected by their relationship as Nico was.
“Evil—“ comes a breath from Will as he twists his head to press his reddened cheek against Nico’s chest and his hand sliding out to catch one of Nico’s in a firm hold. It made Nico grin softly pressing his face into the top of Will’s curls to stop himself from exposing the giddy joy he was experiencing to be showed to any camper who happened to be walking by. “I was going to ask you to the campfire tonight but now I might just go find some other date!”
That was a lie, they both knew it but it was a game they played. Nico grins harder his hands squeezing both Will’s shoulders caught against him and his warm hand. “Uh huh, sure you will, Solace. Just means I totally will be sitting with Clovis instead.”
He wouldn’t be, he couldn’t imagine being at the campfire and not surrounded by the soft warmth of Will and his siblings. He couldn’t imagine not listening to Will’s humming and rough singing voice, too shy to sing out like his siblings who dominated the sing along, or with their constant need to share blankets. It just wouldn’t be right but Nico enjoyed the idea of his boyfriend asking him out on dates like this, it felt even more special.
“You’re right, as if I could turn down a chance to go to the campfire with the Hottest Demigod around,” Will shoots back, smirking up at him with a twist of his head. Nico could feel heat twisting over his body at being called Hot. It wasn’t like he didn’t know he was attractive but it always felt different when Will laid it out like this. It lit the low fire in his belly that had been burning more prominently the last few months. He blushes a bit agressively for a moment before hiding his face again.
“Okay, yeah. I’ll go with you.” He mutters back suddenly feeling a bit more shy than before. He feels the giddy shake of Will’s hands as his boyfriend shifts around, working to free himself of Nico’s shy hold.
“Fantastic! I’ll walk you over after supper tonight! I know you said Percy was coming back to celebrate the first day of summer vacation so I assume you’ll be sitting with him at Dinner?” Will’s gentle smile helped soothe the shyness a bit as he sits up next to him, their hands still held softly between them even as arm drops from the others shoulder.
After offering the son of Apollo an affirmative nod the blonde smiles again. Nico couldn’t help but stare up at his taller boyfriend, taking in his handsome features and the reckless Devil may care expression twisting on his lips when someone runs by their mess slipping slightly on one of the slick cards. Nico couldn’t help but acknowledge again how much he loved his boyfriend. He shifts their positions giving into the urge to be closer to the other now resting his head on the others shoulder.
It was nice for all of the 5 minutes allowed before a shout sounds from the direction of the training ground. The sound of a shrill scream makes them both sigh and Will pulls himself from Nico’s ever clingy self. “Sounds like Duty calls.” The medic sighs loudly.
Nico feels a bit of resentment twist in his chest at whatever idiot got themselves hurt before shoving it away. He’d have plenty of time with his boyfriend tonight as after giving the other’s hand another squeeze he releases the warm fingers and shifts to the right on the bench pulling himself from the warm heat of Will, “Never a dull moment William. Off you go Doctor Sunshine.”
He gets a goofy smile in return as his boyfriend climbs to his feet, twisting to turn toward the training field just as someone starts yelling his name. They both sigh loudly again and share an aged look of teasing distaste. Will ducks down, sharing another quick kiss with Nico before waving goodbye and jogging toward the training field.
All Nico can do is watch him go. The warmth in his chest buzzing with pleasure and already starting to count down the remaining hours until the campfire. He couldn't help the warm liquid feeling he was experiencing from showing on his face for a moment. He loved his boyfriend so much and moments like this reminded him how much his boyfriend loved him. It was perfect to get lost in for a moment before he shifts and another card from the mess slides from the table onto his lap.
His lips twist down then, annoyance eating the pleasure a bit as he realizes something. Not only did Solace knock down his card house but he also escaped before being forced to help him pick it up. With a groan he picks up the car from his lap, slapping it on the table before standing to begin the collection hunt of the cards that had been blown around by the accident.
He would have plenty of time to be in love tonight but right now he had a mess to clean up.