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There was a lot about dating Will that Nico enjoyed immensely. There was never a dull moment in their relationship. They never ran out of topics to talk about, things to argue about and things to agree on. Will was the best person to interact with because he challenged Nico, teasing him like he wasn’t scared of him. Will showed Nico in no uncertain terms that he was worthy of love and capable of being loved. That Nico didn’t have to be alone, that people didn't detest his presence, and even more, that people actually wanted to be around him. Will was one of his best friends and the love of his life, and everything about being with him was better than Nico ever anticipated he would deserve.
Every aspect of their relationship was basically a dream. Except, that is, for one small thing.
The worst thing about dating Will, Nico had come to find out, was that it seemed like a ton of people at Camp also thought Will was wonderful. He knew, even before dating him, that Will was a likable guy. That he was gorgeous and hysterical and fun and a million other attributes that Nico could never be. Hanging out with Will really was like laying in the sun, for lack of a more apt comparison, as over the top and corny as it was. Nico thought he more than deserved corny for once in his life. He had earned that shit.
Either way, Will was easygoing, nice to be with, great to look at, and a hero in a way that was less intimidating and intense than the way that others were heroes. So, it made sense that when Nico finally settled down at Camp and had become accustomed to the culture there, he quickly realized there were a few campers who had a little crush on Will. Nico never actually talked to them about it, but he didn’t need to. He saw the way people looked at him, and he didn’t blame them for staring. Will was incredible, it was hard to look away from him.
Nico felt like a moron for joining the ranks of fools who stared at Will and bent over backwards trying to get his attention, but fuck it was hard not to, okay! Nico understood why so many people talked to Will and wanted to be around him, he got it. However, that didn’t stop him from feeling superior about Will picking him above everyone else. And it absolutely did not make him above feeling a little jealous whenever Will gave anyone else attention.
“Paolo is giving you eyes again,” Nico said, narrowing his eyes and staring at the child of Hebe from across the dining pavilion during breakfast one day.
“He’s just being friendly. Back down, Cujo,” Will said in response, waving to Paolo. Nico swore Will was doing that just to piss him off. Nico stamped down his anger, not wanting to give Will the satisfaction.
“I know friendly, and that is not friendly,” Nico commented through gritted teeth. As someone who was certifiably in love with Will, Nico considered himself an expert on what being enamored with Will looked like. And Paolo was doing way more than just being friendly.
“Light of my life, darling. I love you so much. But you wouldn’t know friendly if it bit you on the nose,” Will said, turning back to Nico and giving him a smile. “I can’t believe you’re actually jealous of that guy.”
Nico glared at Will. “I am not jealous. I am just looking out for you. He is looking at you like you’re available. And if I was jealous, which I am not, well, wouldn’t you be too, if you were in my situation? He keeps staring at you! How do you think you are supposed to feel when Mr. Tan and Muscular is flirting with your boyfriend?”
“Okay, listen to the way you are describing him, Nico, and tell me again that you’re the one who is supposed to be jealous,” Will said, raising his eyebrows at Nico. “And he is hardly flirting with me. He looked at me and waved, so I waved back.” Nico huffed in response.
“Ugh, you know what I mean!” Nico said, throwing his hands up. “You know what, I need to go. I’m over these games, and I don’t have time.”
Will grabbed Nico’s hand. “Dude, you’re ridiculous. Sit down, dumbass. Be mature, hold my hand, and finish the damn pancakes that you made such a big deal about getting.”
“Whatever,” Nico responded, feeling himself blush red, but still sitting back down and eating more of his pancakes. Paolo may be the one staring at Will, but Nico was the one sitting next to him, holding his hand. Take that son of Hebe. Not that Nico was keeping score or anything.
Though the rest of the meal passed by without a hitch, Nico wasn’t ready to say bye to Will just yet. Not because he was jealous. No, he just wanted to spend more time with him. So what if, following breakfast, Nico kept just a little too close to Will? What if Nico kept taking Will’s hand in his, and giving glares to anyone that let their gaze linger on him a little too long? What if Nico made the executive decision to disregard the activities schedule Chiron had desperately tried, to no avail, to get him to follow? Nico didn’t really mind trailing behind Will all day like a little attack dog, as long as it meant that he got Will to himself.
Since he and Will were almost always together (you could keep your cries of codependency to yourself, thank you very much. They could be apart if they wanted to be, but they didn’t so they usually stuck together), Will didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss until the third time Nico bumped into Will, after he stopped short to talk to yet another person.
“Sorry,” Nico said, trying to look as nonchalant as possible when Will turned around to look at him after talking to Valentina about the new magazine she was reading.
The faintest hint of smile came on Will’s face. “I won’t disappear if you’re not on top of me, Nico,” Will replied, taking Nico’s hand in his and leading him to Apollo Cabin’s next activity. Nico tried to not look too sheepish, knowing that Will was catching onto his game, but also being too needy to really care if Will knew what was up.
It all came to a head later that day. Nico did a lot of things he wasn’t particularly proud of in his life. He didn’t have time to name them all, he was trying to not live in the past or whatever. But, the way that he acted at the campfire that night was definitely up there on the list.
“Anyone want another s’more?” Lou Ellen asked, standing up, ruffling her freshly dyed purple hair that Nico and Will helped her dye the night before. “I need to stand, my legs are falling asleep.”
“Yeah, I’ll take one-” Will started to say.
“I’m getting up too, so I can get yours,” Nico said, standing up suddenly and dashing to the s’mores stuff before anyone else could react. He knew the way Will liked it (two pieces of chocolate, not one, and he liked one on either side of the marshmallow) and promptly brought it back to Will, who kissed him when he handed it over to him.
“Thank you,” Will said. “You’re so sweet. But try not to bite anyone’s head off. Lou is more than capable of getting me a s’more. You don’t need to always run to the rescue.”
“Ha ha. I was getting one for myself anyways,” Nico replied, taking his seat next to Will, sitting as close as he could possibly get to him without sitting on top of Will.
“Oh yeah? Then where’s yours?” Will asked. Nico looked at his boyfriend in confusion, unsure of what he was referring to. “You’re not holding the s’more that you so desperately needed, so where is it?”
“I ate it already,” Nico said, feeling his face heat up red, realizing his stupid oversight too late. “I can’t believe you missed me shoving it in my mouth back there. It was terrible and disgusting, so maybe it’s better that you didn’t see it, to be honest.”
“I am sure I totally missed that, because I certainly didn’t see it happen, and I think I would have remembered that,” Will replied, a teasing smile on his face. Nico would want to punch Will in the head if he didn’t love him so much. The rest of the night passed by with no further incident, and after the campfire, Will and Nico said their goodnights to their friends. They went back to Nico’s cabin to hang out before they turned in for the night.
“You know that you have nothing to be jealous about,” Will said while they laid side by side, the two of them pointedly ignoring the rapidly approaching curfew.
Nico, who was just thinking about how ridiculously lucky they were for getting away with all of the shit they did, felt himself freeze. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nico decided to reply, thinking that playing it dumb was most likely the safest bet in this situation.
Will huffed and turned over, looking at Nico with his perfect, judgy eyes. “Nico, you’re not an idiot. Stubborn, yes, and a little grumpy, of course. But not stupid. You have to realize that you’re a jealous guy.”
“No, I am not a ‘jealous guy.' I think I act perfectly rational and think logically always,” Nico responded. “Being jealous would imply that I overreact. Which I do not.”
“You just about ripped Lou Ellen’s head off when I asked her to get me a s’more.”
“I told you I was getting up to get one for myself anyway!” Nico said, defending himself.
“Austin said he was about to start calling you Shadow since you were stalking behind me all day.”
“I personally think that’s a little offensive given my father, but if he wants to go there, I can’t stop him.”
“Nico,” Will said, giving Nico a look that clearly said are you being serious right now? “You stared daggers at Paolo today so hard, that Drew asked me if he tried to kill you in your sleep last night and you were exacting revenge. You’re not exactly known for subtly.”
Feeling a little backed into the corner, as well as a little embarrassed, Nico decided he might as well go down, guns blazing. “Well you know what? Fine! Of course I am jealous when people look at you! Have you seen yourself lately? Or, even ever? You’re gorgeous, Will. You’re sweet and tall and your smile is contagious and you’re warm and nice and everything about you is so,” Nico gestured wildly toward Will, unable to fully articulate just what he felt and thought about the boy. “Anyone would be an idiot to not want you,” Nico finished lamely, throwing his hands up. "So, sue me for getting jealous once in a while."
Will laughed. “It is incredibly cute how biased you are, dude. Nico, no one thinks that about me, except for you. I promise, I am incredibly average, no one has any crushes on me besides you, and you are just projecting. It’s kind of sweet how blind you are to it, actually. That you think I’m the type of person who has a million people lined up to date me. It’s just you.”
“That is a lie, Solace. How could someone not want you?” Nico refused to believe that because, what was wrong with everyone else at Camp? How could they not see how amazing Will was? “I can’t believe that no one else would want to date you. That’s not possible. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re you! What’s wrong with them? Are they stupid?”
“First, you’re angry because you think everyone wants me. Now, you’re angry because no one wants me. You’re hopeless,” Will teased, a goofy smile on his face. “And further, if anyone should be jealous, shouldn’t it be me, dude?”
“Excuse me?” Nico replied, raising his eyebrows incredulously. “Jealous of what? Why would you have any reason to be jealous?”
“Oh, come on. Now you’re really being ridiculous,” Will said. “We could start with the obvious. You’re pretty. You are incredibly powerful. You’re smart and compassionate and funny. All of your friends are this generation’s greatest heroes. You really are a catch, and a lot of people agree with me on that one. That is a fact.”
“Well, that is some major centaur shit,” Nico said, wrinkling his nose. “I am not a catch. You’re the one person on this earth who can put up with me and that’s why you are with me.” Nico neglected to include how he felt that it was a miracle that Will was with him at all. That Will was way out of his league and would one day realize that Will could do much better than him, because why bring up the idea in Will’s mind? Nico did not want to be the one to plant that seed. He hated gardening.
“Let’s face the facts, Nico. You could probably date any number of people at this camp if you wanted them. The gloomy loner thing is really making a comeback,” Will replied, moving in to get closer to Nico. “You’re mysterious and sad with a tragic past and you like to wear all black. Not to mention you’re hot and powerful. Plenty of people are dying to be with you.”
“Was that intentional phrasing? Because it’s starting to feel like it is ‘make fun of Nico’ hour,” Nico responded and Will laughed.
“It wasn’t intentional, but it is the truth. You don’t get the dirt like I do because you’re too busy moping around to open your ears and listen when people talk. If you actually became friends with people besides the five people you talk to on a daily basis, you would hear the gossip. I talk enough to the kids from Aphrodite Cabin to know who has a crush on you.”
“Oh yeah? Well, if all these people have a crush on me, then why has no one tried to ask me out?” Nico asked, challenging Will because nothing about his claims made sense. It didn’t compute. No one had a crush on him. It was a miracle enough that one person wanted to be with him, and Nico just happened to be lucky enough that it was the love of his life. Even if he wasn’t with Will, Nico wouldn’t want anyone else. He just felt like being combative and proving Will wrong.
“Because you’re not the only one with a jealous streak,” Will replied, pressing a quick kiss to Nico’s cheek and throwing his arms around him. “I’m just man enough to admit that I get jealous.”
Nico smiled, feeling a little giddy at the prospect of Will being jealous of people wanting him. As if Nico thought he could ever be truly in love with anyone else besides Will, as if Nico didn’t believe that Will was made for Nico and Nico made for Will. The two laid in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company, before Nico thought of something. He shot up and looked down at Will, needing an answer immediately. “Wait a second. Did you threaten people to stay away? Is that why no one has asked me out? Who did you threaten to stay away from me?”
Nico never got an answer because Will just chucked in response, pulling Nico back down and pressing a kiss to his lips.