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Nico let out a shaky breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Will Solace would be the death of him.
Nico di Angelo was not a cuddler. He gave people the impression of being someone who shied away from touch. He physically retreated if he thought someone was going to invade his personal space. A guy had tried to ruffle his hair once and had almost got punched in the process. Very few people could touch him without being maimed. Okay, maybe maim was too strong a word, but he never said he was a realist. In fact, he had quite the reputation for dramatics.
Then there was Will. He expressed affection, sympathy and anything remotely related to emotions physically. If you failed a test, there was the shoulder rub; and there was ginger hair holding if you got wasted at a party. And in case you were having a bad day in general, there was always a warm hug waiting for you. Nico was by no means soft, but even he wasn't immune to warm hugs, okay?
He had known Will long enough to get used to his ways. But nothing could've prepared him for that .
…
Nico was venting about Ms Dodds' class and how he would never get through Algebra even if he tried when Will leaned over and pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. Then he went right back to explaining the equation Nico had been struggling with as if nothing had happened, while Nico sat frozen in place. He couldn't think coherently for a few seconds. When he could, he blushed violently right upto the tips of his ears. That didn't work well for him because Will got worried and thought he had a fever. He then checked if Nico did actually have a fever, which made him turn even redder, if that was possible.
Nico would melt into a puddle of embarrassment if he thought about it one more time.
Nico could do this.
He had to get through lunch and then he had only one more class with Mr Brunner. He could definitely deal with one more class, right?
Little did he know that Harley, darling though he was, had spilt a strawberry milkshake all over Will's shirt while gesturing violently (as he usually did). And Will had only laughed and told him not to worry about it before he went to the washrooms and discovered that he had used the extra shirt he always packed after gym yesterday. He panicked, just a little, before calling Cecil who had an extra shirt which he was supposed to have used yesterday, but somehow hadn't. Will wasn't one to complain, though he did wrinkle his nose at the thought of Cecil going without a shower after gym class.
But Cecil's grey jumper was a size too small on Will. He would just have to make do with it, for now. That was what you got when you forgot to carry a change of clothes.
...
Nico had almost tuned Percy and Jason's "Avengers" debate out in favour of thinking about a certain blue-eyed blond.
He was considering whether he could stomach any more of the chocolate milkshake that lay half-finished on the table when he heard him.
"Hi guys! Lou and Cecil have drama club practice today. Can I sit with you all?"
He was about to snort at Percy and Jason's enthusiastic nods and simultaneous 'yeah bro's when he looked up.
Wow!
Okay.
Um. What?!
Wasn't Will wearing a yellow and blue striped shirt this morning? Not that he noticed what Will wore to school everyday. But he would've noticed if Will was wearing a grey jumper that made his eyes sparkle (more than usual) and hugged his forearms. Nico was many things. He was grumpy, he could be distant and even oblivious sometimes. But he wasn't blind.
"Hey, Neeks! Did you just zone out on me?", Will asked, tapping his upturned palm.
Pull yourself together, di Angelo.
"No, I was thinking about something." Nice. Real specific.
"Ooookay. I'll take your word for it. You know you can tell me if something is wrong, right?" And did Nico say how much that little crease between Will's eyebrows bothered him? It did. A lot.
"Yeah, we're friends. I know. It's nothing."
Will nodded at him. But at least he was smiling now.
…
They were watching "Big Hero 6" together for the fifth time. Nico loved it, but he couldn't take his eyes off Will. Will looked tired. They had just finished their homework after a long day and Will's eyes were drooping. In short, Will was sleepy.
And Will got cuddlier when he was sleepy. Right now, he was basically like an octopus. A very cute octopus.
His head was resting on Nico's shoulder, soft curls tickling Nico's chin. His arms were draped around Nico's and one of his feet was brushing against Nico's shin. He felt so warm. He was practically a space heater.
"Such a cuddler", Nico whispered fondly, not really expecting a response other than maybe a sleepy huff.
"Only with you", Will said in his scratchy, soft, sleepy voice.
Nico froze.
Will, on the other hand, only shifted his hands from Nico's arm to his waist, nuzzling his jaw sleepily.
"You should shave," he grumbled.
"Maybe not," he added in a voice he thought Nico wouldn't hear.
When the silence stretched over the next 3 seconds, Will looked up at Nico. The concern blended in startling blue broke Nico's stunned silence.
He smiled, just a little, but it was everything to Will.
"I didn't know you had a problem with stubble," Nico said, rubbing his nose, a nervous tic Will knew all too well.
"I don't. It just makes me want to do dangerous things," Will said, his eyes twinkling in the dim light of the laptop screen.
"You should probably do them. You couldn't hurt an annoying fly," Nico said, not once daring to look at Will.
"You're killing me, Nico di Angelo," Will chuckled, threading his fingers through Nico's.
"I'm dead already, Sunshine."
"Then I hope kissing a ghost doesn't make me a weirdo."
Will smiled and kissed him, soft and sure and featherlight. It was nothing like he'd expected. And yet, it was everything he'd wanted. Warm, sweet, making his heart expand and his toes tingle.
As Will's fingers lingered on Nico's cheek, Nico decided that he wanted to hold Will close all of his life.
When it came to Will, he was a goddamn cuddler.