"Will, don't you dare hurt him."

Hazel's grim tone didn't faze Will, and he laughed off the warning as he wrapped an arm around Nico. "I won't."

"Don't laugh. She means it."

Will froze in place and turned to Percy—Percy Jackson, the most easygoing person Will has ever seen, and most willing to joke about anything—glaring daggers at him as if he was daring Will to keep taking the topic lightly.

He shifted under their gazes. "R-right. I won't."

Beside him, Nico squirmed out of his embrace, catching his hand instead as he started to move away from the other demigods. "Okay, we gotta go. Don't want to lose our table!"

His light tone didn't fool Will. First, because at this hour, they could literally walk from Long Island and still get to the restaurant Will had booked in Manhattan on time. Second, because they weren't going to. Third, because he'd like to think he'd become an expert on reading Nico's reactions. He would never have asked him out before he was sure it wasn't going to make Nico uncomfortable, after all—his crush wasn't as important as their friendship.

Apparently no one else realized that, if they all thought he was going to hurt him. Which was ironic, considering how many people—Percy first among them—tried to pressure Will into making his move earlier.

"Sorry about that," Nico said when they were out of earshot. "You know how they are—ever since I stayed at camp…"

"They want to be sure you're safe," Will retorted. "I was with them on that. Still am, last I checked."

"Yeah, but—"

"They love you. They're going overboard, but you don't have to apologize for that."

Finally, Nico's worried look turned into a smile. "All right. I just—I don't want you to get in trouble with everyone for me."

Will grinned at him. "It'd be worth it." Nico rolled his eyes, but Will didn't waver. "Look, I'll handle them if I have to. Let's not think about anyone else right now."

Apparently the universe—or at least their fellow campers—disagreed with that last decision. They headed to the woods outside of Camp Half-Blood to find some shade for Nico to shadow-travel away, but couldn't even make it to there before Jason stepped in the way. He was still wearing his formal pontifex clothes—by the looks of it, he'd just made it back to camp.

"Hey, you two! Did you really think you could leave without saying goodbye?"

Nico grabbed Will's hand again blindly and glared at Jason. "We're just going on a date. We'll be back before midnight."

"Yeah, but…you know, I couldn't not see you off. Besides, I wanted to ask Will something. Do you mind? It won't take long."

Nico sighed, but shrugged. "It better not."

They'd only made a few steps before Jason stopped dead in his tracks and pulled Will closer. Will jerked back reflexively, unsure if Jason was trying head-butt him or kiss him—and neither were options Will was interested in right now. But Jason stopped a few inches from his face. "What are your intentions towards Nico tonight?"

Will tried to get out of Jason's grasp, failed, and frowned at Jason. "Take him out on a date?"

"Don't give me that. You're fifteen. I've been there. I know exactly the kind of thoughts that go through every teenage boy's mind. If you're going to—"

"Not that it's any of your business," Will interrupted him, "but I'm pretty sure Nico wouldn't be comfortable with that on a first date." He refrained from pointing out that should disprove Jason's point, since Nico was himself a teenage boy—and he didn't mention he didn't feel particularly ready himself, because that insecurity was his to deal with. "And I wouldn't do anything he's not comfortable with."

Jason's eyes briefly narrowed, then he relaxed his grip. "All right. Don't do anything to hurt him, Will."

They made it all the way to Central Park for a picnic in the early afternoon before two metal hounds found their way to them, announcing their mistress's approach with joyful barks directed at Nico. Nico returned the affection, but he exchanged a worried gaze with Will, who returned it. Coincidences like that didn't just happen—not to demigods.

Reyna reached them after a minute. "Well, well. Didn't expect to see you there!"

Nico stared at her. "I told you our plans for the day last night via Iris Message."

"Was it today? Must have slipped my mind. So how's it going?"

Nico got to his feet, and Will followed him instantly. "We were just leaving, actually," Nico said—a blatant lie, and since he'd apparently told Reyna their plans, Will doubted she was fooled. "It was nice to see you, though."

"Do you need a ride anywhere? I can get you pegasi, if you need them."

"We're good, Reyna," Will said. "Thanks."

"Anything else?"

"Seriously—we're good."

"I'm so sorry about that," Nico said.

"We've been through this," Will retorted, but he couldn't keep all the irritation out of his voice. When he caught Nico's saddened look, he stopped and turned to him. "Sorry. I meant what I said—this isn't on you, it's on them."

"Yeah, but—why are they doing this? Do they really think you're gonna hurt me? Do they think I can't handle myself?"

Will shrugged, then reached out to take Nico's wrists in his hands. "I don't know. Maybe they all see you as a little brother of sorts. You spent so long without anyone to care for you, so now they want to make up for that." He'd been there too—it had been difficult to let go, even after Nico repeatedly asked him to. "I told you: it's worth it."

"No." The sudden strength in Nico's voice made Will flinch. "It's not. Not for me, anyway."

Will pulled back a little, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"I can't take that, Will. I can't have a first date—have a boyfriend—if every one of my friend is turning on him. It's not fair to you. And besides, it's your first date too—I know it's ruining the whole day for me, I can't imagine—"

"Nico," Will said, struggling to keep his voice from breaking. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'd understand if you didn't want to—I don't want you to feel like you're trapped here. I'm giving you a way out."

The look in Nico's eyes was heartbreaking, but Will got what he meant. Slowly, he nodded. "We can call it off?"

Nico managed a shrug—though Will didn't buy it. "If you want to."

"Can I kiss you first?" This wasn't what he'd planned—in the middle of a crowded New York street, where Nico couldn't possibly be at ease, no romantic gestures leading up to it.

But before he could second-guess himself, Nico had closed the distance between them, stood on his tiptoes, and pressed a shy kiss to his lips. He didn't linger, but he didn't walk back either, and when Will wrapped an arm behind his back, Nico let him.

"You have a plan," Nico said. It wasn't a question—Will wasn't the only one who'd learned to read the other.

"We don't have to date openly," he said. "I mean, at least I don't need it. If you want to. They wouldn't—" He stopped, fumbling for words, but Nico nodded.

"All right. We could do that. But—"

Will's heart skipped a beat—this didn't feel like the kind of conversation where a but ended anywhere good. "But?"

"We'll have to make everyone think I broke your heart. Otherwise they'll never let you hear the end of it."

There was a moment where Will didn't know what to say. All he could come up with was, "That shouldn't be too hard. I've already imagined a hundred ways you might reject me since I decided to ask you out. I'm pretty sure I know how I'd take it." Pretty poorly, but he didn't say so.

Nico smirked up at him. "While I'm sure your acting skills are remarkable, I meant we might not get to hang out as often anymore." Will felt his breath catch, and Nico immediately continued. "At least for a while. You know, while you get over it. Over—me."

"I'm not sure I ever would."

"It's just pretend. Don't be a drama queen."

Will sighed. "All right. So do we finish our date, or—"

"You can expect that someone will be there at every step. Maybe it's best if we head back now? That way I can tell them all about how I'm just not that into you."

Nico's sarcasm sounded like the best thing Will had ever heard. "Does that mean you might actually be into me?"

"Shut up, Solace." His chuckle belied his words. "We can finish this date later tonight—at our usual spot in the woods?"

Will smiled. "Anytime, anywhere. Though I might need something to keep me waiting."

Nico scoffed. "If you want to kiss me, Will, you can just ask."

"Well…can I?"

Nico pulled him down without a word.