-o0o-

Nico di Angelo was fourteen when he became someone's boyfriend for the first time.

He found it to be something equally pleasing and confusing at the same time. He knew that so many things have changed already while he was stuck in the Lotus Hotel. He knew that nowadays, it was okay that a boy can be a boyfriend of another boy, just like it was okay that a girl can be a girlfriend of another girl. Knowing that it was something that just so…normal nowadays compared to those days in Italy that he only vaguely remembered, Nico was perplexed, but also relieved at the same time. Yes, there were still people that were being jerks about it. But Nico knew that there were more people who were fine with it, who thought that there was nothing wrong with it.

But still, he found it confusing when Will stood in front of him, looking nervous (which was so not Will) but still had that soft look in his bright blue eyes (which was so Will), and asking him to be his boyfriend.

So what else that Nico could say when he was just so, so confused?
"What?" He asked, quite dumbfoundedly.

It was already confusing for him when Will starting to talk with him in those three days in the infirmary, like he was genuinely interested to know more about Nico.

It was already confusing for Nico, that Will chose to spend more time hanging out with Nico instead of with his siblings, doing anything from canoeing in the lake, to watch episodes and episodes of Parks and Recreation in Cabin Thirteen. Or doing nothing but just sitting on by the lake and said nothing but stealing glances and flashing smiles at each other.

In front of him, Will cleared his throat.

Will's cheeks got brighter and Nico could feel his heart beat faster.

"Well, is that a yes or is that a no?"

(Sometimes Will was that calm, cool Cabin Counselor who was undoubtedly the best healer in their generation. But sometimes Will was also this awkward person who said things that Nico couldn't understand with reddening face and looked like he himself didn't have any idea about what he just said.)

"Will, it's neither a yes or a no. I just.. What did you just ask me?"

Will's hand flew to the back of his neck and he rubbed it.

"I… You know… I was just… Wondering… Whether.. I was… asking…"

"Will."

"Willyoubemyboyfriend?"

Nico blinked.

He was still confused.

So he asked again.

"Why?"

Will's hand went back to his side and there was this soft expression on his face. There was this gentle look in his eyes.

"Because I like you, Nico," he said. "I really, really like you."

Nico didn't understand why Will like him. Nico didn't know why Will ask him to be his boyfriend.

But he knew that he liked Will too. Really really like him.

Nico chewed his lower lip and looked down. Butterflies were flapping their wings inside Nico and there were bubbles in his vein and Nico didn't know how Will made him this happy just by asking him that question.

Nico lifted his head up and meet Will's eyes.

"Okay," he said, almost whispering. "Okay," he said again because he was so happy, too happy that he could not find other words to say.

But Will understood him anyway. That was just Will. He always understood what Nico meant, even when Nico was a stuttering mess with words, even when Nico couldn't find any words to say.

Will grinned at him and took Nico's hand. He held it and his smile at Nico was like how the sun smiled at the morning sky.

Nico held his hand back.

Boyfriends. We're boyfriends, Nico thought to himself.

Nico was fourteen years old when he had a boyfriend for the first time. He was a bit confused about it, but at the same time, he was happy.

-o0o-

Nico di Angelo was seventeen years old when his boyfriend went to college. And it terrified him.

It was still the same boyfriend that he had three years ago. It was the same boyfriend with whom he shared his first kiss, six months two weeks and two days after said boyfriend asked him to be boyfriends.

He was seventeen and Will was almost eighteen when Will was accepted into New York University in their pre-medical program.

Nico was happy because it was something that made Will so very happy, his smile was wider and his eyes were brighter when he told Nico about it.

But he was terrified.

He was terrified that things would not work when Will would be far away from him.

He was terrified that Will would meet someone else in the college. Someone who might be taller, or more eloquent in talking, or more exciting than Nico. Someone who was better than Nico.

He was terrified that he would lose Will.

So Nico showed up in front of Will's front door in Tennessee, ignored Will's rant about the use of shadow-travel, and asked Will.

"You're not going to break up with me, are you?" Nico asked. Just like that because Nico didn't know how to sugar coat words, how to make questions sound less intimidating.

Will stared at him. There was that look again in those eyes. The look that made Nico knew that everything will be alright. The look that made Nico believed that no matter how shitty things could be, it would be okay.

"Do you want to?" Will asked him back.

Stupid Will.

Like he even needed to ask the question.

But Nico knew that just like he needed to know that no, Will was not going to leave him, Will also needed to know that yes, Nico would always want to be with him.

So Nico huffed and shook his head.

"No," he said. "Not in a million years," he added.

Will pulled him into his arms and Nico pressed his face against his chest, letting himself surrounded by Will's warmth.

"Good," Will said. Nico could feel a smile on Will's lips as Will pressed a kiss on the top of his head. "Because I wanted to be with you for the next million years," Will said.

Nico was seventeen and Will was eighteen when Will went to start his pre-med program. But they were not breaking up because Nico didn't want to break up, not in a million years and Will wanted them to be together for the next million years.

-o0o-

Nico was almost eighteen when he told his boyfriend that he loved him.

Nico was almost mad at himself that it took him so long just to say that.

It was New Year's Eve and Will visited the Camp (and so was Percy and Annabeth and Leo and Jason and Piper and a bunch of other people but Will, Will was coming too and it was all that mattered for Nico). They sat on the beach, body pressed together side by side. Nico was only half-listening to Leo who was rambling about how proud he was about these new kiddos in Cabin Nine and how this firework show would prove how good those kids were. Will was talking to Annabeth about their study but Will's arm was warm around Nico's waist, a steady reminder that Will was here, next to him.

Jason started talking to Leo about some sports events that Nico didn't follow.

(American football still didn't make sense to him and the sport event that he followed religiously was Serie A where he would watch all games of AC Milan. Sometimes Chiara would join him watching the games even though Chiara has made the worst decision in her life by supporting Inter. But at least both of them still laughing together when Juventus lost a game so that was not so bad)

Percy joined Will and Annabeth's conversation but Will's arm was still warm around Nico. Sometimes he rubbed Nico's side in that soothing way. Sometimes he would spare a second to press a quick, chaste kiss on Nico's temple or cheek or nose. Just because he could. Just because he knew that Nico liked it when he did it.

(Nico never told Will that he liked those small kisses, but Will just knew it).

Nico's mind started to wander to the years that they have gone through together. About the ups and downs and smiles and tears. About the romantic gestures they did to one another and the fights that they had because both Will and Nico could be idiots and stubborn. About how Nico would always come back to Will anyway and how Will was always there for Nico anyway.

Suddenly people were already shouting about countdown and people were smiling and laughing and those who were with their significant others made themselves even closer than they already were.

Ten!

Nine!

Eight!

"Hey, Will?"

Seven!

"Hm?"

Six!

"You know what?"

Five!

"What?"

Four!

"I love you, Will."

Three!

"I really love you, Will."

Two!

One!

Happy New Year!

Fireworks were exploding in the sky and people were kissing and cheering and laughing around them

But Will. Will just stared at him and it was dark around them but the sky above was bright with colorful bright colors from the fireworks.

Will just stared at him and his eyes, bright blue eyes, were glassy and he looked like he wanted to cry but he also looked like he wanted to laugh.

Will just stared at him and Nico could only stare back at him and gosh Will was just so so beautiful.

Then Will started to laugh but he also started to cry as he wrapped his arms around Nico's neck and pulled him into a warm embrace (which was just so so Will).

"I love you too, Nico," he said.

Nico was almost eighteen when he told his boyfriend that he loved him. And his boyfriend told him that he loved him too.

-o0o-

Nico was eighteen when he spent the night together for the first time with his boyfriend.

It was Nico's eighteen birthday and Will said that he wanted to spend the day and night with Nico. It was just the first week of his classes anyway and Nico's birthday was on the Saturday of that first week of the Spring Semester. So on Friday evening Nico showed up at Will's apartment. He took Will's hand in his and they disappeared into the shadow, reappearing in front of the door of Hades' cabin.

It was like one of those lazy summer nights when both of them were still campers, where they watched episodes and episodes of a TV series. This time Will wanted them to watch this animation about Paladins who ride some fancy sophisticated lion robots to save the galaxy.

('Keith is just so you, Nico', Will said. And Nico threw a popcorn at him because no, of course he and that Keith guy had nothing in common.)

Then it's getting so late and its past midnight already but they were not asleep yet. Lazy kisses and lingering touches. Soft sighs and hands wandering against warm skin. Shallow breath and small moans.

Will never asked him for more before. He only gave what Nico wanted and took what Nico gave him. Will has let him set the pace about how far they would go, and he said he had no problem to wait until Nico was ready.

And tonight, Nico was ready.
He wanted this. He needed this.

So Nico pulled back just a bit, just so he had the space to press his palm against Will's chest and look up into Will's beautiful eyes.

"Will," he said, whispering, because he was scared that this delicate moment will shatter if he said something too loud. "Take me," he said. "I'm ready."

Will's eyes were bright and blue (which was just so Will) and there was this fire in those eyes. Will's pressed his lips gently against Nico's forehead.

Nico's blood in his vein was liquid fire when Will gently pushed him to lay down on the bed.

Nico's blood in his vein was liquid fire when his bare skin were against Will's naked skin.

And when Will took him, when Will was inside of him, Will and Nico were fire and they both burnt together.

Nico was eighteen when he spent the night together for the first time with his boyfriend. Nico was eighteen when he and his boyfriend melt into one, burnt into fire together.

-o0o-

Nico was twenty-one when he moved in into an apartment with his boyfriend.

Yes, amazingly, it was still the same boyfriend who was a stuttering mess when he asked Nico to be his boyfriend seven years ago.

Being apart for a while somehow made Nico spent more time with kids in Cabin Nine. At first it was just because he asked for their help about communication devices so he could talk to Will more than just Iris Message. But some of them introduced him to computer programming. And before he knew it, Nico has already spent hours and hours just to learn about this new language.

He told Will about this new thing that he kind of enjoyed and how this language programming was so much easier to handle than the actual language used to verbally talk with real people.

Will started sending him books about it.

Will started sending him links about anything related to it.

And one day, Will told him about this online course that someone could take to have a degree.

Nico told Will that he would think about it. He didn't tell Will that he already decided.

Will called him on an Iris Message the next week, and ten minutes into the conversation, Will started to ramble.

"You know, Dylan said that he was not going to extend the lease for this apartment for the next year," Will said.

"Oh? He finds a new place?"

Will shrugged his shoulder. "Maybe. I haven't asked yet. Maybe I should find a new apartment then but this apartment is really nice, the rent is not expensive and I only have one more year left in the program, so I think moving out will be too much of a hassle."

"So you don't want to move out?"

Will let out a sigh and ran a hand over his head.

"Honestly? No. But unless I can find someone to share the apartment with, then-"

"I can be your new roommate."

Will's jaw dropped, and he stared at Nico like he didn't quite catch what Nico just said. And this time, it was Nico that started to ramble.

"I mean, I've applied to that online program you told me about last week. And if I got accepted, I could start the coming Fall semester. And yeah, I can still do it from here but I mean now that you told me that you need a new roommate and I think that-"

"Nico?"

"I mean Hazel and even Reyna have told me that maybe I should try to live outside of the Camp so yeah. But I mean-"

"Nico,"

"I mean, it's only an idea? If you don't want to it would be totally fine because-"

"Nico."

Nico stopped. He was half-panting and his heartbeat was stupidly faster than it should be but then he looked at Will.

Will, who had that stupidly wide, annoyingly bright smile. Will, who looked at Nico like Nico was the first ray of sunlight after a rainy day.

"Nico," Will said. "I'd… I'd love that. It would be awesome."

Something was bubbling inside of Nico. And Nico couldn't stop those bubbles from exploding into stupid giggles because this whole idea of moving in into Will's apartment, this whole idea to live together with his boyfriend, it was just something that Nico could not put into words, something that makes him feel giddy but also warm inside.

Then Will started laughing too and for a while they could do nothing but laughing and smiling and grinning at each other.

Then they started talking again like adults to plan the moving in.

(Because living in an apartment together means they were real adult who would do adult stuff like shopping for groceries and paying the bills and cooking dinner and doing the dishes and also doing the laundry but oh gods they were going to do those adult stuffs together).

Nico was twenty-one and it was a bright sunny day in early August when he unpacked his stuff in the apartment that he's sharing with Will.

-o0o-

Nico was twenty-four when he no longer had a boyfriend.

Nico finished his online course earlier than what was expected. And as if it was not surprising enough, he got a job. He got a real job as a system developer and he could still do most of his work from home. Will was half-way through in his med school and Nico could not even explain how proud he was of Will, on doing so well.

It was a breezy afternoon in Fall and Will took him for a walk in the Central Park.

Fall was Nico's favorite season. He loved how trees and leaves turn into bright red, orange and yellow color.

They stopped under a tree by the pond.

Nico fixed the scarf around his neck.

"Cold?" Will asked him as he smiled softly at Nico.

"A little."

Will reached out for his hand and without even thinking, Nico held his hand back.

(Nico could not even remember holding someone else's hand other than Will's. He could not even think about holding someone else's hands other than Will's)

"Your hand is always a bit colder than mine," Will said, gently rubbed some small circles at the back of Nico's hand with his thumb.

Nico chuckled. "And your hand is always a bit warmer than mine. That's why I need you to hold it."

Will bit his lower lip and something flashed in his face.

Will tightened his hand on Nico's.

"That's what I have been thinking for quite a while," he said. He had his eyes down so it was more look like he was talking to Nico's shoulder.

Nico furrowed his brows down.

"Will?"

Will took a deep breath and he lifted his head up a bit, fixing his eyes at Nico's.

"I was just… I mean…"

Will stopped and Nico waited.

Will took another deep breath and Nico absently thought that Will's cheeks were a shade brighter.

"Nico, could I be the one, the only one, who holds your hand forever?"

Nico's heart stopped beating.

Will was staring at him. And his bright blue eyes were honest and open and soft and just so so Will.

"Will?"

With his free hand, Will pulled out a small box from the pocket of his coat. He kneeled on one knee, flipped the box open.

The silver ring inside the box was a contrast against the black of the box.

"Will you marry me, Nico?"

Will was still holding his hand and he was still staring at Nico with those bright blue eyes.

Nico wanted to laugh and screamed and cried and danced because what, what in the world that he had done that suddenly life became so kind to him like this?

Nico closed his eyes and counted until three. He opened his eyes, Will was still there. His hand was still holding Nico's hand.

"Yes," Nico whispered. "Yes, Will."

Will's smile was bright and warm and basically just the most beautiful, most wonderful thing that Nico has ever seen.

"Thank you," Will said with trembled voice. He put the box on the ground and let go of Nico's hand, only so he could take the ring out, and slid it into Nico's finger. He kissed Nico's knuckles, then he stood up.

Will wrapped his arms around Nico's waist and Nico threaded his fingers through Will's hair as they kissed and let the world dissolve into nothing but a background of bright colors around them.

Nico was twenty-four when he no longer had a boyfriend. He had a fiancé instead.

-o0o-

Nico di Angelo was twenty-six when he got married to his boyfriend.

Will was standing in front of him on the altar, reading his vow. Nico stared at him and he almost could not believe that this was the same guy that was asking Nico to be his boyfriend twelve years ago.

Twelve years. Twelve fucking years.

Jason, who volunteered himself as the wedding officiant (because apparently this was something that came with the package of him being the Pontifex Maximus or whatever, not that Nico really cared about the details) smiled at Nico.

"Nico, your turn."

Nico cleared his throat and took out the slightly crumpled paper from his pocket.

He started reading it but his visions were started to get blurry by tears as flashes of moments that he shared with Will for years (twelve years, twelve fucking years!) rolled in his mind.

Somehow he managed to finish reading it.

Liam Zhang stepped forward. The three-year old toddler had a proud smile on his face as he held up the small pillow that held the rings.

It still felt unreal when Will took one of the rings and slid it into Nico's finger.

Nico still felt like he was dreaming when he took the other ring and slid it into Will's finger.

"I know pronounced you as husbands," Jason said. "You may have your first kiss as husbands now."

And the moment when he felt Will's lips on his, warm and tender and just so so Will, that was the moment when Nico realized that this was real.

Someone was making a horrible whistling and Nico absently thought that it was probably Apollo or maybe it was Percy or who knew maybe it was Leo.

But Nico couldn't be bothered to think about who was it.

Not when his husband (husband!) was now kissing him and Nico's hand just flew to the back of Will's head, threading his fingers through the golden curls of Will's hair. Will's hand was gently holding his cheek and Nico was kissing him back.

It was everything that he ever wanted and much much more than what he ever dared to dream about, to wish for.

When Nico pulled himself back, he could see trails of tears on Will's cheek. And Nico just could not help it. He just could not stop himself from letting out this bubble of blissful laughter and he knew, he could feel that tears were started rolling down from his eyes too.

He didn't care.

Not when Will was looking at him like he was handing Will the moon but probably he was also looking at Will like Will was handing him the sun.

Will was indeed, the sun in his life.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jason said. "I present to you, Will Solace-di Angelo and Nico Solace-di Angelo."

Will took his hand and Nico held his hand back as they turned around to face the people who came to their wedding.

Nico's face was hurting from this stupid wide smile that he had. People were clapping their hands. Hazel looked as happy as she was on her wedding day. Hades came in his mortal form. He still looked cold and pale but Nico swore that he could see emotions flickered in his eyes and that was enough for him. Hades never talked a lot anyway and the fact that he was willing to come was already something that let Nico know he was happy for him. Apollo had that glowing smile as he sat next to Annabeth.

Confetti and flowers petals were thrown at them as they walked the aisle with fingers lacing together.

Nico was twenty-six years old when he got married to his boyfriend for twelve years. And it was basically the best, most beautiful day in his life.

-o0o-