Chapter Text
Nico didn’t know why he was freaking out. It was just Will. It’s not like they’d never gone on a date before. They’d been dating for almost two years, after all. Something about today just felt different. Wrong. Dangerous. Nico knew he was being unreasonable. He was probably just nervous. Camp had been so busy this summer that they hadn’t had a chance to go on an official date since May, which was five months ago. Everything would be fine. That’s what he told himself.
Nico glanced at the clock that sat on his nightstand. The glowing green digits read 11:37. Shit. He was meeting Will at noon and had yet to get out of bed. He yanked the covers back, flinching at the sudden cold. When he opened his closet he wasted a whole five minutes staring into space, trying to force the sleep out of his brain. Eventually, he came to his senses and pulled out his nicest pair of black skinny jeans. He paired it with a gray shirt so dark that it bordered on black, and the leather jacket that he knew Will loved. He replaced the simple silver studs he always kept in his ears to keep them from closing up (demigods heal fast, and he didn’t feel like having his ears re-pierced) with more complicated skulls and some black earrings that almost looked like shadows curling around his ears. As a last-minute decision, he grabbed the eye-liner that Hazel had left last time she stayed, and applied a little bit around his eyes. He didn’t wear it often, and never very much. He was pretty sure Will was the only person who actually noticed.
Once he was completely ready, he glanced at the clock one last time before leaving Hades’ Cabin. It read 11:54. Perfect. As he reached out for the doorknob, he had the feeling he’d forgotten something. But he shrugged it off as nerves and left the cabin. Any and all nervousness he felt was immediately forgotten as his eyes found Will Solace.
The first thing Nico noticed was Will’s radiant smile, the way it lit up his eyes and created little dimples on his cheeks. Nico couldn’t help but smile back. Will was wearing a blue and white striped collared shirt with some uncomfortable looking khaki shorts and white sneakers. As soon as he saw Nico, Will’s smile got brighter, which shouldn’t have been possible.
“Morning, Neeks. You look great.”
“What do I have to do to get you to stop calling me that?” Nico decided not to comment on Will’s outfit. Will winked, and Nico’s heat missed a beat.
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“Bullshit. I’ll just blackmail you.”
“Oh, and what do you have on me?” Will asked, raising his eyebrows. Nico smirked back at him.
“We’ll see.” Nico held out his hand. “Shall we?” Will looked reluctant.
“I’d rather just drive. What am I going to do with you once you pass in the middle of a restaurant?” Nico scowled.
“I don’t pass out every time.” Will raised his eyebrows. “Just most times. Besides, I’ll find a nice alley to pass out in. I’ll be fine.” Will didn’t look convinced. “It’s a two hour drive! We’d be eating at two thirty at the earliest! I’m not fragile, I know how much I can handle.”
“Of course you know how much you can handle, but that doesn’t mean you always make the smartest decisions with that information, does it?”
“Will.” Nico said his name with a sigh. “We can argue about this later, after I've actually made a bad decision. For now let’s just enjoy our date. Ok?” Will took his hand, and his worried face was the last thing Nico saw as the pair faded into the shadows.