#having been there for early solangelo makes reading this book feel SO weird

[aroaceleovaldez]

TSATS really does honestly feel like someone took all the solangelo/Will Solace from early post-HoO in the fandom, shoved it in a blender, cranked that shit on high, and then dumped it into a book without any care for consistency or anything. The book keeps stumbling into reading like somebody who just found out what being gay was, or exactly like a 2014/2015 pjo fanfic or forum rp with Ye Olde Fanon Will back when nobody knew what to do with him and half the fandom decided his major character trait was “Asshole.” Like, back then photokinesis!Will was at its peak. Saberghatz’s Solangelo quest AU, before the plot of was TOA announced, was absolutely booming (and between Saber’s au and Cherryandsisters’ Will askblog, they were probably the leading sources for Will fanon at the time). Nico was being UwU’d to hell and back. The fanon, being fanon, never was actually required to comply with canon, so headcanons about Will having known Nico since TTC were plentiful because nobody cared - it was headcanons - and nobody could remember anything about Will Solace anyways.

But TSATS seems to be taking all of that and going “No, it’s canon now.” Which doesn’t work. Fanon can exist as fanon because it’s all headcanons, and it’s just making stuff up in a little playground of picking and choosing what canon to stay and go. If you’re actually writing canon, then you’ve already decided what canon stays and goes because you put it in the book, and now that’s what’s established and you need to follow it. Or else you’re making a retcon or a continuity error. Fanon can have Will impossibly exist in The Titan’s Curse, but canon absolutely can’t (and it definitely can’t say Nico somehow spent more than one week at CHB when the entirety of TTC is contained within one week). And it feels incredibly bizarre to see all this in a canon book anyways, because again - basically all of it feels ripped from fanon with zero consideration whatsoever.

[nicoappreciation]

Hi 🖤 this maybe a weird question but I just got into the fandom and I’ve been catching up on the Solangelo discourse and I haven’t read the newest book yet but I was wondering if you think it’s better on the ableism front or at least negated/addressed some of the concern from the ship antis?

Side note but as someone new to the (tumblr) fandom are there any blog/post/thinkpiece recommendations? I’m just starting to understand some of the discourse and discussions and I don’t want to miss any important stuff in fan discussions. Or anything you’d personally add?

honestly as an able-bodied person i wouldn’t say i’m the best person to judge whether or not the ableist undertones in the ship were properly addressed. i will say that a significant part of will’s arc in the book is about learning to put in more effort to understand nico and that the darker sides of him aren’t meant to be conquered or fixed, just lived with. however, that’s more about his underworld heritage than anything else. but it can also be applied to his ptsd, and you could easily see how it can also be made to be about physical disability. most of the complaints about the book that i’ve seen were about the plot or the continuity errors or the characterization, not ableism in particular. so based on what i’ve seen in the book and the reactions from my mutuals i at least believe the ableism isn’t any worse than before. nevertheless, take my perspective with a grain of salt.

as for blog recommendations, most of the people i reblog from regularly are good places to start (i don’t want to try tagging everybody because if i forget someone i’ll feel bad so mutuals feel free to promo yourselves lmao).

if you’re interested in analysis on the ableist undertones of early solangelo and the blatant ableism of solangelo shippers from an actual disabled person, @ursie is a great place to go. xe makes very good posts that actually opened my eyes to a lot of this stuff.

as for fan discussion posts there’s a really good post somewhere that covers nearly all of the problematic elements of rick’s writing when it comes to his minority characters, i’ll try my best to find it. if anybody has any good posts they’d like to share, feel free to leave them here.

as for what i’d add, all i will say is just do your best to listen. it can be hard to hear criticism of something you love, but don’t take it as a personal attack. actually take your time to process the information, and then think about what you can do to make this fandom a more safe and accepting space for disabled people, poc, and more. we’re all here because we love this world and these characters, but those things are far from perfect.

and have fun!! find people who have the same favorite characters as you and spend hours brainrotting about them and ignoring half of canon. it’s therapeutic

[itsomgitsgreenblogging]

A Witch in a Pinch: A Solangelo Fanfic

HEY! I DID A THING FOR SOLANGELO WEEK! Godswap AU, Hecate!Nico and Demeter!Will...because I just thought that it would be a cute combination for a cute little fic. I hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3

Preview:

“Seriously?” Lou Ellen asked with a raised brow. “I get you’ve only been casting hexes and curses, but really?

“Hey don't judge!” Nico demanded.

“Listen, just go make friends with a kid from Cabin Four this afternoon and you'll have all the flowers you could ever need or use,” Lou Ellen told him as she bounced idly on her bed.

“Oh I get it, this is all a ploy to get me to interact with people,” Nico grumbled. “That’s lame Lou Ellen.”

Sometimes one wishes to incubate a dream so that you can open a door to the past. This elixir specifically allows one to access a lifetime’s hidden memories.

Ingredients:

Gardenia petals

Honeysuckle blossoms

Lilac blossoms

Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. Infuse gardenia petals, lilac petals, and honeysuckle blossoms into coconut oil (see infusion instructions on page 25, be aware it may require as many as six weeks to achieve the desired intensity of scent and due to the lack of commercially available non-synthetic alternatives to gardenia and lilac you’ll have to infuse your own oils).

2. Strain infused oil and discard flowers

3. Reserve the oil. Add one tablespoon to bath to stimulate dreaming, or rub on soles of feet for similar effects.

Nico groaned and let his head fall into his spell encyclopedia. It was hopeless, well and truly hopeless at this point. He couldn’t do this, not one bit.

“What’s the matter?” Lou Ellen asked him as she sat next to him on the workbench. Nico grimaced as he looked up from his sulking in order to sulk some more.

“It’s going to take me six weeks at the very least to make this stupid dream oil,” Nico grumbled as he closed his book with a definitive snap of the thick cover. “I would totally just try something else if Clovis hadn’t given half the payment upfront.”

“Yeah, you aren’t particularly good at being patient,” Lou Ellen said with a shrug.

“Are you sure you can’t just take this?” Nico asked his older sister. “Please, come on. You know I suck at potion making.”

“Nico, you can’t just hex and curse. Hecate challenges all of us to learn and grow as demigods and witches, and as head counselor I would be doing you a disservice to let you stay away from your challenges,” Lou Ellen said very officially, before a sly grin slide across her black-lipsticked lips. “Also, I just love to see you squirm.”

“Gods you suck,” Nico said as he threw a pillow at her, she just cackled, caught it, and fell back onto the bed. “Okay but seriously, for these kinds of spells I need to have fresh cut flowers. Where in Hades am I supposed to find fresh flowers in November?”

“Seriously?” Lou Ellen asked with a raised brow. “I get you’ve only been casting hexes and curses, but really?

“Hey don't judge!” Nico demanded.

“Listen, just go make friends with a kid from Cabin Four this afternoon and you'll have all the flowers you could ever need or use,” Lou Ellen told him as she bounced idly on her bed.

“Oh I get it, this is all a ploy to get me to interact with people,” Nico grumbled. “That’s lame Lou Ellen.”

“Whatever,” Lou Ellen scoffed. “Just go be nice. Now would be the best time.”  

“Fine, whatever,” Nico said as he stood up and marched to the door. “I'm going to go get a soda.”

“Kay, have fun tonight,” Lou Ellen said with a scheming grin. Nico made a face and then slammed the door to the cabin behind him. He sulked across the grass.

Nico knew Lou Ellen had a point. Cursing and Mist Manipulation were great skills in a fight, but he also knew he ought to be practicing different kinds of casting while he had the opportunity, the best magically charged ingredients to do so, and people willing to test out the concoctions or spells he did. But Nico was also a creature of habit and he was really really good at casting curses. But he had been in a rut lately, considering the lack of reasons to make said curses. Maybe this was what he needed, not that he would tell Lou Ellen that. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

Nico bribed a can of coke off of Annabeth, before finding a spot to sit in the shade. For a few minutes Nico contented himself with meditation as he eyed Cabin Four. Aesthetically Nico could appreciate it, with flowering vines and roots and trees. He could just go over and ask, but he wasn't sure he knew how.  And at some point he must have drifted off into sleep because it seemed like the next moment he was being shaken gently awake.

“Hey there,” said Will Solace with a bright, cheerful smile. “Not used to seeing you in these parts. Nice leaves.”

Nico spluttered and blew the leaf that had fallen onto his face off, before brushing off the rest to Will Solace’s obvious enjoyment as he laughed at Nico’s grimace. Nico was glad for the shade that probably hid his flush of embarrassment. Will Solace, who was wearing a soft pastel green tank top that showed off his tanned freckled shoulders, and that made his eyes the powdery blue of forget-me-nots was laughing at Nico’s expense. Nico was sure he ought to be furious, but the sound was so nice he could hardly summon up tepid annoyance.

“Oh shove it,” Nico grumbled as he stood up, getting the grass off his jeans, mostly doing it because he didn't know where he should be looking between the tank top and the running shorts and he felt stupid for getting so worked up over nothing but a cute boy. This is why he didn't want to do this, Nico thought miserably. The less people I interact with, the less people know how much I am incapable of basic human interaction.

“I didn't know this was your preferred napping spot,” Will said pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to Nico’s plight.

“It's not, I was just-” Nico cut himself off before clearing his throat. “Well, it’s fine. I actually had something I wanted to ask, well, anyone in your cabin.”

“Well if any old Demeter kid will do, then I should be up for the task,” Will said with a grin as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “What did you need?”

“You wouldn't happen to have any lilac,  gardenia, and honeysuckle would you?” Nico asked him, voice cracking and only deepening his despair.

“We do, actually. Would you like to come see?” Will asked.

“Uh, yeah sure,” Nico said numbly, and Will gave a wave to motion for Nico to follow him. Nico walked behind Will into the back of the cabin, where rows of plants were gathered. Nico recognized some of them, but others he had no clue. It was an explosion of color and sundrenched scents and magic that almost made him dizzy. As Will walked, occasionally he reached out to inspect a bud or allow a sprout to curl around his fingers or wrist.

He leaned down by a bush of soft drooping lilacs, pulling a bag close for him. With a gentle touch he carefully felt along the beach as if for the proper spot. Nico shivered as he did so, suddenly feeling like he was watching something private.

“Usually I like to cut lilac in the early morning or the late afternoon,” Will hummed, talking mostly to himself. “Until you use it make sure you keep it in a tall vase, alright?”

“I...uh, okay,” Nico said, running his tongue over his suddenly very dry lips. “Why in the early morning or late evening?”

“It’s what the lilac prefers,” Will explained as if that was a real explanation, but somehow when Will said it Nico believed it. He rubbed a hand across his cheek, smearing dirt, and Nico itched to brush his own fingers against his skin. Will followed the same procedure with the honeysuckle, and Nico trailed behind him...still watching Will’s gold curls. He wondered if they would be just as soft as honeysuckle petals--if the scent of lilac lingered on his fingers---

“Nico?” Will asked curiously, breaking Nico from his very unhelpful thoughts.

“Yeah? What?” Nico asked, voice more curt then he was intending. He flinched at his own tone, though Will seemed unaffected.

“Did you need anything else?” Will asked patiently.

“And...the gardenia?” Nico asked hopefully, cringing at his lack of tact.

“Yeah, of course,” Will said cheerfully as he stood up and motioned towards the cabin. On the back porch in a a large pot was a green shrub with decadent and beautiful white flowers. Will patted the pot fondly. “I love gardenias, though they can be very picky and temperamental.”

“Really, why?” Nico asked him.

“It’s just the way they are,” Will said, before suddenly blushing a bit as he bundled up some of the flowers for him. “They...um...they’re pretty prim. All about refinement and...love. Like a wedding flower.”

“Oh,” Nico said, oh so eloquently. “What do lilacs mean?”

“What?” Will asked, taken aback by the sudden question.

“What does...what does lilac mean? Like in the language of flowers.”

“I hope that the potion works well,” Will told him, holding out the flowers for him. Nico’s hand brushed his, and Nico almost melted into the ground. He was so warm, it should have been impossible.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Nico, what did you do?”

Nico didn’t particularly like the sound of that.

He paused in the green and turned to stare at Lou Ellen, who was taping her foot impatiently at him. Nico attempted to meet her disappointed look with a glare, but found that he was lacking in the fear-factor.

“What do you mean, what did I do?” Nico asked with a huff. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Like Hades you did! I just heard, Hermes cabin pilfered some of your potion from Hypnos cabin. And, well, you ought to see!” Lou Ellen grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the infirmary. All of Ares cabin was seemingly down for the count--giggling and gazing up at the clouds and making gauze crowns and generally acting dopey and weird.

“Hey Nico,” said Percy Jackson, grinning weirdly from his cot. Annabeth from Hermes Cabin was holding his hand and trying to look mad even though Percy was kissing her hand and giggling.   

“Now you owe me a coke and my boyfriend’s brain,” Annabeth informed Nico sourly.

“You’re cute,” Percy said, fluttering his eyelashes at her. Annabeth at least had the decency to blush and look somewhat pleased and embarrassed.

“Wait, my potion did that?!” Nico demanded. “How? I made a dream-oil!”

“Just because a potion was supposed to do something doesn’t mean it does. Intent matters a lot, so, what were you thinking about or doing when you were making the potion?” Lou Ellen asked him.

“And you better get an antidote fast, because I’m not dealing with this forever!” Leo from Apollo Cabin huffed as he strapped down a camper who tried to hug him.

  He hadn’t really done anything. Maybe he had been watching out for Will Solace around Camp, and maybe...just maybe he had been finding excuses to go look in the garden. Okay and maybe he had been taking his sweet time looking over his infusing oils and taking in the scent of flowers that were now inherently linked to his memories of Will Solace, and imagining how sweet and gentle Will Solace would kiss him. But it hadn’t distracted him, not really. He had even delivered the dream-oil to Clovis on time. So it was insulting to Nico that he was being blamed for something when he had been nothing but good. There had been no hex-making or jinx pouches or anything, after all it was hard to have your heart into the dark magical arts when you were mentally curling up with a cute boy in a flowering field somewhere…

“Okay...this is totally my fault,” Nico admitted with a sigh. “Alright...I’ll...I’ll figure something out!”

Nico left the infirmary, brain swirling with ideas. He had to undo a spell...so a simple knot spell might work. There was plenty of rope around the cabin. But he would need a purifying agent, to make sure that the unravelling was untarnished by other magic.

So there wasn’t anything he could really do. He could help it, not really. He did need to talk to a child of Demeter...a specific child of Demeter…

“Oh, hey Nico. What’s up?” Will’s voice was cheerful as he looked up from the strawberry plants. It was unfair how cute he was, Nico thought as he chewed on his lip. How on Earth was he ever supposed to get anything done and not mess it up royally with Will Solace around? Now he wasn’t going to be able to look at a strawberry plant without thinking of the way Will’s tank top was sliding off his shoulder and the constellation of freckles on the base of his neck. There were only so many plants in the world, and if he could only imagine Will Solace when he was spell casting Nico would only be making love-spells from then on.

“I accidentally cursed a whole bunch of people and was hoping you could give me some sage so I could purify a rope I need for another spell that will hopefully lift the curse?” Nico asked, equal parts sheepish and hopeful. Will stared at him for a solid ten seconds, which felt like the longest ten seconds of Nico’s life, before breaking out into a smile.

“Did you now?” Will asked, sounding very amused.

“To be fair though it was your fault,” NIco grumbled.

“What was that?” Will asked, confused.

“Nothing, nothing,” Nico said. “So what do you say? Anything you could do for a witch in a pinch?”

Will rubbed his chin, before slowly and dutifully offering a grin and a nod.

“I think I have just the thing.”   

Nico was surely cursed.

[itsomgitsgreenblogging]

New Perspective: A Solangelo Fanfiction

Drew’s the best and also the worst, and also I haven’t written a lot of witty dialogue lately, I missed that. So you know I had to bring back some of the snap. Also all the lube available and Nico with a ponytail. Cause you know, those things should never be mutually exclusive in fanfiction ;) 

(this fic takes place after the events of Lover-Cares)

Enjoy!

Read on AO3

Preview:

“Nico, what the heck?” Austin said, looking rather startled. “Did you seriously just refer to yourself in the third person.”              

“It’s never too early for some good old fashion dissociation and self-hatred my guy,” Nico said with a probably terrifying half-smile half-baring of teeth he cheers his coffee and downed it. Noting Kayla and Austin’s genuinely unamused faces, he scoffed. “My comedic skills are lost on you people, I swear.”

“—I’m just saying, Drew Tanaka can shove it up hers if she has enough room besides the giant stick up her butt,” Kayla fumed, and Nico couldn’t help but look up from where he was absentmindedly stirring him cream of wheat. “I swear sometimes I just want to smack that girl upside the head, and the Stolls, and—“

               “—and Nico di Angelo, by the gods he’s such an asshole am I right?” Nico said irritably as he took a sip of his coffee, watching as Sebastian from Aphrodite Cabin and Malcom from Athena Cabin got into an argument about if Beyoncé was or was not the most influential philosopher who tackled the properties of love and relationships in modern time.

               “Nico, what the heck?” Austin said, looking rather startled. “Did you seriously just refer to yourself in the third person.”

               “It’s never too early for some good old fashion dissociation and self-hatred my guy,” Nico said with a probably terrifying half-smile half-baring of teeth he cheers his coffee and downed it. Noting Kayla and Austin’s genuinely unamused faces, he scoffed. “My comedic skills are lost on you people, I swear.”

               “It’s more like you have a really screwed up sense of humor but alright man whatever floats your boat,” Kayla said with a shrug.

               Nico stewed in his general daily angst, definitely not upset that he hadn’t seen Will all morning because he was in charge of taking care of a camper, no, Nico was not that petty. Or at least, he was trying to convince himself that he wasn’t as he sat in the shadow of a tree that was diagonally across from the infirmary, a book laying on his lap that Nico wasn’t reading. He hadn’t managed to get any alone time with Will in so long, he was actually missing Will even though he had seen Will every single day, and his head wasn’t feeling so great.

               Pathetic, Nico thought at himself angrily, wanting to bash something or break something to get the raw feeling out from beneath his nails and his head. Get used to being around people and suddenly you are clinging again.

               “Oh hey there lover-boy, what’s the reason for the doom and gloom and the fact you obviously haven’t combed your hair?” Drew Tanaka said as she placed one hand on her hip and looked down at Nico as if he had walked out of his room wearing only orange from behind her pink eyeliner.

               “Oh wow, it’s almost like I can hear something…but I can’t quite make it out over the sound of all the hot air escaping your face,” Nico said saintly.

               “You are lucky you are hot and an asshole,” Drew Tanaka scoffed. “Otherwise being around you would be a chore.”

               “I’m gay, Drew.”

               “First off sweetie,” Drew said with the inflection she would give “cancer” or “Walmart clothing sale”, “did I say I wanted to suck face with discount Brendon Urie from circa 2005? No I did not. Stop projecting your insecurities onto me, every time you do so another fabulous bitch like me gets a blister when walking in heels to the club. Secondly just because you are gay does not mean you stop being hot. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. “Mutually exclusive” meaning two things that cannot both be true at the same time, like eating bread on the Atkins diet or Ellis Wakefield not wanting to suck Markowitz’s dick when he walks into a room. Being gay and attractive can definitely both happen so deal with it, and it makes your shitty attitude worth it because I can appreciate good bone structure when I see it.”

               “Drew you are an awful human being,” Nico told her seriously, rubbing his temples adamantly. “Like really, is something wrong with you?”

               “What can I say, I’m just keeping it real,” Drew said with a toss of her hair. “So what’s got your panties in a twist? Is it Will?”

               “Drew, if you seriously think I’m going to talk to you about relationships you have another thing coming,” Nico said with a vague ache starting up behind his eyes.

               It was when Drew and Nico were about to have their version of a heart to heart (which was basically them insulting each other) when it sounded like the Asphodel Fields broke out in the center of camp. It looked like Butch from Iris Cabin was barely holding back Sherman as Lacy, Mitchell, and Sebastian milled on the edge of the archery fields. Julia Fiengold, who was good friends with Lacy, had planted herself by Lacy’s side but looked concerned as Alice casted a few solid glares in Sherman’s direction (and Nico wouldn’t have been surprised if she was carrying some serious prank artillery with her). Clovis had somehow fallen asleep on one of the white lines in the center of the archery field, and Nico found himself somewhat glad for it as Will had emerged from the infirmary to try to drag him off with the intervention of Lou Ellen and Cecil Markowitz—though they had all apparently dropped Clovis mid-carry as the fight broke out as he was snoring, looking rather at peace on the grass.

               “So what’s going on?” Nico asked in general as he and Drew approached the chaos.

               “Oh, you know, the daily life at CHB,” Will said weakly. “Honestly they had been arguing when I got here, I think things started escalating.”

               “What you are saying is disrespectful to all the warriors—!” Sherman half-screamed, looking very much like he wanted to shove Lacy out of a moving car. “Get off me Brony!”

               “Ugh, man, do not make me regret this or I swear!” Butch snapped at him.  

               “I was just saying…!” Lacy half-sobbed, her brothers who were comforting her looking like they were planning to switch out Sherman’s spears with makeup brushes and for Cover Girl makeup and lots of highlighter to be in Sherman’s immediate future.

“Wait, can we all hold up a hot second! What is happening and why is Tweedle Dumber threatening Lacy?” Drew said, holding out her hands and flipped her dark hair out of her face. There was charmspeak laden in her words, and with the threat of physical violence gone, the actual situation came out.

“So I was Iris messaging with Piper and she said that her dad told Jason he knew a plastic surgeon that could fix his lip and how Jason thought that was funny. But I said, oh that might be a good idea for scars, and then Sherman overheard me!” Lacy blurted out, her words a tumble of panic.

“A warrior should take pride in his scars, anything else is a weakness!” Sherman snapped back at her. Drew looked like she just rolled her eyes so hard she might have sprained something, and Nico just sat back and let the madness start as Drew opened her lipsticked-lips.

“Okay so I hear that Jason’s got some scars. I wouldn’t really know because like Medusa I try to avoid eye contact with him on the account of someone cough cough Piper cough cough being absolutely sure I’m a homewrecker. I don’t know what the big deal is. If you don’t like something about your body, you should just change it. Or maybe not, maybe Jason needs his scar to get into some lesbian biker gang or maybe he’s leaving Piper and going on an Eat-Pray-Love style self-discovery vacation and the scars will help him sell his memoir as “a man with a troubled past takes the road to new enlightenment”. Anyways, it’s not like we haven’t all thought about something like that. I’m convinced every time that Jackson opens his gab Annabeth reasons over the pros and cons of mouth reduction surgery. I’m sure Butch’s thought of getting that rainbow tramp stamp removed because let’s be honest he’s not slaying the ladies with it—“

               “Drew I am going to kick you in the head—!“ Butch threatened.  

               “—Cecil has probably rifled through pamphlets about fixing that huge beak of his because he isn’t really using it to break nuts and seeds over here. And Alice has definitely thought about getting an eye-deslanting.”

               “Screw you Drew, that’s racist,” Alice Miyazawa scoffed, as Cecil suddenly turned to Lou Ellen who gave him an apologetic look in return.

               “Self-hating Asians oughtta stick together,” Drew retorted with a shrug.

               “I don’t think that’s necessarily true, Drew. I mean, sure, everyone has insecurities, but it’s also good to try to embrace them,” Will told Drew as he placed a hand on Alice's shoulder to keep the girl from giving Drew a probably well-earned knuckle sandwich.

               “Oh please, Solace, you’ve got a weird spiral belly button. You could frost it and pass it off as a cinnamon bun,” Drew said with a roll of her eyes, Nico had to cover the laugh of surprise that came out of him with his hand, and Will gave him a long-suffering look. “I’m just saying, there’s this thing called plastic surgery. It’s science. And if you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see and also have the means, you should go for it. If you don’t want to, don’t. Simple as that. Passing judgment is so un-hot, and who knows? Maybe Jason will wake up from general anesthesia and realize who the hotter child of Aphrodite that he could be with is. Either way, what people do or do not decide to do with their bodies is no one else’s choice,” Drew said before with a final hair flip and sway of hip, Drew was off to terrorize another section of camp. With Hurricane Drew now over, the campers who had gathered dispersed to mutter amongst themselves, Sherman and Ellis and Butch grabbed Clovis by his appendages and dragging him off the field as he slept talk about Great White Sharks, macaroons, and a tennis racket.

               “I hate that girl with a fiery passion, but by all the Gods she’s a freaking insult-genius,” Lou Ellen said with a sort of strange awe.

               “And she really loves what she does,” Cecil said just as quietly. “She has a gift.”

               “Yeah she’s something alright,” Will noted before looking to Nico with an almost shy grin, bumping his shoulder against Nico’s. “Hey there, long time no see.”

               “Oh yuck, mushy feelings. We’re out,” Lou Ellen called as she and Cecil made kissy faces at Nico and Will before also walking off.  

               “How’s the infirmary?” Nico asked him as they began to walk, he tried to pat his hair down absently.

               “Not so busy, were you really busy? You look like you just rolled out of bed,” Will noted and Nico sighed heavily.

               “I desperately need a haircut,” Nico groaned, twisting a lock of hair around his fingers and trying to get it out of his eyes.

               “Well, why don’t I at least get you a hair tie? Kayla keeps a whole bunch on the desk,” Will offered.

               They walked to Apollo Cabin in companionable silence, when they got there Nico sat down on the bed as Will grabbed one of Kayla’s dark hair ties from her desk and his own brush. Kayla and Austin were spending their free period helping Nyssa and Harley with some new target practice gadget, so for once in a long time Cabin Seven was quiet.  

               “My hair’s pretty thick,” Nico warned him as well approached with a few things in hand, a brush among them.

               “I’ve got some spray in stuff,” Will offered, holding up a very suspicious slender bottle filled with what Nico would have assumed was a cream based dessert.

               “Isn’t that Aphrodite stuff?”

               “Personal grooming is not just an Aphrodite Cabin thing,” Will scoffed and Nico resisted making a son-of-Apollo-joke before Nico allowed him to do whatever he was planning on by motioning to the spot next to him, and he couldn’t help but sigh as Will’s fingers ran through his hair. “You have really nice hair though.”

               “It’s so dratted thick,” Nico scoffed, tugging at a renegade curl. “And it curls weirdly. I was thinking of maybe shaving it.”

               “Really?” Will asked and Nico felt the gentle tug of the brush through his hair.

               “Yeah, when my dad first gave me my card I tried to go to the hair dresser’s, but when they were shampooing my head and they started rubbing my scalp and stuff I really couldn’t take it. I almost kicked the lady in the leg,” Nico admitted awkwardly with a shudder at both the memory and how nice whatever Will was doing felt. “I’ve been trimming it myself ever since, I sort of forgot to though.”

               “That sounds like you,” Will laughed, and Nico could almost hear Will’s smile. That was the nice thing about Will’s voice, it didn’t hide anything, it was pure and genuine. “You aren’t a huge fan of other people touching you, are you?”

               “It’s hard when you don’t know them,” Nico groaned. “I’m normally fine when it’s people I don’t hate. You’re just too laid back.”

               “Maybe,” Will chuckled good-naturedly and Nico leaned his head back so he could see Will’s bright and slightly sheepish smile. “Hazard of the healing arts. I’ve gotten used to people touching me out of the blue because I heal them. I think your hesitance is one of your cute features anyways.”

               “You’re a weirdo,” Nico said with a roll of his eyes.

               “You’re the one dating a weirdo, what does that say about you?” Will asked, and with gentle fingers his pulled the hair that was about his neck up into a tie. Immediately, Nico felt his warm lips press against the back of his neck, making Nico jump slightly at the unexpected sensation. Will immediately moved back, but Nico grasped his arm and kept him close.

               “I know things have been awkward since…since last time,” Nico said quietly. “But I want you to touch me, I do.”

               “But you…you really hated it,” Will nearly whined, sitting back on his heels. “Honestly, I’m fine being on the bottom for the rest of my life if it makes you so uncomfortable.”

               “I didn’t hate it, I just froze,” Nico corrected him, before sighing heavily. “I’m…there’s a thing about me I wish I could change I guess.”

               “If you want to talk about it I’m open ears?” Will asked, and didn’t push. There was no trace of judgment in his features, and somehow that made Nico feel even more desolate.

               “I just…I’m always worried I’m being selfish.”

               “Nico, you are the most unselfish person I know,” Will said, eyes wide with shock, as he sat back on his heels thoughtfully. “I mean, holy Hera, you almost killed yourself for your friends and everyone else. You are constantly putting other people before yourself.”

               “I…” Nico tried to begin to explain, but just shook his head. “It’s just hard for me is all. Sometimes I feel like I don’t see you as much as I want to, but I know you’re busy. And then when I do see you, I’m uncooperative.”

               Will was quiet for a moment, before he felt Will’s hands slip beneath his shirt, Will’s mouth tenderly pressing against the back of his neck. Nico gasped as Will’s fingers brushed against his nipple.

               “Nico, this doesn’t feel uncooperative. This feels sensitive,” Will sighed as he continue to tease with loving mouth and hands in a way that made all of Nico’s blood travel south.  “And I would never want you to change that. So what if it takes a bit for you to get used to my touch? The fact I get to touch you at all makes me happy and then you make these noises that turn me on so much.”

               “Greedy asshole,” Nico snarked, turning to meet Will’s lips, opening his mouth so he could pull Will in deeper. Nico reached over to palm the very obvious heaviness in Will’s great sweatpants and smiled against Will’s lips. “Someone else is pretty sensitive too.”

               “Oh, yes, sometimes it’s good to be selfish,” Will told Nico with a sweet look that could have melted Nico, and Nico lay down and let Will lay his body on top, reveling in the delicious weight. “Especially when you have someone like me who could be happy spoiling you for the rest of your life. But please, give me a head’s up? I’m not a mind-reader so I appreciate specific directions.”

               “I can be pretty demanding,” Nico said somewhat weakly, reaching up to trace Will’s cheek. “If you give me a little bit, I’ll just want more.”

               “And I can be pretty stubborn, anything you want, I’ll be happy to give you,” Will promised him. “Just let me, Nico. Tell what you want.”

               “Can we try…again?” Nico asked, but his words stopped as Will caught his hand and kissed it, perking up immediately as Nico’s gaze drifted over to the left.

               “Of course,” Will asked him and Nico nodded and reached over to the bedside table Nico had been eyeing and opened up the drawer.

               “How should I…um?” Nico asked him and Will shrugged.

               “Do whatever you think will make you the most comfortable,” Will said as he unscrewed the bottle and almost doused his fingers in it, warming the lube between his fingers.

               “Alright,” Nico said, laying down on his stomach, helping Will place a pillow beneath his hips.

               “You can be selfish with me, Nico,” Will promised him as he kissed Nico’s neck and shoulder comfortingly, and Nico shuddered as he felt Will’s fingers gently rub against his entrance. Nico couldn’t understand why it felt so good, his whole body jolted as Will’s slick finger slid inside, the intrusion not entirely pleasant or unpleasant as he moved it. “Relax, as much as you can.”

               “It feels…weird…!” Nico admitted between clenched teeth, forcing his body to remain relaxed despite what urges he felt. He wanted to try this, Nico reminded himself.

               “Does it hurt?” Will asked worriedly and Nico shook his head. “Here, I’m going to add another one. Try to stay as loose as you can, alright?”

               Nico nodded and gripped the pillow, just as a second finger pressed inside of him with the help of ample lube. Nico fought and lost against the desire to clamp down, and his lack of control over his body’s reaction was damn near infuriating to him. As if sensing this by Nico’s stiff-lipped reaction Will reached down to slide his hand along Nico’s length, which had softened considerably at the previous activities. The smooth, almost comforting sensation of Will’s hand on him, and the gentle probing finally got Nico to relax.

               “It’s okay, Nico. You’re doing so good right now,” Will promised as he kissed Nico’s back.

               “Ugh…this feels so bizarre,” Nico couldn’t help but groan as he turned his head and gave Will a look.  

               “Does it hurt?” Will asked as his fingers continued to move inside Nico, and with him massaging and rubbing him on the inside and outside, a thankful sigh escaped Nico’s mouth. It was beginning to feel vaguely pleasant now, and he naturally relaxed against Will’s touch.

               “Trust me, you would know if it hurt,” Nico promised him. He could do this, Nico thought very rationally. It certainly didn’t feel bad, and judging by the hooded expression and the evidence of Will’s desire pressed against his thigh, if Will wanted to do this then—

               Suddenly Will found something inside of Nico that made him surge with pleasure, and his breath caught harshly in his throat. Will’s fingers hit it again more adamantly and Nico moaned into the sheets as he pressed back against Will’s fingers as he searched against for that feeling.

               “There!” Nico moaned demandingly. “Oh Gods, is that what I hit in you? Oh—that feels so good.”

               “Nico, allow me to introduce you to your prostate,” Will chuckled good-naturedly, as close as they were Nico could feel that rumble in Will’s belly, and it made Nico’s face get hotter.

               “Don’t be a dork,” Nico groaned. “Just do whatever you just did again.”

               “Alright then, needy,” Will teased, as Will’s fingers continued to scissor and rub and hit the plac inside of him that felt so good that Nico’s vision swam. His cock ached with desire, and Will removed his hand to grab the bottle and add a third very slick finger inside and Nico felt so full and so good that he couldn’t think straight. He wanted—needed more.  

               “I want you inside,” Nico blurted out, his hand reaching blindly and clamping on Will’s wrist. “Will, I want to feel you on the inside.”  

               “Shit!” Will said sharply, and Nico stared at him in concern. Will answered it with a delightfully embarrassed expression. “Sorry, that was—that was just really sexy, like whoa.”

               “Um…sorry?” Nico said, feeling himself blush hard because had those words really come out of his mouth? He couldn’t believe it himself.

               “Don’t be sorry, I feel like I deserve a pat on the back,” Will said with a wide smile that Nico returned before turning, hooking Will’s hips with his legs, and pulling Will down on top of him. Both of them laughed into their mouths as they kissed with more intensity, Will fumbling with the foil on the condom. He rolled it on and slicked it with lube, before reaching back to Nico with newly spread fingers.

               “No, I don’t need anymore more,” Nico complained half-heartedly, but spread his legs as Will’s fingers sank inside of him with relative ease. Oh Gods, Nico thought before his thoughts went fuzzy as Will crooked a finger and found a weak spot that had his jaw hanging open. He could get addicted to this, and now he totally got why Will was totally into this.

               “We have to make sure it doesn’t hurt, don’t we?” Will teased as he kissed Nico’s neck.

               “Just put it inside me,” Nico half-begged, half-growled.

               “Are you ready? You sure?”

               “Yes,” Nico agreed, his head nodding vigorously.

               “Alright then, your wish it my command,” Will chuckled, and Nico felt him line up and slid inside.

               They both moaned, the sensation was intense to say the least. There was the barest twinge of discomfort, but he had been so thoroughly prepared that it disappeared quickly as Will seated himself fully inside. What mattered most was the divine sensation that was making him tremble.

               “Oh Will,” Nico gasped breathlessly, wrapping his legs around Will’s hips as Will trembled. “I can feel you.”

               “I feel you too,” Will moaned, his eyes fluttered, and Nico couldn’t help but find his expression to be utterly adorable. “Oh gods you are so perfect, Nico. I love you so much.”

               “Yeah? Does it feel good?” Nico asked, unable to stop himself from smiling an odd grin as Will nodded desperately. “You can move, Will. I want you too. If it hurts I’ll tell you, I promise.”

               “You promise?” Will asked, faking being very obviously suspicious.

               “You’ll be the first to know, scout’s honor,” Nico said making a Live-Long-and Prosper sign with his hands. Will laughed and leaned down to press a kiss to Nico’s forehead.

               Will began to move in gentle controlled thrusts, Nico suspected it was half for him and half to keep Will from coming. But he couldn’t help but enjoy and be frustrated by the movements in equal measure because while it didn’t hurt, Will’s broad shoulders and larger chest was making Nico feel oddly caged. Finally, Nico pressed up on Will’s shoulder’s.

               “Will, I can’t breathe,” Nico told him between kisses. “Maybe change position?”

               “Yeah, uh, what do you want to…?” Will asked with a hitched breath as he pulled up, Nico let Will sit himself against the headboard and settled himself firmly on Will’s lap. “Better?”

               “Yeah, I can—oh,” Nico groaned as he latched onto Will, arms wrapped around Will’s back. In this position he could feel Will’s length, pressing in deep and filling him. Will bent down and their mouths melted against each other, and they rocked together, slightly unsteady as they worked together to find the perfect angle, or when Will reached down to grasp him, or Nico bucked up unexpectedly as Will once again struck his prostrate. Finally something was building up, white hot pleasure that Nico almost wished could keep building inside of him forever so he could keep burning with it, but it couldn’t happen. Nico moaned into Will’s mouth and felt himself come into Will’s hand. Will continued to move for a moment or two, thrusts uneven, and Nico felt a pulsing inside as Will came into the condom.

               Nico lay down as Will removed the condom and threw it out, falling back on the bed with an exhausted huff.

               “So what did you think?” Will asked, as they both tried to catch their breath and curling his arms around the pillow in front of him. Nico normally would have chastised him for getting sweat all over his pillows, but with Will stretched out looking so content and with those golden arms of his Nico just couldn’t fault him. Instead Nico grabbed the nearly empty lube bottle and held it up with a crook of his brow.

               “Are you kidding?”

               “What, you were totally into it and you were super hot and it helped, you’ll be thanking me when that wow-that-seat-was-uncomfortable ache doesn’t turn into a holy-shit-was-I-hit-by-a-train ache,” Will told him as he gave Nico a grin and a thumb’s up as he placed the bottle on the bed side table.

               “You are insufferable did you know that,” Nico sighed as he turned over to kiss Will’s shoulder and give his back an absent scratch, which had Will sighing in pleasure. “But yeah, that was pretty hot.”

               “Mm, I must have done something right for you to be so good to me,” Will said as he turned his head to look at Nico, eyes a deep hazy blue, a warm grin glinting across his teeth.

               “You are an idiot,” Nico sighed as he leaned down to kiss him. “But you are also disgustingly sweet.”

               “Don’t say it like a compliment or I’ll believe you like me or something,” Will teased as he pushed up to meet Nico’s mouth again.

               “How embarrassing that would be,” Nico murmured between brushes of lips. “It was good, Will.”

               “I’m totally down if you want to torture me with those sexy pianist fingers next,” Will told him, and Nico honestly couldn’t tell if he was being serious or joking. “I have more lube in my cabin—“

               “Will, seriously—?“    

               Nico sat down to get his hair cut by Mitchell, and could see Drew smirk at him from the corner of his eye. Nico immediately flipped her off. 

               Just another day at CHB.