the Crown of Edom {Solangelo Prince AU}

25. Epilogue - Part 1: Two Doofuses' Gettin' Hitched

1 Year Later

There was nothing new about this day. Nothing new at all. The rising sun cascaded the warm, slightly untidy room in shimmering gold as it always did. Draped across the empty king bed were scrunched and wrinkled sheets and duvet covers, a tussled memory of the night before. Nico di Angelo had always considered this a personal victory on his part; Will Solace had never allowed a speck of imperfection to infiltrate his life. Nico's ways had rubbed off on Will and unmade beds became normality.

This morning was not new to Nico.

And yet, there he sat, wrapped in a silk robe, staring endlessly into the mirror resting before him. Butterflies ravaged unforgivingly in his stomach. He had gone through this morning every two weeks since he became king. Regardless of this normal day, he could never promise that his body wouldn't betray him and hack up last night's dinner.

"Do I tell you enough just how proud of you I am?" says another voice, soon followed by arms that slide around Nico's bare shoulders. A mop of full blonde hair dangles and brushes against Nico's cheek as he looks into the reflection. Will slumped over, providing a warm embrace that Nico hadn't realized he wanted so badly.

Slowly, he relaxes his neck and leans against the other's man body. "Constantly. I don't think I believe you anymore."

Will smirks at Nico through the mirror. "Still nervous?"

Of course—no matter what brave face Nico wore, Will could always tell which one was a facade. Nico clicked his tongue and directed his eyes to his folded hands resting on his lamp. "You don't mind that I don't...I don't come to you for this?"

Nico's hair hung over his eyes but he could feel Will maneuver to the other side of the chair, crouching down and lifting Nico's chin with his knuckles. "My love, I take no offense to it in the slightest. I will always be right by your side when you call my name, but I am not skilled in these matters. Not as skilled as others are, at least. Do not feel any shame on my behalf."

Nico slips Will's hand from below his chin and into his own palms. "Good, because I love you more than you could possibly ever imagine."

"Trust," Will's head tilts, a golden retriever smile plastered across his face, "I don't have to imagine."

"Oh, shut up," Nico swats his shoulder.

"What?" Will's smirk turns into a full-toothed grin. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"I love you more than you love me and I will not argue with you on that," Nico grins, standing and puffing out his chest. Will follows him up, their palms still glued to one another.

"I love you most," Will winks.

"Nope. Wrong. Incorrect," Nico tears his hand away, pulling off his robe to get dressed. Will is quick to hurry and retrieve pieces of his outfit.

"You know I'm right about everything," Will says, buttoning Nico's shirt after he slid it on. "Especially this."

"Oh, you are not right about everything," Nico shakes his head, buckling his pants as Will proceeded to get dressed as well. "Remember when you told Leo to tell Calypso he loved her and she stopped speaking to him?"

"For a week," Will says, buttoning his own shirt and polishing with a jacket. "as she would later explain to him that she was scared of her feelings and they rekindled. I was right in the long-run."

"Barely," he walks up to his fiancé, shoveling his waves of blonde hair.

"Still right," Will shrugs, hand slipping in Nico's as they finally leave the comfort of their bedroom. He had remembered when he first walked the halls of the Edom palace—thinking he knew everything. Thinking his life was going to always be the same thing, thinking he'd never be good enough. And then he remembered sneaking in and out of rooms with Nico, when they feared getting caught. Will looked at in is disbelief, wondering how they had ever felt those things. The kingdom had accepted Will and Nico's love fully, especially when the story became that Will plowed through town on a white horse and destroyed Octavian's army just to save the boy. Although those details were nowhere near the real truth, they looked at Will as a trustworthy hero. Now, they roamed the gardens, kissing regardless of who could see. They held hands in the town square and tomorrow—tomorrow, the entire kingdom would attend the royal wedding. "...and I say that I love you more."