The Sun in the Shadow

Chapter 25

Nico would not break.

Not for Olympus or his father himself. Even if his mother herself asked him, Nico wouldn't. He was set in stone, completely unmovable.

But then Will giggled and- holy Hades he blew it.

With an exclamation of resignation Nico flopped forward and on to Will's shoulder. Will laughed again and Nico could feel it through his face.

Nico was wearing a huge black shirt that the Stoll brothers had somehow found. Will was wearing a yellow shirt with a rainbow skull on it, curtesy of the Iris cabins wardrobe. It might have actually been hand made, because the shirt looked new. Of course they had both found the shirts just inside the door when they woke up. They also found that the cabin was locked from the outside, with no way of unlocking it on the inside. Nico was pretty sure this was in case the camp ever decided to contain children of Hades by locking them in their own home. A happy thought really.

"Your not allowed to use that face," Nico mumbled into Will's shoulder and Will turned to look down at the back of his head.

"What face?" he asked with a chuckle in his words.

"Your face!" Nico exclaimed and flopped his hands in a weird motion, his face still resting on Will's shoulder. "You're not allowed to use your face! It's too cute." Will laughed again and Nico could feel a tug at his heart, the good kind mind you.

Will turned and watched the wall, replying, "It was a staring contest Nico, and I only have one face. Can't really change it out for your fancy."

Nico sighed again and pulled back, sitting crisscross across from Will, who refocused on him. He squinted, leaned forward, shut one eye, and the proceeded to stare intently at Will's face.

"Um, what are you doing Nico? Will asked hesitantly.

Nico bit his lip, which Will found irresistibly adorable, and said, "Counting your freckles."

Will, with heart beat quicker after seeing Nico in adorable mode, grinned and asked, "Wouldn't you be able to do that better if we were closer?" Nico looked confused for a second, then Will grabbed his waist and pulled Nico with him as he flopped down on his back, the bed bouncing underneath him. Nico caught himself with his hands, leaving him propped above Will and completely flustered at the sudden move.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed, his blush refusing to fade. Will just laughed and wrapped his arms around Nico's neck, leaving them to hang.

When the laughter stopped Will successfully pronounced a sentence. "Hey Nico, why did Apollo go to school?"

Nico looked at him like he had just asked the dumbest question in the world, and to be fair, it was a dumb question.

"Will, I don't want to hea-"

"No, no. Come on, please, this is a good one." Will looked slightly excited, like he was holding out from blurting the answer.

Nico rolled his eyes and asked, "Why?"

"To make himself brighter!" Will exclaimed with a burst. He then fell into a fit of laughter that was more like combined sharp breaths and silent laughter.

Nico could feel the laugh building up in his chest as he watched Will, who was now crying tears of laughter. A burst of air escaped his nose and he puffed his cheeks to contain the laughter. But there was no fighting it.

With a burst of giggles Nico fell on top of Will's chest, his eyes squeezed shut with his mirth. While Will's laugh was silent and yet very deliberate, Nico's laugh was bursts of hastily contained giggles, which he tried to stop with a hand on his mouth.

Will actually stopped laughing and stared at Nico who was continuing to giggle in his cute way.

"Oh my gods, Nico," Will said in a low tone which immediately fixed Nico's laughing fit.

He fixed his gaze on Will and asked, "What's wrong?" urgently.

In response, Will said very seriously, like he was astonished, "You have the most adorable laugh."

At this answer Nico giggled again and replied with relief, "Gods, Will. Just that? I thought something bad had happened."

Will pushed himself up a bit and Nico leaned back so that he was sitting on Will's knees when Will said, "No, something great just happened. If possible, I think I just fell in love with you even more."

And then Nico giggled again, it was becoming hard to contain around Will, and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Will's lips.

"Well don't expect the same thing from me, that joke wasn't that smart Will."

And both boys grinned and then erupted in laughter again, collapsing back onto the bed in happy contentment. They both felt whole again.