Just Solangelo Things

A Look Into the Future

Will feels his heart hammering in his chest. His vision is slightly blurry, and he can't hear anything over his own careful breathing.

The doorknob slips through his tired fingers and the door clicks shut behind him, the man he's been staring at for the past two minutes finally noticing his heated gaze.

"Oh," Nico nods at him, bouncing in place with his arms gently cradling a baby to his chest, "You're home."

Will gapes at him. "What the fuck is that?"

"Will Solace, seriously?" Nico hisses at him, turning the infant away and shielding it with his whole body as if Will had physically attacked them. "Don't cuss in front of the baby, she can hear you!"

Will looks incredulously at him and throws a hand in his direction. "What do you mean don't cuss in front of the- why is there even a baby here?!"

Nico opens his mouth to explain.

"No, wait. I get it," Will interrupts.

"Uh," Nico glances suspiciously at his disappointed expression. "You do?"

Will sighs, raking his hands through his hair. He drops his coat and bag on the sofa and slowly approaches them.

"Babe," he whispers, putting a warm hand on Nico's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

Nico stares at him for all of five seconds before he slaps him.

"Ow!" Will holds his own stinging cheek.

"Are you fucking insane?" Nico whispers back, fighting to keep his voice down. "Do you think you're being fucking funny?"

"What happened to not cussing in front of the baby?" Will mumbles.

"Chronos on a stick, you make me forego all the damn rules." Nico snorts, roughly brushing past him to the makeshift crib next to the sofa. He gently lowers the baby onto the bed, and sighs in relief when she settles down and closes her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" he mocks in a high pitched, nasally voice, and scoffs. "And you call yourself a doctor? What the hell do I look like to you, a god? I don't just go around defying biology and shitting out babies."

Will frowns. "I don't think that's how it works."

"You're one to say," Nico rolls his eyes. "One of the demigods who left here a long time ago came back to visit Chiron. She's married and has a kid, and she needed someone to watch her baby while they discuss some things about the camp."

Feeling dumb, Will scratches at his head.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Nico shakes his head at him one last time before turning and walking to the small kitchen, still mocking him the whole way there.

Will watches in silence as he takes out a clean baby bottle and sets out to make formula.

Something warm fills his chest as he notices the way Nico's tongue peeks out in concentration while he measures the hot water, the way he stretches up onto his tip toes every minute to glance over the counter toward the baby, the way his eyebrows furrow when he drops some of the formula onto his wrist to check the temperature. Even the way he mutters, "Hades, we need more lights in here. Why did they make my cabin so dark?" to himself feels endearing to him.

He takes a step back. What is this feeling? It's all soft and mushy and... hopeful. He looks at Nico, and he looks at the tiny infant in the crib.

Suddenly hit with realization, he closes his eyes and laughs disbelievingly to himself.

He wants this.

He wants this, so so much.

"What are you doing?"

His eyes fly open at the voice right next to his ear. Nico snickers at him, and continues toward the crib with the bottle. "Weirdo."

Will just looks on, head buzzing with imagination. All of a sudden, things seem so much brighter and meaningful, and for the first time in a while he remembers why he works so hard at the infirmary every day. It's for Nico, for them, for all of this. It's for their future of so much more.

"Hey," he says after a few moments.

"Hm?" Nico hums, distractedly. He laughs softly when a small hand clasps over his fingers, the baby gurgling in happiness. "Slow down sweetheart, it's all yours."

Will bites his lip, smiling.

"Nothing."