Death Boy and Sunshine (Solangelo)

9-Date Night

Will POV

I knock on his door and when he opens it, I gasp. "You look hot." I say shamelessly. And he does; black basketball shorts and just his binder, showing off his muscles. He's been working out lately and it has definitely paid off. I always try to get him to workout with me but he refuses because he doesn't want me to see him without a binder, even though that's basically how we started dating. "Are you ready for our date?" I ask as I walk into the cabin. 

He grins at me "You know it, sunshine. We're gonna watch a movie tonight. I borrowed Leo's laptop that he designed so it can't be tracked by monsters." 

"Oh cool, how is Leo? Is he still in Puerto Rico?" I ask.  Leo ran off with Calypso after the war and I haven't seen him since, but he sends iris messages to the group sometimes. I barely knew him before he ran off but he seems nice, and definitely has a sense of humor.

"Yeah, him and Calypso decided to stay another month before going to Mexico. He said they'll come visit before they reach Mexico. But anyways, back to date night. What movie do you want to watch?" Nico flops onto his bed and gestures for me to join. 

"I dunno, anything really is fine. Just not horror." I say, knowing that Nico hates horror also.

"Alright I'll put on Up,  that's my favorite." He says and I kiss his forehead. "You're such a softie." He scrunches up his nose before typing away at the laptop. He sets it up and leans back into my arms with a sigh of content. 

We watch in silence for a while, and I enjoy the peaceful time together. Just being in Nico's presence makes me happy. I enjoy every little thing about him- how his hair smells like lavender, how he scrunches his nose when he's concentrating or annoyed, his laugh... oh gods I think I'm in love. I wonder if he loves me too or if he's still weighed down by insecurities of me hating him. That's all I can think about for the rest of the movie.

Nico POV

When the movie ends, I look up at Will and smile. He looks like he's thinking about something, so I just watch as he stares into space. Finally he realizes the movie is over and says "Oh, hey. Sorry, I just got caught up in my head." I bury my face into his chest and reply "That's okay, you're cute when you think." 

We're quiet for a few minutes before I ask, "What were you thinking about?" He hesitates, but finally replies with "Us." 

"What about us?" I ask, kind of nervous. What if he wants to breakup?

"Do you still worry about me hating you?" Oh. That's what he's worried about?

"Sometimes," I admit, "but it's mostly stuff that I know you wouldn't hate me for, but sometimes I can't help but get dragged down by those thoughts." I'm blushing as I realize how stupid I sound. 

"Stuff like what?" He asks, playing with my hair.

"Um. Sometime's I'm scared that you'll want to... you know... and then you'll realize that you don't actually like me because I was born a girl." Will opens his mouth to say something but I keep going, "I know you say that me being trans doesn't affect our relationship, and that I'm still  man, which I appreciate but that doesn't change the fact that I don't have the right parts and at some point, definitely not any time soon, but at some point, that will affect our relationship." I look down in embarrassment and whisper the last part. "Me being  trans complicates everything and I would understand if you dont want to deal with me anymore."

Will sits up and so do I, still not making eye contact. He hugs me and says, "Nico, I'm not with you for sex. We never have to do that if you don't want to, and if you do want to I will wait until we are both ready. When the time comes, we'll talk about boundaries and rules and make sure both of us are enjoying it. You being trans does affect our relationship, but I don't see that as a negative. The only differences it makes is small stuff, and I think it's allowed both of us to open up more. I love you, Nico Di Angelo, and you being trans will never change that."

I'm crying and lean into Will some more. "I love you too, Will Solace." I hadn't realized it before, but I definitely love this ball of sunshine. We fall asleep later that evening, wrapped in each others arms and knowing that our love is real.