Solangelo One-Shots

Confrontation

Author's Note: I write One-Shots, my stories aren't connected to each other. So while in this fic Nico might dislike cuddles, in another I might be in a fluff mood and have him cuddling Will adorably. And now for the actual story...

Again. It happened again. He hugged Nico, lingered. And even after they pulled away, Will traced his fingertips over the younger boy's palm, finishing in them holding hands. It had been months since he decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood, weeks since they'd started dating. But Nico still wasn't very comfortable with physical contact. And Will didn't really respect that.

It wasn't like the son of Apollo had kissed him yet, or anything. But he was constantly invading his partner's personal space. He made his boyfriend feel awkward. Maybe one day cuddling would just mean being in the arms of someone who made you feel safe. Maybe a hug would be friendly and a forehead touch sweet, welcome. But not now. Nico still wasn't ready.

After what seemed like forever- but at the same time happened all too soon- they arrived at the Hades cabin, where Will dropped the son of Hades off every night after the campfire. He moved in to peck the younger boy on the cheek, but Nico tensed and hastily withdrew. "S-sorry." He mumbled. "I just- uh- whatever." He opened up the cabin door and walked in, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. The door shut a second later.

"Nico?" The older boy called worriedly from the entrance. Should he go in? Or was it less serious? Or maybe it was serious, but something that his boyfriend wasn't ready to share. Whatever the case, he simply stayed where he was. "Will, it's fine. You can go to your cabin now." To the blond's surprise, the answer seemed to come from directly next to the door, as though the boy hadn't moved away from him.

"Whenever you say something is fine, it usually isn't." Will responded from the doorway. Now he heard footsteps moving away, further into the cabin. He got the feeling that he wasn't going to get any more answers. Even though minutes earlier he had almost convinced himself the matter was trivial, the reactions to being questioned made him decide that his boyfriend had something on his chest.

Feeling suddenly shy, he softly knocked on the door a couple of times. He heard someone shift in bed, but there was nor an answer or footsteps. "Can I come in?" He asked. Okay, so the Hades cabin was a little bit creepy, especially at night, so he wasn't thrilled at the prospect, but wasn't he among the only ones that didn't bat an eye at Nico's death glare? Didn't he feel safe and sound after every threat?

Well, considering there was still nothing but silence, he opened the door a little and peered in. He saw the younger boy simply sitting- with his knees brought up to his chest- in one of the, er, vampire beds. Whose idea were those anyway? Confidence combined with the urge to hug the guy out of his misery made him open up the door completely, shut it behind him, and make his way rapidly to the coffin.

He shifted his weight at the foot of the bed, the Italian glaring up at him. "Why? Why are you even here, Solace? I told you it was fine..." Most people did not get to see the son of Hades vulnerable. Will did. He was guarded now, scared. But there was more... He was thankful that Will wanted to find out what was wrong. Twisting his fingers into the sheets, he scooted over. His boyfriend sat down carefully.

"I know you're not really fine. Why do you do this to yourself? It's always the same thing, you can't talk to people. I don't want to push you, but there is a limit, Nico." The older boy said. He trailed his hand along the black-haired guy's cheekbone. A light sense of discomfort and darkness fluttered through him. Being a child of the Underworld, Nico was able to radiate this kind of energy when he felt upset.

"I'm not very trusting of others. But Will..." He looked into his partner's eyes, grabbing his hand, "I trust you." Feeling like a hypocrite, he kissed the blond's hand and drew away. "I just... I don't know why, exactly, but physical contact is..." He struggled for a word. He was trying to be as straightforward as possible. After all, the son of Apollo obviously cared. And as mysterious as people thought he was, he didn't waste his words. But why didn't he like human touch?

"It's weird. I can't feel comfortable. Maybe I'm childish, but it's indecent." The older boy let out a snort of laughter. "Sorry, sorry. Yeah. Indecent." Nico bit the inside of his cheek. He shot his most withering look at his infuriating boyfriend. "Death Boy, it's fine to not like touch-y stuff. I went through a phase when my mom couldn't hug me in public-" "this is not a phase!" Nico protested.

He smiled. Will laughed again. "Anyway, I don't care. You being emo is... kinda hot." Somehow, the joke didn't bother him as much as it should have. Okay, so maybe there was the little urge to remind the blond he wasn't emo, but he simply buried his face in his hands and smirked. Finally, he raised his head and tried to glare at the other boy. "I'm not scared, you wacko." Will kidded, bumping shoulders. So maybe that respecting boundaries thing still needed to be worked on.

"I need to brush my teeth." "And put on your pajamas." The the blond instructed. Nico raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" "Yeah, I don't mind waiting. As long as you go to bed at a decent time." Wait for it... The younger boy thought. He resisted the smile. Almost. "Doctor's orders."

...

The sun was shining and the couple was walking through the thinner parts of the woods. Although distance was kept, the way they spoke to each other, and looked at each other, and smiled at one another indicated that, although they only shared the occasional hug, the boys were intimate and open, understanding and honest. That night had created a bond. And little by little, Nico healed. He accepted who he was. He found laughter and peace and hope. And he looked forward to the future, where the sun would surely continue to shine.