Will watched as Nico walked over to him, eyes glistening and eyebrows knitted.

Nico took Will's hands in his and entwined their fingers together. This was all new to him, the boiling of his blood, his fast-paced heartbeat, the erratic breathing but the son of Hades exhaled lightly.

'Will...' he started. 'Um, after B-bianca's death, I was this shell of myself. And I knew that, I knew that I'd forgotten what it means to love someone. Forgotten what it feels like to be happy, because of the walls I'd built around myself. And...'

Nico gulped, his confession wasn't as good as Will's, gods no. But the fact that he was doing something like this and that Will's eyes were on him were enough to keep the boy going.

'You, you walked in one day and turned them to dust. And I-I don't love you Will. But... I do like you, a lot... and maybe one day, I'll love you too.'

Will didn't care that Nico didn't love him. He knew that it was absurd to think that Nico would love him after what?

Three days?

No, but Will's love for Nico?

It spanned years, from the minute he saw that cute little boy his age entered camp to when a group of skeletons saved him, Kayla and Austin from being killed during the Second Titan War to now, when the same boy stood in front of him.

Nico moved his hands up to my neck as I held his waist. He looked at me and said, 'I don't know what I'm doing... just saying.'

Will laughed, he laughed. The audacity of the boy to laugh during such a sweet moment. Once the boy's giggles died down, he said to Nico, 'It's ok, that's why I'm here to tell you to breathe. That's why I'm here to teach you.'

Nico nodded and though his head was still spinning, he moved closer to the blond and his lips brushed against Will's.