Nico breathed out softly as he started to gain consciousness, his thoughts and memories hazy as he took in his surroundings. He was warm, and so comfortable, and he could tell it was Bianca's hair scratching at his face. He was on his side, and it seemed his back was pressed against Will's chest. Only his boyfriend was that warm.
Will...
Nico's eyes snapped open, and sure enough, he was sandwiched between Will and Bianca. Bianca was asleep with her good hand in her mouth, the other laying at her side as dead weight. Will was just as out as she was, but his arms were wrapped around Nico as tight as they could get.
"Will," Nico hissed. "William, wake the fuck up." He moved Bianca over before turning to face Will, his fists clenched. "Wake up!"
Will woke up with soft, heavy blinks and a large yawn. His hair was a mess, and he was still in his day clothes, and he could definitely use some toothpaste or a mint. But damn, was he adorable.
"Will, what are you doing in my bed?" Nico asked.
"Um...sleeping?" Will blinked some more. "What time is it?"
"You think I know? I just woke up." Nico scowled. "Will, I said I don't want to see you right now. You said you didn't want me."
"No, I didn't." Will yawned again as he started to finally regain his attention. "Nico, you took my words bad. I never said that, and I sure as hell didn't mean it."
"Then what did you mean?" Nico asked. "Because you regretted sleeping with me."
Will rubbed his eyes. "Nico, I don't regret sleeping with you. I just...we were moving too fast. I just...we all need our alone time, you know? We need time to think things over and be ourselves, and I wasn't used to constantly being with someone, and I sure as hell wasn't used to liking someone so damn much. And we slept together, and it was amazing, but that was something I wasn't planning on doing until marriage."
Nico rose an eyebrow. "Until marriage?"
Will shoved him playfully. "Hey, not because of any religious reason or anything like that. I just...I honestly thought that I'd never be able to trust someone that much until I married them."
"Did you trust me?" Nico asked. "Enough to sleep with me? Or did I force you into it?"
"You didn't force me into anything," Will promised. "I trusted you enough, I trust you more than anyone. I just...hadn't gotten myself ready emotionally, I guess. And from there...I guess I just had a breakdown."
Nico pulled Bianca close and kissed her forehead. "Are you staying with me, Will?"
"If you let me."
"Of course," Nico rolled his eyes. "Like I could ever stay away from you long. Just...just talk to me instead of blowing up next time, okay?"
Will wrapped his arms around him again. "Okay."
"And we have to watch Bianca better," Nico said. "I...we can't let that happen to her again."
"Agreed." Will laid his head on Nico's shoulder and took in his presence. "Did you say something about taking her to the mall to see Santa today?"
Nico nodded. "But we can do that later. Mall's open until eleven since they're on Christmas hours..." He glanced up at Will, a light blush covering his cheeks as he realized how close their faces were. "Will...I really do love you, you know."
"I love you, too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nico stood in the never-moving line with Bianca in his arms, having just sent Will to get them some drinks while they waited. He had been tempted to just let Will or Jason take Bianca by themselves, but he wanted to be there for his daughter on a day she had been looking forward to.
The line inched forward every fifteen minutes, and he could have sworn he had already been there for thirty.
"Santa!" Bianca's small nose was still pink from the walk from the car, and the purple hat he had put on her was covering her eyebrows. Maybe it had been too big. "Santa, daddy!"
Nico took the hat off her and stuffed it in the baby bag/bookbag he always carried. "That's what we're waiting for, sweetheart. We just have to wait in line."
Damn, was the line moving at all?
Bianca started to wiggle in his arms soon enough, her energy getting the better of her as she looked around them. The doctor said they might be able to get her on medicine for the hyperactivity at one point, but he still wasn't sure if he wanted her to take any more medicine than needed.
"I brought coffee!" Will met them in line with two coffees and a chocolate milk. He had on a yellow coat and one of Nico's beanies, his blond hair poking out along the edges.
"Thanks." Nico took his coffee quickly, continuing to rock Bianca as they moved up in line a few inches. "Bi, Will got you chocolate milk."
As Bianca suddenly became preoccupied with her new drink, Nico gave Will a soft smile. "What took you so long?"
"Lines are insane all over, Neeks, not just here to see Santa," Will said. "And Hazel called, wanted to know if we could stop at the store after we're done here."
"And get...?" Nico asked.
"Food for the party Saturday while we're out. She texted me a whole list of things." Will gave his pocket a small pat. "It's going to take awhile. We might want to drop Bianca off at Percy's."
Nico glanced down at Bianca's still wiggling form. "Yeah, definitely. This line is not settling well with her. And the grocery store is much worse."
Will held his hands out. "Let me take her for a minute."
Nico frowned. "Are you sure?"
Will nodded. "Let me try to keep her occupied."
Nico hesitantly handed Bianca over, taking Will's coffee for him so that the drink didn't spill. Bianca once again started to squirm, this time almost immediately as she looked up at Will. "Santa!"
Will lifted her up and sat her on his shoulders, making sure to keep ahold of her good hand. "Can you see him from up there? Look that way."
Bianca's eyes followed his pointed finger to the front of the line, her face lighting up when she saw the man she had been begging to see. "Santa! Otter daddy! Santa!"
Will laughed. "You see him?"
She nodded, her bad hand resting on top of Will's head. "Daddy! Daddy! Santa!"
"I see..." Nico couldn't take his eyes off them to actually look, however, the sight warming his heart too much. It felt...right, being with them, Bianca calling Will her other dad, him helping out with her. It all felt right. "I see, Bianca."