THIS COMPLETELY SLIPPED MY MIND AND IM SO SORRY but this was pretty heavily requested so here's the part two to my last one shot!

Nico's POV

He wakes up to warmth. The sun beats down on his back and he worms out of his sleeping bag, kicking it underneath him. March weather is so temperamental; he remembers being freezing when he went to bed last night. And Will still holds him tight, his eyes shut and his breaths in Nico's hair making it flutter. His grip is so strong Nico can't help but feel bad wriggling out of it but even though Will murmurs in his sleep as Nico sits up, he doesn't wake.

Their backpacks are still sitting open by their feet, and a couple of coins spill out of Will's. It's only now dawning on Nico how open they are to the world. Nico brushes a few specks of dirt off of his shoulder, staring up at the opening in the trees above them. They're both so exposed; someone could have robbed them, or killed them, or kidnapped them. But a night later and they're both still alive, and once again, Nico is reminded that this tiny playground in the woods is somehow better than his bed at home.

As Nico roots around in his backpack for the granola bars he had tossed into the bottom, he hears Will groan next to him. "Does your back hurt at all?" Will asks, sitting up.

"Well, we did just sleep on the ground," Nico says. He tosses Will a granola bar, settling back down. Tentatively, ever so tentatively, Will holds out an arm and Nico slowly lowers himself onto Will's chest. It's more muscular than it looks, and when Will wraps an arm around Nico's waist, Nico's heart jolts in a way that he's never felt before. It's as if someone has sent an electric shock through his heart, up and down his body, and when he looks up, he's staring at a chiseled jawline, sunkissed skin. Nico looks back down, trying to control his blush.

"What?" Will asks, smiling softly. Nico has never noticed how white his teeth are.

"Nothing," Nico says. His face is heating up. "Is it warm to you?"

"Well, weather in March is very temperamental," Will says. God, they even think the same.

They finish their granola bars and Will stands up, cracking his back. "We're going to need a more comfortable setup if we're going to do this again."

"Again?" Nico asks. Will rolls his eyes, turning around.

"Well, neither of us want to hang out at our houses, and we can't keep breaking out backs sleeping on the ground."

"Oh, yeah," Nico says. He's breathless thinking about the prospect of sleeping on Will's chest again, feeling Will's breath in his hair.

Will glances at him, a sly smile on his face. His eyes glitter and Nico wonders why is throat is starting to close up. He hasn't felt this way since Percy. Oh, god. He hasn't felt this way since Percy. "You didn't have plans today, did you?" Will asks.

"I never have plans," Nico says. "You should know that by now."

"What would you think about building a house?"

Will's POV

Their house isn't really a house. Two scrawny-ish sixteen-year-old boys with dwindling savings from their summer jobs don't quite have the facilities for that. It's more like nailing boards together until they've got somewhat of a shelter, one that might not really have a floor but will keep out the wind and the rain, one that can fit Will's old king-sized mattress and a couple of cans of non-perishables.

"What color do we paint it?" Nico asks, browsing the paint colors at the hardware store. They keep getting looks from tall bald men with too-tight tee shirts, but neither of them pays the men any mind.

"I say yellow," Will says. "It'll be nice and bright."

"That's too noticeable," Nico says. "We don't want to draw attention to it. We should go with black."

"Black's too dark," Will says. "This is supposed to be an escape, not a sad little hut in the woods."

"It is a sad little hut in the woods," Nico points out.

"It's not that sad," Will says. He flips through the paint colors, grinning. "Besides, I think I have an idea."

Their house ends up looking like a bumblebee, but neither of them minds. Will's fingertips are coated in paint, and Nico's black sweatshirt is flecked with yellow, but Nico's smile is bigger than Will has ever seen it before, and his heart skips a beat. "What else does it need?" Nico asks, frowning and taking a step back. His hands are at his hips, the paintbrush hanging limply from his hands. The tiny plot of land has changed so much over the course of the day and now it feels even more like theirs, more than even Will's bedroom.

"We have to get the mattress from my closet," Will says. "I don't live that far away, we can just grab it."

"God, after hearing all the stuff you've said about your family, I'm not sure if I want to," Nico says.

"My parents are probably at work, it'll be fine," Will says. "Besides, as long as both of them aren't there, they shouldn't be in too much of a bad mood. And anyway, we really do need that mattress. My back won't be able to handle it."

They talk on the way over to Will's. This wouldn't be strange for most people, but Will had never been able to open up, say anything deeper than a casual joke or small talk. It feels normal with Nico, like he can say anything and not be judged. As they step up to Will's doorstep, and Will hears his mom screaming at his brother to do the dishes, he doesn't even feel self-conscious. Because whatever happens, Nico will understand.

"Where were you all night?" Will's mom asks as he steps inside. Her scrubs are wrinkled and soup dribbles down her chin.

"Uh-" Will says, glancing at Nico. "A sleepover."

"Oh," his mom says. She doesn't ask who Nico is.

"I thought you had work?" Will asks.

"I picked up another shift tonight, so they let me come home and eat. If you see your dad, will you tell him he needs to pick up milk? Idiot used it all, and he doesn't even replace it." She shakes her head, and Will gestures for Nico to follow him to the closet. "Austin, come do the goddamn dishes!"

"God, what's up her ass?" Nico whispers as they drag out Will's old king-sized mattress. There's a hole in the bottom and it smells like boiled cabbage, but it'll do better than the ground. "I mean, my parents are the same way but still."

"I've been asking myself that for 16 years," Will says. He pushes the mattress out the door of the closet; he can barely see the top of Nico's head. "Come on, put your back into it. We're never gonna make it at this pace."

Will's mom looks up as they drag the mattress back through the kitchen. "Where are you going with that?" she asks. Will freezes, glancing around the mattress at Nico.

"We're, uh, making a clubhouse?" Will says tentatively.

"Sounds dumb but ok," she says. "Have you seen your father yet?"

"He's at work," Will reminds her.

"Oh, that's right," she says. She's almost drained the soup, and she doesn't acknowledge either boy as he leaves.

"God, that was rough," Nico says as they drag the bed out the door, far out of earshot from Will's mom.

"She's just tired," Will says. "I mean, she's always just tired. But it's fine. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to be used to it," Nico says. "I mean, she's completely absorbed in herself. I don't know. Something just felt wrong about it."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Will says with a sigh. "I don't know. I've gotten so used to it, it doesn't really affect me as much as it used to. But I do miss it when I was younger. She actually cared about us once, before their marriage went downhill and they started working more and we started having money troubles. But I miss having someone care about me. Like, really care about me. Like making sure I go to sleep at the right time, and that I remember to eat lunch."

"Hey, I care about you," Nico says, craning his neck around the side of the mattress. Their surroundings are turning greener, and buds blossom all around them. Nico's eyes glitter in the sunlight, his skin washed in gold from the sun. "I'll text you and make sure you're eating and sleeping and anything else you need."

"And I'll do the same for you," Will says. "Like your mom, but worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it." When Nico smiles, Will's heart explodes in his chest. It feels like every bit of warmth, of security, of happiness Will has been craving for years. When Nico smiles it fills a hole that's been created by everything he has been missing, and he clings to that feeling like it's his lifeline.

They're both dripping with sweat by the time they drag the mattress back up to the little shack, pushing it in with one final heave. Nico sighs, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "God, I need a break," Nico sighs. "That was harder than I thought it would be."

"We should probably finish decorating," Will says, nodding at the bag of decorations sitting just inside of the entrance.

"I don't think I have it in me," Nico says. He leans his head on Will's shoulder, and a shiver of electricity runs up Will's spine. Every part of his body tingles and he fights the urge to lean down, kiss Nico's forehead softly. It feels like it should be so natural, but even the thought of it sends panic flooding through his veins.

"If we don't do it now we'll never get around to it, and you know it," Will says. Slowly he curls an arm around Nico's waist. If he forgets that they've only really known each other for a couple of months, Will can pretend that they've been together forever. Their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, and Will pretends like it's normal for Nico's head to be on his shoulder, for Will's arm to be around Nico's waist. Nico presses closer to Will, and Will feels every muscle in his body relax, his breathing evening out until he feels as if he could fall asleep, right there. Everything is perfect.

"Yeah, you're right," Nico says. He sighs again, and when he picks his head up from Will's shoulder, Will is plunged back into reality. The little shiver of excitement drains out of him, and the hope that they could ever be anything more than friends is gone.

Nico bends down sticking tacks into the wood and stringing up the fairy lights along the top of the wall. The cast a dim glow over the rumpled sheets lying across the bed, and Will stacks the bags of chips and candy across the far corner. Once they're done, the tiny shack is considerably more crowded; thick pillows against the wall, one of Nico's old funko-pops that they've deemed their mascot, a poster from a band they both love. But the blankets are soft, and they can smell pine around them, and as the sun sets around them and they crawl underneath the comforter, Will knows he could stay here forever.

"You know, we did a pretty nice job," Nico says, resting his head on Will's chest. Will is hesitant to wrap his arm around Nico's shoulder, but he seems comfortable, so Will hugs him close. The temperature starts to drop but with the thick comforter and Nico on his chest, Will has never been warmer.

"Yeah, we make a pretty good team," Will says. He squeezes Nico's shoulder, and Nico shivers underneath his touch. His hair is soft on Will's neck, and Will can't help but think about how perfect it would feel to kiss him, to be able to truly and wholly call Nico his.

"I care about you a lot, you know," Nico says. His voice is husky, and his eyes brim with tears. "You've been such a great friend, and I- I just don't know what I'd do without you." He sniffs, dabbing at the corner of his eye with his sweatshirt. "Sorry. This is so sappy. I just- it was important for you to know."

"It wasn't sappy at all," Will says. "And I feel the same. About you. I've never met anyone who I can relate to, and who I just work with so well. I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone before." He feels his face blush, and Nico looks at him with a glimmer in his eye.

"What way?" Nico asks. A playful smile dances across his lips and his face is an inch away from Will's. Will almost backtracks, bites back his words, but the way Nico seems to be toying with him tells Will that Nico wants this just as much as he does.

"I think you know," Will says. His voice is below a whisper but in the silence, it sounds so loud it's as if Will had yelled it. They sit, suspended in time, for a split second. Will takes in every inch of Nico's face; the glimmer in his eyes, the height of his cheekbones and the dimples that cut into his cheeks. And then the glue that once held them in place breaks, and Nico is crashing into Will.

Will wraps his arms around Nico, pulling him tight as they kiss. Will's ears feel blocked, and he can no longer feel the blankets around them because the only thing that matters anymore is Nico.

Hi guys, I actually really enjoyed writing this little series, and I hope you liked it, too!

Nina