Will

I woke up next to a legitimate sleeping angel. Nico's face was gentler and softer when he slept, and often I loved to stare at him for a bit before I woke up.

"Morning Neeks," I murmured.

He mumbled something incoherent and I kissed his cheek as I wrapped my arms around him. He opened one eye and then closed it, and shifted closer to me. I smiled and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"Time?" He asked sleepily. I glanced over his shoulder at my watch.

"Eight am."

He groaned and stuffed his head in my chest. "It's not even morning!"

I laughed and craned my neck to kiss him on the cheek again. "You still gonna sleep?" I asked. He shifted and propped his elbow up on the pillow.

"I wish. But I'm already awake, so there's no point in trying to, thank you very much." I grinned.

"So what do you wanna do?" I asked.

"Sleep," he grumbled. I chuckled.

"Then sleep. I'm staying up." I told him.

He huffed. "Waking up before noon." He sat up "It's not even human."

"I know," I crawled out of bed and told him, "I'll be right back." I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Can we at least get coffee?" He hollered down the hall.

"I'll make you some." I promised as I walked out of the bathroom and found a t-shirt in the drawer.

"And pancakes?" He asked, smiling. I kissed his forehead gently.

"And pancakes." I promised. He sat up straighter and clapped his hands.

"Yay!"

"I'm the best, aren't I?" I teased.

"Second best." He smirked. I pouted teasingly.

"Tied for first?" He asked, taking my hand in his. I grinned.

"Good enough." I replied with a shrug. "I'm gonna go make breakfast now." I turned and walked out to the kitchen. Nico followed a minute later, his feet padding along the floor almost silently.

I started making the coffee while Nico tried to reach the pancake mix. "Will," he groaned, "Why do you have to put everything on the top shelf?"

I smiled. Because it's adorable watching you try to reach it. "Because I want to." I replied, reaching up for the mix and then handing him a bowl.

He scowled at me. "I could've reached the bowl." He reached for the other ingredients and I stuck my tongue out.

"Too bad." He turned and stood on his tiptoes to kiss my nose. I smiled and pecked his lips in return. He smiled and blushed a little. I patted his head.

"You're still so cute," I said.

He frowned. "I am not cute." He crossed his arms.

"Yes, you are. You're like a little kitten." I replied. He blushed.

"I am the ghost king, son of Hades. I am no kitten."

"Whatever you say," I replied with a shrug. He huffed and I smiled. "Now make the pancakes." I said, pointing to the bowl. He grabbed the chocolate chips.

"Yay! Chocolate chips!" I cried, clapping my hands together. He laughed.

"You look like a seal." He told me.

"I am pretty cute, aren't I?" I teased.

"If I put one on your nose will you do a trick?" He asked. I laughed.

"Sure."

He balances the chocolate on my nose with expert finesse. "Alright, go."

"Uh... What should I do?" I wondered aloud.

He shrugged. "You're the seal." I grinned and ate the chocolate chip.

"That wasn't a trick." He pouted. I laughed and stuck my tongue out.

"I tricked you." I teased. "Now cook the pancakes please."

He laughed and turned to cook the pancakes. As the coffee pot filled up, I hugged Nico from behind. I could feel him smiling as he leaned back into me and snuggled his face against my chest. I kissed the top of his head.

"I love you," I murmured.

"I know." He teased. I frowned. "I'll just pretend you said I love you too."

"I love you too." He echoed as he turned and pressed his lips against mine. I smiled as we pulled apart and looked over his shoulder.

"Hey the pancakes are done." I noted. He grabbed two plates from the cupboard and shovelled them on. I grabbed a fork and a knife.

"Yay!"

"I hope you're not starting without me," he teased, going to grab the syrup and butter.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I replied, kissing his cheek. I started piling the syrup on.

"We don't have to burn these, do we? Because we don't exactly have a hearth in our kitchen..." He asked as I took a bite.

"Nah, they'll understand." I replied. "I think."

"Yeah, we've done enough for them already." He nodded, taking a bite of his pancake.

I finished mine quickly and took a sip of coffee. He gulped down the rest of his, which he hadn't touched since before eating the pancakes, and asked, "So, what do you wanna do now?"

I shrugged. "Dunno." I stared at him, taking in his pale skin and shaggy black hair that sometimes made him look like a lost puppy.

"What?" He asked, noticing my stare.

"Nothing." I smiled. He narrowed his eyes and I chuckled. "You just look really cute."

He pouted, and I gave him a grin, which caused him to smile. I leaned closer, and pressed my lips to his. He kissed back, wrapping his arms around my neck and smiling as I wrapped my own arms around his waist and played with the hem of his shirt.

He smiled into the kiss, and I pulled back, trailing kisses down his jaw as he smiled and yawned. I kissed his neck softly and he rested his head on mine. Just to tease him, I let my mouth rest on a soft spot on Nico's neck. He tensed and I smiled slightly, accidentally leaving marks as I sucked on his neck.

"Will, I have work tomorrow." He murmured.

"Nothing a scarf won't hide," I said softly, nibbling on his ear. He rolled his eyes and I pecked his lips.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." I promised.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" He asked, smiling faintly.

"I dunno." I replied, leaning on his shoulder. He yawned again.

"Still sleepy?" I teased.

"I was awoken before I could get my proper sixteen hours of sleep." He grumbled teasingly.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." I kissed his cheek.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm already awake." He replied. I kissed the top of his head.

"You sure?"

He nodded and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Yeah, besides, all I see when I sleep are monsters. When I'm awake I get to see you."

I smiled slightly and pulled him into my lap. "I'm sorry for waking you," I murmured.

"It's fine. I was having a nightmare anyway." The son of Hades said with a blush.

I frowned. "What about?"

He looked down. "It's nothing." I kissed his forehead.

"You don't have to tell me, but I think it would help if you did." I murmured into his neck.

He paused, then looked up to me, on the verge of tears. "Hey, hey," I ran my fingers through his hair. "It was just a nightmare, okay?" I kissed the top of his head, wrapping my arms around him.

He sniffed and pulled away, but only far enough to look up at me. "I—" he took a shuddering breath.

I frowned. "You...what?"

"I was back in Tartarus." He began, "Surrounded, I—" his voice cracked and he began to cry. I hugged him, kissing the top of his forehead and whispering what little Italian I had learned over the years into his hair as I stroked it gently.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed his face into my chest. "It's okay," I murmured. "You're okay." I whispered, rubbing gentle circles on his back.

Slowly, he started to relax. "You are my sunshine," I began quietly. "My only sunshine,"

He laughed silently. "You make me happy, when skies are grey," he sang softly.

I smiled. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you."

"Please don't take my sunshine away." He whispered the last verse of the song and gripped my t-shirt tighter.

"I love you." I whispered, running my fingers through his hair. He smiled and sniffed. "I love you too."