even in the silver light

NINE.

Will always wakes up with the sun. As soon as it's peering over the city, as soon as beams of it are streaming through his window, his eyes are open. It's always like this at camp: every Apollo camper awake at the break of dawn, ready to start the day.

Will stretches his legs, looking up at the ceiling. (He'd forgotten about the stars stuck to it, a remainder of the time he'd been obsessed with stars, along with the posters of the universe, the dangling model of the galaxy hanging in the corner of the room.) His head rolls to the side, looking up at his bed, where Nico's hand is lightly curled around the edge of the mattress.

And he smiles.

He sits up, stretching again, before he relaxes, sitting and looking at Nico.

His face is half buried in the pillow, eyes shut softly. Will leans against the mattress, folding an arm under his head and looking at Nico sleepily.

He reaches out and pushes hair out of his face, watching Nico's nose twitch adorably when it brushes his skin.

And he wonders if there's a limit to how many times he can fall in love.

There's a quiet clatter in the kitchen, and Will lifts his hand away from Nico, raising his head. He hears the clicking of the stove, and smiles.

When he gets up, he does so slowly, trying as hard as he can to keep his mattress from creaking as he watches Nico's legs squirm under the blanket.

"Buenos días, nene," she says softly when he leans down to kiss her cheek.

"Hi, Mami."

She stirs the sizzling eggs on the stove, smiling at him as he sits at the table.

"Como está Nico?"

He draws his knees to his chest, setting his feet on his chair, smiling bashfully, fidgeting with the end of the teal tablecloth.

"Fine. Sleeping."

She hums softly, glancing back at him.

"You had fun last night?"

"Mmhmm."

"You were safe?"

"Mami..."

"I meant the party," she says, but Will hear her immature snicker even with her back turned. "You didn't get into any fights, did you?"

"Mmmm, no..." Will says, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Not really."

"Not really," she repeats, tossing mushrooms into the pan.

"We almost did."

"With? Why?"

Will sighs, pressing his thumb into the frayed edge of the tablecloth.

"Nick was there."

She clicks her tongue, huffing, and mutters curses under her breath.

"What did he do?"

"Uh..." Will sighs again. "Talked to Nico. Talked shit about me."

She shakes her head, pushing the spatula back and forth across the pan.

"I told Nico about him," Will says. "About what he did."

"And?"

Will smiles at the table again, and he doesn't see the way she looks at him, softly, warmly, proudly, but he feels it.

"You remember how... Nick always just..." He twists his mouth, thinking. "Dismissed me?"

"Mmhmm?"

Will doesn't say anything, still smiling.