Significant Annoyance

Detention (Part Two)

*****

Will had finished his dinner. He picked up his own plate and his siblings' plates and then he made his way to the kitchen.

Nico (as always) was already standing outside the kitchen. When as his gaze fell upon Will, he smiled. A small dimple appeared on his right cheek. Will insides melted into goo.

'Let's go', Nico said.

'After you,' Will said doing a fake curtsey.

'Aww, what a gentleman,' Nico said, giggling slightly.

Together, they pushed the door into the kitchen. 'Whoa...' Nico said. And 'Whoa' was right; the entire sink and the kitchen counter were covered with plates.

For half an hour, they worked in silence. Will washed and rinsed the plates, Nico dried and stacked them. Since Nico was in his general I-don't-wanna-talk-to-you mood, Will decided to start the conversation.

'So,' Will said, trying to start a good conversation. 'You were up last night...another bad dream?' He realised what he asked. Nico was a little touchy on the matter of nightmares. Bad way to start a conversation, he chided himself.

'Speak for yourself, Solace. You were napping in my ward last night, as if that wasn't anything unusual.' Nico snapped.

Will sighed. He didn't say anything after that. He liked Nico a lot, but the son of Hades gave sent mixed signals. At first, they would be all friendly and smiling, Nico would show that he enjoyed Will's company. And then Nico would become cold and distant, as if the other one was a stranger. The guy was complicated.

Fifteen minutes of more awkward silence.

Will gave on last try at the conversation. 'So, Nico...do you read books?'

Nico's head snapped to attention. 'Sorry?'

'I meant you read books?'

'Books, as in textbooks? Or plays and that type of stuff. If it's the latter, I enjoy reading Shakespear.'

Will gasped dramatically. 'Et tu, Nico?'  Will asked in a very bad Shakespearean accent. 'Then speak William!' , he said, completing the dialouge from Julius Caesar.

Nico immediately burst out laughing. Will starightened. 'Whatcha' laughing at Death Boy?'

'Oh gods', Nico gasped between laughs, 'Do me a favour Will,. Never  try to inact Shakespear. You are so bad at it, that its wonder that the Nine Muses themselves haven't come down and explained theatrics to you.'

'Is my acting that bad?'

'It sure is. You could have simply said "Same here." But no, you want to be a perfect little dramaqueen, right?'

Will again grasped dramaticaly. 'Thou dare insult my acting skills?!' Will said, jabbing Nico in the chest with a spoon ladle. 'Thou shalt be punished! Thou shalt runneth laps ! Thou shalt read medical textbooks! Thou shalt...do all things horrible !' Will said, still speaking in Victorian english.

Nico doubled over laughing. Will took a moment and looked at him. Nico looked adorable while he laughed. A small dimple would appear on his right cheek. His laughter was musical. He looked more like a slightly anaemic but normal teenager and less like a troubled lonely demigod from the previous decade. Will liked that.

After a while, Nico recovered from his laughing fit. 'My jaw hurts', he stated, while rubbing his jawline.

'Why though?' Will asked.

'I'm not used to laughing so much.' The son of Hades sounded uneasy.

'Make laughing a habit now, since I'm your friend.'