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#leo tried it on nico once but nico just glared at him until he left

hopelesslyromanticshark · 3 months

Note

Hi, I just saw your request with Leo and Reader where Jason walks in on the two of them in compromising situations, so I was wondering if you can do the same thing, just that this time is Jason and Reader and she is Percy sister, I think it would be very interesting

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ The Two Times Percy Nearly Caught Them, And The One Time He Did

content: jason grace x daughter of poseidon! reader warning: language, sexual allusions but a bit of stretch author's note: i feel like jason is ooc but i think he should be allowed to be fun. break that romanness from him and what do you get?? a child who just wants to have fun GODDAMN IT-

percy jackson can be obvious. we know this. but, let's just see how obvious, shall we?

i. the welcome home committee

percy was finally coming back to camp after a brutally year at school. he wanted nothing more than to curl up with annabeth and waste the summer away. oh, and i guess to see his sister too. kidding, kidding, he's counting down the seconds to see his baby sister again. he was bounding up the steps of cabin three, only halting as he thought he heard two voices. he frowned and his face scrunched up, leading him to lean his ear close to the door.

"...percy's gonna be here soon." he heard y/n say, though he missed the first part of her sentence.

"i've got time," a voice replied with a laugh and percy knew he should be able to pinpoint it, but he just couldn't place it.

"that's what you think and then im gonna be without a shirt and percy's gonna swing the door open and -"

"you worry too much. just go with the flow," the voice joked once more and percy could feel the name of the person just on the tip of his tongue. thinking he'd be able to catch them, percy instantly swung the door wide open and glared over at his sister's side of the cabin.

"percy?! you're back early!! oh my gods, look at you!!" she cheered, instantly leaping from her bed and pulling percy into a tight hug. percy kissed the top of her head as she pulled him into a hug, his eyes glaring all around as he tried to see if someone was hiding under her bed or behind some curtains. once he was sure there was no one, he pulled back and began to unpack

"i could have sworn i heard two voices as i walked in," percy started, glancing over his shoulder as he put a pillow on his bed. instantly, she pointed over to where her laptop was, some movie playing. without a second thought, percy's shoulder's relaxed and he smiled brightly at his little sister.

"alrighty, then. i'll leave you to it, gotta see the misses," percy joked as he left the cabin, a pep in his step now that he was certain there were no guys snooping around his little sister.

y/n peeked out the cabin, making sure percy was going to stay gone, before looking up at the roof of the cabin, where jason was floating with a smirk.

"you're quite proud of yourself up there, huh?"

"what can i say, i'm fast on my feet!" jason cheered only to come crashing to the ground after a spirt of water splashed against his face. he looked up at the daughter of poseidon, now, who was glaring down at him.

"out?" jason assumed

"OBVIOUSLY!"

ii. capture the lips - er - flag

chiron had, recently, been placing rules on capture the flag. athena and poseidon weren't allowed to be on the same teams anymore, as percy and annabeth would just end up fighting each other. no more than two cabins of the big there were allowed to be on the same team, due to unfair advantages. normally, that wouldn't be a probably as nico didn't like to play. but, since getting with will, he's grown out of his shell and said he would play in the next game with the apollo cabin. which had already teamed up with the poseidon cabin. so that meant the zeus cabin (jason. it's just jason) was with athena. to say he was disappointed was more than a lie, as he would typically use this time to drag y/n off to make out in the woods until it was over. not this time though, as jason had to suit up in a different colored armor than y/n, pouting the whole way.

then y/n marched past him, following after percy, as her shoulder's collided with jasons. she apologized and offered him a quick wink from under her helmet before chasing after her brother once more. jason looked down at his hand, noticing that a note had been shoved into it.

meet me at the creek

ps you look cute in red, does great things for your ass

jason couldn't help but smile at the note, shoving it into his jean pockets and pretending to listen to whatever orders annabeth was giving, knowing he wouldn't follow a single order from her. there was one girl in jason's life that he listened to and if she told him to go to the creek, flag be damned he'd be at that creek.

she was a vision in bronze and jason had her pinned against a tree within seconds of seeing her. both of their swords had been stabbed into the ground and helmets were tossed to the nearest location. jason had her face cupped between his hands, his lips firmly pressed against hers. then they heard footsteps, rapid, followed by shouts of protest. without much thought, y/n grabbed jason's wrist and flipped him over your shoulder, sending them both sprawling across the ground as though they were in the middle of a fight. jason groaned as he was winded on the ground, glaring over at the girl. she then produced a dagger and held it agaisnt his throat as the other campers scrambled past, will cheering as he and nico dragged the flag across the creek. once certain no one was looking, you pulled your knife away from jason's neck and helped him up.

"that was what you thought of? break my back?" jason groaned, stretching as he stood.

"you'd know all about breaking backs, huh?" y/n taunted with a smirk and jason laughed, shaking his head as he picked up both their words.

"funny."

"careful, might fall in love with me."

"might? it's far too late for me," jason teased, but you could hear the seriousness in his voice. you smiled at him, leaning up to press your lips against his once more until you heard percy's voice calling for you. your eyes widened in panic and you quickly shoved jason to the ground before pulling your sword out and shoving the point of it to his throat.

"y/n! y/n! there you are- hey, good job taking care of jason! my sister kick your ass or what?" percy taunted as he threw an arm over his sister's shoulders with a wide smile. jason groaned on the ground, glaring over at the girl who offered him a sheepish smile

"something like that," he huffed.

iii. the cabin one curse

percy had just wanted to hang out with jason. his best roman bud. he didn't think anything about the fact that his sister had been missing for the whole day, or the fact that he actually hadn't seen much of jason that day either. it wasn't on his mind as you bounded up the stairs of cabin one and swung the door wide open.

"hey, superman, wanna hang out-" percy called but as he took in the sight before him, the words died in his throat. his sweet baby sister, straddle the lap of his one of his best friends. his eyes instantly sharpened on jason, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"you're dead, grace."

"wait- wait- c'mon man, let's talk this out like civilized people," jason all but begged, rapidly removing y/n from his lap and jumping up, holding his hands out to percy like he was a feral beast.

"civilized? you wanna talk about civilized?! someone civilized wouldn't put their hands on my sister!" percy bite back, circling jason like a shark.

"she started it!" jason blurted like a child.

"pussy!" y/n shouted from jason's bed, jumping to her feet and joining her brother in the circling of the son of jupiter.

"she's not denying it!" added jason and percy halted, turning to his sister with narrowed eyes. the girl instantly shrunk, holding her hands up as a sign of innocence.

"...you didn't," percy huffed, instantly pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh, "i gave you specific instructions."

"no, no. you told me not to flirty with jason. we've definitely done more than flirty-" y/n replied easily before her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. she jolted forwards, grabbing hold of jason's wrist and dragging him out of the cabin. percy came running after them, chasing them as they weaved around camp.

"THATS IT! IM KILLING BOTH OF YOU!"

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #pjo #pjo fandom #heroes of olympus x reader #hoo #percy jackon and the olympians #jason grace #jason grace x reader

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lovingmyselfcore · 3 years

Text

Skate Into My Heart

Chapter Three; Uh oh

BESTIES

I'M ALIVE AND I DID THE WRITING THING

@ciaraloves (or @perseusjackson-jasongrace ig) LOOK AT ME DOING THE THING

As soon as Nico left the locker room, Piper pounced on him. Literally.

He was forced to take a step back and caught her by the shoulders, “What’s up?”

She was practically vibrating with excitement, “Annabeth’s back!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Come on!” She grabbed his hand and yanked him through the hallways and into the main rink where a crowd of people had formed next to the bleachers.

It was the rest of the team and in the center was Annabeth, a duffle bag slung over one shoulder, looking exhausted as all hell but she was grinning as the team peppered her with questions and play-by-plays of the practices she’d missed.

Piper shouldered them into the center so Nico was directly in front of Annabeth, Piper on one side and Calypso on the other.

“Hey, Nico,” Annabeth said, still grinning. She stepped forward for a hug and he let her, burying his face into her neck and breathing, already feeling the responsibility leaking from his tight shoulders. Annabeth was like a big sister to him, not that he’d ever admit that, but still.

“You want to get out?” Nico whispered into her neck.

“Yes,” She whispered back emphatically. Nico could barely stop himself from laughing but as they pulled apart he saw the genuine relief in her eyes and felt himself worrying. He needed to talk to her, about the team and skating, about Will and of course, if she needed to talk about why she’d been gone for so long, he’d do that too.

Apparently, Calypso recognized that too and, bless her heart, muttered something to Leo, and together they captured the team’s attention, allowing Nico to tug Annabeth away from the crowd and out of the rink. She sighed as soon as they were ejected onto the city streets. Nico stuck an arm out and she smiled and linked their arms.

“Where are you headed?” Nico asked as they walked the short distance to the car garage.

“Oh, probably just my apartment.”

Nico nodded, “I wasn’t sure if you’d be staying with your dad or not.”

She shook her head, “He doesn’t even know I landed yet. I’ll head over in the morning.”

Her voice was stiff and Nico took that as his cue to change the subject. “So I have something to confide in you.”

She perked up almost immediately and he swallowed hard. But she just looked at him with those gray eyes and he reminded himself that this was Annabeth. That she wasn’t going to get angry with him.

At least, he hoped not.

“I’m talking to one of the hockey players,” He said casually.

Her grip on his arm stiffened and he braced himself but she was still just looking at him.

Finally, she grinned, “So when you say ‘talking to’...”

He groaned and felt himself flush, “Oh, shut up! Just friends.”

She hummed and released his arm to dig for her keys in her jacket pocket. “Is he nice?”

“No, he’s a dick,” Nico said sarcastically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “I don’t know why I even bother.”

“He’s blonde,” Nico offered.

“Oooh,” Annabeth drawled.

He rolled his eyes and she burst out laughing, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the parking garage.

“Is he gay?” Annabeth asked.

Nico nearly flinched and passed it off with another eye roll, “I don’t know, Annie, that��s not something that’s come up in casual conversation.”

She glared at him and Nico, being the mature adult he is, stuck his tongue out at her. She did it back then shook her head. “Too much time with Percy,” She muttered and Nico snorted. She grinned at him.

“So he’s okay?”

That sobered her immediately. “Yeah. Well, as okay as he can be. I’m only here for like two weeks because he insisted I come back, but I’m leaving as soon as possible,” She glanced sideways at him, “Not to leave you alone again, though.”

He shrugged off the flash of selfish hurt he’d felt, “I’m good, Beth.” But he wasn’t good. He’d just told her about Will, and not even the start of the way his stomach would twist when he saw a new text from the hockey player and not the same twist when he panicked. And that also meant his chances of performing solo again were climbing. He didn’t know how to feel about that part.

“Stop that!” She exclaimed, halting once they’d reached her car.

“Get some sleep, Annabeth,” He said genuinely then smirked a little, “It looks like you need it.”

She threw a balled-up receipt she’d found in her bag at him, “Dick!”

~~~~

“Hey, Nico.”

Nico nearly leaped out of his skin, spinning to see Persephone in the living room.

She snorted, “Didn’t mean to scare you, sorry. Did practice go well?”

His phone buzzed in his pocket, “Yeah. Annabeth’s back.”

Persephone hummed, reaching up to untwist her hair, sending it cascading down her shoulders, “That’s good. I know you’ve missed her,” She said with a knowing look in her eyes that made him shift uncomfortably.

“Yeah, definitely, um, I’m tired we learned some new moves for Regionals today, so,”

“Yeah of course.” She was still smiling.

“‘Night Persephone,”

~~~

Nico flopped face-down onto his bed with a groan. He knew Persephone though he had a crush on Annabeth; he didn’t blame her, he’d never really made it a point that he didn’t. He wished he could come out to her and his dad, he didn’t really have a reason why he hadn’t besides the weight of anxiety on his lungs.

His phone buzzed again, and he wriggled upright to yank it out of his pocket.

Will: Distract me

Will: My mom is driving me insane

Nico grinned to himself, both of them were dealing with mommy issues at the moment.

Nico: idk how you expect me to distract you

Will: Just tell me about snakes or smth

Nico: you think i just have fun facts about snakes on hand?

Will: Yeah?

Nico: good

Nico: cause i do

Will: :)

Nico: snakes can slither 12.5 mph

Will: Good lord

Nico: snakes have internal ears but not external ones

Will: ??

Nico: they can’t create their own body heat which is why theyre in the sun all the time

Will: Hmmmm

Nico: they smell w/their tongues

Will: I thought they had nostrils??

Nico: they do

Will: what

Nico: it’s their Jacobson’s organ my dude it works in mysterious ways

Nico: not really but yk

Nico: sCieNcE

Will: ok….

Nico: if you get bored of snakes i’ve also got a bunch of random cheetah facts

Nico: i love cheetahs

Nico: very cool

Nico: fast cats

Will: Lmao go ahead

Nico: but first

Nico: why’s your mom driving you insane

Nico: if you want to tell me ofc

Nico: not trying to be weird

Will: Nah you’re fine

Will: She wants me to focus entirely on med school and not hockey

Will: She’s trying to get me out of it, actually

Will: Do something ‘respectable’

Will: Not turn out like my dad

Will: Even though dad has literally NOTHING to do with hockey

Will: And in my opinion he’s not bad. Not great. Not awful yk

Will: But hockey’s what’s putting me through med school so

Will: Gods, I really just burdened you with that I’m so sorry

Nico: med school huh

Nico: now i can say i know a doctor

Will: In training

Nico: close enough

Nico: you’re a great hockey player and you're going to be a great doctor

Nico: and you can always talk to me, will

Nico: you’re not burdening me with shit

Will: thanks <3

Nico didn’t understand why he blushed. It was a goddamn emoji. Calm down, Di Angelo.

Will: So we’ve been talking for a few weeks now. Can I call you my friend yet?

Nico snorted, feeling like he was fifteen again, sprawled on his bed, in the dark (because for some reason he didn’t turn his lights on) late at night, texting his- well, anyway.

Nico: yea dumbass

Nico: we’re friends

Will: Nice

Will: Now give me cheetah facts you adorable nerd

~~~

WILL

“Will? You good?”

Will blinked, Jason coming in to focus in front of him. “Uh, yeah.”

“That was believable,” Clarisse said sarcastically from behind Jason.

Will attempted to shake the fog from his head, “Yes,” He repeated.

Jason just blinked at him and Will was formulating an excuse for why he was so tired besides the fact that he’d spent all night talking to a cute figure skater with a ridiculous amount of animal facts stored in his small body when Coach Hedge’s voice boomed from his seat on the bleachers, “Solace! You alive?”

“Yes, coach!” Will shot back.

“Then why are you just standing there? Get back to the game! You too, La Rue and Grace!”

“Yes, sir!” They all barked back.

Clarisse gave him a once over before skating back to her goal and Jason went over to Will’s spot with him, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, just tired.”

Jason opened his mouth, probably to question why the mom friend of their group was tired enough he nearly tripped over his stick but Will just said, “It’s fine, Jase. It’s not a big deal.”

“Grace!” Coach Hedge screeched.

Jason gave up on trying to interrogate Will and skated back over to his spot.

~~~~

“Mama, please,” Will tried, but his mother cut him off.

“Willaim. Hush. How’s that girl you said you were dating?”

What?

He was silent for a beat too long.

“Oh, baby,” His mother’s thick southern accent drenched her words. “You broke up? I’m so sorry.”

Oh gods, Lou Ellen Blackstone.

Will and Lou Ellen had dated for two months a long time ago, and when they were still dating he’d told his mother about her to get her to back off of his personal life a little. Their break up hadn’t had a huge fallout, Lou Ellen had told him through tears in his living room that she was aromantic. They were still friends, had been even before they dated, actually, and talked to each other pretty regularly.

But the problem was, that had been three months ago, and he hadn’t told his mother about their breakup. He knew she’d ask why, and he didn’t want to out Lou Ellen or make her a devil in his mother’s eyes. So he’d procrastinated coming up with a reason until he’d forgotten about it entirely.

And now it had come back to bite him in the ass.

“Yeah we broke up a little while ago,” He forced himself to sound choked up, which wasn’t hard, giving the way his panicked brain was now sprinting in circles on his lungs. “I just didn’t disappoint you.” Probably the most honest thing he’d said in weeks, but that’ll be unpacked later.

“Honey,” She sighed sadly and Will didn’t know whether or not that was on his behalf or hers.

“Well, it’s okay, because I’m dating someone new.”

“Oh?” He could hear her spine straighten. “Is it someone I know?”

No, mom, it’s not one of the country girls I grew up with.

“No,” He winced at how southern he sounded. He’d been talking to his mother for five minutes. “You don’t know him.”

HIM. Good Gods, Will. Yeah, you came out as bi to your mom, but still, you haven’t actually mentioned a guy to her yet.

She was silent for so long his heart joined his brain in the track meet happening on top of his lungs. “What’s his name?”

He was so she’d spoken that he blurted, “Nico.”

What. The. Fuck. Willaim.

Apparently, his heart had won that damn track race.

“Well, what I was leading up to before you told me about what happened,”

Will hummed non-committally, trying not to sound like he was taking relieved breaths as she spoke.

“The family’s come for a reunion and you should bring that boy!” Will choked on his spit.

“Mom, I don’t know about-”

“No, William. There isn’t a set date yet so we can work around your schedule,” Fuck. “I insist, Will. I need to meet this boy you clearly like very much, even though all you’ve said is his name, a mother knows.”

Umm, what.

“Sure,” Will said, sounding a little strangled. “But we have a game this weekend.”

“Alright, William.” She sounded the way she always did when he brought up hockey. “But as I said, we can work around your schedule and his. Talk to him about it, and let me know.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Will repeated. “I’ll do that.”

She hung up and he was left staring at the wilting daisies at his kitchen table.

What had he just done?

#skate into my heart au #solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #nico x will #jason grace #annabeth chase #percy jackson #pjo fic #hoo fic #au #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #solangelo fic #will and nico

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slutfornat · 4 years

Text

Water and Fire - Leo Valdez.

A/n you're Percy's younger sister and you are sixteen while Leo is seventeen, it's based after the series ends. Also let's pretend Nico is born in like august for the plot. Everyone is the canon age or at least the one I've got from the internet since I'm guessing age differences from Blood of Olympus. Also Calypso and Leo broke up but are still friends and Jason is alive and not with anyone but his bromance with Percy.

Warning/s: fluffy (at the end), childhood abuse, slight swearing, self-esteem issues and underage drinking.

Both you and Leo have liked each other for a while since you were fourteen to be precise. Neither ever made a move though. Even when Leo would flirt, you thought he was kidding like usual.

"Come on, y/n. You have to" Leo complains to you whilst you are sitting on the shore of the water. "Leo, I am not going trick or treating" Y/n said, "I don't care if you want us to be Veronica Sawyer and JD, I am not going trick or treating this year".

Leo grins, slightly saying "if you go, I won't... hide your skateboard, how about that?". "I despise you" y/n says just as Leo's grin turns to a smirk, "Leonidas Valdez, what in tarturus are you planning?".

"I'm planning nothing, love" Leo says still smirking, "just... this!". He finishes talking just as he jumps towards you, tickling you whilst you can't stop laughing as you attempt to talk in full sentences, "Leo Valdez... I hate... you".

Y/n pushes Leo over so she is on top and straddling him. "Ha! I win" y/n said in triumph as she tickles Leo.

"It... doesn't.. work on... me" Leo manages out whilst laughing. Y/n falls to the side of Leo as you both laugh like every time you hang out with each other. You sigh, "Well, I've gotta go. Nico and I are going to the Dionysius' cabin party and we have to get dressed up".

"You are actually ditching me for death breath. I'm your best friend, y/n" Leo exclaims in surprise.

"Leo, if you want you can come as well, yeah?" you say and he sighs out of surrender, "fine, I'll come later on but as JD, got it?". "Got it" y/n says, laughing in amusement at Leo's dramatics..

*Time Skip brought to you by "It's not a phase, mum" quote of 2012*

Leo's POV. I walk into the Dionysus Cabin for the party to see y/n rush over to me like a bouncy puppy. She smiles at me, saying with her voice slurred "Leo, leo, look there's alcohol and Cult of Dionysus is playing oh and I saw Nico and Will wander off a while to go kiss" .

As she talks I notice her voice is very slurred. I frown, knowing I'm going to have to watch her tonight since Nico and Will left together.

When I notice she is tripping over her own feet, I put my arm around her and say as I lead her out of the cabin, "come on I'm taking you to your cabin to sober up."

The second I take her to her cabin, I take her to her bathroom in case she is sick. After a few minutes I take her to her side of the room and put her in her bed.

Just as I'm about to leave, y/n pulls me over to her. "Can you stay with me please?" she asks. I look over to her, saying "only if you want me to."

Whilst we lay in bed, she slowly falls asleep for a few hours but the entire time neither of us move position in bed.

After hours, I end up waking up to people talking outside but when I check it turns out to be some children of Demeter on their way to activities. I walk over to y/n's bed just as she wakes up.

When we are both completely awake, I decide to ask the question I've wanted to know for years, "Y/n, why are you and Nico so close?"

She looks at me with a frown before beginning to explain, "I met Nico when we were eleven and since we both weren't allowed on the quest we began talking."

"I could relate to him" she says. I look confused before saying "how can you relate to him? Surely you were both different then."

"When Nico got to camp, he followed Percy around like a lost puppy and well I did the same when I got here" y/n explains. I turn to face her, saying "but you and Percy never got along..."

"Leo, what I'm about to tell you isn't good but can you promise me that you won't judge" she said. When I nod she continues "I was eight when I first came to Camp and I never really had friends so, I followed Luke around."

"When Annabeth, Grover and Percy went on the quest I stayed here. One night I had a nightmare and was talking with Luke when he explained why he hates the gods... and I agreed" y/n says.

She continues as I listen intently, "Luke told me about his plan and he said that I of all people should understand being in the shadows of someone."

When she stops for a second, I see it's hard for her to explain and say "you don't have to continue if you don't want to."

Y/n shakes her head, continuing "I agreed to help him and when he left camp, I would send him information. When Percy and I went back to our house, he finally saw that Gabe was... well, abusive towards our mum."

I look towards y/n and feel a sudden urge to hug her. I know it's hard for her to talk about her childhood. Until now y/n never said anything about her life before Camp, not since Percy mentioned Gabe would hit them whenever he got angry.

(a/n: not my hc, I saw it on the internet)

It was during truth or dare that we all found out and Frank was dared to let Percy do his make up and Percy was surprisingly good.

I had said he was a secret fashionista when Percy had said it was that he had practice as a kid, hiding his and y/n's bruises with their mum's make up.

We don't say anything. "did you ever tell Luke this?" I finally ask. Y/n nods before she continues "he said that if it wasn't for poseidon leaving then my mum wouldn't have had to go through that."

"Y/n, I understand that you cared about him but he was manipulating you" I say, knowing that's probably why according to everyone she was different after manhattan.

"but he cared about me" y/n say quietly. This time I do pull her into a hug to the other side of her bed. I say, "it might have seemed that way but he was manipulating you. Now, it's up to you to if you want to continue?"

Y/n nods, before continuing explaining "after the battle of manhattan, I was going to tell Percy but I never had the guts. In the end I told Nico and he said I was being manipulated but he never stopped talking to me out of hate."

"Leo, you should know the only reason I never told you is because I didn't want you to leave me as well" y/n says to me, "you mean too much to me because, well because I love you and have for years."

I look to her and say "Y/n, in the years I've known you, I've always liked you but I just didn't mention it because I didn't want to be rejected by you."

We slowly lean in and when our lips connect, fireworks go off. When we separated, her lips are once again on mine and this time it lasts way longer. In that moment I pull her onto my lap as my hands stay on her hips.

Even though I know we aren't going that far, I flip us over so I'm on top. I begin kissing down her jawline when she lets out a soft moan.

As we kiss, the door to Cabin 3 opens. We unfortunately dont split for a couple seconds when someone yells "Valdez, get the fuck off my sister. She is a kid, you ass ."

I know the voice at once, it's Nico. There stands, Percy and Nico both looking angry at us. Suddenly I'm being pushed back by y/n as she tries to act normal.

Behind them there is Annabeth and Will, trying not to laugh at their boyfriends and the situation. "Valdez, I'll give you three seconds to run before we kill you" Percy finally speaks up.

Y/n walks over to them, trying to loosen the tension "hey percy. Funny seeing you here, I thought you weren't visiting from college for a couple days."

No One's POV.

Leo slowly backs away from them as y/n tries to calm them down. As he glares at Leo, Nico says "why would you date him?"

"I love him, okay? I have for a while now." y/n answers, looking towards Leo with a smile on her face. "Percy, I understand your my brother but I'm sixteen and I need you to understand that I love him."

"But you're too young" Percy insists. With a frown, y/n says "Percy you've liked Annabeth since you were how old? And you've been together for years."

"Yeah, but you're not mature enough to have a boyfriend" Percy says. Glaring, she says "Fine but Percy there's a few things I haven't told you yet. 1) Nico is a better brother than you. 2) I had a crush on Annabeth when I first came here."

"And 3) I was on Luke's side the entire time he betrayed you and I was a spy for him" y/n says, "so how'd you feel that I joined a fuckin' titan's army when I was eight?"

Percy looks at her incredulously, not saying anything until he turns to Nico and says, accusingly "you don't seem surprised by any of that, how?"

"because as she said I'm a better brother and she tells me more" Nico says with a grin, that he knew all of that before anyone else. Y/n also says "oh and I'm definitely a better kisser just ask Leo."

"How would I know, I ain't never kissed Percy" Leo says. "Well, I would kiss Annabeth but unfortunately I'm in a relationship and don't want to be a cheater" y/n says.

"So, how'd you feel about finishing off were we left it?" Leo says the second everyone but them leave. With a wink towards him, y/n nods, saying "gladly, lover boy."

#leo valdez x reader #leo valdez imagine #nico di angelo #will solace #percy jackson #leo valdez smut

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solangelover · 4 years

Text

AUctober Day 4 - Sport/Team

For @solangeloweek AUctober!

Read on AO3 or FF.Net

“Nice shot, di Angelo!”

Nico nodded at his teammate as he ran back down the court, sweat dripping down his back beneath his jersey. They were up five points with thirty seconds left in the third quarter. The game was too close for comfort, so Nico probably looked angry (he was just focused, but he was told he was pretty scary looking at times like this). His teammates usually tried to joke around with him to get him to smile during games, but no one did more than yell encouragements, so they were probably as focused as he was at the moment.

Nico turned around to face their opponents. Blonde number 10 was bringing down the ball, glancing around at his teammates before focusing his attention on Nico. Then, the guy smirked. Directly at Nico. Like he was happy the ace shooter of the opposing team was guarding him.

Freaking Solace, Nico thought as his eyes narrowed into a glare, which seemed to make the other boy smile more. Yes, Nico knew who he was. His defense was that you should always know the enemy. His teammates, however, loved pointing out that Nico always called all other players by their number or some physical description, but Will Solace was the only one he knew by name.

“They’re our top rival in the district, so sue me if I pay more attention to them,” he said.

“Don’t worry, di Angelo. I think he pays extra special attention to you too,” Leo laughed.

He tried not to think about his teammates words as Will got right up in his face. It was almost offensive how close he got, like Nico couldn’t swipe the ball right out of his hands.

(He didn’t want to admit that he probably couldn’t because, as point guard, Will was a really good ball handler.)

“Don’t be so tense, di Angelo. I won’t hurt you,” Will taunted as he dribbled the ball back and forth between his hands.

Nico rolled his eyes, which was almost risky considering he could lose sight of the ball if he wasn’t careful. But he knew Will would wait for his reply before starting a play. He didn’t know when they became rivals on a personal level, but Nico wasn’t really complaining. It always made their games a little more exciting.

“I wouldn’t brag, Solace. You’re still losing at the moment.” Nico lowered his stance, prepared for the fancy ball handling he knew Will was capable of.

Like lightning, Will crossed over between his legs, shifting his weight to the left before cutting back right. Nico was ready, though, his feet poised to move and shift to mirror his opponent. He effectively cut off Will’s attempt to drive toward the basket, forcing him to step back and reassess.

Soon enough, he passed off to his teammate and cut toward the basket, Nico following closely and blocking off any potential passing routes. Will circled out to the left wing, Nico keeping his hands out, but his eyes now trained on the ball as it moved around the court.

“Nice try, Goldilocks.” Nico didn’t usually start the banter, but sometimes he just felt too smug to keep it in.

Will huffed indignantly beside him. “Get off your high horse, Doom-and-Gloom. It wasn’t that impressive.”

They continued moving around the court until one of Will’s teammates got a shot in. Now Nico’s team had a three-point lead, and the third quarter was almost up. Nico ran down the court for a long pass, aiming to pop off a three pointer before time ran out. The ball was inbounded to Percy, who turned and lobbed it straight towards Nico. Nico snatched it out of the air once it was close enough and spun around to see that Will was already waiting for him. Even so, he sprinted a few steps toward the three-point line and pulled up for a shot.

Nico was fast, but Will was tall. Will closed out just as the ball left Nico’s fingers. However, just barely, he saw that Will’s outstretched fingers grazed the bottom of the ball. The ball soared through the air as the buzzer went off, everyone in the gym holding their breath as they watched.

Donk!

The ball hit the edge of the rim hard, bouncing off and into the backboard. It nearly fell in, rolling around the rim for half a second before falling sideways to the ground.

The collective disappointment was audible, even with the cheers of Will’s team. When Will whipped around to aim his shit-eating grin at Nico, the dark-haired boy was already scowling at him.

Nico flipped him off before Will could get a word in, but that just caused him to laugh brightly in the face of Nico’s dark cloud of anger. He was ready to storm off toward his team when Will quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Hey, Neeks,” he started.

“Don’t call me that,” Nico grumbled.

Will continued like he hadn’t spoken. “Loser of the game buys the other dinner.”

Completely caught off guard, Nico only blinked in response. As the words processed, he felt heat rise in his cheeks. He yanked his hand away and shook his head so that his hair obscured part of his face. He scoffed, trying to get back on track. “You better ready your wallet then, pretty boy.”

Nico barely caught sight of the other boy beaming before he hurried back to the bench. He really hoped he could blame his red face on physical exertion in the game, but knowing his team, they’d never let this go.

Still, Nico could put up with it. But he sure as heck wasn’t going to be paying for dinner tonight.

A/N: I'm a sucker for rivals-to-lovers, I know that's not their dynamic exactly but I'm making it their dynamic lol also I actively play basketball if you can't tell, so I really enjoyed writing this!

#fanfic #fic #au #solangelo #solangelo au #solangelo fanfiction #solangelo fanfic #nico di angelo #will solace #basketball au #basketball #auctober #auctober 2020 #my auctober #my writing #my au #my fic

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buoyantsaturn · 4 years

Text

I got too high again (realized I can’t not be with you) (1/1)

summary: “Okay, so, one time Leo got drunk when we were both at this party, and he sat on my lap, and it was all I could think about for two months. I had myself convinced that I was in love with him until the next time he accidentally set himself on fire in front of me.”

word count: 2318

read on ao3

With their busy class schedules, Nico and Hazel had to make time to see each other, despite sharing an apartment. They reserved Friday nights for each other, however that meant - watching TV or a movie, and sometimes ordering pizza, then usually staying up too late just to talk.

They were lounging on the couch in their living room with the TV playing some Halloween show that they were both mildly interested in and only half paying attention to when Nico’s phone started buzzing in his hands. Nico didn’t sit up from his slouch when he accepted the Facetime request, and Will’s face popped up on the screen, smiling big.

“Nico!” Will exclaimed, causing Hazel to eye him from across the couch. He wasn’t breaking any sacred sibling bonding time rules - she was simply curious to see what it was about.

“Hi, Will,” Nico said, unable to stop a small smile from blooming on his lips. “What’s up?”

“Oh man, Nico, it’s so nice outside,” Will told him as he was making his way inside his own apartment. “Cecil and I were just outside, uh, you know. Enjoying the fresh air.” He winked, and Nico snorted as Will started to ramble about something else entirely.

Hazel nudged him with her foot, causing Nico to glance over to her as she mouthed the words, Is he high?

Nico grinned and nodded, replying, He’s very high.

“Hey, I can see you!” Will said, and when Nico looked back at him, he saw Will pouting, now laying back on his bed.

“I know you can,” Nico replied, turning his body and tilting the camera so that he and Hazel were both in frame. “Say hi to Hazel!”

Will returned to his bright and beautiful smile, waving as he said, “Hi, Hazel!”

“Hi, Will,” Hazel said, waving back.

Nico returned to his slouch, the camera pointed only on him once more. “So… what’s up?”

Will’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Nico, babe, I have something very, very important to talk to you about.” His next few words were unintelligible as he moved around, apparently trying to find some way to prop up his phone while he was talking, meaning that Nico missed out on most of Will’s very important topic. He was pretty sure Will was talking about video games, so it likely wasn’t a huge loss. Or maybe it was Star Wars? Or a Star Wars video game. Really, with Will, any of those topics was equally as plausible. Nico tried to nod along regardless.

“Hey, Will?” Nico said gently.

“Yeah, babe?” Will’s eyes shot back to the screen, eager to listen to whatever Nico had to say.

Nico smiled and leaned his head against the pillow beside him - it was the rainbow pillow pet Hazel had gotten him for Christmas a few years back. “Why’d you call?”

Will smiled back just as soft, rolling onto his side and snuggling into his own pillow, as though trying to imagine for himself that he and Nico were laying side by side. “I just wanted to see you, and be like--” He held up a peace sign. “What’s up! I’m intoxicated.”

Nico tried to suppress his laughter, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it the way Will appeared to light up with pride. “Okay, well, Hazel and I are watching a show right now, so I’m gonna go, okay? But I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Bye, Neeks!” Will said, and he blew Nico a kiss before Nico could end the call.

Nico set his phone down and turned his attention back to the TV, though just as he did, the image froze. With a frown, he looked to Hazel who had the remote in her hand, and was staring right back at him.

“So,” she said. “Will.”

“What about him?”

Hazel grinned. “He likes you.”

“No he doesn’t--”

“He called you babe.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “That’s just a thing people call each other.”

“No, girls call each other babe. Guys definitely do not call each other babe.” Hazel nudged him with her foot again. “He likes you.”

“He just gets more affectionate when he’s high,” Nico told her, waving it off, “and he is... frequently high.”

Hazel’s head tilted to the side. “About that...should we be concerned?”

Nico shrugged. “Cecil’s just a bad influence on him, but Will can handle himself. He’s not, like, dumb about it.”

“Right,” she nodded. “Dumb like...kinda like how you’re acting right now?”

Nico kicked her back with a bit more force than she’d used on him. “Rude.”

“It’s not rude if I’m stating a fact. And if you would act on your feelings, then I wouldn’t have to point out how dumb you are.” She punctuated the statement with a shrug.

Nico huffed. “I don’t know how to act on my feelings. I don’t even know what I’m feeling.”

“You like him,” Hazel said, as if it was obvious.

Nico crossed his arms over his chest, though rather than looking defiant, he almost looked like he was hugging himself. “I mean...maybe. What do I know? Clearly I’m not great at recognizing my own feelings...let alone others.”

Hazel straightened out a leg and set her foot on Nico’s knee. For some reason, she thought that that was a comforting gesture. Nico didn’t feel the same. “Okay, yes, you had one very bad experience, but…everybody makes mistakes! And being with what’s-his-face helped you figure some things out - admittedly in what is literally the worst way possible - but now you’re a very out and proud asexual man! And I’m so happy that you were able to come to that conclusion, but there’s another side to that coin that I think you’ve been ignoring.”

Nico frowned, meeting his sister’s eyes once again. “But what if I haven’t been ignoring it? What if I’m aromantic, too?”

Hazel hesitated. “Oh. Um. I mean, you never pegged me as aromantic, but...maybe? You did tell me you were gay, so that’s what I’ve been going with.”

Nico’s nose scrunched up in discomfort. “Yeah, but that’s just because the idea of being with a girl in any sense is disgusting to me. No offense. With guys I feel more...neutral. Or maybe it is a positive feeling, and I just don’t know the difference.”

Hazel allowed a moment to process his words before she spoke again. “Okay. Let’s try something. When you think of Will, what comes to mind?”

Nico shrugged again. “I guess...he’s nice? He’s nice to look at, and he’s funny, and--”

“No, no,” Hazel waved a hand at him, cutting him off. “Not like that. Don’t tell me about him, but, like… What kind of thoughts do you have about him? If you picture the two of you spending time together, what do you imagine? Do you think of it as more traditionally romantic, like a date, or more platonic?”

Nico frowned down at his lap in thought. “I have no idea. Can you give me, like, a scenario?”

“You’re watching a movie.”

Nico closed his eyes and bowed his head, but there was a crease in his forehead that told of his frustration. “Okay, so… We’re sitting on the couch, and we’re sitting close together...because there’s only one bowl of popcorn.”

Hazel sighed. “Forget the popcorn. Are you still close to each other? Are you holding hands? Any sort of cuddling?”

Nico’s eyes snapped open, shooting a glare across the couch. “Well, now, yeah! You’re making me think of it!”

“Sorry!” She held her hands up defensively. “Then have you ever imagined cuddling with Will?”

Nico took a deep breath, and it looked like most of his frustration left with his exhale. “Yeah, sure, but… Okay, so, one time Leo got drunk when we were both at this party, and he sat on my lap, and it was all I could think about for two months. I had myself convinced that I was in love with him until the next time he accidentally set himself on fire in front of me.”

“Have you ever thought about kissing him?”

“Leo?” Nico’s nose scrunched up again. “Ew. No.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “No, stupid. I meant Will.”

“Oh.” Nico averted his gaze. “Maybe once or twice, yeah.”

“Have you ever thought about having sex with him?”

Nico buried his face in his hands and groaned, “Ew, Hazel, please.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “This shouldn’t be a difficult question.”

“Fine, yes, alright?” Nico snapped, throwing his arms down. “And then I went down a shame spiral because even in my own imagination, I couldn’t go through with it! And Imaginary Will always got pissed at me for leading him on, and left!”

Hazel winced. “In your daydream?”

He huffed. “I’m not exactly emotionally stable.”

“Okay, back to my point: it sounds to me like you want a romantic relationship with Will.”

“Do I?” Nico argued. “Or do I just want to reach that stage of friendship where it’s not weird for me to hug him whenever I want? Like, is that even an option?” He paused, though not long enough to allow Hazel to reply. “Did I ever tell you that I thought I had a crush on Frank when you two first started dating?”

Hazel’s jaw dropped. “You what?”

“I don’t, and I don’t think I ever actually did,” Nico assured her, “but the two of you were always spending time together, and you were always holding hands or hugging or...you know, physically affectionate, or whatever. And I thought I was jealous of you! Just because you got to hug Frank all the time, and I didn’t! And then I realized that I… I just wanted to be hugged by somebody.”

Hazel still looked a little shocked, but she shook her head as if to clear the thoughts from her mind. “Come here.”

Nico shot her a look.

“Just come here.” She patted her lap, and Nico rolled his eyes. He scooted closer on the couch and then turned and tipped over until he was laying on his back with his head resting on Hazel’s thigh. “Close your eyes.” Once he did, Hazel started running her fingers through his hair. “How does this feel?”

“Fine,” he answered automatically, and then a moment later, “Good, whatever.”

Hazel hummed. “Do you wish you were with Will right now, instead of me?”

“For this awkward conversation? Hell, no.”

She tugged on a clump of hair, causing Nico to flinch at the unexpected sensation. “Don’t be a jerk. I’m trying to help.”

“Fine. Yeah, I wish I was with Will right now,” he admitted. “But that’s just because you’re doing this out of love. You have to love me, because you’re my sister, but if Will loved me, it’d be by choice.”

“You know I love you by choice, right?”

Nico’s eyes slid open, and he looked up at her. “I know. I love you by choice, too.”

She went back to stroking his hair, and Nico’s eyes closed once more. “And you know that Will already likes you, like, a lot. Friends don’t just call to see each others’ faces. Maybe if you would give him whatever sign he needs so he knows he can ask you out--”

“He already has,” Nico muttered.

Hazel gasped. “He what?”

Nico exhaled heavily, and looked down at his hands as he started picking at his fingernails. “He asked me out once, and I panicked and asked him if I could think about it - because, believe it or not, my head was even more jumbled back then.”

Hazel glared down at him. “When is back then?”

Nico mumbled something in reply.

“Nico--”

“Two months ago!”

“Two months?” Hazel swatted at the top of his head. “Nico! You’re leading him on!”

“I know,” he groaned.

“You have to stop, that’s not fair to him!”

“I know it’s not!” Nico shouted, suddenly sounding close to tears, waving his hands around frantically as if gesticulating would help him to better express what he was trying to say. “But I can’t figure myself out because there’s… There’s something wrong with me!”

“There is nothing wrong with you,” Hazel insisted.

Nico let out an angry puff of breath and glared at his sister. “I can’t feel emotions, Hazel. That’s not normal.”

“You can too feel emotions. You’re angry and frustrated right now. Those are emotions. Sadness is an emotion. Happiness is an emotion. You’re not a robot, Neeks, you just don’t know how to define your feelings. You haven’t had the same experiences as other people, so you have to learn how to recognize things in ways that other people don’t. You can’t recognize romantic love because you haven’t experienced it yet, and you’re not going to experience it until you try. Why not try with someone like Will? Someone who’s nice, and handsome, and makes you laugh, and who already feels some amount of love for you.”

Nico seemed to notice that his argument had lost steam. “I think ‘love’ is a strong word,” he said plainly.

“I think I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Hazel shot back. “And the way he talks about you, and the way he acts when you’re around.”

Nico sat up. “Now you’re making me anxious.”

“I’m sorry,” Hazel told him earnestly, setting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. “Just don’t count yourself out before you even try, okay?”

Nico nodded. “Okay. Can we go back to the show now?” Hazel reached for the remote and resumed the episode. With his back still turned to her, Nico continued, “And can we...have a sleepover tonight?”

“Of course,” Hazel answered softly. “My room or yours?”

“Yours, if that’s okay.”

“Sure.” She paused. “Do you need a hug?”

Nico was wrapped up in her arms before he could even get a word out.

thanks for reading!

buy me coffee | more auctober stuff

#solangelo #Will solace #Nico di Angelo #hazel levesque #auctober #mine #my writing #it's project on nico hours

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trainwreckwips · 4 years

Text

The Story Behind Camp’s Therapy Program

Word Count: 2,653 (thought it would be more but that’s fine lol)

Pairings: Solangelo, Percabeth. The cannon stuff, but not Caleo because I honestly could care less about Calypso. Deal with it.

Warnings: Nightmares, crying, depression, PTSD. Let me know if I need to add more.

Authors Note: This took me so freaking long, I'm sorry. If you don't already know, this story is based off of this post I made a while ago. Kinda rushed the ending but I tried, okay? Enjoy!

Will didn't intend to start a therapy program at Camp Half-Blood Not that he regrets it- he's not blind to how much it's improved the campers' mood- it just wasn't intentional.

See, he and Nico had been talking again. Working in the infirmary, Will knew nearly everything going on in Camp at all times. So obviously when he discovered the rumors of Nico having nightmares, he sought out the truth. After finishing his rounds with the sick and injured campers, he hiked out to the small clearing in the woods where he and Nico liked to meet up. Nico liked to clear his head there in the quiet darkness, so if something was indeed bothering him, Will knew he could find him there.

When he got to their meeting spot, he found Nico sitting on the fallen tree they'd been using as a bench. His eyes were closed, his hands in fists at his sides, and tears glistened against his pale skin at the corner of his eyes. Will sat next to him and gently took his hand.

"Are you okay, Nico?" he asked softly. Nico slowly shook his head. Will slid closer and pulled his boyfriend into a hug. Nico rested his head on Wills's shoulder as tears slid silently down his face. As much as Will wanted to know what was wrong, he knew that sitting together in silence was the best way to calm Nico. They stayed like that until Will had lost track of time. Once Nico had stopped crying, Will shifted so he was facing him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nico sniffled and shook his head, paused, then nodded. The couple had done this several times before. They would meet up here, sit together until they were both feeling better, then talk about what was bothering them. They had even found ways to keep each other calm while talking about not-so-fun topics. Will fidgeted when he was upset, and Nico- surprisingly- liked hugs and reminders that he wasn't alone. They often ended up playing with each other's hair as they talked.

Will smiled gently. His gaze drifted to a large patch of white flowers at the edge of the clearing. He walked over and picked a large handful of them, then returned to Nico's side. Will smiled and tucked one of the flowers behind Nico's ear, then sat down next to him. He heard Nico take a shaky breath and listened intently as Nico quietly told Will about his nightmare.

"I was back... there, again," he whispered. The 'there' in this situation, of course, referred to Tartarus. Nico had been slowly reliving his trials across the hellscape in his dreams. Though Will tried not to let it show- for Nico's sake- his boyfriend worried him. He had been listening to Nico recount his nightmares for the past two and a half weeks, with each day getting darker and darker. Of course, he wouldn't want to add anything to Nico's fears, so he kept the depth of his concern to himself, opting instead to comfort Nico in any way possible.

By the time Nico had finished recalling his nightmare, Will had weaved the flowers into a delicate crown. He set the crown on top of Nico's midnight curls with a gentle smile and a light kiss, then wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

"It's going to be okay, Nico. You're here now. You're safe." Now, neither of the boys were stupid. They both knew that they- any demigods, in fact- were never entirely safe. But just hearing Will say that, being held close, listened to... Nico felt better. Will looked up at the sky and breathed in deeply.

"It's going to be dark soon. We should get back to camp." Nico nodded. They both stood and, holding hands the entire way, walked slowly back to camp.

~About a week later~

Nico frowned. Something felt off. He and Will were in their normal meeting spot. Nico had been quietly telling his boyfriend about his latest nightmares, but had trailed off. The birds had gone silent suddenly, and the temperature dropped. He froze and scanned the shadows beneath the trees and spotted... something. It was large and dark, and slowly slinking towards them.

"What is it?" Will asked quietly. Nico didn't answer. He stood slowly and reached for his sword. Then he cursed quietly under his breath as he realized he'd left it in his cabin. A stupid mistake. He glanced over to see Will instinctively reach for his bow, then realize that he, too, had left his weapon at camp. Nico looked back at the dark figure in the woods, which had grown significantly in size as it neared. He turned to Will and grabbed his hand.

"Will, I need you to trust me. When I give the cue, you run to that tree." He pointed to a larger tree on the other side of the clearing, in the opposite direction from the tree. Will looked at him for a moment, concern shining in his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and nodded.

"I trust you." Nico slowly let go of Will's hand. He reached down and touched his fingertips to the ground at his feet. The dirt around his hand bubbled as if it were boiling. The sharp tip of a bone bladed throwing dagger raised from the ground. Nico carefully picked up the weapon and clutched its hilt. He studied it for a moment, then decided it would be effective as a last resort. Just what he needed.

He heard a low growl from not far behind him. He tensed, and saw Will do the same. Then, in one fluent motion, he spun around and threw the dagger at the monster. He was no child of Apollo, so the blade didn't kill the monster, but it did it's intended job: confuse it.

"Now!" Nico said loudly. He and Will turned in perfect unison and sprinted out of the clearing. As soon as their feet touched the shadows, Nico grabbed Will's hand. The shadows grew suddenly darker, and both boys vanished.

~~~

Nico didn't really know where they were going to end up. Usually, when he shadow travelled, he had a place in mind. This time, though, the only thing running through his mind was 'Get me and Will out of here safely.' At least that part was effective.

Nico and Will reappeared suddenly, stumbling out of the shadows and collapsing in a heap in the light. After a moment, Will groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position. A wave of nausea rolled over him, and it took all his will power not to vomit. He must have gone pale because when Nico sat up and looked at him, he laughed despite him not looking much better.

"Yeah, probably should've warned you before doing that. First times the worst, don't worry." Will pushed himself off the floor and to his feet. He glared down at Nico, but Nico saw the faint smile playing at his boyfriend's lips. Nico clumsily stood and brushed the dirt and dust off his clothes. He looked around.

"Where..." he was about to ask, but stopped short as he saw the giant banner hung from the ceiling. It read 'Bunker Nine'. He exhaled. Of course he would wind up in the ONE building he didn't know the exit too. And supper had already started, so Leo would be at the dining hall. And Nico was too tired to shadow travel again. Meaning... they were stuck there.

At least, he thought so.

A loud clang echoed through the large room, followed by a string of what Nico assumed were not so friendly Spanish words. Smoke poured out of a machine in the middle of the room. Will and Nico shot each other surprised looks. As they made their way through the various potentially dangerous projects and machines towards the smoking one, a disgruntled looking Leo Valdez crawled out from under the machine. He halfheartedly patted out the flames in his hair as he grumbled at a stack of blueprints on a nearby table. Realizing that Leo had no idea they were there, Will cleared his throat to get his attention. Leo jumped and spun around to face them.

"Who- what are you guys doing here? How did you GET IN here?" As Nico explained why they were there, Will took a moment to study Leo. Leo looked... awful, to say the least. His hair was a mess and he was covered in dirt and grease, which really wasn't something new, but it was worse than usual. The bags under his eyes were so dark they could've passed as eye shadow. He looked exhausted. His hands trembled but had none of the nervous energy they usually did. And he looked like he was starving, he was so thin. Come to think of it, Will couldn't remember seeing Leo around Camp at all lately, not even at the campfire or in the dining pavilion. Will's instinct kicked in, and he interrupted Nico.

"My gods, Leo! When was the last time you slept? Or ate something?" Leo stared at him for a moment, then frowned and muttered to himself. He glanced nervously around the workshop before his gaze stilled, staring down at the ground by his feet. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh... what day is it?" Nico laughed but cut off abruptly when Leo flinched. He didn't look up from the floor. Will's brow creased with worry.

"Leo... when did you last take a break from your, um... work? What was the date?" Leo shifted uncomfortably again. His trembling fingers nervously against his tool belt. He seemed to think for a minute.

"It was... the fifth, I think." Nico's eyes widened. Will's stomach sunk. He rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced anxiously over at his boyfriend. They seemed to come to a silent understanding. Nico nodded slowly, then vanished. Leo jumped slightly in surprise. After a few seconds, he seemed to relax a bit, as if Nico's presence had had him on edge, but he still wouldn't look Will in the eye. Will spoke in a soft voice.

"So you haven't ate or slept in three days?" Leo flinched slightly. He looked down at the blueprints on the table next to him, running his fingertips thoughtfully over the papers.

"I... lost track of time I guess."

"Lost track of time?"

"...yeah."

"Really? Because it sounds to me like you're avoiding people." Leo laughed lightly. Will noted that it sounded forced. He stepped forward to look at the blueprints on the table. Leo tapped them softly.

"I've been busy." Will slowly realized what the writing on the paper was. He blinked, ever so slightly surprised.

"You're rebuilding Festus? I thought..." He trailed off, deciding not to bring up the explosion. Leo had gotten the cure, by some miracle, and was resurrected, but Festus had been severely damaged. Will had assumed he was unfixable. Then again, this was LEO. Leo smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I've managed to find and repair most of him." Will nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

"You still need to eat. And sleep. And generally take care of yourself." Leo sighed. The small amount of energy he had drained out of him.

"I know. I'll... I'll come to dinner tonight." Will nodded encouragingly.

"And get some sleep?" Leo tapped the tabled and bit his lip, not looking up at Will. He seemed... reluctant, to say the least. Will sighed.

"Leo, you really do need to sleep," he said sternly. Leo put a hand over his mouth to stifle a sob, and Will realized with a jolt that his friend was crying. He immediately realized it was probably his fault, too. He put a hand on Leo's shoulder. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Is there a certain reason you're avoiding sleep. If so, I could try to help-" He internally winced as his voice cracked slightly. Leo took a shaky breath, shaking his head.

"I can't, Will. YOU can't." Will frowned slightly in confusion. Can't what? Sleep? Help? He thought for a moment.

"I know it's not my business, really, but if you're having nightmares... I-I helped Nico with his, maybe I could..." He stuttered. Leo went silent for a moment. He silently wiped away the tears from his face, leaving streaks of grime across his cheeks.

"Would... COULD you?" he asked quietly after several minutes. Will nodded.

"I'll do anything I can to help you."

~The Next Day~

Leo fidgeted nervously. He had quickly tidied up his workshop, taken a shower, and was currently sitting cross-legged on one of the tables that were usually covered in spare parts, tools, and blueprints. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then at the door. He frowned and tapped his fingers against his knee. Maybe Will had forgotten, or decided he wasn't worth the trouble. He was about to give up when suddenly the door swung open.

"Sorry I'm late, Cecil broke his wrist and everyone else was busy so I had to take care of him-" Will rambled, flustered and out of breath, probably from running here. Leo smiled slightly and shrugged.

"It's fine." Will smiled gratefully and hopped up to sit on the table next to Leo. Leo tapped his fingers against the table and took a deep breath.

"So... where do we start?" Will thought for a moment.

"Well... If you're comfortable with it, you could tell me what's keeping you from sleeping. Sometimes just talking about it helps. Only if you're okay with it, of course." Leo stayed silent for a moment. He fidgeted with some pipe cleaners and paper clips he had pulled out from his tool belt, twisting them together absentmindedly.

"I... have nightmares. Well, more like flashbacks, really." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Flashbacks?" Leo nodded.

"Yeah. It's like I'm reliving my... my death. Every night." Will looked at Leo.

"You don't have to tell me about it, if it makes you nervous." Leo took a shaky breath.

"No. No, I want... I need to tell someone about this." He fell silent for a moment, then started to recount his nightmares, slowly and carefully. He told Will everything, from the moment of the explosion to waking up on Festus's back. By the time he had finished, he was crying. Will had his arm wrapped around Leo's shoulder comfortingly. After a moment of silence, Leo looked up at Will with a ghost of a smile.

"Thank you. Believe it or not, that really helped." Will smiled kindly.

"Of course. I'll always make time to listen." His eyes caught the time on Leo's watch, and he sighed lightly.

"I have to get back to the infirmary. We can talk more after dinner, if you would like." Leo sniffled a bit and nodded.

"I... would like that." He looked down at his hands. He had unintentionally created a small makeshift helicopter, similar to the one he had made at the Grand Canyon what felt like ages ago. He wound it up and launched it into the hair. Both boys laughed quietly as it flew in a wide circle before crashing into the 'Bunker Nine' banner and falling to the floor. Will hopped down off the table and walked to the door.

"Hey, Will?" Leo said, louder than he had spoken all day. Will stopped and looked over his shoulder at his friend. Leo smiled.

"Really, thank you."

~~~

So, yeah. Will talked with Leo several more times in the following weeks, checking in on him and giving advice. He also continued to meet up with Nico (obviously). Eventually, he also helped Percy and Annabeth with their nightmares and fears that Tartarus had left them with, and in what felt like no time at all, Camp Half-Blood had a full therapy program.

The demigods were healing, finally.

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xxrainbow-princessxx · 4 years

Text

Protective - Leo x Isabella

Synopsis: Alessandra and Natalia are soon turning eighteen and are a complete liability. With Isabella and Leo’s patience wearing thin, can they try to get their children to understand why they are overbearing

Tagging: @drakewalkerfantasy @itslaniquelove @kingliam2019 @kimmiedoo5 @mom2000aggie @lorirwritesfanfic @lorircreates @hopefulmoonobject @rafasgirl23415 @texaskitten30 @rainbowsinthestorm @desireepow-1986 @speedyoperarascalparty @liam-rhys @choicesficwriterscreations

Leo was at his final tether with his two daughters. Alessandra and Natalia were becoming a law onto themselves whilst they remained in Laurentia for their schooling forcing his hand. The seventeen year olds begged and pleaded with their mother but Isabella simply passed it off as ‘tough luck’, they had been warned far too often by their father that the next wrong step for either of them was boarding school and lo and behold, Leo kept his promise, shipping the girls out Switzerland to continue their schooling. Things seemed to settle down in the first few weeks but as Isabella and Leo sat down for lunch one afternoon, the King’s phone began to ring. It was the school. “What do you mean they didn’t turn up for lessons?” Leo raised his brow in question, “It’s a boarding school in the middle of nowhere... how could they?” Leo began to shake his head as he stared at his wife sighing, “These girls are going to be the death of me...” He listened as the school principal kept apologising explaining they were in the process of checking their security footage. Leo clenched his jaw in anger, “Where are their protection officers?” seeing red immediately as the principal explained they were not on the campus either.

Isabella continued to poke her fork around her Salade Niçoise as Leo slammed the phone down onto the table. “Bella... I swear I am...” Isabella raised her brow stopping her husband in his tracks, “Let’s call them and see if they answer...” Leo reached for his phone but Isabella shook her head, “I’ll call...” she tried Alessandra first but there was no response, Natalia on the other hand answered happily, “Buenas Tardes, mama...” she exclaimed happily. Carefully Isabella approached the subject, “Mi querida...” Leo began to roll his eyes incensed, “Why do I have your papa opposite me ready to explode as both you and your sister are not in school? Where are you?” Natalia began to laugh not realising she was on loud speaker, “Mama... it’s so boring... they’re making us take classes in things we already know, languages we are already fluent in... so Sasha and I decided to go check out something we didn’t know, so we went into Geneva to see the sights...” Leo nearly took a heart attack, his face reddening with pure anger but Isabella kept her cool, “That’s ok mi amor... we can talk about that later... but is Elena and Beatriz with you?”

Isabella could only trust what her daughter told her, Natalia confirming that their protection officers were in tow until she heard Natalia shouting across to Beatriz, “Bea... can you talk to mama?” Isabella closed her eyes and took a deep breath after hearing the protection officer speak, “Beatriz...” the Laurentian Queen continued, “...once the girls are finished on their little tour, please bring them back to school at once... Lia, Sasha...” Isabella began to sigh as her daughters took the phone back, “We love you... but your father is extremely displeased... we don’t want anything to happen to you both so please go back to school...” The Princesses looked at one another, pouting heavily as the confirmed in unison, “Ok mama... we love you too...” Leo was fit to burst but Isabella raised her index finger, “Don’t...” The sandy haired Cordonian folded his arms angrily in frustration, “What the hell do they think they’re playing at?!”

Leo barked, “When they were home, it was running after boys... now it’s breaking out of school and heading off somewhere because they felt like it! I didn’t send them to an all girl, Catholic boarding school in the asshole of nowhere for nothing!” Isabella bit down on her lip trying so hard not to laugh as she teased, “What were you expecting? That they would become nuns or something?” Leo ran his fingers through his hair as he growled, “For how much it costs a fucking semester... quite frankly... yes!” The petite brunette slowly shook her head, “This isn’t on me... I loved school... Do you remember what you were like when you were turning eighteen?” Groaning, Leo ran his hands down his face mumbling, “That’s what I’m afraid of...” his sea green eyes rolled to the right as his wife grinned at him, “I never cut school until I met you...” she teased, “You were always a bad influence... but...” Isabella sighed heavily, “We will need to speak with them, let’s do thatnext week during half term break...” Leo nodded in agreement, “No eighteenth birthday party either... I’ve had enough of this shit...”

Isabella had a heavy heart as her two daughters returned the following week, Leo was still reeling from their last escapade but as they came home, immediately the two girls opened their arms, hugging him as tightly as they could, “Miss us?” Alessandra giggled as she kissed her father’s cheek, “Like a hole in the head you two...” chuckled the Laurentian King embracing them back. He had found it so difficult with them being away from him and Isabella but he felt he had no choice. “Come...” Leo smiled, “Your mother’s made lunch for us all...” Leo escorted his daughters quietly outside into the orangery away from the hustle and bustle of the Palace staff. Alessandra and Natalia both smiled as they seen their mother, running to hug her and not wanting to let her go. Nico rolled his eyes, sitting beside his mother as the twelve year old stuck his tongue out at his older sisters causing Alessandra to scowl, “Don’t be a brat Nico!” she hissed at her younger brother as Isabella gestured for them both to sit.

“Girls...” Isabella’s shoulders dropped, her bright, white beaming smile began to fade, “I’m sorry... but we need to talk about last week... your father and I...” Isabella’s chocolate brown eyes looked across to Leo sadly, “We’ve discussed it... and we’ve decided to cancel your birthday party at the end of this week...” As the girls protested, Natalia stood up as she pushed her chair out glaring at her parents. “This is bullshit!” she barked, throwing her napkin onto the table but Leo was not in the mood for stroppy teenagers. He pointed at her growling, “So help me God... get your ass back on that seat! Sit down and for once do as you’re told, your mother is speaking!” Alessandra pouted as she folded her arms, “This is seriously unfair... you can’t do that!” The look of devastation on their faces broke Isabella but Leo stood his ground, “If you both weren’t running around acting like spoilt brats... you wouldn’t be in this mess... we gave you your last chance when you went to Lac Léman and...” he spoke matter of fact with them as the Princesses eyes began to water, “You blew it...”

Natalia leaned across the table, fluttering her long eyelashes, “Papa...” she sighed, “We don’t want to be there... we miss our friends, we miss home, the classes are too easy...” she fell back into her chair slumping, “We went to a museum to actually learn something new...” a coy smile began to form across her face, “So why should we be punished for something that isn’t exactly our fault?” Isabella raised her brow cutting in before Leo lost his temper, “Natalia!” She barked, “This is not a laughing matter! You’re both meant to go to College, make a career for yourself before you need to engage in more Royal duties... and neither of you will disrespect this family any longer!” Alessandra bit down on her lip as Natalia stayed quiet, they had pushed the boundaries too far this time as Leo growled at them both, his fist slamming down onto the table “What the hell were you both thinking?! Anything could have happened!” His calm sea green eyes darkened, “Just go to your rooms...” he sighed with frustration but before the girls could push out their chairs, Leo stood up, “On second thoughts... I’ll go...” as he glared at his daughters shaking his head in disbelief.

“Mama...” Alessandra’s hazel eyes widened as she quietly spoke, “Papa’s really angry with us...” Isabella rolled her dark chocolate eyes to the left towards her daughters, “Mi querida...” she sighed, “...it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that... your father... he, as you both well know would move heaven and earth for you, but he’s disappointed and understandably so...” Alessandra and Natalia looked at one another, they knew they had to make it right some how. “Mama...” Natalia sniffed, “We’ll go apologise... I don’t care about a stupid party... I just don’t want...” she began to cry. Natalia wasn’t the crying type but for her to be so open, in front of everyone; Isabella knew she was being sincere. “I don’t want him to hate me!” The Princess was always so closed off regarding her feelings but right now, she couldn’t hide it from the world. Isabella began to smile nodding in agreement, “Mi amor... he could never hate you... but I think he’d appreciate that...”

Later that afternoon, Alessandra and Natalia sighed heavily as they went to their father’s office knocking on the heavy oak door waiting to be called in. They had never been so nervous. As Leo barked “enter...” Both Natalia and Alessandra kept their heads down as they slipped quietly through the door, both of them stood in front of their father as Leo looked up at his daughters. Alessandra’s eyes clocked onto the picture frames around his desk as Leo leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, “Something I can help you with?” Alessandra’s eyes locked with her sisters as Natalia sighed, “Papa... can you come sit with us?” as she gestured to the couch, “Please?” Leo wondered what they were up to, playing along with their request, he pushed his chair out and moved to the couch. Alessandra called down to the kitchen to ask for some Cordonian tea to be brought to her father’s office but her eyes followed all the pictures Leo had on his desk, all of them of his children. Making her way to the couch, Alessandra sat on the left, Natalia on the right. Natalia’s bottom lip trembled, “Papa...” she sniffed, “I am so fucking sorry...” as she dropped her head into her hands, “I don’t want you to hate me!!”

Leo put his arms around his youngest daughter, “No baby girl... no...” he cooed, “I could never hate you or your sister...” kissing the crown of her head, “You two are the best thing that ever happened to me... when I was your age... I just messed around, no thought for anyone else, I was a massive pain in the ass, just ask your Uncle Liam...” Leo began to smile as his daughters both rested their heads against his shoulders, “I just want better for you two... know enough that if you ever didn’t want this... you could do anything you wanted... not rely on who you know, but what you know... be the smartest person in the room...” As the tea arrived, three cups were poured. Leo turned his head side to side looking down at them, “You pair don’t have a clue what goes through mine and Isabella’s heads when you decide to do a disappearing act... I’m ready to send out the National Guard!” Alessandra’s brow furrowed, “But papa... we’re gonna be going to College soon...” Leo began to chuckle loudly, “Doesn’t matter.. You two will always be my baby girls, even when you’re ninety and have as much plastic surgery as your grandma...” Natalia shoved Leo playfully as she laughed, finally a smile came across her face. “We’ll try so much harder...” Alessandra mumbled quietly as Leo nodded, “That’s all I want...”

Alessandra hugged her father tightly but Natalia still remained quiet, “Sasha...” Leo sighed, “Can you give me a minute with Lia?” The Crown Princess nodded, “Ok... I’ll see you both later...” as she picked up her things, leaving quietly. Waiting a moment after the door closed behind her, Leo’s brow furrowed, “What’s up sweetheart...” her hazel eyes met her father’s, biting down on her lip she mumbled, “Can I come home? It was my fault that we left... I just wanted to do something that didn’t revolve being a girly girl. Papa... I miss my friends. Sasha’s fine... they love her there, she’ll be a Queen one day... me... I’m a no one, just a copy of a more important person than me...” Leo put his arm around the Princess as he leaned down whispering to her, “No baby girl... you are you and just as important... Is that what you want?” Natalia nodded quietly as Leo smiled, “I’ll not make you do anything you don’t want to...” The Princess began to grin, “Thanks Papa... can I ask you something?” “Anything beautiful... what is it?” Leo replied warmly as Lia’s eyes narrowed as she grinned with her dazzling smile that matched her mother’s, “Can we go to the game tonight?” Leo chuckled warmly, “Of course... let’s take your sister and go to the Marina...” getting the girls out of the Palace would help with hiding their birthday presents. Maybe he would change his mind about the party...

#choices #leo x isabella #the royal romance #playchoices #prince leo #choices fanfiction #choices the royal romance #playchoices fanfiction #queen isabella #royal romance au

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theartofimaginaryfriends · 3 years

Text

Chapter 9 - Rules

Fic series: The Final Straw (HP/PJO Crossover)

Premise: Nova has a a nightmare and the teams are chosen.

Masterlist

taglist: @ilvermornymascot, @lukecastellandeservedbetter, @eva-blog-p

word count: 2,100

A/N: This break from the fic was longer than intended but I've been fixated on Hunters (Amazon Prime) and started a blog for it because there's barely any fanfiction for Hunters and that's a travesty. To make up for it being nearly a month since I last updated (I think?) I made the chapter way longer than normal, but I think I'm going to stick to chapters being around this length. Definitely reduces the amount of chapters I originally planned while keeping the timeline in check XD Hope you enjoy this very late installment!

Nightmares were a common occurrence for demigods, being nearly unavoidable. Some were stronger than others, leaving the demigod remembering every vivid detail when they woke up. Others were weaker, causing the demigod to wake up with a few details forgotten. Nova was unlucky, her latest nightmare leaving her confused in the morning.

The demigoddess stood in the corner of a dimly lit room, watching as a house-elf brought a letter over to their master, who was lounging on a plush leather couch. "Great. A letter from that wretched school. Now scram, I want dinner in an hour."

"Yes, mistress." The house-elf squeaked and scampered off.

Unable to help her curiosity, Nova moved closer to the girl and peered over her shoulder. The name addressed in the letter was blurry, but the contents spoke of the transfer program. The witch tossed it aside in annoyance and got up from her spot on the couch. Nova followed her as she stormed out of the home and into the adjacent forest.

Nova had to jog to follow her pace but stopped when the air chilled. It was dusk, but the sky darkened quicker than usual. The atmosphere changed to one that was all too familiar, and yet brand new at the same time. The demigoddess's breath shook as she couldn't contain her fear. "You've come back sooner than expected."

"That transfer program that has been rumoured is official," the girl said, clearly annoyed. "I can't just play nice and be chummy with all of them! This is complete rubbish."

"Listen, child," the voice said. It sounded like it was coming from all around them, and the voice belonged to no one in particular. Gaea was what immediately came to Nova's mind, but the voice was male. It was Ouranos, it had to be. "You said you wanted to fulfill your former Master's plans and kill that boy you keep talking about, didn’t you?"

"Yes."

"Seeing as you follow me now, you will abide by my rules," Ouranos commanded. "Go to this transfer program. Make friends with them or don't, it makes no difference to me. Follow the program, and update me monthly on what is going on. We cannot be hasty, patience is a must. When the time comes, you will help me regain my physical form, so I can destroy those wretched demigods and you can kill your enemy."

Nova watched the girl, knowing very well what Ouranos was doing. He made it seem like they were allies and working together when in reality, the Titan was in complete control. He was just going to kill her when he was done with her, and she didn’t stand a chance. "Thank you, Master Ouranos."

The sky lightened back to dusk, and the atmosphere changed back to normal. Nova found herself following the traitor back to the manor, but as she walked the scene began to melt away.

She couldn’t make sense of what she had just seen. The Sky Titan's voice was clear in her mind, but everything else was fuzzy when she woke up. Nova sat up, and placed her head in her hands, trying to process what had just happened. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Nova answered Payton, who had pulled back the curtains to sit on the edge of Nova's bed. Her arm was outstretched, holding Nova's water bottle out to her. "Thanks."

"Wanna talk about it?" Payton asked, a worried look in her eyes. Nova shook her head after taking a giant swig of water and took a deep breath.

"Not really, no," she sighed. "I'd rather process everything first."

"Maybe breakfast will help," she said.

"Ah, yes," Nova had a small amused smile on her face. "Eating. What a concept."

"Just get dressed so we can go," Payton laughed. After taking another minute trying to rack her brain for a clearer image of the nightmare, Nova got up and changed before grabbing a book and heading out.

The girls were silent as they made their way to The Great Hall, but the silence wasn't filled with as much tension as it had on the first night. While it was still heavy, Nova found herself feeling less apprehensive around her old enemy. Payton really did seem to want to be her friend, and even if last night's comment was a little odd, Nova knew in her heart that it was well-intended.

When they got to The Great Hall, the girls separated and Nova made a beeline for her usual group. She sat in between Cree and Percy, the table already in deep discussion about the teams being chosen tonight. She didn’t add much to the conversation, feeling drained. "Nova, is everything okay?"

"Nightmare," she shook her head, looking at Cree. "I'll be fine."

"What about?" Percy interjected, the group's attention shifting to The Head Girl.

"It was unclear, but I believe that one of the people in the dream was the traitor," she said. "I never saw their face, but they were talking to Ouranos. It felt more like I was in a Pensieve."

"Pensieve?"

"It stores memories," Harry explained. "Depending on the memory, it can feel like you're in a nightmare."

"And it felt like I was intruding on someone else's memory," Nova sighed. "But we shouldn't worry about that right now, there's still another eight hours for people to enter."

Nova took to people watching on the stairs again, paying more attention to the book in her hands than she was yesterday. "Didn’t realize this year would reopen old wounds."

"Neither did I," Nova said, turning to Harry. "How are you feeling?"

"Angry," he admitted. "But who isn’t?"

"You and Percy have the worst luck," she stated. "Once everything's calm, something else pops up."

"My scar hasn’t hurt, which is a bright side," Harry reached up and touched his forehead instinctively. "But it feels like it will any minute. As if I hadn’t actually killed him."

"Voldemort is dead, Harry," the witch reassured her friend. "We don’t have to worry about him."

"Just need to worry about something completely out of my range."

"Isn't that the point of this competition?" Nova chuckled darkly. "To ensure it won’t be?"

"Sound about right." Harry shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. The two of them ended up chatting for most of the day. Cree joined in later, stating that Nova's Head Girl duties have deprived him of time spent with her.

After dinner, the school settled into the balconies as if they were going through a sorting ceremony, waiting for the names to appear. Instead of Professor Tahamente making the speech, he left the floor to McGonagall. The woman managed to quiet the entire student body with one stern look, before beginning her speech. "In a moment, the fountain will reveal the teams. If your name is called, please make your way back into The Great Hall, and sit with your chosen partner. I will announce the names as they appear, and while this happens I expect there to be silence until the end."

The headmistress stepped back, and everyone watched as the fountain began to glow. The teams came up in four groups each time, and there were mixed reactions. "Harry Potter and Percy Jackson."

The two boys high fived, and happily descended down the stairs. No one was surprised at that pairing, many students finding it unfair. "Clarisse La Rue and Draco Malfoy."

Clarisse shoved past the Slytherin, making him stumble as he followed her. Draco didn't seem pleased either, his signature scowl on his face. "Jason Grace and Luna Lovegood."

A few classmates snickered, and Jason seemed a little worried. Luna was often in her own world, and to Jason, she didn’t seem like much of a fighter. "Leo Valdez and Hermione Granger."

Leo immediately tried to charm his new partner, and Hermione rolled her eyes at his attempt. "Annabeth Chase and Seamus Finnigan."

The two walked in silence, Nova noticing the gears in Annabeth's head-turning. She never stops thinking about a strategy, even when she doesn't know the challenge at hand. "Hazel Levesque and Blaise Zabini."

Hazel glanced at her partner as they walked together, and Blaise was completely stone-faced. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking, but he had fought in the war against Voldemort with most of the Slytherins. "Nico di Angelo and Ginny Weasley."

Nova thought their dynamic would be interesting. Both were smart, but polar opposites as far as she was concerned. "Travis Stoll and Ronald Weasley."

It was almost like Ron was partnering up with one of his brothers, which screamed utter chaos. The next four teams came up quicker than the first two times, the air growing tenser as everyone anticipated who would be next. "Meg McCaffery and Neville Longbottom."

Everyone tried to hold back a snicker while watching Neville glance at the short and temperamental thirteen-year-old. Meg had given Neville a once over, before nodding once in approval and bounding down the stairs. "Piper McLean and Dean Thomas."

Dean smiled at Piper, and they started chatting in low voices. The demigoddess could tell they'd make a great team and smiled to herself. "Frank Zhang and Pansy Parkinson."

Murmurs started, and Frank was clearly nervous. He stopped at Nova and whispered to her. "Should I be worried?"

"A little bit, yeah," Nova told him. "I'm sure if you sit with Hazel it'll be fine. Blaise can keep Pansy in her lane."

"Thanks," Frank audibly gulped and made his way down to an annoyed Slytherin, who glared at the Praetor. McGonagall cleared her throat to tell the school to be quiet and continued.

"Kayla Knowles and Cree Fletcher."

Cree looked at Nova for guidance, and she assured him that Kayla would be a fantastic partner. Relieved, he left her side and met the archer a the bottom of the stairs. From where Nova stood, she could see that those two were already getting along, and it made her relax significantly. Cree was her best friend and if anyone would make sure he made it through this alive, she was glad Kayla was that person.

The rest of the teams were called out, and by the end of it, everyone was either bored or fidgety. "Would our Head Boy and Girl please join us in The Great Hall, as well as Will Solace. As for the rest of you, you may go to the lodges, and get ready for the campfire."

"Why are they asking for me?" Will asked as the three students made their way in.

"I'm guessing it's because they want the healers to be in the loop," Nova told him. "Chiron likely mentioned that you'd be an important asset."

Nova often aided the Apollo kids, and especially Will, when they needed an extra medic. The two of them had taught each other different healing techniques, and Nova supplied the camp with healing potions. It benefited them in the wars they fought within a year of each other.

"Congratulations to all of you that were chosen for the championship," Professor Tahamente smiled at the group. "There will be many trials and tribulations ahead of us, but please remember that this is about building teamwork and developing a bond that may assist us all in the future. Our first task at hand will take place on Saturday, November 21. In the Quad next week, we will set up stations for each of your teams to build a chariot together. Lucas and Nova will oversee it in shifts to ensure there is fair play. We will have Pukwudgie guarding the area during the night so that we can make sure there won’t be any sabotage.

"Will Solace will act as one of the healers on sight during the competition. The others will be Nurse Hawkins, Madame Pomphrey, and Nova Sterling. There will be no additions to the chariots that can potentially ruin another team's chariot during the race, and we will be checking for any extra charms on the chariots that could allow anyone to cheat. As for specific rules of the games, that will be revealed on game day. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," Everyone chorused.

"If you have any questions in between now and the day of the competition, please don’t hesitate to ask," Tahamente smiled. He dismissed the group and stepped away from the podium. As soon as they all made it to the campfire, the teams were greeted by applause.

Some students basked in the attention, others seemed nervous. The only thing certain at the moment was that the dynamics were about to change.

#harry potter #percy jackson #pjo #harry potter fanfic #percy jackson fanfic #harry potter/percy jackson crossover #harry potter/percy jackson crossover fic

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solange-lol · 4 years

Text

not so typical love song - ch. 7/13

Chapter Title: Love Me

Words: 3,332

Art by @lizzybizzyo! <3

read on ao3

—

Thanksgiving came and went, and soon Bianca was on her train back to college, leaving a quiet house in her absence.

They talked, of course, more than they had talked over the phone. But they never went in deep about anything. Nico never brought up his secret, and Bianca dropped asking about homecoming all together.

It felt like she already knew. Nico came so close to telling her just to get that weight off his chest, but every time he was about to bring it up, he didn’t.

It felt so dangerous with the circumstance he was already under. Technically, he had already come out to two people, but something about telling someone face to face out of his own will terrified him.

Deep down, he knew Bianca wouldn’t care. So why was he so scared?

The same reason he was scared to tell any of his friends, probably. He didn’t want anything to change, didn’t want their view on him to change. And if word got out, the best thing to ever happen to him would slip away. He couldn’t lose Blue, not now.

Not ever.

Drew’s voice cut through his thoughts, as she finished her long list of plans for Christmas break, before asking “Anybody else going somewhere for Christmas?” they had been folding programs for the show at this rehearsal as people were getting fitted for costumes.

Nico shrugged as if he had been listening to what she had been saying the entire time. “Staying here. We have a classic di Angelo gingerbread decorating contest.” He said as he folded the program in his hand that he realized he had been clutching, unfolded for a few minutes now.

Piper grinned next to him. “I was the judge last year with Jason. You should have seen Nico’s house! Covered it with red frosting to look like blood with dead gingerbread men and ghosts! Called it his gingerdead house”

Nico tried to ignore the sound of Will laughing across from him, blue eyes squinting as his smile grew. He was there helping out backstage, mainly just to bother Lou Ellen and Cecil. (And to not let Nico get over his crush, apparently.) His gaze moved quickly from Octavian (ew) to Drew, who was rolling her eyes.

“What about you, Piper?” she asked, switching focus.

Piper shifted uncomfortably. “My dad will probably be away on a shoot, so either I’ll fly out to be with him, or I’ll be home alone,” she said, trying to shrug it off, but Nco could see the sadness in her eyes.

He patted her knee. “Come over to my house if you need to. I’m sure my parents would love to have you as a judge again.”

When he looked up, Will was smiling at him again, making Nico’s chest clench.

“I’m going to a cabin with my mom,” Percy grinned from where he was sitting, not helping them at all. “No WiFi, just me and my mom and the lake.”

“In the middle of the winter?” Piper asked. “Won’t it be frozen?”

“Yup. Prime ice skating conditions.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I hope you fall in,” her muttered, earning another laugh from Will, making his chest even tighter.

“We don’t usually go anywhere, but I think my mom is planning a trip for me and my siblings this year. Bonding, or something,” Will says after a moment.

“You have siblings?” Nico asked, surprised. He never recalled Will ever mentioning them. “Do they go here?”

Now it was Will’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Oh, um, yeah. I have a sister and a brother. Kayla and Austin.” His smile was still there, but there was an emotion in his eyes that Nico couldn’t quite read.

“Cool,” he said, softly, not wanting to push Will any further, although it left him with more questions than answers.

Next to Will, Octavian suddenly sucked in air through his teeth, dramatically dropping the program he had been folding. If that weren’t enough to convince Nico that he wasn’t actually hurt, he grabbed his finger with a dramatic “Owww.”

Nico sighed. Wherever Octavian was going with this, he didn’t like it. “You good?”

“Yeah, paper cut,” he responded, giving Nico a look saying come with me. Nico could see that perfectly clear, but he chose to ignore it. When he did, Octavian continued. “Nico, do you know where the bandages are?”

“Yeah, they’re right back there in the supply closet,” Nico said, still not giving in.

“You mind showing me?”

Nico had to stop himself from groaning. He wanted to scream at Octavian to just leave him alone for once, but there was no way out of this situation he was stuck in. Octavian, always concerned about himself, didn’t know how to take a hint either. He nodded his head towards the closet, and Nico just sighed as he stood up. Worried glances from both Piper and Will followed him, but he shook it off.

“Be right back,” he assured them, which only seemed to settle Piper as he followed Octavian to the back.

When they walked into the closet, Octavian spun on his heel. “I don’t actually have a paper cut.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Nico muttered.

“I don’t want to have to leak your emails, di Angelo, but-”

“Look, you can’t bring Blue into this,” Nico cut him off angrily. “If he found out my emails got leaked, he would disappear. He’d never talk to me again.” Just the idea of it made tears prick at his eyes.

One of these days, Octavian is going to push too far, and Nico is going to break.

Octavian just shrugged. “Yeah, he probably would. Internet’s a freaky place to meet people.”

Just as Nico was about to argue back at him, Piper walked through the door, causing them both to panic.

“..Freaky Friday!” Nico said suddenly, trying to recover from anything she might have overheard.

Octavian nodded along. “Fun movie.” It wasn’t great acting (better than his fake paper cut bit) but Nico appreciated the coverup. Octavian was still far from a decent human being, but at least he didn’t out Nico. Yet.

Piper looked between the two of them, a confused smile growing on her face. “You guys are weird,” he states, before moving to look around the closet. “I just came to get a band-aid. You were right, those programs are a bitch.”

Octavian elbowed him, signaling Nico to say something. He quickly thought of an idea, bracing himself as he began to talk. Please don’t hate me, Piper.

“So, um, Octavian was having some trouble with his lines, so we were thinking of going to the Waffle House tonight and go over them, run a few scenes, if you wanna come,” he said quickly, trying his best to seem natural about it. Please don’t hate me, Piper. Please don’t hate me.

For a moment, Piper’s face dropped, as did Nico’s stomach. Please don’t hate him. He messed up. Please don’t hate him.

Then, the smile was back. “Really?” she asked earnestly. “That would be great, actually!” Both relief and guilt flooded Nico.

Octavian patted him on the back the moment Piper was out of sight again. “Good work di Angelo.”

“Go to hell, Octavian.”

—

Nico slipped out of the Waffle House the moment he noticed Leo standing outside, most likely on his break.

Actually, he was escaping the hell that was his booth with Piper and Octavian, as well as Octavian’s multiple attempts of flirting. He was hurting Piper, not that she realized, and it was hurting him in the process. Leo just happened to be the perfect excuse to get him away from all that.

Leo Valdez is a junior, though Nico’s never really talked to him that much before. They’ve had a few classes together over the years, and Nico knows he’s good friends with Piper and Jason, but for some reason, he’s never really seen him around. He’s also a waiter at Waffle House, apparently, and something about him is setting off bells in Nico’s head.

Nico doesn’t think he’s Blue. Leo is like a ball of fire, while Blue is a calming wave. And yet, there’s more than one side to a person, so he hasn’t ruled him out yet. And besides, maybe he’ll at least be interesting to get to know.

He shivered, pulling his jacket tighter as he walked over to Leo, who was typing something on his phone. “Were you in my Bio class last year?” Nico asked, and Leo looked up from his phone, surprised.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Were you there last year when some kid ate the flower we were experimenting on while we had a sub, and she emailed our teacher who had to email the class because it turned out the flower was poisonous?”

Leo grinned. “Yep. That was me, actually, who ate the flower.”

Not the response Nico was expecting, but he’ll take it. “Wait, really? What happened?”

“Called poison control, got it all sorted out.” Leo was still grinning, sort of mischievously like he was planning it all over again. “Somehow I lived through.”

Nico smiled. “Somehow.”

Leo glanced back at the restaurant. “Nancy’s glaring, that’s my cue to go. See ya, di Angelo,” he said, tapping one last thing on his phone before he walked back inside while Nico just stood there and watched.

He wasn’t completely sure if Leo was Blue or not. Sure, he wouldn’t mind if Leo was Blue. He was funny and charismatic, which was helpful to have in social situations. And he was pretty good looking. (Or maybe Nico just had a thing for curly hair.) At the same time, though, it felt like maybe their personalities were completely different. So was Nico just making it up because he liked the idea of it, or did he actually believe it? He wasn’t really sure.

Until his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Only a second ago had Leo been typing something on his phone. That last tap before he went inside could have been him hitting the send button. If it was that perfectly lined up, could it really be a coincidence?

Leo’s voice echoed in his head as he read the email.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Nov 30 at 5:57 PM

Subject: Holiday Horrors

My mom is currently planning a trip for Hanukkah, which I don’t think we’ve ever done before, but I think she just wants my siblings (still weird to say) to feel okay coming into this family. Obviously, I still don’t really know that much about them, but I really hope they like me and feel as safe here as I do.

It’s also sort of scary because I imagine when I tell my mom, I’ll probably have to tell them too. I just hope that doesn’t change anything/

My dad wanted me to see him, spend a day with him over the holidays, but I passed up. He’s already shown me all that he can give me, I don’t need anything more. On the other hand, though, my mom told me he’s bisexual, so maybe I could get my first real coming out over with him. Or not, I don’t know. Do I trade up my first experience just for it to be easy? I feel like I need to get used to it not being easy.

Maybe I’m just going crazy.

Love, Blue

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Nov 30 at 6:01

Subject: re: Holiday Horrors

I don’t think you’re going crazy Blue. Crazy brave, if that’s what you meant. And crazy caring and compassionate at that. I’m sure your siblings love you for all your efforts. If they haven’t yet, they will. Take it from experience.

Love, Angel.

Nico grinned to himself all the way through Blue’s email, as well as his own. He might not know who Blue is, but he knows what kind of person he is. Maybe it’s better that way. And something about that email made him consider maybe, maybe coming out to Hazel. She’s the one person Nico knows would love him through anything.

Oh, and Leo isn’t completely ruled out yet either.

Nico’s got a lot to think about now as he heads back inside to the table from hell.

When he slid back into the booth, Octavian was dramatically leaning over the table, pointing his finger at a smiling Piper. “You, Piper McLean, deserve a goddamn superhero.” Immediately, his good mood is gone as he rolls his eyes.

Ugh, give him a break.

—

“Octavian used to annoy the crap outta me, but he’s actually kind of...” Piper shrugged, looking out the window. “I don’t know. Not as bad.”

Nico sighed, gripping the steering wheel. There was a pit in his stomach that was weighing him down with guilt. He so desperately wanted to do the right thing, but honestly, he didn’t even know what that would be anymore. Tricking Piper like this, though, he knew that wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure what would make it better by this point, so he brought up something that could distract him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about your parents,” he said quietly as if he might be waking a monster. He found out pretty quick what was happening inside the restaurant when he got back. Octavian had pushed her, maybe a little too far, about her past. While it sort of hurt that she easily told him over Nico, he assumed it was his fault for never asking. “I just never wanted to make you uncomfortable.”

Piper shrugs, turning away from the window but still not looking at him. “Yeah, I don’t mention them that much. Kind of messes with my image.”

“What image?”

She shrugs again. “The girl who's only been at this school for a year and doesn’t want to be known as the one with the famous dad, or the mom that left them. The girl who's angry and sad all the time and has a history of being a kleptomaniac. A girl who still believes in love.”

Oh. “I didn’t know that.”

“I didn’t know if you wanted to.”

Nico cleared his throat. “You still believe in love?” he attempted to scoff, but his heart was beating so fast he just sounded nervous.

“I don’t know, maybe.” Piper glanced over at him. “Have you ever been in love?”

Nico didn’t say anything for a moment. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say right now? Anything, really. He could tell her everything. But at what cost?

“I think so,” he said, before he pulled the car over.

Nico could see Piper glancing around in confusion, maybe almost nervous as they slowed to a stop. God, what if she thinks he’s in love with her? There’s no way he’s getting out of this without telling her.

“Piper?” Nico asks, not really sure what he’s asking. He takes a breath.

Piper gave him a look he couldn't read. “Yeah?”

“I’m gay.”

It came out almost like a question like he’s asking for acceptance. The words hung in the air for just a moment, then-

“Oh,” she smiled, and the tension broke. “Okay.”

“You can’t tell anyone though. Nobody really knows, and I don’t really want people to find out yet-”

She shook her head. “I won’t, I promise.”

“Okay,” he whispered. His heart was still beating fast, but warmth filled his chest.

He did it.

They sat in silence for a moment, not making eye contact, before Nico asked, “You surprised?”

“No.”

“So, you knew?” he asked, fearfully glancing over at her. How many other people knew?

“No,” she assured him.

“But you’re not surprised?”

Piper smiled again, and any nerves he had left completely drained from his body. “Do you want me to be surprised?” she asked genuinely.

For the first time, Nico smiled softly too. “I don’t know,” he said almost laughing as he looked back out the window.

“Okay,” she was still looking at him; he could see her smile out of the corner of his eye. “Well, I love you, so…”

He let himself glance over at her, trying to ignore the pegging thoughts in his brain reminding him how much he would be hurting her right now if she knew. The warmth in his chest was gone, and now it was just tight with all the love and the hurt. Maybe he didn’t believe in romantic love (he honestly didn’t know yet) but there was some kind of love in this world, and he was so lucky to have it.

But what if she knew? “I love you too.”

Her smile, softer than before, hurt more than anything else.

Nico let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, turning on his blinker as he began to drive again.

“There’s no one behind us you don’t need to-” Piper started and Nico almost laughed. The moment was over, maybe he could stop thinking about it.

“I know, just being safe.”

“Okay,” she whispered, and Nico could tell she was still smiling at him.

He tried to ignore the tightness that still remained in his chest as they drove away.

—

When Nico got home that night, he went straight to his room. He opened the window that led to a small balcony and climbed through. He sat down, leaning his head against the fence and looked up at the stars.

When he was younger, so much younger that the memories were faint, his mom would take him out here before she died every time he was scared or upset. He could hear her voice in his ear as he stared up at the sky.

“If things are changing-” she would tell him. “Just remember the stars are still there. Even if it's cloudy at night or if the sun is out, they’re still there. Find peace in that.”

What would she think of him now?

He pulled his phone out, wiping away a stray tear that tried to escape, and opened his email.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Nov 30 at 9:05 PM

Subject: You inspired me

You inspired me tonight, Blue. I came out to one of my friends and it went really well, so thank you.

I hope everything goes okay with your mom and your siblings, but I’m pretty sure it will.

Maybe afterward we can ride this bravery train and come out to each other for real? I’m dying to know who you are.

Love, Angel

He sent the email before he could overthink it, and went back inside to do homework, giving the stars one last glance.

Right before he was about to fall asleep later that night, he got a response.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Dec 1 at 12:11 AM

Subject: re: You inspired me

I actually came out to everyone tonight. I thought it would be easier to just air it out now and let them think before we were stuck together with no escape on whatever vacation we’re going on.

Everything went surprisingly okay. My mom of course was supportive, saying she would make me flag cookies for pride month and everything which was very sweet (literally). And my siblings were also nice about it. I really don’t think they care as much as I thought they would. (I almost made a joke about how I got it from my dad, but I didn’t want to push things.)

And you’ve got it all wrong. It’s you who inspires me.

I’m really glad everything went well with your friend. I’m just not ready yet for you to tell me. The real me. I’m sorry.

Love, Blue

(P.S- if it helps, I can’t stop thinking about who you are either. Someday soon I’ll tell you. Just not yet).

(P.P.S- Happy December! Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits and all that)

Sure, Nico was disappointed, but it was okay. Blue had said someday soon, and all Nico had to do was hold onto that promise.

#solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #pjo #heros of olympus #nstls #pjo hoo big bang 2019 #liz writes.com

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ashis2gay4u · 4 years

Text

I Am Not A Robot (In One Post!!)

Nico di Angelo stared out his window, the skull head ashtray in his lap overflowing with ashes, cigarette butts, and burnt out joints, yet instead of ashing out the open window, he continued to ash into the tray.

He was sat on the ledge of the bay window, it being big enough to be a bed for an average height person. He gave a huff as he watched the boys playing soccer on the lawn across the street, smiling and laughing.

He can't remember the last time he laughed. Hell, he doesn't even remember what it sounds like.

Don't even get him started on his smile, because he's sure he'd rip his face in half if he even tried.

He put the ashtray aside, pulling his knees to his chest. He nestled his chin between them, continuing to watch.

One of those boys turned to look at him, and Nico froze as the others turned to stare him down.

"Hey!" one kid shouted, his black hair untamed, like he had just rolled out of bed, "Wanna join? Might be more fun than watching!"

Nico shook his head, "No, I'm good-"

Another boy, a Latino, shorter than the first, spoke up next, "But why not? We're one player short of a team, anyways!"

Nico stood up and leaned out the window, staring at the five boys there. "No, I'm good, thank you very much."

The blonde boy shrugged, "He doesn't want to play, guys."

"Awe, man!" the Latino said.

The Chinese boy shook his head and spoke up, barely loud enough for Nico to hear, "If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to... Plus, he kinda scares me."

At that, Nico slammed his window shut, glaring at them all. He flipped them off, and went to sit on his bed.

Curled up on his purple comforter, he fell into what he hopes will be a dreamless sleep.

He woke up the next day in a cold sweat. Everything was fine, up until he fell into that dark hole.

He hated that hole, with all it's horrid hallucinations and ghastly smells and horrifying noises.

He quickly threw the blanket away- how did it get on him and not below him?-, and stood up, going to take a quick shower.

He stared at his reflection afterwards, glaring into his own eyes.

He proceeded to brush his teeth, his eyes never leaving the stare into his own soul.

He had mastered this technique. Why? It was a distraction.

He quickly got dressed, before heading to his window, opening them up and sitting on the ledge, grabbing his lighter, smokes, and ashtray from beside him.

Just as he had taken the first inhale, a knock sounded at his door, followed by a sniffing sound.

"Dammit, Nico! I told you not to smoke in the house!" came the voice of his step-mother, Persephone.

He hated her, she was always switching between nice and mean with him.

"Fuck off, you bitch, I don't have time for you."

She slammed open the door, glaring at him. "You dare? I should call your father right now and-"

"And what? He won't fuckin' pick up. He never picks up. Not since Mamma and Bianca died, right?" he said coolly, smirking as she tensed up.

"Don't you dare mention her-"

"Suck it up, he cheated on you with her. Twice. And then once more with Hazel's mom. Yet you hate me the most. How so? Why not hate the man who cheated on you, because you aren't enough?"

Persephone merely walked over and smacked his ashtray out of his hand, his smokes and lighter flying out the window with it.

A loud crash rang out as the crystal skull broke.

"Don't. Smoke. In. My. House. You. Insolent. Brat!"

Nico pushed her away, grabbed his satchel from where it was perched against the windowsill, and nodded, "Fine. Next time, I'll smoke in your room, and leave all the ashes in your makeup and burn holes through all your favorite dresses. Cunt."

She was about to smack him, he could tell, so he did what he always did when she attacked him.

He jumped out the window, landing in her garden and rolling to his feet. He smirked up at her, "I think I crushed those pretty tulips that just bloomed! Sorry!"

She started screaming at him, but he was already in the garage, starting up his motorcycle. He took off down the street, heading towards his favorite place in the world.

The graveyard.

When he got there, he parked his bike and tossed his helmet to the side, sitting on his haunches in front of the gravestones before him.

"Hey, Mamma, Bianca. It's been a while."

He sighed, moving to sit with his legs crossed.

"I know I shouldn't break her rules, and I know I shouldn't fucking snap at her and piss her off, but she does everything she can to hurt me. I hate it."

He could feel the tears starting to fall, hitting his hands which were clasped so tightly in his lap he swore he was about to snap his own fingers in half.

"I had the nightmare again, Mamma, about-" He stopped himself, choking back a sob.

"I miss you, Mamma, Bianca. Sometimes I... I just want to be emotionless, like a robot."

"Hey, Nico... I heard from Persephone what had happened, I'm sorry she broke your ashtray, I know how much it meant to you," Hazel said softly, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Whatthefuckever, she can do what she wants..." Nico mumbled.

"You don't always have to be on top, you know," she replied, gently taking his hand in hers.

"I feel like I have to-"

"Because you can't show weakness, right? It's okay to be vulnerable, you don't have to act like the tough guy all the time."

Nico said nothing, merely stared out the window where his new plastic ashtray sat.

"You've been smoking a lot, lately."

"I know."

"You're just a baby, Nico. You shouldn't smoke so much..."

"I'm seventeen, Hazel."

"I know, but your lungs aren't fully developed yet."

"If I wanted advice, I'd go to a counselor or a medical professional," he snapped.

"...Better to be hated, than loved for what you're not," she said, before standing up.

He snatched his hand away, and she left, closing the door behind her softly.

It's been a year since he started watching the boys.

He sat perched on his window ledge as per usual, a new (although metal) skull ashtray sat in his lap. Persephone was gone, so she couldn't yell at him.

He stared out the open window, and noticed the black-haired boy and his friends were out front again, playing some demented form of tag.

The Latino looked up at him, and waved.

Despite his better judgment, he waved back.

He was just being polite, is all.

"Yo!" the blonde boy yelled, "Wanna play with us now?"

"What the fuck are you idiots even playing, anyways?" Nico questioned.

"TV Tag!" the black-haired boy said, smiling goofily.

Nico's heart stopped at that look on his face.

No, no. Not today. Begone, thoughts.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

The Latino stepped forwards, grinning wildly. Nico's heart did a flip.

"It's when you yell out a TV show name, and crouch down. The person can't idle by you, or tag you until you stand up. You can only crouch for ten seconds, though, but it's fair play to yell out another right afterwards!"

"That doesn't sound very fair at all, that should be illegal."

The blonde boy laughed, loud and booming. It made Nico's cheeks heat up.

Fuck, they're all hot.

"I like this kid!" he said.

The black-haired boy grinned, "Frank isn't here today, so if you want, you can fill in for him!"

Nico thought for a second, before putting out his smoke. He stood up, and promptly closed his window, disappearing from their sights.

"Awe, man! Percy, you scared him away!"

"I'm sorry, Jason, I didn't mean to! Besides, Leo probably did it, not me!"

"Hey! Jason, are you going to let him talk to me like that-"

"Gods, it's like watching a buncha old married couples. Maybe I should just go."

They all stopped talking, and turned to face Nico, who stood a few feet away, a smoke hanging from his lips.

"Smoking kills," the blonde boy- Jason, Nico recalled-, said.

"Exactly."

Jason made a choking noise at the blunt tone, and the Latino- Leo, the black-haired boy had called him- laughed.

"Cat got your tongue really good, eh, Superman?"

"Shut up, you stupid Christmas Elf."

"Jason, how could you?" he said, faking a sob. He turned to the black-haired boy, "Percy, are you going to let him talk to me like this?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "No, Repair Boy. Jason, play nice. Leo, stop being dumb."

Leo gave a gasp, falling against Jason. Jason caught him, rolling his eyes in turn.

Percy turned to look at Nico, "Hey, name's-"

"Percy," Nico said, smirking. "The blonde is Jason, and the tiny shit is Leo. I pay attention, you know."

Leo gave a cry, "You've embarrassed me in front of the hot goth! how could you!"

Jason dropped him, "Well, it does give Percy an advantage."

Nico stared at the three, "What?"

"Why do you think we've been spending so much time outside since we first noticed you?" Percy said, chuckling. "Me and Leo thought you were cute. Everybody's been trying to help both of us win a chance, well, except for Frank, who's apparently dating your-"

"Oh fuck no. That's Frank Zhang? Holy shit, that kid is dead-"

"Wait! He's really nice, we swear-" Jason said.

"No, he borrowed my Myth-O-Magic cards a few months ago from Hazel and spilled pop on them. Hazel's kept him away from my wrath for this long, but no more. Dead, he will be."

They all stared at him for a few moments, before collapsing to the grass in fits of laughter.

"That's why you want to murder him?" Leo said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"We... We thought-"

"That it was cause of what he said last year," Percy managed to get the whole sentence out, before giggling uncontrollably once more.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Nico deadpanned.

"Yep, indeed."

"Wanna play that game?" he asked.

Leo's face lit up, "Si, indeed!"

They all stood up, exchanged looks, and then yelled in almost perfect unison, "NOT IT!" before taking off in different directions.

Nico soon learned physical activity was not meant to be done in skinny jeans.

"Hey, Mamma, Bianca."

It's been two months since he's last visited them. He'd been so busy running around with Leo, Jason, Percy, Grover (Percy's best friend), and Frank (who turned out to be really cool, even replaced his deck with a limited edition one), and had completely forgotten his promise to visit them every day.

The first time since he was ten, nonetheless. He's eighteen now.

"I made some... Ah, friends, I guess," he said, not sure how he felt about having friends.

The word tasted strange in his mouth, he doesn't think he's ever had any friends, not like the five friends he had made.

"...I kinda like them..."

"Awe, we like you too!" Leo Valdez said, appearing at his shoulder.

Nico almost had a heart attack, "What-? Why-"

Jason Grace, Percy Jackson, and Frank Zhang stood next to Leo, each with a bouquet of flowers. Nico stared at them all.

"My Mama died when I was seven, she was buried just over there," Leo said, smiling sadly, "Next to my twin brother."

"My mom died when I was about eleven, I think, I was abandoned outside this military facility- nobody claimed me-, so I didn't find out until I ran into my sister out on a mission with Leo, who I had picked up along the way with my girlfriend, Piper."

"And you?" he asked, turning to Percy.

"Here for emotional support," he said, brandishing two bouquets of red roses.

Nico stared at them all silently, "So-"

"Maria is a nice name," Leo said, sitting down next to where Nico sat hunched in front of the graves, "And if she had even a bit of your face on her, I bet she was gorgeous, too..."

Percy sat on the other side of him, placing a bouquet in front of the graves, "I'm sure Jason's mom won't mind. Bianca... That name sounds familiar. Was she an archer...?"

Nico nodded solemnly, "One of the best. At such a young age, she was already on the waiting list for the Olympics."

Percy went pale, "I knew her. I met her and you at a casino years ago."

"You- You were the boy with the blonde? That boy you left with was-"

"Grover, yeah. Annabeth is my other best friend, but nobody can compare to the G-Man."

Jason stood off to the side, and silently slunk off to his mother's grave.

Leo sighed, "Guess we've all met each other before, then. I remember her, too, she and Hazel used to play hide and seek with me and my brother Sammy Jr. all the time, up until he died."

"Sammy... Jr...? The kid she had a crush on?"

"Yeah, I had a crush on her, too, until I met my ex Calypso. Boy, that went to Hell-"

"-when he found out she had tried to seduce me while I was on-and-off dating Annabeth," Percy finished.

"Woah... We've got some fucked up connections, don't we?" Nico said, smirking.

"Yeah, we do," Percy replied, leaning back against the grass.

"Where'd Jason go?" Leo asked, looking around.

"Over here!" came the voice of the blonde.

"Oh, he's paying respects. Come on, Leo, let's go do that, too."

"...I'll come with, I can talk to them later," Nico said, standing up with the other two boys.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be having a decent one-sided conversation with the dead, Neeks," Leo said, chuckling silently.

"Yeah, yeah, Valdez. Let's go."

"Happy birthday, Baby Bat Wings!" Leo cried, waving a party streamer around.

Percy laughed and swung his arm around his shoulders, Leo following suit.

Soon enough, Nico had six boys hanging off of him, Jason, Frank, Grover, and Will Solace- who was the latest addition to their little group- soon joining in on the group hug.

Nico can't remember when he smiled so hard, but he'd gladly accept his face splitting in half if this was the reason why.

He blushed a deep crimson red as his two crushes, Leo and Percy, kissed each of his cheeks respectively.

"You've been hanging with the unloved kids a lot," Persephone accused, glaring at her step-son. "You've never really trusted or even liked them before, what happened?"

"He's just magnetic, he picks up all the loose pins," Hazel says, smiling sweetly at the wickedly bi-polar step-mother.

Persephone sniffed, "Yes, but he really shouldn't. I looked them all up, they all have criminal records or bad school reputations!"

"I'm nineteen now, Persephone. I can do whatever the fuck I want."

She got a wicked gleam in her eye at that, "Yes, you're right. So, you're an adult, now... Get the fuck out of my house.”

Nico stared at her, before turning to Hazel, "Can she do that?" he questioned, looking like he had just witnessed the most fucked up thing in history.

She shrugged, "'Dunno."

"Call Dad, then, see what he says!"

"He won't pick up the phone, and you know it," Persephone replied. "You have twenty-four hours to get the fuck out of my house, before I call the cops for thievery, breaking into my house, and vandalism!"

"Excuse the fuck you-"

She pulled out her phone, dialing 911. "Try me, Nico. Where's your mother to save you from my wrath now? I should have kicked you out as soon as you turned sixteen."

Nico glared, and rushed up the stairs, calling Leo to come get him. He grabbed all his clothes, pillows, and blankets and threw them out the window, packing his more fragile stuff and personal items into his multiple backpacks, his satchel, and his one suitcase, and dragged them all downstairs.

He spat in her face before leaving, Leo and Percy (who had offered his much bigger six-seater as a substitute for Leo's pick-up), helping him load up all his stuff.

They drove off, and Nico felt truly alive for once.

"Don't be so pathetic, Nico, just sing! Come on!"

"Shut up, Jackson, I will not-"

"You called?" Leo sang, prancing into the room, dressed entirely in Percy's clothes. He wore a black towel wrapped around his head.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Oh gods, not this again."

"Oh gods, not this again," Leo said in a mock imitation of Percy, "Look, I'm Perseus Jackson! All tough, all sexy! Dumb skater boy!"

Nico laughed, "He was a skater boy, she said seeya later boy-" he stopped himself, realizing he had been singing the lyrics.

The two boys stared at him, "Wow..."

"Such beauty," Leo said, smiling.

"Amazing..." Percy said, in awe.

Nico blushed, "Guys, come on... I'm not that good-"

"Better than Percy, he sounds like a dying whale!"

"You wound me, you shit."

"Suck it, Aquaman."

"When, where, how ha-"

Nico let out a squeak, "P-Percy!"

"Jealous, much?" the sea-green eyed boy said, smirking.

"I'm gonna be sick," Leo said, fake gagging.

"Both of you are dumb, absolutely not," Nico said, noticing how Leo's face lit up and Percy's face fell.

Oh boy, was he as smitten with them as they were with him.

Another nightmare, and Nico woke up screaming, thrashing at his blankets as he tried to sit up.

The sounds of footsteps came echoing down the hall, and Leo burst in, wearing nothing but a white tank top covered in grease stains and a pair of red Deadpool boxers, Percy appearing behind him wearing Superman pajama pants.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, concerned.

Percy looked anxious, "Nightmares, buddy?"

Nico couldn't help it when he started crying, reaching out to them like a pathetic baby.

They both swooped in and hugged him, Percy settled behind him and Leo nestled up against Nico's chest, both mumbling soft, soothing words and holding him tight, but not too tightly as to trigger a flashback of any sorts.

"Mamma... Bianca... And I-"

"Shh, take your time..." Percy whispered, rubbing his cheek against Nico's hair.

"Yeah, Neeks, don't rush yourself."

"I felt so... Vulnerable... In that cave. We got stuck down there for a week on a field trip to Greece, there was this gas..."

Percy tightened his grip around Nico's waist, and Leo burrowed deeper against Nico's stomach, his cheek pressed against it.

Nico took a deep breath, before continuing.

"We were trapped for five days. Mamma... Got sick first. The gas created hallucinations, and... Her heart couldn't take the horrors. She started screaming about a lightning storm, shoved us out of the way, and then... She tripped and fell, landing face first on those ground spike things..."

Percy looked horrified, but Nico didn't see, so he continued on.

"Bianca got sick next. The smells really got to her. She thought she was in a metal scrap yard, and got... The ceiling collapsed on top of her," he said shakily, "I was left alone for the next three days, until they found me. I was malnourished and traumatized, and Dad... He left. Business trip after business trip.

"Last time he called me was when I was eleven... He said he wished I had died instead of Bianca, she wouldn't... She wouldn't have been as much of a failure as I am," Nico said, his whole body shaking as sobs wracked his body, occasionally breaking free.

He felt vulnerable, so very vulnerable.

"The noises were what fucked me up the most, mixed with the smells and hallucinations of monsters and demons and... And my dead family..."

He broke down entirely, turning slightly to latch onto Percy. Leo sat up and clung to them both in turn, tears of his own spilling down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," Leo mumbled, "I know what it's like to watch people you love die... I watched Mama and Sammy die in a fire... I started it..."

"I watched my mom get strangled to near-death as a kid... Stayed by her side in the hospital for a few days before I went off with Grover and Annabeth. Ran away to find the sick fucker who attacked her, this guy named Minotaur, he called himself..."

"We're all fucked up," Nico gasped, laughing silently.

"And vulnerable," Leo added.

"But that's good," Percy said, smiling softly through his own tears, "That means we aren't robots."

"Can you teach me how to feel?" Nico asked softly, "Can you turn my power back on...?"

"We'll try our fuckin' best."

After a year of living with the two, Nico said something that made the two boys stop and stare.

"I like you both. Fuck, I'm in love with both of you."

"What-" Leo questioned, ears going bright red.

"How-" Percy questioned, dropping his lucky pen Riptide, which he's had for years but never really used.

"I. Love. Both. Of. You," Nico said once again, even more bluntly than the first. "And I don't know how, I just know I do."

The two boys shared a look, before they both broke into huge smiles.

"Fuck. Yes," Leo said.

"So... How the fuck do we smash? Do we take turns or-"

"Percy!" Nico scolded, face flushing.

"Why don't we find out tonight?" Leo asked, smirking. "Would be a great way to celebrate our three-way."

"Wait, so-"

"Yes, Ghost King, I'd happily share you with Repair Boy," Percy said grinning.

"As long as I can be a bottom, I hate topping," Leo said.

Nico laughed, and instantly crashed onto the couch between them, moving the resumes they had been filling out.

The two snuggled up against him, and Nico smiled.

I am not a robot.

{La Fin}

~Ashton Bende

#perleico #percico #valdangelo #nico di angelo #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #leo valdez #leo/nico/percy

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nicostolemybones · 5 years

Note

Solangelo

I answered in short fics for each question!

1. Who Reaches Out To New Neighbours

“Nico, what on Earth are you doing,” Will asked, snaking his arms around Nico’s waist and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of Nico’s neck.

“There’s a moving truck which means new people. I don’t like people,” Nico replied, taking Will’s hands.

“So you’re stalking them from the window?”

“I’m observing,” Nico corrected, and Will sighed, gently turning Nico around in his arms and cupping his cheek in his hand.

“I know it unnerves you, but it’s going to be okay,” he said gently, “I’ll go round to see them, scope them out. I’m sure they’ll be nice people, and if not, we stick to ourselves, okay?” There was a small pause.

“You’re going to bake them cookies, aren’t you?”

“Yep, I’m gonna bake them cookies.”

“What if they’re psychopathic murderers, Will,” Nico whined dramatically, “what if they’re cannibals and they eat you after they eat your cookies, Will, you need to poison the cookies!”

“Oh my gods, Nico,” Will sighed in exasperation, “They’re not gonna eat us, you’d probably bite them if they tried because you’re like a freaking really grumpy cat, di Angelo!” Will smushed Nico’s cheeks, who tried his best at a murder glare. Will merely giggled and glowed, booping his nose. “Boop!” Nico snapped playfully at Will’s finger, who yelped in surprise and put on a fake hurt glare whilst Nico smirked smugly. “I’m gonna go bake cookies for the neighbours!”

2. Who Remembers To Buy Healthy Food

“WILL!” Nico yelled, and Will came skidding into the kitchen.

“What’s happened?”

“What is this?” Nico held up a bag full of salad ingredients on the end of a spatula, holding it at arm’s length.

“Healthy food.”

“I don’t want it, I don’t like it, I want to set it on fire.”

“No setting the food on fire, Nico! I’m making a stir fry, I figured I should make it colourful and healthy,” Will explained calmly with a small smile.

“But it’s yucky vegetables!” Nico protested, staring at the bag of healthy food like it had personally offended him.

“No, they’re delicious, and without them, you will literally slowly die of disease.”

“At least I would have tasted something better than cardboard!”

Will sighed heavily. “If I deep fry it will you eat the veg-”

“Yes!”

3. Who Remembers To Buy Junk Food?

Will was awoken by clattering downstairs. Convinced he was about to be murdered, he reached for Nico, but he found the space beside him unoccupied. With a heavy sigh, Will trudged downstairs, grabbing the bow and arrow he kept on the stairwell and loading an arrow ready. He turned on his glow, ready to attack- and screamed.

“Gods Nico! Don’t just do that! What are you doing down here? Is that McDonald’s?!”

Nico froze, a nugget hanging out of his mouth and eyes iridescently reflecting like a cat’s. “No,” Nico lied round the nugget.

“It’s like four am, holy shit Nico,” Will groaned, “I can’t believe you!”

Nico blinked, staring for a moment, before taking the nugget out of his mouth and holding it out. “Nugget?”

“I’ll make you into a nugget in a minute,” Will grumbled, turning on the light and sitting at the table. Will slid a bag over to Will, who peered inside, more than happy to see a quarter pounder inside. “Gods I love you. McDonald’s at 4am.”

“Only because I know you forget to eat after a night shift and somebody has to feed you.”

4. Who Fixes The Oven When It Breaks

“NICO!” Will yelled, and Nico skidded into the kitchen on his socks. “Is the cooker meant to do that?”

“Do what?”

“That.” Will pointed to where there was a plastic plate and utensils melted onto the hob.

“Will. How? How did you do this? How? This is worse than the time you set the spaghetti on fire!”

“I was trying to reheat my jacket potatoes on the hob and I left and then the plate was goo!”

Nico facepalmed hard. “You’re meant to put stuff in the Microwave, Will, good old Chef Mike! Of course plastic will melt on the hob! You’re supposed to have a brain cell! Idiota!”

“Sorry,” Will pouted, “I really can’t cook.”

“You silly sunshine,” Nico teased affectionately, wrapping his arms around Will and swaying slightly, “I’ll have to teach you to cook as soon as we get Leo to fix it. I’ll teach you how to cook real food, not this bland muck, then you won’t be living off hospital food all the time. In the meantime, how about we order a takeaway? You can choose and I’ll pay.” Nico pressed a loving kiss to his cheek to let him know that he wasn’t mad at Will for accidentally ruining the cooker.

“Any takeaway?”

“Anything you want. Now go sit down and I’ll do you some tea, you’re probably stressed about the cooker and you need to take care of yourself.”

5. Who Waters Their Plants/ Feeds Their Pets?

“Will,” Nico interrupted, “Are you talking to a houseplant.”

“And singing to it!” Will beamed, and Nico sighed, smiling to himself.

“That’s adorable Will.”

“Thank you! I watered it but I felt bad about forgetting to water it yesterday so I wrote it an apology song. Did you feed the pets?”

“Oh my god, stop being adorable you dork,” Nico huffed, standing on his toes to rest his elbow on Will’s shoulder. Will bent down to allow Nico to do so. “And I did. The cat hissed at me because I gave it the wrong flavour and the dog slobbered all over my face and proceeded to eat the cat’s food. It reminds me of you.”

“I have never slobbered on your face, I just licked it once when I was drunk and happened to drool on your cheek a little! Anyway, you’re only saying this because you know you’re just like the cat.” Nico hissed for effect, and Will giggled, resuming serenading the plants. Nico discreetly pulled his headphones on- Will loved to sing, bless his heart, he just wasn’t very good at it. But Nico never wanted him to stop, because his whole face lit up and it was worth the damage to his ears.

6. Who Wakes Up Earlier

Nico was rudely awoken at the asscrack of dawn by Will’s heavy stomping around the bedroom. Nico groaned in protest, burying himself into the covers. He scooted over to the still warm patch where Will had been sleeping and inhaled the scent of Will on the pillow. “What time is it,” he mumbled incoherently, and Will bounced towards the bed, kneeling down and gently stroking Nico’s hair.

“It’s six am, I just got back from a two hour jog.”

“Oh my gods,” Nico grumbled, pulling the covers over his face, “it’s too early, Will, come back to bed!”

“But I’m already awake!”

“And I didn’t fall asleep until half three, get back into bed so we can cuddle, you’re warm and I’m tired.”

“Sorry, Neeks,” Will said softly, “but I have an early shift at the hospital and I need to be there in an hour, but I’m off work tomorrow, so, we’ll stay up late with a movie and fall asleep together and I’ll stay in bed to cuddle until you wake up, and then I’ll do you breakfast in bed and we can cuddle some more and do whatever you want. We can take a bubble bath together with some candles and massage oils, just spend some time relaxing and pampering each other. Although maybe the candles shouldn’t be on the side of the bath in case the water knocks them down again.”

“Goodnight,” Nico groaned, and Will laughed softly, melodically, pressing a lingering kiss to Nico’s forehead.

“You go back to sleep, call if you need me, okay? I love you.”

“Love you too,” Nico murmured, burying his face into Will’s pillow.

7. Who Makes The Bed

“Nico,” Will murmured, and Nico groaned from underneath his blanket mound.

“What?”

“You stole all the blankets and I’m cold.”

“Here,” Nico mumbled, throwing one of his blankets to Will.

“Nico, there’s popcorn stuck to this,” Will grimaced. Nico whined tiredly. “We haven’t had popcorn since last month.

“Don’t care,” Nico protested tiredly.

“You need to make the bed.”

“You need to make the bed,” Nico retorted.

“I do!” Will protested, sitting up. Nico whined in protest at the shift, sitting up besides Will with a tired groan, his face in his hands.

“When?”

“I changed the sheets just a few days ago!” Will protested

“Not according to the popcorn,” Nico grumbled.

“Have we cleaned anything recently?”

“I ate the cereal out of the box this morning when I couldn’t sleep because we have no clean bowls.”

“I have no idea how to make the bed,” Will confessed, and Nico squinted at him through tired eyes.

“Neither do I.”

“Maybe we should have learned this before moving in together.”

“Mhm,” Nico mumbled in agreement, diving back under the blankets, “I’ll get the ghosts to do it.”

“What ghosts?”

“Never mind.”

“Nico, what ghosts?”

“Goodnight, W ill.”

“Nico, I’m scared.”

“Then cuddle me.”

8. Who Makes The Coffee

Nico threw himself into one of the dining room chairs, his hair sticking up in all manner of directions, tangled and generally looking like a bird’s nest. He groaned loudly, flopping his head onto the table with a thud and another groan. “Morning, sunshine!” Will grinned, and Nico looked up just long enough to hiss in pain as his eyes were assaulted with neon yellow spandex. Nico whined agonisingly in response, realising that the table was suddenly very comfortable indeed, closing his eyes. He heard the sound of Will getting the mugs out of the cupboard and the kettle being put on to boil.

“Coffee?” he asked hopefully, and Will laughed softly.

“I know it won’t wake you up much, but it is chilly and it’ll warm you up.”

“If I have coffee, I might go back to sleep.”

“Usually I’d say yes you should, but you slept a solid ten hours, that’s oversleeping, that’s why you’re so sleepy. So, once you’ve had your coffee and you’re comfortable but you’ve had the time to wake up a little, we’re just gonna have a lazy day and we’re gonna cuddle on the sofa.” Nico mumbled in appreciation, drifting off a little until he heard Will gently place the mug of coffee by him on the table. “Wake up, sleepy head,” Will said softly, running his fingers through Nico’s hair. Nico lifted his head up and pressed his lips to Will’s in a slow, lazy kiss, smiling in appreciation of the coffee.

9. Who Burns Breakfast

Nico woke to the sound of the fire alarm ringing in his ears. He grumbled rolling out of bed and almost falling back asleep on the floor, slowly trudging downstairs to an all-too-familar sight: Will at the stove and smoke everywhere. Nico coughed, opening the windows and wetting a cloth under the sink, holding it over his mouth and nose to avoid the smoke. He wet another and handed it to Will. “What did you do this time?”

“I tried to make toast.”

“Why is there a frying pan on the stove?”

“To make the toast.”

“For Hades’s sake Will, there’s a toaster.”

“I just put the bread in the pan dry and then it stuck and started to burn and I don’t know how but it caught on fire and then the bread turned to ashes and the fire’s just embers.” Nico sighed, picking up the broomstick they used to turn the smoke alarm off, leading Will to the living room.

“I appreciate you trying Will, but I’d very much like to live without you burning the house, so leave breakfast to me until you learn how to cook. Let’s eat dry ramen noodles instead. For future reference, you put the bread in the toaster and push the lever down and when it pops up you wait a few seconds for it to cool, put it on a plate, then spread the butter. Okay?”

10. How Do They Let Each Other Know They’re Leaving The House?

“Nico,” Will called softly, kneeling by the bed, and Nico groaned loudly from beneath the covers. “Nico babe, I’m popping to the shops, I’ll be back in half an hour okay? I’ve left the TV on for you, and I washed your favourite blanket last night, it’s time to wake up now, so why don’t you go downstairs. If you fall asleep on the couch I’ll wake you when I get back okay?” Will kissed the top of his head and Nico mumbled in response, and Will left for work

---

“WILL!”

“WHAT?”

“WILL!”

“WHAT?!”

“WILL!”

“I’M IN THE SHOWER, ASSHOLE!”

“I’M GOING TO MCDONALDS YOU FUCKNUGGET, DO YOU WANT ANYTHING?”

“FRIES, NOW FUCK OFF!”

“YOU FUCK OFF!”

“JUST FUCK OFF AND BRING ME BACK MY FRIES!”

11. How Do They Greet Each Other When One Of Them Gets Home?

“I’m back!” Will called, locking the door behind him and pulling off his coat, catching his breath. Then the smell of dinner hit him, and he’d never been more hungry. He took his shoes off and scrambled to the kitchen, where Nico was just pulling a lasagne out of the oven.

“Go get changed into your pyjamas,” Nico said, “I’ll dish up, just go.” Will smiled softly and quickly kissed Nico’s cheek, making his way upstairs to change into his cotton pyjamas. He put his most comfortable slippers on and made his way back downstairs, where Nico had lit some candles and sprinkled a few rose petals on the table. Will blushed as Nico pulled out his chair for him, placing his plate in front of him. “After a double shift you deserve a nice romantic night. Once you’ve eaten, I’ll run you a bubble bath, with all those essential oils and bath bombs you like so much, then I’ll give you a massage to work all that tension out.”

“Aww, Nico,” Will smiled smittenly, “this is so romantic and sweet of you! But I think I’ll be too tired to give you anything in return…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nico said softly, “you’ve had a long day, I don’t expect anything tonight. I just wanna pamper you and take care of you. We can just cuddle together. Wanna talk about your day? When you called me at lunch I figured you sounded stressed, and I’d like to hear about it.”

“I lost a patient,” Will admitted, slowly eating his lasagne. It tasted amazing, comforting, and Will found himself feeling open and honest. “I know it wasn’t my fault, they had end stage lung cancer, but I cried a little.”

“Hey,” Nico said gently, reaching across the table to take Will’s hand, and Will put his fork down, sobbing into his hand. “Hey, come here,” Nico soothed, standing up and making his way over to Will, gently hugging him, “I know you did everything you could to help, and I know you made their last few minutes comfortable and calming. It’s gonna be okay, Will, just cry it all out.”

---

“WILL I’M BACK!” Nico shouted, and Will skidded to the door, tackling Nico in a flying hug. Nico laughed, backing into the wall for balance. “It’s nice to see you too, Will.”

“A whole day,” Will said against his shoulder, “I missed you. Bed was cold without you. Couldn’t sleep. I tried to watch a horror movie to remind me of you but I just got spooked without you.”

“I’m back now,” Nico smiled, hugging back tightly. Will hummed contentedly, inhaling Nico’s scent and lightly nibbling the flesh of his neck. Nico sighed blissfully, guiding Will’s chin up and gently kissing him. Will pressed Nico closer to the wall, kissing him slowly.

“I missed you,” Will said again.

“And I missed you too,” Nico smiled, playing with the curls at the nape of Will’s neck. Will kissed him again, letting it linger for a little longer until Nico pulled away. “Let me get showered and changed before you get all clingy with me, okay?”

“What? Sorry, I didn’t hear the part after the part where you’re getting naked.”

“Will,” Nico chuckled, “ I was gone a day, do you know how adorable you are when you get all needy?”

“I missed you,” Will protested, hugging Nico again. Nico sighed, smiling softly.

“I love you too but I smell of brimstone and blood, I smell gross, let me get clean and changed into something comfortable and then I’m all yours for the night.”

12. Who Brings Home Little Gifts Like Flowers/ Chocolates More Often?

“What’s this,” Will asked curiously.

“Open it,” Nico said with a small smile. Will looked at him curiously, and opened the small box. It was empty, so Will picked it up, frowning, examining the velvet box.

“Nico, there’s nothing insi…” Will cut himself off the moment he looked to wear Nico had been standing, because he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand. “Oh my gods…”

“I know I don’t get you much, because I don’t exactly have a paid job, and I know you’re always getting me little gifts all the time and bringing me back cool bones you find in your run through the forests, and I love the way you try and always fail to cook for me and you get all pouty and sad because you just want to make me happy, and I wanted to make you see just how happy you make me, Will. I want you to have my mother’s ring, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So William Solace, will you be my husband now and forever? Will you marry me?”

“Oh my gods, Nico,” Will gasped, “yes, of course! Oh my gods… I love you!”

“I love you too,” Nico replied with a smile, placing the ring on Will’s finger, “speaking of you love me, I’m stuck and I can’t get back up off the floor, help me.” Will giggled, carefully helping Nico up off the floor and pulling him into a hug.

“It’s funny,” Will smiled, “because I just went out and brought a ring for you too. I was gonna propose during dinner.”

“Oh my gods,” Nico grinned, laughing softly, and Will pulled the ring from his pocket. “Yes,” Nico smiled, letting Will place it on his finger and leaning up to give him a slow, loving kiss. Both men were crying a little but hey, who wouldn’t?

13. Who Picks The Movie For Movie Night?

“What are we watching?” Will asked, settling with his feet up and a bowl of popcorn on his stomach. Nico held up two DVDs and Will shook his head. Nico sighed, digging through the box and holding up two more. Will made a noise of consideration before shaking his head again. The process repeated until Will had picked a pile of ten movies. Nico sorted through them, picking out three of them.

“I like these,” Nico said, and Will cocked his head to the side in consideration.

“Eh… I’m not sure…”

“Will,” Nico groaned, “it’s been twenty minutes and you’ve already ate half of the popcorn to yourself!”

“Wait, this was meant to share?”

“Yeah,” Nico huffed, sorting through the pile of movies and holding one up. “This?”

“Perfect,” Will smiled, and Nico set up the DVD, before finally joining Will on the sofa and curling into his side. He smiled sweetly, kissing Will, who let go of the popcorn to hold Nico comfortably. With a small snicker, Nico stole the bowl of popcorn and sat on the floor, hunched over it like a gremlin and shovelling it into his mouth. “Hey!” Will protested, and Nico almost choked laughing. Will dove onto the carpet, attempting to grab the bowl back off Nico, who threw a piece at Will’s head. Instead of watching the film, the great popcorn war of 2019 ensued.

14. Their Favourite Kind Of Movie To Watch

Will screamed, grabbing Nico’s arm and pressing himself loser to Nico, almost crushing him. “Will,” Nico protested, wrestling him slightly to get them comfortable and readjust the blanket, “that was the funny part!”

“Nico, his guts are all over the floor!”

“I know,” Nico chuckled, “the circular saw just cut right through him! Gutted like a fish! Did you see the blood spray all over the nurse’s face?”

“You’re twisted!” Will replied, settling back into his side and stress eating chocolate, “why do I agree to watch these again?”

“Because you like the cuddles,” Nico replied, “and the kisses afterwards when you’re hopped up on adrenaline-” Nico burst out laughing as Will heard a scream and chopping noises.

“Oh my gods,” Will cringed, “I know I like horror and gore, but I’m not even sure this is legal!”

“It’s not,” Nico replied, “only in Russia.”

“Nico, I’m scarred for life.”

“I won’t let anyone murder you like that, Will,” Nico reassured, “that’s my job.”

“I’m scared,” Will whined, “turn it off.” Nico sighed, turning it off and turning to Will, cupping his face in his hands.

“I am so, so sorry,” Nico began gently, “I didn’t realise it would distress you so much otherwise I would not have put it on for you. Are you okay?”

“I need a hug,” Will whimpered, and Nico immediately wrapped him in his arms.

“No more illegal films, I promise. Only regular horror, because you like watching that more than I do.”

“Yeah,” Will agreed, and Nico rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“We’ll sleep with the lights on,” Nico soothed, kissing the top of Will’s head. “Hey, you’re shaking.”

“I’ll be okay,” Will replied, “just keep holding me and I’ll be okay. You make me feel safe, Nico.”

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere,” Nico reassured, rocking them slightly, “I’m right here. I’ve got you. Next time we watch Dracula, you love that.”

“Yeah, it’s my favourite,” Will replied, burying his face in Nico’s chest.

15. Who First Suggests A Pillow Fort?

,”Will,” Nico began as Will piled yet another freshly washed and dried blanket into Nico’s arms, “can we built a nest with these?”

“A nest?” Will questioned, the corner of his mouth jumping up.

“Like a blanket fort, but a permanent one, with loads of cushions. Most of these blankets are old and we have new ones, and it would be really romantic to sit in there. We can decorate it with fairy lights and we can watch Netflix in there or make out! Please?”

“Nico, I am an overgrown child, I am never gonna turn down the opportunity to make a blanket fort! Never! I could be fifty and I will still want a blanket fort!” Nico giggled, and Will grinned mischievously. “I got a load of unused cushions in the closet we can use for the floor, and I have lots of soft pillows too.”

“Have I told you how much I love you lately? Because I really love you.”

“I love you too, little boo,” Will replied, and Nico blushed at the nickname and smiled.

16. Who Builds The Pillow Fort?

Needs to be higher,” Nico said, and Will secured the bungee cord to the hook on the wall. “That’s about right,” he said, and Will looked at the frame and nodded.

“Now for the floor,” Will said, and he and Nico began to lay out pillows, piling them up until they had a soft floor, laying a blanket over it. Nico sat in the middle, looking up at the frame, and Will checked the feel of the frame to make sure it wouldn’t collapse. It could handle enough pressure, so Will started with the blanket walls that were against the wall, tying the ends to the chord and making sure the bottom was tucked in under the floor, sewing to the frame once he was satisfied with the positioning.

Nico looked at the pile of blankets still left, and Will stepped back to analyse the frame. They’d used bungee chords and thick strips of cut up denim to make a frame sturdy enough for a permanent blanket fort. Will carefully placed the first blanket underneath, tying and sewing it to the frame so it draped from the centre outwards, but not too low. Nico looked up, poking it and tugging it lightly, and Will set out on putting the third side on. He carefully tied and sewed it like before, and Nico was almost inclined to go to sleep, quite enjoying his minimal contributions despite it being his idea.

Next came the front of the fort, which was more tricky and Nico had to help position them so that they could be tied back like curtains and pulled shut. Nico had to hold everything in place whilst Will secured it, and then there was only the top blanket to go. Will had even gone to the length of installing a hook to the ceiling, to suspend the top blanket from and make it into a point at the top. Once it was secured to the bungee chord, it didn’t take long for Will to sew it to the frame. He stepped back to the door to admire his handiwork- it was right in the corner next to the window, the third blanket wall facing into the room and the entrance facing the sofa barely a foot away- it seemed nice and private. Nico was already hooking up all the fairy lights and arranging the cushions by the time Will crawled in- and it was a lot bigger than he thought.

“This is so cosy,” Nico commented, leaning against the wall with popcorn, his laptop on the pillow floor. It was really soft to sit.

“It’s so private in here, so intimate,” Will commented, and Nico smiled, putting the popcorn and laptop aside in favour of kissing Will.

“I can’t believe we’re grown adults and we made a pillow fort,” Nico commented between kisses, laying down and pulling Will to lay beside him.

“Worth it though,” Will replied with a smile, cuddling into Nico, “our own little escape, a private corner for us to hide and relax and have fun.” Nico giggled softly, melting into the lazy cuddles and kisses Will was eager to offer.

17. Who Tries To Distract The Other During A Movie.

“Nico, stop that,” Will said absently, picking up another handful of popcorn, eyes transfixed to the screen. Nico doubled his attention seeking efforts by prodding Will in the ribs. “Nico, I’m watching this.” Nico snickered, poking him in the ribs again, but Will simply ignored him, so Nico upped his game and started tickling Will.

Will shrieked, pushing Nico’s freezing hands away, and Nico laughed, moving his hands up Will’s shirt to tickle his bare skin. Will whined in protest and squirmed, unable to stop the stream of laughter that followed. He playfully wrestled Nico, putting him in a headlock, and Nico tried to twist, his foot somehow ending up by Will’s ear. They ended up in fits of giggles, just collapsing onto each other with uncontrollable laughter. They shared soft kisses and light touches, still tickling each other and laughing between kisses, enjoying the feeling of being young again, being childish again, because after a long week of serious adulting, it felt good to unwind.

---

It started out with Will lightly tracing his finger on the back of Nico’s hand, which tickled, but didn’t stop Nico from concentrating on the movie. Then Will’s fingers started to trace patterns up and down his arm, enough to give him goose bumps and shiver a few times, but Nico had decided this was now a game of chicken and he was not gonna back down. As a result of Nico ignoring Will, Will only tried harder to distract Nico, and by the time Will was kneading his thigh and nibbling his earlobe, Nico was finding it difficult to hold back a soft moan. Will giggled, reaching over to turn the film off, giggling triumphantly when Nico wrapped his arms around Will, sighing happily as Will kissed down his neck. “What about the film, Will,” Nico protested, although he didn’t care about the film anymore, not when Will took his bottom lip between his teeth, tugging on it. Nico whined, whimpering when Will swiped his tongue across Nico’s lips. “I can’t believe you distracted me so easily, Will,” Nico huffed, and Will giggled against his lips. Nico figured they could watch the film another day- Will was in a good mood and Nico fully intended to make the most of it. After all, time spent with a busy husband who spent so long was work was precious, and intimate moments full of love and passion of any kind were always going to be so much better than any horror film anyway. Especially after Will had completed a week of double shifts and night shifts and Nico had been busy in the underworld when Will was home. Nico figured they had to make up for lost time, and he certainly didn’t mind missing the film in favour of a little fun.

18. Who Falls Asleep First

Nico was, through lack of a better word, one heck of a sleepy boy. He stayed up late, often had nightmares and interrupted sleep, so most evenings they didn’t even make it to the bedroom before Nico would get so comfortable he ended up drifting off to sleep. Even at mealtimes Nico had been known to yawn and rest his head on the table, and start snoring gently, with his cheek pressed into the table, barely on the chair. Nico fell asleep almost every time they settled in front of the TV for the evening, with the fireplace heating the room gently and fluffy socks, in one of Will’s hoodies that was more like a tent for Nico and comfortable cotton pyjamas, Nico would always fall asleep pressed into Will’s side and gathered up in his arms, and Will would gently braid Nico’s hair for him.

But today was different. After being left to his own devices to wake himself up in the morning when Will had been called into work early because of a road traffic collision, Nico had decided it a good idea to sleep in until five pm. So by midnight, Will was getting sleepy, and Nico wasn’t even twelve hours into his day. Will was very clearly fighting his sleepiness, but he kept nodding off and squinting and blinking at the TV, yawning every few seconds, until finally, he was lulled into a peaceful slumber, laying over Nico like a lizard on a rock, crushing him. Nico didn’t mind too much, gently braiding Will’s hair. He was rather cute like this, Nico thought.

19. Who Is Big Spoon/ Little Spoon

“I’m cold,” Nico whined, pressing closer to Will’s side. Will laughed lightly, rubbing his hand up and down Nico’s arm.

“Then maybe you should put your pants on,” Will suggested.

“Maybe I don’t wanna put my pants on,” Nico protested, leaning over Will and over the side of the bed, retrieving Will’s hoodie up off the floor and pulling it over his head. Will laughed softly as Nico nestled back under the covers. Nico rested his head on Will’s chest, resting his hand over his belly and pushing his leg in between Will’s thighs. Will wrapped his arm around Nico, resting it on his waist, kissing the top of his head and holding him close. Nico hummed contentedly, staying in that position for a while, until he realised it wasn’t very comfortable and rolled over. Will immediately curled around him, pulling him closer until their backs were pressed together. He buried his face between Nico’s shoulder blades, and Nico intertwined his fingers with Will’s.

“Goodnight, Nico,” Will said softly, and Nico whined tiredly in response. Will pressed a gentle kiss into his shoulder, and Nico lifted his head up. Will laid his arm across Nico’s pillow, and Nico rested his head on Will’s arm, adjusting slightly to press more tightly into the heat of Will’s bare chest.

“You’re really warm,” Nico mumbled, and Will squeezed Nico’s hand.

“I love you, Nico.”

“I love you too, Will.”

---

Waking up with sunrise was never pleasant for Will- he always energised quickly, barely able to get back to sleep. He shifted slightly, realising he was right by the edge of the bed and trapped in place. Nico’s leg was wrapped around his waist, Nico’s foot pressing into the front of Will’s thigh. Nico’s arm was slung over his shoulder lazily, and Nico’s face was buried into the nape of his neck, his soft breaths tickling him slightly, holding him protectively. It seemed the human backpack would not be letting Will out of bed, but Will didn’t mind. He pulled Nico’s arm under his own arm, tangling their fingers together like they always did. It wasn’t very often that they were able to cuddle in the night. In fact, there was a second bed in the room, because Nico was prone to night terrors from PTSD, and sometimes he thrashed around a lot in his sleep, so cuddling like this was a luxury Will intended to make the most of. He was glad Nico seemed to have a restful sleep, so he let himself relax, remembering all the sweet nothings and giggles and surprises of the night before. He craned his neck, content to see Nico still wearing his hoodie. Will reached down to the floor to pull his phone from his jeans pocket- he had an email from the hospital, but it was only a reminder of the new junior doctors who would be coming in. Will was a registrar, training to be a consultant. Nico shifted slightly, his heel jamming into a rather painful place. Will hissed and groaned in pain, removing Nico’s foot from around him and cradling the damaged goods, but Nico just threw his leg back over Will’s waist, this time jamming his foot right into Will’s bladder.

“Nico,” Will called, and Nico whined in protest at being woken up. “Nico, I have to pee, can you let go?”

“Five more minutes,” Nico protested, pulling him closer and nestling into his back.

“Your foot is on my bladder.” Nico whined, reluctantly detangling himself from Will, pulling him to face him so he could kiss him good morning.

“Leave the bathroom light on and make me a coffee,” Nico mumbled, and Will smiled softly, looking for his boxers on the floor.

“Of course,” Will replied, before looking at how tiny and adorable and warm Nico looked in Will’s grey hoodie. “Oh, and you can keep my hoodie. You look adorable,” he said, smiling to himself as Nico blushed.

#heroes of olympus #nico di angelo x will solace #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #nico di angelo #pjo #pjoverse #solangelo #trials of apollo #will solace #nico x will #nicohasahappymeal #solangelo fanfic #pjo fic #will solace x nico di angelo #will × nico #solangelo fluff #ask

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confused-tofu · 5 years

Text

Le Cirque des Rêves - Chapter 9

My fifth day at the circus, I wake in late afternoon. I barely slept after meeting the dreamer in the garden tent last night. Sighing deeply, I slide out of my bed and prepare to wash and dress.

When I enter the break room, as I usually do before the circus opens, the air feels different, like everyone is preparing for something. Everyone is mobile, pacing or shifting things on desks. Nico gives me a small wave and a large grin when I enter. Byron nods at me and Albert glares. I suppose that’s about the extent of their friendliness. Louis sits at the table, Sid chattering at him from where he leans against the tent wall, his arms crossed before him. Sid gives me a smirk, and Louis grits his teeth, eyes closed, looking for all the world as though he wished to be elsewhere.

Leo and Alyn stand towards the back of the tent, talking to each other heatedly but in hushed voices. I hear Alyn hiss “Don’t do it!” before he sees me and his scowl deepens. He stalks past me out of the tent.

“Don’t worry about him.” Leo rubs his face with his hands. I watch the tent flap flutter, waving as though in surrender.

“You best get ready, sweetness,” Sid says as he approaches me, throwing an arm around my shoulders. I wriggle a little.

Louis sighs. “Must you touch everything pure in the world?” he chides. Sid only grins.

“Well, yeah, it’s my job to make all those things impure,” he snickers.

“Is everything ready to go? We have four minutes until sundown.” Giles ducks into the tent, calling out to us. “Leo, do you need anything? Food, water? Where on earth is Alyn? Oh, never mind, he knows not to be outside tonight.”

I catch his sleeve as he moves, giving it a slight tug. “Um… ready for for what?” He holds my gaze for a moment, and then blinks.

“Yes, of course. We’re preparing to move the circus tonight. You mustn’t leave this tent until we’ve stopped, all right?” I nod, and he turns away. “Whenever you’re ready, Leo.”

Leo nods from his perch on a sofa. He closes his eyes, his fists tight on his knees, and he looks as though he is straining very hard. Beads of sweat form on his forehead and his breathing grows ragged.

A curious floating sensation overcomes me. It feels like the whole tent - no, the whole circus - is flying. I stare at the unmoving ground under my feet, trying to justify what I feel with what I see.

Suddenly, Leo exhales sharply, his whole body relaxing. Nico hops up from his perch and takes my elbow, leading me to the tent entrance.

“You can look now, Katja! Just don’t go outside,” he says, holding the flap for me.

Trees rush by in blurs of green. The night sky behind them is a canvas of stars. We aren’t flying, I realize - the tents have lined up and become a train. Some distance ahead of us, the train’s whistle blows. I find I am gaping.

Nico laughs, pulling me back inside. “Have you been on a train before?”

“Once, when I was very small. I don’t remember it well.” I look at Leo. He isn’t as strained as he was before, but he still looks as though he is exerting some effort. “Will he be all right?”

Nico follows my gaze. “Oh, he’ll be fine. This is his job, moving the circus. He picks our destinations and everything. Well, he’s also circus manager, but it doesn’t need much managing while it’s on the move, does it?” He sits back on the sofa, some distance away from Byron’s left, and I sit across from him.

“How did you join the circus, Nico?” I ask on a whim. He opens his mouth to reply when he is cut off.

“That’s an odd way to phrase that question.” Byron is watching me, too.

“Oh… is it?” I say, my brows knit slightly.

Byron only narrows his eye. “It’s nothing.”

“We joined cause Byron did. Me and Al, I mean,” Nico says with a big grin. “We can’t do magic without being near him, so we have to stick together. Well, Al can sort of do some magic without Byron, but I’m really bad at it.” I perk up.

“So you two are like me? You have to siphon your magic?” He nods brightly. Albert clears his throat.

“What tents have you found to your liking, Miss Katja?” Albert asks. Nico looks at me, excitement in his eyes.

“Yeah, what’s your favorite tent, Katja? There’s this one tent that Louis made that’s a whole forest made of ice! I tried to lick a tree to see if my tongue stuck to it but it didn’t. Isn’t that amazing?” Albert gives him a look. “Oh, but what’s your favorite?”

Smiling, I am about to answer when I falter. My favorite tent… Somehow only one out of the dozens I have visited comes to mind.

“The tent with the garden,” I say. I look at them both and continue. “The flower garden, with all the critters made of flowers. Do you… know who made it?”

Nico stares blankly at me. Albert adjusts his spectacles and pulls a small notebook from his jacket pocket, flipping through it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that tent,” Nico says. Albert closes his book with a snap and looks at me.

“I don’t have a record of that tent. Are you sure you weren’t dreaming, Miss Katja?”

I blink. “A dreamer… Yes, I… must have been dreaming…”

Some hours later, Byron sits beside me, well away from the others. “Why did you ask that?” he asks, his eye searching.

“What do you mean?” He squints.

“Wouldn’t one normally ask ‘why did you join the circus?’”

“Oh, I suppose that’s true.” He holds my gaze, silently asking for an answer. “I guess I don’t really care about the reason why. I mean, not that I don’t care, but… well…”

“What we are running from doesn’t matter to you as much as what brings us together.” I look at him, surprised. He doesn’t move, understanding in his eye.

“Yes.”

The corners of his mouth twitch upwards. His smile is fleeting, but it’s there.

“That’s a very profound thought, Miss Katja,” he says as he rises and gives me a gentle bow. I return his smile and bow my head, and he turns away with a swish of his cape.

#hahahahahahahahahahahaha #it's been 5ever #:')#le cirque des reves #tofu writes #hnnngggn

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gatesofember · 6 years

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Summer Grass

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 8

Rating: M | Pairing: Solangelo

Prev | Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: Reyna has business in the City of Enlightenment and Prince Nico tags along to visit Will. Since confessing their feelings, Nico and his fiancé have grown even closer...and Nico has even more trouble keeping it in his pants.

They had stopped at the Sun Palace once more along the journey from Neptune to Pluto, but only for a day. Some nights they stayed at inns along the road and other nights they stayed as guests in noble estates, but sometimes, they only stopped to exchange horses before continuing to travel throughout the night. Nico and Will had fallen asleep against each other in the carriage on more than one occasion, and although Reyna’s expression made it clear that she did not approve, she did not stop them. They separated after reaching Divitia, when Will went to continue his studies in Venadica and Nico remained at the Palatium de Divitae. Nico bid him farewell with a few kisses and the promise to write, reminding him that it wouldn’t be long before he accompanied Reyna to the City of Enlightenment when she renewed her Sororal vows.

Will had started to be a bit more bold. He was always well within the boundaries of appropriate behavior, of course, but Nico’s confession in Neptune had given Will confidence. Nico appeared to like Will’s boldness, too. Whenever Will initiated some form of touch—even just to rest his hand on top of Nico’s—Nico rewarded him with at least a smile, but sometimes a kiss if he was especially pleased. Will was slowly starting to feel more comfortable with being affectionate towards Nico. Although he’d never attempted to hide his admiration, he’d always been careful to keep his behavior polite and gentlemanly; he hadn’t wanted to upset Nico’s chaperones or to make Nico uncomfortable by being too open with his feelings. After spending so much time alone with Nico while traveling, it became more natural for Will to casually touch him. He stopped questioning whether his feelings were welcome and started to trust Nico’s love for him instead.

When Nico arrived in Venadica that summer, the sky was still bright but the sun was descending. Will greeted him at the carriage door and was nearly knocked off his feet when the Prince’s huge bloodhound jumped out first. He sniffed Will’s stockings happily while waiting for his master.

“Will!” Nico said, nearly pushing Reyna out of the way to see him.

“I’m happy to see you, Your Highness,” Will said. He offered his hand to help Nico step down from the carriage and wasn’t surprised when Nico didn’t release it. However, he was surprised when Nico immediately kissed him there in the middle of the city without regard for the Sororal officials who had come to greet him. Reyna sighed in resignation as she stepped from the carriage, but Hedge looked like he might have a seizure. When Will turned back towards his aunt and the others waiting for Nico and Reyna, he noticed that Thalia seemed amused and Hestia had raised an eyebrow. He could already imagine Artemis teasing him about it later: “It seems there were a few developments in your engagement you neglected to mention to me,” she would say. “I must have done well to arrange your marriage.”

When they entered the palace, Nico and Will trailed a few steps behind Reyna and Artemis and her attendants. Normally, it would have been expected for Nico to walk beside Artemis, but because he was merely accompanying Reyna rather than acting as an official guest, it wasn’t very rude for Nico to ignore the Matestra in favor of his fiancé.

“I really am happy to see you,” Nico said. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I have missed you,” Will answered. “I’m glad you decided to visit. This time, I have a clear schedule. I’m staying at the palace, as well.”

“Not in your own rooms?” Nico asked.

Will shook his head happily. “My aunt offered me a place to stay for the week,” he explained. Like his first visit to Venadica, Nico would stay at the Sororal Palace for the duration of his stay. The palace had been full of guests during the Expo, but now had plenty of vacant rooms available for Will, too. He was grateful; the time it would have taken to travel from the consor dormitories to the palace every day would have left less time for Will to spend with his fiancé. “There are so many places I want to take you,” he said. “Last time, the city was so crowded that I couldn’t show you what it’s like normally. My friends and I used to have secret meeting spots when we were children—there’s a little nook at the bottom of the Cronius Turris in the square, then there’s the tunnel system in the palace. And we found plenty of places to hide in the children’s ward.”

“I’d love that,” Nico said. “Will you show me where you live?”

“No, I hadn’t planned to,” Will said. “It’s only a small room with a bed and a trunk.”

“I would still like to see.”

Will cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Your Highness, the way I live as a consor in Venadica is very different from the way I live as the son of a duke in Diana.”

“I know,” Nico said shortly. “This isn’t the first time that you have refused to show me this sort of thing. Last time I was here, you were hesitant to show me your lab and you didn’t want me to attend your lecture—”

“You know that’s not true at all,” Will interrupted. They’d had the same argument on more than one occasion. As patient as he tried to be, he was growing wearing of discussing that incident. Either Will and Nico had very different memories of what had happened, or Nico only kept arguing because he liked to argue—which seemed plausible, knowing Nico. “Of course I wanted you to attend the lecture,” Will said. “The problem was that I didn’t know you were interested.”

“Well, I am interested in seeing where you live. So why won’t you show me? Surely you’re not ashamed.”

“No, of course I’m not ashamed, I just...Your Highness, my living quarters are very small and uninteresting and I admit that I don’t take much pride in it—”

“I’m not expecting dormitories to be glamorous—”

“—but it’s not the size or plainness that is the issue. You must understand, I live quite independently here in Venadica. I dress myself, I sometimes cook for myself, and I clean after myself. But my living quarters are not a high priority and I often neglect them—”

“Ah. So it’s a mess,” Nico surmised.

Will sighed. “I may be unintentionally fostering a few colonies of bacteria, in fact. Out of respect for your safety, I cannot take you there.”

Nico snorted and laughed, loudly and unattractively. Will knew that Nico hated his own laugh, but Will loved it. It served as a reminder of just how human Nico was—imperfect and flawed, just like Will.

It wasn’t long after Nico’s arrival their meal was held. The dining hall was crowded, noisy, and full of life, just as it was every time Will went to the Sororal Palace for supper. While Artemis was also fond of small, private meals, she usually took her suppers in large gatherings. Will liked the variety, as well; sometimes, he preferred to have his aunt to himself when he visited, but Will always enjoyed himself at full sororal suppers. That evening, however, Will wished he could have eaten alone with Nico. He couldn’t have paid attention to the conversation around him even if he had wanted to.

“I love you,” Will said, quietly enough so that no one would overhear.

“I love you, too,” Nico answered.

Will didn’t even realize he and Nico had been leaning closer to each other until Reyna made a subtle gesture to get their attention and silently shook her head to indicate her disapproval. She didn’t stop glaring until they reluctantly scooted their chairs a bit farther apart. For the rest of the meal, Reyna kept a close watch on them, but Nico and Will kept their ankles secretly locked together beneath the table until supper was over.

“I have a meeting to attend until late in the evening,” Reyna told them after they left the table. “You may either—”

“I’m staying with Will,” Nico announced, his fingers clutching Will’s arm as if to demonstrate that he would not tolerate being separated. “He is going to take me through the city for the rest of the afternoon.”

Will had no memory of discussing that, but he wasn’t opposed.

“I am not able to follow you around the city,” Reyna said. “Unless you would rather have Hedge chaperone, I suggest you both stay with me.”

Nico scowled and Will flinched. To his credit, Hedge wasn’t nearly as overprotective as he had once been, but he still had a short temper and was quick to snap at Will. He was far from the ideal chaperone. In fact, Reyna had banned Hedge from chaperoning duties unless absolutely unavoidable. But as bad as having Hedge as a chaperone sounded, attending Reyna’s meeting did not sound much more pleasant.

To Will’s surprise, Hestia stepped forward. “I will chaperone them, if you and Her Divinity allow it.”

“I can handle the rest of the day without my aide,” Artemis said.

Reyna looked Hestia over thoughtfully before nodding. “But I must warn you that His Highness will take any opportunity to cause trouble. Do not allow them to leave your sight. Physical contact is to be kept to a minimum. If kisses are unavoidable, they must be chaste.”

Nico looked pleased with the arrangement, but Hestia looked concerned, like she was wondering exactly what she’s just volunteered for.

Will took Nico to the children’s ward first and they spoke to Emmie and Jo, but as it was already getting late in the day, they didn’t stay long. As they left, Will found Cal and Leo putting the youngest to bed and stopped to give them a quick greeting before letting them get back to the children. Before Will became engaged to Nico and before Cal and Leo started courting, Will and his friends had planned to run the children’s ward together when Emmie and Jo grew old. Will wondered if the two of them still shared that dream. He could imagine them chasing after the children together—Cal would teach the children to sing and Leo would entertain them with his inventions. Would they marry and have children of their own? Would they grow old together in Venadica?

Not for the first time, Will realized just how much he was giving up to marry Nico. He would leave his friends and family and would never live in Venadica or Diana again. He might visit, but the rest of his life he would live in Divitia. He would suffer through Plutonian winters every year. He wouldn’t be there to watch his sister Kayla grow into a brilliant and beautiful young lady.

But he would have Nico. He would find a second family and more people to call his friends. In time, he would learn to call Divitia home.

Before he finally managed to escort Nico back outside, Will was stopped several more times by children coming to see him. “I’m sorry for the delays,” Will apologized as they left the ward with Asterion and Hestia following behind them.

“It seems that children are fond of you,” Nico observed casually. “You will make a good father.”

Will blinked a few times as he stared at Nico, unsure how to react. Nico didn’t seem to think he’d said anything odd, but there was no doubt that Will had heard correctly. Even though Nico wasn’t a student of medicine, surely he must have understood how procreation occurred?

“But...Your Highness, we won’t have any children,” he said.

“Why, that’s absurd,” Nico said humorlessly. “Then who will help me raise Asterion?”

Will looked from Nico to his aging dog, then back to Nico, who was still wearing a serious, earnest expression. Finally, the corner of Nico’s mouth quirked up and Will tilted his head back and laughed.

“He is a good son, as you’ll soon discover,” Nico went on, patting Asterion’s head.

“Gods above, I love you,” Will said.

Nico frowned. “That’s not fair,” he said.

“And why not?” Will asked.

“You can’t say that and expect me to not kiss you.”

Will laughed again. “A kiss would be quite welcome, Your Highness,” he said.

So he gave one. But a single kiss was not enough for Nico.

By the time Hestia forced them to separate, it was starting to get dark, so Will took Nico to the Venadican Library to enjoy the rest of their evening in the quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Nico, however, seemed to be after a bit more than peace and quiet.

While he was reading, Will saw Nico moving out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t think much of it until he felt Nico’s fingers trace over his knuckles. “Yes, Your Highness?” Will asked, glancing up from his book.

“You look beautiful,” Nico said.

Will hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh,” he said when he finally managed to find his voice. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“I want to ask my sister to paint you,” Nico added.

Will was flattered but confused by the sudden attention, and he couldn’t help wrinkling his nose in distaste at the idea of being painted.

“No?” Nico asked. Will thought he might have looked a bit disappointed. He could still have trouble reading Nico; his expressions were sometimes too subtle to make sense of.

“I don’t like sitting for portraits,” Will explained. He couldn’t stay still without anything to do long enough to pose and people always shouted at him for it.

“I’d like a portrait of you reading,” Nico said. “You may sit and keep yourself entertained with a book. You look pretty when you read.”

Will’s mouth felt dry. He tried to think of something to say, but all that came to mind was, “Thank you.”

“I always think you’re pretty,” Nico said. He put his knee on the seat beside Will and his forearm by Will’s shoulder on the back of his armchair. “Everytime I look at you, I want to kiss you.”

Will swallowed and his book fell forgotten on his lap. When Nico’s fingers grazed his jaw, Will closed his eyes and tilted his chin up. He felt Nico’s hot breath against his lips, then—

Across the room, Hestia cleared her throat. “Your Highness?” she said.

Will quickly pulled away while Nico turned to glare at their chaperone, but obediently moved to sit in the chair beside Will’s. He made it very clear that he wasn’t pleased, however; he slumped into his seat, crossed his arms, and grumbled to himself incoherently. Will bit his lip to suppress a grin. Nico could sometimes act like a spoiled child, but Will didn’t mind. He even found it endearing. Nico was rebellious but good-hearted, which made his defiance entertaining rather than annoying. When Will gently put his hand on Nico’s elbow to soothe him, Nico relaxed so immediately that Will felt warm with joy. Although his moods were sometimes amusing, it made Will happy to know that he was able to calm his fiancé.

Hestia must have also found it entertaining, because she politely stifled a giggle behind her hand.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Nico demanded.

“I am trying my very hardest not to,” Hestia assured.

Hestia and Nico exchanged a glance that gave off an air of familiarity, and Will tilted his head curiously. How could Hestia address Nico so casually? Even Will, Nico’s fiancé, used formal language when speaking to him. Although Nico had once mentioned that he and Hestia would occasionally chat, Will suspected there was far more to their relationship than Nico had let on. “If you don’t mind me prying, how long have you known each other?” Will dared to ask. “How did you meet?”

Nico and Hestia glanced at each other again before Nico said, “Almost ten years, I think. She was a kitchen maid in the estate where I lived during the outbreak of the Scarlet Delirium.”

“I see,” Will said, but the answer only gave him more questions. How did a kitchen maid become an aide to the Matestra and a friend of a prince? Nico was always vague when the topic of his stay on the countryside was brought up, so Will was careful not to ask more questions than Nico was willing to answer. He did wonder, however.

“One day, I will tell you the story,” Nico said, then he gestured to Will’s book. “What are you reading?”

Will decided not to comment on Nico’s quick change of topic, but he noted to himself that he would have to ask Nico about his relationship with Hestia again later if he was willing to discuss it. “It’s a collection of essays on theories of poverty,” Will answered. “At the moment I’m reading ‘Concerning the Origins of Human Inequality’ by Penia.”

“I’ve read it,” Nico said with a nod. “It contains some good points, but wasn’t very well-written.”

“Better than Euthenia, in my opinion,” Will said. “At least Penia’s direct. Euthenia somehow manages to fill entire pages without saying anything.”

“Oh, I hate reading Euthenia,” Nico agreed. “You mustn’t tell Reyna, but I never finished ‘A Treatise on Economic Disparity.’”

Will laughed humorlessly. “Truthfully, I think very few people other than Lady Reyna have finished it. I did, but it took a month to get through it. Personally, I prefer the works of Ma’at to either Penia or Euthenia.”

“Ma’at?” Nico asked, the syllables sounding awkward on his tongue. “I’m not familiar with name.”

“She is an Aegyptian theorist,” Will explained. “I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture she gave at the Expo last summer.”

“Ah,” said Nico. “I forgot that you spoke Aegyptian.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Many of the most brilliant scholars in the world come from Aegyptia. I have access to translated works, but sometimes ideas are lost in translation. Master Asclepius is fluent in Aegyptian and encouraged me to learn the language. Which reminds me: the Venadican choir and orchestra are preparing to perform an Aegyptian opera. Opera is only just starting to become popular in Aegyptia and the blend of traditional Aegyptian music with Romanus opera style is fascinating. Many musicians in the orchestra have even learned Aegyptian instruments just to perform it. The parts I have heard are brilliant.”

“Then you haven’t seen the opera in its entirety?” Nico asked.

“No; the show doesn’t begin until after you leave,” Will said. “But if you’d like, I can arrange for us to watch a rehearsal. It won’t be a polished performance, but it would still be nice. We would have the theater to ourselves.”

“I would love to,” Nico said. “What is the story about?”

“It is the story of the king of their gods, Ra. I can find a collection of Aegyptian stories for you, if you would like. There’s an excellent translation of poems you might enjoy.”

When Nico answered that yes, he would like that, Will offered Nico his arm and led him through the aisles, Hestia walking quietly behind them as she read her own book. Asterion remained behind dozing until they got far enough away for him to feel obligated to get up and follow his master. Nico occupied himself by examining the titles on the spines while Will searched.

“I thought the Palatium de Divitae had a good library, but I was mistaken,” Nico mused. “You must love this place.”

“I can spend entire days here,” Will answered. “I may have even fallen asleep here once or twice.”

Nico laughed softly. “Some of these books look like they’ve been here for centuries,” he went on. “They must have been here even before the Scatinavian invasions.” Will heard the slide of Nico taking a book from the shelves looked over in time to see him blush and frantically shove it away again.

“Is that Sappho?” Will asked, glancing at the print on the cover.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“I like Sappho. Her work is so interesting, don’t you think?”

Nico stopped trying to shove the book away and looked at Will curiously. “Interesting?” he asked.

“Of course,” Will said. “She was banished from the sorority for writing love poetry and breaking her vows. Don’t you think that’s at least somewhat interesting? Even today, her life and her poetry are surrounded by debate.”

“Oh,” Nico said slowly. “So you don’t think it’s...well, scandalous?”

“Certainly it’s scandalous, but her poetry is still rich in artistic and literary value. She’s frank and her depictions are so vivid that her work is still banned in some areas, but it was her poetry that brought to public attention that sometimes, sorors fall in love, and when they do, it’s passionate and painful.” For a long time, Will had suspected that there was more to Emmie and Jo’s relationship than solely friendship. There was a subtle dynamic between them that he, Cal, and Leo had picked up on over time, but the three of them had agreed to protect Emmie and Jo’s secret. Will suspected that his aunt was deliberately turning a blind eye to it, but she wouldn’t be able to continue to do so if someone reported it to her directly. The Soror’s Oath was sacred; breaking it was a serious offence. Will wasn’t certain exactly what would happen to Emmie and Jo if there relationship was discovered. They would be expelled from the Sorority, but he wasn’t naive enough to hope that would be the end of it. Although the Sorority rarely condoned the death penalty—there had only been one formal death sentence in the Romanus Terris during Will’s lifetime—that was little comfort to Will. The kind of public ridicule and ostracism that would come from being excommunicated did not seem to be much kinder than a death sentence. Will didn’t want to see what happened to Sappho happen to Emmie and Jo.

“I’m surprised you have read Sappho,” Will said, trying to forget about how much danger Emmie and Jo could be in. “I was under the impression that her work is still banned in many places in Pluto.”

“The only time Sappho was ever mentioned in my lessons was when my tutor expressly forbade me to read her work,” Nico said as he leafed through the pages. “Naturally, when I stumbled upon a collection of Sappho’s poetry a few years later, I read it anyway. And I was horrified by it.”

Will laughed quietly. It was very like Nico to be both intrigued and scandalized by the work of Sappho. Nico’s opinion could be difficult to predict and often depended on how rebellious he was feeling that day.

“And are you still horrified?” Will asked.

“Maybe. But look at this.” Nico stepped closer so that Will could see the page he was looking at before he started to recite it outloud.

“Your lovely laughter, which, as it wafts by, sets the heart in my rib cage fluttering; if I glance at you even a moment, I can’t say a thing,

and my tongue stiffens into silence, thin flames underneath my skin prickle and spark, a rush of blood booms in my ears, and then my eyes go dark,

and sweat pours coldly over me, and all my body trembles, suddenly paler than summer grass am I, and I appear to have nearly died.

“How can I hate poetry that is so beautiful?” Nico asked. “Yes, it’s horrifying, but exhilarating. And it’s less shocking to me now that I’m in love.”

Will had expected the sentence to end with “now that I’m older,” so it took him a moment to process what Nico had actually said. He felt his face burn in embarrassment when he figured it out and he couldn’t help but wonder if Nico had said it just to see his reaction. Will thought he would laugh at his embarrassment, but Nico took a step closer instead. “You make my heart race so fast that it hurts,” he said. “I sometimes become so nervous around you that I can’t speak. My mouth gets dry. I can barely think. I feel like I’ve lost my mind. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like your skin is on fire? Does your heart ever beat so hard that you fear it might burst?”

“I do not think I have to fear that my organs will spontaneously rupture,” Will blurted out.

Nico opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. For a second, he looked confused, then few indecipherable expressions flickered across his face before he settled on a grin. “Will, I swear to the gods,” he laughed.

While Will hadn’t actually been trying to make Nico laugh, he decided to pretend that he had indeed made a witty remark rather than the first comment his garbled mind could think of. “It’s the part you read first that I liked the most,” Will said, tapping the book in Nico’s hands. “‘Your lovely laughter, which, as it wafts by, sets the heart in my rib cage fluttering.’ I am sure that my heart is perfectly healthy, but it’s true that it beats harder for the sound of your laughter. I want to make you laugh every day.”

Nico looked at Will quietly for a moment before carefully closing the book. “And I like your voice,” he said, running his thumb over Will’s lower lip. “It’s warm. Soothing. I want to hear to your voice every day.”

Will reached up to hold Nico’s hand steady and kissed the back of his fingers. “I want to kiss you every day,” he whispered.

“Then I think you ought to make up for all the days you missed these past few months,” Nico said. He carelessly tucked the book in the shelves and grabbed the front of Will’s coat to pull him closer, then—

“Good evening, Your Highness; Lord William,” said a devastatingly familiar voice. Will and Nico slowly turned to find Reyna standing at the end of the aisle beside Hestia and Asterion, her arms folded and her expression like stone. Hestia was wise enough to take Reyna’s appearance as her cue to leave, but Nico and Will weren’t so fortunate.

“I think it’s time for you to escort His Highness to his chambers for the night, Lord William.” Her voice was clipped and cold, like the soft but ominous rumble of faraway thunder before a storm. Will would have preferred it if she’d shouted. Instead, she stepped aside and motioned for them to go ahead of her. Will quickly scrambled to put the book of poems away properly, hoping that Reyna hadn’t noticed what they were looking at. The entire way to Nico’s chambers, he felt like her eyes were stabbing into their backs. Apparently she liked to keep them on edge, because Reyna waited until they were outside Nico’s door to lecture them.

“Lady Hestia has informed me that she refuses to chaperone for you again,” she said.

Nico gasped. “But—”

“Perhaps if you had behaved yourself, she would have felt more comfortable being around the two you,” Reyna snapped. “Instead, I heard that you attempted to climb on your fiancé, then proceeded to read him Sappho, of all things.”

“‘Climb on’ is a highly exaggerated phrase—”

“So for the rest of our stay in Venadica, you will remain with me at all times. If I must attend meetings for an entire day, then you must attend them with me. The two of you may sit in the corner of the room and whisper about Sapphic love poems as much as your hearts desire, but under no circumstances are the both you to leave my sight at the same time.”

“Reyna—”

“No arguments,” Reyna interrupted. “Say goodnight, Your Highness.”

Nico sighed and turned back to Will and despite her anger, Reyna stepped back to give them some privacy. “I wish we could marry sooner,” Nico said. “I hate being separated. I miss you too much and I’m tired of being forced to listen to chaperones.”

“It won’t be long before I join you in Divitia,” Will said. “Then we’ll be together so much that I worry you’ll tire of me.”

“Impossible,” said Nico. “I will have the best husband in history.”

Will laughed shyly. “I love you,” he said as he traced Nico’s cheekbones with the back of his fingers. Nico’s cheeks darkened, but he held Will’s eyes. Will stepped closer. “May I...?”

“Yes,” Nico interrupted eagerly. He blushed harder and averted his eyes when Will chuckled.

“I didn’t finish my question,” Will said.

“I know what you were going to ask.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I....” Nico frowned. “Surely I wasn’t wrong?”

Will smiled. “You weren’t wrong,” he assured. “But you really ought to listen to the whole question before answering. What if I’d asked for permission to keep Asterion or throw you in a lake? I once ruined an entire day’s work because I didn’t listen to Master Asclepius properly and assumed he wanted the particles absorbed in water rather than adsorbed from water, so I didn’t prepare the charcoal samples and—”

“Will, please.”

“My apologies. I...what were we talking about?”

“You were going to kiss me.”

“That’s right,” Will said with a grin. “Except I didn’t actually say—”

“Will. I have been waiting very patiently for you to kiss me. Are you laughing at me? Don’t laugh at me! Gods, Will, I swear....” Nico grabbed the front of Will’s coat to pull him into a kiss. Will laughed against Nico’s lips, but then Nico kissed him again, and then again, and Will suddenly wondered why he’d wasted valuable time teasing Nico when he could have been kissing him instead.

Will wasn’t sure if they ever would have stopped had Reyna not interrupted. “Your Highness, that’s enough,” she said. “Bid Lord William goodnight. Now.”

Nico pulled back far enough for Will to see his displeased expression. “I think you may have earned another lecture,” Will whispered.

Nico smirked. “I can handle a lecture if it means I can kiss you,” he said. To illustrate his point, he leaned closer to kiss Will’s cheek.

But the kiss didn’t come.

“Meet me later tonight,” Nico whispered against his skin.

Will shivered as Nico’s breath tickled his neck. His knees felt like they’d crumble beneath him and he wanted to go limp against Nico’s shoulder. “Where?” he asked.

“By the fountain in Aether’s square,” Nico answered. “That’s where we first met, isn’t it?”

Will swallowed and nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to remain steady.

“I’ll be there as soon as I’m able to get away. Don’t make me wait.” As Nico pulled back, he brushed his lips against Will’s cheek. Will wanted to reach out and keep him from leaving—and perhaps steal a dozen more kisses—but he felt frozen. He could only blush when Nico offered him a secretive smile and turned away before disappearing into his room.

* * *

Nico hadn’t expected Reyna to be so strict. Despite her declaration to not be lenient after the maze incident in Delphi, Reyna seemed to be getting lighter on Nico’s courting restrictions. Nico had discovered that Reyna could rarely refuse him when he looked at her as innocently as possible and said, “but it would make me so happy, Reyna.” In fact, it was so effective that during the journey from Neptune to Pluto, Nico had once even managed to get Reyna to agree to join Hedge on the bench at the back of the carriage for a while, leaving Nico and Will alone inside. He and Will had sat opposite each other at first, shyly talking about unimportant things. After a few awkward pauses, Nico had gotten up to sit beside Will and then kissed him. They’d proceeded to spend most of their allotted alone time kissing.

Even Hedge appeared to be warming up to Nico’s fiancé. One day during the journey to Pluto, Hedge aggressively informed Will that if he even thought about unbuttoning Nico’s breeches, he’d find himself chained up to a tree naked for a night—an image that Nico might have liked a bit too much. Will, eternally polite and pleasant, had quite sincerely told Hedge that he had only the highest respect for Nico and would never dream of doing anything that Hedge would disapprove of. Then Will had looked at Nico with the softest, purest smile and Hedge had nearly burst into tears. He’d reached up and patted Will’s shoulder, saying, “good man, Lord Solace, you’re a good man,” and then he’d walked away, sniffling and dabbing at his eyes. Nico would forever deny having been a bit disappointed when Will assured Hedge that his intentions were entirely pure. The thought had occurred to him that if any breeches were unbuttoned, it was much more likely to be Nico who was unbuttoning them. He’d quickly buried the thought in embarrassment, but he’d be lying if he said he’d never thought about it again.

Truthfully, Nico thought about that sort of thing fairly often. Nearly every night during that journey, Nico had lain awake in bed for hours, staring at unfamiliar ceilings and thinking about Will. On several occasions, he’d seriously considered sneaking out to visit his fiancé, maybe even to spend the night in his room. He’d tried to convince himself that he would be content with merely lying beside Will, but then his imagination would get the better of him and he’d end up lying on his belly and whimpering into his pillow as he wished away his arousal. He sometimes even dreamed about Will—strange, heated, impure dreams that he would never admit to outloud. And as shameful as those dreams were, Nico could not deny enjoying them. He enjoyed them quite a bit, in fact.

Although Nico knew restrictions were necessary, he’d come to the conclusion that it was alright to push the boundaries a little bit. Nico had once again decided that he would kiss his fiancé as much as he liked. If that meant he had to sneak out of the palace late at night, then so be it.

Escaping wasn’t difficult, but Nico ran into a few problems along the way. There was a guard posted outside his door at all times, so Nico was forced to exit through the window. Asterion wouldn’t stop whining every time Nico tried to leave. Worrying that the dog would alert someone to his absence, Nico was forced to bring Asterion along with him. Although Nico was on the ground floor, there was still a raised balcony outside his room. It wouldn’t have been difficult to climb if it hadn’t been for Asterion, who was starting to have hip trouble in his old age. It was a bit of a challenge to carry the dog when he kept wiggling. Then, after taking a few wrong turns in the garden, Nico managed to navigate his way to the fountain in Aether’s square, where he found Will waiting for him as planned. He looked happy and beautiful with the yellow light of gas lamps dancing in his eyes. It made Nico want to kiss him, so he did.

“I wasn’t expecting you to bring a friend,” Will commented, gesturing to Asterion.

“I hadn’t planned to, but he insisted,” Nico explained. “Have you been waiting long?”

Will laughed. “Only fifteen years or so,” he said, looking at the stone faces of the goddesses adorning the fountain. “When I first came to Venadica, I used to sit in this spot for hours every week and I’d imagine you coming to join me. I had a plan to introduce you to all my friends and impress you by having so many.”

“I can’t believe that the memory of meeting me once as a child was so important to you,” Nico said. “Are you sure you’re not lying just to flatter me?”

“Meeting royalty is always a memorable experience, Your Highness,” Will said. “But what’s more memorable is when you fall instantly in love. I thought you were amazing.”

“I must have thought very highly of you, as well,” Nico assured.

Will laughed. “No, you pitied me,” he said. “You were concerned that I didn’t have any friends and you thought that I didn’t have a tongue, then you lectured me for being a clumsy dancer. But I was so smitten that for years, I’d come here and imagine meeting you again. I was always a bit disappointed that you didn’t show.”

“I’m here now,” Nico said.

“Yes, you are,” Will agreed. “In fact, you arranged to meet me here alone, scandalously late at night. I can’t help thinking this is a very bad idea.”

“I know it is,” Nico admitted. “But I don’t particularly care. Do you?”

Will grinned. “No.”

“Good,” Nico said, stepping closer and reaching for Will’s hand. “Because right now, I would very much like to be alone with my fiancé. I haven’t seen you in months.”

Will cocked his head to the side curiously. “But we’ve been apart longer before,” he pointed out.

Nico pursed his lips in frustration. As much as he adored Will, he couldn’t help feeling impatient when Will didn’t understand his intentions. Nico had always had trouble finding the right words to express how he felt and what he wanted, but he’d been working to improve that for Will. He was doing his very best to be honest and express himself clearly, so it seemed that the very least Will could do was work a bit harder to understand. Sometimes, Will could be a bit too innocent—too chaste, too pure....

I can change that, Nico immediately thought, then he flushed as he vividly imagined himself sullying Will’s virtue.

“We were together for a long time this spring,” Nico stammered. “It felt strange to suddenly not be together and—”

Will squeezed Nico’s hand. Nico fell silent almost instantaneously when he looked up and found Will smiling at him. “I know, Your Highness,” Will said. “I was teasing.”

“Oh,” Nico breathed. So maybe Will was working harder to understand.

He noticed that the corners of Will’s eyes wrinkled when he smiled. It was distracting. Nico wanted to reach out and gently run his thumb over Will’s golden eyelashes. He wanted to trace the lines of Will’s face. He wanted to touch Will. Anywhere. Everywhere .

“Would you like to go to the laboratories?” Will said, breaking their eye contact and pointing the opposite direction. “I’d love to show you around my workspace again.”

Nico sighed. Then again, maybe Will couldn’t read Nico’s intentions at all. He’d wanted to kiss Will, not tour his lab. He pretended to happily agree anyway.

“I actually haven’t spent as much time as I usually do in the labs lately,” Will admitted as he offered Nico his arm.

“Why not?” Nico asked. “Has there been trouble?” Will had explained that research could often be stalled if there was not enough financial support. He’d mentioned several projects that he and Asclepius had wanted to take on, but were unable to pursue due to a lack of funding. Sometimes funders were uninterested in his research or prefered to invest in different projects. Will had even once mentioned that he worried Asclepius was being funded less frequently now that he was in his older years and had started to acquire a reputation for being forgetful and scatterbrained.

But Will shook his head. “No; no trouble,” he answered. “I’m still assisting Asclepius and Hygeia in the infirmary, but lately I haven’t had much time to spend on other medical studies. I’ve been devoting more time than usual to my other studies—trade, history, political theory, and such.”

“Why?” Nico asked. Although Will was enthusiastic about all his studies, he prefered to focus on healing and medicine.

Will bowed his head and blushed, then looked at Nico out of the corner of his eye and smiled shyly. “Because in less than one year, I’ll marry a prince,” he answered quietly. “I want to be a good consort for you.”

Nico wanted to tell Will that he already thought he was perfect, but his mouth felt dry. It was impossible for Nico to say something so embarrassing.

No, Nico reminded himself. It was very much possible; he was just afraid.

“You’re already perfect,” Nico forced himself to say. It came out sounding stiff and uncomfortable, but he meant it. “But thank you,” he added, so that he sounded a bit more grateful. He was so flattered that he wanted nothing more than to pull Will close and kiss him.

Admittedly, he always wanted to kiss Will, but he was still flattered.

The summer night air was pleasant; cooler than it was in the heat of the day, but still warm. Nico couldn’t decide if Will’s body heat was soothing or thrilling. He teetered between feeling calm and feeling like he was on fire, but the longer they walked, the more he leaned towards fire. That made him quite irritated when Will started babbling about medicine instead of kissing him after they got to the lab.

It was nice to see the way Will lit up, however, so Nico allowed Will to ramble on for a while. He smiled, nodded along, and tried to pay attention, but his thoughts kept drifting to other things Will could do with his very nice lips.

Finally, Nico put his hand on Will’s arm to stop him. “I think you should kiss me,” he said.

Will, who was holding a bundle of plants in each hand, tilted his head to the side and looked confused. “This doesn’t interest you?” he asked in a hurt voice.

Nico cursed Will for being so adorable. “Of course I’m interested,” he said gently. “But you can tell me about this another time. Right now I’d rather take advantage of the fact that we don’t have any chaperones and—” Nico broke off when he noticed Will smirking. “You’re teasing me again,” he realized. “Gods, Will, why do you do these things to me?”

“I admit that I can be a bit slow to pick up on your intentions, but I’m not completely hopeless,” Will said, putting the plants back down on the work table behind Nico.

“You should focus less on teasing me and more on kissing me,” Nico said, running his fingers down the lapel of Will’s coat. “Have I made myself clear enough for you?”

“What I don’t understand is why you haven’t just kissed me yet,” Will said.

“Gods, Will, you weren’t always this difficult,” Nico growled, but he tugged Will close and kissed him anyway. Will’s laugh felt nice when it tickled his lips. His laughter was always contagious, even when it made it difficult to coordinate a proper kiss.

Nico heard Asterion whimper in the doorway, so he cracked his eyes open to check on him. The dog was watching with pathetic, droopy eyes, and his tail started to wag when he noticed Nico paying attention to him. Will broke away from the kiss and followed Nico’s eyes to Asterion. “Is—” he started, but Nico forced him to turn back and kissed him again.

“Ignore him,” Nico said against Will’s lips. “He’ll be fine.” Asterion whimpered again, but Nico just waved in his direction to silence him before focusing on Will’s kisses again.

That time, they didn’t laugh. Nico felt unbelievably good, like a part of him that had long been empty was suddenly whole now that he had Will. But he needed more. Nico wrapped his arms around Will’s neck and pulled him closer. He pushed his chest against Will’s, hoping that Will would touch him back, but Will’s hands remained lightly on Nico’s upper arms. “Hold me,” Nico mumbled between kisses.

“How?” Will asked.

Nico was so frustrated that he almost bit Will. “I don’t know,” he growled. “Just hold me.”

Will’s hands hesitantly reached for Nico’s waist before he slid his arms around Nico’s back. Then Nico hungrily pushed against Will’s lips and Will pushed back, tightening Nico inside his embrace. The pressure of Will’s arms around his waist, the feeling of Will’s lips on his, the heat of Will’s breath...it was too good, too intoxicating. Nico tugged Will closer and Will stumbled forward, pressing Nico against the table behind him.

“Too tight,” Will gasped, tugging at one of Nico’s arms around his neck. Nico mumbled an apology when he realized he’d been choking Will, but didn’t stop kissing him. Will didn’t stop, either.

He felt hot, so hot, like he was burning alive and he needed Will to live. A voice in his head growled for more like a mad, predatory beast. His thoughts were filthy and scandalous, yet Nico wasn’t bothered by that. He wanted to be filthy. He wanted to make Will filthy. He wanted to shred Will’s clothes off his body and touch his skin, then put his mouth on Will and taste him. And Will’s legs, his legs— Nico wanted to look at those legs. He would get his hands on Will’s thighs and feel the strong muscles working beneath his skin, then he would bite them and listen to Will’s responding cries of pleasure.

Nico imagined Will underneath him, legs wrapped around Nico’s waist while Nico pounded into him. Or perhaps Will could be astride him, his thighs on either side of Nico’s hips. And what would it be like to feel the force in those powerful legs when Will took him? How would it feel when Will slammed inside? Would Will drive into him hard and fast? Would he make Nico scream?

Nico gasped against Will’s lips at the thought. More, growled the hungry beast inside him. Nico pulled Will closer, pressed their bodies against each other—

It took far too long for Nico to realize his mistake. So occupied with his obscene desires, Nico had neglected to consider how his body might react to his fantasies. He was unable to suppress a pathetic whimper when Will’s thigh pressed against his groin, sending a wave of heat scorching through his entire body. Delirious with pleasure, Nico rutted against Will’s leg once before the belated horor finally set in.

The fantasies he entertained about his fiancé were crude and shameful enough, but at least Nico’s thoughts were private. He could imagine the most debauched scenarios without revealing them to anyone, keeping his name clean even if his mind was corrupted by wanton desires. Nico had assuaged the feelings of guilt and shame with assurances that it was all in his head and that he would never act on them. And yet, at his first opportunity to be alone with his fiancé without chaperones to control his behavior, Nico’s filthy desires had taken over his body. He was unmarried—an unmarried prince, at that. His behavior was unacceptable, disgusting, vile...and it felt good, so very good.

Nico quickly pushed Will away before the cloud of lust settled back over him. He prayed to the gods that Will hadn’t noticed his body’s predicament, but it was clear that Will had. His eyes were wide, his face was red, and his gaze briefly flickered to Nico’s breeches. Thankfully, Nico’s waistcoat was long enough to hide his problem, but that offered Nico little comfort.

“It’s not...I’m not...I didn’t mean....” Nico stuttered. “Please forgive me. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Will stared wordlessly and Nico had to bite his tongue to keep himself from rambling apologies for being so rude, knowing that he’d only make it worse. After a second of silence that felt like a century, Will cleared his throat. “It’s quite alright, Your Highness. It’s a typical, automatic reaction of the male body in...um...in that sort of situation.”

Male body. Will had a male body. A very nice male body. A male body that must have those same ‘typical reactions.’ Nico wanted to see Will react that way. He wanted to make Will react that way. He wanted to touch Will, to tear off Will’s clothes, to run his hands over Will’s bare skin, and to bite....

Nico blinked away the vivid, enticing scenes infiltrating his mind and realized that Will was still talking. “—so no apologies are necessary,” Will was saying. “It was unintentional, I understand.”

It had not been completely unintentional. The reaction of his body had been automatic, and rutting against Will’s thigh had been an almost reflexive response to the pleasure of being touched, but the thoughts that had led Nico to his predicament in the first place? Those had been very much intentional.

Nico decided that there was no reason to correct him.

“I...” Nico started, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Will didn’t ask him to continue. In fact, Will didn’t say anything at all. Nico wanted to run back to the Sororal Palace and hide under the blankets on his bed forever.

And then a voice called, “Will, is that you?”

Will and Nico’s heads both snapped to the door. The awkward tension fizzled away, but was quickly replaced with terror as Nico realized they were about to be caught. Will glanced at Nico and looked like he was about to say something, but then he hurried to the door and left Nico alone in the room.

“Aw, look at you dressed in your fancy clothes,” cooed the voice. “I saw the light on from the woodshop and I thought it might be you. Have you got a minute to help me with—why is there a dog in here?”

“I...I don’t know,” Nico heard Will say. “I’ll come if you’ll give me a moment to clean the lab.”

“I can help.”

“I can do it on my own. Just go back to the shop and I’ll—”

“Why are you standing like that? Are you hiding something in there?”

“Leo—”

“Let me—”

“Leo, no—”

Nico didn’t realize that he ought to hide until it was too late and Will’s friend had already poked his head inside the room.

“Oh,” said Will’s friend. “That’s interesting.”

“Leo,” Will said, pulling him from the doorway. “Please give me a moment and then I’ll come help you in the shop.”

“Right, yeah, of course,” said Leo blankly. “Take your time. You have to...make sure the lab is clean....”

“Leave,” Will ordered.

Nico hated his body and he hated that he couldn’t help shivering at Will’s tone. He’d never heard Will use such a commanding voice before. It opened up all sorts of new scenarios for Nico to imagine later on.

With Leo’s footsteps fading away, the room fell silent again. Nico pretended to be looking at the floor and prayed that Will would follow after his friend quickly so that Nico could wallow in misery alone.

But instead, Will cleared his throat and stepped back inside the room to approach Nico again. “I’ll escort you back,” Will said. When Nico glanced up, Will’s cheeks were pink and his gaze fixed on his shoes.

He doesn’t want to be around me anymore, Nico realized. He’d made Will uncomfortable. He’d disgusted Will.

“I can do it on my own,” Nico said. “Your friend is waiting for you.”

Will shook his head, but still didn’t meet Nico’s eyes. “I can’t leave you to walk through the city alone at night.”

“I have Asterion,” Nico pointed out.

“At least allow me to escort you to the entrance of the palace,” said Will. “I’d like to see you there safely, if only for my own peace of mind.” Will’s eyes finally flickered up and he held Nico’s gaze for a second before blushing and looking away again.

Nico sighed. “To the palace,” he agreed.

Will offered Nico his arm, but Nico knew it was only to be polite. The entire left side of his body felt like it was burning with Will next to him, like Will was sending over waves of fire to sear off whatever Nico’s touch was contaminating him with.

They didn’t talk. The only sounds were their footsteps and Asterion panting beside them. Nico’s throat itched and he wanted to cough, but he didn’t dare make a noise. He only wanted the walk to be over as quickly as possible. It seemed that the gods had cursed him by making it stretch on for an eternity.

“I’ll meet you again in the morning,” Will said when they finally reached the palace. “Sleep well, Your Highness.”

“Sleep well,” Nico answered.

He made to turn away and leave, but Will touched his shoulder and held him back. Before Nico could even react, Will brushed his lips against Nico’s cheek. Nico felt a spark of hope, realizing that perhaps he hadn’t disgusted Will—but hope was quickly replaced by dread, because Will’s kiss was so chaste that it felt like a rejection.

Will turned away first, but Nico didn’t wait for him to leave before he escaped with Asterion back to the side of the palace to climb back into his room through the window. He quickly picked Asterion up and climbed onto the balcony before helping him back inside, then he ducked into the room to hide in his blankets and pity himself for the rest of his life.

But then a voice said, “Perhaps it would have been easier to use the door.”

Nico whirled around to find Reyna standing in the dark, the moonlight illuminating the hard, disapproving lines of her face. Her arms were crossed and her lips were pursed, her dark eyes burning with anger.

“I was...I...” Nico started, but he faltered when Reyna crossed the room to stand in front of him. Her glare felt even more crippling up close.

“Hedge had the sense to check your chambers at the start of his watch,” Reyna said. “Imagine how worried he was to find you missing. For all we knew, you could have been kidnapped.”

“I wasn’t—”

“I know you weren’t. Fortunately for your reputation, I assumed that you’d run off with your fiancé and I kept your disappearance quiet. When your guards searched the palace without finding you, I nearly sent out the city’s night watch. Imagine the scandal it would have caused if you’d been discovered alone with a suitor at night.”

“Reyna—”

“I won’t cover for you again,” Reyna interrupted. “I shouldn’t have covered for you at all! What if I’d been wrong? What if something had happened to you and I didn’t do anything about it? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be out after dark in such a large city? Even Venadica has its crime, Your Highness. I need to be able to trust that you take your own safety seriously.”

“I know,” Nico said before Reyna could lecture him further. “I won’t do it again.”

Reyna looked both skeptical and perplexed by Nico’s lack of resistance.

“I learned my lesson,” Nico added. “From now until the wedding, I’ll be sure to stay with a chaperone every time I meet Will. I won’t sneak away again.”

Reyna drummed her fingers against her elbow. She looked him over silently for a moment, then pointed to a chair by the window and said, “Sit.”

Nico wanted nothing more than to fall into his bed and wallow in self-pity until the morning, but he obeyed. Reyna lit a standing gas lamp in the corner of the room before joining him. She did not sit; instead, she stood over him, her expression still so harsh and disappointed that Nico slumped into his chair in defeat.

“Your posture,” Reyna reminded, and Nico forced himself to sit up straight. “Tell me exactly what happened,” she said.

Nico shook his head. It had been so mortifying, so unspeakable, and he had no desire to relive it. He’d never tell anyone what had happened.

“You won’t tell my father about this, will you?” he asked.

“I am obligated to report to His Majesty,” Reyna said.

“But—”

“I have already kept enough secrets for you,” she reminded.

“Please, Reyna,” Nico said. “I won’t ask you to do this again. Telling my father won’t accomplish anything other than making me more miserable. I’ve learned my lesson and I won’t cause any more trouble—I swear it.”

Reyna was quiet as she carefully looked him over. “Alright. I’ll trust that you are being sincere.”

Nico let out a breath in relief.

“But,” Reyna went on, and Nico tensed again. “If something went wrong while you were off frolicking with your fiancé—” Nico tried to object to the word ‘frolicking,’ but Reyna ignored him, “—then I need to know what happened.”

Nico felt the blood drain from his face. “No. I can’t say.”

Reyna sighed and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. “You won’t be in any trouble, Your Highness. I only need you to tell me if Lord William did anything that I, as a chaperone, should be aware of.”

Nico frowned. “What? Will? No! Do you think Will is the most problematic of the two of us?”

“No, but I assumed you would be boasting about it if it had been your fault. Was I wrong?”

“It wasn’t exactly my fault, either,” Nico said defensively. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, I just...just...Will said it was normal! An automatic response!”

Reyna’s eyes widened before Nico realized he’d said too much. “Do you mean...” she trailed off and vaguely gestured to Nico’s lower body. “And it was unplanned?”

Nico’s face burned, but he couldn’t deny it. “I do have some shame,” he snapped. “I didn’t sneak out with the intention of bedding him. I just...got excited.”

“And Lord William noticed?”

Nico whimpered.

It was rare to hear Reyna laugh. While she smiled at Nico and sometimes softly chuckled, full laughs did not happen often. But when Nico was unable to do more than whine pathetically, Reyna laughed so hard that she clutched her sides and doubled over.

“Stop laughing at me!” Nico demanded, but Reyna did not obey.

“Impossibile,” she said. “You see: laughing, much like the engorgement a certain part of your anatomy, is an automatic response to certain stimuli. You cannot order me to stop laughing any more than you can order your physiology to stop functioning.”

“I don’t appear to have very good control over my anatomy,” Nico grumbled.

“I would say that you got what you deserved, but I must admit...that is too severe a punishment,” she said, dabbing at her eyes.

Nico was outraged—was she crying from laughing so hard? “And that is why I’m promising to behave!” he snapped. “I have suffered enough already, so stop laughing!”

“I shouldn’t taunt, I know,” Reyna said. She took a deep breath and used her sleeve to wipe tears from her eyes. Sighing, Nico pulled a handkerchief from the pocket in his coat and offered it to her. She thanked him and tried to compose herself.

“It’s nice to know that the most embarrassing moment of my life offers you some amusement,” Nico said sarcastically when she offered the handkerchief back. “At least some good came out of it; that makes it entirely worthwhile. Now do you believe that I will behave?”

“I believe you for now,” Reyna said. “Once the embarrassment wears off, I’m sure you’ll go back to causing trouble.”

“I wouldn’t—actually, that’s true. But for now, I am mortified and you ought to console me.”

“I’m sure your fiancé understands your automatic anatomical troubles. After all, he has the same equipment and he is a student of medicine.”

“Thank you, Reyna,” Nico grumbled, not feeling any better. “But you won’t tell my father, will you?”

“No, I won’t tell your father,” Reyna promised. “That would be uncomfortable for everyone. But that being said, there is no need to be ashamed of your feelings, Your Highness. Of course I have to make sure you behave a certain way, but that does not mean that your love for him is shameful. Now, I may be from Mars, but I understand that Pluto is more strict about this sort of thing than Jupiter is. I respect Pluto’s modesty and I have chaperoned you with Plutonian standards, but I do worry about what sort of pressure that has put on you. I was not in charge of your sexual education—”

Nico flushed. “Reyna, must we talk about—”

“Yes, Your Highness. I think it is very important that we discuss this, no matter how uncomfortable it is. As I was saying, I was not in charge of your sexual education and I do not know how you were taught, but I suspect you were led to believe that desires were shameful. Is that correct?”

Still embarrassingly red in the face, Nico nodded.

“Then allow me to assure you that there is absolutely nothing shameful about your body or your physical desires. No, I can’t allow you to act on them until you are married, but you ought to know that there is nothing wrong with your feelings. They are perfectly normal.”

Nico sank into his chair. “I shouldn’t think about Will that way. It’s disrespectful.”

“I do not believe you would would ever want to hurt or disrespect him. It seems much more plausible to say that he was surprised, not offended.”

“I suppose so. But...it’s disgusting.”

“It’s not,” Reyna said. “And I cannot speak for Lord William, but I think I can promise that he does not find you or your attraction to him disgusting.”

“Reyna, I just can’t stop thinking about him and it scares me. Then I started feeling like this and I was so afraid that he’d find out, but now he has found out and I don’t know what to do. What am I going to do next time I see him? What if it happens again?”

“It won’t happen again because from now on, I won’t let you out of my sight,” Reyna assured, with surprisingly little anger. “Not only will you have to stay by my side for the remainder of this trip, I am also going to request that you are moved to a room on a higher floor to keep you from sneaking out the window.”

Nico sighed. “I knew that was coming.”

“Then you know that you won’t get another chance to be alone with him until your wedding. After that, I won’t stop you.”

He blushed and avoided Reyna’s eyes.

“As for tomorrow: you will smile and wish him a good morning,” Reyna continued. “I will take you to a private balcony for breakfast. I’ll give you enough space for you to talk with him openly. It may be uncomfortable, but I want you to at least try.”

“I’d rather just stay in bed all day,” Nico muttered.

“When have I ever allowed you to do that?”

“I keep hoping.”

Reyna smiled at him fondly. “We’ll worry about it tomorrow,” she said. “For now, it’s best if you get some sleep.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Nico mumbled.

“Then at least rest,” Reyna said. “And if my opinion is worth anything, I don’t believe that it will take long to work this out.”

* * *

Will wasn’t sure how Leo had gotten him to agree to help, but it was already in the early hours of the next day and Will was still locked up in one of the wood shops, working with Leo on a section of the spinning machine he and Calypso were inventing together. Jo was helping them build it, but she had to take care of the children and Calypso had evening rehearsal for a show with the Venadican choir. To Leo’s credit, he hadn’t mentioned the awkward scene he’d walked in on earlier in the evening—in fact, Leo had such a short attention span that Will wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d forgotten about it. Still, Will was tired and his mind was still spinning from the incident with Nico. He wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

“At least let me finish the roller,” Leo said when Will suggested they turn in for the night.

Will sighed but resigned himself to staying awake a while longer. His arm was sore from spinning the lathe so Leo could carve one of the machine’s rollers. The carpentry shop Leo liked to use had plenty of treadle lathes, but Leo claimed to prefer using the two-person one because his foot got tired from spinning it himself. Will thought that was only an excuse so that he didn’t have to be in the shop on his own; despite his enthusiasm about eliminating the need for manual labor in favor of automatic machinery, Leo liked the company. So Will was stuck with his friend in the carpentry shop late at night, nodding along sleepily while Leo shouted to be heard over the sound of the knife scraping against the wood.

“Hydraulic power is easier to harness, but soon the steam engine...Will? Are you even listening?”

“I’m trying to,” Will answered. “Leo, I’m meeting the Prince tomorrow and I’d like to at least get a bit of sleep.”

“Oh, fine,” Leo sighed, putting aside his knife. “Jo is better at carpentry than I am, anyway. I’ll ask for her help tomorrow.”

Will let his arm fall to his side, relieved to finally get a rest. While Leo put away his tools, Will sat by Leo’s bench and let his eyes shut in exhaustion. He could feel himself starting to drift to sleep.

Suddenly, against the back of his eyelids, Will saw Nico—Nico standing so close that their chests touched, Nico gazing at him with that odd, predatory look in his eyes, Nico kissing him, Nico’s face painted red in embarrassment after Will accidentally felt between his legs.

Will blushed and snapped his eyes back open. As a student of medicine, he was rarely uncomfortable with any aspect of anatomy. Will had also learned about breeding and seen the way animals behaved during their mating seasons while growing up near his family’s ranch. Although many people around his age were embarrassed or aroused by the topic of physical excitement, Will rarely felt particularly bothered because he simply viewed it as a natural phenomenon. Erections were the male body’s involuntary response to direct stimulation. Nico’s reaction had been typical for someone of his sex, even indicative of good health.

Will couldn’t remember ever feeling so flustered over something as trivial as anatomy. Although he had assured Nico that it was a physically normal reaction, he couldn’t help but think that it had been a bit more complex than an involuntary anatomical response. There had been no “direct stimulation” prior to Will accidentally pressing against Nico; all they had done was kiss. If Nico had felt aroused while kissing Will, the only explanation was that Nico was attracted to Will.

Of course Will had considered the fact that he and Nico would eventually enter into a sexual relationship, but he hadn’t put much thought into it. It had been something in the back of his mind, something that seemed far off and not immediately important. The only time Will had actually worried about it was when Octavian had mentioned offering Nico his “services”—which was, quite possibly, the most repulsive thought that had ever been forced into Will’s head.

But if Nico was attracted to Will, did that mean that Nico wanted to sleep with Will? Nico had told Will that he loved him, but that didn’t necessarily imply he wanted to be with Will that way. Or did it? After all, Will had a tendency to misunderstand or even underestimate Nico’s feelings for him.

The idea had entered Will’s mind several times—mostly when his older siblings were teasing him about it—but Will couldn’t remember actively desiring Nico that way. When Will touched himself, he sometimes considered the fact that he’d eventually touch Nico the same way, and the idea certainly hadn’t been unappealing. Intimacy with Nico sounded nice. Will would be happy to share that with Nico, if it would bring Nico pleasure. The wedding was still months away, however, so there was no need to worry about it yet. Will wouldn’t touch Nico that way before they married.

Of course, he knew that marriage was not a requirement for intimacy. If Apollo’s complex web of lovers wasn’t enough evidence of that, Will was also an accidental witness of the fact that Cal and Leo were in a very active sexual relationship. But Nico was a prince. Cal and Leo didn’t have the same pressures that royalty would.

“Are you ready?” Leo asked, suddenly pulling Will from his thoughts.

“Right, of course,” Will said, getting to his feet and brushing off his breeches. He sighed when he realized that he may very well have ruined his suit with the dust in the woodshop.

“So,” Leo started casually as they walked outside. “Is there anything you’d like to share?”

“Not particularly,” Will said. “Leo, do you remember the time that I went to your room without knocking and accidentally walked in on—”

“I try to forget,” Leo answered.

“What is...why...how do you...?”

Leo looked unimpressed. “I think you know how it’s done, Will.”

“I don’t mean physically. I mean...how did you know she wanted to?”

Leo laughed. “I admit that I have trouble understanding other people, but Cal wasn’t shy.”

“How did you know you wanted to?”

“I don’t know; I just did. I’ve been attracted to her for a long time, same as you and your prince.”

Will had been in love with Nico for a long time, not attracted to him, but he decided not to correct Leo. “Sometimes he looks at me in an odd way, like you and Cal look at each other before you drag each other off somewhere alone,” Will said. “And he kisses me a lot. I’m just a bit confused—”

“What is there to be confused about?” Leo asked. “I’m fairly certain that I witnessed something I wasn’t supposed to this evening. He obviously wants you.”

Will frowned.

“Your body,” Leo explained. “More specifically, your genitalia.”

“I understand that, Leo,” Will sighed. “Today, he kissed me and I accidentally rubbed against his—”

“Gods, Will, I don’t need that much detail,” Leo interrupted.

“Right,” Will said, deciding to give up. He wasn’t quite sure how to express what he was thinking and feeling, and Leo didn’t appear to understand. He bid Leo goodnight and set off for the Palace on his own, still feeling confused.

Will had enjoyed kissing Nico earlier. He had started to feel less concerned about the rules of courting a prince and instead had felt excited when they escaped from their chaperones.

Will reached up to touch his lips, remembering the Nico’s passionate enthusiasm—the way he’d kissed Will, held Will, pulled Will closer. And when Will wrapped his arms around Nico....

As much as Will loved to kiss Nico, nothing felt better than holding Nico in his arms. Nico’s build was firm and strong. When Will held him, it was like he’d found something safe and solid to keep himself steady in a storm. Will had wanted to cling to Nico and to squeeze him tightly against his chest. He’d wanted to press his nose into the top of Nico’s head and hide his face in Nico’s black hair so that he could pretend that nothing else in the world mattered.

Will sighed when he got back to his bedchamber and barely managed to undress himself before falling onto the bed in exhaustion.

The idea of sharing a bed with someone felt foreign to him. It seemed foolish not to have considered it more; after all, their wedding was only months away. How had Will neglected to consider intimacy for so long?

Perhaps Will still hadn’t completely grasped how real Nico was. Although Will had grown so much closer to him over the past year, he’d admired Nico as more of an idol than a person for much of his childhood. The idea of a physical relationship with someone who existed only on a pedestal was so absurd that Nico may as well have been an object rather than a person.

But Nico was a real person, no different from Will. Yes, he was a prince, but Nico and Will were equal in dignity and value. Will had slowly been realizing that since the beginning of their engagement, but he had failed to consider other ways in which they were equal. As Will had been recently reminded, he and Nico were also the same physically. Nico had an ordinary male body and experienced ordinary desires. It shouldn’t have been surprising that Nico had reacted to Will the way he did. The surprising thing was that Will remained so far behind. Why hadn’t he noticed Nico’s attraction? Why hadn’t he reacted the same way?

Perhaps the real root of Will’s problem was that he had never completely understood ‘desire’ to begin with. Did he even want intimacy?

I wouldn’t mind, said a voice in Will’s head.

He wanted to be close to Nico, that much was certain. He would feel comfortable lying beside Nico, kissing Nico, and opening his heart to Nico. But as for touching Nico that way?

Will closed his eyes and imagined that Nico was with him. They were in the Palatium de Divitae, sharing a large, soft bed. Sheer curtains covered the windows for privacy, but they could see the night sky outside. They had been watching the stars together, then Will had turned to look at Nico instead.

“I love you,” he whispered. His fingers curled in the bedsheets, imagining that he was holding Nico’s hand. In his mind, he saw Nico smile and heard him whisper the words back. Nico leaned closer, touched Will’s shoulder, and kissed him. The kiss lasted so long that Will forgot how to tell time and turned to liquid under Nico’s hands when they started to roam over his body. Will imagined himself responding and answering Nico’s touches with his own. Every time Will’s hands felt him, Nico’s skin would flush, his body would arch, and he would make the most amazing, mesmerizing sounds. They would whisper words of love over and over again, even when it was over, and then they would hold each other until morning.

Yes, Will decided; intimacy with Nico sounded quite nice.

* * *

Nico did manage to fall asleep at some point, but he woke up feeling groggy and confused. When he remembered what had happened the night before, he groaned and hid back under his blankets.

“Get up,” Reyna demanded, pulling the blankets back down. “There’s no point in lying around feeling miserable. Today, you’re going to put on a nice suit and walk to breakfast with your head held high.”

“Impossible,” Nico scowled, trying to dive under the blankets again.

“I will raise the kissing quota if you stop acting so pathetic.”

Nico pulled down the blankets a little bit to peer out at her. It was rare for Reyna to resort to bribing. “You’re lying, aren’t you?” he said skeptically.

“I’m not,” Reyna assured. “I will allow more kisses per day if you get out of bed right now and wear a smile.”

Nico considered. “It’s not worth it,” he decided, then covered himself in blankets again.

“I swear to the gods!” Reyna shouted.

After a bit more bickering, Reyna did manage to get Nico out of bed. Unfortunately, he’d missed the opportunity to raise the kissing quota, but he wasn’t sure if Will wanted to kiss him anyway.

But when they got to the balcony, there was Will waiting for him wearing a sunny smile like nothing was wrong at all. If anything, he looked happier than usual.

“Good morning,” Will said. “I hope you slept well?”

“Yes, thank you,” Nico croaked, even though he hadn’t. “And you?”

“Very well, yes,” Will answered. He sounded surprisingly genuine.

“Good,” Nico said. “Well, shall we—”

“Wait,” Will said, grabbing Nico’s arm before he could sit down. “I wanted to tell you that...I mean...I wanted you to know...uh...I love you.”

Even after what I did last night? Nico wanted to ask, but Will didn’t give Nico the chance to question him. He kissed Nico for so long that he started to feel dizzy from holding his breath. With Will’s warm lips moving slowly against his, Nico was melting, falling into Will. Yet he was weightless—his feet were lifting up from the ground and all that kept him from floating away was the need to touch Will.

Nico’s fingers grasped Will’s sleeve firmly to keep himself grounded. For the first time, it was like Will understood the way he made Nico’s heart race, his mind spin, and his body ache. Will knew exactly what he did to Nico. And Will wasn’t disgusted or afraid; he chose to touch Nico even though he was aware of the way Nico reacted to him. And yes, Nico was afraid that he’d become aroused and ruin everything, but he knew that if he hadn’t scared Will away before, he certainly wouldn’t that time. Nico loved Will, he wanted Will, and maybe it wasn’t completely shameful that he felt the way he did.

When Will pulled back and waved for Nico to take a seat at their table, Nico glanced over his shoulder at Reyna to confirm that he hadn’t imagined that Will had, in fact, kissed him. Reyna just smiled at him and took a few steps back.

Nico turned back to Will and cleared his throat as they sat down. “We should talk about....” Nico gestured vaguely between them.

Will nodded in agreement as a maid in silver came to pour their tea. Nico waited until she left for Will to speak, but even after they were alone, Will just watched him patiently like he was waiting for Nico to start. Nico cleared his throat again and tried to think of how to start. Finally, he said, “I was afraid that you’d be disgusted.”

“By something like that?” Will said with a disbelieving shake of his head. “No, of course not. It was normal physiology.”

Nico took a deep breath. “But it means...you know what it means, don’t you? About how I feel about you?”

Will was silent for half a second before answering. “Yes. I know.”

Nico waited. Will didn’t continue. He took a deep breath and asked, “What about you?”

Will’s smile wavered and he glanced down, away from Nico’s eyes. “I intend to follow the rules of courting, Your Highness.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

Will nodded. “I know.”

Nico waited, but Will didn’t add anything else. “Never mind,” Nico said, trying not to sound disappointed. “It doesn’t matter right now anyway—”

“Wait,” Will interrupted. He started to say something else, but stopped. After trying a few more times, he smiled sheepishly. “Last night, I stayed awake for hours planning what to say, and now I’m suddenly too nervous to talk,” he said with a shy laugh. “At least give me the chance to explain?”

“What do you mean?” Nico asked.

“I mean that we went too far yesterday, but I didn’t dislike it,” Will said. “When we kissed like that...I felt good.”

“Oh,” Nico whispered. “I...I did, too.”

“Yes, I noticed,” Will said, his cheeks reddening. “And I think that I would also like...uh...with you.”

Nico was so distracted by how pretty Will looked wearing that embarrassed expression that it took a moment for him to understand what Will had said. “That’s...you would?”

Will nodded and he put his hand on the table between them, palm up. Without even thinking, Nico took it. “I love you,” Will said simply and easily, like he wasn’t at all embarrassed or uncomfortable about his feelings. He put his other hand over Nico’s on the table and squeezed it. “Yesterday, you asked me if I’d ever felt the things Sappho wrote about, and I have—with you. I know what it’s like when your heart beats so hard that it hurts. I get cold chills when you whisper in my ear. My limbs feel numb every time you kiss me. And this is all new to me, but I think when it’s with you...that would be very nice.” He cleared his throat. “We can’t, of course. I think it would be wise for us to have someone chaperoning at all times to ensure that what happened yesterday doesn’t happen again.”

“I understand,” Nico said.

“That being said,” Will continued, “I know that you have a tendency to break the rules. So perhaps it would be alright to push the boundaries a little bit.”

“Oh,” said Nico. The taste of Will’s mouth was still lingering on his lips, but it was fading. Suddenly, his desire to kiss Will came roaring back and he had to bite his cheek to distract himself from his desire to pounce on his fiancé. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

“Well, I did enjoy what we did yesterday,” Will said, running his thumbs over Nico’s fingers. “And as long as we don’t let it get out of hand...I said having a chaperone would be ‘wise,’ but I think we can be wise enough on our own.”

“Reyna caught me coming back in last night,” Nico said with a shake of his head. “She’s moving my room to the upper floors so that I can’t sneak out the window at night again.”

“Pity,” Will said. “Well, we’ll have to think of something else. I’m sure there will be another opportunity to sneak away at some point this week.” He raised Nico’s hand to his lips, kissed it, and gave Nico a reassuring smile, and they spent the rest of the meal plotting their escape when they weren’t too busy kissing.

#Nico di Angelo #Will solace #solangelo #solangelo fanfiction #solangelo fanfic #royalty au #arranged marriage AU #solangelo arranged marriage au #pjo Arranged Marriage au #pjo royalty au #solangelo royalty au #pjo fanfiction #my fic #toa #trials of apollo #Heroes of Olympus #hoo #pjo #Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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arrowheadproductions · 6 years

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Glad you're back and super excited you're extending your repertoire (if that's what you want to call it) to other fandoms aside from Arrow. I love your writing and I'm actually a huge PJO fan so I was soooo happy to see you're into it too. Can you possibly do a fic of Percy being on the swim team? You can include whatever ships you want (:

Yes! I love Percy Jackson and have for pretty much the past 10 years since I got into reading the books in middle school. It’s always held a soft spot in my heart as one of my favorite universes and I’m always open to writing about it. Anyway, without further adieu, here’s this little beauty (slightly suggestive themes, but nothing smutty/explicit)

Speedos- Rated T

Percy Jackson never ever saw himself as someone that would be considered a jock, but that all changed when he got to college.

I never believed I would ever, in my life, be at the top of the food chain in school. Sure, I’ve beaten Titans, Gods, and saved the world a few times, but I still never expected this luck would translate into my “real” life in the mortal world.

This all changed when I got to college in California. I managed to squeak into UCSF after being on the waiting list forever while my girlfriend got a full ride to Berkeley. I’m still not sure how I got into school at all let alone a school that’s 45 minutes away from Annabeth. In case my life decides to resume its regularly scheduled dose of trouble, we’re both pretty close to Camp Jupiter and I have my car on campus.

But anyway, my heart leapt in my chest the way it does when I’m hungry and finally getting dinner when I realized that California was stereotypically full of swimmers. And my school had a pretty good swim team that made you popular. The popularity thing isn’t a big deal for me, since I know who my friends are and don’t really need too many people in my life that I have to lie to or anything, but it was nice not being treated like gum on the bottom of people’s shoes.

Of course I made the team. I can breathe underwater. Do you know how much of an advantage that gives me? Before you accuse me of being cocky or conceited, just remember that I have been given one real gift in this world and this is it.

I do take a breath for show every lap, which is still super impressive to the mortal eye, but also let’s them know them I’m not a robot or anything.

That wasn’t to say there weren’t some steep competition. Some of these swimmers made me question if whether or not my father broke his pact more than once in recent years. They’re all super skilled and clearly have put in the work since they were little. So, I actually need to try if I want to earn my place.

Everyone is pretty cool with me, though. They’ve all tried to ask who my trainer is and my records (that I don’t have), and very few are really buying that I’m just a normal dude that loves to swim. They’ve stopped pestering me though.

Oh Gods, there is one downside to swim team and that’s the actual suit. It squishes everything (and I do mean everything) all together to be on full and compact show for everyone to see. It leaves very little to the imagination and resembled really ugly panties.

I made a pretty big mistake of mentioning this to Annabeth one Friday night she was staying over in my dorm. My roommate actually ended up being a Gorgon, who I had to smite during orientation (boo!). So, I got my own room (yay!).

“It can’t be that bad.” She called from outside the bathroom, though I could hear trying to stifle her amusement.

“I’m not coming out.”

“C’mon, Seaweed Brain. I’m going to have to see you in it tomorrow at the meet anyway and that’ll be in public.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.” I grumbled.

Everyone is coming to my first meet tomorrow: Annabeth, Mom, Paul, Grover, Hazel, Piper, Leo, Jason, Frank, Nico, Tyson, and even Chiron. My old Latin teacher is about to see me in in tight, glorified tidy whities and a swim cap.

“You’re never going to want to see me, let alone touch me, again after you see me in this thing.”

“I find that very hard to believe.” She said dryly. “I’ve seen you in a toga, remember?”

It took about 30 more minutes to convince me to come out and honestly, my growling stomach had a lot to do in the efforts. She played to my weaknesses and I was finally coaxed to exit the bathroom and likely embarrass myself in front of my girlfriend.

When the door flew open, she did the decent thing and looked at my face first, which I appreciated, but my face was likely the color of a firetruck, which made her eyes wander downwards. When she caught sight of the navy atrocity that left very little to the imagination, her eyes went wide like silver moons and a deep blush flushed to her cheeks and neck.

She shifted awkwardly as she choked down a laugh. “That’s not… so bad.”

I felt like I was on fire and couldn’t meet her gaze. “You better just be laughing at the swimsuit.”

This time, her eyebrows shot to her hairline before she threw her head back and actually laughed.

I immediately turned on my heels, determined to swim in a full wetsuit tomorrow. I even considered wearing one under all of my clothes until Annabeth used her quick reflexes to grab my hand before I could go.

“I’m not laughing at you.”

“You could have fooled me.”

She pulled me close so our chests were pressed against each other. I could feel my skin getting hot for a whole different reason. She stopped laughing, but her eyes still sparkled with merriment.

“It’s a bad suit, but everyone looks funny in them.”

I couldn’t find it in me to be annoyed with her while she was very pressed against me and her hands stroked over my shoulders approvingly. She cupped my face and brought my head down in a slow kiss.

“It makes your butt look good though.” She said in between the kisses she layered down my jaw. I stood paralyzed like a big dumb dope, because I’m so gone for her.

“Everyone’s going to laugh at me.” Though this was becoming less of a worry or fear as she worked her way down my neck.

“Probably.”

“You’re full of encouraging words.”

She chuckled against my skin and I swear all of the blood left my head.

“In my defense, I’m trying to stop talking.”

I quirked an eyebrow at her in disbelief. I was still adjusting to this aspect of our relationship, which was still relatively new to us. In baseball terms, our senior year of high school brought us around the bases whenever we were alone together for too long, lingering quite a bit at second and third. This summer at camp had officially taken us to home plate. It still amazed me every time that she liked me this way.

“Really? But it’s a hideous suit.”

“Yeah.” She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck. “You should take it off.”

And that was how I’d come to terms with the worst part of swimming. Everyone did laugh at me. A lot. But, I rewarded them all with a “spontaneous splash” when I dove into the water. Everyone that didn’t already know was wondering how I managed to do that with a regular dive.

“He did that on purpose.” Grumbled Jason.

“Why wouldn’t he? I’d be embarrassed to wear that too.” Frank said emphatically.

“It’s not that bad.” Annabeth tried.

“Oh yeah?” Leo asked. “What’s that on your neck?”

I could feel her glare from across the gym and tried my best not to laugh.

I got over the judgment when I took first in my 500 IM. I swear I’ve never heard my mom cheer so loud in her life. Then again, I never gave her much reason to growing up since I sucked at all other sports and never exactly made scholastic decathlons. Grover accidentally bleated a few times, but the others were kind enough to try and cover it with whistles and whoops.

“Yeah Percy!” Piper cheered as they all stood to their feet.

“Leave it to the son of the sea God to win a swimming race.” Jason smirked.

“I think you’re just jealous that Quidditch isn’t a thing so you don’t get an advantage.” Teased Nico.

“Quidditch actually is a thing.” Annabeth said. “You just don’t fly.”

Hazel struggled to see. “Frank, I told you not to sit in front of me!”

“Sorry…” He said awkwardly.

“Does he get a medal?” Leo asked.

“Do you think he’ll let me eat the medal?” Grover tried.

“No way!” Sally nudged him. “I’m hanging that up in my house forever.”

I grinned as I reached over the lanes to shake hands with the other swimmers beside me. I ripped off my cap and shook my shaggy black hair. I was getting used to actually being wet unlike when I went swimming at camp or on adventures.

I slipped on a pair of trunks over my speedo like most of the other guys do (except some who are strangely proud) before making my way over to the stands. Grover clapped my back and Annabeth leaned over the rails to kiss me before complaining that I tasted like chlorine. My mom ruffled my hair while Paul winked at me in pride.

My teammates were excited too and lifted me on their shoulders since we won the meet. They dumped me in the water, of course, but that was hardly a punishment.

I loved college.

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth #pjo #ap's fics #my fics #request #swimteam percy #i want to continue this idea tbh

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blackgwenstacy · 6 years

Text

‘tis the season (to be merry)

[shows up five days late with starbucks and a gay fanfic] hey y’all merry chrysler

Happy holidays to @connorstolll !! I was your secret santa for @pjosecretsanta2k17. I hope you enjoy your Solangelo college au <3

word count: 2,200

summary: Will Solace is a little in love with his roommate, and holiday party shenanigans only confirm that he’s a lot in love with his roommate.

warnings: alcohol use, a few f-bombs, and STEM major roasts

There’s a certain feeling one gets after taking their very last final of the semester. A freeing feeling, like the entire world has been lifted off their shoulders and each anxiety-ridden thought suddenly flees from their mind.

Will hasn’t felt this relieved since before the semester started. After those stressful weeks, he wants nothing more than to spend his break sleeping, eating, and binge watching Netflix.

And pining after his roommate. His dorky, adorable, oblivious ass roommate.

Will’s had somewhat of a crush on his college roommate, Nico di Angelo, for the past six months. They’ve roomed together for a year now, but it took some time for Will not to be intimidated by Nico’s dark features, brooding expression, and his infinite knowledge on the secrets of the universe.

Once Will had grown used to all of that, however, boy was he gone.

It’s not like Nico seemed to notice any difference in the way Will was acting toward him. It was quite ironic to Will, especially because Nico was the one who loved to rip characters apart and analyze their every word and action. Watching any movie with Nico was one hell of a psychoanalysis.

Then again, Will could be a bit more. . . expressive about his affections. But it’s not like he was letting every opportunity to admit how he feels slip through his fingers, allowing himself to suffer in silence.

(That was exactly what he was doing.)

“Hey,” he calls out upon entering his dorm, stuffing his lanyard into his backpack and tossing it at the foot of his bed. As much as he’d like to sleep forever, he told Travis he would attend he and his brother’s party tonight, so he ought to get ready for that.

“Hey,” Nico responds. He’s in bed, occupied with a rather thick looking book, an empty mug of coffee resting on the nightstand next to him. Will frowns, already knowing Nico was hardly going to pay him any attention, hyper focused on whatever literature he was studying. “How was the Physics exam?”

“Physiology. Anatomy and Physiology.”

“That’s not the same thing?”

“I’m just glad it’s over.” Will plops onto the stiff mattress of his dormitory bed, removing his boots and peeling off his socks. “I thought you were finished with assignments?”

Nico doesn’t look up from the book. “I am.”

“Then why are you reading—” Will gets up, crosses the short distance between their beds and bends over slightly to glance at the book cover, “—Canterbury Tales?”

Nico still doesn’t pay Will any mind, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses. Will struggles to ignore how adorable Nico looks with them on. “I’m taking English Lit next semester— ”

“Oh my god.”

“Did you know J.K. Rowling got inspiration for the Tale of the Three Brothers from the Pardoner’s Tale?”

Will did not know that, and actually thinks it’s pretty cool, but he’s still in disbelief of the fact that Nico was still studying, even after all of his finals.

“Aren’t you tired of reading?”

“Me, the English major, tired of reading? Preposterous.”

“Don’t you want to do something fun?”

Nico drops the heavy book in his lap, taking on a defensive tone. “I think literature is very fun, thank you.”

“Okay,” says Will, “and action potentials are as great as Disney World to me, but even I want nothing to do with them after talking all those exams.”

“You, the STEM major, want nothing to do with action potentials?”

Will chokes back his laugh. He want’s Nico to take him seriously, his sarcasm be damned.

“Take a break, man.”

Nico frowns, taking off his glasses, and Will tries not to look disappointed.

“I don’t know,” Nico sighs. He crawls across his bed and shoves Canterbury Tales into his overflowing bookshelf kept at the foot of it. “It feels weird. Like, I keep thinking there’s something I should be doing.”

“What you should be doing,” Will starts, “is rewarding yourself for surviving Hell Week.” He drops the bomb. “The Stolls are having a holiday party tonight. You should come with me.“

Nico looks the opposite of intrigued. “No, thanks.”

“Come on, Nico,” Will stresses, “You haven’t left the residence hall in two weeks. You’ve only left this dorm room to take your finals.”

“I think having to evacuate last week because Leo started a fire in the communal kitchen counts as me leaving the residence hall.”

Will rolls his eyes. He knows Nico doesn’t have much of a party personality, but some of Nico’s friends would be there. It would be good to catch up with them and get some human interaction.

“It’ll be crowded, and noisy,” Nico objects. “Did you know noise is one of life’s most common stressors?”

Will hums, and quips, “So is loneliness.”

Nico glares at him. “You know, when I decided not to request a different roommate next semester, it’s because I thought there wasn’t any way you could possibly get more irritating.”

Will ignores the jab. “Are you sure it’s not because you love me?”

Nico amusedly raises one of his eyebrows.

“Fine,” Will relents. “I’ll go by myself. Alone. Even though loneliness is one of life’s most common stressors—“

“You are the biggest Drama Queen,” says Nico.

“Says you.“

Nico rolls his eyes, standing up. “Fine, I’ll go. But not for long, I’m already mentally exhausted.”

“Okay, cool,” Will says calmly, though on the inside he was dancing on flowers and rainbows. He gathers up his toiletries and his towel. “We’d better shower. It starts at seven.”

“You better not use my fucking stall, Solace, I swear to god.”

Will doesn’t know what he was expecting when Nico agreed to go to the Stoll’s party with him. Perhaps he thought Nico would spend the whole time sitting quietly, keeping to himself and counting the minutes until it would be over. Maybe he thought the festive atmosphere would warm Nico’s heart like his smile did to Will’s cheeks, and he would confess his love to Will after the two shared a cliche kiss under the mistletoe.

Whatever he was expecting, it definitely wasn’t this.

“And since we’ve no place to goooo, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” Nico sings, or slurs rather, along with Dean Martin’s suave voice. His face falls. “I can’t believe Jon Snow died.”

“He came back,” Will reminds him.

Nico’s face lights up, and so does Will’s heart. “Woah, you’re right.”

They sit next to each other on a raggedy green sofa in the Stoll’s apartment. There’s music playing in the background, the playlist going back and forth between traditional Christmas songs and whatever’s on the Hot 100 this week. There’s a few dozen people that are here, most of them Will knew by association. They’ve only been here an hour and Nico’s on his third cup of eggnog.

“I’ve been thinking,“ Nico starts, “when I was a kid they made us pick grass and put it in a box under the tree for the camels to eat on Three Kings Day and when I was a kid I didn’t question it but now I’m not a kid and camels don’t eat grass. Wait—do they?”

Will isn’t sure if he’s amused or concerned by how many conjunctions Nico just used in one sentence. Nico has a conniption every time Will uses a comma in an unnecessary place when they text.

“—They live in the desert. There’s no grass in the desert. Wait—is there?”

Nico doesn’t indulge in alcohol very often. Not that Will has ever seen, at least. He wonders if he usually sings Christmas carols and talks about camels when he’s drunk.

He watches as Nico scowls and peers curiously into his red cup. “I think there’s something in this eggnog.”

“Yes. Rum. I told you that before you drank it.”

Nico’s eyebrows raise, far enough for his bangs to hide them, blinks with wide eyes. “Oh shit.”

Then he shrugs, and downs the rest of the spiked drink. Unbelievable.

Will snorts. “You’re going to regret that.”

Nico grins mischievously. “Me, the college student with an existential crisis, having regrets?” he says, looking about the room. His eyebrows fly into his hair again. “Does Percy have samosas?”

Nico stumbles to his feet, and disregards Will as he chases down Percy for some of his samosas.

Well, at least Nico wasn’t miserable, Will thinks. He was enjoying himself, sort of. This could’ve been worse.

Will sits through a horribly rehearsed, yet hilariously iconic Mean Girl’s Jingle Bell Rock reenactment by Leo, Piper, Percy, and Jason, and a marshmallow eating contest between Cecil and Lou Ellen. It’s been twenty minutes and Nico still hasn’t returned. Will hopes he’s not throwing up eggnog and samosas in the bathroom right now.

He waits five more minutes before getting up to go look, passing a couple passionately making out under the mistletoe in the hallway. He checks the bathroom, which happens to be empty, and unwillingly checks the two bedrooms, which are not so empty. He hopes the Stolls change their sheets before they crash later.

Having no luck thus far, Will ventures into the kitchen. Maybe Nico’s judgement wasn’t totally impaired and he decided to find some water to flush his system. Or he was looking for more eggnog.

“Hey, Will,” a familiar voice says. Connor Stoll, sitting atop the kitchen island, grins down at him. He has a red solo cup in one hand, the other rests around the shoulders of his boyfriend, Mitchell. He raises his cup. “Eggnog?”

Will shakes his head. “I’m good.”

“DD?” Mitchell asks.

“Well, I guess so now.”

Mitchell raises a pierced eyebrow.

“I came with Nico. He’s kind of tipsy.”

“It’s Grandma Stoll’s famous holiday eggnog,” says Connor, raising his cup in praise. “Pure fuel.”

“Hey, have either of you seen him? I’ve been looking for him for half an hour—“

“Found him,�� Mitchell smirks, pointing with his cup. Next to him Connor bursts out in rambunctious laughter.

“Oh, yeah, he’s feeling merry, all right!”

Will spins around, and — Oh. Oh.

Nico was dancing rather uncoordinatedly in the middle of the living room, surrounded by a dozen people, an Ariana Grande song blaring from the speakers. Everyone whoops as the dark-haired boy gyrates his hips on an offbeat.

Will lets out a bark of laughter, unbelieving of what he was witnessing.

“Strip tease!” a voice that sounds suspiciously like Leo yells.

Nico smirks at the suggestion, but doesn’t move to take off his clothing. That is, until, he catches Will’s eye in the crowd of people.

He sends Will a wink, and begins to pull off his sweater. Will can feel his stomach flip, his face heating up.

There are hoots and hollers, and people scramble to pull out their phones. It only seems to egg Nico on more. Will thinks there’s a bit too much liquid courage pumping through his veins.

He. . . should probably stop this. Nico would be mortified in the morning if Will let him give all their classmates a drunken strip-tease.

Nico’s stripping doesn’t advance very far, however, because his sweater promptly gets stuck over his head. Everyone roars with laughter, Nico’s giggles muffled by the knitted fabric.

Will grows anxious at all the phones recording tonight’s events. There was no way Nico wanted to be the center of everyone’s social media attention. He pushes his way through the crowd, grabbing at Nico. “O-kay!”

He pulls the drunken man away from the limelight, into a less crowded hallway.

Nico speaks from inside his sweater. “Will, is that you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m stuck.”

Will laughs fondly. “I see that. Here.”

Will helps Nico pull his sweater back down. Nico huffs and ruffles his hair, looking flustered.

“I think,” says Will, fixing Nico’s bird nest hair, “you’ve had too much eggnog.”

Nico hiccups in response.

“We should probably go back to the residence hall,” Will suggests, and Nico nods exaggeratedly in agreement. His brown eyes catch on something above them.

“What?” Will asks, and follows Nico’s eyes. Oh.

A mistletoe, in all it’s holly jolly glory, hangs mockingly right above them.

Yeah, they’re not doing that.

“That’s so cliche,” Nico comments, squinting at the fake branch.

“I agree,” says Will. He grabs Nico by the shoulders, spins him around so he can guide him. “Let’s go.”

It took nearly an hour to get Nico back to their dorm. Will struggled with guiding the stumbling man all the way to his car, then had to drive slower than usual due to Nico’s complaints of motion sickness. And as much as he adored Nico, he would still kick his ass for throwing up eggnog and samosas inside of his car.

“Oh, you are going to hate me tomorrow,” Will says to Nico, tapping through the stories on his Snapchat feed. There were various clips of Nico’s clumsy performance tonight. Hysterical as it was, Will felt slightly embarrassed for him.

Nico looks over from where Will had tucked him into his bed. “Enough to change my roommate request?”

Will laughs at Nico for the hundredth time tonight. “I hope not.”

“It’s okay,” Nico yawns before continuing, “you’re a STEM major and I still haven’t requested a new roommate. You could be in league with the First Order and I still wouldn’t request a new roommate.”

Will snorts. He wasn’t sure how Nico could be intoxicated and still manage to be a fucking nerd.

Will puts his phone to sleep, setting it down on his nightstand. He turns in his bed to face Nico. “Why’s that?”

“You said it yourself,” says Nico. Will stares at him for a long time, not quite sure what he meant. Nico smiles at him, and turns in his bed. “Merry Christmas, Will.”

Christmas wasn’t for another week. Nonetheless, Will smiles fondly, and turns off his lamp. He lies down and indulges in the butterflies that warm his stomach. They match the fluttering of his heart.

“Merry Christmas, Nico.”

the Ariana Grande song Nico was dancing to was Wit It This Christmas LMAO

#pjosecretsanta2k17 #connorstolll #solangelo #fic #my writing #mine #Will solace #Nico di Angelo #dsfdjslfsdlkfj i haven't written in so long i hope that was okay #when in doubt just compose the entire fic out of dialogue and nerdy references #i don't hate STEM majors pls no one attack me sdlkfjdsj #also i still have no idea how to write in present tense can u tell

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