#coaster soul: Knott's Berry Farm

[tinytrexstudios]

@coastermaynia Day 3: Silver Bullet from Knott's Berry Farm

[techycatartist]

For the first time in over a year, the sound of a hydraulically-powered launch rang out across Knott’s Berry Farm.

Ka pulled Xcelerator in for a tight embrace.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it here earlier, the flight got delayed a few hours…”

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize-- if there’s one thing I won’t fault anyone for, it’s not showing up on time…”

In typical Intamin fashion, “Xcel” missed its initially-scheduled reopening because the coaster needed more time to “wake up”. But once it did…it went down for technical issues shortly after. Regardless, Xcelerator was now operational for the foreseeable future.

“Apparently, I was supposed to re-open like…two-ish months ago. But allegedly something broke when they were testing my coaster and so Knott’s had to place an order for ANOTHER new part. Good thing it didn’t take as long, because it’s clear that I’ve missed A LOT of stuff. I mean…Cedar Fair and Six Flags are MERGING?! Have I woken up in some kind of alternate dimension?”

“No, no…this is our usual reality. It’s just that we’re now faced with the prospect of one company trying to deal with twenty-seven amusement parks. In my eyes, it’s only a matter of time before they start putting some of them up for sale. I can only hope that the parks that do find themselves in this situation can find a new operator…”

Following Xcel, Ka re-acquainted himself with the other Coasterdroids that called Knott’s their home. In Xcel’s absence, GhostRider had shifted their role as the sole “park leader”, though the two had been co-leaders ever since Montezooma passed the (metaphorical) baton to Xcel back in 2002.

Of course, a trip to the birthplace of the Boysenberry couldn’t be complete without indulging in one of the many treats offered by Knott’s that incorporated it into their recipe.

“Call it basic, but this berry was one of the things I missed the most. Well, that and Cordelia’s fried chicken. There’s a reason why we still serve it all these decades later…”

“Given that I was re-acquainted with it a few hours ago, I have to wholeheartedly agree”.

The rest of the afternoon was spent right at their coaster’s station; Xcel talked to their other cousins via video call, Ka occasionally adding to the conversation. It all happened as dozens of humans moved in and out of the vicinity, completely unaware of the pair’s presence.

“…Man, I didn’t expect to see Storm Runner break down like that. Emotionally, I mean”.

“While this may be because of our more frequent contact, I believe that they had missed you the most out of all of us. Given what they’ve been through, it must be a relief that you were just as they had remembered…”

This seemed to shift the mood of the conversation.

“Oh, right. I completely forgot. Wildcat’s Revenge is an entirely different Coasterdroid now”.

“They opened back in June, and yet their parkmates are still keeping Wildcat’s Revenge in the dark about it”.

“I can’t imagine being in their shoes— realizing that you took someone’s place, from someone who was never offering up their spot. But I don’t have to imagine how it feels to lose someone when their coaster’s still around…or at least part of it is”.

A plain, brown construction wall blocked entrance to anyone who wasn’t allowed to be there.

“When I woke up this morning, I noticed that Timberline wasn’t with the others. Turns out they had passed away a few months ago. Back in July, GhostRider woke up one day to find their coaster walled off— and it was completely demolished two weeks later”.

Xcel glanced down at the concrete, misplaced guilt creeping back into their soul.

“I know…I know. We’re not supposed to last forever. Tim’s manufacturer has been defunct for decades now. Their coaster was far from Knott’s star attraction— It was only a matter of time. But if Silver Dollar City can give a season’s notice for Fire In The Hole, what’s stopping other parks from following in their example? Is it because it was a “kiddy” coaster, and therefore didn’t deserve the park’s attention? I couldn’t help but be blindsided due to my situation, but why would you put my family through that?”

“It seems that Fire In The Hole is an exception to the norm, sadly. While some coasters may show their decline plainly, others are caught off-guard by their closure. Timberline may have been approaching an inoperable state, but if it wasn’t impossible to keep them around, they should have at least made it to New Year’s”.

“I can only hope that we’re welcoming someone else into our family next year; It’s the only thing that would make this less painful. But if Kings Island is still waiting for a Vortex successor, maybe I’m giving Cedar Fair— or the amalgamated “Six Flags”— too much credit. Unfortunately, Tim’s not the only one we’re missing around here…”

Montezooma’s loop-less structure stood above the two, seemingly abandoned.

“Monty should’ve been back by now. Everything else had been fixed up for the summer, but it’s almost 2024 and the only thing we have are their spikes. You probably know this already, but rumor has it that Knotts realized that KumbaK was the wrong choice— but by the time they figured it out, something had gone terribly wrong. Not the first time this has happened to Knott’s, though at least Windjammer…operated. Not consistently, mind you, but it was there for three years until Knotts had had enough and sued TOGO…”

Something about Xcel’s recount had struck a chord in Ka, though not in a good way.

“…Though it seems like money is the real issue here, because if they weren’t listening to their wallets, maybe we could’ve had Gerstlaurer handle the refurbishment. Y’know…the company that was FOUNDED by a former Schwarzkopf employee?”

“They had also handled Sooperdooperlooper’s new trains and Psyke Underground, if I recall”.

“Even better! They have prior experience working with Schwarzkopf’s coasters. But I guess KumaK's offer was too good to refuse…”

There was something else that came to Ka’s mind; a rumor that Zamperla had offered a multi-ride “package deal” to Cedar Fair. If true, it was the reason why Carowinds got a set of new flat rides this year. It was the reason why Cedar Point had installed Wild Mouse for their new “Boardwalk” section.

It was the reason why they were in charge of Top Thrill 2, instead of Intamin.

Though, a good price was not the only factor at hand.

Cedar Fair, perhaps more than any supposed discord between park and manufacturer, had become entirely disinterested in dealing with Intamin.

But Ka had hoped that the two would’ve “buried the hatchet” by now.

Instead, the reins were handed over to a manufacturer—while competent in their own right—had never taken on a project of this scale before.

“But even if they sue KumbaK, even if they win…I don’t think they can bring Monty back, Ka. I mean…the loop is gone-- and it was allegedly a complete mistake on the contractor’s part. Worse, they may have also damaged the foundation beyond repair. They may be able to make a new loop, but if they don’t have any strong ground to put it on, why would they even bother…”

“You recognize that these are all rumors, right? It’s not wise to assume all of that is true, or if any of it was in the first place”.

“It’s hard to ignore them when Knott’s has said nothing about it, and if all of that isn’t the reason why their coaster is half-demolished, then what is?”

Xcel’s composure was rapidly degrading.

“If it was going to end up like this, they should’ve just laid Monty to their eternal rest. That way, we would know for sure that they’re gone…!”

At that moment, not providing Xcel with the emotional comfort they needed would be cruel— but Ka’s mind had already latched on to the apparent parallels between Montezooma and TT2.

Frankly, it was odd that Xcel hadn’t noticed it themselves, or even asked Ka about TT2.

So, in that moment, Ka buried his feelings and helped Xcel process their grief.

Realistically, it was likely that the refurbished “MonteZOOMa” would have little memory of their past life, given the drastic changes; this also applied to TT2. Ka was already grappling with the idea that the connection they had with their sibling has been lost to time.

The thing worse than losing his sibling in spirit would be to bear witness to TT2’s failure.

Zamperla had, at the very least, made good on their intention to refurbish it.

But just a little over a month later….

A video had been attached to a text message.

“Their coaster has hit a major milestone. I feel that TT2’s return is imminent…”

On the morning of December 13th, Top Thrill 2 completed its first full-circuit test, accompanied by the sound of their excited parkmates.

To say that Ka was relieved was an understatement.

Given the time difference, Xcel wouldn’t see his message a few hours later— but he knew it would be a great thing to wake up to.

After all, it had only been a couple of days since Knott’s formally announced “Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister”, a Zamperla-made kiddy coaster and intended successor to Timberline Twister.

Ka forwarded the footage to Xcel with his own message;

“Good Morning. Millennium sent me this footage today— it has brought hope that I desperately needed, and I think it will also bring some to you”.

[gothpanda]

A Little Bit of Attitude Ch.25: Nikki Promised

WORD COUNT: 6.0k 

A/N: I started Midnight Sun so i might turn emo in my writing lol I used to LOVE Twilight

WARNINGS: Angst! 

TAGS: @madamsixx​ @emariehorror​

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April 11, 1985

Walking hand in hand down the streets of Knott's Berry Farm with colorful lights gleaming everywhere and screams from roller coaster rides, Sammi cheerfully munched on a funnel cake that Nikki held for her, getting pieces fed to him at times. The two sat down on the closest vacant bench, Sammi sucking her fingers dry from any powder sugar that clung onto her skin, smiling like a child to Nikki. "Happy, Princess?" asked Nikki, snatching the final piece of funnel cake for himself. "Yes, I am! You're just proving to be very surprising these days," said Sammi. Nikki only shrugged his shoulders with a proud smile, looking out at all the people passing by them. "What can I say? I'm a man of mystery, you don't know what else I can do," joked Nikki, wrapping his arm around Sammi's shoulders. Sammi moved closer to Nikki, kissing him on the cheek, seeing his cheeks turn a light hue of pink. But maybe those were from the lights all around the place. "I still can't believe you've never been here. You've lived in California your whole life," expressed Nikki, playing with the ends of Sammi's hair around his fingers. "What can I say? I'm a woman whose parents didn't listen to my fun ideas," said Sammi, pouting playfully with a shrug.

"Oh, you poor soul. The princess didn't get something she wanted. However, did you live?" sarcastically asked Nikki, playing into Sammi's pout. Sammi shoved Nikki's shoulder, laughing along with the man. "You want to ride another roller coaster?" asked Nikki. For a moment, Sammi pondered scanning until seeing a lit Ferris wheel at the end of the road. This gave her a romantic idea that she didn't know Nikki would be up for right off the bat. Straightening up her shoulders, Sammi put on her best coy smile to Nikki, who can see the wheels turning in her head. "Maybe we can go on the Ferris wheel? See everything from high up?" suggested Sammi, fluttering her lashes at Nikki. Nikki only gave a short huff. "If you say please, then maybe," said Nikki. "Pleeeeeease," exclaimed Sammi, smiling big. Nikki stood up and laced his fingers with Sammi's hand to pull her up. "Alright, Princess. Whatever you want," said Nikki, kissing Sammi sweetly.

August 11, 1985

Gloomy weather came to a surprise for all of Los Angeles, raining the entire day since the morning. The rain calmly hit against the windows of apartment buildings, darkening the rooms. Emma and Sabrina walked down the hallway of their friend's apartment, carrying a bottle of wine in one hand, and the other holding a carryout bag of Sammi's favorite restaurant in the city. Standing right in front of apartment 23, Emma gently knocked on the door and let out a huff to Sabrina, not knowing what Sammi they were going to get. Emma knocked again but still got no answer. Sabrina moved Emma to the side, hitting harder a couple of times until they received no response. Sabrina leaned against the door to think while Emma glanced down at their feet, noticing a welcome mat beneath them.

"Sam really can't be that gullible and leave a key under the mat. Right?" asked Emma, grabbing the bottle of wine from Sabrina's hand, seeing her lift up a corner to reveal a spare copy key. "Never mind then!" Sabrina unlocked Sammi's front door, peeking inside to see everything dark in the living room. The girls slowly walked into the apartment, turning on a single light to find their way to the kitchen counter, placing their offers down. They could hear a radio softly playing in Sammi's room, sad pop music down the halls.

"Jesus. Not this again," Sabrina said under her breath, walking down the hall with Emma in tow, pushing Sammi's door open. The bedside lamp dimly illuminated the bedroom, curtains open to show off the gloomy weather. Sammi lay curled in the queen-sized bed, every blanket covering her, only a tuft of hair could be seen. Emma and Sabrina gave looks of worry to each other, Emma stepping in to turn off the radio while Sabrina yanked the blankets off the bed. Sammi groaned in annoyance, covering her face as she blindly searched for the sheets to cover herself.

"Go away!" groaned Sammi turning her back to the girls, smothering herself in the pillows. Emma sat at the foot of the bed, grabbing a thin black flat sheet to still give Sammi some comfort and cover her. Sabrina joined, feeling empathy that her friend had to go through this… again with someone she liked.

"We brought you some Italian food! It's from your favorite place," chimed Emma, a soft voice falling on deaf ears.

"I'm not hungry," moaned Sammi. Emma and Sabrina exchanged looks once more, sighing at the struggle of talking to Sammi.

"It's already going to be 7. Have you eaten anything today?" asked Emma.

"Come on, Sam, you can't be hiding in your room all day. You already did this whole routine," noted Sabrina.

"Sabrina's right, Sammi. It's not good to be this sad over Nikki," expressed Emma.

"Right, because you two absolutely know how I fucking feel right now," said Sammi, muffled in her pillow.

"You feel like shit because Nikki lied to you. Trust us, you can get over that while his ass is on a bus driving up and down the country," said Sabrina.

"You did it with Vince! I'm pretty sure Nikki won't take you that long!" chimed in Emma, squeezing Sammi's calf for reassurance.

"How about you two just leave me alone and fuck off? And while you're at it rat on me to Athena, Emma," spat out Sammi, still face down in her pillow. Sabrina rolled her eyes, getting up from the bed, ready to hit Sammi with a pillow. Emma only stayed calm, knowing why Sammi was acting difficult.

"Fine then! Cry about Nikki for all we care! I'll go with Emma and tell Athena every single little thing about the two of you. All the little dates you had behind everyone's back! Every time we had to cover for your ass. I'm sure Athena would love to hear how we're great friends," threatened Sabrina, crossing her arms as she looked down at Sammi, staying in place.

Sammi groaned, sitting up with dried tear marks on her face, making her complexion pink and splotchy. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to be a bitch," said Sammi, pouting at Sabrina. Sabrina sat back down on the bed, changing back to being sympathetic and kind. Emma grabbed some tissues from the nightstand, passing them for Sammi to wipe her face.

"We know you don't mean it, but why are you so hard on yourself? You're almost angrier this time," asked Emma, grabbing onto Sammi's hand. Slouching and letting out a heavy sigh, Sammi pushed away from her unkempt hair from her face before speaking. Sammi knew Emma and Sabrina were going to be there with open arms and ears, she just needed to remind herself about it.

"It's different. It's a different kind of lie that I let happen and didn't question. I could've been more on top of Nikki," confessed Sammi's slumping against the headboard. "I knew something was going to on with him, but I still managed to be dumb and naive,"

"You can't blame yourself because of Nikki's choices. He's the one who chooses to lie to get high. And if I'm being honest, no matter how hard you tried, he would've still found a way to get that drug," reassured Sabrina. "What makes you think it your fault?"

"Because I was with him almost every day!" agonized Sammi, rubbing her eyes. "How is it not my fault if I saw him shirtless and didn't see the needle tracks?"

"Sam, are you sure you're not just blaming yourself because another relationship failed?" asked Emma, knowing this sounded harsh but still needed to be said. Sammi looked away from her friends, thinking about everything, even if she felt drained.

"I thought he could've been different. Nikki promised…" wept Sammi, wiping away tears with her tissue. Emma and Sabrina reached out to Sammi, hugging her with all the love and care she needed. Sammi sobbed against Sabrina's chest, feeling Emma hug her from behind for comfort. It didn't take long for Sammi to stop herself from crying, sniffling as she pulled away from Emma and Sabrina, laying back down onto the bed. Sammi was confused about the emotions she dealt with, wanting the universe to give her a new deck of cards to play with. Her feelings kept getting hurt in the process, making her early twenties not so fun. Sammi felt helpless in this situation, wanting to help the men she cared about getting better. Vince's feeling alone didn't make her feel happy, it only made Sammi worry out of her heart's goodness. She then has to see a man Sammi had similar feelings for slowly killing himself by his choice. Sammi asked why did this have to fall in her lap and not just a life of simplicity. Emma and Sabrina laid down by Sammi, looking up at her ceiling while thinking of positive reinforcements to give out.

"You're going to be okay. You need to remember that, Sammi. What makes you think you can't move on from this bump in the road?" asked Emma.

"Because I don't know how long this is going to last. I don't know if he's going to stop anytime soon. I don't know if he's going to influence Tommy to try it. How can I just watch him shoot up behind closed doors? I can't just stop having feelings for the kid within a day," begged Sammi, dragging a hand down her face.

"I can see your points, but he's still a grown man at the end of the day. Maybe Doc can help out in some way," suggested Sabrina. Sammi stayed silent, beginning to get lost in her deep thoughts. She thought about ways to distance herself from the band, almost like the last time Sammi did it. The one flaw in this was now, Sammi had been more involved with Motley than before. She didn't know what to do for once or how to react anymore. Sammi just stayed silent until Emma brought up the fact they had food for all of them. They all got up from the bed and made their way to the living room, Sabrina trying to find the corkscrew in Sammi's kitchen. Sammi dropped herself into the dining chair, looking ahead at the chair that Nikki kicked two days ago. She could see a small chip on the wood corner, hoping no one notices it enough to ask.

"Here. You're going to love some ravioli for your soul," smiled Emma, placing a cardboard takeaway container in front of Sammi. Sammi only remained silent and began slowly eating while sipping on a glass of wine Sabrina placed down. Resting her cheek against her palm, Sammi glanced at her TV stand to see a photo of Nikki she took. She only sighed out and stared down at her food again.                                                              * 

In the most extravagant tour bus they have ever gotten to ride, Nikki sat in the corner as the band all drove down the night road. Vince was already asleep in his bunk and Tommy talking on the phone with Heather in the backroom, Nikki only staying silent among everyone. Head resting against the thin wall with hazy eyes, Nikki played with the necklace around his neck, head racing about the one girl that could never leave his mind. The man didn't know what to do after his outburst with Sammi, silencing the thoughts with any drug he could find along the way. Tommy would cut lines of things that were mixed by himself, noting it as Zombie Dust. Nikki didn't care what was in it; he just wanted something to erase Sammi from his mind. The short months of their romance affected Nikki in a way the man never asked for. He thought sex with Sammi was only going to be that sex with someone he shouldn't touch. Nikki didn't ask to catch feelings for a girl who brightened up everything around them and had a heart of gold. The man never asked to have Sammi give him genuine affection, something Nikki rarely felt. He wasn't the kind of person who knew how to like someone without the influence of drugs. Nikki was a shy man that felt big with something in his system. The short times he was 'sober' were when Nikki had Sammi around him, making him think freely for a moment. It made him notice how things aren't all about sex and that a person sometimes needs kindness from others. This scared Nikki, resulting in him creating a mess to hide in rather than accept it.

Mick broke Nikki's lost thoughts, sitting right in front of him while facing the sinking feeling of his bones again. Mick groaned as he tried to get comfortable in the seat, raising an eyebrow to Nikki. Nikki only gave him a nod, still playing with the necklace. "You okay, Nikki?" asked Mick.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just tired already," lied Nikki, looking out the window for a moment.

"That was fast. It's only been one show, and you slept through the final soundcheck," croaked Mick, sipping from the legitimate bottle of water he had in his wand.

"Well, my alarm wasn't working. Sorry for missing everything, I thought it was perfect the first time," barked Nikki, scowling at Mick. Mick only let out a huff, reconsidering asking this kind of question if Nikki was already in a bad mood.

"Listen, I'm not going to beat around the bush. Why didn't the little girl come to the show?" asked Mick, seeing Nikki scuff to himself and bite the inside of his cheek.

"How the fuck should I know? I'm not her babysitter," told off Nikki.

Mick cleared his throat, pressing his lips together as he leaned closer to Nikki over the table. "Yeah, but you are hooking up with her. That's a fact," whispered Mick, showing Nikki he would keep this conversation between themselves. Nikki's eyes shifted from Mick to the window, not knowing if he should be honest.

"How the fuck do you know that, Mick?" cautioned Nikki, hiding his hands from the table, nervously rubbing them together.

"You really think I can't put two and two together? I see how both of you look at each other after Vince fucked up, even before he fucked up for that matter. Every time we're at a strip club or bar, you suddenly don't want to be with other women, especially if Sammi's around. When she left for Miami, you passed up a girl that was throwing herself at you. Made up some dumb excuse for doing it. You aren't as slick as you believe, Sixx," answered Mick. Nikki only stayed silent, looking away from Mick as if he were a child getting caught with stolen candy. It was almost precisely that, Nikki getting caught, he took Sammi away from Vince's chance of reconciliation. "So, what happened, huh?" Nikki relaxed his body, slumping further into the seat.

"Vince told Sam I was still doing smack even though I promised her to stop. So we got into a fight at her place, and she said we were over," shared Nikki, resting his head against bare knuckles. Mick shook his head at Nikki, reading the emotions on his face.

"Well, Sixx, what are you gonna do now? Choose drugs over a girl who's way better than the trash that comes by?" questioned Mick, crossing his arms.

"It doesn't really fucking matter. She'll find some asshole that isn't like me or go back with Vince. I can see it already," spat Nikki.

"And what makes you think she'll choose Vince over you?"

"Because she's done it before. If he's nice enough and breaks it off with Sharise, she'll do it again. Trust me," said Nikki with negativity, reaching into his pocket to pull out a baggie filled with Tommy's zombie dust. As Nikki spread it out on the table, he could see Mick's disappointment staring straight at him. Nikki ignored that look, snorting three lines and forgetting everything as fast as he could. "Fuck Sammi," mumbled Nikki to Mick, feeling his brain turn off. Mick only shook his again before standing up slowly. "We both know you don't mean that," uttered Mick as the older man began walking to his bunk. Nikki could only rub his eyes, having the image of a betrayed Sammi in his mind.

September 10, 1985

The courtroom was freezing cold where Sammi sat, feeling the air vent hit her back as she sat next to Doc one row behind Vince. Cameras were all over the courtroom, the trail feeling like an eternity. Sammi biting her nails until Doc nudged her to stop. Vince nervously bounced his leg under the table, looking at everything but the judge. He would occasionally look over his shoulder, smiling a tiny bit at Sammi. Vince didn't see Sharise in the audience, mentally cursing at himself.  'She's still in Nebraska, isn't she?'  thought Vince, rubbing his chin with anxiety. When everyone finished giving their statements about what happened almost last year, the judge stayed quiet until he decided.

"Vincent Neil Wharton, you are here by order to pay 2.5 million in restitution for the death of Nicholas Charles Dingley. Do you understand this, Mr. Wharton?" the judge asked, looking over his glasses at Vince. All Vince did was nod. "Alright then. Thank you, everyone, for your service today. Court is adjourned," the judge announced, hitting his gavel against his desk. Sammi let out a sigh of relief, dropping her head as she looked up, almost thanking god for cutting Vince some slack. Vince wiped off the sweat from his palms on his pants, shakingly standing up from his seat. He put on his sunglasses to not face the cameras, keeping his head down low the entire time. Sammi and Doc followed Vince from a few steps away, ignoring all the cameras that flashed around them. It wasn't until they were all in the courthouse parking garage that Vince let out the biggest sigh of relief. He leaned over the hood of his car, thanking anything in the universe for being helpful.

"Vince!" Vince straightened up to see Sammi run her way towards him, making the man open his arms wide. Sammi accepted the hug gracefully, swaying together for a moment as if they were dancing while holding on tight to each other. She couldn't help her smile into Vince's shoulder, Vince feeling the same way. "I'm so happy this over," confessed Vince as the two pulled away still with a smile. Doc came behind Sammi, patting Vince on the shoulder.

"That makes all of us, Vince. It's good we can close this chapter up now," said Doc. "Now we can get back to what's important,"

"When are you two going back on the road?" asked Sammi

"Thursday. It'll give Vince enough time to have a clear head for the road again," answered Doc, looking down at his watch. "I have to get going, but you two get home safe. And don't do anything illegal anymore," warned Doc as he walked away from the two to find his car.

"I promise! Sammi will take care of me!" shouted Vince, getting a confused look from Sammi. "What? You don't want to celebrate?" Sammi tugged her ear for a moment, thinking if this was the right idea.

"Celebrate how?" questioned Sammi, raising an eyebrow.

Vince shrugged his shoulders. "We could just buy some beers and burgers? Head to my place,"

"I am not going to your house!" protested Sammi, shooting a look at Vince as if he was a crazy man.

"Oh… right. Then your apartment is perfectly fine!" smiled Vince, hoping it could make Sammi say yes to him.

"Fine we can go to my place, but you're buying the burgers and beer. I'll meet you back at my place," accepted Sammi, turning on her heels in the direction of her parked impala. Vince smiled at himself as Sammi walked away, bouncing the balls of his feet.

                                                           *

A laugh echoed in Sammi's apartment, music playing in the background as the two sat on the floor in front of a coffee table while drinking a small cold 8 pack of Budweiser. Vince trying not to choke on his beer, withholding a chuckle from the story Sammi was telling of her childhood.

"I'll be right back. My hands feel gross from all the burger grease," said Sammi, standing up from the floor and heading to the restroom.

This gave Vince a quick chance to scan the living room after not being inside for a long time. Nothing drastically changed, except for new throw pillows and more photos on her tv stand. It was then that one photo caught Vince's attention, making him stand up to have a better look. He grabbed a polaroid that appeared out of place, seeing precisely what Vince thought he saw. Nikki relaxing on Sammi's sofa with a smile and a guitar in his lap, shirtless. Vince frowned hard at the photo, facing Sammi as he heard her walk back into the living room. Sammi scrunched her eyebrows at Vince for a moment, until seeing the picture in his hand. She tried to keep her composure, not reacting in a way that could be obvious.

"Since when the hell did Nikki come to your place?" asked Vince, holding up the photo.

"He's been here a few times," shrugged Sammi, sitting down on her sofa.

"Enough times to be shirtless in here?" Vince asked again, raising an eyebrow at the girl. Sammi scratched the side of her neck, looking away from Vince as she attempted to think of a lie.

"We… we had gone swimming that day with Emma and Sabrina. He… he brought his guitar to show us some new stuff," nodded Sammi, swallowing away her nerves. Vince narrowed his eyes at Sammi, studying every single movement she made. Vince knew precisely when Sammi was lying or when she needed to cover something up. The girl was horrible at it like she would say.

"You're terrible at lying, Sammi. We both know that for a fact," said Vince, keeping his distance from Sammi. Sammi rubbed her fingers together, trying to maintain eye contact with Vince. "Why did you take a photo of Nikki shirtless? And why was he in your apartment, looking like this?" asked Vince slowly, almost trying to be intimidating for Sammi's confession.

Sammi bit her lip as she looked up at Vince with scared eyes, breathing out a heavy sigh. "Because I've been sleeping with him," admitted Sammi, looking down at her hands. Vince's tense feeling left his body, dropping his shoulders as he stared at Sammi with lips gaping open. Vince didn't want to believe it, but at the same time wanted to yell that he knew all along. He threw the photo onto the coffee table, feeling his heart begin to race.

"I fucking knew it. I fucking knew he'd try to snatch you up," Vince whispered under his breath. "Since when the fuck have you two been going behind my back? Huh?!" shouted Vince.

Sammi still didn't dare to look right into Vince's eyes. "February," mumbled Sammi.

"When in February? After you flushed his drugs and he got angry at you? That shit put you in the mood to go to him?!"

"It was the same night I flushed his drugs… but Vince that wasn't the first time we had sex," confessed Sammi, looking right at Vince's angry eyes.

"Did you fucking cheat on me?" questioned Vince, scowling deep to Sammi. Sammi curled her lip, bolting up from the seat to stand up for herself. Her emotions went from guilty to annoy in a matter of seconds, staring coldly at Vince.

"No, I didn't fucking cheat you! Fuck you for saying that shit! Nikki and I had sex before we all went on tour. It was before you and I were even in a fucking relationship," barked Sammi, flaring her nostrils as her blood boiled.

"What the fuck Sammi?! You yourself told me that nothing happened!" snapped Vince.

"Yeah well, I lied. I guess we're both liars, except I had some decency unlike you!" criticized Sammi, pointing a sharp finger at the man.

"Decency? You fucked one of my friends! How does that make you decent?!" Vince shouted, stepping closer to Sammi.

"Oh, you really wanna talk about fucking friends? Please remember that the reason I went to Nikki was because I was pissed at you for fucking Amanda. And after all of that my dumbass still chose you!," told off Sammi, not afraid of Vince coming to her. Vince shook his head, pushing the hair out of his face.

"So you're a dumbass for being with me? You really think that?" asked Vince, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes I am! Because if I didn't forgive you the first time I wouldn't have gotten cheated on!" yelled Sammi, her voice cracking as she felt a knot in her throat. She blinked away the tears that were on the brink of escaping.

"Can you please stop bringing it up!?" begging Vince.

"Why?! It happened! You fucked me over! Twice! You're not a saint, Vince. You can't be mad at me for doing something that didn't involve you!" shouted Sammi.

"So my feelings can't get hurt because you slept with someone else?"

"They can feel hurt, but don't act like I did something horrible when I was still your girlfriend. I didn't cheat on you. I never touched anyone when I was with you because I loved you. And I told Nikki that every time he tried to do something. Even with the few times, he said you were going to hurt me," shuddered Sammi, looking down at her feet.

"And I love you. You're the only woman I can say that to. I love you and I am sorry for everything I did. But I don't want my chances to be ruined because of Nikki," said Vince, gently holding onto Sammi's shoulders. Sammi pushed Vince away, stepping towards the window as she dropped her head in the palms of her hands.

"Nikki and I are done. I yelled at him for the heroin and said it was over," said Sammi, leaning on the window sill with crossed arms to keep her guard up. "But Vince… the idea of you and I again isn't going to happen any time soon,"

Vince looked away from Sammi, seeing the happy polaroid once again. He thought about how that was the few times Nikki smiled for anything. All the man did was grab his blazer from the dining chair, putting it on in silence. "Alright, Sammi. I'm going to leave you alone. If you say us getting back together isn't going to happen, then I'll leave it. If you want to have fun with Nikki, then you go do that. I'm not going to stop you from living," declared Vince, keeping his gaze away from Sammi. "I just have one question,"

"What is it?" Sammi replied, wanting Vince to leave.

"Do you believe you can love Nikki the way you loved me?" asked Vince as he looked right into Sammi's eyes, studying her beautiful face to see if she would say no.

"I can't answer that. It's not simple," lied Sammi.

"Yes, it is. Even if it's just a hunch," uttered Vince.

"I don't know, Vince. I really don't know," answered Sammi with full honesty. This only made Vince not say another word, turning on his heels as he headed to the door, leaving Sammi alone. Sammi dropped herself onto the sofa, dragging her hands down her face, exhaling as if she was holding her breath for a long time. She reached over the coffee table, grabbing the polaroid that began this mess. Sammi smiled from seeing how soft Nikki appeared, reminding her of something beautiful.

May 5, 1985

"I'm so happy I got some new film for my camera!" beamed Sammi, dashing down the hall with the polished piece of equipment in her hands. Nikki relaxed in the small living room, feet up on the coffee table while lazily strumming on his new acoustic guitar. The sun shining into the apartment on the days turning into summer. It was a peaceful afternoon where no work obligations needed to be done, and the couple would hide away without anyone knowing. Nikki was starting to enjoy these moments. Nikki's attention got pulled by a flash as he heard the camera print out the picture. Sammi pulled the photo out, shaking it as it developed.

"Why'd you take a photo of me?" questioned Nikki smirking at Sammi. Sammi only shrugged her shoulders with the playful smile on her lips, tiptoeing her way in front of the sofa.

"You looked so nice that I just had to take a photo," giggled Sammi, aiming the camera right at Nikki. Nikki bit his lip to withhold his smile, trying to keep the same tough-guy appearance he always upheld. Nikk stiffened his face, frowning while hiding his eyes behind his hair as he posed for Sammi. Sammi shot a look at Nikki, tilting her head in a scowl. Nikki raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Can you smile please?" asked Sammi with a pout. Nikki groaned but still couldn't help and laugh from Sammi's request. "Fine, but don't tell anyone I smiled," threatened Nikki, giving a genuine smile at the camera. It was soft, showing a small glimpse of his teeth and made Nikki look different. The difference filled the air with warmth, not thinking about anything. Sammi snapped the photo in glee, dropping it on the table to develop. "Your secret's safe with me," said Sammi, falling on the empty space by Nikki.

Nikki looked down at his guitar for a moment, strumming along with the small smile still on him. It disappeared when he felt the aches of no heroin in his system anymore. Nikki just swallowed hard and tried his best to act normal around Sammi, not wanting to see her beaming mood go away.

Sammi closed her eyes, resting the photo against her forehead, letting out an exhausted sigh. All Sammi wanted to do was sleep without a care in the world, not wanting to think about Vince running to everyone with her secret. Her mind began to wonder about how everyone on the bus would react. Would Tommy freak out on Nikki and yell at him? Would Vince hit him as soon as he sees Nikki? Is Nikki just going to act like an asshole to everyone, say nothing mattered to him? These thoughts ran through Sammi's mind before anyone knew about them, but now they're permanent.

September 12, 1985

` Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang  "What the fuck," muttered Sammi, frowning as she slowly tossed her legs off the bed. The clock on her bedside reading 6 in the afternoon.  BANG BANG BANG BANG.  "Okay! I'm coming!" screamed Sammi, speeding to the front door. With a strong force as she opened the door, Sammi's dark wrinkled eyebrows turned soft, surprised to see Athena scowling immediately.

"What's wrong, Athena? Why are you trying to break my door?" asked Sammi. Athena didn't answer, pushing past Sammi and threw her purse on the breakfast bar. Closing the door behind her, Sammi carefully walked to Athena, racking her brain with questions.

"You know for someone who is so bad at lying, you've gotten pretty great at it!" told off Athena.

"What?" questioned Sammi, scrunching her eyebrows at Athena.

"Vince came by my place the other day. He came to tell me a story about my little sister hiding a whole relationship. And it just so happened to be with the one person everyone told her to stay from!" shouted Athena, stabbing her index finger right onto Sammi's chest. Sammi didn't know what to say, standing frozen as she averted her gaze. "Why are you messing around with Nikki?! I freaking knew you were hiding something and I should've said it!" Sammi scratched the side of her neck with flushed cheeks, scared to see the betrayal in Athena's eyes. "Well?!"

Sammi sighed out, slouching her shoulders as she tried her best to explain. "What did Vince tell you?"

"That you and Nikki have been going behind everyones back since February. That you two had sex before you all left last year. Why? Tommy and I told you repeatedly to avoid Nikki, especially knowing Vince liked you!"

"Yeah well I got with Vince and look where that fucking got me! You don't even know Nikki, Athena. You've never given him the chance to get to know him," argued Sammi, aiming to keep her voice at bay. She didn't want another yelling match and a neighbor to be knocking like last time.

"I don't need to know him to know that he's just some loner who loves drugs. He's good at playing the bass. That is all I will give him in good qualities," said Athena, cringing at the thought of Nikki. Sammi narrowed her eyes at Athena, tilting her chin.

"You do realize that Tommy falls into that category of loving drugs right? And so does Vince. They all love drugs, trust me I saw it first hand. Where you and I also partook in it!"

"It's different!"

"How?! How is it different?"

"Because it's not hard drugs! Tommy, Mick, or Vince aren't sneaking around shooting up. Is that why you like Nikki?" stated Athena, frowning

"Would you even care to know why I like Nikki or are you just so far up Vince's ass that you can't listen?" asked Sammi.

"What? How am I up Vince's ass?!"

"Giving him my number! Being on his side after he cheated and saying 'people make mistakes'," said Sammi in a shriveled tone to mock Athena. "Stop thinking about Vince and be my sister! This is why I never told you!"

"I already told you I was sorry about that, but can you honestly tell me Nikki is better than Vince? If you two got together, you wouldn't be crying or fighting?" asked Athena, stepping closer to Sammi.

"We're not together anymore, but I can say from the bottom of my heart that while Nikki isn't perfect, he still made me happy. Like I said, you don't know him and you probably never will," sighed Sammi, feeling the sadness of the past month creep back up into her chest. Athena could visibly see the expression Sammi held, not knowing if she could say anything right. "It's over and I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm not even going to be seeing him for months so it's perfect," mumbled Sammi, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Then maybe it's for the best. I just hope nothing bad happens over on the bus. Vince already left," said Athena, folding her arms against her chest. "I do have one more question," Sammi shrugged her arm and rolled her eyes to signify Athena to ask away. "Did Emma know?"

"Yes, Emma and Sabrina both knew but not right away. Please don't get mad at Em for holding my secret," begged Sammi, biting the inside of her cheek.

Athena sighed, shutting her eyes. "Alright. I won't. She was your friend first,"

"Thank you. Now, do you want to have dinner or…?"

"Sure, I'll help you cook," said Athena, walking over to hug Sammi. Sammi was hesitant at first, but still wrapped her arms around Athena's waist and rested her cheek on her shoulder. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with Nikki," Sammi stayed silent, pulling away from Athena as she began walking to the kitchen. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Sammi didn't need to think about Nikki or Vince for a long while. Those two men played in her mind at random, and Sammi only wanted it to stop. Praying that no one makes a phone call to her about any of these, and Sammi can be normal for a moment.

[canarhys]

hOLY SHIT I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT BUT JFC I LOVE IT AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DUDE Can you make a Valdangelo Godswap AU? You might know what this is from, but could you do Aphrodite Nico with Athena Leo? Leo's like a HUGE nerd and Nico's super hot and cute and always has glitter on his face, obsessed with pink, etc jfc, Leo has a huge crush on Nico and Nico also has a huge crush on Leo, but both of them are sO OBLIVIOUS and are constantly trying to improve themselves for eachother :))

“piper. piper, please explain this. piper, i’m legit about to start crying right now, you have no idea—“

“dude,” the daughter of hermes interrupted, “just like...breathe.”

[[MORE]]

“i can’t!” leo threw his arms up in the air, the predicament he was facing clearly taking a toll on his mental state — not good for a son of athena. “piper — have you seen him? i physically can’t speak whenever he tries to talk to me!”

“it’s just nico, leo,” piper soothed her friend, whose emotions were the equivalent of a knott’s berry farm roller coaster. “you went on a quest with him one time.”

“that was a year ago!” leo exclaimed. “when i had no clue that i had a crush on him and we weren’t totally awkward with each other.” his face suddenly curled in horror. “oh my god, i had acne back then. he probably thinks i’m ugly—“

“okay!” piper yelled out, grabbing leo’s arm and pulled him out of the hermes cabin quickly, making him yelp when, in a split second, he was outside and he could actually taste the oxygen on his tongue. piper placed her hands on her hips as she looked at him taking back in the air he lost. “better?”

“physically, yes,” he answered. in contrast, his brain was having a fucking field day. because only ten minutes ago, piper had brought to light the idea that leo had a crush on nico — the revelation which had caused the son of athena to have a mental breakdown because he was that oblivious to his own feelings. and it wasn’t something to feel proud of, because leo had felt that he understood everything about himself up until now.

so he didn’t even bother to question why he felt his face flush whenever nico complimented him, or why he felt butterflies in his stomach whenever nico placed a hand on his shoulder. and it made him internally scream to no end at how, for a child of an intelligent goddess, he was such a dumbass.

“well, you’re fine now,” piper said. “i haven’t seen you have this much of a heart attack since the whole jason incident... for the same reason. god, athena kids are hopeless romantics.”

“shut up, piper!” leo flapped his hands. “i just need to think for a second.”

his friend’s face contorted into sympathy, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. it made leo feel guilty. whenever something was ‘too much,’ he tended to lash out because he was having a crisis wrapping his head around whatever was happening. he apologized but she told him not to worry.

“it’s just... i just... i don’t even know,” he mumbled, burying his face in her chb t-shirt. “i think i like him... a lot? he’s really cute and i’m really bad at confessing my feelings for people. plus he’s a child of aphrodite! he’s basically out of my league.”

she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eye. “i’m sorry, whose brilliant idea was it to create demigod cell phones that don’t attract monsters?”

leo didn’t answer and she nudged him slightly before he mumbled a small “...me.”

“and who was able to behead an entire column of cyclopes with a single ballista fire?”

leo started laughing. “me.”

“and who fought the leader of an army of rabid hellhounds and speared him through the chest?”

“okay, okay, i get it!” leo exclaimed, his smile crinkling his eyes. “that was me.”

“if you are able to defeat a rogue demigod in under a split second, then you are out of nico’s league! if he doesn’t return your feelings, then he has to raise his standards!”

leo snorted before hugging piper tight, the touch-starved soul within him begging to encase his best friend in a big hug. piper really knew how to rile people up.

“piper, have i ever told you how amazing you are?”

“i mean... i always knew, but okay.”

leo would’ve punched her if she wasn’t being amazing right now.

suddenly he felt piper shift under his embrace, he looked up and saw her with an uncomfortable expression. “uh, dude—”

“valdez?”

his heart suddenly stopped at the sound of the gravelly voice that belonged to the one and only man of his dreams. he turned around on impulse, which was a mistake because he was suddenly frozen on the spot and his fingers weren’t even moving an inch and leo was pretty sure his mind wasn’t any better because nico was right there—

if you asked leo valdez what his favorite thing about nico di angelo was, he probably wouldn’t answer and just spontaneously combust. nico di angelo had an inch on him, less thin limbs and more... well, hotness. he had smooth olive skin with galaxies upon galaxies of freckles, curled hair that was currently in a weak (yet cute) ponytail, and he was wearing a pink leather jacket with studs and clips. his dark eyes were glittered up under the lids, giving him almost a fairy look that nearly made leo collapse on his own.

leo probably looked like a gaping fish, his face dark and flushed. nico wasn’t helping. because he wasn’t saying anything either and leo really needed him to hand him a subject because if he wasn’t, leo was going to accidentally fall into his arms and kiss him senseless—

“can i...” nico started, before clearing his throat. leo was swerving by the raspiness of his voice. “can i talk to you for a minute?”

leo glanced at piper, who was hiding a thumbs up that only leo could see. he looked back to nico and could only nod.

leo said his goodbyes to the daughter of hermes and followed his crush to camp half-blood’s lake, a shimmering blue that reflected the sun overhead, a small dock leading out towards the water. leo caught sight of some water spirits, who waved at him flirtily, and he forced himself not to blush as he shyly waved back.

“that was your friend?” nico asked. he had perched himself on the edge of the small wooden dock, the darkness of his raven hair pulling away by the streams of sunlight illuminating it. he looked gorgeous as the sun cascaded across his freckled skin. his legs were crossed, and he was looking at leo with a weird face. leo didn’t know what emotion he was expressing but he hoped it wasn’t bad.

“huh?” he realized after around 9.5 seconds that nico was talking to him. “oh, yeah, piper! we’ve been friends since we were kids, we’re pretty close.”

nico raised an eyebrow before humming in acknowledgement. what, did he want him to say they were dating or something? leo could never figure him out, which was probably why leo liked him for some stupid reason — the only equation he couldn’t solve.

nico patted the empty space next to him. “sit,” he said.

leo blinked before walking over to where he was, crouching down to sit upon the dock and let his feet dangle over the edge.

“why did you want to talk to me?” leo asked. (if he had been looking, he would’ve seen nico curse under his breath.)

“oh, um, i was lonely... yeah, because my friends are on a date and they’re like the only people i hang out with so...”

leo felt his high hopes drop to a new low. oh. that’s why he brought him here. leo felt a bubble of spite fill his stomach, more towards himself than towards nico. because of course nico wouldn’t want to converse with him in the first place — leo was so insignificant that he was barely a mole on a baby’s ass. the new information already made him want to jump in the lake and leave camp.

“so i’m like your rebound?” he joked, almost sarcastically, and his eyes widened when nico’s head snapped towards him in an almost defensive position.

“no!” he yelled. “i wouldn’t just do that to you. you’re... uh...” he coughed. “you’re fun to talk to...”

the spite bubble popped, and he made a soft “oh.” he really wished he knew how any of his nerdy rants and book reviews were “fun,” since those were majority of his conversations with the son of love. nico was from the 30s, which meant that he didn’t know much from this era and leo had once been a bit of a tour guide. once in a while he would bring up a topic that leo was obsessed with and he would go into a thirty minute explanation into star wars or dc comics. then he would promptly realize that he’s been infodumping and die on the inside.

nico sighed. “look, i really enjoy your company. you’re smart and you have funny jokes.”

leo made a face. “all of my jokes are inside jokes that no one understands.”

“...yeah, but they’re funny when you know the material?”

leo couldn’t help it. he giggled. “sure, you’re just saying that.” he twiddled with his thumbs, dreading for when the conversation was going to hit death valley where neither of them knew what they were going to say. “what do you want to talk about?”

“i don’t actually know?” nico laughed, a short yet heavenly laugh where his eyes closed like butterfly wings and his mouth curled in a dashing smile. “i’m not good at conversation starters.”

“honestly same,” leo replied. “i’m pretty sure all my dialogue has been entirely based on this book series i...” he dragged his sentence before facepalming. “uh, sorry, i don’t know why i’m—”

“no, no!” nico suddenly grabbed his wrists, and leo skin felt cleansed by the touch of fingerless gloves against his arm. “tell me about it.”

leo raised his eyebrow. he had never done this before. “you sure? i can go on about it for an hour and you won’t be able to stop me.”

“no, i’m sure.” he placed leo’s hands back down on his lap. “tell me.”

that was enough of a catalyst to start talking about the latest book collection he had gotten his hands on (in greek, of course), the six of crows duology. he had finished the grisha trilogy just a month ago (in under a week, he might add), and had bought the two books at the camp’s bookstore. he had finished the first book in a single day and read again because it was just that good, but he was struggling to find time to read the other one. he had asked nico if he wanted to hear spoilers (to which nico nodded wordlessly), and leo had then gone into a rant about how dumb kaz was for not actually trying to show inej his feelings or how nina was way too good for matthias (both of which now sounds pretty relevant to the situation), then started screaming about wylan and jesper and wouldn’t stop talking about their cute dynamic and suddenly he was on the topic of grisha as a whole.

the entire time nico was just nodding and looking at him, but as leo was explaining the chemistry of all the book’s relationships, he noticed nico had a lost expression on his face. he was staring at leo, eyes gazing longingly at him with a soft smile and tint of blush on his cheeks (leo suspected it was makeup). the glitter under his eyelashes were prominent, bright pink and gold and adding beautiful contrast to his entire looks. his hair was cascading around his face in ripples. was he daydreaming? leo stopped talking to prove his theory, and nico didn’t stop staring. was he a little too much?

“do i have something on my face?” he questioned, making nico snap back into reality.

“w-what?” nico stuttered.

“you’re staring,” leo mumbled, averting his eyes from the beautiful boy. “i knew it, i’m ranting too much.”

“no, no!” nico exclaimed, waving his hands for emphasis. leo noticed his black and pink nail polish. “it’s just... your eyes are striking.”

leo an inhuman noise, confused. nico realized what he said and immediately tried to recover.

“cause they’re... uh, they’re scary! yeah, they can kill a man in one hit. i should know, i saw you take down a monster twice your size.”

there was silence. it made sense. his eyes were brown, differing from his siblings’ gray ones, yet they were still sharp and jason claimed they made him nervous when they first met. leo didn’t know if he should be proud or not. it was one thing to strike fear in enemies’ hearts. it was another to strike fear in your friends’.

“uh, thanks man,” leo said, internally scolding himself for not having a proper answer. “yours are... neat.”

neat, he screamed at himself. neat! of all the fucking words in the world, that’s what he said. god, athena must be shaking her head in disappointment in olympus. sorry mom.

(it was a travesty since neat was an understatement when it came to nico di angelo.)

“you know what, i’m sorry,” leo apologized, standing up and backing away. “i have a project i need to work on and jake has been asking me to help him with something, i should go—”

“wait!” nico stood up abruptly, which was the worst mistake of his entire life because leo watched in shock as his foot stuttered under the lack of wood under it and sent nico toppling down into the lake below. leo cried out, rushing towards the water and looking over the dock to see nico pop up from the water and gasp for air.

his black bangs stuck to his face, dripping wet with the hair tie forming his ponytail missing. he pulled the strands from his eyes, looking up at leo who had his hands over his mouth as if he was afraid of what nico was going to say next.

“are you okay?” leo asked, trying to ignore how nico still looked breathtaking after taking a dunk into the half-blood waters.

nico slapped his hands down in the water, the flying droplets hitting leo’s face and making him wince. “do i look okay?”

leo didn’t answer, looking down at the dock in shame, and already his brain was about to burst and now he was probably going to cry? because this is like the worst thing to happen to him in forever and now nico is mad at him and he won’t be his friend anymore and all this stuff was making his stomach feel like excommunicating every single acid in it. “sorry.”

“oh fuck, um, wait, oh gods wait, no, it’s my fault i— leo, hold on!”

leo could barely hear him as he did the only thing he could think of doing, not even bothering a second glance as he ran away to the athena cabin.

—

nico was an idiot.

no scratch that, nico was literally the god of idiots. the whole enchilada of idiots with an idiot army by his side.

being a son of aphrodite, nico expected himself to be a master when it came to emotions, especially romantic ones. and it showed, by his ability to patch up relationships between other campers and help them get ready for their dates with his wardrobe expertise. he was able to make monsters swoon by his voice only to set them up to kill them. he was the one, after all, that knocked sense into percy that he had a crush on annabeth.

but all of that was thrown out the window by leo valdez.

cute, adorable leo, who went for hours on end with tv series and science rantings that nico couldn’t even comprehend because he was always staring at his face, starry eyed and so passionate that it made his chest hurt. whose intelligence was able to bring down a rogue demigod general in the titan war. who was so easy to fluster and make laugh till he couldn’t breathe.

so, nothing could have compared to the absolute disaster he was when they talked a week ago.

first strike was when he had forgotten to create a valid reason to speak with him (anything other than him wanting to stare at leo in a non-creepy way) and fucked it up by explaining that he was some sort of rebound. a rebound! leo wasn’t a rebound, he was a goddamn blessing!

then was when he was caught and he replied with, “your eyes are striking.” he tried to ignore that part because he had never been that stupid, and his explanation wasn’t any better because leo probably took offense of him calling him scary (which he can be but nico likes his face).

finally — falling in the lake. the one thing he was not prepared for, making him so pissed off at how bad he was at this whole feelings thing that he accidentally lashed out at leo. it was the worst — seeing hurt cross over leo’s face with a dejected expression, and nico failing to speak a coherent apology before leo took off, obviously wanting nothing to do with him after he was such a jackass.

which he was, no doubt about it. he wondered what he did wrong, sitting by his vanity, now dry and doing his own makeup and applying glitter under his eyes. then he realized that everything from the point he realized he liked leo was wrong, because he should’ve known that he can’t be too prideful in his love abilities. and now he drove leo away.

“don’t beat yourself up about it,” reyna said, the daughter of apollo said, cleaning up her golden arrows with a small cloth. she was visiting the camp from the roman one she stayed at. “i’ve met leo. he isn’t the type to hold grudges against someone.”

“i know that!” nico spun around in his chair, crossing his arms in exasperation. “i feel bad though. if he hates me, he has a reason to.”

“if he hates you, he’s obviously a dumbass,” reyna counterpointed. “are you going to apologize though? because i’m tired of seeing you pining and not making any moves.”

“i made a move and it ended with me swimming with the fishes.”

“the only thing you said was that his eyes were pretty.” reyna leaned closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “step up your game.”

nico scoffed. “i’m getting relationship advice by a sun demigod.”

“i’m being serious.” the daughter of apollo had a stony expression on her face. “it’s important to be yourself, i mean that’s what you told me. but if you want to go all out, go all out. you and leo will continue to avoid each other until you come out to him.”

nico sighed. “okay, but...how?”

reyna grinned, picking up a brush from nico’s vanity. “allow me to help.”

an hour later nico was wearing a mesh t-shirt and black leather jeans with combat boots that were decorated in pink flower embroidery, plus a bubblegum aviator jacket gifted to him by his mother. his hair was let down today, ending at his shoulders and wavy like ocean seas, with clips holding up his long bangs. he had his eyelashes curled and eyelids brushed with eyeshadow, and he looked himself up and down in the mirror along with reyna.

finally his best friend gave him a thumbs up. now the challenge was knowing what to say.

“knock him dead!” reyna called out. “well, don’t actually. but you’ll do great.”

“thanks!” nico called out. he was about to head to the athena cabin until he bumped into someone who ran straight at him.

“oh shit!” the person yelped, and nico’s thought processes immediately malfunctioned. “sorry, my bad— nico?”

the plan was supposed to be talk to leo, ask him out somewhere, then confess to him and wait for judgement. but that plan was basically burned to ashes when nico found himself struggling to form words as he stared at leo. his dark yet clear and stabbing eyes looking up at him, his skin decorated in small freckles under the eyes and beauty marks dotting his face delicately. his wild dark hair was like smoke, and small owl earrings hung from the lobes of his ears. he was wearing a pale blue shirt under his chb tee, blue shorts and high socks, making him look like an absolute nerd especially with a small pencil tucked above his ear and gods, nico could feel himself reaching elysium.

nico registered that he was holding leo to keep the shorter from falling, hands on his tiny waist that made his mind even more jumbled until leo’s loud and rapid voice started speaking.

“oh, nico, thank gods i found you! i wanted to say sorry, i’ve honestly been avoiding you because i thought you were mad at me and you most likely are, and you have the right to because i sent you into the water and i probably ruined your makeup — though you guys probably have waterproof makeup so i don’t know — and i didn’t even help you out which was really stupid of me because i’m supposed to be a nice person and frankly you were dripping wet, wow that sounds really wrong i’m sorry i should probably stop rambling—”

the boy took in a deep breath, but nico was squealing internally about how cute leo was when he rambled. he willed himself not to pinch his cheeks and kiss him on his forehead. “i’m sorry.”

“what?” nico honestly was lost halfway through his rant. “it’s fine, it was my fault. i should be the one apologizing. i yelled at you.”

“yeah but i deserved it,” leo mumbled, looking down at the ground.

“no, you didn’t,” nico retorted, going into defense mode. “i’m sorry, really. you want me to make it up to you?”

leo tilted his head like the goddamn cutie he was. “you don’t have to but... how?”

“let’s head to the bookstore,” nico answered. “you pick out a book and i buy it for you.”

“what?” leo exclaimed, backing up until nico’s hands weren’t on his waist anymore (which totally didn’t make him feel sad). “dude, you seriously don’t have to do that, i mean there’s a library—”

“yeah, but the library doesn’t let you keep the books. i know you like reading them over and over again.” nico held up a bag of drachmas from his pocket. “i have money. you can buy the entire store if you desire. but i’m not letting you get out of this empty handed.”

leo looked ready to go off on an entire explanation of why he wasn’t going to follow nico’s idea, and despite him being one of the best debaters the camp has ever seen, nico was determined to hold his ground because that’s what leo deserved.

leo sighed, noticing that nico wouldn’t budge. “okay, fine!” he groaned. “can i at least pay you back?”

“nope.”

“ugh!”

leo’s worries about this arrangement were quickly diminished though, when leo had seen the fuckton of books that had been added to the bookstore since he had last came there. he was gawking over some of them, even held on to three and continuously checked their summaries to make sure they were good. nico leaned against a bookshelf, non-fiction, staring at leo as he ran his finger across the covers and watched his talk to himself silently, even picking some novels up to read with focused eyes. the son of aphrodite hated how whipped he was, but the son of athena was so pretty that he couldn’t help it.

leo placed one of the books back on the table, though hesitantly. “are you sure you can pay for these?”

nico nodded. “i’m stocked up on money right now. buy whatever you want.”

“i’ll just buy one,” which seemed easier said than done to leo, because he was having an internal debate between two thick novels. he turned to nico and showcased them. “pick, i can’t choose.”

nico scanned the books. one was named the outsider by stephen king, the other children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi. nico had no idea what their summaries were or if they were actually interesting, but he was pretty sure he could pay for both.

“i can buy both of them,” he said. leo was about to protest but nico snatched both of the books out of his hands. “this all you want?”

“i mean, yeah, but—”

“no buts!” nico interrupted. “you deserve this and you don’t get to think otherwise. you want these or not?”

leo nodded. nico smirked. “good. i’ll be back.”

a minute later nico was handing a paper bag of the two books to leo, who almost didn’t grab it if it wasn’t thanks to nico’s prodding. a smile made its way onto the son of athena’s face, fond and filling nico’s empty stomach with butterflies. he looked absolutely gorgeous.

“thanks, neeks,” he said, before gasping and covering his mouth.

nico felt his cheeks heat up. “neeks?”

“sorry, it just came out!” he clutched the books to his chest as if they were a stuffed toy. “you’re really nice, nico.”

nico felt himself step closer towards leo. “it’s no problem.” but it was a problem, because nico was already in leo’s personal space and trying to think other thoughts than kissing him. “you needed this.”

leo laughed, wheezing slightly and light-hearted. “i guess.” he looked up at nico and the son of aphrodite thought he saw him leaning up towards him until—

leo’s face contorted into absolute horror, his eyes widening as they looked at nico’s shoulder. he screamed in terror, jumping and backing up quickly until he hit his head on a nearby ladder that just-so-happened to be placed next to him. nico could barely register leo holding his head in pain before his eyes rolled up into his head and he promptly fell onto the floor, unconscious.

oh shit.

nico looked down at his shoulder to find a daddy longleg hanging on to it. he yelped and flicked it off to gods’ know where, when the reality of the situation hit him. of course a spider would show up. as if the children of athena couldn’t get enough. as if nico didn’t have enough disastrous experiences caused by him already.

nico had brought leo into the infirmary and asked for the apollo kids to give the books to leo on his way out, before rushing to the aphrodite cabin and saw reyna back there, with a sunflower yellow dress, on her demigod phone when nico opened the door with a slam.

“how’d it go?”

nico thought about the day for a single second before walking towards the bed and falling down face first on it, taking in a breath, and muffled his yelling.

son of love? more like son of dumbass.

—

when leo got out of the infirmary, books in hand, he had willed himself not to drown himself in the camp’s lake.

who decided it was a great idea to make children of athena have arachnophobia? because leo had actually tried to kiss nico, one of the boldest decisions in his life, he may add, only to get severely mortified at a fucking tiny saddy longleg climbing over nico’s shoulder, getting a concussion, and passing out. and he actually tried to look cleaned up, with his best shirt and a small pencil to add. was karma doing this? making himself a humiliation in front of the prettiest boy on earth?

he wanted to march up to athena and demand her he take him up to olympus and away from his feelings.

piper had helped him with the incident from two weeks ago, after helping him a week prior when he had felt horrible about nico falling in the lake. now she was telling him, as she was eating from a bag of chips, that he should just confess and get it over with.

“yeah, like that worked,” he grumbled sarcastically.

the daughter of hermes threw up her hands in exasperation. “leo, you have to be shitting me! at this point, you both are oblivious fucks. right now, you march right over to nico’s cabin, tell him your feelings, and hope it goes well. hell, i’m sure he likes you too!”

leo sputtered. “where?”

piper groaned, lolling her head back as if she was begging her heavenly father to take her back to heaven. “nevermind. just tell him you like him.”

and here leo was, in front of the aphrodite cabin, pink and glossy and full of the prettiest people in camp half-blood. leo used to think the kids in there were airheads and lovebugs until he saw them in battle, especially nico, one of the only aphrodite campers with charmspeak. leo wished he had charmspeak so he could beat some sense into himself to go through that deadbeat door.

he let out a breath, clearing out his mind. well, here he goes.

he raised his hand to knock on the door when it opened to... speak of the devil.

“leo?” nico called out, closing the door behind him. he was wearing the same attire he had on two weeks ago, all dolled up and making leo’s face go from normal to seething warm. “i, um, i’m sorry—”

“you’ve got to be kidding me.”

nico blinked before narrowing his eyes. “excuse me?”

but leo was angry, because his emotions have gotten the best of him for far too long and nico was right there, and leo felt all his common sense get thrown out the window and get replaced by anger at the gods for all these bad happenings and shit. he was angry at himself for holding back so long, and angry at nico for not starting something earlier and pretending they could always go back to how they used to be because, frankly, leo was done. he was finished.

“i’m just gonna come out and say it. i like you, di angelo. i like your gorgeous face and your dumb laugh and i like how you try to apologize for things i neither you can control. i literally just figured i had a crush on you like three weeks ago and honestly i’m just done because i’m a son of athena so love isn’t my strong suit which really isn’t that surprising but you get the point. you make me smile a lot and i like it when you hug me and i don’t even know how to interact with you anymore because you make my brain genuinely malfunction and i hate you for it, i hate you but like i like you too and i really want to kiss you—”

he was cut off by nico suddenly surging forward, locking their lips together.

leo made a surprised muffled noise, eyes widening before eventually closing them in bliss, wrapping his arms around nico’s neck and letting the taller hold him by the waist, firm hands grasping him. he felt himself melting in nico’s arms, kissing back and unconsciously bringing his hands up to caress nico’s soft hair.

nico brought up a hand to hold leo’s head, rubbing circles on his back. leo barely remembered that he needed to breathe, and hesitantly leaned away, looking up at nico, who looked as blissed out as he felt. his cheeks were scarlet, his eyes full of hearts.

“wow,” leo muttered. “did you—?”

“mhm,” nico hummed.

“and was i—?”

“mhm.” a fond smile crossed nico’s face. leo felt himself fall in love all over again. “do you want to come inside? just to talk! and maybe kiss?”

leo smiled, glad they were finally being blunt with one another. “i’d love to.”

[tinytrexstudios]

Coaster MAYnia 2021 part 1