#even though will teases nico a lot i think he usually has a good sense for not teasing him about things that actually cause nico distress

[solisaureus]

I didn't think about the fact that Sally could have given Will a change of clothes, and now I'm mourning the comedy potential of Nico seeing his boyfriend wearing his old crush's clothes. You know Will would have been insufferable about it too, there's no way he doesn't tease Nico about Percy already (I guess Sally could have given him Paul's clothes, but it's funnier to me if it's Percy's :P)

im curious about how will feels about percy generally! i dont think hed be jealous of him from a "target of nico's affections" perspective, i think will is pretty secure on that front, but between his interactions with percy in the last olympian and what he might know about percy's tense past with nico one does wonder. Ive read fics where will hates percy, is jealous of percy, is friends with percy, barely thinks about percy. I have my own ideas and headcanons written in my fic Solace. will wearing percy's clothes in tsats wouldve been an opportunity to get that perspective in canon 🤔

[quietrainfan]

Hey! Anyone want some heavy platonic Loceit angsty headcanons I've extracted from the new episode? Well, too bad because it's happening regardless. :)

Yes, also some Unsympathetic Patton. You know what blog you're on. (This interpretation/headcanon shall not die. Not here.)

(Also, this is going to combine my observations and thoughts as well, so sorry in advance if this post turns out as a bit of a mess.)

Alright, so! Orange Side confirmation. How we feelin', Sanders Sides fandom, how we feelin'?

Honestly, the Orange Side theory wasn't something I was really all that into. It was a 'meh, could be cool' headcanon for me personally. But I have to say the way the reveal was handled made me jump in my seat with pure joy. No joke, I audibly gasped when Logan's eyes flashed orange.

It was all downhill from there, I was excited. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a sucker for character's eyes glowing when they've reached their limit or are displaying a power they've never shown before, combine that with an unexpected reveal and I'm sold.

Plus, glowing eyes have been a common theme with Unsympathetic content and Dark Side headcanons so you could imagine how the first peak into the Orange Side's existence (or, rather confirmation. we all saw the 'hello' hint, Orange, you cheeky little munchkin.) was his color in Logan's eyes made me feel. It was so cool!!! Ah!

Then Thomas had to tease us again at the end card with our boy Orange's eyes popping up in the darkness, waiting for his chance to be too loud to ignore. Like, the audacity. Who do you think you are, Thomas?! (That was a joke. Sorry, I'm just really pumped.)

Also, Remus got quite a few laughs out of me. Ah, I missed him.

Okay, headcanon time! We're going to do Logan first, then Janus, then combine the two. Sound good? Alright, here we go (Trigger Warning for discussions of alcoholism, please if anything I write here sounds insensitive or inaccurate, let me know and I will edit. Also, no need to read if you don't want to. Stay safe.) :

Logan

Logan knew where to grab for that alcohol bottle.

I mean, I guess that makes sense since he lives there and is naturally the most observant Side. But...that bottle's placement was a little too convenient.

Sure it was played up as a joke and it was funny.

But something about the way Logan threw his coffee into the sink and quickly replaced it with the wine stuck out to me.

I've joked about Logan and/or Janus having to "drink to cope" due to sharing the single brain cell Thomas has amongst all the chaos. But seeing that in an actual episode, even as a gag, is kind of...different.

Let me explain.

This may be a common thing for Logan that he struggles with.

He wakes up early to be the first one to help Thomas start the day, naturally. Logan goes to make his cup of coffee and there's always the lingering urge to take a sip of wine before anyone can see because he just...can't face everyone without needing just a little bit of it to cloud out all the gross, petty, negative feelings he experiences every day around them.

He's logic. He can't be drinking and risk any more harm to Thomas's function.

So, it's a constant battle with coffee vs wine, coffee vs wine, coffee vs wine-

Most of the time Logan is able to resist and go with the coffee.

It doesn't make him feel good in the slightest. If anything it makes him feel even worse knowing he'll be more alert that day.

Logan hates that was even a thought at all. He needs to be alert. Otherwise everything will fall apart. He is the rock in the system and without him everything will crumble.

Such a selfish mindset. He needed to focus.

Other days Logan just doesn't have it in him to discard the wine regardless of how much he wants to.

He knows what the day holds for him. It was all so repetitive at this point. Logan knew when he wasn't able to get through it despite it all.

That didn't stop him from shaming himself for caving. He should be able to handle this. He's made so much progress with resisting it up to this point but today he through it away again because he just had to, right?

Sometimes Logan finds himself "cheating" by hiding a couple drops of wine into his coffee on days when he chose the coffee but later felt particularly bad about...a lot of things, into his second cup.

Logan more often times chooses neither. The temptation for clouding out the others was just too strong and was a waste of time.

Logan is beyond tired of the others.

Every single action they have agitates him now. No matter how minor it is.

Roman's loud voice and constant references makes Logan's toes unconsciously curl beneath his shoes. Even a silent warm smile and wave from the prince fills Logan with an unpleasant tingle in his knuckles.

Virgil's neverending foreboding and unnecessary nasty remarks that he doesn't even bother to filter provokes Logan's new habit of biting his tongue. Any kindness he ever gives him makes his stomach twist.

Patton's nicknames, poking for for a laugh, his "sweet" way of shoving away any objection he may have, how casually he behaves as if he isn't part of any problems- how quickly he's prepared to "bounce back". Logan feels like every word, action from him something steps on a guitar cord in the back of his mind that makes the ugliest, loud, screeching sound. He feels this strange warm fuzzy ache he can't define. All he hears is that cord playing faster and faster the longer he stays in their presence. Logan no longer trusts himself alone with Patton.

Logan thinks if he just separates from the others long enough, the ugly strumming noise will go away.

But he's so wrong.

Logan can hear it even when he's all alone. When it's finally silent, he still can't get rid of it.

It's loudest when Logan is alone in his room. Logan has lost count of how many nights he's spent clenching his head, quietly sobbing, and praying for it to just go away already.

Logan often feels like he's losing it.

On nights where the sounds are particularly louder than usual, he swears he can see orange shadows creeping around him, lights of the color flashing on and off, he sometimes even sees it seeping in and out of the cracks of his door like a thick fog. At times he'll even wake to it glowing absurdly bright through his window.

It's just the sunrise. Logan tells himself. He has to believe that. Everything else looked normal, after all.

What's worse is Logan doesn't know how long he's been hearing this sound or seeing the strange lights.

Patton knows about Logan's late night and early morning struggles.

But surprise, surprise, he pretends as if he's nonthewiser.

If either Virgil or Roman asks about Logan, Patton will answer: "Oh, that silly billy's probably got his head in one of his astronomy books again! I wouldn't bother him right now."

Knowing full well he's having an emotional breakdown in his room that gets worse every day.

Knowing about the little sneaks of alcohol in his hot morning beverage. Might even speak about yummy drink combinations when they hang out in the living room, while Logan is present, specifically and even only on the days Patton knows he's cheating with his bad habit, while he's still drinking it.

The further Logan is to the edge, the better. Patton is still bitter about the events of Redux ending in his favor, after all. He needs leverage from somewhere.

When Thomas left to see Nico, Logan heard the cord again. His chest tightened and though he could feel the tears welling up, he kept them down.

Thomas hasn't been very happy lately. He had to let him have this.

No matter how loud those cords get.

Janus

I noticed that Janus was either unseen by the others or unacknowledged by them.

Janus was near all of them but far enough that he was separated.

He could've just popped up at the end without them noticing but...that's less angsty therefore less fun so-

Janus has been the instigator for bringing Sides that have been hidden away to be brought to light for a long time. If the assumption that Janus let Remus out is true.

He's always been hinting at upcoming events that are sure to come if Thomas continues to ignore certain aspects of himself.

He knows. He knows our Orange boy is getting worse and soon will be too loud to ignore. Janus wants to protect Thomas but that's becoming harder every day. Thomas is making it harder.

Janus will reveal the Orange Side eventually. And very soon. Hell, that's looking like less and less of a choice considering Logan's...outburst.

I think Janus has this painful awareness that he can be seriously hated for doing his job. After all, he's always the one who's forced them to acknowledge uncomfortable truths about Thomas.

He's the one giving them all of those hard pills to swallow and especially after Remus, it is definitely overwhelming and exhausting to be met with.

They question their roles more and more because of how used they are to the fixed mindset Thomas has had for such a long time.

That can't feel good.

Janus knows that his job may cause more hatred to fester the more that's revealed.

Janus is being kept at arms length and he knows that won't stop any time soon.

But he's a clever snake. That won't keep him from keeping an eye on Patton.

(Find it real suspicious that Patton was all mushy with Janus in that end card but still is at a big distance from him.)

Loceit

Janus will sometimes find Logan in the common room with his head in his arms, sprawled out against the coffee table. His glasses being discarded from half his face, unmistakable tears lazily dripping out of his lifeless eyes.

Janus would wordlessly go to the sink and grab a glass, filling it with water.

Janus goes over to Logan, giving him a gentle rub on the back. He urges him to sit up. It takes Logan a few minutes but eventually does.

Janus hands Logan the water, supporting the back of his neck as struggles to get it down, reminding him to take his time.

Janus takes his glasses and gently sets them on the table. He hands Logan some tissues.

Logan lifelessly takes them and tries to clean his face. But he always ends up crying into them.

Janus moves Logan unkempt bangs from his face before moving his head to his shoulder. Janus manifests a warm blanket over Logan and uses a bit of his abilities to soothe the shorter man's pain, tenderly putting pressure on his neck.

Janus and Logan have a talk. Logan always asks why he bothers to stop and comfort him.

"You've helped me through a lot, Logan. Not returning the favor is out of the question."

That was always his answer.

Janus and Logan do this often.

Janus opens up about sometimes needing a bit of a drink himself from time to time. Though mostly that consists of tea more often than not, he sometimes has a glass of wine or two to relax on days when it's particularly hard.

He feels ashamed of it. Janus has to be the strongest out of everyone, especially the Dark Sides. Allowing things to faze him was the worst case scenario. At least, to that degree.

But Janus understands that isn't his fault and urges Logan not to blame himself, either. While he hated that weakness he occasionally submitted to, he wasn't going to let the rare slip up to define the worth of his role.

Logan thinks that Janus really is the strongest out of all of them just for saying things like that and he's being too hard on himself.

On nights when things become too much Janus will sit with Logan and share a drink. They try to have as many conversations without wine as possible but sometimes Janus says "screw it" and sits with Logan with one or two drinks.

Just having Janus there helps Logan choose his coffee in the mornings and feel as if he's being heard even a little bit.

Now if only those cords could actually quiet down, that'd be even better.

[b00t-s]

Characters Introduction

All characters belong to Thomas and crew, I just altered them for my au ^^

T.W: MENTAL HEALTH MENTION, DRINK (non alcoholic) MENTION, SOME¿ SWEARING, LONG POST, CAPITALS,TELL ME IF YOU NEED ANY OTHERS.

CHARACTERS (if I find motivation I will draw them)

Thomas Sanders, cis Male, he/him: [30]co-manager of "beans and co". He is a wholesome, good natured man and is a proud gay, and cares for others a lot. Thomas occasionly participates in the local theatre community, depending on his schedule and shifts. He is a HUGE fan of Disney, Harry Potter and all things cartoons. He is extremely partial to a certain regular customer, Nico Flores. Unfortunately, he is a pushover and listens to his employees and co-manager more than he should, and can overthink events repetitively, causing him to worry alot, causing him to trip up alot.

Nico Flores, cis male, he/him: [30]regular customer at Beans and Co. ,and a casual songwriter. Thinks Thomas is pretty cute and adores his feeble attempts at flirting. He's quite a cheerful and friendly dude, but doesn't give a fuck about what other people think. He and Joan have some playful banter, mostly to tease Thomas but their senses of humour just go well together. Has a simple coffee order and doesn't interact much unless Thomas/Joan have a shift.

Joan, non-binary, they/them: [30] co-manager of beans and co. They are as smart as they are funny, and can have a lewd sense of humour. They swear too much for a subtle coffee shop, so Thomas tries not to put them on counter jury. They enjoy art so they do latte art that the customers love and makes the Beans and Co customers regulars. Them and Thomas platonically flirt to confuse everyone often and it is a running gag for regular customers. They are the bestest of best friends. They are currently dating Talyn, who sometimes comes in for coffee but not often.

Janus Anguis, genderfluid, xey/xem: [28] been a barista at Beans and Co. for 5 years, mainly night-shifts. Xey have a dismal view and approach to life, as xey believe society is twisted to manipulate all it's inhabitants; in retaliation Xey lie too much and can be incredibly sarcastic. Janus can make amazing coffee if xey're in a good mood or like you, but if you've upset xem in someway, or xey just hate you for no reason, get ready to have the most bitter coffee ever. Xey hate paradoxes, optical illusions and people in general, unless you are one of the lucky select few. Virgil Frica was not in those few.

Virgil Frica, cis male, he/him: [27] barista at Beans and Co. He is stuck in his emo phase but the people in his life find it endearing, which he hates. He suffers from heightened anxiety which he attempts to disguise in a thick layer of sarcasm and dark eyeshadow. He has a hidden talent for poems, which he doesn't mention much. He regularly dyes his hair purple and doesn't give a fuck about the cafe's policy, so Thomas has just given up telling him. His coffee is medi-core. He constantly tells people he hates his job but he hasn't left for over five years and regularly makes banter with the customers. He and Janus have some sort of rivalry going on but the occasionally team up.

Patton Parvus, trans male, he/him: [29] barista at beans and Co. He is the softest little puffball they team has and all co-workers protect him at all costs. However, he does have a criminal record...and you know...depth....*cough cough spoilers cough cough*ANYWAY he has been working at the cafe for nearly seven years now, 3 years after it had opened, and has been the guide for the new recruits. He and Virgil are the iconic friends of the team, known for their playful dynamic.

Roman ‘Princi’ Realeza, demiboy, he/she: [28] regular customer at Beans and Co. ,and is Good friends with Patton and Virgil but hasn't met Janus yet. He is a minor actor in the Local theatre group, the same one Thomas attends, and is always over-dramatic. His coffee order is.....interesting.....and always angers the newbies, so she is generally directed to Patton, who has worked there long enough and is patient enough to deal with Roman. He is a strong feminist and will stand up for others....even if help is unwanted. She is a proud latino, his father being Spanish. His ego is huge but fragile.

Remus ‘Dukey’ Realeza, non-binary, they/them: [28] Remus is Roman's Twin, and gleefully torments him as much as possible. Unlike Roman, Remus took to more of the creative arts than the dramatic arts, and creates beautiful...or disturbing, depending on how you look at it....paintings. They have been married to Logan Realeza for 3 years now, even though them and him seem to be polar opposites. They mainly bond over medical shit as Logan is a brain surgeon and Remus has an unsettling fascination of gore. Remus is too horny for their own Good, and does not hide it, constantly embarrassing Logan. They may not have a fragile ego like Roman, but they do have mild abandonment issues and a disorder called Pica, meaning they crave and eat non-edible items. Only comes to the café when the know Roman is trying to do something important.

Logan Realeza, cis male, he/him: [29] Logan is a extremely talented Brain Surgeon, and has been presented with the Young Neurosurgeon Award at 24. He has autism but hides it well and is very well accustomed to it. He is married to Remus, something he wonders why he loves daily. They do help him alot with his autism, though, and as much as Logan ‘love is overrated’ Realeza will deny, he really does love Remus. A lot. He was the one to propose in the First place, and he does have a soft spot for romantic poems, and oh boy does Remus know that. He and Roman have a love-hate relationship. Logan doesn't understand why Roman must be so flamboyant, and Roman doesn't know why Logan must be such a buzzkill. Only comes in the café when one of the twins drag him there.

AND THAT'S IT FOR NOW! I am going to start working on a plot and things, but you guys are welcome to interact with the characters and the narrator (me), and ask if you want to be tagged, the usual. This can be interactive so again, feel free to give prompts, give tips, ask the characters questions, etc. I know it's kind of a cliché troupe, but this time it's different, I hope. Anyway, that's it! Thank you for taking the time to read this!

[gildedmuse]

How about a Nico Robin x Photographer! Reader where the two of them are searching Poneglyphs and the reader has a camera that he will use to take pictures of the Poneglyphs and mostly Nico Robin

Fair Warning: I've never done a x Reader fix before. I don't know if second person is something I do well. We're about to find out together.

Documents For The Future

"And do you notice how the writing wraps around? Usually, the four sides will carry the same message, as if the creators wished to ensure the entirety of the message remained readae even if the monument itself were damaged in several places. In the few cases where the symbols do not repeat, each of the four faces has it's own message, but here you can see-"

"Actually, I can't." The second the words leave your mouth you feel guilty. In the past four days since the Strawhats landed on your island you have gotten to know a good deal about the crew, so much so you sometimes forget that they are relative strangers - pirates who appeared from nowhere and would surely sail off again soon enough never to return to this little corner of the grand line. And yet, maybe due to all you went through together, or perhaps simply because the crew is so.... Enthused and unrestrained, it feels as though they are old friends. You know their habits, their likes and dislikes, what they sound like when they're arguing and how they sound when they are actually, truly incensed. They are a very outgoing, ridiculous group of characters and you are deeply thankful for each one of them, eccentricities and all. And your grateful to get this chance to know them, though honestly with as wild as they could be it seems it would be more difficult NOT to know them so well.

All except for Nico Robin, who for the most part has seemed more than content to stand off to the side; watching her crewmates antics with a warm smile, offering a small word of advice or an observation, occasionally interjecting to suggest the most morbid of all possible sceneries in such a way that you can't tell if she's teasing or worryingly grim. Just now, examining the Marked Stone (Poneglyph she had called it) is easily the most you have heard her say over the last four days combined. And then you had to go say something stupid and cut her off.

Luckily you have your camera to stare down at, readjusting the lens and fiddling with the knobs. Anything so you can berate yourself with a little more privacy, as you can feel the woman's kind eyes right on you.

"Right, of course," Nico Robin answers in a way you can tell that she is wearing that smile of hers. It is also so unlike the rest of her crew, all of whom have effusive, bright smiles (even, it turns out, the swordsman though it took until enough sake had been poured in his cup at the town festival in their honor for you to catch sight of it). They are as open as their hearts and spirits, utterly unrestrained and boldly on display.

And you respect and admire that about the pirates, you truly do.

Robin's smile is different, though you can tell theirs just as much joy in it as there is the animated, elated smile of their captain. Perhaps her joy is not as flashy, not so wild or unrestrained as that of her crew mates, but it looks honest. And you like to think you have a good eye for such things.

There is plenty of sincere happiness in Robin's soft, gentle smiles, but there's a lot of years of pain there, too. Maybe it's the artist in you, but such a paradox is alluring. You want to be able to capture it and study all it's secrets.

Which you can't do if you insist on staring down at your camera like a fool. So you cautiously, shyly some might say, glance up.

Nico Robin is still standing where you'd last seen her, hand resting against the Marked - the Poneglyph as though she could feel a heart beat in the old piece of rock. Sure enough, she is wearing that smile, smiling for you. "How silly of me. It must be very difficult to take your pictures with me standing here."

"What?" Too loud, too loud! You have never been that good at talking to people, but you at least have the basics down. Or you thought you did. "No, no it's not! Haha well I mean sure but, err, no you can stay it's fine if you want to I mean -" God, how in the last five minutes have you forgotten how language worked? You stop yourself from going on, drawing in a deep, calming breath. It doesn't actually calm you down, but at least you feel ready to try stringing words together again. This time, hopefully, in a way that makes sense. "I just mean, I don't really get what you mean. I can't actually read any of it, you know. As far as everyone here knew, they weren't words at all. So..."

You give the woman a helpless shrug and hope she'll just giggle away your poor explanation. Instead, Nico Robin studies you, not with as much fondness as she does the Poneglyph. Apparently you are more.difficult to understand than an ancient, unreadable rock.

It's not exactly a confidence boost.

"I suppose that's true." She looks back to the Poneglyph, hand running along the lines of some of the markings. You wonder if that particular one says something special, or if they are all special to her regardless of what they say. "I apologize. Sometimes I get carried away-"

"I think it's beautiful!" God, could you let this poor woman finish one thought without awkwardly interrupting to yell in her face? What is wrong with you? This time when she turns back, staring at you in mild surprise (And mild interest which makes it a little better... And a little worse) "I mean... I know I don't understand any of it, but I think... I think it's beautiful, how passionate you are about it all. It may not be as obvious as Fraanky with inventions or Zoro with swords or Nami with money or Luffy with.... Well, with just about everything I guess," you trail off a bit, but in your momentary distraction from the point, you went the smallest of giggles. It's a soft sound, the perfect match for her smile, and it makes you refocus, finding enough strength to power through with your thoughts. "But you have a real, sincere passion that shines through, and even if I don't get it, I think... I think anytime someone can find something they feel that way about, it's a beautiful thing."

You close your mouth, feeling awkward and embarrassed and knowing you sounded like an utter idiot. Anytime someone can find something they feel that way about? Urg, who says such nonsense? And why would you say it now of all possible times in your life?

"I agree." Your neck nearly snaps you stare back at Nico Robin so fast. She is, thankfully, not watching you, but has her eyes back on the stone wall in front of her. She's smiling too, but it's such a private thing you almost feel bad for having looked in the first place, and at the same time it's so hard to take your eyes away. "That is what I love about sailing with Luffy. He could have gone out and found the strongest or the best, men who would have done anything he asked or anything at all if paid enough gold. But he instead he looked for those of us who had little but our passions, our dreams. It is what draws him finds and us to him."

You swallow hard, unsure where to look or what to do. You are sure this moment is meant for Robin herself and your not sure why she's sharing it with you or how to tell her you're grateful that she would.

Luckily, it is Robin who breaks the silence, perhaps to spare you both from more of your inability to speak. "Thank you again, for your time, Recorder-san. It would be very difficult for me to transcribe all this before we leave. Your photographs are sure to be a great assistance."

"I told you you didn't have to call me that," you mutter, buy can't keep from smiling even as you correct her. When you had told the Strawhats you thought of it as your job to keep a record of what was happening on the island, you didn't think it would stick in the way it has. "Besides, it's the least I could do after you - after what all of you did for us... Anyway, we should probably get started, before the light gets too low."

Robin nods, looking back to the Poneglyph before turning to you. "Should I stand back so not to be in your way?"

"No, no, you're just fine!" You might answer a bit too quickly, but the truth is you'd feel like a jerk, making Nico Robin - one if the heroes who saved your family, friends, the entirety of this island - stand back when she obviously wanted to be close, to see and touch the history that is apparently inscribed into the stone's face. "I'll just shot around you. It won't be a problem."

*

It had been a problem.

*

The Strawhats had decided to leave in two days, which gave you more than ample time to probably develope the photographs you'd taken from your trip down to the Marked Stone with Nico Robin. Still, you decide to work on them the next morning, just in case they might still be helpful to her while she's here.

That's when you realize your mistake.

But! It's okay! No need to panic! Which you do do for a couple of hours, sure, but then you realize there is an easy solution.

You grab your camera and run out the door, hardly pausing to give a hurried hello to the always friendly Chopper and Usopp as you dash out of town and all the way to the other side of the island.

The next morning, there's a knock on your door just as you've finished slipping the last of the photographs into an envelope. You start towards the door before pausing and taking another one of those non calling breaths. It's more a delay tactic than anything else. St the very least you have a few seconds to go over what you're going to say in hopes of looking s little less like a fool.

"Oh, Nico Robin, I was just coming to find you," you lie, opening the door with the biggest smile you can manage. A smile that says don't worry I've definitely slept plenty in the last day. "You're here for your photographs, right? Of course! Let me just... I know I out them right here." Literally a second ago, right before you answered the door.

If your acting skills are less than impressive, Robin doesn't comment. She gives you her sweet, soft smile and thanks you sincerely. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble," she says, holding the package to her chest. You keep trying not to stare at them.

"No, of course not. No trouble at all. I certainly hope their helpful! Well, umm... Good luck... At sea? Yes, and tell everyone else goodbye for me!"

You didn't mean to exactly slam the door, but given that you have a physical barrier that can get you out if this conversation, it seems like the best move. For everyone involved.

The second it's shut you very nearly collapse against it, sighing. In relief. In disappointment. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, your not even sure exactly what it is your feeling by this point just -

"Ouch." Well, you felt that. The knock at the door right where your head had been laying. It's not the kindest thing to do to someone nursing a headache.

Without even thinking you yank open the door, ready to return to the daily village business already.

So it takes a moment to process Nico Robin still standing there, still smiling. "Umm..."

"Forgive me, Recorder-san," Robin says, sounding just as kind and casual as could be. But you're still caught off guard, unsure why she's still there at all, and the way she says it all as.of it's so normal isn't helping you process. "I was just curious if I could see the originals?"

"Th-the originals?"

She nods, unaffected by your sudden wide eyes look of shock. "The ones from the other day. These are beautifully shot, I have to say, and I do believe I will find them to be quite helpful in my work. I was just hoping I could see the ones we took together."

"Oh." You suddenly feel your cheeks warming up. You look towards your backdoor and mentally calculate if you'd have time to run from a woman who can grow multiple limbs where ever she wants. You realize you really don't want to even if you did stand a chance.

So with a sigh you open the door wider, waving her in. Robin steps inside and you can see her eyes taking in your entire home. Not judging, not critical just.... Recording it. Documentation. You understand the impulse well.

"They umm..." Walking to your desk, you take out a second envelope. You stare at it for a moment, wondering why you even kept them. Why hadn't you thrown them away once you'd gone and retaken the new ones? "They didn't turn out very well you see..."

You hand them over with a wince, even as Robin takes them with a polite care. As she opens the package you find yourself caught trying to look anywhere but her, finding that you can't help but glance up now and again for the inevitable reaction.

She must think you're an idiot. She must think you're a joke. She must think you're a creepy ass stalker.

She must think your a stupid kid, that swhat she must think.

"I didn't realize," Robin says after she looks through the photographs, examining each one in turn. It's a process that seems to you to take forever, dreading every additional second of her eyes scanning over the prints. "That I made such a fascinating model."

You close your eyes and wonder if their is some sort of god of photography and of so, would he kindly kill you know?

You open your mouth to offer an explanation, any sort of excuse, maybe just a bold face lie of you could actually think of one. But before you can start babbling, you feel a small, warm hand on your shoulder.

You open your eyes to see Robin giving you not just her usual soft smile, but one that is honestly the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. She passes the envelope back to you, where you quickly end up hugging it to your own chest, though it's a little last to protect the secret.

"You're very talented," Robin says, and all you can do is nod your head in recognition of the compliment. Your heart is pounding up into your throat making speaking something of a challenge. "I think it's a beautiful thing," Robin goes on, smiling at you gently, kindly, openly. "When someone is so passionate about something, don't you?"

Before you can get yourself to answer, Robin leans forwards to place a gentle kiss on your cheek.

By the time she pulls back you are already beat red and weak kneed and smiling in a way that might possibly rival Luffy's.

"Thank you again, Recorder-san, for the pictures. All of them. It's important that we have these documents for the future, even just our own." And with that Nico Robin is gone from your home, probably not soon to be gone from the island all together. And what are the chances pirates like those will ever come to this corner of the grand line ever again.

You look down at the package still clenched in your fingers and smile. Maybe you won't throw them away after all. It's not as if they were mistakes. If anything, they're a record of a beautiful person doing what they loved, and how could that be a mistake?

[swiftlythebest]

Au where Nico and Levi were already established in season 14. Maybe Levi is talking about this hot boyfriend he has and nobody believes him but then Nico comes and they're all shocked and Levi is just like i told you so. Nico's just confused lol.

Okay, this one took a bit. I was debating for a while whether I should rewatch Season 14, but I ultimately decided I was too busy to be able to commit to that. Therefore, if this differs from canon (beyond the obvious AU aspect), that’s all on me and my lack of rewatch. I could see myself continuing this because it does feel a little open-ended. I really like the prompt and hope the execution was as fun and fluffy as I wanted it to be. I wrote this in the wake of buying Lover Fest tickets, which was a nerve-wracking mess so I hope this fic is more coherent than I feel at the moment. It’s a bit longer so a lot is under a cut. I hope you enjoy! 

“...But then my boyfriend called so she had to calm down, at least for a bit,” Levi Schmitt took a bite of his sandwich as he finished the story chronicling his mother’s latest freakout. He expected some laughs or maybe a few understanding nods but was instead met with five confused expressions.

“I’m sorry, your what now?” Taryn Helm was the first to snap out of whatever trance the five other interns had fallen under.

“My mother. That was a story about my mother. Duh.” Levi rolled his eyes at Taryn’s question.

“I think she was asking about the boyfriend part.” The interns nodded at Sam Bello’s suggestion.

“Oh, have I not mentioned him? Huh. Yeah, my boyfriend.” Levi shrugged, focusing his attention back on his lunch.

“Is he hot?” Dahlia Qadri smacked Vik Roy’s arm at the question. “Ow! What, you were all wondering too!”

“Who, my boyfriend?”

“No, your fish.” Casey Parker was already getting fed up with this conversation and couldn’t suppress an eye roll at Levi’s expense.

“I think so.” Levi dug his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a photo of a tall Asian man with a chiseled face, swoopy hair, and magnificent muscles. He was smiling fondly at the camera, as though the photographer were his favorite person in the world. 

“Glasses, you can’t just Google ‘hot guy’ and use some image result. We’re not gonna believe that,” Roy scoffed.

“What? No! That’s Nico! That’s my boyfriend, Nico!” Levi turned the phone towards him as though checking he had the right picture.

“That’s the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. You’re telling me he’s not only real but your boyfriend?” Sam raised her eyebrows almost to her hairline as everyone else looked expectantly at Levi.

“I… he… we… we overlapped a bit when I was in college and he was in med school. When the pre-med students would visit the med school, he always sought me out. Wanted to show me whatever stuff he was working on. We became study buddies and then friends and then best friends.” Levi shrugged through the story, trying to downplay it.

“But you slept with Jo!” Taryn exclaimed.

“We got together after that. I was venting to him about the whole ‘Glasses’ thing and how I’d never get a job here. We stayed up all night on the phone, me freaking out and him listening. He flew out the next day and showed up on my doorstep. I guess he sort of proclaimed his love for me? He said he’d loved me since we first met and hearing me so upset on the phone made him realize he needed to step up and give me something good. I don’t know.” Levi fiddled with his fingers, looking down after baring his soul.

When he looked up, the other interns were all just staring at him. Roy broke the silence with a big laugh.

“Yeah, okay. Here’s a tip, if you want us to believe you, don’t make it seem like he was the one chasing you. It just makes no sense.”

Levi looked hurt and confused, “But… that’s what happened!”

“Okay, prove it. Call him,” Roy smirked.

“I can’t. He just got off a 48-hour shift and I like to let him sleep.” 

“Hm, convenient.” While Roy was still enjoying the teasing, the other interns started to look uncomfortable and guilty. Thankfully, Jo walked in just then to give out their assignments.

“Are you too hot for me?” Levi asked as soon as Nico answered his FaceTime.

“Well hello to you too, love.” Nico smiled, used to his boyfriend’s bluntness.

“Yeah, yeah, hey, what’s up? But are you too hot for me?”

“What does that even mean?”

“Like, you’re hot. That’s a known fact. But are you too hot for me? Are we horribly mismatched?” Levi fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt, suddenly more self-conscious than he usually was when speaking to Nico.

“You’ve literally been the object of my fantasies for years now, so I’d say you’re pretty hot.” Levi choked at this comment, eliciting a deep laugh from Nico.

“I’m serious though.” Levi’s voice was small, smaller than Nico had ever heard it. 

“What brought this on?” Nico did away with his teasing tone.

“I mentioned you to the other interns. They didn’t believe that you were my boyfriend after I showed them your picture. They said it made no sense and there’s no way you were the one pining for me all these years. They thought I got a picture off of Google.” Levi gave a sad smile and a soft sigh.

Nico furrowed his brow in annoyance and confusion, “They didn’t believe you?”

“No. Why would they? It is definitely illogical.”

“I love it when you talk Vulcan to me.” Levi gave him a put-upon look, “What does it matter? You know how I feel about you, right? You know you’re my guy.”

“I know. I know! It shouldn’t matter. But I never even thought about our mismatched looks until today.”

“Look, I know you’re way hotter than I am but please don’t rub it in.” Levi gave a watery, surprised laugh, “I’m serious! Screw what other people think. I’m blown away by you. Floored. Overwhelmed. Okay?”

Levi sighed, “Okay. Okay, yeah. I’m sorry for spiraling, love. How was your day?”

“You never have to apologize to me for something like this. Never, okay?” Levi nodded, causing Nico to smile wide. “But my day was good! I’m starting to look at fellowships and my old mentor may have a lead for me.” 

Levi and Nico spoke for another two hours, only stopping when Levi almost began snoring, promising to pick it back up the next night. Even though there was still a nagging in the back of Levi’s mind, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

A few weeks, and many failed attempts to prove his relationship, later found the Grey + Sloan interns huddled together by a nurses’ station, waiting for their assignments.

“Levi!” All six interns’ heads whipped around at the excited shout, eyes landing on a suited man rushing in their direction.

“Nico! Wh- you’re here! What are you doing here?!” The man swept Levi up into a hug, picking him up slightly, a dazzling smile taking over his handsome face.

“I wanted to surprise you! I had an interview here for my fellowship and I took a few days off so I could see you.” They gazed at each other, matching smiles on their faces, too caught up in their moment to pay any mind to the gaping interns next to them.

“Wait, you’re that guy! The one Glasses keeps trying to convince us is his boyfriend!” Sam Bello snapped her fingers as the pieces slid into place, the other interns nodding next to her at the realization.

Nico turned his head, giving the other five people his attention, arms still around Levi, “I am his boyfriend. Hi, Nico Kim. Current resident at the Mayo Clinic, but I’m hoping to get a fellowship here.”

Levi smacked his chest, drawing Nico’s attention back towards him, “Why didn’t you tell me?! I thought San Francisco was your first choice!”

“Nah, you’re here. Plus, my mentor may be getting an attending job here so I’d work with him. I wanted to surprise you, love.”

“So this is real? This is a real thing?” Helm had a small smile on her face. Having spent more time with Levi over the last few weeks, she’d grown quite fond of the clumsy man and liked seeing him so happy.

“It’s so real. The realest.” Nico grinned at Helm.

“Wow, okay. Sorry to have doubted you, Schmitt.” Casey patted Levi’s shoulder as Sam and Dahlia nodded in agreement, wide-eyed.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I stand by my disbelief.” Roy stood with his arms crossed as everyone rolled their eyes at his stubbornness, ignoring him in favor of getting to know Nico.

The interns (minus Roy) and Nico chatted for a few more minutes, Nico’s arm slung casually around Levi’s waist. Levi beamed as his coworkers got along so well with his boyfriend, glad they finally believed him. Not that he needed any sort of validation from them because he knew the man next to him loved him no matter what, which was all that really mattered. 

I’m (hopefully) back on my bullshit, so send in prompts, if you want!

[chameleonwritess]

Feels Like Home (Ch 1)

Myriad of Stars

Not-So-Secretly in Love

Feels Like Home (Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3)

Forever Starts Today (Epilogue)

Extras:

Infirmary Duties

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Pairing: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace

Nico's summer has been amazing thanks to Will but he isn't ready to face the following year when it ends. He knows there are going to be a lot of changes this year and that frightens Nico. Luckily, Will is there for him through everything.

Word Count: 7446

Read the whole Myriad of Stars series on AO3

Chapter 1- Demigods and Parents

Nico di Angelo was pretty sure that he’d had the best summer of his entire life.

Minus almost being destroyed by Gaia, of course, but he was grouping that with the rest of the year which had, quite frankly, been dreadful.

Still, as soon as the impending threat had vanished, Will Solace had stepped into Nico’s life and suddenly everything seemed to make sense. Nico had found not only a place where he belonged and could be himself but a person with whom he belonged and could be himself with. As the son of Hades, that in itself was a miracle Nico had never seen coming.

The fact that Will was attractive, funny, caring, utterly charming and the most infuriating demigod Nico had ever met just made everything so much better.

Of course, summer didn’t last forever, though. Nico knew it didn’t and yet he’d somehow hoped it would, causing reality to crash down around him during the last week of the holidays.

“My mom’s picking me up from Camp next week,” Will announced very suddenly one afternoon whilst the two were sitting inside Nico’s cabin, playing with some of Nico’s old mythomagic cards for the sake of nostalgia and because the two of them were huge nerds.

Nico’s eyes snapped up immediately.

“You’re going home?” he asked in a slightly strangled voice. So much for concealing his emotions.

“Not exactly,” Will said. Nico raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what that was supposed to mean.

“Meaning?”

“Well, I go to school but not properly,” Will started to explain, “We need a healer at Camp all the time and now that Lee’s dead, I’m the best healer we’ve got.”

“How does that work, then? I thought school was a full time thing?” Nico asked. He knew he’d been to school in Italy but the memories were very faint. He hadn’t even thought about going to school since; he’d always been too tied up in monsters, Titans, giants or whatever else was deciding to destroy the world.

“It usually is. My mum has a special agreement with the headteacher, though. I go to school for a few weeks each term so that I can collect all the work and then I return to Camp so that no one dies from falling off the lava wall or getting a leg sliced off in Capture the Flag,” Will explained.

“So you won’t be gone for long?” Nico checked. Will chuckled.

“Why, you gonna miss me?” he teased, nudging Nico’s leg with his own. Nico rolled his eyes.

“I was just thinking about how peaceful Camp would be without you. No Jackson bugging me, no Grace bugging me, no you bugging me,” he said wistfully.

“Hey!” Will complained, “we only bug you because we love you. Besides you were totally upset when I said I was going home after summer.”

“Was not,” Nico spluttered.

“Was too,” Will retorted.

“Not.”

“Too.”

“Alright, shut up, of course I was going to miss you,” Nico finally relented, shoving Will, who had decided to lean his body right over Nico’s, in the chest. It was suddenly dawning on Nico just how much he would miss Will, though.

Even before they’d started dating, Nico had still spent the majority of his time with Will and over the last month or so the two had practically been inseparable. Now he was going to have to go for weeks without seeing him. Nico already felt suffocated. Never had he expected to become so reliant on one person.

“Ha, that’s pretty gay,” Will smirked in retaliation to Nico pushing him. Nico inhaled deeply.

“I changed my mind, can you leave today?” he deadpanned. Will laughed and flopped down on his back besides Nico on the bed.

“I’m bored of mythomagic,” he stated.

“You get bored easily,” Nico shrugged.

“True, but I wanted to ask you something,” Will replied, looking up at Nico from the bed from what Nico assumed was not a very flattering angle on his behalf.

“Go on, then,” Nico encouraged with an unenthusiastic eye roll to accompany it.

“It’s going to be weird spending time apart after we’ve spent all summer together so I was wondering if you wanted to come over and stay at mine during the first weekend? My mom will love you, I can sense it, and she’s always happy to let my friends stay over,” Will offered.

Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. Meeting Will’s mom had not been something he’d ever even considered and being new to the twenty-first century, never mind just dating, made Nico panic a little that he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to act around a mother.

The only parental figure in his life was Hades and Nico doubted he could just nip down to the Underworld to pay his dad a visit and ask a few questions about his love life. It wasn’t really the father-son relationship they had.

“Don’t worry,” Will jumped in, noticing Nico’s hesitance, “it’s just an offer and I don’t want you to feel like you have to. I know you’ve probably not done anything like that before but just so you know, my mom is lovely. She’s the kindest woman I’ve met. She already knows I’m gay and will be so thrilled to meet you. I can already tell she’s going to love you.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. People didn’t exactly have a habit of ‘loving’ him upon first encounters.

“Really?” Nico asked, surprising even himself at how weak his voice sounded. Will sat up on the bed and placed his hands on Nico’s shoulders, forcing him to look into his dazzling blue eyes.

“I mean it. I’ve never disliked you and people say the two of us are pretty similar. She’s also one of the most stubborn people I know. When I was younger she’d keep me quarantined if I got a slight tickle in my throat so if you think I’m bad, wait till you meet her,” Will reassured Nico. He smiled slightly at Will’s anecdote.

“It’s hard to imagine anyone more stubborn than you,” Nico smirked.

“I’m not just Apollo’s good looks and charms, y’know,” Will teased, sending Nico a wink. Nico laughed at the action and allowed his head to fall against Will’s chest.

“I’ll think about it,” Nico agreed. Will wrapped his arms around Nico’s chest and kissed the top of his head.

“Thank you,” he said, “it means a lot to me.”

Nico still felt anxiety bubble up inside of him at the thought of spending a weekend with Will’s mother but after everything Will had done for him, this was the least he could do in return, especially if it meant a lot to Will.

He just wished it didn’t feel like such a big deal to him.

Will had to return to his own cabin before long (ever since it was confirmed that the two were together, the Apollo cabin had taken to threatening Will in order to ensure he returned back each night) and Nico was left to his own thoughts.

He knew how much Will’s mother meant to him. It wasn’t really school that Will was going home to- it was Naomi Solace. He always spoke so highly of her which just made Nico even more anxious. Normally, he didn’t care what people thought of him. The first time he’d realised he cared about what Will thought of him was when he’d begun to realise that he viewed Will as a little more than just ‘that annoying healer’.

Still, he hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to ensure Will actually liked him. Never before had he felt the need to make a dedicated effort to ensure someone didn‘t dislike him..

It was terrifying.

Nico also had literally no clue how he was supposed to interact with his boyfriend’s mother. The only adults he ever even spoke to were Chiron, Mr D, Hades and occasionally Persephone if he was in the mood for an argument. All of whom were immortal beings- definitely not mortal mothers.

Feeling Cabin 13 growing gradually stuffier as his panic increased, Nico stood up abruptly and decided he needed to take a walk outside to calm his nerves and get some fresh air. It was still half an hour until curfew so luckily, the cleaning Harpies wouldn’t be around to tear his flesh apart just yet.

Instead of wandering to Nico and Will’s usual spot, Nico continued further down until he was sat by the far edge of the canoe lake where few campers ever seemed to go. Nico himself rarely sat by this side of the lake, despite its proximity to the Hades cabin.

If Nico had been hoping for some brooding time to himself, though, he was severely disappointed as a tall, dark figure appeared from the darkness of the trees and made his way to Nico’s side. Nico had recognised him immediately.

“Father,” he greeted, sounding distinctly unimpressed with Hades’s sudden appearance.

“Hello, son. It’s been a while,” Hades commented. Nico looked at him sternly.

“You closed off the Underworld so I couldn’t enter,” he pointed out. Hades chuckled nervously, a sound that seemed utterly strange coming from the Lord of the Underworld.

“That I did. I apologise. It wasn’t to prevent you or Hazel from entering, I assure,” Hades said awkwardly. Nico let out a sigh.

“What is it that you want?” he asked. Whilst Nico knew he saw his Dad far more than other demigods saw their Olympian parents, Hades still only tended to appear when he wanted something from him. Either that or he was going to gift him a skeleton chef to go with his skeleton Chauffeur, Jules-Albert.

“I just wanted to catch up with you, Nico,” Hades said simply. Nico raised an eyebrow.

“That’s unnerving,” he commented. Hades sighed.

“I still can never tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” he complained. Nico shrugged. He wasn’t entirely sure whether he was or not, himself.

“Anyway,” Hades continued, “the Apollo sprout.”

Nico’s cheeks flushed, “Wait, this is about Will?”

“Oh, that’s his name. I couldn’t remember if it was Bill or Will. Yes. You seem… infatuated with him, correct?” Hades asked. Nico groaned and placed his head in his hands. The last conversation he’d ever wanted to have with his father was about his love life.

“Do you have to talk to me about this?” he asked.

“I’m not allowed to get involved with my son’s personal life?” Hades questioned. Nico nearly willed the ground to open up and swallow him. He was tempted to do it had he not known that Hades would just follow him anyway.

“Fine, yes, I’m happy with him. If you have a problem with it I don’t care,” he snapped. Hades looked almost taken aback.

“I have no problem. In fact, I’m quite relieved. He isn’t Jackson or Grace and he has a good sense of humour,” Hades said in an almost approving tone. Nico’s father’s words suddenly sunk in. How did Hades know that Will had a sense of humour?

“Have you been watching me?” Nico spluttered. If Hades skin hadn’t still been so deathly pale, Nico would have thought he was going red.

“Not exactly. I just like to check up on you sometimes. I noticed an abnormal amount of laughing so wanted to assure you were okay,” Hades explained. Now it was Nico’s turn to go red.

“Yeah, well, he does have a good sense of humour,” he mumbled. Hades nodded thoughtfully.

“Invite him down for dinner,” Hades suggested, “I’d like to meet him personally.”

“Please don’t threaten my boyfriend,” Nico begged, thinking how strange it was to refer to Will as his boyfriend in front of someone else for once.

“I would never. I simply want to get to know him better. If the Apollo sprout is important to you, he should be important to me, too,” Hades stated.

“He can’t eat food from the Underworld, y’know,” Nico added.

Hades glared at him, “Do you take me for a fool, Nico? I am well aware of that.”

“Of course, sorry,” Nico apologised, rolling his eyes, “I’ll have to discuss it with him. He- er- might be a little apprehensive about nipping down to the Underworld just for dinner.”

Hades nodded in understanding and if Nico didn’t know better, he would have said Hades almost looked hurt by his comment.

“I hear you’re going to visit his mortal mother,” he finally added after a moment of silence. Nico groaned again.

“Do you listen in to all of our conversations?” he asked, wondering exactly what his father had overheard.

“No. Just that one. I was planning to pay you a visit but noticed you were preoccupied,” he said. Nico flushed and tried not to think about what Hades had overheard or accidentally observed.

“I don’t know if I’m going to visit her or not, though,” Nico explained, “I’m… nervous.”

“Naturally,” Hades nodded, “my own relationship with Demeter has not been ideal over the years since I married Persephone.”

Nico didn’t point out that there may well be a reason for that. He also didn’t point out that Hades was definitely not helping his nerves calm down.

“Right,” Nico stated, “any helpful advice or were you just here to interrogate me?”

“I just wanted to see that you were happy,” Hades said, “I know it isn’t easy being my son. You deserve a good life.”

Nico had had this sort of conversation with his father before. Last time, he’d thought to himself that there was no way he’d ever be truly happy. Now he felt as though his old self really had been wrong. Life felt pretty great for Nico right now.

“Thanks,” Nico said, allowing a genuine smile to cross his face, “you don’t need to worry. Will does make me pretty happy.”

It felt weird to say so to his dad but it was the truth.

“I can tell,” Hades smiled in response, “I think the Harpies are coming. I should probably let you get back to your cabin.”

Nico nodded and got to his feet again. Hades had already turned around and was walking away back into the darkness.

“Dad,” Nico blurted out on impulse, before his father walked away. Hades turned around in shock. It was the first time Nico had referred to him as anything other than ‘father’ or ‘Hades’. “Thank you for checking up on me,” Nico finished.

Hades looked at him and gave a warm smile, something that looked so foreign on his usually cold and stern face.

With that, Hades vanished into the darkness and Nico was left alone again to clamber back up to his cabin before the cleaning Harpies swooped in to eat him for their dinner.

He’d made his mind up about what he was going to do- he was going to visit Will’s mom. Family was important, after all.

It was the last day of summer before Nico knew it and there was a very melancholic feel around Camp. Whilst some campers never went to school, instead staying on at Camp year-round like Nico planned on doing, there were an awful lot of people leaving for the year, some of them for good.

Percy and Annabeth were the first to say goodbye to Nico.

“We’re going to go to college in New Rome,” Annabeth explained to Nico when they caught him wandering past the big house, “but Percy needs to pass his SATs first.”

“It’s going to be a painful year of studying,” Percy added with a grin. Nico huffed a laugh. He couldn’t remember what going to school was like but from what he’d heard, studying was not a fun activity.

“Yeah, I don’t envy you,” Nico said. Percy shrugged.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back to visit soon. Probably sooner than I want knowing how things tend to go at this place. I don’t doubt that gods will have some new problem that needs fixing soon,” he added.

“Don’t you miss the days when you were told not to go on a quest and snuck your way onto it anyway?” Annabeth asked with a nostalgic sigh.

“I would gladly go back and smack my younger self. What was I thinking?” Percy laughed. Nico could sympathise with that.

“At least you didn’t go crazy and start raising dead spirits,” Nico pointed out. Percy laughed harder.

“True, true,” he said and before the three of them knew it, they were laughing about all the ridiculous trouble and near death experiences they’d had over the years.

Nico had never considered using humour as a coping mechanism considering laughing was something he rarely found himself doing, but as he found himself recounting tales with Percy and Annabeth, he realised the memories didn’t hold quite as much sting as they usually did. Nico absent-mindedly wondered if that had been partly Will’s influence on him.

“Remember the time I gatecrashed my own funeral?” Percy asked Annabeth. She burst into laughter again.

“I was about to go saying all this nice stuff about him and then he just wanders over like it was no big deal,” Annabeth said.

“Oh, Nico, what about that time you came over to my house on my birthday to tell me to take a swim in the Styx but got distracted by cake,” Percy reminded him.

“What was I thinking?” Nico asked with a laugh, “at least the cake was good.”

“Sally’s blue food is the best,” Annabeth agreed as Percy wrapped an arm around both her and Nico, squeezing them into a group hug. Nico reluctantly complied. He didn’t mind it anywhere near as much as he pretended to.

“I’m gonna miss you a lot, Nico. You’d better visit us in New Rome, too,” Percy said, “don’t pretend you don’t know me this time!”

Nico smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Hopefully this time you won’t be losing your memory,” Annabeth scolded as she gently smacked him on the arm.

“I never forgot you, Wise Girl,” Percy said fondly and Nico averted his eyes, already knowing what was about to happen. He scanned the inside of the Big House as he looked away, peering into the infirmary to see if he could spot Will. Will hadn’t said goodbye yet so Nico hoped he didn’t plan on leaving without doing so.

Percy and Annabeth didn’t kiss for long due to Nico’s presence which he was grateful for. He was also glad to notice that he didn’t feel any twinge of jealousy towards Annabeth at all anymore. Percy was just a normal guy to him now. A friend, even.

“I really am sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you over the years,” Nico apologised. Percy shrugged.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve caused you trouble, too. Besides, it’s what friends are for,” he grinned, using his knuckle to mess up Nico’s hair as Nico attempted to bat his hand away. Annabeth laughed.

“Look after everyone at Camp for us, Nico,” Annabeth smiled, “I trust you to make sure everything stays orderly.”

“As orderly as Camp Halfblood can get,” Nico pointed out as an appropriately timed fight broke out behind them on the volleyball court between an Ares and an Aphrodite kid.

“Don’t go breaking Will’s heart,” Percy added with a wink. Nico rolled his eyes and flushed red.

“Shut up,” he complained, “I will miss you guys, though. Camp will feel strange without you here.”

Percy and Annabeth smiled so widely at Nico’s admission that he almost regretted it. He regretted it even more when the two engulfed him in another huge hug.

“Goodbye till whenever we next see you, then,” Percy said. Nico nodded.

“Enjoy college,” he greeted. Annabeth smiled.

“Oh, he’s going to love it,” she smirked a little evilly. Nico chuckled and gave them one last wave as the two made their way over to the top of Halfblood Hill where they would undoubtedly be swamped with even more Campers wanting to say goodbye.

Camp really was going to be weird without Percy and Annabeth there. Nico had never really stayed without them there since the time he sent Percy off on the quest his sister died on. All of that felt like aeons ago to him, now.

“It doesn’t seem real, does it?” a familiar voice came from behind Nico. Will had snuck up on him and wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist which he’d usually complain about in such open view of all the camp but it was Will’s last day before he went home for a while and his arms were warm. It wasn’t because Nico actually liked when Will held him like this or anything.

“Percy and Annabeth have just always… been around,” Nico agreed, “I guess I can visit them but it just feels like they’re going away.”

“Jason and Piper are going to New Rome for the year, too, aren’t they?” Will asked. Nico nodded, hoping Will could feel the movement of his head against his chest.

“And you’re gonna be gone. Camp’s going to feel pretty lonely,” Nico pointed out. Will released his arms around Nico and grabbed his shoulders instead, turning him around to face him. His face didn’t look mad but Nico could sense a certain anger behind his eyes.

“That doesn’t give you an excuse to shadow travel off anywhere you like,” Will said, “you’d better still be here when I return each holiday.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “I know, I’ll stay here, I promise. I might go and visit Hazel once or twice but other than that-“

“Good,” Will interrupted him with a sigh of relief, “I think you have some visitors that want to talk to you, though.”

Nico turned around to see where Will was looking. Piper and Jason were stood at the other side of the Big House, observing the scene at a distance. Nico could already tell the two had been spying on them and sent a premature glare in their direction.

“Go on, I’ll wait here,” Will promised with a smirk. Nico nodded at him and made his way over to them.

“So,” Jason started, “this is it for a year.”

“Don’t say that,” Piper accused, “you can still come and visit us. Reyna, Hazel and Frank would want you to visit too.”

“I know,” Nico agreed, “I will do. I hope you both have a good year.”

“I’ll miss you, Nico. Stay safe at camp. We’re only an Iris message away,” Jason reminded him. Nico nodded and felt the beginnings of tears prickling his eyes. He quickly blinked them away but Piper was doing nothing to hide her tears.

“Aww, Neeks,” she sobbed and then threw her arms around him. Nico almost fell back from the impact but slowly embraced Piper back if slightly awkwardly.

“Don’t call me that,” Nico complained but there was no annoyance in his tone. Jason sniffed loudly and Nico glanced over Piper’s shoulder to notice that Jason too was getting teary-eyed. Nico lifted one of his arms and Jason took the invitation, enveloping Nico in a hug too.

As both Piper and Jason were taller than him, he found it difficult to breathe pretty quickly and had to stretch his neck to free his mouth.

“Guys, you’re kind of crushing me,” he spluttered. Jason and Piper released him immediately with apologies rolling off their tongues.

“We will really miss you,” Piper said.

“Yeah,” Jason added, “you’ve changed a lot in just the short space of time we’ve known you. I’m really glad.”

“Well, I think you know who to blame for that,” Nico smirked, throwing a look over his shoulder at where Will, as promised, was still standing.

“Take good care of him,” Piper said with a wink, “have you made up your mind yet?”

Nico took a deep breath in and nodded.

“I know what I need to do,” he said, “and Jason, Will may have helped me but you were the catalyst that set the reaction off. You accepted me when I felt like no one could and I- just- thank you,” Nico managed to stammer out.

Jason looked like he was going to cry again and before Nico knew it, he had been enveloped in yet another hug. Feeling left out, Piper joined in again, squeezing the two boys tightly.

“You really need to stop trying to kill me,” Nico gasped for breath, “There’s still plenty of monsters left to do that.”

Piper and Jason laughed as they relented their tight grip.

“Don’t die whilst we’re gone,” Piper instructed. Nico gave her a wry smile.

“I’ll try not to. Make sure Jason doesn’t get himself killed, too,” Nico said.

“I can look after myself!” Jason complained. Piper laughed and Nico gave a snort.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,” he said dryly. Jason rolled his eyes and pouted before taking Piper’s hand.

“We’d better go and say our goodbyes to Percy and Annabeth before we take off,” Jason said, “we’ll see you soon, Nico.”

Nico lifted a hand in a half-hearted wave.

“Yeah, I’ll see you.”

And with that, he departed and made his way back up the hill to Will. This was his next goodbye and he knew this one would be the hardest even if he’d only be spending a short time away. Luckily, he had until that evening. Whilst most campers left in the afternoon, Will’s mom worked a day shift at the hospital so could only pick him up later on in the day.

“You okay?” Will asked with a concerned look as Nico approached. Nico wiped away any stray tears that may have been remaining at the corner of his eyes.

“Yeah,” he lied, “just going to miss everyone.”

“Aw, you’re such a softy,” Will teased, hugging Nico from the side, “help me clear up in the infirmary before I leave? It needs to pass inspection.”

“You’re the one inspecting it, you nerd,” Nico complained with an eye roll. His complaints ended when Will pecked his cheek and grabbed his hand, pulling Nico inside the Big House.

As soon as they stepped inside, Will switched straight over into Doctor mode, something Nico was pretty used to by then.

“I need all the thermometers back in the tub on the second shelf up and bring me some latex gloves whilst you’re there- someone’s left medical waste on the table,” Will instructed. Nico nodded and turned around to go to the back before adding,

“Is that a shelf I can actually reach this time?” recalling an incident only a week or so ago.

Will raised his eyebrow in response as he turned around with stethoscopes in his hand.

“I doubt you’d complain much if it wasn’t,” he said pointedly. Nico blushed and muttered a quiet ‘Shut up’ before marching into the back.

Nico was pretty sure Will hadn’t been the last person in here because the boxes were a mess. Will was such a perfectionist when it came to organising the infirmary that Nico knew he’d probably need medical attention himself if he came in and saw the state it had been left in.

With a sigh, Nico shoved the thermometers in the box on the second shelf and started work sorting through the other boxes, attempting to return everything to their correct place.

Nico hadn’t remembered about bringing Will the gloves until a pair of hands tickled his waist and caused him to make an embarrassingly high pitched squeal, dropping the packs of gauze he was holding.

“Sorry,” Will chuckled quietly in Nico’s ear, sending a shiver down Nico’s spine, “what’s taking so long?”

Nico picked up the gauze and stood on his tiptoes to put it back in the box before turning around to face Will.

The son of Apollo was stood closer than Nico had realised and his hands were still hovering over Nico’s waist, ready to pull him even closer. Nico’s heart caught in his throat as he felt his breath catch. Will still had an uncanny knack of taking his breath away. It was very infuriating.

“It- mess- decided to sort it,” Nico said intelligently. If he’d been hoping to disguise from Will how much his sudden presence and closeness had affected him, he was doing a pretty lousy job.

“What?” Will asked, having not understood Nico, not surprisingly. Nico took a breath in and tried to remember how to compose comprehensible sentences as he looked up at Will’s blue eyes.

“Someone messed everything up. I was trying to sort it out again because I know you don’t like it disorganised,” Nico finally managed to say without sounding completely stupid.

Will looked down at Nico with a soft smile on his face. Nico was glad that it seemed he’d actually done the right thing.

“Thank you,” Will said quietly, leaning down so that his nose bumped Nico’s gently. Nico’s breath was taken away once again as Will’s hands tightened around his waist. He wondered if there was such thing as dying from spending too long too close to your boyfriend. Nico at least hoped his father would take pity and resurrect him if that did happen.

After what felt like way too long, Will finally tilted his head and captured Nico’s lips. Letting out a sigh, Nico reached up, wound a hand in Will’s hair and pulled the blond against him hungrily. Will was far too much of a tease and Nico wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

Will didn’t seem to be complaining as Nico kissed him back harder, though, instead letting his hands move from Nico’s waist to his back, one of them slipping underneath Nico’s black t-shirt and tracing the bare skin on his spine. Nico shivered at the touch, despite Will’s hands being as warm as always. Will was permanently warm. Nico suspected it was because he was Apollo’s son but he didn’t really care- he only cared about whether those hands were touching him.

Nico pulled back to take a breath for a second but Will had other ideas, chasing Nico’s mouth with his own and pressing their bodies together again. Nico felt his back touch the shelves behind him and he removed his hands from Will’s hair to place them on the shelves and push the two of them off. He hadn’t just spent all that time organising them for Will to ruin it, no matter what his tongue was doing as it slid into Nico’s mouth and elicited a gasp from him.

“Don’t ruin my tidying,” Nico murmured against Will’s lips.

“Nico, shut up and let me kiss you, I don’t care about the tidying,” Will muttered in response, not giving Nico a chance to respond further as he kissed Nico again, the hot press of his lips making Nico finally give in and decide that the shelves really didn’t matter all that much.

He allowed Will to push him back against them this time as the taller boy’s tongue returned to his mouth. Whilst Nico did like to be the one leading the kiss, drawing small noises out of Will and leaving him a blushing mess, he definitely was not about to complain if Will wanted to push him up against a wall and kiss him senseless.

“Nico,” Will moaned lightly, the sound of his name on Will’s lips causing blood to rush straight to Nico’s cheeks and possibly other places he was trying hard to ignore. Nico just pulled Will’s lips back to his.

The sudden sound of a horn caused Nico and Will to jump apart in shock, Nico’s head hitting against the shelf above him and Will’s nose bumping into his a little harder than anticipated.

“Ow,” Nico said, not entirely sure his mouth was capable of forming any more than a sound at that moment anyway.

“I guess it’s time for dinner,” Will said breathlessly, “I can’t believe I didn’t manage to clean the infirmary.”

Nico rolled his eyes at Will’s pout.

“Don’t blame me, I was trying to help. Besides, you’re the inspector so it doesn’t matter,” he shrugged. Will scoffed.

“It’s basic patient hygiene, di Angelo,” he said, sounding scandalised, “and don’t feign innocence, you were being too distracting.”

“I was literally just tidying a cupboard,” Nico pointed out.

“Exactly,” Will teased, draping an arm over Nico’s shoulder as they made their way out of the Big House and to the mess hall, “distracting.”

Nico blushed and rolled his eyes.

“Catch me after dinner- I don’t want to leave without saying goodbye,” Will ordered. Nico nodded in agreement.

“Me neither,” he said. Will gave his shoulder one last squeeze before releasing Nico and going over to the Apollo cabin, now consisting of only Kayla, Austin and Will.

Nico sat himself down at the Big Three table that was feeling even more vacant. Percy and Jason had both left, leaving Nico alone. He hated sitting alone to eat. He never would have admitted it to Percy and Jason but it did really help having them there when they’d first suggested the idea.

When Nico sat alone to eat, it brought back memories. Memories of buying Happy Meals in desperate attempts to speak to his sister. Memories of sitting trapped in a jar, surviving only off pomegranate seeds and thinking that no one was coming to save him- he would die alone.

They weren’t exactly memories Nico wanted to dwell on, especially now that his life was looking up for once, but the scars ran deep and no amount of happiness would ever truly dispel the nightmares and feelings of hopelessness that occasionally threatened to overcome Nico.

Absent-mindedly, Nico wondered if it would be at all possible for him to convince Chiron that he needed to sit with other people to stop his powers from playing up. Maybe Chiron would let him sit with Will if the son of Apollo played his ‘I’m a doctor’ card.

For a second, Nico was tempted to raise skeletons right there and then but thought better of it. Will would be leaving Camp in about an hour, anyway.

Distracted from his own memory with thoughts of Will, Nico happily bit into his pepperoni pizza.

Despite Will’s promise that he would say goodbye to Nico before he left, Nico spotted the son of Apollo leaving his cabin with a packed bag and heading in the direction of Halfblood Hill- not in the direction of the Hades cabin.

Luckily, Nico had been paying attention so muttering to himself in aggravation, Nico shrugged on his aviator jacket to guard against the cool evening breeze and stormed out of his cabin, not caring that the door slammed shut behind him.

Due to Will’s naturally larger strides (curse his long legs), Nico had to jog to catch up and finally reached him just as he arrived at the top of the hill.

“Going somewhere?” Nico asked pointedly. Will jumped at the sound of his voice.

“Ah, Nico!” he gasped, “uh, sorry, I was going to come and say goodbye but, well-“ Will broke off with a shrug and Nico raised an eyebrow at him. With a glance down the hill, he spotted a woman with curly brown hair, blue eyes as clear as Will’s. Her face was smattered with freckles and she wore a smile Nico would recognise anywhere. She was Naomi Solace- unmistakably Will’s mother.

“Oh,” Nico muttered, drawing his attention back to Will. He’d felt a hint of panic rise up inside him at the sight of Naomi accompanied with the disappointment that Will hadn’t intended to say goodbye to him. Nico was going to be spending a weekend with just her and Will way sooner than he was prepared for.

A thought suddenly hit Nico as to why Will hadn’t been going to say goodbye and it was completely and utterly Nico’s fault.

“Oh!” Nico repeated in realisation as he grabbed Will’s arms, “Will, I forgot to tell you- I made up my mind. I want to visit you at the weekend. I mean, if the offer still stands.”

Will’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Why didn’t you just say so, you idiot?” he asked and before Nico could even respond, Will dropped his bags and picked Nico up, spinning him round. Nico had to try hard not to shriek in shock as he grabbed Will’s shoulders to steady himself.

Still laughing, Will placed him back on the ground and hugged him.

“Of course the offer still stands,” Will promised, “do you want to meet my mom now? She’s heard a lot about you through Iris messages.”

Nico didn’t even think before he answered.

“Yeah, sure!” completely forgetting to panic. Will grinned and grabbed Nico’s hand, picking up his bags again and pulling Nico down the hill with him. They were through the magical Mist barrier before Nico knew it and he was faced with the most daunting task of his entire life. Talking to Will’s mother.

“Will!” Naomi Solace squealed as soon as the two demigods stumbled past the magical barrier. Nico didn’t even complain when Will released his hand so he could engulf his mother in a huge hug.

He was easily taller than her, resting his head on top of her’s as he hugged her. Nico guessed she was about the same height as he was.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, “you haven’t been overworking yourself, I hope. If you have a single blister on your hand from over-healing then I swear-“

Whatever Naomi Solace had intended to say next was forgotten as she pulled her son in for another hug. Nico couldn’t help but smile slightly as he observed the scene, despite the panic still rising inside him. At least Will would be in good hands away from camp; Nico doubted he needed to worry too much about Will overexerting himself.

Still, if there was a monster-

Nico shook the thought out of his head quickly. Will had always been fine in previous years. He was going to be fine now. His scent wasn’t as strong as Nico, Percy or Jason’s anyway- he wasn’t a son of the Big Three.

“Mom,” Will whined in complaint, pushing her away, “I’m fine, honestly.”

Despite his complaints, Nico knew how much Will had actually missed his mother. He never shut up about it.

Just then, Naomi happened to look up over Will’s shoulder and her eyes connected with Nico’s. He felt his heart rate immediately pick up in fear. She was going to hate him already.

“Will, I think there’s someone you might be forgetting to introduce me to,” Naomi said, raising an eyebrow at her son expectantly in a way Will so often did to Nico whenever he forgot to look after a wound or help out in the hospital. Nico was already starting to realise exactly why Apollo had been so taken with her. She had a lot of similarities to her son.

“Oh!” Will seemed to realise as his eyes shone. He grinned and walked over to Nico again, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards his mother. Nico allowed himself to be pulled and stood there in shock. “Mom, this is Nico.”

“So you’re the guy Will won’t shut up about when he Iris messages me,” Naomi Solace said with a sly smile. Nico felt his cheeks heat up. He was supposed to say something now.

“Um,” Nico started, “it’s nice to meet you. Will talks about you a lot, too.”

“Oh, does he?” Naomi Solace asked, turning to Will.

“Pfft, as if,” Will pretended but his mom just tackled him in another hug.

“You big softie,” she teased, “you do love your old mom after all.”

“Mom, stop, you’re embarrassing me in front of Nico,” Will complained, attempting to flatten his hair again when his mom released him. Nico fought the urge to run his fingers through it. Will’s mother was right there.

“It really is lovely to meet you, though, Nico. I’m really glad Will’s found someone as good to him as you,” Naomi turned to Nico again, still smiling.

“Good to me?” Will huffed. Nico elbowed him.

“Thank you, Miss Solace,” he said, “I do my best to keep him in check.”

“Please, just call me Naomi. Or mom if you want- anything’s fine by me!” Naomi said. Nico thought he would have felt a little bit awkward calling her ‘mom’ but it didn’t seem like she completely hated him so that was a good thing at least. “I don’t know how you manage- he really is a nightmare.”

“Trust me, I know,” Nico smirked, surprised at how easily he was managing to have a conversation. He hadn’t messed up. He could do this.

Will was apparently not as pleased with his achievement.

“Nico! Mom! I didn’t introduce you to each other so you could gang up against me,” he complained.

“You should have expected this, really,” Nico pointed out.

“Honestly, it’s like he doesn’t even know us,” Naomi shook her head in offense.

“Mom!” Will whined.

“Sorry, did you hear something, Nico?” she asked in a sly tone.

“Nothing at all,” Nico agreed with a shake of his head.

“I changed my mind, you’re uninvited this weekend,” Will huffed.

“You agreed to come?” Naomi asked suddenly, turning to Nico excitedly. Nico had never seen anyone look so glad at the news that he was going to be somewhere.

“Oh, um, I-I’d like to if you don’t mind,” Nico stuttered. Naomi grinned.

“Of course I don’t mind! The more the merrier. I’m sure you’ll help me wind up Will, too,” she said.

“I wouldn’t ever pass up the opportunity,” Nico promised. The tenseness of first meeting Naomi Solace was slowly easing away and he felt his shoulders relaxing. He wondered what he’d ever been so worried about. Naomi was lovely and she shone just as brightly as her son. Maybe Will hadn’t received his sunny disposition from his father, after all.

“Right, I’m leaving,” Will huffed, folding his arms stubbornly. Nico nudged him with his hip.

“So I really don’t get a goodbye?” he asked.

“Will, were you really about to leave without even saying goodbye to Nico?” Naomi asked in shock.

“I wasn- no- I just-“ Will stammered.

“Yes,” Nico interjected. Naomi looked at him sternly.

“It’s a good job your boyfriend actually cares about saying goodbye to you, then, isn’t it?” she pointed out. Nico’s cheeks flushed at the words. It felt weird for Will’s own mother to say that. Weird in a not entirely unpleasant way. “Go on, I’ll wait in the car and I promise I won’t look.”

“Mom!” Will protested, “that means you totally will.”

Naomi shrugged her shoulders and took Will’s bag, taking them back to her blue Honda.

“So I’ll see you this weekend,” Nico said after a moment’s silence. Will smiled at him.

“Thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you but you’ve already done such a good job just talking to her. She really likes you,” Will said.

“All I’ve done is insult you,” Nico muttered. Will laughed and put his hand on Nico’s upper arm.

“I know, but you’ve made an effort to find something in common with her and talk about it. You think you’re bad at talking to people but you just did a really good job of it,” he explained. Nico chewed his lower lip as he considered Will’s words. He hadn’t even been thinking about it like that.

“I suppose you’re right,” he conceded, “but I couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t been there.”

“I’ll always be here if you need me,” Will promised in a soft voice, pulling Nico even closer to him.

“Your mom is watching,” Nico reminded Will although he wasn’t really sure he minded, Will’s closeness sending a frenzy of incoherent thoughts scattering around his brain.

“I don’t care,” Will said, his breath dusting over Nico’s lips. Nico didn’t care either as he closed the distance between them, raising himself onto his tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on Will’s lips.

Will pulled away way sooner than Nico would have liked but it was still enough to leave his head feeling fuzzy and his lips tingling with warmth.

“Goodbye,” Will said.

“Goodbye,” Nico repeated, releasing Will’s top from where he’d grabbed hold of it to kiss him. Will smiled softly as he trailed his hand along Nico’s arm, releasing it, before walking away towards where Naomi Solace was waiting for him in the car. Nico smiled and waved as he watched Will go before turning around and heading back through the magical border and up Halfblood Hill.

He only had to wait until weekend.

[bubblegumwitchswriting]

The Currency We’ve Spent: Chapter Two

Main Pairing: Will/Nico

Other Pairings: Jason/Piper; Percy/Annabeth; Hazel/Frank; Leo/Calypso

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934799/chapters/37506278 

First Chapter (Prologue): here

Previous Chapter: here 

It had been long enough since Jason had inadvertently betrayed them and or (depending on the point of view) accidentally brought their father down on them, that the wounds had healed over. When Jason and Nico came back in, Percy stumbled to his feet and launched himself at Jason, giving his friend a huge hug. Nico stayed just out of arms length - Percy drunk was a lethal combination of absolutely no coordination and no sense of strength and Nico had come close to death by strangulation more than once. Jason, pretty used to handling Percy drunk extradited himself with ease, and let Percy pull him back into the party circle.

"You're late Jason," Percy complained. "Like really late."

"I know," Jason said. "There was traffic. And I had to pick a couple of people up."

Nico turned rapidly to Jason, alarmed by the "couple". Who else was Jason hiding? Nico couldn't take any more surprises. It had to be bad for his health. Could he get Will to write him a note somehow? Dear universe, Nico has been through a lot so please excuse him from further surprises or other unpleasantness. Thanks (soon-ish to be) Doctor Solace.

The universe probably wouldn't pay the slightest bit of attention.

Nico was frowning at Jason trying to silently interrogate him on who this mysterious other person was, and if were any more sudden siblings Nico hadn't known about or seen in years he really would scream. Percy missed the entire thing, Jason just looked confused.

Nico's worries were assuaged anyway, when the door banged open and Leo appeared, blowing a party tooter.

"You can start the party now!" he called cheerily. "I am here!"

Leo was attacked in a death hug that nearly had the two of them on the floor.

"I thought you couldn't make it!" Percy was saying.

"Wouldn't miss this," Leo was saying. "Ooh are we playing games?"

Leo and Percy went back to the circle, Leo grabbed a shot from the bar on the way.

"How do you not drink at these things?" Nico demanded. "It's so stressful."

Jason gave him a wry smile.

"No more so than usual with you lot around," he commented. "Besides you can drink. Nothing stopping you. I honestly thought you'd be out of it by now, telling me all about the benefits of nihilism and orange juice or something."

Nico crossed his arms.

"I don't do that," he said.

"Uh-huh," Jason said.

"You know it must be nearly time to meet the girls," Jason continued, completely ignoring Nico’s glares to glance at his watch. Then he frowned distractedly.

"Hey," he said. "Where's Will?"

"Had to pick up a secret brother," Nico said. "He'll be here soon."

"Nico -" Jason began warningly, but Nico cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I'm not over-thinking," he said.

"I'm not," he added when Jason seemed unconvinced. "I promised Reyna after all not to be a moron in relationships."

"So you'll listen to her?"

Nico scowled.

"I listen to you all the time. Like when you convinced me my boyfriend was a spy -"

Jason held up his hands in defeat and acceptance.

"Only for Russia and even then only at weekends," a familiar voice said. "Hey Jason."

"Hi Will," Jason said. "Will you tell Nico to stop-overthinking and start drinking?"

Will gave Nico a smirky kind of grin. He was stunning of course, but far from bowling him over like it used to it drew an internal eye roll. And okay maybe a small observation about how the colour of his smart-casual shirt really drew out the colour of his eyes. But over-all he was completely jaded to Will's superficial beauty.

"Go get drunk babe," Will said. Pet names and smirks were Will's weapons of choice in sarcasm and arguments and it was unfair they were so effective.

"Why are you still not drunk?" Will continued. "Have you not been to one of these before?  Do you need me to explain what a stag do is for? Because they seem to be largely for getting everyone really drunk."

Nico stared at him.

"Why don't you tell Jason about the text you got from Luke, honey."

Will's smirk flickered back but then he looked more serious.

"Luke," Jason asked. "You've heard from Luke?"

"Only to say someone called Thalia is in trouble."

Jason went kind of pale, eyes flashing to the door as though he could see into the foyer beyond. Nico nudged Will pointedly.

"Thalia's his sister," he explained in a stage whisper.

Will closed his eyes.

"Well you might have mentioned that before, sweetie, in which case I might have been a bit more gentle with that news."

"It's fine," Jason said though he didn't sound especially fine. He sounded tired, even more tired than he'd been over the last month. "I'm fine. I guessed it must have been something bad. Thalia doesn't usually fall apart like that."

"No," Nico agreed with only a little sulleness. "She gets mad not sad. Anyway you can appreciate why I'm currently still alarmingly sober."

Will gave him an understanding smile.

"When do the girls get here?" he asked Jason, and how did Will know more details about this party than Nico? Were his boyfriend and best friend in cahoots now? Nico wasn't sure he liked that. Next they'd be ganging up on him about his relationship with vegetables or something.

"Any minute," Jason said, glancing at his watch again.

"Percy seems to be having fun at least," Will commented. "Why are all the shots blue?"

"Don't ask," Nico said.

Wil raised an eyebrow.

"Okay well, I don't mean to be insensitive but Luke's message didn't make it seem like danger was imminent. And Percy has been gesturing to us to go over for the last like minute so maybe we should act like we want to be here not aiming that at anyone specific but certain people here have expressions more suitable for a funeral. Not everyone. Certain people. It looks great on you, Love but maybe not the most appropriate."

Nico hit him in the arm, but he had a point. This was Percy's night.

Nico let him and Jason pull him down to where Percy and the others were still playing Percy or Annabeth.

"Last question," Connor called. "And the newcomers and party poopers - looking at you Nico - can join in on this one. Jason I know you don't drink so we got you some blue Gatorade."

"Thanks," Jason said. "I think.”

"Right for the win, who does Annabeth think is the most irresponsible?"

No one even bothered writing.

"Percy!" everyone chorused.

"Hey," Percy protested, but then he shrugged.

"Yeah," he said. "Okay."

The games over, Leo cranked up the sound on the speakers.

"Let's hit some pinatas!" he yelled.

If his self from a year ago had been told that one day he'd be having fun at Percy's stag do for a marriage that wasn't to him, with a boyfriend in tow there was no way he'd ever have believed it. Things had changed a lot, but maybe they were for the better. Mostly for the better anyway.

Will had glitter on his cheeks and in his hair from the pinatas. He presented Nico with a small packet of haribo. It was largely made up of rings.

"Are you proposing?" Nico asked as he took them. He was sitting up on the bar refusing to dance, and Will was in front of him dancing distractedly as he tried to convince Nico dancing would be fun. Leo had put the playlist together and some of the songs made Nico frown slightly but Will had professed that Leo had good taste which was practically grounds for divorce.

"Proposing?" Will asked, sounding innocently surprised. "So early into the relationship? We have to write letters to each other for at least another two weeks and then you'd have to ask my papa's permission."

"Oh shut up you southern belle," Nico said. "And you don't even know who your papa is."

Will put a hand to his heart, mortally offended.

"How could you say such a thing?" he asked, teasing and over-dramatic. "At least my father is not a criminal overlord."

"That is a very good point my dear," Nico said with a straight face. "But then at least I didn't actively work for him."

Will laughed.

"Come on," he said. "Come dance."

Nico sighed but he actually recognised the song, and Will was so pretty under the flashing lights, glitter sticking to his cheeks like extra stars in the constellations already clustering his face. He slipped down off the bar, bringing a shot with him, letting Will pull him onto the dance floor.

"So what's this one?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"The song?"

"I thought you knew it," Will said. "You started dancing the second it came on."

"That's a lie your honour," Nico said automatically. "Besides you can know a song without knowing the name."

Will shrugged an acquiesce at that. Before he could answer, however, the door burst open and Piper appeared.

"We're here!" she called. She had on a pretty top and a nice pair of shorts over which she wore huge underwear emblazoned with a generic superhero symbol. She had a cowgirl hat all neon pink and bright splotches of cow print lopsided on her head.

"Looks like the girls have been having fun," Will commented wryly. Nico smirked. He'd been around a drunk Piper only once but it had been an experience. He thought the drunk men she'd been hustling drinks out of at the bar were going to kill her when they finally caught on to the fact she was playing them.

"Don't make or take any bets around her," he warned.

Annabeth appeared in the doorway next, a princess crown and veil placed on her head equally lopsided.

"Percy!" she yelled. "Look who's here."

Thalia was close behind, smudgy make up still smudged, hair still ruffled but looking festive in a bright blue feather boa Annabeth had wrapped around her shoulders. Nico might not have gotten on particularly well with her but the glee with which Annabeth introduced her friend made Nico kind of glad she'd shown up, though the circumstances could have been better. Percy scrambled to his feet, rushed over to Thalia.

"Sparks!"

"Water Works," Thalia said. "Heard you were getting married. Notice I didn't get an invitation to the wedding."

Annabeth laughed.

"We had no idea where you were!" she said accusingly. "You're a good one for disappearing. But now you're back you can have the place of honour."

"Hey - " Piper broke in with a cheeky grin. "I thought that was going to me."

"You can have a joint place of honour with Piper. And we can have another hen night. Maybe in Europe. Should we go to Europe? Maybe Paris, I haven't been to Paris. Hey Percy let's go to Paris."

"Sure," Percy said cheerfully, without a real clue about what was going on. "I'll add it to the list."

The rest of Annabeth's friends had intermingled with Percy's. Shots were poured out and taken around for the girls.

"We were dancing," Will said, gently pulling Nico back by the arm.

"That was when I knew the song," Nico said.

Will fixed him with an unimpressed look.

"Everyone knows What is Love."

Nico couldn't really deny that.

"You know I hate dancing," he mumbled but he let Will pull him along anyway and somehow he stayed until the next song and the song after that. He didn't drink much after the first shots and joined Jason on the blue gatorade. Though Will thought Luke didn't think there was much danger, and didn't pose a threat, and though Thalia had shaken off whatever was upsetting her and was dancing happily with Annabeth and Piper, there was a small part Nico couldn't quite relax. Will, he noticed, followed his lead and didn't drink much at all. That was like a knife in Nico's chest: painful and making him go weak at the same time and it made him smile at Will and keep dancing. Will was a good distraction.

At some point Percy and Annabeth's outer circle of friends left, leaving him and Will, Jason and Piper, and Leo, and Thalia. They all sat out on the fire escape, wrapped in coats and various items of fancy dress that had been strewn around the bar. Nico sat back against Will's legs, listening to the music that still played, though more quietly, and watching as the sky turned pale blue and then tinged pink.

The others were talking - reminiscing, making plans - but he was content to listen, Will's fingers intertwined with his.

Tiredness was catching up with him. The others were starting to feel the effects too, but no one wanted to end the party. At some point Nico fell asleep woke again when Thalia and Piper, who had very quickly become best friends, starting singing Country Roads Take Me Home To The Plaaaace -and planning to quit their jobs that second and take a road trip. Leo was going on about all the best things about road trips when Nico's eyes shut again.

Will nudged him awake again when the sun was a yellowing disc just above the horizon.

"Time to go," he said softly.

The others were getting up, collecting their things. In the foyer Jason was organising taxis, trying to count them all and figure out who would be best to ride with who.

"Where are you staying Thalia?"

"With ussss!" Piper said enthusiastically, to both Thalia and Jason's surprise though both accepted it.

"Okay so that means the three of us in one taxi," Jason said.

"Nico you better go with Percy," he continued. That was usually Jason's job but Nico just shrugged.

"And then Will with you as well obviously but then that leaves Leo and Annabeth. Wait where are you staying Leo?"

"He's near me," Annabeth said. "That works."

Jason stared at the both of them, doubtingly. Leo had on a pair of sunglasses and though he was leaning against the wall he was tipping and tilting and he keeled over. Annabeth was swaying happily and in complete contrast to her sober self did not seem very with it at all.

"I'll go with them," Will volunteered, catching Jason's eye with a slight smile. "It's sort of on the way."

Will glanced at Nico and Nico shrugged and nodded.

"I'll see you at home."

Will left first with Leo and Annabeth who were looking most worst for wear. Him and Percy were supposed to be next but then Percy, who had been fiddling with his engagement band, lost the ring and was crawling around looking for it.

"You go," Nico said. "I'll get the ring and the groom into the next taxi."

Jason smirked.

"Practice for the wedding?" he asked.

"I freaking hope not," Nico answered.

Jason grinned and wished him a good night, taking his drunk girlfriend and tipsy sister with him. Nico watched Percy scrabbling around the floor for a moment and then with a sigh got down on his hands and knees and began searching.

"Found it!" Nico said extracting the ring from under the counter. "And that sounds like the taxi."

He handed pulled Percy to his feet and handed him the ring.

"Don't lose it again," he instructed sternly, but his attempts to be authorititive just had Percy giggling.

"You don't do that as much anymore," Percy commented as Nico dragged him towards the door.

"Do what?" Nico asked distractedly.

"Frown," Percy said.

Nico stopped dead, but Percy was too drunk to notice any significance in that.

"I don't know what you mean," he said quietly. He pulled himself together, pulled Percy onwards.

"I frown all the time," Nico continued. "Look I'm frowning now because you're not walking properly and you're going to pull us both over."

"Sorry," Percy said automatically.

"I'm glad you have Will though," Percy said, apparently reaching the soppy stages of his drunk pattern. Nico was surprised he hadn't gotten there sooner. Nico glanced at his friend, who was frowning in his attempts to put one foot in front of the other. There was no way Percy would remember this conversation in the morning.

"I'm glad too," Nico said softly. "And I'd quite like to get home so if you could hurry it up that would be great."

Percy gave him a sappy grin.

"I love you Neeks," he said. "You're like my favourite little brother."

"Great," Nico said.

Percy frowned.

"Ugh," Nico said. "I love you too. Now for goodness sake the driver is going to drive off without us at this rate."

Percy did make a concentrated effort to hurry up, for all the good it did their pace. It wasn't far to the door but Percy managed to turn it into a marathon. Luckily the car was still waiting, back door open. Nico poured Percy inside and got in after him, yanking the door shut. Nico gave Percy's address and driver moved off without a word.

Nico's eyes were getting heavy again and he kept thinking of collapsing in bed. He had to keep jerking his eyes open, glancing over at Percy to make sure he wasn't making trouble, before sinking back into a sleepy daze. Because he was so out of it, it took him far too long to figure out the car wasn't going the right way.

He frowned, just faintly puzzled at first. They weren't that far from where they should be. Maybe there had been a diversion. When the car took a right when it should have been a left, Nico felt the thrills of dread.

He didn't know what to do, and Percy was too drunk to be any help and drunk enough to be a huge liability. Did he say something to the driver? Maybe the driver had heard the address wrong or -

Or this was deliberate.

He swallowed and pulled out his phone. His battery was flashing low, down in very last dregs of red. He'd taken too many pictures of Percy and Leo for bribery purposes. That would teach him. He would probably only have time for one call, or one message. Who did he reach out for? The police? Jason? Will? They should really have a group chat for these kind of problems - help we've been kidnapped.

An incoming text from Jason made up his mind. Jason was clearly by his phone.

He tapped out a quick message - probably incoherent in his hurry to get it sent before the battery died. After it was sent he opened up his and Will's thread but the screen went black, the little charge symbol taunting him when he stabbed at the screen.

Nico glanced at the driver, a dark figure behind the glass, and then to Percy. He was staring out the window, apparently oblivious to everything, half mumbling half singing. It was that song, the one he'd first got up to dance to. Will had never gotten to tell him what it was. What if Nico got murdered now and Will never got to tell him and he'd die not knowing and Will wouldn't know what happened to him.

No need to panic though.

He nudged Percy gently.

"Have you got your phone?" he asked.

Percy rummaged in his pockets then shook his head.

"I think Jason might have had it. Or Annabeth. Or Leo took it at one point and was recording some monologue about -"

Nico tuned out. Great. Just great. They were trapped in a taxi with a possible mad-mass murderer and/or one of Luke's minions or someone from Jason's father which all really probably amounted to the same thing. And neither of them had a working phone.

Though he could still feel tiredness, it was held at bay by the tension coiled in him. When the car stopped he threw open the door, intending to pull Percy out with him, to make a run for it. Percy was entangled with his seat belt and didn't have enough urgency for it to work. As the driver opened his door, Nico raced around the car, opened up Percy's door.

"This isn't my house," Percy observed, reasonably calmly though there was an undercurrent of awareness rising to the surface. He was beginning to look alarmed.

"Hurry up," was all Nico said.

Percy turned back to his seat belt. Nico sensed someone behind him and he turned, too quickly. They'd come to a stop on a dirt driveway, muddy and slippery and his foot had caught on a rock. He went down, trying to catch at the door to save him but it swung in throwing him even more off balance. He was aware of a sharp pain as he hit his head on something and then there was black.

Next chapter

[nicoinverona]

Sunday Afternoon||NicxGeorgie

Who: @georgiexromano and @nicoinverona

When: Sunday, November 4, 2018

What: Nic visits Georgie at the cottage she shares with her cousin on the Romano Estate.  They get cozy but things hold Nic back.  Mentions of @analyticalcapulet.  Mentions of NPC Greta Ricci and her death.

Triggers: death mentions

Nic: arrived at the Romano estate just after lunch on Sunday afternoon. He had a small basket full of non edible treats for Georgie as per the Madam's instructions. Once he arrived and checked in with the guards at the front, he felt very unprepared and almost wished he'd had his gun with him as well, not that he expected he'd be allowed to keep it. He was grateful though that he was shown onto the estate without incident and lead towards the cottage. He pulled the soft red fleece blanket from the top of the basket and put it over his head like a red hood before knocking on the door.

Georgie: was curled up in bed, as she had been since she’d gotten home from the hospital. Today, at least, she had the incentive to put more effort in getting ready. So she was showered and had chosen her cutest pair of comfy pjs to look somewhat out together. When she heard the knock, she headed down the hall to open the door happily. Though she’d been trying not to seem too excited, she couldn’t help but laugh as she spotted his makeshift red hood. “Well hello, you look an awful lot like a big bad wolf in disguise. Not sure I should let you in. I’m afraid you might try to eat me.”

Nic: laughed, putting down the basket and reaching in for Georgie's hips and tickling them. "Maybe I am the big bad wolf in disguise, and maybe I would try to eat you, but something tells me you wouldn't mind at all." She looked a lot better than he remembered from the night of the fire and that made him feel a lot better. "What can I say, halloween is over so the stores have ALL the Christmas stuff out already. I just wanted to find you something warm and soft to snuggle up with. But the red spoke to me," the Dominant smiled.

Georgie: let out a giggle and pushed his hands away. "Stop, I'm not allowed to laugh too hard." He was ridiculous, coming here and teasing her the way he did, then telling her they could never happen. She knew that, of course, but that didn't mean she didn't want to tease him back. "Oh, you know I wouldn't. Which is why I'll happily let you in." She smiled up at him a moment more before standing back to let him in, grinning at the basket of treats. "You didn't have to get me anything... But I have to say, I love the blanket and I really can't wait to see what else you brought." She closed the door behind him before heading straight to her room. "I swear Mother has this superpower that she can tell when I'm out of bed longer than I should be..."

Nic: "Okay, okay," he acquiesced. "But the color looks good on you." The Dominant stepped into the cottage. "Your mother refused to let me bring you anything to eat and I figured you might be about going crazy so I put together a few essentials." He followed Georgie back to her room. "Well if getting you into bed keeps your Mother away," Nic couldn't help but laugh. "Please tell me you have a tv and dvd player back here."

Georgie: "Thank you, Sir." The submissive replied with a light bat of her eyelashes and a small smirk on her lips. She let out a soft huff then as he explained why he brought the stuff he did. "Of course she did... I was hoping you'd get around that. I'm on a strict diet right now, only eating what will help me get better and nothing else." It was annoying, but she wasn't going to fault her mother for trying to take care of her. "Depending on what the essentials are, you're a life saver." Her smirk grew as she climbed into bed and patted the mattress beside her. "If I knew all I needed to do was inhale some smoke to get you in my bed, I'd have done it a while ago." She teased lightly before gesturing at her tv, "Duh, who do you think I am?"

Nic: "I am not some fool about to purposefully bring on the wrath of your mother," the Dominant said with a shake of his head. Sitting down on the bed, with a fond roll of his eyes at Georgie’s comment about getting him into her bed, he handed over the basket. "A couple of movies, some puzzle books, a pen, some cards, and travel sized games," he dug to the bottom of the basket. "And the inspiration for it all," Nic produced a child's copy of Little Red Riding Hood and a plush wolf.

Georgie: "I knew I liked you for a reason... you're very clever." Georgie smiled wide as he rolled his eyes at her, glad she got the reaction she hoped for. Looking through the basket as he told her what was in it, her smile brightened. "You're really the best. Thank you, Sir." A laugh was pulled from her lips as he took out the book and the wolf and she immediately tugged the plush to her chest. "Will you read it to me.... Daddy?" The look on her face screamed mischief as she fluttered her eyelashes more, trying her best to seem innocent.

Nic: "I'm finally beginning to actually enjoy my life again," he nodded. "You're welcome. I got this before I knew you were out of the hospital and I wasn't sure how long you'd be in for. I had to take out the snacks and decided to replace them with DVDs." His face flushed slightly at her teasing. He wasn't completely immune to her after all, but if what she wanted was a Daddy Dominant, it was another way of showing how their lives were on different paths. Still he wouldn't deny her and perhaps it was safer. "Of course <i> Little One,</i>." Nic grabbed the blanket and opened his arms welcoming her to snuggle against him, as he flipped open the book and settled the blanket around them.

Georgie: “So you don’t have a death wish, now that’s a hot quality I look for in a Dom.” Georgie laughed again, though her lungs ached and told her to stop. “It’s perfect, thank you.” The flush on his face was brilliant, but she was surprised he reacted, let alone went along with it. “I /was/ just kidding. But I do like the pet names and any chance to cuddle up to you? I won’t turn that down.” She smiled as she snuggled into his side, letting out a content sigh as she did.

Nic: "No, I don't, but for a while after Greta... I just didn't care about anything but Grazie and work." He noticed the way she struggled and he held up a hand. "I'll stop. I won't make you laugh." Nic shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really into the Daddy kink. I don't think. I'm more into maybe one day... being a daddy. An actual one, running around after a couple of kids." Nic cut his eyes to her. "I'm generally pro-snuggling. And you /are/ a little one." He pushed some hair back off her face. "So, just out of curiosity, since you mentioned it, what do you look for, quality wise in a Dominant. What do you want? When do you want it?"

Georgie: “And now you’re caring about more, and that’s a really good thing.” Georgie offered with a sweet smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand lightly. She tried to take deep breaths to calm the aching in her lungs because of her laughter. “I’m not really either. I mean, I guess I kinda am, but it depends who I’m with. You’re daddy material, definitely, but not really “Daddy” material, you know? You’d be an amazing dad, based on how you are with Grazie.” She gave him another smile before snuggling closer, taking a deep breath, breathing in his scent as odd as that was. “I’m not sure, if I’m honest. I mean, I’d like to know my Dominant can take care of me. I want to feel safe when I’m with them, but also be able to relax and have fun. I like someone who knows what their doing with their life, which is why I usually go for Dominants a bit older than I am.” She considered his second question and sighed softly, “Not yet. I know I should start looking properly soon, but I still want to have fun. But within the next five years I’d definitely like to have something...”

Nic: "Thanks," Nic said squeezing her hand back. "Yeah, that is me. I like... taking care of people. I was used to taking care of Greta, and we'd been together so long it was hard to remember how we navigated all of that, what she needed versus what I needed to give." The Dominant nodded his head. "I think that's what you should want. Someone who can take care of you, who makes you feel safe. And you should also feel like you can relax and have fun too." Nic laughed then. "Conveniently I think I fit all of those." He nodded his head. "I think wanting an older Dominant and someone who knows what they are doing with their life is probably something that comes from your family as well. Someone who is going to fit in with them, who is going to be useful and make a good connection." Nic continued to softly run a hand through her hair. "That makes sense and I think that's fine. You should have fun and enjoy your life too. You're still young and you've never had that experience before. But I have. I've been in a claim, we were talking about starting a family and actually... " Nic shook his head. "And even though some days I wonder if I'm ready to move on, I know I still want all of that again."

Georgie: nodded as he explained that was how he had been with Greta. It was always interesting to hear him speak of her, and it made her kind of sad to know he lost someone so special to him. "I don't think it's convenience, actually. I think that's just why I like you so much. You're everything I've been taught to look for as well as everything I've realised I want for myself. That's why you're so annoying." She added a light tease at the end, though she smiled up at him. His hand running through her hair caused her to sigh lightly and let her eyes close for a brief moment. "I guess we're both at different points in our lives then..." That would be an easy excuse to rely on every time she questioned why she couldn't be with Nico, to avoid the obvious fact that he wasn't a noble. "Tell me about her. Your 'friend'. You say she's a friend but I can tell it's more than that. What's she like?

Nic: crossess his eyes and stuck out his tongue at Georgie’s teasing. “That’s Sir Annoying to you.” The Dominant nodded his head. “Yeah. But who knows? I could be at this point for a while. Who knows?” The Dominants cheeks burned with color at being called out on his relationship with Mel. “Hmm, you can tell that can you?” Nic asked with a raised eyebrow. “Okay first off no .... buts or whats or questioning. I’m very aware of everything.” He blew out a breath. “Her name is Mel and she is a Capulet so right off the bat I know we can only be friends. “She’s not the daughter of the head of the family or anything like you but she just moved out of her parents place and into a wing on the estate. That is probably another big clue that she doesn’t see me in that way because even though she stays and sometimes for a couple of nights in a row, and has some things at my place for when she does stay... I guess moving in with me isn’t... an option. Maybe it would have been if I had another room or something. But she seems really happy so I’m happy for her.” He laughed. “She likes video games and food and coffee. She was on a quadruple shot the day I met her. She works in retail but only to pay the bills; her real interest is in tech but since the Montagues have that on lock down she’s struggling to find her bliss professionally. And she may actually leave Verona to peruse something. Which is I guess another reason why we are not anything but friends.” The Dominant turned to Georgie. “I have a gift apparently for relationships that can’t be.”

Georgie: "Yes, Sir Annoying." Georgie quipped back in a sing songy voice, though it was still a bit hoarse. "You're right, who knows? I could be at the stage you're currently at now before you're ready to move on from it. Then we'd have a real problem." Of course it wouldn't be any more of a problem than it was now, nothing would really change. The way he blushed made it quite obvious she'd caught him, even if he hadn't been very subtle about the whole thing. She was about to say something when he cut her off to make it clear she couldn't ask anything so she just nodded. Georgie listened carefully, genuinely curious about what was going on in his life and who the lucky girl was that was getting his affection. It was adorable, really, that when she asked to hear about this girl, he told her pretty much /everything/. It was so obvious to her that he liked her in a way that was more than just friends.

When he turned to her again, she lifted her hand to gently cup his cheek before offering a smile, "You don't know that." She dropped her hand then and pushed herself up a bit more so she could look at him face on. "Okay, I know you said no buts, whats or questioning, but too bad, cause I have a few. First of all, not all Noble families are as strict as mine. I know the Capulets are still traditional, but there is a chance they'd accept you because you're not just some commoner, you're a Watchman who also happens to be a perfect gentleman. Secondly, you think she doesn't see you as anything more than a friend just because she can't or won't move in with you? Sir, with all due respect, that's ridiculous. It's very possible that she won't move in with you because she /does/ see you in that way but doesn't want to push it." She gave him a look before shaking her head and offering a small smile, "She sounds amazing, Nico, really. I hope she doesn't leave Verona, not any time soon."

Nic: laughed as Georgie continued to tease him. He could tell her voice was bothering her though. He nodded his head when she mentioned that if they were in the same stage it would be more difficult to not want more. He leaned into her gentle touch, closing his eyes. "Don't know I have a gift for relationships that can't be? Oh I think it's a fair assessment." He rolled his eyes. "You're a horrible listener. I think that would have been true with Lady Bea still in charge. I don't have enough of a read on the new Lord Capulet, and there are other reasons for him to not like me, or the Watch. It will be interesting to see his influence now that she's living at the estate," the Dominant mused softly. "But to be fair, Mel I think is one of the Capulets who probably, wouldn't even care, Noble, not Noble. But she'd be better, professionally to get claimed by a Montague. And not a Watch Officer though. If she wanted that and I'm not sure she does." He shook his head, "I get your point but I think I've made it clear that I like having her around, and would share my space with her. I do think it is more about there only being one room, and what it would mean, what it would look like. Because it would be hard to say we're just friends if we were living together that way." The Dominant rested his head on top of Georgie's. "Thanks Georgie. She is. And I hope she doesn't either. Now let's give your voice a rest okay." He picked back up the book and started reading it. Happy to focus on something else for a bit.

Georgie: "I mean you don't know that they can't be." Not with Mel, anyways. He was coming up with reasons why not, but they sounded more like excuses than anything. "I know." She replied with a quick, raspy laugh at his comment on her not listening. "Lord Tybalt isn't as bad as people make him out to be. But I suppose that's only my experience with him, not everyone else's..." She didn't know what reasons the Lord had not to like Nico, but she didn't think this was the right time to ask. "There, so you can't use the Noble thing as an excuse with her. Let her make the decision if she cares more about her profession or with who she wants to be with." It wasn't always as easy as that, as Georgie knew well, but she wanted to give him some hope. "I guess... Well then just keep having her over until you can both figure out what you want." A small smile was tugged onto her lips as he rested his head on hers and she curled back into him, all too happy to stop talking. Her throat was really hurting again, even if she wanted to keep talking. Instead she focused on his voice, not even so much the story. His voice was so soothing, that plus the warmth of his body had her in a very happily relaxed state by the end of the book.

Nic: continued reading the book, happy that Georgie seemed to relax and stop speaking while he did so. When he finished the story he set the book aside and just leaned back against the bed. It wasn't something a lot of people were comfortable with just anyone, but it was a handy Watch skill to have to sometimes be able to be with someone and not have to talk. Sometimes there just weren't things to say. He brought a hand up, stroking it through her hair gently.

Georgie: let her eyes close as he put the book away and they just relaxed. It was nice, just being like this with someone else. The comfort he gave was unparalleled to anything in that moment. A happy hum slipped past her lips at the way his hand moved through her hair and her fingers drew light designs across his arm. She didn't want to speak, didn't want to ruin the moment and could only hope he'd stay there with her for quite a while longer. At least, she hoped he would stay until someone interrupted them to bring her dinner. But that was still a ways away and she'd take what she could for now.

Nic: let out his own soft happy hum as they settled into a quiet softness of relaxing and just being. Her fingers almost tickled against his skin but he liked it. The Dominant started softly humming a song, just the melody, no lyrics. Part of him wondered if the submissive would just fall asleep in his embrace. He wasn't sure it was a wise idea, but he also thought if she needed rest than he was more than happy to help with that.

Georgie: As Nico began to hum, a lazy smile crossed Georgie's face and her hand moved to rest gently across his stomach. She could feel the gentle vibrations in his chest and it only served to relax her more. She hadn't been aware that she was this tired, but falling asleep at night had been difficult with the coughing and the pain in her lungs when she breathed too deeply. Now she didn't focus on that, able to focus fully on him as she snuggled in the tiniest bit closer before she felt herself drifting off.

Nic: felt Georgie relax more and he was pretty sure the submissive drifted off. He had no real plans for the rest of the day, and the Dominant was still exhausted from the week that had been. Wednesday had bled into Thursday and even into Friday, and although he'd crashed early the night before, just laying here with Georgie, it was easy to feel his own eyes drifting closed. Nic reached for his phone and set an alarm for about 90 minutes. He didn't think anyone would come looking for them before then, and it would be a good rest, and possibly leave them time to watch a movie before he should leave. Alarm set, Nic rested his head on Georgie's, and just let his eyes close.

Georgie: woke to the alarm, startled slightly by the sound. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep. But as her eyes opened, a content smile slowly crossed her face and she curled closer into the warm body beside her. She didn’t speak yet, not when she felt so groggy but she couldn’t help but think how nice it was to wake up like this, even if it’s been just a nap. And by the peaceful look on Nico’s face, it was clear he’d just been woken up as well.

Nic: The alarm sounding woke Nic. He hadn’t really expected to fall into a deep sleep but apparently the warmth of Georgie’s body against his and her quiet breaths had been enough to lull him to sleep. He hoped that hasn’t been a mistake. “Hey,” The Dominant said, voice still husky with sleep, “want me to put on a movie?” Keeping her from talking would probably be a good thing but he also wasn’t sure about disturbing her; but since they were both awake now, it might be a better idea.

Georgie: hummed softly in response to his words. She liked the way she could feel the rumbling of his words deep in his chest and let her eyes close again. And though she knew she should probably move, let him get up to put in a movie, she didn't really want to. "Not yet." Her voice was more hoarse than before thanks to the sleep, but she spoke quietly so as to not hurt it. "Just lay with me 'til we're both properly awake."

Nic: “Sssshh,” He cided her. “Save your voice and your throat. Should I call someone to get you something to drink?” Nic asked. Still he didn’t move; he didn’t want to move. Georgie was warm and comfortable. “I hope it’s okay that I fell asleep too,” he murmured. “It’s been a long few days.”

Georgie: shook her head subtly, not really wanting to move at all from where she was lying so comfortably. She didn't want anyone else here, not right now. This was too good and she wanted to hang onto it as long as she could. Her smile grew slightly at his words and she tilted her head up slightly to look at him. "Of course it's okay" Her voice was a whisper now, doing what she could to relax it. "You deserve rest more than anyone, you've been so busy."

Nic: "I felt pretty confident it was okay with you, but I meant more with... you family," he admitted. And by family, he meant her mother. He had no desire to mess one on one with the head of /any/ family and the Romano's were no exception. He shook his head. "No more than anyone else working on this fire case or any of the other first responders that night." Nic shifted slightly, "how have you been sleeping since the fire? Okay?"

Georgie: "You mean Mother?" Georgie smiled lightly, knowing exactly what he meant. "She won't mind, it's just sleeping, we didn't do anything. And I will tell her that if she for some reason says something." She doubted she would, though. While her Mother was very protective of her, the submissive was sure that right now, she'd just be happy she was getting some rest. "I guess.... And yeah, okay. I mean, it's kind of hard some nights. Sometimes I cough a lot or have a hard time breathing, but it's getting easier. Also laying in bed all day makes it hard to actually sleep when the time comes."

Nic: "Well in a word, yes," the Dominant laughed. "I'm not so sure your mother sees 'anything' as just anything." The woman had practically strangled Nic with his own shirt upon hearing Georgie's name, had berated him for reaching out and the method of contact, and had never once even said thank you. Not that Nic expected the Madam to; but he'd been hoping for a different experience with a Noble head of family. The Dominant nodded his head, "that's why I set an alarm, so a nap this afternoon wouldn't make tonight too hard to sleep. No nightmares involving fire?"

Georgie: "No, you're probably right... Well I can promise I'll at least do my best to calm her should she get annoyed with you. Which, again, I doubt she would about this. Because you got permission to be here, so you're okay." She wasn't supposed to be talking, she knew, but she wanted to assure him that this was fine. Partly because she was hoping if he relaxed, there could be a chance of it happening again. "Um..." She looked down, her brow furrowing slightly as she shrugged lightly. While she hadn't had them every night, some nights she awoke, unable to breathe, thinking her room was filling with smoke.

Nic: "You don't need to do that; but I am definitely attempting to tread carefully," he laughed. "I did get permission to be here and that's probably a good thing. I've never felt so uncomfortable without my gun as I did showing up to the front gates here. Although I doubt they would have let me keep it if I'd brought it with. Good thing I wasn't coming after work," the Dominant grimaced. It wasn't unexpected, and was in part why he'd asked, but the revelation was enough. "I think it's pretty standard after what you've been through. If you want to talk about it, when you're feeling better, or write about now, to save your voice, I'm here. Or I could probably recommend a therapy group."

Georgie: "But I will, cause I want her to like you." Her Mother wasn't overly fond of any Dominants who seemed to be close to her, regardless of their relationship to her. She frowned a bit then when he admitted to having been uncomfortable without his gun. "I'm sorry you were uncomfortable. I swear none of my family would ever hurt someone without cause." She had to admit, it hurt a bit that he'd felt like there could be some danger in coming to visit her. "No, definitely not. They'd have locked it up - it would have been completely safe - but it's better to just avoid all of that..." Georgie glanced up at him again when he told her she could talk about it, and even offered a therapy group, to which she shook her head, "I um I think I'm okay. They're not every night, just when I cough too much in my sleep."

Nic: smiled at the submissive and kissed the top of her forehead. "I'm sure they wouldn't, but the last time I was caught without my gun, and others had guns..." he left out a breath, "was the night Greta died." Nic shook his head. "She took one of the first bullets and so my gun wouldn't have done much but possibly compound the tragedy, but still; it is something I'll always remember." The Dominant nodded. "The thing is, I wouldn't even blame them for locking it up, so definitely better to keep it at home if I'm coming to visit here." Nic rubbed at her back a little. "Probably a bit of a subconscious thing it sounds like."

Georgie: The gentle kiss calmed her a bit, but her frown only saddened as he explained why he had been uncomfortable. "Nico... I'm so sorry. That would have been- God, I'm just so sorry." She hated that he had gone through something like that, hated that his claim that he obviously had loved so dearly was killed right in front of him. Subconsciously, she moved closer to him, just wanting to offer some support as he gently rubbed her back. "Yeah, I guess so. It'll probably go away soon, so I'm okay with dealing with it for now."

Nic: "Thanks," the Dominant said softly, allowing Georgie to snuggle in closer. The support was nice. "It's something you hope no one else has to ever experience. And yet, people do," he said matter of factly. "If it doesn't, please talk to someone about it, instead of resorting to pharmaceutical sleep aids." The case with Ophelia Capulet and her overdose still bothered him. He still felt like if only he'd made his suspicions known sooner, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

Georgie: A soft sigh left Georgie’s lips, not really knowing what to say to that. She just couldn’t imagine being in that situation and the fact that he’d actually been in it? It was terrible. His next words confused her a bit but she nodded, “Yeah no of course. I don’t- I’m not a fan of medication if I can find an alternative.” She explained before adding, “I’ll come to you. You’re just... an amazing listener and I think you’d know exactly what to say. But I’m really okay for now.”

Nic: "Good. You wouldn't believe how many people think they won't get hooked on addictive kinds of medicines even though everything we know points to there rarely being anyone who can escape." He chuckled darkly. "Even I've had a few near misses. First, with some anti-depressants and then more recently when I bruised a couple of ribs and injured my collar bone after trying to break down a door on a raid back at the beginning of October." His cheeks warmed with her faith in him. "Thank you," the Dominant said softly. He allowed himself a moment and pressed a kiss to her cheek, just off her lips. Anything else, he knew, would be far too dangerous.

Georgie: frowned slightly, tilting her head as she listened closely to him speak of addictive medicines and his history with them. "Are you okay now? With the medicine and with the injuries from your raid..." She knew his job was dangerous, but that didn't mean she liked knowing that he got hurt. The way his cheeks tinted pink brought a smile back to her face, but the kiss had her freezing. Her eyelashes fluttered as she closed her eyes briefly at the touch. His lips had been so close to hers, yet not close enough. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to kiss him. At least once. Georgie met his gaze again and leaned in slightly, close enough so she could feel his breath on her lips. But then she stopped, blinking as she realised that wouldn't be fair to them.

Nic: "I am fine," he assured her. Although he had gone through a patch where sleep medicines had been the only thing he thought could make him sleep and breaking that had been difficult. "Bruises all healed. I'd show you but ..." Nic trailed off with a soft laugh. Her face was so close and he reached up, cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing over her lips. "Georgie," the Dominant whispered softly, "what am I going to do with you?"

Georgie: "Good..." Part of her wanted to ask for more details, to know exactly what had happened and how long it had taken him to break his almost addiction. "I wouldn't mind if you showed me." She replied with a small smile, wanting to laugh but knowing she shouldn't. Her breath caught, then, as his thumb gently brushed over her lips. He wasn't doing anything to help her yearning to feel his lips on hers. "Kiss me. Please." Her words were barely a whisper, more a breath than anything.

Nic: "You'd have to move," he said, with a tilt of his head. "I won't be able to get my shirt up enough with you leaning against me." The Dominant bit down on his own lip at her request. "Like this?" Nic asked, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Or like this?" he asked, lips brushing the tip of her nose. The Dominant knew of course, what she wanted, but his own resolve was fading.

Georgie: “Fine, you can show me later. I’m too cozy to move now.” Georgie curled closer to him to make a point. But that only brought their faces closer together too. Still, she held her breath as he moved to press his lips first to her forehead and then to her nose. He was so close, she couldn’t handle it for much longer. “Not quite...” Leaning closer now, the submissive’s lips barely brushed his, needing him to make the final move. “Please.” She breathed out again, her breath surely warming his lips.

Nic: "Funny, so am I," he agreed with a grin as he eagerly accepted her closer. Her lips barely brushed against his, her words, her breath warming his lips. "So polite," the Dominant murmured, "only one thing missing." Still, he ducked his head and pressed his lips to hers in a quick, chaste kiss.

Georgie: A small smile was brought to her lips just at his gentle words, knowing what was coming. When his lips finally pressed to hers, she almost let out a sigh of relief. The kiss was quick, but before he could pull away too far, Georgie followed him and pressed her lips more firmly to his. She wasn’t trying to push this too much, but she couldn’t help herself.

Nic: chuckled softly, pulling back from Georgie and putting his finger up to her lips. "Whoah little one," the Dominant chided. "I'm still waiting to hear something from you to go with your please. Just three little letters. I want to hear it. And then I'll consider /really/ granting your request."

Georgie: A small pout crossed Georgie's lips as Nico pulled back and rested a finger on her lips to halt the kiss. She couldn't explain the feeling she got when he scolded her, using the pet name she was starting to get really fond of. "I'm sorry. Please, /Sir/." As she spoke her lips brushed over his finger, and she hoped that'd be enough for him to kiss her properly.

Nic: smiled warmly at Georgie, his whole body thrumming with warmth as she complied. "Now was that so hard?" the Dominant asked. His hand cupped her cheek again, the other sliding under her arm, fingers splaying against her upper ribs. Nic leaned in and pressed his lips to Georgies again, this time more insistently. He pulled her top lip between his sucking on it lightly before licking over her lips, his tongue seeking entry to her mouth.

Georgie: "No, Sir." She whispered back, her smile returning to her lips easily as he cupped her cheek and held her close. One of her hands moved up to rest against his chest as the other stayed gripping his arm gently. This next kiss was exactly what she'd been hoping for and she melted into it easily. A soft groan left her lips as he teased her upper lip and she easily allowed his tongue access, not hesitating to deepen the kiss. Playfully, she fought his tongue for dominance, but gave in almost immediately, her fingers curling lightly into his shirt as she leaned even closer.

Nic: 's grip on Georgie tightened as her tongue playfully fought his for dominance. Even though she leaned in closer, he was more near the side of the bed, so the Dominant" guided her back, leaning her back against the pillows, as he followed her, almost hovering above her. Nic fought himself hard to keep things light, but as expected, Georgie Romano was incredibly dangerous to him.

Georgie: was well aware that this wasn't the best idea, but she was so easily lost in the feel of his hands holding her tight and the way his lips moved against hers. Matters weren't helped as he rolled her over so she was laying on her back and the submissive gripped his shirt and arm tighter to pull him more on top of her. She wanted him hovering directly above her, or even resting his weight on her. The hand in his shirt then slipped up his chest, over his neck and into his hair, fingers curling gently as she felt her mind going fuzzy. If she was honest, she knew she'd have to break for air soon with how weak her lungs still were, but she put that off as long as she could, scared if she stopped the kiss, he wouldn't allow her any more.

Nic: moved so he was completely above Georgie, lowering his weight, and shifting it so he wouldn't crush her. He pulled back from the kiss, still wanting to taste her, pulling her lip between his again for a tease and then pressing a trail of kisses along the underside of her jaw. "Is that better?" he murmured into her ear. "Was that what you wanted?"

Georgie: was grateful when he pulled back, but didn't leave her completely. Another soft sigh of pleasure slipped from her lips as she tried to catch her breath, and she smiled lazily as he spoke softly against her ear. "That was... certainly in the right direction, Sir. But I think perhaps... another would /really/ get the point across. Don't you think?" She replied breathlessly, her fingers still running through his hair and massaging his scalp lightly. "Or maybe... maybe now you could take your shirt off. Show me you're okay.... Better position for it now, right, Sir?"

Nic: lifted his head enough to grin at Georgie. "So greedy. But good for you, I kind of like that." He leaned into her touch lightly, closing his eyes and focusing on thegentle massage. "I think taking my shirt off would be dangerous for me, especially in this position, if someone where to decide to check on us. I want you, and your family to know, that even if we can only be friends, that I respect you." Still the Dominant sat back on his heels and pulled his shirt up revealing most of his torso. "Feel free to check it out if you want."

Georgie: 's smile only grew more at his words, happy that he didn't scold her but instead found her eagerness amusing. He couldn't really blame her, not when they were both very aware of their shared attraction. His words made sense, but she wanted to disagree. It seemed like she didn't have to, though, as he sat back and pulled up his shirt. It wasn't quite off, but it was certainly good enough. "I know you respect me..." Her mouth went dry as she pushed herself up, her gaze running over his exposed torso. Her hands slowly moved to his abdomen, fingers running gently over the muscles there, taking the time to run over every contour. "Well... you certainly seem to be in good shape, Sir. No injuries that I can see..."

Nic: nodded, "I'd hope you'd know, but I know you can see how this would look to anyone walking in," the Dominant answered. "Even if I got you out of the fire." Her touch almost made him shiver, but Nic managed to keep himself under control. "I do work out regularly but not compulsively so. I prefer when my lifestyle helps keep me in shape instead. And I told you I was all healed."

Georgie: "I know." Georgie sighed softly, before allowing a small smirk to cross her face. "You know, I /could/ always lock the door. Give us complete privacy to avoid any misconceptions. I'd hate for anyone to think poorly of you..." Especially because she knew just how great he was. The submissive hummed lightly as her fingers continued to glide gently across his skin, even daring to dip low right above the waistline of his pants before sliding up again. "Well I suppose breaking down doors keeps you pretty fit, huh?" She teased lightly, finally tearing her gaze away from his body to meet his eyes again.

Nic: shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes, but I want to stay fit to be able to do my job properly. Taking care of Grazie, getting her out for runs, walks, are important, but so is.... other physical pursuits with a partner." He rolled his eyes. "I don't think a locked door is stopping most people on this estate, not to mention how that looks as well," he laughed. Her daring fingers pulled a low growl from him, his eyes flashing dark when they met with hers again. The Dominant pulled his shirt back down, and settled against her again capturing her lips in a kiss one more time.

Georgie: "Ah... so you use sex as a workout. I can't blame you." It did make her laugh, though, a soft breathless one, especially as he rolled his eyes. "No, I suppose you're right. But it gives us an extra moment to get ourselves more /decent/ I suppose." The growl that left his lips sent heat rushing through her body and her hands flew up to wrap around his neck as he pushed her back down, catching her lips in another kiss. This one was as passionate as the last, but with a bit more heat which she would never say no to. Just to test his reactions, Georgie arched her body up and rocked her hips up against his, the tease meant for him only sent another rush of warmth through her body.

Nic: "In different ways, yes," he admitted, not needing to put more idea's into the young submissive's head. "All the more reason not to need that moment, at least, not yet." Still that didn't stop him from kissing her again and leaning his body down into hers. When she arched her body and rocked her hips up against his, there was no way to hide his attraction to her. He responded in kind, rolling his hips down into hers, groaning softly into her mouth.

Georgie: He kept talking in a way that made it clear they shouldn't be doing anything, but his actions told a completely different story. His reaction to her hips pressing up - him rolling his hips back against hers - had her letting a soft moan escape into the kiss. She wanted him, he knew that she did, and she could only hope that maybe, just maybe he'd throw caution to the wind. Her fingers curled in his hair again, tugging at it gently, while the other hand slid down his back and up again under his shirt. Only just so she could feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers.

Nic: arched into the touch of her fingers against the bare skin of his back. The Dominant pulled his mouth from hers, groaning as he leaned back. "I'm sorry," he said with a shake of his head. There were too many reasons why this was a bad idea, and as much as his body wanted this, his head, and if he was honest, maybe his heart, were not on the same page.

Georgie: sighed softly, having known this would happen. She'd just hoped it would happen a bit later. She carefully pulled her hands back, allowing them to fall to cover her face for a brief moment as she caught her breath again. "No, it's okay..." Her voice was soft as she lowered her hands, giving him a small smile. "I did say no sex, anyways." She teased lightly, recalling their texts from a few days prior. "You are an incredible kisser, though, sir."

Nic: "It's not, but thank you for saying so anyway," he shook his head. "You did say no sex, and I shouldn't be putting your lungs to the test." The Dominant's face colored slightly again. "Thank you Georgie, but I think that's because I was kissing a great kisser and had to keep up." He took a breath, trying to calm himself. "Your mother has trusted me, about as much as she can trust anyone she doesn't know, and I don't want to break that." Nic tilted his head. "And I wouldn't admit this but you've already called me out on it. I like Mel. I want to be more than just friends that have sex. And even if she doesn't want that, the fact is, it would hurt me, to find out she was fooling around with someone else, so I really shouldn't be doing that to her, no matter how she feels," he admitted honestly.

Georgie: reached up and cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing the colour there gently. "You're too good to me." His next words had her sucking in her bottom lip, not wanting to frown but also not quite able to smile. "I get it. Even if you're not together yet, you would like to be, and it'd be wrong for you to go sleep with someone else. Just in case she does feel the same way. I'm sorry for initiating this. I knew how you felt and I did it anyways, and that was wrong." Still, she couldn't help but be a bit selfish and feel glad that it had happened.

Nic: "It's not only that," he said. "The truth is, apart from brothel workers, until Mel, I hadn't been with anyone else since Greta. And I was only ever with Greta. The truth is, I don't really know how to do this casual thing. Not with Mel, not with you. And you're... not ready for the kind of commitment I want. So that's not fair to you either." He shook his head. "Don't apologize. I like you, I am obviously attracted to you, and this could be easy and good. I'm the Dominant and I need to be more responsible one, even if I'm not /your/ Dominant."

Georgie: was surprised to hear that, and her surprise showed as her eyebrows shot up. "Really? Well I suppose that makes sense..." He loved Greta, why would he ever have needed anyone else? And then after that, she couldn't imagine how hard it was to even consider going with anyone else. "I understand, Sir, I do, really. I will offer, though, that if things don't turn out how I hope they will for you and Mel, I can help you learn to do casual. If you'd have me." Casual was really all she could do, not having ever been in a long, serious relationship. Again, she offered a small smile and shook her head, "It's not fair for you to take all the blame. It was still my fault for suggesting it."

Nic: shrugged his shoulders a little embarrassed; obviously Georgie had a different view of him. He nodded his head; although that was what he was supposed to be doing with Mel too, was learning how to be casual and he'd sort of really messed that up. "If things don't work out. If Mel realizes I'm more into her or if she has to leave Verona... we can revisit this conversation if you want." The Dominant offered her a small smile. "Between just you and me, we would work on you taking a bit of the blame, and the repercussions of that, but if anyone had come in and seen us, and anything had happened, yes, as the Dominant I would have taken all the responsibility for what was happening."

Georgie: "I hope they do, though. I hope either you can stay friends or you could maybe become more. She'd be silly not to see how amazing you are." Though Georgie was very aware of her relationship with Nico and how they really couldn't be more than friends, she was a bit jealous that he felt something for someone else. But what really got her was the fact that that woman didn't even know, or perhaps didn't feel that way back. Nic deserved to be loved and she hoped he'd get that. "I would like that. But it would be up to you, Sir." When he again mentioned the possible consequences of their actions, she smiled lightly and leaned forward to press her lips to his cheek. "Yes, but no one came in. So therefore it's my fault. Okay?"

Nic: almost spoke up, defending Mel, but decided to keep his mouth closed. The reasons why Mel wouldn't or couldn't be with Nic were not Georgie's business. "I do hope we'll at least stay friends," the Dominant said with a gentle smile. "I'll be sure to let you know. I mean if Mel ends up having to leave, or needs to stop seeing me for whatever reason, you're kind of the only person I've talked to about how I actually feel about her; honestly. And I have a feeling I would need a friend." Nic shook his head, finger pressing to her nose. "It's a little, your fault. But also mine."

Georgie: was again a bit surprised to hear that he'd only spoken to her about this, but that surprise was quickly replaced by warmth. She was happy he considered her a friend; a friend that he was close enough to to share these things with. "And I have a feeling I can be the best friend ever." She teased lightly before scrunching up her nose at his touch. "I guess a little makes sense, seeing as I'm the 'little one'. So I suppose I can share the blame with you; just this once cause I don't usually like sharing."

Nic: "I like the sound of that," he admitted. The Dominant shook his head with a grimace, scrunching up his nose. "Generally neither do I." He looked around, "how about we watch a movie now? Your choice and then I'll get out of your hair."

Georgie: A small frown formed on her face as she replied, "I don't want you to get out of my hair. You being here is the most fun I've had since I got back from the hospital. But yeah... let's watch a movie." She pursed her lips as she tried to think of something good to watch before asking, "What's your preference; rom coms or action? I can't decide which I'd rather right now."

Nic: laughed. "Good to know. But if I leave someone might actually bring you some food or something. And that will probably be wanted." He tilted his head, "hmmm maybe not an action; I think we've had enough of that for a while."

Georgie: "Nope, I'd much rather have you than food." She replied with a cheeky grin, though she did really notice her throat hurting again and knew she should probably stop talking soon. "Works for me. Can we watch The Holiday? I know it's kind of Christmassy... Oh! Or You've Got Mail, I haven't watched that one in a while."

Nic: laughed, shaking his head. "Nice to see the smoke didn't damage your incoragableness." The Dominant thought about the movie choices suggested and nodded his head. "You've Got Mail, I love the whole part about New York in the fall and a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. Cheezy originality that I love," he grinned, getting up and starting the movie before settling back on the bed with Georgie and pulling her into his side again, reaching for the soft blanket and tucking it around them.

Georgie: "Oh, that'll never go away." Georgie beamed at the fact that he knew exactly what You've Got Mail was about. Really it was like everything he did only made her like him more. "Who knew you were so cheesy?" She cuddled into his side as the movie began, a content smile on her face. This was what she needed; just a relaxing afternoon, being held by someone she cared about. If anything could cure her, it was this.

Nic: "It's a well guarded secret," he teased once the movie started. "Now shush because this movie is too good to miss."

Georgie: laughed softly before bringing the blanket up to her chin, getting cosy to watch the movie. As always, she laughed, cried and smiled. But as the movie ended, she almost didn't want it to, cause she knew he'd be leaving soon.

Nic: enjoyed the movie, he always did. The ending always gave him goosebumps though, from when Tom Hanks asks what about if he wasn't Fox Books and she wasn't The Shop Around the Corner, saying how he'd ask her out...for as long as they both shall live, until she sees him in the park and she admits she wanted it to be him. It wasn't exactly the kind of love he and Greta had, as they were never that opposing or had reason to be kept apart, but it still touched the Dominant. The fight, the overcoming obstacles; he loved it. "I don't know why I love that movie so much," he chuckled, although his voice cracked slightly betraying his emotion. "Someone should make all the Montague's and Capulet's sit down and watch it to see that just because you /should/ be enemies, it doesn't mean you /have to be/; especially if you let your guard down and really get to know someone.

Georgie: smiled as she looked over at him. There was something about him, the way he said things like that that just had her liking him more than she should. "I think you love it cause it's an amazing movie." The submissive replied softly before nodding, "If it were that simple, it would be an amazing idea. Do you think this degree actually did anything for them?"

Nic: Laughed; his love of the movie was born of nostalgia and memories, like most things in his life. He pondered her question for a moment. “On a case by case basis, yes. On the other hand I feel the decree lead to even more distrust due to feeling betrayed. Is it really so different with Noble families? Or is it more ego than anything?”

Georgie: shrugged as she thought about his answer. "I mean... my family is not meant to associate with Montagues. If a family as a whole disagrees with another family's way of living, then it's better off to just not associate with them all together?" She didn't believe that completely. She couldn't as she thought of the friends she'd made who happened to be Montagues. "I think ego plays into it as well, though. If two families hate each other and a claim occurs between them, one family might see themselves as having 'lost' a submissive to this other family. It's ridiculous of course because the submissive obviously chose that for themselves, but I think that's how these two families specifically are seeing it."

Nic: "That just seems like segregation to me and I thought as a whole, society was trying to move past that," he admitted. "But I know very little about what it means to be a Noble family, and I guess it's easier to think this way when you don't have to consider those kinds of things. How do things work in your family?" the Dominant asked. "Both with the submissives that are claimed in and the ones, like you, that will Claim out?"

Georgie: "I know..." Georgie knew it sounded silly, because it kind of was, but she agreed with anything her mother said because she knew what was best for the family. "Well, for us, we're all very close. And basically our Heads have the final say in everything. What they say, goes. If you don't listen, you get punished." She grimaced slightly at the thought of her impending punishment... "But any submissives claimed into the family are accepted completely, because they are now Romanos and we treat all Romanos as family. As for submissives claiming out... a lot of the time, we have to look into how that claim could benefit the family. We're not just gonna run off with someone and leave the Romanos behind. I have it even more so being Madam Celeste's daughter." She gave him a sad sort of smile before shrugging, "It's okay, though, just means I need to keep my standards very high."

Nic: "I don't know that I could live like that," he admitted. "And no offense but it seems to make my job...redundant and that just doesn't exactly sit well with me." He nodded his head, "but what about their families from before?" Nic couldn't imagine having had to make Greta give up her family. It was another thing he worried about with pursuing Mel, and even trying to think about something with Georgie herself that way. It made him sad for her. Because it seemed like what she could do for the family was of more importance than her own happiness and that didn't sit right with him at all. It reminded him of submissives who ended up with Dominants that mistreated them in some way; and he'd seen his fair share of that on the job.

Georgie: shrugged slightly, offering an awkward sort of smile. "When you're raised the way I was, it just makes sense. Your job isn't redundant, though, you're still there to protect everyone in the city. That's an extremely important task." When asked about the families of before, her smile brightened a bit, "Oh, they are more than welcome to stay part of the submissive's life, of course. Since a lot of the claims have more riding on them than just love, it's actually very common that our families become close." Or business partners but that was neither here nor there. She could tell what she'd said didn't seem to sit well so she gave him a gentle nudge, smiling sweetly, "I'll be okay. I like knowing that I can do something to benefit my family; they're the most important thing to me. Besides, they're allowing me to have my fun now before I need to focus on all that serious stuff."

Nic: returned Georgie's smile. He had enough experience with Noble families that they could, /should/ protect their own without the Watch and that they couldn't be trusted. Probably because they were neutral and aimed to stay as such. That of course didn't make protecting the others in Verona any easier. "I think it would have been even more difficult for Greta's family if they'd hadn't been such a big part of our life; like they would have missed something, or I would have taken even more from them." He shook his head. "I am glad you think so. And if nothing else I hope you find a fit that is just as much for you, as for your family."

Georgie nodded slowly, understanding what he meant as she offered him a small smile. "I'm glad that they were part of your lives. I hope you were able to support each other after..." She let out a soft sigh, still feeling sad every time she thought about the hardship he had gone through. "I'd never be able to just leave my family behind for a new one. I mean... I'd hope I would gain a new one, get involved and welcomed into my Dominant's family. But I wouldn't ever trade them for a new one, you know?" Georgie nodded then, a brighter smile on her face as she did, "That's the ultimate goal. I think I'll make that work, I hope I will, anyways."

Nic: "It was difficult," he admitted. "I had a lot of guilt. I still do. So we're not as close as we once were, or at least, they aren't with me. But her family is still close with mine." The Dominant nodded his head. "I hope you get all you want Georgie," he said, ruffling her hair. "You deserve it." Nic chuckled softly. "If anyone can; I have no doubt it would be you. I know well enough that when you want something, it's pretty hard not to get caught up in it."

Georgie: “I'm sorry that you do." It wasn't her place to tell him he shouldn't feel guilty, but she did hope he would find a way to eventually forgive himself; even if she did think there was nothing to forgive. She laughed as he ruffled her hair, coughing a little as she did. "I'm not sure I do, but thanks." Georgie couldn't help but blush a bit at his words, though a small smirk crossed her face as she shrugged, "Sorry about that... You're just too easy to want."

Nic: laughed. "Yeah, well, I hope you're coming to see why we're a wrong fit that way. I have nothing to offer your family. And I want more than you do right now; although I could wait." When she started coughing he frowned. "I hope you feel better soon. I should probably get out of your hair. Let you rest, eat, and all that."

Georgie: pouted, still not completely pleased with it even if she knew full well he had a point. "You have your charm and your intelligence and your stupidly handsome face. That's plenty to offer." She huffed a bit before allowing a small smile, "I wouldn't make you wait. Not for me, that's just silly. You go get your girl." The submissive nodded, thought she really didn't want him to go. Still, she'd taken up a lot of his time off and she knew he didn't get a whole lot of that. "I guess... You go rest up, too, enjoy your evening off."

Nic: "To you, sure. To your family, to your Mother? I hardly think so," he said with a fond roll of his eyes. His face flushed as she continued, even allowing himself a moment to think of Mel as /his/ girl was a huge step. Not to imagine thinking of all the other things he wanted, and if he could have them with Mel. The Dominant leaned in and pressed a kiss to the middle of Georgie's forehead. "I will. Gotta get Grazie out for a bit. Things have been crazy the last few days." He stood up and reached for Georgie's hand. "See me out?"

Georgie: "I think Mother would be fond of your stupidly handsome face." Georgie replied with a soft laugh, before smirking a bit, always loving the way she knew how to make him flush so easily. A soft contented hum left her lips as he kissed her forehead and she nodded as he stood, "I'm sure she always loves when you're home to give her attention." She took his hand and stood up, leading him back through the cottage to the front door. She stopped there and smiled up at him, a little twinkle in her eyes as she tapped her lips with her free hand. "One more for the road?"

Nic: "She apparently has yet to register it," he winked, teasingly. "She's used to being the only girl in my life. I'm not about to push her aside just because I'm being more social now. She's going to be a true litmus test. Can't handle my princess, can't handle me," he joked. Her request wasn't all that unexpected. He leaned in, cupping one cheek, the other hand gripping her waist firmly. His lips moved in, close to her ear and he whispered, "I'm going to be so nice, and not even tell you what I know you really want me to do." Still he pressed his lips against hers, kissing the submissive soundly. "Be good," he said huskily before opening the door and slipping away into the early evening.

[mickeyanders-blog]

DANCIN IN THE STREET | MIMES

WHO: Mickey Anderson & James St. James WHAT: Mickey and James go to Scandals. WHERE: Scandals & Anderson Home. WHEN: Sunday May 14th.  (Completed) WARNINGS: None!

Mickey-Last Sunday at 10:22 PM

Mickey had to admit they were more than a little surprised to see that James was going to come to Scandals. Usually people tried to avoid the place like the plague but Michael enjoyed staying with the other misfits.   It seemed as though James was having a shitty night as well, and they were hoping somehow they would cheer each other up. They only had about two sips of their margarita when they spotted the boy with the bright blue hair. "Hey!" Mickey sang with a big grin, quickly pulling him in before the security at the door could really question him about his age. "Wow, you must really be feeling shit if you came all the way here." they joked with a big smile as they pushed their long curls back from their face. "C'mon let's get you something to drink we've got thirty minutes to get trashed before karaoke."

James-Last Sunday at 10:46 PM

James  walked in, not wearing his usual smile but a melancholy frown instead. "I do feel shitty, but that's neither here or there. I'm here to forget about that." He didn't have a fake ID or anything, but somehow got in. Maybe the shadows of his curls made him look older. Or perhaps it was his expression. Did they even try to card him? "Yeah, what's good?"

Mickey-Last Sunday at 10:52 PM

Mickey, always being the overly touchy type took his hand in theirs and lead him to the bar, squeezing at his hand. "Mm, I have a strawberry frozen margarita. Which is nice because I am...smol and I can't drink a lot." they said honestly, finally letting go of him as they climbed onto the seat with a hum. "I didn't realize how tall you were. Everyone makes me feel like a shrimp though. My only solace is that I'm taller than Daniel Radcliffe." they shrugged, taking another sip of their drink, mostly so they would shut up for once.

James-Last Sunday at 10:57 PM

"I don't mind small guys. As far as I know, my family has always been full of tall people. My mom's six feet tall, so." He shrugged and ordered a strawberry margarita, figuring that it may be better for him. "Daniel Radcliffe is cute, so there's that." He grabbed his drink as soon as it was slid to him. They really didn't card here, did they? Taking a sip, he was taken aback by the taste of alcohol before the sweetness of the strawberry mixture took over. He downed it quickly.

Mickey-Last Sunday at 11:01 PM

"Well I'm glad you don't mind me." Mickey teased with a waggle of their eyebrows.  "That's really cool though. Everyone in my family is pretty short. My oldest brother is the tallest but even he's not that big.  I'm the tiniest though, I think it's because I drink a lot of caffeine and I've smoked the occassional cigarette." they explained with a shrug as they drank their own, almost snorting at how he chugged it. "Liked it, huh?" they asked with a cheesy smile  before ordering another for each of them. "I got this by the way." they smiled. "So do you wanna talk about anything or just purposefully ignore it all because I am up for either."

James-Last Sunday at 11:14 PM

"Maybe. Genetics are a bit weird. Yeah, I don't mind you. It's hard to find a guy much taller unless we're going for someone really tall." He chuckled, watching as they ordered another drink. He was going to need it to forget the week and now the weekend. "I generally take good care of myself, usually.  Today is an exception. Yeah, I like it."  His eyes meet Mickey's for a moment before he shook his head. "Too much drama. I'd rather have a night to forget."

Mickey-Last Sunday at 11:21 PM

Mickey hummed as James said he didn't want to talk about it. They watched James' blue eyes for a long moment, reaching out to gently push back some of his hair. "Agreed. A night to forget sounds amazing, right?" they asked before pulling away. "God sorry? I'm so touchy. Big Italian family  that's sort of all we do."  they smiled as they swirled their drink some. "Anyway, I think....we should sing dancing in the streets. We've got Jagger, we've got Bowie.  I could find trench coats if you want." they teased.

James-Last Sunday at 11:26 PM

"It does. I just want to let go just one time." He chuckled before downing the other drink just as quickly, noticing how the other sipped. "Don't worry about being touchy. I'm usually pretty affectionate once I get to know someone." James rested his elbow against the bar as he watched carefully. He perked up at the mention of Dancing In The Streets. "Let's do it. Let's break out those 80s dad moves."(edited)

Mickey-Last Sunday at 11:38 PM

Mickey nodded at him. "Just once." they agreed with a soft smile, as they moved to sit criss cross on the stool though it was actually quite uncomfortable.  "Well hopefully we'll get to know one another, then. I mean I'm really looking forward to becoming your dog's best friend." Michael chuckled, offering a big smile. They swore they could see his whole face light up. "Fuck yeah. I'm glad you said yes because I already signed us up." they  giggled excitedly.  "I think we have ten minutes left though." they chuckled taking a minute to finish their drink.

James-Last Sunday at 11:43 PM

James watched yet again and opted for water once the bartender came back around. He didn't want to ruin his vocal chords for karaoke. Of course, he wasn't sure how everything worked with alcohol. This was his first time drinking, let alone being at the club. "Luna is everyone's best friend. She'll love you, I promise."  He smiled at just seeing their smile. It was a cute smile, and now his mind was wandering.  "Oh, good. I'm glad I wasn't drafted or anything." He teased, sipping at the water.

Mickey-Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

Mickey chuckled at him, nodding quickly. "Aw, I love it. I hope Nico likes you too. She's really nice but you know. She's a lady, and sometimes she's iffy about guys." they laughed and shrugged.  "Your smile is cute." they complimented next, the alcohol causing them to feel a little more than flustered.  With most people they'd be more blunt, or be focusing on trying to get into his pants, but this was different. They both needed comfort and companionship, and that's what they were focusing on.  "Oh my God, shut up." they joked with a laugh before finally they got up, their curls bouncing all over as they did so. "Alright giant, you have to help me push through the bears to get to the stage." they winked.

James-Last Sunday at 11:59 PM

"If it helps, I wasn't born a guy." James blurted out a bit earlier than he normally would have, and hoped Mickey was too distracted by the surroundings to even catch it.  "Thanks, so is yours." He bit the inside of his bottom lip. He knew this was a side effect of the alcohol. James was a lot more guarded than this usually. His face was read from the compliment and watching as they got up and winked. "That, I can do." He got up with a smile and  put his arm around his new friend's shoulders.May 14, 2018

Mickey-Yesterday at 12:03 AM

"Oh shit really?" Mickey asked  with a big smile. They reached out to poke at his cheek. "You pass amazingly. Really you do.  Jesus, I wish I knew there was someone else trans at the school before." they chuckled before grinning again.  "Don't be flirting now." they hummed, teasing him as they got up from the seats.  They happily followed besides him as they made their way up to the stage. Mickey happily greeted the  DJ with a kiss on the cheeks. "I come and sing all the time even though I'm tone deaf." they chirped to James with a big smile, hanging over one of the shitty microphones to him. "Sorry in advance for your ears." they  teased with their tongue out.

James-Yesterday at 12:07 AM

"I went to Carmel up until this year, so it's probably  that.. and the fact that you never come to school. I kind of helps that I kind of looked like Jesse a little beforehand, probably. Also, I've been on T since the ripe old age of thirteen." He explained  as they made their way to the stage and took the microphone. "I don't exactly care that you're tone deaf.  Honestly, that's refreshing. I spend my days around people who can sing." He teased back.

Mickey-Yesterday at 12:11 AM

"Ah yeah that does actually make sense." Mickey laughed again. They couldn't help they were a giddy drunk.  "Thirteen? Wow, your mom must be really supportive, that's awesome. I've...I've definitely thought about estrogen but man I dunno. I'm not a girl, but I'm not a boy it's just tough." they chuckled. "You do look like Jesse though. Cuter though. For sure." they reminded him, patting gently at his forearm.  "Well, I'm gonna make you feel really good tonight then, St. James." they said with a waggle of their brows before they nodded for the music to start, smiling hugely back to James as it began.

James-Yesterday at 12:21 AM

"Mom was really supportive. She still is. So is Jesse. He's been my biggest supporter with the transition, I must say.  Twins know best. There's nothing wrong with estrogen if you want it, but it's a bitch. I know from experience." he laughed and  shrugged. "Why do you think I'm cuter? Is it the blue hair? The fact that I'm gay?  Go ahead, make me feel good. It'll be nice to know I won't be pitchy." Another laugh as he waited through the into and the song began.

Mickey-Yesterday at 12:27 AM

"Aw that's super awesome. B has always been pretty supportive parents not so much, but I'm strong." They shrugged with a big smile. "Yeah? Yeah. I'm sure it really is." they laughed in returned. "Mm, I dunno. You volunteer at the SPCA, your hair is very nice, and you just seem....softer in your mannerisms and personality." they explained. "Plus we talked about Rammstein." they added, bumping their hip against his. Now, Mickey may not have been a performer besides cheerleading, but they took karaoke very seriously. And though they weren't the best at staying on pitch, Mickey was happy enough to be on beat as they began.

James-Yesterday at 12:46 AM

He listened  closely, nodding every now and again to let Mickey knew he was listening.  It felt nice to be complimented and be called cute, even if he doubted that he would ever be cute in his own mind.  James had never done karaoke before, but he knew from watching that he would need to watch the screen and stay on beat, which was something he easily did throughout the song  while trying to do his best Bowie moves from the video.

Mickey-Yesterday at 12:49 AM

Mickey only faltered to sing their part as they noticed James' dancing. They happily joined in, dancing as stupidly as possible.  Until finally the song ended. Two out of the three patrons clapped and for Mickey that was enough. They smirked and handed over the microphone. "You're really good." they sang, leaning onto their toes just so that he could hear them over the club's music that started again. "Wanna show me some more of those moves?" they asked, meeting his blue eyes again as they stayed leaning up close. They even debated trying to kiss him for a moment but thankfully talked themself out of it.

James-Yesterday at 1:00 AM

The applause wasn't what James was usually used to, but he then reminded himself that he wasn't performing with Vocal Adrenaline, or even New Directions for that matter. He was in a nightclub on a Sunday night. He admired Mickey's enthusiasm as he followed suite and handed over his own microphone. "Am I?" James laughed. "Why not? I'm sure you're dying to see more of my sick 80s dad dance moves."(edited)

Mickey-Yesterday at 1:06 AM

"You are really good! Stop questioning my compliments you buttface." Mickey snorted, sticking their tongue out at him again as they climbed back off of the stage, already debating singing again.  "Fuck yeah I am! You still have to see mine." they  giggled again. Feeling playful they began dancing. While they could actually dance, they instead decided to break out some of their painfully bad moves, enjoying just playing around and having fun with James for the moment.

James-Yesterday at 1:10 AM

"I'll question all compliments until they are proven." James teased as he started to dance with the Anderson twin. "Not bad. We really are Bowie and Jagger with out sick 80s dad moves." He joked, giggling loudly. James could dance as well. After all, he had to have some sort of talent given his background; but he chose to pull out some equally bad dance moves on his own. All he wanted to do  was have fun tonight. He seemed to be accomplishing his goal.(edited)

Mickey-Yesterday at 1:20 AM

Mickey swore they could feel everything slow down as the pair took their turns showing off the worst moves they could, but as the music slowed a little they laughed and instead moved in closer, not even leaving a second for the awkwardness to come over them. "sorry this is just happening now." they shrugged, smirking as they drunkenly tossed their arms around his neck. "i'll never understand why gay bars decide to play soft songs." they smiled as they danced against him. "Guess this is better than me trying to grind on you though, right?" they asked, hoping he'd wrap his arms around them too.  "So....what's your favorite movie?"

James-Yesterday at 1:31 AM

"No worries. It's just a slow song. It always happens. Probably to give the party boys a bit of a break, or allow the couples an intimate moment or something. I'll never understand social cues. Well, I've.. never been grinded on, so I don't know what would be better or worse. But I like this." He chuckled and  gently wrapped his arms around their waist. This was the way to do a slow dance, right?  At the question, there was no hesitation. James gave Mickey a big smile. "The Man Who Fell To Earth  and Labyrinth. I can't decide which one I like more."

Mickey-Yesterday at 1:34 AM

"Well since we are King and Queen I guess it's alright." Mickey joked with a big smile, as they easily moved with him. They had a few slow dances but they had to admit this was the least awkward of them all. Sure that wasn't saying a lot but they were more than comfortable spinning some with him. "I like this too. We'll see if you like grinding after." they chuckled. They found themself instinctually snuggling up some when the arms wrapped around their waist.  "Oh, I loved Bowie's hair in Man Who Fell. Never seen it but I remember the orange." they chuckled, tilting their head up to watch him. "I've never seen Labyrinth either. Sad, I know.  I was always freaked out by puppets when I was younger though."(edited)

James-Yesterday at 1:43 AM

"We're also Heroes. Just for one day." James returned the smile and continued to sway.  He couldn't help to laugh at the second mention of grinding and  slid one of his hands up to their back while feeling himself being snuggled up to. One arm stayed around their waist. He wanted Mickey to feel safe. That was his instinct.  "I had my hair that color once. I've been debating going back to it for a while, but I like the  blue." He shrugged. "We can get out of here and watch one of them if you want. Though, admittedly, Labyrinth is easier to find online. I'm not really wanting to go home and get my copy of it."

Mickey-Yesterday at 1:48 AM

Mickey found themself humming  as James' hand moved up their back. It was a far cry from being felt up on the dancefloor, but Michael definitely liked it a lot more. "I like the blue too. But I think you could pull off just about anything." they  shrugged. "I had blonde hair for a while, which was pretty cool, but I guess I didn't like looking so different from Blaine." they laughed. At the offer of getting out of their they raised a brow before quickly nodding. "Uh, yeah. Yes. Yeah I'd totally love that." they agreed with a nod, thanking god the lights of the bar were covering how  much the question made them blush. "But don't make fun of me if anything freaks me out." they chuckled, gently letting their arms fall from his neck, being sure to rub down his arms on the way. "We can go to mine." they hummed. Though they never ever really went home themself, they figured it'd be easy enough to sneak into the basement for the movie room.

James-Yesterday at 10:53 AM

"I've pulled off at least four colors this year. Blue is my favorite so far because how it fades.  Some of the blue dyes fade and look pretty cool."  He chuckled and nodded. "I was like that for a while. I just had to look identical to Jesse, no matter what. Then, I reinvented myself, and dyed my hair. I can always go back to brown at any time, and I'll always have a similar face." James explained as he gently took their hands after feeling them run down his arms. "Okay, good. I know my brother told me he had plans and not to come home."

Mickey-Yesterday at 12:39 PM

"I really like the blue on you too. You're seriously giving me some inspo. I bet I could pull off hot pink. That'd be cool." they laughed, the big smile still present on their face. Feeling drunk they happily they leaned into him, squeezing at his hands once he took them. "Yeah, that's true. I dunno. B and I are weird.  I mean last year was probably the first time I spent time away from him." they started before shaking their head. "Sorry. Weird twin stuff, you get it." they smiled, changing the subject as they finally pulled away to lead him towards the door, keeping right by his side. "Yeah you can even sleep over if you want. Not to be weird or anything, just because it's already one AM." they shrugged. "And I mean, I can't judge you for anything as long you don't judge me for my moomoo because I for sure wear a moomoo to bed." they waggled their brows again.

James-Yesterday at 1:01 PM

"I think you could pull off hot pink. You should honestly try it some time, even if it's just a few streaks here and there. I hear you loud and clear on that weird twin stuff.  Jesse and I are in each other's heads more than we like to admit." He followed closely so he didn't get lost in the club. "Okay. That's awesome. I don't think anyone would appreciate me showing up at one in the morning banging on the door because I forgot my key." He motioned toward his vespa with a grin.  "Just let me know where you live, okay? I am horrible with directions."

Mickey-Yesterday at 1:14 PM

"I probably could. I'll show you pictures of the blonde later. Maybe I'll do it. You could convince me." They laughed and nodded quickly. "Right? It's fucking weird. We fought today so it was great. I guess I needed the good time too." they shrugged, smiling up at him. " But we're gonna go watch Labryinth and not think about how weird today was and it's gonna be great." they winked before stopping short as they saw the vespa. "Oh God you were serious." they giggled, bumping their forehead against his arm. "Should you be drinking and driving your scooter, St. James?" they asked, smiling cheekily up at him. "Alright let's go, we're on Pine St."

James-Yesterday at 2:29 PM

"I have to see photos of the blonde or it didn't happen. Yeah, let's not think about the blgeneral weirdness of today. Or even this entire week." He looked over at Mickey. "Oh come on, Anderson. You didn't think I was going to bring Jesse's car to this place, did you? Yeah, I'm fine to drive it. Promise." James winked and got on the scooter, handing the helmet to them.

Mickey-Yesterday at 2:33 PM

Mickey had to giggle as they watched him get on the vespa.  "If I die....this is gonna be hilarious." they smirked as they carefully climbed onto the back, glad their shorts didn't ride up too much as they climbed on behind him, and pulled on the helmet, letting out a laugh again.  "Alright, let's get going." they smirked, as they wrapped their arms tightly around his middle, holding on tight as he started it up. \

James-Yesterday at 3:31 PM

"If we're about to die, I'm going to shout about this being Jackass, and you can't stop me."  James grinned as he felt Mickey's arms tightly around him. He took off as soon as he was told to get going. The drive wasn't too long, and soon they we at the Anderson house, where he parked and shut off the scooter. He took his helmet off and  looked over his shoulder at Mickey.  "Is this the right place?"

Mickey-Yesterday at 4:28 PM

"I will accept that. But I'm Johnny Knoxville."  Mickey chuckled as they held on. Honestly they were pretty surprised at how fast it went.  Considering Mickey usually walked to Scandals, it went by pretty quick before they were peeling off their helmet  as well. "Yeah, this is it." they smiled to him.  "I think riding home from Scandals with you on this vespa was possibly the gayest thing I've done in my life. I'm glad you were part of it." they teased him as they carefully climbed off, stumbling only a little bit. "Oh thank God no parents are home." they cheered as they climbed up the stairs to the front porch, getting out their keys. "Uh we have wine coolers, or capri suns, and I could grab cookies." they rambled, trying to whisper as they finally pushed their way into the house.

James-Yesterday at 5:32 PM

"Of course it's the gayest thing you've ever done. We're the king and queen." He laughed and  carefully climbed off of the scooter.  "That's good, at least I think." Another chuckle as he grabbed his bag and followed them to the front porch. "Okay, I don't even know what wine coolers are, but cookies sound great." James kept his voice to a whisper as he followed. "Just point me in the direction of the basement, and I will get set up."

Mickey-Yesterday at 5:39 PM

Mickey chuckled and moved to the door of the basement, opening it for James, and turning on the lights for him. “I’m actually gonna get changed too, do you need me to bring you pajamas? Uh... I’m sure I have something that’ll fit you, I promise.” they asked as they gently leaned against the door. “And then I’ll grab the rest of the stuff and... yeah i’ll be right down.” they offered, unable to stop how flustered and flushed they felt as they watched him.

James-Yesterday at 5:43 PM

"I'm probably going to need pajamas, thanks." James smiled at him and headed down into the  basement, thanking his sober self for bringing his external hard drive so that he didn't have to try and fumble with finding the movie on the internet.  "Okay. I'll be right here getting the movie ready." He  had already plugged the hard drive in and was working with the television.  "I'll warn you, though. I have a tendency to sing through this movie."

Mickey-Yesterday at 5:48 PM

Mickey laughed and shook their head at him as they headed upstairs. They spent a little too long deciding what pajamas to wear, before deciding on an oversized shirt,  and some booty shorts, before they next moved to raid coopers room for pajamas. Finally they grabbed the six pack of wine coolers and as much food as they could fit in their hands before making their way down the stairs, the v-neck already hanging off their shoulder. “I am very excited to see you sing through this.” they slurred some as they carefully set everything down, and held out the PJs. “Oh so, there’s a bathroom over there, but you know, I’d be happy to watch you strip as well, your choice.” they shrugged with a grin as they flopped back on the comfy couch already opening another drink.

James-Yesterday at 6:03 PM

"Are you now? I think the alcohol messed with my voice, but I'll try my best." James smiled as he picked up his pajamas. "Not yet. I'm a little self conscious. No one has ever seen me change." He laughed as he made his way to the bathroom. It wasn't long until he came back out and put the clothes he wore to the club back into his bag.  He made his way over to the couch and sat, giving Mickey a smile and pushing play.

Mickey-Yesterday at 6:11 PM

"Pft, you're fine. Maybe a lil scratchy, but who isn't?" Mickey teased with a big smile, as they sipped the drink, nodding as he responded. "I was just teasing you.  Take your time get comfy I will be right here waiting." they chirped with a big smile. They understood, really they did. As confident a person as Mickey was, they really could only change in front of someone they'd slept with or girls.  To them there was something more intimate in changing than most of the sex they'd had.  They smiled back as he came out, distracting them from their thoughts. "I'm glad they fit, I think you're even taller than my older brother." they chuckled, moving to rest their cheek on his shoulder as the movie started.

James-Yesterday at 6:48 PM

"I love your short family, though. You and Blaine are the cutest." He teased and reached for one of the drinks and a cookie. Were these cookies vegan? Honestly, James was so hungry and drunk that he didn't really care. He opened up the  wine cooler and shifted in his seat, trying to make sure he was comfortable in his binder.  A grin appeared on his face while they lay his head on his shoulder and softly started to sing along with the opening song.

Mickey-Yesterday at 7:17 PM

"Excuse me, I am the cutest." Mickey teased as they watched him for a moment, while they curled up. They had to admit the puppets were still pretty terrifying. "Wow Bowie looks good. His dick must be huge." They giggled drunkenly. Soon the one wine cooler turned into three and they were all cuddled up to him. They did their best not to talk through the whole thing.  Which turned out to be pretty easy since they ended up focusing a lot more on James than the movie.  "This is really good." they whispered as the ball scene began, their fingers reaching up again to stroke at his cheek gently.

James-Yesterday at 9:14 PM

James laughed and nodded. "According to a biography I read, he actually was pretty sizable."  His wine coolers turned from one to three as well, and he found himself with his arms completely around them.  He looked down with a soft grin when he was told the movie was good. "I'm glad you like it. I was  worried for a moment."

Mickey-Yesterday at 9:17 PM

"No, no need to be worried." They giggled, glancing back to the screen quickly. "Who couldn't like Bowie?" they asked, looking back to him. A softer smile came over their lips as the music started, their eyes locking with his for a moment. Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, or perhaps the whisper of Bowies past to just do it, they let their eyes fall shut and leaned in to kiss his lips. Their hand stayed splayed over James' cheek, mostly to hold him close  as they dragged out the initial peck.

James-Yesterday at 10:05 PM

"I don't think I could be with anyone who didn't at least respect Bowie." James smiled and watched him. His eyes closed when he was kissed. Part of him wanted to pull away and go home, but mostly, he wanted to stay.  He put his hand over theirs and gently kissed them in return.(edited)

Mickey-Yesterday at 10:15 PM

Mickey hummed softly when they felt James returning the kiss. They playfully sucked at his lower lip before puling back and bumping their nose against his. “I’m sorry, was that weird? I just.... I dunno I felt like I had to.” they chuckled nervously

James-Yesterday at 11:03 PM

James breathed out a moment and shook his head. "No, that wasn't weird. That was actually pretty nice. Was it Bowie?" He asked with a playful grin.

Mickey-Yesterday at 11:08 PM

Mickey grinned when he agreed it wasn't weird. "Pretty nice?  Do me a favor and add that to my yelp?" they laughed before nodding. "Yeah sorry I just...needed to make out with Bowie and you're the closest thing." they hummed again, giving him a few more quick kisses. "Sorry your lips are really nice." they murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek next before they sat back completely, their tan cheeks a bright red. "You... you can kiss me whenever, just so you know." they chirped.

James-Yesterday at 11:52 PM

"I will once I'm sober enough to open the app." He teased. "No, it's okay. I'm honored to be the closest thing to Bowie. When I met Rachel, I was actually singing Life On Mars? in a full Bowie getup." James spoke softly, running a thumb over Mickey's cheek before leaning in and kissing them again.May 15, 2018

Mickey-Today at 12:28 AM

Mickey laughed at the thought of James all dressed up. "That's cute. Then I'd be trying to sit on your face though, so it's probably for the best you look like this." they giggled, before smiling as he took his turn leaning in.  Feeling playful they parted their lips, instead giving him open mouthed kisses as they scooted a little closer to his side of the couch while the song continued in the background.  If it were up to them, they'd want to spend the rest of the morning just like this.

James-Today at 12:45 AM

"Maybe it is, I guess. That would have been one hell of a first impression, though." James laughed and shook his head. He was a bit surprised when they parted their lips, but went along with it. After a bit, James decided to pull back as he was feeling himself get sleepy.  With a small yawn, he wrapped both arms around them once more.

Mickey-Today at 12:56 AM

Mickey hummed when James finally pulled away but instead wrapped them up. Their head easily lulled back to his shoulder, while their hands blindly pulled a throw blanket from the back of the couch, tossing it over the pair. "Are you comfy here? If not we could find a bed." they murmured, already sounding half asleep as they grew increasingly comfortable against the other's side. "Mm, or I could leave you alone, you must wanna take off your binder." they murmured.  They weren't going to bring it up, but  they felt bad after accidentally touching it a few times curing the movie.

James-Today at 1:35 AM

"I'm perfectly fine here."  James ran his hand along Mickey's back gently and slowly.  "You don't have to leave me here unless you want to go to your bed. I'm not going to get mad if you do. I understand."  He smiled, eyes starting to close just a little. "I've been in this thing longer. It's not ideal, but I can manage. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Mickey-Today at 1:51 AM

Mickey hummed happily  as they felt the hand rubbing at their back. "No, no. I'm more comfy here. You're comfy and you smell good." they mumbled already sounding half asleep. Without thinking twice about it they rested their head on his flattened chest, smiling at the sound of his heart beat. "Okay just take care of yourself." they added tiredly as they wrapped their arms around him as well. "I'm tiny so just move me however you need to to be comfy." the laughed with their eyes closed.

James-Today at 2:00 AM

"Okay. As long as you're sure." James shifted just a little so that his legs were comfortable. "I will. I promise." His voice was strained with fatigue while he brought a hand up to run his fingers through their curls.

Mickey-Today at 2:02 AM

Mickey pressed a sweet kiss to James' wrist before they finally allowed themself to fall asleep, half laying on top of James, but they were more than comfortable there with him. They happily fell asleep as Labyrinth finished quietly in the background.

[hulklinging]

Pidge and Lance with 127 or Nico/Victor with 65?

127. “What are you listening to?” Pidge and Lance. Sleep issues and friendship. 1607 words.

“What are you listening to?”

It’s Lance, teasing already apparent in his voice. Like they’re back in the Garrison, and he’s gonna make fun of his weird little communications officer for believing in aliens.

Pidge thinks back, wonders if she could redo it if she’d laugh more and tease him back, or if she needed to be as closed off as she was, to get them to that roof, so they could watch Shiro fall.

Pidge thinks in code sometimes, how one missing semicolon can make everything grind to a halt. And fate isn’t really her thing, but there were so many things that could have gone wrong, so many places a semicolon could have gone missing, and then they wouldn’t be here, in space, fighting a war. She grits her teeth, because that kind of thinking is an exercise in uselessness, and because she didn’t pause the recordings she’s listening to when Lance walked in, and now she’s lost track of what’s happening.

“Some of the files we gathered from the last mission are audio files,” she says. “I’m going through them.”

“In the middle of the night? Are they really that important?” Lance flops down next to her on the couch. He’s got headphones on too, although they’re not connected to anything. His sleep mask is pushed up into his hair like they’re designer sunglasses, and he’s doing a very good job of faking that ‘I just woke up’ air, but there’s deep circles under his eyes, and Pidge knows him well enough at this point to know he hasn’t managed to get any sleep yet tonight.

She doesn’t sleep much, which is an ongoing joke among her old Garrison team but is also a fact. And especially not in her room, with its bare walls and its tendency to resemble her old room back at the Garrison, when she wakes up all of a sudden, sometime between lights out and what counts for morning in the Castle. That’s the worst, because for a second she thinks she’s back on Earth, no closer to her family or to anything than she was before, and it turns her stomach.

So most of her sleep nowadays is stolen in power naps, scattered across the castle like she’s playing some long game version of hide and seek. She knows all of their nighttime habits, watches Hunk get up too early, pretends she believes his excuses about just wanting to get a head start on breakfast. She watches Keith sneak out like he’s still back home, still trying to avoid the teachers that will throw him out eventually anyways, disappear into the training room for hours on end. Shiro wanders the halls like he’s sleepwalking, and sometimes he sits with her and they talk about little things, stretching their few points of pre-Voltron connection into nights’ worth of conversations. If they talk about the people they’re both missing at night, not meeting each other’s eyes, then their performances of being okay ring more true around the rest of them.

Allura plots, when she can’t sleep. She pulls out old star charts and makes notes, crossing out civilizations and strongholds that fell before humans had ever learned the word ‘empire.’ Pidge sits with her sometimes too, dozes off to the sound of the pen-like thing Allura uses to record 10 000 years of missing history gliding across the paper.

Coram checks and double-checks every system, when something keeps him up. It’s rare though, to see the older man out and about. He’s a soldier still, at heart, and he’s learned better than any of them to grab sleep when he can.

Lance is less predictable, and also the most frustrating, when it comes to late night company. He wants Pidge to engage, and Pidge always feels like he’s asking her for something but never knows what it is. And she cares for all of them, for this weird floating family of theirs, but she still hasn’t found the right words to express that just yet, so she’s left like this, scowl stretching her tired face as Lance taps almost-familiar beats into the couch cushions and stares at her.

“What do you want?” she snaps, and she doesn’t mean to, but she’s tired and she’s trying to do something, and he’s making it harder. Even when he’s not speaking (a rarity), his presence is enough to make paying attention to something else difficult.

Lance shrugs, which makes her scowl deepen.

“If you’re bored, you can go bother someone else.” She twists her whole body in on itself, like maybe if she can’t see him she won’t be distracting by all of his fidgeting. “I’m working.”

A pair of hands reach over and pluck her laptop from her lap.

She shrieks, and her hand flashes out and punches Lance in the shoulder. It’s a slower reaction than it should have been, and maybe it has been a couple of days before she’s gotten anything resembling a good sleep, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that Lance is being an asshole.

“Give that back!”

Lance lets out a whine at the hit, but is now standing and holding the laptop over his head. She growls, and stands up only slightly unsteadily on the couch, practically climbing him to get her computer back.

“No, wait- ow! -Pidge, this is an intervention! Ow, not my fingers, I’m the sharpshooter I need those!”

“Should have thought of that before stealing my shit!”

Pidge gets her hands back on the laptop just as Lance loses his balance, and then the two of them tumble back down onto the couch in a mess of limbs and wires. Pidge makes sure to give him an elbow to the ribs as she’s detangling herself, and takes great pride in the muttered ‘quiznak!’ this earns her.

“You’re a terror.”

“Thanks,” she says, and goes to plug her headphones back in. 

“Wait, Pidge! I really did come here for a reason.”

She raises an eyebrow at him, trying to channel the disbelief that Shiro always emitted when one of them tried to pull something. It’s a work in progress, but once perfected she will be unstoppable.

“Yes?”

Lance grins, any pain from the last few minutes instantly forgotten. His sleepmask is hanging halfway off his head, and he looks ridiculous. Pidge loses her Shiro-stare to a giggle, and Lance, performer that he is, strikes a pose that turns the giggle into a full-out laugh.

“Okay, fine. What do you want?”

“You like heights, right?”

Damn her and her curiosity.

Shiro is headed towards the observation deck when he hears something strange.

He’s cutting through one of the big dark and empty rooms that must have been used as some sort of hall, back when the Castle was bustling with people. He knows his way, doesn’t bother turning the lights on. The unknown noise makes him tense, arm lighting up for the briefest of moments before his brain catches up to his anxieties and he recognizes it as a snore.

He looks around, confused. There’s nothing in this room, not that he can see. Then he looks up.

There are little balconies scattered around the walls of the room, and in the one closest to him, he can make out a mess of blankets and pillows. It takes him a moment to find the right door that will lead him up to the balcony, and he takes great care to tread lightly on the stairs, because regardless of who it is in this makeshift nest, Shiro’s sure they deserve the rest. 

He finds Lance and Pidge, their matching bedheads just barely sticking out of their pile of blankets. Pidge’s laptop is closed and tucked carefully away against the wall, which means either she fell asleep before Lance did or for the first time since they left Earth, Pidge let herself fall asleep on purpose. It’s her snoring he heard. He hadn’t known she snored, which makes him think that she usually never lets herself sleep this deeply. Under the snoring is the soft sound of waves, which makes sense. Lance can’t sleep in the quiet, and sure enough, his headphones are resting on a pillow near Pidge’s laptop, the recording they got at the last planet they’d stopped at with an ocean trickling through them.

“H'lo?” Lance murmurs, one eye cracked open and staring in Shiro’s general direction.

“Just me,” he whispers. “Go back to sleep.”

Lance nods, and then rolls over, and pats the space next to him. Shiro suspects there might be some stripped rooms throughout the castle, for them to have this many blankets and pillows, but he doesn’t think Allura will mind. 

“Lots of room,” the boy says. He’s right, too. “No claustrophobia here.”

Then he turns onto his side and pulls at a corner of a blanket until he’s buried again, only leaving enough of his face uncovered that he won’t suffocate.

Shiro wonders what it was that gave it away to Lance, why he struggles with sleeping in his own room. Or maybe he just guessed, like how he guessed that Pidge’s fear comes from waking up alone.

It’s not a bad idea. Shiro had tried sleeping in some of the bigger rooms, but he felt too exposed. Here, tucked away like this but with so much open air, he might actually have a chance of sleeping for longer than a few hours.

“Not today, kiddo. But thanks.”

Lance smiles, and Shiro leaves as quietly as he came. He’ll let Hunk know that they might miss breakfast, and to set some aside for them. Sleep had been too scarce, of late. They deserved the rest.

[rosyredlipstick]

Rental Love* (9\10)

(*Read Terms & Conditions)

-

Male/22/Long Island N.Y.C. Tired of showing up stag at holiday events? Want your family to stop thinking there’s something wrong with you? Just want some arm candy for a work event? Look no further. Your solution is here! I will attend holiday events with you as your paid date. Accepting all genders as applicants. Email solace.w@fastmail.com if interested. Interview & application will be set up there. - Nico di Angelo has been telling Hazel Levesque about his boyfriend for weeks. The bad part? Nico doesn’t have a boyfriend, the holidays are coming up, and not all of Jason’s ideas are horrible. They’re all a bit surprised about the last one. Read Part One Here Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight

Nico had always enjoyed breakfast with the group.

Reyna and Drew - with Annabeth now - always insisting on some health food craze Persephone was too happy to accommodate, Leo and Piper getting their fingers hit with Allegra’s wooden spoon as she mixed up the chocolate waffle batter with skilled air, Jason beside Hades, falling asleep onto the older man’s shoulder with Hades only too happy to allow the action. Thalia and Rachel, grinning, as they took quick photos of the younger boy, Hazel giggling from under her hand and Frank’s arm over her shoulders. Percy, a foreign but quickly adjusting presence in their house, insisting on adding drops of blue food coloring to a batch of the pancake batter even as Grover and Juniper outright laughed at him. Even Jules-Albert, usually too busy admiring Hades’s vintage cars, joined them for the morning, following Allegra’s strict orders with swift air.

Nico leaned into Will’s side, Will’s arm thrown over the back of his chair, and felt very warm.

A cup was sliding in front of him, Mitchell grinning down at him, a pitcher of juice in his hands.

“Cute,” He remarked, winking at Will as he poured another glass.

Will smiled in thanks, accepting the glass. Nico’s shoulder, pressed into his side, increased in pressure as Nico leaned in even closer.

Mitchell caught the action and smirked as he walked away, the pitcher still in his hands. Nico tried to keep his glaring to a minimum.

Will caught it too, but said nothing even as he smiled into his drink of juice.

Allegra and Persephone finished up cooking breakfast - Persephone always liked to help out when they had company - and Hades helped serve everyone, a big, happy smile in place.

Hades, Nico had noticed long ago, was always happiest when his house was full.

Jason noticed Nico’s plate, piled with pancakes and, from Will’s insistence, a small pile of fruit. A compromise they had settled on in the past few days.

“What,” Jason’s voice was full of glee, “no Pop-Tarts? That’s a first.”

Vaguely, Nico was thinking of his Pop-Tarts in a way someone might reminisce upon a lost lover. He missed them.

Nico sighed, gesturing towards his plate. “I guess this is somewhat healthier.”

“Pop-Tarts have fruit in them though,” Leo added thoughtfully, “The strawberry ones should be fine.”

Will was clenching at the table, “Oh my god.”

“Right?” Nico was happily agreeing.

Will was glaring at Leo, “Are you where he gets this?”

Leo gave him an innocent look, “Me? Please. We all know who the true leader of the Pop-Tart cult is.”

There was a beat of silence as both Leo and Nico’s eyes slid over to the accompanying person.

“Piper.” They agreed together, the girl giving them no attention as she cut into stack of pancakes. There were a lot of them.

Piper was the true leader of the Pop-Tart love in their group. Nico knew, with incredible certainty, that if someone where to look into her backpack at that exact moment, at least three silver packets would be tucked away in the fabric. She was a true champion like that.

Will’s head fell back to the back of his chair, staring at the ceiling. “You’re all disgusting.

“Pop-Tarts have no good nutritional value.” Reyna was frowning down at them, taking a bite of her yogurt. Persephone had ordered it special for her once they found out she was coming.

Will went practically lax with relief. “Thank the gods, someone with sense. And a will to life.” He leaned forward, “Have they always eaten so incredibly horrible?”

There was a beat of silence, like Reyna was mentally going through their meals.

She chewed through a bite of granola as she did so. “They like to participate in food challenges.” She finally said, Will’s face going pale. “Like those, eat a five pound burger in under an hour and win a meal and tshirt? Yeah.” She shuttered, as did several other people at the table now listening in, “Do you know how many of those food challenges are in New York?” She gave them all a stern look. “A lot.”

“Piper’s the best at them,” Nico added on, “When I had to tap out on that nine scoops sundae one, Pipes just kept going. Totally won too.”

Piper gave him an appreciative nod, holding up her pancake slice in toast. Nico nodded back. They had shared a bond, after that.

“Jason made a tshirt quilt all of our accomplishments,” Leo looked strangely proud, pulling out his phone to show everyone a picture. Persephone leaned in to look closer.

She was nodding in approval. “You kept the edges very straight, very nice.”

Jason blushed, waving off her praise. Jason had worked on that thing for two straight months in their living room - it had been a mess of scissors, fabric, and needles for weeks afterwards.

Will had been still at his side for the past few moments, his face still pale.

“That’s….horrifying.” Will finally got out. Reyna nodded in agreement.

“I went along with them to one of them - tacos, I believe.” Her face went thoughtful, “Jason won that one, I think. 26 tacos.”

“Piper sat out, they were out of tofu.” Jason added on, “She totally could have taken us all.”

Piper smiled, knocking her shoulder into the other boy’s. Their flirting was so weird, sometimes.

Reyna was still observing Will with that look on her face. “You should come along next time.” She said after a long moment, “They usually do it once every month or two. Should be coming up soon. Would be nice to have someone with...sense, as you say.”

It...was coming up soon. They were thinking of doing some burrito challenge Leo had found. It was also planned for the end of January, long after Will would be hanging around.

This was also, strangely, the first time Reyna had ever offered to hang out with, even in a group, one of Nico’s boyfriends. She notoriously disliked most of the guys Nico chose.

Percy perked up from down the table, “That sounds so cool! I’ve always wanted to do that!”

Annabeth wrinkled her nose, “Gross, Seaweed Boy.”

“You guys should totally come next time.” Jason offered, his eyes sliding to Nico’s for a fraction of a second he grinned at them both. “It’s fine, and we could always use more free tshirts.”

Percy beamed at that, grinning slightly.

Nico felt bad, suddenly, that after the mess he’d made in high school, that Nico had gotten most of the friends. Jason, Hazel, and Reyna, of course, and by extension Piper, Leo, and Frank, with Piper and Jason’s siblings.

Percy had never had trouble making friends, no, but there was nothing like the people you grew up with - the ones who saw you through your terrible hair dye phases and still teased you for it.

Maybe it would be good, for both of them, that he was invited to these things again. Percy had always been a good friend, despite it all. And Bianca had always laughed at his dorky jokes, the few times Nico had invited them all over before.

It would be good for them, he thought

They finished eating - Will’s horrified shutters kept to a minimum - and it wasn’t long before their plates were clean, and the conversation slightly lulled.

“What are we doing until the party?” Hazel asked as she began collecting dishes. At the sink, Frank was rolling up his sleeves.

There was a moment of silent as they all thought it over. Last year, they had all relaxed at the pool for a few hours in the afternoon, the year before that they had watched a few movies. There was so tradition for this part. Well, if you didn’t count -

“Everyone else is getting here around seven.” Piper examined her nails, a picture of nonchalance. “We have time, you know.”

Shoulders tensed, eyes flashed, hands clenched. The tension in the room suddenly shot up a few hundred degrees, leaving everyone - all except one - glaring at each other.

“Um,” Will was glancing around, unsure but on edge. It felt like someone was going to suddenly pull out a knife, and they’d all jump in a choreographed fight Will had no idea about. At his side, Nico’s hand twitched towards his side, and suddenly that idea seemed a lot less ridiculous. “What are you talking about? Time for what?”

Reyna, tall and elegant even with a scrap of yogurt at the corner of her mouth, leaned forward to take a long drink of her ice water. All eyes were on her, breath baited.

She finished her sip, leaning back into her chair. “Oh, it’s nothing.” Her eyelashes swept across her chest as her eyes dipped down to the table. After a moment, she was meeting their eyes, her gaze dark and serious through her eyelashes. “Just a snowball fight.”

The air snapped back to its previous tension like a whip. Nico’s knuckles were turning white as he clenched the table.

“Game starts in ten.” Reyna’s announcement was all the prompt they got, and suddenly they were all stumbling to their feet, running to get winter gear and boots and start making their forts before the game began.

“You guys are crazy.” Will let out a breath as they all stood, the words coming out of him like a confession.

Nico’s hand clasped him on the shoulder, mostly just to pull him along as he hurried to grab their coats. “Keep saying that and I won’t let you on my team.”

“Oh?” Will gave him a look, “And what team is that?”

Nico’s eyes flashed, “The winning team.”

“This is insane.” Will was wide-eyed, “You guys get like, entirely too serious about this. Honestly, about everything. Your family is crazy. First, gingerbread house making, and now this. You guys are way too competitive like, to a weird level.”

Nico snorted, “Are you going to keep complaining or are you actually going to help out here?”

Will’s eyes were still a bit wide around the edges as he crouched down to help Nico roll some balls of snow. “Hades brought out a rule book.”

“It’s lamented,” Nico added helpfully, “so the snow doesn’t ruin it.”

“You guys are the craziest family I’ve ever visited, you know.” Will added thoughtfully.

Nico hummed. Hades and Persephone were extra as hell, and his friends were pretty crazy as well.

Will was still speaking, “I...like it. I like your family.”

Nico paused for a second, glancing up at the other boy. “Oh?”

Will was now focused on his task of rolling out snowballs, his eyes glued to the snow. “Yeah.”

Nico cleared his throat, glancing around before standing. “We should go. Um, join the game. Usually everyone’s in the front courtyard.”

Will was silent for a few seconds, his eyes on Nico’s face like he was looking for something there. After a moment his shoulders fell, and when he spoke his voice was quiet. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

Nico lead the way, sticking to mostly creeping behind the trees and piles of snow as they headed towards the front. Beside him, Will’s usual chatter was absent.

Nico felt like, for some odd reason, he’d messed up something back there. Like there was a scripted line, or a choreographed step, he’d totally missed out on.

From the slight curve for Will’s mouth, maybe he was thinking the same thing.

At his left, a blonde ponytail was disappearing around a wall of snow. Nico tensed up, the hold on ammo tightening.

He pulled down Will’s shoulder as he fell to a crotch, his eyes narrowing. After a quick minute of this, Annabeth stood from where she had hidden away, running to the middle of the clearing.

Nico jumped to his feet, his snowball already flying through the air as he got into position. Bulls-eye.

She paused, glaring at him, before dashing off again. Her first or second hit then - the fatal third hit would have had her scowling and stomping away. She had twenty seconds to run off to safety.

“Nice,” Will nodded in approval. Nico’s ignored the bubble of warm that inflated in his chest at that.

The game was intense, as usual. Every step had to be occupied with a careful step - it wouldn’t be the first time they resorted to traps - and a glance over the shoulder. Even Will fell into the tension, his steady hand carrying a tight grip on Nico’s wrist as he guided the other boy forward.

There were a few close calls - almost stepping out in the open when Thalia and Reyna crept by, nearly getting hit as Drew pelted their tree as she ran by.

“Let’s split up,” Nico nodded towards the thinning hiding spots. “I’ll meet you back here in twenty - try and get Reyna out, if you can. She’ll win it all on her own if she has to.”

Will nodded gravely, scooping up a handful of snow as he dashed off. Nico smiled slightly as he ran off.

It was nice, having someone who got into this as much as his friends did, complaints and all. Really, Will had thrown himself into this arrangement. He was....good at this. At being a boyfriend.

Nico supposed he had to be. It was his job.

But was it really?

Really, his job was carefully written out in the folded contract Nico had gotten a copy of. Going along with family traditions, sure. That was one. Three forms of public physical affection, yes. Even playing the part of a boyfriend, someone who knew Nico intimately, yes.

But was participating in an annual snowball fest, as earnestly and seriously as he was, included? Or their midnight talks - so soft spoken - were those? Those grins, those looks, the way Will would trace his fingers over Nico’s skin when they were alone - that wasn’t....Will hadn’t signed up for that.

Nico hadn’t paid for that.

He was thinking this, frozen against the trunk of a tree, all of this, when it kind of came to him.

When he realized that this wasn’t a job. Not all of it. It couldn't be.

Nico was frozen there for a few minutes, a shocked with his revelation, until he forcibly shook himself out of it. He...couldn't think about that right now. Not right now.

He ran away, chasing off one of the girls, unidentifiable under all their winter gear - either Rachel or Juniper from the red curls peeking out from under their hat - but returned to the tree trunk after only a few minutes. Will would be back, and the game over soon. They were all too competitive for these games to last too long. Hiding and talking with Will - they had probably missed most of the action. Nico didn't regret it.

Only a few minutes later, Will was back, breathing a bit heavy, his eyes a bit wide.

"I think I just saw someone, like, die from the force of a snowball." Will informed him, leaning against the tree.

Nico cracked a smile, "Who threw it?"

"Reyna, I think? Hard to tell."

Nico whistled a bit, "That would do it. She was on the softball team in high school. Pitcher."

Will winced, "Maybe I did just witness a death."

"Probably."

Will spoke up at Nico glanced around again - it wouldn't do good to have any sneak attacks.

"It is always this intense?"

Nico shrugged, his gaze still off and away. “We used to have these all the time and they were fun, but most of the time everyone would get bored after a few minutes. But one year Reyna proposed boys versus girls and....” Nico shook his head, a bit incredulous. “It was the most intense game we’ve ever had. Everyone went crazy.”

Will snorted, which should have been unattractive. Nico’s eyes drifted down to his coat, covered in two separate hit marks.

“You’ve been hit twice.” Nico observed.

Will cursed and bent down to make another snowball. “Piper and Thalia got me - they’re out for blood.”

Nico hummed, crouching down to make his own ball of snow. Perfectly round, the snow pure and white.

It looked even more perfectly as it smashed into Will’s back, the snow painting out across his back beautifully.

Nico was smiling sweetly as the other boy turned slowly, betrayal written all over his face.

Will touched the snow on his shoulder, looking down to the melting snowflakes in disbelief. “You…”

“You owed me,” Nico finished for him, still smiling, “Remember? When we made a snowman - sorry, snowwoman - you said I could get a free hit. Remember?”

Will was speechless.

“I think you’re out, sweetheart.” Nico turned and pointed towards the side of the yard, where Hades and Persephone were perched happily, watching the game with hot chocolate and cider. At their feet, Grover sat smiling with a steaming cup, Frank was cheering for someone - probably Hazel - and Drew was frowning with snow in her hair. “You should go join them.”

“I...can’t believe you,” Will told him, blinking. The melting snow started sliding off his back. “We’re dating.”

“Everything’s fair in love and war.” Nico was full on grinning now, his hands deep in his pockets.

Will was glaring at him, “You can take out that love part, I should break up with you right now.”

“Go for it babe,” Nico grinned sunnily and, without giving it much thought, leaned in to peck the other boy on the cheek. In the moment, it felt right. Afterwards...

They both froze almost immediately. In front of him, Will’s cheeks were burning a harsh red not due to the cold weather, and their eyes were matching wide.

“I, uh -” Will stumbled on his words before going quiet, staring at the other boy.

Nico was speechless.

Why...why the hell did he do that.

Will’s cheek had been warm and soft under his lips.

Fuck. That was why.

Nico’s mouth fell open, his breath icing white in front of him. He didn’t know what to say.

A hand shoved at his shoulder, knocking him out of the moment.

“C’mon lovebirds!” Leo was dashing off, throwing a grin over his shoulder. “Don’t just stand around!”

Nico let out a breath, nodding. He turned back to Will, who was still waiting.

Will cleared his throat, “I guess I should go sit with everyone else.”

“Yeah, uh - “ Nico gave him a casual shrug, “Root for me?”

Will rolled his eyes, successfully setting the mood back. “Like I ever would after you betrayed me.”

Nico gave him a soft smile as the other boy turned to head over to the out zone, Persephone and Hades waving happily.

As he walked away, Will’s fingers came up to crush his cheek, still burning red.

Nico noticed this.

And then he promptly forced himself to Stop Thinking about it as he ran off, trying to keep out of sight from the girls team. He could...freak out about this later. For sure.

Will sat there, his eyes following Nico, only cheering when Rachel managed to get him with a snowball to the shoulder, and Thalia with a hit to chest. He only had one hit left.

He dove behind one of the walls - probably made by Frank, he was good at strategy like that - and began rolling up more snowballs. It only took a few minutes of this before he was joined.

Jason was breathing heavy as he leaned against the wall. He and Leo had come running.

“Reyna just got Mitchell out when he pelted Rachel,” Jason informed him, “It’s only us left. Against who?”

“I just got Hazel out.” Leo winced, “I really think she’s going to like, poison me later tonight.”

“Nah, Hazel’s more of a hands-on kinda gal. A stabbing, if anything.”

“Reassuring.”

Another person was diving for shelter under their wall, bringing a flurry of snowballs flying in his wake. It was Percy, barely missing a snowball flying straight for his arm. They all winced.

“Got Juniper,” He was panting, “It’s only Annabeth, Reyna, and Thalia left.”

“Piper?” Jason cocked his head to the side, peeking above their wall to throw a few more snowballs. The girls must be getting a bit too close for his liking.

“Mitchell got her a few minutes ago.” He grimaced glancing over their wall. “It looks like we’re trapped.”

“We’re not going to win this.” Nico informed Jason and Percy as they huddled under their snow wall. Before them, the girls were relentless.

“Yeah, big surprise.” Leo rolled his eyes as he fiddled with the slingshot he’d made with two sticks, some duct tape, and a piece of rubber. Not bad, either. “We haven’t won in three years.”

“This was suppose to be our year.” Jason reflected on, his eyes to the sky even as he rounded out another few snowballs.

“You say that every year.”

“Well, men.” Percy gave them all a fierce look, looking a bit ridiculous in his blue pom-pom hat, bright yellow scarf he’d stolen from Hazel’s closet. “This is the end. But damn it all if we don’t do out with honor.”

“Bro.” Jason was teary eyed.

Percy only nodded gravely, “Bro.”

There was a beat of silence, mostly just a sigh from all of them as they accepted their loss, before Leo spoke up.

“At least I'm going out with my hot piece by my side,” Leo announced, slapping Jason’s ass. Jason blushed sweetly, making both Percy and Nico gag into the pile of snowballs. “Speaking of hot pieces, where’s Will? I thought he was still in.”

“Pelted him in the back as revenge.”

“Oh, nice.” Leo responded, having Nico glance over just in time to watch him pull Jason in a fierce, passionate kiss. Nico sighed in frustration, turning back.

“We’ll go out together. It’ll be like the end of Les Mis but gay.” Leo reflected as he pulled away, gathering all the snowballs he could to prepare.

Nico scoffed as he did the same. “Please, Les Mis was so gay. Read the book.”

Jason gave Leo a strange look, “What do you mean?”

“You know, when that one dude joins Aaron Tveit when he’s about to get all shot up in the barricade and like, they hold hands and die together? It was so sad, you cried.”

Jason was nodding, “I cried a lot during that movie. Remember Anne Hathaway? God.”

“Focus,” Nico hissed, “you guys can talk about this later!”

They snapped back to attention and started gathering all they could carry.

And finally, with their arms heavy with rounded snow, they nodded to each other, stood, and ran.

Predictably, they didn’t last long. Even with their arms overflowing with ammo, they were no match for the combined efforts of Reyna, Annabeth, and Thalia.

They fell with honor - and grace, Leo would add snickering as he poked Jason’s shoulder - Percy would reflect on as they all melted in front of the fireplace. There was still snow in most of their hair, and Persephone had demanded they leave their snow covered clothes in the entrance area, so they were mostly stripped down to the bares, covered in blankets.

Leo was down to his boxers, having simply stripped off his snow painted jeans and sweater. It was a good idea, Nico was realizing as the snow began melting into the fabric of his clothes, setting the cold close to his skin.

They began to break off in bits - most everyone getting up to change into spares of clothes. Finally, Nico picked up his head from where he had comfortably tucked it into Will’s neck. Will gave him a curious look.

“We should go change. Get ready.” He sighed, “We’ll have to help set up for the party soon.”

Will picked himself off the ground first - they had been comfortably curled by the fireplace, nearly the last in the parlor now with the exception of Grover and Juniper dozing on the couch.

He held out a hand, and Nico pulled himself up. Once on his feet, neither of them let go.

Nico gave him a small smile, “Let’s get ready to party.”

Nico wondered, very softly in the back of his mind, if Persephone and Hades even knew what the meaning of simple was.

That’s what they had promised the party to be. And Nico was an idiot for ever believing it.

He should print out the definition and frame it for them - they could hang it up in the living room, in that empty section of wall next to the door. It would be a perfect reminder there, lest they ever forget.

Because this...this was not simple.

He should have known.

Their entire basement had been outfitted for the night - silk ribbons - never streamers, nothing as simple or obvious as streamers but goddamn silk ribbons - hung from the ceiling, along with clear balloons filled with multicolored glitter. The bar was ready, drinking and glasses lined up, and a full catered buffet was along the wall. Large speakers hung from the walls. A live band. There was a candy table, with personalized favors.

A photobooth was in the corner, laughter drifting from the small box. The basement was already decently full, and people were still arriving by the carful.

This. Was. Not. Simple.

Nico only let out a breath, clenching at Will’s hand in his. Will’s eyes were shining at he looked around, his eyes catching on everything and gleaming. Under the different colored lights, Will was grinning like movie, laughing like the best song Nico'd ever heard. 

Okay, Nico briefly reconsidered his stance, maybe it isn’t that bad.

Hazel had invited everyone, it seemed. Every few steps he spotted a familiar face, eyeing his and Will’s entwined hands with interest. Piper, with wicked grin, only waved as they passed, staring at both of them as they walked by. They killed some time like that - Will navigating Nico's friend group and extended like a pro. 

Leo, draped over Jason and probably already drunk, whistled as they walked by. “Looking good, di Angelo!”

“Fuck off, Valdez!” Nico didn’t bother looking over his shoulder for that, settling for a simple middle finger in the other boy’s direction. From the bound of laughter that followed, it wasn’t as effective as Nico had hoped.

Nico lead them around the party, saying hello to most everyone he hadn’t already seen before. He steered clear of the Stoll Brothers, not needing to get involved in whatever they had planned, and eventually lead them over to one of the corners. He needed a break.

Nico winced against the loud music, his hands twitching up. He forced them to his sides, despite the want to cover his ears against the pulse of the bass. It was nearly shaking the walls.

Will leaned in with a concerned look, “You okay?”

Nico nodded, looking away. He didn’t like parties, usually. They were loud, hot, with everyone pressed against him, and he usually had a sensory overload if he stayed too long in the middle of things. He'd have to make up some excuse to escape and calm down in a few minutes. 

Will gave him a look, a steadying hand curling around his wrist. “Follow me.”

Nico was already trying to pull his wrist back, “It’s a party, we don’t have to-”

Will didn’t wait for him to finish, only readjusting his hold and pulling the other boy out of the basement. Nico didn’t argue after they hit the main staircase, climbing up to the second flood.

Another staircase - not Nico’s room then, where he had been expecting.

They hit the third floor, and Will lead him directly into the library, turning on a lamp as he pulled them to a couch. They were alone, of course. No one would be in a library during a party.

No one but them.

Nico fell to the cushioned seat, beyond thankful. Already, his chest was beginning to ease, the cotton in his mind beginning to ease. Parties made him twitchy.

Will settled next to him, his feet curving under him. He settled the blanket from the other night over his legs, leaving out the edge for Nico to curl against. He did so happily.

There was a moment of silence, Will pulling out his phone, and Nico bit his lip, his head clearing up with the silence. He sat up, avoiding Will’s eyes.

“You don’t have to stay, you know.” Nico shrugged, looking away. “I’ll be fine on my own.”

Nico could hear Will’s phone click off. Will shifted his weight, “What?”

“You can go, it’s fine.” Nico waved his hand through the air, “Go have fun. It’s New Year’s Eve. I hear there’s a party downstairs.”

Unsteadily, Nico’s eyes slid to the other boy.

Will smiled slightly at Nico’s lame joke. Nico kind of loved that about him.

“If it’s okay with you,” Will began carefully, “I’d be okay staying here.”

Nico bit his lip again. “The party is always really fun, honestly. I just - I don’t like them sometimes. But they’re fun, really, you shouldn’t miss it.”

Will leaned in, his hand coming up to circle Nico’s cheek. Slowly, so Nico could pull away if he’d want (he didn’t), Will turned Nico’s head to face him head on, his eyes serious but soft.

“Nico,” Will’s eyes dipped down, giving Nico a front row seat of his long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. Usually, the closer to a person you got, the more flaws you could spot. Oily pores, zits, stray hairs, whatever counted as aesthetically displaying, Nico guessed. But, of fucking course, this didn’t apply to Will Solace. Fucking of course.

Nico could count Will’s freckles, this close. It wasn’t helping his heart.

Will continued speaking, repeating his name. “Nico,” smiling slightly, Will’s thumb traced his jawline. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now then here, in your library, with you.”

Nico swallowed, “Except home, right? With your family?”

Will didn’t look away. “Counting home. Nowhere else, Nico.”

He took a quick breath.

That meant something. They both knew it.

Nico wanted to kiss Will, at that moment. Wanted to kiss him as Nico, a single as hell literature nerd with a crazy family and friend group to match. He wanted to have a first kiss with Will. He wanted that.

A bell tolled right then, making them jump apart, not just ruining the moment - hitting the moment front on, seventy miles an hour, backing it over again as a statement.

Nico was leaning back, letting go of a breath he didn’t remember let build. A smile cracked at the corner of his mouth

Will was glaring at the grandfather clock in the corner, still going off with the hour, and Nico let out a small laugh. The moment was gone.

“It’s ten.” Nico’s eyes slid over to the table as their side, the teal book still in place where he’d left it. “We have some time before midnight. Do you wanna, uh, pick up where we left off?”

Will broke his glare with a clock, nodding a bit eagerly. He resumed his position from before - his head on Nico’s knees, a blanket over his shoulders as Nico rested the book in his lap. A bookmark held their place, and he cracked open the book to resume.

Nico took a breath, his free hand falling into Will’s curls, and began to read where they had left off.

“But first, to Aulis. Aulis, a jutting finger of a land with enough shoreline to beach all our ships at once…”

Will’s eyes were fluttered shut, but he was not asleep. That was obvious from the tear sliding into the corner of his face.

“It’s so beautiful,” he only said, “and they love each other so much. Gods.”

“It is,” Nico agreed, grabbing his bookmark to slid it back into place. They only had a small section of pages left - the ending was coming, soon. Will gave him a questioning look at his action.

Nico nodded to the clock, “It’s almost eleven thirty. We should rejoin the party.”

Will blinked in surprise, “Oh,” He began pulling the blanket off of himself, “You’re right, I didn’t realize.”

Nico agreed - he hadn’t realized the time had passed so quickly. He checked his phone and, predictably, there were a few texts flashing back at him. One of concern from Jason, some suggestive emojis from Leo and Piper, a question of his whereabouts from Reyna. What he expected, basically.

Nico placed the book to the side, standing and stretching. They’d been lying for an hour and a half - his legs were starting to cramp.

Will was staring at he did so, stumbling up to follow his action, but Nico wasn’t turned to see it - it, being Will’s lingering gaze, his bit lip.

Nico only half-turned back, his hand extended. “Coming?”

Will took his hand, and had to resist the urge to reply with something sickly lovesick.

The party was, of course, still in full-swing - probably due to the Red Bull and vodka shots Jason was lining up on the bar counter, in addition to the loud, poppy music. Top 40. Will must be in heaven.

Jason gave him a considering look as Nico came up, handing over a bright blue drink with red cherries, the glass icy and cold. It was sour. Nice.

The other boy cocked his head in silent question, his gaze still meeting Nico’s even as he handed off another drink. Nico nodded, slightly, and both boys accepted that.

Nico wasn’t really a dancer at parties - mostly preferring to observe and become one with the wallpaper, but enjoyed to watch others make a fool of themselves. The Stoll Brothers always had such a nature talent for it.

Will and him finished their drinks at the bar, soaking in the atmosphere of the party.

There were a few more minutes until midnight when he checked his phone, only a few snapchat notifications blocking up his screen. He checked them - all from the exact party he was at, one from Hazel of him and Will taken from a distance only captioned kiss him!!! with a few bubbly hearts drawn around them. He glanced around for his sister, not immediately finding her anywhere, and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Will was smiling beside him, laughing as Leo, now dancing on a table, began stripping to the apparent delight of the crowd. Over the cheering, some were throwing dollar bills. Good. Maybe he’d stop pursuing Nico into paying for their McDonald's. (Which okay, it wasn’t Nico’s fault that Leo was the only person he knew with low enough standards to not mind McDonald’s once in awhile. Or once a week. Or twice a week. Listen he fucking loved trash fast food okay this is over -)

Gods. Will would probably, like, cry if he knew how much McDonald's Nico ate. Nico had the app. He kind of wanted to tell him, just to see what would happen. Something spectacular, probably.

Nico turned to the other boy, maybe to tell him of the Mcdonald’s thing just to see what would happen, but the words died on his lips. Will was a lot closer then he had been expecting. Around them, the crowd was getting more excited.

“One more minute until midnight!” Someone was yelling nearby, nearly drowned out by the pounding music.

“You’ve still got one kiss.” Will’s breath was barely close enough to brush over Nico’s lips, and wasn’t that just sweetest thing Nico had ever tasted, Will’s warm breath, ghosting over Nico’s chapped, reddened lips. He had been biting them, unsure, all day - now they were particularly sensitive.

“Per my contract.” Nico breathed out, his wrists coming up around the other boy’s waist. It felt almost natural, at this point.

The crowd around them was getting even more rowdy by the second and, in time, they began yelling out the countdown.

10

As if perfect choreography, they both took a small twin step forward, their bodies pressed together not by convenience despite the thick crowd, their breathed mixed together by want.

9

Will’s bend down to run his nose up the line of Nico’s throat, and Nico, without thinking, lifted his chin so he could have better access.  

8

Will pressed a small kiss to the under of Nico’s jaw, and Nico’s hand came up to the back of Will’s neck. It fit well there, like it was meant to.

7

Nico’s cheeks burned the color of the scarlet fireworks soon to be lit off in the air, and Will’s lips found a matching tint.

6

Will’s hands came up to cup Nico’s face, soft and hesitant, like Nico was something to be handled with care, like Nico was something that mattered.

5

Nico bit his lip and stared into his Will’s eyes, as wide and open and vulnerable as his own.

4

This part wasn’t in the contract.

3

This part wasn’t planned for.

2

Will’s eyes were the first to flutter shut, but Nico was the first to start leaning in.

1

The entire deck was filled with kissing couples and friends; nearly all tipsy on alcohol bought for the occasion. Percy and Annabeth, of course, were kissing, and probably not stopping soon. Leo was being showered with overdramatic kisses by a few drunken partygoers, one looking suspiciously like Jason, with most of them not even landing on his lips. Piper, rolling her eyes fondly, pulled in an ecstatic looking Stoll Brother. Her brother, on her other side, was attached to the other Stoll brother - neither of them being very distinguishable from only their wild curls.

Hazel and Frank, neither whom were much fans of PDA, shared a sweet, chaste kiss that would have given anyone looking automatic cavities.

Even Reyna, who usually saw herself above things like this, laughed and shared a quick peck with Jason’s older sister, Thalia.

And Will and Nico, with nearly no one around them now, remained pressed together during the next minute. They didn’t seem to notice the countdown ending, or the eruption of literal fireworks blasting over their heads, not even when another couple knocked into them roughly, a rougher apology only following.

They only noticed each other.

Nico was noticing how Will shuttered a bit as Nico pulled on his hair a bit, and the strong lines of the other boy’s chest.

Will was noticing how Nico’s breath would hitch as Will’s hands smoothed over Nico’s chest, and how Nico’s hand tightened on his hips as Will pressed them impossibility closer.

Only each other.

They laid there in bed that night, both still a bit reeling after that kiss, even when they’d been separated by Piper’s sharp laugh, too close, as she teasingly pointed out their heavy necking session. Even when they both awkwardly pulled apart from each other, their movements jerky and unsure, and pretended to enjoy the rest of the party.

Nico, of course, was determined to go about it the correct way – which happened to be completely ignoring what had happened. He had no idea where his phone was – it happened to be tucked inside one of the couch cushions he’d had a minor freak out on afterwards where it would remains for several more hours – but if he had it, he would see the few increasingly drunken texts from Jason, along with one from Leo and a voicemail from Piper, each demanding to know when he’d actually started dating his date-for-hire.

Nico was grateful for the little things, and the fact he didn’t find his phone until tomorrow evening, as he would have thought of nothing else for the entire night, was one of them.

He went about his bedtime routine, refusing even to turn his back to change his shirt despite his burning cheeks, mostly because he hadn’t the night before and he was trying to convince himself that everything was the same as before.

Of course it wasn’t, and Will’s eyes would still linger nonetheless.

They laid next to each other, just as stiff as the first night, and it was horribly silent for a long few minutes as each refused to speak or relax. They both stared at the ceiling, the lighting dim, and felt unsure.

“You know, um.” Will began, “I was just thinking over the contract. It’s so extensive sometimes I forget what’s in it, like one of my political science friends wrote it up for me – I’m really bad with this kind of stuff, you know – anyways, sometimes I forget everything that’s in it and –“

“Will.” Nico interrupted, sitting up and facing the other boy in the dark. “Spit it out.”

“The contract covers holiday events and traditions.” Will blurted out, following Nico’s example and sitting up. “Like, if your family has a holiday tradition I’m obligated to go along with it and everything.”

Nico frowned at the other boy. “Why are you telling me this? You’ve been going along with all our stuff.”

Will sighed, a bit frustrated, mostly embarrassed by gods know what. “It means…” Will hesitated for a second, “It means that the New Year's kiss would be covered by that. It’s like a tradition everywhere, right? So like, it wouldn’t count towards your…allotted amount.”

Nico gave himself a moment to process that. “You’re saying I still have one more kiss left? “

Will bit his lip, looking unsure once again. “Yes.” He seemed to decide. “You still have one more kiss left. If you want it.”

“Oh.” Nico only said, blinking. “Oh, that’s…good.”

Will turned away, focusing on his knees. “Yeah, um, so like if you want another display of PDA for your family. Or, um. We could always do it, um. We could do it now if you want.”

Nico seemed to be in the business of one worded responses nowadays. “Now?” He questioned, his voice high. His mind, short-circuiting, could only think of the fact that he just brushed his teeth.

“Yeah, uh,” Will sounded even more unsure than before, badly covered up by forced nonchalance. “It could, um, help us with our chemistry. So like, they see we’re compatible.”

“Chemistry?” Nico only repeated dumbly, his mind racing.

“Yeah.” Will nodded, seemingly running out of words. “Yeah, uh. Yeah.”

Nico took a moment to gather himself and all the information just thrust as him. “Okay.” He only breathed out after a long moment. “That sounds good.”

They sat there, now facing each other in the dim light.

Nico bit his lip, his confidence from only a few hours ago seemingly left behind in the old year. He leaned forward just a bit, unsure whether to close his eyes, and that queue seemed to be all Will needed.

The other boy leaned in, probably too quickly, and brushed his lips against Nico’s, the movement in itself labeled hesitation.

This was so much different then everything they’d had before – the chaste peck in front of Nico’s family, the teasing kiss for Nico’s friends, different even from the New Year's kiss they’d shared hours before.

This was –

This was what a first kiss was.

Will’s lips were warm against Nico’s, soft and still holding an element of uncertainly as he pulled away, his nose brushing against Nico’s as they stayed in position, both breathing a bit too rough for the modest action.

And Nico considered what would happen next.

They’d pull away, eventually fall asleep to the awkward air. They’d wake up tomorrow and avoid each other’s eyes and go through the day as a couple. They’d pack tomorrow night and be on a plane the next morning. Nico would probably never see the other boy again. Nico would probably never kiss the other boy again.

Nico’s shut his eyes, and Will was still close enough that Nico could feel his breath against his face at every exhale.

If this was the last time Nico was ever going to kiss Will, it wasn’t going to be like that.

He opened his eyes, them alight with a certain determination as he reached out and settled his hand on the back of Will’s neck. He pulled the other boy in, making his last kiss count for something more than the obligation Will had signed away on.

It wasn’t as dirty as before, nor as chaste or as sweet or funny as it ever had been.

It was a kiss where Nico was memorizing the way Will opened up eagerly to him, the way Will lightly bit at his bottom lip, the way Will’s hand automatically came up to mirror Nico’s on his neck.

Will leaned back, taking Nico with him, and pressed back as Nico poured more of himself into the kiss.

Unknown to each other, each boy was desperately trying to seer the memory of the kiss into their minds, desperately accounting for every detail, because each boy was certain it was the last.

They woke up the next morning, avoiding each other eyes, and went about.

At the bottom of the staircase, Will grabbed onto Nico’s hand just as Persephone would sweep into the room, and he’d hold on too tight.

And Nico did the same.

Tonight, they were to pack and separate their clothes and belongings. Will would be packing a new soft, feeling sweatshirt, a carefully folded certificate with a sticker of wax, a small boot shaped mug long since cleaned, along with a horribly ugly neon-haired child’s toy, and tried not to think about how he’d be feeling when he unpacked it.

Notes:

will that's the worst excuse to kiss a boy i've ever heard how dareee you hashtag spoilers for a 150 year old book\musical lol also MORE SONG OF ACHILLES READ IT PLS also hades and persephone will use eVERY OPPORTUNITY THEY CAN to be extra as hell trust me i love family !!!! and friendship!!! wholesome relationships!!! i had to google food challenges for this. have you ever seen the show 'man vs. food'? no? u lucky soul. u lucky, lucky soul. also the midnight nye kiss was maybe, like, the third scene I wrote for this fic. it's been a-brewin' for awhile. next: feelings!!! ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS JFC. CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FEELINGS. EMOTIONS. jfc. almost the end. it's been a crazy, nerdy ride y'all and seriously, i've loved it. thank you thank you THANK YOU for all your incredible support. I started this fic as a really lonely, kinda depressed university student on my own for the first time and now, because of this fic, I'm made a ton of great friends and improved my writing so well. thank you so much y'all for reading or liking or commenting or messaging me on tumblr or following. if this fic helps ya even fraction of what it did for me, even if it just brightens an hour of your day, then I'll count it as a roaring success. thank you. <3.

[pinktatertots99]

an artist, through and through

ok I'm gonna write something that's actually good (HAH yeah right) and to do that, I'm writing about a ship that, oddly enough doesn't get a lot of attention.

story takes place years after nanba. nico and rock are around their late 20's in this. (26/27 and 29.)

warning for swearing (obviously) and a suggestive/slightly nsfw scene later. note: the lines that come in the middle are to symbolize a scene taking place shortly after the first scene. (kinda similar to how the series and many other animes do.) and the one in the middle is to symbolize that the next part takes place on another day. (hopefully this makes sense lol sorry if it doesn't).

(name of the fic is a lyric to a ken ashcorp song. guess what it is~)

the scratching of a pen filled the mostly quiet room as nico sketched on the piece of paper on his desk. said desk was scattered with finished colored pages, other blank drawing pages for later, pencils, pens, a corkboard with pictures and sticky notes and a lamp that was located above the piece of paper he had.

despite being completely concentrated with the piece, his ears perked at the sudden sound of keys jingling from the other side of the door. he continued to stay focused though as he heard the door unlock and slowly crack open, and then fully open, the door silently, or as silently as it could be closing, and light tiptoeing of work boots on the floor.

"I can hear you." he said. the boots stopped instantly. "sorry. didn't know if you were busy inking or somethin'." rock replied, heavy footsteps moving to the back of nico's chair, strong and hairy arms coming down on him and slowly encircling him.

he stopped the strokes he was doing to put his hands on said arms. "so, this the new chapter?"

"yep! I'm halfway there!" he announced throwing a fist in the air.

"so you gonna let me take a peek?" rock asked tilting his head to see the page. nico huffed his cheeks out. "no! that'd be spoilers! and I'm NOT gonna let you see till it's done!"

"aw c'mon. just a little peak?" he teased. nico threw his hands in the air to his face, trying to keep him from looking any closer. "AAAAAUUUUUGH NOOOOOO!"

_____

"by the way, I gotta go to a store. can you come with me?"

"sure."

at that nico went to take out a pair of sweat pants, a hoodie, sunglasses, gloves, and a medical mask. why didn't he ask him after he got in his disguise? he thought to himself.

after nico prepared himself the two were off. all of this was so weird to rock as they walked. he knew nico's fixation on manga and anime and comics would leave him inspired to make something, but he along with the rest of the guys never thought that it would lead to him actually succeeding in it.

once he mailed his manga idea all of them were ready for him to be denied and comfort him. it left them surprised when he got the memo back that the company liked his idea and wanted him to make it, which he got around the time they all left prison.

after that the two were able to get their own apartment together and rock got into working in construction, just to make a little extra for food and bills. that and boredom strikes fast when your not escaping from prison or fighting anyone.

the change though to only him and nico being together was still something he was getting used to, even if it's already been a while since they left prison. they were still able to keep in contact with everyone but it was a little hard getting used to not having two extra roommates to come back to. one advantage though was that now the two didn't have to worry about any...accidental walk ins from anybody. they still had to keep quiet due to neighbors but it was manageable.

his sudden trip down memory lane stopped once he saw nico had stopped. the otaku then took two steps forward and pointed in n overly dramatic anime pose. "THERE IT IS!" he announced. rock looked to see he was pointing at a clothing store.

he was a bit disappointed cause he thought they were gonna go to the grocery store or something. he had run out of purple dye a while ago and had been meaning to get some more but forgot. now his hair was mostly red with the purple on the tips of his hair, taking a bit of a darker shade. but oh well he suppose he'll have to go himself sometime. cause he sure as hell wasn't gonna wait another week to go back and get it. though it was odd that nico wanted to go here specifically. but rock had a feeling he knew why he wanted to come here.

the two entered the shop with nico seeming to already know exactly what he wanted, as he dragged rock to one of the clothes racks and then to the dressing rooms, holding an outfit.

"I need you to wear this." he said, and held out a-...oh no. a school girls uniform. it was the typical white short sleeved blouse with red bow n the middle and blue skirt. it seemed to have been a costume though, given that it was all connected. he sighed.

"uh, yeah, I can't wear that." nico pouted angrily at him. ho boy, here they go.

"but what about that time hitoshi-san made us all dresses-"

"it's not a skirt thing I just- it won't fit."

"poppycock." and with that nico opened one of the open dressing rooms and walked in. after a bit he came out, wearing the dress. rock could feel his face get hot.

"see. if it can fit me than it can fit you too!" he stated.

"that's kinda the opposite of what you meant."

suddenly the two heard snickering and looked over to see a small group of boys snickering and playfully whistling at nico, and saying stuff that rock couldn't understand but he sure as hell had a feeling of beating them up now. though he halted it once he saw nico giggling at them and posing at them.

"heehee they like it."

"uh nico. I don't think their serious about all that."

"hm? well too bad for them cause I'm gonna take these as genuine compliments."

"n-ni-ko-sensei?!"

the two looked over to see two highschool girls looking at nico in disbelief. they must've been fans considering they knew nico somehow and, looking closely, rock could see one of them holding one of nico's manga series chapters.

the three then started talking, with nico talking in perfect Japanese. it wasn't much of a surprise though, not only did he consume a lot of anime and manga but he also ended up gaining a disease where if he hears a certain language, he can speak it fluently. he didn't catch onto much of what they were talking about, Japanese being his weakest in understanding beside a couple of phrases and words but that was about it. all he could get out of it was the two were talking about his manga being great and all that.

incidents like this didn't happen a lot shockingly enough. nico tried hard to keep from anyone seeing him and disguising himself. but something would come up and it'd end with him undisguised and getting noticed by fans. not all their interactions were bad most of the time, despite wasting time. some were nice, some were weird, and some were just...ugh.

if they were ever together when those type of fans came around rock was instantly there close to nico. though he has heard that the times he wasn't around nico had to bear with those types though it usually ended with him saying he was very busy and couldn't stay. he did though buy a pepper spray JUST incase, so rock was fine with it.

he didn't even notice the girls had left already and nico had come back from the dressing room in his disguise again, with the outfit in tow.

"okay! we can go." he said. he paid for the outfit and the two left.

===

after they got back, nico undressed himself from his disguise...and then undressed himself suddenly from his actual outfit, causing rock to jump at the suddenness of it. thank god their place was on a higher level and they didn't have to worry about strangers walking by the window and seeing.

the smaller male then grabbed the bag from rock's grip and pulled out the dress and started dressing himself up in it. "could you get my camera?" he asked. rock obliged and went over to the desk and opened the top drawer on the right, pulling out a large camera.

turning around he saw nico had already put on the school shoes and white stockings that matched the outfit and was currently ripping the small bag with hair accessories that also came with it. after nico put whatever accessories he wanted in his hair, which was a red scrunchie and two hair clips he went over to rock and started pulling him to a part of the room and commanding him to be in a specific position.

"ok!" he said as he walked away and got into a running position. "make sure you take a couple okay?"

"ok."

"and try not to let your big fingers get on the lens."

"got I-wait hey!" nico giggled at his reaction. turning on the camera and putting his finger lightly on the button, he was ready. "ready?" "yep!"

they took a couple pictures before nico told him to stop and went to look at them. he smiled "THESE ARE GREAT!" and with that he took the camera and went back to his study, quickly getting to work on his next page.

"neh rock." rock raised his gaze from the magazine he was reading and looked to see nico, looking a bit...nervous? he was blushing, his gaze was going anywhere but him, and his smile was weak. he wanted him to do something for him he thought. this was always how nico reacted when he needed something.

"yeah?" he asked. nico's face got redder as he rubbed a finger on his cheek, mumbling. "uh...um...could you uhm, c-could you maybe, uhm..." he then pulled one of his arms from behind his back and both his hands grabbed what it was in his grasp and pushed it to him. "c-could you uh...wear...this?" he asked.

rock took it and feeling it it was an outfit. he turned it over to see a red bow tie on a white short sleeved shirt. coupled witht the shirt was a matching blue skirt. oh god he thought. not again.

"nico I said I can't wear-"

"I-I know but, I got you one in a size that'll fit you." he smiled. "it was actually the biggest size!"

"that's...nice." rock muttered, not exactly thrilled at that statement. "is this for a reference? why not just wear your outfit and I take the pictures like last time?"

"I...forgot." rock squinted at nico suspiciously.

nico clasped his hands together. "please. please. pleeeeaaaaaase. it's only a couple of photos I promise!"

rock sighed in defeat at nico's begging. if it was only a couple of photos then fine he guessed. though, he was gonna close the window just to be careful. "alright." he agreed. nico cheered in victory as he turned around. "ok. get dressed. I'm not peaking."

"you DO know you've seen me undressed before right?"

"I wanna be surprised!"

---

this was so awkward rock thought as he stood fully in the outfit. he knew regardless if it was the largest size it wouldn't exactly fit well. the top looked more like a tank almost crop top that showed his abs, the sleeves were a bit tight around the shoulders, but the skirt wasn't that bad but he naturally pulled it down a bit, not used to it. the shutter sound of a camera went off as he did that and he looked back to see nico.

"that was a nice one! very natural." he said.

"yeah yeah very funny. so, what'dya want me to do?"

nico then quickly pointed to their bed. "get on the bed." rock looked over at it, back at nico and back at it again. "heh, you sure this is for a reference? or was that an excuse for something else?" he teased. nico flushed and stuck his tongue out. "nyeh."

the hefty male decided to go along with the artist's demand and went to lay down on it. "ok, now put your hands behind your head, curve your leg up a bit, and try to look relax." the otaku ordered. rock complied. "lower the leg a little. little more. aaaaaaand there! perfect!"

rock could hear him getting the camera ready. "try to relax a bit."

"I am."

"your faking it. c'mon just pretend I'm not taking a picture of you in a school girls uniform."

"that doesn't help."

"just relax. like you usually do." at that rock took a deep breath in and out slowly, relaxing. the camera shutters went off multiple times till he hard them stop and the pitter patter of feet walk towards him. "that all?" he asked.

"not yet. I need close ups now." nico said. he then caught rock by surprise as he moved ontop of him, straddling him a bit. "wh-what are you-" "just relax. just keep the relaxed look and look as if your looking up at the ceiling." rock calmed himself again and did just that. after a few pictures nico told him to side eye the left side, and then after that the right.

"could you...lean up a bit?" nico asked. rock leaned up a bit on his elbows. he got a closer look at nico's face. he could see the deep blush on his cheeks and the look of lust and he swore hearts in his eye. he looked so cute. the burly man ended up turning his head to the side blushing a shade of pink, and the shutters went off again.

"that's...that's a good one." nico muttered. rock just chuckled silently. "y-yeah...very funny." he muttered as nico leaned over to the nightstand next to their bed. "so...is that it?" "just one more thing." he hummed, putting the camera down on the table and moving back. before rock could ask what he needed to do, his mouth was suddenly captured by nico's, kissing him.

the sudden kiss caused him to fall back on the bed as nico started to lick his mouth, wanting entrance. rock complied and the two's tongues started wrestling. he had a feeling his eyes weren't playing tricks on him earlier when he thought he saw...something in nico's shorts. the two made out heatedly, with nico's hands suddenly moving under his shirt and gripping his chest, twisting his nipples.

that was enough for him to sit up and quickly push nico down, kissing and touching him roughly. in the past he's tried to refrain such animalistic instincts when it came to nico pushing those right buttons. but after finding that he started to purposefully push them and infact liked when he got a bit crazy he refrained the inner animal less.

after a while they broke off, panting with a saliva trail following. "so," rock panted, wiping the saliva. "I guess...that need for a reference...wasn't the only reason you wanted me to do this right?"

"h..hah, yeah." nico replied. "but...this wasn't..the only reason I wanted you to do this." rock raised a brow at that. "actually, the other reason I wanted you to pose was because...well, you taking pictures of me posing...weren't that great."

that comment immediately caused rock's mood drop dramatically. "I mean," nico continued. "they weren't BAD but, y'know. they weren't great. but they DID work as a good reference. from what I was able to work with." he muttered the last sentence but rock heard it clear as day. he quickly got off of nico and walked in the direction to the bathroom.

"wha-wait rock! where you going?!"

"getting changed."

"what?! but-but I- but we haven't- ROCK COME BACK! ROOOOOOOOOCK!"

that night the poor fool of an otaku had to unreplenish his sexual desires by fapping to the reference pictures he took earlier. and then proceeded to sleep in his soft and squishy bean bag and blanket, considering that he was also kicked out of bed that night.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #117

It’s these sort of vignette-filled chapters that are starting to become my favorite lately. I think that’s because it’s not just a bunch of gags and jokes one after another like you’d find in a 4-koma manga. There’s a definite flow of time and continuity when Nico Tanigawa does these chapters. Not to mention that they still take the time to introduce character dynamics that can be built upon for later chapters/arcs. 

In essence, I tend to think of these as “transition” chapters because they provide content that can be used for more self-contained stories, but can still function very well as its own chapter. 

Chapter 117: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Greet the End of My Second Year

Have we given her a fanon name yet? Her panel is big enough to warrant one.

I get the feeling that if it had been some random girl pressing against her, this girl wouldn’t have thought much of it, attributing it to just a case of the train being overpacked. But because it’s Tomoko, and Ucchi mostly likely gossiped about how she’s such a creep, that it probably skewed this girl’s perception of what had happened. She was led to believe that Tomoko is some kind of touchy-feely lesbian, so that’s what she’s gonna see. 

I’ll admit, I’m not familiar with how the trains work in Japan, so this confused me enough that I didn’t actually get the joke the first time. Perhaps someone can clear it up for me?

But check out Ucchi’s posture here. Sitting upright, knees together, arms out. She clearly readying herself up, and we all know why,

Yuri Tamura shows up = instantly good chapter. 

It was around here that everything started to click in my head. Ucchi, in her increasingly stalker ways, was planning to get off on Inage, where she would board the opposite running train and hopefully run into Tomoko. So of course, when Yuri asks her why she’s not getting off, the prideful Ucchi isn’t about to admit that she wants to see Tomoko, so she first gives the excuse that she was sleeping. And when that doesn’t work, Ucchi lies that her legs went numb, but Yuri being the good person she is, helps her off the train. 

Better luck next time Emoji Girl.

Gotta say, Yuri’s annoyance here is perfectly justified when you look at it from her perspective. She made sure Ucchi didn’t miss their stop, and even offered to carry her out of the train when Ucchi claimed her legs were numb. I’m sure at some point Yuri realized that it was all BS, and given that Ucchi appeared ungrateful for help she didn’t even need, it must have struck a nerve with her.

I’d really like to see more of these two play off against each other. It’s amusing.

One thing I really like is that Nico Tanigawa doesn’t oversell when they’re introducing new or underused characters. Lots of manga do this by introducing them in a large panel with a text box that tells their name, age, class number, etc. But here, the mangaka is showing us who Itou is in a manner that is very natural. Here, we have a great case of show-not-tell as we learn more about Itou. She plays the trumpet, is part of the band, is a bit of a loner, and is otherwise pretty normal. I’m already awaiting for her focus chapter. 

Imagines Komiyama in a cheerleading outfit.

Thankfully, my out-of-character image of Komiyama was proven wrong after a quick Google search, and I realized that they’re talking about an ōendan, which is much more in-character. 

So here’s a question: why do you suppose Komiyama quit? It’s probably nothing tragic; perhaps it was just too high-energy for her. But it’s still fun to think about. 

But if Tomoki ever joined the baseball team, you know she’d rejoin in a heartbeat.

It’s always nice when Komiyama’s weirdly cute side comes out like this. Even if her impression of Itou changed from something as simple as being able to play some baseball cheer songs, I don’t think it’s a shallow relationship or anything like that. They do seem like genuinely good friends, and I do wonder a bit how they met since they’ve only known each other since high school started. In a way, It kind of parallels the whole Tomoko-Yuri friendship, with the whole creep-and-normie dynamic. I wouldn’t be pretty surprised if they became friends out of “fated” circumstances as well.

Speaking of Tomoko...

She ain’t beauty, she ain’t grace, and she falls on her fuckin’ face.

If she were a typical shoujo manga heroine, her fall would’ve been ladylike, cutesy, and with an adorable squeal to emphasize her cute clumsiness.

Cute shoujo manga heroine Tomoko is not.

Now this is one of those moments in Watamote where I was genuinely surprised. For what little we know about Minami, she seems like a cheerful, genki type who can be just a little insensitive. Too be honest, my first thought when I saw this was that Minami was laughing about something else with the no-eyes girl, and wasn’t actually laughing at Tomoko. But at the same time, I also think that her actually laughing at Tomoko is entirely plausible. It’s hard to tell, but perhaps that ambiguity is what Nico Tanigawa was going for 

Damn, kitty-cat Tomoko grew some claws. I love how more open she’s been about expressing her ruder and cruder side. 

C’mon, how could I not include this shot?

So it looks like we finally got a taste of Yuri’s sense of humor. And it’s the type of humor, that I, and I’m sure a lot of other people enjoy. The “addressing-the-elephant-in-the-room” kind of humor. The snaggletooth quality we see with Minami is usually something in manga that is only a character aesthetic. Something the readers can see, but is virtually invisible to the other characters. The fact that Tomoko so openly mocks her for something no else seems to have said is probably why Yuri finds it so funny. 

It also probably helps that Yuri is not on the best of terms with Minami, so she can probably get on board with teasing her that much easier. 

Now this is something I find really interesting. To think that Mako, who’s been Yuri’s friend for years, has never made her laugh out loud, yet Tomoko hasn’t even known her for a year, and she still got her to laugh. What does this say about Yuri’s friendship with Mako and Tomoko? For me, I think Yuri’s friendship with Mako is based on stability. They like each other enough and it’s easy to commit to without much conflict (sans Minami). With Tomoko, while they don’t fully understand each other, they seem to be helping each other break out of their shells, with Tomoko gaining confidence and Yuri being more expressive.

You know how some people were joking on how Tomoko is like a virus bringing down all the other girls to her level? I think with Yuri, Tomoko is actually bringing her up. I honestly predict that Tomoko and Yuri’s relationship will be the strongest by the end of the series.

I know I just poked fun at when manga introduce characters by giving them a panel with text over them, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. In some instances, it can be used as a bit of comedy. For Kiyota, who is so inconsequential, having his name there to remind the audience who he is is a nice touch. 

It’s times like this when I realize just how truly passive aggressive Nemoto is towards Tomoko. I can see her thought process here: if she asked about Tomoko, that would imply that she cares about her and that they’re friends, which is something Nemoto doesn’t want her real friends to consider. Nemoto doesn’t mind Tomoko, but she doesn’t want to associate with her any more than she has too. Take of that what you will.

You can literally see her expression fall ten stories to the ground. 

Now an impression of Ogino is something I would like to see. I don’t recall Ogino having any sort of obvious mannerism, though. Maybe it’s smiling ignorantly in a way that automatically pisses people off. 

Not gonna lie, this right here hit me HARD. You see that crosshatching in the background? Nico Tanigawa usually does that for scenes that are high in tension, and this is no exception. This is the first time we’ve seen the side characters opening mock Tomoko on some level. Sure, it’s not really malicious or hurtful, but it’s still teasing Tomoko for being who she is. The scariest part is, this type of teasing falls into the uncanny valley where it isn’t outright bullying, but very close to it. I’m so glad severe bullying isn’t a part of this manga, or I might not be able to handle it. 

One thing I’m sure others have noticed is that Nemoto’s impression isn’t actually Tomoko, but the side of Tomoko they’re used to seeing: the shy, nervous girl who has trouble communicating. It’s the Tomoko from first year, not the new Tomoko who is much more emotionally confident than before. 

If I had been drinking something when I first read this, I would’ve most definitely done a spit-take.

With the way Ucchi is describing Tomoko, I realize this is exactly the performance that Izumi Kitta gave Tomoko in the anime (her real voice, not the voice in her head). But the level of detail is so good, that it’s actually kind of scary just how obsessed Ucchi has been. Relatively speaking, Ucchi actually hasn’t had many run-ins with Tomoko, and yet she is able to describe her so correctly and confidently. 

And she actually called Tomoko charming.

It’s this line that got to me, because it’s the very first time Ucchi has admitted to liking Tomoko to any sort of degree. There’s no embarrassment, no denial, no hesitation.

If Nico Tanigawa don’t want us to ship them, then they’re sure making it hard not to.

I want to point out the way that Nemoto brought up her impression of Tomoko. She does it in a way that tries to minimize any meanness to it. By saying that her friends were laughing at it, she prevents any accusation of bullying, since it was “all in good fun”. By slouching over her desk like that, Nemoto makes the conversational atmosphere all casual, and by having Makeup-chan hear it, she has someone to potentially back her up should things turn sour. 

Damn, she even did the eye thing. Nemo is merciless. 

Tomoko.exe stopped working.

I’m sure a thousand thoughts are flooding Tomoko’s mind right now. And from the looks of things, I’m sure Tomoko came to the conclusion that yes, that was Nemoto who she fist-bumped that day. I’m glad that Makeup-chan managed to ease the tension before things got too ugly. And of course Nemoto would laugh it off, like it’s no big deal.

People like to say that Nemoto is shaping up to be the villain in this manga. While I wouldn’t go that far, I do think she has the potential to go there should the manga ever decide to go that route. 

Whew! This was a long one! There was so much to unpack this time as opposed to the four pages from the last chapter. That’s no criticism, however, as I would gladly review fifty pages a chapter if they’re all as good as this one. The character dynamics, both new and old, were spot-on and offers many layers to dissect. At this point, there is no character who I don’t like, and that’s the highest compliment I can give. Because even the most disliked characters are as such because you like them that way. The manga has perfected naturalistic awkwardness to a T. I feel like every chapter, Nico Tanigawa sets itself up to a higher standard, that I wonder just how they’ll top the previous chapter.

So, next time Yoshida?

[afoolsingenuity]

Bite Sized Books // Two Romance Books You Have To Read Together

This will be a joint book review. I was going to see if I could make the review for these two more individual but it’s difficult. The story in All The Lies We Tell very much continues in All The Secrets We Keep, although they each focus more on different characters. I will try to split the reviews into individual books but really if you’re gonna read one you need to read both. The second makes less sense without the first and the first will leave you dissatisfied with the loose threads.

All The Lies We Tell (Quarry Road #1) – Megan Hart

Published: 1st May 2017 Source: Bought Genre: Contemporary, Romance My Rating:

Everyone knew Alicia Harrison’s marriage to Ilya Stern wouldn’t last. They’d grown up on a remote stretch of Quarry Street, where there were two houses, two sets of siblings, and eventually, a tangled mess of betrayal, longing, and loss. Tragedy catapulted Allie and Ilya together, but divorce—even as neighbours—has been relatively uncomplicated.

Then Ilya’s brother, Nikolai, comes home for their grandmother’s last days. He’s the guy who teased and fought with Allie, infuriated her, then fled town without a good-bye. Now Niko makes her feel something else entirely—a rush of connection and pure desire that she’s been trying to quench since one secret kiss years ago. Niko’s not sticking around. She’s not going to leave. And after all that’s happened between their families, this can’t be anything more than brief pleasure and a bad idea.

But the lies we tell ourselves can’t compete with the truths our hearts refuse to let go…

All The Lies We Tell is much more the story of Alicia and Niko. Alicia lives over the road from her ex-husband Ilya. She owns a company with him, she sees him every day. Their lives are very much entwined even if they are no longer married or sleeping together. The two have lived across the road from one another their entire lives and although they married for the wrong reasons they are both still close. So when Ilya’s grandmother takes a turn for the worse Alicia is obviously there with Ilya and the entire Stern family. It’s a bit of a shock coming face to face once more with Niko, Ilya’s younger brother. She grew up with him as well, she was part of a small friendship group, which included her sister Jenni as well as Ilya and Niko’s former stepsister, Theresa.

I think I knew immediately that the interaction between Alicia and Niko was going to be brilliant. Niko said some harsh things when he’d heard his brother and Alicia had eloped together and I can’t blame him as he was totally right. He obviously had a thing for Alicia (even if she’d been too blind as a teen to notice) and the spark was still there when they see each other in that room in the care home.

This is an angsty read as the Stern family deal with losing a family member and Ilya deals with both his brother and his mother moving into his home. It wasn’t so much the loss of a family member which caused the angst, it was the past memories it dug up of grieving as Alicia’s sister, Jenni, died all those years ago and it affected all of them in different ways. It didn’t help that this was a romance where almost everyone had been involved with another in some way. It was a little incestuous. I wasn’t sure it would be handled well, a romance between Alicia and her ex-brother in law was going to be a careful balancing act to get it right and Megan Hart managed that. I was rooting for them to get together and saying screw you to Ilya and shouting at Alicia so get past her issues because they were such non-issues. Who cares about gossip anyway?

There was more than just the romance to this book, though. There was a further mystery of what Galina, Ilya and Niko’s mother, had been up to. And also what happened in the past with Jenni. This book was told in the present with flashbacks to their shared past interspersed throughout. It was really rather well done. My biggest issue with this book is that it felt unfinished when it ended because the second book was obviously meant to wrap up some of the story threads and that did bug me slightly. It was an enjoyable enough read, though, that I didn’t mind too much.

All The Secrets We Keep (Quarry Road #2) – Megan Hart

Published: 13th June 2017

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

My Rating:

In the riveting conclusion to Megan Hart’s passionate new family drama, the secrets they keep are no match for the truths their hearts will never let go.

Still stuck in his small Central Pennsylvania hometown, Ilya Stern is used to feeling like a disappointment. After his high school girlfriend, Jennilynn, drowned, he married her sister, Alicia, only to divorce a decade later. The business they started together is threatened by a luxury development—and Alicia has already sold her stake. Now that Babulya, Ilya’s gentle Russian grandmother, has died, there’s no one left who believes in him. Or so he thinks.

Theresa Malone was Ilya’s stepsister for only a year, until his mother threw her pill-popping father out of the house in the middle of the night, forcing teenage Theresa to follow. Now she’s returned for Babulya’s funeral—and to facilitate the quarry-development deal. As she tries to convince Ilya to sell, she realizes her feelings for him have ignited—from sisterly into something more.

Working together closely, Ilya and Theresa struggle to define their intense attraction. When the details of Jennilynn’s death surface, will Ilya and Theresa’s deep connection keep their hope for the future afloat—or submerge them once and forever in their tragic past?

As I said, this book and the first were meant to be read together. They are stories which don't make sense apart and are intrinsically linked. That might have bothered me but it was very obvious upon reading the first book that there was plenty more story to explore. There were so many unanswered questions in regards to what would happen with Ilya and the fact that Theresa had a lot more troubles. And there were all the unanswered questions to be had with Jenni. And what on earth motivated Galina to come home. Basically, this book was both the story of Theresa and Ilya finding their happy, but also about tying up loose ends.

It was a really fast read and whilst it was angstier than my usual books I kind of enjoyed that. I was a bit wary going in, whilst I'd quite liked Theresa in the first book (despite her secretive ways) I was far more wary of Ilya. He came across as a bit of a dick in the first book and also very hung up on a girl he loved as a teenager. I didn't get how I was going to be convinced to like him and especially when he didn't seem willing to grow from the teenager he once was. Thankfully, Megan Hart is a far better author than I gave her credit for because whilst I'd been a fan of Theresa's in the first book it was actually Ilya I was cheering for because he really turned over a new leaf.

I will give this book that, there was plenty of character growth, far more than I experience in the first. I like Nico and Alicia as a couple but they seemed like they were falling back into something which could have happened if given a chance anyway. They were inevitable. Theresa and Ilya, on the other hand, had to grow as people before they were ready to even think about moving forward together. I liked that level of growth they experience, but especially Ilya growing into the adult he should have been long ago.

I was a little disappointed with the mystery surrounding Galina and Barry and what happened to Jenni all those years ago. I predicted back in the first book (not precisely, but I knew bits of what must have happened) and that obviousness about something which was in the background through two books was a bit of a letdown. I know it wasn't the focus of the books so I won't let it affect my rating but it was a bit meh.

As a whole, the book was brilliant and a fantastic close to the story of these characters and I will definitely be visiting Megan Hart's books in the future.

Do you like reading romance series where the books are obviously meant to be read together? Or do your prefer them to be standalone, especially when they focus on a different couple in each book?

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