zeroeffectivemaelstroms

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Everyone, and I mean everyone who reblogs this before Nov. 5 will get a doodle based off of their blog URL

I’ve seen a lot of these and I want to try it for myself!!

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Story here: https://zeroeffectivemaelstroms.tumblr.com/post/168365828836/the-perfect-ending

“AAC 2k17″ December 7th

Welcome to the seventh day of AAC. Here, we will have the next post for our annual writing challenge, so buckle up and start writing! (Remember that the completed speed writes of around 700 words are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on December 9th! [Also we’d recommend giving your work a title to make it really jump out to those who are reading them via the links provided {if you are posting to Archive of Our Own, remember to use our collection!}])

[Click Here for the Main Post]

Extra Letters AU

While trying to finish a piece of writing, Character A leaves their work unattended…only to return and find that someone had finished a sentence for them in the perfect way.

Compiled List of Fics From the Previous AU…

“hold me tight (or don’t)” by @transhamburr {Hamilton} [PG: depression]

“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” by @all-made-of-stardust {OC’s} [PG]

“I’ll be there” by @ms-mormont {Game of Thrones} [G]

“Winter Can Be Lonesome” by @procrastinatingfantasywriter {Captain America} [PG]

“Fowl Weather” by @goosegoddess {Teen Wolf} [G]

“Merry Little Christmas” by @whisper-run {Captain America} [PG]

“let’s not be alone” by @midgarsedge {Final Fantasy VII} [PG-13: death, unhealthy coping mechanisms, content, etc.]

“warm hands held me together” by @greyjoysexual {Game of Thrones} [G]

“Winter Blues” by @zenithharper {Bleach} [PG]

“From the Ashes” by @writewritebaby {OC’s} [G]

“My Christmas Wish” by @bearer-of-embers {OC’s} [PG]

“The Cold Winter Night” by @gintaxalvissforever {Super Smash Bros, Fire Emblem, & Xenoblade Chronicles} [PG-13: PTSD]

“His Own Personal Space Heater” by @zeroeffectivemaelstroms {Heroes of Olympus} [G]

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

The Perfect Ending

Based on AUideas Advent Calendar December 7th prompt: Extra Letters

The soft thud, thud, thud of his own head banging against the mahogany desk was the solitary sound echoing in Will’s ears. The space between these ears seemed to be as empty as the screen in front of him. He was an author, yet he had no words whatsoever. The rest of the manuscript sat waiting, already printed out and ready to be sent to his editor. However, the ending seemed to be proving rather difficult.

Will had read plenty of novels, but most were rather predictable as to how they were going to end. He needed something to make his stand out among the many other bland books of the industry. But such an important line couldn’t just be fabricated. No; it had to come to him. The only issue? Right now the only thing coming to him was his slightly overweight cat, Cecil.

The umber and charcoal tabby sauntered across Will’s keyboard as if this wasn’t the most important deadline in his entire career as a writer. Will picked up the cat in his arms, rubbing his cheek against the animal’s soft fur in the hopes of refilling his creative juices.

No such luck.

In any case, Will scratched the cat’s head between his ears before releasing him to go find a comfy pillow that he would undoubtedly tear to shreds. And now there was cat fur all over his keyboard. Not that Will could really complain. Cecil certainly kept things interesting around here, and at least now Will had someone to talk to- if only a creature who meowed in response to the slightest of sounds.

Cecil had got farther along on the page than Will, but only because the jumble of letters had been autocorrected to ‘red as gun.” It was a nonsense phrase Will had no use for, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to delete it since it at least put something on the screen of his computer.

Will groaned, leaning back in his chair before letting it slam back down on the ground and standing up to refresh his tea. He shuffled back towards the kitchen in his mismatched socks, with a fuzzy blanket drooping off one shoulder. No matter how much he turned up the heat it seemed to always stay freezing cold.

Will poured more hot water into a new mug and dipped a tea bag in, along with a bit of honey. When he turned around, Will almost dropped his cup, for standing silently in the corner of the room was a young man, maybe twenty two years old at the most. His pale skin seemed even more so in contrast to his deep chocolatey eyes and inky hair. How had he even gotten into the apartment.

Will stared at the young, pale man with wide eyes, “There’s a ghost in my apartment. My apartment is haunted.”

The dark haired man rolled his eyes, “I’m not a ghost.”

“Oh thank god,” Will responded releasing the breath he had been holding, “You almost gave me a heart attack. Wait, so if you’re not a ghost, then who are you?”

“I’m Nico, a friend of Lou Ellen’s. She sent me to get your latest manuscript,” the young man answered, “When you didn’t answer I used the key she gave me to get in.”

“She told me I had until Tuesday!” Will complained.

“It is Tuesday,” Nico responded.

“No it’s not! It’s-” Will glanced at the home screen of his phone, “....Tuesday. Just give me a few minutes- I only have one line left.”

“I think ‘red as gun’ pretty much sums it up though, don’t you?” Nico smirked.

“What do you… oh that. That was Cecil,” Will corrected.

“Cecil?”

“My cat.”

“Your cat can write?”

“What? No! It’s just- well he just- Cecil sat on my keyboard and autocorrect changed it to-”

Will turned to the screen, but what was sitting typed on the screen was not ‘red as gun’ but rather. Sitting there was the perfect end to his book.

“I took it upon myself to fix it,” Nico mumbled.

“It’s….. Absolutely perfect,” Will said, his lips curling up in a grin.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Story Found Here: https://zeroeffectivemaelstroms.tumblr.com/post/168297966586/his-own-personal-space-heater

“AAC 2k17″ December 5th

Welcome to the fifth day of AAC. Here, we will have the next post for our annual writing challenge, so buckle up and start writing! (Remember that the completed speed writes of around 700 words are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on December 7th! [Also we’d recommend giving your work a title to make it really jump out to those who are reading them via the links provided {if you are posting to Archive of Our Own, remember to use our collection!}])

[Click Here for the Main Post]

I Want To Dry Your Tears AU 

Winter is always a hard time for Character A, so Character B isn’t completely surprised when they get a text from Character A, asking if Character B can come over. Character A supplies the blankets and food; all Character B needs to bring is their own warm body to snuggle. 

Compiled List of Fics From the Previous AU…

“Flies on the Wall” by @bearer-of-embers {OC’s} [PG-13: mild gore]

“The Mysterious Experiment” by @procrastinatingfantasywriter {Supernatural} [PG]

“Old Feelings from New Faces” by @midgarsedge {Final Fantasy VII} [PG-13: kidnapping, violence, and general content] (Note: WOW, this one is long, but worth the read – well done!!)

“Spider Lord of the Flies” by @goosegoddess {Spiderman & Deadpool} [PG-13: violence and drugs]

“Alone” by @writewritebaby {OC’s} [PG-13: slightly disturbing first person narrative]

“Broken Blonde Butterfly” by @zeroeffectivemaelstroms {OC’s} [PG-13: gore & imagery]

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

His Own Personal Space Heater

Based on AUideas Advent Calendar December 5th prompt: I want to dry your tears

Nico felt like a popsicle. That was really the only way to describe it. Between it being the middle of January and the terrible heating system in the Hades cabin he was frozen to the bone. It had been years since Gaea was defeated and Nico and Will had started dating a while ago. The son of Hades was getting better with the help of his friends and boyfriend, but occasionally he’d still wake up in a cold sweat convinced he was falling into Tartarus again.

At the moment he was sitting in a nest of blankets and sweatshirts, trying to shake the images and flashes from his mind, but it was to no avail. Three in the morning and he was wide awake with no prospects of sleep anytime soon.

The next morning he trudged out into the snow towards the dining pavilion with countless layers trying to keep in the little warmth he had. Somehow the entire Apollo table was fine in the brisk morning weather with just a light windbreaker or sweater. Nico didn’t know if it was the whole ‘child of the sun god thing’ or if they just wanted to get hypothermia.

After taking a seat next to Will, Nico began to warm up, as if the blond had a bubble of warmth surrounding him. Every few minutes Nico would scooch a few inches closer, and although Will smiled a bit at the actions he didn’t say anything but just wrapped his arm around the shorter boy next to him. Nico melted in the embrace, glad to be away from the cold grasp of winter if only for a second.

“Did you spend last night in a snow mound or something?” Will asked, wrapping a second arm around Nico to warm him up further.

“It seems as if when they built the Hades cabin they forgot the heating system,” Nico mumbled.

“You’re kidding right?” Will responded.

“They probably thought vampires didn’t need heat,” Nico said grumpily.

“Aww, sweetie,” Will cooed, hugging Nico closer, “You’ll stay in the Apollo cabin tonight then. By morning you’ll be so toasty you’ll need to run into a snowbank just to cool off.”

“But Chiron-” Nico started.

“Can’t say anything if it’s a doctor’s note,” Will finished, wrapping his own scarf over Nico’s many layers, “Come on, I’ll go talk to him right now.”

Will tugged at Nico’s freezing hand and pulled him along to where Chiron stood next to Dionysus, talking about some mishap a camper had with the lava wall the day before. Will knew it was Sherman since he had treated the son of Ares for third degree burns.

“Well if it isn’t Wyatt and Neil,” Dionysius commented, a shrewd little smile on his pudgy face.

Nico gave him a pointed glare as he shuffled even closer to Will’s little personal bubble of warmth. Will however, just continued to smile brightly as he explained the situation to Chiron. Of course the centaur was hesitant at first, but all he could do was promise to get the Hephaestus cabin working on a heating system as soon as possible.

“Think about it this way Chiron,” Percy commented as he walked towards the braziers, “At least they’re not alone in the Hades cabin.”

Chiron mumbled an agreement, but Will looked as if a lightbulb just went off in his head.

“I just had a great idea!” he practically shouted, “Obviously we can’t just take Nico out of his cabin- moving him from the place he normally rests could be detrimental to his mental health. Under no circumstances can he sleep anywhere but his cabin. However, given the fact that the current temperature isn’t good for his health, I must be there to monitor him.”

Chiron glanced back and forth between the two, but he had no control over Will in this area since he was the head of the infirmary. As such, he was forced to agree to the situation before galloping off to get convince Leo to fix the Hades cabin as soon as demigodly possible.

Will turned to Nico, "Now you mister, your lips are turning blue, so you're coming with me and we're warming you up right away."

Nico stumbled a bit as he shuffled through the light snow after Will.

Once inside the Hades cabin, Will began to understand why Nico had arrived as such a shivering mess earlier. The cabin itself was below freezing, and had no way of heating up. The shadows in the corners seemed to creep out just to suck away what little warmth remained.

Nico's bed sat in one corner of the room, a safe haven from the frigid temperatures of the rest of the room. There must have been dozens of blankets and pillows piled high to create a pocket of warmth. Sitting in front of the nightstand was a small electric kettle and a half cup of what must have now been cold chocolate.

Will plugged the kettle back into the single electric outlet in the room as Nico made his way over to the bed. Once he laid down in the nest of warmth, Nico practically disappeared from sight, with only his soaked snow boots sticking out of the end. Will took a spot next to the boy, and tugged a particularly fuzzy blanket around them both. Nico snuggled up, giving a sigh of relief at the warmth of his own personal space heater.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Story available here --> https://zeroeffectivemaelstroms.tumblr.com/search/broken%20blonde%20butterfly

“AAC 2k17″ December 3rd

Welcome to the third day of AAC. Here, we will have the next post for our annual writing challenge, so buckle up and start writing! (Remember that the completed speed writes of around 700 words are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on December 5th! [Also we’d recommend giving your work a title to make it really jump out to those who are reading them via the links provided {if you are posting to Archive of Our Own, remember to use our collection!}])

[Click Here for the Main Post]

“The ‘Lord of the Butterflies’ Experiment” AU

After barely getting the signature of their supervising professor, Character A has been given clearance to hold their “Lord of the Flies”-esque experiment, wherein several experimentees would be placed in a room with food and water for seven days and monitored carefully. 

It was very controversial, but the experiment began and ended seemingly without an issue – the only thing that Character A and their labmates didn’t realize upon releasing the LotB group from their captivity on the final day of the experiment was that, well, one of the experimentees was missing.

Compiled List of Fics From the Previous AU…

“Of Chilli, Coffee Shops and the Cold” by @sanityscribbles {OC’s} [G]

“You and Me Against the World” by @zenithharper {Bleach} [PG]

“the mundane” by @tsucchi-writes {Haikyuu!!} [G]

“Something Peculiar” by @bearer-of-embers {OC’s} [G]

“The Fiery Secret” by @procrastinatingfantasywriter {Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them} [PG]

“Our Little Secret” by @greyjoysexual {Game of Thrones} [PG-13: swearing]

“It’s a Prime Time (For Our Love)” by @midgarsedge {Final Fantasy VII} [PG-13: swearing]

“The Order” by @the-sparrow-life {OC’s} [G]

“Excuses” by @galaxyaqua {Dangan Ronpa} [PG-13: swearing & content]

“Dragon’s Breath” by @writewritebaby {OC’s} [G]

“Dog” by Hakusan {Lost Dimension} [PG-13: swearing]

“Brighter than Flames” by @zeroeffectivemaelstroms {Heroes of Olympus} [PG]

“Steam VS Smoke” by @whatnameshallitake {Naruto} [PG]

“Steam VS Smoke” by @halcyonscry {OC’s} [PG]

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Broken Blonde Butterfly

Based on AUideas Advent Calendar December 3rd prompt: The ‘Lord of the Butterflies’ Experiment

Original Work

Isaac had been working towards this experiment for most of his career, almost four years now, and the data collected was groundbreaking. To recreate the situation presented in Lord of the Flies was something other professionals said shouldn’t be done. But never once did they say it couldn’t be done. The media called him Lord of the Butterflies for recreating what was a horrifying situation and trying to spin it in a positive manner. However there was nothing the authorities could do about it. Everything was perfectly legal. All the participants were of age. All of them had signed legal documents binding them to the agreement of no lawsuits, no matter the outcome.

A giant screening room allowed for viewing of the entire experiment through dozens of of monitors, and even more cameras. Here they come, Isaac thought, as a mix of twenty to twenty five year olds came moved into the center clearing where they had made a base camp. Sebastian, a large, muscled young man with tan skin, had quickly become their leader in the first few hours. He would be of the most interest to Isaac, as he was the one to make most of the group decisions.

The group itself consisted only of young men, who came from varying backgrounds, but all of them had gained a hardened look over the weeks and were covered in streaks of mud, and in some cases small cuts and bruises. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. What? No. Five, ten, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. Fuck.

Twenty participants walked in, with only nineteen visible through all of the cameras. But who was missing? All the young men were packed together in a tight group, and every time Isaac searched for one in particular he came up empty. There was no head full of blond hair sticking out in all directions. There was no cheery boy with chubby baby cheeks mischeviously smiling at me.

Jack. Jack was not there. Jack was gone. The boy was barely twenty, and had begged Isaac to be let into the program.

“Please!” he had said, “You’ll need someone you trust on the inside!”

Isaac had told him no, had told him that the situation could become dangerous, but Jack didn’t like to listen. He said it would be an adventure, and that if anything went wrong Isaac would be right there to save him. Finally, Isaac was forced to relent, watching Jack like a hawk through the dozens of cameras placed throughout the greenhouse. Now something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

“Stop the simulation,” Isaac demanded.

“But sir!” someone cried out, “The data will be corrupted!”

“I said stop it!” Isaac shouted, glaring at them.

At that exact moment, two of the participants walked into the trees, but the the cameras couldn't follow them the entire way due to a blind spot. Seconds later they returned, dragging a limp figure between them. No! Isaac's mind cried out.

Blonde hair stood out, matted with sticky, partially dried blood. His head lolled to the side and both feet lagged behind as Jack struggled to look up at his captors. Even if he had been at full health, Jack had no way of getting away from the two men holding him.

Isaac took off running. His feet pounded faster than his heart and the only thought in his head was a mantra of Jack, Jack, Jack. He barely slowed to a stop as he reached the entry door, having to punch the code in twice after his fingers shook too much the first time. Once Isaac was through the doorway, trees whipped past him, his coat snagging and tearing on the branches.

A clearing opened up ahead, with a lone tree in the middle, and empty of all other participants. Dangling from the lowest branch was the last thing Isaac ever wanted to see. Jack’s body lightly swung in the artificial breeze. Thick vines wrapped tightly around his wrists and holding him in place. Isaac reached out to brush his fingertip along the simple silver ring adorning Jack’s left hand, identical to the one on his own hand. Isaac had yet to notice the tears streaming down his face as he read the note cut in thin letters and into Jack’s bare torso. Lady of the Butterflies.

A slight choking sound escaped from Jack’s chapped and bloody lips. Alive! He was alive! In minutes Isaac had Jack down from the tree and resting on the ground, a medic team on the way.

“I’m here for you Jackie,” Isaac whispered, holding Jack’s hand in a light, but firm grip. “I’m never letting you go again.”

“Told you you’d keep me safe,” Jack groaned in a hoarse voice, with a small laugh turned wince.

“Of course Jack,” Isaac responded, “I’ll always keep you safe.”

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Story-Link: https://zeroeffectivemaelstroms.tumblr.com/search/brighter%20than%20flames

“AAC 2k17″ December 1st

Welcome to the first day of AAC!! Here, we will have the next post for our annual writing challenge, so buckle up and start writing! (Remember that the completed speed writes of around 700 words are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on December 3rd! [Also we’d recommend giving your work a title to make it really jump out to those who are reading them via the links provided {if you are posting to Archive of Our Own, remember to use our collection!}])

[Click Here for the Main Post]

Steam VS Smoke AU

Working in a coffee shop can have its…strangeness…but it has to be said that nothing topped that one person who Character A could’ve sworn was hiding a tiny dragon under the lapel of their jacket.

Good Luck!!  - The Admins

(NOTE: THIS IS LATE BECAUSE ADMIN M’S SCHEDULING FUNCTION NEVER WORKS FOR SOME REASON AND THEY NOW WANT TO DIE OF SHAME.)

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Brighter Than Flames

Based on AUideas Advent Calendar December 1st prompt: Steam vs. Smoke AU

Words: 920

Will had seen a lot of strange things. In fact it was impossible not to since he worked at the only coffee shop in the entire market place. Apparently people who wield magic need an uncommonly large amount of caffeine to function, but as a result there could be a few odd reactions. People sporadically turning into animals, or turning a deep shade of lavender. One time someone even grew two extra arms. None of this however, had prepared him for what he was about to see.

It had seemed like a normal day, but when Will looked up from where he was wiping the counter clean to see a lone figure covered head to toe in black. Shadows seemed to drip from the edge of his cloak, spreading across the floor like a thin fog. He clearly had a strong presence since the lively chatter of the tiny cafe dimmed to hushed whispers and pointed fingers. As the man came closer Will noticed why; barely visible for the chin length dark curls were the tips of his ears. They were pointed. This man was an elf.

Elves, although they could often pass for human, had a higher level of magical power within their bodies. They also kept mostly to their own kind, living in cities in the middle of nowhere. Will himself had only seen an elf twice in his life, this being the third time. Nevertheless when the elf stepped up to the counter, Will put on a smile and asked him what he get for him.

The elf looked up from beneath his shaggy bangs to reveal eyes that looked like liquid chocolate. Will’s heart pounded in his chest as the elf mumbled something out in a soft voice and handed over the money. In return Will gave him his change and began to make the elf’s drink.

A hushed phrase brought Will to glance over his shoulder, where the elf had his chin tucked in and it seemed almost as if he was talking to himself.

“Yes, I know you don’t like hazelnut, but the drink is for me not you,” the elf whispered, “No I will not get a drink just for you.”

The second time however, Will noticed the slight snort in response and a bit of smoke rising from under the lapel of his coat. If he looked closer, Will could just see the of a snout and what seemed to be the tip of a wing. No, Will thought, It couldn’t be.

Dragon tamers were amongst the rarest of all magic users, because it wasn’t something you could just acquire. You had to be born with it. Not to mention, dragons tended to be a bit unpredictable, bursting into flames at random times and crushing buildings beneath their feet. Well this one probably couldn’t do the latter since he could probably fit in a teacup, but as Will began to bring the elf’s drink back to the counter, there was a tiny sneeze and a whoosh as the dragon erupted into a fireball beneath the elf’s lapel.

“Calm down Leo,” the elf said.

The flames themselves didn’t seem to bother the elf, who just carefully patted his lapel and putting the fire out. Will though, had just frozen in place, half holding the drink out, half watching in amazement. The dragon gave another little snort, but this time the elf seemed startled, the tips of his pointy ears turning a flushed red and he pulled the little dragon out from under his lapel for the first time.

The dragon itself was a shiny bronze color, with his feet being as black as night, almost like little boots. It stared at the elf as if it had said something obvious, but the elf just looked scandalized.

“Leo!” he scolded, “You can’t just say something like!”

The dragon rumbled a response.

“I don’t care if he can’t understand you, you still can’t say it!”

Will looked at the duo, thoroughly puzzled as the blush on the elf grew to take up his face as well. For a being that looked so serious and dark when he first walked in, Will had to admit that he looked pretty freaking adorable at the moment.

The dragon didn’t seem to care what the elf said, nipping at one of the fingers in the hand that held him. The elf growled a bit in response, forcing himself not to drop the dragon on the counter as blood welled up on his finger. They seemed to be glaring at each other, and from the looks of it the dragon won, because the elf gave a little huff and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll ask, but I do hope you know that I’m not giving you any tacos this week,” the elf told the dragon as if it were the worst thing in the world.

The dragon seemed to deflate a bit in response but simply crawled up the elf’s arm until he reached his spot under the jacket’s lapel. The elf twisted his hands together, looking more than a little uncomfortable. By this point his face was brighter than the flames of his dragon. He looked up at Will from beneath his long eyelashes, teeth tugging at his bottom lip as he shifted from foot to foot.

“Ummm,” the elf said, glancing down at the counter then back up to Will, “I was wondering when you get off.”

The mug dropped from Will’s hand, glass shattering across the ground.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Headcanon: Nico Coming Out

With the Giant War finally over, not only are the seven being hailed as heroes, Nico and Reyna are as well. The Aphrodite cabin decides that as a thank you they will help Nico get a girlfriend. Against his will.

They are constantly crowding him and chatting about different possible people for him to date. Finally, Nico can’t take it anymore and he shouts “I’M GAY” at the top of his lungs and it echoes halfway across camp. Everyone goes silent for a few moments before returning to their conversation and crowding, but this time about finding Nico a boyfriend, as if nothing has happened, and Nico just stands there, stunned.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Opposites Attract

Summary: When Drew pursues Will, he uses Nico as a shield and claims they're dating.

Words: 704

“Uhhhh,” Will stuttered, “I-I can’t date you Drew.”

He stood backed into a corner in the infirmary, a certain makeup caked daughter of Aphrodite stalking closer to him. She had given up on Jason and begun to pursue Will. Now he spent his days avoiding her, but he was almost constantly in the infirmary, so Drew went looking for him there.

“Why not?” Drew asked, a slightly angry tone to her voice. “You do find me pretty right?”

She batted her eyes and smiled widely, but this just made Will want to gag. Why was she going after him? Surely there were enough pretty guys in camp for her to use as her boy toys. Yet here she was, after him instead.

“Well, I guess you are… it’s just that I can’t date you becaaaause…” Will started, attempting to think of an excuse.

Whether luck was on his side or not, this was the moment Nico di Angelo walked through the doors of the infirmary. He had gotten a haircut since the war had ended, leaving it short enough that it stayed out of his eyes. With that he had worn lighter clothes for the hot summer season, with black shorts and sneakers. For some reason however, he donned a shirt that was a deep shade of navy blue.

Will pushed past Drew and over to Nico, wrapping his arm around the small son of Hades. Nico glared up at him but didn’t say a word.

“Because I’m dating Nico!” Will blurted.

“You’re what?” Drew shrieked.

“I’m with Barbie Bimbo on this one,” Nico said, surprised as well, “You’re what now?”

“Just roll with it,” Will whispered to Nico, “Please.”

“Fine but you owe me,” Nico mumbled.

“How the hell did you two end up together? You’re polar opposites,” Drew said.

“Well you know what they say: opposites attract,” Will answered.

“Still…” Drew said skeptically.

“You want to really sell it?” Nico asked softly.

“What?” Will asked, turn his gaze to the Italian boy at his side.

Nico took the sides of Will’s face into his hands and pressed his lips to the son of Apollo’s. They were unexpected and softer than Will would’ve guessed. His arms drifted to Nico’s waist, and Nico’s drifted to Will’s neck. Will was so lost in the kiss he barely registered Drew screaming in frustration and stomping out of the infirmary, slamming the door on her way out.

Nico was the first to pull away, and Will stood there, his thoughts slightly clouded and his lips still tingling.

The dark haired boy stood in front of him smirking, “You know you’re not such a bad kisser.”

“Neither are you,” Will answered.

“So why was that display necessary?” Nico asked.

“Drew’s been after me for about a week now. She wouldn’t leave me alone,” Will explained.

Nico’s gaze darkened, “So you pretended to be gay.”

“No- it’s not like that,” Will said quickly.

“So you are gay?” Nico tried to sum up.

“No, not completely,” Will said.

“Come on Solace, make up your mind,” Nico said impatiently.

“I’m bi,” Will answered.

“Alright,” Nico said.

“Alright what?” Will asked.

“Alright, then you can use me as an excuse to keep away from Drew. But only Drew,” Nico said, “And can you heal me now?”

“What?” Will asked, thoroughly confused.

Nico pointed down to his leg, where there was blood dripped from a soaked strip of cloth hastily tied around a large slash. Little droplets of blood formed a trail where Nico walked, including a small puddle where he now stood.

“Oh!” Will exclaimed, “Of course, sit down.”

He gestured to one of the many open cots since there were currently no occupants, and Nico took a seat while Will set to work, cleaning, stitching, and bandaging. No matter what he did however, he couldn’t stop thinking of the way he felt when Nico’s lips touched his. His gaze constantly drifted up to the lips he kept thinking about.

“Hey Nico?” he asked.

“Hm?” Nico said, tilting his head to look at Will.

“You wouldn’t happen to want to go out for coffee sometime would you?” Will questioned nervously.

“I thought you’d never ask Sunshine,” Nico responded, smiling, “I’d love to.”

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

The Ace of Hearts

Summary: A fluffy Solangelo one-shot for Valentine’s day!

Words: 1116

It all started with a heart. Something Nico thought he never had. Yet there he was, staring at a small heart made of legos sitting on the front porch of cabin 13. Mismatched shades of pink and purple little blocks made up the little shape nestled in a dusting of snow. Nico glanced from side to side, trying to see any traces of the person who left it, but there wasn’t even a single footprint to be found.

Surely it was a mistake, or at the very least a joke. Perhaps someone from the Hermes cabin pranking him. Maybe the Aphrodite cabin had decided to put one on the porch of every cabin. Or maybe… Nico shook the thought from his head. No. He couldn’t have. Wouldn’t have.

Nico gingerly stepped around the symbol of love and down the steps, wrapping his aviator jacket tighter around himself as a harsh breeze blew by. Stomping through the small layer of snow, Nico made his way to the dining pavilion.

Despite it being the middle of February, the camp was still half full, not to mention that there were alway new campers arriving. Nico’s friends waved at him as he walked past their tables.

The only people without siblings to talk to was Percy and Jason, both of whom had turned away from their tables to talk to each other. From the little Nico overheard, they were talking about the double date they had planned for later that night. Somehow they had managed to get a reservation at Serendipity up in the city. How they had managed that, Nico would never know, even if they did pull in a few favors, including one with the love goddess herself and a daughter of hers working there.

Nico plopped down at his own table, ready for another silent, on his part, breakfast. Looking down however, he realized he was looking at another heart, slightly unlike the one sitting outside his cabin. This one was made out of brown sugared bacon, Nico’s absolute favorite thing to eat for breakfast. This food wasn’t normally made however and was a special request. Something the nymphs only made for people they liked, along with a little bribing.

Nico’s heart stopped. Almost no one knew how much he loved this particular food. How could some stranger have figured it out? It must have been one of his friends. Nico shook his head as another person came to mind. But Nico had only mentioned the bacon thing to him in passing, when he was forced to spend three days in the infirmary. Surely the son of Apollo wouldn’t have remembered it.

Nico shivered despite the scattered space heaters around the pavilion. Carefully, as if to keep from disturbing the heart, Nico picked up a plate ladened with food and walked up to the blazing braziers. After pushing in a buttery piece of toast Nico whispered to one of his less favorite gods, or should I say goddesses.

“Please Aphrodite,” Nico whispered to the wind, “Don’t be screwing with my love life. I seen you do that to others and it never turns out well.”

Nico could’ve sworn he heard a slight chuckle as he walked back to his table, but he dismissed it as the wind.

Throughout the day Nico continued to find these little hearts everywhere he went. At first he thought it to be a coincidence. They were probably everywhere in camp. The Aphrodite kids always had a habit of going over on holidays, especially the one circled around love. They usually spent the day stalking and chasing both current and potential couples. After a while Nico noticed something peculiar. The hearts only showed up where he went. They showed up where only he would go. Cabin 13. The Hades table in the dining pavilion. Nico’s corner of the sword arena. Even his favorite sink in the bathroom, the one with the little leak and extremely cold water. That one was a bit odd.

By the end of the day Nico was thoroughly confused. That was the only way to describe it. His heart was trying to take over his actions. It screamed at him to find out who it was. Who was leaving all of these hearts? Tell me, his heart said, I need to know. But Nico didn’t know. Or at least he wouldn’t let himself come to the only possible conclusion.

Walking back to his cabin in the darkening night he noticed something pinned to the door of his cabin. Nico ripped it off the tack and brought it inside to the light. If his dyslexia was bad before, it was worse now as he attempted to read the swirling writing with its swooping letters.

Meet me where it began. Where I fell for you under the harsh fluorescent lights, surrounded by the wounded and the smell of antiseptic.

There was no signature, but Nico knew who wrote it. In his heart he had known all along. Nico took no time to run towards the Big House. As he got closer to the infirmary he slowed down. Scattered in the snow was rose petals. A whole rainbow of them, including black. Nico chuckled at this and followed them up the stairs to the closed door.

Heart pounding and breathing sped up, Nico placed his hand on the door handing, turning it agonizingly slow. Pulling it open was even more painful until he peered inside. That’s when everything froze. It was picture perfect. Will stood there in his flip flops, still wearing his surgeon’s shirt and looking as gorgeous as even, to Nico at least. He stood in the middle of a heart made of rose petals, and in his hands a single perfect one remained intact. The room itself was filled with the soft glow of candlelight, and hearts were scattered everyone, including the plastic one from a human anatomy doll.

Will smiled broadly at Nico, all his nervousness disappearing the moment Nico walked through the door. It was perfect. He was perfect. Will’s plan had worked exactly right and here Nico was, standing not two feet from his face. One foot. Half a foot.

“Um, here,” Will babbled, holding the rose out to Nico, “I know you like the color black but I figured you could use a bit of color in your life but I at least stuck to red because I figured you’d hate pink and yellow is way to bright, as is white, and-”

“Shut up and kiss me already you idiot,” Nico interrupted Will, to which Will happily obliged.

The rose fell from his hands, completely forgotten in this moment of pure bliss.

Author’s Note: Happy Valentine’s day darlings!

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

One Lackey, Two Lackey, Red Lackey, Blue Lackey: Part 4

Summary: A story of young Nico protecting young Will from the bullies. And playing doctor, only to break Nico’s foot. And movie night with unexpected results. A story of their years growing up together. Mortal AU.

Words: 1143

Age: 11

Ever since Bianca died, Nico had taken on a sour tone. Will wasn’t particularly happy about this, but he counted it as a win any time he could make Nico smile, or at least remove any trace of a scowl from his face. Nico was almost always quiet, but Will was used to this. Will would ramble on about the latest medical discovery, and Nico’s eyes would glaze over from all the random terms.

Nico slammed the door on his locker shut, only to see Will standing there, a huge smile on his face. This had become a regular occurrence, but it still gave Nico a heart attack every time, and this was no exception. Nico jumped in fright and slapped Will’s arm.

“How many times have I told you not to creep up on me?” Nico said.

Will began counting on his fingers, his lips moving with the numbers.

“I think that was 34,” Will said completely serious.

“That was rhetorical,” Nico grumbled. “And by the way, I’m supposed to be the creepy one.”

“Well you’re not doing a very good job,” Will complained in a joking manor.

“I’m plenty creepy,” Nico protested.

He gestured to the outfit he was wearing. It consisted of a black Day of the Dead tee, along with an aviator jacket, ripped black jeans with a hanging chain, and worn black sneakers. Not to mention a skull ring and his dark shaggy hair hanging over his eyes. Will leaned back and began stroking his chin, looking as though he was seriously contemplating this idea.

“Nah, not creepy in the slightest bit,” Will said as he began to walk backwards towards the door leading to the buses so he could still face Nico, “And remember- movie night tonight. My house!”

“I know!” Nico yelled, “How many times are you going to remind me before you accept that fact!”

“I think that was the 34th time as well!” Will shouted as he walked backwards out the door, followed by the sound of him tripped.

Nico smiled and giggled a bit at Will’s antics. Will was the only one who could give him that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Nico always envied Will’s little perfect suburban life, with the little house and the minivan. He was standing in front of said house a few hours after school, ringing the doorbell. The cheery little bell was audible from the inside, as well as a muffled ‘I’ll get it’ from Will and a loud thump.

Will opened the door, one side of his face a bit pink from falling to the floor, with a large smile and the smell of freshly popped popcorn and butter. Friday night was movie night. Something Nico always looked forward to since he could spend alone time with Will, the only person who really made him feel better. Every week they switched houses, and although Nico had a mini movie theater in his house, he found Will’s house to be a lot more fun.

Will dragged Nico inside and straight to the living room and the TV. Covering the little coffee table was the popcorn that Nico smell earlier along with so much candy Nico could already feel the stomach ache he’d have tomorrow. The two boys sat on the couch and immediately started talking. Well, Will did most of the talking, but Nico interjected a few comments here and there.

“You know, for someone who wants to be a doctor you’re quite clumsy,” Nico said.

Will’s face turned red.

“Only when I’m on my feet,” Will said.

“So you’re saying you won’t trip when you’re in the middle of surgery. ‘Oops. I just slipped and cut this red squishy thing that looks like a heart. Is it important?’ Totally nothing wrong with that,” Nico joked.

Will lightly punched Nico’s arm, but both boy were chuckling. Will’s mother walked in putting a coat on, and grabbing her purse and keys.

“So I’ll only be gone for a few hours boys. And remember- the emergency numbers are on the fridge. And if you go through all of this there’s more food in the cabinets. And-” she continued.

“We get the idea mom,” Will interrupted.

“Thank you Mrs.Solace,” Nico said.

“Right, right. I’ll just go,” she said, leaving with a smile.

As soon as she was out the door Will ran over to his cabinet full of movies and tore it open, pulling out dozens of DVDs.

“So,” he turned to Nico, “What do you want to watch?”

Screams blared from both the speakers and Will’s mouth.

“Why did I let you convince me to watch this?!” he yelled at Nico.

Nico, just stared wide-eyed at the screen, frozen in shock and fear. He had dug towards the back of the collection of movies and found some old horror movie. After begging Will to watch it and promising to wear colorful shirts for a week, Will finally agreed and put the disc in. Now they both sat in fear that a woman would walk out of the TV screen in seven days to kill them.

Blood flew in the scene and Will jumped. The popcorn bowl he’d been holding flew everywhere. He buried his head in Nico’s chest as Nico hid his own face in Will’s hair, both boys hugging each other desperately. Will couldn’t help but notice the sharp minty smell that clung to Nico. Being here with his best friend almost made the movie bearable. Almost. But considering the nightmares Will would be having for weeks…

Nico then had the brilliant idea to grab the remote and hit stop, which wasn’t too easy as Will wouldn’t let go and this restricted Nico’s range of movement. Neither of them moved, both still breathing heavily when as the screen went black.

Slowly, they separated, turning on every single light in the house and running into Will’s room. They locked the door and hid under the covers.

“Never again,” Will said, his eyes still wide.

Nico still didn’t say anything. The blood. The blood in the movie. And the shattering glass. The screams. All of it was too sharp. Too real. Bianca. Watching the movie had brought back buried memories from the car crash. He hadn’t shed a tear since her funeral, but they were threatening to spill over now.

Will looked at him, wondering what was happening. The symptoms reminding him of this chapter of a book he had read. It looked as though Nico was going through PTSD. But when would Nico have gone through anything so bad? And then it struck him. Before the entire thought even formed in Will’s head, his arms were already surrounding Nico, and he wouldn’t let go for the rest of the night. Even as they both fell asleep, curled up under the sheets, Will didn’t let go of his best friend.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

One Lackey, Two Lackey, Red Lackey, Blue Lackey: Part 3

Summary: A story of young Nico protecting young Will from the bullies. And playing doctor, only to break Nico’s foot. And movie night with unexpected results. A story of their years growing up together. Mortal AU.

Words: 1044

Age: 10

The sun was shining up above in the nearly cloudless sky. This seemed cruel to Nico. An insult to Bianca’s memory. He stared at the lowering casket, tears rolling off of his face. All dressed in black, Nico felt the invisible pain shooting through him. When he closed his eyes he could almost see it again. The car crash was so sudden. One moment Bianca was laughing and smiling with Nico. The next, shattered glass was flying everywhere and the two children were weightless, held down only by their belts.

Nico’s knuckles were white from the tight fists his hands were in. In one was the last thing Bianca ever gave him, during the very same car crash that killed her. Salty tears dripped onto the small Mythomagic figurine of the god of the underworld. Will stood silently beside Nico, his face pinched.

Nico was angry. Beyond angry. Not only was mother nature tarnishing Bianca’s memory, but so was his own father. Half the people standing at this funeral didn’t know who Bianca was, much less cared about her. Think of the devil and he shall appear, Nico thought as his father walked over. He too was dressed in all black, with his oily hair slicked back.

“Come Nico,” his father said in a monotone voice, “there are some people I wish for you to meet.”

Nico didn’t answer. He continued to stare at Bianca’s grave.

“Nico, come,” his father insisted.

“No,” he said softly, followed by some other inaudible words.

“Speak up Nico,” his father said, “You know I hate the mumbling.”

“I said no,” Nico said, his voice suddenly icy, “That you never cared about Bianca did you. Did you!”

“How can you say such a thing,” his father answered in a stern tone, “Of course I cared for your sister.”

“You’re heartless and cold,” Nico said, his voice rising, “and I hate you!”

With that, Nico threw the little figure his sister had given him to the ground and ran off. After he managed to push his way through the crowd he sprinted past the procession of cars and through the graveyard.

Will was surprised to say the least. He had never seen this side of Nico before. Will set off to run after Nico, but tripped on something; it was the little figurine of Hades. With this, Nico completed his Mythomagic collection, but now, Will knew that it meant much more to Nico than finishing a collection for a stupid game. Will carefully picked it up, cleaning the dirt off with handkerchief. Will placed it in his pocket and ran after Nico, not giving a second glance to the silent man staring at him with a scowl.

It took Will a solid hour to locate his best friend. By this time the sun was starting to dip in the sky, making a lovely array of reds and oranges. Nico sat curled up in a little ball behind a gravestone. It took Will a few seconds to decipher the name: Maria di Angelo. Nico’s mother. Nico barely spoke a word about his mother, but Will knew that she had died in a collapsing building when he was young.

Nico’s head was pressed into his knees and covered with his arms, so all Will could really see was his mop of unruly, raven black hair. Will walked slowly, as if approaching a wild deer, careful not to startle Nico. Silently, Will sat down next to Nico on the half dead grass. This was the only evidence of winter in Los Angeles. A while passed before either of them moved. Nico slowly lifted his head to look at Will who stared at the sunset.

Nico’s eyes were bloodshot and his face was covered in both wet and dry tears. He sniffled a little and Will looked over, offering him a grim little smile which went away almost immediately. Will pulled a tissue out of his sleeve, almost like magic, and handed it to Nico. Neither of them spoke a word. Silence was spread across the stone filled landscape like a blanket. Not even a bird or cicada could be heard.

“I brought candy,” Will said.

“What kind?” Nico asked softly.

“Butterscotch,” Will answered.

Will reached inside his pocket and pulled out a handful of the cellophane wrapped hard candies. Nico’s hands were shaking as he unwrapped it and placed the butterscotch on his tongue.

“She’s still watching me you know,” Nico said, his voice barely a whisper.

Will’s head whipped up to look at Nico, a question visible in his eyes.

“Bianca,” Nico said, his voice catching on the single word.

His voice was distorted by the butterscotch candy but Will could still make out every word.

“I can feel her watching me,” Nico’s voice cracked, “from up there.”

Nico pointed up, towards the darkening sky, filled with shades of royal purple and azure blue. His voice was full of sorrow and mourning. Each word sounded painful. Yet he still retained the slightest shred of hope. Will didn’t have the heart to contradict anything Nico said.

As Will looked at Nico once more he took in the pitiful look on his face and it tugged at his heartstrings. Never before had Will seen such pain in someone that he couldn’t fix. Will wanted to help people, that’s why he wanted to be a doctor, but as Nico sat there next to him, their knees touching, Will couldn’t think of a single thing to help Nico. Maybe one thing that might temporarily numb the pain, but not completely get rid of it.

Will opened up his arms and wrapped them around Nico, pulling the downcast boy in a tight hug. Nico stiffened up at first, but soon collapsed into Will’s warm embrace, his face pressed into Will’s shoulder. His nose filled with the scent of oranges and bandaids for some reason. This is when the tears started to flow again, like a dam had broken and the river was released. He didn’t make a sound, but the salty tears continued to pour down his cheeks and staining Will’s shirt.

They sat there, huddling, as the sun finally disappeared behind the hills and night set in, bringing with it the cold, frozen air.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

One Lackey, Two Lackey, Red Lackey, Blue Lackey: Part 2

Summary: A story of young Nico protecting young Will from the bullies. And playing doctor, only to break Nico's foot. And movie night with unexpected results. A story of their years growing up together. Mortal AU.

Words: 924

Age: Nine

“Does this hurt?”

“No.” “How about this?”

“No. Will? Are you sure you should be doing this with a real hammer?” Nico asked nervously.

Nico stared at the blond haired boy, who at only nine years old desperately wanted to be a doctor. So much to the point where he used his best friend Nico as a test subject. Will happened to be testing Nico’s reflexes with a hammer, but not one of the rubber ones from the doctor’s office. Rather, when Will couldn’t convince his mother to get him a rubber one, he snuck into the tool shed and snatched a metal one from in there.

“Of course it’s fine,” Will answered, “Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

“Then where’s your medical diploma?” Nico said suspiciously.

Will held up a slip of paper calling him an honorary doctor, but considering it came with a plastic set of medical tools from the toy store and that his name was written in crayon, there wasn’t much credibility to it. Nico took the slip from him, scrutinizing every detail.

“Yup, that’s legit,” Nico said after a few minutes.

Will smiled and returned to tapping Nico’s knees with the hammer. Of course something was bound to go wrong at some point. After all, there’s a reason adults don’t let little kids play with tools. Will was distracted by the way the sunlight was filtering through Nico’s hair and leaving shadows across his face. This was when he accidently dropped the hammer directly onto Nico’s bare foot, and Nico emanated a loud howl that caused Will’s mother to come running.

An hour and one very annoying ambulance ride later, Nico was staring at the x-ray showing part of his skeleton. The x-ray was a picture of his foot, which was fractured. Or at least that’s what the doctor told him. Will stood beside the doctor, staring intently at the x-ray. Nico couldn’t help but notice the way his eyebrows scrunched together and how he was rubbing his chin with both his forefinger and thumb.

Soon after this, Nico was put under some anesthetic so the doctor could set his foot and put the cast on with as little pain as possible. Will begged and begged the doctor to let him watch the process, even though at first he wanted to help. Instead, his mother dragged him out of the room since this whole thing was his fault in the first place. As the doctor placed the anesthesia mask over Nico’s face he glanced out the small window in the door. Sure enough, there was Will, his face pressed against the glass in wonder.

Nico’s vision began to cloud up and everything went dark. When his eyes opened again all he saw was a mass of blond hair and bright blue eyes. Nico let out a little shriek of surprise, which made Will jump back and trip. As Will sat there on the ground both of the boys began to laugh. There came a knock at the door and slowly began to open. Will continued to roll around on the ground and Nico tried to stifle his own giggles.

In walked a girl who looked very similar to Nico, with the same dark hair and olive toned skin, but a few years older. A floppy green hat was pulled tightly on her head, but deep brown eyes peered out from under the brim.

“Bianca!” Nico cried out.

Although he was happy to see his sister, he was also quite unsure how she would react to this whole situation. To Nico’s surprise, she rushed forward and tackled him with a hug.

“Oh my gods Nico!” she practically shouted, “Are you alright you idiot? I was so worried when I got a call saying you were in the E.R.! Then the receptionist took forever to find your room number and I just about tore her apart!”

Bianca continued shouting at him in the loving and endearing way worried, older sisters shout. Nico looked past Bianca’s waving arms to see Will had finally gotten up off of the floor and was playing with something he had pulled out of his pocket.

Nico looked back up at Bianca and interrupted her speech, “Did dad come?”

These three words stopped her cold.

“I’m sorry Nico,” Bianca answered softly.

This was answer enough. Of course he hadn’t come. He never came. Why had Nico expected otherwise? A small flame of hatred for his father sparked deep in his bones. Nico looked at his sister. At least she was here. He could always could on Bianca. She’d always be there for him.

“You know what?” Bianca said, a forced smile plastered on her face, “Why don’t I go and get you and Will some pudding from the cafeteria?”

She turned and left the room.

“Make sure it’s butterscotch!” Nico yelled after her.

“I hate butterscotch,” Will said, a disgusted look on his face.

“I know,” Nico answered, a little smile growing on his face.

The boys began to laugh again, but Nico’s seemed a bit dampered. Not enough however for Will to notice this small difference in his friend. Will continued to fiddle with the small thing he had pulled out of his pocket until finally Nico asked what it was.

“It’s a Mythomagic figurine,” Will said. “See? This one is Apollo with his bow.”

“Mythomagic?” Nico asked. “What’s that?”

“You’ve never heard of Mythomagic?” Will said, his voice incredulous, “It’s this awesome game about Greek gods and goddesses. Here, I’ll show you how it works.”

So now we know that Will’s to blame for Nico’s Mythomagic obsession. Anywho- do you guys what me to continue this story? If so please review and tell me so, or favorite or follow.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

One Lackey, Two Lackey, Red Lackey, Blue Lackey: Part 1

Summary: A story of young Nico protecting young Will from the bullies. And playing doctor, only to break Nico's foot. And movie night with unexpected results. A story of their years growing up together. Mortal AU.

Words: 923

Age: 8

Apparently going around and saying you want to be a doctor when you’re only eight years old is not the way to make friends. William Solace found this out the hard way. His first day at a new school turned into a nightmare when the bullies came looking for him, and teasing him for wanting to be a doctor. Make no mistake, Will tried to fight back, but only with his words, and that wasn’t enough.

“We’re just giving you good practice for when you grow up, right boys?” the ringleader sneered, turning to his two lackies.

Talk about a face only a mother could love. The boy in the front had ratty brown hair was tall for his age, but Will assumed that maybe he’d stayed back a grade, furthering his intimidation in size. His teeth showed when he smiled, suggesting he had no dental hygiene, or maybe no hygiene at all. His small squinty eyes were all too close to his nose, which was crooked, almost as though he had run into a pole repeatedly.

The first day Will returned home with a couple of bruises that were well hidden under his clothes. He refused to go to his mother and tell her what had happened, afraid of the increased bullying when they found out he was a tattle tale. Will was careful not to flinch too much as he moved around within view of his mother.

The second day wasn’t much better. Will came home with a bloody nose, but he quickly ran upstairs and into the bathroom, washing all the evidence away. He soaking his shirt in water, hoping to get the blood out of it so his mother wouldn’t notice.

The pattern continued. Every day he would return home with a new injury. Every day he would manage to hide it from his mother. This happened for two consecutive weeks before the pattern changed. There was another new boy in the class. A little dark haired kid with olive toned skin. He mumbled out a few words when the teacher asked him to share something about where he’d come from. The boy rapidly said something about Italy when the teacher motioned for him to keep going. Certain that she would get nothing else from the small boy, the teacher let him take his seat in the back of the room before starting her lesson.

That day, after class the bullies returned to Will the wannabe doctor.

“You ready for another bloody nose?” the ringleader asked, pulling his hands into fists.

Will’s eyes cringed closed as he waited for the punch, but it never came. Cautiously, Will opened his eyes to find the little dark haired boy standing in between Will and the bully. The bully stared at the little boy incredulously, but the boy paid him no attention. He just looked up at Will through sheets of raven black hair.

“I’m new,” he said quietly, “and I can’t seem to find my way back to the buses. Would you mind helping?”

“Uhhhh…” Will fumbled for words, before realizing that this kid was giving him an out, “Sure. I’ll show you.”

For the first day since Will started school here, he went home without any new marks on his body. He also found out that the new boy, whose name was Nico, was on his bus.

The next day Nico interrupted again, once more, paying the bullies no mind, and claiming he couldn’t find the bathrooms.

Nico showed up on the third day as well, but the bully’s patience had finally run out.

“Look runt,” the bully said, turning Nico to face him, “you can’t just keep bursting into my prime punching time every day. So if I can’t hit Doc over here, then I’m gonna punch the snot out of you.”

Nico just looked at the bully blankly.

“I’m surprised you used the word bursting. I would’ve thought that it’s too big for your vocabulary,” Nico said, not at all intimidated but the bully’s fist hanging in the air.

“That’s it,” the bully snarled, his fist coming down, right where Nico’s face was.

But it never made impact. Nico ducked, and landed a solid punch right in the bully’s stomach, causing him to keel over and gasp for breath. Lackey One came at Nico but received a swift kick to the family jewels and fell to his knees. Lackey Two managed to dodge Nico’s first kick, but got a punch to the face and started gushing blood from his nose.

All three boys were down and incapacitated in a matter of minutes. However, the commotion had caused a teacher to come running, and soon Will and Nico were sitting in two plush chairs directly in front of the principal’s desk.

They were scolded for the damage they had caused to those boys, even though Will hadn’t done a single thing. They’re parents were being called, along with the parents of the boys, and the principal had assured Nico and Will that they would both be spending at least a month in detention.

Will leaned over to Nico quietly.

“I can help patch you up later if you want,” Will said softly.

This was his way of thanking Nico, despite the trouble he had gotten them both into. Nico sat there processing for a moment before he realized that he had made a new friend.

Nico offered Will a small smile which was quickly returned. They would be spending a lot of time together, and not just in detention.

[zeroeffectivemaelstroms]

Going for Gold(en Hair)

Summary: Nico is an Olympian. The athlete kind. Will is a doctor at the games. Nico is prone to accidents.

Words: 1458

“I feel like an idiot,” Nico rumbled in his thick Italian accent, sitting up on the clinic bed and ignoring the crumpling paper beneath him.

“Don’t worry so much. Plenty of people injure themselves during training. I’m lucky they do. Otherwise I’d be out of a job,” the blond doctor responded, looking up from his clipboard.

Nico blushed when their eyes met and he turned away before he could do something foolish. It felt like forever ago that he won a spot in the Olympic games, yet here he was, sitting in Rio with his Italian flag shirt pulled tight across his chest and chalk still dusting his hands.

When people looked at the small, if slightly emo, twenty one year old they never would’ve guessed that he was a gymnast. Truth be told, he had only started it when he was ten as a way to fill the time when his older sister Bianca was studying abroad. Somehow though, it grew on him and soon enough he was spending all of his time in the large gymnasium he did his first flip at.

“I can still compete though right?” Nico asked, “My first competition is in four days. I have to be there.”

The doctor chuckled at him, “It’s just a very minor sprain. You should be fine in two to three days at the most as long as you don’t aggravate it.”

“Grazie a Dio,” Nico said under his breath.

“You’re lucky you came to get it checked. If you had kept practicing it might have gotten worse and then you wouldn’t be competing at all,” the blond told Nico.

Sighing in relief Nico knew that he could stop worrying about his ankle and instead acknowledge how cute the American doctor was. For the first time that day Nico looked at his name tag. Dr. William Solace. Even his name was cute. Nico felt like it fit the doctor perfectly.

Solace. Sol. Sun. He has a sunny disposition, Nico’s mind rambled.

“-to go,” Dr. Solace was saying.

“Sorry, what?” Nico asked.

“I said, just make sure you keep that brace on whenever you intend on moving your ankle, and take some Advil or Tylenol if it begins to hurt. And you should be good to go,” Dr. Solace repeated.

“Right,” Nico confirmed. Damn ADHD.

“If you need anything you can just call me,” Dr. Solace said, handing Nico his business card, “This is my direct number since I know it’s a pain going through Kayla at the front desk. She has a tendency to bring sassy to a whole new level.”

“Tell me about it,” Nico mumbled, recalling how long it took to get a word in edgewise when faced with the green haired receptionist. “Is her hair supposed to be that shade or did something go terribly wrong at the hairdresser’s?”

Dr. Solace’s laugh reminded Nico of the windchimes Bianca used to put up next to windows, “I think she was heading for  shamrock but instead ended up with that sorry ass shade of chartreuse.”

“What’s with the alliteration?” Nico inquired.

“I took a poetry class my first year of college,” Dr. Solace responded, smiling, “I guess it sort of stuck with me. Pisses Kayla off to no end. Especially my haikus and limericks.”

“You’re kidding,” Nico responded, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Last time I started a sentence with ‘There once was a goddess from Sparta-’ she punched me right in the jaw,” Dr. Solace continued, pointing at the side of his jaw, “you can still see the small scar where I had to get stitches.”

The Italian gymnast giggled at this comment, covering his mouth in surprise when the soft sound escaped, “I- um… I should probably be going now. My younger sister’s competition start in a few hours.”

“What’s she competing in?”

“Equestrian jumping and eventing.”

“I thought Italy didn’t have anyone in that this year.”

“How would you know?”

“I follow all the equestrian events,” Will said sheepishly, “but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Hazel’s only my half sister,” Nico explained, “so she’s lived in America most of her life with occasional visits to Italy once my other sister and I found out that was why our father kept going on business trips so often. So she’s competing for the US rather than Italy.”

Will smiled, “I’ll make sure to cheer her on. God knows Kayla will get all riled up when she finally gets off her shift to see the competitions. If she goes to that one you’ll know, because she’s louder than the announcers.”

“I thought you’d say I could pick her out by her ‘sorry ass shade of chartreuse,’” Nico joked. “It would be like playing Where’s Waldo with a basketball and a bunch of footballs. The European kind.”

“It would be more like playing Where’s Waldo with an elephant and a bunch of kittens,” Will corrected.

Nico laughed again, “What does that make you?”

“A toyger kitten,” Will responded, “and you would be a munchkin kitten.”

“Theoretically- would these kittens be friends?”

“Well, I think the toyger kitten would share a ball of yarn with the munchkin kitten. And that the toyger would cheer for the munchkin during his competition.”

Nico blushed at this comment, unsure of what to make of it. Before he could say anything, a certain black haired, green eyed swimmer burst through the door.

“Nico! You’re not dead yet are you? Hazel would kill you if you died. And then she’d bring you back to life and kill you again,” he shouted in a barely comprehensible rush of words.

“Percy, Dr. Solace,” Nico introduced, “Dr. Solace, Percy Jackson.”

The clatter of Dr. Solace’s clipboard falling to the ground echoed throughout the room. “Percy Jackson? Sixteen time swimming gold medalist Percy Jackson?”

“I-I… yes?” Percy responded, looking a tad unsure of himself.

“So how did Hazel react when she found out?” Nico asked, rubbing his hands over his face.

“She started throwing jewelry at me until I agreed to come down here and check on you,” Percy told him, shivering at the thought, “Now that I know you’re okay we should probably go so she can see for herself that you’re okay since they won’t let her leave with the competition so close. Also- you’ve got a bit of chalk on your cheek.”

Nico reached up and brushed it away before bidding Dr. Solace goodbye and following Percy out the door to meet his worried sister.

Four days later…

“-and a little shaky on the dismount, but a good, solid score for Great Britain,” the announcer broadcasted, “Up next on the balance beam is Italy’s own Nico di Angelo. He’s barely old enough to drink and he already has two silver medals from London, but this time he’s back to win the gold.”

Another announcer picked up from there, “Look at the determination on his face. After narrowly missing bronze at the last world championship I’m sure he’s got nothing but first place on his mind.”

Nico squinted at the blinding lights. The drowning noise of the crowd pressed at his eardrums. Flags from scattered nations waved in enthusiasm.

Nico’s heart began to pound harder and faster with anticipation as he dusted his hands in chalk and adjusted the frustrating clip holding his bangs back. Hazel had spent a solid two months trying to convince him to cut it for the Olympics, but Nico would point out that he had grown used to it being long and changing it now would only mess him up. No. He would keep his bangs, despite how annoying it was to have to pin it back for every event.

High in the corner of the stadium, Nico spotted the group of people he was looking for. A group of about twelve people were sitting there, decked out head to toe in red, white and green and waving homemade signs in the air to cheer him on. If he listened hard enough he could almost hear them calling his name.

Nico tentatively wiggled his ankle, feeling it prickle after a full day of practicing to make up for lost time. He looked over the the medic station, hoping that he wouldn’t end up over there once again, when a flash of blond caught his attention.

Dr. Solace was standing there with a goofy smile on his face and his hands shoved into the pocket of his lab coat. Nico raised his hand in greeting, a small smile creeping onto his face. He made a deal with himself- win gold and you can ask the cute doctor out.

Nico stepped over to the balance beam and hiked himself up onto it. He hoped to God he would win gold.

Ta-Da! Fluffy, themed Solangelo- just what the doctor ordered. Hehe- get it? Cuz Will’s a doctor? I think half of you are giving me a pity laugh right now and the other half are staring at the screen and wondering if I’m crazy. The answer to that is debatable.