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Hazel’s eyes settled on her brother a few feet away from her. He wasn’t talking to anyone, just surveying the room, and it made her heart clench slightly. He had told her time and time again that he was fine on his own, that he didn’t feel the need to rush into finding his person and he enjoyed his solitude. And she knew that she should just drop it, that she shouldn’t push, and it was more than likely her brother will just scowl and brush her off. But looking around the room and seeing all her friends with their soulmates and then seeing Nico alone, she bit back her gut instinct and turned to Nico, smiling sweetly.
He was immediately suspicious and narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s up, Hazel?” he asked cautiously.
“Nico,” she said warmly, “Are you doing okay over there, all by yourself?”
“Yes, Hazel,” he sighed, “I’m fine by myself.”
“Really?” she pushed, “Don’t you think it would be nice to be with someone?”
Nico scowled and cocked his head, “Someone? You mean my soulmate?”
Hazel paused and then nodded slowly, “Well, I meant someone else in the room you could talk to but yeah, someone like that too.”
“I’m fine, Hazel,” Nico sighed, “I don’t need your help.”
“I know you don’t need it, but-” she was interrupted.
“I am perfectly fine alone and I don’t need a soulmate to make me complete,” he stated, his voice not quite icy but stoic.
“I’m not saying you aren’t fine,” Hazel assured him, “You are totally fine being independent and I’m not trying to say you’re any less because you haven’t found your soulmate. I just think that, because you are in a good place independently, maybe now would be a good time to look for your… you know, soulmate.”
Nico looked to the side at Jason and they stared at each for a moment. Jason raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips as he tipped his head toward Nico, as if questioning him slightly. Nico’s face dropped to something impassive and he looked away, staring at the wall behind Hazel. She was flicking her gaze rapidly between the two and she squinted. “Nico,” she said abruptly, pulling everyone’s attention to the interaction, “What does Jason know that I don’t?”
Nico didn’t make eye contact as he shrugged, “Nothing.”
Hazel stepped to the side, moving directly into his line of sight and forcing him to meet her eyes. “I’m not an idiot, Neeks,” her voice was deceptively kind, “Tell me whatever it is you’re trying to hide.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Nico insisted, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I don’t believe you,” Hazel said.
Jason shifted on his feet and sighed quietly. She turned to face him instead, “What is he hiding?”
Jason’s eyes widened in fear and he looked quickly at Piper for support, who just shrugged. “Uh,” his eyes moved from Hazel staring him down to Nico glaring at him, “I’m not at liberty to say.”
Hazel turned abruptly back to her brother, “So there is something!”
“Hazel,” Annabeth said cautiously, “Maybe we should leave Nico be.”
“Oh, so you know too?” she kept staring at her brother, “Nico, why does everyone but me know whatever this secret is?”
“Not everyone knows,” Nico mumbled, “Only Annabeth and Jason.”
“But not me? Your sister?”
Nico sighed and looked at her. “Okay,” he said softly, “but you can’t freak out and you have to let me explain.”
Hazel squinted at him and then nodded slowly. Nico lowered his arms and began to roll up his sleeves, revealing warm, golden finger prints decorating his forearms.
Hazel wanted to freak out. Her mind was racing and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to squeal in delight or scoff in annoyance. She bit her cheek as she took a breath and glanced around the room. All of their friends were gawking at Nico’s arms and her brother was shifting uncomfortably under the attention. “You found…” Hazel trailed off for a second, “How long?”
“Uh, almost three months, I think,” Nico’s fingers twitched nervously.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Hazel asked, her voice small.
“It wasn’t,” Nico took a breath, “It wasn’t because of you. It was just, we wanted to get to know each other without people pressuring the whole, you know, soulmate thing. And family felt like a big pressure, so we just tried to, kinda, keep it secret?”
Hazel was trying to keep her voice level, “But you told Annabeth and Jason?”
“I told Annabeth because I was freaking out and I needed someone to talk me out of fleeing the country,” Nico said and then glanced at Jason, “I didn’t tell Jason. He found out because he has no concept of privacy.”
“Nico!” Percy interrupted suddenly, “You deviant!”
Nico whipped his head to glare at the other boy, “Shut up, Percy. He just burst into my apartment before I could put a sweatshirt on and saw a handprint on my arm.”
Percy deflated slightly, “Well that’s boring .”
Nico rolled his eyes and turned back to Hazel. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you,” he said sincerely, “Really, I am. I was going to tell you soon I just,” he waved a hand, “I didn't get the chance.”
Hazel didn’t really know what to say. She was hurt that Nico hadn’t come to her but she understood. It was stressful enough meeting the person that was supposed to be your other half without having to deal with what other people thought. She looked at her brother earnestly, “Are you happy?”
Nico seemed to relax and his face softened. A gentle smile settled on his face and his eyes seemed lighter than Hazel had seen them in what seemed like forever. “Yeah,” Nico told her, his voice quiet, “I think… I think I could love him a lot. I think I kinda do already.”
Hazel broke out into a wide smile and stepped toward her brother, pulling him into a tight hug. He tensed for a moment before he hugged her back. “I’m so happy for you,” she whispered.
“Thanks, Haze,” he told her, “I’m really glad that you know now.”
She pulled back and looked at her brother, her eyes shining with amusement. “So,” her voice was suddenly cheery and inquisitive, “What’s his name? What does he do? Tell me everything .”
“Is he hot?” Leo interjected.
Nico flushed a bright red and turned to glare at Leo before huffing as he looked back at Hazel. “His name is Will,” he said formally, “He’s in medical school. He’s actually doing his residency right now.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Leo complained.
Hazel ignored him as she asked, “Is he nice?”
“Annoyingly nice,” Nico rolled his eyes, “Like sunshine incarnate.”
“Is he being a gentleman?” her eyes were suddenly serious.
“Yeah, Nico, are you engaging in debauchery?” Percy grinned.
“Percy, I thought I told you to stuff it once already. And I don’t care if he’s a gentleman. I mean, I can be kinda rude sometimes so it isn’t fair for me to expect more than that from him,” Nico scoffed.
“But you have manners , Nico,” Hazel insisted, “You’re just a little blunt sometimes. And what I meant was, is he being chivalrous? Is he courting you?”
Nico spluttered, “I don’t need to be courted, Hazel. We’re soulmates, he knows I’m kinda in it for the long haul no matter what.”
“But is he doing it anyway?” she asked.
Nico blushed bright red and was suddenly very interested in his shoes. “Yes,” he mumbled, “He actually, uh, sent flowers to my studio for me. And he wrote me a poem.”
“Nico,” Hazel all but cooed, “That’s amazing.”
“Was the poem good?” Percy questioned.
“It was terrible,” Nico told him, “But I liked it anyway.”
“Aw,” Leo said, “That’s so cute it's disgusting.”
“Valdez,” Nico’s voice was sharp, “I will shove your foot so far up your own ass-”
“He didn’t mean it,” Piper interrupted him, “Well, he probably did, but I’m sure he regrets it,” she looked pointedly at Leo, “Right?”
Leo grinned like the cheshire cat and shrugged, “Sure.”
“So,” Hazel pulled Nico’s attention back to her, “ Will . When can I meet him?”
“Um, well he has been wanting to meet all of you. So, soon?”
“Are you busy on Friday?” she asked.
“Um, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a shift that night either,” Nico furrowed his eyebrows as he thought.
“Perfect, we can all meet at my place on Friday at seven, does that work?” Hazel said.
“Whoa,” Nico widened his eyes and held his hands up defensively, “I didn’t mean like, all of you in one sitting and in less than a week.”
“Why not?”
“Um, no offense but you guys can be kind of overwhelming and I don’t want you scaring him.”
“Nico, if he’s your soulmate, he isn’t going to be scared off by us,” Hazel looked over her shoulder to Frank, “Oh, speaking of scary, remind me to invite Reyna.”
“Hazel,” Nico warned, “This is why I didn’t want to tell you right away.”
“Nico,” she looked at her brother with such genuine sincerity and kindness that it was disarming, “I want to meet your soulmate, the love of your life. And if he’s going to be around for a while, we might as well jump in. Will you at least ask him if he can come?”
“I don’t know,” Nico shifted anxiously, “I’ll ask but I’m not making any promises.”
Hazel grinned at him as Annabeth called his name. He turned to the blonde, his eyes slightly panicked. “Don’t freak out,” she told Nico, “He’s going to be fine and so are you. He’s going to be excited, if anything.”
Nico nodded and tried to push down the anxiety rising in him. “Yeah Nico,” Jason added, “Will isn’t going to be scared off. And I promise to make sure everyone tones it down a little.”
Nico snorted, “I don’t think you can, but thanks.”
Hazel grabbed his arm, “You’ll ask? Actually?”
Nico sighed and gulped, nodding. “Yeah,” he conceded, “I mean, he was gonna have to meet you all eventually. Just don’t… I don’t know, be mean to him.”
“We aren’t going to be mean to him,” Piper interjected, “We would never.”
“I know,” Nico sighed, “I just meant, don’t shovel talk him or anything. Will is, he’s good . So good. And even if he wasn’t, I don’t need other people threatening him or trying to protect me or something. I can handle it myself.”
“We know,” Annabeth said kindly, “We just care about you and sometimes we worry.”
“I-” Nico paused, “I appreciate that. I just really want you guys to like him.”
“If you like him, then I’m sure we will too,” Hazel assured him.
Nico let out a breath, “Okay. Well, good. I’ll talk to him tonight about Friday.”
Everyone smiled at him and Nico looked away, down at the fingerprints on his arm and bit back a smile.
-----
On Friday night, Hazel was sitting somewhat nervously as she stared at the door to her apartment, waiting for Nico to arrive. Frank was beside her, a hand placed on her knee soothingly. Everyone else seemed to be in a similar state as they bounced their legs and munched on the chips she had laid out. Eventually, they heard a knock on the door and Hazel called out, “Come in!”
The door pushed open and Nico shuffled inside, his face impassive. Behind him, a tall blond man trailed behind, grinning widely. “Uh, hey,” Nico said stiffly and gestured to the blond, “This is Will.”
Nobody said anything for a moment, taking in the sight of the man. Leo broke the silence as he exclaimed, “Oh shit! He is hot!”
Nico flushed and glared at him, “Jesus Christ, Valdez, can you not for literally one day?”
Will just laughed behind him as he stepped forward to stand beside Nico, the backs of their hands brushing together and pinkies locking. Hazel blinked in surprise, shocked to see such casual affection from her brother. “Thanks,” Will chuckled, “I’m excited to meet you all. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good, I assume,” Piper quipped, her head cocked playfully.
“Definitely,” Will went along with her.
Reyna stood up from where she was sitting and walked up to Will, staring him down. She didn’t glare or snarl, but her face was stoic. Will didn’t flinch or back away, he just continued to smile warmly. When she stopped in front of him, he held out his free hand, speaking kindly, “You must be Reyna. It’s an honor to meet you.”
She squinted barely as she shook his hand, maybe squeezing a little tighter than necessary, and then looked to Nico. “You like him?” she asked.
Nico looked a little thrown off guard but he responded quickly, “Yes, a lot.”
She turned back to Will and gave him a tight smile, “Then I like you too. It’s nice to meet you.”
Will seemed to smile impossibly wider as she went back to her spot and he looked at Nico beside him. “You like me a lot, huh?”
Nico blushed as he scoffed, “Obviously, idiot.”
“Whoa,” Will nudged his shoulder, “Better not let anybody else hear how you have a massive crush on me.”
“First off, that is not what I said,” Nico spluttered, “Second off, you’re my soulmate ,” he held up his pinkie now stained gold for proof, “I think we are a little beyond crushes.”
“Ooh, Will!” Percy shouted, “I’m Percy by the way, I’m sure you’ve heard all about me,” he grinned lazily, “But we can get to that later. I need to know what color Nico’s touch leaves!”
“Yeah!” Leo exclaimed, “Is it black? I feel like it has to be black, he’s too emo for anything else.”
“I’m not emo!” Nico protested, “That’s like, an entire subculture and I resent you using that to describe me. I don’t even associate myself with those subcultures but if anything , I’m garage punk.”
“Only an emo would have an answer like that,” Leo retorted.
“Eat my shorts,” Nico snapped.
“Stop distracting us,” Percy cried as he looked back to Will, “ I need to know.”
Will chuckled as he glanced at Nico who turned his head to bury his face in the blond’s shoulder. He held up his hand, revealing his pinkie stained a pale, silvery gray color. “Sorry, Leo, is it?” Will questioned as Leo nodded, “Not black.”
Leo pouted and sighed, “Man, I owe Annabeth like twenty bucks.”
Nico ripped his face away from Will’s shoulder to look in horror at her. “Annabeth?” he asked, his voice laced with betrayal, “Why?”
“Sorry, Neeks,” Annabeth said, “Leo started the bet after you left last week and since you told me, I knew it was an easy way to make some money.”
“Hey, hold on!” Leo complained, “You knew? I’m not paying you, that’s foul play. You cheated.”
“You never asked if I knew or made any indication that if I did know, I couldn’t get in on the pool. You should set up clearer terms next time you bet on Nico’s love life,” Annabeth shrugged.
“Next time?” Nico’s face was contorted in annoyance.
“Okay,” Jason interjected, “Maybe we should move on from Leo’s ambiguous betting pools,” he stood up and walked up to Will and Nico, smiling, “Hi, I’m Jason.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Will smiled back.
“Jason, you said you’d make sure they toned it down today. It doesn't seem like you’re great at your job,” Nico huffed.
“Dude, this is toned down,” Jason argued, “Do you remember when Hazel first introduced Frank to all of us?”
Nico shivered at the thought and glanced back at Frank, who had blanched white, and sighed, “Yeah, alright. Whatever.”
The raven grabbed Will’s hand fully and started walking towards the open couch, tugging the blond behind him and down as he sat. Will followed his direction happily, letting their knees bump as they sat beside each other. Piper asked Will a question about his residency and then he was off, conversing and chatting with Nico’s friends like it was the easiest thing in the world and he had been doing it for years. He so easily switched from joking with Percy to discussing something professional or adult with Annabeth and Nico wanted to melt into a puddle, he felt so warm and so happy. He knew he was staring at Will, at the side of his face and the way he threw his head back in laughter and the way he would look to Nico every so often with no real purpose, as if he just wanted to see him. Nico’s heart was in his throat and he really hoped nobody tried to talk to him anytime soon because the only thing he’d be able to say is a word vomit of ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’ He gulped and tried to catch his breath, looking to Hazel in hope of composing himself.
She was looking at him with such sincere joy that it honestly made the nearly uncontrollable warmth in his chest worse. His eyes were burning and he gaped slightly before snapping his mouth shut and biting his cheek. She smiled at him and nodded, as if she understood everything he had just meant to say and didn’t. He felt Will grab the hand he had squished between their legs and intertwine their fingers.
He knew that his hand was going to be stained gold and he always thought that he would be embarrassed by the colors on him but he reveled in them, adored how it felt to be so confident in someone’s love for you. Nico looked back at Will, who was already watching him, and smiled.
Hazel’s own heart was bursting as she watched her brother and his soulmate and all their friends. She knew that Nico was fine by himself, that he wasn’t any less of a person or a whole before he had met Will, but she also knew how he used to shy away from affection and kindness, from
love
. And now, he was holding hands with Will and leaning into him and staring up at him with tenfold more open adoration than she had ever seen from him. It was miraculous really, and she was filled with such absolute joy and adoration that she could barely stand it. She grabbed Frank’s hand beside her and looked to him, their eyes meeting. He smiled softly at her and she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she scooched back and tucked herself against his chest, sighing happily.