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It really was all Percy’s fault. If he wasn’t so horrible at everything they’d probably have got to the airport on time, they’d probably wouldn’t have missed their plane, Nico probably wouldn't be sitting on a gross lobby bench. But no, Percy arrived over a fucking hour late to Nico’s apartment because he is a completely hopeless moron who does everything at the very last possible second.
The two were traveling to Puerto Rico for a college project. The plan was the leave on their plane at 6:00am and meet up with Reyna, one of Nico’s friends. They were going to spend a month there building communities. And Percy just had to be himself and already ruin the trip before they even got there. Nico really should have asked Annabeth to come instead.
At the moment, Percy was trying to negotiate a new flight time at the front desk. Nico just sat bored, tired, pissed off, and really hungry at his airport seat, trying to convince himself that going to jail for murdering your moronic friend was not worth it.
He opened his backpack and pulled up his phone to text Percy: Hey asswipe, do we have another plane or what?
Before the other could respond Nico sent another text: And if the answer’s not yes, you’re never going to have children.
Nico’s stomach started growling. Damn, he was hungry.
Percy replied almost immediately: Sooooo, there won’t be another flight till 12:30, but I can still try to get us on an earlier one.
Nico checked his watch. Hmmm, 10:36. He was definitely not in the mood to wait two more hours: You better get an earlier flight, or else.
Percy responded with a stupid thumbs up emoji.
God, he was really hungry. Nico dug through his backpack to check how much money he had on him. Might as well get something to eat while he waits for Percy’s lame ass to fix his mistake.
Nico puts on his backpack and starts to wander around the airport, trying to find a decent place to get food. He stopped short when he saw a sign overhanging a small food station that read: Chef Demeter’s Salads. Nico really wanted a burger or something and a salad sounded pretty disgusting right now, but he promised his sister that he’d start to eat healthier so fuck it.
He awkwardly approached the women working at the counter. When she looked up she cringed...yeah...Nico had the effect on people.
“Um, hi, can I um, get one chef salad please?” he stammered to her, who nodded and got a pre-made salad from somewhere under the counter and handed it to Nico.
“That’ll be eight dollars.”
Fucking expensive for a stupid, gross salad, but he was starving so he forked over the money and turned away without another word.
Now to find a place to sit, because he was not going back to sit in that uncomfortable airport seat. Luckily, after a little bit of searching, he found a section of the lunch booths next to a coffee shop. Nico tossed his backpack down in the seat next to him and plopped down. He was about to open his salad container when, fuck, he realized he forgot to get a stupid fucking fork. After debating whether he should eat when his hands or get his lazy ass up, he groaned and stood. He walked all the way back to the salad place, got a fork, and stomped back to the coffee shop booths… and what the actual hell.
There was some asshole punk, probably his age, just sitting in Nico’s booth, eating Nico’s fucking salad.
Nico, being the awkward, yet aggressive, person he is could only say, “Um, fuck off? That’s my salad.”
The other guy quickly gapped up at Nico with a sort of ‘deer in the headlights’ look before smirking.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
There was silence as the guy continued to eat Nico’s salad.
Nico huffed, “Can you, like, get the fuck up?”
He looked up at Nico again, still smiling like a tool. Nico took this time to size the guy up. He had blond hair and amazingly white teeth. He only responded to Nico by taking another big bite of salad.
Whenever Nico’s even near strangers, they all usually shrink in fear or move away because he makes them ‘uncomfortable’, so he was a little confused that this shithead didn’t even seemed fazed. He looked like he thought Nico was funny. And Nico’s not funny, he’s sarcastic and kind of offensive.
Deciding he’s had enough of the bullshit, Nico went to grab the salad away from him, but the blond reacted violently. He yanked the salad towards his own body and gave Nico a strange look.
“Can you just leave?” The stranger asked.
Well, now Nico was pissed. Take his food and tell him to leave? Even if salad did disgust Nico, he spent eight fucking dollars on it and there’s no way in hell he’ll let this thief tell him what to do. Nico’s going to eat his Goddamned salad.
So he stubbornly sat down across the booth from him and started to stare him down. It was incredibly frustrating when the blond only looked amused by his actions like he knew it would happen. He seemed to be trying not to smile too wide as he ate Nico’s salad.
Well fuck this guy. Nico lunged forward and stabbed part of the salad with his fork and then shoved the piece into his mouth.
The blond peered at him with a perplexed look as Nico chewed the salad. The stranger slowly took another bite for himself. Nico reached for another bite, carefully this time, and brought it to his mouth. They stared at each other, but the man in front of Nico did nothing to stop him.
Something in the other’s expression changed. He no longer seemed entertained by Nico’s reactions, his face soften. He even looked a little sad, it seemed like he wanted to say something but was fighting against it.
Nico started thinking maybe the guy was homeless, maybe he ate scraps that people leave behind at that tables, maybe he thought it was his lucky day when he saw a full salad sitting at a table all by itself...or maybe was just a fucking jerk.
The two continued to eat in silence for a while. Forking the salad together, and Nico had to admitted, it was a damn good salad.
When the salad was almost gone, the blond guy slowly stood, fuck he’s tall, and just started walking away. Fucking weird, Nico thought as he began to eat the last couple bites of the salad. Of course the guy would leave so Nico would have to clean up the stupid table, what a jerk.
It’s pretty safe to say Nico was surprised as fuck when he ate the very last piece and saw blondie walking back towards the booth holding two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of Nico and sat down back on his side of the booth with the other one.
Nico looked at the coffee in front of him then back at the man in front of him. Nico glared incredulously as the guy shrugged.
“Creamer?” He offered a small container of it to Nico.
Fuck it, this guy owns him anyways for stealing his salad. He accepted the creamer and poured it into his coffee.
“You got a stirrer?” Nico inquired.
Blondie nodded and handed Nico a tiny packet that contained a napkin, stirrer, and a sugar. Nico prepared his coffee as his booth mate prepared his.
They both took a sip at the same time, Nico’s stranger smiled happily at him. Nico could feel his own face heat up. Shit, he can’t lie, the douchebag in front of him was pretty hot… but still a douchebag. A salad-stealing douchebag with absolutely beautiful blue eyes that Nico never wants to look away from.
Just like before, they drink in silence, occasionally catching the other one watching them before both turn away embarrassed. Nico personally likes silence, it gives time to think, and his blond thief gives him a lot to think about.
Nico felt his phone buzz against his thigh and his dug it out of his pocket. He saw blondie perk up and try to look at Nico’s screen. It was a text from Percy: Nico! Hurry! I got us an earlier flight because I’m amazing and charming, but it leaves in 10 minutes, get your ass to the airport lobby! I’ll meet you there.
Shit. Nico’s got to go now. He stood abruptly and glanced down at the man still in the booth who looks oddly concerned. Nico’s not sure why, but he suddenly feels reluctant to leave his mysterious stranger. He wants to say something but he felt tongue-tied, and couldn’t form any words. Blondie was still looking at him, with an adorably confused look plastered on his stupidly perfect face.
“I...I have to go...and you frustrate me.” Nico said finally and the blond just smiled and nodded.
And with that, Nico turned away from the booth and headed back to the lobby, feeling unusually unsatisfied.
Nico was over halfway back to the lobby when he realized he forgot he his backpack at the booth. He only had, like, five minutes left, fuck.
He all but sprinted back to the coffee shop and his blond stranger was no where to be seen. Double fuck.
Nico went to the booth with two empty coffee cups, one empty salad container, and zero Nico bags. Triple fuck.
The asshole stole his bag! Oh God, it had all of Nico’s money and electronics and everything! He had absolutely no time to try and find the fucking asshat and get his fucking bag either. Nico started pacing back and forth, extremely pissed off and wanting to kill anybody that even had blond hair. The jerk was just trying to distract Nico with his coffee and big dumb smile so he could take Nico’s stuff.
He knew he needed to make a decision, he felt his phone buzzing, probably Percy telling him to hurry the fuck up. Nico realized that just standing here is stupid, his bag is gone, get over it, he needs to get to Percy. He was about to turn away when he noticed something.
There was a black strap peeking over the top of the booth behind the one him and his stranger ate at.
Cautiously, he walk over to the other booth and stared in horror. There was his backpack in the seat of the booth and on the table… was his unopened salad container, with a full salad inside.
He had...did he really…
Did Nico just eat a stranger’s salad? While claiming it was his own?
After a moment of frozen shock, Nico started laughing.
“Oh God!” He roared in hysterics. He ate a stranger’s salad. A stranger let him eat his salad.
Nico wiped tears that were starting to form. He grabbed his backpack and ran as fast as he could to Percy, laughing his fucking ass off.