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Leo meets Nico di Angelo again at the ripe age of twenty-four in the midst of a battle against a three-headed chimera.
The scene opens like this: he’s losing, badly. There’s a nasty cut on his upper arm from the claws of a lion and twin bite marks just beneath that from snake fangs, blood trickling past his elbow, drawing streaks of red along his skin. Adrenaline rushes to his head; he hardly even feels the pain anymore. He finds himself in something of a delirious state, every cell on alert for the sake of survival.
For a brief second, Leo thinks he sees someone emerging out of the shadows close by, but he has no time to confirm it when he’s already busy dodging simultaneous attacks from the beast in front of him. He rolls on the ground, just out of the way as one of the heads goes in for a bite. The next thing he knows, Nico has shown up, shielding him in an act of bravery, and it makes him pause.
There’s a beast at least twice his size right in front of him, teeth bared, looking like it’s about to lunge in his direction, but in that moment, Leo finds himself forgoing all of his survival instincts, eyes drawn to Nico instead. He can’t help it. Nico steals his attention without even meaning to, the way he wields his sword with expertise, positioning himself between the chimera and Leo so confidently.
By now, he must’ve seen Nico in action countless times, but it’s always just as captivating, somehow. Always just as beautiful. Leo watches him run up to get in close, a tremor in the ground beneath him as he approaches. It isn’t until Nico lands a clean slash right down the lion’s neck, cutting through the thickness of its mane, that Leo allows himself to breathe again. The chimera screams in agony. It never even stood a chance.
And Leo, with his heart still hammering away in his chest at the sight of everything he just witnessed, realizes that he never stood a chance, either.
In front of him, Nico dodges the chimera’s attempt to retaliate before whipping his head around to find Leo. He calls out, “A little help would be nice!”
And, oh yeah, Leo thinks. Right. They’re still in the middle of a battle. This is no time to get distracted by Nico’s refined swordsmanship, or the way he looks like everything Leo’s ever imagined a hero to be, or—
He snaps out of it just in time to hurl a fireball in the chimera’s general direction. It explodes in the space between them, and although he doesn’t manage to hit anything head-on, it’s still enough to make the beast stagger, hesitating before it pounces.
“Good,” Nico says in approval. “Keep doing that. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait—” Leo calls out, but Nico’s already gone. That leaves him to fend for himself against the snarling chimera, and the only thing he has going for him is that it seems to have some kind of fear toward fire.
By the time Nico returns, Leo is barely managing to hold on. But Nico isn’t paying any attention to him; he’s holding a large canister in his hands, too busy drizzling some kind of liquid on the ground.
It’s gasoline, Leo realizes, eyes widening. When he glances up, Nico is already looking at him.
“Now, Valdez!”
Leo’s face splits into a grin, finally understanding. “Oh, hell yeah. I can do that.”
He becomes something of an inferno then, fierce and blazing, entire body lighting up in flames with a single snap of his fingers. All around him, the fire licks at his heels, the pavement, everything in their vicinity. And he’s angry. He only just realizes it now, but he’s furious at the monster that showed up out of nowhere to disrupt his everyday life, at the fact that he still has to deal with this constantly, even six years after leaving Camp Half-Blood.
His first step back onto the battlefield is devastating. The instant his feet brush by a few drops of gasoline, a column of fire rises from the ground like a summoning, racing toward the skies. Each step after that only adds fuel to the brewing storm. Moisture begins to evaporate from the air at an alarming rate and his throat dries up, but he remains unfazed; keeps going forward, trusting his pyrokinetic abilities to pull him through. The heat is barely a tickle on his skin.
As he walks further into the flames, arms spread wide to command them, Leo is reminded that at its core, the chimera is still an animal. It acts on instinct, recognizes strength. Knows when it’s outmatched; when predator becomes prey.
Under him, the ground by Leo’s feet is turning molten. The chimera is pushed back, and back, and back, until it’s nothing but a hazy image on the other side of a smoldering wall of fire. It lets out one last defiant roar before turning around to retreat, fur standing up straight and tail singed black at the ends. Leo watches it go, head pounding. The world spins a little and he’s swaying on his feet, but Nico is there to catch him before he falls.
“Show off,” Nico says, but it’s mostly fond, and he doesn’t even bother hiding how impressed he sounds. It’s worth it, Leo thinks, just being able to get close to Nico like this, despite the exhaustion that's settling into his bones.
He leans down to rest his head on Nico’s shoulder and snaps his fingers again. The fire disappears within seconds, as easily as it came, and Leo offers a weak smile. “Just one of my many talents.”
And that’s a rare, good thing about living long enough as a demigod to survive past your teenage years: you learn control. You get to take all the experience you’ve accumulated and mold it into something more refined, something sharper.
It’s the same for Nico. For the others, too. He’s seen it firsthand—how they’ve all gotten stronger over the years, especially when fighting for their friends, their ideals. When they have something worth protecting.
Leo allows himself to be pulled toward the side of a building, leaning against the wall for support as Nico inspects his wound. With no real medical equipment on them, the best they can do is try to disinfect the area as much as they can and seal off the open cut.
Nico rips apart a piece of cloth to tie around Leo’s arm. It gets soaked in blood almost immediately, but the pressure helps to relieve the pain, and he sighs, finally able to relax.
“You’ve gotten better at controlling your fire,” Nico says absentmindedly as he secures the bandage in place. His touch burns brighter on Leo’s bare skin than any of his flames ever could.
Leo looks up at him and smiles. It feels good to be acknowledged, especially by Nico.
“You did, too,” he says, narrowing his eyes slightly, “at sneaking up on people. Where did you even come from, di Angelo?”
“The Underworld,” Nico answers, and Leo’s known him long enough to know that he’s being serious. It still creeps him out a little bit, if he’s being honest. “But then I sensed that someone was in danger, so I decided to come back up and see what was happening.”
“Ah, my hero,” Leo says, only half joking. He likely would’ve come out of that fight far worse off if Nico hadn’t showed up. Rolling back his shoulders, Leo tests out the range of motion on his injured arm and nods to himself, pleased, when he finds it to be acceptable. “How about I repay you through a meal? Come on, my treat.”
Nico seems to consider this. “I guess I am craving some McDonalds.”
“Great!” Leo claps his hands together. “There’s one just down the block—”
“I know a faster way,” Nico interjects, flashing a smile wide enough to show teeth. Then, before Leo can react, he pulls both of them into the shadows and everything around them turns black.
.
“Jesus fucking—oh my gods, Nico, you can’t just grab a man and drag him through your creepy little shadow portals without warning. Without consent! That’s kidnapping.” Leo rests one hand on the wall, the other pressed against his forehead to reorient himself. “Shit, I’m never going to recover from that.”
They’ve emerged by the back entrance of the McDonald’s building where there’s a window located conveniently beside them. He’s almost certain that the employee on the other side spots them, staring for longer than what’s deemed to be normal. It would make him more concerned that a mortal saw them basically materialize out of thin air if his head wasn’t pounding against his skull at the moment. Besides, the Mist seems to be doing its magic and the employee turns away soon after.
“Quit being dramatic.” Nico rolls his eyes, though Leo misses it because his vision is still blurry. “I saved us ten minutes of walking.”
He’d much rather take the ten minutes, Leo thinks fiercely. He feels like he might puke. And Nico doesn’t show him any sympathy in the least, not even bothering to wait until he collects himself again before turning around to walk into the restaurant. Leo has no choice but to follow.
It’s currently late afternoon, just after meal hours, and there are only a few other people scattered inside the McDonald’s. None of them pay any attention to Nico and Leo when they enter. Leo hands Nico some cash to get whatever he wants and then proceeds to collapse onto the booth closest to him, shutting his eyes in attempt to fight off the nausea.
One of the lightbulbs overhead flickers in a way that’s only making his headache worse. He groans, and feels the room spin, time passing in weird increments as the throbbing in his head finally starts to subside. When he opens his eyes again, Nico has returned with his order, sliding into the seat across from him.
“So,” Leo says, forcing himself to start a conversation because that’s what normal people do when they take their savior out for fast food, “how have you been these days?”
Nico only raises an eyebrow at him curiously and drops a French fry into his mouth. “I’m good, mostly.”
“Good.” Leo nods, mimicking his action. “I’m good, too. Great, actually.”
“Yeah? Is that why you were being attacked by the chimera earlier?”
“I was handling it!” Leo says defensively.
Nico chews thoughtfully, but the slight quirk of his lips betrays how amusing he finds this whole exchange. “Sure you were.”
Crossing his arms, Leo huffs and leans back to take a better look at Nico. He’s not too different from how Leo remembers him to be, though there seems to be a more playful side to him that’s surfacing, a relaxed air around him that shows just how he’s come to grow into himself.
The black sweater he wears today is nicer than the one he had as a teenager, likely more expensive too. His bangs are long enough that they fall in front of his eyes, just like they did before; it’s basically become a personality trait at this point. And he’s older, of course, with more defined features and a certain maturity to him, but still every bit the cheeky kid Leo had known him to be. Still the same as his fourteen-year-old self in all the ways that matter.
Aging has been kind to Nico, and now, six years after they’ve both left Camp Half-Blood, Leo can finally admit it: he liked Nico back then. Maybe he still does, to this day.
Maybe he never stopped liking him.
It’s this realization that jolts him back to reality, senses heightened and suddenly all too aware. The leather seat of the McDonald’s booth is solid under him; the one broken lightbulb on the ceiling seems to pulse in a way that echoes Leo’s own heartbeat.
“Can you see them?” Nico asks, and Leo’s eyes snap into focus again.
“Who?”
Instead of answering, Nico simply nods in the direction of the seat next to him and holds up a burger to the open air. Leo watches in both amazement and utter horror as a bite of the burger disappears right before his very eyes.
And no, he absolutely cannot see whatever Nico is referring to. His mouth drops open, then closed. Then open again. “You’re… feeding a ghost?”
“Ghosts. There are a few here with us now.” Nico pauses rather ominously and gestures vaguely to the space on his left. “This one says his name is Steve.”
Leo shifts his gaze over slowly, eyes meeting air. “Steve.”
He must have been making a face because Nico grins at him, the kind of shit-eating grin that he only uses when he knows he’s being a brat. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re scared.”
“Of course not,” Leo says reflexively. “But maybe we should move somewhere else. So that we’re not bothering them, you know.”
It’s obvious he’s not fooling anyone with that excuse, but Nico only laughs and gracefully doesn’t tease him any further. Packing up their things, Nico gets up from the booth and heads in the direction of the exit, pausing again when he notices that Leo hasn’t moved. Head tilted to the side, he gives him a curious look, waiting.
Leo beams. Above them, the flickering light blinks on and off as if to say goodbye, and he takes three large steps forward, falling in line with Nico effortlessly.
.
“Where are we going?”
In the late evening hours, the streets are quiet and Nico’s question is almost too loud. Leo stalls, hands fidgeting by his sides. He keeps his gaze fixated at a point ahead of him, staring into the distance where the road blurs with the indigo sky, blending into the nighttime darkness.
He thinks about it for a moment, and then says, simply, “Home, I guess.”
Nico hums, seemingly content with that answer. Leo can barely make out his shape beside him, wrapped in with the shadows so naturally that he constantly finds himself looking over in Nico’s direction just to make sure he hasn’t disappeared altogether.
There’s a quiet, almost contemplative atmosphere between the two of them as they walk. The wind picks up, a gentle breeze passing by. Nico is still munching on his half-eaten burger, and surprisingly, this is the thing that manages to set Leo’s heart at ease.
Previously, so long ago now that it’s all too easy to forget, Leo knows there was a time when Nico hardly ate anything. It was right after the biggest quest any of them had ever gone on, after they were proclaimed as heroes and saved the world. The kind of quest that’s bound to have an impact on everyone involved, whether they showed it or not.
And he had heard, of course, about Nico being sealed in a jar. About the pomegranate seeds.
It’s those kinds of things that end up sticking with you the most—not the glory or fame or short-lived sense of making a real difference in the world by sacrificing half your sanity. It’s the nightmares that come after. The burdens you’re left with in everyday life. The learned strength it takes to overcome them time and time again.
That’s why, when Nico swallows down the last bite of his McDonald’s meal, Leo can’t help but feel proud of him. Even if it’s just greasy, unhealthy fast food.
They’ve come a long way since their days at Camp Half-Blood.
As the apartment comes into view, Leo leads them through the front entrance and up the elevator to the fifth floor. There’s something about inviting another person into the privacy of his own home, the intimacy of it, that makes him anxious. Each step builds anticipation. When they finally arrive, he opens the door for both of them, braces himself, and thinks, it’s now or never.
Leo takes a deep breath and locks the door behind them. Pauses. Then turns around, expression serious.
“Nico,” he says, “go out with me.”
In the process of shrugging off his jacket, Nico glances up at him. “What?”
And it’s absolutely ridiculous how good he looks under the dim hallway lighting, with his windswept hair and dark eyes focused in front of him. The apartment welcomes him easily, floorboards creaking in recognition and shadows from all corners creeping in around him as a greeting. He fits in this space unfairly well. He looks like he belongs.
Leo swallows, pulse racing. “I like you,” he forces himself to say. “I’ve liked you since—probably since back when we were still at Camp Half-Blood, even if I didn’t realize it at the time.”
When Nico only blinks owlishly at him, Leo takes the opportunity to continue, “You’re hot when you’re fighting monsters.” His voice shakes a bit here, and okay, maybe the nerves are finally starting to get to him. “You’re especially hot when you’re saving my ass. And you’ve already seen me at my worst, when I was getting tossed around by that chimera, and I’ve seen you feed fast food to literal ghosts like a freak—”
Nico frowns. “Hey—”
“What else can you ask for? We’re clearly perfect for each other,” Leo finishes with a dramatic flair, grinning so wide that anyone looking would probably think he’s lost it. But isn’t that what love is, in the end? To give yourself so fully to someone that you go a little bit insane?
“That’s all it takes to win you over?” Nico sounds incredulous.
“I’m serious,” Leo insists. “I’ll treat you right. I promise to be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”
Something seems to click for Nico then, and he makes a grand show of considering the offer, head tilted to the side in deep thought. His eyes roam around the room; Leo’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest. After a long, agonizing moment, he finally says, “I’m flattered, but no thanks.”
“What the fuck—” the words slip out of Leo’s mouth before he can stop himself, and he’s left staring at Nico, who looks entirely too smug right now. “How can you say that after such a heartfelt confession? My declaration of love?”
“Actually, I think I turned you down pretty nicely,” Nico corrects him, which is true, technically. But it doesn’t help to soothe the sting of rejection, and Leo has never claimed to take rejection well.
He sets his gaze on Nico, determined. “I’m going to keep asking you until you agree.”
Nico makes a face. “This is harassment—”
“Go out with me.”
“No.”
“Come on,” Leo pleads, already running out of words to convince him. He’s pretty sure Nico wouldn’t appreciate him getting on his knees and begging for real, but part of him is tempted to do it, anyway. That’s how desperate he is.
“Okay, okay.” Nico lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Gods, you’re so annoying. Is this how you’re going to act every time I leave for a few days?”
“Is that a yes?”
Rolling his eyes, Nico huffs. He closes the space between them in two quick steps, pushes Leo against the wall, and kisses him. It’s quiet for the first time since they entered the apartment and Leo tastes the flavour of triumph against his mouth, sweet and addictive. He never wants to let go.
They part too soon, but he can’t exactly complain because Nico dives right back in a second later, pressing his lips against the corners of Leo’s mouth, hands reaching up to cup the side of his face. Behind him is a ridge or a bump or something protruding out from the wall that’s pushing into his back almost painfully, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care. He has Nico.
And Nico is saying something, probably something meaningful that Leo should pay attention to, but he only manages to catch the last part of it, the haze in his mind clearing up just enough for him to register the vibrations of his voice close to his heart.
“Idiot,” Nico mumbles into his skin, far too fond for it to hold any bite. Grasping Leo’s hand, he interlocks their fingers together and keeps them there like that as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “We’re already dating.”