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He expected Frank. Frank, his sister Hazel's sweetheart, just another buff, awkward dude. Frank never usually noticed who he was. He just served him coffee and continued doing whatever he was doing earlier.
But then he heard Frank had an away game, so he assumed Will would take up the job. The poor boy was always up early, thanks to his roommate Austin. Nico could sympathize.
So he walked in, not realizing that Jason also had a shift later that day; it wasn't just Will and Piper and Frank on the team. And when he recognized Nico… things couldn’t get worse.
He didn’t leave Jason because of anger. He left Jason because of love.
He liked Jason— more than he could put into words, actually. But where he’d come from, in a more conservative part of Venice, everything he had for Jason was wrong. But he convinced himself that if he just pushed that part of himself back down to wherever the hell it came from, then it couldn’t harm him.
The damage had been done, though. Sometimes he’d cry in front of the mirror, alone in his small bathroom.
Face it, a voice inside his head would say. You’re a demon.
His mother would hate him. So would his other sister Bianca, even though she was dead. He was a disgrace, just like how his father used to tell him after Bianca died, when he couldn’t save her from the fire. He’d carried around the guilt of her death ever since. And Jason was the only one who could relieve it.
Every time he visited Jason, the feelings grew stronger. So he cut Jason off, hoping it would discourage Jason from trying to connect with him. But Jason was stubborn. He just wouldn’t let Nico go. Nico tried to hide the panic on his face.
So here he was, looking at the blonde boy in his electric blue eyes, waiting for an attack. Jason asked where he’d been. Nico didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Places,” he said at last. He needed to tell Jason, at least so the boy could be aware. He couldn’t stand seeing Jason so distraught. He slammed 10 dollars on the table. “Black coffee, please,” he said. “And…”
Should he do it? Jason would be repulsed, obviously. He didn't care what Jason thought, of course. Did he…?
He looked down. “And?” Jason prompted.
Nico couldn’t take it anymore. He reached over the counter, yanked Jason’s collar towards him, and kissed him. Nico, kissing Jason. God, that sounded so weird.
He let go, not wanting to get too comfortable. Jason slid his order across the table, too shocked to speak.
Nico grabbed the coffee and fled.
fin.