Work Text:
Bianca’s uniform consisted of a white blouse, a gray skirt, a dark green jacket and tights, and when she first put it on Nico knew there was no smarter, prettier girl in the whole world than her. Not like any other girl mattered, it was only Bianca for him, he knew that too.
He didn’t care too much about girls. He was fine in his own world, with Bianca, playing his cards, and reading stories, and pretending to be Patroclus to Achilles. He was in the age when all boys were disgusted by girls, so it was okay that he had no intention to even befriend one of them.
But then… Nico was interested in girls. Bianca caught him staring at the legs of her classmates, sticking out from the skirt, and she grinned wide at him which made him blush really hard. He was interested in them. He liked to turn page after page in one of the silly, girly magazines of Bianca, and look at the fashion pages. Skirts were especially fascinating for him, flowing around the legs, swirling-twirling.
***
Thalia turns up at his cabin one day, with a silvery backpack. ‘I though you should have these’ she says. There is Bianca’s bow in it, her clothes, her wallet, and the green pencil she loved, and her powder smell Nico missed since years.
‘Thank you’ he smiles weakly. He finds a little moon pendant, and gives it to Thalia, and she smiles as she puts it around her neck.
He pours everything on his bed once she leaves, and smiles, because he misses Bianca, but it’s not that painful anymore. She would be proud of him, of his progress. There is her gray skirt on the bed, the one Nico loved the best, and it feels light under his fingers.
Now he knows that he wants an Achilles one day, but without the tragedy, because he had enough of those for a lifetime; and that girls were never interesting for him, not in the way boys are usually interested in girls.
He wonders if he should give the clothes to Hazel, but she is probably older by now than Bianca has ever been, and her body is different from Bianca’s, so the clothes wouldn’t fit. He will give them away, he decides, for a smart little girl to wear them, because he needs to get rid of the sadness. Not like he would ever get rid of Bianca. He loves her, still, after years since she had gone.
He won’t give away the skirt, he decides. He unbuttons his jeans before he can change his mind and slips out of them, to put the skirt on. He is so thin, it fits easily, and it’s soft against his thighs and he breathes in slowly and enjoys it, the fabric, the touch of it on his skin and Bianca’s smell.
She is with him.
***
His voice is weak, like it was when he told Hazel he likes boys, but she waited until he was able to tell it. It’s still not something he likes to advertise, and that’s why he is nervous, although Piper is just as tolerant with him as Hazel was.
‘Do you think… Can you… I…’ Nico fidgets with his ring, his face is flushed. ‘You know I don’t like girls.’
‘Yes’ Piper nods. They are hiding behind the stables, and she is one of the people in the camp Nico trusts. ‘Go on.’
‘I just. Do you think.’ He is not sure what his question is. But he wants approval, and he wants approval from… Bianca. An older sister. He trusts Piper with it, and he wonders if Piper will understand what he wants. ‘I like skirts.’ He feels ashamed when he says it, and he suddenly wants to cry, because he shouldn’t want things like that. He is getting better with accepting himself, but sometimes all the doubts attack him at once. ‘Do you think I would be okay if I wore… skirts?’
Piper gently touches his shoulder, so he has time to step back if he doesn’t want it, but he lets her. He needs it. ‘Nico, if there is someone who can get away with anything in this camp, it’s you. A lot of people like and respect you. Believe me, I know every gossip, even the ones I don’t want to’ she laughs. ‘Really. And if someone has a problem, you are one of the best fighters, and everybody knows it. You are teaching a swordfighting class! Noone would dare to mess with you, Nico.’
‘But…’ Nico sighs. Piper rubs his shoulder.
‘Look, I can see in these jeans how your legs look, and they are better than any of the girl’s in the Aphrodite cabin. You will rock them. What kind of skirt do you have?’
‘It’s gray. Pleated.’
‘Must be cute.’
Nico blushes harder.
***
The next morning he just glances into the mirror, and steps out of the cabin before he could change his mind. The knee-high socks were Piper’s idea, and he liked it, and he gets a little more relaxed when the gentle morning wind strokes his legs and presses the skirt to his thighs. He needs to take deep breaths as he walks towards the dining pavilion for breakfast, so he wouldn’t get dizzy.
Piper waves at him, and Jason smiles too, although he turns to Piper in the next moment, with eyebrows raised. Most of the people are not paying attention at all. He sees Annabeth poking Percy in his side.
‘Cute skirt’ smiles Mitchell at him, when they take coffee. Their breakfast routine is the same, so they like to make small talk.
‘Thanks.’ He is a little relieved now. He takes his coffee and a cinnamon bun and sits down to his table, smiling. If Mitchell likes it, it must look good, no matter what.
‘You definitely need to wear this more’ Leo Valdez remarks when he passes Nico’s table, and winks at him. Nico almost chokes on his coffee.
