Work Text:
Daniel is enjoying himself.
He’s in New York, sitting down with his cousin and having a nice conversation over a nice cup of coffee.
Sally is just in the middle of telling him about her process of writing her second novel, when a loud crash sounds from the kitchen.
“Ow, merda! Stupido contatore del cazzo.”
Daniel startles, almost dropping the cup of coffee halfway to his lips. With a frantically beating heart he sets it down on the table.
Italian…..?
That’s the first thought that pops into Daniel’s mind and he can’t help but feel a bit sheepish for it. Of all the things to think about when hearing quite possibly a break in, it just had to be the spoken language of the culprit.
“Sally, wha-”
Daniel is interrupted by the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor, as Sally stands up.
“Excuse me for a moment, would you?”
She gives him a reassuring smile, her brow creasing in what Daniel assumes is concern.
He frowns. Even with the slight sign of worry, Sally seems unusually calm and unbothered by what appears to be a break in. He isn’t much for letting her go in to confront a stranger, but it is her apartment and she does seem to be keeping her cool.
Daniel nods, but it apparently isn’t very convincing, as Sally gives him a look he can’t quite make sense of.
“You can come along. I suppose you were bound to meet Nico at some point.”
Nico? Well maybe it isn’t a stranger then.
The thought settles Daniel’s nerves a little, as he follows Sally to the kitchen, but he still has questions.
Like who is Nico. Where did he come from? How did he get in? Why did he break in? How does Sally know him? Why doesn’t she seem concerned that he broke in? Is it a common occurrence? If so, wh-
Daniel’s stream of questions stops abruptly when they reach the kitchen.
On the floor, leaning against the wall, sits a teenager. His almost all black clothes are ripped in some places, almost looking like claws had raked through them. Daniel doesn’t see any visible wounds, but the boy’s skin is deathly pale and his dark eyes seem tired and guarded. He quite frankly looks like death is looming over him.
“Nico. Are you alright? Can I get you anything?”
Daniel stays in the doorway, as Sally steps forward and crouches down to be at level with the boy- Nico. His eyes seem to soften when he catches sight of Sally.
“Oh, Sally. Sorry for barging in. I’m alright. Just needed-”
Nico stops mid sentence and Daniel feels the moment Nico’s attention shifts from Sally to him.
It’s like ice spreading through his veins, an uncomfortable feeling of apprehension settling over him. He feels like he should run.
“Di immortales…..”
The words - Latin, Daniel absent-mindedly registers - are quiet, spoken almost in a whisper and Nico takes an audible breath after, eyes staring unblinkingly at him.
“Sally. Who is this?”
Daniel switches his gaze from Nico to Sally, but doesn’t dare move a muscle.
“My cousin. Nico, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is Nico. He’s Percy’s cousin on his dad’s side.”
Sally's voice is warm, but Daniel can see the way she looks back and forth between him and Nico. She’s tense and it unsettles Daniel more than he’d like to admit.
“Oh.”
Nico finally blinks, but he still looks at Daniel like he’s personally offended him. Sally is also beginning to give Daniel a nervous look. She looks like she’s debating on what to say and to whom, but then she looks at Nico.
“Is he…..…familiar?”
Daniel almost blinks in confusion. Familiar? What?
Nico is quick to shake his head.
Sally untenses slightly.
“But something’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. He’s…..”
Nico pauses, blinks, gives Daniel one last soul piercing look and then looks Sally in the eyes.
“No. Nothing’s wrong. Forget I said anything.”
Daniel relaxes. He doesn’t even know what Nico was about to say, but something tells him, he should be glad the boy changed his mind.
Sally also seems to relax, a hesitant smile finally returning to her face.
“Okay. Do you need to call anyone? Do you need a ride?”
Daniel’s mind is whirling as he and Sally retake their places at the dining room table. Nico had gone into Percy’s room for some privacy to call someone named Will.
“I hope you don’t mind the interruption. Percy’s friends tend to drop by unexpectedly.”
“Oh. Well I don’t mind. It’s just-”
“Weird?”
Daniel considers his words.
“No, not weird…well maybe a little..but more just…surprising.”
A small smile graces Sally’s face.
“It’s per my request. They all know this is a safe place they can visit at any time.”
Daniel gives his own smile.
“That’s really thoughtful of you.”
He genuinely means it. He knows how much it matters to know that there’s somewhere you can always go, but he also won’t deny that he’s a bit confused. He feels like there’s something he’s missing. Some hidden meaning behind Sally’s words.
The SGC and scientist part of him is eager to prod and poke at it until he gets an answer, but he stops himself.
He’s promised himself that he's not going to be analyzing every interaction he has with Sally like he’s on the job. He’s not going to be suspicious of every little detail that’s out of place.
His life is weird enough already - let his relationship with his newfound family be at least somewhat ordinary.
A voice in the back of his head shouts something about Nico and Percy’s father’s side of the family, but Daniel mentally strangles it.
Now is not the time for that conversation. He came here to learn about Sally and her about him, so that’s what they’re going to be talking about.
Not Nico. Not Percy’s other family. Not the Italian. Not the Latin. And definitely not Sally’s concerning word choice.