Work Text:
For early September weather, it’s raining ridiculously hard. Maybe Nico’s opinion is a little skewed since he’s the one walking back in said weather. He makes the walk from the library to the apartment building in a record sixteen minutes, ducking into the apartment building as he shakes off some excess water. It doesn’t do much to fix his whole just dipped in the ocean look he has going for him.
When he gets to the apartment, he promptly throws off his boots near the entrance, grimacing at the squish of his socks. Truly, the devil couldn’t reach him so he’s now forced to pad through the apartment’s entrance in wet socks. He reaches for the hood of his sweatshirt, already pulling it over his head, when Sally peeks out from around the corner, grimacing at his state.
“Oh dear.”
Nico barely has time to tug the hoodie the rest of the way off before she vanishes down the hall, only to return with a towel in hand. “Let me just…” she mutters, stepping forward to rub at his hair before he can protest.
“Sally—” He groans, grabbing the towel from her. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.”
Reluctantly, she hands over the towel, crossing her arms as she watches him half-heartedly wring out his hair. “You should have called. I didn’t realize you’d be walking back so soon.”
“It’s not a big deal.” Nico shrugs, but Sally’s already fussing again, ushering him to the bathroom with a firm hand on his shoulder. As they walk, they pass the living room.
Paul is sitting on the couch with Percy and Estelle, the latter’s face lighting up immediately when she spots him lingering by the doorway. “Nico!” she chirps, tossing one of her small dolls into the air in celebration.
Percy looks up next, immediately choking back a laugh at Nico’s state. “Did you fall in the pool again?”
Nico starts to fix him with a glare but ultimately resists when Percy throws himself behind Estelle like the world’s smallest and smiliest shield. “First of all, I’ve never fallen into the pool—you dragged me in. And second, can you seriously not hear the rain?”
Percy just grins, leaning over Estelle’s shoulder to whisper conspiratorially, “Don’t listen to him, Stella. Say, ‘No pool for you!’”
Estelle tilts her head, processing the words. Then she claps her hands. “No pool! No pool!” she chants, giggling.
Nico groans, tipping his head back. While he loves hearing Estelle add new words to her vocabulary, he has a sneaking suspicion this one will stick around for days. He glances toward Paul for support, but the older man looks unfairly entertained, smiling as he sips his tea.
Before Nico can endure more bullying from Percy and his little minion, Sally clicks her tongue, snatching the towel back to ruffle his hair one more time. “Alright, you—go shower now before you catch a cold.”
Nico sighs, pouting at Sally when she drops the towel onto his head. Still, he trudges toward the bathroom with his head held high, ignoring Percy’s gleeful cackling.
He takes a long shower, stealing a moment to finally process the weekend’s events. He hadn’t let himself dwell too much on them before now, but now, alone, it’s all he can think about.
His initial impressions of Will were years old, now that he thinks of it—loud, too bright, a constant thrum of energy. He wasn’t necessarily a troublemaker, but Nico’s friends’ side eyes at his dislike for Will make sense now. Because, despite everything, he enjoyed the time they spent together over the weekend. Even if they didn’t do much, it didn’t feel like a waste.
Will is polite and funny when he wasn’t lost in his own head. He’s a little sensitive, but also incredibly smart and independent. And he’s still a mystery to Nico, which, for some reason, makes him want to know more.
He thinks that’s why he asked Will to work on the project with him. Beyond hearing glowing recommendations from Annabeth about Will’s intelligence and work ethic, he wants to keep knowing more about Will—not just his problems, and certainly not just the situations that he thinks defines him. He wants to know who Will is as a person. He wants to keep him in his orbit. And what better way to do that than a semester-long project?
It is a little embarrassing how quickly he’s clinging to Will, though. Bianca always teased him for that—developing "friend crushes" fast and going all in, only to have them blow up in his face. The memory sours his thoughts as he sighs and tilts his head back into the water, trying to wash away the thoughts.
When he finally steps out, he can hear the TV and low chatter from the living room. He towels off, changes into dry clothes, and stands by his bed, fumbling for his phone on the nightstand. Surely it’s been long enough that it won’t be weird to text Will?
His thumb hovers over the screen as he thinks about what to say. Something casual. Normal.
(12:53 PM)
nico:
hey
it’s nico
That’s fine. Is that fine? Probably. He tries not to overthink it, pressing send and immediately throwing the phone down like it might burst into flames any second now.
He flops onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. There’s nothing to do now but wait.
…Not that he’s waiting, of course. Definitely not waiting.
After a few minutes of silence, there’s a knock at the door. He groans in reply, much too comfortable to even think of leaving his bed, and Percy peeks his head in.
“Yo, quit moping.”
Nico groans louder, grabbing one of his pillows and making a pitiful throw in Percy’s direction. “I’m not moping.”
He hears Percy laugh, forcing himself to sit up after a moment. It’s worth it though, seeing as Percy’s face is a mess of color—crude lines of marker streaking across his cheeks and forehead. “Huh. Estelle got to you?”
“She’s in her influencer era.” Percy declares, very much unashamed by the state of his face. Pushing the door open wider, a grin begins to form on his face. “Anyways, you’re next.”
Before Nico can respond, Estelle barrels in, clutching a fistful of markers and squealing with excitement. Nico lets out a dramatic cry, putting up a small fight before letting Estelle climb onto the bed and begin sizing up his face.
Laughing, he lets himself be distracted.
He’s late to school the next day, mostly because he severely underestimated just how much Estelle’s “makeup tools” would stain. Twenty minutes of scrubbing later, his hands are still faintly green, but he doesn’t have time to care.
At least Percy’s late with him, though that doesn’t stop the older boy from whining through the entire drive there.
(“Since when do you care about being on time?” Nico huffs, desperately trying to finish his pudding cup in peace as Percy hits every pothole in the greater Olympia area.
“Since Annabeth said she’ll give away my latte every time I’m late,” Percy grumbles, gunning the accelerator till they’re going ten over the speed limit.)
He misses part of biology, but there’s no love lost there. Calculus doesn’t fare much better seeing as Nico spends most of the class competing with Leo to see who can land the most crumpled paper balls in Jason’s hair before he shakes them out. Quite entertaining, seeing as Jason doesn’t even notice until Leo’s record of sixteen is on the line.
By the time history rolls around, Nico is walking with Jason, who’s still ruffling his hair in an attempt to shake out the leftover paper.
“Why is it that whenever you and Leo get along, it’s at my expense?” Jason grumbles.
“Hm, I dunno,” Nico huffs, “why is it that whenever you and Leo get along, it involves the two of you disappearing to a separate room for half an hour?”
Jason makes a face. “Hey, I apologized for Piper’s party—”
“What about Piper’s party?”
Reyna’s voice cuts in as she steps out of classroom. Her braid is pulled tightly over one shoulder, and she glances between them with her usual neutral expression, though Nico catches the slight curve of her lips.
“Jason ditched me. For Valdez,” Nico says immediately.
Jason lets out an affronted noise, but Reyna just shrugs, her smile growing more obvious. “Hm. You could stand to be ditched once in a while. Learn you some socializing.”
Nico’s protests fall on deaf ears, and by the time they reach the classroom, Jason and Reyna are arguing about something or the other (probably some current events crap—all his friends are nerds like that, unfortunately). He trails after them, taking his seat to Reyna’s right.
As he pulls out his notebook and a pen, his eyes instinctively begin to scan the room. He finds Will across the room almost immediately, looking more or less the same as he did the day before—maybe a smidge more exhausted, if that’s even possible. To his surprise, however, he realizes that Will is already watching him, blue eyes seemingly locked onto his movements.
He tries for a small smile, though quickly he remembers that he has been informed by multiple people that his “small smiles” often look more like “pained grimaces”, so he adds a wave for good measure. It has the desired effect, as some of the tension bleeds from Will’s frame. He returns Nico’s smile, some exhaustion clearing from his expression as he waves back.
Unfortunately, the moment doesn’t last long. Will’s gaze flickers away from Nico for a moment, tension returning as he drops his hand and promptly looks down. Nico frowns to himself, but tries to ignore it, looking down and setting up his page for notes.
His prep work is pretty useless, given that he does basically everything but listen to the lecture. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy the class—in fact, history is probably one of his favorite subjects, outside of his language and art electives. But their teacher has this special talent for taking any amount of interesting subject material and spitting it back at them in the most monotone, sleep-inducing voice possible.
Emphasis on sleep-inducing, given that he’s halfway to closing his eyes for a power nap when someone flicks his forehead. Huffing, he sits up slowly, glaring at Reyna who’s watching him with an unimpressed frown.
Before he can go back to his current mission of taking a well-deserved nap, Reyna leans over, whispering, “You were waving to Will.”
Nico bristles, sitting up properly this time. “Yep.”
“You don’t like him.”
“Who told you that?”
“You did. In sixth grade, when he and the purple-haired girl released all the frogs and ruined the dissection lab that you were excited for.”
Huh. Nico raises an eyebrow, giving her a sidelong glance. “How the fuck do you remember that?”
Reyna just shrugs, still watching him expectantly. Sighing, he starts twirling his pen. “Okay, well. We’re friend—friendly now. Doing the project together, so…”
He hopes that the explanation would suffice, but Reyna’s too sharp for that. “And since when did this become a thing? Have you even spoken to him before?”
Nico huffs, shooting her a pointed look. “I’m just trying to get the work done, Reyna. Nothing else to it.”
Before she can reply, he suddenly finds himself very interested in whatever the teacher is droning on about. He feels Reyna’s eyes on him for a few seconds longer before she looks away, unconsciously dropping her shoulders in relief.
He glances toward Will again, noting how his head is bowed low over his notebook, pen moving furiously. He’s not too surprised—everyone’s he’s spoken to who has shared classes with Will have mentioned that he is quite studious.
Sighing, he straightens up a little. He supposes if Will is putting in this much effort, the least he can do is not make him regret teaming up.
The rest of the day is a blur. He aced his Latin test, but otherwise, there is nothing else of note. It doesn’t help that gym is the last class of the day. By the time the final bell rings, he’s significantly more sweaty and beyond ready to leave.
He slings his bag over his shoulder and pushes his way through the packed halls. Percy has swim practice today, so he’s condemned to make the walk home himself. But as he rounds the corner, he spots a familiar figure—a flash of blonde hair bumping through the crowd.
Will.
He watches Will for a second, noting that he seems a little more awake than he had in history. Before he can think it through, he shifts his course, walking until he’s certain he’s in Will’s line of sight.
“Hey.” Will greets him first with a small smile—a warm one, the freckles on his face crinkling slightly.
“Hey,” Nico replies, trying to stand as casually as one can at the outskirts of the sea of teens. “You heading out?”
Will nods, glancing to the stairwell down the hall. “Yeah, I was actually planning on hitting up the library for a bit.” Before Nico can reply, he watches Will dig around in his bag, fingers fumbling a bit until he pulls out the raincoat and umbrella, handing them over. “Meant to give these to you earlier. Tell Ms. Jackson thanks for loaning them. And letting me stay over.”
Nico frowns, his eyes flicking between Will’s outstretched hand and the items. It’s a little silly, but he’d kind of hoped Will would hold on to them a little longer—if not for his benefit, then just so there would be an excuse to see each other again soon outside of the project. He doesn’t really know what to make of that thought.
After a moment, he glances up at Will, noting the confusion written across the other boy’s face. Right, he should probably reply.
“Well, actually,” he starts carefully, “I was gonna ask if you wanted to come over and work on the project for a bit. Get ahead of things, I guess.”
He watches in real time as Will expression morphs from confused to fully conflicted—most likely, he’s reviewing the thousand different ways he might be a bother if he comes over. And consequently, the thousand different ways to avoid the situation as a whole.
“Uh, we could work here at the library, if you want,” Will finally suggests. Seems Nico’s observation is spot on then.
He raises an eyebrow, pausing for a moment as he searches for an argument. “We could. But Sally made brownies last night, and I might chew my own hand off if I don’t get one.”
It’s not even a lie—when Sally bakes things, there is a ninety percent chance Nico would kill a man to eat it. Plus, after his test today, he’s earned at least two brownies.
Will’s expression shifts, some nerves seeming to clear up as he laughs—a bright sound that fills the air. “Okay, okay, didn’t know it was that dire.”
He readjusts his hold on the umbrella and jacket before nodding, tilting his head down the hall. “I guess we should get going soon then.”
Nico nods, ignoring the fireworks going off in his chest. Mission accomplished. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The first afternoon at the apartment with Will is surprisingly fun, even though they don’t get much work done. Nico was nervous at first—he hadn’t had much chance to talk to Will after their impromptu sleepover—but despite his worries, Will turns out to be surprisingly easy to talk to.
They manage to kill some of the tension when Will apologizes for crashing at their place. Not that there was any reason for him to apologize—in fact, it drives Nico a little crazy to see how upset Will looks with himself—but the apology finally gives Nico the chance to put the issue to rest. He thinks he does a pretty good job of it too, though he panics just a little when he accidentally lets it slip that he thinks of Will as a friend. Said panic vanishes the instant Will gives him a beaming smile in response.
By the time the second afternoon rolls around, Nico’s much more at ease. He is also absolutely ravenous when they get back (thanks to Piper and her overzealous soda can that drenched his entire lunch), inspired enough to try and cook something.
Will is significantly less thrilled by the idea.
“My cooking skills are limited to, like, cereal,” he grumbles, throwing himself into a seat at the table. Nico snorts, moving around the kitchen to collect what he needs.
“Well, call this a learning experience then,” he shoots back. He’s got most everything except for the pan he needs which, for some inexplicable reason (probably another one of Percy’s evil schemes), is in the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets. In other words, just out of Nico’s reach.
He struggles for a solid minute, even going as far as to take a few steps back and do a running jump, but if anything, the pan gets pushed back further. As he glares up at the cabinet, debating whether the humiliation of clambering onto the counter would be worth it, he hears a chair scrape behind him.
Wordlessly, Will steps forward, raising on his tiptoes to carefully grab the pan from within the pile of miscellaneous kitchen crap before placing it on the counter. He turns, fixing Nico with a triumphant smile.
“My takeaway from the first lesson: you are short.”
Nico rolls his eyes, moving the pan to the stove. He pulls up a recipe on his phone (and no, it’s not embarrassing that he needs a recipe for garlic grilled cheese, shut up). Sliding a knife and chopping board over to Will, he gestures for him to join in.
“Focus up, Solace. You’re on garlic duty.”
They make good progress, and based on smell alone, Nico is already feeling proud of their work.
“Okay, I guess I can see the vision,” Will admits, carefully chopping the last clove of garlic.
“Told you.” Nico waves him off, admittedly smug. Unfortunately, the movement causes his hand to brush the pan. He pulls away, wincing sharply. “Fuck.”
Immediately, he hears the knife clatter as Will steps closer, watching him with a small frown. “What happened?”
“Burnt my finger,” Nico mutters, shaking his hand out. “Dammit.”
Will doesn’t hesitate. To Nico’s surprise, he gently takes his wrist and leads him over to the sink. “Cold water,” Will says firmly, turning the tap on. “It doesn’t look bad, but let’s keep it under for a minute or so.”
Nico stays quiet, more aware of the way Will leans closer, his brow furrowed and his mouth set in something close to a pout as he examines Nico’s hand. The rush of cool water is a relief, but it doesn’t do much to calm the sudden flurry of emotions.
After a moment, Will turns off the tap and steps back, giving Nico a smile warm enough to make him pause. A dimple forms on Will’s left cheek as he asks, “Better?”
Nico opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Before he can force a response, Will freezes, his nose wrinkling.
“Is that smoke?”
His stomach drops as they both sniff the air. The sharp, acrid scent hits them both at the same time, and they turn in unison toward the stove. The pan is steaming, black smoke curling up from the edges of a charred sandwich.
“Shit!” Nico scrambles, switching off the stove and grabbing a spatula to scrape the blackened mess onto the counter. Unfortunately, the smoke keeps coming.
Grabbing a dish towel to wave it away, he glances over his shoulder. “Solace, can you open the—”
His plea falters when he spots Will sitting down, doubled over in silent laughter. “Really, man?”
Will is too far gone to respond, clutching his stomach as he wipes at his eyes half-heartedly. “Sorry, I’m just…” He gasps between wheezes, doubling over again. “No—I’m just learning so much. Honest!”
Nico groans, tossing the dish towel toward him. It lands clean over Will’s head, muffling another burst of laughter. “Put the height to use and make sure the fire alarm doesn’t go off.”
They eventually clear most of the smoke, though Will’s lingering giggles keep slowing them down. The air is still thick when they hear the door open. Both freeze mid-fanning, wide-eyes locking across the kitchen.
They both watch the doorway as a figure appears, cutting through the light haze of smoke. Nico relaxes when he realizes its just Percy (Sally doesn’t scare him, but her threats to enroll him in cooking classes if he causes one more accident do). Will, however, doesn’t relax, his shoulders still hitched as he busies himself fanning more smoke out the window with both hands.
Percy calms surveys the kitchen, his gaze moving from the open window to the blackened sandwich abandoned on the counter, and finally to the wisps of smoke still curling in the air. After a moment, he sighs, dragging a chair over to the fridge. He climbs up, fiddling with the smaller window above it until it pops open. Hopping down, he slides the chair back into place and turns to Nico.
“Keep the windows open for another ten minutes,” he declares, clapping Nico on the shoulder. “And for the love of God, don’t let the fire alarm go off. Paul just replaced it a month ago, and I will throw a shoe at it again if it starts screaming.”
Without waiting for a response, Percy heads to the counter, cutting and plating two brownies for himself. As he leaves, he slows to give Will a quick fist bump, which Will returns without hesitation. Some of the tension visibly leaves his frame.
Once he’s gone, Will turns, shaking out his hands. “Wow. He is… not that scary, actually.”
Nico raises an eyebrow, dropping his dish towel to try and scrape some burnt cheese off the pan. “What, Percy? Of course he’s not—you thought he was scary?”
Will shrugs. A light blush tracks across his face. “He comes off a little intense. Granted, Annabeth’s told me every non-threatening story there is to know about him, but...”
Nico glances over, lips twitching into a smile. “How weren’t those enough? I’m sure Annabeth has first-hand accounts of Percy’s top ten worst moments.”
Will’s blush deepens, absently scratching his face as he shrugs. “It’s all on me. I get into my head pretty easily, I guess.”
Nico purses his lips, finally giving up on the pan and tossing it into the sink. “Well, trust me, Percy isn’t exactly a hard judge of character. If you tell him he’s funny or something every once in a while, you’re good in his books.”
Will huffs a laugh at that, placing his dish towel onto the counter. “Reassuring, thanks.”
Nico shoots him a small smile, giving up on cleaning the pan and heading for the fridge. “Anyways, I think we should eat something else.”
“Oh, good call,” Will scoffs. “What’s the backup plan?”
Nico pulls out a stack of neatly packed leftovers, setting them on the counter. Will stares at the containers, then gives Nico an incredulous look.
“You had this the whole time, and you still wanted to cook?”
Nico shrugs, peeling back the lid of a pasta dish. “I was inspired. Creativity should be encouraged.”
“Not in this kitchen. Kill it.”
Rolling his eyes, Nico grabs two forks, handing one to Will. “Just shut up and eat, Solace.”
Will grins but doesn’t argue, taking a container as they migrate toward Nico’s room.
Things get weird on Will’s fifth time coming over. The afternoon flies by as they actually manage to lock in and consolidate their ideas for their project proposal. Afterward, they alternate between chatting and playing games, until Sally comes in and asks Will to stay for dinner.
Nico shouldn't be surprised when Will turns down the offer, as he has every time before, but it still makes him frown. He waits until Sally leaves before turning his gaze to Will. “You can stay for dinner, you know.”
He doesn’t mean for it to sound pushy, but he thinks it must, given the way Will’s expression crumples for a second before turning flat. Will shrugs and starts putting away his things. “I know.”
The silence that follows feels heavy. Will seems to pointedly avoid Nico’s gaze, only offering a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes as they exit Nico’s room. He watches Will say goodbye to Percy and Sally, then take the extra minute to lean down and entertain Estelle’s babbling.
When they reach the complex door, they pause. Nico glances outside, unsure of what to say.
He thinks about apologizing, but doesn’t really know what for. He didn’t mean to be pushy, but he knows it might have sounded that way, given he’s been told his tone control is lacking. He also doesn’t want to apologize and make Will feel like Nico didn’t mean what he said either—because he really does want Will to stay longer, to accept the offer to stay over, friend to friend.
So, he lets the topic drop, shifting his focus instead. “You know where you’re going for the night?”
Will shifts, shrugging as he keeps his gaze down and jaw tense. “Yep.”
Nico swallows, nerves settling in his stomach. After a moment, he nods, taking a step back. “Well, text me if you need anything.”
Will finally looks up, nodding, though his smile strained once again. “Yeah. I will.”
They bid each other goodbye, and Nico watches from the door as Will walks down the sidewalk, disappearing around the corner.
The moment Will is out of sight, Nico rushes back upstairs, ignoring Percy’s call from the living room, and locks himself in his room. He kicks off his shoes, curling into bed, pressing his face into his pillow as a tight, burning sensation crawls across his chest.
He stays like that for a while, trying to block out the weird feeling in his chest that makes his head spin. He has no reason to feel upset—hell, he doesn’t even know if Will is actually upset with him. It doesn’t make sense, but the feeling persists anyway.
Eventually, there’s a knock at his door—Sally calling him to dinner. He drags himself out of bed, relieved that no one asks questions as he silently takes a slice of pizza. He only eats half, trying to ignore the concerned look Percy shoots his way. The conversations around him fade into the background, his mind still spinning, only snapping back when Estelle proudly shows him the huge bite she’s taken from her pizza. He manages a smile for her.
When dinner wraps up, and Percy and Paul are cleaning up, Nico slips away back to his room. A few minutes later, there’s another knock at the door.
“Come in,” he says, keeping his voice low. The door creaks open, and Sally steps in, her smile soft as she looks at him.
“Can I take a seat?” she asks, gesturing to the side of his bed. Nico nods, shifting over so she can sit down next to him.
Sally settles down next to Nico on his bed, her voice soft. "How was your day?"
Nico shrugs a little, staring at the floor. "It was fine."
Sally watches him carefully, twisting her wedding band absently. "Did something happen with you and Will?"
He falls silent, unsure how to respond. The tension in his chest tightens, and he shifts uncomfortably, trying to piece together his thoughts. To her credit, Sally is quite patient, giving him space.
When he is quiet a little too long, she tries again. "We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but if it would make you feel better, consider me your sounding board, hm?”
Nico squeezes his eyes shut, a sigh slipping out. "Nothing happened... I think. Or maybe something did. I’m really confused."
Sally nods, staying quiet for a moment, letting him gather his thoughts. "Can you explain a bit more?"
Nico bites his lip, feeling the words catch in his throat. He blinks hard. "Well... I invited him to stay for dinner, like I always do, and he turned me down. And... I might have been pushy about it, so now I think he’s upset with me."
His voice falters, and he winces as he realizes how dumb it sounds. "It sounds stupid, doesn’t it? Like, I know it’s not a big deal. But... I just... I don’t know."
Sally looks at him with soft understanding. "If it’s bothering you, it’s a big deal,” she insists, reaching a hand out to squeeze his. “Did you mean to be hurtful?"
"No," Nico says quickly, his heart sinking as he speaks. “Of course not. I just…” He falters, realizing he can’t tell her too much more about the situation, not without exposing Will’s issues. “I wanted him to stay, but I might have been rude, and he was acting weird after I asked, so…"
Sally nods, seeming to choose her words carefully. “Well… I think you can let Will know that if something’s bothering him, he can talk to you about it. But just because someone’s a little short doesn’t always mean they’re upset with you.”
Nico nods slowly, his mind working through her words. For a moment, the panic starts to simmer down. The feeling of unease—the same one that came up when his dad would get upset and ignore him for days on end—starts to make sense.
"I’ll text him," Nico murmurs, taking a deep breath "Sorry for being weird during dinner."
Sally smiles softly, giving his hand another light squeeze. "It’s okay, thank you for talking to me. Do you want something to eat now? I can still make you a plate."
Nico shakes his head, his appetite still nowhere to be found. "No, I’m good. Thanks."
Nodding, she opens her arms. Nico hesitates for just a second before leaning into her embrace, letting out a slow breath as he squeezes her back.
"Better?" she asks quietly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
"Yeah," he whispers. He pulls away a little, giving her a small smile. “Thank you.”
Once Sally leaves, Nico stays sitting on his bed, staring blankly at the door for a moment. The weird feeling in his chest lingers, though it’s dulled slightly after talking to her. He sighs and leans back against the headboard, rubbing at his temple.
After a few minutes, he leans over and pulls his bag onto the bed, rifling through it until he finds his notebook. He flips to a blank page. At first, he tries to work on a sketch he’d started the week before. But to his frustration, his focus keeps wandering. Huffing, he flips to a new page.
He doesn’t really think of what he’s drawing until he’s got a rough recreation down. It’s a version of the UFO (Death Star—whatever) that Will had shown him in his own notes during one of their work sessions. Finding a reference picture online, he adds shading and detail, letting the process pull him in. For a little while, the tightness in his chest eases, and his breathing slows.
After ten more minutes, Nico closes the notebook and sets it aside. He grabs his phone from the nightstand, turning it over in his hands before finally unlocking it to check his messages. There’s nothing from Will yet, but his heart lifts when he spots a notification from Hazel.
(6:52 PM)
hazel:
Hi, big brother! <3 I hope your week is going well! Call me soon?
Nico couldn’t keep the smile off his face if he tried, thumb hovering over the keyboard for a moment before he types back.
(7:42 PM)
nico:
of course
miss you :(
fri at 7 work?
While waiting for her response, Nico debates texting Will. He drafts a couple of messages, typing and deleting, before finally deciding on something simple.
(7:43 PM)
nico:
hey, sorry if i was pushy today abt dinner
lmk if you’re all good for tonight tho
He sends it quickly, not letting himself second-guess. Thankfully, his attention turns again when Hazel’s reply comes through just a few minutes later.
(7:57 PM)
hazel:
Yes!
Lots to catch up on
Would you want to come over for Christmas? We’re thinking of doing something the 20th
Mom says you are always welcome!!
Nico pauses, his smile faltering slightly as he reads her message. He knows that he’s not in the right headspace to consider going back to visit, but he has a feeling even at peak emotional capacity, holidays back there are still off the table. Still, it’s Hazel asking him, and he doesn’t want to just brush her off.
(7:59 PM)
nico:
we’ll see
lets talk more on fri
you can tell seph i apprecaite the offer
(8:00 PM)
hazel:
Hmmmm
Last I checked, you could text her too…
(8:01 PM)
nico:
every time i text her she takes it as a sign to call me
for like
two hours
it’s sweet but i’m not up for it rn
(8:03 PM)
hazel:
That’s ok, I was just teasing <3
Are you feeling alright?
(8:04 PM)
nico:
yes ma'am
just a logn week
saving up my energy for fri
:)
As soon as he sends the message, another notification pops up. This time, it’s from Will.
(8:05 PM)
will:
It’s okay! I’m sorry for being moody
It’s been a long few days haha
I’m back at my house now tho BTW, so thanks for checking in :D
Nico frowns slightly, rereading the message. Back at my house. He’s relieved that Will isn’t sleeping in public spaces or outside anymore, but he hasn’t forgotten what Will said about his mom—or what led to this situation in the first place. He hesitates before replying.
(8:05 PM)
nico:
that’s good to hear
don’t answer if this is intrusive, but did u talk to ur mom?
A soft chime draws his attention back to Hazel’s chat.
(8:06 PM)
hazel:
Ok!!! Well I will let you go then
Get some sleep
I will be preparing my notes for Friday :-)
(8:06 PM)
nico:
oh my
high stakes, got it
night hazel <3 love u
(8:07 PM)
hazel:
Sweet dreams, Nico!!! <33333333
He hearts her message, smiling at the absolute misuse of the heart emoticon, even as his thoughts flicker back to Will. His phone vibrates again.
will:
It’s all good now, yes!
Also, almost forgot
We should probably get some poster paper for the project, right?
Nico raises an eyebrow. He knows a diversion tactic when he sees one, but he decides not to push.
(8:08 PM)
nico:
mmm probably
lowk percy probably has smth so i’ll raid his shit first
b4 we go buy things
(8:08 PM)
will:
Well, that’s definitely a plan xD
If he doesn’t mind, that would be great
(8:08 PM)
nico:
he won’t mind
trust
(8:09 PM)
will:
Hmmmmm…
Are you planning to ask him? O_O
(8:09 PM)
nico:
i repeat
trust
(8:09 PM)
will:
LMAO
Alright, I will let you handle it
I gtg now, but I’ll see you tomorrow in class
Goodnight!
Nico smiles to himself. The lingering anxiety is still there, but he knows it’ll ease once they see each other in person.
(8:10 PM)
nico:
have a goodnight will :)