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The drip, drip, drip of water eased his tense shoulders.
“I’m guessing you don't wanna come hang in the rain,” a figure with blonde dripping hair had entered his cabin, “I find it quite calming.”
Dark eyelashes were heavy against his cheekbones with tiny water blobs hanging from them.
“It seems like you don’t share that sentiment.” pale skin in front of him, it was Jason.
His breathing slowed down, the humid air clogged his throat as a sign of dehydration.
“You wouldn’t appreciate a storm if it were the reason for your mother’s death.”
Inhale.
Exhale.
He sighed again, tranquility submerged his consciousness as if every worry in the world had disappeared. Banished. Stroke down by the lightning that seemed to crash every 5 minutes or so.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The softest melody interrupted his meditation, so calm it rivaled the rain itself. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you stay under the rain much longer.” Will’s tired voice, adorned by the southern accent he desperately hid from everyone else, sent a shiver down Nico’s spine.
“Five more minutes,” his back against the entrance of cabin 13 hid his growing smirk from Will.
“No, no more minutes,” he stumbled towards Nico, arms stretched outward to avoid hitting anything, the darkness of the night shadowing his vision. “You said that an hour ago!”
“That’s a lie,” he lied, stifling a giggle. “You’re just too tired to notice the time.”
“Or maybe I’m just missing my hugging pillow,” a warmth invaded his cheeks. Will laughed as he settled next to Nico, his freckled hand found a place on his shoulder and brought him closer. “It’s hard to sleep without your body pressed against mine.” a big yawn escaped from his mouth, Will stretched like a half-asleep cat.
“You’re too clingy Will,” he shook his head. “How will you sleep when you go to college on your own?”
“Don’t remind me of that.” he groaned. Golden locks tickled his shoulder, the weight of Will’s head made him open his eyes. To be fair, Nico also wondered how he would sleep without Will.
They both sat in silence under the rain. The rumble of thunder was like a beating heart as if they were laying on top of the storm’s chest, they swayed along its rhythm. Sparks of lightning from the distance colored their faces in an electrifying shade of blue, it reminded Nico of the fireworks that splashed the night when Camp Half-Blood celebrated any special occasions or the eyes that used to glance at him during stormy nights like this one.
Nico would’ve probably scolded Will for sitting by his side in the pouring rain, but the warmth of his boyfriend and his own haziness didn’t encourage him to do so. He hummed softly and pressed a light kiss on top of wet blonde hair. Will snuggled deeper into his neck.
“You’re so obsessed with the rain,” he whispered against his skin, another shiver spread through his body.
“I find it quite calming,” he tilted his head back, the rain fully hitting his face “Like a cold presence soothing me with ghost touches.”
“Anyone would probably hate getting touched by a ghost,” Will snickered, “You’re so weird.”
“Says the guy who listens to true crime podcasts at 3 am.” They laughed quietly, trying to avoid the attention of the harpies.
He had told Will the truth before, his attraction to the rain, his inclination towards it. How his body moved without thinking and brought him under the constant drip, drip, drip. How his mind was invaded by melancholic memories of lost ones. How his eyes immediately wondered towards any window nearby when he heard the first droplets hitting the roof.
Even if his drenched hair tingled his skin.
Even if the rough breeze made him shake from the cold.
Even if his nightmares brought him to tears that combined with the fallen water.
Nico still sat under gray clouds, he still admired the horizon, he still smiled as the storm picked up. Thunder and lightning had become a natural comfort.
“You’re marvelous, Di Angelo.”
“Why would you say that?” he frowned, confused but flustered by the sudden compliment.
“There’s a million ways I could answer that question,” he placed a chaste kiss on his neck, “And any answer could take me days to explain,” another kiss on his shoulder, “You would end up becoming a flustered red poppy.” a final kiss on his hand.
Nico scoffed and pinched Will’s cheek, a muffled whine made him laugh again.
The comfortable silence came back. It made Nico reminisce about those gray days in Venice were his childish mind excitedly awaited the first drizzles, about the warmth of his sister’s hold when thunder was too loud for him to handle on his own, about destroyed buildings and the flickering street lights of Washington DC, and about long silent nights next to Jason Grace’s presence.
His knuckles rubbed against the wood underneath him, the texture grounded him from any bad thoughts. Nico closed his eyes again, letting his other senses experience the beauty of the rain. His other hand squeezed lightly on Will’s thigh, his hairs tickled as a reminder that this was his reality, not whatever his mind haunted him with.
He focused again on one memory in particular, the one Nico remembered the most, the one which made him enjoy the rain.
“My mother wasn’t exactly someone I cared for,” Jason sat next to him in the darkness of his cabin, only lit by the occasional lightning that caused him to gasp, the thunder that followed made him flinch from surprise and other feelings Nico preferred to ignore, “I didn’t even know her properly.” he sighed.
Nico muttered an apology in his jacket, he curled into himself as a protective instinct.
“Are you ok, Nico?” His worried tone made Nico slightly cringe, there wasn’t any malicious intentions behind the feeling, he was still getting used to other people caring for him, “You seem…frightened.”
Jason was bold to make such a claim. Nico? Frightened? How dare he think of him in such a vulnerable way?
But the other half of Nico’s mind was startled, it was scared of the phenomenon outside and it feared how easily Jason had seen through him. He hated his sadness, the haunting memories, everything that caused him to be afraid of the storm outside. These feelings only prompted him to stay inside, to not move from his safe space, to keep himself wrapped in a bundle of soft blankets.
Nico only grunted as a response, not feeling like talking.
“It’s the storm, isn’t it?”
Nico grimaced, he avoided electric eyes.
“Are you…afraid of the storm?”
Strike. Rumble. Nico flinched. His breath quickened. His eyes shut tightly. He found himself once again on the debris of what was once a building, his sister holding him as they both cried, the suited man in front of him was talking but all he could hear was the rain, the lightning and the thunder. Each sound hurt him, he was desperately shaking in Bianca’s arms, he only managed to scream one word, “Mama?”
Nico didn’t understand what had happened back then, he didn’t know how he had survived.
Nowadays he hopelessly asked the sky why he had survived.
Reality slipped away, but a soft voice startled him. Pale hands brought him into cold arms, sparks from the body he was pressed against tickled him. Nico’s senses came back painfully slow. His lungs ached from the heavy breathing.
“Breath with me, Nico.” One hand combed his hair, the other rubbed his back.
“Jason-”
“Inhale,” he squirmed in Jason’s arms, “Exhale.”
He tried to control his breath by focusing on his friend’s soft voice.
“Inhale,” he followed his friend’s words, “Exhale.”
A few silent minutes of breathing eased his nerves, the storm outside was diminished by Jason’s words. Once he gained his composure, Nico slowly pulled back, putting some space between the son of Jupiter and him.
“I’m fine now-”
“No you’re not,” Jason’s worried tone asked a silent question ‘Would you like to explain what’d wrong?’
Nico hesitated. He didn’t want to show vulnerability. But he wanted to open up, he seeked comfort, and he was sick of stripping himself from it. So he told Jason about his mother’s death. Or what tiny glimpses he remembered.
Jason, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, processed his story quietly. Sitting near him and tugging the hem of his jacket lightly to ground Nico, to remind him of his presence. “Saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t feel meaningful,” he calmly claimed, “But, I think I have a better way to make you feel less scared! Maybe.”
Jason’s voice, charged with excitement, made him groan. His tone told him that he was about to say something cheesy.
“Think of it this way,” he clasped his hands together as if he was praying, “I know how to wield lightning, right?”
Nico nodded, connecting the dots.
“So, anytime there’s a storm, that’s me!” he smiled kindly “Reminding you that I’ll always be there for you! Even if it's not physically”.
A snort escaped from Nico, he stifled his laugh, “Jason, that’s too sappy-”
“And every time lightning or thunder strike, those are my words of reassurance! It’s like the clouds are me talking to you!”
His laughed slipped out, Jason joined him.
It was stupid, childish, and cheesy. Nico felt like a little kid comforted by his father. But he liked it, he felt all warm and fuzzy. It was an addicting sensation that his reason told him to escape from but his heart told him to seek out. It felt like another step in his healing journey. The rain became a much nicer experience with Jason nearby.
After his death, Nico had grown to love the rain.
It wasn’t stupid anymore, it was solace. He began seeking the supporting presence of his friend in thunderstorms, in the lightning strikes. Said rumble was now the heartbeat of Jason, those strikes were his voice screaming through the electricity. His friend’s words resonated deeply inside him, a ghost from Nico’s past soothing his body with every droplet that landed on him, the last thing he had that reminded him of his closest friend.
“Let’s get back to bed, Angel,” soft kisses chastely pressed on his skin “‘m fuckin’ tired.”
Nico sighed, “Okay.” he pecked Will’s lips, “But I think we should take a shower first.”
“Obviously,” Will stood up and offered his hand, “You’re shiverin’, darlin’, so don’t blame me if you do get sick.”
Nico snorted knowing Will could easily heal him with a forehead kiss. He took his boyfriend’s hand. Standing still for a second to capture the last bit of grace from his lost friend. Then he walked into his cabin, tranquility never leaving his body.
He’ll be excited for the next storm, not an ounce of fear holding him back.