Chapter Text
“Jason!” Nicola banged on the door panickedly, praying he was home. “I’m having a crisis!” She screamed dramatically, throwing the door open and running to flop on the bed and faceplant into the pillows to mask her squealing.
“Nicola, You okay?” Piper asked, head tilted, sitting cross-legged on the couch; she was leaned against Jason, who had a sheepish look on his face. They seemed to be playing a game of Uno, the cards laid out in front of them on a couch cushion.
“Sorry,” Jason mouthed, “didn’t know you’d visit.”
Oh gods . The ravenette sat up and dragged her hands down her face. “It’s okay, Jace, I’m just having a… moment, I suppose.” She soothed herself, dragging her thumb over her closed fist.
“Oh.” Jason’s eyes widened, and he coughed awkwardly, shuffling in place. The silence dragged on for a few long seconds, and Nicola weighed her options. She could let Piper leave and speak to Jason alone, but she might be able to help. Plus, Jason promised his friends were much more accepting than the people of the 1930s, surely she would understand. Hopefully. But what would happen if she didn’t? Would she make fun of her like Leo always did about the way she dressed? Her eyes pleaded with Jason’s, mentally asking him what she should do, but he remained still in place, vision fixed on the fraying rug in front of the couch like if he looked away, the cabin would be set on fire.
Before she could make her decision, Piper’s eyes flicked between the both of them and she stood abruptly. “Ok, you guys talk about whatever you need to.” She ruffled Jason’s hair. “I’ll be in my cabin if you need me.” She got to the door, doing a silly-looking salute while opening it when Nicola finally spoke up. Now or never.
“Piper! Wait. Sit back down.” No going back now. “I, uh don’t mind you knowing.” Nicola rubbed the back of her neck as Piper awkwardly returned to her seat. “It’s just... ugh. I just don’t even know where to start.”
Jason smiled empathetically, and he finally regained his calm “Want to play Uno with us while you explain?” He flashed her the deck and Nicola let out a relieved sigh.
“Okay, just don’t get mad when I beat you guys, I have like 70 years of practice.” she joked, walking over and hoping the fake confidence could grant her some real courage. Piper’s face twisted in confusion, but Nicola shrugged it off, sitting on the rug in front of them, “Doesn’t matter. I just… I think I like...” She looked away for a couple moments, cheeks flushing in anticipation while Jason shuffled the cards, glancing at her every few seconds like he knew what she was doing, but not if she would go through with it. Deep Breath. Black eyes met dark brown.
“I like Willow.” The words came out in a singular, rushed phrase. She looked towards the floor, hoping her messy bangs would hide her pink yet scared face.
Silence fell like a blanket over the three, Jason pausing his shuffling to gauge his girlfriend’s reaction.
Nicola knew she would be accepting; her mother was the goddess of love for Hades' sake! And she trusted what Jason said. It was just so hard saying those words out loud, especially after what happened with Cupid. And the extended quiet didn’t help at all. Panic coursed through her veins as she pulled at her shoulder-length hair, eyes tensed shut as she prepared for the humiliation.
Instead, a warm hand found her shoulder, grounding her. Piper gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “I kind of already suspected. Thanks for telling me, Nicola. Must’ve taken guts.”
Nicola’s mouth flew open in shock. “What, how?”
Piper thought it over for a second, leaving Nicola’s mind to go crazy over all of the small things that might have given her away as a lesbian. Was it her hair being shorter than most campers? Was it how she never dressed femininely? Did Willow guess and tell everyone?
“It was just, sort of obvious I guess. At least to me.” Piper played with one of the small braids scattered throughout her hair. “You look at her like she hung the moon. Nobody told me anything.” She dropped her hair back onto her shoulder and shrugged casually, as if Nicola didn’t rip apart her whole being to find out what gave it away.
Jason spoke up, reassuring her. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told a soul. She’s just very attentive.” He placed his hand over his girlfriend’s and looked at her lovingly.
“Am I really that obvious?” Nicola asked, eyes wide. Piper nodded solemnly. “Oh my gods.” She facepalmed, panic shaking through her as she shuddered.
Piper reached down and patted her back, “People at camp are really accepting, hun. Plus, every time my siblings brought you two up, I discreetly changed the topic. Got your back, girl.”
“Thank you.”
Jason smiled fondly at the girls and resumed handing out the cards, counting under his breath until he reached seven. “Is that all you were panicking about?” He asked, sliding their piles towards them.
Nicola received her cards and fanned them out, planning her moves. “Sort of. She’s just. So pretty. It like, hurts.” She scrunched her eyes, and swiped a hand up her forehead. “I just don’t know what to do with myself.”
“How so?” Piper asked, placing down a yellow four. Jason picked up, skipping his turn.
Taking a second, Nicola looked down at her cards and settled on placing a green four. “The way she smiles. It freezes me in place. Her teeth aren’t perfect, but it makes me all warm and fuzzy.” Piper hummed in approval, placing her card, “And gods, her eyes. They’re so bright and blue, like the sky, and when she looks at me, I feel like I’m having a heart attack. And her freckles – and her lips!”
Jason put down a green nine and grinned at her. “You really love her, Neeks. I’m happy for you.”
“It can feel scary, huh. But still good, right?” Piper checked, straightening up the deck.
“Yeah,” Nicola’s eyes got all starry as she placed a green reverse card. Without warning, she jolted in place in place. “That’s not what I came in for!”
“Was it not?” Jason added his card to the pile.
“No! Well sort of. The way she’s been acting — it’s weird.” Piper set down a plus two and Nicola picked up the needed amount from the deck as she pondered for a bit longer. “I’ve noticed her almost looking me up and down when I’m not paying attention, and she’s been making up excuses to be around me, and touching me too. Like after she drags me to the Apollo table at breakfast and I eat a bite of food, she moves her leg to touch mine, and—” She started blushing aggressively and slapped her palm over her mouth.
“What?” Piper’s smile gave away her excitement, and her face perched on her hands as she abandoned her cards to the folds in the couch. Jason seemed to lean forward as well, curiosity taking over.
“She might have kissed me.” Piper’s jaw flew to the floor and Jason followed suit. “Well, she tried to, but I panicked! We were stocking bandages and talking, and she came closer, and I- I didn’t know what to do! I just ran!”
“Holy shit,” Piper swore, and although Nicola didn’t know her that well, she was aware that it took a lot to make the Piper McLean swear. She must be done for.
“I know, I know, I messed up! How can I fix it? She probably hates me right now!” Nicola almost wailed, her fate becoming evident as her eyes got teary.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out, I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” Jason piped up, scooting down to the floor to be eye-level with her and discarding his Uno deck like all that mattered was making Nicola feel better. His hands were warm on her shoulders, and she felt herself take a deep breath.
Piper joined them on the floor. “Okay,” She nodded, gears turning in her head, “I think you need to go talk to her and-”
“But what do I say!?” Nicola’s hands flew to her roots, tugging on them like they were a lifeline. Jason’s hands squeezed tighter, grounding her into the now, and Piper reached up to grab her hands out of her hair. Piper's palms weren’t as warm as Jason’s, but they were soft as butter, and a great thing to grip onto.
Piper spoke slowly and clearly, like she was calming a cornered animal. Her words were warm with encouragement and maybe just a little charmspeak, but Nicola didn’t care in the slightest; it helped a sense of calm and certainty wash over her. “You’ll just tell the truth - say you panicked and didn’t know what to do, but that you do want her, because you do. I’m sure she’ll understand – Willow’s the sweetest person I know, and she knows you better than anyone. ”
“Yeah, you got this, Neeks. Willow obviously likes you more than anything and a little panic won’t change that.” Jason looked her in the eyes before letting go of her shoulders with a final squeeze. “You got this.”
“Are you sure?” They glanced at each other for a moment before nodding with an air of confidence that wafted towards Nicola, helping her regain her calm.
It was just what she needed. She looked between both of them and it was clear just how much they cared about her. She wasn’t used to that - confiding in people or having them actually care. She didn’t have much time to mull over that before Piper pulled her to her feet and gave her a tight hug.
“Go get your girl!”