Title: Vampires Like Coconut Milk
Rating: M+
Pairing: Jason Grace x Nico di Angelo; Leo Valdez x Mitchell Kadar (for more information, please visit my profile); Piper McLean x Annabeth Chase x Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano
Genre: Romance; Hurt/Comfort; Family
Notes/Warnings: Written for the PJO Big Bang 2014! Gift for tumblr user unprofessionalamber as well! This story contains mentions of past!sexual abuse and underage sex, along with emotional/psychological abuse. Please read with caution.
Summary: The story starts with pads. Yes. Vampires and pads. The goddamn irony of the whole ordeal. Then there's the coconut milk, which Nico doesn't really understand because he thinks that coconut milk tastes terrible. And really, iron powder? How does that help? Then there's Percy, of course, because Percy is just there and the siren, the werewolf vodka-stealing sister, the vampire, and, no, Nico's name does not mean Victory of the Angels, so Leo needs to not give Nico a migraine this early in the day. Jason's lucky he's just that great a matter what Juno says.
Disclaimer:
-x-
Chapter I
-x-
When he thought about it months later, Nico had, ironically, gone to the store to buy pads.
At this time of night, it was safer for Hazel to just stay home. Besides, he was on the way back to their apartment anyway. There was no point in her fretting and making the trip if he could just grab them on the way.
He got off the bus two blocks away from their neighborhood and walked to the convenience store. Before the accident, Nico used to go there all the time to get emergency items for Bianca. It really wasn't a big deal. (Still, Hazel sounded embarrassed over the phone.)
Which was where he found the source of all his curiosities.
Three feet away from Walgreens stood a guy. Tall—about half a foot taller than Nico himself. The guy was big, but not as big as Frank. (Frank was a giant compared to Hazel. It was crazy how they were a couple.) He wore a black hoodie and dark pants—all of which blocked out the bright glow from Walgreen's window. Once Nico got closer, he realized that the boy was as pale as a ghost and looked ready to puke.
He debated on ignoring it.
The Good Samaritan in him ignored ignoring it.
"You okay?" Taking reluctant steps, Nico made sure to keep a foot of distance between them.
The boy looked up with blue eyes that seemed like they'd seen better days. He looked around Nico's age—maybe older, and maybe sicklier. The guy might have been tall, but he wasn't healthy.
Still—Blue Eyes had the nerve to smile. His pale lips curved by the tiniest degree and he nodded. "A little."
A little. That made no sense.
Nico held the phone tucked in his pocket. "Do you need a doctor?"
"Something like that." The soft tenor of Blue Eyes's voice was disgustingly weak. He sat up in a better position and pulled out a crumpled twenty. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Can't buy beer, if that's what you mean." Great. If this guy was sulking because he couldn't get beer, than Nico was standing there for nothing. "I'm only nineteen."
"What?" Blue Eyes laughed, but it looked like it hurt. "No, no. Not that."
With his other hand, he pulled out a slip of paper.
"What's that?" Nico's gaze narrowed.
"Too bright in there," the other boy breathed. "Can you go in there and get it for me?"
"Why?"
"Too bright," he repeated. "I'll pay you."
To be safe, Nico examined the boy again. Honestly, Blue Eyes looked like he couldn't hurt a fly. He was going to go in there anyway-why not get paid to do so? "Okay."
"Cool." Then, Blue Eyes sighed. He put both hands out and Nico grabbed the money and paper. "Don't forget the coconut milk."
Going inside, Nico was given the fake welcome by Percy, per usual. He didn't have to look up to know that Percy was probably playing the latest installment of Pokemon behind the register.
According to Percy—while he was great with the customers that came in—he had the tendency to break or make things explode. If he promised to sit still, then the manager let him breed squirtles for the whole shift.
Plucking a basket from the clumsily stacked display near the entrance, Nico skimmed Blue Eyes's list and couldn't help his frown. He gathered all the items (which were all immediately available in the store, surprisingly) along with Hazel's pads before going to check out.
"Hey." Percy shut his game and grinned at him kindly. "What are you doing out this late?"
"Hazel needed some things." Nico pulled out money from his wallet and set it next to the register. His shoulders went to his ears and he stuffed his hands back in his jacket.
"Cool." Percy scanned the items in a swift fashion and placed them in the bags beside him. He lifted the packet of pads and arched an eyebrow at Nico. "You get bad bloody noses?"
"Uh…no?"
"'Cause if you do, I recommend getting tampons. They fit in the nose better." Percy waved the packet around, like he was waiting for Nico to agree with him and trade them out for tampons. "I saw them in a movie once. Remember when Clarisse La Rue broke my nose? Totally helped."
"You told her she sounded like a man." Nico snorted. "Percy, I am not—"
"Kidding." With a wily grin, Percy set the last item in the bags and took the bills sitting next to the register. "$18.76. Here's your change."
"Thanks." Holding his hand out, Nico felt Percy's fingers graze his own palms unintentionally.
Percy grabbed the bag full of items and handed it to him. Then, with an overly-cheerful wave, he sung, "Have a nice day~!"
"Bye." Nico rolled his eyes. He grabbed a separate bag for the pads and exited.
Blue Eyes was still sitting in the dark. The shadow of the hood covered half his face, but not the weak and eager grin across his lips. He tried to stand on his feet, but Nico gently pushed him back down.
Nico grimaced. Even through the hoodie, the guy was cold at the touch.
"You got my stuff?" Blue Eyes whispered quietly.
"Yep." Nico held it out at arm's length along with the crinkled twenty.
"You didn't use it?" Immediately, Blue Eyes's smile dropped. He actually glared at the bill.
"Didn't need to. It wasn't that much," Nico lied. He scanned the street carefully before sitting across from the other boy. "I'm not going to take money from you while you're sick. Or when you aren't, for that matter."
"M'not sick," the other boy muttered. He stared at the bag full of belongings in the middle, then to Nico.
Heat surged in Nico's cheeks. He was glad it was too dark to be seen. "I'll leave when I know you're okay."
Under the pale lighting, he could see Blue Eyes lick his lips at everything sitting in front of him. He pulled the hood off his head and picked apart the bag immediately. The iron powder was taken out first, then the six pack of coconut milk. He pulled the tab on one can and showered it with the former.
What the…
"What're you," Nico frowned, "anemic?"
The smile over Blue Eyes's mouth was irrefutable. His gaze gleamed appreciatively in Nico's way before he downed the whole can. "Something like that."
A disbelieving laugh fluttered in Nico's throat. "You're crazy."
"Again—something like that." Blue Eyes proceeded to do that with the rest of the six-pack. Nico thought he'd seen everything when a drunk Percy ate a two liter jar's-worth of blue jellybeans. That same mouth moved on to the large carton of milk and ham-and-cheese gas station-type sandwich that was also on the list. Blue Eyes also devoured half a bag of sunflower seeds. He arched an eyebrow at the tiny packet of sushi Nico'd bought by himself.
"That's for you," Nico reassured. "It's a good source of protein."
"Oh. Uh—thanks."
By the end, Blue Eyes had consumed three-fourths of the bottle of iron powder through the coconut milk and sprinkling it over the food like it was salt. That many milligrams should have killed a person—but Nico had to admit, the guy looked a lot better. He was even able to stand on his own two feet.
"Thanks," Blue Eyes breathed. This time, it was mixed with honest relief. He'd emptied all the contents of the bag. "Without you, I would have…"
His voice trailed off, but Nico could get the gist of it. Standing at the tip of his feet, Nico pressed his hand to Blue Eyes's forehead. "You still look a little pale. Do you want me to walk you home?"
Immediately, Blue Eyes fell back. He pulled the hood over his face once again and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Nah, I'm, uh, fine. You should probably get those back to your girlfriend."
"What girlfriend?" Nico wrinkled his nose. That couldn't be further from the truth. Blue Eyes gestured to the bag still looped in Nico's hand. "Oh—no. Those are for my sister."
"Then she must be getting worried." A shy smile worked its way over Blue Eyes's lips. "Thanks for everything, man. I'll be fine on my own."
"But—"
Blue Eyes gripped him by the shoulders and whirled Nico around until the shorter boy found himself staring in the direction of his apartment. He blinked.
When he turned around, Blue Eyes was gone.
-x-
Once Nico got home, he left the pads near Hazel's door. The next morning, Blue Eyes's crinkled twenty falls out of the back pocket of his dirty jeans.
-x-
The following week found Nico in the same situation—late in the evening and out in public. Hazel and he had the tendency to stay up until the sun came out, which was why he couldn't figure out how Frank ever met his sister. Neither of them saw the light of day during the weekends—or weekdays, for that matter. The earliest class Nico had during the week was at three in the afternoon. Otherwise, he couldn't be bothered to be up before 11AM.
That being said, baking a cake was obviously the best at two in the morning. They could beat the egg traffic before all the moms came to Walgreens and took the good ones. At Nico's suggestion, Hazel immediately shook a slumbering Frank (who'd fallen asleep around 8PM) and they dragged him to Walgreen's.
(They compromised and let Frank bring his stuffed dolphin. The guy could seriously be weird sometimes.)
"Chocolate cake?" Nico asked. He plucked the cocoa powder from the shelf.
"Too easy." Hazel made a face and eyed the small produce section. "What about a lemon cake?"
"Gross." Nico gagged. He picked up the 24-Pack of food dye and rubbed his chin.
Yawning with exhaustion, Frank scratched his head and hugged his stuffed dolphin close. He blinked blearily at the baking section. "Can't we just buy some cake mi—"
"No," both brother and sister replied.
Frank sighed. "Can't I just sleep?"
"You can sleep after the cake's made, silly." Hazel stood to the tip of her toes and pecked the boy dearly on his cheek.
"I'm gonna die…"
"We could make an ice cream cake." Nico grinned and eyed both the strawberry extract and cocoa powder. "Neapolitan?"
"We'd have to wait for the cake to chill before we used ice cream." Hazel rubbed her chin like Nico had done earlier. "Sounds perfect."
"I'll get the ice cream." Nico turned his footing and bit back a chuckle when he heard Frank sob. Down one aisle, he picked up a carton of eggs and looked through the glass door of the freezer for ice cream.
"Is this a regular thing for you?" Next to the blurry reflection of the nineteen-year-old boy on the freezer door was a taller one. Muscular, but not as muscular as Frank. Black hoodie, hood over blond hair. Shades this time, to hide those blue eyes. The kind smile was uncanny. "Coming in the middle of the night and disturbing the peace?"
Nico placed the voice immediately. "Asks the person who's also disturbing the peace at two in the morning?"
Blue Eyes almost looked like a living shadow. The smile over his lips only turned to a grin, with a laugh as sweet as nectar. He shifted between his feet and tucked his hands in his pockets. From this close, Nico could see a tiny scar just above Blue Eyes's mouth.
"You look better," Nico noted. But not by much. Blue Eyes still looked weary and exhausted. He'd taken Blue Eyes's "the light is too bright" explanation only to be nice, but it now looked like it'd kill the poor guy. In Blue Eyes's basket were two more six-packs of coconut juice and a bigger jar of iron supplement powder.
"I…feel better." The answer was reluctant. Nico wouldn't have put it past the guy if he was lying a little too. "I just wanted to say thanks, again."
"You're only saying that because you managed to slip the twenty back in my pocket before I noticed." Nico snorted. He set his basket down gently and then pulled out a large tub of vanilla ice cream.
When he looked up again, Blue Eyes looked proud of himself. He was also holding Nico's basket. "I'm Jason, by the way."
"Nico." Nico extended his hand and Jason graciously accepted it. He almost pulled back—Jason's palm felt like it'd been sleeping in snow.
His accomplice flashed a smile—looking almost guilty—and Jason's grip kept firmly. Weird.
"You never told me why you were out there. Like…that." He regretted asking once he got the words out of his mouth. Nico had never been the best at creating conversation. It was amazing that a guy like this was even standing next to hm.
"It. Was a weird night." Jason looked up, then down, when he realized that the lights were staring back at him. "I forgot to eat and that kind of just—escalated to…that."
"Ah." He decided not to make the guy more uncomfortable than they both already were. "Did you get home okay?"
"Yes." Jason handed him back the spare basket full of eggs. Although the shades were dark, Nico could imagine Jason's eyes as big and blue as they were from the other night. "Thank you. Again—"
"You don't have to keep thanking me." Nico's nose wrinkled. He couldn't help the red that burned in his cheeks—from both embarrassment and satisfaction. Having a sweet guy like Jason look at him with big glossy hero eyes was the last thing that he needed. Immediately, Nico dug for his wallet and pulled out the twenty that he was too flustered to spend from way back when. "And here—take this back."
"No—you keep it." Jason lightly pushed it back toward the other boy, this time frowning. Nico flinched again—those cold fingers only brushed his knuckles, and they felt like ice cubes.
"I don't like getting paid for being nice." Nico tried his best not to scowl, but it was seeping through.
Evidently, Jason had the same problem. "And I don't like being treated nicely without paying the person back."
Ugh. It was people like Percy Jackson and Jason that gave Nico the biggest headache. He massaged his temples with a sharp sigh and shook his head in disbelief. "Then it looks like we're at a stalemate."
"I can live with that." Again, Jason looked to Nico with a tail wagging behind him. There was even a tiny bit of smugness wrapped around his words. "So…Nico? Is that short for like…Nicholas? Nicolai—"
"No—" Erg. Nico pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "It's just. Nico. Nico di Angelo—it's a family name."
"Di Angelo, huh? Nico still derives from Nicholas, which means Victory of the People." Jason squinted thoughtfully. He leaned against the door of the cooler and grinned. "So your name sort of means, 'Victory of the Angels.'"
"I think you just butchered English derivatives. But sure." Snorting, Nico took a step back and examined the other boy. He stared at Jason wryly. "Is that your way of telling me I'm pretty?"
"You don't need to be told you're pretty."
He rolled his eyes at the compliment and stuffed his hands in his hoodie. Of course, when a cute Walgreens alley-man decided to say something about his looks, his face had to turn red, didn't it?
"Just Nico, huh?" On cue, he heard the breathy chuckle of the taller boy. "Then I'm just Jason."
The smile over Jason's lips made Nico bite the inside of his mouth. He looked to his shoelaces, suddenly at maximum capacity for social interaction, and coiled his hands inside his jacket. His face burned with heat and fluster while his brain suddenly hit a wall.
"Di Angelo?" Either Jason didn't notice or he didn't care. "So you're Italian?"
"Half. Half Italian, half Greek." Nico shrugged, his shoulders coming to his ears. "You…like the food?"
"Can't have garlic. Makes my throat swell." The blond smiled softly and dipped his head in good nature. "It was nice running into you again. I just wanted to say thanks. Uh, again."
"Yeah." On the bright side, he wasn't the only one making this conversation weird. The mood of it somehow sat at the border of Super Bizarre and Feeling Completely Right. Nico wanted to get out of there as fast as he could, but. At the same time, wanted to stay and see how far this conversation would bring him. Something about the way Jason smiled made Nico feel like though he was getting sucked in.
Hazel shouted his name from the other end of the aisle. She frowned at him, with her basket fully loaded with all the ingredients to their cake. With little effort, she pulled a sleepy Frank toward their direction. "What are you—oh! I was wondering why you were taking so long. Who's this?"
Nico's gaze flitted back to Jason. "Uh…"
"I'm Jason." One blond eyebrow shot in the air and he gestured to Frank. "Is he okay?"
Frank, of course, took offense to the comment. He huffed. "You're not going to rob us, are you?"
Jason shook his head slowly. "Too bright in here."
"I feel you." With another grumble, Frank curled over and sighed into Hazel's hair. Within minutes, he was snoring.
"Jason's the guy that I helped out a few nights ago," Nico explained. He shifted between his feet and remembered the contents of Jason's basket. Snort. "He's also the one that asked for the weird things and practically dumps iron down his throat."
"I don't dump it down my throat." Jason raised his basket and grinned. "I drink it with coconut milk."
"Still not healthy," Nico jabbed.
"He's right." Hazel frowned. "You should come over. We have some leftover turkey from the other night."
Nico resisted the urge to protest. He wasn't one to like visitors at their apartment. The Stoll Brothers from down the hall usually threw enough parties that Hazel and he often found drunk strangers wandering up and down the floor. That was actually how they met Percy.
However, when it came to guests that they intended to bring over, Hazel had the habit of feeding them like a doting mother.
"Oh—no. I couldn't." Jason looked sheepish.
"I'll take that twenty if you take her offer." Nico shrugged and gently nudged the other boy by the shoulder. Jason looked at a loss, but not outraged. Biting the inside of his mouth once more, Nico offered, "We have cake."
He'd rather that Jason was safe than in an alleyway again.
The thought of three strangers inviting him into their apartment probably weirded him out, but neither Hazel nor Nico could bring themselves to care. Finally, Jason folded and nodded reluctantly. "Okay."
-x-
Jason had a startling interest in the way they lit their apartment. Once they left Walgreens, he deemed it dark enough to shed the hoodie and tie it to his waist like a little kid.
It was strange (and not in the good way.)
He acted a lot like Percy (who begged for cake and somehow set the sprinklers off by accident) in both wit and hardheadedness. But it wasn't hard to talk to Jason—even though Nico only knew him for a total of two nights.
Along with that, Jason didn't make crude jokes and jokingly wrap an arm around Nico like they shared an umbilical cord. A sarcastic smartass was the last thing Nico had the energy for at this time of night. Frank even less so—if the fact that he was using an open sack of flour as his pillow didn't say it all.
"It's like a cave," Jason decided. Sitting on the kitchen counter was an opaque owl lamp that Annabeth had gotten them as a housewarming present. Its entire body teemed with light when Nico flipped it on and illuminated across the ceiling like a shallow beacon. Jason helped unpacked the bags before perching on a stool.
Nico tried his best not to stare. The black hoodie tapered down Jason's firm hips and dangled over the stool, while the purple v-neck added a splash of color to Jason's still-ridiculously-pale skin, stretched from what looked like years of rugby in those arms and upper torso. He knew Jason was attractive, but the coy smile over those lips looked like it was only a cover for the naughty grin beneath it. The blond hair must have originally been cut close in the top, since it was now growing in a neat fashion.
It wasn't even ten minutes ago that the guy looked ready to pass out right next to Frank and sleep for the next millennia. Four of the iron-filled coconut milk cans were already gone, with the fifth sitting unopened on one of Nico's coasters.
"Frank, honey, you should go to bed." Hazel smiled and shook her head affectionately. "You're lying on the flour."
"Mmm…" Frank, of course, was comfortable. A groan left his lips before he looked up to his girlfriend. Half of his face was completely covered in powder. "Can't sleep without you. Too lonely."
"After the cake then." Hazel whipped out her apron and guided her boyfriend to the couch.
"Cute," Jason commented.
"Nauseating," Nico corrected quickly afterward. He rolled his eyes and pulled the fridge open for the well-promised turkey. "Do you want it hot or cold?"
"Either's fine."
From the corner of his eye, Nico saw the other boy lick his lips. Nico debated it in his head before reminding himself that Jason was absolutely cold to the touch. It might have changed since, but one could never be too safe.
(He blamed his doting nature on Bianca and Hazel. They never were ones to turn down a friend in need.)
He popped it in the microwave for thirty seconds and turned the knob on the oven. Looking over again, Nico noticed that Jason was already pulling apart the second six-pack. "They can use that for emergency blood transfusions, you know. A paramedic made the news last year because he used coconut juice to save a woman's life since he didn't have access to a blood bank."
Something different was about the way Jason smiled next. He jingled the unopened can of coconut milk around and shrugged. "That's pretty cool. This has a lot more iron in it."
"Gee, I wonder why," Nico said flatly. He pulled the plate of turkey out of the microwave and placed it in front of Jason.
A wider grin settled over Jason's lips. He tapped Nico's wristband. "Hades, huh? Haven't seen something like that before. Do you have the card?"
No way. "You play Mythomagic?" Nico rubbed his wrist and stared back at the boy in disbelief. If it wasn't for the pale skin, Nico could easily place the guy as a blockhead jock.
Shrug. "I dabble." Jason lifted one of his pockets and pulled out a purple band much like Nico's own, which was decorated with a—
"That's a limited edition When In Rome Jupiter Lightning Bolt armband. They stopped selling those since the Greek lovers hated the Roman advertising!" Nico blinked in surprise and stepped closer to examine it. He was practically sitting on Jason's lap. "How?"
"A friend of mine, Leo—he plays the game too. Says he went into a pawn shop and they were selling it for five bucks." Shaking his head in good nature, Jason only laughed. "Swears that he could have paid his way through school with it, but thought it'd look better on me. I keep it in my jacket so I don't lose it."
"And what if you lose the jacket?"
"Huh. Didn't think about that."
Nico would have rolled his eyes, but he was too busy drooling. He…hadn't played the game since he was in middle school, but it did hold a special place in his heart. (Then he went off to college and the Mytho Club recruited him. Nico never stood a chance.)
Twenty minutes later—AKA: twenty of the best geek-filled minutes of Nico's life—flew by. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken so long or animatedly to someone other than Hazel or even Frank. Eventually, Jason told him he was smiling.
"So you do smile."
Ergh. "And you feel the need to give a play-by-play of my reactions."
"Only because I can't stop thinking about you."
Silence. Nico blinked and felt his face heat up again.
The smile over Jason's lips faltered. His own eyes widened and he pressed a hand to his face, ready to die of embarrassment. "Wow. I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you said that out loud," Nico mimicked sourly. He couldn't tell if he was offended or flattered, but the sudden streak of attention and affection was…unexpected. It was like Jason was trying to pry apart his mind. Nico didn't believe this Nice Guy With a Heart of Gold act one bit.
"Don't let that freak you out. It's really just—" Jason sighed. "Word vomit."
"Happens to you a lot?"
"Only when my mouth thinks from itself."
"Smooth." A wry smirk curled against Nico's lips. He readjusted himself over his own chair and his lips contorted to a straight line. They fell silent—the first lull in the conversation since they started.
"Should we wake them up?" Jason gestured to the living room where Nico's forgotten sister and sometimes-roommate lay. Frank had somehow landed on the floor while tiny Hazel was curled up into a ball on top of the stuffed dolphin Frank was holding earlier.
"Yeah." Nico stood to his feet and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. "She'll be mad if I don't."
"What's the story with you and her?" Jason, for some reason, stood up with him. "Sister?"
"Step." Nico rummaged through a drawer before he found a hair tie. From the corner of his eye, he could see the ghost of a smile curling over the other boy's lips. "I mean—it's weird."
"I've got time."
"My mother and my sister—they got into a car wreck when I was ten. Then Dad married Hazel's mom and the three of us got pretty close. But then Hazel's mother…" Nico grimaced and felt the rest of the story clog the back of his throat. He knew there wasn't any way he was going to finish that story. "I only knew her for a short time."
He looked over to Hazel, heart aching, and swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Everything about that night came back to him. Hades' second wife didn't last that long, either. Nico still remembered holding Hazel at the funeral, when his sister lost grip on her emotions the same way he did. He vowed to protect her from that point on—just them against the world.
Against their father, he added in his mind.
"It's just her and me now," Nico concluded. "Dad has this new girlfriend, Persephone, who could pass for our older sister. It's pretty nauseating."
"I'm…sorry." It wasn't hard to tell that Jason was regretting asking.
Nico shrugged. They all did.
"Sorry," Jason repeated. "You don't have to tell me that stuff."
"You asked." Nico side-stepped Frank and slowly shook Hazel awake. He checked his watch—if they got started now, then they could have the cake iced before the sun came up. "What about you?"
Jason chuckled. The sound of it was thick—almost bitter, but Nico's mind didn't linger over it.
"Don't tell me," he said instead. "Raised by wolves to control an army. You live in the alleyway near Walgreens as a cover for all the monsters you have to slay."
"Nope, just a fourth vampire."
Snort. Then—Nico laughed. He didn't know why, but the immediate comment made him feel better. Then again, Nico didn't think he'd be spending his Saturday night chatting about Mythomagic with a cute guy. It was…nice. "How do you do that?" Flip his mood so quickly?
"Do what?" He didn't have to turn around to know that Jason was grinning.
"Mm…what are you laughing about?" Hazel groaned softly before she sat up and stretched out her limbs. She gasped. "Did you start on the cake without me?"
"Not yet. I learned my lesson from last time." Nico smiled and kissed Hazel serenely over the forehead.
"Good." With that, Hazel planted her feet to the ground and shook Frank. "Frank, honey…"
When he got back to the kitchen, Jason met him with a quiet smile. The taller boy ran rubbed his wrist with his other hand, where the limited edition Jupiter bracelet sat. "You're a good brother."
Of everything Nico had been told since he was little, being a good brother was something he valued. And—the exact thing to say to get on his good side. Nico smiled back sheepishly. "Thanks."
-x-
"The sun's coming up," Jason commented.
"Yeah," Hazel said tiredly. "I'm getting sleepy."
"The cake looks good though." Frank grinned, now fully awake and on his second cup of coffee. He'd tried to help by icing the cake, but Nico and Hazel slapped his hand away several times. Again—Nico had no idea how a morning person like Frank ever came into their lives.
"You should stay for a slice of cake." Nico looked over from the kitchen counter, where he was inspecting the 24-Pack of food coloring. "Sorry you had to wait so long."
"No, that's fine. I uh," Jason grinned back kindly. "I liked the conversation."
"Yeah. Usually that one doesn't say more than two words to people." Frank laughed—which was quickly cut off by one of Nico's grumpy glares.
"We should play a game of Mythomagic some time. I bet you're better competition than he is." Nico smirked and brought the bowl over. "You'd be toast against my Hades and his Helm of Darkness."
"Not if I have Apollo's Sun Chariot." Jason smiled back. His gaze flitted to the window once more and he grimaced. "Maybe I should get going."
"No slice of cake?" Hazel frowned. "You should have first bite! You're the guest."
"Nah, I—I don't like cake anyway." Jason gathered himself and pulled the hoodie over his shoulders.
"You liar." Nico looked at the blond in disbelief. He scoffed.
"Rain check?"
Wow. Turning his head, Nico took a better look at Jason—who looked incredibly desperate to get out. He was prepared to roll his eyes and call Jason out on his dick move, but the worried look in those blue eyes couldn't be hidden by the easygoing smile.
(Nico had those moments. He also had people who let him keep those moments.)
"I'm holding you to it." With a sigh, Nico hesitated before going to the fridge. He placed four slices of turkey in a bag.
"What are you doing?" Jason frowned.
"Giving you more options other than the ham-and-cheese sandwiches from Walgreens." Nico snorted. "If you're going to skip out on us, then you might as well leave with souvenirs."
"It is good turkey," Frank offered helpfully.
"Mm." Ignoring the red in his cheeks, Nico held out the baggie.
Blue eyes looked back to him. Jason blinked before taking the bag. "Uh, thanks."
"Nico can walk you out," Hazel said. The duo cocked their heads to the small girl, who didn't even bat an eyelash. Instead, she took a look at the mixture Nico made to coat the cake and smiled up to Jason.
Nico resisted the urge to glare. His face burned. The last thing he needed was for Hazel to hook him up with a cute guy.
"I can deal with that," Jason replied. Already, his hood and cap covered his face while he zipped up his jacket.
"Dude." Nico's gaze narrowed. "It's the sun. You're not going to die."
"I'm a special star."
"Right." He pulled his hoodie over his head and shut the door behind him.
"Now who's hiding from the sun?" Jason teased.
"Still you." Nico rolled his eyes—but he couldn't help his own smile. Usually skipping out was one of the best ways to get on his bad side. He started the path toward the elevator, only to be stopped when Jason didn't follow him. Nico frowned.
"You don't have to walk me the whole way." The blonde stuffed his hands in his pockets and started his own way down the corridor.
"I'm already out here."
"Trust me. You'd have more fun icing the cake."
"O…kay."
"Nico?"
"What?"
Jason's line of sight flitted from one end of the hallway to the other. He eyed the window, watching as sunlight glimmered through and gently painted shadows of a vase full of flowers against the carpet. Then his gaze reeled back until he looked back to Nico. Focused.
"Uh—?"
Hands found their way around Nico's jaw. Before he knew it, Jason's lips pressed onto his own, latching onto him with unexpected fervor. The heat of the kiss, along with the cold touch of Jason's skin, wrapped around Nico like a blanket in New York snow.
Then, it was gone. Jason pulled away—hesitantly, shyly—with the pads of his fingers still tickling Nico's cheek.
What the…?
Nico dragged Jason down by the front of that dumb hoodie. He reached up, burying his fingers in the back of Jason's head, and brought them at eye level. Jason eeped—and then Nico kissed him back, mouth open. He dragged his tongue beneath the roof of Jason's mouth and engrained that scent. Unsurprisingly, Jason reeked with the taste of coconut milk and all-too-weird iron powder.
(Nico couldn't get enough of it.)
His heat matched with Jason's cold, as his hands thumbed Jason's cheekbones. Jason moaned sweetly in his mouth, hands suddenly running down Nico's back. The shorter boy jumped when he felt cold fingers set firmly on his lower (bare)back beneath his shirt. And—
Ow.
"Ah—" Nico pulled back. He cradled his mouth, where he—had a slit on his lower lip. One that was bleeding.
"Sorry," Jason breathed, which was when Nico looked back up. The blonde heaved, chest expanding as his lungs tried to catch up with the rest of him. The red in Jason's cheeks was uncanny—and blotchy. He looked how Nico felt (aside from the weird cut on his lips), even though Nico swore Jason had been freezing.
Then, Nico froze. His entire body fell still, and he stared back at Jason. Through Jason.
Jason, too, pulled the hood back over his head. Squirming. He suddenly eyed the window again like a kid, ready to die. "I really have to—"
BAM
Before he could finish, Nico retreated behind the door and slammed it shut.
What even?
He turned around, shoulder blades against the wall, and tried to catch his breath. Then, looked up.
To Frank, who was bright red and looking everywhere but Nico.
Hazel yawned before smiling at her brother. "So, how'd it go?"
A week later, Nico was trying to push the kiss out of his mind. It wasn't easy—considering Hazel felt the need to bring Jason up every ten seconds. Even Frank tried to be of help before he turned red and babbled that calling a guy hot was just too weird for him.
Nico didn't know what bothered him more—the fact that he made out with a guy that he knew for all of two nights or the fact that Jason hadn't turned up since. He wasn't one to get into relationships. The last almost-fling that he had had left Nico with a bruised ego and what Percy liked to call "emotional constipation."
Somehow the rumor-mill caught onto Annabeth, who discussed it with Mitchell, the Stoll Brothers, and even Clarisse LaRue—which left Nico hearing love advice at home and at school.
"So what does he look like?" Mitchell asked out of nowhere. Nico groaned.
"Do we really have to do this?"
"You've been moping for the past three days. Even for you." Mitchell smiled empathetically and curled his hands over his latte. "Plus you dropped a Bunsen burner on Connor Stoll's foot today."
"He rigged it to shoot out shaving cream." Nico rolled his eyes and rested his head against his palm. "He had it coming."
Of course, Mitchell being Mitchell, stared at his friend carefully. "You're going to hide their cat before they get home, aren't you?"
"Their fault for living three doors down." Nico scoffed and laid his head in his elbow.
Mitchell thanked the barista for him when she came by with more coffee. "When's the last time you were in a relationship?"
"Three years ago. Before Will Solace told me that I was emotionally distant. " The other boy glared into his sleeve. He looked up and took a long sip of his frappe. "Unless making out with Ethan Nakamura before I poked his eye out counts."
"It doesn't," Mitchell replied.
"Then," Nico concluded, narrowing his gaze back to the other college student, "three years ago."
"And did it hurt?"
"Not anymore." Will Solace had been the first guy Nico dated and fell in love with. There were few people in Nico's social life, but the ones who were there were who he held dear. He'd…never had the chance to tell his two moms, or Bianca about his sexuality. Nico called himself a coward back then. If he'd come to terms with it sooner, then they would have known the other part of his life that he used to be ashamed of.
Will was a guy that brought him out of that mindset—so outgoing and warm that he was almost as blinding as the sun. He had the same shade of blue in his eyes that Jason did, with floppier hair, and used to make up terrible poems to see Nico smile. After a while, Will took Nico's thoughtful silence as inexpressive. The guy was great, but Nico didn't have the patience (nor mental capacity) to shower someone so affectionate with the same amount of attention. He was a good first boyfriend. A very good one.
No one really liked Nico the way Nico liked other people. The thought of getting into a relationship with that knowledge made him nervous and turned him off.
Yet kissing Jason was electrifying.
More magnetic and cohesive than anything Nico'd ever experienced before. (Including the time Travis Stoll electrocuted the both of them.)
Nico sighed. He didn't go looking for a good lay, but he had a feeling that every kiss from here on out would fail in comparison if they weren't Jason's. That was going to be the hard part.
"You're thinking about him," Mitchell said.
"Thanks for the play-by-play, Kadar." Nico stirred the whipped cream in his drink and took a long sip. At this point, Hazel would chide him for so much caffeine.
"Have you tried looking for him?"
"No."
"It's going to bother you until you do." Mitchell's eyebrows knitted together and he frowned. "I'd rather you avoid dropping more Bunsen burners in class."
"Noted."
"Is there like…a reason why he wouldn't come to you?" One of Mitchell's eyebrows shot in the air. Higher.
"Well…" Nico confessed.
"You slammed the door on him?" Mitchell gaped.
"First instinct," Nico quipped instantly. His face flushed, burning with insane heat before he sunk back in his seat. "And I don't—kiss someone that—"
—he could imagine himself in a relationship with. Jason did the dumb thing of being attractive and having a personality that melded so well with his own. Nico almost wanted to kill him.
(And then kiss him again.)
"Then he probably thinks you don't want to see him." The tone Mitchell took reminded Nico of an exasperated mother.
"Then I guess that means we're not seeing each other anymore," Nico seethed. He turned a darker shade of red and covered his eyes.
"You're seeing him again."
Nico groaned. "Why?"
"Because you're going to continue moping until you do and we're going to run out of equipment in Chemistry." Mitchell rolled his eyes and sucked the life out of the end of his drink. "So—what does he look like?"
"Blond hair. Blue eyes." Nico tapped his fingers against the table before he examined his watch. His next class would be starting in the next—two hours. Great. "I should really—"
"Hot?"
"Cold, actually."
"And?" Mitchell pressed. Nico never considered the guy aggressive, but he was certainly persistent.
He sucked the inside of his cheek and gave in. Nico sat back in his chair and glared at his half-melted frappe. "He likes Mythomagic."
"Oh my god. He's your soul mate."
"As if." Nico nearly choked when he took a sip of his drink and looked up to the other boy in disbelief. Seriously?
Glaring at Mitchell didn't make that smile go away. That same smile, however, contorted the slightest degree and those eyebrows fell closer together. Mitchell loosened his scarf and his entire demeanor was a blend of sympathy and semi-intervention. "Don't you think it's time to move on from you-know-who?"
Yeah. Yes, his mind persisted. Nico sucked the inside of his cheek, grip tightening over his caffeine-enabler. From the corner of his eye, he saw Percy make wild hand-gestures and laugh along with the Stoll Brothers. His heart tightened in his chest and he pretended he wasn't looking at all.
"C'mon." Then, Mitchell stood to his feet. He held his empty cup in one hand and stuffed the other in his beige cardigan. A pearly-white smile found its way toward Nico. "How many Walgreens can this guy hide in?"
"He hides behind them, actually."
"Soul mate."
"Shut it."
-x-
Night fell before Nico left campus. He didn't like wandering out of a five-mile radius of school—only because it tempted him to take the subway and bus back to his apartment to take a nap. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he decided to push midterms to the back of his mind.
He would have to, if Mitchell was going to use the next three hours to find him a date. The lucky duck had been free from classes since they left the student union much earlier during the day—and was very much well-rested to keep him company for the night. Frank had some Twenty-Three-Month Anniversary plans with a lovestricken Hazel who—of course—already approved of Mitchell's plans of taking Nico out.
(And they did search the Walgreens by Nico's apartment building after coffee. There was no luck—no matter how much the tiny voice in Nico's heart insisted Jason might be there.)
"Is there anywhere else he'd be?" Mitchell asked when they got off the subway. They waited on ground level for the bus that would take them to Nico's apartment.
"I knew the guy for two nights." Nico shrugged and pretended it didn't bother him. Then pretended it was easy to pretend it wasn't bothering him. "All I know is, he likes coconut milk and abuses supplement powder."
"Lovely."
"Can't we just watch movies at my place?"
"No. The Bunsen burners are at stake."
Nico rolled his eyes. Mitchell was, if not anything else, one of the most emphatic and dramatic people that he met since moving to New York. "You just want to pair me up with someone, don't you?"
"He likes Mythomagic and you two have already cleared first base and a half." Mitchell rolled his eyes. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Plus, three years is a long time. Even for you."
"I've had other…things, you know." Mitchell should know. He dragged Nico to half of those mixers in the first place.
"Yes," the other boy said back, "but don't you want something a little more…concrete? Like Frank and your sister?"
Mitchell had him at that one. Nico hated to admit it (and he wasn't even going to delve into the news of Marriage Equality in New York, since Frank wouldn't shut up about it when he found out Nico's sexuality and Percy just loved everything that had to do with his city) but a relationship like the one Hazel had with Frank was something he envied.
Frank was, first and foremost, Hazel's first boyfriend and vice-versa. Nico thought they were crazy to be celebrating a twenty-three monthaversary, but Hazel wasn't going to break up with the guy for being extra sweet. During their first New Year's together, Frank was flabbergasted when a tipsy Nico gave his blessing for their future wedding—whenever that might be.
(According to Hazel, Frank spent the rest of that party freaking out over the fact Nico actually liked him.)
He hated digging into sentimental things, but if he could find someone that made him smile every day like Frank did for Hazel for even a minute, then Nico was sure he could be happy for the rest of his life.
"Soul mates," Mitchell suddenly said. His voice intruded on Nico's ministrations.
"And why aren't we finding you someone?"
"Not interested." The other boy waved his hand noncommittally and smiled. They hopped onto the bus when it finally came.
Nico rolled his eyes again. "We're not going clubbing."
"Book store then. My favorite author just released a new book." Mitchell grinned.
"I can live with that."
A small, family-owned book store was four blocks down the road from Nico's bus stop. Once they were let off, Mitchell and he started the trek there. Nico cursed himself when he remembered they would be passing Walgreens on the way.
"Are you getting nervous?" Mitchell mused when he realized Nico was fidgeting.
"No," Nico seethed. He wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans and stuffed them in his pockets. After that, there was no way he could ignore the way Mitchell was grinning at him. It got worse when they got to his stop. "Fine. The times that I did see Jason, it was at night."
"What? Did we go on a wild goose-chase for nothing at three in the afternoon?"
"Not for nothing. He…freaked when he realized how late it was at our place." Nico looked at his shoes. One of his laces had lost its aglet. Huh. "And by late, I mean that the sun came out."
"Not to mention you slammed the door on him."
"Instinct," Nico tried to stretch. His face was already turning red again.
Mitchell's laughs filled his ears, and he nudged Nico in the rib. "You've got it bad."
"I do not—"
"—okay, I get that you're an all-powerful demon-spawn or whatever with amazing powers, but did you really have to steal the last Fruit Roll-Up?"
Four people came out of Walgreens—three girls and one boy, who was the shortest of the bunch. He looked to the three of them irately, hands fluttering in the air like they had their own puppet show. None of them paid notice to him.
All three girls faced Nico. Literally.
Nico shouldn't have had a reason to stare back. Except—two of them were dressed the same way Jason was the last time Nico saw him: black hoodie, black hat, and nearly every inch of skin covered by clothing. The third girl was tan, looking of Native American descent, and looked less inconspicuous to the other two—an Indie band t-shirt and a pair of jeans two sizes too big and rolled midway up her calves.
Both black hoods held two six-packs of coconut milk.
"Do you know them?" Mitchell asked, unfazed. Nico supposed they did get stranger things in New York.
"Uh." Was all Nico could conjure. He couldn't figure out why they were staring at them—him, in particular—nor could he figure out why two of them were dressed like Jason.
"Hey, you." Beneath the darkness of her hood and visor, one of the girls grinned. She waltzed over to Nico and quickly wrapped an arm around him. Nico stiffened. "Haven't seen you in a while. You're all that Jason talks about, you know."
Jason?
The girl pulled the hood away from her face, and Nico already knew he'd never seen her before in his life. She had terrifying, feral blue and black hair that was peeking through her cap.
"Yeah," said the girl dressed in less suspicious clothes. She gave off a neutral demeanor before joining the other girl. "Haven't seen him in a while. You know where he is?"
"Do I know you?" Nico retorted.
"Well," said the one beside him, "You smell like my brother, so for the time being, I'm going to say yes, you do."
"What?"
This time, all three girls turned around and stared down their short fourth-party. He twitched, eyes wide and lips stressed in comical irritation before he looked to the sky and muttered something in Spanish under his breath—which was probably the English equivalent to, Fiiiine. Then without warning, he scurried to Mitchell's side and swung an arm over the taller boy's shoulder. Or tried to—before grabbing Mitchell by the wrist and dragging him back to the store.
"Wait—" Mitchell frowned. "What are they going to do with him?"
"Oh, ask a few questions, maybe crack open a beer and then share a drink over how moronic Jay can be." The shorter boy waved his hand dismissively and rolled his eyes. Of course—Nico didn't overlook how familiarly and affectionately the new stranger referred to Jason. "As my late Grandpa Sammy would say: 'If a Valdez—by obviously rare chance—can't fix it, then go back into the store and see if they restocked the Fruit Roll-Ups.'"
"Did he really say that?"
"It changes from generation-to-generation." Rolling his eyes, the boy saluted his friends and returned inside with Mitchell in tow. "Peace out, Scary Pretty Girls."
Mitchell tightened the scarf over his neck, looked over his shoulder, and mouthed Help! to his otherwise preoccupied best friend.
Nico groaned.
And as soon as Mitchell was out of his—their—their peripheral, Nico found himself against the wall. Not forcefully—but still with enough discomfort that made Nico want to get out of there. Like, now.
To his surprise, Feral Eyes only sighed. She glared up in the air, fists trembling, before sucking in a breath and relaxing. Then, she pulled out a wallet from her back pocket and two ID pictures. One with her and one with Jason. "My name is Thalia Grace. And I'm assuming you met my brother, Jason, because your clothes reek of him."
"That's assuming that you and I are talking about the right Jason," Nico responded tersely. He glared at her and readjusted his hoodie and self. The realization hit him—and he pressed a hand to his face.
It was coincidently the same hoodie he wore when Jason's hands were all over the place last week.
"Judging from the way you're smacking yourself, I'm going to conclude that we are." This Thalia's wryness and immediate air of wit made Nico think of himself. And just a little bit of Percy—which failed to make him feel any better. "Look, he's a little bit taller than I am and has this scar on his lip from the time he tried to eat a stapler. Can't be too hard to miss."
"You two look nothing like," Nico snapped back in irritation. "And he did what?"
"He was two." To his surprise, Thalia retracted her grip, gaze wistful. She sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair. Her demeanor was akin to every single one Nico had until he and Hazel came to terms with Bianca's death.
She…did have cold fingers, like Jason did.
Nico relinquished a sigh. "You look a lot better off than he did."
The last thing he expected was a smile over the face of a girl who was close to killing him five minutes ago. This Thalia Grace snorted and rolled her eyes. She took two steps back so Nico could finally breathe and placed the cap over her head again. "That's because that idiot has it in his mind that self-sacrificing is the only way he can live. The way Jace feeds on coconut milk and mineral powder—I could puke."
Okay then. Nico knew her for all of ten minutes and already they were on the same page.
The other dark-hooded girl pulled the hood away from her head. She had a different skin pigment than the other two—a soft complexion that was on the lighter scale for bronze—and glossy black hair that was exquisitely pulled into a braid down her shoulder. Clothes aside, Nico couldn't help thinking she looked like she belonged to royalty. "What did he look like when you saw him?"
He decided to omit the fact that he was studying in the medical field. Instead, Nico stuffed his hands in the hoodie that Thalia was too interested in and shrugged.
"Don't lie," the same girl said sharply. Like reading his mind.
"He looked bad," he confessed reluctantly. "And then good. I mean—it was out here, actually, that I ran into him. He could barely walk until I got him some food and that coconut milk." Nico wanted to reason that the mysterious Walgreens Hobo was just insanely hungry, but he knew that the math didn't add up with that explanation.
"Well he can't survive on that long." The third girl frowned and Nico suddenly felt dizzy. Her voice mixed with something else as sweet as honey in his ear, heart jumping like it wanted to leap right out of his chest. "His blood lust is probably killing him."
What?
The royal-looking one sighed. "He's an idiot, Thalia. Your brother."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Thalia muttered. "I'm going to kill him when I find him. Then I'm going to convince him to find a blood partner already and kill him all over again."
She scrutinized Nico carefully from head to toe before her face scrunched.
"I'm surprised he didn't just ask you. Jason always was weird, but I guess you're pretty cute."
Impulse got the better of him, and Nico eyed her back. He didn't know why—it just felt like the right thing to do. "I ran into him twice. The last time was last week, and I haven't seen him since. What do you mean by blood partner?"
Nico wasn't sure how to feel about Walgreens Hobo's supposed sister calling the aforementioned party a hemophiliac. On one hand, cool, blood was an interesting topic, and on the other, wow there was something that happened outside of Twilight fanfiction and other teen novels.
"Huh." Thalia gave him another onceover, and Nico had the impression she was sizing him up. "Jason's a vampire."
-x-
