Hey guys! I'm back with another Solangelo request from my tumblr! I now have a blog where I'll post all my new fics and fic updates, so if you're interested check out nish-s-random-writing.
So this one is pure Solangelo fluff, little to no angst, might be a two or three shot!~
Everything was too bright and sunny. Nico detested it.
The sun was too hot, too bright. The wheat fields in the distance were too golden, too bright. The sky was too clear, the breeze was too warm, the general atmosphere was too damn bright. Even the blond farm boy on the horse was too bright.
Nico really, really wanted to move back to Seattle.
His family's bright red pick-up came to a halt in front of an old-looking, but well-maintained farm house. From his spot by the window, Nico could easily see the wide front lawn that stretched far beyond the porch, and what looked like a well-kept row of sunflowers peeking out from what should be the backyard. The house itself was painted a mixture of baby-blue and white, looked to be three stories tall, probably had an attic up there, and seemed rather sturdy for its old design. Big and new.
Nico preferred small, cozy, worn places—this house was not for him.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Nico nearly jumped at Bianca's touch. He turned in his seat to find her looking at him with a warm, reassuring smile. Nico immediately relaxed. "I know it's a big house, but I'm betting the rooms are nice and cozy." She said.
Ah, Bianca, the older sister who always knew what to say. Honestly, Nico was grateful to have her, but the knowledge that she would soon be leaving for college made his heart sink. She had only come along to see the new house. Come school season, which happened to be a week away, she'd be off to her university in Boston, and Nico would be left to finish high school in this stupid, too-bright, too-sunny town.
"Come on, dears," chided their mother from the front seat. "Help me and your father with the luggage!"
Bianca was right, the house's interior was rather snug. The lower floor was mostly carpeted, while the upper levels were wood planked. The hallways were apartment size, the rooms not too large but numerous.
Nico had settled into the room across from Bianca's. It was significantly smaller than his sister's and had twin windows overlooking the front yard. There was also a tall shelf, a mahogany desk complete with a lamp, a single-person bed, a nightstand, and a closet. Standard issue, really.
After maybe an hour or two of rearranging the furniture and stocking his things into the shelves and closet, which by the way took severe effort, Nico was thoroughly exhausted and had face-planted onto his bed. That was when his mother had burst into the room, grinning expectantly, and told him to go "see the sights!" Nico in turn had put up a half-hearted argument about being perfectly fine indoors, but was ushered out anyway.
On the way out Nico passed Bianca who was skimming through her application forms on the porch's coffee table. He had considered talking to her, but she seemed frustrated enough already. Meanwhile, Nico saw that their father had set up their Rottweiler, Cerberus's kennel below the porch, and was trying to get the excited dog to stop murdering the hyacinths.
The pale, dark man that was his father had managed to get the rowdy dog onto a leash and was tugging harshly to get him away from the poor shrubs. Nico watched for a minute or so, before deciding he'd seen his fill. He made his way across the wide yard, staying within a five-meter distance of the dog-induced chaos, and crossed the low wooden fence.
As he walked, Nico noticed how the distances between the houses were rather large, and each one looked extraordinarily different from the other. Some front yards were overflowing with vegetables, some with flowers, some had several trees dotting them.
He kept on walking, absorbing in as much detail as he could. It was so striking how this place could exist in the same country as dreary old Seattle. It was so bright, full of color and sunshine. Now, he didn't have much complaints about Seattle's cityscape, but the country side… It was just something else entirely.
A good distance down the road, the houses began getting farther apart. These ones had actual farms in their back yards—one even had a barn and a windmill next to it. Its property stretched so far across, the next house was a spec in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, Nico spotted what looked to be horses lounging lazily within said barn. He decided to investigate.
Jumping over the fence proved to be an easy feat, it was only about three to four feet high. Now, granted, this was private property, but Nico had no bad intentions. He simply wanted to see the horses. If anyone was around, he could easily explain himself, and if the farmer got angry, then he could easily run for his life. No big deal.
The horses, maybe a dozen or so in number, were all tucked into their separate stalls. Some looked to be asleep, some shuffled about, and others were feeding or taking a drink. The barn smelled horribly of horse dung, but Nico didn't mind. Not too much, anyway. As long as he didn't actually go inside.
Nico decided he'd see what else the farm had to offer, and turned to see a blond, freckled boy about his age standing in his way. Nico recognized him as that boy he saw riding a horse from earlier's car trip. Up close, he had striking blue eyes and a prominent tan that would forever burn into Nico's mind.
The boy nodded at him, not a trace of hostility in his eyes. "You're the new guy, eh? Name's Will Solace. Nice to meet'cha!" He had that almost cheesy-sounding southern drawl in his voice that had Nico wondering if he was actually a cowboy from the movies. Granted, he had never really heard that accent in real life before, but it stuck out to his ears like a sore thumb.
"Name's Nico." He nodded back, trying to keep his astonishment under control. "Do you live here?"
"Mhmm," Will smiled, gesturing to his red-roofed farm house. "Born and raised in this here farm. I known all these horses since they were just wee ponies, and watched 'em trees grow from lil' saplings!"
Nico was instantly regretting trying to make an acquaintance of this guy. He seemed a bit too… enthusiastic for his taste. He gestured with his hands, his eyes were bright, and he looked like a generally outgoing person. Nope, not someone he'd like to befriend. Granted, he didn't really befriend a lot of people these days, but he had his reasons.
"Good to know," Nico said, glancing towards the faraway fence. "I think I should head home now."
"Aww, come on! You just got 'ere. Why don't I walk ya home so I know where you live too?"
Oh great. He was stalker-ish too.
"No, I'm fine."
"Aw, c'mon! Pleeaasse?"
"Christ, I don't even know you. Thanks for letting me see the horses. I'm leaving."
"Hey, I introduced myself! C'mon, please? You pretty much trespassed my Pa's place, so it's only fair I get to at least walk ya home!"
A short staring contest was held, right there, in front of a horse-filled barn. Nico weighed his options as those striking blue eyes slowly imbedded themselves into his mind. The boy seemed nice. He didn't look like the type to mug strangers. He seemed genuinely kindhearted and willing to make a friend. Besides, it would help to know someone from around the place if Nico was going to live here for the rest of his adolescent life.
Eh, why not? It wasn't like he was committing himself to marriage, now was he?
With a roll of his eyes, Nico relented. "Ugh, fine. You win."
Will Solace raised his arm in a fist-pump, and enthusiastically skipped after Nico.
A little way out the fence, through an open gate Nico hadn't noticed before, he finally decided to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind since he'd seen the barn up-close.
"Will?"
"Yeah?" The farm boy jumped at the question like an excited puppy. Nico tried not to laugh.
"So your family owns, like, a dozen horses."
"Fourteen' of the best steeds in the county!"
"I didn't see any other farm boys in there. Do you take care of them all by yourself?"
"Nah. I got a sister, Kayla, she helps me and Pa around too. There's also Jason, Percy and Leo—friends from around. Percy Jackson's got some horses too, but not as many as us. So he comes around to help 'cuz he likes 'em. Jason Grace's family owns the rice fields over there," Will gestured over to the four-story farm house down the street with a huge field stretching out behind it. "His daddy's got some workers there. Leo Valdez lives a good way into town, Mom owns a mechanic's shop. Ooh! And this here's Annabeth Chase's house!"
The sunny blond tugged Nico to a stop in front of a classy-looking house with a nice little garden in front. It wasn't as large as the others but had plentiful flower bushes and a row of olive trees to the side. "She's the president of the school council!"
Nico gave him a look. "But school hasn't started yet. Who do you guys know-"
"Oh, she's won ev'ry single year from the day she was qualified. There ain't no contest, really."
"Sounds like a snitch."
"Nah, she ain't so bad. She helps people around with stuff and's a really good friend. She's someone you can ask for help around the school."
"Good to know. Anyone else I need to know about?"
At that moment, Will dramatically looked towards the sky in thought. "Hmm… I guess you'll meet the rest of the gang at school." He smiled. "No rush! So where did you come from?"
Nico paused for a moment. He had a brief internal debate on whether or not to say, then decided. "Seattle." He said. "I lived in an apartment, so I'm not used to all this… sunniness."
"Got any friends there?"
"Lots. They all ditched me."
Will winced. Nico almost smiled.
"Well, I'll be your friend!"
"Wonderful." Nico rolled his eyes. He then came to a stop upon spotting the familiar blue and white house just a few yards away. "This is my stop," he said.
Will nodded at the house and whistled appreciatively. Nico could still see Bianca on the porch, his father and Cerberus had vanished, however. They'd probably gone into the backyard.
"Octavian used to live there," Will mused.
"Who?"
"Oh, no one. Just a lil' jackass who liked to blackmail people and threatened Annabeth with death for the position of president. Scrawny little kid never really had the balls to do anythin'. Moved out a couple months ago. Welp, sayonara to him!"
"You really do know everyone here, huh?"
"I… I guess so." Will gave Nico an odd look of doubt, before offering another blinding smile. "Hey, why don't I tour you around tomorrow, it'll be fun! Even just around my place. Please?"
"Well, I don't think I have anything to lose."
"Great!"
This boy didn't seem to get sarcasm. Will bounded off with one last wave and Nico was left to retreat tiredly onto his porch.
Bianca gave a sly glance at his approach. "Well?"
"Well?"
"You like him, don't you?"
"What?! I-I don't… what are you… I c-can't, wh-"
Bianca laughed at his loss for words. The question had taken Nico by surprise and he had honestly no idea what made his sister utter those words. "Relax," Bianca said, chuckling at the obvious flush on his face. "I'm just messing with you." She set down the files she'd been shuffling through and looked at Nico properly. "Nice, though, you made a friend. Honestly didn't expect you to make one so quickly."
"He's not my friend."
"Acquaintance, then."
Nico had no reply. Bianca shrugged.
"At any rate, you actually know a guy from around here. You'll survive just fine without me, Neeks."
He doubted that.
Well, I could've done that better. XD
Next chapter's coming up soon! Thanks for reading~
~Nish