Author's Note: Product of my stupid feels and inspiration. Yes, this is a Lee/Bianca oneshot featuring Nico and Lee's brotherly relationship and Silena's all-knowing-ness. I'm just going to transmit as many feels as I can so you can feel HALF the emotions I feel writing this!
Okay, another thing is...I'm missing THIRTY reviews for Chapter 14 of Truth or Dare. This girl refuses to move a fingure unless people do something about otherwise all readers shall suffer a very long wait for the Anniversary chapter. By long, I mean like, May 18th (because it's Daughter of Rome's birthday and that's a legit reason to update).
Disclaimer: Leeanca would be canon if I were Rick Riordan. But I'm not.
Lee Fletcher was like a brother to Nico di Angelo.
If you asked, Nico would tell you that he was the first. Percy was the second brotherly figure in his life.
Lee took extra care of him in those few days at Camp Half-Blood, even though he was stuck in the Hermes cabin. He made sure he felt reasonably welcome among everyone and snuck him snacks.
After Nico ran away, Lee did manage to find him. He was told that if he ever needed a place to go to, Lee's door would always be open for him. He tried not to, really, but he found comfort in Lee's brotherly behavior in the absence of Bianca…not that anyone could ever replace her.
It was a rather depressing blow to him when he visited the Underworld to find Lee waiting there to inform him of his death. Lee still looked out for him as a spirit. Nico would still look to him for advice if he felt Bianca wouldn't understand.
He never questioned why Lee acted as a surrogate brother to him.
Until the day he found out Lee Fletcher had gone for rebirth.
"Why?" He asked desperately to no one in particular. "What did I ever do to deserve this?!"
It was completely irrational that he would lose his surrogate brother right after his sister had left his life completely.
"Isn't it obvious?" Silena frowned incredulously.
"No, I honestly don't get it! Why would he choose to now out of all times for rebirth? Why did he even to bother to take care of me all that time?" Nico felt frustrated that he never asked these questions and would never extract an answer from Lee himself.
"Because he loved her."
He turned to face the older ghostly girl with incredulous eyes.
"It's true," Silena continued with a faraway smile, "He went for rebirth to have a shot at being with her. Even though he honestly did grow to love you as a brother, it really all started because Bianca asked him to. It had always been her since they first met. You know how hard he actually fought in the Battle of the Labyrinth? It was all for her, because of her. Or rather, because he loved her."
Let's take a trip back down memory lane, and wake me up when it's time again.
Lee clenched his jaws when he saw the Hunters arrive. They were so arrogant and rude. He couldn't help but feel a surge of dislike.
But then he saw another girl. She was probably his age, light-built with olive skin, and deep brown hair. Unlike other Hunters, she didn't have a look of disdain, on her (okay, he admits it) pretty face. In fact, she looked rather appreciative of her surroundings.
He offered her a half-smile when she caught him looking. To his surprise, she smiled back shyly, fiddling with the strap of her backpack.
But before he made up his mind about introducing himself, an older, mean-looking Hunter blocked his view, glaring at him.
With no hesitation, he glared back.
"You're good," he told Bianca as they gathered up their things. He challenged her a shoot-off, but they agreed they were too evenly matched to determine a winner.
"Well, she bit her lip slightly, "you're not so bad yourself."
"Not so bad?" he scoffed disbelievingly, "I'm the best archer of Camp Half-Blood and you say I'm 'not so bad'?!" Both of his eyebrows rose at her.
She looked at him unblinkingly, a grin hidden in her smoldering eyes, and said simply, "Yes."
Lee couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips as she slowly broke into laughter at his expression.
"So, you're going on a quest," he tried to make their last encounter before her adventure less awkward. He didn't know whether he should feel happy for her or not.
"Yes," her eyes were set on the horizon.
"Are you scared?" he asked tentatively, eyes not leaving her face.
"Terrified," she swerved her head towards him with a bleak smile.
For some reason, he couldn't smile back.
The artificial smile melted off her face.
"Take care of Nico for me, will you?" her dark eyes burned fiercely into his. "If anything happens to me…make sure he'll be fine, okay?"
"You have my word."
It was a strange sensation to die. One flash of dizzying black and then he was standing in front of a strange man in an Italian suit. Charon had reluctantly let him on the boat, muttering darkly about some 'stupid special pass' he had. He chose judgment, knowing he was foolish to hanging on a silver of hope to see her in Elysium perhaps. The judges didn't take long to decide "Elysium."
Lee breathed a sigh of relief, ghost from flickering as he moved.
"I had hope that I wouldn't see you here for another few decades," someone said dryly.
A slow grin spread through his face. It was Bianca. She looked very different with her hair tied into a ponytail and a bright purple t-shirt. It made her look happier and open.
"Oh, you know I couldn't wait to see you," he teased lightly.
She laughed and held out her hand, "Welcome to Elysium."
He took it.
They became the best of friends and the worst of rivals over their time in Elysium. They would argue endlessly but know each other like the back of their hands.
"No, Bianca, you can't have the chocolate."
"Why not?" she whined childishly, trying to pry her 'sacred' snack out of his hands.
"You already had too many," he told her firmly, try hard not to laugh at her deliberately ridiculous behavior.
"One can never have too much chocolate. Give it back, you party-pooper!" she made a grab for it, most of her colliding into him.
"Party-pooper? Me?" he scoffed, then grinned devilishly.
"Then it looks like I'll enjoy this whole slab of dark chocolate alone." He teasingly unwrapped the chocolate.
"You wouldn't dare! I will kill you for that!"
"Bianca?"
"Hm?"
"I'm already dead."
"Oh, well, that's a shame."
"Do you like her, man?" Beckendorf asked him one day.
Lee choked on his soda, "who?"
"Bianca, duh."
He took a swig of his soda, "Are you crazy? No!"
Beckendorf raised his eyebrows.
He sighed a little, looking away to find himself watching Bianca dance goofily with Silena. He thought about the way he felf around her, the way they laugh together, the way she smiles. He thought hard about a fuzzy future of them together. It wasn't the least bit difficult to imagine.
"Okay, maybe I do have feelings for her," he admitted slowly.
"Are you going to tell her?"
Just then, Bianca caught him staring. She stuck out her tongue at him.
"No, not yet."
"I have something to tell you," they blurted out at the same time.
Lee chuckled with her and said, "You first." Inside, he could barely think straight in all his nervousness. His heartbeat was ringing in his ears.
"You sure?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, to tally," he gestured her to continue.
"I'm going for rebirth."
"What?" He felt as if he was crushed by a giant's club all over again. It was worse, much worse than the time he received the news of her death. Now, they knew each other, and he felt for her.
"Nico. He wants to open the Doors of Death so I can live again. I can't let that happen," she kicked a small pebble.
"When?"
"Tomorrow," her face was unreadable.
He was the last to bid her farewell. They stood on the banks, white waves lapping on the rocky shore.
"So, this is it, then?" His hands were shoved in his pockets to stop himself from doing anything irrational.
Bianca held out her arms at him expectantly.
He frowned quizzically, "What are you…?"
"You're supposed to let me hug you, idiot," she told him bluntly.
So he let her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her than he had ever been. He snaked his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her head lightly. He indulged himself a millisecond worth of imagination of them parting as more than just best friends with an archery rivalry.
"You're annoying and irritating and idiotic, you know?" she told him, not lessening her hold on him.
Lee rolled his eyes a little, "Thanks, you told me many times."
She made a noise that sounded like a strangled sob as she buried her head in his shoulder, "But I'm going to miss your stupid face so much."
His throat was all clogged up with words he wanted to say. But he just couldn't do it. "I…am going to miss you, too."
"I guess I should get going," she pulled away slowly.
"Yeah," he shoved his hands back in his pocket, repressing the urge to reach out for her again. "Don't look back," He couldn't believe he was telling her to move on with a new life and forget him.
"It's what I want," she said steadily. But she looked like she wanted to believe her own words.
"Goodbye, Lee."
"Bye, Bi."
Then he watched her walk out of his life —forever.
He was the one who broke the news to Nico. He hated it as much as Nico did, if not more, but found himself thinking about it all day. The more he thought about it, the more he recognized there was still a chance he would see her again.
"I'm going for rebirth," he announced.
Everyone seemed to know why.
"You're going to find her?" Michael asked with a grin.
He nodded resolutely.
"What about your promise to her? What about Nico?" Silena asked softly, but there was a knowing glint in her eyes.
"Tell him...tell him the reason why."
Years much later, Nico was a grown-up already, an adult at last. He was more mature than he was back then. He learnt to accept his loss. He kept an eye out for his sister and his surrogate brother's reincarnations, but never went to look for them deliberately. He knew that if the Fates were willing, he would find them and they would find each other.
One day, Nico passed an elementary playground. Two kids were playfully arguing with each other. One had glossy dark hair in graceful waves and an army green hat. The boy had golden blonde hair and eager blue eyes. The sight of them seemed strangely familiar, as if he had seen another version before…He faintly wondered if he could be right.
"No way. I did the monkey bars faster than you did!" The girl grinned wickedly.
"Yeah, but you still run more slowly!" The boy scoffed.
"No, I don't!" she protested indignantly.
Suddenly, the boy snatched the girl's hat and ran for it with a cheeky grin.
Giggling slightly, the girl chased after him, "LEE! Give it back!"
"Not until you catch me first, Bianca!"
~The End~
Author's Note: Gods, this didn't even have a kissing scene but, boy, were those feels STRONG AS INFERNO. It's practically the same as the Enjonine (Les Mis OTP) feels I've been getting lately, if not more. I hope you enjoyed this because I wrote this in two days in class. Not particularly long, I know, but filled with F-E-E-L-S.
Okay, another thing is: Vote for the official ship name of Lee/Bianca on the poll on my profile.
1) Leeanca (I use this)
2) Lianca
3) Blee
If you're dying of the feels I transmitted or started shipping them, LET ME KNOW. And you get an extra cookie if you review Truth or Dare by me because this chapter is missing THIRTY reviews from the last chapter and you can't expect a discouraged writer to write good stories.