Hey guys! So, I've tackled this pairing before. After BOO, two years ago. But since, you know, things have happened, and I've become obsessed with them, I have to write about it.
…
Nico di Angelo strolled down the hall of his school, humming a quiet tune to himself. He wasn't known for being the happiest guy in the world, so events like this had to be kept mostly private. He gazed around at the off white walls and dirty ceiling. Maybe it wasn't the nicest or biggest school in the area, but he liked it. As did everyone there. A lot of pride went into their school.
"Nico!" Nico rolled his eyes as his best friend, Percy Jackson, ran up to him. "Don't forget you promised to come over tonight to watch movies with me. Guess which one I picked out?" Nico could probably guess.
"The Little Mermaid?" he asked. Percy blushed faintly, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the tile. Again, Nico rolled his eyes. He'd never tell Percy this, but he actually really hated that movie. But it was either that or Finding Nemo, and Nico decided he'd much rather take the lesser of two evils. He stifled a sigh. "The Little Mermaid it is," he said, noticing the way his friend visibly brightened. Yeah, that was why he couldn't say no.
"Hey di Angelo." The dark-haired boy glanced over his shoulder. Will Solace, who Nico had horribly mixed feelings about, strode towards him, another blonde boy scuttling behind him. Nico arched an eyebrow.
"What Solace?" he asked. Hey, since Will referred to him by his last name, it was only fair that returned in kind. The lanky blonde boy crossed his arms, a piece of paper dangling by his fingertips. The other blonde, who Nico now recognized as Jason Grace, wrung his hands nervously. The dark-haired boy looked at his curiously. He obviously knew something was up, but when Nico tried to catch his eye, the blonde turned away. Percy, for his part, watched the exchange curiously. "Is there a point to this or are you just wasting my time?" Nico asked at last. Yeah, he didn't have a lot of love for Will Solace. He didn't really know much about him, but the blonde seemed like the cocky jock type. Will's scowl turned into a smirk. He waved the paper in front of the dark-haired boy's face.
"Remember that little bet that we had?" he asked. "You said I couldn't get an A on my next biology quiz, since I fucking hate biology." Nico gulped. Yeah, he remembered. "Well…" Will proudly presented his paper. He hadn't gotten the perfect score he'd been shooting for, but he got a 96%. That was a winner in his book. Nico's jaw hit the floor. How? Not only did Will hate biology, he was awful at it. He'd never gotten above a C on any of the tests. "I studied like a madman last night," Will explained. "It finally paid off. Now, di Angelo, you know the deal.
"I…I do," Nico agreed reluctantly. "I have to date you for two weeks. But that's it Solace. I'm not dating you a day longer than two weeks." Will simply smirked. Even if it was only two weeks, he was going to enjoy every bit of it. Maybe this was a little underhanded, but he didn't really care. As long as he got to date Nico, who he'd been trying to date since they were freshman. "But not tonight," the dark-haired boy added.
"And why not?" Will asked irritably. "You do know what two weeks means right?" Nico felt a flash of anger.
"Just because I have to mock date you, doesn't mean I get to abandon my friends," he retorted. "I promised Percy I'd go over and watch movies with him tonight. I suppose you're more than welcome to come along. But I'm not missing it." Percy gave him a weak smile. He wasn't sure how he felt about Will crashing their party. "Why don't you come too Jason," Nico added, surprising the smaller of the two blonde boys.
"Nico," Percy whispered, and he glanced back. He then led the brunette away by the elbow. "Why did you invite Jason too? Will I kind of understand, even if I don't like it much. But why Jason?"
"Because I don't want to be left along with that…person," Nico replied. "It'll be alright Percy. It's not like we're watching anything horrible."
"Yes, because The Little Mermaid is what all the high school boys are watching these days," Percy said with a roll of his eyes. "Whatever. When did you make the bet with Will anyway?"
"Last week, after he failed his last biology quiz," Nico replied, following Percy to his locker. "I mocked him for never getting above a C before. Then some unimportant banter, which finally ended in me saying that if he could get a passing grade on his next quiz, I'd date him. He took it very literally, I guess." Good thing it was the end of the school day, because the dark-haired boy felt a headache coming on. And a stomachache. God, this was going to be a long couple of weeks. "Imma just follow you home, okay?" he asked the brunette as he gathered his things.
"Sure Neeks," Percy replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He jostled Nico on the way boy, then bolted down the hall, with Nico hot on his heels. The brunette laughed and weaved in out of the parked cars, then dove into his own. He locked the door as Nico reached him, laughing at his friend's expression. Finally, Nico pouted at Percy, who unlocked the car.
"Evil little boy," Nico said as he slid into the passenger seat. "But I still love you." Percy beamed at him. He was very thankful for Nico. Unfortunately, their little friendship moment was ruined by Will opening the backdoor, and he and Jason both climbing into the car.
"What movie are we watching?" Will asked. Percy grew quiet, staring straight ahead as he navigated his way out of the parking lot. Nico wanted to scream. He'd taken a long time coaxing Percy out of his shell. He took the brunette's hand in his.
"It's a surprise," he said. But Percy shook his head.
"I wanna change it," he said softly. Now it was Nico's turn to shake his head. He hated that Percy was trying to hide who he was.
"It's fine Percy," he whispered. "We'll just say I picked the movie, okay?" Slowly, Percy nodded, continuing to stare straight ahead, his hand lying limp at his side. The dark-haired boy sighed. He glanced back. His temporary boyfriend was staring out the car window, looking bored. But Jason was studying Percy with a small smile on his face. Huh. Nico didn't know much about Jason either, except that he played baseball in the summer. And the only reason he knew that is because his sister, Hazel, dragged him to the diamonds when her own boyfriend, Frank Zhang, made the varsity team.
They all arrived at Percy's house, which was empty. His mother typically worked late into the night, much as she didn't want to. Percy locked the car, then led to way into his house. He unlocked the door, letting the two unfamiliar people flood inside. Nico wrapped a comforting arm around his friend's shoulders, steering him inside. Percy gulped. He liked people, sure, but he was actually very shy. Especially when he felt that he would be harshly judged because of something he genuinely liked.
"Do you want to make popcorn?" Nico asked gently. Percy nodded, rooting around his cabinet until he pulled out a box of microwavable popcorn. He set it in the microwave, watching it intently. "I'm going to go put the movie on, okay?" he said quietly to the brunette, who nodded wordlessly. Nico sauntered into the living room. Will and Jason were nowhere to be seen, which suited him fine. He turned on the TV and the DVD player on, turning the volume all the way down. He sat on the couch, staring at the main menu of The Little Mermaid, a movie he could probably quote to you by now (though he'd save you from it, for now). Percy wandered in with a big bow of popcorn, setting it on the coffee table in front of them. Jason wandered in after him frown down the hall, looking around.
"Nice house," he commented, sitting on the other side of Percy, who glanced sideways at him. "What movie are we watching?" he asked kindly, smiling. Percy blushed and looked at his hands. Jason pushed his gold-rimmed glasses back up. "Is it still a surprise?" he asked.
"The Little Mermaid, okay," Percy said softly. "We're watching The Little Mermaid." He hurriedly looked down. Nico tensed, waiting to defend his friend if he needed to. But Jason just laughed.
"I love this movie," he said. "Can't wait." Percy glanced up, giving him a small smile of his own. Will came in, took notice of the full couch, made a face, and sat on the arm next to Nico. The dark-haired boy glanced up. So this was his temporary boyfriend. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Will. Though so far, he'd been nothing but a brat. He unmuted the TV, and Will rolled his eyes. But he said nothing, looking over at Jason. The two looked at the TV together, seeming to enjoy themselves.
"Be right back Perce," Nico said, rising and heading into the kitchen. Will followed after a pause. "I really can't stand that movie," Nico admitted, pouring himself a glass of water. "But I'd never tell Percy that. He loves this movie."
"So does Jason," Will replied. "I hate a lot of Disney movies, but there's some exceptions. But he loves them to death. And it makes him happy, so I guess I can't complain." The blonde shrugged, glancing over his shoulder. He watched his…somewhat friend…interact with his temporary boyfriend's best friend. They both laughed at something onscreen that he couldn't see from this angle, and Jason draped an arm over Percy's shoulder, resting his head atop the brunette's. Will had to smile. "They certainly are cute," he commented.
"Look sunshine," Nico said at last, surprising Will, who turned to look at him. "I'm not going to pretend to like you, because I kinda don't, but a bet is a bet." Will wouldn't admit this, but that hurt a little. But whatever. Nico was entitled to his own opinion. "Though I do admit, those two are awfully cute together." He smiled softly at Percy, who gazed up at the blonde in wonderment. Jason seemed oblivious to his gaze, however, as he continued to watch the movie like nothing was happening. "Is Jason gay?" Nico asked.
"Yeah," Will replied. "He'd been talking about Percy recently, which is why I'm glad you invited him over as well. I think he'd got a little crush on your friend." Nico smiled a little. He liked seeing Percy happy.
"Back to the topic we were discussing at school," he said, recapturing Will's attention. "Just two weeks. This will by no means lead to anything else. And you're not to do anything I'm not comfortable with, or don't give consent to." Will held up his hands.
"I'm not a monster Nico," he said. "I wouldn't take advantage of you. Of course I'll ask your permission to do certain things, especially if it involves your body, or personal space." Nico blinked. He honestly hadn't been expecting that. Everything sort of led him to believe that Will was a spoiled brat, used to getting his own way. "I hope you appreciate how much studying I did to get this to happen," he added, glancing back over his shoulder. He chuckled. "Look," he whispered. Nico peered around him, smiling himself. Percy had fallen asleep curled up against Jason, who drowsily twirled a lock of the brunette's hair with his finger. "They really are cute."
"Yeah," Nico agreed. If anything good was coming out of this, it was that Percy seemed to be making a brand new friend, if not a potential boyfriend, since Percy was single and looking anyway. "Look, I'm sorry for being…rude." Now it was Will's turn to blink in surprise. "I still don't particularly like this, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt.
"Thanks?" Will said, shrugging. Sure, he'd done this on a bet. But, he was determined to prove to Nico that he could be a good boyfriend, so long as he continued to give him a chance.
…
The chapters will probably get longer the more it goes on, so yes, this'll be multiple chapters. Also, this story was largely unplanned, but after I finished The Hidden Oracle, I just had to.
