FRIENDSHIP WEEK, FRIENDSHIP WEEK, FRIENDSHIP WEEK! Friendships are literally my favorite thing to write and read, so it was so hard to pick just one to write about for this week (yes, this is my second early ship weeks story). But I guess the urge to write fluffy Reynico friendship chooses the writer?
This story takes place a few years post-Heroes of Olympus and relies on the story in my head of how Reyna and Nico got close enough to seriously rely on each other through thick and thin and have almost a brother-sister relationship but not really? I wish I could write the story of how they got this close, but I think that tale is almost beyond me at this point. So we're assuming an established friendship at this point.
Pardon my rambling. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Reyna chewed slowly on the granola bar and tried to concentrate on the list of new recruits and demigods applying for discharge. The legion was in a constant state of flux lately, but fortunately arguments and fights between Greeks and Romans had been kept to a minimum.
Someone knocked on the door to the principia, and Reyna sighed.
"Come in."
It barely squeaked as it opened, and a little of the tension in Reyna's shoulders drained when she saw who it was.
"Nico. Thank the gods."
"Were you expecting someone else?" The son of Hades raised his eyebrows. He had a drawstring slung over his back, and his sword at his side.
"No. I just don't have the time to deal with senators right now. Now shut the door and come in."
"Alright, alright." He held up his hands in surrender and closed the door before heading over to flop in the other praetor's seat.
Reyna raised her eyebrows. "You better hope a senator doesn't come in and see you lounging there."
Nico shrugged. "I doubt they'll care. Speaking of which, where is your co-praetor?"
"Frank left a couple hours ago. I think he had a dinner date." A loose strand of hair and fallen out of her braid, and Reyna sighed, blowing it out of her eyes.
"And when did you tell him you were leaving for the night?" Nico leaned back, pressing the tips of his fingers together and narrowing his eyes.
She shot him a glare, but didn't answer. Truthfully, she may have mumbled something about being headed out in a half an hour.
"That's what I thought," he nodded. "Did you even eat dinner?"
Reyna tapped her pen against the table. "I will not stand for behavior lectures from the boy who initially refused to sleep in the barracks because it involved social interaction."
"Not true." He leaned forward. "It involved Romans with sharp weapons who hated the fact that a Greek son of death was being permitted to join the legion."
Reyna rolled her eyes. "I'm fairly certain the social interaction feature was taken into consideration."
"Okay," he groaned. "Possibly. That was two years ago – drop it, maybe?"
"Then stop harassing me about my work habits. Paperwork doesn't do itself." She tried to concentrate on the list again. "And by the way, I did eat dinner."
She could practically sense that the disapproving look from Nico was not going away, so Reyna finally threw the paper and pen on the table and crossed her arms.
"Why are you even here?" she demanded.
His eyebrows bunched together, the muscles in his face tightening, and she mentally kicked herself for lashing out. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings.
"Look," Reyna sighed. "Ignore me. I'm being grumpy, and I'm sorry."
"It happens." He shrugged and swung the drawstring from around his shoulders, but his face brightened up a little. "And I may have a cure."
"Oh?" She tried to peek in the bag, but he shot her his deluxe-death-glare.
"No peeking."
"As long as nothing jumps out at me."
Nico rolled his eyes. "It won't. I promise."
After a few seconds, he pulled out a huge bag of multicolored jelly beans, presenting it with a flourish.
"Here, ladies and gentlemen, we have one mega-huge bag of sugar to satisfy our illustrious praetor's nightly cravings."
"Oh my gods, Nico! You're the best." Reyna snatched up the bag and used her knife to poke a hole in it. She quickly refilled the dismal supply in her bowl.
"You realize there was a 'Tear Here'." Nico attempted to look nonchalant, but he cracked a smile.
She bit her lip, but couldn't help smiling back. "Shut up."
"See, now you're glad I'm here."
"I'm always glad you're here." The words were out before she even thought them through.
Nico stared at his toes. "Oh, you say that."
"No." She shifted in her chair, placing a hand on his wrist. "It means a lot when you stop by. I like talking to you – you know that." Ever since the Athena Parthenos quest, the dark and moody boy had become a lot less weird to be around. Over the months and years since then, they'd learned to trust each other more and more.
Reyna taught Nico how to improve his gladius and pilum fighting techniques in her off-hours after he'd officially joined the legion. He helped her sort through requests from the cohorts and talked to her to keep her from going insane when the work got ridiculously tedious.
"It's still nice to hear," Nico mumbled, and she nudged his shoulder.
"Any trouble from the legionnaires?"
"No, Mom. They do tolerate me occasionally."
"They do more than tolerate you," she scoffed. "I ask because I care."
"Yeah, okay."
"I heard a rumor you went on a date with Ben from the Fourth?" She attempted to suppress a smile.
"The great praetor of Rome, protector of the peace between all demigods now listens to rumors. Oh how the mighty have fallen." Nico leaned his head on his elbow.
"You. Are. Blushing. Nico di Angelo."
"Am not!" he protested, proceeding to promptly turn redder.
"Mmmhmm. The great praetor of Rome just has fantastic sources." Reyna threw a handful of jelly beans into her mouth.
"Hazel," he groaned, resting his head on the table.
"I can neither confirm nor deny."
"Do not use your hoity-toity praetor voice on me now, Miss I-went-on-a-date-with-Leo-Valdez-and-kept-it-quiet-for-three-weeks."
"Nico!" Her eyes widened, and she threw a jelly bean at him. "That was one date!"
"Now you're the one blushing, and that was two months ago." He leaned back in the chair, looking satisfied.
She muttered something under her breath about people-read-too-much-into-things and he-nearly-started-a-forest-fire-for-gods-sake.
"But anyways," Nico ducked his head. "I…yeah we did. Sort of. Go on a date. Privately."
Reyna lifted her head back up from the paperwork and grinned at him.
He scowled at her expression. "You don't have to look so proud."
"Friend duty, sorry." She grabbed another handful of jelly beans and fiddled with her pen for a moment, sighing. "I really do have work to do."
"Sleepover?" Nico suggested. It had become a tradition of theirs when she was up late working. They'd stay in the principia all night and have too much candy and chips, and when Nico finally dragged Reyna away from her paperwork they'd play endless rounds of cards or "Would you Rather?" and fall asleep on the rather comfortable couches that Annabeth had insisted be installed.
It was there way of saying "screw everyone's expectations, we can be kids once in a while".
"Not tonight." Reyna sighed. "I've got an eight am Senate meeting and must look presentable. Presentable enough at least."
"Did I mention there's peppermint hot chocolate only a block over? With lots of whipped cream?" He smirked, carefully plopping the bag of jelly beans into a more prominent position.
"So this is really why you brought me sugar." Reyna shook her head. "You and your evil schemes."
"I'm merely using my resources and the information available," he countered. "For instance, the bag was on sale. And I know you can't resist them."
They both laughed, and for probably the thousandth time it crossed her mind how rare that had been for them even in just the few months before all Pluto broke loose. It had caused quite a stir initially – their brave praetor who had challenged the laws of the legion but ultimately saved them all was…friends with the creepy son of Pluto – no, Hades apparently – who'd been sneaking between camps for months.
But the whole experience with uniting the camps had taught Reyna to stop caring about what other people thought.
Nico joining the legion – well, that had taken some getting used to for a lot of people, but despite it all, he actually seemed happier here. He was less isolated because of who his dad was, and he had his sister close by.
"The temptation must be killing you," Nico teased. "Warm, sweet hot chocolate, and all the jelly beans you could possibly eat." He started to rest a foot on the table, but quickly withdrew it at her piercing glare. "C'mon. You deserve a break."
Reyna set down the pen and pursed her lips.
"No."
He started to object, but she silenced him with a look.
"Nico…I'm sorry, but tonight's really not the night. I do want to get this done and get some sleep. I will be out in another half hour, I promise." She gave him a genuine smile.
"Okay." Nico smiled back. She always liked how he might badger and they might tease each other, but if one of them had really thought something through and was certain, the other would back off. He was especially good at that. "Half hour, you promise?"
"Well…forty-five minutes, no later."
"Forty-five. I'm holding you to it." He stood up, stretching briefly before heading towards the door. "See you in a bit then, Reyna."
"See you, Nico." She knew he'd be waiting outside for her to leave. "And thanks for the jelly beans."
"No problem." He flashed a grin before shutting the door.
Reyna twirled the pen.
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