So, for once in my life I actually didn't have writers block, and then I wrote this whole thing in one go.
And, as always, ALL RIGHTS TO RICK RIORDAN. He owns everything except for Jules, and if he ever tried to kidnap her, I would find him and I would destroy him. Jules in UNDER MY PROTECTION :).
I woke up and freaked out.
"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD," I hyperventilated, remembering the mornings events.
I still wrapped in a little comma, but Nico was nowhere to be found.
Why on Earth had I felt like that was a good time? First I sang a heart-breaking song about his sister, then I fell asleep practically on top of him!
Jesus Christ.
"Hecate in heaven, kill me now," I groaned. Pulling myself up, I straightened my frizzy ponytail and made a face. This was gonna take forever to brush out.
Awkwardly making my way to the main room, I tried to control my breathing. You can handle this. Nothing weird happened. You're just friends.
JUST FRIENDS.
Maybe for him, but my little crush had blown up into a GIGANTIC HUMONGOUS CRUSH.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD.
I did a mental face-palm and headed nervously into the dining area.
"Hey, guys…" I managed. Nico was avoiding my eyes, cradling his bandaged wrist.
"Jules!" exclaimed Piper, with a huge smile. Stupid daughter of Aphrodite. She better not be able to sense anything.
"Piper… hi. Hi hi hi hi."
"Um…" started Annabeth. "Ooh, guess what, I have to talk to Nico alone. In private. So um… come along, Di Angelo."
"Huh?" asked Nico.
"Yes, yes, I need to talk to you. In a non-romantic way, hah, guys why would you think that that's so gross, oh my gods, just get over here," I blustered, grabbing Nico's wrist and pulling him out of the room, leaving everyone staring.
"So," I stated, sitting Nico down on my bed. "You… uh… oh gods. Hang on."
I quickly conjured a notepad and pencil, and started to write. There was no way I could confront Nico in person about his, um, gayness.
"Jules?" he questioned after a minute. "What are you doing?"
"Shush, small one." I handed him the note, and watched with a growing sense of dread the dark red blush that spread over his face.
Dear Nico.
So. You're gay.
Now that we've got that out of the way, it's high freaking time you admitted it. You're not going to spend the rest of your miserable life lusting after Percy. I just caught you trying to KILL YOURSELF, and now you're in denial or whatever, but this is a HUGE DEAL, man, and in my dimension you'd be at a psychologist by now, and if this isn't a big deal in the Percy Jackson-verse, then this place is more effed-up then I thought. You think you have no friends, no one to turn too, blah blah blah, but tbh, it's really all your own fault. You turn people away without even giving them a chance, just automatically assuming the whole freaking world is out to get gay people. Well, uh, no actually. This might come as a surprise to you, but there are other gay people out there, who are NOT ASHAMED of themselves. C'mon, man. We're here, we're queer, get over it? Pride parade?
Anyways.
Kisses, Jules.
Nico got up to leave, but I pulled him back down. "Dude. It's fine to be gay." He tried desperately to get away by shadow traveling, but I quickly cast a bright light all over him, eliminating any darkness.
"Dude. Sit. Be cool."
He sighed, and collapsed on the bed. Okay, I thought, steeling myself. Confession time.
"Why do you even freak out about this anyways?" I asked, trying to draw him out.
"You wouldn't understand," he muttered, in classic Nico fashion.
"Um, yeah, I would, and so would everyone else. My best friend- not Hazel, but in the, uh, other dimension, Lana, came out to me as lesbian last year. It' not even a big deal. Like, the whole school knows."
"No! It's… different for me. Just leave me alone."
"Good Lord, Nico. How is it different for you then for any other closeted gay guy?"
"Because! He's… light, and I'm… dark. I don't know."
"No, no, I get it! You're like, the badass antihero."
He groaned, and hid his face in his hands."
"Oh gods," I amended. "No, like… he's the hero, and your not the hero, but your not a villain either. He's… perfect, and you aren't perfect. Ying and yang. I get it."
Nico looked at me, with such heavy, depressing grief in his dark eyes that I almost wanted to cry. And I realized that it Nico's era, it really wasn't okay to be anything other then straight. And that drove me insane.
"Nico, look at me. Look at me!" Needless to say, he didn't look at me.
And then I slapped him.
Not hard, just enough to get his attention.
"You, sir, are amazing just the way you are. In fact, someday I'm gonna take you to New York City and we're gonna ride a float in the gay pride parade, and wave rainbow flags around and cry and stuff. And anyone who ever says otherwise, or anything against you can go freaking screw themselves, cause you're smart and unique and vaguely suicidal and just… just you. Nico Insert-Middle-Name-Here Di Angelo, son of Hades, brother of Bianca Di Angelo, and you rock it."
And then.
And then, oh gods.
And then I reaches over and grabbled the hood of his aviator jacket and kissed him.
The first thought than ran through my head when I pulled off of him, right after
I sense ripples in the fandom,
was OH CRAP. I BROKE THE RULE. I KISSED A GAY GUY. OH CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP.
And then, to my eternal astonishment and delight, Nico looked into my eyes, and kissed me back.
And I'm gonna admit it.
I squealed.
"OH MY GODS OH MY GODS I KISSED NICO DI ANGELO AND HE KISSED ME BACK OH MY GODS OH MY GODS OH MY GODS I AM FREAKING OUT AM I HYPERVENTILATING HERE DOES ANYONE HAVE A PAPER BAG I CAN BORROW BECAUSE I MIGHT FAINT HA HA TAKE THAT LANA," I wheezed out in one breath, tugging away from him to dance uncontrollably across the room.
This was undeniably the absolute BEST DAY EVER. Lana was going to choke on her perfect black hair!
"Wait-" I stopped short. "I thought you were gay…"
That adorable pink blush spread across his face.
"Um… bi, I guess."
Score!
"I really thought I was, you know. That," he mumbled. "But I guess the only person I'd ever had a crush on was Percy. I didn't know until I, uh, met you. He's Percy Jackson, and you're Jules Greene, and… oh gods, I don't know. It's different for you."
I squeezed my eyes shut and bit the palm of my hand. It was a habit I'd picked up whenever I started getting really fangirly. "No, yeah, I get it. But I'm better right?" I smiled playfully, but Nico took it seriously, an unreadable look in his sexy dark eyes.
"I think," he said honestly. "He's heroic and amazing and all, and then you… you're real. You seem like a real actual person, and it's weird, because I can talk to you without flipping out but still… uh… like you. I could never act natural around Percy."
"I'll take it," I replied with a grin. He smiled back, and it was like a little tiny miracle. Nico Di Angelo, smiling for me!
Squeal!
Nico and Jules, sittin' in a tree...
