Prompt from user mvoonlight:
so what if camp half-blood has like a prom/dance/ball and Nico and Will go together but no one knows they're dating, but they're really subtle about it like I can imagine Nico with a corsage (?) on his wrist and Will has a matching flower on his suit. But they're both too embarrassed/shy to dance with each other so they go out to a separate area and dance together. and so what I'm saying is that I would kill for them to ball dance together
Thank you for yet another fun prompt! Uhhhhh, NGL I strayed a little from the prompt, but I tried to keep it as close as I could. Title is from the song Dance With You from The Prom.
Enjoy! :)
- alltheglowingeyes
Nico stood by the banquet table set in the amphitheatre, taking a hesitant sip of his cup of punch. He had seen Alice and Julia lurking by the drink bowl a few minutes prior, but the drink tasted normal enough that Nico figured he didn't have to be worried.
Around him, music played loudly as demigods hollered and laughed, dressed up and dancing in a weird mob in the middle of the amphitheatre. Nico had a few lingering seconds of a flashback to the last dance he had been too, back at Westover for the end of the semester. There was something different about the demigod dance here, however, as though there was a different sort of life and energy that Nico hadn't felt back at the military school. He wasn't one for large social gatherings, and yet the energy from the dancing demigods enjoying themselves was almost infectious enough to get him tapping his foot at the very least.
As he took another sip of his drink, a voice spoke up, "Ambassador."
Nico glanced to his left, allowing himself a small smile in greeting, "Praetor."
Reyna smiled freely, accepting Nico's outstretched hand for a handshake before pulling him into a quick hug. She looked very different, despite not being overly dressy. She ditched her cloak for the night and had no visible armor on, instead donning a simple flowy black blouse, jeans, and her typical combat boots (Nico was still scared of them; she could kick someone once and send them into a coma with the pointy tips). Her hair was in its typical long braid, but she still looked a lot more peaceful, as though she could pass as a normal teenager for the night.
"You look nice," he commented as she grabbed a quick glass of punch for herself. She smiled in response.
"Ah, your sister is to thank for the outfit change. I was going to come in my normal garbs, but she insisted otherwise." She took in Nico's own formal wear, humming in approval, "Nice to see you in something other than your usual uniform. Or that parrots shirt."
Nico scoffed, shooting her a look as she stifled a laugh. The two fell into a comfortable silence as the sounds of demigods laughing and loud music filled the atmosphere.
Reyna broke the silence after a few minutes. "So, did you land a date for tonight?" she asked, turning to face the son of Hades. Nico swallowed, shaking his head.
"I'm just here because of Hazel's insistence. And I'm sure you and Jason would have hunted me down if I tried to skip as well."
Reyna smirked, shrugging, "Well obviously. We put at least three weeks of prep time into this dance; I'll be damned if you didn't even take a look around. But, you know, I could've sworn I saw a matching boutonniere on a certain son of Apollo."
Nico felt his heart drop, "What are you talking about? It's just a coincidence. Will and I barely talk to each other outside of medical things," he grumbled.
Reyna tutted, arching an eyebrow at the younger demigod, "I never said it was Will who I was referring to."
Nico felt sick at this point. If Reyna noticed, how many other people did as well? He wasn't ready to be outed like that again, all for some bullshit dance. His skin felt like it was burning suddenly, and he was prepared to make a dash back to his cabin.
Reyna seemed to pick up on his agitation, all teasing mannerisms draining from her expression, "It's ok, Nico. If, by any chance, I was right, I won't tell anyone. And frankly, I don't think anyone else is going to notice, not unless they are watching as closely as I was."
Nico shook his head, running a hand through his hair and then cursing as he realized he messed up the styling Hazel spent an hour on. "Reyna, I'm not… I don't think I'm there yet, that I'm ready to tell people. But, gods of Olympus, I just want to get in a dance with him without feeling so… so fucking gross," he murmured, pulling his arms around himself tightly.
Reyna was silent for a moment before speaking up, "Go dance with Jason and Piper," she ordered. Nico blinked at her in confusion as he followed her pointing to where the son of Jupiter and daughter of Aphrodite were jumping around.
"Reyna…"
"Just do it, Nico," she said, staring at him hard. However, upon registering his slight expression of alarm, she softened her gaze, "I need you to trust me, Nico."
He sighed, hesitantly glancing over at Jason and Piper once more. The two seemed to notice Reyna's pointing as Jason waved Nico down enthusiastically. With a gentle push, Reyna sent him in the couple's grasp as the two immediately brought him into their whirlwind of dancing.
It was actually more fun than Nico expected. He had a surprisingly good time with Piper especially. The two had never interacted much before, even after the war, but being thrown into a sea of demigods all flailing around like idiots as they tried to dance was probably one of the best ways to get to know each other. Piper taught him some random moves that were a little more up-to-date, and the two had fun laughing at Jason when his glasses went flying into a punch bowl somehow.
Overall, the night was surprisingly very fun. And yet, Nico couldn't fight the twist of sorrow in his chest every time he saw Will, looking dashing and dressed to the nines, as he wished, more than anything, to have the confidence to even talk to his date. He felt the disappointment in his heart only grow heavier as Reyna and Frank called for everyone's attention.
"I know we're all having lots of fun, but we've got to wrap things up eventually. The cleaning harpies need time to clean up, and if we don't clear out soon, well…" Frank trailed off, grinning sheepishly. There were murmurs of disappointment from campers, but everyone eventually devolved back into laughter and chatter as they wrapped up for the night.
Nico suppressed a frown, getting ready to exchange goodnights with Jason and Piper before heading back to his cabin. He figured he could sneak away with Will for a minute or so, the thought encouraging him to leave faster, when a voice behind him called for him to wait.
Nico frowned, turning to face a very proud looking Reyna. He raised an eyebrow at the daughter of Bellona in confusion, "Um, I was going to turn in for the night, so…"
Reyna shot Nico a rare, carefree sort of smile. "Ah, but you wouldn't want to miss your dance, would you?"
Nico's eyes widened, quickly glancing around the amphitheatre. The entire place was empty now, save the remaining of the Prophecy demigods standing to the side, all with bright smiles on their faces. There was only one other person…
He made eye contact with Will, who was already striding across the area to Nico. He turned to Reyna to ask what was happening, but she had already walked away, moving to the DJ and whispering what Nico could only assume was a quick song request. He turned his gaze back to Will, who was smiling tentatively as he outstretched his hand.
"You want to dance, I guess? I mean, I'm not really good - although you probably knew that. And if you're still not comfortable, we don't have to but-"
Nico cut him off as he took Will's hand on impulse, smiling gently. "I'd love to," he mumbled softly. Then, he glanced at the other demigods standing to the side. "Uh, are you guys just going to just watch or…?"
The others blinked in surprise before chattering excitedly as they all stepped into the main dance region as well. He saw Hazel and Frank equally flushed as they tried to figure out how to stand, Percy and Annabeth with their arms loosely wrapped around each other, and Jason and Piper looking the most professional (although Nico was pretty sure that was all Piper). He turned his attention back to Will, taking a deep breath as he awkwardly held out his arms, a little unsure of what to do. Will just smiled, as the two tried to copy Percy and Annabeth, Nico wrapping his arms around Will's neck and Will's arms on Nico's upper waist.
A song began playing in the background; Nico didn't really recognize it, but the lyrics were pretty sweet and the tune was nice enough to at least sway to.
Will definitely seemed nervous, chuckling awkwardly, "Uh, is this ok? The song is nice right?"
Nico, running on the same level of nerves, responded quickly, "Ah, yeah, yeah; you're good. Um, I don't really know the song, but yeah…"
Will laughed slightly, a little bit of tension escaping his shoulders, "Oh yeah, right. Still getting to know pop culture and stuff, I guess. Well, honestly, I think the song information is pretty irrelevant. The point is are you- are you having a good time?" he asked shyly.
Nico took in another tight breath, nodding ever so slightly. It still was overwhelming, dancing with the boy he cared for so deeply in front of others. But with his friends around him, caught up in their own whirlwinds of emotions, he felt a little more at home.
By this point, about half of the song was over. Nico's eyes were drawn to Reyna, standing to the side. He hesitated, before turning to Will.
"Would you mind if I-"
Will didn't even need him to finish, nodding enthusiastically. "Go on. I've got to take a second to check on my siblings; tell Reyna thank you if I don't get to come back, alright?"
Nico suppressed a smile, nodding as Will squeezed his hand once more before walking off. As the son of Apollo walked away, Nico made his way over to Reyna extending a hand to her. She arched an eyebrow, looking a little confused.
"Well?" he prompted, as she gave him a small smile, eyes sparkling with amusement as she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to where the others were dancing. The other demigods had all swapped partners as well, dancing in pairs of Hazel and Percy, Annabeth and Piper, and Jason and Frank (it took all of Nico's self-control to not lose it at the sight).
The two silently assumed the same position that Nico had taken with Will before, as the song played on in the background, mixing with the other demigods laughter.
Reyna broke the silence first. "Don't tell me the son of Apollo blew you off."
Nico rolled his eyes at that, "Honestly, he has a name," he grumbled. Reyna just laughed at that as Nico found himself smiling too.
"He didn't blow me off, for the record. I asked him to step away for a little so that I could, well…" he nodded his head at her as the praetor raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't have to. I kicked everyone out just for you two."
Nico shrugged in response, "Yeah, but you were just standing there. It was kind of sad."
Reyna scoffed as Nico grinned crookedly before continuing, "You- you've done a lot for me, Reyna. More than you probably know. Two months ago, I honestly would have never picture staying at Camp and making a new family. I had no reason to. But then you came into my life, and along with so many others, made me realize that maybe… maybe there is a place for someone like me. So thank you for being there for me, praetor, and for really showing me that I have a home."
Nico hesitantly made eye contact with the daughter of Bellona, slightly surprised to see the pure uncontained glee on her face, "You're very welcome, ambassador. Although, I must admit, I never took you as such a romantic. You were laying it on thick there."
Nico rolled his eyes in exasperation, shooting her a look, "It's from being around Apollo spawn nearly 24/7. They are all poisoning me."
Reyna snorted at that as the two swayed in silence for a few more seconds, listening to the song reach its end. All the dancing partners pulled apart and began chattering away once more, as Nico caught sight of Piper ripping off her heels and complaining about Percy stepping on her toes. Some of the group beckoned for the Roman and son of Hades to join their conversation as the two slowly made their way over. As they arrived closer to the group, Reyna spoke up quickly.
"So, is he your boyfriend?"
Nico winced, thinking it over carefully, "We are… taking things slow. I like him and the feelings are mutual, but I still need a little more time."
Reyna just smiled, clapping a hand on Nico's shoulder (Nico felt a surge of pride when he barely flinched at the contact). "Good for you. Smart choice."
Reyna proceeded to fall into conversation with the others, discussing some shrine details with Jason. As he watched everyone socializing, he felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder gently.
"Guess who's back," Will's voice gently sang out from behind him. Nico just rolled his eyes as the smiling son of Apollo appeared in his view.
"Why?"
Will immediately pouted at that, bopping Nico lightly on the nose, "Well, someone's got an attitude, huh?" He seemed to look Nico over, gaze softening slightly, "Are you tired?"
Nico shrugged, coincidentally stifling a yawn at that moment. Will just smiled in understanding, outreaching his arm so they could link together. "Let me walk you back to your cabin at least. I don't think anyone here wants to deal with a sleep-deprived, cranky Ghost King."
A chuckle rose from the group as Nico realized they were watching him talking to the son of Apollo. Nico rolled his eyes, nonetheless linking arms with the older teen, "Whatever. Goodnight, guys. And uh… thanks?" he tried, carefully. Everyone smiled, offering their individual goodbyes and occasional mini shovel talks to Will as the two walked to the Hades Cabin in a comforting silence.
At the steps of the Hades Cabin, Will turned to Nico, smiling softly. Nico could have sworn there was a soft glowing light radiating from the older boy.
"I had a lot of fun tonight, especially once I got to share a dance with you," he mumbled looking a little shy. Nico returned the smile in a rare moment of calm.
"I'm sorry that we couldn't… be together more."
Will laughed slightly, shaking his head. "I said it before and I'll say it again: I'll wait as long as you need, Death Boy. Don't apologize for taking some time for yourself."
The son of Apollo hesitated, before carefully adding, "Although, I wouldn't be opposed to finishing up our dance some other day, if you would want."
Nico had to suppress the huge smile about to overtake his face, nodding immediately, "I- yeah. I'd love that," he stuttered out, locking eyes with Will's baby blue ones. The son of Apollo grinned, his freckles glowing as a tell-tale sign of his joy.
"I'll be looking forward to it. But, uh, anyways, you should probably sleep. And I should too, I guess. But yeah… I'll see you- breakfast bright and early, right? Um, that wasn't english, but yeah. Going to walk away now while I'm ahead," Will rambled, flashing Nico a flustered smile. Nico returned the smile this time, nodding.
"Goodnight, Solace."
With that, Will fumbled away in his endearingly awkward manner as Nico chuckled to himself, turning to open the door of the Hades Cabin and excited for the prospects of the next days to come.
A/N: Yeah, so it basically switched between Reyna and Nico sibling time and Solangelo the whole time fjdkjkdf, so sorry about that (I know that kind of strayed from the original prompt)! I still had fun writing this though, and I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading.
Leave any requests/headcanons, if you want!
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