A/N: Hey there, Cupcakes! Thank you SO much for your awesome Reviews and all those Fav's and Follow's ;3 You're the best!
*passes around blue cookies to everybody who wants any*
As a little sorry for torturing you with not knowing who the admirer is yet.
I love you guys 3
-mel-chan366

Day 11: Thursday

Somehow, Nico must have fallen asleep while spending the evening with the others in his cabin.

At least he found himself the wrong way around in his bed and his room a mess.

He checked the time.

It was actually 9am in the morning.

How badly had he overslept?

He looked at the bedside table which had somehow become a habit of his nowadays.

And there was the package and the note.

He smiled fondly and scrambled out of bed, picking up the note.

[Dear Nico,

I hope you liked your laptop. It seems I was right, you did get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Have I ever told you how much I love your sleeping face?

You look like an angel.

But, given your last name, I shouldn't be surprised.

You truly are a wonderful person and I enjoy every moment with you.

I admit, I haven't always thought of you as a boyfriend.

I was utterly oblivious to my feelings for a long time, actually.

It was like in that one saying, though I'm not very good with those.

I fell in love slowly, but then all at once, like falling asleep.

I think it went something like that.

As you can see I'm really not good with things like that, but I hope you know what I mean.

Now I would never want to miss that feeling.

It's completely different from anything I've ever felt for anybody before.

Every time you laugh, smirk or smile, every time your lips even as much as twitch, I just feel so happy inside.

And I want to make you smile, smirk and laugh.

I want you to be happy.

I want to make you happy.

I hope you like today's gift.

Have a nice 11th day of December, Nico di Angelo.

I love you,

Your secret Admirer

P.s.: When I got here you were half hanging out of the bed, showing off those abs.

Seriously, I wonder if you subconsciously simply love driving me crazy with want.

Not that I really mind.]

Nico blushed, inwardly wondering how stupid it must have looked with him half dangling out the bed.

How could anybody see something sexy in that?

Oh well.

He thought of the feelings his admirer had talked about.

His heart fluttered.

That was so nice.

He sighed happily, absent-mindedly pressing the note against his chest.

He hastily put it in the drawer to the others.

Smiling to himself, he grabbed the small package.

It felt odd.

Soft, but with hard bits to it.

He decided to just open it instead of guessing its content.

As he carefully opened the wrapping paper, trying not to tear it (embarrassingly enough, he had kept all the wrapping paper and ribbons in a drawer next to the bed), a bracelet fell out.

But not one of those girly ones or anything.

It was broad and out of black leather with studs on it.

He instantly liked it.

Putting it on his right wrist with one hand (he had his IM-ing device on the left wrist after all), he flexed and moved his arm, looking if it actually fit well enough to not fall off or something.

It was a perfect fit.

He grinned to himself.

His admirer sure had good taste, that much was certain.

He took it off again cautiously and went to the bathroom, deciding to take a long hot shower, all the while grinning to himself like an idiot.

When he came out half an hour later, only wearing a towel around his hips, he stopped dead as Percy and Jason stood in his room, looking around at him.

"Morning? We came to check whether you were awake yet.", Jason greeted, while Percy blinked and slowly looked him up and down.

Nico blushed and walked over to his wardrobe quickly.

"M-Morning. Yeah, I seem to have overslept.", he muttered, quickly pulling out his clothes and disappearing towards the bathroom again.

Seriously, who gave his friends permission to just walk into his cabin like that nowadays?

Percy chuckled.

"So shy.", he said and Nico glared around at him, though his red face would give him away anyways.

"Percy, stop teasing him. If you want to see him naked, just tell him so.", Jason stated drily, rolling his eyes.

Both Percy and Nico flushed.

"I...what...uh, you're the worst!", Nico stammered and hurried off into the bathroom.

Percy only punched Jason in the side.
"Idiot...", he muttered and Nico could hear Jason laugh.

Those two.

He came out a few minutes later, just to then notice he had put his sweater on with the back as front.

Percy found that very amusing, especially when Jason had grabbed Nico's sweater and pulled it off in one fluid motion, making Nico make a rather high-pitched sound in shock.

But Nico had only grabbed his sweater and put it on the right way around, walking over to his bedside table disdainfully.

He tried to put on the stud bracelet the way he had earlier, but of course, it didn't work.

Stupid demo effect.

Jason helped him, carefully closing it around his wrist.

"Looks pretty good on you.", he commented, smiling at Nico.

"You think so?", Nico asked, looking rather fondly at it.

It did feel nice too.

Percy looked over. "Yeah, that looks really cool. Do you like it?"

Nico nodded quietly, fidgeting with his hands. "I just wish I knew who gives me all this stuff then I could actually say thanks...", he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Percy and Jason chuckled.

"Didn't you say you don't want to find out before the 25th?", Percy reminded him and he made a face.

"So much about 'I don't care who it is'.", Jason teased and Nico scowled at them both.

Then he stuck out his tongue.

Both acted absolutely shocked.

"Nico! Really, such bad behavior. I would have expected better of you.", Percy scolded, winking at him and thus destroying the lecture.

"Seriously, I would have never thought of you to treat your elders with such disrespect.", Jason said, shaking his head in mock shock.

Nico gaped. "What? Elders? I'm, like, over 80 years old! If anything, you should start showing some respect to me!"

There was silence for a moment.

Then they all three laughed and Jason ruffled through his hair affectionately. "I'll remember that, grandpa."

"Don't you dare, Jason. Don't even go there."

Percy started tickling him and next moment they were all on the floor with Nico's legs wrapped around Percy's waist, holding him where he was, trying to decide whether he wanted to pull him close enough to not be able to tickle him anymore or push him away to get a chance to scramble off the floor, while his hands were busy trying to swat Jason's hands away, who was behind him.

Percy was evil though and dropped his entire weight onto Nico, ultimately weakening his resistance and letting him fall onto him, just wrapping his legs around him without thinking.

He was so busy fighting off Jason behind him that he didn't really notice how close Percy's body actually was to his until he turned his head and found Percy's face inches from his own.

He blinked and tried to move away, but Percy's hands found his sides and tickled him again, making him squirm and laugh and somehow wrap his legs tighter around him.

Jason only laughed and looked at them bemused.

Percy grinned down at Nico in a sort of content, yet hungry way.

Nico had never seen him look like that.

He still tried to escape, even though it was his legs wrapped around Percy, holding him tight.

Then Percy leaned ever so close over him, their lips almost touching.

"Nico...", he purred ever so quietly, making Nico shiver and, for a moment, he froze.

Percy pulled back, looking at him rather thoughtful for a moment before grinning again.

"I got you food by the way. You hungry?", he asked and got off him.

Nico blinked for a moment, then scrambled to his feet, shaking his head.

He went over to the other two who were currently unfolding napkins containing toast and...

"Really? A brownie?", Nico asked, chuckling.

Jason shrugged. "Well, if you don't want it, I'll gladly have it, gramps."

Nico punched him playfully in the side. "Ha-ha. No, I'll have it, alright.", he said and grabbed the brownie, sticking it into his mouth so half still stood out.

"But if you want some we can share.", he tried to say.

Jason looked at him surprised for a moment.

Then, to Nico's utter surprise, Percy came dashing into his field of vision.

"I'll take you up on that!", he called and next moment, Nico saw and felt Percy's face getting way too close, biting off part of the brownie.

Their lips definitely brushed against each other.

Nico felt the heat rising in his face.

Percy pulled back, chewing with a smug expression on his face, smirking down at Nico.

Nico still stared at him, clearly flustered, now eating his own half of the brownie.

Jason laughed loudly. "Aw, man, Percy. He asked me, not you.", he scolded, but Percy only shrugged.

"You simply were too slow, mate."

Percy looked back towards Nico, a rather pleased expression on his face.

"By the way, the plan still stands to leave on Tuesday, right?", Jason asked and Nico was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, until now at least. I really hope Chiron lets us have the car. Else we've got a problem.", Percy replied.

"If you are talking about getting to Camp Jupiter, you know I can always ask Jules-Albert to drive us there."

They turned around at him.

"Your zombie chauffeur?", Jason asked.

Nico nodded.

"Cool. I'm in. I always wanted to be driven around by a zombie!", Percy called enthusiastically.

The door opened.

"Driven around by a zombie? Are you talking about Nico's chauffeur?", Will walked in.

Nico simply loved how they just walked into his cabin like that nowadays.

Before he had invited them over on the 1st day of December, they had never been in here for more than maybe five minutes.

Though he really didn't mind.

It made the whole place feel a hundred times warmer and livelier.

"Yeah, because of the drive to Camp Jupiter on the 23rd.", Jason told him and Will nodded, closing the door behind him and coming over.

"True, true. I've been wondering how we were going to get there in such a short amount of time."

"Wait, you're coming, too?", Nico asked, surprised.

Will frowned. "Of course. What did you think? That I'd let you go there by yourself with those two lechers. Somebody got to protect you after all."

Jason and Percy looked indignantly at him.

"Lechers? Says the person constantly molesting him!", Percy exclaimed.

"It's more us protecting him from you!", Jason corrected and Nico only blinked.

What?

"Molesting him? All we did was k-..."

Nico threw his shoe at his face (it had been the first thing in his reach...), breaking off whatever he was going to say.

His face was flushed a dark shade of red.

The others looked around surprised as Will went down.

"All of you, shut up. Why am I always the last to find out such stuff?", he said, though on the inside, everything was in turmoil.

Will had almost told them they had kissed.

He had no idea how he felt about it.

He didn't want them to think bad of him.

He didn't want them to think he kissed with friends just for the hell of it

He didn't want to kiss his friends.

OK, he did, but he wanted to kiss them because they liked him that way and wanted to be with him that way.

But even next to that, his insides were fuming because of this whole situation.

Which really wasn't a good mix.

But seriously, why was he always the last to find out about things like this?!

And why had Will almost told them about their kiss?

But why did nobody ever tell him things like this before?

And why had he almost said that...

"Nico, you ok?", Jason asked, cautiously.

Will shook his head, scrambling off the floor. "Really?", he asked, holding up the shoe.

Percy looked at him worriedly and then looked back at Will.

Nico's insides filled with dread.

He knew.

Nico knew that expression on Percy's face.

He was usually not the brightest, but he had his moments.

And right now seemed to have been such a moment.

Nico wasn't sure whether he was upset, angry or hurt, nor did he know what or whom he was upset, angry or hurt at/about.

"First I'm thinking I'm going to Camp Jupiter alone, until Jason told me he'll be going, too. And everything is great. Then suddenly I find out that Percy has been planning all along to come with as well and I'm like ok, great, good that I know. But now you show up and also had it planned all along to come with, but none of you actually bothered telling me?!"

He wasn't even sure why he was complaining.

What did it matter?

If it was about Christmas gifts, he could still get those.

And he was glad they all came with.

He loved spending his time with them.

Of course, sometimes they freaked him out and he blushed way too often, but still.

This whole talk...he didn't know where it was coming from.

It sounded so self-centered and selfish.

He shook his head, hiding his face in his hands.

What the hell was happening to him?

For a moment, there was silence.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I should have told you.", Percy muttered quietly, tentatively taking a step towards him.

"Yeah, I completely forgot...sorry, Neeks...", Will got closer as well.

He could feel Jason's hand on his shoulder, pressing it gently for a moment.

That was his way of saying everything was ok.

Nico sighed, shaking his head.

"I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what hit me. I was just...I don't know...", he muttered and looked up to find them all gaze at him with understanding expressions.

"It's ok, Neeks. Come, let's hug it out.", Will said and wanted to wrap him in a hug, but Percy shoved him aside rudely.

"Don't you dare.", he hissed and pulled Nico into a hug instead.

"Nico, I really am sorry. I wanted to tell you but I completely forgot. I didn't even get around to tell Jason until Monday when you two were out. Else I would still have told nobody."

"It...It doesn't matter. I mean...I'm glad you're all coming with me...I don't know why I reacted like that...", he muttered, wrapping his arms around Percy absent-mindedly.

The dark-haired boy chuckled quietly.

"Sometimes, we get fed up over really stupid things, Nico. It's ok.", he murmured quietly into his ear.

The others nodded and smiled.

Then Nico pulled back.

"Ok, that's enough feelings for a day. Let's go slaughter some dummies."

They all laughed.

.

Matter of factly, they didn't get to slaughter any dummies.

Instead, they were completely overrun by half the camp as they entered the arena and then had to split up, training with groups of kids.

It had been fun, of course, especially when Bill had found his true passion of spear-wielding, maybe not exactly perfectly, but definitely effectively.

He had later high-fived with Nico and to Nico, it had been like the best thing in the world.

Especially when others had gone up to Bill and talked in hushed voices, asking about Nico and whether he knew him and could introduce them so he could show them some cool stuff too.

Bill was a lot like Nico, so when they had all come to him all of a sudden, he had been pleased, yet completely overwhelmed.

When he had looked around at Nico with those big pleading eyes, Nico had only chuckled and come to his aid, talking to the lot and even letting them hold his Stygian Iron sword.

Then Jason had joined him and shown his gladius and they had been completely awed.

Somehow, to the new campers, they really seemed like heroes or idols.

They looked up to him and his friends.
It was odd, thinking about it that way.

He himself had looked up to Percy back when he had gotten to know him.

Thought he was an absolute hero.

To these kids, he thought, he seemed something like a hero as well.

Though he was just Nico.

It was weird.

But in a good way.

They were fairly curious about him as well, asking questions about the Underworld and his father and Nico used the chance to get some myths out of the way as well.

It was really funny watching their expressions change from awe to shock to dread to relief when he told them about Tartarus and how they had found the Doors of Death.

Jason completely exaggerated at some points, making Nico flustered and the kids think he was some sort of superhero.

He wasn't that great.

Ok, he had beaten off quite a few monsters by himself (a few thousand, mind you), but not completely unscathed and not the way Jason claimed.

But the kids went nuts about it, trying to mimic his fighting style and looking up at him with adoration in their eyes.

It was a really good feeling.

Then Percy had joined and wrapped Nico into a really tight hug from behind, making him all fuzzy inside.

He wouldn't have been surprised to see the kids look at them shocked or something, but all they had done is giggle and give each other meaningful glances.

Percy had only grinned broadly and as Jason shoved him away and pressed Nico against his chest, the kids had all laughed and started cheering for either Jason or Percy who had a fun time tugging at either side of Nico,, bickering whom he liked more.

Then Will had come running, wanting to join in as well.

Nico, who had kind of seen it coming, got out of the way in one fluid motion, resulting in the three head-butting each other by accident.

Then Nico brushed off his hands like a boss and the kids had been a laughing mess.

All in all, it had been a really fun day.

.

When they split up in the evening, it was Jason bringing Nico to his door, while the others were already in their cabins.

"I think it's great that we'll be spending Christmas together. All of us. I'm really looking forward to that.", Nico said quietly, inwardly already thinking about possible gifts.

"Yeah, I bet it will be great. Will is actually really looking forward to Camp Jupiter."

"True, he's never been there, has he? I'm actually surprised he's coming with us. Kind of thought he'd be spending Christmas here."

"Yeah, me too. But I also didn't think Percy was going to stay at Camp, much less come with us.", Jason muttered.

Nico fidgeted. "Yeah, I'm surprised about that, too."

"Nico?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing...good night, Neeks.", he said instead and waved.

Nico frowned but shrugged it off and opened his door.

"Good Night, Jason. See you tomorrow."

With that, he watched Jason walk away, his hand still raised, and closed the door.

He would be spending Christmas with his three best friends, his sister and his other sister. Could life be any better?

And the admirer would come out to him as well.

He smiled to himself, getting ready for bed and sinking into the pillow.

Sighing happily, he fell asleep.