Nico

Nico ran through the field, not knowing exactly why. He wanted to get away from Leo. He didn't know why, but he did. Maybe because he loved him and he couldn't help it.

Leo was persistent as he ran after Nico. Nico was panting and sprinting, trying to get rid of Leo. He didn't want to talk to him. When Leo had told him that he and Calypso weren't a thing, Nico hadn't wanted to hear that. He hadn't wanted to hear anything. He had wanted Leo to kiss him. But he hadn't been bold enough to kiss Leo first, and Leo obviously was not in a kissing mood. At least, not around Nico. He obviously didn't mind touching Calypso.

Nico went from confused to furious. His sprint turned into a charge. He imagined his feet driving into the ground and springing off. He was fast. His legs would do all of the work, and the rest of him would enjoy the ride with the wind in his face and the landscape zipping past him. He ran and ran and wouldn't stop running. Leo couldn't keep up.

Eventually, Nico had to choose to turn into another strawberry field, turn towards the lake, or keep running until he reached the pavilion. He made a sharp turn to the lake and kept running, imagining himself as Arion but faster. Leo was thrown off, obviously not good at sharp turns, but he kept running after Nico.

Nico ran all the way to the lake and out onto a dock until he stood at the very end. For the love of Hades, why had he come to this dead end?

Leo was still bolting after him. His feet hit the dock and thudded on the boards as he got closer and closer to the end where Nico was standing. He lost control of himself and he couldn't stop running. He tried to stop at the edge but toppled forward where Nico was standing. He landed on top of Nico, who grabbed his shoulders, and they both fell backwards into the lake.

The lake was warm and dark, and there was a second of confusion before Nico reemerged. He popped his head up into the air and spat up water, Leo emerging shortly after. He glared at Leo.

Leo looked horrified. "Nico, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to..." he was cut off by Nico, who swam over to him, put a hand on the back of his head, and kissed him. It was awkward and difficult trying to tread water and kiss at the same time, but they managed. Nico opened his eyes and noticed a little glow from underwater. Leo had accidentally set his hands on fire. How was that even possible?

Leo noticed the flames and quickly closed his fists so that the glow wasn't visible.

"Sorry," he said. "That was just, really, uh... great."

Nico cleared his throat. He could feel the currents that Leo was creating when he tread water, and they were so close together that he was sure his dad could hear his heart beating all the way from the Underworld. Which he was supposed to return to tomorrow. Which would mean leaving Leo. Now that he thought about it, maybe he could stay.

"Why were you running from me if you wanted to kiss me?" Asked Leo.

Nico shook his head. "I don't know, I was confused and I ran and I honestly don't know why. But once I was running, I started thinking, and started feeling things, and I just had to keep running. Sorry."

Leo closed the space between him and Nico and put his hands on his waist. Nico felt shivers all throughout his body. The two kept treading, and Leo's hands on Nico's waist didn't throw off their balance but instead made them steady.

"Nico, never apologize for you feelings."

"I'm sorry."

Leo glared at him.

"Come on, man. Stop apologizing for everything. I'm a jerk."

Nico looked into Leo's eyes. "You're not a jerk," he said softly.

Leo blinked. "I... I made a baby. With Calypso. While I was with you!"
"With me?" Nico asked.

Leo pushed a bit of Nico's dark hair back. "With you, and our thing, whatever it is that we're doing. I... I created a kid while that was going on. I don't understand why you don't hate me."

"I could never hate you," said Nico, putting his hands on Leo's shoulders and pressing their mouths together. Leo looked bewildered at first, but then sank into the kiss. Nico was suddenly aware of his clothing pulling him down in the water, and realized he couldn't keep treading. He reluctantly pulled back from the kiss and took Leo's hand, leading him to the edge of the dock, where they held onto the posts and kissed again. When that kiss ended, Nico could see the confusion and hurt in Leo's expression.

"You'll be a great dad," he whispered. "Better than our dads ever were."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but only a small sound came out. Nico knew what that felt like. It was that feeling where if you have to say something, anything at all, you burst into tears. Nico didn't want to be the trigger for Leo's tears. Or fears. Or anything else. All Nico wanted to be for Leo was his second half. And even though he didn't fully know it, he was.

Nico put a hand under Leo's chin. "Leo. You don't have to say anything if speaking will make you cry. Unless you want to cry. In which case, I'm here."

Leo instantly closed the space between him and Nico and buried his face in Nico's chest, silently heaving, and Nico felt warm because Leo was with him, but sad because he hated to see him like this. It occurred to Nico that Leo was always the one to comfort others. When did anyone comfort Leo? The guy who always smiled deserved someone to cry with. Nico put a hand around Leo and drifted towards a horizontal board connecting the posts of the dock, and pressed his back to it. Then he pulled Leo in even closer and wrapped his arms around him, letting him cry. It was time for the boy who always smiles to have a chance to cry.

"I love you," Nico breathed into Leo's neck. He always thought it would be difficult to tell someone he loved them romantically, but saying it to Leo was as easy as slipping into a warm bathtub. It felt warm and simple, and most importantly, it was true.

Leo didn't say anything back, but his grip on Nico intensified. Nico held him there for about an hour, but it passed easily.

Finally, Leo said "I love you, too."

Nico smiled, wiping a tear from Leo's eye, which was useless because they were in a lake and covered in water.

"I know," he said, grinning just a little.

"You're so smug," Leo laughed.

"So are you."

They admired eachother for a while.

"I'm going to be a dad."

"I know."

"Calypso and our baby need me."

"I know."

"I will be a terrible father."
"I know that's not true."

Nico held onto Leo's shoulders firmly. Nico had always been so fragile, but now it was his turn to be strong for someone else who was fragile. He stared into Leo's eyes intensly until Leo cracked a smile. It didn't feel like the old smiles back when they were on the Argo II, when Leo would run around the ship singing loudly or naming things as he passed them. Those were the actual smiles. This one was sad.

Leo kissed Nico's forehead.

"I'm sorry we couldn't be a regular couple," Leo said.

"I'm so thankful we're not," Nico responded.

They helped pull eachother onto the dock. Nico got up first, and then Leo, who fell on top of him as he was getting out. Nico laughed and kissed him, their wet shirts sticking to eachother. Then the shadow traveler and the future father got up and walked back to the cabins together as the sun rose over Camp Half Blood.