A/N: Here's the next chapter, as promised! I'm finally back on track for this story, so thank you guys for staying patient :)

Texting is back, so here;

Bold = Nico

Italics = Will

12

Nico

Nico got home feeling absolutely exhausted. Between the laser tag and all the walking around they'd done that day, he felt dead on his feet. Plus, he and Will, and all of their friends had gone out to pizza after the arcade, and Nico felt more full than he had in his entire life.

"I'm home," he called out halfheartedly, groaning as he kicked off his shoes and headed for the stairs. "What are you guys— AHHHHHHHH!" Nico scrambled backwards and tripped on the last step, falling on his butt and skittering back as he stared wide-eyed at the black shape in front of him. "Quello che il effettivo fanculo?! Papà! Bianca!"

Bianca came walking out of the kitchen as Nico pulled himself to his feet, and she raised an eyebrow at him, sipping a diet Pepsi. "What are you doing?"

"What is that... that thing?" Nico asked exasperatedly, gesturing wildly at the black blob that appeared to be a huge black dog now that he looked at it. Biana shrugged, taking another swig of her soda. "I found a dog on the way home. Dad said I could keep him."

"Wha... You can't just— What are—" Nico pinched the bridge of his nose. "A dog, B?"

His sister nodded, walking past him to head back down the hallway. "Yep. His name's Cerberus."

"Cerberus," Nico muttered, throwing up his hands and staring at the ceiling. "Of course." He turned and walked up the stairs, shaking his head. His sister had always been the kind of person who picked up any strange animal she found abandoned on the side of the road, and their dad had always indulged her, which Nico frankly didn't understand. Animals were large. And slobbery. And dangerous. Not worth the trouble, in his opinion.

But, of course, there was no dissuading Bianca when she was set on something.

Nico collapsed on his bed with a sigh, flipping onto his side to stare at the wall. His desk sat in the corner, like it always had, with that accursed manga Will wanted so much resting on its back amid a pile of messy papers and other books. With a jolt, Nico realized that Will had forgotten about it again.

He smiled slightly. How forgetful could one person be? Maybe he was doing this as a reason to spend time with him. It would make a lot of sense. Nico blushed at that, but quickly decided against it. Will wasn't wily enough to come up with a plan like that. He seemed like the type of person who could hold a straight face for all of two seconds before breaking into tears when trying to lie.

Deciding to throw out an olive branch after the (although he begrudgingly admitted this) amazing time he had, and picked up his phone to shoot a text to Will.

5:42 PM - You forgot the manga again, Solace. I'm starting to think you actually like spending time with me.

Nico smacked himself in the face and groaned. Oh, Gods why did I say thatttttt?

5:43 PM - GODS FUCKING DAMMIT I CAN DO NOTHING RIGHTTTTT!

Nico smiled slightly, amused by Will's antics as he typed out a response.

5:43 PM - Relax, luce del sole. I'm letting you off the hook. You can come by my house and pick it up tomorrow

5:44 PM - ...

5:45 PM - Really? You're not screwing with me?

Nico took a deep breath and had to dig his nails into his palms hard to avoid making a joke about Will's word choice as he typed out his answer.

5:45 PM - No.

4:46 PM - Well... then I'll be there

4:47 PM - Good

4:47 PM - Good

Nico thought he would get no further response, but as he was setting his phone aside, it dinged once more. His eyes widened and heart rate sped up as he read Will's last text.

4:49 PM - And maybe I do like spending time with you... Ghost boy

"Oh my gods," Nico whispered, clutching his phone tightly in both hands. "Oh miei dèi. Solace... Gli piaccio?" With a shaking hand, he typed out Reyna's number, needing someone to talk to that wasn't Jason or Percy. She picked up on the third ring with a simple, "Hello?"

"Hey, Reyna," Nico greeted, fiddling with the hem of his black shirt as he sat cross-legged on his bed. "I need some advice."

"Of course," she said. "Anything I can do to help."

"Okay, well..." He bit his lip. "I think someone likes me."

Reyna was quiet for several seconds. "Okay. And this person... do you like them too?"

"Well, that's the thing..." Nico paused, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know! I mean, at times I feel really happy, but at other times, I don't know how I feel. I mean, it's fun hanging out with him, but... How do I know what I'm feeling is really real?" He ended the rant with a sharp exhale and sagged back against his headboard, feeling slightly relieved that he'd gotten that all off his chest.

Reyna processed the information for a few seconds before responding. "Okay, well you should try spending a day away from this person, and just think about how you feel about them."

"And what?" Nico asked, confused. "If I miss them, I really do like them?"

"I don't know," Reyna said simply, prompting Nico to let out an irritated sigh. "That's for you to decide, Nico."

"Fine," he said after a while of thinking about it. She did have a point. If he spent a day away from Will, and all he could think about was Will, then surely he liked him, right? "Thanks, Reyna."

"No problem. Now get some sleep, Nico." Without another word, she hung up, and Nico sighed and dropped his phone on his mattress. He supposed the day without Will would have to wait until after he'd given him the manga. That way there would be nothing tying them together anymore, except the few memories they had from their "dates".

This was good, Nico told himself. He could use some time alone to just think. He was sure it would do him some good. After all, this whole Will thing was driving him insane. He'd never been the lovey-dovey type. He didn't coo or swoon over cute couples in movies; he'd never wanted to do any of that cheesy stuff with anyone before. And yet, with Will... it was different. Will made everything different, and Nico still wasn't sure whether it was a good different.

Sighing, Nico plugged in his phone, buried himself in his covers, and drifted out to sleep.

In the morning, Nico still felt as indecisive as he had the previous day. But he ignored it all, grabbing the manga from his side-table and stuffing it deep in the pocket of his black hoodie. Will was coming over around eleven to pick it up, and as soon as he was gone, the thinking would begin.

Dragging himself down the stairs, Nico trailed into the kitchen to find his dad at the stove. The smell of bacon hit Nico's nose, and he was brought up short as the scent hit him like a frying pan, making his stomach grumble. He stood there like a statue for several seconds, staring at his father like he'd grown a second head and blinking repeatedly to see if it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.

"Oh, good morning, Son," Hades greeted, glancing over his shoulder at Nico before returning his attention to the pan in front of him. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Dad," Nico said, breaking out of his stupor, "what are you doing?"

Hades didn't look at him, flipping the bacon with a fork and causing the fresh grease to sizzle against the hot pan. "Nothing. Just something your friend Will said got me thinking."

Nico groaned and collapsed into a seat at the table, tearing a hand through his hair. "Dad, I am not malnourished! Do not listen to Will! I swear I eat plenty."

Hades rolled his eyes. "Nico, McDonald's doesn't count."

Nico threw up his hands with an agitated exclamation. "Really, Dad! What does Will know about nutrition, anyway?"

"Don't change the subject," Hades said, pointing the bacon-flipping fork at Nico with a stern expression. "You're going to eat this bacon, and you're going to like it!"

"Okay, okay," Nico muttered, crossing his arms and rocking back on his chair. "Where's Bianca?"

"Your sister went out with some friends. She said she'd be back by two or three. And I think they took the dog with them."

"Of course," Nico sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The dog."

Hades flipped off the stove and poured the bacon onto a plate, setting it on the table. He opened up the fridge and grabbed the orange juice and milk, setting both cartons on the table before swiping two things of jam and the butter. He dumped the load on the table, grabbing the bread from the counter and sticking four slices in the toaster.

Meanwhile, Nico poked a piece of bacon suspiciously, eyeing it warily. His father had never cooked bacon—or any other breakfast food, for that matter—in Nico's entire fifteen years of existence, and yet the meat seemed perfectly cooked, a golden brown on both sides, and just the right amount of crispy. It kind of scared him.

A few seconds later, the toaster dinged, and Nico's dad set the toast on a plate, placing it on the table. "Eat up, kid," he instructed, popping open the orange juice and taking a swig. Nico paused for about a split second before grabbing six slices of bacon and two of toast, slathering on butter and strawberry jam before taking a big bite.

Between father and son, the two of them made quick work of the food, and soon the plates were empty. Nico helped Hades carry the dishes to the sink, and clear the jam, butter, orange juice, and milk off the table, and by the time that was all done, it was nearing ten fifty.

"Oh no," Nico squeaked, tripping over his feet in his hurry to get to the stairs. "Will will be here any sec—" The doorbell rung, interrupting him, and Nico froze, very aware of his skull-patterned pajama-pants and black hoodie that cheerfully read, 99.9% Sarcasm. The doorbell rang again, and Nico squealed and face-planted as he tripped over the first step and fell on his face on the carpet. Hades stepped over him, rolling his eyes, and pulled the door open while Nico was still rolling around clutching his foot, moaning in pain.

"Oh, hello, Mr. di Angelo!" Will greeted brightly, flashing his signature 1000-watt smile. "Good morn— Er, is Nico okay?"

Nico stopped his flailing about and looked over at Will, who was staring at him with a slightly amused expression.

"He tripped," Hades said, stepping aside to let Will past. Nico quickly scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off, a slight blush dusting his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "Um, I have the, uh, manga you wanted."

Will watched as he pulled the book from his pocket, holding it out to the blond. Their fingers brushed as Will took it, and Nico felt a shiver go through him as he quickly yanked his hand away, coughing in embarrassment. He was starting to feel like a twelve-year-old girl with a crush.

"Thanks," Will said, giving Nico a bright smile that made his heart involuntarily flutter.

"No problem," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking back on his heels awkwardly. Will was about to say something when his phone dinged, and he stuck the manga under his arm, pulling his phone from his pocket. His eyes widened when he saw the screen, and he turned on his heel. "I'm so sorry, Nico, but I gotta go!" He reached the door and tugged it open, shooting an apologetic look over his shoulder. "I'll talk to you soon!" And then he closed the door, sprinting off across Nico's lawn.

Hades looked at his son with a raised eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Nico gave a long sigh. "I honestly don't know. I'm going upstairs."

Stalking back upstairs, Nico tugged off his sweat-shirt and changed into a T-Shirt. Like most of his clothes, it had a witty remark. This one said, Little Bucket Of Sass, and featured a small bucket tipping over—a present from Jason. Nico sighed and plopped down in his chair, staring out the window.

"Okay," he said aloud, straightening and squaring his shoulder. "Twenty-four hours of not seeing Will and thinking about emotions officially starts now."

Translations;

Quello che il effettivo fanculo?! = What the actual fuck?! (XD)

Papà! = Dad!

Oh miei dèi. = Oh my gods.

Gli piaccio? = He likes me?