Chapter 5: How Nico Found Out

Leo was a blubbering mess on the floor as he jabbed in the phone number that he had memorised well over five years ago.

"Nico, Annabeth, she-she's d-d-dea-," Leo stammered and before he could finish the sentence the shadows formed the shape of one Nico di Angelo.

"Shhh, I know, I know," Nico didn't bother with any 'it'll be alright' bull, both of them had lived through enough crap to know it wasn't true. Instead he lightly kissed Leo on the forehead, "And it sucks, I know that too, okay?"

Leo managed a weak nod and croaked out, "is she, is she in Elysium?"

"Of course she is Valdez, she saved the world...twice," Nico smirked and kissed Leo, on the lips this time. Leo sighed, knowing that this was all their relationship would ever be, which just made the tears fall heavier. He wanted more, he wanted a proper relationship with the younger demigod. But that was an unreachable dream, Nico didn't want that, and Leo was all too aware.

Leo remembered the first time...this, happened. It was the 15 year anniversary of Esperanza Valdez's death. Nico had shown up at Leo's to find him on the floor with a knife in hand, staring at his wrist. The son of Hades had quickly confiscated the knife and lifted the older demigod into his lap, and Leo had curled up into a foetal position. It surprised Leo slightly when Nico kissed him on the forehead softly but he didn't protest. And then later, when Nico had gone through Leo's drawers, pulled out every sharp object, and shoved it into a bag (which, to Leo's dismay, Nico took with him) Leo didn't complain about the short kiss on the lips before Nico shadow-travelled away. The firebug desperately wanted to confront him about it, but something in the others eyes stopped him. A silent pleading.

The next time it had happened, was Percy and Annabeth's wedding, this time it was Nico in tears on the floor, and it was Leo who comforted him. He hugged the small boy to his chest and rocked him back and forth. At one point he took Neek's hand and kissed the scars along his wrists, much older then some of Leo's own, one at a time, while he whispered things in Spanish he knew that Nico, thank the gods, wouldn't understand him. That had become another 'thing' of theirs, speaking in other languages to each other.

Nico had noticed that Leo had zoned out and was now trying to snap him out of it, "Leo. Hey. Leo. Look. At. Me," each word was punctuated with a kiss to the lips, this seemed to snap Leo out of his daze, though if it were the words or the kisses Nico wasn't sure.

"Hm, oh sorry, I was just...somewhere else," Leo said quickly wiping the tears from his eyes, which didn't help in the slightest, the tears were just replaced with more, "Estoy bien, cariño, estoy bien." (A/N: I don't know anyone who speaks Spanish and my school only offers French so I'm relying on Google Translate here).

Nico wasn't convinced and was about to pursue the topic when he glanced up at the clock and saw that it was 10:00am, and he had to be at work by 11:00. Nico was a waiter at a restaurant at the moment, though he wanted to be a chef, carefully, he lifted the now sleeping form of Leo Valdez off of his lap, scribbled a quick note in Italian, thankful Leo didn't understand it, and shadow-travelled away.

Caro Leo, mio dolce,

Ho dovuto andare a lavorare, mi dispiace, ma non posso essere di nuovo in ritardo.

Amare, Nico, quello che così spesso sogna di voi ancora non si può avere nella terra dei viventi

XOXO

(Rough English translations (according to google translate):

Estoy bien, cariño, Estoy bienI'm fine, darling, I'm fine

Nico's Letter (I'm not writing it out again)Dear Leo, my sweet,

I had to go to work, I'm sorry, but I can not be late again

Love, Nico, the one who dreams of you Often yet can not have you in the land of the living XOXO)