A/N: Hello there my friends! So I know a lot of you are Percy/Nico fans. Heck, I ship them like no tomorrow. I mean right now I'm working on three Percy/Nico fan fictions; this one, Drowning In You, and Here Comes Goodbye. But do I have any Leo/Nico fans out there reading this? I was just wondering because I was thinking about starting a new Leo/Nico fan fiction, but I'm not sure. Hmmmm…. Should I? :/

Love Me Forever Or Love Me Never
Chapter 14: Leo's Laughter

When Nico woke up on Sunday morning he felt disoriented and absolutely heartbroken. Lying on his bed, the blanket pulled half way over his body, Nico allowed the memories from just hours before to flood over him, leaving a hollow and empty feeling where his heart should have been. Every word that was spoken, every question, it all came back to him; his confession about his feelings, him coming out of the closet, his parents worry, the talk about Percy, and (the worst of all) the fact that he was going to live with his aunt for a few weeks. Just thinking that over made Nico's stomach flip, causing the boy to feel nauseous. How was he going to break the news to Percy? When would he tell Leo about this? Suddenly, another wave of panic over took Nico. What was he supposed to do about the fact that he was dating Leo and Percy at the same time? Just when life was looking up for him someone has to come by and smash it right back to the ground. Nico sighed loudly, willing the lump that was forming in his throat to dissipate. How would he possibly choose who he wanted to be with? Nico hated himself for being so… well, so bitchy. After all he had two amazing guys, both claiming that they were in love with him, and his biggest worry was which one he liked the most. He knew he shouldn't dwell on it too much, but he felt awful considering he was worried by the fact he would only have one of them and then there were people out there mourning over lost loved ones. Who was he to act like it was the end of the world when some people truly had lost it all?

Leo; he was sweet, funny, and treated Nico like a king- like he was worth more than the world. The boy knew how to treat him right, how to take care of him. He wouldn't hurt Nico, not for all the money in the world. Although Nico had only known him for a short amount of time he could see that the boy's intentions were pure and that he actually cared for him.

Percy; he was nice, kind, and absolutely hilarious. He was so funny and clever, always knowing how to make Nico smile and laugh when he was down. But he had put the boy through hell and back and over what? Some measly little kiss. But god did Nico love him. He loved the boy with all his heart. How could Nico trust him after that?

Nico let out an aspirated sigh. This was something he didn't want to deal with, not now or ever. He hated the fact that he would have to choose. What if he chose Leo and Percy refused to talk to him again? What if he chose Percy and Leo refused to talk to him again? The whole thing was making his head hurt. He had such strong feeling towards both of them- Why did love have to be so damn complicated? Why couldn't he just go back to the time when he was hiding his feelings and going about his life normally? Things would have been so much better if he could have kept his big mouth shut and let Annabeth keep Percy. At that moment a thought dawned on Nico. What happened to Annabeth anyways? Was Percy and her still together?!

Once again Nico sighed. This was too much. He felt as though his head would explode if he kept thinking about such things. Nico truly yearned to go back to sleep, but quickly realized that wasn't an option considering he had a million thoughts whirling around in his head. Sitting up slowly Nico climbed from his bed. He felt slightly nasty as he examined himself. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn to the party meaning he still had that faint scent of liquor lingering on his clothes not to mention the varies stains as well; sweat, dirt, mud, fuzzy, and a few more discolored patches that he couldn't really name.

Opening his closet Nico pulled out the first pair of jeans he saw and a baggy t-shirt, feeling too lazy to find anything else. He figured he needed a bath, but decided against it. For a moment he thought about how hard it would be to drown one's self in a shower. These thoughts led him to vote against the showering option even though his hair was slightly greasy and he had dirt caked under his finger nails from the time he spent tromping through the woods with Percy. The next order of business was to simply to strip and change his clothes, which Nico did quickly before plopping back down upon his bed, once again allowing the tiredness to swarm over him. Just the feeling of clean clothes made Nico slightly more comfortable- almost as though some of that weight on his shoulders had been lifted.

It was only moments later before Nico was back on his feet, pacing his bedroom. The tiredness had come and went quickly and now he was stuck wondering what to do next. Nico didn't want to venture downstairs out of fear that he would see his parents. He was still extremely pissed at them for betraying him like such, but his peevishness had wavered off slightly and he was left feeling as though he over did things the night before. His parents were taking him on a guilt trip even if they weren't meaning too.

Finally, swallowing his pride, Nico opened the door to his bedroom. Peeking his head around the door frame he heard the voices wavering up from the kitchen, echoing down the empty hallway to his bedroom. He could hear his father's gruff laughter (a noise that wasn't heard often) and his sister's silky voice. Bianca always was shy, even when she was around her family.

Nico stepped down the hallway slowly, his footsteps muffled by the white socks on his feet. He didn't even remember where he had kicked his boots last night. Glancing down the stairs Nico couldn't see his family in the living room so automatically he guessed the kitchen. Nico took the steps slowly as though he had broken legs, moving down them one at a time and with a snail's pace. When he reached the bottom he strides towards the kitchen, although he stopped just outside the door. He grimaced as he caught a glimpse of his family around the kitchen table, enjoying breakfast. Normal his father was at work by now so Nico assumed Hades had called in sick. He hated when his father did that. As he watched his family shuffle around the table, eating, talking, laughing, Nico once again felt peevish towards all of them. They wanted him to suffer. They were shipping him out to his aunts to get rid of him so why should he play nice?

Standing up taller, Nico stalked into the kitchen feeling more enraged (and slightly more confident) than ever before. The moment he stepped foot in the kitchen all eyes were on him.

"Good morning, Nico. Sleep well?" Maria called softly over to him.

Nico started to reply when automatically the lump in his throat returned. Why was he feeling like this? Why was he suddenly so clammed up? Nico once again tried to reply, but quickly shut his mouth when he realized it was no use. He couldn't do this.

Slumping down, Nico made his way to the refrigerator. He slowly opened it, shutting the door slightly around himself to hide him from view, before leaning forward and grabbing the first thing he could find. He didn't want to seem awkward coming into the kitchen only to stand a moment and then leave empty hand, so he quickly moved to the sink and grabbed a clean glass. Filling it up with orange juice he once again started to leave. Before he could get so far as from behind the counter Hades spoke up.

"Bianca, would you mind going up stairs for a moment. Me and your mother need to talk to Nico." Bianca looked at her father silently before glancing over at Nico. She then pushed her plate of half eaten scrambled eggs away and headed out of the room. Hades waited till he heard his daughter move up the stairs and the door close to her room.

"Nico, sit down right now." Hades commanded. Nico looked at his father coldly before doing as he had said.

"So, what? You back to being an asshole now?" Nico chided at his father before looking away. He didn't know what came over him, but he sudden had the feeling of hatred boiling in the pit of his stomach, begging to be set free. He hated his mother, he hated his father, he hated his sister…He hated himself most of all.

"Nico…" Hades trailed off as he spoke the name between clenched teeth. Nico hated it when his father was angry.

"Nico, sweetheart, we just thought it would be good for you to know that where taking you to your aunt's tomorrow." His mother said comfortingly. He hated it when his mother tried to comfort him. "You need to start packing soon." He hated packing. He hated life.

"Whatever. Before I start packing I'm going out for a while though." Nico said as he pushed his chair back and stood up from the table. He started across the room, heading towards the jar placed on the counter where his family often emptied their pockets of car keys, coins, and anything else that randomly appeared in their pockets that day. Nico slowly grabbed his father's car keys from the jar before glancing back at his dad.

"Can I borrow your car?" Nico noticed the way both his parents were eyeing him suspiciously. "What?"

"Where are you going?" Maria asked sternly. Nico gazed at his mother for a moment, surprised that she was putting her foot down.

"In case you didn't know I actually have friends- friends who I want to say goodbye to before I leave." Nico rolled his eyes at his mother. Maria's eyes widened slightly.

"And what friends would that be?" Maria stood up from the table and crossed the room towards her son.

"Fine! I'm not going to see one of my friends." Nico said as he reeled back away from his mother. "I kind of want to tell my boyfriend goodbye considering I won't see him for a few weeks."

"I don't trust you." Maria said instantly. "If you're going anywhere, you're not going alone."

"What? No! If you think you're driving me anywhere then you're wrong!" Nico cried before whirling around away from his mother and towards the kitchen door. He could feel his stomach churning.

"What's going on?" Bianca peeked her head in the doorway. Nico sighed. Why couldn't that bitch stay out of everything for once?! She always made everything worse.

"Bianca, would you please drive your brother to his friend's house. I don't trust him to go anywhere on his own." Maria called desperately to her daughter. Nico noticed the way his mother said friend instead of boyfriend. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe she just didn't want to say the fact that her son was dating another guy.

"Oh…. Sure, I guess." Bianca stammered quietly before stepping back into the kitchen. She looked over at Nico with concern flickering in her eyes.

"Fine!" Nico hissed as he avoided his sisters gaze.

The ride to Leo's house was filled with silence despite the cries of directions Nico would mutter to his sister every once in a while. Bianca made no attempt to strike up a conversation with her brother although Nico wished she would. He missed being able to tell his sister everything.

When Bianca finally pulled into Leo's driveway Nico believed his sister intended on following him in. Bianca unbuckled her seatbelt quickly and sat up. Nico was about to command his sister to stay in the car when she pulled her phone from her back pocket. Nico gazed at her for a moment before opening the car door.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" He said as he jumped from the car. Bianca merely looked down at him and nodded before going back to her phone. At that moment Nico felt anger bubbling in his chest. Why the hell was she ignoring him!? Slamming the door he clambered up to the front door of the large house that he had been in the night before. While he walked towards the door Nico could feel his sister's eyes burning into his back. It was strange knowing she was sitting there staring at him but quickly he brushed it off.

Knocking on the door lightly Nico waited. He heard the faint sound of footsteps beyond the door as someone approached it from the other side. The door was quickly unlocked and the door swung open. Just by looking at the woman in front of him Nico knew it was Leo's mother. The woman had the same curly black hair and brown eyes as her son.

"Um….Is Leo here?" Nico asked awkwardly.

The woman looked at him for a moment then her face flashed with realization.

"You must be Nico, am I right?" The boy before her nodded. "Of course. Leo's been talking about you nonstop." She motioned for Nico to follow her inside the house. The moment the boy was through the threshold the woman shut the door behind him.

"I'm Esperanza Valdez, Leo's mother." Nico nodded politely to her. "So I expect you are here to see Leo. He's in his room, just down the hall." She said nodding in the direction, although Nico already knew where the boy's bedroom was.

He walked down the short hallway briskly, stopping in front of the other boy's door. He gently knocked.

"Come in!" The call came from the other side of the door. Nico opened it slowly and automatically spotted Leo sitting upon his bed, head phones now shoved in his ears. The boy looked up from the comic book in his hand before dropping it to his bed. Leo grabbed the headphones and jerked them from his ears.

"Nico." Leo said his name once before a full smile broke out on his face. The boy's smile seemed to spread as it only took a moment for a grin to appear on Nico's own face. He slowly walked towards the bed before sitting down on the edge and gazing over at Leo.

"Hey." He said softly.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect you to come back to me this quickly." Leo spoke the words cheerfully before leaning over and placing a small kiss on Nico's cheek. Nico didn't react, only frowned.

Leo pulled back surprised as he saw the frown spread on the boy's face. "What's wrong, Nico?"

"I just thought I would tell you that… I won't be able to see you for two or three weeks." Nico replied pitifully.

"What?! Why?" Leo's first instinct after the boy spoke was to comfort him. He didn't like seeing anyone sad- especially Nico.

"Well, according to my parents I have something wrong with me and I need to get away for a while and work out all my feelings." Nico said bitterly. "They decided to ship me out to my Aunt Hera's house for three weeks or so. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't live two states away and if she didn't hate me with the blackest part of her fucking heart."

"What? Why would they do that?" Leo said before leaning over and wrapping one arm around Nico's shoulder. "You don't seem too sad to me."

"Actually, I am, all the time. I hate being sad all the time." Nico muttered.

"Then don't be." Leo quickly took hold of Nico's shoulders and pulled the boy away from him. "Smile instead."

Before Nico could protest Leo had the boy on his back, forcing him down into the bed, holding him there. There was a sudden cry from the boy under him as Leo straddled Nico's hips, leaning over the smaller boy.

"Don't say a word." Leo commented quickly before taking both hands and hooking them in the corners of Nico's mouth. Nico let out a started groan from deep in his throat as Leo pulled his lips upwards, forcing the poor boy to smile. Leo held Nico's mouth in a smile, gazing down at him curiously before laughing. His laugh was wild and slightly chaotic. He sounded as though he had lost it. Falling back onto the bed Leo let go of Nico's lips and stopped straddling the boy. Nico sat up, slightly dazed by the strange occurrence that had just happened.

"What was that?" Nico questioned quietly. He looked over at Leo as though the boy had rabies or he was poisonous.

"I just wanted you to smile, Nico." Leo replied just a quiet. Sitting up on his knees he climbed towards Nico. "You're beautiful when you smile." Nico felt a blush creeping up onto his cheeks. He hated it when people (mainly Leo and Percy) told him he was beautiful. He wasn't beautiful, not in the least.

Before he had time to reply to the boy's comment Leo took hold of Nico's hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the soft skin gently.

"I'm going to miss you so much. I think…I…I think I love you, Nico." Leo moaned softly as he let go of Nico's hand. He bent down slowly, bending his head slightly to the side and placing a kiss upon Nico lips. Automatically Leo's hands tucked around the smaller boy's waist, pulling him closer as they embraced. Nico felt like his head would explode. Leo said he loved him- Leo had just said the words that Nico had always wanted to hear from someone else. He yearned to feel someone touch him, to care for him, and now Leo was fulfilling his dreams. But even with all the requirements filled something just felt so off about it all. Something felt wrong.

It took a minute but finally Nico couldn't take it anymore. He ducked his head to the side, guilt flowing through every fiber of his being. How could he do this to Leo?! How could he do this to Percy?! Everything was just so messed up!

"Nico? Nico, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Are you alright?" Leo looked down at the boy in concern.

Nico bite his lip harshly. He knew he was becoming overwhelmed. Why did everything have to become so complicated?

"Why are so guilty? Is something wrong?" Leo asked, his voice becoming low. He was waiting for it. He knew Nico was hiding something, something that was either going to make him hate the boy or it was going to break his heart. He looked down at his boyfriend worriedly, waiting for the pain that was sure to follow Nico's words if the boy ever decided to speak up.

"Leo, I…. I'm so sorry." He muttered weakly as he leaned forward, placing his head on the other's shoulder. Leo watched the boy carefully and at that moment he knew that heartbreak was soon to follow.

"So, are we breaking up or something?" Nico reeled back at Leo's words. Every hint of laughter had left his voice.

"Why would you…. Don't you want to hear what I did first?" Nico asked partially ashamed and partially offended that the boy would automatically assume Nico was kicking him to the curb.

"Well, I thought it was something I did considering that you act like you're dumping me. I mean…Wait, you did something wrong?! How could you do something wrong Nico? You're to…well, you're to you." Leo said waving his hands towards the boy. How could Nico do anything wrong? Leo saw the way he acted-the way he tried to make people believe he was strong and didn't need anyone's help. But in reality he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to get through everything by himself. He just liked to act that way because he had been hurt in the past by someone who was supposed to help him, someone he counted on. Nico was easy to read- easy enough anyways. So Leo couldn't imagine him doing anything bad. He just didn't seem like the person to do something like that.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Nico cried. Was Leo actually insulting him or was he just blowing that comment out of proportion?

"I didn't mean anything bad by it!" Leo shook his head wildly. "I only meant that you're too sweet to do anything bad. I can't imagine you ever doing something to actually make me mad or anything."

"That's because you don't know me very well. I'm not a good person, Leo. Not at all." Nico bent his head down, hiding his face slightly. Leo looked at him surprised. The way he said that- he just sounded so dark and unhappy, almost like he was depressed.

"Hey, don't get so down. I think you're a great person. So, what did you do exactly?" Leo placed his hand on Nico's shoulder and smiled.

Nico couldn't smile back. He didn't feel too good at that moment. "Leo, I guess in a way, I've been cheating on you. Well, I mean we only started dating yesterday and I already found someone else. I don't know….I don't…." Nico sighed loudly before glancing over at the boy in front of him. Leo was no longer smile either. His face fell and he sat there was a thoughtful yet hurt look on his face. Finally he nodded slightly.

"So, you found someone else and you're breaking up with me. Big deal, right? We only started dating yesterday and you got a better offer." Leo snorted slightly. He could understand why Nico would want to be with someone else. Leo was anything but perfect. He had flaws, he was too loud, he had a temper, and he had his own scars. There was a lot there that people would want to avoid, so why would Nico bother with him when he found something better.

Nico waved his hand quickly at the boy. "No. No! That's not what I'm saying at all. It's just….I like you, a lot. And I like this other guy too, and now I'm leaving for a while and I won't see either of you. I don't know what to do. I can't just pick which one of you I like the most. I like both of you! I love both of you…" Nico trailed off.

Leo looked at him curiously. So Nico was torn on which one he wanted to be with? Leo shook his head slowly. Would he be satisfied if Nico chose him? Would he be proud to say that his boyfriend chose him over some other guy? No, he wouldn't. But he did like Nico a lot. He thought he loved him, but now things weren't as clear. A light sigh left Leo's lips. He felt like a teenage girl stressing over her crush.

"Nico, I like you a lot. I've never met anyone like you. You're so sweet, kind, and beautiful and I know anyone would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend. I kind of understand why you would like this other guy, too. I mean I'm not a diamond myself. I have a lot of problems. And when I say a lot I mean a lot!" Leo laughed slightly. "I don't want you to have to choose. It seems like you have too much to deal with anyways, so while you're gone why don't you think about it. You know, when you come back you can tell us your answer. I'll wait for it and I promise I wouldn't go after any other guys while you're gone. And even if you don't choose me promise me that we will still be friends. Your pretty amazing whether your my boyfriend or not and I want to stay friends."

Nico gazed at Leo with a slight smile. At least some of the worry had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe things would turn out fine. Leaning over Nico couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms tightly around Leo's neck and hugged the boy closely to himself before bending his head and kissing the boy lightly on the cheek.

"Your amazing, you know that Leo?" Nico gazed at him for a moment longer, watching as the boy smiled back at him, before he climbed off the bed and headed towards Leo's bedroom door. "I have to go. I need to go pack and stuff, so…"

"Hey, Nico!" Leo called from his place on the bed. "Call me while you're gone, or else I'll start to miss you." Nico looked at Leo for a moment, wondering how the boy could still treat him like that even after he told him about everything. Nodding quickly Nico gave the boy a wave goodbye before stepping through the bed room door and out into the hall.

Nico led himself out, not bothering to tell Leo's mother that he was leaving. Once the boy was outside he walked slowly to the car. Bianca stared at him as he got in.

"So are we heading home now…" Nico quickly held up his hand to silence her.

"Shut up, Bianca!" Nico called as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed the number quickly, although the guilt from earlier once again returned as he pressed the numbers. He waited a moment for the person to pick up, praying that the boy had his phone on.

"Hello?" The call came from the other end.

"Hey, Percy!" Nico said cheerfully, fighting back the sadness that was rising in his voice. It was so hard to be happy with a heavy heart.

"Nico, I was wondering when I would hear from you again! I was hoping it would be soon." Percy sounded happy. Nico wished he could say the same about himself.

"Percy, I really need to talk to you. I have a lot on my mind and so many things have changed since we talked last night. Is there any way I can come over to your house so we can talk." Nico said.

"Sure Nico, come right on over. Is something wrong?" Nico hated the way Percy sounded so worried about him.

"No, nothing's wrong." Nico said as a lump formed in his throat. No, instead of nothing being wrong, everything was. Before the other boy even had time to say goodbye Nico hung up the phone. He glanced over at Bianca who was staring at him curiously. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Bianca sighed and once again started the car.