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Chapter 1: The Beginning (And a Really Shitty Bartender)
Friday
3pm
52 hours before the wedding
"Where's Percy?"
Piper and Jason came into the inn's small, nearly empty restaurant hand in hand, their eyes bright with the energy sleep gave them. It had been a long ride to the inn, and Nico was pretty sure they would've settled themselves on the lobby floor if Annabeth and Hazel hadn't hurried them to their room for a nap. Nico couldn't really blame them, though. He'd been so happy to finally be on solid ground that he hadn't gotten off the pavement until Will threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
If Will began to bruise, it was his own fault.
"He's probably a thousand leagues under the sea by now," Annabeth said, stirring a straw in her lemonade. She'd just taken a shower; her princess curls were damp and the sweat she'd gathered from the scorching heat just like the rest of them was gone. "He left the moment we got here, so I had to check in by myself. And if you're wondering where Frank and Hazel are, they've gone sightseeing."
Piper took a seat next to her friend with a roll of her eyes, accustomed to Percy's antics. Ever since she'd met Annabeth a few years ago, she knew how annoying her boyfriend could be. But he really was a kind man, and he loved Annabeth to pieces, so Piper could deal with his quirky personality. And if she was being honest, he could be kind of funny.
Okay, really funny.
Jason pulled up a chair next to his fiancee, Leo at the head of the table on his other side. He picked up a light conversation with the Latino as even more chatter began to buzz around them. Even Nico participated slightly, contributing with a few words here and there, but otherwise Will did most of the talking on their behalf.
All the voices mingled with the gentle melody of jazz that seeped out from behind the bar, and the crash of waves that could be heard in the distance. It was pierced by a seagull's call every now and again. But the friends were too absorbed in the feeling that they were here together, rather than the realization that they were here at all to take notice.
Except for Nico.
In the midst of conversation, Nico was mostly quiet, something Annabeth would call a 'taciturn presence'. He was too focused on the sights and smells that met him in the old inn: the polished wood that arched across the ceiling and in the walls, creating art and doorways that must have been there since before Nico was born. Portraits and paintings of nature that popped against the dull wallpaper, as if screaming to be seen. And the subtle smell of the ocean, which seemed to be infused in the very inn itself.
It felt like Italy.
And that made Nico angry more than anything.
Luckily, Nico didn't have to think about it as Percy came running up to the table, soaked in seawater. His lips were in a stupid grin, and he looked around at everyone as they looked back at him. Their voices died down.
Annabeth was the first to say something. "Percy, you're getting seawater everywhere! Go get a towel before they kick us out!"
Percy didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Oh, please. They wouldn't kick out the best man." He looked down and shook sand off his foot.
Leo's interest was piqued by this, and he sat up straighter in his seat. "Does that mean I can do whatever I want?" His eyes drifted away in thought and he smiled slyly. If there was a word to describe what that look resulted in, it would be 'bad'.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Percy, crossing his arms. He paused for a moment. "It means I can do whatever I want."
Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation of The Battle for Best Man that had been going on since he and Piper got engaged. It was bad enough that he had to choose, but even worse that Leo and Percy seemed to take it as a challenge. Everywhere they went, one or the other was trying to prove their merit for the title of 'Best Man'. The last time that happened, the whole group got banned from Walmart. How does someone even get banned from Walmart? Have two idiot friends named Leo and Percy, that's how.
Jason raised his hands in a placating gesture. He had a faint sense of Piper smirking next to him. "Guys, guys, you can stop now." Two confused but expectant sets of eyes stared at him and he folded his arms on the table, leaning forward. "I've already picked by best man."
Leo and Percy's eyes grew wide, along with a few of the others'. There was no sound but breath and the clinking of glass as the bartender, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, drew a rag over already-spotless cups.
Jason smirked. "Reyna."
Leo's jaw dropped open; Percy scowled, and a voice that came up behind them said, "What's this I hear about me being best man?"
Grins spread over the group's faces as they got up and turned around to greet Reyna, who held herself in her usual air of confidence. A duffel bag was slung over her shoulder, and she was in her army fatigue jacket despite the heat, but her hair was pulled back in a braid to keep the sweat off her neck. She gave a small smile and went to hug Jason as he approached her, but then she seemed to remember she was holding something and turned to Piper.
"You wanna take care of a kitten for a day?" she asked.
Piper blinked. "Uh… what?"
Reyna rolled her eyes with a smile as she looked down at the bundle in her arms - the bundle that was… moving?
Before Reyna could even free the kitten from its blanket, there was a squeal next to Nico's ear. He almost flinched, but he'd already known what to expect when it was announced that there was a kitten in the room.
"Can I hold it?" Will pleaded, his blue eyes wide. He tentatively reached out his arms but pulled them back, as if he couldn't contain the burning desire to hold the kitten. Nico rolled his eyes.
Reyna simply nodded and transferred the animal from one person to another, Will's grin getting wider and wider with every inch the kitten grew closer to him. Once he had the bundle in his arms, holding it like a baby, he pulled away most of the blanket to take in the sight.
The thing was adorable, but ask Nico and he'd deny he ever believed it. Its little needle-like whiskers twitched as it sniffed Will's hand, and it looked up at him with big green eyes. Then it mewled, and Nico knew what Will was going to say before he said it.
"We're not getting a cat."
"Oh, Nico, please?!"
Nico looked at him. "No! We're not allowed to have pets in our apartment." Will had only just recently moved into Nico's apartment, but it felt like they'd been living together for years. They knew each other's routines like the back of their hands, and could sometimes even predict what the other would want for dinner based on the day they'd had (although, Nico almost always wanted takeout, which Will only let him have once in a while). "Besides, I'm more of a dog person."
Will looked at him like he'd just donned a rainbow jumpsuit. The others gave him strange looks as well, and Nico suddenly felt like a deer in headlights. "What are you looking at me for?" he asked.
It took another moment before Will broke out of his daze, but his eyes still seemed kind of blank. It was disconcerting.
"I'm sorry, you're a what?"
Nico's brow furled, and he wondered if he was actually hearing this. He glanced at the others, but they gave no hint of sarcasm. Just genuine curiosity and for some, confusion. "A dog person," Nico repeated. "I mean, I don't necessarily want one, but I'd rather have a dog than a cat."
Will gasped slightly and covers the kitten's ears. "Don't say that in front of Sir Whiskerton!"
"Will, it's not our-! Wait…" Will looked down in shame; he knew what was about to happen. "You named it?!"
Will scoffed. "Pfft, no…" He rocked nervously on his feet, a gentle side to side motion that must have been soothing to the animal in his arms. Nico just rolled his eyes again, something he did a lot in the blond's presence.
Well, anyone's presence, really.
"We will discuss this later, Solace."
Nico turned to look at the others, who were silent after having watched the exchange. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck, but thankfully they weren't focused on him for long as Jason turned to Reyna, finally hugged her, and asked, "Where have you been? Didn't you get here days ago?"
Reyna took a deep breath, and for a moment it was the only sound besides Will's coos to the kitten and its resulting purrs. "I was at the florist's to work out a deal. Ah-" she held up a finger to silence the engaged couple, who had opened their mouths to speak. "Before you say anything, let me just tell you that everything's fine. The florist's a total arsehole, but nothing I couldn't handle."
Jason and Piper visibly calmed, their tense muscles relaxing as they let out the breaths they'd been holding. Once they were no longer worried, Jason finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Where'd you get the kitten?"
Reyna laughed. "Part of the deal," she said. "I've got to look after this little sherbert furball for him. It's only for a day, though."
Jason smiled and shook his head. "How do you get yourself into such strange situations?"
Reyna raised her eyebrows, looking pointedly at her childhood best friend. "How do you think?"
Jason huffed. Then, "Fair enough."
Reyna looked like she was about to say something, but at that moment Annabeth nudged Piper, and the Cherokee broke out into a friendly smile. She turned to Reyna. "Would you help us with the last of the dinner rehearsal prep? We've still got a few nicks to work out with the seating plan and whatnot."
"Of course," Reyna said, and suddenly she got swept up in the group of girls that rushed past her to get upstairs where the preparatory binder was waiting. She cast a desperate look back at Jason, who simply gave her a 'Sorry, there's nothing I can do' shrug. The ensuing glare was enough to make Jason develop a sudden interest in his shoes. Say what you will about their choice of company, but they sure knew a lot of badass women. And that was awesome.
The restaurant suddenly felt emptier with the absence of the girls. All around Nico were halves of a whole, and he couldn't help but think it was ironic that he should consider this detail now, when two people were about to be joined together in marriage. He looked down and shook his head as Jason announced he was following the girls upstairs to help plan, then tried to fight a small smile that came to his lips. But once he looked at Will, who sat on the floor with the kitten in his lap, all hope was lost.
He took a few steps toward where Will sat, and trailed his colorless gaze on the man's smile. It was blinding, but Nico couldn't look away. With no preamble, he folded his legs underneath him by Will's side, and leaned into his boyfriend's shoulder. Normally Will was the one to initiate contact, but Nico was known to do it every once in a while.
Will turned his smile on Nico, blue eyes shimmering with joy. Then he looked back at the cat in his lap, and ran his fingers through its orange coat; when the feline purred, his smile grew even larger.
"When we go back to New York, we're getting a cat."
"Will, no."
"Will, yes!"
Nico started to grow angry, but a voice in his mind told him, that's ridiculous. Will is just joking around. So Nico settled deeper against Will's side and started to hum a melody that sounded suspiciously like You Are My Sunshine.
Meanwhile, Will's smile turned soft, and most of what attention was still on the cat went to Nico. He would never mention anything, but Nico had developed a habit of humming or even singing sun-related songs under his breath when Will was around. He loved that he could bring out the side of Nico so rarely seen: the side that had a great deal of compassion for other people, the side that loved his friends (and Mythomagic). Will also really loved when Nico sang "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles; that one was his favorite.
It had only been a year since they met, and every time Will saw Nico, his heart skipped a beat; every time they touched, there were sparks. He'd waited so long to meet his soulmate, and gods was it worth it. His eyes were like the night: dark and full of stars. His laugh was rare but radiant, music to Will's ears. And whenever they kissed, it lit a flame of passion deep within the furnace of Will's chest.
It had taken a little while for him to come to terms with the fact that Nico was his, not out of denial, but disbelief. And he knew that for Nico, it had been an emotional roller coaster; the boy had always felt so alone, even in the company of his best friends. His family. Now, with Will, he was a little less lonely (and a lot more healthy).
Just don't tell Will about the Snickers hidden underneath the bed.
A small mewl broke free from the kitten, who had begun chasing a string that Nico pulled off his hoodie. Will was surprised to see that Nico was actually playing with the animal, the tiniest bit of brightness in his eyes. He draped the string over the kitten's head, and Will could see its teeth when it opened its mouth; his first thought was that it looked like a little orange vampire. He restrained from aw'ing out loud, but when the kitten flopped over on its back to bat the strings with its paws, he couldn't help but let out a noise that could only be described as 'Cuteness Overload'.
Nico's eyes snapped to Will, whose heart-eyes were trailed on the kitten. He watched him for a moment, just taking in the sight of his glow; given the fact that Solace means 'sun', Nico could say that Will literally was the sun. And they balanced each other perfectly.
He looked back at the cat and the string he held in his hand, and thought about how happy Will would be with a kitten. But they couldn't have an animal in their apartment, and everytime Nico thought about getting in trouble, his mind went right back to the events of last year… When he almost got deported.
Thank the gods for Will's Aunt Artemis.
To this day, Nico still doesn't know exactly what she said to the Department of Immigration. But as long as he was still here, he didn't really care.
He had a sudden stinging desire to see the sky and ocean.
Much to the kitten's chagrin (it may have dug its claws into Nico's skin), the Italian scooped up the kitten in his arms and looked down at Will, who had a confused expression on his face. "Let's go for a walk," he told him, and said nothing more as he caught up with Leo and Percy - who had just decided to head upstairs - and handed them the kitten. Leo took the furball into his hazelnut arms with a grin, and Nico went back to Will. With a small smile, he took his hand, and the two of them went out the door and walked together out onto the sand.
"...Are you sure you want to put Dakota that close to the kid's table?"
Piper, with names stuck to almost all her fingers, looked down at the seating chart in her lap. She was biting her lip, and her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to figure out what Reyna meant. "Um… I don't see why not."
Reyna positioned her arm underneath her so that she was higher up off the bed that she lied on; completely uncharacteristically, she'd gone for the bed instead of a chair; she usually liked to be in a 'stance' that made it easier to jump into action. It was what all the years of training and being in the army had done to her. Well, that and many, many other things.
Reyna raised an eyebrow. "Where there's kids, there's sugar. And if there's Kool-Aid…" She made an expression like 'Sorry girl, that guy gon' go psycho' (as if a look could really portray all that, but apparently, Reyna could do anything) and with this realization Piper pulled his name off the chart and placed him somewhere he was less likely to wreak havoc.
"You should put Leo at the kid's table," Percy said, smirking. He was flat on his back beside Reyna, playing with a fidget toy. His Long Island tee rode up so far on his stomach that his belly button was visible.
"Hey!"
"Maybe we should put you at the kid's table," Annabeth mumbled, matching together fabrics that would complement the rehearsal venue's wallpaper. It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic; oftentimes she went from joking to serious without ever changing her expression. Despite how well he knew her, it still confused Percy. After all, social interaction wasn't exactly his area of expertise.
The diver rose to a sitting position, placing the toy in his lap. Then a grin spread over his face, and he made a sideways glance towards Leo, who still seemed to be somewhat offended by Percy's comment. Percy made a nonchalant gesture, a wave of his hand, and looked at Annabeth, whose eyes were on the task in front of her. "He's a child anyway," he said jokingly.
Leo clutched a hand to his chest, his mouth agape. "I am not a child!" he exclaimed. Jason and Piper smiled; even Reyna looked on with amusement. "I am a man!" Jason let out a snort then, but Leo hardly registered it, a smirk sliding to his lips. "In fact, I'm the Best Man."
Several 'oohs' erupted around the room, and Percy eye's widened. His chest puffed up like a startled bird (if birds got startled when their friends tried to pass themselves off as Best Man when clearly the choice was themself) and he rose to his feet with a mischievous gleam in his eyes and the tiniest hint of a smirk pulling at his lips.
Leo slowly rose his hands up, as if in surrender, and started to lean back. As Percy grew closer, the Latino began shaking his head; his dark brown curls bounced and his grin grew wider. Then Percy tackled him, and he let out a squeal as he was mercilessly noogie'd by his friend. Aw, darn. It was messing up his hair.
As if his hair ever looked presentable.
The group around them rolled their eyes, half their attention on the things they were doing anyway. But Annabeth got up and approached the two with strength in her stride. Without warning, she grabbed Percy by the ear, and pulled him off the Latino. Leo placed a hand over his chest, his face red and his breathing heavy.
"OW!" Annabeth released his ear, and Percy looked at her like she was crazy. A couple others like Jason glanced up to observe the scene, but they didn't seem all that invested. "What was that for?" He brought a hand to his ear and rubbed it.
Annabeth looked frustrated and held out a hand, like she was trying not to yell. "That's not the kind of behavior…" Percy raised an eyebrow, and Annabeth started again. "That is not appropriate behavior."
Percy looked like a kicked puppy who had no idea why his owner wouldn't let him into the cat box. Annabeth crossed her arms and looked at him, her lips pressed together in a line. "Go by the front desk and see if they got those extra wine glasses we asked for," she said. She didn't quite meet Percy's eyes.
"Can't you just call?"
Annabeth breathed a small sigh. "Yes, but you're being punished. Go." She swatted his behind with a fabric sample, a glitter returning to her eyes, and Percy rolled his as he walked away. He sent a rebellious smile behind him to Leo, who grinned back, but Annabeth's glare returned and he hurried out the door to avoid her wrath.
oOo
As Percy approached the man at the front desk, he felt a shiver crawl up his spine, and his hair stood on end. He couldn't quite explain it, but something about the guy was... off. His clothes were really old fashioned, but he wore them in a modern way, with his sleeves rolled up and his top button left undone. Percy gave him an uneasy look, but the man was too immersed in the papers in front of him to notice.
Percy approached the desk with his hands by his side instead of in his pockets, and his steps were measured and careful. He stopped a few feet away and observed the man shamelessly (the guy wasn't even looking up at him anyway), picking out every detail.
Finally, he remembered he was here for a reason, and cleared his throat. The man seemed to be brought back to the real world now, and looked up at Percy with a smile. He closed the folder he'd been looking through, and slipped it onto a shelf beneath the desk. Percy remained suspicious; his expression remained indifferent, but he did note that the man's teeth were quite sharp.
They're just canine teeth, Percy, Annabeth's voice said in his mind, and he wondered for a moment if this guy could be a werewolf. All humans have them.
Not babies, he'd say.
Annabeth would just roll her eyes.
"I wanted to know if you have the extra wine glasses we ordered." His look portrayed almost outright dislike, but the front desk man didn't seem to notice. Instead he just nodded like he was excited about the aspect of wine glasses, and reached down to pick something up off the floor. There was a loud array of clinks when he set the box on the desk.
"Here ya go," he said, overly chipper for this kind of thing. "Extra wine glasses."
Percy crossed his arms and lifted his nose, looking at the man through his lashes. The guy's expression didn't change; he didn't seem weirded out in the slightest that Percy wasn't saying anything. After a minute of dead silence, Percy spoke.
"I don't need them now," he said, looking for a way to push this guy's buttons. "The rehearsal dinner is tomorrow. Why do you think I would need extra wine glasses when the rehearsal dinner isn't until tomorrow?" He paused for front desk guy's answer.
It took a moment, but the man, whose name tag read 'Akmon', finally placed his hands on the box. "Okay," he said, and put the glasses back in their rightful place.
Percy didn't really know what to say after that; he uncrossed his arms, but then realized it made him look less intimidating, and crossed them again. After another moment of silence, he said, "That's right," and marched away. But then he thought of something and backtracked. Akmon, a smile still on his face, looked up at him expectantly.
Percy looked him up and down, then said, "Where are you from?"
Akmon's growing smile revealed even more of his sharp teeth, and it made Percy feel uneasy. What was the deal with this guy?
"Well, I'm not from around here. I can tell you that much," he said, and for the first time since they'd started their conversation, he turned away and went back to what he'd been doing.
Not long after the unsettling encounter with the man called Akmon at the front desk, Percy joined the others in the restaurant, them having migrated after finishing the rest of the dinner rehearsal prep. He told them about the occurrence; Piper and Reyna rolled their eyes, but Jason and Leo seemed invested. And Annabeth… Annabeth was silent.
When he'd finally finished the story, Jason and Leo looked deep in thought, small frowns on both their faces. Reyna just rolled her eyes and took a drink, and Annabeth was still silent beside him. But then she scoffed and looked at him as if he were drunk - or she were drunk.
"A monster," she said, more a mocking statement than a question. Percy shrugged like the idea was totally plausible, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, turning to stir her drink. She took a sip, then looked back at him and shook her head. "You mean like the ghost you thought was in our apartment last month? Or the singing drunks across from the aquarium who you thought were sirens? Grow up, Percy."
Percy froze. Annabeth said things like that to him all the time, but never in such a serious tone. He looked at her, but her attention wasn't on him. It was on the table in front of her, and Percy's eyes jumped between Jason, Leo, and Reyna. They were almost as confused as he was.
"Okay," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. The energy had been taken out of him, and the front desk guy was now the last thing on his mind. "I won't bring it up again."
Annabeth nodded like 'good' and took another sip of her drink.
Thank the gods for Hazel and Frank.
"Hey guys!"
The couple approached them side by side, Hazel with a dazzling smile on her face. It was obvious that the wind had begun to pick up outside, as Hazel's hair was even frizzier than normal and wrapped part way around her neck and forehead. A pair of binoculars hung from her neck - Frank's too - and she clutched a hotel brochure in her small hands.
"Hey!" the rest of them greeted; Reyna stood up to formally introduce herself, and she exchanged handshakes with each of them. Then she caught sight of Frank's id tags, and asked, "You serve?"
Frank looked down at his chest, as if just realizing the tags were there, and gave Reyna a nervous smile. "Yeah. Marine Corps."
Reyna smiled back at him. "Army."
As the two of them started bromancing over the military, Hazel kept smiling and rolled her eyes. She took a seat on the other side of Leo, and swept her eyes around the table. When she seemed to have missed something, her smile vanished, and she did it again. Same result. "Where are Nico and Will?"
Jason looked around the table and shrugged, not all that worried. "Sightseeing, probably. And speaking of sightseeing, how was it? Did you guys go to the lighthouse?"
Hazel's smile returned full force, and she shut her eyes as if she were imaging the ocean breeze sweeping over her and the sound of nature in her ears. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and said, "It was amazing. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."
As Hazel started picking up a conversation about the things she and Frank saw while they were exploring, other guests in the inn (who weren't there for the wedding) began pooling in for dinner. Clattering and sizzling started sounding in the kitchen, where the chefs were busy preparing food. A waiter or two went around taking orders, and the poor kid who ended up taking theirs looked like a wide-eyed freshman taking a test he didn't study for.
As the waiter hurried to fulfil their order and get it done with as soon as possible, Nico and Will came in through the glass door at the back, looking tired but happy. They were greeted with smiles and a few 'heys', but by now everyone was too hungry to be very excited about anything.
They waited impatiently for their food (Jason even went back to see why it was taking so long) ("Oi, it'll be done when it's done!") ("It's for the bride!") ("Oh, of course… It will be ready shortly.") Leo may have started to build something under the table, too, but when anyone so much as glanced at him, all movement stopped, and a blush crept up his neck. Yeah. Definitely not at all suspicious.
When their food finally arrived, everyone was more than happy to skip the conversation and dig in. Although there were a few comments here and there, the sounds most audible were chewing and the clinking of silverware. Everything was great, until one clinking sound became a cause for concern.
Hazel held up her glass to her face, and peered in with squinted eyes. She looked entirely confused, and after a moment, Nico knew why.
"Leo, do you want to explain to me why there's a screw in my drink?"
Leo's eyes went wide, and he glanced from Hazel to her drink. Everyone else became silent, and because they'd been causing about 70% of the noise that filled the restaurant, the atmosphere became eerily quiet. The only thing that truly pierced the lack of sound was: "Uhhh…"
"Valdez!" Frank leaned over the table so he could look at Leo, whose face was scrunched up in embarrassment. When the culprit heard Frank, Nico swore he could see a flash of fear in his eyes. He didn't dare to look at the Marine.
Leo chuckled nervously and rubbed his neck, his cheeks turning red. "So that's where that went…"
Hazel didn't seem all that angry, but she was incredibly annoyed. She planted her cup back on the table with a little more force than was necessary and simply sighed, rolling her eyes as she stabbed at the food on her plate. Okay, maybe she was a little angry.
Frank looked like he was about to say something, but Nico cut him off. "I'll get you a new one, sis."
Hazel smiled at him, her eyes glittering, and even Frank's lips turned up a little in appreciation. Nico rose from his seat with the feeling of a few sets of eyes on him, and went over to grab Hazel's cup. His sister's cheeks were tinted with a light pink, and once she spoke Nico knew why. That girl was too kid for her own good. "Could you just ask one of the bartenders to get me some water? I don't want to bother them too much during the dinner rush."
"Sure," he said, and Hazel rubbed his arm in thanks.
As he left the group and approached the bar, he was glad that most everybody was seated for dinner, else he'd be weaving through a crowd the size of Lake Huron. Nico hated crowds. And lakes. Let's just say he hated a lot of things.
And he was about to experience something at the top of his list.
"Can I get some water over here?" he asked, sitting down on a stool. The bar was just like any other: dark wood, worn seats, booze. There were two bartenders on duty, and the only other person at the bar besides Nico was a woman who looked like she belonged in a Vogue magazine. Blonde hair, red lips, fancy clothes… All the works. She seemed to be in conversation with the bartender who wiped glasses in front of her.
The other bartender, a big tattooed man by the name of Butch, came over to him and accepted his request with a smile. Contrary to what the guy's appearance said about him, he seemed really nice.
When Butch put Hazel's water in front of Nico, the Italian's eyes were somewhere else; more accurately, on the bowl next to him. It was empty. "Do you guys have any peanuts?" he asked. He had a faint sense that if Jason were here, he'd be laughing.
Butch followed Nico's gaze, and thought for a moment. "They must not be out yet. Let me go check in the back for you."
Nico nodded and Butch swung a rag over his shoulder to walk away. When he disappeared behind the door, Nico was deep in thought, staring intensely into the fresh water. He was so deep in thought, in fact, that he almost didn't hear the words that would just about ruin his entire weekend.
Almost.
The other bartender and the woman next to him were still talking; the bartender was angrily wiping a glass, and Nico began to grow uneasy. He glanced back at the table, his group. "They just strut around in their prissy little mandals and walk into public places like they're human beings."
Nico's breath hitched, and he couldn't figure out if his heart was beating beyond the speed of light or if it had stopped all together. It was only a sentence, but Nico had already had a bad feeling about the pair. They couldn't be talking about what he thought they were talking about… Could they?
"We had one in our residency hall back in college," said the woman. She drew a blood red fingernail across the wood; the scratching sound that it elicited made Nico's hair rise. "He was always so… clean." She scrunched up her face in disgust, as if being clean was a bad thing.
Nico didn't like where this was going.
The bartender stopped wiping the glass and leaned his elbows on the bar, enraptured with the lady's story. He rested his chin on his fist, and his eyes were wide, like he was listening to a story about a knight who just came face to face with a dragon. "What did you do?" he asked.
"What do you think? We flushed most of his prized possessions down the toilet; burned the rest of them. Then we strung him up on a flagpole by his underwear and destroyed his college career. Haven't seen him since."
The bartender laughed. Laughed. "Serves him right."
The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes, and the next word out of her mouth made Nico's stomach leap up into his throat. "Fags."
Nico felt like he was going to puke. How could they say that? No, not again… Not knowing what else to do, Nico dropped his feet onto the ground, almost tripping in his haste. He needed to get out of here. The voices around him were blending together in his ears, and the restaurant was swaying in front of him. He tried to breathe, but it came out short and quick. Outside… he needed to get outside…
His rush out the door might've gotten him a few strange looks, but at this point, he didn't care. He just needed to calm down. Inhale, exhale. One, two, three. Inhale, exhale, one, two…
He steadied himself against the inn, trying to quell the shaking of his hands. He didn't know how long he knelt there, trembling so hard he ached. His mind kept reaching for the dark abyss of memories, but he struggled against it, and all it could manage was words. Fag. Worthless. Trash. Die.
Then the tears came. He couldn't stop them, but with the little strength he had, he could keep them quiet. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if someone heard him.
By the time he calmed down (as if he could be truly calm after this), the sun had sunk beneath the sea, and darkness had set upon the world. The shadows seeped into him, and it felt like they were waking him up inside. But with his life, and the way he saw the world, those shadows could be killing him and he would be none the wiser.
It was a little while longer before someone found him. And of course, of course it had to be literal ray of sunshine Will Solace. Because what's more poetic than the light burning through the darkness?
"Hey, where've you been? Hazel never got her water." He had a smile on his face, as usual, but Nico could hardly bring himself to notice. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Nico's soulmate came over to him and slid down the wall so that he crouched by Nico's side, his eyebrows furled in concern. His smile had vanished. Freaking doctors, man. It's like they're clairvoyant.
Nico didn't meet his eyes. "Nothing," he lied. "Just tired."
Will frowned, like he didn't quite believe him, but said nothing about it. "Okay." Then he reached a hand out to touch Nico's shoulder, and it startled the man so much that he flinched. He just couldn't handle physical contact right now.
He couldn't bring himself to look at Will's face, but in the end, it didn't matter. He could feel the man tense up beside him and let out a deep breath. He could see Will put his hands on his knees out of the corner of his eye, and he could so easily imagine the disappointment he was sure to be showing on his face right now.
Nico's heart shattered.
Will went inside.
Nico took a deep breath.
He couldn't believe there were still people who felt that way about… people like him. He'd thought the legalization of gay marriage had shut up the majority of them; living in New York, he didn't think he'd ever meet one. And in California? Even less.
He closed his eyes, and resigned himself to the fact that there would always be hate in the world. Another deep breath, and he went back in through the same door Will had entered a short minute ago. As he walked into the room, he saw that most of the group was gone, presumably to their respectful rooms. When he glanced back at the bar, he saw that the water was gone too.
He gave Jason a small smile when the blond caught sight of him, and held Will's eyes for a second too long. Then he simply turned and walked out of the restaurant, towards where his bed was waiting.
oOo
When Will joined him almost an hour later, Nico still hadn't fallen asleep, his thoughts too loud and too many. What the bartender had said was making Nico think about all the looks he and Will had received over the past year - looks he'd ignored, looks he'd forgotten about. But this night was making his mind bring it all up again, and he couldn't stop the onslaught.
Will was silent as he got ready for bed. Normally he stomped around in his footie pajamas; not tonight. Normally he hummed when he brushed his teeth - not tonight. And normally he bid Nico sweet dreams.
Not tonight.
Nico appreciated it; Will knew when to give him his space, but was space really what Nico needed right now? It was always what he deferred to; after all, it was his natural instinct. But through tough times, Will had taken a moment to stop and ask him: What do you want? And when Nico answered, Will would almost always ask: What do you really want?
Nico tried asking himself these questions now, but he didn't know the answers.
And he went to sleep without them, the weight of Will by his side anything but comforting.
In the dwindling energy of the inn's restaurant, a bartender smiles. He picks up a glass - fragile, like the bonds of a relationship. The beginnings of his plan have come together; one down, two to go before this whole wedding collapses in shambles. His smile grows wider.
"If you're done mastermind-ing, I'd like that drink now."
The bartender turns to the girl, an insignificant lowlife if he ever knew one. But she'd done her job, and she'd done it well. So he pours her drink and slides the glass across the bar to her, tracking its movement with his eyes. They're icy cold, but a flame flickers behind them.
The bartender opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, and opens it again before he says, with a burning sensation in his throat, "Thank you for your work today." The girl either doesn't notice the lack of genuity, or doesn't care. "The story about what you did to the queer, that - uh, that was impressive."
The woman takes a sip of her drink, umber clashing with red. She doesn't meet his eye out of what must be discourtesy; it seems she feels the same way about him as he feels about her. But they have their mutual hate for relationships of any kind, and that is all they need. "Sure thing, Octavian."
The bartender smiles, then nods as his ally gathers her things and leaves. She parts without so much as a goodbye, but they've already said everything they needed to say, and Octavian has his own matters to attend to. After all, you can't cause destruction without doing a little destroying. But, in his case, all he has to do is give the right person a small nudge in the right direction…
And they'd crumble from within, taking the others down with them.
AN: The opinions expressed by Octavian and that random lady are in no way my own (I probably don't have to say this, but I feel like I should). It felt disgusting to write those things, but they were important to the story.
Anyway, let me know what you think!