meow

It was no secret that the Nogitsune had taken a lot out of Stiles, both physically and mentally, as much as the boy tried to hide it. Even with his faked smiles, laughs and assurances of 'I'm fine!' which may have fooled some – not Scott, of course – he couldn't hide the physical signs.

He was still pale. Not quite the terrifying stark white that had made him look like a dead man walking back when the Nogitsune was still in control, thankfully, but still pale enough to look constantly ill. He still had huge shadows under his eyes, implying his sleeping still hadn't improved much – if at all – since then, either. Most of all, though, Scott noticed the chill constantly surrounding Stiles.

They had always been tactile with each other, as far back as Scott could remember. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, sharing beds – Lydia had described them as 'draping themselves over each other at every opportunity'. And when they were close, when they were touching, that's when Scott would feel it – the distinct cold of Stiles' skin. Not freezing, or icy, just cold.

And Stiles would so easily react to even the slightest chill in the air. Even inside, Scott would notice him shivering, goosebumps breaking out on his skin, teeth chattering. But when Scott would ask him if he was okay, if he wanted his jacket, or to turn the heating up, or if he wanted a blanket from Scott's room, Stiles would always say no, and insist he was fine.

Scott didn't know if it was just because of the weight Stiles had lost from the ordeal when he hadn't had much to give in the first place, or if it was some weird supernatural side effect left over from the possession, but it still left the same result. What Scott cared about was making Stiles just admit he wasn't okay, and making him allow Scott to wrap him in blankets and give him hot chocolate as they snuggled by the fire.

Of course, with Stiles being possibly the most stubborn person Scott had ever known, that probably wouldn't happen any time soon. At least not if Stiles had a say in it.

But when Scott saw something flash across the TV screen, an idea popped into his mind – a perfect plan, it couldn't go wrong. He'd always wanted one of those cute two-person sweaters, anyway.

-+-

Within a matter of days he had a gigantic sweater in his ownership, tucked safely under his bed in case Stiles decided to make a surprise visit, and because he didn't really want to go to the trouble of explaining to his mother why he had bought a jumper about a thousand sizes too big for him. Yeah, I wanted to snuggle in it with Stiles, and maybe trap him in there so he has to let me love him for a little while.

He invited Stiles over for a normal, perfectly innocuous movie marathon night at his house. Just like old times. Best-boyfriends just hanging out.

Stiles appeared late, as was pretty normal, but he looked okay. There were still bags under his eyes and his skin a shade too pale for Scott's liking, but he was smiling, looked content, and relaxed – which easily beat the constant state of anxiety and alertness Stiles tended to be in a lot those days. With the movie night, and Stiles looking better, things briefly felt normal again, and Scott felt hope that they could be finally moving on and getting better.

But he was still pretty sure Stiles could do with some help.

'Go get comfy, I'm just gonna go get changed,' Scott said, letting him in with a smile.

'Into what? Dude, it's a movie marathon night, we're supposed to be dressed like slobs.'

'And I still will be, but I have this awesome new seasonal sweater I want to try on.'

'Oh lord,' Stiles sighed, throwing himself onto the familiar McCall house sofa. 'Not the cheesy jumpers again.'

'You love them,' Scott grinned, before running up the stairs to his room. Even downstairs in the warm home, Scott had seen Stiles shivering slightly beneath his hoodie, and tucking himself further into the corner of the couch.

Without a second thought, he threw on the big woolly jumper, red and decorated with various seasonal stereotypes – Christmas trees, tinsel, snowmen, lights. Perfect. Just like Scott's usual tacky Christmas jumpers, but this time with room for Stiles too.

He slowly stepped back down the stairs with an excited smile, but tried to tone it down somewhat once he reached the living room, lest Stiles catch onto him being up to something more.

'Bit big, isn't it?' was all Stiles said, smirking as Scott stood in front of him, showing off the jumper. 'It's like a tent. A ten-person tent. Did you accidentally order it, like, twenty sizes too big? Or did you not realise you were actually ordering one of those lame two-person sweaters for sappy couples-'

Stiles broke off, eyes widening in realisation as he noticed Scott slowly creeping closer and closer towards him. He scrambled to get off the sofa, but Scott was quicker, stronger – easily catching his friend in his attempt to escape Scott's embrace and beginning to tackle him into the sweater.

'You'll never get me in there! Never!' Stiles yelled, clawing at the floor. There was a lot of struggling, and flailing, but there was no escaping Scott when he was this determined. He was going to cuddle with Stiles in that two-person jumper if it was the death of him. Which it might be, with Stiles' stubbornness and sharp temper. They ended up on the floor at the foot of the sofa, panting and breathing heavily, but with Stiles firmly held in the jumper by Scott. He mentally thanked his enhanced werewolf strength.

'Warm?' he asked once he's caught his breath, smirking at Stiles, who glares.

'Scott, I know you're into all this cheesy romantic sap, but this is bad, even for you.' he moaned, wriggling around in Scott's grasp. 'Come on, Scott. Imagine if someone walked in on us now! They'd have the perfect blackmail material. Nuh-uh. I'll forgive you if you release me from this tacky prison now.'

'Nope!' he grinned. 'You're here until I say otherwise, and that's when you're sufficiently warm.'

'What? Dude, I'm fine, it's not cold in here.'

'How do you so quickly forget that I know when you're lying?' Scott said, and Stiles conveniently chose that moment to look away. 'Not that I'd need to hear your heartbeat, anyway. It's hard to miss. You're shivering or covered in goosebumps ninety-nine percent of the time. And don't think I don't notice you always trying to get the seats closest to the radiator. I'm onto you, dude.'

'It's just the weight I lost,' Stiles said flatly, looking at Scott with an attempt at a condescending glare. 'No big deal. When I get better, put it back on, I'll be absolutely fine. You worry too much.'

'I know,' Scott said.

'So what's this fuss about, then?' Stiles asked, looking thoroughly annoyed with the situation. Aside from probably being genuinely displeased at being forced into the tacky jumper, Scott knew Stiles just didn't want to be talking about this. But Scott wouldn't drop it.

'My problem is that you won't let anyone help,' Scott said firmly. 'You insist you're fine when you're clearly not, and you won't let us help you.'

'Scott, man, it's just a bit of cold sensitivity. I'm not gonna die. You didn't need to hold this weird sweater-intervention.'

'But it's not just that, Stiles,' Scott said. 'Of course that's not all that's wrong after what happened. It's just the most obvious. I just want you to talk to us about it, Stiles. Talk to me. Let me help.'

'Scott, I'll be fine. We have enough to deal with without my stupid-'

'Stiles.'

'What?'

'For someone so smart, you do say some really stupid things sometimes, you know that?' he ignored Stiles' gaping mouth, and went on. 'You know you're one of the most important things in my life. I need you to be okay. I let you look after me, help me, support me when I need it. Let me do that for you. I'm not asking much, just – just actually tell me what's wrong when I ask, instead of just insisting you're fine. Take my jacket when I offer it. Text me when you have a bad dream or can't sleep. Just – don't close yourself off because you don't want to bother anyone. You're important to all of us.'

There was silence for a few moments, Scott staring intently at Stiles, who was staring at the floor. Stiles seemed deep in thought – the way he did when faced with a complex problem, and Scott felt like he could see the cogs turning in his mind – before nodding. He looked up to Scott with a small smirk.

'Fine, whatever. I'll let you coddle me if you want it that bad. Dude, you're like the Mrs Weasley of the pack, coddling and looking out for everyone, but secretly being badass.'

'It's no secret that I'm badass,' Scott insisted. 'It's obvious and everyone knows. And hey, would that make you Mr Weasley?'

Stiles seemed to think for a moment, before nodding. 'Could be worse. Who would the others be? Derek gave you all that werewolf wisdom – would he be Dumbledore?'

'Those books would be so messed up with Derek as Dumbledore.' Scott said with a laugh, as Stiles snorted, saying something about Derek in robes with a long beard.

'They had two-person onesies, as well, you know.' Scott said after a pause, and Stiles let out a long moan. 'Next time, we can try that.'

'Dude, you're supposed to be a super fierce alpha werewolf now. You're really not giving off that vibe to me.'

Newt sighed, clasping his gloved hands together to try preserve the warmth.

This wasn't how he had wanted to spend his day. When he had woken up and seen snow outside on his day off, his mind immediately conjured plans of sitting in front of the fire with a warm mug of tea, maybe reading a book or watching a nice film. After a good lie-in in his toasty warm bed with extra blankets, of course.

Then Minho had grabbed his arm and pulled him from the warm sheets, thrown a pile of clothes at him, handed him a mug of coffee and told him if he wasn't ready in ten, Minho would put gravy granules in the teabags when Newt least expected it.

Which was how Newt – and Thomas, too – ended up at the local park on an absolutely freezing day, in inches of snow, much earlier than Newt was okay with on his day off.

And Newt knew Minho – they had been best friends since they were practically toddlers. The boy was trying to convince him that this was simply an innocent outing with his friends, he'd invited everyone – Brenda, Teresa, Frypan, Gally, and so on – a nice meet-up between friends. Making snowmen or snow angels, or something.

And Newt was fairly sure the something would not be so innocent. Some poor soul in their group would end up at the receiving end of a snowball, or having snow slipped down the back of their coat. Minho couldn't fool Newt with his tricks, as much as he tried. Minho never had innocent intentions.

'They're taking too long,' Minho moaned, sighing, glancing at his phone.

'It's like, ten am on a Sunday morning, Minho, what did you expect?' Newt said, narrowing his eyes at the boy, who just glared half-heartedly.

After a few moments of silence, Minho spoke up.

'Hey, Thomas,' he said, with that tone, the smirk audible in his voice and laugh ready to burst from his chest when whatever he was planning worked.

Newt turned just in time to see snow splatter in Thomas' face, painted with a look of surprise, as well as the white dust and flecks of dirt. Newt narrowed his eyes as he looked at Minho, daring him to see what would happen if he tried such a trick with Newt.

Once Thomas recovered from his surprise, Newt saw a familiar look of determination settle on his face. Of course he was going to try fight back. Newt sighed and decided to step back, letting the two of them get on with it. It was too early in the morning to be involved in snowball fights. Hopefully the others would arrive soon so they could help drag the two boys away from each other and at best, back home, into the warmth.

Both boys quickly dashed into action, crouching down and rolling snow in their hands to make vaguely spherical shapes. The both stood again at the same time, arms filled with piles of snowballs. As Minho threw his first, Thomas ducked behind a tree, letting the snow splatter against the bark, before turning and throwing one of his own at Minho. Or more, in Minho's direction, as it sailed right past Minho's head.

And into the face of an approaching Frypan.

'Hey!' Newt heard Frypan shout in indignation, and he rolled his eyes as Frypan quickly moved in to join the fight – on Minho's side, of course, ready to get revenge on Thomas. Minho couldn't have looked happier; things had played right into his hands. Newt shook his head, but couldn't help some amusement. Seeing one of his best friends pelted with snowballs from both Minho and Frypan would have some entertainment value. Hopefully the others would arrive soon, so they could arrive and watch their friends get slapped in the face with wet snow together.

Then his thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing his arm – Thomas, he noticed – and pulling Newt towards him, behind the trees.

'What?' Newt asked, annoyance in his eyes as he looked at Thomas.

'We need a strategy,' Thomas said, brown eyes calculating.

'We?' Newt said. 'Last I checked, Tommy boy, it was just you.'

'Come on! You can't leave me alone against both of them, that's not fair!' Thomas moaned, pleading Newt with his eyes. 'Be a pal? I'll owe you one.'

Newt was ready to walk away, fine with leaving Thomas against both Frypan and Minho. Thomas was smart and fast, he wouldn't do too badly. More importantly, Newt just didn't fancy being in the crossfire of frozen projectiles.

He quickly changed his mind when he felt a cold, wet impact on his cheek. He turned, glaring at their two enemies.

'Okay, Tommy, let's do this.' he said, beginning to build up his arsenal, his dark brown eyes glowing with fire.

Needless to say, afterwards, Thomas and Newt sat in front of the fire back at their apartment with warm hot chocolate in their hands as they basked in the glow of victory. Meanwhile, Minho and Frypan sat pouting with rosy red cheeks, trying to ignore the jabs of all their other friends, who had arrived just in time to witness their crushing defeat.

Piper sighed, staring at the dark ceiling, blinking her sleepy eyes. Now that she had woken up, she would never get back to sleep. She just couldn't get comfortable.

She turned to look at Jason.

His usually sky blue eyes were closed in peaceful sleep, chest moving gently up and down with slow breaths. His recently cut blonde hair splayed over the pillow.

And his limbs were awkwardly sprawled across the whole bed.

Piper huffed, squeezed to the very edges of their double bed, with Jason's limbs taking up at least two thirds of the bedspace. He was a sprawler. Not to mention how he would occasionally summon lightning when having a bad dream – of course, Jason would absorb it all himself with his super son-of-Jupiter powers, and Piper would be left unharmed - but lightning striking in your bedroom wasn't exactly conducive to a good night's sleep.

And she could feel Jason's elbow digging into her back. And she could swear most people didn't breathe that loudly when sleeping. And his feet were always freezing, like blocks of ice poking and prodding her throughout the night.

The mighty son of Jupiter, once-Praetor and the Pontifex Maximus of New Rome, hero – Piper rolled her eyes. His admirers didn't see him like this. Mouth hung open gormlessly, rolling around, mumbling nonsense. Jason Grace was a complete dork, and the worst bed-mate imaginable.

She lost it when Jason's hand hit her face.

'That's it! We're getting separate beds!'

All she got in response was a confused mumble. She sighed. To think that she had ever had doubts and concerns about perhaps not being good enough for 'the' mighty Jason Grace – laughable.

Jason loved Piper's touch.

Piper's warm hands could be both gentle and firm, strong and soft. They could give incredible massages which would leave Jason as little more than a melted puddle on the floor, sighing with content and relaxation. He was pretty sure Piper's touch could even rub the tension from the shoulders of Hades himself. Yet those same hands could wield a knife or sword and fight off enemies with deadly precision and strength.

And she could do more than just massages and fighting, too. It was almost like she had a magical touch – perhaps even more effective than her charmspeak at calming people down, getting them to open up and put them at peace.

Jason seemed to be the only one who noticed and appreciated this, though, but he certainly wasn't the only one affected by Piper's touch. He'd observed her working wonders on others, too, even if they didn't realise it – even when Piper herself seemed oblivious. Just a gentle hand on the shoulder of a furious and (literally) steaming Leo making him sag and fall limp. Her arm wrapped around Annabeth when the blonde girl's face was in her hands, drained from a night of bad dreams courtesy of Tartarus, gently rubbing the girl's arms until she could breathe again.

Even the smallest touch could affect Jason. Piper's hand in his as they walked into yet another life or death situation. Piper standing so close to him that their arms pressed together. Piper's hand against his forehead when he looked a little peaky, instantly making him feeling better, as if she managed to communicate all of her concern in that one simple touch.

Piper's hands running through his messy hair when they finally had a moment of peace, her voice and eyes bright with amusement as she told him he needed his hair cut as soon as possible, offering to take up the task herself after the war was over.

To be seen as an ordinary girl; it was refreshing.

There wasn't a hint of recognition in the girl's rich nut brown eyes as she looked at Piper. Piper McLean, world famous actress. The girl just looked at her intently, the hanging question lingering in her eyes.

'Are you okay?' she said after a moment, looking at Piper with concern.

'Oh! Yes, I... Sorry. My mind wonders sometimes.' Piper said quickly, offering a friendly smile and a small laugh. 'What was that again?'

'Directions,' the girl said with that sweet smile, her warm eyes with irises like melted chocolate. She was beautiful, certainly catching Piper's attention. The girl didn't seem to notice Piper's gaze, thankfully. 'I'm meeting a friend here, at this coffee place – he said it was somewhere around here, somewhere near a fountain, and... Well. I'm a little lost. I don't come here often. Do you know the place I'm talking about?'

'I believe I do,' Piper said with a smile. 'I'll lead you there myself.'

'oh, you don't have to!' the girl said earnestly, shaking her head. The movement made her long cinnamon hair, tied into a perfect plait, sway slightly.

'My pleasure,' Piper smiled, offering a hand, and trying not to dwell on how silky the girl's hair looked for too long. 'I'm Piper. What's your name?'

'Calypso,' she said with a small, slightly shy smile, shaking Piper's hand. Piper began to walk, gesturing for Calypso to walk alongside her down the city streets.

'So, Calypso,' Piper began, with her best attempt at a charming smile, loving the way Calypso's name felt on her tongue. 'You said you don't come here often. Where are you from?'

'Oh, I live pretty much in the middle of nowhere.' she said with a sweet smile, looking ahead of her. 'Just me. I inherited a farm, you see, so I'm pretty self-sufficient. Spend most of my time in the country. I rarely visit the towns or cities. I'm only here for a couple of weeks visiting a friend, and to attend his wedding.'

'Oh, I see.' Piper said with interest. 'So living alone, out in the middle of nowhere, huh? That must be nice. Peaceful.'

More peaceful than Piper's life, for sure; some might say she asked for it, going into the acting profession, but Piper had just wanted to do what she loved. The attention, busy schedules, paparazzi and big crowded cities – they were just annoying side effects. Being able to live a quiet life like Calypso's almost seemed like a dream.

'It is quite nice,' Calypso said with a sweet smile, looking thoughtful. Piper thought she could almost smell the fresh scents of nature on her; like freshly mown grass and a gentle breeze, and the flowery scents of spring. 'It can get lonely sometimes, though. Friends visit occasionally, but that's it really. Most of the time it's just me and the animals. While I love them, they don't really make for good conversation.'

'Well, I'd love to visit some time.' Piper said with a smile, gesturing to the crowded streets around them. 'It would be nice to take a break from all of this every once in a while.'

'I can imagine,' Calypso said, looking around them. 'I've not been here long, and I'm already feeling a little overwhelmed.'

'You do get kind of used to it, after a while.' Piper said. 'I mean, I grew up in the city, so I don't know much else. But a bit of tranquillity and peace away from all this noise? It sounds wonderful.'

They walked a little way in silence, but it was far from awkward. Even in the midst of the busy city, Calypso seemed to carry an aura of calm, like a small moment of peace within a storm. Piper felt more comfortable and relaxed around Calypso than she had in a long time. She felt almost safe.

Piper already knew she would be disappointed to say goodbye to Calypso. Not for good, of course. Piper fully intended to stay in contact with the lovely girl she had just met; it had only been a few minutes, and Piper had definite affections for her.

'Are you...' her thoughts were interrupted by a small voice, and a light tap on her arm. She turned to see a young girl, appearing to be in her early teens, with wide, bright eyes and starstruck written all over her face. The girl stuttered, cheeks pink. 'Are you Piper McLean?'

'Oh, um... Yes.' Piper said with a smile. She wasn't too happy with all of the attention, and couldn't understand how people could treat her like some kind of otherworldly being when she was just Piper, just an ordinary girl doing her job. But she didn't want to intimidate the girl, so tried her best to be friendly. 'I'm a little busy right now, so would you just like a quick photo? Maybe an autograph?'

'Yes please!' the girl said quickly, nodding excitedly with a grin. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and allowed the girl to snap a quick photo of the two of them, being sure to smile, and quickly signed her name in a small notebook the girl offered, before waving her off. The girl quickly disappeared into the crowds, rushing off, perhaps eager to tell her friends.

'Sorry about that,' she said, turning back to her new friend. Calypso had a look of slight surprise in her eyes, which quickly turned into interest.

'Autograph? Photo?' she said, raising her eyebrows in question, a smile playing on her lips. 'Well, if I'd have known I was travelling with a star, perhaps I'd have acted more proper.'

'It's nice, actually. Refreshing. No preconceptions or judgements about me from what you've heard in the media.'

'As if I'd pay attention to such things anyway. You're a lovely person – that's all I care about.' Calypso said, before a jokey smile came onto her face. 'Anyway – should I curtsey? Cry hysterically? Beg for an autograph?'

'Haha,' Piper said sarcastically, but grinning all the while. Calypso's attitude hadn't changed at all upon finding out of Piper's fame. She was just as friendly, and warm, and open. Piper appreciated that down-to-earth attitude. 'But no, you're quite alright. I am, in fact, rather enjoying your company.'

'So, what is it you do?' Calypso asked with interest, after a small giggle at Piper's response. 'What exactly are you famous for, may I ask?'

'I'm an actress.' Piper replied. 'Been in movies, mainly. Some TV, too, but mainly film.'

'Ah, it makes sense that I don't recognise you then. I never really kept up with films.' Calypso said, shrugging. 'Most of the time I'm pretty busy with the farm, anyway.'

They continued to walk, and Piper noticed their destination was fast approaching. Calypso was meeting a friend – a friend who was getting married, hence Calypso's visiting – so Piper needn't worry about it being a date or anything, but she still couldn't very well hang around. But she also didn't plan on letting this girl go and disappear any time soon. She had to ensure that they would meet again soon, so they could spend more time together before Calypso left for her home in the middle of nowhere again.

Piper briefly realised that she had only known this girl for minutes, and was already crushing ridiculously hard on her. Planning their future dates. Yet she didn't feel a hint of embarrassment – anyone who had seen this gorgeous girl would be on the same page as Piper, for sure.

They paused in front of the coffee shop as they arrived. Calypso gave a small quick wave to a boy through the front window, with dark hair and sea green eyes. He smiles widely and returned it, before noticing his friend's company, and suddenly freezing in shock, squinting his eyes as though to make sure she was real. It seemed he recognised her.

'So, that's your friend?' Piper said with a smirk, offering a wave of her own to the boy in amusement. He slowly returned it, as though in a daze, his eyes still filled with shock.

'Yeah. Percy, his name is. Getting married in a couple of weeks.' Calypso said, looking back to Piper. 'We've been friends for a while, and he insisted I come, so he offered me a place to stay for a little while around the time.'

'Nice of him,' Piper said, nodding. How the boy could know a girl as incredible as Calypso and choose to marry someone else Piper couldn't understand, but she was certainly pleased. 'Unless you're the bride. Then it's kind of expected.'

Calypso laughed, covering her mouth (a shame, Piper thought – she bet Calypso's laugh was as beautiful as the rest of her). 'Goodness, no! Me and Percy? No way. Definitely no.'

'Well, that's good news for me.' Piper grinned.

She quickly pulled a scrap piece of paper from her pocket – a scrunched up receipt probably aeons old – and a pen from her bag, and quickly scribbled her number down. Usually she wouldn't dare do such a thing – offering her personal phone number to someone she had just met – but she had absolutely no doubt in her mind that Calypso was trustworthy. She handed the paper over, looking up to see Calypso watching her carefully.

'Call me,' Piper said with a wink, slipping the pen away. 'I would like to meet you for a coffee sometime. And not just as friends. Sound good to you?'

Calypso just nodded, cheeks showing rosy pink. She smiled shyly. 'Sounds good.'

Leo was never bothered by the rain.

Maybe it was the fact that he was practically a portable heater anyway; the rain rarely gave him a chill. And, well, when did a little water do anyone any harm? He didn't care about getting a bit wet. He would dry off once he got home. In fact, he found it could be pretty fun. Splashing around, jumping in puddles... Leo was always happy to indulge his (not so) inner child. It could even be pretty comforting. He wasn't sure why, but somehow, he couldn't think of anything more peaceful than going for a walk in the rain.

So he happily stood outside the shelter of the bus stop, tapping a tune on his leg with his hands, enjoying the feeling of the rain running through his messy curls and soaking through his clothes. They needed a wash, anyway. Just standing there, waiting in the downpour; he felt completely refreshed.

But his only company clearly disagreed.

There was only one other person at the bus stop – a boy, seemingly around Leo's age, perhaps a little younger. Wavy, messy black hair, wearing all black clothes. His olive toned skin seemed pale, as though he had been ill and hadn't quite recovered, or had never once stepped into the sunlight in his entire life. And as he leant against the wall of the shelter, his eyes downcast, he had his arms wrapped around himself, obviously a little cold. His black aviator jacket was zipped up to the very top.

The boy lifted his eyes when he noticed Leo staring. He frowned, looking unsure.

'What?' he said, eyes narrowing at Leo. Leo couldn't help but smile.

'Just looked a little chilly, that's all.' Leo said with a grin, laughing a little. 'All snuggled under the shelter. It's cute.'

'Did you just call me cute?' the boy asked, clearly not liking this statement as he glared at Leo.

'Hey, in a good way.' Leo shrugged. 'It's a compliment.'

'Really? You need to work on your people skills.' the boy said, sighing. 'Just because I'm not an idiot like you, standing out in the freezing rain. You'll probably catch your death out there. What are you even doing it for? Trying to prove your manliness, or something?'

Leo laughed once more. This boy was hilarious, and he didn't even seem to realise it; his face showed only vague confusion.

'Oh, no, that ship sailed a long time ago. I mean, look at me.' Leo snorted. 'Then again, you know what they say; scrawny is the new hot.'

'No one has ever said that.' the boy responded flatly, a disbelieving look on his face. Leo got that a lot.

'Anyway, no, that's not why. I like the rain, is all. Nice and refreshing.' he said, holding his hand up and letting a few drops pool in his palm. 'Besides, I won't get ill. I'm like a human heater. You could probably plunk me in the Arctic and I'd still be okay.'

'You're weird.' the boy said, looking at Leo as though analysing him. It didn't seem to be an insult, or rudeness. Just a statement.

'I get that a lot.' Leo said, smirking. 'Besides, where's the fun in being normal? I bet you're not that normal yourself.'

'I guess you could say that,' the boy said, smiling. Well, it was more a small quirk of the lips. But close enough for Leo.

'I'm Leo,' he introduced himself, holding out a hand just as their bus rounded the corner. The boy hesitated for a moment, before going to shake it.

'Nico,' the boy said, nodding at Leo, before withdrawing back and wiping his now-wet hand on his jacket just as the bus came to a stop in front of them. Nico seemed quiet, contemplative, and pretty serious – the opposite of Leo. But somehow, Leo already liked him, gesturing for him to go first.

When Nico stepped outside the Hades Cabin, Leo couldn't help but notice how adorable the son of Hades looked.

Little strands of wavy black hair stuck out from underneath his woolly hat, with the occasional little snowflake landing gently on the strands before melting. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck right up to his chin, and somehow, Leo thought that the bored and slightly irritated look on Nico's face made him seem even cuter. A thick coat was over what Leo assumed was Nico's usual combination of his favourite aviator jacket and one of his many black t-shirts, with a pair of plain gloves.

Of course, Leo was in similar attire, with it being the middle of winter and snowing, but that didn't stop Leo from finding it adorable.

'Nice earmuffs,' Nico commented with a smirk, beginning to walk.

'You laugh now, Nico, but you won't be when we come back and my ears are still as toasty warm and yours are somewhat chilled.' Leo said, quickly catching up to Nico.

'Do you even need all that on?' Nico asked, looking over Leo curiously. 'From my experience, you're usually like a portable heater.'

'Your experience, Nico? Hmm? You mean all our hugs, our late night embraces, holding each other in our arms-'

'Shut up.' Nico said flatly, causing Leo to laugh more.

Leo was surprised that Nico had agreed to accompany him. Sure, they had been in a relationship for a while now, but the usual romantic tropes weren't to Nico's tastes at all. Then again, Leo had wanted to take a late night walk because he was finding sleep difficult, and he knew that unusual and probably slightly unhealthy sleeping patterns were something the two of them had in common. Not to mention that when Leo did sleep, he could be subjected to some pretty nasty nightmares, and he was fairly sure that any nightmares Nico had were much worse, having been through Tartarus – the literal pit of evil – and all. Maybe Nico had just come with him as an excuse to escape the bad dreams.

Still, it felt romantic to Leo. A late night walk in the snow, by moonlight? Very sappy. Aphrodite herself was probably sat up in Olympus with a big smile on her face congratulating him on this rare feat. Leo Valdez managed to do something actually romantic – not just a failed attempt.

At least, Leo thought so until he felt his shoe slip upon some of the freezing ice, and he was suddenly flat on his back, laying in the cold. He frowned, almost lost for a moment on how he managed to get there at all – it had happened so quickly. Even when he worked out exactly what had happened, he was still in somewhat of a daze, surprised from his sudden unexpected fall.

The daze was broken by Nico's laughter.

And it was the first, proper, whole-hearted laugh Leo had ever heard from Nico. Not the amused chuckle, or the little shift in breath, or a small smirk. A proper, full-on, chesty laugh. Leo couldn't help the smile that unfolded on his previously surprised face.

'You're the biggest- goof- loser- I've ever known,' Nico said breathlessly, wiping his eyes with the back of his gloved hands.

'Why thank you,' Leo said, raising an eyebrow. He held his hand up. 'You gonna help me up any time soon?'

'Right, right.' Nico said, taking a deep breath and clasping Leo's hand.

Really, he should have known better.

With a satisfied cry, he pulled Nico down on top of him, who quickly rolled over to the snow beside Leo. For a moment, Nico lay there with his eyes wide, presumably in a similar state of surprise at his fall as Leo had been.

Then Leo saw his eyes narrow, and thought, oh dear.

Nico was annoyed. And an annoyed Nico was not something you wanted to face, no matter how cute Leo might think his boyfriend was. He had to come up with a solution quick.

So when Nico's head began to turn, ready to face Leo with the full force of his death glare (and if anyone had a look that could kill, it would be Nico), Leo panicked and did the first thing that came to his mind. He kissed Nico on the lips.

At first Nico froze – again. Leo worried, thinking a kiss probably wouldn't necessarily dissipate Nico's anger, maybe just put it off – then he felt Nico return the kiss. And he smiled. The boy's lips were cold against Leo's perpetually warm skin, and when Leo grasped the boy's gloved hand, he felt the chill even through the fabric.

After a few moments, Nico pulled back, looking over Leo with an expressionless face.

'Sorry for pulling you down?' Leo tried, but didn't try to hide his smirk. 'Hey, in my defence, most people would have seen that one coming a mile off.'

'You're just lucky I like you, you dork. I'll let you off this once.' Nico said, allowing a hint of a smile on his face. 'So, gonna get up any time soon?'

'I'm good right here, thanks.' Leo said, squeezing Nico's hand and staring up at the stars.

'Well, I'm cold.' Nico huffed, pulling his hand away from Leo's and pushing himself up to stand. He watched Leo pout for a few moments, shaking his head, before offering his hand to help Leo up (this time with a glare which clearly communicated that if Leo tried any of his funny business again, he wasn't getting anything from Nico for a good while). 'How about we continue this back in my cabin?'

Leo never would have thought that the thing which would bring him and Nico di Angelo together would be puns.

Since they had met, Leo's attempts at humour seemed to have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the son of Hades. No groans or sighs, no glare of annoyance, nor a laugh or smile of amusement. His face would remain blank like he hadn't heard a single thing.

So when they were sat eating dinner one day on the Argo II, discussing the Roman attack on Camp Half-Blood, and Nico smiled at one of Leo's jokes, he was stunned into silence.

'Don't worry. I'm sure we can make the Romans our bromans, right guys?' Leo joked. Jason groaned, Piper snorted, Hazel shook her head – but Leo ignored the others. He was focused on Nico, sat at the end of the table, who cracked the tiniest of smiles.

It was barely there, but to Leo it was clear as day. The tiny quirk of his lips, and the momentary glint of amusement in his dark eyes before he settled back into his usual expression. A mix of indifference, annoyance and gloominess.

And Leo made it his job from thereon to bring that smile out more.

He went out of his way to think of more puns and made sure to never miss an opportunity for one – at least when Nico was around. Of course, Nico made things difficult by not being around very much. Hiding in his bedroom, or wherever he went so no one could find him. If he wasn't so weak after his time in Tartarus and the death trance, Leo would suspect he shadow-travelled elsewhere when he wanted to be alone. But when Leo could find Nico, he made sure to always tell at least one pun.

The next day, he found Leo sat in the otherwise empty dining room staring up at the ceiling. Leo took the seat beside him, but barely got a glance from Nico who then continued to stare upwards. Nico seemed in his own world most of the time, but Leo was one-hundred percent sure that his world just wasn't happy enough.

He followed Nico's train of vision to see a spider hanging upside down from its web on the ceiling. It stayed still aside from the occasional twitching of its leg, seemingly resting on its web. Leo smirked, looking up at the spider before turning to Nico.

'I guess it's upspider down.'

There was a pause as Nico turned to look at Leo, just staring for a moment, before he seemed to take in what Leo had just said. Then, a small snort of laughter escaped his mouth and he smiled. It was his small, muted smile that was muffled by a lifetime of hardships, but it was still a smile.

'Oh my gods, that was bad.' he said, shaking his head, but he was still smiling.

'You laughed at it,' Leo said proudly, looking back up at the spider.

'Because it was so awful.' Nico said, the smile beginning to fade as he drifted back off into his own world. But Leo's plan was working, he thought with a smile as he simply sat with the boy for a while, not even fidgeting or twitching as he usually would.

That was enough to keep Leo happy for a few days, considering how difficult it usually was to even come across Nico when you wanted to, let alone make him smile. He, Leo Valdez, had made Nico di Angelo smile. And with a terrible pun, no less.

-+-

The next pun came when they were sat as a group around the table, talking about their situation, planning their journey. Travelling to Greece on a huge flying warship was a complicated process. Leo had been talking about their route when he heard Piper tut in annoyance, and turned to her.

'What's up?' he asked, watching her glare at the tip of her pencil.

'The lead broke,' she said in annoyance, putting the pencil down. Leo couldn't help but grin.

'Too bad, Piper. I guess broken pencils are pointless.' Leo said, grinning at his own joke. There was the usual groans and head shakes around the table, but that didn't matter.

Leo's eyes gravitated towards the small quirk of Nico's lips, which he quickly hid by looking down at his lap, only disappearing once the conversation started again.

-+-

Leo stood outside the door to Nico's bedroom, tapping his foot in anticipation.

He was fairly sure he had come up with the best pun of his lifetime after some brainstorming, and couldn't wait to tell Nico. Firstly, Nico was probably the only one who would appreciate it. Secondly, it would help towards his goal of making Nico smile more. And thirdly, maybe Leo wanted to impress Nico di Angelo, just a little bit.

So when the door was slowly pushed open by a yawning Nico di Angelo, with a slight bedhead, Leo grinned. Nico looked somewhat startled at opening his door to Leo's grinning face, taken by surprise, but soon regained composure.

'Uh... Good morning...?' Nico said, frowning in confusion.

'It is a good morning, isn't it?' Leo said happily, leaning against the wall and keeping his eyes on Nico. 'A very good morning. I, Leo Valdez, have come up with the greatest pun in the world.'

'And?' Nico said, still frowning.

'And, Nico, I have come to notice that you find puns amusing. Don't lie-' he said as Nico opened his mouth to protest. '-You think they're funny. Puns are witty, a very high form of humour, no need to be ashamed. And, as you are the only one who can possibly appreciate it properly, I've come to tell it to you.'

'I laughed at your puns because they were so bad,' Nico said, shrugging. 'Not because they were actually funny.'

'Ah, but that's what makes a pun truly funny! When it's so bad it makes you laugh!' Leo said, hands clasping together in joy. 'Now, prepare yourself, di Angelo. It's coming.'

'Leo, I'm starving, can I have breakfast first?'

'You never eat anything, you liar. Besides, it will take five seconds.' Leo said, standing straight up and taking a deep breath.

'This is going to be a great big anti-climax,' Nico muttered to himself, crossing his arms.

'Hey, Nico, did you hear about the fire at the circus?' Leo said, practically shaking in excitement.

'No, Leo, I didn't hear about the fire at the circus.' Nico drawled, making sure the sarcasm in his tone was heard. It only served to make Leo's grin bigger.

'Well,' Leo said, beginning to laugh at his own joke. 'It was in-tents.'

There was a pause, Leo beaming to himself, and Nico just staring with a blank face.

Leo whooped with joy when Nico's blank expression broke to show a small smile.

'Oh my gods, that was so bad, that was the worst joke-' Nico said, trying to cover his smile as he laughed under his breath. 'That wasn't funny, that isn't the best pun in the world, what in Hades were you thinking-'

'You're laughing, you're laughing!' Leo said happily, laughing to himself, following Nico who had begun to walk away. 'Admit it! You like puns! Your weakness is none other than a good old fashioned bad pun!'

'You're ridiculous,'

'That's not news.'

'You waited outside my bedroom door for that.'

'And there will be more coming, just you wait.' Leo said with a smile, winking. 'I will come up with hundreds of thousands of incredible puns and you will laugh at every single one, and know me as 'the pun master'. I will become famous for me ingenuity, and-'

'You're unbelievable.' Nico said, shaking his head before he walked ahead into the dining room. But the smile was there, and Leo detected a hint of affection.

Nico had been told about dreams where you try to run as fast as you can but your legs won’t move, or your feet stayed stuck to the ground. Or dreams where you were trying to scream and shout at the top of your lungs until your throat burned, but no sound would escape from your throat.

Nico could understand why people found such dreams so horrifying as he stood, eyes wide and shaking, staring into the blank and unseeing eyes of his boyfriend.

‘Leo,’ he said, voice shaking with fear. His hands rested on Leo’s shoulders, shaking the boy in an attempt to wake him up. He was cool to the touch, which was wrong because Leo was heat and warmth and intensity. ‘Leo, it’s me. Leo? Leo, please answer.’

‘Leo?’ the boy said, voice empty. His usually bright and deep brown eyes seemed to stare right through Nico. Not like the gaze full of happiness and warmth and affection he usually held when he looked at Nico.

‘Leo, it’s me,’ he said, eyes beginning to feel wet. ‘Please.’

‘Leo.’ The shell repeated.

Nico stepped back, trying to hold back his tears. The place was familiar; the darkness, the dying grass and wilted black trees, and the blank and empty shells of those who had died endlessly wondering around in a state of . It was almost soundless, making you feel like they were all waiting, waiting for something that was never going to happen.

The Fields of Asphodel.

‘It’s a dream,’ he told himself, closing his eyes and trying to calm down. ‘No, no, Leo is a hero; Leo would go to Elysium-’

But he quickly looked up when he felt the boy slither from his grasp, beginning to wonder away again into the masses. With that empty look that told Nico he had no idea where he was going, or why. Nico quickly grabbed him again, but he didn’t so much as turn around. He just stopped, standing still, staring into space.

It was as though Leo wasn’t in there anymore. Leo was wiped upon judgement, and left to wonder the fields for eternity, perpetually confused, empty, gone forever and Nico was all alone again just like when Bianca had gone-

‘Don’t leave me!’ he called out as he felt the hand slip away from his, a loud cry in the near silence of the fields. There was no response, and soon the familiar mess of curly hair and tan skin had disappeared amongst the crowds, and in every direction all he could see were the blank faces of strangers damned forever.

All alone again.

-+-

He sat up with a start, breaths heavy and cheeks wet. A sob threatened to come forward, so he covered his mouth and held his breath as he took in the surroundings.

The familiar surroundings of Cabin Thirteen.

It had all just been a dream, so Nico allowed himself to take a breath, but that didn’t stop the water still overflowing from his eyes.

Without hesitation, he rolled over in his bed, wrapping his arms around Leo. Nico thanked every god that Leo had decided to stay over for that night.

‘What?’ Leo said groggily after a moment, blinking his eyes open, before returning the hug, wrapping his arms around Nico. ‘Uh, okay. Hug. Why?’

Nico just hugged tighter for a moment, revelling in the heat that Leo seemed to emanate, and the gentle thumping of his steady heartbeat hammering in his chest. Perfectly alive, happy, with Leo’s mind and person intact.

‘I had a bad dream,’ Nico said, pulling Leo closer and leaning his head on his shoulder. He released a breath of tension as he felt Leo’s warm arm wrap tightly around his waist.

‘Was it about Tartarus again?’ Leo asked, looking worried.

‘No.’ Nico said flatly. ‘It was about you.’

‘Well, then, it can’t have been that bad, with my stunning looks.’ Leo said, trying to get a smile out of his boyfriend. Nico smacked him lightly with annoyance, causing Leo to respond with a ‘Hey!’ and a pout.

‘You were in the Fields of Asphodel,’ Nico said. ‘You were empty. Like all of them. Just lost and wandering around. I kept saying your name and trying to talk to you but nothing got through. You were just stood there, staring and drifting and barely even breathing. It was horrible, Leo. And then I lost you in all the others there and I couldn’t find you. I was alone, and you were gone, and I was so terrified, Leo.’

‘I would never let that happen, Nico.’ Leo said confidently. He knew when the time for trying to use humour was up, thankfully – at least he did most of the time. Leo continued. ‘Aside from the fact that we’re both clearly going to Elysium, and if not you have something to discuss with your daddy-’

‘Leo,’

‘I wouldn’t ever forget you or leave you. Okay? I promise. I promise forever. I swear on the River Styx. Pinky swear.’ Leo finished, offering his finger with a smile. After a moment, Nico took it, a small smile gracing his features.

‘You’re an idiot,’ Nico said softly, muffling his smile.

‘You love it,’ Leo said, grinning as he hopped off the bed. ‘And, really, if I wasn’t an idiot, who would you have to poke fun at?’

‘True,’ Nico said with a smirk.

‘So. Breakfast? I’ll join you today. Like a date. A lovely little romantic date, just me and you, my loverboy.’ Leo said, winking.

‘I don’t want to now. You can go alone.’ Nico said, leaning back on his bed with a glare, and picked up a book from beneath his pillow, opening it to a random page and beginning to read.

‘Aw, come on. You know I was joking. I won't call you loverboy again,’ Leo whined. Nico raised an eyebrow. ‘Fine. Okay. If you come with me to get breakfast, I’ll pay the Stolls to go to the shop and get you some of that gross liquorice stuff you like. Deal?’