#phoenixfanfics

In simple words, it had not been a good day. Nico’s temper was slowly boiling throughout the day until he thought he was going to explode. His final class was English with an insufferable teacher who always veered off topic for too long and allowed chaos to take over the room and insufferable classmates who took advantage of it each time.

Usually, Nico simply ignored them by reading, but that day had been too stressful for him and he had a splitting headache. Regardless, as he sat in class he pulled out a worn copy of Frankenstein and tried to indulge himself in the words.

Meanwhile, the teacher had decided to play The Great Gatsby for the class. He turned out the lights and Nico figured he would just watch. He enjoyed the movie anyway. But the other in the class obviously didn’t. They joked and commented on the first few scenes, causing Nico’s nerves to fray a little more.

Particularly one boy’s laughter which sounded like the chittering of a chipmunk after each joke made. “Shut up,” Nico hissed to all of them. He got a few angry glares, but the glare he gave them in return made them look away hastily. Then the frustrating chipmunk laugh from the blond boy in a desk near the front resonate through the room and, without thinking, Nico grabbed his worn Frankenstein copy and threw right at his head.

“Ow!” he yelped. He turned to Nico in shock. “What the hell was that for?” he snapped.

“Shut your freaking mouth!” Nico snapped back.

“You didn’t have to throw a book at me!”

“What’s going on?” the teacher intervened.

The girl next to him pointed at Nico. “He threw a book at Will.”

The teacher looked at Nico disapprovingly and pulled out the pink write up slips, which then caused the class to ooh in spite of him. “I hope you didn’t have any plans after school. Here’s your detention slip.” He placed the bright mocking paper on his desk. Will walked over and placed the book back on his desk. Before he returned to his seat, the teacher stopped him and looked at Nico pointedly. “Apologize to your classmate.”

Nico jutted out his jaw and let his head drop, staring at the teacher in disbelief. He was a junior. Not a kindergartner. The teacher only looked at him expectantly. Nico turned his gaze to the blond chipmunk and raised his chin defiantly, only for the sarcastic words to die in his throat.

In the darkness of the classroom, his blue eyes seemed mysterious, shining back with the reflection of the projector. His hair fell around his face in carefully placed waves. His jaw was chiseled, his expression uncomfortable. He was… goddammit, he was cute. Nico could actually feel his anger dissipating, his cheeks reddening from overreacting.

“We’re waiting, Nico,” the teacher prodded.

“It’s fine, really,” Will told him, not looking at Nico. “It’s whatever. Let’s just finish the movie.”

His voice had a small rasp to it, making it husky and wonderful and soothing. “Unless you want two days of detention, Mr. di Angelo, I suggest you apologize.”

“I-I’m sorry,” he managed to stammer. “I’m… sorry I threw a book… at your head.”

Will gave him an awkward tense smile. “Alright.” He scratched the back of his neck and turned away to sit down. Nico looked down at the pink paper with the scratchy writing. Threw book at student’s head during educational video. God every single part of that sentence was just ridiculous.

As the final bell rang, Nico started for the door catching a glimpse of Will rubbing the back of his head distractedly. He went to the detention hall and as he sat there for the next two hours, the memory of Will’s cuteness began to fade and anger began to resurface.

Stupid, stupid blond with his stupid, stupid laugh causing Nico to stay after in this stupid, stupid school for two more stupid, stupid hours.

By the time he was allowed to leave, he was filled with anger and the urge to walk up to the blue eyed nitwit and tell him just how annoying his laugh was and how much he hated him.

He swallowed his words the moment he stepped outside the school doors. Will was leaning against a pillar, scrolling through his phone, the sun glinting against his blond hair so it looked like he was glowing. His eyes, much clearer in the daylight than they had been in class, flickered up as though he sensed he was being watched. When he saw Nico, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and probably distaste.

Begrudgingly, Nico walked over to him and cleared his throat. “Uh, I wanted to apologize… again… for real… about the book.”

“Uh, okay,” he answered. “You didn’t give me a concussion or anything. You can stop apologizing.”

Nico met his eyes and realized he had freckles- freckles that hadn’t been visible before, splattering his cheeks the way a paintbrush splattered a canvas. How was it possible that he was even cuter in the daylight? “Uh, still… I’m not usually throwing books at people. I just had a very long, very frustrating day. And the fact that nobody would shut up and just watch the damn movie- Ah, sorry.” He took a breath to regain his composure.

Will laughed lightly, and suddenly that chipmunk like sound was more endearing than annoying. “Like I said, it’s fine. I didn’t even get a bump on my head.” Nico smiled and glanced at the ground, searching for something to say. “Uh, my ride’s here. But… maybe you can let me borrow that book some day?”

Nico let out a small laugh. “Here,” he said, pulling the book out of his backpack. “I’ve read it a bunch of times anyway.”

Part 1

Part 2

Nico didn’t text him that weekend, though Will hadn’t really expected him to. Maybe that’s why it came as such a surprise when he arrived on Monday and saw Nico waiting on him near his mom’s usual parking spot.

“H-hey,” he said as he got out of the car.

Nico looked up from his phone and waved at Will’s mom before taking Will’s hand. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Have a good day, boys,” she said. She drove away and Nico pulled Will along, toward the school. Before entering, he let go of Will’s hand.

“See you later,” he muttered. Will furrowed his eyebrows as confusion settled over him.

At dismissal, Nico was waiting for him by the doors. He held out his hand and Will took it hesitantly. “What are you doing?”

“Being your fake boyfriend. You said mornings and dismissal were the times she saw us.” Will frowned and decided to play along. They sat along the curb in tense silence. “What?” Nico asked noticing the look Will was giving him.

“I thought I made you upset after dinner.”

“So? I’m in this for a few more weeks.” Will sighed and looked down at their loosely locked hands. “Put a smile on, her car’s here.” Will glanced up and sure enough his mom’s car pulled up.

“Nico, do you want a ride dear?” she asked.

“No, it’s alright, I don’t want to bother.”

“Don’t be silly,” she chided. “Get in.” Nico hesitated and got into the car. She asked them how school went and offered to stop by a stand for snocones. “Give me a second, dear, I have to pick up some medicine,” she said stopping at a pharmacy.

She got out and Nico hummed. “Somehow I always end up deeper into this hoax than I expect to be.”

“Good thing you’re such a good actor.”

The days went by like that. Nico waited for him, held his hand for a few minutes, let them take him home, usually stopping by somewhere for a snack. On Fridays, Will’s mom would invite him to dinner and he would arrive. The days turned into weeks. As the time went by, pretending became easier.

Until suddenly, their time was almost up. It was the last week, the last few days.

They had just finished dinner for what Will suspected was the last time. Now they were watching Harry Potter since a marathon was on T.V. Pretending had become second nature. Exhausted from not only school but from the heavy dinner, Will leaned against Nico’s shoulder tiredly. Nico’s hand slipped into Will’s, and Will glanced down in confusion. His mom was still washing dishes, so she wasn’t paying attention to them. Nico’s thumb was moving slowly in a gentle and lazy line along the side of Will’s hand. Will wasn’t sure if Nico was conscious of the gesture or not.

“I’ve never seen these movies,” Nico muttered. Will sat up, away from him and look at him incredulously. “What?”

“What do you mean you’ve never- I mean have you read the books?” Nico shook his head. “What kind of human are you? Okay, pay attention.” Will began explaining the characters, the plot, the differences in movies and books, babbling on and on, encouraged by Nico’s questions. Nico chuckled and Will stopped. “You’re laughing at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you,” he answered with a smile.

“I’m talking your ear off, I know. Sorry.”

“I don’t mind,” he assured. “It’s… interesting.”

He was looking at him with a strange expression that Will wasn’t used to seeing on him. He wasn’t scowling or frowning or brooding. He was smiling. “Uh, I’ll be right back. Watch the movie.” He got up and went to the bathroom. He held his own hand in confusion. He could still feel the places Nico’s fingers had been in, the warmth of his palm. When he looked in the mirror, he was surprised to see the rosy flush of his face.

He splashed his face with water and ran a hand through his hair. It was nothing.

He left the bathroom and started for the living room again, stopping when he heard his mother’s voice. It was wavering, like she was trying not to cry. “-so worried about him. He used to be so outgoing and outspoken. The way he is around you. Then he started holing himself up in his room, he became quieter, and I couldn’t help him. A teenage boy doesn’t necessarily go to his mom to talk.”

“I’m sure it’s only the stress of school, Mrs. Solace,” Nico answered soothingly. “Adolescence does that.”

“No,” she said sternly. “I know what it was. It was that horrible boy that used to pick on him. He’d come home angry, telling me bits and pieces, but I got it.”

“What?” Nico asked as the blood drained from Will’s face.

“He never told you?” she asked. “He had a bully. It started a few-”

“Mom, what are you doing?” Will asked, not wanting her to spill anything else.

She jumped, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Nothing, sweet pea. Just telling Nico how glad it makes me that you have him.” She smiled and squeezed Nico’s hand before disappearing into the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

Nico smiled back belatedly but it was forced. “I think I should go. My dad will be wondering where I am.”

“I’ll walk you,” Will said softly.

They stood and Will followed him to the door. Nico kept his hands in his pockets as they walked. Once they were outside, Nico leaned against his car. “So I was your bully?” he scoffed. “I changed your life, ruined your sparky personality?” he asked sarcastically. “You know if I was so horrible, why didn’t you ever just tell me? Why didn’t you ever just tell me to shut up or cut it out?”

“I did!” Will protested. “Every single time!”

“Not really! I- I mean…. You told me to shut up, but I always just thought you had really shitty comebacks! I didn’t think… I didn’t think I affected you so much.” He crossed his arms and looked away from him, his eyes troubled.

“Nico, what’s the big deal?” he asked.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Nico whispered.

Will tried to turn his face but Nico shoved his hands away. “Nico, what the hell? What does it matter? Look…. This stupid game is almost up anyway. We’ll ‘break up’ and just go on with our lives and that’s that.” Will cleared his throat and pulled at the hair at the nape of his neck. Nico looked back at him with narrowed eyes. “What? What are you looking at me like that for? What-?”

Suddenly, Nico pulled him into a kiss. Will’s eyes widened, but as Nico continued to kiss him, they fluttered shut. His lips were warm and soft. He alternated between Will’s upper and lower lip, and Will felt his tongue dart out an lick his lips. He let his own lips part in response he found himself getting lost in him. In the feeling of the kiss, the warmth between their bodies, the currents that swept through his body wherever Nico’s skin touched his. His hands cupped his face and Will snaked his around his torso.

The feeling of Nico’s probing tongue and experienced lips was exotic for Will. And when he felt Nico’s teeth bite his lip gently, Will nearly fell apart. He settled instead for a gentle moan. Nico pulled away, and Will leaned forward, not quite ready to end the kiss yet. But Nico had pulled his hands away and wiggled out of Will’s grasp. “Your mom saw us arguing. She opened the door, so….” He cleared his throat and opened the door to his car. He turned to say something, but instead he just got into his car and left.

Dates & Damnation:

It was late. Their father’s study had been empty all day and part of Nico believed he had abandoned them. Which was fine; Nico wouldn’t mind the absence. It only meant he wouldn’t get yelled at and punished so much.

Bianca came downstairs with a pint of ice cream, wearing sweats and her hair was up in a very messy ponytail. Her eyes were red and puffy. Nico grimaced at her. “Jeez, you look like you just got broken up with, Bianca.”

She fixed him with a steely gaze and stabbed her spoon into her ice cream. “I killed someone and had to find them and deal with all those questions and see all those people crying over something I did while you stayed here and watched it on the stupid television!” she shouted. “You don’t get to judge!”

He raised his hands up in defeat. “I wasn’t. It’s just…. Bianca we’re vampires. Human lives are nothing. Stop beating yourself up over it and stop eating ice cream you don’t even need it.”

“No, but dead or alive it helps cope with horrible things. Like break ups and murders.” She turned away, stuffing the spoon into her mouth.

Nico rolled his eyes and stepped outside onto the porch. After spending so much time in the cafeteria with all the kids smelling like sweat, dirt, dog, cat, and God knows what else, Nico craved the fresh air. He didn’t need to breathe, and he knew that, but not breathing felt weird. It was like trying to keep your jaw locked all day. You could do it, but it wasn’t comfortable, not because it was painful, but because it just wasn’t right.

As he looked out at the acres of land, he found himself thinking about Will. About the way his eyes were so bright, and how attentive he was. How a certain stubborn strand of hair would keep falling in his face, despite the many time he unconsciously pushed his hair back. The easy going smile and the scarlet flush that so filled his cheeks and made his freckles sand out. He thought of his voice, low and husky and soft.

A loud whistle overhead brought him out of his reverie. He glanced up and saw Bianca poking her head out of her window. “You’re daydreaming,” she said.

For a good chunk of class neither of the two spoke. They cleared their throat and shuffled papers, but they didn’t look or speak to the other. Jason, Piper, Cecil, and Lou Ellen all noticed something was wrong. There was no bickering coming from their corner of the room, no frustrated growls and snide comments. They were just sitting there, quiet, still, faces hidden. They didn’t have a clue as to what could have happened. Had an argument finally gone too far?

“Uh, listen,” Will tried after a while of turning the words over and over in his head. “About-”

“Don’t,” Nico said, his voice void of emotion, but still harsh. He didn’t elaborate but Will got the idea.

He sighed and slumped in his seat. “Okay, well how do we finish this if we don’t talk?”

“We can talk. Just not about that.” Will rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers on the table. “Stop that,” Nico muttered. Will raised an eyebrow, but considering Nico hadn’t even looked at him, he decided to ignore him. He drummed his fingers a little louder against the desk and watched as Nico’s muscles tensed.

Suddenly a hand was over his, putting incredible strength to stop his fingers. Nico recoiled and his hands went into his hair, still trying to avoid looking at Will. The bell rang for dismissal and Will hovered by his desk. “Well, are we still working on it after school?” he mumbled.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he answered, collecting his things. “I’ll uh, text you if anything.” He started leaving and Will groaned, agitate beyond belief.

He followed Nico and snatched the strap of his backpack to pull him back. Most kids kept walking, some gave them a look. A few gave surprised gasps and began to whisper. Was Will Solace about to get into a fight with Nico di Angelo? Will Solace, the friendliest boy in school?

Rage prickled along his skin at the way Nico could bring out the worst in him. The way that no matter how hard he tried to be nice, he always ended up in an argument with him. He caught the looks from the people around him and without even looking at Nico’s furious expression, he tugged him down toward the bus ramp exit. “What the hell are you doing?” Nico snapped, yanking away.

“What are you doing?” he asked angrily. “For crying out loud, Nico! We’re almost done with this thing, what does it matter what happened yesterday? You don’t have to act like we- like we-”

“Like we what?” he snarled. “Kissed? Because we did, Solace.”

Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, yeah. Whatever. I mean…. Nico, we can pretend it didn’t happen. I know you’re not into guys or-”

“Oh for crying out loud!” he snapped. “I don’t care that you’re a guy! My dad is too drunk to give a damn about who I kiss on my spare time and I don’t really care what people at school think.”

Taking a step back and blinking in confusion Will tried to for a thought. He looked at Nico, sullen and angry, finally looking him in the eyes. “Then… what’s the big deal?” he asked dumbly.

“That it’s you!” he yelled, throwing his arms up in frustration. “I don’t like you! You annoy the hell out of me! You with your preppy clothes and happy smile and friendliness! Everyone likes you! You’re this happy, caring guy that’s nice to everyone and nobody ever says anything bad about you. My God, and it’s annoying! You’re this freaking goody two shoes and you kiss me? I’m your complete opposite and- and-” He looked at Will with his big brown eyes, his hair falling in front of them, making him look stressed and even afraid.

His words died in his throat. He didn’t even know where he was going with that rant. And with Will looking at him with those crystal blue eyes, determined and confused. His lips were parted in surprise at Nico’s lashes, waiting for him to finish.

“Oh, fuck it,” Nico muttered. He pulled him by his collar and pressed his lips against him again, this time kissing him fervidly, desperately. The feelings churning in him didn’t make any sense. He despised this sandy haired perfect golden boy, but at the same time his heart leapt when he saw him, his stomach burst with butterflies when they argued and got so close, he could feel his hot breaths against his face. And every feeling was emphasized when he felt Will kiss him back.

His hands rested on his hips, his fingers dug into his skin, and Nico hated him for making him feel anything besides pure hatred for him. Nico let his hands slide into his hair again, pressed him closer.

When he broke away, he stared into his eyes, which seemed to struggle to focus. “Whoa,” he muttered. “Yeah, I can see how much you hate me,” he said, beginning to smirk.

“Shut up,” Nico said hitting his arm. He was dizzy and warm and he didn’t want to pull away from his arms. “What the hell did you do to me?” he whispered.

Will didn’t answer. He just slid his hand up to Nico’s cheek and tilted his face up to him. “What does this mean? You’re telling me you don’t like me, then you’re kissing me.”

“I don’t know,” he answered, furrowing his eyebrows. “You do annoy me. But you’re the only person who ever stands up to me. You’re the only one who knows about the way my dad gets. You’re the only one that reminds me I can feel anything.”

“I mean if it’s worth anything, you annoy me too.” Surprisingly, Nico laughed. Will smiled and leaned down to kiss him softly this time.

“How many people do you think we’ll surprise?” Nico snorted. Piper had called it long before, and so had Jason. Their ideas had seemed absurd. How could Nico, who was so cold and unamicable, ever feel anything for the blond teenager on the other side of the room who would meet his glare with one of his own?

“Mm, anyone not close to us?” he suggested. “Cecil had suggested it before. But I didn’t take him serious.” He smiled his sunny smile and tilted his head. “So are you coming to my house?”

“Are we actually going to work on that project?” Will shrugged. “Alright,” he laughed.

They sent their time in Will’s room, laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Will asked him questions and for the first time, Nico spoke up. He told him about his sister. He told him about the way his stepmother had left and how it had destroyed his father. He told him how badly he wanted to leave and how scared he was to feel anything for anyone.

Will told him about his yearlong attempt to get a higher grade than Nico and his frustration at how hard he had to try while also trying to raise himself at home. He told Nico about his original impression of him, how he had believed that Nico’s stoic expression was just a sign of his control over anyone who was near.

They’d kissed again and again, settling into a certain manner of kissing they both liked. They found new ways to annoy each other and weaknesses like certain tickle spots or touches that made the other’s pupils dilate.

The next day at school, Nico and Will walked together most of the day. A few people caught glances of them holding hands, but only for a second. Then again, it could have been their imagination. There was no way it could have been real. Everyone knew how much those two hated each other.

Nico wasn’t very expressive with Will when there were other people around. He spoke softly and traced patterns on his hand when no one was looking, but that was it. Other than that, there wasn’t much of a change in the way they were with each other. They still managed to bicker over little things, driving each other crazy. Their time separated from each other proved necessary with the way they constantly butted heads.

When they were in their last class, Nico was flipping through papers and Will had taken the liberty of throwing his legs over Nico’s lap. “Here’s the rubric, Neeks.”

“Neeks?” he questioned, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “That’s cute.” Will winked and took the papers from him. “Hey, I was checking something.”

“You’re too slow. Here, you check it off as I name it.” Nico grumbled but let Will name off each paper.

“We’re good,” Nico said. “Good job, partner.” He high fived him and went to put the papers in the bin. He gave the teacher their poster and sat back down next to Will. “I can still go over to your place, right?” Nico asked.

“Yeah,” Will laughed. He took his hand and Nico tensed, looking at their interlocked hands in confusion before relaxing. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine.” He smiled and leaned against him.

“Wait, when did that happen?” someone called. People started looking at them and they both froze. “Called it!” Piper yelled.

“Shut up,” Nico said, covering his face. “Do your work!” Will chuckled and Nico could feel the deep vibrations under him. Cecil and Lou Ellen and Jason and Piper reseated themselves by them and began asking questions. Nico let Will answer, feeling too stressed by the excessive attention to say anything.

In his head he wondered how this would work. How long would it last? Nico didn’t know how to be a boyfriend. He didn’t know how to be affectionate. Especially with Will. He did such a good job at pissing Nico off, he didn’t know how these feelings had surfaced. But they had and they were strong. So strong, it got Nico to talk openly with him and agree to the term “boyfriend.”

But he had no idea what it entailed.

Part 1                                 Part 3

Part 2                                 Part 4

What is This Feeling?

Part 1                                 Part 3

Part 2

Secrets of the Sea

Part 1            Part 4         Part 7

Part 2            Part 5         Part 8

Part 3           Part 6          Part 9

These are all the parts to every continued One Shot for Solangelo in case you’ve had trouble finding them. Yes I will continue them, and yes I will take more one shot requests. (Any mythical stuff? Vampire Nico? Angel Nico? Demon Will? Hey, I do fantasy too!)

yes indeed I can

The next morning, Nico woke up and tried not to pay attentionto his phone. It was like watching a tea kettle- the more he waited andwatched, the longer it seemed to stay silent.

“So, any word from that cute boy at the carnival last night?”Bianca asked as she passed his room.

“Shut up,” he said. “Dad’ll hear you.”

“Dad wouldn’t care.” Nico frowned and crossed his arms. “Dad!”she called. “I’m a lesbian!”

“Awesome,” they heard him call back, amusement thick in his voice.

“He knows you’re joking,” Nico muttered. Bianca shrugged. “Anyway,no, I haven’t heard from him. But it’s barely eleven in the morning anyway.” Hesighed and fell back against his pillows. His feet ached from all the walkingthe night before. He kept remembering the closeness, the warmth of Will’s handsagainst his eyes, his leg beside his.

His lips on his cheek.

“Earth to Nico!” Hazel said throwing a pillow at his face.He hadn’t even realized that his sisters had barged into his room.

“You guys know I hate people coming into my room,” hescowled.

“We’re not people,” Hazel said. “We’re your sisters.”

Nico grimaced. “Especially sisters. At least get off the bedI hate it when you get on the bed like that, you mess it up.”

“I bet you wouldn’t care if it was that blondie from thecarnival,” Bianca teased.

Nico turned red and threw a pillow at her. “Shut up!” hesaid again for what felt like the thousandth time. Then, because he was apessimist, and because expecting the worst made a good scenario all the better,he said, “I bet he won’t even call. He’s probably forgotten about me.”

His sisters frowned at that. “You can’t think like that,Neeks. Just because that Percy guy broke your heart doesn’t mean all guys will.”

“Yeah,” Hazel agreed. “Plus, this one is actually gay. Andhe asked for your number remember?” Nico shrugged, his chest tightening at themention of Percy.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s basically a stranger. There’s noway he could ‘break my heart.’” He hopped off his bed and left the room,leaving his sisters behind in it. He grabbed a bowl of cereal and ate, passinghis father as he sat at the table. “Hey Dad.”

“Hey, Nico. The girls said they had fun at the carnival. Didyou?”

“It was eventful,” he agreed, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “What’dyou do while we were gone?”

“Watched a game,” he answered. “But it wasn’t the samewithout you yelling at the T.V and your sisters asking questions the wholetime.” Nico smiled and shook his head.

One hour passed, then two, then four. Suddenly it was middayand Nico hadn’t gotten a single call or text. He tried not let himself admithow much it stung. Who worked that hard to get someone’s attention, only toforget about them the next day.

Maybe it was a dare, he thought suddenly. The girl probablywasn’t his cousin. They probably made a dare to see if they could each get anumber from someone of the same gender. And Nico had stupidly played into theirgame.

Or maybe he found someone else after Nico had left. Someonenot as awkward and sad. That made sense.

Or maybe-

Suddenly his cell phone rang. He fell off the couch where hewas laying down when he made an awkward attempt at grabbing his phone. Almostimmediately, Hazel and Bianca left their rooms and lingered in the all waitingfor Nico to answer. “Hello?” he asked a little out breath as he tried to pick himselfup off the floor.

“Oh, you busy?” he asked.

“Will, hi,” he said, slightly surprised. Plenty surprisedactually.

He was rewarded with that light, happy laughter. “You soundshocked,” he noted. “Listen, I’m sorry it took so long to call. I was getting ahospital tour from my dad and I just left.”

“Oh, cool,” Nico said his voice still shocked. Bianca hit himon the head and made a face at him. Talk!she mouthed. Nico swatted her arm away and cleared his throat.

“I’m guessing your sisters are trying to listen?” Willasked, amused.

“What, no not at all. My sisters are very respectful of my privacy,” he said through grit teeth,motioning for them to leave. Bianca and Hazel laughed aloud, not caring if theywere heard. Will already knew they were there anyway. “Oh God, I’m just goingto disappear,” Nico muttered.

Will laughed. “Well, if you want to get away for a bit andmaybe talk without them listening in, how about we go out for ice cream? There’san ice cream parlor two blocks down from the hospital. I’d be happy to pick youup.”

“R-really?” he asked. “Um… yeah. Okay, sure. I like icecream.”

“Great. Where do I pick you up?” Nico stuttered his address.“Cool, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Nico hung up and stared at his phone. Was he going on a date? His sisters pounced on himimmediately. They dragged him away, begging him to let them pick his clothes.Bianca tried to give him tips, but Nico clamped his hand over his ears. He didnot want tips from his big sister. But he did need their clothing advice.

In the end, they had him wear dark jeans, a black skullshirt, and a leather jacket. “This makes me look more depressing than I alreadyam,” he muttered, looking in the mirror. His hair looked windswept, and hesmelled of cologne.

“No, it makes you mysterious,” Bianca said.

Nico got a text. I’mhere. Almost immediately, he heard a knock at the door. His stomachdropped. “Quick, answer before Dad does!” he told Hazel. She raced out of theroom and Bianca poked her head out, stopping their father before he even lefthis room.

Nico followed, looking anxiously at the front door whereHazel was greeting someone with blond hair. “Where are you going?” his fatherasked when he noticed his wardrobe and the smell of cologne.

“Out,” he said. “Just, you know, around. Figured I shouldstop being a hermit, and try hanging out with people.”

“Who’s at the door?” his father asked. There was no avoidingit. Bianca cast Nico a nervous look and Hazel stepped aside to let Will in. “Hi,who are you?” his father greeted, holding out a hand.

Will gulped, then cleared his throat. “I’m Will. You must beNico’s dad.”

“He’s a friend,” Nico mumbled. “From school.” Will glancedat him, but he didn’t say anything. He just smiled his usual sunny smile. “Isit okay if I go?”

His father looked at Will, inspecting him, then at his son. “Sure,why not? Make sure to check in though,” he said. He patted his shoulder andNico started for the door, gesturing for Will to follow.

“It was nice to meet you,” he said. “Good seeing you girlsagain,” he added. He followed Nico down the steps, keeping a friendly distance.“He doesn’t know, huh?” he asked without looking at him.

“No. He has two daughters and one son. I have no idea how he’dtake it,” Nico whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Will started to open the door for him, then thought betterof it in case anyone was looking through the window. “You don’t have to besorry,” he said as he went to the driver’s side. They got into the car andstarted down the street. “I just wish I’d known so I didn’t put you on thespot.” Nico shrugged, keeping his hands in his lap. “So… is this the first timeyou go on a date?”

“It’s the first time I go out at all,” he said nervously. Heglanced at Will and found him smiling.

“Well then,” he said cheerily. “I’ll make sure you have agood time.”