Troian

Edit: the title for this comic is “Puzzle Rat” this one’s a few days late due to having a lot of doctors appointments sorry it’s  just 9 pages, and about some rats… it’s more symbolic than anything really

he knows korean from his dad using it around him, japanese because he asked shiro to teach him, spanish because his best (and longest) foster home was two elderly people on a ranch in southwest texas that spoke spanish (also you can’t grow up in rural texas and not pick up a bit of spanish) and galran because of the blade. he knows morse code because of his dad’s firefighter job.

now, no one on the team knows he knows so many languages. shiro knows about korean and japanese and that’s IT. so naturally he just..never mentions it.

they first learn that he knows japanese when shiro makes a stupid joke through the comms and he starts laughing, but that wasn’t really a surprise to anyone. they learn that he knows korean because he got an injury and was delirious. they learn about galran when they hear him and his mother speaking in galran.

but spanish? lance learns first. him and keith are alone in the kitchen on cleaning duty when lance starts singing a song in spanish. next thing he knew, keith was singing along. it was also the first time lance had seen him even tear up, because the song was on old classic keith’s dad used to sing to him.

Steve knew he had a reputation. If he was a girl, he'd be labeled easy. Gagging for it. Slutty. But no one called him a slut. Not to his face, anyway. Instead he got clapped on the back by the boys on the team and told how lucky he was. They thought it was funny to leave condoms in his locker and make bets about whether or not Steve would knock somebody up before he graduated.

It was fun, at first. He liked sex, obviously. He liked how it felt to be close to a girl, the smell of her perfume, the brush of her hair against his skin, her moans and sighs when he touched her right. He liked the satisfaction that came with making someone feel good. He'd felt proud the first time a girl wanted him to be her first. Like he’d earned her trust.

Somewhere along the way, it started feeling less like girls wanted him, and more like they wanted the Steve Harrington Experience. For Steve to show them a good time, so they could brag to their friends about the size of his dick or how many times he made them come. They stopped wanting to go on dates with him. He'd be at a party and a girl would come up to him, start making excuses to touch his arms or his hair, press in close and giggle, and eventually whisper in his ear to take them upstairs.

He couldn't turn a girl down in front of his friends, not when she was so obviously offering sex. They'd never let it go if he did. He could already hear the jokes: looks like Steve's off his game or did you finally catch something, Harrington, or worst of all you aren't some kind of fag now, are you?

So he took them upstairs, and he fucked them, and he made sure they enjoyed it, and then they'd maybe cuddle with him for a few minutes before they went back downstairs to tell their friends. It's not like they were forcing him or anything—he could have said no, he just didn't—but it didn't feel good anymore. He felt gross. He felt used.

That's why it hurt so much when Eddie started coming on to him. He'd thought Eddie was his friend. He'd thought them coming out to each other was bonding, not Eddie trying to get a read on him. If the hangouts, the jokes, the way Eddie always looked pleased to see him—if all that was just to get in Steve's pants, to take him for a ride, well. It was unnecessary, first of all. Everyone knew Steve would fuck just about anybody who asked. Eddie didn't have to pretend to like him. Steve would prefer if he didn't, because this hurt so much more than getting blatantly propositioned at a party.

Nico blinks, groggy, half his brain still deeply asleep, refusing to acknowledge the annoying order. The other half, the irritated, confused one, tells him to swat the bothering fly away, to shush the source of noise with a bat of his hand.

Nico does so, waves his arm behind him, tries to convey his message through his poorly articulated limb. Silence. Begone.

It is, alas, inefficient.

"Move." The intruder says again, more insistent. The miscreant even dares to nudge him, push him towards the other side of his bed. The empty one.

Unbelievable.

"Why ?" Nico grits out, seating up, cross-legged, to glare at unabashed Will Solace, crouched on his side of the bed, dressed in a light blue pajama with little suns. He is wearing whale slippers to match his nightly attire.

How cute ridiculous.

He taps, with insistence, next to him, on the part of the bed he has left untouched, the one Will could have used.

"It's empty." He hisses, not even having to squint at his unfazed boyfriend. The pester is glowing, softly, a warm light that pulses evenly, calmly.

Nico gestures with wide gestures where he's seating. "Not empty."

Then again to the left side of the bed. "Empty."

"You're sleeping on my side." Will says, throws out of the window his rational arguments with a shrug of his shoulders. He makes a shooing motion with his hands. "So scoot, I wanna sleep."

Nico cannot believe the audacity. The gall of this boy.

"You come here unannounced," He starts, shadows moving around the cabin, twisting under his incredulity. "in the middle of the night like a thief, and expects me to just move ?"

"You left the door unlocked." Will smiles, leans in, rest his elbows on the mattress, dipping it. "And yes. This is my side."

"It's my bed." Nico replies, breathless. In the dark, glowing, he can see every little detail of Will's face. It his horribly unfair that smugness suits him so well. It should not. For Nico's sake in dire situations like this, where he is compelled to pull him closer, bask in his warmth.

"It is." Will easily agrees, gives him this small victory, concedes this battle in order to win the war, and he hoists himself on the bed, right in front of Nico.

Leaving him no reprieve, he gets closer, rests his hands on Nico's knees, effectively turning them into jelly. They are warm, of course, like the sun casting down its light on a summer day. Soothing, heating his cool skin even across the thin fabric of his black jogging, the one he has elevated to pajama status a few days ago.

"But this is my side." Will whispers, unruly curls falling in front of his eyes, half-lidded from the late hour.

Nico blames his sleep-addled, and flustered mind, for not feeling Will's hands leave his knees to wrap around his waist, and push him aside, towards what is, apparently, his side of the bed.

"What." He mumbles drowsily, starring at Will who is now laughing quietly, mirth written all over his face.

Nico feels every ounce of tiredness leave his body.

"Now we can go to sleep- oomph" Will starts, but Nico swings a pillow in his face before he can finish, vindictive satisfaction blooming in his chest.

He is relentless, well determined to get revenge, and rains down his pillow of destruction and ruins on Will repeatedly, each one of his boyfriend's muffled laugh and plea to stop spurring him on.

"Nico- stop, I need- breathe... Nico." Will wheezes, drawing out his name, out of breath.

"This is all you deserve." He huffs, but doesn't bring down the pillow again.

Well...

"Miscreant." He mumbles, hitting him one last time, for his own personal satisfaction.

Thanks to Nico's administrations, Will's hair is now a complete mess. His curls are flying all directions, sticking up in the air, defying gravity. A smile, one Nico is also wearing, wide and toothy, graces his face, a breathless laugh still spilling past his lips.

He looks absolutely beautiful.

"You're starring." His boyfriend says, sounding a bit too prideful.

He is right, of course. But Nico raises the pillow menacingly anyways, making Will hold up his hands in mock surrender. It is at times like this he remembers that Will has younger siblings, and has never shied away from indulging them with ridiculous requests, such as pretending to look scared when threatened with a duvet pillow.

"Okay, okay, you were definitely not starring at me." Will snickers, plopping down on the bed, adjusting his own pillow under his head.

Right. It's nearly four am, if the digital clock on his bedside table is to be trusted. Since Harley did it, Nico is not entirely sure it should be. In fact, he shouldn't even keep it in his cabin, considering the young boy's deep love for making things explode. But this is will be something his future self will deal with, if he remembers.

"Sleep." Will says, voice already drifting off, but still bossy, even in the middle of the night. It is a far cry of how he acts when he is in his infirmary, his favorite stage for the dramatics he is so fond of. An endearing show, when they are not directed towards him.

"I was sleeping, before you woke me up with your absurd demands." He grumbles, for the sake of it. His short-lived adrenaline is gone, the sleepiness back .

"Sleep."

because i literally nEVER shut up

nico di angelo is bae and i would die for him

ok i know his hair is described as like shoulder length (i think idk) but we HAVE to consider nico with unbelievably long gorgeous hair i beg

estelle’s brother. no questions asked. i feel like nico and estelle would be a power duo to rival annabeth and thalia yeah i said it. percy says estelle cant have candy at night? nico sneaks a tootsie roll in her pillow case. nico helps her with her homework. nico fights her bullies. nico’s relationship with estelle is what a 10 y/o nico’s relationship could’ve been with percy. ykwim?  wine aunts nico and reyna we have to consider this

ok as a sequel nico is really good with kids. idk why. no one knows why. kids love him.

will has the absolute WORST sense of style mankind has ever bore witness to and nico is an unintentional fashion icon. nico genuinely doesn't care that his bf looks like a bad teen beach movie adaptation though it's ok.

youre lying to yourself if you think nico di freaking angelo wouldnt love dinosaurs as a kid

this child was the bane of maria di angelo’s existence. i swear. imagine maria fighting for her LIFE trying to give 3 year old nico a bath just for nico to IMMEDIATELY run outside and fall face first in the mud. imagine nico stealing money from maria and accidentally giving the gelato man a hundred bucks, maria being none the wiser. if you've ever watched full house toddler nico is very michelle coded.

i know its canon that he likes marvel (thx will kayla and austin) but i think he would REALLY love batman. i mean c'mon, it's nico. it's batman. they're soulmates. 

percy going into the redesigned cabin 13 for the first time have we considered his reaction?? “dang btch you live like this???” “what were you expecting” “idk weapons everywhere rock walls a waterfall for a door ig i was just picturing the batcave 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️”

I JUST REMEMBERED THAT NICO GOES TO PERSEPHONE’S GARDEN AND THAT ITS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE PLACES AND LIFE IS GOOD AGAIN.

nico is the modt sarcastic little gremlin to his dad (and everyone, but his dad especially). are uou seriously telling me he wouldn't annoy hades on purpose. let's be real here guys. nico prank calling his dad is the reason im alive. 

“is your… refrigerator running?”

“nico do not fucking start with me i have a headache”

“oh yeah i'm listening to really cool rock metal cool music rn totally” (old italian music blasting from his headphones)

this kid has a guy for EVERY occasion. imagine rhe weirdest situation you could possibly be in, nico knows a guy. “ok where are we gonna find a tap dancing elephant??” “i know a guy”

when he eats ambrosia it tastes like the blue birthday cake he shared with percy im not ok

“so we’re all 16 and none of us knows how to drive??” “i can get us there” “nico you’re like 13 years old.” “and european?? hand me the keys”

ok so you can expect he has unbelievably beautiful penmanship because he was raised in 1930’s italy and you are so right. looking at his writing is like a blessing 

im listening to a pearl by mitski rn and it reminds me of him im so sad

side note i think he would really like mitski

he seems like he would be afraid of clowns. don't ask about my thought process for this i just feel it ykwim

nico would get his shit ROCKED by a nerf gun

“wHY IS THE MICROWAVE SCREAMING AT ME” “nico that just means your food is done.”

i will NEVER shut up about nico di angelo’s accent. rolled r’s, hard i’s, speaking unbelievably fast and tripping over his words. italian!! “oh but mali, in house of hades the seven were surprised to learn nico was italian.'' first of all i love the seven but its rlly dumb of them not to notice nico was italian when his last name is DI ANGELO. second. a certain 11 year old nico trained himself out of his accent as a method for escapism, he wanted to flee his past and his family and his descent, and he wanted to fit in. of course he would hide his accent. his time at camp half blood (and ofc his quest with reyna, and jason’s acceptance of him) helped him start to embrace his heritage and past. when he started dating will, he ofc began to trust will more than anybody else. every so often, nico would let his guard down and let his accent slip. eventually, he started using it freely around everybody. i see this hc as a part of his growth and character development and even if it’s a small detail it means a lot to me.

he takes his curly hair routine VERY seriously

bushy eyebrows idk where this came fr9m just bear with me

nico uses disassociation as a coping mechanism a LOT. he’ll zone out at random for hours at a time and chb has a very strict rule about not bothering campers with ptsd when they’re disassociated unless necessary, so he’ll just sit at the dinner table for ages and when he comes back to reality it’s been like 3 hours.