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Summary:

Nico wanted his peace after the years he'd spent struggling. During those dark years of endless bullying and depression, his now fiance, Will had been the light of his life, the one shoulder he could always lean on. Everyone knew him as the bright healer well on his way to a doctorate and a steady life and career. Though what lies on the surface is decieving. Some secrets were never meant to be shared and when they get out? Things take a turn for the worse.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: What lies beneath

Summary:

Sweet beginnings, or so it seems. Nothing is for sure but it seems like there's something lingering beneath the surface.

Notes:

My first real fic! I've been cooking up this idea for quite some time but I've just been too lazy to put it into words. On top of all my daily activities this will likely have slow updates but if it garners enough attention I pinky promise to try and update as much as I'm able!

This is set in a bit more of a modern setting, I'm going to try to incorporate as much of the canon plot into this as possible but of course it's an AU so not everything will be entirely accurate. Will and Nico are both 25 and engaged! I thought the idea was cute. I love marriage. I also am just going to keep writing until I feel like the story is complete and as detailed as I'd like it to be, so that means I dont have any idea on how many chapters this will have but I'm trying to strive for atleast 10. Motivation is sometimes severely lacking for me so we'll just see where this goes.

(I gave this a couple small tweaks after uploading but the general story is still the same!)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Everything will be alright, I’ll take care of things.”

 

Mid-terms were finally over, after weeks and weeks of endless studies everyone on campus was ready for a breath of fresh air. The incoming cold made being outside more bearable, after the campus was plagued with scorching hot weather. As he left his class, a soft sigh of relief left Nico’s lips. Test results would be in after a few days, and he only had to hope that nights of studying without rest would pay off. He was ready to go into his dorm and hibernate like a bear for a few days, but he couldn’t exactly get away with that anymore. Of course, someone would notice, his sister Hazel, maybe Reyna. He knew who would hold the most concern though. Will would notice, he was observant when Nico’s behavior changed, he could sense when something was off. Without him he’d be an entirely different person, still haunted by his past and isolated.

With the upcoming holidays and break, Nico couldn’t help but let a small, goofy smile creep onto his face. Will always had the best dates planned for any and every occasion, including their upcoming anniversary. 10 years with the light of his life, he knew this celebration would be engraved in his memory. He smiled down at his engagement ring, a custom-made piece with black onyx and titanium with his and Will’s initials carved inside the band.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, as he glanced down and reached to get it, he walked straight into another student. He stumbled back as he took in the other boy’s appearance; tall and blonde like Will, but he was much paler and lankier. His eyes held no kindness, behind them a sense of cruelty or perhaps hatred. “Watch it you freak show.” He shoved past Nico and kept going down the hall. He recognized the boy in an instant, his horrendously shrill voice making his ears ring. Octavian. It had been like this since the start of the semester, once he’d laid eyes on Nico, he always seemed to have it out for him, making his life harder any chance he got. A scowl crossed his face features as he dug around in his pockets.

With a sigh, Nico picked up the phone, Will was on the other side as he answered. “Hello?”, he sounded exasperated, the short interaction from moments ago still lingering in his mind.

“Neeks! You out of class yet?”, Will was chipper as usual; despite drowning in classwork constantly he always managed to put on a positive attitude.

“I just left. Walked into some asshole just a second ago.” Things went dead silent on the other end for a moment, Nico heard him take in a deep breath before he replied.

"What did he do?", his voice sounded on edge. "Literally walked right into me, told me to watch it and called me a freak for no reason.", irritation seeped into his tone.

“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding, maybe he was just having a bad day. Anyway, could you meet me in the science hall soon? I have some time to spare since my professor wanted to get our papers graded as soon as possible. Gives me...about an hour and a half before I head back, maybe that could cheer you up?” Nico would never pass up an opportunity to see him, so he eagerly replied,“Yeah of course, I’ll be there in 5.” As they ended the call he was giddy with excitement, he had to stop himself from skipping over to the science hall where Will awaited him.

He made pace as he pranced over to the building, anticipation building in his chest. As he opened the giant glass doors, he saw a rush of students leaving their classes. As he pushed through the sea of students his eyes scanned the area. Luckily, he was tall enough to stick out a bit in crowds, and after the initial rush calmed he spotted him, radiant as ever with his warm blonde curls and stunning blue eyes. As always, he wore those cargo shorts Nico despised since their days at summer camp. Socks with sandals as well... an absolute fashion don’t that Will always refused to listen to. Despite his very poor choices of dress Nico jogged up to him with a small smile.

“Hey, how was class?” Nico wrapped his arms around his fiancé's waist, deeply inhaling the scent of clean linens and the familiar aroma of a cold sterile room, bringing his memory back to the infirmary back at camp. Will smiled brightly and returned the hug, his hands gently placed onto his shoulders.

“It was alright, they should really just give me a pass by now, I’ve done basically all of this at camp.” He chuckled as he let go of the hug to adjust the bag hanging over his shoulder. “I do need a little caffeine boost though, let’s grab some coffee.”

Nico couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Will would ever need caffeine, he had a good sleep schedule and energy to spare. Maybe it was just in his nature, but he still found it impressive how positive he managed to be. “I never understood why you need coffee sunshine, you always seem like you have too much energy.” He chuckled as Will took his hand, and they began to walk to the campus coffee shop. Will laughed in reply, giving his hand a small kiss as he winked at him.

Nico used to be extremely embarrassed being affectionate with him, now it came as naturally as breathing. Growing up Catholic brought intense shame with his identity, but now it was the 21st century and (mostly) everyone found it normal. They walked down the street, hand in hand with their heads held high. With Will, things felt easier, lighter, like the weights that had been placed on his shoulders since he was young suddenly vanished. Nico kept sneaking little glances at his fiancé, admiring each small detail as though he was examining a fine painting. The way his hair glowed gold under the sunlight, the freckles covering his cheeks that went down to his shoulders, his confident stride as they treaded along.

Once they reached the coffee shop, they each placed their orders and found somewhere to sit, a small cozy spot next to a window. Nico rested his head on Will’s shoulder as they waited for their drinks to arrive. “What are you even working on in class lately?” Nico looked up at his fiancé as he fidgeted with his engagement ring, gold with orange citrine carefully embedded in the metal, the design mirroring his own. “Sutures and proper technique for closing wounds. All stuff I’ve done before.” he replied nonchalantly, he switched from messing with his ring to idly playing with Nico’s hair. “I love it when you let it grow out.” Will ran a tuft of his dark hair between his fingers. He had been delaying getting a haircut, but Will always enjoyed the look. “Well don’t get too used to it sunshine. I have an appointment at 5 to get it cut.” A small huff escaped his lips, “Do you really have too? It looks nice like this.” Nico chuckled, poking his cheek with a small smirk, he thought it was cute when he got a bit pouty. “It gets in the way. Plus, it's easier to manage when it’s short.”

Will frowned slightly, before he could speak a waiter came with their drinks. A short, anxious looking girl no older than they were.

“Okay, I have a black coffee and a cookie and cream Frappuccino with extra chocolate, whipped cream and cookie crumbs. Enjoy!”

She set the drinks down on the table, placing the black coffee in front of Nico, and the Frappe in front of Will. After she left the two exchanged a glance, then slowly switched the drinks around. Smiles spread across both of their faces at the mix up, it happened so often it became a small inside joke between the two. Nico got any drink that was loaded with sugar and was sweet enough to give the average person an aneurysm while Will enjoyed a simple black coffee. They shared a quick kiss before starting to sip on their drinks, enjoying the atmosphere together, a well needed moment of calm in their usually busy lives.

“I don’t get how you drink those things Neeks. I feel my arteries clogging just by looking at it.” Will always enjoyed messing with him about his drink choices, lightly nudging him with his elbow. Nico huffed, taking another sip of his drink, “Well I don’t know how you like plain coffee. No sugar or anything, just straight sad bitter bean juice.” He lightly booped Will’s nose with a smug smile, knowing their teasing had no real weight. They continued to banter back and forth until they finished up their drinks.

Nico stood to go throw away the empty cups, as he plopped the cups into the bin, he turned back to see Octavian standing behind him. Startled, he stumbled back a bit while the taller boy sized him up. “Di Angelo.” He said in that annoyingly grating voice. He simply stood staring up at him, he’d never to Octavian about his behavior, rather he just tolerated the mildly agitating guy to not cause any issues. “Uh...” Nico didn’t have much to say to him, he looked around him at Will for assistance, he watched Will stand up and start walking toward them.

“So, Di Angelo. Here to terrorize more people by being a little creep as usual?” Octavian’s glare went straight through him, it felt like he was back in school, being terrorized by the other kids for simply existing. “I... don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t even know me.” He tried to speak with confidence, but his voice was failing him. His words always seemed to get under Nico’s skin no matter how much he tried to ignore them.

Before Octavian had a chance to spew more of his venom, a hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around. He was greeted with the sight of an extremely pissed off Will who increased his death grip around the lanky boy’s shoulder.

“Just what do you think you’re doing huh?” He glared into Octavian’s eyes, Will didn’t get angry often but when he did it was a sight to behold. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting any interruption, but he didn’t back down he replied to him with that same condescending tone, “Just talking to this little freak here. What’s it to you?” Will’s eye twitched at his words, his grip tightening to the point of bruising. “That ‘little freak’ is my fiancé. So, I'd suggest you scram, or I’ll knock your lights out.”

Will’s gaze never wavered; he stared Octavian down as though he was committing him to memory. Octavian said nothing, only scoffing as he yanked his shoulder out of grasp and left without even ordering. Afterward he was still seething with rage but it calmed as he looked down at Nico. “Who was that?” he asked warily. “Just some guy, he’s been doing that since the start of the semester.” Nico replied, a small bit of anxiety seeping into his voice. Will just stared for a moment, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”. He didn’t have any real answer to that question. Octavian’s constant prodding had been getting to him for a while by this point and he hadn’t told anyone. He decided an easier alternative to the truth was to just deflect his question. “I didn’t think I needed to, he’s just annoying and it was nothing serious.” Will’s eyes studied him closely, after ten years of dating he knew his fiancé well enough to tell he wasn’t being entirely truthful. “Come on Nico. I’m not dumb, it’s been bothering you.” Will wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him outside the shop.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, he’s not important.” they walked until they reached a small garden on campus, sitting down on an empty bench. The area was vast and empty, all the flowers were gone, only the trees changing colors were left. “Nico, it is a problem, and a big deal.” Will’s expression was stern; he took both of Nico’s hands in his and met his gaze. “What all has he been saying to you?” his gaze was as gentle as always, those tender eyes inviting him in, practically begging for him to spill his heart out to him. He cleared his throat, trying to not get choked up when he let the words pour from his mouth like a bursting dam.

“Since the semester started, I’m not sure...he’s sort of just had it out for me. Keeps calling me a freak or weirdo any chance he gets. I haven’t really talked to him either, hell I barely know him at all.” Nico paused to take a breath and see Will’s reaction; he kept that warm gaze on him, but something was changing beneath the surface, something he couldn’t grasp. Nico continued, “He also tried to accuse me of plagiarism once, but the professor didn’t believe him. I should’ve said something than but...I guess I just didn’t want to start any drama; I only have this class for one year so after this I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.” He felt Will give his hands a small squeeze after the confession came pouring out. His expression was unchanging, but the air felt different somehow. Which was odd. He was used to feeling better after talking to Will but now all he felt was a building sense something was off.

“Things will be alright, I promise.” Will planted a small, gentle kiss onto his forehead, smoothing out his long black locks. Most of his anxieties melted away with that kiss. But a small nagging fear remained in his mind as the two pressed their foreheads together. “I’ll take care of things okay Neeks? Just deep breath in, deep breath out.” Will whispered against his forehead, the scent of coffee still lingering on his lips. Nico listened, deeply inhaling as he closed his eyes. Will had developed this grounding technique when they started dating, it calmed the worst of his panic attacks, or any negative feelings he was experiencing. It was like a soothing elixir, something to cure all his ailments. He took a breath out, relinquishing his worries from telling his fiancé about his feelings. It was nothing easy for him, he held all his feelings in until they were bound to detonate. They repeated the breathing exercise a few more times, Nico’s arms firmly around Will’s body.

As they finally pulled back, they stared into each other’s eyes, a sense of security wrapping around them both like a blanket. Nico cleared his throat, “Thank you, for...for listening. It felt nice to get that off my chest.” Will smiled back at him, placing another kiss onto his cheek. “No problem, love. You better start telling me if something’s bothering you sooner, okay?”

“Promise.”

Nico’s phone began to buzz, a reminder of his upcoming haircut appointment. After silencing his alarm, he looked up at Will. “I better get going, I don’t want to be late. I’ll see you later once I’m home.” He reluctantly let go of Nico, giving him a small nod, “Okay, don’t cut it too short though! What time will you be home?”. Nico slung his bag over his shoulder, chuckling at his insistence to keep some length to his hair. “I’ll be back around 9 maybe? I was going to go visit Hazel. Soonest I’ll be back is probably around 8:30 though.”

Will stood with him, giving him one last hug before they parted. “Okay, be safe. I have class too, so I’ll text you once I’m done.” Nico hugged him back before starting to jog off to get a cab to the salon, waving goodbye as he did so. After he was out of view Will’s smile dropped, his face going blank as he walked in the opposite direction. He stuffed his hands in his pockets before muttering to himself.

“I’ll kill that bastard...”

Notes:

Any comments or feedback is always appreciated! If you're unable to comment for whatever reason you can also find me on instagram under Lenoregh0st! <3 I'll be working on the next chapter very very soon!

Chapter 2: A Morbid Discovery

Summary:

Everything was going perfectly. He wasn't supposed to find out. Not like this. Not ever.

Notes:

Oh boy! I had alot of fun writing this part, I'm worried the rest of the story might not be able to top it! I didn't have many hits when i posted this but I hope the people who left kudos and comments enjoy my work as it progresses!
Thanks to everyone who gave me support! Each little bit of praise brightens my day!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

He'd arrived exactly on time, his usual barber greeting him with a smile after he checked in. The appointment didn’t take very long, less than 30 minutes and after he was done, he was left with a nicely layered and tousled look. Still long enough to put in a small ponytail but not long enough to get in his face whenever a slight gust of wind decided to hit. He thanked the barber as usual, paid and then went to give Hazel a call. Dialing her number, he placed his phone up to his ear, listening to it ring a few times before she picked up.

“Hello?” A warm, smooth voice said from the other line.

“Hazel! I was wondering if I could stop by for a bit. Hang out a little? I just finished up class and wanted to see you.” Nico couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his face upon hearing his sister’s voice. After losing Bianca, she'd helped him heal more than he could believe.

“Why would I ever say no to that? Frank’s here as well and he just stopped by the card store, I think he picked up some of those new Mythomagic packs.” She knew of Nico’s infatuation with that damn card game. He’d been obsessed since he was ten, picking it up while he was in boarding school.

“I’ll be there in ten. Don’t let him open them without me!” He had been eyeing those new cards since their release a few days ago. They were basically impossible to get his hands on considering people were buying them like crazy.

He quickly hung up the phone and began jogging over to Hazel’s house, her and Frank had been living together for quite a while since he'd recieved a huge chunk of Grandma Zhang’s money after her passing. They were going steady much like Nico and Will were, he adored Frank and approved of his little sister’s choice of boyfriend. He was a gentle giant, a kind and funny guy who treated Hazel like gold and always took great care of her. He also liked that Frank enjoyed Mythomagic as much as he did, (and that he was always an easy opponent for him) which naturally made them have a great relationship.

Nico arrived within 8 minutes and knocked on the door, a huge, excited grin on his face. As Hazel opened the door he greeted her with a huge hug, squeezing her tightly as they both laughed and embraced one another. “Hazel! It feels like it's been forever!”, Nico exclaimed with joy as he clung to his sister. He noticed her change of hair style, instead of her usual natural hair she’d had styled into passion twists. He adored the look on her, his eyes lighting up with excitement, “You changed your hair! It looks amazing!” He released his grip on her, finally giving her space to breathe. “I did! I just got them done a few days ago. Frank insisted I try something new as a super early Christmas present.” She smiled sweetly, twirling one of her freshly done twists between her fingers. “Anyway, come inside! I just made some food and Frank’s been waiting for you to open the cards!”

Nico stepped in, taking his shoes off and leaving them at the door. The familiar smell of Hazel’s cooking wafted into his senses. Steak with mashed potatoes and baked asparagus, but what really caught his attention was the freshly made beignets sitting on the counter. Golden brown and covered in powdered sugar and honey, they were his favorite dessert she made, being from New Orleans she knew the recipe by heart and perfected it.

She spotted Nico eyeing the plate and rolled her eyes with a smile. “I already know what you’re thinking Nico. You don’t get those until after you eat actual food. I bet you haven’t even had any real food today, have you?” He turned to look at her like a deer caught in headlights. She knew him all too well he’d only had the coffee he shared with Will that day. He glanced back at the plate, wondering if he could snag one in secret without her knowing. Her eyes thinned, a small huff escaping her lips, it was like she could read his mind.

“Nico, if you even think about taking one, I will smack you into the last century.” A small squeak escaped his lips at Hazel’s threat. He knew she was serious and would probably tear him apart if he tried. With a small nod he shuffled to find Frank in the dining room, sitting with about 15 packs of shiny new cards.

“Finally! Took you long enough!” Frank stood and approached him; he towered over him. Well, he towered over everyone. Especially Hazel. Sometimes Nico got worried he’d snap her in half by accident.

“Hey Frank. How did you even manage to find all of those? I can’t get them anywhere! They’re usually all sold out.” He gave him a firm handshake, their usual greeting of choice. “I special ordered them, took me like an hour of refreshing the page but I got them! So worth it.” Frank had a huge smile on; they were both passionate about their card collecting hobby. As the two sat down he slid him 5 packs to open, Nico’s eyes widened, he didn’t expect to ever open these absolute rarities in his life. “You can keep whatever you pull.” He said while already starting to rip into his own packs. Nico’s head shot up from the card packs he was looking down at his voice shaking with a child-like excitement, “Really!? Are you sure? I can just open them if you want-”. Frank cut him off with a small finger wag and a smug smile, “It’s okay Nico. Just imagine it as a gift since you and Will’s anniversary is coming up. He was always a super considerate man, always remembering birthdays, holidays, and events. Nico beamed, not wasting another second he tore open the first pack, all the cards were brand new, something fresh for his collection. He studied each one he pulled carefully, reading their attack powers and he mentally sorted them into decks to use when playing the game.

After opening four packs he didn’t pull anything super rare yet, he held some hope for the last one, however. Classic last pack magic that any collector was familiar with and prayed for. As he tore open the shiny foil he went through each card carefully. A common minotaur, common hydra, rare manticore, and an uncommon gorgon. As he carefully revealed the final card his jaw dropped. He turned it around to show Frank who immediately paused his own openings. They both looked at each other for a moment, then back at the card, a moment of silence before they both stood and started cheering. He’d managed to pull one of the rarest cards in the set, a beautifully illustrated card of Medea which other collectors would die to pull.

Hazel poked her head around the corner to see the two freaking out and without saying a word slowly retreated into the kitchen to finish up dinner. Frank patted him on the back after their excitement died down, “Oh dude, that’s a great pull! I didn’t expect that!”. He handed him a card sleeve and with careful hands, slipped it into the protective casing. “I’m shaking, I can’t believe this! I can’t wait to show Will when I get home!”, he carefully placed the card into his bag he forgot to hang up when he came inside along with the others he’d gotten. He and Frank went over the pulls he had got as they admired the new artwork and discussed game tactics.

While they were busy nerding out Hazel returned with three plates, setting them down as she watched the two. “You guys and those cards, I remember last time a new set came out and you were both flipping out over them.” She shook her head with a smile as they carefully stored the cards away and focused their attention on the food in front of them. “You know us Hazel, we can’t help it.” Nico carefully cut into his steak, blowing on it before taking a bite. It was perfectly cooked as always, the meat melted on his tongue, the taste of butter and rosemary complimenting the medium-rare steak. “This is perfect as always babe. I’m the luckiest man alive.” Frank leaned over and gave Hazel an affectionate kiss on the cheek after taking a bite of his food, making Hazel giggle and blush. “You know I try my best.” After taking a bite of her own food she looked over to Nico her expression slightly changing, “Do you keep up with your school’s news?”. He was a bit confused about the sudden change of subject, after swallowing back a spoonful of potatoes he replied. “Not really. Why?”

“Well, I’ve just been a bit worried about you lately. There’s been a bunch of disappearances around your campus, a lot of them are students too.” Hazel's fork picked at her asparagus as she spoke, concern mixing in with her voice. “Disappearances?” Nico repeated, confused. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary around school. If anything, they seemed pretty calm to him. “Disappearances. Students have just been leaving without a trace; some people just think their dropouts that couldn’t handle the stress but...I feel like something more is going on.” She looked up to him with her golden-brown eyes, Frank placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He understood her concern, but she'd always been a bit paranoid when it came to true crime, staying up late watching documentaries quite a bit.

“I’ll be alright Hazel; I have Will and Reyna. If I notice anything weird, I’ll be sure to call someone.” He gave her a reassuring smile, hoping to soothe his sister’s anxieties. His words seemed to give Hazel some peace of mind; she took a small bite of her food before continuing her ramblings. “I just think it's so odd, maybe one or two disappearances but not 5 within the last few months. Something just feels wrong about it.” She sounded defeated, her shoulders slumping down. Nico glanced over to Frank whose concern was evident for his girlfriend, “I’m sure it’s just nothing babe, they’ll find everyone safe.” He bent down and placed a light kiss on top of her head, gently patting her shoulder. "Well that's just the thing, they find some of them but the rest..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I don't know how else to put it but it seems like they're all nepo babies. Which...kind of applies to us Nico." He nearly choked on his food hearing his sister's words. So rich kids were just getting kidnapped left and right. Sounded fun. "That's...interesting to say the least. So like all of them who've been found were kidnapped for ransom?" She sighed and finished up her plate, "Exactly. Maybe before you go I can put some spiritual protection over you! Actually I have just the spell for it!" Nico wasn't exactly the most fond of Hazel's magic habits. She'd been learning since she was 14 from a woman named Hecate. He would've been alright with it if she didn't always smother him with herbs.

After dinner the boys cleared the table while Hazel sprinted up to her and Frank’s room. Frank glanced back toward their shared room down the hallway, his brow creasing slightly. “I think that new spell she's talking about was one with that weird sparkly purple oil stuff.” Nico shuddered at the thought. He brought the dishes to the sink and scrubbed them with fervor. He was far from fond of those weird oils she liked to use. Rinsing the suds off of the plates he placed them into the drying rack and washed his hands off. Hazel came down and placed a wide variety of herbs and bottles onto the table. Candles, incense, and a massive spellbook were slammed down into the middle of it. He swallowed back a nervous gulp and watched as his sister approached him. "Okay! We can start with a simple little cleanse than we'll start on the protective barrier. I put one over me and Frank earlier so you're the only one left who needs it!" He cleared his throat and looked down at the supplies, feeling a bit intimidated. "Maybe...we just do a little protection? I don't need a whole ritual." Hazel smiled and stepped toward him, starting to light up a stick of incense, "Nonsense!" As she was waving the smoke over his head he sighed and gave up. The whole thing took about 30 minutes. After he was done he felt the exact same with the exception of the smell of rosemary coming from the oil smeared across his forehead. "Okay...that's done but we could always do a few more spells..." Hazel kept flipping through the massive book with a fiery passion. Before she could find another ritual to perform on him he leaned down and gave the top of her head a kiss. He ran to Frank and gave him a quick hug, "Okay! No more oils or herbs are getting in my hair today, Love you guys see you bye!" he spoke frantically as he threw his shoes on, not even bothering to tie them and went out the door.

After saying his goodbyes, he slipped on his shoes and began the walk back to campus. He was hoping to stay for a bit longer but if Hazel was in the mood for witchcraft it couldn’t be helped. He checked the time, also looking if Will had sent him a message. No new notifications appeared on his screen, it was 7:15 now, he would be home within 10 minutes so about an hour early. He treaded along the street; the sun already dipped below the horizon. He couldn’t wait to show Will the cards Frank had given to him. He shuffled through them all, humming as he marched along.

 

As he approached the dorm the lights were all off, but he could hear quiet movements inside. He took his keys out and unlocked the door, the movement getting slightly louder without the closed door to muffle it. “Will?” Nico called out into the darkness. Usually, he left a lamp on or at least one light when he was home, either he was hearing things or perhaps a raccoon broke into the kitchen again.

He carefully popped his shoes off and hung up his bag dusting bits of salt and what smelled like mugwort out of his hair, calling out once more, “Willll? Are you back?” He knew the layout of the small dorm by now, he walked down the hall to the kitchen where the noise was coming from, as he stepped to the edge of the kitchen suddenly his socks were drenched in what he assumed to be spilled water. He fumbled around trying to locate the light switch on the wall, still speaking into the darkness. “Okay okay...I don’t know what kind of prank this is but it’s going to cost me a trip to the laundromat.”

He finally found the light switch, flicking it up with a quiet click.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he first noticed the small pool of red on the floor. It wasn’t water. Rather a thick, crimson red fluid. Blood. Panic started to rise in him as his eyes darted upward. His vision blurred as he met the figure in front of him.

His fiancé, blood splattered over his white shirt and face. A huge knife in hand, dripping blood onto the tiled floor as he looked at Nico. His eyes seemingly disconnected from the world. The usual kindness and warmth drained out from him.

They both simply stared for a moment. Words and movement failing them both. His eyes darted to the floor beside Will, a huge garbage bag tied tightly sitting beside his feet. He could guess what was in there, but by the gods he didn’t want to find out.

“Nico...”, Will seemed to regain real consciousness, dropping the knife to the floor with a metallic clatter. He reached a bloody hand out to him, starting to slowly step closer.

His body reacted on its own. He immediately turned, nearly slipping on the blood-soaked floor as he sprinted to their shared room. His mind and heart were racing. The world felt like it was crumbling away. This had to be some horrible dream, a delusion. Anything but reality.

With a hard slam he pressed his weight against the door, fumbling with the lock for a moment before clicking it into place. He pressed his back to the door, sliding down to sit on the floor.

He heard Will on the other side, trying to turn the knob. He knocked on the door and banged his fists against the hard wood. His voice desperate and pleading but carefully quiet.

“Nico! Come on. Open up. Please. I can explain, just let me in.”

He could hear his heart beating in his ears, he looked down at his bloodied socks, he quickly ripped them off and tossed them across the room, his hands now stained with crimson. The insistent banging on the door persisted. He sounded desperate before the noise stopped for a moment. His voice turning eerily calm. The same tone he used when he was giving those words of reassurance earlier that day.

“Nico, please open the door.”

Notes:

A little heather's reference in there, I need to see fan art of Nico and Will as Veronica and JD some day. Anyway. I hope the ending of this chapter keeps you on your feet! Originally chapter one and two were meant to be one but I was too excited to post this! As always I'll try to keep writing and updating, I also made a tumblr under the same username!
Lenoregh0st on instagram and tumblr!

Chapter 3: Fading Trust and Truth

Summary:

The past can't be rewritten now, I'll always protect you.

Notes:

Oh lovely Calliope have mercy upon me.

I can feel the writers block creeping in. I've REALLY been trying to update every day since it brings me such joy to see my hits and kudos go up but I'll probably be taking a little breaky break to refresh my brain and actually get some stuff done in my life. I can feel my sanity melting into goop and nothing but solangelo brainrot. Someone needs to draw more fanart of Will being evil because I swear it has potential!

 

HOLY FREAKING MOLY. I NOTICED A MAJOR WORD COUNT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT I'VE BEEN WRITING ON AND LIKE A PAGE AND A HALF WAS MISSING???? UPDATING THIS IM CRINGING BECAUSE A MAJOR CHUNK OF THE STORY WAS JUST MISSING?!?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Can’t you see? It’s all for your own good.”

Nico covered his mouth as his mind raced trying to process the sight he just encountered. His heart was racing a mile a minute as his body shook. He didn’t even notice the crimson now streaked over his mouth as he looked down at his shaking hands. He was in a full-blown panic attack with no way to stop it.

The silence from the other side of the door felt crushing. He thought Will would still be pleading with him to let him in. He made sure all his weight was still against the door, not wanting him to push his way inside. Reason and logic were entirely gone, his mind a hurricane of thoughts. Was any of this real? Was he dreaming? Why was this happening, why now?

He heard a soft click, the knob only had a privacy lock, but the door didn’t budge at all. He took a deep breath to brace himself but after a few moments of waiting nothing happened. He wondered for a moment if Will had gone to clean up the mess, maybe trying to hide what he’d done. His hope was shattered as that smooth, terrifyingly calm voice broke the silence again.

“Open the door or I’ll break it down. I’ll count to three.”

Three seconds. Three careful seconds before he had to face his fiancé. His breath hitched at the revealed count down. What could he do? Hiding was pointless. There was nowhere to run, no one to call since he’d left his phone in his bag.

“One.”

His vision blurred. There was nothing he could do. Would Will kill him too? Was this the end? It couldn’t end like this. Even if it didn’t what would he do, go about life with a murderer as a fiancé?

“Two.”

Without any choice Nico carefully got to his feet, extending a shaky hand to the door. Slowly, he twisted the knob, he could feel the blood on his hand starting to dry as a small piece chipped off onto the floor. He cracked the door a bit, carefully peeking out.

Before he had a second to react the door flew open, he stumbled back, arms reaching out to him. Will tackled him down onto the floor in a blur of red, his breathing was heavy as he swiftly pinned Nico down. His eyes filled with fear as he got a good look at Will. He wasn’t imagining the blood, or the empty and crazed look in his eyes. He leaned in, his breath against Nico’s cheek, he was silent for a moment. Nico flinched back at the contact. Will’s bloodied hand went to his cheek, forcing him to face the blonde. “Nico...oh Nico, I hope I’m not scaring you too bad.” His lips went to his forehead, leaving a small, bloody kiss on his skin. Nico wanted to speak, but words failed him. He only let out a quiet, fearful gasp as the kiss met his skin. He noticed the reaction, in reply he wrapped his arms around Nico’s trembling body. As he spoke, he kept that tone, the one that always soothed his anxieties. “Don’t be too upset with me. You weren’t meant to see this. I just wanted to keep you safe.” His hand went to tangle into his hair, further trapping his body in place. “Why...why are you covered in blood? What did you do?!”, the panic flooded into Nico’s voice, he raised his volume as he questioned his fiancé. In return, he pressed a finger to his lips to shush him. “I did what I had too. I’m the only one who can keep you safe.”

Nico wanted to run, to scream, do anything but listen. At first, he was praying he'd would deny it, have some sort of excuse. Except he didn’t. He understood that, now he knew the truth, the undeniable truth that he had killed someone. Another thought ran through Nico’s mind. The disappearances Hazel had been stressing over. If he’d done this...the idea made him nauseous. The exact number of missing people slipped from his mind now, but he needed to find out. “Did...have you done this before?”, he managed to choke out. Will now focused his attention onto his neck, leaving more bloodied kisses along his pulse point. He chuckled lowly, tilting his head up before replying in a taunting voice, “Would you be mad if I did?”. He kept a small smile on his face, his eyes filling with a maniacal sense of humor. Nico’s face paled, he didn’t recognize the man holding him hostage. Why hadn’t he noticed before? Every pause and slight crease in his brow whenever he mentioned anyone bothering him. Had those people met the same fate as whoever was in that garbage bag? Was it worse than that?

“Who’s in the bag?” he tried to force confidence into his words, but a small hint of fear still lingered behind them. Will smiled against his neck, his tone silken, “Just that Octavian guy, whatever his name is. I told you; I’d take care of things. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing could I?”. He wanted to throw Will off him, punch him in the face, he was beginning to get irritated at his tone, how casually he spoke of his actions. His weight kept him trapped as well as the conflict in his mind.

“Just how long have you been doing this?!”, irritation filled his voice now, he felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster, going from fear to anger to an odd sense of guilt for being upset with Will. The blonde lifted his head, pondering for a moment before replying, “Well I used to just threaten people, but this is much more effective. Permanent too, the best solution all around really.” He looked Nico up and down, noticing the blood covering his clothes from their contact. He ran a finger over the transfer mark on Nico’s chest, “I’ll have to take these. I don’t want to risk anything.”

Nico understood what he meant immediately, he wanted any evidence of his crime gone. “Well, who said I’d let you just run around and keep doing this? I’ll call the damn cops!”, in truth, he had no idea what to do. He despised Octavian, but he knew he didn’t deserve death for what he’d done. Exposing Will was only an empty threat, one he wouldn’t be able to uphold. Will laughed, an empty hollow sound, “You’re so silly my love. Me and you both know you wouldn’t do that. Not in a million years.”

He hated that he was probably right. Though the thought of him upkeeping the murderous tendencies didn’t sit well. His mind ran through a million possible scenarios; turning him in, a police interrogation where he was being bombarded with questions, explaining to his family and friends that his supposed-to-be husband was actually a serial killer. He wasn’t in tune with any of those scenarios, nor did he want any of that to happen. As his mind raced through the options, he had one idea particularly stuck, persuasion. If he could convince Will to stop what he was doing...maybe things could go back to normal. He wasn’t the confrontational type, plus he didn’t find the idea of losing his fiancé very appealing, even if he was a murderer.

“If...I don’t turn you in. If you don't get found out or anything and you promise everything goes back to exactly the way it was, do you promise to not do this again?”

He tried to make himself sound smaller, more vulnerable, hoping it would pull at Will’s heart strings enough to convince him. He looked down at his face, smiling sweetly as he brought a hand up to cup his cheek. “Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up than we can talk hm?”. His gaze remained the same, sickeningly love stricken. Clearly holding more priority in cleaning up the evidence than talking.

“Fine, we'll talk after.”

Will nodded in agreement, standing up he finally gave him space to breathe. He reached a handout to him with a smile. “How about you get showered while I fix the kitchen?”. Nico reluctantly took his hand, glancing down at his bloody clothes. “Yeah...I’ll probably just take a short one.” He let go of his hand and walked to the bathroom, before he could close the door he called out to him, “Leave those clothes by the door, you can’t keep those anymore.” a soft sigh escaped his lips, reluctant agreement.

 

Once he got the shower running, he stood under the flowing water. The warmth cascading down his body. Glancing down at the floor the water ran a murky brownish-red color, he watched it go down the drain as he grabbed a bottle of shampoo. Showers were fun, he got to be entirely alone with his thoughts and boy did he have a lot of them running through his mind. He wondered exactly who else he'd had taken out, how many lives had ended under his hands. He massaged the shampoo into his hair thoroughly, most of the blood dissolved in the water. Somewhat easy to clean he thought. How did he always manage to get the place spotless after this? Surely, he would have seen any stray blood stains lingering on the floors or counters. He let the soap soak into his hair while he went to scrub the stains off his forearms and legs. Rinsing all the suds from his body he turned the water off, grabbing a towel to dry himself.

The air felt cold as he stepped out of the shower, he hadn’t noticed before, but a set of nicely folded clothes sat on the sink’s counter. Will must’ve slipped in and set them there for him. Usually, he would have appreciated the gesture but now he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. Paranoia was creeping in, his stomach still churning from the earlier experience. He wondered if somehow he always had eyes on him, no matter where he went or what he did. A sense of dread started to creep up just imagining their conversation to come. After getting dressed he dried his hair and combed it out. With a deep breath he carefully opened the door.

“You’re done.” Will was already sitting on the bed, his bloodied clothes in a garbage bag beside the bed along with the clothes he’d taken earlier. The floor looked flawlessly cleaned, a quick glance at the doorknob showed no stains either. Nico shot him a suspicious look, still not daring to take another step toward him. “You cleaned up fast.”, he said matter-of-factly. Will chuckled and stood up, forcibly grabbing his wrist and pushing him down onto their bed. “What can I say? I’m a man of efficiency.” He patted Nico on the head, pulling a blanket around his shoulders. He seemed to be studying him, taking in every little detail before he grabbed his hands. He didn’t say a word but began scraping underneath his fingernails with a pair of clippers. He watched on silently. Next, he carefully took a cotton swab and ran it across and under his nail beds. He could smell the strong aroma of alcohol drenching the swab. After he finished up Will brought his left hand up to kiss his fiancé's ring. “I hope you cleaned your ring good. Stuff can get trapped in there you know.” He was still so calm about everything, it made him feel sick. “I think I did an alright job.”, snatching his hand away he spoke again. “So, how do you plan to get rid of everything?”. Will sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his body affectionately, “Well I burn it of course.” Of course. The obvious answer.

“So, when are you going to tell me why you’re actually doing this?” Nico said coldly, he was in no mood for any sort of affection. He replied simply, “I just need to protect you.”

Protection. From what? People who did no real harm? People who only made his life slightly harder? He couldn’t understand in what world this was considered ‘protection’.

“You thought that killing people was protecting me?”

Will simply nodded, going deeper into his explanation. “Can’t you see? It’s all for your own good. They bother you, I take care of it, easy as that.” He leaned down and kissed Nico’s forehead. His words made him feel overly confused, nothing was adding up in his mind, but in his twisted way of thinking it likely made perfect sense. He grabbed his water bottle on the nearby nightstand, taking a swig as he looked back at the blonde. For whatever reason, the taste was bitter and metallic like, he summed it up to be just his building irritation. As much as he wanted to argue, say something to try and make him see how terrible his actions were it likely wouldn’t work, so he took a different approach.

“You know, as much as I... appreciate...the gesture I don’t think you should keep this up.” He said as he fidgeted with his hands. “Oh? Why not?” Will cocked his head to the side as he looked at his fiancé. He hesitated for a moment, choosing his next words carefully, “I just don’t want you to be caught. Our anniversary, our wedding, it’d be ruined if you got caught and kept this up.”

That got a real reaction from him, he froze and stared at Nico. Hesitating for a moment before speaking. “You’re right, how could I be so silly? I’ll try to mellow it out a bit than. Only because you want me too.” Nico let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Even though it wasn’t a super clear promise to not keep up his habit it was some sort of progress. At least he hoped. Will held him closer, speaking softly, “I’ll be here when you wake up. I just need to get some stuff done.”

Nico didn’t understand at first. It was much too soon to go sleep, barely 8:45, his usual schedule called for bedtime at 10 or 11. He saw Will’s eyes lingering on his water bottle, he had access to strong sedatives and medications from his class. His eyes widened for a moment as he caught his gaze, calm and gentle. “You...you didn’t-” He suddenly felt his body grow heavy, his eyelids droopy.

“Sweet dreams darling.”

Nico’s vision went black as he passed out.

Notes:

I hope everyone is having as much fun reading this as I had writing it! I'm not crazy popular but waking up to see even just 1 more hit makes my whole entire day! I want this to be a somewhat realistic fic in terms of true crime and whatnot so I'll be doing a lot of research on that while I take a short break.

Love yall! Stay safe folks!

Chapter 4: It's for the best

Summary:

Friends are helpful to have, even if they don't know anything.

Notes:

Woohoo! I created a Tumblr blog specifically for this! Any progess reports and updates will be posted there and if anyone were wanting to message or ask me questions thats the place to do it! Lenoregh0st, Blurred in Blood fans. Hooray! My back is absolutely aching from being hunched over in this chair for so damn long. It's well worth it though. I made this chapter a bit longer than the usual so it's a bit more interesting. (IMO ofc.)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“How do you expect me to just be okay with all of this?!”

When Nico awoke his vision was still blurred, the bitter taste still lingering in his mouth. The lights were off, but things felt different. The room was colder, and smelled strange, like warm bread dough but irritating to the senses. As the fuzz cleared from his head he could somewhat take in his surroundings, he hadn’t left their room luckily, and Will was right where he said he’d be, right next to him arms wrapped tightly around his body. He had no clue how long he’d been out for, or if anything happened during his sleep. He looked around for his phone, just scanning with his eyes as to not wake him.

He couldn’t see shit.

He slumped down more, letting out a defeated sigh. He’d remembered leaving it in his bag the night prior, it was probably dead anyway. Sensing his motion Will broke the silence, “Morning. I hope you’re not too drowsy. That stuff might give you a headache, that’s normal.”. Nico jumped slightly, he had no clue he was even awake. He groggily spoke, “I feel fine but...what exactly did you even give me? How long do the effects last?”. Will snuggled closer, a soft hum escaping his lips, “It’s just Zaleplon, I gave you a bit more than the usual 10mg, but you shouldn’t be groggy for more than a day since it’s not a long-term thing.” He recognized that name, a while back he’d been prescribed the drug. Nico sighed, it used to be a perk that he could get his hands on his prescriptions, especially since he’d had insomnia for years. Except now it sucked. More than sucked, it was somewhat terrifying.

“You’d better not do that again.”, he groaned, he wasn’t a fan of the higher dosage’s effects. He felt overly groggy, not really wanting to turn the lights on despite his lacking vision. Will simply chuckled, “Well I couldn’t have you following me now, could I?”. He gave him a small squeeze before continuing, “I think you’ll just need to stay in for a while. For your own good of course.” Nico huffed, he didn’t exactly find the idea of staying in the dorm appealing. “In your dreams, I’m not staying.” With a scowl he yanked himself away, flicking a nearby lamp on. As his vision adjusted, he could see that Will had clipped his nails while he was out, and that the room had been cleaned up significantly. The wood looked almost fake with how well shined and polished it was. Nico stretched and stood up, looking back at Will who was still calmly cuddled under the blankets. He crossed his arms as he spoke, “You’ve calmed down enough. Tell me everything, from the start; no lying, no dancing around the subject. I’m your fiancé and I deserve to know.”

Will sat up, thoughtfully tapping his chin as he began. “Well, this wasn’t really a thing I did until we started college. Back in our camp days I was too busy sewing people’s arms back on and stuff, so usually I’d just threaten to strangle anyone who bothered you.” He reminisced on the memory with a fond smile, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. “Then once we got to college, I’ve just had much more time. I remember the first time; it was that Drew girl. You cried once you told me about her, she was so cruel to you. At first, I just wanted to confront her. If I remember correctly, you were in class when I talked to her. I tried to reason with her, but she brushed me off and kept bad mouthing you.” His expression darkened as he went to messing with his wedding ring. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I don’t remember exactly what she said but I just lost my cool and pushed her. She fell and hit her head. Hard.” His hands paused in their movement, before resuming once more. “I could’ve saved her but...if she told anyone what I’d said I would be kicked out. I just made it look like an accident.” Nico’s blood ran cold, he remembered hearing the news, a supposed ‘freak accident’ where she’d had an unfortunate fall due to a small pothole in the concrete. Will went on to describe the other incidents, he had drowned his old professor Minos, the twins Otis and Ephialtes he’d poisoned, and Bryce Lawrence was by far the worst. As he got to the details of his murder his face contorted to a sort of sick smile. Tapping his fingers on his knee he spoke calmly, “Bryce was always a maniac so I didn’t think anyone would be surprised if he’d hurt himself. I knocked him out than hung him, made it look like suicide. Easy enough work.” He traced the rip in his jeans with a distant look in his eyes. “Then Octavian...He was scrawny enough to where if I just stabbed him, he wouldn’t do much to fight back. Hardest part was mostly getting him to shut his trap.” Will chuckled at his own comment while Nico just stood with wide eyes.

His mouth dried out completely. Each explanation made him want to hurl. His whole body was shaking as the rage and nearly paralyzing fear built within him. He moved to the closet to grab some clothes, a simple black t-shirt and jeans. He tried to keep the anger from his voice as he dressed himself. “How do you expect me to just be okay with all of this?! What were you thinking! I get Drew was an accident, but I don’t understand how you could just keep doing this shit!” Will just watched silently as he fastened his belt, knowing he was leaving. “I was just helping you out! Think about it! You’d still have all those people to worry about if it weren’t for me!” Nico snapped back, “Do you really think I’d want you to fucking kill them just so they’d leave me alone?! You’re psychotic!” He stormed out of the room, not even bothering to brush his hair. “Nico! I did it for you! You can’t be mad at me! Last night you were just worried I’d get in trouble!” His tone turned pleading as he jumped up to follow after him. “Well have you considered I did this really cool thing called lying?”, his tone filled with sarcasm as he dug through his bag for his phone, once he located it Will snatched it from his hand. “You can’t leave! I said so! Where would you even go!?”, there was a hint of aggression behind his words, challenging Nico to defy him. “Believe me, I have plenty of places! Now if you’ll give me my damn phone back, I’ll be on my way!” He reached out and snagged it from his hand, but Will latched onto his wrist with a death grip. “Nico, let’s just work this out. We don’t need to fight over this!”, he tried pulling him back toward the living room, but he swiftly yanked his wrist away. Will, tumbled onto the floor with a hard thump. Without looking back, he put his coat on and grabbed his bag. “Nico!” Will cried out to him, trying to reach his hand out to his fiancé. He didn’t reply, instead he walked out of the door, slamming it in Will’s face. As soon as the door was shut, he practically sprinted to the elevator to try and catch his breath after the encounter.

He got to the elevator and pressed the button, waiting felt like hell, he hoped Will wouldn’t follow him or things would get messy. He knew Getting campus security and administration was always annoying since whenever it was a domestic dispute they called for counseling that cut into class time. Not to mention Nico was never fond of strangers being in his business. The elevator dinged and a few students stepped out, he got in and pressed the button for the bottom floor. The doors closed and as the elevator went down floor by floor he sighed with relief, he hadn’t been followed. He checked his phone, seeing he’d missed a call from Hazel. As he reached the bottom floor he called her back, putting the phone to his ear as it rang. Hazel picked up shortly after, “Hello?”. Hearing his sister’s voice was relieving, he kept his voice soft as he spoke, “Hey, I saw you called me earlier how are you feeling?” He walked along the campus, heading into town. “I’m better now, are you alright though? Usually, you answer the first time I call.”, Nico could hear the concern in her tone. “I’m fine I just...slept in a bit late today.” He strode down the sidewalk, heading to the city library. He needed somewhere quiet to gather his thoughts and think of his next course of action. Hazel’s voice relaxed, “I remember when you’d just sleep all day. Well, me and Frank need to get some shopping done so I’ll call later. Don’t scare me like that again!”. He softly smiled, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. “Okay okay, I won’t be safe Hazel, I love you.”

“Love you too, see you soon!” Hazel replied. The phone hung up with a soft click, Nico stuffed it back into his pocket as he entered the library. The campus had a library as well, but it was mostly study material. Either way he was stupidly dyslexic and any other regular book they could have provided wouldn’t be entertaining enough. As he walked along, he passed by families, some couples, and friend groups. Usually he had Will with him, maybe a friend like Frank or Jason. It felt odd to be alone.

He reached the area with comics and manga, browsing the titles he eventually settled on a series, ‘The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.’. He took it with him to a cozy spot in the corner, away from everyone else. Opening the pages he mostly got the story from the drawings, even reading lines in a manga made his brain short-circuit. Nico enjoyed the quietness of the library, the only noise he could hear was the soft hum of the vents blowing warm air into the building. The atmosphere was exactly what he needed, his phone was silenced, the room was warm, and no one would bother him. As the tension and anger left his body from earlier, he let out a sigh.

After a couple chapters he set down the book, tapping his fingers on the table lightly as he mulled over what to do for the night. Going back to the dorm wasn’t an option, he still felt like smacking some sense into Will and that wouldn’t exactly go well. Besides, even if he didn’t physically do anything things would escalate to yelling. Their neighbors wouldn’t appreciate that. He couldn’t stay here all day either, the library closed at 7 that day and even so, reading all day wasn’t very appealing. Hotels were too expensive, sleeping outside wasn’t smart in this city and he didn’t need to get robbed. He’d also feel guilty asking any of his friends. Plus, they’d question why he didn’t want to go home and telling them about the problem made him uneasy.

He slammed his head down on the table with a groan. Now he was out of options. He opened his phone and scrolled through his contacts, Percy, Leo, Jason, Piper, Reyna. Staying with Percy was off the list. Leo and Jason lived together and while he could tolerate Jason, Leo was an entirely different story. Last time he stopped by for a visit one of his inventions nearly set the place on fire. The memory made him shudder. Piper lived far out with Shel; an Uber would probably be a million dollars to get to their place. His final option was Reyna, who admittedly was sounding like the best option. She lived alone with her greyhounds, the apartment was small, but he didn’t mind it. He would take sleeping on a couch than seeing Will again. He quickly shot her a message; ‘Hey Rey, this is kind of short notice but are you doing anything today?’. Setting down his phone he went back to reading. Reyna had never been the best at quick replies, so for now he needed to be patient.

Before he could pick his book up again, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. His head flicked back to see Leo and Piper. His eyes widened in surprise as the two smiled at him. “Heya Neeks! Whatcha doing here?”, Piper asked cheerfully. “Just reading, campus library doesn’t ever have anything fun.”, he replied. Leo piped up, pinching his cheek with a grin, “Look at you Nico! Reading for fun, never thought I’d see the day!”. He glanced down at the cover and his eyes widened, his voice taking an even more enthusiastic tone. “Saiki K?! Oh dude...you’re holding peak content right there!” Nico smacked his hand away with a huff, he knew the series was popular but now it was another thing for Leo to bug him about. “Cool, but what are you two doing here? Don’t you both have work?” Leo had skipped over traditional college and went to trade school becoming a mechanic at a local shop. Piper had taken up modeling for the time being while she and Shel settled down. They both chuckled in reply. They sat next to him, Piper rested her elbows on the table, “Well I didn’t have a gig today and Leo took the day off, we’re meant to meet Jason for lunch, but we have some time to kill, decided to stop here to fuck around for a bit.” That definitely sounded like something the two would do, without Jason to be the sensible one they both bounced off one another’s ideas. Leo was a troublemaker from the start and Piper...well Piper just did stuff for fun; he remembered hearing stories of how she would steal cars for fun as a teen. “You’re not setting anything on fire, are you?” He asked while looking directly at Leo, he was a pyromaniac and nearly burned down 5 buildings in his lifetime. He chuckled and gave Nico a sheepish grin in reply, “Course not! If I did, I’d miss out on lunch! You know I never pass up food.” That sentence couldn’t be more correct; he was like a vacuum cleaner with how he ate. Piper glanced around with a hum, turning back to Nico. “So, is Will not with you?”

The question was innocent, but it made him freeze up slightly. The memory of their fight still fresh in his mind. He quickly composed himself and choked out a reply, “Oh he’s uhm...he’s been a bit busy lately. He’s in class now and will be for the rest of the day, wasn’t able to come out with me today.” The two gave him suspicious glances, his answer was frantic and clearly untrue but luckily, they decided not to comment on it. “Okay, well...if you’re not busy why don’t you come to lunch with us? Jason’s always happy to see you.” Nico let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He nodded in reply, “Lunch sounds fun, where are we eating?”. Piper smiled, “That little Italian place on Main Street, all of us are trying to save up a bit so we picked something nice but cheap.” His eyes widened, it’d been a while since he’d had some good Italian food. He knew the family that ran it, immigrants from Catania. His mouth watered just thinking about it. “I’m so glad I ran into you guys...I haven’t eaten all day.” Leo chuckled at his reaction, poking his side, “Someone’s excited, and after we were going to his house for movies and drinks!” As annoyed as he felt at his poking, that was a golden excuse to stay over. He was a major lightweight, after a shot or two his legs always felt like they were going to give out. Leo and Piper though, they got a bit too competitive with their drinking. Sometimes he wondered how they didn’t have liver damage by now. “I’d be down for that too, we need to stop at a liquor store, or do you guys already have some stuff?” Piper tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Well we have all our usual stuff at Leo’s place, but I wanted to get some fun mixers, and I ran out of pink Whitney.” Leo huffed and nudged her with his elbow, “You and that pink Whitney, we can stop and get it after we eat. I don’t want to be late!” The two began to bicker back and forth as they always did, Nico expected nothing less. “Well considering the time we’d ought to get going. Assuming you all wanted to meet at noon of course.”

The two paused and checked the time on their phones. “Probably a good idea...Piper’s a slow walker.”, in response she punched him in the arm. “I am not!”, she huffed. They all stood and before leaving Nico gave the book to a librarian to place in the right spot (He knew how this worked and putting it back himself probably would have made them mad). As they all left the building his phone buzzed, Reyna had finally texted him back. ‘I’m out with the girls hunting today, if you wanted to see me, I’m free tomorrow.’ He’d forgotten she joined a girl’s only hunting group a while back, he shot her a quick reply; ‘Alright, be safe, have fun.’. Before he could pocket his phone, it buzzed again, this time a message from Will. His heart nearly stopped before he swiped the notification away, not even bothering to read it. He was determined to not even think about the incident until he had a chance to fully calm down and process things. Without another thought he turned all notifications off, calmly walking with Leo and Piper to the restaurant.

Notes:

More characters! Yay! Valgrace! Yay! Angstyness, kinda yay. I have the next couple chapters planned out so stay tuned if you're enjoying the story! Thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with my work and giving me feedback, you don't go unnoticed by me. <3

Chapter 5: Shattered and spilling

Summary:

I'll pour my heart out to you; I can't help it.

Notes:

Whoopee! I finally had some time to get this finished! I've been drowning in work and whatnot so it's been pretty hectic since I last posted. I also caught some sort of sickness so yay for that as well. I'll be drafting chapter 6 after posting this one before TCOTD comes out because I know I'll be glued to it for days.
For this chapter, did I want an excuse to write some lost trio shenanigans? Perhaps. Is everyone gonna love it? Yes!!! No one cancel me for this but I ADORED the lost hero. It was my favorite from the HOO series. I'm not very popular but if that ever ends up happening I might be burnt at the stake for that one.
Anyhow, 300 hits! Holy moly!!!! I did not expect that. Thank you for the continued support and love, I appreciate every comment and kudos!!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The trio strutted along until they reached the restaurant, their conversation mostly consisting of making fun of Leo’s failed inventions. Once they got inside, Jason was already waiting by the door, giving them all a friendly wave. As he noticed Nico, his face lit up and he rushed up to them. “You guys didn’t tell me he was coming!”, he wrapped his arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze. He used to hate being touched, at all. Now though, Jason’s strong arms felt safe, right. “I didn’t know I was coming until like 20 minutes ago!”, Nico laughed as he finally set him down. Piper chimed in with a snicker, “We picked him up from the library, totally random.” Jason patted him on the head, “No matter, I’m glad you’re here! It’s been forever!”

The hostess walked up to them, informing them all the table was ready. They were seated near a large window, giving them a nice view of the bustling streets outside. Their waitress quickly approached the table after they were seated, clasping her hands together with a smile, “Welcome! Can I get you guys started with drink and perhaps appetizers?”. Nico recognized the girl as the owner’s daughter, he gave her a small smile, letting everyone else order drinks. “I’ll just have a water.”, he said while opening the menu. Jason tilted his head as he looked at him, “I think you should decide appetizers since you know this stuff better than us.” His eyes quickly scanned the appetizer list before he decided, “So we’ll have some Arancina please.” The waitress nodded as she jotted down the order and went back to the kitchen. Jason lightly nudged his shoulder, “You’ll have to tell me what’s good here, those two have been before, but this is my first time here.” Nico happily leaned over and began rambling about all the dishes on the menu while his friends chuckled. “Such a food connoisseur huh Neeks?”, Leo joked as he watched the two discuss different dishes. He rolled his eyes with a scoff, “I’m just informed.” Everyone knew far too well he took his cultural food very seriously. He hated Olive Garden with a passion. Eventually he got Jason to settle on Caponata, a dish he thought he’d enjoy.

The waitress came back with their drinks, setting them down as she took their food orders. After she left, Jason turned to Nico, “So you didn’t bring Will? Is he still in class?”. He nearly choked on his water; he was already tired of the heart attacks he got when his name was even mentioned. “Yeah, a full schedule today, super busy.”, he replied, trying to feign normality. Jason’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, he knew something was up but like Piper and Leo, he didn’t mention it. Leo leaned onto Jason’s shoulder, making a kissy face and raising his voice a bit, “You wouldn’t ever be too busy for me would you Jason?”. He just sighed, they hadn’t been dating for long, but Leo was...well Leo. Jason just patted him on the head while he kept making puppy-eyes at him. “No Leo, I wouldn’t.”, he wrapped an arm around him as Leo smiled and huffed. “I don’t get how you do this in public.”, Piper deadpanned. He glanced at her, a small smile still on his face, “Oh don’t act like you and Shel aren’t always lovey-dovey when you’re together.” Her face immediately went a warm red, “That’s different! Me and her are genuine about it and it’s not annoying!”

The two kept bickering about their relationships while Nico met Jason’s eyes. Silently communicating with each other to let them just fight it out. Suddenly the silverware was very interesting to look at. The waitress returned with their appetizer, without hesitation Jason picked one up and stuffed one into Leo’s mouth. “You two need to calm it down. We haven’t even drank yet.” Leo hummed as he chewed, settling back into his chair instead of clinging onto Jason. Piper picked a piece up and took a bite, tasting the savory stuffing of mushrooms and pea ragu. “They’re vegetarian, good.”, she calmed as she enjoyed the flavor of the crispy dough. The arguing came to an end as they enjoyed the appetizer, hums of approval coming from the four. The Arancina was perfect, while not being famous in Venice where he grew up, the taste brought him home.

While the restaurant specialized in food from Catania, they had a few dishes from Venice; he ordered Scampi alla Veneziana. Sadly, back in Italy he could only enjoy it during the spring and summer, but the restaurant kept it around all year. It made the best for a light lunch; he was never a heavy eater. As he snacked on the Arancina he felt relaxed, safe within the presence of his friends. A genuine smile formed on his face while they chattered around him. “You’re so lucky to be Italian, I’d eat this every day if I were you.”, Piper joked to Nico. He rolled his eyes, “Very lucky food wise, but anything else wasn’t very pleasant. I fell into the canals a lot as a kid.” Jason nearly choked on his water upon hearing that, after regaining his breath he spoke through chuckles. “You serious? How did you even manage that?”. He looked over to Leo who was also dying of laughter, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “I don’t know! It was the middle of winter, and I just slipped! I almost froze to death!”, as he explained everyone was doubled over with giggles. He didn’t think it was that funny. Just as he was about to protest their laughter more, their food was placed onto the table.

Their conversation shifted to their work lives as they started to dig into their dishes. “I can’t blame him for falling into the canal though, maybe like a day ago I was trying to fix someone’s transmission, and it blew up on me.” Leo said as he scooped up some of his alfredo. “How does that even happen?”, Piper side-eyed him, silently judging him. That threw him into a ramble about mechanics, all things only he even came close to understanding. Everyone didn’t want to prolong his nonsense so between bites they all nodded along, pretending to know what he was saying. “So, from what I'm hearing you almost blew yourself up again for the...this the 7th time right?”, Jason smirked as he took a bite. Leo simply shrugged and chuckled, “Yeah, I have a habit of getting myself into those types of situations, don’t I?”. He was right about that; over all the years they’d been friends he’d always had a habit of either getting blown up or nearly setting himself on fire. It was a miracle the shop hadn’t fired him yet. The whole table laughed and joked about it while they finished up their food, then came everyone's favorite part. The check.

They were all the type to try and cover checks, Leo and Jason’s jobs paid well, and Piper was, in the nicest way possible, a nepo baby. Nico too, his father was the CEO of a major funeral and mortuary company which made millions, maybe more. Ever since reuniting with him made finances zero issue for him. They all shared a quiet look, going between the check and each other.

After a moment they all nodded, pulling out their cards. They put each one into the checkbook and waited quietly. Card roulette they called it, letting the waitress pick who’d pay. Normal people would be disappointed if their card was chosen but them? Whoever won celebrated with a cocky smile and a laugh. All of them enjoyed being the one to treat their friends; not because they would hold it over each other's heads, but because it felt right to treat one another.

They all silently awaited the waitress’ return. Nico tapped his fingers anxiously on the table. Piper picked at her nails while Jason and Leo held hands under the table.

After the check book returned, they all dove for it. Flipping it open they read the card number. Piper had won. The three groaned while she let out a celebratory whoop, “Ha! I won suckers!”. Getting the table tidied up a bit Jason huffed, “You won lunch, that means me and Leo cover the drinks.”

“Suppose I can’t fight that.”, she chided. Nico was feeling a bit left out as he neatly stacked some plates, “If they buy drinks than I’ll order dinner for when we get back to the house.” That was an agreement everyone was in on. Nodding in approval they left the waitress a handsome tip before leaving, beginning their tread to the liquor store. As they stepped outside the air was already growing colder. The sun began to set so early now it was dark by 5pm most days. Nico checked his watch, 2:45. When they got back to the house it’d be around 3:30 most likely. They’d be just teetering on the line of day-drinking, but by this point he didn’t really care. While he knew a pounding headache and body aches would follow, he was ready to get blackout drunk and not think about anything.

Being in a college town liquor stores were littered about everywhere; it was hard to take two steps down the street without seeing them. They quickly found a place that looked nice, but not overly fancy; tucked away in a corner of main street ‘Liquor N’ Mixers’. Very direct. Nico liked that. The group walked in and began browsing, he was never a big drinker, so he just followed Leo around as he prowled the aisles. Piper of course, came back with a bottle of pink Whitney in her arms. She held the bottle like a baby before placing it into their shopping basket. Jason didn’t grab anything, but he helped Leo choose between different flavors of ciders. After wandering around the store for a bit, Nico just picked out a nice bottle of Italian wine. As he set it into the bin, he made note of everything they were buying; a six pack of hard apple ciders, the bottle of pink Whitney, some sort of fancy looking tequila, assorted Smirnoff's, and a small green bottle of soju. He’d never tried any of it except a small sip of the Whitney’s. Needless to say, he was trying all of them and getting totally trashed. As they approached checkout everyone dug out their ID’s, these stores were always tightly regulated after a major incident a couple years before he’d started school. Something about teenagers throwing things at cars and lighting trees on fire.

After they left, they made their way to Jason and Leo’s place he shoved his hands in his pockets, “So, how’s pizza sound for dinner? I’ll just preorder it, so I don’t forget.” Everyone nodded in agreement as they stopped at a cross walk. “Sounds good to us.”, Leo hummed as he pressed the crossing button. As he glanced over to the side, he watched a black car driving eerily slowly past the group. The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see the driver inside. The rest of the group noticed as well, as they all turned to look the car sped off. A silent breath escaped Nico’s lips, he didn’t recognize the car at all but just seeing it made his blood run cold. “That was...weird.” Leo muttered as the crossing light turned green, he skipped across seemingly not caring. “They were probably looking at your huge ass Leo.”, Piper sneered as she punched his arm. “Hey!”, he replied by swatting at her arm, missing by a painful amount. Jason grabbed his wrist and shot him a glare, always a no nonsense big on safety guy. He backed up and went back to trotting toward the house while hand-in-hand with Jason.

As they finally reached the house, they were greeted by the modern two-story building. The structure was obviously one of those brand-new houses that would take the average person years to pay off. Stepping inside Nico was hit with the smell of Hawaiian carpet powder with a hint of motor oil. He slightly nodded to himself; it suited the both of them. The space was inviting, large, and open but not intimidating. He popped his shoes off as he looked around, the floors were a dark oak and sparkly clean. Hanging up his things he examined the photos hanging on the wall, trips the two had taken together; the Caribbeans, Mexico, and even Rome. Seeing them so happy together warmed his heart a bit, though it equally made it ache in thought of Will. He pushed the memories away as he went and got comfy on the couch. While Leo and Piper unpacked the bag of drinks, him and Jason went to grab some glasses. Typically, he’d make some small talk or joke around with him, but his mind was preoccupied. Jason noticed his silence and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to drink a lot if you don’t want you know. I’m not going to have much tonight either.”, his gaze held that concern it always did. As weird as it was, sometimes Nico saw him as a second father, a shoulder he could always lean on. Luckily, he just assumed his change in demeanor was simply about drinking. He shook his head, “No no, I’m good, no pressure.” His words didn’t seem to reassure the blonde, his brow slightly furrowing, but he nodded and grabbed a few shot glasses down. “Just don’t do too much of that tequila. I don’t get how Leo drinks that stuff, my eyes water with a drop.” Nico chuckled, if it was that potent, he wanted at least two shots of it, “I’ll try to stay away.” The two returned to the living room where the TV was now on and Piper was shuffling through movies. “Okay, I don’t want any trashy romance or future crap. We’re watching some good stuff. Super Bad or Kickass?”, she spoke to Leo who was too busy tearing off the seals on the bottles with a devilish fervor. “Uhhh, I don’t know I like both!”, he glanced back as the two set the glasses down on the coffee table, “You two pick! We can watch both I just don’t care which we watch first.” Jason thoughtfully tapped his chin for a moment, “I know Nico hasn’t seen either since he lives under a rock, so we can start with Super Bad.” He elbowed the taller guy with a scowl, “I do not!”

He smirked in reply, “Nico, you thought Yugoslavia existed until you were fifteen.” He got him there. The globe in his childhood home was so outdated Russia was still labeled under the Soviet Union. “That’s not even my fault! The damn globe was from World War 2!” Piper chimed in with a chuckle, “Dude you didn’t even know what the internet was till you were twelve and we all had to explain it to you like you were a grandpa.” Also painfully true. It took him weeks to learn how to use an iPhone when they first released. His family simply didn’t have any of that, they were terribly outdated. Military school was too busy forcing him into pushups he couldn’t do instead of showing him a modern globe. He gave up trying to defend himself, there wasn’t much of a point. So, he turned to the next best thing. “At least I wasn’t stealing cars when I was twelve.”, he smirked as he saw her smug expression drop. Leo laughed, which made Nico turn his attention to him. “Don’t laugh too hard you militant midget. When we were at camp you blew up the dining pavilion with that weird dragon thing you made!” He gasped in reply, “First of all, we’re the same height! Second, his name was Festus, and he wasn’t meant to blow up! He was made to start fires!” Nico rolled his eyes, “At least I don’t wear height enhancers in my shoes.”

He got Leo there. Within a second, he tackled him down as they started to play wrestle on the couch. Jason just watched on with an exasperated face. He’d seen them do this a million times and something always ended up broken. “Take that back!” Leo said as he smacked Nico’s arm. “Never!” he laughed. The two nearly tumbled to the floor before Jason just picked both of them up like they weighed nothing. Years of training made him terrifyingly strong; he slung them over his shoulder like sacks of potatoes. “You two...”, the suspended them in air jail until they both stopped thrashing. Afterward he set them on the couch and without a care in the world Leo poured himself a shot. He raised his eyebrows at Nico as he held up the cup, “Real shit straight from the motherland. I bet you wouldn’t be able to stomach one Neeks.” Since they couldn’t finish their wrestling match, he took that as a challenge. He held direct eye contact as he poured himself a shot. “Nico maybe you shouldn’t-”, Jason’s concerned voice couldn’t stop him from this one. In one swift motion he brought the cup to his lips and downed it. The alcohol stung his throat, and he wasn’t very fond of the flavor. He set down the glass and smirked at Leo, playing off the burning building in his throat. Feigning nonchalance he shrugged, “Not bad.”

“You’re probably going to fall over from just the one.” he replied. Nico didn’t care and poured himself some wine. “You two are unbelievable.” Jason sighed as he sat down. Piper flicked on the movie as she popped open a Smirnoff for herself. “Are those new? I haven’t seen these flavors yet.” Leo dug around in the cardboard packaging before cracking one open for himself. “Decently new, I've had all of them and I like the sno-cone flavored one.” Nico scrolled his phone as he began the pizza order, setting the delivery time for 6pm. Of course, he could go on a ramble about ‘real’ pizza like he wanted but he was sure his friends were tired of that spew. “Okay, I got a pepperoni, some wings, plain cheese, vegetarian, and breadsticks. Anything else?” The trio chatted before giving him the affirmative, “Nah, that's good.” He nodded and placed the order, “It’s going to be here at 6.”

He sipped his wine as the movie progressed, it was only 4:15 but his head already started to feel light. As he took small sips he thought of the past few days. As much as he’d been avoiding it recently, he couldn’t run from it forever. The alcohol made his shoulders slump down; Jason hadn’t lied about the tequila being overly potent. If he ate like a normal person maybe he wouldn’t be such a lightweight. Piper cracked open her bottle of Whitney’s and poured them all a shot. “Wait wait, I got to make some sort of cheesy toast.” she giggled as she raised her glass up, everyone following. “Uhm...Okay! Cheers to being friends and shit!” The group chuckled before replying, “Cheers!”. The sweet taste of the smooth citrusy flavor filled his senses. He smacked his lips together as the flavor settled it, it masked the alcohol well. “This is actually pretty good...”, he muttered mostly to himself. Leo smiled, “Ooooo, Nico likes the pinkity drinkity!” Jason pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. He was in for a long night. “It’s good stuff man!” Piper retaliated as she poured herself another shot.

Even though they’d only gotten halfway through the movie, between Leo and Piper each of them had 3 shots each and were tipsy. They giggled at literally everything, curling over and clutching their stomachs. Jason had to keep them both from falling off the couch and breaking their heads open on the table.

The doorbell rang and Nico got up; the pizza had arrived. After tipping the driver he sat the boxes onto the table. As soon as Leo and Piper laid eyes on it, they just dove in, wolfing down a slice each while Jason just watched with wide eyes. Nico patted his shoulder reassuringly, handing him a slice while he took another for himself. As the movie finished up the food had helped sober them up a bit. Leo rubbed his hands together with a devious smile. Without a word he turned around for a moment and then slammed down a hook and ring game, pouring a shot of tequila and placing it in the middle of the board; “Who’s ready to challenge the Valdez-inator!?”. Piper sneered as she finished off her Smirnoff. Nico happily scooted to the other end of the table, “You’re on!”. Piper sat on the side, playing referee. “Three, two, one...GO!”. Nico hadn’t played the game before, but he was off to a good start, hooking two rings in a row. Leo was visibly sweating as he missed ring after ring. Then an idea popped into his head, under the table he swiped Nico’s leg with his foot, causing him to lose rhythm. After a few more rings the shot ended up on his side. “Cheater!”, he scowled at the boy. “Sucks to suck! Drink up!”, Leo’s grin reached his ear as he was forced to down the shot. The three of them took turns, Piper vs Nico, Leo vs Piper. By the end of it they were all getting absolutely wasted. Their competitiveness not making any of them want to back down. Before long they’d managed to empty the tequila and Whitney. Nico could barely even see straight as they all giggled and laughed like idiots. Jason idly sat by watching the movie while taking small sips of the cider.
n yearning for understanding, to finally let the things that weighed heavy on his heart finally break open and pour out like a dam. Before he knew it, tears spilled down his cheeks. Nico usually wasn’t one to cry, but this time he couldn’t help it; besides, it was alright to cry in front of Jason. He simply let the tears flow down as the other boy remained silent. After a few minutes he felt ready, the rushing waters of his thoughts broken down by the alcohol.

“I’m just...so fucking mad at Will right now. I don’t even want to go home! I mean, we’ve fought before but now I just, I don’t know what to do.” He clutched onto Jason’s shirt as he rambled, sniffling as his nose began to run. He wanted to tell him everything, what he’d seen, their fight. Except he still loved him deep down, not wanting him to get into trouble. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive him. Except it’s...I still miss him. I want to make things better but at the same time I don’t. Everything just feels out of control and I can't fix anything.” He felt stupid. His mind so conflicted between forgiveness and separation. His hand trembled so badly he dropped the glass onto the floor; shattering in a mess of red and sharp glass. Before he could reach down to try and clean it up Jason stopped him, grabbing his wrist. “Don’t, you’ll get yourself hurt.”, he pushed him back into the plush couch. Standing up he grabbed the broom and a mop. As he cleaned up, he spoke to Nico softly, “It’s your choice if you want to forgive him, but even if you do it’s going to take time for you to fully trust him again. Don’t feel bad for missing him though, you can be angry and still love him, so no beating yourself up over it. You need to get your feelings across to him.” After cleaning up the mess of glass went to quickly wash his hands and sat back down. Nico’s tears slowed, but the pain in his voice was still present, “But I don’t know how to tell him, what if he doesn’t want to listen or understand why I feel like this?”

Jason paused as he ran a hand through Nico’s hair.

“Then I’d say take a break, keep trying to work things out. I know you two are going to pull through. You always have, through day or night." Nico considered his words carefully, a soft hum escaping his lips. His eyes were puffy now, red from the alcohol and his tears. "I hope I won't disappoint than." Jason gave his shoulder a squeeze, "Not in a million years could I ever be disappointed in you for things out of your control."

Even though he didn’t know what was truly going on his words gave Nico a sense of security. A somewhat planned course of action. He nodded and wiped his face. “Thank you.”, he whispered, his voice raspy. Jason smiled, that small, familiar scar on his lip following. “Of course, now rest up. You’re going to have a crazy hangover in the morning.” He pulled the blanket around himself tighter, slowly falling asleep. Though the conversation was short, it was meaningful and much needed. His chest felt lighter as his eyes fluttered shut and he passed out.

Notes:

Oh boy. Mmmm content. Anyway. I'll keep posting on tumblr as usual, I also finally fixed up my tiktok! I don't post often on there though....
I'll keep working on chapter 6 and i will try my very hardest to get it out by the end of the month.
Much love!!! Thank u Ao3 community. <3

Chapter 6: Blade reflections

Summary:

He can't stay away forever.

Notes:

Yummi mmmmm very angsty. I will be revising once I get my responsibilties dealt with. Which may take a long long time. Anyway I have (generally speaking) most of the plot thought out!!1 yay!!! Sorry for very very long time for update, been super busy with existing and whatnot :C

 

BIG TRIGGER WARNING!!!!!!!
SELF HARM!!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Morning came with a painful headache and a bit of memory loss. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see Leo and Piper still passed out on the ground with half empty glasses beside them. Leo was drooling and snoring obnoxiously loud. Jason had put pillows under their heads and wrapped them in blankets. They looked comfortable.

The couch was warm too; Jason was still asleep beside him. He still had his glasses on, meaning he hadn’t left Nico’s side the entire night. His arm was tightly wrapped around his shoulder, providing a sense of security. As comfortable as the whole arrangement was, Jason was like a human heater and being wrapped so tightly in a thick blanket was becoming unbearably hot. How him and Leo shared a bed, it must’ve been some miracle they didn’t generate enough heat to set the house on fire. Nico carefully wormed his way out of Jason’s hold, ensuring he didn’t wake up. He took in the mess, cups and a few spilled drinks. Before he left, he could at least help pick up a bit. Quietly, he shuffled around, picking up the cups and empty bottles and tossing them into the trash. Shot glasses went into the sink, from there he soaked up the spills with a paper towel and washed the spot with a rag.

After finishing his short cleaning endeavor, he glanced over to Jason. In the short time it took him to tidy up he’d awoken. He rubbed his eyes than adjusted his glasses. As his eyes scanned the room, he let out a surprised huff. “You cleaned up.”, he stated simply. “I did. Thought I’d be helpful since you let me crash here.”, Nico said in return. The blonde’s eyes scanned over him, carefully examining his every move. He remembered what he said the night prior. His concern was evident. Tears still stained Nico’s cheeks, his eyes still slightly puffy. “Do you need to stay another night? This time I can blow you up an air mattress instead of the couch.”, he stood, letting the blanket slide off his shoulders. Carefully he folded it and started to fluff up and fix the pillows. “Nah, I think I’m just going to visit Reyna, and she’ll probably let me hang for a bit.” Jason considered his words than nodded, “Just be sure to call if you need anything. I know you’re in good hands with her.” They had a history together, both being leaders at their own camp. He didn’t know the entire story, but he knew Reyna had feelings for Jason in their youth. Then Piper came along. Their entire group had...complex relationships. After him and Piper broke up, he got with Leo. While their relationship was new, the two had broken up years before Jason and Leo became a thing. Luckily everyone was on good terms, no lingering feelings remained to distance them from one another.

Nico simply nodded in reply, “I will, and I’ll let you know how things go when I get the time.” Jason guided him through the house, letting him collect his belongings, he’d even been nice enough to charge Nico’s phone while he was asleep. After getting his jacket and shoes on he opened the door, the afternoon light greeting him by blinding him for a moment. As his eyes adjusted, he turned to the blonde, pausing for a moment. After a second passed they both leaned forward and gave each other a tight hug. “Be safe, Neeks.”, Jason whispered to him. “Promise. I'll call you once I’m with Reyna.” It felt like a hug from a brother, someone close who cared. It felt like safety, the same feeling after he was outed in front of Jason. Instead of the anger and outrage he was sure he was to be met with, he was greeted with the support and kindness. A first step in healing from his trauma.

After they let go of the hug Nico started down the street, using the map on his phone to guide him. Of course, he could get a car but with the design of the city it’d be more inefficient to find parking and deal with traffic all day. As he made pace down the street toward Reyna’s apartment he opened his phone. Scrolling through all the missed calls and texts he’d received from Will. Over 300 messages and more than 100 calls. It was impressive almost; he scanned through all the desperate pleas in basically every app he had Will added on. A sigh left his lips, all of them were him practically begging on his knees for Nico to return. It’d only been a day since he’d left, and he could barely scrape together any idea of how to move forward. The advice Jason given him had only somewhat helped considering the real issue at hand. Getting drunk didn’t help either, sadly. As much as he still adored Will, (Yes, he knew it was stupid and rather irrational to still love someone who was literally a serial killer.) he knew it’d take a very long time for forgiveness. Perhaps a grand gesture where he builds an empire in his name and makes him the supreme ruler would speed up the process. They could take a break like Jason had suggested but that would mean delaying their anniversary. Not to mention he couldn’t crash on his friend’s couches forever. As he made it to the corner of the street, he waited for the crosswalk light to turn, he did a few illegal things like downloading free movies and not informing the police his fiancé was a serial killer, but he drew the line at jaywalking. A seemingly familiar black car drove by once more, painfully slow. This time as he tried to stare into the tinted windows it didn’t speed off. It only moved forward when the cars behind it began honking. He knew tonight he wouldn’t be walking home. An uber was kind of pricey in the city but if it meant safety and not getting his organs harvested the cost was well worth it.

After the car was out of sight and it was safe to cross he sprinted to Reyna’s apartment. As he got to the front entrance he rang the call bell. The intercom buzzed and crackled as the voice of the doorman came through the speaker. “Apartment number?”, a smooth voice questioned. “4167, I’m visiting Reyna Ramirez-Arellano.”, he said in return. The box was so old he wondered how it was still functioning. The apartments were new and super modernized but they clearly went frugal on the machine. After a moment or two he heard the voice again, “Alright, door’s open, first elevator on the right.” With that he pushed the thick glass door open and stepped inside. The space was clean and well-kept; it smelled like Lysol and fresh laundry. He followed the doorman’s instructions and got into the elevator, as he hit the button he leaned against the wall. He felt more than secure in here. Along with the building security Reyna’s apartment was basically a nuclear bomb shelter. He didn’t exactly contact her before coming by, but she usually didn’t mind surprise visits. It’d been a decent amount of time since the two had hung out anyway. After the doors open he quietly treaded down the hall, reading off the apartment numbers until he found her door. Before he even had a chance to knock, he heard the greyhounds inside already starting to go nuts. The two couldn’t help it of course, they were born and raised to be defensive as possible. He heard the door unlock with a click, before it could fully open, he was tackled down by the two massive greyhounds. It took them a moment to recognize his scent but once they did, he became the target of a barrage of slobbery kisses. As the dogs tackled him down on the floor he was laughing and trying to push them off, “Aurum! Argentum! Down! Down!” Behind them, Reyna whistled, and the dogs immediately went to stand by her side. She extended a hand to him, “Sorry, you know how they are. You alright?” As she helped pull him up, he simply chuckled and wiped the slobber off his face with a smile. “They just missed me. I’m alright.”

As he stepped inside Reyna retrieved a wet, soapy rag for him to clean his face off with. “You stopped by unexpectedly. Nonetheless I’m happy to see you.”, she was dressed in a baggy white shirt and purple plaid pajama pants, her hair tied back into its usual braid. “I just left from Jason’s, forgot to call.”, after getting his face cleaned off, he took his shoes off. She looked like she was ready for a quiet day in, he didn’t want to disturb that if she was. “Well, I was just watching movies with these two today, took off work since I got good game from yesterday. Sold most of the meat already and I left the hide with the girls to dry.” They both moved to sit on the couch, the two dogs happily jumping up alongside them. Aurum rested his head on Nico’s lap while Argentum laid on Reyna. He carefully stroked the dog’s head a fond smile on his face, he’d never been crazy about animals but these two were exceptions along with Mrs. O’Leary from his camp days. “What did you even catch?”, he tilted his head as he glanced at her. They were basically siblings by now, at least, he saw her as a sister. “Got some rabbit and a deer. Huge buck, got him right in the eye so it was even better.” He internally cringed at that. As much as he supported her hunting dreams the thought of doing it himself made him queasy. “Sounds...fun.”, he replied.

After she flicked on a random movie he turned to her, “So, you don’t mind me hanging out here for a bit, right? I’m not exactly in the mood to go home right now.” She threw a blanket onto his lap, covering effectively Aurum’s face. “Course I don’t mind, everything alright though?” Since he already told Jason, it made him less nervous to speak with Reyna about things. With a heavy sigh he started, “We’re fighting right now. It’s bad enough where I just stayed over at Jason’s for the night since I didn’t really want to see Will.” As the information processed in her mind her eyes widened, the shock evident in her voice as she replied, “You two are fighting? You haven’t done that in years, last time you were just getting all angsty since he helped sew that Paolo kid’s leg back on.” Nico scrunched his nose up, deep down he was still slightly salty about that. Not the fact he helped but the fact that after he thought Will was appreciating his handiwork too much. “Well, this time it’s not about that. He’s just being unreasonable and it’s getting frustrating.” Reyna tapped her chin thoughtfully; he liked that she always thought before she spoke. She was a good listener, and though usually she wasn’t the best with love advice he always appreciated the effort. “Well, I’m sure it’s nothing you two can’t fix with time. You’ve always been by each other’s side, I don’t even know what could come between that.”

If only she knew.

He contemplated telling her, only for a moment. Except she was always a strict rule-follower. With everything his friends had said he didn’t want anything too major to go down. As stupid as it was keeping up appearances mattered way too much for him to ever break it off with Will. That oh so perfect romance they’d had for years flashed through his mind. Every breakdown, messy argument, and happy moment they’d shared. If everyone told him they’d pull through he had no choice to believe them. Right?

“I guess so...it just might take a while. Not to mention our anniversary is coming up, he usually plans weeks ahead and you know me, I’m not one to skip out if he already bought a bunch of crap.” She nodded in agreement, “No matter how long it takes, I’m sure whatever it is your fighting over will brush over eventually.” He pulled the blanket over himself tighter. Turning his eyes to the screen. Reyna wasn’t exactly the type to pry, especially about his love life; which to everyone seemed perfect since it began. She was overly sensible as well, straight forward and to the point. If he told her about how he felt, she’d probably just tell him to call the police and call off the engagement. They already had a wedding date set, about a year from now. The rational part of his brain was currently strangling the emotional part of his brain and vice-versa. Reyna didn’t seem to notice anything off though, her eyes were glued to the screen. Instantly forgiving Will would probably mean he’d keep up his little habit. Outright breaking up with him wasn’t all that appealing, and if he tried to explain it to him gently, he might’ve not gotten the memo either. He suddenly felt overly sweaty and clammy. What was a guy to do in a situation like this?

His thoughts were rushing as the movie played on. He had no idea how much time had passed but the movie ended, and Reyna stood up with a stretch. “I forgot to ask, but you kind of smell like booze Nico. You didn’t pick up a drinking habit, did you?”, she was always so blunt. “No, me Leo and Piper were just drinking last night, and I didn’t shower.” She quietly chuckled, “Those two...always the party animals. If you want to freshen up a bit I wouldn’t care. I need to let these two outside real fast anyway.” A shower did sound nice, his hair was getting greasy from all the walking and sweating he’d been up too. It’d been an entire day since as well. “I can’t pass that up. Been a minute.”, he knew the layout of her apartment already, so he stood as well and made his way to the bathroom. It’d be nice to quickly rinse off so he didn’t look like total crap.

Upon opening the door, he glanced over to the mirror than paused. As he was met with his reflection, he stood stunned. He was a total wreck. Huge bags had formed under his eyes even though he’d only missed a night resting at home. He never had a good sleep schedule to begin with, but he never thought it looked this bad. Tears still stained his cheeks despite his efforts to wipe them off the night prior. His hair was a tangled mess too; it was a wonder that Reyna didn’t assume he’d been sleeping outside with his current appearance. After seeing himself a thought crossed his mind; maybe he was worse off than he assumed.

He quickly shoved the thought aside. Running the hot water, seemingly to the point of boiling. Tossing off his extremely musty clothes he stood under the scalding water. It steamed as it hit his skin, feeling like molten lava being poured across his back. The stinging pain felt somewhat relieving. Something he had control over. Something he was expecting. The hectic environment that was life as of late had been overwhelming him. Of course he had short moments alone, like in the library. Except that was in public. Here, he was alone. Entirely. His heart was racing but nothing felt like enough to calm the storm swirling in his head. That is, until he glanced over to the shower caddy next to him. Inside sat Reyna’s razor, the type with a single blade that could easily be twisted out of it. A certain feeling began to brew inside him. He knew it was wrong; horrendously wrong. Things had been oh so overwhelming lately though. A few times couldn’t hurt right?

With a trembling hand he picked up the shiny metal handle. His eyes laser focused on the shimmering blade on the end. For a long while he simply stared. Unmoving as his mind blurred. Carefully he untwisted the protective piece on top. It dropped the blade into his palm. The urge was painfully overwhelming. Slowly, he brought the cold metal to his upper arm. His wrist would’ve been nice except for the fact he only had a t-shirt to wear until he got home. Just before pressing down for one moment, he closed his eyes and took in a breath. Lightly he applied pressure, just a single clean line to start. Then once more. The last was the deepest, which made the most blood pour down his arm. Upon seeing the red, for a moment he felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. Control over something, control over the pain he was feeling. The hot water hit the open wounds, and it stung badly. He hissed in pain, dropping the blade onto the shower floor, nearly cutting his foot. Realizing what he’d done he panicked. Screwing the blade back in place and putting it back into the caddy. He stepped back for a second, sucking in a sharp breath. He really didn’t like being alone.

Quickly he shampooed his hair and scrubbed his body down. His movements were vigorous and panicked. As fast as he could he rinsed off, flicking the water off once he finished. He stepped out carefully; steam filled the room and fogged up the mirror. Opening the cabinets he dug around for a towel. He had to get the floor a bit wet since he forgot where Reyna kept them. Eventually he located them in a lower cabinet and dried off. He simply threw his old clothes back on, not having any other option. Blood still dripped down from his upper arm. Not wanting to get it on the towel he pressed tissues against the cuts until they stopped bleeding. To hide any evidence, he simply flushed the bloodied tissues down the toilet. Shame filled his body; he hadn’t done that since he was 13. He wasn’t meant to cope like that anymore, he knew better for gods sake. Hiding it would be easy enough since they weren’t insanely deep. Once they healed it’d just look like the older scars already on the area. Leaving the bathroom, he refused to look in the mirror as he passed it.

Reyna hadn’t returned with the dogs yet, so he quietly sat on the couch. Crossing his legs as he stared into his lap. She wouldn’t suspect a thing if he just acted like nothing was wrong and left fast. He’d only been there for an hour and a half by that point, but he felt guilty. It was still light outside so he’d feel slightly safer walking home or he could Uber like he planned but that meant staying longer. Though going home meant seeing Will again. He longed for things to go back to the way they were before, when he could throw himself into his strong arms and feel invincible. He wrapped the same blanket around himself again. It wouldn’t hurt to stay a bit longer.

He messed around on his phone which was charged up thanks to Jason plugging it in the night prior. Leo had spammed his messages with something called ‘Italian brain rot’ which he was begging him to translate. He didn’t really understand the concept at all. None of them were even real words. Staring at the screen for a moment he messaged back; ‘What is this? That’s not even real Italian.’ The perplexation didn't leave his mind as he went to scroll Instagram. A memory appeared on his feed, a photo of him and Will at a lakeside cabin he’d rented for their anniversary 3 years ago. Seeing it made him feel solemn, he could recall the smell of the campfire and lake. The coziness of the cabin and the time they shared together. Will had ensured that night was perfect, he’d put up string lights and made a path of rose petals into the cabin. As cringey and cliche as it was, he still fell for his stupid charms. He wondered what Will would say to him after almost 2 days of not coming home. With no classes going on for another week he could imagine that Will was probably sulking in the dorm. In all honesty, he didn’t know how to feel. The situation was bad enough to push him to relapse; but was it from being overly stressed or simply missing Will? Before this they’d never been apart for long, a couple days at most and without him he was rather lonely. In all honesty, for these past years he’d been a bit overly reliant on his fiancé. Without him...well he felt useless. Did years of loving care and affection make up for the blood on his hands?

Reyna returned about 10 minutes later looking out of breath and winded. Aurum and Argentum bolted inside, still as energetic as ever. “Rey, you alright?”, his voice was filled with concern as he pocketed his phone. He fixed his expression and demeanor before approaching, trying to act as normal as possible. She took in a deep breath and closed the door, “They saw a squirrel. Chased them all the way down the block, I swear...I can control them any other time, but those damn squirrels just do something to them.” He stifled a chuckle and went to the kitchen, filling a glass of water for her. “Maybe they didn’t think hunting yesterday wasn’t enough exercise?”, he walked over to where she stood and handed her the cup. She drank it all down in a matter of seconds, a sigh escaping her lips when she finished. “Obviously they didn’t. They have the energy of a bullet.” He patted her shoulder and helped her to keep her balance, a small smile forming on his lips. Even though she was exhausted now it was nice to be around someone. “Anyhow, you hungry? I was going to heat up some leftovers from the trip.”, she yawned and stretched. She’d caught her breath and went to the kitchen, opening the fridge he saw containers filled with meat. “What do you got?”, he questioned as she put the glasses on the table. “Some of that deer, but I have regular chicken from the other day too, don’t worry.”, she always assumed Nico was too nervous to try anything she’d hunted. He slightly puffed up his chest trying to seem stronger, “I’ll try some of the deer. It’s just a different type of meat.” She clearly took that as a challenge. She threw the container into the microwave and started to heat it up, “They’re nothing special, just regular steak cuts seasoned with pepper and salt.” Microwaved steak sounded totally amazing. He nodded in reply and once the microwave beeped the two both grabbed plates and silverware, sitting at the table he cut into the steak. It looked pretty good if he was honest. While making direct eye contact with Reyna he took a bite. It was tender and juicy, he paused for a second, not expecting it to be that good. “You know...I get why you and your girls hunt deer all the time. This is damn good.” She laughed in reply, taking a bite of her own food. “It’s good cause I cooked it on a hot stone. Eat all you want; I won’t be able to finish it all.” The image of her heating up a rock and cooking the meat was cool all things considered. He just brushed the image of her shooting the deer in the eye off his mind while he ate. During meals the two weren’t big on talking, so they sat in a comfortable silence. The two were alike in the fact that typically, they weren’t talkative and mostly anti-social. He had 2 of the thick steaks before he tapped out. Reyna managed 2 and a half. The woman needed her protein after all.

After finishing up he stood. He picked up both their now empty plates and brought them to the sink. The hot water flowed from the tap as he got a soapy rag and started to scrub the dishes. It was around 3:30 now. Considering how quick the sun set he didn’t want to go out in the dark. He rinsed the plates and put them in the drying rack, turning to Reyna as he dried his hands off, “I’m going to call an uber and head home soon. Thank you for letting me stay for a bit.” She smiled after finishing wiping off the table. “You sure you don’t just want me to walk you? You’re not very far from me.”, he thought for a moment. Except putting her at risk wasn’t very appealing; after all he still had no idea if that black car would still be following him. “Nah, I’ve got it. Anything else I can help you clean up?”, he opened his phone and ordered an uber, the trip would be 7$ and they’d arrive in 5 minutes. “Not that I can think of.”, she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. “You tell me how it goes once your home. I’ll break Will’s nose if you need.”, she offered him a small smile. The thought of her punching his somehow perfect nose made him shiver slightly. “Yep, I will.” He gave her a tight hug, letting himself be enveloped in her arms. He knelt and gave Aurum and Argentum some goodbye head pats. After gathering his things he walked out the door, waving goodbye to her as he went down the hall. His Uber was only a minute away now, a 2017 blue Nissan Versa. Once he was in the main lobby he glanced out of the massive windows.

That same black car was sitting outside, it wasn’t on, but he hated the fact it sat right in front of the building. His phone dinged as he saw his Uber pull up, he crept out the door and kept his eye on the stalker vehicle. Once he was inside the driver greeted him, a girl with tousled black hair and glasses, her hair had a single blonde streak in the front, and her entire eyelid was painted with black liner. She sounded way too enthusiastic for an Uber, “Hello! For Nico?” He nodded and replied, “Yep, that’s me.” She nodded and pulled the directions to his housing unit up on the app. Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled, “You're a student at New Rome too! What’s your major? I’m studying to be an OBGYN!” He was pleasantly surprised at the revelation. His lips curved upwards as he replied, “I’m in business administration. You do this as a side gig?” As the car pulled away from the curb she kept focus on the road while also speaking with him. “Yeah, college isn’t cheap these days. I live on campus too, just the girls sector.” She seemed to know the way by heart, despite the traffic rush beginning she skillfully weaved through the sea of vehicles. It was somewhat terrifying. “You’re not wrong, me and my fiancé share a dorm so it’s a bit cheaper.” She hummed as they approached a red light, her eyes meeting his through the rear-view mirror, “I forgot they do that here! Must be sick.” He chuckled in reply, “Pretty nice yeah.” The ride was short, after passing the light she pulled into the parking lot and let him out in front of the dorm building. They thanked each other, and he handed her a 5$ bill as a tip to which she eagerly pocketed. Once he was safely out of the car it sped off. As he walked into the familiar building, he left her a quick 5-star review than pocketed his phone.

The ride up to his dorm was nerve-wracking. Unknowing what waited for him, Will in tears, another dead body? Once the elevator dinged to let him out, he slowly walked down the hall. Each step echoing against the tiles. He dug around for his keys, reaching his door he took a deep breath. Placing the key into the slot he slowly turned it until he heard a soft click.

Notes:

Maybe the uber is me, maybe I self inserted into my own fic. Who cares!!! I am god in this story and I will be EVERYWHERE!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Anyways whoever reads this should totally check out the fan tumblr and my own personal account. I will give u big kiss kiss mwah on that gorgeous forehead.

Notes:

Any comments or feedback is always appreciated! I have an instagram and tumblr under lenoregh0st as well!

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