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bluehhj · 4 years

Text

listen to me — chapter 49

LISTEN TO ME — 0049

listen to me masterlist;

WORDS: 2.5K

a/n: hi guys, a late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. sorry for the delay!! I planned to come back here for Christmas, but I traveled with my friends and just got back the day before yesterday. I'd post as soon as I arrived, but then I rewrote some parts several times because it just didn't look good enough and it wasn't pleasing me so much and so I'm posting just now.

but anyways, good read!

Jeongin blew out a breath after closing the bedroom door. Then he spun around until he met Jisung's face just as he cleared his throat and began to blink repeatedly, wiping away the unshed tears. Yang licked his lips awkwardly and took a few cautious steps toward the bed.

"Are you alright?" it was a question to which the answer seemed rather obvious, so the doctor amended the next second, "I mean physically."

Jisung needed a moment to deal with the lump in his throat before he could say anything. The pain did exist, but not in his shoulder or in his head. It was in a place that not even the best doctor in the world could cure it, so Jeongin didn't need to know.

"You responded very well to the anti-inflammatory administered in your serum," he smiled faintly, crossing his arms against the coat, so white it was glowing. The stark contrast to his rosy strands made him look like the kind of boy who drew multiple glances wherever he went, but Jisung could barely take his eyes off his own hands. "I talked to Ms. Baek just now and she said the wound healing on your shoulder is going to be fine. It's likely that I can discharge you in a couple of days at the most."

Jeongin's intention was to make Han at least a little excited that he might be able to get out of that cold room and breathe happier airs again, but the effect was completely the opposite.

Jisung didn't want to be okay — not while Jinah was in a coma. It seemed too unfair that he could leave so fast at the same time that his girlfriend wasn't even expected to wake up.

Feeling the other boy's discomfort increase, the doctor decided it was best to end his attempts to increase Jisung's mood, since he was clearly not getting the slightest success.

"I'll call some of your companies back, okay? Excuse me." however, before he turned the knob, Jisung's low voice reached his ears.

"Tell my mom and friends that I appreciate them being here, but I don't want to see anyone now," he paused. It was hard to say when all he wanted to do was cry until he couldn't take it anymore. "I need some more time alone."

Jeongin didn't hesitate to nod. "As you wish."

And isolated between those four pale walls, the task of holding back tears finally became untenable.

♡˖°

After Yeji raised the white flag and disregarded — for now — the idea of tucking Yoorim into one of the police station's stuffy cells, Hyoyeon chose to stay in the hospital, as her professional intervention would no longer be so helpful and, moreover, she wanted to be available to Jisung if he needed it at some point. As such, only Hyunjin, Yoorim and Yeji headed toward Mr. Heo's building supply store. The couple settled into the boy's car, while the policewoman chose to go in her own car so as not to mix with them any longer than necessary.

Alone and in complete silence until then, Hyunjin stopped at a red light and turned his face to look at Yoorim, who was leaning his head against the closed glass. The girl's thoughts seemed far away, but Hwang didn't need to know how to read minds to be sure what made her ramble so much.

"I'm sorry" with an audible sigh, Hyunjin dropped his shoulders and also allowed the sadness to affect him, almost as if he could feel twice as much as Yoorim was feeling. "As much as I try to stop these encounters between the two of you, they still happen, and all I can do is keep apologizing like it's going to do something... Sometimes I wonder if this is really the best for you."

The younger one remained still for a few more seconds, until a similar sigh left her lips and she straightened in the passenger seat. "In parts, I can understand her."

"Yoorim..."

"But she's really right, Hyunjin-ah. You had a perfect family before you met me, it's normal for Yeji to feel annoyed to know that I was the cause of most problems."

"There is no such thing as a perfect family, baby," affectionate as usual, Hyunjin sent her one of those loving looks that could heal any injury. "Maybe mine really had an unwavering image of business parents and kids to be proud of, but only after stepping out of line did I realize it was all just well-placed masks. A perfect family doesn't deny one of their own members just because it is what it is, not what they want it to be."

"But if I hadn't entered your life, things would still be fine for you guys."

"You just look at what you think you did bad in my life and never pay attention to everything you did good." Hyunjin refocused on the street when he saw the green light, but he didn't stop listening to the conversation. "It's okay that my parents fought so hard about it that they ended up getting a divorce and now neither of them talks right to me, but I'm much happier that way, because otherwise it's likely that today I'd be preparing to take on a company that I don't want to, besides possibly being dealing with a contract marriage with an investor's millionaire daughter" he made a disgusted face. Just the thought of facing such a stressful situation made his head ache and his stomach roll. "I also understand Yeji and I know she didn't want to see our family fall apart like this, but she spends so much time blaming you that she doesn't realize how liberating it was for both of us," in the rearview mirror, Hyunjin noted the dark car behind them. "Our parents never allowed her to be a cop, even though she loves so much what she does."

Yoorim thought of every time she heard an excited Hyunjin talk and talk about biomedicine as if it were the most amazing thing in the world — she loved to hear every word, even if she didn't understand various scientific terms and got lost in some parts — and allowed herself to feel a little bit of peace.

"Maybe I would even rebel at some point and say I wasn't going to take over any company, which would cause a disaster anyway," Hwang shrugged with no concern. "For these and other reasons, I always say you don't have to feel bad about anything, baby. Because being with you was also my choice and I never regretted it.

"I never regret anything either, even though I have to put up with Yeji." Yoorim set her head back and smiled slightly. "It was like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert, you know? You do me good."

"Yeah, I know..." Hyunjin also smiled, but then he remembered something and his features became serious again. "But putting up with Yeji doesn't mean being forced to accept her pushing you into the hands of a responsibility that was never yours."

Yoorim's smile faded as she realized that now Hyunjin was no longer referring to the Hwang family, but to her own. "That's why she always wins our discussions." with another tired sigh, she looked down at some random spot on the panel in front of her. "She knows where to hit."

"We've had this conversation several times and I know it hurts, but you don't take it seriously, do you?"

Yoorim really didn't think she should be blamed for her mother's death, after all, problematizing the pregnancy wasn't her decision. However, hearing the contrary from someone else hurt much more, as it was as if she had an extra confirmation of what the voices in the back of her head used to say from time to time, only to torment her when her father lost his temper or avoided her for no reason. Yoorim often tried to justify Mr. Heo's eventual indifference to everyday stress, as Kyuhyun worked too hard to keep every branch of the store under control.

Her father loved her, yeah. Yeji was wrong.

Yoorim needed to convince herself of that.

"I try. I swear I always try."

Hyunjin felt helpless that he couldn't reach a consensus with his sister. He hadn't begged one or two, but several times so that Yeji wouldn't get into that delicate subject anymore. The result, however, was obvious: it didn't work.

Hyunjin barely realized that they were right in front of the modern, well-designed storefront. He, then, parked in one of the parking spaces and leaned over to tenderly kiss Yoorim's cheek, who was taken aback.

"If she were here, your mom would be very proud of you," he said as he pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. "As much as I am every day."

Yoorim reopened the smile, and the best: she believed.

So they both got out of the car and didn't have to wait long for Yeji to find them on the sidewalk. Heo didn't want to waste time and has already pulled the keys from her pocket. Luckily she had a copy for when she had to close the shop, and it was no trouble for Hyunjin to pass the house they shared to pick them up before anything else.

The lights were all on, and Yoorim made a point of letting Yeji scour the computers to check the security camera footage. The whole procedure took place in a heavy silence, except for the sound of keys under the policewoman's nimble fingers. Only when she finally found the sender recording on the day and time in question did the couple approach the big monitor.

"That's the weird guy," the youngest of the three pointed at the screen when a tall man appeared before the lens, already heading for the counter with a handful of objects in his hands. As noted earlier, he wore gloves and Yoorim was the only one to touch his purchases directly before packing and receiving payment. "And look, he bought a packet of flexible ringlets for curtains identical to the one they found in Jisung's car." from behind the computer, Yoorim went to one of the shelves and grabbed a dark green box. "These are the ones here."

Yeji examined the cables and pliers the man also bought. She didn't understand cars very well, but she figured all this would be very useful for destabilizing any model. Then her fingers caught the little box that was left in front of her, and she saw that Yoorim couldn't be more correct in saying that the ringlets were exactly alike. Finally, Yeji took a photo from her pocket and took a deep breath as she tried to compare it to the man in black.

"Both are tall" her eyes frantically alternated between the computer screen and Kim Minhwan. Since the day he was reported, the boy's photograph had been kept at the police station in case it was requested in the future, but after finding out about the "accident," Yeji no longer took it from her pocket. "But it's impossible to know if they're the same person. This man didn't even show more than a few inches of skin."

"I don't give a shit," said Hyunjin. "I just want to know if you are going to leave Yoorim alone now."

"If my investigation of this guy succeeds, yes. Otherwise, your girlfriend is still the prime suspect."

"So keep looking at it" sounding purposefully annoying and aware that Yeji hated taking orders from anyone, Hyunjin crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "Go on, I'm in a hurry."

She laughed a little. "I don't think you take the gun at my waist seriously."

"I've known you since the day you were born. You're crazy, but not a murderer. Now work."

If the force of a gaze could kill, Yeji would have already incinerated Hyunjin entirely. Too bad that the present moment wasn't conducive to throw tantrum, otherwise she would have already crossed her arms and pouted or perhaps started another potentially disastrous discussion.

"I'm going to work, but it's because I want to, not because you told me to."

"And fast."

Yeji bit the inside of her cheek and decided that her quota of self-control had already been blown out enough that night, so she saved her mischief and set about checking the rest of the footage.

Yoorim went to where Hyunjin was standing and received the hug she wanted without even having to ask. The days were very busy and although they lived together, sometimes there was no time left to be together properly. Hwang worked in a lab until six-thirty while Heo helped run the store on Thursdays and Fridays and devoted herself to her internship for the rest of the week. When night came, both the future biomedical and the chemical engineer had to give some attention to the university books, and in this they were careless of everything else. Yoorim didn't really understand why the kids were so eager to grow up. The lives of adults were cruel.

The couple were interrupted when Yeji quickly searched for another photo in her uniform pocket and frowned immediately. Hyunjin and Yoorim approached the computer, which now displayed the busy street in front of the store.

"That pick-up truck," she pointed to the black car that was parked at the curb. "It was stolen days ago! I was almost giving up looking for it."

Yoorim watched the man in black leave the store and get into the vehicle with all the calm and tranquility of the world. Her certainty that he couldn't be anyone but Kim Minhwan grew even bigger.

"This will take a while, but I'll have to check every possible security camera until I find out where he's gone." Yeji got up and replaced the chair she was sitting on. "As long as this guy is not found, I advise you to be careful with the hospital. I'll ask the deputy to have some colleagues keep an eye out, because if he's as smart as he seems, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to finish what he started."

Yoorim didn't even kill an ant, but in that case she would make a point of kicking him between the legs.

Hyunjin nodded and bit his lower lip for a moment, full of hesitation. When the flesh was released through his teeth, he turned his face arrogantly.

"I won't thank you. You're doing no more than your duty."

"I don't remember asking for any thanks. I want you two to explode, you gross" Yeji walked out of the store and, as she was opening the door to leave, added without turning to look at them, "I'll call when I have news."

Hyunjin and Yoorim exchanged a look followed by a low laugh and resumed the hug from before. After such a fright, kisses were, undoubtedly, the best medicine.

a/n: i didn't want to frustrate you guys, although i ended up doing it anyway

in the last chapter i said that there would be a moment between jinah and jisung in this chapter here, but i didn't calculate the scenes well and everything turned out to be bigger than i thought; so there was no space left and if i included other parts it would be huge. so sorry again for that

but in compensation this chapter focused more on hyunjin and yoorim, huh

anyway, i'll be back as soon as i can, i swear i'll do my best!

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solange-lol · 4 years

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not so typical love song - ch. 5/13

Chapter Title: Love Lies

Words: 4,137

Art by @lizzybizzyo! <3

read on ao3

—

Nico walked through the gate to Jason’s back porch just as Reyna stepped out the back door. Both of them were fully in costume, so they took a second to admire the other’s choice.

“Nice horns,” Nico commented Reyna, who had gone full Maleficent in all-black, complete with a black cape and staff. Thick black horns were glued onto a headband, and she wore delicate silver wing-shaped studs.

“Are the wings to symbolize the crow?” he asked, with a vague memory of the movie plot when she had shown it to him.

“No, stupid, I couldn’t get giant wings for her so I got mini ones,” Reyna rolled her eyes, and Nico nodded as more of the movie came back to him. He had forgotten about the wings if they were being completely honest, but he kept that part to himself. “And thanks, though I have to duck every time I walk through a doorway because of the horns.”

“You wouldn’t if you weren’t going on six feet tall.”

“You’re just jealous,” she quipped, and Nico hated that she’s sort of right. Being 5 '4 in a school where every guy seems to be over 6 foot is both a blessing and a curse.

Jason stepped out the door just then. “Nico what the hell are you supposed to be?”

“A dementor? From Harry Potter?” Nico replied incredulously, pulling his hood over his head. It was Bianca and Reyna’s idea, and it meant he got to wear a black cloak, so he went along with it.

“Haven’t you only seen like, three of the movies?”

Nico flushed. “Unimportant.”

“Jason, this is like a new level of laziness for you. Where is your costume?” Reyna interrupted with a sigh, looking defeated. Nico pulled his hood back down, noticing for the first time he appeared to be dressed in everyday clothing.

Jason always encouraged them strongly to dress up, but when it came time for him to find a costume he seemed to go the easiest route.

“This is my costume! I’m Where’s Waldo?!” he defended, gesturing towards himself. Nico tilted his head and squinted, sort of understanding it with his red and white striped crewneck and the red and white hat, as well as a pair of blue jeans and his normal glasses.

Without context, though, he sort of just looked like he was dressing for the cold weather.

Reyna sighed again. “Come with me, I think your sister has a cane from one of the shows somewhere. It’ll at least help instead of making you look like a casual Santa.”

“I do not!” he protested as he followed Reyna back inside.

Nico sat down on one of Jason’s lawn chairs, knowing it would probably be some time before the two came back out. He sort of always suspected that Reyna liked Jason, but unfortunately his crush on Piper was clear to everyone except for him, which ended in some harsh friendzoning. At least Piper and Reyna got along, for the most part.

Up until recently, Nico considered trying to help try and get Jason and Piper together because as far as he could see, Piper maybe liked him back.

Now though, he was working against them, and that was crushing to his spirit.

He debated sending Blue and email about it, but unfortunately, that was just part of the secret Nico was keeping from him.

It still sort of hurt knowing that he was hiding something so major from Blue. It hurt knowing that Blue didn’t want to reveal their identities yet because that would just make life so much simpler.

That was Blue’s business, though, and Nico was willing to cross any line for him. Which was how he got caught up in all this shit anyway.

With the memory of his conversation with Octavian parking in his brain, Nico leaned back and cursed quietly to himself. He still had no idea how he was actually going to help Octavian to get Piper to like him, considering she’s already threatening him, and changing Piper’s mind wasn’t very easy.

Speaking of Piper, Jason and Reyna were just walking back out the door with a wooden cane when Piper walked through Jason’s gate, dressed in a Wonder Woman costume, including a red tank top tucked into denim shorts printed like the American flag, and a small circlet of gold rope hanging from one of her belt loops. Her hair was in a half up/half down ponytail, a gold headband with a red star was pushed back on her forehead, and white socks were pulled up along her ankle from her pair of red Converse high tops.

“Wow, Piper you look… amazing,” Jason paused from his spot in the doorway, taking it all in.

Nico didn’t miss the way Reyna’s eyes flashed before she, too, complemented Piper’s costume.

She thanked them both just as Nico sighed, realizing that he was going to have to tell them about Octavian.

“By the way,” he stared down at his shoes, already regretting his decision. “I invited Octavian to ride with us.” Immediately, there was a chorus of groans and Nico winced.

“Why did you have to invite him,” Jason asked, throwing his head back at the same time Reyna asks “Is this a Make-A-Wish situation?”

Nico swallowed. “He’s cool, trust me.”

—

Needless to say, Octavian was not very cool, and neither was his costume. He tried dressing like some sort of greek god in a toga and laurel wreath but ended up looking more like someone’s failed beach wedding.

After a painful 10 minute car ride that felt more like 10 hours, they finally got to the Stolls’ house. Nico was hoping that Octavian would disappear, but he clung to Nico and Piper as they walked inside the house.

“Hey, guys!” Travis Stoll greeted them, clearly already tipsy.

He was dressed in a pair of overalls with a matching red shirt and hat embedded with a white M. Nico could only imagine that Connor was then wandering around somewhere with an identical green costume. The Stolls’ made it a habit to dress in ironically matching costumes, which only confused people more whenever they tried to explain that they weren’t twins.

“Can I get you guys any drinks?” They all nodded except for Octavian and Reyna. As Nico and his friends followed Travis into the kitchen, he was glad to notice that Octavian dropped off somewhere along the way. Hopefully, he wouldn't be back for a while.

The kitchen was less crowded than the rest of the party. It was mainly just people stopping in the get drinks and then leaving. Only two figures stuck around to have a conversation at the bar. One was Lou Ellen, who was dressed in a black dress and a pointy witch hat. The other was currently looking down at their drink.

The shark person lifted their head at the noise, and Nico instantly smiled at who it was. “Will, you made it! And that’s a great costume!”

Will returned his smile with a dazzling grin of his own, and Nico felt his heart skip a beat. “Thank you! I’ve been recycling it for a few years now so I’m glad somebody still likes it.”

Next to him, Lou Ellen rolls her eyes.

“You’re costume is great. A dementor, right?”

Nico’s smile grew. “Yeah, exactly.”

Will gestured over to Jason. “And Jason is dressed as… as Jason.”

Apparently, Jason heard them though, and turned around, looking exasperated. “No, I’m Where’s Waldo?!”

Will nodded. “Right,” he said seriously, before turning to Nico and giving him a look of amusement that made Nico’s heart thud in his chest.

Travis handed Piper three cups, who handed Jason and Nico each one.

Nico took a sip from his and cringed immediately at the taste. “What the hell is this?”

Will leaned over and takes a sniff of the cup. “Dunno. Smells fruity. Screwdriver, maybe?”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “It’s a little vodka-heavy. Tastes like an actual screwdriver,” he said before taking another sip, once again pulling a face of disgust.

“I’m taking you don’t drink often?”

“Once a year, always on Halloween,” Nico rolled his eyes. “And maybe wine at Christmas.”

Will laughed softly, shaking his head as a few curls fell in front of his eyes, and Nico felt heat pooling in his stomach.

If Will wasn’t Blue, well, they might have a problem.

—

At some point in the party, Nico found himself walking past the living room where drunk karaoke was taking place, and outside. His eyes were trained on Will, who's standing next to a ping pong table full of red solo cups. The sleeves of his onesie are now rolled up to his forearms, showing off more tan, freckled skin.

When Will noticed Nico walking towards him, his eyes lit up. “Nico! Hey, you wanna play beer pong?”

Nico didn’t, not really, but he’s tipsy and he needed an excuse to be around Will more, so he found himself agreeing. The way Will grinned at him made it feel sort of worth it, at least.

“Okay, cool! We just need two more people.”

Nico glanced around them. “Okay, how about me and you on a team, and then…” he trailed off, searching for someone he at least knew so he’ll be able to laugh about this later with them.

His eyes fell on Piper and Reyna dancing together with Annabeth, who’s dressed as Harley Quinn. He could see Octavian trying (and failing) to budge his way into their little circle, and an idea sparked in his head. “And Octavian and Piper?”

Will’s eyes narrowed for a second at the mention of Octavian’s name, and Nico cursed himself internally for forgetting about the unspoken feud Will had against him. Thankfully, he seemed to shrug it off. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind kicking Octavian’s butt.”

Octavian looked up at the mention of his name, and Nico nodded at him and Piper.

‘Me? And him?!’ Piper mouthed, waving her arms. Nico just shrugged and nodded in response, and Piper groaned. Annabeth and Reyna both gave her a pitying look as she walked over to Nico and Will.

“You are gonna pay for this, di Angelo,” she hissed as she walked past him to the other side of the table, although Nico didn’t feel all that threatened by her anymore. (Which was probably the alcohol in his blood talking.)

“Okay, have you ever played before?” Piper asked, rubbing her hands together.

“Oh, totally, yeah,” Octavian nodded, clearly lying. Both Nico and Will refrained from rolling their eyes at him; they exchanged a look of exasperation instead.

Maybe this wasn’t the best idea…

Piper, who either didn’t notice or didn’t care (probably the latter) continued with the rules. “Alright, two reracks, no blowing, and two balls in the cup means you have to take three, okay?”

Will and Nico both nodded, and Nico’s glad he’s played beer pong with Piper before, otherwise he would have no clue what she meant.

Octavian, on the other hand, clearly had no idea what she was talking about. He mumbled something about thinking they were playing a different game, and this time, Nico couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Will doing the same.

“We’ll just explain as we go along,” Nico sighed, getting in position to toss the first ball.

“Oh, wait,” Will interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder, and Nico felt like an electric current was running through his body. “Maybe you should tie these sleeves up. Wouldn’t want to prohibit your shot.”

He helped Nico tie the long sleeves of his cloak up at his shoulders, and Nico was definitely blushing now. “Thank you,” he told Will, who just smiled and nodded.

Nico kissed the ball before shooting it, and mentally thanked all the times his friends forced him to play with them as it landed in a cup.

Octavian looked over at Piper, who shrugged. “All you.”

Octavian just nodded, picking up the drink and chugging it. He attempted a throw after that, completely missing. Both Nico and Will had to bite their lip to stop themselves from laughing.

They went back and forth for a while, Octavian doing most of the work for him and Piper’s team while she stood by the side and watched, both tired and amused by his antics.

As for Nico and Will, well, they’re killing the game.

They ended up winning with four cups left still on their side. Nico was drunker now from the few cups Octavian did manage to get a ball into, and he and Will hugged. The contact is more than what Nico could process at the moment, making his senses completely overwhelmed.

It’s not in a bad way though, and it’s the most fun he’s ever had at one of these parties. Heck, it’s the most fun he’s had all week, ever since the whole mess with Octavian started.

Except Nico’s forgotten about Blue for the time being, because right now he’s here, living in the moment with a really cute guy in a shark onesie, which is honestly all he could ever ask for.

—

After a rousing drunk duet with Will, followed by an embarrassing karaoke solo of his own, Nico found himself staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He could still hear the party music pounding outside, and he’s probably drunk out of his mind, but at this moment, he feels stone-cold sober.

This is his time to tell Will that he’s Angel.

“Hey, Will, it’s me, Angel!” he slurred, practicing what to say. This was his moment to let it all go; he couldn’t afford to mess it up. And maybe it’s drunken confidence that he’ll regret the morning after, but at least it will be out.

He tried again. “Hey, Will. I’m Angel.”

That didn’t sound right either. Maybe something witty… “Hey, did you fall from heaven? Because you look like an angel. I’m an angel too! Y’know… Angel? That’s me!”

He sighed. “Just had to pick Angel, huh, di Angelo?”

Despite his failed efforts, he left the bathroom in search for Will. He’s still upstairs, and he saw Will disappear up the stairs earlier when he was singing, so it’s his best bet as to where he is.

He moved through the hallway, not sure which door to try first.

There's some sort of movement coming from the room at the end of the hallway. Praying he’s not walking in on Travis and his girlfriend, he opened the door.

What he found was something worse.

Will sat on the edge of the bed. The sleeves of his onesie were pushed up farther than they were before, nearly to his shoulders, and his hood was pushed down. The first button or so is unbuttoned, revealing a white shirt underneath.

All of this could be due to overheating if it weren’t for the girl in his lap.

Nico felt his heart drop as they both stopped making out to turn and look at him in surprise. He vaguely recognized the girl; Lacy, who was dressed in some sort of slutty Snow White costume, was in the grade below them.

Will stood up, making a move to go towards him, but Nico started backing out of the room as he choked out an apology.

“I thought this was the bathroom, sorry,” he said quickly before running from the room. He moved back for a second to close the door, apologizing again.

He sat down for a second outside the room, clawing at his hair. He wanted to unsee it all, wanted to forget it. Wanted to unsee the way Lacy was running her fingers through Will’s hair. Wanted to unsee the way Will gripped her waist, pulling her towards him. Wanted to unsee how she moved back towards Will as he was closing the door.

He wanted to forget Will altogether, how he looked so apologetically guilty of something when Nico walked in on them, and how his eyes followed Nico on the way out.

He took a deep breath, pulling himself together. It would have been too easy if it was Will. He needed to keep going, needed to keep looking.

He tried to ignore how broken he felt inside on the way back downstairs.

When Nico reached the bottom of the staircase, his eyes quickly scanned the room for Reyna. He was way too tired to try and make it through the rest of the party. He really didn’t want to hang out with anyone but Will right now anyway.

Nico spotted Jason, who was passed out on the couch next to Piper. She had on Reyna’s horn-headband for some reason, but at least that meant Reyna was probably nearby.

Just as he spotted her behind the couch talking to Percy, who was wearing a bucket hat and a leopard print shirt, appearing to be dressed as Mr. D (probably out of spite) when Octavian walked up to him.

Nico sighed, shaking his head. “Not now, Octavian, alright? I’ve had a long night—” He was interrupted, though, by Octavian puking all over his shoes.

“God, really?” Nico cried, stepping back from him.

Octavian lifted his head, looking more drunk than apologetic. “Sorry,” he muttered, before running off.

Nico just grimaced, trying to look anywhere but down. Thankfully, Reyna witnessed the entire situation and made her way over to him.

“Let’s go home,” he sighed, and she nodded.

—

The car ride home was peaceful; something Nico was relieved after the night he just had.

They had left the party with Jason and Piper, who had basically fallen asleep on top of each other in the backseat until they reached their respective homes. Thankfully, Octavian didn’t follow them out.

Once everyone was dropped off and Nico was sure Reyna was asleep on the mattress at the foot of his bed, he pulled out his laptop.

Reyna had seemed off that night. Usually, she was this confident, respectable figure that everyone wanted to have the approval of. She was usually sociable at parties, and tonight it was no different, but she seemed to always be watching everyone from afar. Like she wasn’t totally in the moment.

It was weird to see someone you look up to be in the exact same situation that Nico felt like he was in most of the time.

Nico decided he was going to consult Blue about his friend group. He may have said that he wouldn’t, but now he was so sick of being in between everything, and there was one person that could clear some of the fog from his brain.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Oct 31 at 12:44 AM

Subject: Advice Needed

This isn’t something I would typically ask for help with, but I honestly don’t know what to do. One of my friends likes the other, but he has no idea because he likes someone else. Any idea about what to do?

Anyway, to not make this email completely useless if you have no idea either, I’ll talk about what I’ve been thinking about recently.

Have you ever realized that straight people never have to come out? I mean like, besides the unfortunate situation when someone assumes you’re gay and you’re not, but nobody is going to get mad about you being straight. So why do I have to come out? Why does my family have to know I like guys for it to be respectful before I hypothetically have a boy to bring home?

(I don’t.)

Love, Angel

It felt like second nature writing the email; just typing as his thoughts went. He sent it without reading it over like he usually does.

He was about to close his laptop and go to sleep when something he had written caught the corner of his eye.

Love, Angel.

“Shit!” Nico whispered to himself. He quickly tried to see if there was any way to reverse what he had just sent, but the damage had been done.

Nico just had to hope that Blue doesn’t flip out because of it.

—

Nico was sitting in his fourth period math class the next day, barely paying attention and counting down the minutes until he could go take a nap in the library during lunch. The consequences of last night were hitting hard, and he was dealing with a pounding headache and nausea every time he looked at the math problems on the board. Whoever thought most kids would actually show up to school the day after Halloween wasn’t thinking clearly.

More than half of Nico’s grade was missing, including the Jason and Piper. The Stolls weren’t there either, though that was to be expected. Nico would be surprised if they even showed up on Monday.

Will Solace was in school, which unfortunately shattered Nico’s last hope of what he walked in on just being entirely alcohol-influenced. Nico felt his heart pang as he realized it was probably time to move on from Will in search for the real Blue.

Anyway, math was hell in general, but especially worse today. His Algebra 2 teacher, Mrs. Dodds, was an actual demon. (She once threatened a kid by telling them she drank baby tears.) As she tried to teach them compound inequalities, Nico felt his eyes drooping further and further. He eventually just gave in to the risk that he might face the wrath of the demon for sleeping in her class, and he let his eyes slip shut.

(Besides, maybe a quick nap would help his headache.)

Just as he nearly fell asleep completely, Nico felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and his heart dropped.

He had been dreading Blue’s response ever since he sent that email with the L-word last night. Best case scenario was Blue would just skip over the ending, but judging by the way Nico read and reread every email that he received, he sort of doubted it.

Some excitement that came with it. It was the truth, wasn’t it? Otherwise, Nico wouldn’t have written it. Obviously, there was a huge amount of fear, but it also made Nico’s heart pound dizzyingly every time he thought about Blue.

Sparing a glance at Mrs. Dodds, who still had her back turned, Nico quickly pulled out his phone. He hoped he’s not risking a Saturday detention for a text from Jason, but when he saw the Gmail icon alongside a familiar email address, his breath caught in his throat.

Nico held his breath as he swiped open the notification, ignoring the way his eyes strained painfully from trying to read with this cursed hangover headache.

This could be it, he thought, then shook the thought away and began to read.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: Nov 1 at 10:52 AM

Subject: Re: Advice Needed

You have to be 21 to gamble, and it’s too bad I’m not because if I were to bet that you were drunk emailing me last night, I think I’d hit the jackpot.

(Luckily, it seems I’ve hit the jackpot getting to meet you.)

You’re probably freaked out about what I’m going to say here, but don’t be. I liked it.

I like you, Angel, but I think you already knew that.

And you’re right about the coming out thing, that does suck. But I’m actually glad you mentioned it because you’ve inspired me to come out to my mom. So thank you, really. You don’t understand how much you’ve done for me.

Love, Blue.

(P.S; I guess you didn’t catch on from the Nutella story, but I’m really bad at advice. I’m not quite sure what to do about your friends, but I honestly don’t think it’s anything you can fix. You can’t force someone to be in love with someone that they just… aren’t. Good luck, though, and make sure you’re there for them when they need you.)

Nico felt like he had just stopped breathing altogether. Honestly, he didn’t think he breathed at all while reading that letter, and he sure as hell wasn’t breathing now. He reread the words “Love, Blue” over and over again, as he finally exhaled.

(Secretly, silently, he cursed at himself for reading the email in Will’s voice. That second to last line hit too hard after last night. It’s time to move on, di Angelo!)

Blue liked him. No, Blue loved him. And he was going to come out to his family, which maybe, maybe meant he was one step closer to revealing his identity.

Nico switched off his phone and shoved it into his bag, refusing to let his hopes get too high.

Nevertheless, he had never looked so happy in a math class.

#solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #pjo #heros of olympus #nstls #pjo hoo big bang 2019 #liz writes.com

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