pjo request here if you dont mind! I saw you tagged nico x reader on the post where you where asking for requests, but if you don’t write him then that’s ok!
Request : nico x fem reader but very platonically, like as best friends or something, doing just average camp stuff(idk im so bad at thissss😭😭😭😭)
obvious ⋆˚꩜｡
synopsis: nico's best friend makes fun of nico for every little thing, especially when he gets soft for will solace.
includes: nico x platonic!reader, solangelo, little bit of homophobia in the bonus pov, nico yearning
you've been nico's friend long enough to know three things for sure:
he hates being observed.
he pretends to not care about anything or anyone.
he is painfully soft for will solace.
you don't say anything at first, respecting his secrets and wanting him to feel comfortable enough around you to share his feelings. but when will shows up to the mess hall one morning with sleep eyes and bed-head and nico blushes, you decide respecting his secrets is boring.
"you smiled" you tease while taking a bite out of your pancake.
"no i didn't" he chokes on his drink when will looks up and smiles at him.
"sure you didn't"
nico being soft for will isn't a one time thing. later that day, while you're sparring, you get clipped by a training spear. nico throws ambrosia at your face with a little "you'll be fine," but when will trips over his own feet, nico is there in an instant. of course, to everyone else, it looks innocent enough. a friend worried about a friend. but you see the shift in his eyes, how he looks at will with the softest expression you've ever seen on his face, how his eyes dilate, how his breathing speeds up. it's obvious to someone who spends way too much time with him.
when nico gets up from his kneeling position next to will, you're there. "so when i almost die it's "you're fine," but when will trips over nothing, the world is coming to an end?"
"you didn't almost die, you got cut, big whoop." nico brushes the dirt off his knees
"i could've died! and what happened to will? he's fine!" you throw your arms up in protest
"yeah because i helped him! and plus, it's different."
"because you're in love" you whisper under your breath with a smirk, but it's loud enough for nico and will to hear.
"i can hear you, ya know" will says from his position on the grass as he starts to stand up.
"good. i'd hate for this intervention to be a private affair" you say as you poke nico with the hilt of your sword with a smirk before walking away.
after this interaction, you start keeping track of all the little changes in nico when will is around. when will enters a room, nico straightens up immediately. when will laughs at a stupid joke nico or you say, nico relaxes like that sound is music to his ears. when will leaves a room, nico's eyes follow him until he's out of sight followed by a sigh that, you assumed, was a mix of relief and disappointment. relief because he didn't have to watch his every word and action to impress will, and disappointment because now will's gone.
one afternoon, you catch nico staring at the infirmary longingly and clear your throat loudly.
"don't" nico warns instantly.
"don't what?"
"don't make it a thing."
"nico, honey, it's already a thing" you sit next to nico on the grass.
he doesn't argue. without looking over at you, he says, "give me a cut."
"what? why would i do that?" you ask, bewildered. why on earth would he want you to purposely-
oh.
"just do it! don't question it," he hands you his dagger "don't do it deep. just... a shallow little cut. enough to bleed."
"if i didn't know why you wanted me to do this, it'd be concerning, but since i do, i will be making fun of you for this later. and no?? i'm not gonna cut you?? just, like, throw yourself down this little hill we're on and hope you get cut on the way down. i'm not gonna hurt you, but if you accidentally get hurt, i had nothing to do with it and it'll be funny."
"throw myself down?? what am i supposed to do, jump?? just say "sayonara" and nosedive??"
"no, like, roll down. put your hands to your shoulders in a cross and get on your side. i'll push you so you roll" you stand up with a smile, "c'mon, lover boy, the quicker this is done, the quicker you can run to the infirmary with cuts you got accidentally so your boyfriend can bandage you up"
"he's not my boyf- oh my gods WAIT!!" he says as you push him down the hill. you cackle as he rolls, little twigs getting caught in his hair.
you yell down the hill once he's done rolling, "YOU OKAY?!"
"I GOT A CUT!!" he yells back excitedly while holding up his arm.
"GO GET HIM!!!" and you watch as he walks toward the infirmary like a proud mom.
later that day, you come into nico's cabin ready to play pictionary, something you do every night, when you find him on his bed staring up at the ceiling with a soft smile. you notice the new bandage on his arm that will must've given him for his "accidental" cut from earlier. you walk over to him and sit on the edge of his bed. "what's got you so happy, mister?"
"he makes it quieter in my head."
you smile at that. despite dogging on him for everything else he does, you could never make fun of him for this. ever.
"i know."
the next day, you walk into nico's cabin and find nico and will sitting on his bed sharing earbuds and just talking. you freeze.
"oh. sorry, didn't' mean to interrupt your married life."
nico throws a pillow at you while will laughs. "get out!" nico yells, but you don't miss the smile on his face as he says this. you know deep down he's glad you found them in such a domestic position. you also know deep down that this means something more than friends for both of them now.
later, nico finds you sitting under a tree and sits down next to you. "you enjoy torturing will and i too much"
"i enjoy seeing you happy. sue me."
"don't tell anyone." he looks over to you, and that's when you know. you smile.
"i won't. you know i won't."
you still tease him relentlessly. you still call him out when he gets soft. and nico still pretends to hate every second of it.
but when it really matters, when the world gets loud or dark or cruel, he stands closer to you. he trusts you with the things he's too scared to say to anyone else. you saw it first. you stayed.
and honestly? someone had to bully him into realizing he was in love.
bonus will pov:
will notices things. he notices how nico pretends not to listen but moves closer to you when you're talking. he notices how nico relaxes in a way he's never seen around you. he notices how his eyes can soften around you.
and he notices how you notice nico. that's why he's not surprised when it happens.
it's during dinner when a camper from another table makes fun of his and nico's relationship. "so what is this, fairy land? didn't know we were doing jokes now."
our table - the three of us - goes quiet. nico stiffens and his expression falls. will opens his mouth like he's getting ready to say something, but closes it. nobody says anything, that is, until you stand up, dagger unsheathed. instantly, you're dragging that guy by the collar and backing him up against a tree away from sight of the mess hall.
when you come back, the guy follows with a defeated and embarrassed expression. you sheathe your dagger again. nico stares at with an expression that is unreadable when the guy comes over to our table and mutters a quiet "i'm sorry." it's not an expression of embarrassment or anger, it's almost... bright.
when the guy walks away, nico quietly says, "you didn't have to do that."
you shrug. "yeah. i did."
will smiles. here's the thing will understands now:
nico didn't learn how to be soft on his own, he learned it because someone stayed long enough to protect him while he figured it out.
and will? will plans on staying too.
thanks for the request! i kinda made it surround solangelo but the nico x platonic!reader is the core of the fic. not proofread.
Hiiiiii. I'm new here and confused, can you gimme a quick run down of all your kiddos? Love your fics btw
Heyyy!!! Thanks for all the love and support (enter hug)
So, we have:
Solangelo kiddos
Bianca
Ryder (2 years younger than Bianca)
Jasmine (5 years younger than Bianca)
Percabeth kiddos
Zoe (Same age as Bianca)
Charlie (Zoe’s twin brother)
Theo (same age as Ryder)
Lana (same age as Jasmine)
Also, Colin is Bianca’s and Charlie’s best friend, and the fourth member of the Zoe, Bianca, Charlie, Colin friend group. (If you would like to know more about him lmk)
Winifred is also one of the older kids close friend.
Nate is Tratie’s eldest son. They also have Jesse (a year younger than Nate) and Kinney that is around Lana’s and Jasmine’s age.
Sometimes other characters might pop up like Eliot (Malcolm and Connor’s son) or Silena (Clarisse and Chris’ daughter) or Bobby’s and Matthew’s children like Xander, Rick and Carolyn.
I think that’s all of them :) If I missed someone don’t hesitate to ask more questions! I love making posts about all the characters and their story arches. If you have anything in mind feel free to dm me, we can even map out the post and fangirl over the cuteness overload.
"I made this for you." Nico blushes, outstretching his hands out the blonde in front of him.
Will stares.
"You... what?"
"Just take it!" He shoves the gift (or is it? Well, it's from him either way.)
"Oh?" Will laughs at the shorter boys face, stained a light pink. "And what's this?"
The small stuffed animal tips in his hands, rough and calloused from weeks spent in the infirmary. Its a cute sight, really; the pink bear with a colorful nose. Whats it made of anyways- cotton? Silk? It feels light in his hands. Delicate, too.
"Hazel and the seven were trying out stuffed animal making, so she taught me how to make one." Nico explains, the tip of his ears turning red. "This was my first try."
When the other boy stays silent, he falters and tries to correct himself.
Does he not like it? Maybe its not his color? Crap, this was a huge mistake. "Sorry- is it not good? I mean, i can try again but if you don't want it then I can always-"
"No, no!" Will is quick to take Nico's hands into his own, in a reassuring way. It makes both of their hearts beat faster. He laughs, and then shakes his head. "I love it. Whats the occasion?"
"Nothing," Yeah right. "Its just as a little thanks."
"Hm?"
"You know that day you invited me to the infirmary?" Nico starts, eyes averting. They land on his shoes, muddy and worn from all the years. Funny, they still fit him. "Im really thankful for that day. No matter how much I grumbled."
"You can say that again." Will snickers.
He glares at him. "Would you not ruin the mood?" Honestly, "But yeah. You really helped me with a lot."
"Like what?" He tilts his head.
"No one was really there to be with me those days at camp. I just guess you were the first one to really notice me." Nico takes a deep breath. "So thank you. So much."
The days he spent alone. Tired. Lost.
Will was there. Always.
He isn't sure why, but Will tears up. "I didn't know there was a more tender side to you, Nico!" He wipes the side of his face with his sleeve, nose sniffling. "C'mere!" He exclaims, as if they weren't inches away from each other.
At that point, Nico doesn't even pull away from the hug. Soft and warm, he thinks that he could stay there forever. And why couldn't he anyways?
Oh, right, its because that'd just be plain weird. A little creepy too.
When Will pulls away, he turns the back of the he bear over.
Lo and behold, the red heart stitched on. In red letters there's someone's name. Wait a second- no, this can't be, because Nico isn't that type of person, is he?
No.
Its definitely Will's name in there.
The heart- the pink- and the blush? Nico turns away as soon as he looks up, blushing madly all back again.
A/N: Yes, I am a proud member of the Riordanverse fanbase :) this is something I wrote for my friend who lives for Solangelo caz it was their birthday and I know they stalk my account 👀
I also had a conversation with said friend about the Riordanverse characters' coffee/tea preference which inspired me to write this. If you want headcanons for the other characters on their preferred drink, lemme know! Also could someone suggest a title for this caz my brain is currently empty :/
Nico walked out of the Hades cabin, bleary-eyed and tired. He felt as if he did not sleep a wink the night before, which was highly possible considering his insomnia. Right now, all he needed was coffee to brace himself for all the energetic, ADHD demigods he would have to endure for the rest of the day. Especially one demigod in particular, who Nico referred to as his ‘significant annoyance’.
How a son of Hades – god of death and darkness (woohoo!) – and a son of Apollo – who was the literal SUN god – had gotten together, Nico did not know. All he knew was that it had happened, meaning that every day when he got up and out of his cabin, he was greeted by the cheery face of Will Solace.
While Nico secretly enjoyed seeing his boyfriend first thing in the morning (although if anyone asked, he would deny the fact), unlike Will, he was not a morning person, so handling the human form of positivity and sunshine needed a lot of energy, something Nico lacked not just in the morning, but throughout the day as well. So, when he had first found out that caffeine existed, he quickly turned into a coffee-addict, something Will had always chided him for.
Just like any other day, Will was waiting for him as he exited his cabin. “Hey babe,” he greeted Nico, smiling as if he were the most beautiful existing creature on the planet. With his messy bedhead and dark circles under his obsidian eyes however, Nico was not feeling very beautiful at the moment. He walked towards Will, who had his hand held out for Nico to hold, which he did, a slight blush gracing his pale cheeks which Will pretended not to see but caused him to grin wider.
“Sleep well?” he asked. “Ughhh coffee…” Nico mumbled in response, rubbing his eye with his free hand. Will chuckled and pulled him closer. “I told you you could sneak into my cabin whenever you wanted. Sleeping with someone you love is actually really good for your health and helps you sleep better.” “One, obviously I can’t sneak into your cabin because there are like, ten other people sharing it with you. And two, I don’t love you, I hate you, so it would actually be very bad for my health to sleep with you.” Nico was actually not lying about it being unhealthy though, as he knew he was as addicted to Will’s cuddles as he was to coffee, if not more. To sleep with him would probably send Nico into cardiac arrest with how much his heart would beat.
Will placed his hand on his chest in mock hurt. “You wound me, di Angelo. Anyway, you must be hungry. Let’s go eat breakfast, alright? You really gotta eat more. And please don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach, the caffeine will kill you one day.” Nico rolled his eyes. “You’ll be all the way over at the Apollo table, you can’t stop me.” “You forgot you have a doctor’s note,” Will smirked. Nico chose to ignore him. They walked in silence towards the dining pavilion for a while, before Will asked, “Why don’t you try drinking tea for a change?” Nico glared at him. “Will, I love you, but please for the love of gods, don’t try and get in the way of my relationship with coffee.” “I thought you were in a relationship with me??” Will pouted. “Nah, you’re just the side-chick. Sorry bud.” “Hey!”
They sat down at the Apollo table, Nico immediately making himself a black coffee. Will wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Why would you drink it black?” “‘Tis as dark as my soul,” Nico said in a dramatic whisper, to which Will rolled his eyes, sipping something out of a boba cup. Nico looked at it curiously. It was so… pink and pastelly. He chucked inwardly; his boyfriend was adorable. “So, what’re you having?” “Hm? Oh this?” Will said, gesturing to his drink. “It’s just a regular milk tea boba. You want?” Nico did want to try it, but he was still working on… what was it Will called? Ah yes, ‘effective communication.’ Plus, he had a reputation to keep. “Hell no, that looks way too… pink.” Will laughed. “That’s just the cup, it’s a cute colour though, isn’t it?” “I know it’s the cup,” Nico hissed. “I don’t want it.” “Well, if you say so,” his boyfriend replied, finishing the boba. “Mm, that was good.”
After breakfast, Will and Nico parted ways to go on about their daily camp routines. When evening arrived, the both of them met up near the lake, something they did everyday to spend time together. Will’s smile doubled when he saw his boyfriend sitting on the grassy bank. “Hey, I brought you something.” It was another boba cup. “Milk tea? I don’t drink the stuff, Will, coffee supremacy.” “Come on, we all know tea is better. And bubble tea is even better. Here, try it. I know you wanted to earlier.” Nico grumbled and pretended like he did not, but he knew Will knew him too well for that. “Whatever,” he said, grabbing the cup and taking a tentative sip. It was… good. Not as strong as coffee, a little sweet but not too much, and very creamy. Nico finished it before he realized. He glared at Will who was smiling back at him knowingly. “So? Did the Lord of Darkness enjoy it?” “Shut up,” Nico said, looking away to hide his pout. He knew he had a bad habit of pouting, something Will called ‘cute’. He really did not deserve Will.
“It was good, thanks,” he blurted, surprising both himself and his boyfriend, who grinned his adorable sunshiny grin and ruffled Nico’s hair before kissing his forehead. “Of course, babe.”
"it's my fault you're here. i dragged you into this mess. i- i-" nico stopped and stared. no tears, nothing. his legs had stopped rocking back and forth, chipping at the side of the rock, and the sudden silence feel upon them like a thud. there was no wind. there was no singing breeze to calm them both, only a suffocating emptiness, matching the dim red ambience around them. will exhaled.
"look- i don't care if those voices turned out not to be true, or if we're stuck here, or, well, anything, really. as lame as it sounds, i'm here with you, neeks." there was an awkward pause. "the fact that you believed that there was a voice shows that there's still some hope inside of you."
will supposed it was to make up for nico's blank slate of an expression, but, in that moment, he broke down. he shouldn't have. it was nico's moment, yet, here he was, stealing it, just because of that trained expression that showed nothing, that will knew so well, yet didn't at all. he'd worn a similiar mask in the past: one of laughter and smiles, one that seemed to always be there. he'd seen his fair share of war. they both had. that moment was the moment he let it all out, and collapsed against nico's shoulder.
the other boy jolted in surprise, but quickly realised, and, a bit unsure, put their arm around will. they sat there for a while longer than they had already. it could have been minutes or hours, but without sunlight, they would never know. at some point, nico had begun singing- just quietly- under their breath. it was in italian, quite old, will thought, maybe even from nico's childhood, and it didn't matter that will didn't understand it. he listened anyway. his legs had started swinging again, at some point, too, in time with the music. that wasn't to say the song was happy- far from it, in fact, but it was definitely better than silence. and it was nico's voice.
at that moment, will came to the conclusion that they were never going to leave. this was it. this was the end of the line for them. the singing faded, and nico nodded off, leaving will to ponder on that fact. he reached up and tangled his fingers in nico's hair, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
Summary; The fate of Will’s art project lies in the hands of a kind stranger.
“No, no, no, no, no, no!” Will muttered as he dropped to his knees, scrambling to pick back up his art folder. “Please don’t be torn, please don’t be torn.” He chanted as he lifted it up from the sopping ground and looked it over. It was torn. Of course it was, Will thought as he frantically took off his raincoat and used it to cover his not quite damaged project. The folder had torn but Will had picked it up quickly enough that no water had gotten in yet. ‘Yet’ being the keyword here as it was absolutely lashing rain, Will had no umbrella and was now shucking off his jacket to protect the artwork that was worth 50% of his final grade.
“Well this is just fantastic.” He said sarcastically under his breath, ignoring the curious looks from passer-byers. There were New Yorkers, Will knew they saw much stranger things than a soaking wet college student on a regular basis and didn’t bat an eyelid but this they turned around in the street to look at? Will sighed. Just his luck. It didn’t help that this was one of the worst weeks Will had had in a long time, if not ever. On Monday, a woman on the subway had vomited all over Will. Tuesday, his phone fell and now there was a big crack all down the middle of the screen. On Wednesday, his roommate had accidentally turned off his alarm and Will was almost late for his history final. And now it was Thursday. Will thought his day couldn’t get any worse when his coffee machine broke and he had to face the day without being adequately caffeinated, but apparently the universe took that as a personal challenge. It was crazy! Until yesterday, Will didn’t even believe in the universe but it seemed some higher power was out to make his life miserable.
Will came to a halt at a pedestrian crossing, pushing the button and waiting for the little red man to turn green. Water streamed down his face in rivulets, dousing his clothes. Will was fairly sure the puddles in his shoes could rival the size of any lake and he was so damned cold that-
Suddenly, the rain stopped.
Will looked up in confusion but there was no sky above to be found, only black, water-proof fabric. Someone was holding an umbrella over him. Will glanced around, confused and noticed a guy around his age had come up beside him without Will even realising it. Will knew right then and there that he must have been so deep in his thoughts that he was half way into a coma because that was the only valid excuse for missing the arrival of the god-like presence before him.
“Thank you.” Will managed, his jaw quivering in the cold.
The mysterious stranger smiled, his dark brown eyes warming. His hair was shorter on the sides and longer on the top leaving a few strands to fall in soft curls around his face. His jawline looked sharp enough to kill a man and those cheekbones – Will could see the picture he would draw, this mysterious stranger, perfectly defined in a blur of people. An open umbrella held over his shoulder looking to the entire world like a black, water-resistant halo.
“Here, take it.” The guy said, and hello accent. If it were socially acceptable to swoon anymore, Will would have. But instead his eyes widened and he shook his head.
“No, I couldn’t, I mean, thank you so much, but don’t you need it?”
The guy smiled again. God, he was going to have to stop doing that unless he wanted to have to resuscitate Will right there on the spot.
“I live just there.” He said pointing to the building directly across the street. “So it’s fine. Besides,” He said looking Will up and down, a smirk dancing on his lips. “You look like you need it more.”
Before Will could even respond, the crossing light went green. The guy stepped onto the street and turned to Will with a wink.
“See you around sunshine.”
“Wait!” Will cried. “What’s your name? How will I get this back to you?”
Mysterious stranger spun around so he was now walking backwards. It was official - that was the single hottest thing Will had ever seen.
“Nico DiAngelo.” Ah, Will was right about the accent.
“Apartment 3D. Wear something cute.”
And with one last wink, Nico disappeared into his building, the light went red and Will realised he had forgotten to even cross the road.
