HOO & PJO One-Shots

Leico

Leico
Leo x Nico

Leo's P.O.V

The walk from the subway to the library took under five minutes, but Nico somehow managed to go from cold to frozen. I held his hand in an attempt to hear it up, but it had little effect, and I didn't want to go too far and end up burning him. I slipped my hand out of his and opened the door. A little bell rang, notifying the librarian of our arrival. After a look of recognition passed her face, she began to smile and come towards us with her arms wide open. Now, usually when women come running at us, they end up being strange monsters that try to kill us, but this time we stayed rooted in place. Mrs.Penny was the opposite of a monster, and when we were pulled into a warm hug, I felt a shot of reassurance that not everything I see has to do with the Greek gods. Not that I didn't appreciate what my demigodliness had brought me, but sometimes it was nice to feel normal.

"Have you boys been eating properly? Every time I see you, you two seem slimmer!" Mrs.Penny exclaimed as she led us into the backroom. Stepping into the cozy room always felt like coming home, which was a pleasant change from my life of constantly moving to new foster homes. Before I'd been introduced to Mrs.Penny, I'd almost forgotten how it was to have a motherly figure, but now I often found myself calling her my grandmother.

"Eh, training has been intense lately." Nico rattled off a lame excuse that neither Mrs.Penny or I bought.

Mrs.Penny called him on his bluff. "Oh really, and what is it you're training so hard for?"

"Uh," Nico paused, clearly trying to think of a good reason, "Well, a demigod can never be too prepared."

I took Mrs.Penny's side. "That's ironic seeing as you haven't been to the arena to train since last week."

Nico's gaze dropped to the floor as we both settled into the second hand couch. "Yeah, well she said you have gotten thinner too..."

"I've gotten thinner because I forget to eat, I don't choose not to." I explained for what felt like the thousandth time.

Mrs.Penny picked up a box of cookies from the counter and brought them over to us before settling into the armchair. "Help yourselves." She gestured to the cookies. "Speaking of camp, how's Calypso settling into her new position?"

I picked up a cookie and took a bite before replying. "She's excellent at showing the younger campers Arts and Crafts. I seriously think she was born to do it!"

"And you're not still upset over her choice to help out at camp?" Mrs.Penny asked as she sipped her tea.

I shook my head. "Nah, it wasn't her fault she was forced to fall in love with everyone that landed on her island, just as it wasn't her fault for falling in love with the camp lifestyle. I understand how she decided that it was her time to be happy, and if we were together, then she wouldn't be allowed to take the job at camp."

"I don't understand why she isn't allowed to date campers." The elderly lady commented.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nico deep in thought, no doubt calculating the amount of calories the cookies had. "The Gods didn't want her to be crushed every time her demigod boyfriend died." I turned to Nico. "Just eat one, for me?"

Nico bit his lip before slowly reaching over and choosing the smallest cookie of the box. He began to break it into small pieces before putting a small chunk into his mouth. I watched him chew the same piece for two minutes before he finally swallowed. "There." He rolled his eyes.

"I understand that it's hard for you, but you need to eat. It's just not healthy to be that skinny." I explained as I slid my arm over his shoulder and rubbed his back.

Mrs.Penny joined in. "It hurts to see you in pain, Nico."

Nico's eyes watered. "I hate being controlled by this stupid disorder!"

Right in front of our eyes, Nico broke down. The small chunks of cookie went tumbling to the floor as Nico reached out and pulled me close. I continued to rub circles into his back as he let it all out. I glanced up and was met with the sympathetic gaze of the elderly lady.

A half hour later, Nico had calmed down and we'd changed topics. "But if you're dyslexic, why would you want to be a librarian?"

She simply laughed. "For the majority of my childhood, I'd been picked on just because I couldn't read. When I got into high school, I decided that I didn't want to let my dyslexia run my life anymore, so I spent a long time studying books until I found my own way to read. Sure, it may take me a bit longer to finish a book, but I still understand it."

"Wow, that's so encouraging! Do you think I could ever open a mechanic's shop?" I asked, trying to see if she really thought I could do it.

Mrs.Penny smiled. "I think you two can do whatever you set your minds to, even if it means you two end up running a taco food truck."

"That's a great idea, what do you think Neeks?" I turned towards my boyfriend of three months.

Nico simply smiled. "As long as you let me drive, you're a menace on the roads!"

The sound of our laughter rang out into the library, but for once we didn't get told to quiet down. Quite the contrary, for our laughter boomed even louder when Mrs.Penny piped up. "They better be quiet out in the library, some people are trying to laugh here."

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That one is kind of all over the place with some happiness, sadness and laughter all mixed together. :P

Thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave a request!

Spread love like butter! -Tianne :P