Just A Little--a Soldezangelo (will/leo/nico) oneshot

Just A Little

Leo sighed softly as he flopped down on his bunk in Cabin 9, glancing around the temporarily deserted cabin. He hated being head of the cabin—he almost had no time to himself, having to take care of everyone. He wasn’t good at it, either. He was never the responsible one or the mature one and it was a headache trying to be something he wasn't. He gently reached under his blankets and grabbed the hidden stuffie that was down there, setting it on top of his chest. It was a dragon plush that looked similar to the monstrous nightmare from How to Train Your dragon, even if it had been created before those movies existed.
“Sorry we don’t get much cuddles, Skully.” He murmured. “Life’s just been chaotic and I haven't had time…” He heard the door to the cabin open and quickly shoved the stuffie back under his blankets where no one would see or find it.
“Nico’s looking for you.” Harley said, already heading to his own bunk, which was littered with a couple of stuffies and things he had made.
“Thanks, Har.” Leo smiled softly at the mention of the Italian and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. “Where was he?”
“Outside. He followed me here.” The small male smiled at him gently. Leo slid his shoes back on and smiled as he opened the door and saw Nico leaning against the railing of their porch.
“Hey.” Nico grinned softly. It had been almost a year since the war and Leo had come back. During that time, thanks to have proper nutrition, Nico had shot up like a tree, now being just a few inches taller than Leos 5 ft 4 self.
Leo grinned softly and pressed a gentle kiss against Nico’s lips, wrapping his arms around the taller’s neck to pull him down. Nico wrapped his arms around Leos waist gently. Six months ago, the Italian had finally worked up the courage to admit his feelings to Leo and the two were happy.
“Chiron gave us permission to go to the city. I thought we could see what movies were playing and grab dinner?”
“Wait, really?” Leo's eyes widened.
“Yeah. We just have to bring someone else with us. At least one other. Safety issue, I think.”
“Maybe we could do a double date?” Leo suggested softly. “So its less awkward and no third wheeling?”
“Or we could invite Will.” Nico smirked a little, causing Leo to blush as he looked away.
“But…wouldn’t it be awkward? S-since he'd be third wheeling?”
“Or it'll be fun. Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at him.”
“I…” Leo felt guilty. He was taken, yet here he was looking at another boy in almost the same way he looked at Nico. He had hoped the other wouldn’t notice, but he had.
“Hey…look at me, bolide.” Nico softly grabbed Leos chin with one hand and forced him to look at him. “I’m teasing, ok? I don't care if you look at him, ok?”
“But—”
“No. I’m serious.” Nico brushed a tuft of Leos hair from his face, eyes filled with nothing but love. “I mean it, ok? I actually almost asked Will out myself, before you. What’s not to like about him?”
“You and Will?” Leo smiled softly. “That…that would be a sight.”
“But a good one, right?” Nico laughed a little and Leo didn’t feel do bad anymore, knowing his boyfriend had the hot’s for the same guy he did. He was glad they were at a stage in their relationship where they could joke about things like that.
“I love you.” Leo murmured, pressing another kiss to his boyfriends lips.
“Anche io ti amo.” Nico smiled softly as he pulled back. “So, about Will and that movie?”
 
 
“Hey. Is Will here?” Nico asked as they entered the infirmary, greeted by Kayla sitting at the desk near the door.
“Will! Your lovers are here!” She shouted with a grin.
“W-We’re not actually dating.” Leo stammered, barely masking his blush.
“Kayla, stop embarrassing them.” Will rolled his eyes as he came from the back room. “We’re just friends. Anyways, what do you guys need?”
“Well, Chiron gave us permission to go see a movie and grab dinner, but he said we needed one other person to go with.” Nico gently looked from Leo to Will.
“You don't find it awkward that I’ll be the third wheel?”
“You’re like our best friend.” Leo grinned softly. “Not awkward in the slightest. Not unless we make it awkward. Which we wont.”
“Alright. Kayla?”
“Yeah, ill cover for you, but you owe me.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “You’re lucky I like these guys.”
 
“So disgusting…” Someone muttered as they passed by the three of them, shoulder checking Leo in the process, which caused him to bump into Nico and almost fall over. “Fucking Fags ruining the world.” Leo flinched at the words, half expecting the man to turn around and hit him—every time he had heard those words before, it was usually accompanied by violence—but the male had continued walking.
“You ok?” Nico asked his boyfriend softly, giving his hand a squeeze.
“Y-yeah. Guy just bumped into me.” Leo was glad Nico hadn't heard the guy, since he was likely to cause a scene. He was very protective over Leo.
“What movie are we going to see anyway?” Will asked.
“Depends on what’s playing, I guess.” Leo shrugged, trying to push the slur from his mind. He was happy in his relationship and he knew he shouldn’t dwell on it too much.
“We should probably grab something to eat first.” Will suggested. “I might have forgotten to eat breakfast this morning and I’m starting to feel the after effects.”
“How do you forget to eat?” Nico playfully punched Will in the arm.
“New camper came in injured and I healed them instead of breakfast and just…it slipped my mind, I guess.”
“Question is where to go.” Leo said. “There’s plenty of fast food places around here.”
“What if we didn’t do fast food? There's a few diners I think. Or an Olive Garden.” Will suggested.
“Let me get this straight. You want to take me to go eat fake Italian food at a fake Italian shop?” Nico couldn't even believe what he was hearing.
“It was just a suggestion! I don't know what’s around here. I haven't been to the city in months, aside from one supply trip for the infirmary. We weren't even gone two hours, so we didn’t eat.” The blonde shrugged.
“Fucking Fags!” someone shouted from across the surprisingly empty side walk. It was a woman, who had shouted it as she walked by. Leo felt Nico tense, but he gently tugged on his arm and shook his head once he had the Italians attention.
“Its just a mortal. It doesn’t matter.” He murmured.
“What’s your fucking problem?” Will was shouting back before either could even think he might have said anything. “Jealous someone else has something you don’t? That’s what it fucking sounds like to me! Worry about your own love life, not my friends! Which, might I add, doesn’t even concern you in the first goddamn place, asshole!”
“What, are you one of them? You're all going to hell! Lev—”
“What does it matter if I’m a fag or not? Don’t come at me quoting bible verses, lady! I grew up in the bible belt down in Texas, so your words mean jack shit to me. I've read the damn scripture cover to cover and ya know what?” Will didn't even care about the scene be was causing as he shouted at this lady easily shorter than Leo. “All those damn sims that are described In any verse, especially Leviticus? Jesus died so that we’d be saved from them without having to repent or convert, so fuck off with your outdated bullshit. I might also add that the word homosexuality never appeared in the bible until 19-fucking-49.”
Will spun on his heal to look towards Leo and Nico who were watching him in shock. “Lets go. I think I see an Applebee’s or something.” Will continued in the direction they had been walking and, after a few seconds, the two followed after him.
 
 
“Gods…” Leo breathed as he pressed his back against Nico’s door after closing it behind him. He stared at the ceiling before glancing in Nico's direction as the Italian pulled his shirt off to change. His top half was covered in monster dust and a bit of his own blood after a monster had attacked them in town.
“Will…he just…” Leo could barely think.
“What about him, bolide?” Nico smiled. “Thinking he's cute or something?”
“Yeah…he defended us earlier and watching him fight…that’s some eye candy right there.”
“Agreed.” Nico pulled his shirt over his head. “Cuddle?” he vaguely gestured to his bunk. The idea was tempting—curling up with his boyfriend and talking about their shared attraction to the son of Apollo or about Leo's latest project Nico understood absolutely nothing about yet remained supportive, as long as he promised safety. Leo wished he could cuddle with Nico and slip into headspace. He desperately wanted to slip into headspace and let all his worries disappear for a few hours, but he couldn't. No one knew he regressed, not even his boyfriend. Well, Piper did. She was the only one he had ever told and there were a few times she had taken care of him while they were in the Argo when he really needed it, but otherwise no one knew.
“I would love to, but the last time I did that, I ended up running back to my cabin at 4 am dodging harpies to be there before my siblings woke up. I barely made it, and Nyssa isn’t going to cover my ass a second time like she did when she caught me.” Leo gently wrapped his arms around Nico, pressing his face into his chest.
“I thought she was going home for the school year with her mom?” Nico hooked one arm gently around Leo's waist and massaged at his head with the other. Leo practically purred like a cat.
“When summer session ends. Its still a few weeks away I don’t know for sure she’s leaving.” Leo murmured, starting to feel tired. He gently pulled away to look up at Nico before he risked falling asleep. The three had had a busy day, with the homophobic lady, eating, and their movie. They had gotten back around the time the campfire started and were exhausted.
“Maybe when more of them are gone, you can spend the night more. Chiron doesn’t have to know, and it isn’t like we’re doing the nasty or anything. It helps us both, I know that much.” Nico kissed the tip of Leo's nose, causing the Latino to laugh gently.
“Maybe…but I don’t know how many are actually going home or not. Harley isn't, with nowhere to go, but I don’t know about Jake or Christopher or anyone else, really. And yeah, it does. With nightmares and everything.” Leo finally untangled himself from Nico with a final kiss.
“Ill see you in the morning, mi amor.” Leo was already halfway to the door.
“We both know that’s unlikely.” Nico smiled softly as Leo closed the door behind him.
 
“Where have you been all day?” Nyssa asked when Leo entered the cabin and he knew he was going to get an earful.
“He was with Nico.” Harley said before Leo could.
“Chiron gave us permission to go into the city and see a movie. He just had us take someone with us, so we took Will. Does it really matter?”
“Harley, put your headphones on.” The smaller male did as he was told, turning on his radio and stuffing the attached earbuds in his ears.
“I’ve been looking for you literally all day. You weren't at any of our activities and you didn’t even show up at lunch or dinner. I almost started to assume you were dead aside from—"
“I wasn't even here for lunch or dinner!” Leo tried to defend himself.
“Let me finish. I almost started to assume you were dead, aside from the fact that something similar happens once a week.”
“Well excuse me for trying to spend time with my boyfriend when I get literally no other time to spend with him. My life shouldn’t only revolve around having to take care of all of you! I’m allowed to have friends and a boyfriend and life outside of being the cabin councilor, which, might I add, isn't even something I asked to be or do.
“I was here for like two days and just because I “tamed” Festus, I got put in charge of a bunch of people I barely knew. Its hard enough filling a leadership roll I never wanted! I’m not the authority, I don't like being councilor! I just want a chance to be the kid I never got to be after loosing my mother! I barely had time to even process her death, 8 years after the fact.” Leo could feel tears prick at his eyes as he turned towards his bunk, where no one would see him cry.
He was sure Nyssa wanted to say more, but she didn't. He closed the curtain he had hung over the opening to his bunk and pulled his blankets over his head as he started to cry silent tears. He hated getting yelled at and he hates yelling, but sometimes it was the only way to get his point across.
 
 
Leo yawned a little as he blinked open his eyes, startled awake by a knocking on the cabin door. He slowly sat up and blinked, pushing his hair from his eyes and opening the curtain that surrounded his bunk. The cabin was eerily empty and it was rather bright outside.
“Leo? I’m coming in!” The door opened and Nico stepped in, eyes immediately landing on the Latino.
“Where is everyone? And what time even is it?”
“The better question is why were you still asleep?” Nico sat next to his boyfriend and looked at him in concern. “Its almost 11 and I got worried when I didn’t see you at breakfast. You're not sick, are you?”
“No! I don’t know why anyone didn’t wake me up. I almost never sleep past everyone.” Leo shot up, already looking for a change of clothes.
“I asked Nyssa and she mentioned you got in a fight?”
Leo scowled a little. “She got mad since I was with you instead of at our activities yesterday. Said I should focus on councilor duties instead of spending time with you and…and I may have snapped back that I didn’t want to be councilor.” Leo sighed, sitting back down and burying his face in his hands with a groan.
“She’s probably mad at me…that’s why she didn’t wake me up.”
“Oh, I tried.” Nyssa's voice startled the two, unaware she had entered the cabin. “You were a log. More than usual, at least. I thought it better to let you sleep than to keep trying.” She walked over to her bunk, rummaging through her things.
“I’m pretty sure there’s a councilor meeting tonight after dinner, just to make sure everyone’s keeping on. There's supposed to be a new batch of campers coming in after Satyrs found them. Make sure you don’t miss it.” She found what she was looking for and left.
Leo groaned. “I don't even want to go. Just kill me.”
“No. Look, bolide, if you don't want to be councilor, you just have to tell her. She already seems like she would take over and be good at it.”
“I know…but She's probably going to be ignoring me. She does when she's mad. Ill try…” Nico nodded, changing the subject.
“The pavilion is pretty empty, but I think you still have time to grab breakfast if you hurry.” Nico gently pressed a kiss to Leo's cheek as he stood. “I have to get to an archery lesson that starts soon.”
“Is Will going to be there? You usually skip archery if he's not.” Leo raised an eyebrow.
“We both do.” Nico grinned and Leo tried to keep a straight gave but couldn't and burst out laughing. They were both head over heals for Will just like they were for each other and he couldn’t be mad, even as a joke.
“te amo tanto” Leo grinned before Nico could leave.
“I love you too, bolide.” Nico smiled, closing the door behind him.
 
 
“Leo, what’s wrong?” Nico asked as he pulled his sobbing boyfriend in for a hug.
“I…” Leo could barely form words, struggling not to slip into headspace for the first time in months. The day had been so stressful, showing new campers around and getting bombarded with question after question he didn’t know the answer to and he had finally had enough, with barely enough time to separate from the group before he burst out crying.
“Bolide, talk to me.” Nico gently pulled back, brushing Leo's tears from his cheek. “Did someone say something? What happened?”
“Too many people.” Leo managed. “Overwhelmed.”
“Its ok. Would it help if we went to my cabin and cuddled? So you can sleep and calm down?” Leo sniffled a little but nodded. Nico could tell there was something different about Leo's behavior and the way he talked, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask.
Leo was scared Nico was going to look at him different after finding out be was an age regressor but he would find out later. “Can…can we grab Skully from my…my bunk first?” Leo asked softly. He felt stupid for needing his stuffie and for crying, since he was a big boy but he wasn't too sure what else to do.
Nico kept his arm around Leo as he led the way back to the Hephaestus cabin. He didn’t even question who or what Skully was but as he stood in the doorway to keep everyone from seeing, he couldn't help but notice how Leo calmed down just slightly as he pulled out a stuffed dragon from its hiding place under his blankets.
“He helps me calm down.” Leo murmured. Nico's heart broke at the almost fear in his boyfriends eyes and he hugged him tight.
“Whatever helps you is a good thing as long as it doesn’t hurt you.” Nico said as he pulled back, brushing Leos tears away. “You don't have to be scared, bolide.” Within a few minutes, they were curled up on Nico's bed in the Hades cabin, Skully sandwiched between them as Nico rubbed Leo's back. Leo had calmed down for the most part, but was still hiccupping in breaths from having cried as hard as he had.
“Can…can I tell you something?” Leo finally asked. “I…I don’t want you to look at me any differently.”
“You know that. You don’t have to be scared to tell me anything, Leo.” Nico pushed Leo's hair from his eyes, gently caressing his cheek.
“I…I know. I just get anxious and I have to ask every time and…i…I age regress when I’m stressed.” Leo blurted out the last part faster than he meant to, but it had to be said.
“I don't think I understand.” Nico furrowed his eyebrows as he sat up to better look at Leo
“N-never mind, its stupid. It doesn’t matter.” Leo hit his face against Skully.
“Leo, it clearly does matter. I’m just confused because I don’t know what it means. I want to know, you just have to tell me.”
“I…well, when I get too stressed or even just because I can, sometimes my mental age changes.”
“Changes how?” Nico asked softy.
“Um…It reverts back to when I was like three and… I’m mentally a kid again. A really little kid and I can’t help it…it’s a coping mechanism…”
“I think I get it. A little bit at least. Am I the first person you've told?”
“I…I told Piper…but that was back in the Argo. I’m pretty sure she’s forgotten by now anyways…Neither of us have gotten to hang out much lately.” Leo looked away, chewing on his lip. “You don’t think its weird, do you? Me regressing?”
Nico pulled Leo in for a hug. “Not at all, bolide. If it helps you, its not weird or bad or anything like that. I might not get it as well as id like to, but I can learn.” Leo smiled softly, glad he had the best boyfriend in existence. He closed his eyes, honestly not caring too much if Nyssa yelled at him again in the morning. He drifted off to sleep with a smile.
 
“Leo?” Nico murmured softly, pushing his boyfriends hair from his eyes. “Bolide, wake up.” The Latino shifted with a soft sound and nuzzled himself into Nico's chest.
“Nnnnn…”
“Wake up, bolide.” Nico sat up, forcing Leo to shift off of him.
“Don’t wanna.” Leo complained, his voice sounding unusually small as he squinted up at Nico “Warm. Just cuddle. Please.”
“Bolide, we can't.” Nico said softly. “We have to eat and you're siblings are probably going to worry.” Leo was silent for a moment, not responding but he finally sat up.
“To be honest, I almost don't care.  But almost is still caring.” He sighed.
“Have you told Nyssa you can't handle being councilor?”
“Its not that I can’t, I just don’t like it.” Leo countered.
“If you end up having a melt down over councilor responsibilities, then its definitely too much for you.” Nico said firmly. “You need to tell her. I can come with you, of it helps. It is almost breakfast time, too.”
 
“You're officially stepping down from councilor?” Nyssa crossed her arms to look at Leo.
“Yes. I don't like it and I feel like I never have time for myself.” Leo felt Nico squeeze his hand.
“He cried last night from getting too overwhelmed with it all. Its not a job anyone can do and j can understand it, just watching.” Nico added.
Nyssa faltered. “Its that bad for you?” Leo nodded. “I feel like an asshole now, but I'll take over. It isn't too bad for me.”
“Really?” Leo couldn't help but grin with relief.
Nyssa shrugged. “Why not. It isn’t like I wasn’t already filling the role while Jake was hurt or when you were on that quest.” Assuming the conversation was over, she turned to go rouse the other Hephaestus kids for breakfast.
“See? I told you it wouldn't be that bad.” Nico smiled gently at Leo.
“Can go cuddle now?” Leo begged softly, pouting and putting on the puppy eyes he knew usually worked on Nico but the Italian laughed and looked away.
“We still need to eat, first of all, but second, I promised I would help Will move old file boxes into the attic.”
“You’d rather move old boxes than just cuddle and relax?” Leo pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. He quickly dropped his arms as he realized he was being a bit of a brat.
“I mean, if you come help you get to spend time with your two favorite people AND it'll go faster.” Leo mulled over it for a few seconds before nodding.
“Alright, I guess I'll come help. But don’t expect me to carry anything up four flights of stairs.”
 
“Leo volunteered to come help.” Nico announced as he entered the infirmary shortly after breakfast. He hadn't seen Will there, so he had grabbed an apple to make sure the blonde ate. Will was seated crisscross on the floor, sorting a few files between boxes. He looked up with a smile as the two entered.
“Only so it goes faster and I can spend more time with Nico.” Leo said, half joking.
“Here. You need to eat something.” Nico tossed the apple at Will, who barely caught it before it would have hit him. He took a bite but smiled in thanks.
 
“So, have you ever heard of the term age regression?” Nico asked Will as he picked up a box. Leo shot him a panicked look over Wills shoulder, moving his hand in front of his neck in the universal fashion for shut up or stop talking.
“Yeah, actually. There’s quite a few campers who age regress to cope with the stuff they've experienced. They're usually called Littles. Why do you ask?” Will glanced over at Nico with a raised eyebrow.
“I heard the word, but I really don’t know much about it.” Nico glanced at Leo when Will looked away and mouthed “I’m not going to out you.” Leo seemed unconvinced.
“I think I know enough about it if you have any questions.”
“If you found out someone was like that, what would be the best way to…I don’t know, help them?”
“Well, it depends on what headspace they're in, or how old they are mentally. If their mental age is the same as their physical age, just treat them like you normally would.”
“And if its not?” Nico followed Will down the hall that connected the infirmary to the big house.
“Well, every little is different. Some might regress back only a few years to say, ten, others might regress back into infancy. They usually can’t take care of themselves, but some can, so you have to understand their needs and personality and figure out what works for each person. Some littles even have pacifiers as a comfort item.”
“Pacifiers?” Leo asked, trying to hide his curiosity.
“Yeah. To chew on or whatever. Helps people calm down sometimes. They have to get an adult one, though. Regular ones for kids are too small for older people and can do more harm than good. Adult ones have a bigger nipple. Some actually call them Pacis for short..”
“Hmm…Ok.” Leo said. He had never even thought it was an option when it came to regressing but now he secretly wanted one.
 
“Did you learn anything helpful?” Leo asked, now that the two of them were alone.
“Some things.” Nico smiled a little as he took his boyfriends hand. “Enough, for now I think. I'll figure out more as we go. You just have to remember to talk to me.”
“I…I’m sometimes nonverbal when it happens.” Leo admitted. “I can’t talk. There’s some odd disconnect between my mouth and my brain and I can’t form words.”
“Noted. We'll figure it out together.” Nico brushed a kiss along the back of Leo's callused knuckles that made the Latino smile.
“Do…do you think we might be able to get me…um a pacifier?” Leo murmured, little more than a whisper. “I…the idea of it sounds nice.”
“We can get whatever you need, Bolide.”
 
 
“You’re staring.” Nico murmured to Leo, grinning softly. The Latino blushed and looked away from Will, who was seated across from them with a guitar perched on his knee, strumming along to some of the songs Kayla and Austin were leading the camp in.
“I can't help it… he's hot.” Leo blushed in embarrassment as he pressed his face into Nico's shoulder.
“Maybe you should ask him out.” Nico teased, only half joking.
“What? No!” Leo looked up at Nico like he was insane. “That would mean…I don't want to break up with you. Nico—”
“Calm down, Bolide.” Nico said, immediately shushing his partner with a kiss. “I’m teasing. But that aside, I really wouldn’t care if you did ask him out while we were dating still.”
“Wouldn’t that be cheating?”
“Not if I’m ok with it. Cheating is only what you decide it is. Dating Will while dating me wouldn’t be cheating but say you were dating Austin, it would be. We both have feelings for Will, so I don’t see an issue with it, but I totally would if it was someone else.”
“What if…we both asked him out…together? What do you think he'd say?” Leo whispered as everyone started to fall silent.
“I don’t know, and that’s why I haven't asked him anything yet, as much as I want to.”
“Just ask him already.” A voice startled the two and they were surprised to see Mitchell behind them on the empty last row of the bleachers.
“Were you listening in on our conversation?”
“Not intentionally. Was nearby and I guess its an Aphrodite gift—curse?—to be able to hear conversations about love from people nearby. Either way, just ask Will out already. He comes gushing about you two like, every day. he's just scared to ask you out because he didn’t know if you were poly or not.”
“Poly?” Nico asked, having never heard the word before.
“Polyamory, often shortened to poly, is the practice of, or desire for, intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the informed consent of all partners involved. That’s what I am.: Mitchel smiled. “Dating Lee when he was still here but we started dating Malcom who was dating Connor then we started dating Connor too. We're still dating, in fact. But my relationship is a bit off topic. Will likes you, you like him problem solved. I was never here.” As soon as the son of Aphrodite had appeared, he was gone, leaving the two mote confused than when they had started talking.
 
“Leo, c’mon. You cant keep spending the night every night.” Nico gently nudged the Latino who was curled up against him. Leo had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had sat down on Nico’s bed and the Italian had begrudgingly let him stay, but he knew it had to be the last time before anyone caught on and they got in trouble. Sun came in through Nico's open window as Apollo drove overhead.
“Nnnnn...” Leo whined in his sleep. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked up at Nico.
“Morning, bolide.” Nico smiled softly. Leo was silent for a long moment before sitting up.
“Does clingy bother you?” He asked softly. “Like, if I didn’t want to let go? And I wanted you to touch me all day?”
“Not really, why? you're warm and it feels good.” Nico shrugged.
“I’m…I’m in a weird headspace and I don’t know how old I am and it kinda scares me? And I might need you to just…ground me? For a while?”
“That I can do.” Nico smiled a little as he pulled Leo close. The Latino smiled as well, burying his face against Nico’s chest.  “Think you can spend 10 minutes apart so you can go change and then grab something to eat?”
“Yeah, I guess. I don't want to…” Leo pulled back after a few seconds and forced himself to stand.
“We did promise Will we would help him move a few new boxes that got sorted, so we'll have to head over there after we eat something.”
“If…if I go younger…on accident, do you think Will might look at me different? Or be…weirded by it all?” Leo chewed on his lip as he glanced towards Nico then at Skully, who had taken up residence in Nico's bed.
“No.” Nico stood to hug his partner again. “Not at all. He talks about it so nonchalantly and just like he's trying to educate that I don’t think he'd react at all. I mean, I’ve seen him with a few of the younger campers like Harley or the ones around his age, and Will…he does really well with kids and I don't think you regressing would be any different.”
“I’m just scared he might, even if he doesn’t say anything about it. What if he starts acting differently but doesn't realize it.” Leo murmured, wrapping his arms around Nico's middle.
“He wont, I promise. Will isn't like that, and you know it, despite whatever your anxiety says.” The son of Hades gently ran his hand through Leo's hair for a few seconds before he pulled away.
“Im glad we're together. I don't think I could do it all alone.” Leo gently pulled on Nico’s shirt so he would be able to kiss him better. “Grab me when you’re done eating.”
 
 
“Do you think what Mitchell said last night was true, about Will just being scared to ask?” Leo murmured, little more than a whisper as he and Nico walked towards the infirmary, where Will had disappeared about halfway through breakfast.
“I don’t think he has any reason to lie. Other than Piper, he’s one of the nicest ones in the cabin.” Nico assured Leo, squeezing his hand. “We could ask him? The worst he could say is no and then we can remain friends.”
“What did Mitchell say about Will?” Kayla appeared next to the two males. “I heard some of what you said, but not all of it.”
“Its nothing.” Leo said, unsure what anyone else would think about him having feelings for another male while in a relationship with Nico.
“Alright…” Kayla rolled her eyes a little. “You three love birds enjoy putting boxes away, I’m going to be making sure no one comes in” She flopped into the chair once they had entered the infirmary, kicking her feet up on desk
“For the last time, Kayla, we are not dating.” Will rolled his eyes at his sister as he walked by, pushing her feet off the desk.
She shot him a glare and Leo was pretty sure he heard her mumble “but you want to.”
“Finally sorted the last of the files, I’m pretty sure. The older ones, at least.” Will said, placing a box in Nico’s arms. “I started to find some from the late 80’s early 90’s so I think that’s a good place to stop moving them to the attic, so we have them if we need them.”
“I can help, but I’m not going up into the attic. That place gives me the creeps, especially knowing there’s a random corpse up there.” Leo shivered a little.
“It was just the old oracle. After Rachel took over, her mummified body kinda turned to dust.” Will handed Leo one of the lighter boxes and grabbed one for himself as he led the way.
“So…there’s mummy dust in the attic? Doesn’t make me anymore comfortable.”
“Someone cleaned it up, I think, but I hate to know the unfortunate soul that had to do that.” Will shrugged as much as one can while carrying a box of files.
 
 
“Goddamn it!” Leo cursed loudly once he and Nico were safe once again in the Hades cabin before the campfire.
“What’s wrong, Bolide?” Nico asked, concerned with what his boyfriend was cursing about.
“I keep chickening out…” Leo sighed. “Me, the usually flirty one, and I keep chickening out when I get this close to asking him out.”
“I keep chickening out too.” Nico said softly. “What Mitchel said isn’t helping any. There’s no reason to believe he’s lying, but I can’t help but have my doubts.”
A knock at the door startled the two of them and Nico could hear bickering outside as he walked over to open it, Leo a step behind due to his anxious curiosity. They were met with Will and Austin.
“Will has something to say.” Austin shoved the blonde forward a couple steps.
“Austin!” Will protested, looking at his brother like he was crazy. “I can’t just—”
“You made a deal.” Austin threatened his older brother.
“Will, don’t listen to him. You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.” Nico said to the taller male, trying to help his obvious anxiety towards the whole situation.
“I…I have something to say too, but I keep chickening out.” Leo said softly chewing on his lip and looking at Nico who raised an eyebrow then opened his mouth as he realized what his boyfriend meant.
“We both do, actually…”
“On three?”  Will suggested, fidgeting with his camp necklace like he was known for doing when he was nervous. “Austin’s going to tell you if I don’t…”
“On three.”
“One, two, three.” They counted off at the same time.
“We really like you and we want to go out with you.” Nico and Leo said at the same time that Will spoke, talking really fast like he was also known to do sometimes when he was stressed or anxious.
“I really like both of you and I know you’re in a relationship but its eating at me to not say anything and I’m polya—” Will paused midsentence, staring at the two of them, blinking as he tried to process what they just said. Leo burst out in a grin after a couple seconds, practically launching himself at Will, nearly knocking him over as he wrapped his arms around him.
“Wait…” Will said, still trying to make sure he understood what was happening as he looked from the small Latino wrapped around his midsection over to Nico. “You mean…you’re—”
“Poly?” Nico supplied with a soft mile. “Apparently. That’s what Mitchel said at least when he overheard me and Leo talking about you the other night.”
“Me? You’re really not joking?”
“Eres un idiota…” Leo laughed as he pulled back just slightly, looking up at the blonde “Why would we play you? We’re not half the Aphrodite cabin.”
“If by half the cabin, you mean Drew, then yeah, you’re certainly not Drew. Or a girl, for that matter.” Will couldn’t help but laugh.
“And if I was?” Leo said jokingly.
“Then you’d be an exception.” Will grinned and Leo glanced back at Nico with a soft smile and a raised eyebrow.
“You would be the only exception, bolide.” Nico agreed with his own smile.
“I’ve wondered what that means for months now and never asked.”
“Fireball.” Leo answered. “I had to ask too, but it’s fitting.” Will smiled softly, but he couldn’t help his anxiety towards the situation. Before he knew he was gay or poly and back when he was still going on dates with women, he had gotten played a few times with situations similar and people pretending to like him when they really hadn’t. He trusted Leo and Nico with his everything, but that still didn’t tame his anxiety any. It wasn’t often he even go anxious, but when he did, it was bad.
“You’re really not joking, are you?” He couldn’t help but murmur one last time, looking between the pair in front of him. Austin had already snuck off at some point during the interaction.
“Yes, tesoro. We’re not joking and anyone who made you think we were, well, they’re assholes.” To prove his point, Nico walked over and gently grabbed Will’s face and kissed him. Leo made a soft whine, nudging Nico until he stepped back and then pulled Will down for another kiss.
“I can’t tell which one of you was minty first, but I like it.” Leo said as he pulled away, causing both males to laugh.
 
 
“You ok?” Will startled Leo with a gentle hand on his arm. Leo had opted to spend the day with Will in the infirmary, tinkering at the desk with a small project and part he needed to add to Festus, but he had zoned out a little. Will had been organizing inventory most of the day, sorting files for the current campers and making sure they had enough of certain things and exactly how much they needed to restock on others.
“Yeah…Sorry, I just got distracted.” Leo tried to give his boyfriend a small smile in reassurance.
“He’ll be ok, you know that don’t you?” Will placed a gentle kiss on top of Leo’s head. “He’s just going to grab an endangered demigod from in town. He’ll be back before dinner.”
“Its…its not that, I know he’ll be ok. He fights better than even Percy sometimes.”
“Then what’s bothering you, darlin’?”
“I….” Leo chewed on his lip gently, deciding if he should tell Will or not. It had been almost two months since Will had joined the relationship and Leo still hadn’t told the blonde that he was an age regressor. During that time, Nico had gotten Leo a pacifier he loved from some shop in town. Nico wouldn’t tell him where, but it was red and covered with orange and yellow fake gemstones with a campfire center. The handle read “little fireball” and Leo had been so excited when he had gotten the gift, even though he hadn’t regressed since and had yet to use it. However, he really wanted to, like now, for example.
“Darlin’, talk to me.” Will said softly, kneeling down next to the Latino.
“I…I’m…maybefightingheadspaceandithinkineedtoregressbutimalsolikethreeandidon’tknowifthatssomethingyou’recomfortablewithornot?” Leo blurted out faster than he had intended. Will blinked a little in surprise at the word vomit that had just left Leo’s mouth.
“Slow down just a little,” He smiled softly, trying to put the son of Hephaestus at ease, “I caught almost none of that something about fighting the number 3?” Leo laughed just a little at how stupid that sounded.
“Um…I sometimes maybe…” Leo mumbled the last part too quietly for Will to hear and glanced up at the blonde, noting the confused look on his face. “reg…ress?”
“That’s ok,” Will said instantly, “are you trying not to right now? Were you scared to tell me?”
“I…I didn’t want to see me different…only three” Leo said, his mental age rapidly decreasing as he failed to fight headspace.
“Darlin’, I would never see you differently.” Will assured him with a soft forehead kiss. “You’re still the same Leo I know, just younger.”
“Really?” Leo asked softly. Will responded with a gentle poke to the side, knowing Leo was ticklish to an extent. He jerked a little, barely covering a small giggle
“Really.” Will confirmed. Leo was not the first little he had ever dealt with, having taken care of his best friend Cecil before they met Lou and the two had started dating. Sometimes if Lou was busy, he still would, but that was usually up to her.  
Leo grinned softly, wrapping his arms around Will, and pressing his face into his shoulder. Will hugged him back and gently rubbed his back.
“Do you have any stuffies?” Will asked, knowing they were crucial for a lot of age regressors. Leo nodded softly, but he didn’t say anything, still holding onto Will.
“Where at, baby? Are they in your cabin?”
Leo shook his head gently.
“Are they at Nico’s cabin?”
“Angel…” Leo responded softly, but it was barely a word the way he said it. Will was surprised he had even understood Leo. He started to gently stand up, pulling himself away from Leo, but the Latino held on tighter and whined softly. Finally, Will picked him up, wrapping his legs gently around his waist to carry him easier since he wasn’t letting go.
Within a few minutes, they were at the Hades cabin and Will let himself in, knowing Nico didn’t really care unless he said otherwise. Leo finally decided to untangle himself from Will, digging under Nico’s bed for a box and finally locating his dragon stuffie and his paci as he set it on the bed.
“Skully!” He proclaimed around the paci, holding out the dragon towards Will with a grin.
“That’s a perfect name for a dragon.” Will gently took the dragon, holding him near his ear and then gave a fake gasp as he pulled him back to look at him. “I think that’s a great idea, Skully.”
“Hmm?” Leo whined softly, making grabby hands for the stuffie.
“Skully thinks he has the perfect movie we can watch, if you find Nico’s laptop.”
“Angel…” Leo murmured again, already reaching for the new, demigod safe laptop he and Annabeth had been working on for a while now. There were still a few bugs, but it worked for the most part in the mortal world to the point where even Percy could use it safely at home, minus a few minor monster attacks. They were still working on making more and sorting out the bugs, so very few people had one. Will sat on Nico’s bed, positioning his pillows so that the two of them had something comfortable to lean against. Leo curled up in Will’s lap as the blonde powered on the computer. He wasn’t too sure of the password, but Nico was less tech savvy than he was, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that the Italian had a sticky note with his password stuck right next to the keyboard.
Willandleodiangelo
Will pulled up the internet browser and quickly found a website where he could find the movie he was looking for. He’d seen it a few times before, as a Disney Pixar and DreamWorks fanatic, and since Leo expressed a love for dragons, he thought How to Train Your Dragon was appropriate. Leo grinned happily as the movie played, snuggled close with Will’s chin resting gently on his head. He would occasionally make small noises that could almost pass for words, but he was otherwise quiet throughout the movie. 
They had made it about ten minutes into the second movie when the Hades Cabin door opened, and Nico walked in. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing he truly needed attention for.
“I was wondering where you guys were.” He smiled. “I half expected you to still be in the infirmary.”
“Little one here got bored.” Will smiled at Leo who finally tore his eyes away from the movie and made soft grabby hands at Nico with a needy whine.
“Let me change, ok? Then we can have all the cuddles we want.” Nico said, placing his sword next to the door and shrugging off his jacket while he went to go change his dirt covered shirt. Will noticed a few scratches along Nico’s skin as he pulled his shirt off, but it was once again nothing he really needed attention for, but Will wanted to give it anyway.
Leo let out another whine, this time louder and a bit more urgent sounding as his eyes following Nico over to his closet. “Angel!”
“I’m coming, bolide.” Nico pulled a clean shirt over his head and climbed onto his bed next to the two. Leo moved from his spot between Will’s legs and nestled himself into the pillows between the two. He was curled a little more towards Nico with his head on his shoulder, but he was hugging one of Will’s arms against his chest and had his feet kicked across Will’s lap.
“He was scared to tell me.” Will said softly to Nico, who nodded.
“I know. I’ve been trying to convince him since day one, but he refused so I didn’t push it too much.”
“Sssssh.” Leo murmured softly, shooting both of them a small glare as he looked back at the movie. They laughed a little, both snuggling him closer.
Leo had fallen asleep near the end of the movie, curled with his legs on top of Will and his head in Nico's lap.
“He always has this…new energy the day after regressing.” Nico gently ran his fingers through Leo’s hair.
“How so?”
“I don’t know, more energetic and free, I guess? Not caring about anything. Happier, in a way.”
“That’s a good thing.” Will smiled softly, leaning over to kiss Nico gently. “In the beginning, I had my doubts and anxiety about all of us, not knowing if it was going to work or if I was getting played, but I’m happy.”
“We would never play with your heart, tesoro.” Nico reassured Will, kissing him again. “I almost asked you out first, but I saw you with a girl so I thought you were straight.”
“Oh gods no.” Will laughed. “I don't even know why I thought I could ever be straight. I mean, even my mom pointed out that it was obvious before I came out but she wasn’t going to force me out before I knew for myself. She was always so supportive, which is surprising considering her family.”
“Was?” Will had never talked about his mother to Nico's knowledge.
“She died shortly before the giant war from cancer. I still miss her sometimes, but I’m over the grieving. I just wish she had said something so I could have spent more time cherishing what we did have.”
“I get it. I wish the same times with Bianca, missing her and wishing you hadn't taken it for granted.”
“Exactly. This…this is why I’m so happy.  You both get it and… you’ve always been easy to talk to and stuff. Just a lot more than anyone else. I feel at home when we're together. Whole.”
“Me too, Tesoro, me too. I still deal with nightmares sometimes from…down there and I used to be alone but then I would seek out Leo and I can seek out you too and I feel better when I do. They happen less than before and they’re less crippling, knowing I’m not alone.” The two fell silent again while the last few minutes of the movie played.
“We should take Leo shopping.” Will said suddenly.
“Why?” Nico raised an eyebrow.
“So, he's not the first little I’ve dealt with.”
“Yeah, I think you mentioned Cecil at some point, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, although Lou usually deals with him being in headspace more than I do nowadays. But also I’ve interacted with a few in the infirmary too. Only a couple but most usually have certain outfits or a whole wardrobe entirely different than their day to day that’s more childish or whatever and I had a thought of letting Leo pick out a few if he wanted. And maybe I could grab a few things for him like a paci of his own from me since pretty much everything is from you.”
“That sounds nice, actually.” Nico agreed with a small smile.
“What sounds nice?” Leo yawned as he sat up gently, pulling his paci from his mouth and glancing at his partners.
“How would you feel about going shopping?” Nico asked, deciding it was a good of a time as any to suggest the idea.
“You can pick out clothes specifically for headspace and some coloring books or crafts or something.” Will smiled gently when Leo’s eyes widened.
“Serious?” Both males nodded. “That sounds fucking amazing!” He beamed.
“We can try going tomorrow or maybe next week, depending on what Chiron says.”  Leo tightly hugged both of them, one arm around both of them.
“I love you guys so much.”
“I love you too, bolide.” Nico smiled softly at Will over Leo’s head. Will smiled as well but didn’t say anything at first.
“Words can’t even describe any of it, but ‘I would give you the world’ is probably the closest I can get.” He finally spoke as Leo pulled away.
“You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready.” He gazed at Will.
“I know. I want to, I just can’t for whatever reason. I’m trying.”
 
 
 
Leo gasped softly as he saw a cute shirt but held back from going to grab it. He was in between his usual headspaces right now, but he was still in a pretty young headspace of about 5 or so. Will and Nico knew, so they made him promise to stay close or they would have to leave. Leo was trying not to go fully young, because he knew he’d likely end up nonverbal, so 5 was the headspace he had been able to settle on to keep himself talking, but it probably wasn’t going to last.
“What? Did you see something you wanted?” Nico asked and Leo hesitated, but nodded, pointing at the shirt on the rack. It was a purple, long sleeve shirt that was cut at an angle and hung off one shoulder.
“It’s girly…and I know boys are supposed to have boy clothes…”
“Sweetheart, you’re allowed to wear and get whatever you want.” Will reassured him with a gentle kiss on the forehead. “No one cares what clothes you wear as long as it’s not hurting you.”
“So I can get it?”
“If it fits, you can get whatever you want, baby.” Nico smiled as he grabbed the shirt, adding to the basket of things he had to try on. Almost immediately, Leo had put back a few items he had grabbed before and trade them out for things in the girl’s section, including a couple pairs of leggings and matching skirts. Almost everything fit perfectly, other than a few items that were oversized.
They were getting ready to leave when Leo saw a necklace he suddenly wanted, pointing it out to his care givers. It was a black choker necklace with a little sun and angel wings. It didn’t take much persuasion and he was already trying to take it off the packaging as he started to slip younger, but Will quietly reminded him to wait until they had paid.
Almost as soon as the item was scanned, he was fumbling to try and rip off the plastic again and get it removed from the cardboard he was tied onto. He stomped his foot in frustration as he couldn’t get it off and held it out towards Will with a soft whine.
“Are you verbal or nonverbal, sweetheart?” Will asked but Leo responded with another whine, once again thrusting the necklace out towards the blonde while Nico finished scanning the last few items and paid. Will had gotten his answer, more or less, so he gently undid the twist tie that was holding the chain in place before having Leo turn around so he could clip it in place. Leo, beaming, gave him a hug in thanks since he couldn’t really talk, resting his head on Will’s chest.
“One more stop, right?” Nico asked, grabbing the bags before Will could.
“Yeah,” Will shared a knowing smile with the son of Hades as he pulled away from Leo’s hug, trying to take hold of his hand. Leo didn’t let him and instead hugged his arm as they walked. After one last stop, Will going into the store by himself while Nico kept him distracted, the three headed back to camp.
As soon as they were in the safety of the Hades cabin, Leo almost immediately went to go find his paci, but Will stopped him, pulling out the last thing he had bought for the little son of Hephaestus. Leo gasped excitedly at the sight of a new paci, already reaching for it. The pacifier was pink with a few purple rhinestones and fake candy pieces. It had letters glued on the handle in matching colors that read “baby” on it.
“How about we get more comfy first? Put on some new clothes?” Will offered. Leo’s excitement only grew more, and he was practically bouncing in his spot. A couple of minutes later and Leo was dressed in the purple shirt that hung off one shoulder, a pair of black leggings, and a short flowery skirt, with the necklace from earlier still around his neck. He did a little twirl and grinned happily as he looked in the mirror at himself then at Will, as if for approval.
“You look amazing, baby.” Will smiled and offered the paci finally. Leo took it and hugged Will tightly around the middle.
“Tan you…” He murmured as he pulled back, still smiling around the binky in between his lips.
“You’re so welcome, baby.” Will said. “Are we verbal again?” Leo hesitated before shaking his head and holding his fingers up in the universal sign for ‘just a little.’ 
“How about we watch a movie?” Nico offered, already pulling out his laptop. Leo pulled Will over to the bed after he had grabbed Skully, sandwiching the blonde in between him and Nico as he rested his head on his chest. Will pulled them both close and the three stayed like that for the better part of the afternoon, eventually falling asleep before they even had the chance to eat dinner or go to the campfire.
Leo woke up briefly in the middle of the night, a little chilly since Will had ended up accidentally spooning Nico while he was asleep, leaving the Latino with no body heat. Quietly, Leo moved and nuzzled his way in between the two, firmly sandwiched between their body weights and fell back asleep with a smile on his face and Skully in his arms.