*some promised Nico fluff for @acotar500 !!!! Hope you like!*
The sun had just barely risen above the horizon when Y/n heard a sound behind her. She jumped, dropping her hairbrush and whipped around.
Nico was in her doorway, giving her a small smile. She figured he had shadow traveled over to her.
"Nico!", she exclaimed, "We have got to teach you how to knock! What if I was getting changed?".
He blushed, but remained silent.
Y/n rolled her eyes, a smirk present on her face, "Perv".
He scoffed and sat down on her bed, "What are you doing?".
"Getting ready for school", she sighed, "Unfortunately".
She applied a clear lip gloss to her pink lips and pouted, then she made a popping sound with her mouth and closed the tube, satisfied.
"Pretty", was all Nico said.
Now it was Yn's turn to blush.
Nico was fairly blunt in the way he spoke and didn't care too much about what he said or how he said it. His compliments were often one word, like "Pretty" or "Nice".
Once he had said "Beautiful" to her when she was doing her hair. She remembered looking at him through the mirror and seeing him watching her intently with the faintest hint of a smile on his pale face. She still gets butterflies when she thinks about it.
"Did you eat yet? I have some food in the fridge I think", Y/n offered.
That was her way, she was always looking out for him. Nico adored her for that reason. Along with many others, of course.
"I ate, but I'm not opposed to some coffee?".
Y/n shook her head, "Coffee stunts your growth Neeks. Do you really want to be the same height as me forever?".
He scoffed and stood up, "I'm taller than you".
She stepped closer to him, so close that he sucked in a breath and tried to avoid staring directly into her face. Then she pushed herself up on her tip toes, ever so slightly because Nico really wasn't that tall.
"Nope, you're not", she announced.
"Cheater".
Y/n giggled and began to pack her book bag. Nico stood there watching her pack away some papers and her notebooks. One thing he always appreciated about her was how organized she was, she was a super neat person without it being obsessive.
"How long can you stay?", she asked.
Nico looked at the clock on her nightstand, "Today? About an hour before my dad notices I'm gone".
"Aw", Y/n smiled, "You missed me so much you're spending your one free hour with me".
Nico only shook his head in response, which caused her to giggle again. She wasn't wrong, he would be very busy today, but he wanted to see her first. He always wanted to see her first thing in the morning.
Before he could think of something witty to respond to her with, Y/n had thrown her arms around his shoulders. Nico was not the hugging type, and while he had never specifically said that to Y/n, she had never tried to hug him. This was new.
Nico relaxed in her hug, folding his arms around her torso.
"I'm glad you're here", she admitted.
"I like being here".
Eventually, the two teens became aware of how long they had been hugging and pulled away from each other quickly.
Y/n slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to the door, "Walk me to school?".
She extended her hand to Nico, and he took it.
"I could get you there faster than walking, you know", He offered.
Y/n squeezed his hand, "I know. I want a real walk".
"Fine".
Nico pretended to be annoyed, but they both knew he wasn't. They savored these little visits together. These chances to be together amidst the chaos of their own lives. Nico appreciated getting a break from bouncing back and forth between the underworld and the demigod camps while Y/n attended school before the summer.
So they walked, hand in hand all the way to her school. And Nico traveled back to his father's palace with a rare smile on his face as he thought about his best friend.
*A/n*
Okay, a little bit of a shorter story but I thought the idea of him visiting her in the mornings was very cute. Oh and in case it was confusing Y/n is a demigod but like Percy, she goes to school during the year. I hope you guys liked this!!
