Always You - Nico di Angelo x Reader (Oneshots)

Shades

A/N - Hey, guys! Now that my schedule is free of school-work (well, not really. but the load has lightened) I now have more time to work on this oneshot collection!

I think this one is actually cute, and you may exect more stores posted in this writing style.

Hopefully.

Alright, enough taking. Happy reading!

- Third Person's POV - 

The forest was quieter than usual tonight, the only sounds the crunch of leaves beneath your boots and the distant hoot of an owl. You tightened your grip on your flashlight, even though you knew it wasn't really the dark you were afraid of.

It was the boy walking next to you—the son of Hades himself.

Nico di Angelo moved like a shadow: silent, intense, and impossible to predict. You'd known him for months now, after a quest had thrown the two of you together. You liked to think you'd become friends... even if he still kept most of himself locked away.

"You don't have to come," Nico said suddenly, voice low, almost guilty. "I can handle this."

You rolled your eyes and bumped his shoulder lightly. "And let you wander into a creepy forest alone? Not happening, Death Boy."

For a second, you caught it—the flicker of a smile before Nico masked it again with his usual scowl. You lived for those rare moments, the ones when he let his guard down just enough for you to glimpse the boy underneath all the darkness.

"You're reckless," he muttered.

"You like it," you teased, grinning when he huffed under his breath.

The truth was, you did scare Nico sometimes. Not because you were reckless—but because you made him feel things he thought he had buried a long time ago.

"Here," he said, stopping abruptly. The clearing before you was thick with mist, and in the center stood a crumbling stone monument. Old magic thrummed in the air like a heartbeat.

Nico knelt beside the monument, murmuring in Ancient Greek. You watched him, heart aching. There was something so lonely about the way he carried himself, like he was always waiting for the world to push him away.

Without thinking, you crouched beside him and placed your hand lightly over his. He flinched, startled, but didn't pull away.

"You're not alone," you whispered.

For a long moment, Nico said nothing. Then, so quietly you almost missed it, he said, "You shouldn't have followed me."

"Too bad," you whispered back.

The mist thickened around you, swirling like grasping hands. Instinctively, you shifted closer to Nico. He tensed but didn't move away. Instead, he reached into the shadows and pulled a Stygian sword from the darkness, holding it ready.

"Stay close," he said roughly. "I mean it."

You drew your own weapon, heart hammering. Whatever this was, you would face it together.

Shapes began to form in the mist—shades, restless souls, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. They hissed and whispered, their voices clawing at your mind.

"Ignore them," Nico said sharply. "They feed on fear."

You swallowed hard and focused on Nico's voice. It grounded you, kept you from slipping into panic.

As the shades closed in, Nico moved. He was terrifying in battle—quick, efficient, merciless. But through it all, he never strayed more than a few feet from you, always glancing back to make sure you were safe.

You fought side by side, blades flashing in the moonlight, until finally the last of the shades melted into the mist.

Breathless, you lowered your weapon. Nico was doubled over, hands on his knees, his skin pale and slick with sweat.

"You okay?" you asked, rushing to his side.

He nodded, though he looked like he might collapse. "It's... the underworld magic. It drains me faster up here."

Without thinking, you pressed your forehead against his, your hands steadying him by the shoulders.

"You don't have to do this alone," you said fiercely. "Stop trying to."

Nico shivered, his dark eyes locked on yours. You could feel the battle raging inside him—fear, longing, stubbornness all tangled together.

"You don't understand," he rasped. "Everyone leaves. Everyone."

You cupped his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you. "Not me."

For a moment, it was like the whole world held its breath.

And then Nico kissed you.

It was hesitant at first, like he was waiting for you to push him away. But when you kissed him back, he deepened it with a raw, aching hunger, as if he couldn't quite believe you were real.

When you finally pulled apart, both of you were trembling.

"I'm scared," Nico admitted in a broken whisper. "Of losing you. Of hurting you."

"You won't," you promised. "I'm not fragile, Nico. And neither are you."

He let out a shaky laugh, burying his face in the crook of your neck. "You're infuriating," he muttered, voice thick.

"You like it," you teased, echoing your earlier words.

Nico chuckled softly—a real, genuine laugh—and you felt something inside him begin to heal, just a little.

You sat there together in the misty clearing, the remains of battle around you, the heavy weight of the past hanging between you. But for the first time, Nico didn't feel like he was drowning in it.

He had you.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to start pulling him out of the dark.

As the mist began to clear and the stars emerged overhead, Nico squeezed your hand, grounding himself in the one thing he had never dared hope for:

Someone who stayed.

A/N - cute, right? I know the monster part isn't exactly clear, but let's all use our imaginations, shall we?

(TBH i got inspiration from Harry Potter's dementors lolll)

That's all that I have for ya'll today. See you next week!

907 words

Lots of love,

- FantasyDemiWitch