High Hopes (A Solangelo AU)

Chapter 2

Nico///

Apparently 'no' was not the correct answer, because moments later Percy had dragged Nico out of his chair, towards the doorway.

Nico could beat Percy at Scrabble with a 300 point lead, but that didn't stop him from grabbing Nico's collar, opening the front door, and tossing him into the hallway.

Nico turned right around and banged his fist on the door. "This is not funny Jackson!" He called. He tried the knob, it was locked. Then he kept knocking.
Percy appeared a few moments later carrying one of the cookie trays. "I agree." He said in response to Nico's outburst. Percy passed the boy, heading to the adjacent apartment. He looked at him expectantly.

Resigning himself, Nico took his place next to his friend in front of the neighbor's. "Be nice." Warned Percy, before he rapped on the wood a few times.

There was no response.

Percy knocked again. "Maybe he's not home?" Nico pointed out.

Percy shrugged, "one more try..." He banged on the door a third time. There was a loud thump from within. The boys looked at each other.

"Coming!" Said a voice. A few seconds later the door swung wide open to reveal a befreckled boy around Nico's age. He was tall and wore wide lensed glassed that sat crookedly on his face. His hair looked like he had gone on a triple-looped roller coaster with a cat on his head.

Looking past his disheveled state, the boy was very handsome, and very shirtless...

Percy gave him an appreciative once over before Nico elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow- Hi! I'm Percy, this is Nico." He said, pointing at his counterpart. "We just moved in, and thought we'd introduce ourselves."

The boy cracked a smile, it looked like sunshine. Realizing what he had just thought, Nico looked away, a blush rising on his cheeks.

When he looked back, the blond was shaking one of Percy's hand vigorously and enthusiastically with both of his own.  "I'm Will, nice to meet you!" Percy kept stealing glances  at Will's middle.

The blond put  a hand on his hip. "Sorry about this." He gestured to himself. "I was asleep..." He looked down at his torso like he just realized something. "And I am not wearing a shirt!"

"No you are not." Percy agreed slyly.

"Oh well!" Will waved a hand. "It's too late now."

Percy must have seen something in Will's apartment that Nico couldn't spot, because he gave a low whistle. "Is that a grand piano?"

Will swung around, opening the door more. Nico saw the sleek, black instrument within. It was the cleanest thing in there, a stark contrast to the various cheap and mismatched furniture surrounding it. "Yep." Said Will.

"If you can afford one of those bad boys, what are you doing in this crapartment?" Asked Percy innocently. He wasn't wrong about the crappy part- Nico hadn't  chose the building because of the high quality.

"Priorities, my good sir!" Replied Will with a flourish of  hand. "I'm a music student down at Olympus."

"So are we!" Said Percy excitedly. "Well, we go to Olympus that is."

"Really?" Will said with another sunshine smile. "What are your majors?"

"Well I'm doing business, and Neeks here..." Percy punched Nico playfully on the shoulder, "is the genius. He has a double major, Psychology and Languages."

"Wow..." Exclaimed Will, clearly impressed.

"Yes," replied Nico dryly, "it's all quite exciting." Will just laughed.

Percy seamed to remember why they were there in the first place because he said, "oh here Will!" He handed over tray of cookies. "A few neighbor niceties."

Will looked down to the tray in his hands. "I don't think you and I have been acquainted yet." He said to the cookies. "You will make a perfect breakfast!" He looked back to the boys in the doorway. "You two sure are early birds, I usually have trouble not sleeping in."

Nico looked at his watch. "It's 12:15." He stated. Will's eyes widened like saucers, and he gasped comically.

"Really!? Oh crap!" He fled back into the apartment, leaving the door completely open. Nico and Percy peered inside.

Will scrambled around, picking up a crumbled shirt laying on the ground. Flinging it on himself, he dove behind the couch- and moments later reappeared with jeans instead of pajama bottoms. He grabbed a book bag that was leaning on the piano. Then ran to the door where he grabbed the keys of a hook. All the while saying to himself, "I'm so late...." Over and over again.

Will grabbed the cookie tray he had previously shoved back into Percy's hands. He tossed Percy his keys. "Lock up for me would you?" He asked as he hurried past the two boys. Will vanished down the stairs and they heard an echoey call "Thanks for the cookies!" The front door of the building slammed.

"He seems nice." Said Percy looking where Will had just disappeared.

"You were checking him out the entire time."

Percy gave his best fake offended expression as he locked Will's door. "I was not!" Nico glared. "Ok, maybe just a little..."

The two boys wandered back to their apartment. "What about that girl you were gushing on about earlier? Elizabeth?"

"Annabeth." Percy corrected. "She's just in one of my classes, we're not dating. Yah, maybe her eyes are this beautiful shade of grey, and her hair is the colour of the sun and her little cute nose scrunches up when she concentrates- but it's not like I like her, or anything!"

Nico opened their door. "Sure you don't." He said sarcastically. But the rest of the day he couldn't get the sight of that sunshine smile out of his head.