IF TIME STOPS 『nico di angelo x reader』

Chapter 7: Ghost King Creates A List Of The Most Idiotic People He Ever Met

"It's you!" You gasped out, almost absentmindedly.

The boy turned dropping his towel startled by the sudden sound of your voice. his eyes wide with both recognition and surprise. "You..." He faltered, his mouth agape.

For a moment, nothing happened. You both stood in the silence staring at each other in a gaze. Then like an idiot, you realized what had happened. You had called out to him unintentionally. Your left eye twitched, you felt the heat of your body rise up to your neck. Like an idiot, you clamped your mouth and sidestepped behind a tree attempting to hide.

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Nico blinked, regaining his senses. He had seen many weird things in his whole sixteen years of living, but this slow girl in front of him may just have let him make a new list in his life. "That...It's a little too late for that." He called out calmly, watching the girl hiding behind the tree.

She was familiar. Nico had only seen her for a moment, but he was sure he'd seen her before. That long (H/c) hair and those piercing (e/c) eyes. A memory flashed back in his brain. The rain, the woods, the minotaur and the strange girl that emitted a strange light around the woods as she fought the monster. The girl he had carried to the infirmary, could it be?

He approached her silently. From the side of the tree, he saw her groaning in despair. She sat against the trunk, her knees tucked in her arms. Strands of her dark hair were tangled within the wood, her blanket was smudged with mud and she, as pale as she was, sat in what seems to be agony.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She moaned out in humiliation, her ears bright red, as she punished herself through hitting her head with each syllable against her arms.

He raised an eyebrow. He was definitely making a new set of list and this girl was going to be on the top one. "What do you think you're doing?" He mused, curling lips as he tried to stop himself from laughing. She squeaked out a strangled gasp, her back tensing at the sound of his voice. "You're going to damage your brain like that."

Slowly, she looked up at him. Her face brighter than the shade of tomatoes. "Uh..."

"Uh?" He asked, leaning against the tree trunk. Her cheeks darkened and she looked down, staring at nothing but her slides. Nico felt a twinge of regret for nothing having visited her soon. He had meant to, but he had been busy helping his dad with the dead. Looking at her now, she looked much different from when she was the infirmary. In the infirmary, during the days that he visited and fed her — days when Will had other things to do — she had been glowing with health. Now, her eyes had sunken as if she hadn't been getting enough sleep and her skin had paled making her look as if she could barely stand straight and would stumble if she tried. "You...What's your name?" He whispered.

She looked up though her eyes were meeting anywhere but his. "I-It's (Y/n)." Her cheeks were dusted pink. "You're a son of Hades...right?" she asked as if she were reassuring herself.

He nodded, "What gave it away? The dead soldier?" Nico chuckled lightly as he sat on the ground next to her. "You mind?"

She shook her head which Nico took as an invitation to be able to sit down on the ground with her. "No, it's...Will told me about you..." Her (E/c) eyes glistened. "I- Well, um, thank you for helping me that day."

Nico felt himself suppress a smile. Will had always been his best friend, even after everything that happened to them, "You did most the work though. You know me then? If Will told you about me, I suppose you know alot about me then."

(Y/n) shook her head slowly, "No. Only your name and cabin." She let out a shaky breath, wrapping herself in her mud stained blanket. Next to her, he could feel her shiver in the cold. For the first time, he noticed that she was nothing more than worn out sport shorts and a thin sweater.

This girl, He bit his lip to refrain himself from cursing. What kind of dumb idiot would...in this weather?! — that's it.

"We should go. You're going to get a cold dressed like that." Nico stood, offering a hand to help her up which she took after a moment's hesitation. He hoisted her up, thinking how dangerously light she was.

She looked down on herself and rubbed her nose, "I- I think it's fine."

He glanced down at her doubtfully, her knees were turning red from the cold. They walked down to the arena together where his things were gathered. "Where'd you get shabby clothes like that anyway?"

"The lost and found..."

"Seriously?" Nico raised an eyebrow, either in disbelief or amusement (Y/n) couldn't tell. Nico stooped down and grabbed his aviator jacket, throwing it to her.

"What's this?" She asked, tilting her head in question as she held his jacket in her arms.

He grabbed his towel from the ground and gulped down a bottle of crisp cold water. "My jacket. Wear it." He said. "It's warmer than your dirty blanket there."

She held up the jacket as if it was an atomic bomb all the while glancing skeptically at the owner. He raised an eyebrow as he lightly collapsed on the cement that built the seats for the arena. "Well? Go ahead, I don't mind."

(Y/n) slipped on Nico's jacket. Warm, She thought to herself as she helped herself snuggle comfortably in the warmth of the son of Hades' aviator jacket. The smell of the jacket was even more overwhelming. The scent of fast food restaurants mixed with mint, It's been so long she has been to a fast food restaurant, the thought of it made her stomach rumble.

She froze in her place, heat rising up to her ears. Nico glanced at her quizzically. Could this day be any more worse for her? The awkward silence was piercing then, out of the blue, Nico sighed, shaking his head.

"Are you hungry?" He stood up from his seat. "You should've just said so. Come on." He held out his hand for her to take once more. She looked at it warily wondering if he was making fun of her.

"What? I don't bite so just take it." Nico grumbled, lightly shaking his hand in front of her face. She bit her cheeks, trying to keep herself from pouting, as she grabbed his hand. Unexpectedly, it was warm. Warmer than the jacket. "Hold on tight." He said, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened in confusion. Before she could answer or protest, a cloud of black enveloped over them letting the both of them melt into the shadows.