How to Seduce Will Solace: Step by Step with Nico Di Angelo

Step Nine: (Gay) panic

When Nico got home, he was met with an angry Hades. Nico sighs, his happy-warm-fuzzy feeling fading as he launches into one of his lectures.

He hands Hades his keys when he stops to ask if he was listening, than walks off. He sighs as he reaches his room, closing and locking the door behind him.

He sits on his bed, running a hand through his hair, his leg bouncing. He still felt anxious, but it was late enough that it wouldn't really matter if he took his medicine or not. He put his head in his hands, taking another shaky breath.

He wonders if he's anxious because he forgot his medicine or because of the fuzzy, butterfly feeling his stomach gets when he's with Will.

He isn't stupid. He knows what the feeling is, he used to feel it when he was with Percy. But he didn't want to acknowledge it, he didn't want that feeling.

Will seemed nice, he was funny and he was calming all around, but so was Percy. It had started great, everything was perfect, but then it wasn't. Even if Will happened to like him back, if he happened to want to be with Nico, of all people, who's to say it doesn't turn out like Percy?

And he doesn't want that, he doesn't want another Percy in his life, he doesn't want to be treated like shit again. Nico frowns, flopping back onto his bed, legs still hanging off the side.

He really wanted to talk to someone about this, but who? He wasn't close enough to anyone he talked to, had a lingering feeling they didn't like him anyway, and he couldn't tell Will for obvious reasons.

Maybe if you talked to people, the back of his mind chirped, maybe if you weren't so introverted.

Nico bit his lip, staring at the ceiling.

———

It's a while later, but Hades is knocking on his door. Nico sighs, pushing his laptop to the side as he comes in.

"How'd the meeting go?" Nico asked, and Hades glared.

"It would have went better if you were there," he said, "but it went well nonetheless. He had a beautiful girl around your age-"

"Dad," Nico huffed, and Hades sighs again.

"Yes, well," he starts, "you understand I won't be letting you use the car for a few weeks, correct?"

"Yeah," Nico sighs, picking at a loose thread in his jeans.

"You understand that you aren't to go anywhere?"

"Yeah," he mutters, not looking at him.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Or my texts?" He asks, and Nico looks at him.

"I was at Will's," he says, "we ended up falling asleep and I figured you wouldn't want me to interrupt a meeting. I'm sorry." Hades sighs after a moment, looking out the window, before looking back at Nico.

"What happened?" He asks.

"What do you mean?"

"You just-" Hades pauses, frowns and he looks uncomfortable, "never mind. Just don't let this happen again, okay?" Nico nods.

"Sorry," he says again, and Hades looks at him before leaving. Nico sighs when he leaves the door open, standing up and shutting it for him.

When he sits back down, he feels tears form in his eyes, and he isn't sure why. He was feeling so many things, and he didn't like it. His emotions were over powering, and it was stressing him out, because he didn't like not knowing. He hated that he couldn't understand his emotions, it was frustrating.

Nico takes a deep breath, closing his eyes to try and calm down. He lays down, keeping his eyes closed and just focusing on what he was feeling. It's something that Will had told him to do when he felt overwhelmed.

He knows for a fact that he likes Will. He knows he doesn't want to like Will, and he wonders what that could be. Reluctance maybe? Nico huffs, running his hands down his face. He felt his anxiety peaking and he doesn't know why, and it's fucking frustrating.

Involuntarily letting out a whine, Nico moves to stand up. He quickly walks downstairs, hesitating before walking up to Hades.

"Nico?" He asks, seeing the tears rimming his eyes, and frowns. He doesn't move to hug Nico or anything, and Nico doesn't know how that makes him feel.

"I-" Nico pauses, what did he expect Hades to do? "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Do you- uh, do you need something?" Hades asks, looking uncomfortable. Nico looks at him, hugging himself. He just wanted a hug from his dad, was that to much to ask?

Apparently, because how was he even supposed to ask for a hug?

"I-, uh," Nico frowns, sniffling and looking at the ground, "Sorry," he mutters, letting out a humorless chuckle, "I'm sorry." Then he turns, heading back upstairs, Hades silent as he does so.

What an amazing father.

———

I thought this was gonna be the last chapter but it isn't oops
The next chapter is the last one *finger guns*
-11/5/18-
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