Solangelo One Shots

Crashing into You

Nico's POV-9:15

"So, this is where you grew up, huh?" Percy stares around the bar, the neon lights dancing across his face, illuminating the blue flecks in his eyes, shining across the smooth top of his drink.

"This is it," Nico says with a laugh, his eyes flitting around the bar. There are bodies pressing together on the dance floor, soaked in sweat, laughter mingling with the electric beat of the music. "I've only been in here a few times when my friends and I snuck in. There was this guy in my grade who sold fake ids out of his locker. They were pretty good, too." There's a small smile on his face as the memories of high school pop up at the front of his brain; late nights with his friends, cramming in the library, dancing in the soft glow of the sunrise with the boy he promised himself he'd never think about again. 

"Dude, your school sounded cool. Mine was lame. Met Annabeth, though." He smiles, a fleck of beer sparkling on his upper lip. "You've never talked about romance, anyway. There must have been some special guy in your life. Who was he? Some nerdy kid who you made out with in the back of the library, some jock who's games you watched and made signs for, a funny guy who you pulled pranks with?" He bumps Nico's arm gently, grinning. Nico avoids his eyes, staring into the golden surface of his rum. "Come on, Nico, you're a good guy, there must have been someone." 

"There was one person," Nico says, a light blush heating up his cheeks. "He was amazing." Memories flood his brain, each one bringing back another flash of pain, another thought of what could have been. 

"What happened?" Nico bites his lip, digging in until he can taste the metallic tang of blood. 

"It was too hard," Nico says, the blood staining his tongue red. "With the distance, and everything. We promised we'd stay friends but we haven't talked since." 

"You should connect with him," Percy says. "I mean, I don't know what I'd do without Annabeth. And it sounds like you liked him a lot." 

"Yeah, I guess." He slides off of the stool, his nails digging underneath his cuticles. His heart is skipping a beat in his chest and his breathing is heavy. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." 

"Nico?" Percy frowns. "You good?" 

"Yeah, I just need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back soon." He feels Percy's eyes on his back as he slips through the crowd he catches a glimpse of a blond-haired boy at the counter but he knows it doesn't mean anything. There are lots of blonds, it doesn't mean it's him, so he shakes it off as nothing more than nerves and keeps walking. 

The sound of the music is dulled by the walls of the bathroom and he lets out a shaky sigh, pressing his back into the wall and burying his head in his hands. His face feels hot on his palms and he can feel himself shaking. In an effort to cool himself down he splashes his face with cool water, dripping off of his face. It feels good and he splashes himself again, letting the droplets soak onto the collar of his tee shirt. He watches the water run from the faucet, splashing into the bowl and down the drain. It's relaxing to watch, and the music from outside feels like nothing more than a dull beat in the back of his head. But when he lifts his head he's staring into a pair of bright blue eyes in the mirror, hands jammed into the pockets of his khakis, blonde hair falling across his face. "Oh," Nico says, his eyes widening. "It's you." 

Will's POV-9:15

He's pressed among a mass of sweaty bodies, bouncing up and down to the music pounding through the bar. There's a grin splitting across his face, his old high school friends at his arm. There's exhilaration running through his veins, and he's never felt better. "Hey." He nudges Lou Ellen on her arm and she whips her head over to him, a crazy smile on her face. "I'm gonna grab a drink. You want anything?"