Solangelo One Shots

Running Smoothly

Nico's POV

It's still surprising to him that even at eight in the morning, the coffee shop is empty. Percy's been wiping down the same table for the past half-hour, sipping on his iced coffee with dull eyes. There are stacks of their monogrammed cups in Nico's hand, the gold letters that spell out Cup 'O Happiness glinting in the dull lighting of the coffee shop. Percy keeps saying that if they keep the lights low to combat the burning sunlight, and if they keep the fan whirring to beat the heat, they'll draw in customers. Clearly, it isn't working.

"What time is it?" Nico asks as he stacks cups on top of each other, taking a sip of Percy's coffee. Despite the fan, it's still boiling in the coffee shop and the coffee tastes good in his throat.

"Eight fifteen. And don't drink my coffee." He snatches it away from Nico, sucking it angrily. "Why were you asking about the time?" There's a tiny smirk on his face, and Nico flushes.

"Just wondering."

"Really? It has nothing to do with the fact that this is the time that cute blonde runner boy runs by every morning."

"No. Shut up. I don't know who you're talking about." He chucks a pen at Percy and he doges it, the pen clattering against the floor somewhere across the store. His cheeks burn.

"You're crushing so hard. You watch for him every single day."

"You're imagining things." Nico inches closer to the window, peering out the glass. Far down the sidewalk, with the green expanse of the park behind them is the silhouette of a person, tight shirt moving with their muscles as they run. Even from far away, Nico knows who it is.

"Is that him?" Percy sidles up to him, peering over Nico's head. Nico smacks him in the stomach.

"Shut up." He presses his face into the glass of the window, watching as the boy comes into sharper view, his blonde hair gleaming in the sun. Droplets of sweat cling to his forehead, dripping down his cheeks and the muscles in his arms bulge. Nico almost swoons.

"You're being really obvious right now."

"You're making things worse. Get away from the window." He pushes Percy away and Percy grins, watching as the boy comes closer. It's at this point when Nico's heart begins to beat and he feels mildly nauseous and he always hopes that the boy will come in, get a coffee or water. But he never does.

"You should talk to him. You're clearly obsessed."

"You know I'm not going to do that."

"Fine. I will."

"Wait, what?" If Nico had felt nervous before, it wasn't comparable to the heart-stopping, vomit-inducing panic. Percy sticks his head out the door and Nico considers pulling him back in, but that would look too weird. But then again, so does a boy with unruly black hair sticking his head out of a coffee shop that's completely empty, asking a person he's never talked to if he wants to come in for water.

"Hey!" The blonde stops running, slipping an earbud out of his ear as he slows down. "You look hot." Nico chokes on his spit, and Percy glances at him, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah." The blonde puts his hands on his hips, glancing at the door. "It's hot out here."

"Why don't you come in for an iced coffee? On the house."

"What?" The blonde says.

"What?" Nico says, bile rising up in his throat. Maybe if he projectile vomits all over the coffee shop, he won't want to come inside.

"Come on." Percy opens up the door wider and the blonde steps closer. In his defense, the smell of fresh coffee is almost intoxicating, and he can feel the heat of the sun, even inside. "We need more customers, and after one taste, you'll be hooked."