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Not pictured: A scene where Leo calls Reyna and puts her on speaker so Nico can tell her, and then she responds exactly how Leo did.

Nico asks for some time alone, and Leo obliges after making sure Nico has his number and knows Leo will go to him at literally any hour. There was something almost urgent in his voice, so Nico had promised he would reach out before the day ended.

He takes the free time to catch up with Hazel and Reyna through text and mail, and then he dives into the murky waters of the internet. He knows it's probably better if he gets his answers from a person, or from books; but he's not exactly comfortable asking anyone, or being seen looking at stuff related to this.

It's mostly embarrassment though, Nico's gotten a lot better at accepting himself, and at being patient with himself; it's not the easiest thing to do, and Nico's had his fair share of slip-ups, but he's getting better.

Asexuality makes the most sense, he thinks, though he's not sure how he fits into its many sub-sections; he thinks about fingers tapping Morse lines for ghosts, thinks about those same fingers laid gently around his shoulder, wonders if they would be just as warm against bare skin.

It's not a new thought, Leo's always been a human furnace, and Nico's always been some level of jealous of it. But now he also thinks about just how much trust Leo has in him, how he stops hiding and pretending the moment they're alone; and that he now knows of the difference between the smile he wears in front of their friend group, and the real one.

He had never thought Will to be hot, he had thought him pretty, handsome even, but never sexy, or whatever. He didn't think Leo sexually attractive either, and he wasn't conventionally pretty like Will had been; but he could be downright breathtaking sometimes.

It was something he would have to deal with, but for now, he needed to share his new discovery with someone.

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"I think I might be asexual"

Leo blinks at him for minute, Nico explains.

"I might be something along the lines, but I don't know so asexual works for now"

Leo nods sagely.

"Cool, welcome to the club"

Nico frowns.

"The club?"

"Yeah, me, Reyna and Clovis, you remember Clovis, right?"

Nico makes a face, Leo continues.

"He's arromantic, Reyna is aro-ace, and I'm asexual"

Nico raises an eyebrow.

"And you have a club"

Leo laughs, hair bouncing as his head shakes just slightly so, which had never been cute before.

"Not really, we're just overly aware of each other"

Then he leans just slightly closer, still nowhere near Nico physically, but he has to repress a shiver regardless, and that's just bullshit, really.

"Fun fact, the hunters will stop treating you like dirt, because ace-lesbian solidarity is that strong apparently"

It kind of feels like something has settled.