#this is angelo appreciation hours

[ace-writer-lani]

I was wondering if you have any headcanons about Nico and Hazel’s sibling relationship??

Do I? Do I?!

Ofc I do. Ahem.

So a lot of people think Nico and Hazel are sweet to each other right? Wrong.

As someone with both an older brother and a younger sister I can just say that Hazel and Nico may appear to be perfectly loving siblings who like, I don't know, are very nice to each other and never get into arguments, but they can actually get very passive aggressive and petty.

Like Hazel cares just as much as Will about Nico's health and whenever Nico doesn't take care of himself, she would stop talking to him altogether and instead just shove food and drinks at him until he ate (cause she saw him in the Jar and never wanted something like that to happen to him again).

And Nico, who had grown up as a younger child, would be petty back and refuse to eat/drink, which ended up with them glaring at each other for a few minutes to a few hours because they're both stubborn little shits. And no one could break their silent arguements because no one wanted to get close to the blackened grass and sharp gemstones surrounding where they stood.

(Except for Reyna that is, because she would just throw a chocolate bar at each of them and tell them to stop being stupid)

But yeah, they both show love through actions rather than words because both are scared to verbalize it (because everytime they did in the past, that person died).

Like Hazel loves to collect little charms so every chance he gets, Nico would buy her chained bracelets for her to put them on.

And Nico never really had pictures of Bianca so after asking for a description from Percy, Hazel drew/painted her and put it in a beautiful handmade frame so he could preserve it forever.

(I probably have more minor headcanons but I think this post has gone on long enough lol)

[ladynicte]

Solangelo are catboy4catboy representation and that's very nice of them

[mediumgayitalian]

The best part of being his own camp counsellor is that he can wake up whenever the fuck he likes.

Nico’s a fan.

Because, however, his dumb ass made friends with the camp’s head medic, he doesn’t get to sleep in as often as he would like. He is instead often woken up before the clock strikes nine, which is a tragedy and one of the forty thousand reasons he is going to be present on Will’s judgement day. (The scales tip any which way on a regular basis, but as of last week, Will is going to hell. Unfortunate. Nico’ll still visit him, though. Bring him one half of a twizzler or something.) So when he wakes up, one lovely morning, mouth tasting like something rotted in it and sun well past halfway across the sky, he is capital-C Concerned.

What a horrible tragedy that is. Finally, for the first time in months, he was able to sleep in. And his first thought is not gratitude. Solace may indeed have to die — Nico was not this way before he started planting his annoying ass front and centre in Nico’s life. He’s quite fairly certain he used to be frightening and badass. Now Will orders him to drink milk for the sake of his calcium and he does. Gods.

“Morning,” he hedges, approaching the archery range, feeling marginally more alive than twenty minutes prior.

Kayla raises an amused eyebrow. “Dude, it’s, like, two.”

“Well fuck you, then.”

She smirks. “Aw, did baby not get his Sunshine fix of the day? Is that why he’s so grumpy?”

It really sucks that Will is so fond of his siblings. Nico wonders if Will would still like him if he knew how many times he daydreams of transporting Kayla onto the moon per day.

“As soon as I figure out which god would appreciate you as a sacrifice, you’re gone.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorts, turning away and lining up an arrow. She lets it fly, watching as it shaves a splinter off a hunk of wood fifty feet away. “You couldn’t get close enough to kick my ass before I’d skewer you, di Angelo.”

Remembering the warning arrow Kayla had shot through his shoulder last week, he wisely chooses not to press the matter any further. The power visibly goes to her head. Fuck.

“Just — tell me where Will is.”

“Why?” She strings another arrow. The grin on her face is a level of shit-eating that Nico has only before seen on a Stoll. She should spend less time around Julia, or else the camp is in for some serious trouble. “What are your intentions with my dear brother?”

Nico, on principle, refuses to answer that question. Kayla shrugs, finishing her shot and then turning around to stick her tongue out at him.

“No answer, no location! Find him yourself, loverboy. And remember that I am always watching.”

Stomping away, and ignoring the smile twitching at his lips — she is so annoying, truly, gods above he owes Bianca a thousand apologies for ever opening his mouth — he heads towards the infirmary. There are only six locations Will is at any given time, after all, except when he disappears for several hours randomly but Nico doesn’t know how to bring that up yet. As he approaches the infirmary, though, he hears it absolutely blasting with music, like genuinely shaking the ground a little bit, and knows exactly where to find him.

As he approaches the door, wincing at the door, he finds it closed. Odd — Will likes a breeze when he works. Even odder is the hastily-written sign pasted onto it:

ANNUAL CLEAN OUT DAY. IF YOU NEED ME, TOUGH SHIT. IF YOU NEED A BANDAID, TOUGH SHIT. IF YOU’RE BLEEDING OUT, CALL AN AMBULANCE AND PRAY. I AM BUSY.

(‘Busy’ is underlined three times.)

In smaller print, under the all-caps monstrosity, is:

Unless you’re Nico, in which case disregard the previous sentiment. No, Cecil, this does NOT mean you.

The note is written again in Ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Italian, Polish, Korean, Morse Code, and another ten languages Nico can’t even name. Actually, wait — the top left is Klingon. And middle right note does not appear to be language, showing instead a poorly drawn stick figure in armour being shoved into a cannon and shot into the sun by another poorly drawn stick figure in a lab coat. Nico loves a man who’s multi-talented, indeed.

Hesitantly, Nico cracks open the door. He is immediately assaulted by a solid wall of sound, and then nearly bowled over by the enigma himself, William ‘I Can Restructure A Human Brain But Cannot Tie My Shoelaces’ Solace. He catches himself at the last second, and then barely manages to catch Will, grabbing him around the waist just before his head hits the floor.

“Nico!” he shouts over the music, smiling brightly. “Hi! You’re here!”

“I’m here.” He can physically feel his voice cracking, but luckily the music drowns it out. Hopefully. “Uh, what’re you doing?”

“Cleaning!” Will straightens up, although he stays within the circle of Nico’s arms. Nico tries real hard to keep his gaze firmly planted on his face and not on the hands he still has in his hips. “I do it once a year, kick everybody out and deep clean the place. Helps keep it fresh and minimize the bloodstains on the floor.”

“Ah. And the music…”

“It’s fun!” Will shouts. He gasps when the CD player skips and a new song comes on, heavy base and funky synths blasting so hard the window panes shake. “Oh my gods! I love this one!” He turns his bright grin at Nico full force, absolutely no holdbacks on the dimples or freckles, gods help him, and bows cheekily. “Can I have this dance, good sir?”

“It’s Britney Spears’ Outrageous,” Nico protests weakly.

“Yeah!”

…Very, very weakly.

“…Okay.”

Will whoops, grabbing his hands and spinning him around. Nico yelps, nearly tripping over a cot, but when he looks back up Will has his eyes closed and is shimmying not unlike a worm on a fish hook, and it’s so ridiculous that he can’t help but laugh. Will pries one eye open, grinning widely, and shimmies harder.

“You’re such a dweeb!”

“Join me in the dweebiness! Free yourself!”

Nico rolls his eyes fondly, squeezing Will’s hand, and lets himself get ridiculous. He’ll deny it if anyone asks, but it’s fun.

…And not just because Will is next to him, smile brighter than any star, dancing like a massive dork, hand clasped in his.

[bagerfluff]

Take My Jacket (And My Heart)

Nico di Angelo x Male Half-Blood Reader

Prompt - "Take mine"

You and Nico stood at the stern of the Argo II.

Both of you along with Hazel volunteered to take night watch and it was a little boring. Though monsters attacked almost every night they decided not to attack this night. It was weird and calming. The sea looked majestic. The waves slowly went up and down though you were sure that Hazel didn’t appreciate that.

You also felt calm standing next to Nico. You were around the same age as him, only a few months older and you were friends with him when he first went to Camp Half-Blood. That’s why you were so scared when you heard he was captured and when Piper, Jason, and Percy had found him, half dead.

You had stuck close to him when he came back and Nico didn’t seem to mind. Well he never said he hated it so you took that as him being fine with it.

You cared about Nico, more than any friend should.

But you could tell anyone that. A war was about to happen. You had to focus on that. But you still liked nights like these. That’s why you volunteered to take the night watch. You knew that Nico almost always volunteered so you did so you could have some time together.

Though most people felt put off by Nico’s persistence, you liked it. It felt like home to you. You had also arrived at Camp Half-Blood a few months before Nico so you were feeling a bit homesick. But then you started talking to Nico and he helped with that. Then he left, and came back, and left again.

It was an endless cycle but you were happy that you were with him again. You looked over from the sea to Nico and saw him looking at the sea.

But one thing you noticed was that he didn’t have his aviator jacket on. You hadn’t noticed it before, maybe it was because it was dark or that you were running on two hours of sleep and a little too much coffee but you didn’t know.

Now that you noticed it you realized how weird Nico looked without. You had seen Nico without it when he was younger but now he was never without it. It made him look weird, different. But he still looked good to you. But after you noticed that Nico was also shivering.

It was pretty cold.

You had on a jacket but you could still feel the cold. Your nose getting runny, your eyes getting wet, and your hands getting colder. You looked over at Hazel and saw that she was bringing her hands to her mouth, probably to warm them up.

But you and her had a jacket on and you hadn’t even really noticed the cold. If you didn’t focus on it you didn’t even know it was there. But you were sure that Nico could feel it. He was rubbing his hands up and down his arms and he was doing the same thing Hazel was doing.

You knew Nico ran cold.

He always seemed to feel like a block of ice. You had grabbed his arm before and it felt like you had stuck your hand into water from the antarctica. But guess even the Ghost King got cold. You felt back for Nico and started to unzip your jacket. You took it off, almost immediately feeling colder but you didn’t mind.

You held it in one hand and held it closer to Nico. Tapping Nico on the shoulder to get his attention. “Here”, you said, punching the jacket closer to Nico.

“Take mine”.

You don’t why you said that. It didn’t really sound right but you said it. Nico looked at you before shaking his head. “I don’t need it”, you rolled your eyes.

Nico and his pride.

He really needed to accept help. You might need to talk to him about that. You walked closer to Nico and grabbed his arms. “I’m fine. Plus it’s morning in a few hours. I can go without a jacket for a few hours”, you spoke while putting your jacket on him.

Nico didn't say anything, just tensed when you touched him. Which kinda shocked you, Nico didn’t like it when people touched him, Leo had learned that the hard way.

Once you were done you turned Nico around and zipped up the jacket. You were slightly taller and bigger then Nico so it was big on him but it was cute. “You look cute in my jacket”, you said with a smile before turning to look back at the sea.

Not noticing the blush on Nico’s face. 

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 11/? Word count: 3089 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 9. Night Guards

The Ferrari Factory was cloaked in darkness as Matilde's car glided to a halt in the parking lot. The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the iconic factory campus.

With a sigh and a hint of exhaustion, she stepped out of her car. Nerves travelled through her body. After last weekend's situation, she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue her role at Ferrari. However, it didn't feel right to drop everything and leave after only five races. She grabbed her bag from the backseat and locked her car, walking towards the entrance. The factory grounds were quiet at this hour, devoid of the usual hustle and bustle that defined the daylight hours. The parking lot, which was typically teeming with cars and personnel, now held just a handful of vehicles.

Instead of entering the office building, she entered the factory building. She scanned her pass and got in. Matilde exchanged greetings with the guard, who was happy to see her. The man congratulated the woman on the win, and they shared a few words about the race weekend.

After a quick security check, she continued her way to the canteen. Matilde just started to get to know this building. She ran her hand through her hair and yawned. Even though she was still living in the American time zone, she was getting tired because of the darkness outside.

"You are a real warrior," Mario, the manager of the night shift, said when Matilde entered the canteen. The entire night crew looked at the team principal, who was standing in front of them. "I didn't receive a cancellation, but we didn't expect you to still show up for the night shift."

Matilde scanned every person in the room, waiting for their reaction. Would they react the same as the racetrack team? She didn't know it anymore, she didn't know who was genuine and who wasn't.

"You just had a race in America and you are already here," Angelo added, a mechanic.

Everyone looked surprised to see Matilde, but they looked grateful at the presence of the woman. They all were drinking tea or coffee, preparing for their long night at the factory.

A fragile smile came on Matilde's face. "When I say I will be there, I will be there," she said. "I'm still in the American time zone; I will be up all night anyway. Might spend it here as well."

"Well, in that case," Mario said and got up. He made his way to the fridge and took out a white box. "Unfortunately, we cannot pop the champagne now," he said and put the box on the table. "But we can celebrate it with cake." Mario opened the box.

Matilde looked at the cake, and her lips parted. Tears flowed into her eyes when she read the text on the cream. 'Congratulations on your first win!' She looked up and glanced at Mario and then at the team. "Guys..."

"Congratulations, Matilde!"

"Your first win will always be special. We sadly couldn't be in Miami to celebrate it with you, but we will celebrate it with you now," Mario proudly smiled. "It was a perfect weekend for the team, and we couldn't be more proud of everyone."

Appreciation, that was the thing she missed during the entire weekend. How come the track team didn't even bother to ask her to join the celebration, and the night team came up with a celebration themselves? "Thank you," Matilde said. "Thank you for all your hard work, we couldn't wish for a better weekend, and that is because of your dedication and work. Grazie a tutti," she widely smiled. "Grazie ragazzi."

The night team beamed with pride as Matilde expressed her gratitude. Their cheers and applause filled the canteen, breaking the silence of the late-night hour. It was a heartfelt celebration, a sign of the strong bond that existed between the night shift team and their team principal.

Matilde's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked around at her colleagues. These were the unsung heroes of Ferrari, the ones who toiled through the night to ensure that every detail of the F1 operation was flawless. And they cared about everyone within the team. These were the people who kept the operation going.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Matilde approached the cake. She took a knife and began cutting slices for everyone in the canteen. The cake, a symbol of their shared achievement, was quickly devoured as the team was insulted by this midnight treat.

"So, tell us, how was this weekend?" Mario asked curiously.

Matilde shared her experiences with the people. She told about the great teamwork, the problems that were quickly solved and how everything felt like they bonded. Matilde had shared before that things weren't going smoothly within the track team, but she proudly told how things changed this weekend. Due to her professionalism, she decided not to share the moment that broke her heart. It was something she had to deal with, she didn't want to ruin their view on the rest of the team.

"And the celebrations?" Angelo asked. "Huge dinner party?"

The team principal nodded. "Yup." Her eyes met the eyes of a mechanic who was also part of the track team, who was also picking up night shifts every now and then. "It was fun." Matilde was hoping that the mechanic wouldn't ruin her reputation within this crew.

A mechanic scoffed. "Fun for the team, yes."

Her hope sank. Matilde's face straightened, and she swallowed hard. She looked down and waited for the rest of his response.

"We had a fun dinner, indeed. Until something happened," the mechanic continued. Everyone looked at him while he looked at Matilde, who was clearly feeling uncomfortable. "It turned out that our people didn't even bother to invite Matilde to the celebration dinner."

Matilde felt a mixture of surprise and trepidation as the mechanic continued to speak. She had hoped that the incident wouldn't come to light during the night shift. As the mechanic's words hung in the air, there was a moment of tense silence. Matilde could feel the eyes of the night shift team on her, assessing her reaction.

"Yes, it is true," she began, her voice steady. "There was an incident at the celebratory dinner. It wasn't the way I had hoped the evening would go. But let's not dwell on that. What matters is that we had a fantastic race weekend, and the team's performance was exceptional." She shifted the focus away from the negative moment, choosing to highlight the success. It was a delicate balance between acknowledging the issue and steering the conversation toward more positive aspects.

"Why was she not invited?" A woman blurted towards the mechanic of the track team. "How dare you say that in front of her? This is straight-up bullying!"

The eyes of the mechanic shot up to the woman. "Hey, I am not saying this to make her feel more bad; I'm saying this because what happened was not classy from our side. I had heard that Matilde couldn't be there, multiple people asked where she was, and everyone said she couldn't be there. But that wasn't true, no one invited her. And I didn't know that," he defended himself, but also Matilde. Ever since he found out that no one had invited her on purpose, he felt extremely bad about it. "The team principal always joins the celebration dinner."

Eyes shot to Matilde, who looked hurt. "I was told no one was celebrating it because of the early flight the next morning," she replied. "I was with Red Bull because my best friend works at Red Bull, and it's my old team. And my flight was leaving in the late afternoon the next day. I wanted to celebrate it," she defended herself.

Silence fell in the canteen.

"But the champagne move... Legendary," the mechanic said. "How did you dare to do that?"

"What exactly did she do?" Mario asked. He looked at Matilde. "What did you do?"

The mechanic smirked. "At some point, we all got served a glass of champagne, telling us we got the compliments from our team principal."

"How did you know that they were there?" Angelo asked Matilde.

"Apparently, I was in the same restaurant," Matilde replied. "Leclerc texted me, asking where I was, and at that moment, I saw the entire team sitting in the back of the restaurant. I already downed two shots, and I had some champagne in my system, so I don't know what I was thinking."

Chuckles and giggles filled the canteen, causing Matilde to smile lightly. Did this mean that Matilde could feel relieved?

"This is a boss ass bitch move; I love it," a young woman said, who sat in the corner of the room. "As you should, Matilde. Show them how shitty they acted. Own it."

Angelo laughed. "I must say, it's not very professional, but I would absolutely do the same if I were you in that situation. Whoever thought that it was okay not to invite you, should get fired."

"Don't give her ideas," Mario said. He thought the situation was funny because of the reaction of Matilde, but he noticed the situation was hurting her and how she lost the trust in her team. When she entered the canteen, she reacted differently. Now he understood why. It was everything but classy for his colleagues to treat her like that. "It sounds like there was a misunderstanding, Matilde. Maybe the message got lost somewhere along the way."

The woman who had spoken up earlier took a deep breath and spoke again, her voice filled with empathy. "But that doesn't excuse the fact that we should have ensured you were included."

"It isn't your fault, Valentina," Matilde responded. "You weren't there."

"But it is our team; they are our colleagues."

"I really appreciate that. Miscommunications happen, and yeah, so be it. I will pick it up tomorrow. I was in my fault, they were in their fault, and we have to talk about it." She acted like it didn't bother her that much, but the fact that these people supported her more than the people she worked with on a daily base...

"I don't like those people anyway," the young woman said. "They all act like they are better than us; meanwhile, they are taking our credits."

"Don't mind Stella. She says what we are all thinking, but we keep it in front of us, and she doesn't," Angelo replied and looked disapprovingly at her.

Matilde politely smiled at the crew. She made eye contact with the mechanic, who stood up for her. She gave him a grateful nod, which he returned with a smile and a wink. "Anyway, thank you all for your concern, but it happened; it's in the past. Let's move forward," she said, hoping the moment would pass. "And this is told in confidence. So whatever is said here, stays here. Unless you think it is inappropriate, then you know where to find the board, and I will happily have a conversation about it." She realised she had lost the authority, she didn't like authority, but she was the team principal after all.

As the night shift began, Matilde felt a warmth in her heart that transcended the exhaustion of her long journey from Miami. She was there for them, and they were there for her.

Throughout the night, Matilde worked alongside her night shift team. They discussed strategies, reviewed data and ensured that every aspect of the past race and upcoming race was discussed. Matilde picked up some office tasks, preparing for the upcoming week with briefings and meetings.

* * *

The next day, the Ferrari office was bustling with activity. The race track team got back to work after their days off after the weekend. The team had gathered for a small inauguration ceremony, a celebration of Carlos and Charles' impressive performances during the previous race weekend in Miami. It was an opportunity to recognize their achievements and boost team morale.

As the team members gathered in the massive hall of the office, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air. Colleagues chatted, sharing their pride in the team's success.

Charles and Carlos were standing in the room next to the hall, waiting for the ceremony to start.

"Matilde will be here, too, right?" Carlos asked Charles after not having spotted the team principal. She usually was present before everyone else was at the office.

"I don't know." A frown grew on Charles' forehead. "I saw on Instagram that she was in Denmark, for her mum's birthday or something. Perhaps she's still there."

"Weird," Carlos replied.

"But maybe she's on her way."

Finally, the double doors at the hall swung open. Charles and Carlos stepped into the room, greeted by applause and cheers from their colleagues. Their smiles radiated the joy of the moment. They waved at their team.

"Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues and friends, today we gather to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our drivers: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz!" The spokesperson of Ferrari took the task of leading this ceremony. "What a race, boys. Congratulations."

The room erupted in applause again, and Charles and Carlos exchanged smiles. However, when the ceremony continued, Charles and Carlos missed the presence of one person. Carlos was asked to say something about the weekend. It gave Charles the chance to scan the hall once again. There was still no sign of Matilde. It worried him. Did this have to do with Sunday? He still hadn't had the chance to speak with her about what had happened, as he felt extremely bad about it, but had she given up already? Charles thought about the situation a lot, and he wondered if he could have prevented it.

The sliding doors of the entrance opened. Charles' eyes shot to the person who had entered the building. He watched how she entered the building and went through security. It looked like she had no idea what was going on. The woman was wearing grey trousers and a blue, oversized button-up shirt, her hair in a low bun. She was carrying two bags and a coat. Once she entered the hall, she came to a halt. Her eyes scanned the hall.

A sense of guilt washed over Charles as their eyes met. He pursed his lips tightly, seeing the emotions written all over her face. Her expression changed from surprise to pain. Her face told stories. Then her face showed a clear message that she didn't want anyone's pity or sympathy. A few other people noticed Matilde's presence as well, being shocked to see her.

Matilde walked towards the podium, between all the people. Anger was playing a huge role in her emotions right now, but she had to ignore it and show who the team principal was. Her eyes met Galileo's, who was standing next to the podium. His eyes widened. Matilde ignored him and dumped her stuff on the ground, next to the podium. She stepped on the podium and stood next to Charles, wearing a professional smile, but her eyes showed a bitchy look. If you were standing close by, you would notice it.

Carlos ended this speech and looked at the spokesperson. His eyes fell on Matilde, who shared a smile. He smiled back, being relieved she indeed was on her way when they were waiting at the beginning.

The spokesperson looked at Matilde. "Well, once again: thank you all for being here," he said. "Matilde, good to have you here as well."

"I was not aware of this celebration," she mumbled under her breath, not knowing Charles heard her. Matilde looked at Galileo; she would have a word with him afterwards.

"Charles, we will go to you in a second, but first, a word from Matilde."

Charles handed the microphone over to the woman next to him.

A smile rested on her face. Over the weeks, she realised how good she became at acting and putting on fake smiles. "Of course, Carlos, outstanding work. It was a faultless race from your side, an almost faultless race on our side. We had an issue, but we managed to fix it in time, so I consider it a faultless race," she said and looked at Carlos. She moved her gaze to Charles. "Charles, your outstanding performances made us all proud. The way you fought with the Red Bulls and defended was just brilliant." Matilde turned to the people in front of the podium. "And you! Each and every one of you is also the reason why the team won. If you were at the track, at the factory or at home, because of you, we put out an amazing performance. It's not just about the victory, but also about the teamwork and determination of everyone. Well done, everyone. Keep up the good work." She handed the microphone to Charles.

"I agree with everything that Matilde just said," he said and chuckled. "We couldn't have done it without the dedication and hard work of every person in this room. This win is yours as much as it is ours."

The hall burst into applause again. Matilde joined in the clapping, showing that she was there for the team. Even though she had a lot of anger in her body, she recognised this moment of unity and celebration, a reminder of what they achieved together, and what they could achieve together in the future.

After the speeches, the team mingled, sharing stories and congratulations. Charles, Carlos and Matilde posed for photos with their colleagues, holding their trophies proudly. The first celebration of the season and as a team with a new team principal were enjoyed, suddenly there were no tensions left.

Matilde stepped down the stage and collected her stuff. It was not even nine hours after the end of the night shift; she wasn't even supposed to be here for another two hours. She walked away from the celebrations, and she wanted to leave the hall, until someone stopped her.

"We have a board meeting scheduled."

Another thing she wasn't aware of. Matilde smiled. "I will be there," she said. She was open to attending the meeting two hours before she was allowed to start working again. "After I have spoken to my assistant."

"Everyone is waiting for you."

"I will be there," she repeated, taking a second to make clear that she would be there. "After I have seen my assistant," she said, looking the man in the eyes, giving him a stern nod and walked away. 

Next chapter

[mrsoftthoughts]

Maybe im late to do this

But I'm bored, so come with me to my rambling about my personal opinion towards some of Nico di Angelo ships and Rating each one

(Disclaimer: Nothing here goes with intention of offend someone,i always try to be respectful but if something that i say here sounds rude, feel free to tell, I never notice how bad can sound something until someone else points it out)

-Percico/ Nicerci 4/10

Honestly i admire the people that ship this and doesn't give a fuck about what other people say, some of the fan artist and writers make things soo good that should be in a museum

But it's not my personal liking, i only like this when its the exploration of Nico's unrequited crush on Percy , but i honestly I never liked when Nico and Percy had a 100% good relationship of any kind, because their dynamic is complicated at best ( i could talk about it for hours while im probably crying because both are pretty dear to me) and i prefer to think that now their are just "neutral" to each other ( see that part of my description that says "bittersweet relationships sucker" this is why is there) and all that extends to that i cant see these two in a romantic relationship

But that's all, is just not my personal liking, i don't mind the existence of this couple and once again, the people that makes content from them are really talented an deserve all my respect, you guys always come out with the best ideas for angst and i love that of all of you

-Jasico 9/10

They're Cute!! Honestly i don't have my own ideas for them but the Romantic content of these two 90% of the times it's good and i enjoy it ,I really value their friendship more that any other dynamic so i prefer them in a platonic way,but that doesn't mean that i don't get the vision, they really had potential and the people out there are using it

-Solangelo 5/10 or 11/10

The two rates exist because i honestly feel they relationship in canon as one of the worst ways that existed to make them a couple, it's obvious that they are supposed to be something cute and healthy, but all their development is out of screen and then they are just introduced as a couple when Apollo and meg made it to camp, some of their scenes leave me feeling that Nico is out of characters and also in order to give Will the rol of "protective boyfriend" Nico feels quite weak and Will doesn't get many chances of get out that role for being his own character, and he had a lot o potential

(And I'm not be talking about TsatS because is just all the fails of their relationship but multiplied by 1000, ooc, plot holes and toxic traits all around, it's not that bad as a read, but as canon content it is)

But as the saying goes "if you want something done right, do it yourself"

And that's exactly what I do with them, because in this housedhold we don't tolerate wasted potential of any kind, and they relationship deserved better , because honestly the things we know about them and their individual personalities just feels as a good mach and even if the things wouldn't be perfect, no couple it's at the start so it's ok

I also like them in a platonic way, but i think that just like i appreciate more platonic jason and Nico because that how i was introduced to them i lead more towards see them in a romantic one

So Canon gets 5/10 because " it's the tough that counts" ig?

And 11/10 goes for what they could have been ,should be in canon and are in my mind

( i talk abou my thoughts of them a little bit more in this Post if you want to check)

-Nicobaster 9/10

I know, it's a rare ship, but They can be interesting on any kind of relationship and why not make it romantic?? there's a lot of dynamics of where to chose and the alternative AUs that i see of them are great,Cthonic demigod X Cthonic demigod is a good base, I don't have much to say apart from that

Except that you can blame @drksanctuary content for make me like the ship in first place

-Valdangelo 4/10

Not a bad ship ig, i just don't see them as a couple and I don't even now why, i just can't see it , and i also have a pretty strong headcanon of Leo as aromantic so its hard for me to see him in Romantic relationships, but i have nothing against it so that's all

-Clovico 7/10

Another rare ship, one that I've seen around but honestly don't have a a lot to say, i like the little that we see from Clovis and i always like the Cthonic demigod X Cthonic demigod so 7/10 just due the lack of content

-Nico x literally any woman -80000000/10

I love Nicos platonic relationships with the womans in his life, can we keep that PLATONIC and leave the gay in peace??

[yorshie]

hey icon buddy!!!!!

i heard you were doing blurbs. c-can i make a request?

30 and 33- my man mikey of course 😊- soft and sweet?

Icon Buddy! Thank you for requesting for Blurb Day! (though i know it's more like blurb weekend lol) And yes of course! Soft and Sweet Angelo coming right up! (went with pre-relationship vibe, Mikey's just a smidge head over heels for reader)

Mikey hopped down onto the fire escape outside your apartment, palms sweating and throat thick at the thought of knocking on your window.

He'd just worked up the nerve to do so, when the curtain twitched, and you peered out, eyes crinkling in hello upon seeing him. "Mikey," You greeted through the glass, and he smiled as you fumbled for the lock, sticking his fingers underneath the pane and helping you pull it open far enough to lean out. "It's so good to see you!"

Warmth settled into his chest, but the smile on his face slackened a little bit when your eyes ghosted past him to glance around.

"I uh... it's just me, sorry." He shrugged, hands coming together in a nervous tic as he smoothed one thumb over his knuckles.

"Why in the world are you apologizing?" You looked to him in confusion, before stepping back from the window, "you better get in here, though, before someone sees you."

"Well... I know Raph and Leo were suppose to stop by too, so-" He clambered into your apartment, though the soft touch of your hand touching his elbow, holding him steady as he moved, had him breaking off mid sentence.

"Angelo, you silly man," You smiled up at him, and he found himself holding his breath, leaning unconsciously into your space. "Don't you know you've always been my favorite?" The wink you gave at the end of your words was like the follow up to a two count punch against his plastron, and Mikey suddenly became aware of his sweaty palms once more.

"Uh." But you were already holding his hands, skin so soft against his own. Your fingers uncurled his own and slotted palm against palm, and he blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "Oh! You're so warm!"

You giggled, honest to god giggled, and the happy sound had his heart swooping in his chest, mentally patting himself on the back.

He was hyper aware of your hands in his, the way your thumb softly trailed alongside the jut of his wrist, the little massage you worked against the hollow where his own thumb connected. He took the chance to reciprocate in both hands, literally, pressing his thumbs against the center of your palms and giving a little knead against the fine bones at the base of your fingers.

"So..." You drawled out the word, and he looked up too fast, eager to hear what you had to say, grip swallowing your hands before softening his touch with a silent reminder at himself to be gentle.

If you noticed, you didn't bring it up, "do you wanna watch a movie? Get some pizza?" You swung your paired hands back and forth, moving in a sort of swaying dance that Mikey felt himself being pulled into magnetically.

"Babycakes, that sounds like a perfect idea." He almost cringed at the usual slip into terms of endearment, almost felt the slap to the shell Raph would be giving him after the almost hour long talk on how to show someone you appreciate them. Don't use nicknames you use for someone else had been rule number 3, if Mikey remembered correctly.

But you didn't even stutter, though you did flit away from him, all but hopping over to your phone on the couch to place an order. Mikey followed a touch behind, an apology on his lips despite being unsure on how to deliver it, when you turned to him without warning and knocked against his plastron.

Mikey reacted instinctively, arms holding you steady, doubly concerned, before he froze, staring down into your upturned face. your eyes looking impossibly large, cheek pressed to his plastron, and he had to fight the urge to crush you to himself, mind not sure exactly what else he wanted because the sweat was now clinging not only to his palms but to his shoulders as well and you were so close-

And you surprised him once again. Instead of pulling away or shutting him down, you wrapped your arms around him in return, propping your chin on his pectoral scute and giving him a beaming smile that only added to the raging turmoil underneath his skin. "Good catch, Angelo. Do you know what type of pizza you want?"

Angelo. Only you called him that. He swallowed heavily, terribly conscious of your hands pressed against his carapace and how good the soft touch felt, and took another chance, gave you a nickname that he hoped one day you would realize the significance of, "I like all kinds of pizza, Sunshine, why don't you pick for us?"

And there it was, like sunshine parting clouds: your smile turned soft and sweet and he knew he was a goner.

[priceyprice]

Prof!Price

Prof! Price as a literature professor. He's giving an online class to his students talking about how romance is involved in books. Until one of his students through the computer interrupts him.

"Professor, do you believe in love?"

He won't lie. That question threw him by surprise, halting his words. He stares at the computer for a few seconds, trying to analyze what's the answer. Just then, he raised his eyes to something in front of him.

Or someone.

Does he believe in love?

Well, if love is described as one of his students entering his class on the first day and struck Price the instant she stepped food into his classroom, making him almost unable to greet all the people, then yes. If Love is described as how he found her days later in his favorite coffee shop trying to do her homework, him feeling confused (and strangely happy) because he's seeing her in one of his favorite places, took the courage to stepped closer to her and talk to her for a few minutes as she showed him her precious smile, then yes. If love is how the talk went for hours and hours until the coffee shop had to close, neither the two of them checked the time, just immersed in the conversation and realizing they have so much in common then, yes. If Love is how they got closer when months passed and Price was feeling kinda anxious because he was falling hard for her and she was his student, he was her professor and he is older than her, but one day she walked iinto his office —she had been visiting him— and he couldn't take it anymore, he stepped closer and kissed her lips so softly, as if her lips were some kind of fine porcelain. His emotions exploded then and there, and when they separated, he realized what he had done. He kissed one of his students, he could get in trouble, she could get in trouble or worse... he didn't know if she felt the same as him as she was frozen on the spot. But when he felt her hands go to his face cupping him and bringing him closer to her lips once again, all his worries vanished within a second, as if her kiss had some kind of anesthesia. If love means all of that, then yes.

If love means the two of them in his room filled with gasps, kisses, and whispered words as he thrusts her in a slow, intimate way, demonstrated how much he loves her, then yes.

If love is the woman now sitting in front of him on his other desk, her eyebrows together as she concentrates on doing her homework, oblivious to the topic her lover is teaching. She has one of his t-shirts, her neck showing a few love bites he gave her forty minutes before class started, then yes.

He believes in love.

His lips curve into a small smile. Without taking his eyes off her, he says; "Yes."

Once he says that, she looks up at him, grabbing attention to what he just said. He smiles, and she looks at him with a confused smile.

"I do believe in love."

Her smile dropped a little as she stared at him with surprise, then she smiled again, a warm feeling spreading over her chest. She mouthed an 'I love you too' while blowing him a kiss and looking at him with those eyes he loves.

Fuck, how could he not love her eyes? It was like Van Gogh painted them, and Michael Angelo sculpted them. They are so beautiful.

He doesn't care about the consequences of being with a student, he only cares about her.

And she cares about him too.

Until then, she loves him, and he loves her.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I apologize for any mistakes or misspelling. Any suggestions are appreciated.🫶

[fierrochase-falafel]

A 'The Lightning Thief' Musical Appreciation Post (and recommending a documentary-of-sorts)

Message to all you TLT: The Musical fans out there! Just watched the new documentary-of-sorts by Wait in the Wings about the production of TLT and its journey through from small 1-hour play for middle schools to (still underrated) Broadway production, and I cannot recommend it enough! It has interview excerpts from Joe Tracz, Rob Rokicki, Stephen Brackett and Kristin Stokes as well, and both Kristin Stokes and Chris McCarrell have praised it if that helps your expectations.

Always nice to see this musical appreciated online and elsewhere, in all its camp glory. To all the TLT musical fans out there who have also been here and treasured this show and the community surrounding it, perhaps the real lightning thief was the friends we made along the way. Always glad to have found this community :)

Quick message for Percy Jackson fans that haven't seen the musical yet: Well, you might be wondering what to do after you've watched the TV series and boy do I have the content for you. This is a great musical for anyone whose a fan of the books; having borne the brunt of negative expectations after the unspeakable movies came out, this musical still captured people with its fun charm and emotional core for good reason. The soundtrack is out everywhere pretty much, it might not be your kind of media but I'd still give it a shot (particularly if you're into musicals)! I know I haven't gone into much detail here about why this musical works, although I'd like to say more someday; if you want more information, plenty of people on Tumblr have said things about it and the video above does go into why this musical is/was so loved by fans of it. For now I'll just say that it is very genuine and heartwarming, taking the emotional core of the Lightning Thief novel and adapting it for the stage in a way that commemorates and stays true to the novel (even with references to the rest of the novels in there, such as a Bianca di Angelo cameo in the Lotus Casino!).

Anyways, quick post here, just another reminder to always appreciate the TLT musical. Cheers!

[cocrante]

Walking the Wire

[SOLANGELO FANFIC]

summary: The dreams at Camp Half-Blood have vanished. Gentle nights embrace the campers in their hours of sleep, but just as the dreams have disappeared, so have the prophecies. For a mortal, this might not mean anything—nightmares suddenly gone, sweet nights wrapped them in the warmth of the sheets—but for a demigod, dreams are the bridge that connects them between the mortal and immortal worlds, an annoying bell that keeps them constantly on alert, and without those to disturb their nights, it was like losing their compass. But not everyone is without dreams, if "dream" this can be called, one is still allowed to travel in the dream world, perhaps out of pity and compassion of the Fates.

note: this is the second part of the fanfiction "I Start Over with You" also quite old and written a few weeks after the release of the third book "The Trials of Apollo" series. It contains significant spoilers, so please do not read it unless you have read the books first. If you decide to proceed, I will not be held responsible.

additional note: the chapters will be updated every Wednesday. If you want to read upcoming chapters of the fanfiction in advance, I invite you to follow me on Patreon. Subscribing is not necessary, these chapters will be added for free on the platform on Saturday. Following me there is just a kind and free gesture to support my work c:

Reblogs are highly appreciated c:

[PROLOGUE]

BEING A DEMIGOD MEANS COMING TO TERMS WITH A FATE THAT ONE COULD NOT CHOOSE. Every half-blood has to come to terms with that as soon as they step through the camp gates. Each of them has their battles, their own wars to fight, and they're not always against monsters, often the worst battles are against themselves, and there's no retreating from those. You can't run from yourself, you can't hide, you just have to face your fears, face the person staring back at you judgmentally from the mirror.

Nico di Angelo had always faced such battles. He couldn't escape the shadow of his father reflecting in his eyes; he couldn't cling to fond memories because he didn't have any. For years, he had been alone, surrounded by ghosts and shades of the dead, searching among them for his lost sister, to see her again, to receive one last caress, to bid her farewell. He wandered alone through the mortal world, faced the Tartarus with his own strength, survived it, escaped the giants —children of Gaea— and heard the melodious voice of Cupid, which pierced him like a sword. For years, he had thought he was fighting alone, but he was wrong. He had been saved countless times by friends, reaching out a hand, warming him with a smile, standing by him when Cupid himself spoke to him and exposed him to who was a stranger to him. He was so angry with himself that he had to take it out on the one person who was with him that time, who was somehow trying to cheer him up, not knowing who he was facing "The only person who ever accepted me in my life was Bianca, and she's dead!" he yelled "I didn't choose any of this, my father, my feelings—" those words now swirling in his mind. Jason was there that day, the one everyone loved was there to help him, standing by his side, trying to be his friend. Jason had probably been a better friend to him than anyone else.

Yet Fatum in the life of a demigod can also be merciful. It sews small pearls of happiness into the colorful tapestry of life, allowing even the unluckiest of half-bloods a chance to be happy again, and Nico —that happiness— found it in Will's smile.

Will Solace, just one of Apollo's beautiful children, had managed to bring light into the darkness surrounding Nico with little effort. "You could have new memories" Will told him one afternoon at the bay, where they skipped stones across the flat surface of the sea. At the time, Nico almost laughed; the only new memories he had were definitely not the best ones to hold onto at night. Will knew this and was ready to be the architect of those new memories himself. He wanted to give him something to warm him at night, to embrace him in those moments of melancholy. He wanted to be the one, and only one, to bring him back to the light. They spent a month together at Camp Half-Blood, spending afternoons laughing, fighting in the arena, talking about themselves and the future that awaited them outside the camp. In those days, Nico felt like an ordinary boy, relieved of the burden every demigod was forced to carry. Will was a breath of fresh air, and Nico breathed in as much of it as he could: with Will beside him, he truly felt happy again.

Things were starting to go well for him too: he had friends who cared about his life, he had a friend to rely on and confide in when things got heavy, he had found new love, and one December evening he sealed that love with a kiss.

For a week at Camp Half-Blood, all anyone talked about was them, the new relationship between the Ghost King and a son of Apollo. Many bet on a quick end to this strange relationship, others watched with interest and curiosity, only friends congratulated them. Jason, who spent a few days at camp that winter, couldn't help but spill the paranoia Nico had long before meeting him at the bay. Will, with a smile, told the same of himself.

They spent wonderful weeks together, weeks spent getting to know each other, trusting each other, letting themselves cry. It was the first time Will saw Nico cry, and in those tears, there was nothing but the suffering of years spent repressing it, but with it there was also freedom; Nico was finally free to start again, and he was happy that Will was giving him this opportunity.

Slowly, December came to an end—some of the half-bloods had to go back to school, or so it should have been if one day Chiron muttered "The air is shifting" looking thoughtfully at the leaden sky, about to unleash a storm that didn't want to break.

The demigods now had a choice to make, to stay at camp and wait or to return to their homes. Chiron wouldn't stop them.

Nico knew he had to stay. Reluctantly, he informed Reyna at Camp Jupiter that he couldn't return to New Rome at the beginning of January, he didn't even know when or if he would ever be able to return. Then it was Will's turn to decide, it wasn't an easy choice for him either, but his place was with Nico:—"I'll stay" he said those words with the lightness of someone who hadn't had to think about it, squeezing the no longer so cold hand of the son of Hades. All of Apollo's cabin followed their head counselor, and they stayed at camp—if another war broke out, they would need archers and healers.

Most of the demigods stayed at camp to train, to wait for something or someone who would soon enter at Camp Half-Blood.

[CONTENTS]

prologue

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7

↬ masterlist

[drksanctuary]

NICOBASTER: Colors

A long awaited post by some! Warning: the accompanying fic while not NSFW is a bit on the mature side.

@them-awesome-rarepairs I hope this doesn’t break any rules? (But I finally posted one one time)

ALSO Special thanks to @pardon-me-what-the-fuck for brainstorming the AU with me and also a thanks to @thinkingjasico , @iridisentry @yonemurishiroku @gutsybitsies @dead-immortal and ofc @thomas-life for the tattoo ideas!

Enjoy the ficlet below!

Tattoo Parlor- One shot

Nico enters through the small side door as he has many times before. But this time it feels different. This time, his shadow magic has taken him here. He usually has shadows take him to the underworld or to Camp Jupiter where he knows Hazel or Reyna will be there for support. But he had unthinkingly travelled here. To the small tattoo parlor/Magic shop, that one might almost miss it if they were scanned the row of buildings it was in. At this odd hour of night, when he knows it will be open but empty save for the owner.

Alabaster Torrington is at the counter, leg propped up, lounging back in his seat. He looks with furrowed eyebrows at his sketch pad as he taps his lips with his pen, a stray lock of hair that appears to have escaped his messy bun falls to his clavicle,tracing the curve his neck.

Nico hadn’t been sure why he'd come to this place at the beginning, but in appreciating Al’s form, neck and lips… Nico knows why his instinct had led him here now.

More specifically, he knows which instinct had led him here.

Nico has the urge to say something to knock the guy out of his concentrated trance. But he just stands there observing him as an unassuming shadow on the wall.

Alabaster mumbles to himself and makes a definitive mark on the page before placing the sketch pad on the desk and finally looking up.

“Gah!” Alabaster exclaims.

Nico grins at him, his smile woven with mischief.

“Di immortales, Di Angelo, you want me to die of a heart attack?” Alabaster snaps.

“That’d be no good, who’s gonna finish my commission?” Nico says, the side of his mouth curling into a smirk.

Alabaster deadpans. “Glad to know my skill with magic is the only thing keeping me alive”

“Isn’t it usually?” Nico says as he hops onto the counter. He folds his arms and flashes Alabaster another shit eating grin.

Al opens his mouth to respond in the contrary, but then, upon consideration, just says “good point” he mirrors Nico’s insufferable grin and adds “you asshat.”

I’d wear your ass as hat. Nico thinks to himself before replying with “it’s nice to see you too”

“Mmhmm” Al arches eyebrow at him before turning his attention back to his sketch pad.

Nico’s nerves feel like sand pulsing through him.How does one segue into asking someone to, how to put it delicately, wreck him with pleasure. He is suddenly very aware that he has no idea how to flirt.

“So…what’re you working on?” Nico says, feeling a bit defeated at his unoriginality.

“You’re latest commission actually”

“Dragon scales?”

“That’s the one”

“Sweeet”

“It’s a tough one though, might take me a bit more time.” Al glances at the calendar. “Granted I hadn’t expected you back for it for another week. Is there a reason you’re early?”

Nico’s stomach jolts. Flirting. Exe has failed to load and he just stands there like an idiot.

“Um…”

Alabaster raises an eyebrow. The one with the piercing in it. Nico remembers thinking about how hot that piercing was when he first saw it. He thinks it’s hot now. Focus Di Angelo! He thinks to himself. Don’t just stare! Apparently thirsty.exe is running just fine. Maybe too well.

Alabaster smiles warmly at him and it ruins his focus again, as now he’s gone from staring at Al’s eyebrow to staring at his lips.

“Y-yeah, no. Just the tattoo commission …that’s why I came” Nico lies. “But if you need more time…”

“I’d certainly appreciate it” Alabaster responds, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms. “Perhaps I can help you with something else? Maybe touching up your ink-sourced tattoos?”

“My what?” Nico says, and instantly regrets how stupid he sounds. He had been only half paying attention as Al crossing his arms had accented his biceps and Nico had been checking them out.

“Ink sourced tattoos?” Alabaster says. “The ones that don’t draw energy from you directly, just from the ink itself.”

Nico smiles dumbly.

“Your failsafes?” Alabaster gestures to Nico’s jacket clad biceps.

Nico is slightly impressed that Alabaster remembers where all of his tattoos are. He has so many. But Nico supposes that it’s because Al works so hard on them that he remembers.

“Oh” Nico says, not hesitating at all to take his shirt off. “Sure. If you could”

It’s Alabaster’s turn to be distracted. No matter how much he’d worked on that torso he still very much enjoys the sight of it. His skin is soft between scars and his chest is beautifully muscled. He looks like the kind of demigod Ancient Greek sculpturists might use as a reference. Alabaster has, more than once, had to suppress the urge to lick those muscles when he got too close. How very unprofessional of him.

But he also enjoys Nicos company. He forces himself to focus on that instead. The son of Hades often tells him the stories attached to each meaningful Tattoo he has. AL loves hearing about adventures and meaningful events in Nico’s life. It was a life he’d left behind. Heroes never die, he thinks bitterly, but they do, however, fade into the background. Perhaps that’s the best way to keep people alive. He shakes his head and turns on his equipment.

Alongside Nico’s tattoos are scars that serve a similar function. The scars tell of battles fought. Of Battles not easily won. Battles endured for selfish Olympians who didn’t deserve Nico’s help. When Nico visits, he tells Al all about them too (sometimes needing some emergency healing as well). But that’s just fine. He’s not going to be callous about demigod life just because his side lost the war. Doing so would make him no better than the negligent Olympians he despises.

Besides, Alabaster is good at providing what Nico needs. Alabaster briefly wonders if those needs include…something more than healing. Something more than the niceties they go through. Something more than the conversations they have as friends.

Alabaster unmindfully traces his fingertips along one of the scars on Nico’s arms. Enjoying the sensation of Nicos skin against his fingertips until Nico tenses under the scrutiny.

“Sorry” Al says, “does it hurt?”

“Oh, -uh nope” Nico’s says hoping he’s not blushing. It doesn’t hurt at all. It feels really good but he can’t just say that….can he?

“Oh good ‘cause I was gonna say…” Alabaster says as he starts the tattoo pen “this is probably going to”

Nico smirks “I’m ready”

Alabaster works expertly. Nico can’t help but watch. Al’s non-pen hand is gentle as it supports his arm but exerts full and firm control over him when necessary; moving Nico’s arm into whatever position it needs to go. Nico hopes those hand skills are transferable to…other things.

“So…” Nico starts “I don’t usually hear a lot about you.”

Alabaster glances up at him. Nico’s eyes aren’t interrogating, only inquisitive. Calm down Torrington, war is long since over no need to be paranoid. Besides it’s Nico he’s….good.

“Listening is easier than multitasking by talking and working, but” he moves Nico’s arm so he can work at a different angle. “I suppose there’s also not much to say…I don’t go on as many adventures as you do”

“But you do go”

“On occasion, to find the odd potion ingredient, magical object or what not”

“Nice, like with this one?” He points to snake tattoo on his wrist.

“Ha, yeah…anything for my favorite customer” Alabaster says with a wink.

Nico again hopes he isn’t blushing “It was worth the extra I paid for it” Nico grins. “I’ve used it at least 3 times since I got it. Constantly saves my ass”

It’s certainly an Ass worth saving Alabaster thinks to himself and he smiles. How lecherous of him. Though did he see a slight blush in Nico’s cheeks when he called him his favorite ? Perhaps he imagined it.

Nico sees the slight grin, and assumes Al is smiling with pride, it’s a subtle smile but Nico notices it just the same. Maybe he can flirt. Or…well, maybe Al was just being polite.

“That should do it” Alabaster says, placing a healing rune index card on Nico’s arm and activating it.

“I am so glad that I don’t have to wait a normal amount of time for the tattoos to heal” Nico says with a sigh as the glow from the card fades and takes the pain with it.

“Magic is truly magical isn’t it?” Al says. His eyes glow slightly as he says it.

Nico hums in the affirmative more entranced by the glow than he’d ever admit. Or was it just those eyes? Nico’s not sure.

Alabasters gaze lingers on Nico’s lips . He saw the slight tint of green shine off of the white gold piercing. He suppresses the urge to kiss it.

“So… what about you?no stories today?” Alabaster asks. Clearly he needs to take his mind elsewhere. It didn’t do to have it be in the gutter when there is a client present. No matter how hot the client is. No matter how he looked at him with beautiful black, inquisitive eyes that seemed to eat up the light around them. Hungry for sights. Perfect eyes for a patron of a tattoo parlor. Perfect eyes for a son of Hades. Perfect eyes.

“Umm… I’ve actually mostly just been helping train some of the younger campers.” Nico says. Knocking Al’s mind back into the present and not the ethereal plane on which he was waxing poetic about Nico di Angelo’s fricking eyes. Not like they’d ever be for him anyway. Alabaster has to remind himself that he is just an exile forced to work the fringes of human and demigod boarders to muster up a living. Children of the big three did not regard such demigods like that. But Nico did always treat him respectfully. It was a low bar, but Nico far surpassed it. He likes that about him.

“That’s good” Alabaster says with a nod. And he does not add any comment about the camp even though the anger still burns within him. The Olympian safe haven…only safe for those who comply. But-

“There’s this 10 year old child of Themis who was attacked by an empousa at the courthouse”

“Hehe I imagine that’s where a lot of those blood suckers work” Al says with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s what I said!” Nico says with a laugh, unconsciously putting his hand on Al’s.

As cheesy as it sounds, Al feels a spark. It’s not a sudden jolt of electricity or his heart skipping a beat. It’s more like, an unexpected tingling sensation. Like being tickled. He’s tempted to hold Nico’s hand as it lingers but Nico retracts it before he can.

“Um…but anyway I’ve been training him with a sword, and he likes to call

It his ‘blade of Justice’ so that’s pretty cool” Nico’s blood rushes to his ears. He know firsthand how it felt to be touched unexpectedly. He mentally berates himself for doing it.

“Pretty cool” Al nods, and this time his response is genuine. He wants to curse himself for how he’d almost got lost in dwelling in the past again. But he is grateful to Nico for reminding him why the camp is good. Or at least better than it was for those minor gods children. It’s not the life he’d fought against Olympus for, but it was still better than what he’d had. He’s happy they have a home.

They belong there with a hero like Nico who can keep them safe in his capable hands. As he’s thinking it Al find’s himself reaching for those hands again. What was the matter with him?

He holds Nico’s hand before he can stop himself and is surprised when Nico doesn’t retract it again. He traces the skin of Nico’s hand that not obscured by the gloves, before looking up at him again.

“It’s good they have you to care for them” Alabaster says, voice soft but still deep and solid.

It makes Nico shiver. He knows Alabaster’s past. Minor gods’ children used to not have a place at camp. And if they did it was shoved into the Hermes Cabin.

“Well yeah..Demigods only really have each other in the end, right?”Nico says

Alabaster meets Nico’s eyes, something stirring within him. He’d said the exact same thing to Ethan back when…back during the Titan war. It was almost as if he was repeating Al’s own words to him. Maybe it’s something Al has said to Nico in the past without thinking it. Or maybe…maybe Nico just believes it. Maybe he and Al’s feeling on that matter align.

“Right” Alabaster says softly with a squeeze of reassurance to the hand that he is holding.

Nico’s heart flutters a little.

Alabasters eyes capture him, they engage him with such scrutiny. Thinking a million things at once, but at the same time…focused on one goal at a time.

“Like I said,.” Nico says “you and your tattoos save my ass all the time”

“Again, You’re welcome” Al says the side of his lips curling into a smirk. This time he gambles. With Nico’s hand in his own,he stands and leans in close, his face inches from Nico’s own their gazes still locked., “it’s…certainly an ass worth saving.”

Nico’s breath catches at the proximity. And Alabaster’s tone was…suggestive? Sensual even. Yes.

“Is that right” Nico starts, so glad he doesn’t have to give the cue, only take it. “Well…maybe you could…do more than just save it?” he says in a breathy whisper. His eyes trailing to look at Al’s lips, and then right back into those glowing eyes. He parts his own lips inviting Al to make the first move.

Al’s heartbeat quickens as he leans in to close the distance between their lips. This time it is a like an electric shock. A surge of sensation between the two of them. They both melt into it. Their breaths becoming heavier as the kiss deepens.

Nico’s mind becomes hazy and his body takes over, finally bringing to the fore, those urges he hadn’t been aware he was suppressing. He grasps at Al’s shirt with wild abandon and pulls him close, sucking on Alabasters bottom lip.

Al’s hand cards through Nico’s hair and pulls it. Asserting some control.

Nico moans and Alabaster notes the reaction. Mmm seems he likes that.

Nico tries to say Alabaster’s name but his voice just vibrates through their mouths as empty noise. He wants to be pulled again. He wants to be pushed. He…wants.

Alabaster can feel the cold of Nico’s lips ring, but the rest of Nico’s mouth is warm and inviting. And the sounds he makes are intoxicating. Al pushes Nico down against the chair with his upper body and positions his lower between Nico’s legs. Nico lets put a pleasured gasp before Alabaster reconnects their lips in haste. He plunges his tongue into Nico’s mouth, sliding it along the front of his teeth before delving further.

Nico moans again before meeting Al’s tongue with his own. Wrestling it. Prodding it. Trying to reach Al’s teeth.

Nico’s fingers move in a frenzy along Al’s back grasping cloth and scraping skin. It’s intoxicating.

When they finally release the frantic kiss Al stays close, both of them breathless, eyes locked with one another’s

“I’ve…wanted to do that for a while now” Alabaster admits

“Yeah?” Nico says. He gives it some thought. “Me too” he realizes.

“D’you-“

“Yes”

Alabaster chuckles “I didn’t finish my question”

Nico smirks “Yesssssss” he says again in a warm breath against Alabaster’s ear, tugging at Al’s shirt to cement his desire.

Alabaster shivers. “Let’s go to my place.”

*****

[dark-elf-writes]

Also I dont know your opinion on Cullen but imagine that he has to actually confront his bigotry because Nico can spot how he still holds his beliefs even while sporouting he's changed. Because as ever to me, Cullen is a giant missed chance of showing a redemption arc based in religious trauma from one the people the religion liked.

(also, Will saying ‘necro-gay-cer 1 time and Dorian is introduced to the concept of Pride parades and the such.)

Nico can appreciate the fact that eventually people need to face the parts of themselves that aren’t so pretty or that they would prefer to remain buried in order to grow. He can even admit sometimes that being forced to come to terms with his sexuality and the support that he found afterwards did help in a way. He would never ever make someone face themselves the way he was forced to.

Putting new trauma on old trauma isn’t a way to help, to fix things. He gets that better than anyone could.

So when he saw Cole glance towards Cullen’s office for the fifth time in an hour he patted his friend’s arm and disappeared into the shadows (grateful not for the first time that shadow travel took so much less out of him in this world).

He made sure to appear outside of Cullen’s office, made sure to know on the door before letting himself in, made sure to stand in the middle of the pool of light in the office. Cullen blinked. Outside of Nico helping translate what the other advisors were trying to say to Percy and the sharing his own information from the many dead and spirits around Thedas, they didn’t really talk. Hell Nico wasn’t sure Cullen talked to anyone outside of the occasional game of chess with Annabeth and Dorian.

“Did we have a meeting… Di Angelo.”

Nico’s lips twitched despite himself. No one really knew what to call any of them other than Percy. They didn’t have official titles like Inquisitor to hide behind and all of them had agreed it was best to let everyone who wasn’t Percy to hide behind the anonymity of the inquisition.

“Walk the walls with me, Commander?” Nico asked instead of answering. A neutral location would help. Having the cold air around Skyhold to ground them would help. Having Nico, as terrible as he was with living people, would help or at least he hoped it would.

Cullen’s hesitation that dragged on just a few seconds too long only confirmed to Nico that this needed to happen. He only hoped that Cullen really was off his lyrium because the last time he was hit with a Templar’s power had knocked him out for days.

After another long moment Cullen nodded and stood, and Nico readied himself for an entirely different kind of battle.

At least he couldn’t be as bad at this as Eros was…. Right?

(God but Dorian seeing Nico and Will love each other so openly and unashamedly would give him so much hope. Also I know deep in my heart both of them would in fact try to throw down with Dorian’s dad.)

[tagthescullion]

Diplomacy: a Net of Embellished Lies

Fandom(s): Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus

Rating: G

Summary: Five times Nico lied to the people around him, and one time he told the truth.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

AO3 link

Chapter 4: Thalia's Brother

Annabeth paced the front steps of her father’s home in San Francisco.

A few commuters threw weird looks her way; Annabeth had to remind herself this wasn’t New York and while not uncommon, strange behaviours would stand out more here than in Manhattan.

And yet she couldn’t stop her feet from stepping one in front of the other waiting for her guest who was running late. The little shit.

It wasn’t really that she had anything against Nico di Angelo. He was a solid ally to have on one’s side, despite the disconcerting feeling that he might’ve had a crush on her at some point. 

But more importantly, Annabeth knew he was the one demigod who knew everybody who was anybody. God, demigod, mortal, titan, for all Annabeth knew, he might even know a saint or two. Nico was the joker of a deck of cards. For whatever reason, he always seemed to know somebody who knew something useful.

Still, she wished he could be a little more punctual.

Percy had been missing for weeks already. Jason had said the Roman camp was in San Francisco. Or well, the Bay Area, which was close enough. But he didn’t remember exactly where.

It wasn’t Mount Othrys, obviously. They might have fought there, their Roman counterparts, but important mythical places were never good places to build camps. Too volatile. That’s why Camp Half-Blood wasn’t too close to Olympus.

The moment the son of Jupiter had mentioned the Bay Area, she’d decided she’d pay her father a visit. It was a strategic place to be if she needed to comb the area.

Annabeth had asked Jason whether he remembered a little pasty, scrawny son of Hades from the Roman camp, but she’d only got a bemused look and a raised eyebrow as an answer. Jason Grace had never met Nico di Angelo. Or he didn’t remember the boy, at least.

She was turning on her feet to pace the other way when she felt it. An unnatural chill that gave her goosebumps.

“Afternoon,” said a young voice behind her.

Annabeth jumped off the front steps and grabbed the son of Hades by his jacket. “You’re two hours late!”

Nico’s cold hands went up to unclench her fists from his clothes.

“You said after lunch!” He defended himself. “It’s only three!”

“Three?” She took a deep breath so she wouldn’t strangle him. “Who in Hades has lunch at three in the afternoon?”

“Not at three,” Nico argued. “I had lunch at two, but it’s recommended to wait half an hour before being attacked by your rabid cousin-in-law.”

She wanted to punch his smug little face. 

“Come inside,” she said instead. “We need to talk.”

Nico followed her into the living room. He took the room in without much interest, but she saw his eyes wander to the open door to her father’s study.

“Is that a model of Great War trenches?” He asked.

“You can see that later,” she told him. “First, I’d appreciate it if you could try to help.”

Nico nodded. 

She offered him coffee but he refused. He did take the seat in front of her, however, in one of the armchairs. 

“No news from Percy,” he said before she opened her mouth. “Not yet, anyway. But he’s not dead.”

In spite of trying her best to believe that Hera wouldn’t kill Percy, since that would ruin her exchange plan, it did relieve her to hear it from Nico. 

“We think we know where he might be,” she explained. 

Nico raised an eyebrow, and while his face didn’t look exactly like his father’s, his expression was remarkably similar. “And you’re not storming the place with an army of loyal demigods behind you?”

“I’m not Menelaus of Sparta, Nico,” she replied.

He shrugged.

“We don’t know exactly where he is,” she told him. “But there were developments in Camp, I mentioned this.” He nodded. “There were three new demigods, and one was Thalia Grace’s brother, Jason.”

She scanned his face for any kind of recognition. Even if Jason couldn’t remember Nico, there was no reason for Nico not to recall Jason, but the boy’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Her brother?” His expression turned dubious. “She’s got a brother?”

“Nobody knew,” Annabeth said. She tried for her tone not to be bitter. “Not even I. I’m not sure Luke knew.” Then she realised whether Luke knew or not probably didn’t matter much to him. “Point is, he’s not exactly Zeus’ son.”

“Her mother had a son with another god?” Nico asked. 

��No, no!” She raised a hand for him to let her speak. “Or— No, yes, more or less.”

“Of course,” he said flatly. “That clears things up.”

“He’s the son of Jupiter,” she tried to make sense of what she was saying. “I’m not sure Thalia knew that, though.”

“I doubt she likes him more as Jupiter than as Zeus,” Nico guessed. The distant sound of thunder made his expression turn exasperated. “Apologies, Uncle.”

“No argument there,” Annabeth agreed. Thalia had never seen eye to eye with her father, and she doubted the distinction between Greek and Roman would make their relationship any better. Then she realised Nico hadn’t quite reacted to the idea of Jupiter instead of Zeus. She crossed her arms. “You don’t look very surprised about the Roman thing.”

Nico studied her face. “I don’t think anything surprises me anymore.” He made himself comfortable in the armchair. “Cioè, the gods… they went forward with history. It does make some sense that they were there after Greece… or during Greece but in another place? That part does confuse me, I guess.”

“Join the team,” Annabeth said. She was still uneasy about how well he’d taken it. “Has your father ever mentioned this?”

Nico thought for a second. “He’s said things like, ‘Back in Roman times’, or ‘When we were in Rome’.” He raised his index finger as if he’d just had an idea: “And Apollo told us the Romans had made him and his sister the gods of the sun and the moon because of downsizing.” He slouched back into his seat. “But they were the same gods, weren’t they?”

“Not quite,” Annabeth emphasised. “The gist of it was the same, but their manners, their relationship with the mortal realm, the way they were perceived, all those were different.”

“So same idea, different vibes,” Nico summed up. 

“Never try to use modern language again,” Annabeth advised.

Nico frowned. “You know what I mean.”

She nodded. “At any rate, it turns out the Queen of Olympus has set a plan in motion.”

“You sound delighted about it,” he commented, and Annabeth could see the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Absolutely,” she deadpanned. “Not a single murderous thought. She decided an exchange was in order. So Jason the son of Jupiter was kindly brought to Camp Half-Blood’s attention…”

Nico looked at her expectantly.

She waited to see if he could guess where this was going. She’d always had the impression Nico was no fool. He could connect the dots by himself.

“And…” Nico drawled. “Percy was thrown in the boot of Hera’s car like a spare tyre?”

“You’re unbelievable,” she snapped. “He was sent to a Roman demigod camp, who knows where, in which Jason Grace is apparently a leader!”

“Right—” Nico hesitated. “Well, you know, Percy is a good leader himself, he won’t do too badly, will he?”

“I don’t care how well or not he does!” Annabeth realised her voice was growing louder, but she couldn’t quite help it. “I just want him back!”

Nico had pressed himself against the back of the armchair, away from her wrath. “Did Jason Grace say where his camp was?”

“No.” Annabeth took a deep breath. She felt her eyes sting with tears and she hated the thought of crying again over this. “He can’t remember anything, Hera took his memories. She must’ve taken Percy’s too.”

Nico nodded. He looked at her, his eyes —a deep brown he must’ve gotten from his mother— full of compassion. He leaned forward in his seat.

“I’m sorry I haven’t found him yet,” he said. “Having no memories is shit.”

Annabeth cleaned a wayward tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. She’d forgotten he couldn’t remember his past either. She felt a thread of self-reproach; here she was, dumping her issues on a pre-teen who couldn’t have had it easy himself. 

“It’s not your fault,” she assured him. “That bitch is to blame. As always. Messing around with this? If the Greeks and Romans have been separated for centuries then there’s obviously a reason for that!”

Nico looked out of the window into her backyard for several seconds.

“Perhaps it’s not a bad idea to unite forces,” he suggested. Seeing her expression he backtracked. “Not like this! Gods, no. If the Queen of Olympus wanted to make us all meet, there were so many other less invasive ways! But I mean,” he waved his hand around trying to find the right words. “If there’s another camp of people out there, people who’ve also been trained and who could help us…” He shrugged, suddenly unsure. “Maybe it’s not the worst thing to happen, isn’t it?”

“What if Percy’s there?” She asked. “And he can’t remember any of us at all?”

“I don’t think there’s a single force in the universe that could stop Percy Jackson from coming back to the people he loves,” Nico said with such strength it startled Annabeth. “If he finds his way to that Roman camp, at least we’ll know he’s safe and looked after, and he’ll find a way to communicate with you.”

She hadn’t thought of Nico as a particularly convincing boy, but she was desperate enough to believe him with all of her heart. 

And, who knew? Maybe it was true, if Percy had no memories, it was better to be somewhere safe rather than wandering around North America all by himself. 

“It’s near San Francisco,” she said. “The Roman camp.”

Nico nodded slowly. 

“I’ll keep an eye out,” he promised. “For Percy and for any unknown mythological activity in the area.”

She gave him an honest smile. “Thank you, really.”

Nico looked a bit uncomfortable –Annabeth recalled he didn’t like dealing with feelings, not unlike her, really–, so she schooled her face into her usual unbothered expression.

“You were eyeing my dad’s World War One model, right?” She asked.

The boy seemed relieved at the change of subject. 

“Yeah,” he said. “It reminded me of stories my nonno used to tell me, about his time in the trenches.” 

Annabeth glanced at him, he appeared to be lost in thought. She guessed he had started to remember bits and pieces of his past. She tried not to feel annoyed that he was starting to remember when Percy’s memory had been stolen. 

After all, if Nico and Jason were getting some of their memories back, it meant godly interference could only work so far, and Percy would eventually remember as well.

She spent half her afternoon showing Nico her dad’s model. She’d never spent much time with him by herself, but she found him to be a lot less scary when he was inspecting toy planes than when he arrived at a battle with an undead army on toe.

[khruschevshoe]

Remember how I said I finally read RW&RB a while back? Well, I finally watched the movie. And..... I really super duper wish they would have just left the book alone (more so because the content/characters they cut out were SO central to the story-line that they might as well have just made a different movie entirely). Ugh, bleh. I need to read the book again-

My guy I literally was *just* reading through a thorough analysis of why the movie felt so off! June and Rafael were so integral to the plot/themes of the story, Bea and Nora were made into completely different characters, the aspect of Ellen and Oscar's divorce being missing hit me on a personal level (even if I understood why they did it), and like...the entire last half hour of the movie, basically everything after the lake scene, felt so OFF that I couldn't stand it. Basically every questionable pacing/writing/ordering of scenes decision was made from the fact that they took out all of the queer history in the museum scene, the fact that Alex makes his speech coming out about the relationship BEFORE he talks to Henry, the fact that a queer Latino man outs them due to jealousy rather than, you know, THE RICH WHITE CONSERVATIVE HELLBENT ON DESTROYING EVERYTHING QUEER and then him literally being EXPOSED by a queer Latino man (the optics on that last one are a bit...yikes, ngl). I appreciated what they did with the movie, a family-washed queer romcom is still better than nothing, but some decisions are BAFFLING.

(Though I have absolutely no notes about how they executed the lake scene. The acting during the moment that Henry is listening to Alex's feelings confession and you can just SEE the moment he shuts down because he knows he can't give Alex what he wants? And then the shot of him in the lake? 10/10. No notes. The ONLY scene that is better in the movie than in the book.)

But yeah, I'm almost glad that my favorite book is a self-published indie sapphic alternate history novel because that means no chance of movie adaptation. As much as I would KILL to see President Janine Moore, Cynthia Freeman, First Gentleman Preston Lithwick-Moore, Guadalupe di Angelo/Luis Diaz, and First Daughter Annette Moore on my screen, I would be TERRIFIED to see how they'd make it palatable to straight audiences.

[charon-cries]

7, 11, 25 for the ask game!!!!

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

i have always been infatuated with guache but i CANNOT use it for shit

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

it really depends!! sometimes i put on a playlist, sometimes it's one song on repeat for like two hours, sometimes it's a 2 hour video essay, a 6 hour gameplay video, sometimes a fiction podcast... but i CANNOT do it in silence

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

i have been told multiple times throughout my life that my art style makes me seem like a nico di angelo kinnie. i've never read percy jackson

[carbo-ships]

Sweet Nothings

Not part of the main plotline, just a lil drabble.

Ardis couldn't sleep. It was a rare occurrence – she usually slept very well at her monastery back at Shamayim. Tonight, however, she tossed and turned. Ardis reached for her phone, and when her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the screen, she sighed at learning it was nearly three in the morning. Before she could set her phone back on her nightstand, a notification appeared.

Come over, I'll meet you at the back gate in twenty minutes x

It was from Aether. Her cheeks flushed. Why was he awake? What made him think she'd see his message?

How did you know I was awake? she replied.

A few seconds passed.

I just know things. Come over. You'll sleep better with me.

She still had questions, but she couldn't argue with that. His arms were far superior to the comfort of any blanket.

OK.

After climbing out of bed, she tossed a change of clothes into a small backpack and pulled on her boots. She crept down the hall towards the departures room – she was free to come and go as she wished, but wanted to be mindful of the other residents. Reaching the room, she logged her trip in the record book as was mandatory for all comings and goings. The journey used to take a few hours, as the nearest permanent link was quite far from Papa Emeritus's monastery. However, to support her efforts to influence the ghouls, her superiors had established a new link just outside the gates. She said a quick prayer, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself just a few feet away from Aether. He was leaning against the open doorway of the gate, a sleepy smile on his lips. He extended his hand to her, beckoning her inside with a gentle toss of his head.

Hand in hand, they made their way through the garden towards the main building. "Something on your mind?" Aether asked her.

"No, nothing in particular. Just couldn't sleep," she assured him with a yawn. "But really, how could you tell?"

He chuckled. "Like I said, tesoro, I just know. You're dating a demon, remember? I am not quite like these other men you've met." He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss as they walked. "I make it my business to know."

Once they stepped inside, they paused their conversation until they reached Aether's bedroom so they wouldn't disturb Papa or the other ghouls. As soon as his door was shut behind them, they both removed their shoes and Ardis set her bag against the wall. Aether lied down on his bed and opened his arms to her invitingly. She crawled in next to him and snuggled into his side with a pleased sigh. Everything felt so simple when she was with him. Things had been difficult at first, obviously, but everything had fallen into place.

"Thank you for having me," she said, nuzzling him appreciatively.

"Couldn't have you tossing and turning when you could be cuddled up with me." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Buonanotte, mio piccolo angelo."

She couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"What?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

She looked away bashfully, even though she could hardly see him in the dark. "I like it when you speak Italian," she admitted.

Aether grinned. He'd make her regret telling him that. "È così?" he purred low in her ear. "Dovrei dirti cose dolci fino a quando non ce la farai più?"

She felt a sudden surge of butterflies in her stomach and gasped. "Oh, goodness," she squeaked out, squirming involuntarily.

He chuckled. "Is that too much, tesoro? I can stop!"

"No, it's– It's okay," she assured him once she found her tongue. "It just makes me a little flustered."

"Do you even speak Italian?" he asked, only to learn that the very embarrassed angel did not. "Hey, that's alright! It's just – if you did, I'd have to watch my tongue, that's all. But it's alright if I speak tenderly to you for a bit?"

"You can if you'd like to," she mumbled, trying to hide how much the idea excited her.

"Oh, I'd very much like to. Now, where was I... Ah, sì, ti stavo facendo arrossire." Aether murmured sweet nothings into the girl's ear, holding her tight against his chest. She didn't understand a word he said, but his low, deep voice and warm breath against her ear were enough to make her lightheaded. Reaching her breaking point after a few minutes of his sweet torture, she turned her head and kissed his lips to silence him. He chuckled against her and kissed her back. When he finally pulled away, he offered her a gentle smile. "Let's get some rest." They made themselves comfortable, tangled up with each other beneath the sheets. A girl could get used to this, Ardis thought to herself as she dozed off in his arms.