15 fics in 15 days

We Were Friends, part 1

"So that's the famous Nico Diangelo?"

"Shut up."

"I'm serious. You could do better. I mean, he's gorgeous, but--"

"Shut UP, Pipes."

Piper groaned. "I'm just saying, you kinda oversold him. What were you so excited about, anyway? He's been here, what, two days and hasn't even tried to talk to you, his former best friend?"

"Stop exaggerating, Piper. I told you, that was in, like, fifth grade." But Leo was dissapointed. When he'd heard Nico DiAngelo, lover of puns and Mythomagic and Pokemon, the guy that could make Leo snort chocolate milk out of his nose (twice) daily, the guy that saved his ass in sixth grade PE and always let him mooch an Oreo, well... Leo was ecstatic. And he'd talked of nothing else for the past week, regaling (and boring) Percy and Piper with tales of the epic pranks they had pulled, the epic times they had had before Nico moved to Italy for his dad's job after eighth grade, and, naturally, the EPIC crush he'd had (as of now, still has) on Nico.

What Leo hadn't been prepared for was the coming of Nico DiAngelo, lover of tacky-but-oh-so-sexy leather jackets, skinny jeans, not talking to Leo, and, apparently, the guy who would be far more likely to pour chocolate milk over Leo's head than make him squirt it out of his nose. Which is how he ended up in this situation, this situation being him hiding his tiny, skinny frame behind his best friend Piper and ignoring Percy's concerned glances, while Nico stood on the other end of the hallway, chatting it up with LITERAL HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace.

"The winter formal is coming up, you should ask him."

"Are you insane, Piper? He's... He's, well...."

"Spit it out, Valdez."

Way out of my league. Gorgeous. Doesn't know I'm alive. The guy I've been in love with since the first day if sixth grade when he tried to hit a big with a textbook and hit me in the head instead and walked me to the nurse's office even thought I swore I was fine.
"I just can't, Piper. It's like Percy and Annabeth: he'll swoon over her from afar, but no way in hell will she ever go out with him."

"Huh?" It was the first time Percy spoke throughout the whole conversation.

Piper sighed. "Group vote. All in favor of letting Leo drop the pursual of his one true love?!"

"You said I could do better!!"

Piper gave him a stern look. Leo sighed and raised his hand.

"All those in favor of not resting until that faux-leather-clad homosexual is draped over Leo at winter formal?"

She and Percy both raised their hands as the warning bell rang. The hallway swarmed with kids heading to first period.

"Traitor," scowled Leo at Percy, hoisting his messenger bag higher in his shoulder.

"No offence," said Percy, hopping on his skateboard even though they were indoors, "but Pipes is scarier."

Leo sighed. Then, Leo stopped sighing, because the aforementioned intimidating trio was heading their way.

Percy wiped his hair out of his eyes and flashed the smile that got him, Piper, and Leo free starbucks. "Hey, Chase."

"Your fly's down," she said without even looking, and strolled straight past him. Percy rapidly checked and threw himself off balance, sending his skateboard one way and Percy the other.

"You walked right into that one, dude," said Leo, hoisting Percy up. "She got you faster than you could say 'shit-for-brains." Nico snickered. Leo looked over in his direction. Their eyes locked, and Leo felt his cheeks heat up before he looked away and hustled Percy to their next class. He tried to ignore the fact that Nico's eyes were exactly as he remembered them; soft and brown and sad.
-
-
-
To be continued... OOooOOooOOoh!!!