Hate to Love (Valdangelo)

Tickles

A/N: I don't own PJO or the music they were listening to.

Leo let go of Nico's hand as soon as they reached the dining room. The rest of the seven left while they were in the hallway, but Leo could still hear Hedge's "threats" coming from above deck.

"...What kind of chocolate did you have in mind, exactly?" Nico asked from the corner by the door. What is up with that kid and corners?

Leo was already looking through the cabinets for two bowls.

"The sweet, frozen kind." Leo answered simply.

"So, ice cream?"

"Exacta mungo." Leo turned with a goofy grin. He found two bowls, and he placed them on the table in front of two seats.

He pointed to a chair. "Sit."

Leo sat down without looking back at Nico. He saw the chair next to him pull out, and a black shape occupy the area it was just in out of the corner of his eye.

He wasn't paying much attention to Nico, however. He really wanted the ice cream. He grabbed one of the bowls and it instantly filled with a couple scoops of chocolate ice cream.

When he looked over at Nico, he realized the son of Hades had vanilla.

Leo mocked a gasp. "How dare you! I invited you for chocolate ice cream, not vanilla!" Leo finished it off with a smile that-hopefully-told Nico he was kidding.

The corners of Nico's lips barely lifted, but they did. And Leo noticed. He freaked out a little more than he should have, but he wanted to see if he could get Nico to smile more. It was weird to see it, but it also made Leo feel accomplished. He could make Nico, lord of making people feel like they were about to pee their pants, smile!

It was pretty amazing.

"You just smiled!" Leo almost yelled. The slight smile on Nico's face disappeared instantly.

"No I didn't." he said.

"Yes you did!" Leo argued. "I saw it!"

"You must be hallucinating, then, because I didn't smile."

"You freaky little Ghost Prince! Yes you did! I. Just. Saw. You. Don't lie to me! I know what I saw!" And with that said, Leo suddenly had an idea. An evil idea that was sure to get him killed, but an idea nonetheless.

He couldn't help it. A devilish grin grew on his face.

"Uh, Leo? What's with the smile?" Leo moved his chair a little closer to Nico. "Seriously, what is up with that smile? I'll kill you. What are you-Oh gods. Not that. Anything but that! I barely even know you why are you going to-?"

Nico was cut off when Leo went all "tickle monster" on him. Nico jerked and thrashed in his chair until he fell on the floor. That wasn't going to make Leo stop, though. He got out of his chair and kept tickling him.

Nico had a childish laugh, one filled with giggles and gasps, one that was so ironic for the son of Hades to have that Leo had to chuckle. Nico laughed so hard, tears started to stream from his eyes.

"Stop!" he cried. "Stop it!" He barely finished his demand when he fell into a fit of giggles again.

"Never!" Leo said with the biggest grin on face he'd had in a long time. Nico was full of so many surprises, that much was certain. He went against basically every stereotype that people thought about him.

"I don't even know you!" Nico just about screamed. "Why are you-" he giggled for a couple seconds before continuing. "Tickling me?"

Leo finally stopped to let Nico actually breathe. He didn't think it would be a good idea to let the Ghost Prince laugh so hard he turned purple-though that would be fun to watch. He would have to tickle Nico again later.

Nico sat there, in a ball, protecting himself from Leo, probably from tickling him again. His breathing evened out.

Nico glared at Leo with a look so deadly, Leo was seriously thinking about fainting right then and there to get out of his punishment.

"Do you have a death wish?" Nico asked quietly.

"Funny you say that, actually," Leo's voice was a couple octaves higher. He cleared his throat to try to get his voice back to normal. It didn't work. "I always get that."

Nico chuckled darkly and raised his hand toward Leo. Forget fainting on purpose, Leo was about to faint from fear, he knew it.

Nico lunged with the speed of a cheetah pouncing on its prey, and the comparison was just as chilling.

Nico's hand went to Leo's stomach, and he braced himself for a punch.

Instead, he felt a tickle, and he burst out laughing.

Nico's hands went to Leo's neck, his armpit, his side, every place where people got ticklish.

Leo fell to his knees. This is a punishment?

Leo tried to open his eye through the laughing, and he saw Nico with a huge smile on his face.

It's so worth it, he thought. To see Nico smile like this. Everyone deserves happiness once and a while.

Leo was on his side trying to escape the tickling so he could breathe. He didn't feel anything for a while, so he just stayed there with his eyes closed tightly, chuckling every now and again.

He heard Nico laugh above him. He opened one eye to see Nico's foot right in front of his face. He looked up and into Nico's dark, dark eyes.

"That's one way to make me regret tickling the heck out of you..." Nico smiled, a real smile, and Leo felt like he was starting to break through a shell.

Nico offered Leo his hand, and Leo took it.

They were silent for a couple seconds before Leo broke it.

"Okay, that's it." Nico looked at him questionably. "You don't have friends, like, real friends. Everyone needs at least one. I can make you laugh and smile," He nudged Nico with his elbow and gave him a goofy grin, and Nico smiled back a toothy smile. "See? So, any games you like to play?"