solangelo oneshots

Everything Will Be Alright

A/N: okay so i love love love trans will, asexual nico and chubby piper.

tw: sexism, transphobia, and (spoiler) electrocution.

Five years old
"Nico!" Percy calls. "Hurry up!"
"Okay!" I scoop as many sticks as I can into my arms and run back to my friends, dumping them on the floor. We're building a fort in the woods, but I'm too little to reach the top, so I'm stuck collecting sticks. My friends Leo, Jason, Percy and Frank try to build it, but it keeps falling over, even with Leo's helpful tips. He claims to know about building forts because he helps his mom in her workshop, though she's an engineer, not a builder.

When it falls over for what feels like the hundredth time, Jason huffs and kicks the floor, and we hear a laugh from behind us. We turn to see a group of girls watching us, giggling at our failure. My sister Bianca is among them, and I hope she doesn't embarrass me like she usually does. Like me, she is thin and mournful-looking, even when she's smiling. Her black hair is in a plait over her shoulder.

Also with her are five other girls: a chubby girl with dirty feathers tied into her choppy brown hair, a scary looking girl with dark brown hair in two braids, a small but fierce looking blonde with intense grey eyes, a tiny girl with a mess of curly hair, a tall girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and pale blue eyes and a freckled blonde with dark blue eyes who seems to be looking right at me.

"Need some help?" The blonde with grey eyes asks, smirking.
"No." Percy says. "We don't need any help from girls."
"Suit yourself." She shrugs. "We'll be in our fort." She points to her left, where I can see a structure which seems to actually be staying together. Percy's mouth falls open but nothing comes out.

"You must have gotten help from your parents." Frank pipes up.
"Yeah!" Leo adds. "Girls can't do that on their own!"
Jason looks at one of the blondes.
"Thalia, did you get dad to help you?"
"No! You know he'd rather help you, anyway."

"We did it ourselves!" The girl with the feathers argues.
"Girls can do everything boys can do!" The one with the double plaits agrees.
"Yeah!" Bianca adds, before looking at me. "I beat Nico whenever we play games together!"
"Bianca!" I complain, earning a laugh from my friends. I frown and look at my feet, embarrassed.

The others continue to argue. I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder and look up to see the freckled blonde girl smiling at me.
"Hi." She says.
"Hi." I reply. "I like your fort."
"Thanks!" She beams at me. "You can join us, if you like." She offers. I shake my head.
"I can't."
"Why not?" She asks, looking hurt.
"That's the girls' fort." I explain. She bites her lip.
"I guess, but..." She shrugs. "You can still join us if you like. It doesn't have to just be for girls." I don't reply, simply thinking.

She suddenly sticks her hand out for me to shake. "I'm Willow, by the way. Willow Solace. You can just call me Will, if you like."
"Nico Di Angelo." I reply, awkwardly shaking her hand.
"Like Bianca Di Angelo?" She asks. I pull a face and nod.
"Yeah. She's my big sister."
"Okay. How old are you?"
"Five."
"I'm six." She says proudly.

"Nico! Are you talking to a girl?" Leo asks. The other boys laugh. "Nico has a girlfriend!"
"N-no I don't!" I protest. "We're just friends!" I look at Will nervously. "We are friends, right?" I ask.
"Yeah." She nods and smiles. I smile back. The others laugh again, but I choose to ignore them. "Maybe you could come over to mine some time?" She offers. I nod again, eagerly.
"I'll ask my parents."
"Great."

Eleven years old
"W-Will..." I choke out.
"What's wrong?" She asks over the phone. "Why weren't you in school today?' Will has been my best friend for over five years, so we always call each other when we're in need of comfort.