Coming Back [A ReyNico FanFic]

Under the Streetlights

The man was impossibly fast. Sometimes he was hard to track. He would vanish and reappear on the other side of the street, or behind a large tree. It's almost like he was teleporting, but very subtly so. Reyna found this difficult, but she always managed to see him. . .

But when he vanished again, Reyna lost his trail. She couldn't see him anywhere.

She stood beside the frozen fountain, scanning the intersecting street and the little shops, hoping to see a glimpse of black. Anything to keep her on track again.

But there was nothing. The trees loomed over her, their branches gleaming with icicles. The place was quiet. It was almost midnight, so the people should be in their homes with their loved ones. It figures. She was the only one going around like an idiot.

The man was gone. She knew she shouldn't be feeling all bereft about a stranger. But back there she thought she was hoping again.

For a moment back there, she was sure -- so sure -- that the man was Nico.

She turned around in her spot, her eyes getting blurry with tears as she regarded the string of lanterns hanging above her. The cold bit into her skin as she backed against the edge of the fountain, still looking around. It was freezing, but it wasn't as cold as freezing hole in her chest.

So much for hoping. She should've known it was stupid.

Muttering curses under her breath, she palmed her forehead in frustration. Her heart was still pounding stubbornly, like it was trying to prove a point. She wondered idly whether the wine she drank had been doped.

Well, she'd seen that a bunch of times and it had never been pretty. But then, even if her drink really was doped, this wasn't a good illusion.

She wiped at her cheeks furiously, feeling absolutely foolish. Her boots made scraping sounds as she turned to go, but then someone spoke somewhere behind her.

"Looking for me, RA-RA?"

Reyna wheeled around. Her heart stopped before continuing its hastened beating. There he was. . .

[Song: Better Place by Rachel Platten]

Nico di Angelo was standing at the other side of the fountain, smiling at her.

"I thought you'd never find me," he said. His voice was deeper, fuller, but it was still the voice Reyna remembered. His features were more defined, and he looked a little taller. His skin had gotten pale like he hadn't seen the sun for years, but his eyes were full of life. "So, did you miss me?"

He held his arms open for a hug, and Reyna ran straight into them, leaping over the fountain's edges. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling, as he pulled her closer to him. She closed her eyes and embraced him fiercely, making the most out of this, in case it was a dream. But it felt so real. He felt so real. He was warm, and his scent was the same as it always had. His heart was beating against her cheek, his arms comfortably tight around her.

He felt so solid, so alive. When he kissed the top of her head, it was as if he had never been gone.

But then Reyna pushed him to a tree and pressed her elbow against his throat.

Nico
Everything was going as planned. Until Reyna decided to attack him.

She pushed him to a tree (which guaranteed a bump on his head, no doubt) and started to choke him with her elbow.

Of course, Nico could easily get off her grasp, but he made no move. He was too stunned. He couldn't believe he was being attacked by her again, after all these years.