Nico woke up really excited. It's been almost a year and a half since they've moved to America. Nico jumped off his bed and ran to his sister's room, planning on scaring her awake.
When he got to the room, he ran to the lump in the blanket and tore it off, only to find it was a bunch of pillows.
"Wha?-" He started saying when someone grabbed him from behind and picked him up a few inches of the ground, making him squeal. "Happy birthday Neeks!" Bianca yelled, spinning him around the room, making the both of them laugh.
"Bianca! You remembered!" Nico said, Bianca putting him down so he could give her a proper hug. "How on Earth could I forget my little brother's birthday?" She said, hugging him just as tightly back.
"C'mon Nico!" She said, tugging lightly on Nico's arm. "Why?" Bianca looked at him with a gigantic grin on her face. "To celebrate your birthday idiot!" Nico shared his sister's grin and they ran out and was met with Maria's smile. "Happy birthday mi angelo!"
She ruffled her son's hair, making the siblings laugh. "Thank you Mama!" He grinned brightly at his mother. "Mama, what's for breakfast?" Bianca asked, sitting on her chair. Nico following suit.
"The usual mi angelos." Maria said, putting down a plate of scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast in the middle of the table.
"Hey Nico." Nico looked up at his sister. He was about to grab a piece of toast. "Yeah?" Bianca gave a small smile. "If you finish eating before me, I'll give you your birthday present after breakfast." Nico stopped, then looked at Bianca. "Really?"
"Really."
With those words in mind, Nico took 2 pieces of bread, put a pile of baked beans and eggs on one, made a sandwich, and started cramming as much of it into his mouth as he can. "Nico, be careful." Said Maria, slightly reprimanding.
"Sorry mama." Nico said but with his mouth full, it sounded more like, "Forwy mwamwa." Maria sighed at her child's antics and spared him a small glare. Nico looked sheepish, which was hard to do with a stuffed mouth.
"Bianca, I'm almost done~" Taunted Nico when he got halfway through his sandwich without choking. Bianca smiled at her little brother. "Really? I didn't realize. Guess you're gonna get your gift early, unless I finish faster."
"Nico, drink your water. I don't want you to choke." Said Maria, looking at Nico who was beginning to stuff his mouth again, although much smaller bites. Nico made a noise that sounded like 'Okay' and reached for his glass of water.
Unsurprisingly, Nico finished first with Bianca slowly shoving the last piece of her toast in her mouth. "C'mon! Let's go!" Nico said, practically bouncing. "Going Nico." Bianca said, getting up from her seat and slowly marching to her room. Nico followed her like a little duckling.
"Why didn't I see the gift earlier? Was it small?" Bianca gave a small grin but didn't say anything. When they arrived, Bianca asked Nico to hide under her sheets. Nico, of course, agreed and threw the sheets over him almost immediately. Bianca gave a small chuckle and headed for her wardrobe.
Nico could hear rustling until Bianca tapped his lump of sheet. "Come out Nico!" He picked his head over the sheet to see Bianca holding a jacket. "What's that?" Nico asked, completely removing the sheet. "An aviator jacket! Your old jacket got ripped so I saved up a bit of money to buy you one!" Nico sat up in the bed, grinning.
"Do you like it Nico?" Bianca asked, holding out the jacket for him to take. "I love it! Thank you Bianca!" He jumped off the bed and practically bounded into Bianca's outstretched arms, still holding the jacket.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Nico said rapidly. The siblings laughed and spun around the room. After their very long hug, they got their things, said goodbye to their mother, and met up with their group on Bucky's porch like usual.
"Hey Bianca! Hey Neeks!" Greeted Steve, seeing the two going down the stairs. "Nice jacket Neeks. Who gave it to you?" Steve said, noticing the jacket Nico was putting on. Nico grinned. "Bianca gave it to me!"
"That's epic. By the way," Steve rummaged in his pockets. He pulled out a slightly crudely wrapped gift in brown paper tied together with a piece of twine. "Remember when we all switched decks and you said you didn't have the Triton card and figurine? Well, I traded a few of my cards for it!"
"Really?" Steve nodded which made Nico really excited, even if he knew what was inside it. He ran over to Steve and gave him a hug. "Thank you!" Steve returned the hug and patted Nico on the head. Not hard since they were the exact same height. "No problem Neeks."
Bianca was watching the conversation until she heard her name. "Bianca!" Mandy yelled, Bucky trailing behind her.
"Hey you two!" She waved them over making them quicken their pace. When they arrived, Bucky held out a neatly wrapped piece of black paper as big as his palm. "Happy birthday Neeks! I got you something not Mythomagic related, for once, because I thought it would suit you!"
Nico unwrapped the gift, unlike Steve's one which was in his back pocket, to reveal a tiny silver chain necklace with a small infinity sign dangling from it. "This is so cool! Thank you!" He said, also giving Bucky a hug. Bucky returned it and ruffled his hair. "No problem!"
"Can I give my gift now?" Mandy asked. Nico nodded, having stuffed the necklace momentarily into his jacket. Mandy gave him a floppy but neatly wrapped purple gift with a small black ribbon. Nico unwrapped it to reveal a light blue beret, almost similar to his sister's. Nico looked at it in awe.
"Do you like it?" Mandy asked, leaning a bit towards Nico. He stuffed the wrapping paper into his other back pocket and gave Mandy a tight hug. "Thank you!" Mandy gave a small laugh and hugged back. "You're welcome Neeks!"
When Nico let go, he put on the beret and giggled. "I look just like Bianca!"
"You really do Italian boy. Nice beret by the way." Said Lucas. He brought a tripod and a camera with him. "Mandy, why's your brother here?" Asked Bianca.
"So, you guys know that my brother's a photographer for the army and stuff right?" They nodded. "So, I asked him to take a picture of us in exchange that I do his chores for a month."
"Mandy, you didn't have to." Mandy shook her head. "I wanted to and besides, too late now." Nico sighed. "I guess..."
"So, are we taking the picture or not?" Lucas teased, having his camera set up. Mandy grumbled. "Obviously or I wouldn't be doing your chores." Lucas laughed. "Well c'mon then. I still gotta develop the picture y'know?"
"I know. C'mon let's go!" The group got themselves ready if the picture. Nico and Steve in front and Bianca, Mandy, and Bucky in the back. "Don't blink okay? 3, 2, 1!" The flash went off and the group started blinking aggressively and rubbing their eyes after Lucas said it was okay.
"All I see are shapes and colors." Bianca said aloud, giggling to herself. The rest of the group joined in.
"Remember Mandy! My chores for a month!" Lucas said after a few minutes, nearly done packing up. "Yeah I know. When is the photo getting developed by the way?"
"Tonight so just give it to Italian boy tomorrow." He said, now done packing up and about to leave. "I'm not just Italian y'know? I'm Nico." Nico called after him. Lucas just waved a hand.
The group laughed at Nico while he just grumbled about him not just being Italian. After the laughter, they asked Nico where he wanted to go, considering it was his birthday. "Is the playground ok?"
They all collectively agreed that to the playground it was. They were chatting and joking all the way to the playground. On the way, Nico stuffed the wrapping paper into a nearby dumpster. It was poking him, slightly making the walk uncomfortable.
After arriving at the playground, Steve immediately headed for the monkey bars with Nico and Bucky in tow while Bianca and Mandy headed for the swings.
"Stevie, we've talked about this. You can't get across the monkey bars and it would take a miracle for it to happen now." Bucky said, sighing.
Steve just hauled himself onto the monkey bars. "Guess I'm just gonna have to pray for one huh?" He then tried and get a good grip on the bars.
"... Bet you a dollar he doesn't make it across after 5 tries." Bucky whispered to Nico. "..." Bucky looked at him in question, eyebrow raised. "I don't have money but sure. I guess a dollar that he does." Nico whispered back.
"I can hear you two betting on me, you jerks." Steve sent a glare their way. "Yeah well you better get across Stevie or I'm losing two dollars."
Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah just gimme a second." He let his foot fall of the support rail and started swinging across. A few hours have passed that the trio were engrossed in the small bet that they didn't notice a small gang coming up to them.
Steve was halfway through the bars for the 5th time when he felt a small rock get thrown into his side. The boys noticed this and looked at where it came from. It was Malcolm, his goons, and an older boy.
"Oops." Malcolm said with a smirk. "Oh great." Bucky grumbled. "Hey Malcolm, I already told you a thousand times. Leave us alone." Steve let go of the bars and glared at them with Nico.
"As if I'd listen to you Barnes. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." The older boy moved forward, a sneer on his face. "Wow, he's so brave to have another person fight for him." Bucky said sarcastically.
Steve said a few words that should not be known or said by a 9 year-old directly at Malcolm's face. "Take that back Rogers!" Malcolm said, pointing a finger at Steve's face. "How about no, you jerk." Said Steve walking over to Malcolm, pushing his sleeves upwards.
The older boy stepped in front of Malcolm and grabbed Steve's arm very roughly. The boy's palm started smoking and the gang cheered. Steve was gritting his teeth but couldn't stop his gasp of pain.
"Ow!" Steve recoiled, unable to remove his hand from the boy's grasp. Tears were pooling in the corner of his eyes. "Let him go!" Yelled Nico, punching the boy's meaty arm. The boy recoiled, letting go of Steve. The place where Nico punched him started turning black but didn't grow any further.
Steve and Nico both moved behind Bucky. "You good Stevie?" Asked Bucky, worried. "Yeah, that boy just had really hot hands. It's like his damn hand was on fire." Nico and Bucky shared a small worried glance at each other.
"Getting scared Barnes?" Taunted Malcolm. Bucky glared at him making him back up a bit. "Bianca! Mandy! We're leaving." He said, all the while glaring at Malcolm and the older boy.
The girls looked up from what they were doing, saw the situation, and ran over to them. "C'mon." Bianca said, grabbing Steve's right arm. When he recoiled, she frowned and grabbed his left arm instead.
"YOU COWARD!" Malcolm yelled after them. The gang shouted insults as they left, throwing stones in the direction of the small group. The boy snorted, angry that he wasn't getting demigods and mortals for lunch.
The small group left the playground and headed back to Mandy's house which was closer. "That jerk, bringing an older boy to bully." Mandy said. Bianca was looking worriedly at Steve. "You okay?" She asked softly. He nodded his head.
"We should get that arm of yours under running water." Nico said. "We can do that when we get to Mandy's. For now, just hang tight." Said Bucky, quickening his pace. The rest of the group quickened their pace as well.
When they arrived at Mandy's, Steve immediately ran to the kitchen followed by Bianca. "Hey! I told you to just give it to Italian boy tomorrow." Lucas said, seeing the trio that were now just sitting on the couch.
"Something happened to Steve that's why we're here." Nico explained. Lucas sighed. "What doesn't happen to that boy. What was it this time? Beat up in an alleyway? Pushed to the sidewalk?"
"Burned, actually." Mandy said. Lucas looked slightly more concerned than he did earlier. "How?"
"Malcolm brought an older boy with him to the playground. The boy went up to Steve and just grabbed his arm. When Nico punched him and they both got behind me, Steve told us that the boy's hand felt like they were on fire." Bucky explained.
"Well that makes zero sense." Lucas now was leaning on the table. "Lila said no leaning on the table." Lucas shrugged and just sat in one of the cushioned seat that they have.
"You think the boy that Malcolm guy pulled in was a mutant?" Asked Nico.
Bucky thought about it then shook his head. There were rumors of mutants that just turned out to be really drunk guys that believed they saw a person controlling water mid-air. The poor person was just carrying a fishtank.
"The rumors aren't real, remember?" At that moment, Steve and Bianca entered the room, Steve's arm dripping wet. "What do I do now?"
"I think you bandage it up." Mandy said. "Wait, aren't you supposed to let burns breathe or something?" Nico asked. "I think so too." Bianca said.
"Let's just go back home and ask one of the parents. Mandy, you coming?" Said Bucky, standing up. "Yeah, I wanna stay with you guys for now."
They were about to head out the door when they heard a small yapping noise approaching. "Luce!" Nico said, seeing the dog bounding towards them.
"I completely forgot about him." Bucky said, crouching down to pet him. Luce bounded towards Bucky's face and started licking him. "Eugh. Okay, okay, please stop." The group laughed at him being smothered in dog kisses.
"I guess Luce's coming with us." Bianca said. Luce, still in Bucky's arms, yapped happily. "I think that's a yes." Steve said, still giggling a bit about Bucky's expression.
Their walk home wasn't very eventful except for Luce barking at cats, rats, and other dogs. "... So do I owe you 1 dollar?" The group stopped in it's tracks and looked at Nico.
"What? I don't wanna lose money." Bucky laughed. "Technically, you do but since it's your birthday and Steve had to give up because of Malcolm's goons, I'll let it slide." Nico grinned. "Awesome. It's official. 1932 is the best year for me~"
The group laughed and continued on their walk to the Barnes-Rogers-Di Angelo apartment. They all headed up to the Di Angelo apartment, having gotten invited by the siblings but not before tying up Luce to the post. Mrs. Di Angelo didn't particularly like dogs. Something about an allergy
"Sorry Luce." The group said before heading up.They walked in and got hit with the sweet scent of cinnamon. "Woah. It smells like a bakery in here." Mandy said. Bianca giggled and went over to the kitchen while Nico pulled the four into the living room.
"Nice comfy place you got here Neeks." Steve said, sitting on the carpet. "Thanks. Wanna play Finance?" Nico asked, pulling out the game we now know today as Monopoly. The three looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure." Said Bucky.
The four were about to start a game when Bianca walked in, a small smile on her face. "Sorry but I'm gonna have to pull out Stevie from the game. I asked Mama if she knew how to treat burns and she said she did." Steve stood up. "Sorry boys and girls, guess that's my cue."
The two of them headed to the kitchen while the three actually started the game. "I swear to god Nico, how are you as lucky as Steve when it comes to picking good properties?" Bucky exclaimed, glaring at Nico's properties.
"To be honest, I have no clue as well." Nico said, moving forward 10 spaces. "Well, there's maybe no hope for me. Mandy, definitely no hope." Mandy protested and the game of Finance turned into a teasing competition. Somehow.
"Guys what the heck?" Steve asked, walking towards the small chaos happening on the carpet. "Bucky started it, before you ask." Bucky made a small sound of protest before Nico pointed at him as well. "Traitor." Bucky said dramatically, hand on chest.
"How's the arm?" Asked Mandy, noticing the bandages. Steve gave it a small glance. "Better. The petroleum jelly really helped." He said, picking lightly at the bandage wrapping. "You better not be picking at that or else." Steve rolled his eyes at Bucky. "Got it Dad."
The three laughed at Bucky's expense. "Hey you guys, if you want food come here." Bianca yelled from the dining room. Bucky helped Nico pack up the Scrabble gameboard, letting Mandy and Steve head to the dining room.
"Hello ma'am." The two said, seeing Maria place down a plate of cinnamon-sugar-coated donuts. "Hello, go on ahead and get a donut if you'd like." Maria said. Bianca already biting into a donut. Maria left the room which left the three standing awkwardly in the dining room.
Steve was a bit reluctant but Mandy headed over to the plate and picked up 2 giving Steve 1. "You're too respectful to adults for your own good so here."
"May I remind you that I have robbed a few stores?" Steve said, biting into his donut. "I know, thanks for nabbing a pair of shoes for me by the way." Bianca looked surprised.
"Bianca, why are you shocked?" Mandy asked. "I didn't know Steve stole things. He seemed like a goody-two-shoes." Steve shrugged. "I'm just stealing the bare necessities to live y'know? Only rich people can afford the good stuff nowadays so I rob to survive, kinda. Also, I try to beat up people half my size and you think I'm a goody-two-shoes?"
"True..." Bianca said, biting into her donut. "To be fair, you beat them up because they bully people. By the way, these taste really good. Did your mom use any potatoes?" Bianca nodded at Mandy's question.
"Awesome. Hey, should we bring the plate to the two in the living room?" Steve asked. "Sure, why not?" Bianca picked up the plate and the three headed over to the living room.
"Hey! I was wondering if you guys ate all of it." Nico said, grabbing one from the plate Bianca set down. "Didn't I say head over to the dining room if you wanted food?"
"Yeah, well I knew you'd bring it here anyways. Bucky come take one!" Bucky, who was just sitting on the couch reading, looked up and very reluctantly, took a donut. "Bucky put down the book and eat." Steve said, trying to tug the book out of his hand, much to Bucky's dislike.
"Steve, you rip this book you are buying me another one." Bucky said. Steve, not wanting to pay for a new book let it go. Bucky sighed and put the book down. "Now what?"
"Hello, I hope I'm not interrupting." Maria said, standing by the doorframe. "It's alright Mama, what do you need?" Nico asked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"I actually wanted to give you your gift angelo." Maria said, clutching something in her hand. "Really? What is it?" Everyone chuckled at Nico's excitement.
When Maria showed Nico his gift, a look of confusion fell on his face. "A compass?"
Maria nodded. "So you always know your way home." Nico hugged Maria tightly. "Thank you. This is the best gift ever."
Word count: 3364
Thanks to Sol_Waterlow for adding my book to their reading list :D
I really appreciate it :DD
Also thanks to xLEIGH_LEEx and abigailraeannolson for correcting me!