The hat above is what I was trying to describe
OK, so, I'm gonna let the song be a surprise ;), and I'm not doing the;
Nico: blurb blah bloop (didn't you know I could speak Sim?)
Samantha: blah blah blech
So yeah. Anywho, enjoy. (also, I am very aware this is out of character - but that's the point!)
This is a really long one btw
Also, you should watch the video above, instead of reading through the lyrics--Nico and Samantha are supposed to be dancing like above, but I suck at describing them while they're singing, so. . . Yeah. Watch the video and skip the lyrics 😂 (Song ends at 2:28)
"No." Nico stated in disgust, looking first at Samantha, who shrugged apologetically, then at Will, who smirked. "Absolutely not!" He shook his head, crossing his toned arms stubbornly. "Why can't we do Little Talks, or something like that!"
"Well that's too bad, isn't it?" Will snickered, and Nico scowled, knowing he'd lost the argument before it even began.
The lights dimmed, bright white ones swinging towards the stage, where Nico was wearing a black button up, rolled to his elbows, a silver vest, back skinny jeans, and black combat boots. The girl next to him, Samantha, was wearing a blue dress that went to her knees, and flowed at her waist.
Nico took a deep breath, and the song started;
"I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure,"
Nico took the girl's hand, and slowly spun her, as he finished off the word.
"And I just can't wait till the day when you knock on my door,
Oh yeah.
Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down
'Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me you're coming around,"
Samantha lowered her knees, motioning for Nico to step closer.
The other judges turned to Will in shock, and Percy mimed getting his throat sliced, pointing first to Nico, then to Will.
"I'm walking on sunshine (Woah!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Woah!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Woah!)
And don't it feel good,
Hey! Alright now
And don't it feel good, hey!
Hey, alright now,
I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know that it's true"
Her voice growled out, and whoops were heard.
"But I don't want to spend my whole life, just waiting for you
And now I don't want you back for the weekend
Not back for a day, no no no
I said baby I just want you back
And I want you to stay,"
Nico closed his eyes as he elongated the word, his arm subconsciously stretching out.
"I feel the love, I feel the love, I feel the love that's really real,
I feel the love, I feel the love, I feel the love that's really real,
I'm on sunshine baby (Oh!)
I'm on sunshine baby (Oooooh!)
And I'm walking on sunshine, (Woah!)
I'm walking on sunshine, (Woah!)
I'm walking on sunshine, (Woah!)
And don't it feel good (Hey! Alright now!)
And don't it feel good (Hey alright now!)
And don't it feel good! (Wow!)".
Nico opened his eyes, head tilted towards his combat boots, dark irises looking up through long thick lashes, his eyes once again outlined, with a gel eyeliner this time, but because there was no wing, it sharpened his features instead of making them flow, as a wing would normally do to someone's features, and Will found himself wanting to see the taller boy with a more feminine style makeup on.
The crowd finally took their seats, and the clapping ceased. Nico was wearing a bored expression, but anyone could see his eyes were shining unusually bright. The reason? His older sister was in the audience somewhere - not that anyone but a select few knew.
The two singers shifted, Samantha glancing at Nico nervously; it was obvious he was Will's favorite.
Reyna spoke up with a smirk. "Have fun, Will."
Will glared, knowing he would have to push away his feelings and judge fairly. "Reyna, it seems you have an opinion."
Reyna snickered. "In this case, I'd go with Samantha. . ." Percy nodded, while Jason stayed silent.
"Right. Samantha, your presence on stage was clear, your energy, and the growl you you manage to do is something very hard to do."
Samantha nodded, biting her lip, and Will turned towards Nico. "Nico, the way you take command, without actually taking over is an achievement, and watching you is like a performance. You both did great tonight, but I have to go with Nico."
Cheers rose, and Nico gave Will a small smile. He turned and gave Samantha a brief hug, before walking off the stage. Nico pat Will on the head, ruffling his hair as be walked by, chuckling at Will's disgruntled face.
"Samantha, thank -"
Slam
"Reyna has stolen!"
Whoops were heard, and Samantha gave Reyna a hug, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, thank you!"
Will grinned as he shook hands with Samantha. Once the attention was off of him, he followed Nico backstage. The episode was finished recording for the night, though there was still a meeting that was going to be held in another hour with the people that went through. He fully intended on following Nico, and figuring out who made his brown eyes dart away so many times when he was on stage, when he stopped at the sight before him.
Nico had his arms wrapped around a girl with long black hair, that was in a braid. Her green hat was on the floor, and her face just peeking out from Nico's shoulder. The said boy's head was buried in her neck, and he seemed to be shaking. He pulled away, a breathy laugh escaping him, and to Will's astonishment, when the girl wiped his cheeks, they came back smeared with black. Nico Di Angelo was crying.
Will was going to introduce himself, when he heard a male's chuckle. A man about Nico's height stepped into Will's line of view, and Nico willingly hugged him. Will's heart clenched, and he fought a sob. Of course. Will shouldn't have been surprised. Especially not with the looks of the man; He had brunette hair, and was obviously well built. He was really tall, and wore blue jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. The group of three were saying something that Will couldn't hear, and he was about to walk away, when Percy ran past.
"Oh hey Will, didn't see you there!" Everyone's heads snapped over, and Will shrugged, staring at the floor. When he looked up again, the girl was once again engulfed in a hug, stumbling backwards, and laughing, the green hat she'd picked up once again fluttering to the floor.
"Hi Percy," She said, her accent even more prominent than Nico's.
"Bianca," The older boy managed, before pulling away. He grinned down at the girl - Bianca - before stepping away. Percy made eye contact with the annoyed looking brunette, and gave a small smile, shrugging. Will looked over at Nico, who was glaring at him. He looked away again, but couldn't help but glance back up. Nico motioned Will over when their gazes caught again, and Will shuffled over.
"Will," Nico spoke up, and the blond looked up. "This is my older sister Bianca, and her fiance Simon."
Will let out a silent sigh of relief, his normal bright smile once again spreading across his face.
"Hi!" He bent down and picked up the hat, handing it to Bianca. "As Nico said, I'm Will, Will Solace. I'm Nico's voice coach." Bianca's eyes lit up, and she shot Nico a knowing look, that Will didn't understand. Nico glared at her, but there was no malice, and Will noticed that Nico was standing really close to Bianca, almost protectively, and that's when Will realized why; the green hat? It was from the army - that also explained why Nico was crying.
Bianca noticed his gaze, and smiled. "Your assumption is correct Weel." Will gave an appreciative smile, deciding to ignore mispronunciation of his name, the strength of her accent being the cause. He didn't mind anyway. "The Italy allowed me leave, for uh," She looked at Nico for help.
"For the month," He supplied, and Bianca nodded.
"Yes."
"Nico looked at Bianca, and she raised her eyebrow, touching his face gently.
Anything bold = Italian
"What is this?"
"A piercing," Nico shifted uncomfortably, not looking at his sister, and Will just looked confused, not understanding what she said.
"Nico! What would mamma say!?"
Nico stiffened, and his eyes went went cold. "Well, we won't know what she would say, now would we?!"
"Nico," Bianca started, but Nico yanked himself from her grasp. "Hey!"
"No! You don't think I know!? I'm well aware of how much they'd hate me Bianca!"
Will was suddenly overwhelmed with how hot Nico talking in Italian was, and would have probably drooled, had he not been yanked backwards, and he stumbled.
"Will," A familiar voice hissed, leading him away. "Leave them be." Will turned to see Percy leading him away, and followed, still confused.
"-No, I don't care what dad thinks! I don't give a fuck about him!"
"Nico! Watch your language!"
Nico scoffed, crossing his arms. "I don't care," His voice lost the edge, and he stared at the ground, hair covering his face. "Why'd you have to bring her up?"
Bianca sighed, and pulled him down into a hug. "I'm sorry Nico. So sorry, I shouldn't have. I just, look at you! I wasn't expecting the. . . leather."
Nico let out a choked laugh, and began to say something else, but Will was then out of earshot - not that he'd know what they were saying anyways.
Will took his seat, and they were about to continue, when someone ran out. The judges huddled together, and the person took a deep breath.
"Nico dropped out."
"What!" Reyna exclaimed, everyone in too much shock. "Why?"
The guy shook his head. "Something about how his mom wouldn't want him to do this?" He trailed off, and Will stood, sprinting backstage.
Finding it empty, he turned, running out the exit and into the chilly night, just in time to see a sullen Nico about to climb into a car.
"Nico!" Will shouted, and ran up to them. Will watched in surprise as Nico's face became stony. Any expression from before was suddenly gone, hidden behind a wall that had taken years to be built.
"You, you can't pull out *was about to leave the sentence like that: realized it could be interpreted in a not so, er, 'clean' way* of the competition!" Will exclaimed, frowning up at the black haired boy.
Nico glared, and Will actually took a step back, before regaining his composer, and glaring back, crossing his arms.
"Well that's too bad isn't it?" Nico's voice was cold, biting sharply at Will, but the blond ignored his tone.
"Yeah, too bad that you're coming with me."
Nico raised an eyebrow, laughing humorlessly. "Oh, I am, am I?"
Bianca glanced at her fiance, a knowing smile on her face that both Will and Nico didn't catch.
"Yes, you are," Will said stubbornly.
"You might as well go with Weel, Nico," Bianca broke in, eyes twinkling. "He might be, uh, as stubborn as you are."
Nico glared at her, before turning back to Will - and shaking his head. "Sorry, but no."
Will sputtered, staring at him. "No?"
Nico shook his head, and Will felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "Well, at least tell me why. I deserve that much."
Nico pulled on his lip ring, Will's eyes flashing to the glint of Nico's teeth, before returning to Nico's swirling eyes. "I, it's a long story."
"I've got time," Will said, widening his stance, but keeping his arms crossed.
Nico looked helplessly at Bianca, who pretended to be engrossed in something else, before turning back to Will. "My family, back in Italy, were very, erm, conservative. My tattoos, the piercings and the dark clothes would, would have been - and probably still be - unacceptable. Bianca's only seen me over Skype, so she's never seen any of the piercings, until now." Nico shifted, ignoring the glare he got from his sister when he mentioned the tattoos.
"My mom, she, she wouldn't support this," He gestured to himself. "She wouldn't want me showing myself to the world, especially when I look like I do."
A tear rolled down Nico's cheek, and Will watched in shock and awe as Nico's facade broke, the wall tumbling down. "I, I just, I'm not good enough, OK Will?" Suddenly his anger was back, "So just, leave me alone!"
Will could only stand frozen in place, watching as Nico wiped his eyes. Bianca stepped forwards, reaching up to gently wipe away her younger brother's tears with her thumb.
"Nico, mamma loved you, so so much. When Papa kicked you out, she fought for you. She didn't care you were gay, she just wanted you to be her son."
More tears fell, and Will frowned, wondering why she was now speaking in English, before realizing what she'd said. Nico was gay!
"I promise Nico, mamma loved you for you. I didn't react well, because I wasn't ready for it - but honestly, it fits you. I think you look pretty good. And so does the cute blond who's standing right there waiting for you."
"Hey!" Another male voice cut in, and Will jolted, having forgotten that Bianca's fiance was there too.
Nico and Bianca laughed, and Nico buried his face in her braided hair.
"Now go. Make me proud Nico," She pulled away, kissing his forehead, and Nico nodded.
"I love you," Nico mumbled pulling back.
"I know," She grinned playfully, pushing a stray strand of Nico's hair out of his face. "I love you too."
"Please don't die," Nico whispered, holding her wrist.
"No promises."
"Bianca!" Both Nico and Simon exclaimed, and Bianca laughed gently.
"But I'll try!"
Nico nodded. "Have a safe drive back." He kissed her forehead, before walking to Simon, and shaking his hand. "Take care of her." He rolled his eyes, hearing Bianca scoff.
"Yes, commander!" Simon saluted sarcastically.
Nico rolled his eyes again, but smiled, and stepped back, watching them get in the car. "I'll see you at the house."
Bianca gave him a thumbs up, and a knowing wink, that made Nico glare, and Will look at him in confusion. Nico shook his head, and Will let it go.
They started back, walking in silence, Nico's hands shoved in his skinny jean pockets, and Will's swinging loosely by his side.
"Thank you."
Will looked over in surprise and confusion, and Nico must have understood, because he continued.
"For stopping me. Bianca didn't want me to, but," He trailed off, kicking the toe of his shoe.
"Oh. You're welcome. Um, he called you commander. . ."
Nico nodded, "I was in the army for a while. I moved up pretty fast."
"Oh," Will said, and noticing how uncomfortable Nico looked, he didn't bring it up again. They didn't talk the rest of the way back, but it wasn't awkward. It was surprisingly comfortable.
"I convinced him to stay," Will announced to the rest of the judges, who all sighed in relief.
"You're a miracle worker," Reyna smirked, looking at someone behind Will. He turned, finding Nico standing sheepishly a little ways away. Will smiled, and Nico's mouth twitched, before he walked over. He slung his arm around Reyna, and a jolt of jealousy shot through Will, before he remembered that the older boy was gay.
"Hi," Nico's voice was a lot more quiet. Vulnerable.
Percy stepped forwards, pulling Nico into a hug, Jason joining, all three cousins almost the exact same height. Nico cleared his throat awkwardly, and the boys pulled away. Reyna, who only went up to Nico's shoulders, pushed the boys away, laughing. Will felt slightly out of place, his smile awkward, but he was thankful that he was able to convince Nico to stay.
As the group dispersed, Will called after Nico. "Don't forget we start two days from now!"
"Of course, coach," Nico chuckled, and the group went their separate ways to waste time before the meeting.