Nico slipped the golden key in the lock and twisted, the quiet light from above reflecting off of it as he pushed the door ajar into his apartment. Well, their apartment.

"Leo?" Nico called through, his voice soft and low, filling the small apartment with ease. He heard a shuffle and a thud from the kitchen and immediately Nico's head turned towards the sound. He effortlessly rolled his eyes and closed the door, locking all three deadbolts and dropping his dance bag on the ground at his feet. He pocketed the keys and headed over to the kitchen to see what Leo had gotten himself into.

Once he crossed the threshold, he was met with a godsent smell. Roasted onions, cheese, peppers and heaven filled his nose and Nico groaned. He spotted Leo across the kitchen, his back to him, bent over a pan. On the small wooden table were piles of unopened mail and two sad chairs sat around it. The fridge, which was covered in various magnets and pictures, was right next to the stove, which looked like it was sinking into the floor. Nico cleared his throat and leaned on the door frame, arms crossing in front of his skinny chest.

Leo's head quirked up, the messy curls bouncing around and he turned, grinning at Nico.

"You're home!" he said excitingly, turning his back to the flame. Nico perked up at the movement as his mother's words were already leaving his mouth.

"Never turn your back on an open flame," he scolded, shaking his head and stepping farther into the kitchen. Leo's grin grew higher on his face as he turned around and started to put whatever was in the pan on two plates. Nico groaned again. "God, what is that?"

"Mama Valdez's famous quesadillas, that's what!" Leo glanced at Nico. "I hope you're hungry." Nico's butt was in the chair almost immediately after Leo finished his sentence.

Leo turned around with the plates in hand and went to the table and sat across from Nico. He shoved a plate in front of Nico's face while putting his own down and then reached over the table for Nico's hands. Nico shrugged and grabbed Leo's hands, begrudgingly and stared at Leo.

Leo smiled and proceeded to close his eyes. Nico did the same.

"Dear, God. Thank you for this day, for although it may not have been as amazing to me, it was amazing to someone, Lord. Thank you for the leaking roof above our heads and the old shirts on our backs, for we both know that we've come a long way. Please bless those children who were like us; that didn't have a home. Bless them, with all your might that they may come to know you, and come to know themselves. Thank you for this food that I have awesomely prepared for Nico's and my consumption for we are very hungry. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Nico opened his eyes to a thoughtful looking Leo. Nico peeled away his hands and let them fall into his lap.

"Good prayer, Leo," he said quietly. Leo's eyes snapped towards Nico's and he smiled.

"Well, dig in," he said motioning towards the food. Everything left Nico's eyes all at once as his eyes settled on the steaming food in front of him. His mouth started watering as he stared at the cheesy, peppery goodness on his plate.

In less than three minutes, they were both getting seconds. As Leo sat down, he looked at Nico.

"So, how was your practice?" Leo asked, cautiously. Nico shrugged as he chewed.

How was practice going? They had just finished performing an amazing version of the nutcracker, which the people in this city absolutely loved. But now, they're director, Chiron, was coming up with a new idea, most likely involving two male leads.

Chiron had told him earlier that day, that he was thinking of something a little more risque, a little more tasteful, and that he would love if Nico could be one of the leads in the dance.

Nico had asked what type of dance it was going to be, ie. hip hop or ballet or modern and Chiron had smirked and hushed him, telling Nico that it was a 'surprise'. Nico then asked who the other lead would be and Chiron told him that he was 'pulling some strings' and that 'he'd see'. Nico didn't know how to feel about all of that.

He really didn't want any attention drawn to himself; he knew he was a good dancer, but that didn't stop the inevitable blush forming on his neck and cheeks when he danced and he knew everyone in the company was watching. All of this, he thought about telling Leo.

Leo, his friend from that group home all those years ago. He smiled to himself, thinking about their rag tag group of friends, all stuck in that hell hole, all brought together by unspeakable circumstances.

Nico snapped back to reality and looked at Leo, really looked at the boy sitting across from him. His curly black hair was in a wavy mess on top of his head, his copper colored ears sneaking out beneath it. His eyes were wide and brown, staring at Nico as his old Camp Half Blood shirt, the name of their group home, hung loosely from his shoulders, exposing his bony collar bones. Nico grinned and shrugged.

"Leo, it's going, I guess." Leo's chewing faltered as he looked away, hurt seeping through his features. Nico immediately corrected himself. "I'm sorry. I just…" he trailed off. Leo looked at him.

"Nico, I try, you know. I try to get through each day, just like you, man." Nico nodded and took another bite of his quesadilla.

"I am sorry, Leo. Can I try again?" he asked, hopefully. Leo nodded and Nico sighed in relief. He hated when Leo was upset with him, especially when Leo tried so hard to make Nico smile.

"Chiron," Leo perked up at the name, "is choreographing a new dance, I think." Leo smiled.

"That sounds fun."

"And...he wants me to be a lead." Leo almost choked on his food.

"That's really good, Nico! I told you you are a great dancer, and you know Chiron has a lot of faith in you." Nico started to blush and took another bite of his quesadilla, desperate to hide his embarrassment.

"I really don't know why," he admitted. Leo's eyes widened and he put down his quesadilla and reached for Nico's hand. Nico wiped the grease off of his hand and reached back as Leo intertwined their fingers.

"Look at me, Nico," Leo started and Nico did. "You," he squeezed his hand, "are an amazing person. You are beautiful and talented and deserving of love and acceptance. Don't ever believe otherwise." Nico started to smile and looked away.

"I don't know what you guys see in me," he said quietly. Leo squeezed his hand again.

"We see your soul, and it is pure."

Nico swallowed and slowly took his hand away from Leo's, deciding that he was finished eating. He got up from his chair and took his and Leo's plate and brought it to the sink.

"Since you cooked, it's only fair of me to do the dishes," Nico said quietly, while turning on the water. He heard Leo stand up and then suddenly, Leo's arms were around his waist, his hands roaming under Nico's shirt, Leo's hips against Nico's back. Nico jumped, not expecting the touch, and dropped the plate in the sink with a loud bang. He heard Leo laugh into his neck.

"Leo, what are you doing," Nico said, trying to steady his breathing. He felt Leo shrug.

"Just thanking you for washing the dishes," he said into his neck, his breath tickling Nico's skin. Nico shuddered.

"Leo, stop," he said half heartedly. Leo laughed again and pressed his palms flat against Nico's stomach. Immediately, he clenched his torso, letting his muscles show.

"Oh, how I love your little six pack," Leo teased, pressing his hands harder to him. Nico bit back a groan and took a deep breath.

"Leo, you have a girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Nico shut off the water and slipped from Leo's grasp and turned to face him.

"Um, Calypso is your girlfriend." Leo looked at him through his eyelashes and grinned.

"Calypso and I broke up." Nico's eyes widened in alarm.

"What? When?" Leo shrugged and walked past Nico into the living room. Nico stared at the space Leo had just been for a few moments and then followed him into the living room where Leo had already made a spot on their sad couch and was flipping through channels on their brown tv. A song was playing on it and the lyrics filled the apartment.

They say bad things happen for a reason

But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding

'Cause she's moved on while I'm still grieving

And when a heart breaks no it don't break even

Nico sat down next to him and took the remote from his hands and turned the tv off. Leo sighed but didn't say anything in protest. "You are going to tell me what happened," Nico demanded. Leo shrugged again.

"Nothing, okay. We just...we are through. For good." Nico stared at him and Leo averted his eyes.

"Leo, I am sorry, okay? But you have to tell me what happened; you can't just act like it didn't hurt."

"How do you know?" Leo snapped, his face turning red. "You don't know shit, so how about you just drop it."

"I am trying to be your friend, Leo," Nico said quietly. Leo shook his head.

"I don't need a friend right now. I need a drink." Leo got up off the couch and opened the cabinet the tv was sitting on. He grabbed a bottle of something clear and hard and opened it and drank a long swig of it in one motion. He then walked back to the couch and sat down, offering the bottle to Nico. Nico shook his head, thinking about his dance class in the morning and stared sadly as Leo took another huge gulp.

Nico hated how his friend found comfort at the bottom of a bottle or between someone's legs. He hated how Leo could never deal with his feelings, ever since the group home. Leo had came in as an empty carcass, cracking jokes and being silly but never really laughing. But, Nico reminded himself, they all came in empty and defeated, not really caring what happened to them, not caring at all.

Nico watched Leo for a few moments before reaching over and taking the bottle straight from Leo's hands. Leo didn't protest, didn't do anything, just stared at an empty space in the wall, his eyes rimmed with red. Nico put the bottle on the floor and closed it, sighing into the couch.

"Nico," Leo croaked after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

"I loved her, man." Nico nodded.

"I know."

Nico woke up to his phone alarm going off. He opened his eyes, one at a time, the stickiness in them making it hard to do so. Finally, he yawned and stretched and rolled over, straight onto the ground. He hit the ground with a thud, landing on his side, the breath getting pushed out of his lungs in one swift motion.

"Shit," he muttered. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes as his vision cleared and he got his breath back. He looked down at himself; he was wearing nothing but black boxers and black socks. He shrugged and stood up, finally swiping to end the alarm blaring on his phone and choosing to play a song off of his playlist. '7:02' his phone read and he scratched at his head and looked around his room.

It was white; they were renting the place so painting the walls wasn't a real option but posters and pictures decorated them. His bed was full sized and his comforter was gray with the characters from Harry Potter plastered on it. He smiled to himself as he thought about his crush on Hermione, his first crush ever, and then his crush on Harry, his first crush on a guy, ever.

He looked in his mirror at himself. A boy with black hair and a bony figure stared back as he heard Bastille start to play. He then looked at the frame of the mirror, at the pictures sticking out from it. He must have had hundreds of pictures of his friends from Camp Half Blood, although he doubted anyone but Leo knew about his collection. He grabbed a picture from the top of the mirror and stared at it.

You took me to your favorite place on Earth

To see the tree they cut down ten years from your birth

Our fingers traced in circles 'round its history

We brushed our hands right back in time through centuries

It was a group picture of all his friends. There were two rows. On the left side of the row, standing up, he saw himself. He was definitely shorter-and skinnier-and he was wearing a black shirt with a smoke on it and black jeans with a chain hanging from his waist. Next to him was a dark skinned girl with a curly afro, Hazel, his half sister. She was wearing overalls and dirty sneakers. She was holding hands with an asian boy, Frank, who was wearing a bright red shirt and jeans. Leo was next, his orange shirt smothered in mechanic oil, his tool belt hanging low on his hips. His curly black hair seemed matted down to his skull by sweat as a lazy grin overtook his face. Next to him was Piper, a light brown skinned girl with colorful beads in her hair. She was wearing a Camp Half Blood t shirt and shorts. Her arm was linked with a blonde boy's, Jason, who was wearing a purple Camp Jupiter shirt. Camp Jupiter was a group home in California and a lot of their kids got transferred to Camp Half Blood. Percy and Annabeth were on the opposite end. Percy had black choppy hair and was wearing an orange Camp Half Blood shirt. Next to him was Annabeth. Her blonde curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing an old baseball cap. She was also wearing an orange tee.

On the bottom row, on the left side, were the Stolls, Travis and Connor. Their brown floppy hair matched each other's and they seemed to be in mid laugh when the picture was taken. Next to them was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a girl with red curly hair. She was wearing a plaid shirt and ripped jeans with paint stains on them, her face obviously annoyed by the twins sitting next to her. Next to her was Tyson and Ella. Ella was sitting on Tyson's lap. Tyson was a huge boy with brown hair. He was wearing a Camp Half Blood shirt and Ella, who had red and yellow hair, was wearing a blue dress. Reyna was after that, wearing her purple Camp Jupiter shirt with pride and her curly brown hair in a braid past her shoulder. Grover was next to her, his crutches laying on his lap, his brown skin matching his brown curly hair. Juniper was sitting next to him, her head on his shoulder. She had long red hair and was wearing a green dress. Finally, there was Clarisse and Chris. Clarisse was like Nico, sporting the all black and her hair was in a low ponytail. She was holding hands with Chris who had black hair and was wearing all black as well.

I'll see you in the future when you're older

And we are full of stories to be told

Cross my heart and hope to die

I'll see you with your laughter lines

That picture had been taken the last day Nico was there; when he was nearly 16 years old and he hadn't seen most of those people since. Now, he was 20, living with Leo and dancing at a professional dance company. He smiled to himself as he thought about how far he had come. Now, he wasn't always brooding and angry. Now, he didn't always wear all black. Now, he wasn't written off as a troubled child. He was older and healthier and actually glad to be alive.

He put the picture back and glanced at the clock. '7:05'. He was wasting time. He opened his bedroom door and went across the hall to the bathroom. He stripped quickly and within a minute or so, he was standing in the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water on his skin. He peed in the shower and then brushed his teeth and washed his hair. Once he was finished, he toweled off and wrapped the towel around his waist and went back to his room.

Once in there, he slipped on underwear and a light long sleeved gray shirt and black sweat pants. He found some flip flops under his bed and put them on while grabbing a pair of black shades off his dresser and his phone off his bed. He walked out of his room, down the hall into the living room and was greeted by a smiling Leo Valdez.

"Leo?" Nico asked. Leo smiled harder. He was wearing a white t shirt and cargo pants, his trusty tool belt hanging low on his hips.

"Nico, I have a surprise for you," he told him. That's when Nico noticed Leo's hands behind his back.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked.

"Drum roll, please." Nico rolled his eyes and started patting his thighs. After a decent amount of seconds, Leo showed his hands, which were holding two chocolate chip frappes.

"Starbucks!" Leo screamed happily. Nico laughed and took the one that read 'Ghost King.'

"You did not have them write 'Ghost King', oh my god," Nico said laughing. Leo started laughing too.

"Yup, and mine says 'Repair Boy'." Nico playfully punched his arm.

"You are too much." Leo shrugged and took a sip.

"It's just...I know I was kind of crazy last night," he admitted, "hitting on you and...stuff." Nico shrugged.

"It's fine."

"It's not...I refuse to be like-" Nico cut him off.

"Don't," he said quietly. Leo stared at him for a few moments.

"Well, don't be late to your ballet class," Leo said jokingly.

"Ballet? Really?"

"Yes! You were a fairy for Christs' sake!"

"That was two years ago, Leo. Are you ever gonna let it go?"

"I am scarred for life. I can still see it now...Eighteen year old Nico diAngelo in a purple leotard," he shuddered. Nico started laughing.

"Enough! I'm going to be late to my ballet class," Nico said, moving around Leo to pick up his dance bag from the ground and opened the door.

"Goodbye, Ghost King," Leo said.

"Later, Repair Boy."

~I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE SONGS USED IN THIS CHAPTER~

~NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED~