Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey Nico, we’re going to the bar again today,” Piper told him across his kitchen counter. “You should come with us. If you're done with what you're doing, of course.” 

Nico looked up from his computer where he was typing one of his essays. He didn't always go to their meet-ups, but having Reyna with him always made it better. He shrugged. “Sure.”

Reyna glanced at Nico from where she was sitting next to him at his dining table. “Is it fine if I don’t go with you, Nico? I’m tired, and it’s too loud there,” she asked. Nico hesitated. “But don’t don’t make it keep you from going,” Reyna told him.

Piper looked at Nico expectantly. “Fine,” he said after a while. Piper cheered, then plopped down cross-legged on the chair across from Nico, putting the cards on the table away, before pulling out her phone. She and Reyna had been playing Speed, but had gotten bored.

Reyna turned to Nico. “Nico, do you want me to drive you there or are you gonna go with someone else?” 

“Nah I’ll hitch with Piper” Nico said, grabbing a chip out of the bowl in front of him. “You look tired. Is your job really busy?” 

The alpha shook her head, then hesitated. “Well, a bit. I’ve been stressed out, though; little things.” 

Nico reached over and squeezed her arm. “I hope you feel better. Getting enough sleep helps with that too. Maybe a good book.” Reyna smiled at him. 

“Speaking of stress relief,” Piper piped up across the table. “Look!” she said, grinning and turning her phone around to show them the screen. There was a video of a dog, one of those try-not-to-laugh videos. 

Reyna grinned and chuckled at the video. Nico smiled, and Piper turned back to her phone.

“It just feels like life has been shitting me this whole week, and I couldn’t feel it at first, but I can really tell that I am stressed out now,” Reyna says, bowing her head and running her hands through her hair harshly. 

“Hey, Reyna. It will be okay. You’re the strongest person I know,” said Piper gently. Nico patted Reyna’s shoulder, in what he hoped was a comforting way. 

Reyna shook her head and sat up straight. “It’s not that bad, if I think about it. I’m just stressed out. It’s not even as bad as it feels,” she said. Nico got the feeling that she was trying to convince herself. 

“Don’t downplay your feelings though, Reyna,” he told her. “They are very valid, and like Piper said, you are one of the strongest people we know; I don’t know if anyone could make it through what you have.”

Reyna gave him a weak smile. “Thanks, Nico. I’ll be okay, you’re right. I just need a proper night’s sleep.”

Nico opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Piper squealed and covered her mouth. “Oh my gods, my friend just found her soulmate!”

Then her face went slack, her eyes flying up to Nico’s. “Oh gods I’m so sorry Nico, I totally forg—”

“No Piper it’s fine.” Nico cut her off. Piper looked exceedingly guilty. “Like I said before, I’m not sad about it.”

Reyna glanced at Nico, and through her tiredness, Nico could see that it was a calculating look, filled with the fact that she could totally relate to him.

Reyna had never found her soulmate; she didn’t have one. Most people found their soulmate before they were eighteen years old; all of Nico’s friends had found their soulmates. Reyna was now twenty-six years old, and even though some people found their soulmate after eighteen, this was rare, and by twenty-six it was clear that Reyna was meant to be single. 

According to Reyna, however, this was fate; and if she had no soulmate, then she wouldn’t be sad, because she hadn’t been made to have a soulmate, therefore would not want one. 

Nico told himself that he felt the same; but he secretly wondered if Reyna, again, was just telling everyone and herself that to hide the fact that she was disappointed that she didn’t have a soulmate. When Nico’s eighteenth birthday had come around, everyone had seemed so sorry and disappointed that he hadn’t found his soulmate. Nico was convinced he did not have one. 

But a small part of him had still hoped that maybe, he would still find her. But as time went on, he resigned himself to the fact that he was almost nineteen and a half, and did not have a soulmate. 

Sometimes, looking around at all his friends, laughing happily with each other, he felt a small bead of anger and heartbreak in his chest. That he did not have someone to love him like that, and never would. How had he been singled out by fate to be one of the few without a soulmate? 

But life wasn’t fair, and after Nico cried himself to sleep, he woke up with a hardened heart and an indifferent facade, and locked thoughts of a soulmate in a chest, tucking it deep into the corner of his brain. 

If he didn‘t think about it, he wouldn’t be sad.

Nico looked back at Piper, and smiled as genuinely as he could. “It just makes me more like Reyna, and I would give anything to be like her.”

The beta’s mouth twisted, and her eyebrows furrowed, as though contemplating all the possible meanings or reasons Nico said that, but eventually, Piper nodded. “Still, sorry, Nico. I-I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?

Nico snorted. “Piper, you’re good. It’s not a sensitive subject. Do you want to watch a movie? I finished my homework,” he stated, slightly untruthfully, closing his laptop and pushing it away from him. “I can make some popcorn.”

Piper’s face immediately brightened. “Ohh, yess! Your popcorn is the best, Nico.”

Nico grinned and stood up from the table. “It’s sad that popcorn is the only thing I’m known for in this friend group.”

Piper laughed, and Reyna let out a small chuckle. “I’m picking out the movie!” Piper called, dashing into the living room as Nico headed for the kitchen.

He set a pan on the stove and turned on the stove to warm up the oil. He didn’t notice when Reyna followed him and leaned her against the doorway.

“Nico.” He jumped, a few corn kernels spilling onto the counter with a sharp tinkle.

“Yeah?” he said, glancing over his shoulder and gathering the corn he dropped.

Reyna walked closer and lowered her voice. “Does it really not bother you when people talk about soulmates?”

Nico frowned, wondering why that was all everyone ever talked about. But this was Reyna, this was far from everyone. “I mean,” he hesitated. “I don't like thinking about it. It’s kind of unfair, isn’t it?” he burst out. “Why can’t I be happy like everyone else?” He didn’t really think that, but fuck if his heart acknowledged that. Reyna looked at him with an odd expression on her face.

She walked forward and wrapped her arms around Nico. He buried his face in her shoulder. The alpha didn’t say anything; they both knew there was nothing to say. “But I really hate it when they say something then look at me like I’m going to start throwing things or crashing out.”

Nico felt like he should say that he might just not have met her yet, but he knew that wasn’t true. He was just giving himself false hope, and Nico never wanted to hope again, just for it to be dashed, in shards like his heart. 

He laughed self-deprecatingly. Like his shattered heart, patched and glued together, seemingly good as new, yet he knew that it was much too fragile, that it was just a matter of time before it broke.

Reyna pulled away and gave his shoulder a squeeze, hesitating for a second, before leaving the kitchen.

But it wouldn’t break. He would not think about it again, and with time he would get over it. 

He locked that chest with a much stronger lock, promising to throw the key down the nearest well.

Nico turned to the stove, and poured corn kernels into the boiling oil at the bottom of the pot. A few minutes later, they began to pop, and Nico shook the pan so the popcorn wouldn’t burn.

When the white kernels filled the pan and stopped exploding, Nico turned off the heat and moved the white popcorn to a large bowl. He cut a chunk of butter into the pot, the leftover heat quickly melting it. Nico inhaled; he liked the way the butter turned into deep gold and expanded, the cream color disappearing, getting smaller and smaller. 

He poured the popcorn back into the pan, mixing it thoroughly with the butter, before adding salt and some of his secret seasoning, mixing everything together.

Nico transferred everything into the bowl, before joining Reyna and Piper on his couch. Piper had decided on “The Notebook,” and immediately reached out for the popcorn. Nico sighed. He should have made more, knowing how much Piper liked it. 

“Nicoooo, c’mon, tell me what your 'secret seasoning' is…” Piper begged, moaning as she popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth. 

Nico smirked. “Nope, it’s a secret, imagine that,” he quipped, reaching for some popcorn himself.

Piper groaned and plopped down sideways on the couch, throwing her legs over Nico’s and resting her head in Reyna’s lap. Nico raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

Nico must have fallen asleep during the movie, because when he woke up, it was to Reyna gently shaking him. He blinked groggily.

Piper’s voice sounded from the door. “Hey Nico, I gotta go home now. I’m going to get ready for the party.”

Nico blinked at her, frowning. “That’s in like, two hours. Why do you have to leave now?”

“Cuz,” Piper responded ominously. “I’ll be back in an hour an’ a half to pick you up, with reinforcements. Don’t be late!” She closed the door behind her.

Nico rolled his eyes, not without a fond smile. 

“I can stay for a bit longer,” Reyna told him. She picked the last little shreds of popcorn out of the depths of the bowl. “Then I gotta go and pass out for the rest of the weekend.”

Nico smiled at her. Thanks, Reyna. You’re the best, I knew you would never give up on me.” She grinned at him. “You wanna watch another movie? Some horror maybe?” 

Reyna hummed. “No, my eyes are tired.” She got up and walked back into the kitchen, placing the empty bowl into the sink and washing her hands. “Can I pick out your clothes for you?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “It’s not any fancy occasion. We do this every other week.”

“Yeah, but I’m bored and this is fun,” Reyna retorted, heading towards his bedroom.

Nico groaned and dragged himself off of his couch after her. He cocked his hip against the edge of his doorframe, watching as Reyna pulled item after item of clothing out of his closet and tossing them onto his bed.

“You know you’re putting all that shit back when you’re done, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. 

“Of course, dumbass,” Reyna responded, not looking up at him. “Speaking of which,” she pulled his normal clothes to the side, revealing a suit hung in the very back of his dresser, “You aren’t wearing this to your sister’s wedding, are you?”

“What?” Nico asked, confused. “Of course I am. I don’t have anything else to wear.”

Reyna turned to face him, brandishing the suit at him. “Nico, you’ve had this thing forever. You got it when you were sixteen, for gods’ sake! You can’t wear this,” she said, tossing it aside. “You got to get a new one.”

Nico spluttered. “What am I going to wear then?”

Reyna rolled her eyes at him. “Get a new one. It’s not like you don’t have enough money.”

Nico thought about this for a second. “I mean, yeah, but what’s wrong with this one?” he asked, picking his plain black suit and looking at it.

“It’s too old and small, Nico. This is your sister’s wedding, you idiot.” Nico sighed. Reyna went on, “And the theme is blue, anyways. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

Nico rolled his eyes again. “Don’t I always?” He really needed to stop doing that, it had to be bad for his eyes.

“Okay, Death Boy. I’m taking you shopping next time. With Piper, because she has the best fashion sense, and she’s helping with the wedding.”

Nico sighed, but let it go. Reyna was right, of course. As always.”

He flopped down on his bed. Reyna turned back to flipping through his closet. “Here,” she said, tossing a shirt at him. It landed on his face. 

She rummaged through his drawers a bit, before something heavy landed on his face. “There. Your normal jeans should be fine.”

Nico wanted to point out that he hadn't worn this particular pair of jeans in months, due to the fact that Piper had decided to modify it a bit, and now was 'stylishly ripped.'

He sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Reyna pulled him off of his bed. “Yes, yes. Now go change,” she ordered, shoving him towards the bathroom.

When he came out, Reyna glanced at him, before nodding. Nico was wearing a short top with fishnet sleeves, and the pair of ripped jeans. “Nice, Nico.”

“Perks of not having a mate: no one to tell you what to wear,” Nico joked.

Reyna smirked. “Relatable, Death Boy. Now come on. I’m putting makeup on you.”

“Woah, what?” Nico held up his hands. “I did not sign up for this!” 

Reyna ignored him and hoisted him onto the bathroom counter. “Stay,” she said, yanking his drawer open, and taking out the box hidden behind a box of wipes. Nico frowned, wondering when on earth he had shown Reyna his secret makeup box.

“Reyna, you’re acting like this is some fancy party; it’s not, it’s just a small get-together,” he complained. 

Reyna opened the box. “You haven’t gone anywhere in weeks. This is fancy for you.”

Thirty minutes and Nico giving up on struggling later, he stood in front of his mirror. In addition to eyeliner and the tiniest swipe of mascara and blush, Reyna had slightly curled his hair around his face and painted his nails with black polish— the only color he would allow. She wasn’t complaining, it went with the outfit.

Nico glanced at Reyna in the mirror. “I’m not your doll, Reyna. You had way too much fun dressing me up.”

“Aw, Nico, don’t be like that,” Reyna grinned. “You look adorable.”

“I look gay.”

“Andddd… what’s wrong with that? You’re an omega, for gods’ sake.”

“That’s worse,” Nico scowled. “I see why Fate couldn’t find anyone to be your soulmate. No one would be able to stand being mated to you.”

Reyna rolled her eyes, grinning. “Are you talking about me, or you?”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Will was so fucking done. He was so done with college and his internship. He was so done with the homework and the essays, he was so fucking done with that annoying omega girl Drew.

She had been following him around, going up to him between classes to try to make conversation, leaving notes where she knew he would find them. Will wondered how Drew Tanaka had even gotten into college, as she seemed to spend all her time chasing boys instead of focusing on her studies. He disliked everything about her, from the way she curled her hair and immobilized it with hairspray, to her jarring blue eyeshadow to her six-inch stiletto heels.

Will sometimes wondered why he felt such a strong dislike towards this girl, when he was normally such a laid-back, easy going person. Maybe it was the way her heavy perfume clogged his nose and made his head spin and his stomach hurt, or the way she would stroke his arm while purring at him in the hallways.

Yet Will had to get his degree, he was set on it, even if it meant putting up with Drew Tanaka for three more years. He enjoyed learning about diseases and saving people’s lives, even if he had to write thousand-word essays on DNA polymerase and Okazaki fragments.

But this whole week had been absolutely horrible. Will had knocked over his bunsen burner resulting in a failing grade, his laptop had died before he could save the rough draft of his essay, and he had lost his notebook in one of his classes, full of the notes he had been taking all year. Everything was going wrong, he felt like fate was upending his life in face.

Will wanted everything to stop, he felt like he was running a marathon, everything flashing by him, everyone pushing him forward, he wanted to stop to take a breath but he had to keep going. Because he had to. Even through the shit life gave him, he had come so far, he couldn’t give up now. He couldn't.

He just had to keep going, it was never going to stop, and he had made it so far yet there was so far yet to go and he couldn't stop, he MUSTN'T stop. Even if he couldn’t breathe.

Will leaned his head back against the wall he was curled against. His chest ached, and his gut curled with dread. He wanted everything to stop. He wanted to get away, to let go.

He heard his doorknob move, and opened his eyes as his sister, Kayla, creaked the door open. He stared up at the ceiling, plain white, though it looked grey in the low light.

“Will.” Kayla’s voice was jarringly loud, filling up the space that had been for a long time only occupied by Will’s heartbeat and the methodic clicking of the clock on his desk, and the raging, churning thoughts in his head. 

Kayla walked closer, biting the inside of her cheek as she knelt before Will, at a loss as to how to act. “What’s wrong?”

The silence stretched out like a grey lining, flickering along the edges of Will’s consciousness, and he wanted it to take him, for everything to stop, for everyone to leave him alone. 

But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t let himself seem as though there was something wrong— something too wrong. He needed to speak, to say something to the person before him, and everything would keep moving, it never stopped.

“I’m just thinking,” he said, his eyes catching on the tiny strands of hair that curled on the top of his sister’s head.

Kayla bit inside the corner of her mouth, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. “About what?”

Will was silent for a moment. 

“Life. Everything.”

“Ah.” Kayla said, not being able to think of anything else to say. What could she say?

Will spoke after a few more minutes. “I need to get up, don’t I? Gotta keep moving.”

Kalya’s face twisted, as though she knew something was wrong yet knew that there was nothing she could do to fix it.

She stood silently after a moment, her socks making no noise on the carpeted floor as she left, closing the door softly behind her. There was nothing she could do to help.

He did not get up.

Will didn’t know long he sat there, but when he finally forced his legs to work and his arms to push himself up, the heightened shadows of his room seemingly casting it in a monochrome filter. Will glanced at the dark blinds. The thin sliver of orange sunlight sliced through the gap of the curtains into the room, illuminating the floating dust particles. 

Will avoided the sunlight for once, and made his way over to the door. The soft whine of the door opening and the creak of the floorboards in the hallway as he stepped on them. He had to go out there, act normal. It was fine. Everything would be fine. 

Kayla and Will’s friend Lou Ellen were in the living room, and they turned to look at him as he walked in. Will wondered if they had been talking about him; he ignored their stares and sat down in his normal spot. They continued to stare at him.

“What?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and not looking at either of them, half annoyed and half not giving a shit anymore. 

Lou Ellen looked away at Kayla, who shifted awkwardly. “Um, I’m going to make dinner. Does lasagna sound okay?” she asked. No one responded. She sighed and left into the kitchen.

Lou Ellen and Will sat in silence for what must have been fifteen minutes, before Lou Ellen moved to sit next to Will. She looked at him for a while before speaking. 

“Will, what happened? Tell me,” she said, gently but with an edge of persistence in her voice. WIll knew that tone, she would never stop asking until she got an answer. Still, the silence stretched a little longer before Will could get himself to talk.

“It’s stupid,” And maybe logically it was a little stupid. And maybe these were all little things that could be remedied, but together, they crushed him. But it didn’t didn’t stop the feeling that something was pressing on his chest, blocking his windpipe and gripping his heart. 

“It’s not stupid, Will. Please tell me what’s wrong.” And he knew that it wasn’t really, but he had to tell himself that it was okay,  to tell himself that it wasn’t that bad, that he was just overreacting.

But he had to do this, tell Lou Ellen everything, or she would never let him go. And maybe his way was better.

Will started talking, and soon, everything came spilling out of him, overflowing like a cabinet with too many glasses, all crashing down one by one. Lou Ellen just sat there and listened, her expression grim.

“And- and I just don’t want to do this anymore,” said Will finally, unable to keep the break out of his voice, blinking rapidly at the ceiling.

Lou Ellen wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I’m sorry Will,” she whispered. Will hugged her back, and they sat there like that for a while, neither of them moving, until finally Will drew back.

He sighed and dragged his hands through his hair. “It’s going to be okay though. It’s going to be alright okay.” At this point, gaslighting himself was totally acceptable.

Lou Ellen’s face twisted slightly, but she nodded. “Yeah. It’s going to be alright.”

The smell of lasagna wafted in through the kitchen doorway, accompanied by the sound of Kayla setting the table. She poked her head through the door.

“Lou, you’re staying for dinner, right?” she asked, and nodded when Lou Ellen confirmed. “Good, ‘cuz I made some for you too.”

Lou stood from Will’s side. “C’mon, Will. Let’s go eat.”

Will didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to do anything. He felt like he would never be bothered by hunger again. But he stood and walked into the kitchen behind Lou Ellen anyways. The small table was set for three, the third chair wedged halfway out of the room. Kayla had had to get another folding chair because they normally only stayed by themselves in the tiny apartment. 

Will normally loved Kayla’s lasagna, but to Will, it tasted bland and sandy, like a burrito pulled out of the freezer and thawed, or day-old chipotle.

Kayla glanced at Will. “Will, you wanna go somewhere after? We could go to the movies,” she suggested. Will shrugged.

Lou Ellen frowned. “You know, Cecil’s been telling me about this new place he found. It’s a little farther than normal, maybe half an hour away. But he says it’s really great. Should I ask him about it?”

Kayla hummed. “Yeah. Invite him too, of course,” Lou Ellen nodded, pulling out her phone. Will stared at the back of her phone as she pulled up Cecil's contact. It was a picture of a lily pond, the flowers pink and orange. Kayla had made the phone case; Will wondered if he’d ever be good at something the way his sister was good at art. He couldn’t even save himself, how could he save other people? He’d come so far, what if he failed? He didn’t think he’d make it if he failed… No, stop. He was just in a bad mood… he didn’t really think that. Stop.

Will yanked himself out of his thoughts and focused on his food.

“He said he’ll come pick us up at 7,” Lou Ellen said, setting down her phone. Kayla nodded, glancing at Will. who pretended not to notice. 

After dinner was over, Will silently stood and took the dishes, buying himself at the sink. He knew that Lou Ellen and Kayla were both looking at him worriedly behind his back; Will hated washing dishes. He ignored them. (the ppl, not the dishes.)

“Will, go change out of your pajamas,” Kayla said finally, taking the towel from him, gently pushing him towards his room. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

Will pulled open his dresser, pulling out the first articles of clothing he saw, then brushed his teeth automatically, his hands moving even though he hardly noticed what he was doing. 

When he walked out of the bathroom, Kayla and Lou Ellen were both by the door. Kayla was tying her shoes and Lou Ella was struggling to turn her jacket back inside out.

Lou Ellen looked at Will and sighed. She walked up to him, and ran her hand through his curls. Will must’ve forgotten to comb his hair.

Cecil’s car was parked behind Will’s truck, the slightly dinged grey coat shining softly in the light from the street lamp. Lou Ellen climbed into the passenger’s seat next to her mate, and Kayla and Will sat in the back seats. Cecil didn’t seem surprised when Will didn’t greet him, and didn’t try to make conversation; Lou Ellen must’ve told him over text. Will was grateful.

The ride was eventful, with Lou Ellen and Cecil making slight conversation, Will sat in the back and said nothing. He reached out and took Kayla’s hand, who glanced at him surprisingly but gave it a gentle squeeze. Will let out a breath, breathing in the familiar scent of his sister and Cecil’s car and felt marginally better. 

When they arrived at the place, Will slowly got out of the car. It was a bar, and it seemed crowded. Part of Will didn’t want to go in, it was obviously loud as fuck in there, and he could hear the music clearly, while standing ten feet outside the entrance. On the other hand, Will was so done that he couldn’t give less of a shit what happened to him at this point. And there were drinks.

Cecil led them into the center of the bar, putting his stuff down at an empty table.

“My friend Conner got a job here,” he explained, “It’s pretty nice.”

Kayla and Lou Ellen agreed with him. They went to order their drinks, and Will followed them. Cecil looked back in surprise. “Will, are you getting something?” he asked, slightly shocked. 

Will shrugged. He normally didn’t drink, but today he couldn’t care less about what he did, so fuck it. 

The bar had a whole cabinet of board games and card games, and Kayla and Cecil argued on whether to play anagrams or snakes and ladders. Lou Ellen stepped in and decided anagrams was better. 

They were in the middle of the third round when Kayla suddenly gasped.

“Oh shit oh shit oh shit,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “What time is it?”

Cecil and Lou Ellen looked at her curiously, and Will wondered if she had left the stove on and burned the house down.

“I promised Mom I’d facetime her tonight, and I totally forgot!” Kayla claimed. “I can’t call her now, it’s too loud, and I can’t cancel again! I did that last time, twice!!”

Lou Ella sighed and put her cards down. “I guess we could leave now. Why don’t you go outside and call her?”

“I don’t have facetime on my phone. It’s on the laptop at home.”

“Why don’t you have it on your phone?” asked Cecil, bewildered. 

“I just don’t,” Kayla said, taking Will’s cards from him and stacking them together, before shoving them into the box.

“Alright,” said Lou Ella, “I’ll put these back, then let’s go.”

Will’s mind didn’t seem to catch on to what was happening, but he was so lost on how to react for some reason, his body wasn’t moving.

“Will?” Kayla’s voice came to Will. “C’mon, let’s go home. We gotta call Mom, remember?”

Will stood abruptly, his body responding mindlessly to the command, as though not being able to give itself orders.

“C’mon,” Kayla said, going off into the crowd. Will started to follow her but suddenly crashed into someone. His instincts kicked in, immediately apologizing and turning towards the person, when he was suddenly met with an onslaught of sensations, unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

Will realized that the person - the guy, had a scent, and it was so strong, but all Will could think of was that it smelled delicious. But the emotions felt like coming home, and being safe, and warm, like fresh rain on stones and moss. He could almost feel the soft patter and glistening blades of grass, and he experienced this in a fleeting whirlwind, a rollercoaster of emotions that left him shook, unable to process or think.

All Will could tell was that the guy was hurrying away from him, running. What had he done? Will felt like he needed him. Will was so confused. What was happening? What was he feeling?

He felt a hand on his arm, pulling him away, and Kayla shouting at him to hurry up, and he felt numb, and he had lost something, and there was something he needed to do, but all he could do was follow his sister, away, away from that person.

In the car, Will sat, the blood thundering in his ears as they pulled out of the driveway. He felt like he was in shock, which he probably was. 

That person. Will hadn’t even seen his face! He was a guy, black hair. He was his soulmate? His soulmate was a guy? He should yell at them to stop, to go back. How had he let him slip between his fingers? Will’s head raged, shock pulsing through his system, and he felt like he had made a very big mistake, done something very wrong, and he ALMOST had something.

ALMOST, and Will wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or die.

Chapter Text

Nico was sick. He could feel it in the jarring tingle whenever something brushed his arm, his skin sensitive to the slightest touch. He felt light-headed, and he burned from the inside, a fever setting his bones on fire and making him want to take his jacket off, but his skin felt ice cold, goosebumps shivering up and down his arms.

“Nico, are you alright?” Annabeth’s voice cut through the haze, and he forced himself to focus on her face. Nico vaguely felt the gazes of his friends on him.

He pressed a palm to his forehead. “I think I’m coming down with something,” he said. “Probably shouldn’t have stayed up so late.”

Jason set his cards down slowly. “Do you wanna go home? It is pretty late.”

Hazel stood up and walked over to her brother, checking his temperature. “Yeah, you got a fever,” she said, eyebrows furrowing.

“It’s fine if we don’t finish this game, I can drive you home first,” Percy stood up and started collecting everyone’s cards. Leo looked like he wanted to protest, but eventually decided against it when Calypso gave him a stern look. He grinned at her and handed Percy his cards, helping him fit them into the box.

Nico wondered if he could stay here forever and not move at all. Teleportation into his bed sounded really good right now. 

Nico followed his friends back to the car, feeling numb. Ugh. How had he gotten sick so fast? He had felt fine half an hour ago. Maybe it was a side effect of growing old.

He climbed in behind Annabeth and Piper, when he could feel sneaking glances at him. He was okay, he wasn’t going to collapse . Probably.

Percy turned around to look at Nico. “Nico, I’ll take you back home first, and then go to bed, okay? You need to rest.” Nico nodded.

His friends chatted quietly for a few minutes, but Nico didn’t focus on what they were saying. Piper kept glancing over at him. She must find it weird that he got sick so suddenly when he had been fine that afternoon. Ugh. It was hot in the car too. Nico leaned his head against the cool pane of glass next to him, and scratched his wrist.

The bumping of the car was slightly comforting, but Nico couldn’t fall asleep, because it was too hot. Didn’t Percy have the AC on?

Suddenly Piper’s voice cut sharply through the haze. “Nico.” He slowly tilted his head to look at her. She was staring at him, with a wide-eyed, shocked look on her face, her body tensed. Nico stared back at her, wondering what was wrong. There wasn’t anything wrong with his face, was there? He gave Piper a quizzled look.

“Nico, do you feel hot?” Piper asked.

Nico frowned, confused. “Yes. Can you tell?”

Piper didn’t answer. “Does your stomach hurt?”

Nico thought about this for a second. It did, kind of, honestly. He hadn’t noticed it before.

“Well… a bit, yeah. What? You gonna give me a diagnosis?” he joked, but got kind of worried when Piper’s eyes bugged out of her head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nico…” Piper’s voice seemed shaky. Nico began to get a little worried. “You’re… going into heat.”

Annabeth gasped and Jason exclaimed, “What?” as Nico’s brain tried to process what Piper had just said. Percy jerked the steering wheel in shock, almost running off the side of the road.

“Percy!” Annabeth’s voice lashed at him. “Focus on driving!” She looked back at Nico, shock written across her face.

Nico let out a dry laugh. “N-no, Piper. I’m not going into heat . That’s never going to happen,” he said.

Piper looked as though she wanted to scream or freak out, or both. “Nico, I can smell you,” she said firmly. “I’m mated, and I can still smell you. Trust me, I know what that smells like.”

Annabeth’s eyes widened, and she looked at him in alarm. “Piper’s right. She’s sitting next to you, which is why I couldn’t smell it at first but, she’s absolutely right.”

Nico felt like he was moving too slowly, his brain sluggish. “Jason. Back me up here. I’m not going into heat.”

Nico could see Jason staring at him in the side-view mirror, his wide-eyed expression unsettling. “Nico…”

Nico’s stomach filled with what  he could only acknowledge as dread, making the pain worse. Was he getting cramps? He tried not to start freaking out.

The stunned silence rang throughout the car, reverberating through the shock, as though no one knew what to do. They didn’t. Nico’s heart thundered in his chest, panic and confusion filling his brain, making him unable to think. Finally, Annabeth jumped up and leaned forward in her seat, twisting so she could pull open the latch to the glove compartment. She pulled out a pink towel and tossed it at Nico.

“Sit on that, Nico.” Nico hesitated, before sulking forward and sitting on the towel. Oh gods, he could’ve gotten slick on Percy’s car…

Percy glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Luckily I forgot to take those out last time we went to the beach,” he said awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Annabeth pulled a face, and looked back at Nico, who was visibly trying not to panic. “Uhm, Nico, don’t worry, we’ll worry about everything else later, right now we have to take you home and…”

“I can help,” Piper said. They all looked at her, excluding Percy. “I, uhm, help my sister Lacy when she’s in heat,” she explained. “And…Nico needs someone to help him.”

Jason turned around to look at her. “Oh. Are you going to be staying overnight?”

Piper thought for a second. “No, but I want to help him get situated, but I’ll come again tomorrow afternoon, just to, you know, check on him and force… I mean remind him to eat.”

“Sure. Text me when you’re ready and I’ll come pick you up,” said the blonde alpha.

This would be an embarrassing situation if Nico hadn’t been so out of it. He was grateful that everyone in the car was already mated, so he had no fears of them not being able to control themselves.

He was vaguely aware that Annabeth and Piper were conversing in low tones, and Jason and Percy kept exchanging looks, but no one said anything more before they got back to his house.

When they pulled up to his apartment complex, Piper shook Nico until he slowly opened the car door, grabbing Annabeth’s pink towel with him. “I’ll wash it for you,” he promised in Annabeth’s general direction, before Piper took hold of his arm and hurried him towards the stairs.

“Give me your keys,” she said urgently. “Hurry, before anyone smells you.”

Nico fumbled for a few moments, patting his pockets in confusion, before locating his keys and handing them to Piper, who snatched the keys and quietly unlocked his apartment door. She pulled him inside behind her, before locking the door.

She turned to face Nico. “How are you feeling?” she asked. Nico grimaced.

“Not the best,” he said, leaning slightly against the wall next to him. “My stomach hurts.”

Piper nodded sympathetically. “I know. Well, not exactly, but they all say the cramps are like periods…” she dug around in her purse a bit. “Here,” she said, holding out a small bag of pills to Nico. “Take some of these, they should help. With water.”

Nico followed Piper into the kitchen, his hand shaking a little. He accepted the cup of water she handed him, taking one of the pills out of the bag with a little trouble.

Piper frowned at him. “You’re going to be in full heat tomorrow morning, so we have to make your nest and stuff now, and then you should get some sleep,” she told him, turning towards his bedroom.

Nico wondered how many times Piper had to have done this with her sister, and wanted to curl up into a ball because of his cramps. He forced himself to follow Piper into his bedroom.

He stood in his doorway, watching as Piper pulled the comforter and sheets off his bed, before stumbling over to sit in his chair. Piper glanced over at him while she piled his sheets in the middle of the bed.

“Give the medicine a moment to kick in,” she said. “Where do you keep your spare blankets?” Nico pointed to the wall.

“Laundry room, upper right cabinet,” he said, groaning and pulling his knees to his chest. Piper dashed out of the room, returning a moment later with her arms full.

“You have a lot of blankets,” she said happily. “Perfect.”

He got cold easily in the winter, okay? And was he going to have to wash all of those when he was done? That was a lot of bedding, but he guessed Piper had way more experience than him here.

Nico watched as Piper shaped the five thousand blankets into a crater in the middle of his bed, zoning out after a few minutes.

“Nico! Go change and brush your teeth,” Piper said while moving his pillow to the left edge of the nest. Nico dragged himself towards his closet, before staring blankly at his clothes, half zoning out and half having no idea what to wear.

“Wear something that’s old or something you don’t care about,” Piper said from his bed. He grabbed a faded tee and some sleeping shorts from the second drawer, before trudging to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, Nico realized he was still wearing the outfit that Reyna had picked for him that afternoon, it’s uncomfort long forgotten. It seemed like so long ago when Reyna had been here in his bathroom. He looked normal back then. His eyeliner had mostly melted off, and there was some dried mascara under his eye.

When Nico walked out the bathroom, Piper was going back into his room.

“Hey, you feeling better? I turned the AC up so you won’t overheat,” she said. Nico gave her a thankful look and nodded before walking over to his bed.

The nest looked odd, but he instinctively felt that it was good, and he climbed in, surprised at how cozy it felt. 

Piper grinned at him, before looking around. “Uhm…Nico, where do you keep your…?” She looked at him expectantly.

His…what? Ohhhh…

Nico flushed red and climbed awkwardly out of his nest and opened his cabinet, taking his toy out from where he had hidden it under his underwear. He glanced at Piper uncomfortably, but she just rolled her eyes at him, so he padded back to his nest and set it on the table next to his bed.

Piper nodded at him before coming over to his desk. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll come over tomorrow afternoon. Keep the door locked and don’t do anything stupid,” she said, heading to the door. “Try to remember to eat something if you can, and I left the pills on your counter. Oh, and, I’ll bring some suppressants with me tomorrow, they’ll help,” she told him.

“Thanks, Piper,” Nico said, and she closed the door quietly behind her. He heard his front door lock a few moments later, taking the keys with her. 

Fuck, what was happening to him?

He’d been fine an hour ago, it seemed like fate had decided to turn his life upside down… wait no, he was just overreacting. It wasn’t that bad, he’d get used to it.

Ugh. Stop thinking, go to bed.

Nico leaned back against the side of the nest and closed his eyes.

Nico woke up the next morning sweating, his stomach felt like it was tearing itself to shreds. He groaned and curled in on himself, his hand drifting down to his aching cock. He felt his pants soaking, slick leaking out of his asshole. 

He shucked off his shorts and underwear, wrapping a hand around his dick, and dragging a thumb over the tip. He let out a moan, and shifted so he was in a more comfortable position, resting a hand behind him and dipping two fingers in the slick dripping out of him, before bringing the sticky essence in front of his face to look at it. He ran his thumb over the liquid, watching how the essence stuck to his thumb and separated when he pulled his fingers apart.

Reaching back, he plunged a finger into his hole, letting out another strangled moan as it slipped past the rim, soothing the raging fire in his stomach magically. He worked himself open, stroking his dick, before adding another finger and curling them towards his prostate. He threw his head back and let out a choked gasp as a jolt of pleasure shot up his spine.

Nico added a third finger and stretched himself wider, slick dripping from his wrist and down the back of his thighs, before slowly adding a fourth. He could feel the heat building slightly in his abdomen, and he reached for the dildo on his bedside table.

He positioned the toy underneath him, before slowly lowering himself onto it, his eyes rolling back into his head as it disappeared into his ass, inch by inch. He fucked himself with shallow thrusts, working the dildo deeper with every thrust, until his skin met the base.

Then, he flicked the switch, and cried out as it vibrated against his prostate, sending sparks of pleasure throughout his body. 

He gasped, his fingers twisting the blankets beneath him, and his toes curling as his muscles clenched with every thrust. His mouth was agape, letting colorful noises out into the room, whimpering with every vibration and moaning with every thrust. The curved tip hit his prostate, the pressure building intensely in his stomach. He reached a hand towards his dick, wrapping his fingers around the base and pressing his hips back into the dildo, his thighs quivering.

Gods, he needed a mate, the needed them to take care of him, to fuck the need out of him, to ease his pain, to rail him into his nest until the heat went away. Nico cried out, a drop of sweat running down his temple to his flushed, sweaty chest, his nipples pink and swollen. He was so close, oh Gods, he was so close!

Nico rammed his hips into the dildo, pressing the tip hard into his sweet spot, and his orgasm hit him like a freight train. He let out a shout, his toes curling, his insides tensing around the toy, as the pooling heat in his stomach ripped throughout his body, his vision blurring slightly. His cock spurted white liquid all over his hand and chest, leaving the remains of his desperation behind.

He collapsed into the nest, gasping and panting as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

About ten minutes later, Nico climbed out of his nest, his legs shaking as he made his way to the bathroom. His stomach was cramping again, so after cleaning up his little mess, he went into the kitchen and took some of the pill that Piper had left for him last night.

Piper unlocked his front door later that afternoon, and knocked on his bedroom door. Nico pulled on some clothes and went to open it for her. Piper had brought food over, insisting he ate. He thanked her, because he had totally forgotten to eat breakfast or lunch, and didn’t even notice he was starving.

Nico’s heat passed in a grueling week, and Piper came in to check on him every day. Even with the pain medication and suppressants, the heat was unbearable and Nico was exhausted by the end of the day.

When his heat finally broke on Friday, he texted Piper, who came over with Reyna. 

“Fuckkkk,” Nico groaned, burying his face in his hands. The blankets were all piled in his laundry room, and the washer hadn’t stopped since he had woken up and immediately jumped in the shower. “I’ve missed so many classes…”

“Don’t worry,” Reyna began, “I emailed your professors and explained the situation to them.”

“Thank you so, so much,” Nico said, slumping on the couch, “I’m sorry, I’ve caused so much trouble…”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Piper said in a comforting voice as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

Nico didn’t reply, and silence quickly filled the room before Reyna spoke up, voicing the question that all of them had been asking for a long time.

“Soooo…this means you do have a soulmate, Nico. Who is it?”

“I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

Will woke up in his bed, the sunlight streaming through his open windows. Everything was great.

Everything wasn’t great. Something had happened last night. Will had forgotten something…

What was it?

Will stared up at the ceiling, frowning. He had a horrible week…but that wasn’t it. Had he lost his keys?

…No.

Last night, they went to that bar…something happened there. Something…

Ohhhh shit.

Fuck.

Will’s heart felt as though it stopped beating for a few seconds, shock coursing through his veins, sending a shiver through his body.

Holy. Fuck.

Holy fucking shit.

What had he done?

How could this have happened to him?

Will lay on his bed, and he could have laughed at the look of absolute horror on his face if he had been able to move, if he had been able to think about anything else.

Fuck.

Fuck.

FUCK!

Will turned around and screamed into his pillow, again, and then once more, before laying there.

Fuck, he whispered again. What the fuck.

“So you’re telling me that you met your soulmate, AND DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?” Kayla asked incredulously, stabbing a finger in Will’s chest.

Will ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes.

“Yes.”

“Will, what the fuck?” Kayla almost screamed in his face.

“It’s a guy though. I know it’s a guy.”

Kayla stared at him for a moment. “It’s a guy?”

Will nodded.

“How do you even know it was your soulmate?” Kayla asked.

Will threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know, how does anyone know that they met their soulmate?”

Kayla stared at him. “Will, I don’t know how you’re being so calm about this. You let your future slip right between your fingers! What if you never see him again?”

Will buried his face in his hands, rubbing at his eyes aggressively. “I’m not calm!” he screeched, “I’m freaking the fuck out and it hasn’t even caught up with me yet!”

Kayla took a deep breath, “Oookay. Okay. So… let’s calm down and talk about this,” she said, slumping over in her chair. “You met your soulmate. It’s a guy. You didn’t see his face. How do you even know it’s a guy?”

“I…I DON’T! I mean, I do. I just do. He was a guy. He… didn’t have short hair. It was kinda long though. And he was pretty small,” Will said, then grimaced. He wasn’t helping his case.

Kayla looked as though she wanted to slap him. “What was… he wearing?”

Will frowned. “A… a black shirt? And… black pants?”

She seemed to be resisting the urge to scream. “Why didn’t you tell me yesterday? You could’ve stopped me, you should have gone and talked to them!”

Will really did want to scream.

Kayla slammed her hand onto her phone. “I’m calling Lou. I can’t deal with you,” she said, and rested her forehead on her hand.

“Hey Lou,” she said, when Lou Ellen picked up. “Will’s having an existential crisis, and it has nothing to do with yesterday… Well, kinda. But not what you’re thinking of. I mean… ugh. Just come over.”

Kayla set the phone down without waiting for an answer. “I really just can’t with you sometimes, Will,” she said, shaking her head at her brother.

Will buried his face in his hands, tempted to start crying, dignity be damned. He had a rough week.

“What if I never see him again?” he asked softly. He could hear Kayla hesitating.

“You will.” He knew she was just saying that to comfort him; neither of them believed it.

Will wondered if he was cursed. For so long, he had hoped, wished, to meet his soulmate one day, He had dreamt of the day he would meet them, cherished the thought that one day he would have someone that he could love, that would love him back, and they could have a house, and pets, and maybe kids. He had been so excited. When he turned seventeen, he would look at everyone he saw, wondering if they could be the one, if they could be his soulmate.

But these hopes had been crushed, and it almost broke him. The days leading up to Will’s eighteenth birthday, he had gone out every day. He had been ecstatic to meet the one he was destined to meet. But the day of his birthday came and went, and Will felt as though a shard of ice had struck through his heart, numbing his senses, his emotions, until he was a mere shell, unable to comprehend what he did not have, why he was different from everyone else, why he would never have the person he wanted the most in life.

The weeks after his birthday were quite alarming to his family and friends. Will refused to leave his bedroom, deaf to all entreaties and consolation. It was as though he understood he wasn’t going to meet them.

He was absolutely devastated.

Three years later, Kayla knew that Will still struggled sometimes, seeing couples on the streets, especially when a couple lived together, with a pet, or kids. She could only imagine the aching sense of emptiness in his heart as he was brutally reminded that he was different from everyone else. That he would be lonely forever.

But Will refused to talk about it. Time passed, and Will learned to act as though he didn’t care, as though it didn’t physically hurt him to see others with lifelong mates, someone to stay with forever.

They never talked about it. Will tried his best to hide it from everyone, yet sometimes Kayla could see the pain behind his eyes, a shattered, broken emptiness, that only came with one who had resigned himself to their fate, resolving to suffer in silence, in the darkness. She didn’t press, and neither did any of their friends. It had been so long, sometimes she forgot, and it was only when she heard the quiet weeping, a desolate whimper coming from her brother’s room late at night, did she remember, and it brought tears to her eyes.

Three years ago, Will had been so bright and happy, the warm, bright glow shining from his like a ray of sunshine, bringing smiles to the people around him. He had always been so cheerful and outgoing, smiles decorating his face constantly. You could feel his friendly, happy personality in the way he walked, the way he smiled at strangers on the street, so full of life and hope and faith and in what would happen next.

Now, it wasn’t there. Kayla knew that Will kept his facade, that he built since the day his life, his personality, his hope for the future had changed, leaving him as though with no more purpose in life. 

He felt useless.

Will still smiled at everyone he made eye contact with, but it was never the bright, happy grin he had once sported, but a sad, washed-out echo of it, and everyone who knew him could tell, the smile never reached his eyes.

His once bright blue eyes now resembled the ocean instead of the sky.

Still, they pretended everything was okay.

Will knew he was broken.

Twenty minutes later, Lou Ellen banged on their front door, sporting a green beanie and a frown.

“Will, what happened now?” she asked, kicking her shoes off by the door. Will didn’t answer.

Kayla sighed. “Lou, you might wanna sit down for this, but Will found his soulmate.” Lou Ellen had not sat down for that, and maybe she should have.

“What?” she asked, as though the words that had just come out of Kayla’s mouth were in another language.

For a moment, she just stared, her eyes flicking between Kayla and Will, who was hunched over on the couch.

Then, Will spoke.

“I bumped into this… this guy last night, at the bar, and I-I just knew. And…” Will hesitated, then spoke, his voice quivering. “I lost him. He’s gone…”

He let out a small sob as a wave of anguish washed over him. He knew that he should be overjoyed that he DID have a soulmate, DID have someone that would love him and stay with him forever, but he wasn’t . He had bypassed delight and gone straight to horror and shock.

To have something that Will wanted so desperately, then have it ripped away from him, he didn’t know if he could take it. It had all happened so fast, nothing had registered but a sense of all-encompassing loss.

Will let out a slightly hysterical laugh, the tears dripping down his nose,. The deja vu was kicking him in the face, and Will felt like he could take anything fate threw his way, because fuck him. Fuck his life.

But Lou Ellen let out a huge gasp, and pressed both hands to her heart, her face splitting in an enormous smile. “Gods, Will, that’s amazing! After all this time, finally, fate decides that you’ve suffered enough! I’m so happy for you, Will!” she cried, tears beading in her eyes as she threw her arms around him.

Will met Kayla’s wide eyes over his friend’s shoulder, both not wanting to have to tell her. 

It seemed like kind of a cruel joke, that fate would play something like this on him.

“Lou,” he started again, “I don’t know anything about him, I didn’t talk to him, I have no way to contact him! I’ll never see him again! He doesn’t even know I exist!” Will told her, his voice fading to a whisper.

Lou pulled all the way back, letting go of his face and standing up, blinking between the two of them.

“Uhmmm… What do you mean you’ll never see him again?” she asked, frowning at Will. “You’re fated to be together!” she exclaimed, as though this was common knowledge.

Will glanced up at Lou Ellen. “What?”

Lou Ellen looked at both of them as though they were crazy. “You don’t know this?! Were you too busy daydreaming about your future mate to pay any attention to what the teacher was saying when we were taught this?” she asked incredulously. 

Kayla blinked. “Uhhh…”

Will thought he was going to break with how many different emotions he had experienced in the past 24 hours.

He would meet his soulmate again??

Lou Ellen let out a huge sigh.

“YES, you dumbass,” she threw her hand up in the air, before sinking down in the chair next to Will. “You’ll meet again. And what do you mean, he doesn’t know you exist?” she asked Will.

Will was too stunned to speak for a few moments.

“H-he didn’t even look at me!” he went on when Lou Ellen frowned at him. “He bumped into me as I- as we were leaving, and then he ran away, I didn’t even see his face!” Will said, his eyes wide.

Kayla spoke from where she was sitting with her arms crossed. “He doesn’t even know if it’s a guy or not,” she told Lou Ellen.

She turned back to Will. “He wasn’t running away from you, Will. And he had to have known.”

Lou Ellen suddenly grimaced at Will. “Judging by the fact that he’s a guy, he’s probably an omega. You could smell him, right?”

Will nodded.

Lou Ellen glanced at Kayla, who was looking a little shocked, before looking back at Will, her widening. “Which means, your scent probably sent him into heat, so he might not know it now, but he definitely will know when he’s back to normal,” she winked.

Will stared at her. He… had sent someone into heat? For all his fantasizing over a mate… he had never thought about that.

Kayla shook her head. “So…what is Will going to do? Wait until he sees him again?” she asked.

Will let out a small whimper. “What if he doesn’t like me?” he said anxiously.

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes at him. “Will, no one could possibly dislike you. And don’t worry. I have a plan…”

Later that day, Cecil drove them back to the bar they had been at yesterday, but this time the ride there was filled with conversation. Fortunately, Lou had told Cecil the news before they got on a highway, significantly decreasing the chances of getting the car wrecked.

Will felt like the flurry of emotions in his chest were exhausting and confusing; he gravitated between wanting to jump for joy and worrying that everything was going to get worse, like it had over and over before.

When they arrived, Cecil hopped out of the car. “Conner’s on shift right now, so we can ask him if he knows who you’re talking about. Someone might know,” he winked.

Will smiled when Lou Ellen grinned at him, as though she were saying,  “see, I told you I could do something.”

Kayla bounced on her heels as she walked next to Will, and he wondered if she was more excited than he was. Then he decided that couldn’t be physically possible, his emotions were just mixed up. More like pulverised in a blender, but still.

Cecil’s friend Connor had curly, light brown hair and a mischievous grin. He greeted Cecil with a fist bump and smiled at the rest of them.

“Aw, Cecil, I didn’t know you were going to bring friends to meet me when you asked for my schedule,” he joked, his hazel eyes twinkling.

Cecil shrugged, and pointed at Will. “This is Will. He had a rather… A singular and important thing happened to him here last night, and uhm… we wanted to know if you’ve ever seen a guy. He’s kinda short, maybe 5 '6, long blackish hair, wears a lot of black?” he asked.

Connor frowned. “I dunno, but maybe he comes regularly. I’ma ask Pollux if he knows anything. He’s been working here way longer than me.”

Will wondered why his friends were all so confident that this would work. What if no one knew who this guy was? Maybe he had only come here once, and what if they never found out?

They waited for almost ten minutes, but finally Connor reappeared, a wide smile on his face, followed by another guy with dark hair.

“Yep! We looked at the cameras, and that guy comes here like, every other weekend, most of the time, with his friends,” he informed Will, who was listening anxiously.

The other guy, Pollux, spoke up. “We don’t know who he is, or what his name is, but next time they come, we can ask for some information, if you want.”

“Thank you, thank you so much!” Will said, relief coursing through his veins.

“No problem, bro,” Connor told him, holding out a hand for him to shake.

Kayla shook her head as they were leaving, a small frown on her face. “Will, you’re not going to find out who your soulmate is until like, two more weeks. That’s a long time.”

Will shook his head. “It’s okay, Kayla. He’s real, I know he’s real, and we’re on track to find him. What else can I do? They didn’t know how to contact him, and they probably couldn’t give out their customer’s information. Connor might though, since he knows the situation,” he assured his sister.

“And you’ll meet him again in time anyways,” Lou Ellen added. “Even if you don’t find how to contact him.”

Yes, Will could wait.

He had a soulmate!

Chapter Text

“Okay,” Annabeth said, crossing her legs and looking at Nico. “So you have no idea who your soulmate could possibly be?”

 Nico frowned, thinking back to last weekend. He hadn't really left the table, except to go to the bathroom…

“Well, I talked to this alpha girl when I was waiting for the bathroom,” he said, oddly uncomfortable.

It couldn't be that horrible omega girl, could it?

 “There was an omega with her too. I hope it's not her,” Nico groaned.

“It's not,” Piper said from where she was sitting on his counter. “Omegas can't be soulmates with other omegas.”

 Nico breathed a sigh of relief. To be fair, she probably wasn't that bad, she had just freaked him out. The alpha had been pretty nice, but Nico hadn't really felt anything. Soulmates could tell that they were soulmates when they met each other, right?

“Okay,” Annabeth muttered, jotting down “bathroom alpha” on her paper. Reyna looked like she wanted to roll her eyes.

“They couldn't be together, could they?” Reyna asked. “The alpha and the omega,” she clarified to their confused faces.

“Uhhh…”  Piper said.

 Reyna rolled her eyes. “You can't just assume that they aren't gay. Or lesbian. It's uncommon, but it's not that uncommon.”

“It's not that common,” Piper muttered.

“Statistically,” Annabeth started, but Nico cut her off.

“That's not the point, since we still don't know if they're actually mates or not,” he pointed out.

Reyna hummed. “Okay, so that's one possibility. What if it's not her? Could you smell her?” she asked Nico.

Nico scowled—he didn't go around sniffing people, what the fuck?—but it was definitely a way of checking, as generally people could only smell their faded mates’ pheromones. Sometimes this wasn't the case, like when Piper could smell Nico on the car when he went into heat, but Nico had never had any other experience with pheromones.  

He thought back to the alpha girl. He'd been pretty distracted, what would the random strangers talking to him. It was pretty safe for omegas to go about by themselves, but sometimes stuff did happen and Nico could never be too careful, even if he did know a bit of self-defense And in the middle of a crowded bar.

He vaguely recalled that she had smelled strongly of some fragrance, but he was pretty sure it was perfume. it smelled artificial and very jarring, and as she was also wearing a lot of makeup, she was probably wearing perfume too.

He hummed. “Yes, but I think that might have just been perfume,” he told Reyna. The more he thought about it, the more he was inclined to think it wasn't the bathroom alpha.

Annabeth groaned. “Okay. So did you need anyone else?”

Nico shook his head. “I didn't leave the house before that, but I guess it could have been anyone we were sitting near,” he sighed.

Annabeth bit her lip. “That's a lot of possibilities. How are we going to find all these people?”

Nico could see the moment Reyna started grinning. “I have an idea,” she said, a rather mischievous look on her face.

Nico was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about.

“As the workers there probably aren't going to give out customer information to random strangers, it wouldn't make any sense to just go ask them. Also, who gives their information at a bar, anyways? There aren't any reservations there. So , I was thinking that if we could get the security camera feed, then I could track down these people and ask them.”

Nico blinked at Reyna. “You're going to ask them… what, if they're mated? That's a little weird.”

Piper frowned at him. “Nico, you don't seem too excited to find your soulmate,” she accused. 

Nico didn't respond.

He wasn't sure how to feel. Before he found out that he didn't have a soulmate—or everyone was under the impression that he didn't—he hadn't really cared about what might happen. He thought that it was just something that would happen in the future, like going to college or growing old, so he didn't think about it that much. But when it had suddenly been yanked away from him. It had felt like a part of him had shattered, leaving him with nothing in life, or like a sense of being lost when you thought you knew where you were. It felt like the floor had been yanked out from under his feet, the feeling when you suddenly realize one of your worst prized possessions is gone or missing, and you have no idea how you might get it back.

Nico had learned to live with it; he would finish college, find a job, and then when his friends all got married, he would find somewhere to live by himself, get a few cats, and live his life like an old grandma. It wasn't the worst prospect, to be honest. He wouldn't have anyone to tell him what to do, and he would have no one to worry about, or worry about him. He could do whatever he wanted. He had always been independent. 

So when he went into heat, it had felt like his carefully crafted life had been thrown down the drain again , and he was so tired of it, that fate would toy with him like this—that the future he had, for once, been looking forward to, with suddenly out of his reach, and he wished this had never happened, and wished he didn't have a soulmate.

He didn't want a soulmate.

He didn't want a soulmate.

But he couldn't tell anyone that.

It would break their hearts.

(It might break his heart.)

He had to be stronger.

“Of course I do,” Nico lied smoothly. “I just believe that it's also okay to let things happen in their own time. It’s how it's always been. It'll work out either way.” 

(He wished it wouldn't.)

Reyna frowned at him. “He's right, you know. But I still think we should look,” she told them.

Annabeth nodded and threw down her pencil. “Yeah. You should go get the footage, then we can figure it out from there.”

“Have fun abusing your powers,” Nico teased weekly, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

Reyna grinned and ruffled his hair. “It's for a good cause, Neeks. Be grateful,” she chastised.

“Thanks,” Nico mumbled into his arm, leaning away from her. It wasn't the first time that he had benefited from Reyna being a cop. 

Turns out Reyna was good at her job and good at acting, because an hour later she returned.

“Here,” she said, thrusting a USB at Nico, “plug that into your computer.”

Annabeth grabbed the USB from where it had landed on the carpet, and quickly jammed it into the USB port on the side of Nico's laptop.

“Nico, unlock your damn freaking laptop,” she said, shoving it towards him.

Nico obliged, punching the numbers in. He was glad that he had never told anyone his password, but Annabeth or Leo would probably have no trouble hacking it.

Annabeth clicked open the file, and Reyna explained which video was which.

Nico watched, trying to look like he was interested. He pointed at the video labeled restroom . Reyna must have gotten three hours worth of footage, starting from when they’d arrived until just after they’d left.

He pushed Annabeth's hand away from his mouse, clicking it and maneuvering it until he got the footage right as he walked on the screen towards the bathrooms.

“That's me,” he said, pointing rather unnecessarily at himself as he failed to find an occupied bathroom. They watched as he stood there for a moment, before abruptly turning towards a tall dark-haired girl that came up to him.

Reyna paused the video, taking out her phone and snapping some shots of the girl.

“Okay, suspect one down,” she said, un-pausing the video. They watched as Nico uncomfortably talked to the alpha for a few moments.

Piper let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. “Nico, your social skills are so ass.”

Nico shrugged. “I can't help it.”

Soon, the omega they’d been looking for  appeared next to the alpha, grinning at her—and at Nico. She said something to Nico, and he visibly backed up and cringed away from her flirtatious attempts, running into the bathroom to get away from her.

Annabeth, Piper, and Reyna all started laughing, and Nico blushed. “I didn't like her!” he protested. “I didn't know what to do.”

Piper just sighed and shook her head. “Honestly, she looks close to the alpha, so they could be mated, but we can't be sure.”

After Nico had disappeared, the omega had turned back to the alpha, who gave a small laugh, and shrugged. Nico buried his face in his hands and embarrassment. A few minutes later, the other bathroom opened and the alpha stepped into it, her friend wandering off. A few minutes later, Nico ventured out, looking around. The girls started laughing again, and Nico covered his face with his arms. After on-screen Nico washed his hands, he left, not before fervently looking around.

Nico could hear Piper's silent giggles before behind him. Sighing, he clicked out of the restroom footage and slowly tracked himself across the room.

“Aha!” Reyna exclaimed, grabbing his hand and stopping the video of the center of the room. “Rewind,” she said. “Just a little bit.”

Nico moved back to the place where he’d bumped into a guy that was leaving his table.

“Suspect?” Reyna asked, looking at the video closely.

“Reyna, that's–” Annabeth cut herself off.

“Could be an alpha,” Reyna mused.

Piper took the mouse, scrolling back and looking at the guy. “No, see? He doesn't talk at all, and keeps his head down. And the girl is telling him to leave. That’s a beta.” She shook her head. “No way. Not a suspect.”

Reyna narrowed her eyes. “That's true,” she said, frowning. “Honestly, it could be the bathroom alpha, but Nico's heat was caused when he smelled his soulmate’s pheromones, so it could be anyone who was sitting near us.”

In the end, they singled out a beta girl who was sitting with a couple on the table to their right, and three alphas at the table right next to them. Reyna clapped her hands.

“Good,” she said. “I think that's it!” She carefully ejected the hard drive from Nico's computer, and tucked it into her bag, along with the photos in her phone. “Don't worry, Nico, I'll track them down.”

Piper pulled her into a hug. “Thank you so much, Reyna.”

Nico just sat there. He wouldn't have worried, he thought. 

“It seems Nico isn't going to thank you,” Piper continued, “so you're welcome.”

Nico looked at both of them., and tried to smile genuinely. “Thanks, Reyna,” he forced himself to say.

Over the next week, Reyna kept sending Nico updates on the suspects. She found all but one in the first two days, and she figured out the two of them were already mates over the next three.

Nico sent cheery replies to all of these messages, but he secretly felt a bit annoyed. His life was changing again, and it was all his soulmate’s fault. Why did people have soulmates anyways? He didn't need a soulmate.

But he found himself thinking sometimes about having a soulmate, how it might be if he had someone he lived with as a partner. And he would keep getting heats, twice a year, and he cursed his fate to the gods. He hated himself for thinking about it. He couldn't deal with a soulmate.

He didn't want a soulmate. 

He didn't want his soulmate.

“Hey, Nico,” Reyna said when Nico picked up, a week after they had gotten the security feed. “So. Turns out  the beta girl from the table next to us is lesbian, so there's only bathroom alpha left. I was on a phone call with her a few hours ago, and she said that she doesn't know, but she's willing to see you again, just to test that theory. Are you free on Sunday at 3:00 P.M.?”

“Wait, wait, go back.” Nico didn't answer her question. “Rewind. What do you mean, she's a lesbian? You can know that your soulmate’s the same gender as you just because you only ever like someone of the same gender?”

Reyna sighed over the phone, sounding a little muffled. Nico heard her set it down somewhere before she spoke. “Generally, yes. If you're sure that you're attracted to people the same gender exclusively, then generally that's your biology telling you that you’re homosexual.”

Nico had to think about this for a second. “So…. but people who think they are straight might not be?”

Reyna hesitated for a moment on the other side of the phone. “That's different. Not all people who think they’re straight are straight, because, well… heteronormativity. Everyone they know is straight, so they never think they'll be different.”

…Oh. “Would they be mad?”

Reyna sighed again. “Well, often their families aren't too happy, but honestly, only a few refuse to mate or be together with their soulmate, because they despise gay people so much that they can't take it. Most people just want to be with their soulmate, and the bond is so strong that they don't mind.”

Nico hmph -ed. “That's pretty stupid. I would never refuse….” he trailed off, mortified. What the fuck. He would refuse to be with them, no matter what gender they were.

Reyna laughed on the other side of the line, oblivious. “You're a good kid, Nico. But honestly, same-sex couples are very uncommon. I don't know too many, myself.”

Nico hummed. “I'm glad I have someone who knows so much about this,” he said, because he didn't know what else to say, and cringed.

Reyna chuckled at him again. “Part of my job, Nico. Now, are you good for that date?”

Nico had to stifle the groan that threatened to spill from his mouth.

No, he was not good. “Yeah, sure.”

“Reyna, I don't think…” Nico trailed off, watching as Reyna ironed a button-up shirt that she had dug out of the back of his drawer.

“Shut up, Nico. It's a date and you have to look presentable.” She didn’t look up at him.

“What if she's not my soulmate?” Nico asked, scowling.

“Then it's practice for when you are on a date with your soulmate,” Reyna snapped

That's a horrible idea, Nico thought, but didn't say anything.

They met the alpha at a small sandwich shop. She was wearing a bright pink top and high-heeled sandals and jeans. Nico didn't like it.

And it was definitely perfume. Nico didn't like that either; it smelled overly flowery and overpowering, and he was absolutely not attracted to it.

He didn’t like how she asked him a lot of questions; it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like the way she kept playing and messing with her long hair, and how her mascara clumped her eyelashes together flakily.

No, this was not his soulmate. 

Chapter Text

Hey guys! Thank you all so much for reading, I am so sorry I havent updated in two and a half weeks, got caught up writing my new fic...
Also Ive got to plan a whole ass wedding and my brain cannot

But I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS FIC!!!!!!!!!

plz go read my new fic, it's not rly as popular as this one, but I love it (I need a break before I try to write any more smut haha)
It's called Nico... SOLACE? and it is rated E.

https://archiveofourown.to/works/67333378

Love, Solyx