☼ ᴾᴸᴱᴬˢᴱ ᵀᵁᴿᴺ ᵀᴴᴱ ᴸᴵᴳᴴᵀ ᴼᴺ ᵂᴴᴱᴺ ᴵᵀ ᴰᴵᴱˢ ☀ - Stri and Socks

Although Nico didn’t understand the reference, he couldn’t help the way his smile widened and he almost laughed. Almost. Still, it was more than he usually gave to people. Most people had to work to even earn a smile from Nico, but Sam had coaxed far more from him in the course of just one room. One room where they were allowed to just be kids playing in a lake rather than anything serious.
“Who’s gonna stop me?” he asked mischievously, making a sharp turn before winking at Sam just as he was forced to duck away from the water splashed in his direction. He looked for a moment like he was going to try to make a break for it around Sam, but he stopped instead, paddling backwards a bit so his kayak lined up perfectly with Sam’s, the sides of them brushing up against each other.
“I’ve got a really dumb idea,” he said before shaking his head firmly to fling off any particularly large water droplets. He pushed his hair back away from his face, revealing the whole of it for the first time in a while. He smiled again, shrugging his jacket off before holding on to Sam’s kayak and pushing himself to a standing position in his. “Careful,” he warned, “this might rock the boat a little.” Avoiding direct contact with Sam as best he could, he clambered onto the front of Sam’s kayak and sent his own drifting away. He perched there, inches away from Sam for just a moment before he pushed himself to a standing position at the “helm” of the kayak.
“Onwards!” he announced, striking a pose before glancing back at Sam. “If you want we can switch places in a bit. I just… thought it would be fun.” If anyone asked, Nico would deny he was blushing. It was just from the exertion of pushing himself onto Sam’s kayak. That was only sort of a lie.

Nico wobbled for a second before he was sure he had caught his balance, then turned back and smiled at Sam so the boy knew he was okay. He spread his arms out, enjoying the fact that Sam could row faster than most ordinary people could. Faster than Nico could, surely. It was the wind blowing through his hair, pushing it back out of his face so all of it could be seen – a sight that was rare enough. He took a deep breath, then lowered himself closer to the kayak so he wouldn’t be so worried about having to balance. “We could do a couple laps around the lake… er… reservoir, whatever. See what there is to see, maybe scare away a few turtles or birds or something on accident.” If they were going fast enough, Nico would at least have the peace of mind of knowing that they had been startled by the movement of the kayak, not by the encroaching scent of death. He stood back up again, turning his head so Sam could see his smile too. He didn’t want to keep this one secret. This he wanted to share with Sam.

“Might be too dark to see fish,” Nico mused, glancing at the way the water seemed to be turning inky black as the sun made its way further down the horizon. It would be completely dark soon, and though most kids might have been afraid, they weren’t most kids. They were a vampire and a demigod who had lived most of his recent life in the darkness. For once, maybe they could use their experiences to their advantage. For once, they could enjoy themselves and not have to worry about being “normal” because what they were was just fine. More than fine. They didn’t have to be afraid.
“They make a fun little splash when they get scared,” he added, glancing over his shoulder at Sam. He looked like a different boy, almost. Same thin figure, same scars, same deathly pale skin and eyes that looked a bit too tired. But he was smiling, and he didn’t need to hide behind his jacket, and there was something very alive in his expression now.
He leaned forward, almost tipping the kayak over as his gaze caught on something near the shoreline. “There,” he whispered, shifting so Sam could see it too. “I wasn’t sure if there would be any here.” There were five or six slowly winking to life, their wings lifting them off the ground as they flew and flickered, the reflection of their lights dancing in the water.

Nico looked at met Sam’s eyes, his heart stopping in his chest for just one moment. While the fireflies were brighter when he looked directly at them, there was something magical about the way they reflected in Sam’s eyes. He didn’t stop to remind his heart they were supposed to be friends this time. It didn’t matter what they were to each other in that moment, just that they were two people sharing something nobody else could – at least not in the same way.
“Yes,” he replied quietly, “There are lots in New York, if you get away from the city. There weren’t any where I was growing up, though. The first time I saw them at Camp… well, I couldn’t believe it. They’re like… they’re like tiny stars.” Maybe that was a bit fanciful for a boy who had seen the way the world could be cruel. That didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to appreciate the things in it that were beautiful.
“If we paddle close enough, they might be willing to land on your hands,” he informed Sam. “If you hold one and peer into your hands, they look even brighter.”

“We’ll just have to get close enough that you can see it for yourself,” Nico replied decisively, taking a step forward so he was almost balancing on the very tip of the kayak (his back leg remained planted firmly in place so the kayak wouldn’t tip over). He could see more of them beginning to light up now, and the air was filling with the soft chirping of crickets. Though he lived in a city, Nico had to admit he much preferred places like this. Untouched and natural, without too many people. Yes, the no people (other than Sam, he didn’t count as people in the way Nico meant – the “demand too much and are hard to read and don’t seem to understand the way Nico interacted with the world” way) was a huge part of why he felt so comfortable here.
He reached forward to grab onto the land when they were close enough, clambering off the canoe to lightly coax one of the fireflies onto his hand. He turned back to Sam and winked, bringing it closer.
“Open your hands,” he instructed, settling at a distance that would likely have been too close for him if it hadn’t been Sam in this moment. “I’m gonna place this one in them.”

“Of course,” Nico replied, letting his hands lightly brush against Sam’s as the firefly made its way from his to Sam’s. He gave Sam a soft smile before pulling away and stepping back to give Sam some space. He crossed his arms and waited to see Sam’s reaction to the firefly. To having one up close, seeing the way it glowed and explored the small space between his hands… yes, Nico wanted to see that happiness.
I’m glad we’re friends. He was grateful Sam couldn’t read minds like Myrnin could, grateful, he could keep that thought to himself now because it was true, but he still needed to get used to the idea of letting Sam in entirely as a friend, even if moments like this made it worth it.

Nico watched, his own small smile spreading across his face. He was crouched on the tip of the canoe, enough distance between him and Sam that everything felt safe, but close enough that he felt… well, close. Like this was a moment just for the two of them. He gave a small huff of amusement at Sam’s reaction, but he wasn’t laughing at him. Laughing more at himself, because never in a million years would he have allowed himself this moment unless the House had given it to him.
“They tend to be, yeah,” he replied, watching as some more of them ventured out over the water. He flicked a bit of water into the reflection of one of them, watching as the reflection rippled and refracted, creating a few more before it settled. The firefly, thankfully, didn’t even get wet.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he added after a moment. “This room is sort of… just what I needed.” He shrugged, hugging his knees against his chest (although in a more relaxed way than usual). “It’s sort of just what we needed.”

“It is,” Nico replied, glancing over at Sam. “I don’t see an issue with that, for a creature of the night and a boy made of shadows.” He knew he had a harder time seeing at night than Sam did, but as long as there were shadows nearby he felt safe. If something tried to attack, he could escape easily. Was it normal that his definition of safe just meant easy to escape? Best not to dwell on that for too long.
“We can head back if you want, though.” He was sitting down now, straddling the kayak and letting his foot dangle in the water. It had been so long since he’d felt comfortable this close to a body of water. Was it the House or Sam that made him feel safer here? He glanced down, not looking Sam in the eye. If the other boy wanted to leave that was… fine. Even if Nico wanted the exact opposite.

“I’m comfortable too,” Nico replied, more than a little bit grateful for the way Sam had separated his sentences. He might have misunderstood – he was good at misunderstanding, and then internalizing his misunderstanding until he was half convinced that everyone he knew hated him. It was easier with Sam, maybe because they were both at least a little awkward. Not that he would have ever said so to the other boy in case Sam thought he was incredibly smooth or something, but… it was nice to know he wasn’t the only one uncertain about everything sometimes.
Nico let his gaze travel in the direction Sam’s had gone, staring up at the stars with an almost-smile touching his features. “We don’t see the stars as well in New York. You have to get really far away… I used to take the Labyrinth somewhere isolated to just… look at the stars and escape everyone sometimes,” he admitted, turning to look back down at Sam. “I agree,” he managed quietly, catching on the way the moon seemed to reflect in Sam’s eyes. If he didn’t watch himself, he was about to have it bad. Which was a phenomenally bad idea, he realized, as he jerked his head away to look back up at the sky so Sam wouldn’t see the blush building on his cheeks.
“I guess that makes sense,” he murmured, letting the breeze carry his voice most of the way to Sam. “I’ve never really thought about it. I guess… I guess I’ve always associated being in the dark with being alone.” What he didn’t say was that he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be alone.

“Maybe,” Nico mused quietly before shaking his head. “But I don’t think either of us really had a choice when it came to living in the dark.” It was true, even if it hurt. Nico hadn’t asked to be a son of Hades and given how Sam seemed to feel about being a vampire, Nico had a feeling Sam hadn’t wanted that either. Which just seemed cruel, when he thought about it too hard. Nico understood that most people thought of vampires as monsters, but there had to be some people who would prefer to be a vampire. Those people should have been the people turned, not twelve-year-old boys who just wanted to live their life normally. Nico forced his gaze down before Sam saw the righteous fury burning in his eyes. Nico couldn’t change either of their fates.
What he could do, however, was enjoy whatever this was, whatever this room was giving them. This was their chance to take everything they didn’t have in their worlds, and Nico didn’t want to squander it.
“Big Dipper,” he murmured, staring up at it. A small smile rested on his face, and he let his eyes scan the sky. “Orion,” he added, pointing at the belt. “Canis Major.” Another pause as he scanned the sky. “Leo, Gemini… ah… Canis Minor… and there, just at the edge of the horizon, Heracles.” He turned his head so he could look at Sam instead of the stars, watching the way the moonlight caught on Sam’s curls. “They’re Greek, mostly. I know the legends, the reasons they were all put in the stars. I guess when I was little I just wanted to be a little closer to the real heroes.”

Nico was aware that Sam had said something, but he wasn’t quite able to catch the words. He figured that… even if they mattered – which they did, since Sam had taken care to say them – the meaning was conveyed well enough through tone. And through the general feeling of the moment. Nico wasn’t used to things feeling… peaceful. He was used to chaos and not getting enough sleep and getting interrupted enough that it was easier to just be prepared for another disaster at all times. The House was like that, sometimes, but not now. Somehow, not now.
Nico caught Sam’s gaze, the other boy managing to coax a soft smile out of Nico as well. Not quite as brilliant – Nico wasn’t sure anything could match Sam’s smile in brilliance – but something.
He was looking at Sam far more than he was looking at the stars. He wanted to apologize, for what he had said before, for the assumptions he had made, but… that wasn’t a conversation for now. All he could think was that maybe he didn’t need to squash down his feelings now. Maybe… just maybe… there was a chance.
His face reddened and he tilted his gaze towards the sky as Sam spoke. “I can tell you some, if you want.” His voice was soft and gentle, and he risked another glance at Sam. “I can’t say I know every single one, but I know a lot.”

Nico didn’t mind floating. It was nice. Relaxing. And it had been a very, very long time since he’d felt anything relaxing. He gave a soft smile, staring up at the sky and then looking at Sam again, like Sam was just as beautiful as the stars scattered across the sky like an artist had gotten a little overeager with the splatter-painting. There were so many of them, so many stars that couldn’t be seen from New York. So many stars that were drowned out by light pollution, and Nico felt like he could see every last one now.
“Yeah,” he murmured, glancing up at the constellation Sam was referring to.
“There,” he added, pointing. “You see the end of the dipper’s handle? That’s the nose of the bear.” He looked up just enough to see he was pointing the right way before he looked at Sam. “I can teach you the other ones I know, if they’re the same here. And… only if you want.”

Nico looked over at Sam for a long moment, unable to stop the small smile that spread across his face. He turned to look up at the stars, grateful the House had given them a room with the stars they likely shared.
“Over there is the little dipper. It looks a lot like the big one, but see Polaris? The really bright star? I don’t know the stories behind Ursa Major and Minor, but if you follow the handle of the little dipper… see that ‘w’ looking shape? That’s Cassiopeia. She used to be a queen before she bragged about her own beauty, and Poseidon punished her by hanging her in the sky. The ‘w’ is her throne, and she has to hold on to it to keep from falling out of the sky. Right under Cassiopeia… see the triangle shape attached to a square-like thing? That’s Cepheus, her husband. And up a bit, to the right… that’s Andromeda, their daughter.” His eyes raked the sky for a few moments before settling on something right at the tree line. “Canis Major. The really bright star right there… that’s how you know it’s him. He follows his master Orion,” he lifted his hand, pointing up and to the left, “Even in death. See the three bright stars that make up his belt? In the summer you can see Scorpius, chasing him across the sky for all eternity. They’re trying to kill each other, but they never quite manage it.” He gave a small smile before turning back to Sam. “There are more, of course. Their placement… it’s all so intentional.” He was grinning, he could feel it. He didn’t mind enough to try to stop.

Nico turned his head so he could get a better look at Sam. The smile that spread across his features at the sight of the other boy laying there, staring up at the sky, was unbidden. Still… he didn’t banish it. Just glanced back up to follow Sam’s gaze.
“I’ve had a long time to learn the stories,” Nico admitted softly. “I know… I know we don’t want any bad stuff to ruin this, but…” he sighed softly, gaze planted firmly on the stars. “After my sister died… I lived on my own for a bit. I spent most of it underground, but sometimes I would go up to the surface and just… stare at the stars. I learned their stories, because they got lucky. All the heroes up there. The sacrifices they made will be remembered forever. And there are so many people, so many, Sam, that deserve to be up there among the stars. Who made sacrifices so great… I want to know their stories. Every single one. The stars just… seemed like an easier place to start, I guess.”
Nico was silent for a few moments, gaze flitting from one constellation to the next.
“Ophiuchus,” he murmured after a few moments, “I don’t know anything about Ophiuchus. I think… I think I’d like to.”