cover my skin (Sun-kissed Light)

Summary: When Will Solace rescues Nico from a horrifying joke gone wrong, Nico is forced to re-evaluate his assessment about him.

Main Pairing: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace

Side Pairing: Piper McLean/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano

Status: Chapter 1 of ?

Notes: i actually thought this was going to be a one-shot and MUCH lighter. as of now, i'm unsure how long this will be and how many chapters, but i'm thinking it might be around 15k possibly less. it is a little heavy at the end, will possibly get lighter as the story goes on, but it is unrealistic (and actually can be insulting to some people) for things to go from what i've written to a light happy humorous fic. tags to be added. ivy leagues for ts if you're tired of hearing about the overrated unis/colleges.

special appearances from kane chronicle characters mainly because they cross over often [and i like that] e.g. Drew Tanaka & Lacy. age differences have been reduced and they are all in the same year/same age. title taken from Magic Man's "Texas".

trigger warning for homophobic slurs

did some research on date rape drugs. i apologize if it isn't 100% accurate and triggering. (it occurs near the end, feel free to skip)

Warnings: Homophobia. Date Rape. Attempt non-con. Please read the authorial notes above ^

FRIDAY

There are too many people.

Nico isn't really sure why he had agreed with his best friend Reyna to come to Prom's after party even though both of them skipped out on the event. Everyone is decked out in the finery that he missed out – flowing dresses and sequins and prim-proper suits. He watches boys pretending to be men adjusting the cuff-links of their uncomfortably worn suits and begin to unravel in the heat of their layers. Unfortunately the person he has his eyes on at the moment turns to meet his stare and the other boy narrows his eyes with hostility.

Nico quickly averts his gaze and walks forward, tagging behind his friend and trying to blend it. However, news of his presence have already caught on amongst the more prejudiced and intolerant students and he can hear whispers of, "What is he doing here?"

A lump rises to his throat and he scratches the inside of his wrist in an attempt to calm himself. "Reyna, I think I should go home. This was a mistake." He also knows that he can't bear to see Percy Jackson and his girlfriend Annabeth.

Reyna shoots him dark look and then forcibly drags him by his hand forward. "Nico, it's your last year of high school. You might as well enjoy yourself. Come on – you'll probably never see half these people again so go out there and have some fun. I promise it won't kill you."

When Reyna talks like that, Nico knows he can't say no. "Fine," the boy huffs, letting himself get dragged through someone's house. The party is just beginning by the looks of it – the lighting had dimmed considerably since he arrived, but people were still walking around and chatting up each other. Everyone appears sober at the moment, and the music is low-key. It feels more like a semi-formal get together rather than something that would evolve into a full-blown don't-call-the-cops party.

"Good," Reyna says with a nod and a smile. "Let's hit the punch first. I need to be slightly tipsy to deal with Piper tonight."

Nico nods silently in understanding - Reyna had been infatuated with the Cherokee girl since they first met in sophomore year. It hadn't been pretty when Reyna finally decided to confess in the summer before junior year. Needless to say, Piper balked and the two of them no longer talked since what was dubbed 'The Incident of Summer '14'. Within a week of the following school year, Piper had Jason Grace wrapped around her finger and that was that.

He can still remember opening the front door of his house at 1am in the morning to be greeted by Reyna's tear-streaked face. "Don't ever fall for straight girls," she had said over and over again, and they ended up sitting on the couch and watching reruns of Frozen. (Nico got sick of it after the third time.) His half-sister Hazel had yelped in surprise when she came downstairs in the morning to see Nico sprawled face-down on the ground and Reyna hoarsely screaming the lyrics to Let It Go at the TV screen.

They joke about that night now, but Nico knows that he hadn't learned anything from it when he went and fell for Percy Jackson.

He's here at the after party right now – Nico had heard murmurs of his name when he was walking through the house. There are so many people here that Nico wonders if it's even likely they'll meet, but fate always has a way of finding him.

He pushes that thought out of his head. He went and fell in love with a straight boy and now he has to deal with the consequences. Percy is not his, and he is not Percy's. There is no reason to be upset if he sees Percy and Annabeth in an intimate position: it is only the natural order of things. Nico is nothing more than the awkward boy everyone suspects is gay but no one has concrete evidence. Or at least no one who cares enough to divulge that information to the group of vultures known as high schoolers.

"I'm not getting a drink," Nico says when they reach the kitchen. There are fewer people here, but Nico has to avert his eyes from the couple that is making out in the corner by the fridge. Reyna grabs a cup of punch and shrugs at him.

"It's your loss," she says before chugging her entire cup and throwing it away. She pauses for a second before giving her report. "Only mildly spiked, but good enough to do the job if I let it sit," she says in satisfaction. "Are you sure you don't want some? I mean…Percy…"

Nico's heart stutters at the mention of his name. "I'll be fine. I promise," he says with an attempt smile. It doesn't really work, but smiling was never his forte.

The two of them head out from the kitchen and back to the living room, or the entrance room, or whatever it is. The house is larger than any residence Nico has ever set foot on. The room is wide enough to easily accommodate a hundred or so people, and the ceilings stretch way up to the second floor balcony. The crystal chandelier casts a warm golden glow through the room, and Nico feels slightly drowsy just from the lighting.

"That William Solace is loaded," Reyna says when she sees Nico admiring the architecture. "It makes me wonder what kind of jobs his parents have."

The name sounds vaguely familiar, but Nico can't help asking, "Who's William Solace?"

Surprise lights Reyna's eyes. "He's in our year. He's practically a genius – I'm surprised he isn't already in Med School at this point, but he was the only one to get acceptance into an Ivy League from our school. I don't know the details, but I heard he got a full ride scholarship."

Impressive, if not for the fact that Nico doesn't care much for people like that. It also makes him uncomfortable to hear about people who already had everything set up for the duration of their lives. They are too orderly, too perfect, and too much of conformists for Nico to get along with them. He nods to Reyna's description but he's already lost interest.

Reyna is still talking. "But rumour has it that he was caught with a boy in bed a few weeks ago, and now no one knows what to do." A mocking grin makes its way onto the girl's lips. "Do you think I should ask him to join the Gay Straight Alliance with us? A third member would be nice."

"There's only thirteen days of school left," Nico points out. "And six of those thirteen business days are dedicated to exams."

"Doesn't mean we can't try," Reyna argues. "Also having the legendary William on our alumni list of members might make it more appealing to people and can't hurt our chances. We started this club in junior year and I can count the number of people who have joined with one hand."

Nico grimaces. "Zero."

"Exactly that," Reyna says with a nod. "I'm not telling you to bully him into it. I was thinking that you could talk to him and persuade him a little bit."

He doesn't even have time to reply to her when someone calls Reyna's name. She pauses and narrows her eyes before turning to the voice to find a beautiful girl in an elegantly spun blue dress. Nico knows it's Piper McLean the minute he sees her, because there's only one person in the entire school that could pull that dress off so flawlessly. She's gorgeous – her hair let down and curling prettily around her face and framing her vibrant blue eyes. Her eyes are wide and doe-like, and Nico gets the sense that this is probably a talk that the two of them want in private.

"I'll be walking around," Nico says quickly and rushes out of there before Reyna can make him stay. He takes the refined stairs up to the second floor and watches the two of them from the balcony. They've moved to a corner of the room, and he can see the back of Reyna's head as Piper talks to her. He can't really tell what's going on. Jason is nowhere to be seen, but it's unlikely that Piper has had a moment of clarity where she realized she wanted Reyna all along.

He sighs when he realizes that he'll be guessing all night if he keeps this up and decides to explore the Solace household. He should be calling it a manor really by the size of it. He's almost sure that there's a giant pool at the backyard where couples are no doubt skinny dipping.

Leaving the balcony, Nico begins to explore the hallways of the upper floor. He's already pausing when he encounters a closed door to his right. There are certain kind of noises coming from behind the closed door, and Nico decides that it would be in his best interest to keep moving on.

Eventually he reaches the end of the hallway that opens up into a large room. The plaque above the entrance reads 'The East Wing', and Nico is struck again by how elaborate the Solace manor is. William Solace definitely does not need the full ride scholarship to college if he's living in a home like this.

He had been so astonished by his surroundings that he doesn't notice that the group of people in the East Wing are all staring at him in a way that indicates that he isn't welcomed. He's only startled out of his reverie when someone clears their throat and Nico's eyes snap over to tuxedo-clad boys and preppy girls in sophisticated dresses and even more complex hairdos. They must have been talking just before Nico came in, but now they have all fallen silent. Anxiety begins to crawl up Nico's throat and he grimaces a little before turning around to leave.

"Nico Levesque, isn't it?" a girl's voice says. Nico turns around slowly to see a blonde haired girl strutting up to him, her heels sounding like a dirge to his ears.

"That's me," Nico says, keeping his tone casual. It doesn't help that the entire group is staring at him with that look like he doesn't belong and never will, and it makes him feel anxious and lonely inside. "I'll be leaving now," he announces to no one in particular, but he doesn't even have the chance to move before the girl grabs him hard by the wrist, digging her sharp nails into his skin. He holds back a cry of pain.

"Come on, join us. We're a fun group of people," the girl says with a wide grin that doesn't look too inviting. "I'm Beatrice by the way." She begins to go through a rapid series of introductions, and Nico doesn't even remember half their names by the time she finishes.

Nico just wants out at this point. Their too saccharine smiles and grins are making him uncomfortable. He can discern that these are the wealthy white kids of the school, and Nico doesn't fit in this group. The only reason why he's here is because he's a source of entertainment.

"Have a drink," Beatrice insists, and almost dumps the entire content of a swirling clear drink that smells strange down his throat. He hadn't even had the time to protest and swallows it down unwillingly. It burns as it makes its' way down his throat.

"So," the Japanese-British girl Drew begins, pulling Nico's other arm down so that he's forced into the empty seat beside hers. "I'm going to be brutal here hon, but are you gay?"

All of them watch him so intently that Nico wonders how he's gotten himself into this situation. But he should have known – should have known that being suspected of anything but straight would lead to him being paraded around like a freak show. "I can't answer that," Nico says, trying to wretch his hands out of Beatrice and Drew's nails. Drew lets go, but Beatrice only digs her nails in deeper. "That's painful," he breaks and says to Beatrice, and that's when he knows he's made his mistake.

He should have left from the beginning and ignored all of their sugary words, because Beatrice is looking at him like she's caught something particularly tasty in her claws and Bryce Lawrence is cracking his knuckles in a way that can't be casual.

He swallows and is about to tug his hand away but Beatrice lets go. Nico lets out a sigh of relief, but before he can feel any true sense of relief, Beatrice is speaking again in a tone that is far from the sweetness from before. "Oh my God, it's so true that fags are all pussies." She laughs loudly, and is joined by several other girls sitting around them, and it's then when Nico realizes he's surrounded by the vultures. The language directed at him is startling, and he can't say he's used to it, but it is unexpected. "Why don't we play a little game with him, huh?" she's asking like he isn't even here.

Another girl speaks up. "No one that hot can be a total fag." She eyes Nico in a way that makes him feel like insects are crawling all over him. "I say we make the gay guy straight," she declares and there's a noise of agreement from the girls around her.

Nico isn't stupid – he knows this is going to turn out bad and he's going to end up blamed for it somehow. He wretches his hand hard enough from Beatrice's grip that he's almost sure he's bleeding. Then he runs straight for the door but is stopped when one of the guys push him forward hard enough that the momentum leaves him to fall hard onto the ground. Before he can even get up, Bryce steps down on his right down hard enough that Nico can't help letting out a shout of pain. There's something that sounds like hysterical twisted laughter, and his world narrows down to the people in this room and the door that one of the other boys in the room are slamming shut.

The sound reverberates inside Nico's chest like the final sound of a coffin closing.

Bryce lifts his foot, but before Nico can even begin to fight back, there are hands all over him and the smell of sweetly sick perfume as some of the girls start to touch him in places he doesn't want to be touched. "Stop!" he says, pushing hands away and shoving them, but something is off. He's feeling a little sluggish around the edges, and there's just something so wrong but he can't put his finger on it. "Stop," he says again, but it's weaker this time and the girls giggle.

Why are there girls here?

There are hands all over him, and he's not sure what to do except let those hands guide him to a seat. Something is telling him to get out of here, but he doesn't understand and ends up sitting there and letting those hands roam all over his body.

"You know, I've heard that you're a whore," someone says, but Nico can't discern who it is. "Heard that you go out into strip clubs and dance for people. All those disgusting things that fags do, but you've really hit the jackpot with us. Don't you think you can begin to make up for all that shit you did in the past by correcting it with us? We're here to help you, right girls?"

"Wait," a high-pitched voice says, and Nico sees the face of the Japanese girl looking at down at him. "Did you drug his drink? What the hell? I thought you said we were just going to mess with him!"

There are other voices too and someone says something, but Nico's not really sure what they're saying because suddenly there's a pair of lips moving against his and hands reaching down to grope at him. It's wrong – so wrong, but he can barely even let out a sound much less fight back.

Giggles, laughter, and then cool air hitting his chest. He's shirtless all of sudden, and he needs to get out of here.

He brings his arms up, but it's a struggle and he weakly pushes at the girl sitting on top of him. The kissing stops and he says, "Stop," again. She laughs. "Stop. No, no, no. Please stop. Stop." He's not sure if he's saying them out loud or if he's just repeating it in his mind because she's kissing him again and there are other slimy lips kissing his body and someone is taking off his pants – no, no, no, no –

Then everything is gone. The pressure, the laughter, the hands, and the lips. But what remains is the sickening phantom touch and lips and the scent of flowery perfume in the air and he needs to get out of here.

Someone is pulling his hand and he unwittingly gets up from his chair and follows despite the fact that he isn't wearing a shirt and his pants are loose, and he feels like throwing up but he can't. "It's okay, you're okay now," someone is saying, but it might as well be the girls again but he can't walk away he can't do anything he can't.

And he's lying down on a mattress and someone is saying something but his mind is growing more sluggish by the moment. He blinks his eyes multiple times, trying to fight against the tide, but the last thing he hears is, "It's going to be okay."

He has a nightmare about a light-haired girl with mean eyes and sharp nails.

Note: This is a topic I'm not too used to writing about, so hopefully I can write it accurately without insulting someone. If you have a concern or comment, please bring it up!