[He isn't one to assume. Nico's complicated and frankly exhausting history with self discovery, identity, and acceptance is one so fraught with struggle and denial that he's never felt remotely fit to make any assumptions about anyone else. (It's one of the reasons it had taken months to get anywhere with Will despite in hindsight the many many dropped hints and honestly what probably amounted to exasperated blunt admissions.) It didn't help matters that his isolation had led to such a lonely existence that he didn't have a frame of reference for friendship. (He was sure Will was just being friendly when he insisted Nico play on their team for capture the flag, offered him a seat at the Apollo table, constantly sought him out and spent hours lying next to Nico in his coffin bed talking about everything and nothing.) So when Mal shows him picture after picture and scrolls past dozens more of herself and her best friend, Nico wonders, but he doesn't assume.
At least not until he catches the way the two girls look at each other and he seriously has to bite his tongue to keep from assuming out loud. He could still be wrong. They could be best friends. Friendship didn't preclude love. (It's what he tells himself anyway.)]
She sounds like a really loyal friend. [He says lamely because it's all he can do to keep himself from asking if this is why she didn't care about his sexuality when he'd told her. (He can practically hear Jason's disapproval at the idea that the only people who would accept him are those who share in his existence but it's just a voice in his head and imaginary Jason is a lot easier to block out than the real thing.)]
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At least not until he catches the way the two girls look at each other and he seriously has to bite his tongue to keep from assuming out loud. He could still be wrong. They could be best friends. Friendship didn't preclude love. (It's what he tells himself anyway.)]
She sounds like a really loyal friend. [He says lamely because it's all he can do to keep himself from asking if this is why she didn't care about his sexuality when he'd told her. (He can practically hear Jason's disapproval at the idea that the only people who would accept him are those who share in his existence but it's just a voice in his head and imaginary Jason is a lot easier to block out than the real thing.)]