Nico senses the storm before he sees you.

The air feels wrong — electric, sharp, like it’s cutting through shadows. He follows it without thinking, instinct pulling him toward you. You’re standing in a clearing with your back to him, shoulders tense, fists trembling at your sides. Lightning keeps striking too close, too fast, responding to something in you.

Nico freezes. He knows what it’s like to want your parent to answer you. He knows what it’s like when they don’t.

He also knows your last meeting didn’t end in words — it ended in shouting that left you both in ruins. You draw a circle in the dirt with your heel, a desperate little ritual you don’t even notice you’re doing.

Nico’s heart squeezes painfully. He stays in the shadows. Silent. Guarding you without letting you know he’s there.