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When something landed on Nico’s bed, weight pinning him to the mattress, Nico’s eyes flew open in surprise. He registered the familiar face above him only just before he swung with his fist.
Percy caught Nico’s fist in his hand. He smiled down at Nico, white teeth flashing and luminous sea green eyes glowing. His black hair was fluffed out, longer than Nico remembered it being when Percy left two years ago. He was bathed in moonlight, looking like a vision sent to Nico by Eros.
Nico’s breath caught. His cock hardened as all of his blood was directed to it. This had to be a dream. He unfurled his fingers, slotted them between Percy’s fingers.
“Hey, Nico,” Percy said softly. Without waiting for a response, he said, “Will you come with me?”
Nico swallowed. He nodded, unable to speak.
He shifted on top of Nico and if he didn’t already realize, then he surely did now. Percy’s eyes glittered with knowing. “I mean come with me outside,” he said, a teasing lilt to his voice. If he was disgusted by Nico’s obvious attraction then he gave no indication of it.
Nico had the inkling that this wasn’t a dream, though it still really felt like one. He glanced at the open door, still expecting to see sunlight but it was moonlight that poured from his open door. With the moonlight came the winters cold, but that barely touched Nico. He was always cold.
“I expected you to be up,” Percy said when Nico still didn’t reply. “I just got back.”
Nico finally found his voice. “Welcome back.” His voice was a husky rasp. Nico stared up at him, not entirely sure what Percy wanted. He tried to stop the pounding of his heart; it didn’t mean anything that he was the first person Percy came to see. Besides, Nico had a boyfriend and Percy had a girlfriend.
“I missed the cold,” Percy said in a way that sounded like he meant I missed you. “Come outside with me? I want to try something.”
“Alright. Get off me. You’re heavy.” Agreeing so easily made Nico frown. He must have gone soft while Percy was away. When he was younger, he would have made Percy coax him out.
Percy jumped off Nico with an apologetic look. He was kind enough not to bring up the fact that Nico was seventeen and still weighed barely a hundred pounds, while Percy was nineteen and weighed in at two hundred pounds. Percy couldn’t stay still while Nico got up and got dressed; he bounced on his heels and wrung his hands together.
“What are we doing?” Nico asked as he pulled on a jacket and jeans. He didn’t bother with a shirt.
Percy grinned at him. “You’ll see.”
Nico fixed him with a look.
Percy only grinned wider. As soon as Nico had his jeans on, Percy took his hand and dragged Nico out of the cabin. His skin was warm, almost too warm, against Nico’s hand. He kept looking back at Nico, eyes shining with excitement. Or maybe that was just his animal eyeshine. “Your eyes are so pretty in the moonlight,” Percy said. He paused, considered, “Actually they’re pretty all the time. But in the moonlight, they look silver.”
Nico immediately looked down. Heat rose to his face. He hoped the moonlight wouldn’t show his blush. “Are we going to the lake?” Nico asked when he saw the still water ahead of them. The canoe lake looked like a giant mirror set into the ground.
“Yes!” Percy said, still vibrating with excitement. Or maybe cold, since he wasn’t wearing a jacket. He had to be cold. His breath exhaled as a cloud. “You can still do that frost thing, right?”
Nico suddenly knew what Percy wanted. He stopped by the lakeside, and noticed two pairs of ice skates lying on the shore. Nico took his hand back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Are you real? Am I dreaming?”
Percy’s brow furrowed. He took both of Nico’s hands in his. His skin was so warm, so alive. The calluses on his palms and fingers were rough and thick. “I’m real. You aren’t dreaming. I’m back from California. It...wasn’t for me.” There seemed to be more to it than that but Percy looked so sad.
Nico couldn’t make himself press. “Okay,” he said. He looked past Percy to the lake. “So you want me to freeze the whole lake?”
“Just enough that we can skate on,” Percy said. He let go of one of Nico’s hands and stood beside him, still holding the other one.
Nico pulled his hand free. He wasn’t sure that he could turn anything to ice when he felt so warm and light. He crouched beside the water, reached out to touch it. Normally Nico had to be upset to freeze things but because Percy asked, Nico could do it. Frost spread from Nico’s fingertips.
The water groaned as it froze. Slowly the mirror lake fogged over with ice until it no longer reflected the clear sky. The ice spread fast, channeled in one direction. It thickened, three inches, then five. At eight inches thick, Nico stopped making ice. He felt a little lightheaded but it was nothing compared to using his other powers.
Percy handed Nico a pair of ice skates. “Have you skated before?”
“When I was young,” Nico answered as he pushed his feet into the skates and laced them. “Have you?”
“Yeah. I spent all of last winter ice skating. California is so hot.” Percy had his skates on. He extended a hand to help Nico to his feet.
Nico gave Percy a curious look but didn’t ask. He stepped out onto the ice and almost slipped.
Percy held onto his hand, keeping him upright. He stepped onto the ice with more confidence, took Nico’s other hand, and pulled him away from shore.
Nico had never seen Percy on the ice before but he took to it like someone who did spend a whole winter on it. Nico himself got his bearings after a few minutes, his childhood lessons with his mother and Bianca coming back to him slowly. He held onto Percy’s hands even as he remembered, because he liked the warmth and he was reluctant to give up this little bit of contact between them.
Percy took one hand back but still held Nico’s other one so that they could skate side by side. He watched Nico rather than the ice. “Look at you, old man, you’ve still got it.” Percy winked.
Nico rolled his eyes. “You sure know how to make a boy feel special.”
Percy laughed and let go of Nico’s hand. He skated away, then in a wide circle around Nico. The circles kept getting smaller and smaller until Percy was at Nico’s side again. He moved like a spirit, glided across the ice like a ghost. “Are you still with Solace?” Percy asked from behind Nico.
Nico kept skating as Percy circled him. He didn’t bother to keep the older man in his sights; he could hear Percy’s skates cutting through the ice. At his question, though, Nico twisted around to look at Percy’s face. It didn’t escape his notice that Percy called Nico’s boyfriend by his surname. “Are you still with Chase?” Nico countered, sidestepping the question.
Percy clicked his tongue. His expression looked like he tasted something sour. “No. I’m not.”
Nico felt like he’d been slapped in the face. He stopped skating and stared at Percy incredulously. Nico always thought that Annabeth and Percy would be together forever. She was certainly determined to keep him as close as possible. “Why?”
Percy shrugged. He glided away and then drew close again. “She had an accident and now I’m here.” Percy skated circles around Nico again.
Nico spun around, trying to keep Percy in his line of sight even as he focused his attention inward. Proximity allowed Nico to recognize demigods by their souls and for the first time, he realized that he didn’t feel Annabeth’s soul on this mortal plane. He dug deeper, felt her in the Underworld, shuffling around the Fields of Asphodel. “How did she die?”
Percy’s eyes flashed when they caught the moonlight. “She fought the wrong monster,” Percy said in a voice completely devoid of emotion.
Nico struggled to understand. He started after Percy, mind whirling and the world suddenly feeling fragile beneath his feet. It was like the ground crumbled and eroded away. Nico caught up to Percy, but he was sure that it was just because Percy let him. “Why are you here?”
Percy looked into his eyes. “Because I hate California and my family is here.” There was emotion in his tone now, but Nico couldn’t decide exactly what that emotion was. Whatever it was, it morphed into a fierce joy that bordered on actual insanity. “I feel like a wolf that’s been let off it’s chain!” Percy took Nico’s hands and spun them around. When they stopped spinning, Percy brought Nico’s hands to his chest, drew him near.
Nico still felt like he was spinning. He felt like he had fallen into an alternative reality. He looked into Percy’s familiar eyes and saw the shadow of the feral creature that had always been there lurking beneath Percy’s skin. That wildness was one of the things Nico always liked about Percy. Nico cast his gaze around at the frozen lake. Look at what they did together, what their powers could make. The gods were always afraid they would take over but even half in madness, they made something good together.
“Do you think Will would share you with me?” Percy asked. He put a finger beneath Nico’s chin to draw his attention back to Percy.
“What are you saying?” Nico asked. His heart hammered against his chest. “Didn’t I tell you that you're not my type?” Percy was exactly, painfully Nico’s type. Would Will be willing to share Nico with Percy? They never talked about it. Nico didn’t think it was within the realm of possibility but now he wished he’d brought it up sooner.
Percy’s smile was cocky and smug. “You did.” He leaned closer, his face only inches from Nico’s face. He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “But I think you were lying.”
Nico’s heart skipped a beat. “And if I was?” He challenged.
Percy pressed even closer. Their lips were centimeters apart; the tips of their noses touched. Percy’s eyes were so, so bright. “Then I’m not making as big a fool of myself as I think I am.”
“Oh, you’re still making a fool of yourself,” Nico said to be bratty. He tilted his head just a little bit, shifted so that his nose pressed against Percy’s cheek. Their lips brushed.
Percy’s mouth was warm and he tasted like salt. He kissed Nico gently, unsure of himself for all his talk about being a wolf unchained. “Am I at least an endearing fool?” Percy asked when they parted.
Nico looked into Percy’s eyes and nodded. He cupped Percy’s cheek and kissed him again. Somehow, someway, Nico would find a way for them to be together. Even if it came down to choosing between Percy and Will.