Work Text:
Title: Paint the Skies–Drown in Your Eyes
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus
Tags: M/M, Coffee Shop AU, meet-cute, fluff, mild swearing, referenced past child abuse (non-explicit, brief)
Main Pairing: Percy/Nico
PJatO/HoO Characters: Nico di Angelo, Perseus (Percy) Jackson, Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, Silena Beauregard, Leo Valdez, Juniper, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Bianca di Angelo, Charles Beckendorf (mentioned), Jason Grace (mentioned)
Godly Characters: Thanatos, Hades (mentioned), Persephone (mentioned), Calypso (mentioned)
Prompts: Coffee Shop AU & Sunset
Summary: When a new, green-eyed barista mans the counter, will Nico be able to tear his eyes away from his new muse?
۞
Peach, lavender and orange, flecks of gold painting the sky—it was breathtaking in the way a painting worth thousands was. The cloud formations were simply stunning and it would've knocked the breath out of just about anyone who looked up.
It was enchanting… but not even that could lift Nico's mood.
The only thing that could certainly do it was a hot cup of coffee; dark and bitter to fit him perfectly.
The scent of freshly ground beans hit him as soon as he entered the establishment, making him feel cozy all over. Coffee always did give him a sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was just the amount of times he came to this coffee shop. Maybe both.
Walking up to the counter, he looked at the pastries on display. Normally he would only have a double-shot espresso, but he didn't feel like cooking breakfast this morning after the all-nighter he pulled to finish the drafts for the novel he's been working on.
There were green tea cakes today, just above the croissants. Wanting to change things up a bit, Nico went for one of them. When he reached the front, the person manning the counter looked at him with a polite smile—one that you'd expect from someone who's worked in customer service for a while.
"Good morning," they greeted, and Nico nodded back. "What can I get for you?"
He hummed. "Can I have a large doppio with a green tea cake on the side?"
The barista nodded.
Nico glanced at their nametag: Grover. Peculiar name. He wondered where Silena was.
"It'll be ready in 3 minutes, if you would like to take a seat. Have a nice day!"
Nico muttered his thanks softly and gave his payment upfront before making his way towards one of the booths in the corner, leaving Grover to deal with the other customers that lined up after him.
Dropping his backpack next to him, he sat down and unzipped it, pulling out a black laptop. By the time his coffee and cake arrived, Nico had already turned it and was connected to the WiFi.
He looked up expecting to see Grover, but was met with mesmerizing sea-green eyes and tousled raven hair instead of the brown-eyed barista from before.
The dark-haired guy—Percy, their name tag read—set his order down on the free space on the table while offering Nico a kind smile. It looked much more genuine to Nico than the one Grover had given him, like Percy actually enjoyed their job.
"Is there anything else we could get for you, sir?" Percy asked, their voice calm and steady.
Nico was stunned for a moment. Why? He didn't know. Snapping out of his stupor, he said, "No, I'm good. Thanks."
Percy nodded, their smile not faltering, and they left.
Nico slowly sipped from his cup, eating the cake bit by bit and working between bites.
He might or might not have spared a few glances towards the counter in hopes of seeing those sea-green eyes again.
۞
Percy sighed, pulling off his apron and folding it. Grover put down a cup of hot chocolate near him, knowing that he didn't like coffee despite depending on it during finals week.
"So. How was your first day, Perce?" Grover asked while wiping the counters. "Not that bad?"
"It was all right. The customers here are pretty nice, though I was ready to bash my head when that lady kept fighting me over the difference between normal and almond milk," Percy said, turning off the machinery.
Grover glanced at Percy apologetically. "Yeah, don't mind her. Trust me, she fights us a lot about these things. Makes me wonder why she still comes here."
"Maybe she just likes picking fights with people?" Percy suggested.
Grover hummed, putting the chairs on the tables. "Maybe."
The door opened at that moment and in came Annabeth in all her gray-eyed, blonde-haired, and tan-skinned glory. She looked like one of those college students who had it together, with a life-plan that had been in the works since they were in middle school.
"Hey, you two," Annabeth smiled. She took off her jacket and tied it around her waist before leaning against the counter.
Grover waved at her. "Hey, Annie."
Percy looked up at that, and gave her a disapproving glare.
"You allow him to call you 'Annie'?"
'Annie' grabbed the croissant that Grover left out for her. "What about it, Seaweed Brain? You've got a problem with that?"
She had her smug look on, the one she always used when she teased him. Percy didn't know whether to be mildly pissed or amused.
"Um, yeah?" Percy stated obviously. "You don't let me call you 'Annie'."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. She reached for the pumpkin-spice latte Percy had made especially for her minutes before she showed up. "And?"
"And?!" Percy exclaimed.
He looked like someone had just insulted his mother, and that was a big no-no in Percy Jackson’s books.
"'Wise Girl' and 'Owl Face' are both reserved for you, if that makes you feel any better," she sipped her latte.
Percy scoffed, but he digressed. He looked over his shoulder, "G-man. Are you done?"
"Yeah, just three more tables to go, Perce."
"A'ight."
Annabeth pursed her lips. She walked over to the unfinished tables and helped Grover with the chairs. "You know, I'm wondering. Why are you guys the only ones left here?"
Grover sighed. "Juniper had a thing with her parents, and I obviously wasn't gonna make her miss it."
Annabeth hummed, encouraging their friend to continue.
"Silena and Beckendorf finally found some free time in their schedules so they're on a date," Grover said with a small smile. "And Calypso covered for me last time, so now I'm covering for her," he shrugged. "So, yeah."
"Ah." Annabeth nodded and didn't make any further comments on the matter.
They finished in silence and closed up the shop. Together they went home, making light banter as they sipped on their hot chocolate and pumpkin-spice lattes.
۞
"Hello, sir," Percy greeted pleasantly. "A double-shot espresso and a blueberry muffin, yes?"
Nico laughed lightly as Percy set the items down in front of him. "You know what I like."
He paused.
"That includes not calling me 'sir' anymore, Perseus ."
Percy's right eye twitched at the mention of his actual name. He sighed, slightly irritated. "All right, Nico."
Nico smiled and took a sip of his coffee, finding it to be rich and strong, just how he expected it. "There we go."
"If you need anything else, just call for us."
"I know."
Percy nodded, walking away. Glancing at the counter, he noticed Grover and Silena giving him weird looks.
"What's with the faces?" he asked.
Just as Grover opened his mouth, a customer caught their attention. Grover gave one more look at Percy before turning to the customer and taking their order.
"Sweetheart..." Silena began, looking concerned. Though, if he looked closer, he could see the speck of excitement shining in her eyes, as if she knew something he didn't.
Percy, wary, raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes?"
"You and Mr. di Angelo are getting quite friendly with each other, hm?" Her tone was sweet, but there was an undertone of suspicion beneath it. Percy could tell.
"And? Is there an issue with that?" It came out more defensive than he intended, and it only made Silena's eyes spark brighter.
"Well, not exactly," she said. "Though, normally, if this was any other establishment, you'd probably get scolded for being, ah, unprofessional."
Narrowing his eyes, Percy said, " Unprofessional? "
"One almond milk latte!" Grover interrupted. "You two can chit-chat later. Work first. There's a long line of customers ahead."
Silena glanced at Percy one more time before beginning to make the order.
Percy felt as though he had just been caught doing something wrong. He wasn't sure what, though. Surely it couldn't be because he was being friendly, right?
۞
Nico typed away, sipping his espresso and glancing at the counter from time to time.
Something about this place put his motivation into overdrive—he hadn't been this productive in months. There was just the right amount of noise: some mild chatter, the occasional clink of forks and spoons on plates, some machinery noises weaved into it. Nothing headache-inducing, which was always something to appreciate.
Nico felt at peace. Or, well. He would be, if that nagging in the back of his mind would let him. Normally, something so insignificant like that wouldn't be a big deal, but if he kept describing the main character's future love interest as the barista behind the counter...
Nico shuddered. He would never hear the end of it from his editor. One could only mistake hazel eyes for sea-green ones so many times. Not to mention that the love interest had blue hair, not black. 'Though,' Nico mused, 'the hair was dark enough to be black.'
A gentle thud brought him back to reality and, there, his Achilles Heel set down a plate of… blue cake? Blueberry cake. Nico sent a questioning glance at him, one eyebrow raised as he straightened from his slouching position.
"Hey." Percy looked a bit sheepish.
"Yes...?"
"I'm not sure how unprofessional this is gonna be, but…" he gestured towards the cake as he backed away from the table. "I just figured you'd want something to eat. You've just been having coffee for hours on end now. That can't be ideal."
Percy looked at him with disapproval, though rather hesitantly seeing as he was still the employee and Nico was the customer. Nico, however, felt like looking away, nervous that Percy would see the blush that began to display all over his face.
Percy was always so caring, even towards strangers. It was something Nico liked a lot about him.
"And cake is ideal?" Nico questioned flatly, maybe a little harshly. Not that he wanted to be rude, but if Percy realized just how flustered he was, Nico might just dig a ditch to lay there and wait for the ground to do the rest.
Percy gave him an unimpressed look. He was from New York, though, which made those looks as effective as a puppy trying to take down a bear.
In other words, it was futile.
"Well, do you wanna go out for lunch later, then?" he asked nonchalantly. As if those words didn't just send Nico spiraling; as if they wouldn't make him weak in the knees if he were standing.
"Nico?" Percy's tone was nervous, like he thought he had crossed a line. Maybe he did.
"I'd be glad to join you," he blurted out.
Percy smiled, and if Nico thought he could fool himself thinking he couldn't possibly be more pathetically in love, he was wrong. Perhaps 'in love' was too strong, but then again, Nico was quite the hopeless romantic.
"I'll see you then, Nico."
۞
Nico planned for this day to be ordinary. He really did. Waking up and getting out of bed, he mentally planned it all out. Take a quick shower, put on some casual clothes that would be comfortable enough for him to wear throughout the day, pack his things, and take a cab to the city. Simple, right? Yeah, he thought so too. What he didn't plan for was seeing a very familiar face. Too familiar.
"Yo, di Angelo!" Nico winced. Just when he thought he could escape the questioning and scrutinizing stares of his siblings, someone else entered the picture.
"Valdez."
The familiar face—Valdez, Leo Valdez, his sister's and best friend's trusted mechanic—smiled and put his arm around Nico's shoulders, which he tried to squirm his way out of. Despite how lanky Leo was, he had an arm made of steel.
Nico wanted to book it out of there.
"So, di Angelo…" Leo started, looking at him with mischievous eyes, "is this where you've been sneaking off to lately?"
He looked smug. Nico wanted to punch him. He wouldn't, though.
Yet.
"Let go of me, Valdez," he said, irritated, attempting to walk away. It wasn't like Nico was particularly close with him.
The fucker walked beside him.
"The city?" Leo continued as if he hadn't talked. "I knew you came here sometimes, but from what I've heard from your sister you've been spending quite a bit of time here, eh?" Nico pursed his lips. He knew his siblings were gossiping about him. "Practically twenty-four seven. Care to explain?"
"No, I don't." His tone left no room for discussion, a clear air of finality to it.
Leo ignored it. "Hey, man," he shrugged. "If I'm gonna hear about it from your siblings, you're gonna have to bear with me."
" Valdez ."
The mechanic sighed and loosened his grip. He looked exhausted all of a sudden, and Nico felt a twinge of sympathy make its way through him. Were his siblings that bad? Or was it just a busy day for Leo? Nico wasn't always the best at reading people.
"Listen, Nico. I know you have your own life and all, but at least reassure your siblings," Leo advised. "You're not particularly-" he made vague hand gestures, "-social and-"
"Love to hear it."
"Come on, dude!" Leo exclaimed, throwing his arms up and finally letting Nico go, to which Nico responded to by sprinting.
"HEY!"
He turned a corner and slipped by some civilians, before discretely going inside the coffee shop.
Nico wasn't, by any means, athletic. He wasn't unfit either, but he still didn't exert a lot of energy on physical activities. The most exercise he really did was walking to the coffee shop. So when he saw Leo run past the coffee shop, not even checking or glancing at it, he felt pretty satisfied with himself.
If Nico were to guess, the guy probably thought he went straight to Hot Topic as he so often joked about. He had to roll his eyes at that. He knew he didn't seem the type to enjoy the cozy and warm themes of coffee shops, but that's on dumb stereotypes.
Turning around, he noticed the barista—Juniper, Grover's girlfriend from what Percy had told him—looking at him with a confused and, if he looked hard enough, amused expression.
Oh , Nico thought, I've been standing here for too long .
Mildly embarrassed, he shuffled to the counter and began ordering his usual. The place felt off and, for some reason, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Something was different and the entire atmosphere of the place didn't feel right.
Juniper took his order, smiling politely and briefly nodding before accepting the payment. It was casual enough until she said, "I'm sorry, dear. Percy isn't on his shift today, if you were wondering."
That. That was what was missing. Nico felt his mood dampen, suddenly feeling more disappointed than he probably should.
He frowned. "Oh."
Juniper smiled sadly at him, giving Nico a pitying look.
With the storm clouds over his head, he walked to his little corner in the shop and began to do his work. Once in a while Nico would catch himself spacing out and mindlessly staring at the counter, before going back to the bright screen of his laptop.
He kept typing two to three words before backspacing in a fit of irritation. He felt troubled and sluggish. The coffee seemed to have lost its effect, but Nico wasn't in the mood to get anything to eat either. The food always tasted better when Percy was around.
Barely able to get anything done, he could only wish his muse was there. That would clear his gray skies more so than the coffee.
۞
"Nico..." Hazel said while looking at her brother with an accusatory glare. Frank—Hazel's fiancé—was beside her, glancing between the two.
Nico sighed, looking at his sister. "Yes, Hazel?"
He really wasn't in the mood to bicker with his siblings. Not only was he barely able to get anything done, but Jason drained him even more. That snitch, Leo, told Jason all about him running away and making Leo spend fifteen minutes looking for him in the mall. Nico had scoffed and told his best friend that it wasn't his fault that Leo was trying to stick his nose in his business.
Hazel only scrunched her eyebrows together before glancing at Bianca—their older sister—to begin their sort-of interrogation.
"Nico, where have you been?" she asked gently.
Nico looked at both of them cautiously. He didn't like what was happening. He didn't even know what was happening.
"In the city," Nico deadpanned. "Where else?"
This was starting to feel more and more like an intervention, and if it turned out he was right, he was going to be so pissed. He'd rather be anywhere else. Preferably back in the city. Ideally in a certain barista's arms, gazing into gorgeous sea-green eyes.
"Well, yes, but-"
"Oh, for crying out loud," a new voice interrupted. Turning some, Thanatos, the eldest of them all, stood next to the couch.
"You wake up earlier than usual, you never spend breakfasts with us anymore, and you always come home late!" His brother exclaimed, looking annoyed. "What the hell have you been up to?"
Bianca looked up sharply before smacking Thanatos on the arm, causing the other to recoil. "Don't say it like that!"
"He was stalling!" Thanatos countered.
"Still!" Bianca hissed back.
The two exchanged glares before turning back to Nico, who really looked like he was an inch away from bolting it out of there. The tension was rising, making everything seem so much more intense than it probably should be.
"So?" Both elders inquired at once.
Any other time and it would be funny, given their tendency to butt heads. As it was, there was nothing funny about Nico being the center of their attention.
"So...?"
"Stop stalling, boy. What have you been up to?"
Hazel looked from one to the other, but she mainly focused on Nico. Out of the three, she was the best at reading him. And to prove herself yet again, she saw.
And what she saw was longing—a look that she had only seen once before. To see it again...
"Oh..." Hazel said softly. She then narrowed her eyes. "Oh, God forbid..."
Four sets of eyes turned to look at her in expectation. All except for Nico—he appeared emotionally constipated.
"Hazel...?" Bianca asked slowly.
"Niccolò Patroclus di Angelo," a slow smile spread across her face until she looked like a madman. Her eyes sparkled. "You're pining, aren't you?!"
Everyone quickly turned their attention on Nico, their expressions showing varying degrees of shock or amusement.
Nico didn't like either.
"You're pining?"
"Who are they? Why haven't we met them yet?"
"They're from the city, aren't they?"
"What do they look like?"
They bombarded Nico with questions that only succeeded in overwhelming him.
Frank—sweet, sweet Frank—took pity on him. He cleared his throat, successfully gaining everyone's attention.
"Guys, maybe you should calm down some? He's…" Frank's eyes moved towards Nico, which then made everyone look at Nico.
Only, there was no Nico to be found.
"Oh for fuck's sake."
۞
A faint cloud formed in the air when he exhaled. Percy rubbed his hands together and brought them to his face, blowing warm breath over his fingers to keep the cold at bay.
He really should've grabbed a jacket on the way out. He knew better than to underestimate how cold autumn nights could get.
Percy jogged around the park listening to some music as background noise. His mind wandered as he aimlessly roamed the park, leaves crunching with every other step he took. It kept coming back to what happened earlier in the get-together; how his friends, from Annabeth to Beckendorf, kept giving him glances that didn't sit well with him at all. As good as he was at reading his friends' emotions, Percy wasn't the best at reading their intentions.
Slowing to a stop, Percy took a deep breath. The air felt sharp in his lungs and Percy found it strangely relieving. He felt light and free, and maybe this was how starting a new chapter of his life felt like.
There was a low cement wall bordering the park a little ways down that separated it from the beach. Taking off his earbuds, Percy sat down on top of it, shivering some when he made contact with the cold concrete.
He stared towards the ocean, saw the moon reflecting on the surface. The water rippled with small, gentle waves, coming forth as if to greet him home. A vast mirror, reflecting not only the luminous moon, but the thousands of stars and the clouds, too. Breathtakingly beautiful.
Percy wished he could stay in that moment forever: in the chilly autumn evening, sitting by the trees and bushes, looking at the crystalline sea and the endless night sky.
And yet, as he closed his eyes and took in the noises of the shore, he felt as though something was missing. As if there was a page he had skipped while reading.
When Percy opened his eyes, he looked longingly at the moon, as if it would grant him a wish. It didn't.
Getting off of the wall, he turned around, only to see a person he wouldn't have expected at all. Not that he was expecting anyone, but this person wouldn't have made it onto the top ten.
"Nico?"
The boy in question spared him a glance and smiled at him before returning his attention to the same scenery he himself had been immersed in not a moment before. He chose not to say anything, probably feeling the same as Percy, thinking the silence was too good to be broken.
Staring, Percy couldn't help but notice just how stunning Nico was. He knew that the guy was good-looking, but he never let himself pay much attention to it. Perhaps a few fleeting glances, yes, but nothing more.
Now that they were alone together, though, Percy felt hyper-aware of everything.
He took note of the moonlight making Nico's skin glow nicely, making his eyes richer, deeper—velvety, even. The soft, gentle smile on his face made Percy's heart flutter, and the way Nico looked at the sea made Percy's face heat up.
Nico looked at the sea with yearning, and Percy had the sudden realization that if Nico ever looked at him like that, he wouldn't be able to take it.
"You okay?"
Percy blinked and looked at Nico, feeling slightly dazed. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm all right."
Nico suddenly laughed, breathy and short—heavenly in Percy's ears. He wondered if this was what angels sounded like, and if Nico was one.
'Maybe he is,' Percy entertained. 'His last name has 'Angelo' in it and all.'
Percy chuckled along, feeling that it was appropriate. Though, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be laughing at.
"You know," Nico started, looking at him. "Your eyes are really nice."
"Oh?" Percy asked softly.
Nico hummed, shifting a bit and looking back at the sea. There was a comfortable silence between them and both greedily soaked in it. No words were exchanged and it all felt right. The sea waved and splashed onto the sand, distant and hollow. Perfectly rhythmic white noise.
Electricity buzzed between them. Some sort of mildly maddening tension built and stood at bay, waiting.
Percy is an impatient man.
"What're you doing out here?" He finally asked, deciding to look at anywhere but Nico. He knew he was sporting a light blush, if the heat he felt on his cheeks meant anything.
"What about you?" Nico retorted, not tearing his eyes away.
"I needed to clear my head." Percy said. The corner of his lip quirked. "Your turn, bitter."
"Bitter?"
"Why are you out this late?"
"It's 8 PM."
"Stop changing the subject."
Nico rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh. "My siblings were pestering me."
Percy looked at Nico, an amused sheen glazing his eyes. "Again?"
Nico shrugged. "You know how they are."
The buzzing got louder, ear-splitting. Percy unconsciously leaned towards Nico, his gaze growing intense—piercing, almost—and his breath turning shallow.
Everything else seemed to blur around them, all he could focus on was Nico and everything that he was.
۞
Nico's pupils dilated as he stared deeply into those ever-changing sea-green eyes. He let himself get dragged in, chose to drown in the beauty and brilliance of that gaze; of that priceless gemstone that could never be bought.
It was only for the people Percy held close, Nico knew. He could only hope he belonged there, too.
The buzzing was borderline screaming by now. The white noise grew fainter and fainter still, almost disappearing until it did. Their faces were only a few inches apart, and both found themselves unable to look at anything else but the person in front of them.
"Percy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going anywhere tomorrow after your shift?"
Percy swallowed. "No."
Nico's hand inched its way onto Percy's. Percy didn't stop him.
"Do you…" It felt hard to breathe. There was a lump in Nico's throat and his hands trembled slightly, growing cold and stiff.
Percy grasped his hand and gently gripped it. He was so warm even in his plain shirt, a contrast to the cold night. Nico could hold onto him forever.
Percy inched a little closer, their noses nearly brushing, but not quite. "Yeah?"
Nico struggled to form a coherent sentence. So much for being a novelist.
But Percy knew—he always did.
"It's a date."
۞
Grover shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I still can't believe he hit on a customer."
"I was honestly just waiting for them to ask each other out," Annabeth admitted as she eyed the new couple.
Nico watched them from the corner of his eye, pretending he was finishing up his draft while he waited for Percy to close up the coffee shop with Grover. Given they were both quite booked with their jobs and such, they agreed to go out after Percy's shift.
"So…" Annabeth began, once she had walked up to Nico and was out of earshot from the other two.
Nico looked up, mildy surprised. He wasn’t expecting Annabeth to talk to him. While he might be friendly around Grover and extremely friendly with Percy, he and Annabeth had never interacted much, seeing as she only passed by the coffee shop twice a week or so.
"Yes, Miss Chase?" He asked. If Annabeth liked the formality, she didn’t show it.
"What are you planning?" She asked, her gaze stormy, practically piercing his soul without even trying.
(The only storm Nico favored was the one in Percy's eyes. Maybe it was corny to think about them in a moment like that, but how could Nico not think about them at any given time, how could he not soak in every storm, tsunami, and hurricane that raged inside them with a fiery passion?
Percy's eyes were something he could describe for days on end.)
"Whatever would you mean, Miss Chase?" Nico asked, turning off his laptop. If she liked the formality, she didn’t show it.
Annabeth’s eyes narrowed the way one would sharpen a dagger. Nico knew exactly where this was going.
"Percy means a lot to me, di Angelo"—and there it was—"If you hurt him—"
"Are you giving my Neeks the shovel talk, Wise Girl?" Percy chose that moment to interrupt, looking exasperated.
Nico felt relief come in waves. Only then did he realize just how intimidated he was; Annabeth meant business, he’d give her that. He made a mental note to never mess with her.
"Just looking out for you, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth huffed. She sent one last scrutinizing look at Nico, a non-verbal warning that promised there would be pain in his future if he ever dared to toy with her Percy's heart.
Good thing that was nowhere in Nico’s plans.
"I can handle myself," Percy said flatly.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Never doubted you for a second."
"You're patronizing me."
"I'm not."
"Whatever," Percy rolled his eyes. "Besides, I think I'm the one who should be nervous here, not Nico."
"Why?" three voices asked simultaneously.
Percy stared at them with a blank expression that didn't cover the hint of amusement and nervousness in his eyes. The two emotions were like waves crashing, as opposed to his usual calmness that looked like the sea lapping at the sand.
When his gaze fell on Nico, he valiantly tried to smile. "Your family, Nico."
Nico froze at that. "Oh, no."
Percy’s smile took a dry turn. "Exactly."
۞
Perseus Achilles Jackson had been through a lot in his life. From bullying, an asshole of a stepfather, getting framed for multiple crimes, going missing for months, getting amnesia―
The point was, he had been through a lot. As such, a simple shovel talk from his boyfriend's siblings shouldn't be so unnerving, right? Clearly, the di Angelos were trying to prove him wrong.
The worst part was that it was working. That wasn't good.
Percy felt like he was eight all over again: small and vulnerable in the living room with Gabe. His mom worked late, having to make ends meet. Gabe was drunk off his mind, clearly not in any state to function. Not that he functioned properly sober, anyway. Glass shards and the smell of beer filled his senses, and all he could do was stay silent. If he didn't, he'd hurt her.
He felt his heart speed up, hammering in his chest. Percy's arms and legs stiffened, frozen where he stood. Trembling some, he tried to act normally.
He wasn't with Gabe. He was with Nico's family; they were good people—nothing like him.
Focusing on his breathing, Percy nodded and forced a smile throughout the whole interaction. He squeezed Nico's hand a couple of times, trying to find comfort in them. Nico looked at him with worried eyes each time, but he always squeezed back, as if to say 'I'm here. Don't worry.'
God, Percy loved this man already.
After the interrogation, they had a lovely dinner, courtesy of Nico's family. Percy didn't have much of an appetite, still shaken from earlier, but he still managed to down most of what they offered to him—which was a handful, almost like an unspoken apology. Mostly from Persephone—Nico's step-mother, very nice lady in Percy's opinion—and Bianca.
It was all very delicious, don't get Percy wrong. It was just that, sometimes, the years tended to catch up to him, and so did the memories. It was unfortunate that today of all days was one of those times.
But when Percy looked at Nico and saw the smile on his face, surrounded by his family's banter and friendly teasing, and he felt the warmth of his hand—his hand, his hand that could write about the most enchanting places and things—clasped in his…
It was enough. Percy felt enough.
۞
Laughter rang in the air, mixed with the sounds of the ocean. The sun was setting, building a serene atmosphere. Its reflection rippled in the sea, broken and shattered yet oh so beautiful.
Waves lapped at the sand, washing away the letters that had been previously etched onto it and carrying their memory into the sea; letting them become a secret which would be held within its depth, only to be told to those who would sink low enough to listen.
Warmth enveloped them, and the sun kissed their skin. Gently, as though it had all the time in the world; a striking contrast to the harsh bites of the autumn breeze from what felt so long ago.
Percy felt a hand brush against his, sending tingles from the low of his back to the top of his head, making him giddy and light. Tenderly, he took it in his, fingers slotting together like puzzle pieces. Perfect in every sense of the word.
Nico yawned, leaning against Percy. "It's nice out today, huh?"
Percy glanced down at him, his heart fluttering as blood rushed to his face. "With you? Always."
Nico made a face. "I'm the writer here. I'm supposed to be the sap," he chided playfully.
Percy laughed softly, threading his fingers through Nico's hair. It felt soft to the touch. He then slid it to caress Nico’s face, holding his world in his hand for a moment.
"Well, I'm the barista here. Isn't it a stereotype that we're good with pick-up lines or something?"
"That's a stereotype?" Nico rested his head on Percy's shoulder, looking at the sea and leaning into Percy's touch.
"I think."
"I don't think it is, amore."
Percy hummed, noncommittal, turning some to plant a kiss to Nico's head.
Nico squeezed Percy's hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of it sweetly, as if he was something precious. Warmth flourished in Percy’s insides.
If only Nico knew it was the other way around.
۞