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Percy Jackson was becoming a stalker, and he was well-aware of it. He wasn’t exactly proud of the fact but by now he was way too invested in the affair to stop anymore. It was a bit pathetic, as Clarisse liked to call it, well she called him a pathetic loser, but he wasn’t too keen on admitting that in its whole.
Picking up his notebook, he started to note down the features of his target’s newest date, blonde hair, glasses, looking annoyingly similar to Jason. Decent athletic build, not overly muscular, more on the lean side. Son of Apollo.
This was Nico’s third date in two weeks and he had been on each one with him. Well, stalking him, taking notes, and observing. But he had a valid reason! Admittedly it is a bit salty and petty on his side to be obsessing over Nico right after the son of Hades had just said that Percy was in fact not his type. However, and to be very fair to himself, Nico had just admitted to having a crush on him one sentence prior. How was that supposed to make any sense? How could you have a crush on someone who wasn’t your type?
And that was the only and sole reason why Percy was stalking Nico on his dates. To find out exactly what his type was and solve the question that had been bugging him. He tried confronting Nico about the whole “ I had a crush on you for like since I met you but no big deal I’m over you now” but the black-haired boy had a remarkable talent for avoiding questions he didn’t want to answer.
An odd feeling faired up in his chest as he watched as Nico smiled at his date, Nico smiling was a rare sight at all, what was so special about these people he went on dates with, that seemed to be able to make him smile, but never return for a second date?
Dejected and a bit defeated, the son of Poseidon dragged his body back to his cabin to compare his notes from today to the ones from the previous dates. So what if he had started noticing Nico as a viable dating option and developing a crush on him only after Nico had confessed to him. He had been so preoccupied with fighting two bloody wars that dating was not front and foremost in his mind in the last few years, hell, he hasn’t even had a good sit down about his sexuality yet.
Annabeth had been the easy option, they were the golden couple, the boy and girl who had saved the world together, so of course, they would get together. Frankly, he needed easy at that time, someone to rely on, someone who understood what he needed because she had gone through the exact same thing. But only when Hera had abducted him, and his memories all lost, was when he realized that Annabeth and he were more like siblings than lovers. And seeing the way She smiled when with Piper was the final push he needed to break up with her and let her move on to better things, happier things.
He smiled at the thought of the happy couple now, they were so cute with each other, Piper with her patience and kind heart was exactly what Annabeth needed to heal the wounds of fighting two wars. Not Percy who had suffered the most in the wars. Not Percy who would only drag her down.
He wanted happiness too. Someone who would stand by him as he face the horrors and nightmares of the wars and could still make him laugh. He wanted Nico. Nico who probably is the only reason he still was alive and kicking today. But he had missed his chance and Nico had moved on.
And that seemed to be the issue everywhere. The world seemed to be moving on from the wars while Percy couldn’t stray from the nightmares that plague him at night and the flashbacks that control him during the day. He watched from the sidelines as all his friends get into a happy stable relationships and move on to college while he was stuck. The year he spent wandering memory-less in the streets had resulted in him repeating yet another year of school and left him lost as to what he wanted in life. Since he could recall, he always had a goal to work towards, as a child, surviving Smelly Gabe. Then it was quest after quest where he either succeeded or died. There were no wars now, nor were there any quests for him to fight, no longer did the world need a war-damaged veteran. So how does he move on?
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to quell the rising panic in his mind, he redirected his focus to something he could do. Simple tasks with an end goal in mind. Stalking Nico to find out his type. Easy and simple.
Taking out a red pen, he circled the common factors between the dates. Blonde hair. Glasses. Always acting all cutesy and batting their eyelashes. If Nico said that Percy wasn’t his type then fine, he would simply change everything about himself and become Nico’s type. Then logically Nico would love him again and they would live happily ever after together. Admittedly, the details were yet to be ironed out, but the rough idea was there and things would go smoothly was he achieved the first step.
-break-
Fanning his shirt out a bit, Percy bit his lip as he felt the eyes of camp glued to the top of his head. He had bleached his hair blonde and is now experiencing severe regret at his decision. He looked ridiculous, or as Leo had aptly compared him to, some eagle with a tuft of golden locks on his head. The bleaching process was unbearable, sitting still for hours as the layers of chemicals was applied to his hair was not one of his favourite activities as a demigod with ADHD.
But he had to put his unease aside because he had his entire get-up ready for action, the stupid blonde hair, the stupid overly large glasses, and the stupid airy satin button-ups that they all wear. Today was the day that he would walk up to Nico and the son of Hades would regain his crush on him. After all, how could he not? Nico had crushed on him before when Percy wasn’t his type and now that he had successfully transformed himself into Nico’s type, that should neatly do the trick.
Sure of his own logic, the son of Poseidon marched up to the tree where the children of the underworld normally sat during the afternoon. Putting on a wide smile and pushing his glasses up a notch, he waved enthusiastically towards the demigods who had turned to stare slack-jawed at him. Alabaster started cackling like a maniac while his half-sister was the first to react.
“What on earth have you done to your hair Jackson” Lou exclaimed, unsubtly snickering to Cecil. “ Blonde is an…interesting colour on you.”
Percy felt his cheeks heat up at the comment but steeled his attention onto Nico, who was looking at him with the most incredulous expression, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
“ Percy? What…is this? ” he inquired.
“ You said I wasn’t your type and I don’t even know what that means, but apparently your type is blondes with glasses,” he huffed out, trying to keep his anxiety together about the reactions he was receiving, “ so here I am, a blonde with glasses. Your type.”
Of all the reactions he thought he receive from Nico, him flat out laughing at him was not one he imagined. Nico never laughed at him, Nico was always supporting him no matter what, even in his most seaweed-brained moments. Had he truly misunderstood the message Nico sent him that much? Was he only good for being a crush but not suitable for dating? Is that why Nico was laughing?
Feeling incredibly foolish and overwhelmed by Nico’s reaction, he wanted to get out of everyone’s sight immediately. Squeaking out a slight laugh, he bolted towards his cabin, chatising himself at his daftness.
-break-
“ What. Was. That.” Alabaster exclaimed, amused eyes glues to the retreating backside of the now blonde son of Poseidon.
“ What. Was. That.” Will enunciated each word with a whack at Nico’s head, sounding much more frustrated than amused, “ You just decided to laugh for a minute straight and let him run away. What happened to I love Percy Jackson, the beautiful sea prince, love of my life?”
“ I- He doesn’t see me like that?” Came Nico’s kneejerk reaction to the statement, eyes still wide at the sight his beloved’s blonde hair.
“ He literally changed his entire look because he wanted to be your type. If that wasn’t a declaration of love I don’t know what you want anymore.”
It was as if the cogs finally started working in Nico’s brain again, the events of the past few minutes finally caught up to him.
“ He wants me. Percy wants me. ” Unmasked awe seeped through his voice.
“ And you just scared him away.”
The son of Hades muttered a string of curses under his breath before quickly shadow travelling to cabin 3.
-break-
Percy was crying. He had just made an absolute fool out of himself and now Nico would never look at him right again. Was Nico even going to speak to him after that display?
He shouldn’t have been so naive. He had missed his chance, what delusion part of him thought that Nico would actually still want to date him when he had so many better options. All the pretty sons of Aphrodite and Apollo, not broked by the wars and untouched by Tartarus. Why would, the strong celebrated hero like the son of Hades want someone beyond repair like him.
“ Perce? Please don't cry, I’m sorry I reacted like that,” Percy jumped a bit at the sound of Nico’s voice, cursing his powers to shadow travel into his cabins, “ Please can we talk?”
“It’s okay Nico, I don’t want to hear it again. I’ll leave you alone.” Voice muffled by the blankets that surrounded him.
Nico heaved a sigh as he sat next to a clump of blankets, “ I love you amore mio, I had a crush on you since we met and loved you since then. I don’t think I can ever stop loving you. I’m sorry I laughed at you I just… you caught me off guard.”
“ Don’t lie to me. You… You said you were over me. You said I wasn’t your type. How can you be saying all this now when you were saying the complete opposite just a few months back.”
“ That was my desperate attempt to get over you. I lied to you and to myself because I’m so in love with you that it hurts. And then I just wanted to get over you. Before I realized that I can’t.”
A blonde tuft of hair poked out of the heap of blankets now, sea-green eyes staring right at the son of Hades, “ then what was all those dates. And why was every single one of them blonde if they weren’t your type. And why did you smile so in love at them?”
“ Those dates? That was Will’s attempt to help me get over you, and sons of Apollo all happen to be blonde Perce,” a hand reached out to cup the Sea Prince’s face, fond eyes looking into the sea-green, “ You were stalking me. I thought I was imagining it when I saw you at every one of my dates, that’s why I smiled. I was smiling at the thought of you. You are my type. ”
The bed squeaked as Percy shuffled out of the blankets to get a better look at the other boy, brows furrowed in adorable confusion as he propped himself next to Nico.
“ You still want me.”
“ Yes.”
“ And I want you. So that makes us boyfriends.”
Nico felt his throat dry as the boy of his dreams just gave him everything he ever dreamed of, nodding frantically he replied, a frantic edge to his voice, “ Yes, as long as you want me I’m yours.”
“ Can we kiss now?”
Cupping Percy’s face as his hands trembled in eagerness, Nico leaned in to finally get the kiss he has longed for since he was just a kid.
“ Wait I bleached my hair for nothing?”
The son of Hades quickly closed the gap between the two boys, effectively silencing his love for now. He finally got the one thing he wanted.