Chapter Text
“I think I’m getting tired of you guys so I’ll be ending the stream here!”
Sea_Jack, even as he was chuckling and tried to make it obvious he didn’t mean what he said, wondered if people would take his words wrong. He didn’t want anyone to be hurt by what he said, so he tried to backtrack casually. After being a streamer for over four years, he was pretty much a pro at it. All he had to do was lean closer to his mic and whisper the next part of his goodbye like it was a secret.
“I actually really like talking to you guys, it’s hard to get tired with the energy you give me.” He smiled at his own recovery and leaned back. Everyone would think he cleverly planned a bit. “Hope to see you all next time!”
Carefully clicking the end stream button and turning his camera off, Percy flopped back in his chair to rest for a moment. Keeping over a thousand viewers on Tremor entertained was difficult, but he managed. He was grateful for his audience, they put food on the table after all, but he did lie to them. They were tiring most of the time.
He moved over to his comfortable bed and rested there instead, deciding to scroll Chirp. Not necessarily for a pick-me-up, though he did look up his name sometimes for an ego boost, but just to see the current creator news. Has anyone been in any controversy lately?
His thumb stopped on a post about one of his friends.
Checking TheGhostKing’s profile, Percy found exactly what the post described. Nico and Will had broken up, according to Nico’s words underneath his username. They were together since Percy was a senior in highschool, really, so it was a shock even to him. He remembered the two getting together back then, and that meant almost eight years of dating. What could have triggered it?
He contemplated this for a few seconds before scrolling further. TheGhostKing, or who he knew to be Nico di Angelo, was his friend. It was Nico’s story to tell, and speculating based on the internet’s limited viewpoint would do him no good.
His body jolted from surprise when he got a call from Nico himself, almost making him drop his phone. At least there was nobody around to make him embarrassed, he lived alone.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
He could practically feel Nico’s nervousness over the phone when he responded. “Uh… I kinda need a place to stay? I broke up with Will and it’s weird to live with him now. Do you have room in your apartment for me? Even temporarily?”
Percy hesitated. He did have a guest room, but his home wasn’t very big. He liked having a smaller place, it felt more homey than those mansions other content creators decided to buy. Plus, it was easier to keep clean. He didn’t want to end up like one of those streamers who let garbage surround them like a greedy dragon with its gold.
Still, he could not deny Nico a place to stay. They were long time friends, and Percy cared for Nico deeply. He was sure that if the roles were reversed, Nico would give him a place to stay in a heartbeat.
“Yes.” Percy’s thoughts ran a mile a minute, so even with his thinking he was able to reply quickly. “Yes, I do have an extra room. You can stay for as long as you need.”
“I’ll pay rent if I need to,” Nico offered immediately.
It was so like Nico to not want to be dependent on anyone, but it was also smart. Percy understood why he would want to make sure he didn’t look like he was struggling, but he could tell something was wrong. Nico needed help, even if he wasn’t making that fully clear.
“T-There’s no need. You know I don’t struggle with money.”
“I don’t want to feel like a mooch.” Nico spoke firmly, leaving no room for further argument. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
Percy almost thought Nico hung up before he heard a small voice mutter on the other end. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t too difficult to get Nico’s stuff out of his car. The guy didn’t have much that was heavy… except his large collection of Mythomagic cards. It was something Percy expected, the guy streamed Mythomagic online everyday and Percy saw photos of his real world collection on Chirp before.
Percy also saw photos of Nico, but they really didn’t account for how Nico had grown. Not physically—no, the man would be forever shorter than Percy—but in other ways. He seemed more confident and sure of himself as he went about moving his things into his new living space.
“I’m really sorry to drop in on you like this.” Nico dropped a bag of clothes onto the guest bed with a huff.
“Don’t apologize,” Percy said while he set down a box of computer stuff on a desk. When he turned to look at Nico’s face, he noticed how tired he looked as he opened his bag. “Maybe you should get some sleep before starting to unpack?”
“Or… not.” He amended when Nico glared up at him. Nico likely felt guilty because his face quickly went back to calm neutrality.
There was a certain amount of skill Nico exhibited in changing his facial expressions to suit the needs of those around him. Percy witnessed it many times over the span of their friendship. Nico could sometimes be read like a book, but other times he was the most skilled liar Percy had ever seen. Percy didn’t really like when Nico shut his true feelings away, but he understood why he did so.
“You’re fine.” Nico said quickly and laid down in his bed with a sigh, still wearing a hoodie over a shirt and silver rings on his fingers. “I’m just aggravated right now.”
“I think I understand how you feel, at least a bit.” Giving Nico a smile, Percy went over to the bedroom door to gently close it. “Come get me if you need anything.”
Never did Percy expect to not see Nico at all for two days. At first, Percy didn’t want to bother him. He assumed maybe Nico was going about his business at night, after Percy went to sleep, but he noticed there were no extra dirty dishes or anything out of place. Was Nico even eating? Was the breakup truly affecting him that badly?
But then Percy thought about how long those two were together, and he could see why. There was a strong bond between the two, and that was likely severed. He went on his phone and found clips of the two the internet was sharing like it was any of their business. The two really did seem good for eachother, what went wrong?
After two days straight of not seeing Nico, Percy felt he needed to do something. There was no way he was letting Nico stay cooped up in his room for any longer. This needed to end.
He knocked on Nico’s door before opening it just enough so it made a clicking noise. He didn’t push any further to actually see inside the room, he didn’t want to invade Nico’s privacy.
“Nico? I haven’t seen you in a few days, are you doing alright?”
There were a few moments of silence before he heard a grunt and the distinct sound of sheets shifting.
“I’m fine…” Percy could hear Nico grumble, and it put a small smile on his face.
How could he go about getting Nico out of this room? The direct approach was the most obvious, but it felt the most destructive to him. Nico did not like being bossed around, even when it was for his own good, so Percy could not tell him he needed to leave the room or eat. He needed to say something less direct, but still effective.
“That’s good. I’ve been craving some burgers, but I don’t want to go get some on my own. Would you like to come with me?”
The doorknob was tugged out of his hands suddenly as Nico opened his door. His hair was a mess, and so were his pajamas. In the background, Percy could see Nico hadn’t set up any part of his streaming environment yet. “Are you going to an Underworld Burger?”
Percy couldn’t help but grin at the question since Nico took the bait. “They are the best place.”
“Let me take a shower and get dressed?”
“Oh, yeah. Take your time.”
A door was slammed in his face, but Percy couldn’t find any part of himself that cared. He went back to his room to get some sneakers on, making sure to close the door so Nico could race between the bathroom and his room in peace. He scrolled on his phone until Nico barged into his room. His hair was still wet, and the hoodie he threw on was wrinkled.
“Are we going?” He said it like a king demanding an answer from a loyal servant. “I’m starving.”
With that, Percy took that as a signal to leave the apartment with Nico. At the top of three flights of stairs, his grin became more sly.
“Race you to the bottom, Neeks?”
That earned him a glare similar to the one he was generously given two days ago, but it felt a little different this time. This time, he could see a spark of challenge had brightened Nico’s mood. “Don’t call me that.”
“Fine, I won’t if you win.” Percy knew Nico wouldn’t deny a challenge, even if it was a little silly.
“Okay.” Nico nodded in acceptance and took a step forward so he was at the same starting point as Percy. “Three… Two… One. Go!”
They both darted forwards, taking up opposite sides of the stairwell. With surprising speed for someone who had locked himself in a room for the better part of two days, Nico managed to just barely beat him to the bottom. However, Nico was the only one breathing a little heavier. Percy hoped the race didn’t make Nico strain himself.
“I would have won if I stretched beforehand.” Percy muttered and unlocked his car, hearing a distinct beep.
They got into the car and Percy started driving towards Underworld Burger. Nico didn’t deliver any snarky comeback to Percy’s comment, which did make Percy a little concerned. It was an indication that, yes, something was still wrong. The Nico he knew now would have a witty response, he wouldn’t be eerily silent.
When they made it to the burger place, Nico finally spoke when they parked. “Can we go through the drive-thru and eat in the car? I don’t feel like going inside.”
Shrugging, Percy buckled in his seatbelt again. “Yeah, I like that idea better anyways.”
Percy was, in a way, telling the truth. He liked the idea better because it would make Nico happier. He was planning to go inside, but he started up the car again at Nico’s behest to go behind a line of cars instead. Once they had gotten their food, and Percy convinced Nico to get fries with his burger because who only gets a burger, they were parked once more.
“So, Nico.” Percy ate a french fry before continuing to talk. “When do you think you’ll start streaming again?”
“What, are you an overzealous fan or something?” Nico scoffed as he stared down at his burger like it insulted his dead family. “Nope, I’m not ready.”
It was odd for Nico to not want to get something challenging over with. That was his style. While Percy tended to procrastinate, Nico tackled things just so they wouldn’t bother him for long. It was a part of Nico he admired… This breakup did a number on Nico in ways only a close friend could see.
“Do you need help with your setup?”
Nico, who was taking a big bite out of his burger, lowered it from his face and swallowed to respond. “Not really, I’m just being lazy…”
“I don’t think you are.” Percy munched on another fry, distantly wishing he could dye it blue out of nostalgia. “You’re just a little in the dumps because of a long-term relationship ending.”
Honestly, Percy didn’t know that feeling very well. He dated a few people in his teenage years, but he gave up on romance fairly quickly. In the back of his mind, there was always a little voice telling him no one would ever love him like that. Despite what chat would yell at Percy sometimes, he was not lovable. What he did for his friends was the bare minimum, and Tremor viewers only saw a fraction of who he was.
“Can I help you out?” Percy was expecting an instant refusal, but Nico surprised him.
That was becoming more common, and it concerned Percy a bit. He thought he knew Nico through and through, but he was proven wrong quite a few times.
“I guess. It would be nice.” Never would have Percy predicted him accepting help so quickly. Nico shrugged and finished off his burger. Percy soon did the same before they started the journey back to the apartment, which felt like a hopelessly shorter drive. There was less time to talk with Nico, but this did mean he got to help Nico faster.
“You don’t have to do this.” There was the refusal he was expecting in the car. Nico announced this like it would be a huge revelation for Percy. However, Percy was already getting out Nico’s mic stand and attaching it to the desk. “I could do all of it myself, I was just being lazy.”
“Nico.” Standing up fully after getting the mic situated, he turned to the man. “You’re not lazy, and this is no problem.”
The work he did on Nico’s streaming space was done in relative silence as he got the mic situated, along with its pop filter, and plugged it into an external audio interface. He was fine with Nico quietly spectating him from the bed. Percy was able to get things set up at, what he could affectionately say in the safety of his own mind, record breaking speeds.
“Aren’t you curious about the breakup at all?” Percy looked up from where he was plugging in Nico’s second monitor. He watched Nico stand up and go to sit down in his gaming chair. “I was expecting you to barrage me with questions. I mentally prepared myself, only for you to not question anything.”
“I guess we both have expectations,” Percy said with a smirk.
“What?”
“Nevermind.” Percy got Nico’s second monitor set up before he sat down next to him. “I am curious, Nico. You know me well, but I wasn’t going to come out and ask you a bunch of questions. That would be insensitive of me. I’d be like the people on Chirp who are mourning the breakup like someone died.”
The sarcastic quip earned him a chuckle from Nico, and he couldn’t help but smile at that. He liked making Nico happy, which was another good reason why he didn’t want to push on the breakup topic. To Percy, it was obvious it was a sore subject currently. He needed to be careful about this.
“You can tell me about the relationship if you want to. Otherwise, it’s none of my business.”
“I want to,” Nico confessed instantly.
Percy got up to check if Nico’s computer would boot up properly while he spoke. “Well, go on then.”
He glanced over at Nico, seeing him shift on his bed. It was part of him getting comfortable before his explanation began.
“Our personalities didn’t work with each other. We’ve changed since highschool. Will is so fixated on being a doctor that he doesn’t have room in his brain for anything else! Whenever I talked to him it was like I was secondary to whatever was going on in that head of his.”
It was hard for Percy to put himself in Nico’s shoes, but what he described did paint a good picture in his head. Nico had grown sick of Will. I guess that’s why people say highschool relationships never last. People do change.
He watched the two monitors Nico used light up, confirming the two were working together.
“And when I would cough, or sneeze, or show the slightest signs of sickness, he would fixate on it. It made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t even drink because he would scold me for putting myself through the risks of alcohol, like I don’t know how to control my intake!”
Having finished up checking if everything in Nico’s setup was in order, Percy went to sit beside him again. He felt bad for Nico. The environment he was describing sounded stifling. If there was something he and Nico could agree on, it was hating when others tried to hold them back.
“I broke up with him. I dealt with it for a while. I tried to get him to change,” Nico sighed, “but this is for the best.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Percy waved a hand at the streaming setup to their right. “Your chariot awaits.”
The smile that overtook Nico’s face made Percy smile too. He was glad his jokes still worked to brighten Nico’s day. Still, the smile fell away as quickly as it came.
“I’m not ready to stream again, not yet. Actually… I’m scared, even. Chat will be asking me about Will, I know it. It’ll be more active too.”
That was difficult. Percy remembered when he streamed with some huge content creators years ago, and even without any controversy the amount of people watching was still endlessly nerve wracking. The amount of people he needed to keep happy, the stress it put on his mod team…
Though, his mod team did make things easier for him. Maybe that would help Nico with an influx of people coming in.
“That’s fine,” Percy nodded. ”I think I would be nervous too. I could lend you my mod team when you’re ready?”
Nico’s smile was smaller now, but it was back. Percy was happy to see it. “Yeah, I’d like that. Thank you, Percy.”