Sacrifices

Epilogue

“Percy, just tell me where we’re going.” Nico giggled, trying to pry at the hands covering his eyes, preventing him from seeing what was going on outside of the darkness. 

    “No, it’s supposed to be a surprise, remember?” Percy retorted, smiling cheekily at the sight of his boyfriend wandering around the forest with his vision lost to him, courtesy of Percy himself. 

    “But I can’t see anything. What if I trip?” Nico asked, nibbling at his lip out of habit. Percy only smiled wider, even though he knew Nico couldn’t see him. 

    “Then I’ll help you.”

    “And if I fall?” Nico asked, stopping himself from walking when he felt Percy stop. Percy could imagine the confused face he was making underneath his clamped hands, and couldn’t fight the grin off his face. 

    “Then I’ll catch you.” Percy replied, hoping Nico could find the second meaning behind his words. 

    After all they’ve been through, Percy knew Nico trusted him with his life. He had willingly thrown caution to the wind when he told Percy about his true feelings. And while, yes, Percy opened up about them first, Nico had almost the same reputation with trust issues that Percy had. Percy knew how brave Nico had been, because he experienced the same pain. 

    Nico’s breath hitched, and that told Percy he understood what he was trying to say by answering such a simple and innocent question. 

    Percy had been there time and time again for Nico, and promised himself no matter what the circumstances, he would always be willing to throw himself in harm's way if it meant Nico wasn’t the one falling. Ever since the day Percy had to witness Gabe’s abuse towards Nico, he swore upon the heavens that he was never going to let the world damage the old soul more than it already has. 

    And he knew Nico had made the same promise, because Nico had always been there for him as well. It was one of the best things about their relationship, in Percy’s personal opinion. The fact that he could rely on Nico to catch him if he fell meant so much to him, and it was simply one of their many mutual agreements between the couple. 

    They continued up the path, Percy slowly guiding Nico as the younger man followed his instructions blindly. It wasn’t supposed to be a test, but in a way, it was. Watching Nico listen to him without putting much thought in it only proved how much this relationship meant to him, and how much he believed in Percy. 

    Branches and twigs were wacked away by Percy’s body before they could attack Nico, and every small scratch was silent proof of how far he’s willing to go when it comes to being there for Nico. The action itself was small, and even a friend could say they’d be willing to do that for another friend, but Percy had always believed that sometimes the smallest of actions spoke louder than anything else. 

    When they arrived at their destination, Percy paused to take in the scene he had taken time to set up earlier that day. The same blue blanket from their last date before everything went into chaos four years ago was laid across the scattered patches of grass and dirt to provide a little protection from the wild. 

    A small picnic basket sat towards one of the corners of the ratted blanket, and Percy knew it contained blue chocolate chip cookies his mom had made only a few hours ago, as well as napkins and some bottled water. The tiny candles he packed had a lighter to go with them, but they were for later in the night. It wasn’t exactly romantic to most people, but it’s their usual thing when they went on picnics with one another, before adulthood and college had consumed their lives, trying to squeeze in their relationship when possible.