Hell And High Water (Percico boyxboy)

IX

Nico wandered around for quite a while, trying to clear his mind. Despite his best efforts, however, his thoughts were still clouded and he couldn't concentrate on anything of significant importance for long enough to say so. He just wished he could forget. He wished he had a way to.
Nico had never been one to like smoking, but he bought a pack and lit up cigarette after cigarette in a sick attempt to try to organize his thoughts. All he managed was to make things worse. He walked the streets for hours on end until darkness threatened to fall. That's when he remembered the phone call from him. Nico knew he wasn't far from the place he asked Nico to meet him and he found his feet unwillingly carrying him in the direction of the park. He entered a coffee shop across the street and sat and waited while he sipped on a hot drink. The mix between the coffee and the cigarette taste still on his tongue was slightly nauseating but it at least gave him something to think about other than what was going on in his life. Once the coffee was gone, Nico checked the time and saw he still had plenty of it before he was to expect him to show up at the park.
Nico hadn't eaten anything and the day was slowly wearing on into night. He knew Hazel wasn't here, but, if she were, she would be very mad at him for not eating. He snatched a menu from the table and ordered a snadwhich. He managed to eat it all and then looked back at the time. He only had a half an hour.
The time wore on slower than he ever thought was possible and he occupied himself tapping his fingers on the table and playing with the napkin holder.
Finally, the clock read 9:00. He took a breath and paid for the coffee and food before leaving the cafe and looking at the park across the street. From where he was standing, with the helpnof a street lamp, Nico could see someone sitting on a bench, fidgeting with something in his hands. A trail of smoke went up from the man's head and Nico knew it was him. He drew in a shakey breath and walked toward the bench slowly. When he was only three feet from it, he stopped. Music could be heard coming from the buds in the man's ears. Nico recognized the song right away. He used to love it, now he couldn't stand it.
Nico took a couple more steps as the song changed into another one he knew all too well. He hung his head as the music made its way to his ears. The man on the bench did the same.
Nico thought he could handle it. He thought he would be able to talk to him. But he had no idea he would freeze up like this. He took a couple steps backwards before turning and running. He made his way around the park and to the street that would lead him back to the hotel.
"Nico!" The voice was familiar and Nico contemplated stopping to hear it say his name again, but he picked up his pace and ran in the opposite direction. He knew the voice belonged to the man on the bench. He could hear it calling his name and telling him to come back. Only one thought ran through his mind: maybe you should have thought about that a long time ago.
Nico never turned back to look at the other male and didn't stop running until he could no longer see or hear him behind. The darkness around him was cold and, like always, the city didn't rest at night.
Most people would have found the city beautiful at night, but Nico had never seen beauty in things like that. He still didn't. He walked along busy streets and through alley ways, not having anywhere in particular he was heading. He finally stopped when he came to a small bar. It was about ten thirty and the bar was pretty busy.
The guy at the door asked for identification and Nico flashed his fake i.d. before he was ushered in. He sat at the bar and wasted no time in ordering a drink. He turned away from the bar and watched people interact on the small dance floor before him. He sipped on the drink in his hands and lit up another cigarette. It tasted better with the alcohol than it did with the coffee and, for a time, he felt alright. The slight ecstasy he received from the two items in his hands was enough to keep his thoughts from wandering too far.
As night continued on, Nico found his way to a group of men playing poker. They were all so drunk that it didn't seem to matter they weren't actually betting anything. Nico sat down and 'gambeled' with the men for hours as he downed drink upon drink. A few men at the table hit on him but they were all too drunk to notice that, much like their lack of gambling.
When Nico had had enough, and had forgotten almost everything and was damn near to forgetting his own name, he left the little bar. As he made for the door, he tripped and fell into someone. The man was pretty pissed that Nico had spilled his drink and was more than ready to kill the son of Hades for his drunken stupidity. He slurred an apology that did him no good and went stumbling into the door frame from a punch to the face. He slipped to the floor and saw stars as the punch made him dizzy. He managed to stand again and took a few more steps toward the door. He stumbled yet again but the strong arms of the bouncer prevented him from falling to the ground.
"Woah there, kid. Take it easy."
Nico slurred a few words in an attempt to form a sentence and took a step, falling yet again.
"Alright. Let me call you a cab. Sit." The bouncer pushed Nico onto the ground. He flopped down in a half sit half fall motion as the world around him spun and made him feel like he was on the inside of a kaleidoscope. Time passed awkwardly and the bouncer helped him up and into the cab before paying the driver in advance.
The car stopped outside of the hotel and Nico stumbled out of the yellow vehicle and tripped over the sidewalk. The cab driver snickered and told him to take it easy before driving away. Nico managed his way into the hotel and up to the room. He banged on the door loudly, waking Percy with a fearful start.
"Percy! Open the door!"
"Nico?"
Percy got out of bed and opened the door. Nico had been leaning on it so he fell in when the door was pulled open. Percy caught him before he could hit the ground and gagged from the smell that clung to the son of Hades.
"Are you drunk?"
"No!"
Okay. The mix between his shouting and the smell on him made Percy want to throw him back outside. But he couldn't do that. Nico had done so much for him and it was only right that Percy repay the favor.
"If you say so." He ushered the son of Hades to his bed and laid him down before pulling his sneakers off of him. He turned to toss them by the door and heard a bang behind him. Nico had rolled off the bed. Percy sighed. It was bound to be a long night. He helped Nico back onto the bed and told him not to move.
Percy still ached from getting shot so running around grabbing a bucket, water, and a wet cloth were not very enjoyable for him. Nico was sitting up on the bed when Percy came back and he looked terrible.
"I don't feel very good." Nico slurred.
"I bet you don't." He placed the bucket on the floor and opened the water for Nico. Before the son of Hades was able to drink it, he threw his head foreward and buried it in the bucket, throwing up the alchohol and little bit of food in his system. Percy took the bottle from him so he didn't spill it and wiped off his mouth with the wet cloth after he had thrown up.
Percy sighed. "How much did you drink?"
Nico managed a wonky smile. "You look really hot."
Percy coughed a little. That was neither an answer to his question or a comment he was expecting. "Just relax, Nico."
He pulled Nico a little so he would be able to get he son of Hades under the blankets.
"Woooaaah. I'm dizzy."
"No doubt. Sleep, Nico. You'll feel better in the morning."
That was the farthest thing from the truth Percy had ever said. He himself had never gotten drunk before, but his old step father had been an alcoholic so he knew not only what to do but what to expect, too.
"I can't go to bed with my clothes still on!"
"Yes you can."
"No!"
Percy sighed. He knew people could get childish when they were drunk and, apparently, Nico was no exception.
"Fine. Get undressed, then get back into bed."
Nico uncovered himself and sat up, wavering a little from dizziness. Percy never took his eyes from Nico as the son of Hades attempted to rid himself of his socks. He pulled one off and tossed it on the floor before taking the other off and tossing it behind him. He stood shakily and tried to undo his belt. He fell sideways and caught himself on the night table. Percy ran to his side without a seconds hesitation and pulled him back onto the bed.
"Just leave your clothes on and go to bed."
"No!"
He tried to stand again.
"Stop!" Percy pushed him onto the bed. Nico was pretty persistent about taking his clothes off to sleep but he couldn't manage to get them off. "Let me help you."
Percy pushed Nico onto the bed and undid his belt and pulled his jeans down with difficulty since Nico wouldn't stop moving around. Percy sat Nico back up and slid his shirt off before laying it on the floor with his jeans.
"You wanna take anything else off of me?"
"What?"
Nico smiled and managed to sit up on the bed despite Percy trying to push him back down. "I would love to strip you down."
Percy knew the comments were just because he was drunk and he shouldn't think too much about them.
"Get into bed."
"Join me?"
Percy ignored the question to the best of his ability and turned away from the bed. Nico sat up and grabbed onto Percys wrist so tightly he couldn't break free. He tugged Percy toward him and pulled him onto the bed. Within seconds, he was attacking Percys lips with his own.
Nicos lips were laced with alchohol and cigarettes, which was bad enough on its own, but when the taste of the vomit he had spewed only moments earlier was added to it, it was nauseating. Percy pulled away from Nico.
"What's the matter? You'd kiss me before but now you won't?"
"You're drunk."
"So what? Would you kiss me if I wasn't?"
Percy didn't have an answer. He was too busy dealing with the son of Hades. Nico was almost too much when he was drunk. "Just go to sleep." Percy knew that, come morning, Nico wouldn't remember any of this.
"I don't wanna go to sleep!"
Percy was exhausted and Nico behaving like a child was not helping. He was not in the mood to deal with any of this.
"Please."
Nico scooted to the end of the bed and looked at Percy with a devious stare. "Persuade me to."
Percy groweled low in his throat. "I shouldn't have to persuade you to go to bed. You are drunker than shit and if you don't get some sleep, you are going to feel worse later than you do now. So please, for your own good, go to sleep."
"Are you this boring in bed? I sure hope not."
"Oh my gods. Nico just shut the hell up and go to sleep."
"Damn, you're fiesty. I like it."
Percy had seriously had enough. Trying to talk Nico into going to bed would be pointless so he just kept quiet and figured he would fall asleep sooner or later.
"Percy!?"
No such luck.
"What?"
Nico threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.
"Do you like me?"
Percy turned to face him. "What are you talking about?"
"I really like you. Like alot."
"Go to sleep."
Nico pouted awkwardly. "I'm not tired. I don't want to sleep."
Percy had kind of hoped Nico would have stayed away for a little while longer so he could get a good night's sleep, but the son of Hades was back and the chances of Percys hopes being fulfilled were gone.
"I think I'm gonna-"
Nico couldn't finish his sentence before his face was buried in the bucket again and he was throwing up more of the alchohol in his system. Percy climbed out of bed and waited for Nico to finish throwing up before he wiped the son of Hades' face clean and took the bucket into the bathroom to clean it out. As he rinsed all of the spewed up alcohol out of the bucket, Nico managed to call for him and say he was gonna be sick again. Percy ran back into the room and got the bucket to Nico just in time to catch the spewed contents of his stomach.
"It's gonna be a long night."
Nico groaned.