In This Town We Call Home

2005 - 2009

A.N. This is a slightly older work from my ao3, just a one shot, enjoy!

October 1st 2005

Percy slams the door behind him with a little more force than necessary, startling his roommate. Grover, previously hunched over his desk, turns his head swiftly at the noise, just in time to see Percy land face down on his bed.

"Grover," he whines, voice muffled by the sheets, "I need some serious help."

When Percy lifts his chin, his friend is fully alert, back straight, eyes flitting around the room. It's one of the little quirks Percy's noticed about Grover in the last month. He's on edge, at the smallest disturbance, like he's waiting for something to happen. Percy shrugs. Grover's the first real friend he's ever made at school and a downright relief amongst a sea of snobby rich kids. So Percy chooses to look past the weird stuff, like the hoard of tin cans under his bed, and the drawer full of lint rollers.

"I need help thinking of a Halloween costume," he huffs out, bringing his hands up to support his face.

Grover visibly relaxes. His ears droop slightly, and he lets out a shaky sound that's not quite a sigh. Percy ignores it.

"Oh, that's it?"

Now Percy frowns.

"Halloween is the most important day of the year," he declares, because it's simply a fact of the universe.

Instead of being condescending, like Percy's come to expect from too many people, Grover tilts his head.

"I didn't know you liked it that much," he comments, eyes curious.

"It's been my favorite holiday since forever," Percy admits, a smile tugging on his face as he starts to think about it, "Mom and I always carve pumpkins, and get an extra to bake a pie, and if we get lucky and Gabe is out of the house, we watch a horror movie and make spiced hot chocolate."

Percy is so grateful Grover chooses not to comment on how obviously he misses his mom. It's the first time he won't see her on Halloween, and it feels wrong, but now's not the time for all that. He clears his throat.

"Anyways, costume ideas," he says, "You got any, G-man?"

Grover plays along with his not-so-graceful subject change.

"Ummm..."

And Grover, although he's clearly struggling, actually seems to give it some thought.

"A pirate?"

"Nah, I like doing specific costumes," Percy says, shaking his head, "Like characters that people will recognize, you know?"

Grover rubs his chain and leans back in his chair.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be any help, Perce, I don't really watch a lot of movies and stuff."

The slight rush of being nicknamed—Perce! He's never been called that before!—is overshadowed by the fact that he still doesn't have a costume. He flops back onto his back and stares at the grooves in the ceiling. For a private school for rich kids, they sure haven't been pouring a lot of money into the student dorms.

Percy racks his brain.

"Hercules?" he suggests, throwing the idea out there for judgment, "And you could be Phil? Or Hades?"

"NO!" Grover chokes out.

It's a few notches too loud, and Percy has to sit up to make sure his friend is still okay. Grover looks like he's having an actual panic attack, but when Percy moves to help, his friend physically shakes off the constipated expression. Another quirk then, he decides, laying back down.