Talk to Me

Chapter Eight

Percy had realized what he had done after he did it, pulling back from Nico slightly and pulling a hand to his mouth.  Months, almost a year, without talking, and his voice was actually starting to come back, finally.  Nico had looked at him in awe, his eyes slightly wide, and a bright smile over his cheeks, and it showed in his eyes, something that Percy had gotten to see once, maybe twice, and he savored the look, he loved it with everything he had.  

"Perce?  You're staring again," Nico chuckled, waving a hand in front of his face, in which Percy responded shaking his head, and a sheepish smile, one that he could never hide from Nico, and Nico knew this full well, especially during their conversations about life at three in the morning, which Nico held close to his heart, knowing Percy wouldn't lie to him, especially when he was really tired at that hour.

Nico laughed, kissing his cheek lightly, "I can't believe you actually talked to me, please tell me this isn't some dream," he said quietly, most likely pinching his forearm just to deny the thoughts of it being a dream.

Percy shook his head, but then tapped on his knee, 'It hurt to do that, actually, I didn't think that it would,' he ended, adding a small frown towards the end.  Nico frowned lightly in return, bringing a cautious hand up to lightly graze over the scar running across the side of his neck, which he did often enough when the two were alone.

Percy sat in silence, watching Nico's face as he looked at the scar.  Nico's face looked just about as pained as Percy had first looked when he had returned after the fight they got stuck in, and Percy hated seeing that, especially on someone he loved.  Percy had taken his bony, thin hand in his own, rubbing his thumb across his knuckles, forcing Nico's eyes to look into his own, which immediately softened his gaze.  'You worry too much, Neeks, you know that?' Percy tapped with his thumb on the back of the smaller boy's hand.

Nico smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, you tell me all the time," he chuckled, as Percy leaned his back against the headboard of the bed that they were occupying.  "But, Percy, when did you notice you could talk again?" he asked, moving to sit in front of him, cross-legged, holding his hands out to Percy so that Percy could reply.

Percy sat up, cross-legged in front of him, holding his hands, looking down at them instead of the brown-eyed boy in front of him.  'I... I don't know, I never really tried until then,' he tapped, feeling a little guilty, knowing how much the both of them had been waiting for that, especially Nico, as he had told Percy the countless times of how he missed his voice, and how he couldn't wait to see if it actually came back.

Nico was looking at Percy's face the entire time, hating the look on it, "Percy, you know I'm not mad at you, right?" he said quietly, taking one of his hands, and bringing it to the side of Percy's face, holding his jaw, forcing Percy's eyes to meet his own, causing Percy to respond with a small nod.

"Okay, as long as you know that...  As much as I may try to be mad at you, I can't," Nico smiled sheepishly, he wasn't the one for sappy feelings, and looks that could melt a person, but as of right now he felt as though it was needed, and only showed this to Percy when the two were alone, not around their friends, their siblings, alone, completely alone.

Percy smiled at him lightly, leaning forward and hugging him, kissing his temple lightly.  'I love you,' he tapped onto his shoulder, causing Nico to chuckle lightly, and hold him just as tight.  

"I love you too, Percy," he said quietly, after a while, breathing in the semisweet scent of the ocean, mixed with something that he couldn't pick up on, but it was distinctly Percy, that was for sure.

Percy loved the small moments they got like this, because they were always surrounded by people, and when they would be with other people Nico would build up his usual walls, only taking them down when Hazel was around, or Percy, and that was it, as close as other people got, Nico wouldn't let them, as if they had something to prove to the son of Hades first, before anything.  

But, being demigods, everything this sweet had to come to an end far too soon, and Annabeth came knocking on the Poseidon cabin door, more like banging on the door, which Nico responded with a groan, getting up to let in the daughter of Athena.

She basically stumbled through the doorway, getting both of their attention, although Nico was impatient most of the time, his arms crossed over his chest and tapping his foot, almost causing Percy to laugh, and once Annabeth saw this she rolled her eyes.

"Guys, this is important, and if you're just going to act like this I can get someone else to tell you," she grumbled, almost glaring daggers at Nico and Percy.

Percy held his hands up in defense and Nico scoffed, "You've got five minutes," he said, leaning against the doorway.

"New quest, and it says something about the both of you, considering you're the only children of Hades and Poseidon in this camp," she said, her arms crossed.

Panic crossed Percy's features, and he immediately looked to Nico, who gave him the same look in response.