Hate's A Strong Word (Percico)

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Nico di Angelo

Getting to camp and having Percy with was the easy part.

It was the leaving again part that I was questioned about. Nobody even asked about the fact that I wasn't at breakfast. Wasn't in my cabin this morning.

"Um, well," I tried to act like I wasn't lying and it kind of worked. I gave Percy a glance, but that didn't help me. "Sally's pregnant. And wanted help with the nursery. She asked me during intermission last night at the show. Said it would take a few days."

Jason's expression challenged my big fat lie, but I ignored him.  He knows I'm gay and he was there last night. He can just keep his mouth shut.

"She's pregnant?" Rachel asked me, as surprised as the others were.

"Yeah," kind of had to roll with it. "They just found out."

So I got to slip away from camp, and when we got in the car, Percy just looked me.

"My mom's pregnant?"

"They don't need to know that she's not." I insisted, grabbing his hands. "It'll get them to mind their own business for a couple days, alright? We'll play it day by day. If you're fine in a few days, that's great that you're feeling better. If not, then I'll figure out something else. But right now we have a few days to figure it out. Okay?"

He nodded his head.

We got back to his place and had dinner before he had to go off and perform again. Which, it went well. He seemed to be in a decent mood afterwards when I picked him up. Tired and all. But he wasn't planning on killing himself tonight.

But of course, now this is the weird grey area of our friendship / relationship. Because we've established that we're a little more than friends. We fell asleep together last night. I confessed a lot of things last night. So did he. It's just that we're not anything official yet.

So it was a weird thing. We're getting ready for bed, and it's whatever. And he had sat down on his bed and I walked into his room, and I realized that we're not official. Were kind of a thing but a thing that's been going on for a day.

Also, the last thing I wanted for him right now was to be uncomfortable. I'm here to make sure he's okay, that he's happy and okay with being alive. To make sure he can come to terms with everything.

I'm here for his happiness. That's what this boils down to.

"What?" Percy noticed I was I was slightly confused when I walked in.

"Where do I sleep?" I asked him, not wanting to be too straightforward about this thing between us. "You don't have a bed in the spare so..."

Percy thought for a few seconds before coming up with an idea.

"I'll show you."

The son of Poseidon stood up and walked over to me, guiding me to his bed. Which was 5 feet away, wasn't that hard.

"I take your bed?" I questioned and he nodded his head. "Percy where do you sleep then?"

He told me to lay down.

"Percy, it's your bed, I can sleep on the—"

"SH," he whispered. "Lay down."

"Okay," I listened to his order and got on his bed, a little closer to the wall like I always sleep. "Now what?"

He got in bed next to me, and turned to face me.

"Now I sleep here and you sleep there." He told me like this was obvious from the start of this. "The couch is way to small for anyone but my Mom and you're not sleeping on the floor. It's nicer to have you up here, anyways. You're surprisingly warm."

"I didn't wear that jacket all those years for nothing," I remarked as a joke. "Are you sure you don't want me on the couch of something? I've slept on the streets before, I've had worse."

He nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Percy didn't sound like he had any hesitations, which was nice. "You're cheaper than a mini heater, and my parents like you better than the risk of a mini heater burning down the apartment."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked him, finding that stupidly sweet. "I eat a lot of food."

"That's not my money."

"That's not a lie."

I smiled at him and moved some hair out of his face. It's been getting a little longer, but I think he's getting a trim soon. Not a full on cut. Just a trim.

"How're you feeling?" I asked him, making sure I checked in here and there just so I knew.

He shrugged.

"Like shit," Percy was honest. "But better compared to last night. Kind of on the fence about everything, I guess."

"That's okay," I insisted, wrapping my arms around him sort of like a hug. "As long as it's getting better, that's good. You know, you can only go up from here as long as you're trying to—"

He was out cold, returning the sort of hug thing and using my chest as his pillow.

Now, you would think Percy would get his dad's height, right?

No. He got his mom's shortness. It's always a funny thing between Jason and Percy because there's literally a foot between them. Jason is 6'1". Meaning Percy is 5'1". And people call me short. I'm 5'6".

So he for almost like a backpack on me. Just in my front and not my back.

But he was cute. My cute little son of Poseidon.

Perseus Jackson

I didn't mean to fall asleep half way through his sentence. But his voice is so soothing and I was tired and his body was warm and comfy and yeah.

We're not a couple. But we're also not not a couple.

Like if somebody asked me out I would say no, but if they asked me if I had a boyfriend I would also say no.

It's that weird stage of were not together but we're also not not together.

We're a thing is what we are.

A weird ass thing, sure. But a thing I liked.