Nico pressed the blade against his skin and closed his eyes. He couldn't stand it anymore. He'd promised Percy that he would stop, but that was before they returned to Camp Halfblood. Before everything went downhill and the teasing started. He'd gone nearly all summer without cutting. But then again, he'd spent all summer with Percy. The one person on Earth that new him inside and out, who would protect him from anything.
Unfortunately, Percy couldn't protect Nico from himself.
The blade cut into his skin, sending a stinging pain up his arm. Nico opened his eyes and stared at the blood blossoming from the new gash. It dripped off his arm and onto the dark, wooden floor of Nico's cabin. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he cut again.
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When Percy and Nico had returned to camp at the beginning of the summer, they'd been greeted as usual, but once everyone found out about the two boys being a couple... they began relentless. Their words became a weapon that damaged Nico's heart.
Nico had only ever wanted three thing in life: Bianca's safety, Percy Jackson's love, and the ability to fit in.
The first... well...Nico hoped she rested peacefully in Elysium. The second one he'd gotten. The third...that was impossible.
He was the son of the god of death, and, on top of that, he was gay. It was Zeus himself wanted the poor boy to be miserable, which would make sense since his dad didn't get along with the god of the sky.
Nico had been avoided before, shoved to the corner like a nasty diseased animal. He could've lived with that... Now, he and Percy seemed to be the center of attention. People whispered about them, pointed... They teased the couple everyday.
That Nico couldn't stand. He'd rather be ignored; he was at least used to that.
_______________________________________________________________________
The blade fell out of Nico's shaky hand when he heard a knock on the door.
"Nico? You alright?" Percy.
"Yeah." His voice shook.
"Nico?" Percy asked with more concern than before, "Unlock the door."
"No, Percy... I..." The door shook as Percy wrapped his fist against it.
Nico scrambled to hide his blades. He quickly bandaged his arm and pulled on his aviator jacket to hide it. He was about to open the door-Percy was still calling for Nico to let him in- when he spotted the blood still on the floor.
"Nico? Is everything okay?"
Faintly, Nico heard one of the camper's voices- Clarisse's maybe- shout out an insult, and Percy's voice faltered.
"Get lost, Clarisse!" He shouted.
Nico grabbed the welcome mat and tossed it over the fresh blood. He'd have to deal with that later. He knew just about every way to remove blood, including from his own body.
Nico forced a smile onto his face, wiped a few remaining tears from his eyes, and opened the door. Someone outside threw rainbow confetti over Percy's head and into the cabin. The ghost king's smile fell. He grabbed Percy's arm and yanked him inside.
"What?" Nico accidentally snapped. His arm had started to throb, and he was in no mood to deal with people, even perfect people such as Percy Jackson.
Percy gave Nico a look like a kicked puppy, "I'm sorry for putting you through all this." He plucked a string of confetti out of Nico's hair.
"It's not your fault." Nico moved back towards his bed, "A relationship is two ways. i agreed to dating you. Unfortunately, Camp Halfblood isn't the best support group."
Percy kicked off his shoes and sat next to him. He leaned over and rested his head on Nico's shoulder, "How're are you holding up?"
The younger boy shrugged, "I don't kn-"
"You moved your rug."
Nico tensed up. "Yeah..."
"Why?"
"I... um... I like, when I wake up in the morning, I like to stand on." Gods, he sounded stupid. Stupid stupid.
"You like to stand on it?" Percy asked skeptically.
"Yup."
"Okay..."
They sat together in silence. Nico hoped it wasn't as awkward as it felt.
After a minute or two, Percy reached over and slid his hand into Nico's, "I'm proud of you."
His statement startled Nico, "Proud? Why?" Why would anyone ever be proud of him? He'd never done anything heroic, not like Percy had.
"Because, I know everyone here has been a real jerk lately, but you still haven't resorted back to self harming. How many months clean have you been?"
Nico glanced up at Percy. His stomach was knotted so tightly he thought he was going to throw up. The smile. The smile on Percy face, the same one he'd fallen for, was what kept Nico from telling him the truth.
"About... three."
Percy pulled Nico into a bear hug, "I think we should throw a party. 3 months is a big deal."
Nico hugged Percy back, but he was frowning, "Who do you think would want to come to a party for a gay couple? Everyone here has pretty much expressed their hatred for us."
Percy pulled back and grinned at Nico, cupping his face, "Then I'll throw you a party, just between us. Sound good?"
"Yeah... Sounds great." Nico said. Luckily, Percy didn't catch the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.
"Fantastic!" Percy lept up and backed towards the door, "I'll be here at eight."
That said, he left the cabin.
