The Deep End

Chapter 10: Part 3

Percy
   Nico stood up coughing and spitting out water. He almost collapsed, as Percy went to grab his shoulder to hold him up his eyes fluttered shut. "Jason, can you go check if Leo has a spare set of clothes?" Jason nodded walking into the locker room. Nico was resting against the turquoise eyed boy. "Yeah there is some clothes in his locker," Jason smiled, "good thing he used his lock to make something else." Percy grabbed the towel from Jason and wrapped Nico up as he shivered and leaned into Percy's chest. "When he wakes up I'm gonna take him into the lockers and change him he seems to be nervous about his body, so just give us some space," Percy thought about it for a second, "do you think you could tell the attendance office I'm gonna take him to my house." Jason nodded before replying "I'm gonna go get those spare papers in the bottom." Percy just nodded as Jason plunged into the deep end.
         Nico
     As Nico opened his eyes the chlorine made his eyes feel as if there were needles poking at them, the taste of pool water stained his tongue, his breathing seemed ragged and uneven, but he was breathing, he looked up to see a certain black hair boy holding him. Percy looked down to see Nico's eyes open, Percy smiled and looked up, putting his chin on Nico's wet and messy hair.
Jason, popped up next to him, with a wad of paper in his hand, "I'm sorry Nico they are all ruined." Jason exclaimed his voice disappointed. Nico, on the other hand, was actually relieved. He didn't want Jason to see his mind on a sheet. "It's okay," Nico tried to say instead his voice cracked and he coughed, "Don't try speaking your lungs need a break," Percy sympathized, playing with Nico's hair in a calming motion, Nico relaxed under Percy's touch. "Come on let's get you into clean clothes, Jason checked Leo's locker and he has a spare pair set of clothes I'm sure he won't mind," Percy hummed, "can you stand?" Nico shook his head, in his mind he didn't know. Percy wrapped an arm around Nico's waist slowly standing up Nico's knees felt weak as he wobbled for the first two steps. Percy just tightened his grip on the boy, and basically carried him into the locker room.
"Can you lift your arms up?" Nico titled his head up, and down as he weakly stretched his hands up, "how about your legs?" Nico made a panicked look and shook his head, "Nico I need to get you out of these clothes or you could get pneumonia," Percy pleaded. In his head Nico was thinking he'd rather suffer with the sickness. No one, and he meant no one had seen the thin lines that tattooed his pale skin. Until now.
Percy undid the studded belt that wrapped around Nico's slightly feminine hips. Percy didn't say anything when he saw the old scars that littered his thighs too his waist. In fact, his face did not move, he was emotionless as he turned the water onto heat and ran his hands through Nicos jet black hair. Nico had never felt so exposed. There he sat in nothing, but some black and grey boxer briefs that were doused in water. His paleness was almost blinding, his brain just kept judging his thighs, which he thought were too fat and gross.
His mean thoughts were soon washed away when Percy started to run his fingers through his hair. It was so relaxing. Nico struggling with keeping his hormones in check throughout this process as Percy started to wash his skin with soap. Nico didn't mind when Percy skipped washing his thighs and skipped to his calves.In truth Nico liked how he didn't pay much attention to his thighs, to Nico it was a sensitive place and Percy was wary of that.
"I don't think you'll like this part," Percy said on guard, "so you don't have another pair of briefs, so we have to take them off and dry them on the hand dryers," Nico instantly blushed, "Wouldn't it be gross to hold my underwe-" Nico coughed. Percy shook his head, "I used to do this a lot when me and Leo were sopohmores the seniors would take his clothes and throw them in the pool because he was short no one thought he'd be good on the team, he proved them wrong, I swear that kid is a fish." Nico nodded his head took a shirt and proceeded to walk into the bathroom stalls which Percy understood completely. Nico threw the yellow shirt on, and stripped himself of the soggy clothes and threw them over the door. He could hear Percy wring them out and the water crash on the floor. Nico was cold to say the least. He was embarrassed, he was bare, and uncovered. All he could do was wish he was under his thick blanket, music playing through his earbuds, and door locked away with the rest of the world. He tried so hard to blend in, not be seen, but he felt as if he was forced onto a stage completely naked, and half of that is true. Not only is it a stage, but his crush of over a year. He was happy Percy is so caring or he would start strangling himself with the toilet paper, and the restrooms were relatively clean.
He heard the hand dryer finally turn off and Percy's voice, "They aren't the driest, but I think you don't want to sit there any longer." Percy's hand appeared over the door holding a semi-dry pair of boxer brief, "Thanks," Nico stuttered. Most people would probably be able to talk normally, but Nico was still stuttering. He assumed it was because he barely talked as is, near-drowning would have affected it somehow.
Nico excited the cubicle, then just as fast turned around and threw up into the toilet. He could feel Percy pull his bangs out of his face, as he disposed of everything in his stomach, which wasn't much besides chlorine filled water. "Disgorging, a side effect of near-drowning," Percy stated, "sadly you might be like this for a little longer, other side effects include rapid heartbeat and breathing, you sounded pretty bad, but you've calmed down a lot," Percy grabbed Nico's wrist and pressed to check his pulse, like he thought it was increased, "you need to eat we can stop by mcdonalds on our way home." "Home?" "Oh, hell yeah you are gonna keep throwing up man, you need some food, or even at least clean water in your system, plus class started like 15 minutes ago," "But the project." Nico protested, "Jason already told attendance we went home sick. Come on we can sneak out the back," Nico sighed in submission and went to put the rest of the clothes on. "Also you might just wanna wear the hoodie," Percy said pointing to the puke stained shirt that Nico was wearing. Nico, with his dignity already in shambles just stribbed his shirt and threw it in the bag with the rest of his clothes, sadly including Percy's shirt. "Ready?" Nico just nodded.
The boys snuck around the halls trying not be seen by hall monitors, or any teachers. When the excited the building the cold attacked them more than they were expecting. Nico who was only wearing a thin hoodie started shaking. Percy instantly took off his jacket and placed it around Nicos shoulder, Nico looked up at Percy asking why, "Your heart rate is already way too high, if your cold your heart rate will sustain, and you will be making too much blood, you'll hyperventilate, and might pass out," Nico was impressed with his medical knowledge, "homeostasis man."
Percy being the gentleman he is opened the door for Nico, then jogged over to his side were he entered the cold truck. With Nico still shivering Percy reached behind him pulling the blanket off the backseat, and throwing it on the boy.
         Percy started the car, at first he heard Nico shutter as the heat wouldn't come out, but when the heating finally did come on, the boy sighed, Nico tried his best to keep his breathing stable by doing his breathing exercises his old therapist taught him.
    Nico leaned his head in his hand as Percy drove out the school parking lot and into the busy streets of New York. Nico couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't remember what happened when he fell into the water. He remember the boys going to take showers, and that's all. He heard the music play quietly he hummed along the tune and looked over to see a Percy focused on the road. The sirens in the distance, the car alarms, and horns actually made Percy relaxed. White noise clouded his mind as he made his way to mcdonalds and then home, it seemed like a good idea instead of school.
    Percy couldn't help it, he glanced at Nico in the reflection of the window. Nico looked outside of the moving vehicle. In Percy's eyes Nico was just this small kid he needed to protect. He didn't understand, but he felt as if he need to take care of him. To him it was like a man with maternal instinct. Truly, and although he may not realize it they were feelings of affection and adoration.