HOO & PJO One-Shots

Pernico/Percico AU Part 2

Percy’s P.O.V

As I reached the stairwell, I turned back to make sure the younger boy was following. He was slowly shuffling towards me, elbows guarding his midsection. When my eyes trailed to his face I noticed the harsh pain in his facial expressions. He looked like glass, ready to shatter. I quickly backtracked to his position and slipped one arm under his elbow, and the other on his lower back to support him. I was expecting a little hesitation from him, a tensing of the muscles, but instead he leaned into my touch and let me support some of his weight. I couldn’t help but feel a little spurt of pride when I realized he must not feel as guarded around me anymore.

By the time we had climbed the stairs to the second level, the dark haired boy was looking more like a piece of paper than a human. I frantically fumbled with my keys, all the while trying to keep the pale boy upright. I let out a sigh of relief when I found the right key and unlocked the door. I led the younger boy to my couch, shutting the door with my foot in the process. He let out a few curse words as he lowered himself onto the cushions. I noticed a collection of sweat on his brow and immediately set out in search of a damp cloth. I entered the bathroom where I knew I would be able to find at least one clean towel, and was immediately reminded that I hadn’t cleaned in here in a while. There were bath towels strung out across the counter and dirty socks that I had managed to get what I had figured were ‘close enough’ to the laundry hamper at the time on the floor. Luckily, I was able to find a clean towel and held it under the faucet until it was sufficiently damp for my standards. Deciding to clean the room later, I closed the door behind me and headed back into the living room.  The boy had closed his eyes and let his head fall back to the backrest that happened to be too tall for him. The moment the damp towel came in contact with his skin his eyes flew open and he threw one arm in front of himself. I accidentally dropped the towel in my shock, and it landed on his face. I took a few cautious steps back as the startled boy removed the towel.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought a damp cloth would feel good seeing as you looked rather warm earlier.” I rambled, nervously.

“Thank you.” He said as he rearranged the towel to sit on his forehead rather than his nose. A quiet patch of time followed that was neither awkward nor uncomfortable. The silence would have continued if my ADHD mind could control itself. Out of nowhere a question came bursting out of my lips.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m Nico.” He replied before closing his eyes again.

“I’m Percy.” I tried to continue the conversation, but Nico wasn’t buying into the idea. He seemed to like the idea of a nap more than getting to know each other. Considering the ordeal of getting here, I figured it was probably better to let him have his rest.

******

The next morning I awoke to the sound of music. Blinking my eyes, I reached around for my phone thinking that my ringtone was going off. I found it wedged between the mattress and the bedframe, and flipped it open with blurry eyes. No new calls or texts. Funny, I was sure I heard music… As I put the old phone down on my nightstand, the music started up again. This time I was awake enough to distinguish that it was someone singing. Suddenly yesterday’s events flooded my memory. Nico! I flew out of bed and tugged some sweatpants and a t-shirt on before practically sprinting to the living room. At some point in the night, Nico must have shifted so that he was lying flat on the couch. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and up until the moment I had entered the room, was singing softly to himself. Looking over him I noticed he still hadn’t taken off his jacket.