Shattered

Percy

He somehow fought back a chuckle as the son of Hades fled from their room in his oversized hoodie with his face as red as a tomato.

"Bye Nico! Have a good day at school!" He called out, which was responded with the sound of Nico stumbling down the stairs. He cringed at the thought of Nico hurting himself. "And be careful! I would really like you to come back in one piece!"

Once again there was no response, other than the sound of the kitchen door slamming shut. Not that he was expecting one, because he was pretty sure he just blew Nico's mind. Sure, Nico had been a little upset about the mark he had left, but Nico's eyes couldn't hide just how turned on he was.

Yup, I did that, Percy thought with a smug smile as he reclined back into his bed, folding his newly unbandaged arms behind his head. Turning Nico into a drooling hot mess had to be his new favorite activity, and the way Nico would look at him only spurred him on to do it as many times a day as he could get away with!

Seriously! I never would have guessed that Nico liked to cuddle and is just so damn affectionate!

Percy felt bad, but he couldn't help but compare Nico to Annabeth. The only real similarities the two shared were the both cared deeply for him (he didn't want to say Nico loved him yet), they were both way more intelligent than him (even with him working his ass off now), and both had saved him more than he could count. Their differences were numerous, but there were a few that popped into his mind more than others. First of all, he found that Nico was definitely more patient with him than Annabeth when it came to helping him with his homework. Annabeth would try her best to explain it to him, but if he didn't get it immediately she would call him a seaweed brain and move on. Nico though would spend as long as it took for him to not only solve the problem, but to make sure he gained an understanding of the problem itself and how that problem could be used to solve other problems. Nico had one worked with him on the same math problem for three hours and not once did the younger teen get upset with him.

And that really meant a lot to him. More than he thought it would.

Second, he determined that while Annabeth was more outgoing and approachable when it came to people, Nico seemed to care more about people than he let on. Annabeth was definitely popular anywhere she went (because she was absolutely gorgeous) and would talk to anyone, but she would often forget they existed as soon as they left her field of vision. He knew it wasn't that Annabeth didn't care, it was just that she was often lost in her thoughts and kind of went on autopilot when talking to people, something that Piper had pointed out too. Nico though could remember the names and faces of everyone he ever talked to as well as what they talked about. One day while they were in bed Nico had wondered aloud if Steve's mom had given birth yet, to which he responded: who the Hades is Steve? Apparently they went to school with a Steve, who was in three of their classes, and he was due to be a big brother any day now. Nico had probably only spoken to the guy once, but yet he was concerned about the guy's family.

Third (and most importantly of all), was how Annabeth and Nico differed when it came to intimacy. With Annabeth she always had to take the lead, telling him how and where to kiss or touch her. The communication and direction was nice, and he did everything she told him because he loved her, but sometimes he just wanted to let loose and just show her up how much he really cared. Not that he would ever do anything without her consent, but he always thought that certain things should be spontaneous and natural, rather than planned out in advance.

(It may have also irked him a bit that the farthest he ever got with Annabeth was a little over the shirt groping. Especially when he learned that Leo and Calypso had only been together for like a month and the little elf had lost his virginity...)