A Black and White Rainbow (Percico) [Soulmates AU]

Chapter 5

'Who would really choose a daisy in a field of roses?'

 ― Unknown

Percy Jackson POV

It's been almost a whole year since I met Nico, I never thought I would be happy again yet here I am. I knocked on the door and clutched Nico's hand right after, the other hand tightened around a bottle of Merlot. The door opened seconds later and revealed a small girl about 4 years old, Estelle. Her brown hair was up in poofy pig-tails, hazel eyes sparkling with joy and mouth stretched into a large grin.
"Hey, little one..." I passed the bottle to Nico and went to hug my younger sister, who squealed and squirmed in my arms.
"I'm not wittle! You're a meanie, always saying I'm teeny!"

Nico giggled softly behind me and Estelle was alerted of his existence, wriggling out of my arms and hugging him. My lover blushed and gently caressed my sister's hair, squeezing her back.
Estelle giggled, "I've heard all about you from big meanie! He can't stop talking about you, you know!"
I turned around about to scowl at Estelle for revealing such things but stopped and turned red when I noticed Nico's smirk.

"Percy, is that so?" An eyebrow was cranked upwards and his eyes teased.
I mumbled out a soft, "Shut up."

"Why don't you come in? I'd like to know who's made my son happy again." A woman's voice interrupted Estelle and my Nico's giggling.
"Mother."
I had swung by just last week but Sally and I are so close, I would've lived with her forever. She was wearing a blue dress, wavy hair pulled back into a messy plait and pearly whites shining brightly. Paul Blofis, her husband, stood behind her on call and gave me a small smile when our eyes locked. I grinned back, watching as he ended his call and came round to hug my mother from behind. My biological father had died out at sea and when she married again, 8 years later, the guy ended up being abusive. Paul was the best father-figure I could ask for even if he'd only been around for 5 years, it was enough and I was glad my mom was finally happy.

"Brr, it's cold out there. Your mother's right, come in already!"

Estelle ran up to them, tucking herself between her parents and saying, "Ew!" as she did so.

I wrapped an arm around my soulmate and pecked him on the cheek quickly, "Mom...Dad... This is Nico, my soulmate."

We all gathered around the living room with Estelle on the floor playing with her race car track, Sally and Paul on the two-seater couch and Nico and I squeezed into the smaller one. The brunette was basically almost on top of me but I didn't mind. Resting my head on his shoulder and arms tightly woven around him, I could stay like this forever.

"Nico, tell me about yourself."
"Mom..." I warned her with my eyes not to push him, I'd already told her about his family circumstances.
"Financially, I'm doing enough. I don't have a car but I've got an apartment not far from here and I work at a restaurant/cafe just down the road from your place, actually. Education-wise... I'm in a tight spot. Back in Italy, I was in an orphanage for most of my life and they only taught us the basics of living. A bit of maths and a bit of English. It was here, 5 years ago in America, when I started teaching myself proper pronunciations and so on. My English is still rocky but that's because I couldn't afford to get into school, I didn't really have the qualifications either."
Paul spoke up, "Are you thinking about getting into it eventually? You're still young."
My lover nodded, "I'm in my early twenties and I've been taking free online courses but yes, I do plan on eventually going on toward an actual education."

They talked about the serious stuff and at some point I must have dozed off because soon I was awoken by my lover gently shaking me.
"Sally says it's time for lunch."
I groaned lightly, grabbing his face and kissing him deeply. He held me tight to him and I sighed into the kiss, rubbing my hands over his thighs. A cough startled us both, looking up we saw Paul smile before gesturing us over and into the dining room.