Alone Again (Percico/Pernico AU)

Chapter 60

Hello, dear readers. Since I'm a sucker for perfect numbers, this is our last chapter together. I'll write an epilogue for this story, but this is the end of our journey together. Hope you enjoy what I've managed to scrape together after this chaotic mess of a fic.

He walked to his car in blissful silence.
*****

"And if you even come close to hurting him, I'll make you regret being born. Got it?"

Percy blinked twice at Thalia, a bit confused when she switched from her vicious state to being friendly immediately after her speech. Nico sighed at her, quite honestly wishing they'd just gone to Percy's place.

It'd been three months since their first dinner date, and they'd been officially dating for two and a half of those months. Nico thought he might have gotten away with not listening to Thalia's protective sister speech. How wrong he was, apparently.

Soon after her lecture, Thalia left Nico and Percy alone while she went to work. Jason was at Leo's, and Nico was just glad to have a moment of quiet with his boyfriend.

Soon, the green-eyed boy had his arm lazily draped around Nico's shoulders as the shorter boy typed up an essay that was due the next morning. Percy watched Nico's features shift and furrow as he concentrated, not bothering to even try reading the words on the screen with his dyslexia.

Initially, Percy was always so caught up in how kind and understanding Nico had been that he barely noticed or even cared what the boy looked like. Now, though, he'd realized how gorgeous the younger boy was. His brown eyes were constantly swirling with emotions and the bridge of his nose curved nearly perfectly. His dark hair complemented his pale and incredibly clear complexion.

Percy smiled to himself. He'd accidentally scored perhaps the most attractive person he'd laid eyes on.

"Take a picture," Nico muttered, feeling the boy's eyes trained on him, "it'll last longer."

Percy rolled his eyes, lightly flicking the side of Nico's head. He received an evil glare in response before Nico quickly returned to his assignment.

A few minutes later, Percy readjusted himself to lean his head on Nico's shoulder. The shorter boy kept his attention on his computer but ran a gentle hand through the Percy's hair after he was situated.

"You're beautiful," Percy muttered under his breath, closing his eyes.

Nico tensed, the blood rushing to his face. "Well, I don't know if I'd say beaut–"

Percy shushed him before he could finish. "Let me compliment you, stupid."

The brown-eyed boy nodded in response, quietly thanking Percy before resuming his fast typing. He knew he was going to regret procrastinating on it...

The two basked in the peaceful atmosphere, the silence only interrupted by the quick clicks of Nico's keyboard. Neither made an effort to do something more exciting, for they both rather enjoyed just being in each other's presence. Nico had never been one for noise in the first place, and Percy was grateful that time seemed to slow down when it was quiet. The world felt more still, and he felt like he has more control when there was no outside noise to influence him.

Nico typed out his concluding sentence before shutting the laptop and finally relaxing with his boyfriend. He felt Percy's arms wrap securely around him, and he accepted his fate of being stuck there for a while. For someone who avoided physical touch with pretty much everyone he met, the boy sure enjoyed holding Nico and vice versa.

"Percy?" Nico spoke quietly.

"Hm?"

The younger boy sighed, "When are you going back to school?"

Percy shrugged. He planned to go back soon, but he just hadn't put any effort in at the time. He'd been working at some retail shop down the street from his apartment with Grover to save some money before returning to his education. "Eventually."

"That's a terrible answer," Nico said, giving the faintest smile, even with the hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I have to pay this thing called rent," Percy retaliated playfully.

Nico just rolled his eyes. "I get it, I get it. You're a responsible adult."

"I'd hardly say responsible," Percy replied, smiling at the thought of him being so. He'd never been one for following rules.

Without a witty remark to make, Nico decided against responding. He knew Percy was responsible enough, even if the green-eyed boy himself didn't agree.

"Hey, Nico?" Percy spoke again, much more timidly this time around.

Nico's stomach dropped in concern. Percy usually only used that tone of voice when things had gone horribly wrong.

Taking a deep breath, he acknowledged Percy's greeting, "Yeah?"

There was a long pause, and Nico was starting to think something had happened and the other boy didn't want to talk about it. He knew Percy would bottle it up if Nico let him go, but he couldn't exactly force the boy to tell him, either. The pit in his stomach grew with his nervousness as seconds passed.

"I love you," Percy whispered to Nico.

All the fear Nico had created within the few previous moments diminished. His panic transformed into satisfaction as his heart melted at the cliché three words. Percy had been cautious of saying the so-called "L word" throughout his life, not wishing to express emotions he never really felt. This, though, he knew was different.

Nico tilted his head towards the other boy and pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss. He made sure Percy's eyes were on him when he repeated the statement back. "And I love you."

Percy nodded as the tension left his muscles and he released a sigh of relief. Nico smiled softly at him.

"Are your friends going to threaten me like Thalia did to you now?" Nico poked his boyfriend's arm.

"My friends are juvenile delinquents and Grover Underwood," Percy reminded him as if Nico wasn't already aware, "All of them are more likely to threaten me first."

"I don't know," Nico replied, "I think Clarisse would beat me up, honestly."

Percy scoffed playfully. "She wishes she was actually cruel enough to do that."

The two stayed on that couch for a few more hours, exchanging stories and other conversations. They impulsively planned a date for that weekend, deciding they'd make up the details as they went.

Eventually, Percy needed to leave to get dinner before going to work. He reluctantly collected his things and put his shoes on, meeting Nico at the front door to say goodbye. They bid adieu with another quick kiss and waved obnoxiously at each other down the hallway until Percy reached the elevator.

"I love you," Nico called out the hall as the elevator doors opened.

Percy turned to meet his eyes with a bright smile, one that struck Nico's stomach with butterflies. "I love you, too! Don't miss me too much, di Angelo."

"Miss you? Never."

Percy flipped him off, stepping into the elevator and letting the doors shut in front of him. He leaned against the wall after pressing the ground floor's button. Percy didn't know how or why he'd done it, but Nico di Angelo had wormed his way into the boy's life. Now, it was obvious to Percy that he'd been there for quite some time. Once again, his lips curved upwards in a smile that he couldn't prevent.

He was happy.

Hello, everybody. I've left a longer note for those of you that are confused, unsatisfied, etc. in the next part as an author's note. It includes more information about an upcoming percico story (one that will be much better written) and has a thank you for all of you.

Hope you enjoyed. Love y'all.