igrab
in
grabi_hands
All Those Blank Spaces
Percy/Nico . 1,003 words . PG . Happy Birthday, Percy Jackson.
Once upon a time (because all the best stories begin like that), there was a balcony, two demigods, and blue cake.
Don't like that story?
Fine, fine, I see how it is! Let's try this again.
Once upon a time, there was a balcony, and a plant, and a really sexy demigod.
Right, and Percy Jackson.
Whoever that guy is.
+
Nico fell over laughing, because Percy was shoving at him, red in the face and wounded in manly pride. Nico didn't have any manly pride left. If he'd ever had any. "Hey, you wanted a story," he pointed out, waving a plastic fork in Percy's general direction.
"I want a real story. Something you've never told anyone before."
Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Are we girls?"
Percy shoved at him again. "Shut up, it's my birthday."
"Actually, it's - " he checked his watch. "Two hours and eight minutes past your birthday. But we can be girls for your birthday, if that's what you want."
"Shut up!"
+
All right, so. Once upon a time, there was... a manticore. He was actually a french teacher, or, I guess, the french teacher was actually the manticore. Anyway, there was a boy and a girl, and they were scared shitless, but -
Well, how else can I put it?
A hero came to save them.
+
"Stop that," Percy moaned, pushing Nico's skinny legs with his feet. "You're making me embarrassed."
Nico threw up his hands. "I can't win, can I? I'm either going to compliment you or make fun of you, okay, there is no middle option."
Percy went, if possible, even redder. "...And anyway, I was there, I know what happened."
"Yeah," Nico said, his eyes oddly bright behind overgrown bangs. "You were."
They both shifted in their places, sprawled out over Percy's bed with paper plates balanced on their knees. All that was left now were a few smears of blue icing; and those wouldn't last, soon to be chased down by hungry boyfingers.
"My whole life revolves around you," Nico said suddenly, into the quiet. He didn't care that he was being mushy - no one was around anyway, and sometimes, only the truth would do. "I can't think of anything significant in my life that didn't happen with you, or because of you, or for you. You're kind of everything to me." His fingers skated across the plate, lapping up the blue, until he stuck them in his mouth and flicked his dark eyes up to meet Percy's own.
Percy looked like he didn't know what to say; or rather, that he did, but he felt like he couldn't, like the breath had just stopped somewhere in his chest cavity and all the words were caught in a pile-up in the back of his throat.
"I'll tell you a story I've never told anyone before, but you're not allowed to stop me," Nico said.
Percy nodded.
+
Once upon a time, I'd just found out that the one person I cared about, the one person I gave a shit about in this stupid world - well, that person had a destiny. And, to fulfil this destiny, he'd have to do something... dangerous.
Not dangerous like battle a hundred dragons, or walk through Baltimore alone after midnight. I mean... dangerous like...
+
"Like taking a dip in the Styx, I get it," Percy cut in.
"Shut up, this is my story. You don't get a say." But he smiled; Percy was right.
+
And all I could think was - I have to tell him this. This is my lot in life, to tell him what to do, to - to sit there, on the shore, to guide my hero to what I always knew he was meant for. To make him great, because I know he can be.
So I went to his house and I stood on the balcony and I - I couldn't do it, I couldn't walk in the door. He looked so happy, so whole, with his brother and his mom and his dad and his other dad, it was just. I couldn't do it.
He came outside and I hid in the shadows, waited for the right moment. I had to do this. I told myself I had to do this, for him.
+
"For you, Percy Jackson. Always for you."
Percy wasn't red, now, he wasn't embarrassed, he'd moved beyond that. His eyes were wide and honest; open, and his lips twisted with that tiny, perfect smile that meant his heart was full to bursting and he could only hold out so long. Nico loved that look.
"And then you got distracted," he whispered.
Nico grinned, ruefully. "Then I got distracted."
+
It was the stupidest thing. I'd seen the cake before, just minutes ago, inside - but there was a piece of it, just sitting there, and I couldn't help - I knew he didn't know I was coming, but some part of me couldn't help but wonder if it was mine.
+
"And it was." Percy leaned in and swept his thumb along Nico's bottom lip - caught a bit of frosting that he'd missed, then smiled and licked it clean. "That's how it happens, sometimes. There's something in our life that we don't even understand, we don't even realize what it is or why we did it - until the right person comes along and fits in all those blank spaces."
Nico touched the side of Percy's face, then slid down to cup the base of his neck. "I haven't gotten to the best part yet."
"Really? And what's that?"
+
And they lived happily ever after.
if you liked this, you may like:
This Treaty of Inviolable Friendship . Immortality
Once upon a time (because all the best stories begin like that), there was a balcony, two demigods, and blue cake.
Don't like that story?
Fine, fine, I see how it is! Let's try this again.
Once upon a time, there was a balcony, and a plant, and a really sexy demigod.
Right, and Percy Jackson.
Whoever that guy is.
+
Nico fell over laughing, because Percy was shoving at him, red in the face and wounded in manly pride. Nico didn't have any manly pride left. If he'd ever had any. "Hey, you wanted a story," he pointed out, waving a plastic fork in Percy's general direction.
"I want a real story. Something you've never told anyone before."
Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Are we girls?"
Percy shoved at him again. "Shut up, it's my birthday."
"Actually, it's - " he checked his watch. "Two hours and eight minutes past your birthday. But we can be girls for your birthday, if that's what you want."
"Shut up!"
+
All right, so. Once upon a time, there was... a manticore. He was actually a french teacher, or, I guess, the french teacher was actually the manticore. Anyway, there was a boy and a girl, and they were scared shitless, but -
Well, how else can I put it?
A hero came to save them.
+
"Stop that," Percy moaned, pushing Nico's skinny legs with his feet. "You're making me embarrassed."
Nico threw up his hands. "I can't win, can I? I'm either going to compliment you or make fun of you, okay, there is no middle option."
Percy went, if possible, even redder. "...And anyway, I was there, I know what happened."
"Yeah," Nico said, his eyes oddly bright behind overgrown bangs. "You were."
They both shifted in their places, sprawled out over Percy's bed with paper plates balanced on their knees. All that was left now were a few smears of blue icing; and those wouldn't last, soon to be chased down by hungry boyfingers.
"My whole life revolves around you," Nico said suddenly, into the quiet. He didn't care that he was being mushy - no one was around anyway, and sometimes, only the truth would do. "I can't think of anything significant in my life that didn't happen with you, or because of you, or for you. You're kind of everything to me." His fingers skated across the plate, lapping up the blue, until he stuck them in his mouth and flicked his dark eyes up to meet Percy's own.
Percy looked like he didn't know what to say; or rather, that he did, but he felt like he couldn't, like the breath had just stopped somewhere in his chest cavity and all the words were caught in a pile-up in the back of his throat.
"I'll tell you a story I've never told anyone before, but you're not allowed to stop me," Nico said.
Percy nodded.
+
Once upon a time, I'd just found out that the one person I cared about, the one person I gave a shit about in this stupid world - well, that person had a destiny. And, to fulfil this destiny, he'd have to do something... dangerous.
Not dangerous like battle a hundred dragons, or walk through Baltimore alone after midnight. I mean... dangerous like...
+
"Like taking a dip in the Styx, I get it," Percy cut in.
"Shut up, this is my story. You don't get a say." But he smiled; Percy was right.
+
And all I could think was - I have to tell him this. This is my lot in life, to tell him what to do, to - to sit there, on the shore, to guide my hero to what I always knew he was meant for. To make him great, because I know he can be.
So I went to his house and I stood on the balcony and I - I couldn't do it, I couldn't walk in the door. He looked so happy, so whole, with his brother and his mom and his dad and his other dad, it was just. I couldn't do it.
He came outside and I hid in the shadows, waited for the right moment. I had to do this. I told myself I had to do this, for him.
+
"For you, Percy Jackson. Always for you."
Percy wasn't red, now, he wasn't embarrassed, he'd moved beyond that. His eyes were wide and honest; open, and his lips twisted with that tiny, perfect smile that meant his heart was full to bursting and he could only hold out so long. Nico loved that look.
"And then you got distracted," he whispered.
Nico grinned, ruefully. "Then I got distracted."
+
It was the stupidest thing. I'd seen the cake before, just minutes ago, inside - but there was a piece of it, just sitting there, and I couldn't help - I knew he didn't know I was coming, but some part of me couldn't help but wonder if it was mine.
+
"And it was." Percy leaned in and swept his thumb along Nico's bottom lip - caught a bit of frosting that he'd missed, then smiled and licked it clean. "That's how it happens, sometimes. There's something in our life that we don't even understand, we don't even realize what it is or why we did it - until the right person comes along and fits in all those blank spaces."
Nico touched the side of Percy's face, then slid down to cup the base of his neck. "I haven't gotten to the best part yet."
"Really? And what's that?"
+
And they lived happily ever after.
if you liked this, you may like:
This Treaty of Inviolable Friendship . Immortality