Nico had this unusual habit that consisted of walking down the alleyways in the middle of the night.

While the darkness hung in the cold air, lamp posts illuminated his path, tracing lines onto the sidewalk.

His shadows were the only things that walked with him.

*   *   *

Under the dim moonlight, the short boy with raven black hair marched along the sidewalks of his hometown's streets once again.  From others' perspectives, it seemed eerie, but Nico knew it was only thing that lulled him to sanity.

Since his sister Bianca died in a car accident, he turned grim and solitary from losing the only person who understood him. He didn't belong at his parents' side, who were always distant, or his friends' side, who were always befuddled by his behaviour. Sometimes, he wondered why people even bothered to stay with him.

He was such a complex person with unnatural characteristics that even his own biological sister didn't completely unravel his threads to understand him.

The only place he felt accepted was in the shadows of others where more people felt secluded, or the welcoming darkness of the night, where only the stars and the moon shone.

It was always reassuringly calm, away from the loud neighbourhood he grew up in. Nothing troubling ever happened. That was the reason Nico loved doing this so much.

Back there, near his house, car accidents and other horrible events happened way too often. Maybe it was because of all the drug dealers hiding in the alleyways. Or all the pubs and bars near the schools. His sister had been caught in the horrors of it. Because of that, Nico promised to himself to never feel accepted there, where pity was the only thing we was receiving.

Here, it was serenely troubling, yet mild.

But this night, for the first time in a blue moon, he was snatched out of his mysterious trance of self-pity and regret.

Interrupted from his thoughts, Nico glanced up from his feet and heard muffled sobs across from the other side of the road. There, he caught a glimpse of a handsome boy running wearily on the sidewalk, tears streaming down his face, dripping onto his black shirt. Sweat beaded on his forehead, indicating he was exhausted.

Nico wanted to do nothing more than wrap a cooling blanket around his shoulders and tell him everything would be okay.

The dazzling boy had jet black hair that shone in the cold starry night, buffeting across his face, swept to one side. His startling bright sea green eyes were clouded with tears, yet he still looked as mesmerising as ever. His body was probably carved by the hands of the gods themselves: muscular, toned and colored from a natural tan. His shallow breaths told Nico that he'd been running for a while already, and something told him that the guy usually didn't cry much. Under that miserable expression hid a curious risk-taker boy, always prepped for an adventure, always positive, always ready for more. The contrast made him strangely attractive, and the brown-eyed boy wanted to know more.

Needless to say, he took Nico's breath away. But seeing the teenager's face bathed in tears broke his heart. Wanting to help, he crossed the road to pause at the place where the crying boy stopped running to catch his uneven breath.

"Are you okay?", Nico asked, his voice unusually quiet and soft. The boy looked up, his eyes brimmed with tears. "Y-yeah..", he choked out, sliding down to sit on the sidewalk ground. "You obviously aren't.", Nico retorted, installing himself on the concrete ground as well.

As a nearby car passed by, the upset teenager introduced himself between several sniffles. "M-my name is P-Percy..."

Percy. What a beautiful name, thought Nico. 

As on cue, Percy awoke him from his deep thoughts. "You're Nico aren't you? I've seen you around school."

Taken aback, Nico nodded unsurely. He studied Percy's face, and all of a sudden he seemed familiar. He was the breathtaking guy from his Latin class the year before. But since at that moment he thought every boy was attractive, Percy didn't stand out to him. How ironic, he chuckled to himself.

"Why are you here anyways? You seem tired. Shouldn't you be asleep?", Percy inquired, raising an eyebrow. His voice interrupting Nico's thoughts, he spun his head around to face him.

The brown-eyed boy expected to feel angry. He usually would be snapping at him for trying to judge him. But Percy was different. How could he be hostile towards his angelic face?

Nico laughed bitterly, the sound without any trace of humour. "I could ask the same for you."

"Uhm, well, stuff happened. Don't really wanna talk about it.", the green-eyed boy replied, shuffling uncomfortably, his expression troubled.

The younger boy glanced at his unruly, unkempt hair. "You shouldn't keep a burden to yourself.", Nico advised. "It's better to open up to someone." 

Yet he felt self-conscious saying it. I really should stop saying advice that could apply to myself, he thought.

Percy ran his fingers through his tousled hair. Unsurely but confidently, he spoke up. "My girlfriend just broke up with me...", he breathed out, his voice dying out. It was obvious it took all of his self control to try hard not to cry again. 

Nico couldn't stand seeing him like this. He faintly remembered Annabeth, picturing the gorgeous yet frightening blonde girl with stormy grey eyes. He gritted his teeth thinking about her. How could he hurt him?

Putting his hand on Percy's shoulder, Nico's eyes grew slightly, he had surprised himself. He hates physical contact. Why was he touching him then?

Shuddering, Nico regained his composure. "Hey, it's okay. Go to your house and sleep. You really need rest.", he told him, trying to soothe out his words. Percy smiled warmly back at him, though Nico could tell it was forced. Yet it sent an electric current down Nico's spine, making his whole body tingle with anticipation.

"Will I see you again?" Percy asked. Surprised by the question, Nico leaned away from him. Then he reached in his pocket and took out a pen and piece of paper. Of course they were going to see each other again. Nico wanted to know more about him, his childlike curious instincts readying themselves. He scribbled something quickly on the paper and pressed it in Percy's palm.

"Maybe."

And with that, he was gone.

Hey guys! 

Another chapter for you cuz I'm home sick :)

Have a nice day/night!

Art: cinash

-drakonator