"Thanks for the ride," Nico told his boyfriend, and he gave him a chaste kiss.

He felt his warm hand on his hip as the kiss deepened. His fingers teased the hem of his work shirt before it glided up his side, sending tingles up Nico's spine.

"No, Octavian, I'm dirty," he told him. "It was a gross day today. I need to shower."

He gave an indignant hum in response. "I don't care."

His lips moved to the pale skin of his neck. It kind of tickled.

"Octavian!" he almost shrieked, a smile finding its way onto his lips. His head tilted to the side to acquiesce his actions. "Seriously. Let me go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Octavian pouted slightly. Nico kissed his lips.

"Promise."

Octavian smiled and kissed him a couple more times before Nico drew away and left for his apartment.

"Bye!" he called.

Octavian waved and waited for Nico to disappear in the building. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts before bringing it to his ear. A coy smirk pulled at his thin lips as he waited for him to pick up.

"Dakota? Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. Wait for me, all right?"

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Percy pulled his shoes onto his socked feet sluggishly.

The first person in years he had shown interest in had a boyfriend. What were the chances of that? He was going to back off, of course, but it was kind of going to suck being reminded that he was the cutest person ever, but completely and totally unavailable.

Well, it was like they always said: all the cute guys were either taken or gay. Fortunately and unfortunately for him, Nico was both.

He shook his head. He was caught in the throes of self pity, and no self-respecting Jackson would be caught in that sort of state. He stood to grab his jacket and set off for work.

He waved to his mother, who stood on the third floor balcony—a place that his father and he dubbed "the Jungle" due to all the plants and greenery that were strewn all over it—before opening the garage, climbing into his Corvette, and pulling out of the driveway. He hoped that traffic at the gas station wasn't too heavy that day.

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Percy replaced the missing Coke cans in their racks. His fingers were feeling stiff, but it was just as Nico said: avoiding people was what hiding out in the cooler was for. He was lost in his vast world of thought.

He still wanted him, but he had to let go. Even if he was a gorgeous, funny, smart, adorable Italian boy that talked with his hands and yelled at everyone to shut up whenever an Elton John song came on, he had a boyfriend. He couldn't have him, even if he wanted him more than anything. He was butt-hurt about it, so he did what anyone would do: he avoided him like the plague. He hoped he didn't notice. He'd only known him for a few days, but he had fallen in too deep. There was no hope for redemption.

A click of the cooler door opening brought him back to reality, and he looked up to see him. The person he wanted to see the least at the moment. Nico brushed a strand of dark hair out of his chocolate eyes and cast a small smile at him.

He looked slightly upset, but Percy couldn't imagine why. He didn't say anything to him; he just turned back to what he was doing.

"Are you avoiding me?" Nico spoke up, breaking the palpable silence.

Percy looked at him cluelessly and lied through his teeth. "No. Why?"

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It just seemed like you were. Are you mad at me, for some reason?"

Percy shook his head. "No," he said in a light tone.

"Ok."

The room was engulfed in silence once more as they continued to fill in the empty spaces and stacked the unnecessary totes that once held various drinks.

Percy tried his best to pretend the object of his thoughts wasn't standing right next to him, but his insides were aching, his limbs yearning to touch him. He let his sensibility take over, and he left Nico alone in the cooler.

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

It occurred to Nico that Percy was uncomfortable around him several times. He used to be merely nervous, but now he scarcely spoke to him, let alone stand in the same room with him for more than five minutes. He wondered if Percy felt uncomfortable with his sexuality, because he knew Percy saw him kiss Octavian the other night. He shook his head. He knew that wasn't the case. He was sweet, really. Now, he just acted coldly to him. He tensed up around him, as if Nico's mere presence disturbed him.

He sighed despondently as Percy went outside.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think Percy's avoiding me?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but he is acting differently."

Nico's gaze remained on the door Percy had left out of. "I don't know."

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Nico opened the door to his apartment soporifically. He ignored his cat brushing up against his shins and made a beeline to the couch. He plopped down unceremoniously and buried his face in his hands.

Octavian and he fought again.

It was about stupid stuff, as usual. Octavian wanted sex, but he felt he wasn't emotionally prepared. Octavian thought it meant he didn't care about him. They yelled back and forth at each other until Nico got out of his stupid car and slammed the door behind him, storming off into his apartment building. He didn't know if he wanted to throw something or cry.

Octavian called him a slut. A whore. He thought he was seeing someone else, that was why he didn't want to sleep with him. It was the furthest thing from true. He loved Octavian. He would never do anything to hurt him like that. He just didn't have it in him. He would hate himself forever if he ever brought himself to cheat on him.

He forced the tears back as he felt another presence on the couch with him. He looked up to see Samuel, purring loudly. He rubbed his head against his hand almost pleadingly.

"Sorry, Kitty," Nico apologized. "I let my relationship drama get in the way of your food, huh?"

With great effort, he stood up on his sore feet and trudged to the kitchen to fill the cat's bowl.

Samuel looked up at him expectantly.

"What? There's your food."

He meowed. Nico rolled his eyes with an adoring smile and kneeled down to pet him. Samuel began to eat the kibble, purring slightly and lifting his butt in the air whenever Nico's palm reached his tail.

"I know, Kitty. I love you more than anyone, I promise."

Samuel seemed satisfied with that.

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Nico had been back in the cooler for awhile, now, and Percy had begun to worry. What if he fell and broke something? Or what if he was lying unconscious on the floor?

Percy rushed back and checked on him, but he was merely restocking the glass bottle Starbucks coffees. He sighed in relief.

"Hey," he said, catching Nico's attention. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, albeit distractedly. "Yeah, I'm ok. Why?"

"I dunno. You've just been back here for awhile. You usually have a super psychic sense whenever an Elton John song comes on."

He perked up at that. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked as he tore past Percy and out into the store.

Percy smiled adoringly as he watched him leave the cooler. There was obviously something bothering him, but he knew he didn't possess the mental strength to ask him what.

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Of all the people to roam around the store, the last person Nico would suspect would be Poseidon Jackson, the C.E.O of Jackson Oil Company, primped up in his sleek suit. He tried to help him as much as he could without being a nuisance. If he got a good review on their Google page from a man of such high caliber, he'd get a raise, for sure, but he tended to speak with Percy a lot, as if he knew him somehow. No doubt Percy was related to, or at least well-acquainted with some rich people; the $70,000 car sitting behind the store was proof of that. It was a wonder no one tried to steal it yet, with it sitting out in the open, susceptible and vulnerable.

After the tycoon left, Nico approached his coworker.

"Do you know him?"

"Oh, yeah." Percy waved it off. "He's my dad."

Nico felt as if his jaw dropped to the floor. Percy was a fucking millionaire! What the hell was he doing at a gas station?!

Percy laughed slightly. "Oh, come on, is it really that surprising?"

Annabeth seemed to be in the same boat as Nico.

"What the hell are you doing here, then?" Annabeth asked.

He laughed slightly. "I wrecked my car, a little. He said I had to pay for it myself, so I applied here." Because of Nico. He quickly relinquished that thought. "Surprise."

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

"I'm sorry, baby," Octavian's voice said over a voicemail Nico previously chose to ignore. It was a moment of weakness when he decided to open it. "I didn't mean all those things. I guess I'm just... frustrated, you know? I love you, you know that. You're my baby. I know you'd never cheat on me. Just call me back, okay?" Beep. Message end.

It churned Nico's insides. He knew he couldn't stay mad at him. He reached for his phone on the coffee table to call Octavian and invite him over, but it began to vibrate.

He checked to see who called. It was an unknown caller. Nico thought it to be a telemarketer, but he answered the call, anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nico. It's Percy," said the voice from the other side. His voice sounded deeper, somehow. Sweeter.

Nico smiled against his volition.

"I just wanted you to know that this is my number. Call me whatever you want on your contacts."

"Ok, sounds fine."

They talked for a little while longer until he forgot all about Octavian's saccharine apology voicemail.

The next morning, Percy received a text.

Nico: Good morning.

Nico: You've recently been granted the title of "Big Money Mama💰." Do with it what you will.

Percy laughed for a solid five minutes. He had fallen for a complete dork, but he stopped to remind himself that he couldn't love him. It was against the unspoken Coworker Code.

Despite that, he changed Nico's contact name to "❤️Nics❤️."

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

Nico and his boyfriend were having a shouting match outside. Annabeth looked concerned, but she remained behind the till, waiting for it to be over. If the manager uttered even one word about it being bad for business, she vowed to punch him in his goddamn teeth. It was almost 10 o'clock. No one reasonable came in at this time, anyway. They were having a rough patch, and Nico's mental health was more important than catering to a couple of strangers who just came in to use the bathroom.

Percy tried to follow suit, to ignore it and carry on with his job. He tried his best not to eavesdrop—it wasn't his business, but some things that this guy said to Nico made him want to interfere. No, it made him want to want to run him over with his Corvette, but he already had one damaged car. Nico's boyfriend's guts wouldn't make very good decals. But if he called Nico a slut one more fucking time, he was going to have to reconsider.

Vehicular manslaughter wasn't high on Percy's priority list, especially considering his status, but it was steadily climbing with every insult and rude thing he said.

As the douchebag walked away, Nico was left sobbing on the bench outside the door. He waited for Nico to calm down slightly. It was hell seeing him being torn down like this, but if he was going to comfort him, he needed to wait.

Once his sobbing subsided, Percy opened the glass door to sit beside him.

"Please, just go away, Perce. I can't right now." His voice was hoarse from crying.

"Either let me comfort you, or I'm going to punch his teeth in. I know it's none of my business, but I need an outlet, here."

Nico began to cry again. He allowed Percy to hold him and buried his face in his shoulder, wetting his shoulder of his shirt with his tears. Percy told himself he would never let anyone hurt Nico like this again, boyfriend or not.

A few minutes came and went, and Nico leaned his forehead against Percy's shoulder. Percy knew he had to say something—anything to break the morose silence.

"You're important to me, you know," Percy told him, in a tone barely louder than a whisper.

Nico remained quiet.

"I hate seeing you like this. You deserve better. You know you do."

Nico picked at the chipped, red paint of the wooden bench.

The moon shone down on his pale, freckled face as he tried to conjure up a response. "I know. I don't know why... He says he doesn't mean the things he says to me. But he keeps saying the same things again and again." Nico sniffled. "Sometimes it feels like he means it. I'm not..."

Percy tightened his arm around his shoulder and shook his head. "You deserve so much better than this, Neeks."

Nico nodded, leaning further into his friend's hold. He let him comfort him. It felt...nice.

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

Nico considered it before shaking his head and standing. "No." He wiped away his tears with the pads of his fingers and sniffled. "I'm okay. We can finish up the bathrooms and maybe the graveyard shift guys will show up early."

Percy cast a gentle smile at him. "Okay."

.・ ゜゜・・ ゜゜・．

For the remainder of the shift, everyone tiptoed around Nico. Even the manager had some decency to acknowledge that he was upset and the littlest thing could set him off and cause a mental breakdown. Soon, the bathrooms were spotless and the graveyard shift guys showed up.

"Do you need a ride home?" Percy asked Nico, knowing that the shabby, golden car would not show up in the parking lot that night. Even if it did, Percy hoped he would sit there for hours until he realized Nico wasn't going to come out.

Nico pondered it before nodding and following him to his expensive car.

He never really had a chance to fully observe it until he stood beside it. It was beautiful, like a regal stallion waiting patiently for him to ride. The smooth leather interior was comfortable beneath him as Percy turned the key in the ignition, and the car roared to life. Nico felt excitement swell in his stomach, his sadness forgotten, if only for a brief moment.

They turned out of the parking lot and zoomed down the nearly empty streets with a satisfying speed. Nico closed his eyes and leaned back into the cushioned seats, allowing adrenaline to course through his veins. He felt alive.

Percy switched on his radio to appease the silence of the car. He selected a song that he knew Nico adored.

The familiar piano chords struck, and Nico was suddenly alert.

"When are you going to come down? When are you going to land?"

"I love this song," Nico grinned.

"I know."

Nico hummed along to the song as they drove down the streets.

"So, up the street, here?"

"No, the next one over."

"Okay."

He pulled to a stop at Nico's modest apartment building.

The song came to an end, and the two of them sat in silence until Nico spoke up.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Anytime."

"No, I mean... I mean, for everything. It meant a lot to me. I hope you know that."

"I do."

Nico smiled slightly. Suddenly, his insides swelled, and he did something he never thought he was capable of. He unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned in, and gave Percy a quick, chaste peck on the cheek. Immediately, he felt embarrassed and climbed out of the car.

Percy sat there in silence, trying to process what had occurred. A jolt of happiness surged through him as he gave a brief laugh of incredulity. He realized Nico had left the car and he burst the door open. He still had to ask him something.

"Wait, Nico!"

He turned quickly, his hand on the handle of the door. "Yes?"

"Should I come pick you up tomorrow?"

He gave it a little thought before answering, "Sure. Is 1:30 okay?"

Percy coughed nervously. "Y-Yeah, sure."

Nico smiled. "Okay. See you then."

He disappeared in his apartment building and left Percy outside. He lingered out there for a brief moment to let it all sink in before silently celebrating. He hopped back in his car and took off down the street.

Nico watched him leave from his living room window. He was driving a little faster than he probably should have been, but he wasn't concerned.

He smiled to himself. He knew he was a terrible person for not being completely devastated. His 6-month long (and longest-lasting) relationship with Octavian had pretty much ended, but he only felt a little sad. He supposed Percy was a worthy distraction from his sadness. He gave him something to feel excited about. He made him feel cared for, which was a lot more than Octavian had made him feel in a long time. Maybe he didn't love Octavian that much, after all. Percy was right—he was a fucking douchebag. He deserved better than him. Perhaps Percy meant himself by that, but Nico didn't mind if he did.

He fed his cat, did his dishes more energetically than usual, did his usual bathroom routine, and threw himself onto his bed. As he folded his glasses and placed them on the nightstand, he counted down the hours until Percy would pick him up the next day. 13 hours, 28 minutes. He couldn't wait.