Hm.

Nico looked at his reflection, watching closely how his bedraggled dark brown hair stuck up in a a million tiny spikes. He felt a giggle bubble up in his stomach and had the unexplainable urge to laugh.

It was weird, he thought. To feel happy and bubbly all the time. Was this how Percy felt when he woke up in the morning?

Despite the untold, silent grounding he got from his parents, he felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders had took flight and soared far, far away.

And even if he tried, he could not remember what had happened on the rooftop with that damned green-eyed boy— all of his attempts were futile.

He sighed, brushing the messy bangs out of his startling bright brown eyes. Hoping he looked presentable enough, Nico pulled on a black hoodie with white writing down the sleeves, along with his go-to jeans. He smiled. At least his recent change hadn't taken away his unhealthy obsession with black clothes.

Grabbing his bag and phone, Nico walked out of his room, welcoming the sunlight with open arms.

As he seated himself at the breakfast table, his father sipped his coffee. "Good morning, Nico." he said, looking up. "Hi, Dad." he smiled back.

"Woah. You look really happy today. Any reason? It's supposed to be Monday!" Hades di Angelo chuckled, watching his son's face light up like a Christmas tree. 

Feeling blush bloom on his cheeks, Nico rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Um, right, haha—"

"Is it a lad?" his father interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Why did everyone know how to do that except him?

"Dad!" Nico felt himself going red. "No one even says lad anymore!"

"Ah, so it is a lad." he grinned.

The brown-eyed boy groaned, scrunching up his nose. 

*   *   *

"Have a good day, Nico!"

Nico smiled brightly, shutting the car door. He felt jittery all over, like if you touched him, he would combust.

"Bye, Dad!"

He watched the black car speed off before he walked up through the school's front gate.

Piper was waiting for him there, her tumbling brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. When she saw him walking towards her, she looked up, smiling. "Hey, Neeks." she teased, ruffling his hair.

Grunting, Nico welcomed her as well. But a little voice in the back of his head reminded him Saturday. 

"Hey, um, Piper?" he shuffled on his feet nervously. "What did you tell my father on the phone?"

"Oh!" Her kaleidoscope green-blue eyes seemed to shift slightly. "Well, I just said we went to party and you passed out... so we drove you back home."

"Oh. Oh okay, then." Nico said, trying for a smile. 

His friend frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

He stuttered. "Um, yeah, definitely." Narrowing her eyes, Piper didn't say anything.

"Well, we should hurry. We have P.E, right? We should go change." he said, trying to change the subject. He could almost feel his high spirits crumbling in his palms.

"Nico, class doesn't start until 8!"

But frankly, he was just trying to get out of here the fastest way possible.

"Nico, wait up!"

He stopped mid-track, making Piper bump into him. He turned around and sighed in defeat. "What is it you want?"

The confusion in her swirling green-blue eyes disappeared, replaced by some sort of friendly worry. "Nico, I don't want anything from you. But if this is about Percy, you can tell me."

The brown-eyed boy felt himself go rigid. "Percy? What does this have to do anything with Percy?" he asked, feeling absolutely mortified. 

"What even is this?" Piper snapped. "All of a sudden you guys are all buddy-buddy, and this started because of a kiss? I don't even know what happened. You can't even tell me!" The despair was obvious in her strained voice. She was begging, asking to find the old Nico in this newer version of him.

Nico tensed. "What's the problem with us being friends?" He hated himself for blushing.

"You don't even act like friends! I know you like him, but you've strayed away from me! From all of us! Your friends!" the brunette cried, her eyes looking glazed. "How could you?" Nico knew he should be guilty, but how could he when he didn't even know himself the answer to Piper's question.

"I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what I did wrong! Can we just get over this already? You know I hate arguing with you!" he screamed, feeling his eyes sting as well.

Tears were streaming down her face already. "Then learn how to care about your friends, Nico. We take care of you. When will you learn to take care of us?" She was speaking in a hushed tone, now. Which felt even worse than the shouting from a few seconds back. Turning on her heels, she ran towards the building, and Nico knew it would be useless to go after her.

He wished he could go back in time to make this just a nightmare. But he couldn't.

Maybe he should learn how to care for others.

*   *   *

"Go in your pairs, then resume last lesson's plans! I will check up on you cupcakes in half an hour!" Coach Hedge's voice boomed across the gymnasium, startling Nico. He had been in this class for almost a year, yet the sports teacher still managed to find new ways to make him never want to come back again. He purposely glanced pleadingly in Piper's direction from across the room, but she was obviously avoiding his steely gaze.

From his periphery, he saw Percy approach him with a lazy smile drawn on his sharp-featured lips. And just like, all his worries were gone in an instant. "Hey, Nico," he mused, slinging an arm around his shoulder as if they did that all the time.

Nico tensed in his easygoing touch, and it didn't help his blush when the green-eyed boy pressed a soft kiss on the top of his head, ruffling his dark brown curls. Thank the gods I washed my hair last night, he thought to himself, his face red.

"Um, Percy?" He slowly untangled himself from his embrace. "What are you doing?" he asked, hoping he did not sound too rude, because the weird feeling in his chest wasn't totally unpleasant.

Percy's eyes went wide, and all of a sudden, Nico wasn't the only one blushing.

"Oh, uh, sorry— I just thought, because of last night—" he spluttered, apologising profusely.

"What are you saying?" Nico laughed, hoping Percy would smile back. He didn't.

"I thought— because of that party— the kiss—" he continued rambling.

Nico's soft awkward laugh pierced the air. "What? Are you talking about what happened, like, a month ago? I thought that was forgotten. It was just... one... stupid... spin the bottle." His smile was lying. "And Percy, I don't remember anything from last night. Actually, I was hoping you would tell me...? I was... drunk."

Often, people say the eyes are the windows to the soul. But in that instant, Percy's gaze was unreadable. Nico would try to trace his lips, his hooded eyelashes, but he found no answer.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up. 

"Oh," Percy said, his voice sounding monotone. Great, Nico thought. I only get one pathetic "oh".

"It was nothing, Nico. Forget it. It was just one bland party night. Nothing interesting happened." Percy sighed, drawling out the words in the same robotic voice.

Nico stared at him. It was obvious he was lying, but he didn't want to push it. After all, it didn't matter, right? He felt horrible guilt clawing up his throat as he saw Percy's dejected face, his dim green eyes halfway closed, his lips pressed tightly into one straight line.

Straight.

Line.

Obviously.

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright?" Nico said softly, putting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. He wasn't a touchy-feely person, but from his knowledge, Percy was.

That was until it was there again. 

Percy's pulse quickening with fear right under his fingertips. His muscles tensing under his palm, as taut as a bow string. "Percy?" he asked, his voice small against the sound of fists hitting stuffed fabric ringing across the room.

"Yeah, it's okay, Nico." the green-eyed boy finally uttered.

Nico didn't know how to react to such a vague response, leaving him hollow and unsatisfied. He opted for a coy smile. "Well, then, should we hang out later this week? I mean, if you want to." he asked shyly, trying to change the subject, do anything to make Percy smile again, to see those beautiful lips of his stretch into an all-familiar grin that turned his legs to jelly.

He felt his gut twist as he waited for a reaction to dawn onto the black-haired teenager's face, hoping he would agree so they could get over this already, so they could forget all over again, as they had done countless time without putting much thought to it. This— whatever this was— was horrible; it felt like a heated argument, unspoken, but there. They were facing each other closely, so closely Nico could feel his warmth radiating off him. He waited, hearing his own heartbeat in his ears, sounding like a drum beat. A drum beat going way too fast.

And then, it came. 

Percy's green eyes brightened. His lopsided grin returned, giving him a dimple on his left cheek. "Of course, I know the perfect place I want to show you." he smiled, his voice totally devoid of any sadness or anger it might have contained a few minutes ago. Nico couldn't help it; he smiled back at the green-eyed boy, feeling the imaginary thread between them tying into a knot again.

"We should start, then. Coach Hedge is probably off eating a hot pocket, but that is no excuse to skip P. E." Nico chuckled, liking the way his own laugh sounded in his ears. Radiant, but not too much. But it wasn't like he practiced. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Percy's beautiful turquoise eyes boring into his, a thousand secrets filled in one meaningful glance, so much emotions, yet still undecipherable. 

"Yeah, we should," Percy replied good-naturedly, placing his hand on his Nico's shoulder. The one the furthest away from him. Nico felt his fingertips sear into his skin with the type of comfortable pain only Percy could draw from him. "Let's see what progress you've made since last time, Nico."

Study says if you want to make someone like you, try to say their names when you talk to them. But obviously, they were a thousand other reasons to do that, or else why would Percy do it so often? But he loved it. He loved hearing his name roll off the green-eyed boy's tongue like a warm summer breeze.

Feeling the all too familiar sensation of white hot blush tinting his face, Nico acquiesced with a shy smile, transmitting a grateful message. He moved in towards the punching bag, but he hadn't even went into the correct stance when his skin shivered, sensing Percy creeping up on him.

The green-eyed boy's hands closed under his wrists. Oh no. Not this again.

Nico didn't know it was possible for him to get any redder. But Percy tested his limits every single time.

Almost involuntarily, he leaned back against Percy's reassuring embrace, a feeling of safety quickly washing over his first juvenile nervousness he had felt. He could sense his dark mop of hair brushing over his chest, his breath falling evenly on his collarbone. Nico was filled with a feeling of déjà-vu, but he wasn't stirred by it.

Percy raised his arms, making Nico's do the same. He went into a sort of sideways stance, whispering under his breath for him to do the same. The warm skin against his forearms felt almost more than platonic, but he pushed it aside as wishful thinking. 

Praying he didn't notice the blush reddening his face, Nico did as he was told, distancing the space between his separated feet. "Light on your toes," Percy murmured, making shivers go down his spine. He suddenly felt very conscious of the beads of sweat appearing on his pale skin. Was Piper watching?

Percy carried on his soft-voiced instructions. "This way, you can move more quickly, to parry strikes or to throw some. You are free to move around." I would if you weren't holding onto me like I matter to you, if you weren't so close to me, if I couldn't feel your warmth seeping through your layers of clothes, I would if you were anybody else than Percy. 

But you are. You're so alive, Percy.

You have my word for it.

"Yeah, thanks," Nico breathed out swiftly, hearing his voice crack. Great way to make a fool of yourself, Nico.

Suddenly, the heat that had enveloped him left as quickly as it had appeared. Percy took steps back, smirking, his arms folded over his chest. "There, your turn. I'll watch you."

I'll watch you.

"I'll try my best, then."

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.･:*

hey :)
sorry about the beginning, haha
so... I recommend watching shera lmao
y'all are going to hate me so much in the next chapter hehe ://
also, to any one who's protesting for the #blacklivesmatter movement, please stay safe! I fully support you :D 
love you guys!!

- deniiial