Archive of Our Own

“Do you need anything else?” Nico asked distractedly as he finished flattening the boxes previously filled with Percy’s stuff.

“I can handle it from here, thanks,” Percy said. He looked at all the mess his old college books, mattress and unassembled furniture made in what was to be his room. “And thanks again for letting me stay here.”

“Don’t mention it.” Nico gave him a small smile as he turned to go to the kitchen.

It was only temporary, Percy reminded himself. It would only be until he was completely over things.

Nico had told him he had freeloaded in Hazel and Frank’s house for nearly a month after his own break-up, so Percy expected to be in Nico’s guest room for about as long.

He sighed as he stared at the twin bed they had bought after Nico told him he couldn’t keep sleeping on the couch. Obviously, he planned to leave it there when he finally moved. It would be a thank you gift for letting Percy stay without pay for as long as he needed while he moved on from Annabeth.

Percy stayed cooped up for about four hours as he assembled the bed, drawers and nightstand, trying to keep his mind occupied. He only noticed how much time had passed when Nico called him, telling him dinner was ready.

Percy rubbed his hands on his jeans, deciding that a little more dust wouldn’t kill him after he already inhaled so much from the furniture and came out to the apartment’s common area that had the couch that had acted as his bed for the last couple of nights and the small table that Nico insisted on using for meals despite having a perfectly serviceable kitchen island.

Nico, once again, had cooked some pasta dish that he was sure couldn’t be found in any Italian restaurant in America, and was eating his portion slowly.

“You know I’d be fine with like, a burger or something, right?” He asked as he sat and stabbed the weird pasta shape with the fork. It was delicious, as always. “You don’t need to cook twice a day.”

“It’s part of the process,” Nico explained, shrugging. “You’re sad and numb. Fast food is not your friend at the moment. Hazel made Frank cook me a lot of meals when Will and I broke up.”

“Hazel can’t cook?” Percy asked, surprised. Nico shook his head.

“She can, but she doesn’t enjoy it that much.” Nico stopped talking for a few seconds to take another bite. “Frank learned with his grandmother, and is used to it.”

“Oh,” was all Percy said. The conversation entered a lull. Percy knew Nico was wondering how to bring up the topic again tonight.

Maybe he should just say it, save them both from the awkwardness.

“We broke up because Annabeth cares more for her job than me,” he said. It would be a random and sudden statement, had Nico not asked him every night since he found him looking lost on a park bench near Via Caesar. “We were talking about taking a few days off, finally getting married…”

“She didn’t want to?” Nico guessed. Percy nodded, looking at his half-empty plate.

“She kept putting it off, this time she said she needed to finish designing a new apartment complex.” He made sure his words made it clear it was a common argument between them. “There’s always a new building, a pending park redesign, or even just networking. Even her time off was spent doodling designs. I felt… like it didn’t matter if I wasn’t there.”

Nico nodded. He looked around for a second before sighing and awkwardly patting his back.

Hazel must have hugged him when he opened up, but Nico and him… their relationship was not like that.

“It was a shouting match!” Percy covered his face in his hands, ashamed. “I said she was abandoning our relationship, she called me selfish. I asked what she would do once we had children, she asked if I only saw happiness in a stereotypical fifties’ family! I… we were both so angry and I… I just started packing my stuff!”

Nico had stopped patting him and just rubbed circles on his back. The motion was almost hypnotic.

“Did you guys actually break up, though?” Nico asked, softly, gently, like Percy was made of glass.

He might have been then.

“Yes,” he said. “She said that if I left, I could forget about fixing things, about ‘us’.” He didn’t need to say anymore. The fact that Nico had found him with his duffel bag in the park made it obvious what happened next.

It was quiet for a few minutes. Percy just leaning into Nico’s rubbing, finding comfort in it.

“I kicked Will in the nuts,” he said, almost conversationally. Percy sputtered and looked at him. “Yeah, not my proudest moment.”

“Why?” Percy managed to ask. Nico shrugged.

“Will never really dated me,” he said. “He dated this version of me that never really existed. I started to realize it and tried to confront him about it, but he told me that I was just trying to sabotage myself.”

“Sabotage how?”

“Oh, you know, I’m afraid to be happy, I have survivor’s guilt, I just want to live up to my reputation as a son of Hades,” Nico listed, raising a finger each time. “I just wanted to kick him in the shin for being an asshole trying to psychoanalyze me, but he ducked and well… I missed.”

Percy couldn’t help it, he chuckled.

“Did you at least apologize?” he asked, trying to control his laughter.

“I pretended I meant to do that,” Nico said, smirking. “I broke up with him and shadow traveled straight to Hazel’s.”

The chuckles became full on laughter. The image of Will grabbing his groin and glaring at Nico impotently was inexplicably funny to him.

“O-Oh gods, did-did you ever clear things up with him?” He managed to say between wheezes.

“Last month, actually. Things are still tense, but now we both agree it was for the best,” Nico said. He left a small pause as Percy calmed down. “Feeling better?”

Percy blinked. Just a couple minutes ago he was on the verge of crying. What was happening to him?

“A little,” he admitted.

“Good,” Nico said. He sat back down and kept eating his pasta as if nothing had happened. “As I said, it’s a process. Every day will be a little bit easier.”

Percy thought about it. Yeah, it still hurt a lot, but it wasn’t like that first night, when Nico had to drag him to his apartment and give up his bed once he finally revealed he and Annabeth broke up.

“Yeah,” was all he said.

Maybe, just maybe, this temporary arrangement with Nico would be good for him.

Nico’s ‘process’ worked wonders. Each day Nico would send him off to work with a homemade lunch and a few words of encouragement. Once Percy was back, they would go for a walk, a movie, or any activity that would keep Percy’s mind occupied.

After the second week, Nico allowed fast food back into their diet, and said Percy was ready to talk to others again. He didn’t need to talk to Annabeth yet if he didn’t feel ready, but people like Grover, Jason and Leo were hounding Nico about him all the time.

Percy found that each day got a little easier. He could talk about Annabeth with Nico a lot easier than that night he finally opened up. Nico, who followed Hazel’s steps religiously, suggested to not only talk about the bad moments, but also the good, as a way to accept everything his former relationship was, and close that chapter for good.

“Even if you eventually get back together, that would be like starting again. The relationship you had before is dead,” Nico had said when he asked for an explanation. “Bury it, mourn it, leave flowers by its gravestone every year if you must.”

“Wow, look at the little love expert,” Percy had said back, smirking. Nico rolled his eyes.

“I just know a thing or two about death,” he had said, before flipping him off. “And also fuck you, I’m not little!”

As the month was coming to a close, Percy was beginning to dread the idea of looking for an apartment for himself. He had never really lived on his own. Except for his rather lonely summer nights in Cabin 3, he had gone from living with his mom to living with his girlfriend with nothing in-between. He wasn’t sure if he could do it.

Not only that, but he actually enjoyed living with Nico. He enjoyed talking about his day with Nico, arguing over what to watch on TV, playing UNO or whatever board game they found at the dollar store. He also liked the fact that he was living healthier. Percy and Annabeth had mostly been living out of take out and instant meals, with visits to their parents being the only times they had a balanced meal. Nico had even made Percy start sparring again. While Percy barely left New Rome and didn’t have to deal with monsters anymore, Nico often left for the day for odd jobs in the Underworld.

He had to get better at sword fighting again once Nico swept the floor with him the first few times. It should had been tedious, as he had moved to New Rome specifically to get away from everything demigod related, yet he had been so determined, and it was all worth it to see Nico’s surprise at being pinned after days of making Percy eat dirt.

Couldn’t he stay just a little bit longer?

“So, it’s been a month,” Percy said after coming back from a trip to the store. Nico was brewing some coffee on the kitchen island. “I bought cupcakes to celebrate.”

Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Celebrate what?” He asked.

“You know, that I got over my slump.”

“Oh, you did? Congratulations,” he says. It sounds sincere, but also slightly surprised. He served another cup of coffee and added some milk before offering it to Percy. “You know, just because I took a month doesn’t mean everyone is the same. Some people take less time, some more.”

“Okay, where did Hazel get all this? She has never broken up with anyone.” Percy resisted the urge to frown.

“She bought like, 5 self-help books when I arrived crying and screaming about Will.” Nico smiled fondly at the mention of his sister helping him. “But seriously, are you sure you’re okay now?”

“Mostly, yeah,” Percy said, taking a sip of his latte. “I still haven’t talked to her, and I want to, eventually, but… I’ll be okay now.”

“That’s good,” Nico said, but his voice sounded a little sad, too. “So, I guess you’ll be moving out now.”

“I…” Percy hesitated. He should be saying yes. Giving Nico the space he took back. He really didn’t want to, though. “I’ve never lived on my own. It’s kind of intimidating.”

“You’ll be fine, Percy,” Nico said. “You’re far stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Percy didn’t want to assume based on his own biases, but Nico sounded almost as disappointed by him moving away as he was.

“Maybe I can…” Percy admitted. “But I really don’t want to.”

“Hm?”

“What if I pay you rent?” Percy offered. “I’ve also become pretty good at plumbing with my powers. I… wouldn’t mind staying here a while longer… as long as you’re okay with it.”

“Percy Jackson, are you asking to be my roommate?” Nico tried to keep his expression neutral, but Percy could see he was struggling to do it.

He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“If you agree… yes?”

Nico finally snorted. He covered his mouth to prevent more noises from coming out.

“I own this place, you know? I don’t need rent,” he finally said after he had controlled himself. Percy wondered if that was a no to his proposal. “But I wouldn’t mind paying half the bills.”

“So…”

“Sure, why not? Might even be interesting,” Nico said. “Welcome to the apartment, officially this time.”

Percy grinned and lifted his cup of coffee as if it was a glass of champagne.

“Thanks, roomie!”

Nico’s smile immediately turned into a grimace.

“I may be having regrets already…”

Percy just laughed.

Living with Nico was easy. They had quickly fallen into a routine where Nico cooked for them and Percy did the dishes. It was almost scary how they divided the other house chores; anything Nico hated to do, Percy was more than okay to, and vice versa.

“It’s like we were meant to live together!” He joked. Nico hadn’t laughed, and had been oddly quiet the rest of the day.

There were days when Nico came home late or even the next day due to some errand for his father. Usually getting an unruly soul back to the Underworld, but sometimes he had to go and do some monster culling for his dad. Percy had to admit that he worried a little too much during those last ones. After all, while still in top shape, Nico was 19, already far beyond the age normal demigods were expected to live if they kept on questing.

Still, Nico did it. He basically was a freelancer that lived off History tutoring (summoning the dead made it easy) and doing funeral rites for demigods and legacies. His particular hobbies (cooking and picking up collectables) required some extra money Hades was more than happy to provide for a service.

Now Percy would never say anything negative about Hades (out loud), but he wouldn’t mind challenging the god to a match so he would realize Nico wasn’t fifteen anymore, and that maybe sending him off to defeat a horde of hellhounds terrorizing the Asphodels alone wasn’t exactly great parenting.

“Ow!” Nico whined as Percy pressed the cotton ball soaked in alcohol on his worst wound. “That one was on purpose!”

“I need to clean it before dressing it,” he said, exasperated. “Honestly, how did you get that much damage? This is you after ambrosia!”

Nico hadn’t let him see the injuries until after he had eaten the food of the gods. He shuddered to think of what the big gash looked like before.

“It’s not even that bad. I once got a hole right through my belly from a group of cyclopes.” Nico winced as Percy swabbed again, making sure the cotton came out a pinkish red with no other funny colors.

“That doesn’t make this okay!” Percy shouted. Nico closed his eyes, probably having lived through something similar with Will. The thought was a bit unpleasant for Percy. “If something really bad happened to you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“I can take care of myself,” Nico said, stubborn, though there was some color in his cheeks.

“I know that better than anyone,” Percy said, more gently this time. “You’re Nico di Angelo, you’re awesome.”

“W-well, I wouldn’t say ‘awesome’, but—”

“No, you are,” He insisted. “You’re probably the most powerful demigod I’ve ever met.”

“Are you counting yourself here?” Nico asked.

“Yup,” he said, Nico rolled his eyes, but stopped midway as Percy wrapped his arm in gauze. “That’s why it worries me so much that something can do this to you.”

“It’s okay as long as I have someone to patch me up, right?” Nico tried. Such a response might have worked on an Apollo kid, but not on Percy.

“That’s not enough.” Percy frowned and finished tying up the gauze. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was good enough until Nico could take ambrosia again the next day. “Next time, I’m coming with you.”

“What? No!” Nico turned quickly, looking at him intensely. “You’re out of practice! The monsters will see you and think of an easy meal!”

“We’ve been sparring together,” Percy pointed out. “And some practical experience will do me good.”

Nico said nothing. Of course, both of them could be pretty stubborn.

“I’m not saying to take me every time just… on the big ones? When you know you need backup?” Percy pleaded. “I just, don’t want to see you hurt like this again. Not if I can help it.”

Nico bit his lip. Percy tried to put his best puppy dog eyes.

“What about your job?” He asked.

“I can take a day off once in a while,” he said. “Your missions for Hades are like twice a week or so, and you won’t need me for all of them.”

Nico still looked unsure, but ended up nodding.

“Don’t make me regret this,” he said in a low voice. “Because if you die, I’ll bring back your ghost so I can kill you myself!”

Percy laughed.

“Can you even kill a ghost?”

“Maybe you can’t, but I can,” he said confidently. Percy ruffled his hair, making Nico squawk in indignation.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

A year in, Percy was happier than he ever believed he could be. He and Annabeth had patched things up, and while they never did get back together, they could at least be friends again (to the relief of their friends whenever they gathered).

He also kept helping Nico on his missions from time to time. Most of the time, Hades just glared at him as Nico gave him one of those credit cards people could recharge.

As usual, Hades took the card, never taking his eyes off Percy and swiped it through his fingers.

“Don’t be a stranger,” he told Nico while handing him the card back. Percy couldn’t help but wonder if the reason Hades asked so much of Nico was to keep seeing him.

The idea made him a little jealous. Hades was very stand-offish and emotionally constipated, but he cared and made sure to stay part of Nico’s life, while he hadn't seen his own father since he was seventeen.

Oh, he definitely felt him whenever he went to the beach, like that feeling of being at the playground when you were a toddler and knowing that if you looked back, your parent would be there, ready to wave you hello. Except Poseidon never did, and Percy had tired of settling for just a vague, comforting presence near big bodies of water.

Hades broke the rules all the time for Nico, so why couldn’t his dad do the same?

“You know, your dad is kind of cool,” he said once they were back in the apartment.

“I guess,” Nico said back, already turning on his tablet to browse the Internet for the newest Mythomagic booster packs. The perks of living in a city protected from monsters. “But I can’t let him know. It would go to his head.”

Percy laughed. The idea of a god getting an ego problem from his son complimenting him was just ridiculous.

“New Venus pack for the Imperator Romanus expansion…” he muttered. “Oh, it has Cupid, pass.”

Nico grimaced as he looked at the next. Percy couldn’t help but feel a dash of affection at his actions. He still wasn’t sure why he hated the love god and anything related to him, and he didn’t want to pry, but Percy couldn’t help but think that it may had to do with Nico being single, which in his opinion was a waste.

Nico deserved the best guy in the world.

“Say, have you ever thought about dating again?” He asked before he could help himself. He mentally berated his ADHD for his poor impulse control, but at least the topic was finally out there.

Nico almost dropped his tablet, only saving it from cracking due to his reflexes, and turned to look at him as if he had just suggested ritualistic sacrifice.

“Why you ask?” He said, pretending nothing had happened.

“I don’t know, just… It’s been years since your last relationship.” His only relationship, as far as Percy knew. “And you deserve it. You are so amazing and you deserve to be loved and cherished and all that crap.”

Nico blushed and avoided his gaze, embarrassed. Percy immediately got the feeling that he had crossed a line that friends don’t usually cross.

“I-I mean, if you want to, of course,” Percy amended. “It’s not like people can’t be single and happy, and it’s up to you. I just thought, you know, that you might want to.”

He almost slapped his forehead in frustration. He was such an idiot! Now Nico would think he was the creep friend way too into their friends’ sex lives.

“It’s alright,” Nico said, seemingly calming down after Percy’s outburst. “For a moment I thought you wanted to set me up like Hazel did.”

“Hazel sets you up on dates?” Percy blinked, bemused. He didn’t think she was the type.

“At first,” he admitted. “She thought it might help me move on faster… but she sucked at it.”

“Sucked how?”

Nico looked at him strangely for a second before taking a deep breath and putting on a smile that looked way too strained.

“Percy, I think I found someone for you!” He said in a falsetto. It was nothing like Hazel’s voice, but it was a somewhat convincing (and disturbingly attractive) female voice. “Trust me, you’ll love this one.”

“Okay? what’s she like?” He played along. Nico’s smile turned slightly more real.

“She hates everything you like and has this habit of picking her nose in public!” Nico said, still in falsetto, still cheery.

“Why would I want that?” He asked, disgusted.

“Well, she likes boys, and you’re a boy. You like girls…” Nico let the statement hang in the air, dropping the expression and rolling his eyes. “And that’s why none of them got a second date.”

“Okay, you know I love Hazel, but what the actual hell?” Percy said, understanding Nico’s dilemma.

“She does her best,” Nico defended her. “She just had a rather outdated perception of same-sex dating. She did get it eventually, but by that point I had already banned her from trying to find me a boyfriend.”

Percy hummed to show he understood. He would also be turned off dating with that experience.

“I don’t have anyone in mind for you, though,” he said. “I just wanted to know in case you wanted like, a wingman or something. I wasn’t lying before, you deserve the best boyfriend in the world.”

“You know, it’s the first time a straight friend says something like that to me,” he said quietly.

“It’s true, though,” he muttered sheepishly. “Being gay, or the son of Hades, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be having this great, epic romance.”

“I… I’d like to try,” Nico admitted. “At the very least, for the experience.”

Percy smiled, though he felt slightly bothered by the confession. Maybe he was lonely. When Nico eventually found a boyfriend (why would he not?), Percy wouldn’t have the Son of Hades all for himself anymore.

“What about you? Are you ready to date again?” Nico asked, as if he had read his mind. “Because you also deserve it, Percy. The epic romance and whatnot.”

“Eh, I’ve had enough epicness for a lifetime.” Percy shrugged. “But sure, I wouldn’t mind getting out there again.”

Nico nodded, seeming relieved.

“We do it together, then.”

Something about that made Percy feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Yeah, together.”

Six months passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Nico and he had tried dating through the usual, but mostly unknown for them, method of going into bars and seeing if anyone caught their interest. Being in a gay bar had been an interesting experience for Percy. He had received quite a few propositions, but thankfully Nico deflected them all. To nearly everyone in the bar they were an item, but if Nico found someone interesting, he told them the truth and Percy did his best to start the conversation and leave quietly.

So he was less a wingman and more a deterrent for Nico, all things considered.

Still, it was fun when Nico didn’t find anybody for the night and they’ll just drink a bit, dance a bit and eat the best damn fries with molten cheese he had eaten.

For Percy, it was much the same sans the fake couple deal. Nico would point at girls and once Percy gave his okay they would approach, and Nico would go ‘get himself a drink’ and disappear for the rest of the night. It was fine, but he much preferred trying to find Nico a date that finding one for himself.

They did manage to get dates. Tons of them, in fact, but the results…

Percy sighed as he opened the door. Nico was on a date with Nate, so he would have to wait before venting.

…Or not. Nico was laying on their couch, wearing a slightly oversized blue hoodie Percy was sure had been lost months ago (and also wasn’t Nico’s), and with a box half-filled with cannoli that told Percy he had Shadow Traveled to Italy just for the treat.

“Did things not work out?” Percy asked sympathetically, approaching the couch. Nico wordlessly lifted his head to give him space to sit and rested his head on his lap once he did.

“Want a cannolo?” He asked back instead of answering. “It’s from Palermo.”

“I’m guessing that’s a no,” he said and took a dessert from the box. It tasted amazing, as expected of Nico when it came to Italian food. He still didn’t understand why Nico was so anal about his native cuisine but ate any American fast food without distinction. “You know if you keep bringing Italian desserts each time someone dumps you, we’re going to get really out of shape.”

“Speak for yourself. I exercise,” he said emotionlessly. “What is wrong with me? No guy wants more than three dates with me. I liked this one, too!”

“There’s nothing wrong with you!” Percy assured him, using his free hand to card through Nico’s soft hair. “You just haven’t found the right guy yet.”

“I think nineteen guys in six months is my limit.” Nico closed his eyes, enjoying Percy’s touch. “I’ll give up dating for a while. It’s too depressing.”

“Did Nate at least tell you why he broke up with you?”

“Yeah, first one to do so,” he muttered. “Apparently, I talk about my friend Percy too much.”

“…Huh,” was all Percy could say, feeling the déjà vu. “Well, we spend nearly all of our free time together, it’s obvious I’ll come up in conversation often.”

“That’s what I said!” Nico exclaimed, raising his arms. “But no, living with a straight friend and spending time with him obviously means I’m secretly in love with him!”

He took a cushion and screamed into it, forcing Percy’s hand away from his hair.

After a good ten seconds, Nico let the cushion fall, his body going slightly limp.

“If that’s why all of them don’t want to keep seeing me, they’re stupid.”

“I agree,” Percy said, going back to Nico’s hair. He took the last bite of his cannoli and smiled. “If it makes you feel any better, things with Sarah also ended today.”

Nico sat up, almost hitting Percy’s nose as he catapulted himself into an upright position.

“You too?” He asked, eyes wide. Percy nodded. “It actually just makes me feel worse!”

“Sorry,” he said, chuckling awkwardly. “It was for the same reason, too. I mostly talk about you. According to her, I’m in denial.”

Nico looked at him guiltily.

“Do you think we may be spending too much time together?” Nico asked seriously. “Like, maybe we’re sabotaging each other unintentionally?”

Percy’s first instinct was to say no. He enjoyed spending time with Nico, going to the movies, to restaurants in any place of the world, going dancing at gay bars… hell even the missions from Hades were fun. He enjoyed just being with Nico.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? No girl (or guy, in Nico’s case) could compete with their level of closeness or intimacy. They were right to break up with them if they felt like they would always come second to a roommate.

“Maybe,” he admitted. He winced. “Do you want us to stop? Get some distance between us?”

Percy didn’t want to stop. He didn’t want to lose his relationship to Nico. While he had always envisioned being married to some beautiful girl, having children and growing old with her, now he couldn’t picture any sort of future than didn’t have Nico in it.

Nico frowned.

“I don’t want that,” Nico said. “I prefer to take a break from dating than take a break from you.”

Percy felt himself blush at the words.

Yeah, he could see how Nate, the other 18 guys and his seven almost girlfriends had all thought he and Nico were in denial now.

“Me too. I wouldn’t use those words though,” he said, embarrassed. Nico chuckled. “Taking a break for dating seems better. I like it when it’s just you and me.”

“And you say I’m the one easily misunderstood,” Nico muttered. He rolled his eyes affectionately. “Then let’s. Take a break from dating, I mean. Being single doesn’t matter as long as we’re happy, right?”

“Right!” Percy agreed. He wrapped his arms around Nico and made him lean against him. They took the last two cannoli from the box.

Being like that, with Nico, Percy was happy. The happiest he had ever been since he found out he was a demigod.

Time passed, Percy got a promotion at his job, and he convinced Nico to sell the apartment and get a house together. The new space was close enough to a park to let Mrs. O’Leary roam around and big enough that they could actually fit her in the backyard instead of having her away on the Fields of Mars. Blackjack also dropped by from time to time for treats, but the pegasus had a job helping Roman campers get used to flying horses before their month-long exchange at Camp Half-Blood. Blackjack enjoyed the attention, so he only came sparingly.

Percy was living the suburban life he had always dreamed of but never dared to imagine when he was younger. It was depressing to think he would never go past his teens back then. Now that he had, he couldn’t help but indulge on it, even if, instead of Annabeth or another pretty girl, he was living it out with Nico.

Nico, who, now 22 and bitten by the suburban bug, was looking to adopt.

“I mean, I’ve been single for years,” he reasoned when he told Percy. “Why should I have to wait to get married? And I… I always wanted… to be a father…” his voice got weaker with every word.

Percy kissed his forehead.

“You’ll be an awesome dad,” he said sincerely.

He didn’t know exactly when the trend had started. He had just noticed one day that, whenever Nico looked distraught or stressed, Percy would kiss either the top of his head or his forehead to reassure him. Nico never complained, never mentioned it, and it was less touchy than hugs, which sometimes made Nico uncomfortable and overwhelmed.

“Do you really believe that, Percy?” He asked nervously. Percy was suddenly transported to his teens again, thinking of a similar question the son of Hades had asked inside the Labyrinth after he had banished King Minos.

Back then, he hadn’t answered, afraid of getting Nico’s hopes up only for reality to crash them, but now things were different. He and Nico had changed, matured, grown closer, and he knew the son of Hades almost better than he knew himself.

“I know it, Nico,” he said. “You are kind, considerate, and just a little bit scary. Any kid would love to have you as a dad.”

Nico smiled hesitantly and pecked his cheek (yet another gesture that had started without either of them noticing), and rushed to the phone, talking to a ‘Maia’ about the adoption waiting list she had mentioned last time they talked.

Orphans among demigods were sadly too common, and New Rome and Camp Half-Blood had taken the responsibility of finding caretakers for the youngest of them, especially since their former method of starting their training young had been left aside as a barbaric relic of the past (thanks to Jason’s arguing about how being a toddler in the Wolf House had messed him up).

Nico talked quietly, almost shyly, smiling as he asked about the forms needed to apply.

Percy just looked at him.

For the past few years, he would often catch himself staring at Nico. The young man sometimes looked like a being far above the rest. Graceful, dangerous… beautiful. Nobody could blame Percy for staring, really.

It wasn’t that weird to find a man attractive, aesthetically speaking. He could admit that Nico was this incredibly cute, beautiful and sexy guy whose personality, quirks and sense of humor meshed perfectly with his, and still be into women.

And yes, maybe an intrusive thought or two about Nico with longer hair and a curvier body had sneaked into his brain when he was alone at night once or twice, but that just proved his point. While he felt shame afterwards for thinking in that way about one of his best friends, at the end of the day, he still imagined him as female.

If Nico was a girl, he would fall head over heels for him. Unfortunately, he was not, and Nico was far over whatever he felt for him when they were teens.

“Okay, I’ll pass by the office first thing in the morning,” Nico promised. He hanged up and turned to Percy and rolled his eyes. “You got that look in your face again.”

“What look?” Percy asked automatically.

“The one you get when you overthink everything,” he said. “Let me guess, afraid a snot-nosed kid will bother you to the point you have to move?”

“What? No!” Percy said, offended. “I love kids! You know one of the reasons I broke up with Annabeth was because she didn’t want any.”

“Could have fooled me,” Nico muttered as he entered his room.

Percy went after him, feeling even more insulted. He found Nico looking for something on his nightstand.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked.

“Let’s just say your track record with kids under twelve is not the best.” Nico didn’t even turn as he spoke.

“Are you talking about Westover? Because in my defense, I was 14, an idiot, my best friend had just fallen off a cliff, and you were way too intense!” Percy crossed his arms. Nico made an ‘aha!’ noise as he found a hair tie and turned to him.

“Like most kids, Percy,” he pointed out while he grabbed his hair, his eyes looking beyond Percy at the mirror at the back of the door. “Just thank every god out there that I was too naïve and too attracted to you to notice at the time.”

Percy blushed at that. Sometimes it was still awkward to think that one of his best friends used to have a crush on him.

“Still, I’ve grown up,” he insisted. “Believe me, having a kid here will not be a… problem…”

Nico had tied his hair back into a ponytail. The change in hairstyle only heightened his sharp cheekbones and heart shaped face. It also made his hair look slightly longer than normal.

Percy gulped.

“Is it too much?” Nico asked self-consciously. “I want to look a little more… sophisticated and shit tomorrow.”

“It… it looks great,” Percy managed.

“Thank you,” Nico said earnestly. “For supporting me through every crazy idea I get.”

Percy smiled at that.

“I’ll always support you, Nico,” Percy said honestly. “No matter what.”

Nico smiled back and kissed his cheek again. For some reason, with the ponytail, it felt like a completely different gesture.

Percy felt himself get unnaturally flustered, his heartbeat picking up. He left the room with some excuse before Nico could notice and slapped his cheeks once he was out of view.

It was still Nico. Just Nico, a guy. It didn’t matter how good he looked with his hair tied. It was only his roommate and best friend.

He sighed and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. In a few days, all this would be a silly anecdote.

And if his thoughts that night starred not curvy version of Nico with a ponytail, it was no one’s business but his.

Nico punched the coffee table in a mix of frustration and helplessness. It creaked, but nothing else. Percy was amazed that by his restraint. He probably had been holding it in ever since he came out of the social worker’s office, after all.

No point in making it even more difficult to get chosen for adoption.

“Did Maia at least tell you why?” Percy asked, trying to help his friend.

He understood his frustration. This was the third kid he had been called about only to get passed over.

“She didn’t need to,” Nico said, his voice coming out with a growl. “She just said the agency chose a nice couple over me and I got it.”

“You’re nice, Nico!” He tried, but only got glared in response. “If the adoption agency can’t see that we have to look for another one!”

“It was the couple thing, you stupid…” he breathed in deeply. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.” He kissed the top of his head to show he was not mad. “So, they’re passing you over because you’re single?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense!” Nico exclaimed, his eyes shiny. “It’s not the gay thing, Alex got adopted by two women, and it’s not the son of Hades thing, one of Oliver’s adopted parents is a daughter of Orcus!”

“How do you know all that?” Percy raised his eyebrows. Nico had the decency to look ashamed.

“I may have broken into the archives to know who got them,” he admitted. “But the point is—”

“That you’re using your powers to commit crimes, again,” Percy rubbed circles on Nico’s back, exasperated. “I know you want this, Ni, but if someone found out, you’d be even farther away from it.”

“I’m just…! So frustrated!” He leaned into Percy, eyes closed. “My life is always just one obstacle away from what I want, no matter what it is!”

Percy said nothing for a while, not knowing how to make it better. The only way Nico would get closer to getting a kid was finding someone and getting married, and Percy hadn’t been much help the last time he tried to wingman for Nico.

Unless…

“You know, I wouldn’t mind having a kid of my own,” he said, trying to test the waters.

Nico grunted.

“Good luck. Last I checked, you’re as single as I am,” Nico mumbled, already relaxing from Percy’s improvised massage. “For once in my life, I hate being single.”

“You don’t have to be,” Percy tried again. Nico scoffed at that. “I mean it!”

“Nothing has changed since last time,” he pointed out. “If anything, it’s worse. Now I also want to get married fast, all so I can adopt a child. Who would go for that?”

“Someone who also wants kids in his life?” Percy said. “Someone who already enjoys being around you and wouldn’t mind getting married to help you out?”

“Who would… Percy, you don’t mean that.” Nico’s eyes had widened almost comically. He was staring at Percy with surprise and something like wonder. “You are… you like girls!”

“It’s not like I’m dating anybody. Or have any prospects for the foreseeable future.” He shrugged. “And I want to help you surpass that one obstacle this time. Plus, if a kid is going to be here, it would be so much better if they called me dad rather than Percy or, gods forbid, ‘uncle’.” He fake-shuddered for effect.

Nico gaped at him. He seemed to have short-circuited trying to process Percy’s proposal.

“So, what do you say, want to get married?”  He asked, closing Nico’s mouth with his hand.

Nico hugged him, almost punching all the air out of his lungs.

“Yes,” he said, his words slightly muffled by Percy’s shirt. “Just know that if you find someone, you can still date her. I know you’re doing this for my sake, so thank you, Percy! You’re the best friend I’ve ever had!”

“Why do you think it's only for you? My plans for the future always involved being a dad.” he chuckled as he petted Nico’s hair. “I also wanted whoever I married to be my best friend, and that also happened.”

Of course, the best friend he imagined marrying had always been a girl, but it didn’t really matter.

“What about Grover? Since when am I your best friend?” Nico sniffled. Despite the tears, he had this huge smile Percy only rarely saw in him.

Over the years, while Grover, Annabeth and others were still very important to him, when he thought of a friend, Nico always came first. People grew up, grew apart, and grew closer to other people. Grover would always be one of his best friends, but the title of the ‘best friend’ had been slowly but steadily been snatched from him since that day Nico brought him to his apartment.

“It’s been that way for a while, Nico.”

“Daddy!” Bella shouted from Nico’s bedroom. “Papà doesn’t want to get up!”

Percy chuckled and put his phone on the kitchen counter. He stood up in time for his daughter to pull on him to help her with Nico.

He expected the other man to be sleeping soundly, dead to the world, but as soon as he saw him he knew he was just pretending to sleep.

“I know what you’re doing, Ni,” he said in a teasing voice. Nico grumbled and covered himself with the sheets. “Isabella is going to be very disappointed if her Papà won’t see her off on her first day of school.”

“There’s no first day of school,” Nico said, still hiding. “My angioletta is still a baby and will stay home with me for another year.”

“Papà, I’m five!” Bella shook his sheet-covered figure. “You promised to see me off!”

“That I did,” he said, finally coming out to see his daughter. “And if I don’t do it, you have no choice but to stay.”

“That’s not fair!” Bella stomped her tiny foot. Percy felt a cold breeze blowing in Nico’s direction. “Daddy! Tell him it’s not fair!”

“She’s right, Nico,” Percy said, though he couldn’t help but look at the still waving sheets. Despite being a Legacy, Isabella showed quite the power of her godly ancestor Eurus. “Do you want to keep our princess locked up at home like those bad guys in her stories? She’s growing up, she needs to make friends, see the world.”

“Yeah!” Bella agreed. “I’m a grown up!”

“Mia Bella,” Nico said, stroking her hair. “If you have ever loved your dear father, never said that again. You will always be a child to me.”

“Nico, the biggest child in this room is you.” Percy rolled his eyes. His husband just glared at him. “Come on, Bella, I’ll make you blue pancakes for your special day, seeing as your Papà won’t get out of bed.”

He took his daughter’s hand and only moved three steps before Nico got up and sprinted towards the kitchen.

“You’d burn them,” he muttered as explanation as he started making the batter.

Percy looked at Bella and they grinned at each other.

In the end, Nico did walk Bella to the bus stop, where he hugged her so tightly Percy had to physically pry him off her so she could get in. Nico waved at the bus well after it had turned down the street and disappeared, and Percy had to pull on his husband’s hand until they were back home.

“Why didn’t you tell me children grow up?” Nico accused him. “I’m not prepared to let her go.”

“We have been her parents for three years,” Percy pointed out. “You already refused to send her to daycare.”

“Because it’s unnecessary,” Nico said. “I work from home except when Father needs me.”

“And when that happens any of our friends can babysit,” Percy finished the worn-out argument for him. “My point is that you have spent a lot of one-on-one time with her. Let her grow up and meet new friends.”

“It just seems like just yesterday she was just a baby learning to talk, and that tomorrow she’ll be heading off to college!”

“Fatherhood has made you quite dramatic… and Italian,” Percy said. “Before Bella, I never heard you use so many Italian words.”

“I may be channeling what few memories I have of my mother,” Nico conceded. “I just… want to be a good father, and while mine loves me, he’s not the best example of child rearing, and since we decided I would be ‘Papà’, well…”

Percy stayed quiet as Nico sighed again. He sat by the window, looking out the street like a sad puppy.

“Okay, none of that,” he decided. “I still have a couple of vacation days. Let’s go out and have fun!”

“Like what?” Nico asked, eyes wide.

“I don’t know, let’s go watch a PG-13 movie, or dancing, or even just sparring!” Percy said excitedly. “Something to make us forget Bella won’t be home until 3:00.”

Nico smiled.

“Fine, but you’re paying.”

They were back home at 2. While the hour made going clubbing impossible, they had still watched a movie they would never have watched with Bella, had lunch at a nice restaurant, and even went flying with Blackjack.

Percy was glad Nico had loosened up. It must have been tiring, being on dad mode 24/7. Not that he wasn’t, too, but he at least had his job at the aquarium to rest up a bit.

“Does it ever bother you?” Nico asked suddenly, taking him out of his musings.

“What does?”

“How much our outings seem like dates,” he clarified. Percy blinked, bemused. “Don’t you wish you could be doing this with some girl?”

“Not really.” Percy shrugged. “You’re always fun to be around.”

“You know I told you it was okay to date,” Nico said. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to be ‘faithful’ just because we got married to get Bella.”

“I really don’t want to explain to my five-year-old daughter who the woman I bring home all the time is,” Percy said, earning an eyeroll from Nico.

“She knows we’re not together romantically. We sleep in separate rooms.” He pointed out. “And yeah, maybe being married and having a daughter is a turn-off to some women, but the right one would understand.”

“What about you?” Percy asked back, not knowing why he felt defensive. “Why don’t you date anyone?”

“It’s different for me,” Nico said quietly. “I like men.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Percy asked, confused.

“Well, you can go out with some woman and that’s it,” Nico said, uncomfortable. “But to me, any guy that catches my eye will have to measure up to my perfect husband waiting at home.”

Now Percy felt flustered, but also really happy at Nico’s confession. It occurred to him that their relationship was a bit messed up, with all the blurred lines and whatnot.

“I don’t think there’s a guy I can love more than you, Percy,” Nico admitted quietly.

“L-love how?” Percy asked. Halfway between afraid and excited. That sounded dangerously close to a love confession. A romantic love confession. “Nico, are you—?”

“No! … I don’t know.” Nico put his head in his hands. “I learned my lesson at 14. I know nothing can ever happen because you’re straight and I’m not, so I try not to think about it but… I have eyes, and you’re an attractive guy, and my best friend and—”

“You don’t know if it’s just physical attraction to your platonic husband or if you are… you know… with me,” Percy finished for him, avoiding the word like the plague.

Saying it would make all this more real. It could change everything. Ruin everything.

"Please don’t hate me," He whispered, looking at his hands. “We can ignore this conversation ever happened, if you want.”

Percy thought about it. He could agree to Nico’s request. Go on living with Nico and Bella like they were two best friends raising their daughter, with only the nagging thought in the back of his mind telling him there was the slightest possibility of Nico being in love with him.

He would eventually get back into dating, find some girl, present her to his family, and feel guilty and wonder if he was hurting Nico by doing so.

He could never marry the girl, because he would never divorce Nico. Even if there was no danger of Bella being taken away anymore, he wanted to keep Nico with him forever, and marriage was just the easiest way to do it. The girl would probably get mad, and break up with him, and things would go back to normal.

He would go back to Nico. He would cry, Nico would comfort him, and the ordeal would only serve to bring them even closer, if that was even possible at that point.

His mind conjured an image of Nico in a ponytail from a few years back, smirking at him and asking how he looked. Percy had never quite gotten rid of that image, and he wondered for the first time in his life if he was as straight as he always believed he was.

“I feel a similar way,” he finally said. Nico’s head snapped back up, looking at him with wide eyes. “I can’t see myself loving any woman more than I love you.”

“Percy?”

“I don’t know if I mean that in a platonic way or not,” he admitted. “I just know I want you to be part of my life forever.”

The silence between them was deafening. Percy didn’t know what he should say, if anything. The thing that had always been under the surface had finally been brought to light, and neither of them knew what to do about it.

“So, I guess the question is, what do we do now?” Nico said after what felt like hours.

Percy thought for a second or two before getting dangerously close to Nico.

“Can I try something?” He asked, his position making pretty obvious what that something was. Nico gulped.

“Only if you promise it won’t change anything between us,” he said, his voice weak.

“I can’t promise that,” Percy said back, smiling cheekily. “I can only promise that no matter what happens, we stay together.”

Nico gave him a nervous smile and wrapped his arms around his neck.

“I can live with that.”

With permission granted, Percy closed the gap between them, kissing Nico slowly.

Lips were lips. Some people said that girl lips were softer, but really, any person who stayed hydrated and used lip balm could get the same effect. No, what made a kiss good was the person’s technique and the knowledge that you were kissing a person you liked. When he was a teenager, he could have kissed 50 girls, all very skilled at kissing, but none of them would have been able to compare to Annabeth kissing him sloppily and without him properly responding in Mount Tamalpais.

Kissing Nico was a similar feeling to that. Not that Nico was a bad kisser, but rather it was Percy who wasn’t used to the slightly more aggressive movement of his mouth compared to the other people he had kissed in his life.

When they separated, Nico’s cheeks were flushed and his lips shiny. Percy stared a second too long, trying to process what had just happened.

“Huh,” was all he said. “Nico, I think I’m not straight.”

Nico burst out laughing. Percy frowned a bit.

“S-sorry,” he said between giggles. Nico never giggled. That he did now could only mean that he was absolutely giddy. “Congrats on coming out, Percy.”

And Percy laughed too. Because there was nothing more ridiculous and idiotic than a man coming out to his husband after three and a half years of marriage and a daughter.

Speaking of…

“Bella will arrive any second, we should head to the bus stop,” he said, giving Nico a shy peck.

It was novel, being shy around Nico, but he couldn’t wait to discover a new side of Nico (and himself) that he never thought he could explore.

“Yeah, we better get going,” he said, hesitantly taking Percy’s hand and intertwining their fingers.

They went on their way as if this closeness had always been there (and maybe it was). Just like when he started living with Nico, it was surprisingly easy to fall into this improvised new role.

And Percy couldn’t be happier.