AN: I NEED TO DO SOMETHING. So, I wrote a one-shot. And, I'll make probably a million of these during my Christmas break, WHICH STARTS TODAY! SO EXPECT A LOT OF RANDOM ONE SHOTS AND UPDATES. MAYBE. :D Enjoy and review!

"INSTEAD"

Silence.

And him.

Were the only things he knew of.

"I can't move on." Percy said.

"Why not?" Nico asked.

"I-I don't know how. This-the fighting—is the only thing I've ever known. And, it hurts to know that I'm still here, and they're not and I'm just here and I don't want to be alone. Not after everything."

Nico looked him in the eye, and held Percy in an embrace, and Percy couldn't help but revel in the new found warmth. Percy pulled back, after a moment and threw Nico a grateful look with his cheeks flaming with something akin to embarrassment. Nico understood him, didn't he? And that contented him to no end.

"Sorry," Percy muttered and sat in such a way that they were both facing the sunset, their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. Their shoulders bumping ever so slightly. Percy felt a wave of gratitude for the son of Hades and he smiled to himself.

"You won't be alone," Nico finally said, with his left hand hovering over Percy's uncertainly, "You'll have me."

A silence befell the two once again as their hands—Percy's right and Nico's left—interlocked, hesitantly and a little confused. Their hands fit awkwardly with the other, and it was a considerably sweaty lock, but that didn't bother them at all.

It didn't bother Percy that he didn't "get the girl", because he got Nico instead. And it didn't bother Nico that he didn't "avenge his sister's death", because he got Percy instead and he knew Bianca would be proud.

And they were far from perfect, Percy felt a little deflated at the fact that Nico was taller than him and they were a little-no , they were bruised, and he was confused, and their sweaty hands were still gripped by the other as though if they didn't, the other would disappear. Or leave.

And it didn't bother them that they didn't get the fairy tale they deserved, and they weren't able to skip off into the sunset, because they got each other instead, and that was fine with them.

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