Disclaimer: Rick Riordan is the one who owns the characters.
A/N: I just want to make it clear that this is about Nico's & Percy's friendship. However, there are a few hints about Nico's crush on Percy.
It's also a New Year's fic to celebrate the new year! This is a one-shot, by the way. The title of the story is named after the song "Don't Pass Me By" by The Beatles.
Don't Pass Me By
Nico has a New Year's resolution.
He's been having the same resolution for years but so far it hasn't happened yet. It's stupid and he feels embarrassed just thinking about it. But it keeps coming back to his mind like an annoying song he can't quite shake away.
All he wants is to feel like he belongs.
Even though he isn't afraid of dying - in fact he welcomes Death like an old friend - he's still a kid. He's fourteen and he's had so much tragedy in his life that he doesn't know what he's doing most of the time. He keeps drifting and wandering around. He searches for a place to call home and he hasn't found one yet.
He knows New Year's is considered to be a wide-known opportunity. It's a time for a fresh start and a clean slate. You make plans to face your inner demons and explore your interests. Some people actually do accomplish something while others let the year speed up and fade away until it's in a worn box collecting dust.
He's aware that his wish isn't exactly a resolution - it's more of a hopeless wish after all. He doesn't let go of it though. He realizes that he just can't. If he lets go his hope, he's afraid of the results. If he can't ever have a home, what's the point then? What's the purpose of always running and fighting if he's just going to end up on the dirt, never experiencing the only thing he wants, no, needs?
He's never felt like he's belonged. He'd been plucked and put in another time period, leaving him disoriented and confused. Everyone he loved left him; he's alone with his demons for company. He feels misunderstood and lost all the time.
That is until he meets Percy Jackson.
Percy makes him feel alive with his stupid green eyes and stupid water and stupid promises. Nico thinks everything about Percy is stupid.
While he likes to act like nothing shakes him and he wears a mask all the time, he's glad he met Percy. When he's with him, the darkness seems to fade away. His demons are quiet and the voices go away. His headaches seem to disappear and suddenly Nico can find a reason for the way things are.
It's so simple that Percy can never realize the affect he has in his life and Nico likes it that way.
And when Percy seems to be filling up his schedule and his visits to Percy's house become more frequent, he doesn't mind. Not one bit.
Percy's loud cursing breaks Nico out of his stupor. He snaps back to reality to see Percy's character get violently killed on the screen.
They know they shouldn't be playing video games but Percy insists on starting the new year with good spirits. (By good spirits, he obviously means killing monsters and laughing as their guts spill out.)
"I'm tired of video games. They suck," Percy declares, disgusted as he pushes his video game controller away from him.
"You're the one who wanted to play," he points out, sitting on Percy's bed. He had refused to be immature and play a stupid game.
"Yeah, well," he struggles on thinking of a comeback.
He rolls his eyes, already used to Percy's antics.
"Whatever," he just ends up muttering.
There's a moment of silence as Nico traces randoms things on a blanket and Percy slowly eats his grapes. His eyes are glassed over and Nico's pretty sure he's visiting La La Land.
He's almost finishing a tree when Percy clears his throat.
Nico turns to him, raising his eyebrow.
"So have you discovered any new music lately?" he asks.
Nico was slowly being introduced to modern music and the oldies. He had never been the type to listen to music. He hadn't had time and besides obsessing over music seemed kind of a waste to him.
"A few," he vaguely mumbles, looking down.
"Like?" Percy prods.
"I finally listened to the Beatles," he answers.
"And what did you think?" Percy had practically been raised with the Beatles' music so he was excited to know if Nico liked them or not.
Nico made a face. "They suck."
Percy gasps in outrage. "What? The Beatles rock!"
"They're weak," Nico simply says.
"They are not! The Beatles are so amazing. They practically changed the music industry," he defends.
"Their songs feel weird, I can't understand them," Nico shrugs.
"It's not their fault you can't understand true music," he tells him.
"I really don't see what the big deal is. I expected them to be better. Instead, I get songs that are slow and boring," he rolls his eyes.
Percy gapes at him. He's starting to realize how much of a hopeless case Nico is when it comes to music.
"You're impossible," he whispers, still shocked.
Nico snorts at his expression.
A few minutes pass as Nico hesitates to ask him the question that's been on his mind all day.
"Hey Percy?" he asks.
"Yeah?" he replies, a bit tired.
"Do you have any New Year's resolutions?" he wonders.
"Yeah, I do," he confides.
Nico is a bit surprised. Percy is the type of person who lives in the present and doesn't plan for the future.
"I only have two," he adds, seeing Nico's face.
"What are they?"
He feels kinda rude for asking but he tells himself that Percy doesn't have to answer, it's his choice.
"Well one of them is to think before I speak and the other one is to educate your music taste," he tries saying seriously, a smile threatening to appear any second.
Nico scowls as Percy starts chuckling, realizing Percy had been joking the whole time. He turns on the radio, not wanting to talk to Percy when he was being stupid.
Percy ends up laughing harder as a Beatles song starts playing. He can't believe his bad luck.
Percy soon starts singing along loudly and terribly off-key, closing his eyes halfway to the beat.
Nico sits on his bed - which smells like him - fighting off a smile because Percy's doing his stupid dance moves and singing in that stupid voice of his. He watches as Percy does a really bad impression of Ringo Starr and realizes something.
He realizes that maybe Percy is his home. He belongs right next to Percy. His dry stares belong with his contagious laughter. His darkness matches Percy's lightness. It all makes sense somehow. Either way, it's a start and Nico doesn't mind. Not one bit.