Nico was on the run, and had been for months, ever since his sister's death. He wasn't sure where he was, what day it was or how long he'd been running. He was sitting on the side of the street in an alleyway filled with shadows. It was cold, and all he had was his baggy jacket, but he didn't have anywhere to go. He'd decided that this was better than going back to the orphanage, and he was chased out of anywhere else he tried to stay. Bad luck and pain seemed to follow him everywhere, as did the monsters. Glancing around the dark alleyway, Nico shivered; now wasn't the time to think about that.
He looked down at his rough, grimy hands as he tapped his fingernail on the pavement. The sword a man had given him just after Bianca's...accident, was strapped in his belt at his hip and he had his knees pulled up a bit. He sighed as his stomach growled loudly, as desperate for food as his deathly pale skin was for sun. He was sick; that was for sure. Holding out a hand, he made a small crack in the concrete in front of him. He smiled slightly, proud of himself. He was getting better with his powers. But when he looked up, he found an older boy staring at him in shock and awe.
Oh no.
It was almost midnight, why was there someone else on the streets? Nico couldn't tear his eyes away and his mouth opened, no sound coming out. The crack became bigger and he yelped. HIs hands started shaking as the earth did as the crack widened. He desperately struggled to keep the crack from spreading further, but was unable to undo the damage.
The other boy stared at Nico in surprise, his eyebrows raised and his lips slightly parted. He took a tentative step toward the younger boy and knelt to the ground, his sea green eyes never leaving the other's dark ones.
"S' okay." Percy replied quietly so his voice wouldn't echo around loudly. "No harm done, right?" He rubbed the back of his neck, chewing on his lip as he thought about what to say next.
Nico let out a sigh and nodded. "I-I guess." He looked up at the older boy, and when he locked his eyes on the other's, he got lost in those sparkling green orbs.
"I'm Percy." He said finally. "You don't look so good." Nico breathed out, then blinked a few times and shook his head to clear it.
"N-Nico," he stammered nervously. "I'm Nico." he frowned at Percy's words. "Thanks," he grumbled sarcastically, but wasn't really offended; after all, he probably would've said the same thing if roles were reversed.
"Sorry, that was a bit rude…" Percy apologized, his gaze still resting on the boy- Nico. He was malnourished, and definitely sick. He was, what, eleven? He was too young for this, why was he all alone?
"So...why are you out here all alone, Nico?" Percy asked, keeping his tone neutral. "It's late, you're sick, and there might be… you know… monsters."
Nico just sniffed and looked down, one arm hooking to hold on to his opposite elbow so it was slung protectively across his body. Then he shrugged. "I dunno," he mumbled vaguely, fingers twitching at the dust and dirt on the concrete with grimy, thin fingers. Then he looked up quickly.
Percy knew he was taking a risk, but there was no way Nico was mortal, not with those powers. And if he wasn't, like Percy, surely he would've encountered monsters by now.
"Monsters?" Nico repeated, eyes wide. "You know about the monsters? You can see them?" Nico had never known anyone else besides Bianca who knew about the monsters. "How do you know that?" he asked wearily, ignoring Percy's other questions.
Hearing Nico's reply tugged at Percy's heartstrings.
How long had he been facing the monsters alone?
He glanced around impulsively, even though they were the only people out that night.
"Because… I'm like you. They come after me, sometimes." He spoke quietly, as if he was revealing some deathly secret. Well, technically, he was.
"There's been some close calls, but I've been lucky." Percy was glad it was dark. In the dark, Nico couldn't see him very well. He couldn't see Percy's scars. If he did, Nico might realize that they weren't from claws or fangs.
"I have powers , too." He added. Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing his energy. He felt a tugging sensation in his gut. Dirty water from a rain gutter suddenly surged towards Percy, who caught the water in his hands and formed an orb. He brushed off a wave of nausea and gave the wide-eyed Nico a tired smile.
"See?"
"Whoa!" Nico exclaimed excitedly. He quickly drew back when he realized how childish and foolish he sounded. Like he was before Bianca died. Immediately, Nico's shoulders hunched over as his chest screamed in agony. Bianca. Oh, how he missed her. He scolded and told himself not to think about it. About her. He had to be strong. For Bianca.
"Thanks. It's no earthquake, but I make do." Percy smiled warmly at Nico, but the emotion quickly gave way to concern when he noticed the younger boy's sudden change in demeanor. He wondered what this boy had been through to act like this.
"Do you need somewhere to sleep tonight?" Percy's tone grew serious. "I know it's late, but it's supposed to get really cold."
His mom was working a night shift at one of her jobs, and Gabe had ditched with his stupid poker buddies again. Percy had the apartment to himself, which was why he had been able to go out for a walk.
Percy hadn't had a friend over in ages- actually, he didn't think he'd ever had a friend over, since Gabe moved in, at least. Whenever he saw friends, he would always meet them in front of his house, never inside. He was kind of excited. He always felt more relaxed when Gabe wasn't there, and wondered why he'd never thought about having friends over when he finally had some time to himself… probably because he didn't have many friends, or at least not friends close enough that he would risk his neck like that for them, just for a stupid hang-out.
"My apartment isn't far from here." He offered, turning his attention back to Nico..
Nico looked up at Percy with big eyes. "R-really?" his voice was barely above an awed whisper. Why was this stranger being so nice to him?
Now, Nico knew better than to go home with stranger; Bianca had always warned him otherwise, but this was under different circumstances, Nico decided. This classified as an emergency, right? Nico was cold and sick, and he couldn't just live on the streets forever. It was safer with the other boy than out here. Nico set his jaw, trying to look more mature.
"Uh, yeah. I mean - please. And thank you." He wouldn't ignore Bianca completely on this one. "Sorry."
Percy chuckled lightly.
"No worries." He said, approaching Nico and helping him up, carefully. "Here, let me help you. If you need to lean on me, that's okay." Percy was worried about Nico's condition. When they got to the apartment, he'd be sure to patch Nico up. After all, Percy had plenty of experience with that sort of thing.
Nico blushed slightly as Percy helped him up, and though he tried to do most of it himself, he still found himself leaning against the other. When he stood up, his head rushed and he stumbled, but grabbed onto Percy to steady himself. He quickly let go and mumbled an apology. Percy didn't fail to notice that Nico seemed to have trouble walking properly. He suddenly considered the possibility of internal wounds, and grew more concerned. But he hid his unease and tried to keep his tone steady and light.
"S-so, how far away is your house? And will your parents mind? Will we get in trouble? I don't want to get you in trouble - I'm not worth it, to be honest." Sure, Nico was being overly paranoid, but with his experiences, how could he not be?
"It's just down the block." Percy replied, his eyes scanning the dimly lit street. "And don't worry, my mom's working late, and Gabe…" He stalled, fighting down the feelings of anger, fear, and disgust that always emerged when he thought of the drunkard.
"My step-dad isn't home." Percy continued, his demeanor quickly returning to normal. "I've got the place to myself, and even though it's no palace, it's warm and dry." Percy wished he had a thicker jacket as a bitter wind nearly knocked the pair over. Nico was freezing; he'd have to be sure to get the younger boy a good coat before he left. If he left, that was.
Percy mentally slapped himself: of course Nico would leave. Even though his mom would probably be more than happy to take him in, money was tight. And Gabe wouldn't like it, so Nico would end up on the streets again, or worse…
No, Nico would have to leave in the morning. All Percy could do was patch him up, give him a good meal, and send him on his way.
"Here we are." Percy helped Nico inside, happy that his complex was too cheap for a doorman. If anyone saw Percy with a homeless eleven year old, they'd certainly ask some questions that Percy didn't want to answer.
"I'm two floors up, so it might be- whoa!" Percy broke off as Nico stumbled over the threshold. He managed to catch himself with his free hand so he didn't land on Nico.
The younger boy had hit the ground pretty hard, and when he put a hand to his head dazedly Percy tried to remember what his mom had told him about concussions.
"Nico? Are you with me? Can you see okay? No blurriness?" He gently brushed Nico' s hair from his forehead, hoping there wasn't any blood. Luckily, the skin hadn't broken, but an ugly bruise was already forming.
"Y-yeah," Nico mumbled, blinking his eyes a few times. "Fine. I-I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. I've had worse." Much worse. Nico shivered at the thought. "Just...help me up."
"Yeah, sure.. of course…" Percy ran a hand through his dark hair before helping him up. He was still uneasy about Nico, but it could wait until he was safe in bed.
"Is it okay if I carry you?" He asked. Percy didn't want to make Nico uncomfortable, but judging by how hard it was for Nico to walk at all, he was certain he wouldn't be able to make it up two flights of stairs alone.
Nico almost started to protest. But then he was thinking about Bianca and stopped. He remembered how he used to beg her for piggy-back-rides and climb into her arms all the time. He could really use some comfort right now, too. Not that Percy - or anyone - could ever replace Bianca di Angelo, but…this was different. Percy was different.
Nico hesitated before nodding. "Y-yeah, okay," he said finally with a sigh. He felt like a little kid again with Bianca or his mother as Percy carefully took Nico in his arms, bridal style, and stood. The boy was lighter than Percy had expected; another bad indicator of Nico' s condition.
Quietly, Percy began to make his way up the stairs, hoping he didn't wake any other tenants. But the building was silent; the only noise being Nico's raspy breathing and Percy's careful steps.
When they finally made it to Percy' s apartment, he gently set Nico down and dug his key out of his jeans pocket, unlocking the door and helping Nico into the small apartment.
"My room's through that door. I'm gonna grab a first aid kit and something to eat, okay?" Percy gave Nico a reassuring smile.
Nico nodded and padded into Percy's room, where he waited silently. He looked around curiously. The room was small and a little cramped, and it was clear Percy wasn't the neatest person on the planet. Clothing, magazines, wrappers, and homework were tossed carelessly on the floor, stuffed into corners or under the bed. This definitely wasn't the nicest living space Nico had seen but it was much better than what he'd had before - which was nothing.
He couldn't stop wondering why Percy was being nice to him and helping him like this. It just didn't make sense. So when Percy returned, Nico asked, "Why are you doing this?"
Percy paused, first aid kit in one hand and a bag of Cheetos in the other. The question was one he hadn't thought to ask himself. Percy sat down on the bed next to Nico, handing him the Cheetos and opening the first aid kit.
"Well…" He said finally. "My mother taught me to always be kind and compassionate. You were down on your luck; I couldn't leave you."
Percy remembered when his mother first introduced him to Gabe. He was nine, too young to understand. Two years later, they got married. He had been around Nico's age. He remembered how scared and alone he felt, and meeting Nico… He didn't think any kid should have to be alone. "I know what it feels like, I guess." Percy added, his eyes downcast as he dug out antiseptic and bandages from the kit.
"Your mother sounds nice," Nico said softly, looking down.
Percy smiled fondly. "Yeah, she is." She deserves so much better, he thought to himself. She was too good for this life. He was jarred from his thoughts when Nico spoke the question Percy had hoped he wouldn't ask.,
"What do you mean, you…'know what it feels like'?"
Percy hesitated, the hand holding the bottle of antiseptic freezing in mid-air. "Well…." He didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure it'd be a good idea to tell Nico about Gabe. The poor kid seemed troubled enough already. On the other hand, Percy didn't want to keep secrets from Nico.
Why was that? Percy wondered. Nico was leaving in the morning. They probably wouldn't see each other ever again.
But still, Percy felt like he should tell Nico something. Not a lie, but not the whole truth, either. It would help Nico focus on something other than the pain when Percy cleaned his cuts.
He gently took Nico's arm, which held several relatively deep cuts, and dipped a cotton ball into the antiseptic.
"Well," He began again. "I was raised by my mom, since my dad died before I was born." Percy began to clean out Nico' s cuts as he spoke. "When I was young, I was alone a lot because my mom had to work hard to support us." Now that the cuts were disinfected, Percy wrapped them in soft white bandages and gauze pads.
"I just don't think any kid should ever have to be alone, that's all." He finished the wounds on Nico's arms and gave him a smile.
Nico nodded sadly. He knew about experiences changing the way you think, much more than any person should.
"Got any more cuts that need attention?" Percy asked.
He did; he had a lot more, actually. But none were too serious, except maybe the ones on his back, but he didn't even want to take off his jacket, much less his shirt. But he had taken off his coat, and now he pulled it back on. "I'm fine," is all he said, quietly.
Percy had a nagging suspicion that Nico wasn't being honest, but he didn't press it. Instead, he began to clean up the first aid supplies. He glanced up when he heard Nico speak again.
"Thank you. A-a lot." he nodded in thanks and tapped the back of Percy's hand with his forefinger. He didn't know why, he just felt the urge to take it; hold it. But he didn't, and to make sure of that, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Do you…I-I should go."
"You don't have to." Percy heard himself saying. He glanced up and quickly met Nico's eyes, which looked so exhausted Percy wanted to curl up just looking at the boy. "I mean, the offer to stay the night still stands. It hasn't gotten any warmer, and no offense, but you look like you could use a good night's sleep to get your strength back. I could sleep on the couch, and my mom's shift doesn't end until five in the morning, so you could sleep a few hours and…" Percy realized he was rambling. He snapped his mouth shut, his face flushing.
"Sorry. If you want to leave, you can."
Nico didn't protest or even agree necessarily, simply accepting that he would stay the night. It's not like he wanted to leave - he did want to stay, he was just afraid. Afraid that he'd get hurt, that this was a trick or that Percy would change his mind halfway through because thiswasn't possible. No one was ever nice to Nico di Angelo.
"No," he said quickly, not even confirming that he was staying. "I-I mean, it's your house. You should sleep in your own bed. I-I don't want to make things any harder for you, just, like you said, I can't really go back out there and -"
"Hey." Percy said softly, putting a gentle hand on Nico' s shoulder. "It's okay. Really. I'll sleep on the couch, so I can keep an eye on the clock." He reasoned. Percy's room didn't have an alarm clock.
"Seriously, don't worry about it. It's only one night; it's the least I can do to give you a bed to sleep in."
"But you don't owe me anything," Nico was genuinely confused. "What do you mean 'it's the least you can do?"
Percy rubbed the back of his neck, tilting his head to the side. Technically, that was true. Percy had just met Nico. Why did he feel the need to help Nico so badly?
"I… I'm not sure." He admitted. "I just…" Man, this was hard. Percy wasn't used to talking about his feelings.
"It's just not fair that you have to go through this." He said finally. "You deserve better."
Nico just sighed and looked down. He used to think that he did deserve better, but now, not so much. Bianca's death was his fault; he shouldn't have let her go off like that. He should've protected her. It was his fault that he was like this - homeless and running from monsters; he was the one that ran away. It was and always was his fault.
"No," he said quietly. "I don't."
Percy frowned slightly, his bright eyes darkening. "I don't think that's true." He said. Nico was just a kid, how could he possibly think that he deserved this life? The way Nico was talking reminded Percy of what Gabe would say.
'If you listened better, I wouldn't have to punish you.'
'You just had to disobey me, didn't you?'
'It's your own fault, kid.'
Percy set his jaw and shook his head. "That's definitely not true, Nico." He told him.
Nico just shook his head. It wasn't worth the fight, and he didn't think he could handle one right now. He sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "Fine, but if I am staying. Can I go to bed now?" He probably sounded whiny but he didn't care. He'd act like a real person once he had some food and rest, he decided; for now, he slept.
Percy nodded, deciding to let the topic drop for now. "'Course." He answered. "I'll be right outside if you need anything. G'night." Percy stood and left, closing the door quietly. The fourteen year old dragged himself into the dingy living room and collapsed onto the sofa with a yawn, falling asleep instantly.
