Hi guys! Here's my first one-shot! Dedicated to my best friend! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUTTERNUGGETS! Okay, I'm done freaking you guys out. Please enjoy, and don't forget to click that beautiful little review button! Also, tell me what you thought of Blood of Olympus! I just finished it!
Nico's POV
I stepped into the corner coffee shop, the aromatic scents of beans and steam filling me up. It was practically empty, and considering the shop's goofy name, I could see why. Monster's Java had always been close to my house, but I never bothered to stop by. Maybe it was the stupid name. Maybe it was because I never had the time. Or maybe it's because I hate coffee. I have enough trouble falling asleep at night without caffeine being added to the mix.
The coffee place was tiny and relatively clean, and had a counter lining the perimeter of the shop. Mahogany chairs with plush brown velvet seats were arranged along the counter. Soft lights gave the place a warm glow, and computers that had fallen asleep from little use were in the center of the store on a large circular table. The place was quiet, with only the hum of the coffee bean grinder and the faint sound of music playing filling up the store.
I had no idea why I decided to come, anyway. Especially at three in the morning. I had woken up from another nightmare, and had stumbled out of my house, not wanting to fall asleep again. I can still see Bianca's face, laughing with me as we spent the afternoon together, scolding me for doing something stupid, cold and lifeless on the floor, a pool of blood around her pale face. My mother and sister had died in a car accident, a drunk driver named Zeus Lucendi hit us, and Bianca shielded my body from the worst blows.
I still blamed myself to this day, and for a while, I was bent on revenge. After a few years, the rage boiled down to numbness. I moved out of my father's house and went to a different town, where no one knew who I was. I tried to carry on with my life, even tried to date a few girls. I was never attracted to any of them, and came to the realization that I was, in fact gay. I just saw it as another reason to consider myself different and strange, but one of my few close friends, Jason, managed to convince me otherwise. He said I was completely normal, and that soon, I would find someone that was right for me.
The dirty liar.
So far, no guy has shown the least bit of attraction to me, and I couldn't really blame them. I'm nothing special, to be honest.
I walked over to the barista, who had headphones plugged in and was dancing very badly with his back turned to me. I suppressed a smile and looked at the menu above. The options were written white on black, which was good for my dyslexia. My eyes skimmed the different types of coffee, and there was stuff like decaf, espresso, latte. I had no idea what any of them meant, so I just picked a random one.
"Uh, excuse me," I spoke, trying to grab his attention. He is currently doing the moonwalk, still oblivious to my attempts to get his attention. I cleared my throat loudly. Nothing. Finally, I just gave up and yanked the earphones from him. He looked at me, looking very startled that someone had interrupted his Michael Jackson routine.
I was taken aback, not by his stare, but by his eyes. They were bright green with hints of blue swirled into them. They were filled with childish mischief, and so different from my own dark, sad eyes that I couldn't help but stare.
"Sorry," he laughed, running a hand through his black hair sheepishly. "Usually no one comes here, so I just kind of go off into my own world."
"C-can I have a Caramel Expresso?" I stammered, still ensnared by his eyes. I glanced at his name tag. "Uh, Perseus?"
"Are you sure? That's pretty strong."
I nodded, sitting down on a chair by the counter. I watched him prepare the coffee, still moving his feet like he was dancing.
"Call me Percy, by the way." He called from the machine. Then he did something weird. He winked at me. Winked at me! It was probably my imagination, no way would a guy like that wink at a small, gothic looking boy. He was much taller than me, and looked athletic. His eyes were easily his best feature, and his jet black hair was piled messily on his head.
He turned to me and set the coffee down in front of me. The coffee smelled strong, with whipped cream on top and caramel in a crisscross pattern on top of it. I took a moment to smell the caffeine which would soon be coursing through my body, no doubt giving me some form of a sugar high.
"So, what's your name?" I looked up, startled. I fully expected him to ignore me after he gave me the coffee, but he took a seat across from me and was staring directly at me. I shrunk back, feeling self conscious. "I just think it's fair that you share yours, since I told you mine."
"Nico." I mumbled, looking down.
Percy's POV
Tonight was weirder than usual. First, Mr. D, the owner of Monster's Java, called me by my actual name instead of the usual "Peter Johnson." Next, we get an actual customer, and then I wink at him. I have no idea why I did it, to be honest. Even if he is somewhat dark looking, he is actually kinda cute. Huh, weird. I've always considered myself straight as a pole, but after that breakup with Annabeth—well, I just don't know. He probably thinks I'm totally gay now. I wonder if he's gay...
These are the thoughts that run through my head on a regular basis. Stupid ADHD.
For some reason, I feel drawn to him. It's just something in the way he speaks, the way those dark eyes look at me, I just don't know. I began to strike up a conversation with him.
"Nico," he said softly, looking at his coffee. Great, he probably thinks I'm totally weird.
"Cool name," I said, running a hand through my hair. "So what brings you to the Monster's Java at this late hour?"
"I couldn't sleep," He muttered, sipping his coffee. He doesn't seem to say much.
"That's weird, I love sleep!" I exclaimed. Then, I see him smile for the first time. It was quick, passing over his face before he returned to his usual scowl. I grinned. "Yes! I made Nico Grumpygrumps smile! My life is complete!"
He scowled, but not before smiling for a second time. Yes! Nico takes a long sip of his drink before putting it down. His eyes widen and his pupils grow to massive proportions. Crap, I probably shouldn't have added that caffeine boost. He jumped from his chair and started running around the place, waving his arms around like a crazy person.
"Hades has 5000 attack points," he screamed, jumping up on the counter. "Take that, wine dude!" He threw the empty cup into the air, splattering a few remaining drops on himself.
I really shouldn't have added that caffeine boost.
"Nico!" I yelled. I kind of enjoyed seeing him like this, he was so alive. Even if he probably was incredibly hyper. Still, I knew once you got someone on a sugar high, there was no stopping them. I waited for thirty minutes while Nico ran around the coffee shop, screaming about a game called Mythomagic and attack points. Finally, he collapsed from exhaustion on a dark green rug near the computer area.
I let him sleep it off for a few minutes, but then I decided to have some fun. Keeping the peace was a phrase that was not in my vocabulary. I knelt down beside his, putting my face close to his. Then I screamed, "What's Mythomagic!?"
His eyes popped open, and his head went up in surprise, smacking his forehead into mine. I stumbled back, wincing and laughing. Nico was bright red, rubbing his sore forehead and giving me a dirty look. I laughed for a few minutes while Nico just scowled at me. Finally, he muttered, "A stupid game I used to play."
"Cool," I said, slouching down on a bright blue beanbag chair. He stared at me, his blush receding.
"I should go, it's four in the morning," he said, checking his phone. He shoved it back into his pocket and began walking towards the door.
"Wait!" I yelled. He turned around, looking somewhat surprised. He leaned against the doorframe, his black clothing making him look even more translucent. His eyes, the kind that don't beg to be noticed, looked at me curiously.
"Why?" He frowned at me, one foot out the door.
"Because—" I stumbled. I hadn't no idea what to tell him, then an idea formed in my mind. "Because I'm going to tell you a story."
Nico's POV
"A story?" I scowled, looking at him like he was crazy. Does he think we're in kindergarten or something? First, he spikes my drink and makes me go wacko, no doubt embarrassing myself in my hyper state. Now, he wants me to stick around for storytime. But, his eyes looked at me pleadingly, and my scowl dissolved. "What kind of story?"
"Stay and you'll find out," he said, almost smirking.
"Fine," I growled, only because I found that freaking smirk so infuriating. And kind of attractive—but mostly infuriating! I walked over to were he was sitting, letting the door slam behind me, locking out the cold night—or should I say •morning— air. I sat down on a beanbag chair across from him, looking at Percy with a cynical expression I couldn't mask.
"Are you familiar with Greek mythology?" He asked. I shrugged. Mythomagic gave me some insight on the gods, goddesses, and other protagonists of the stories. But it didn't do much to actually describe the stories.
"Well, a long time ago, people were born with four legs, four arms, and a single head with two heads. They were powerful beings, and threatened to conquer and overthrow the gods. Of course, the gods didn't want to kill them with lighting like they did with the Titans, because they would lose their tributes. So, Zeus—" He stopped. "You know who he is, right?"
"Of course I do," grumbled. "Lightning bolts do 600 damage. Continue."
He looked like he was trying not to laugh. "So Zeus decided to split them in half. It served as a punishment, and it doubled the amount of tributes they recieved. They were miserable afterwards, to the point were they refused to eat. Apollo took pity on them, and he reconstructed their bodies, their belly buttons the only remnants of their original form. They each only had two arms, two legs, and one face."
He stopped, readjusting himself to a more comfortable position. I found myself sitting up, actually interested in the story Percy was telling. "Supposedly, they would wander the earth in loneliness, searching for their other half. They would be the only person who they could be truly happy with and love."
"And?" I spoke softly. I don't know how, but Percy's face ended up dangerously close to mine. We were inches apart.
"They would know no greater joy than to be reunited with their other half, their soulmate." He whispered. Slowly, he leaned forward, and his lips pressed against mine. Energy fizzed inside of me. His hands rested on my thighs. His shaggy hair tickled the top of my forehead. It felt so good, but I pulled back, my face no doubt a deep shade of red.
He looked surprised. "S-sorry," he stammered, his face turning a shade of red that would challenge a tomato. "Are you not—"
"I am," I mumbled, looking down on the floor. I suddenly found my dirty black converses extremely interesting. I tried to ignore the eyes that were peering down at me.
"So y-you don't like me?" He stammered, looking extremely embarrassed.
"No!" I exclaimed, a little to quickly. "I mean, no, I like you it's just..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. The truth was, I wasn't sure why I pulled away. It was the first time I ever actually felt something while kissing someone. It just didn't feel—right. Well, it felt right, I just didn't think I deserved it. I mean, I know I sound like a stupid teenage girl, but here's this incredibly hot guy and he kissed...me.
Percy looked at me, his eyes wide and a small smirk forming. The redness was receding and he crossed his arms, smirking down at me. "Incredibly hot, huh?"
Too late, I had realized I had said that out loud. Cursing under my breath, I pulled on my aviator jacket, my face burning. It was time to leave, I couldn't handle it anymore. I pulled open the door, the cold morning air stinging my face. I looked at the sun, which was slowly breaking through the horizon. I took a step out, and I heard him yell, "Wait, Nico!"
I turned around, and he was standing in front of me. "Yes?" I said impatiently. I had embarrassed myself enough for one night.
"Can I just say one thing?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Go ahead," I muttered, glancing at his face quickly.
"We—" He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "We accept the love we think we deserve."
I let that sink in for a moment, the words echoing in my head. Percy's hair is tousled by the wind, and he has the same easy smile that he had when I first saw him. Then I stand up on my toes, grab his shirt, pull him towards me, and give him a long kiss. And it was even better than the first one.
Hope you enjoyed!~Wisegirl869~