So, I saw this idea on Wattpad (kinda) and it seems really interesting. I hope you all like it, I guess.
…
Percy stretched his arms above his head, smiling. Today was going to be a good day. He could tell. At least, it felt that way right now. He'd have to see how it played out. First thing's first, he needed to go and brush his teeth. Morning breath. Gross. He giggled as he strolled to his bathroom. His mom let him have his own, which was really sweet of her. He picked up his toothbrush, which was a very manly shade of pink, and began to brush his teeth,
"Morning sweetie," his mom said, sticking her head inside. He glanced at her in the mirror, smiling. "What's it going to be for breakfast today?" He shrugged.
"Something simple," he replied. "Eggs and toast? Also, is my favorite purple sweater washed? I want to wear it today." She smiled at him, which he could see in the mirror. His heart swelled a little. He was very thankful for his mom.
"Eggs and toast it is. And I washed your sweater last night. It's hanging up in the laundry room hun." Percy's smile stretched a little wider. She only called him hun on special days.
"Thanks mom, you're the best," he said, putting his toothbrush aside. "I'm going to get dressed. Meet you in the kitchen?" She nodded, disappearing again. Percy went to the laundry room to get his favorite sweater. He put on black jeans to go with it. He contemplated adding one of his much beloved flower crowns, but decided against it at the last moment. He blushed faintly. Percy really liked his flower crowns, but some people at school found it weird, and he was still a little self-conscious. He decided to take a selfie to send to his best friend, Jason Grace. He stood in front of his bathroom mirror, taking a picture like that. He gave a dimpled smile.
Just wanted to show you today's outfit, he texted with the picture. Do you like it? Should I add a flower crown? I want to, but… He left it at that. Jason would know what to say. He always did. That's why Percy loved Jason so much. Because he always knew exactly what to say. He was relieved when Jason texted back quickly.
Perce, wear whatever you want. You're pretty in whatever. Percy giggled in response to Jason's sweet texts. Though he frowned at Perce. But he shrugged. It was bound to happen. Oh, sorry sweetie. I forgot. Meet you at school? Promise I'll remember this time. Percy sighed. Sometimes, it was difficult.
It's fine Jace. I know it happens. He glanced at his response. I'll see ya there. And, don't worry if you slip up, okay? He stuffed his phone in his pocket, placing a flower crown on his head. They were pretty white and very real. He'd learned how to make them last year. He glanced at himself in his mirror, giving another dimpled smile. He looked like how he felt today, sort of, which was good.
"You all ready hun?" his mom called. "Breakfast is done." He practically skipped down the hall. He emerged into the kitchen, seeing his favorite blue plate with egg whites and toast. He sighed contently, taking his place at the table. He liked to have breakfast with his mom every morning he could. He didn't think enough families spent the morning together, so he made it a point to have breakfast with his mom at least three times a week. "You look very pretty today hun. Is that your outfit?"
"Yep!" Percy exclaimed, holding his arms out. The sweater was really loose on his, which he didn't mind in the slightest. Besides, Jason found it adorable when he wore clothes that were too big for him. He began to shovel in egg whites. "Think you can drive me to school today?" he asked between bites. "I don't really want to take the bus today."
"Why not sweetie? Are Dax and his crew making fun of you again?" Percy froze, a bite of egg whites forgotten. He set his fork down.
"No," he lied, faking a smile. "I just want to see Jason faster, that's all. I told him I'd meet him at school." At that, his mom smiled softly. She assumed Jason and her son had a thing going on that they weren't telling her about, because Jason was always around and was very affectionate and slightly overprotective of Percy. It was oddly adorable, however.
"Alright, I'll take you to school today," she said, and Percy rose and threw his arms around her.
"Thank you so much!" he gushed. "I'm going to go get ready!" He raced off down the hall, his half-eaten breakfast forgotten. Sally chuckled to herself. Her son was certainly something else today. Then again, he was something else every day. She chuckled at her own pun. Then she frowned. She was hoping Daxter was leaving her son alone. He was different, sure, but that was part of his charm. "Ready to go mom?" he asked, racing back into the kitchen. She chuckled, ruffling his hair.
"Let's go hun," she said, rising. She grabbed her keys off the hook, and Percy led them out of their apartment. She noticed that, despite his outfit, he had his black backpack. At that, she frowned. He almost always used the purple one. Was Daxter giving him trouble? It wasn't the first time. And, sadly, it wouldn't be the last. She suppressed a sigh. At least her son had Jason. He wouldn't turn on him. Or, he'd better not, if he knew what was good for him.
…
"Hey you," Jason said as soon as Percy stepped out of his car. He slung an arm over the brunette's shoulders. Percy smiled at him, adjusting his flower crown. Then he ducked his head when he saw Dax approaching them. Dax's friends, Ryder and Ethan, trailed him like the followers they were. "Don't pay them any mind sweetie," Jason said, steering Percy away. "They can't hurt you, remember?"
"I do," Percy said softly, rubbing his arm. It still hurt a little from when Dax shoved him into those lockers. But, he didn't want to tell Jason that. The last time that Jason and Dax got into a scrape, they'd both been suspended. He didn't want to get the blonde in trouble again. So, he just kept the bullying to himself. "It's hard Jace," he said quietly. "It's hard being…who I am."
"Shush sweetie," Jason said, leading the brunette to his locker. "You're special, and there's nothing wrong with that." Percy gave the blonde a tiny smile, but sighed quietly. He wasn't sure if being different was good. So far, it just got him lots of bullies. Or people who didn't want to talk to him. "Perce," Jason said. Percy internally winced at that. But, he was trying. Slip-ups were bound to happen. "There is nothing wrong with you."
"Are you sure about that?" Percy mumbled, taking his flower crown off and placing it in his locker. He examined his nails, which he'd painted a pretty lilac color this morning. But, he was starting to regret that. It would just draw more attention.
"Hey, I know what will cheer you up," Jason spoke up. "There's a new kid that starts today. Do you wanna go meet him?" Percy chewed his lower lip. Well, yes, he did. He loved meeting new students. But… "Don't worry about your outfit sweetie. It's cute. Come on." The blonde tugged the brunette down the hall, towards the office. Percy clutched his books to his chest. "His name is Nico. People don't know much about him, but I've heard his quiet."
"Oh," Percy said, frowning. He wasn't sure what he thought of that. He liked quiet kids, because he himself was a quiet kid, but... "This'll be fun," Percy said with fake enthusiasm, plastering a smile on his face. He skipped ahead of the blonde, which caused Jason to chuckle. He really hated seeing his friend so down. He understood the brunette was special, and he didn't exactly understand why no one else could see that was a good thing. "Come on slow poke!" Percy called back from ahead. Jason rolled his eyes.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he called back, picking up the pace. He really loved Percy. Not like that, since he was straight, but like a little brother. Since he was older by a month, it wasn't that far-fetched. He chuckled when Percy stopped in front of the office doors, looking at them expectantly. Nico was in there, getting his schedule. Jason chuckled again. This was the Percy he knew. The hyper one, who was happy and could light up a room just by being in it. "Don't scare him off sweetie," he said when he caught up. Percy pouted at him, but backed up a few feet.
The blonde wrapped a comforting arm around Percy's shoulders while they waited. He took the time to study the brunette. Percy was wearing the sweater that Jason loved. The really baggy purple one that hung loosely on him. And black jeans, which was unusual. He played with his fingers while they waited, a nervous habit he'd picked up over the years. Jason felt the strong urge to kiss his temple or coo at him, but that would bring attention to brunette that he didn't want. Jason contented himself with laying his head on top of the brunette's, now that he didn't have his pretty flower crown.
"Hey," Jason said softly when a dark-haired boy emerged from the office. He jumped slightly, then grinned at the duo. "You must be Nico. I'm Jason," the blonde greeted. Percy ducked behind the blonde, peering out at the dark-haired boy. "And this shy little flower is Percy."
"Hi," Percy said shyly. Why? Why did he have to be this way today? He really didn't like meeting new people when he was…like this.
"You're sweater is really cute," Nico said, smiling kindly. He sensed the brunette's unease. He wasn't very comfortable with himself. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned. Three boys were approaching. The one in the lead, a tall red-head, sneered at them. Nico raised an eyebrow. But he didn't miss the way that the blonde wrapped his arm a little tighter around the brunette. Hmm. "Yo!" Nico called out. "You got a problem here?"
"Yeah," Dax spat, making his way over. Percy trembled in Jason's grip. God, he hated this. Why would the new guy single them out? "Why are you even associating with those freaks?" Dax asked, casually plucking the brunette from the blonde's gasp. Percy froze, and Jason growled, a sound coming deep from inside him. Nico laughed, a sound startling them all.
"Whatever do you mean?" he asked. "They seem pretty normal to me. You're ugly mug on the other hand…" Jason laughed out loud at that. Even Percy cracked a tiny smile. But it only lasted a second, since the next, he found himself on the ground. He groaned, peeling his head off the floor. Nico had to hold Jason back.
"You little piece of shit!" Jason hurled the insults at the trio, who just stared at him with matching amused expressions. "Does it make you feel any better, picking on someone like Percy?"
"What?" Ryder sneered, literally spitting at his feet. Nico's eyes widened. "Besides, she can handle herself. Can't you little girl?" Percy's eyes watered slightly. It took every ounce of Nico's strength to keep Jason from kicking some serious ass. But now, the dark-haired boy was confused. She? Everything led him to believe Percy was a boy. "Oh, they didn't bother to tell you?" Ryder asked. "Percy here, is a girl."
"That's not true and you fucking know it!" Jason shouted. Nico was surprised that no one was even bothering to help them out. This was clearly bullying. "She identifies as a female," Jason explained, managing to lower his volume some. "But, she can identify as male too."
"I'm gender fluid," Percy said quietly from the floor, wincing when Ethan stomped, hard, on her hand. Jason growled again. He felt completely powerless. He couldn't help her. He just couldn't. Nico, for some reason, wouldn't let him. But, the boy hadn't run away. Dax shoved his face into Percy's. She winced when his harsh breath hit her face.
"You're a freak," he said lowly. Percy glanced down. Yeah, she'd heard. Lots of times. "And a nobody. Nobody cares about you. Well, except for your freak boyfriend of course." Percy didn't even have the heart to defend herself on that, even though she normally would. "Have fun there boys, and girl, ta ta." He waved over his shoulder, leading Ethan and Ryder away. Percy sighed, getting up from the floor, wiping her jeans off. Jason finally tore himself away from Nico. He was by her side in an instant.
"Oh god sweetie, I'm so sorry," Jason apologized, checking her over. "Did they hurt you? If they did, I swear I'll kick them all the way to the Atlantic." Percy sighed, shoving Jason off.
"I'm fine Jace," she lied, gathering her books. "Just…I want to go to class, okay?" Jason sighed, but nodded reluctantly. He fell in step beside the brunette, walking her to class in case Daxter decided to show his ugly mug again. Surprisingly, Nico fell in step with them.
"We didn't scare you off?" Jason asked. "I figured you wouldn't want to be seen with us again." Percy hung her head. God, she was just ruining people's lives.
"Nah," Nico said. "You're unique. And, I sense there's a lot that's special about you." Percy cracked a tiny little smile. "Don't be afraid to be who you are Percy." Percy ducked her head. Nico was taking this so much better than she originally planned. "Is there anything special regarding her?" Nico asked, slipping smoothly into the correct pronoun. Percy looked up sharply. Even Jason still struggled with that sometimes.
"You don't have to accept what I am if you don't want to," she said quietly. Nico looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "I…I understand if you don't want to. It's hard to get used to."
"Nonsense," Nico said, waving a hand. "At my old school, my boyfriend was gender fluid. On days when he was she, she was my girlfriend. When he was he, he was my boyfriend." Percy's eyes grew wider with every word. Nico was gay? He'd had a boyfriend that was gender fluid? It almost seemed too good to be true. "His name was Ashton normally. But sometimes, she would be Ashley. And, that was okay." Percy suddenly launched herself at Nico, wrapping him in a hug. He laughed. Jason stared at them in shock. He'd never seen Percy do that.
"She's not normally like that," he said with a lopsided grin. "Let's go little lady. Class awaits." He pulled Percy away from Nico, who gave her a kind grin. She waved at the boy, feeling her heart flutter. This really was too good to be true.
…
Sorry for the sudden pronoun change in the middle. Yes, I'm going to be honoring Percy's pronouns. His name will still be Percy for both, spelled the same. Also, the Ashton/Ashley thing was first Larry_Lashton's idea. Well, the name switch like that was. Anyway, you'll see more how this plays out in later chapters.