PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Like Fireworks on the Fourth of July || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Like Fireworks on the Fourth of July – Nico's First Independence Day

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post both series

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, explicit intercourse, anal, sex toys, BDSM, orgasm denial, bondage, shoujo-ai, hetero, threesome

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Reyna, Piper/Annabeth, Jake/Will, Chris/Clarisse, Grover/Juniper, Tyson/Ella

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Jake Mason, Nyssa Black, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Clarisse la Rue, Frank Zhang, Chris Rodriguez, Cecil Rogers, Lou Ellen, Will Solace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Grover Underwood, Juniper, Tyson, Ella

Summary: Nico has never celebrated the fourth of July before and Percy is shocked to learn that. So he herds together their friends and throws a big barbeque. And he also has special plans for after the fireworks. They have been dating for a few months now and Percy thinks it's the perfect opportunity to introduce Nico to more than vanilla sex and to deepen their relationship.

This was a request by ElliottElliott! I hope you enjoy it! Well, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it too - Happy Independence Day to all my American readers ;)

Like Fireworks on the Fourth of July

Nico's First Independence Day

"What do you mean you've never celebrated the fourth of July before?"

Percy's eyes were wide and he was staring at his boyfriend of eight months like he was a ghost. He was a Ghost King, thank you very much. Nico raised one unimpressed eyebrow.

"The first ten years of my life, I lived in Italia. Then I spend eighty years in a hotel, love. And, let's see, the past six years of being back? Four years were spend living in the underworld with my father. I can assure you, we do not do fireworks in the underworld. And last year, with all the rebuilding all around, I was stuck helping father and Thanatos secure the Doors of Death and the entrance to Tartarus during that time. As you may remember, we spend nearly a year fixing all the damage done to... every place after the Giant War", pointed Nico out amused.

"But it's important, Nico! You're living in the US now so you need to partake in our traditions and culture. Besides, there's fireworks and barbeque. It's about getting the people you love together and being together. And if you've never partaken in a fourth of July celebration, I want to do that. I want to show you how much I love you and how much I care about you, you know?"

"I think you did plenty of that on Valentine's Day", drawled Nico out with a smirk.

"This is different", insisted Percy a bit frustrated and flustered. "Come on. It's barbeque. We'll host it. Invite our friends. Leo would put together an amazing show. Please?"

"What? Are you expecting me to say no?", laughed Nico amused and leaned in for a kiss. "You're so cute when you get worked up, Percy. You know I can't deny you anything, mi amore. Even if it entails a big celebration with a bunch of annoying demigods."

"Ah. Good. So Pipes is right after all", grinned Percy pleased. "I do have you wrapped around my little finger. Mh... What if I get corrupted and abuse this amazing power of mine...?"

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes before he paused. "You could achieve world domination. Because even though I am your boyfriend, I could list about a dozen others who you also have wrapped around your little finger and who would be willing to take over the world for you."

/break\

"This was a great idea, Perce", declared Grover with a grin, bumping shoulders with Percy.

Percy grinned broadly as he looked up at his oldest friend. He was in the kitchen, preparing the meat together with Clarisse and Reyna, while Will, Grover, Juniper, Piper and Rachel were taking care of the salads. Everyone had brought something for today and they had coordinated well enough so they now had over half a dozen different salads.

"It is nice to do something as a group again", agreed Rachel. "As in, something that doesn't involve working on the Sibylline scrolls with Ella..."

"Ella likes working with Rachel", disagreed Ella, poking her head in. "Can Ella help?"

"Yeah. You think you can help Chris, Frank and Tyson with the pool?", asked Percy hopeful.

"Yes! Ella can help her Tyson", agreed the harpy pleased and rushed out of the kitchen again.

There was a large glass-door connecting the kitchen with the large garden, where Jake and Nico were putting together the barbeque grill, while Lou, Leo and Nyssa were preparing the fireworks for later and Chris, Frank and Tyson were disagreeing about how to put together the pool. They had a summer pool to put together for the warm days and since the weather was amazing, they figured they could have some lazy fun while waiting for the fireworks. Nico had bought the pool; he had said it would be a short term solution until they got a real pool. Because Nico was an idiot.

The thing was, Percy and Nico had gotten together about four months ago.

But it had actually all started way earlier; about two years ago, when the Giant War had ended. Nico hadn't stayed at Camp Half-Blood – a few encouraging words from a guy he had never talked to before hadn't magically changed a mindset that had been established for four years, regardless of how stubborn Will Solace was. But Nico came to visit on a semi-regular base. He was mainly enlisted in helping the repairs in the underworld since there weren't many qualified to even help in that department, but he also came to both camps and occasionally helped. After about a year, everything was more or less okay. There had been a lot of damage – in the underworld, Tartarus, Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter and New Rome. They hadn't fixed everything, but the most major things. Nico had contemplated what to do, but in the end, he had formed a deeper bond with Jason and Reyna and there was also the matter of Hazel. In short; he moved to New Rome. It also had the additional perk of a demigod high school, something the Greeks couldn't offer. And thanks to Hades, lord of riches, Nico got a beautiful two-story house with a backyard. Aka, the very house they were currently preparing their fourth of July barbeque.

Now, only shortly after Nico had moved to New Rome, Percy also planned on moving there. He was finally done with high school and wanted to attend college in New Rome. Something must have possessed Nico, because he had offered Percy to move in with him. It was hard finding an apartment, especially now that it was a trend for the Greeks too to attend school or college in New Rome. Space was limited and Percy had never worked before so he didn't have money and he also didn't want to sponge off his mom and Paul. He also didn't want to sponge off Nico, but the Ghost King had just heaved the deepest and most annoyed sigh ever, rolled his eyes in slow-motion and gave him the most pointed glare possible, asking just one question - "So you wish to sleep under a bridge then, yes?". Percy agreed, with the condition that he'd pay rent as soon as he got a job, something Nico only reluctantly agreed to because he didn't actually want Percy's money, he just wanted Percy's company. They lived together as friends for about half a year, getting to know each other on a level they never had managed before in all those years. Needless to say, the love Nico had tried to squish before was only growing stronger now that he had Percy so close by and got to spend so much quality time with the son of Poseidon. Much to Nico's surprise wasn't he the only one developing feelings here though. Percy was actually the first one to confess and at first, Nico had thought it to be some kind of prank – that assumption had earned him the most heartbroken look possible that made him feel like shit for even thinking Percy would do such a cruel thing.

And ever since then, the two had been dating. And living together. It was a curious experience to share their home even though they were so new to their relationship. At first, they still kept their separate rooms, for one because they didn't want to rush into things and also because both needed their personal space. They had only started sharing the master bedroom about three month ago.

This, today, was the first event they hosted as an actual couple.

Another reason why Percy was so giddy about it. He liked this. Hosting as a couple. Inviting as a couple. It made him ridiculously happy to think about himself and Nico as a couple.

Because – and here comes the reason why Nico is an idiot – Nico made Percy insanely happy. It had started out as their friendship growing deeper, when they moved in together. They'd watch movies together and TV shows, Percy managed to bugger Nico into watching Doctor Who and Nico convinced Percy to watch Dead Like Me. They cooked together and made homework together, even though Percy's was for marine biology college classes and Nico's was for high school. And they helped each other through their nightmares. Both of them had been through Tartarus. Both of them had seen the worst of the worse. Both of them had fought in two wars. In Nico, Percy finally found an anchor. Annabeth and Percy, they hadn't worked out because Tartarus had driven them apart, there were things Percy had done that had scared Annabeth and made it impossible for her to trust him the same way she used to. They were still friends, would never be as close as they used to be, but they were okay. With Nico however, their shared pain seemed to drive them closer instead of apart. Percy wanted to help Nico too but Percy also didn't want to burden Nico – didn't want to burden anyone. So Nico had made a deal with Percy, that he would allow Percy to help him if Percy would allow Nico to help in return. That was how Percy had truly fallen in love with Nico. Over all the things they seemed to have in common – they may not agree a hundred percent on TV shows, but they did agree on cartoons and even though they bribed each other in trying the shows they respectively liked, they could marathon cartoons for an entire weekend without a break, they also both loved Marvel movies and Harry Potter and good food. So Percy had fallen in love with Nico and Nico? He seemed so ridiculously grateful for that that it was semi-embarrassing for Percy. Nico kept making Percy gifts – blue chocolate, or special meals, or silly things. Like a pool. Nico, being the son of Hades, tended to go a little overboard on the gift-giving. For Percy, who had grown up with little and valued everything they could afford, it was weird to have a boyfriend who was so willing to spend money on him. But everyone was pushing him into accepting it. Annabeth and Hazel in particular insisted that Percy deserved nice things and if Nico wanted to buy him said nice things, he should say 'thank you' and accept them. Which was hard, really, especially since sometimes it felt as though Nico was trying to make sure Percy stayed with him, as though Nico felt he had to prove that he had something to offer for Percy. All Percy wanted from Nico was Nico.

/break\

Three hours later and everyone was somewhat sated and more than happy. Percy was smiling to himself as he surveyed the garden. They had invited Will and his boyfriend Jake, for one because Will was one of Nico's best friends and also because Jake was a barbeque master. Jake was still sitting at the barbeque and Will had joined him at this point, half leaning against the son of Hephaestus with his face resting against Jake's shoulder. Will had pulled another all-nighter thanks to college classes – but he wanted to become a doctor, so he had to learn a lot. It was cute how Jake was taking care of the meat with one hand and running his other hand through Will's hair. Will, even though he was half-asleep, still managed to keep a conversation going with Nico.

Reyna and Clarisse were engaged in an arm-wrestling match now that they were done eating – so far, it was a pretty equal count. Percy feared this would go on forever. The two girls sat together with Annabeth, Piper and Grover, who were still in the middle of eating, Annabeth and Piper cuddling while Piper and Grover were debating some kind of movie.

A poker game was happening next to them, between Chris, Cecil, Leo, Lou and Juniper (the nymph was winning by the looks of it. For looking so innocent, she was a mean poker player).

Jason, Nyssa, Tyson, Frank, Hazel and Rachel were lounging in the pool, with Ella perched on the rail next to Tyson, watching the water wearily. Percy smiled amused by that, because he loved how happy Tyson was with Ella. The two had officially started dating only shortly after the Giant War and they were still very happy, even though Ella was living in New Rome and Tyson spent most of his time under the sea and in the forges. But somehow, they managed to make it work.

That was a thing anyway. Had been a thing. A thing that had made Percy go practically insane at first. Just how happy everyone was. Or at least at one point. At the beginning, directly after the war, things had been a bit messy. After Percy's and Annabeth's breakup, Jason and Piper soon followed, realizing that their relationship was based on fake memories. It took a few months, but Jason and Reyna worked things out between them and after all these years, they finally found the right time for them, as a couple. Annabeth and Piper started gravitating toward each other too and they had gotten together about a year ago. Hazel and Frank were still going strong, even stronger now that they had added Leo to their relationship. The Latino had returned from the dead with a titan's daughter, a titan's daughter who yearned to see the world while all Leo wanted was a real place to call home. Over the past year, Leo had found that home with Frank and Hazel. And then there were the happy long-time couples too of course – Chris and Clarisse, Jake and Will, Grover and Juniper. Basically, Percy felt like a third wheel most of the times for months, until he got together with Nico. It hadn't just been the feeling of being the odd one out that had bothered him; it was plain jealousy. He saw how happy all his friends were, how normal their lives seemed now. He wanted that too. Now that the wars were over, now that peace and calmness had settled in, Percy wanted a normal relationship. He wanted normal, calm happiness. And now he finally got that.

"Big brother, come and join us!", called Tyson loudly, splashing Percy.

Grinning amused, Percy went to jump into the pool too, getting wild protests from Jason as the blonde got splashed in the face. Rachel snickered and rolled her eyes before leaning back again and basking in the sunlight. Frank and Hazel were cuddled up, both watching Leo intensely.

"Can you stop undressing my baby brother with your eyes? It's creepy", complained Nyssa.

"...Sorry, no", replied Frank after a long contemplative moment. "I don't think we can."

"Frank, that was rude", laughed Hazel and hit him on the chest.

"And it's true", argued Frank with a frown.

Nyssa heaved a sigh and turned toward Percy. "Okay, I never thought I'd say that, but please undress Nico with your eyes. Those two need to learn their lesson."

"I—I...", stammered Percy and blushed wide-eyed.

"Don't fluster him, Nyssa", laughed Rachel. "You know him and Percy are still all new and fresh and lovey-dovey. Who knows, maybe they haven't even undressed each other at all."

"If you're gonna talk about my bros' sex-life, I am going home", groaned Jason and made a face.

"Now that I come to join you in the pool, you want to leave?", teased Reyna.

Jason looked up and his cheeks turned red as he saw his girlfriend in her bikini. "Well..."

Reyna smirked knowingly and slipped into the water. "What are we talking about?"

"Percy's sex-life, or lack thereof", supplied Nyssa.

"Can we please not?", complained Tyson, Percy, Jason and Hazel uncomfortably.

Reyna snorted amused. "I think you should entertain our oracle, so she knows what she's missing out on, you know? Annabeth and I, we're being good friends and share stories with her."

"Just answer me this: Have you or have you not slept with each other yet?", asked Rachel eagerly.

Tyson groaned and covered his ears while humming very loudly, eye closed tightly. Ella tilted her head curiously and went to help, covering Tyson's head with her wings, though she was unsure why they were doing this. Hazel made a face at the thought of her brother having sex and Jason groaned.

"Yes, we have!", yelped Percy embarrassed, eyes squeezed shut. "We've had sex, okay?! Happy?"

"Interested", corrected Rachel with a mischievous grin. "I wouldn't have thought. You've only been dating for what? Four months now? Oh. Don't tell me the evil Ghost King seduced you even before that! And that's how you got together. You're always so dodgy on how you got together."

"Getting together had nothing to do with sex!", hissed Percy irritated and splashed Rachel.

The redhead yelped and laughed. "Okay, okay! I give up! I'm not participating in a water battle against a son of Poseidon. Come on, you know I'm just teasing."

Huffing, Percy slid lower until he was sitting at the bottom of the pool, arms crossed over his chest as the water droned out the noise of his friends. Sex had nothing to do with them getting together. It had happened after Nico spend a week in the underworld. Percy had grown so accustomed to Nico being there for him after a nightmare – they'd normally sit curled together on the couch, watching Dreamworks' Dragons, or Young Justice or some other cartoon and drink hot chocolate until they fell asleep or the sun started rising. In the time without Nico, Percy had first realized just how much he relied on Nico and how important the son of Hades had become to him. Which was the reason Percy had gathered the courage to confess to Nico, because before that, he had tried to convince himself that it was just a crush and it would pass or something.

Sex had only become a thing shortly before they started sharing a room, actually. And sex wasn't that big a deal in their relationship. Sure, their first time, that had been a big deal because both had been virgins. And the next couple times were important too because they needed the time to find a rhythm with each other and figure out how they best worked together. The first two weeks after their first time, they had sex like two times a day. By now, after nearly two months of having sex, they had grown accustomed to each other. And Percy? He... wanted more. He blamed Rachel, by the way. She had introduced him to fanfiction and through that, to BDSM. It had interested him even before the Giant War, but now that he actually had a partner he had sex with? So much more interested. He just wasn't sure how to approach Nico. He had a hunch that Nico may be into it – the Italian liked being in control, after a couple of awkward attempts, they had finally figured out that they worked best when Nico was in control and Percy gave himself to the Italian. Percy loved falling apart under Nico's touch. Nico loved pinning Percy to the bed, whispering dirty things into Percy's ear (dirty things that turned Percy on so much).

That was the other thing planned for tonight, actually. He wanted Nico's first Independence Day to be special. Not just with a big barbeque with their friends or a giant firework, no – today was the day Percy was going to offer his submission to Nico. He was just a tiny bit nervous about it.

/break\

Nico grinned teasingly as he watched Will. Now that the barbeque part was officially over and it was slowly graying and getting colder, everyone was gathered on blankets, cuddled up to their respective partners. Will had fallen asleep practically the second he came to lay in Jake's lap.

"He's been overworking himself lately", complained Jake worried.

"He's fine", assured Nico dismissively, grabbing Percy around the waist to pull his own little space-heater closer. "He knows not to overdo it. Don't worry so much, Jake."

Percy hummed contently as he sneaked under Nico's blanket to sit on his boyfriend's lap. A soft smile spread over Nico's face at that. He loved how cuddly Percy was. Hazel's laughter next to him interrupted his Percy-centered thoughts. His sister was laying with Frank and Frank was trying to keep Leo tugged between them, but the Latino was busy complaining that he wanted to be ready to start the fireworks. Nyssa on Jake's other side rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Lou can start them, since her magic is important for them to go off right", pointed Nyssa out.

Lou, who was sharing a blanket with Nyssa and Rachel, nodded in agreement. "Yup. Lay back down so Frank can cuddle you. He looks pouty."

"I'm not pouty, I'm cold. And do you know just how hot Leo is?", huffed Frank.

"Aw, thanks, babe", cooed Leo with a broad, cheeky grin.

"...Not what I meant", snorted Frank and rolled his eyes. "Your body-temperature, lion cub."

"But you're also very, very hot, little lion", assured Hazel teasingly.

Leo hummed pleased by that and snuggled up between his two partners. Annabeth and Piper, Jason and Reyna as well as Clarisse and Chris were also sharing a large blanket, though Chris and Annabeth actually looked a bit tired themselves. Grover and Juniper sat together with Tyson and Ella on Percy's side of the blanket. Percy and Tyson were planning a trip to the underwater palace for next weekend in hushed voices while Percy snuggled up to Nico for warmth.

"We're going to visit Coach Hedge next weekend", threw Clarisse in as she heard of the weekend plans. "He's been spamming me with pictures of Chuck, I figure it's time to visit. Chris said I should ask if anyone wants to join. Not that I'm eager to spend extra time with you brats."

"I think that's a great idea", stated Leo with a bright grin. "Pipes? Jay?"

"...Well, if you go, it'd be rude if we don't and I'd never hear the end of it", sighed Jason.

"We saw them two weeks ago", offered Juniper with a smile. "Mellie was over for tea, she looked so stressed. Chuck started eating everything in his reach, apparently."

"Satyr problems", grinned Grover amused.

Nico snorted and shook his head. Raising a baby satyr was so not something he could picture doing. Raising maybe an orphaned demigod with Percy in like ten years or so, that was something he could picture though. And wasn't that a scary thought, really?

/break\

A firework put together by three kids of Hephaestus and one daughter of Hecate was the most amazing thing Percy had ever seen. He was sitting in Nico's lap, with his boyfriend's arms wrapped tightly around him, a blanket thrown over their shoulders. Both of them were staring at the sky where among all the other fireworks those from their little troop seemed to be the brightest and most beautiful ones. The four had even put together a dragon firework like the one in Lord of the Rings. Tyson in particular was 'ooh'-ing and 'aaah'-ing.

"Look, pegasus!", exclaimed Ella excited, pointing at a pegasus-shaped explosion.

"It is quite impressive", admitted even Annabeth.

"Gee, that's a big compliment coming from you", snorted Lou with a side-ways glance.

"What my girlfriend who is currently trying to dissect how you put this together means is to say that you outdid yourselves this year", offered Piper with a pacifying smile.

"Mh...", mumbled Will in agreement, rubbing his nose along Jake's collarbone. "You did great."

"And you're gonna sleep the entire day tomorrow", declared Jake concerned, more focused on the sleepy son of Apollo in his lap than the fireworks in the sky. "You are so not leaving the house."

"Tomorrow is Thursday. I have classes", argued Will with a frown.

"Can you two shush it and focus on the very amazing fireworks?!", exclaimed Leo with a pout.

Nico snorted as he half-listened to the conversation between their friends, his eyes all the while were trained on the amazing exploding colors. He had never seen anything like this. It was so big, so bright, so overwhelming. And thanks to Lou's magic, the exploding colorful images were even moving. Nico found himself in awe like a little boy. He subconsciously tightened his grip on Percy, pulling the son of Poseidon closer and resting his chin on Percy's head. The Sea Prince's warmth and scent and laughter were what made the moment perfect. Nico still had kind of a hard time that after six years, Percy was finally his. Smiling slightly, Nico tilted his head down to kiss Percy's cheek. The son of Poseidon blinked a couple times before returning the smile.

"You having fun?", asked Percy softly.

"A lot", admitted Nico, kissing Percy's neck. "The food was delicious. Seeing you down to your swimming-shorts in the pool was also delicious. This right now is amazing. It's... good."

Percy smiled pleased by that and leaned back against his boyfriend's chest. "That's good."

/break\

"Tonight was wonderful, brother. I think it was cute, you two hosting like that", whispered Hazel softly as she hugged Nico tightly. "We should definitely do this regularly."

"Yeah. How about you guys host Thanksgiving?", offered Nico with a smirk.

"That is an awesome idea!", exclaimed Leo, nodding wildly. "Haze, can we?"

"Uh, sure", nodded Hazel with a soft smile.

"Well then, I'm gonna hold you accountable for that", threatened Jason with a grin.

"I may have to rain check, depending on if dad is in the country", drawled Piper thoughtful.

"Dad invited us for Thanksgiving already", added Annabeth, elbowing Piper. "Me and you."

"Oh. Thanksgiving with the in-laws. Wouldn't want to intrude on that", teased Nico with a pitying look on his face. "Sounds like so much fun. Awkward dinner with the parents."

"...Mom said you're welcome to spend Thanksgiving with us this year", drawled Percy out, frowning a little. "But if you don't want to, you don't have to..."

"I meant her in-laws!", exclaimed Nico hastily. "Your parents are wonderful! I'd love to come!"

"I think we're taking this as our cue to leave", drawled Grover out amused.

"Wonderful idea", agreed Juniper with a smile.

One by one, they all left until Percy and Nico were the only ones left in the house. This was the moment of truth. Taking a shaky breath, Percy turned around to face Nico, kissing him deeply.

"Mh... This kiss doesn't feel like a good-night kiss", drawled Nico out. "So our night isn't over?"

"Far from over", purred Percy. "If you want. So, how about... you go to our bedroom and I'll follow? I just got to get... something, from my old room."

Nico nodded dazed, frowning a bit as he watched Percy skip off. What could he be getting? They had condoms and lube in Nico's – their – bedroom. Shrugging, Nico went to said bedroom and shed his clothes before collapsing on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. He loved Percy. He loved living with Percy. He had loved today, actually. He was still not very social. Sometimes, Reyna and Jason coaxed him out to hang out, once a month he visited Will, Cecil and Lou in Camp Half-Blood. Obviously he met up with Hazel regularly. But more than four people weren't exactly what Nico enjoyed. Big groups still made him uncomfortable. It was why he valued Percy so much. The son of Poseidon had stayed close by as a calming presence whenever it became too much for Nico and his flight-reflexes started kicking in. Percy knew when Nico needed him.

"Mh... I like what I'm seeing", purred a pleased voice teasingly from the doorway.

Snorting amused, Nico sat up to look at Percy who was quite obviously checking him out. He was also carrying a suspicious bag. Nico raised an interested eyebrow as Percy put the bag down on the bed before slowly stripping down himself. Obviously, the stripping Sea Prince was far more interesting than the plastic back. Nico's eyes darkened as he watched intensely.

"See something you like?", teased Percy as he slowly stalked up to Nico.

The son of Poseidon came to straddle Nico's lap and leaned down to kiss his boyfriend deeply. Nico grunted in appreciation, arms winding around Percy's waist to grope his butt. Percy gave a little mewl in reply, this cute little sound he usually made when Nico would pinch or squeeze his butt. Nico enjoyed those sounds very much. Well, there was a lot he enjoyed about Percy.

"You got... special plans?", asked Nico slowly, decidedly staring over at the bag.

"Actually, uh. Kind of. Yes", nodded Percy and blushed the slightest bit.

"Okay?", inquired Nico, straightening his back to show he was paying attention.

The blush darkened, making Nico even more interested in what was going on. Percy actually climbed off Nico's lap again, indicating that he really was serious. The son of Poseidon started fidgeting with the bag before handing it over to Nico, licking his lips slowly.

"I figured, I mean... You and I, we have good sex, right? It's... uh... getting better. We've grown more... confident in how we want things. So. I thought... You and I, we could... play some."

"Play...?", echoed Nico confused, at least until he emptied the bag on the bed. "Oh."

Two pair of padded handcuffs, a blue vibrator, a blue butt-plug, a cock-ring, a couple blue vibrating eggs... Well, Nico could clearly picture what kind of games Percy wanted to play and the thought easily hardened Nico's cock. His eyes widened surprised as he looked at his boyfriend. He had thought about those kind of things. Honestly, at first he had just enjoyed having sex with Percy, but the more often they had sex, the more... the more he wanted to dominate Percy. He blamed Percy for that, because the son of Poseidon so easily gave himself to Nico, it was hard not to fantasize.

"I thought, since you seem to really like pinning me down during sex – the other day I had a problem covering up the bruises, not that I mind since I think I have you a matching set of scratches on your back. The point is, I thought if you enjoy holding me down, maybe you'd enjoy... tying me down. I know you like being in control, I figured... we could take it up a notch?", suggested Percy.

"What did you have in mind?", asked Nico seriously.

"I dunno", admitted Percy with a shrug and a frown. "Honestly, I just bought what I thought looked fun and... I thought we could explore together? The way I planned it, you're just gonna tie me down and... try whatever you'd like to try on me. I only bought things I thought look fun, so... I doubt you could do anything with it that I wouldn't like. And even if..."

"We need boundaries, yeah", nodded Nico slowly. "A safeword. You say 'titan', I stop whatever I'm doing. Not gonna do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"...And that safeword just sprang to your mind?", inquired Percy curiously.

"I may have put some thought into that... direction too", admitted Nico and blushed the tiniest bit. "It's hard not to. You submit to me so naturally, I couldn't help thinking... more."

"More sounds good. I like more", grinned Percy and leaned in to steal a kiss. "Titan. Okay."

"Sure about this?", asked Nico concerned as he grabbed the cuffs worried. "Do you... really trust me to just tie you up and do... things to you?"

"Nico, moron, I trust you with my life", sighed Percy with a half-smirk.

"Don't get cheeky", grunted Nico and pinched Percy's ass.

Percy yelped a little and laughed. He slowly laid down on the bed, giving Nico his best seductive look as he spread his legs some in invitation. Nico gladly followed that invitation and came to kneel between Percy's legs. He slowly leaned down and kissed Percy, his hands running over Percy's torso. He nearly instinctively found Percy's wrists and grabbed them, pinning them into the pillow. Percy whimpered beneath him, arching his back some.

"You like it when I do this", stated Nico, kissing along Percy's pulse. "You always liked it. Always went a little more slack when I pin you down. You gonna like it when I tie you down, mh?"

"Y—Yes", groaned Percy, spreading his legs some more.

"The big great hero, at my mercy", hummed Nico pleased, pinning Percy's wrists against the headboard as he clicked the handcuffs shut. "Gods, you have no idea what you do to me."

"You have no idea what you do to me", groaned Percy, baring his neck.

Nico looked even more pleased at that, running his hands over Percy's body while contemplating what to do. The pleased look turned into a wicked one as he leaned down and licked slow, broad stripes over Percy's abs and up to circle his nipples. While Percy squirmed beneath him in that endearing way (he always giggled when Nico would lick along Percy's sixpack because he was ticklish, which was adorable), Nico took the cock-ring and cunningly slipped it over Percy's half-hard dick. This was something he had wanted to try for a while now, because Percy was impatient and normally, he came at least two times when they had sex.

"Stay put for a sec", ordered Nico as he got up before frowning. "Well, not that you have a choice."

"I could break that headboard if I wanted to", pointed Percy out and raised one eyebrow, eyes following Nico. "Where are you going, oh my wonderful master?"

"...That's too thick", pointed Nico out and snorted amused.

"That's what I'm gonna say later", chimed Percy mischievously.

Nico choked on his laughter and shook his head as he continued on his way to his desk. When he returned and Percy could hear the ripping sound and saw the silver duct-tape in Nico's hand, sea-green eyes widened confused. Two stripes of duct-tape in one hand, Nico went to grab the two blue vibrating eggs. Percy's eyes widened even more, which was horribly entertaining for Nico.

"W—Wait a sec, what are you up to, Nick?", asked Percy suspiciously.

Smirking like a shark, Nico placed one egg on Percy's right nipple and raised both eyebrows pointedly. Though he watched Percy's face closely as he very slowly applied the duct-tape, waiting for protest of some kind. If anything, Percy looked intrigued and eager. Once one egg was taped to one nipple, he repeated the same action with the other. Then he grabbed the remote control and turned them on, earning him a strangled gasp from Percy, who arched his back so much in surprise that it looked like he wanted to levitate. Nico blinked surprised.

"...You okay, babe?", asked the son of Hades slowly.

"Y—Yes", hissed Percy, eyes closed in bliss. "I just never... had my nipples vibrated?"

"You seem to like it", pointed Nico out, grabbing the vibrator. "So, let's vibrate something else."

Percy nodded wildly and spread his legs eagerly, subconsciously tugging on the bounds. Nico lubed the vibrator up and turned it on before placing it at Percy's entrance. The Sea Prince squirmed as Nico circled the hole with the toy, pressing in but not entering.

"You like it?", inquired Nico amused. "I'm gonna make you beg for release before I even fuck you."

"...That sounds amazing", whispered Percy in awe, baring his neck.

Nico grunted in agreement and went on to nibble Percy's neck while slowly inching the vibrator into his lover. He knew Percy liked a bit rougher preparation – he had asked Nico to entirely skip it a couple of times already, something Nico adamantly refused to do. But he did usually just use two fingers right away, knowing how much Percy liked the burn. The vibrator easily slipped in and Nico started moving it around, wiggling it until he found Percy's prostate – that find was easily confirmed by Percy's uncontrolled moans. After a little while, Percy started bucking up, rubbing his dick against Nico's sixpack. Nico smirked at the frustrated little whimper coming from Percy.

"L—Lemme come, Nico", pleaded Percy, turning his normally very effective puppy-eyes on Nico.

"Not yet, babydoll", whispered Nico darkly, tugging on Percy's earlobe. "You're gonna be a good boy and wait until I'm inside you, until I'm filling you up with my cum."

That had been their first step into naughtier than vanilla territory. A month ago, they had talked about doing it bareback. They had gone to the doctors, made sure they were really clean. Turned out Percy really liked being filled with cum. He whimpered at the words, nodding wildly.

"Good boy", whispered Nico, feeling as though those were the right words here – and judging by the way Percy went boneless beneath him, they actually were. "You like that?"

"The being filled thing? Duh. We've talked about this weeks ago", huffed Percy embarrassed.

"The 'good boy' part", corrected Nico, raising one eyebrow. "You like when I call you that?"

After a beat, Percy nodded reluctantly, face red. "I... I like the... uh, validation? Feeling like I did something right. Like... I'm appreciated? Scars from the past and all that stuff."

Nico nodded sharply, not wishing to go into detail about a) abusive stepfather, b) manipulative gods and c) two wars. He knew exactly where Percy's need for appreciation rooted from and he cursed himself for not having figured that out sooner. Leaning down again, Nico started peppering Percy's face and neck with soft kisses while slowly moving the vibrator inside his lover.

"You're very much appreciated, Perce", whispered Nico. "My precious, precious Sea Prince. You're so good for me, letting me do this to you. Trusting me like that. My good boy."

He kept whispering sweet praises until Percy seemed to melt beneath him. Only then did he pull out the vibrator, which earned him the cutest little whimper and pout from Percy. Grinning amused, Nico tried to kiss the pout away while lubing up his cock.

"C'mon, no pouting, Perce. You get something way better", promised Nico.

"That sounds good", hummed Percy in appreciation, tugging on the handcuffs because he wanted to lay his arms around Nico's neck. "Aw. Untie me so I can touch you, Nick?"

"Nope. Tonight, you're all mine. All the touching is my privilege. You're my present for my first Independence Day, aren't you? Kinda ironic how un-independent you are being right now", smirked Nico as he grasped Percy's thighs. "Tonight, you're mine to touch."

Percy mewled at that, closing his eyes in bliss. "Then at least do more of the touching!"

Percy wiggled around under the vibrating eggs, nipples slowly growing too sensitive and a little sore. Then again, Percy actually liked that. He loved when Nico left him sore one place or another, as a reminder of their love-making. A drawn-out moan slipped from his lips as Nico finally pushed in. The thick, warm hardness spread him more and more as it entered him deeper and deeper. Nico kissed him deeply, swallowing all his moans, as he waited for Percy to adjust. Once he felt as though Percy was well-adjusted, Nico started thrusting in sharp angles. Percy moaned and whimpered every time Nico hit his prostate and after a while, he couldn't endure it anymore.

"P—Please, Nico! I really need to come! Please, please, please", begged Percy desperately.

"Tell me why I should let you come", demanded Nico teasingly, hands on Percy's cock.

"B—Because I'm your good boy? I was good, right? So reward me, please?", requested Percy.

Nico looked thoughtful for another moment before slipping the cockring off and smiling at Percy. "Yes, you are. You're my good boy. You were very good tonight, so you do deserve a reward."

Percy sighed relieved as Nico started pumping his cock in the rhythm of his thrusts. Within seconds did he come hard all over both their bodies. He collapsed back in his bonds, breathless and boneless. Nico's thrusts grew harder and deeper as he enjoyed the way Percy tightened up around him. Only a couple thrusts later did Nico follow his lover and filled Percy up with his come. The warm sensation made Percy hum contently. While riding out his orgasm, Nico marveled at how beautiful Percy looked beneath him like that. Percy was positively debauched and it was gorgeous. Huffing pleased, Nico slowly pulled out of Percy, but not without grabbing the butt-plug – he had quite the hunch how that particular item had found its way into Percy's shopping bag, seeing as Percy liked being full. The content humming grew louder as Nico plugged him. Nico started peppering Percy's torso and face with kisses while slowly pulling the duct-tape and eggs off before turning them off. After putting them aside, Nico cautiously unlocked the cuffs and gathered Percy in his arms, hugging him tightly and kissing his forehead and cheeks softly.

"Happy Independence Day", whispered Percy as he snuggled up to Nico. "You liked it?"

"Which part?", snorted Nico amused. "The great food, the fun evening, the beautiful fireworks or the mind blowing sex with my amazing boyfriend who trusts me so much and amazes me even more? Because I gotta say, if all Independence Days are like that... It's my new favorite holiday."

Percy laughed at that, obviously pleased as he adjusted to rest his cheek on Nico's chest. Nico was right though, the evening really had been perfect all around.

~*~ The End ~*~