Hello everyone! How are you all doing?
I know, I know, I promised I would write the last chapter to Seven Days To Fall In Love but I got sort of stuck because I'm working really hard to make sure the lemon is sweet, tender and perfect. So I might be posting the last chapter on Monday, but here is a chapter to this story to hold you over!
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and The Olympians
"What are you doing in my room?" Nico asked as he jumped in surprise at seeing MJ laying down on his bed.
"Your dad let me in," she shrugged her shoulders as she sat up.
"I seriously need to set some limits between you and my dad," Nico shook his head.
"What can I say, your parents like me," MJ smirked at her comment. Suddenly, her expression turned somber and she looked at Nico in a serious way. "So, mind explaining to me what that little display was?"
"Oh."
"You guys more than just pecked, you full blown frenched and you both were pretty fluent in speaking the language of love." Nico blushed at her comment as MJ studied him intently.
"Uh, yeah about that, Percy never intended to do that, he said he never meant to take it that far..."
"Yeah, uh huh and I never meant to slash Will 's tires."
Nico turned to her, his eyes wide, "you did what?!"
"I slashed his tires!"
"Why? And when?"
"Two weeks after he broke up with you, I only slashed three because if you slash all four, the insurance pays for it but if you slash three, he's gotta pay with his own money... and boy did he pay!" MJ smirked wickedly.
"Oh dear Lord."
"Anyway, that thing that happened in lunch, I suggest it shouldn't happen."
"What? Why?" Nico asked her, confusion lacing his voice.
"Because, you said you were starting to feel something for him, and now he's making out with you and..."
"No." Nico said firmly.
MJ looked at him, her eyes narrowed, "you want it to happen?"
"No-" Nico shook his head, trying to deny it but knew it was hopeless.
"Oh god, you do want it to happen. Nico!"
"What?!"
"You're setting yourself up to get hurt!"
"No, MJ, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"I don't know and I can't explain it but... I don't want it end."
Nico was certain that kissing Percy was a death wish if Nico's feelings grew while Percy's didn't. He knew that if he continued, and actually fell for Percy even harder than before, it would destroy him. Especially if Percy only wanted to be friends with Nico. But there was just something about ending all of the intimacy with Percy, even if it was for the sake of the public that sent panic throughout Nico. And he didn't understand why. Why was he feeling panic at the thought of losing that kind of contact with Percy? Sure he was starting to feel a bit of the old feelings for Percy, but not enough to warrant this kind of panic.
"Fine, but please Nico, be careful and think carefully about your actions and the kind of impact they could have. Not just on you but on Percy too." MJ said seriously as she looked Nico straight in the eye.
"Mom I'm home," Percy called out to his mom as he came in through the front door.
"Okay hun, how was school?" Sally asked from the kitchen.
"Boring."
At that, Sally laughed, "dinner will be ready in two hours okay? I made your favorite!"
"Okay, thanks mom!" Percy made his way to his room.
Percy went inside and threw his book bag on the floor, laying with a small thud on his bed. He could not get what happened today at lunch out of his head. What was he thinking, doing that to Nico. What was he thinking period? He wasn't. Percy couldn't believe that he had actually made out with Nico and a part of him didn't seem to actually mind, which he thought was weird. It couldn't happen again. Making out with Nico was crossing a line. Percy could end up ruining whatever chance at rebuilding a friendship with Nico if he did that again. That being said, Percy decided to take a nap, for some strange reason, he felt drained.
Four weeks later
"Fuck!" MJ shouted as she stopped singing abruptly, "I keep fucking up."
"Whoa, I thought you sounded great," Skylar Jones said, a girl with dirty blonde hair that was perfectly straight and light brown eyes tried to calm MJ down.
"Yeah, I thought you nailed that, hitting the notes perfectly," Peter Jones, a boy with dirty blonde hair that was styled into a mini mohawk, light brown eyes and Skylar's twin brother complimented MJ.
"Take it easy MJ, we have today and tomorrow to practice, you hit the notes just fine, no better than fine, so don't be so hard on yourself, okay?" Mason Hastings suggested, he was a boy with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a mischievous smile.
"She's just stressed out," Nico said as he handed her a water bottle, "Mason's right, just take it easy."
"Our gig is two days from today, and I keep messing up that one note..."
"Lets take five," Skylar suggested.
Then Nico saw Percy's car make its way into MJ's driveway, where the band usually held their practices.
"Make it ten," Nico said as he took off his guitar and marched over to Percy who got out of the car and leaned against it, with his hands in his sweat pants.
"Oh, boyfriend alert," Peter teased as Nico gave him the finger.
Nico walked up to Percy, with only a sweater, ignoring the December cold.
"Hey," Percy said with a smile on his face as soon as Nico got close enough.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I went over to your house when I remembered you guys have practice every Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays."
"Don't you have practice for baseball on Saturdays?" Nico asked as he quirked an eyebrow.
"I do, it ended early," Percy smirked his way, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out today? See a movie maybe, get a bite to eat, what do you say?"
Nico smiled softly, "you came all this way just to hang out with little old me?" He teased as Percy rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I wanted to hang out," Percy said as he pinched Nico's nose. Nico swiped at Percy's hand but was a bit too slow, "slowpoke, so do ya?"
"Sure, let's go. Let me just tell them I'm leaving early."
"They won't get mad?" Percy asked as Nico made his way back to the garage.
"Nah."
"And so his graciousness returns," Mason teased Nico who only rolled his eyes.
"I'm leaving early guys," Nico said as he unplugged his black guitar with red lining the sides and put it in his case. Then he grabbed his brown aviator jacket and put it over his black, warm sweater.
"Kay, see you tomorrow," MJ gave Nico the peace sign, "you guys, let's end practice for today, I gotta work on hitting the notes, are you coming in or leaving?" She asked the remaining three as Nico made his way back out, slinging his guitar over his shoulder and letting his hair lose.
"Ready?" Percy grinned over at Nico who nodded his head, "okay, let's go."
...
"So, what do you wanna do first? Get something to eat or watch a movie and then get something to eat?" Percy asked as he drove through the crazy and packed streets of New York.
"Let's watch a movie first and eat popcorn to hold us off until later, I'm not so hungry. Are you? I mean, you came out of practice..."
"Eh, a bit but not too much, I'll get a hot dog at the theater. Oh, by the way, I think you're gonna love this theater that I'm taking you, it's got reclining chairs!" Percy said enthusiastically, looking over at Nico with bright eyes.
"I guess that sounds cool," Nico rolled his eyes at Percy's juvenile behavior.
"You guess? Nope, it is," Percy stated firmly.
They drove in comfortable silence after that, with Nico constantly changing the radio station while Percy only smiled fondly at his actions.
...
"How do you pronounce it's name?" Nico asked Percy as he got out of the car and walked toward the movie theater with Percy.
"Um, I'm not sure..."
They went inside and soon made the line to get some tickets.
"What movie do you wanna see?" Percy asked Nico.
Nico looked up at the selection they had and stuck out his tongue as he thought about what movie he wanted to see. "Hm, they have... Book Of Life, Big Hero 6, Nightcrawler, Dumb and Dumber To, Horrible Bosses, Interstellar... what do you wanna see? I really don't care." Nico looked up at Percy who was looking down at him.
"Hm, have you seen Big Hero 6?" Percy asked, to which he got a nod from. "Okay, Nightcrawler?"
"Saw it with MJ, Skylar, Mason and Peter."
"Dumber and Dumber To?"
"Looks dumb," Nico said bluntly.
"What?! Oh come on, we're seeing that one!"
They went up to the cashier and Percy opened his mouth to speak, "hey, can I get two tickets to Dumb and Dumber To, please?"
"Sorry," the cashier said, "but it's sold out, so is Interstellar and Horrible Bosses... would you like to wait for the next showing?" She asked with a small smile towards both boys, and Nico read her name tag which said, Kat.
"Hm, what do you say Nico? Do you wanna watch another movie or..." Percy looked down at Nico but then his eyes widened slightly, "hey, have you seen Book Of Life?"
"No."
"That settles it, miss, can we get two tickets to see Book Of Life?"
"Sure, now please pick where you would like to be seated." The cashier named Kat showed Nico and Percy a screen that showed them the seating options that were available, "the ones in white are free and the ones in green are taken."
Percy looked at it and picked two seats that were all the way at the top and towards the middle, not too many people were going to see the movie now that Big Hero 6 was out, so it wasn't at all crowded.
"Okay," the cashier touched her screen and gave out the total to Percy, "your total is $23.50."
Percy handed her $30 and got back his change.
"Why did you pay for my ticket?" Nico asked as soon as they walked away and entered through the front door where the greeter stood.
"Because." Percy replied with a smile, not really answering the brown eyed boy.
"Welcome to Kerasotes! Theater 11, Book of Life, is to your left, enjoy the show!" The greeter who was another girl said as she ripped the tickets in half and gave the other half back to Percy.
"Huh, so that's how you pronounce it..." Percy said as they made their way over to the concession stand, which was fairly empty of lines. "What do you want?"
"Huh?" Nico asked in surprise as he looked over at Percy.
"What do you want? My treat," Percy laughed lightly.
"I can pay for myself," Nico grumbled as he tried hard not to blush. Somewhere in his mind, he couldn't help but think that this was a date and the idea that it could be a date didn't sound bad at all.
"I know, but I want to pay for you," Percy shrugged his shoulders, "now what do you want?"
Nico sighed in a defeated way but part of him was happy that Percy had said that, "I want nachos and a small drink."
"Is that all?" Percy asked as they were called up next.
"Hi, welcome to Kerasotes, how can I help you?" A guy greeted them.
"Hi, I'd like an order of nachos, a hot dog, and... how much do drinks cost?" Percy asked the guy.
"A small is $5.25, medium is $5.50 and a large is $5.75."
"I'm gonna have a large drink, and cookie dough bites... and a buncha crunch." Percy finsihed ordering.
"Would that be all?"
"Yes," Percy grinned as he looked at Nico.
"Is that really all you're getting? And you forgot my drink!" Nico looked at Percy incredulously.
"Nope, we're sharing the drink and the candy, it's for both of us," Percy smiled in a cheeky way as Nico rolled his eyes. "Now, what do you wanna drink?"
"Cherry Coke," Nico answered automatically.
"Okay, your total is $23.50," the cashier told Percy.
"Hey, I think we should split this," Nico suggested, but Percy had already swiped his card and the receipt had already printed.
"I got it," Percy smiled down at Nico as the workers behind the concession stand helped the cashier that served them get their things.
In no time, Nico was carrying the nachos and the large drink in both his hands as Percy carried his hot dog and candy in the other.
"I swear you just spent $100," Nico teased Percy.
"Oh come on, it's fun doing this."
Nico laughed as they made their way inside the theater. Once walking past the long hallway, another employee of the theater came up to them.
"Hello, how are you doing?" Said a guy in a cheery voice as he greeted Nico and Percy.
"Um, fine," Nico said awkwardly, not used to being greeted so much or talking to strangers.
"May I see your tickets please?"
"Sure," Percy handed the guy his and Nico's tickets.
"Okay, H-7 and H-8, please follow me, I'll escort you to your seats."
They followed the empolyee and Nico noticed that every single one of the employees were wearing a white button up shirt with a black bowtie, a black cap and black pants with black shoes. It was a bit cute how dressed up they looked.
"Thanks man," Percy said once they were both sitting down.
"No problem, enjoy the show."
...
"Okay, I will admit, that movie was cute," Nico said smiling as he and Percy walked out of the theater.
"I knew it would be cute, the trailer looked cute."
"So, now what do we eat? I'm kinda hungry now."
"Hm, let's eat..." Percy said looking around, there were different restaurants all around them so it was a bit hard to decide. "Let's go to... Panera Bread?"
"Awesome, let's go, they have the best pasta," Nico said as he grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him, walking fast toward Panera Bread.
...
"Well, I had fun," Nico yawned lowly as he sat in Percy's car that was parked in front of his house.
"I'm glad you had fun, so did I," Percy smiled softly.
"Thanks, you paid for me all day which is totally unfair 'cause I think you're broke now..." at that, Percy laughed out loud.
"No, I've got money, besides, last time you invited me at Johnny Rockets and now this is me inviting you out." Percy smiled.
"Thanks," Nico looked away when he felt a blush start to form on his cheeks.
"Don't mention."
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Nico asked Percy.
"Definitely. And I'm definitely kicking your ass at guitar hero, so get ready," Percy sounded confident.
"Yeah yeah," Nico rolled his eyes as he opened the door, "oh by the way, we have a gig this Tuesday, so I hope you're ready."
Percy's eyes widened slightly, "No way? I can't wait! I'm gonna be the loudest fan there!"
"Dude, you haven't even heard our songs before."
"I don't care, I already know you guys rock."
"Whatever, night Perce."
"Night Neeks."
Nico walked up to his front door and opened it. He saw his dad sitting in his usual chair, writing a few things down for his next book. The one he published had garnered a lot of attention and was selling quickly.
"Hey dad," Nico said as he passed him by making his way to the stairs.
"Hey kid. oh, you've got a gig this Tuesday right?" Hades asked, making Nico stop on the fourth step.
"Yeah."
"Okay, just asking so that I know not to worry if you're not home at a certain time, be careful out there." Hades grunted as he wrote a sentence down before looking up at his son.
"Will do. Night."
"Night."
Today had felt kind of like a dream to Nico. Percy had taken him out and paid for everything. Not only that, but these past four weeks, Percy would be found hanging out with Nico almost every chance he got. And he would for some reason, stay close to Nico. It felt strange at first but it made his heart beat just a little faster at having Percy so close to him. Percy was starting to get a bit touchy too. He would sometimes grab Nico's hand, even if they weren't in public and trace patterns on it or he would sometimes brush Nico's hair to the side. He would bump Nico's shoulder from time to time and that's where it ended. They hadn't made out since the last time, but when around school, they would peck each other on the lips. Sure it was all for show, but it felt somewhat different now. Nico couldn't place his finger on it but it just felt different.
Maybe it was his imagination and just his mind playing tricks on him, but Nico couldn't help the feeling of hope once again. And he didn't want to stop feeling these new emotions.
Two Days Later
"Okay, are we ready?" MJ asked Mason as he checked over the equipment once again.
Skylar, Peter, Nico, Mason and MJ were all backstage as they awaited until it was their time to start playing. Nico started to take in deep breaths. Before a show, Will used to be there, making Nico feel better as everyone got ready to perform. Will would rub Nico's back a bit and kiss his neck to calm him down but, he wasn't here to do that anymore. Some part of Nico really missed Will and the comfort he used to feel around the blond haired boy.
"Psst, Nico," he heard a voice call him. Nico's dark brown eyes landed on bright, sea green orbs. He saw Percy wave him over and he walked his way to him. "Hey." The sea green eyed boy smiled at the raven haired male.
"What are you doing back here?"
"I came to say hi, how are you feeling? Do you feel nervous?" Percy asked Nico.
"A bit..." Nico let out a puff of air.
Percy looked at the brown eyed boy for a minute before reaching out and rubbing his shoulders, "you guys are gonna be great, so don't sweat it."
Nico blushed as he felt Percy's hands knead their way down Nico's back.
"Come on Nico, it's almost time," MJ called him over and all too soon, those warm hands left Nico's body.
"Go be awesome," Percy said, giving Nico a thumbs up as he made his way back to his table, where Jason, Piper and Leo were waiting for the performance to start.
The lights on stage dimmed as the band members took their positions. MJ took the front, the mic in front of her, with Skylar to her left, her guitar ready and Nico to her right. Peter was in the back, close to Mason.
Mason clacked his drumsticks together four times before Nico and Skylar strummed their guitars.
Soon, MJ's voice filled the vicinity, and music filled the air.
Seems like you're doing well, you're doing just fine
While I'm here struggling to keep my mind
Sane
Evasive of the pain
That you caused me to feel
Nico started to strum a bit faster as MJ sang the chorus.
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the memory of you
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the things we used to do
Seems like you've forgotten
How close we came to be
Seems like you've forgotten
That you still hold the key
To my heart, to my heart
The beat decreased as the bass resounded more prominently.
And now you plague my mind
I'm coming undone
This feels so unreal
Looks like I still have to find
My waaay back in life
Since you left me ripped up in pieces
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the memory of you
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the things we used to do
Seems like you've forgotten
How close we came to be
Seems like you've forgotten
That you still hold the key
To my heart, to my heeaaart!
Nico got ready for his part that was coming up and started to increase the pace of his strumming.
And now, whenever I close my eyes, my lips meet your own
And now, whenever we are near, I feel completely alone
MJ's voice got soft as the guitars stopped playing with only the drums as background noise.
I'm haunted, still haunted
I kiss you when I close my eyes!
MJ belted out that last note as Nico moved his fingers along the cords and played his solo.
People went wild as Nico strummed his fingers up and played with such a fervor.
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the memory of you
I'm haunted, still haunted
Haunted by the things we used to do
Seems like you've forgotten
How close we came to be
Seems like you've forgotten
That you still hold the key
To my heart, to my heart!
One last little solo by Skylar and Nico, combining their melody together.
As MJ belted out:
I'm haunted!
Silence filled the air after that before clapping and cheering resumed. People were shouting out and going a bit wild. Nico looked over at Percy and saw the hugest smile on his face that made Nico's heart thump in his chest. The band got ready to play their next song and Nico shook his head to focus.
"Nico!" Percy said as soon as the band finished packing up their things and loading them in Mason's van.
"Oh, hey Perce," Nico said walking up to Percy. And before he saw it coming, he was enveloped in a big hug from said boy. Nico could feel the muscles underneath and he blushed profusely before forcing it to go down.
"You. Were. Awesome! That guitar solo! And I had no idea MJ could sing like that! She belted that song and it sounded amazing! But you Nico!" Percy started to talk excitedly, "you looked so cool! You were so confident and you totally rocked! I can't believe I've been missing out! What the hell! You were so awesome Nico! So cool!" Percy's compliments just made Nico blush even more.
"U-uh, thanks." The brown eyed boy looked down as Percy kept talking when suddenly, his face was pulled back up. Percy had grabbed Nico's chin and gently made Nico look back into his vivdly sea green eyes.
"Hey, you were great. More than great you looked... amazing," he whispered lowly with a lopsided grin that made Nico's pulse quicken just a smidge. Percy's face was too close, and Nico could feel his warm breath against his face. The raven haired boy wanted nothing more than to lean up and kiss Percy on the lips.
Whoa, where had that thought come from? Nico's feelings were seriously getting out of hand. He had to control them before he did something he might regret.
"Guys!" Jason yelled over everyone, "let's go eat pizza!"
And so there you have it! I hope this holds you guys off! I'm sorry about the awful lyrics up there, I made them up on a whim... but thank you for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing! Thanks!