Sooooo, I'm sorta tapped for ideas at the moment. Anyone? You all know how much I appreciate feedback. I don't really know anymore.

Also, I'm watching 5 on the wall while I write this, soooo, yeah. I mean, it's not very exciting right now, but I'm still watching. Oh my god, any other fam members out there? Anyone to obsess about She's Kinda Hot with?

…

Nico felt so proud of his baby boy right then. Because he'd did it. He'd admitted, out loud and in front of everyone, that they were indeed a couple. There was no denying it now. He squeezed Percy's hand reassuringly. He glanced over his shoulder. Jason was standing behind them, looking defiant. His heart went out to the blonde, who'd have just as tough a road ahead of him as they did. Percy wasn't backing down, even with everyone's accusing eyes on him. And Nico had never loved him more than he did in that instant. Percy was willing to throw away everything just to be with him. Who does that?

It was more than that. Nico himself had been so scared to admit that to anyone here, no matter how much he thought he wanted to scream it from the rooftops. There was just something about this town that made him want to shut down. But they were doing just the opposite. They were showing they weren't afraid any longer. That their words wouldn't hurt them.

And Nico felt free. Even more so than when he'd been released from St. Marx the first time. This was what he'd always wanted to do, but never had the courage to actually do. And it felt amazing. Especially since it was with the boy he loved. He glanced at the brunette again, who had this wicked glint in his eyes. Nico could've kissed him right then and there, but he refrained. One big reveal at a time.

"Er, um, yes, very well," Apollo muttered uncomfortably. Not because he was uncomfortable with these boys holding hands. Heck, they did that enough in the in-school suspension room. It didn't even phase him anymore. What made him uncomfortable was all the hateful looks they were getting, but seemed to ignore. Brave, idiotic boys. His lips twitched in the corners, like he wanted to smile but physically couldn't. "Um, maybe you boys would like to step inside?" he suggested gently. Percy finally glanced around, taking in everyone's appearance. He nodded once, allowing himself to be led inside. But Nico kept a hand in his, and Jason followed behind them, the ever faithful shadow.

"Is there a meaning to this?" Nico asked when they stepped into the office. Apollo closed the door softly. Then proceeded to collapse into his chair. He scrubbed at his face, feeling like he'd aged another fifty years in a few minutes. Nico glanced at him. What was with the now strange behavior?

"Look, you boys know I support you," Apollo said. "And you know this wouldn't be on my part to punish you. But I'm sure we're about to get a lot of angry phone calls regarding this." Percy hung his head, but he wasn't going to stop. No, he was tired of cowering in the corner. Apollo put his head on his desk, mumbling something unintelligible. Percy finally dropped his gaze to the floor. He felt bad now, for putting his principal in this situation. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up and looked into Jason's kind blue eyes.

"Whatever happens," he whispered. "Don't you ever feel bad for what you just did. It may not seem like it now, but you did the right thing. No more being afraid, right?" Percy gave him a tiny smile. Apollo looked up to the trio in front of him. Jason, this sweet boy, willing to stand by his friends no matter what. Nico, who was willing to support Percy no matter what happened to himself. And Percy, who at one point had been so scared of everyone around him, who was now brave enough to walk down the street hand in hand with Nico. Apollo wasn't a fool. These boys were in love.

"I agree Jason," he spoke up, startling the three boys. "Don't think you've done something wrong. You didn't. Not even by the loosest definition. What you did was very brave. Foolish, but brave. Don't ever change." Percy's smile grew a little wider. Nico squeezed his hand again, and the brunette instantly switched his gaze to him. Apollo smiled softly. These boys were great together.

"Father?" Apollo glanced up sharply as his son entered the office, the rest of his group of friends following behind him slowly.

"Son," Apollo said in a warning tone. He didn't want his son dragged into this as well. He could only handle so much at once. "Go to class son and friends. We've got this."

"No dad," Will said, stepping inside. "We're not ignoring them anymore. We went and hung out with them the other day, remember?" Apollo opened and closed his mouth. No, he hadn't remembered. "Besides, we stick with our own. And Percy's our own. So are Nico and Jason." Percy smiled at Will. These people were the closest he'd ever had to friends, other than Jason. "Say what you want. We aren't leaving until they do." Apollo admired his son's courage. And their friends. Annabeth. Malcolm. Kids he'd known for years.

"Will, you don't need to do this," Percy spoke up. Will looked at him. "Really. Go back to class. Don't let us drag you down with us."

"You aren't dragging us down Percy," Will replied, sitting in one of the chairs in his dad's office. Percy sat across from him, and Nico silently moved behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders. "This is a conscious choice on our part. We aren't abandoning you again. Friends stick together, no matter what." Percy felt happy tears in his eyes. Finally. He finally had a support group. Nico wrapped his arms around his neck, resting his head atop the brunette's. Percy glanced up at him, and Nico captured his lips in his own for a moment. No one commented on the fact they'd just kissed in school. There felt no need. They knew what they were doing.

"All very well," Apollo interrupted. "But what exactly am I going to do with eight students who won't go to class. Two because they can't, and six because the two can't." And Percy was back to feeling guilty. He shouldn't be keeping his friends from their studies.

"I suppose we'll just have to join them, then," Will said with a shrug. He wasn't going down without a fight. A good fight. He was no longer going to sit by and watch his friends slowly be alienated because of who they were. He crossed his arms. He was not discussing this anymore. Apollo sighed.

"Very well then," he agreed. "You may all sit in if you wish. But you must tell your own parents what you're doing." He thought that would deter them from trying, but he was sorely mistaken. Five people fished cell phones out of their pockets and began dialing numbers, explaining that they were in in-school suspension. Jason didn't bother. His parents wouldn't care. Percy stared at them wide-eyed. He'd never expected this. Not while they were still considered abomination.

"Mom's cool," Will said, putting his phone away. "In fact, she invited everyone over after school for cookies. Anyone?" Seven hands shot in the air, and the blonde laughed. "Perfect." Apollo stared at his son in amazement. He'd never expected this from quiet Will. His son was never one to share the spotlight. Maybe it just took a special person to bring him out of his shell.

…

Will's mom smiled at the eight teens crammed into her kitchen. She thought along the same lines as her husband and son. And seeing Percy come around was a blessing. The boy had seemed to blossom over the last few weeks. Nico was a bit of a mystery to her. He didn't talk much, but he did smile a lot. And he was never far from the brunette. He was like a loyal shadow. Jason was never far from the duo either. He wasn't fooling her though. She could see the look of guilt lying underneath the happiness. He still felt horrible about what he'd done to them.

"Are you all enjoying the cookies?" she asked them. There was a general chorus of yeses. She smiled softly. She hadn't seen this many people come over to her house in a long time. Will was sort of shy. He tended to only hang out with the youth group, and they never really came around. She was glad to see something good come out of something horrible.

"They're really good," Percy spoke up shyly, holding up his third half-eaten cookie. He'd never really spoken to Will's mom before. He felt Nico's hand on his knee, and he didn't even need to look at him to know he was smiling. "Where did you learn to bake like this?"

"I took classes in the city," Will's mom said, smiling. "It was always a lot of fun. Will would come with me. Mind you, he just a few years old at the time. He always wanted to help me bake, but he wasn't very good. Usually he'd end up wearing the ingredients we were supposed to be cooking with. I remember once we were making a wedding-style cake. Will insisted on carrying the bag of flour…actually, it was more like dragging it. Anyway, by the time we got to my station, it looked like it had snowed inside. Will was covered head to toe in flour."

"Mom," Will complained, his cheeks reddening. But everyone else was laughing, including Percy, who couldn't seem to find much to laugh at these days. Will smiled at him. He liked Percy. He really did. There was no logical reason that he should be treated the way he'd been treated. Percy smiled in turn. It felt amazing to be around people who didn't care who he was. Good Christian boy or gay, it didn't matter. He was just Percy. He was their friend. "Who wants to go downstairs and play air hockey?" Will asked instead. Their basement was a little small and crowded, but they'd managed to stick an air hockey table down there. Will didn't want for answers. He just go up and left. Everyone scrambled out of their seats to follow.

"It's good to see him making friends," Apollo said, wrapping an arm around Mrs. Solace's shoulders. "And it's good to see Percy so lively. Things have taken a sort of downward spiral. Did you know he went to St. Marx?" Her smile melted right off her face.

"No, I didn't," she said softly. Everyone knew of St. Marx. It was sort of infamous around their town. "Poor boy. Such a young age to be experiencing such backlash. I didn't actually expect anyone to treat them like that. It's sick and wrong. They're just little boys. They need love and support, not hate."

"I know dear, I know," Apollo said, squeezing her to himself. "But there's nothing we can do about it. It's us against the majority. We can't possibly win this fight." She sighed. She knew that of course. But it didn't stop her from wishing they could fight for them.

Percy and Nico were, of course, oblivious to the heavy discussion upstairs. They were watching Jason and Annabeth face Malcolm and Will in air hockey. Nico was leaning against the wall, with the brunette in front of him. He had his arms loosely around his boyfriend's waist, not necessarily holding him, but just initiating physical contact. The brunette didn't seem to mind at all. He was cheering on Jason, who would occasionally turn and grin.

"They won!" Percy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Nico chuckled, drawing the brunette to himself and kissing his neck. "Our turn," Percy added, wiggling out of his grasp. He pulled Nico along. The dark-haired boy stared at him in amusement. This was a far cry from the broken boy a week ago. Having friends again was doing wonders for Percy. Nico had thought about inviting more people to go with them when they went to weekly therapy sessions. But he refrained. If Percy wanted to, he would. He wouldn't step on the brunette's toes. Not when he was making progress.

"Ready baby?" Nico asked, slipping the pet name in to see what would happen. Percy blushed faintly, nodding. They turned to Jason and Annabeth, who were both watching with smiles. For different reasons. Annabeth was glad for Percy and Nico. Jason was relieved. He was so beyond relieved to see them acting like themselves. Percy and Nico won by a point. Then Piper and Malcolm wanted to face Nico and Jason. Percy stepped back, leaning against the wall near Will, who had his head dipped. He glanced up when he felt another presence. He smiled when he saw Percy.

"Thanks for inviting us over," the brunette said. "It's been awhile since we've had real fun like this." Will huffed. Which was a very sad fact. Percy and Nico couldn't even go downtown without someone giving them a dirty look. No wonder Percy had about snapped. Not that Will was making a lighthearted matter out of it. It was a serious issue, one he was glad they were taking care of.

"You're no different Percy," he said. "You're still the same guy. So what if you like Nico? We still love you. Nico still loves you. God still loves you. In the grand scheme of things, it hardly matters, does it?" Percy opened his mouth to reply, but then he closed it. That wasn't the kind of thing that warranted a response. "Remember that for me, alright? You and Nico, since I know your both suffering. And yes, we tend to notice your pain because yours is new. But that doesn't mean we don't notice Nico's. Never think that."

"Thank you," the brunette said. The blonde nodded. He knew that was the sort of thing the brunette wanted to hear. Percy needed reassurance that he wasn't the main focus. They both turned their attention to Jason and Nico, who looked to be about five points ahead. "He's doing a lot better," Percy said softly. "He'd dug a big hole for himself. He's not out fully yet, but he's making progress. That within itself is hard to do sometimes."

"Jason told us a little bit about what happened," Will admitted, and Percy looked at him sharply. "Not in great detail, just that Nico had been to St. Marx before. And that he wore long sleeve shirts for a reason." Though today, Nico was wearing a t-shirt, his scars clearly visible. "We've never taken the time to look, I guess."

"He's dealt with a lot," the brunette replied. "And he's had a tough go of it sometimes. Nico," he said softly. The dark-haired boy straightened, looking at him questioningly. He beckoned him over. Nico said something to Jason quickly, then picked his way over. Percy wrapped both his arms around one of Nico's, running his thumb over the raised skin on his wrists. Nico sucked in a breath. "Can we tell him?" the brunette asked, tilting his head towards Will.

"If you want," Nico said with a shrug. He wasn't going to hide behind lies anymore. Look at how much better his life was getting. Sure, there were down points. Everyone had down points. But they made the up points all the better. "Do you wanna start?" he asked. But Percy shook his head, burying his face in Nico's neck.

"Your story to tell," he murmured against the dark-haired boy's skin. Will looked at them questioningly, but the corners of his mouth quirked up. Percy and Nico were so impossibly cute together. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it would be nice if they knew."

"If we knew what?" Annabeth asked. Everyone crowded around the trio, making Percy shift uncomfortably. He hated being in the limelight. Nico wrapped his arm loosely around his waist.

"How I got these," Nico said, flipping his other arm over to reveal the faded red lines. Five pairs of eyes trained on him. Jason knew the story already, so he moved to Percy's other side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I'll admit it right now, I tried to off myself." No one talked for a full minute.

"…What?" Will asked. The very thought was ludicrous. This sweet and bubbly boy, brought so low? "That doesn't…"

"You all know I'm not from here," Nico interrupted. "I'm originally from the city. Some people are accepting, depending on the district you live in. I lived in the one that wasn't as welcoming of who I am. And then when my ex best friend left me, it was the final straw." He shrugged. It seemed like such a stupid reason now. What happened if he would have succeeded? He would've never met Percy. He shuddered. He couldn't imagine a life without Percy in it. With that thought, his grip on the brunette tightened.

"I'm glad you're still here," Percy said against his skin. "So glad you're in my life." Nico smiled softly at him, kissing the top of his head.

"I can no longer imagine a life without you in it," he whispered in the brunette's ear. "I don't want to imagine a life without you in it. Because without you, I have no life." Percy shivered, finally lifting his head to stare into Nico's dark eyes. They were green today, with gold. Beautiful, just like the first day they met. Percy sighed happily all of a sudden. Something about this felt so right. Even surrounded by all his friends. He glanced over to Jason, whose blue eyes were shiny with tears. He'd heard every word.

"I'm so happy for you Perce," he said softly. "We all are." He waved a hand around. "You've finally found someone. Someone who loves you." Percy looked back over at Nico, who was grinning ear to ear. Yeah. He finally had.

…

This isn't over, though that sounded like an awesome ending, didn't it? Anyway, I think it'll be a few more chapters at least. Sorry for long lulls. I've been working almost nonstop lately. Next week, I have so many days off though. I'll try and get stuff done.