PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || Feels Like Home || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: Feels Like Home – Home-Made Pasta and Nico-Kisses
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post both series
PJatO 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, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, hurt/comfort, post-traumatic stress, slight angst
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo
Summary: When Percy returns home from an exhausting day with new campers, who all want to hear his heroic stories as though that was all they were – stories – then all he wants is to forget that the wars ever happen. Only with Nico, he knows those wars had been worth fighting.
Feels Like Home
Home-Made Pasta and Nico-Kisses
A deep, melancholic and pained sigh escaped his lips as the son of Poseidon walked down the street. His steps were slow and heavy, his posture somewhat crooked. The blue hoodie was drawn deep into his face as his head was hung low. A means of keeping his eyes downcast so no one would recognize his face and start talking to him. The last thing he needed was someone talking to him.
This was not how he had pictured his life. Not how he had pictured being a trainer at Camp Half-Blood to be. Now that the wars were over, he had offered his help to Chiron. Fighting was the one thing – aside from swimming, surfing and, well, other water-related sports (and kissing and sex, according to his boyfriend) – what he was good at. Not just good at, he was quite brilliant at it and he enjoyed it. As long as it didn't lead to someone dieing, that is. So when Chiron had looked so desperate about all the new campers that had been claimed by the gods once the schizophrenia had died down, Percy had jumped to help the old centaur and the camp he loved.
Now he regretted this decision. Every new wave of campers, every newly claimed demigod who arrived here... They had those wide eyes, full of questions and wonder. Which wasn't really the problem. The problem was that all of this, all of their reality was only myths and gamea to them. They wanted to hear heroic tales, especially from Percy, the 'big hero'.
Something Chiron had said to him many years ago came to his mind. One day people may think of him as a myth, a story to teach children something. Percy had shrugged it off back then, being only twelve and too naive to contemplate its truth. He would have never thought he'd live to see the day.
The demigods he trained were ignorant of the truth. They saw how awesome Percy was, how strong and how powerful. They saw his battle scars and were in awe, as though they were something great. They didn't understand the pain and suffering and all the losses Percy had to endure during the wars. It was as though they were ignorant to the harsh and hurtful reality that accompanied a war.
And, as much as Percy despised himself for thinking it, sometimes he hated them for it.
Hated their ignorance. Hated their naivety. Hated their obliviousness.
But more than all of it together, he hated that he didn't have this anymore. He had seen the abyss itself, had been through hell, through the deep chasms of Tartarus. He had lost friends and loved ones. He had killed. And he had barely been a child during all of it.
Gritting his teeth, he walked a little faster. He just wanted to go home and hide beneath his blanket for as long as possible. Days like these made him wish he had never been part of the wars, made him wish for the peaceful times the new demigods could live through. He wanted to switch places with any of them, because they had no idea how much life as a demigod could suck. All they knew were games of Capture the Flag, exchanges with Camp Jupiter and War Games against the Romans. Fun quests and joyrides with pegasi. No wars, no deaths, no losses.
"I'm home", muttered Percy lowly, unsure if he was even heard.
He closed the blue door behind himself and leaned against it with closed eyes. Somewhere deep down, he wished to be alone at home so he truly could just curl together in his bed. But the bigger part of him was so relieved that he wasn't alone, that his boyfriend, of every person he knew, was there and would be there. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself off the door.
"A little more enthusiasm, please", chuckled a good-natured voice from the kitchen.
Percy slowly lifted his head as the smell of home-made food reached his nose. Sniffing the air, he followed the delicious scent until he saw his boyfriend in front of the stove. Nico gave him a half-amused expression from where he stood. He was wearing his black Kiss the Crook apron with the picture of a skeleton in a pink apron that Rachel had bought for him a while ago as a joke present.
"What are you doing?", frowned Percy confused, cocking his head.
"Let's see...", drawled Nico thoughtful, resting a wooden spoon against his lips. "Pot with hot water and spaghetti, wooden spoon in hand... uh, really hard question you're asking there, mio bello."
"You're cooking, yes. I figured that out on my own too", huffed the son of Poseidon and rolled his eyes. "I mean, why are you cooking? How are you cooking? What are you cooking?"
Once he came to stand behind Nico, he wrapped his arms around the Ghost Prince's shoulders and buried his nose in Nico's neck. The son of Hades gave a curious hum at that, but continued cooking without a word about his lover's odd behavior.
"Hazel made me attend a cooking class after the war. Said I would meet new and interesting people there and make friends. You know how much she worried about me being an 'awkward loner'. Thanks for the love, sis", huffed Nico and rolled his eyes. "No interesting people there, but I learned how to cook the food of my people. So I hope you're up for some pasta."
"Not hungry...", mumbled Percy against the fabric of Nico's shirt.
Sighing slightly annoyed, Nico put the wooden spoon aside. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Percy's waist to pull his boyfriend closer. Percy rubbed his nose against Nico's collar bone, enjoying the scent of death and dirt and a little sulfur. In itself, those things surely were not very enjoyable, but to Percy, this combination of smells came to mean Nico. And Nico meant everything good to Percy. Nico meant safety and love and comfort.
"You're not skipping meals, Jackson", snorted the Ghost Prince ridiculed. "You forced me through a 'healthy' diet after the war. Don't think I'll let you go slack. Besides, I cooked. For you."
Nico was the reason Percy had lived through the wars. Nico had kept him alive during the Titan War with the curse of Achilles. Nico had kept him alive during the Giant War with Bob as a guide during his time in Tartarus. Nico kept him alive now by just being there, holding him and cooking pasta.
"Thank you", hummed Percy and pecked Nico's lips before turning to set the table.
Nico didn't need to say anything to that. He knew exactly why he was cooking, after all. The job at camp was wearing Percy down, it made him so tired and sad. Nico did not like that. So, after consulting Sally, he came to the conclusion that comfort food was a good way to lift Percy's spirits. The spaghetti were died blue to add to the comfort. Besides, Percy had been eating less these days, Nico had noticed that and Malcolm had told him that Percy wasn't even eating during their breaks between the classes. Sighing slowly, he divided the spaghetti by two and served himself and his boyfriend the food. Sitting down opposite his lover, he looked Percy up and down. Percy hadn't been this close to giving up since right after him and Annabeth had been released from Tartarus, when its darkness had still been eating them up.
"Percy...", started the son of Hades slowly, rolling his spaghetti with his fork.
"I'm fine", replied the Sea Prince, tapping his fingers against the plate.
"You are not, Jackson", snorted Nico with one raised eyebrow, reaching his hand across the table to rest it on top of Percy's. "I know something is wrong with you. Respect me enough to be honest."
Percy glared slightly at him, pouting a bit. This was a low blow. Nico knew that Percy respected him and loved him and trusted him. It was just something Percy wasn't comfortable talking about.
"The... campers...", started the son of Poseidon, biting his lips. "They keep bugging me about the war, they want to hear my stories. My stories. Not my experiences, my stories. This is all some heroic bullshit modern fairy tale to them. I don't... I... Your sister and Zoe and Beckendorf and Silena and Ethan and Luke and... they... all of them, they died. They died unfair, cruel and painful death in the name of a war that should not have been ours to fight. They... It makes me so incredibly angry to hear this question over and over again, to listen to them... I've never been that angry..."
Staring intensely at Percy, Nico frowned. Dealing with the aftermaths of the wars had been relatively easy for Percy, because Percy was being supported by all the people that loved him. It had made it easier to get over what had happened, but if those ignorant brats kept prying into Percy's life and thoughts, Nico did not approve of it. Glaring slightly, he took a sip of his red wine.
"Percy... I want you to stop working at camp", declared Nico softly.
He awaited the reply with anticipation. Percy didn't like to be told things like these. And normally, Nico respected that. But for weeks now, the shadows beneath Percy's eyes kept darkening.
"Okay", nodded Percy slowly, staring down at his food, poking it with the fork. "It doesn't make me happy anyway. I—I think I'll stick with the dojo, with Clarisse. I enjoy that more."
Nico smiled and grabbed Percy's hand reassuringly, lifting it up to his lips to place a tender kiss on the soft skin. "I just want you to be happy, mi amore."
Percy gave him a soft smile of his own. "I am happy. As long as I have you at my side."
And that was the truth. As long as he was with Nico, he felt at home and at ease. With Nico, the wars had been worth fighting. With Nico, Percy didn't regret a thing. Cutting his spaghetti with his knife, he shoveled them onto the spoon and started eating. And damn, was that good.
"Wow", mumbled Percy, his mouth fool. "This stuff is delicious!"
"Good", grinned Nico, blushing just the slightest bit at the compliment.
"If you always cook like that when I skip meals, I'll just stop eating at all", mused Percy cheekily.
"Jackson", warned the son of Hades unimpressed, hitting Percy's nose with his spoon.
"Ouch", huffed the Sea Prince. "I'm not a puppy!"
Nico just snorted at that and continued eating. "Just don't joke around about it. I worry, okay?"
The expression on Percy's face softened to one of fondness. "I know. And... I'm sorry for worrying you, okay? It's just... I never... thought I'd actually live to see myself become a legend. I never thought I'd get to hear others talk about me like Hercules or Theseus or the first Perseus – I've even heard some campers call me Perseus the Second. A—And I don't even know why it gets to me like that, I mean... shouldn't I be proud or something like that...? But it's... they're so... ignorant of what I lost during the wars. They act as though it was all just some fun games that I won. They don't understand the difference between a real war and their little War Games... They... never had to fight a war before. They will never understand and I think that's what depresses me so much... Only a couple of years later and they're living peaceful lives while I had to go through so much crap... I'm so... jealous... I just... All my life as a demigod, I wanted the peace they have, but they are so oblivious, they don't even appreciate it properly because have no war times to compare."
Percy looked desperate, as though he could spend many hours ranting about it while still being confused about his own emotions. Frowning worried, Nico caressed the back of Percy's hand with his thumb. It happened from time to time that Percy would wake up screaming loud, crying about some of his lost friends or his time in Tartarus. But most of the times, Percy pulled himself together, keeping his head up because he knew that those wars were what had brought them the peace they were now living in. The fact that those who now got to enjoy the peace didn't even realize how much the heroes had suffered and sacrificed for them, of course that made Percy sad.
"I know", whispered Nico softly. "I know what you sacrificed. Annabeth knows and Piper does too and Clarisse and all the others. We know. We, who we get to have a normal life, after all the wars and the fights, we know what we all sacrificed and we honor our deaths still and thank them for their sacrifices. Those who are truly important know and they will never forget."
Smiling genuinely grateful, Percy leaned over the table to kiss Nico softly. "You always know what to say and I really love you for it. And for your cooking skills."
"Only those?", inquired Nico teasingly.
"You do have one or two other trades that I value...", grinned the son of Poseidon. "But right now, cooking wins. This is really great. I think you can cook more often."
Nico chuckled slightly as he finished his plate. "I hope you're still hungry for dessert though."
"Dessert?", asked Percy and straightened his back some. "What? Where?"
"Well, I made dinner. You brought dessert", smirked the Ghost Prince.
For a moment there, Percy frowned confused and looked around, before blushing in realization. Nico laughed at that and stood to clear the table. His boyfriend too stood and followed him until they stood very close side by side, their shoulders brushing slightly. Just as Nico turned to ask Percy what he was doing, the Sea Prince turned to seal Nico's lips with his and wrap his arms around the Ghost Prince's neck. Blinking a couple of times, Nico leaned into the kiss.
"Thanks", whispered Percy against Nico's lips. "For always knowing how to take my mind off dark thoughts. Without you, I would have long since fallen into post-war depressions. But you are always there, you're always ready to pull me back from the cliff."
"I let you fall off the cliff once", growled Nico, pain flashing through his eyes as he tightly wrapped his arms around Percy's waist. "I will never let that happen again, Percy."
"I know", smiled Percy, resting his head on Nico's shoulder. "I know and I love you for it. Now... about that dessert. Chocolate sauce or whipped cream?"
"What?", blinked Nico confused. "You caught on that I wasn't talking about ice cream, right?"
"I did. But it seems you're not catching on here", smirked Percy teasingly and winked. "Well?"
"Oh", grinned the son of Hades and licked his lips. "Well, why 'or'?"
His arms around Percy's waist slid some lower so his hands were on top of Percy's ass. The Sea Prince leaned away some to look at his lover while getting the supplies from the fridge.
"You know those things go right onto the hips", huffed Percy.
Smirking teasingly, Nico grabbed Percy around the waist. "I don't see that happening, honey."
"No", grunted Percy, poking Nico's nose. "Italian yes, English no. No honey or sweetheart. You can make the Italian pet names sound hot and cute, but do never call me darling or anything."
"Give me half an hour", whispered Nico in a low voice, coming closer so his breath was ghosting over Percy's neck. "And I will have you at a point where you will allow me to call you anything."
Grinning slightly, Percy held back his laugh as he buried his face in Nico's chest once more. He couldn't believe that half an hour before, his thoughts had been dark and clouded with misery. This was why he loved Nico. For all his gloomy attitude, he was truly concerned for Percy's joy and happiness and did everything in his powers and sometimes even beyond to protect Percy. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, as long as Percy had Nico at his side, he was at home, he was safe and he was content. He yelped as he was suddenly ripped out of his thoughts by a bite to his neck. Lifting his head, he glared at his boyfriend.
"What? You weren't paying attention to me", huffed Nico with a casual shrug.
"I'm really glad you chose a different approach when you first wanted to make me pay attention to you", snorted Percy fondly and kissed Nico again. "Come on, time for dessert."
~*~ The End ~*~