Alright, so it's off to a slow start. But that's okay. This is an experiment more than anything, so if it starts slowly, it'll pick up depending on how I feel about it. Also, for the ship name, should it be Pertavian? My friend suggested Pervian, but I don't like that as much. But, it isn't up to me. It's up to you guys. Octavercy is officially the funniest ship name I've ever heard. But it sounds cool.

…

Octavian's POV

…

Turns out it was a football game. Also turns out, Percy has Coach Jonsten wrapped around his fingers, because I got to sit on the sidelines, away from everyone else. I clutched a little Go Ravens flag to my chest, waving it weakly when Percy passed by me. From under his helmet, he grinned at me. At one point, he sat down heavily on the bench, massaging his knee. Travis Stoll took his place, while his twin Connor tended to Percy. Someone handed Connor an ice pack, which he pressed gingerly to Percy's knee. Apparently, this kind of thing happened often.

"Oh, knock it off Con," Percy said irritably, and Connor drew back, worry written all over him. I moved closer and sat down at his feet. He looked down at me and the ghost of a smile touched his features. "Hey there Tavy," he said. While my insides still boiled over that nickname, I bit my tongue. It was obvious from his demeanor that he wouldn't be in for the rest of the game. Jason came by and gave his shoulder a little squeeze before slipping his helmet back on and melding into the crowd. I waved my little Ravens flag at Percy, and he chuckled. I couldn't help but feel good over that. Percy patted my shoulder. "Thanks for the laugh Tavy," he said.

"Don't call me Tavy," I said automatically, but it wasn't a real threat this time. I was starting to not mind the nickname. Mostly because it was Percy that was calling me it. Percy could probably get away with calling me anything he wished. "Oh whatever," I said at last, leaning my head on his knee. He rested his palm on my shoulder and massaged gently. It felt nice.

"You know Tavy," he said, and I fixed my blue eyes on him. He gazed down at me. "Normally, sitting here because I can't play would be the worst part of the game. But it's not so bad now."

"Oh?" I inquired. I bet I could guess what he meant, but I still wanted to hear him say it. Nay, I needed him to say it. He stopped massaging my shoulder and moved to sit beside me, wincing and rubbing his knee. He leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied. "I have you to keep me company. And later tonight too. I'm not taking no for an answer Octavian Augustus Holden." Octavian winced.

"I'm wounded Perseus," he said, using Percy's real name. "And how do you know my full name anyway. It's not like the Holden part is hard to get, but Augustus, now that's something. I'm surprised the great Percy Jackson knows my name at all." For the first time, Percy looked embarrassed.

"I may have looked up information about you," he mumbled. Octavian clutched his throat in mock horror.

"Stalker!" he playfully accused. Percy smacked his arm and flushed a deeper red. God, he looked so cute when he did that. "Actually, it's kind of cute," Octavian hear himself say before he could stop himself. "But still creepy."

"Oh shush," Percy said with a sigh. "I don't make it a habit of looking up the names of the people in my school. There were a lot of newspaper clippings about your dad." Octavian swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. "Hey Jay, hey Trav," Percy said suddenly. Octavian looked up at the blonde and the other brunette staring down at him. He averted his gaze and rose, mumbling something unintelligent. Percy worked his jaw as he watched Octavian slide down to the far end of the bench, as far away from the football players as possible. He wanted so bad to date the shy, awkward boy, but Tavy was making it next to impossible. The brunette's friends weren't scary. Quite the opposite really. Jason was as scary as a teddy bear. "Guys hang on," he said, getting up and limping to the end of the bench. He didn't care if he hurt his knee again. Hurting Octavian, even accidently, would be worse than a sore knee. He plopped down beside Octavian, hissing in pain when he banged his knee against the bench.

"Careful," Octavian said, bending over and gently running his fingers over Percy's knee. "Don't take this the wrong way, but roll up your pant leg." The brunette did so, watching as the blonde's nimble fingers went to work massaging and working the muscles. After a couple minutes, the pain began to go away. "There, try that," Octavian said. The brunette rose and moved his leg experimentally. No pain.

"How'd you do that?" he asked, sitting beside him again. Octavian intrigued him, to say the least. "Even my mom doesn't know how to fix it that fast." Octavian shrugged.

"There was nothing to fix," he said. "Your muscles were simply tightening from overuse without proper warm ups. It happened to me in soccer, and I had to rub the stiffness out of them myself. It's simple when you think about it." He was aware he had more attention, as half the team came over to see why Percy suddenly could walk comfortably. "Um…" Octavian said shyly. "Hi guys."

"Hello intriguing science experiment," Frank Zhang said. Octavian flushed and looked away. Percy slung an arm around him.

"Don't listen to him Tavy," he whispered. "Frank's got a lot of air between those big ears of his." Frank grunted like he agreed with that. Octavian glanced around the curious faces anxiously. No one appeared to be hostile, but then again you'd never know. "Oh hey, here," Percy said suddenly, pulling a blue Raven's cap down over Octavian's short blonde hair. "There we go, that's better," he said. "My little cheerleader. You'll come to my swim meet in two days, right?"

"Er, why not?" Octavian replied. "Go Ravens. Go Percy." The brunette beamed at him. Octavian made a mental note to make him smile like that more often. It made his whole face light up.

…

"Why are you so hesitant?" Percy asked, shoving the blonde inside the bathroom. "Just go. It's fine. Mom won't care if you shower here. She'd probably feel sorry for you, actually." Octavian still felt uneasy about using the Jacksons' shower. He confessed to Percy that he hadn't been able to finish his one from earlier, at the Y, on the car ride back to his place. "Tavy, I will wash you myself if that's what it takes to get you clean," Percy growled.

"Is that an option?" Octavian asked, ignoring the use of his nickname. He could probably threaten Percy, and he still wouldn't stop using it. Percy turned an eye to him.

"Don't you fucking tease me," he warned. "Because I would. In a heartbeat. But you don't really want that. You'd be embarrassed and regretful if I did that." Octavian bit his lower lip and looked away. Percy was right. Not that he was embarrassed of his body, per se. But Percy's would look so much better compared to his lanky frame. Percy was on the tall side, and he had muscles to boot. He was a formidable sight. The blonde finally went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, locking it for good measure. He then removed every piece of his clothing and turned on the water, waiting while it warmed up. It was a good thing he always carried a set of pajamas with him. He never knew when he'd have to leave in a hurry.

He stepped into the hot water and sighed with pleasure. The water at the Y never got this hot, and he enjoyed the feeling. He looked around for his own things, and swore softly when he remembered he'd left them in his bag. Percy had some stuff he could use he guessed. Dove for men. Oh bother. He grabbed the dry rag on the little towel rack and squirted some of the body wash on it. Seriously, who used Dove for men? Apparently Percy, he answered himself. But once he was finished, he actually did feel cleaner than if he used his Axe. Maybe he'd switch. He pulled the shower curtain aside and retrieved his towel, making slow work of drying himself. He studied himself in the mirror. He could play his ribs like a xylophone now, that's how thin he was. He wasn't purposely starving himself. He didn't have a choice. IT was food or warmth. He'd rather starve to death than freeze to death. He put on his beige t-shirt and gray sweatpants and padded barefoot to the living room. Percy was sitting on the couch, munching on a bowl of popcorn and watching some sappy romantic movie on TV.

"Hey Tavy," he said, switching the TV off. "Have you eaten supper yet?" Octavian shook his head.

"I haven't eaten supper all this week," he said truthfully. He'd planned on hoarding the candy and making it last as long as he could manage. To prove his point, his stomach growled. He clutched it and blushed. "Ignore that," he said softly. Percy rose from the couch and gently wrapped his arms the blonde.

"I can't ignore that," he replied. "Mom made a lasagna for me to eat when I came back from my game. It's got plenty of carbs for me, but it'll be nice and filling for you." At the prospect of real food, Octavian whimpered. He was still so hungry. "Come on Tavy, let's go fill that belly of yours." The brunette led the blonde to the kitchen, where he began warming up two plates of the hearty pasta dish. Octavian's mouth watered. Percy fished a salad from out of the fridge, as well as a can of soda and a bottle of water. The water was for himself. His little Tavy could have soda. It'd put some more meet on his bones. "Here Tavy, you can have the first plate," Percy said, setting the plate in front of him and handing him a fork. Octavian dug in like a starving man. And he probably was, Percy mused as he set the soda next to the plate. "All we have is Coke, so I hope that's okay."

"It's fine," Octavian replied with his mouth full. He knew he couldn't eat too much at once or he'd get sick. Any time he got more than a meager mouthful and he wolfed it down, he always had to find the nearest sink or toilet and empty his stomach. Another reason he was so thin. He couldn't keep food down. He swallowed his mouthful of food and waited to take his next bite. "Thank you," he added to Percy, whose back was turned to him. Percy turned and arched an eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked. Octavian popped the top on his soda and took a sip. He wanted to guzzle it, but he couldn't. He didn't want to get sick at Percy's house. "For feeding you? I won't allow you to starve Tavy. If you ever need anything, please, don't hesitate to come over. I'd be more than happy take care of you." Octavian flushed.

"I don't want to be a bother," he said softly. Percy grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him.

"You will never be a bother Tavy. You aren't now and you never will be. I don't care if you have nothing to offer me back. I just want to see you happy." Octavian wanted to both laugh and cry. Who would've thought he'd hear those words from someone his own age and not from his mother or father?

…

Well this was quite a bit longer than the last one. You'll slowly get to see Octavian get more comfortable around Percy. And Percy's friends.