I hope you enjoy this something a little sweet on Valentine's Day! I know I could use a little cheering up :P

Also, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement in the closing author's note!

I agreed to spend the day in at Percy's suggestion. With the poor sleep I'd gotten last night and all the stress…well, I wasn't in the mood to go out. We'd probably be out all day, and of course a ton of people would probably be stopping us along the way. Thanking us for our service, asking to talk, or just plain staring at us.

I didn't want to deal with the Seven either. They were great people. but their personalities could be positively draining, especially when they were all in the same room. They were all so loud. And I didn't need Hazel's glares right now. I really didn't.

Once Percy cleaned up the kitchen, he sorted through the small stack of DVDs we'd brought along for the sleepless nights we were both so prone to. After he settled on one and popped it in, he huddled himself up against the arm of the sofa, and opened up a spot for me to join him. I curled up against him, and he wrapped his arms around me. One hand went to rest of my back, while the other worked the remote.

I tried my hardest to enjoy our time together. This was one of my few pleasures in life, just cuddling with Percy and watching movies. Sitting there with my head on his shoulder, his arms around me. There was no stress, no pressure, nobody watching. I could be completely at ease when it was just the two of us.

But halfway through the movie, that damned feeling of guilt started to gnaw at my insides.

We only had two weeks here in New Rome. We probably wouldn't be able to get back here until Percy got out of school and summer session started. So these two weeks…they were supposed to be packed with adventure and fun. We were supposed to be out exploring the city right now, laughing and joking around with everyone. Percy was supposed to be catching up with Annabeth, who he hadn't seen in months. This Spring Break…it was supposed to be normal. We were supposed to be normal for once…

But instead we were here, wasting the entire day inside because I didn't have the energy to leave the apartment. Because I was too anxious to have all those eyes on me. Because there was something wrong with me…

"A-are you sure you want to stay in today? I'm sure I could deal with going out. Or…or you could just go without me, if you really wanted to," I nervously began, picking my head off his shoulder. I really didn't want to keep him here if he'd rather be out. He deserved to have a good time, and he didn't need me there.

He sighed and wrapped his arm tighter around me, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"I really don't mind, I promise. Right now you need rest, and I'm more than happy to keep you company. I like getting to spend alone time with you anyway," he assured me, squeezing my arm comfortingly.

I breathed deeply, trying to will away the anxiety that'd been settling in the pit of my stomach. Percy didn't seem like he was lying.

"And besides, we should probably give these guys a little time to fade," he chuckled, rubbing his thumb over a spot of my neck. "Jason would probably fling me across the border if he saw these."

I craned my neck to look at him, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"Go take a look for yourself," he replied, smiling slyly. He fumbled around for the remote and paused to movie, letting go of me in the process.

I practically scrambled out of his arms and went over to the bathroom, leaving the door open. Percy's cryptic behavior was enough to push most of the anxiety out of my mind.

I turned to face the mirror and saw what I usually saw. Skinny face, prominent cheekbones, dark circles, messy hair. Ugh, I hated mirrors. But my eyes immediately widened as I caught sight of what Percy had been chuckling about.

Apparently our activities last night (no matter how short lived they'd ended up being) had left quite a few marks. Little purplish bruises stood out against the pale skin. of my throat When I pulled down the neckline of my t-shirt, similar marks dotted my collarbone. They would be the first thing anyone noticed, and I racked my brain trying to figure out a way to hide them. I let out a frustrated groan and tore myself away from the reflection.

I stalked back over and flopped on the other end of the couch, arms crossed.

"C'mon, it's not like I meant for it to go down like that," he tried to reason, scooting closer to me. He tried to start cuddling again, but I squirmed away.

"Really?" I questioned, cocking one eyebrow. I didn't believe that for a second, this seemed like such a Percy thing to do.

"Well…maybe I did mean it at the time," he grinned sheepishly. "Seriously though, I'm sorry if it bothers you that much. I'll try to control myself next time."

To be honest, I wasn't sure if it bothered me. I was surprised by how much I liked seeing those marks on my neck and how much I'd enjoyed getting them last night. But at the same time, I wasn't sure how everyone else would react to them. Percy was right, Jason probably would toss him across the border. He could be really, really protective sometimes, and would hate the idea of Percy and I doing…well, anything in the bedroom. Piper would probably end up in a giggling fit. But it would make Hazel really uncomfortable…and I'd yet to decide if I liked the idea of that or not.

"But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do when we go out?" I replied, deciding to keep up the ruse that I was really annoyed.

"Hmmmm….you could always cover it up with a scarf. Or…maybe wear a turtleneck?" he joked, poking me in the ribs for good measure.

I tried not to betray exactly how ticklish I was, but an involuntary laugh slipped past my lips.

Before I had time to think, Percy was on top of me, tickling me mercilessly.

"N-no! Stop it!" I gasped before collapsing in a fit of laughter. His hands roamed all over me, poking and podding. I let out a little shriek when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. He was laughing the entire time too.

Eventually Percy pulled away, gasping for breath. He was propped up on top of me, a wide grin on his face. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against mine.

"I love your laugh," he whispered softly, nuzzling our noses together.

A pink blush dusted my cheeks. I still wasn't used to Percy verbalizing the fact that he loved anything about me, especially not my laugh. I wasn't a big fan of myself in general, but I really didn't like my laugh. It was…high-pitched and giggly and sometimes I snorted.

"Really?" I asked, averting my eyes a little and chewing my lower lip.

"Really. I think it's adorable," he answered, swooping in for a quick peck on the lips.

I let out a little sigh and looked shyly up at him. I couldn't believe I was still questioning this…

"Do I need to make a list of all the things I love about you?" he asked, completely serious.

"Y-you don't have to…" I replied, frowning.

"Well I'm going to, if it'll make you feel better."

Before I was able to protest, he was already launching into a whole speech.

"Hmmm…well, you know I love your laugh 'cause it's really, really cute, especially when you snort. Aaaannd I love you hair because it's so soft and fluffy and it's always a mess," he began softly, drawing out each and every sentence. He gently pushing my bangs out of the way so he could get a better look at me.

"Your eyes might be dark, but they're so warm, like a cup of black coffee. And your skin, like, practically glows in the moonlight which makes you look so, so beautiful. Um, I don't expect you to be super muscular like everyone else either. I only want you healthy. I actually kinda love the fact that you're smaller than me. It makes cuddling easier and you get to steal all my clothes and look cute all the time. I even like that fact that you're always cold 'cause it gives me another reason to cuddle you."

"And that's just the physical stuff! I absolutely love it when you speak Italian because it always calms me down, no matter how worked up I am. You always know what to do to make me feel better. I love how you somehow manage to be the most sarcastic, snarky person I know AND the sweetest."

My eyes wandered before they finally made contact with his. I realized that we still hadn't moved from our compromising position. Our bodies were still pressed up against each other. Our lips were only inches from each other; our breathing intermingled.

"I just love you, Nico. I know that it's still hard for you to understand that, but I honestly think you're one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. You don't need to be scared that I'll reject you or leave you because I won't. I never plan on leaving you," he whispered, leaning tantalizingly close.

"Thanks. I-I need that," I managed to say, focusing on taking a few deep, slow breaths. A tiny smile began to spread across my lips as his words sank in. All the things I hated about myself he seemed to love about me.

Once my breathing evened out, Percy finally bridged the gap and captured my lips in a kiss, which I wholeheartedly welcomed. The kisses continued, picking up heat and intensity with each passing minute.

This time when Percy fingers brushed for the hem of my t-shirt, I didn't stop him. It was okay, I was okay. I knew that he loved me, and I knew that my scars weren't going to change anything.

Needless to say, quite a few more marks appeared on my skin over the course of the day (and night, for that matter). But the rest of the day's activities will stay between us…at least for now.

You guys don't know how hard this chapter was to finish, and not because it was, like, particularly difficult write. No, it was hard because I kept typing the wrong names! I may have spent the past week bingeing WAY too hard on a certain pairing… *cough* Erei *cough*

I'm such trash…

But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave you thoughts and opinions in a review.

ALSO ANNOUNCEMENT!

So this story is starting to come to a close. Maybe a few more chapters and it'll be all wrapped up and done. But that's not to say this'll be my last piece of writing, and it certainly won't be my last Percy x Nico piece. What I want to move on to now is a series of one shots. Now, they might simply function as a way to continue THIS iteration of Percy and Nico. Y'know, like what they do with the rest of their life. Or I might just make it general Percy x Nico, with no continuity. I haven't decided quite yet.

So what I really want from you guys are prompts! If you have any ideas in mind, please let me know! Single words, AUs, fleshed out ideas. Feel free to leave a comment with your idea or PM me!