#jacksangelo

I want him staring at Nico across the campfire, watching the way the flames throw shadows across his face like the world itself can’t decide how to hold him. I want sparring sessions that turn into Percy letting Nico in closer than he ever should—close enough to catch the faint scent of his shampoo, to feel the heat of him even through armor.

I want them on opposite teams during capture the flag, and Percy growling at his own teammates to leave Nico for him. The idea of anyone else tackling Nico—touching him, hurting him even a little—sets something wild off in him. He knows Nico’s strong enough to win against anyone, but that’s not the point. The point is Percy wants to be the one who gets close.

I want Percy doing anything just to make Nico proud of him. Running himself ragged just to earn a quiet, “Nice work,” like it’s a divine blessing. I want him at home during visits with his mom, secretly deep-diving into Mythomagic forums, memorizing trivia so he has something—anything—to talk to Nico about when he’s back at camp.

Here's a link to the original post and a screenshot as well.

“What’s wrong, Perseo?” Shivers ran down his spine, his cheeks burning red, and the dark eyed tempter sitting in his lap chuckled languidly. “You said I could come by ‘whenever I wanted’? Well, I wanted.”

“N-Nico, you’re not, thinking straight—”

A cool finger pressing against his lips cut him off, an amused smirk alighting on petal pink lips.

“I’m never thinking ‘straight’ when I’m around you.”

It was a terrible line, and somehow it still left Percy feeling more flustered than he was before. Something about the way Nico was saying it, the sultry purr to his voice, his dark eyes glazed and adoring… this was bad. Very, very bad. No matter how much his lower half seemed to think otherwise, having a lap full of the son of Hades, who was looking at him with those wide doe eyes—was a very bad thing.

You’d think at 22, Percy would know better than to expect life to stop throwing curve balls at him—frankly, he was terrible at dodging them anyways. Instead of being a nearly college graduate with a beautiful girlfriend, he was a single dropout living with his mom and half pining for the man in his lap. And instead of being free of godly interference, it teleported into his room in the form of his friend and crush, Nico di Angelo—who was definitely under a spell or a curse or something, because Nico wasn’t like, this.

“Perseo? Look at me,” Nico whispered with a soft pout—an expression that Percy had never thought he’d see on Nico’s face. “Better, I hate it when you look away. I’m selfish, I know. But, I want you all to myself tonight. Is that bad?”

“…No,” Percy managed to breathe out at length. “But, you’re not in your right mind, Nico.”

“Wrong. Perseo mio, this is all I’ve wanted for years.” Nico punctuated that last word by grinding downwards, the feel of those round cheeks drawing a stifled moan from Percy. The years had been very kind to the younger man.

“You, you said I wasn’t your type?”

“I lied,” Nico said bluntly, like he hadn’t just shattered the last five years of Percy’s confusion and regret. “I’ve become quite good at it, over the years. I told myself all sorts of things, too, like…” he trailed off, biting his lip, then leaned in to whisper, “that I could learn to be happy without you.”

“Nico—”

Another downward grind cut him off, Nico pulling back just enough for Percy to see his face again—he was smiling, angelic features soft and open.

“I can’t, Perseo. I tried. It didn’t work.” Nico shrugged, smile dimming a fraction, a hint of something nearing melancholy in his voice. “I love you, it’s the only lie I could never tell him. Because, I just want you. Always, you.”

‘Him’ had to be Will, Nico’s ex—and if Percy focused on that, he could ignore his heart racing in his chest because of what Nico said. It didn’t matter, anyways. Nico was under a spell, so it didn’t matter—

“Why?” Percy blurted out before he could stop himself. Nico hummed softly.

“That’s a silly question, Perseo mio,” was all Nico said before dipping his head downwards, those dark eyes focused on Percy’s lips—Percy twisted his head away, despite not really wanting to.

“We’re not going any further unless you answer the ‘silly question’, Nico.”

Nico chuckled, fingers drumming absent patterns on Percy’s chest and raising goosebumps with every light touch.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t answer. ‘Why’, hmm? I could tell you about when I first fell for you?” The fingers paused in their drumming, considering, then started anew. “Or about how you kept making me fall, more and deeper, every time we met… every time you cared.” Nico let out a soft sigh, his breath puffing lightly across Percy’s neck and setting his hair on end. “But, I think it’s much simpler than even that. You’re you. That’s the only reason I’ll ever need to love you.” Then, with a devilish smirk, Nico looked Percy up and down before grinding down again. “Though, the rest helps.”

“Fuck, Nico—!”

“That is the idea.”

“Not when you’re like this,” Percy said firmly, holding Nico in place. Nico frowned, and it was the first time Nico had looked like Nico the whole night.

“I want it, you want it, why not? This version of me, he disappears at midnight—”

Everything clicked together in that moment.

“Perfect then, because I want more than just one night.” 

This Nico, sitting in his lap? It was him without filters, without lies, without any of his worries or fears or traumas… and so, it wasn’t Nico di Angelo. At least, not the one Percy knew. The one Percy, kind of liked. Loved, even.

“I want to make you happy—every day of the rest of your life, Nico di Angelo.”

Nico stared at him, glazed eyes slowly regaining clarity.

“…I’ll fight you…” he whispered at length, teeth worrying his bottom lip. Percy let go of his side, trusting that Nico was closer to being himself, and gently cupped the younger man’s chin and tugged until he stopped biting himself so hard.

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Every minute of every day,” Nico added, like it would change anything. Percy grinned at him.

“Sounds like fun.”

“…It’ll be difficult—I’m difficult.” It was barely a whisper, but Percy heard it, wishing again that they hadn’t missed each other so many times—

“Maybe I like difficult.”

—but no longer. Because Percy Jackson didn’t want easy, or simple. It had never been what he wanted. Even as a kid, he just wanted someplace to belong, and someone to belong to—

“Promise?” Nico mumbled, as he drifted off to sleep. Percy pressed a short kiss to his cheek.

“Promise.”

—and with Nico di Angelo, he’d have both. 

——————————————————