Prompt: Cease
Nico stood in front of a full length mirror in a small, plain room, eyes alert as he examined himself thoroughly. Long, dark hair pulled back, ivory suit perfectly fitted, leather shoes shining in the fluorescent lights. When he couldn’t find a flaw, Nico breathed out a sigh of relief. Perfect, everything was ready—
The door burst open, revealing a face that had haunted Nico in one way or another all his life. Percy Jackson. Older, tanner, but with the same blue-green eyes and roguish grin that Nico remembered.
“Percy? What are you doing here?”
“I got your letter,” Percy said, smiling sheepishly as he shut the door behind him.
“What?” Nico blurted. He hadn’t sent a letter. “What letter?”
Percy reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a weathered envelope. “This one.”
Nico took the letter gingerly, a small gasp leaving his lips as he read it.
“Percy…” Nico bit his lip, then admitted, “I wrote this when I was 14. I didn’t even send it—“
Percy barked out a laugh. “Funny how that works. Guess some god couldn’t mind their own business.”
“Percy, why are you here about this now, at my wedding? This could have waited—“
“Not a chance in hell,” Percy grunted out, eyes narrowed. Nico scoffed.
“Oh what, so I should just put my whole life on pause for Percy fucking Jackson, is that it?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Nico!”
“Then what? What are you here for that couldn’t wait?!”
“Don’t get married!” The words hung in the air for an eternity, Nico staring wide eyed.
“What.”
“Don’t get married,” Percy repeated, blue-green eyes imploring. A look that only served to piss Nico off.
“What, you think just because you got a stupid letter I wrote when I was a dumb kid that you have the right to tell me what kind of life I should have? What kind of person I should marry?” Nico took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Leave. Get the hell out.”
“No.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Fine then, I will.”
With that, Nico stepped around Percy, his hand barely touching the doorknob when Percy blurted out—
“He’s not good enough for you!”
—Nico turned around, a look of exasperation on his face. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you deserve better, Nico di Angelo,” Percy said, voice soft. “The you that wrote that letter, call him stupid all you like, but he knew what it meant to be in love. He loved even when it hurt, even when it broke him, even when the boy he loved was too stupid to look his way.”
“…I was an idiot,” Nico muttered bitterly.
Percy shook his head. “You were in love. And that’s not how you are with Will, is it?”
Nico flinched. “Of course I love him! It’s just, it’s different! We’re more mature, so obviously it’s not the same as when I was a dumb kid.”
Percy took a small step closer. “I didn’t ask if you loved him, I asked if you were in love with him.”
Nico didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Not when they both knew it would be a lie.
“Nico, don’t get married. Not like this.”
“And what, Jackson?” Nico spat out, dark eyes livid. “Live alone? On the outside looking in as everyone else builds happy little lives while the son of death watches in envy. I’m done with that. I’ve been done.”
Percy frowned, reaching out a hand, “That isn’t the love story Nico di Angelo deserves—“
“Well it’s the one he got!” Nico snarled, smacking Percy’s hand away. “The kid in that letter grew the fuck up and realized his fantasy was just that, a fantasy. Not all of us are lucky enough to get happily ever after!”
The silence that followed was painful, neither speaking a word or looking at the other.
“…Goodbye, Percy Jackson,” Nico whispered.
“It never runs out of ink. I still haven’t tried surfing. Thalia is probably gonna be pretty pissed at me soon, but that’s more a me thing, not a Zeus and Poseidon thing. Annabeth can be rash sometimes, but her heart is always in the right place,” Percy rambled rapidly, barely pausing to take breaths. Then he added, “And she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Percy, what—”
“Because you were right,” Percy murmured, eyes locked intently with Nico’s own. “In your letter. I wasn’t being loyal to myself. And when I stopped and thought about it, I realized how unhappy I was. So I chose me, for the first time in a long time, and I broke up with Annabeth.”
“You were… you were engaged…” Nico breathed out raggedly, looking lost.
Percy shrugged. “Not anymore.”
“I don’t… I don’t understand.” Nico bit his lip. “Why are you telling me all this?”
Percy snorted. “Yeah, guess that was pretty confusing, I suppose I’ll start by saying—I really hope your tastes have changed in the last ten years.”
“My tastes?”
“Well, I’m not sure if you remember, but you said I wasn’t your type,” Percy replied, a sardonic smirk on his face.
“Percy…” Nico groaned, a soft flush on his cheeks. Percy grinned, stepping closer.
“I know I’m a little late, I can be an idiot sometimes,” Percy muttered with a self-deprecating chuckle, leaning even further in so that they were nearly breathing the same air. “So, Nico di Angelo… would you go on a date with me?”
“Percy, I’m getting married,” Nico muttered, cheeks growing ever more pink.
“That would be why I’m asking you before, yep,” Percy said with a cheeky wink.
“In less than ten minutes,” Nico pointed out.
“Oh man did we spend that long arguing? Not the best sign for our future, huh?” Percy chuckled.
“All our friends…” Nico sighed out, dark eyes glistening.
“Definitely going to have to return the wedding presents,” Percy noted idly.
Nico laughed, resting his head in the crook of Percy’s neck as a tear slipped out. “…he’ll be heartbroken…” Nico whispered.
“Yeah, I know.” Percy just didn’t care. “So?”
“…I can’t believe you’re making me a runaway bride,” Nico snarked. Percy beamed.
“Groom, technically.”
Nico groaned, pulling back to sternly tell Percy, “Shut up.”
Percy leaned down, “Make me.”
Nico tilted his head up, “Gladly.”
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@percicomicrofic
