Nico’s always had long, shaggy hair—but during one mission, he lets it grow out to his shoulder blades. Not because he planned to, just because cutting it sounds exhausting and, honestly, he likes how it looks. Plus, he’s a little afraid of messing it up if he tries himself, so it just keeps growing, soft and dark and untamed.
When he gets home to the apartment he shares with Percy, it’s over. Percy becomes completely obsessed. He’s always got his hands in Nico’s hair—absentmindedly twirling strands, brushing it back from his face, tucking it behind his ear.
When they shower together, Percy takes his time shampooing and conditioning, working through the knots with ridiculous care. Afterwards, he blow-dries it until it’s perfectly soft and fluffy.
(It starts as affection, but it becomes something quieter. Percy knows what it means for Nico to let someone touch him like this—to lean into care without flinching, to let himself be soft. So every time his fingers move through that hair, it feels like a promise: you’re safe, you’re home, you don’t have to fight anymore.)
Evenings are their favorite. Nico sits between Percy’s legs on the couch while they watch The Great British Baking Show, because that’s exactly the level of stress either of them can handle at home. Percy runs his fingers through Nico’s hair, giving slow, gentle scalp massages that make Nico hum and lean back against him until he drifts off.
When Nico falls asleep, Percy scoops him up and carries him to bed. He lays Nico down, then slides in beside him, pulling him close until they’re pressed chest to chest. Nico buries his face in Percy’s neck, breathing steady and deep. Percy wraps one arm around Nico’s waist, slides the other under his head, and tangles his fingers back into that soft dark hair.
He falls asleep like that every time—his nose buried in Nico’s hair, breathing him in, holding the most important thing in his world. Because this is what peace looks like for them. Not silence or distance, but small moments of Care. Touch. Trust. And Love built slow and steady, one gentle night at a time.