||look! 25 chapters!||

Nico was mixing pancake batter, something he and his mother used to make before everything went down in Italy, as Percy sat on the counter, wearing only gray joggers. They were both still tired, and even after seven months of drinking no coffee, Nico still found himself wanting some.

"How was your trip home?" Nico asked, still mixing the ingredients.

"Boring, I'm really glad to be home," Percy said, yawning and stretching. Nico smiled at the word 'home'. A word Nico didn't believe he had for the longest time and now he felt like he was there. And he really liked it. Loved it.

"Scared me half to death last night, by the way,"

Percy laughed tiredly. "Yeah, my bad, you were just really warm," During this sentence, percy had removed himself from the counter and wrapped his arms around Nico, resting them under his bump, resting his chin on Nico's shoulder. "You're surprisingly warm, you know that?"

Nico let out a snort. "Is that a compliment?"

Percy smiled. "Yes, it is,"

Nico smiled and turned his head slightly and Percy kissed his cheek before the son of Hades could react. Nico just laughed and stopped mixing, turning completely around so he was facing Percy.

Nico smiled and then Percy followed after him. Nico got on his tip toes and connecting lips with Percy, it was a quick kiss, just calm and innocent, but it was great, Nico couldn't think of anything better than good morning, domestic, sweet kisses with Percy Jackson.

"Now go or we'll starve,"

"Can we just starve for a little bit?" Percy asked, leaning down and kissing Nico again. Nico laughed and blushed slightly. He wasn't sure what he was blushing at, but he was blushing.

"No, now please go so i can make food?"

Percy pouted out a lip and sighed and then kissed Nico on the forehead and walked away back to the counter. "It's not my fault you're absolutely irresistible and oh very kissable, did you see that? I rhymed, hand me my poetry degree,"

"You're a sap, granted, a hot sap, but a sap," Nico laughed, pouring the batter onto the griddle.

"You know it," Percy laughed. "Do you know how to make shapes?"

Nico laughed and looked at Percy in dissbelief. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious, they taste so much better that way," Percy reasoned. "And I really want a octopus shaped pancake,"

"I'm almost positive I can make an octopus pancake, Perce, and mickey mouse, a very strange looking dinosaur, and a snowman," Nico laughs, now pouring the batter in an octopus shape. "They will all look like they were dropped on the head when they were younger, but I can do it,"

Percy smiled "Yes, thank you, the more octopus-ie the be -" Percy was cut off by Nico laughing.

"Are you aware of what you just said," Nico laughed, making a variety of different shaped pancakes while the octopus cooked.

Percy began laughing as his cheeks were tinted red. "Oh, gods, no not like that - this is why that saying exists 'think before you speak', and it's why is rhymes, if it rhymes it's true,"

"Oh, gods, I can't believe you said that, that's great, Percy, absolutely fabulous,"

Percy continued laughing, his head in his hands, "I can be a dingus sometimes,"

"Oh, but you're my dingus," Nico smiled, not really realizing what he said. Luckily Percy didn't point it out and cause Nico too much embarrassment.

|time skip|

After the pancakes were cooked and done, Percy ate his octopus shaped one, along with many others, Nico eating around the same, a little more than he usually would because he tried to listen to what the son of Apollo, Liam, had told him.

After breakfast, he drank some Nectar to avoid any sickness in the future. After breakfast, Percy had cleaned the dishes, then the son of Poseidon went to take a shower while Nico chose to put a load of clothes in the washer.

When Percy was done with his shower, and there was nothing else to do, Nico decided to grab a checkers set from the closet and bring it to the bed. Percy smiled at the sight of his boyfriend.

"I suck at this game, you know?" Percy laughed as Nico sat criss crossed at the end of the bed, opening the box.

"So do I, but I'm really bored, and I've literally looked for anything to do, but I can't find anything, so, red or black?" Nico laughed, his brown eyes full of life, something Percy hasn't seen in a long time. Of course, he wasn't sad for the past while, but he hadn't had this light in his eye in forever.

Percy hoped it never left.

"Red,"

Nico continued to set up the thing, sorting out the pieces, and he started, moving it in the safest place possible.

Percy shook his head and moved his in the same spot but on the opposite side. It continued like that, taking the safest moves for a few moments before Nico managed to take one of Percy's pieces and things got a little more intense, but there was always a laugh in the end.

It was Percy's turn and he was pondering a move, Nico didn't like the silence so he brought up conversation. "Have you thought of first names?"

Percy smiled as he moved his piece. "No, but I think we should go with di Angelo-Jackson, first name, maria, di Angelo-Jackson,"

"Sounds good to me, could name her after a goddess or something,"

"The only goddess I care for is Hestia, and Hestia Maria sounds weird," Percy laughed as Nico pondered his next move.

"True, and I don't want to name our daughter after a bitch,"

"You don't even need to say the name for me to know who you're talking about," Percy laughed, eyes on the board. "Hannah,"

"Eh, I knew a girl way back in Italy who really got on my nerves named Hannah, like I barely remember that place, but gods do I remember Hannah, 'Nico,'" The italian began in a different tone. " 'why aren't you paying attention to me? Nico why don't you ever pick up on things? Nico don't you like me?' No, honey, I'm just a very gay ten year old but just haven't figured it out yet,"

Percy laughed as his boyfriend made hand gestures and moved his head back and forth as he used the voice he did. "Okay, so not Hannah," Percy laughed as Nico finally moved his checker.

"Alyssa?" Percy asked.

"Alyssa Maria, eh,"

Percy sighed. "Yeah, plus I think we should have something a little more personal,"

"Yeah, like, your mom's name?" Nico asked.

"Sally? No, I love my mother but so many little girls in kid's shows are named 'Sally,"

"Okay, what's your grandmother's name? Mom's middle name?"

"Mom's middle name is Estelle, so was my grandmother's, and I don't think so, it's a pretty name, but -"

"Not for our daughter," Nico finished, still smiling, his eyes still bright.

"Exactly," Percy smiled, taking one of Nico's piece. Nico retaliated, moving his one piece and being able to double jump and take two of Percy's.

"Needs to be something special, like, she's already my entire fu - freaking world, but naming her like - after a planet or something is dumb,"

"She's like a star, a perfect star,"

"Zoella," Nico said. "Like Zoë,"

Percy recalled everything, the quest and how it led to so much more, the losses of everyone, including Bianca, and knowing it was more than just after a constellation. It was about that entire quest, and still after one brave ass warrior.

"I think it's perfect, absolutely perfect," Percy smiled.

"Really?" Nico asked, clearly skeptical that Percy was lying.

"Positive, Neeks, I really like it, a lot actually,"

"So that's it?" Nico laughed. "We just like - did something?"

"Zoella Maria di Angelo-Jackson,"

Nico smiled. "Due roughly around December 7th,"

"Wait, seriously?" Percy smiled as Nico moved his checker.

"Yeah, Liam, he was the kid that helped me, told me she would be born in like two months now? Around the seventh - fourteenth, and I fell asleep before I could tell you, and yeah, but what is it? October eighth?"

"Yeah!" Percy eyes were bright and his smile even brighter, "that's like, two months!"

"And then we have a daughter, well we have a daughter now, but she'll be all out and we'll be able to hold her, and feed her and play with her and all the other things parents do with babies!" Nico smiled, a hand on his stomach.

"And then she'll go to college, and we'll be old and gray and our daughter will be starting her own life, having her own children,"

Nico made a 'agh' noise. "No, please, stop, I can't think about that yet, no stop," Nico laughed, but was honestly mortified of the idea. He also smiled at the fact Percy thought about being old and gray with him.

"I can't think about that ever again because I might cry," Percy laughed, moving his piece, Nico nodded in agreement.

"Yes," He laughed. "Please never bring that up ever again," Nico said, a hand now placed against his heart for dramatic effect. "That physically hurt me, Perce,"

"Sorry, - but I can't stop thinking about how babies turn to toddlers, toddlers to kids, kids to teens, teens to adults and -"

"Oh, gods, Perce stop," Nico laughed, then through a checker at him. "I don't want to think about that right now, not now, not ever, not when it's happening,"

"Okay let's talk about something else, or I won't be able to stop and you seem to have a very good throwing arm,"

"Yes please, subject change, do they have school here? Lie a regular, basic education system but for dyslexic kids, because I know they don't have one at camp calf blood, they seem more family friendly here," Nico said as Percy moved another piece, not paying too much attention to it.

"Yeah, I think so, and she should go, my complete and utter hatred shouldn't be what stops her from becoming the best scientist the world has ever seen,"

Nico laughed and moved his piece, taking out one of Percy's. (Nico was currently winning, but who was really counting) "Exactly,and we should stay here, it's plenty big, the yard is nice, and it's safe, even though I still think we could get attacked in die, the chances of that becoming a reality is slightly less and I just really like it here,"

"Staying here is good, but we should get like a dog or something one day,"

"A dog?"

"Yeah, I like dogs, and we both remember Mrs. O'Reilly, she was cool, but we should just get a smaller dog,"

"Let's have the baby first and then we can see about adding a dog, but when we decide to get a dog, l want a beagle,"

"Never pegged you for a beagle guy,"

"I'm full of surprises," Nico laughed, Percy finally moving his piece, setting up for Nico to make the perfect jump and taking out Percy's last piece. "I win,"

"I knew you would," Percy sighed happily, moving the set to the floor. Making sure not to damage it, but pulled the other boy into his arms, kissing his head. "I sucl at checkers, and I am worse at chess,"

"I'd like to see you solve a rubix cube," Nico laughed in Percy's arms, smiling contently in his arms.

"I can't solve a rubix cube, so there is nothing to see, I know it's actually easier than it seems or whatever, but I can't figure it out,"

"Yeah," Nico said, still leaning on Percy's chest. A warm silence was in the air for a moment. Not uncomfortable or awkward, just happy, both boys thinking of the future and Zoella.

"I love you," Nico says. It was the truth. He didn't know what else to say."It's true, I do, and that rhymed so obviously i'm not lying, and it's okay if you don't love me back, it really is," Nico said, pushing off of Percy slightly to look into his eyes. "But I need you to know, I love you, I love you so much it hurts sometimes because, you're a dork, and you say things without thinking, and you're supportive when you don't have to be,"

"Nico," Percy began, seeing as Nico was getting worked up over this. Yet, Nico continued on his rant.

"And you're there for me, and you care, you care and I see it, every little thing you do, things i'm not sure you realize you're doing sometimes, I see them, and I love you for that, but I also love you because you're you! I mean, when you found out about all of this in the very beginning, you didn't get mad, you didn't freak out, you stayed calm,"

"Neeks," Percy smiled.

"And when I had no place to go, you offered your home, granted your mom's name is on the lease, but still," Nico laughed lightly. "And then you moved across the country and that's the big things, those are the obvious reasons why i love you, but if we got into all the small reasons, like how you smell, and how you have this weird thing of sitting on counters? I don't get it, but for some reason, you love it, or don't realize you're doing it, and so many more small reasons that I will never not love, and Percy, I love you,"

There was a silence.

It was killing Nico.

Then Percy spoke.

"Gods, Nico, I love you so much I can't explain," Percy smiled and watched as the worried look on Nico's face disappeared. "I love you because you remained calm, because you fought for this, for us basically, and even if you didn't always let it show, I knew what it was doing and you were still so brave,"

"I love you, because when you get mad, you do this thing with your nose that can bring a straight man to his knees with how adorable and hot it is like sometimes I want to just piss you off a tiny bit just to see it, but then I feel bad and so I wait for something else to piss you off,"

"Sometimes when you yawn, you look like a little kitten, and it's oddly weird how much i love that about you, and you never let anything that happened in your past, hold you back, ever, and that's so amazing,"

"Nico, I knew I loved you the day you stormed out of Olympus for our daughter, so I've loved you for a long time, so of course, I'm going to say it back, and I'm going to mean it, and I love you, and I don't plan to ever stop loving you,"

||author's note; hey guys, please don't be a silent reader, i love reading compliments, even if they aren't always the most positive, but keep in mind i have a v fragile self esteem, and not really so if you have something to critique, please tell me so i can become a better writer : )||