What Kills You (Percico)

Chapter Five

Percy

"Okay, for being a chain restaurant," Nico said after finishing the appetizer we split, because portions are huge here. "That was good."

"Good," I said, cracking a smile. He made me really happy, it's almost dumb. "Because I wanted a place just a little nicer than McDonald's because the last time I went there, I got sick. So... Their fries are still good, though. And ice cream. When the machine works."

He cracked a smile, too, at the joke.

We got our entrees and ate. Stuffing ourselves. He asked about Peter and Penelope, too. My siblings. Triplets. It's weird, but cool. There would've been four of us, but the last one, a girl, died before she came out. Dad must've wanted to make up for the loss of kids all at once. Because he did.

I'm just the only one who made it to camp.

"Peter?" Nico asked after I brought him up in a story. We were slowly eating a huge piece of cake as we talked.

"The third one, the other triplet, twin, whatever." I explained to him as he took a small bite of the cake. "Some kid beat the shit out of him at school, I don't know who, I was home sick that day, but they knocked him out and I guess the kid must've been larger. We were... 10? They doctor assumed the kid must've been 12, 13. He's been in a coma. I normally visit him when shits getting back because like... I don't know, he can't ignore me. He can't respond. But he can't ignore me, either."

"I get it," Nico insisted. "I visit Bianca's grave for the same reason."

"It's nice." I agreed and we split the last part of the cake before I insisted on paying. It's like a date, right? I asked him to come, I pay.

We started walking around the city after that and he was asking a bit more about Peter, so I suggested we could go like visit. If he was comfortable with that.

He insisted that he was, so we went and once I got to the hospital, the desk lady, Danielle, seemed happy to see me. Being it's been a while. It's a smaller hospital, so they personally know most visitors and patients. I like it like that. I was in the mental ward earlier and that's clinic check in, not hospital.

We headed up to room 304 and as normal, it was empty when we got there. He gets visitors, just not all at the same time.

I started talking to Peter a bit, telling him about the last year as Nico talked about the things I wasn't there for or missed and he held my hand, which was really nice. I'm normally here alone or with my mom. So having that crutch was nice.

Nico didn't look like Peter was dying, either, so that gave me some hope that he'll wake up.

We headed home after that and went to my room to chill out. My parents weren't home, but it's just what's normal to me.

Sitting on my bed, we were still debating this.

"I'm just saying, you guys look alike." Nico insisted. "he might be skinnier than you, a little pale. But that's it."

"Um, false. He's better looking than I am." I told the son of Hades as we sat down on my bed, sitting against the wall. "Always has been. I look like a trash panda."

"Uh, false." Nico corrected me. "One, he may be cute, but I wouldn't call you unattractive. Just saying. Leo once came to me about why you had to always look so hot, so take it from your local gay, you're not a trash panda."

"Yeah, okay, bud."

Nico rolled his eyes and like just leaned over and gave me a kiss like it was nothing.

Internally, I freaked the fuck out. Externally, I was shocked and didn't know what to fucking do.

"You look fine." Nico insisted as he slowly slid off the bed. "I gotta pee, I'll be back."