Oxygen In My Lungs

Chapter 2: Part 3

Percy
        The walk was only a couple blocks, but Percy's head screamed, his eyes were itchy, his throat felt as if someone had taken a fork and dragged his down his tonsils. Percy was suffering a horrible hangover. He decided he would pick up some ibuprofen when they got to the store.
    The cold didn't help either. He felt freezing in his heavy leather jacket. He didn't understand how Nico was fine in just a bomber jacket. He walks home everyday. Percy realized he didn't want Nico to do this to himself anymore. He probably walked by himself so often. Percy's stomach churned thinking about Nico hurting. He wanted to do something.
    Nico sensed Percy's distress slowing down his strides. They were in no hurry so he kept his steps abrupt.
    "Percy, you okay?" The tall boy snapped his head up at the mention of his name, "Oh, yeah, just a little more hungover than I thought." Percy msde that cheeky smile that made Nicos heart flutter, but Nico always gets flustered around him so it was nothing new.
         "Okay, if your sure," but Percy didn't seem sure.
    In fact he wasn't, at all. All he could think about was him breaking his promise to himself. Comparing his actions to Gabe. He felt so guilty he could throw up. Then he did.

    "Percy?" Nico turned around when he didn't hear Percy's steps. What he saw was worse than he thought. "Percy!" The tall boy was on his knees, his body lurched out whatever was left. Which wasn't much.
     Nico pulled Percy's bangs out of his face and rubbed his back. Which was suppose to be a kind gesture, but the touch reminded him of when Annabeth comforted him at that party. That was the night it all went to shit. The night when he found out his girlfriend was cheating on him, the night where Gabe won. His whole childhood was Gabe telling him how pathetic, lame, and disgusting he was. Worthless and meaningless it's all he grew up with. As his stomach emptied the pain filled it. And he was left in total agony.
      Tears streamed down the poor boys face as his body lurched out everything.
       Nico thought he was crying because his body was basically turning itself inside out. What really hurt him was he promised himself that he'd never turn into that piece of shit that hurt him and his mother, yet here he was. Spewing out his stomach from a night out, completely shitfaced. Not to mention he lost something he'd never get back. His virginity. He felt so dirty, the thing that affected him most was he wanted it. Not just the sex, but the alcohol too. It burned his throat as he swallowed, but he didn't care, in fact he wanted more. He wanted to feel good anything to get rid of this anxiety,
    "Okay, Percy I'm going to have to call Sally." Percy stopped shaking at the mention of his mother. She'd be so disappointed, seeing Sally Jackson upset was worse than any hangover. "No!" Percy's voice cracked at he jumped at Nico as he pulled out his phone, "no! She'll be- she'll be so upset I can't-- I can't do that too her," Percy's voice was broken and burned as he talked, and he flung himself at Nico sobbing into his chest.
As, Nico stroked Percy's long black locks, he realized this went a lot more than teenager
Acting out and drinking with his friends. He ran his hands through that silky black hair, as he whispered reassuring things to Percy. His body didn't care that his crush was in such a position. He didn't even think of Percy as a crush. Right now he was just a boy who needs a little help, and a shoulder to cry on. Nico was more than willing to be both of those things.