I know I promised a part three to this months ago but it may or may not have slipped my mind.
Percy smiled lazily, his head cuddled into the crook of Connor's arm, hands rested flat on his stomach, barely moving from that position as of late.
Connor's hand (the one not currently fighting against his pins and needles) rested atop both of Percy's, his back to Percy's chest as he looked over Percy's shoulder at the cringy reality show he loved so much.
Connor smiled back as he caught Percy's eyes flittingly, his gaze drawn back almost immediately to the bright colours and loud voices.
Percy rolled his eyes fondly, none too resistant as his eyes threatened to fall closed.
Gods, he hated this show so much.
Stupid Nico and his stupid all-fish-sea-and-water-related-shows-and-films ban. As if he wasn't allowed to watch Finding Nemo! At this point, he'd even settle for Spongebob. And that really meant something, 'cause, come on, a talking sponge? As if.
Sponges don't talk.
Now Patrick, Patrick he understood.
That morning, Percy drifted off to sleep to the sound of irritating chatter and soft kisses to the back of his head.
Connor's eyes widened as he looked from the pregnant woman on screen, at her overly large pregnant belly, down to his sleeping friend.
"Good luck, Perce."
"Hey, Nico!" Nico didn't wait a second longer after hearing that voice. Within an instance, he was gone, having blended out into the shadows.
Will laughed nervously as he turned around, avoiding eye contact with the new comer before him.
"Heeeyyyy, Jason. Something the matter?"
Please say no, please say no, please say-
"Yes." Jason stated it so plainly, so obviously, as if it was something Will already knew.
Which he didn't. Of course not.
"Oh? Care to explain?"
Please don't.
If he could, Will would really hate Nico right now.
"Why won't you guys let us see Percy? We know you found him three weeks ago. You announced he was all healed two weeks ago!"
Will looked 'confused'.
"Did I?"
Jason looked so done with him.
Good, he thought, maybe now he'll chase down Nico for his answers instead.
"Yes." Jason's looked as if he had to force the words out, his voice tight.
"How nice of me."
Jason went to speak, only to get cut off by the messy rush of Will's panic-laced words.
"Gotta go, sorry!"
And then he turned and ran, heading straight down the hall and up to Percy's apartment, all whilst still in Jason's line of sight. For some stupid reason. As if it wasn't obvious where he was going.
In Connor and Percy's block of apartments, no one but Percy could stand Nico, which was why the two were never really found above the first floor unless they were going to Percy's.
The only other times you'd spot one of them in the building was when they were on the second floor, because Percy was at Connor's.
And in that case, all doors on the second floor, aside from number 15, would be bolted shut.
If it were up to Connor, number 15's door would also be bolted shut.
Jason sighed as he watched after Will, turning and heading out the door after a blank four minutes of nothing.
Percy awoke to the loud sound of a metal pot colliding with the tiled flooring of his kitchen.
Oh, hi Nico, he thought as his eyes started to flicker.
"Dude, how many times?! He has a door for a reason!"
Percy trained his eyes on the brightly lit TV as he listened out for Nico's response.
A faint metally swish followed by a loud clang was his this-time answer. Seemed Nico was finally getting a bit creative.
"Jason showed up."
Pause.
"Fair enough then. You leave Will? Did you see his face before you Nico'd out of there?"
Percy snorted sleepily, the term Nico'd so funny to his tired brain.
"I did not 'Nico out of there' thank you," Nico ignored the overly cheery 'You're welcome' he recieved from Connor. "But yes. I did indeed see his face. I would just like to tell you that I don't like you, and if you could tell Percy I love him, that would be great."
Percy was just about to whisper out a quiet 'I love you too' before his front door slammed open and closed.
"NICO!"
As he walked past the couch and into the kitchen, Will leaned down to peck Percy on the forehead before smiling gently.
Percy closed his eyes happily, smiling wide.
"Don't kill him Will, you'll make Percy sad."
Will's eye narrowed, judgy blue eyes snapping from Connor to Nico and back.
Eventually, he only rolled his eyes before calling out to Percy.
"Percy sweetie, do you think you could come here for a second?"
Will ignored Connor's indignant growl of "Never call me sweetie."
Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing the metal pot that Connor had launched at him earlier from off the counter, twisting it in his grip before chucking it at Connor.
"Get used to it."
Connor turned to look at Will, eyes wide after having ducked just in time to not get hit in the head.
"He's right. I ain't ever calling you sweetie."
Percy shuffled into the kitchen, one hand on his stomach as the other rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Who not you call sweetie? I sweetie, right? Still sweetie?"
Connor snorted, letting the cupboard door thud closed lightly as he pulled down the tin of carrots. "Try again Perce."
"I sweetie." Steely eyes stared back at the three of them as Percy crossed his arms over his chest before dropping a hand back to his stomach instead.
"Baby sweetie."
Connor paused what he was doing, tapping the tin against the counter when he found it wouldn't open. When that did nothing, he tossed it over his shoulder before practically sticking his head into the cupboard. Again.
"Your tired brain astounds me, even now."
Nico caught the carrots effortlessly, saving himself a black eye in the process.
"Big word coming from you, that." As an afterthought, more to Will than anything, he added, "As if Connor Stoll knows what astounds means."
Connor chucked the stupid tin of tomatoes over his should after having unfortunately dented it right down the middle. It hadn't even opened!
"I don't really. Heard Annabeth mention it once or twice though."
Nico nodded as if that made sense, watching Connor push aside tin can after tin can as he looked for 'the right one'.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies, I didn't mean to overestimate your skills and make you feel smart."
Nico finished, only to groan and roll his eyes as he stomped over to Connor and pushed him out of the way.
Will, horrified, snatched the now-open tin of carrots out of Percy's hands, flicking away the handful he had been raising towards his mouth.
"No."
The face Percy pulled really expressed how stupid he thought Will was.
"But 'm 'ungry." He whined. He glanced down to his belly, rubbing a gentle circle with his hand before looking back up at Will. "We're hungry."
"If Connor wasn't a new born puppy with the brain of a rubber ball, dinner would be done by now."
Connor shuffled backwards slightly, rasing his head from inside one of the lower cupboards in order to stare at Nico distastefully.
"That was oddly specific."
"I know."
"Shut up, I'm hungry."
Connor looked towards what you could see of the TV screen from where he now stood in the kitchen, the pregnant woman - who he couldn't remember the name of - from before back again, pulling along a sulking child as another woman had a tantrum behind them.
He looked from Annoyed-looking Pregnant Lady to Nico, gesturing with his head towards Percy and then to the screen as he caught Nico's eyes.
Nico looked from the screen - where the woman having a tantrum stood stunned after being silenced with a kiss from the pregnant lady - to Percy too.
He carelessly flung the unfortunate tin of mushy peas over his shoulder as he declared his new idea to the whole floor's occupants.
"Let's order, shall we?"
And they were all too busy thrumming with excitement - or in Percy's case, hopping around way too happily - to continue on Nico and Connor's original conversation, Jason gone from all of their minds for the moment.
"Wait, can Patrick have some too?"
Connor stopped, turning to stare at Percy, confused.
"Who's Patrick?"
Percy's gaze dropped down to his belly once more.
"Oh, uh-uh, no way. You're not naming that baby Patrick."
"But Spongebob said-"
Connor turned to hit his head against the nearest hard surface with a weird whimpery-groan that made Will look concerned.
"You really do have some weird dreams, don't you Perce?"