Nico almost never slept, but when he did, he had horrific nightmares. One night when he slept over at Percy’s apartment, he had one of these nightmares. He woke up in the middle of the night, screaming, his face wet with tears. He found Percy next to him on the bed, studying him worriedly.
“What’s wrong?” Percy placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder.
“Tartarus…” was all Nico could say and Percy’s eyes darkened. “I have nightmares about it too.”
Nico couldn’t help it. He was afraid, sad, and downright horrified. He flung his arms around Percy’s neck and hugged him as tight as he could, crying into Percy’s bare chest. Percy hugged Nico back and didn’t let go of him.
They eventually fell asleep and no nightmares bothered either of them the rest of the night. When Nico woke up, Percy’s arms were around him and he could feel Percy’s breath on the back of his neck. He was about to get up when Percy pulled him closer and held him tightly. The son of Hades couldn’t help but smile.
