PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Dreamwalkers || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: The Dreamwalkers – Once Upon A Dream
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: m/m, soulmate AU, dreamsharing, fluff
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo
Summary: Soulmates can share dreams, with a bit of training they can even communicate. It takes Nico and Percy while to confront their ridiculous respective soulmate. After all, Nico is really tired of all the singing fishes under the sea. And Percy is tired of the zombie apocalypse.
The Dreamwalkers
Once Upon A Dream
Soulmates shared their dreams.
That in itself was a romantic sentiment that Nico had always loved. His mamma used to tell him stories of true loves, separated by continents but united in their beautiful, colorful dreams. As a little boy, Nico was sure that his soulmate would be an amazing person he could visit in his dreams and talk to and conspire with, until they were old enough to get married and live happily ever after.
He was looking at every single dream he had from every angle, to see if it was truly his, or if it was maybe his soulmate's. His mamma had taught him that at first, he would only get to see his soulmate's dreams and watch them like a movie, that he would have to be patient and that it might take him years to master to cross over into his soulmate's dreams, even longer to interact with his soulmate. Nico accepted it. He knew that he would have to be patient and he could.
Or at least that was what he had thought until he got to sit through hours of his soulmate's dreams.
Dancing fishes, merpeople, pegagi and unicorns and other silly, strange creatures. Everything was overly bright and cute and colorful – though the most dominant color was always blue. It was ridiculous, like The Little Mermaid meets Hercules and it made his head ache.
All Nico wanted was to ask his soulmate why he was so weird.
/break\
Percy had loved the idea of soulmates and sharing his dreams with someone.
At least until he started to dream about dancing skeletons and zombies as though he was literally living inside of the Nightmare Before Christmas. Percy did not like the Nightmare Before Christmas. Dreams were supposed to be fun and colorful and an escape from reality.
He spent years being upset with his soulmate.
It was only in his early teens that he managed to cross over. In a way, at least. Their dreams seemed to mingle, but the two of them didn't get to interact just yet. No, that took until they were sixteen.
Percy Jackson was sixteen when he stood opposite his soulmate for the very first time. A lanky boy with olive-skin and the messiest dark curls possible. He was kind of adorable, with the black clothes and that doom and gloom attitude that were undermined by his large, bright eyes and the cute curls.
"Why do you dream about the zombie apocalypse every single night, you weirdo?", blurted Percy out as soon as the two of them locked eyes.
Not exactly what he had pictured as the first words he would ever speak to his soulmate – but then again, the first words his soulmate spoke to him weren't exactly what he had imagined either. "Says the one dreaming about singing fishes and pegasi! You're the weirdo."
Percy glared at his soulmate, even as the skeletons danced around them, flying fishes singing over their heads. Ever since their dreams had started merging, things were just ridiculous. They were in a colorful, rainbow distopian future. Zombie-apocalypse, featuring dancing penguins with bow-ties. Zombies flying on sparkly-blue pegasi. It was ridiculous and didn't go together at all.
Both boys glared at each other and thought the same thing – if their dreams clashed that much, how could the two of them possibly be a good match, much less soulmates? This was a cosmic mistake.
/One Year Later\
Percy was humming softly as he collapsed backward onto the soft, blue grass, snuggling up to Nico who was already sprawled out on the grass. A flock of pegasi flew over their heads, while a mermaid was having a tea party with a zombie on the beach just below the hill they were laying on.
"Where are you, Nick?", asked Percy softly as he turned to look at his soulmate.
"Mh? Right here with you, amore", whispered Nico gently, wrapping an arm around Percy.
"No, I mean in the real world", huffed Percy, swatting at Nico's chest. "You only ever let me have this much control over our dreams when you can't sleep well. And you only sleep unwell when you're not in your own bed. So, where are you?"
Nico's eyes softened as he stared down at the other boy. It was true; Nico let Percy have more control over their dreams when he wasn't feeling well, because he had come to find comfort in his soulmate's happy, bright, ridiculous dreams. Especially after he had learned that those dreams used to be his boyfriend's escape from an abusive stepfather. That had made him feel guilty for being so upset by silly, colorful stuff – and it had been the first instance of them getting closer.
"I'm on a plane", replied Nico slowly. "I'm partaking in a student exchange."
"That sounds cool. Why haven't you mentioned it before? You always just complain about your sister's bad cooking and stuff, not the important things", complained Percy. "Where to?"
"...New York", answered Nico with the smallest smile, watching how Percy suddenly sat up to stare at him with large eyes. "It... I'm tired of waiting to get to hold you, to see you in person. So I signed up for the exchange months ago, but I kind of wanted it to be a surprise..."
"Y—You're... coming to me?", asked Percy wide-eyed before throwing himself at Nico and nearly suffocating him in a hug, peppering his face with kisses. "My Nico will be in my city. Oh, I can introduce you to mom and Paul and Grover and Annabeth and Tyson and Rachel and-"
"Slow down, Perce, slow down", laughed Nico as he tried to dodge kisses. "Yes, you can introduce me to everyone. I'll stay for the whole school year, amore. We have time."
Percy paused, looking straight into Nico's eyes, reflecting the same kind of love that Percy's were radiating right now. A year ago, neither thought they would ever even get along, but the more time they spent together in their dreams, the more they talking and laughed together, the more they learned about each other – the closer they grew. Half a year ago, they had shared their first kiss.
And for the first time, Nico had fully understood. The dream-sharing, it gave soulmates the chance to get to know each other, regardless of how far they lived apart, to learn the good and the bad and to realize just how much they completed each other.
"All the time in the world", whispered Percy with the broadest grin as he leaned in to kiss Nico.
Nico laughed softly into their kiss as a zombie-unicorn danced past them. Yes, all the time in the world with the boy who complimented his soul and made him feel complete.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: Yes, this is short. I do not want to see reviews just consisting of "This was short". I'm AWARE of that. I had this story written, finished, twice the length, then I lost the doc in a data-crash. So. Yeah. That I rewrote it AT ALL is already a small miracle. *grumbles*
Anyway. If it seems familiar, that's because I teased the premise on my tumblr (takaraphoenix) a little while ago.