PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || A Bat in the Hand || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: A Bat in the Hand – And a Vampire in the Bed

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; supernatural AU

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: shounen-ai, fluff, supernatural, vampires, cuteness

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Jason/Reyna, Ethan/Alabaster, Jake/Will

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Mrs. O'Leary, Small Bob, Bianca di Angelo, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Cecil Rogers, Lou Ellen, Alabaster C. Torrington, Ethan Nakamura, Will Solace, Jake Mason

Summary: Nico is a vampire and on the run from hunters. Or rather, on the fly. In his handy bat-form, he crash-lands on the balcony of one Percy Jackson, who is more than eager to take care of the adorable, little bat until he's fit again. The longer Nico stays, the more he falls in love...

A Bat in the Hand

And a Vampire in the Bed

Damn vampire hunters. Damn, useless, idiotic vampire hunters.

That was all passing through Nico's head as he flapped his wings and tried to fly as far away from the scene as possible. Most of the time, Nico thoroughly loved being a vampire. There was nothing more thrilling, it was a hundred times more intense than being human. There was only one problem and that were the damn, useless, idiotic vampire hunters who had to be a pain in the ass and try to be brave and all that stupid stuff by going against vampires like Nico. Normally, he ate those for breakfast. Literally. But sometimes, those damn failures were so bad that they actually accidentally landed a hit. Like they had done tonight. Nico was wounded. He was nearly a hundred years old and some bambini hunters who were still green behind the ears had actually harmed him!

Things started to get fuzzy and he wasn't sure where he was flying anymore. He needed to rest. Just for a little moment. There was a balcony with a bird house and oh, the humiliation as he landed in it and curled together as much as he could. He just needed some shelter.

/break\

Being a poor student sucked.

That was all Percy could think as he heated up a can of ravioli. Sure, as a single his one room apartment was enough, but sometimes he wished he'd have a cozy living room and a larger bed in an actual bedroom instead of some Frankenstein version of both butchered together. An actual meal would be nice too. With fresh ingredients, home cooked. But he was a poor student, which not only implied that buying the fresh stuff wasn't in his budget, but also that he worked too had to have time to actually cook. He worked at a vet and at a diner, all while also training to be a vet himself. He just really loved animals and he loved helping those in need of help. So when he heard a weird crash on his balcony, he was out within a second to check on it. On first glance, he saw nothing wrong, but then Small Bob – Percy's kitten – started sniffing the bird house suspiciously.

"Oh my gosh, you're the cutest thing ever", cooed Percy softly as he pulled a tiny bat out of the house and cradled it in his hands. "Hello there, little guy. You don't look too well."

Bats were awesome. They looked so funny with the cute, large ears and the wings and those large, adorable eyes. He had never seen one so up close. Nudging the little guy, he wanted to test if the poor thing was even alive. The bat opened its eyes for a moment to look at him before snuggling up to Percy's hand. And with that, Percy was officially in love with the little guy.

"There, there. Don't worry, I'll fix you up again, little one", whispered Percy softly. "Come on back inside, Small Bob. We have a new roommate to take care of."

The kitten meowed and pushed his head against Percy's leg before entering the apartment again. On the sofa bed laid a giant black hound, who just lifted her head to look lazily at her human. Grinning at his puppy, Percy grabbed one of his many pillows and placed the little bat on it.

"No, no sniffing our little friend now, Mrs. O'Leary. We need to help him", chided Percy as he pushed the snout of his hound away from the bat. "The little one needs our help, you know."

Mrs. O'Leary whined softly as she watched Percy work on the small creature.

/break\

When Nico next woke up, he wasn't in the bird house anymore. That was in itself already an improvement of his situation, though it also made him suspicious. He blinked slowly and turned around on the fluffy-soft surface he was laying on. A pillow. A large, blue pillow that was laying on a table. Next to the table was a sofa bed that was occupied by a cat, a dog and a human. The room they were in was rather cramped – a shelf with books, DVDs and a TV, a couple chairs around the table he was on. An opening in the wall led straight into a tiny kitchen, as Nico could see from the table that was situated right between the two rooms. Three more doors, one looked like the main door, the other led to the balcony and a third door that stood ajar so Nico could see it led to a bathroom. Well, that seemed to be it then. Whoever his host was, he sure wasn't rich.

"Ah, our little guest has woken up!", exclaimed an excited, sweet voice.

His host stood up from the couch and walked over to him, a bright, blinding smile on his lips. He was tall, though still probably an inch or two shorter than Nico. Sun-kissed skin, bare where the blue shirt slipped off his shoulder. He was only wearing said too large shirt and a pair of boxer-shorts, revealing beautiful, long legs that looked well-trained. Judging by the muscles Nico could see and the broad shoulders, Nico would guess the boy was a swimmer. Black, messy hair that gave him an adorable skater-boy charm and intense, sea-green eyes that looked at him so kindly. Nico couldn't help but stare stunned at just how overwhelming the human was.

"Hello there, little one", greeted the boy with that kind, bright smile. "Don't worry, you're safe here. I'm, uh, I'm a vet in training. My boss was here earlier to check on you and he gave me the okay to tend to your injuries here. So, we're roommates now. I'm Percy, those are Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary. And you... you need a name, huh, little guy?"

Nico blinked sluggishly and tilted his head. The human – Percy, apparently – seemed a bit hyperactive and very chatty. But he also seemed very nice, the way he smiled at Nico and patted his head in a way that made Nico automatically bump his head against the hand. The motion made Percy laugh delighted and rub a finger cautiously over Nico's head.

"Aren't you a cutie?", chuckled Percy fondly. "Now, what to name you, what to name you..."

"You're the cutie here. I'm a vampire, I'm not cute!", huffed Nico annoyed and leaned into the tender caress. "But if you name me Edward, I will suck you dry and leave without remorse."

Percy sat down on a chair in front of the table and rested his chin on the tabletop so he was eye to eye to his little house guest. "Mh... You're a bat. And you're male. That kind of makes you a bat man, you know. What do you think about Bruce, eh? Because you're a bat man. Hehe."

Nico stared dumbfounded at the young man and blinked slowly. "Your puns are lame. But at least you seem to have good taste. That puts you in my good graces. Well, that and the fact that you saved my life. Thank you, my human, I am indebted to you."

There was some beeping sound in the background, causing the gorgeous human to curse. "Ah damn, I have to go to work. Well, you will be in the care of Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary until I get back from... yeah, I have classes after work and work after classes... It's gonna be late. I'll put something to drink out for you and I'll feed you before I leave, okay? Please don't bite me."

"Oh, the irony of saying you'll feed a vampire and he shouldn't bite you", snorted Nico amused. "Fair enough though. I'll lay off the biting until I need to. For now, I just need to heal..."

It was utterly humiliating to let the human feed him with a syringe without a needle, but he was too hungry and too tired to put up a fight. Besides, after the feeding, the cute human patted his head again and Nico really enjoyed the touch of the warm, tender fingers.

Weary eyes watched how his new human left the apartment. Moments later and Nico found himself being sniffed by the dog and the cat. Now that he was at least fed and had drunk a bit water, he had more concentration and noticed that the cat and dog weren't actually a cat and dog. The cat was a skeletal cat – a demon cat – though a magic mist covered the appearance up and made him look like a regular, black house-cat. And the dog was actually a hellhound.

"You're... supernatural creatures. What are you doing with a human?", asked Nico surprised.

Small Bob smirked amused as he curled together in front of Nico's pillow. "You're not a normal bat either. You're a vampire. I suppose there just is something about Percy, isn't there?"

"What does that mean?", inquired Nico suspiciously.

"My old human was Lord Daedalus – or Quintus, as he called himself this century – he was a professor at Percy's college. When the... vampire hunters got him, he left me in Percy's care", replied Mrs. O'Leary, sounding very much like a proud, loving mother. "He became like a cub to me and I have sworn to protect this frail, kind human. He takes good care of us."

"He really does", agreed Small Bob and purred softly. "My previous master, you probably know him by the name of Lord Iapetus, though he's been going by Bob for a few years now, he was working as a janitor at Percy's college and grew very fond of Percy. When vampire hunters got too close for comfort, my master made sure I would be taken care of if shove came to push."

Nico's eyes widened stunned. Daedalus and Iapetus were old blood. Famous vampires. He had heard that Daedalus was touring the US as Professor Quintus, changing colleges whenever they would grow suspicious of his age. But Iapetus – Iapetus the piercer, as he was known to use the stakes of the hunters to pierce their own hearts before emptying them of their blood and leaving them on display to mock other hunters – he had been off the screen for two or so centuries now. To think that both those powerful vampires had died here... Maybe the vampire hunters in New York weren't just rookies as he was used to. Maybe their hit on Nico hadn't been a fluke either. Maybe Nico had barely gotten away by the skin of his teeth.

"I see", grunted Nico displeased. "Yet... it does seem odd. That I am the third vampire to cross this human's way and yet he's still alive. No, even more so, he has gained the vampires' favor, making them entrust you into his care. Making me feel... inclined to stay and let this mortal tend to me until I'm healed enough. What is it about this boy...?"

"You have a good sense, young vampire", praised Mrs. O'Leary. "Yes, there is something special about Percy. He's a Safe Haven, it will become clearer the more time you spend with him."

"A Safe Haven? I... I have heard tales of them, yet I have never seen... nor met one..."

Surprise didn't even begin to cover what Nico was feeling. A so-called Safe Haven was a half-blood child of a Death God. They provided natural protection for all creatures of the underworld, such as hellhounds or vampires. Due to them being half-underworld and half-mortal world, they disturbed the senses of true vampire hunters, making it impossible for vampire hunters to detect the supernatural as long as the half-blood was close, hence the nickname 'Safe Haven'.

"Our best guess is that father was a Death God of the sea – a high siren", replied Small Bob while licking his paw. "Not that Percy knows it, though it's a logical conclusion considering his scent, that his mother is clearly mortal and that his father has been 'lost at sea'."

Nico tilted his head and sniffed the air. True, their was a faint trace of sea-scent in the whole apartment. He hadn't noticed before, too preoccupied with everything going on around him. But the scent was clearly salty like the sea, fresh and intense. Nico could nearly feel the sun on his face just inhaling the scent, as though he was laying on the beach himself. He would make sure to get a closer sniff of Percy later, once the human would return here.

"Well, ain't I a lucky little vampire?", grunted Nico amused.

"You should rest some. You're heavily wounded", advised Mrs. O'Leary concerned. "My pup won't return for a couple hours. He's... always working himself too hard..."

Nico smiled amused by the honest fondness of the hellhound. Hellhounds were generally very possessive and also very caring creatures, it was why many vampires held hellhounds as pets. Loyal to a fault and very protective of the ones they considered pack.

/break\

Over the next week, Nico grew decidedly fond of all three of his new roommates. Small Bob was sly and good for intellectual conversations, Mrs. O'Leary was very doting and caring and reminded Nico much of his older sister Bianca and Percy was perfection. He was kind, caring, sweet, funny, dorky, gorgeous, amusing, tender, beautiful – and Nico had decidedly too much time on his hands because he kept collecting adjectives to describe the amazing human.

"Hey, my little Batman, what are we going to watch today? FernGully or Anastasia?", asked Percy teasingly and held two DVDs up in front of Nico. "I borrowed them from Rachel, she has a little sister named Ella and loves those. I like them a lot too, but they're probably the best movies when it comes to awesome cartoon bats. So, which one is it? Batty or Bartok?"

Rolling his eyes fondly, Nico hopped over toward FernGully. If he had to watch a cartoon movie, he at least wanted a rapping Robin Williams. Percy grinned and cradled Nico up in his free hand as he put Anastasia down. Nico instantly snuggled up to Percy's hand. It was warm and smelt so wonderful and Percy always touched him very carefully and tender.

"You're such a cute little cuddler", cooed Percy amused. "A quality I have sorely missed in my last boyfriend, you know. Ah, I guess that's why I rather spend my time with you animals than among humans. You guys love unconditionally and you like cuddling and you never complain that I'm too dorky or loud and annoying or dumb or anything, you know..."

"Someone has had a rough day, huh?", asked Nico concerned. "Urgh, this is humiliating..."

That seemed to be a theme anyway. Nico already knew that no one could ever know about his time with Percy and what he had done here, acting like an animal. Still, when Percy needed comfort, there was not much Nico could do as a bat and he couldn't change back just yet, not strong enough to perform that act. He couldn't hug Percy or tell him that he was wonderful and that everything was alright. All he could do was comfort Percy in an animal-way, so he started licking Percy's hand, tasting the salty soft skin beneath his tongue and listening to the giggling of the human.

"That tickles", laughed Percy as he headed over to the TV. "Okay, okay, come on, let's go and watch the movie, my little Batman. Mrs. O'Leary, Small Bob, come, it's movie time!"

After putting the disc in, Percy plunged down onto the couch, with Mrs. O'Leary curling together on one of his sides and Small Bob snuggling up under Percy's other arm. Nico all the while took up his most favorite spot. Curled together in the crook of Percy's neck, with his head resting against Percy's pulse. The strange thing however was that Nico didn't even do it out of hunger – with nearly a hundred years, Nico knew how to control his hunger for a couple weeks. It was out of protection. As long as Nico could lay against Percy's pulse, no one else could get to it. As long as Nico could lay against Percy's pulse, he could feel it and know that Percy was alive and safe.

"How come Percy's last lover did not do those... basic relationship-things?", asked Nico confused, looking at Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary. "If I was Percy's lover, I would spend half the day just holding him and cuddling him. He's utterly cuddle-able."

"Let's say... Percy's last boyfriend was not the... affectionate kind", grunted Small Bob with a glare. "He didn't treat Percy the way he deserved it. They were... not good."

"He became dinner", stated Mrs. O'Leary and licked her lips. "He hurt my pup. I hurt him."

Nico squinted suspiciously. Hurt? Not affectionate? Something in the vicious look in Small Bob's demonic golden eyes told Nico that they weren't just talking about emotional pain here. Nico instinctively snuggled up to Percy's pulse some more, nudging the human's neck softly.

/break\

The longer Nico stayed with Percy, the fonder he grew of the trio. And the more concerned he grew for Percy. The boy was struggling with his life – handling two jobs and college, trying to afford a living for himself and his by now three pets. Nico was already nearly healed. All he truly needed was just a good, bloody meal and he would be able to shift back. He could already fly again, as of two days now. And for those last two days, he had hatched a plan.

The four of them were snuggled on the couch, as they often were when Percy came back from an exhausting day when he didn't have enough energy to do anything. They were watching Captain America, because he was Percy's favorite superhero, which was kind of adorkable because Percy got those sparkly eyes and all. Percy had grown decidedly too important to Nico. He couldn't picture life without the kind human. And, let's be honest, a Safe Haven would be very handy for his coven. No more fear of hunters and Nico just knew that Bianca would love Percy. Will, Reyna and Jason too, most likely. Mh, Alabaster and Ethan would probably tease Percy a lot, but that was a sign of their affection, really. Percy would fit right in there. And he wouldn't be the only non-vampire, so he wouldn't feel lonely either. Alabaster was a warlock and Will's mate Jake was a werewolf. Surely Percy, with how much he seemed to love the supernatural, would love Nico's coven. Maybe, with very much luck, Percy would also love Nico. For that, Percy needed to get to know Nico first though. The real Nico, not the fluffy little bat.

"Ouch!", yelped Percy startled as his normally so tame bat hit his neck. "Ah, stop it, Batman!"

But before Percy could properly pry the little guy off his neck, the bat transformed into a human. Percy barely had time to blink as he watched how the little bat turned into a very naked, very handsome human man with olive-colored skin, dark, tousled hair and smoldering brown eyes. Said eyes flashed red as he stared at Percy, a pink tongue darting out of his mouth to lick the last drops of blood off, the motion revealing sharp, pointy fangs. Percy yelped in a not so manly manner. But who could hold it against him? There was a hot, naked vampire straddling his waist.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you officially", purred a dark, seductive voice.

The vampire took Percy's hand and kissed it. "Y—You're a vampire, Bruce!"

"...My name is Nico. Nico di Angelo", stated the former bat amused. "But yes, I'm a vampire. And I will be forever indebted to you for saving my life and showing me such kindness, Percy Jackson."

Nico wasn't sure what reaction he had expected, but being pinched in the cheek was not it. "Wow. You're actually real. A—And you're a vampire. In my bedroom. On my lap. Uh, could you... maybe get off my lap and perhaps put on some clothes? You're kind of distracting."

Nico laughed loudly at that. "Well, I thought I'd make us even, since I've seen you naked plenty of times in the past few weeks. But if you wish, I can get dressed."

Percy nodded sharply, face dark red due to the naked vampire and the reminder that said vampire really had seen him naked a lot of times. He watched how Nico walked over to the shelf and took some of Percy's clothes out of the cabinet. The jogging pants ended about an inch over his ankles and with that shirt, it looked more as though it had been painted on. Percy blinked slowly as Nico returned to the couch and sat down next to him, smiling charmingly.

"Better?", inquired Nico, laughing as Percy shook his head. "Very well, I understand that it is a lot to take in. If you have questions, please just ask me and I shall answer."

"Can you turn into anything else aside from a bat?", blurted Percy out, eyes sparkling. "And what about garlic and stakes and do you normally sleep in a coffin?"

"Ah, you are so precious", laughed Nico delighted. "No, I do not sleep in a coffin. A stake to the heart would kill anyone, so yes. Garlic tastes wonderful in garlic bread. No, I turn only into a bat."

The Italian settled more comfortable and Percy mimicked the action. The two talked and talked and talked until the sun was rising again. Percy truly did have a million questions – he wanted to know everything. From how Nico's life in the 20s had been over how he had been turned and how his life in his coven now was. Honestly, Nico had never talked that much about himself before, but with Percy, he didn't mind, because Percy's eyes sparkled with so much amazement as Nico talked about Italy and about his sister Bianca, who had been turned by the same sire as Nico and was still watching over him. About Nico's best friends Reyna and Jason, about other races like werewolves and warlocks. It was as though Percy was a sponge soaking up every piece of information. They only stopped when Percy's alarm went off, signaling that he should get up for work. Both looked mildly surprised when they realized that they had indeed talked the whole night.

"I need to go to work", stated Percy a bit awkwardly after a few moments.

"I'm aware", said Nico with a nod.

There was another awkward pause as Percy stood in the door, unsure how to say goodbye. Nico took that from him by laying one arm casually around Percy's waist and pulling him in to kiss his cheek. Percy blushed a bit and stared at Nico before he nodded stiffly and left.

/break\

When Percy stumbled through his door again in the evening, he was beyond exhausted. If he was being honest, his vision was a little fuzzy and his stomach had long since stopped grumbling because he was past the feeling of hunger, even though he was still enormously hungry. The most primal thing Percy felt however was sleepy. He was so, so, so tired. Then again, additional to his normal level of exhaustion and the few hours sleep he normally got, he hadn't slept at all last night because he had been so fascinated by everything his new vampire roommate had to say.

Though something was definitely off when he entered his apartment. For one, it was comfortably warm. Normally, he kept his heater down when he was gone the whole day – just so it wasn't freezing and still good for Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary but definitely lower than 'human coziness', as he dubbed it. Another was the very, very delicious smell wavering at him. And the third was the charmingly smiling guy greeting him at the door, wearing Percy's blue apron.

"Buona sera, mio prezioso", said Nico with the most dazzling smile, revealing a bit of fang. [trans: Good evening, my precious]

"Uhu...", nodded Percy intelligently, blinking slowly before yawning widely.

Nico laughed heartily and cautiously placed one arm around Percy's waist. "Why don't you go and lay down for a bit until dinner is ready? You look... very exhausted..."

"Strange. No idea why that could be", grunted Percy and willingly let himself be steered toward the couch by the Italian. "Can't be because some vampire kept me up all night, can it?"

Snorting, Nico rolled his eyes as he pushed Percy down onto the couch. All he could think that he'd rather keep Percy up all night doing something else than talking, though he knew that right now, talking to Percy was the best he could get. Percy getting to know Nico was the first step toward Nico taking Percy with him back to Italy and to his coven. For that, Nico had decided to officially start the courting process. He had done so by first cleaning up the entire apartment – something Percy didn't get to do too often because he rarely had any free time at all. After that, he had gone on a walk with Mrs. O'Leary, who was more than grateful for that, and went groceries shopping. Which led him to the now; preparing a home-made dinner for Percy, something the boy only got once a month when he spend the evening at his parents. Out of the corner of his eyes, Nico could see how Percy curled together on the couch with Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary.

"You're going to bed early today", declared Nico concerned. "No movie."

"Aw...", whined Percy with a pout.

"Your health is more important than your nerdy needs", chuckled Nico fondly.

With that, the vampire returned to his cooking. By the time he was done and the salad and soup were served while the main course was cooking on low heat, Percy was asleep and nestled into the farm fur of Mrs. O'Leary, very much like a pup. Smiling amused, Nico approached them and brushed Percy's messy hair out of his face. The motion was enough to stir the human and Percy stared up at him with tired eyes that instantly started sparkling as recognition set in.

"Hello there", whispered Nico tenderly.

"Hello", mumbled Percy in reply, waving a little.

"Dinner is ready, mio prezioso", whispered Nico, offering Percy a hand to help him up.

Percy hummed as the scent filled his nose. He got up and followed Nico into the kitchen where a beautiful candlelight dinner was set. Nico pulled the chair back for Percy and together they started eating. The salad was so fresh and amazing, normally Percy only got those ready-made salads in the supermarket. The soup was spicy and so rich in flavor, it completely swooped Percy off his feet.

"And now for the main course", declared Nico and got up. "Oh no, you stay seated."

Just as Percy wanted to get up and clear the table, Nico threw him a chiding glare. Grinning amused, Percy stayed seated. He couldn't remember ever having been treated like that, it sure felt amazing having someone take care of him like that. When Nico brought two plates over, Percy couldn't help but squeal. Blue ravioli. Blue. They were really, actually blue.

"Oh my gosh, did you make those yourself?", asked Percy with sparkling, excited eyes.

"...Of course", grunted Nico offended. "Don't insult my Italian honor by suggesting I would buy ravioli. And since you have this... rather adorable obsession with blue food, I bought blue food-coloring and put it in the dough. I thought it would be appreciated."

"Yup. Totally appreciated", confirmed Percy with a manic grin.

Nico chuckled softly. Truly, Percy was a very fresh breeze in his life and Nico had every intention of keeping the human in his life. He had set himself a time limit. He would overstay his welcome for another week and then he would see. Either he would leave on his own because Percy had no such feelings for Nico, or Nico would be able to take Percy with him to Italy and give the demigod the life he deserved. Nico had already given his sister a call earlier today to inform her that he was still alive and that he would return in a week. And then he had 'rambled like a love-sick baby bat' about Percy, or so Bianca had said. Nico would deny any such thing though.

"This was amazing", whispered Percy amazing, hands folded over his belly. "Delicious."

"Thank you", replied Nico, puffing his chest out a little in pride.

"Can we watch something? Even if it's not a movie?", asked Percy hopeful. "I'm way too full to go to bed just yet. Let's watch at least one episode of Vampire Diaries? Please?"

"So I can watch you drool over Damon?", grunted Nico unimpressed and displeased.

"Don't worry, you're a way hotter vampire than him", replied Percy casually.

While Percy headed over to the couch, all Nico could to was stare stunned after Percy. Leave it to Percy to completely surprise Nico. Well, apparently at least that door stood wide open then. Nico willingly followed Percy to the couch and sat down next to Percy. It took about half an hour of slowly scooting closer until Nico had one arm around Percy's waist and his chin on Percy's shoulder so he could nose the human's pulse. The memory of Percy's blood and how it tasted was still very fresh and very delicious in his mind. He enjoyed the closeness and warmth of Percy.

"Perseus, it's time for bed", murmured Nico as the end-credits rolled up. "Perce?"

Percy mumbled something incoherent and snuggled up to Nico's chest. The vampire chuckled softly as he realized that his little human was very much asleep already.

"Would one of you turn off the TV?", requested Nico, looking at Small Bob.

The cat jumped off the couch and poked the button with his nose until the TV turned black. Afterward, the demon cat returned to the couch and curled together on Percy's chest. Mrs. O'Leary took up the space on Percy's other, not with Nico occupied side. Like that, Percy looked very content. And Nico couldn't be much happier himself, just holding Percy close like this.

/break\

Five days later and the four of them had come into a nice, new routine. Nico started to wonder if Percy was aware of how close they had become – falling asleep arm in arm, eating together, sharing every detail of their lives. Tomorrow was the day that marked the end of one week.

"What are you doing?", asked Nico confused as he returned from the supermarket.

He had ordered Percy to rest, because it was Sunday, the one day he could and needed to rest. Instead Percy sat in front of his laptop, apparently talking to someone. A shark-like grin was spread over Percy's face as he turned the laptop to show a scolding Will. Nico groaned.

"Don't groan at me, mister!", warned Will sternly. "Bianca said you wanted to come back tomorrow! Alabaster sniffed around and said you haven't booked a flight yet!"

"Really now, Nico, how dare you?", agreed Percy with a mocking glare.

"W—Why are the two of you even talking?", groaned Nico embarrassed.

"Because finding Percy Jackson was not that hard", snorted Will and rolled his eyes. "Now, why haven't you booked a flight yet? Bianca is already pacing and Jason is driving everyone insane."

"Go. Away!", groaned Nico and forcefully closed the laptop.

"That's not very nice, Lord Nico", chided Percy teasingly.

"He's annoying", huffed Nico with the slightest pout. "Like one nagging big sister isn't enough – no, I had to turn a second one. Yay, me. Really great first impression you got of me as the lord of a coven. Talking to my nagging mother-hen of a healer. Couldn't you have spoken to someone who, I don't know, respects me? I have a reputation to uphold."

"You licked my hand and snuggled with my neck when you were a bat. What reputation?", snorted Percy and rolled his eyes very unimpressed. "Besides, the way you talk about your coven, they're not exactly fearing you and saluting you when you pass, because you guys are a family."

Nico shifted, a little displeased. He had meant to impress Percy, to have Percy in utter awe at just how incredible a vampire Nico was. Huffing, Nico collapsed next to Percy on the couch.

"Why don't you have a flight booked?", asked Percy softly, decidedly not looking at Nico. "Apparently, everyone already knows when to expect you home. So, why haven't you booked one yet? And... And... why haven't you told me that you were leaving? I mean, I always knew you were leaving again. You have your coven in Italy, you were only in the US to visit that sire-sister of yours in New Orleans, you never meant to stay that long. But... still... you could have said something."

Nico shifted awkwardly, oddly guilty. "I... didn't know what to say to you."

"'Thanks for letting me stay and taking care of me, Percy. Now that I'm better, I will return home'", replied Percy in a very bad Nico-impersonation. "Something along those lines, perhaps?"

"Percy, thank you for saving my life and allowing me to stay with you for so long", started Nico. "I am going to return to Italia and I wish to take you with me. And your companions, of course."

Percy's eyes were large and he slowly blinked as he stared at Nico. "C—Come again..."

Nico grasped Percy's hand and kissed his knuckles. "Over the past weeks, I have fallen in love with you. I've never met anyone quite like you. And... I'd like to spend eternity at your side. I know it must be a lot to take in for you, but I... did some research. You could take one semester off to spend it abroad, it's something that actually looks quite good in your resume. You could use that time to get to know Venice and my coven and... to get to know me. To see if you return my feelings, because I know you are interested in me, but I don't think you're quite in the same place as I am. That's why I want you to spend the coming semester in Venice with me, to... see where we could lead to. You could learn Italian, get to know those I love, see if Venice could... become your home."

"Woah, please slow down!", requested Percy, grasping Nico's shoulder. "Uhm, spending a semester in Italy sounds incredible, but... I doubt I can afford it. And what do you mean by 'eternity'?"

"Please don't worry about costs", frowned Nico, taking Percy's hands into his own. "My coven is rich. We have a large mansion where you can live, with us. And you would fly with me back."

"Wow...", whispered Percy and blinked slowly. "Uhm, so... You really do... love me, huh? That's a pretty generous offer. But let's get back to the whole 'eternity' thing, please. Are you... really that much in love with me that you're offering me the Bite, or what?"

Nico smiled tenderly. "I would never wish to take your humanity away. It's your most endearing trade. There is... something about you that you should know, that you have the right to know."

"...You're scaring me here", pointed Percy out, shifting a little.

"It's nothing bad", assured Nico and kissed Percy's knuckles again. "Your two roommates told me that you've... never really gotten to know your father. What do you know about him?"

"Nothing much", shrugged Percy with a confused frown. "He died before I was born. He had a boat, there was a storm, that... is all. Why? You're not telling me he's a vampire, are you?"

"There is one thing about vampires that your myths do get right. We can't have children. It's kind of the main reason why we turn others, to form our own families", answered Nico soothingly. "No, but your father was – or is – a god. A Death God, to be more specific. That make you a demigod. Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary told me about it and over the past weeks, I realized they truly are right. You are the child of a Death God. And gods, just like their children, are immortal. You are immortal. It's another reason why I want to take you with me to my coven, so you can meet other immortals."

"I... I...", started Percy, before he hit Nico's chest hard. "You idiot should have told me that earlier. That's a huge lot of information and I don't know how to deal with it."

"I understand", sighed Nico with a frown. "And I... know. I should have... told you sooner. I was just looking for the right words. I completely understand if things are too much and too rushed for you. I will... leave tomorrow and... maybe the distance will give you enough time to digest. I will come back for you though. Take your time here to do your own research – ask your mother about your father's family or anything. In a semester, if you still... remember me and if you came to a conclusion, I will return to New York and I will ask you again. You and me, we truly to have eternity so giving you the time to digest, I do have that time to spare."

Percy just nodded numbly, staring at the wall instead of at Nico.

/break\

"You have been grumpy for weeks now, brother. Since your return from the states."

Nico grunted and emptied his glass of blood. It didn't taste good. Honestly, ever since he had drunken from Percy to complete his healing, no other blood had ever tasted quite right to him. Putting the fine crystal wine glass down, Nico turned to look at Bianca. She frowned concerned. Bianca, his beautiful and very intelligent and observant sister, was flanked by Reyna and Jason, a mated pair from Nico's coven and his two best friends. All three looked worried.

"Listen, we are sorry that things with that little animal doctor of yours didn't work out", started Jason slowly, grasping Nico's shoulder. "Or... is it the news about American vampire hunters?"

"If you're concerned for Hazel's safety, Frank and Leo are trying to motivate her to maybe move the coven up north, since Frank still has his old family mansion there", continued Reyna.

"I'm aware that Hazel can take very good care of herself and of her coven", grunted Nico dismissively. "And I am more than willing to wait on Percy. He's immortal and so am I. I'm just... concerned, because all the time in the world and all the thinking in the world will not create feelings that aren't there. And I... I have never felt that close to having found my mate before."

"If he is your mate, then everything will be fine", assured Bianca softly. "Give him the time you promised him and then you will see him again. And if he's your mate, he will come with you."

"Nothing will ever be able to stand in the way of true love", added Jason with a cheesy grin.

"Now, here's your plan for this week. It's time you get your head straight", grunted Reyna decidedly and dumped some files on his desk. "Because if you plan on sulking for the next five months, we are going to chose a different lord for this district, Nico. There's more than one di Angelo here."

Bianca smirked and winked at Nico. She was the firstborn, but he was the firstbitten, which was why he was the lord of their coven. Though if he didn't focus on what was important and what was here, then they would have every right to chose a different leader. After all, they needed a lord who was able to focus on their coven and on keeping them safe from hunters.

/break\

Over the next two weeks, Nico managed to get his head back in the game. That afternoon, he was out on a shopping trip with their two witches and their local healer. Will needed new herbs and so did Lou and Alabaster, apparently, though Nico wasn't sure what they had brewed up to waste away their stash already. With them were Will's mate, Jake the werewolf, and Alabaster's lover Ethan – one of Nico's oldest friends – as well as Cecil, another vampire. Nico had met Cecil, Will and Lou at the same time. Both Cecil and Lou had been street kids, they had only had each other. Will had been a doctor during the Vietnam War, Nico had barely been able to save his life as the blonde had risked his life to save a soldier. Cecil had been said soldier and since Will had nearly died trying to save him, Nico had turned them both. After all, he had served with the both of them for weeks at that point. It turned out Cecil was an orphan who had been living with the Torrington siblings, two young warlocks who had been in the same orphanage as Cecil before Alabaster became off-age and took his little sister Lou into his care and didn't find it in himself to abandon Lou's best-friend-nearly-brother Cecil. Nico had been fascinated, really. He had never met young warlocks before. Only ancient ones, hundred of years old already. Warlocks were not immortal, but they had an abnormally high life expectancy of thousands of years.

That was how his coven had come to be, really. Before that, it had only been him, Bianca and Ethan. And after them, Nico had turned Jason and Reyna. The last to join had been Jake, when Will had found his mate in the young werewolf during one visit of the coven in the US.

"How many more stores?", asked Nico, bored and exhausted.

"Just a couple...", chimed Lou mischievously, nudging Nico.

"You didn't have to come with us", grunted Ethan, raising one eyebrow.

He had his arm around Alabaster's waist – less so to be affectionate and more so to keep Alabaster from running off to the next weird herb he saw growing in pots or wherever. They already had gotten into a lot of trouble with their neighbors, because Alabaster couldn't hold back and sneaked into their gardens for flowers and such. Though Ethan adored Alabaster's obsession with his herbs.

"I've been informed that I haven't been paying a lot of attention to our coven since I came back", grunted Nico with a glower. "I'd still appreciate it if we'd get to return home before nightfall."

"You may spend more time with the coven now, but you're still as grumpy", commented Alabaster.

"Have you spoken to Percy at all?", inquired Will, not looking at Nico. "You know I have his skype contact. Maybe talking to him would help you. So you'd... know where you stand."

"No. I promised him to give him the time he needs", objected Nico agitated. "I'm not going to be pushy. Semester break isn't even over yet. I... dumped a lot of information on him. About his maybe dead father, about himself, about me, about us. Honestly, I'll be surprised if one semester is enough for him to take it all in and digest it. I'm... I'm ready to wait for him. He's worth it."

"Saying you're ready is one thing, but... actually having to wait is another", pointed Jake out, eyes trained on Will. "I know when I realized Will was my mate, separation was painful. I know that things are different for you vampires, but still love is love, isn't it?"

"Urgh, you guys are all so cheesy, it makes me wanna puke", huffed Cecil, making gagging noises.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a mate yet, Cec", teased Alabaster, leaning against Ethan. "One day, when you're older, you may be lucky enough to find a mate yourself."

"Someone who's willing to stand him? Please!", laughed Lou teasingly, ruffling Cecil's hair.

"Hey! If someone possibly loves the Overlord of Grumpiness over there, why not me? I'm totally lovable!", objected Cecil and the two best friends started wrestling playfully.

"...Sometimes I doubt my own sanity when looking at my coven", muttered Nico lowly.

"And yet you still love us all", chimed Will, smiling at Nico knowingly.

"As I said, my sanity is up for debate", grunted Nico grumpily.

The seven of them went from one herb shop to a drug store and then to a flower shop, before Nico couldn't stand it anymore. He, Cecil, Jake and Ethan ended up sitting around a table in a café opposite the flower shop, all their feet hurting at this point. They drank coffee and watched the three herbs-enthusiasts shopping for plants. Like their park-sized garden didn't already look like a jungle.

Loud barking, accompanied by a tourist's yelling, interrupted the conversation between the four coven-brothers. It wasn't exactly a rare occurrence in Venice to have American tourists yelling about, but what certainly was new was that a giant hellhound tackled Nico in broad daylight.

"No, Mrs. O'Leary, I told you to wait and don't run off!", could be heard as the American tourist came closer. "I don't know my way around here, what am I supposed to do if I lose you, girl?!"

Nico blinked slowly, staring into the large, loyal eyes of Mrs. O'Leary as the hellhound licked Nico's face, before his gaze shifted over to the approaching American. The messy, black hair, the sun-kissed skin, the amazingly beautiful sea-green eyes. Nico's breath stopped as he stared.

"Percy...", whispered Nico softly, openly gaping at Percy.

Percy came running up to them and only stopped when he was directly behind Mrs. O'Leary. He turned to apologize to the group at the café for his dog, only to realize just who she had jumped.

"Oh. Huh. You already found him, Mrs. O'Leary. Good girl", chuckled Percy and ruffled her fur. "Well, that does save me from a trip to... actually, I have no idea where I would have to go to find out where you live. Maybe I should have thought this through more thoroughly... Lucky me."

"Percy", repeated Nico, unblinkingly staring at Percy. "What are you doing here."

Percy tilted his head in an adorable manner, dumping a large bag in front of Nico. "Moving in."

"C—Come again?", grunted the vampire sluggishly.

Mrs. O'Leary whined and stepped aside and Percy took that opportunity to take up her spot on Nico's lap, getting comfortable and kissing Nico softly. "Hello again, Batman."

"Right. Yeah, hello first", nodded Nico slowly, smiling. "Ciao, mio prezioso. Now, uhm, what exactly are you doing here, Percy? Here, in Venice? With Mrs. O'Leary?" Small Bob meowed chidingly and stuck his head out from where he sat in the hood of Percy's blue hoodie. "Pardon me. With Mrs. O'Leary and Small Bob? Did... Did something happen? Are you alright?"

By now, Will, Lou and Alabaster had exited the flower shop again to check out what all the ruckus was about. The members of Nico's coven were gathering around them, whispering curiously.

"I'm fine", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. "As I said, I'm here to move in. With you. I mean, if your offer still stands. What? Don't look at me like that. You've spend enough time with me so you should know better. I'm too ADHD to sit still for long. Did you really expect me to wait an entire half year to see you again, you idiot?" Percy paused, looking deep into Nico's eyes an smiling at him. "I did what you told me. I asked mom about dad's family, did all the digging I could. She admitted that something about my father was... 'strange', but she didn't know any more either. I called in a favor with a friend of mine – Luke, he's a private eye – and apparently, my father never existed. Not the identity mom knew. So, huh, I guess you're right. I am part devil-demon-whatever. And then I figured that the best source of information about my dad would be the supernatural. Like vampires and warlocks, for example." Grinning triumphantly, Percy kissed Nico's nose. "The other thing, the thing about you... You really are an idiot if you think that I'd need half a year to figure out that I'm madly in love with you. I already missed you when you were gone for two days, but I was so busy with my researches." Another pause as Percy leaned in for one more real kiss. "I love you, Nico di Angelo. And... And I know what I'm doing here is probably crazy, at least by my standards, but my life has been pretty boring until a vampire crash-landed on my balcony. I... I got the paperwork done and I am officially finishing my degree at the local college. I found one that actually teaches classes in English, which would be pretty amazing until I learn Italian, for which I also already signed up. All that's really missing is a place to stay. And since you offered, well, the three of us are currently looking for a place to stay. We brought everything we own."

At that, he kicked his bag in implication. Nico was still staring at him as though he couldn't comprehend. Will rolled his eyes and pushed himself into Percy's line of sight, smiling.

"Hello, Percy. It's nice to finally meet you in person. Sorry for Nico's lack of social skills, I'm pretty sure he already lost those during World War II", stated Will casually. "Jake, be good and take Percy's bags. He's already carrying a demon cat, that's heavy enough. Come on, let's get you settled. Maybe by then, Nico will wake up from his stupor and express his joy upon seeing you. We all are more than overjoyed, maybe with you around, Nico will be more bearable. Those are my mate Jake, Alabaster, Ethan, Lou and Cecil. We're looking forward to having you with us."

Percy grinned broadly as he shook Will's hand, pointing at him with the other. "I like this one."

"That's mutual", chuckled Will and winked at Nico. "Good choice. He's a real cutie."

"No", grunted Nico disturbed as he caught up with the situation. "Just no. You two are not allowed to get along. That will only lead to a ton of trouble for me. Jake, keep your mate away from mine."

The grin on Percy's face nearly split it as he giggled a little. "Did you just call me your mate?"

A blush lit up his face as he glared at Percy, especially as Will joined the giggling. "Just... no."

"Hey, you're the one who offered me to live with your coven. So let me get along with your coven", declared Percy teasingly as their group got up. "So... your offer still stands then?"

Nico intertwined their fingers and pulled Percy into a kiss. "A thousand times yes, mio prezioso. I could barely stand the weeks without you. You are... so... fresh and different. You're amazing and I still wish to spend eternity at your side, Perseus. Because I love you."

"Man, they're going to be unbearable, aren't they?", whispered Cecil as Nico and Percy kissed.

Lou giggled as she nudged Cecil. "I guess so, huh. But imagine a happy Nico!"

Nico glared at them heatedly as he laid his arms around Percy in a very possessive manner. It had been unbearable to be without Percy after the time he had gotten to spend with his human. Just a few, short weeks with Percy had been the happiest and most intense time of Nico's life. Not an adrenaline-rush kind of intensity, but intense with love and warmth and the feeling of safety and home. Importing that feeling into his mansion in Venice was all he could ever want. And seeing that blinding smile on Percy's lips was all he needed to see. Returning said smile, Nico leaned down to steal another kiss, conveniently tuning all the teasing from his coven out.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: There was a video on facebook involved here, where a cute bat just licked a human's hand. Things escalated from there on out, I guess... But damn, Nico would be one cute bat.

Well then, dearies, Christmas is coming up! I'm very busy, hence this oneshot instead of a regular update. So, update on Wednesday is being skipped. Buuut you'll get a treat the next day, since it'll be Christmas Eve! Imagine Nico as Santa Clause, often grumpy and annoyed as he rules over the North Pole and only really happy when it is indeed Christmas Eve. Or when he gets a letter from one special little boy named Percy Jackson, who writes letters to Santa just for the sake of sharing his life with his favorite hero. When Percy is an adult and still believes in Santa, he goes on an expedition to the North Pole to find Santa's workshop...