Breaking and Entering

Summary: Percy has an apartment, and Nico pops in at random times between Underworld trips. Eventually, it becomes as much his as Percy's.

A.N: Yeah, this is my first Percico story ever, so yay. Happy Percico day!

The first time that Percy awakes in his bed with his hand tangled in someone else's hair he freaks out. Last night, he had gone to bed alone and now his hand was tangled in someone else's hair and someone else's hand was wrapped around his waist. He let out a very manly scream and flailed about, searching for Riptide. He saw his clock out of the corner of his eye, and the little red numbers read 4:07. It is the middle of the night.

"Percy," came Nico's low and groggy voice, "'I'm trying to sleep."

"Nico," Percy asked, running his hands more thoroughly through the imposing form's hair. It was slightly greasy and incredibly shaggy.

"Definitely Nico's," he thought.

"What-How?" he asked, trying to come to grips with the situation. Nico didn't have a key to his apartment, the doors were locked and he hadn't been there last night.

"Shadow traveled in last night, Perce," he murmurs, "thought I'd just sleep with you."
Percy really wished that Nico had phrased that slightly differently because he didn't need to be thinking of sex right now. Nico was snuggling up against him in a completely non-Nico way and he'd just appeared in his apartment. Percy let out an internal groan. It was too early in the morning for this shit, so he let himself fall back into a deep sleep.

When Percy awakens later in the morning, he is once again alone in the bed. He's almost convinced that he dreamt the whole thing up until he looks over and sees the Nico-shaped indention on the bed. He breathes in, and smells the faint scent of corpses, campfire smoke and something that is simply Nico. He yawns and shakes his head. That is just so him, appearing unexpectedly and disappearing the moment Percy stops looking. Percy gets up and forces himself to go about his day

The next time Nico pops into his room, he ends up in the dark corner. Percy is about to shut off the light and go to sleep. It is needless to say that they don't go to sleep for a long time.

Nico continues to "drop by" at various random times. Sometimes it's in the day. Sometimes it's when he's going to bed. Sometimes he wakes up beside him and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes, Percy's watching a movie, and once, Nico pops in while Annabeth and Piper are visiting. It just becomes a fact of his life and it's strange to think of a world where Nico isn't a semi-constant presence in his apartment. It isn't normal, but then again, when has his life, or the life of any demigod for that matter been normal?

But one day, he has another key made for his house, and when he wakes up with Nico's head on his chest he decides that today's the day to do it. When Percy is almost ready to leave for class, he shoves the key into Nico's hand.

Nico opens his hand like a blooming flower and stares at the key in the center for a moment.

"What's this?" he asks, his black eyes glancing in confusion at Percy.

"A key," Percy says.

Nico glares at him and Percy remembers when that glare was sent in hatred and not slight frustration.

"I know what it is," Nico says, "I'm not an idiot, Perce. What's it for?"

"Opening locks," he says and when Nico's glare darkens he decides to drop the jokes and tell it to him straight.

"It's for my apartment, Nico," he says earnestly.

"Why would I need that," he replies, "I can just shadow travel in."

"I know," Percy says, "I've woken up with you unexpectedly in my bed more times that I can count. It's more, It's a what do you call it?" Percy thought for a moment, grasping around in his brain for the right word.

"A thimble," he says.

"That little metal thing people wear on their fingers while sewing," Nico deadpans.

"Not that," Percy says, cursing his fast tongue and tendency to confuse words, "It's a syn-SYMBOL!" Nico sends him a skeptical look.

"It means, well," Percy says, biting his lip, "this is your home too. And I want you to know that you don't have to break in."

"Breaking in's half the fun," Nico says and a smile flashes across his face that reminds Percy that the worst times are now behind them. He feels like he could just melt into it.

"Just take the key," Percy says as he walks out the door, grinning from ear to ear.