Hey guys! It's me, trying my hand at a quick Percy Jackson ficlet. Someone posted a headcanon about Nico, and I couldn't shake the need to expand on it a little! So here you are. Enjoy!

-JG

Percy was a troublemaker, everyone knew that.

So, really, could he be blamed when he found out that Nico was sensitive near his stomach?

(The answer, in case you were wondering, was no. He absolutely couldn't be blamed. It's just the way of the world. Totally not Percy's fault. At all.)

It worked out perfectly; when di Angelo's birthday came around, the gang all came around with it, and they had a grand old time at the Jackson-Blofis household. As he was an honorary Jackson, Mom had baked Nico one of her signature blue birthday cakes, and Jason and Leo brought over some... Er, "custom-made" candles. Percy didn't stick around to find out what they did.

Gifts were given, and although Percy thought his own gift- a tin of Mythomagic cards and a couple of CDs of a band he thought Nico'd enjoy- was kinda lacking, Nico had given him an honest smile and said that he was just thankful that someone remembered his old obsession, even if he'd outgrown it for a while now. That attitude changed, however, when Percy pulled a deck of his own out of his pocket and challenged Nico to a throwdown.

Needless to say, it was good to see that competitive spark in Nico once again, and even better to see him excited about something.

As the party drew to a close, more people started to head back to the Camp, giving the birthday boy a pat on the back, or a fistbump, or just a friendly smile, and as birthday boy, Nico was obliged to smile back. Strangely, it didn't seem to bother him as much as it had over the past year or so.

Annabeth left last, leaving Nico and Percy in the living room with a hug for Nico and a kiss for Percy. As the door shut, Nico sat himself in a reclining chair, and Percy flopped down on the loveseat next to it, before looking up at his fellow black-haired friend. "Hey, Nico, thanks for coming today, man. It meant a lot to my Mom that you'd let her bake for you, and I know everyone was happy to see you again." Nico didn't respond, staring off into space distractedly. Percy frowned, before poking Nico in the side. "Hey man, you-?"

His sentence was cut off as Nico yelped and jumped away from the touch, his eyes betraying the embarrassment that he was quick to hide. "Yeah, I heard you. But I'm... Sensitive... Under my ribcage. I'd prefer a tap on the shoulder next time." His mask of calm apathy was back in place.

Percy's mouth closed, the O-shape turning into a light smirk. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, bud. Don't you worry. It won't, happen, again." He punctuated those last three words with pokes, and Nico's yelps grew higher in pitch.

"I swear to Hades, Jackson, if you do that one more time- EEP!"

So really, was Percy the one at fault here? Can anyone blame him for taking the course of action he took?

No. Of course not. It was only logical.

Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review! I may be enticed into writing more ficlets like this if this gets some positive reviews :) I hope you have a wonderful night, you awesome reader.

-JG