Yes, this will be a Jasico. Eventually. Just bear with me, kay? I do know what I'm doing. I'm also glad to see so many repeated usernames. Even if the following is small, I enjoy finding people that like a lot of my stuff.
…
Nico couldn't concentrate during his Advanced Calculus class. He doodled in his notebook instead of taking the notes the professor was writing on the board, and he knew he'd regret that later. But right now, he didn't care. He still had Jason on his mind. The unexpected call left him with more questions than answers. First and foremost being, how did Jason feel about Drake? Nico knew of Drake of course. He didn't spy! He just…contacted Percy and asked who Jason had for a roommate. Actually, Jason had several roommates. But Drake was the one in the room with him. He wasn't sure how he felt about Jason being part of a gay fraternity. But so far it seemed the blonde was relatively happy. He'd even found friends in the strikingly handsome Miles and the shy but sweet Bradley.
Nico was so zoned he didn't even notice people beginning to leave. Since there was about eighty in his class, it would be hard to miss every single person leaving at once. Nico was the last to gather his things and push his way out into the hallways. He had two hours before his next class, and he decided to go sit at Starbucks. He didn't have to work until four, but he enjoyed being there during his down time.
"Nico," Heidi said in surprise when he pushed his way in. "How interesting to see you here." She gave him an iced mocha and he settled down at the back tables, studying his Advanced Calc book. He might as well try to do the hundred problems the teacher assigned for homework. He set his mocha aside and went to scribbling half-hearted answers. He finally slammed his pencil down. "Is something wrong?" Heidi asked, scrubbing a plate with a sponge.
"It's Jason," Nico said, smearing a hand across his face. "He called me last night and ended up talking about the roommate that kissed him. He said he only wanted to kiss me, but I doubt that very highly. He doesn't even see me anymore."
"Oh honey," Heidi said softly. "I'm sure he was telling the truth. From what you've told me, he really loves you. He wouldn't just stop, would he?" The dark-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his textbook, only half seeing the problems before him. Nico wanted so bad to believe that Jason would remain faithful and true to his word, but it was hard when he couldn't see him. Sighing, he gathered his things and went back to his dorm. He wouldn't be doing much studying today.
…
"Look at this Jake," Will said, shoving a magazine into Jake's face. The brunette laughed and gently nudged it aside. Both boys were on the only thing in their new house, their bed. Will's head was in Jake's lap, and they were both trying to pick out furniture that they could afford. "I love the dark wood. What do you think?" Will continued, staring up at him.
"I like it," Jake replied. "Just not the price." He pointed at the triple digit price, and Will winced. The blonde went back to flipping through magazines while the brunette toyed with his hair and gazed around the room. They'd painted it soft blue, a color they both agreed on. The ceiling was white, making it appear larger than it was. The mattress was just lying on the floor. They couldn't afford a bedframe yet. But that was okay. They'd manage. "Hey, have you heard from Jason or Nico recently?" Jake suddenly asked. Will looked up from his magazine and shook his head.
"No," he responded. "Percy called the other day though. He said he and Annabeth were very happy and getting themselves settled into a cozy little apartment together. He hasn't heard much from them either. Apparently, when you go to college, you don't have enough time to get away."
"I'm sure Jason and Nico are fine," Jake said like he hadn't heard the last part of Will's comment. "I worry about them Will." The blonde boy sat up and reached out to rub Jake's arm. Jake always did have a big heart. "They don't get to see each other like we do," he added quietly. "Nico said they kind of broke up when he left."
"I didn't know that," the blonde replied. He rather thought they'd try to keep up a long distance relationship. But he appeared to be wrong. "I'm surprised. If there was ever a couple that could survive long distance, it's them. I wonder why they broke up."
"Nico broke it off," Jake said. "He said he didn't want to tie Jason down since he couldn't even see him. He told Jason if he found someone that caught his eye, go ahead. He wouldn't be upset. But I have a feeling Nico would be hurt if Jason actually did move on. Very upset."
"I agree with you there," the blonde responded. "How'd we get to them exactly? Last I checked, we were looking at different furniture for our place." Jake chuckled and motioned for Will to lay back down.
"Of course," he replied easily. "I bet if we stained some lightwood stuff, it would have the same effect as the dark wood stuff." Will smiled at Jake and settled down, looking for lightwood furniture. But Jake's heart wasn't in it. His mind was still focused on the broken couple. He hoped they would get to see each other soon.
…
"Percy, you have red paint on your nose," Annabeth said with a giggle, which surprised the brunette. He'd never heard Annabeth giggle before. He wiped the paint off his nose and smiled. He was busy painting the bathroom a dark red, which apparently was a very good idea. He wasn't going to complain though. Lesson one when you live with a female: what they say goes, and your opinion is invalid. "It looks good Perce," Annabeth said, coming and wrapping her arms around him. "Could we do white trim? It's supposed to open a tiny space."
"Whatever you say dear," Percy replied sweetly. He wiped his hands on his jeans and gazed around. Bathroom done. The living room was going to be a sky blue color, so he set to work beginning that. They were offered the apartment cheap if they fixed it up themselves. So far, Percy and Paul had fixed the leaky pipe under the sink and patched a small hole in the wall that dripped when it rained. It was really beginning to feel like home. Annabeth grabbed a paintbrush of her own and set to work on the other side of the living room. "Hey Annie," Percy said. She turned to look at him.
"What is it Perce?" she asked him. He paused in his painting.
"Have you heard from Jason or Nico? It's funny. The two boys are just suddenly on my mind. I wonder how they're doing." Annabeth also paused and chewed her lower lip.
"I haven't heard from either since the beginning of the school year," she said slowly. "The last one I talked to was Jason, and he went on and on about this roommate of his. Drake something or other."
"Ah, yes," Percy replied, nodding. "Drake Roberts if I remember correctly. Nico asked about him." Annabeth jerked her head up.
"Nico asked about Jason's roommate?" she asked. "That is both cute and creepy stalkerish at the same time." Percy chuckled.
"I guess," he replied. "All he wanted to know was his name and a brief description of him. I ended up telling him about the whole frat house." Annabeth tisked.
"You're going to give the poor boy a heart attack," she said matter-of-factly. "Nico may say that he wouldn't care if Jason moved on, but he would. He would care a lot. It would tear him up inside." Percy nodded slowly.
"I guess you're right," he replied. "But he has nothing to worry about. Jason still loves him. He won't ever stop, no matter what happens. Now come on, this living room won't paint itself." Annabeth laughed lowly and picked up her brush. But instead of painting the wall, she painted Percy's back. He growled playfully and chased her around the room, brush outstretched.
…
Jason collapsed into his bed after a particularly long day of classes. It was the one day he had classes for more than six hours, and it was brutal. He clawed his way up to his pillow and rested his head on it, closing his eyes. A nap would be bliss right now. But no sooner had he closed his eyes than the stereo system downstairs began thumping. Jason groaned and rolled onto his back. Victor and Nathaniel were home. Shit! He sat up in bed, wrapping the blanket around himself. Victor and Nathaniel were home. And he was the only one left in the house. He really hoped they hadn't seen him come into the house.
"Jason oh Jason," Victor purred from the hallway. "Where are you, pretty little pet." Jason rolled onto the floor and slithered under his bed. He didn't want to deal with the junior and sophomore brothers right now. "Are you in here?" Jason's bedroom door was thrown open and smacked against the wall. "Aww Nate, he's not in here." Jason sucked in a breath as Victor made his way over to his bed. "He was here though. His stuff is here."
"Don't fret brother," Nathaniel said, coming in from the hallway. "Once Drake is here our little pet will show himself. He's always a bit more social with Drake around. Miles said that Jason really opened up around them yesterday. That is, before Drake had to go and kiss him. He won't let us have any fun, but he gets to kiss all the good looking ones?" Jason could almost imagine the younger brother pouting. "Totes not fair."
"Oh Nate, be patient," Victor said. "Drake will get over this silly crush and Jason will be ours. Freshman are always ripe for the picking. How lucky we were to score a couple in our fraternity this year."
"Bradley is already taken though," Nathaniel pointed out. "Miles has laid claim on him. I guess now they're an item?" The way Nathaniel said it made it sound more like a question than anything. "Oh whatever. Jason's cuter than Bradley anyway." Jason growled lowly. How dare they pick on Bradley? Miles would smash their heads together if he heard them. "Hey, did you hear that?" Nathaniel asked. "It sounded like a growl." Jason covered his mouth. Fuck! Nathaniel suddenly dropped to all fours, and Jason jumped. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Nathaniel asked, grabbing Jason's shirt and hauling him out. "Look Victor, our pet was hiding under the bed the whole time."
"We don't like it when our pet hides," Victor said with a wicked grin. "What do you think Nate? Should we punish our pet a little?" A slow smile spread across Nathaniel's features. "I will take that as a yes," Victor said. "Come, little kitty. You need to be punished." Jason gulped. This didn't sound good at all.
…
Jason lay, half-naked and sobbing, on his bed later that night. Victor and Nathaniel had a sick way to torture him for hiding from them. They'd stripped him of his clothes, tied him to Victor's bed, and beat him with a short crop. The boys laughed with evil pleasure while Jason begged to be let go. Finally, after ten minutes of the painful torture, they let him go and he ran to his room, stopping long enough to pull his underwear back on. He slammed the door shut and locked it so they wouldn't bother him again. But they appeared to be done with him.
"Jason, open up," Drake called through the doorway, jiggling the door handle. "I forgot my key in the room and you locked the door."
"Go away!" Jason called back hoarsely, burying his face in his pillow and bursting into fresh tears. Suddenly, the door flew open. Drake ran in and gathered the blonde into his arms. Jason hissed out a breath. "Careful!" he scolded. "I'm so sore."
"Oh my god," Drake said, turning Jason over and studying his back in fascinated horror. Red welts crisscrossed his back. His ass got the worst of it though. "Jason, what the hell happened to you? Who did this to you?" Jason closed his eyes.
"I'm just clumsy," he replied. "No one did this to me."
"Bullshit," Drake growled, shaking the blonde. Jason burst into fresh tears as he was violently shook. "God Jason, I didn't mean to do that," Drake said. "Shhh, it's okay." He gathered Jason up in his arms, dressed him quickly, and left the room. "Miles! Bradley! Get your asses moving! Jason's been hurt!" There was a flurry of movement from the boys' shared room. Victor and Nathaniel peeked out of their room, Samuel not far behind them.
"Oh no, what happened?" Victor asked, feigning shock. "Nathaniel and I haven't been home that long. Did you find him that way?"
"I swear to God if you're the one that hurt him I will dig your grave and bury you alive," Drake growled. Miles and Bradley ran out of the room. Well, Bradley hopped. He was still tying one shoe on. "Come on guys, we're leaving. Not you three!" he added when Sam, Vic, and Nate ducked back into their room. "Just us four." He shoved Bradley with his shoulder and followed. Miles brought up the rear, glaring at the three remaining boys. Jason was still in daze. He still couldn't believe Drake just ordered half of the fraternity to leave. Drake set Jason in the passenger seat and buckled him in.
"Where are we going?" Bradley asked as he took his place behind Drake. Miles slid in behind Jason and took Bradley's hand in his, gazing at him with worry. "I'm find sweetie," Bradley murmured. "Whoever did this hasn't touched me yet. Who did that to you Jay?"
"I didn't say," Jason replied, hugging his bruised and battered torso. "Please don't make me say it." Bradley nodded and settled back against the seat. "Where are we going?" Jason asked, looking at Drake, who gripped the steering wheel tight.
"A hotel," he said through gritted teeth. "I can't stand to see those bastard brothers. I have a feeling they left you in that state, no matter what you say." Miles' eyes stretched wide and he drew Bradley to himself.
"You mean Vic and Nate did that?" he asked in a hushed tone. "They've never done that kind of thing before. Will they do it again? Will they go after Brad next?"
"Miles, calm the fuck down," Drake said. "It'll be fine. I planned on moving out soon anyway. You are all welcome to join me if you don't feel safe in that house." Drake fished the blonde's phone out of his pocket and threw it back to Miles. "Look for a contact that says 'Nico,'" he ordered. "I bet hearing him will do Jason some good." Miles did as he was told, and soon Jason was being handed his phone. He cradled it to his ear and listened.
"Hey, this is Nico. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. And Jason, if this is you, I love you, my superman." Jason's breath caught in his throat. That hadn't been there the last time he called.
"Nico, please call me back," he pleaded. "I need to see you soon. Something awful has happened, and I want to explain it to you in person. I love you, my little bookworm." He pressed end and sagged against the seat. Three sets of arms reached out to try and comfort him. He met Drake's hazel eyes, and he saw fury in them. He was rather shocked. Why was he on the blue tipped blonde's mind? Did Drake really have a crush on him, like Vic and Nate said?
…
Nico finally got done at Starbucks. He hung up his apron and locked the door behind him as he left. He reached into his pocket and turned his phone on. He was excepting a text from Kale, his study partner from physics. But instead he found another voicemail.
"'Nico, please call me back. I need to see you soon. Something awful has happened, and I want to explain it to you in person. I love you, my little bookworm." Nico had mixed feelings about hearing Jason's voice. He sounded distraught. But maybe he was finally ready to admit he'd moved on. Could Nico deal with that? No, he couldn't. Even if he said he would be okay with it, he wasn't.
"Sorry Jason," Nico said, deleting the voicemail. "But I'm not interested in seeing Drake or whoever you've found. You're on your own for that one."
…
Oh, if only Nico knew. I bet a few of you will want to strangle him for that. I do, and I wrote it. Poor Jason. He's always abused in my stories, isn't he?