I managed to go a full day without crying! That won't last long. Kuper's death is still fresh. BUT it's all part of the healing process. There's gonna be up days, and down days.
Enough of that. Who's ready to see the boys go back to school? And who's ready for Percy to play a bigger part in this story. I didn't want Percy to be the bully. He's not that kind of guy, and I would hate to write him as such. It just doesn't feel right.
…
Jason's mom dropped them off at school the next day, much to their relief. They were ready for a little break from boredom, and while school wasn't ideal, it did provide a six hour distraction. Jason trailed Nico like a lost puppy. Or a protective boyfriend, he liked to tell himself. He kept his eyes on him. He was once again amazed by Nico's intelligence. He peeked in on the dark-haired boy's English class on the way to the office and stood, spellbound, as Nico read one of his stories out loud. It was captivating. The smaller boy had a natural way with words and the way they flowed together. Once he finished, there was wild applause for him, and he flushed with pleasure. Jason smiled. This is where Nico shined.
"Hey." Jason nearly hit the ceiling when a voice behind him spoke. He whirled around and found himself face and face with Percy, who was grinning at him. "Nico's quite the little writer," Percy commented lightly. "Also, since when do you jump when someone sneaks up behind you?" Jason glared at him for a second.
"Ever since I didn't expect it to happen," he retorted, then he thought better and lowered his voice. "Also since that fight with Will. I feel like he's going to do something behind my back." Percy nodded. While he didn't necessarily approve of the fight between the two blonde boys, he would side with Jason any day. Besides, Will had it coming. As Percy helpfully pointed out, he was getting a trifle annoying. He was ready to deck the blonde boy himself, Jason just beat him to the punch, so to speak. "Percy!" Jason hissed, snapping his fingers under the brunette's nose. Percy blinked and shook his head. "You will never guess what happened!" The brunette wrinkled his nose in amusement as the blonde practically bounced from foot to foot. "Come on." The blonde dragged him away from the door, away from prying ears.
"Okay, what?" Percy asked, taking back possession of his arm. Not that he minded being dragged away by the blonde boy. He just wanted him to get to the point faster. Jason grinned at him and Percy felt a surge of affection for his friend. Jason had gone through some rough times, trying to keep himself closeted. Now that the brunette knew, the blonde's erratic behavior made sense. He was doing his best to keep people from figuring out.
"I kissed Nico!" Jason squeaked out, twirling in a neat little circle. Percy chuckled. "After he went back to his apartment." He paused. "I won't tell you the rest though. We deserve to have some privacy after all." Percy stuck his lip out in a pout and hung off the blonde's arm.
"Why not?" he whined. "I want details." Jason chuckled, amused. But he shook his head. He wasn't ready to fork over all the details of last night. Once they got to the blonde's apartment, they'd had dinner and curled up on the couch together to watch scary movies. Nico never told Jason they weren't his favorite things to watch, and he jumped during almost every one and buried his face in Jason's side. Jason acted surprised every time he did it, but he was secretly glad for the close contact. Finally, at midnight, they went into the blonde's bedroom for bed. Nico completely bypassed his homemade bed and crawled in with the blonde, curling against the curve of Jason's body. Once again, he was a perfect fit. Jason tucked him in then gave him a goodnight kiss, holding him until he fell asleep.
"It was fun," he supplied with an evil grin. Percy pouted some more, but finally disengaged himself from the blonde. Jason would tell him when he was good and ready, the brunette knew, and not a moment sooner. Jason had just recently outed himself to the brunette, and he felt honored with just that much information.
"Ready for our wacky extra gym today?" Percy asked. Every other Monday, they had an extra gym class at the end of the day instead of a study period. Nico would be with them during this one too. The blonde's face fell and he scrubbed at his eyes.
"Fuck," he swore softly. "I totally forgot about that. I hope Nico will be okay while I grab my stuff." He jogged lightly down the hall toward his locker at the back of the school. But he got Percy thinking. The brunette kept his stuff in his sports locker, so he was ready to go already. He made his way down to the gym, catching Nico as he was going in. He fell in step beside the dark-haired boy, who glanced at him curiously. Suddenly, everyone was interested in either beating him or being his friend. He wasn't entirely sure of the brunette's motives. He seemed to be a darker version of Jason, rather sweet when you thought about it, yet he could hold his own if the time came. He also had Jason's easy way with people. Nico watched him as he interacted with his classmates. He knew most of them by name, and he shook hands and laughed with all of them. Jason had that easy popularity too.
"Nico," Percy said, causing the dark-haired boy to tense. "Are you coming out today? We're playing tennis, and Jason still needs a partner." He winked at the dark-haired boy, who managed a faint smile. "I'm sure Jason would love to have you as a partner," Percy continued without missing a beat, causing curious and shocked looks from the assembled boys, most notably, Will. "Oh, Jason will most definitely love to have you. If he didn't already lay claim to you in the hallway, I'd snatch you up myself. But, I don't do that kind of thing." He eyed Will with that one. "It's not nice to pick someone somebody else already has." Will flushed angrily and looked away. Nico stood in stunned silence, clutching his drawstring bag of clothes to his chest. "I guess I'll take Frank." The big boy grunted and nodded. He knew exactly what Percy was doing. He clapped the smaller-than-him boy on the back, causing him to stagger.
"Nice work Jackson," he said, and they both watched as a few boys flocked around Nico, asking how he managed to capture Jason's interest in being tennis partners. Nico beamed at the attention and changed without shying away. Percy grinned. That within itself was a huge step forward for the smaller boy. Jason entered then, looking surprised as a few of the other boys chatted easily with Nico, laughing with him as he changed, clapping him on the back and steering him out the locker room door. He cast a gaze over his shoulder at the blonde and shot him a dazzling smile.
"What did you do Jackson?" Jason whispered. "Nico looks…happy." Percy beamed at him.
"Oh, I'm just making fun of you," he said, slinging an arm over the blonde's shoulder. Jason glared at him and he rolled his eyes. The blonde couldn't take a joke apparently. "I went on and on about how much you wanted him to be your tennis partner today. I knew you wouldn't object to that if anyone asked you, and I had a feeling you really did anyway, so I just beat you to the punch. Now everyone wants to know how he managed to do it, because you don't take partners, other than me, easily." Jason shook his head in wonderment.
"Glad you're on my side," he said, changing quickly. "You'd be a tough adversary if that wasn't the case. Percy just grinned at him.
"I wouldn't side with Will if you paid me," he said seriously. "It's not in my nature to be mean to people on purpose. Same as yours. Our mothers definitely raised us right. There's too many idiots in the world as it is. Now come on, our little celebrity is probably wondering where you've gone."
…
Nico proved to actually be good at tennis, much to everyone's surprise. They crowded around to watch the game between Jason and Nico, and Percy and Frank. The big boy was powerful, but he was clumsy and rarely got ahold of the ball. Nico, on the other hand, was small and agile. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, alert and ready. When the ball came toward him, he sprang to action and delivered the ball back to Percy and Frank, usually causing them to lunge after it and lose their balance so it bounced harmlessly away. Jason and Nico actually won.
"Wow," Percy said, taking a running start and vaulting over the net separating the two groups. Frank choose to circle around. "You're pretty good with that racket there, Nico." Nico gazed down at the school equipment, running his fingers lovingly over it. "You should go out for the tennis team this spring. I'm sure Jason would love to watch you play for our school team." He shot the blonde a look, who readily agreed.
"Absolutely," he said. "I didn't know you liked tennis Nico." The dark-haired boy shrugged.
"Never played before," he admitted. "It was never my cup of tea. Now, I think I'll actually take your advice. Playing for a school team has appeal." He grinned at the two boys. "I'm good at a sport!" He threw himself at Jason. The blonde circled his arms around him and buried his nose in his hair.
"You really are baby," he whispered to Nico's hair. "You are." He started when he realized he'd used a pet name, but then he shrugged. He'd call Nico baby if he damn well felt he could. Nico beamed up at him, obviously hearing the pet name too. "I'll go to your tennis meets, and you'll come to my track meets. Mine and Percy's." He turned to look at the brunette, who was busy ushering everyone back inside the school. Some were trying to look back over his shoulders, but he barked orders at them and they sheepishly followed the rest of the crowd. Jason smiled gratefully. Now no one would ruin the moment he and Nico were having.
"Of course I'll come," Nico murmured. "Wild horses couldn't drag me away." Jason chuckled lowly, captured Nico's face in his cupped hands, and kissed him.
"I knew it!" Jason sprang away from Nico and looked around wildly. Will finally stepped out from behind the group of trees he'd been crouched behind. Now he was glaring between the two boys. Jason clenched his hands at his sides. Nico shrunk back behind him, snatching at his shirt. Jason glanced quickly over his shoulder to make sure the smaller boy was alright, then he turned back to Will, who was circling them both. "I knew you were gay," he accused, pointing a finger at Jason. "And you." Before Jason could even think to act, he had Nico out by the collar of his shirt. Nico thrashed but Will quickly held him on place by twisting his arm back and around behind him, causing Nico to scream.
"Let him go!" Jason demanded. "Damn you Will, let him go!" Will sneered and pressed Nico's arm against his back, once again making him scream. Jason winced. He could practically feel the pain in his own shoulder as it twisted in a way it was never supposed to. But he smartly kept his mouth shut. HE figured the more he said, the worse the pain would become for Nico.
"Ah William." Will turned and found himself being lifted off the ground. He let go of Nico's shirt and was tossed aside like a sack of flour. Percy knelt beside Nico, who'd sunk to the ground, rubbing his aching shoulder. "I told you to play nice William," Percy said calmly, rising. Jason took his place, pulling the dark-haired boy onto his lap and letting him bury his face in his shirt. "I wonder what Principal Blofis would have to say about this." He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "You definitely wouldn't be allowed to go out for any sports. Maybe you'll get suspended. Or." He thrust his face right into Will's, causing the blonde boy to stumble back a pace. "Maybe he won't hear about this anymore if you just butt out of their business. Jason wasn't ready to tell you, for obvious reasons. If I so much as hear a lick about his sexual preferences from one of the other boys, I will hunt you down and beat you black and blue, understand?"
"Yes!" Will squeaked, scampering off before Percy could do anything else. Percy knelt down beside the two boys, checking to make sure each was okay after their encounter with Will.
"Thanks Percy," Jason said gratefully. "But if you did happen to tell Principal Blofis, could you get him to believe you?" Percy nodded.
"If he doesn't listen to me that's a problem," he said. "After all, he is my stepdad." Jason's eyes widened.
"When did that happen?" he asked. Nico finally looked up at the two of them. Now that they were side by side, they really did look alike. Percy was darker, obviously, but they had the same body language and they expressed the same emotions. They could practically be twins. Percy chuckled.
"Last year," he replied. "Mom took a fancy to him freshman year, and last year they got married. I'm sure if I told him about William there, he wouldn't be bothering you guys anymore." He winked at Nico. "I've always got your back." Nico smiled hesitantly at him. "But, I won't tell him yet. I have a feeling that'll just give you guys more attention than you may want." He pressed his lips to the blonde's ear. "And you might have to out yourself to explain everything." Jason shuddered. He'd rather avoid that at all costs.
"I think we'll be fine," he said, glancing down at Nico. "Won't we baby?" Percy's lips twitched up into a smile. Now that Jason was comfortable with being outed around Percy, he was ready to use the pet name around him too. Nico fingered Jason's shirt and nodded. "Are you outed?" Jason asked him, just because he could. Nico shook his head. He was closeted for a reason. If people made fun of him simply for his lack of athletic ability, imagine what they'd do if they found out he was gay and liked Jason. Loved, he amended in his head. That he loved Jason.
"No," he said, keeping that little thought to himself. "I'm not outed. I'm not in a hurry to either. At my old school I was. Everyone was accepting. Here it seems to be a different story." Jason frowned. So did Percy. They then exchanged a look. The prided themselves in their school, but perhaps Nico had a point. Before this year, Jason hadn't had a problem with keeping himself closeted, so there was no real need for secrecy. So he was always proud to be a part of his school, the best of the best. Now, it seemed that his school lacked in the one place it needed to be the best. Support. Character. Respect. A whole lot more that he could probably list off but didn't want to. Percy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I might just have to agree with you on that one Neeks," the brunette finally replied, standing and stretching. He then rubbed the small of his back. "Geez, seems like the longer I do that, the worse I feel." At that point, he was almost talking to himself. Jason rose, setting Nico down on his own two feet. The dark-haired boy moved his shoulder experimentally, finding it to be better. Jason lay his hand on the smaller boy's back. Nico actually led the way back inside, much to both of their surprise. Percy had to jog to keep up with the blonde and the dark-haired boy. But he grinned wildly at them. "That's the spirit!" he cheered, throwing his hands up dramatically. Nico rolled his eyes.
"Puh-lease Jackson," he scoffed playfully. "You wouldn't make that look cool if we slicked your messy hair back and gave you cooler clothes." Jason howled with laughter while Percy pouted at the dark-haired boy.
"That's insulting di Angelo," he replied. "I am definitely cool." Right that exact moment, he tripped over someone's discarded shoes. He went sprawling, unhurt but thoroughly embarrassed. Nico gazed down at him, amusement glinting in his eyes.
"Yep, you are one cool dude Jackson," he said sarcastically, then shrieked with laughter as Percy went to chasing him around the locker room. Jason sat down on the bench to watch them for awhile. Percy had an easy friendship with the smaller boy. Nico had managed to come out of his shell around the brunette, and for that Jason was thankful. "Help me Jason!" Nico shrieked, crawling onto the blonde's lap. Jason's arms went around him and Percy stopped dead in his tracks and held up his hands in mock surrender.
"When you call on the boyfriend, it's time to call it quits," Percy said. "I would be in serious trouble if you both came after me." He laughed and plopped down next to them, removing his shirt and slipping on his other one. Nico did likewise, and Percy cocked his head to the side. "Is that Jason's shirt?" he asked. Nico nodded and gazed down at the shirt he'd managed to snag for the day. It was maroon, with gold writing scrawled across the front. He couldn't make out exactly what it said, but he grabbed it because he liked the color combination. Of course, Jason protested lightly, saying Nico was going to steal all his clothing, but he didn't argue long. He honestly didn't mind Nico taking his stuff. It made their relationship seem more real. Jason slipped on his blue and green polo. Nico said it made his light blue eyes pop, and Jason took it as a good thing. "Ugh," Percy complained, draping himself over Jason's shoulder. "I don't know what to do after school today. It is the end of the day after all."
"I know silly," Jason said, shoving him off. "I don't know what to do either. I know we have a swim meet tomorrow. We should probably attend practice." Percy wrinkled his nose. "That's what I thought too," the blonde replied to his reaction. "I was thinking of catching a movie. I'm just not sure what I want to see."
"Let's got see Spiderman!" Nico said, turning his dark, pleading eyes on Jason. "Pretty please?" Jason turned an amused gaze to Percy.
"And how can I say no to that?" he asked him, and Nico nuzzled his neck. "Alright baby, that tickles," he said, smiling down at him. "Want Percy to come too?" Nico nodded. So it looked like they were going to see the second installment of Spiderman that night. Jason was fine with that. In the dark of the movie theater, he could hold Nico's hand and steal kisses from him.
…
Well that was fun. Next chapter will be the three boys at the movies. That should go well. We all know how I operate though, so it won't be all that smooth sailing.
