Well now, I see everyone is excited that The Good Christian Boy came back, yes? I know, I know. I can be horrible at updating.

Fun Fact: My name on here, LIFE the RANGER, derives from my love of Ranger's Apprentice (another favorite book series of mine). When I first began writing, it was for that fandom. I still write for it sometimes.

Jason and Nico walked to school together the next day, feeling sorry for Percy. The brunette informed them both that his stepdad would be driving him to school from now on, as extra assurance he didn't see Nico hanging around the house. Jason glanced at Nico, but he didn't see a trace of emotion there. This kid was a little unnerving sometimes, he decided. But yet, there had to be a reason for that emotionless expression. Maybe it was years of hurt and torment making him act that way?

"Does it still hurt?" Jason blurted, and Nico flicked his gaze to him briefly. Before the outburst, he'd been watching as the cracks in the sidewalk came and went. "Does it still hurt?" Jason repeated, more sure of himself now. This time, Nico actually turned his head so he could look at the blonde.

"Does what still hurt?" Nico asked in a neutral voice. He had a pretty good inkling on what it was, but he wanted to see Jason squirm a little. He might've only known him a week, but still, he knew Jason squirmed easily given the right circumstances. They walked in awkward silence for a few steps. Nico coughed lightly, and Jason jumped. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes, but he smiled nonetheless. Finally, he took pity on his blonde friend. "Yes, it still hurts," he said. "It hurts every day. But you learn to deal with it. Besides, Percy doesn't need unstable people in his life right now." Jason glanced sideways at Nico.

"But you can't be strong all the time," he countered. "After all, you're only human. And aren't there some days that it's all too much?" At that, Nico paused. In truth, there were days that felt like it was all too much. But he wouldn't tell Jason that and he certainly wouldn't let Percy know that. His little brunette was dealing with enough as it was. "You're not a superhero Nico, no matter how much you might want to be one. Admitting weakness is a great strength."

"I always tell you that you have a good thinker on those shoulders of yours," Nico mumbled, and Jason shrugged easily. He'd been told that a handful of times.

"I'm smart when it matters," he replied. "Besides, I think that Percy would be overjoyed at the prospect of taking care of you for a change. All this attention has him ruffled. He's not used to it all. He normally just slips by without people looking at him, but now, he's got unwanted attention." Nico sighed. That was the problem, wasn't it? This whole thing would be a lot better if Percy didn't have so much attention. If he'd been able to slip by unnoticed, his realization and acceptance of himself would've flowed smoothly and easily, like it should've done in the first place.

"I suppose the next time I feel overwhelmed, I will let him know," Nico said at last. "After all, you're right. We're only human. And every human as up days and down days. It's those down days I want to avoid." At that, Jason nodded.

"I know just what you mean," he said, once again running his thumb over his scars. Nico glanced down, took note of the action, and continued on without saying anything. But he felt troubled by that. Jason turned to a different way of relieving the pain. And there wasn't a whole lot to do in a small town like this. It would be so easy for Nico to slip back into his old habit. That's what scared him the most about this. He didn't want to revert back to his old method of stress relief. It had nearly cost him his life, and his family nearly lost him. He couldn't put them through that again. "School," Jason hissed, and Nico huffed out an annoyed breath. He officially hated this place. It's like it knew what he was thinking.

"Computer lab," Nico replied instead, and the blonde nodded. They made their way down there, sitting in their usual spots, leaving a seat open for Percy to sit between them. Jason turned his computer on and began working with his project, which consisted of a lot of mini explosions. It was fascinating to watch.

"Look, it's Jason." Nico turned his attention to the twin girls coming into the computer lab. They giggled when Jason looked up and smiled at them. He beckoned them over, and they came, still giggling. He gave them another smile and began talking idly with them. Nico observed the blonde carefully. There was none of the usual fear today. Jason was as cool and confident as he put out, and Nico smiled. Jason caught his gaze over the top of one of the twins, and he nodded. He sensed it too. At one point, one of the twins reached out and laid a hand on his chest. Jason merely smiled at her once more, though with that Nico noticed the underlying disgust.

"Alright ladies," Nico said at last, successfully capturing their attention. "I think that's enough now. Jason has plenty of work to do." The girls mumbled agreements and retreated, and Jason shot Nico a relieved look. He slumped over his laptop, typing away with less enthusiasm than before. Nico started his own laptop and stared at the screen, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. He was anxious, to say the least. The bell would ring in about five minutes, yet Percy was nowhere to be seen.

"Percy's probably upstairs," Jason whispered, sensing what Nico was thinking. "For Morning Prayer. He'll be here as the bell rings, don't worry." Nico glanced sideways at the blonde. He really hoped his friend was right. He was worried about his brunette sort-of-boyfriend (he wasn't sure what Percy was to him at this point in time). He shut the lid of his laptop a little too forcefully, and Jason jumped.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled, rolling his chair back and staring at his hands. He didn't want Percy where he couldn't see him. He wanted him where he could keep an eye on him. Make sure he was alright.

"I get your worried," Jason said irritably. Nico's now dark mood was affecting him as well. "But Percy can take care of himself. He's not helpless."

"I know that!" Nico snapped, bristling. How dare this boy talk to him like that? "What if it were Luke?" he hissed. "Wouldn't you be worried too?"

"You leave him out of this!" Jason snapped. They both started when someone cleared their throat behind them. They turned guiltily toward the person, sure they were caught. They weren't sure what to feel when they saw Percy. Nico felt a little bit relieved. But Jason knew seeing them fighting wasn't good for him. He hated it when his parents fought when he first outed himself to them. It made it seem like every argument was his fault. "Percy…" he began.

"Will you two please stop fighting?" the brunette asked mildly. "I could hear you from the front door. You guys got steadily louder without realizing it. I don't know what this is about, but you both need to KNOCK IT OFF!" He thrust himself between them, glaring daggers. Jason dropped his gaze, ashamed of himself. He rarely fought with his classmates, especially about another classmate. His school was a peaceful one. There was no need. Nico, on the other hand, looked amused.

"I've never seen you mad before," he said. Both the blonde and the brunette turned to look at him. They'd been busy having a silent conversation with each other. Now, Nico had their attention. "I've seen you happy, excited, and borderline depressed. But never mad. You're just not one to get mad." He chuckled, then leaned close to whisper in Percy's ear; "It's kinda hot." The brunette sat down in his seat, a little stunned.

"What did you tell him?" Jason asked, their earlier feud forgotten now that the subject was sitting peacefully between them. Percy looked from one boy to the other.

"I just told him he looks hot when he's mad," Nico replied nonchalantly. "And maybe he should get mad more. We could fight again." Jason cracked a tiny smile.

"I won't argue with you on that one," he said, then seemed to realize what he'd just said. "Or maybe I will." He laughed, and Nico caught on half a second before Percy did. Soon, both the dark-haired boy and the blonde were laughing, while the brunette glared at them.

"I call unfair double team," he told them, narrowing his eyes. And that, of course, just made them laugh harder.

"It's nice to have someone over," Nico said to Jason, who swung his backpack up onto the desk. Jason sat down in the chair and kicked his legs up, leaning back comfortably. "Now that Percy is more or less grounded, I was worried I wouldn't have anyone to talk to." Jason eyed him. He noticed the way Nico was rigid, almost like…

"Is this the day it's too much?" he asked softly. "Because if it is, you need something healthy to take out the frustrations." Now Nico really did look frustrated. "Don't look at me like that. Like I said this morning Nico, you're no superhero. You have emotions just like the rest of us, and it's not healthy to keep them bottled up."

"What am I supposed to do?!" he exploded. "If I admit weakness, I'll just scare my family again. And Percy. God, especially Percy. He'd be afraid of losing me." But Jason was shaking his head.

"He has faith in you," he replied, taking his feet off the desk and sitting up straight. "He knows you won't do what you did again, because you said you wouldn't. That means a lot in his book." Nico sighed and threw himself onto his bed, scrubbing at his eyes. It had already been a long day.

"He's got more faith in me than I have in myself, then," he responded at last. "Because even I don't by the bullshit I dish out. It's so hard. Every day, seeing him is a constant reminder of what I've done, both past and present. We shouldn't have come here. He would've been the good Christian boy still if I'd never come into the picture."

"And he wouldn't be happy," Jason pointed out. "Let's face it Nico, he was miserable before you got here. Maybe not outwardly, but he was. Having you here was the best thing that ever happened to him." Nico stared at the blonde. He was serious. But he couldn't be. Nico had done nothing but make Percy's life miserable ever since he'd come here. First, by insisting he was gay when he wasn't ready to admit it. Then getting him caught by his over-religious stepdad. And finally by fighting with his best friend. If you went by that, Nico was perhaps the worst person in the world to him.

"I don't know about that," he mumbled, glancing away. He'd forgotten to hang his posters up, but he didn't have the energy to move. Instead, he stared at the name hanging above his bed. Dustin. One of the only good things about living in the city. He'd been surprised Percy hadn't spotted the name when he'd lived with them briefly. But then again, Percy had had a lot on his mind at the time. The paper was yellowing around the edges, and the tape was coming unpeeled, but Nico didn't have the heart to take it down or re-tape it. His old best friend had made it for him, shortly before he'd moved away when they were in seventh grade. It was all in nice, puffy bubble letters, with red and blue candy cane stripes colored in the center. Red and blue had been Dustin's favorite colors…

"Who's Dustin?" Jason asked, sliding in beside Nico. He laced his fingers behind his head and spread himself out comfortably, nudging Nico with his foot as he did so. Nico grimaced, with was as close to a smile as he could manage today. He reached up and pretended to trace the letters on the paper.

"Dustin was my best friend, back before he moved away," Nico replied softly. "We were inseparable. I loved having that boy around. It made it almost worthwhile. He moved when we were in seventh grade. You have no idea what that did to me." He once again traced the outline of the letters. "My best, and perhaps only at the time, friend was moving away, leaving me behind."

"Seventh grade…" Jason mused quietly to himself. "That was when you tried to off yourself, wasn't it? That can't be a coincidence. I don't believe in coincidences. So you were really upset by this, weren't you?" Nico pointedly looked away. Now this conversation was treading into dangerous waters. The complete story was nowhere near what he made it seem to be. He let his family believe it was because he didn't have many friends, or he felt like he didn't fit in. The truth was much, much worse.

"More than I care to admit," he said at last. "Let's just say Dustin moving away had me shaken." Jason nodded. He knew when someone wasn't ready to talk. Not the whole story anyway. He was honored that Nico trusted him enough to tell him about his once best friend. And he was content with that information. "God, some days I miss him so much," Nico said.

"And other days?" Jason inquired. He was just making idle chit chat now. He'd found something else to occupy his attention span. "What do you do on the days you don't miss Dustin?" he asked.

"I love Percy," Nico said simply. Jason stopped fashioning an airplane out of construction paper and looked at him. "That's the dead truth. I either miss Dustin or I love Percy. There's no in between with me. You should know that by now." He smiled to show he was kidding. "But loving Percy outweighs missing Dustin these days."

"That's good, then," Jason said, going back to his plane. He took the marker from Nico's nightstand and began to draw flames on it, as well as some smiley faces. Nico watched him work, a smile tugging at his lips. He did enjoy watching Jason work. Jason had childish enthusiasm, something of which Nico appreciated. He still had a relatively simple life, unlike Nico. If the dark-haired boy had been doing what the blonde was doing, his family would think he'd lost his marbles. Ever since the incident, he'd maintained that solemn air about him. Jason studied his paper plane, frowning thoughtfully.

"It needs stickers," he decided, rifling through Nico's drawer. He pulled out Disney Princess stickers, studying them and Nico in turn. Nico blushed. "You know, I won't ask," Jason said, adding a couple princesses to the wings. He held up his paper masterpiece with a flourish. "And now it's done," he said. He shoved some paper at Nico. "Now you make one."

"Um, no," Nico said with a laugh. "I'm good." Jason frowned at him, then launched his plane into the air, it went up, looped once, then crashed down onto the desk. The blonde frowned at it, and the dark-haired boy laughed. It felt immensely good to watch someone clown around after the weekend he'd had. It was only Tuesday, he thought wearily. He had three more days until the weekend. Jason propped himself onto his elbow, studying the dark-haired boy. He appeared to be nodding off, judging from the way his eyes would close then snap back open.

"Are you tired?" he asked gently. "I could leave if you want some privacy." Nico propped himself up onto his elbow too, smiling sleepily.

"No, if I nap, I'll be up all night," he said. "Just stay and keep me company, will you?" Jason smiled broadly. He would've complied if Nico had told him to leave, but he wouldn't have liked it much. I enjoyed spending time with this dark-haired kid. He was funny, in his own twisted way. And kind and polite. He was like a slightly darker Percy (in mood and appearance). Percy was so white, white people made comments on it. Jason chuckled. Though Percy tanned in the summer/fall season, so that helped immensely. "Whatcha thinking about?" Nico asked curiously.

"You're favorite topic," the blonde retorted playfully. "A certain brunette beauty that has captured your eye." Nico grinned at him, now all traces of sleepiness gone.

"So, Percy," he replied. "That is definitely my favorite topic." Jason chuckled. He'd known that, of course. What boy wouldn't like to talk about their crush? And Nico needed something to keep his mind of his troubles. "Hey," Nico said suddenly, reaching out and touching Jason's arm. "I never did thank you for coming over today. You're a great friend." Jason shrugged, a little embarrassed.

"Ah, well, it's no problem," he said awkwardly. "Paul may have given me permission to stay at Percy's house, but I don't think he necessarily likes me being there. And coming to an environment that's warm and welcoming is a nice change from what I'm used to." Nico tilted his head thoughtfully to the side.

"Why's that?" he asked. "Aren't your parents accepting?" Jason thought that one over for a moment. Some days, yes. Some days, it felt to him like he was invisible. "You don't have to tell me," the dark-haired boy said quickly. "Not if you don't want to."

"And now who's being a good friend," Jason joked, reached out and playfully punching Nico's shoulder. The dark-haired boy laughed, and Jason smiled. He liked making Nico laugh. It was much better than the pouty expression he got if he was left to his own thoughts too long. "I'm glad I cam over here," he added softly. "Percy's was really the only place I'd ever got after school, other than my own house."

"Really?" Nico asked, though as soon as he asked he knew it was true. Jason didn't seem like the kind to get out much, simply because he would constantly have to look over his shoulder if he did so. "You know what we should do," he suggested hesitantly. He wasn't sure Jason would agree. But the eager expression on his friend's face urged him to continue. "We should go to the movies together tomorrow. After I get back from youth group." Jason seemed to ponder that for awhile. Then he smiled.

"I'd like that," he said. "We should invite Percy too." But the dark-haired boy shook his head. If Paul wouldn't even let Percy walk to school by himself, there was no way he'd let him go to the movies.

"Paul probably wouldn't let him, even if you were the one to ask," he said. "Besides, it would be a fun 'date.'" He put air quotes around the word date. "Just the two of us. Whaddya say?" Jason laughed.

"You bet di Angelo," he said, reaching out and gently touching Nico's arm. Jason sure is a touchy person, Nico thought. And he was kind of cute, in that little brother way. "You okay?" Jason asked, leaning in closer to the dark-haired boy. Nico could smell Jason's shampoo now, and it smelled good. Like Old Spice. "You're looking at me kinda funny," he said, shifting uncomfortably. He had no idea what thoughts were running through the dark-haired boy's mind, but it didn't seem all that good. Nico blinked.

"I am?" he asked. "I had no idea." He quickly looked away, but in doing so he slipped off his hand. He fell back onto the bed, right next to Jason. The blonde peered down at him, a smirk playing on his lips. But the smirk died as his eyes widened and he leaned down, his face, and in particular his lips, just centimeters from Nico's.

Aaaaaaand, stopping point! Mwahahahaha you know you love me! You have to, or there won't be a new chapter any time soon.