Greetings, and welcome back to the next installment of Child's Play! ^_^ Whether this is your first time reading one of my works, or you are a return reader, thank you very much for taking the time to read my story. Special thanks go out to Anon for their kind and thoughtful review! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: First steps

Nico screamed and jerked violently from his sleep. He flailed in the darkness and sucked in great lungfuls of air. His eyes burned with tears, and his throat felt rough and raw. Jason was awake instantly, wrapping his arms around Nico and pulling him into his lap as Nico's body began to shake violently.

Nico didn't even remember his nightmare properly, but the pain of it was still sharp in his mind. Nico wrapped his arms around Jason's neck and began to wail loudly into his shoulder. It must have been about his sister, little else could get Nico so worked up. Nico sobbed until he was out of breath, then sucked in another large gulp of air to fuel his devastated cries. Nico, being a demigod, was no stranger to nightmares, and normally went back to sleep rather quickly, but nightmares or even dreams about Bianca, they undid him.

It had taken a long time for him to feel comfortable enough around Jason to cry and hang onto him so openly, but in the end Jason's gentle patience had persevered, and Nico was grateful for it. At times, like now, he was so bereft that Jason's arms felt like the only thing keeping him grounded. Jason never berated Nico or asked him to stop, he just held him, rocked him, and did his best to soothe him. In Jason's arms Nico felt safe enough to give himself over to his grief in a way he couldn't often do. Jason had said it was part of Nico's mourning process. Nico hoped that Jason was wrong, because the pain was consuming when it came, and he hated to think of dealing with it his entire life. Then again he would live his entire life and possibly even his afterlife without Bianca, and maybe this was the price of that…

"Sweetheart, please calm down," Jason murmured, his own voice thick with tears and concern.

"Breathe, Nico, you need to breathe," Jason continued, rubbing Nico's back and rocking him back and forth in the bed. "It's okay to cry, Nico, but you need to breathe too." Jason frowned, pressing harder into Nico as he rubbed his back. "Baby, you're shaking."

Nico made a concentrated effort to slow his breathing, hating the fact that he'd worried Jason, but it must have been really bad for Jason to ask him to calm down… After a few long minutes, Nico's near-screams died down to whimpers and less frantic sobbing.

Jason shifted in the bed and for a brief moment he was standing, balancing Nico on his hip as Nico's legs were wrapped around his waist. Then they were settling to the soft chair by Jason's desk. It wasn't strictly a rocking chair, but something in the seat adjustments had come loose, causing the chair to lean forwards and back each time someone sitting in it shifted their weight. Jason was using this feature now to rock the two of them, hoping the repetitive motion would comfort Nico, who still seemed almost beside himself.

Jason rocked Nico, rubbed his back, and pressed gentle kisses into his hair and forehead. "I know you miss her, baby," he murmured. "She loved you, and she wouldn't want to see you this sad."

Nico nodded miserably into Jason's neck. He knew what Jason said was true, but it still helped to hear it. "I'm-I'm sorry," Nico gasped.

Jason shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Nico. Everyone needs to cry, and grieve in their own way." Jason paused and pressed several more kisses into Nico's head, face, and arms. "It must have been really bad tonight."

Nico nodded, even though he couldn't remember, and held onto Jason as tightly as he could. Eventually, his crying ebbed away to sniffles and small whimpers. Jason seemed to calm down with him, reaching forward to clean Nico's face with the tissues he kept on the desk. Nico sighed, but did not protest, knowing he must look a mess. He was so very grateful for Jason. Jason had talked him through many of these nightmares, and on Nico's braver days they'd even discussed them while the sun was still up. They rarely talked about them anymore, beyond Jason's assurances and comforts when Nico was in the throes of another nightmare. Jason loved Nico, Nico loved him back, and Jason was more than willing to support and care for Nico in this and any other matter. Very little else needed to be said at this point.

Nico never wanted to talk about it after a fit, not since they'd reached such a perfect understanding, and Jason never pushed. He might not suffer nightmares in the same way, but he knew how important it could be to think about something, anything else, if you ever wanted to get back to sleep.

When Nico was finally quiet Jason murmured, "I think we need to wash your face."

Nico shook his head, and clung to Jason more tightly. Nico felt Jason smile into his skin before Jason spoke again. "I don't mind the mess, baby, but I think you'll be more comfortable if we wash your face."

Nico shook his head again, and Jason's arms tightened around him. "Okay," Jason said softly, "you don't have to let go of me if you don't want to. I can carry you over to the kitchen sink and if you'll lean against it I can hold you and help you wash your face at the same time. Would that be okay?"

Nico considered for a moment, and then nodded. He didn't think he could let go of Jason right now, so as long as he could hang on, it would be okay. Nico's grip on Jason tightened as he felt him start to move. He felt the pull of gravity as Jason stood, but remained firmly attached to Jason. His arms helped to steady Nico as Jason moved through the darkness of their cabin towards the kitchen sink. Their cabin wasn't larger than they needed and, save for the bathroom, had a very open design. Jason knew exactly where their furniture was, so there was little risk of Jason knocking into anything.

Once they reached the sink Jason eased Nico onto the nearby countertop. Nico's arms and legs were still firmly around Jason, so he couldn't go far, but he didn't need to in order to grab a small clean cloth, wet it under the sink, and gently begin to clean Nico's face. Nico let him without protest. Jason had noticed that the aftermath of nightmares were one of the few times that Nico allowed Jason to take care of him. Nico hadn't always let Jason in, especially in the beginning, but now Jason's careful attentions after Nico's nightmares had become routine. It was a routine that Jason treasured because it spoke volumes about the trust Nico had in him.

When Jason was finished he rinsed the cloth, rung it out, and left it hanging over the faucet to dry. Jason had meant to retrieve another cloth to dry Nico's face, but Nico was snuggling into his shoulder again, effectively drying his face on Jason's t-shirt. Jason smiled fondly and pulled Nico closer. "Let's have a seat on the sofa, shall we?" Jason asked, securing his grip around Nico before lifting him from the countertop. Nico allowed himself to be carried, willingly and silently.

Once they were comfortably settled, with Nico repositioned on Jason's lap so that he was cradled against Jason's chest, Jason began idly rubbing his hands up and down Nico's back and arms, trying to soothe him. He was much calmer than he had been, but Jason could still feel Nico's heart pounding behind his ribs.

"This probably isn't the best time to ask this, but... Have you given any more thought to age play?" Jason asked, glancing down at Nico's dark mop of hair.

Nico pulled back slightly and squinted at Jason in the darkness. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

Jason shrugged. "It's been a few weeks, and taking care of you just now reminded me of it." Jason paused for a moment, then quickly added, "Not that I'm saying that this is age play, it just reminded me of it because I was thinking about how much I like taking care of you, and how happy I am that you let me."

A fleeting smile danced across Nico's features as he studied Jason's. A faint blush crept over Nico's features, and while it was too dark to see well, he knew Jason would feel the heat of it. Nico looked down and fidgeted on Jason's lap for a moment before answering. "A little bit," he admitted.

Jason chuckled softly. "Interesting choice of words."

Nico pouted and shoved gently at Jason's shoulder, but he wasn't really offended. After a moment he leaned his head against Jason's shoulder and grasped one of Jason's hands in his, playing with Jason's fingers. "It does sound interesting," he admitted after a long moment. "I'm not sure… and even if I did like it I don't think it would be a lifestyle thing."

"More like a sometimes thing? When you felt like it?" Jason asked, and Nico nodded. "That's fine by me," Jason continued.

"Everything's fine by you," Nico retorted smartly.

"You know that's not true," Jason corrected. "We just happen to be relatively compatible in what we like, and what we don't like."

"And you'd be willing to try?" Nico asked, peering up at Jason in the darkness.

Jason leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss into Nico's forehead. "Yes, sweetheart, I'd be willing to try. I've been thinking about it too, and like I said, I already like taking care of you. If you like this, and want to try it, that would only give me more chances to take care of you, and if not, that's okay too. I certainly don't enjoy pressuring you to do something you're not comfortable with."

Nico smiled softly. "I know that."

"Good," Jason replied, pressing another kiss into Nico's temple. "Do you know when you'd like to try?"

Nico shook his head. "I think I want to wait until it feels right. When I'm already relaxed."

"So, around bedtime maybe?" Jason asked, nuzzling his head against Nico's.

"Maybe," Nico agreed, smiling at Jason's affection.

"Okay, whenever you want. Just let me know."

"I will," Nico promised.

Slowly, Nico allowed his eyes to close and he focused on the warmth and safety of Jason's arms. He was almost asleep again when he heard Jason murmur, "Oh, and Nico, you can call me Daddy if you want to."

Nico stirred and he felt himself flush again. The thought had some appeal, but he still wasn't sure. He knew Jason wasn't his actual father, thank the Gods, but still…he just wasn't sure. "I'll think about it," Nico replied, his words muffled into Jason's chest.

Jason pressed a gentle kiss into the top of Nico's head and said softly, "Okay."