am so sorry I haven't updated in a million years. A lot has happened and I didn't get to finish the chapter. I expected me to take a break when I made chapter five, but I didn't mean for it to be like a damn month.*Sigh* i'm sorry again, and I have a lot happening in my puny lil life, so I will finish chapter six asap.

When Nico awoke, he had no idea where he was.

The white sheets were unfamiliar in his blurry sight as he pushed himself from the bed and his bare feet hit the cool floor, his nerves awakening with shock as he used his muscles to stand. Groggily, he yawned and made his way to the door in the darkness to the small light that was peeking in.

The strange hallway was lightly lit as Nico curiously peeked his head out, still unknowing where he was. There was a strange, unknown scent bathing him he couldn't recognize, and the shirt that wore long down to his bare thighs was different. Unknowing his pajama pants that he was wearing during the night slipped off into the swath of sheets, he continued the search until a door opened and he bumped into a figure. Nico blinked blearily at him, rubbing one eye. The person was tall, and had a toothbrush jammed in his mouth and squinted eyes.

"One sec," the person said as they disappeared into the strange room. He returned wearing glasses, and gasped.

"Nico! You look like you were in a hurricane!" By then, Nico was becoming more awake. His hand automatically went to his hair at the comment, then his hand flew back down as the hem of his shirt began to rise, revealing underwear. "Where's my clothes?" Nico growled. Why was he so exhausted? He didn't dream at all, it was such a deep sleep.

"You're not wearing the same shirt from yesterday," Jason said. He went into his room and returned with a dark grey shirt. "This is like three years old. Should fit." He went back into his room again and came back with Nico's pants, belt, converse, and a pair of socks. He tossed them at Nico, and of course he dropped the shirt in fumbling to catch it.

After a heated argument with Jason, Nico found himself slipping on Jason's shirt. It was still loose on his skinny figure, but it was better than any of his up-to-date shirts.

Nico changed, rather empty minded.

There was a knock on the door, causing Nico to jump and his heart to skip a beat as he was pantless. "Come down to the kitchen when you're ready. Also, there's an extra toothbrush in the bathroom in my room." before silence. Once Nico was dressed and his teeth brushed, he headed down to the kitchen like told. He also worked on taming his wild hair while he was in the room, so he looked somewhat normal. He had noticed the way his hair felt different, and was easier to brush, and shined differently. The bruise on his face was lighter, still there, but less swollen.

He expected Jason to be in the kitchen, doing something weird like cooking breakfast, but instead, he found a woman in a bathrobe, a vodka bottle slung by her side as she leaned against the island. Her bright blonde hair was messily pinned back, and was fallen in some places.

Drinking this early?

She looked up a little when he first took a few steps in the kitchen, before she swung her head back to the side and cleared her throat. "So you're Nick, right?" Her voice was scratchy as if she spent most of her life screaming.

"It's Nico, are you Jason's mom?" "Who the fuck would I be?" Her head slung around to look at him, her brown eyes wild. Nico quickly stepped to the other side of the island, and drummed his fingers a little in nervousness.

"I assumed it would be polite to ask..." he trailed off weakly. She was silent.

"So're you two fuckin'?"

At once Nico's face went almost blistering hot with heat, his face had never got more red as he tried to speak but only a jumble of words came out. "I always knew that boy was a faggot." She hissed under her breath as she slung the vodka bottle onto the top of the island where it clanged loudly.

"Listen here, boy," her dull brown eyes glared at Nico as she suddenly reached forward and grabbed Nico's shirt, wrenching his face inches from hers.

"Don't trust that boy."

What?

"He's just like his father. Charming, and kind in the outside, but in the inside, there ain't no man crueler. Why do ya think his dad ain't here today? Because he didn't fuckin want us." Her breath stunk of alcohol, stinging Nico's eyes.

"Listen to what I say!" She growled.

"What are you doing?" the voice wasn't hers.

Nico turned his head and opened his eyes to find Jason in the edge of the kitchen, his hands in loose fists by his sides, his brows furrowed as he looked at the scene.

His mother dropped Nico's shirt, and looked at her son.

Jason was frowning.

Sighing, she glanced at Nico, before pushing herself away from the counter and walking rather unsteadily towards the exit, bumping into Jason's shoulder and turned to look at him, before swinging around and entering the hallway behind the stairs and slamming the door.

When Nico looked at Jason again, he was walking forward towards the island, his fingers to his temples, his face scrunched up. "I'm sorry, my mom can be-" he broke off, and put his fingers to the counter with a grim expression.

Nico was about to make a reply when his belly growled, loud enough for Jason to hear. Jason took that chance and smiled a little, before swinging around and opening the cabinet. After a brief debate on what they wanted for breakfast, Nico chose some random cereal. It was quiet as they ate, the sound of chewing and the clanking of metal against bowls filling the room.

Jason picks up the bowl and tilted the bowl, finishing the last of the milk. He put the bowl in the sink, and left the kitchen, calling to Nico. "Come on into the living room when you're ready." As he said that, Nico stood and washed out his half eaten cereal down the drain and followed Jason.

His bag was on his shoulder, holding a helmet. He smirked, and gestured his head to Nico's bag on the couch. He swung around, and strided to the door. Does he just naturally smile or something?

Nico grabbed his bag and the helmet on the floor next to the couch and met the cool, cold air outside. It was next to freezing as he shuffled outside to the icy concrete, the cold bitter air striking him.

The world was bathed in a thin blanket of white, the roads already naturally cleared. Jason was shaking off the cover on the bike, and cranking the storm to life. The sky was grey, stretching out in every direction. Nico could feel his nose redding as he waited for the bike to heat up. After a few minutes, Jason signaled for him that the bike was ready, and yet again, as they rode, Jason's warmth seeped into his bones as they rode through his jacket, barely unaware of the freezing cold biting his bare skin, in which he had not realized he did not have his jacket, nor did he care.

Tingles rode throughout his arms.

When Tempest came to a shuddering stop, Nico was surprised at how disappointed he was when he had to unravel himself from Jason. As soon as he managed to stand and look around, he already noticed the strange looks. People stared as Jason hooked up the bike, and ignored as people gawked. "What's with the dark guy? He looks different," he heard someone say.

After the first thirty seconds, people began to slowly dispatch themselves and continuing their way to school. When they headed up the stairs leading to the doors into the school, he noticed a familiar group of faces beside the left wall.

It was the guys who had cornered him.

Cleeton's eyes burned with hatred. The bruise on his face was far worse than Nico's, it was still swollen, and there were cut marks from Nico's steel ring.

Jason must have noticed the tension, and mentally figured out who they were. His expression didn't really change, his speed did not slow as he passed the group of boys, until he heard one of them hiss, "faggot." Jason stopped. His back in front of Nico, he could not read the blond boy's expression. He turned, and looked at them. Nico had never seen such a shit-pants-terrifying smile.

"Faggot, is an insult for gay, right?" Jason spoke. His voice had a small edge, like a razor. He took a few steps towards them, grabbing Nico's bare wrist and pulling him forward, causing the familiar shock waves. "Most of the time, people that are called faggots aren't actually gay. So, your term is incorrect." Nico, confused, looked up at him, and back at the group, then back at him again.

"What the fuck are you-"

"You need to get your facts straight." Jason interrupted.

"Because sure, tell the world."

His hands did not clench.

"Nico and I are, indeed, hella gay."

His arm wrapped around Nico's shoulder, in which the dark teen recoiled in shock and terror.

"And if you make fun of him for it, so help me, I will make you wish you never fucking existed."

At that last word, Nico managed to shove himself away from his bulky arm, his black eyes wide.

The gang was silent.

Jason continued walking in front of Nico, in which he stood frozen for a few moments, before quickly following, the cold stinging his eyes.

His face was hot, hotter than ever before.

What did Jason just say? He could barely process it.

Nico and I are, in fact, hella gay. What did that mean? Jason was gay?

When he pushed open the door, Jason was waiting.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I know that must have been pretty fucking weird, they just needed to think that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, especially if you're homophobic or something." He rubbed the back of his head gently.

Nico was unable to speak as they made their way to their first period class.

So Jason wasn't gay.

Ok.

Nico was okay with that.

So why did his chest feel heavy?

He could almost still feel the touch that brushed around his shoulder, unused to such a causal touch.

When they were in first period, the bell sounded just as they sat down, the blond boy sitting behind him this time, instead of by Piper and Rachel. Nico could see Piper's intense gaze from the corner of his eye, and ignored it best he could.

After class started, there was enough work to keep Jason from talking to him, until Nico noticed the cold that bit his skin, when he realized that he wasn't wearing a jacket. How did he get all the way to school and just now realize? He mentally scolded himself as he rubbed his bare arms absentmindedly, letting out a small, just a small, chatter of his teeth to generate warmth. It was apparently louder than he had intended, because Jason tapped his shoulder, breaking Nico from his concentration.

His glasses slid down to his nose as he surveyed Nico.

The dark teen kept his eyes to his paper as he let his arms fall from the hugging himself stance, and grabbed his pencil.

"You forgot your jacket," Jason said in a low voice.

Nico didn't reply, as there was movement behind him, and a few rustles and the sound of a zipper, when Nico turned to glance at Jason questionably, he was no longer wearing his blue jersey jacket. "I put mine in my bag," Jason excused himself mildly.

Squinting his eyes, Nico returned to his own work. The bell rang, and at once Jason stood without saying a farewell and left the classroom quickly, bumping into a desk on the way. Nico didn't understand what he was such in a hurry for, until he unzipped his bag to put his folder in. A blue jacket was crammed into it. Damn him.

I'm sorry I can't finish right now, forgive me. ;-; I will update this as soon as possible, I promise ya. This chapter is to be continued.