An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Words: 1,913
Rating: General Audiences
Type: Oneshot
Description: Jason Grace, college-bound, is the most nervous he's ever been. His boyfriend, Nico, helps him relax.
Sidenote: This fic was written for @jasico-challenges Jasico week 2024 event!
Full fic under the cut! The formatting is a little weird here on Tumblr, so I recommend reading it on AO3 if you're going to. But, if you can put up with the weird dialogue spacing, good on you, go for it
Jason was excited to go to college. He wasn’t so excited to leave Nico back at camp, though.
He remembered when he had first started looking at colleges after graduating from Edgarton. He sat in the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-blood. While its high ceilings and fancy architecture had never been particularly welcoming, he found himself returning to it more often than not.
Nico stretched out beside him on his bed. A laptop Leo had fixed up sat in Jason’s lap, likely overheating. He chewed his lip, staring rather intently at the New Rome University pamphlet beside him, and their webpage on the screen.
He looked up ‘Colleges in California,’ and an abundance popped up, each one looking more appealing than the last. Nico stirred. He closed the tab, guilty for no reason.
Nico must’ve felt his body tense or just had some keen sense of knowing when his boyfriend was upset because he eyed him curiously for a second before giving up and burring his face back in the pillows. Jason resumed his search.
“You know you don’t have to go to New Rome, right?” Nico said, slightly muffled from the pillows.
“What?” Jason asked, half because he couldn’t quite hear him and half because he thought that was a crazy thing to say.
Everyone in the world had been asking Jason if he was planning on going to NRU. That was an exaggeration, but that was what it felt like to him. After Percy graduated and was proving successful, everyone just assumed Jason would follow in his footsteps. In fact, not following in them would be crazy.
Nico lifted his head from the pillows. “You can go to a normal college.”
Jason stared at him blankly. “I…know.”
“You sure?” Nico smiled, raising an eyebrow.
Jason huffed. Nico sat up, putting a hand over Jason’s.
“You don’t have to be a demigod all the time. It’s fine to just be a person, Jason.”
Jason wasn’t sure when Nico got so profound, but over the years he was noticing that he suddenly had a lot more to say. He managed to read the son of Zeus like a book, constantly reminding him that he should do what he wants, and not what he thinks others would want.
Nico rubbed Jason’s hand with his thumb. “I know everyone’s telling you to go to NRU, but you don’t have to do that if it’s not what you want.”
Jason intertwined their fingers. “We’d get to see each other more. You’d be at Camp Jupiter anyway.”
“I can teleport,” Nico reminded, leaning his head on his shoulder.
Jason tangled a hand in his hair. “You shouldn’t. It’s bad for you.”
“We can Iris message.”
“It’s not the same.”
Nico let the silence pool around them for a second. Jason wished he didn’t.
“I want you to be happy,” Nico said quietly, moving his other hand so Jason’s was sandwiched between his.
“I know you do.”
“Then why won’t you let yourself?”
Jason looked down at him. He paused, letting the words sink in so deep they started echoing in his head.
“I don’t know.”
Nico moved his head so he could see the computer screen. “Open the tab you closed,” he said. Jason groaned. “Yeah, you thought you were slick with that, huh?” Nico laughed, watching him open his history and click on the most recent search. Jason rolled his eyes, grinning.
They spent the rest of the night looking at colleges, wrapped up in each other’s touch.
A few months later, the two had just finished making their rounds at Camp Jupiter, informing everyone Jason was off to college. They settled into Jason’s brand new car, testing the capabilities of his equally new driving skills, and began the too-long trip to a nice little university on the coast.
Nico sat in the passenger’s seat, legs crossed as he watched the hills roll by. Jason would’ve taken time to admire him if he wasn’t so busy trying not to crash.
Once traffic had cleared and they were on a smaller, less stressful road, Nico spoke up.
“Are you excited?” He asked if only to fill the silence.
Jason nodded. “Yeah,” he smiled, watching Nico move so he was leaning on the armrest.
“Nervous?”
“Very much so.”
Nico smiled. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. However, if you join a fraternity, I am legally obliged to break up with you. Sorry.”
Jason rolled his eyes, hands relaxing on the steering wheel. “Darn. There go my plans.”
Jason looked Nico over, now given the chance without the stress of other drivers. He looked so casual, feet perched up on the seat, smiling as they talked.
“How’s school for you?” Jason asked. Nico had recently started using a homeschooling program with Sally Jackson as his non-legal guardian—the school didn’t have to know that they were of no relation.
“Good. I like it,” Nico said simply.
Jason didn’t know how Nico was so casual about things like that. He never shied away from a challenge, even if he was nervous deep down. Jason wished he could do that.
“What if I don’t like my professors?” Jason said suddenly, vocalizing his fears for no real reason other than knowing Nico would soothe them.
“Switch classes,” Nico said. “Or, complain about them on Rate My Professors.”
Jason hummed. He’d had bad teachers in school before, how much worse could a professor be? He leaned back in his seat before deciding something else was nagging at him.
“Do you think I’ll make friends?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jason hummed again, trying to focus back on the road. His mind wandered yet again.
“I don’t even really have a major picked out…”
Nico put his hand over Jason’s arm. “Jason.”
“What?”
“You’re freaking yourself out. It’ll be ok.”
He sighed, leaning back into the seat. “Yeah. I know.”
Nico rubbed slow circles into his forearm, watching the road for him. “Let yourself have fun with this.”
Silence filled the car again. Nico used his passenger princess privileges to take hold of the aux chord, subjecting Jason to the depths of his playlist. Jason didn’t actually mind as much as he pretended to, mostly because he got to watch Nico’s eyes light up as he explained in painful detail the backgrounds and facts of his favorite bands.
They finally found themselves parked just outside the dorm building. Orientation was a few days ago, and Jason had attended and visited the dorm hall, so he had the key to his dorm practically burning a hole in his pocket. Nico carried a box with nearly all of Jason’s earthly belongings in it, while Jason had a clothes hamper full of everything he wore balanced on his hip.
He finally managed to unlock his dorm, then turned to Nico before he opened it.
“Oh my gods,” he said quietly. “What if I hate my roommate?”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “What?” he said back, not whispering.
“You heard me!” he hissed.
Nico chuckled before reaching over and opening the door himself. “You, Jason Grace, are not capable of hate. Besides, it’ll be fine.”
The door swung open, revealing a plain room with one desk and…one bed. It was a single room.
Nico punched his arm playfully. “Boom. Just like I said. No problem.” He sat the box down on the floor, looking around. He tugged open the blinds, looking out at a bunch of concrete and the brick on the other side of the building. “And what a great view,” he joked.
Jason rolled his eyes for the millionth time and walked over to wrap his arms around his boyfriend.
“Are you going to be pessimistic all day?”
Nico feigned offensive. “I’ve been the picture of optimism all week, Jason. I’m wounded.”
Jason looked over at the slightly pathetic twin XL. An idea sprung to mind.
“You should stay the night with me tonight.”
Nico laughed. “I don’t think that’s allowed.”
“When have you ever cared for rules?”
Nico laughed, letting Jason pull him into the middle of the room. He pulled Nico flush against his chest, wrapping his arms around him.
“I don’t think we can both fit on that bed,” Nico said, a smile evident in his voice.
“You can sleep on the floor.”
“I regret offering to help you move in.”
Jason laughed, and they got to work decorating his dorm with the few things he’d brought with him.
Once they were done, the sun had long set and it was far past visiting hours. Somehow, they hadn’t gotten caught yet.
They both sat on the edge of the bed, talking absently about nothing and everything at the same time. Jason looked at the clock now on his nightstand and decided it was late enough to justify wrapping his arms around Nico and tugging him to lie down.
Nico laughed as he was dragged, letting Jason put his head on his heart. Jason felt the laugh reverberate in his chest and decided it was his favorite sound.
The bed was mildly uncomfortable, and they were practically on top of each other to fit. Although, they probably would’ve ended up like that anyway, so it didn’t matter all too much.
“Do you remember, on the Argo, the night after the…” Jason trailed off.
“Cupid incident?” Nico offered.
“Yeah. When we stayed together in my room because I didn’t want you to take the couch again, but it was super awkward because we both had to fit on my bed.”
“I’m well aware. I was so embarrassed I thought I was going to die.”
Jason laughed. He was also pretty mortified at the time but was at least glad that Nico was getting some sleep.
“That was when I realized I liked you,” Jason said.
Nico looked down at him. “Really?”
“Yeah. You looked cute sleeping.”
Nico rolled his eyes, shoving him playfully. Jason pushed him back, starting a war. They had to stop pretty soon into their roughhousing, though, as they realized they were probably going to get caught if they kept being loud.
“When did you realize you liked me?” Jason asked, moving to see Nico’s face.
His cheeks twinged red. “It’s super dumb and embarrassing.”
Jason laughed, “I don’t care.”
Nico pushed him again, a little softer. “It was also on the Argo, near the end of the quest. I was sitting up in the crow’s nest, watching you and Leo talk on the deck. I was running on, like, ten minutes of sleep and it was late, so you were just in pajama pants, no shirt.”
Jason laughed, holding him tighter. “All it took was me being shirtless.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. I was just sitting there and thinking, mostly about you, then I looked down and you were just standing there. I had an ‘ah shit’ moment where I just kinda short-circuited.”
Jason laughed again, leaning against him. Nico huffed. “It’s not that funny,” he chuckled.
Jason pulled him impossibly closer. “This really is just like old times.”
“The mattress is just as uncomfortable as the ones on the Argo.”
They continued their reminiscing late into the night, and mentally kicked themselves when Nico had to wake up early to catch the bus back to Camp Jupiter.
Somehow, in the darkness of his dorm that night, Jason found all his worries melting away. He was starting something new, but, for once, he was excited about it.
Inspired by Grande Sertão: Veredas (The Devil to Pay in the Backlands)
I don't know if this coherent, because although the original plan was to make something about jasico it ended up being something about how I think Nico would deal with social situations and then I did some menta marabalisms to try to make it be a jasico one shot, but enjoy
…
Nico left without telling anybody. It was during tumultuous days, everybody was always doing something so no one noticed. He didn’t want anyone making a fuss. Not that most people would, but Reyna and Jason would definitely say something. He took his horse and ran away. It was not that things were bad, they were okay. People weren’t mean or ignored him, but they also weren’t that nice. Things just were. And this was so much. People were always on conversations which meant he was in conversations all day long. Everything was shared and it was so overwhelming. He wanted to be alone. He wanted silence. He wanted his shadows. Nico missed the days where it was mostly him and the ghosts. He felt ungrateful. Didn’t he want to belong? Why was he running away now that he had what he wanted?
Without a direction or a clear path, Nico rode his horse. He was sad. He didn’t cry, but there was something happening inside him that felt a little suffocating. Like he was drowning inside.
Tired, Nico stopped under a tree. There was a river in front of him. He had no energy to transpass it. He would just sleep, rest and have peace.
When he woke up, Nico thought he was dreaming. Jason was sitting right in front of him. The sunlight on him as if it wanted nature to pay attention to the son of Jupiter. The noble being with majestic appearance. The enchanting blue eyes intensely focused on Nico, the soft blond hair dancing with the wind, his charming smile.
Him. All of him.
“Are you okay?”
Nico blinked. He didn’t know how to answer. It still didn’t feel real.
“How did you know where I was?”
“I followed you from afar. You left out of nowhere and I wanted to make sure everything was alright, if you weren't in danger or something like that.”
“I thought no one had noticed that I left.”
Jason shrugged.
“I did. I’m always paying attention to you.”
With his heart beating faster, Nico still couldn’t decide if he had awakened. It was not the first time Jason said something like this and it wouldn’t be the last, but Nico still didn’t know how to deal with this, whatever it was.
“So, are you doing okay? Is anything bad happening?”
“I… I guess everything is alright, I just need some time alone. I’m not used to spending so much time with so many people without a break.”
Jason nodded.
“I understand. In this case I’ll go back and if you can’t deal with it you don’t need to go back. I’ll find other ways for us to meet.”
It was real. He was going away.
“You don’t need to go, you can stay.”
Jason smiled. His smile…
“As you wish.”
“Does Reyna know?”
“Yeah, she thought it was better to give you space. She said you’d come back when you were ready. I just wanted to make sure.”
“I appreciate you both for the considerations.”
They didn’t talk more, they just stayed close to each other. Curiously, this conversation made Nico feel less guilty. It made him feel loved.
Jason. Nico didn’t know what to do with him, with the things he felt for his friend, with the things his friend did. He wanted to do something, he just didn’t know what and if he was prepared. He knew he didn’t have to rush himself, Jason made sure he was aware of that with everything he did.
Nico closed his eyes, he got the silence and peace he wanted and he wasn’t alone. He was more than satisfied with how things were now.
Blare’s eyes opened. Glen’s face hovered above hers, half-shadowed from firelight. “Thanks be,” he sighed. “I need – I mean, are you okay?”
“’m alright,” Blare slurred. “What happened?”
“The – the shuttle was hit,” Glen reported. “We went down.”
“The shuttle…” Blare murmured. She remembered their most recent mission. “Right. So, crash landing.”
“Mhm.” Glen grimaced. “Look, I’m not trying to rush you or anything, but I need you to wake up. I need your help.”
Blare frowned. “Hm?”
Glen turned his back to Blare, and for a few moments she didn’t realize what she was seeing. A large, jagged slice of metal protruded from Glen’s shoulder. Trails of dark blood traced his uniform’s seams.
Blare gasped and scrambled into a sitting position.
“Y-Yeah,” Glen said. He tried to meet Blare’s eyes, but his own gaze was clouding. “I – I’m going to...”
Blare lunged forward. “No – no, Glen, don’t –“
But Glen’s eyes fluttered closed, and he slumped into Blare’s chest.
