A/N

Hey, this is my first-est ever FanFiction to post *whooo* so basically, Jasico took my fic-virginity. YAY. It's boyxboy, in case you haven't guessed, so YE BE WARNED.

Pairing; Jasico, JasonXNico (mentions of Percabeth, Pipeyna, Caleo, and Frazel)

Rating; T (for language, I'm probably just paranoid)

Disclaimer; *crosses fingers and toes and legs* I OWN HEROES OF OLYMPUS.

23rd Dec.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They do this most evenings. Camp Half-Blood is intact, thank god, and neither of them really have anywhere else to go, so they stay there.

Jason finds that, whilst being watched in your sleep is unpleasant at the best of times, it is multiplied by the watcher being a large marble statue of one aspect of your father. So the first night that he was there, he went to sleep at the dining pavilion, and the next in cabin three, then in cabin nine, where he stays for a while, before he realises that Leo and Calypso need their privacy too. Then he heads to cabin thirteen. Nico can't be so antisocial as he won't lend him a bed. And Nico isn't. Jason sleeps in the bed next to Nico's.

Then, upon discovering that nightmares are also unpleasant, but tend to get better near another person, Nico offers to let Jason top'n'tail with him. At first, Jason is so surprised that Nico is offering physical contact that he just stares blankly for a moment, and Nico blushes, and apologises, and seems to remember that Jason knows that he's gay. But after he says a hasty goodnight and cocoons himself under the covers, Jason slips in the other end of the bed. He can feel Nico's feet against his chest, and he knows that the height difference isn't actually that bad, and that Nico is just curled up, so he yanks on Nico's legs, and tells him that his feet smell.

Neither of them suffers from nightmares that night.

Jason slipped under the sheets, and yanked at Nico's legs, again. Nico squirmed for a second, before sighing and sitting up to look at Jason.

"So. Christmas."

"Mmphmm." Jason smushed his face into a pillow, and Nico had to smile slightly at that. Then he turned to look at the younger boy.

"What do Italians do at Christmas?" Jason saw Nico look up, frowning slightly. He thought that he would refuse to answer, as he did so many of Jason's questions, and so Nico surprised him with his answer.

"Mama used to tell us stories. You know, the creation of man, Noah, Moses, Jesus. Bible stuff, really. She'd explain that God gave His only Son to us, so we give each other gifts at Christmas, but they have to be perishable, so that they can die like Jesus did."

"Cheery."

"Yeah. Wait, what does Drew say? Uh, oh that's it… 'IKR! OH-EM-GEE!'" Nico finished with a high pitched squeal, making Jason laugh. He sat up, and shifted himself round, until he was leaning against the wall, adjacent to Nico. Nico pushed at Jason's legs, so as to push them up, and slipped underneath them, so that they were crossing each other.

"Did you celebrate Christmas in New Rome?" Jason thought for a while, before answering.

"I don't remember it, but I do remember a couple of the Fifth Cohort celebrating Hanukkah. I don't think there was any specific religion. Like the original Rome, we are a band of viators, peregrines, or travellers. Rome's army was compounded from many different cultures. The only requirement was following orders. What you did in you spare time was up to you, I guess." He shrugged, displacing the covers, baring his SPQR t-shirt. Nico looked at it, questioningly.

"I broke up with Piper. She's in love with Reyna, and Reyna's in love with Piper, and I don't want to get in the way. I guess I was just staying with her in the first place because everyone else thought we were supposed to be together." Nico's eyes softened.

"Are you alright?" Jason heard the question, but also a warmer tone that had only just started creeping in. It sent a little flood of warmth through him when he thought about the fact that Nico's eyes did soften, that his tone was warm. It helped, in a very selfish way, that Percy had asked him whether he thought Nico had been more distant, recently. Jason had replied, in a sufficiently smug tone, that he thought "Nico's been a lot more grounded, at least when I talk to him." Also, the poor boy no longer looked like a kicked puppy when Annabeth and Percy shared one of their all too common moments. He just looked on and smiled. He shook Percy's hand, and kissed Annabeth's cheek and Jason saw no flinching, not nearly like when they had first pulled the two out of Tartarus.

"Yeah, dude, I'm fine. Glad to get my purple back on, eh?" He replied, laughing.

"Don't go 'eh', you sound like one of those moose in 'Brother Bear'. What's the plural of 'moose', anyway?"

"I don't know. Mooses. Meese. I think it's just moose." Jason scrunched his face up, and Nico laughed. Jason was still getting used to his laugh, and the little shivers it sent down his back. It was a lot louder, and a lot younger than Jason had expected it to be.

"That's boring. It should be… alce." Jason sighed, and leaned towards Nico, until he was looking up at him, upside down.

"You can't just replace English words with Italian ones, you know."

"Posso fare quello che voglio, mia cara. Io sono il re fantasma, un figlio di Ade." Nico stuck his tongue out, and Jason had to look away. If that wasn't hot… but he couldn't do that. Nico would think he was mocking him, or taking advantage, so soon after he'd trusted him not to tell about the Percy 'thing'. And it wasn't as if Jason actually had a chance with him. Jason didn't resemble Percy at all, if Nico had types, and he was sure that if Nico harboured any feelings for the son of Jupiter at all, he would never behave so comfortably around him, let alone consent to sharing bed-space.

"That's not fair. I don't speak pasta-pizza language."

"Shut up, you racist douchebag. You're just jealous because you're not bilingual."

"I'm bi-something." Delivered with a wink, the line was just enough to make Nico laugh, and prod him in the side.

"Get off me, you disgusting piece of anti-Christ scum. That's just greedy, at least I can settle for one gender. You're just like your father!"

"Oh Gods, please help me!" Jason cried out in mock despair, turning around until he'd pinned Nico to the bed, and begun to tickle him. The tiny, child-like giggles that Nico produced would not have aired anywhere else, and they reminded Jason of the fact that Nico was only fourteen. His closeness, the surprisingly warm body right next to his own, seemed to be doing its damnedest to erase that fact from his mind, but he needed to remember. Fourteen and fragile as glass…

"Jason… what's wrong?" Jason realised he'd stopped tickling Nico and flopped his head on the younger boys chest, trying to make his staring less suspicious. The exhalation of air from Nico's lungs made a 'whumph' sound, and he could feel his chest rise as he took a breath and tensed. When Jason didn't move away, Nico relaxed.

"What are you going to do on Christmas Eve, Jason?" He felt Nico look downwards, and the soft material of his pyjama top creased. Jason realised that he loved the way Nico said his name; solidly, like the word was perfectly shaped to fit his mouth, and was the easiest thing to slip out. He was so glad that it wasn't awkward for him to say. Everything about Nico seemed to make him happy.

"I don't know. I might go to New Rome. Or I'll IM Thalia. What are you going to do?"

"Hazel is going to New Rome, with Frank, and I don't want to intrude. It'll be their first Christmas together, and we'll see each other on the actual day, but… I don't really think that I'll be greatly welcome at either camp." At the sight of Jason's frown, he swiftly continued. "I know the whole acceptance thing, and that they try, but I just… don't like it, that much. I was thinking I might shadow-travel back to… I don't know. I'm just gonna have a look around." A look dawned upon his face, and then he frowned. After a second, he took a deep breath.
"Maybe… do you want to come with me? We could just, I don't know, check out different places. I don't get anywhere near as tired shadow-travelling anymore, and if we walk around for a while at each stop, I could probably take us through most of the States." He shifted as Jason peered up at him, as if trying to detect whether or not the younger boy was having a laugh and trying to annoy him, or was making a genuine offer.

"Yeah, man… that'd be really cool…" his voice was low, and for a fleeting moment, Jason wondered if his very own 'low-enough-to-send-chills-down-your-spine' voice affected Nico the way Percy's did. And also, why he didn't try and hit on the son of Hades. He knew Nico was gay, he was close enough to be trusted, at least a little, so why did he rebuke himself at the thought of seducing Nico? Because, said a little voice in the back of his head that sounded unnervingly like Hazel's, because you want him to either be happy with someone else, or fall for you of his own accord. This is how Nico felt as he tried to give up on Percy, Jason. Now you can know how he felt. Being Nico di Angelo. Shit, sounds like some crappy teen rom-com, Jason thought. Hey, at least I know exactly how full of crap my "It's gonna be okay, Nico"'s were.

"Hey, Grace. Wake up, man. You look like someone just shot a bunny-rabbit at Easter, and then shoved it in your chocolate egg."

"Remind me to never allow you anywhere near rabbits, shotguns, or Easter Eggs. Jeez, dude!" he breathed, trying to laugh of his sombre mood. Nico caught the undertone and pulled Jason round to face him.

"Dude. Jay. Jason Grace. What the Hades –not the time, dad- is wrong with you? Because I'd very much like to know, if only to avoid being dragged back into my previous 'emu' state." He asked, with a slightly sad grin tagged on the end, not least because of another one of the rapidly increasing rumbles that stemmed from deep in the ground, and having previously had to politely request that his divine father would 'kindly shut the fuck up and keep your nose out of my business', which hadn't worked in the least. Jason liked to think that he smiled in remembrance of the Son of Jupiter's confusion and anger at hearing Nico being called an 'EMO fag' for the first time, when in the mortal world. Jason had gone batshit crazy; he didn't even need to shoot lightning from the sky, he just royally kicked those fuckers' asses, but, a little while later he had asked Nico what an 'EMO' was. Nico had explained that it meant 'emotionally unstable' and that it was often signified by wearing dark clothing and being antisocial, but it was also just this great big, stereotypical hype, and that people could get severe depression and still walk around wearing a rainbow; that clothes have very little to do with anything. Jason had sat and thought for a second, then asked "If they're 'EMotionally Unstable' shouldn't they be 'EMU's?" That had been the first time Jason had heard Nico laugh, really laugh, in public.

"You're zoning out, again, dude. Wake up."

"Nico… screw you. I'm in a bed, and I'm horrendously tired."

"You think too much, and use ridiculous words. What if I had hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia? Where would we be then?"

"What the fuck does that even mean?"

"Aah, Young Padu'an. You have much to learn."

"Nico."

"Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is an irrational fear of long words."

"Screw you, Nico. I really do hate you. Let yourself be screwed."

Nico smirked, then let his head fall back onto his pillow. He sighed, and after a while, Jason felt his breathing become more regular, then shifted slightly, so the bulk of his weight avoided Nico's chest, and drifted into a comfortable sleep.

Within seconds, he felt his consciousness sliding into a dream. As his surroundings came into focus, his head began to throb. He stood before the table which had held the poisons that had allowed them to see the spirits in the House of Hades. The scent wafting up from the chalices was a heady, almost decaying, but not altogether unpleasant smell, but it made his eyes water, and his throat go dry.

"Hello, nephew. Quite a beautiful night, isn't it?"

Jason jerked round, to see a tall man, in a suit. He had slicked back dark hair, although in the bright moonlight, Jason could see he was slightly grey round the temples. A gold crucifix hung on a chain around his neck, and his fingers were decorated with thin rings that clinked on his cane. The cane was topped with a small insignia, which was mirrored on his tie-clip. Jason recalled where he had seen it before; tattooed on Hazels wrist.

"Yes, Lord Pluto, it is quite lovely." Jason replied, bowing low. Pluto chuckled, and rapped him gently on the back of his head.

"You've picked up my son's fashion of speaking. That is rather telling, Jason." As he mentioned Nico, his form flickered, and for a second, Jason saw a slightly shabby bearded man, in a grey robe, with a crown, and some sort of two-pronged fork. However, the god swiftly returned to his Roman form, looking unfazed.

"May I ask what it tells, uncle?" Jason ventured.

Pluto raised his eyebrow, and smirked in a way unnervingly similar to Hazel. "You may."

Jason waited for a second, and then caught the jibe. Laughing lightly, he rephrased his question. "What does it tell, Uncle?"

Pluto looked down on him appraisingly or a second, before replying. "If you were you father, you would have attempted to fry me. It seems that you have a decent sense of humour."

"Thank you, uncle."

"Adopting some-ones accent is very easy, but adopting a whole speech pattern tells me that you spend a lot of time with him. That is easily explained, however, as you are training with him whenever I care to have a look into how he is faring."

"Yes, Lord Pluto. I enjoy his company, and find that he is the best match for my own strength as a sparring partner." Jason answered. He did his best to push from his mind the images of him in Nico's bed, in case Pluto could read minds, which Jason had no doubt he could, and got the wrong idea.

"And… the sharing of beds?" Jason sighed. At least the god was giving him a chance to explain.

"The nightmares don't bother us too much if we… sleep with someone else." Pluto's brow furrowed. "Just, like… sharing bed space. Cuddling, if you must."

"Oh, I do not doubt your integrity. I was only thinking…" Jason remained quiet, expecting his uncle to carry on, but all the god did was sit down on a low wall nearby, and wave at a Jason to do the same.

"When did Nico explain his orientation to you? Or, when do you remember it happening?"

Jason started. "When we faced Cupid, in Croatia."

"Oh. Oh. Oh, he really is an emotionally constipated ape, isn't he? Oh, he didn't even bring it up, oh…" Pluto murmured, rubbing his forehead, and Jason got the feeling that it wasn't directed at him, but pushed on anyway.

"Didn't bring what up, my lord?"

"Oh, dear boy, do you remember nothing of the war with Krios? Nico was darting between the two camps almost as soon as he could control his shadow travelling. He wasn't there for the final shebang, because he was fighting in Manhattan, but he helped gain information for the Roman camp, long before he brought Hazel there. You were close friends back then! Then, when my meddling sister dropped you amongst the Greeks, he had to avoid you at all costs, in case he stirred memories in you. He had told you all about his infatuation with my… other nephew, of his own accord, back when you were in Camp Jupiter. You often shared a bed back then, too. I was hoping that he had told you about it, but he hasn't." Pluto looked vaguely annoyed; however, it was only in the way that some people wish to be annoyed with their children, but can't quite summon up the emotion. Jason noticed how he mentioned his 'other nephew', presumably Percy, with slight distaste.

"Well, with all due respect, I'm going to wait until he trusts me enough to tell me about it, sir." Jason replied, bringing himself up to full height as if he was at roll call.

Pluto smiled, and raised his hand in a salute. "By respecting my son, you respect me. Now, go to sleep, boy." With a click of his fingers, Jason woke. Laying his head back down on Nico's shoulder, he slipped into a fitful slumber.

24th Dec.

When Jason once again awoke, Nico was already up, and apparently not in the cabin. Jason lay with his face in the pillow for a while, before getting up, and slipping on a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms and jogging round to the showers with his other clothes. The sun had barely risen, and the clear sharp air seemed to glow with the golden fingers that the sun sent creeping over the horizon. The white tiles in the showers were harsh on his eyes, and Jason was very relieved when the water that ran over his head was gently warmed. As he dressed, he concentrated on the patterns of his breath fogging in the air, and formed it into little shapes.

"Who knew the great Son of Jupiter could be so easily pleased?" Jason restrained from jumping round upon hearing Percy's ribbing, and simply tensed his shoulders.

"Sometimes people need to concentrate on little things, otherwise big problems can overwhelm you. Not that I have big problems." And if I did, they wouldn't be any of your business, he refrained from snapping. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly annoyed with Percy, for his blindness, and for his apparent attractiveness to Nico. Was Nico infatuated with this asshole?

"Whoa, dude, lighten up! Where's your Christmas Spirit?"

"It flew away with the little figures I was making. Didn't you see the Santa?" He replied, a little coldly, and turned away.

Percy laughed. "Wow, something really is wrong." He paused for a moment. "Is it Piper?" He asked, before coming forward and sitting in front of Jason. "Or is it Nico? You've been spending loads of time with him, and I know he can be a bit… tiring. If you want me to tell him to back off a bit, I me-"

"No! Dude, no, Nico's great. He's probably grown up a lot since when you first met him, if you paid him a bit more attention, you might realise that he's just good company as Annabeth or Grover, or whoever. You treat him like a little kid, and he's not."

"Jason, he's fourteen. He is a kid, compared to me and Annabeth, even compared to you. He's three years younger than me, and he doesn't exactly instigate days out."

"He's about seventy years older than us, technically, so I don't think age is the problem here. You just don't take any notice of him." Jason replied, calming his tone, and concentrating of diffusing the charge in the air, glancing warily at the bulging water pipes. Percy noticed, and also took a deep breath. The pipes stopped straining, and the boys looked sheepishly at each other. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. Sorry about, uh, knocking Nico, as well. I just forget. He's always just been a kid, to me. At first, you know, I thought he had a crush on Annabeth. We all did. It kind of annoyed me, and I wasn't particularly kind to him. Then we had a kind of disagreement in his father's palace, and I didn't forgive him for ages, not until he showed up in Manhattan, when we faced Kronos, and by then he just seemed… really distant, you know? And I didn't even bother to find out if he's been alright this whole time." Percy stopped, but Jason picked up that he hadn't quite finished, so he kept his mouth shut. "Then Piper said something to Annabeth, about how gay people were treated in the 1930's, and Annabeth asked Piper if she thought that Nico was gay, and it just clicked." Percy looked at Jason.

Jason stood, and frowned. The air crackled for a second, but he shoved it down and turned away to pick up his things.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do, Jason. Nico must have told you. He had a crush on me, not Annabeth, right? Tell me, please. I want to apologise for being a douchebag."

"You can do that anyway. You were a douchebag whether or not he had a crush on you. And he hasn't told me anything, and I don't care either way. Just let me get ready. I'm going out." And why must he have told me. He didn't tell me that we were friends already!

"Jason, please, I just want to apologise to him, just tell me, I know that you know, I Iris-Messaged Persephone, she said-"

"Persephone? What would she know; she takes less notice of him than you do." Jason snapped, and stormed out of the showers. "Nico!" He called, hushing his voice a little. But only a little, because they'd just walked past cabin four, and annoying Annabeth was alright with him.

"Yeah, Jason?" replied Nico, coming out of the garden in front of the Big House. Jason was surprised at his swift answer, and then remembered why he had called out.

"Let's get the hell out of here; I'm sick of these people already." Percy stood a couple of yards away, his face contorted in a vaguely angry, but mostly bemused expression. Nico looked back and forth between them for a second, and then meekly took Jason's hand. Jason looked down at him, his rage calming considerably, then lifted his arm around Nico's shoulders. He glimpsed Percy raise his hand half-heartedly, before shadows consumed his sight.

The best part of shadow-travel, Jason decided, was the bit where he got to catch a tired Nico in his arms. It was fun, and all, what with the outrageous speed and whirling around about, but catching Nico, and holding him, just for a second, was the best bit. Jason set Nico straight, then looked at him questioningly.

"I thought you said you were better at this?"

"This is better. I can get round the best part of America now. I used to half-faint before."

"Before? Oh, you mean when we sent you across the Atlantic Ocean with a forty-foot marble statue to carry? " Or when you darted between our camps? When supposedly knew you, as I know you now! The idea that Nico still didn't trust him, or was afraid of his anger bit into him like ice.

"I know." Nico smiled. "Don't worry. I promise that I'm fine."

24th/25th Dec.

"Whooaaa, dude, Jason, where are you going?" They'd ended up back in Boulder, Colorado, and Jason all could feel was his brain disconnecting as he swung back round on the… small, grungy, squeaky park amusement thing. He had no idea what they were called but heeere comes Nico… theeere goooes Nico… heeere comes Nico… theeere goooes Nico… hee- The round-a-bout suddenly stopped, pulled back by a (thankfully) giggling Nico. He made to grab Jason's wrist but Jason launched himself at the smaller boy first, blustering wind preventing them from regaining their balance. Jason looked down at Nico.

"Hey Nico… Do you want to go to the church?" The look in Nico's eyes sobered up immediately.

"Yeah. Alright. Let's go." Jason picked himself up, and stuck out a hand to Nico. They walked hand in hand down the main street, until they came to the "First Presbyterian" church that they'd seen the sign for earlier. They squeezed in the door, trying to avoid binging attention to themselves, which, it turned out, was quite easy. The chapel was almost full, so they slipped onto one of the back pews. Nico took his hand from Jason's, and opened the prayer-book.

"Why aren't they lighting the candles, mama?" Jason heard from the pew in front of them.

"Because, mijo, this is not Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve."

"But that was the priest, and now everyone is leaving, so it must be! It is the same in Missa de Galo at home."

"This is not Missa de Galo, corazoncito." The mother sounded terribly sad, and Jason's heart felt like it was being gripped, very hard. Then he realised that Nico was, in fact, gripping his hand very hard, and evidently trying not to cry. Jason put his arm around his shoulder, and turned him into his chest. He felt Nico take a couple of deep breaths, then push away slightly.

"Well! That was…" Jason looked round, waiting for the inevitable sarcastic comment. "This was wonderful. Thank you, Jason." Jason was speechless for a second.

"What? You're the one shifting us about this country. I'd offer to fly us home, but we're in Colorado." Nico smirked.

"Come on, give us a cuddle again, and I'll disappear us." Winking, he opened his arms. Jason smiled, and wrapped his own around Nico's body as the candle were lit, and they fell through the new-born shadows and into cabin thirteen.

25th Dec.

"Hey, Nico!" Percy jogged across the empty beach towards them. As he neared, he slowed down, glancing warily at Jason, who was already bringing clouds together; ones that were starting to block the cold, low, winter sun.

"Hey, Percy. 'Sup?" Nico replied, looking at Jason sternly, and only glancing away when the clouds had dissipated.

"Didyouhaveacrushonmeorannabeth?" Percy rushed out quickly, before Jason could so much as raise his eyebrows. Nico looked at Percy with his head tilted, and the Son of Poseidon explained his theory as he had done to Jason the day before. At the part with Piper, Jason burst in.

"I didn't say anything to her!" Nico looked at him, a bemused expression on his face.

"I honestly didn't think you did, Jason. I trust you. And anyway, Piper has a knack of figuring out these things. Return to your story." Jason sighed, and the old warm feeling returned in the pit of his stomach. It was quenched when he remembered they were sharing half a square kilometre of land with Percy Jackson.

Nico hesitated when the story was finished, then, glancing at Jason (who had assumed his roman-soldier-at-roll-call pose, one he often took up in awkward situations) steeled his back and faced Percy. "Yes, I did have a crush on you. But I'm pretty sure it was because you were just, I don't know… interesting. Then… just, not really. After the Casino, you were the first real, living, conscious person, who fitted my… preferences… to show some sort of kindness. But I think, we had disagreements, so I started to hate you, and I tried to hate you because of Bianca, but couldn't , so then I tried to hate because you were better than me, but really it was just because you made me actually look at my flowery-rainbow-gayness, and now… well looking at you doesn't hurt anymore… but I'd still prefer if this didn't… get out. Yeah?"

Percy rocked on his heels for a second, then gazed at the sand at Nico's feet as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "I'm sorry for being an asshole."

"You were an asshole… but so was I. I forgive you if you forgive me. Deal?" Nico stuck his hand out, and Percy tentatively shook it.

"Thanks man." He turned and walked, but before he reached two paces, he looked back. "Jason… why are you hovering, like, five feet above the ground?" Jason plonked himself down on the ground again.

"I'm very happy."

"OK." And Percy left, which multiplied Jason's new feeling of elation by twenty. Nico turned to Jason.

"Why-"

"Can-"

They both laughed nervously. Jason indicated for Nico to proceed, so he took a deep breath. "Why are you so happy?"

Jason rose another couple of inches, then forced himself back down to the ground. "I know where I've heard you run that little speech before. Back at Camp Jupiter, before Hazel. I remember you telling me this, and I remember sparring, and sharing a bed, and catching you when you were tired after shadow-travel, and I remember you with a pony-tail and bobby pins in your hair, and talking at your fathers altar… I remember kissing you." Jason stopped. Nico's eyes were watering, and he had taken a step back.

"Please don't be angry… I was going to tell you when I learned that you broke up with Piper, but I didn't want you to not actually remember and think that I was mucking you about and have you hate me-"Jason rushed forward and planted a kiss solidly on Nico's lips. He did remember, vividly, the previous kisses.

"I will never, ever hate you. I love you, dearly, Nico." Nico flushed.

"I love you too."

A/N

ok, so I know very little about America, or Presbyterian/Catholic Midnight Mass, but I did research it, and that's how it came out. it wasn't very good, I'm sorry but this is my first, so constructive criticism would be great. As far as I know, both the Italian and the Spanish are correct, but feel free to point out mistakes.

Hugs and kisses.

SBA