#saw a video of a cheetah with an emotional support dog

[thaliagrayce]

can i have number nine for jasico, please?

#9: "are you crying?" i hope you like this!! send me a number or drop a prompt in my ask box for a jasico drabble!

Jason hadn’t seen Nico all day. He’d been busy for most of it, but it was still a little weird to not run into him—not when he knew for a fact that both of them were at camp. Usually, he found a little pocket of time to go see Nico, or Nico would find him while he was doing Important Pontifex Business, and they would be able to at least see each other.

Not today, though. He didn’t like it.

The Hades cabin was quiet, but that didn’t necessarily mean much. Nico could be sitting at his desk and drawing, or laying on the floor looking over his old Mythomagic cards, or using his fancy noise-canceling headphones listen to whatever super underground trust-me-Jason-they’re-really-good band he had found this week. He knocked at the door, half expecting not to get an answer.

“Jason?” The voice was clearly Nico’s, but it was soft and a little wobbly. “You can come in.”

Heart in his throat, Jason eased the door open. Nico was sitting on the bed by the window, arms crossed on the sill. Jason shut the door behind him and walked as gently as he could.

“Hey,” he called out once he got there. He rested a hand around the nape of Nico’s neck, half for his own comfort and half for his boyfriend’s.

“Hey yourself,” Nico mumbled. There again—his voice was wobbly. If that wasn’t enough, he sniffled and brought a hand up to wipe at his face.

Jason sat down next to him, hand sliding from the back of Nico’s neck around his shoulder. He shifted closer, and Nico leaned into him.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you crying?”

Nico huffed and turned to hide his face into Jason’s shoulder. “No, I’m not. Shut up. It’s super dumb.”

Jason rubbed Nico’s back, bewildered. Nico didn’t sound upset, other than the fact that he had very clearly just been crying. He cast around for something that might have set this off. It wasn’t an anniversary of anything, as far as he was aware. There were no upsetting letters or photographs out. All he could see on the windowsill was the pink plastic glittery skull Piper had gotten Nico for his last birthday, the pile of borrowed hair ties Nico forgot to return, and the potted mint plant Nico had gotten a week and a half ago. Same as always.

Only… Jason squinted at the plant. Something was different. It looked a little taller, maybe. There was a teeny leaf at the top that hadn’t been there last time he looked, he was pretty sure.

“Nico… is this about the mint?”

Nico sniffed again, not bringing his face out of its cozy hiding spot. “It’s just… It’s not dead yet.” He could feel Nico trying to subtly wipe his face on Jason’s t-shirt. “I’ve been looking after it for almost two weeks and it’s still alive.”

The little ball of tension in Jason relaxed and he pulled Nico into a hug, smiling into his hair. “You dork. You absolute goober.”

“Hey,” Nico protested.

“Nope, I’m right. You’re crying because your plant grew a new leaf.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Nico’s head. “That’s goober behavior.”

Nico snorted and finally raised his head from Jason’s shoulder. Sure enough, his eyes were red, but he was smiling. He pushed at Jason’s chest, but there was no force behind it. “This is the longest I’ve been able to keep something alive, cut me some slack.”

Jason leaned forward, getting comfortable in Nico’s space. “I’m happy for you.” He kissed his forehead. “Also, you’re adorable. How do you feel about getting a spider plant?”