Chapter Text
It was almost frustrating to the young man how a mere six months of Jason Jackson seemed to have usurped the entire previous portion of his life as Jason Grace. But as much as they had been out of sync on the issue, Jason at least had the better mind to admit it to himself. It probably had slightly to more with Percy than it did with the string of letters at the end of his name.
Unfortunately, the brains behind his admission didn't leave him with a plan for doing anything about it. If anything, it had made things worse. Not only was he completely in love with his best friend, but he'd managed to get himself in a situation where admitting that would probably mean having to once again tour through every record of administration of his life, although this time in a less fun direction. Unless-
No. He couldn't-- wouldn't allow himself to think about it.
Instead, he tried to cherish his time as Jason Jackson. But the "Mr. Jackson?" at the coffee shop and "Just sign right here Mr. Jackson" at the car rental had lost some of their brilliance; in its place sat an awkward anxiety, where Jason felt he would only hear his name said that way a finite amount of times, and he was running out.
His limited supply running out wasn't aided by Percy's continued insistence on using it at damn near every turn. What he had hoped would be a schoolyard crush had only grown since Reyna and Thalia's disciplinary call. Suddenly, he found himself wishing he really was Mr. Jason Jackson, in every sense. His fingers seduced the pen each time he wrote the name down, and the sound kept proposing in his ear.
He decided on a plan to swallow his feelings until he became old enough that everyone just called him Gramps, and leave it at that for the evening.
"If I swallow my feelings for two more seconds, I'm going to die and then kill everyone in this room," Percy said angrily. Leo went around fidgeting about Percy's apartment, while Nico tried to address the headstrong older man's issue.
"No one is making you swallow your feelings besides you," Nico argued. "This is a self-swallow."
"That actually means something--," Percy started.
"You're exactly right, babe!," interjected Leo. He had learned the hard way that sometimes it was better to leave Nico in the dark than to reveal he'd made an English error.
"As I was saying," Nico continued, "We all think you should tell him. You want to tell him. And you haven't told him because?"
"I don't want to hurt him," pouted Percy.
"Fucking hell," murmured the youngest. "I cannot argue in this circle again."
"What Nico means," Leo explained patiently, moving his tiny boyfriend gently out of the seat and taking his place, "is that there's no way your feelings would hurt Jason. They'll probably make him really happy."
"I just don't believe a guy like him would be into a guy like me," Percy said, obliviously.
"You're right," fumed Nico in sarcasm, "what on earth could two saviors of Olympus possibly see in each other? It's not like they're not two of the hottest people alive."
Nico regretted his words instantly and turned beet red as his boyfriend and brother looked at him.
"NICO ADMITTED I'M STILL ATTRACTIVE!,"
"I KNEW YOU WERE CHEATING ON ME!," shouted Percy with glee and Leo with fake-anger.
"I hate you both," muttered the Italian as he buried his face into the couch cushion.
"I am literally telling Annabeth right now," continued Poseidon's son, temporarily forgetting his emotional woes.
"Our parents are the Greek gods, of course you're technically good looking," Nico begrudged.
"You said a lot more than technically good looking," teased Leo.
"Watch yourself," warned his boyfriend. "I have a lot more ways of persuading you than Percy."
"You're right, Neeks. Sorry Perce, he never said it."
"Hey! And ew!," reacted the oldest.
"Seems the tables have turned," said a cheeky Nico. "Now let's deal with the actual problem of who finds who hot, which is you and Jason. Extremely."
"Jason does not find me extremely attractive!," said Percy in disbelief.
"This is hopeless," said the ghost king, beginning to ignore his brother to talk with Leo. "Neither of them believes us no matter what we say, and neither will be the first to say it."
"You've talked to Jason about this?!," jumped Percy.
"Yes!," snapped Leo, "We have all heard Jason say he loves you, and you that you love him. Confirmed. We know."
Percy paused as if to consider this evidence.
"You're all just saying this," he decided on.
"Get me a gun--," started Nico as he lept up to strangle Percy, only for Leo to grab him with a hook of an arm around his waist.
"Enough, enough, you two. If I bring you back bruised I'm going to stop being Sally's favorite son-in-law, and once Jason is part of the competition I'm never winning again."
The other two lobbed petty insults at each other, and Nico blew a raspberry, before Leo continued.
"So it sounds like we need a plan. And I'm great at plans."
"You're also great at--" started Nico before the hand around the waist moved up to cover his mouth.
"Sooooo," said Percy as the latest round of Mario Kart came to a close, "I had an idea, Mr. Jackson."
"I'm all ears, Mr. Jackson," said Jason with a smile, perhaps not noticing the way his whole body angled itself even further towards Percy than it had drifted throughout their time together that evening.
"They're doing a big celebration in a few weeks for the community group that runs street events in," Percy led, followed by a air drumroll and a large air cymbal crash, "Jackson Heights!"
Jason looked back at the beaming face across from him and could have melted into the couch. Percy's eyes were lit up with excitement and a feeling he almost dared to recognize as hope. The blonde looked back at him with fierce determination not to fall further down the rabbit hole of being Jason Jackson than he already had, but resistance proved futile.
"That sounds like a great way to spend a day," he responded with his own warm smile.
"How can you say that--hmppf--," said Percy, stopping halfway to reach forward and forcibly pull the other across the couch to be restrained in his loving headlock, "when I haven't even told you anything about it yet?"
Maybe it was the air of the night, or maybe he just felt like he was running out of time, but Jason felt brave.
"Because," he answered, producing his index finger into the air and tapping the Greek on the nose, "I'll be there with you."
Percy's cheeks warmed like stove burners as he tried to reset, but stumbled through his words all night thinking about the boy with his name, and what he'd said about him.
"Isn't this amazing?," exclaimed Percy as they walked around the small, temporary fair grounds setup on Jackson Ave.
"Oh yeah," Nico rolled his eyes, "Best place on Earth."
Leo elbowed him gently in the rib, causing the boy to stick his tongue out.
"I agree!," said his oblivious elder, who walked with a toothy smile down the street, shoulders bumping up against Jason's over and over again. For his part, Jason's anxiety was starting to overcome his enjoyment when it came to Day Out With The Jacksons. He felt like he was being fattened up with the kill.
First, it was Percy nearly instantly winning him a prize at ring toss. The other had accused Jason of using the wind to manipulate the results, but he was innocent. Any of the gods could tell you Jason was far too entranced by Percy's throwing form to be acting nefariously.
Then, lunch had to be on Percy. And sodas. And even the t-shirt which Jason bit his lip after saying he admired it, because the words had barely left his mouth before Percy was swiping his card for two Jackson Heights crewnecks.
Worst of all, however, was the tiny magnets Jason seemed to have accidentally affixed to his hands; over and over again, Percy's fingers brushed gently against his own, only to fall back to Percy's side. Jason thought for a moment he could see his namesake frown after one instance, but kept walking.
But Jason's day didn't truly go to hell until the caricature artist, and his many, many questions. The once-charming, elder Italian man began to wear on the blonde shortly after they sat down. Nico engaged him in a brief conversation in Italian as the two settled themselves on the small bench.
"Where are you lovely gentlemen both from?," the man asked politely.
"Well, I'm originally from uptown, and he's from San Francisco. But we met living in Long Island," Percy happily provided. Jason let him take the driver seat, content to listen to his answers and imagine a parallel world where they were doing this as a real couple.
"Oh wow, San Francisco! You must be quite persuasive to get him all the way out here with you."
"Aw gee, thanks. I honestly don't know what he sees in me sometimes," Percy said with a mildly sadder smile, finally drawing Jason into the conversation.
"I don't like it when you say that about yourself," he said matter-of-factly, "there's one million things to see in you."
Percy's blush didn't go unnoticed by the artist, who merely sketched their correspondence with each other into his own line of questioning.
"Well, say them to me then, blonde man. What is it that he is like? I am drawing you after all!"
"He's...," Jason began. He glanced over at the other, expecting his typical Percy with an affable light and a fearless strand of grey in his hair. Instead, it looked as though Percy was almost anxious for his answer. He tried not to overthink himself too thoroughly before continuing, "very present. Whenever you're in a room with Percy, it feels like you're the only one there, and he's the only one you need. He always asks questions and always really wants the answers. And he has the best sense in the world of what fun means."
Percy's pupils had swam to the surface of his eyes, growing larger in perspective and preparing to swallow the other whole, before he whispered out a quick but uncertain, "Thanks, Jace"
"Ahem, ahem, and you, Mr. Louder One?," asked the artist, pen dancing around his board, "Tell me about him."
"Oh Jace is just," Percy launched. Jason leaned his upper body back slightly on instinct, preparing for the slew of hand motions which he knew were about to play out ahead of him, a natural side effect of his manner of speaking, before the other continued, "the best. He is so smart, and I love the way he explains things to me. And he has really good posture. He smells kind of lemony but it's a really good lemon, because if it gets to acidic smelling it makes me gag. But what was I saying? Oh, he has a great sense of style, and I think he's a better driver than me which isn't totally fair because I-"
He paused as the caricature artist looked back at him patiently, pen in hand, no longer drawing, allowing Percy to cut himself off. Jason had to hold his mouth shut to not drop his jaw. He was mildly worried his heart was beating so fast that it could be heard.
"Oh, yeah, that's probably enough."
"Perhaps, monsieur. But it's lovely to see, such strong young love. Are you ready to see the picture?"
Both boys nodded, as well as the curious Nico and Leo waiting behind them, as the man flipped it around.
The drawn Percy and Jason sat angled towards one another. The artist had drawn Jason smiling softly with his arm around Percy's shoulder, while Percy's figure looked back with...heart eyes at Jason. Jason went from amused to mortified, nearly missing as the man asked Percy, "What should I title this one?"
Percy only started to say "Oh, just write The Jacks-" before Jason snapped.
"Enough!," he nearly shouted, standing up and stepping backwards from the other and the man. Nico, for once, locked into attention and looked at the blonde, who appeared cornered despite the open air space.
"I can't--," he stammered, tried to explain himself.
"I knew it," said Percy, moping and looking like a kicked puppy. The artist asked something briefly in Italian, which Nico answered in rapid fire.
"Knew what?," asked as confused and stressed Jason.
"That you don't like being Jason Jackson anymore," he moped. Leo thought the boy was about to begin to cry.
"What?!," Jason responded in shock, "Of course that's not-- I don't not--I love being Jason Jackson!"
"You do?," asked a bewildered Percy, "Then why do you keep seeming like you're looking in the distance every time I say it?"
"Because!," responded Jason, shouting now. Despite their friendship and love, they were both still their fathers' sons, with the tempers to match.
"Because why!?," asked Percy, also rising to a stand and wearing a strange combination of sadness and anger.
"Because!," yelled Jason again, digging in his heels and almost starting to cry himself.
"Just fucking tell me, Jace!," pleaded Percy for the own swift end to his emotional turmoil.
"Because," the son of lightning started with a large breath in, "You're wasting all this stuff on me. Winning me prizes, buying me things. One day, you're going to want to do that with the real Mr. Jackson, and I just don't want it to end yet."
The black-haired man looked with new curiosity at the one who shared his name, putting the pieces together, but not too slowly.
"The real Mr. Jackson?," he asked softly, dropping his stance and inching closer.
"Yeah, obviously," said Jason, tears now harder to stop from fighting their way out.
"If you asked me," Percy said very quietly, "You're the realest Mr. Jackson there's ever been."
Jason seemed unable to respond, frozen in the words offered to him. His brain attempted to script a response several times, but real minds are ill-suited for operating in what were once dreams. Noticing the humidity in the air begin to change in odd ways, Nico stepped in, pulling out his sword and stepping between the two.
"Abbastanza," he said, sternly. He turned towards his older brother.
"I can't believe I'm saying this. Percy, take your shirt off."
"Nico," warned the older.
"If you don't take your shirt off right now, I am telling Sally about the time you had too much tequila and--,"
Percy jumped to make noises of aye aye aye to cut Nico off, before meekly turning to Jason and lifting up his shirt.
"Holy. Shit."
"S'nfair," Percy complained over the sound of his own drunkenness. "I gived him my whole name, he can't even give me a kiss?"
"Oh gods," said Nico in agitation. "Can we talk about something else for ten seconds? Like say, the tattoo I'm actively getting"
"No!," barked Percy as Nico mouthed a silent apology to the tattoo artist, "S'only wanna talk about Jason. Jason Jackson. Jason Jackson. Jason Jackson. Say that five times back!"
"That was only three!," gritted Nico through his teeth.
"Whatever, man. Three times, ten times, six hundred twenty-two times, I'd married Jason every time."
Nico felt a twinkle in his eye as he responded.
"Oh yeah? You admit it? You'd marry him?"
"Of course I would, Nico," said Percy as he blew his lips, "I would marry him at the beach. Or at wherever he wants, I guess. The sky? Can you get married in a sky?"
"Ask our grandparents," said the Italian dryly, before continuing to goad the older. "But Perce, marriage is forever."
"And ever and ever and ever!"
"So, if you'd marry Jason, and that's forever, you'd totally get a Jason tattoo?"
"Yeah man, duh," said the inebriated one. "I'd get a bunch of Jason tattoos."
"Well, why don't we just start with one?"
"Holy. Shit.," Jason said in awe as he stepped closer to the other. Stitched in ink above Percy's left ribs was, in full stereotypical glory, a heart with an arrow through it, emblazoned with a single name: Jason.
The blonde barely recognized as his hand came up and made contact with the letters, tentatively touching to them as though it may not be real.
"I--," Percy stuttered, his turn to be blushing. "I can explain, I--"
There would be no more time for embarrassment or explanation as Jason closed the space between them, a key and lock coming together with one of the universe's loudest clicks. Leo audibly cheered, while even Nico let out a slightly-not-sarcastic woohoo.
Both ten seconds and ten hours later, the two separated from each other, each smiling back into the other Mr. Jackson's face.
"You're welcome," said Nico, coming up and giving the two a hug, dramatically being grossed out by making contact with Percy's skin.
"And what thanks do you get?," huffed Percy.
"Buon signore, che cosa vi ho chiesto?," he asked to the caricature artist.
"He asked me to help two idiots realize they were in love."
Jason lightly punched Nico in the shoulder, while Percy gave him a tight hug and a solid noogie.
"Ahem," the artist re-entered the conversation, "So then, amanti, what am I calling this?"
"Call it," Jason side, arm around Percy's hip and hair pressed against his cheek, "The Jacksons."
"So, was your plan just to never have your shirt off around me for the rest of your life?," Jason teased as they walked down another block to an ice cream shop.
"So, bad news," Percy teased back. "Of the Misters Jackson, you're gonna have to be the Mister Jackson with the plans. I'm the Mister Jackson with the ass."
"Percy!," groaned Nico.
"He does have the better ass, hon," Leo admitted.
"Is there a Greek god of ass?," Percy wondered aloud. Sorry, whomever is the Greek god of ass, Jason thought to himself. A perfect pair.
Finally, the group reached the ice cream place and made their orders. "A celebration," Leo had declared, "of our two married friends finally figuring out they're married."
"And if it's a celebration," Nico added, "Let's make it my treat."
And only the sharp eye of an older brother caught the half second before Nico's card went back in his wallet, had it not been snatched by (Percy) Jackson.
"You little shit! I fucking knew it!," he shouted as the shorter jumped up trying to catch it from his arms. Leo attempted to calm Nico verbally, but Jason was in too good of a mood not to join the hijinks. He took the card from Percy's outstretched hand and held it above his own head, denying it from Nico long enough to read it:
Nico Valdez
8990 3321 5471....
"You hypocrite!," laughed Jason, hanging the card back to Nico, red as the surface of Mars.
"This is completely different."
"Oh yeah, you taking your boyfriend's last name is totally different than me taking my boyfriend's last name," huffed Jason.
"First of all, you've been Jason Jackson for six months and he's been your boyfriend for six minutes, so let's all calm down," started Nico. Percy pouted, which Jason long-ago learned to respond with by squeezing his shoulder. "Second of all, I literally can't be Nico di Angelo. I'm not that old. There are records of my birth! I'm in pictures! I can't just show up 70 years later as Nico di Angelo again, in a legal sense."
Jason nodded understandingly, processing the information, while Percy was already typing a text to Sally "hidid you knowNico isuding ValdezzAs his Last name Also doI have to replace the light in my oven is it bad if i dont--"
"And I went to a lot of foster homes," Leo took over, "On the record. So I just said I remembered seeing Nico at one of the ones I was only at shortly, and we used that to set-up a new fake life for whatever mortal stuff he wants."
"Gotta say, it makes sense," Jason gave in, Percy nodding as he still furiously typed faster than his mind could handle.
"Oh good," Nico said sardonically, "I'm glad we made sense to you."
"I'm glad too," smiled Percy, tuning back in without context, now without a worry left remaining in the world.