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Nico couldn’t believe that he had graduated high school and got into the college that he wanted to on full scholarship no less. How the fuck did he pull it off? He even finally got over his fear of driving and got his license, he got a car, and he is starting to just get his life together. Everything feels so serial to him, like how is everything going right in his life? Nico came back to reality from thinking about everything that has happened in the past few months. ‘What the hell was I doing?’ Nico thinks to himself, had he just been staring at the clothes like they are going to hang themselves? He shook his head and went back to work, getting back into the rhythm of taking clothes and putting them in the subcategory they belong.
Nico does not know how long he has been doing this when somebody touches his shoulder.
“Hey-”
“AH! Jesus’ mother fucking Christ Jason! You scared me.” Nico shouts and then immediately feels embarrassed about saying it so fucking loud.
“Sorry about that Nico, I was wondering if you could help me pack some boxes. I am moving in later this week and I need help but I kinda feel embarrassed needing help so I am not asking everyone to help and you're my closest friend so will you?” Jason asks the whole time avoiding eye contact and rubbing his neck. ‘Ah, his religious trauma is showing.’ Nico thinks to himself, Jason ever since he was like fresh out of the vagina, he was forced into some Christians religion, though other Christians don’t think they are but technically they are it is just weird. Anyway, they would serve people, that was probably one of the few things they did well, but they shamed their members for being the person being served or even helped. But this is a big step for him to admit he needs help, seems like therapy is paying off for him.
“Yeah sure, I can come over tomorrow after my neurology appointment so like 4 pm ish and you can have the rest of the day. I have nothing going on anyway and I am bored out of my mind so this will be a nice thing to stop me from overthinking about going to college.”
“Great! Thanks, Nico. Have a goo- OH! I almost forgot! Chiron was so impressed with your work on the children's bookshelf-”
“No.”
“That he wants you-”
“No.”
“To do it once a week.”
“Fuck me.”
“I don’t think your boyfriend would like it if I did that.”
“Fuck you.”
Jason laughs and goes to the back to clock in since he most of been on lunch. ‘I hate my job sometimes. But I get paid above the minimum wage which is something in this economy.’
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Nico goes up to Jason’s house, getting nervous while walking up even though he has walked up this porch ever since he was like 5. They have been best friends since kindergarten (Nico was Jason was in first grade) he could remember their first meeting like it was yesterday. . .
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Nico was the new little kindergartener at this big school in this new weird town that his mother and sisters moved to. He was sitting watching one of the neighbor kids that also went to this school started climbing the fence. Nico thought that this was the dumbest thing they could ever have done.
“You're gonna fall!” Nico says to the struggling child when an older kid came up to Nico and looked at him. He had blonde hair that was kinda long it was to his ears. His blue eyes looked at Nico with curiosity. He was taller than any of his classmates so he must be older and like a really cool popular kid cause every kid that is older is cool. Nico thought to himself. He had a reddish scar on his lip which made the coolest person. The boy then looked at the kid climbing the fence and then said.
“You're gonna fall and crack your head open!” The boy then looked at Nico and smiled.
“Hi I am Jason, who are you? Are you new? What grade are you in? Did you move here?” Jason asks, looking like he was about to jump up and down trying to get all his questions answered.
“Um hi I am Nico. Yes, I am new. I am in kindergarten. And yeah, I moved here.” Nico kinda mumbled not looking Jason in the eyes while he talked feeling nervous about embarrassing himself in front of this cool older kid.
“That is so cool! Where from?”
“I-I don’t know. I can ask my mom and tell you tomorrow if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great! Want to be best friends?”
“Sure.” Right after Nico said that the kid that was climbing the fence fell and got a HUGE goosebump on his head. They were right.
**************************
Nico shook his head. Somehow a little kid friendship turned into a friendship that lasted 13 years. 13 fucking years and that is how it started. Nico fully comes back to reality realizing that he is at the door and he knocks. He waits a few moments and Jason opens the door he smiles, the scar on his lip riding up with it, the same scar that was on him all those years ago has faded.
“Nico! Come in! Thank you so much for coming to help me out. My mom has been away on a sudden business trip to help at a foster care placement in Texas so I have been mostly working on it by myself and it has been hard.” Jason says ushering him in. Lupa his mother helps with adoption and foster care trying to make it better she found him and fell in love and adopted him when he was young. Though she did originally force religion on him they have agreed to disagree. At least that is what Nico knows.
“No problem at all. Though might I ask, why haven’t you asked your boyfriend for help? I mean you are moving to live closer to him.” Jason immediately blushes at this.
“No, I am not moving for Leo! I just think that the college that is closer to their history and mythological programs is much better than the place where I got my master’s. They also have a great teachers programs, so I can get my PhD and my teacher's thing there and it just so happens to be closer to where Leo lives then I don’t see the problem. Also, that is because I have a hard time asking for help with something like this.” Jason says moving his hands around and fumbling over what he is saying since he is overwhelmed.
“Okay, okay chill let's get started.” They walk into Jason’s room and there are things everywhere. Clearly, Jason was trying to do some type of organization but failed badly.
“Where do you want to start?”
“I do not know.”
“Okay, hm how about you go put all your books into boxes and I can start on the floor okay?”
“Okay.”
After that was said they went to do their respective projects. Nico was just picking up things he knew Jason would want to keep, such as his high school hoodie because it was soft. He was just throwing them into a box. And Jason was going at the books with speed. Puts the ones he doesn't want anymore into a donation box for the thrift store and puts the ones he does into the boxes. It took about 40 minutes for both of them to finish things. Jason because he has a shit ton of books, and Nico because he overestimated how well he knew what Jason wanted to keep and what he didn’t. He also found out that he had kept (for some fucking dumb reason) every math workbook he has ever had.
Just why?
“Okay, Jason we are going to clean this up together okay?”
“Okay lead the way, Nico.”
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Nico did it all. Jason would find something from middle school and get all sappy about it and while he did that Nico would pick stuff and ask yes or no on items he didn’t know. Though after Jason was the one to put them all in boxes (since Nico was just throwing stuff to one box for each category. Or the trash bag.) and did all the heavy lifting of moving them around and such, he also got Nico McDonald’s so Nico feels like it was a pretty even trade.
They were sitting in Nico's car eating when Nico asked a question that has been nagging him lately.
“What does it feel like to move out of the place you grew up in?”
Jason took a second then responded. “It feels weird. Like I have been having an existential crisis about life and death and wanting to go back and enjoy my childhood more. It feels like I am stepping into the first stage of full adulthood and I don’t like it one bit. That was why I couldn't clean and put all my stuff in boxes. That is why I waited so long to do so. Cause every time that I did I felt like I was just basically killing it. It is not like I don’t want to move out. I do. I want to start a new phase in my life and this feels like the best way to do so. But it is fucking terrifying.” By the end of talking tears were rolling down his face and getting stuck on his glasses.
“I can understand to a degree. I mean I am starting college soon and boy I feel like I signed something that said I am going to die any second now. But if things were all easy, then life would never be worth living. You know? Your favorite memories are mostly made up of time you took a risk. Like me when I went to that water park and I just randomly decided to jump off the cliff there you know? That is how I found my love for thrilling rides and activities of such.”
“Yeah, you're right. It just feels like the first day of school, the first day of middle school, high school, and college merged into one you know?”
“Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”
“Really? You went to college already?” They both laugh at that.
“No, but I get what you are saying. It is just those times you felt like you could rely heavily on someone like your mom. But now it feels like you shouldn’t rely on anybody cause you are older. Well, news flash dude adults have to do that too. Whether or not you like it.”
“Thanks, Nico I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime Jason.” What Nico left unsaid went through his head. ‘I needed to tell myself that as well.’