The Gym, Friday Afternoon

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Overall, Jason was having a pretty good day. He was done with classes, and with student council meetings, and since he'd gotten his cast off earlier in the week, he could finally start training again to strengthen his arm back up. At the moment, he was going through different weights, trying to see how much he could lift. Bruce had told him to take it slow, but when had slow ever been his style?

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That earned Nico a real scowl as Jason glared at him. "You're not seriously going to bring that up, are you?"

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Nico laughed, reaching out to give his shoulder a friendly shove. "You're not seriously thinking I'm going to forget that?"

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"What happened when I was a little kid should be forgotten. Especially since only one of us was a kid," Jason said, shoving Nico back. "I don't know how you got out of that."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I was a little kid almost a hundred years ago, I don't think the island wanted anyone to see that," he replied, still smiling at Jason's annoyance. "Besides, you were cute. But not in a creepy way."

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"I was an idiot," Jason said, shaking his head as he grabbed one of the smaller weights. "I'm just glad you didn't take any pictures. Um, did you?"

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Nico shook his head, "I didn't think you'd like that very much. I mean little you, since you were so adamant about that bucket hiding your identity and all."

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"Secret identities are kind of a big deal where I'm from," Jason said. "It's how you keep bad guys from going after your friends and family. That's what the mask is for, not a helmet though."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have one, trust me, Jay. I just thought you wanting one as a kid was cute." Nico didn't mean to seem judgmental. "Your family's important so you keep them safe, it makes sense."

[dontvotemeout]

"I guess family's always been important to me," Jason said, focusing on the weight in his hand, and not on Nico. It sounded so stupid when he said it like that.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't, Nico would probably not be hanging around. "Just not something you like to talk about."

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Jason shrugged before carefully lifting the weight. As much as he'd made faces at Nico, he really didn't want to hurt himself all over again. "There's not much to talk about. It's just me and Bruce and Alfred." One little happy and possibly unbalanced family.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"And your parents and your brother."

Nico kind of wondered if he wasn't supposed to ask about the older brother or his real parents. Oh well, too late.

[dontvotemeout]

Now Jason really wasn't going to look at Nico, worried about what kind of an expression he might have. "I shouldn't have told you about Dick. You know more than it's safe to know already. And there's nothing to say about my parents." Nothing that wouldn't lead to emo, at least.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Nico walked around to the other side of Jason, selecting his own weights to work with. "You didn't seem to think that when you were a kid. What changed? I know you didn't grow up and forget about them."

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"Of course I didn't forget about them," Jason said, feeling offended at the mere idea. "I just...hadn't learned to keep my mouth shut yet when I was little. Now I know better."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Nico frowned a little at Jason's insistence he not talk about the dead. "I guess that's a lesson I should learn a little better."

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"It's not a lesson for you, it's a lesson for me," Jason said, finally looking over at Nico. "If you want to talk about your sister, I don't blame you. Everything you've said about her makes her sound like she was an awesome person."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"She was," Nico agreed. "But you say that like there's some reason you shouldn't talk about your parents."

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"My parents...weren't exactly stellar role models," Jason admitted, wondering if Nico was going to think less of him for this. "Not like your sister."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

The look on Jason's face made Nico wonder if he'd only presented the good parts of his family. Which...given his family was kind of an odd thing to think about. "My sister ditched me to join up with a bunch of girls, I think I can take it, Jay."

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Jason looked at Nico, like he was seeing how sincere he was about that statement. "My dad ditched me and my mom too, but it was 'cause he was an asshole who couldn't handle my mom being sick. He ended up joining up with criminals, and when he screwed up a heist, he got killed," he said. "I always thought he just ran off, but it ended up being worse."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Jason's short tale was far worse than Nico's, but Nico didn't flinch that he'd sort of made Jason share it.

"That sucks," he said finally. "Did your mom know?"

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Jason shook his head. "No. I only found out a few months ago myself. We both thought he just took off, and maybe he was in jail or something. And my mom...she was amazing and she tried really hard to be a good mom, but, um, she wasn't sick sick." Maybe Nico would put it together for himself, and Jason wouldn't have to say it out loud.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Before, he'd kind of assumed Jason's mom had been sick with cancer or something. Now Nico's mind went to drugs and sex. He'd seen a few unfortunate things when he was on his own.

Not that it mattered, a dead mom was a dead mom. He put down the weights and moved up behind Jason, going for a one-armed hug. "I'm really sorry."

[dontvotemeout]

Jason tried not to sink into the hug, not wanting Nico to think he needed that just because his childhood had been crappy. "You don't have to be sorry. People are just liars most of the time. My mom said she'd quit shooting up, and she didn't. My dad said he'd take care of us, and he didn't. That's how people just are."

Try not to drown in the bitter, Nico.