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WE'RE BA-ACK!

Welcome to the Jasico Week 2024! You seemed to love this event so much last year that we decided to it again, but there are more diffent events coming up in the future. For now, lets get to how this challenge will work.

There will be one prompt per day, in total seven prompts, and four alternative prompts. You must create one work per day if you'd like to receive a Completonist Badge at the end of the event. You don't have to, though, participate as little and as much as you'd like, we just want you to have fun and spread some Jasico love!

Last time around we were the ones who picked out the prompt (since it was this blog's first ever challenge) but this time you get to suggest your prompts!

It will work similarly as to how we did on our Bingo Challenge last year, difference is this time the seven most suggested prompts will be used in the official list, the next four as alternative prompts.

Fill out this form as many times as you'd like.

Read our About post, Calendar and FAQ to learn more about the event.

Jasico Week 2024 - Day 6

Words: 2,396 Rating: General Audiences Type: Oneshot

Description: Nico “needs” a date for his work party. His best friend, Jason, agrees to tag along. Little do they know, they’ll be forced to face the feelings they’ve been avoiding for one another since high school.

Sidenote: This fic was written for @jasico-challenges Jasico week 2024 event!

Full fic under the cut! Small warning, the formatting is a bit weird here and I do prefer AO3 lol

Nico was successful. More so than he really liked being. 

He liked his job plenty. Being a lead programmer for a major video game company not only paid well but was also his dream. He got to sit at a desk in front of a computer alone all day. Heaven. 

Hell, in his best friend Jason Grace’s opinion. He always did nag Nico about things, from needing a more ergonomic desk chair to needing to invest in blue light glasses. Jason was somehow his biggest supporter and his number-one hater. 

They went out for coffee every Friday that their schedules would allow. It definitely wasn’t a date—although, they took turns paying and more often than not made some more than friendly comments. Nico was choosing to ignore that for now, though. 

He had a ginormous crush on Jason and had since they met in high school. Right now, though, his job left no room for commitment and his own personal struggles certainly couldn’t handle that kind of stress. So, his feelings were put on the back burner. 

Nico sat in the coffeehouse, currently thinking about that very problem like he always did before seeing Jason. He looked up as the bell on the door rang, and he locked eyes with the man himself. Somehow, he managed to pack his feelings away like neatly folded origami deep into the corners of his mind. That didn’t make it go away, though. 

Jason clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey,” he said, sitting down in the seat beside Nico rather than the one across from him. He always did that. Nico never knew why. 

Nico sipped his coffee. He didn’t actually like coffee in the slightest, but Jason did. “Hello,” he said back, eyes flicking to look at him. 

Jason wore a pretty regular outfit for him, blue jeans and a light purple hoodie. He had a hat with some sports logo on it Nico couldn’t bother to recognize. Somehow, he made basic clothing look like an angel’s robes. At least in Nico’s opinion. 

“How was work so far?” Nico asked, knowing Jason was on his lunch break currently. 

Jason groaned, sitting back. “No one told me I had to be good at math to be an architect,” he smiled. 

Nico snickered. “I remember telling you that.”

“You’re crazy. That didn’t happen.”

Jason ordered his drink before coming back. Nico tried not to watch. 

“How has work been for you lately?” Jason asked, settling back down. 

Nico practically winced. “Fine.”

“You sure?”

Jason could read him like a book, and Nico was not fond of it. 

Nico put his hands up dramatically. “Fine. Ya got me.” He sighed, starting a rant that had been bubbling inside him for quite a while. “There’s this work party coming up, and I have to go because, y’know.”

Jason nodded. He did know because he always knew when it came to Nico. 

“And I’d usually just have Hazel come as my plus one, but this is a Valentine’s Day-themed thing, and it was kinda implied that it was a couple plus ones only. And since I don’t want people to think I’m ’Sweet Home Alabama’-ing my sister, I just have to go alone. Which is gonna suck.”

Jason sipped his drink and nodded as Nico talked. He knew about Nico’s aversion to attending events alone, mostly because he had always been that way. Jason couldn’t think of a single time that Nico had willingly gone anywhere that included other people without begging someone to come along. Nico referred to it as the buddy system. Jason and Nico’s therapist referred to it as social anxiety. 

“I could go with you,” Jason proposed. 

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Jason. We’re not…together,” he said, half a statement and half a question. 

They had a pretty questionable past. A kiss in high school that they both brushed off as nothing and some here and there tipsy flirting were huge roadblocks in their ‘totally normal friendship’. They never bothered to address their own concerns, seeing as they didn’t think the other person minded. They both most definitely minded. 

“I’m aware,” Jason smiled. “Your coworkers don’t have to know that, though.”

Nico couldn’t help but smile back. “How rebellious.”

They went on about their conversation like nothing had happened, even though both their cheeks were a little redder than how that had started. 

A day later, Jason called to confirm their heist. Nico sent him the times, day, and dress code. 

Their stunt was working wonderfully. 

Nico picked him up thirty minutes before they had to be at the venue, very pointedly ignored how good his neat blue button-up looked on him, and parked his car right outside the front doors. 

“This will be hell. I won’t think any less of you if you jump ship now,” Nico said, putting his car in park. 

“I’m sure it can’t be that bad,” Jason laughed. 

Nico shrugged, getting out of the car and leading him inside. Almost immediately, it was hell. 

The music was too loud for Nico’s taste, even though it truly wasn’t all that loud. The food was questionable at best. Worst of all, everyone seemed very interested in who Jason was. 

Nico stood beside him in a corner, currently getting mobbed by two of his nosiest coworkers. By mobbed, they were just standing near them and whispering. However, Nico felt berated. 

Jason, out of habit, draped his arm over Nico’s shoulder. While it was definitely selling their clever lie, it was also only worsening Nico’s embarrassment. 

Nico leaned up to talk to him in an attempt to end his screaming thoughts. “Is this everything you dreamed of?” 

Jason snickered. “You weren’t lying. I see why you always bring a plus one.”

Nico’s attention was evaded as the cork of a bottle of wine was popped. The two turned their heads, ears assaulted by the cheering of a few coworkers. They watched as wine was poured into a few glasses, then another bottle was popped and more was poured. 

They looked at each other, grinned, then proceeded to make their way over. 

The second they reached the table, Nico’s boss clapped him on the shoulder. Jason’s face flashed with something Nico couldn’t quite pin. 

“Di Angelo,” he grinned. “Good to see you. Spouse?” he asked, pointing to Jason. 

Nico wasn’t sure why, but he nodded. “Boyfriend,” he said with enough ease to convince anyone it was true, including himself. 

He knew deep down he didn’t have to say that. This wasn’t truly a couple’s exclusive event, and no one would’ve cared if he just brought a friend. However, maybe he wanted to pretend, if only for a few hours, that Jason was more than that. Maybe Jason was ok with that too. 

Jason outstretched a hand to greet his boss, smiling a corporate smile. “Nice to meet you.”

The man smiled back, clapping his shoulder. “You too, sir.”

He said something Nico wasn’t fully listening to and wandered off to talk with more people. 

Nico practically chugged a glass of wine, using Jason for cover from watching eyes. Jason laughed, sipping his own like a normal person. 

“This does not taste good,” Nico said, putting the glass down. 

Jason nodded in agreement, putting his glass down still half-full. “Not as good as your fancy pants Italian ones.”

Nico rolled his eyes playfully, looking out at the sea of coworkers. Jason’s arm stayed around his shoulders as they talked, occasionally interrupted by people interacting with them. Almost like that’s what you’re meant to do at a party. 

One gross glass of wine later, and Nico was pretty sure he was dead and in hell. The conversations droned on, the people somehow got annoyingly louder, and worst of all, this was seriously cutting into the time Nico had set aside to nap on his couch and watch horrible reality TV. They had to get out of here. 

Then, one of their social media managers walked over, grinning like she always was. 

“Nico,” she smiled, “great to see you!”

Nico nodded back, less enthusiastic. “You too, Olivia.”

She addressed Jason, who had partially forgotten his arm was still around Nico. “And you are?”

He held his hand out. “Jason. Nico’s boyfriend,” he smiled back. 

She clapped her hands together before shaking his. “Oh, that’s lovely!”

Nico wasn’t sure where she got the energy to be so bubbly, and he was jealous. 

“Nico, I didn’t know you had a partner,” she said, turning back to him so fast the ruffles on her dress swished around. This was a nice way of saying “Nico, I thought all you did was work.” At least, that’s what Nico was pretty sure she meant. 

He nodded. “Recent development,” he smiled, leaning into Jason unintentionally. Jason put two hands on his shoulders to steady him, and hopefully hide how much wine he’d had tonight. 

Olivia nodded, grinning still. “Can I ask how you two met?” she asked, as always looking for a scoop. 

Nico faltered, but Jason spoke quickly. “Childhood friends,” he said, “I’ve had a crush on him since college, but he’s truly oblivious.”

Nico could feel his face getting red. He decided that the last part was unnecessary, and Jason just tossed it in to mess with him. Totally not a confession. Definitely not. He was just overthinking it. 

Olivia smiled so wide Nico thought her face would rip in half. “Well isn’t that sweet!” she looked over her shoulder at some commotion behind her. “I’ll get outta your hair now. Enjoy the party, you two,” she called, already walking away. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Nico leaned up to Jason to whisper to him, “Let’s get out of here before my brain melts out of my ears.”

Jason laughed, significantly less tipsy and significantly less bothered by social interaction. “How could you say that, they just opened up the mic for your beloved coworkers to try their comedy skills out.”

Nico groaned, accidentally grabbing the attention of an intern he didn’t know the name of. “I need you to throw me out that window and into the highway, Jason.”

Jason laughed again, a little more sincere. “I can’t do that, then I’d have to actually buy a suit for your funeral.”

The seconds Micheal from art picked up the microphone, Nico decided that was enough for him and started shuffling towards the door. 

He waved bye to anyone who he knew would be texting him pictures from the party the next day and practically shoved Jason out the door. 

As soon as they were outside, they both sighed into the cool night air. 

“Give me your keys,” Jason said, holding out his hand. 

Nico raised an eyebrow, already starting to walk to the driver's side. “Why?”

“Because you’re tripping over your feet and I’d rather not get arrested tonight.”

He rolled his eyes but tossed him the keys and resigned himself to the passenger's side. 

Jason let the drive go by in silence, knowing that was how Nico liked it. Nico, meanwhile, was having a crisis. 

He just couldn’t wrap his mind around how they had done that so easily. It hardly even felt awkward. They didn’t even tweak how they acted with each other, they just said they were dating and everyone believed them just like that. 

Maybe it was the wine in his system, but Nico felt something nagging at him he just couldn’t ignore. 

“Hey,” he said, looking over at Jason.

His face was illuminated by street lights and whatever shone in from the city into the highway. “Hey,” he said back, smiling. His voice was soft, which wasn’t helping Nico’s dilemma. 

Nico shifted in his seat to see him better. “What was up with the college thing?” He asked, trying to sound nonchalant despite the screaming inside him. 

Jason stared straight ahead at the road. “Just telling the truth, Nico.” 

Nico tensed slightly. He couldn’t tell if Jason was joking or not. 

“What?” He asked, not thinking straight enough to see the glimmer of resignation in Jason’s eyes. 

“I wasn’t lying,” Jason repeated. 

“Oh.”

Jason looked at him, a quick panicked look with the closest thing to fear Nico had ever seen on him. 

Jason opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to backtrack. Nico put his hand over his mouth, face reddening by the second. 

“No, shut up,” Nico said, but there was no bite to his tone. “I’ve had a crush on you since high school.” 

Jason looked back to the road briefly. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They sat in silence while Jason pulled into Nico’s driveway, faces red as they tried to think of what to say next.

Jason looked over at Nico quickly, trying to decipher his emotions. “For the record,” Jason started, “I’m not trying to guilt you into a relationship right now.”

“I know,” Nico nodded. 

He leaned back. “Cool.”

“Cool.”

Nico paused. Their situation was almost comical but in an awful kind of way. 

“And, also for the record,” Nico said softly, “the only reason I never confessed was because I didn’t think it was the right time…for either of us.”

Jason nodded. They both avoided each other's gaze. 

“So, what now?” Jason asked. 

Nico thought for a second. “I don’t think I’m ready, I don’t have the time to date. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

Jason hummed, though he looked disappointed. “Right. Me neither.”

Silence. The silence was painful, only the sound of the car running and Nico’s dog barking in his backyard bounced between them. 

Either the alcohol was getting to him, or Nico was losing his mind. “Hey, Jason?” Jason looked up, a glimmer of hope behind his usually confident eyes. “Can we just pretend? For tonight?”

Jason smiled. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

They stumbled inside, and for the rest of the night, they were lovers. It didn’t matter that they had work the next morning, and it didn’t matter that they had responsibilities to get home to. What mattered was they fell asleep beside each other, content for once. 

The next morning, when Nico woke up tangled in bedsheets, Jason was gone. They met up for their regular coffee day later that week and acted like nothing had happened. 

Maybe it wasn’t the right time just yet, but if they waited, maybe it would be.