Solangelo Oneshots

15

By ghostystarr

"Hazel, slow down!" Nico shouted after a laughing little girl. "Watch where you're going!"

Beside him, Jason laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Relax, will you? She's got Thalia, she's fine!"

Nico huffed, crossing his arms in a nonchalant manner, but he didn't take his eyes off of his little sister, who was teetering a bit too far over the railing of the lion exhibit for his comfort. Ignoring Jason's cocky grin, Nico stomped over and pulled her back by the hood. "Watch!" he scolded. "Do you want to be Lion Chow?"

Hazel, who barely came up to Nico's waist, pouted at him in that irresistibly cute way. "I just wanted to see Simba!"

"That's a movie," Nico mumbled but released his hold on her, letting her scramble eagerly up the railing again. "Just be careful," he added.

"Dude, I've never seen you so... parental." Jason laughed as he walked up, arms behind his head in a stretch. "Did someone take a trip to Oz and find himself a heart?"

With Hazel's attention captivated by the large cats sleeping below, Nico was free to deliver a rude hand gesture to his best friend's face. "Shut it, Grace."

Jason just laughed again. "Seriously, man! I'm just saying! It's kind of cute how much you care for your sister."

Nico wrinkled his nose in distaste. The words just didn't blend. Nico wasn't cute. He'd been labeled a punk, a rebel. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his dark clothes, ripped black jeans, and tattoos. Still, it didn't exactly take a microscope to see that he had a soft spot for his seven year old sister. When Jason suggested that they take their sisters and head out to the zoo, Hazel had overheard and become insatiably excited to see the lions, and Nico had succumbed to those big brown eyes and curly pig-tails.

Nico shrugged and started to fan himself with the zoo map. "I'm sweating my ass off here."

Jason snorted. "Well, duh! Look how you're dressed!"

Nico redirected his glare from the sun to his friend. How Nico and Jason were friends were beyond him. Jason was a jock, star of the football team and the track team. He wore his jersey like it was forever glued to his chest and either cargo shorts or jeans to match. He was kind, popular, and was dating the prettiest girl in school. Nico was the absolute polar opposite with his typical dark look and tattoos and tendency to scowl at anything that moved. Jason found him amusing, apparently, and they'd been friends ever since Nico had moved across the street from Italy over ten years ago. "Sorry, is there not enough black for you?" was Nico's smart response and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Let's go to the bird house," he said loud enough to garner their sisters' attention. "It's dark and air-conditioned so His Highness won't die from heat stroke."

Nico opened his mouth to retort with a colorful insult but Hazel bounced over and took his hand, killing the obscenities in his throat. Jason chuckled triumphantly and gave him a look that clearly stated that he had no problems using the sister card to his advantage. Nico just huffed and let Hazel direct them towards the bird house, muttering directions for her to follow.

When they walked in, it was indeed dark and blessedly cool. Immediately, he felt a thousand times better. His pale skin wasn't meant to be out in the beating sun for hours at a time, and he could already feel the beginnings of sunburn on his neck and cheeks.

They strolled through the exhibit, hanging back as Hazel and Thalia bounced with their faces against the glass, pointing up at all the different parrots and pigeons they passed. Nico and Jason were locked in another one of their infamous debates when Hazel let out a high-pitched squeal. "NICO!"