just another solangelo high school au :)

Nico

Jason was rather horrid at drawing. He spent the entire period complaining about how difficult it was. We were drawing flowers. That's, like, the easiest thing to draw.

Nico was much better. He loved drawing, and was pretty good at it. He would spent hours doing art with Hazel and never got bored.

It calmed him. It was an outlet for his emotions.

He was already loving the class, and was sad to hear the bell ring.

He followed Jason to a lunch table and sat down across from him.

"What's up?" Leo said, plopping down on the bench next to Jason.

Piper came and sat in between Jason and Leo. "Junior year, guys! Ack, this is crazy!"

"No, it's terribly stressful," Jason corrected. "First day and I'm already failing a class."

"Which class?" Reyna asked, coming to sit by Nico.

"Drawing," Nico told them. "He sucks at it."

"I do," Jason agreed miserably.

Piper giggled. "It's okay, Jason, you'll get it."

"Yeah, Jason, those blobs will eventually look somewhat like flower petals," Nico said encouragingly.

Wow, he was such a good friend. Maybe he should be a motivational speaker. Or a therapist.

"Thanks a lot. Appreciate the help." He put his face on the table, sat up and took his glasses off, and put his face back on the table.

"Jase, sweetie, that table is disgusting. Don't put your face on it," Piper scolded.

Jason made an unintelligible noise.

"Don't worry, Jasey Pie," Leo said. "Piper's just jealous."

Reyna and Nico cackled at that.

Piper blushed. "Shut up."

Jason's face was still on the table, so Nico couldn't tell if his face was flushed. He seemed too anguished to be embarrassed.

"I'm not used to being bad at things," he complained.

"Aw, poor Jason," Leo said sarcastically, reaching across Piper to pat- sorry, I meant pound- him on the back. "It must really suck to be bad at something."

"Yeah, can't relate," Nico shrugged.

"Leo, get your armpit out of my face, ya weirdo," Piper said, shoving him.

Leo pouted.

"Anyway, Jason, the point of a class is to learn. I'm sure you'll get better!"

"Oh, Piper. Ever the optimist," Nico sighed. "Jason, show them."

Jason sat up and frowned. "No." He put his glasses back on.

Nico pulled out his sketchbook, flipped to a blank page, and tore it out. He handed it to Jason with a pencil. "Draw a flower," he instructed.

Jason took them and begun to draw.

After about ten minutes, Nico stopped him. "Okay, that's enough. Show me it."

Jason groaned but held it up. "Viola. My freaking masterpiece."

Piper tried very hard not to laugh, but everyone else straight up chortled at the sight.

"It's a rose," Jason told them dejectedly.

"Looks like dog shit," Leo commented. "But hey, maybe that dog ate a flower."

"Y-yeah... it's interpretive!" Piper said. It was kind of hilarious how hard she was trying to not make Jason feel bad.

Maybe Piper would make a better therapist.

"I know I suck at drawing, guys. Don't need to rub it in." Jason scowled at them.

"Sorry..." Piper said.

"Not sorry," Leo finished.

Reyna was just silently observing the conversation.

"Here, gimme," Nico said to Jason, snatching the paper back. "I won't even erase anything."

He worked his pencil across the paper masterfully, adding texture and shading and, well, shape.

In a matter of minutes, he had fixed it to a beautiful sketch that could honestly belong in a museum.

"Dam," Leo said. "Nico's not gonna fail art class."

Jason shot him a glare.

The bell for third period rang just then, and Nico snatched up the paper and stuffed it in his bag with the pencil.

"Ugh, I don't have third with any of you," Nico complained. "But see you guys in history?" he nodded to Jason, Leo, and Piper. Sadly, he only had B day classes with Reyna.

"Yep!" Leo agreed, and Jason and Piper echoed him.

And Nico walked off to third.