Chapter Text
“Why are you angry, again? I’d like a summary of your ranting. Or a recording.” Reyna asked, sighing. Why she chose to accompany her brother, while he was finishing an art assignment, that was due to be graded by tomorrow, and hearing him rant about his college life, she will never know. “And why aren’t you doing this at home? Why at college?”
Nico turned around from his current work and gave his sister a poker face. “Summary of your first question: I hate Mr. Fredrickson. And second question: IF I go home and do my work, I’ll never get it done.” He deadpanned and turned back to finish his project.
“You have a point there.” Reyna smiled, as she looked at her brother bite his lips in concentration. She loved watching Nico work. Once a job was given to him, he made sure that it was done as efficiently and as effectively as he could do. His motivation always motivated others. But, you see, that was a bad habit of his. He was selfless. He always looked out for others but not for himself, which left others worrying out for him, as was the current situation.
She moved from the chair she was sitting and walked towards her brother, who sat there adding the finishing touches on the painting. There was paint all over his hands, a bit on his face and even on the dull, grey apron he was wearing. He looked absolutely adorable. Reyna chuckled.
Nico looked from the corner on his eye, and raised an eyebrow. “What? Did I make a mistake?”
“No, it’s just – you look like that 9 year old boy who had paint splattered all along his face and hands and body, and even the walls sometimes, by the time Mother and Father came home from work.” Reyna replied, giggling and handing Nico a spare, unused towel to wipe the paint of his face.
Nico grinned. “Really?”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for the apron, you’d have paint all over your dress by now. Actually, I wouldn’t mind a little paint over your shirt, you know. I think a little bright pink and a little white would make that skull on your shirt, happy a bit. Maybe I should tell Hazel the idea.” Reyna laughed as she saw Nico’s eyes turn wide.
“Please don’t.” Nico said, as he took the towel and dabbed his forehead gently with it. “She’ll never get over that idea then. I do not want a pink bow on my skull or turned into a rainbow unicorn by tomorrow morning… Anyways, I’m done. What do you think?”
One look of the painting on the canvas, and Reyna was smiling brightly. It was a beautiful scenery of blooming cherry blossoms in the moon light by a small, shimmering lake. The moon shone, casting its shine on the lake and cherry blossoms brightly. The lake glimmered beneath the trees, while the cherry blossoms looked peacefully gorgeous with their perfectly colored petals, as they stood on a tiny hill. The lush greenery of the grass was a wonderful touch to the painting, and the portrayed wind blowing through the flowers sent a chill down your spine, imagining the coolness of that scene. All in all, it was absolutely divine. Peaceful and breathtaking.
“You know, you’re not saying anything and I’m getting a bit worried.” Nico said, as he chewed on his lip.
Reyna snapped out from her daze. “Oh… What? Oh, sorry! It’s – it’s beautiful, Nico. One of the many….of your ‘best arts’ I’ve seen so far. This was when we last went to Japan, isn’t it? Only you didn’t draw us on the hill.”
“I don’t want to merge my private life with my college one. If you want, I can make a separate one for you.” Nico said, as he removed his apron and started to gather things to clean up.
“You know what? Why don’t you do just that? You can give that to Hazel instead. You know, for her birthday next week.”
Nico stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around. “Reyna….Reyna, you’re a genius!! Why didn’t I think of that before? It’ll be the perfect gift. Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
Reyna laughed. “It just popped into my mind right now, silly. And by the looks of your miraculous talents, I’d say that you’d get it down by tomorrow itself.”
“You flatter me too much, sister dearest.” Nico said, kissing Reyna on the head. “I’m gonna go and get this paint palette washed up. Will you pack things up for me? The sooner I get home and get started, the better it will be for me.”
“Go ahead.” Reyna said nodding at the door, smiling as she watched Nico dash out of the room.
X-----------X-----------X
Nico probably grinned like a fool, as he walked to the washroom. A painting of his dear sister, for her birthday? From the bottom of his heart? What could be a better gift than that?!
He was ecstatic. He absolutely loved the idea. For two weeks now, he was wondering how could he make Hazel’s birthday to be one of the best ones she’s had so far. He had everything in mind for it: a perfect location for birthday party, invites to all those near and dear to her (especially Frank), the restaurant was already booked a week before, the cake was already asked to be kept ready a day before her birthday….. But the only thing left was the perfect gift. That’s what boggled his entire family’s mind. What could be the perfect gift for her?
But now he had what he wanted to give. Why didn’t Reyna say this idea sooner? Nico really wanted to get home and get started on it. He couldn’t wait! But in his euphoria, just as he was about to enter the washroom, did he bump into someone and dropped his palette.
“Hey, watch where your go-…” Nico looked up quick enough to find paint smeared on the other person’s clothing. “Oh my God! I’m really sorry!” Nico said as he watched the blonde look at his letterman jacket, touching the paint a bit. Only when he heard Nico did the person look up, and Nico could have sworn that he held his breath so fast and so hard that it startled the next person.
He was Jason Grace – the hottest guy in college (and one with the cutest ass).
X-----------------X------------------X
“Jasonnnn….Come on, man. Lighten up. All he did was smile. You didn’t even go in to talk to him! How can you assume that he’d hate you? Who hates you, anyways?!” Leo groaned, as he watched Jason splash water on his face for probably the tenth time already. They had been in the boy’s washroom for the past 15 minutes, after Jason stared at Nico for a few given minutes, as he was doing the art assignments given to them this week, before dashing off to the washroom. “Man, you’ve got it bad!”
Jason took a deep breath as he looked in the mirror. “Nico’s not like that Leo. He’s not the one to judge, I know. But….. What if –“
“What IF? You’re assuming all this based on a ‘what if’? Those assumptions never work out, man! Such assumptions always lead to simple misunderstandings!”
“I don’t think I should be taking ‘crush advices’ from you, Leo.” Jason said, as he looked through the mirror and smirked. “Don’t you have your own problems to solve?”
“Hey! I’m your best friend! You should take advices whether you like them or not. One of them will surely work out. And I don’t have ‘crush problems’! I’m doing pretty fine on my own. At least, I make a move every time I see my crush. Well, not crush. My soon-to-be-girlfriend.” Leo said, as he looked dreamily in the air.
“Whatever.” Jason said as he rolled his eyes, out of amusement and looked down back at the basin. A blush crept up all the way up to his ears, as he said in a low voice, “And he wasn’t only smiling…. He was biting his lips.”
For Jason, that might as well have been the last straw. He couldn’t take it anymore. It’s been 3 months since the first time he saw Nico. He first saw the gorgeous Italian, as he walked through the cafeteria doors during lunch on the first day of college. And Jason, swore to God that day that he would make Nico his, no matter what. He couldn’t get his eyes off him.
The way Nico talked, he could sit and listen for hours. Nico’s beautiful glimmering onyx eyes pulled you in another dimension. Nico’s soft, silky hair looked wonderful and must feel wonderful to touch. Nico’s chiseled jaw line…. You could cut cheese with that jaw! Nico’s lips…. It should’ve been a sin to have lips like his. God… that was probably the most distracting thing about Nico so far.
And today, Nico looked absolutely sexy while he bit those gorgeous red lips of his, in concentration. Nico’s eyes were as black as the night sky in his painting, the color of licorice to be precise. His skin as angelic white as the moon and soft, red lips going ruby red from all the biting. And as he smiled at the work of art before him, Jason smiled at the work of art in front of him. Jason wanted so much from that Art student…
An array of thoughts and scenes flooded into his head, making his head go dizzy and lost in absolute bliss, just by looking at the boy before him, and he realized that those thoughts were going out of control, the moment he bit his own lips, mimicking Nico, and he felt his pant feel tighter. This wasn’t good. He ran. He needed to not see Nico for a while. He needed that badly. But, how could he when all he ever thought about was Nico in the entirety of his day? He fled, his best mate calling out to him. He needed to wash his face. He needed something cool, right now!
And there he was right now, panting in front of the mirror, as he took a handful of water, one by one, trying to get his thoughts straight.
“Hello!! Earth to Jason!!” Leo screamt, trying to get his best friend out the dreamy daze he was in. “Jase! We gotta get to class.”
Jason snapped at the word ‘class’. He can’t be late. He had record to hold. “Shit! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Come on.”
Leo blinked. “Well that snapped you out. Nerd! Anyways, I thought you wanted that much time to..you know…to do your thing.” He said, following Jason to the door.
Jason hovered his hand on the dirty knob of the door, before turning around, a deep beet red. “W..wha-what …thing?”
“You know….the one in your pant?” Leo said nodding at Jason.
“Oh my God! It’s gone! Don’t worry!” Jason said as he opened the door and left.
“I thought you wanted to jack off. It doesn’t go that easily!” Leo shouted after him, as he hobbled after him, with that heavy bag on his shoulder.
Jason turned around with a horrified expression. “Yeah. Scream. Scream, you asshole. Scream for the whole -”
And someone bumped into him, something sticky and wet splattering all across his jacket. Paint. Pink. French rose pink. And a bit of licorice black. It smelled weird. Jason touched the sticky paint.
“Oh my God! I’m really sorry!”
No. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. Please don’t let it be –
Jason looked up, finding a breathless, worried Nico, with his lips apart. And all Jason could think was how much he wanted to bite those ruby lips of his and Why do you hate me God?
X-----------------X-----------------X