Fanfiction (Solangelo)

Chapter 1

Nico's head pounded like a beating drum in his skull, with no way to stop it. He covered his pale ears with his hands as he curled into a ball in the corner, trying to block out all the noises even as tears streamed past his squeezed shut eyelids down his face. The noises of normal people chatting and laughing before class kept creeping past his hands, past his blockade, adding to the steady beat in his head.

"Neeks? You alright, man?" Soft hair tickled his forehead as a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He shot out up straight, a flight reflex already taking place.

"Hey, hey, it's just me. Jason. Come on, let's go back to our apartment. I've got some homework I should be doing anyway," Jason walked with him to their apartment, away from the party Nico had thought he could handle, seeming to understand that Nico didn't like to talk. Ever since he was ten, when Hades found out that his son wasn't ....normal and stopped speaking to him after screaming at him for 3 hours, Nico had shut down and barely talked to anyone. He only speaked to Bianca and Hazel, and sometimes Jason, (and his professors cuz he wanted good grades and college was tough tough tough), and it was too much even with only them. He still wasn't sure how Jason, his roommate, and he had landed an apartment off campus, an apartment the surely cost a lot more than a dorm, since he hadn't asked anyone. Nico sniffed a few times, able to breathe a little bit better now that they were outside and away from all the people. His shaking subsided and he swallowed back the bile that had risen in his throat before, just as the drum slowed and stopped.

"C-can we get coffee?" Nico asked hesitantly, ducking his head as he spoke. He rummaged around in his pocket for a pen, giving up sadly when he couldn't find one. He had left his sketchbook in his room, and sketching helped calm him down, as well as giving him something to do so he didn't have to look at people.

"Yeah, let's do it. As long as you're good, though," Jason glanced at him, making sure he was all right. Seeing he had been digging through all his pockets with no luck, Jason grinned and pulled a black pen out of his back pocket, silently handing it to Nico. It's crazy how Jason just knows me so well. I mean, we never really talked in high school, and we've only had this apartment for two months, Nico thought as he took the pen and started drawing on his arms. The scars littering his forearms helped create the masterpiece Nico was envisioning. He was so engrossed in drawing Jason had to pull him out of the way of street lamps and around corners before they arrived at a coffee shop Nico had been by thousands of times, but had never been inside of before.

As soon as they entered Nico heard whistling and music, neither of which seemed like they should go together, but somehow did. Jason led him to a table, and they sat, glancing around at the Chinese lanterns, fish tanks, and art displayed across the room. The fish tanks held an array of colors, sizes of fish, and coral, allowing someone to watch for hours and never be bored. The art was incredible, huge murals, across the walls, brilliant oranges mixed with depressing blacks, creating a face that resembled one you would see with graffiti, with a mixture of emotions across the one face. Across the coffee shop another mural depicted a two boys, one with blond hair and one with black, kissing in the rain, tears streaming down their faces. The lanterns near that mural were dimmer than the rest, only whites, grays, and blacks, while the rest were oranges, pinks, bright greens, and whites. It helped that the mural of the boys was near the back, near where the counter was, as it led Nico to believe that they wanted to hid their relationship.

It was all so beautiful in the most impossible way.

Much like the blond in front of him.

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Hiya! So this is my first fanfic, so I hope you guys like it.

Any comments or questions feel free to send my way.

This is not edited, and I hope that I got the characters right, too.

~Katherine