Nico Learns To Bake

Summary: After finding out that Jason's favourite food was brownies from New Rome's bakeries, Nico attempts to learn how to make them.

Rating: SFW

Warning: I have no baking knowledge or baking skills whatsoever (except the information granted to me by the results that come up on Google Search) so I'm sorry if anyone from the baking fandom gets offended by this fic.

Author's Note: So here's a short fic about that "Nico learns how to bake brownies for Jason" headcanon I was asking about in the jasico tag on Tumblr some time ago. To be honest I just did this because the thought of Nico with a ponytail and an apron on because he was baking brownies for Jason sounded very appealing.

Nico was in a sticky situation.

Literally.

In his haste, he knocked over a jar at one of the grocery aisles and it shattered, spilling a mix of honey and glass shards on the floor and on his boots.

"Nico, relax," Hazel said. She stayed with her brother and the shopping cart while Frank asked the nearest salesclerk for assistance. "Let me and Frank pick out the rest of the stuff on the list, okay?"

Nico didn't argue. He thought it was a subtle way for Hazel to say: Just push the cart. We don't want you breaking any more things in this store.

After Hazel had told him about Jason's love for New Rome's brownies, Nico was nervous but determined to start baking. He had pulled her and Frank with him to go shopping for ingredients at the nearest grocery store outside Camp Jupiter because they both knew what the brownies had tasted like. New Rome's bakers were very secretive about the recipe when he had tried to ask them about it, so he had no choice but to find out how to make them on his own.

The jittery son of Hades heard his boots make a squelching sound as he proceeded to stand behind the cart.

Hazel reached for an unbroken jar of honey, careful not to step on the mess on the floor, and placed it in between the large packs of sugar and the flour sack in the shopping cart. "What's next on the list?" she asked.

"Cocoa powder, and we're done," Nico replied. It was the last thing on the list.

Frank was back with a salesclerk holding a mop and a bucket of soapy water. "Hey guys, we need fourteen bucks for that huge honey jar," the son of Mars said.

Nico looked a little miffed as he pulled out a roll of cash from his pants pocket. He unfurled the first three bills and gave it to the salesclerk, saying "Sorry about the mess. Just keep the extra dollar."

Nico wheeled the cart out of the aisle after stuffing the now slightly smaller roll of money back into his pocket. Frank and Hazel were walking behind him.

There were plastic containers of cocoa powder in the other aisle, and Hazel rushed past the cart and grabbed two to add to their purchases.

Nico hummed, thinking it wasn't enough. "Eight more," he said.

"Isn't that a little too much cocoa powder?" Frank asked, helping Hazel out with the additional containers.

"Screw that. I have money," he snapped. In truth, he was just afraid that he'd fuck up the first few batches, so he'd need a large quantity of all the ingredients he could get his hands on.

Frank didn't say anything in response but put the containers in the cart. They followed the son of Hades to the checkout. Nico's eyes gleamed like a madman's as he forked out a wad of real-world cash from inside his aviator jacket. Being the son of a god whose Roman counterpart's domain included wealth had its advantages.

Frank let Nico use the dining hall's kitchen as he saw fit, which the son of Hades had been thankful for. It was already past lunch, so the kitchen wouldn't be used until an hour before sundown.

The apron he picked up at the store was black (surprise, surprise), and he wore it after setting his aviator jacket aside. Hazel had insisted that he buy an elastic hairband to keep the hair out of his face (and the brownies) while attempting to bake. He never wore his hair in a ponytail before, so he had to ask Hazel's help with tying it up properly. His hair was bunched up in a small ponytail at the base of his neck, and Hazel assured him that he looked fine. Frank wasn't laughing, which he took as a good sign.

He would be alone for at least an hour, because Frank had to leave to attend to his duties as praetor, and Hazel went with him upon Nico's insistence. He wanted to learn how to bake on his own, and he reassured them that the first batch will be done when they get back after an hour or two.

And now, he regrets not having them around to help him out.

Nico was pretty sure that eggshell bits weren't supposed to be present in the batter. But then they were. He picked them out of the bowl carefully, making a mental note to practice breaking eggs properly next time.

He scrambled for the measuring cup and scooped up some flour in the sack, adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients and the cocoa powder. He vigorously mixed the ingredients together with a plastic spatula to create something akin to brown slop.

Nico frowned at the contents of the bowl, wondering if it would turn out like the brownies on the pictures on the internet. The batter was dumped into a pan, and the oven was already preheated to the prescribed temperature. He was about to open the oven door with one hand when Jason's misty image popped up in front of him.

"Nico?" Jason said, his blue eyes surveying Nico's surroundings questioningly. The Ghost King gulped, putting his free hand back to the side of the pan to support it. He knew the mess of ingredients, used bowls, scattered flour, empty packs of sugar, and flecks of stray batter were scattered on the table behind him. "Are you baking?"

"I- uh," Nico couldn't find the words to say.

"Are those brownies you're making?" Jason had a wide gaping smile on his face that reminded Nico of a kid in a candy shop.

Nico could only nod in response, his hands gripping the edges of the pan tightly in fear of dropping it. He was tempted to bang the baking pan on the table and swipe a panicked hand through Jason's misty image so he wouldn't feel so restless. But that would be horribly rude to his special someone. Bear with it, Nico told himself.

"Can I try some when they're done?" Jason asked eagerly.

Suddenly, the pressure of succeeding in creating the sort of brownies Jason likes increased tenfold.

Nico gulped. "Why not?" he smiled weakly. He wanted to curse for his reply coming out of his mouth like a nervous squeak.

"Great! I'll be there in a few hours, so I'll see you then. Love you, Nico. Oh, and that ponytail looks pretty good on you," Jason grinned with a tender look in his eyes as he gazed upon the Ghost King. He swiped his hand through the mist on his end of the Iris message so Nico wouldn't have to set the pan down to do it. Though it was thoughtful of Jason to end the call on his end, he could have at least waited for Nico to reply with an 'I love you' of his own. But then he was afraid that no words would pour forth from his mouth if he had opened it with how nervous and flustered he felt.

Nico groaned in frustration. The brownies just have to turn out right before Jason arrives.

Frank and Hazel got back after an hour and a half, and saw Nico cursing over a pile of slightly burnt chocolate brownies on a plate.

"You didn't get them out in time," Frank said. He put the brownie back on the plate with the rest of its overcooked brethren. They didn't have to taste test this batch. Hazel was scraping off the bits of chocolate that stuck to the rectangular baking pan with a spoon because Nico hadn't greased it before popping it in the oven. Meanwhile, the Ghost King worked furiously on a second batch that would hopefully turn out better than his previous attempt.

Frank noticed how Nico had been aggressively beating the eggs and adding them to the melted butter and vanilla in a bowl.

He sighed. "You have to be calm when you're baking, Nico," the son of Mars said.

Nico stared at Frank with wild eyes, and for a moment the praetor had been afraid that he'd be attacked with the plastic spatula, but at least Nico stopped massacring the ingredients in the bowl.

"My mom used to tell me that baking was a labor of love. Don't be so anxious while you're making those brownies, and they'll turn out fine." As if to prove a point, Frank picked up an egg from the egg carton and cracked it open with one swift motion. He even separated the yolk from the whites with ease, and put the yolk in a clean bowl.

Nico stared at the son of Mars as if he had been a son of a god of baking instead.

"Frank. Could you teach me?" Nico asked.

Everything was easier once he calmed down. He listened to Frank's tips, and copied Frank's movements, so now the second batch had been put in the preheated oven in a well-greased pan.

Frank smiled at him in accomplishment, and he smiled back, saying "Thanks for the help."

Hazel looked at both of them proudly. "I think it's going to turn out fine," she said.

Nico wiped the sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve, hoping she was right. But he had just one question.

"So. You learned how to bake from your mom?" he asked Frank.

Frank reddened and replied, "Yeah. I helped her out when she baked cookies for me and my grandmother. Though it's mostly me who eats them."

Hazel smiled lovingly at him, squeezing his hand. "That's really cool, Frank."

Nico made a motion to start cleaning up the table and keeping away the extra ingredients, and Frank and Hazel helped out. Hazel and Frank were washing the used bowls and spoons at the sink while Nico wiped the spots of batter and spilled ingredients off the table.

"Nico?" Jason's voice was faint, and it came from outside the kitchen.

The son of Hades tensed, wide eyes glancing at the timer which indicated that he had a minute left before he could take the pan out of the oven. The brownies weren't even done yet and Jason was already there.

"Nico- Oh hey. Hi guys," Jason said, entering the kitchen door and acknowledging Frank's and Hazel's presence in the room besides his apron-clad boyfriend's.

He sauntered into the kitchen, his shoes squeaking on the tiled floor, and made a beeline for Nico.

Nico put on his oven mitts, looking anxiously between his approaching lover and the oven.

Ding!

The Ghost King ran for the oven, cautiously taking the pan out and closing the oven door with a nudge from his booted foot. He was about to walk back to the table with the hot pan when he froze, seeing Jason eye the failed first batch of brownies.

"Hey, don't mind if I do," Jason said as he picked up a burnt brownie from the plate that Nico hadn't removed from the table yet. Nico cursed, wishing that he should have disposed of the shitty first batch first before cleaning up.

Nico yelled, "Jason, no! Don't eat those-"

Crunch.

Jason chewed on the burnt brownie with utter fascination on his face. "Crunchy," he grinned.

Nico watched in abject horror as Jason consumed the rest of the burnt brownie and dusted his hands of crumbs.

"Nico, you're not going to set that hot pan down?" Jason looked cheerily at Nico like he hadn't just eaten an overcooked brownie.

Nico unfroze, walking sheepishly back to the table where Jason was. He could feel Hazel's and Frank's eyes on them, probably watching them in glee.

He set the pan down with one of his oven mitts to cushion it since they didn't have a wire rack. He turned to Jason and untied his apron, folding it up and setting it next to the pan. He was about to remove the elastic hairband, but Jason's hands gently grasped his wrists and brought them down to his sides.

"Keep it on for a little longer. It's really cute," Jason beamed, letting his hands slide down to make his fingers fill the gaps in between Nico's fingers.

A look of irritation bloomed on Nico's face, accompanied by reddened cheeks. "Okay, fine," the Ghost King replied, averting his gaze.

A/N #1: And then the second batch turned out pretty great, and Nico made it a point to surprise Jason with his baked goodies at random times of the week. And on a random note, I like to think that Hazel and Frank ship Jasico. XD

A/N #2: I do like the taste of partly-burnt chocolate-flavored cookies for some reason (never got a chance to eat burnt chocolate cake though, since my mom had it thrown out before I could try it). Burnt parts give the cookie a bitter taste that I don't find repulsive. It also gives it that nice crunch that probably shouldn't be there in a cookie that's supposed to be soft and chewy, but I enjoy it nonetheless.