Chapter Text
Nico wasn’t expecting to be dragged to the infirmary immediately. He hardly had time to pack a bag before Will grabbed his hand and started pulling him along.
There were a couple Apollo kids taking a break outside the Big House, and a few other people hanging about – most likely friends of the patients. Nico stared at the doors, intent to not make eye contact as their conversations ceased and their gazes fell on him. Nico squared his shoulders, even if the stares burning into his back made him want to curl up.
“You going to make me wait all day, di Angelo?”
Nico hadn’t realized he paused at the front door. He heaved a sigh and stepped inside, Will following close enough behind that Nico could feel the heat of him on his back. He wondered if Will radiating heat like that had something to do with being the son of the Sun God.
Or maybe he was just cold.
His whole body felt like ice after being freed from the bronze jar, and he only felt fractionally warmer since then. All the shadow-traveling he did after awakening from his death trance did little to help his situation. Nico felt like he could sleep another three days straight.
But if he did, Will would probably keep him at the infirmary even longer. Judging by the patients and doctors staring at him, he didn’t think that was something he wanted to do. He wanted to step back and flee out the door, but Will was right behind him.
“Let’s get you a bed.”
Thankfully, it was one far in the back of the infirmary. The discomfort didn’t disappear when Nico sat on the bed and Will pulled the curtains shut behind them. Nico shifted uncomfortably. Will tucked Nico’s backpack in the corner. It wasn’t much – just some clean clothes Nico was allowed to grab before being hauled off.
Nico wanted to tell Will it was a mistake and just head back to his cabin, but at Will’s sharp look, he snapped his jaw shut. Will probably knew exactly what he was thinking. Nico glared at the floor between Will’s feet as he came to stand before him.
“Don’t worry about them,” he said. “You’re overthinking things.”
Nico frowned. “They don’t want me here.”
Will sighed softly. “I don’t believe that, but it doesn’t matter whether they want you here at not. I want you here. Because you need to be here. Now, would you please be a good patient for Dr. Solace?” He clapped hands together in front of him like a prayer and gave Nico puppy-eyes.
Nico grimaced. “Fine.”
Will perked up. “Good. Shirt off.”
Nico flushed and sputtered. “What?”
“You think I don’t know about those gnarly wounds on your arms?” He picked at Nico’s sweater. Nico only then noticed how it stuck to his skin with a mixture of dried and fresh blood. “I’d reckon you pulled your stitches.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Even then, he didn’t really feel the pain. He just felt – numb.
Will frowned. “Shirt off.”
Nico obliged. He unzipped his sweater and shrugged it off. It pulled on the wounds, causing a few tendrils of blood to run down his arm. His shirt was more difficult, since he struggled to move his most injured arm. Will helped him. His movements were efficient and clinical.
“Wow.” Will stared at the wounds, then glared up at Nico. “They were this bad and you told no one?”
Wow didn’t really seem to cover it. The stitches were bulky and uneven. A few had torn free of Nico’s skin, which was red, swollen, and oozing puss.
“Oh.” Nico felt nauseous just looking at it. He hadn’t realized it was so bad.
“Oh? You –“ Will was pale. His expression twisted, but once he saw Nico expression, he schooled his own. “It’ll be fine. I’ll fix you right up.” His hand hovered over Nico’s shoulder, but he dropped it to his side. “Lay back. Get comfortable. Give me a minute. I need to grab a couple things.”
Nico nodded, shivering in the cold air as Will disappeared behind the curtain. He resisted the urge to stand, put his shirt back on and leave. As much as he disliked it – he really did need the help. He hadn’t realized it was quite so bad.
“Okay.” Will came back with his arms full. “First of all, let’s get some ambrosia in you. Reyna told me you react best to unicorn draught, but we’re all out right now.” He put a whole bunch of items on the nearby tray. He unwrapped a couple squares and passed them to Nico. He put on some gloves and gingerly took Nico’s arm. He clucked his tongue. “Most of this is going to need to be re-stitched.”
Nico hummed and nibbled on the ambrosia squares. He regained most of his appetite on the Argo II, but his excessive shadow-traveling on made it worse again.
Nico ignored Will the best he could. Faint tingles of pain went up his arm before even more numbness overcame it. Will was focused on his work, forehead creased, and eyes squinted. His eyes were bright blue and intense. His blonde hair curled in every direction, yet somehow still looked neat. Nico ignored the skeletal butterflies in his stomach and glanced away as Will looked up to check on him.
“How you holding up?” Will finished Nico’s arm and wrapped it up tightly.
“I’m alive. I guess.” Nico shivered. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“Not long. We’re through the worst of it.” Will said softly. He pulled off his gloves. He rested his hand on the bed, mere centimeters away from Nico’s. Will’s tender expression made it difficult to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks. With any luck, Will would think it was his fever.
~<3<3<3~
Nico fell asleep after Will got him some blankets and continued working on him. When he awoke, he was covered in no less than five blankets, curtains still drawn to give him privacy. The ambrosia did its job, although not well enough. His head felt clear. Overall, he felt less numb. Although, unfortunately, that also meant he felt the pain.
Nico grit his teeth as he opened his eyes. He shifted as he sat up slightly, drawing a hissing breath between his clenched teeth. He had a high pain threshold, but gouges from a werewolf’s claws were anything but comfortable.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” Will was sitting beside him, eating breakfast. Nico could smell pancakes and sausages. “Hungry?”
“Not really.” The pain was making his stomach turn.
“Figured.” Will handed him a plastic cup with a straw. It had a thick liquid in it that was faintly pink.
Nico wrinkled his nose.
Will laughed. “It’s not as bad as it looks, I promise. It has plenty of nutrients and it’s easy on the stomach – and.” He held out a couple pills. “And you shouldn’t take these on an empty one. Painkillers.”
Nico took them with relief. The concoction indeed wasn’t as bad as it looked. It wasn’t by any means good, but it at least didn’t make his stomach turn. He sipped it and watched Will out the corner of his eye. He was filling out some charts in between bites of food. He had dark circles under his eyes, his skin pale.
“Were you here all night?”
Will hummed, not glancing up from the charts. “It was my turn for an overnight shift. There’s lots of people who need observation through the night. My shift ended half-an-hour ago.”
Nico’s brow furrowed. “Then why are you here?”
Will’s lips twitched up into a smile. “You. Are so dense. It’s actually kind of cute.”
Nico choked on his drink. He coughed a couple times into his arm, then turned to Will. “I’m not cute.”
“You’re right.” Will patted Nico’s shoulder with a placating smile. “I think the more accurate word is adorable.”
Nico flushed. “I’m the son of Hades, I can –“
“Yes, yes. I’m impressed.” Will grinned. “You can show off once you’re all better. Now, finish your drink Death Boy.”
“I told you not to call me Death Boy.”
“I’ll go back to Sunshine, then.”
Nico’s jaw dropped. “That’s worse.”
“Sunshine it is then.” Will grinned.
Nico wanted to argue, but he didn’t trust the humor dancing in Will’s eyes. If Nico complained more about ‘Sunshine’, Will would probably come up with something even more embarrassing. Besides, he kind of liked how it sounded when Will called him that. “Fine.”
He averted his gaze and drank the rest of his drink. Will took it once he was done, his finger tips brushing against Nico’s. As always, his touch sent a current of electricity through Nico’s body. It was disconcerting, but also nice.
“We should get you up and walking. It’s not good to stay immobile all day.” Will peeled the blankets off Nico layer by layer, folding them at the foot of his bed. “How you feeling? Dizzy at all?”
“I’m cold,” Nico muttered. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt, though bandages covered half his chest.
Will snagged Nico’s bag. He opened the zipped and held it out to Nico so he could fish out what he needed – a spare pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a slip-on hoodie.
Will raised his eyebrows, looking unimpressed. “Do you have any other clothes?”
“No.” Why would he? “It’s not like I’ve ever really… stayed here.”
“Right. Of course.” Will ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the blonde curls. “Just hang tight. I’ll get you something easier to get on.”
He left, leaving Nico to twiddle his thumbs and spin the rings on his fingers. He took a moment to examine the way Will bandaged his wounded arm. It was tight, but not enough that he was losing circulation. Nico couldn’t tell if his lack of range of motion was due to the injury or the bandages. It hurt like crazy, but the painkillers were slowly kicking in, reducing it to more of a dull ache.
“Here we go.” Will returned, holding some grey fabric. “Let’s get you dressed.”
“I don’t need help,” Nico muttered.
“Yes, you do.” Will set the clothes on the bed. “You’re not pulling the stitches I just redid because you’re too stubborn to admit you need help. Now, would you mind unbuttoning your jeans?”
Nico did, but not without grumbling. Will helped pull them off. Nico’s sneakers were already missing. Will probably removed them at some point when he was sleeping. Will helped Nico get the sweats on as well, thankfully letting Nico take over when he had them pulled up to his knees. The sweats were too big on him, so he tied the string tightly so they wouldn’t fall down. The sweater Will brought was easier. Will put his arms through the too-long sleeves, then zipped up the front. Nico felt like he was swimming in the clothes, but at least he was dressed. Will grabbed Nico’s sneakers from the base of the bed and slid them on his feet. Once he was done tying them, he held out his hands to Nico.
“Sit up nice and slow.”
Nico grabbed a hand with his uninured one. Will held on tight and slid his other arm behind Nico’s back. Once he was up, Nico eased his legs off the side of the bed. It was all going well, until Nico stood and the room spun dangerously, making his nausea return with a vengeance.
“Oh gods.” Nico tipped his head forward and squeezed his eyes shut. He really didn’t want to throw up on Will.
“Breathe through it. You’re doing good.”
Nico waited for his stomach to settle and for the room to stop spinning before he opened his eyes. It was only then that he realized his had his head resting against Will’s shoulder. He resisted the urge to jerk away and inched back instead, the skeletal butterflies in his stomach not helping his nausea.
“You okay?” Will was still close, face filled with concern. His hand on Nico’s back was warm and comforting. He was sure that if he collapsed, Will would catch him.
Nico didn’t want to move any further away from him. “I think I’m good.”
“Let’s try a few steps then.” Will reoriented them so he had an arm wrapped around Nico’s waist, and Nico’s uninjured arm was hooked over his shoulders.
Will opened the curtain sectioning them off from the rest of the infirmary. Nico expected everyone to stare at him again. Instead, at most they glanced in his direction, then went back to their conversations. Only Will’s sister, Kayla, paid them any attention.
She grinned. “Good to see you’re up. I’ve heard Will’s been taking good care of you.”
“We’re heading out for a bit,” Will said hastily. “Would you mind changing his sheets while we’re gone?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Just behave, or I’ll send Coach Hedge looking for you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was nice outside, the sun warming Nico’s skin. There were a few campers heading towards activities, but most were hanging around their cabins, relaxing and talking with their friends. Everywhere Nico looked, there were bandages and casts – everyone was recovering from the war.
“Nico!”
He jumped at the sound of Percy’s voice. He was standing outside the Athena cabin with Annabeth, a bag thrown over his shoulder. He turned and said something to her, then ran over. Nico slowed to a stop, entirely aware of the way Will’s arm tightened around him.
“Hey.” Percy’s grin was bright, not betraying any discomfort Nico thought he might have felt after confessing his former crush. “It’s good you’re up. I wanted to say bye before I left.”
“You’re leaving?” Nico’s heart didn’t ache – not like it may have a year earlier. Instead, his stomach turned. Maybe Percy wasn’t as comfortable as he was acting. Did Nico scare him away?
“Yeah. I’m going to visit my mom. It’s been almost a year since Hera kidnapped me and I haven’t seen her since.”
Oh. Nico met her a couple times. She was kind and beautiful. She always made sure Nico was fed before he left. Nico remembered how when he showed up at Percy’s 15th birthday and she stuffed him full of cake and ice cream until he could hardly keep his eyes open. He smiled at the memory.
“I’ll be gone for a about a week or so,” Percy continued. “Then I’ll be back for the rest of Summer. Jason mentioned you’d be staying here?” Percy looked hopeful. “Is that true?”
“Yeah.” Nico cast a glance at Will, who was smiling down at him. “I’ve decided to stay.”
“Good. I mean, I’m glad.” Percy glanced towards Will. “You’re taking care of him?”
“Of course.”
“You’ll have your work cut out for you,” Percy said. “He’s kind of…”
“Dense?” Will raised his eyebrows.
“Hey,” Nico interjected.
Percy snorted. “I was going to say reckless, but yeah. That too.”
“You don’t get to talk about recklessness,” Nico said.
Percy rolled his eyes. “That being said, both of you take care. Don’t get into any trouble without me.”
They said their goodbyes and Percy went back to join Annabeth. Nico, feeling progressively more stable since leaving the infirmary, began walking again. Will walked with him, still supplying support. Nico didn’t tell him that he no longer needed it. He liked the feeling of Will’s arm around him. They walked around the training ground, watching various demigods train.
Nico waved to Clarisse before heading back to the infirmary. He wanted to stay out later, but Will promised Kayla they wouldn’t be gone too long, and Nico really didn’t want Coach Hedge to interrupt them. Besides, Will had hardly any sleep and Nico didn’t want to tire him out anymore.
When they got back to the infirmary, Kayla was busy discharging a patient. Nico noticed a few of the beds that were occupied that morning were also empty. Nico sat back down on his own bed, smiling to himself as Will took of his shoes.
“You’re in a good mood,” Will said.
Nico laid back in bed. “It was a good morning.”
Will hummed. “You look nice when you smile.”
“Do I?” Nico couldn’t help but smile more.
“Yeah,” Will said softly. “Like that.” Will reached towards him with an aborted movement, his hand hovering in the air.
Nico swallowed thickly, and then grabbed Will’s hand before he lost the nerve or before Will pulled away. Will’s eyes widened.
“This is okay?” Will’s thumb traced along Nico’s knuckles.
Will’s mouth twitched up into a smile, and his eyes gleamed like when he wanted to tease Nico. Nico glared in challenge. Will opted to keep his mouth shut. He took Nico’s hand in both of his and started playing with his fingers.
“There’s less darkness in your hand now.” Will said. “A couple more weeks and you should be able to start using your powers again.” He cupped Nico’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “So long as we monitor it.”
Nico groaned. “Two weeks? I thought I only needed three days?”
“Three days in the infirmary. The rest can be spent at your cabin, and you can start incorporating light physical activities. Then, finally, your underworld powers. You overextended yourself. You need a lot of time to recover from that. If you do too much, you’re only going to delay your recovery.”
“I don’t like laying about.”
“I’ll come keep you company,” Will winked. “The two weeks will be over before you know it. Then, we can re-evaluate from there and see what the next steps are. But for now, lets get through these next two days, and make sure those werewolf scratches don’t get infected again. Or else I’ll have to keep you here for longer.”
“Sounds like you’ll be here every step of the way.” It wouldn’t be as bad, so long as Will was there with him. He’d get bored without his annoying face around.
“Of course,” Will said. “You’re mi – you’re my patient.”
Was it strange for Nico to say he was kind of looking forward to it?