Chapter Text
Leo, despite his numerous tries, couldn’t get the bizarre interaction out of his mind. He pondered and replayed the scene in his head too many times to be normal. That’s it, he is losing his mind. His trip to the kitchens was successful, but at what cost? His mind had latched on the first interaction he had in at least a week and it refused to focus on what is truly important, his work! This whole thing was really putting him behind schedule. Did Leo have an actual work schedule? Well, no, but it’s the principle of the thing!
The boy growled in frustration. He really wanted to kick or punch something but restrained himself. He shouldn’t cause any more mess. The inside of the forge was already looking like a hurricane had passed through it.
That’s why he never went out anymore! Stupid people and stupid distractions that put his mind in disarray. Why he was so worked up about the unexpected meeting, he couldn’t tell you. His and Nico’s relationship(if you could even call it that) was strained as the two had never interacted much, which makes the whole ordeal even stranger. Why did he even give a shit?
Leo stared up at the half build body of his dragon. He had been desperately trying to make Festus’s new legs work for hours. If only his brain cooperated with him, but alas, it had decided tha Nico di-fucking-Angelo was a way more important thing to focus on.
Leo banged his head against the workbench. Repeatedly. Frustration was quickly slipping into actual anger. In days like this, he truly resented his ADHD, and actually missed the meds he was forced to take when he was younger. A lot of foster families preferred him drugged out of his mind rather than being a hyperactive little shit all the time. He might have hated it at the time but present Leo was really craving the quietness the meds provided.
He had even attempted to start a new project, hopeful that he could clutch onto something new and exciting! But his tries failed spectacularly. It seems like the prospect of a sink was not something interesting enough to warrant his full attention.
Leo was so done with all this shit. He let his head rest on the bench while he contemplated on what to do. Work was, unfortunately, a no go and he was too restless to sleep. He was not going out, that's for sure. It’s been hours since his midnight stroll and it must be day by now. He did not fancy another meeting thank you very much. So a shower was also out of the question. He could eat, but he didn’t want the rations to end too quickly. The whole night proved it wasn’t a good idea for him to make trips outside. I mean, look at him! He’s stuck! He can’t even make a decision just because he happened to bump into Nico di Angelo!
And talking (or rather, thinking) about di Angelo, what the hell was up with him? Leo understands chaos, gods, sometimes he thinks he’s chaos reincarnated but climbing trees at 3 am? Yeah, no. He can’t figure it out and it is driving him insane. It makes zero sense! the guy was more serious than death (ha!) but he thought it was appropriate to climb trees at 3 am like an emo version of Tarzan? Did he fall into an alternate universe?
Whatever, Leo’s too tired to deal with all this shit.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Nico is refusing to be embarrassed. So what if Valdez saw him fall out of a tree? He was entitled to his own privacy.
“Stop obsessing over last night. The world didn’t cease to exist because Leo saw you being an idiot.”. Will didn’t even spare him a glance, too busy restocking the medicine cabinet.
Nico came to the infirmary to hang out with his boyfriend and instead he is being called out. No, he is not whining.
“I am not obsessing. I’m just… analysing… the moment?” His comeback came out more like a question and the boy cringed at his own, terrible, to be honest, cover. Will turned around just to raise a judgmental eyebrow at him.
Yeah, Will saw right through him. Nico accepted his defeat. He might be obsessing a little (read: a lot) over everything.
Nico grumbled in annoyance.
“I wouldn’t be thinking about it if I knew there would be a chance of meeting him in the first place. I didn’t even know he was at camp! I’ve been here for a week and I haven't seen him anywhere!” The Hades kid complained but he caught something strange withe the corner of his eye.
His boyfriend's posture had changed. While he was talking, Wills shoulders rose with tension and his movements turned a tiny bit more sharp.
Will was worried, Nico concluded. And it must be pretty serious if just the mention of the Hephestus kid made him react like that. The change in his demeanor might not had not been dramatic but Nico knows how to read his boyfriend.
“You're worried.” There was an underlying question behind his statement.
The blond paused his movements for a moment, eyes glazing over with, what Nico undoubtedly thinks, are weeks worth of concern for Leo. Soon enough, he resumed his work with a worried twist on his eyebrows.
The Hades kid eyed him suspiciously. Will will break sooner or later… probably. Honestly, it's a 50-50 chance with him. Nico hopes that he talks this time instead of mulling over the problem in his head, not because he cares for Leo, of course! He just wants to know purely out of curiosity.
Will chewed his lip thoughtfully before he, hesitantly, started to talk.
“It's just that…” he sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly.
“He's never around anymore. He used to end up here at least once a week one way or another, either because he got hurt working and one of the others had to drag him so we can tend to him, or to just hang around and cause me a headache with all his rambling and talent to mess with everything within ten feet radius.”
Despite his critical words, Will looked quite fond while he complained. It seems that he and Leo were closer than Nico imagined. The son of Apollo only allowed a select few to hang around the infirmary without them being a patient, although Nico is sure that the Hephestus kid was hurt more often than even the kids in the Ares cabin.
All that to say, Will and Leo are, as evidence present, friends and much closer than the Hades kid was aware of.
“He has not shown his face here in weeks, and even worse, I don't remember the last time I saw him at a meal or a camp activity or in any place around camp. So, yes, I'm worried! He has isolated himself, I dont know why and i cant just ask him because, firstly, he is nowhere to be seen and secondly, even if i had seen and had the chance to talk to him, he's worse at opening up about his feeling than you!”
The blond rambled nervously, words quickly spilling out of his mouth and work completely forgotten, which… Not a good sign.
“I mean, at first I thought nothing of it, he gets hyperfocussed in his creations all the time, so it's normal to not see him for a few days, but the last few times had dragged on and on and every time he come back worse for wear but nobody else seemed to notice. I thought I was going crazy! Gods, a part of me still thinks I'm crazy!”
Now that Will mentions it, the fire wielder didn't look too well to Nico either. He looked skinny and several shades paler than the Hades kid remembers him. The bags under his eyes were so prominent, Nico seriously thought that they had been permanently sculpted to his face. But even those were hard to distinguish behind the layers and layers of grease that drowned the latino, paired with the absolute mess that was his overgrown and ratty hair that were mostly hiding his face.
And the clothes, gods, the clothes, they were absolutely disgusting. Just thinking the smell of them makes the black haired boy want to gag.
“No, no, you're right. You absolutely have a reason to worry.” The Hades kid couldn't keep himself from grimacing in the memory of Leo's state.
“Oh great Apollo, do you know how little that comforts me? Was he okay? What did you see? Why didn't you say something sooner?” Will is full on rambling now, pacing around the room, hands flying around, worry written all over his body language.
“Calm down, he was fine enough to question me and be a smartass about it.” Nico tried to comfort his boyfriend.
“Fine enough?! Nicolò DiAngelo, if you don't tell me right this moment what you saw exactly, I swear to all twelve gods up on Olympus, there won't be a body to be found when I'm finished with you.”
If anyone thinks that Nico is the scary one in this relationship, they are solemnly mistaken.
And so, the black haired boy described as best as he could his previous interaction and the state in which he found the Hephaestus kid.
Will sits on the cot and goes quiet for a few moments. Then, he buries his face in his hands and groans. Nico sits next to him and pats his shoulder to provide some comfort.
“Damnit. I should've listened to my gut and done something before.” The blond dragged his hand through his locks, looking like he aged 50 years from this conversation alone.
“You were busy with other stuff. Besides, it's not your job to babysit Valdez anyway. He's a big boy, he should be able to take care of himself.” Nico tried to reason, but his efforts didn't seem to work very well, considering the withering look the other boy threw his way.
“You have the emotional intellect of a fried popcorn. I don't know why I still put up with you.” Nico bristled at the insult, but, wisely, chose not to shoot anything back. Maybe he shouldn’t have made a dig towards the others friend, especially when he was so worried about him, but he can't help himself!
Valdez is infuriating. Every second he was forced to spend with him in Argo 2 was worse than the time he was stuck in that fucking jar, in the deepest pit of Tartarus. No, Nico is not being dramatic!
“He said he was going to the kithens when I asked him. If he wasn't okay, then he wouldn't attempt a raid in the middle of the night just to get a snack.” The Hades kid said, thinking back to the awkward moment.
Will scoffed at his logic, which was completely uncalled for, if you ask him.
“No sane person steps into the kitchens if they want to keep their life. That place is a deathtrap, especially at night when you can't even see clearly. But you wouldn't know that since I have to hunt you down for every meal.”
When did this conversation turn into a scolding? He doesn't deserve such treatment!
Will must be a seer and not have told him because the Hades kid cannot find an explanation for his boyfriends next words.
“Oh, you absolutely deserve the reprimanding. Don't give me that look, it's written all over your face. No, I ain't a secret seer.” Will sounded exasperated but the crease between his eyebrows relaxes a little and his lips twitch upwards.
Nico feels some tension leave his shoulders at the sight. His boyfriend might be somewhat of a bastard sometimes but it doesn't mean that he likes to be so worried over something he has no control over.
Although, he has to admit, maybe this time the worries are valid. As much as he doesn't like Valdez, he can recognize that the boy might be in need of help. He will never voice the thoughts, but he was genuinely shocked at the state of the Hephestus kid. If he hadn't had conjured a fire in his palm, then Nico doubts he would have recognised him. Then again, he doesn't know anybody else who could be able to be covered head to toe in so much grease and act like it's a normal occurrence (it probably is).
The son of Apollo got a far away look, which means he's thinking about Leo again. He silently turned towards the medicine cabinet, resuming his previous task.
He's probably gonna mull over every new information for a few hours, in which he'll ignore everything around him, except if someone gets injured of course. His duties as a medic overrule any concerns that he might have outside of his practise.
Well, Nico thinks bitterly, there goes the quality time with his boyfriend. He definitely doesn't pout about it or anything. He is one of the most powerful demigods alive, such action would be completely immature. Percy's supposed to be the immature one.
But, at the end of the day, maybe spending a little less time with the boy isn't such a big deal, especially when said boy is conducting the ultimate masterplan to help his friend.
And yes, that's what Will is doing. Nico can see the determined line between his shoulders forming and his expression changing into a stubbornness the Hades kid sees often to a lesser degree. He is determined to go through with everything he thinks is necessary to help.
The son of Hade lies back on the cot, already resigned. He knows that there is no escape from the fate the blond will, soon enough, bestothe upon him.
He has a feeling that he will be seeing a lot more of Leo Valdez than he ever wanted.