Chapter Text
Nico woke up, sweating, a scream stuck in his throat. He'd forgotten how bad the nightmares got. It had seemingly been forever since Tartarus, but it still haunted him. He felt as though he'd shadow-traveled three people and a forty-foot-tall statue halfway across the world again, which was not an experience he was fully prepared to relive.
He lay on his bed into the early hours of the morning trying to sleep, but it took him a long while to finally drift off into a fitful sleep.
His condition only worsened when someone knocked on the door too early the next day, sending him across the empty Cabin 13. He opened the door to Will Solace, shivering slightly in the cold winter air. The sun was staring to rise behind Will, but the sky was cloudy and still dark.
"Can I come in?" Will asked, in the dim light that reflected off his golden hair. Nico nodded and opened the door further. Nico sat down on the edge of the bed, but Will stood across from him.
Nico was tired, and still shaken from his dreams, so he began to protest. "Look, I'm not in the mood for another lectur–"
"Nico, I know about the nightmares."
That promptly shut Nico up. Without looking up at Will, he replied, "I don't know what you're talking about." Will laughed half-heartedly.
"Nico," Will said in a way that shook Nico, "you might think otherwise, but you're pretty terrible at hiding our emotions. It's written all over your face. I was one of the medics that took care of Annabeth and Percy after..."
Will trailed off and turned his gaze at his feet. He shook his head and started again. "I've seen that look before. I don't want you to think you're alone in all this."
There was a thick silence between the two. Will's eyes scoured the room, obviously surprised at the depressing decor. Nico studied Will; his arms, his face, his whole 'All-American Boy' getup. Nico prides himself on seeing through people, but Will was a mystery to him.
"Was that it?" Nico asked, breaking the silence. Will finally looked up at him directly, and his eyes were a shocking blue. Will looked a bit startled, but he had the ghost of a lopsided smile on his cheeks.
"Yes, that was my spiel. But if you want my opinion," Will chided as he walked backwards out the door, "you have other problems. Like, you need to eat. It is not healthy to fit into super skinny jeans."
Right before the door closed, Will called out, "Doctor's orders!" As it slammed shut, Nico let himself blush, and his face erupted red.
***
Over the next few days, Nico tried to eat more—he really did—but he wasn't hungry. He was never really hungry. Maybe that was a side-effect of almost becoming non-corporeal? Nico didn't know.
But things really got interesting when Nico was dueling with Jason—a terrible idea—when Jason accidentally sliced Nico across the side and slapped his wrist with the side of his sword. It was a generally painful experience. Piper was furious at Jason for that and helped bring a woozy Nico di Angelo to the infirmary.
Will was practically waiting for someone to come in, but he was a strange kid, so who knows. Will thanked Piper for not letting Nico bleed out in the arena.
As Will started to bandage Nico's wrist, the meds starting to kick in. Nico felt weightless and like there was a rock in his stomach at the same time.
"Stop holding my hand, Solace," Nico muttered jokingly, but Will's ears turned a violent shade of pink as he continued to wrap Nico's injured wrist. "I mean, you're cute and all, but this really isn't necessary."
That comment threw Will over the edge and made neck and face splotchy red. He set down Nico's mending wrist and moved to his side. Nico felt worse than he had when he had come in, but he didn't really want to leave. Luckily, he was still bleeding from the gash in his side. Nico felt a bit too lightheaded to make a snarky comment about how Will was staring at his chest.
Soon, Will had cleaned and wrapped the wound, leaving Nico with no choice other than to leave. Will's hands were so warm, he was almost disappointed to go. When he moved to sit up, he got that weightless feeling again, and Will rushed over to him.
"No, no, no. That side is going to take a little while to heal. You'll have to sleep here overnight, maybe tomorrow night, too."
Nico scowled, but Will sported a little lopsided grin.
"You'll survive, Death Boy."
Even injured and in pain meds, Nico hated that nickname. Coming from Will, though, it didn't sound too bad.
"Don't call me Death Boy," he replied half-heartedly. Will smiled, his grin lighting up the room.
Nico slept peacefully for the first time in a long time that night.
***