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Will wakes up to screaming.
He immediately is wide awake and sits up in bed, flipping on the bedside table lamp. He searches the room for monsters or any threat, but there's nothing. He turns to his boyfriend, and sees he also is awake, his face in his hands and his breathing labored. Will knows exactly what's happened.
"Hey, Nico." Will says softly, wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him close to his chest. "Baby, you're safe. You're not there anymore."
A small sob slips out of Nico's lips as he buries his face into the blond's chest. Will's heart breaks as his boyfriend cries, his whole body trembling. He rubs soothing circles on Nico's back, resting his cheek on top of his boyfriend's mop of curly black hair. "Sh, you're okay." Will begins to rock him. Back and forth, back and forth. "You're safe, love. You're not there anymore."
Nico clings onto the material of Will's night shirt and cries into his chest. He can feel Nico shaking like a leaf in a hurricane beneath him. "Sh, it's okay. It was just a dream." He gently kisses the top of his head, nuzzling the boy close. "It was just a dream, baby."
"But, it wasn't." Nico's voice is small and thick with tears. He sniffles and furiously wipes at his face. "It happened. I was there. I-"
"You're safe now." Will says sternly, cutting through the boy's fragile words like a hot knife through butter. "You're not there anymore. You're here, with me." He tucks a stray curl behind Nico's ear and kisses his cheek.
Another sob rakes through Nico's body. "If I just wasn't so weak, I could've-"
Will doesn't allow him to finish. "Sh. None of that. You, Nico di Angelo, are the strongest person I know." Will pulls away and gently grasps Nico's chin, making the boy look up at him. Those dark eyes spill over with tears and are swallowed up in pain and terror. "You're so brave, Nico." Will whispers, planting kiss on his forehead. "And so smart." A kiss to the cheek. "You're an amazing fighter." A kiss on the other cheek. "You're so beautiful." A kiss to the tip of his nose. "And the best boyfriend I could ever ask for." Will gently kisses him, cupping his face between his hands and pouring as much love and comfort through his lips as possible. Nico timidly kisses back, still shaking slightly.
Will just continues to hold him tightly, whispering sweet nothings in his boyfriend's ear until Nico starts to calm down. Will can hear little sniffles coming from his boyfriend and shaky breaths, and his heart breaks.
"You're safe." Will whispers, rubbing his hands up and down Nico's spine. "You're here, with me. I'll protect you if anything happens, okay? I'm right here."
Nico clings to him as if his life depends on it, nuzzling his head under Will's chin. "Okay." He says quietly.
"Do you want some tea?" Will asks after a few moments. Nico was still trembling, but not as much as before. "You've gotta calm down, love. Can you do that for me?"
He feels Nico nod against his chest. Will smiles and kisses the top of Nico's head. "Good boy."
They lay there for a few more minutes, Will listening to the sound of Nico's breathing, holding him tightly as if he'll be snatched away any moment.
"I think," Nico's voice is thick with tears and small like a child's, "I think I'll take that tea now."
Will smiles. "Okay." He reluctantly untangles himself from Nico's body, noticing the loss of warmth quickly. He stumbles across their bedroom and into the kitchen. He puts the kettle on.
He returns a few minutes later with a steaming cup of sleepy time tea that always relaxes Nico. The boy is sitting up in bed, his knees pulled up to his chest. His face is tear stained, red, and puffy. He looks so small like this, Will thinks. So small, so innocent, so broken.
Nico takes the cup of tea with a small thanks. He takes tentative sip. "I'm sorry." He mumbles into the cup.
Will furrows his brow. "For what?"
Nico stares into the cup, lost in thought. "For waking you up. I know you've got classes in the morning and-"
Will silences him by placing a hand on the boy's knee. "Do not apologize. It's not your fault that you have nightmares. You have PTSD, baby. This is completely normal for someone who has gone through what you've been through." Will reaches over and runs his fingers through the boy's hair. "It'll get better with time."
Nico takes another sip. "I hope so."
Will thinks for a moment, drawing small circles on his boyfriend's knee. "I think it's time you talk to someone."
Nico quickly shakes his head. "Who? I can't talk to a mortal therapist about this stuff. A-and nobody understands what it's like down there...other than Percy and Annabeth."
Will knew that wasn't an option. Nico didn't like to open up to people at all. It took a long time for him to gain Nico's trust, and an even longer time for the boy to actually come and talk about something that bothered him. Will knew Percy and Annabeth were on good terms with Nico, but that didn't mean the boy was going to go and spill his guts to them.
"We'll think of something." Will mutters, patting his boyfriend's knee. The blond stood up and walked over to their bathroom. He wetted a washcloth with warm water and returned to see Nico staring out into space, lost in thought. He captures his attention by gently grasping his face. He began to wipe away any evidence of Nico's crying.
"No more tears." Will whispers, a sad smile on his face. "You're too pretty to cry."
Nico rolls his eyes, the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips. "I am not pretty, Solace. I am darkness itself."
Will chuckled and watched as Nico finished off the last of his tea. The boy's eyelids began to droop slightly, his shoulders relaxed.
"Let's get you to bed." Will whispers, taking the mug from Nico's hand and placing it on the bedside table. Nico merely nodded, allowing Will to maneuver him onto his back and pull the covers over his body. Will slipped in beside him. Immediately, both boys wrapped their arms around each other, Will resting his chin on top of his boyfriend's head, and Nico burying his face into Will's warm chest.
A small snippet of his dream flashed before his eyes, and Nico twitched slightly, whimpering. Will hushed him gently, holding him tighter. "I've got you." Will whispers, kissing his boyfriend on the forehead.
Nico eventually nods off. His shoulders relax and his breathing evens out. Will gently kisses the top of his head and continues to rub soothing circles along his back. Nico's skin is soft under his touch, a few scars and scratches here and there. Will can feel Nico nuzzle closer to his side, and he smiles to himself.
"I'm here for you, Nico." Will whispers to his boyfriend. "I'll always be here."