Chapter Text
Chapter One
“Not my type.”
Those words kept ringing in Will’s ears. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on Nico’s conversation with Percy. He was just wanting to talk to Nico. But then he heard Nico say he had a crush on Percy.
Will wanted to know how that would end. He hoped Annabeth wouldn’t murder Nico. Annabeth was a little possessive of Percy Jackson. Just ask Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
Unbeknown to anyone in camp, Will has had a crush on the mysterious son of Hades for a while now. He was mustering up the courage to tell him when he heard Nico talking to Percy.
Holy Apollo. Will had to take advantage of this moment. Should he tell Nico how he felt?
Will was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t see Nico approaching him.
“Hey.” Nico said.
Will nearly choked on his drink.
“He-hey.” Will stuttered.
“So… three days in the infirmary starting now?” Nico asked, twisting the silver skull ring on his hand. He only does that when he’s nervous, Will noticed.
Was he…. Was he blushing?! Will thought to himself.
“Yes. Three days. Doctor's orders.”
Nico sighed but he followed Will to the infirmary.
Over the course of the next few days, Will checked Nico’s vital signs constantly.
Thankfully, they were getting stronger.
The first night in the infirmary had been incredibly rough for Nico.
The medicinal gum that Will had given him during the battle had worn off later that night. Nico could barely sit up by himself. His pulse was low, and his breathing was shallow. He had a hard time keeping physical form. Nico’s body would become transparent. He started fading, becoming one with the shadows.
The first time it happened, Will panicked on the inside, but managed to keep his cool in front of Nico. Will had never seen anything like it. He didn’t know what to do or how to stop it. He brought in one of the Hecate campers. Shadow travel was a special kind of magic. So, Will hoped Lou Ellen could at least stabilize Nico.
She did. Will didn’t know how. And, frankly, he didn’t care. He didn’t plan on losing another friend. He’d already lost too many people. As long as Nico was alive, Will didn’t care much about the details.
Nico’s condition went beyond just fading into shadows. On top of that issue, the werewolf gashes he had were infected and kept reopening. Will had stitched them twice already. Nico shivered, even though his temperature was high enough to kill any mortal twice over by now. Nico was barely conscious for the first two days that he was in the infirmary.
“You’re not leaving me, di Angelo.” Will said as he sat by the unconscious boy’s bed.
Will held Nico’s cold hand and whispered words of encouragement to him. He even bribed him with McDonald’s.
“If you don’t die on me, I promise to get you some McDonald’s. It’s on me.” Will said.
Finally, on the third day, Nico’s fever broke. He was awake and alert. His form stayed solid. His pulse grew stronger. His breathing was still rapid and shallow, but his oxygen levels and everything looked good.
Will had told Nico three days in the infirmary, but he had changed it to four. He wanted to make sure Nico didn’t relapse. If Nico went back to his cabin, alone, and something happened to him… Will couldn’t finish that thought.
Nico didn’t object, which was good because Will wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyways.
“So, how about that McDonald’s?” Nico said a few hours after he woke up.
“What?” Will asked him.
“I may have been unconscious, but I recall hearing something about you buying me McDonald’s?” Nico said with a smirk.
Will laughed.
“Maybe tomorrow, Death Boy. For now, eat your jello. It’s easier on the stomach.”
Nico frowned at his green jello. He picked at it with his fork and watched it jiggle back and forth.
His face turned almost as green as the jello. He leaned over the bed and vomited in the trash can.
Will nodded and pointed at Nico with his pen.
“And that is why I didn’t give you McDonald’s. Vomiting is one of the side effects of your condition. Are you okay?”
Nico wiped his mouth and scowled at him.
“Do I look okay to you, Solace?”
Will cocked his head to the side in a thinking motion.
“Actually, yes. You look way better than you did yesterday.” he smiled slightly.
Nico rolled his eyes and pushed away his jello.
“I’m not hungry.” he said, crossing his arms.
He immediately winced and looked at his bicep, which was wrapped in bloody gauze.
“Ah. Yes. Your werewolf gashes. They’re healing slowly, but at least they're healing. You had a nasty infection.” Will said.
He grabbed more gauze and sat next to Nico. He slowly and carefully unwrapped Nico’s wound.
Nico winced and clenched his fist the entire time. Will hoped Nico wouldn’t punch him. Even if he did, he doubted it would hurt. Nico didn’t have the strength to do anything, at the moment.
Will chuckled as he imagined Nico punching him.
“What?” Nico asked.
Will shook his head.
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
He cleaned Nico’s gashes and wrapped it up once more.
Will gave him some more nectar and ambrosia.
“Better?” Will asked.
Nico shrugged.
“Well, get some rest. You look horrible.” Will said, smiling.
Nico scowled at him.
“Gee. Thanks.” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
After the fourth day, Nico was free to go, though Will still banned him from using his ‘underworld-y’ magic for a while. If Nico even tried to summon a wishbone, Will was afraid Nico would fade away forever.
Nico listened.
Will had him come back every two days to check on his bandages. After a week and a half, they were reduced to scars. Nico didn’t have to come to the infirmary anymore, and he seemed relieved.
Will, however, was a little bummed. He liked having the son of Hades around. It was boring without him. The infirmary was slow and quiet. He’d gotten used to arguing with Nico about everything. Now, he had no one to banter with.
On the bright side, at least Nico wasn’t on the verge of death anymore. That was one thing Will was grateful for.
Two weeks passed.
The hair on Will’s neck kept standing up. He felt like someone was watching him. But every time he turned, there was no one there.
He shook his head and went back to work.
Recently, Will kept seeing more and more of Nico in the infirmary. He noticed that Nico would come to the infirmary with simple injuries: Paper cuts, splinters, headaches, dizziness, scratches and gashes from sparring a little too rough.
Will thought that was a little odd. The son of Hades normally had to be forced to come to the infirmary. Since when does he come voluntarily?
One day, Nico came in pale and sweaty with labored breathing. He looked like he was on the verge of passing out.
“Woah. Nico. Sit down. What’s going on?” Will asked as he guided Nico to one of the beds.
Nico sat down and blinked rapidly. He pressed his palms against his eyes. His hands were trembling.
“I—I don’t know. I can’t… I couldn’t breathe. Then I couldn’t see. I got dizzy and got hit with a wave of nausea.” he said.
Will took Nico’s hand, who instinctively jerked away.
“I need your wrist, Nico.” Will said, holding out his hand.
Nico gave Will his hand, reluctantly.
Will felt his pulse. It was rapid, and his hands were sweating.
Will checked Nico’s eyes with his pen light. They were dilated more than usual.
“What were you doing when this happened?” Will asked.
Nico gripped the edge of the bed so tight that his knuckles turned white.
“Just sitting in my cabin. Thinking about….” he looked at Will and then quickly looked away.
Will narrowed his eyes.
Was he thinking about… me? Will asked himself.
He shook his head.
Probably not.
“So, it looks like you had an anxiety attack. Take deep breaths. Focus on your breathing. You’ll be fine. Think about something that helps you relax. Go somewhere where you feel safe.” Will said.
Nico took a deep breath and looked around.
Will thought for a moment.
Then it dawned on him. Nico probably felt safe here.
“You could stay here. Just so I can keep an eye on you to make sure you’re okay.” Will said.
Nico’s shoulders relaxed and he let go of the edge of the bed.
“I… I guess that would be okay.” he said.
He scooted himself back and sat against the wall with his knees drawn close to his chest. He twisted his silver skull ring and took another deep breath.
“You good here?” Will asked.
Nico nodded slightly.
“Okay. I got to get back to work. I’ll check on you in a little bit, alright?” Will said in a soft voice.
Nico didn’t meet Will’s eyes. He just nodded and looked out the window.
Will walked away and went back to filling out files.
He would turn around every once in a while to find Nico staring at him. When Will caught him, Nico turned away, quickly, and blushed.
Will smiled slightly.
A few hours later, Nico snuck out and went back to his cabin when Will wasn’t looking.
“Dude, what was up with Nico?” Austin, Will’s brother asked.
Will shrugged.
“He came in right after he had an anxiety attack. I told him he could stay here until he was comfortable enough to leave. Why?” Will asked.
Austin shrugged.
“I was just wondering.” he said. “It looked like he was checking you out.”
Will fumbled with one of the medical trays. But he caught everything.
“I…he... what makes you say that?” Will stuttered.
Austin laughed.
“I’m no son of Aphrodite. But the dude couldn’t take his eyes off of you, man.”
A couple days passed.
Will still had the sense that someone was watching him. He turned around, expecting to find nothing, as usual. Instead, this time, he saw shadows ripple.
Will narrowed his eyes.
Shadows don’t normally move unless they’re being manipulated.
“Did you see that?” Will asked Austin.
“See what?”
“I don’t exactly know. I felt like someone was watching me, and when I turned around, I saw these shadows rippling.” Will said.
“Shadows don’t ripple, Will. You were probably just seeing things.”
Will stared at the shadows for a second more.
“Sure.” he said slowly. He turned and went back to work.
Later, he had the same feeling while he was filling out more files, alone.
He looked up slightly, putting the file back on the desk, slowly.
A mirror stood to his left. He peeked into the mirror and saw a glint of silver, in the shape of a skull, in the shadows. Then, before his eyes, it disappeared.
Will smiled slightly.
He knew exactly who it was. It had to be Nico.
Will didn’t realize how anxious being watched made him. Now that he knew who it was, his jaw unclenched, his shoulders relaxed, his neck wasn’t as stiff. He finally relaxed.
That night at dinner, Will ran into Nico.
“Hey.” Will said.
“He--hey.” Nico said.
“How are you feeling? You ducked out before I could check on you one last time.”
“I’m fine.” Nico said speeding off.
Will shook his head, smiling.
He’d never understand the son of Hades. He was so… mysterious, for lack of a better word. Will found himself thinking about Nico often. He found him interesting. He wanted to get to know him better. But he didn’t know how. Nico always avoided Will. He hated talking. He especially hated talking about his past. He hated people, in general. He was going to figure out how to get to know him one way or another.
A few days later, Nico continued to hide in the shadows to watch Will work. Nico probably thought he was being sly, but Will always knew he was there, ever since he saw him a few days ago.
Will didn’t mind, though. He kinda liked the attention. He just smiled and continued working.
Then, at dinner, Will would find Nico and say hi and try to engage in conversation. He was wearing Nico down. He wanted Nico to get used to conversation because he wanted to get to know him better. So, every night, Will would talk a little longer with Nico. Their two minute conversations turned into five, then turned into almost ten.
Ten minutes was the longest Will could get Nico to talk to him. After ten, Nico would get antsy and do everything he could to get out of the conversation. He’d then speed off towards his cabin.
Then, one day, out of the blue, Nico appeared at the Apollo cabin. He banged on the door and demanded Will come out. He looked angry.
“Hey, Nico, what’s wrong?” Will asked.
“You… you. You’re what’s wrong!” Nico said, infuriated.
Will was confused. He didn’t do anything to make Nico mad. At least, not that he could think of.
“Why can’t you just…. You’re so… GAHH!” Nico said. He let out a groan of frustration.
“Is something wrong? What did I do?” Will asked.
“It’s what you didn’t do! You haven’t been picking up on my hints. Just go out with me already!” Nico yelled loud enough for the people in the Apollo cabin to hear. He was blushing furiously and twisting his skull ring.
Will looked in the cabin. All his brothers and sisters were looking at them and snickering or talking in hushed tones. Will shut the door and led Nico away from the cabin.
“I’m sorry. Did I hear you right? Did you just ask me out?” Will asked, with a dorky smile.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask your siblings. I’m sure they heard me, loud and clear!” Nico said, huffing, throwing his hands up.
Nico started to walk away.
Will grabbed his arm and chuckled. Then he erupted into hysterical laughter.
“Nico. I’ve wanted to ask you out since you told Percy he wasn’t your type. I just didn’t know how you felt. You’re not the best at showing your emotions… unless it’s anger.”
Nico blushed and looked away. His shaggy black hair covering his dark brown eyes.
“I’ve never had friends before. So, I didn’t know how to--”
Will interrupted him by kissing him on the lips.
“Does that answer how I feel about you, di Angelo?” Will asked when he pulled away.
Nico couldn’t say anything. He just stood there. Frozen and blushing.
“Shut up, Solace.” Nico said. He pushed Will away gently.
Will laughed, his stomach fluttering.
“And by the way, Nico, I know you’ve been watching me at the infirmary.”
Nico’s breath was caught in his lungs. Will counted to six before Nico finally breathed again.
“You—you do?” he asked, his face burning.
Will nodded.
“For a while I thought I was going crazy. But then I saw your ring in the mirror when I looked up. Then it disappeared in the shadows. It made sense after that.” Will said, smiling.
Nico looked down at the ring he still twisting on his finger.
He laughed nervously.
“I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t…. You drive me crazy!” he shouted.
Will forced down his smile.
“I know.” he said, smirking.
Will crossed his arms.
“What made you finally ask me out?” he asked.
Nico twisted his ring faster if that was even possible.
“I... I don't know. I just… I can’t explain it. I don’t know.” he said, flustered.
Will smiled.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you finally did.” he took Nico’s hand.
Nico yanked back.
“Sorry.” he said immediately afterwards, wincing. “I’m not used to being touched.”
Will smiled sympathetically.
“I’ve noticed. You jump every time I try.”
“I don’t mean to. I just—"
Will leaned in and kissed Nico once more.
“You’re going to have to get used to it, di Angelo.” Will whispered.
“Okay.” Nico squeaked.
Nico pushed Will away and walked back to the Hades cabin smiling, looking over his shoulder, every once in a while.
Will went back to his cabin with butterflies in his stomach, his face burning.
His siblings were oohing and awing and teasing him.
“See?” Austin said, punching Will’s shoulder. “I told you he was checking you out!”
“The son of Hades and the son of Apollo?” Kayla said, putting a hand on her chin. “Sure. Why not?”
Will ignored them.
He laid on his bunk, looking up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, a bright smile plastered on his face.
He replayed the moment with Nico over and over in his head.
The day couldn’t get any better. The mysterious son of Hades was finally his. Nothing could ruin Will’s mood now. Not even Hades himself.