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Will had been friends with Nico for a while now (a fact which brought him a lot of happiness). This meant that he knew him well enough to gauge his general mood with a fair amount of accuracy. While Nico was a private person, he didn’t hide his emotions very well, even if he would refuse to talk about them until the bitter end. Still, Will could tell how he was feeling just from glancing at his face or body language. Some of it came from years of working in the infirmary and taking care of his younger siblings, but a small part of it might have been because of how Will felt about Nico.
Not that Nico knew anything to do with that. He couldn’t.
Maybe Nico wasn’t the only one who hid their feelings.
Anyway. The point was, Will knew Nico. So he knew that something was off. What it was, though, he hadn’t been able to tell.
Nico had been acting strangely since he walked in the infirmary doors that morning to ‘help’. So far, he hadn’t done much helping; instead, he’d done a lot of hovering around and hiding in dimly lit places. And, most troubling of all, he wouldn’t touch Will.
Will was a very touchy person, in the physical sense. He had been told this many times. And though it had taken Will a while to get used to Nico’s fluctuating desires for touch, and Nico some time to get used to Will’s constant touchiness, they had worked it out. Nico had even fallen asleep on Will a few times (and the hidden meaning wasn’t lost on Will – though the implication that Nico trusted him that much did shock him a little). So when Nico suddenly started avoiding even brushing up against Will, he knew something was wrong.
At first, he’d thought it was something he had done. Will worried over it for a good hour until he saw Nico jolt away from Kayla, who had swept past him in a hurry. Then Will had realized: Nico was avoiding all the Apollo kids. Which meant he was probably sick or injured. Which meant Will had to figure out what was wrong with him.
Will observed Nico from where he was pretending to fill out incident reports at his desk. Nico had tucked himself away between a bed and the wall, his knees brought up to his chest and his arms wrapped around himself. He was paler than usual and biting his lip as though in pain, which was enough confirmation for Will to get up and sneak over towards him.
“Hey Nico!” Nico almost jumped a mile at Will’s surprise greeting, somehow turning even whiter. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Nico said through gritted teeth, standing up shakily and ignoring Will’s outstretched hand. “I gotta go-”
Will reached out and held onto Nico’s shoulder firmly. “I think you should stay."
Nico jerked back, but Will had gotten enough information to realize what was wrong. The flu. It wasn’t dangerous, but Will knew that it could knock someone out for a good week. Nico definitely should have come to him sooner. “Okay, now I really think you should stay.”
“I’ll just be taking up beds,” Nico said in a rush, the words spilling out of his mouth almost too fast to make out properly. “It’s no big deal, I’ve had worse. I’m already feeling better, anyway.”
“You’re sick, Nico. You should-”
“It doesn’t matter,” Nico said, stumbling back with a tight smile on his face. “Seriously, I’m totally fine.”
“Nico-” But Nico was gone before the sentence could leave Will’s mouth, the infirmary doors swinging behind him.
He sighed, turning away from where he’d been staring at place Nico had disappeared from. Nico’s rambling was concerning; if he truly believed that he didn’t need help, he certainly wouldn’t seek it out, and Will knew that it wasn’t often that Nico actively asked for assistance. Will would have to wait, then try and find Nico to convince him to recover in the infirmary later.
Will moved on to actually filling out the incident reports lying on his desk. It wasn’t particularly hard work, but it was boring, and he didn’t have Nico here to entertain him. Usually Nico would come and sit on his desk and annoy him until he ended up getting something done out of sheer spite, but today, it took him almost an hour to complete only three forms.
When Will was finally done with the third one, he decided to take a break. The first aid kits around the infirmary were looking a little depleted, so Will headed to the supplies closet at the back of the infirmary to replenish them. He fetched bandages, aspirin, and antiseptic cream, all of which the kits were running low on, and made his way around the room stocking them up.
He was on his last run to grab a spare digital thermometer when he ducked into the closet, only to come face-to-face with Nico. He was shivering and looked exhausted, and Will was instantly worried. “Neeks?”
“I think I’m sick,” Nico said, then crumpled to the floor.
Will caught him deftly, Nico’s skinny frame barely weighing anything. The warning signs for a bad case of the flu made themselves immediately obvious to Will, but for the moment he ignored them and hefted Nico into his arms. He carefully carried Nico out of the closet and into a smaller recovery room off the main infirmary, avoiding people, as he knew Nico would be embarrassed about any attention. Once he’d laid Nico down on a bed, Will checked his vitals with a hand on his forehead. By the looks of things, Nico had been hiding this for at least a couple days, and wasn’t faring too well. It shouldn’t last more than four days at this point, but Will knew it would get worse.
Will stayed by his side for a few minutes, but when it became clear that Nico would be asleep for a while, he left. He finished restocking the first aid kits then grabbed a selection of cold medicine that should help Nico; Will was nothing if not a caretaker at heart.
He started to shuffle back to Nico’s room, arms full of supplies, when Kayla bumped into him. The collision knocked something to the floor, but luckily it didn’t break.
“Shit, sorry!” Kayla exclaimed. “Jeez, how many people are sick?”
“Just one,” Will said sheepishly, accepting the bottle Kayla handed him. “I might have gone very slightly overboard.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Kayla muttered, scrutinizing him. “This wouldn’t happen to involve Nico, would it?”
“No- what- how did you know?” Will spluttered. His crush wasn’t that obvious-
“Your crush is really obvious.”
Goddammit. “Shut up. I’m going to go take care of him. Don’t interrupt me.”
“Aww, don’t worry Will, I won’t interrupt your date-” Kayla dodged the stray roll of bandages he threw at her, an obnoxious grin on her face. Will stuck his tongue out at her and spun on his heel, speed walking down the corridor before Kayla could hit him back. He stepped into Nico’s room and dumped the supplies on a small side table, glancing over at Nico, who still hadn’t moved.
Will frowned and walked over. “Nico?” he said softly, reaching forward to shake his shoulder. Nico made a vague, indistinguishable noise, then jolted awake and sat up abruptly.
“What- why am I here? I-” Nico swallowed, wincing. “Ow.” He massaged his throat. "Fuck."
“You have the flu,” Will said simply. "I found you in the closet, then you fainted on me. I guess you shadow-travelled?"
Nico nodded. "Sorry."
"I would suggest you don't while you're sick," Will said, trying not to irritate Nico. "It's advisable to take it easy, and shadow-travelling puts a strain on you. So, please don't."
"I won't," Nico said. "Made me more nauseous, anyway." He looked around the room. "How long am I stuck here for?"
"Depends, anywhere from two to five days," Will said, going into what Nico had long ago dubbed as 'doctor mode'. "Your flu hasn't gotten too bad yet, but it's going to get a lot worse, undoubtedly. What are your symptoms so far?"
“Oh.” Nico seemed surprised. “You don’t have to take care of me. You shouldn’t have to. It’s not that important.”
“What?” Will said, confusion evident in his voice. “Of course it is, Nico.”
“But it’s not,” Nico insisted. “I’m not. I’m fine, I can go back to my cabin and wait it out-”
“No, you’re staying here.” Will stopped Nico’s attempts to leave with a careful hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to ‘wait it out’. I want to take care of you.”
“But it doesn’t matter,” Nico cried, tears beginning to gather in his eyes unexpectedly. He made a frustrated sound, dragging his hand across his face in an effort to get rid of them. “I don’t deserve kindness, or- or this. I’m not important.”
Will was taken aback. In the few months that he had known Nico, he’s never seen him like this. He’d seen him have panic attacks, he’d seen him near-delirious with pain, he’d seen him upset, but he’s never seen him like this. “Nico…” Will didn’t know what to say. But he had to try his best. “I’m sorry if- that you think that. But… I don’t know how to tell you other than you do matter. You matter to so many people – all of the people from the quest, your friends, and… me. You matter to me. A lot.”
“I d-don’t- I don’t deserve that.” Tears dripped down Nico’s face despite his attempts to stop them.
Will almost started crying too. The absolute belief with which Nico said the words was heart-breaking, and Will didn’t know how to make Nico see that he was worth taking care of. “Neeks, of course you do. You deserve so much kindness, because you’re human, and because you’re… you. You’ve been so good, don’t you think you deserve something back?”
“What I’ve done-”
“You’ve helped people over and over, even when they didn’t deserve it,” Will said firmly. “I- Nico, you’re one of the most amazing, inspiring, wonderful people I know. If there’s anyone who deserves kindness, it’s you.”
Nico looked into Will’s eyes, the unflinching honesty in them and the desire to make Nico see how much he was cared for. A tiny sense of relief flickered in his chest, then Nico doubled over in a harsh coughing fit.
“Oh, oh, hey-” Will hovered over Nico as he coughed relentlessly, placing a hand on his back and rubbing circles into it to try to ease the pain. “Do you need some water?”
“N-no-” Nico was interrupted by another cough. “It’s fine-”
“I’m gonna get you water,” Will said, withdrawing. “I’ll only be a minute.”
Will backed out of the room then raced to the infirmary sink, where they kept a stash of water bottles for sick people. He found a clean one then filled it, hurrying back to Nico. “Here.”
Nico gratefully took the water bottle, sipping carefully so as not to choke. The coughing fit settled down soon after. “Thank you.”
“Please tell me if you need something. Anything at all,” Will said, still fretting. “Seriously, I know you have really bad self-esteem and obvious issues with your self-worth, but I want to help you. Please believe in that.”
Nico’s shoulders were hunched and he looked like he was about to pass out, but he whispered, “Okay.”
“Good.” Will exhaled, taking a seat next to Nico on the bed. “Can you tell me your symptoms now?”
“Coughing,” Nico started, a little wryly. “Runny nose. Had a blocked nose earlier. ‘m really cold. Muscles hurt. Head hurts. Everything kinda hurts.”
“Okay,” Will said, taking everything into account. “That’s all normal. D’you have hot and cold chills?”
“Yeah.”
“Nausea?”
“Some.”
“Tired?”
“Very.”
“Definitely sounds like the flu,” Will said. “Right now, take some medicine. You’ll want to change out of your jeans and into pyjamas. And sleep.”
“Yes, doctor,” Nico said monotonously, though he had a small smile on his face. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Will replied, probably grinning too brightly for the situation, but not really caring. “Here, take these-” he shook two pills into his hands from a bottle, handing them to Nico. “And I’ll get your things.”
Nico nodded silently, swallowing the pills with a swig of water. Will went out through the back exit of the infirmary, sneaking over to the Hades cabin and slipping inside. It was dark and untidy; Will guessed Nico had been trying to hole up and wait out the sickness.
It worried him how little Nico seemingly cared for himself; it was like he completely disregarded his own health, which – well, it wouldn’t be surprising, given what Will had already seen of Nico’s medical history. Will wasn’t remotely qualified to help with Nico’s issues, but he still wanted to. Nico was his best friend. He was sure Nico would do the same for him, but clearly, Nico didn’t think Will wanted to take care of him. Well, Will would just have to show him that he was wrong.
Will snatched a few changes of clothes for Nico, knowing which items of clothing he preferred to relax in, then walked back to the infirmary. Nico was slumped back against the pillows, his eyelashes fluttering as he tried not to fall asleep. “Hey.”
Nico straightened quickly, wide awake. “Hi.” He spotted the clothes in Will’s arms. “Thanks. Again.”
“Of course,” Will repeated. “You know… like, that I really, genuinely care about you, and want to help you. Right?”
“I guess,” Nico said quietly. “It’s- it’s hard to believe, y’know?”
“Yeah. I get it.” Will sat back down next to Nico on the edge of the bed and took his hand, gently squeezing his fingers. “But please let me take care of you, even if it’s just for this week. Okay?”
“Okay.” Nico fiddled with the edge of the blanket for a moment, then said, “Can I sleep now?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Will flushed. “Here’s your clothes. I’ll wake you up later so you can eat. Sleep well.”
“See you.” Nico gave him a little smile, one that, despite its size, lit up the whole room. Will waved awkwardly, ducking outside. Gods, he just wished this flu wouldn’t hit Nico too hard.
This sucked.
Two days later, Nico woke up barely able to breathe, though whether that was from the nightmare he’d just had or this horribly persistent flu, he didn’t know. Maybe it was both or maybe it was neither, but all that mattered right now was that he couldn’t breathe.
His throat ached as he coughed furiously, shivering. Nico pulled another blanket onto the bed and wrapped it round himself, cursing the thin cotton T-shirt he was wearing. Fuck this. He’d always hated being sick, and this didn’t change anything.
Now, he sat up in his warm, soft bed in the infirmary, a blanket over his shoulders and medicine on the side table. This was more than he’d ever had before, homeless and sickly in the middle of the Second Titan War, without anyone to care for him.
Nico’s breathing began to ease up, and he took a gulp of water. An overwhelming heat swelled up from beneath his skin, and he tore off the blankets, spreading himself out to catch as much cool evening air as he could. This was hell.
His health had steadily deteriorated the past couple of days, each hour more unbearable than the last. His nose was frequently blocked but running at the same time, and his head ached constantly. There was a general feeling of illness permeating his body, and he found himself overemotional and exhausted. Nico despised being sick.
If it wasn’t for the window in his room, he wouldn’t even know what time it was. The sun’s rays had travelled across the walls and almost disappeared, which meant that Will would be here with food soon.
He’d been sleeping for most of the day, and the last time he’d seen Will was in the morning, and now he wished for him again. He was feverish and exhausted, and craving someone else’s comfort. Maybe it was something left over from long ago when he was a small child, doted upon by his mother and sister, or maybe it was something new entirely that sprung up from the things he felt about Will. He didn’t know anymore.
A chill swept through him again, and he buried himself in the blankets. Nico hated fevers.
The sound of footsteps caught his attention and he looked up. Will entered through the doorway hesitantly, hand raised to knock, although it dropped to his side when he noticed that Nico was awake. “Doing okay?”
Nico forced a blank expression on, hoping that Will would buy the act. “Yeah.”
“Don’t lie, you look miserable,” Will said, a little amused. “You’re sweating.”
Nico flushed, tossing the blankets off again. Fuck this stupid flu. “Go away. I’m doing fine.”
“Do you think you can eat something?” Will asked, coming further into the room and ignoring Nico’s request. “I have some plain food that hopefully shouldn’t upset your stomach.”
“No, thanks. I’m not really hungry,” Nico politely declined.
“You really need some food. At least have some bread and water.”
“Fine.” Nico caved in the face of Will’s pleading eyes. Gods, he was weak. He took a small slice of bread, eating slowly.
When he was done, Will gave him a couple more pills and refilled his water. “Austin’s handling the kids tonight, so I can stay the night in the infirmary to watch over y- the patients. You can have some more cough suppressant and fever reducer – are you dealing with the heat okay?”
“It’s fine-”
“Nico, just tell me-”
“It’s a little warm,” Nico relinquished, looking away. “But really, I can handle it.”
“Okay.” Will sighed. “I should go check on my cabin, but I’ll be here tonight. If you need anything, just wake me up, okay?”
“Okay,” Nico said, knowing full well that he most definitely would not. “Go, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Will smiled, a strange look in his eyes. It was soft and comfortable and sweet, and it made Nico want to cry for no reason. Will stood and ruffled Nico’s hair before pushing him down and arranging the covers so they were nice and neat. Nico lay there, a weird feeling stirring in his chest, something akin to what he used to feel with Bianca, but also… different in a way he didn’t want to think about. Will ran a hand up the side of his face, holding the back of his hand briefly to Nico’s forehead. He seemed to approve of what he felt, because he hummed and moved back. Nico almost asked him to stay. “Get some rest.”
Nico nodded dazedly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Nico,” Will said fondly, closing the door behind him.
Nico let out a breath, rolling over underneath the covers, a different kind of warmth settling in his chest. And really, what was he supposed to feel when Will smiled at him like that? Touched him like that? Said his name like that?
Tears burned behind his eyes, and Nico forced them back down. It was the stress and the sickness making him act stupid. He’d be fine in the morning.
He huddled down into the comforter, tucking his nose beneath the blankets. As long as he slept, he’d be fine in the morning.
Will woke up bright and early, the sun streaming through the large window in the small room the Apollo kids used when they stayed overnight in the infirmary. Technically, the only patient here right now was Nico, but Will wasn’t above abusing his power a little to make sure he was okay.
Speaking of Nico, Will should go check on him. He hadn’t heard from Nico at all during the night, which was either a very good or very bad sign, so Will rolled out of bed. He was still in his pyjamas, but that didn’t really matter; he doubted Nico would judge him while he himself was sick.
Will padded down the hallway and slowly eased open the door to Nico’s room. The first thing he noticed was the pile of tissues on the side table, threatening to fall at any second, that told him that Nico’s flu had definitely worsened. The second thing he noticed was Nico himself.
Nico was a small ball under the covers, blankets piled on top of him to stave off the cold, shivering wretchedly. Will didn’t want to bother Nico when he so obviously needed rest, but he needed to check up on him at least. He didn’t look like he was coping well.
Will bent over him, gently shaking him awake. “Hey, Neeks, it’s morning.” A groan sounded from beneath the covers, and they shifted slightly. “Nico,” Will called a little louder, and Nico slowly rolled over and looked up at him blearily.
Nico’s eyes and nose were both a pinkish red, something that often happened when a person had the flu, and he wasn’t saying anything. Will mentally noted Nico’s appearance and reaction; normally, Nico would grumble about being woken up, no matter the hour.
“How’re you feeling?” Will said sympathetically.
Nico struggled to sit up, dark purple bags under his eyes. “Not great.” His voice was scratchy and rough, likely from all the coughing.
Will grabbed him a glass of water. “Here, drink.”
“Thanks.” Nico drained it, the cool liquid seeming to soothe his shredded throat. “What time is it?”
“About 8am.”
“Ugh.”
“Good to see your habits of sleeping in haven’t changed,” Will teased. “You should eat. How does oatmeal sound?”
“As appetizing as anything else,” Nico muttered. “’M not hungry.”
Will took in Nico’s messy bed hair, tired eyes, and sniffly nose with a sigh. “I’ll make you something anyway,” he said. “C’mon, you can come with me.”
Nico protested, but Will dragged him out of bed. They slowly walked down the hall to the small infirmary kitchen, where Will sat Nico down at the kitchen table and got to making breakfast. They generally didn’t keep much food in the infirmary kitchen, as it wasn’t used very often, but Will made sure to always keep it stocked with some essentials for being sick. In particular, oats, fresh fruit, bread, and cereal, one of which he was going to get Nico to eat, whether he wanted to or not.
“Please no.”
“You need to eat.”
“I’m fine!”
Will huffed in frustration, rolling his eyes. “A slice of toast. And some fruit. Something.”
Nico looked away, clenching his jaw, and Will knew he’d won. He let out a breath, putting a few slices of bread into the old toaster for Nico and himself, then began to cut up an orange while Nico watched silently.
It didn’t take long for Will to be done with breakfast. He slathered his own piece of toast with butter and drizzled some honey on Nico’s, the way Will knew he liked it. He set a plate down in front of Nico with a few slices of orange, and placed his own similar plate down beside it.
Nico started to eat, taking small bites and chewing them slowly before swallowing. Will ate his own breakfast at a normal pace, finishing much faster than Nico, then picked at his fingernails as he watched Nico out of the corner of his eye. Nico would wince every time he swallowed, but he didn’t stop. “Something wrong?”
“No,” Nico said quickly.
“Yes there is.” Will was getting impatient. “Just tell me, Neeks, and I can help. Please.”
“My throat hurts a little,” Nico mumbled, slumping in his chair.
“Then I’ll make you some tea,” Will said, already halfway to the kettle.
Nico didn’t argue, and Will bit back a triumphant smirk. It’d only make Nico feel bad, and he didn’t want that, so he made his face remain impassive as he boiled water and fetched honey and lemon juice. He added a chamomile tea bag to the mug of steaming hot water, tidying up his and Nico’s plates while he waited for it to soak in. When it was done, he added some honey and lemon juice, the optimal amounts easy to remember after so long. He held the mug out to Nico.
Nico stared at it. He was struck. Will had made him a mug of tea, just like he said he would. He hadn’t had to beg for it – in fact, Will had asked him to tell him what was wrong. This was a gift, purely out of the kindness of Will’s heart.
The thought shouldn’t have made Nico so emotional, but gods. Will – he’d done it because he wanted to. Because he wanted to help Nico. Because he cared about Nico. Sudden tears dripped onto the table, and he desperately wiped them away, but they kept coming. Stupid fucking flu. He felt pathetic for being this emotional over a fucking cup of tea, but he couldn’t help it. Not when Will was so- so Will.
Will had frozen, the cup of tea still outstretched. Nico let out a gasp, tears still running down his face, and it seemed to spur Will into action. He set the cup down and sat next to Nico, letting a broad hand settle on his back delicately. “Hey… hey. I’m sorry. Was it something I did?”
“You-” Nico’s chest heaved. “You’re so- you help- and you care-”
“Neeks, of course I care,” Will said, bewildered. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re… you’re my Nico. I like helping you.”
Nico couldn’t stop crying. “Because I’m not w-worth it.”
Understanding dawned on Will’s face. “Oh, Neeks.”
The two words were enough to break Nico. The tears turned into proper sobs, making his whole body shudder. Will wrapped his arms around Nico, tugging a blanket around the two of them. He made vague humming noises reminiscent of a healing hymn, calming Nico down. “Neeks, honey. How long has it been since someone took care of you like this?”
Nico wordlessly opened and closed his mouth. Eventually he choked out, “I- I don’t know.”
Will sighed, but it wasn’t exasperated or frustrated. It sounded sad, but not surprised; like he knew this was coming, but he hadn’t wanted it to be true. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair that you were starved of love for so long.”
Nico only buried his face in Will’s shoulder, letting the sobs come as they were. Will took it in stride, murmuring soft words to him as his hand rubbed Nico’s back. It made him feel like a child again, but not in a bad way; it made him feel loved in a way that he hadn’t since- since childhood, really. Will was right – it wasn’t fair that he’d been starved of love for so long. He wanted it, needed it, and here it was: Will comforting him as he cried, ignoring the snot and tears that Nico was probably getting all over his shirt, loving him for no reason other than because he chose to.
Nico’s sobs died down after a while, and Will drew back slightly to hand a few tissues to Nico. Nico took them with a whispered thanks, wiping his eyes and nose.
“Are you tired?” Will asked, his voice gentle and comforting.
“Mmm,” Nico sniffed. “I’m-”
“Nico, if you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time, I’m gonna have to tape your mouth shut,” Will teased lightly. “There is absolutely nothing you have to be sorry for. Okay?”
“Yeah.” Nico puffed out a small laugh, half-delirious, but it was enough to make Will smile. He took Nico’s hand and tugged him up from the chair, supporting him as they walked back to Nico’s room. Once they got there, Nico laid down on the bed, his breakdown leaving him depleted.
Will had been in this position many times as a healer, but rarely as a friend. “Do you – do you want company?”
Nico’s gaze flickered up to him, then back down at the floor. “Sure.”
If Will wasn’t so well versed in Nico-speak, he wouldn’t have known that that meant ‘please stay’. But he wasn’t Nico’s best friend (and something else) for nothing, so he got comfortable in the chair next to the tiny infirmary bed, chattering away to fill the silence as Nico got sleepier and sleepier.
“Will?” Nico’s voice, quiet and scratchy, interrupted his meaningless tangent.
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Can you stay?” He flinched, as if surprised at his own words. “Just- just until I fall asleep, or-”
“I’m staying.” Will ran a hand through Nico’s slightly greasy hair, playing with the strands. Nico relaxed instantly, mumbling something incoherent that could have been interpreted as a ‘thank you’.
Nico’s eyes fell closed not too long after. Will waited a few minutes then got up, pressing a quick kiss to Nico’s head. “Night, Neeks,” he whispered, closing the door behind him.