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The pristine white walls of the infirmary were a sight Nico had become quite familiar with, a result of his frequent (and admittedly unnecessary) trips to the building.
The lobby was unusually quiet for a normal camp day; Nico internally questioned the lack of pegasus or climbing wall accidents. Not that he was complaining- a slow income of patients meant more time later with a certain son of Apollo.
As Nico sat in the waiting room, in the seat he had all but permanently claimed, a familiar face trotted into the room.
“Hi, Nico!” Exclaimed Kayla upon her entrance. “Will’s with someone right now, but he should be finishing up in a minute.”
Nico nodded. “I’ll wait outside,” he decided.
“Okay! I’ll let him know you’re here,” Kayla said with a smile.
A warm wind blew across Nico’s face as he opened the external door. He surveyed the surroundings; A few daughters of Aphrodite chatting in the dining pavilion, a son of Demeter out by the strawberry fields, and a cluster of Ares campers on the beach volleyball courts. And in front of him, a few feet out-
“Yo, Nico!” Called the voice.
The shorter boy rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Percy?”
The latter shrugged. “Just saying hi.” Then, looking up at the location which the two found themselves in front of: “Oh, you’re out here waiting for Will?” He asked, with a smirk weaving its way across his face.
“No! Shut up,” said the son of Hades, though he turned away to hide the growing warmth in his cheeks.
This only encouraged Percy further. “Oh, so you are waiting for him, huh? You’re waiting for your doctor boyfriend?” He teased.
“Shut up!” Nico yelled again, louder than the first time.
Obviously ignoring the embarrassment of his counterpart, Percy continued the taunts: “You two, huh? I can see it- You’d make a cute couple!”
Nico did not enjoy the son of Poseidon’s antics. “Percy, seriously. I’m gonna-”
He was cut off by Percy looking out in front of him, as if imagining the distant future. “I can see it now!” He exclaimed. “Nico Solace. Or, wait, no! Dr. Will Di Angelo.”
For Nico, that was the last straw; Percy’s sentence was punctuated by a fist in his arm.
“Ouch, dude!” Percy yelped, though he didn’t seem to be in much pain. In fact, Nico seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow; A wave of pain shot through the shorter boy’s arm.
“That was harsh,” Percy continued. “ Way harsh. But next time, if you’re gonna punch someone, go for the stomach. Or the face! It’ll hurt more.”
Nico just glared at him.
“Alright, alright. I can see where I’m not wanted. But one day, when you two are together, you’ll thank me for this moment.” With that, Percy stood up, brushed off his legs, and was on his way.
As Nico waited for Will to walk out the door, Percy’s words bounced around in his head. Sure, Nico knew he liked Will. Most people seemed to know, actually; the secret had spread farther than Nico liked, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.
But, the thought of actually dating Will?
That sent a shiver through his spine in the best way possible.
It was only a few moments before the occupant of his thoughts creaked open the door and jumped down to where Nico was sitting, in the straw-like grass beside the infirmary. The two rested in a peaceful silence, until Will looked down at the hand of the other boy, which appeared to be grasping his wrist.
“Your wrist okay?” Asked the blond.
Nico, realizing his mistake, dropped his hands next to him. The pain of punching Percy had subsided, but it was still making its presence known.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I, um, bumped it while leaving my cabin.”
Without warning, Will reached out and grabbed the other’s wrist. Nico was shocked at the moment- he knew it was innocent, but the faux intimacy was more than he expected.
“Bumped it?” Will looked up, unconvinced.
Nico rolled his eyes, annoyed by his friend’s medical sense. “Fine. It hurts because I punched Percy- badly. But to be fair, I only did it because he was teasing me about my crush, which…”
He trailed off, realizing the grave mistake he’d made. Will raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question him further.
“Why am I not surprised?”
Nico was taken aback by this response. “What do you mean?”
Will sighed, but there was a hint of playfulness to his tone. “Nothing. This just seems like something you would do.”
Nico laughed slightly at that. “I guess.” Then, shifting uncomfortably in his seat: “So, am I free to go, or do I have to deal with further interrogation?”
Will thought for a moment, then decided on a response. “Sure, if you answer one more question for me.”
Internally, Nico facepalmed. He knew it was coming sooner or later. Every instinct screamed to run, but the boy found himself frozen. Whether it was in fear or anticipation, he didn’t know.
“I would rather not.”
Ignoring the response from the brunet, Will continued. “You said Percy was teasing you for a crush you had.”
The blond looked up to see Nico nodding painfully; he took this as a sign to continue.
“Who's the crush?”
Time seemed to slow as the question left Will’s lips. He knew it was coming. He knew the other was going to ask, but that didn’t stop the pit from settling in Nico’s stomach.
Nico pursed his lips. Of course, Will already knew the answer. That was why he was asking. But actually admitting it…
Could Nico really do that?
It seemed he didn’t have a choice.
“Um,” Nico said, unsure of how to continue.
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Will encouraged. His features had softened, and his expression now was much more welcoming.
Nico’s eyes widened at the revelation. “You have a crush on someone too?”
Will shrugged, nonchalantly. “Yeah, I guess. But it’s complicated.” The two looked at each other. “He comes to visit me all the time, in the infirmary. Usually it’s just for minor injuries. I thought he liked me- But now I’m not so sure, because...” Will paused for a second, staring into Nico’s eyes. “He didn’t tell me about his wrist.”
The declaration took a few seconds for Nico to process. Sure, he heard what Will had said, but… Understanding it? All Nico caught was that Will liked someone that visited him in the infirmary every day.
Almost like…
Oh.
Oh.
Will looked at Nico, but for the first time, Nico felt as if the former was really seeing him.
Noticing the look of understanding spreading across the son of Hades’ face, the blond beamed.
“You really are stupid, you know that? I’ve been dropping hints for months. I even got Kayla to play along! And you’re only now realizing-”
Nico was still frozen in shock. “You- me? You like…. Me?"
Will giggled. “Took you long enough!"
Another glance was exchanged between the boys; Though no words were spoken, Nico instinctively scooted closer to the blond.
He didn't know exactly what the two of them were yet; they could discuss that later. In Nico's eyes, all that mattered was the here and now.