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It's quiet in the infirmary. It's also late, and everyone is most likely in their cabins getting ready for bed. Everyone except Will. He is sitting alone in the infirmary, the main lights off with only a few dim lamps on.
It was a long and stressful day in the infirmary. Will has been there since this morning, almost constantly healing someone or working on something. All he had for lunch was some apple slices. He didn’t even care to eat something for dinner.
He feels like a liar, the way he’s always making sure everyone is taking care of themselves, while he’s ignoring his own personal needs.
Nico keeps reminding him of this. Kayla and Austin also won’t stop bugging him about it.
Will doesn’t know what he did to deserve such great people. A best friend, Nico, who he’s actually in love with. (Will wouldn’t dare tell him) and such great siblings, Kayla and Austin, who are always there for him.
But no matter how much they try to remind him to take breaks, to stop overworking himself, to stop stressing himself out all the time, he doesn’t listen.
He’s sitting alone in the infirmary, with the horrible feeling of guilt overtaking him. The guilt for the siblings he lost, the guilt of all the times he couldn’t heal or do things right, the feeling that he’s not good enough.
Out of all the gifts you could have while being a child of Apollo, he was stuck with healing. Something he doesn’t feel is good enough. Something he doesn’t feel he does well enough.
Sitting on the table next to him is a knife. Will knows this is a bad idea, he hasn’t hurt himself like this in years.
And really? In the infirmary? Will thinks to himself.
He reaches for the knife. He looks at his arm with the rolled up sleeve. He's been here so long he didn’t even care to take off his scrubs.
Will pressed the blade down on his arm. The pain felt relieving in some horrific way.
There are now a couple bleeding cuts on his arm. He's about to make more, when the door to the infirmary swings open.
Shit.
“Will?” An out of breath voice calls. It sounds like Nico's.
Will's heart is beating out of his chest. He turns around to see Nico standing in the doorway.
Nico sees Will and starts speed-walking over to him.
Fuck.
Will tries hiding his arm, but he can’t hide the knife in his other hand, so it’s basically useless.
“Where have you be-“ Nico starts to say, now standing in front of Will.
Nico stares at the knife, then he sees Will's arm.
“William.” Nico's voice starts to break. Nico rarely calls him that.
“I-“ Will starts to say, panicking.
Nico gently takes the knife from Will's hand and sets it on the table.
“Will,” Nico starts to say. He looks and sounds like he’s about to cry. “What's going on? Please talk to me.”
Will takes a deep breath.
“I…I had a shit day today. I've been here since, like, seven in the morning. All I've eaten is a stupid bag of apple slices that were laying around. I'm exhausted. I just can’t do this anymore.”
“Why have you been making yourself do all this work?” Nico asks softly.
Will breathes. “I'm not good enough. This is the only place where I'm useful.” He mumbles.
“No, no. Will, no. That's not true.” Nico whispers.
“Can I see your arm?” he asks.
Will nods. He lifts up his arm.
Nico examines the cuts.
“How do I bandage these?”
Will swallows. “You…you have to clean them first. Next you put ointment on them. Then you wrap bandages around the arm.”
“Where's the wipes?”
“They’re in that drawer over there.” Will points to a drawer in a filing cabinet.
Nico walks over to the cabinet and opens the drawer. He grabs an antiseptic wipe.
He walks back over to where Will is sitting and opens the wipe.
“Do I just..wipe the cuts?” He asks.
Will nods.
Nico starts wiping the cuts on Will's arm. He wipes them until they look clean. He then puts some ointment on them.
There’s already some bandages lying on the table, so Nico grabs them and starts bandaging Will's arm.
“Like this?” Nico asks.
“Yeah.” Will whispers.
Will looks at his now bandaged arm. “Thank you, Neeks.” He breathes.
Nico gives Will a small smile.
“So, uh, what do we do now? Are the cleaning harpies out? It’s late.” Will whispers.
“Yeah. I barely got here without getting caught.” Nico explains.
“So do we just stay here?”
“I guess.” Nico shrugs.
Nico walks over to one of the cots and sits on it. Will follows.
Now they’re both sitting on a cot. Their shoulders are brushing up against each other’s.
“So, um. Thank you, again. For helping me,” Will says. “And not making it a big deal.”
Nico turns his head to look at Will. “It's nothing. Well- uh- I mean it is something. But it wasn’t a big deal, me helping you.”
Will smiles.
“Come here.” Nico says while holding his arms out.
Will leans into Nico's hug. He's feeling a little less horrible now.