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Nico hadn't known what to make of Will in the days that he'd been in the infirmary.
He and his soul, Mafalda, helped out whenever they could, usually able to see Will tending to his patients whilst his soul, a beautiful Maine Coon called Dahlia, comforted the other souls.
It wasn't uncommon for Dahlia to be playfully distracting another soul or to be wrapped around the younger ones - the ones that still flitted from animal to animal, unsure of who they were just yet.
Mafalda had been a raven ever since Bianca and her soul, Alessio, died. Nico vividly remembered the anguish that rolled through him and the desperate cawing of Mafalda as her talons dug into his skin when Percy told them that their sister was gone.
At first, Nico had resented her. Her eyes were beady and her feathers were matted. He didn't care for her so she didn't take care of herself. People who saw her instantly started looking at Nico differently. She was ominous. A warning of death and destruction. Appropriate for Hades' son.
They were doing better now. It was easy to be in denial but at the end of the day Mafalda was Nico and Nico was Mafalda. She was his soul. Caring for her was the first step towards caring for himself.
Besides, her winged form had proven useful. When Will was busy filing paperwork and Dahlia was stretched out lazily in the sun high up on a shelf, Mafalda could fly up and join her, puffing her feathers and settling against her warm fur.
More than once, Nico had stared at Dahlia's soft fluff and wondered if it felt as silky as it looked. But you didn't go around touching other people's souls. That was an instinct even the most oblivious people obeyed.
The only soul besides his own that Nico had ever touched was Bianca's. When he was upset, Alessio would rest his head on Nico's leg. A comforting weight. Alessio had never ended up as one form. Bianca never got old enough for her personality to stable. To find out who she was.
Nico had tried to imagine what Alessio would be but he always came up short. He loved his sister but she was so unpredictable and so different from what he had once thought of her that he wasn't sure he knew her well enough to guess.
"You're lost in thought," Will commented. Nico jumped.
From her perch on his shoulder, Mafalda startled too. She ruffled her feathers and took off, whacking Nico's head with her wing. Nico scowled at her as she found her place on the back of the chair Dahlia was sat on across the room.
The Maine Coon was sitting tall and proud. She looked regal. Her blue eyes were half closed either lazily or in anticipation. Nico could never tell the difference.
"Guess I was," Nico said, turning back to Will.
Will grinned. His pointed teeth reminded Nico of Dahlia's fangs.
"Have you seen Percy?" Nico asked, quickly changing the subject. Will's grin faded a little. Dahlia shifted her weight.
"Yeah. I think he and Brynne are making cookies."
"Blue ones?" Nico asked. He smiled to himself, imagining Percy's shocked face covered with blue food colouring as Brynne (his terrier soul) snapped at the air, trying to get the dye off her snout.
Most likely, Annabeth's soul, a rock pigeon (commonly underestimated but fiercely intelligent) would take pity on her and end up brushing it off with his wing.
"Probably," Will said. "Why? Were you going to join them?"
Nico raised his eyebrows. "Would my doctor approve that?"
"It's fine!" Will said, glancing at Dahlia who gave a flick of her tail. "So long as that's all you're doing. You don't have to be stuck here with us all the time."
Mafalda moved to stand on Dahlia's head, nestling down in a show of comfort. Nico found himself drawn to comfort Will too.
"I'm not going to pretend I'm stocking shelves entirely of my own free will," he said carefully, "but I do like hanging out with you, Will. I'm not 'stuck here'."
It seemed to work because the tension faded a little from Will's shoulders and he smiled.
"I like hanging out with you too."
Nico rolled his eyes. "Dork. You finished up yet?"
"In a few minutes. I can quickly tie up some loose ends and come chat with you, if you want."
"Sure," Nico replied, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. "You know where I'll be."
He looked back at Mafalda. She hesitated, tightening her grip on Dahlia before flying over to Nico's shoulder. They left for the bedroom they'd been staying in.
It was nice of Will to give Nico a whole room. Then again, it was probably for everyone else's benefit too. He'd been here for a week and a half and the nightmares he'd had weren't stopping.
Mr. D had offered to give him therapy but he was reluctant to take it. He didn't trust gods. They didn't have souls and they didn't have much in the way of feelings for mortals. The ones that did have feelings for mortals usually got them killed.
Still, he was beginning to think he might not have much of a choice. He couldn't keep waking up in terror every night.
Nico sat cross-legged on his bedsheets. Mafalda pecked lightly at his ear. He wrinkled his nose and playfully swatted at her.
They'd come so far together and things were improving. There were ups and downs but Nico was dedicated to trying. He wasn't giving up.
Down the hall, he heard a raised voice.
Mafalda tensed.
Nico tried to remain calm, padding towards his door and cracking it open slightly.
He could hear Will's voice, albeit muffled. He made out the word 'ridiculous' before he heard Will's footsteps and quickly shut the door and leapt back into bed.
Will entered a few seconds later with messed up hair and a weary look in his eyes. Dahlia entered several paces behind him, jumping up onto the foot of Nico's bed and lying down, a few minute movements away from being in a position to pounce. She was glaring at Will. Will's eyes focused on Nico.
"Sorry, paperwork's been driving me into the ground," Will said.
"You should take a break," Nico told him. Dahlia softly huffed at this.
Will rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine. We should be talking about you. You almost died recently."
"That's an exaggeration," Nico said. Mafalda jabbed at his head.
Will laughed. "She agrees with me."
Nico pretended to be put off. In his darkest nightmares, he was cradling Mafalda in his arms as her feathers turned translucent and she fell through his hands into nothingness. He shivered when he thought about how close she had come to fading.
"Dahlia doesn't look very pleased with you," Nico pointed out.
Usually, when Will and Dahlia were together they were effortlessly coordinated. Every movement was smooth and connected and when Will stood tall, Dahlia would be hissing behind him.
Now, however, they seemed disconnected.
Will flinched. "She's fine. Just tired."
"You sure?"
"Of course! You get annoyed with Mafalda and vice versa. It blows over."
"Yeah," Nico said, reaching up to run his fingers through Mafalda's feathers, "but we had big fights too. Gods, we didn't touch each other for years. Lots of people have struggles with themselves. You do things your soul isn't proud of sometimes."
"Nico," Will said a little sharply. "Seriously, we're fine. We always get along."
In the silence that followed, Mafalda approached Dahlia. She nudged her beak against Dahlia's muzzle. Dahlia lifted up a leg for the raven to snuggle under, head pressed against a furry chin. Dahlia watched Will cautiously the whole time.
Will watched their souls, not even moving to breath. Nico reached his hand towards Will, inviting him to sit down beside him.
"It's okay," he said quietly. He was sure he sounded awkward. He'd never known how to communicate with someone let alone reassure them.
Will tentatively sat down. He drew his knees up to his chest. Nico linked their arms together and rested his head on Will's shoulder.
As Will resumed breathing, his chest rattled with the uneven gasps and puffs. Nico took Will's hand and placed it on his chest, taking deep, steady breaths. Bianca used to do it for him when he was younger.
Nico took a leap of faith and kissed the skin where Will's neck and shoulder met. Will turned his head and kissed Nico's curls.
They say there, arms wrapped around each other, until they fell asleep: the boys clinging to each other and their souls lying curled up together peacefully.
They would talk in the morning. Now was time to rest.