Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After a particularly bad bout of lightheadedness, Nico had walked himself to the closest hospital. He filled out the required paperwork, ignoring the incredulous stare from the woman at the front desk when he told her he suspected it was his heart. She’d asked him if he needed a wheelchair, to which he adamantly refused, and took a seat in the waiting room. He didn’t think it was such a big deal, his arrhythmia acted up sometimes, but he was called back quickly enough.

To which he completely embarrassed himself by fainting on the waiting room floor.

Now, he sat restlessly on the examination table, waiting, waiting, waiting. He was only slightly irritated by the now-present goose egg on the back of his head.

Nico had been through this several times before. His vitals were taken, he was nearly persuaded into own of those embarrassing hospital-issued gowns, and then he would flip disinterestedly through a magazine while he waited for the cardiologist.

The cardiologist only came in a half hour later, only once he’d gotten Nico’s patient files transferred from his local hospital. His smile was sunny and bright, his blond hair swept back, wearing a lab coat over his professional clothes.

“Good afternoon, Nico. I’m doctor Will Solace, the head of cardiology here. I’ve taken a quick look at your patient files, but I’ve still got to ask the stock questions. What brought you in here today?” He asked, swiveling over to the bedside with his clipboard.

Nico looked up from his magazine, only half listening as the doctor prattled on about himself, expecting to answer questions about his family history (which was always a fun topic), his own medical history, and wait for the cardiologist to either tell him they needed extra tests and blood work or present Nico with a diagnosis on the spot.

However, all of that was wiped from Nico’s mind when he finally got a good look at the man standing before him. Nico was lucky his heart didn’t stop outright. Then, he realized that the gorgeous sunny-headed cardiologist had asked him a question.

“I-I,” he stammered. “I—my name’s Nico di Angelo. Wait—no. I mean, yes, that’s my name.” He sighed, exhausted with his own stupidity and offered up what he hoped would be a decent enough explanation for his erratic behavior. “I hit my head, in the waiting room.”

“I heard.” Will said, chuckling to himself. “You took a pretty good fall, too. Scared the crap out of my receptionist.” He teased, moving to pull on some gloves and to gently feel at the bump on his head. “Probably nothing too bad, but we’ll go ahead and take you for a scan anyways to check for concussion. What brought you in in the first place though?”

Will turned to rifle through the cabinets for the proper heart monitor tools, pushing up the sleeves of his lab coat to reveal tanned, muscular arms. “It’s been a longtime condition, right?”

Nico shuddered when gloved fingers probed along his scalp, goosebumps raising up along his arms, and relaxing only when Dr. Solace started digging through his supplies.

He nodded even though the doctor had his back to him. “Arrhythmia. They found it when I was six. I’m usually asymptomatic, but today I just got really dizzy and lightheaded.”

From this position, Nico could gawk at Dr. Solace’s arms all he wanted without fear of being caught. It helped calm him. And then there was Will’s (could he call him Will? Maybe not to his face, but Dr. Solace was a mouthful) broad back that Nico envisioned was rippled with muscles.

He watched Will pull out the EKG machine, and he swallowed nervously.

Will wheeled his chair back over to the bed with the EKG machine, nodding thoughtfully at his explanation. “Well, since you’re typically asymptomatic, I’m going to go ahead and run some tests, and since it’s getting a little later, we’ll probably keep you overnight. Especially because of that fainting episode. It’s likely stress, but we want to make sure. We wouldn’t want a reoccurrence.” His smile was charming and warm, his gloved hands fishing out the stickers.

“You seem pretty nervous, Mr. Di Angelo.” He mentioned, motioning for him to pull the gown down to his waist. “When was the last time you went to the hospital?”

For just a split second, Nico actually pulled the gown tighter around himself, his face lighting up with a furious blush. “Uh, t-the last time?” It was hard to think with his heart beating as fast as was. It was kind of starting to hurt. “Like, four years ago?”

He realized Will was still expecting something from him, so he grabbed his gown between his fingers and pulled it down slowly and deliberately. Maybe Will would change his mind about the EKG and Nico could avoid sitting in front of him half naked.

No such luck, however, when he winced noticeably at a particularly forceful palpitation.

“How about you lie down-” Will offered, instead pulling his stethoscope from around his neck and scooting closer. “I’m going to listen to your heart, it looks like your palpitations are getting a bit worse.” He frowned gently, helping him recline the cot. “It could be nerves. Do you have any particular phobias?”

He slipped the stethoscope into his ears, moving to press the metal part to Nico’s chest, only after he’d warmed it between his hands. “Your heartbeat is pretty erratic, which isn’t going to do the arrhythmia any good..” Will mused, going quiet and closing his eyes as he listened to his chest.

“Phobias?” Nico asked, his voice about three octaves higher than normal. He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. “I don’t particularly enjoy hospitals,” he admitted truthfully.

He was glad to at least be staring up at the ceiling instead of into Will’s shockingly blue eyes. Like this, he had a moment to reflect on a lot of things, none of which were particularly pleasant.

“Too much death,” he mumbled.

His heartbeat was slowing, which with his arrhythmia, wasn’t always a good thing, but at least he wasn’t in pain. He closed his eyes while Will finished up his examination.

Will finished listening, then quickly stuck on the stickers for the EKG, giving Nico a reassuring smile. “I’m going to go ahead and admit you, and we’ll take some blood, and do some other tests. Are you dizzy now?”

Will’s hands weren’t cold or uncomfortable, just warm and the slightest bit calloused. He had the EKG set up in moments, and he slipped a monitor onto his finger to keep an eye on his oxygen levels and his heart rate. “This is a great hospital, Nico. I’d suggest you transfer here, in fact. Our cardiology department is awesome.” He smiled. “Anyways, are you experiencing any dizziness or nausea? Headaches, lightheadedness.. How does your chest feel?”

Nico shook his head and smiled despite himself. “I’m all right. But, Dr. Solace,” he said, hanging on Will’s name longer than was absolutely necessary. “Do you always attempt to woo new patients to your department? Or am I just a ‘special case’?” He made finger quotes around the words.

He felt a little more confident now that he thought he’d backed Will into a corner. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his ability to flirt with the best of them. Now, if only his heart would Chill. The. Fuck. Out. The longer he held Will’s gaze, the more Nico feared his heart would leap out of his throat.

“Does your heart always go wild when you meet attractive cardiologists?” Will said back, quirking one eyebrow and smirking. “Because everytime I so much as look at you, your heart rate goes up.” He teased.

“Anyways, while my intentions were a little selfish, we do have a great cardiology department.” He mused, turning away to glance, instead, at the EKG results.

Nico frowned as heat once again rose to his cheeks. “Well, aren’t we just a wee bit arrogant.”

His ego was a bit stung—he hadn’t expected to be beat at his own game against said attractive cardiologist. But Will was definitely more than aware of the affect he had on Nico, and Nico wasn’t really sure yet how he felt about that.

“Can I go now?” he asked shortly. He stood too quickly, the electrodes still stuck to his chest, only vaguely aware of the increased rate at which the heart monitor beeped in time with his heartbeat.

He tried to take a step towards the door and promptly collapsed into Will’s arms.

Will made a strangled, surprised noise as Nico collapsed, catching him with ease and gently helping him back onto the bed. His frown was harsh, this time, and he had to bite back an irritated remark.

“I said you needed to stay overnight for observation-” Will insisted, taking his wrist to feel his pulse. “You’re shaking like a leaf and your heart is going wild, what made you think you could just walk out of here?”

Sighing, he stood, fixing the EKG and making sure none of the stickers had come off. “This is my fault, I shouldn’t be flirting with patients..” He grumbled.

Nico was trembling and was strangely out of breath, and as much as he wanted to agree with Will, he knew that really, all the blame fell with him—he was the one to begin flirting as a method of battling his nerves and he was the one who’d tried to walk out in the middle of an EKG. The only thing Will was guilty of was being criminally handsome.

He laid down and closed his eyes, this episode making him unusually tired. He was clammy as hell and still lightheaded from his fall. If anything, the incident would definitely prove he had an arrhythmia, but if he swooned one more time, maybe Will would say something corny about Nico falling for him.

“Sorry,” he breathed softly. “I’ll behave.”

Will sighed, listening again to his breathing. “Don’t apologize. You need to be more careful, though, my own stupid crush aside.” He said. “Something is wrong with your heart and I need to figure out what that is so you don’t keep fainting like that.”

Will stood, taking off his gloves and throwing them in the trash. “I’m going to take some blood, now, to see if there’s anything off with that.”

The corners of Nico’s lips perked up at Will’s declaration about his crush. “So I am your special case,” he said casually.

He listened to Will scribble notes on the clipboard, probably writing all kinds of embarrassing things about Nico’s repeated episodes of fainting. It was weird—he’d had the arrhythmia for years, and only Will had made Nico’s heart feel this way. It felt constricted, but in a good, painless way, and very warm.

He groaned when he remembered what Will had just told him. Nico was already predisposed to fainting and he had never been very good with blood work. Just the thought of the needle entering his arm made him squeamish and he swallowed to keep himself from throwing up.

“So, when I get admitted,” he said, talking to take his mind off what he knew was coming and trying to keep the unsteadiness out of his voice and failing miserably, “will I get my own room or do I have to share with some other poor sap who’s been caught in your clutches?”

“You are my special case.” Will winked, going to page a nurse to come in for the blood take. “And you’ll have your own room, most likely.” He added, going to scribble something else on his board. “How’s your history with blood draws?”

“Besides.” He said, after a few beats of silence. “Do you really think that I flirt with all of my patients? Do you realize how rare it is to actually get a cute patient? Everyone in cardiology is old and dying, or really young and tragic.”

Nico had to think about that one for a minute. He sure hoped Will didn’t see him as young and tragic too. But then his heart started that annoying fluttering thing it did when Will had first walked into the room—when Nico had gotten his first glimpse of the curly-headed blond (he could slick it back all he wanted, but Nico could definitely distinguish the curls beneath all that gel) with the sunny sweet smile and eyes as clear and blue as the sky, with gentle yet slightly calloused hands that tickled Nico’s flesh every time his fingers brushed along Nico’s skin.

And Will had called him cute.

It was only when Will cleared his throat that Nico snapped out of his daydreams. On top of the fainting and the flirting, Will was going to start thinking Nico was mental if he continued spacing out.

Had he been asked a question?

Oh. Damn it.

“How am I with blood draws?” Nico repeated. “About as good as I’ve been the rest of this visit.”

Will rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. “Alright, well. With all of this fainting, I’m going to assume you’re not great with blood draws.” He said, glancing up as the nurse came in, he offered her a smile as well. “Good afternoon, Kayla. My friend Nico needs a blood draw.” He said, standing up and going to the tiny fridge in the corner of the room.

Will returned to Nico’s bedside with a bottle of apple juice and a package of cookies, the emesis bin by the cot nudged a little closer just in case. “Kayla’s really good at this. She learned from the best.” Will grinned, watching her swab his arm and prepare the needle.

“Oh, so I’m your friend now?” Nico said sniggering. He concentrated on Will’s face as he felt Kayla run the iodine around the crook of his elbow. From this distance, he could practically count the freckles on Will’s face, if he had been trying to.

He sucked in a startled breath as he felt the needle placed under his skin. He was suddenly lightheaded and his vision started fading around the edges. He shut his eyes and reached forward, clutching Will’s hand before he’d even realized what he was going.

“Talk to me,” Nico whimpered. “Distract me, please.”

Despite the fact that Will hadn’t at all been expecting it, he gently clasped Nico’s hand and squeezed. He had to try not to get flustered himself, just running his finger across the back of Nico’s hand. “Alright, alright.” He said, voice quiet.

“Well, I’ve been a Cardiologist for two years, now, the rest was all schooling. According to our chief of the ER, I’m some kind of prodigy. I got promoted to head of the department about a month ago. It’s mostly nice because I don’t have to work the overnight shifts all the time. Since I’m in charge, I get to work the 9-5.” He mused, just talking about whatever came to mind.

Nico listened intently to Will’s words, anything to take his mind off the needle now slipping out of his arm. He heaved a sigh of relief, eyeing the emesis bin warily. “I feel sick,” he groaned.

He was always shaky after blood work and this time was no exception. At least he hadn’t fainted again.

He felt something ghost along the top of his hand. He looked down and saw his hand in Will’s, Nico’s squeezing Will’s like a lifeline. Nico jerked back like he’d been bitten.

“Oh my God.” He sounded mortified, his cheeks blazing. “I’m so sorry. I’m really jittery around needles and usually another nurse will let me hold their hand when I have blood drawn and your hand was just there and—God, I’m so stupid.”

He stood up from the table, much slower this time, and pulled the EKG stickers off his body. “You know what. I’m feeling much better now. Maybe I should just go?”

Will rolled his eyes, trying not to be too hurt when Nico yanked his hand away, standing up with him. “I would highly recommend you lie down for at least a little while.” He insisted, one hand moving to hold onto Nico’s arm, gently, only as a precaution if he were to faint again.

“You just said you were feeling sick, so sit down, drink the apple juice, eat the cookies. I still want a CT scan for your head after that fall and a chest x-ray.” Will paused for a moment, sighing. “Sorry if I freaked you out, it was highly unprofessional of me. I can ask one of my colleagues to work with you if you want, just don’t run off. I don’t know what’s making you sick, yet.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind you staying,” Nico said, the tiniest of pouts on his face. He let Will guide him back onto the exam table. He uncapped the juice and took a swig. The drink was cool and refreshing and made Nico feel much better.

He watched Kayla gather up his blood panel and run it off to the lab. That left him alone again with Will. Nico sighed. Will was just doing his job and Nico was freaking out about everything. He had never had an appointment that was so draining.

He looked up at the wall clock behind Will’s head. It was nearing 5 o’ clock. Wasn’t that the time Will said he usually got off? Nico didn’t know how he would pass the time during his overnight stay if Will wasn’t around to keep him company. Or, do whatever it was he was doing.

“So, when do I get to see this extravagant room of yours?” he asked around a mouthful of cookie and praying that Will understood that he meant the hospital room where he’d be staying and not actually his room.

Will chuckled, standing up and moving to turn off the EKG. “As soon as we get those X-rays and scans. You’ve got a little more color to your face, though, so I think we can go get those now. You’re stuck in a wheelchair, though, can’t have you fainting on hospital property.” He grinned, helping unstick the electrodes and setting them aside.

“Anyways, tonight is my rare overnight shift, so you’ll get to deal with me for the rest of your visit.” He grinned, wheeling the chair over. “Ready?”

“Oh goody,” Nico said, going for nonchalant in hopes of hiding his excitement. He eyed the wheelchair as though it personally offended him. “What, I don’t even get to walk out the door on my own?”

He shoved another cookie in his mouth and plopped into the chair. The good thing about wheelchairs was that Will was pushing him from behind, giving Nico the chance to imagine all he wanted and blush without fear of being caught. Damn Will and his damn good looks and his damn charming bedside manner.

“Just so we’re clear, I don’t have a history of fainting during X-rays or CT scans. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m some sort of damsel in distress.”

“Not when you’re fainting all over the place.” Will teased, clipped the file on the side of the wheelchair, walking him to the testing area. “So, four years since you were here last, that’s a long time.” Will mused. “I haven’t been a patient in a hospital for at least 10.”

They made their way to the CT scan first, and Will helped Nico stand. “You shouldn’t be fainting in these in the first place, so I guess that’s good.”

Nico hummed. “I don’t know—I’m deathly afraid of giant, noisy medical equipment,” he joked. “And unfortunately some people were not blessed with perfect health. Some of us were born with heart defects out of our control.”

Despite his earlier joke, the CT scan was pretty ominous-looking. But, as he had a habit of fainting during an arrhythmic episode, he was no stranger to checking for concussions. God, the fainting was ridiculous and he had to stop doing it.

“So, what were you in for last?” Nico asked, hopping onto the scanner without precedence. “Four years is nothing compared to your 10.”

“I had my appendix out when I was 16.” Will said, helping Nico onto the table. “It burst, I was in the hospital for a week.” He chuckled. “It was a nightmare. Still, I’ve been in pretty good health since. I like helping people get healthy, too.” Will patted his arm. “Alright, I’m gonna turn on the machine, see you on the other side.” He smiled, patting his arm.

As expected, the scan was long, noisy, and boring. Nico was not at all surprised that Will had to prod his arm a few times to get him off the table. They were just lucky Nico hadn’t fallen asleep outright.

He slid off the table and made his way back into the wheelchair without any complaints. As daunting as he knew his stay was bound to be, Nico could not wait to be laying down in his hospital-issued bed.

“Don’t take this the wrong way or anything,” Nico said, “but you have nice hands. You’re gentle. You wouldn’t imagine the number of times I’ve been in during an episode and left feeling more battered than when I went in.”

Will chuckled, his own cheeks flushing the slightest bit at the comment. “I do my best. You also may or may not be receiving special treatment.” He grinned.

“The X-ray will be really quick.” Will assured, as they made their way to the next room. “Then you can go and rest.”

Nico nodded, yawning.

The X-ray procedure was very similar to the CT. Nico climbed up on the table and laid down. It was cold, but he forced out the shivers for the sake of getting a good X-ray—the table was hard and he was not about to spend anymore time on it than was absolutely necessary.

“So what passes for dinner around this place?” he asked when they were finally finished. “Or do you expect your patients to survive on cookies and juice alone?”

Once the scan was finished, Will helped Nico back into the chair and, finally, to the elevators. “There’s a cafeteria downstairs, but the food isn’t great.” He admitted, stopping in front of a room and pushing the door open, wheeling Nico in.

It took a few minutes for him to get Nico set up with a heart monitor and the proper vital signs, scribbling on his notebook again when he spoke again. “I have to get food at some point.” He said simply. “I can bring you something. So you’re not subjected to nasty hospital food.”

Nico settled into the bed, relishing in the too-flat pillows and scratchy, threadbare sheets. He heard the steady beep of his heartbeat on the monitor, and he wondered how much of his health improved today just from being with Will.

“I guess I shouldn’t be asking a cardiologist to bring me a double-bacon cheeseburger and large fries, huh?” He waved his hand dismissively. “Forget it, I’m too tired to eat. I’m guessing this is where you take your leave?”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t eaten since 7 this morning, so I think I’d better go eat before I start fainting too.” Will admitted, smiling sheepishly. “I’ll be in and out tonight though, since I need to keep an eye on the arrhythmia. It’ll be good to watch it while you’re resting, though. I’ll have to discharge you in the morning, too.” He said, standing up.

“Is there anything I can get you before I go?” Will said, going in search of an extra blanket.

“Haha, very funny,” Nico said humorlessly, “mock the guy with the heart problem.”

He babbled something else unintelligible, murmuring his gratitude as Will covered him with the blanket. He closed his eyes and started drifting off almost immediately.

“Goodnight, Will,” he said sleepily.

Will smiled fondly, his own heart skipping a beat. Why Nico made him so flustered, he wasn’t sure. Will did know that he wanted to see him outside of the hospital, though.

After making sure the blanket was tucked in and the heart monitor was working properly, he stepped out of the room, going to eat and take a power nap before his midnight rounds.

–

When Nico woke up, it was to the assaulting sunlight streaming in through the blinds. He shied away from the light, lifting the blanket over his head until his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

He blinked groggily and looked around. He was alone in the room, but Will had definitely been by earlier. There was a tray on the table beside him, atop which lied a toasted turkey club with lettuce and tomato, a chocolate brownie, and a hospital standard cup of ice water. Beside the tray were his discharge papers. Almost everything was filled out in an unclear, scratchy handwriting. Nico struggled through the physician’s notes—his arrhythmic episode checked out normal and Dr. Solace suggested medication if the episodes became severe or recurred more frequently.

Nico yawned widely, reaching eagerly for the turkey sandwich. It had been more than 16 hours since his meager snack of cookies and apple juice and he was starving. He took a bite and was pleasantly surprised to find the bread still warm. The taste indicated that it was definitely not hospital food he was eating. It wasn’t a cheeseburger, but at least Will had thought to bring him something at all.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the amount of Dijon mustard that covered his face after the next bite. He reached for the napkin and shook it out to wipe his face, almost missing what fell out from between the folds and onto his covered lap.

It was Will’s business card, but scribbled out over his name, credentials, and address of his hospital office, was a single phone number, written in the same chicken scratch writing as his discharge papers.

Nico heard the deafening sound of his cardiac monitor as his heart started pounding a million beats a minute. Clutching Will’s phone number between his fingers, he tried to take a few steadying breaths before he was bombarded with nurses alerted by the monitor. Then Will would come in and Nico would never get to leave. He felt the heat of embarrassment start at his neck and crawl all the way to the tops of his ears.

He leaned back into pillows, not even trying to hide the stupid grin on his face. His cardiac monitor had settled into a normal rhythm, but that didn’t stop him from glancing towards the door looking for Will. For now, he would just have to finish his meal and hope to find Will leaning casually against the hallway wall when Nico finally decided to leave.

Chapter Text

Nico stared at his phone for three days before he finally plucked up the courage to dial the number scrawled in orange pen on Will’s business card. It took an additional 24 hours for him to debate whether to send a text message or call him outright.

With trembling fingers and a face redder than the pullover he was currently wearing, he hit the call button, waiting with bated breath as the phone began to ring.
Will’s voice, while a little muffled from the receiver, was almost as sunny as it had been in the hospital.

“Hello, this is Doctor Will Solace.” He answered. He didn’t typically give out his cell number to patients, but it did happen on occasion, so unknown numbers tended to be hospital business.

Nico’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t thought of what he’d do if Will actually answered, but now that he had, well, Nico realized he had nothing to say. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, floundering around like a fish, a petrified look on his face. This was almost worse than seeing Will in person.

“Hello?” Will asked, becoming a bit curious. “Anybody there?”

Nico took a shaky breath, certain that Will could sense Nico’s nerves from his side. “It’s Nico,” he whispered finally into the receiver.

“Nico?” Will’s voice perked up immediately. “I was beginning to think you’d never call! How are you? Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m not dead yet,” Nico answered flatly. He was actually relieved to hear that Will sounded almost desperate to hear his voice. “How about you?”

“Tired, but good. I have an hour left of work today and I’m off for the weekend.” Will’s grin was practically audible, on cloud nine now that Nico had called him.

Nico was silent a beat. He had a question he needed to ask—it was actually one of the reasons he called in the first place (the other being that he simply missed the cheerful sound of Will’s voice). Now that he had Will on the phone, he was afraid that asking him seemed out of place. What if Will took it wrongly?

He took a deep breath in through his nose and asked, “Why exactly did you give me your number?”

“Was the shameless flirting not obvious enough?” Will teased, laughing to himself. His response had been quick, almost calculated, as if he’d thought of what to say an hour ago. “I gave it to you because I like you and I think you’re cute and I wanted to see you again.”

“That is…highly unprofessional,” Nico said, his voice light as he was unable to stop the smile spreading across his face. Then, a thought occurred to him and he felt his cheeks grow warm, despite his grin. “Will Solace, are you trying to ask me out on a date?”

“I’m not known for being terribly professional.” Will grinned. “And maybe I am. What would your answer be?” He asked.

“That all depends. I am a proven fall risk after all. What do you have in mind?”

“Whatever you want.” Will hummed. “Movies, dinner, romantic walks on the beach.” He joked. “I could cook for you. I’m a pretty decent cook.”

“It’s a little chilly for the beach this time of year. I think your place would be best,” Nico added. Even though a small part of his mind was telling him to slow down, the larger part could not wait to see Will again. “I hope to be thoroughly wowed by your dinner, Solace. I am Italian—I know good food when I see it.”

“Oh, well that puts a lot of pressure on me.” Will laughed. “I’ll have to work hard to impress you. Are you free tomorrow night?” He asked, sounding eager.

“I think I can pencil you in,” Nico said trying to sound like meeting up with Will was no big deal. “See you around 8? Text me your address.”

“Pencil me in.” Will snorted, his eye roll practically audible over the phone. “Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then. I’m gonna go save lives then sleep for 12 hours. Take care, Nico.”

Nico hung up and practically collapsed onto his bed, clutching his phone to his chest. He had a date with Will tomorrow, at Will’s place. Will was going to cook for him.

He quickly entertained the idea that something other than just dinner would happen at Will’s tomorrow night, but he chased that thought away in order to fret about how he would make a good impression.

—

In the end, Nico chose a dark blue sweater and dark wash jeans. It was casual, but after all, this was only dinner.

Surprisingly, Will’s condo wasn’t all that far from Nico’s own apartment; the hospital where they’d met was probably about the halfway point.

Nico stood outside Will’s complex for a good 40 minutes before going inside. In his attempt to impress, he’d left his place much earlier than necessary, unsure at the time just how far Will lived. He refused to go inside even the lobby, afraid of looking too desperate or eager. So, he stood on the sidewalk, shivering in the wind and looking like a moron.

By the time he rode the elevator to Will’s 12th story pad and knocked on the door with trembling hands, all Nico really wanted was a fireplace and something warm to drink.

Will had been equally nervous. While he’d managed to keep his cool on the phone, being outside of his hospital setting took away a lot of his confidence. Sure, he was suave when he was decked out in his doctor gear and lab coat, but this was totally different.

He’d decided to take a safer route and avoid Italian, cooking a chicken dish instead. He was clad in jeans and a grey button-up, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he put the pan in the oven.

The bell rang just after 8, and Will started out of his nervous trance at the noise. He was quick to answer, though not before fixing his shirt and his hair in the mirror in the front.

“Hey.” Will grinned, the edges of his mouth sloping down when he realized the state Nico was in. His hair was ruffled, likely from the wind, his cheeks and nose flushed pink. “Did you walk here? It’s freezing out, did you not bring a jacket?” He ushered him inside, forgoing any casual cheek-kisses–which he may or may not have envisioned in his head while mentally planning his greeting–and instead herding him over to the fireplace in the living room.

“H-H-Hey,” Nico greeted, teeth chattering. He waved a hand dismissively as Will was hovering. “And n-no, mother, I d-didn’t b-bring a jacket.”

He took a second to compose himself in front of the fire after Will plopped him onto the couch. Looking around, he saw that Will’s condo was immaculate, but not in a way that it didn’t look lived in. Behind the fireplace was a wall made entirely of glass, boasting a terrific view of the city at night.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands together trying to get some feeling back into his fingers, fully aware of Will’s calculating stare beside him. When Nico was sure he could carry on a steady conversation, only then did he turn to look up at Will.

“You look nice,” he said, smiling.

Will left very briefly for a blanket, returning quickly enough and draping it around Nico’s shoulders. “Arrhythmias and hypothermia don’t mix.” Will said, shaking his head. “Warm up. Dinner will be ready in ten. Can I get you some coffee?”

Logically, Will knew it shouldn’t have bothered him much, but something about Nico made Will feel oddly responsible for his protection. Maybe it was just how stupidly big he’d blown up this crush. “Next time wear a jacket. If you get too cold, your heart can slow down, y'know. And- you look nice too. Really nice.”

“Coffee would be great,” Nico said. He settled back into the couch, grasping the blanket firmly against his chest. It was wool and smelled faintly of cinnamon and mint, like Will.

As he watched Will carry on around the kitchen Nico wondered vaguely if Will would ever grow tired of taking care of him. The hospital setting was one thing, but now Nico was likely proving that he couldn’t take care of himself because he wandered around without a jacket when it was cold out.

“I feel underdressed,” he teased, eyeing Will’s button-down. “Maybe I should have worn a tie, or do you prefer me in a hospital gown?” Even when he said it, he knew he was blushing furiously, but he would do anything to make up for this date that he thought was starting out to be a fiasco.

“Do you need help with anything?” he offered, figuring he’d warm up faster if he was moving around.

Will made his way to the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee. He’d brewed it an hour ago, in an attempt to please Nico. He had said he was Italian, and Italians tended to love their coffee. He’d even gone for the expensive stuff that you had to go and get grounded up, not his usual off-brand can that he barely drank.

He returned from the kitchen a couple of minutes later with the coffee, just a tiny bit of cream in it. “Here you go. It’s pretty hot, though.” He warned, handing the mug over with careful, steady hands. He was a doctor, after all.

“You’re not underdressed.” Will laughed. “I just haven’t done laundry in a week. All of my casual clothes are in the wash. It is hard to beat those hospital gowns, though.” He joked. “Anyway, the food is in the oven, so there’s not much to do but wait. Thanks for the offer, though.” His smile was wide and genuine, the sort of thing that Nico had found so attractive about him in the first place.

Nico grabbed the mug with both hands, pressing it between his palms, smiling as the tingling warmth crept up his fingers. He took a sip and sighed—it was good.

He looked up when he felt the couch dip beside him. Will had taken the liberty of sitting next to him, their shoulders nearly touching. Nico stiffened. From here he could practically smell Will’s shampoo, not to mention something vaguely Rosemary, probably from whatever was in the oven. "W-What are you doing?”

Will drew his knees to his chest, smiling at him and scooting closer. “Come on, it’s cold. Share your blanket.” He said, nudging his arm. “It’s a big blanket. I grabbed the biggest one for a reason.”

Will stretched out his hands, wiggling his fingers. “How’s the coffee? Is it any good? I usually just drink whatever’s in the hospital break room.”

Nico grunted, his face showing barely concealed contempt. “I grabbed a cup of that before I was discharged—tasted like lukewarm muddy water.” He scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue to show his disgust. "But this,“ he said, indicating the mug in his hands, "this is good.”

He took another sip to avoid looking at Will, though he could feel the blondes’ eyes boring into the side of his head, expecting an answer to his other request. When Nico realized that he couldn’t ignore Will forever, he stretched the edge of the blanket in Will’s direction. “Here.”

Will grinned, gladly accepting the corner of the blanket but giving Nico plenty of space in between the two of them. As much as he’d like to be close, he didn’t want to freak Nico out. “Good. Because I don’t know much about coffee.” He said, chuckling.

They sat in a somewhat awkward silence for another few minutes, saved by the timer of the oven. Will grinned, moving the blanket off and standing, going to the kitchen.

Nico let out a breath of air, shaking his head, totally disgusted with himself. He had a weird obsession with personal space, especially if initiated by someone else. But this was a date, Will was going to be near him.

He lifted his head and sniffed the air as Will pulled a pan out of the oven. Nico hummed. “That smells delicious.”

He stood and made his way to the kitchen, dropping his mug into the sink. He came up behind Will and said over his shoulder, “Let’s hope you cook as well as you make coffee.”

Will set the pan of sizzling chicken on the stove, rolling his eyes at the comment and removing his oven mitts. “Yeah, yeah.” He said, shaking his head. “I’m not too shabby.”

He’d made some sort of chicken dish, which he put onto to plates after letting it cool for a minute. “Do you drink wine?” Will asked, turning to look at him.

Nico took the plates over to the dining room table, eager to be a good guest. The table was beside the long window overlooking the city. It made for a great mealtime backdrop.

He looked up at the sound of Will’s voice, staring at him blankly. He pointed to himself, confused. “Do I drink wine?” He smirked. “Italians practically invented the stuff.”

He made his way back to the kitchen to see if Will needed help with anything else. He leaned casually against the counter and watched Will pull down a couple of glasses. When Will turned around, Nico tried to make it look like he hadn’t just been ogling him.

Will poured two glasses, smiling at Nico when he caught a slight blush on his face. “Of course, of course.” He said, handing the glass over and taking his own, as well as the bottle. It was a rather expensive bottle, too, something he’d gotten as a gift.

“So, what do you do, Nico?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “You know what I do, of course, but I know very little about you.”

Nico hesitated. “I, uh…I don't—I don’t do anything actually. I’m unemployed right now.” He looked up and met Will’s eyes. “Remember how I told you that it had been four years since I was admitted into a hospital?”

He waited until Will nodded before continuing.

“I went into cardiac arrest when I was 19. I almost died. After being in the hospital for two weeks, I left with a pacemaker. My sister moved in with me as a precaution.”

He lifted his glass and took a sip, swallowing thickly around the bittersweet taste.

“After two years with no incident, I convinced my sister I was fine and she moved in with her friend out of state. I’ve been on my own ever since. The pacemaker’s out now, but any kind of physical activity puts a lot of strain on my heart, so I try to avoid it when I can.” He cleared his throat, heat finding its way back to his cheeks. “So, that’s the long answer to your question.”

Will listened, his expression gentle, setting the glass and bottle down. He pulled Nico’s chair out before sitting across from him, offering him a reassuring smile. “That makes sense. I can’t imagine it’d be easy to get much done with that arrhythmia.” He said.

“I can help you, though.” He added, his own cheeks the slightest bit pink. “As far as building up your endurance for activity. Some things that wouldn’t put much strain on your heart.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Nico said. “I don’t even know you, outside of the cardiologist who witnessed how many times I can possibly faint in one doctor’s visit.”

Nico turned to stare out the window. What was happening here? He was shutting down any possible future connection to Will like it was the easiest thing to do. But it wasn’t. Nico’s own words left a gnawing ache in his chest that had nothing to do with his arrhythmia and absolutely everything to do with the loss of a person that wasn’t even his.

Nico didn’t like how the atmosphere in the room had turned so dark and stifling and he wondered if there was any fix to the mood after he’d turned down Will so forcefully.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his eyes still glued to the city lights. He didn’t know if he was apologizing for the palpable tension in the room or the rejection or both—it just seemed like something he should say.

Will’s smile fell a bit, but he nodded. “Ah, yeah. Just. Let me know, if you need anything.” He said simply, unsure of how to respond. Being completely shot down—he wasn’t so prepared for that.

The apology was unexpected too, and Will tried not to get too discouraged. It seemed as though Nico didn’t have much interest in him, after all. “It’s fine.” He said, shaking his head and pushing a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

They picked at their food in silence. Nico didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. He had ruined everything. He saw the disappointment in Will’s face and it hurt like nothing else ever had before. True, they didn’t really know each other, but it was obvious from the moment they’d met that Will craved that connection. Will had given out his phone number, cooked him dinner, offered to take care of him.

Nico was lying if he said he didn’t want that too.

He sighed rather abruptly and put down his cutlery. He needed to fix this, or at the very least try.

“Look, Will.” He saw the blond stiffen, hesitating before meeting his eyes. Nico lost himself in those blue eyes for a moment, swallowing back any reservations he may have had. “I like you, I really do. But you have to understand, I come with a lot of personal baggage, and I—I can’t do that to you. It isn’t fair.”

Will was, again, taken aback. He couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking his head and setting his glass of wine down. “Really?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

“I did read your medical history, Nico, and while I don’t know a whole lot about you, you’re cute and funny and I like the way you flirt. I think you’re charming and I enjoyed your time at my hospital, fainting or not. And you’re being a little dramatic. It’s not like I’ve asked you to marry me.” His smile this time was more genuine. “You know, if we dated, we could at least figure it out.”

Despite all of Will’s kind words, Nico still pouted. “I am not being dramatic.” Maybe he was. But God, he couldn’t even admit how much he wanted so badly to take Will up on his offer to date. Still, the way Will said his name—the way he hung on the first syllable just a breadth too long. His laugh was light and musical, even if he did usually laugh at Nico’s expense. Just hearing Will speak the word marriage sent a little jolt of giddiness through Nico’s chest.

When he thought like that, he felt like he only had one option.

He dragged his hands down his face with a barely stifled groan. He looked up at Will with tired eyes, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his lips. “Think you can handle all this, Solace?”

Will’s smile spread into a grin, and he nodded. “Oh, I know I can.” His eyes were bright, his mood having improved by leaps and bounds in just moments.

Practically giddy, Will reached over to take Nico’s hand (pausing just before so Nico could reject the action if he wanted to) and squeezing. “You should eat, our food will get cold.”

Nico nodded numbly, his eyes locked on his hand in Will’s. He could think of a hundred different things he wanted to do right now, the first involved ignoring his food completely and kissing Will senseless. He chuckled to himself. Was this what he was going to be like with Will in his life? It was a good change.

He smiled. “Our first order of business, besides finishing this delectable-looking chicken that you worked so hard to prepare, is to make plans for a first date do-over. This is not what I envisioned for my first date with you,” he said, his ears burning.

Pleased with the lack of rejection, Will smiled and took another bite of his chicken, chewing slowly before speaking. “I made dessert, too.” He said, winking.

“Was this not the date of your dreams?” Will asked with a laugh. “I mean, sure, it was a little rocky, but at least there’s fine wine and cute cardiologists, right?”

“You are so full of yourself,” Nico said. He wondered which was redder: his face or the wine he was drinking. “The wine is great, and as for cute cardiologists…,” Nico smiled slyly. “Do you have a coworker coming over?”

Will gasped dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “Mr. di Angelo I am offended.” He said, feigning disbelief. "I cannot believe you would say that. And I thought you were the one.” Despite this, Will was clearly joking.

Truthfully, he was just as nervous and excited as Nico, and suddenly he felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry.” He laughed. “That’s like. The stupidest thing I’ve ever said. I promise I’m not that conceited. I’m not very good at flirting.”

Nico let loose a peel of laughter. “And here I thought you were smooth.” He snorted despite himself. “But you’re seriously a dork.”

He grinned around a piece of chicken, taking a moment to compose himself. He giggled suddenly and nearly choked on his food, a quick drink of wine being the only thing that saved him.

“Thanks for inviting me, for the hospital too. I’m sorry for making everything awkward.” He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes alight with a gentle kindness, his lips twitching into another smile. “But really, I’m a mess.”

“It seems as though my facade is working.” Will grinned back, enjoying the sound of Nico’s laughter. He’d love to be the one causing it all the time.

“You’re welcome, for both things, and you don’t need to be awkward. Clearly, I’m just as much of a mess. I made my sister shop for wine and coffee because I wanted to impress you. I pretty much have no idea what I’m doing.”

“That makes two of us.”

They finished dinner without incident. Nico helped wash dishes and tidy up the kitchen. They joked and teased each other, the night now a complete opposite of how it began.

Afterwards, they sat together on the couch, simply enjoying each other’s company before the dying embers of the fire. Nico was more than willing to share the blanket with Will. He yawned, despite him, the long night beginning to take a toll on him. He was tired, but in a pleasant way.

“What are you plans for the rest of the weekend?” Nico asked in an attempt at small talk.

“Plans? Sleep, catch up on Netflix, cry about going back to work on Monday..” Will had a cup of coffee in his hands, sitting opposite of Nico on the couch, his feet stretched out in between them.

His cake (the dessert he’d picked up from the bakery) was half eaten and set on the coffee table, pleasantly full and completely happy where he was.

“The simple life, huh?” Nico extended his hand, his fingers casually twirling a tuft of Will’s hair between his fingers. He loved the way Will watched him, a hint of surprise from Nico’s sudden desire to be intimate shown clearly on his face.

Nico didn’t mind this—the soft touches, slowly exploring their boundaries with one another. He couldn’t imagine now having once been so flustered in Will’s presence, the blonde’s flirtatious streak once overwhelming him to the point of no return. But now, everything was so new, so fresh, that Nico was practically drooling with anticipation, beyond eager to experience this new relationship with Will.

He smiled softly at Will, his torso peeling away from the cushions and closer to the blue-eyed, freckled man before him.

Will watched Nico with cautious curiosity, smiling at the touch after he’d gotten over the initial surprise. A little brave in his own movements, he reached up to hold Nico’s hand, lacing their fingers. It was strangely satisfying, and new, despite the brief moment he’d been in Nico’s clutches during his hospital stay. Their hands fit perfectly, in the way that romance novels described new soulmates. Pieces of a puzzle.

“The simple life.” Will chuckled, leaning right in with him. “What about you?”

Nico grabbed his chin in mock hesitation. “I think sleep, play video games, sleep some more, maybe make a sandwich if I have the time—the usual. My only goal is to not find myself on the ER floor.”

He pulled Will’s hand to his chest, resting it above his heart as if they could both feel the steady rhythm beneath his sweater. “But before all that, there’s something else I have to do first.”

He pushed himself forward, his lips ghosting across Will’s as he delivered a chaste kiss that caught them both by surprise.

With the hesitation to even accept the date, how unsure he was earlier in the date, Will definitely hadn’t pegged Nico as one who would make that kind of move.

Will had been about to make a comment on the whole ER thing, but then Nico was right there, kissing him. Will couldn’t quite help himself. He moved closer, pressing his lips to Nico’s and wrapping an arm around his waist.

Nico smiled, sensing the slightest breadth of hesitation. Will’s lips were warm, the slightest bit wet, and tasted amusingly of chocolate. He melted a little into Will’s embrace, this kind of physical contact not making him the least bit anxious.

The kiss itself didn’t last longer than a few seconds, Nico pulling away to stare wistfully into Will’s eyes.

“Sorry,” he whispered, although he didn’t sound all that remorseful. “I’ve never done that on a first date before.”

Will leaned into the kiss, only opening his eyes once Nico spoke. “You definitely don’t need to apologize.” He breathed, grinning.

He pulled away a bit, staring right back. “You have nice eyes.” He said, grinning.

Any trace of cool and suave Nico had built up during their time on the couch vanished in that instant. His face burned with embarrassment and he could practically feel the metaphorical steam shooting out of his ears. His head swam dizzyingly.

He floundered for a few seconds, trying to form words, to at least utter a thank you, but it was as though Will’s words had found the off switch in Nico’s brain. The best he could do was stare at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

Will chuckled at the sudden change, pulling back to give him a little space. “I’m sorry, did that freak you out?” He asked, using one hand to fan halfheartedly at Nico’s face. “You seem a little–flustered.”

Then, Will remembered that Nico had an arrhythmia, and that stress, anxiety, getting overwhelmed–those were all things that could mess his heart up. “Really, are you okay? I’m sorry.”

Nico blinked, released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He tried for a smile and hoped it didn’t look too weird, giving his head a small shake to clear it.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. You just—I mean, I’ve never—wow.” He took a breath. “I’m good.”

“Alright.” Will said, rolling his eyes and sitting back on the arm of the couch. “Good. I’m glad.” He grinned, nudging his foot. “So, sleeping and playing video games, huh? Sounds exciting.”

Will yawned, even after trying to hold it back. As tired as he was (it was probably the wine) he didn’t want the night to end.

Despite himself, Nico mimicked the action, his mouth wide as he stretched his arms high over his head. “Looks like it’s bedtime.”

He stood, checked his balance, and hovered over the couch until Will joined him. Nico rolled his shoulders and managed to get all the kinks out of his neck, his bones making loud popping noises. He yawned again and laughed at his foolishness.

“Thanks for inviting me. I had a great time.”

Will stretched out, long and cat like, shivering. “It’s so much colder without the blanket. Are you sure you don’t want to just stay over?” He teased. “It’s pretty warm.”

Winking, Will yawned again as well, clearly getting tired. “You’ll be okay driving? You didn’t drink much but…”

Nico raised an eyebrow, smirking. “No, but obviously you did. I walked, remember?” He laughed.

He made his way to the door. “I’ll be fine,” he said dismissively. “God, you’re such a clingy boyfriend.” Even as he said it, he felt his face light up with embarrassment. Boyfriend—it sounded so strange to him.

“Goodnight, Will.”

Will frowned, walking him to the door. “Did you really?” He asked, pausing to actually consider it. “Maybe I did.” He said, waving a hand and opening the door. “You’re sure you’ll be okay? I can walk you home. It’s cold out.” He frowned. Part of him might have just wanted more time, but he knew walking home late at night in the cold probably wasn’t a good idea.

Will stood at the door, still unsure about letting Nico walk home in the storm. “I’m a little clingy. Can you handle that?”

“Oh my God, please don’t walk me home.”

Nico stepped into the hallway outside Will’s, fully prepared for the short trek back home. But already his body missed the warmth of Will’s apartment and he shivered.

He had an arrhythmia. He needed to be careful, especially after his last episode. At least, that’s what he convinced himself as he crossed the threshold back into the apartment to take his place beside Will.

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer to stay over,” Nico said, hugging his arms to his chest. “Unless, of course, you were only joking and then I’ll feel really stupid for bringing it up.”

Will grinned as soon as Nico relented, nodding and opening the door. “It’s way too cold out for you to be walking. Come on.”

Content, he guided Nico back inside, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders when they went to the couch. “I figured we could watch tv for a while before we go to sleep. You’ll take my bed of course.”

Nico laughed once without humor as he plopped back down on the couch, his blush betraying his emotions. “I will not take your bed. You’re already letting me stay, I’m not taking up your bed too.”

He settled back into the couch cushions, stealing their once shared blanket and cocooning himself in it and looking very petulant. “I’m sleeping on the couch and that’s final.”

“Besides,” he added with a wry smile. “I’ve become quite partial to your sofa, Will Solace. It’s comfortable and so far, I’m pleased with my experience on it.” He giggled suddenly, as though he’d just made the funniest joke. God, maybe he had had too much wine.

“You do know I’m just going to carry you to my bed when you fall asleep, right? My guest, no–my boyfriend is not going to sleep on the couch.” Will huffed.

Either way, he grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around himself, sitting on the opposite side of him. “I dunno how much sense that makes…” Will chuckled tiredly.

Nico laughed openly. “Are you a cardiologist or a weightlifter? You’re going carry me?”

Still, he was pretty tired and unwilling to argue the point any further. He yawned loudly and leaned his head back against the couch, closing his eyes.

“Fine, fine, we’ll take the bed.” He paused to give his heart a chance to stop thundering in his chest. Even just talking about sharing a bed had him all flustered. “But first,” he added sleepily, “I’m gonna sit here and rest. I’m not gonna fall asleep, I promise…”

“I hate to break it to you, Neeks, but you’re kind of small.” Will laughed, shaking his head. “Easy to carry. I need to be ready in case of any swooning, too.” He teased lightly, setting the remote aside.

After a moments contemplation, he decided Nico probably meant, yes, he didn’t mind sharing the bed, Will dragged himself back to his feet. “Alright, bed it is. I’ll lead the way. I don’t at all believe that you’re going to rest here for a second and not fall asleep.”

Nico stood woodenly and followed Will down the hall. Like the rest of the condo, Will’s bedroom was exquisite—masterfully decorated and huge. The same glass window-wall ran through the bedroom, this time covered with two layers of curtains, one of sheer and one a thicker, heavier material. There was a bed in the middle of the opposite wall, a king-size at least, with a thick, warm-looking duvet and more fluffy pillows than were absolutely necessary.

And Nico could not wait to throw himself into that bed, as childish as that sounded. He took a step forward, itching to be surrounded by all the warmth and fluff sitting in front of him, but one thing stopped him.

"Do we just, uhh, get in?”

Will laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Usually I remove some of the pillows, but we can leave them all for full authenticity if you want.” He joked, pulling back the covers. “Which side do you want?”

Will busied himself with rifling through his drawers, cheeks slightly flushed. “Do you want a t-shirt or sweats to sleep in? They might be a little big on you, but..”

Nico picked his side and nodded sleepily to Will’s question, yawning widely. He was handed an old T-shirt and sweats, which he changed into—after Will turned around and promised not to peek, of course. Nico had never really appreciated how wide Will’s shoulders were until he was wearing his clothes. He felt like a kid wearing a parent’s oversized T-shirt, his own shoulder peeking through the neck hole as Will’s shirt slid loosely off his body.

By then, Nico was nearly dead on his feet, and he swayed some before climbing into bed at Will’s invitation. The sheets, like the clothes he was wearing, smelled like Will, like cinnamon and mint and just a hint of anesthetic.

He grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest, parallel to his body, his head resting against the cool surface. “What, no silk sheets?” he joked.

Will only got to appreciate the sight of Nico swimming in his clothes for a moment before he was in bed, and he tried not to let that disappoint him too much. The yawns were contagious, though, and Will was just as tired as Nico was, especially after dinner and wine and cake. In a few minutes, he’d be dead to the world.

“I don’t think silk sheets are that comfortable.” Will said simply, laying down with plenty of room in between the two of them. As much as he wanted to get nice and close, he felt like Nico deserved to call the shots.

Nico nodded and put his pillow back behind his head, turning on his side so he was facing the middle of the bed. He saw the disappointment in Will’s eyes and he grinned. “Hoping for a show?” he asked, pulling Will’s shirt back over his shoulders.

“I was definitely hoping for a show.” Will joked, laying on his side to look at Nico. “Those shoulders.” He groaned. “So seductive.”

Even though this was only their second time together, Nico liked how Will made him feel safe. He leaned forward and placed a small, apologetic peck on Will’s lips, loving how he managed to take Will by surprise yet again. He took advantage of it while he could, already knowing that Will was probably not one to startle often and was more likely than not to one day cause Nico’s heart to stop altogether, in a metaphorical, romantic sense of course.

The little kiss made Will’s own heart flutter, and he found himself grinning against Nico’s mouth. “You’re awfully cute.” He laughed.

“Night, Will.” Nico said finally, giving him one final look before closing his eyes.

Closing his eyes briefly before shifting on the pillows, Will peeked once more at Nico. “Goodnight.” He said, reaching over instinctively to tuck him in.
The both of them were sleeping within moments, facing each other, finding themselves closer and closer as the night went on.

—

Will woke up the next morning just as the sun was coming up, an unfortunate consequence of waking up early every morning for work–it was hard to sleep in too late.

Glancing to the side, he was greeted by the sleeping face of Nico di Angelo. The circles under his eyes seemed less intense in the light, his expression calm and peaceful. It was easier to tell how long his eyelashes were when his eyes were closed, the shape of his mouth curved perfectly into what might have been a very slight smile. The entire scene was oddly, well, angelic, true to his surname.

shortly, Will couldn’t help but smile to himself, sitting up halfway and bracing himself on his elbow. He tucked Nico’s hair back with one hand, his own cheek braced against the other, freezing as Nico breathed and shifted and curled a little more in on himself.

It was oddly domestic, and while Will knew it was unconventional to stay over after one date, he had a feeling that they’d be an unconventional couple. Even so, if mornings with Nico turned out like this, he figured all of this was probably worth it.

Chapter Text

Will was literally counting the minutes until he could go home. Wednesdays had always been pretty terrible, and now that he actually had something to look forward to outside of work, he was even more eager for the week to end. He didn’t have plans with Nico until Friday, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t text him or call him or anything.

They’d been dating for just over a month now, and despite the fact that they’d only been on a handful of dates since then, that didn’t change the fact that Will was falling, hard.

The ER was the most interesting place in the building, and since he didn’t have anything scheduled for the rest of the day, he’d spent most of his time bothering his coworkers and picking up cardiology patients amidst the bustle. It was two hours until he was allowed to go home, and he was itching for something to do to pass the time. He’d been considering just going to take a nap in his office for a bit or to call Nico while he pretended to do paperwork, but just as soon as he’d decided to make his way up to the cardiology ward, he was stopped in his tracks by the hushed whisper of his nurse, Kayla.

“Isn’t that Will’s boyfriend?”

Will stopped in his tracks, turning quickly toward Kayla. “What?”

She paused, raising her eyebrows. “Oh, Will! Hey, what’s up?” She laughed, smiling awkwardly.

“Is Nico here? What were you talking about? Give me that file-“ Will snatched away the clipboard from her, his face falling when he read the name Nico di Angelo printed clearly across the top. “Shit…” he whispered, running one hand through his hair as he glanced toward the other side of the ER. Kayla might have said something else, but he wasn’t paying much attention. Dropping the file back on the counter, he turned and quickly made his way to the cot in the corner of the room, pausing just a moment before pulling the curtain back and peeking in.

Nico wanted them to stop shining the light in his eyes, stop asking him what happened, stop invading his space. All he really wanted was a quiet place for him to rest—to blink out the white spots crowding his vision, to be rid of this awful headache. To remember what the hell happened.

He had the vague impression that he should tell someone he was in the hospital. But his sister was out of state and Will was working, and he usually wasn’t able to take personal calls during his shift. If Nico remembered correctly, and he was honestly having a hard time remembering anything, Will’s shift should be almost over for the day.

Suddenly the paramedics were swarming him again, too concerned with what happened before he fell, with the blood running down his temple. He heard them murmur something about severe confusion leading to incoherent rambling—apparently he was mumbling about something that concerned them. Through the sea of people before him, Nico swore he saw a flash of curly blond hair on this side of the curtain. He craned his neck, which did absolutely nothing for his headache, and sighed as realization dawned on him.

“Will.”

Will stepped in quickly, his frown deepening when he took note of the blood running down the side of his face. “Hey, Neeks…” He murmured, pushing the curtain aside and shooting one of the paramedics a dirty look. “Give me a minute, okay?” The guy backed off quickly, and Will took Nico’s hand.

“What happened?” Will started, moving to tuck Nico’s slightly sweat dampened hair back, feeling very carefully for any bumps. “You must have fallen pretty hard. You’re bleeding, you’ve gotta have a concussion.” Will appeared more calm than he actually was, the bouncing of his knee the only symbol of his nervousness.

“Do you remember anything? What’s hurting you right now?”

Nico closed his eyes as Will’s fingers brushed along his scalp. He was more than a little irked when the vertigo didn’t abate even with his eyes closed. “I don’t know,” he all but whispered. “I woke up in the back of an ambulance. For some reason I was covered in hot sauce?”

He opened his eyes and regretted it immediately. Not one, but two Wills were hovering over him, stroking his arm and sponging up blood from his face. All of the attention was too much. Nico made to push him away, missing Will’s actual body by a mile. “My head hurts,” he whined.

He shut his eyes again, his senses overloaded with bright lights, bustling sounds, and sharp, astringent smells. He barely had time to register that he was nauseous before he was leaning over the side of the gurney, his stomach desperately purging up his insides, their contents landing on the floor and probably Will’s shoes with a sickening splat.

Will nodded thoughtfully, having to listen pretty hard to be able to hear him properly. “It’s probably the usual suspect. You might remember better as time passes, but you’ve definitely got a concussion..” When Nico swatted him away, he sat back in the chair, frowning. “Sorry, baby.”

Nico seemed content to just lie there with his eyes closed, and Will knew he had to be disoriented enough to not want to be messed with, so he settled for giving instructions. Order a CT scan, blood work, and an EKG. All to be done after they got Nico onto an IV with some heavy painkillers and fluids.

One of the nurses was just preparing an IV kit when Nico sluggishly pushed himself over the edge of the cot and vomited. Will cursed, not so much bothered by the fact that the hem of his pants and his shoes were now drenched in vomit as he was that Nico was in so much pain. Gently, he took his shoulders to steady him, waiting patiently for the nurse to offer him an emesis bin. Careful not to over-stimulate Nico anymore than necessary, Will set the bin under Nico’s chin and carefully guided him back into the pillows.

“Just breathe, you’re okay…” Will murmured, tucking his bangs back with one hand, the other holding the bin steadily.

Nico took Will’s hand and squeezed it, desperate for something solid to ground him. His eyes were wet with tears, and when he looked around, he was surrounded by a whole team of people that he had not noticed when he arrived. That was definitely disorienting.

He felt a prick as an IV was inserted, but he was already in so much pain that he didn’t even bat an eye at the needle. He felt the medication run up his arm from beneath his skin and he had to fight the urge not to be sick all over again. He found Will’s face with some difficulty (everything seemed to be moving) and tried for a smile, but he had a hard enough time looking up for all the bright lights.

There was one overhead light in particular that gave off a strange aura, giving the impression of a ring around Will’s head. “You look like an angel,” Nico said deliriously.

Kayla handed Will a damp washcloth, taking the emesis bin when it seemed like it wasn’t needed in their immediate future. Chuckling softly at the comment, Will reclined the cot a bit and moved to wipe his face clean, while Kayla ushered the crowd away so Nico could get a few moments of peace.

“An angel, huh?” Will’s voice was quiet, just enough for Nico to hear him. “I don’t know about that.” Thumbing away tears, he fixed the blankets and pillows, hoping to make the thin mattress as comfortable as he could.

Kayla murmured something about the CT scan being in 15 minutes, and Will nodded shortly, waiting for her to close the curtain before sitting down at the side of Nico’s cot. “Once we get your CT scan over with, I’ll get you in a private room.” He assured, stroking his sweat dampened hair back.

When Nico blinked, his sister stood before him, all sweet with giggles and tenderness. It had been years since he’d seen her, but she was just as Nico remembered—long dark hair and olive skin, with a smile that stretched all the way to her eyes. “Bianca…?”

She crooned at him and he took her hand. It was bigger and more calloused than he remembered. He laughed at something she said, wincing at a sudden jolt of pain inside his skull.

He opened his eyes and she was gone, replaced instead by a series of vaguely familiar machines in a not so familiar room. He tried not to be too upset by her absence, instead trying to focus on the tall curly-headed blond looming over him. “Will? What are you doing here? Where am I?”

He felt an all too familiar fluttering in his chest. His arrhythmia currently wasn’t too fast or too slow, but it was annoying all the same, and was just one more thing his battered brain tried to understand. Nico put his knuckles to his lips, stifling a hiccup as he tried to avoid being sick on himself.

Will had seen many delirious patients in his time at the hospital, but none were quite as unsettling as watching your boyfriend call you someone else’s name entirely. Will just did his best to be comforting, stroking along his knuckles and encouraging Nico to be still.

The mention of his name was a relief, which meant Nico was at least somewhat coherent. “You fainted and hit your head pretty hard. You’ve got a pretty severe concussion.” He murmured, kissing his fingers. “They brought you to my hospital, thank god.”

The relief was broken when Nico pressed a hand to his mouth, a motion Will knew all too well. “Kayla-” The nurse glanced down at Nico, recognizing the look easily and quickly handing Will a pink bucket. The cot was already propped up into a more-or-less sitting position, and Will was thankful for that too, quickly holding the bin just under Nico’s chin.

Nico coughed, uttering a strangled whimper at the sharp pain it caused as his shoulders shook. He was thankful for the emesis bin beneath his chin, especially when he burped wetly and retched. He wanted to cry for all the pain it caused—he had the feeling that several knives to his head would have been less agonizing.

His hands were clenched around the bedsheets as he threw up. He was certain Will was saying something to him, but he couldn’t make out the words over the ringing in his ears. He heaved again, a final time, his eyes now streaming from a combination of pain and exertion. He was still nauseous, but it was at a more manageable level, and he was certain he didn’t have anything left to throw up anyway. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying out in frustration.

He looked up at Will and scrubbed his eyes. “This sucks,” he bemoaned, his voice raw with emotion.

Will’s frown was sympathetic, glad that Kayla took the emesis bin away before he needed to ask her to. All of the tears and pain were enough to make Will’s chest ache, and he had to turn away for a moment to regain his bearings. He was used to being the doctor, but this was something entirely different.

Taking a deep breath, he ran a washcloth under cool water and wrung it out, moving to repeat his earlier move of wiping Nico’s face clean, every movement gentle and tender. His boyfriend was sort of a mess, all teary-eyed and snotty and sweating. That, of course, Will didn’t mind, but the fact that he was hurting so much and there was, realistically, not much he could do to stop it–that was enough to make him feel useless.

“I know…” He finally managed, wiping away tears and turning back for a glass of water. “Kayla, go get some hydrocodone for him, please.” He requested, going back to stroking Nico’s hair, away from the spot where he’d hit his head.

“Here’s some water, if you want to rinse your mouth out.” He offered, pushing a bendy straw into the cup and holding it close so Nico wouldn’t have to.

Nico took more than a sip—he was downright parched and managed to empty three-quarters of the cup in one gulp before pushing it away. If anything, the water helped clear the taste of vomit from his mouth. He felt the liquid as it trickled down to his now empty stomach, weirdly cool and refreshing like the saline in his IV had been.

He looked at Will and managed to quirk his eyebrow. “Hydrocodone, huh? You’re not messing around, are you?” He’d meant to be teasing, but the fact that his question was punctuated with a grimace, did little to prove that point.

“I was at the grocery store,” he said idly. His eyes light up. “Oh my god, that’s why I smell like tomatoes!” He rubbed at his chest absently, his hand stilling for a moment as he felt his heart beating.

He took Will’s hand in his own, tracing abstract designs into his palm with his fingers. Will’s hands were warm and slightly calloused, the way Bianca’s had felt when he thought she was there with him. He sighed. “I really don’t want our relationship to revolve around me always waking up in a hospital.”

With Kayla gone, Will scooted closer and gave Nico’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll get you some scrubs to wear after your CT. Usually they’d keep you here for a day or two, but you could probably just come stay over with me for a few days instead.” He mused.

“You probably need the good stuff.” Will offered, moving to kiss his forehead. “You were unconscious for a few minutes, so you must have gotten your head pretty good.”

Sighing tiredly as Kayla returned, Will fixed the sheets over Nico’s body. “The pain medicine will probably make you tired.” Will warned. “But you’ll probably sleep through whatever we have to get done, and by the time you’re up again, I can take you home.”

“The fainting this time was probably just bad timing. We’ll see what we can do about preventing further incident. We’ll get it to where you’re only here to have lunch with me.” Will promised.

“I’d like that,” Nico said.

He watched as Will’s nurse hooked up a fresh bag of painkillers to his IV. He tried to remain attentive as she told him that they were starting him on the lowest possible dosage because they were still concerned with his overall mental state upon hitting his head.

After a few minutes, Nico felt the hydrocodone start to work its magic. He was pleasantly warm with an increasing feeling of relaxedness beginning to weigh him down. He’d been tired before, after all the bustle in the hospital, but he’d been unable to get comfortable enough even to sleep for all the pain in his head. Now, nothing was going to stop him from finding the sweet release of slumber—even at such a low dose, Nico could already feel himself fading.

He smiled up drunkenly at Will, fighting to keep his eyes open. “You’re right,” he said, his voice slurred. “This is the good stuff.”

Will chuckled, relieved to see that he was beginning to relax. “You’re already feeling it, huh?” He teased, patting his cheek. “We’re going to go ahead and take you in for a CT now, but it’ll be quick and I’ll be with you the whole time.” He promised.

“And after that you can sleep all you want and I’ll wake you when it’s time to go home.” Will gave him a quick peck on the lips. “We’re gonna move the gurney so you’ll probably feel us moving.” He warned.

Nico drifted off before they’d even made it out of the ER.

–

Nico’s conscious surfaced somewhere between removing his IV and being buckled into Will’s car. The steady hum of the engine and the cool air rushing from the vents told Nico that the car had been prepared for him before he’d been manhandled into the passenger seat. He wondered vaguely if Will had needed any help lifting his deadweight from the wheelchair to the car.

It didn’t matter now because they were moving. Nico hadn’t realized Will parked in a parking garage until they exited and were rolling out into the sunshine, the too bright light assaulting every single one of Nico’s cranial nerve endings. He hissed at the brightness and tried to recoil back in his seat, but when he could not effectively become one with the leather seats, he opted for looking down and keeping his eyes away from the light. There was a bottle of pills in his lap. He tried squinting at the label, but weird fuzzy/wispy things invaded his vision and made reading impossible.

Will’s condo wasn’t even a five minute drive from the hospital, but to Nico it felt like an eternity. He knew Will was trying to drive carefully, but there were just some things out of his control that were completely jarring—potholes, turning, yellow traffic lights that forced Will to stop and Nico to lurch forward in his seat. His head was screaming, so he dropped it into his hands and shut his eyes. Either the hydrocodone was wearing off or he was just in that much pain that not even the narcotics could mask it all.

He knew Will was making the final turn by the clicking—thundering, really—sound of his turn signal. Suddenly, Nico’s stomach jumped into his throat and he swallowed in a futile effort to save Will’s undoubtedly expensive upholstery. His mouth flooded with saliva as his nausea mounted, and he whined quietly.

“Will,” he whispered, his voice urgent.

Will had been with Nico the entire time, holding his hand even while he was unconscious. They’d done the scans and taken some blood, and they’d officially been discharged two and a half hours later. The sun was just beginning to set, and Will had done his best to let Nico sleep through the ordeal of driving home.

He’d driven at least 5 under the speed limit and avoided as many potholes as he could, glancing nervously over at Nico and watching as he slowly woke up.

The whisper of his name just told him that Nico was awake, and he reached over to take his hand, rubbing his palm. “Hey, babe, we’re about to park.” He promised, his frown deepening. “I’ve got more painkillers for you as soon as we get inside.

“Can’t wait—” he belched and slapped a hand over his mouth. The slowing car indicated that they were parking, so Nico flung the door open while they were still rolling to a stop, and he pitched forward as vomit slipped from between his fingers. He wasn’t completely sure he’d managed to save the carpeted floorboard.

He retched violently, now mostly dry, the sounds of his heaves echoing off the hard columns of the parking garage and reverberating in his skull. If it wasn’t for the seatbelt keeping him trapped to his seat, Nico was certain he would have slid out onto the concrete floor and into his own puddle of sick.

With a low moan, he coughed up a final stream of watery vomit and slumped against the open door. As he tried to concentrate on breathing, he realized he was perfectly content with staying right where he was and never moving again. “I’m done,” he announced unnecessarily.

Will cursed as soon as Nico spoke, but resisted the urge to slam on the brakes. In all honesty, the floorboard of his car tended to take a back seat to his concussed, arrhythmic boyfriend throwing up. Putting the car in park, Will ran through his plan of action in his head.

Rather than leaning over the center console, he got out of the car with the ignition still running, jogging over to Nico’s side. There was vomit splattered on the floor as well as on Nico’s scrubs, his hand covered in it as well.

“Are you alright?” Will asked gently helping him sit back and reaching over him to unbuckle the seatbelt. He shuffled through the glove box and pulled out some napkins, starting by taking his wrist gently and wiping it as clean as he could manage.

Nico shook his head slowly, mindful of the churning in his gut. “Please kill me,” he said dramatically, stifling another, smaller burp.

“I’m sorry. First your pants, now your car.” He let Will help him up, getting him as clean as possible with his limited resources. “Tell me you have anti-emetics in your bag.”

Will chuckled, doing the best he could before throwing away the garbage and helping Nico out of the car. “It’s okay, it really doesn’t matter.” Will promised. “Things can be cleaned.” He said, chuckling.

“I do have some antiemetics in my apartment, and more painkillers. The stuff from the hospital is probably wearing off by now.” Will said, one arm wrapped firmly around Nico’s middle. “Do you feel okay to walk? I can give you a piggy back ride.”

“Absolutely not,” Nico deadpanned. He leaned on Will and took a shaky step forward. “I haven’t been allowed to walk since I was brought to the ER, so I guess we’ll find out together.” He managed a small smile.

It was a long, arduous walk just to leave the parking garage. Nico’s legs proved wobbly at first, but more or less able to hold his weight. The slow elevator ride up to Will’s floor was somehow soothing and Nico wasn’t sure if he might have dozed off, propping his head against Will’s shoulder.

He stumbled into Will’s apartment the second the door was open, making his way into the living room and lowering himself slowly onto the couch. He held his arms open wide, in a welcoming manner. “All right,” he said casually, “drug me, doc.”

Will set the keys aside once Nico was settled safely on the couch, going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and the proper pills. “Do you want some mouthwash or anything?” He called gently, weary of Nico’s headache.

Will may or may not have gone a little mother-hen, getting some clean and comfortable clothes for him, as well as a gel ice pack for his head. “Before drugs, clean clothes.” He said, kissing the top of his head. “And maybe a bed to sleep on? At least get comfortable before you choose a place to pass out.”

Nico hummed in acknowledgment. He got himself up slowly and shuffled to Will’s bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush (that he kept there for occasions such as this) and gently cleaned the vomit from his mouth. That alone had him feeling a hundred times better. He changed slowly and deliberately into the clothes Will provided him, trying not to laugh outright at the shirt he was given—it was the same off-the-shoulder T-shirt that Nico had worn to bed on his first night at Will’s, the night they became more than just doctor and patient.

Nico made his way to the bed and laid down, not even caring to peel back the covers, but not before grabbing the ice pack from Will’s hand. He placed it along his forehead and sighed. “Oh my God, Will,” Nico exclaimed. He pointed to the ice pack. “If you take this away from me I might just have to kill you.”

He sat up long enough to take his antiemetics and pill form of hydrocodone (that explained the pill bottle in his lap during the ride to Will’s) with a glass of water, before he slunk back down with the ice pack held firmly against his brow. “Some date, huh?”

Will supervised the entire time, changing out of his own dirty clothes and into some pajamas, making sure Nico drank a fair amount of water and had plenty of pillows and blankets for optimal comfort. “It was great.” He joked, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “We’re so domestic already.”

Crawling onto the bed himself, he carefully pulled the blankets out from under Nico and tucked the both of them in, turning on his side so he could face Nico. “You look nice in my clothes.” He grinned, stealing another quick peck. “The painkillers will kick in soon, want to put on a movie or something in the meantime?”

Will wasn’t sure if scooting closer would be appropriate, if Nico would want to cuddle or to be held, but he went ahead and shuffled over anyways. “How much attention do you want?” He joked, holding one arm out. “On a scale of ‘keep your hands off me’ and ‘never let go.’

Nico stared at Will as though he was seriously debating the question. Then, he scooted closer, tucking his head beneath Will’s chin. "How about 'never let go until you start to annoy me with your cheesy one liners and I push you off the bed.’”

He kept his hands pinned between Will’s chest, breathing in his scent through his shirt. He was definitely tired from his day-long ordeal, but he wasn’t ready to sleep. He wanted to spend as much lucid time with Will as possible, before the hydrocodone kicked in and turned him into a bumbling drunken idiot who passed out before being able to fully enjoy his boyfriend’s company without the presence of other hospital personnel, IVs, and fainting.

“You can put on whatever you want. There’s no guarantee I’ll even remember anything in the morning.” Nico tilted his head back and kissed Will square on the lips, his mouth lingering just long enough for Will to steal a taste of Nico’s clean, minty fresh breath.

Will couldn’t help but get a little carried away, wrapping an arm gently around his shoulders and kissing back, tilting his head just a bit, pulling back after a moment. “How’s your head?” He asked gently, their noses brushing.

“You’re making it hard for me to choose a movie when you’re kissing me like that.” He murmured, pulling him closer. “You can be very distracting. How are you even still alive after the day you had…” He teased, kissing him once more. “You were dead to the world before that car ride.”

“Mm, heavy,” he answered, referring to his head. He felt like he was carrying a bunch of rocks above his shoulders and he had a dull headache, but the pain was nothing like it had been, a clear sign that the hydrocodone was working.

“Then don’t pick a movie,” Nico murmured, kissing Will again. “Your loss.” He winced as he craned his neck some, reluctantly drawing back. “I have a pretty good doctor,” he said. “Doesn’t even mind when I puke on his fancy things.”

He grew serious as he contemplated the rest of Will’s comment. “There were times today I wished I was dead,” he said honestly. “Having a concussion is awful.”

Will chuckled, shaking his head a bit and carding his fingers gently through Nico’s hair, away from where he’d hit his head. His touch was feather light, careful so as not to hurt him in any way but to try to ebb away the headache. “I forgot to tell you that I have to wake you hourly to insure you don’t go into a coma.” He admitted sheepishly. “But don’t worry, I’m very efficient.”

Abandoning the remote in favor of snuggling closer, he gingerly pulled Nico closer to his side. “I am a good doctor, huh. And I might’ve been irritated had you been anyone else, but you’re my boyfriend so you’re pretty much in the clear.”

Will’s tone had been gentle and teasing, but his smile fell at Nico’s last comment. “I know. They’re terrible. But you’re already mending so the pain will only get easier, I promise.”

Nico, who had closed his eyes and had been fully enjoying Will’s gentle head massage, suddenly blanched, his eyes wide. “Not every hour,” he said, his voice harboring an unmistakable whine. “Will, I’m tired.”

“You’ll owe me for this.” Nico knew he sounded childish, and really, he owed Will way more than he could ever repay in a lifetime, but he felt he deserved a little petulance, at least for tonight.

“I know, I know. I promise I’ll only check your pupils and let you go back to sleep, okay?” Will didn’t mention the fact that since he had to wake Nico every hour, it meant he didn’t get to sleep either. Better not to make him feel any more guilty than he already did. “I’m the worst.” He joked, giving him a quick, gentle kiss.

“I think we’re even, since you scared the shit out of me showing up in my ER.” His tone was still joking, but the entire ordeal had been rather stressful. “I will, however, make you breakfast in the morning. In bed and everything.”

“Oh. Well, when you put it that way,” Nico said sheepishly. “I didn’t really do myself any favors by landing myself in the ER again, did I? I’m glad you were there though—made the whole ordeal bearable at least.”

He grabbed a lock of Will’s hair, gently, pulling the blond closer still. “Breakfast in bed. I always knew you’d be good for something,” he joked. “Careful though. I can be one harsh critic.”

He leaned in to kiss Will, deeper than before, desperately, and in a way that shifted the entire atmosphere in the room. When he finally pulled away, his face was set, every ounce of teasing completely vanished. “But this,” he said, holding up his wrist which sported a bright hospital-issued bracelet captioned with the words FALL RISK, “—this needs to stop.”

Will had to take a moment to compose himself after Nico had kissed him like that, pulling back to look at him as he spoke. Heaving a tired sigh, he nodded a little. “I know.” His reply was short, because he was unsure of what to say.

After a long silence, Will spoke up again, though only after he’d shifted so Nico was resting against his chest, and he could stroke his hair easily. “You might need another pacemaker. This is the second time in a couple of months that your arrhythmia has acted up… So it may be getting worse.”

Nico buried his face in Will’s shirt, anxiety slowly creeping to the forefront of his thoughts. He didn’t remember getting his last pacemaker—he’d been too sick at the time—but getting it removed had been a whole different kind of hell. But he knew Will was right. He’d never had so many back-to-back episodes like this, and these were severe.

“Whatever you think is best; you’re the cardiologist,” Nico said quietly, fisting his hands around Will’s shirt.

“We’ll do a stress test first.” Will said, kissing his forehead. “Then a longer EKG..” A kiss on the cheek. “And we’ll do some blood work, and we can determine what to do from there.” He kissed him on the lips, finally, gentle and soft.

“You can come to work with me once you’re feeling better, and we’ll see what needs to happen. Either way, it’ll be fine. Promise.” He squeezed Nico gently to his side, kissing him once more. “But we want to take action preferably before the next episode, so I’ll get you an appointment next week.”

“I thought we were only going to your work for lunch,” Nico mumbled sleepily. He nuzzled softly the space between Will’s neck and shoulder, letting out a short hiss when he bumped his head against Will’s chin.

“I trust you…Will…” Nico closed his eyes. He didn’t want to sleep, not yet, he hadn’t spent nearly enough time with Will. But the medication was taking hold and Nico was fighting a losing battle.

“Mm, goals.” Will said, shushing him gently when he bumped his head, stroking his hair and guiding him back into a more comfortable position.

Will pressed a long, gentle kiss to his forehead, giving his shoulders a little squeeze. “Okay, good. We’ll get it taken care of… You can rest now, alright?”

“At least for an hour,” Nico said smiling. He gave Will one last lazy kiss on the cheek. “Sorry—it seems like I’m always falling asleep on you.” He chuckled. “Oh, and I want crepes for breakfast.”

Will rolled his eyes, though the expression exuded fondness. “I suppose I can manage that.”

Chapter Text

Nico's anxiety for the approaching procedure was practically palpable. It'd been a week since his tests, and the surgery was scheduled for two days later, on Friday morning. Nico had been staying on and off at Will's apartment over the past week, and he was clearly upset about the quickly approaching pacemaker insertion. The procedure wasn't too invasive, rather quick and with only an overnight hospital stay, two depending on how he reacted to the anesthetic, and a more or less quick recovery.

Still, Will wanted to keep tensions low, and since Nico couldn't eat for 8 hours prior to the procedures, he'd planned a date a couple of days in advance.

Of course around lunch time he'd started feeling off, and by the end of his shift, he was downright nauseous. A 24 hour flu had been going around, and while Will had been praying he wouldn't get it, he knew timing and luck weren't on his side. He'd gotten shivery about an hour in, and he knew he was fighting a downhill slope.

Even so, Nico had been looking forward to their date, and the movie they were supposed to see was one Nico had nerded out about on more than one occasion. There was no way he'd let a little flu keep him down and out. He drank what he assumed was one serving of flu medicine straight from the bottle and called it a day, hanging up his lab coat and splashing cold water in his face before heading out to pick Nico up from his apartment.

Nico rolled back on his heels and thus away from the peephole. He'd been standing behind his apartment door for somewhere close to 10 minutes, since Will called and said he was on his way. For reasons he couldn't explain, Nico was wired—he hadn't been able to sit still all day. He hoped Will wouldn't mind that he was basically a ball of nervous energy.

He'd been stressing about his surgery for days. His recent cardiology tests at the hospital showed that he would greatly benefit from a permanent pacemaker, something that Will had suggested would probably happen, but that Nico was still unprepared to actually hear. Will, sensing his mood, had offered him dinner at his place to relax and help cheer him up.

He jumped when he felt his phone buzz in his hand. It was Will, sending him a text to let Nico know that he was outside waiting. Nico's face fell, disappointed that Will wasn't even going to come up to greet him. Still, Nico was uncharacteristically euphoric, shrugging off Will's attitude as he locked the door behind him.

He'd be lying if he said there wasn't a little pep in his step as he saw Will's car idling on the curb. He opened the door and plopped himself into his seat. He leaned over and gave Will a welcoming kiss on the cheek, before buckling his seatbelt. "You're warm," he commented warily.

"Mm, the ER was crazy today." Will responded simply, smiling at Nico. The edges didn't meet his eyes, but it was still genuine. Seeing Nico always made him happy. "I was running around for hours. How are you feeling?"

The bruise on Nico's head had faded mostly away, but Will took a moment to press a kiss to it anyways. Putting the car in drive, he had to swallow thickly to make sure he wasn't going to throw up the flu medicine he'd taken just a few minutes ago. As valiantly as he was trying, he already knew in the back of his mind that he was fighting a losing battle. He just hoped he'd be able to keep the medicine down until it took effect.

Despite cleaning up before leaving the hospital, his efforts seemed to be in vain. His face was unusually ashen, paler than it typically was and covered in a very thin sheen of sweat. He could probably manage the facade of running around the ER for another 10 minutes before Nico began to get suspicious, so he needed another excuse.

For now, he was just thankful that his apartment was so nearby. The blurred scenery around them was beginning to make the nausea worse.

Nico shrugged. "I'm all right." he said, leaning into Will as he was kissed on the forehead.

Leery, he studied Will from the corner of his eye. Will was quiet, which was too unusual for him. Even half asleep, Will was talkative and grabby, a pale comparison to his current state. His hands gripped the steering wheel too tight, his knuckles white, and his lips were pursed into a thin line.

Nico tried to figure out if he'd done something wrong, running scenarios through his head about different instances in their month and a half long relationship where he might have messed up. Maybe Will was breaking up with him.

He fidgeted nervously with his nail ends, his legs bouncing on the now clean floorboard. "Is something wrong?" he asked finally, unable to handle the stifling atmosphere in the car. He felt like he was about to choke on the heavy air between them.

Will glanced over at him when the car was pulled to a stop at a light, frowning a bit. "What? No, no- of course not." He said quickly, reaching over to take Nico's hand and lacing their fingers, squeezing as he began driving again. They were nearly to the apartment, and Will was eager to get inside.

The mounting nausea was getting to be too much, and his concern shifted from getting safely into his apartment to just making it to a parking space. His hand was slick and clammy, his other hand clutching the wheel like a lifeline. He would prefer to get inside so he could at least be sick where Nico wouldn't have to see it, but he was swiftly realizing that this was something out of his control.

When he put the car in park he leaned forward and rested his forehead on the steering wheel, preparing himself for the trek upstairs with several unsteady, deep breaths.

"You sure you're okay?" Nico asked. He wiped his hand on his jeans inconspicuously. "You're all sweaty."

He watched Will lay his head on the steering wheel, his breath coming in shaky gasps. Nico put his hand on Will's shoulder. "No, seriously. Will?"

Will took another moment to compose himself before turning to face Nico, forcing a clearly uneasy smile. "I'm fine, just a little tired is all." His voice wavered and he had to squeeze his eyes shut when his vision blurred and tilted threateningly. "I'm okay, really, I just--"

A rather forceful turn of his stomach made him stop, and he turned back away from Nico as he inhaled sharply. "Okay, maybe--m-maybe not totally okay.." He breathed, voice hushed as he swallowed again, pressing his knuckles to his pursed lips.

Nico allowed Will a moment to compose himself. In the meantime, he ran his hand along Will's hairline, cradling the side of his head to assess his temperature—Nico's tongue clicked at the obvious fever.

He sighed and undid his seatbelt. "You're sick. You should have just told me." Nico climbed out and made his way around the car, opening Will's door and tugging on his hand until he got out.

"I can't take the stairs," Nico muttered sheepishly, absently rubbing his chest. "Think you can handle the elevator?"

Will kept his eyes closed, feebly undoing his seatbelt, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he finally looked at Nico.

"You were so excited about this date..." He said, voice quiet as he slowly lowered himself onto the ground. "I didn't want to ruin it..." Wobbling a bit as he locked the car, he closed his eyes again and took a shaky breath, resisting the urge to vomit on the pavement.

"The elevator is fine.." Will managed, standing up fully.

Nico walked quietly beside Will, keeping a firm hand on the small of his back. He furrowed his brows as he ran through a mental checklist of what he needed to do once they got inside.

Will was obviously dizzy, or nauseous, or both, and Nico didn't want him standing if that was the case. All they needed was another excuse to wind up at the ER. A bucket or trash can would probably be helpful, maybe some water and ibuprofen if Will could stomach them.

They managed to make it to the elevator, and Nico pressed the button for the 12th floor. It was a long way up and they were standing in somewhat awkward silence. Finally, he squeezed Will's arm gently, giving him a weak smile. "I was excited to see you," he corrected. "The date was just an added bonus."

Will's mind was more or less focused on not vomiting until they got to the apartment, his eyes squeezed shut as the elevator lurched to bring them to the correct floor. The hand at his back was oddly comforting, despite the fact that he knew there was little Nico could do if he were to collapse or something.

Will's stomach dropped as the elevator got to his floor, the doors opening just as Nico spoke. If the ringing in his ears wasn't enough to drown out whatever Nico said, the sudden heave was, and he quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

It was a miracle that Will even made it out of the elevator before he was retching, heaving unproductively with one hand braced against the wall.

Nico uttered a stream of colorful curses, praiseworthy by any sailor's standards. He wrapped his arms around Will to keep him from toppling over, silently hoping that Will wouldn't drag him down too. He managed to wrangle the keys from Will's pocket and ushered him quickly but smoothly to the apartment. He fumbled with the lock, his hands shaking as panic began to set in.

He managed to push the door open with his shoulder, grabbing Will's hand and toting him along towards the kitchen. The sink there was bigger and easily accessible, and Nico didn't even know if he'd have enough time to get Will to the bathroom anyway. Will's face had gone gray, his lips bloodless as he fought back the inevitable while hovering over the sink.

Will allowed himself to be dragged along, stumbling a bit but managing to stay on two feet as Nico ushered him over the sink. Thank god he'd done the dishes.

Hovering over the sink for just a minute was all it took, because not a minute later he was throwing up his stomach contents. His hands shook as he clutched at the counter, shoulders hunching with each gag. It took only a moment for him to finally hunch over and bring up a watery wave of vomit, which splattered hollowly in the sink.

As much as he wanted to be mortified, he didn't quite have the energy to worry about puking in front of his boyfriend.

Nico kept what he hoped was a comforting hand on Will's back as he was sick, rubbing back and forth along his spine and muttering continued reassurances. He may have cringed each time Will heaved, his own stomach roiling, but for everything Will was always doing for him, Nico was determined to see this through until the end.

While he waited for Will to catch his breath, Nico grabbed a handful of paper towels and ran them under the cool water. He then folded them gently and laid them atop the feverish skin on the back of Will's neck. He tiptoed to place a little kiss on Will's face, just on the outer edge of his ear.

"Think you're ready to move? Do you want the couch or bed? I can bring you a bucket if you're not done," he added lamely. This was completely new territory for him.

Will exhaled tiredly as the damp paper towels were place on his neck, the comforting coolness of them helping him calm down as the nausea retreated to a more manageable level. "That feels nice.." He mumbled, closing his eyes as his breathing began to even out. He still looked ashen and fairly ill, but it seemed as though he was finished vomiting for now, which was a relief.

"Sorry about that.." Will finally said, voice hoarse and throat stinging. He sat up a bit, turning the water on again to rinse the sink out, glancing at the mess distastefully. "Yikes.." After all of the vomiting, now he was just tired, every movement sluggish as he rinsed his mouth out and finally turned off the sink.

"Couch is fine.." Still a bit wobbly on his feet, he grabbed the towel from his neck so it wouldn't fall as he trekked his way to the living room. "And a bucket is probably a good idea, too. Under the sink."

"You don't have to apologize," Nico snorted. He watched Will shamble his way to the couch, moving only when he was certain Will would make it without falling over.

He reached for the bucket beneath the sick and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, before going and sitting beside Will on the couch. He handed Will the bucket, placing the water on the coffee table for Will to take when he was ready.

"I can't believe you still came to pick me up when you were this sick." Nico propped his elbow lightly on Will's shoulder and raked his fingers gently through Will's curls. It was sweaty, but still soft, and he seemed to be enjoying Nico's gentle touch for the time being.

Will yawned, settling against Nico's side as soon as he sat down, sighing softly. "I feel bad. I ruined our date. And now you're touching me and I'm all sweaty and you're probably grossed out."

Still, he took a sip or two from the bottled water, pretty much spent at this point. "I can't believe I didn't throw up in the car. I swear I was getting carsick and I was driving..."

Leaning back against Nico, he took his free hand and gladly accepted the stroking of his hair despite his earlier comment about being gross.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. In a few days you're going to see me gutted like a fish." He'd meant his tone to be light, but there was no hiding the undertones of apprehension in his voice.

He forced a smile. "Besides, puking in the car is my thing." He squeezed Will's hand. "Feeling any better?"

"You're cute..." Will sighed, patting Nico's side. "Plus, I'm literally a doctor. I'm pretty much desensitized. And you're my favorite patient."

Yawning again, he glanced up at Nico. "I don't like that fake smile.." He said simply, moving to rub at the corner of his mouth. "I do feel a little better. I'm pretty sure it's just a 24 hour flu, anyways."

Nico batted his hand lightly. "No touchy." This time his smile was more genuine. He dropped his head on Will's shoulder, ever the hypocrite. "You should rest."

"Well, do you want to go ahead and watch a movie? Or do you want to lie down?" He wrinkled his nose teasingly. "Or take a shower?"

"As disgusting as I feel, and while I know I should utilize this time where I'm not immediately going to vomit everywhere, I definitely don't have the energy to move." Truthfully, Will could be kind of a big baby when he was sick, and while he didn't want to annoy Nico, his desire to be cuddled was winning over.

"A movie would be good." Will said, closing his eyes as he shivered, suddenly, chilled and a little sweaty. "I feel gross."

Nico took the paper towels from earlier and refolded them so there was a clean layer on top. He swiped them along Will's neck and face, doing his best to mop up the sweat. "There," he said, laying a kiss on the tip of Will's nose. "Now you won't taste so salty when I kiss you."

He laughed to himself and pulled down the decorative blanket from the back of Will's couch. He tossed it in Will's direction and turned to him, a mischievous grin on his face. "You bought the movie I told you to, right?"

Will sighed contently, eyelids fluttering as Nico ran the paper towels across his skin. "That feels so nice..." He breathed, tilting his head away. "Thanks for the kiss.." He said, cracking the slightest smile.

"It's on the kitchen counter somewhere." Will yawned, pulling the blanket firmly around himself and snuggling in tight, closing his eyes. "There's also some tylenol in the bathroom cabinet. If you wouldn't mind-"

Nico ruffled Will's hair. "Sure, sure." He got up from the couch and headed into the bathroom first, rummaging through Will's medicine cabinet until he found the bottle of Tylenol. He shook a couple out and dropped them into Will's palm. He uncapped the water and handed that over as well.

He took off towards the kitchen before Will even had a chance to swallow the pills, Nico's nervous energy returning in the form of eager anticipation. His eyes scanned the counter tops, finally landing on the object of his desire. "Ah-ha!" he crowed.

He returned to the couch, ripping the packaging plastic off the blu-ray case as he walked, dropping the disc in the player before sitting back down. He patted his thigh, inviting Will to get comfortable.

Will had to pretend he wasn't so upset about being left alone on the couch for a few minutes, knowing how pathetic he'd be if he started whining for attention, too. He took his medicine and sipped at the water, waiting impatiently and tugging the blanket closer.

When Nico returned and offered him a spot on his lap, Will eagerly settled down, resting his cheek on his thigh. "Thanks, Neeks." He said, pressing a gentle kiss to his leg. "Sorry for being gross and ruining our date."

"Oh my god, stop apologizing," Nico said with mock exasperation.

He tucked Will's bucket beneath the coffee table, out of the way, but still within reach of Will were to need it again. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said. "I'm really going to need your help the next few days."

Knowing Will was not going to last through the hour and a half long movie, Nico hit play and lowered the volume dramatically. He began carding his fingers through Will's hair, absently at first, but then he noticed how much Will seemed to be enjoying his gentle ministrations. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Will's forehead.

"I'll be fine by tomorrow night..." Will mumbled, curling up into a little ball to conserve warmth. Still, though, he had vastly overestimated his ability to stay awake, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open just minutes into the movie.

"I have everything planned out..." He added, voice slurred the slightest bit. "You don't have to worry about it..."

The fingers in his hair helped him settle down, yawning loudly. Forehead kisses seemed like a perpetual 'goodnight' gesture by this point, and as much as Will wanted to stay awake to cuddle with Nico, he knew he probably wasn't quite over his flu yet, and he'd rather sleep through most of it.

Nico chuckled as Will drifted off. It was a nice change—usually he was the one passing out on Will. And even though he'd desperately wanted to hear it, he knew worrying was unnecessary because Will was going to take care of him.

He continued stroking Will's hair until the action started to make him drowsy. He yawned widely and stretched, careful not to jostle Will on his lap. As much as he'd been wanting to watch this movie, he realized that sleeping in a bed would do both of them wonders. He gently shook Will's shoulder, rousing him just enough for them to shuffle off to bed.

Will's movements were sluggish and it was a stretch to even consider him awake. With a guiding hand from Nico, he was led to the bedroom, waiting for a brief moment so Nico could pull the blankets back. Once he was given the okay, though, he laid down and buried his head in the pillow, yawning widely and mumbling some nonsense about cuddling before passing right back out.

Chapter Text

Nico was awake long before Will’s alarm told him it was time to get up. He’d stayed over at Will’s the night before so that his boyfriend could be there from the time they woke up to head to the hospital to the second Nico was coming out of anesthesia. They’d gone to bed early, but not without some complaints from Nico about how hungry he was and how he wasn’t allowed to eat several hours before his surgery. Will had reassured that a good night’s sleep was all Nico needed to squash his pre-op jitters.

But he’d had a terrible night of restless sleep and several misplaced anxieties swirling distractedly around his head. He eventually settled for watching Will during the night, the blond blissfully oblivious to Nico’s inner plight.

So, when Will’s alarm finally sounded at the crack of dawn, Nico immediately greeted him with a tired, “Hey.”

Will turned on his side, blinking slowly awake and scrubbing at his eyes. “Morning…” He hummed tiredly, giving Nico a gentle good morning kiss. “Have you been awake?” He asked, a small frown gracing his face.

Will had insisted they be in bed around 10, at least to watch movies and settle down, and he’d managed to coerce Nico to sleep well enough. He hadn’t thought about him not being able to sleep, though.

Nico averted his eyes, but nodded. “For a few hours.” Now that Will was awake, there was no escaping what was about to happen. He swallowed thickly, suddenly nauseous.

He buried himself deeper into the sheets, pulling the comforter up and over his head. So many emotions were fighting within him, struggling to rise to the surface. He clenched his fists tighter around the sheets, trying to relieve the trembling in his hands. He was ashamed for feeling like this, especially after Will had reaffirmed countless times that Nico was undergoing a very routine procedure, and he’d vouched for the surgeons at his hospital endlessly and promised that everything would be fine.

None of this helped Nico. All it really did was make him more nervous.

Will frowned, scooting a bit closer and after a minutes contemplation, wrapping his arms around Nico and pulling him in close. He rested his chin atop Nico’s head, the smaller fitting into his embrace with ease. “You should have woken me..” He said, stroking his hair.

“We have a few minutes to lie here.” Will said, kissing his head. “So let’s just lie here for a little, okay?” He ran one hand up and down his back, doing his best to make his actions comforting.

Nico allowed himself to be held, molding his body so it fit Will’s. Will’s presence was more comforting than anything he could have said, but Nico realized that he was having a much harder time with this than he ever would have thought possible.

He knew his feelings weren’t all that unorthodox, it was still surgery after all, but it wasn’t something he hadn’t undergone before and come out no worse for wear. But despite knowing the truth, his fears felt irrational and there was no changing that, no matter how he tried to talk himself down from them.

He pressed himself closer to Will, tucking his head into his chest and trying to make himself as small as possible. “I’m scared,” he whispered.

It occurred to him that his breathing was coming in quick, desperate gasps. He whined as a weight settled in along his shoulders. His heart rate was up, much too fast, and he grasped tightly to Will’s shirt as lightheadedness forced him to shut his eyes.

“I know…” Will murmured back, kissing the top of his head. “I’m going to be with you the entire time, though.” He promised, continuing to stroke up and down his back as Nico’s breaths got a little more hysterical.

Will came to realize, though, that it wasn’t just nervous breathing, but borderline panicked, and he pulled back just a bit to look at Nico’s face. Eyes squeezed shut the way they were, Will figured the anxiety was getting to more dangerous levels. Every movement gentle, he took Nico’s hand, squeezing reassuringly and stroking his thumb along his palm. “Hey, hey… It’s okay, babe, there’s no need to panic. I know it’s scary, especially being awake, but I’m going to be sitting right there with you the entire time. I’ll tell you how they’re doing the procedure and how things are going, and I’ll hold your hands and talk and make sure you’re 100% safe.” He promised, voice gentle. “We’ll watch movies and cuddle a lot and I’ll stay with you the entire time you’re in the hospital.”

“You’ll be completely safe.” He promised, kissing his forehead.

Nico heard Will’s words as one would as though from underwater—muddled and far away. He whimpered as a sharp pain tore through his chest, his hand squeezing Will’s instinctually. His heart was beating so fast, he wondered vaguely if it was possible for it to actually burst. He was hyperventilating and he was dizzy. He was warm, almost feverish, his hands and face slicked with sweat.

He thought that this was what it must have felt like to be dying.

“Nico.” Will’s voice was firm yet gentle, squeezing his hands a bit harder. “You’re having a panic attack. You have to calm down.” He said, careful to keep his voice steady.

He took both of his hands, pulling him closer and squeezing firmly. “Listen to me. Breathe with me, okay? As long as you’re here with me, you’re safe.”

Nico nodded, desperate to believe Will’s words. He forced his eyes open, squinting in the darkened room, searching for Will’s face among his dizzying, swirling, tilting surroundings. “Okay…okay…”

He listened to Will take a couple deep breaths, in through his mouth and out through his nose, and Nico did his best to try and copy him. He felt his lungs expand, the muscles in and around his neck begin to uncoil. The fogginess in his head cleared after a few more breaths, his nausea disappearing almost entirely. His heart was still pounding, but he was starting to feel better. He relaxed against Will’s chest, still focused on breathing.

“Thank you,” he choked out, his voice shaky. His throat grew tight and his eyes stung with unshed tears. Exhaustion began to creep up on him and he sagged against Will and sighed, completely spent.

Will was relieved when Nico began to try to breathe deeper, watching as his chest rose and fell. He kept eye contact after him, stroking up and down his back, glad that he seemed to be coming off of the panic attack.

“No problem..” He murmured, kissing the top of his head and gently wiping tears away from his eyes. “I know it’s scary, but I will literally never leave your side.”

“Goody,” Nico panted, managing a small smile. He grabbed Will’s hands, still wrapped around his own, and pressed kisses along the tops of his knuckles.

He pulled away from Will and sprawled on his back along the bed. He yawned widely and scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. “We should probably get going,” he said softly, uncertainty still at the forefront of his mind. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Mm, probably. It’s okay though, I am head of the department.” Will joked, sitting up and stretching. “I have my best surgeons, too. I’d do the procedure myself but since we’re dating, I’m not allowed to operate on someone so important to me.”

Giving him another quick kiss, he got out of bed and grabbed the duffle bag they’d packed the day before with extra clothes and entertainment for their short stay. “All you need to do is get dressed.” He said, smiling. “Are you alright to walk? I can always give you a piggy back ride.” He joked.

“You’re not allowed to operate or you don’t want to?” Nico asked teasingly.

He stood from the bed and immediately had to sit back down. His legs were extremely wobbly and were definitely not going to hold him. “Oh,” he started sheepishly. “Umm, give me another minute. Or, can you just toss me my clothes?”

“Legally not allowed. I probably wouldn’t want to, though. I’d be too afraid of hurting you and I’m already worried enough. My hands would shake.” He admitted, going to the dresser.

Glancing over when Nico sat back down, he smiled sympathetically. “That was a pretty bad panic attack. You’ll probably be shaky for a little while.” He got out his clothes, bringing them over and kissing him. Long and soft.

“Let’s hope the surgeons have steady hands then,” Nico said swallowing.

Will surprised him with the sudden kiss, but after a beat, Nico found himself leaning into it, a low moan caught in the back of his throat. Reluctantly, he pulled away, discarding his night clothes for sweatpants and a pullover. “Keep that up, mister, and you’ll never get me to the hospital.” He laced up his shoes and extended a hand. “Help me up?”

“They do. They’re my best, seriously.” Will said, smiling and tugging off his own shirt in favor of a t-shirt and jeans that fit just right.

“Mm, do you know how unfortunate it’ll be to cuddle in a hospital bed? We’ll barely fit.” Will said, taking both of his hands and slowly pulling him to his feet. He had to actively resist the urge to dip Nico back to kiss him again.

Nico reached up, stretching high above his head, his bones popping and creaking with the sudden movement. He stifled a yawn behind his hand. “Are you kidding? I’m going to sleep the minute they drag me out of the OR.”

He grabbed Will’s hand, lacing their fingers together, prepared to give him the excuse that he needed help walking when all he really wanted was Will’s hand in his.

“You’re going to be under anesthesia so you’re probably going to pass out cold as soon as they stop actively keeping you awake.” He hummed, squeezing his hand gently. “You’ll barely remember the surgery when you wake up.” He added, kissing his knuckles.

Throwing the duffle bag over his shoulder, Will smiled at Nico. “Sure you don’t want that piggy back ride?”

Nico took his free hand and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I hope so,” he mumbled. After staying up all night and then the panic attack, he was really starting to feel his lack of sleep.

He made it on his own into the hallway, leaning patiently against the wall while Will locked the door. “What is it with you and piggyback rides?”

Will laughed at the comment, turning and wrapping an arm around Nico’s shoulder. “You’re cute and small and I like to carry you.” Humming, Will kissed the top of his head. “But you also had a pretty nasty panic attack plus an arrhythmia and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Still, Will’s reflexes were probably good enough that if Nico were to trip, he could catch him. “You’re a fall risk, remember?” He teased lightly. “You won’t be after today, though.”

Nico smiled tiredly. “I’ll have to be near dead before I let you carry me. And I’m not that small,” he added, pouting.

He clutched Will’s arm as they started walking again, gently laying his head on Will’s shoulder. “I think I’m okay right now. Just way beyond tired.” He shook his head suddenly, looking up sheepishly. “Please don’t talk about the surgery anymore than necessary. I’m not quite ready for that…”

“You’re right. But you’re not heavy, and you’re a bit shorter than me, thus easy to carry.” Will was nervous in his own way, knowing the risks and chances and all of the little things that could go wrong. He’d preformed this surgery a thousand times with almost a 100% success rate, and yet when it was happening to his boyfriend…

Kissing the tip if his nose, Will simply stopped talking about it at all and stopped once they got to his car. “You can take a quick nap, if you want.” He offered, opening the door for him.

Nico was more than willing to comply, but the ride to the hospital was so short, Nico knew he would just wake up in a bad mood, not having properly rested at all. He opted for yawning loudly and staring distractedly out the passenger side window. It was raining steadily, so there wasn’t much to see other than colorful umbrellas and people running around who had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the downpour unawares.

They parked in Will’s spot in the garage, and Nico snickered at the idea that Will would actually have his own designated parking space. He blinked tiredly and climbed out of the car, his nerves settling in the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. He exhaled softly and followed Will into the hospital.

Will was glad, at least, that they didn’t have to walk through the rain. Grabbing his hospital badge and the duffle bag, he rounded to Nico’s side and again wrapped an arm around his shoulder, dipping to steal another kiss.

Without much talking, they began their trek to the hospital staff entrance, Will keeping Nico close and comforted as much as he could. Once they got to the front desk, he signed Nico in and smiled at the receptionist, who quickly offered to walk them to their room.

Nico bit back a smile. It was the same receptionist that saw him faint in the middle of the ER on the night he’d met Will. He knew she recognized him and was doing her best to feign innocence. Nico turned and flashed her a wink when Will wasn’t watching.

He sat in the single chair opposite the gurney, as far away as he could get from it without being out of the room completely. He pulled on a loose thread on his sweats, listening as Will bustled around the room, prepping what he could before the anesthesiologist and surgical team arrived.

He fidgeted quietly, running his fingers through his hair, his legs bouncing in anticipation. He didn’t say anything to Will—he didn’t want to cause Will any problems when he had a job to do. Nico’s anxiety could take a backseat to all that.

As much as Will wanted to be able to do more to prep things, he wasn’t really allowed to. Most of the work was left to the surgical team, and the most he could probably get away with was putting in an IV.

Once he’d set out everything they’d need, he paused in his nervous bustling to give Nico a quick kiss. He’d admit it, he was a little touchy feely today, but he couldn’t help it. He was a little freaked out.

“The anesthesiologist will be here in just a minute.” Will said, flashing him a smile. “We’ve got to get you into a hospital gown.”

Nico leaned into Will’s kiss, craving that affection now more than ever. But he made a face at the mention of the gown. He waited until the receptionist was out of the room before he fixed Will with a half-hearted glare and said, “You just want to see me get undressed.”

But then he saw the look in Will’s eye and knew something was bothering him. He froze. “What’s wrong?”

“I definitely just want to see you get undressed.” Will teased, grinning. “But really, they’ll be here any minute so you ought to get changed.” He handed him the gown, turning around to give him some privacy.

“Nothing’s wrong.” He answered easily, glad Nico couldn’t see his face. “I’m pretty tired, but I’ll take a nap once you’re out of surgery.”

Nico wasn’t sure he entirely believed him, but decided to let it go for now. “I don’t know why you’d be tired,” Nico said, suppressing a laugh. “You slept like the dead.”

He lifted his pullover, shivering at its absence once he got it past his shoulders. Frowning, he looked down at the mark across his breastbone. The scar was small, maybe four inches horizontally—from his last pacemaker insertion. He ran his finger along the slightly raised edge, exhaling quietly, disgustedly.

He removed his sweats, socks and shoes, and placed them in the chair. He strode over to Will, gently touching his shoulder to let him know that he was finished changing, before he climbed uneasily onto the gurney and lying down, his hands clasped behind his head. “So what’s next?”

Will waited patiently for Nico to finish, perking up as soon as he’d tapped his shoulder and taking the chair next to the gurney.

“So, they’ll come in and give you an IV- I can do it, if that’d make you more comfortable.” Will said, tugging the blanket from the bottom of the cot up and over him. “They’ll give you something to help you relax and then we’ll probably transition to the OR. They’ll give you the anesthetic and put up a sheet so you can’t see what they’re doing. I’ll sit right by your head and hold your hand and they’ll do their thing. You won’t feel any discomfort at all, and I’ll talk with you the whole time.”

“You can go ahead and do it, the IV,” Nico said. “We’re just sitting here otherwise and I’d rather not be able to stew over it.”

He realized he sounded disgusted with himself, like he somehow had the ability to quell the anxiety and just simply wasn’t doing enough to stop it. He reached for Will’s hand, just wanting to touch something was wasn’t hospital equipment.

“This is the only way, huh?” he asked, already knowing the answer, but feeling the need to say something, anything, to end the silence.

Will took his hand, squeezing. “Yeah, the only way.” He said, frowning a bit. “If I thought there was another way, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” He assured.

After a moments worth of silence, his own anxiety growing, he stood to grab an IV kit, washing his hands in the sink and pulling on some gloves.

Nico took a breath, steeling himself for the IV. He watched Will ready the kit with a weird fascination—it didn’t seem so scary with Will handling the needle. He even managed a weak smile when the blond came towards him. Still, he recoiled slightly and shut his eyes the minute Will grabbed his arm.

He felt a slight pinch as the needle was inserted, and he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He leaned back into the sheets, grateful he didn’t feel quite as nauseous as was typical of his track record with needles.

“Hey, um, Will?” Nico started. He tried to meet Will’s eyes, his face pink and warm with embarrassment. “Thanks for—you know—setting this all up.” He gestured vaguely around the room. “I mean, I don’t even want to deal with this, and you’ve been nothing but patient with me, so just—I don’t know, thank you.”

He took a deep breath in through his nose. He was getting shaky and panicky again, if his rambling had been any indication. He didn’t even know why he’d felt the sudden need to thank Will now of all times.

Will’s smile was gentle and genuine, and he chuckled softly to himself. “You’re welcome, Nico.” He said, moving to give him a quick kiss before taping the IV down. “I do it because I love you.” He said, the words coming out naturally.

Immediately, he froze up, eyes going wide. “Oh, God. Okay.” Pausing, he shook his head, removing his gloves. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to–I know that probably freaked you out, I’m sorry, I–”

Cheeks fire red, he took a deep breath. “Okay, I– I meant that, I did, but don’t feel like you have to say it back, I meant to wait, I don’t want to make you feel pressured to move too quickly.”

God, what the perfect time to fuck up.

Nico couldn’t help it—he laughed, simply and unrestrained. For a few seconds, he couldn’t look at Will, too busy wiping away his tears of mirth. When he could finally see straight, he beamed, his first real smile all morning. “I love you too, you big dork,” he breathed.

He looked down at the line coming from his arm, and for just a moment, actually believed that everything was going to be okay. He trusted Will—loved him—and once he’d properly healed from his operation, he’d be able to spend so much more time with him. Nothing was going to take that away from him.

And that’s when the door opened, revealing a team of doctors decked out in surgical scrubs, some carrying bags of fluids, one rolling in an EKG machine, and another a tray full of precarious-looking instruments.

Will exhaled, relieved, laughing a little to himself. “Oh my gosh.” He breathed, grinning. “I love you.” Moving in, he kissed him again, deeper this time. “I can’t believe you–” his voice caught, and he had to take Nico’s hands to calm himself down properly.

Glancing up as the door opened, his smile turned down at the practically tangible anxiety in the room. Will smiled, squeezing his hand and kissing his knuckles. “Don’t worry.” He murmured, moving in to kiss him.

Will’s sudden assurance only confirmed that he’d felt Nico’s whole body go rigid. Nico himself was sure he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Nothing about the team of surgeons struck Nico as extraordinary—not the way Will had. Each of people before him was at least a decade older, with an air of business and practicality surrounding them. The chief surgeon introduced himself and his team, each shaking Nico’s hand amicably. The surgeon explained the hour-long procedure, and Nico hoped that Will was paying more attention that he was because all the medical jargon was going through one ear and out the other.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a nurse came up beside him and started hanging fluids from his IV pole. He kept his eyes glued to the needle as she pushed something straight into his IV line.

“It’s a mild anesthetic. It’ll help you calm down and get your ready for the heavier stuff.” Will assured, kissing his head. “You’ll start to feel a tiny bit numb, and warm, but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable.”

Will stroked his hand, watching as the team bustled about. “Kayla, my nurse, she’ll be assisting. She’ll help take care of your drugs and stuff, and make sure you’re comfortable. Since I can’t legally work on you, she’ll be my hands.” He said, squeezing his hand.

Nico nodded, trying to absorb the information. He gasped suddenly, caught off guard by the progressing warmth Will had warned him about. It felt nice, like a heated blanket, and Nico felt himself instantly begin to relax, the tension leaving his body, his shoulders going slack against the bed.

He looked up at Will, blinking slowly, already groggy. “This is nice,” he said. He tried to reciprocate squeezing Will’s hand, but it seemed that the sedative left him with no grip at all and he merely held Will’s fingers, not even sure if he was really feeling them.

He fought the urge to yawn, concentrating instead on understanding the surgeon’s words. Nico smiled sleepily at Will as they began the process of wheeling him to the OR.

Will was relieved that Nico was calming down so well, running his thumb over his hand. “You don’t need to worry about listening, I’ve got it all.” He winked, smiling.

Walking with him to the OR, Will kept him close. “When we get to the OR, they’ll give you some more stuff, and you’ll be feeling pretty out of it. But you won’t be sleeping yet, you’ll probably feel pretty tired.”

Nico only half-listened, his head lolling to the side. The warmth of the sedative was becoming too much and all Nico wanted was to sleep.

He knew they’d arrived in the OR by the bright overhead lights and the strong smell of cleaning agents. Will was suddenly in his immediate field of vision and Nico smiled. He closed his eyes as they pushed more sedative, wincing only slightly as they injected the local anesthetic. Things seemed to stop as they waited for the anesthetic to work, but it was only a matter of seconds before they were tapping on Nico’s chest and asking him if he was numb, to which he sluggishly answered that he was.

Once the local anesthetic had been given, Nico was sort of dead to the world. Will sat perched at his side, watching as they swabbed his chest with disinfectant, feeling the slightest bit nauseous at the thought of them cutting him open. Of course, he’d seen it and done it a thousand times, but being on the other side made things completely different.

Once they’d made the incision, Will had to try very hard to keep his eyes on Nico and not the slice in his chest. Despite the groggy replies he got whenever he asked a question, Will knew Nico probably had no idea what was going on. He explained everything as it happened anyways, though, just in case some part of the Italian was paying attention.

By the time they were stitching Nico up, Will breathed a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Leaning down, he gently kissed Nico’s temple, giving his hand a squeeze that he couldn’t feel. “Alright, they’re all done…”

Nico wasn’t sure how long the surgery took or how long he’d been sitting in recovery. The first thing that he was absolutely sure of was the annoying, smarting pain on the left side of his chest. His eyes fluttered open, his surroundings slowly settling into place. There was a nurse—Kayla maybe?—bustling around the room, a clipboard in hand as she recorded his readings on the various monitors stationed around the room. His vision was still fuzzy from his drug induced haze, but his eyes did their best to rove around, looking for any sign of Will.

The more alert he became, the more he realized he was beginning to shiver, violently, the movement pulling at his incisions, the smarting pain becoming more defined. He moaned softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Will was sitting at Nico’s bedside, curled up under a blanket, eyes tired but still open. Kayla was doing everything for him so he could rest, but he was too unsettled to sleep.

Staying up payed off, though, when Nico woke up in pain and disoriented. Quick to sit up properly, Will scooted closer and took his hand. “Hey…” He murmured, quickly taking the blanket he’d had covering himself and tucking it gently around Nico’s shaking form. “Hey, it’s okay..” He promised, gently rubbing his arms up and down. “Your body is just reacting to coming off of the anesthetic.”

Nico nodded slowly, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the too bright lights. “Hey yourself,” he managed weakly, his voice hoarse and unsteady.

He shifted slightly in the bed to give himself a better view of Will, closing his eyes for a minute as the small act exhausted him. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck,” he breathed.

He actually felt much better than he’d anticipated. Sure, he was groggy and a little queasy, but his pain was tolerable, and best of all, Will was there and had yet to leave his side—just like he’d promised.

Nico smiled sleepily, sure he still looked doped up from the earlier sedative and pain medicine. “I wan’ a kiss,” he slurred.

Will gently smoothed the blankets out, sure that his actions came off as weirdly doting. He didn’t really care, though, lifting one hand to stroke down his cheek. “Yeah, Kayla will get you some better painkillers to help the discomfort.” He said, smiling a little.

Will’s tensions faded a bit when Nico smiled, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss. “I love you.”

The worst part about kissing Will, Nico realized, was that he blacked out before he could really enjoy it. One moment, Will had been smiling, leaning towards him, and the next, he was pulling away, a satisfied smirk on his face. He sighed, disappointed. He’d have to try again when there was less chance of him passing out halfway through.

His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, but he was definitely becoming more alert as his narcotics wore off. He could clearly feel the heaviness in his limbs, the dry feeling in his mouth that came from not eating or drinking for more than 12 hours, and the soreness surrounding his incision site. He also realized that his left arm was bound in a sling, draped comfortably across his middle to keep him from stretching his stitches.

He hummed sleepily and squeezed Will’s hand. “How was the surgery?” he asked, just trying to keep the conversation going so he wouldn’t fall asleep again.

Will tucked back Nico’s slightly sweaty hair, smiling at him. “It went off without a hitch. The pacemaker is working properly, and you’re recovering well.”

Kayla returned then, with some painkillers, as well as a bottle of water and some little snacks. Will thanked her, and she gave him a pointed look, which he waved off.

“Feel up to having something to drink? I have water and crackers and apple slices…”

Nico listened attentively, barely noticing when Kayla pushed the morphine into his drip. Instantly, that feeling of relaxedness began to wash over him again, taking his pain and masking it so it hurt no more than a dull ache. He bid her thanks, turning back to Will.

“Just the water for now,” he said. He was vaguely nauseous, and while he didn’t think he was in immediate danger of being sick, he thought it safer just to avoid food for a while.

Will nodded, and once the morphine seemed to set in, he moved to adjust the bed into a gentle slope. Pushing a straw into the cup of water, he held it up to Nico’s lips.

“You can’t use your left arm for a bit, because of the wires and the stitches.” He warned, some of the tiredness seeping into his tone. “You’ve gotta be really careful, okay?”

Nico gulped down the water quickly, underestimating how thirsty he was. He silently debated whether he wanted to ask for more or simply go to sleep.

“You look really tired,” Nico mused. He yawned, feeling the fatigue himself. “When do I get admitted? I think we could both use some sleep.”

“We’ll take you to a real hospital room in a minute, but you can sleep whenever you’re ready.” He assured, smiling a little. “You should rest up, we’ll be here overnight.” Will couldn’t really imagine getting any sleep, though he was dead tired.

“Take it slow, you’re still on a lot of painkillers.” He said, shaking his head.

Nico huffed a little in annoyance. He hated being confined to his hospital bed, though the chances of him getting out of bed, or at the very least, a wheelchair, were slim. And he was exhausted, even more so after he’d been injected with morphine. But he felt guilty about sleeping when it was obvious Will needed rest too—it couldn’t have been easy seeing your boyfriend go through surgery.

He shuddered unexpectedly. “I’m still cold,” he whined. He looked down at his hands, blush staining his pale cheeks. “I want cuddles,” he murmured, ashamed. “We can watch a movie on the portable player you brought. If you want to, of course…”

Will chuckled tiredly, giving Nico’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Mm, if you can keep your eyes open long enough.” He teased. “Your hospital bed will be bigger and we can cuddle then.” He promised, kissing his forehead. “I’ll go and ask if the room is ready, actually. I’ll be right back.”

When Will exited the room, he leaned against the wall just outside of the recovery room, taking a deep breath and rubbing at his eyes. He was exhausted and stressed, but him worrying would just make Nico more nervous about the whole thing. Taking another deep breath, he stood back up and got Nico’s room number, then returned to recovery with a wheelchair.

“Bet I can keep them open longer than you,” Nico teased, swallowing back another yawn.

He watched Will leave the room, noting the definite slump of his shoulders. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was cold and sweaty and in desperate need of a shower, but the sight of Will looking so haggard, especially when Nico knew it was more than just a physical exhaustion, nagged at him relentlessly. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to properly rest without at least talking to Will about it.

There was a polite knock on the door, before Will reentered, dragging something behind him.

“It’s my old friend,” Nico said distastefully, gesturing towards the wheelchair. At Will’s lack of a reaction, Nico leveled his gaze as best he could. “Sit down,” he said, trying to sound stern. “Talk to me, please. What’s wrong?”

Will gave Nico a tired smile, rolling the chair over. “I’m going to pick you up–” he started, pausing when Nico cut him off.

Frowning, he gave a tired sigh. “Nico.” He mumbled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I’m fine, babe, I’m just a little tired.” He said, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. “Really, I’ll sleep when we get you to your new room.”

Nico bit his lip, not entirely sure he believed Will’s answer. Still, he allowed Will to help him sit up, and he dangled his legs over the side of the bed, before standing. He was lowered carefully into the wheelchair, covering his face with his hand as he was hit with a nearly overwhelming sense of dizziness caused by all the moving around after having been stationary for so long.

“Promise you’ll tell me if something’s bothering you,” Nico muttered from between his fingers.

Will lifted him gently and set him in the chair, holding onto him so he wouldn’t fall over or anything. “Sorry, you’re still pretty heavily sedated.” He admitted, frowning.

The question caught him off guard, and he had to think for a minute. He gave a halfhearted ‘mhmm’ as a response, hooking his IV bag up to the chair before getting him a blanket to tuck him in.

Nico sighed, sensing Will’s hesitation. He let it go, however, but only because he discovered that it actually took energy to keep himself propped up in the chair and he used all his concentration to keep from slumping forward.

After he was settled and tucked into the chair, he reached for Will’s hand as the blond made his way to the back of the chair. Nico took his hand, just holding it for a moment, pressing it against his cheek. Will’s hand was warm and Nico could smell a trace of vanilla, leading him to believe that Will may have gotten himself a coffee while he’d waited in recovery. Nico peppered kisses up and down Will’s fingers, turning his hand over and kissing the inside of his wrist and palm. “I love you so much.”

Eventually, he released Will’s hand and allowed himself to be steered away from the surgery ward. He kept his eyes closed to avoid exacerbating his vertigo further, opening them only when they’d stopped moving.

Will gave his hand a short squeeze, smiling and dipping to kiss his cheek. He gladly accepted the little kisses, pleased despite his mental and physical exhaustion. “I love you too.” He said, pausing to fluff his hair briefly before beginning to push him to their destination.

Nico had gone grey by the time they arrived at the room, and Will pushed him inside, closing the door behind them. “You alright, babe..?” He asked, stroking his cheek.

In lieu of a response, and unsure whether he wanted to agree or disagree, he hummed softly. “Really dizzy, feel kind of sick. I want to lie down…” His voice was breathy, weak and exhausted. He was almost certain everything stemmed from the morphine more than anything else, but that didn’t change the unpleasantness of it.

He waited for Will to lower the railing on his bed, Nico leaning forward, keeping himself propped up by resting his arm against his knee.

Will kissing his head, then went to pull the rail down, moving back to scoop him up and gently lie him down. “There we go.. Do you feel alright? I can bring you some water, or a trashcan..” He murmured, sitting at the edge of the bed.

He fixed the blankets, giving Nico a quick kiss on the forehead. “I love you.”

“I just want you,” Nico whined softly. “And sleep, but mostly you.”

He watched Will with half-lidded eyes, trying valiantly to blink back the tiredness. From his lack of sleep from last night and with the amount of pain medicine he was on, it was a wonder he’d stayed awake as long as he had.

“It may not have been a piggyback ride, but it looks like you finally got to carry me,” he chuckled. He wasn’t nearly as dizzy or nauseous now that he was laying down, but the sling on his arm made getting comfortable near impossible.

Will scooted Nico over a bit, shuffling onto the bed and wrapping an arm around him, pulling him into his side. His sling was on the other side, and Will tried to make sure he was properly supported and as comfortable as he could manage.

“I was pretty worried about you.” Will finally said, quietly. Optimistically, Nico would have already been asleep, but Will was sure he wasn’t. “I was upset that they wouldn’t let me assist and it’s just…” He paused. “Shitty, in general, to know how stressful and painful this has been for you.”

Nico made a sleepy sound of acknowledgment. He strained to listen to Will’s words, but he could tell his consciousness was slipping. Will was so warm and comforting and Nico was overjoyed to be next to him—it was easy for him to finally relax enough for sleep.

“I’m sorry…for not considering your feelings…in all this,” he mumbled, his words muffled as he spoke into Will’s side. His eyes were closed and he leaned forward, tucking his head beneath Will’s chin. “Scary for both of us…”

“You asked, and I didn’t want to lie.” Will hummed, stroking his hair with one hand, exhausted himself. “But I’m okay. Some sleep and lots of cuddling and I’ll be fine…” He said, kissing his head.

“I love you.” Will murmured, fixing the blankets around them. “Get some rest, hopefully you’ll feel a little better when you wake up. Me too.” He added. “Sweet dreams.”

Nico felt Will’s fingers begin to slow, a true indicator that he was falling asleep. He nuzzled closer, his hair tickling Will along his neck. He met Will because of a bad heart. Now here he was, together with him, in every sense of the word, his malfunctioning ticker hopefully already on the mend. Nico could not have asked for a better outcome to passing out cold on the emergency room floor. He sighed, a noise of contentment.

“’M already better,” he said, pausing to gather his jumbled thoughts, “because I’m with you.”