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Will stood in the dark Cabin 13 right above Nico’s bed, he’d been sick for three and a half days now, and with the Cacodemons running around the cabin, Will is required to take care of them while Nico’s recovering.
Will adjusted the thermometer under Nico's tongue, the small, digital display glowing faintly in the gloom of Cabin 13. The son of Hades lay bundled under a pile of blankets, a rare sight of surrender for the normally stoic demigod. His face was pale, a stark contrast to the dark shadows under his eyes.
"Three and a half days," Will muttered to himself, checking the temperature reading. It was still elevated, but at least it wasn't climbing. "You're a tough case, Neeks."
A sudden flapping sound made Will jump. He looked up to see a trio of cacao puffs—small, winged demons with mischievous glares—zipping past his head. They giggled and shrieked, a high-pitched sound that grated on his nerves. One of them, a particularly plump Cacodemon, grabbed Nico's favorite Stygian iron Mythomagic figurine of a Minotaur and took off with it.
"Hey! Get back here!" Will yelled, but his voice was lost in a chorus of cackles.
Taking care of Nico was one thing—a familiar, if often frustrating, task. But corralling Nico’s children was a whole other beast. The cacodemons were an energetic, chaotic handful, and they seemed to take particular pleasure in tormenting the son of Apollo. They'd hide his medical supplies, rearrange the furniture, and, most annoyingly, steal his snacks.
Will sighed, rubbing his temples. He was a healer, not a demon wrangler. He glanced at Nico, who was mercifully asleep through the chaos. At least he was getting some rest. Will knew he had to keep it that way.
He watched as the Minotaur-thief Cacodemon perched on a shelf, its tiny red eyes glinting triumphantly as it held the figurine aloft. This was going to be a long week.
Will stood on his tip-toes, reaching for the Minotaur figure. "Just give it back, you little menace," he pleaded, his fingers inches away from the toy. The Cacodemon giggled, its transparent wings fluttering as it floated just out of reach. Just as Will was about to lunge, a faint groan came from the bed.
Will froze. He turned to look at Nico, who was stirring restlessly, a frown on his pale face. The last thing Nico needed was to be woken up by a hyperactive demon and his frustrated boyfriend. Will shot the Cacodemon a silent, menacing glare.
"Give it," he mouthed, pointing at the toy. The Cacodemon, however, seemed to find this whole situation hilarious. It zipped over to Nico's bedside table and perched there, swinging its tiny feet and chittering mischievously.
Will sighed, defeated. He grabbed a small bag of KitKats from his pocket, a secret stash he'd brought in case of emergencies, and held it up. "Look," he whispered, shaking the bag. "KitKats. All for you. Just give me the Minotaur."
The Cacodemon's eyes went wide. It looked from the bag of marshmallows to the Minotaur figure, then back to the bag. It made a small sound that Will could only describe as an excited squeal and zipped over, dropping the toy into Will's outstretched hand.
Will quickly pocketed the Minotaur, then handed the bag of KitKats to the Cacodemon. The little demon snatched it and flew off, followed by its two siblings, and the three of them began to feast on their sugary treat in a corner of the cabin.
Will let out a long breath of relief. He tiptoed back to Nico's bed and gently pulled the blanket up to his chin. The son of Hades was still asleep, his breathing even now. Will sat down in a chair beside the bed, watching over his patient, a small, weary smile on his face. This was going to be a long week, but with a little creativity, a lot of patience, and a whole bag of KitKats, Will knew he could handle it. He’d handled worse before, and certainly he could handle 3 Cacodemons.
Worst fucking mistake.
The Cacodemon with the KitKat stash seemed to believe it was now the new alpha. It strutted around the cabin, its tiny chest puffed out, while the other two followed it like loyal subjects, occasionally trying to swipe a piece of chocolate. The Minotaur incident had been a success, but the victory was short-lived.
Will had barely settled back into his chair when a new crisis arose. One of the Cacodemons, the smallest and most mischievous of the bunch, found Nico’s collection of skulls. They weren't real, of course, but a part of his macabre décor—a sort of Underworld version of a snow globe collection. The tiny demon picked one up, a miniature bone-white skull with dark eye sockets, and began to play a bizarre game of catch with it, tossing it back and forth with its sibling.
"No, no, no!" Will whispered, waving his hands frantically. The last thing they needed was a broken skull—Nico was very particular about his cabin’s aesthetic.
He tried to distract them, pulling a half-eaten granola bar from his pocket. "Look! More food!" he offered.
But the Cacodemons ignored him, completely absorbed in their game. The skull soared through the air and a Cacodemon missed the catch. The skull flew past Will's head and landed with a soft thud on Nico’s pillow, inches from his face.
Will's heart leaped into his throat. He saw Nico's eyes flutter open, the dark irises unfocused and sleepy. Will quickly snatched the skull, hiding it behind his back.
"Tesero?" Nico’s voice was a low, raspy whisper. "What's going on?"
Will plastered on a reassuring smile. "Nothing, Neeks. Just... rearranging the décor. Go back to sleep."
Nico's brow furrowed. He seemed to sense the frantic energy in the room. "Did you give them candy?" he mumbled, his gaze fixed on the corner where the Cacodemons were still squabbling over the remaining KitKat.
Will sighed. There was no point in lying. "It was an emergency," he admitted. "They stole your Minotaur."
A ghost of a smile touched Nico’s lips. He closed his eyes, a soft chuckle escaping his chest. "You're a terrible demon wrangler, Solace," he whispered, his voice already fading.
Will just smiled, a warmth spreading through his chest. "I know," he replied softly. "But I'm a good doctor."
He watched as Nico drifted back to sleep, the feverish flush on his cheeks a little less pronounced. The Cacodemons were still a problem, but for now, they were quiet, distracted by their sugary prize. Will knew this fragile peace wouldn't last, but for now, it was enough. He’d face the next crisis when it came. For Nico, he’d face anything.
—
Six gruesome hours had passed since the Cacodemons had caused any chaos and peacefully drifted off into slumber atop Nico’s clothing strung around the cabin. The so-called alpha slept peacefully on the oversized orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt Nico had stolen from Will, KitKat wrapper clutched in his hand. The two others sat snuggled in a black hoodie by the Cabin door.
Will sighed of relief, he looked over at the sleeping Nico, completely pulled to the left side of the bed, he slid in next to Nico, wrapped his arm around his shoulder, and let Nico snuggle into the warmth of his body. The rays of sunlight glowing through Will’s veins.
...The rays of sunlight glowing through Will’s veins.
Nico’s hand found Will’s and wrapped around it, and the son of Apollo was finally able to rest. He held Nico tightly and let out a soft yawn, the cabin was finally quiet for the first time in what felt like forever. He was finally able to get a proper rest. A proper rest that he had not had in the past couple of days because he was so worried about Nico.
Will’s eyes began to droop, he felt a pull on his arm and looked down to see Nico, his dark eyes still a bit unfocused from the fever, looking up at him. "You’re staying, right?" he whispered, his voice still hoarse.
"I’m staying, Neeks," Will whispered back, his heart swelling with affection. "I’m not going anywhere."
Nico’s lips pulled up into a small, tired smile. "Good," he mumbled, his head falling back against Will’s shoulder, a sigh of contentment leaving his lips. The quiet in the cabin was broken by the soft, steady rhythm of Nico's breathing. It was a sound Will had come to cherish, a testament to the life and strength of the boy he loved.
Will knew that as soon as Nico was better, he’d be back to his usual self—grumpy, stubborn, and refusing to let anyone see his vulnerability. But for now, in the stillness of the dark cabin, he was just Nico, a sick boy who needed someone to hold him. And Will was more than happy to be that someone. He closed his eyes, his arm still wrapped around Nico, and let himself drift off to sleep. For the first time in three and a half days, Will Solace was finally at peace. He had a grumpy son of Hades in his arms, three chaotic cacodemons asleep in the cabin, and nothing but quiet and peace.
He woke up to a faint tickling sensation on his hand. He looked down to see the Cacodemon, the so-called “alpha,” from the night before, now wide awake, and picking at the KitKat wrapper still clutched in its hand. The two other cacodemons were awake as well, perched on the edge of the bed, their tiny red eyes glinting in the darkness.
The small alpha demon held up the KitKat wrapper, and then pointed at the door, as if to say, "We want more."
Will sighed, he knew this was a mistake. But, looking at the expectant look on the tiny demon’s face, and the two others staring at him as if their lives depended on it, he couldn’t resist. He slowly and carefully slid out from under Nico's arm, trying not to wake him, and grabbed his jacket. He grabbed a few more candy bars from his pocket, and handed them to the Cacodemon, who snatched them and flew off with his friends.
Will smiled, he wasn’t a demon wrangler, but he was a good doctor, and a good boyfriend, and if that meant he had to supply a few of his boyfriend's demonic children with candy, then so be it.
He carefully slid back into bed, wrapping his arm around Nico, who had woken up with the movement.
“You gave them candy again, didn’t you?” Nico mumbled, his voice a little clearer now, but still hoarse.
“It was a peace offering,” Will whispered, and pressed a kiss to Nico's forehead.
Nico just shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he snuggled closer to Will. “You’re so lame,” he muttered, “Ti amo, tesoro.” before falling back into a deep sleep.
“I love you too.” He smiled into Nico’s hair. He knew he was lame. But with Nico in his arms, he was the happiest lame person in the world. He was a lame doctor, a lame boyfriend, and a terrible demon wrangler, but he was a damn good person to have on your side. And for Nico, that was all that mattered. And for Will, he was happy if Nico was.