Chapter Text
Nico’s body hurt. It hurt rather frequently. Sometimes he did. Sometimes he didn’t. The days that he didn’t were the good days. But even on his good days, there was a heafty chance he would be extraordinarily uncomfortable in some way. That could be tempature regulation or a headache. It didn’t really matter. He knew that part of that was his problem. The shadow travelling. The training. Sitting in odd positions. Never sleeping. Hardly eating. Those weren't exactly the cause, per say. But it exasperated his issues.
Will told him that he had something called ‘von Recklinghausen's disease' which is otherwise known as: Neurofibromatosis Type One. Along with gastric reflux. Whatever the hell that was.
Nico curled himself deeper underneath the fuzzy onyx blankets of the Hades cabin. He didn't care what he had. He didn't care that his muscles would tighten up and create painful knots. He didn't care that the base of his skull hurt from those pissed off muscles. He didn't care about the pain in his knees or in his spine.
He didn't care how eating made him feel nauseous. And he didn't care that he could hardly eat any food without feeling absolutely disgusting afterwards. He didn't care that there was hardly any foods that he could handle anymore.
Nico didn’t care about sometimes the pain in his knees made it impossible to train. He didn’t care how when he stood, the blood would rush to his head causing his heart to beat out of his chest and his vision to saturate and spin.
Nico didn’t care how eating around others made him feel like he was wrong for feeling so ill when he took part in meals. He didn’t care when he was asked ‘why don’t you eat?’. He didn’t care about the weird looks from other campers when he ate the same foods every day.
He didn’t care how his stomach gurgled and groaned if he ate something that was just a little bit too acidic. He didn’t care how he gagged when he smelt something he didn’t like. He didn’t care about the food he ate at his time in the casino and how it made him feel woozy.
Nico didn't care about how all of this made him feel broken. He didn't care about how all of this made him feel like his needs were insurmountable.
Who would want to try and meet them anyway? It would be too much of a burden to carry on somebody's shoulders. Who would want to cook for me? Be patient enough to help me find more safe foods? Who would be okay with me finding the taste of reheated food disgusting? It would be such a waste. I’m a waste.
Nico shook those stupid wasteful thoughts from his head. He was fine. He would be fine if he ignored these feelings.
Then the door swung open.
Then he wasn't fine.
“Ohhhhh, Neeeeeks!” A very annoying son of Hephaestus sang through the doorway.
Nico groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. “I told you not to call me that.”
“What else am I supposed to call you then? Just ‘Nico’ is so boring!” He steps inside, wiping his feet on the mat on the porch.
Maybe he does have some respect.
Leo poked his head around, trying to see Nico's face. “Have you forgotten? You said you’d hang out with me today! You promised me two months ago!” He whined theatrically, his eyes wide and pleading.
He's so loud.
Nico sighed and sat up. His hair sticking up and in every direction. Leo snickered at the sight before stopping himself, avoiding eye-contact.
“That doesn’t mean I want to. Maybe some other time, Valdez.” Nico sighed, the muscles in his back aching with the effort to keep him sitting up. He admittedly felt his heart ache as he watched Leo’s expression fall. Leo flicked his amber-brown eyes away momentarily, before regaining eye contact.
“You said that last time.” Leo fidgeted with his hands, picking at dead and singed skin. That caught Nico’s attention. How could Leo’s skin be burned if he had such a significant resistance to fire? Maybe that element of his powers had depleted after he sacrificed himself in the war?
Nico snatches Leo’s hand. It was warm compared to his frigid one, and that same warmth began to spread throughout his entire body. “What happened to your hand?” His voice was firm, leaving no room to wiggle or joke his way out. To Nico’s dismay, there was a small amount of fear glinting in Leo’s eyes, hardly visible in the dim light of the gloomy cabin.
“Ah, just some electricity burns from working on some wires! You see…I’m resistance to heat and fire. So that gives me an advantage against steam and fire. Not so much against boiling water or electricity. Maybe I should be eating more Cheri Berries, hm?” The smile Leo was known for was suddenly plastered across his face, it again seemed off. It didn’t make his eyes crinkle, or his teeth shine. But Nico decided to go with it anyway, he was not the type of person to break down Leo’s walls so easily. Not to mention that he probably did not trust him, they hadn’t spent much time together on the Argo– but they got along well. And they of course cared for one another. That was kind of unavoidable after multiple months of trauma bonding on a flying ship.
“Right. And what’s a…” Nico’s voice trails away. “A cheri berry. Don’t you mean a cherry? How would that help with your electricity problem?”
“Ah…” Leo used his free hand to give Nico a pat on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t understand gramps. You don’t know what Pokemon is.” He theatrically sighs.
“Will has mentioned Pokemon. You fight with…the little animals..or something.”
“Or something.” Leo rolled his eyes.
Nico opened his mouth to add to the conversation, but his guts gurgled angrily in a manner that was definitely loud enough for Leo to hear.
“You about to have diarrhoea or something?” This time, it was Leo’s turn to be concerned about the other boy’s health.
“Uhm-” Nico’s face flushed, and he let go of Leo’s hand.
“There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Bubble guts happens to everyone at some point. Some more often than others.” He looked away for a moment.
“Uhm … you too?”
“I eat way too much junk food. And fruit is sometimes … really good!”
Nico snorted. “Whatever Valdez.” He slung his feet off the bed and padded over to the dark tiled bathroom a few paces away.
“Oh! I gotta-” Leo jumped to his feet, running in place. “I just remembered that Harley wanted me to help him out with something! Can— I’ll be right back!”
With that, Leo raced off, and Nico was left alone to death with his angry intestines.