Chapter Text
Nico had been noticing Will’s exhaustion for quite some time — the unnatural paleness of his skin, the way his nose started bleeding more and more often, and for far too long each time. It wasn’t an “every now and then” thing. It was far too frequent. Far too long. Far too alarming.
He had tried talking to him about it. Gently. Calmly. Sometimes a little more firmly. But every time, Will brushed it off the same way: it was just fatigue, the end of the semester, too much studying, nothing serious. And Nico tried to believe him. He really tried to explain it away rationally. He told himself he was overreacting, that he was worrying too much, that he simply loved him too much.
But everything happened faster than Nico could have ever expected.
He was sitting in the bleachers in the gym, watching Will’s basketball practice. He had already suggested earlier that Will should skip it, that he should at least take today off. But his boyfriend wouldn’t listen. He was stubborn. Very stubborn. He had only smiled that calm, reassuring smile of his and said everything was under control.
Watching Will was usually a pleasure — the way he moved, how confidently he caught the ball, how his blond hair bounced with every sprint. Nico would usually look at him with a soft expression, a little proud, a little in love. But this time was different. Now he analyzed every movement. Every stumble. Every hesitation. As if he could tell him with his eyes alone: you’ve pushed yourself too far. As if he could force him to stop. To rest. At least for a moment.
It all happened in a split second.
A sudden, unexpected fall.
The ball rolled off to the side. The gym grew loud — and then unnaturally quiet. The coach ran over immediately, someone shouted his name. Nico rushed down the bleachers as fast as he could — nearly tripping, nearly falling down the steps.
He reached Will and dropped to his knees beside him, trying to wake him up. He was saying something, but he didn’t even know what. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He hadn’t seen exactly what had happened. He didn’t understand why Will had fainted. Just that morning he had looked “more or less fine.” Just that morning he had said it was nothing.
Someone called an ambulance. The paramedics arrived quickly. Too quickly and yet not quickly enough. Nico didn’t leave their side for a second. He didn’t want to leave Will even for a moment.
They explained calmly that he couldn’t ride with them — that he was a minor, that he wasn’t family.
But Will was the most important person in Nico’s life. The most important. He couldn’t just leave him. He simply couldn’t.
He didn’t care that he was supposed to be in class. He didn’t care about school, attendance, consequences. The only thing that mattered was whether Will would open his eyes.
The hospital was close, so Nico arrived almost at the same time as Will’s mother — Naomi. She looked terrified, her face tense, her eyes wide. But when she saw Nico standing in the hallway, she seemed to calm down, just a little. As if the mere sight of him was proof that Will wasn’t alone in this.
Naomi quickly found a doctor who led her to the room where Will was lying. Nico followed right behind her, not entirely sure if he should even be there, but with no intention of stopping.
The sight of Will was… difficult.
He was lying there with an IV in his arm, clearly weakened. Too pale. Too still. His blond hair was spread across the pillow, and his face — usually so full of life — looked strangely empty.
“My child, don’t scare me like that,” Naomi said as she approached the bed and carefully wrapped her arms around him, as if afraid she might break him.
“I’ve been telling you for a while now that you need to stop overworking yourself and get some rest,” Nico added more quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. There was no anger in his voice. Only fear.
“It was just one fainting spell. There’s no need to be so dramatic,” Will said with a faint smile, as if trying to ease the tension.
Nico and Naomi exchanged a quick look — a brief, understanding glance. They both knew it wasn’t “just” anything.
“William Adrian Solace,” Naomi began in a tone that sounded almost playful, though the tension underneath was unmistakable, “you want to become a doctor, yet you’re so careless with your own health? You fainted and ended up in the hospital. Let your mother and your boyfriend be a little dramatic.”
The doctor entered the room and looked at Nico in a way that immediately made a knot of unease tighten in his chest — as if he already knew he was about to be asked to leave.
“Only the patient and his mother may stay,” the doctor said firmly, fixing Nico with a sharp look.
Will glanced at him pleadingly. In his eyes was one simple message: please, stay.
Nico’s heart clenched painfully, but he stood up. With a heavy heart. Without a word. He stepped out into the hallway.
He sat down in a chair just outside the room. Everything felt unreal, as if he were watching it all from the outside. He couldn’t see what was happening. He couldn’t hear what the doctor was saying. All he could do was sit there and wonder whether, in a moment, he would hear good news or bad.
Those few minutes stretched on like an eternity. Nico stared at the floor, at the door, at the clock on the wall. Every second hurt. The worst part was not knowing. The uncertainty frustrated him the most. Because if the doctor was delivering terrible news right now, he didn’t want to be the last one to find out.
After a few minutes, the door opened. The doctor stepped out, and Naomi — her face more serious than before — motioned for Nico to come back inside.
“The doctor says they need to run additional tests to rule out anything life-threatening, but they think it’s probably just anemia,” Naomi said, watching Nico carefully, as if searching his face for reassurance that everything truly would be okay.
Nico shifted his gaze to Will. The blond smiled at him despite the clear exhaustion and weakness. The smile was softer than usual, but it was still his — warm, comforting, a little too brave.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a moment and call your father, sweetheart,” Naomi said, leaning over the bed.
“Mom, you don’t have to drag Dad here right away. It’s just anemia,” Will replied, rolling his eyes slightly, as if they were talking about a simple cold.
Nico didn’t know Will’s father very well. He lived in another state and couldn’t visit often during the school year, even though their relationship was genuinely good. He lived in California. Last summer, he had invited them over, and they had spent two wonderful weeks in warm, sunny California — walks along the beach, ice cream at sunset, laughter and plans for the future. Back then, everything had seemed so simple.
“It’s important that your father knows, even if it’s just anemia,” Naomi said firmly before leaving the room, giving them a moment alone.
Nico sat on the bed so he could rest his head against Will’s shoulder. Their fingers intertwined instinctively. For a while, they sat in silence, listening to the quiet hum of the machines and the distant sounds of the hallway.
“It’s just testing. Procedure. There’s nothing wrong with me,” Will said softly, even though Nico hadn’t spoken a word — as if he could read his thoughts.
They had been together for a long time. They had plans. Plans for an apartment, a golden retriever, and a black cat that would probably be mean only to guests. Will was going to study medicine. Nico wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to study yet, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were going to be together.
“I know…” Nico hesitated, looking at their joined hands. “But what if it’s something serious?”
Will was quiet for a moment, as if genuinely considering the question.
“Most illnesses can be treated, even if it’s difficult,” he said finally, calm and steady. “But you don’t have to panic. It’s just anemia.”
He leaned in and kissed Nico softly, as if sealing his words with it.
At that moment, Naomi returned to the room. She looked at them and shook her head with a faint smile.
“I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already glued to each other.”
They both laughed. Naomi was their biggest supporter, but she loved teasing them about being unbearably sweet and unable to last a second apart — which, honestly, was partly true.
“You’re overreacting, Mom. It’s just anemia. You didn’t have to call him,” Will said.
“Even so, your father should know. And he’s the one who offered to come,” she replied.
A nurse entered the room and glanced at Nico in a way that clearly showed she disapproved of how close he was sitting to the patient.
“Lovebirds, I know you adore each other, but you’ll have to separate.”
Nico stood up reluctantly. He really didn’t want to leave Will. But the nurse was firm. Being moved to a ward meant that, until the test results came back, only family members were allowed to visit.
Will and Naomi promised they would keep him updated. But Nico was so frustrated that he couldn’t be there — that if it turned out to be something serious, he wouldn’t be the first one by Will’s side.
Will woke up the next day. His bones ached, his entire body felt heavy, but he chose to ignore it. It’s just anemia. Everyone’s overreacting.
A nurse entered the room, followed by his mom and dad. His parents looked exhausted and worried. Will tried to smile, but the pain made it weak.
“Dad, you didn’t have to come. It’s just anemia,” he said as Lester stepped closer.
He could tell his father wanted to believe him. Really wanted to. But there was something else in his eyes — a million dark scenarios he couldn’t switch off.
“The doctor will be here soon. We’re repeating the blood work and doing a bone marrow biopsy,” the nurse said as she removed the IV line and took the empty drip.
His parents exchanged terrified glances.
“Is the bone marrow biopsy necessary?” Lester asked.
Will knew what a bone marrow biopsy meant. It was done to rule out or confirm leukemia. Lester knew it too. Years of working as a paramedic meant he understood exactly what that test could imply.
“Those are the orders,” the nurse replied.
The tests were long and exhausting. His parents worried about the results, and Will worried that he couldn’t text Nico back — which was probably the stupidest thing he could be worrying about right now, but he still couldn’t stop.
He lay in the hospital bed, drained and weak. Everything hurt — the biopsy site, his bones, his head. It felt like his skull was about to split open.
During a routine check, the nurse noticed he had a fever. Quick medication. A new IV drip. Growing panic all around him.
It’s just a fever, Will thought. People get fevers. Why is everyone panicking?
His phone lay on the bedside table. It rang. It had to be Nico. He wanted to answer, to tell him everything was fine. But the pain wouldn’t let him lift his arm high enough.
Naomi picked up the phone.
“It’s okay, it’s just Nico. I’ll tell him everything’s fine,” she said, stepping out of the room.
Will wanted to protest, but exhaustion and pain won.
Nico had been anxious ever since Will was admitted to the hospital. He kept texting, but the replies were short and rare. Explained away by tests. And yet something inside him kept whispering that something was wrong.
He called.
Naomi answered.
“Hi, Nico.” Her voice sounded tired and strained.
“Is everything okay with Will?” he asked immediately.
A brief silence.
“He’s exhausted after the tests. He’s running a slight fever. The doctors say that happens with extreme fatigue.”
“When will the results be in?”
“Tomorrow. Let’s stay positive.”
Nico could feel how scared she was.
The next day, he sat in the cafeteria, staring at his phone. Percy and Jason were looking at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Dude, eat. Break’s almost over,” Jason said.
“I’m not hungry,” Nico replied.
“You need to calm down,” Percy added.
At that moment, his phone rang. Naomi.
“The results are in?!” he blurted out too quickly.
“Hi, Nico. How are you feeling today?” a male voice answered instead. Lester.
“Okay… What about Will?”
“Nico, listen. Don’t panic.”
That didn’t help at all.
“We got the diagnosis. It’s the worst-case scenario… Acute leukemia.”
Nico’s world seemed to stop.
“Can I visit him?” was the only thing he managed to say.
“Not yet. The doctors want to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. At this advanced stage, any infection could be fatal.”
Nico could hear the controlled calm in his voice. Practiced. Professional. But he knew Lester was just as terrified.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the break.
“I… I have to go,” Nico said, trying not to break down in the middle of the cafeteria.
“Hang in there,” Lester replied.
“What happened?” Jason asked.
Nico forced a crooked smile.
“Nothing. I’ve got a biology test.”
The test was a nightmare. Nico stared at the paper, unable to understand a single question. How could any of this matter when his boyfriend had cancer?
He handed in a completely blank sheet.
The only thing that made sense was being with Will. And now he couldn’t even visit him. All he could do was wait. In fear. In uncertainty. With the thought that at any moment, something could happen.
Will sat in silence when he heard the diagnosis. He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream. He just stared at the doctor with empty eyes.
His mother sobbed. His father stood frozen.
It felt unreal. Impossible.
He was active. He ate healthy. He sometimes slept too little — like any teenager. Nothing had suggested something like this could happen.
He wanted to go to college. Become a doctor. Move in with Nico. Get a big golden retriever. Marry him in a small, quiet, intimate ceremony.
And now it felt like everything had slipped through his fingers. As if all their plans had suddenly lost their meaning.
The worst part was that he couldn’t talk about it with Nico. The doctors said treatment had to begin immediately. And that no one from outside could visit him.