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NICO
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“Ok kids, I’m gonna divide you into pairs.” Chiron was teaching the sword fighting class today. “Kayla, you’ll be with Austin. Travis, you’ll be with Connor.”
He went on like this for a while. Everyone had been paired up, except two people.
“If you don’t have a partner raise your hand.” Chiron said.
Nico slowly raised his hand. He looked around and saw someone with a big mop of curly blonde hair also raising his hand.
It was Will Solace. Oh great. That ray of sunshine? Nico was literally the opposite of him.
Nico tried hard to hate Will, with them being opposites and all, but whenever he looked at Will, he got butterflies. Will made him feel warm.
Nico hated that. He was the Ghost King. He wasn’t supposed to feel warm. But Nico didn’t hate Will. He tried, but he physically couldn’t.
“Ok, Will, you’ll be with Nico.” Chiron said.
Will walked over to Nico. “Howdy partner!”
“Um, hi?”
Chiron trotted a bit farther away. “Alright guys, you and your partner are going to find a nice empty spot around here and you’re just going to spar for a bit to warm up, alright?”
Nico and Will followed this instruction.
“Why are you even practicing sword fighting Will? Aren’t you like, a medic or something?”
“Well I need to be able to protect my patients, don’t I?
“I guess I never really thought about that.”
“Eh, why would you?”
“That’s fair, I guess.”
Nico slashed his sword down, hard, but Will blocked it. He tried a side hit. He blocked that too.
“Your better than I thought Solace.“
“Why thank you.”
They kept sparring for a bit. Will tried a side slash. Nico blocked it. Then Will slashed down diagonally. Nico wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t block it in time.
Nico felt a sharp stab of pain throughout his chest. He fell to the ground.
“Oh my gods, Nico! Are you okay? I’m so sorry. Let me get you to the infirmary.”
Will tried to help him up, but Nico swatted his hand away.
“No.” Nico spat, “you’ve done enough.”
Nico stood up with lots of effort, and limped back to his cabin, dripping blood.
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WILL
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Will felt horrible. He had just hurt Nico! He would have followed Nico, with him being hurt and all, but he needed some time to cool down.
The cut wasn’t too deep, and the blade was clean. Will planned to go to his cabin later to bandage him, but right now, Nico was pissed.
*A few hours later*
Will knocked on the door of cabin 13. He heard Nico’s voice inside.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Will.”
Will heard Nico sigh.
“Come in.” Nico said.
Will opened the door. Nico was sitting on his bed, going through a deck of mythomagic cards. His shirt was drenched in blood, and ripped from his shoulder to his stomach.
“Hey, um, are you okay?” Will asked.
“No, Will. I’m not okay. You literally cut my chest open.”
“I know, and im so, so sorry. I brought supplies though. Can I bandage you? It’ll hurt less after.”
Nico thought for a moment.
“Fine.”
Will sat next to Nico with his first aid kit in hand. He opened it and brought out some alcohol wipes.
“Can you, um, lift your shirt up?”, Will asked awkwardly.
Nico grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up, holding it in place at his shoulder.
Will saw the wound. It was a big cut, but not very deep. It looked worse than it actually was. Bandaging it would help it heal faster and hurt less, but he needed to clean it first.
“Okay, this might burn a bit.”
Will grabbed the alcohol wipe and started cleaning the wound. Nico winced, but stayed still.
When Will was done cleaning the wound, he put the alcohol wipes away and brought out the gauze. He started wrapping up the cut. When it was all covered up, he stuck it in place with a piece of medical tape.
“Okay, I’m done.”
Nico pulled his shirt back down. He looked at Will.
“ Um, thanks.”
“Yeah! Of course.”
He looked into Nico’s eyes. Gods, had he always been this beautiful? The way his messy black hair framed his face. The way he smiled lightly when you told him a joke. Will just wanted to-
He leaned forward and kissed Nico.
As soon as their lips met, Will pulled back, a worried look on his face. Nico stared at him in shock.
“Oh my gods. Im so sorry! I don’t know what came over me! I-“
He sighed.
“-I should go.”
He stood up and grabbed his first aid kit. He was halfway to the door when Nico stood up. He grabbed Will’s arm.
“Will, wait.”
Will turned around. Nico stepped forward and looked into Will’s piercing blue eyes. The boys were nose to nose now.
Nico leaned forward and kissed him.
Was Will dreaming? Had Nico actually just kissed him back?
After a few seconds, Nico pulled away. They both chuckled. Nico’s face was bright red. So was Will’s.
Will was so relieved. Nico didn’t hate him! Nico actually liked him back!
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NICO
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Nico was shocked. Will liked him back? Nico had liked him since they met, but he had always been sure Will wasn’t gay. Apparently, Nico had been wrong.
Will took Nico’s hand. If it had been anyone else, Nico would have pulled his hand away, but this was Will. Nico held his hand.
Both boys stood in comfortable silence, nose to nose, holding hands, staring into each other’s eyes. They both had bright smiles on their faces, an expression Nico didn’t know he was capable of doing. It seemed like they were both processing what had just happened.
Suddenly, the door opened. They immediately let go of each other’s hands and took a step away from each other. They both looked startled.
Chiron stood at the door. He had seen them holding hands, but he pretended he didn’t.
“Um, Will, is Nico all done? Katie Gardner fell off of a pegasus and broke her arm.”
“Yeah. Nico’s done. I’ll be right over there in a moment.”
“Alright. Hurry up.”
Chiron closed the door an trotted away.
Will looked at Nico.
“I love you, Nico.”
Nico smiled.
“I love you too Will.”
“See you at breakfast?”
“Yeah. See you at breakfast.”
Will walked out the door and headed toward the infirmary.
Nico was still shocked from what had just happened. He was so excited that Will actually liked him back.
And sure, Nico was a ball of darkness and Will was a ray of sunshine, but he was Nico’s ray of sunshine now, and he couldn’t be happier.