Chapter Text
It was all Will Solace's fault.
Nico groaned, head pounding. He cracked one eye open, looking at the dark cielings of Cabin 13, brightened only by the small streams of morning (or afternoon, he wasn't really sure) sunlight. He could see the flecks of dust floating through the air.
He didn't know how, but he just knew. It had to be Will's fault. He had a gut feeling.
Turning over onto his stomach, he buried his face in his pillow, pulling the blankets up over his head.
It was too hot with his whole body under the blankets, but too cold with anything less, and the extra light made stabs of pain shoot through his eyes. So, weighing the pros and cons, he decided to stay under the sheets.
At least, until there was a knock on the door.
Nico groaned yet again, using every ounce of willpower in his body to throw the covers off and sit up. The change in elevation made him lightheaded, but he powered through, standing.
And falling.
He hit the floor with a thump and a wheezing breath. Through the ringing in his ears, he vaguely heard a worried voice calling his name, but he could see only black.
When he came to, Will was hovering above him, worry creasing his brow. His golden hair framed his face like a halo, catching the light mesmerizingly. Nico blinked hard, reaching up to rub his eyes. Will's expression softened.
"Hey. You're sick."
Nico grumbled as he sat up, swaying again as his body betrayed him yet again. Will reached out an arm to steady him, and Nico blamed the way he leaned in on his lightheadedness.
"Wow, really? I never wouldve guessed." Nico replied sarcastically, earning an eye roll from the healer.
Nico's body had seemed to adjust after sitting up for a minute, so he sighed and moved away, pretending not to mourn the loss of Will's hand on his back.
"Help me up, will you?" He grumbled, grabbing Will's hand as he offered it and using it to leverage himself up onto his feet. When he blacked out again, instead of finding himself on the floor, he instead found himself in the arms of the blond himself when his vision returned. Luckily, he was still standing, so he was able to quickly pull away, looking down to hide the red creeping up onto his face. Will just smiled, amused.
"Well, I clearly need to test and see what you caught." Will said. "You think you'll be able to walk to the infirmary, or do I need to carry you?"
Nico rolled his eyes, pretending not to genuinely consider the offer. "Whatever, Solace. I can walk. Let's just get it over with."
Will grinned in response and lead him to the Big House.
Nico had never been the fastest walker ever. He wasn't short, but he definitely didn't have the advantage of long, tall legs like some certain Apollo kids. But now, he was even slower. It seemed that every time he took a step, a zap of electric pain traveled up through every joint in his body and then stabbed straight in his brain. Of course, this caused him to not want to take steps. Hence his slowness.
Will had been doing pretty well at masking his worry so far. That or Nico was simply oblivious. Either option was plausible. But it was obvious now, as Will kept slowing in order to not leave the son of Hades behind.
"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? It was a genuine offer." Will said, looking at Nico with furrowed brows. Nico only shook his head wordlessly. They were almost to the Big House, where he could sit. Will let the rest of the walk go in silence.
*
Nico sat on the rickety infirmary cot, back leaned against the wall. Typically he didn't have a huge problem with the smell of antiseptic, but it was so strong, and it was overwhelmingly bright in the main room.
Will sat on his stool in front of the cot, examining his clipboard and tapping his pen on his cheek. He seemed lost in thought.
"What's the case, doc?" Nico asked, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn't get a chance to grab his jacket before they came here, and it was so cold.
"Well, there's only one thing it could be, to be honest." Will responded. "Amor heroicus. Common name, lovesickness."
Nico snorted. "Doesn't feel very lovey-dovey to me."
Will shook his head. "I'm afraid this isn't something to joke about, Nico."
This made Nico blink. "Oh shoot," he murmured. "Doctor mode."
Will sighed and scribbled on his clipboard. "This is a horrible illness. Self-inflicted, non-contagious...deadly or disabling." He took a breath.
"When the victim has strong enough romantic feelings for another that are or appear to be unreciprocated, the body can enter a state of panic, as the logical and emotional parts of the brain fight each other physically.
"Charictarized by severe headaches, fainting, joint pain, and unstable temperature regulation. The more time is spent with the person of interest, the worse the symptoms get. The only known cure is to tell the person of interest about the feelings, and hope your body stops attacking itself once both parts of the brain reach the same conclusion. If this doesn't happen in time, the sickness will end in a slow and painful death as your mind tears itself apart."
Will finished his explanation, not once looking up from his clipboard. Nico noticed his leg bouncing anxiously, his own body eerily still. His body that was, apparently, actively ripping itself to shreds because he couldn't convince his heart that he had no chance with the very boy in front of him.
Nico grit his teeth. "Well, how long do I have?" He asked, folding his arms.
"In your current state?" Will finally met his eyes. "A month. Maybe two. If you keep spending time with your person...a few weeks, maybe."
Nico made a noise like he'd been punched in the gut. If almost felt like he had. He was expecting, like, maybe 6 months. A year, if he was being hopeful. But a few weeks?
"My medical advice is to tell them today, Nico." Will said gently. "I obviously can't force you. But I also want to say that...I'm always here if you want to talk, yeah?"
Nico just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He ran a hand through his hair, then down his face, weighing his options.
Option one: wait it out. Be in pain, die horribly...but be confirmed to have Will by his side for the rest of his short, miserable life.
Option two: tell Will. Almost definitely lose him. Maybe stay friends with him if he doesn't label Nico as the weird loser who gets crushes on any blond, tall boy who's nice to him.
He looked up at Will, who was looking at him with a worried expression, and made his decision.
If death was what it took to keep him around, Will was worth it.