the Crown of Edom {Solangelo Prince AU}

23. Don't Be An Idiot

The doctor rushed in quickly after being freed—and everyone made sure Octavian was locked up. Luke was dead after a few hours. Not that anyone cared too much.

The doctor had found a pulse on Nico, insisting everybody leave immediately. Will, Bianca, and Hazel refused to leave the infirmary. Dr. McCaffery decided not to fight with them.

Bianca assisted with making sure the militia arrived to the castle, and Chiron didn't hesitate to give away the names of the knights who betrayed the royals. Leo and Reyna helped with legal affairs and garnering up those who betrayed them. Percy pulled Jason close and kissed him—clearly not wasting a single second after seeing what happened to Nico. Piper and Annabeth had disappeared off into another room.

After many meticulous hours, Dr. McCaffery gently shook the two awake—who had fallen asleep on top of each other like two little kids. Hazel rubs her eyes as Will sits up, his eyes immediately going to the patient table.

"He's still breathing," he reassures them. "but his body is shutting down. He still has poison in him, and that alone weakened his body. I've stopped the bleeding but the condition is uncertain. Once he is awake, we'll attempt to pump his stomach. But there is not much we can do at the moment. He'll be unconscious for awhile."

Will wasn't expecting himself to begin to tear up after seconds of being awake. He sniffles and nods, a feeling pulling his gut tight. Hazel stands and offers a hand to him.

"I hope you get over feeling guilty," she whispers. Will looks up at her and knows she's putting on a brave face—she's trying to keep it together. He stares at her, just for a second. Her face is smooth, her lips pressed together tightly. She was young. Just a few years older than him. In her eyes, he could pick up on just an ounce of hopelessness. Despite being the queen, despite everything, she was still lost—still confused, still torn apart.

   He takes her hand. She wraps her arm around his as they walk out of the infirmary room. He walks her all the way to her quarters before heading to his own. His chest is heavy, the days having been emotionally draining.

His minds replays the events so vividly; he remembered it down to feeling the heat between their bodies in the darkness of the passing nights, and feeling the warmth slip out of Nico's skin when he laid bleeding. His body chilled as he stared down at his luggage, and began to cry. He knew unpacking was pointless—his residency in Nico's life only ended in misfortune, and his leaving only seemed to deepen the wound.

Perhaps, though, leaving was safer for the both of them.

He could go silently, quickly, and stop being such a block in his life. Nico wanted to be king; the people needed him to be king. It would ache and tear both of their hearts to shreds—Will understands Nico loves him—but it would be the responsible thing to do. The option that Will had been trained to choose, the one that Nico always refused to. They were doomed from the beginning, and Will had taken that risk when he tied his fingers within the prince's.

Forbidden, it was, yet felt like fate.

If Nico were to be so hurt, maybe he would resent Will for never giving a reason. Or most likely, Nico would see straight through it.

Will takes a deep breath, tightens his hand on the handle of his bag, and picks it up. All he needed was one more look at him, and then he would disappear.

He approaches the infirmary with light footsteps, trying to hold in his tears. His eyes fall on Nico's body, and he tries to focus on the tiny rise of his chest.

He was alive. Hurt, and sick, but alive.

Will leaves his luggage at the door and rolls his feet across the wooden floor, hoping not to wake the sleeping prince. He hovers over his body when he makes it to the bed, and takes in one last look.