You owe me at least three days of rest in the infirmary

Four | Nico

 -Belonging to someone doesn't sound so bad 

when they belong to you as well-

The sun woke Nico up at 9 am. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and started to take in the surroundings. He wasn't used to this. Sure, he could come into the infirmary to check up on Hazel or Jason, or anyone else in their little friend group. But he wasn't used to being the one in the hospital bed. The feeling was new but kind of comforting. He was used to taking care of himself, not that he used to have any other choice. His mother was dead, thanks to Zeus, Bianca was gone too. And he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere, he never had. But now, after the war, after befriending the praetor of Rome, and after getting his great secret off of his chest he felt like he could actually find a home here. At Camp Half-Blood.

A movement to his left made him turn his head and found the son of Apollo asleep on the bunk beside his. A small smile made its way to his lips and he found himself mesmerized by the soft features and the calmness that was on the boy's face. He shook his head at himself, what was he thinking? He barely knew the guy and here he was thinking about Will in ways he never had before. Nico had always thought of Will as the kind of person who's laidback and easygoing. After the battle against Gaia, Nico had figured the son of Apollo could be stubborn and aggravating too but now... Now he was just a gentle, kind boy who wanted everyone around him to have the best. The note on the bedside table caught his eye next and he reached over to pick it up, almost falling off the bed in the process.

'Take a shower and change into some clean clothes. You can use the sweatpants and the hoodie that's on the table. /W.S'

Nico looked up from the paper and saw a pile of clothes on the table, just like Will had told him and he smiled.

The shower was hot and calming, making him release some of the tension he's been keeping up with the last few days and he let his shoulders fall down. When the hot water hit his newly stitched up wounds it stung but Nico didn't really care. The feeling was refreshing and reminded him that he was actually still alive. When he got out he dried himself off with one of the soft towels that was stacked and folded carefully in the bookshelf. Then he slipped on the clothes Will had lent him. They were way too big, the sweatpants went over his feet and he had to pull at the lacing in the waist until the strings reached his knees to make them stay on his hips. The hoodie's sleeves went a good way over his hands and it reached halfway down his thighs. He didn't mind though, they were soft and comforting and they smelled like literal sunshine.

When Nico walked back out to the beds Will was sitting with a small girl from champ Jupiter, bandaging her wrist in a white bandage. Nico smiled a faint smile and went back to his bed. There he threw away the floral printed shirt, much to his delight, and then he plopped down on the bed. The small girl Will had helped thanked him, promised to be careful from now on and then she ran out. Will smiled and looked after her when she ran and then he turned to Nico.

"Feeling any better, Death boy?" he smirked and Nico sent him a death glare. Then he shrugged and fell down backwards on the mattress.

"I guess, it's not like I thought I needed to be here at all anyways. That's your idea," he deadpanned. Will chucked at his reply and stood up from his chair.

"You're not wrong, but you know what I mean," he smiled and walked over to Nico. The dark haired boy rolled his eyes at him but smiled softly. Will's ability to smile whenever is contagious, he thought and sat up to look at him.

"I get it, Sunshine," Nico said with a crooked smile. "I don't feel like I'm half here & half disappearing anymore. And I'm so revealed to get rid of that horrid shirt," he gestured towards the floral shirt in the bin. Will laughed at that and pulled a hand through his blond locks.

"I thought it suited you. Especially since you and Hedge were matching," he laughed at the son Hades. Nico cringed at that and shook his head at the memory.

"Don't even remind me. I looked for ages for another shirt but with no use, I had to use that one."

Will laughed and told Nico to wait there and went to get them something to eat. He came back a few minutes later from the dining pavilion with a big plate of fruit and some different kinds of hams and cheeses. Will placed it all on Nico's bed and sat down opposite of him. Nico immediately reached over and plucked a grape and popped it in his mouth. That used to be the guy's entire diet for a whole of a day. But not today, not when Will Solace sat in front of him.

"So, what are we gonna talk about?" Will asked and put a piece of a watermelon between his teeth. Nico looked up from the tray of food and raised an eyebrow at him.

"We need to talk?" he asked and when he said it he realized how dumb it sounded. Will burst out laughing and Nico couldn't help but chuckle a bit himself.

"No we don't have to, if you don't want to," Will answered and took a grape himself.

"No, no. It's fine. We can talk," Nico smiled a little. He wasn't really the one to talk, definitely not the one holding conversations with someone but with Will it felt right, it felt easier with Will.

"You sure?" Will asked carefully. Nico smiled at his carefulness and nodded. "Well, ask anything you want, I figured you're not really comfortable to answer questions," Will smiled at the smaller boy who looked like he'd been shot with a paper plane in the the head by Leo. No one had ever talked to him the way Will did. Sometimes it was unbelievable how careless Will could be and sometimes, like now, he felt like Will was as careful with his words as if he was walking on glass and just a single step wrong could break the small trust he'd built up with the son of Hades.

"Okay... What's your full name? I've heard some people call you William but I haven't quite figured if it's true or not," Nico wondered and Will chuckled at his choice of question.

"Yeah, it's true. My name's William. William Andrew Solace, to be precise," the blond boy smiled at Nico and urged him to ask more questions. Maybe it wasn't the usual kind of conversation you usually had but Will was fine with that. As long as Nico was comfortable with what was happening, Will was happy. And Nico was more than happy about what the Son of Apollo was doing. Not only did he make Nico feel more comfortable around someone than he'd ever had for a very long time, he also built up a trust with the son of Hades. And the big walls Nico had built up for so long, so many years. Finally someone started to break them down. Stone by stone, it'd take a while but neither of them cared. They found what they'd been searching for for a long time. The question was just, how long would it last?