The Sun in the Shadow

Chapter 3

The morning of Nico's awakening had been a very exciting day for Will. Not only had his friend finally come out of the near dead sleeping coma, but he was actually smiling. It was all he could do not to hug the little ball of death again.

-0-

Nico's morning had been much better than many he had experienced. The sun was bright and streaming through the windows of the infirmary, warming his chilled body. Not only was the food good, but Nico actually ate all of it. The whole plate. He couldn't tell who was happier about it, himself or Will.

"You've missed quite a lot over the past few days," Will stated while making Nico's bed. He had insisted that it was healer protocol, despite the boy's protests.

"Hmm?" Nico looked up from the healer book he was inspecting to look at Will. As the pillow plopped down with a flourish, so did the boy, right back into the chair Nico had found him sleeping in not 30 minutes ago.

"Yeah, you're confession to Percy made quite the upstart in both camps," Will responded while Nico settled himself back onto the bed, book in hand. At the word 'confession', the book dropped out of his hand and on to the floor with a "Thwump!" Nico didn't move to pick it up. Will watched in fascination as the pale boy turned his face away and coughed into his clenched fist.

"I wouldn't call it a confession," he said in an almost stuttering tone. "It was more of an information, a clarification about past feelings." Even as Nico said them, they felt weird. It was still a bit blank in his mind that he had indeed told Percy and had walked away without doing anything rash.

Will watched the whole reaction with a smirking smile that hinted at being sympathetic, though not exactly understanding. Watching Nico become almost flustered over something was still a surprise to him, after watching him in battle and seeing how truly stubborn he was.

"A clarification of past feelings," Will repeated, still watching Nico with interest. "Sounds like the truth." He waited a few seconds as Nico took the bedside glass and gulped it down. "Though, Percy called it something like, 'A confession of love that was not returned."

There was a choking sound as Nico spit the water back into the cup. Will's expression was concern for a second, before it was clear that no harm had been done.

"I may be sick," Nico said, staring at the wall with a horrified expression. Will picked up a bucket and handed it to him.

"Be my guest. It might actually help you get what ever old stuff is still stuck in there." Nico took the bucket and turned back to Will.

"Were those his exact words?" Nico asked, still horrified and embarrassed to say the least.

"To some extent, yes," Will said, a little more thoughtful. Nico's expression turned dark again and he jumped up from the bed.

"I swear to the gods I will send him back to Tartarus for this," he half mumbled, half yelled. Just before he burst through the doors to the infirmary, Will caught one arm and spun him around. They were face to face and merely inches apart, both expressions stony.

Will held both wrists tightly and said, "You promised me three days, Death Boy. You're not leavening on my watch."

Looks of defiance swept between them for a few seconds more before Nico finally broke his gaze and stared at the floor. Taking that as a resignation, Will lead him back to his own little room thing, still holding Nico's wrist. Nico opened his mouth for the third time to express his discomfort in being touched, but Will interrupted him.

"Don't worry about Percy, Nico. I made sure everybody knew the truth, including him. Several times." Nico felt a blossom of liking towards Will for the act, but he pushed it down like he had done so hundreds of times before, not letting first impressions be the only impressions. However, he couldn't snuff out the little chime that reminded him that this wasn't the first nice thing Will had done.

A little voice in his head spoke and said that he hoped it wasn't the last.