Sun-kissed Angel (a Solangelo fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Driving Shadows

Nico

Nico had been in the infirmary for three days now. He curled under the blanket draped over him. He slept without a blanket but he always woke up with one.

"Good morning!" Will's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Will peered on the curtains dividing Nico and the other patients. The brightness of his blond hair and blue eyes made Nico conscious about himself. He was almost tempted to check himself if he drooled while he slept. He tried to scowl but failed miserably so he looked away instead.

"Morning," Nico mumbled.

Will smiled brightly, Nico thought he might hurt his face. He looked at him funny.

"What?" Nico asked.

Will shook his head, his blond hair slightly covering his eyes.

"You haven't glared at me today. You always do that every morning," Will said.

Nico glared at him. Will pouted, making Nico want to pinch his cheeks. Nico cleared his throat.

"You should get out," Nico said.

Will ignored him and opened the curtains draped over the window. Sunlight flooded the room with a faint warmth. Nico blinked. The sunlight made him a little disoriented. Will looked back at him. When he saw Nico's squinting eyes, he draped the curtain on half of the window. Nico blinked a few times before the green spots disappeared in his vision.

"You should get out more often. You look like you'll faint each time I open the curtains," Will said.

"Yeah, " Nico said. "Tell that to the designer of my cabin. The coffin I sleep there perhaps made me fear sunlight."

Will laughed. "Seroiusly?"

Nico almost laughed but he caught himslef.

"Sometimes, I don;t know if you're joking," Will said.

Nico said nothing. He brushed the blankets aside and pushed himself up.

"Where are you going?" Will asked.

"Uhh..." Nico just wanted to get away from him for a while. The skeletal butterflies in his stomach is working overtime. Will blocked him.

"You can't get out. Doctor's orders," Will said.

"I'm gonna see Jason," Nico said.

Will crossed his arms, his biceps showing despite the fabric. " The other day, you told me you're gonna see Jason. Then I heard from Chiron that Jason was out of camp. Are you making a fool out of me Death Boy?"

"I..." Nico wanted to say he was lying. "I...I just wanted a few hours on my own."

"You should have told me! You can't just go away without notice! I was sick worried about you!" Will said.

Nico was taken aback. He was worried about me? That doesn't make any sense, he thought.

"I..."

Will ran his fingers through his hair. "If you wanted to have some fresh air, you should have told me! I could accompany you."

Nico felt like he was getting out of air. "Accompany...me?" Nico felt it was absurd. A son of Apollo accompanying him?

"Seriously? You're kidding.."

Will shut him up. "...And look at that nasty wound in your arm. I told you not to do strenous activities. The stitches will be torn if you strain yourself!"

Nico looked at his wound. It was swelling with a bright shade of red and purple. He rolled his eyes. He is annoying.

"I'm fine.." Nico said.

He glared at the son of Apollo. Will kept on ranting. Nico can't take it anymore.

"SHUT UP!" Nico had enough.

Will stared down at him.

"I'm fine. Okay?" Nico flexed his fingers. "See? Stop ranting already. I'm not gonna die."

Will placed his hands on his waist. Nico's resolve wavered a little. This idiot can be intimidating sometimes.

"Don't look at me like that. You know I can summon zombies to kill you now," Nico said.

Will smirked at him. "You wouldn't do that."

"Don't think I won't." Nico said. "Now, get out of the way!"

Nico sidestepped but Will won't let him out.

"Will!"

"I know you won't do that. You wouldn't risk your life just to get out of the infirmary."

"Is that a challenge?"

Nico glared at him. Darkness slowly crept out of his skin. For a second, panic filled Will's face.

"Nico? You'll scare the patients," Will said.

Scare the patients? Nico had been scaring a lot of people. He brushed past Will and walked out of the infirmary. The sun seemed to be hostile with Nico. He blinked and made his way to his cabin, Will in his heels.

"Hey Death Boy! I told you..."

Nico faced Will.

"Nobody orders me around Will!"

"Nobody orders you around! I'm not...look. I'm just concerned about you," Will said.

Will is concerned about me? he mentally pushed down the ray of hope in his heart.

"Just drop it Will. I'm going," Nico muttered.

"Where?" Will asked.

"To my cabin."

"Oh." Will sounded relieved.

Nico kicked a pebble in his way. "Where do you think I'm going?"

"I...I thought you'd go away again."

Nico stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Will.

"Look," Will started. " I.. I mean we.. We don't want you to feel..."

"Feel what?"

"Alone. When I heard you'll leave both camps for good... I was determined to make you stay," Will said.

Nico waited for Will to say more, but he didn't. He just stared at him, his blue eyes unreadable.

"Why?" Nico asked. " Why do you want me to stay?"

Will took a deep breath. "It's because..."

"NICO!"

They both turned. It was Jason.

Nice one Grace, he thought. Jason waved at him. He gave an awkward wave back.

"So... Jason's here. I might as well be going," Nico said.

Will nodded. "This time you're not lying."

Actually, it was a bluff, he wanted to say.

"...But you need to get back to the infirmary early. Your wound heals slowly. I will need to sing to you again," Will said.

Nico made a face. "Oh no. Not your voice again."

Will laughed. "Too bad. You'll need to get used to it."

Yeah, Nico thought. I'm getting too used to it.

"So, see you at lunch!" Will said.

"Lunch?"

"We'll eat together."

Nico was flustered. "Perhaps... I can spare time for lunch."

Will beamed at him. "That's great!"

Nico blinked a few times. Will's smile made him disoriented like the sunlight. He shook his head and headed to Jason.

"See you around Death Boy!" Will shouted.

Nico fought the urge to look back.