Old stories from my old tumblr account

Nights like this - Nico X Will + Bianca

Summary: Nico needed some comfort. Again. Luckily, he knew exactly what he needed.

Requested: Kinda? Wrote it for a friend who wanted a piece of Nico and Bianca Di Angelo.

Nico hated nights like this. He hated how he just felt so lonely, laying in his bed as he closed his eyes tight and tried to sleep. He hated that they happened frequently and he had no other option but to accept his fate: get no sleep at all and having to pretend that he was fine the next morning so he wouldn't worry his friends too much.

Friends... Nico almost scoffed, as he turned around, facing the dark walls of his cabin. Sure, they were his friends. Percy, Annabeth, Jason... They had gone through quite a lot together. He saved their lives before and they saved his. But in nights like this, Nico knew that nothing would make the emptiness of his chest go away. He could have a million friends for all he cared. He could've saved a million lives. What good did it make when the one life he cared about he couldn't save?

Yes, Nico still mourned over Bianca. It had been years before, the day he lost her, but he still felt it as if it was just yesterday. Especially in nights like this.

He remembered how, even before all that crazy stuff of being a demigod started, Nico would, ever once and again, be unable to sleep. He remembered how he would clutch his pillow tight in his hand and, after wiping the few tears away from his face from whatever nightmare he had, he would walk toward Bianca's bed and poke her arm gently to get her to open her eyes.

"Hey, Nico." She would say, her voice laced with sleep. "Another bad dream?"

And Nico would nod. Bianca would smile that warm and gentle smile of hers before lifting up her covers as she invited her little brother in.

"I'm sorry." Nico would whisper. Bianca would shake her head with a smile.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Nico." She'd say. "I have bad dreams too sometimes."

"Why don't you wake me up, then?" He'd ask.

Bianca would always look down at her baby brother at that point. Nico would look up at her, tangled in her arms and feeling safe as Bianca brushed her fingers through his hair and ruffled through it playfully, a joyful laugh leaving her lips when he scowled up at her.

"Because I am the big sister." She would answer. "I am supposed to take care of you."

"I'm your brother, though." Nico always protested. "I have to take care of you too. Because we take care of each other."

And once more, Bianca would smile.

"You're right." She would eventually nod, after a few seconds of comfortable silence around the young siblings. "We take care of each other."

And that was why Nico scoffed alone in his dark room to this day. They took care of each other. That was what they promised. She took care of him because she was his sister and he took care of her because he was her brother. They always promised. They took care of each other after nightmares, or after a small scraped knee, or after their mother yelled at them for an unfair reason. They took care of each other.

Then why wasn't she with him now? Why was she dead? Wasn't he supposed to be taking care of her? Then where was he when she died? Why wasn't he with her and Percy when she was smashed under the foot of a giant? Where was he? Why couldn't he have protected her? Why did he let her die?

Feeling small, stupid and unprotected, Nico wiped a few tears off his face and clutched his pillow in his hands as he moved in his bed to sit up. He placed his bare feet on the floor and blamed the cold tiles for the shiver that ran down his spine. It had nothing to do with what was going on through his mind at the moment. It had nothing to do with him.

With a deep sigh, the son of Hades got up and walked out of his cabin into the rather chilly night of the camp. He didn't care much about the harpies that were supposed to round around to stop campers from wandering off at night to go to one another's cabins. But since they were creatures of the underworld like him, they would always leave him alone and not bother him that much. So he walked, straight from his cabin toward his.

As soon as he stopped in front of the door, he hesitated. The golden color of the Apollo cabin that always seemed to glow no matter the time of the day always put him off. It was completely different from the dark and somber atmosphere of his own cabin. The complete opposite, some would say.

And they weren't wrong. Maybe they were complete opposites, but maybe that was why Nico needed him.

Knocking on the door, he knew he'd be the one to open it. He always was when someone came to their cabin in the middle of the night. Because only one person did. And for only one reason.

"One of these nights?" Will asked as soon as he opened the door.

The boy smiled gently when Nico nodded. For a moment, the son of Hades caught himself comparing Will Solace to his sister. They were different, but somehow the same. Will was pale, with blue eyes and curly blonde hair — certainly something his dad would be very proud about. Bianca had olive skin, dark eyes and black hair. They couldn't be more different. But Nico still saw something of his sister on Will. Maybe it was the warm aura they both emitted. Maybe it was the gentle smile they both had exclusively for Nico whenever he needed it most. Maybe it was the comfort of their touch as they both invited Nico into their beds as they instantly wrapped their arms around the young boy when he laid down with them.

"I'm sorry." Nico caught himself whispering.

Just like Bianca would, Will shook his head.

"It's okay." He assured. "I'll take care of you."

And just like that, Nico curled up beside Will as he shook with sobs. The son of Apollo held tight into him, whispering sweet-nothings to the boy in his arms as his heart shattered.

Unsure of what else to say or do, Will simply repeated the promise he just made. A promise he intended to keep for as long as their chaotic lives allowed them.

"I'll take care of you."