Battle Wounds: Solangelo Soulmate AU

SEVENTY-ONE

NICO POV:
I shoot awake, my whole body shaking from fear and cold. My throat hurts from screaming and Will is shaking me awake. I look around to see if his attackers are still in the room, then look Will over to
see if he's hurt. There's no blood and he looks to be whole.

"Nico, wake up please!" Will begs, his eyes are full of tears. He looks absolutely terrified.

The door slams open and his mom comes running in. "What's going on I heard screaming?" she asks frantically.

"Nico had a nightmare," Will says, pulling me into his chest tightly. "God you scared me, I couldn't get you to wake up."

I run my hands all over him to check for wounds, only to find him scarred all over. It must have happened awhile ago, but that's still means I couldn't save him.

"I'm so sorry," I sob into his chest. I abandon checking him for wounds in favour of clutching his pajama shirt tightly to make sure he doesn't slip away from me. "I couldn't save you, I couldn't protect you!"

I thought he was dead, the look of his lifeless eyes will forever stare back at me when I close mine.

"What are you talking about love," Will says gently, though his voice is tight with worry. "I'm okay."

"They hurt you," I sob.

"Nico, you just had a dream," his mom says. I had forgot she is here.

I pull away to lift his shirt to reveal his scar littered chest. "They hurt you and I couldn't save you."

"Nico," Will says softly, pulling his shirt back down and gently removing my hands. "No one hurt me, those are yours. We're soulmates, remember?"

"But-But I watched them torture you, they killed you!" I sob, "I remember!"

"It was a nightmare," Will says, wiping the tears from my eyes. "No one hurt me."

I try to calm my breathing but it feels like all the air is being steadily sucked from the room.

"Nico breath," Will instructs gently. "Your scaring me baby, please just breath with me okay?"

I try to breath with him but I can't. I can't get the sight of his lifeless form out of my head. I put my hands on either side of Wills head to make sure he's really here. "Are you dead?" I can't help but ask. "You're a ghost, you're dead?"

"I'm not dead," Will says holding my hands and gently bringing them to rest over his beating heart. "See? I'm alive."

I nod jerkily, trying to blink back tears. "Nightmare, just a nightmare," I say to myself.

"It was just a nightmare," Will confirms. "We're both okay. We're safe."

I chew my lip hard enough I can taste blood. Blood. I'm alive. He's alive. We're okay.

"O-Okay," I say shakily.

"Okay," Will repeats, still looking at me nervously.

I hear the floor boards creek as Wills mom leaves. I watch the door close behind her and stand up to lock it.

"What are you doing?" Will asks, not letting go of my hand to let me go.

"Locking the door," I say shaking from his grip. "I'm scared."

Will frowns but let's me go and lock the door. I then move to the windows to make sure they are shut and locked as well. I lay back down right on top of Will just make sure that he can't leave without me knowing and no one can take him out from under me. If anyone comes in to try and hurt him they'll have to go through me first.