Moving On (Solangelo)

Chapter 3: Nico

At dinner that first night, I shoved my food back and forth across my plate, waiting for the meal to be over. Mealtimes had never been one of my favorite parts of camp. I was alone in my cabin, and in... other ways... already; I wasn't exactly eager to sit alone at my table as well, surrounded by happy, chatty siblings just shoving my solitude in my face. And tonight it was even worse than usual, because for once there was actually someone I wanted to spend time with, but he had to sit at the Apollo table. Not that Will would want to sit with me if he could, I reminded myself.

I had felt hardly anything more than indifference towards Will before (although I had to admit, he wasn't bad looking by a long shot), but after spending the day watching him work in the infirmary, I was getting concerned by the something else I was starting to feel as well. As he'd worked to heal the injured campers, Will had seemed so devoted. It was as if while he treated them, all he thought about was what he could do for them, and all he cared about was easing their pain and healing their wounds. I don't want to sound self-centered, but I couldn't help thinking of my own wounds - both physical and mental - that seemed to desperately need Will's attention. I'd just gotten over Percy; would Aphrodite ever give me a break?

Hunching over my plate, I glared at the spaghetti in front of me, nudging it back and forth with my fork. Suddenly, someone sat down next to me, jostling me as they did so and making me jump. Looking up, I saw none other than the medic himself. Speak of the devil. I'd been so busy pouting I hadn't even noticed him coming over.

I sat up a tiny bit straighter and said, "What are you doing, Solace? I think you got the tables mixed up. You're not allowed to eat here."

"Aw, wanna get rid of me that badly?" He fake-pouted. "Anyways, I'm done eating, so I can sit wherever I want."

"Is that a rule?" I asked skeptically.

"It is now." He shrugged. "Don't over think it."

I tried not to laugh, but a snicker escaped anyway. "Well, whatever. What do you want, anyway?"

"Wow, I didn't realize I needed a reason to sit next to my poor lonely friend all alone at the Big Bad Hades table."

"I'm not lonely," I grumbled, but I don't think I was that convincing. It was probably something about how I averted my eyes and hunched down again. So I'm not a great liar, I guess. At least, Will didn't buy it.

"Mm-kay, if you say so," he smirked. "So are you actually gonna eat your food, or just inspect it until it gets all cold and gross and then just throw it in the fire like you usually do?"

I looked up, putting down my fork. I hadn't realized anyone noticed me throwing out my food. I just didn't ever have much of an appetite, and after a few bites I usually figured the gods would appreciate my food more than I would. Besides, I almost always wanted an excuse to get out of there and back to the safety of my cabin. Somehow, today, the opposite was true.

I knew it would make Will happy, so I shoved down a few mouthfuls of pasta until my plate looked moderately empty, at least with all the leftovers spread out. Then I looked back up at him and said, "I don't know what on Earth you're talking about. I have perfectly healthy eating habits. I just don't happen to be particularly hungry right now."

Will rolled his eyes and said, "Uh huh. Suuuure. Let's get you back to the infirmary then, Death Boy."

"Shut it Solace. I told you not to call me that," I replied, though I simply couldn't bring myself to care that much. "But okay. I guess I actually do feel kinda tired." The truth was, with Will sitting so close to me, I had never felt more awake. But I wasn't about to tell him that. All I knew was that I wanted him to stay by my side, and maybe if he thought I needed medical attention, it would keep him around a little bit longer.

It was funny, I thought. After so many years of trying to squelch down and deny my feelings for Percy, or for any boy, my first instinct was to ignore it, and pretend it was all platonic. But there really wasn't any reason to be afraid now... other than possibly losing Will's friendship...

But no, I pushed the thought out of my head. I didn't think I could take another epic, drawn out crush that I was too scared to act on or even acknowledge until it went away. I had to do something, and it had to be soon, or I didn't think I could live with myself.

For now though, I stuck to something small. As we walked back to the infirmary together, I let my path veer towards his, until our shoulders and hands were touching. He didn't move away.

I felt myself smile a little. It was becoming easier and easier to feel little moments of happiness, and it seemed most natural of all around Will.

 Baby steps, I thought to myself. This might not be a make-out session, but it was something. And I liked the way it felt.