Stomach Cramps

OW.

The first thing I thought when I woke up was 'OW'. Followed by 'aw fuck, again?' 

I pried my eyes open at the ceiling, peeling myself off of the bed and hobbling to the bathroom. Everything hurt, and I wanted to cry, but it wasn't anything I haven't dealt with before. 

I whined, holding my stomach and sitting on the toilet, my boxers around my ankles, stained red with blood. I was dizzy and nauseous and overall miserable, but I was cognizant enough to wipe myself clean and get a new pair, sticking a pad to its inside. 

I wanted to lay back down and go back to sleep, but camp activities wait for no one. I sighed and reached into my binder drawer. I knew it would hurt, especially now that my breasts were swollen and tender, but I wanted to be flat so badly, I didn't really care. I pulled it over my head and looked at myself in the mirror, looking into my eyes as I reached for my daily T. 

I'm doing this for you, Niccolo.

I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and my favorite hoodie, soft and loose-fitting and honestly perfect for taking a nap in. But  instead, I forced myself out to the dining pavilion, getting myself a plate and filling it with comfort food as a reward. The one upside to this whole situation, my appetite was back. 

I got a little bit of everything, paella, carbonara, calamari, a jelly donut with chocolate icing, a few more squares of chocolate... None of it was what one might consider 'healthy', but I've learned not to get too hung up on that stuff. Better to eat junk than to not eat at all. 

I sacrificed a few rings of calamari and a spoonful of paella to the fire, and sat at my table, Will joining me happily with a bagel in hand. "Hey, glad to see you eating." He commented. "You've got a fuller plate than I do, how rare is that?" He teased, nudging me. 

I scoff. "Stop trying to act like my doctor." 

"But I am your doctor." He protested. "Speaking of, here." He pushed a bottle of multivitamins toward me, like he did every day. I filled my goblet with coffee and, like every day, i took one. "Do you need some pain pills?" He was one of the few people that knew I was trans, he could sense everything with a touch.

I nodded reluctantly, holding my hand out and letting him place one in my hand. I swallowed it, sighed and leaned on his shoulder. "Thanks." I continued to stuff my face and watched as Jason sat down next to me with a stack of pancakes. 

His arm snaked around my waist, and I kissed my other boyfriend on the cheek. He brought Percy, another, across from him, who was eating fried chicken and waffles, both of which were blue. "Hey, neeks. How're you doing?" He asked. 

"Ok..." I answered, going back to my food. I'd finished almost everything but the donut. "Just kinda tired. I hope this'll solve that." I gestured to my goblet. 

"You know the drinks at camp don't have any caffeine, right?" 

I sighed. "Right, I forgot." 

Leo came over, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He got himself huevos rancheros, and he looked absolutely wrecked. "Hey y'all." His hand wandered over to Will's, Jason's conjoining with Percy's under the table. It was weird to be in a polycule this big, even two boyfriends felt like double-dipping. Percy was still with Annabeth, but she wasn't involved with the rest of us, like Frank and Leo. But she had her own thing going on with Piper, and Frank with Hazel. It was like everyone was dating everyone, except Reyna, who's aromantic, and Calypso, who... Leo really didn't like talking about. 

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Hey... You good, Leo?" 

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm ok. Just had a long night at the bunker." 

"What'cha working on?" I asked. 

He shrugged. "A lot of stuff." He'd been vague about his projects lately, but I didn't want to pry. 

I finished my breakfast and went straight to the arena so I could train. I was still feeling a little crappy, but I wanted to get some training in, so I grabbed my sword and started slashing at the dummies. They were easy, more of a warmup than anything else. I caught my boyfriends watching me from the sidelines, and felt my chest swell with pride. I was strong. I was capable. I was a man. 

Of course, it didn't last. 

After maybe a few hours, the cramps and the restriction on my lungs overwhelmed me, and I dropped to my knees, doubling over in pain, and started retching in the dirt. Everyone came running up to me, Jason being the first. "Oh gods, what's wrong?" He asked. 

I groaned. "... Cramps." I answered. 

"Oh dear, poor thing. You need to lay down right now." Jason scooped me up from the arena. "You wanna go to your cabin, or mine? Or somewhere else?" He sat down on the bench, still holding me on his lap. 

I thought for a minute. "... Bunker. It's got snacks. You ok with that Leo?" 

Leo sat down next to us. "Yeah, sure. Although, I'm not sure snacks are such a great idea with the stomach flu." 

I cringed. "It's... It's not the stomach flu." I mumbled. 

"Then... What is it?" 

Jason looked down to me, and I sighed, but nodded. It was about time he and Percy knew the truth. 

He looked back up at Leo. "Nico's on his period. Apparently, it came a few days early." 

His amber eyes widened. "... Dude... I thought I was the only one." 

I lifted my head. "You mean...?" 

"Yeah, dude!" he was grinning now. "I mean, you've seen me shirtless before. I thought..." 

"Oh... So that's what the scars are from." Percy realized. "I thought you'd been in some kind of accident. Good for you, by the way." He smiled softly. "So Nico... Don't tell me you're in a binder." 

I cringed. "... Would you believe a 'no'?" 

He sighed. "Y'know, I'm no expert, but... That's probably really dangerous." 

Will jumped in. "He's right. Look, we'll go over to Bunker Nine, and you'll get out of that thing so you can breathe easy, and we'll look after you for today. That sound good?" 

I nodded. 

Once we were there, Leo laid down a bed, big enough for all 5 of us, and put on a movie. I took my hoodie, sweatpants, and binder off, still covering up with a loose tshirt. I didn't feel comfortable going totally shirtless yet, even though I knew they wouldn't mind. 

They gave me snacks and kisses and mumbled compliments, Leo massaging my lower stomach, his warm hands erasing the pain. Will was singing to me very softly, healing me from the inside out. Everything was perfect, and I sighed as I relaxed into the cuddle pile us five boys had made, and fell asleep.