Battle Wounds: Solangelo Soulmate AU

NINETY-ONE

WILL POV:
I hate physical therapy.

Now that all my wounds have completely healed I have to start going to physical therapy twice a week and so far it's the worst. It hurts, like kinda a lot but they told me that's normal. I'm having to rebuild the strength in my arm and my back and than a bunch of other little things to prevent me from ending up with chronic pain.

Nico massages my back to help with the soreness from physical therapy, and gods if I had known he was this good at massages I would have asked him for one a long time ago. Hes just the right amount of gentle and tough to make all my muscles relax.

"You're really good at this," I comment, my voice muffled from my face being pressed into my pillow and slurred from feeling so relaxed I could fall asleep.

"I used to give Ma messages, she worked too hard and was always sore," he explains. "Once you do it enough you get good."

I hum in acknowledgment. "I hope you know I'm always gonna be asking for one now."

"Fine by me," Nico chuckles. "I love you so I don't mind."

"I love you more," I slur.

As I had honestly expected; I fall asleep, waking up at around 3 in the morning with Nico asleep curled up next to me. I can feel his breath puffing against my shoulder and can't help but reach over to brush the hair out of his face. Even asleep he leans into my touch like a cat. I put my arm around him and pull myself closer before quickly falling back asleep.

"Will, have you done your exercises?" Mom asks as I move to get up from the dinner table.

I groan, "I will when I go upstairs."

"You better," she says firmly, pointing a very accusing finger at me.

"I'll make sure he does," Nico adds as he clears the table.

"I don't like my exercises," I grumble. "They don't feel good."

"They will help you in the long run Will," Mom says. "Just imagine how bad your back will hurt if you don't rebuild the muscles around where the injury was in your spine. You already complain that it hurts to sit for too long."

I sigh because I know she's right. "I know, that's why I do them. I just don't like to do it."

Nico laughs lightly and quickly tries to hide it.

"What?" I ask incredulously.

"You do some of them," he corrects. "There's those ones you refuse to do because you say they're to hard."

I sigh, "I know, I'm gonna talk to them and see if they can dumb them down for at least a while so I can build up to it."

"That's a good idea sweetie," Mom adds kissing my cheek.

I help Nico load the dishwasher before we head up stairs to get ready for bed. While Nico gets changed and washes his face and brushes his teeth I do my stupid exercises.

Of course Nico comes back in at the exact moment I twist my self the wrong way and grunt in pain.

"You okay?" he says, lurching towards me a little startled.

I groan and take a deep breath till the pain ebbs away. "I'm fine," I answer, "I just twisted wrong and it shot up my spine."

He frowns, "Like you did the move wrong, or the move is just wrong?"

I chuckle a little, "I don't know at this point. I looked it up and physical therapy isn't supposed to hurt this bad."

"Maybe you should try to find a different physical therapist," he suggests.

"I've told Ma that but she doesn't believe me, she says I'm being dramatic."

Nico opens his mouth to say something, than his face falls and he shuts it again. "Just push more I guess," he shrugs, moving to the bed to sit down.

"I guess," I reply.

Nico does that a lot when the topic of my mom comes up. Opens his mouth to say something I can only assume is going to be snarky, then his face drops like he thinks better of it. The bad part of it is that he always kinda shuts down after wards and I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because he knows I don't like when he says really mean things about my mom and I think he feels like he can't talk about her at all now. I don't know if it's because be doesn't trust himself or because he doesn't feel like he can trust me.

I finish up my exercises then get changed and stuff myself. When I finally get to crawl into bed with Nico he looks half asleep. "Sleepy baby," I comment mostly to myself.

He shoves at me half heartedly, "Fuck off."

"Fine," I say with false haughtiness, "I won't cuddle you then."

"Noooo," he whines rolling over and making grabby hands at me.

I can't help but laugh as I pull him into me. "You're so predictable," I tell him.

"Am not," he slurs into my shoulder.

"If you say so."

"You forgot to turn off the light dumb ass," he grumbles. "I'm not getting up again."

I roll my eyes at him, "Drama queen." I stand up and turn the light off because I'm dating a princess. "You're lucky I love you," I tell him as I climb back in.

"Love you too sunshine," he says, plopping his head down on my chest.

I play with his hair until eventually we both fall asleep.

Somehow in the middle of the night I had turned and ended up sleeping with my back crooked, which of course means I wake up in extreme pain. I can't even move without it sending waves of pain up my spine and down my legs. I must have groaned, or honestly probably whimpered kinda pathetically, cause suddenly Nico is wide awake.

"What's wrong?" he asks, sounding slightly frantic considering I just woke him up at 6 in the morning.

"Can't move," I force out, still trying to push through the pain to move at the very least out of the very uncomfortable position. "Slept wrong and it hurts."

"Can I help?"

"Maybe, can you slowly help me get flat on my back. It hurts to much for me to be able to get there myself."

"O-okay," Nico stutters, slowly reaching over to help me flatten myself out.

It hurts really bad to move but once I'm flat I feel a lot better already. Nico sits there staring at me, clearly not sure what to do next. He looks really sad and lost and I want to hug him but I can't sit up.

"I'm okay," I breathe out. "I feel better already, I just need a few minutes."

He nods, "Can I cuddle you?"

I nod and smile, "Just don't lay on me please."

Nico curls up next to me with his arm over my chest. I reach up to hold his hand and he sighs as he cuddles up to me even closer. "I don't like that your hurt," he says plainly. "It makes me sad."

"I know love," I say, moving my arm up from his shoulders to his hair.

"I forget you're hurt until something like this happens."

I laugh a little, "Me too Neeks. It really takes me by surprise sometimes."

It takes about twenty minutes for the pain to subside and in that time Nico falls back asleep. Of course now he's on me so I can't really move without waking him up. I give him another ten minutes of sleep before finally getting up to get ready, which he was not happy about but unfortunately we have school and I don't have his talent of getting completely ready in under five minutes.