three days

-One-

Nico's POV

I could still hear Percy Jackson stuttering behind me as I walked away from him and Annabeth. His face was priceless when I'd told him that he wasn't my type. I stifled a laugh, pretending that I was coughing instead. As I made my way to Will, I decided to kick a few random rocks. The front of my Converse were worn out and dirty, but I didn't give a shit about it. I twisted the silver skull ring on my finger a few times. Large skeletal butterflies were acting like they were on a caffeine rush, though I didn't know how that was even possible. Looking up from the ground, I saw Will Solace leaning against a tree, waiting patiently for me. Those damn butterflies instantly got worse as we made eye contact.

I held my breath at the sight of those blue eyes. They were the exact color of the summer sky, cloudless and perfect. His large grin was contagious. I had to resist the urge to brush strands of blond hair from his eyes. Stop it, I scolded myself. I couldn't allow myself to get distracted by Will of all people.

"You ready to go, Death Boy?" I scowled at the healer, slightly annoyed at the nickname.

"I told you not to call me that." I crossed my arms. Will shook his head and slapped my arm playfully.

"C'mon. Loosen up a little."

"No."

He didn't reply. Instead he unraveled my arms and held my hand, starting to pull me towards the infirmary. I felt my cheeks get hot at his gentle touch. I probably looked like a ripe tomato. That thought only made me blush more. What really surprised me was the fact that I hadn't pushed him away yet. His hand was warm and soft. It felt reassuring, like I didn't have to worry about anything anymore. I would never say this out loud but I liked it.

Will and I didn't say anything. We were just enjoying the comfortable silence between us. I was looking around Camp Half-Blood. It hadn't changed much since the last time I was there, except for the fact that Romans were talking peacefully with the Greeks. About ten feet away from us, I spotted Jason alongside his girlfriend, Piper. Jason did a double take at us. He raised one eyebrow at our hands, looked at me, and stuck both thumbs up.

"Dude!" he mouthed. Piper rolled her eyes and sent me an apologetic look. I averted my gaze out of embarrassment, watching Piper drag a shocked Jason in the other direction out of the corner of my eyes. Will didn't notice anything, thank the gods.

I wasn't looking forward to my time in the infirmary. No one would want me there, a son of Hades. I radiated death and gloom; things you didn't want in a place filled with sick people. I stopped and Will jerked forward. He turned to look down at me, confusion plastered across his face.

"Hey... you okay?"

"I don't think I should go, Will."

"W-what? Why not?"

"Come on! I'm a son of Hades. I don't fit in that sort of environment."

"That doesn't matter. You need to go. Doctor's orders."

Fuck, he was so stubborn. I sighed and ran a hand through my messy hair.

"Nico, you need to heal. Even merging into the shadows a little bit can kill you."

I didn't doubt what he was telling me. I'd felt it the last time I shadow travelled. I found it  harder to tie myself to this world and not fade away. The thought made me a little scared. I didn't want to die. At least, not yet.

"Alright." Will did a little fist pump, eyes twinkling with triumph. I groaned at the foolishness although I had to admit it was kind of cute- wait what?  I shook my head. "Now come on, we're late."

"Late for what?" I sputtered out as he grabbed my hand again and continued to drag me along. I never did get an answer.

-  -  -

The infirmary smelled like cough medicine. At arrival, Will signed me in at the front desk. I tried not to peek behind the curtains that blocked patients from view. My head hung low with locks of hair covering my face. Will hadn't let go of my hand yet despite how clammy they were. After turning a few corners we stopped in front of an empty bed. I shook my hand free of his grasp and shoved them in my pockets. Will gently pushed me forward, pulling the curtains together soon after.

I coughed into the crook of my elbow, trying to break the silence but not talk at the same time. Will's face was tinged a light pink. He rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes looked everywhere but in my direction.

"Are you going to heal me or what, Solace?"

Will snapped out of his little... well, whatever that was. He snapped his fingers.

"Right. Sit down, please." I huffed at the order. The bed wasn't shabby. The mattress was soft, kind of how maybe a cloud would feel if you could actually touch one. Will removed the stethoscope from around his neck. He stuck the ends in his ear and pressed the drum to my chest; right above my heart.

"Deep breath." I inhaled then exhaled slowly. He moved it lower and told me to do it again. We repeated the process. I prayed to any random god that it would be over soon.

"This is going to feel weird, but I'll need you to lift your shirt up so I can check your back." I flinched as his hand reached for the hem of my shirt. He took a step back when he felt my body tense up.

"No, it's fine. Do what you have to do."

"Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah."

I lifted the fabric, revealing my scarred back. I shivered a little as the cold drum touched bare skin. I took deep breathes just like before. I wasn't used to this. Normally I hated being touched by others; I felt suffocated. But this felt good. I knew that Will was only trying to help me, even if I didn't think I needed it. It was like a reassuring pleasure. Once he was done listening to my heart beat, Will pulled my shirt back down.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize."

"The check-up is almost over." I nodded, eager to get it all over with. I was feeling tired and just wanted to sleep a little.

The rest went by in a blur. I vaguely remember him wrapping a weird black cuff around my arm and squeezing a small pump to tighten it. He also tapped both my knees to test my reflexes. I didn't really understand why he did that.

"We're done for now. I'll get you a pair of pajamas to change into, and you can go to bed after that. Sound good?"

"Mhm." He cupped my face in his warm healer's hands. I instantly felt warm like never before. When he left, I was still sitting on the bed, my head falling forward from exhaustion. I didn't notice Will's return. But he was there by my side, helping me slip my shoes off and putting them away. He stood me up and turned away to give me some privacy. So I changed sluggishly into the soft cotton pajamas I had been provided with.

"Nico... let's get you in bed."

"Alright."

I tugged the sheets back and plopped in. My head sunk into the pillow, and I let out a sigh of relief. Will giggled softly. He tucked some strands of hair behind my ear. I felt my face heat up at the simple act of affection. Will started to hum softly under his breath.

It was a soft melody; one that I didn't recognize. That didn't matter. He was holding my hand, again, but I was too tired to protest. So I allowed my eyes to close shut.

"'Night." I heard Will say. I didn't realize that I had smiled a little, but he did.