three days

-Three-

Nico's POV

Double chocolate chip pancakes. I haven't eaten properly in days. You could tell by the way my bones stuck out and my stomach growled. So I pulled the covers up to my chin and waited. The infirmary was quiet. There was an occasional cough or sneeze, but other than that, it was still. I felt at ease. This was the sort of atmosphere I was used to; being alone in complete silence.

It took Will a while to return. He held in his hands a large platter with what I assumed to carry pancakes. My stomach growled again. He laughed as he sat down at the foot of my bed. He placed the plate over my lap and handed me a fork and knife. The pancakes looked delicious. They were fluffy, just like they should be.

I cut a small square and put it in my mouth. The sweet syrup tasted natural and heavenly. There was the taste of the chocolate chips. Overall, they were the best pancakes I'd ever had. I had to suppress a moan of satisfaction. I wolfed down the first and started on the second.

"These are so good. Did you make them yourself?"

"Yeah, I did." He said. His cheeks had turned a light pink at the compliment. My mouth was full so I didn't say anything else.

The sides of my mouth felt a little sticky from the syrup, so I looked around for a napkin. There was one next to the plate and I used it to try and wipe my face.

"You missed a spot." Will said. I wiped again, but he shook his head. He took a napkin and leaned over me. I fidgeted a little. Will was really close to me. I couldn't help the blush that slowly crept over my cheeks. Gods, how many times had I blushed in the past 24 hours? Too many times, and all because of this stupidly attractive healer.

"Thanks..." I mumbled.

"Come on, Death Boy. Smile!" Will poked my cheek after tossing away the used napkin. I turned my head away, letting my hair cover it like a curtain. What he did next took me by surprise. He pinched my cheeks and stretched them out, forcing them into a poor excuse of a smile.

"S-solace! What are you doing?" I swatted his hands away from my sore cheeks.

"I wanted to see that handsome smile of yours."

"W-what?!" I cried out.

"Your handsome smile. I wanted to see it." He said again. I shook my head vigorously.

"I don't have a 'handsome smile' as you put it."

"Yes you do."

"No."

Arguing with him was pointless. Will was persistent, I'd give him that. He continued to bug me while I continued to deny it. I tried to sit up and push him away. There was a loud crash and the shattering of glass was heard. Looking down, we saw shards of the former plate littering the floor. Will sighed and bent over to pick them up.

"What the fuck are you doing, Solace?" I tugged him back by his elbow. "You could get cut."

"Shouldn't I be the doctor here?"

"An incredibly stupid doctor."

I didn't say another word as he stood up. He left for a second but came back with a broom, dust pan, and wet cloth. I watched as he pushed the larger pieces into the pan. Then he used the wet cloth to pick up the almost invisible ones from cracks in the floor boards.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Really, it is. Don't worry about it."

I glanced up and opened my mouth to protest. Will shook his head and covered my mouth with his hand, trying to shush me. He let out a squeal to match a daughter of Aphrodite's as I licked the palm of his hand. His face went red and he wiped the saliva off on his shorts frantically.

Oh my fucking gods, I ruined everything by doing that. I shouldn't have licked him. Why did I have so weird and awkward? I jerked back when something made contact with my arm. It was Will's tongue.

"Pay back." He smirked deviously.

"Oh, you're on, Solace." I yanked him down to me by the collar of his shirt. Then I licked his cute button nose. He laughed again. Why did he always make me happy? The small room lit up when he smiled. Will gave me dozens of dog kisses all over my face. I squirmed under his weight. The playful fight went on for a while.

Will's lips brushed against the corner of my own.

Will's POV

Dammit. I'd come so close to kissing Nico. Too close. I couldn't control myself around him. I wanted to pepper him with kisses and cuddle him. He was so... perfect. His messy and long black hair, warm brown eyes, and that handsome smile. Gods, I adored his rare smile. I sounded like a smitten teenager, which I kind of was. But he'd never like me back. Nico was probably straight, and what would happen to our friendship if I told him?

So I clambered off of him. I pretended like it never happened, even if I couldn't forget. His breathing was once again abnormal and was sweating bullets. I tried not to stare for too long. That would be creepy. So I picked up a nearby bottle filled with nectar.

"Drink this." I pressed the plastic bottle in his shaking hands. He slowly sipped it and swallowed. After a minute, his respiration went back to normal. There was some color that returned to his face, but not that much. I noticed his pale skin and crinkled my nose. As soon as he was well enough, I'd have to take him out to get his Italian tan back.

There was an awkward tension in the air.

"Could I get something to read, please?" He was being stiff.

"Of course."

I went out to the lobby where Kayla sat behind the desk, tapping a pencil against the surface. She stood upright at the sight of me. The tapping stopped and she tucked it behind her ear.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"I'll tell you later. Do we have any books?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." She reached underneath and shuffled around in her bag. Kayla pulled out a worn out book. I recognized it as The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. My sister slid it across the desk. "One of my personal favorites."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I walked back to Nico with the book in my hand. Once back, I saw him staring blankly at the back wall. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He snapped his head up.

"I have a book." I sat near him and placed it on his lap. Thankfully, this wasn't glass, so it wouldn't break anytime soon.

"The Fault In Our Stars?"

"Yeah, Kayla gave it to me."

Nico brought it to his face and flipped through the pages. He nodded and opened up to the first page. I got up on my feet and smoothed down the wrinkles on my shirt. Adjusting my stethoscope, I placed on hand on Nico's shoulder.

"I have to check on other patients. I'll be back."

"Okay."

He look cute when reading.