luce del sole (sunshine)

six | will

How Nico still had it in him to sleep, Will had no idea. Chiron had just left; Will had shown him Nico's chart and pointed out the stitches in his leg, all without waking the small boy. The centaur was worried about him, especially when he heard how delicate the situation was. 

"I will speak with your father if I can," Chiron promised Will, "he should know what to do." 

Because in all honesty, Will didn't know how to help Nico. The dark magic he carried around seemed to want to destroy him. He could keep the son of Hades here as long as he wanted, but Will wasn't sure it would make much of a difference. Nico could sleep for days and wake up just as unstable and tired as he went to sleep.

Will was also getting tired of watching Nico rest. Next time he was off duty, he was bringing a book or board games back with him. 

Seven days. 

Seven days of the infirmary, except for the ten hours he spent away on the fifth one. Seven days of Nico di Angelo either passed out in his cot or shooting glares and comebacks at Will. Seven days of random demigods coming in to give Nico a kiss on the forehead when he was asleep, or play cards, or Gleeson Hedge coming in to recommend Will use nature magic again. Seven days of the hardest medical case Will had ever worked. 

Just seven days ago, he didn't really know what Nico di Angelo was like. He knew the pale boy was sassy, and hurting, and protecting himself. He knew that whenever he was asleep, Nico liked to get up and do the dishes- a chore Will despised. He knew that Nico longed for someone to love him like his sister once had. He had memorized the sound of his soft breathing and the quiet mutters he would speak when he was asleep.

Just like he was doing now. 

Will was back in his plush chair across the infirmary, and heard soft murmurs begin to float through the quiet room. 

"Go away," Nico whined, "leave me...alone." 

Will stood quietly and set down his notebook. He'd been writing up everything he knew on Underworld magic and shadow traveling, but that could wait. He made his way over to Nico. 

"You're lying." Nico wiggled in his bed. "It's not true." 

Will cocked his head and tried to set a hand on Nico's shoulder, but he moved away just as Will attempted. He began shaking his head furiously and whimpering. 

"Show yourself. Stop hiding." He threw the blanket off himself. "Cupid, you coward."

Will stepped away and hit his back on the cot behind him. Cupid? Will swallowed hard. Why was Nico dreaming about the Roman god of love? He knew the group that went through the quest had been through some nasty things, but would they have met such a being?

"You're lying. It's not true." 

"Nico," Will muttered, finally getting a hold of himself. "Nico, wake up." He shook Nico, but it didn't do much good with how much the boy was already shaking. 

So Will wrapped his arms around his body and held him in place, which only made him thrash more. "Nico, wake up! It's okay!" 

There was a sputtering sound, which sounded like, "Jason, let me go," and then Nico sat up hard, bringing Will with him. 

Will was sprawled across Nico's lap, wondering why Nico would be dreaming of Jason and Cupid,  and feeling quite queasy for some reason he couldn't explain. The dark haired boy was breathing hard, until he noticed his and Will's position. 

His facade immediately went up, and he narrowed his eyes at Will. "What are you doing?" 

Will furrowed his brows and pulled his body off of Nico. "You wouldn't wake up." 

"And?" 

"You were dreaming." 

Nico faltered ever so slightly. "I mean, what were you doing in my lap?" 

"I had to restrain you." 

"From?" 

"You could have hurt yourself. And all that thrashing? Not good for your leg." Will dusted himself off and watched the ground. Why did his stomach feel so tight? Why he couldn't look Nico in the eye...well, Will didn't know that either. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked quietly. 

Nico studied him for a moment, and Will only knew that because he could feel his eyes. Will was regarding his hands with newfound interest. "Are you alright?" Nico asked him. 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Will asked too quickly. 

"You're quiet. You're never quiet," Nico mused. 

"Just...what were you dreaming about?" 

Nico's ears went red. "What did I say?" He asked in a hesitant tone. 

"Just...you kept saying go away. You called...you called Cupid a coward. And I think Jason was there..."

Nico swallowed hard enough for Will to hear it. He grimaced. "It's just a memory," Nico muttered, suddenly embarrassed. 

"From the quest to Rome?" Will finally met Nico's eyes. They were dark brown, almost muddy. Will had never noticed that before. 

"Yeah." Nico's throat seemed to stop his words. "Yeah. Jason and I met Cupid on an outing. The god of love is quite...persistent and overbearing." 

"So it has nothing to do with...Jason?" Will was ready to smack himself silly. Why would he ask that question? 

Nico stared at him. "Cupid was more interested in me. Jason was in the background. He had to drag me out before I...I would have died." 

"In your dream you were telling him to let you go. Did you not want him to save you?" Will cocked his head again. His hair fell in his eyes, but it didn't bother him. It was getting too long now, anyway. Soon he'd ask Drew or Lacey to cut it. 

Nico took a deep breath and studied his hands. "I'm not sure what I wanted then." 

Will propped his elbows up on the cot behind him and leaned on it, hoping it wouldn't roll. He was sure the wheels had been locked, but boy, would that be humiliating. Nico was looking anywhere but him now. For some reason, that made Will satisfied. 

"What do you want now?" Will asked, a small smile forming. "Or do you not know that, either?" 

Nico sputtered, "No. Yes! I mean yes."

"No," Will mused, "you said no first." 

Nico rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. "When are you ever going to take a break? You've been on duty for days. When's the last time you slept?" 

"What's sleep?" Will chuckled. "Besides, you're not supposed to worry about me. I'm worrying about you, that's how this works."

"I have to worry when you're going to pass out on the job. What happens if I rip my stitches again and you're sleeping? I'm doing this to help myself," Nico teased. 

Will laughed. For some reason, it was a nervous one. He'd never been this way around his other patients, no matter how long they stayed. Nico was something else. 

"I'll take a nap the next time you do," he promised, "but I have to sleep here." He pointed to the cot he was leaning on. "That way I can wake you up if something happens." 

"Nothing will happen," Nico assured him. 

"Sure, nothing." Will shook his head, not believing him one bit.