luce del sole (sunshine)

fourteen | will

"I figured it out," Kayla announced as she came into their cabin. "I've got it!"

Will turned from the sink, where he was brushing his teeth. The paste was leaking from his lips and his hair seemed to be stuck in every direction but where it was supposed to go. "What did you figure out?" He asked, mouth full with toothbrush and soap. 

"Nico!" Kayla sat down hard on Will's bed, which was closest to the bathroom. "I figured him out! I mean, no hiccups at all last night you say? This has to be it!" 

It'd been three days since Will and Nico started dating. When Will had told Hazel the next day at dinner- while Nico was asleep in his cot- she hadn't even been surprised. Since then, Nico hadn't had a nightmare. He hadn't been sleep talking. He was, as Austin put it, recovering nicely. Kayla had even removed his stitches the night before.

Will spit out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. "What?" 

"Nico."

"No, he was fine last night. What do you think it is?" Will laughed. His sister was something else. 

Kayla lit up. "Oh! Well, you see, I wouldn't have put it together if I hadn't seen a certain something yesterday..."

Will's cheeks went red. Will had been cleaning Nico's leg when he realized how ticklish the dark haired boy was.  He'd ended up on top of Nico, who was screaming with laughter. Kayla had just happened to walk in at that moment. 

"Just get to the point," Will muttered.

"You, Will. Nico has to want to survive. He has to have a reason. As a son of Hades, death follows him, right? It only make sense it would try to get him too. Something has to make him happy and determined, or in this case, someone."

Will turned back to his sister. "You think I changed him?"

"I think you had a big part in it. You see, Nico didn't really think anyone wanted him around, so what would the harm in dying be? You've convinced him that he's important. You've changed his perspective on his friends and himself. I'm not saying he's doing better because of you, but he's doing better."

Will sat down hard. If Nico was doing better, he'd be able to leave the infirmary and get on with his life here. He'd be able to be free from the weight he carried around for his father. 

"What do I tell him?" 

Kayla sat down next to her brother. She looked more serious than Will had ever seen her. "I think you should just... let him figure it out. Give him more leeway from the infirmary, but don't let him push himself too hard. He's already weak."

Will sighed. He was heading back to the infirmary in a few minutes anyway. Austin had taken the morning so Will could sleep and speak with Chiron. 

His mother had called again yesterday and refused to hang up until she spoke with Will. Chiron had ended up just hanging up on the woman and not answering the screaming phone again. The old teacher was worried about Will.

Will just promised him he was fine. His mother didn't bother him anymore. He'd gotten used to her angry and sometimes hopeful calls. She was a nuisance, but one that seemed normal to him. Like a neighbor's dog that always barked. 

Will stood and squeezed Kayla shoulders. "Thanks."

"How was Chiron?" Kayla knew not to ask directly about his mother, so she always asked about the centaur. 

Will didn't like to talk about it, so he shrugged. "Normal. Little worried about Nico, but he's doing fine."

"And you?"