Smile Like The Sun [COMPLETED]

Chapter 6

Will sprinted after him. He could feel the eyes on him, but he didn't care. Nico was the only important thing right now. He slammed into another camper. She stumbled back, apologizing. Will mumbled a quick "Sorry" and ran off again.

Pushing through the brush, he found Nico, curled in on himself as he cried.

"Nico..." he whispered. He ran to his side and placed a hand on his back.

"Hey, hey. Shhh." He rubbed his back. "Take a deep breath." He felt him shudder as he tried to breathe. He was shaking too much to do that. New plan.

"Name five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste."

He let out a shaky breath, weakly looking up at Will.

"I-I can see you... um, my... my hands... u-uh, the... grass, u-um, m-my shoes... and, um, my sh-shirt..." he stuttered, starting to slightly calm down, though barely.

"I... I can feel your hand on my back... I can feel the ground underneath me... I can feel my shirt... and... and I can feel my hair in my face."

Nico started trembling, managing to stumble out, "I-I can hear, um, t-the creek. I can, uh h-hear, the o-other kids, and u-hm, my heart."

He managed to take a deep breath. "I can... I can... I can smell the... the nymphs starting to make breakfast, a-and your cologne..." he stuttered.

"A-and I can... I can taste... salt...?" Nico put a finger to his mouth, and it came back, covered in blood.

Will gasped. "Nico?"

He gingerly moved his face and opened his mouth. His throat was raw red and there was mild bleeding, but it had built up due to the other abuse to it. Will carefully walked Nico down to the infirmary.

"Only for a minute, only for a minute..." he whispered. He sat Nico down and quickly got in his scrubs.

His throat was okay, just overused and weak after years of not talking much. He was alright. Will let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He softly scolded Nico about not talking if his throat hurt, and then brought him back to his cabin.

He came inside and shut the door. Nico was still slightly nervous, but his tears had dried.

"Tell me what happened back there."

Nico shifted nervously, glancing up at Will.

"Promise you won't be mad...?" he whispered.

Will squeezed his hand. "I could never get mad at you. Unless you hurt yourself."

At the mention of Nico hurting himself, he started fidgeting nervously.
"Well... I was stuck in the Lotus Hotel for 70 years... I actually grew up in the 1930's... and when they, those campers, started staring and whispering about us... I thought they were going to hurt us..." he confessed quietly, averting his gaze afterwards.

Will put a comforting hand on his wrist, stopping him from picking any more skin off his thumbs.

"I get it. But it's different now. There are more of us out. There's a whole month dedicated to us and our struggle. It's better now. You're safe, love."

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, tears stinging his eyes as they returned.

Nico's head dipped, and quiet sobs escaped his throat. Will wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, feeling him wet his shirt.

"There's nothing to apologize for. You only remember what you grew up with. There's nothing to apologize for." He chanted it as he felt Nico sob into his shoulder. He worried for his throat, but he'd deal with that later.

After a few minutes, Nico had calmed down, getting his breathing under control and wiping away his tears as he sat up.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, not really sure what he was apologizing for.

Will cupped his face. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Ok? Everything is ok."

He sat quietly for a moment, then continued. "You're allowed to have support, and if you don't want to be out to the camp, to anyone, then that's ok." He hugged him hard, leaning back.

A sad smile was pressed against Nico's lips, and he took Will's hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Thanks..." he whispered, letting out a small yawn. Crying can take a lot out of a person. Nico pulled Will back into a hug, sleepily resting his head in the crook of Will's neck.

Will breathed in the scent of Nico's hair, and lay them both down. Nico yawned like a cat and curled up next to him. Will wrapped his arms around him. He kissed the top of his head, and they both floated into comfortable darkness.