Death Boy and Sunshine (Solangelo)

16- Argument

Percy POV

Will collapses back onto the floor, unconscious. Great, now I've got two unconscious demigods to take care of. I focus on Nico first, taking my time to carefully stitch up his arm and chest, feeling guilty because I know he'll hate that I had to see him like this.

Once Nico is on the bed, his wounds stitched and bandaged, a blanket covering him, I turn to Will. He's pale and sweaty, with a fever. I force him to swallow some ambrosia and move him onto the couch before I collapse on the bed next to Nico.

Even just sewing Nico up and carrying Will to the couch was tiring, I don't know how Will manages to work in the infirmary all day.

I'm careful to not move Nico, and I struggle to stay awake to keep watch. Figuring a little sleep would do me some good, and the furies aren't coming back anytime soon, I drift into a nightmare filled sleep.

Nico POV

I jolt awake, startled to realize that I'm practically half naked. And laying in a bed next to Percy. Will is on the couch, asleep. Or... unconscious? He doesn't look too good.

There's gauze bandages around my chest and shoulder- very poorly wrapped, but good enough. It doesn't look like anything Will would do, he has a much more elegant style.

Then it hits me- Will probably passed out from healing me. That's just the kind of person he is, he'd give up his own well being for mine. Which also means... Percy had to have seen me like this, since I woke up covered in a blanket. Gods I'm gonna kill Will for that.

I spot a pile of cloth on the floor, realizing its the clothes I was wearing earlier, all cut up. My binder is still in tact, thankfully. I slowly sit up, careful not to wake Percy or Will. Knowing Will would kill me if I put my binder on over my wounds, I grab just a baggy t-shirt from my bag.

Sighing, I look in the mirror. I look like the walking dead. I sit back on the bed, deciding if I should wake up the boys so we can get ready to leave, or if I should let them sleep. Who knows how long I was out, we could be almost in Ohio by now.

The choice is made for me as Percy stirs awake, yawning as he sits up.

"Hey Nico, how do you feel?" Percy asks, and I scoff. I'm pissed that he's seeing me without a binder, and probably saw me without a shirt on too. I know its not his fault, but I can't help but be angry. Any sense of normalcy I had with Percy was now destroyed. He probably only sees me as a fake, someone just pretending to be a man. I don't blame him- I would too. Maybe its just my dysphoria talking, but I can't help but feel ashamed and angry.

"Fine." I say bitterly, and he looks at me cautiously.

"You don't sound fine." He says, and I just roll my eyes and look away.

We sit in silence for a bit, me fuming and going through every negative thought possible, Percy moving around the room, packing things.

Will shifts on the couch, and I dart over to him. I may be mad that he let Percy see me at my most vulnerable, but I still love him.

"Will?" I ask gently, and he open his eyes, groaning. "Hey Sunshine. Have a nice nap?" I say, and he chuckles, sitting up.

"How are you doing, Neeks?" He asks, and I'm reminded of my anger. Its not his place to decide who gets to see my least favorite parts of me, even if I was hurt.

"Fine." I reply curtly, the same response I gave Percy. I turn away, trying to signal the end of the conversation, but Will pulls me back. He pats the couch next to him, wanting me to sit. I stay standing, but he manages to drag me onto the couch anyways.

Percy gets the cue and leaves, mumbling something about using the bathroom. It looks like he grabs something from his duffel bag on the way out, but I'm not sure what it could be.

"Look, Neeks-" Will starts, but I cut him off.

"No. Don't 'Neeks' me. You had no right to let Percy see me like that. You had never even seen me without anything on before, so what gave you the idea that I would be fine with Percy, someone I am not very close with, to see me at my most vulnerable?" I say, angrily.

"I know, I know. You think I should have made him leave, but you weren't there. You were dying in my arms, Neeks, I couldn't just let you bleed out when I could save you. I'm sorry, I know you probably hate me, but I would rather have you in my life hating me, than have you dead." Will says, and my anger ebbs.

"I could never hate you, Will. You know that. I just... I just wish you had found another way." I say, and he nods, reaching for my hand.

"Are we okay?" He asks, and I nod, leaning into him a bit before wincing in pain. "Yeah, you're gonna have to take it easy for a few days. As much as you can manage, at least. And no binding." Will says, looking at me.

"Will, you know that's not going to happen. I'll keep it off until we reach Ohio, but then it's going back on. Besides, I didn't even pack a sports bra." I say, and Will glares at me.

"Then we'll stop at a store and buy you one. You need new clothes anyways." He says, looking at the pile of my cut up shirts.

"Will, I'm wearing my binder. You won't win this argument." I say, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, I won't win, will I? Then tell me, where is your binder?" He asks, and I look around the room, but its not by the edge of the bed where I left it.

There's no way Will stood up and got it, I've been with him the whole time he's been awake. Which means...

"Percy." I say, just as the sea demigod himself walks back into the room.

Percy POV

Will had gestured at Nicos binder while Nico had his back turned, and he mimed some stuff that I somehow managed to understand as "Hide it"

I get the feeling that Nico and Will are about to have a serious talk, so I snatch the binder off the bed and mumble an excuse about going to the bathroom. On my way out I quickly stuff the cloth into a secret pocket of my duffel bag.

I wait in the hallway, not trying to eavesdrop but doing it anyways.

I hear pieces of the conversation, most of it muffled. "Don't...Percy... Binder...Vulnerable....Ohio..." Eventually they quiet down and I decide its probably okay to go back in, so I open the door. Big mistake.

"Percy." Nico says, and I look over at him. He glares at me and demands "Where is my binder?"

I may not be very educated about trans stuff, but I know that it would be very dangerous for Nico to bind right now.

"I don't have it." I lie, and he just continues glaring at me. Good thing we're on a fast moving train right now, or there would probably be skeletons surrounding me by now.

He opens his mouth to say something, but an overhead comm says "Arriving at the station in 5 minutes."

"This isn't over." Nico says, turning his back on Will and I.

Will gives me a grateful look, and I nod. I know it was the right thing to hide his binder, but I still feel guilty. I know Nico struggles a lot with dysphoria, and wearing a binder helps him with that. I just hope he heals soon and doesn't hate me for too long.