Work Text:
Nico di Angelo missed Bianca a lot. Sometimes, he’d see something that reminded him of her, and the loss would punch him in the stomach and he would feel like he couldn’t breathe. Most of the time, though, it was just a dull ache, like a headache that wouldn’t go away. Even after defeating Gaia, even after Will persuaded him to stay at camp, he still felt alone. He didn’t have anyone who understood his past, or who could play Mythomagic with him, or who he could talk to in his native tongue.
The first day in the infirmary, per Solace’s demanding request, was just as annoying as it was isolating. Nico didn’t know anyone but Will Solace (the bright and beautiful son of Apollo whose life seemed to revolve around making Nico suffer as much as possible), who spent the entire day asking him questions and prodding him with various medical instruments.
“I told you, I’m fine,” Nico scowled, as Will checked his fingers for any signs of ‘shadowing’.
Will snorted, and Nico hated how adorable it sounded. “I'll believe that when you get feeling back in your fingers, Death Boy.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Will shot Nico a bright, toothy smile that told Nico that he had no intention of ever stopping. “Are you going to the Campfire tonight?” He reached for the stethoscope, pressing it to Nico’s chest. Will’s hand hovered over Nico’s chest, and Nico could practically feel warmth radiating from it.
“Are you going to let me?” Nico huffed.
“Why not?” Will asked, instructing Nico to breathe in and out deeply. “I think socializing would be good for you.”
Of course Will would say that. He was friendly and outgoing, and nobody avoided him because of rumors about raising the dead. Nico didn’t want to attend the campfire. It was annoying to have to sit there while people around him sang songs out of their range while smoke burned his nose. And there was even less of a reason to go if Will wanted him to.
“No thank you. I’d rather be here,” Nico said, feeling simultaneously relieved and slightly disappointed when Will put the stethoscope away.
“That’s what I thought. Don’t worry, I’ll be here to keep you company,” Will said cheerily.
“Do you ever leave the infirmary?” Nico scowled. These next three days were going to be unbearable.
Will laughed. “You sound like my siblings. I promise I’m not a workaholic. But being in here is way better than training or whatever you fighters do. Actually, I’m pretty sure Jason would’ve run me through with a sword if I told him that I was kidnapping you for your own health. He’s protective of you.”
Nico knew that already, and it was annoying. He was beginning to grow frustratingly endeared by all these blond boys who kept demanding that he eat and sleep enough. Nico muttered under his breath about how he wished Jason would challenge Will to a fight or something, just so he wouldn’t have to be stuck here anymore. Will did a double-take, spinning around to face him.
“Did you just speak Italian?” Will asked, sounding stunned.
Nico shifted in the hospital bed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I grew up in Italy, it’s my native language.”
“I was just surprised, after all. I’m used to–” Will said, then frowned. “Wait, can we talk about the Italy thing? Because I don’t think they were handing out vaccines at the Lotus Casino. Are you vaccinated?”
Nico rolled his eyes, and tried to ignore the fond smile pulling at his lips. He was kind of glad Will didn’t hear what he said.
The next time it happened, Nico said something about Will. Will had reluctantly agreed to let Nico out of the infirmary at the end of three days, but Will insisted on coming over to the Hades Cabin daily to “check up on him”.
Nico wasn’t sure if he would hate or enjoy the checkups. He was on the edge of hate when Will pulled out a fresh deck of Mythomagic cards that looked newly purchased.
“What are you doing?” Nico asked, face twisting into a scowl.
“I heard you liked it, and you need to spend time with someone who isn’t dead, doctor’s orders.” Will sat down on the wood floor of the Hades Cabin beside Nico, and Nico felt his face heat up. “Also, it took me a very long time to get this from the Stolls, so you’d better enjoy it.”
Nico did enjoy it, much to his own embarrassment. Something warm curled in his stomach at the thought of Will trying to wrangle the Stolls into tracking down an old card game for middle schoolers. After Bianca, Nico didn’t think anyone else would bother to make an effort. But here Will was, showing up in rumpled infirmary clothes, making the effort.
He turned away from Will, hoping Will couldn’t see the bush on his cheeks in the dim lighting of the Hades Cabin. “I won’t enjoy it,” Nico lied. “Let’s just get this over with.”
As it turned out, Will was very good at Mythomagic, even though he barely understood the rules. This was Nico’s game, he should be winning, but he wasn’t, and the worst part was that he couldn’t even bring himself to care because every time, Will let out that little smile that made Nico feel all sunny inside.
“Wait, did I win?” Will asked.
Nico let out a string of angry Italian curse words that loosely translated to stupid dumb you’re not even a real doctor stop looking at me like that.
Will laughed again, and Nico glared at him. “Are you going to curse at me in Italian every time you lose?”
“Will it make you go away?”
“Nope!” Will said cheerily. “You’re not getting rid of me.”
Nico hid his smile. He didn’t want to get rid of Will. The thought kind of scared him, but Will made him feel something no one else ever did, not even Percy Jackson.
Will continued to keep barging into Nico’s life, whether Nico liked it or not, for the next few weeks. Nico was steadily getting better, enough that Will had even let him shadow-travel during the Capture the Flag game. Nico felt an odd twinge of disappointment at the idea that Will wouldn’t have an excuse to bother him anymore.
Nico really should’ve known better because Will found different kinds of excuses. Or sometimes, he just dropped any pretense at all, and just showed up on Nico’s doorstep at eight am.
“It’s too early for this, Solace.”
“Nonsense. Come on, it’s time for breakfast.”
“I refuse. Who even eats breakfast?”
“Doctor’s orders then.”
Nico sighed, rolling his eyes, wishing that thing about apples and doctors was actually true. Slipping into Italian, he grumbled, “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Will gaped at him. “What did you just say?”
“I said I wanted to throw an apple at your head,” Nico lied, feeling a strange feeling in his stomach. It was kind of…fun, being able to just say his true feelings without Will knowing.
“Did you know–” Will asked, then stopped himself, seemingly thinking better of it. “Are you coming or not?”
Once Nico started flirting with Will in Italian, it was hard to stop. At first it was just little muttered lines, usually Nico ranting about how stupidly and unfairly adorable Will was. Then he just found it hard to…stop. He used a lot of pet names, mainly tesoro, and a lot of compliments he would never say to Will’s face in a language Will could understand. Lots of tesoro and you’re hotter than Percy Jackson could ever be and your smile makes me feel like I could do anything and I don’t know what I’d do without you and I don’t want you to leave.
Will would always give Nico a confused look, and Nico would smirk because Will would never be able to understand him.
Nico was in the infirmary, waiting impatiently for Will to finish telling Austin everything about covering the next shift.
Austin laughed. “I’ve done this before, you know. Just because you’re a workaholic doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t know what we’re doing.”
“I’m just trying to make sure everything’s going to go smoothly. Back me up, here, Nico.”
Nico deadpanned in Italian, “I’m in love with you.”
Will nearly choked. “I need to go.” And promptly ran out of the room.
Austin laughed. “You guys are adorable.”
Nico frowned, feeling heat rising in his cheeks. “What do you mean? We’re not– we aren’t dating.”
Austin snorted. “Yeah, sure you’re not. Look, I’m totally cool with your whole relationship, and I’m totally down with keeping it a secret or whatever. It’s just– it’s cute. You two are good for each other.”
The warm butterflies in Nico’s stomach were slowly turning sour, as his nervousness built. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right, right,” Austin said, winking in an exaggerated manner. “My lips are sealed, don’t worry.”
Nico gulped. He didn’t quite know what Austin was talking about, but he didn’t think it would be good for him. He went over to the Apollo Cabin, hoping Will would be there.
When he tentatively opened the door, he saw that the Cabin was empty except for a nervously pacing Will. When he saw Nico, Will immediately launched into a frantic explanation.
“Okay, look I’m sorry, okay? I know I probably screwed up whatever chance I had and broke your trust, it’s just that I thought you knew, and then I realized that you didn’t and at that point I was in too deep but I liked hearing you speak Italian and flirt with me and say my name like ‘Weel’ because it’s adorable and–”
“Solace, stop,” Nico said, resisting the urge to smile. He didn’t normally look this…nervous, and it was weirdly endearing. Hell, everything Will did was endearing, if Nico was being honest with himself. “Start from the beginning. Why does Austin think we’re dating?”
Will buried his face in his hands, looking like he was trying to build up the courage to say something. He sighed. “It’s a thing in Apollo kids. It’s not super common, but some of us can understand Italian, because it’s the language of music.”
Nico’s eyes widened and his heart rose into his throat. “You understand Italian? Everything I’ve said, you could understand me?”
Will nodded, looking slightly ashamed of himself. “I was worried that if you knew I could hear you, then you’d stop, so I didn’t tell you.”
Nico could’ve sworn his eyes were bulging out of his skull. “You wanted me to flirt with you?”
Will nodded, and Nico could see his cheeks slowly turning red. “You have a nice voice. And, well, I’m kinda in love with you too, if you didn’t know.”
Nico swallowed. “I didn’t know that. I thought– well, I was too scared to say it in English because I was worried you would just reject me.”
“You were?” Will asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
Nico nodded.
“You don’t have to worry about me rejecting you,” Will said quickly. “You’re, like, you’re really pretty. Um. I’m going to shut up now.”
“Does this mean that we can go to McDonald’s as a date?” Nico asked hopefully.
Will nodded. “Yes. Yes please.”
Nico grinned. “Cool. Good.” He stepped forward, gathering his courage and pecking Will quickly on the cheek, feeling his face heat up. “I’ll see you soon, tesoro.”
Nico left the cabin, grinning like an idiot. Staying in Camp Half Blood was one of the best choices he’d ever made.