Chapter Text
Will’s fingers were warm against Nico’s skin as he deftly applied the bandage. “Let me guess, I should see the other guy?”
Nico smiled. “Like I said, I don’t lose.”
Nico had changed out of his costume in favor of black skinny jeans and one of Will’s old sweatshirts, with the hem pulled up to grant Will access to the gash in his side. They were sitting in Will’s living room, and Nico had long since memorized the beige, impersonal walls.
“Doesn’t mean you’re winning,” Will muttered.
Nico rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, that’s what I have a doctor for, remember?”
Will wasn’t even technically a doctor, though Nico would never say that out loud. He was a med student, one who’d found Nico passed out in a dumpster after a fight with one of Kronos’s more powerful henchmen. Nico had insisted he didn’t need a doctor, that he was a superhero who’d taken worse hits, but Will had insisted he did. The compromise was Nico letting Will patch him up, as after it happened the first time, Will had all but given Nico permission to drop by his window anytime Nico needed. And it pretty soon became wherever Nico wanted, because in-between Will applying bandages and stitching Nico up, they’d become friends. Friends enough that Nico trusted Will with his secret identity, friends enough that Nico wanted to be more.
“Where were you tonight, anyway?”
Nico stiffened, sensing the disapproval lining Will’s voice. “I was just out patrolling. I stopped a couple of muggings. That’s all.”
“So a mugger did this to you?” Will’s fingers pressed a little harder, and Nico flinched at the sudden spike of pain.
“He had a knife.”
The warm, steady pressure of Will’s hands was removed, and Nico couldn’t help but mourn the loss.
“So you weren’t going after Kronos again?”
Kronos, the new supervillain to hit New York and challenge its superheroes. The one villain Will seemed to be actually scared of Nico facing– which was stupid, by the way. Nico, with his powers of shadow-traveling and raising skeletons, was usually the one striking fear in the hearts of villains.
“Nope,” Nico lied, popping the ‘p’. “You told me not to, remember?”
Was it even technically a lie if he hadn’t been going after Kronos, but one of Kronos’s men? Despite how much fear and rumors of Kronos coated the city like a dark fog, the actual man himself was impossible to find. He seemed to have an entire web of spies and henchman and informants, and that was what Nico– and most of the other heroes in New York– were targeting.
“Nico, if you’re going to bleed on my carpet every night, the least you could do is tell me the truth.”
Forget every sappy thought Nico ever had– Will Solace was freaking annoying.
“You’re my doctor, Will. You’re not my mom.” He'd had enough of being babied from Jason and Percy, who still all saw him as the poor little kid whose sister died. He didn’t need it from Will, too– Will, who had always treated Nico as an equal, not someone to be afraid of or leave behind when things were getting too dangerous.
“Well, as your doctor, the one who has to patch you up every night, I’m asking you to let someone else handle Kronos. If there’s one thing New York has, it’s plenty of other heroes.”
“Yeah, and I’m stronger than most of them!” Nico snapped. “Maybe I wasn’t given these powers for some god-given reason, but if I don’t use them to save people, I’m no better than the people who killed Bianca.”
“Not everyone who has powers has to be a hero , Nico. Not everyone can. ”
Nico stood up sharply, glaring down at Will. “What’s that supposed to mean? I can handle myself. I was doing just fine by myself before you showed up– and I’m a lot more powerful than you seem to think!”
Will stood up too, making full use of the few inches of height he had on Nico. The roll of bandages tumbled to the floor.
“That’s not what I meant! I meant–” Will cut himself off, looking anywhere but Nico. Will sat down again, taking a deep breath and dragging a hand through his messy curls. When he spoke, his voice was gentler, quieter. Nico followed his lead, unclenching his fists as he took his normal seat on the ottoman.
“I just meant that I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
He bit back some comment about how being hurt was part of the job description of being a superhero. Nico might’ve signed up for the life of being a superhero, but Will hadn’t, and it was for Nico’s sake that he stuck around. Will deserved better than Nico.
“I’m sorry,” Nico said finally. Will looked up in surprise at the words, and Nico knocked their knees together in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “For worrying you, and all that. Truth is, I’m a lot safer now that I met you. So thank you for that.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m glad I met you, too.” He let out a soft chuckle that sent a spike of warmth straight to Nico’s stomach. “Sometimes I think that dumpster was one of the best things to ever happen to me.”
If Will kept smiling at Nico like that, he was going to do something they would both regret.
“One of the best things?” Nico teased. “Who’s better than me?”
Will rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “Any other injuries I should know about?”
Nico stood up, stretching a little. “Just a few bruises, but I’ll heal. Thanks again, Will.”
As he moved towards the window that opened out onto the fire escape, he could see Will watching him with an expression that was equal parts fond and exasperated, though the slight smile seemed to melt into a frown.
“You’re never going to stop chasing after Kronos, are you?” Will asked.
Nico shrugged, easing open the window. “You should know me well enough by now.”
“Yeah, I know you’re always going to pick the stupid option.”
Nico swung one leg over the windowsill, ready to leave.
“Wait!” Will called out, sounding almost desperate. Nico froze in the window, turning to face him. Will looked nervous, fiddling with the roll of bandages in his hand. “Are you doing anything Friday?”
“I’ll probably just be patrolling, why?”
“The museum downtown is showing a new exhibit.” Will was speaking to the bandages more than he was to Nico, but Nico was still hanging on his every word. A trip to the museum? That sounded almost like a… “I was reading about it and it seems like a good place for a date.”
It was by sheer luck that Nico didn’t fall out of the window. He’d imagined Will asking him out plenty of times, but he’d never been prepared for it to actually happen, and especially not like this– with a pale blush decorating Will’s cheeks and his blue eyes sparkling in the stark white lights of the apartment.
“A date?” Nico’s throat was weirdly dry. “With me?”
“Yeah, you. I don’t just let anyone through my window.”
Nico was sure he was beaming. “Yes. Absolutely. I’d love to.”
“Just…promise you’ll let New York go without you on Friday? I don’t want some villain ruining our date.”
“I’m all yours. Promise.”
Will’s resulting smile was bright and beautiful, and Nico’s heart skipped several beats in his chest. He was going on a date with Will.
“Good. I’ll see you Friday.”
Nico couldn’t wait. “Yeah. See you Friday.”