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I.
“Hey, you feel better?”
“Yeah, I feel well-rested.” Nico said truthfully. Really he doesn’t notice how tired and need-to-be-rest he was, until he found himself in this infirmary. Rest, relax, no underworld things.
“Good, I told you.” Will smiled brightly. “Do you need something?”
“No, I’m okay. “ Nico paused, hesítate.
“What?”
“Can I get more blanket, I….uhm, I feel cold.” Nico felt strange about himself, he usually (or always) cold, but it wasn’t a big matter for him, until recently when he felt really cold and need more blanket.
Will nodded. “Sure.” And went to take blanket, Nico seem always getting cold lately, at first he was a bit scare, scare that it was a bad sign of his health state, but then it wasn’t disturb him anymore, since Nico started to stop fading. He thought maybe, it was just the way Nico’s body heal himself.
Will remember the first day Nico spent in the infirmary. He looked pale, thin, and less-rested. Eventhough Nico looked better compare to his state when he accidentally stumble to Will when he wanted to sabotage the Romans’ weapon, Will had to calm himself in the night when he saw Nico start fading, and he held his breath until he start to resubstance again. Sometimes Will try to touch Nico and he had to steadied himself when he can’t touch Nico, when his hand passed through Nico. In the second day, Will forbidden Nico to do anything, he even forbidden Nico to eat by himself, well he decided to feed Nico. Nico pouted almost the entire time Will fed him, but Will insisted. And actually it brought good effect, see from how Nico stop fading in the night (well, at least when Will watching him while he resist the urge to sleep, sometimes he slip and well, slept).
Will got back and laid the new blanket over the old ones. “Warm enough?”
“Yeah, thank you.” Nico felt blush start to spread in his cheeks, he didn’t know why.
“Good, tell me if you need anything, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Will arranged the blanket one more before left, but then he stopped. “Well, you know, you’ll leave the infirmary tomorrow, but if you still feel not good enough, you can stay, for maybe one or two days.”
“Uhm, no, I think I’m good enough. I’ll be back to my cabin.” Nico stopped, hesítate. “But, you know, I’ll tell you if I feel something bad.”
“Yeah, right, of course.” Will fisted his hand, braved himself. “Can I visit you? To check or help you do something?” Will hurriedly added.
“Yeah, sure.”
Will face really shone up. “Great!” Will wiped away the hair that fall to Nico’s forehead. Nico froze and Will resist the urge to kiss his forehead like he did in the last two nights (while Nico slept of course). “Okay, good night.” He said awkwardly, slightly caressed Nico’s cheek.
“G..good night.” Nico stuttered. Will smiled once again, awkward but sincere.
Before Nico drifted off to sleep, he still can feel Will’s warm hand in his forehead and cheek. And he never feel so warm.
II.
“Some gold stuffs will be good.” Will said confidently.
Nico rolled his eyes. “No.” He snapped.
“But you say this cabin need to redecórate. Gold stuff will be good. It’ll bring some lights and life to this cabin. Or are you really a vampire so you really hate light?” Will’s eyebrow arched, not curious just challenging.
Nico pouted. “It hasn’t to be gold. You say that because you’re the son of Apollo whatsoever.”
“I say that because it’s true.” Will said stubbornly. “We don’t have to make all this side of the room shine in gold. Just, you know, some gold lines in wall or drawer or whatever. Black and gold will be great combination.” Will knew there were double meaning in his words, hoping and not Nico would notice.
“Uhm, well…..some stuffs, fine, maybe it’ll be match.” Nico stopped, didn’t continue to speak, but his own thought kept thinking what about us, you think it’ll be great combination too?
“Of course.” Will beamed, wondering if both of them had double meaning in their words.
III.
“I told you, it’ll be good.” Will said happily, looked please with how Nico’s cabin now look.
“Yeah, better.” Nico said, tired but pleased.
“Now, you don’t have to feel like a vampire anymore.” Will said, half joking.
“I’m not feel like a vampire Will, but someone, whoever decórate the cabin before, think Hades’ child is vampire.”
“Yeah, whatever you like Nico.” Will said and then looked at the window. “I’ll back to my cabin, okay?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not long time before dinner, we need to clean ourselves first Nico.”
“Dinner? Uh, I just want to sleep.” Nico yawned, he really tired.
“Oh come one, doesn’t vampire active at night?” Will teased. Nico glared at him, but he had stand and started to sprint off, while giggling like crazy. Nico hurriedly stand up and chased him, but Will reached the door first and sprinted out of his cabin, back to his own cabin. Nico stopped in front of his cabin, refuse to chase Will further, he wouldn’t chase him around camp, beside he would have another time to strangle him.
When he turned around, his eyes catched a glimpse of someone who looked at him. He stopped and stared back at Jason Grace who grinning widely at him, Nico started to blush and Jason’s grin wider. Nico hurriedly back to his cabin, right after pouted at Jason who kept grinning like crazy to him.
IV.
Jason dragged him to the campfire, Nico wanted to sleep, but Jason insisted and Will (Jason gave Nico a look when Will came to his side) supported and helped him. They sang the camp song, Nico was the exceptional, first he didn’t know the song and second he didn’t want to. Percy and Annabeth sat together and sang loudly and cherfully. And Nico felt genuinely happy for them. Not only because he had get over Percy, but also how he can’t happy for them? For his friends? For peoppe who had save him and accept him? Jason and Piper weren’t much different, they sang and cheer, the only different was Jason frequently gave a look at him, as if told him to do the same thing with Will, who sat annoyingly beside him. Nico just sighed.
“Why you don’t sing?” Will said, uhm no, whispered, whispered in his ear. Nico froze but he forced himself to talk.
“I don’t know the song, beside I don’t want to.”
“Oh, I’ll teach you later, then.”
“No.”
“Yes, so you can sing with us later.”
“I can’t sing.” Nico insisted.
“I’ll teach you.” Will emphasized his words. “I’m the son of Apollo after all.”
“It’ll useless Will, I….”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Will sighed. Nico felt slightly regret, but he really dind’t wanna sing. The campers started to sing another song, but Will didn’t sing like he did before. And suddenly Will started to sing in his ear, just for Nico. Nico felt like electricity running up and down his spine. “Well, I can teach you right now.” Will said before started to sing again, made every words clear to Nico. “Follow me.”
Nico shake his head but it made his ear accidentally brushed Will’s lip. Nico felt the electricity got stronger, he didn’t has the courage to look at Will. Will kept singing though. “Follow me.” He said again. And Nico couldn’t help but follow him. He sang. For the Hades’ name. His voice barely hear, but he knew Will can hear him, because he can felt, insted of saw, Will’s smile. “It’s not that hart, isn’t it?” He said when they stop singing. Nico turned to look at him, but hurriedly drop his gaze and nodded.
The campers started to sing again. “Want me to teach you again?” Will asked and Nico braced himself to look at Will. Will was beaming, the fire from the campfire dance in his eyes, he looked Nico with amusement and……Nico couldn’t quite place what was that. But he just nodded. This time Will sang while watching Nico’s face, half smile. And Nico followed him and they started singing to each other. Just to each other.
V.
Nico stepped inside the infirmary. He saw Will arrange some stuffs in the drawer.
“Hey.” He said. Will turned around and smiled at him
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just want to visit you.” Nico thought about this the entire morning. He wanted to see Will, to talk to him, and……….he didn’t know, he just want to meet Will, he even can’t understand himself. Will was…. He still wasn’t quite sure. Will was very kind to him, cared for him, and when he thought Will hate him, he proved wrong, Will still accepted him. He was stubborn enough to match Nico and he just……
“Nico?” Will called him.
“Oh yeah, uhm..do you have time?”
“Of course.” Will smiled and walked toward him. They stand side by side in front of a window. The camp looked normal, some campers practised sword fighting, some Apollo’s kids practised with their arrow, Percy and Annabeth were giggling to each other.
“Thank you.” Nico blurted out. “For everything. For preventing me do stupid things, took care of me, and yeah everything.”
“Including teach you to sing?” Will asked, half teased.
“Yeah, that too.” He looked at Will. “It felt good to sing.”
“Of course, I want you to be happy.” Will said, stared into Nico’s dark eyes.
Nico didn’t know how to react. Will’s stare was so intense. He felt like burning. Gods, how can he felt like that? Nico really didn’t have any idea he can feel like that.
“You want….”
“Yeah, because you deserved it.” Will said and brought his hand to Nico’s cheek, his thumb made circle in Nico’s cheek.
“Wi…Will..” Nico stuttered, he was still not familiar with skin contact. And he stepped back. Will looked at him, confused.
“I have to go back to my cabin, there’s something I need to do.” Nico walked to the door but Will grabbed his wrist.
“Nico.” He said intensly, firmly, but somehow emotionally. Nico didn’t pull his hand and instead he let Will pulled him into an embrace and he gave in when Will kissed his forehead. Will lingered his lips longer, he really missed doing this since Nico left the infirmary. And when Nico hugged him back he just can think, eventhough he always be Apollo’s son, he never felt this glowing.