"So, this is the infirmary, huh?" Nico asked. Will turned around with a creased brow.

"Don't tell me you've never been in here before?"

"Well, people don't really want me in the same room as people who are being healed. Being the son of death, and all."

"But what about your injuries?" Will looked horrified. Nico shrugged.

"It's not like I matter. No one really cares about me enough."

"I'm sure a lot of people would take offense to that," Will shook his head. "But gods... I no one checks your injuries after battle... I mean, I only knew about the shadow traveling, but if you have all these other scrapes, then who knows what shape you're in." Will grabbed Nico's hand and led him into one of the more private beds in the infirmary. Nico was surprised that he hadn't recoiled at Will's touch, and that Will knew he liked privacy.

"Lie down," Will said, patting the bed. Nico gave Will his best death stare. Usually it got him what he wanted, but Will's steady gaze never wavered. Reluctantly, Nico climbed into bed, pulling the thin sheet adorned with faded yellow smiley faces over his scrawny body.

After observing Nico up and down, Will gently pulled up Nico's skull printed sleeve and let out a girlish shriek.

"Nico, w-what did you do to your arm?" Nico looked down. His werewolf scratches ha turned a mottled, swampy kind of green.

"Oh, we had an encounter with Lycaon  and his pack," Nico said causally, as if he hadn't been attacked by one of the most powerful werewolves in the world.

"Well, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be." Will picked up Nico's skinny arm. He gave Nico a once over. "Take off your shirt," he ordered. Nico's face blushed the color of a ripe cherry.

"Wh- what?" Nico stammered.

"In order to heal all of the scratches, I have to get at your bare chest."

"Will, there won't be any need to. Lycaon never got at my chest."

"Don't be dense, Di Angelo. I'm a healer, I can tell. Now, shirt off or I'll knock you out and do it or I'll knock you out and do it myself." Reluctantly, Nico tugged the shirt off his body.

"This is just an excuse for you to check me out, isn't it?" Nico muttered. Will said nothing, only staring at Nico's bare upper body. "What?" Nico asked defensively.

"You're way to skinny. You need to eat more," Will noted. "I'll get you some food when u grab the dittany."

"Dittany? Isn't that supposed to sting?"

"Horribly." Will's smile was something like what you would find on a predator about to devour its prey. Nico huddled his blankets around him, partly to keep people from seeing his bare body, partly in a feeble attempt to protect himself from Will's magical medicines of doom.

Ten minutes later, Will returned with some cotton swabs, a small bottle of dittany and a steaming hot bowl of... Ramen noodles?

"Really?" Nico grumped as he accepted the bowl. "You couldn't do any better than ramen noodles?"

"Usually people aren't picky little fourteen year olds like you are," Will responded. "Besides, the infirmary had a budget. The harpies don't cook for us. Now eat. Your skin is hanging off your bones." Nico hadn't realized how hungry he was until the first slurp went slithering down his throat. He devoured the rest of the bowl in under five minutes.

"They always come around in the end," Will smirked as he whisked the empty bowl away. "Now for the hard part." Will sighed as he knelt down next to Nico's bedside with the dittany in one hand and the cotton swabs in the other. There was something in his eyes, something that Nico didn't think he got all that often. Was that... Pity? It couldn't be. No one ever felt pity for Nico. At least, that's what he thought. "This is going to sting. A lot."

"I know." Nico took a deep breath. He was no stranger to pain.

"You know, people say it hurts less if you squeeze the doctors hand." Will's tone was soft, with a hint of hopefulness mixed in. Nico glanced down at Will's hand, warm and comforting. The thing he wanted most right now was to fit his hand in Will's palm and and feel the gentle squeeze of his hand... But no. Whenever Nico let his feelings take over, bad things happened no matter what he tried. People got hurt. People died. He could never forgive himself if something happened to anyone, especially Will. He remembered how much he had loved Bianca, and the tragedy that had befallen her. He couldn't let the same thing happen to Will. Nico shook his head no. A crestfallen Will withdrew his hand. "Your funeral," he sighed.

Nico had felt plenty of pain. The first time Lycaon's claws had pierced the skin of his chest. The first time he had found out Bianca was dead, and the dark and lonely times after. The pain of having to travel through the pits of hell all alone, trying to escape Tartarus to get back to people who didn't love him anyway. So Nico felt ashamed and slightly embarrassed as he felt tears come to his eyes at the feeling of dittany being pressed on his wounds. Needing something to hold onto, Nico grasped Will's lower arm and squeezed as hard as he could. Will's face lit up into a happy smile, but no words came out of his mouth as he calmly continued to swab Nico's wounds with dittany.

By the end of the torture in the name of dittany, Will was impressed that Will hadn't pulled away from the grasp. Heck, he was impressed that Will's entire arm didn't turn blue. He swore he was leaving mark as deep as Lycaon left in him.

"How do you feel?" Will asked tenderly. Nico's usual response would be to lie, but for some reason he couldn't tell untruths to the boy with the blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Awful," he groaned. "The cuts sting."

"Go to sleep," Will told the young Italian. "You'll feel better in the morning." Will started to walk away.

"Wait!" Nico called desperately. "Will you stay with me?" Will smiled softly, the happiness radiating from him, spreading into all corners of the room. Will pulled a chair up next to Nico's bed and settled down in it. It looked as comfortable as sitting on a rock would be, but Will didn't complain. Instead, Will grabbed Nico's hand and hummed a gentle lullaby that Nico somehow remembered from his youth. Comforted on the fact that it didn't look like Will was going anywhere for a while, Nico's eyes fluttered shut and he drifted off into a slumber.  

Will watched Nico sleep, listened to his raspy breath, watched his raven hair flutter whenever he exhaled. Will wished there was something he could do to help Nico breath better. Will knew that Nico's lungs were still poisoned from breathing in the tartarus air, and later, from the toxic air in the giant twins' evil jar. Alas, it would have to wait till morning. Maybe Will could make a mixture to soothe Nico's throat. Content of his plans to do something for the poor boys when he woke up, Will drifted off as well, still clutching Nico's hand like it was the only thing in the world that could save him.

Nico was running through Tartarus, the waters of the Phlegethon still burning fire through his body, an army of monsters hot on his trail. His foot caught on a rock (seriously, who puts a rock in the middle of Tartarus?) and Nico tumbled to the ground, smacking his head on the hard body of Tartarus. In the second it took him to regain his bearings, the monsters had surrounded him.

"Your life is at an end, Son of Hades," a dracene hissed. "You were born in the underworld, and now you shall die in it." All around him, the monsters closed in, making it near impossible to escape. The first sharp points of the werewolf claws came rushing towards his chest, waiting to rip open his flesh...

Nico sat up, gasping for breath. His heart was thumping wildly, attempting to escape the measly confines of his ribcage. He could still feel himself trembling from this latest dream of Tartarus. He looked down and saw that Will's hand was still wrapped tightly around his own. Strangely, it soothed him rather than discomforted him. Nico grabbed a cup that someone had left at his Will or any of the other patients who had been injured by the war, Nico crept to the silver metal sink at the back of the room quietly, as to not wake the others.

He filled the plastic black cup with cool, clear water (who had known his favorite color was black? But maybe it was obvious) and drank like he was a famine victim. Water always soothed him, comforted him, and even better, it felt like the waters of the river of fire had never burnt his throat, burnt his body, burnt his soul.

Nico set his cup down . When he turned around, WIll was there.

"What's wrong?" Will asked tenderly, taking Nico's hands into his own.

"Nothing," Nico muttered angrily, looking down at the floor.

"Nico, I want to help you. I know you have trouble opening up, and I know you have trust issues, but please, let me in."

"It was just a nightmare. They happen all the time. It's not like it's a big deal or anything."

"What about?"

"Tartarus," Nico sighed. He felt the tips of his eyes becoming wet. Will sucked in a breath.

"So the rumors are true? You were really in Tartarus alone?" Nico nodded, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes.

"You don't understand," he choked. "The terror of going through that place alone." Will wrapped his strong arms around Nico, squeezing the younger demigod comfortingly.

"Well, you never have to be alone again."

"Thank you," Nico sobbed into Will's bright orange camp shirt, not even bothering to hide the tears. Will put an arm around Nico and Nico leaned his small, tired frame on Will as the son of Apollo led him back to bed.

Will pulled the covers around Nico's chin, Will settling back into his chair and taking Nico's hand again, rubbing his thumb over the pale olive skin soothingly. Ten minutes had passed, and Will assumed Nico was asleep until he heard his scared voice speak in the darkness.

"Will? I can't sleep."

"Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?"

"Will, I don't think that's going to he-" Nico's doubts were cut off by the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Nico couldn't quite make out the lyrics, but they were filled with magic and love. Nico could feel injuries, worry and pain melting away at the angelic sound of Will's voice moving him into a lull. His breathing had steadied and Nico felt more clear- minded than he had since before the war, since before Bianca died, even. By the time he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Will had been singing for five minutes, the words flowing out of his mouth in an effort to make Nico feel like he had a place in this world that was more than just pain and misery in this world. Finally unable to sing no longer, Will stopped and gazed lovingly at Nico. His breathing was less raspy, and he looked like he was in less pain. Happy with the fact that he had helped Nico, at least a little that day, Will fell asleep next to Nico.

It was around 7: 15 when Will slowly blinked open his tired eyes, waking from his slumber. Within moments, Will was already awake. He supposed it was the memory of last night that awoke him so quickly. Nico needing him- singing Nico to sleep- that was one of the best feelings in the world. Nico's face was angelic in the morning light. He seemed Worriless, timeless when he slept, but his breaths were shallow and short, as if there was something grabbing Nico's lungs and squeezing as hard as it could. Will knew he would have to do something (Nico couldn't go on breathing like this) about it, but there was nothing he could do with Nico still sleeping. Knowing he was helpless until the boy woke up, Will wandered off the treat the other patients, but never straying too far lest Nico need him.

Will was in the middle of releasing an Ares kid with a concussion (or was it Mars? They all looked alike, anyway) when Nico appeared next to him. Will couldn't quite comprehend the fact that the kid could just appear out of thin air like that.

"Why does she get to leave and I don't?" Nico whined childishly.

"Nico, you have to understand that all of the other patients are much more stable than you are," Will sighed.

"I'm fine," Nico grumped. Will laughed gently and put a hand on Nico's shoulder, which Nico shrugged away.

No, you're not. Go back to your bed and I'll be with you in a second." Reluctantly, Nico trode back to his cot, his thin black blanket trailing behind him.

Will watched him go, momentarily forgetting the release of the child of war until she jabbed him in the arm with a sharp dagger, eager to be released from the confines of her prison and get back to sword practice in the arena.

It took Will longer than he would have liked to get back to Nico's bedside, partly because of a Bacchus kid who had gotten too drunk on grape juice (seriously, how do you do that?) at the party and was now throwing up a putrid purple substance into the infirmaries previously clean toilet in the bathroom. Being the only "available" healer, Will was forced to hold his shoulders while the Bacchus spawn heaved violet, and tried to hold down his meager breakfast as one of the worst smells he had ever encountered reached his nostrils. He was forced to take a long, hot shower after the incident because he didn't want his little ball of death to be exposed to such a horrid smell.

When Will got back to Nico's bedside after an eternity and a half, Nico was staring down, poking a finger through a hole at the top of the blanket, making it grow wider after each passing minute.

"Good morning," Will said cheerily, even though now it was getting to be early afternoon. "How did you sleep?"

"Great, after you sang to me," Nico sighed as if accepting the fact that Will could actually be of some use.

"Glad I could be of use," Will said, smiling at the younger boy. "Does it hurt to breath?"

"No." Nico quickly averted his eyes so that Will could not see the lie in his sadly expressive face.

"Don't lie to me," Will groaned, thoroughly exasperated by Nico's infuriating habits of not opening up. "I can tell when you're lying. Also, you sound like you've been smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for your whole life. I'm a doctor, don't forget, Di Angelo." Nico opened his mouth to protest, but only broke into a painful sounding coughing fit that hurt Will's chest to hear. "Need a little help?" he smirked.

"Maybe just a little," Nico whispered, the cough having taken most of his already quiet voice.

"I'll go to the garden to gather a few herbs, I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle."

"Not like you'd let me," Nico grumbled under his breath.

The garden- one of Will's favorite places in the world. The satyrs always kept the plants healthy, and bees buzzed around lazily like old ladies rocking quietly on their front porches. Occasionally, campers from different cabins visited the oasis to get different plants- an Aphrodite child fetching a mixture of herbs to clear his or her skin, or a Hephaestus child gathering a bouquet of flowers to make their underground workplace just a little brighter- but usually it was only children of Apollo who visited the conservatory of herbs that healed and flowers that could fix your problems. Will breathed in the sweet, earthy smell of roses and walked down the path of the left in search for just the right plant he was looking for.

Will hadn't memorized the layout of the garden quite yet, but he was working on it, and he was almost there, but he knew exactly where the herb he was looking for was planted into the soil s carefully spread when the campers had planted the garden. Feverfew was mainly used for lessening fevers- hence its name- but it would work fine for Nico's cough as well. Humming "You are my sunshine", Will skipped down the path with feverfew in hand.

When Will walked through the doors of the infirmary, he was waylaid by one of his ashen faced siblings, Kayla.

"I think he somehow got worse in the time you were gone," she grimaced. "I think one of those werewolf marks got infected." She patted Will comfortingly on the arm and walked to a bed occupied by a camper who had somehow gotten a second pair of ears.

Will blended up the feverfew with some mortal medicine (to help Nico breathe better) and just a drop of nectar (to make sure it didn't taste like one of his father's haikus made into a drink) and brought the mug over to Nico.

Will could tell at once that something had gone wrong, as Kayla had suggested, since he had seen the boy last, although for the love of him he couldn't figure out how or why. After all, he had been gone for only an hour. Nico was sweaty and shivering, his blanket wrapped snugly up to his neck. He looked miserable, but he perked up when he saw Will coming, as if the very sight of the blue eyed beauty was enough to brighten his day. Will's stomach plummeted as soon as he saw how awful Nico looked. Maybe he had missed something, although in all his years of being a healer, Will had never messed up once. Will knelt down and pushed the sweaty black hair back from the top of Nico's neck. There, hidden by the thick, black masses were three miniscule claw marks from just the tip of a claw that had barely touched him. Will mentally beat himself as he realized the importance of his mistake. They shouldn't have meant much to anything, but Will knew that even the tiniest of mistakes could cause the biggest of problems. Nico didn't protest as Will poured the sweet smelling nectar over the cuts even though it must have been painful, and he didn't protest when Will placed a large, white bandage over the marks, even though it smelled of mothballs and, yes, grape juice. A lot could be said about Nico di Angelo, but you couldn't say that he wasn't brave. When Will felt like Nico was bandaged enough so that he wouldn't die within the hour, he handed Nico the mug, which was adorned with black roses.

"That should help with the cough, infection and breathing," Will informed the son of Hades.

Nico slurped the warm cannoli tasting liquid. It warmed his insides and made him feel all- around better.

"Thanks," he grinned drowsily. Will sat in the chair in his favorite way- legs draped over the arm, head leaning back- and stretched. The look was often compared to a lanky cat, and Will couldn't argue.

"Feeling better?" he asked. Nico nodded.

"Much." Reluctantly, he added "You can go help some other patients, if you want."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's a slow day," Will replied as his siblings rushed around in the background, trying to attend the injuries left over from the war and the new ones that rolled in every day. Nico looked around and raised an eyebrow questionally. "Yeah, well, you need me the most."

"I do not!" Nico yawned, his eyes fluttering shut like the delicate wings of a butterfly.

"Someone has to make sure you don't float away." The wings of Nico's butterfly eyelids closed. "Never again." But Nico was already asleep, to tired to hear.

Nico awoke from his dark, muddled dreams to yet more shadows surrounding him, even in the portion of his life where he was not asleep. His head cleared a little more, and perceived a bleary eyed Will Solace hovering over him like a distressed mosquito. "We- were you watching me sleep?" Nico asked, suddenly self conscious. He didn't like people seeing him so helpless as he was whilst asleep.

"Oh, well, you were looking pretty shadowy there for a second, so I figured someone should watch over you to make sure you didn't, sort of, disappear." Nico looked down at his hand and sure enough, his hand seemed to be having trouble deciding whether it wanted to turn into shadow or stay flesh. The sight of his transparent hand scared him like nothing ever had before. NIco hadn't realized he was crying until Will wrapped him in a hug with one hand and wiped Nico's salty tears away with the other.

"What if I slip into the shadows and never come back?" Nico whimpered. Will held him tight as he sobbed into Will's shirt.

"I will personally make sure that doesn't happen, he murmured comfortingly, his warm breath tickling the tufts of opaque hair on Nico's head.

"Thanks, Will," Nico sighed.

"Always."

Nico was halfway through his lunch ( processed salami and cheese in the middle of two slices of cheap white bread that Will was forcing him to eat even though it tasted like four pieces of plastic in between two pieces of cardboard) when the bomb that Will had been waiting for exploded. "So, this is my third day, right? When do I get my release papers?' Nico sounded slightly bitter, but that was to be expected after three days of watching the infirmary empty with Nico still in it.

"Well, I don't exactly think you're strong enough to leave yet.."

"What?" Nico exploded furiously. "You said three days! This is the third day! I want my release papers." Nico tried to get up, but was forced to plop back down on his mass of pillows from the extra empty beds that Will had brought him. His hair was turning wispy, smoky.

"My point exactly." Will pointed out Nico's hair, which was slowly banishing the shadows. It looked like it was taking all of Nico's effort. "Besides, I might have accidentally fed your papers to the paper shredder." Nico glared daggers at Will.

"Yeah, well, Kayla always keeps extras in her own personal filing cabinet, which even you aren't allowed to open. She told me so herself."

"Fine, I'll let you leave. All you have to do is drink this." he handed NIco a steaming hot drink in a mug that read Delphi Strawberry Services on it in bright red lettering. Nico furrowed his brow as he tasted the unfamiliar drink.

"What's in this?" Nico asked. "I can taste nectar, unicorn drought and..." NIco stopped mid- sentence and a betrayed look occupied his face as he realized what else was in the drink. He struggled to get up, but the drug was already taking effect on his body. He crashed back onto his array of pillows, all thoughts of revenge far from his serene mind.

"A sleeping draught, huh?" Kayla grinned. "I didn't think you had the guts."

"Well, you know me. I'll do anything for the people I love."

"Love you, too, Willy- o," NIco murmured drowsily.

Will was dreading the point and time in life when NIco woke from his slumber five hours later, and he was right to be afraid. There was nothing more terrifying than a fourteen year old son of Hades stalking toward you with a murderous look on his face.

"You drugged me!" he screamed. Several patients stared.

"Oh, did I?" Will scratched his head, trying to look nonchalant.

"Yes, you did. I'd recognize the taste of a sleep draught anywhere. I used to take it all the time when I was younger." Will stared at Nico quizzically, his eyes asking the question for him. "I have insomnia," Nico explained grumpily. He hated sharing anything about his past, especially anything about his varying mental disorders that always seemed to pop up now and then.

"Nico," Will began, choosing his next words very carefully so as not to receive a stygian iron sword embedded in his gut. "I only drugged you so you could have a few hours more rest before you left." Will handed Nico a thick stack of papers. "Here are your discharge papers." Nico's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Will to let him go so quickly. Deep in his heart, he had hoped he wouldn't. But both NIco and Will knew it would have to happen eventually.

"Oh, thanks." Nico reluctantly took the papers.

"You know," Will said tentatively. "You can come visit anytime. We could always use friendly faces and helpful hands." Friendly. Helpful. Neither of the words had ever been used in a sentence directed at NIco. His face broke into a warm smile, one that Will wished he wore every day. It suited him.

"I'd like that very much. Thank you." NIco gave Will a quick hug and sprinted out the door before Will's mind could even begin to process the spontaneous act of affection. He stood shell shocked in the same spot until he heard a bang and a rather loud "ouch!" from just outside the infirmary. Will rushed outside into the bright August sun and found Nico lying spread eagle on the ground, hands and knees scraped up. The boy was blushing deeply and looking embarrassed.

"What happened?" Will laughed. Nico liked the sound. It reminded him of simpler times, when NIco and Bianca and Maria were all one big, happy family. NIco hoped he'd hear the delightful sound again.

"I fell. My legs still aren't that strong. Maybe you were right. Just a little bit." Will roared with laughter, the happy feeling soaring through Nico's chest like a bird through the bright blue summer sky. Nico let out a reluctant chuckle as Will pulled out the roll of white bandage.

Hi guys! Hope you liked this one, because I worked pretty hard on it. Sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been really busy with a writing camp. Feel free to hate on me in the comments! Also, I did a one shot for a contest that Wattpad is hosting. Basically, it's a world after the giant war in camp half blood where Nico doesn't exist ;'( . So feel free to check it out and let me know what you thought of this one!

Nina