Having friends, especially those who wanted to see him, was a foreign concept. Reyna, Coach Hedge, the crew of the Argo II all seemed to enjoy seeing him, and even though he thought about them, and marveled at the fact that he now had friends, he at least knew what friends were. He could put Reyna and Jason into the friends category without hours of thought.
But then there was Will. Nico knew that Will worked in the infirmary, but even so he seemed to see Will an awful lot. Usually Nico would've ignored someone passing by what seemed like every three seconds, fixing his pillows or getting him to drink something, or he would've pushed them away. But there was something about Will, something about the way his eyes pulled you toward him like a bright, clear sky pulls you outside, something about the way his grin seemed to warm up the room. Nico still didn't like Will bothering him, but he didn't tell Will to stop.
When Nico opened his eyes, it was dark outside, and he could see the flickering light from the campfire out the window. His gaze drifted to the deep shadows in the corners of the room. He felt a chill travel down his spine when he thought of the last time he'd traveled the shadows, when he'd almost become one. He fumbled with the lamp for a second, and felt uncharacteristically relieved by the glow of light when it turned on. He'd never been afraid of the dark before; sometimes he'd even shied away from light. Why did he feel so nervous, now, around his element?
A head poked through the doorway, and the room seemed to brighten as Will Solace walked in. Nico scowled in spite of the warmth that seemed to seep into the room. "Is that some kind of Apollo thing?" Nico said with annoyance he didn't entirely feel.
Will looked confused. "Wait... what? Apollo thing?"
"You know what I'm talking about, Solace. How the room got brighter when you walked in, did you..." His voice trailed off and his cheeks burned as Will raised his eyebrows at Nico.
"Needed a little sunshine, death boy? I know I've got a sunny personality, but I can't literally brighten a room!" Will laughed and plopped down in the armchair that Jason had occupied earlier in the day.
Will looked over as Nico said, "So why're you here? Shouldn't you be healing people, or at the campfire, or something?"
He shrugged. "I needed a break. I've been on my feet all day; besides, I could stand to see a friendly face. Or, in your case, a friendly skeleton. You're way too thin."
"Just because I'm skinny, golden boy, doesn't-" Nico was cut off by Will's chuckle.
"Golden boy, did you say?" As Will looked at him with an amused smile, Nico slumped back into his pillows. He suddenly felt something in his stomach-queasiness?
Through the window, campers were silhouetted against the flames as they left the sing-along, heading back to their cabins. Will's eyes followed Nico's gaze, and he glanced at the clock at the wall. "I wish I could stay longer, but if I don't get some sleep, I'll fade into shadows; plus, the harpies would be after me."
"Good," Nico said, "Leave me in peace. I've had to endure enough of your mindless chatter."
Will stood and stretched, and walked out of the room. At the door he paused, and looked back at Nico. "I'd stop coming by," he said, as an impish grin spread across his face, "But you know you'd miss me."
The door clicked shut, leaving Nico staring at where Will had stood a second ago, wondering why the darkness seemed more present in his absence.