Basketball Stars

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.

I went to the state basketball games in my state and saw a guy slap a dude's butt while he was getting up and thought SOLANGELO NOW!

Warning: I am not a doctor so my knowledge of everything isn't perfect. This will be a 2-3 shot. Enjoy!

Sweat rolled down the boys' faces as they huddled together. Their breaths mixed into one as the coach barked out orders. There was only one man grinning, and that was Nico di Angelo. He didn't mind the slickness of his skin or the shortness of his breath; he was playing the game he loved.

It was his junior year. All his friends had left him to carry the team, so that's just what he did. His eyes locked on the freshman and then glanced overhead where his old friends were back for this one game. They were chuckling, and he knew why. If only his newer teammates knew...

They probably did know by now, truthfully. Nico was hardly quiet about his preferences, on and off the court. While it was common for guys to slap one another on the butt after helping each other up, he offered a squeeze or wink or whispered words of encouragement to one player on every team. He'd pick them out - the ones most likely to swing for his team. Many times he was wrong, but it only got into their heads. It was a game of his, one he enjoyed playing. He was a major flirt when he was confidant. Nico was always confidant on the basketball court. He was, after all, the star of the team.

He'd started since his sophomore year. He was able to move around everyone and slip into unknown slots like a ghost in the shadows.

Normally, his friends wouldn't come back. They went to college hours away, but it was the state tournament. And it was the finals. If the crowd for the semifinals was big, this was ten times its size.

For the state tournament, all the teams traveled to the capital. Considering the small size of their state, everyone found entertainment through the basketball rivalries. People came from all over just to watch the games. Nico's school was in the largest division; triple A. People watched single and double A schools between the intense games for the triple A teams. To house so many people, it was held in the Civic Center. It was big enough to house concerts for people from Luke Bryan to Panic! At the Disco to Beyoncé.

And it was packed. Nico never got nervous, but he was nervous. His eyes shifted to the other team. It was halftime and they were down by two. Truthfully, his team was expected to win by a landslide. Nobody expected their previously injured player to be ready to play yet, but he certainly was.

Will Solace was the shooting guard. He never missed a shot. And he was Nico's most favorite victim. While Nico was a flirt, Will Solace was an aphrodisiac himself. Nico lifted his head to see the team being led out of the locker room by the man himself. People cheered, but Nico only listened to his coach.

"Di Angelo, you've got number 7 - that Solace kid. Got it?" Nico grinned deliciously.

"Come on coach! Nico can take a hit. Solace is the only one not to hurt us," whined Travis. Nico rolled his eyes, but he couldn't blame him. That team played dirty. It was how they made it to states in the first place without Will. They had left a streak of injured players in the past three games of theirs. It put everyone on nerve, but Nico doubted they'd try something with all these cameras around.

"You losers can hardly score against the freshman without di Angelo. Now get out there!" Coach Hedge was practically bouncing with energy as they jogged back onto the court. Nico smirked as he neared Will. Despite having such long hair, Will didn't keep it held down. It bounced freely on his head, only a little disheveled from his light gleam of sweat.

"How's it going, sweet cheeks?" Nico called out as he leaned on his knees in front of Will defensively. Will's lips lifted.

"Not bad. We are winning," he pointed out as his eyes slid over Nico's body. "Am I wearing you out?"

Nico winked as the ball was moved up the court by Will's teammate. "Nah, but I do know another way I wouldn't mind you wearing me out in," he patted Will's stomach as he darted past the flustered boy and stole the pass, making up for Will's two point lead. As Nico jogged back, Will was fuming.

"You suck," he growled and fully prepared himself for the ball. The crowd was still murmuring in shock that Will missed such an obvious pass. "You may have the speed, but you don't have the height to block me, angel," Will turned around and slammed his body into Nico, which opened him up. Nico expected this, but it didn't make it any less of a thrill. His butt was pressed fully against his groin. They passed Will the ball, but Nico recovered.

After that, Nico's team took the lead by nearly ten points. He could see the opposing team begin to struggle. They flushed in their larger players onto the court, leaving only the slightly leaner Will. They definitely outsized them, but they were slow. Nico didn't understand the coaching decision because he ran fast break after fast break with the only hope of Will stopping him, but even that was rare.

Will's teammate was shooting fouls shots when they spoke again. It was one-and-one. After the first shot, Nico stepped around Will and shoved his body into him to block him out. The shot went in, and Nico stopped shoving him back but hardly stepped away. Will let out a grunt and casually squeezed his butt. "Hmm, you sure know how to use your ass, sweet cheeks," Will winked. Nico grinned at him mischievously and settled back into place. They missed the next one, and Nico jumped to grab the ball, but somebody slammed his legs out from under him and he fell directly on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Nico groaned and rolled to his back. When he opened his eyes, blue one stared down at him. There was no whistle, but Will was still perched over him. "You can breathe now," he snorted. Nico groaned and sat up on his elbows as air returned to him. Then the whistle blow and he referee came around to him. "Ah, he's good. Come on," the blonde said and offered him his hand. As usual, he felt electricity flow between their hands. Will hefted him to his feet and finished in a 'bro hug.' When they broke apart, Will patted his butt and nodded encouragingly. It was a common gesture among basketball players, but between the two of them? It was something more that made Nico grin as he regained his breath.

The next free throws came around and their lead had doubled. Even Nico could see Will's coach going crazy. He was growling commands at each player, but none acknowledged him. They called a time out.

Nico paid more attention to the other team. The crowd was roaring. There was six minutes left of the last quarter. Hedge told them to stall, which was Nico's specialty and least favorite thing to do. He grew concerned when Will's face glanced over to his own huddle, face pale and a worried mess. Immediately, Will protested whatever was being said, but the buzzer called them back on the court. Will kept shaking his head, eyes darkening as they peered at Nico like he was the angel of death. He moved his lips, but Nico only winked and jogged into place below the basket. While he was small, he had hops. As long as he got around the big guy next to him, he'd get the ball.

But that wasn't what happened this time.

Nico didn't bother going around him for the first shot. Will was shooting; he never missed. Will again glanced at Nico, but he focused on the ball in his hands.

Somehow, Will missed. Nico never expected that. He was late jumping for the ball, but even if hadn't been, he never would have made it there.

Midair, Nico felt a hand grip his leg and thrust his body to the ground. The ball was now by their feet, so everyone dove for it. A hand gripped his leg, lifted it upright, and then the heavy body fell into him, elbow slamming into his thigh. His femur snapped in the middle and bent up toward his leg and fire shot up his leg.

He clutched at his leg, but a body blocked him. As the fire spread, more bodies stepped and fell over him. His hand was crushed under a foot, but he hardly felt it. All he felt was the horrible mind shattering pain in his leg.

It seemed like seconds that the sounds disappeared. Soon, all he heard was his loud screams that never seemed to end. He'd never felt a pain like this. When he opened his eyes, there were people crowding around him. Nico tried to grab his leg, but it wasn't where it should have been. Horrified, he forced his eyes open through the blinding pain.

His leg was bent downward visibly, like a wave dipping down. Pain was everywhere. Nico's body arched off the ground in pain and his teeth slammed into his lip.

The crowd took to gasping and screaming alongside Nico. Coaches crowded around him. "Call an ambulance!"

Two medics rushed to his side, and both took once glance at his leg and passed out. One landed on Nico, which made his hot tears stream down his cheeks again. "Get. Him. Off!"

A few nearby players were also feeling queasy. And suddenly, he saw Will. His eyes were a brighter blue than before, as if he was about to cry. He dropped to his knees and grabbed Nico's good hand.

"Breathe for me," Will commanded. Instantly, he sucked in a breath of air and exhaled in a sob that had him off the floor again. "I'm so sorry." Nico didn't understand, but he didn't try to either. "Give him some air! Back up!" The anger in his voice was palpable. It gave Nico some hope. "Don't we have more medics?"

"Uh, no?"

Will groaned. He looked apologetically at Nico before jogging away, leaving Nico moaning on the ground, not daring to touch his leg. Moments later, Will was back and another blonde Nico could only assume was his dad ran behind him.

"He's a doctor. He's gonna take care of you, sweet cheeks," Will kneeled on the opposite side of his leg.

"What's your name?" The older man asked as his eyes took in his leg. His hands ghosted over it, and Nico bolted upright in agony as he seethed out his name. "Good. I'm Apollo. We're going to take care of you. Now I'm going to take a look at your leg, but it might hurt."

"Dad," Will whispered. Apollo's gaze shifted toward Will's and both of them looked way too pale. "Dad. Do something. Please."

Nico's hands were shaking as he forced himself upward. There was a puddle of blood forming under his leg. Nico's eyes widened. Apollo shouted, "We need an ambulance now!"

He grabbed he first aid kit. "Will, create a tourniquet. Nico...hold in there, kid."

Will's tourniquet hurt less than Nico expected. It was Apollo's stint that made him pass out. When he woke up, he was being lifted onto a stretcher. He came to with a scream that shattered his vocal cords. People were rushing around him, and Will was following along until his gnarly coach yanked him back. Nico's hand had been squeezing Will's, though, and he nearly fell off the stretcher. As they repositioned him, Will argued with his coach.

"You took out their best player? Then you can lose yours." Will was back by his side. Nico began to speak until another wave of pain ran through him and his scream made his ears bleed again.

Everyone cheered, but he didn't know why. He was being carried off on a stretcher. He wondered where his father was. He swore he'd come to this one. "Nico? How you doing?" Will's voice distracted him. It took his mind a second to register Will's face when he turned his head. Black spots danced across his vision. Will grabbed his hand, and Nico fought to stay conscious. The pain was becoming more and more intolerable as the seconds passed.

He forced an agonized smile onto his lips. "I must be a real catch...if you threw...away a state championship...for me." It was harder to breathe, but it easily could have been because his leg had most of his attention.

Will looked like he was hurt for a second. He smiled, but it looked like he also wanted to cry. "Nobody deserves to go to the hospital alone...where's your dad?"

Nico scoffed. They lived in the capital of the state, so his father really should have been there. When he said should, he meant most parents would at least swing by to see him win states. "Work."

He hissed as they inserted a needle and tube into his arm. Will's eyebrows pinched together and Nico laughed hysterically. "You're...adorable when you're being...all doctory, sweet cheeks," Nico raised a trembling hand and ran them over the freckles on Will's face.

The ambulance hit a bump, and his leg jolted to life. With a final scream of pure torture, Nico passed out.

It was a relief.

He didn't remember much, just that time had passed. Dreams floated in and out of his head, starring the beautiful blonde basketball player. Sometimes, memories would pop up of his mom or sister, but they were good ones. He remembered sophomore year when they'd made it to states.

He still had a crush on Percy back then. When his mother made a fathead of Nico and Bianca made one of Percy, holding them up side by side, he wanted to murder them. Looking back, it was the funniest thing ever. Now that Percy knew and Nico had long ago gotten over it, it was hilarious.

In his mind, he was laughing. He wasn't laughing when he came to, though. At first, it was just voices and beeping. He didn't catch the words, but the tones were soft and delicate.

Scratch that. One of the voices sounded more angelic than anything he'd heard before. It made him smile. Around the time when he heard his father's monotonous voice was when he registered the other sensation he was capable of feeling at the moment. Pain.

He screamed and thrashed as the pulsating pain in his leg increased by the second, and then he was choking.

"Hey! Calm down. Yo! He's awake! Take out the intubation, nurse!" It was that angelic voice, but he was less angry than the words could have required. Concern leaked from the message.

"Already acting like a stuck up doctor, huh?" The nurse snorted.

"You're my sister, Kayla!"

Finally, Nico could breathe. His eyes fluttered open as he glanced around. There was so much white it was blinding. It smelled sterile and clean but of hospitals. Nico was not a fan of hospitals. He took a breath and began to sit up only to notice his muscles straining. Glancing down, he glared at the cast that reached all the way up his leg and was currently hanging above him held in place.

He groaned and flung his body back on the bed.

"Nico?" With relief, he recognized his voice now. Nico turned his head and saw the same blonde basketball player in the same jersey as before.

"Will Solace." Nico forced a tight smile on his lips. "I bet you stink." Will's grin widened as he practically fell on top of Nico. "Ew. You do stink."

Will giggled, and it was the first time he'd seen the lighter side of this boy. Nico had to admit. He was adorable. He shoved off Nico but stayed close, smiling with euphoria down at him. "Your team won, by the way. I heard we were coming back, but you gave your team a hell of a leave before we, er, broke you."

Nico smirked. "Damn right I did. I shut your ass down, too."

Will bit his lip. "Who hit 4 threes in the second half? Not you."

Nico began to respond m, but he heard the familiar gait of his coach. "Oh no."

"Mov - I said move out of my way, basket cases! I need to get to - ah! Do Angelo! My boy!" Coach Hedge bleated as he barreled to Nico. He cringed as he gave him an awkward hug. He much rather would have preferred Will's awkward hug to Hedge's. "How are you doing, son?"

Nico opened his mouth before realized he truly couldn't respond except for the fact that his leg still hurt like a bitch. "Uh, Will, how am I doing?"

Will laughed. "Kayla, could you get his doctor?"

Kayla was writing down words in the chart. She raised an eyebrow. "What? It's not like you haven't memorized the chart already."

She disappeared fleetingly with genuine smile pressed to her lips. Hedge crossed his arms. "Number seven. You gave us a hell of a lot of trouble. I thought you were supposed to be out for the entire season."

Will leaned against the counter and nodded. "I had a minor fracture in my radius. It healed up faster than expected."

Hedge scoffed. "Doctor's son...takes x-rays for fun."

"Did you mean to rhyme? That would be perfect for a poem! May I use that?" Nico had a vague familiarity with that voice. The owner of it looked so similar to Will it made his stomach uneasy. He was aged more, and the smile was scarier.

Hedge analyzed him as if debating if he should grab his baseball bat, which was, at the farthest, outside of this room in a waiting chair. "You're not Nico's father are you? Because I have some bad news about your wife if so..."

Nico rolled his eyes. Will frowned. "Uh, no, he's mine." Hedge scowled. "Speaking of which, where's your father?"

Nico felt exhaustion hitting him. He yawned and shrugged. "So...my leg?"

Apollo's voice was unnerving. "Your femur was fractured, which cut your femoral artery. Not good. We got you here in time and they repaired everything, however you'll be in a cast for 6-9 months. The surgery went smoothly, but you have a rod in your leg. So...get comfortable. Afterwards, you'll need physical therapy as well."

Nico's stomach hit rock bottom. He'd broken a bone before. It took six weeks to heal, not six months! Even so, he knew that femoral fractures were the worst. So he bit his lip and fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling dejectedly.

Warmth settling on top of his hand. Nico looked over at Will. His face was grave and serious. It helped keep Nico from breaking down. He had no idea how he'd survive over half a year of this. He was supposed to be headed to college in six months. It had to be healed by then.

"Hey guys? I think he needs to sleep." Will ushered them toward the door and was about to head out himself before he thought better of it. Closing the barrier, he stood beside Nico's bed and frowned. "You don't look comfy."

He snorted. "My leg hasn't stopped throbbing and I'm flat on my fucking back. Good observation."

He crinkled his nose and leaned forward. "Somebody's cranky. I know the best solution for that."

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"A kiss."

His stomach did a flip of excitement as he smirked. "You are practically a doctor, after all..."

Will grinned and moved forward, but his hand slipped, and Nico's leg went back to throbbing. He gasped and arched from the bed in pain.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I'll get Kayla to give you more pain pills. Shit!" Will was true to his word, racing out of the room. When he came back, Kayla grimaced and took her own observations, filing it on the chart as well. Then she put something else in Nico's tube.

When she left, Will turned to leave as well. "She your...sister?" His words were already slowing.

Will glanced over his shoulder with endearment. "Yeah, sweet cheeks, she's my sister. Half."

Nico smiled widely as the pain subsided. He continued watching the blonde, looking up and down his body as all other sensations faded to away. "You've got some sweet cheeks, Solace."

Will laughed. "Yeah? So do you, di Angelo." Nico couldn't stop smiling.

"Kiss me next time then?"

Will's image was going black. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Go to bed, 13."

Peaceful, pretty sleep took Nico over, and it was a relief.

A/N: I'd love to see some feedback. This is an unusual prompt for Solangelo, but I think it's pretty neat. Can I get 3 reviews for the next part?