A/N: A solangelo request based off of this jily fic, for fameclearlyisnteverything . Sorry it took me so long, but if it makes you feel any better, we're sitting at 3k words, so I hope that makes up for it :)

One of Nico Di'Angelo's worst qualities was his lack of self-preservation.

He knew this. He had been told this by many people, including his father, his sister, his best friend, his best friend's girlfriend, his cousin and his cousin's girlfriend, and that weird old man at the state park office who kept track of spelunkers who visited the caves. Most people would take this as a sign that they should be more careful, more cautious with their safety. Nico usually took this as a sign that he was doing his job right. After all, speleology wasn't exactly a safe job.

The first time they met, Nico was sitting in the hospital bed with an IV tube in his arm, and for the first time he felt that maybe he should listen to the people who told him to, pardon his French, chill the fuck out. It was not the first time he had done something without thinking on one of his research escapades, but it was, unfortunately, the first time it had landed him in the hospital. His stomach churned and he frowned. Damn it.

The door clicked open and Nico sighed, preparing himself for a condescending lecture on forest safety. "Hi, Mr. Di'Angelo. My name is William Solace, and I'll be your doctor today." Nico lifted his eyes from where he was absentmindedly scratching at the hospital bedsheet. "Hello," he sighed resignedly. The doctor grinned.

"I can tell you already know what's coming," he chuckled, blue eyes wrinkling and Nico wrinkled his nose distastefully.

"I've only gotten it twice," he said dryly, "so go ahead and give it to me again." The doctor laughed outright, and Nico would have felt irritated if it hadn't had a pleasant sound. As it was, his stomach still hurt, so he just pouted instead of laughing along.

"You've been doing this sort of thing for a while now, right Mr. Di'Angelo?" Dr. Solace asked as his eyes skimmed over the file in his hands. Nico nodded, then realised the doctor wasn't looking at him. "Uh, yeah."

"Sorry if this is rude, but…" Dr. Solace turned his bright blue eyes onto Nico and his lips quirked. "Aren't you supposed to be well versed in botany and forest survival?"

Nico didn't respond, only scowled and scratched at the itchy white blanket of the hospital bed. The doctor pressed further. "You know not all plants are edible, right?"

Nico finally snapped. "Well I know that. Just… Kakos berries look a lot like juniper berries, okay?"

"Yeah," the doctor said, eyes twinkling. "I know. You'll be more careful with that, right? You got lucky today." Nico rolled his eyes.

"I'll do my best to avoid poisoning myself again," He deadpanned.

"That's all I can ask," Dr. Solace said with a grin. Nico stayed silent as the doctor gave him a brief outline of the treatment they were giving him, and what he should do to maintain his health once they released him. It was the basic "drink lots of fluids" and "sleep" spiel, and once he finished, Nico yawned.

"Some sleep would be good for you," Dr. Solace noted. "You look exhausted. I'd say see you soon, but I'm rather hoping you won't need to come back, Mr. Di'Angelo," Dr. Solace said amicably as he made his way to the door. Nico mumbled something like a goodbye, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the pillow. Yeah, I'm not really planning to come back, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

He was back two weeks later, and this time Nico was more annoyed than he was contemplative. Yes, okay, he took a big risk and it hadn't exactly paid off. But now he was losing precious time, and he was feeling really good about this. The cavernous tunnel he had found seemed to lead to another cave, and if the rock formations on the walls of the tunnel were any indication, there were some really interesting formations further down.

He probably should have assumed the fall from the ledge was longer than it looked, but he had jumped down from larger heights. He didn't expect the short leap to cross to the other side to result in this.

The door opened and the blonde doctor he'd met before walked in. Nico felt embarrassment rise in his stomach. So much for not coming back.

"Well, hello. Long time, no see, huh?" The blonde doctor joked, his expression half smiling, half concerned. "

"This was just a freak accident," Nico said quickly. He suppressed the urge to squirm like a scolded puppy as Dr. Solace's eyes fell on the black cast around his left leg.

"Uh-huh," The doctor said doubtfully. Nico opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut at a pointed look. "Jumping off of ledges in dark caves usually end up in worse, Nico."

"How do you know I jumped?" Nico said defensively. Brown eyes locked with blue and Dr. Solace's eyebrow raised pointedly. "The park ranger who brought you in said that you told him you did."

"Dammit."

Dr. Solace shook his head with a sigh. "As a professional, you should know better than that."

"I got excited," Nico muttered.

"Excitement isn't worth risking your life," The doctor smiled crookedly and Nico felt his cheeks warm. "Yeah, okay," He mumbled.

"I'll prescribe some pain medicine for you," Dr. Solace said. He tugged out a penlight. "Just going to check your eyes to make sure there are no issues."

"I didn't hit my head," Nico said quickly as the doctor leaned over him.

"Humour me," Dr. Solace's smile widened. Nico fell silent as the doctor flashed the penlight into his eyes. "So what exactly are you searching for?" He asked, leaning forward to look deeper into Nico's pupils. Nico caught the whiff of a really good smell, like grass in the sun combined with something muskier. It took him a moment to answer.

"Um, I'm studying the rock formations in the caves. Not searching for anything specifically, but rock formations tell us a lot about the area's old ecosystem and the nutritional diet of the organisms there, so we could make a really incredible discovery that could help our current ecosystem. I have a friend working in environmental sciences and forestry, and he thinks we could figure out how to maintain the area's flora based off of the composition of the bedrock from a few millennia back so—" He broke off, noticing Dr. Solace's was grinning at him with an amused look on his face. "Um, sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" He put away the flashlight. "Follow my finger with your eyes please. I see you really do get excited about this. I can almost forgive you for jumping."

Nico struggled to keep his eyes on the doctor's finger as he moved it from side to side and front to back. "I was—sorry—I talk a lot when I talk about rocks," Nico said awkwardly. Dr. Solace laughed, and Nico blinked at the sound. He had a really nice smile, brilliant and warm. Nico shook himself internally. Maybe he had hit his head.

"It looks like you're clear on any head injuries." Dr. Solace pulled back and wrote something on his clipboard. "I'll be right back." He tucked the clipboard under his arms and moved towards the door. Just before he opened the door, he paused and glanced over his shoulder. "And just so you know, don't apologize for being passionate about something. Besides, it's—" He cut himself off with a cough and yanked open the door. "Er, try to rest Mr. Di Angelo."

Nico pursed his lips and sighed, slumping against the pillows. With a broken leg, it wasn't like he would be going anywhere. At least his doctor smelled good. And was cute. At the last thought, Nico jumped. Oh my gods, go to sleep.

Over the course of the next few months, Nico dropped by the hospital regularly, uncharacteristically obedient to his doctor's orders. Of course, half of the time he was accompanied by a friend, which Will suspected was to make sure he actually came. The blond guy with the glasses had been really nice, talking to Will about Nico's recovery and treatment, and promising to make sure Nico didn't keep doing stupid stuff. Will had noticed his tall, military stance and felt confident he would keep a good eye on the speleologist.

The tall, black haired guy with the startling eyes he had been less confident in, since all he had done the entire time he had been in the room had been ask Will strange questions and wink at Nico when he thought Will wasn't looking. His blonde girlfriend who had come with them, on the other hand, would probably make sure to keep Nico in check. She had certainly kept her boyfriend from embarrassing Nico, smacking him on the arm every time she noticed Nico was getting particularly red in the face. Both of them had been remarkably nice, despite their intimidating looks. Also, why was every single person Nico associated with uncommonly attractive? He supposed attractive people hung around each other or something.

After all, Nico was cute. Really cute, if you asked Will, which of course, no one did, because… well. Nico was his patient. Still, Will was a sucker for brown eyes, and with every visit Nico relaxed a little more, and he had a really, really nice smile when he wasn't scowling at something Will suggested he do.

Will probably should've known by Nico's sixth visit that he was getting in too deep. They were removing Nico's cast, and Nico was struggling to keep the excitement off of his face. Will was watching him fondly as he fidgeted, the light in his eyes brightening as the cast came off. He didn't notice the other doctor was saying something to him, too focused on the grin that split Nico's face, until the doctor nudged him in his side.

"Uh, sorry, Michael. What'd you say?"

Michael squinted at him. "I was asking you if he was cleared to get back to work yet." His voice dropped. "Dude."

Will squirmed under the piercing look in his friend's eyes. "What?" Michael turned to the side and Will followed his lead, facing each other and turning away from Nico who was chatting to the woman removing his cast.

"You're not being very subtle."

Will frowned. "Subtle about what?"

Michael stared at him. "You're joking right?"

"Michael. Come on."

"You have serious crush on that guy, Will." Will choked and Michael closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. "You didn't notice?"

"Mike, he's my patient." Will whispered even quieter, running a hand through his hair. Michael rolled eyes. "Yeah, I know. That's what I'm saying."

"I—I—don't. I mean—" Will wanted to deny it, but he wasn't stupid, and now that Michael brought it up it was so obvious and he just felt like an idiot. "It's illegal."

"Yeah."

"We can't talk about this."

"Nope."

"Fuck."

Michael patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "Yep."

Will exhaled. It was okay. He could squash this.

He could totally not squash this.

William Solace was a good doctor. He knew he was a good doctor. His patients knew he was a good doctor. His fellow doctors knew that he was a good doctor, maybe even the best at the hospital. Everyone knew he was a good doctor. He had not only graduated med school at the top of his class, he had aced his residency and been the first to get a fellowship. He helped every patient he could, always to the best of his ability and with the most care he could. So why did he have to be punished like this?

It was starting to get on his nerves.

He forewent a greeting. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well hello to you too, Solace."

Will's smacked the report on top of the counter in the small patient room as he passed his other hand over his face. "Nico. I just… why are you doing this to me." It wasn't a question, more like a wail of distress in the most professional voice his poor, frustrated heart could manage.

The recipient of that statement smiled thinly from his spot on the hospital bed, dark hair falling limply in a wan face. Will saw a lot of sick-looking people in the hospital, and had managed to maintain the appropriate level of emotional distance between himself and them. He was a naturally compassionate person after all, and becoming too connected with a patient could yield traumatic results if…things went wrong. He still couldn't help the pang in his chest at the sight of the gaunt cheeks and ghostly skin of the man in the bed. "In my defense," the man said, shrugging a frail shoulder, "I'm not doing anything to you. I'm the one in the hospital bed."

Will gave him his best unimpressed look. Dark brown eyes blinked back at him. "You're not funny." Will scowled as he picked the report back up again and scanned it for irregularities.

The guy shrugged again, and frowned as the movement tugged on the cords of the IV strings attached to the inside of his elbow. "I never said I was."

"Twenty days without eating. That's what the report says. You went twenty days without eating. Humans need to eat, Nico."

"Okay, but that's two days less than last time, so I get credit for that, right?"

Will gaped at Nico, who was staring at him with a straight face. The worst part was, he couldn't tell if he was being serious. Nico Di'Angelo had a dry sense of humour, as Will had learned in the frequent visits Nico had made to the hospital in the last seven months, emergencies and check ups included. Will ended up spluttering indignantly. "You've got to be trying to give me a heart attack. That's the only plausible explanation."

"It'd be kind of problematic to try to kill off my doctor, don't you think?"

"So you're trying to kill yourself off?"

Nico coughed weakly, lifting a hand to cover his mouth. Will fought the urge to rub his arm soothingly. The last thing he needed was to get sued for sexual harassment. "It's more like I forget that could happen."

Will exhaled slowly. "How can you forget your own mortality?"

Nico lifted a corner of his mouth, eyes drifting shut as he tried to keep them open. "Very carefully?"

Will muttered a curse under his breath and Nico coughed out a laugh. Will noticed his struggling to keep his eyes from shutting and he shook his head. "I'll let you sleep, but when you're awake I'm coming back and we will have words. Hospitals suck, and I only work in one. I don't know why you keep spending your time in here."

Nico was already half asleep as he mumbled, "It helps when your doctor is hot."

Will dropped his clipboard.

Will didn't bring that conversation, and Nico didn't remember it. He recovered quickly enough, and after a long talk about safety, Will managed to get a half-hearted promise to for the gods' sake, please be careful, Nico.

Sure enough, it was a full two months before Nico came back. Will told himself that it was a good thing for multiple reasons, mainly that it meant he was probably keeping himself alive and also because he didn't think his heart could take it. He ignored the empty feeling in his chest.

The day he shoved through the door to find a pale, shaking Nico in the hospital bed, he had never felt so conflicted. The speleologist looked so sickly that immediately Will went into an internal panic, but part of him felt a wave of relief that he was here.

"Before you say anything," Nico mumbled. "I was rescuing my dog. I've at least been trying to avoid giving you a heart attack."

Will breathed out a laugh. "Gods, Nico."

"Hypothermia is not the worst that could've happened, I think." He offered Will a small smile. Will noticed his lips were blue.

He ran a hand down his face. "Is the dog okay, at least?"

Nico waved the question off. "She's fine. Apparently, fur helps keep you warm more than a soaking wet coat. Percy and Annabeth took her to the vet and she's with them. They'll probably be in here later. To lecture me, most likely."

"Well—" Will began, but Nico cut him off. "Don't you do it too," he scowled.

Will was going to argue but instead he said, numbly, "Your lips are blue."

Nico flushed. "Yeah, it's—I'm still kind of cold. But I'm okay. They gave me hot chocolate and stuff."

"Good." Will looked at the floor, feeling for the first time like an awkward resident rather than an experienced doctor. He should probably go, but…

"Will."

Will looked up, locking eyes with Nico who was biting his lip, his cheeks pink. "I don't—maybe I misread things, but— I mean— Jason and Percy, and Annabeth all said— and I kind of thought— maybe—" He inhaled sharply. "Okay. Do you maybe, want to get coffee sometime?"

And there it was. Will blinked. The room was silent as Nico awaited his response. After a few moments passed, Nico's expression darkened. "If you don't—"

"I'm transferring you to another doctor." Will blurted. Nico slammed his mouth shut, a look of hurt splashing across his face. Will quickly cut him off before he could say anything, stepping close and holding up a hand to stop him. "No—wait, listen! I'm transferring you to another doctor because doctors can't date their patients!"

Nico froze. "Date?"

Will blushed. "That's what you wanted right? Or, wait, sorry, am I assuming? I just—I'd love to get coffee, if that's what you want, it doesn't have to mean anything—"

Will was interrupted by Nico laughing, deeper and happier than he'd ever heard before. He paused midsentence, flushing. "Will," Nico grinned, reaching up to take his hand and squeezing it. "Go transfer me to another doctor. We have a date."