Nico had slept in a while. Two days in fact. Two long redbull filled days. He spent lots of that time reading, and just lying in bed hoping Will would just magically appear. He kept his cabin dark in hopes of coaxing out an hour or two of shut eye, and when that didn't work he drank redbull just so he could keep moving. He got it from the Stoll brothers.
It was night three of Nico's disaster when Will did come to check up on him. He hadn't been out of his cabin, and Will was working overtime in the infirmary.
"You look so dead. More than usual I mean, you being a prince of the underworld and all." He joked. Nico just groaned, too tired to make some kind of sunshine based retort. He'd gone longer without sleep, but those days were long gone. His body wasn't used to it anymore.
"Have you slept at all? It looks like you haven't. Are you alright?" He asked. His apollo glow kept the room bright enough to see the giant bags under Nico's eyes. Whether he liked it or not, he was trapped in a state between being tired and wide awake, being asleep and dead.
"Will, I know I'm going to regret saying this but I haven't slept in three nights and two days please help me." He sighed. He didn't want to bug Will, especially when he just got off of work. But he didn't really see another option. Boyfriend Healer magic cures everything.
Will looked really happy when he dashed back into the apollo cabin in search of his strongest sleep medicine. Nico didn't try to hide how he was feeling anymore, a huge step up from weeks following the battle with Gaea. He even asked Will to help him get to sleep! Will had day dreams similar to this. They all involved kissing though...
He found it. A black bottle filled with red liquid. He hadn't had to use this one in a really long time. Mostly it was for when campers had nightmares. Will suppose that Nico's life the last three days had been a nightmare, so he took it. He ran across the green back to the Hades cabin.
Nico sat on the edge his bed with his face in his hands. He was long past the stage of tired where you cry a little bit from the corners of your eyes. He longed for another redbull, if only to get the terrible feeling in his stomach away. His head hurt, and his neck ached and everything had at least a little pain stuck deep inside it.
Will only looked at Nico for a split second before asking if he could walk.
"Why does it matter? I haven't gone anywhere for a while so I'm not sure."
"It matters because we have to do this in the infirmary or you might sleep for the next two weeks. Haven't you been out for food?" He asked pulling Nico off the bed and holding him like a little kid.
"No I'm not hungry. It's hard to be hungry sometimes." He mumbled into Will's neck.
Will's face scrunched up in disapproval. He was going to make Nico eat before he slept. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could've helped. You should have gotten me the first night you know I'll help. Why didn't you?"
"I didn't want to bother you... Will you've been working so much, and it didn't seem like something unusual until today."
Will let the conversation drop while he carried Nico to the infirmary. A catcall or two rang out when they got there, but Nico just flipped them off. He carried them to one of the smaller private rooms and set Nico down on the bed before ordering some food to be brought from the dining hall. Nico tried again to sleep but the moment his face hit the pillow his brain stirred to life. He groaned.
"Okay just eat this," Will said quietly when the food arrived. He held a square of ambrosia and a small bowl of mac n cheese, "and you can have the medicine that'll put you to sleep."
"What do you think is wrong with me?" Nico asked beginning to eat. He cut up the ambrosia into tiny pieces and was mixing them into the noodles.
"I'm pretty sure you were cursed. Whoever did it probably didn't mean any harm..." He said. The sat in silence until Nico was finished. Will the grabbed the bottle before pouring a little on a spoon and making Nico drink it.
"That should take effect in about 5 minutes." He said.
Nico suddenly reached out for his hand and pulled him into the bed. His eyes were already starting to droop and Wills warm skin made it even better. His headache slowly faded as Will traced small circles in his back.
When he thought he was asleep Will started to get out of the bed until a mumble from Nico said otherwise.
"Stare qui e mi coccola" He said wrapping his arms around Will.
"What?"
"Oh. Sorry... Stay here and cuddle me." and with that Nico was finally asleep.
