So I know it's well past Christmas, but this idea wouldn't stop bothering me until I wrote it down. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: the PJO and HOO books belong to the wonderful Rick Riordan and unfortunately not to me.

Sunshine Wrapping Paper

For the first time in his life, Nico didn't know what he had done wrong. Every other time he had screwed something up, he knew (or at least thought he knew) exactly where he had gone wrong and could try to find a way to fix the situation. But this time it was different.

He was always doing something wrong. It was just who he was. The stupid son of Hades, he thought bitterly.

After the end of the Giant war, Nico thought he had found a few friends; Lou Ellen, Cecil, Jason... Will. But it was winter now. Jason was at camp Jupiter, Cecil was with his mom for Christmas and Lou Ellen was too busy perfecting a spell to transport the campers more easily between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood with the other Hecate kids to leave her cabin for anything other than food. And Will... Will was ignoring him. That was what hurt the most. Will who had been one of his first true friends at Camp Half-Blood. Will, who had stood by him and told him that he cared. Will, who he... Nico shook his head. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he didn't belong.

Nico had been terrified of this happening again. It had happened once after the Titan war. For a few short months he had felt accepted, appreciated. But eventually that wore off and he was back to being the creepy son of Hades. He had thought this time would be different. He had Will and Jason, and he was slowly repairing his relationship with Percy.

It wasn't fair.

The young camper sat on a log in the forest. A light smattering of snow covered the grassy floor, turning the whole world white. Although, Nico thought pushing himself higher on the log, it was entirely possible some of the larger white flecks where left over dandruff from the giants that had trampled though these woods. There was a very good reason few campers came out here anymore, other than to play capture the flag. He tried not to think about it too much.

Nico shivered and tucked his knees into his chest. Despite the cover, Nico knew he stood out against the blinding snow in this dark shirt and jeans and new aviator jacket Will had bought him a few weeks ago. He smiled at the memory.

It was the first snow fall of the year and he'd been visiting Will in the infirmary for his daily check-up (doctor's orders). Will seemed impressed by his improvement and complemented Nico's returning colour, and not so sunken eyes. Nico blushed at his words and Will smiled at the sight. Nico opened his mouth to say something when a Hermes kid stumbled through the door, clutching his bleeding arm to his chest. Will immediately switched into doctor mode and left Nico's side to tend to the boy. He sat the boy down and began bandaging his arm. Nico loved watching Will work. The way he would purse his lips and furrow his brow in concentration. The way he never asked questions only fixed you up and told you to be more careful next time. He cared about every one of his patients, helping and healing them. Nico had tried to help on occasion, but many of the campers had been rather apprehensive about being treated by the son of the god of the underworld, so Nico had just left it to Will and only helped out when he was really needed.

Nico stood to leave, but the creaking the hospital bed made as he stood attracted the attention of the blonde doctor who swivelled around to face Nico, still holding the boy's bloodied arm, his mouth parted in a small 'o'. When he saw Nico rising to leave the surprise fell from his face, only to be replaced with a small frown.

Nico hated when Will frowned. It wasn't a common occurrence and looked out of place on Will's normally happy face. It made the younger boy want to reach out and smooth the crease between his eyes, or say something funny or stupid just to see the way Will's eyes lit up when he smiled that little smile he reserved just for Nico. He pushed the thought away as he felt the blood rush to his cheeks and he desperately hoped Will wouldn't notice. If the young doctor did, however, he made no mention of it, for which Nico was grateful.

"Nico, wait." Will called, standing up from his kneeling position in front of the injured kid. He must have forgotten he was holding onto the boy's arm as when he stood he took the bloody appendage which him. The kid let out a cry of pain. Will's eyes widened and he turned back to the boy, apologising profusely and checking to see if he had done any more damage. The sight made Nico have to repress a smile. That was what he loved about Will the most. Nico almost choked when he realized the thought that had jumped to his mind. He didn't... he couldn't... Will was just a friend, he told himself fervently.

Will finished bandaging the boy up and with a friendly pat on the back, sent him on his way. He picked up a sanitary towel to wipe the blood off his hands and turned back to Nico.

"Over there." Will pointed to one of the cabinets next to Nico's regular bed. (Yes, his bed. Nico came often enough that Will had put black sheets and a blanket with a winking skull on it as a joke. But Nico had thought it was sweet. Not that he'd ever admit it.) Nico followed Will's hand to where he was pointing and frowned, confused. What about the cupboard?

Will rolled his eyes. "Open it." He said

Nico felt himself blush once again, (seriously, he never seemed to blush except around Will) and bent over to open the cupboard door. Inside was a lumpy, hastily wrapped present, covered in wrapping paper with many smiling yellow suns covering its surface.

He pulled it out and turned to face Will. The Doctor was standing there, his hands clean of blood, with one rubbing base of his neck. "Sorry about the wrapping paper. The Stoll brothers stole all the Christmas themed ones to wrap the Ares cabin in. This was all they had left."

Nico stood there, stunned into silence. "You bought me a present?" He asked. He couldn't remember the last time someone other than his father (who didn't really count in this instance) had given him a gift simply because they wanted to. Not since Bianca anyway.

Will smiled and fondly rolled his eyes. "Of course I did, Death Boy. It's for Christmas." He rolled onto the balls of his feet and looked excitedly from Nico to the present and back again.

Nico felt the skeletal butterflies rising in his stomach, but he quickly squashed them down. "Don't call me that." He said, but the words lacked any of their usual annoyance. The only thing that ran through his head was that Will had brought him a present. "And you know Christmas isn't for another few weeks."

Will huffed, stormed over and shoved the colourfully, but poorly, wrapped present closer to Nico's chest. "Just open it will you?" There was something in this voice that Nico couldn't quite pin point. Nervousness maybe?

Nico sat back down on his bead and stared at the present in his hands. He felt the bed dip next to him and his heart sped up as Will took a seat beside him. An eager look passed the blonde doctor's face. Nico carefully undid the wrapping (much to Will's visible frustration), making sure not to rip any of the sun's smiling faces, and pulled the paper back.

Inside was an aviator jacket, similar to the one he had to get rid of after fighting Lycaon, but yet it had something distinctly Will about it.

"So..." The young doctor in question prompted anxiously. "What do you think?"

Nico picked up the jacket and admired it for a moment before slipping it on. It was warmer than his last one and decidedly more comfortable. "Thank you." Nico said and a small smile escaped his lips. "It's great."

Will responded with his own dazzling smile, the kind that lit up the room and the reason for his 'sunshine' nickname, and threw his arms around him. Nico's breathing hitched and he felt his heart thumping so hard in his chest he was sure Will could feel it too. Tentatively, he wrapped his own arms around the taller boy's waist, to which Will responded by pulling Nico closer. Nico thought his heart would burst from his chest when Will pulled back, the grand smile still etched on this face.

Nico's own expression must have betrayed his shocked emotion as Will laughed. "I was going to wait until Christmas, but I figured with the weather getting colder, you'd need something to keep you warm."

"Doctor's orders?"
Will laughed again. "Doctor's orders." He repeated. Then a sly grin spread itself over Will's tanned face. He looked Nico up and down. "Plus, it doesn't look half bad on you Death Boy."

Nico felt his cheeks grow warm and he punched Will lightly in the arm. "Shut up, Sunshine."

That had been one of the best days of Nico's life. But then, only a bit less than a week ago, Will had stopped talking to him and wouldn't even look in his direction. Nico didn't want to admit it, but it hurt, perhaps more than any injury he had received in the Giant war. The son of Hades sighed and picked at the sleeve of his aviator jacket. He could barely even look at the piece of clothing without his mind jumping immediately to Will and the way his smile could light up an entire room.

Nico pulled a small package from inside his jacket pocket. It was neatly wrapped (a task that had taken him far too long and far too much paper to accomplish) in simple silver wrapping paper. It would be Christmas in a few days and he had planned on handing the gift to Will then. In fact, he had planned out the entire scene in his head:

It would be snowing and Nico would walk confidently into the infirmary and see Will sitting on a bed, reading his medical textbook (or sometimes he was rearranging the supplies in the medicine cabinet). He would great the doctor with a simple 'Merry Christmas', and Will would spin around in that ridiculously cute way he does, his mouth opened in surprise before transforming into a wide grin when he saw it was Nico standing there. Nico would hand him the present. They would hug and then go watch the fireworks together. It would have been perfect. But now...

Nico stood and slipped the parcel back into the pocket of his aviator jacket. He didn't belong here. For a few months he had allowed himself to hope that maybe he could find a home for himself here. But he should have left before he had the chance to get hurt again. He fingered the present in his pocket and made a decision. He would leave the present in the infirmary and then go. Nico didn't stand on goodbyes, but his heart broke at the thought of never seeing Will smiling face, even one more time. Still, this would have to be enough. He exited the forest, avoiding as many campers as possible and ignoring the ones who did see him (he wasn't quite strong enough to shadow travel yet) and managed to step unnoticed into the infirmary. He quickly glanced around the room but found it empty. The observation left him with mixed feelings of relief and crushing sadness, and in his current mindset, Nico couldn't tell which was worse.

He made his way over to his bed and ran his fingers along the dark fabric. He reached into his pocket once again and was about to pull out Will's present, when a voice caused him to freeze.

"What are you doing here Nico?" Will asked and Nico looked up. The young doctor's voice was not angry but rather filled with sorrow and disappointment. The sound broke Nico's heart even further and he felt in crumbling in his chest. He didn't realize how much he had missed the son of Apollo until now.

Every day since the Giant war had been filled up with Will. Will's smiles, his laughs and just the sunshine he had brought to Nico's life. But seeing the blonde doctor standing there, his muscular yet gentle arms crossed over his chest, made Nico realize how alone he had really been over the past few days. And just how lonely he would be if he left Camp Half Blood once again.

He had to at least try and fix this. And if he couldn't, then he'd leave. He told himself resolutely.

Nico took a step towards Will, only to be stopped by the taller boy's icy stare. "Will-"

"I asked you what you're doing here Nico." Will interrupted. Nico repressed a shudder at the way Will said his name. It lacked any of the usual warmth or affection and left Nico feeling dead inside. Well, more so than usual.

"I, I, I..." Nico stuttered, unsure of what to say or how to fix the rift he had unknowingly created between them.

Will sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, if you're not injured. I have other patients to deal with. There's been a flu outbreak in the Hypnos Cabin that is going to take forever to treat. So if you'll excuse me." Will grabbed his med pack out of one of the cupboards and turned to leave.

"Will, wait. Please." Nico begged desperately. He could feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them away, refusing to cry. "Just tell me what I did wrong."

Will's shoulder's slumped and as he turned back to face Nico a look of utter exhaustion passed his face. He crossed over to Nico's bed, sat down and patted the spot beside him, pointedly not looking in the younger boy's direction. Nico obediently sat down next to him. Not as close as he would have liked, but far enough away to give Will the space he thought he needed.

They both sat there for what seemed to Nico to be far too long, before Will spoke. "Do you remember last week's game of capture the flag?" Will looked at him and Nico nodded in confirmation. He had teamed up with the Apollo cabin on the blue team, but he couldn't recall which team had won. Had their team lost and that was why Will was angry at him? No. Will wasn't as shallow as that. There had to be another reason. "Well, do you also remember when I was fighting Johnny and you...?" Will trailed off, but Nico remembered exactly what the blonde doctor was talking about.

Nico had been fighting beside Will when Johnny, a hot headed Ares kid, had run up to Will from behind. Will hadn't seen him coming, but Nico had. Too stunned to do much else, Nico had lunged for Will, pulled him into his arms and dissolved into the shadows, just as the spear thrust into the place they had stood moments before.

They had emerged just outside the infirmary, effectively disqualifying them from the game. That was the last thing Nico remembered before waking up three days later in his bed in the infirmary. Will had been missing, and he had been too embarrassed to stick around. He had known it was too soon for him to be shadow travelling, but had done it all the same, So he had slipped out of the infirmary in shame.

"I know you told me not to shadow travel." Nico said, hanging his head in shame. "But I thought you were in trouble. I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't think. You don't understand Nico," Will interrupted again and turned his hurt gaze of the younger boy. "When you collapsed, I tried carrying you into the infirmary, but you started fading." He stared down at his hands in distain. "I couldn't touch you. My hands just kept going though you like you weren't even there. If it weren't for Gleeson Hedge and Grover, I would have lost you." Will's voice cracked on the last few words and Nico's heart both sank and rose simultaneously. It was not the most comfortable feeling. On the one hand, Will didn't hate him. But on the other, he hated himself instead for making Will feel that way. "And then you just disappeared. For a second I thought..." Will shook his head, unable to continue.

"I'm sorry." Nico whispered. "I didn't know."

A mixture of emotions played across Will's face, before one of sadness and longing planted itself there to stay.

"I know." Will said.

Nico, unsure of what to say next, but wanting to keep the doctor there a bit longer, pulled out the slightly squished present out of his pocket and pressed it into Will's hands. The blonde boy met his gaze, his eyes wide and his mouth parted in the little 'o' of surprise that Nico loved so much.

"I was going to give you this on Christmas, but this seems a good a time as any." Nico said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Will looked down at the gift and unceremoniously ripped of the perfectly wrapped silver paper. He pulled out the object inside and held it up. Nico waited in anticipation, watching to see Will's reaction.

In his hands was a stygian steel cuff bracelet with a small sun and skull etched into the surface.

"Did you make this?" Will asked frowning. Nico nodded. Hazel had helped his find the metal but he had spent days forming it and carving in the intricately designed sun and skull.

His heart sank as he took in Will's frown. He didn't like it. Nico opened his mouth to tell him that he didn't have to wear it. That he would find him something else, when a choked laugh left Will's lips.

The taller boy pulled Nico into a bone crushing hug, but let him go before Nico even had a chance to react. "I always knew you were a big softy at heart, Death Boy." Will said affectionately.

"You like it?" Nico asked, confused but internally elated at Will's reaction.

Will smiled his thousand kilowatt smile and Nico felt his heart reconstructing itself piece by piece. "Of course I like it. I love it." He said, putting the bracelet on his wrist. The dark metal looked strangely out of place against Will's tanned skin and brightly coloured clothing. But Nico smiled at the sight all the same.

"So you're not angry at me anymore?"

"I was never angry at you Nico." Will told him, placing a hand on his shoulder and sending that small smile he reserved only for the particular son of Hades. "I was just scared was all. Just don't do it again alright?"

Will pulled Nico into another hug and the younger boy returned it, doing nothing to stop the resurrected, skeletal butterflies from fluttering around his stomach.

"I promise." Nico said. He buried his head into the crook of Will's shoulder and smiled.