For those of you who have read my story, "I Can't Believe," this is what it was supposed to be like.
But the angst is like x1000000000000000
Sorry if I make you sad, but I hope you love/hate it :P
Don't own the characters.
If you love something, set it free, if it comes back then it's yours, if it doesn't, then it never was.
When Will is six years old, he finds a sparrow chirping weakly outside his window. It is hobbling and flapping weakly. So when Will slides up the window, it makes no move to fly away.
With the utmost gentleness, Will takes the sparrow in his hands and carefully brushes the top of its head with his index finger. He scurries to the bed and places the sparrow there. Rummaging through his closest, he finds a pile of old clothes, and adjusts them on his desk. He then transfers the sparrow to the makeshift nest, and runs downstairs, returning with a small dish of water and some seeds. It chirps in appreciation.
Over the next few days, Will nurses the sparrow back to health. He is usually dedicated for a six-year-old boy, hunting for twigs and leaves to improve its nest, bugging his mom to buy a small bonsai tree so that the sparrow can hop from its branches to regain strength.
All too soon, the sparrow is healthy again, flying in circles around Will's bedroom. It lands on Will's shoulder and pecks gently at his ear, as Will reads a picture book about birds. The sun is shining brightly today, and the sky is crystal blue, spotless. Will has his window open and fresh scent of summer is tantalizing.
The sparrow chirps and flies to the windowsill. Will looks up and slowly walks over. "You're all better now, aren't you?" he says in his squeaky voice. The sparrow chirps and flaps its wings in affirmation. Will gives it a toothy smile and gestures outside. "Then you can go be free now! And don't get hurt again, okay?"
The sparrow cheeps once more, as Will brushes its head carefully for the last time. A gentle breeze carries Will's first patient out with it, and Will puts his chin on the window, watching his friend turn aerials in the sky before disappearing from sight.
Will wishes the sparrow would come back, but of course, it doesn't.
When Will is ten years old, he befriends a girl with long chestnut locks and a timid smile. Her name is Charlotte, and she's quiet girl. Pleasant, but she keeps to herself. They are partners in a project about the Greek gods. Will has just learned that he is a demigod, so he is determined to pay special attention and to do a good job on this project.
She and Will decide to make a vase depicting the Greek gods and goddesses. When Will, clumsy little boy he is, drops some porcelain on the ground, Charlotte cuts herself picking it up. While profusely apologizing, Will takes her to the sink in the art room to clean up, Band-Aid in hand. When she rolls up her shirtsleeve, Will is surprised to see the bruises on her forearm. With all the tact of a child, he says, "What happened?"
Charlotte's face dims and she says, "Nothing." Will bandages her up and doesn't mention it again.
A week later, they are good friends, after spending hours on the project. Will has just finished painting the vase, and he and Charlotte are covered in paint. Charlotte giggles and pokes Will in the cheek with an orange finger and Will feigns outrage, retaliating with a purple tap on her nose. Soon, they are chasing each other around Will's house, and when Charlotte trips, she screams in pain when she hits the floor. Will is at her side in an instant, forehead furrowed in worry. She waves him off, although her face is pale. Will wonders why she clutched at her ribs, even though her arms took most of the impact.
It's a warm day on Will's birthday, so Will's mom shoos all the children to the backyard after the cake and presents. Will's friend, Allen, discovers Will's water guns and immediately starts a water fight. The children are all sopping wet, to the dismay of their parents, at the end of the day. After each child has been picked up, Will offers to walk Charlotte home (his mom taught him to be a gentleman). She declines, as she always does, but Will's mom tells him to give Charlotte one of his hoodies, because her sweater is still dripping.
Charlotte goes to his bedroom to change, and when she is done, Will goes inside, and he stops at the doorway in horror. The zipper of his hoodie doesn't work very well, so it hangs open. She is wearing a white T-shirt, and it has become translucent with the water. Will knows he is not supposed to stare at a girl's chest (his mom told him that when he was trying to read the words on a girl's T-shirt), but the dark bruises that show through Charlotte's T-shirt shock him.
She realizes what he is staring at and pulls the hoodie together. "Bye, Will," she says faintly, trying to manoeuvre past him. Will grabs her shoulders, then jerks away when she flinches. "Who did this to you?" he asks.
"Nobody," Charlotte says, but Will won't take no for an answer, not this time. He learns that her father regularly abuses her. She doesn't want Will to get involved, but when she shows up at his house nursing a sprained wrist three weeks later, Will refuses to let her go home.
It's a whirlwind of lawyers and social workers (Bless his mom for coordinating everything), and in the midst of it all, Will does what he does best – healing. He holds Charlotte's hand as the doctor fixes up her wrist, while asking a million questions, and is in charge of helping her exercise her wrist as it heals up.
The doctor is surprised at how quickly Charlotte heals, both physically and psychologically. Will sits in the "parent" chair innocently, swinging his legs back and forth. Will is anxious about letting Charlotte go to an orphanage or a foster home, but his mother introduces Charlotte (and him, seeing as he has taken on the role of Charlotte's doctor and protector), to a family that she met while working at the local hospital.
Their daughter had passed away from cancer two years ago, Will's mom explains, and they are planning to move to Scotland soon, but when they heard about Charlotte, they decided that they would adopt before leaving.
"I was the nurse for Lucy, their daughter," Will's mom says, "and I can say they are a very caring family and will be very good to you, Charlotte."
Will is stubbornly suspicious, but when John, the fifteen-year-old son of the family, bends down, places his hands on Will's shoulders, and looks him in the eye and says, "We'll take care of her," Will gives in with a sad smile.
Charlotte embraces him tightly, and whispers, "Thank you."
He's only ten years old, but he knows he'll never see her again.
When Will is fourteen years old, he falls in love with a brooding dark-haired demigod. Nico is a hero, no doubt, but the boy is plagued by a dark past and terrible trauma. Will knows immediately that this boy needs a dose of sunshine and is insistent in inserting himself in Nico's life.
It takes determination, persistence and a lot of "Doctor's orders" to heal a stubborn Nico, but Will is an exceptional doctor. He watches in pride as Nico slowly comes out of his shell, and is gleeful as the campers accept Nico as one of their own.
Somewhere along the way, Will falls in love with Nico.
"Gods, Will! You're so annoying," Nico grouses, as Will drags him to the lake. They sit on the grass and watch the sun come up.
"Hey, dad!" Will shouts. Nico snorts, but Will can see a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. They sit in companionable silence as the sun brightens the night, chasing away the shadows and illuminating the world in a hazy pink. Nico sighs and lies back on the grass, feigning sleep.
Will rolls over on his side and watches Nico. The boy slides open one eye and says "What?" suspiciously.
"You like watching the sun up," Will says smugly.
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"Stop being a child."
"I like watching the sunrise with you."
There's a pause.
"Yeah, I might like watching it with you too."
They're sitting at the campfire, and Will has his arm thrown casually around Nico. The shorter (and more powerful) boy has finally gotten used to people touching him and he laughs along with the others as Percy and Leo square off in a s'more-eating contest. As the night fades on, Nico begins to slump against Will and when the last embers begin to die out, Will rests his face on Nico's head, which is nestled against Will's chest.
Will thinks this is what bliss feels like.
When Jason decides to go to the Roman Camp, Nico accompanies him at Will's insistence. "You should visit Hazel and Reyna," Will says, knowing how much the two girls care about Nico.
When Nico comes back, he immediately runs to the infirmary and tells Will all about the training at the camp, the cool battle techniques and the awesome people there. Will is so proud, watching Nico describe everything by gesticulating wildly. He has come so far from the depressed, angry boy that Will first met.
As Nico makes more friends and trains harder, he spends less time at the infirmary. Will understands, knowing Nico would rather be on the sparring field any day, but it still stings a bit. Nico tries to drag Will out, but Will is hopeless with any weapon – even the bow and arrow.
"I guess I'm just not meant to be a warrior," Will groans, wiping away the sweat from his face.
Nico flops down next to him, not even a little out of breath. He laughs, and Will soaks in the sound that he knows he helped bring out. "It's alright, Solace, you're the best medic in the history of Camp Half-Blood. You can't be good at everything."
Will takes that compliment and locks it away in his heart.
The next time Nico goes to Camp Jupiter, he spends a few minutes chatting with the other campers before running to the infirmary to tell Will about his trip. It's the first time he mentions a Michael Kahale.
One day the Romans decide to visit Camp Half-Blood. Will is thrilled to see Nico greet everyone like an old friend, and is even happier when he sees that not a single person seems to be afraid of or uncomfortable around the son of Hades. Nico introduces Will to Michael Kahale, a centurion from the Roman Camp. Will likes Michael, although is a bit intimidated by the shear amount of muscle the guy has, and to be honest, his good looks. When Nico says that Michael is a son of Venus, Will can see what the love goddess must have seen in Michael's father.
He can also see what Nico sees in Michael as well.
As Nico and Michael dance on the sparring field, swords clashing and sunshine glinting off metal, there is only one word to describe it. Beautiful.
Will stands on the sidelines and watches, his heart crying out, but his face is all smiles when he cheers with the rest of the crowd.
Nico spends an even longer amount of time at the Camp Jupiter, and comes back all smiles and looking stronger than ever. Will assumes it must be due to the training. This time, Nico doesn't even come to the infirmary. He tells Will about the trip…and Michael after dinner.
And then comes the day when Nico tells Will in a slightly embarrassed, but excited voice, about how he and Michael are officially together. Will claps Nico on the back and vibrates on the balls of his feet, the perfect picture of a supportive friend.
Nico isn't nearly perceptive enough to see that Will is dying on the inside.
In another world, Will thinks, he and Nico could have been happy together. He imagines kissing Nico slowly as they snuggle by the fireplace in the Hades cabin. Warm lips chasing away nightmares and troubles. Whispered "I love you's" coupled with intertwined hands. Will decides "It might have been," are the saddest words in the human language. Staring up at the skylight in the Apollo cabin, heart thumping a steady march, lungs drawing in oxygen, Will knows he is alive. But for some reason, the constant rush of blood through his veins doesn't feel the same as the rush of excitement when Nico smiles at him, each inhale feels inferior to the moments Nico takes his breath away. He watches the stars fade as the sky lightens and thinks wryly about night and day.
Day is only with night for a brief period of time.
They don't belong together.
When Will is eighteen years old, he hears a commotion outside his cabin. He rushes outside and over to Half-Blood Hill to see a girl straggle over the border, supporting a bleeding satyr. Her eyes are a stormy grey, haunted and tired, but she shoves aside any efforts to help. Will is insistent though, and when he says "I'm the healer," she passes the satyr to him in relief.
Call it intuition, or experience, but Will knows that this girl is spiritually broken. When she is claimed by Athena, she acts elated, but Will can see that she is struggling not to collapse in on herself. He sighs as he washes his hands, brushes the bangs out of his face and gives himself a sunny smile in the mirror.
"Come help me in the infirmary, doctor's orders."
"Keep your hunters away from Camp Half-Blood." Artemis is surprised when Apollo appears beside her. She is even more shocked to see that he looks serious, making him look like an immortal, rather than an idiotic seventeen year old boy.
"Why, may I ask?"
"You are not to have them recruit a girl named Alyssa, daughter of Athena." Apollo demands, eyes blazing. Artemis is confused, and then understanding dawns on her.
"Are you in love with another girl?" she sniffs in disdain, "Because if that's the case, maybe I should have her join us before she has the unfortunate pleasure of meeting you."
Apollo slams his palm down on the table Artemis is seated at. The goddess has never seen her brother so riled up.
"No, but my son, Will, is going to fall in love with her."
Artemis looks at him quizzically. While she will admit that one redeeming quality of her brother is that he claims his children quickly, she had never seen him as a "good" father.
Apollo sighs in defeat and braces himself against the table.
"Will can fix people. He can fix anyone, no matter how broken they are. But they never stay. They never fucking stay for him." Artemis is almost sure she is hallucinating because there are tears in her brother's eyes. "His entire life is going to be one patient after another. He's going to fix the most damaged ones and never get anything in return except the satisfaction of a job well done. Please," his voice cracks. "Let this one stay for him."
Artemis is stunned into silence, seeing the raw pain in front of her. All she wants to do is say yes. And she knows that she can, after all, with the peace now, her numbers have steadied, but yet…
"I can't," she says sadly, flinching at the hurt in Apollo's eyes. "If she is destined to join, then she will eventually find her way to us." She puts a hand on Apollo's. "You, of all the gods, must know we can't tamper with fate."
Apollo pushes away from the table. "I understand," he says bitterly, "But I don't agree."
Alyssa laughs and Will smiles, enjoying the sound of her giggles, which come more frequently now. They're seated on the docks, swirling their feet in the cool water. The sun is high up in the sky and everything is beautiful. Especially her. Will sneaks a sideways glance at Alyssa and marvels at her long, midnight hair and sparkling grey eyes. Over the past year they had become very close and Will was hoping they might become a little more than just best friends.
"The hunters are here!" The message is carried down the hill and all the demigods look up, curious, as a group of silver-clad girls come over the crest. Alyssa is awed.
"Those are the hunters of Artemis, right?" She says to Will, eyes riveted on the newcomers. "Eternal maidens of the hunt?"
Will nods, a lump rising in his throat. He can easily picture Alyssa in a silver ski jacket, armed with wickedly long knives, and laughing with the other girls. He knows she would make a great huntress. And the thought kills him.
She jumps up and the wind catches a few stray strands of her hair, whipping it in the air around her head. She has never looked so glorious, and unattainable. "Let's go talk to them."
"You go ahead," Will says, forcing a smile. "I should get back to the infirmary soon."
"Alright, see you later, Will!"
Will turns his head back and watches the sun sparkle off the water. He wipes away the tears in his eyes. Forces himself to breathe, just breathe, and ignore the fact that his heart is shattering. He sits there for a small eternity, carefully piecing himself together. It's no small task, but he's had practice.
Everyone at Camp Half-Blood agrees that Will is the best at healing.
He's even better at breaking his own heart though.
I have been told that if you repeat a word over and over it loses its meaning.
I have stayed up countless nights repeating your name, hoping that you will mean less to me with each breath.
I hope you liked reading it :) This was the most depressing thing I've ever written, and for some reason, I think unrequited love is almost sadder than death - hence why "I Can't Believe" was my cop-out for the angst here. Reviews would be appreciated!