Will's POV

It was almost 3:00 AM when Will was woken by an intense heat emitting from the body next to him. He rolled over to look at Nico, who was still asleep, though his sleep was restless. His face was flushed and beaded with sweat, and his breathing was labored. Will hesitantly reached out and rested his hand on Nico's forehead, and immediately knew everything. His heart rate and blood pressure were elevated, and his temperature was 102.2. "Nico, honey," Will whispered, "wake up. You have a fever."

Nico stirred, his dark brown eyes fluttering open. "Will…donfeelgd…"

Will smiled softly. Even when Nico was sick he found him absolutely adorable. "I know, baby. Just stay here. I'll get you some nectar and ambrosia. You'll feel better in no time." Will silently slid from the bed and alighted on the cold hardwood floor. Silently, he made his way down the hall to Percy's room, where the son of Poseidon was sleeping fitfully. Gently, Will reached out and touched his shoulder. All of a sudden, there was a sword at his throat, and Will was staring straight into Percy's blazing eyes, only inches away from him. "Percy!" Will hissed, barely restraining himself from shouting. "It's me! Will!"

It took a moment, but soon Percy's face fell and he lowered Riptide, tears filling his green eyes. "Will! Oh gods I'm sorry! I thought…"

"It's fine, Perc. Really. Listen, Nico's sick. Do you have any nectar or ambrosia?"

Percy still seemed a bit shaken up but when he heard Nico was sick he took action. "Nico's sick? Yeah I think I have some… here." He opened a bag he used at camp and pulled out a crumpled plastic baggie of ambrosia and a canteen of nectar.

"Thank you, Percy. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Percy shook his head. "I'm already up. Might as well help you out."

The two boys tiptoed back to the guest room, where Nico had already fallen back to sleep. Will settled himself next to him on the bed, checking his temperature again with a careful hand. Nico woke up as Will was lifting him, propping him up with a pile of pillows. "Are you comfortable, baby?"

Nico gave a small smile. "I love you," he mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too," Will responded, breaking off a small chunk of ambrosia and holding it to Nico's lips. It took Nico a moment to realize he was supposed to eat it. The son of Hades chewed the ambrosia slowly, thoughtfully before swallowing, and then staring at Will, confused.

"Whawas that for?"

Will chuckled. The fever combined with waking up at this ungodly hour had made Nico confused and groggy. "You're sick. Can you drink some nectar for me?"

Nico took the offered canteen, taking a small sip. He grinned. "It tastes… My mom used to make this dessert… Lemon Ricotta Granita. It took all day to make but it was always worth it. She taught me how… I'll make it for you sometime." He took another sip. "I miss my momma…" Tears welled up in his glassy eye but he did nothing to acknowledge them. Color began returning to his face like a blush, but it didn't return to his eye. It stayed as cold as the stones his father ruled over. Will wished that there was some potion to heal Nico's soul as well as his body.

"Percy?" His boyfriend glanced up at the older boy. "It's like 3:00 AM…you should go back to sleep." Percy shook his head, his shaggy black hair falling into his eyes.

"I don't want to leave you two…"

"Percy, we're fine. You should get some sleep." Will put a hand on Percy's shoulder, only to find it lightly trembling under his touch. "Perce?"

Percy stared adamantly at his bare feet and threaded a hand through his hair. "I…I worry about you, okay?" The sea god's son finally looked up, and Will was shocked to see tears shining in his softly green eyes. "Nico, you never eat—like, ever—you barely sleep, you still have panic attacks all of the fucking time, you don't smile or laugh or anything, and now you're sick!" And suddenly he whirled to face Will. "And you. Yes, you; Will, when was the last time you went outside or got a full night's sleep? You can't keep doing this!"

Will gave a shuddering sigh. "I know. I keep telling myself that if I keep acting like this I can't take care of him. But when Nico's unhappy I just can't be happy." He turned towards Nico. "I love you, Nico. Seeing you like this… it's killing me. I know it's not your fault, but… this is hard for me too. I just want to help you get better and sometimes I have no idea what to do and it's just really scary."

Nico took Will's hands, and he got this look in this eye that seemed less like the fragile, scared boy, and more like…almost a god; infinitely wise and powerful.

"Will, I don't think anyone knows what to do with me. Honestly, I don't even know what to do with myself sometimes. But, and this really weird to say to my boyfriend, you aren't my dad. It isn't your job to fix me. You're my boyfriend, and what I need from you is love and support. That would be enough." Nico pulled Will in to a warm, gentle hug that somehow smelled like baked strawberries and worn leather.

Percy cleared his throat. "Okay I'm gonna break up this chick flick before I cry. You guys want to watch a cheesy Disney movie or what?"

"Nico hasn't seen Tangled yet, which I think is a crime." Nico smiled into Will's shoulder.

"I'd like that."