Nico sat cross-legged on a bed in the infirmary, fingers picking at the sheets absentmindedly. Will was outside talking to Kayla (from what he could gather, debating whether or not to ask the Romans if they had any healers to spare), and he had no idea what to do. Looking around him at all of the injured demigods, he felt like he ought to be doing something to help, but who in their right mind would want a son of Hades to try to heal them? With his luck, he'd end up accidentally dissolving someone into a pile of bones.
Gods, though. The misery in the air was palpable. Nico had always been able to sense pain and injuries, both physical and mental. It was a Hades thing, being able to know just how close people were to death. Normally he was able to push it to the back of his mind, but here, with nothing else to think about… it was starting to overwhelm him.
"Took you long enough to get here," Will Solace remarked as he strode inside, carefully shutting the door behind him. Nico started slightly, hoping against all hopes that he didn't look as nervous as he felt.
"I slept in," he muttered, focusing on the sheets in his hands instead of the blond in front of him.
"You do sleep, huh?" Will said jokingly, moving to sit on the edge of Nico's bed. "Some of the younger kids are making bets over whether you're a vampire or not."
"Please," Nico snorted. "How could they think I'm a vampire when I'm obviously a werewolf?" Will chuckled, and Nico found himself looking up to meet his eyes. Instantly, he jerked back in a mixture of concern and alarm.
"You. Look. Like. Shit."
Will sighed. "It's been a busy few days."
"Busy or no, Solace, the bags under your eyes are so big you'd think they're packing for a month-long vacation." That may have been a slight exaggeration, but honestly, Will looked horrible. His eyes had dark, bruiselike shadows under them, and were a dulled shade of their normally electric blue. His lower lip was cracked and bloody, obviously having undergone some serious biting. His skin was wan, and exhaustion was written in his every pore.
"Have you slept at all since we beat Gaea?" Nico asked as gently as he could.
"No," Will admitted. "But I really can't afford to. We're at full capacity here, and there are more wounded in a few of the cabins." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Right now, we're kind of in a lull. We've got everyone stabilized, but we still have to make rounds and make sure nothing changes. We've already lost so many…" He trailed off into silence, staring blankly at the wall behind Nico.
Nico twisted a lock of his hair thoughtfully. "I get that. You want everyone to stay safe. But Will, right now, I don't think you'd be doing anyone any good by trying to heal them."
Will let out an indignant squawk and crossed his arms across his chest, opening his mouth to say something in protest. Nico rolled his eyes and held up a hand placatingly.
"Hear me out, here, Solace. I'm no healer, but I can sense how people close people are to death. And right now, as you said, everyone in here is stable. So how about you take a power nap, and I monitor things in here? Anything changes for the worse, I wake you up right away." He fixed his eyes on Will's, trying desperately to convince him (and, if he was being honest, himself) that this was a good idea.
"But what about you? You're in here for a reason, you know."
"Yeah, but as it stands, I'll manage to survive the next few hours as long as I don't try anything shadowy."
Will took a deep breath and blew it out exaggeratedly, hunching his shoulders and letting his head fall into his hands.
"Fine," He mumbled, voice muffled by his palms. He looked up then, eyes boring into Nico's soul (that is, if he had one. Which, considering the past couple of years, Nico was only about 12% sure of) with a simultaneously pleading and stern expression that made his heart skip a beat. "Just promise me that if anything happens, you will wake me up!"
"Whatever you say, soleggiato," Nico smirked. "Seriously, though," he added softly. "I promise. Now go to bed, dumbass."
Will stood up and stretched, letting out a huge yawn as he kicked his ratty blue sneakers off. Muttering something about stubborn idiots, he walked around the bed and then sat down… directly beside Nico.
"Scoot over," he commanded slightly petulantly. "You got all of the blankets tangled."
Nico jumped out of the bed as though it'd burst into flames, which wouldn't have surprised him much considering the fact that his face was probably redder than the Phlegethon right now. Heart stuttering slightly, and hands shaking more than a little, he helped Will straighten the blankets. Sighing contentedly, the son of Apollo maneuvered himself under them, eyes fluttering shut almost instantly.
"You can sit back down, you know," Will said, eyes still closed. "I don't bite."
"Do you snore, though?" Nico asked with mock concern. Will opened the one eye that wasn't currently being smothered by a pillow and flipped him off. A crooked grin flashed across Nico's face as he gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, poised to spring off instantly if necessary.
To say that Will fell asleep instantly after that would be an understatement. He may have surpassed the speed of light with how fast he dropped into unconsciousness.
Nico exhaled, letting his head fall back until it came to rest against the wall. When Will woke up, there would undoubtedly be more to talk about, but for now, the both of them could rest.