To Rip Your Mask Off

by L. Monster

After being exposed to Covid, Nico goes to get tested. He is treated by a male nurse with the most gorgeous eyes Nico's ever seen. As the weeks go by, Nico starts coming up with increasingly creative (desperate) excuses to visit the Delphi Family Clinic, hoping to get a good look at his handsome nurse. Only problem is - William A. Solace NEVER takes his mask off!

2. Chapter 2

To Rip Your Mask Off

WILL SOLACE

Dear Diary,

I'm not even sure where to begin. First of all, hey there! Long time no see. Sorry about the long absence. Ever since starting at the Clinic I've barely had any time to myself. I know it's been months, quite literally – six months since my last entry, whoah. Aagh, not going back to that now. Anyway, yeah! I'm back, and as you can probably tell, I'm nervous. I've been assigned to Covid-testing area No. 3, which happens to be right outside the clinic, which is good news for me, bad news for the clinic, but oh well, they'll probably come up with something, just in case we all get sick the first day. Anyway, I'm nervous. Lou Ellen says it'll be good for me, you know, going back to being in the front line of defense, help saving lives and all, and she's got a point I think. She also was the one who suggested I returned to keeping a diary, to deal with my anxiety and everything. But. But, but. Oh well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Love,

Will, the chill

Will closed his laptop and fell back on his bed, closing his eyes as he tried to relax, if momentarily, into his pillows. Alas, nerves were set to keep him up what looked like the rest of the night. He stood up with a groan and began to iron his scrubs.

"Yo, Will," came a voice from the door. Will looked up and saw his half-brother Austin leaning on the doorframe. "I'm going out for a bit – do you need anything?" he asked.

"Yes," said Will, pulling a face. "I need you to stay home."

Austin chuckled. "I'm wearing a mask, you big drama queen, just going out for a walk and maybe I'll drop by the bodega, contactless service window," he raised his arms as if feigning innocence. "Promise."

"Whatever, if you get sick, or mugged, don't come find me," replied Will, returning his attention to his ironing.

"If I get sick or mugged, you'll be the first I'll come looking for, dear brother," said Austin with a laugh as he headed out the door.

"Half-brother!" Will yelled, and wasn't sure if Austin had heard him.

Austin had moved in with Will only a few months ago, and they'd been doing alright, considering they'd been cooped up for a while due to quarantine. Now, Austin had started taking walks at night, which was code for I'm gonna go sleep with my girlfriend for a little bit. They'd discussed this, and as long as she was doing quarantine, Will was sort of okay with it. Austin had always had an active lifestyle, as a triathlete, he had found quarantine almost intolerable, and his work had been affected as well. In a way, Will was lucky he could still go to work, not just because they needed to pay rent – which he did for both of them at the moment, but because it kept him from going insane.

Of all the freaky things that had happened in his life, Covid right at the top, and it kept him from sleeping more often than not. He still remembered the nightmare weeks they'd had at the clinic when cases had spiked out of control. Those had been the worst weeks of his life, almost. Fortunately, the clinic had set up a Covid-response area in the adjacent building, and Will had been allocated back to the family clinic. Until last week, when their manager had informed them of the joint decision to rotate the nursing staff between the clinic and the response area.

It wasn't Covid what made him nervous, per se. He wouldn't talk about it much, except with maybe a few of his closest ones, but Will had an ill-rooted fear of death ever since seeing it firsthand – and he had transferred to nursing, just like that. And as much as it felt like it had been another life, the memories were everywhere, each time he looked in a mirror, each time he put on his scrubs, which he kept meticulously clean. Every time he talked to his Dad, who kept treating him like the most fragile glass figurine.

Will's phone made a sound like a harp had been strung from low to high signaling an incoming message. And speak of the devil.

New message from Dad

How are you doing Sunshine?

New message from Dad

Ready for tomorrow?

New message from Dad

Wish you all the luck in the world, I know you'll do great!

New message from Dad

Say hi to Auntie Artie for me! Call me tomorrow

New message from Dad

No, I'll call you

New message from Dad

Love you!

Will didn't reply, he rolled his eyes in an endearing way and put his phone back on his dresser to charge, not even surprised his dad was still up at this time.

"Seriously, Dad. I'm not a child anymore," he said, hanging his freshly-ironed scrubs on the back of the door, ready to slip into them first thing in the morning. He checked his watch. 2:38 am

Great, looks like I'm about to pull an all-nighter again, he thought to himself.

Looking for things to do, he dragged his feet into the kitchen and began setting up the coffee-maker for the morning, picking out the biggest coffee tumbler he could find and washing it twice before placing it down next to the coffee-maker.

He checked his watch again. 2:42 am

Will groaned, rubbing his eyes with the meaty parts of his palms. He wouldn't go get his phone, going through his social media would only depress him. All his friends were either getting married or having children. He hated being reminded of how handsome he was, and how they'd totally be able to set him up on a date with someone amazing. He'd tried that before, and had failed miserably.

No, Will didn't need a reminder of how single he was at the moment. He glared at the tiny blackboard that hung by the fridge – a cruel little joke of Austin's.

Days since Austin got laid – 4

Days since Will got laid – 633

Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. He knew those little numbers would be updated first thing in the morning, when Austin returned from his walk.

So, what if it had been a while? Most people didn't get laid on a weekly basis – hell, with quarantine, most people didn't get laid ever. Unless they were one of those reckless nymphomaniacs who still went on Tinder dates – they had some of them at the clinic from time to time, if not positive for Covid, definitely positive for STDs.

Will put on his rubber gloves and took out his cleaning supplies, ready to give the kitchen a thorough scrub. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well make good use of his time awake. But as he stepped forward, spray gun in hand, sponge in another, he took in the pristine countertops and realized he'd already gone through his pre-bedtime kitchen scrub. Sighing in frustration, he put everything back in its place, took out a Yoohoo and threw himself on the sofa.

"Might as well give this a try," he said, pulling out his copy of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and flipped it open to the first page. It had been a gift from his friend Cecil, who had highly recommended it, but Will had always had a hard time reading past the first page. He figured, if he was still awake after an hour or so, he would try jerking off. "Here goes nothing," he said, focusing on the letters, and promptly falling asleep.

He woke up to a tugging sensation on his left foot.

"Yo, Will? Uh, I don't know what time you had to leave but –"

"What?" Will asked, his voice hoarse with sleep.

"It's seven, dude."

Will's eyes widened like saucers and he jumped up.

"Seven?" he yelled shrilly and ran into his bedroom, peeling off his shirt and pants as he went and promptly tripping over his feet. "I'm late!"

"You don't say," said Austin ironically, scribbling on the blackboard.

Days since Austin got laid – 0

Days since Will got laid – 634

Will was out of his room in fifteen seconds, half-dressed in his scrubs, backpack hanging off one shoulder. Austin handed him his coffee tumbler as Will literally tumbled past him.

"Thanks, and stop it with that board!" he yelled, grabbing for his keys.

"Will, mask!" Austin reminded him, and Will did almost pirouetted backwards, reaching for a fresh mask from the box they kept by the door.

"Thanks!" he repeated, running out the door, his hair a rat's nest, his shoelaces untied.

"You'll get laid one day, promise! Cupid's bound to shoot your sorry, ugly mug one of these days!" yelled Austin, just as Will shut the door.

Will rode his bicycle like a horse on fire, slashing through the streets with the velocity of an arrow, stopping only at the two red lights and to help a senior lady cross the street, because Will. He arrived at the Delphi Family Clinic at a quarter past seven, cutting his commute time so short he set a new record. Unfortunately, this also marked a new record on tardiness.

Cupid's bound to shoot your sorry, ugly mug one of these days, was all Will could think of on his ride to the clinic.

"I do not have an ugly mug," he hissed as he parked his bike.

"You are late!" Lou Ellen hissed at him from behind the reception desk, just as Will whooshed past her and ran into the changing room. He self-checked his temperature and scribbled it down on a sheet that hung by the door as he punched in his card.

"Don't even," he threatened, as Lou Ellen peeked into the room, her index finger lifted in preparation to admonition. "I haven't even brushed my teeth, let alone had my coffee – just, give me a minute." With that, he opened his locker and pulled out toothbrush and toothpaste, and ran into the bathroom.

Lou Ellen followed him, her arms crossed over her chest, and leaned against the doorframe.

"Yikes, you look like hell. You don't have to be so nervous, you know? You totally aced the training, you fool. Besides, Pete's just told me how it all went for him yesterday, easy breezy. Most people are taking at-home tests now, the ones that show up for an actual test are the few idiots who don't read the website properly, or the really paranoid who think testing in person is somehow safer," she rolled her eyes.

Will glared at her through the mirror, his N-95 Mask on his forehead, his mouth frothing with toothpaste foam like a rabid dog.

"'M nnt nvsh," he mumbled.

"Of course you are," snorted Lou Ellen, understanding him through a mouthful of foam. "Like I can't read you, William Solace. You were up half the night cleaning your kitchen, ironing your clothes, and you fell asleep on the sofa, and Austin woke you up like, twenty minutes ago, am I right? Plus, you do look like schist," she said with a satisfied grin.

Will glared at her as he rinsed, then stuck out his tongue at her.

"Don't you start, William. You wanna know how deep my understanding of you runs? I bet Austin only woke you up because he just got in. You're lucky your brother is sexually active, otherwise you'd still be late today and you already have one warning."

"Half-brother," said Will as he rinsed.

"Whatever, you seriously need to get yourself out there. I mean, not literally, cause covid. But my cousin Julio met this wonderful guy on Grindr and –"

"I am not going on Grindr," Will spat, a little outraged.

"I'm just saying," Lou Ellen began, dragging out her words as if explaining something to a ten-year-old. "You're easy on the eye, usually I mean, you do look terrible today. Hey, a bunch of us are doing a Zoom party tonight, I'll send you the link if you want."

"No thanks," Will said.

"Suit yourself, but get on with it, Sunshine," she said as she walked back to the reception desk. "They're waiting for you in the parking lot. Just, live through today okay? One day at a time. And you better start glowing your glow, there's like 500 appointments for Covid tests this morning and nobody likes a grumpy nurse. And you're with Octavian today," she said as she exited the bathroom.

"Not Octavian," Will groaned.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Will took in his red-rimmed eyes, his windswept hair. He took a deep breath and began talking to himself, pointing an accusatory finger at his reflection. "You're going to be fine. You will save lives today. Or bring solace to people who are probably a lot more scared than you. Solace! Bring in the Solace!" he said to the Will looking back at him through the looking glass. He gave himself two thumbs up and exited the bathroom, trying not to think about Grindr.

No matter what, no matter what. Have a good day today, Will, he told himself under his breath as he walked out into the parking lot.

Octavian was the nickname the nurses had for the head of the nursing staff, Nurse Octavio – a scrawny, ill-tempered man with icy blonde hair and cold blue eyes in his mid-thirties who seemed to dislike all forms of life. The entire team of nurses were at a complete loss for how he had ended up as head of staff, but were ultimately bound to his will. As head of the nursing staff, it was his prerogative that mattered, and his wishes were their commands, very much like the Roman emperor after whom he had been nicknamed. Will disliked him well enough, but Lou Ellen loathed him.

Without waiting for instructions as to how to proceed, Will headed straight for the parking area where about two dozen makeshift tents had been erected.

A few cars were parked on the far end, where nurses wearing green scrubs and face masks were busy running back and forth, carrying samples or holding clipboards. To his left, a single row of individually-sized tents lined the edge of the parking lot.

Will spotted Octavian at the far end, holding a large clipboard and barking orders to the nurses around, who promptly retreated and ran off with a sprint as if they couldn't get away from him any faster.

"Solace," said the head nurse. He had a slightly pitchy voice, a little nasal and somehow always managed to sound sarcastic. "Glad you decided to join us."

Will kept himself from rolling his eyes with difficulty.

"My apologies," he said as he reached for the schedule that hung on the frame of the nurses' main tent, signing his name and checking his watch to scribble in the time. "Am I going to be personally in charge of a specific area, or are we rotating?"

"Rotating," Octavian yawned, as if he couldn't care less. "We have several appointments driving in soon, they'll be parking into the back end over there. We're looking to get them swabbed and dispatched within the ten-minute mark. If they don't present any symptoms, we will send their results in by email. If they do present symptoms, we are to take them into those tents – " Octavian pointed towards the line of little tents. "Until results are out. If they test positive, we'll take them into the adjacent building for observation."

Will followed each word with rapt attention, taking mental notes and even scribbling a few in his newly acquired clipboard.

"Take to adjacent –" he began to mumble as he wrote, only to be stopped by a hand over his clipboard. Octavian was looking at him with cruel amusement.

"Oh, you will not be taking any patients into the building today," he said, his smile doing nothing to make him look any less frightening. "Since you decided to join us in late, I'm afraid all patient-related positions have been filled. We got in a bunch of nurses and medical volunteers from New Rome Public Hospital bright and early this morning. I'm afraid all we've got left for you is," he checked his clipboard, although his eyes weren't moving. "Samples."

"Samples?" Will asked incredulously.

"Yep, you'll be running the samples for us. And by that, I mean, you'll be collecting samples from here, and taking them into the lab. Then you'll come back here, and take some more back into the lab. Now, here are your special googles. And your special gloves. And your beeper. See those little numbers there? Well, when you see them appear on the screen, you scurry over to the numbered stations, take the samples from the nurses, and carry them off into the lab. I'm afraid it'll be a rather tiresome day for you today. I do hope you're wearing comfy shoes. Anyway, enjoy, and remember, we are there because we care, chop-chop!" and with that, Octavian turned away from Will and walked towards a line of cars that were honking incessantly to be let into the parking lot.

Will stood there, his mouth wide open underneath his N-95, the objects on his clipboard almost toppling over as his arm went slightly slack.

Great. Just great! Amazingly-effing-fantastic! he thought to himself. He wished he'd taken an extra gulp of coffee.

It wasn't that Will wasn't used to taking samples to and from the lab, heck, under any other circumstances he'd appreciate the opportunity to get his steps in. But he knew this to be personal. Octavian had never appreciated Will's popularity with the rest of the nursing staff, the doctors, especially with the patients. It was like he envied Will's warm disposition. And although there were those who claimed that he and Octavian looked somewhat alike, their personalities couldn't have been more different.

Where Will was understanding and gentle, Octavian was quick-tempered and sarcastic. Where Will tended to make time for the most difficult of patients, Octavian delegated. Where Will masked his concerns, where he swallowed his negative feelings, Octavian exploded at the drop of a hat. It was not too difficult to understand Will's popularity over that of Octavian's, yet the head nurse had always taken it as a personal affront and seemed to strive to make Will's life more difficult.

Will took a deep breath and shook his head, as if trying to shake off his negative thoughts before starting his shift.

None of that, William, he said to himself. There are samples to be picked and delivered, maybe even a patient or two at the end of the day.

And with that, Will put on his protective equipment, planted a smile on mask-clad face and headed off to the nearest station, consoled by the fact that other than Octavian, everybody liked him.

"Will, thank God! These need to be taken to the lab, thanks sweetie!"

"Will, you're a doll, these go straight into the lab, thanks a lot!"

"Yo Will, these are freshly swabbed samples, could you be a lamb and take them over to the lab? Thanks!"

Will had to suffer through an entire morning of about twenty-seven nurses patiently explaining to him that samples needed to go into the lab before they all got the message that Will already knew what had to be done with the samples. He appreciated the appreciation nonetheless, and he could have sworn he caught a few strands of conversation here and there as to what a waste it was to keep his people skills at bay, having him run samples instead on such a busy morning, as well as a few whispered Octavians every other quarter of an hour. The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. He only tripped twice, and broke no vials.

All the while, he kept repeating to himself the same old mantra.

Everything I need is within me

Everything I need is within me

Everything I need is within me

After about a hundred affirmations, he caught himself veering from the original.

Everything I need is coffee

Everything I need is lunch

Everything I need is to smack Octavian across the face with a dead fish

It wasn't until past noon when the actual miracle happened.

As he rushed back out the parking lot with a batch of freshly cleansed vials and disinfected equipment, Will heard a commotion coming from the line of parked cars closest to the main nurses' tent. As he drew closer, he discerned a figure flat on his ass directly under the front of a large van with a stenciled dragon on its side.

For a second, Will thought a person had been hit and promptly rushed to help, when he realized it was Octavian, and he was wailing on the floor.

"You've run me over!" he screeched as he pointed a finger at the driver, who'd perched himself out the driver's window.

"Hey man, you okay?" said the driver, with a slight Hispanic accent.

"Okay?!" Octavian hissed venomously. "You've run me over with your stupid van! I'm a medical attendant here!"

The driver scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, just as Will joined in the spectators, most of who were actually medical staff, and none of who approached Octavian to help.

"Sorry man, but I think you just fell. I would have known if Festus here had hit you," he said, lovingly patting the side of his door as if he'd been riding his favorite steed instead of driving a van that clearly delivered groceries.

"You hit me! There are witnesses!" yelled Octavian, looking around the staff surrounding him for support. Nobody moved a muscle.

The driver got out of his car, his mask misplaced, a Styrofoam cup of steaming coffee on his hand. He approached Octavian who was still spray-eagled on the floor and tsked as he shook his head.

"Nah, man. You fell. Tripped over your shoelaces, see? They're untied," he pointed at Octavian's shoes. "Here, let me help you up," the man said, offering Octavian a hand.

"Get away from me!" yelled the head nurse, looking outraged. He stood up with difficulty and promptly tripped over his untied shoelaces, heading headfirst into the stranger's steaming Styrofoam cup.

"Whoah!" said the man, failing to keep the cup from spilling its contents all over the head nurse's front.

"AAAGH!" yelled Octavian, and even Will had to squint away from the sight.

Yeah, that's gotta hurt, he thought, wishing he could have at least gotten a sip of the piping coffee before the man had gone and wasted it all over Octavian.

"Nurse Octavio!" exclaimed a few of the nurses who approached Octavian with caution, reaching out to steady him on his feet. By then, a few of the nurses had started giggling under their breaths.

"I'm hurt!" he wailed, leaning on a nurse as if he'd really been run over by a truck. "Take me to the emergency room!"

The nurses who were holding on to him exchanged cautious glances, but proceeded to help him into the building.

"This isn't over!" Octavian yelled to no one in particular, but Will caught Octavian's stink eye directly pointed at himself, as if it all had been Will's fault.

"You have a good morning!" yelled the man with the van as Octavian disappeared into the building. "Leo's Club is open weekends, and we deliver!" he yelled, getting back into his van.

Will shook his head disbelievingly, trying hard not to laugh, but then realized nobody would be able to see him through his mask, and allowed himself the tiniest of smirks.

"Will," said one of the nurses to his right. "We've a double appointment driving in soon, Octavian was supposed to take over, but with that and Betty and Yolanda gone, we could really use a hand, you up for it?"

Will almost dropped his tray.

"Y-yeah!" he stammered. "Where should I go?"

The male nurse pointed to parking space 27, just ahead of where they stood, and Will didn't need telling twice.

He rushed over and had barely had time to explain the situation to nurse Mallory, who had seen the commotion from a distance, when a black SUV drove into their assigned parking space. The medical attendant who'd let them into the parking lot lifted up two fingers, and Will would have mistaken it for a victory sign had he not been drilled about it two days prior.

Two patients, one vehicle, he mentally recited.

"Really? What idiots," Mallory exclaimed. "Ready, Will?"

Will took a deep breath.

"I got the form," he answered, lifting up his clipboard and looking sharp.

When he approached the vehicle, Will almost did a double take. The driver was wearing a full scuba-diving wetsuit, complete with mask and gloves. In the back sat a second person wearing a motorcycle helmet and tightly wrapped in a blanket like a burrito.

Will checked his clipboard just to make sure the pair had driven in the right place and not some weird mid-quarantine post-punk Comicon.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Dee Angel?" he said unsurely, half hoping they'd driven to the wrong place.

The man in the front seat assured him they were driving in for Covid tests and Will promptly directed him out of the car to Mallory's station.

Which left him alone with Motorcycle helmet in the back seat, who didn't seem to have moved a muscle since they parked.

Mr. Di Angelo, Will practiced mentally. He hated it when people got names wrong.

He got no response from the man under the helmet.

"Mr. Di Angelo?" he pronounced carefully. No response.

Maybe he's dead? he wondered, trying to keep himself from getting ahead of himself. He can't be dead, if he were dead, he wouldn't be able to hold himself up. He'd topple over like a puppet.

"Mr. Di Angelo, I'm gonna need you to remove your helmet," he said, hoping he'd mustered enough authority in his voice. No response.

He tried to get the man's attention a few times, but soon enough figured he'd need a more frontal approach.

All I need is within me. Now, take of that darn helmet Di Angelo, and let me swab you already so I can go get my coffee or so help me god!

"Mr. Di Angelo, I'm going to remove your helmet, please stay still," Will spoke gently, and, placing his hands on either sides of the helmet, he tugged upwards.

A mess of longish black hair cascaded down the man's face.

Will held his breath.

No, please. Don't. Don't. Don't be hot. Just, don't.

Will took in what he could from the man's face, currently scrunched up in complain as the sun hit him directly over his face. Will held a hand over the man's face in order to shield his eyes from the sunlight.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" he heard himself asking, a part of him hoping he wouldn't. And as Mr. Di Angelo obliged, an apparition of disheveled beauty glanced back at him through deep, coffee-brown eyes.

Schist, exclaimed Will to himself. He is hot, goshdarnit!

No, William!

We do not have the hots for hot patients!

Now, help the crazy man out of this car and take his Covid swab already!

All I need is coffee.

With difficulty, Will managed to focus on his work at hand. He went into nurse-mode and began to gather up enough information to fill up his chart. As he pointed his thermometer to check his temperature, the man flinched back looking scared. Will smiled.

Cute, he thought, then quickly chastised himself when he realized the man was running a fever.

"Oh boy," he said, realizing the man presented symptoms. With as much calm as he could muster, so as to not to alarm the patient, Will offered his arm to lead him into the separated tents, just until results came out.

The patient was clearly too out of it as he complained of being absolutely fine, but Will practically pulled him out of the car nonetheless, half-carrying him across the parking lot towards the individual tents.

As they walked, Will felt an outrageous amount of heat emanating from the man's body.

He must be in so much pain, he thought, finding it unnecessary to ask the patient directly and wondering how scared the man might be. He'd be terrified had it been him instead.

Their shadows stretched before them as they walked, and Will couldn't help but noticing how much they resembled an embracing couple, walking down in each other's arms. He shook his head and promptly let the patient into the tent.

Will wondered if he should call for a stretcher instead, but decided the man could sit up on his own, he didn't look like he'd pass out any moment.

The patient mumbled a few words as Will zipped the tent back up. He thought he might have caught a few words but decided not to linger too long. Instead, Will ran towards the equipment station and filled up a tray with the necessary supplies.

"Hey," said Mallory, who had just walked into the tent to gather his own supplies. "How's your patient? Mine's fine, a bit of a weirdo but overall looks good."

"Mine's got symptoms," said Will hurriedly, dropping a few sealed swabs and picking them up thinking five seconds' rule.

"Shit," said the other nurse. "I'll let the lab know, go."

Will nodded and ran back towards the only sealed tent in the row. When he unzipped the front of the tent, the patient looked up despondently, and Will suddenly had the urge to wrap him up in a blanket.

"Hello," said the man in an extremely raspy voice that made Will flinch. He could just imagine how raw and swollen his larynx must be.

Don't worry, I'll be quick and then you can drink some water. Hell, I'll go make you a hot tea if I have to. Just HANG ON.

As Will explained the swabbing and testing procedure, he noticed the patient's eyes went in and out of focus, staring at Will, then down at the ground, then back up again, as if his neck couldn't take the weight of his own head. Will wondered if he shouldn't have called in for a stretcher after all.

With the cotton swab at the ready, Will found it necessary to cup the man's face and tilt it upwards as Nico di Angelo opened his mouth. He had to remind himself that he'd done this a thousand times before, and never once had he considered it an intimate gesture.

Nico di Angelo, Will conjured up from memory. Sounds foreign.

Italian?

Yes, that's definitely Italian

What's he even wearing?

Mind your own business, William

He's got good teeth

Pierced ears, no earrings

Sort of gothy

Never dated a goth before

W-wait, who said anything about dating?

Damn, his throat really is quite raw

His mouth is much too dry

But those lips

I bet he's a great kisser

Are goths usually gay?

Hang on, Nico. I'm on it! I'm almost done!

Almost done!

"Done," he said as he sealed the swab into a bag and conjured up a bottle of water, uncapping it for his handsome patient, who looked as if Will were offering him an ingot of gold. He downed half of the bottle in one gulp and Will's eyes drank in the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Cute, Will thought once again.

"Thanks," said Nico di Angelo, his voice a thousand times smoother.

"My pleasure, Nico," Will replied, and promptly realized he'd become much too familiar with this attractive patient. Oh, no.

Will could feel his face start to grow hot. He was a blusher and he knew it. He wouldn't be embarrassing himself in front of this patient, not if it killed him! With that in mind, Will stumbled about the little tent collecting the supplies and setting the sample on the tray before practically escaping and literally running the samples to the lab.

Just what was he thinking?

Sure, the guy was cute but.

But nothing, that was all there was to it, right?

With any luck, the guy wouldn't have Covid, and he'd be on his way home never to set foot on the clinic again, and Will wouldn't have to think about asking him out.

He was asked to wait for the results and deliver them in person, as the patient was currently in one of the tents in his very own quarantine space.

Will wondered how Nico di Angelo had gotten exposed.

He wondered how he looked without a fever.

He wondered how he danced, if he even danced.

He wondered what kind of food he liked to eat and if he could cook.

He wondered if he wouldn't mind giving Will his phone number so they could maybe meet up for coffee or something.

A part of him even thought up a familiar-looking blackboard, wiped clean.

Will shook his head and realized how stupid he sounded, even if just to himself.

Austin's baiting blackboard and Lou Elllen's comments from that morning must have suddenly gotten to him. Of course he wouldn't be seeing this man ever again, what would be the point of getting too invested anyway. So long as he didn't die on his watch, Will Solace was perfectly indifferent to Nico di Angelo.

Dear Diary,

He kissed me. He kissed me. He kissed me x repeat ten thousand times

brb

Will stepped away from his computer and began pacing in his room, still finding it hard to sit down for longer than a minute or two. He'd only just returned home after a torturous 18-hour shift and he was in deep need of a hot shower and sleep.

But he simply couldn't get the events of the previous day out of his mind.

When his patient's results had returned negative, Will had been so relieved, so happy for him that he practically ran back into the tent and began to tear the damn thing down with his own bare hands, which was all well within protocol, but his enthusiasm had been bordering on madness.

And as he knelt in front of Nico di Angelo to reassure him that no, he was not going to die, a fact that seem to surprise him more than relieve him, the feverish patient had placed his hands on Will's face and smashed their mouths together.

Sure, Will had been wearing a mask, but the action sent his heart racing at record speed.

He walked out to the kitchen and opened the fridge to peek inside, not looking for anything in particular. A previously opened bottle of white wine winked at him from the door shelf. Absent-mindedly, Will made a grab for it, uncorking it with his mouth and taking a small swig as he walked around the little kitchen island.

"Surely it didn't mean anything," he said to himself. "I mean. Right?" he took another sip and gesticulated around, as if he were having a serious discussion with someone else in the room.

"I mean, he did say he loved me," he said with a conspiratorial smile, then shook his head. "And then you said Thank you like a downright idiot, William!" he took another swig of wine.

"But what if it meant something?

What if he meant for me to get the message?

How do gays even communicate nowadays anyway?

I could ask someone," and an image of his very hip, very social father popped into his mind, making Will shiver up and down.

"Not him. But," he said, raising a finger as if he'd just had a brilliant idea. "I could ask Nico directly, right? I could get his number, from somewhere, and hope I don't come off stalker-y? I'd probably be able to access his info from the database," he murmured, walking back into his bedroom, bottle at hand.

He sat down and pulled his chair up closer to the desk.

Welcome to the Delphi Family Clinic Official Site

Staff LOGIN

Username: SOLACEWA384-88

Password: anakinlovespadmeforever

Access Database

You are trying to enter a restricted database. Please, double-check your staff number (username) and enter access passcode.

Username: SOLACEWA384-88

Access passcode:

As the text bar blinked, waiting for Will to enter his access code, he shook his head and promptly closed the website, taking another swig of wine.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself, pushing away from the desk and rolling his chair back until it hit his bed. He turned, kicked off his shoes, and set his feet on his bed.

"You are not a stalker!" he told himself angrily. "And it probably meant nothing! He was running a fever, he'd just been told he didn't have Covid, and there you go, trying to take advantage of the guy, just what a stand-up guy you've turned out to be, William," he said.

"But he was so cute," he half murmured, arguing back.

He took another swig of wine and realized the bottle was getting emptier by the second. With a shrug, he took off his shirt and headed for the bathroom, bottle at hand.

And as he looked at himself in the mirror, his sun-kissed skin, toned muscles, tousled hair, perfect teeth, he realized he could totally get a guy like Nico di Angelo if he wanted to.

Right?

Right?

"Right?" he said out loud, flexing his biceps and almost snorting at how ridiculous he found himself. Maybe the wine was starting to get to his head a little bit?

He finished stripping down and blushed as he caught a glimpse of his naked lower-half in the mirror.

"Stop it," he said and promptly jumped into the shower, hoping the hot water could relax him into submission and he could fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon, and not wake up until after a good 14 hours or so of dreamless sleep.

And as he jerked off under the hot spray, which he had begun to do automatically without even realizing he'd been pumping himself, he came with the thought of Nico di Angelo's bobbing Adam's apple, and the way Will had gently tilted his chin up in order to swab the inside of his mouth.

Half an hour later, still damp from his shower and a little drunk, Will sat back down in front of his computer.

Okay, so, I should explain. I was having a lousy morning because of course I was late, of course I was. Then Octavian, who you know. That sucked. Then… then the craziest thing happened. THIS HOT GUY came into the testing area wearing a motorcycle helmet, and no, he did not come in riding a motorcycle, so you get the picture, and he was so gorgeous and so, so out of it. Luckily, he tested negative. But then I gave him the news and…

and…

and…

and then he kissed me… I mean, I was wearing a mask but still. You know what? I am pretty sure he was just so relieved he wasn't dying that he just went for it. It probably didn't mean anything, right? His name is Nico di Angelo, and I'm think he's Italian. That's about all I know about him. He kissed me, said he loved me, I said thank you, he said you're welcome. For a second there, I thought he had meant it, I mean, I probably shouldn't have done it, and I'm only admitting it here because these entries are password-protected, but I did sort of, kind of, squeeze his knee after that. I mean, I gave him a good, hard, completely innocent squeeze, it's not like I was trying to pry his legs open or anything! Even though I was kind of kneeling between them.

I assure you, dear diary, my intentions were pure. I merely tried to convey a message, you know?

Like, hey! I'm single! Let's GO OUT FOR COFFEE!

And I swear, I had been about to ask him, but then he said something about avocados, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head so fast I thought he was a goner. Turns out he was seriously dehydrated and I'd failed to notice.

I mean, what kind of a doctor would I have been, seriously? So, instead of asking him out, I gave him an IV. I know, smooth, right?

Then he was gone.

I'll probably never see him again. But it was nice, to be honest.

I mean, being kissed like that.

Life returned to normal, if you could call Covid-times 'normal', faster than Will had anticipated. He mentally berated himself a few times a day for thinking that life could continue in this new, exciting path after the sharp turn it had taken that fateful morning. The only good thing that had occurred over the last few days was that management had made the decision to close down Testing Area 3, effectively ending Delphi Family Clinic's frontal assault on Covid testing.

Not that Will had hated it, he had, after all, tended to one whole patient that day.

But it did make more sense to keep their small clinic to tend to non-Covid-related cases. They'd been able to afford the luxury, as New Rome Hospital had recently absorbed the adjacent part of the clinic, and turning all their efforts to testing, treatment and in future, vaccination.

The downside of it had been the immediate return to normalcy – the bureaucracy, the hierarchy, the same old bullshit of being a privately-owned clinic.

That and constantly sharing shifts with Lou Ellen.

He'd also come across a few misplaced items across the clinic, and more disturbingly – a few missing items. Will made a point to consult with the other nurses during their weekly meeting, but as usual, it would probably come down to hastily-taken inventory. More often than not, this was the case. That's what had prompted him to take over the task over the past few weeks, as opposed to reception work, which he'd originally favored. Reception had been thusly delegated to the second most capable nurse at the clinic – Lou Ellen herself. A decision that sometimes ailed him like a chronic illness.

"I'm telling you, William, Zoom is how people meet each other nowadays," she said as she munched on a Madeleine.

Will rolled his eyes and returned to his current task – taking inventory of the nursing station. It was the second morning of his shift and he was not exactly in the mood for Lou Ellen's constant efforts to recruit him into the world of virtual socializing.

"Not interested," he replied automatically. "Hey, did New Rome come in to borrow meds recently?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

Will nodded gravely. "No reason, go on?"

"Zoom," she added helpfully.

"Oh, yeah. No. That's a big, round no from me."

"But Will," she whined. "I know you'd like it, I know it! Plus, there's loads of people you know, like, there's Paul from HR, nurse Mallory, Gomez, there's Cecil, even Cecil's there!"

Will raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you sound excited about that? I thought you hated him."

Lou Ellen waved him off as if it weren't important, but Will noticed how she went for another Madeleine and practically stuffed it into her mouth.

"I don't get why you're so insistent," Will said. "You've never been more invested in my social life. I suspect you of ulterior motives, Nurse Blackstone."

Lou Ellen raised her palms in innocence.

"Same old, same old," she admitted. "It's already such a waste you're gay."

Will looked at her as if she had slapped him.

"Excuse me?" he stammered, but smiled as Lou Ellen's playful grin. She did this sometimes, trying to get under his skin for a little bit, which never failed to have the exact opposite effect on him and always ended up amusing him instead.

"We've been talking about you, actually," she said.

"We? Who's 'we'?"

"Cecil and I," Lou Ellen replied innocently.

"Figures."

"We decided, well, there isn't much we can do with quarantine and all. I mean, Cecil wanted to kidnap you and trust me, if times were different, you'd be in the trunk of his car right now, and then we'd go cruising somewhere."

"Cruising? Cecil? Please," Will snorted.

"But as one would have it, we can't. So, next best thing – Zoom. We wanna set you up on a Zoom date."

Finally, the cat is out of the bag, Will thought. Here it goes.

"I don't need you to set me up," he said, and it felt like they'd had this conversation at least a hundred times, and with increasing frequency as of late. "On a zoom date, of all things."

"Listen, listen," she said standing up and taking away his clipboard in order to gather his undivided attention. "We've got the cutest guy, seriously. I've met him, well, we've Zoomed. He's perfect for you."

Will rolled his eyes and the image of Nico di Angelo popped into his mind.

"Lou Ellen, I'm really –"

"Shh, hear me out," she said, cupping her palm over Will's mask. "He's also a nurse, he works just next door at New Rome Hospital. Ex-marine, sounds like a total badass but he's a bit dorky actually, kind of like you."

"Thank you?" Will mumbled underneath Lou Ellen's hand.

"Sure, so. He's real cute, he's got gorgeous blonde hair, ties it up in one of those man buns you know? Not too muscular, you know, lean and strong. Also kinda like you. Apparently he just got out of a relationship – he's not looking for anything serious from what I hear. His ex is genderfluid, so we know he's into ehm, trying new things? And he's funny, Will! He's goofy-funny! So, there! Perfect!"

"How is that perfect for me?"

Lou Ellen removed her hand and gave him a long look from head to foot as if she'd been scanning him.

"You need to get laid, sir," she declared, as if she'd been diagnosing him.

"Lou Ellen!" Will hissed, looking around to see if they were alone.

"Oh, stop it. Just, humor me this once and I promise, promise, promise I won't ever, ever, ever again –"

"I'm seeing someone!" Will spat out, making Lou Ellen stop talking as if she'd been struck by lightning. "Sort of."

She stood silent for a moment, then her eyes narrowed. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!" Will insisted, turning away just in case he blushed. He blushed when he lied, that's why he so very rarely told a lie.

Lou Ellen crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's his name?"

"Not telling you that," Will replied quickly. "It's new. I don't want you meddling."

"What does he do?"

"Not telling you that either."

"What's his favorite color?"

"Black," Will said without missing a beat.

"Favorite author?"

"Don't know that yet."

"Favorite music?"

"… rock, uh goth?"

"Rock-goth? Is that a thing?" she asked suspiciously

"Yes," Will replied confidently, bluffing like a master.

Lou Ellen's eyes narrowed to two tiny inhuman slits as if Will were glowing before her.

"Don't you mean, you know, metal?" she asked, half-exasperatedly.

"Uh, yeah, that too," Will added. Duh, of course, metal! What a dork I am, God help me. "How do you even know that?" he asked, surprised.

Lou Ellen shrugged, "I don't wanna go into details, but my mom sort of plays in a metal band. Dark stuff, trust me, you don't wanna hear about that, and don't change the subject!"

Will had never met Lou Ellen's mom, he just knew she'd had her as a teenager, but he was indeed glad for the digression.

"Well, there you go," he said, as if that was all that needed to explain.

"I'm not buying it, but I'm out of Madeleines and I gotta get back to reception. You –" she pointed a finger directly at Will's chest, "are not walking out of this one so easily. This conversation isn't over." And with that, she turned on her heels and walked back into the hall.

Will waited until he heard Lou Ellen's chair behind the reception desk creak and sighed, his shoulders slouching forward.

Sort of seeing someone? What, in dreams? Will said to himself, slapping his own forehead.

Funny thing was, after all this time, he still couldn't seem to get his fevered-up patient out of his mind. Sometimes, he even had imaginary conversations with him in his head, picturing them both sitting face-to-face sharing a blueberry muffin and sipping on their coffees.

So, how was your day?

It was fine.

Will, you look exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to take a raincheck?

No, trust me, I need this.

I kind of need this too, I've had a couple of horrible days at work. And I really wanted to see you.

You've missed me that much, di Angelo?

Yeah… you see right through me, don't you?

It's not hard to.

Ha-ha

How do you like the muffin?

It's great! I love blueberries.

Me too!

Hey, um, Will? Actually, I wondered if you wanted to, I don't know, maybe come over? There's this pretty awesome documentary about (insert something here) on Netflix and I've been wanting to check it out for a while.

Oh? Come over? You mean, to your house?

Y-yeah, I mean, if you're not doing anything.

N-no, I mean, yes, I mean. No, I'm not doing anything, yes, let's go watch that documentary on (insert something here), I've also totally been looking forward to it!

Will, when you smile like that – I just want to –

Yes, Nico?

Will shook his head and realized he'd been smiling stupidly. Daydreaming at work, of all things. What was he, some shoujo-manga character? He rolled his eyes at himself and quickly returned to counting things.

A few minutes later he was typing in a few numbers into the computer, taking a sip of coffee from his giant tumbler when the sound of a familiar voice shook him so violently he spat some coffee onto the computer screen.

"Name?" asked Lou Ellen in full bad-nurse mode.

"Nico di Angelo," said the voice, and Will almost fell out of his chair.

What? No, it can't be! Will thought, frowning at his tumbler as if to see if Austin hadn't pranked him and poured in some Kahlua like that one time.

Lou Ellen's voice began to grow shrill – always a bad sign. Will could hear Nico retorting something about a physical. But Will had never seen him before he came to get tested, so maybe…?

Surely not, he couldn't possibly have come to see him.

Get that idea out of your head, William!

Lou Ellen's voice threatened to reach stratospheric new levels of shrillness, but, oh God! Was he even ready for this?

He'd been fantasizing about him for days now.

Weeks!

Surely it had been at least a month?

He'd been about to pull up his calendar when he thought he heard his name, and impulsivity got the best out of him.

"Did someone say my name?" Will said, leaning heavily on the chair's adjustable back and peeking out from behind the door.

There he was, and Will was not ready for this.

Nico di Angelo stood behind the reception desk, so Will could only see him from the waist up. He was wearing an Aviator jacket, black t-shirt with some band logo, and his hair, gosh his hair – he looked like he'd actually ridden a motorcycle here, but at just the right speed so his hair looked playfully rustled – a few strands fell over the side of his face, currently brandishing a ridiculously attractive scowl. And then… Will couldn't see his pants, but not from lack of trying. He'd leaned back to such an angle that the chair promptly gave way and he landed on his back.

Oh my God, do you think he saw that? he asked himself.

Yes, you idiot! he replied to himself, as Lou Ellen offered him a hand and berated him at the same time.

He knew he was blushing, he just knew it – thank God he was wearing a mask!

As he stood up, he vaguely heard Lou Ellen's explanation, but he couldn't just bring himself to look over at Nico.

"Mr. Di Angelo, is everything okay?" he asked, glad he hadn't blurted out his first name or God forbid – called him muffin or sweetie or something. He nodded gravely as he pretended to take in what his colleague was saying while mentally picturing Nico and himself sharing a blueberry muffin.

"Lou Ellen, can I speak to you for a second?" Will interrupted her, not having heard a word she was saying. He unceremoniously pulled her into the nurses' station by the arm as if she were nothing but a rag doll. He knew he'd pay for that later but he didn't care.

"Will, just what the hell –"

"He's the guy from my day at the testing station!" he hissed.

Lou Ellen did a double take. "The Ozzy Osbourne guy?"

"Yes!" he said, with a lot more enthusiasm than he'd originally wanted to let out. "Ehm, I mean. Sure."

"The dude with symptoms?" she asked, glancing out the door.

"The dude with the flu, yes. He came negative, remember?" he felt like he needed to emphasize the fact.

Lou Ellen chewed the inside of her cheek. "Says he's here for a physical." She peeked out the door and Will mirrored her. Nico di Angelo stood there, rumpling his hair and looking shifty. "I don't trust him," she added for good measure.

Will raised his eyebrow – Nico di Angelo looked nothing short of sexy, just standing there, looking as though he were about to buy some drugs. The thought surprised him, mostly because he felt a little turned on.

"I'll handle him," he said decisively, taking a deep breath.

"No, you won't! He needs to provide a lot of documentation, he needs to go through me, I am doing reception duty today, you're doing inventory, we're not switching again, you –"

"I'll do the Zoom thing!" Will cut in, stopping his colleague mid-sentence.

"Y-you will?" she blinked.

"Yeah, just, lay off for a bit. Take a break. I'll cover for you. There's this awesome place around the block that sells great muffins, they might even have Madeleines. My treat, how's that?" he said, trying to flash her a smile until he realized he was still wearing a mask.

"But what about your rock-goth dude?" she asked suspiciously.

Will could have cursed, but shrugged instead.

"Like I said, it's still new."

Lou Ellen stuck out her arm, palm up. Will placed a five-dollar bill on her hand.

She frowned and coughed.

Will placed another five-dollar bill on her palm, and with a wink, she was off.

"I'll text you the access link later!" she said before she went out the back door.

Will ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before coming out to the reception desk and standing face-to-face with Nico di Angelo.

Heaven above, he was even more gorgeous than Will remembered.

As he approached him, Will smiled his wonder-boy smile and began to explain to him the procedure, giving him a form and checking his temperature. Nico flinched as Will pointed the thermometer at his forehead.

Cute. Cute! Goshdarnit, cute!

As Will began to type in a few details and checked that the rest of his online form was in order, he realized Nico di Angelo had one of the best type of private insurances around – the type they seldom saw at the clinic. He recognized the policy name and the insurance company.

Pluto Securities, Full Elysium Coverage

Will almost whistled in surprise. He guessed Nico di Angelo could wake up one day and decide he wanted a full sex-change and the insurance would cover it entirely.

He sure hoped it wouldn't come to that, he liked Nico just the way he was.

He explained to Nico how lucky he had been, they weren't usually taking many appointments for full physicals – but Will had a suspicion that the system had recognized his type of insurance and gave him the green light just like that.

And if Nico had been lucky, Will could have doubled that, easily.

Because Nico di Angelo had come back.

And he was standing right in front of him, in all his dark glory.

He'd make a point to ask him about music.

And get a phone number.

He'd definitely get his phone number!

He wouldn't let him leave otherwise!

All I need is a phone number!

All I need is a phone number!

And when the computer automatically redirected Nico's name onto the empty slot directly underneath Doctor D's name, Will walked around the reception desk and guided Nico into the doctor's office.

"I'll see you when you get out, good luck," he said, opening the door for him and hoping Doctor D was in one of his good moods.

As soon as the door closed behind Nico, Will pulled out his phone.

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Will clicked on the picture she had sent him – four muffins.

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Yum?

Will couldn't bring himself to reply, he just rolled his eyes and was about to put his phone back in his pocket when it buzzed in his palm.

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Will clicked on the picture – it was a long haired blonde guy wearing the purple scrubs of New Rome Hospital. He'd been caught mid-smile, his eyes looking past the camera into the face of whoever took the picture.

He was handsome in his own right, but

But he's not Nico, he thought.

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Yum?

Will put his phone back in his pocket and began pacing up and down the hall.

After a few minutes, Will heard Dr. D's characteristic bark and practically threw himself into his office.

"Go run some tests for Mr. Di Angelo here," Dr. D said.

"Yes, Doctor," Will replied, motioning to Nico to follow him.

They walked silently down the hall, elbows touching once or twice, making Will jump every time. When they reached the nurses' station, Will motioned for Nico to sit down.

Here is what Will learned of Nico di Angelo in their early interactions:

He liked having his blood drawn.

He possibly enjoyed getting tested for Covid.

He listened to metal, but also enjoyed classical music.

He was a music producer.

He was strangely fixated on Ozzy Osbourne, after all.

He even recommended a couple of bands for Will to give a try. He knew he would do so with religious fervor.

Alas, no phone number.

After the routine checks, Will took Nico to the technician's lab, where a series of utterly unnecessary tests had been automatically scheduled by Dr. D. He figured the Clinic was all out for blood this morning, quite literally speaking.

"Wait, you're not coming with?" Nico asked, as he walked into the lab and noticed Will had stayed behind.

"Don't worry," Will replied. You'll be in good hands. Charlie Beckendorf is one of the best technicians we have. He'll make you feel right at home."

Nico didn't look very amused by the idea, and Will had a hard time not getting his hopes up that his disappointment was somehow related to not being attended by Will.

To be perfectly honest, Will felt a bit disappointed too. He hadn't learned nearly enough about Nico di Angelo as he'd hoped, and as he returned to the nurses' station and collected Nico's urine sample to be taken to the lab, he wondered if he should have insisted on being present at Beckendorf's lab. It wasn't unheard of – some patients were skittish about CAT scans, for example. And he'd been about to turn around when he heard an extremely familiar voice call his name from one of the offices he'd just walked past.

"Will!" said the musical voice of his father. "I was hoping I'd bump into you!"

Will froze mid-step, his eyes widening. As he turned, he took in the figure of his father – impeccably tanned, disturbingly handsome, unnervingly affectionate.

"Dad?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

His dad shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't a guy just pop in to visit his beloved family?" he said as he pulled Will into a hug, almost making him drop the tray.

"Dad, dad! Watch it, this is a urine sample!" Will cried, pulling back carefully.

"Oh," his dad said. "Ew."

"Will, could you please show your father out? Our meeting is adjourned," came another voice – a female one, from the office. His aunt, his father's twin sister spoke from behind her desk without looking up from her laptop.

"Come on, sis! I've only just got here!" Will's dad complained, turning to him as if he were being bullied.

"Wait, how did you get in here, Dad? I didn't see you come in," Will frowned.

"Your delinquent father climbed up my window," said his aunt, sounding exasperated but resigned.

"What? Dad!"

Will's dad shrugged innocently, then suddenly tackled him into another hug, careful to avoid the tray he was holding.

"I've missed you! I feel like I don't see you often enough. Won't you take off that mask, William? I want to see your face!"

Will moved aside to avoid his father ripping his mask off.

"Dad, it's Clinic regulations, and where is your mask?" Will asked with a frown.

His dad smiled broadly. "I'm so glad you asked," he said, and pulled out a mask from the back pocket of his too-tight jeans. When he put it on, Will wished he hadn't asked. It featured a pattern of lush, red lips on a skin-toned backdrop.

"Oh, gosh," Will said, feeling mortified.

My family is beyond embarrassing, he thought, looking towards his Aunt for help, but she merely shrugged in a matter that was so reminiscent of his own father that he had to look away.

"Well?" his dad asked, his voice a little muffled by the mask.

"I – I," Will stammered, completely at loss for words.

"That's exactly the reaction I was going for!" he said triumphantly.

Will sighed and shook his head, but couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"How you ever managed to sire children, I'll never know," Will offered, making his father chuckle. Funnily enough, Will knew his father was also a successful womanizer.

"Are you coming to my gig next week?" his dad asked, taking off his mask and flashing him a winning smile.

"What? You're having a gig? Dad! We're in quarantine!" Will was outraged.

"Zoom gig!" his dad retorted, sounding extremely proud.

"Not you, too!"

"Your Aunt is coming," his dad said.

"No, I'm not," his aunt replied from her office.

Will's dad chuckled and mouthed the words she is so only Will could see.

"I'll, I'll think about it. Now, will you please go? I am in the middle of my shift," he said as he began to walk away from his father.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Bye, sis!" said his father, waving a hand in his twin's direction. Will's aunt waved a hand dismissively, but Will distinctly saw her glance up, as if she couldn't stop herself from taking one last look at her ridiculous baby brother.

Once they had reached the reception area, Will's dad took in a serious look – the way he did when he was about to drop in something serious. It unnerved Will every time.

"Listen, Will. I heard you've been having a hard time recently. Don't ask me from whom, I'm not giving up my sources. Just tell me – is that Octavian guy still messing with you? I'd be happy to drop in a line to the board, you now I'm in good terms with –"

"Dad, stop," Will cut in. They'd been over this a thousand times.

'Being in good terms with the board' was putting it mildly. Will was aware of the reach of his family's arms, a fact he chose to disclose to absolutely no one in particular. If Octavian ever found out, well, Will couldn't even imagine the scandal he'd create. The truth was that his father and aunt's trust fund had originally bought parts of a medical corporation that later split into quite a few privately funded clinics – the Delphi Family Clinic included. In other words…

Yes, his family pretty much owned the clinic. But that had not been the reason Will had chosen to work here.

He shook his head, he was not about to get into that while he held a tray containing a urine sample, regardless of how inhumanly sexy the source was.

"I'm fine, really. It's all good. Octavian, everyone is really nice. I like it here, please don't go through any trouble for me," he said.

"Will," his dad put his hands on Will's shoulders and gave him that look. That same look he'd give him ever since Will had given up his dream of becoming a doctor. As if he were something fragile and precious and precariously delicate. "I worry about you. I mean, I worry about all of you, but you, ah, well," his voice took a conspiratorial tone. "You are my favorite."

"Dad!" Will snorted.

"It's true!" he replied, patting Will on the back. "I'm gonna head out now, I need to rehearse my speech, but remember. Anything you need, okay? Anything. Dad is here for you. Dad is always here for you."

Will rolled his eyes and smiled. "I know."

"Good," his dad said, putting on his mask and offering him a shameless wink. "See you around, Sunshine."

Will waved goodbye as his dad exited the clinic, enjoying a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest.

Then he realized he should have dropped the sample ages ago and ran to the lab.

"Your friend Beckendorf is a downright sadist," Nico said as he met up with Will outside the technician's lab.

Wil laughed. "What did he do to you?"

Nico shivered. "That machine made the most horrible sounds, and I should know, I did post-production for the Noise Act band Tartarus's third album A Nyx of Torturing Telkhines and the Scythe of Kronos."

"I don't know what any of that means," Will admitted with a chuckle.

Nico laughed next to him as they walked down the hall, and Will wondered if he'd ever heard a more pleasant sound than Nico's snort.

"Not important. So, what's next?"

"Well," Will began as he checked his clipboard. "You've done all the tests on the list, now it's only a matter of waiting for the results."

"Cool, how long do we have? I mean, how long will they take?" Nico asked as they returned to the nurses' station.

"Most of them won't be out for a few days, but your scans should be up in a few minutes. You can wait here if you'd like, unless you wanted to go to the waiting area?"

"No," Nico said quickly. "Here's fine."

Will smiled and took a seat next to Nico as the latter plopped back down on the stool he'd originally occupied when Will had drawn his blood.

"So," Nico said.

"So," Will added. They sat there in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.

Hey, I was wondering, if you don't have anything to do, maybe we could go get a cup of coffee after your results are out? Or maybe, I don't know, you could give me your phone number? Or your Zoom ID? Skype ID? Can I friend you on Facebook?

At some point, Will was sure they were about to discuss the infamous kiss and I love you from last time, and his scalp began to tingle with anticipation.

"So, Solace," Nico suddenly spoke, almost making Will jump.

"Will," he said. "Only the doctors call me Solace. Will is fine."

"O-okay, Will. Um, are you originally from here or –"

"Texas," Will replied hastily. "But I never liked it there. I lived with my mom, then moved up here when I started university. And I spent quite a lot of summers in Long Island, my dad started this summer camp there when he was younger and my siblings and I always gathered up there. Guess that place feels a lot more like home than Texas ever did."

"Long Island? No kidding! I used to go up there myself for hikes with my Dad. He's a bit of a nature freak. Well, specifically rock formations, but yeah. Nature."

Will raised an eyebrow. "That's weird," he said, then shut his mouth and mentally kicked himself, but Nico didn't seem to take offense.

"Yeah, my family is weird," he snorted.

"I think I can relate to that," Will said, thinking of his father.

"You look normal enough," Nico said, not looking at Will.

Will shrugged. "I guess I'm the most normal of the bunch. Well, my Aunt and I are, although she is the captain of this bowling team called The Hunters of Artemis, and she is dead serious about that. But well, we're the doctors in the family. Actually, I'm a nurse, obviously, but I had specialized in pediatrics when I was in medical school," Will said, his voice fading out a bit at the end.

"You switched?" Nico asked.

Will shrugged again, opening a drawer absent-mindedly and pulling out a bag of lollipops, offering a red one to Nico. He noticed one of the locked drawers had been unlocked, the key still stuck to the keyhole. He locked it back up and collected the key.

He really didn't want to talk about the switch, not even with Nico, with whom he wanted to discuss everything from family to zodiac signs.

"That's a cool bracelet," Nico pointed out.

Will looked at his arm as if he needed confirmation as to what bracelet Nico was talking about.

"Oh, yeah. I think so. It's handmade, bought it at Comicon last year. The girl embroidered them all with Star Wars inscriptions on the inside, look," he said as he took it off and showed Nico.

"I'm one with the Force," Nico read aloud. "That's uh, nice? What does it mean?"

Will's eyes widened.

"You don't know, oh, Nico, don't tell me…?"

Nico looked at him blankly.

"You've never watched Star Wars!" Will decided, chuckling disbelievingly.

It was Nico's turn to shrug. "I prefer Viking stuff," he said, making Will laugh harder.

"But, Star Wars, di Angelo! Star Wars!"

Nico sucked on his lollipop, crossing a leg and leaning back as if waiting for Will to finish laughing at him. He didn't look upset, if anything he seemed to be rather enjoying himself. His lips were so red from the lollipop Will figured if he kissed him again, he'd definitely leave a mark on his mask.

Say, what about this? Let's get together some time and watch the movies, I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll cook! We can make a date out of it. Or we can make a Zoom date, whatever. Just, maybe I could get your phone number, and then we can text and set something up or…

"Sorry," said Will, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his face. "It's just really hard to believe there are still people around who haven't watched it."

Nico pointed at Will with his lollipop, his lips stained red. "You take too much for granted, Solace."

"Will."

"Yes, Will. I guess I'm more into mythology than, you know, sci-fi. In a way, I find monsters and heroes a lot easier to believe than the idea of aliens roaming around," said Nico, pointing around the room with his lollipop as if to emphasize his words.

"Oh, aliens are definitely out there," said Will seriously, and he enjoyed how Nico's mouth fell open, looking torn between amusement and disbelief.

Then the door creaked open and Lou Ellen walked in holding a paper bag.

"Will, why aren't you in the reception desk? I even brought you a muff –" she stopped when she saw the two of them sitting side by side eating candy. Her eyes narrowed and flew from Will to Nico and back.

"Lou Ellen," said Will, getting up like a spring. "This is Nico. Di Angelo," he added hastily. "He's waiting on the scans from his physical."

He didn't know why he felt compelled to explain.

The nurse raised her right eyebrow, stretched out her hand and handed Will the paper bag. Then she turned on her heels and left the room without another word.

Nico's eyebrows were threatening to disappear into his hairline.

"Is she always like that, or?"

Will sighed and nodded. "Family issues," he offered, and Nico nodded thoughtfully, as if that alone made total sense.

"Hey, would you like this?" Will asked, offering the bag to Nico. "I know you haven't eaten anything all day, you must be starving."

Nico took the bag and peeked inside.

"Blueberry?" Nico asked.

"Yes, muffin," he replied, then looked aghast. "I mean, yes, it's a muffin. I didn't mean to call you – I mean, it's really good. It's my favorite. Food. My favorite food. I think your scans must be up. I'll go check. Be right back." With that, Will practically ran out of the room, his face burning.

And just as Will stood by the door, waving Nico goodbye a short while later, he realized he liked this guy. He really, really liked this guy.

"You are so busted," whispered a voice next to him, making him jump. Lou Ellen stood close by, watching Nico get into his car.

"Wh –"

"That's your rock-goth guy, isn't he?" she asked accusingly. "I can see you blushing under your mask, William."

Will didn't have time to retort as new patients began to arrive and the attending doctors called in for samples to be run, tests to be made and equipment to be brought.

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Here's the access link, we're starting at 8. Don't be late and pour yourself a glass of wine!

New Message from Lou Ellen.

And wear that blue button-up

It brings out your eyes

Will sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He'd stopped by the service window of the bodega on the way back home. Carrying a bag loaded with healthy snacks and two chilled bottles of white wine, he thought about one thing, and one thing only.

Nico di Angelo's red-tinted lips.

When he got home, he poured himself a glass of wine, although he felt like directly pouring an entire bottle into his coffee tumbler, and stated to set up the computer. He had promised after all.

At exactly eight o-clock, Will clicked on the access link and was redirected into a chatroom. There was another person waiting inside.

Magnus.

Will frowned, surprised to find himself alone with only another person.

"Hi," the guy said. He had a friendly voice, a little pitchy but pleasant enough. "I'm Magnus, you must be Will?"

New Message from Lou Ellen.

Enjoy!

Will put his phone back down and stifled a groan.

"Hi, yes. I'm Will. Nice to meet you, Magnus. You're uh, Lou Ellen's friend?"

Magnus laughed. "Don't know if you could say we're friends. We only met once on Zoom last week. I do know Cecil though. We have jujitsu together. Or had. Before quarantine."

Will took a long sip of wine and nodded.

He looked at his phone longingly and wished he'd gotten Nico's number. They could be texting right now.

"Hey, you still there? Can you hear me okay?" Magnus asked.

Will nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Can you excuse me for a second? I think there's someone at the door."

"Sure," said Magnus.

Will got up and walked back into the kitchen, phone in hand. As he poured an entire bottle of wine into his giant tumbler, he sent Lou Ellen a voice message.

"You are so dead to me," he said, going back to his bedroom, tumbler in hand.

Dear Diary,

Quick update.

My friends are dead to me. I had an online date with a guy called Magnus. He's a nurse, ex-marine, dorky-funny, he likes Star Wars, enjoys going out for jogs, listens to folk rock and 60s Scandinavian pop (don't know what that is), but he doesn't know anything about Vikings (I asked) and metal (I asked) and he doesn't know who Ozzy Osbourne is (I asked) and his favorite color is green.

I think I'm a little in love, just not with him.

The next morning, Will took the bus to the Clinic. He was too hungover to ride his bicycle.

Lou Ellen waited for him at the nurses' station with a playful smile on her face, which faltered the second she took a look at his bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair.

"You're looking worse and worse every day, just what the hell, Will?" she asked, fists on her hips.

Will raised a hand and shook his head.

I can't talk right now, I'm about to hurl.

"How was your date?" she asked gently.

Will gave her a smoldering look.

"Okay, jeez."

He walked into the bathroom and began splashing his face with cold water. The date hadn't gone swell. In the end, he'd pretty much been too drunk to know what he was saying. The guy had been quite understanding, all things considered.

"Hey, no worries. I understand the pressure. You clearly need to take the edge off. I'm here if you ever wanna talk. Let me give you my number. Text me whenever, okay?"

Will wrinkled his nose.

Magnus was nice, yes.

But.

The one thing that cheered him up was the fact that Nico's results were out, and he had the very pleasant job of emailing them to him. Unfortunately, he couldn't sign his name or type in any other message except for filling in the date in the reply template. He wished he could just email him later, but he didn't want to come off stalker-y.

He did commit Nico's email to memory, though, just in case.

While he typed in the message and added the attachments, he put on his earpods and began listening to Epica. He spent the rest of his 18-hour shift walking around like a zombie and checking his phone, hoping for a miracle.

Dear Diary,

I've been jogging a bit more recently. I can't stop listening to this band called Epica. They have an entire symphonic album with a metal version of the Imperial March. They even have an album titled The Solace System! I'm a little obsessed.

Just maybe, not with Epica.

Will was dreaming. He knew this because reality couldn't be this nice. He was sitting on a blanket at the beach, watching the sunset. A few stars had already started to glitter in the sky. Will recognized a few constellations. There was Ursa Major, there was Hercules. And just beyond, there was Yoda. Yep, it definitely was a dream.

Next to him, Nico rested his head on Will's lap, his black hair spilling everywhere. Will laced his fingers between the dark silky strands, pulling playfully from time to time.

"Hey," Nico complained, his eyes closed, his face a mask of serenity.

Will smiled and took a deep breath. Did dreams come with smells? He could distinctly distinguish the smell of strawberries and strangely, antiseptic.

"What do you wanna eat later?" Will asked.

Nico shrugged. "Chinese?"

Will smiled. "Whatever you say."

Nico's eyes opened as Will glanced down at him. He could see the Yoda Constellation reflected in those pools of impossibly brown eyes.

He bent down and kissed him.

Nico kissed him back, his hand hooked around Will's neck. He opened his mouth to let him in deeper and rolled his tongue against his. It felt so real.

"Will," Nico whispered and Will moaned.

"Will."

"Hn," he moaned again.

"Will!" shouted a voice in his ear, making him bolt right up.

"What!?" he gasped, and noticed he'd fallen asleep in front of the computer at the nurses' station while he'd been supposed to be working.

Octavian stood by, his expression smug, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sleeping at work, lovely."

Will wiped the drool off his chin. "Sorry, it won't happen again."

"You better hope it doesn't. One more warning and you're out," Octavian threatened, walking out of the station and heading to the reception area.

Will cursed under his breath, a distinctively PG-16 word that would have earned him a good telling-off from his mother. He'd began to swear a little bit more as of late. He mildly began to enjoy it. It felt kind of liberating.

He returned his attention to the screen and tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing. Oh, right, scheduling appointments. Fun.

He hadn't seen or heard from Nico in two weeks. He had begun to mentally mark his calendar each day he went without news.

He'd also gotten used to cataloguing his days as if he were taking inventory of the events that developed around him, so far, his life stood thusly:

Blood draws this week: 149

In-patients: 4

Jogs: 14

Coffee tumblers: too many to count

Bottles of wine: 7

Texts from Magnus: 8

Missing bottles from the locked cabinet: 2

Calls from Dad: 16 (growing in frequency)

Days since Will got laid: 663

Times Octavian got on his nerves: 17

Dreams about Nico di Angelo: 12 (most recent dream accounted for)

News from Nico di Angelo: 0

Will sighed and rubbed his eyes, ready to get back to work and put his impossible crush behind him, once and for all.

He began to schedule his Aunt's appointments for the remainder of the month. She was fully-booked for the next three months, so it surprised him when a message flashed automatically and the system squeezed in a new name at 9 o'clock on a Tuesday two weeks from now.

Hazel Levesque, consultation. Pregnancy.

Will wouldn't have looked twice had a familiar name not popped up underneath the patient's name.

Pluto Securities – Full Elysium Coverage.

Will almost jumped off his chair. Could this have anything to do with Nico? His excitement lasted no longer than a few seconds. Sure, this type of coverage was rare, but not impossible to come across.

A coincidence, nothing more. He continued to type in the information, including occupation, a short but concise medical history and a couple of emergency and contact phone numbers, listed husband and brother.

Will groaned as he typed in the information into a Delphi Family Clinic New Patient template, looking at his phone wistfully and wishing for the umpteenth time that week that he had Nico's phone number.

Dear Diary,

Got a long email from Magnus. He's back with his ex and he wanted to let me know, even though we didn't have anything going on, he still thought I should know. He wished me good luck and offered to buy me a drink once quarantine was over, you know, as friends. He emphasized the word. I feel like I should care.

I've lost two pounds.

Also… I found a porn star who looks a lot like Nico. I think. Maybe I'm just hallucinating him everywhere I look. It's definitely not him. I triple checked. But well, it has helped, I gotta admit as much.

My dad says hi, is that weird?

Yes, it's totally weird.

Dear Diary,

Austin broke up with his girlfriend. He's been having a hard time. I feel a little selfish, moping about my imaginary boyfriend while Austin is really going through something. We got somewhat drunk last night and I told him about Nico. He was cool about it, gave me some advice.

Not sure if it was helpful advice.

He said, and I quote: "Jump dat ass."

I need a new family.

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother's death.

My dad and I went to visit her. He brought a lyre and played all afternoon. It was nice. Sad, of course. But also nice.

I'm sure she would have enjoyed it. I'm also sure she would have approved of me switching to nursing, she was, after all, the best nurse I've ever met.

My dad even told me how they met, I hadn't heard that story before. It's kind of ridiculous, because Dad. He got drunk one night and had a harp shredding competition with a guy called Marsyas, he almost sliced a finger off trying to out-do the guy.

He says he won, I don't know how much to believe but he was adamant about it, which only makes me more suspicious. Anyway, he had to be taken to this emergency room somewhere in Houston, he wasn't even sure where he was at the time. My mom was the attending nurse when he got in, it was the middle of the night.

He says she stitched his finger with such surgical precision he doesn't even have a scar. I saw the finger, it's annoyingly perfect. After that, he stayed in Houston with her. He told me he kept coming back almost every week, trying to get her to go out with him. It was sweet, how increasingly desperate he became.

And even though they weren't together by the time Delphi opened, he told me he did it for her, so she could move here while I attended university. She worked here for a few months before the accident. I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but that's why I'm still here.

Anyway, I'm okay now. I still got Dad.

And Austin, and Kayla, and Michael, and Lee, and the new little ones I haven't met yet. I'll suggest we Zoom sometime soon.

Dear Diary,

Octavian made Lou Ellen cry today. She made a mistake with a form and accidentally ended up giving a patient the wrong drugs. We caught on before any harm was done, but he still let her have it. She explained one of the bottles had been switched with something else – it honestly hadn't been her fault, we went into the cabinet and found a few misplaced bottles, but Octavian would have none of it. It was ridiculously unfair, she's on probation for two weeks. In the meantime, he's taking over some of her shifts, which means… that I have to share shifts with him sometimes.

Just my luck.

I've never hated anyone before but.

But

But

This asshole is getting close.

He's back!

He's back?

He's back?!

He's back!

Will rubbed his eyes as he saw a familiar figure get out of his car, parked directly in front of the main entrance. The Aviator jacket that he'd peeled off Nico in dreams, the rumpled hair, the band shirt, the black high tops with red shoelaces. It was him! Was it him? It was him! He was back! He was back! He was back!

"You're back!" Will exclaimed stupidly, just as Nico walked into the clinic, arm in arm with an – uh, heavily pregnant lady.

"Hello," said Nico, looking a little awkward.

Will felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Thank god he was wearing a mask, because he figured his mouth would never outright itself up ever again.

Of course he isn't gay. That much was evident. You just didn't want to see it. Time to face the music, Sunshine, Will told himself, and took a deep breath.

Just as the lady with the Southern accent started to introduce herself, and Will began counting the minutes until he could write in his Diary and down two tumblers of wine, a bulky Asian guy ran into the clinic and saved Will's life.

Will learned two things during his short interaction with the strange trio:

One, Hazel Zhang, nee Levesque, was Nico's half-sister, not his pregnant girlfriend.

Two, sometime during Nico's feverish morning at Delphi all those weeks ago, Nico had called him Doctor Sunshine.

Will's stomach felt like it was suddenly bursting with critters in all sorts of pleasant ways. He was used to the nickname, just not the title. Everyone who knew him well enough called him Sunshine, his childhood pet name, and Nico must have overheard it somehow. Or not? Maybe he'd thought of it on his own? He had been told he had a sunny disposition.

The morning started to look incredibly promising to Will, and as he buzzed in his Aunt's personal assistant, Zoe, to come and collect the married couple, Will thought of all the things he wanted to ask Nico.

Where have you been?! I've gone on cyber dates without you!

What's your phone number?

Are you seeing someone?

What's your phone number?

Do you wanna go out for coffee sometime?

What's your phone number?

Do you wanna go out with me?

What's your phone number?

What followed was, instead, the shortest exchange he'd ever had with Nico di Angelo, where he managed to talk exclusively about himself and probably annoyed Nico to no end with his monologue on Greek Mythology.

Admittedly, Will was really nervous! And he hadn't counted on Dr. D ruining his entire day – and quite possibly, his life, by having him run some idiotic tests for him.

Just let me go talk to him, just for a little bit! I just need a phone number, all I need is a phone number!

By the time he was finished, Nico and his family were long gone.

Will wondered if his mother's spirit would mind if he started drinking at work.

Dear Diary,

Nico came back!

Dear Diary, Nico came back! Dear Diary, Nico came back! Dear Diary, Nico came back! I'm sobbing into my fist. I swear for a second I thought he'd brought in his pregnant girlfriend. And then my whole morning was ruined. I barely had a glimpse of him as I ran between labs – and he was just standing there, maybe even waiting to see me? I know it sounds crazy, but I have a feeling he keeps coming back to see me, do you think I'm crazy? Maybe that story my dad told me has gotten into my head and I can't seem to shake it off. Whatev. I'll probably never see him again. It's not like he needs to have anything done. His results prove it, the guy is healthy as a horse.

I'll never see him again.

He's back!

He's back?

He's back?!

He's back!

"You're back!" Will said enthusiastically, just as Nico walked into the clinic merely 20 days 23 hours and 14 minutes since he'd last seen him.

Nico took off his mask as he walked in and smiled at Will with a row of perfect teeth. He scratched the back of his head as if he were about to say something really embarrassing to him, and Will's heart did a backflip.

He took out a pink slip from his jacket and slid it across the reception desk to Will. He couldn't believe what he saw.

"A Covid test?" he asked.

"I might have been exposed again," Nico replied with an embarrassed shrug.

"Again?" Will couldn't help asking.

There you go, William. That's just your type. Weird and hypochondriac or just plain irresponsible. Now that's perfect for you.

But Will's heart swelled nonetheless. He'd take care of him all day, every day if he let him. He'd swab his mouth day in and day out if he asked him to. He'd take his temperature and brew him endless cups of tea, or coffee, or mulled wine – whatever his preference was. They'd go for picnics at the beach and hiking trips and maybe go abroad to Viking lands and visit fjords. He'd do it all, if only he'd just GIVE HIM HIS DAMN PHONE NUMBER ALREADY!

"This way please," Will said pleasantly, guiding Nico into the nurses' station.

And just like that, he'd had a perfect morning, discussing music and family and sharing unimportant things about his life as if they were used to talking about them every day.

Will made a point to memorize every aspect of Nico's face as he gave him a Covid swab. His eyelashes were long and lush, his eyebrows a perfect shape – he didn't even look like he plucked them. He had a tiny mole on his chin, and a perfectly chiseled jaw. Will had to fight hard against leaning in close and licking a strip of skin alongside the area.

He would nibble on his earlobe until it came off, he would.

If only he could.

When Nico asked more about Austin, Will realized he'd made it sound as if he were living with some dude. He shook his head as a shiver ran up and down his spine and blurted out something akin to 'I'm totally single!', which made him blush afterwards and he was glad he was wearing a mask.

Then his world came tumbling down when the other nurse sharing his shift almost ran into him.

"Will, you've a phone call. Family emergency," he said slightly out of breath.

Will paled.

He'd gotten a similar call before. With shaking hands, he picked up the receiver at the reception desk and held his breath.

"Is this William Solace?" asked a woman on the other side.

"Y-yes," Will stammered back. "What is it?"

"This is Officer Ramirez from the 3rd Precinct, you're listed as the emergency number for one Austin Lake."

"Yes! He's my brother, is he okay?" he asked urgently, trying not to sound too shrill and failing miserably.

"He's being held in custody for disorderly conduct, we need you to come in, now would be ideal."

"Shit," Will hissed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be right over, what's the address?" As he wrote down the information and checked his watch, he looked wistfully in the direction of the nurses' station, thinking of Nico.

He shook his head. That will have to wait, Austin needed help. He asked the other nurse to give Nico the message, and he thought about leaving a note with his phone number, he was sure he should have done that, but just as he caught a patient being dropped off at the gate, and the empty cab just sitting there, Will ran out of the clinic as fast as he could.

Dear Diary,

Austin has officially fucked my life. Wow, that's like, the first time I've ever typed in the word fuck. Oh well, here goes nothing.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!

brb

I'm back.

I should explain. Austin got in a fight with the bodega guy. He's been picking fights ever since his girlfriend broke up with him. I didn't know any of this until his buddy Paolo told me – they'd been arrested together, see? Anyway, I tried to stay mad at him, but when Dad arrived at the Police Station, well. He let him have it. I'd never seen my dad so pissed off before, it was kind of scary. It was also kind of cool, to be honest.

WHAT SUCKS is that I totally missed my chance to spend a perfect morning running a thousand tests for my favorite hypochondriac, you-know-who.

Yes, he came back! Lou Ellen says he's probably running some sort of insurance scam, charging nonsense on his insurance policy under a 'ghost' agreement with the Insurance Company itself? I don't know how that would work, but the whole idea is ridiculous.

Isn't it?

Isn't it?

A hypochondriac slash black metal enthusiast (yes, I've done my homework) I can deal with.

But after seeing my dad tear Austin a new one at the Police Station, I draw the line at insurance fraud. Maybe.

I've also started a new tradition.

Our blackboard now reads:

Days since Austin got arrested: 1

Days since Will got a Nico-glimpse: 1

I much prefer it this way.

Oh, and my dad called with a rather unsavory tip: apparently, management has decided to set up a hidden security camera in the meds room. After the Lou Ellen incident, they want to be extra careful. I don't know how he knew, but he said to me, and I quote: "Don't get too comfortable in that room, should the need arise, use the nurses' bathroom."

As if!

He's back!

He's back?

He's back?!

He's back!

"You're back!" Will said enthusiastically, just as his eyes landed on a beautiful woman standing next to him. It took him a second to realize there was a little person between them. The kid must have been around three or four-years-old. His complexion was chalky and snot ran down his upper lip, his mask almost at his chin. He would have looked like the most miserable person in the room had his mother (most likely) and Nico not shared almost identical expressions that spoke of nothing short of despair.

I got you, little buddy, Will thought, and walked around the reception desk, kneeling in front of the kid to introduce himself.

He'd gone through almost an entire year of pediatrics after he'd decided to specialize in the area when his mother had passed away, and while he was certain his true vocation lay in the field of nursing, he had never, ever stopped loving children.

"We're under Grace. He's been tested for Covid already," the mother was saying, and continued to explain the reasons behind their appointment. Will found them rather unnecessary, he could tell by holding on to the little dude's limp arm. He was still running a bit of a fever, his pulse was strong, but his strength was gone. There was a virus going around, probably the same that had affected Nico in the first place – all in all, nothing they couldn't handle.

What worried him was the pain the boy was in.

As he fixed up his little mask, he took in his glassy eyes and sighed in relief – he was well hydrated, at the very least. That was good, meant the parents were competent.

And throughout their early interactions, it later surprised Will how little attention he had paid to Nico, who stood there stiff as a board, as if he had been next in line for a colonoscopy.

"Let's a-go!" said Will finally, having explained the situation to the adults and sort of looking forward to playing with some silly-putty himself. And just as he reached up to take the boy's hand from Nico, their fingers touched, and a whole other type of electricity flowed through Will's body.

When their eyes met, Nico inhaled sharply, and Will could have sworn he saw a hint of something other than concern in his gaze.

They had a room specially done for children – pediatrics had its own waiting area. The walls were painted with cartoonish fields sprinkled with all sorts of poultry and cattle, all fat to burst. They held well-stocked boxes upon boxes of toys, Legos and coloring books. And a few smaller boxes on higher shelves containing slime, silly-putty and smaller Legos. As the mother, her name was Piper and insisted Will called her so, went in to have a quick word with the Doctor, Will remained behind in the waiting room with the little boy.

She'd glanced back at Will just as she was about to walk into the Doctor's office, concern clouding her eyes. Will understood and pulled down his mask to reveal his face – it felt important to let her see with whom she was leaving her son.

"I got him," he said with what he thought was enough conviction, then smiled. She nodded and smiled back.

"Thank you," she said.

"Mask," said the little boy, stretching out his little hands to pull Will's mask back up.

"Right," Will replied importantly. "Safety first."

"Where is the billy-buddy?" he asked. His voice was musical despite being muffled by his cold. Will figured this kid would grow up to rule the world.

"Ah," he said, his eyes widening. "That is the best kept secret in our clinic. You are definitely in for a treat. I'm not even allowed to play with it much myself."

The boy's eyes widened. "Okay," he said, and stuck his palms out.

Will took the opportunity to feel his clammy fingers. When he brought out the putty, he measured his strength by analyzing the indents he left on the substance, all the while cracking jokes and making up limericks on the spot to keep him distracted from the pain.

That kid's laughter. Oh, boy. Now those were the giggles of someone with potent lungs. He coughed once or twice, and Will's ears sprang up to action, determining the type of phlegm and within minutes, he had made his own diagnosis.

"In a minute, the Doctor will have a look at you. Now, you gotta show us your best face. Here," he said, conjuring a toy stethoscope from one of the boxes.

"He will have one of these, not a nice pink one like this one," he said, holding it up to the kid, who giggled. "And he will place the buds in his ears, like this," he demonstrated by placing the toy buds into the boy's ears. "Then, he will place this other end on your chest and then on your back. He'll be able to hear all sorts of important things, here, give it a go on me." He pointed the end of the stethoscope at himself, and the little boy took it in his pudgy little hands, a look of deep concentration on his face.

"Now, ask me to cough," Will said.

"Cough," repeated the boy, and Will let out a ridiculous impersonation of a goose. The kid cackled gleefully.

"When the Doctor asks you to cough, don't honk-honk the way I just did. Give him a proper cough and take a deep breath if he asks you to."

"I want to honk," the boy said, trying to imitate Will.

"Well, you can't quite honk around all day, you better leave that to the geese."

"You are not a geese," the boy said.

"Goose," Will corrected. "One goose, two geese."

"You are not a goose, or two geese," he offered, and Will adopted a thinking position.

"That's because I'm a silly goose," he declared, and the boy laughed.

"Is mommy a silly goose, too?" the boy asked.

"Mommy is a swan," Will said with exaggerated grace, stretching out his neck.

"And Daddy?" he asked.

Will hadn't met the dad, but all kids expected the same answer.

"Daddy is an eagle!" Will replied, trashing his arms about in the most majestic manner he could manage.

"And Uncle Neek?" he asked between giggles.

Will thought hard for a second, and exaggerated his gestures, trying to look like Rodin's The Thinker, but very aware that he probably resembled a leaner Winnie-the-Pooh.

"I'm afraid I don't know enough about Uncle Neek to make that call," he said wistfully. "Why don't you tell me a little bit more about him?"

You are going to hell, William. You are going to hell for using a child in your unclean pursue of happiness.

But it worked like a charm.

In the 3 minutes and 23 seconds it took Piper to come back out of the Doctor's office and collect her son, Will learned the following:

Uncle Neek likes Optimus Prime

He prefers Woody over Buzz

He doesn't like ketchup

He has long hair

His favorite dinosaur is Long Neck

He likes to wrestle with Daddy, but Daddy always wins

And when Will wistfully asked if Nico was seeing someone, the answer was abstract at best.

"He is seeing… maybe Transformers, maybe Hotel Transylvania. Maybe both."

But it was all worth it. All worth it. All of it and more, when the little boy leaned in conspiratorially and told Will:

"Mommy says Uncle Neek likes Sunshine tooooo much. But Uncle Neek never goes to the park."

It took a while for Will's smile to fade and for his breathing to return to normal after that. And while the little boy went in to see the Doctor, Will sat on the padded floor, squeezing a ball of silly-putty at the rhythm of his own racing heartbeat.

Dear Diary, he thought to himself. I think the Force might be with me after all.

Thankfully, a blood sample hadn't been necessary – the Doctor had reached the same diagnosis Will had expected. Antibiotics, lots of liquid and a couple of days of Toy Story on a loop should do the trick. They'd had some time to further get acquainted with each other just as Piper had a last few words with the doctor.

"You'll put in a good word for me, then?" Will whispered into the little boy's ear while he held him in his arms.

"Yes," said the boy automatically. Will wasn't sure he understood what he meant.

"You'll let Uncle Neek know all about Uncle Will, the Silly Goose?"

"Yes!" the boy replied with enthusiasm, tugging on Will's ears.

"That's my boy," said Will, planting a kiss through his mask on the boy's forehead.

And as they walked back out to the outer waiting room, where Nico had been waiting, Will couldn't have been smiling more broadly.

"He will be fine," Piper said, and Nico sighed so loudly Will felt his pants melting away.

"You're okay!" Nico exclaimed, opening his arms out to the little boy.

Will would have been lying to himself if he said he hadn't been hoping the embrace was meant for him instead.

The boy practically threw himself into Nico's arms, his mask sliding down his chin.

The sexiness of Nico di Angelo, Will could handle.

His snorty laughter, Will could manage.

The possible insurance fraud, will could learn to live with.

But a man who was good with kids?

Will died, right there. Will died dead.

The next few minutes went by in a blur of fuzziness and warmth and hope and goddammit, he knew he'd made the right call when he'd switched to nursing.

Because, as a nurse, Will could stand by, holding the patient's hand while the world tumbled around them. As a nurse, Will could harvest a patient's confidence and trust. As a nurse, Will could play with silly-putty from time to time.

As a nurse, Will could joke around with little sick children and make them laugh, and he would never, ever have to bring in bad news and see despair in a parent's eyes.

As he saw the little trio off and waved his hand as they got into the car, he saw Nico glance back at him, an undetermined look in his eyes.

He didn't feel pressured to run behind him and ask him for his phone number anymore. He knew he would be back.

He would be back.

Because he liked Sunshine too much.

Dear Diary,

Lou Ellen is back! First thing she did was berate me over Magnus, even though I had nothing to do with him getting back together with his ex. Honestly, as if it had somehow been my fault!

Also, Austin's moved out. I know, right? Just now, actually. He literally just gave me back his key. The whole place seems awfully empty without him. Not that I was here much in the first place, but still.

I should explain. He got back together with his girlfriend, and now he's living with her. Good for him, right? I mean, he's got that significant other to pay for rent for him and all. I might sound a bit bitter, but honestly, I'm not! Good for him.

Goody, good, good.

It's just amazing.

I'm drinking from my tumbler again, and fyi – it's not coffee.

In other news, I FOUND OUT A MAJOR, MAJOR SECRET.

But I'm not telling you!

I'm going to keep it to myself, because it's just too juicy.

Mwahaha!

What in the world has gotten into me?

Will was dreaming. He knew this because of course this was a dream. He lay naked on the bed, sunlight drifting in through the open window – a wayward ray fell directly across his chest, illuminating him and the pale figure beside him.

Will turned his head, Nico was lying there, his chest heaving, beads of sweat glistening under the rays of the sun, coating his skin in specks of glittering diamonds.

His dick was still hard in his hand, a drop of pearly liquid dribbling down the tip, his stomach coated with the substance.

Will looked down at his own dick and found it hard as a rock. He began to stroke it.

"I don't think I can go another round," Nico panted, his eyelids fluttering like butterfly wings.

Will rolled onto his elbow and hovered directly over Nico's face. He licked a strip of skin, just directly over his carotid artery. Nico shivered, his hands going straight for Will's face. Will turned and took Nico's thumb into his mouth – it tasted just like he smelled. Nico's musky scent. Nico's cum in his mouth. Did dreams even taste like this? Could this not be a dream? Could this please, please, please be real?

Their lips met and Will licked Nico's tongue as if he were giving him a Covid swab with his own.

Nico's sperm-coated hands found Will's dick and began to pump him, gently at first, then with increasing desperation.

"Is this really happening?" Will panted, feeling as if he were standing right on the edge of a precipice. "Tell me this is real," he begged.

Nico smirked and gave him an annoying look.

"It's up to you," he said, and Will saw black.

He woke up with a groan, a familiar sticky feeling between his legs.

"Fuck," he hissed.

And he swore, right then and there, that next time he saw Nico, he would kiss him, no matter what.

He's back!

He's back?

He's back?!

He's back!

"You're back!" Will said enthusiastically, then his smile died as fast as it had appeared.

Nico was back. Yes.

But Nico wasn't alone.

And something told him this wasn't just a friend.

"Hello," said Nico loudly, and will couldn't tell if he was mad or really mad. "We have an appointment to test for STDs. The name's Percy Jackson."

Will felt like a boulder had dropped into his stomach – his larynx even tightened as he swallowed.

Percy Jackson was an apparition of irresistibly grumpy masculinity. An Adonis in every possible way – muscle-clad, perfectly poised in a disgruntled stance, black hair wind-blown, green eyes sparkling like emeralds. And that waist. That waist. That waist was not normal.

This wasn't your average friend.

No.

This dude was a lover.

This dude was, at the very least, a ridiculously gifted lover.

"Shit, Nico! You said we could keep this under wraps, no need to yell it for the world to hear!"

"You're the one who's been around the block, here, if only you'd kept it in your pants, like I told you to, you wouldn't be in this position!"

An annoying, high-pitched buzz began to sound in Will's ears. He felt a blush coming up, but it had nothing to do with feeling embarrassed.

He checked the computer and came up with a name that matched.

Percy Jackson – STDs, full physical, prostate, hernia.

Will huffed indignantly into his mask.

STDs?!

No.

No!

No fucking way, no!

Just what the actual fuck was Nico di Angelo doing with this scumbag?!

Hello. Okay, let's turn it down a notch.

Maybe they're just friends after all!

Then just as he directed Percy Jackson into the nurses' station, he caught Nico's eyes – and they were glued to the back of Percy Jackson's ass.

What, did he, Will, not have a better ass? Was his ass so subpar that it did not even merit a quick glimpse? Did Will not run three miles every other day and fully-squat each time he dropped something, instead of bending over like some lazy bum?!

Yes, he did!

Of course, he did!

William Andrew Solace made a point to lift things using his biceps, not his elbows!

William Andrew Solace got his tan in the most natural way possible – by staring directly into the goddamn sun like a goddamn sunflower despite of growing concerns in the medical community regarding skin cancer!

William Andrew Solace had the genes of his goddamn FATHER, THE APOLLO OF THE STRINGS – goddammit, Will had NINE half-siblings as far as he knew!

And William Andrew Solace wouldn't ever, EVER, catch an STD.

Because he was a responsible human being.

Because he was a loyal, gifted boyfriend who could brew a mean cup of tea.

Because he was a nurse god-fucking-dammit! And he would not stand by and watch as the most amazing guy was stolen directly under his nose.

Not by some cheating bum!

Not on his shift, he would not!

He knocked on Dr. D's office door and heard a grumpy voice bark back to come in.

Good, Will thought. He's in a pissy mood. Let him have it, Doctor!

As soon as the door closed, Will stomped straight back out into the waiting area, where he found Nico sitting down with a magazine on his lap. Was it him of was he turning the pages with too much force?

There was so much Will wanted to say to him, but Nico didn't even do him the courtesy of looing up as he approached.

What? My ass not good enough for you, Di Angelo?

My tan not tan enough?

My smile not smile-ly enough?

What? Is it a blonde thing? Am I simply not your type?

After all we've been through… am I… am I just not good enough for you?

"Hey," Will said dejectedly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," Nico replied, his eyes glued to the magazine.

Am I not even worthy of your time anymore?

But… what about… what about…

"Is that your friend, or?" Will asked, taking a seat next to Nico to avoid having a meltdown and turning into a puddle of despair.

Their short exchange only managed to break down Will's spirit even further – a possibility that had never even occurred to Will.

And with every word Nico spoke, another piece of the crystal life he had created in his mind – a life of companionship and love and fun and amazing sex with Nico – came crashing down on him, a feeling reminiscent of the last time he'd had his heart broken, the last time he'd said 'I'll be back for dinner, Mom'. A dinner that had never come to pass.

But maybe! Maybe he's a friend? (he asked)

"If you could call that a friend."

Okay. Ah, but maybe! Maybe he's a colleague? (he asked)

"Nope."

Okay, William. Dig deep. Dig deep. Something there, must be.

He is lucky to have you! I mean it (he meant it)

And, well, he's good looking. He must be your type (he declared)

"Yeah, he's totally my type, isn't he yours?"

Fuck no, what? Okay, maybe after a few bottles of wine, but HELL, he's got STDs!

Is he really your type? (he really, really wanted to know this)

And Will heard him, alright.

He heard Nico's complaints, like an injured lover confiding on a true friend. Like a heart-broken human being, and Will knew very much about broken hearts.

He would forever remember Nico talking about feeling misunderstood.

Ignored.

Disconnected from his own lover.

And as much as he tried to focus on the depth of his heart-felt confession, Will had had the hardest time taking in much past "Totally. He is an amazing fuck. He kisses like a GOD. He has pounded me into the bed so hard I've had to get a new bed, twice! And yes, he sleeps with other people, but I can't get enough of him. I need him to fuck me incessantly, relentlessly, non-stop until I can't breathe anymore and my hair turns white and –"

Will had heard enough.

"Right," he said, standing up. "I'm going to go run some tests on your friend," he said acidly.

"Please, have a seat," Will managed through gritted teeth, as he commanded Percy Jackson to park his godforsaken ass on the stool.

And as he busied himself with prepping his equipment, he directed a death glare at the offender as if he'd been a patch of asbestos, poisoning the clean oxygen of his beloved clinic.

A clinic that had been established in honor of his mother, Naomi Solace, whose name he had legally adopted as soon as he turned eighteen!

And the guy had the gall to smile while he replied to a text.

Will put on his gloves and might have tugged a bit too hard, but he barely flinched as the latex smacked him on the wrist.

"Nice place you got here," said the guy. "Clean."

Will averted his gaze as he rolled his eyes.

"You know, we take STDs very seriously here. I hope you know some conditions are incurable. You'll have to inform your uh, current sexual partners, all of them."

"Yeah, sure," the guy replied.

Will took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was, above all, a professional. He broke into the usual STDs speech he'd memorized all those years ago, but without the niceties that he'd learned to add with the years, for the sake of the patient's sensitivity.

"There is a certain danger in having more than one sexual partner," Will was saying, when suddenly Jackson broke into laughter.

That froze Will up.

Then Percy Jackson's phone began to ring. He answered straightaway.

"'Sup, babe?" he said, sounding suddenly excited. Will looked at him out of the corner of his eye. The guy was nodding stupidly, like one of those bobble head figurines.

"Nah, still at work. Nah, Nico's got no idea. Sure. See you in a bit, love you too," he said, and he hung up.

Will could feel his heart pounding all the way into the tips of his fingers.

"So, uh, you uh, been here long?" Percy Jackson asked.

"Long enough," Will replied sharply. He held a needle in his hand, which prompted him to take a deep breath.

All I need is within me.

All I need is within me.

The Force is with me.

The Force is with me.

All I need is chill.

All I need is to take a deep breath. Take a deep breath.

All I need is chill.

All I need is one little Newton – one tiny Newton of force directly harnessed from a flick of the wrist with an acceleration of one meter per second squared in the direction of his carotid and this guy is toast! Toast!

Will set the needle down – too much temptation, and he stood up, walking towards the medical cabinet and unlocking it, fiddling about some of the bottles in order to distract himself.

"So, you know Nico well?" the guy asked.

Will made a noise that could have been interpreted a thousand different ways.

"Cool, cool. He's nice. Right?" said Jackson.

Was this bum seriously baiting him right now?

"Yes," Will hissed so sharply his throat hurt.

Percy Jackson raised an eyebrow at him.

How dare he!?

"Yep. I mean, as far as nice goes, amIright?" he said with a smirk and a hint of constipation.

Will gave him an incredulous look.

"Have you ever had blood drawn before?" Will asked dryly.

The guy nodded curtly.

"Yeah, but I'm not a fan of blood. I mean, give me a bloody steak and I'm good to go, just, you know. Not a fan of that," he nodded towards the needle Will had set upon a tray.

"Don't worry," Will replied automatically, and his voice had never sounded so cold to him. "You're in good hands."

Will took a seat next to Percy Jackson and began fixing his tourniquet band. He might have snapped it once, really hard, as he pretended to adjust it.

"Ouch," Jackson complained.

"My apologies," Will said. "So, you've known Nico long?"

Jackson shrugged nonchalantly, and Will hated how handsome he was.

"Kid used to follow me around when we were growing up. He was annoying at first, but then he sort of started getting cute with me. What can I say, I'm a man, after all. There's only so much shameless flirting a guy can take. We had some good times, ah, you know what I mean, right? Nico's super nimble. And we were good for a while, you know? Nico's got a lot of baggage and don't get me wrong, he carries it well. But there's something about that little creep that just ends up clawing at your positive energy, you know what I mean? I mean, I couldn't go rock climbing once without him going Percy! You're going to bash your head in! These types of rocks are not meant for climbing! and whatever, the guy really knew how to bum you out. And all that clean your room, do the dishes, cook something from time to time, blue food is not real food, I mean, how much can a guy take? And okay, he was a good lay, while it lasted, but then your priorities begin to climb up your list, I mean your real priorities, and you realize, maybe childhood loves are meant to remain just that – childhood loves, right? And the person who's really right for you is not the person you're sharing a bed with and that's a bummer but then, hell, what else are you supposed to do? No matter how good they are at giving head and – OUCH!"

Will did not apologize as he plunged the needle into his arm.

Will did not even flinch as the guy stood up and ripped the tourniquet band off his arm.

Will did not even look up as the guy stormed out of the room.

Will sort of frowned at the droplets of blood that the bum left in his wake. He'd have to mop those up later, after all.

His mind was abuzz with a plethora of thoughts that attacked him with the fervor of a beehive under siege.

He hadn't had nearly enough Kahlua-coffee this morning to deal with all of them.

But his chest bubbled with righteous fury, and it continued to do so as he walked out of the nurses' station, directly into the waiting area, where he found Nico standing stiffly by the door.

He would hear him now.

He would so let him have it.

"Where is your friend?" Will asked Nico, who remained standing there with a strange look on his face.

Your friend is dead to me, that's where he is.

Your friend is in Hel, and I don't' mean 'hell', I mean Helheim, where all cowardly Viking souls wander after an unworthy death.

You wanna know how I know that?

BECAUSE I'VE WATCHED EVERY VIKING DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX!

"Can I talk to you?" Nico suddenly asked, and without knowing how or how, Nico had grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him directly into the nurses' station, carefully shutting the door behind them.

Will had a hard time looking past the red that clouded his eyes, even with Nico standing right in front of him. He reached out for a pair of scissors and a roll of gauze and began snapping the fabric into Halloween paper cutouts.

And when Nico asked him if he was alright, well.

Well that had been it.

He let it all pour right out of his heart.

Afterwards, way afterwards, Will could not recall enough details to write an entry on his diary, but he vaguely remembered a few strands of conversation.

Honestly, Nico. What do you even see in that guy?

How can you let him treat you like that?

Why is someone like you with a guy like him?

And he hoped his message had been well delivered.

Won't you see something in me?

Will you let me treat you right? I would do right by you, if you'd let me.

Would someone like you ever be with a guy like me?

And then Nico dropped in the bomb.

" "I'm not with him," he explained calmly, placing his hands over Will's chest. Just when had he gotten close enough to do that? His hands were seeping warmth into his skin – he felt a bit like he was on fire.

Then Nico's words fell upon him like a bucket of iced water.

Will blinked. "Y-you're not?"

"Nope," said Nico, pulling Will by the scrubs so their faces were mere inches from each other.

"Then…"

"We used to date, like, years ago. We're friends now. He's engaged to his girlfriend and everything."

"He…"

"How many Covid tests have I had so far?" Nico asked calmly, his fingers on the collar of Will's scrubs.

"Uh, three?"

This isn't happening.

This isn't happening.

This is where he tells me he's doing insurance fraud.

"And how many medical procedures have I had?"

Will blinked, not looking forward to answering the question. "Many more, like, in total, about fifteen? Plus the blood draws."

He's going to burst out laughing and offer me a cut of his earnings.

I had so hoped he would have just been a normal hypochondriac!

"That's about right," Nico nodded. Then his fingers reached the elastic on either side of Will's face mask. He tugged at the sturdy string, pulling Will an inch closer to his face. "And do you think I've been getting those because I'm some weird hypochondriac or something?"

Will swallowed.

YES

Right?

Or like, am I wrong?

It's insurance fraud, isn't it?

TELL ME I'M NOT CRAZY!

"So, you've done all this because…?" Will almost closed his eyes or at least looked away, afraid of what the answer might be. His heart felt way too fluttery for the scene at play.

"Remember this?" Nico asked, and inched forward.

Will felt some pressure over his mask – a familiar, extremely pleasant sensation that tugged to the strings that connected his heart to the rest of his body.

He let Nico press their mouths together and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, Nico stood on the same spot, their noses barely an inch away.

"I thought – the fever, I didn't think you remembered that, I…" Will stammered, Nico's mouth pressed back against his mask, but not hard enough to stop him from talking. A part of him wished it did.

"William A. Solace…" Nico whispered, and then a thought came into Will's mind.

Wait.

Does this mean

Does this mean

Does this mean you're not with that bum Percy Jackson, for real, for real, for real, you're not?!

Does this mean you're not a hypochondriac?!

Does this mean…

Does this mean you… you kissed me. When you kissed me, you kissed me. Like, actually kissed me? TWICE NOW?!

I'M NOT CRAZY?!

He might have said some of those things out loud.

"I'm starting to think you are a little crazy now…" Nico added with a smile.

DOES THIS MEAN YOU LIKE ME TOO? AND I'M THE REASON YOU KEEP WASTING MEDICAL RESOURCES?! he thought to himself, and Nico must have been a mind-reader, because he smiled and replied "Duh."

And a whole new set of images began flashing before Will's mind.

Nico di Angelo planting a kiss over Will's mask – the kiss that started all.

Nico di Angelo sprawled over a blanket at the beach, pulling Will deeper as he devoured his mouth.

Nico di Angelo sharing a muffin with him, cooking for him, doing laundry with him, playing ridiculous music in the car as they drove off into the countryside.

Nico di Angelo in spread-eagled in post-orgasmic bliss as Will peppered his neck with kisses.

And Nico di Angelo's words in that dream he'd had just a few nights prior.

"It's up to you."

And a promise to kiss him made on the memory of his late mother Naomi Solace.

And ripping his mask off had never felt more satisfying than it did at that precise moment – the elastic gave as if it had been made of wet tissue.

And Will had never walked with so much conviction in his life as he did at that moment.

And Percy Jackson might have been Nico di Angelo's best lover to date.

But that's solely because he hadn't met Will Solace sooner.

When he kissed him, his world exploded in a shower of kaleidoscopic colors. He hooked his arm around Nico's waist and pressed him against the door.

And when Nico kissed him back, well. That was it for Will.

He would be telling Nico he loved him within the hour, though he didn't know that yet. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had never felt such boundless happiness before. A few weak images of a picnic blanket tried to take form in his mind, but were quickly pushed out by the feel of Nico's hands on his face, breaking the kiss and holding him at arm's length. Will wanted to kiss him again but Nico wouldn't let him, his eyes were drinking him as if he were a work of art of worth an incalculable amount of money and he only had 10 seconds to appreciate it.

"Yes!" Nico groaned and began kissing Will all over his face. "You are gorgeous!"

Will blinked and frowned and tried to speak but was silenced by kisses upon kisses – not that he would ever complain, but he did find it a bit strange.

"Your face, your stupid, stupid face, is beautiful! I hadn't seen your stupid face because you're always wearing that, that fucking mask!"

Will felt like he had been clocked on the back of the head.

What?

But

How?

He looked down at his discarded mask and it took him a few seconds to properly make sense of Nico's words. Laughter began bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

The absurdity.

The ridiculousness of the situation!

Nico hadn't seen his face, ever.

He didn't know what Will looked like until, what, 20 seconds ago?

He imagined how he would have felt if he hadn't been able to see what Nico's face looked like entirely.

"I've had a crush on you since the moment I took off your helmet, since the very first second I saw your face," Will confessed, pulling a few strands of Nico's hair behind his ear and kissing him back each time Nico's mouth pressed against his own.

He felt Nico smile against his lips and tighten his hold around Will's neck.

Will's hands began to roam freely through the expanse of Nico's back, his slim waist, his ass – he felt almost compelled to lift him up and pin him against the door as the kiss deepened and Nico's tongue licked him silly.

Is this really happening?

To test the authenticity of this very dream-like situation in which he currently found himself, Will pressed forward, gently rubbing his crotch against Nico's.

Pleasure rippled through him as Nico moaned into his mouth and began shrugging off his jacket.

Then he remembered something important.

"Don't get too comfortable in that room, should the need arise, use the nurses' bathroom."

His father's words resonated in his mind just as Nico's hands began to tug at his shirt.

"Wait," he said.

They couldn't possibly go on, could they? I mean, were they about to head to where Will thought they were heading?

Surely not.

Or, maybe yes?

And just as Nico groaned something against Will pretending to be sick, he had a brilliant idea.

"Meet me outside in five minutes."

He found Octavian where he knew he would be – lounging on a Lazy Boy in the nurses' break room leafing through a magazine.

He looked up when Will entered and a smirk appeared on his face.

"Well, well. If it isn't Nurse Sunshine. I don't suppose you've finished your shift, now have you? Why aren't you manning the reception desk?" he said, his eyes scanning Will from head to foot.

Will took a decisive step forward.

"I am leaving. My shift is over. I'll take tomorrow off as well, so you better cover for me and get your sorry ass to the reception desk yourself, it's about time you did some work, head nurse."

Octavian looked as if Will had slapped him. He set his coffee mug down carefully and stood up, walking towards Will and getting straight in his face.

"What did you say to me?" he hissed venomously, but Will stood his ground.

"You heard me. You will cover for me, or I'm afraid everyone in the clinic, as well as the authorities, will be hearing the real reason those bottles have disappeared from the shelf."

He was surprised at how easily it had all suddenly made sense.

He'd had his suspicions for a few days, but just now, when he was looking around for something to do to avoid sticking a needle into Percy Jackson's neck, Will had spotted another missing bottle of Vicodin – and he'd just confirmed it, it had been Octavian who had last been in the room. A quick check of the security cameras confirmed it.

Octavian mustn't have been informed of the decision to tighten security around the medical cabinets.

"Wh-what are you even talking about, Solace?" Octavian dissed, but his voice had a new edge to it.

Will frowned and shook his head, and he believed he saw Octavian pale.

"I will expect you to turn in your resignation by the time I come back to work two days from now. I'm giving you a chance to walk away unscathed from this mess you've got yourself into. If you are still here when I return, I'm turning you in."

Octavian laughed, but there was not a trace of humor in his voice.

"You don't have proof! What are you even saying?"

"I would suggest you look around you more often when you walk into a room. A new security camera was installed in the meds room just a few weeks ago. I've checked the footage, it's accessible on the staff website. You might need a high-ranking access code, but well, I can lend you mine. I'm afraid you've been caught red handed," he deadpanned.

The look Octavian gave him spoke millions.

"I'll be leaving now. You better get your ass to the reception desk, there's a colonoscopy scheduled for this evening and as you've probably noticed, you're on call today."

With that, Will walked out of the room and headed straight out to the parking lot, where Nico waited for him leaning against the hood of his car.

"I can't believe you're this handsome," said Nico as Will approached, pulling him by the scrubs and kissing him on the cheek.

Will chuckled and licked Nico's jaw.

"Let's go to my place," Nico said, running a thumb over Will's chin.

"Okay," Will replied, but it took them another five minutes before they got into the car.

Dear Diary,

The blackboard now reads:

Days since Will got laid: 0

And I'm pretty sure it's going to stay like that for a long time. I don't think I'll be writing all that often anymore.

I should explain.

Or maybe not.

See you around.

Love,

Will.