A/N: For solangeloweek's Spring Ball event on Tumblr, I worked with nicostolemybones to write a three days infirmary fic (plus an extra bonus day). I've wanted to write a 3 days fic since the beginning, so it was great to finally get it done in my first collab! - thwipster808

As Nico jogged up to Will, who was waiting on the steps of the Big House, Will blurted out, "What was that about?" He glanced over Nico's shoulder at the power couple of camp. Percy and Annabeth seemed wrapped up in their world, as per usual. Though, no one could really fault them anymore. They'd literally been through hell together. Probably no one was happier that the war was over than those two.

"Just saying bye," Nico rushed out, now standing directly in front of the healer with a light blush covering his cheeks. "He and Annabeth may be leaving soon."

"Leaving camp?" Will tapped his chin in thought. "I guess that makes sense. Gods know they deserve a freaking break."

Nico nearly scoffed, "Yeah, if another war happens in our lifetime…" He trailed off, shaking his head. Like he really needed another reminder that, as a child of the Big Three, he would forever be a prime candidate for major prophecies. After all the burial rites he performed recently, he was getting tired of the death that followed him around like a led ball chained to his ankle. He was feeling exhausted just thinking about another war.

"Nico," Will's fingers snapped right in front of Nico's eyes, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" he responded, straightening up his stance. Once aware of his body, he realized that he was practically sinking to the floor. Will had a hand wrapped around his forearm to steady him. The hand felt warm on Nico's cold skin.

Will's blue eyes bore into Nico's brown ones, concern evident as he scanned demigod's face. "You zoned out on me," he frowned. "Come on, I told you you should've come here sooner. Let's get inside."

With that, Will shifted his grip down to Nico's wrist and tugged him along into the infirmary. Nico could do nothing but follow, heat flooding into his cheeks both at the contact and the fact that Will seemed so concerned about Nico. After all, they didn't know each other that well. Up until that day on the hill, he and Will hadn't really had a conversation before. Of course, that was Nico's fault for never being around. Or friendly. Or really giving anyone a reason to be his friend. But still, he was confused as to why Will seemed to care just as much as his close friends did.

As they marched through the infirmary, Nico glanced at the few campers still recovering from the battle. Other than some nasty scrapes or broken bones, no one seemed on the verge of death, which Nico was happy about. He shook his head as his thoughts wandered toward the way it felt during battle, with death surrounding him on all sides. That's not what he should think about in a place of healing.

Nico was also concerned that his dark thoughts were making his aura of death stronger than normal, or maybe it seemed that way when juxtaposed with the sense of life and light that emanated from the Apollo healers. Some of the conscious campers eyed Nico with suspicion or fear, like he was the grim reaper coming to take them away. Even a few of the healers seemed wary, though they all looked away quickly. When Nico looked back toward Will, he noticed the blonde had the trace of a glare in his expression. He wondered what that was about.

The boys ventured deeper into the infirmary than Nico had ever gone, not that he visited often anyway. He cleared his throat to get Will's attention. "Uhm, I don't know if I should be here."

Will huffed, "Nico di Angelo, I already told you, three days. You need to be checked out—I mean, medically speaking," Nico had no idea why Will needed to clarify that, "—and you are not getting out of it."

"No, I meant, like, I shouldn't be here. Like, physically in this specific place."

They stopped in front of a curtain at the back of the infirmary, far from everyone else. Nico wasn't sure if this made him more comfortable or nervous.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," Nico said sheepishly. Wasn't it obvious? "People come here to get healed. And I don't do that."

Will rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah, neither do the Ares kids, yet we still let them come in, even when the injuries are their own doing." His eyes softened when he gazed at Nico. "You're not the harbinger of death, we both know that. Your father is god of the underworld, and riches or whatever. If anything, you and your father care for the dead like we healers care for our patients."

Nico snorted at that, which made Will smile brightly. "Not quite, Solace, but sure, I guess." His countenance became nervous once again as he glanced back toward where the other campers were. "I don't want to make people uncomfortable, though."

Will was still smiling when he pushed the curtains aside, bringing Nico's attention back to him. "Well, they'll have to get used to it. You're my patient now and no one is stopping me from doing my job."

Right, caring was Will's job. He doesn't care specifically about me, Nico reminded himself. He couldn't get ahead of himself, couldn't risk hoping for something that wasn't really there. Nico sat on the white bed at Will's ushering, his shoulders sinking in exhaustion he hadn't even realized was there. The son of Apollo left momentarily, saying something about medical supplies that Nico barely understood.

While he sat there, Nico could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He leaned his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands, pressing his palms into his eyes. He was so tired. Nico was always tired, especially given what he went through over the past couple months, but it was like, now that the war was over, his body didn't have any adrenaline to keep him upright. Part of him was nervous about falling asleep in a semi-public place, but the other part knew he could sleep on the cold, hard floor if he had to.

As he rubbed at his eyes, trying to push the exhaustion away, he started to feel an ache in his neck and shoulders. It's not like he was surprised, but he realized that the familiar pain had faded into the background as everything else had called his attention. Instead of trying to stretch it out, he just continued to sit, hunching up his shoulders a little.

Will cleared his throat when he re-entered the room, causing Nico to rub his eyes one last time before straightening up. When he looked at Will, he noticed he had a cart full of supplies in tow. His mind became more alert when he realized that all of those medical things were to be used on him.

"That's," he croaked, like he hadn't spoken in a while. He coughed and restarted, "That's a lot of stuff there."

Will blushed a little as he sat on the chair near Nico's bed. "Well, I'm not really sure what kind of injuries you have or treatments you'll need, so I kind of just… brought everything."

Nico chuckled, leaning back on his hands as Will grabbed his clipboard.

"Okay, let's get started." Will clicked his pen. "How do you feel?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Solace? That's how you start?"

"It's a standard question! If you know what needs healing, then we might as well start there."

"Whatever," Nico rolled his eyes again. "I'm fine."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're fine? A second ago, you looked like you were ready to pass out right there."

Nico flushed a little at the observation. "I'm just tired."

Will hummed as he looked Nico over, making him fidget under the scrutiny. "So it's gonna be like that, huh?" He placed his clipboard to the side, then said, "I'll give you my assessment, then you tell me if I'm right."

Before Nico could ask how he'd do that, Will's hand darted out and snatched up Nico's own. Nico instinctively leaned away and tried to pull his hand back, but Will held fast as he closed his eyes in concentration. Nico gulped as he watched the healer's expression become pinched with concern. Will mumbled under his breath for the next ten seconds before his eyes flew open with a gasp. Nico took the opportunity to yank his hand back, cradling it to his chest like he'd been burned.

"What—"

"Nico di Angelo," Will cut him off in his stern doctor voice, and Nico's jaw snapped shut. "So, you're going to sit here and tell me that irritated and badly healed wounds, torn muscles, extreme exhaustion, and power drain make you a perfectly fine demigod?"

Nico blinked at the slew of information. He wasn't sure exactly what Will was talking about, but he had a few ideas. Unsure of how to respond, Nico just shrugged at the irate healer before him.

Will pinched his nose before dropping back into his seat and picking up his clipboard once more. He scribbled furiously while Nico looked on. "How did you do that?" Nico asked.

Will glanced up through his bangs before going back to his notes. "Son of Apollo thing. I can get a general health assessment through touch. It varies between demigods, but I've gotten pretty good at quick checks because of the wars."

Nico frowned as Will kept writing. He hated that they all had to say "wars" now, like one wasn't enough.

"Okay," Will sat up straight and glared at Nico. "I'll ask again, di Angelo, and you better not lie. How are you feeling?"

Nico frowned. "I really am tired, I don't know what else to tell you."

"Hm," Will thought, leaning back in his chair. "More specific questions then. Does your body hurt at all? Strained muscles? Headache? Fresh wounds? Bruises? Anything causing you pain?"

The son of Hades tilted his head in thought. He knew things vaguely ached, but what exactly, he wasn't sure—too used to the feeling, probably. "Um, I guess my shoulders kind of hurt. And my head, probably from being tired."

Will jotted a few things down before setting the clipboard aside. "Okay, let's deal with some of that first, though I know there's a lot more going on." He shot Nico a glare over his shoulder as he stood up and moved toward the supply cart. He handed Nico a square of ambrosia, who gratefully accepted and began taking small bites of it.

"Just for some of the general pain. You'll need actual rest for the fatigue once we're done." He moved to crouch down next to Nico. "Can I take a look at your shoulders? I'm going to just roll up your sleeve for now to assess the damage."

Nico nodded, only flinching slightly when Will's fingers brushed his bicep. Will smiled at him as he pushed up the right-side sleeve. Once it was up, however, his eyes widened and he gasped. Nico tried to get a glimpse of what Will was looking at, but it was a little too close for him to see. But, knowing what the injury was from, he's not surprised that it's still bad. "Monster attack," was all he said.

"Oh gods, Nico, I can't believe you said you were fine. Doesn't this hurt?" He touched his fingers lightly to the angry red skin on Nico's shoulder, all puffed up around what was clearly a nasty gash. Nico shivered at the touch and stared straight ahead.

"It hurts a little, but it's been a while, so I'm probably just used to it." He heard Will let out a disbelieving huff, staring a little longer before quickly going back to the cart.

He pulled out an ice pack, saying, "We'll use this to keep the swelling down for now. The ambrosia should be enough for you to rest easily and we can treat it tomorrow. I'll check your other shoulder too, just in case." Nico nodded as Will moved to his other side, taking the ice pack and holding it in place. This time, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when the sleeved was rolled up and no wounds were present.

Will stood and wrote down a few more things on his clipboard. "Okay, Death Boy, we'll do more treatment things tomorrow, I think today, we can focus on rest. You look like you're ready to pass out."

Nico narrowed his eyes at the son of Apollo, swallowing the rest of his ambrosia before saying, "Really? Death Boy?"

Will smirked, and it was a look Nico hadn't seen yet on Will and okay that's something. "I have a few other names in mind. We'll test them out and see what sticks." He turned toward the cart and began packing it up. "Be right back," he threw over his shoulder while pushing the cart out of the curtained-off area.

Alone again, Nico continued to hold the ice pack in place, feeling marginally better as the ambrosia began to kick in. He didn't exactly forget about the injury from Lycaon, but he will admit that it didn't cross his mind to get it looked at at the infirmary. Reyna and Coach Hedge had done enough for him to be in fighting condition, so he figured it would heal on its own.

Nico pulled his legs up onto the bed and leaned back, suddenly realizing how tense he had been this whole time. As he rolled out his neck, he felt exhaustion tug at his mind. But he couldn't sleep yet, he didn't know if Will was done! His body, however, had other plans as he felt himself sink into the cot and his eyes slipped shut.

He heard the curtain rustle, followed by a soft chuckle. Will slid the ice pack from Nico's loose grip and shifted his arm down to his side. The touch was light, but still present. Nico made some kind of sound in an attempt to say… well, something, he didn't know what. But Will shushed him, smoothing a hand over his hair.

"It's alright. You can sleep now. Get some rest, Nico." Then, Will began to lightly run his fingers through Nico's hair, probably a natural comforting gesture. To Nico, it felt like warmth was radiating out from where Will's fingertips brushed against his scalp. He felt his whole body relax, down to the tips of his toes. The ever-present ache in his bones subsided a little, and Nico felt a peace he hadn't felt in a while.

He fell asleep to soft hums and small comforts.