XLVII
NICO
Nico stopped by the balcony. He looked down at the entrance of the underground basement of Triumvirate Laboratories. More guards roaming than usual and the security was tight that you couldn't walk within the radius of the entrance without the scrutinizing gazes of the guards. He didn't know why but he was suddenly drawn to that place ever since he had stumbled there accidentally two weeks ago. The place was like a magnet always pulling him in. Was it just really his mere curiosity to know what was behind those steel doors or there was more to it?
Then he froze. There. Nico tried his best not to get paranoid. But after the incident at the Broadway Theater, it felt like someone was constantly watching his back. Worse, he didn't want to think that there was someone out there who had wanted him dead. His senses had sharpened and he was always on edge. He was constantly looking behind him expecting someone to lunge at him and kill him on the spot.
Like as of the moment, somewhere behind him, he felt like someone was burning a hole at the back of his head with a glare.
Nico tried to ignore that feeling and resumed on his way. He had already clocked out at work and he would go to Queens to visit his sister, Hazel. In no time, he was out of the building and making his way along the bustling street.
Nico still couldn't understand what exactly had happened at the Broadway. Nor he wasn't sure if he still wanted to know. He was seriously considering dropping by over Mr. D's clinic to ask if his brain was starting to give up on him. Because maybe, he was starting to hallucinate things and he was starting to hear strange voices. His paranoia wasn't even helping with the current state of his mind.
And speaking of paranoia, it was there again, the feeling of being watched. Nico walked faster as he reached the subway station. He went in. He walked calmly as he could, even though his heart started to thump louder, his shoulder tensed, and sweat started to trickle down his forehead. Strangely too, he started to feel cold. The coldness was somewhat eerily familiar.
Nico stopped at the vending machine. He paused at the array of drinks, contemplating to purchase a drink.
Nico looked away. He changed his mind. He went to the platform instead. He's at the safe edge of the platform waiting for the train to come. He clenched the strap of his backpack. He looked down at the rails.
The train neared the platform. It was ten meters away when Nico turned his head at the incoming train.
9 meters away. . .
8. . .
Nico felt something on his back. His eyes widened.
6. . .
5. . .
For some unknown reason, Nico yelped in surprise as he stumbled forward from the platform. There were shouts of surprise from the other passengers. Nico fell and landed on the rail track, hitting his head in the process on the metal bar of the rail. Despite the pain on his head, he stared wide-eyed at the blinding headlights of the incoming train. The noise of the train was deafening.
4. . .
There were a commotion and a series of shouts.
No. I can't die like this. Please. Help. Please make me disappear from here.
Faces of people he loved swam on Nico's head. Hazel, Reyna, Will. Will.
Nico closed his eyes.
The train passed by and then halted at the platform.
Nico's eyes snapped open. What-
He turned his head to the side. The train was still there. And that was when he realized that he was lying on the other side of the rail track.
How? Then he heard again a familiar bark from a dog. Nico passed out
Nico felt it before he opened his eyes. There was a hand on his forehead and it was warm. He almost smiled because he had recognized the warmth. He opened his eyes. A mop of blond hair and blue eyes he loved the most swam in his view.
"It's official. You are going to be the death of me." Will Solace greeted him in his usual scrubs and lab coat. He pulled his hand away from Nico's forehead.
Nico briefly swept his eyes around him and immediately learned that he was in the hospital, hooked in an IV, and dressed in hospital long sleeves and pants, again.
"Are you somehow making a habit of giving me a heart attack every few weeks by being wheeled on a stretcher unconscious?" Will asked again.
"Will. . ." Nico tried to sit up.
"Easy." Will helped him sit up.
He felt something on his forehead. He touched it. There was a small gauze pad on his forehead.
"Three stitches," Will informed him. "Thankfully, that's all you've got and no internal bleeding and no broken bones. Does your head hurt?"
"No," Nico answered. "Look, Will, something happened-"
"Hold that thought." Will raised his index finger. Nico frowned at him.
"You don't feel dizzy at all, do you?" Will asked.
Nico shook his head.
"Good. Wear a jacket," Will said. He walked to the corner of the room near the door. That's when Nico saw that there's a wheelchair there.
"Let's watch the sunrise. ." Will smiled at him and pushed the wheelchair in Nico's direction.
"Where exactly are we going to watch the sunrise?" Nico asked. He sat in the wheelchair. Will was behind him pushing it.
"You'll know soon," Will answered mysteriously.
"Wait. Hazel?" Nico twisted his body a little bit to look up at Will. "Does Hazel know? I was supposed to go to Queens."
"Of course, she knew and Reyna too. They'll be here later when the visiting hours strike."
"This is insane. . ." Nico muttered leaning back on the wheelchair. "It's tiring to be back here regularly."
"For me too," Will answered. "Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of you but let's not make it a habit to be my patient that often."
They stopped in front of an elevator. Will pushed the button going up.
"I remember telling you to stop coming here looking half-dead. I see, stubborn as always. Never changed." Will snorted.
"Hey! It's not like I wanted to be in this kind of situation. . ." Nico retorted.
Will only hummed in response as the door dinged open. They went in. Will pushed the button for the uppermost floor. Nico glanced up inquiringly at him but Will just shrugged. They reached the floor. The blond doctor pushed the wheelchair on a series of ramps going up. They stopped at the door and Will opened it. A gust of wind greeted them. It was still a little bit dark outside. It dawned on Nico that they were on the helipad. Will wheeled Nico to the center of it.
The sun peeked from the horizon. Its ray of lights started to reach every corner of the darkened sky. The sky was in the hue of combined purple, red and orange creating a spectacular view. The buildings were still glittering with lights and were standing proud and tall. The beauty of the horizon took Nico's breath away.
"It's good to be back here." Will was beside him, hands in the white coat's pockets. "I refused to come up here ever since fall last year when this place strongly reminds me of you."
Nico stood up from the wheelchair. Although, he couldn't go any further when the back of his hand was still hooked to the IV hanging on the pole of the wheelchair.
"I know this. . ." Nico looked at Will. The blond only tilted his head at him. "I always dreamed of this place before. I realize just now that the person in my dreams who was always standing at the edge was you."
Will smiled lovingly at him. He reached for Nico's hand. "Sit."
Nico obliged. Will crouched on his one knee in front of Nico.
"Shit, you're not going to propose to me, are you?" Nico asked.
Will threw his head back, loud bark of laughter escaped him. When he sobered up, he spoke. "I love to do that sunshine, but not at this instant. Because I believe that there are a few things we need to settle first."
Nico 's heart swelled at the thought that Will wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.
"So for now, instead of a ring, let me give you this." Will produced something out of the pocket of his white coat. It was a bracelet made of braided cords of gold and black.
"That's-" Nico recognized the bracelet because he had seen it first hand when it was still a work in progress. It was a hand-made bracelet by Hazel.
"Yeah, from Hazel's exhibit. I fought tooth and nail against other bidders just to get this. No kidding about Hazel and her jewelry." Will clasped the bracelet around Nico's wrist.
"Hazel once told me that she believed that jewelry has stories, either before they were made or after it was finished and purchased by someone." Will eyed the bracelet admiringly."The first time I laid my eyes on this, I instantly knew that this bracelet tells our story, two different cords entangled together. I believe we were like that too. Two people from different universes whose lives got intertwined."
Will gazed up at Nico. Nico gasped. Suddenly, Will was glowing, literally. He was surrounded by light as if he was a human incarnate of a sun.
"W-what?" Nico hung open.
"As expected, you can see me glowing now after your powers emerged again," Will said, still glowing. "I got a report that you fell on the right side of the rail track in the subway station. But when the paramedics rescued you, you were already on the left side, unconscious. It was impossible but most witnesses just believed that you were able to get out and went on the other side at the last minute, well, because they didn't know how else to explain it. The security cameras were down at that moment, so nothing could verify what actually happened. However, I knew better. You shadow traveled -you vanished and reappeared on the other side, Nico."
"Hang on a sec." Nico raised his hand, signaling for a time-out. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
"I wasn't kidding when I told you that you were a former death angel when we were at the Broadway Theater."
"I've wanted to tell you all about these ever since your allergy accident. I was glowing the entire time we were talking, hoping that you would see it. So it would be easier for me to explain further to you. Unfortunately, you weren't able to see the glow." Will continued. "This is how we met five years ago in this hospital. I was glowing trying to heal a patient while you were escorting a soul to the Underworld."
Nico was mesmerized by Will's glow. He couldn't take his eyes off his face. He was radiant and breathtaking, even more so when he was surrounded by light. He said. "But I saw your glow when I was rushed here because of an allergy. I thought I was just hallucinating but it felt like I saw you glowing. Why I couldn't see it then when I woke up?"
Will shook his head "I don't know, maybe it was your subconscious acting up because it was in your nature? But last night, your fellow death angel, Bob, came to me saying that you shadow-traveled in the subway station and your powers are back. It seemed like you'd be able to only see my glow when your powers returned. He also said that there's a reason why your skills and powers were taken, for the time being, something about a plan and safety. To be honest, I felt like someone out there was stopping me from telling you the truth earlier than this moment."
Nico closed his eyes. His head started to throb from trying to process this revelation. It was absurd but at the same time, it felt right. . .
"I'm sorry." Will squeezed Nico's hand. "I know this was too much for you."
Nico opened his eyes to look at Will. Seeing him glow made him feel calmer and better. It was beautiful. Will was beautiful.
"I-if I was truly a former death angel like you said." Nico swallowed. "Why was I here? What happened? Why can't I remember everything from my past?"
Will suddenly looked pained. "I'm so sorry Nico. But your amnesia was your punishment. . ."
"Punishment?"
"Punishment for breaking the rules of the Underworld. One of those is for loving me, death angels were forbidden to feel human emotion but you fell in love with me. Then you killed Python just to save me. You weren't supposed to do that too."
"S-so, if it was a punishment, there's a high chance that my memories would not come back?"
Will bowed his head, already answering Nico's question.
"Hey," Nico leaned forward to cup Will's face. The blond gazed up at him. Blue orbs met dark brown. "Solace, if I would be given a chance to go back to that time and change things, I wouldn't hesitate to do whatever I did before if it means loving you and saving you all over again."
Then Nico leaned forward and reached for Will's lips. This time, it was slow and sweet. Savouring every moment. He was here again with the man he loved for what felt like an eternity. For whatever it was that brought them together again, he was grateful. For there was no other man he could ever love other than Will Solace. It would always feel like fireworks and butterflies with him.
Nico pulled away and stared at Will' twinkling blue eyes. "I love you."
Will's eyes widened.
Nico was taken aback. "Why are you so surprised? Okay, I take that maybe in the past I wasn't very vocal about my feelings... "
"This was the first time you told me that you love me out loud. . ."
Nico was even more surprised. "W-why? Gods, okay, maybe I was really a jerk in the past-"
"Say it again."
"What?"
"Say that you love me, please?"
Nico leaned his face closer to him. "I love you, I love you, I love you I love you. . ." He continued saying it like a mantra until he was out of breath and they were both laughing.
"I love you." This time, it was Will. His glow had faded but for Nico, Will Solace would always be blindingly bright and ethereal.
"Ack, I'm starting to get cramps from this position.." Will suddenly added as he changed his position from kneeling on one knee to plopping down on the floor. He sat beside Nico's wheelchair.
He stretched out his legs as he spoke again. "So, the death angel's business is out of the list to talk about, we proceed to the next."
"How many topics on this invisible list we need to talk about exactly?"
Will laughed, "Just this one and we'll head back. A patient can't stay out long. I just really wanted to go here with you because I miss this place,"
"Were we here often before?"
Will hummed in response. "So, I believe something happened at the subway station."
Nico's expression darkened a bit. "Now, you started to tell me things like this. The thing that I'm going to say isn't going to sound more unreal than before. I think black smoke is trying to kill me."
"What?"
Nico started to recount the story of what had happened yesterday as the flashback swam back in his head.
Nico stopped at the vending machine. He paused at the array of drinks, contemplating to purchase a drink.
That was when he saw the reflection on the glass. There was a black smoke right behind him. That black smoke was familiar because there was also a black smoke when he was choking to death in the restroom at Broadway.
Nico looked away. He changed his mind. He went to the platform instead. He's at the safe edge of the platform waiting for the train to come. He clenched the strap of his backpack. He looked down at the rails.
He could feel it, it was right behind him, the black smoke. He felt cold, especially on his back. It was the same cold he felt at the Broadway.
Nico was sure that it was the one who pushed him on the rail tracks. He also told Will what happened to him at the Broadway. After Nico finished narrating the story, Will was worried.
"What are we going to do? What if –whatever that is, attack you again?"
Nico reached Will's hand. "I won't let him kill me. Besides, I can just shadow travel if it attacks me again. But I have to practice that part first because I still don't know how exactly the whole shadow travel thing works."
"Then what if, the shadow travel, didn't work-"
"I won't die, Solace. Promise."
"I was just afraid that you'll leave me again and this time it would be for good."
"This time, I promise that I won't," Nico assured. "Even though, I still don't understand what's the motive for killing me. Wait, you mentioned Bob who is a death angel and who talked to you. Where is he? Maybe I can talk to him and ask him about this black smoke, maybe he knows."
Will shook his head dejectedly. "Bob is hard to find. I just met him for the first time, last night."
"Then maybe I can ask other death angels out there."
Their conversation had gotten interrupted when Will's phone rang. Lou called him and asked where the hell they were. She also advised them to come back immediately if Will didn't want to get a memo of abducting a patient.
So they went down the helipad with questions still lingering in the air, and as the sun rose in the horizon behind their backs. Nico reached his room and lay down on the bed. He watched Will left the room because the doctor had surgery to perform. The blond doctor promised to come back later after his shift.
So Nico was left alone staring at the ceiling, contemplating all the things that he and Will had talked about. To be honest, it wasn't yet sinking in on Nico that he was a freaking death angel before. He couldn't still believe that he had escorted souls in the Underworld all his life before. Will had briefly explained that all he had known about his mortal life wasn't true, and this thing called mist had altered everything to fit his mortal life here in the upper world. If that was the case, was Hazel not his real sister after all? And Bianca, where was she? He hadn't remembered her dying. Although, Hazel had said that she did because of poor health. Maybe it wasn't true, so where was she? Will had also promised to fill Nico in with more things that Will had learned about his death angel life later.
Nico sighed as he sank deeper in the bed. Just thinking about it again made him dizzy. Not to mention there was still this whole black smoke mystery going on. He was also a bit baffled about something that Will had mentioned before, something about a plan. Just what was that all about? Nico badly wanted the answers to the unending list of questions in his weird life.
He was in the middle of mentally planning to find death angels around to ask when Hazel and Reyna came. They were extremely worried, of course, when this wasn't the first time that Nico had gotten in a dangerous situation. He just reassured them that he was completely fine. They demanded what happened and Nico settled for a lie that he had accidentally fallen on the rail track. He couldn't tell them the truth when he, himself, was still confused about everything. They might think he was going insane. They might call Mr. D and get him a heavy prescription.
Hazel left the room for a bit to settle Nico's hospital bill since he was going to be discharged in the afternoon. Therefore, Reyna and Nico were left alone in the room.
"You're lying about what truly happened in the subway station. Spill." Reyna suddenly said. She straightened up in her chair. She sat beside the bed.
Nico froze. Right. He forgot that he had a friend who was excellent at detecting lies.
"I was telling the truth. What else could happen?" Nico was defiant, staring straight at Reyna's eyes.
"Lie." Reyna stared back.
"So, what's happening about my hit and run case, is there any progress?" Nico tried the diversionary tactic.
This time, Reyna froze.
"How was your work at Triumvirate Lab? Are your colleagues treating you well?"
Silence. Nico and Reyna stared at each other. They both knew it, both changing the topics to stop the impending more lies that would come out their mouth. They both hate spilling more lies.
"If I told you what truly happened at the subway station, will you tell me what's going on with my case?" Nico challenged.
"Nico. . ."
"See, Reyna. Now, I hope you understand why I am doing this. There are certain things that we cannot tell for the sake of others. I trust you so I won't ask, so please trust me too on this."
Reyna sighed in resignation. "Fine, di Angelo. You got me on this. I won't pry for more but Nico don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it, okay? I'll take care of the accident in the subway station so you don't have to worry about it."
Nico nodded. He smiled gratefully at his friend. "Thank you."
Friend for a long time or just a friend for more than nine months, it didn't matter. Because he knew that Reyna Ramirez-Arellano could be trusted with his life if needed.
If there was one thing that Nico realized that morning, the world was truly twisted in its own way.