Hey guys! So this chapter is the same as the first, but in Will's P.o.V., and I would like to dedicate it to Guest06 for the idea. Also, HashtagMC pointed out that Solangelo was not quite hinted at during the war (thanks by the way), but for the sake of the story, just go with it ;P).
I hope you guys enjoy it! :)
Life must have really hated him. First off, his sister Kayla had accidentally spilled their last crate of healing salve all over the floor- and now they were nearly out. Second, the newest shipment of ambrosia had been halted by the blockade of Roman legionaries encircling the camp. And then there was the issue of the battle itself... Not only was he asked to refrain from fighting (curse his dreadful archery skills- he was the damn son of Apollo, for heaven's sake!), but Will Solace was supposed to keep off the battlefield altogether, as well. No doubt the campers thought he would shoot them in the head by accident...
It was awful, knowing that his brothers and sisters were out there risking his lives while he hung back at the medical tent tending to wounds that only intensified his agony- wounds that he felt he could have somehow prevented. Prevention is the best cure and all that jargon.
And that is precisely why Will did the exact opposite of what he was told to do and set out with his bow and quiver (however useless they may have been in his hands) towards the battlefield.
He caught his breath at the gruesome sight that lay ahead of him: thousands of throngs of grotesque, scaled, talon-ed, fanged, and even multi-headed monsters pressing against the demigod lines, cackling grins plastered on their flaking faces.
His heart caught in his throat as he gaped at the several lifeless bodies that littered the floor, the pools of red and black blood blood dancing to the clinks of swords, the determined yet weary miens of his brothers crinkling with frustration...
Suddenly, all thoughts of jumping in to help escaped as his breath hitched at the sight of a certain Nico di Angelo. Sweat dripping down his forehead, his eyebrows scrunched up with grit (quite adorably, in Will's opinion...), and his eyes glinting with a fierce determination, Nico looked like an unstoppable whirlwind of fury. Even the demons seemed to possess enough wit to stay clear of him and his infamous Stygian iron sword.
BOOM! The ground tremored violently as Will tried in vain to steady himself, broken away from his transfixion. Demons of every shape, size, and color hurtled out of the earth, drool dripping from their snarling, yellowed fangs and their jagged claws twitching- as if aching to sink into demigod flesh.
Instinctively looking back to check that Nico was all right, Wills's heart raced as he noticed a kampe nearing the startled demigod. The serpent demon's claws slashed across Nico's back, and Will had to suppress a yell as Nico fell to his knees in pain.
Energy surged inside of him, and he strung an arrow from his quiver onto his bow in one fluid motion. Centering his aim on the back of the kampe's flaky green head, Will pulled back the bowstring back. And fired.
Crack. Even from afar, Will could hear the distinct sound of the Imperial gold-tipped arrow embedding itself in the serpent's skull and make out its grotesque smile faltering as it sunk to its knees and rolled over, arms still positioned to strike. Another twitch, and it lay motionless.
Will could not move for a moment as he closed his eyes and felt the world slow; he nearly choked on his breath as his thundering heart gradually calmed. Nico had been this close from dying just then- one more second, and the monster's venomous talons would have scraped the life out of him. Not to mention his lucky shot... he had never aimed so precisely before...
Shaking out of his haze, Will rushed over to where Nico lay- still on his knees and slightly trembling. Kneeling down beside him, Will tried to ignore the heat that rushed to his cheeks as his eyes browsed over Nico's ebony hair firmly matted to his forehead, his chest heaving heavily into against his armor, or his strikingly dark eyes wide with disbelief...
"Focus!" Will chided himself. "He almost died a minute ago, you moron!"
Gently trailing his hand over Nico's kampe wound, Will chanted a healing mantra that clotted the ghastly gashes. He noticed how Nico had tensed under his touch and tried not to let himself jump to any conclusions. The boy was hurt; of course he would recoil from any physical contact to his injury...
But still... every time Will glanced his way or waved, Nico would blush and quickly avert his gaze. The boy seemed to do everything he could to keep away from Will, but in the few moments where their paths crossed... gods, it was all Will could do to keep from ensnaring Nico in his arms, brushing his lips against his cheek, and-
Bringing his attention back to the real and currently injured Nico in front of him, Will grudgingly put on his professional mask and said," Nico, you're going to have to come with me to the infirmary. You've been hurt pretty nastily."
Will slung his quiver over his shoulder and waited for Nico to argue back. As expected, the son of Hades glared at him and muttered," I'm fine, Solace. You've already saved the day, isn't that enough?"
Caging the annoyance deep inside of himself, Will gripped Nico's shoulders and a veneer of seriousness hardened his gaze. "Nico, the kampe's poison has already entered your bloodstream. We need to get you to the infirmary now. So come on, let me help you up."
He attempted to sling his arm around Nico to help him stand, but Nico just growled and sharply retracted, despite the pain dancing in his eyes. Nevertheless, he grumbled," I can walk there by myself."
Slowly rising from his crouch, Nico took a shaky breath and tried taking a step. He yelped and arched his back in agony as Will caught him by the wrists, forestalling his fall. Will wrapped his arm around Nico's waist and propped him up against his body, easily suppressing his weak attempts to escape.
Tired of Nico's failure to realize the gravity of the situation, Will cried out," Nico! What do you not understand? You've been poisoned by demon venom, and I need to get you to the infirmary now!"
Nico continued squirming under Will's clutch, and Will forced down a cry of frustration as he grit his teeth. What did this boy not understand about the fact that he was currently dying? Throwing him a glare that could have sent an entire legion of monsters shrinking back in fear, Will raved," Nico-"
Bellowing in vexation, Nico balled his fists and cried,"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE, SOLACE?"
Whoa...
Everything-the battle, war, the world- stopped as Will took in those words, painstakingly running through them over and over again.
Why can't you just leave me the hell alone, Solace? Why can't you just leave me the hell alone, Solace? Why can't you just leave me the hell alone, Solace?
A flicker of hurt must have betrayed his face since a flash of guilt coursed through Nico's eyes.
Will felt like running as far away as possible, just curling up into a tight ball in a lone corner. His glare turned into a clouded haze, his grip on Nico's wrists slackening.
Nico looked panicked as he opened his mouth to say something, but then he gasped and slumped onto Will's side, his eyes rolling back into his head as he lost consciousness.
Will gladly pushed his pain away as his medical mindset kicked in. He carefully slung Nico over his shoulders, making sure that his back was not under any strain or pressure.
The infirmary seemed miles away as Will grunted under the weight of a teenage boy dressed in full armor carrying a bulky sword- which seemed to be growing heavier by the second.
Finally, after several long minutes, Will sagged in relief at the familiar sight of the infirmary's pristine white walls and bustling corridors. He rushed inside, jostling past and hurriedly apologizing to everyone in his path. He could already feel Nico's life force ebbing away, an unraveling spool of thread.
After finding a clean, empty room, Will gently lay Nico down on his stomach on a cot. He hastily removed his armor and tore open his blood-soaked shirt- and gasped at the red blotches that had formed around the cuts. The poison had already taken affect.
Will grit his teeth. "No, there's still time," he told himself, collecting his wits. Taking a deep breath, Will set to work- cleaning off the grime and sweat from Nico's back, sucking out the poison, injecting antibiotics and small doses of nectar into his envenomed blood, and praying to every god he knew that Nico would not be taken away from him.
At last, Nico's jagged breaths and erratic heartbeat steadied, and Will slumped into a chair.
The past hour had been nothing but utter hell. He had bore through Nico spewing out frothy blood and foam, heard the occasional groan of agony, and throughout the whole damned experience, he found himself unable to conceive his world without the son of Hades. Nothing could compare to the flutter of his heart when he made the broody boy smile, and nothing could ever make the world stop the way it did when Nico lashed out at him earlier. Burying his head in his hands, Will closed his eyes and embraced the silence.
A knock on the door interrupted his peaceful bliss, and he looked up to find his brother Austin peeking through the doorway. Managing a grim smile, Will stood up to see what he needed.
Austin glanced at the cot, and a knowing gleam flashed in his eyes before he smirked. Will glared at him before muttering," What do you want?"
The playful grin remained on Austin's face as he replied," Need your help with a patient down at the right wing. Unless-"
"I'll come," Will blurted out. "Just... give me a minute..."
To Will's relief, Austin just nodded, closing the door behind him as he left.
Will turned back to Nico, slowly walking towards him. Asleep, Nico truly looked like an angel- his hair falling effortlessly across his brow, his pale skin almost aglow. Will knelt down beside the cot and took Nico's hand in his. Nico's cold fingers curled around his own, and Will's heart caught in his throat. He peered over the son of Hades, everything around him drowning away. Nothing- the war, the Romans, himself- mattered more than the oblivious boy before him.
Pressing his forehead against Nico's, Will savored every inch of Nico's touch. The tingles... the rapid heartbeats... the blushing... nothing could compare...
Nico muttered something that bore semblance to his name, and Will had to stifle the desire to call back.
Nico...
Will had hardly focused the entire time he was helping Austin with a patient that had a reaction to demon blood. Yellow and purple boils, retching, discolored skin...yeesh. The scene where Nico had burst out at him kept replaying in Will's mind, yet he wanted nothing more than to be back in his room at Nico's side.
Finally, the Apollo cabin had been able to cure their patient with an odd salve of juniper root powder and ambrosia, and Will rushed back to Nico. Someone had clothed him in a fresh shirt, and he had begun to stir, tossing and turning in the cot and rubbing his eyes.
Will was nervous to know how Nico would react to waking up in a cot next to him; nevertheless, he stood his ground.
At last, Nico's eyes fluttered open, taking in the bright light, and he tried to sit up. Crying out as pain shot down his back, he slumped back down.
Trying to hide any trace of emotion, Will nonchalantly said," You don't want to do that."
Realizing that he was not alone, Nico jerked his gaze towards Will. His cheeks reddened as he asked," Erm... so am I all right?"
Biting his lip to keep from saying anything stupid, Will replied,"I don't know. I still have to test your blood." Walking over to the cot, Will looked away from Nico's piercing stare. Steady, steady, steady... shit.
Nico looked extremely uncomfortable, his cheeks deepening even more, as he fidgeted with his fingers. "Will, I'm-"
"Shush, I'm taking a blood sample." And I don't think I can look you in the eye without my insides completely combusting, Will bit back.
"But Will, I-"
Wait... Nico was still blushing.
"I said shush, now let me concentrate."
Why was he still blushing?
"Will-"
Yeah, he was definitely blushing, Will grinned to himself.
"Nico-"
And his eyes were gleaming in the light. And the sound of his name from Nico's mouth-
"WILL SOLACE SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Nico cried, tearing the needle out of his skin. Will gaped at him in shock, shaking out of his- er... daydreams.
After a few heavy breaths, Nico composed himself and continued. "Will, about those things I said back there... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to burst out like that..."
Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit.
Hesitantly, Nico went on,"I'm really grateful that you came for me. I probably wouldn't even be here if you didn't"-he let out a humorless laugh-"and not many people would have done that for me."
Will continued his colorful string of curses in his head, praying that his face remained neutral.
Nico, slightly fazed by Will's reserve, stammered," I-I don't really have anyone and no one loves me, so-"
Suddenly, Will perked up. Oooooh boy, Nico truly had no idea, did he... Will gazed into Nico's eyes and willed himself to say everything that had been plaguing his thoughts for the past while.
Nico stared back, and for a moment, Will could swear that- past that facade of impassive nonchalance-there was a flicker of emotion on his face... Will found himself stepping closer, aching to smooth the jet-black hair out of the boy's wary eyes.
"Don't say that. No one here would have survived without your help, and everyone is eternally grateful for that. So many people love you, Nico, but you need to open up. You're special, even if you don't know who you're special to..."
Nico had tensed even further, and Will felt like the world's biggest idiot. What was he even saying?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that-" he began, but was cut off by Nico sharply looking up at him. Will noticed how Nico seemed to be taking him in, but was even more surprised at how the seemingly-impassive boy was so flushed.
Then, everything snapped into place. All the shy smiles, the blushing... maybe they weren't because Nico disliked him, but- oh gods. Was it possible... that-?
Will's heart was practically tearing apart his insides now. In a stupor, he murmured," You know, you always seem to overlook those who actually care about you..."
Then, the world exploded. Or at least, it might have, but neither boy would have noticed- or cared, for that matter.
Without hesitating, thinking, or even breathing, Will leaned down, tilted Nico's chin up with a finger, and kissed him.
Gently pushing Nico against the wall, Will sat at the edge of the cot and lightly touched Nico's cheek, embracing the surge of energy pulsing from his heart.
It took a moment for Nico to realize what was going on, but then he kissed back.
He kissed back.
Pressed close together, neither could hear anything over the synced beating of their hearts.
And this time, the rugged breaths, heated cheeks, and gleaming eyes weren't from the poison...
