Chapter 5: Flicker

The first thought that crossed Will's mind when he grew conscious was: why are the walls so bright?

His eyes had fluttered open, and he had to squint against the harsh lighting of the room. Who would make the walls such a bland, bright white? That seemed like a design flaw. And the light streaming in through the window only made things worse.

His head felt like it was floating, separate from his body, but soon it was beginning to throb gently with a headache. His eyes ached—strike that, everything ached. It felt like he had been run over by a steamroller.

It took a few more minutes for him to register what had happened.

He barked a laugh, and his head throbbed even worse from the action. He was in the hospital. It was sad to realize that the walls were so bad for a waking patient only when he became the patient. He would have requested a décor change if he had known before.

Will glanced around the room, the shadows contorting into strange shapes around him. Probably a hallucination. He was hooked up to softly beeping machines, an IV drip in his arm. Yep, they were giving him some kind of pain medication. That explained the shapes. He was very sensitive to the stuff.

So, he had been hit by a car trying to get around the wreckage. He examined his injuries. There was a lump on his left leg—a cast, perhaps. He knew he had to have snapped at least a couple of bones.

He breathed in. Broken ribs. At least three.

Great.

He was going to have to miss a month of work to recover.

His eyes flickered up at the sound of the door opening. It was Kayla.

"Well, look who's up!" she said, smiling down at him as she walked over to check his vitals.

Will hummed.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked, exchanging the IV bag with one that didn't have any sleep medication in it. This accomplished, she stood over Will with her arms holding her clipboard close.

"No," Will said, his voice cracking at the end. He moistened his lips. "Not all of it."

Kayla nodded. "You suffered a mild concussion, so it's not surprising you can't remember some of what happened. You have a broken leg, four broken ribs, and a fractured collarbone. Severe internal bleeding. You got hit by a truck."

"I figured that much," Will grunted.

Kayla laughed. "You had everyone pretty scared for a while there, you idiot. Clara's been here three times already asking about you. And the guy who was with you after you got hit is still here right now, though the actual man who hit you is gone and is being charged for reckless driving. He was dragged here by that other man when you were first admitted. Weird guy. But it seemed like he meant well."

"Who?" Will asked. She was talking too fast for him to keep up properly, but he got the gist of the person who as with him when he was hit. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember, but everything after heading for the girl with the broken foot was a blur of pain and blood. There was a man's voice that he recalled. But what had he said? Will couldn't remember. His head was throbbing.

Kayla looked over at the door, seeming to consider something. Then she looked back at Will. "I'll be right back," she promised. Then she was gone.

He was left even more confused than before. Where was she going?

She returned within a few minutes, opening the door to let someone else in before her. "I can give you a few minutes," she said, her voice low and focused on the man she let into the room. "It really isn't visiting hours, but he's conscious, so…"

The man nodded. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice heavy with an accent. What was it? Italian?

Kayla nodded and shut the door behind her, leaving the two men in the room alone.

Will had to struggle a bit against the aftermath of the medication to register the sight before him. The man turned to Will, and Will found that he was decked out in all black—black jeans, black shirt, and black shoes. He had a leather jacket tucked under one arm.

The sight triggered a memory within Will.

"You're him," Will blurted out.

The man's head twitched. His pale complexion proved to be a stark contrast against all of the black he was wearing, making him look almost like a ghost, but his cheeks darkened as Will watched, as though Will had embarrassed him. "Him?" he wondered.

Will nodded despite the throbbing in his skull.

The man tilted his head. His shoulder-length black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, but a few stray locks managed to fall over his dark eyes. He looked down at Will, seeming to scrutinize him.

Will tried not to squirm under his gaze.

"Would you care to elaborate?" said the man, his lips twitching slightly. "For all I know, him can mean quite a few different things."

Will frowned. "Like what?"

The man just sighed. He walked over and held out a hand. "Never mind. If you meant that I was the 'him' who stayed with you after you were hit, then you're right. My name is Nico. Nico di Angelo. It's a pleasure to finally meet you—conscious, that is."

That's a hot name, Will wanted to blurt out, but he bit his tongue before it could slip out. Fucking medication. He never reacted well to it. But what could he say? The name was pretty hot. So was he. Nico di Angelo. Victor of Angels. That was Italian, all right.

Will blinked, realizing Nico was just standing there waiting for Will to say something. Before he could help it, he felt his own cheeks heating up. (Though he doubted Nico could see it. He was certain he was still black and blue on at least one side of his face.)

Will moved the arm that wasn't hooked up to the IV and shook Nico's hand. The man's grip was strong and a bit on the cold side. "I'm William Solace," Will told him. "But you can call me Will, if you'd like."

Nico's eyes danced with amusement. From up close, Will could see that they were almost black themselves, stopping at a warm dark chocolate color. Will's heart skipped a beat. "Then I shall, Will Solace. May I sit?"

"Sure," Will said.

There was a chair next to the bed, but Nico acted like he never even saw it. He eased himself onto the edge of Will's bed, turned enough so he could face Will. He draped his jacket over Will's legs. "I'm relieved to hear that you'll be leaving the hospital within the week," Nico said before Will could say anything. His lips twitched upwards.

Will grimaced. "I guess so."

Nico arched an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so disappointed? I figured you'd be pleased. You'll be able to go home and see your daughter again soon."

Will looked up. "You know my daughter?"

Smirking, Nico tapped the cast covering Will's leg. "She's been by a few times. She came in here only once while you were unconscious, but every other time she sat with me and told me stories about you. She's a cute child, not to mention determined. She got angry every time they wouldn't let her see you. The poor lady she was with was always on her toes to make sure she didn't sneak off for your room."

Will's eyebrows furrowed. "Angry?"

"Upset," Nico revised.

Moistening his lips absentmindedly, Will gazed at the man beside him for a moment. He realized something. "How many times have you been here?"

Nico's eyes flickered over Will's face, making the man feel self-conscious. He wasn't normally into men, but damn— Will shook the thought away before it could escalate. He shot a glare at the IV drip on his other side.

Nico was frowning when Will turned back to him. He looked from Will to the IV and back before he morphed his expression into indifference. "I tried to come by as much as I could. I wanted to be here when you woke up."

"Why?" Will asked dubiously.

Black hair fell over Nico's eyes, and the man blew the lock away irritably. His cheeks were darkening again. "I was troubled that you would not make it," he said. His eyes locked on Will's. "After your daughter came that first day after the accident, she admitted how worried she was. At the time, you had lost a lot of blood and you weren't showing signs of recovery. It took two long days before they told me that you were going to be fine. I was waiting for you to wake up so I could tell your daughter the news. Perhaps, though, it's not necessary. You could probably just call her yourself."

Will glanced at the phone on the far wall. He'd have to get up to reach it. "Probably not immediately," he admitted.

Nico chuckled. "Perhaps not."

A frown crossed Will's face as another thought crossed his mind. "And how did you manage to get here every single day? I doubt the staff would let you up so many times unless you were a part of the family. Or close to the family, I guess."

Nico grinned. The look seemed impish, if a bit on the nervous side. "About that," he said. "I might have lied to them."

Will's frown deepened. "What did you say?"

"I kind of told them that we…" His hands seemed to be cut free of the bonds that had kept them in his lap. They fluttered up, gesturing between them, as Nico's face struggled to stay calm. He looked on the verge of busting out in laughter. "Were a thing," he finished.

It took several counts before Will caught on. His face flared up with heat. "Oh fuck," he muttered with a groan. "You know that I work here, right?"

"That would explain the utter surprise I received when I told them, yes," Nico mused. He noticed his hands still fluttering in the air and trapped them between his knees. "But I figured that was my best option. I wanted to make sure you woke up. I can deal with the consequences."

Sure you can, Will thought. But can I?

He made sure not to voice that thought.

Nico tilted his head, looking like he had heard Will's internal voice. "We can break up as soon as you'd like," he said seriously, even though his voice was laced with amusement. "How about that?"

Will huffed. "Whatever."

Nico smiled. The sight sent Will's heart aflutter, and he cursed the medication for the umpteenth time. "I should probably leave before someone comes by and notices me," the man said, glancing towards the door as he spoke. He made to stand. "It was good to see you finally awake, Will."

Will's heart plummeted. "Wait!" he said, grabbing Nico's wrist.

Nico turned, and Will scrambled to think of something to say.

"Did you see Ghosty?" he asked. "The wolf, I mean. I was taking him home before the wreck. Is he safe? Did Clara tell you?"

A strange look passed Nico's face before it vanished, and Will blamed it on the medication once again messing with his head. He'd have to ask Kayla to lower the dosage. "The wolf, you say?" he said. He seemed to know what Will meant. "He's fine, from what I understand. Clara—your daughter—told me that he was anxious and jumpy when they finally got him home. But otherwise he was fine."

Will exhaled. "Good. That's good. Thank you."

Nico nodded. "No problem."

He turned away again.

"Um, wait." Will was really starting to push it, but he actually had one last thing to ask. Nico turned back again. "Is there anything I could do for you? You know, as thanks for everything?"

Nico looked surprised. "Like what?"

"I don't know, um…" Will thought about it. "Coffee, maybe? No, that's a stupid idea, um… Just, I dunno. Money? Dinner? Just, something? I really want to thank you for helping me. You didn't have to and I, uh..."

A smile was beginning to form on Nico's face. "Coffee sounds good."

Will had been twisting his fingers together in his lap, staring at them stubbornly, but Nico's response shocked him into looking up. "It—it does?"

"Sure," Nico replied. He brushed away the hair that kept falling over his eyes, and Will caught a glimpse of a faint scar over his right eyebrow. How had he gotten that? A fight?

Will breathed in deeply. "Well, alright. That was easy," he mumbled. Louder, he said, "we should probably wait until I improve. I'd rather not hobble on a cast everywhere. Can I, um, have your number so I can call you?"

Nico smiled. "I would give it to you, if I had a phone."

Will's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What? You don't have a phone?"

"I've never needed one," he said. He eyed the jacket laid over Will's legs thoughtfully. "How long do you think you'll be like this?"

"Six to eight weeks," Will said automatically. "That's the average time it takes for broken bones to mend. After a month or so, I'll be in a brace instead of a cast. Not that either will be fun to walk in."

Nico tilted his head. "That's a long wait," he mused.

Will grimaced.

The man laughed softly at Will's expression. "Don't give me that look, Will. I'm still happy to accept. It just may be hard for you to remember that we'll be getting coffee in two months."

"Yeah, you're right." Will thought about it. "Well, not to sound like an idiot, you could come and have coffee at my place. I'm sure Clare would be happy enough to see you, as well. I don't know how Ghosty would fair, though. He's become a little more territorial from what I've heard."

Nico's cheeks turned pink, though Will had no idea why. He glanced over his shoulder at the door. "Well, if it's that much of an issue, can't you let him out for a little while?" Nico murmured. "Your daughter told me that you found him wild in the woods. Maybe he could find something to do while I'm over."

"That's a good idea," Will admitted. "I don't know how Clare would feel about it, though. She usually wants everyone to see him." Will laughed. "It's sadly becoming more and more endearing, even though I know that he needs to be sent back out into the wild soon. Before any of us gets too attached."

Nico was silent.

Will glanced over at the door himself, then at the clock. Nico had been in the room for way too long, but Will was relieved that Kayla hadn't come by to collect him yet. "What is today?" he asked suddenly.

Nico blinked. "Tuesday."

"Well, if you're willing to come over, then how does next Saturday sound?"

The man chuckled. "Sure, that sounds great. Your daughter will be home, right? Maybe I can get her to show me that photo album she was itching to show me before. She told me it had plenty of funny pictures of you growing up in it."

Will's cheeks flared with heat. "Um, no, that's okay…you don't have to go through that kind of trouble…"

"Nonsense," Nico said. He was grinning and obviously making fun of the other man. "It's no trouble at all."

Before Will could say anything to change Nico's mind about the photo album—he knew which one Clara was talking about, and he did not want someone, especially not an attractive someone, to look through it—a series of knocks drew their attention to the door.

Kayla poked her head in. "Didn't I say a few minutes?" she griped. Her voice was annoyed, but her expression was anything but. "I'll get in trouble if you're in here any longer."

"Forgive me, ma'am," Nico said. "I was just leaving. Might I say goodbye?"

Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, but don't let me walk into you two getting at it when I come back. I'm heading off to check on supplies."

Will's cheeks were still burning. "You don't have to worry about that," he muttered.

Kayla just winked and left the room.

Nico chuckled. "Interesting woman. Is she a friend of yours?"

"A cousin," Will said. "But she's more like a sister to me. Oh god, I'm going to have to explain all of this to her and I have no clue how to start."

Nico smirked. "I'm sorry for making your life so miserable."

He didn't sound very sorry.

Will groaned. "Just leave me to suffer in peace."

"I will," he promised. "But know this: I don't regret anything I had to say to see you. I'm glad you're awake, Will. Plus, this could prove healthy for you."

"What do you mean?"

Nico walked closer to the bed. "The staff was surprised about what I told them, but they were not for very long. To me, they seemed relieved. You can cut off this tie I forged for us, but it has shown them that you are not unwilling to begin again. That you can move on from what happened before."

Will's face froze.

Nico continued softly, reaching over to brush away Will's bangs from his forehead. "I understand you have suffered for a long time, Will. Your daughter and everyone here made me very aware of that fact. But it is okay to move on. You don't need to hold on to the past. So, even if it was just a lie, let this be a chance for you to change."

Nico leaned down kissed the uninjured skin above his eyebrow.

"Guarire in fretta, Will," he murmured. "Ci vediamo presto."

And then he was gone.