~~Hey Hey Hey!

Long time no read! I must apologise for my absence, I've been rather caught up lately. but hey! have this cool new snazzy feature. A playlist to accompany the fic! /spacedustdreamer/mortal-music

This Chapters Song: Heartbeats by José González

Enjoy~~

The worst part about not remembering his dream was the uncomfortableness that followed. Nico felt as if there was someone breathing down his neck the entire day, making him feel on edge. He knew that it was all in his imagination but he couldn't shake the feeling that the dream was important. The air felt heavy around him as he paced back and forth through his cabin. Hazel had been to check up on him yet again after he missed breakfast, after having promised to go despite his disheveled mood in the morning. There was no hiding it from Hazel. She seemed to have this way of picking up on little things. No matter what feelings you were trying to suppress, Hazel would pick up on it.

"You look terrible!" she had said as soon as she crossed his path.
It was true. He did. One glance in the mirror and he noticed, he looked worse than death. Which was slightly ironic for two reasons. One being that he was the son of Hades, and the other, Death was actually remarkably beautiful according to Hazel. But nethertheless, Nico definitely looked like a guy who had just had a terrible night's sleep thanks to a nightmare he couldn't even describe. It was the lack of sleep that made him look terrible, but the feeling that came from the dream was what made him feel one hundred times worse.
"It was just a bad night's sleep, that's all." His exhaustion showed through his voice more than he anticipated causing the girl's eyebrows to knit together.
"Are you sure you're okay? Was it a bad dream? Would you like to talk about it?"
Nico sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why do people keep asking if i want to talk about things? He thought. He knew hazel meant well though and the last thing he wanted was to upset her. "It's okay. I'll see you at breakfast."
"Promise?"
"Promise."

"You promised." Hazel looked rather furious, or maybe disappointed, as she stared at Nico who was now lying on his bed. He had not at all intended to go to breakfast but he also had not anticipated that Hazel would come back to confront him on the issue.
"I'm just tired, Hazel" Nico sat up to face her.
He watched her face for what felt like an eternity. The sun shone off her curls making them shimmer like gold, and her intense eyes seemed to be analysing his every breath. Eventually her expression softened and her shoulders slumped "This is the second day you've missed breakfast.. If there's a problem you can tell me. People are starting to worry. Annabeth, Leo, Percy.."
Nico chewed at the inside of his cheek. He wasn't exactly one to stay in one place very often, but he supposed he had been getting into a routine as of late. And now that his routine was changing yet again, well, it wasn't completely bizarre that it had caused concerns. "Today was a one off thing. Yesterday was.. Different." The boy stood up again and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You should get going. People will be asking where you've disappeared off to next. They'll say I'm a bad influence on you" He smiled faintly at her, which seemed to lift her spirits.
Hazel nodded determinedly and hesitated as if she wanted to say something else, before turning to leave. Just as she was about to step through the doorway and into the sunlight, Nico called after her "If anyone asks, I'm sick, okay? I just need to rest today"
She shifted uncomfortably, he thought she would refuse but Nico knew his half sister could tell just how exhausted he was. Hazel nodded before leaving. The sound of the door closing behind her was one of the last sounds he heard before his mind began to calm, welcoming sleep with open arms. He almost managed to drop off before he felt a strange presence and snapped his eyes open, what he saw staring back at him could have stopped his heart quicker than a lightning bolt to the chest.

-Page Break-

"We really have to stop meeting like this" Will smiled at Nico from where he was stood. Nico seemed to pale -more than usual- and stared back at Will with a horrified expression. Dumb joke, sure. He'd have been terrified if he awoke to find someone at the foot of their bed. "I did knock? It's just, you didn't-" he passed his hand over his face quickly to check there was nothing stuck to his face or anything. "I overheard Hazel mentioning that you were feeling sick. I thought I'd drop by and check up on you?"
"You didn't have to" Nico seemed to regain his composure and sat up slightly, readjusting his pillows so he could sit comfortably.
"It's kind of my job. I don't really have a choice" Will rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet slightly, trying to sound nonchalant. In all reality as soon as he overheard Hazel speaking to Percy about Nico's absence he felt two things. First was excitement. If Nico was feeling unwell then that could give Will an excuse to see him again. Maybe demand some infirmary time to get to know the kid more. The second feeling was a mixture of guilt and worry. It was selfish of him to think that way. If Nico was really sick, it would be awful. Regardless Will had made his way over as soon as possible. Will flashed Nico a smile, "You don't have a choice either."

"Do you mind?" He had walked over to Nico's bedside and sat on the edge as he hovered his hand over the pale boy's forehead.
"Go for it." Nico muttered.

Being a total medical professional and all, Will noticed tiny things about the human body that others wouldn't. For example the way Nico's eyes were darting around very subtly almost as if he were looking for an exit. It gave Will the sense that his patient felt uncomfortable and wanted to find an escape route of sorts. Will's presence was not welcome here.
He had experienced this many times. On occasion it was too much for someone, especially a person in pain to be examined and it could cause them to panic. Nico didn't seem too distressed but it was something he would have to keep an eye on.
Will gently placed his hand on The other boy's forehead. There was nothing unusual so far in his opinion so he scooped up the other boys hand and traced his way down a place wrist to find Nico's pulse point.
He counted with every beat. The pace was unusually fast. This kind of heart rate paired with erratic eye movements. Will glanced up again; Nico's shoulders were squared, stiff. He was nervous.
It was a funny notion, because he knew what Nico could do. He had heard what Nico had faced. The son of Hades, so strong, stoic, fearless. Afraid of a simple check up? It didn't fit.

Then, to avoid the possibility of the infamously powerful son of Hades having a panic attack, Will began to sing. Another of those silly non enchanted Mortal songs. He wasn't sure why he chose the song he did. Maybe because he knew deep down, Nico wasn't sick at all. His temperature was maybe a little cold, but with a complexion like his it was expected. And his heart rate? Unrelated. Nico was completely faking being sick, it was obvious.
Maybe he chose the song because it was called "heartbeats"? The song was soothing and followed a simple calm melody. Perfect to ease the situation.
It should have been second nature for Will to have sung a hymn to his father. It was what Nico would have expected from the current situation, but he found himself singing a silly old regular song. Also while Will shouldn't have, for some reason, he found himself playing along with Nico's little 'sick' routine.. It didn't occur to him until he reached the line, That one line.. That his chosen song was completely inappropriate. His heart lurched and he stopped himself before he could sing that line. He felt his cheeks redden.

The paler boy's heart rate had slowed ages ago but Will had been so caught up in the melody that he had almost forgotten what the song was about and that line. As he pulled away he cleared his throat lightly.
"You seem fine. Maybe just get some rest and get back at it tomorrow. Probably exhausted.." his voice trailed off as he finally brought his eyes back to Nico's. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly. For a moment he seemed mad, however he simply asked "what was the promise?"
The blonde tilted his head slightly.
"The promise? You stopped singing after 'We had a promise made' What was the next line? I want to know."
Will stared back at Nico and for a moment seemed to get lost in those deep eyes. There was something so inviting about their darkness. He shook his head and forced a smile, "Get some rest, I'll tell you when you're better"
Will couldn't leave soon enough, now it was his turn for his heart to race. The missing line seemed to turn circles in his mind, even blurring over his vision, crushing his lungs.

We were in love.

Too soon, Solace. Too soon.