He awoke gasping for air, his body slick with sweat that soaked the soft blue sheets tangled around his legs. I'm alive? His head still throbbed, but it was nothing compared to his previous headache. He gently rubbed his eyes, reopening them to the realization that his vision was rather clear now. It took a moment for his sight to adjust to the strange surroundings. Sunlight trickled through the windows, cloaking the room with a pale light. The space itself was a relatively small, with cream walls plastered with various posters of music groups, photos, and an anatomical diagram of the human body. On the wall opposite of the bed a white door was closed.

He lifted himself tentatively out from under the covers, carefully placing his feet on the cold wooden floor. His hand kept a firm hold on the shabby bedside table just in case his muscles decided to give out again. Doing his best to balance himself, he padded lightly towards the door, relieved he made the venture without falling. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and inhaled a deep breath as he pulled it open, revealing a short, narrow corridor. A few paces down the hall was an open door that displayed what looked like a tiled bathroom. He briskly made his way to it; he definitely needed a bit of freshening up.

When he stood in front of the mirror, he jumped back a little at what he saw. Staring at him was a man in his early twenties with ghostly white skin, hollow brown eyes, and a rat's nest of raven hair. He was alarmingly thin. The grey sweatpants he was wearing were sliding off his boney hips. Instead of a shirt, his torso was neatly wrapped in fresh gauze. He hesitantly reached back to touch the skin between his shoulder blades where the bandages were the thickest. Pain erupted in his back; he gasped. It felt better than before, but that didn't stop it from hurting like hell.

After splashing his face with water he returned to the hallway. From an open room on the far end of the little corridor, a muffled voice echoed. I know that voice. He walked toward the sound, trying to place why he heard it before, and peeked into the room of its source. On one side there was a little kitchenette with light cabinets and a few plates scattered about. On the other side was a cozy little living room with a TV, book shelf, a coffee table that sported a few pizza boxes, and a well-loved couch currently being occupied by a man speaking into a cellphone. He had a wavy mop of blond hair and tanned skin spotted with freckles. Blue eyes flicked around with anxiousness. It's them. He realized. It's the person who helped me.

"Yes. I know I've missed a lot but please," He adjusted the phone so he could grab a slice of pizza, "cover for me just one more day."

The blond paused, listening for the person's response. "I know, Dr. Lester is going to kill me, but this is important."

Another pause. Then the man exhaled.

"Thanks. I should be back s-" He looked up, catching the black haired man where he lurked in the doorway. His eyes widened. "Cecil, I'll have to call you back."

This time he didn't wait for a reply before he put the phone down and stood up, making his way toward the silent observer.

"You're up." He noted, scanning his eyes over the bandaged area. "How do you feel?"

"Better." His voice was still nothing but a coarse whisper. He stared intently at the floor, nervous under the blond's gaze.

The man gestured for him to sit on the couch before pacing toward the fridge. "Do you want something to eat? You must be hungry."

He nodded, awkwardly placing himself on the cushions while the other made his way to the kitchen. Based what he saw in the mirror, he could really use something in his stomach.

"I'm sorry, this is probably really weird for you, huh?" The blond chuckled rubbing the back of his neck as he shut the refrigerator door. "I'd be uncomfortable too if I woke up in a stranger's apartment."

He strode over to the couch and sat next to the black haired man, holding out a bottle of water. "I'm Will, by the way. Will Solace."

He took the water from Will, downing almost half the bottle in one gulp.

"So, what's your name? You didn't have your ID on when I found you." The blond asked as he pulled another slice of pizza out of its box and put it on a paper plate.

"My name?" He furrowed his eyebrows. What is my name?

"Yeah," Will encouraged, handing him the slice of pizza. "What do people call you?"

"I-I can't remember."

"Amnesia!" The blond suddenly scolded himself, running his fingers through his golden locks. "How did I not consider amnesia!"

"I'm sorry?"

Will sighed. "No, it's my fault for not taking you to a hospital. I thought I could handle it myself."

"I think you handled it pretty well." He gave the other a little smile. "I'm not dead right?"

Will seemed to ponder the complement before returning with a bright grin of his own, "Thanks."

"I should be thanking you." The black haired man pointed out. "How did you know what to do?"

"Oh, it wasn't too difficult. I'm in med school, and my dad is a pretty well-known surgeon. I practically grew up in a medical setting." Will answered casually.

"Wow. That's, actually really impressive." He took a bite out of the pizza. "So you're like a prodigy?"

"I wouldn't say that." The med student laughed loosely.

"Well there's something special about you." He stated matter-of-factly. "I doubt the average person could do what you did. I owe you one."

Will's face flushed pink. "No really, It wasn't-I didn't-" He fiddled with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Thanks."

"I wish I could tell you more about me." He frowned.

"Hey," Will met his eyes, lifting the mood. "I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Why don't we come up with a name for you?" He offered. "Just so I can call you something other than 'you' until you remember your real name."

The other shrugged, "Okay."

"Hmmm," the blond thought, "How about Alex?"

He scrunched is nose, "No."

"Yeah that one doesn't really fit…What about Lucas?"

"No."

"Casey?"

"I don't like that one either."

"How about…" Will put an index finger to his lip, "Dominic?"

"Dominic?"

"Yeah."

He took a moment to consider. "Sure."

"Dominic it is." The blond grinned. "Now we just need a last name."

'Dominic' glanced down at the pizza box. A red light flickered. "di Angelo."

"What was that?"

"di Angelo." He cleared his throat. 'From the Angel.' Something in those words felt special to him. "For my last name."

Will looked him over. "Domenic di Angelo? I like it, but-"

"Should I have chosen something else?"

"No, no," Will smiled, "I was just thinking about giving you a nickname."

He tilted his head. "A nickname?"

"Yeah, something that rolls off the tongue." Will nibbled at his pizza slice. "Like how my name is William, but everyone calls me 'Will' because it's short and people are lazy."

"Oh. I don't know any nicknames."

The blond was quiet for a while. Out of nowhere, he snapped his fingers. "I got it!" His eyes seemed to capture the rays of the sun, "What do you think of being called Nico?"

"Nico." He repeated, the syllables comfortable in his mouth. He liked the way Will said the name. It had a sense of familiarity as if they had been friends for years. "I think I like it."

"Nice to meet you Nico."

They sat without speaking for a while, not quite sure what to say after that. The stillness was awkward, but not suffocating. Will was the first to break the silence.

"So you really don't remember anything?" His voice was warm, tinged with curiosity.

"I don't know." Nico answered simply. "The last thing I remember was waking up half dead. Then you showed up."

Will pursed his lips. "Do you remember how you got injured? Your wounds weren't like anything I've seen before."

"No I-" His voice caught. A bright light. A high place. A hard fall. "I fell."

Nico's voice was quiet, toned like broken glass. Will was sure he remembered something. He had said the same exact words to him that night; but he wasn't going to push for answers, not when he seemed so fragile. "Do you remember anything else? Family? Friends? Where you live? Your age? A phone number?"

He said nothing, only shaking his head his head in response. No.

"I'm sure someone will come looking for you." Will reassured. "Maybe then you'll remember something."

No one is looking for you. Nico heard a whisper picking at the back of his head. They know exactly where you are. They don't care about you.

"No." He mumbled in defiance, clenching his fists. "You're wrong."

"Nico?" Will was tapping him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He lied, fidgeting with his gauze.

Will reached his arm out to Nico, lightly placing his palm on the bandages black haired man was toying with. He ran his thumb along the gauze, smoothing out the area that had started curling upward. Nico's breath hitched at the touch, the heat of the blond's hand running across his ribs and climbing up to his face. Will swiftly pulled away.

"Sorry." He grinned awkwardly, a red tint covering his freckles. "I just need you to keep those on. You're still pretty banged up. Which reminds me-"

Will got up from his spot on the couch. "I have some work to catch up on."

"Work?" Nico questioned as he carefully lifted himself off the cushions as well.

"Just some med school stuff. I missed quite a bit to help you out."

"Sorry." Nico looked down, suddenly aware how much of a burden he must have been to this man. Will had dropped everything to make sure that he was okay. How long had he even been out? Was it one day? Two? A week? It didn't matter anyway, he had already taken up so much of his time already.

"Nico, you don't have to apologize." The blond's voice was genuine. "I'm not training to be a doctor for nothing. I want to help people."

Nico didn't know what to say. I want to help people. Will didn't mind wasting his time on the bloody faces of people he never met, as long as he could stop their tears. What a fascinating human. Nico thought. The way the voice in his head said 'human' was odd, as if he himself was not one. What else could he be if not human?

"-ico? Nico?' Will's voice cut through his thoughts. He hadn't realized he was staring at the blond, whose face was twisted in apprehension. "You should get some rest."

"But-"

"You still need to heal. I've treated the wounds as best as I can, but for now you need to take it easy. Doctor's orders."

Nico decided not to argue. For someone who had only been awake for a few hours, he was seriously drowsy. He left Will to work as he shuffled back to the bedroom and flopped down onto the squishy bed, wrapping himself in the sheets. He was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

A/N:

I've been staring at this chapter for the past week and I just can't bring myself to like it lmao

If you're wondering why I chose Dominic over Nicholas for Nico's name, I felt Dominic would fit the the story more because the name itself means "Of the Lord/Belonging to God" rather than Nicholas which means "Victory of the People."
So essentially, the name he chose means "Angel of the Lord"