Disclaimer:: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus or its characters. They are the property of Rick Riorden, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

When they got to the ER, Will directed Nico straight through the door and to a bed without even stopping to register. Nico watched as peeled off his jacket; he was still wearing a pair of bright orange scrubs with small, multi colored pumpkins across the edges. After telling Nico to stay put he wondered off. Nico couldn't help but watch him walk away and admire the way the material clung to his backside. It was a really nice backside. Nico carefully lowered himself onto his back and stared at the white ceiling. Holy Hades this has got to stop.

Nico didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he felt the soft brush of fingertips gently pushing his bangs away from his face.

"Nikolaos?" A soft voice seemed to ghost over his ears, instinctively Nico turned towards the warm hand "Alright gattino," the velvet voice said with a soft chuckle, "you have to wake up now so we can take care of that wrist ragazzo dolce."

Nico blinked his eyes open and found himself staring into bright blue spheres. Will had a gentle smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes.

"There you are." Will reached over and helped Nico sit up. "We'll get this done as quick as possible and get you home to bed."

Nico nodded slowly, still half asleep. Will's soft voice speaking sweet words in his mother tongue had twisted something inside him. He could feel his face flushing and his heart pounding. Ragazzo dolce, sweet boy. Sweet was never a word anyone would use to describe Nico di Angelo, but for some reason he loved hearing it. Will thought he was sweet.

Will propped his elbow on a little table with his hand in the air. Nico could tell he was trying to be gentle as he positioned Nico's hand so his wrist was straight. Nico closed his eyes and took deep breaths, he could hear Will singing gently under his breath and Nico let his voice sooth him while the doctor began the casting process.

A low voice interrupted their silence, "Do you need a hand with that Solace?"

"No it's fine Dr. Yew, I got it."

"Oh nonsense. You were done hours ago. Go on home, I'll finish up here."

"I said I got it." Will snapped. Nico's eyes snapped open. Will's hands had frozen and he closed his eyes tight. The blond doctor took a deep breath. The man who had come over, Dr. Yew, held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright, fine. Don't get your panties in a twist Solace."

"I'm sorry Michael, I didn't mean to snap. Nico's one of my patients from the clinic. I worry." Will met Nico's eyes with a small soft smile. Nico couldn't help but give him a soft smile back. Dr. Yew rolled his eyes and pulled the privacy curtain shut as he walked away. With one last fleeting glance Will got back to work.

"You want to tell me what happened, Nico?" His voice was gentle but firm; he wasn't really asking.

"I went to school with them."

"The guys who jumped you?"

Nico nodded, "They always gave me shit for being... well... you know." Nico blushed and looked at his lap. It had been a while since he stumbled over admitting his sexuality but for some reason he was suddenly shy.

"It's okay Nikolaos." Will put a gentle hand on his knee. "We've all been there."

"It's been years. It could have been worse. It has been. It just pisses me off you know? Anyways, I was just going...for a walk."

"A walk?" Will raised a skeptical eyebrow, "In that neighborhood? You don't leave anywhere around here."

"I just needed to get out." Nico's face flushed. He felt it burn from the tip of his ears down his chest.

Will smirked and gave the younger boy a knowing nod, "It's a nice area. I'm quite fond of Tonic. You ever been there?" Nico shook his head, "It lacks the sketchy clientele some of the other clubs in the area draw. They have these nice conversation pits where the music's not so loud and you can sit and talk. Booth couches that are lowered into the floor a little bit. It's nice. Just stay away from the VI. That place is trashy."

"I'll keep that in mind." Nico mumbled. So Will had caught on to Nico's real reasons for being in that area. The young Italian glanced at his face through his bangs. The doctor was looking down focused on wrapping his wrist.

"So they just saw you on the street and jumped you?"

"I told them I didn't want any trouble but they didn't give me the option of walking away. I know if I would have turned me back on them it would have been worse. We all got a few hits in before I tripped and landed on my hand, they took off when they heard they snap. They've never been particularly violent, mostly just bothersome. A little rough."

"Some people never grow up." Will shook his head sadly, then turned a mischievous smile towards Nico. "What color do you want?"

"I don't care."

"Oh, come now. That's the best part of breaking something."

"Really, it doesn't matter. You can choose."

"If you insist." Will grabbed a roll of orange casting and shot Nico a bright smile as he wet it before starting the wrapping process again.

"Remember to keep it dry. And it's going to get itchy but don't stick stuff down there it will get stuck. Try raising your cast or blowing on it with a hairdryer on the "low" or "cool" setting instead. Don't put powders into the cast, either. Anti-itch powders can cause irritation when they're trapped under the cast. Also, don't forget to take those pills, but eat first."

"Relax Doc, it's not my first brake."

"Sorry. I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

They drove in silence for a few blocks, Nico staring out his window and Will gripping the steering wheel. Will took a deep breath and flicked on the radio; it was low but broke up the silence.

Nico snickered, "Really?"

"What?"

"Why am I not surprised you listen to country?"

"What's wrong with country?"

"Nothing, if you like whiny cow boys moping about their trucks."

"Oh, whiny cow boys eh? And what do you listen to? Screaming emo angst ridden teens whining about how black is awesome and life is hard?"

"Black is awesome and life is hard."

Will pursed his lips and gave a sideways glance at his younger passenger. Nico tried to keep a placid look on his face, he really did. But then Will smirked, "Really, Nikolaos?"

Nico felt his lips twitch and stretch into a smile. Will snorted and Nico couldn't fight it anymore. The two men laughed loud and hard. When they quieted down their eyes met and for a moment Nico couldn't breathe. Will had a soft smile on his face and his cheeks were dusted a light pink. Nico felt his own face burn and quickly turned away.

When they pulled up to the curb in front on Nico's apartment the younger man was surprised when Will turned the car off.

"Umm... thanks, Will, for you know. Everything."

"Yea, for sure Nico. I told you I'd look out for you."

"Right, well. Night."

"Wait." Nico froze with the door open, half out of his seat, his breathe caught in his throat. "Here." Nico turned slowly, Will was holding out a slip of paper. Nico took it, careful not to touch his fingers. "Call me, if you need anything. If you get into trouble again or you just need...anything. Please, just call. And don't avoid getting treatment when you need it. We're supposed to be working together here, right?" Nico nodded slowly, "Promise? Promise you'll call me?"

"I promise."

Will flashed a 100 watt smile, "Good. Sogni d'oro bello. I'll be seeing you soon."

Nico swallowed thickly, "Sogni d'oro."

Translations

Sogni d'oro - Sweet Dreams

gattino - kitten

ragazzo dolce - sweet boy