Nico & Will(Different)

Nico sat up in the cot, the sheets rustling slightly as he shifted his weight. His head still felt foggy, but the dizziness had subsided, and his muscles no longer screamed in protest with every movement. He glanced over at the door to the infirmary, half expecting Will to pop back in with one of his usual sunny smiles and endless questions. But the room remained quiet, save for the occasional soft shuffle of footsteps or the rustling of paper from a nearby desk.

It felt… peaceful.

Which, admittedly, made him uncomfortable.

Nico wasn't used to this kind of calm. Back home in the Underworld, the only peace he knew was the silence of graves and the muffled whispers of souls, but that was a different kind of quiet. It was the sort of quiet that crushed you, weighed you down, and left you feeling like a ghost in your own skin.

This was… lighter.

Will's voice broke his thoughts. "Hey, Nico. You awake?"

Nico winced, but he wasn't sure if it was from the sudden sound or the way Will's voice seemed to fill up the room, like it always did. He didn't know why Will insisted on checking in on him like this. It wasn't like he asked for attention, or even wanted it. Will wasn't the first person to try to help him, but there was something about the healer's persistence that gnawed at him, like a puzzle that he couldn't quite solve.

"Yeah," Nico muttered, sitting up straighter. He rubbed his face, suddenly feeling the weight of the room pressing in on him again. "What is it?"

Will appeared in the doorway, a syringe in hand. His brow was furrowed slightly, but there was a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I was just coming to make sure you didn't try to sneak off before I could finish my rounds. You feeling any better?"

"Fine," Nico replied, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was true. His body ached, still sore from whatever magical concoction Will had used to push his system into recovery, but he wasn't about to admit that. Not when Will was already looking at him like that—like he was some fragile thing, as if a wrong move might shatter him.

Will raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "You sure about that? You look like you've been hit by a truck."

"That's the charm," Nico said dryly.

"Uh-huh," Will said, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Well, if you're up for it, I've got something for the headache. You want it?"

Nico shrugged, leaning back against the pillows. "Not really."

Will didn't press, though Nico could see the hesitation in his posture. Instead, he took a step closer and set the syringe down on the nearby table, then crossed his arms. "Alright, suit yourself. But you really should take it easy for the rest of the day. At least until I'm sure you won't collapse the next time you try to stand up."

"I'm not that bad," Nico muttered, his fingers drumming on the cot's edge.

Will's gaze softened. "No, but you don't have to be a hero all the time, you know. It's okay to take a break." He looked down, his voice dropping to a quieter tone. "It's okay to let someone else help."

Nico didn't respond right away. He could feel the words weighing on him, pushing against the walls he had carefully constructed around himself. The truth was, he wasn't sure how to respond to someone like Will. Will, with his constant optimism and willingness to step into the light even when it seemed like the world was drowning in shadows.

It wasn't that Nico didn't appreciate the effort. But it was more complicated than that. A lot more complicated.

"Why do you even care?" Nico finally asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it. His voice wasn't angry, but it was sharp, tinged with a mix of confusion and something else he couldn't name.

Will blinked, clearly thrown by the sudden shift in the conversation. He didn't immediately answer, as if considering the question carefully before replying.

"Because you matter, Nico," he said simply, his tone steady but with an underlying warmth. "You matter to people. And… I guess I want you to know that."

The words hung in the air for a long time, and for a moment, Nico almost thought he imagined them. Because there had been so few times in his life when someone had said something like that to him. It was easier to believe that people only noticed him for his powers, or for the dangerous reputation that seemed to follow him like a shadow. He didn't know what to do with the idea that someone could care for him in a way that wasn't about what he could do or who he was meant to become.

Before he could think of something to say—before he could try to push the moment away like he usually did—Will was already moving, heading for the door with that same easy smile that Nico hated but also, for some reason, found strangely comforting.

"You're not alone here, okay? Take care of yourself."

And with that, Will was gone, leaving Nico alone again in the quiet infirmary.

The words lingered long after Will had gone. Nico had never been good at accepting kindness, but for some reason, Will's presence felt less like an imposition and more like… a reminder.