#mini fic 8

[ask-will-and-nico]

"Okay... Should I leave?" He asked. She nodded, and he did, trying his best not to panic. Okay, so his boyfriend got cursed. He could handle this. Lou was dealing with it... He hoped. What if she couldn't do anything? It was hours, and she hadn't come out. He knocked on the door. "Is... Is everything ok?" He asked. "Yeah. I've figured out a potion that should work, we just need to get it in him. I've tried waking him up, but I can't. He's not at risk anymore, so I say we just wait until he's awake."

Will nodded. Nico looked more peaceful now, sleeping quietly. He didn’t look like he was in any pain or anything, which Will was grateful for. “I’ll go grab what I need, I should be back in about half an hour. If he wakes up before then, try to keep him awake,” Lou Ellen instructed. Will nodded again, because he figured that was all he really could do. Will had to admit, he was exhausted. He hadn’t quite expected the trial to go as poorly as it had, thought he probably should’ve. Zeus wouldn’t go down without a fight, not without trying to hurt Nico in any and every way possible. Will sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. Nico had been doing better. A lot better. He just really hoped this wasn’t going to set Nico back again.

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Eventually, finally, he calmed down. "... I'm sorry." He muttered. "No, hon, you don't have to be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry about, you're okay." He sniffled, snuggling up to Will's chest. "I... I-I thought, maybe, if I talked about it... It would hurt less. I... I didn't tell anyone, except Jason. And I didn't even tell him the whole thing. I didn't... I-I didn't tell him I'd been touched."

Will wasn’t entirely sure what to think or say about that. He sighed softly and brushed Nico’s hair out of his face. “It wasn’t your fault, you know that?” Will said quietly. Nico seemed surprised to hear that. “What?” He said, cocking his head a little bit like a confused puppy. “It wasn’t your fault. Has anyone told you that? Probably not. You didn’t deserve that. They didn’t have the right to do that to you. That’s assault, you know that right?” Will asked. It was suddenly very important to him that he made sure Nico knew that. He was absolutely in no way shape or form at fault for what happened.

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Cecil just nodded, making a beeline for the formula. Nico just kinda waited at the front desk, and Cecil came back only a minute later with diapers, formula, and a red bull. Nico looked down at it questioningly. "It's for me." Cecil added, as if that wasn't obvious. Nico snorted, glad to find a little humor in the situation, and once their items were paid for, they went straight back. Nothing bad had happened to the baby, though he was crying a little louder now. "Shit, shit, shit, we don't have clothes, or a crib, or-" Nico interrupted Cecil's panicking. "Cecil, it's ok. Just get the formula ready for now. What does it say on the package?"

“Right, right,” he said. “Can you, like, try holding him or something? It sounds like we’re strangling him,” Cecil added, pulling the formula out of the bag. Nico was hesitant to pick up the baby again, it wasn’t his, and he didn’t really know the first thing about babies. Maybe he should, like, get a blanket for it or something? Was it cold? Maybe it was too warm? “Maybe we should call Will. He wants to go into kid medicine, doesn’t he?” Nico asked. Cecil stopped what he was doing (whatever he was doing, it looked like spilling the formula all over the countertop) and whipped around to look at Nico. “Yes! Yes, call Will! Call your boyfriend and ask him to please come help us!” Nico balked at Cecil calling Will his boyfriend, but he didn’t really say anything. Cecil wouldn’t listen to what he said anyway. It was getting late though, and he hoped Will wasn’t already asleep.

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Will smiled softly. "Yeah. Oldest, actually. There's Austin, second oldest. Then... Lee and Michael." He didn't want to talk about those two. He'd lost them too, and... It was hard to talk about. He didn't even tell Jason. "Anyway, I've got two sisters too. Kayla, she's the middle child, and Lacie. She's four now."

“Wow. That’s a lot,” Nico said. “How does your mom handle everyone?” Will shrugged and ate another dinosaur. “See, we’re all only half siblings. My dad has a bit of a…reputation. Mama can’t turn down a hungry belly, even if it strained us. Somehow they all just…found their way to us. She’s my mom, biologically. I’m her only blood child. The other five were all adopted,” Will said. He’d never really given his dad much thought before, other than the occasional anger that he could do something like that to as good of a person as Naomi, but he realized now it didn’t sound the best. “I get it,” Nico said, before Will could say anything else. “Hazel is my half sister too. She didn’t come around until after my mom died, so she was never formally adopted, but I understand.” Will couldn’t help but smile at the thought that they were more similar than he thought. “What are your siblings like?” Nico asked.

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Hazel took his hand, thumbing over his knuckles. "Hey, just remember you're a person too. You need to go out and do the things a person does." Nico rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, I know, I know." It was a little while before the paperwork was done with, and by that time, Hazel's friend, Piper, had come to pick her up.

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Nico said, hugging his sister tight. He hated when he had to say goodbye to them, either of them. It was hard to let them go when he didn’t know when he’d see them again. Especially with Bianca. “I should be the one telling you that,” Hazel said with a laugh. Nico pulled back a little bit and kissed her forehead. “I love you,” he said. She smiled at him. “I love you too,” she said. “Is Jason coming to get you?” She asked. They’d made their way out to the lobby, Hazel’s roommate waiting patiently for her. Nico shook his head. “I walked over here. I’ll just walk back,” Nico said. Hazel gave him a funny look, but didn’t say anything to that. “Text me when you get back to school, okay?”

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Nico sighed. "Well, I'll have to watch for a change of plans, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going back home. I miss Bia so much already... I just hope I'll be able to see her." Jason shot him a sympathetic look. Anticipatory grief is a bitch. Will wanted to ask what the sudden somber tone was about, but the server came back with menus.

Will pretty much already knew what he wanted. He checked the menu over, just to see if anything was new. Will was a creature of habit, and he liked when things stayed the same. “Big menu,” Nico mumbled. Will hummed and Jason snorted. “Will loves this place. We’ve been coming here as long as we’ve been living together. I think Will probably had everyone on the menu at least once,” Jason said. “There’s nothing that isn’t good,” Will said honestly. “But if you’re not into raw fish, there’s some good fried shrimp rolls,” he offered. Will wanted Nico to find something he liked. He loved this place, so he wanted Nico to like it too. “Do you have any allergies?” Will asked. “Jason said you didn’t have a shellfish allergy, but is there anything I shouldn’t get?” Will asked.

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Will didn’t have any messages by the time he got in the car or by the time he parked at his own apartment complex, but he did have one when he finally got inside his and Jason’s apartment. It was from an unknown number and all it read was, ‘Is this just how you make friends or is it an American thing?’ Will couldn’t help but grin. ‘Nope, just me. Or I think just me?’ Will sent that, then added another, ‘Does this mean you want to be friends?’ He waited with bated breath, staring at the cursed three dots at the bottom of the screen. He was so focused that he didn’t notice Jason walk in. “Jeez, is everything okay?” Will jumped. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d gotten as he waited for Nico’s response.

“Yeah!” Will said, maybe a touch too enthusiastically. Jason snorted. He and Jason had been rooming long enough now that Jason understood Will’s over-the-top personality. “Did you get Cecil all moved in?” Jason asked, untying his shoes and placing them neatly by the front door. “Yeah,” Will said, much more casually this time. “He’s an exchange student. Pre-law, I think,” he added, glancing back at his phone. Nico had sent another text while he was talking. ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself.’ He’d said. Will snorted and sent back another quick message. ‘C’mon, no one can resist my charm’. Those three bubbles popped up pretty quick, but then they disappeared. He must be thinking of a response to that. “My cousin’s an exchange student. Starting here this semester too,” Jason said. Will glanced over the back of the couch, trying to ignore the way those three typing dots keep popping up and then going away.

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“Yeah, sorry,” the roommate said quietly, his voice accented. It wasn’t the accent or the voice that made Will’s head shoot up to look at the roommate, though. It was the combination of the two, especially on the second word—soo-ry, with a rolled r. “Nico?” Will said before he could stop himself. The roommate froze and looked at Will, and lo and behold, it was Nico. Standing there with wide eyes and staring back. Cecil looked between the two in puzzlement. “You know each other?” he asked. “Yes,” Will said while at the same time Nico stammered, “N-No.” Cecil just looked confused now. “I have to go,” Nico said before grabbing his keys from a little table by the door and leaving swiftly again. Will stared at the door that Nico had just left from, mouth agape and unsure how to react.

“What was that all about?” Cecil asked. Will frowned, closing his mouth. He couldn’t believe it. What were the actual odds that Nico would not only still be state-side, but also here, apparently going to the same college as him and rooming with Cecil? Maybe Will should consider picking up a lottery ticket on the way home. “He sat next to me on the plane,” Will said. “He fell asleep on my shoulder,” he added, almost as an afterthought. Will hadn’t imagined all that, right? Cecil turned to look at him then, something akin to glee in his eyes that suddenly made Will rather worried. “That’s the guy who fell asleep on you on the plane? The one you said was ‘really cute’ and you couldn’t stop talking about for a week after you got back?” Cecil asked. Will felt his face warm up, and he felt defensive, turning his attention back to the box on the coffee table. “I told you about it once. I thought he was cute. But obviously he doesn’t share the same sentiment,” Will said. Nico hadn’t even wanted to admit that he knew Will, even if it was in a very loose sense of the word. “I thought he couldn’t speak English,” Will added.

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After a few minutes, Cerberus walked over to the door, then back to Nico, giving him puppy dog eyes. “Ah. You need to go out, buddy?” he asked. Cerberus whined softly and Nico chuckled. “Okay,” he said, getting up and going to put his shoes on. He was still a bit unsteady on his feet, but he was needing his cane less often, so he considered it a plus, especially since the doctor had said he might need it the rest of his life. He hooked Cerberus’s leash onto his collar and grabbed the apartment key before leaving and locking the door behind them.

It was lightly raining when they made it down to the front of the apartment building. Nico hadn’t grabbed a coat, but he figured they’d only be out for a few minutes. It wasn’t too chilly, October could be unpredictable like that sometimes. Nico was thankful for that. He was surprised the rain hadn’t given him a headache, he normally had a hard time with weather changes. He shoved his free hand into his pants pocket, walking down the sidewalk a little ways until Cerberus found a good patch of grass to sniff around. Nico waited patiently while Cerberus contemplated the grass, but he frowned when Cerberus walked on. “Not a good enough spot for you?” Nico asked with a huff.

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Just as he thought of him, his phone pinged. He took his time hobbling over to the couch, smoothie in hand, and read the message. 'hey, I'm feeling better. Got some sleep and some food in me, things don't look so bad now. How about you?" Nico smiled a little. 'Still not great, but better. Had a panic attack night before last, completely shut down yesterday. I'm still recovering, but I'm alright. Will's bringing his baby over.'

He sat down on the couch while the typing bubble popped up. Once Cerberus finished his own breakfast he came over, sniffing around the living room before hopping up onto the couch next to Nico. Ethan’s text came in a moment later. I guess you probably like that. I’m not a big fan of kids myself. Nico frowned a little bit at that. He knew kids weren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Leo didn’t seem to like interacting with little kids too much, though Carter never seemed to bother him. Carter was just an exception to every rule. Yeah, he’s a super chill baby. Very cuddly and adorable. Nico sent back. He got a text not too long after that from Will, asking when it would be best for him and Carter to come over.

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He decided to get some strawberries out and blend them with some orange juice and a vanilla yogurt cup. He rinsed the blender out before putting everything in, and turning on the blender. He winced at the noise, but sat through it, and poured his smoothie into a glass. It didn't seem any thicker than those protein shakes, so it'd probably be fine.

Nico yawned again as he grabbed a smoothie straw out of the drawer. He hadn’t realized he’d had a sore throat until the cool smoothie hit it. It felt nice, and he hummed softly. The kitchen was quiet except for the sounds of Cerberus eating his breakfast. Nico should probably get his medicine too, before he forgot. Will was supposed to be bringing Carter over today, and the thought made Nico excited. He hoped having Carter over would help get rid of the anxiety and fear Nico has had hanging over him for two days now. He wanted this weird feeling to go away. Maybe he should reach out to Ethan too, see how he was doing today.

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He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths and counting to ten. It was only nine in the morning, he wanted to go back to bed, but he just... Couldn't. He decided to get up and make himself a glass of orange juice, hopefully he was just low on vitamin c or something.

Cerberus followed him to the kitchen, obviously hoping Nico would fill up his bowl on the way over. Nico yawned as he opened the cabinet where they kept the dog food. He had a feeling of anxiety thrumming just under his skin, though he was well-practiced in just ignoring that by now. Maybe he could make himself a smoothie this morning. His doctor’s had told him a liquid diet for the next few weeks, but smoothies were liquids, right? Nico thought that sounded pretty good to him. Besides, the sound of the blender was sure to wake Jason up, and he would probably come tell Nico no if he knew Nico wasn’t allowed to have a smoothie.

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Nico managed a small 'mhm' and shut his eye, leaning against Jason. He wasn't asleep per say, but he wasn't exactly awake either. He was drifting off, deeper and deeper each time. Everything around him was warm and soft, and he couldn't bear to fight sleep any longer, even though he'd done nothing but sleep this entire time.

He felt Jason ruffle his hair before Nico fell asleep completely. It was hard to function when no matter how much sleep he got, he was constantly tired. He knew chronic fatigue was a real thing, and probably something he experienced, but still, it was hard. Nico woke up briefly in the middle of the night, the living room was dark with the tv off. Jason must’ve gone to bed some time ago, leaving Nico on the couch in the living room. He wasn’t awake for very long though, and he fell back to sleep almost instantly. He dreamed of nothing in particular, but when he woke up again the foreboding feeling of doom was back full force, hanging off of him and making him nervous.

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'that sounds nice' he'd said. He wanted to ask where they'd be going, but it didn't really matter. As long as he had something to look forward to. He set the phone on his night stand and went to bed, thankfully free from nightmares or panic attacks or... Whatever had happened last night. Hopefully, he'd be able to talk tomorrow.

-

Nico texted back that he would if he was feeling okay and Will sent back a thumbs up. Nico missed Carter terribly though, so he asked Will if he’d bring him over the next day to visit. Will sent, ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ with a winking emoji. Nico smiled. He was feeling a lot better than he had been before, but there was still that strange feeling of doom hanging off of his shoulders, like something was coming for him. At least he was coherent now, though. It got scary there for a while.

-/-/-

He texted Bianca too, just to check on how she was doing. He hoped she was feeling better. She was probably out of the hospital by now, or, at least, Nico hoped she was. He wanted to check in with his family and hope the sense of doom wasn’t because something had happened to any of them. Nico yawned and set his phone down. It seemed like Leo had gone to bed without Nico noticing, probably because of his late night last night, but Jason was still up and playing the video game by himself. Cerberus was still asleep on Nico’s legs, keeping Nico warm. “Don’t forget about your prosthetic,” Jason said, startling Nico. “We can go get it whenever you’re feeling well enough,” he added without looking away from the tv.

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He drifted between sleep and wakefulness, in a much better mood than he'd been last night. He didn't bother trying to play with them, he knew his hands would shake too much for that. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton anyway, but he didn't mind. His pain was at a minimum, and he had his cousin and his friend beside him.

Jason nudged Nico awake for dinner, and that was really the extend of the day. Nico should’ve probably been more concerned with the complete lack of exercise he’s done, he knew it would take a long time to get his muscling back, but for now, all he could do was just let himself rest. He’s been through a lot. His phone buzzed at some point, and though Nico was still struggling a bit with eye strain in his one good eye, it was nice to see the message come in from Will asking how he was doing. They talked back and forth for a little bit, and eventually Will asked if Nico would like to go out this weekend with him and Carter. Nothing too exciting, just something low key for the three of them to enjoy some time together again now that the trial was over and done with.

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He got his cane and followed Jason out to the living room, sitting on the couch and cracking open his juice. "Hey, man." Leo leaned over to face him. "Glad to see you out here. You seem better." Nico was glad to have him around. To have people in his life that took care of him when he was having a hard day like this.

He wished Will could be here, but he understood why he couldn’t be. Will had a life and things to do, he probably had to work today, or take care of Carter now that his mom had gone back home. Nico honestly didn’t even know what day it was. It could’ve been the week or the weekend, he didn’t know. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around himself. Cerberus joined him, hoping up onto the couch and curling up next to Nico. Nico smiled and scratched his dog’s head. It was quiet in the living room, Nico appreciated Jason turning the tv volume down, his head still didn’t feel great.