Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At this point, Nico was familiar with being wheeled into the emergency room. He doesn't do it on purpose, but apparently there was a lot of people who wants Nico dead, but the bitch just won't die. 

Multiple gun wounds on the body, a stab wound here and there, and multiple head wounds that made even Will wonder how Nico's brain was okay. But regardless, Will and his team worked on treating the man. Will focused on extracting the bullets lodged in Nico's body, careful not to make things worse, while Kayla worked on stitching, and Austin kept an eye on Nico's vitals, discarding the dirtied clothing and lending a helping hand. 

Will was proud to say it took about two hours for them to finish up. Austin started the anesthesia reversal once they placed Nico in a quiet room, then left to let Will start up Nico's profile since Nico was transferred to his care. Estimating he had an hour before Nico woke up, Will started with Nico's physical. 

He was warned that Nico wasn't a touchy person, so Will worked quickly. Generally, Nico was pretty. His skin was soft, but his hands were rough from combat. Will was concerned about how skinny Nico was, but admired how muscular he was. Will made a note to keep him on fluids and perhaps come up with a food plan for him. 

Will moved down to the torso and marked down the placement of every scar, even carefully lifting Nico to get Nico's back. He was going to ask if Nico had any problems regarding those scars in case they would have to open him up to fix anything. Will moved lower, noting that Nico was a healthy male, thankfully no bruising around Nico's private area, but did note a haphazard scar on Nico's upper thigh. 

If it were handled by someone in his facility, there wouldn't be a scar. Will made a note to ask. Will then lifted Nico's legs, bending and rotating the joints while he felt around to make sure everything was in working order. His left ankle was a bit swollen, but nothing to be concerned about. Will did the same to Nico's arms, glad everything was in working order. 

Once done, Will adjusted Nico's patient gown and covered him with a blanket, then sat further away to look at Nico's file on his work laptop to update any information. About thirty minutes into it, he stopped when he heard Nico groan and open his eyes. Will kept quiet to not spook him, but approached slowly to let Nico know he wasn't alone.

He watched Nico slowly look around until his eyes stopped on Will, who gave appropriate space. He didn't look too pleased, but did look Will up and down, silently judging him. Will was easy on the eyes, Nico had to admit. 

He was a tall man with an average build, though Nico couldn't really tell due to Will's scrubs and lab coat. Will did have a nice face card with his pink lips and blue eyes, his glasses perched on his nose. His shaggy blonde hair did look soft, a little covering Will's forehead. 

Not bad, Nico thought. 

Nico turned away and closed his eyes to rest more, a bit shocked that his doctor was working silently and not trying to get him to speak. Nico did peek at the man and took a closer look at the name tag. 

William Solace, Nico read, Fitting. 

"Don't you need to ask questions?" Nico asked, seeing Will flinch. Will looked his way, Nico slightly feeling like he was being examined by Will's eyes. 

"Are you ready to talk? If not, you can rest more." Will spoke, and Nico couldn't help but think that Will's voice sounded nice. Nico considered taking a nap, but he was too curious about his doctor. 

"Let's get it over with," Nico decided. Will walked to his standing desk and grabbed his stethoscope. His footsteps were light as if he didn't want to create any unnecessary noise.  

"First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Solace, your new assigned doctor. I was told you're a regular here, which is why they assigned me to you." Will explained. Will put the earpieces in and quietly warned Nico that he was going to touch him. 

So he's been warned.

Will started with Nico's chest, listening to the strong heartbeat, then helped Nico lean up to place the chestpiece on Nico's back to listen to his lungs. After that was done, Will checked his eyes, ears, and mouth, surprised that Nico was allowing him without complaining. When he was done, he went back to his desk and input his data. 

"My team and I treated you today. You had multiple gunshot wounds, about two stab wounds that thankfully didn't cause serious damage. You also have a concussion and a few head wounds, we closed up. I would like to keep you here for a week, but I was told you are a runner. So, at least stay three days before you run." Will informed, deciding not to sugarcoat anything. 

Nico didn't like hospitals, which Will could understand. 

So he was requesting the bare minimum. 

When Nico didn't answer, probably shocked that Will wasn't scolding him for his running history or lack of caring, Will took it as a maybe. 

"I'll let you rest now. I'll be back in about two hours to help you and provide food, but don't be afraid to use the call button or have a nurse fetch me." Will told him before turning off the lights and closing the door behind him. 

Nico closed his eyes and pulled the blanket up to his neck, feeling pretty warm.

He had a feeling he was going to like this doctor.  

******

Will gave Nico an extra thirty minutes when he checked on Nico, seeing Nico sleeping pretty hard, but then shook him awake, to which Nico woke up alert and grabbed Will's wrist pretty hard. It spooked Will a bit, but he waited until Nico realized he wasn't where he thought he was. 

"Nico Di Angelo, I'm Doctor Solace. You're at the Oracle Medical Center, located in Manhattan." Will said carefully. Nico slowly let go of Will's wrist and gave a quiet apology. Will looked at the imprint of Nico's hand on his skin, but opted to ignore it to keep Nico at ease. 

"I'm here to help you use the bathroom. I know you can go on your own, but it would be better if I were there to monitor you rather than having a catheter in you." Will said, getting rid of any potential arguments. Nico stayed quiet, so Will walked over, warned him again that he was going to touch him, and helped him off the bed and walked him to the bathroom. 

"You don't have to warn me every time you're going to touch me," Nico offered. Will kept the door open but turned around to give Nico privacy. 

"Considering the reaction you had to me shaking you awake, I'd rather warn you. I'll write down to try to wake you vocally next time." Will said. Nico did feel guilty, and it wasn't like he was having a bad dream. 

He was having a good nap. 

But Nico was used to being alert and not sleeping so hard, so it freaked him out to feel Will's hand on him. Nico quietly finished up and told Will he was done after cleaning his hands, then Will walked him back to the bed. Nico watched Will leave briefly before coming back with a bowl of soup, a pudding cup, and a small cup of juice. 

"You might not have an appetite, so here's something easy you can down. Tomorrow, I'll be sure to give you a proper hot meal, but this will have to do for now. Do you need help eating?" Will asked. 

"Don't nurses usually do these things?" Nico asked, remembering the last couple of times Nurses would urge him to eat, even one commenting on his weight. 

"You have a history of not eating and yelling at nurses. Another reason they assigned me to you is that I'm more hands-on with my patients. You're not my only patient, but my main priority. So I will be feeding you, cleaning you, and the one who will be touching you the most. Is that okay with you?" 

Nico cracked a smile. 

"I'm fine with that." Will raised an eyebrow at the mini smile, wondering if Nico was being genuine or giving a warning that he was going to be a pain. Regardless, Will dismissed it and held Nico's bowl of soup. 

"I asked if you needed help eating because you had gotten shot in the shoulder. I don't care if you have a high pain tolerance; I'd rather not make the wound worse because of your pride." Will said sternly. Nico was kinda liking it. 

"It sounds like you already decided for me." 

"Are you going to argue?" Will asked. It was disturbing to see Nico looking amused due to the many warnings he received about this man, but he didn't let it get to him. 

"Not today," Nico answered. Will stirred Nico's soup before lifting the spoon to Nico's lips. 

"Any preferences on how you like your food? Should I cut up your solid meals for you, or is there anything you don't like?" Will asked. Nico took the spoon into his mouth and swallowed before answering. 

"I don't like broccoli, if that's what you wanna hear." Will chuckled as he fed Nico another spoonful. 

"I figured as much," Will said. Nico raised an eyebrow. 

"Because of how skinny I am?" Nico asked. It was no question that Nico was malnourished, so he decided not to take it to heart if Will judged him too. Will frowned. 

"No. A lot of people hate broccoli, so it's not shocking to hear, and it's a natural assumption. Has someone commented on your weight or size?" Will asked, concerned. It was unprofessional for anyone to comment about Nico's skinniness. Sure, keep it in your head, but Will still viewed Nico's skinniness in a professional manner. 

He was coming up with meal prep plans, along with suggested vitamins for him to take. He was hoping he could give Nico information and resources so he could take care of himself. No wonder Nico hated nurses and being touched. 

"Nothing to be concerned about, Dr. Solace," Nico assured, seeing Will lightly blush. It was a good look. Will continued to ask questions as he fed Nico, informing him that Will did touch him when Nico was in the midst of wearing off the anesthesia. Will asked about the scar on his upper thigh and if any of his old wounds were still giving him trouble. 

Nico answered honestly. He was curious about his doctor, who constantly warned Nico when it came to touching, but held firm with Nico when it came to eating and using the bathroom. Dr. Solace wasn't a pushover, nor was he bossy. When Nico was done eating, Will took him evening vitals, then told Nico he was going to leave for the day. He informed Nico that the overnight nurse was a good friend and would be briefed on how to handle Nico if they must, but Nico told him he would probably sleep the whole night. 

"You have a good night," Nico said, making Will hesitate by the door. 

"You're acting nicer than what I was told you would be like," Will pointed out. Nico adjusted on his bed with the blankets to his neck, and his eyes felt heavy. 

"It's because I have a better doctor," Nico answered, getting pleased again to see Will blush. 

"Sweet dreams, Nico. I'll see you in the morning." Will quickly turned off the lights and took the food tray with him. Nico chuckled. Whoever assigned Will to be his doctor, Nico quietly thanked them. 

Chapter Text

During the next two days, Nico was obedient, which made Will cautious. As usual, Will took his notes, helped Nico to the bathroom, then gave him a sponge bath before changing his bandages. In the mornings, Will would feed him an omelet, a fruit cup, and have him drink orange juice, then leave Nico for a few hours to tend to his other patients. 

A couple of hours later, he would check in with Nico and ask any questions that came up, like who was a good emergency contact? 

"Can we just make that you? I think you're the only stable person I know." 

Will had only stared at him until Nico finally answered. 

Then Will asked for a phone number, just to make sure everything was up to date. Nico repeated Will's phone number, which was unnerving. 

"I asked for yours, not for you to announce mine," Will said with his usual coldness. Nico smirked. 

"You're not going to ask how I know?" Nico asked. Again, Will only stared at him expectantly, so Nico told him his phone number. Will decided not to ask about Nico's address to confirm what was in the system, which Nico noticed and chuckled at. 

In the afternoon, Will would do his usual bathroom breaks and vitals before feeding Nico lunch. Nico wasn't used to eating three meals a day, so Will had requested a grilled cheese, a bag of chips, and some candy. Sadly, Will made Nico eat the sandwich with his left hand once he found out Nico was ambidextrous. 

At least at dinner time, Will did feed him a hot meal, even taking the time to blow on the spoonful before feeding it to Nico. 

It just made Nico more curious about his doctor. 

So he decided to stay longer, just to see if Will was going to ask why Nico wasn't leaving after three days. 

But as usual, Will didn't mention it. 

So Nico decided to turn up the teasing (or flirting) a bit. 

"I feel bad when I eat in front of you. Can't you join me when I eat?" Nico asked. Will frowned, but the last few days, Nico didn't seem upset about it. So why now? 

"I'm simply doing my job. No need to feel bad about that." Will told him before feeding another spoonful of his breakfast. Nico looked at Will's fingers. 

"Are you not married?" Nico asked. Will gave Nico a warning look to silently tell him not to ask. Not that there was any bad history, but because Nico has been invading and slightly pushy to get Will to share about himself. 

He gave the basics; Nico didn't need to know much else. 

"Is there a reason as to why you need to know that?" Will asked, halting his movements. 

"Maybe," Nico answered, being vague as usual. Will sighed. 

"No," he answered before going back to feeding Nico. He wasn't even sure why he was still doing it. Nico was more than capable now to feed himself. 

"Shame. Are you dating?" Nico asked. 

"Why do you want to know?" Will questioned. Will usually didn't mind answering, but Nico somehow knew his phone number and potentially his address. 

"I'll tell you after you answer," Nico promised. Will didn't buy it. 

"Yes, I am." 

"Liar," Nico commented and smiled. "You're a twenty-three-year-old single male, living in a one-bedroom apartment downtown. The reason you got your degree so early was that you skipped a grade during high school and took AP classes. I'm already impressed with that knowledge. No wonder you're a great doctor." Nico exposed. 

Will froze for a moment, but then continued feeding Nico. He was already told that Nico was an agent, but wasn't given specifics. Probably a high-ranking agent if he knew all that. 

"How did you know?" Will asked calmly. 

"I looked you up on Facebook." 

Will now glared because that was a lie. He barely uses the platform. Nico chuckled. 

"I had a friend look you up, but most of that, I could tell just by looking at you," Nico said with a shrug. 

"You can tell I'm single?" Will asked. Sure, Will is slightly married to his work, but he hoped he didn't make it obvious. 

"No, I was hoping you were. It's the only reason I had you looked up." Nico admitted. Will wasn't sure how to take that, so he kept feeding Nico until he was done, then got up to move the food tray aside. Nico was weird, but an obviously dangerous man. Will didn't know what he did to attract Nico's attention. He was professional the whole time. But regardless, Will had rules of his own. 

"I don't date my patients," Will voiced. 

"And if I'm not your patient, would you then?" Nico asked. 

"No, because I don't date men who invade my privacy," Will argued. 

"Technically, my friend invaded your privacy. I only asked for your relationship status, which can be found on public platforms. All my friend did was confirm everything else I can find here in this hospital, or it is a safe assumption to make." Nico retorted. 

Now, Will was interested. 

"I'll explain for a price. You can even check after I'm done." Nico taunted. 

"What's your price?" Will asked. 

"Whatever is safe for you to give. I might be interested, but I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do." Nico said. He might be overstepping a bit, but he wasn't forcefu. 

"So you do have boundaries," Will teased. He took off his glasses and sat nearby. "Go for it." Nico examined Will a bit, surprised Will was curious rather than frightened that Nico knew or had ways to find out. 

"Well, first, you're young. You physically looked like you were in your early twenties, but you act more mature than you're age group. So, twenty-three was my best guess. I had it confirmed by the night nurse you're friends with. Also, since you're young, I figured you would be living in a one-bedroom apartment alone. You came here on time and worked double shifts for the past few days. There's no one waiting for you at home. I guessed downtown because your shoes looked well invested, and I think you don't want to take a chance with lower-class neighbors due to your needing peace for sleep. I guess that because you don't talk much, and you tend to focus more if I decide not to talk at the moment." 

Will felt dumbfounded, not knowing his small mannerisms gave that much away. 

"Next, you're a doctor at a young age. I figured you skipped a grade in high school because that's the time when teens get more career-focused, but considering your young age, you knew for a while what you wanted to be. So you took AP to get ahead. It's the only way you can be a doctor right now and a good one at that. You love your job. As for your phone number, I asked for a business card a couple of days ago and memorized it. But I promise I don't know your physical address." Nico explained. 

Well shit.

Will didn't know what to say while staring at Nico, who looked like he had explained the weather. Nico might not talk much, but he was vigilant. It was... well, slightly attractive. As a doctor, he had to make assumptions all day, so it was weird to be on the other end. And Nico's assumptions weren't really guesses since he explained how he came to that conclusion. 

The quiet tension was interrupted by a soft knock on the door before it was opened. Will looked towards the door, wondering if someone needed him. 

"Nico di Angelo has visitors. Should I let them through?" 

Will looked at Nico, who nodded, so Will approved of it, sending the nurse away. 

"I'm surprised you have friends," Will commented. He got up and walked to the side of the bed. 

"I think that's the rudest thing you ever said to me," Nico noticed, but didn't take it to heart. He was glad Will was acting less professional around him. 

"You don't seem like the type to go out making friends, but I could be wrong," Will assumed. Nico shrugged. It was true. 

"One is my friend, the other barged in," Nico said, making Will laugh a bit. "So, did I win myself a date?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"I don't date my patients," Will repeated, but did lean forward to plant a small kiss on Nico's lips. It took Nico by surprise, but he recovered because he didn't want to let go of this opportunity. He used his left hand to place behind Will's head, briefly thinking Will's hair was soft. Will settled with teasing Nico a bit by prodding Nico's lips with his tongue, but backed away when Nico tried to deepen it. "Let that be enough," Will whispered between them. 

For now, it'll be enough, but Nico could already feel himself getting hungry for more. 

Will tried to walk away, but Nico grabbed his wrist, which was softer than the first time Nico grabbed him. "I still want to know something I can't look up," Nico told him. They heard the door open, but neither looked towards the door. 

"I like strawberries," Will disclosed. Nico slowly let go of Will's wrist. "I'll see you in two hours." Nico watched Will walk away, quietly greeted Nico's guest, then took the food tray and left. 

The whole time, Will was blushing. 

Chapter Text

"Sooo, did we interrupt something?" 

Nico looked at his friends, somewhat annoyed that they had come to visit, but it was unusual for Nico to stay in the hospital voluntarily this long, even if it had been five days. 

Jason Grace was his main partner when Nico went out on missions, so seeing Jason here wasn't a surprise. As for Percy, he was probably here to be slightly nosy or to relay a message from their boss. 

Or both. 

"No, I was just messing with my doctor," Nico explained. Jason looked similar to Will but different. They were both tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, but Will's features were softer. Jason was more rugged with his cropped military haircut and his electric blue eyes that held focus. His features were more pronounced, like his sharp jawline and narrow nose. 

At least Will looked cute wearing glasses. 

When Jason wore his, Nico always thought Jason could cosplay as a blonde Clark Kent. 

"And why are you doing that when he's trying to help you?" Jason scolded. Nico ignored it in favor of watching Percy eat a pudding cup. Nico knew Percy cared about Nico's well-being, but Nico had been in this hospital multiple times for multiple reasons, so he knew Nico would be fine. 

"Why are you here?" Nico asked, directing the question at Percy. Percy finished his pudding cup while Jason looked over at the neat wrapping Will had done earlier. Nico was told not to mess those up after the one time Nico felt itchy and undid it. 

It was cute to see Will annoyed, and Nico was tempted to do it again, but decided not to push his luck. 

"So you like your new doctor? That's good." Percy commented while opening another pudding cup. "Annabeth requested him once she found out Will was working here. Said something like Will can keep you on a leash for a while. Considering you're still here, she's right." Percy then smirked at Nico. "I really like the guy, too." 

Nico ignored the leash comment, but was shocked that Annabeth requested Will to be his doctor. So Will and Annabeth have a history. 

"I thought you were here with a message from the boss." Percy chuckled as if he remembered something funny. 

"Nope. Actually, the boss got scolded." Percy revealed. 

Now that was news. 

"Seriously? By who?" Jason asked, shocked that anyone would try to do that. 

"You mean to Zeus or his younger brothers?" because that question needed to be answered. Zeus was more or less power-hungry and paranoid, so anyone who stood up to him would be dead instantly (Zeus tried multiple times to get rid of Percy, but hasn't found a good enough reason yet). But Zeus hardly dealt with Nico. 

Then there was Poseidon, who was more reasonable but equally deadly if you pissed him off. But no one had a reason to scold him, and Nico rarely dealt with him either unless he was paired with Percy. 

So that just left Hades, the boss, whom Nico dealt with the most. Hades would often send Nico to do the dirty work that required him to be behind the scenes, or send him secretly to help out Jason or Percy. The last mission Nico had was to quietly help Jason due to Zeus doing something stupid and sending Jason to clean up, which landed Nico in the hospital. 

Hades was a scary man; who would scold him?

"More or less, all of them," Percy answered. Nico looked at Jason, who looked shocked as well. "But I don't think the guy knew who he was talking to. It was kinda funny." Percy added, chuckling again. 

The only reason he could laugh was because Poseidon wasn't the one really told off, though he did receive a comment or two indirectly that wasn't worth any attention. 

"Who?" Jason asked, but was interrupted when they heard a knock, and Will walked in with his phone. 

"Percy, Annabeth texted me since you left your phone. She said, and she told me to say this verbatim, to shut up or you will die this time." Will looked up from his phone. "I don't know what's going on or what you did to make Annabeth mad, but keep me out of it. I have a job to do." Percy smiled as if Will had said something good. 

"You do know Zeus is still pissed off at you, but Hades agreed to the one month off after Nico's release," Percy revealed. Nico and Jason stared at Will, shocked. Will crossed his arms. 

"Well, I'm glad Hades has sense, but until Zeus knows not to mix up a BB gun and an actual gun, he can be pissy all he likes, for all I care." Nico could've died, it was a well-deserved scolding. 

"Thank you for not calling the cops." 

"I ought to," Will mumbled. "Keep your phone on you next time," Will told Percy, before looking at Nico. "Do you need anything while I'm here?" 

"Your hand in marriage." 

Will chose to ignore Nico and left. 

Anyone who could yell at his boss deserved to be married as quickly as possible. 

Nico would even learn how to be a great househusband. 

That sounded like a great retirement. 

"Will had contacted 'Nico's guardians' upon arrival to inform them that Nico was hurt badly, so Hades came in as the role of father since Will requested they come in. I came since Jason was still finishing up." Percy explained. "Will firmly asked Hades that you needed one month off, which is the bare minimum since most of these doctors know you like to go back to work quickly." Then Percy laughed a bit as he remembered. 

"Hades said he was going to let you judge when you can go back to work, but Will told him, and I quote, Due to Nico's lack of self-perseverance, I'm ordering you to make sure Nico is off for one month so he can stay out of this hospital. It was amazing." Percy said gleefully. Jason was thoroughly impressed while Nico was trying to come up with a way to date Will as quickly as possible. 

"When Will asked what happened, we told him it was a BB gun mixed up, and Will made a few comments. I guess Hades loved it and told Zeus. Thalia told me Hades was laughing the whole time. So I was here, again, to point out who Will was, so Zeus could go intimidate him." Percy started laughing harder. 

"Will kept professional until Zeus threatened to get him fired, then Will cussed him out and told him to get the hell out. Zeus did try to get Will fired, but Will's father own the place and told him to fuck off, so I guess Will got to his father first. I guess Hades knows Will's father, and he told Zeus to cool it because he is treating you, and Zeus had no business causing a ruckus in the first place." 

Nico and Jason couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Zeus getting cussed out by Nico's doctor, of all people. So Will was cute, smart, and brave. Nico never looked for a love interest before, but mostly because everyone was either scared of him (for working for Hades), was taken (previous, but dead crush on Percy), was not interested in men (Nico would consider Jason if he liked men, but Jason was far from his type anyway, so probably not), or wasn't attractive enough to gain Nico's interest in the first place. 

And according to Leo, who did look up his doctor, Will was bi. 

So Nico had a chance... 

The kiss must've meant something, right? 

"Hey, Jace, how can I get the doctor to date me?" Nico asked. Jason looked amused. 

"Pretty sure doctors don't date their patients, so try staying out of the hospital first," Jason suggested, making Nico frown. 

He couldn't do that if he tried. 

*************

Nico decided to stay one more day because he felt like he could take care of himself now and didn't need much help. It was nice to know he did have one month off once he left, but he did feel bad that Hazel and Frank might end up getting extra work. 

Hades did at least promise not to overdo it, and Nico likes to think it because he didn't want to be scolded again for being a "terrible father." 

Either way, Nico didn't have too much to worry about. 

That would've been the case if he could at least sleep. 

Will had told him he was working the night shift tonight due to the original person had gotten sick and was sent back home. On Nico's final day, Will came in the morning, then had the nurses help Nico during the afternoon since Will was going to come back later that night. 

Nico behaved himself since he didn't want to piss Will off, but did felt uncomfortable being around them. They weren't bad and were clearly warned by Will to try not to touch Nico, unless it was necessary. They did ask beforehand and helped Nico out with bathroom breaks and checking his wounds, so Nico found that nice. When it came time to eat, Nico did request to feed himself, using his left hand while someone sat nearby to do their work. 

Overall, Will's team of nurses was pretty good, so Nico behaved himself. 

Will was clearly proud of him, too, once he received a positive report that Nico was good the whole time. Will rewarded him by sneaking him a homemade brownie and gave extra attention to Nico, which he enjoyed until Will had to leave, and Nico had to sleep.

But the rattling was keeping Nico awake. 

It was concerning that there was noise since Will was a quiet person, even his steps were as Will would walk the halls. Then it was the fact that the rattling was going on for so long. So Nico got up and took off his stuff except the IV and took the stand with him to go check on Will. 

According to Will, more people checked out today, so it was one of those rare good days he could take it easy, so Nico thought he could at least let Will have a quiet night. He headed towards the Nurse's station, strangely finding it empty, then focused on the noise further down. Nico took off his IV, but took the stand with him just as he heard a crash. 

"You're going to pay for that!"

As Nico moved further, he turned his head to the sound of gurgling near the nurse's station. Nico was impressed; a hooded man was gurgling from his blood due to several scalpels stabbed through his neck. Nico decided not to examine the guy due to multiple cameras around, so he headed further to the sound of shuffling and muffled struggling. Nico arrived at an empty patient room and peeked into the dark room. 

One guy with his mask off was holding a very bloody nose, possibly broken. Again, Nico was impressed, but that's where the good part ended. Will was being held down by two people as the third yanked the blade out of his shoulder. With his shoulder exposed, Nico saw the mark of Zeus, meaning these people came from Zeus. 

So he was still pissed. 

"No hard feelings, but the boss doesn't like being made a fool. This is just a reminder to watch what you say." The third got down to his knees and straddled Will. "I believe these are surgical blades, scalpels, right?" Will glared at the man, lightly struggling. He didn't look afraid, probably realized if they wanted him dead, he would be. 

But these people were toying with him. 

"I think the boss would be happy if I cut your tongue out." 

Nico decided to walk in (because he was in no shape to be fighting with a patient gown on), gaining attention because of his rolling drip stand. 

He can at least use the drip stand as a weapon. 

"Nico?" 

By their eyes and voices, they were strangers to Nico, but everyone knows about Nico since he works for Hades. 

"What are you doing to my doctor?" Nico asked, sounding displeased. 

"We're just doing our job-" 

"Get off of him!" Nico ordered, the three scampering away. Will sat up, and Nico walked over to take a look at him. He didn't look too badly bruised or beaten up. He helped Will up and asked quietly if he was fine.

"Nico, we don't interfere with your job, and Zeus is-"

"Do you want to go back empty-handed, or do you want to end up missing?" Nico didn't care if it was their job to harm Will. Zeus did some stupid shit and dared to intimidate Will, who called him out on it (even if he didn't know the real situation). 

"Zeus was ordered to leave Will alone. If he has a problem with it, he can take it up with Hades. Now, do we still have a problem?" Nothing but tense silence answered his question. "Get out of his hospital," Nico ordered, and they quietly got the guy with the broken nose up and left from where they came. 

Once they were out of eyesight, Nico turned around to physically check Will. He noticed slight bruising on his neck, and his cheek was a bit red, but nothing major. 

"I killed that guy out there," Will mumbled. Nico nodded. He never thought of using medical tools as weapons before, but Will would know more about that. 

"Do you want to call the cops or let me handle it?" Nico asked, surprised to get a smile out of Will.

"Sounds illegal. Something tells me you're not a secret agent working for the CIA or something." Nico raised an eyebrow. 

"Does it look like I work for the government?" 

That got a snort out of Will, and Nico felt proud of that. "You're taking this all surprisingly well." Nico noticed. Will shrugged. 

"You see many things working in a hospital, you kinda learn to not let things get to you. But I'm going to drink when I get home. Maybe a full bottle this time." Will thought out loud. "For an agent, I was expecting more fighting." 

"I'm in a patient gown with my ass out, cut me some slack and let me keep some of  my dignity." Will laughed harder, kinda wishing he got a chance to see that in action. Nico rolled his eyes and walked out, Will taking a chance to look at his butt, since Nico brought it up, as he followed. He quieted down when they went back to the nurse's station, and Will retrieved his phone. 

"I'll call the cops and security, then I'll patch you up," Will said, making Nico confused. 

"I'm not hurt?" Will pointed at Nico's shoulder, where Nico must've opened his stitches. "My bad." Will chuckled. 

"I can see how you end up here all the time. Go wait for me in your room. I'll be there soon." Like a good patient, Nico listened while Will talked on the phone. While he waited, Nico went ahead and contacted his boss to notify Hades that Zeus tried to harm his doctor. Nico knew he was already going to get in trouble with Zeus for interfering, but he was going to let Hades handle it. Once he was done, Nico sent a text to Jason so he could handle the ones who nearly did cause Will harm, but made sure to include that Will was fine with no injuries and that he did take out one of the guys with scalpels. 

Jason was going to love this, and now Nico had something to brag about. 

Will came in after thirty minutes and Nico could hear police not too far. Will closed the door to give them privacy. Will worked quietly, slightly blushing when he caught Nico staring at him. 

"Are you really okay? I promise Zeus won't come after you after tonight." Nico asked quietly as Will wrapped up his shoulder. 

"Yeah. Consequences of running my mouth." 

"For sticking up for me and calling assholes out? I like that." Nico voiced. 

"What don't you like?" Will asked. Nico had been making sure Will came back to him during his shift and was being suggestive the whole time. Will usually ignore it, but Nico wasn't a creep. He was smart, aware, and had an aura of "don't fuck with me." But regardless, Nico behaved himself just for a smile, a touch, and stayed hopeful for another kiss. 

He never got mad when Will walked away or chose to ignore him, actually, it made Nico more determined, but not forceful. 

"I don't like that we aren't dating yet," Nico answered, loving the small glare he got in return. 

"Smooth, Di Angelo. I told you, I don't date my patients." Nico wanted to groan, getting tired of hearing that rule, but his mind blanked when Will pulled Nico in for a kiss...

With tongue!

Nico took the chance eagerly while keeping Will close by his left hand, which was slowly gripping Will's hair. Then he heard a quiet moan slip from Will, and Nico truly didn't want to end it, but Will managed to break the kiss, then covered Nico's mouth before he could bring him back in. 

He was not a fan of short kisses. 

"Stay out of the hospital for a week, then we can talk." Nico let go of Will's hair, letting Will back away. 

"You're asking a lot from me," Nico joked as Will walked around to get Nico's iv in and get him hooked up again to the heart monitor. 

"Are you saying you want to stay as my patient and not date me? I'm offering myself up on a silver platter." Nico groaned as Will enjoyed tormenting him. 

"Can I come during visiting hours?" 

"And visit who?" 

"You."

Will shook his head, making Nico feel like he should stay another week just so he could still see Will. Once Will placed everything back on, and Nico was dreading the morning, Will gave him a quick peck before heading for the door. 

"I said, stay out of the hospital for a week. I never said you can't reach out and text me. I'm sure you, excuse me, your friend can look up my personal number." Will said with a smile. 

Because what Nico knew was Will's work phone number.

He wasn't that stupid to put his phone number on his business card. 

"Are you giving me permission to be a stalker?" 

"Up to you if you want to talk to me during the week or not." 

Will left Nico for the night, but by morning, just as Will was enjoying a glass of wine in his quiet apartment, his phone dinged with a message. 

Sleep dreams, Dr. Solace

Chapter Text

Nico got called in, not to work, but to be confronted... or something like that. To be honest, he really didn't care. All he cared about was that Will had a day off and was day-drinking a nice bottle Nico sent him, and planned on doing nothing at all today because he had tomorrow off too. 

Which was rare. 

Nico, who was already suffering from not seeing Will for four days, was trying his best to get Will to invite him over. It was somewhat working, but Will was enjoying teasing Nico to madness with horny glee. 

"We're here," Jason announced. Distracted, Nico got out of the car and followed Jason. Nico briefly looked up from his phone to take in the shimmering building that was the second-tallest building in downtown; they attempted to seem modest. Nico didn't know, nor care what the building was fronting as, because most of the time, Nico was underground. 

Hades handled the dirtier work, so it was best to have his section underground. Above ground, the building was split in half. From floors one to sixteen, Poseidon was handling entertainment and publicity. Nico was told it was because Poseidon was the most respected, thus, more handsome, which was why Poseidon was more popular. 

Just don't piss him off or you'll see how he and Zeus are related. 

From floor seventeen to thirty-two was Zeus's section, which handled business. Zeus was surprisingly good, but he commonly made stupid decisions that Hades had to clean up. Other than dirty work, Hades handled foreign affairs and finance. Nico sometimes had to travel to help out as Hades's assistant, but that was more so Hazel's job. 

But today, since Will got him a month off, Nico wasn't going underground, but to the top floor to either get scolded, lose a finger, or watch Hades fight with Zeus while Poseidon usually sips a soda. Nico followed Jason into the bright building, said a brief hello to the receptionist, and followed Jason to the elevator before looking back at his phone. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: Maybe if you ask nicely, I'll think about asking you over. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: But for now, I'll just enjoy myself.

Illegal Agent: Wouldn't it be better to have a helping hand? 

Illegal Agent: I'm already in downtown. I can be there in ten minutes! Please?!

"Are you two dating now?" Jason asked. Nico had been stuck on his phone ever since he picked him up. He could barely make conversation. 

"I have three more days until I can take him out on a date. But right now, Will is day drinking, and I am trying to wiggle my way into his pants," Nico explained. "I'm hoping we can get drunk together and have a great time." 

"You couldn't wait three more days?" 

"He texted me first," Nico said with a smile as his phone buzzed. Will made it his mission to torture Nico with so many sexual teasers, most likely payback from Nico's time in the hospital. 

So far, Nico had briefly videocalled Will, which revealed Will in a robe with a glass of wine, swaying his hips to music. It was stuck in Nico's head constantly, and he had begged numerous times to please let him come by and give him a grand time. 

Will liked the begging, and Nico was sure Will was going to invite him to beg in person (and he would), but Jason called and interrupted their moment because he had to come in. 

Nico had never been mad and horny in his life. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: Are you working?

Illegal Agent: No. I'm being a good boy and taking a break! You should reward me. 

Illegal Agent: Zeus wants to share his two cents about what happened. 

Illegal Agent: Nothing to worry about.

The elevator dinged open, and Nico had to focus as they went through security measures. After Jason granted Nico a temporary pass, they were able to go to the top-floor lounge area, where the Big Three were currently. Nico checked his phone when he felt it buzz. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: Don't get in trouble on my behalf. 

Illegal Agent: Don't you worry about that. You just keep yourself busy until I get there. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: I didn't invite you yet?

Illegal Agent: Is that a no?

Nico put his phone down to walk to Hades, figuring it was safer than sticking by Jason at the moment. "Am I in trouble?" Nico asked, getting to the point. Hades sighed, looking tired and older than he was. Ignoring what Hades did for a living, he was a handsome man. 

Due to the lack of sunlight, Hades was a pale man, although very tall and muscular. He had long, neat black hair with a short, trimmed beard. His dark eyes were usually filled with coldness, which is why everyone knew not to test him. Hades had seen many things, there's nothing you can say that could or do that could get you mercy from him. 

"No, though we may face a lawsuit since Zeus sent his men after a doctor. The Director is furious to find out that his son could've died a few days ago. It's understandable, and I was going to meet the director for lunch to smooth things over. As for why you are here, I didn't call you. So feel free to leave at any time." 

Nico checked his phone for any messages, feeling happy to see Will's message. 

Dr. Sexy Solace: Don't keep me waiting too long. The door is open.

And just like that, Nico left as Zeus started yelling at him. Jason did his job, and Nico showed up. Hades said he could leave, so he was leaving and turning his phone off for good measure after he caught a cab to Will's place. 

Took about ten minutes, as expected, so Nico paid the man extra before heading into Will's apartment building. It was really nice and well taken care of, judging from the shiny floor to the fancy lighting above. Nico signed in at the front desk security before heading up to the fifth floor. 

Apartment 510. 

Nico hesitated, his heart pounding so hard at the thought of seeing Will again. Nico hadn't gotten laid in a long time, so he could already feel himself losing control as he opened the door slowly. While waiting for him, Will was sitting on his couch, sipping the last of his wine. 

"To be honest, I'm surprised you asked to come over. Kinda thought you would've been at my door with flowers and a wedding ring by day two." Will said. He got up, and Nico couldn't help but watch his every movement. From how the robe flowed and revealed any exposed skin, to Will's stained lips, and how Will looked at him. There wasn't any love, just strong attraction, heavy lust, and a yearning to be close to each other. 

"Still trying to pick out the ring and pretend to be a gentleman," Nico responded Will knew there wasn't any pretending. During the past few days, Nico had been respectful, but voiced many times how much he wanted to take Will out on dates, kiss him senseless, and much more. 

Will cave first. 

"You are a gentleman," Will placed his arms on Nico's shoulders, Nico's hand instantly touching Will's hips, "but I don't want you to be gentle right now. Or do you need more time?" Will asked, slipping a hand underneath Nico's shirt. Nico shivered and walked Will deeper into the apartment. 

Nico didn't have to wait any longer. 

*******

Some men boasts that they can rock your world, then suck at it when you finally give them a chance. Will went through that a couple of times. The guy could be handsome and say pretty things, so you give them a chance to prove it.

Next thing you know, they are asleep and you're left unsatisfied next to them. 

This is NOT one of those times. 

Was Will expecting Nico to be one of those types of men? A little bit. 

But he was wrong. 

So fucking wrong. 

And Will needed this so badly. 

Nico's hands touched everywhere just as his lips, as he thrust into Will like a sex-deprived maniac. 

But the maniac knew what he was doing. 

Nico quickly learned where Will's weak spots were, like the spot on Will's neck, his sensitive ears, rubbing or gripping Will's thighs, and pulling his hair. Will happily maneuver himself to do whatever Nico wanted, whether it was exposing his neck more when Nico forced him to raise his head, spread his legs further even though Will was about to cum hard, or hold his wrist above his head whenever Nico looked down at him like some type of sex god about to grant his wish. 

He'll do anything that man wants. 

He's pretty sure he met God a couple of times, and whenever Will came back to earth, Nico would be begging for another round. Will didn't even know he liked begging, but Nico must've figured it out, considering he begged every time Will thought he was dead. 

"Just one more time, hm? Pretty please?" Nico would whisper in Will's ear before placing soft kisses on his skin. 

And Will could never say no. 

He didn't want to say no. 

Will would long to feel Nico push inside him because Nico teased and prepped him so well. He would either hear Nico groan or speak in a language Will didn't understand, but could take a good guess. With Will on his stomach, Nico would start slow while whispering in Will's ear. 

"You feel so good, I can't get enough."

"Do you like that?"

"You're driving me crazy! Fuck!" 

Nico's hands and lips would send the same message that Nico was going mad. His hands would be gripping Will's hips or lightly hit Will's butt before gripping it, all the while marking Will's neck or kissing Will over his shoulder. 

The softness would only last until Nico deems Will to be ready, then Nico would go back to torturing Will, thrusting hard enough to make the bed shake. Will couldn't hold in his cries if he tried, but Nico liked that Will was getting progressively louder until he would be saying Nico's name like a plea or a prayer. 

Either way, it was going to be answered. 

Nico would sometimes feel Will push his hips up to get Nico deeper than he already was was or Will would ask for a kiss, which Nico never declines. Will would tighten around him, gripping the sheets below, and Nico would coax him to cum. To see Will's face or hear that heavenly voice of Will being pushed passed his limits, and Nico wouldn't slow down until he came, whether in Will or a condom (Will got sick of Nico having to take it off and put it on. He was Nico's doctor, he knew Nico was clean, so safety was discarded at some point). 

They stopped at some point, and Will can't remember when, but at some point, he woke up with Nico sleeping on top of him, and it was getting later in the afternoon. Will felt tired and lazy, but relaxed and satisfied. He had a light headache from the wine, but that was nothing. 

"Welcome back." 

Nico sat up a bit to look at Will's face, looking tired but proud. 

"I thought you were asleep?" Will asked. Nico shook his head and kissed Will's chest. 

"I did sleep for a bit, but I'm just mostly resting. You passed out on me." Will blushed and lightly hit him, making Nico laugh a bit and roll off of Will. He wouldn't pass out if Nico knew when to stop. (Ignoring that he could've told him to stop at any time.).

"Question: What made today the day you wanted to tease me until I came here?" Nico asked. Will rolled to his side to cuddle against Nico, simply wanting contact. 

And hide his embarrassment. 

After Nico checked out, Will's days went back to normal of treating patients and stocking the supply cabinet. But now and then, he would miss Nico's annoyance and flirtation. He missed wondering what Nico was thinking, what he knew, or what he was going to say next. Then, there were times Will would sit in Nico's room while Nico rested or they just didn't have much to say, until Will would look up and catch Nico staring. 

Texting wasn't enough. 

"I just missed you," Will mumbled. He didn't bother looking up, not wanting to see what gaze Nico would show, but he felt arms tighten around him and fingers playing with his hair, which was enough. 

"I missed you, too." 

***********

Percy went to his favorite bar to get a drink because Zeus wanted to be a pain, and Percy was the punching bag. The only reason Zeus wouldn't do that to Jason was that his wife loved Jason.

Zeus had a problem with that, too, but he didn't want to piss of his wife. 

So that just left Percy since Zeus got told off for messing with Nico's doctor, thus interfering with Nico's health. Not to mention, Dr. Solace was only doing his job, and was right to call him out. 

Because if Zeus had left Ares's wife alone, Nico and Jason wouldn't have gotten shot. Granted, the wife went after Zeus, but everyone was warned not to indulge her, since she liked drama, and Ares wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. 

She was already cheating on her actual husband, but everyone was told not to bring that up. 

So yeah, Will, even though he didn't know what really happened, had every right to call him an idiot. But regardless of all that, Hades and Poseidon were impressed that the doctor broke one person's nose, gave one a black eye, stabbed someone, and killed someone. 

Percy (at this point, an emotional support pet) went with Hades to have a meeting with Apollo at a nice restaurant to talk about dropping the lawsuit in favor of a hefty donation to the hospital and a potential job opportunity for Will. 

It helped that Annabeth had asked for Will in the first place, but the director declined the job opportunity for his son for good reason 

He did not want his son associated with "a bunch of crazies who would try to kill someone over an insult." Not to mention, Will would be closer to Zeus, the maniac who started all this. Hades couldn't argue that, so that's when Percy came in. 

It wasn't a threat, but a warning that Will would be in danger if not in their care. Even though Percy was updated this morning by Jason (and confirmed by a traumatized Leo), Will was going to be under a separate group's radar. Percy didn't give out too many details, but did say that if Will receives an opportunity too good to be true, make sure he doesn't take it. 

Percy looked towards the door as he heard the bell and familiar footsteps, the man's crooked smile already putting Percy on edge. 

The last thing that group needed was a good healer, and the upper hand on Nico. 

Chapter Text

Since Will got Nico the month off, Nico dedicated the month to taking Will out on dates. They went to the movies, the vineyard, museums, or had a quiet night at Will's place (because Nico loved the view from the fifth floor at night). Will still had to work crazy shifts, so Nico had to work around that. While Will was at work or asleep, Nico would either be home, taking advantage of Will's apartment gym, or go shopping for the man. 

Will lived off frozen meals and delivery, mostly because he was too tired most days to do much of anything else. Nico couldn't blame him, so he tried to be helpful or be a source of comfort for Will. Some nights, Will would be up for crazy lovin', but most nights, he would be lying with Nico, having quiet pillow talks. 

They would talk about Nico's work because Will was curious, but Nico wouldn't share much, but enough for Will to understand and worry for him. They would talk about their hobbies, and Will would mention some names of books Nico may like. They would talk about their favorite stuff, like color, ice cream, and animals. They would have deep conversations just to gather opinions on what the other thought about it. 

If they weren't having pillow talks, they were making out and lightly touching.

Nico treasured the whole month, so it was disappointing when Nico had to go to work again the next day. 

"Can't you just give me a doctor's note to get off at a decent time?" Nico asked. Will chuckled, feeling happy that Nico was staying over on his last night of freedom. 

"'fraid not, darling. But I am worried about you." Will voiced. Nico said that he kinda works in the grey area of the law. Somewhat legal, but sometimes illegal. He reassured Will that he does work with the police, but most of the time, he is behind the scenes.  

"What's to be scared of? I have my favorite doctor to help me feel better." Nico said with a smile. He tried to kiss Will, but Will covered his mouth and gave him a deadpan look. Nico moved Will's hand and promised to stay safe at all times. 

"If you end up in my care in three days, we're temporarily breaking up for a day." Will threatened. 

And that's why, the next day, Nico was trying to avoid anything physical so he could stay in Will's good graces. 

Again, Will was asking a lot. 

Nico walked into the shiny skyscraper and immediately headed for the elevators. Usually, he would stop and get coffee and maybe a snack before he went into the elevator, but Will fixed him coffee and a nice breakfast before kissing Nico goodbye, and Nico wished his mornings would always start like that. As Nico was daydreaming in the elevator, he missed Leo joining him before the doors closed. They rode in silence for a while until Nico felt Leo staring at him. 

"What?" 

"You're down bad for the medic. I didn't see you as a begging type." 

Nico wanted to know why Leo knew this and strangle him because he knew this. 

"Why were you snooping in my messages?" Nico asked. As far as he knew, he didn't piss of Leo at any point, which meant he had full right to drop-kick him. 

"I was ordered to. It's the reason why I'm heading down with you." Leo told him. Nico frowned. He didn't overshare anything via text, which was forbidden, so why was he being tracked? Did Hades not trust him?

The elevator dinged at the bottom, the doors opening up to multiple phones going off as staff ran around delivering paperwork or getting stuff printed. Nico and Leo walked pass the cubicles to head towards the back of room, where the private conference rooms were. 

On the outside, the blinds were down, which meant it was being used. Nico opened the door, and walked into the dark room, now feeling on edge since Percy, Annabeth, Travis, Conner, Clarisse, Silena, and more was here, when the bottom floor wasn't their department. Hades was sitting in the back corner, just here to monitor since Percy requested this meeting. Nico took a seat next to Annabeth, then they began. 

"Now that everyone is here, I just want to start that Chiron is off having a meeting with Zeus and Poseidon at the moment, which is why I'm leading this meeting," Percy explained, visibly hating that he had to lead. 

He would ask Annabeth to do it, but she wasn't as aware as he was due to her Poseidon needing her to settle a matter with Athena, Poseidon's ex. Percy was glad he didn't have to deal with that since Athena hated him too. 

A lot of people hated him. 

He needs a vacation. 

Percy tapped on the computer and watched Nico for a reaction. On the board was a picture of Will having lunch with a stranger Nico didn't know about. He wasn't possessive or controlling, and Will didn't need Nico's approval to hang out with anyone, but he didn't like that Will was smiling at this person. 

"I'm sure everyone has heard about Nico's doctor, but I'm still going to explain for those who don't. The doctor's name is William Andrew Solace, age twenty-three, male. He currently works at Oracle Medical Hospital, has been for two years, thanks to his father owning the hospital for fifteen years. Currently, he has attracted the attention of Luke Castellan. I'm sure all of you know who he is." 

"Why is he going after Will?" Nico asked, getting more annoyed the longer he looked at the picture. Nico did all he could to make sure he didn't attract attention to Will during the month he had been off. 

Will never mentioned anything bad either. 

Hell, they look like good friends. 

"I'm getting there, but before you ruin your relationship, know that Luke and Will have history." 

Before Nico could blow a vein, Percy clicked to the next slide, showing a younger picture of Will and Luke. Again, Nico hated that Will was smiling at the guy. 

"They met in college, and Luke was his RA in his dorm. Will was underage at the time. Their relationship is nothing more than brotherly, but Luke did have a huge influence on Will." 

When Percy clicked the next button, it went to a video of Luke training Will. 

"I know I lost a bet and all, but do I really have to do this? I don't like hitting other people." Will complained. Luke chuckled, making Nico's skin crawl just hearing it. 

"You might not like hurting others, but others will hurt you," Luke said. Will rolled his eyes. 

"I'm not the type to piss people off like you do." Will was about to walk out of the frame, Luke staring, until Luke walked up and grabbed him, and knocked him to the floor pretty hard, for it to be practice. Then, Nico wanted to shoot out of his seat, watching Luke get on top of Will, pinning him to the floor with one hand while nearly ripping Will's shirt off. 

"Luke!" 

"Is that all you're going to do?" Luke asked, stopping. "What if it wasn't me doing this? They wouldn't stop all because you asked. I'm playing the role of someone trying to assault you. What if I were someone trying to kill you? You would be dead." Luke let go of Will's wrist and sat up. "You are nice, but nice people die too, Will." 

"Is there a reason for all this, or is this your excuse to knock me around?" Will asked because it didn't make sense for Luke to push this as hard as he was. Not unless Will's life was in danger. 

"There's a reason," was all Luke said before getting off and heading towards the camera. 

"And that reason is?" Will pushed. Luke was too close to the camera to see, but you could sense that Luke was smiling. 

"Because you lost a bet." 

The video stopped and Percy clicked a button, showing another video of the night Will was attacked. He seemed to be playing with a bandage while looking at the computer. "There was original three people in the building. When I asked, one was supposed to drag Will away to a different location where the cameras was down. But that didn't happen." 

Will stopped playing with a bandage and checked his phone. "After receiving the surveillance, I had Leo check what Will was looking at." A mini photo popped up, showing a picture of Will's text messages. "Will received a message beforehand from Luke ten minutes before Will was attacked. Luke warned him several people was after him. Will didn't believe him until he heard a noise." Nico watched Will turn around behind him, then placed the phone down. 

"After searching through his messages, we realized Will always makes sure to have several scalpels with him when he works night shifts. After talking to Apollo, it was because there was an incident of a crazed patient assaulting a nurse. Apollo was the one to advise Will to keep something on him, though, I would assume Luke told him to keep blades since Apollo had mentioned pepper spray." 

Will's attention turned back towards the screen, then got up to walked the halls as usual. Nico remembered Will briefly checking on him since he was a light sleeper. He had woken up briefly when Will left. After Will's walk, Will sat back down at the nurses's station and was typing on his computer. 

"This was the moment they attacked." Nico watched one of Zeus's men walk up to strangle Will from behind. Seeing the chair fall and Will panicking, Nico realized he must've heard Will's foot hitting the chair and one of the monitors falling. 

"And this was when this happened." Nico watched Will, with skilled expertise, elbow the guy in the ribs until he had just enough wiggle room to turn around, and go straight for the neck, his movement too fast for Nico to see where the blade, well, blades came from. The man who got stabbed fell, taking Will down with him, and was choking on his blood. 

"It was then that they had everyone get Will and move him to an empty room." Nico watched four more of Zeus's men run in, and Will did look frightened. But when one of them was close enough, Will did punch one, who slapped Will down. They tried lifting Will as he struggled, and that's when Nico watched Will kick the person who had him by the legs on the nose, before Will was dragged away. 

"Will killed one person, gave one a black eye, stabbed one person in the shoulder, and broke a man's nose." Clarisse laughed along with Leo and the Stoll brothers while Annabeth looked shocked. Nico felt proud to know his doctor, now boyfriend, did that, but still hated that Luke was involved. 

"After that night, Luke visited Will a week later and had been stopping by at the end of every Will's work shifts." Percy clicked a button multiple times, going through multiple photos of Luke walking with Will at the end of every night shift, or talking at Will's car. A few photos showed them having dinner, and Nico assumed it was during the days Nico had to leave early. Nico was sure he wasn't the jealous type, but he couldn't stop the bad feeling in his chest from growing. 

"Nico, nothing happened during those times, and Will wasn't cheating on you. He mentioned you multiple times as his boyfriend, which was why I had Leo check your phone as well to confirm it." Percy quickly added. 

Because he did not want to be the cause of a horrible misunderstanding. 

"Why is Luke trying to recruit Will, anyway?" Clarisse asked. So Will killed a person. It was pretty awesome, but surely not a good enough reason to go after him. 

"That, I don't know. He came onto neutral territory, and we shared a drink, but he didn't say anything that screamed red flags. For now, Nico, I just want you to watch if anything has changed and maybe get him to talk about Luke. The more we know, the better. Annabeth and I will be working with Leo and Piper to see what's going on and where he's been." Percy said. 

"You said Chiron was in a meeting with Zeus. Is that related to this?" Silena asked. It was always weird when Chiron wasn't present. 

It usually meant something else was coming. 

Like the time Zeus sent Chiron away because he thought Chiron was a spy or something. 

It was rough when he was gone. 

"As of right now, I'm not allowed to share since we don't know if the meeting is related to this. For now, we stick with Luke. Any other questions?" Percy asked. Nico got up.

"Yeah, what time does Luke go to pick up Will?"

*********

Will had to work until eleven at night and had to come back in the morning at seven. Sometimes, Will questions his choice of career, but he knows he wouldn't change a thing. 

His career choice led him to Nico, so Will figured he was doing something good. 

After clocking out and leaving the building, Will was greeted by two faces. On his left was Luke, his long-time friend since college. He was one of Will's first friends and was Will's RA, so he was the person Will came to for help when he was a freshman. He was loved by many girls because Luke was handsome. He was tall, tan, and muscular with mischievous blue eyes that would guarantee a good time. Between the time Luke graduated and when Will started his job years ago, they met three times, and the first time was in the hospital. Will wasn't working fully yet, so Luke wasn't in Will's care, but Will was there as support when Luke had to get the long scratch on his face treated, and helped when Luke's bandages needed to be changed. 

The second time, Luke found Will having dinner on his own at a cheap restaurant. He had joined Will for dinner and even paid while Will was still figuring out how to live on his own. Luke helped Will, gave pointers, and then went shopping with Will to give him a home-warming gift. At the end of the night, Luke walked Will home and wished him a good night. Luke disappeared for a year. 

The third time, it was a drunken night Will would like to forget. It wasn't bad, but Will regretted it ever happening. 

On Will's right, Nico was there, finishing up a cigarette. Nico told him it was a bad habit he picked up when he was young and stressed, but was planning on stopping. Will was proud of him, but secretly liked the smell of it on Nico. 

"Hey, I didn't expect you to be here," Will said warmly, walking up to Nico for a hug. It felt nice to feel Nico's arms around him. It was a rough shift, and all Will wanted to do was crawl into bed. 

"Managed to get off early and wanted to pick you up. I confessed, I missed your bed." Nico said before kissing Will. He sounded tired, so Nico wondered if they should pick up something on the way for Will to eat before heading home. 

"Missed my bed, but not me? I'll have you sleep on the couch." 

"You in the bed is the best part. That's why I miss it." 

Will didn't believe Nico for a second and turned around in Nico's hold to look at Luke. Nico smiled and kissed Will's neck, who was lightly hitting him to stop, but was smiling as well. 

The whole time, Nico hoped Luke got the fucking picture. 

Will is happy, so fuck off.

When Nico finally looked at Luke, the fucker was smiling. 

"Hey, Luke. This is Nico, my boyfriend, who I have been telling you about. He's here to pick me up tonight." Will said happily. Nico wondered if he should pick Will up more if it would make him this happy. "Nico, this is Luke. He's a friend from college." 

Nico kept an arm around Will's waist as he stuck a hand out to shake hands...

Like a gentleman Will believes him to be. 

"Surely I'm more than just a friend from college. Nice to meet you, Nico. Will said good things about you." Luke greeted. 

"Liar," Will commented, earning a pinch from Nico. Nico might not be touchy-feely, but he was with Will, and he was going to display it until Luke got the message that Will is in his care. 

"I would hope so. He's making me work hard to stay in his good graces," Which was true considering Nico had two more days of not going back to the hospital. He had been avoiding paper at this point to avoid a papercut.

Will rolled his eyes because he thinks Nico is being dramatic. 

He has no idea who he's dating. 

"Will deserves the best. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him." Nico frowned, but made sure Will couldn't see. Maybe Will couldn't tell, but Luke wasn't looking at him like a friend, barely a brother. He had a feeling, even when he was watching that video of Luke pinning Will to the floor, Luke wasn't as friendly as he was presenting. 

"So make sure you take care of him," Luke said with a smile. 

Or I'll take him away, was the silent threat. 

"Stop it, Luke. Let's go, Nico. Did you drive here?" Will asked, moving Nico away from Luke. He waved Luke goodbye, but all his attention was on Nico. Whatever Luke was feeling for Will, it wasn't mutual. Nico smiled. 

"Yeah. I figured I could take you home and drop you off in the morning. I'm going to have a late start tomorrow. Are you okay leaving your car here?" Nico asked. Will nodded and pulled Nico along when he spotted his car. Nico opened the door for him, and before he could close the door, Will pulled him down by the shirt and placed a loving kiss on Nico's lips. 

Will wasn't dumb enough to not hear the hidden threat towards Nico, nor was he into making people jealous. So he hoped Nico understood Will only wanted his attention, his affection, and no one else. 

"I think I missed my bed, too," Will whispered. Looking into Nico's brown eyes was always a treat. Nico would express so much through his eyes, which was how Will was able to navigate Nico in the first place. 

Like when he has a nightmare and wakes up unaware of where he is. 

Like when he gives a mischievous look when he was going to either annoy Will or flirt to make Will blush. 

Or like now, a gaze so intense that it said many things they weren't ready to say verbally. 

"Just your bed?" Nico asked, knowing the answer. Will could smell the faint smell of Nico's cigarettes, could taste it on his when Will kissed him, and Will loved it. 

He loves this. 

Just them two and no one else. 

"With you in it." 

Chapter Text

"What's your relationship with Luke?" 

Nico waited a week to ask that question, mostly because Will made it very clear that he felt nothing romantically toward Luke and didn't want to come off as an insecure boyfriend. Nico, during the week, kept his cool and trusted Will. 

He even took a smoke break while Will and Luke talked nearby. 

Overall, Will made it known to Nico they were just friends, and Nico made it known to Luke that Will was in his care. 

"Do you really want to talk about that now?" 

Currently, Will was on top of him in his all-naked glory, straddling him. Nico could barely think as it is, but now Will was grinding his hips against Nico's erection, and Nico's mind went blank. 

"Luke was Annabeth's older friend, but since I skipped grades, I met Luke in college. He is just a guy I look up to." Will answered, though Nico was barely listening. He was trying to fuck Will through his underwear. "I hope you're paying attention. I'm answering your question." 

Nico groaned and bucked his hip. 

"Yeah, Yeah! Fuck now, talk later." Will laughed and allowed himself to be flipped over so Nico could have his way with him. Nico brought it back up a couple of hours later when they were cuddling and feeling satisfied. 

"So, about Luke, you said you look up to him. You still do?" Nico asked. Will shrugged. 

"Not the same way I used to, but yeah. Do you not trust me?" Will asked. Nico quickly reassured him that he had nothing but trust in him while giving soft kisses. 

"It's not that, but... You know I work in the grey area of the law, right?" Nico reminded. Will nodded, now focused as Nico held him. "I'm not going to tell you much because I barely know myself, but Luke is involved in dirty business. We don't know much, but I want you to be careful." Nico warned. Will quietly looked away and reached for Nico's hand to play with. 

"That sounds about right," Will commented, making Nico wonder what Will knew. Nico didn't push since he didn't want to pressure Will, but he did hope that Will wasn't involved. He watched Will play with his fingers before Nico decided to lace them together, making Will smile and kiss his chest. "Luke always had a weird friend group when we were in college. I only hung out with them a couple of times. The last time was when I saw Luke was a couple of years ago. We were at a party." Will move so he can fully look at Nico. 

"I received an invite out of nowhere from Luke, asking if I could go with him. I had nothing better to do, so I went because I hadn't seen him in a long time. It was a fun party, and I admit I did drink a lot. I met a few of his friends. There were Ethan, Al, Chris, Kelli, and a few others. Are you going to write that down?" Nico shook his head, thinking maybe he should bring Will to work instead. 

"I only remember them because Ethan and Al are Luke's best friends, Chris was the nicest, and Kelli hates my guts." Nico raised an eyebrow. His sweet doctor has an enemy?

"What's to hate?" Nico asked. Will looked away. 

"Luke and I had a drunken one-night stand, and Kelli caught us in the morning." 

Nico felt like his whole day had ended. He didn't care that Will slept with others before him, but rather, he slept with Luke. Will and Luke did have a sexual history. Nico groaned and moved away from Will, wanting to erase Will's words. 

Now it made sense. Luke definitely viewed Will as more than a brother, while it was clear in Will's tone that he wasn't a fan that they slept with each other. 

Well, at least that's one motive Nico can bring up as to why Luke was back in Will's life. 

Nico looked over when he got over it, only to see Will gone from the bed. He knew he had made Will upset for reacting like a child, but before he could go fix that problem, Nico sent the list of names to Percy, summing up what Will had told him, including Will's sexual history with Luke. 

Maybe he could look into what happened that night, because why would Luke randomly invite Will after a time with no contact? Once he sent the text, Nico made sure to turn off his phone so he could focus on Will all night and work on apologizing. 

Starting by helping Will shower... 

*******

"Your boyfriend is pretty jealous, isn't he?" 

Will looked at his patient, Luke, who was beaten and bruised because, allegedly, Nico attacked him. Will didn't believe it until he found out Nico had to spend a night in a jail cell. He has yet to receive a reason for how it came to this, despite that Nico should be released by now. 

Not even a text. 

Either he was busy, or he was guilty. 

"You haven't made it any easier for him not to get jealous," Will said as he made Luke take off his shirt. If Nico did attack him, Luke didn't fight back. Will was surprised by how many bruises and a few cuts Luke received. 

Luke wouldn't have let it get that far. 

"If he can't take a few jabs, he shouldn't be dating you." 

"Since when do you care about who I date? Besides, that's none of your business. So are you going to tell me the truth, or are you going to stick with this lie?" Will asked. He was doubtful that Nico attacked him when Nico knew Will didn't want Luke. 

But Nico may have attacked Luke if he was doing shady work. 

Luke wasn't innocent in all this. 

"That's my story," Luke said as Will started patching him up. He did wince a bit when Will started using alcohol, but his movements were careful as always. "I miss this," Luke commented, remembering the times Will would use his body to name the bones or point out where his organs are when Luke asked. 

"What did you do to make Nico attack you?" Will asked, ignoring the comment. Luke hummed and lifted Will's chin to look him in the eyes. Will's blue eyes didn't hold any pity for Luke. 

It never did, even when they were in college. 

"Is Nico's dick that good that you can't believe a friend?" 

"You still haven't answered my question. What did YOU do?" Will repeated. He'll get Nico's side later, but Luke wasn't going to play the innocent card with him. Luke stayed silent and let Will work, watching Will's focus on bandaging him up. Luke knew he was going to be given painkillers, but his visit was mostly to see where Will's support lay. 

Nico must have revealed a few things for Will not to trust him, considering Luke helped save Will's life. In that case, Luke was ready to play dirty. 

"I guess you're aware of what Nico does for a living. I admit, I'm not innocent, but all I did was run my mouth." Will didn't believe that, but stayed silent as he finished Luke up. "Nico is violent, Will. He will get you killed like his last partner. Poor thing got shot in her home. I'm just looking out for you. You know I care about you." 

Will tried to block it out, but...

He couldn't ignore that Nico might get him killed. Will acknowledge that as soon as he realized Nico wasn't exactly working for the CIA, but a more private group. Nico said he made sure Will was mostly off the radar, but since Will was associated with Luke, he admitted it would be harder. He said it was best to keep his interactions with Luke brief and minimal. 

Should he do the same with Nico until this blows over? 

"Will, I have been looking out for you for a long time. It's fine if you think Nico is innocent or perfect. Just watch yourself. I'll always have your back." After a moment, Will nodded. When Will was done, Luke got off the patient's bed to hug Will. Will hesitated to hug back, but Luke was satisfied when he felt Will's arms around his waist. 

"Thanks, Will, for the patch up. You know how to reach me if anything happens." Luke let go of Will and headed out of the patient room so he could go check out. With the cameras around, Luke played his part as a grateful patient, singing high praise for Will helping him out. But once he was out of the hospital...

"I have a job for you."

Luke decided it was time to take William back. 

Chapter Text

Did Nico beat the shit out of Luke? Yes, yes, he did. 

But Nico did not throw the first punch. 

He didn't let the punch land, but that didn't matter. Luke's goon swung first, and Luke made an attempt to hit him, so yeah, Nico beat the shit out of him. In hindsight, Nico understood that Luke baited him to do that. He didn't put up much of a fight, which was why Nico and Luke's friend got put in the holding cell for the night, while Luke could go to the hospital. 

Nico didn't care about spending a night in jail. 

He did care about what Will would think because it didn't take a genius to know that Luke would tell Will that Nico had attacked him. Nico focused on work and receiving a small lecture about how Nico can't be losing his shit over words and that he has to be mindful of his environment. Nico knew all that, so he kinda blocked it out. 

But when it came to Will, Nico placed a nice dinner reservation, sent Will a time when he was going to pick him up, and greeted Will with flowers to express how sorry he was. He wasn't sure what Luke told him, but he had a bad feeling when Will was quiet and deep in thought when he received the flowers. 

"Will, I'm sorry for making you upset. It wasn't my intention to end up in jail-"

"I know Luke triggered you to make you beat him up. I only know because Luke wouldn't have been that badly hurt if he really wanted to fight you. No need to apologize." Will said as he set the flowers down. Nico was glad that Will knew, but something still wasn't right. 

"Do you still want to have dinner with me?" Nico asked. Will looked dressed and ready to go, but he didn't look eager to. Feeling nervous, Nico walked into Will's apartment, closing the door behind him, and took Will's hand. "Is everything alright?" Will sighed. 

"Did you get someone killed, Nico?" Will asked carefully. There wasn't any other way to ask without it being taken the wrong way. Nico frowned. As far as he knew, he didn't get anyone killed. He has worked alone ever since he started working, sometimes joining Percy, Jason, and Hazel. When Nico didn't answer, Will pushed on. 

"A girl who's been shot in her home, did that have something to do with you?" Will asked. Nico wasn't sure what he was on about unless Will was talking about his mother. Why would Will want to know that? Actually, it wasn't Will's business. 

"That has nothing to do with you," Nico told him, his tone warning Will not to push. Will took his hand away, knowing Nico was getting defensive. "It has a lot to do with me. I'm dating you, I'm physically with you." Will argued. To Will, they had to talk about this. 

If Nico's partner has been killed by associating with Nico, Will wants security and comfort to know that he will be okay, or at least be mentally prepared. 

Was that too much to ask?

"So what? We haven't been dating that long for you to know about that. Drop it." There was no reason for Will to know about Nico's mother. Yes, she died because someone wanted to hurt Nico, but that was years ago. 

It held no relevance to Will. 

"How long do I have to date you before you could start caring about me and my safety. Why does that even matter? I just want to talk about it." Will said, not sure why it was hard to talk about. They didn't have to get into it, but it would be nice to come up with a plan of sorts. Right now, he felt like a sitting duck. He was on Nico's side. He accepted what he did for a living because it wasn't all bad, and because he liked him. Words can only mean so much, but a plan of action, if it came down to it, felt better. 

But Nico glared at him like Will spat on his mother's grave. 

"Drop it," Nico growled out. For once, Will couldn't hold Nico's gaze. It held anger and fury like no other. Will thought maybe when Luke said partner, he meant work partner. 

Maybe he meant romantic partner. 

Or at least someone special. 

Was he not special?

Will turned away from Nico, holding himself. He didn't feel safe anymore. "I don't think I want to have dinner with you tonight," Will muttered. Nico huffed and walked up to take the flowers back. 

"Feelings mutual," Nico said before leaving, slamming the door. Will tried his best not to cry, but a few tears slipped passed, making Will wipe his face. He slowly took off his clothes since they weren't going to dinner, then slipped into bed to cry quietly. He just wanted to feel protected, did Nico not care? Will buried his face into his pillow, taking tonight as a lesson well learned. 

This is why you don't date your patients. 

********

For a week, Nico kept nearly getting himself hurt, but refused to go get checked out at the hospital when Jason managed to punch him pretty hard when they were sparring. 

So now, he was heartbroken, in pain, and embarrassed. 

Nico stayed on the floor and stared at the dark ceiling. 

He missed Will, but he was too stubborn to apologize. He didn't know what he did wrong, much less didn't see himself in the wrong. He had a right to have privacy, Will should know that better than anyone. 

So why did Will have to know about his mother's death?

No matter how much he thought about it, his mother's death shouldn't be important to Will. It was years ago, and the person who did it was in the ground. 

There was nothing to worry about.

"Nico? Are you okay?" Jason asked. He waited for Nico to get up, but once he realized Nico just wanted to lie there, he grew a bit concerned. Nico sighed, thinking maybe he is better off on the ground, wallowing in self-pity. "Bad day?" Jason asked. 

"Bad week. I haven't seen Will all week... and it's my fault." Nico mumbled. He hadn't had a good night's rest either because he was scared he was going to wake up to a break-up text. 

Or were they broken up the moment he walked out the door?

Nico threw his arm over his eyes, telling himself not to tear up. 

He kept replaying that moment over and over, but he didn't know what went wrong. He couldn't get that hurt look Will had out of his mind. It would've been easier if Will were angry and yelled at him, but Will was close to pleading. 

Nico couldn't believe he took the flowers back. He didn't even do anything with them. He threw it away in a fit of rage. Will could've kept them, but he wanted to take something away, to make Will even more upset. 

"I think we broke up, but I'm not sure, and I'm scared to ask," Nico voiced, his chest feeling tight. He wasn't sure how to fix this, and just as Nico didn't contact Will, not one text came from him either. 

No good morning text. 

No silly memes. 

No teasing or flirting. 

Nothing. 

"Alright, get up and tell me what happened. At this point, I think I miss my calling to be a therapist." Jason said, helping Nico up. They headed to a nearby chair where their towels and water were, and took a seat, Jason not missing how red Nico's eyes were. After taking a sip of their water, Nico thought back to his conversation with Will. 

"He asked me if I had ever gotten someone killed, then mentioned a woman getting shot in her home, so I assume he was talking about my mother. I don't know how he knew about that, but he seemed adamant to know because he thinks it's relevant to him. It was years ago, my mother's death has no relevance to anyone but me and Hades. And the person who did it is dead. I made sure, personally. I don't get why it was so important for him to know." Nico ranted, squeezing his water bottle. 

"He thinks I don't care about him because I won't talk about it. I have a right not to talk about it. Am I wrong?" Nico asked. Jason shook his head. Asking about that within two months of dating was a bit fast. 

"No, but don't you think it's a bit weird for him to be asking for that? He doesn't seem like the type to be pushy. Do you think maybe he was talking about something else?" Jason thought, thinking maybe there was a misunderstanding. Nico shrugged. 

"It is, but I don't know what else he could be talking about." Nico thought about it ever since he went home. He couldn't think of anything other than that Will was at fault for pushing. 

But a week of silence was beginning to be too much, and Nico was starting to think maybe he was at fault. He was so close to doing anything to get back with Will, but he didn't want to admit wrongdoing when he wasn't wrong. 

"I'm on your side, but I also don't know Will too well other than what I am told. Maybe you should speak to Percy or Annabeth. Doesn't Annabeth know Will personally? Maybe she can tell you why Will wants to know so badly." Jason suggested. Nico grimaced. Going to Annabeth for relationship advice felt like reading a textbook about love. 

It just didn't make any sense. 

But she and Percy have dated longer than anyone else he knew. They are called a power couple for a reason; there may be some truth. Nico sighed and got up, Jason wishing him luck as he stayed behind to clean up. 

Nico decided to take his time by stopping by the communal showers to freshen up, stopping by Hades's office for any updates, and clocking out since he didn't have to stay any longer. With nothing more to do, Nico took the elevator to the third floor, where Annabeth mostly worked when she wasn't with Athena. 

But he didn't make it out of the elevator when the doors opened, Percy immediately walking in, keeping Nico in the elevator, and pressing the first floor button. 

"Have you heard from Will?" Percy asked, looking confused. Nico crossed his arms. 

"We have been on a break. Got in a big fight last week and haven't spoken ever since. I was hoping to speak to Annabeth to get advice." Nico explained.

"Nico, Will was attacked in his home. He didn't call you?" Percy asked carefully. Judging from the horrified look growing on Nico's face, Will didn't contact Nico in his time of need. 

Once the elevator doors opened, Percy grabbed Nico's arm and hurried him out of the building and to the car. Nico got in without complaint and hurriedly tried to contact Will, hoping everything was alright. 

*********

Will just wanted to go home and sleep the day away. He worked a double shift for the last three days, so he figured he deserved a nice night of going home, drinking a bottle, and catching up on reality television. 

He didn't care for the show, but the drama was interesting enough to keep him from focusing on his own. He wasn't sure if he was still dating Nico, but due to how they left things, Will figured they were broken up. 

It hurt, and he would find himself almost sending a text to Nico plenty of times, but why should he reach out to someone who didn't care about his well-being? 

Maybe he shouldn't have pushed about what happened to Nico's partner, but Luke's words got to him. It was a valid concern, which was why Will wanted to talk about it. 

Maybe it was better this way. 

His father was concerned about who Will was dating anyway. 

Now that he wasn't, Will could focus on work and potentially go back to school for business, so he could take over the hospital while his father could open up more locations. 

That was the plan, but Will liked to be more hands-on and work directly with his patients, so Apollo gave him a few years to gain experience before offering the position again. 

But for now, he was going to drink all his worries and woes away. 

Well, that was the plan until he saw that his apartment door was open

Someone with common sense would call the cops, but Will was feeling slightly hopeful that maybe it could be Nico. It didn't make sense, considering Nico always asked to come by or would already be with Will, but that thought didn't stop Will from walking in. 

"Nico?" Will called out. He placed his things by the door, but kept his phone in his hand. He checked his messages to see if Nico texted him, but was disappointed to see no new messages. 

"Nico?" Will checked his kitchen, then his living room, his heart beating faster when he saw the familiar flowers on his couch. Will smiled and took the familiar flowers, thinking they could finally patch things up. He could apologize, they could make up, they could kiss and forget everything. 

He'll never ask again. 

"Nico? I'm sorry, Nico! I won't ask anymore." Will walked into his bedroom, hoping to see Nico waiting for him, but only saw a mess of petals scattered all around. Will held himself as he sat down on the bed, feeling shy. He wasn't sure if Nico wanted to see him anymore after the glare that he gave. It took him a while to accept that it wasn't his business, and he'll just take Nico's word from now on. 

Nico surely knew what he was doing. 

He'll trust him. 

Will wiped his eyes when he heard movement in the bathroom. "Nico? I missed you. I don't want to ruin what we had. You're the first I ever really fell for. I want to be with you. I'm-"

"All that is sweet and all, but I'm not Nico." 

Will watched a big, burly man walk out of his bathroom, then another from his closet, and another from his bedroom door. 

"But Nico does send his kindest regards. A little message for you to remember if you ever open your mouth." 

Will shook his head as he backed up until his back hit the backboard. Nico wouldn't send people like this, he wouldn't want to hurt him, right? "Nico wouldn't send you here," Will said weakly. 

"Whatever feelings he had for you, they're long gone. Sorry, babe, but this is just work." 

Will watched the three men get closer until one grabbed his legs. Will shouted and grabbed the nearest thing, which was a small lamp, and swung it at the man's head. 

He was not going to go down without a fight. 

Chapter Text

Will wasn't going to go down without a fight. He is passive for the most part, but he knew when someone was trying to kill him. He had been around Luke to know he can't afford to freeze, but it still hurt to know Nico sent these guys. He wasn't the type to run his mouth, he practices HIPAA daily. 

He was trained not to reveal anything regarding his patients, and that extends to his boyfriend. 

Well, ex. 

Nico was his ex. 

That thought made him want to cry and regret giving him a chance. 

He felt like he should've held his ground when he was getting hit on.  

None of this would have happened if he had just ignored Nico's advances.

But it was too late. 

Focusing, Will ran out of his apartment and headed for the stairs. He could hear heavy breathing and footsteps behind him, but didn't take the chance to look back. He pushed open the door and hurried down two floors to the third floor, and entered the hallway to run to the elevators across the hall. 

He counted to five when the others went through the doors behind him. 

He had a five-second window. 

He pushed himself to make it six, his legs burning in the process. 

Faintly, he could hear the doors opening, someone, a woman with her two kids, step out of the elevator. "Move out of the way!" Will shouted. The woman frightenly gathered her kids close to her, giving enough room to run inside and repeatedly press the close option and the first floor button. He could hear shouting for the woman to hold the door open, but thankfully, the woman kept to herself and moved her children towards their home, letting the doors close with only Will inside. 

Will sighed briefly and pulled out his phone. He hesitated a little, thinking about contacting Nico, but since they hadn't spoken for a week. Will thought it was safer to contact Luke, so he texted him, telling him that he was on the first floor and asking for help. 

Will figured those men would head to the lobby, and security would kick them out for looking suspicious (running downstairs pissed and angry, looking like they was looking for trouble would get them kicked out), so Will decided to wait on the first floor for a moment so they could leave and Will could go for help. 

That was the plan. 

But nothing ever works out for him. 

*********

Luke was a block away, looking at his phone. Will was smart, but predictable. Yes, an average person would've gone to the lobby and probably gotten caught or have a slight chance of making it out of the building. 

But Will didn't do slight chances unless he was in a dire situation. 

This wasn't a dire situation to Will, because outsmarting a couple of musclebrains was child's play. 

But Will messed up on who was actually telling the men what to do. 

If he knew it was Luke, not Nico, Will would've gone to the lobby and taken that chance. 

Luke waited a minute to call Will, the precious boy, picking up within two rings. 

"Luke?" 

"What's going on?" Luke asked, sounding concerned, though looking at his other phone, which buzzed. The first group lost Will, as expected. 

"N-Nico sent people after me. I lost them when I went into the elevator. Are you coming?" Will asked, sounding pitiful. Made his heart flutter to hear it. He placed the phone on speaker before answering. 

"Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll be there soon." 

Luke didn't hear a response back, hearing shuffling and presumably Will's phone falling. Luke kept the phone on, but turned the sound down so he didn't have to hear Will getting beaten. 

He had three rules: 

• Only punch Will twice in the face, but that was all. Luke didn't want to bruise Will's face card too badly, just enough as a reminder. 

• Taunt Will as much as you like, so long as they ruin Nico's reputation. Luke wanted that guy gone. He had his fun, but he was overstaying at this point. 

• Lastly, no broken bones, but everything else was fine. Well, except rape. Will was his and no one else's.

Luke received some pictures of Will knocked out, nude, and badly hurt, and a room number. He hung up his phone and waited five minutes before making his way there. 

"Is that the guy?" 

Luke looked at the older man behind him. So far, Zeus didn't know of the man's existence, just rumors that Zeus would carelessly ignore...

But Kronus wasn't a man you wanted out of your sight. Luke looked at his phone as he received more confirmation that he men left from the back of the apartment with no trouble. 

"mmhm, he's the guy. Miracle doctor, they say. Apollo's protege. He's friends with some people down at Olympus, and if things go smoothly, then we'll get the information we want. Then we can bring him over, and you can do what you want with him, so long as you don't put your hands on him." Kronus chuckled as Luke got ready to go. 

"You seem to like this boy," Kronus stated. Luke didn't entertain the man with a glance. 

"Like is a strong word. I'll kill him when you give me the word." Luke voiced before leaving the van and heading for his car. He refused to give Kronus that much power over him. Luke was thankful Percy was taking care of Annabeth, though he wanted to puke every time he heard about the relationship. 

He had a small respect for Percy, though that kid was a thorn in his side. 

But his view of Will was something Luke couldn't understand. When he first saw Will, as young as he was, he thought the boy was a goody two-shoes, so he made Will skip a couple of classes and an exam until Will got stern with him. Then it was that Will was too bright, so Luke exposed him to the darkness this world had to give, making it known that Will had darkness in himself too. 

Luke still remembered when Will got drunk and damn neared smash a bottle against a guy's head for repeatedly groping him despite Will telling him to knock it off. 

It was that night that Will slept with him in the bed, stating he felt safe. 

Lastly, Will was on the straight and narrow road when Luke first spotted Will with a girlfriend. That relationship lasted a week due to Luke being Will's first gay kiss, and shared the joys of being with a man. Will broke up due to guilt, but he still came back to Luke to ask questions. Will made it known he didn't want to pursue a relationship with him, but was grateful Luke was his first kiss and first to make out with. 

He wasn't the one who took his virginity, but Luke indirectly sent that person to the hospital two months after brewing. Will didn't know who, but apparently, it was just a one-night stand. Will never hear from the person again. 

Maybe Luke just liked corrupting Will. He was forming Will to have more character and awareness, while taking little for himself. It was like coloring outside the perfect lines to create something better. 

And he was not going to allow Nico to erase his hard-earned work. 

Luke rushed over to Will's apartment complex and rushed inside, ordering the security to call the cops. He took the elevator to the first floor, then hurried down the hall, seeing a couple of residents on their phones, presumably with the police. Luke moved past them to get to Will, who was hurt, wet, and frightened. 

"Will?" Will opened his eyes, but was scared to move. Luke shouted for a blanket before sitting Will up in his arms. "Hey, baby, are you okay?" Luke asked. Will sniffled before crying onto Luke's shoulder. A resident ran up to hand Luke a blanket he could wrap around the blonde. After wrapping him securely so he wasn't exposed, he lifted Will in his arms, urging others to move back so he could take Will to the lobby. 

"I'm sorry," Will mumbled. 

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm here now, everything is going to be alright." Luke told him before kissing his head. Will mumbled about what he went through and the words that were told to him. He was scared that Nico would come back and finish the job. 

All this was going perfectly. 

************

Nico wasn't understanding why Will wasn't picking up. His calls were going through, but Will must not have had his phone with him. He wished he had checked in instead of being stubborn. 

"Why didn't y'all talk for a week?" Percy asked. It was Nico's job to keep an eye on him, and technically, Nico did. He would find himself looking from the outside of the apartment complex, staring at Will's window. He would see shadows or the man himself until Will turned out his light for the night. Or sometimes he would scan the parking lots until he spotted Will's car to assure himself that Will was at work. 

In other words, he was a coward to see Will face to face. 

"He wanted me to talk about my mother's death. Said it was relevant for him to know. It felt invasive, and Will kept pushing until I put my foot down. Will didn't accept that, so we parted ways. We didn't officially break up, but am I in the wrong?"  Nico asked. Percy found that strange that Will wanted to know so badly. You shouldn't push to know something as sensitive as that when the person wasn't ready to share. 

Then it reminded Percy of his conversation with Luke at the bar. Luke had asked about Annabeth and thrown a few jabs at him, but then asked about Percy's mother. Percy's mother was briefly in the media due to Poseidon finally meeting his mother, and had multiple affairs with her. 

Percy almost quit that day, but his mother got onto him for treating her like a child, and that it was consensual. 

Right now, he has a little sister, an offspring of Poseidon, and a good stepfather who was willing to be an active parent. Not that Poseidon didn't want to, but it was dangerous for them to meet, so he would meet with his mother and daughter a couple of times a year, and send financial support. To this day, Poseidon boasts about her. 

Percy never thought anything of it, but kept his answers vague. 

Maybe that was Luke's way of foreshadowing what he was going to do to Nico. 

And Percy felt dumb for realizing it now. 

Still didn't make sense why Will would push if Luke told him about Nico's dead mother, which is a serious topic. "I don't think you're in the wrong for that, but Will isn't the rude type. Did he say anything else?" Nico stared at his phone, wishing for a phone call. 

"He brought up that he was dating me, that he was physically with me. Said I didn't care about his safety. I don't know what he meant." Nico mumbled, wishing he could turn back time. He'll spill if it means that much to him.

"Do you think there was a misunderstanding? He is friends with Luke." Percy suggested. Nico shrugged. "What was the first question Will asked?" Nico's mother's death wasn't so publicized by the news station, a request that came from Hades. If it was, her name was never announced.  

"He wanted to know if I got someone killed," Nico answered. The first that came to mind was friends, and in their line of work, partners. There was no way Will was talking about his mother, and if he did, Will would've gone at it with a softer approach, not pushy like it was life or death. 

"I could be wrong, but I don't think Will was talking about your mother," Percy said carefully. 

"He mentioned a woman getting shot in her home," Nico argued. 

"Why would he say 'a woman' if he knew it was your mother. A bit of word play, but I don't think he knew who the woman was. Luke could've told him a woman got shot and blamed you, so Will probably wanted to know what happened and be ready for what he may go up against. I think you two were talking about two different people, so in a way, you both were right, but you two were waiting for the other to admit fault. That's why Will never reached out to you and why you didn't contact him." 

Percy was so close to leaving the thinking to Annabeth because his head was starting to hurt. He hated wordplay. It made everything so confusing. As for Nico, he felt like everything was crashing down on him. 

They were talking about two different people. 

And he was so mean to Will. 

All because they miscommunicated. 

"Percy, I don't think I can get Will back," Nico mumbled. Any chance he thought he had with Will was gone. There was hardly any reason to come since Will didn't call him. 

"You stick with me, and we'll get Will back. Just don't overreact." 

Percy was asking for too much. 

When they arrived, Nico wasn't expecting cop cars and an ambulance. He wasn't sure if it was safe to come out, but after Percy nudged him to get out, Nico figured it was safe. Nico saw that the cops were speaking with security, and a few detectives were going inside. They were on an active crime scene. 

Then Nico spotted Will... with Luke. 

Always Luke. 

But Nico focused on that since Will looked deflated, beaten, and bruised. He was wearing an EMS blanket over his shoulders, but also a sheet that wrapped around his body, noting he was nude. The bruise on Will's cheek was horrible against his skin, but Nico could only imagine what Will was hiding. Nico rushed over before Percy could stop him. 

"Will, are you okay? What happened?" Nico said frantically. He reached up to gently touch him, but Luke grabbed his wrist, making Nico miss the sigh of relief that came from Will. 

"I think you did enough."

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Nico yanked his wrist away and settled for holding Will's hands. Will's hands shook, which Nico took that he was frightened. "Do we need to go to the hospital? What else hurts?" 

"Nico, please stop touching me," Will said meekly. Nico nodded, figuring his hands hurt, but didn't like that Luke was touching Will's waist. Percy stood back for a moment, observing and texting Annabeth. 

"Okay, Will, but please tell me what happened," Nico begged. Will moved closer to Luke and cried. Nico reached out to comfort Will, but Will actively turned away from Nico. It made Nico's heart break. 

"I told you, you did enough," Luke warned, moving away from Will to push Nico back. "You have some nerve showing up here. I ought to shoot you myself and risk jail time." 

"Well, do it. I didn't do anything!" 

"So you didn't send men in to harm Will to keep his mouth shut? A message for him from you." Luke revealed. Nico's eyes grew big. He would never send anyone to harm Will. Hell, Nico barely knew the situation he was dealing with, so Will knew next to nothing. Why on earth would he send people to hurt Will because of the information he could easily find on the internet? 

"I didn't." 

"Liar." 

"I didn't! Will, please believe me!" Will barely spared him a glance, and that's when Nico realized Will was scared of him. "Will-"

"Nico, give me your phone and go to the car," Percy ordered. Nico turned to him, now feeling like everyone was turning against him. 

"Percy-"

"Give me your phone and go!" Percy said sternly. He wasn't trying to be rude, but who knows what Luke told the cops or what he made Will say. He hoped Nico knew Percy was going to keep his word. He just needs to be quiet. Nico wanted to argue, but Percy was close to glaring at him, so he sadly listened and walked off after giving Percy his phone. Percy took out his phone, unlocked both, then gave both to Will, who looked shocked. 

"You can snoop through those, but I have naughty pics of Annabeth, so be careful," Percy said before winking at Luke. "Annabeth says hi. Anyway, I guess Nico fucked up. He's a bit of a crashout, trust me, I know." Percy commented with a shrug. Annabeth texted him to charm him and bring him, so that's what he was going to do. He deleted the text, but he was sure Will wasn't really going to snoop his phone since Will was friends with Annabeth. 

And Nico didn't do this, so Will wasn't going to find anything incriminating other than Nico being depressed and missing Will during the whole week. Will needed to see that. 

"So you're saying it's possible he did this?" Luke asked, latching onto the crashout comment. Percy shook his head. 

"I said he's a crashout, which means he wouldn't send others to do the dirty work. He would do this himself. If he really wanted Will gone, he had plenty of chances. But Nico has been whining like a baby lately, so he wouldn't want Will gone. He would rather cut off his arm than do that." Percy explained, happy he made Will crack a smile while reading texts in Nico's phone, which backed up what Percy was saying. 

Now it was time to give a little.

"But Nico does work for Hades, who would send people on behalf of Nico. Nico is his favorite, and Hades is pretty scary." That man tolerated Percy a lot better than Zeus. 

"Why would Hades want me gone?" Will asked softly, remembering the man. He seemed nice when Nico was hospitalized. Percy was glad Will was moving blame from Nico, which meant Will wasn't dead set on believing Nico did this. This was good. 

Time to reel it in. 

"He wouldn't. He's a good acquaintance of your father and gave a generous donation to the hospital where you worked. Call your father if you like." Percy suggested. Will clenched Nico's phone and held it close. Percy wondered what he saw. 

"I don't have my phone," Will muttered, realizing it was still inside. 

"That's fine, use mine. I was there that day, too, when we were trying to get rid of Apollo's lawsuit. Oh, and tell him you're okay and to speak with Hades again once you explain." Percy told him. Will looked at Percy's phone, not comfortable about using his phone, nor was he sure his father would pick up. 

"Can I go meet Hades instead?" Will asked. 

Hook, line, and sinker. Poseidon would be proud of him. 

"Sure, do you want to ride with Luke or with me to make sure I'm not calling ahead or something? You don't have to ride with Nico, he's in a mood." Percy asked. Will hesitated to answer, but moved closer to Luke. For now, he felt safer with him. 

"Luke," Will answered, Luke feeling pretty proud. "He is coming inside, right?" Will asked. He didn't want to go alone. Percy smiled and nodded. 

You give a little, then take a little. Besides, there's a protocol if Luke ever came in, and he was sure Annabeth was informing everyone as they spoke. There wasn't any harm in bringing Luke. 

"Sure, and keep the phones. Let me know when you're done so you can follow us." Percy said before walking away, catching Luke's shocked expression that he was welcoming him. Percy smirked, glad he managed to shock the guy. Percy walked back into the car, knowing Luke was going to paint Nico as the bad guy again, and that was fine. 

Will was smart. 

He'll figure it out soon enough. 

Percy got in the car, Nico sitting pissy in the passenger seat, but also sad. 

"Will doesn't fully believe you did this, but you aren't in the clear. We're bringing him and Luke to headquarters, and all I need you to do is be quiet. Don't react to Luke, ignore what he says, and you'll have Will back." Percy informed. Nico looked thankful that Percy helped clear things up, but knew the damage had been done. 

Nico didn't know what was said to Will to refute it, and Will looked vulnerable and scared. Even when they cleared his name, Will might still be scared of him. "Then what?" Nico asked, pulling out a cigarette. 

"That's up to you two. You'll figure it out." 

Nico sighed before getting out to smoke his nerves away. He wasn't sure if he could fix his relationship. Will might leave him. But he refused to lose to Luke. If he was going down, he was going to bring that man down with him. 

Chapter Text

Will wanted to bathe and get properly dressed, so he went back up with Luke, who was in the bathroom with him. A hot shower felt nice, but his mind was still a mess. Percy said that Nico wasn't the type to send anyone to do his dirty work, and he believed it. 

Nico was the type to do things himself. 

Then Percy suggested Hades could've, but most likely didn't, since he and his father were in contact, not to mention, Hades didn't want to deal with a lawsuit. He still wanted to check, and this was a good opportunity to see Nico's place of work. 

He wanted to know what he was dealing with if he decided to get back with Nico. 

"Do you believe everything that Percy said?" Luke asked after Will turned the water off. He grabbed a towel to wrap around his body before stepping out. His body was heavily bruised, but thankfully, nothing was broken. 

"I haven't found a reason not to," Will answered, drying off. Luke watched and examined every bruise he saw decorating Will's skin. It was strangely pretty, mostly because Will wasn't a crying mess anymore. He was calm, collected, and taking things in stride. 

The situation happened, and there wasn't anything Will could do about that. Percy was giving him a way to answer why he was attacked and using Nico's name. Will had already looked through Nico's phone while feeling guilty. Nico had only received work texts from Jason and Hazel, as well as a few calls from Percy and Frank. 

There was one unsent text Nico had written out, stating he was sorry, but he never sent it to Will. He wondered how many times Nico erased and rewrote that text. What held him back from sending it? He hadn't really looked through Percy's phone since Percy had nothing to do with this. 

"Still, they are good friends with Nico. Be careful believing anything they say." Luke warned as he got up. He grabbed a towel to dry Will's hair, taking his time to mostly irk Nico, who was still outside with Percy. The longer he was here alone with Will, the better. Then his attention turned to Will, who was humming softly with his eyes closed, loving the way Luke was drying his hair. 

Luke lied about killing Will if Kronos asked. He would hide Will away from the public, away from Kronos if it came down to it. There was a big difference between Annabeth and Will. 

Luke viewed Annabeth as a sister, mostly because of how young she was. He was attracted to Thalia at the time, but made no move about it. As Annabeth got older, there was a time, but Annabeth was smart. 

Too smart. 

Luke liked control, and that wouldn't have meshed well with Annabeth, who held excessive pride. As for Will, he found out that he had a weaker constitution, as long as it wasn't medically related. He held extreme insecurity about himself, which gave Luke a way to push and pull him anyway he wanted. 

He can manipulate Will more easily and has better control over him.

Just like now, with Will letting Luke dry his hair, standing vulnerable in front of a monster he couldn't see. Will has boundaries, but it was bendable if Luke pushed. 

And he likes to push. 

Luke leaned in and kissed Will, who flinched at first, but didn't stop him. It felt nice after a week of questioning if Nico was still his boyfriend, and the torment of Nico never reaching out. He could've reached out, but he made Nico so mad that he couldn't. So, to feel someone giving him comfort and affection felt like giving food to a starving man. 

For a moment, Will kissed back, letting Luke take control. 

As expected. 

Luke took advantage and deepened the kiss, removing the towel that was covering Will's body to see the damage, the beauty. Yeah, maybe he does like ruining Will, who seemed perfect. Taking away his breath as his tongue dove into his mouth, tugging the damp hair to move him how he wanted, and pressing on a bruise to make Will react vocally. 

His, His, His. 

Will was his ever since he first laid eyes on him. 

Will had grown beautifully. 

Will began to push him away lightly, starting to feel guilty since he didn't know the status of his relationship with Nico. When Luke didn't listen, he pushed harder and bit Luke's lip. Luke jumped back to give Will space and licked his lip that Will bit. It didn't hurt; it turned him on more, but now wasn't the time to push. 

Not yet. 

"That's enough. I just wanted to kiss a little." Will explain as he heads for his clothes in the bedroom. Luke followed, then grabbed Will from behind and pulled him close to his front. Only wearing underwear, Will could feel that Luke was hard against his rear. 

"That's fine. You know where to find me if you ever want more." Luke told him before kissing his neck. Will rolled his eyes. Luke did something similar when Will first started dating. He didn't know he was bi at the time, only realizing that he liked male physiques. He was dating a pretty girl at the time, but Luke didn't care as he kissed Will in the dorm room. They had made their way to the bed, and Luke threatened to take him right then and there. 

The only reason he didn't was because Will had pushed him away due to guilt. 

He broke up with the girl, but told himself he wouldn't sleep with Luke. 

He broke that rule when he first got drunk and got caught by Kelli, who hates him. 

Will elbowed Luke away so he could get fully dressed. The boundary between him and Luke blurred a lot, and he often let Luke get away with many things. He would admit that Luke was sexy, but he didn't want to date him since Luke was a horrible person. 

He was young and dumb to ignore it for years, but not anymore. 

"I give an inch, you take a mile," Will mumbled. It was the definition of their relationship. Luke chuckled. It was a relationship he was okay with...

For now. 

He was going to get more one day, and Will would have no choice but to accept it. 

***********

Nico didn't like that it took them so long to get ready, but remained quiet. 

He didn't like how Luke was touching Will, but remained quiet. 

He didn't like the taunt Luke did when Will's back was turned... and he almost swung on him. 

Sadly, Percy was there to correct him before Will could see by pushing Nico into the passenger seat and closing the door. Percy had to remind him that Nico had to be on his best behavior if he wanted Will back, which meant enduring the taunts Luke was going to send his way. Nico mumbled that he would be good, but it was short-lived as soon as they arrived at headquarters, and coffee got spilled on him right at the door. 

It was honestly his fault for not paying attention. 

"Someone's a klutz," Luke teased, and Nico nearly lost his cool if it weren't for Will, who was concerned about him. 

"Was it hot?" Will asked, quickly taking napkins from the person apologizing. Percy was already clearing that up and asked if the person wanted another cup of coffee. Will dabbed at the area, being careful, but Nico couldn't register any pain. 

It has been a long time since Will was this close to him. 

Will was saying something, but he couldn't even hear it. 

He missed him so much.

"I'll be fine," Nico said softly. He wanted to touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin, but held back. Will was simply helping, and Nico didn't want to push for more. He quietly thanked him and moved away, missing a hurt look that flashed on Will's face. 

After Percy brought the stranger a new cup of coffee, the four headed towards the elevator. Will noticed they were on the first floor, but Percy pressed the button for the ground floor. Then he felt the elevator go down. 

They were going underground. 

It felt a bit exciting. 

The building was already beautiful, but to think there was more to it was impressive. The elevator doors opened with a ding to what looked like a call center. "I don't see you as the type to answer phone calls," Will commented. 

"I'm not," Nico said, leading the group deeper into the room. "My boss handles business overseas involving trade, investments, exporting and importing, licensing, and keeping us in their good graces." It was an answer Nico had memorized if asked what he did for a living. 

If asked, he works in the marketing department. 

There was no harm in Luke knowing their business since it was legal. 

The dirty work was further down, though they do use the meeting rooms up here. The important stuff lay there, not where they were going. Will looked around in awe while Luke wasn't impressed. Nico opened the door that separated the legal from the illegal. It was protected by a fingerprint and a code, so not everyone could enter. 

Luke could try to memorize the code, but he wouldn't be able to use it unless he cut off Nico's finger specifically. It wouldn't work with Percy's or Jason's, or anyone else's, since they have their own codes. They walked through the door, and Will looked around. The place felt like they were in a lounge room/mancave.

It was more relaxing than he thought it would be. They had a sparring ring where Will saw two people fight, a couple of couches that faced a television against the wall, a coffee stand, and much more. 

He was expecting something more military, like basic training. 

Maybe there was, but Will wasn't allowed to see. 

"I'm going to go wash up if you want to show them around," Nico said, wanting to get rid of the coffee smell and wet shirt. Percy nodded, and Will watched Nico head towards a door labelled Locker Room. 

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" Percy asked with a smirk. Then he looked at Luke. "Feel free to look around. You don't have to stay with us." Percy told him. There was nothing important here, and even if Luke managed to check one of their offices, it would be fine. 

The dirty stuff was with Annabeth in the upper rooms or in Hades's office, which he is either in or locked. 

Only the need-to-know information was down here with orders. 

And most likely, it wasn't new information. 

Percy wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders, then placed a hand on Will's face to check his cheek, but made it seem he was about to be intimate with Will. "I can get you ice for your cheek," Percy suggested. Will took a nasty hit. Percy took a glance at Luke and saw exactly what he needed. 

"Yes, please," Will said. Percy smiled. 

"Anything for MY Will. Annabeth would be mad if I didn't take care of you. Actually, let's go out. I can show you a great time versus Moody Pants back there." Will laughed as Percy guided him to get an icepack, unaware of Percy pissing off Luke. 

Call it payback for messing with Nico. 

Will joked about Annabeth, Percy concluding that they should have a threesome. "Me in the middle of a hot blonde sandwich. Life would be great." Percy said with a wink. While Percy was just talking junk to get Will in a more positive mood, he was secretly telling Luke, "I took Annabeth from you; I can take Will too." 

Luke was close to punching him.

"Keep talking like that or else, you might need to confess the Annabeth that you like men," Will said as he took an ice pack. 

"If you think this is crazy, my bromance with Jason is a full-blown affair, and guess what, he is also blonde. You know what, I want to be in the middle of that sandwich. You and him! Where is he?" Percy said, looking around. Will shook his head and threatened to tell Annabeth. 

Luke wasn't liking that Percy's hand went down to Will's waist. He could feel his eye twitch and wondered if he should follow through with hiding Will from everyone. To make Will depend on him, only seeing him. 

His. 

Will was his. 

"Luke?" Will called out. Luke looked at him and had the urge to smack Will for letting Percy get so close to him. Behind Will, Percy was silently daring him to do it, to ruin his relationship with Will and lose all trust. 

Make Will see you as the bad guy. 

This is exactly why he hates Percy. 

He briefly thought back to the guy Will had his first time with. He was cocky as well, saying Will was a good lay. Luke made sure he stayed away from Will forever. 

And he wanted to do the same to Percy. 

To shut him up and leave a mark. 

For a moment, he didn't care about Kronos's plans. 

Will was his joy, and Percy shouldn't touch. 

"Luke, we were just joking around," Will explained, not sure why. Luke... if looks could kill... Will touched Luke's arm, and Luke had to resist harming him. Percy stood back. He let Will walk into the lion's den, hoping he would get attacked. 

It was the fastest way to get rid of Luke for good than to play mind games. 

"I'm back," Nico said as he walked up to the group. Luke looked like he wanted to murder, while Percy seemed happy about it. Will looked nervous as he looked at Luke, so much so that Will moved to get closer to Nico. 

He was going to ask Will about that later. 

"Good, take us to Hades so we can clear up this mess," Percy said. He stayed the furthest from Luke as they walked. He had already poked the bear so many times, he wasn't going to give Luke the satisfaction of mauling him. Not today. 

One day. 

Nico took them to Hades's office and knocked on the door before opening it. Hades, who was in the middle of a phone call, hung up abruptly once he saw Luke was here too. He looked towards Percy for answers, but he only nodded towards Will and took a seat, proceeding to eat the jar of M&Ms, picking out the blue ones. 

"What's the meaning of this?" Hades asked. Nico decided to keep quiet and sat down as well, watching Luke, who was looking around. 

"Will was attacked today and said it was a gift from Nico. We're here to clear that up unless you have a problem with Will." Percy explained before stuffing his mouth. Hades frowned and looked towards Nico, wondering why Nico's name was involved, then looked at Luke, who was opening up a book Hades likes to read. 

He only picked it up because the spine was worn.

"I have no problem with William," Hades said, then looked at Will, who was holding an icepack to his cheek. Apollo might threaten to sue again. "I don't have any ill intentions towards you, William, and I most certainly wouldn't waste my men on trivial matters such as relationship problems." Hades leaned back and crossed his arms. He actually liked Will. He was a decent young man with a good head on his shoulders. "And as for Nico, he has no control over anyone unless I give the command. Nico is a loner. Any problem he has that may require physical violence, he would rather do by himself. Hence, the many hospital visits I'm sure you know about." Hades explained. 

Will described the men that attacked him, wondering if maybe he had forgotten or had an idea that maybe his men had gone rogue, but Hades shook his head. "William, in my line of work, my men prioritize privacy, not strength. I can ask Zeus, but none of his men knows Nico that well to attack you." Hades answered.

Will shook his head. It didn't make sense. "They knew where I lived, my relationship, and probably knew about the issues we were going through-" 

"I told you to be careful." Nico interrupted. Will wanted to get mad at Nico for suggesting he wasn't careful, but Nico's gaze wasn't angry or accusatory; it was soft and held a bit of pity. 

Then Will remembered when Nico told him. 

Nico had told him to be careful with Luke, that Luke was involved in dirty business. Luke... Luke wouldn't send people to hurt him, would he? Luke knew where he lived, his schedule, and warned him that being in Nico's presence may get him hurt. 

But Hades said Nico was a loner... Has Nico ever had a partner? 

Did Luke lie to him just so Will would start a fight with Nico? 

He wanted to puke. 

He played right into Luke's hands. 

"You're alright, Will?" Luke asked, placing a hand on Will's shoulder. Will wanted to move, to get as far away from Luke as possible, but he had to play this cool. Luke sent people to hurt him to frame Nico... 

Who knows what Luke was capable of? 

Will looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. I guess someone has it out for me. Could be a patient who was pissed off about their treatment." Will said with unshed tears. Luke... He knew Luke was horrible, but he never thought that he would harm him. He was always treated special when it came to Luke versus the treatment he gave others. Why would he want someone to hurt him? 

"C'mon, I'll take you home," Luke said, and Will shook his head. 

"Actually, I'm gonna take up Percy's offer. The date, I could use some fun after the day I had." Will said. It was then that Will saw Luke's madness, similar to when Luke was staring at him earlier. 

Similar to when Will told him he had his first time with someone else. Back then, Will figured it was jealousy, which was probably true, but he never connected that Luke sent him to the hospital. It was two months after his first one-night stand, so he never connected it. 

Did Luke do that? 

Will tried his best not to show that he was scared. 

"So you'd rather sleep with Percy?" Than me? Luke didn't know why Will was keeping him at arm's length. They slept together one fucking time and only because Will was drunk. 

What did Percy have that he didn't?

What did Nico have that he didn't? 

Percy walked up to rescue Will, pulling Will away and against his own body with a smirk. "Don't you worry, bestie, I'll take real good care of him," Percy said. Will avoided Luke's gaze. He was mad, so very mad. 

It scared him. 

Luke scares him. 

"Okay," Luke said a bit too sweetly, "because if you don't, I'll kill you." Luke threatened. Hades got up. He had had enough and seen enough. Luke was one step away from insanity. 

"I'll walk you out. Percy, mind your manners." Hades said, guiding Luke out personally. Just before he stepped out, Luke said, "Bye, William," and waited. Will looked up at Luke. His gaze wasn't friendly, and Luke never said his full name unless he was in trouble. 

"Bye, Luke," Will managed to say. He felt small as Luke smiled. Hades finally pushed him to go, leaving Percy, Will, and Nico alone. Percy let go of Will to give him space, but then pulled him back because Will was shaking and crying. Nico wasn't sure yet if he should comfort Will as well, but Percy motioned him to get up and replace him. So Nico got up and stepped forward as Percy moved Will to Nico to cry on. 

"I'm sorry," Will cried. Nico held him tighter. It wasn't Will's fault for trusting a friend; Nico had a hard time doing that, but it was Luke's fault for ruining his friendship and harming Will in the process. 

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Nico cooed, bringing Will to sit down. Percy left to leave them alone, knowing Luke was gonna put a target on his back. So he went to talk to Annabeth to warn her as well, since they live together. 

Nico lifted Will's head to wipe his tears. He felt happy to have him in his arms again and wanted to kiss him to assure Will that he still wanted to be with him, but it wasn't the right time yet. 

"I should've reached out and figured out that something was wrong. It didn't even cross my mind to think that we were having a misunderstanding. I shouldn't have left you alone for so long, knowing Luke was a threat." Nico started. He always wondered what he would say when he saw Will again. It's funny how the words flowed out of him. 

"That day, when we had our argument, I thought you were demanding to know what happened to my mother. That's why I was so defensive. She is the only person I know who was shot in the head in her home." Nico revealed. The news made Will feel worse. There wasn't a partner like Luke said. 

Luke purposefully misinformed Will to make him worry and bring up Nico's dead mother. 

No wonder he was defensive. 

"I'm so sorry! I was told it happened to your partner! I-I didn't know!" Will babbled, feeling like a horrible boyfriend. He wondered what else Luke lied to him about. Nico shushed him and said that it was okay, but Will shook his head. 

It wasn't okay. 

"Luke kissed me earlier. I let it happen because..." It felt nice, but Will refused to say it. Now knowing Luke separated him from Nico with their argument, setting up the attack, then playing loving friend, made him feel sick. He was manipulated so easily. Why would Nico want to stay with him? 

While Will felt horrible for cheating, Nico saw it another way. Luke took advantage when Will was vulnerable. A fight with your boyfriend, abandoned for a week, then get attacked while told it was from his boyfriend...

Nico would've taken any bit of affection he could get. 

And Luke gave it to Will at the perfect moment. 

"It's okay. We'll be okay." That was the truth because Nico refused to let Luke win by a well-placed kiss. He created an advantage and took it. 

Never Again. 

Chapter Text

When it was closing time and everyone left for the day, Percy headed upstairs to get Annabeth, only to be told that she was in the surveillance room with Leo. That alone made him curious. So he headed there to see what caught Annabeth's attention. 

He didn't expect Jason, Leo, and Annabeth to be sharing a bucket of popcorn, watching live footage of the Underground, spying on Nico and Will. "Am I interrupting?" Percy asked as he entered. He kissed her cheek and pulled up a chair next to her. 

"Not yet, but we are getting our bets in. Hey, Jace, Travis said to put him down for a hundred for them making out in the boxing ring." Leo said. Jason pulled a whiteboard with a lot of numbers, most likely close to a thousand by now.  

Percy chuckled and moved over to Jason to see his options. "I thought you were traumatized," Percy reminded, remembering Leo going off about Nico being weird and desperate. He sent a paragraph in their group text with screenshots to traumatize everyone else. 

Nico had a needy and desperate side that no one ever thought he would have. 

"I was, then I realized I can use this as blackmail and get to see his sensitive side since all he does is fucking scowl at everyone," Leo explained with a shrug. "Honestly, this is better than the dramas on TV. So when he went a week without contacting his beloved, I almost went insane." 

"Try playing therapist for his moody self. I love him, I do, but I'm so glad he has Will again. He was like a lost puppy without him." Jason added, making Leo laugh. 

Percy had to agree. 

Nico was indeed a lost puppy. 

"So I guess we aren't going home then," Percy assumed. Annabeth looked at him as if he were crazy to think they were. 

"You intentionally pissed off Luke to the point Hades had to walk him out. We are staying here for a week, minimum." Annabeth said, taking her ponytail down. Percy smirked and ran his hands down Jason's chest from behind. 

"He was just mad he wasn't invited to join my blonde man sandwich. Jason, dude, where were you? We could be making a sexy home video by now with Will. Do you know how pissed Luke would be if I sent that to him?" Percy asked while thinking about putting twenty down for Nico trauma dumping or fifty for Nico being a pervert for ten minutes straight. 

Jason groaned like he really missed out on that opportunity, throwing his head back onto Percy's shoulder. "Seriously? You should've called me right then and there, babe. You know you have my number on speed dial." Jason said, making Percy chuckle. 

"You two are the gayest straight guys I've ever met," Annabeth commented. Percy stuck out his tongue at her as if she were jealous, but eventually told Jason to put him down for Nico being a pervert before heading back over to sit next to Annabeth. 

"Do we have audio?" Percy asked, figuring he might as well enjoy the show. Besides, he helped get them back together. He deserves this. Leo gasped as if Percy had requested something offensive. 

"That is an invasion of privacy! Shame on you, young man!" Then Leo pressed a button with a wink. "Of course, I have audio. Privacy doesn't exist in this building." Leo said, Jason mumbling that it was true. Percy smiled and grabbed a handful of popcorn. 

It was time to watch the Nico and Will show. 

**********

Nico came back from the dorm rooms after setting up Will's bedroom. There were dorm rooms throughout this building since there were times people had to work late. It was a safety thing, and at least it was one of the ways the three brothers showed that they cared about their people. 

It was a nice setup whenever Nico didn't feel like going home, or it felt too dangerous. 

As of right now, it was the latter. 

Will didn't want to go home quite yet, and Nico didn't feel safe enough to take Will to his home. Luke made it very clear that someone was going to get hurt, whether that was Percy, himself, or even Will. 

They were going to let the heat die down before trying. 

Nico spotted Will on the couch, looking at the TV, but his mind was occupied elsewhere. Will had calmed down after a while when Nico told him everything was going to be fine. Will didn't believe him, but Nico meant it. 

He joined Will on the couch, not sure what to say. He wasn't sure how to make Will feel better. Nico was used to not trusting anyone, even doubting Percy and Jason at times, but Will was different. He met Luke during college, his first friend. 

Getting backstabbed by your first friend is a pain that Nico hopes to never experience. 

"I should've known better," Will mumbled, now feeling angry with himself. "I was so stupid!" Will berated him, his fist clenching until he could feel pain in his palm. Then he looked over at Nico, who was staring softly at him. Now that Nico was healing so much better, especially after the month break, Nico was downright sexy. 

Not saying he wasn't sexy before, but there was a difference between Nico in a hospital bed and Nico right here, on the couch. Nico had changed into night clothes while Will was dealing with his shit. He had on a black muscle tank that still hung off his body, since he was a bit skinny, but it showed off his shoulders and arms. His pants hung low on his hips, which made him imagine things he really shouldn't. 

Sue him, he hadn't seen Nico in a week. 

Dammit, brain, work! Will tried, he really did, but instead of going back to being sad, he started examining Nico's body again, but this time, he wondered what exercises he was doing and how to change up his food plan to fit his work activities. 

"You went from sulking to taking off my clothes with your eyes," Nico said, finding Will interesting once more. Will frowned, his eyes finally meeting Nico's. 

"I was not! I was thinking about adding more carbs and protein into your diet." Will corrected. Nico moved closer. "Seriously?" Nico asked. Will shrugged with a blush. 

"Work calms me. Treating others makes me feel..." Wanted? Needed? Special? Will shook his head. There was no point in mentioning it. "Why are you staying with me?" Will asked. Nico's dark eyes still held no malice. It was unreadable to him at the moment. 

"I told you that none of this is your fault. He played us, but I'm not going to let him win." Nico stated. Will looked away. He did feel like there was a game of Tug-of-War, but he never realized he was in the middle. 

He never knew he was the prize. 

"So, like a game? You just don't want him to win." Will mumbled. He guessed that made sense, but that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Okay." He might as well accept that. At least Nico was protecting him. 

But he didn't want Nico for protection. 

***********

"Dammit, Nico! He's messing up all my hard work!" Percy shouted. He helped him clear up Luke's mess, just for Nico to say that? 

"The 'Nico will do something stupid' bet is definitely winning," Jason mumbled. He was going to lose money now if Nico didn't fix this. Leo elbowed him. He was not going to lose his money. 

"Have faith in our boy! He knows what he's doing. But if he doesn't, he deserves to be smacked by me if he makes me lose my money." Leo said, crossing his arms. 

Annabeth stayed quiet. If Nico made her lose against the Stoll brothers, she was going to make him watch romance movies for a straight week. Hallmark movies at that. 

**********

Nico felt a chill go up his spine and looked around, despite knowing he and Will were the only ones down here. He shook his head, worrying for nothing, turning his attention back on Will. 

He knew how his words sounded, but was surprised Will reacted like that. Yes, he didn't want Luke to win, but that wasn't why he wanted to stay; it wasn't why he was attracted to him in the first place. 

Well, he probably answered that question wrong. 

Nico looked around, his eyes landing on the boxing ring. He wasn't good with words... "Can you come with me for a sec?" Nico asked, Will looking back up at him. He was confused, but nodded. Nico got up, grabbed his hand, and walked towards the boxing ring. Will was in awe of it earlier, and when Nico looked at him, he still was, but grew shy once Nico wanted him in the ring. 

"Nico, what are you doing?" Will asked. The last time he was in a similar situation, Luke got on him for not wanting to hit anyone. His hits were soft until Luke had someone really try to hurt him. 

Then Will attacked once he felt pain. 

That was a practice setting, but maybe that should've been a red flag. 

Nico put on punching pads on his hands, then held them up in front of Will. 

"I want you to show me how you punch, and I know you can because you gave someone a black eye. You have a mean hook." Nico complimented. Will blushed. He was a medic, a person who helps people. And Nico was his boyfriend. 

"I don't wanna hurt you," Will voiced. Nico smirked. "You won't, trust me. You won't be able to touch me, even if you tried." Nico gloated. Pouting, but also determined, Will got in his fighting stance as Luke had taught him. He threw a few jabs and straights, not that hard, but Nico didn't say a word. He simply took the hits with the pads on his hands and moved around so Will wasn't in one place. 

He wanted Will to relax and get his anger out, and since they didn't have a bottle of wine, this was the next best thing. He remembered the video of Luke training with Will, nearly scaring him when Luke pinned him down, but Nico wanted him to be comfortable. He wasn't asking for hard hits, just effort. 

Just enough for Will to clear his head and stop trying to look for someone else to help, ignoring his own feelings. And it worked. From what Nico could tell, Will knew the basics. He knew how to keep balanced while moving, knew a few combos, and didn't telegraph much when he was about to swing. 

Luke taught Will well. 

He was impressed, but why? 

Why did Will have to learn?

Caught up in his thoughts as Will got into it, Nico didn't see the forceful kick coming his way, hitting his abdomen, knocking him back. Damn. 

**********

Everyone in the surveillance room laughed as they heard Will apologize over and over. Nico's coughing could be heard, which made them laugh even harder. Clarisse, a friend of Will's, won two hundred for predicting Will whooping Nico's ass. 

No one believed her, but she was gonna gloat about it tomorrow. Percy asked Leo to clip it so he could send it to her personally. "That was nasty. Nico couldn't block that if he tried." Jason complimented. 

"Is Will secretly a kickboxer or something? I would pay to see that in person. Send it in the group chat!" Leo said after sending the clip to Percy. He was already on it. 

"Those moves are similar to Luke's if you manage to go one-on-one with him. I wouldn't be surprised if Luke taught him that." Annabeth said, now analyzing the clip. Percy agreed since he had fought Luke hand-to-hand. 

"Looks like Will knows the basics, but why would Luke teach him how to fight? Based on what Nico told me, after Luke graduated, he only met Luke three times." Percy added. 

"You think he lied about that?" Jason asked. Percy shrugged. 

"No, but I think he was only sharing a little bit of truth at a time. He might've met only Luke three times, but he probably met Luke with others other times. So he's technically not lying." Percy explained. Annabeth nodded. 

"Piper is still working on getting a face to match the names Nico texted. It's surprisingly hard." Annabeth said, remembering Piper getting frustrated. Jason grumbled. He missed Piper and wished she had more time so that they could go out, but she had been swamped with work during the week, so Jason only gave her support and help, not asking for much. 

He was going to treat her after she got done. 

"Sounds like our boy Will is a secret agent too," Leo teased, but no one laughed that time because it might be true. 

Chapter Text

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" Will panicked as he got on the floor with Nico to check him over. Nico coughed, as he had gotten the wind knocked out of him, but was impressed. Will's kick was solid and felt like Will had practiced it many times. 

Who else had Will kicked? 

Other than the subsiding pain in his abdomen, Nico felt fine. He sat up and stopped coughing once his lungs began to function properly. He told Will he was fine, but Will wasn't having it. So Nico let him poke around his mid-area, asking if any specific area hurt badly. Nico answered honestly to the first few questions, then took Will's shaky hand and squeezed it when Will started feeling guilty. 

Besides, it was sexy to know that Will can defend himself. 

"I shouldn't be an agent if I can't handle a kick, Will. I'm fine." Nico reassured. Will nodded, but decided to sit next to Nico, not wanting to continue sparring. He warned Nico that he didn't want to hurt him. He was glad that Nico was fine, but he didn't like that he had to ask since he was the cause of the pain.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure." Will told him while focusing on Nico's hand. It felt nice. Nico has always been cooler than him, who tends to be on the warmer side. He liked that he could cuddle up to Nico to cool off, and Nico would sometimes lie on him to warm up.

It was grounding.

Noticing, Nico readjusted himself so Will could play with his fingers.  He couldn't tell what the blonde was thinking, but at least he was better than earlier. 

He looked calm, maybe at peace. It reminded him back when he was in the hospital, when Will would come into his room, but didn't request anything from him. Will only sat and worked, and Nico never pushed. 

Mostly because it gave him a chance to examine him, but Will never mentioned it. 

Working in a hospital was probably stressful, and if Will was up in the chain of command, he most likely had his hands full. So it felt special that Will coming into his room helped him destress. Just like now, he would be calm and allow himself to focus on one thing, which currently was his hand. 

He likes the quiet moments of understanding between them. 

He liked a lot of things about Will. 

"Do you know why I wanted to go out with you so badly?" Nico asked. Will looked up at him, his blue eyes seemed to be twinkling, but he wasn't sure with what. 

He could stare at them all day. 

"I guess it was more than my good looks," Will said, to which Nico rolled his eyes, but did raise his hand to touch Will's face. He was pretty hot when they first met, and Will's face card never declines whenever he decides to use it against him. Nico treasured every time he was able to kiss Will, ever since the first. 

"You were cute when you wore your glasses, even though you don't need them. Also, it made you look a little nerdy." Nico admitted. Will playfully hit Nico for calling him a nerd, the hit not even acknowledged as Nico guided Will to his back, pinning his wrist down softly. 

Will could break out if he tried, but didn't feel trapped or threatened. The sight of Nico leaning over him was enough to want to stay this way. Who wouldn't want to stare into such dark chocolate eyes that seem to speed his heart up and feel wanted and...

Will wasn't sure if it was love or something less, but he couldn't look away. Nico could get him any way he wanted, and Will wouldn't complain. He looked at Nico's thin pink lips, wondering when the last time he kissed him was. He wanted to kiss him now, but hesitated. Nico voiced that they would be fine, but he was afraid that he would get rejected, thinking that maybe it was too soon. 

He just kissed Luke about two hours ago. 

"I had dealt with many doctors, and while some were trying to help, I don't think I have ever been approached with such respect as you did. You didn't push, but were stern when you needed to be. You were nice and honest. You could've gotten away with not telling me that you examined me while I was coming from anesthesia, but you did. You acknowledged my track history and gave me a compromise to stay for three days, which I appreciated. You gave it to me straight, and I couldn't help but like that." Nico moved so he was between Will's legs, letting go of Will's wrist in favor of leaning on his forearms. His fingers played with Will's hair as his eyes jumped from Will's eyes, nose, and lips, reading any expression that Will wore. 

"When I grabbed you, you didn't get mad or yell at me, but approached calmly and with understanding. Kinda captured my heart right then." 

"Please tell me a doctor or nurse didn't yell at you for waking up like that!" Will requested, looking horrified. Nico only chuckled at his reaction, and Will was nearly ready to ask for names so he could get them fired and their license revoked. Nico covered Will's mouth to prevent any further interruption. 

"You're not judgmental, very forgiving, and a bit of a badass. Anyone who can yell at Zeus and Hades deserves a marriage ring." Nico said with a wink. Will removed Nico's hand that was covering his mouth. 

"Oh? And where's my marriage ring?" Will asked in a toyful tone. Nico chuckled. 

"Still looking for the perfect one. I can't give you any old ring." Nico said, bringing Will's hand to his lips. 

"I heard Darry Rings are a good start." 

"Don't play with me, Will. I'm impulsive." 

Will laughed with Nico chuckling as well. You could only buy a Darry Ring one time, even undergoing ID verification just to make sure you were a first-time buyer, since the ring was only meant to be given to your true love. 

Will may not know it, but Nico really was impulsive as he was already thinking about searching there. 

When they quieted down, Nico kissed Will's cheek, making him blush. "The reason I said that I didn't want Luke to win isn't because I want to keep you away from him or view you as a trophy of some sort. I said it because I really care about you and like you, and I refuse to let Luke think he broke us up. He tried, and it almost worked." Nico kissed Will's other cheek. 

"I'm not going to let a kiss ruin what we have. None of this was your fault. He separated us, and he took advantage of it. I don't blame you for accepting the kiss, considering at the time, you thought I sent people to hurt you. But tell me, would you have accepted the kiss if we were still together, not separated?" 

Will shook his head. He always kept Luke at a distance, never letting him cross the line while always bringing up Nico as his boyfriend. He made it evident that he was happy. He wouldn't have accepted a kiss from Luke. 

Nico kissed his nose and rested his forehead against Will's. "See. You're not a cheater, so don't blame yourself and stop saying sorry. I still want to be with you. I... I like you too much to let a small thing like that get in between us."

Will nodded, holding back tears. He was glad he understood Nico's words now, clearing up any doubt he had. It wasn't a game that Nico was trying to win against Luke, but simply because Nico didn't think it was worth breaking up over. 

Feeling emotional, Will pulled Nico down by holding the back of his head to kiss him. Nico allowed himself to get pulled down, moving so he was more comfortable, which meant Will's legs were further spread apart. It had been a week. 

One week of separation, of no contact, that now, this kiss felt electrifying. Nico shivered like he had finally gotten his drink after dying of thirst, Will's hands already creeping up to touch the familiar skin he loved. The loving kiss expressed something they weren't ready to acknowledge, but it hung in the air around them to the point that they knew. 

They weren't going to say it, but as the kiss deepened and the lustful desire took hold, there was no point in saying it. Nico longed for this moment, to have Will in his arms, bending to his will as his hands sought out the warmth Will held. His hands slid up Will's sides, hearing Will gasp at the contact, breaking the kiss momentarily before seeking the sweet contact once more.

Nico loved the taste of him, the feel of his skin, the pressure of Will's hands on his back; he just had to have him now. Nico grinded his hips against Will, earning a lovely moan that went to Nico's ears and down to his crotch, his pants starting to feel tight. 

It has been too long, way too long since he last felt this way. 

His lips searched for other places to kiss, but he kept his eyes open to enjoy the sight of Will coming undone, trying to stay quiet. He took in the sight of Will growing redder, of his lips parted and eyes closed, of him trying to use his hand to muffle his moans; it was beautiful to see, to know he could do this to him. Then as he was nibbling on his neck, his hand went lower to touch Will's tent in his pants, and was rewarded with a louder reaction of Will moaning his name and thrusting his hips to gain more friction. 

And that's when his stupid cellphone had to ring. 

He usually put it on vibrate when he slept, but it slipped his mind, and he had more pressing matters to focus on. He was going to ignore it, but then it started ringing a second time, and Nico had to physically remove himself from Will with a snarl, not caring who was on the other side of the phone. 

It was midnight! 

Why are they calling him? 

"What?!" Nico shouted, not even checking the caller ID. Will took the chance to calm down. It would be embarrassing to cum when they barely started. 

"You're about to traumatize the morning staff if you keep going! You know we have cameras down there!" Leo nearly shouted, his voice an octave higher. He did not want to see that, much less, hear it. Nico looked up and realized the camera on the wall was moving, most likely trying to get Nico's attention. 

It would've worked if Nico didn't have something better to look at. 

Namely a very horny, soon-to-be-naked Will Solace. 

"Why are you watching? Go home!" Nico growled out lowly, hoping Will didn't hear. 

"Don't you get mad at me! I personally don't care if you fuck on the floor. I won my money. But if you continue, the morning staff would need therapy, and you know Hades would talk with you if he sees it. Do you really want to be ass out on camera?" Leo argued. Distinctly, Nico could hear Jason arguing that he was covering his eyes to claim denial if Nico asked if he saw, Percy suggesting to make a better video, and Annabeth smacking him on the head and reminding him that nearly everyone in the building is waiting for a reason to kill his ass. 

Nico sighed. 

Yes, he knew there were cameras, but he wasn't focused on that at the moment. But there weren't cameras in the dorm rooms, so they could always continue this there. Besides, Nico had lube and condoms there. 

They would have to leave anyway to properly continue. 

"You four owe me twenty-five percent of the profit you made, and erase the clip," Nico ordered. 

"Dude, I just saved you, I'll give you ten of my share!" Leo argued. 

"Twenty!"

"Thirteen!"

"Fifteen and you get a get-out-of-jail free card," Nico suggested. Leo shrugged. He could use it in his near future, and Nico would be a good ally to have if he ever needed him.

"Deal. And considered the footage erased. Have fun, but don't hurt the poor guy!"

Nico hung up and sighed once more. It was good that Leo stopped him in time. He would rather have that conversation than talk with Hades of all people. 

That would've been his thirteenth reason. 

"I need to shower," Will voiced once he was able to think. Nico looked at him, heartbroken. He couldn't blame Will for wanting to stop. He probably figured out what the conversation was about. 

Then remembered that Will had already showered. 

"I just want to... You know, clean myself up a bit. Then, maybe, we could continue after, if you want." Will explained, feeling a bit embarrassed. When Nico looked at the camera, Will looked as well. He wasn't turned off from it, but hoped Nico would want to continue in a more private space. 

One week was too long consider they used to screw two-three times a week. 

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for Nico to realize what Will was saying, but when he did, Nico looked excited. He tried his best not to smile and jump excitedly, but he couldn't fool Will. 

One week of longing and aching for Will, and he'll finally get his reward. 

"I'll go get some water and snacks! I'll be right back!" Nico said, trying to come off as calm. Will smiled and chuckled. He got up and waved Nico away before walking to his room, Nico looking at his rear until it was out of sight. 

Stiffly, to prevent himself from running, he walked to the elevator, then clicked the floor that held the surveillance room, which was the tenth floor. When the elevator doors opened, as expected, Leo was being loud. He could be heard down the hall as Nico walked towards the room.

"Yeah, baby! I told you to trust my boy, Neeks! I knew he would go for the kill!" Leo cheered. 

"My baby, Nico! He grows up so fast! No trauma dumping and confidently being sexy. I love him so much!" Percy cried. Jason and Annabeth watched the two maniacs cheer at their bank accounts. 

It wasn't as if they were broke; they both received good paychecks weekly. 

"If you two are cheering, that means I can up the percentage to thirty, right?" Nico voiced as he entered. Nico looked at the wall of screens, occasionally seeing movement due to a guard roaming the halls. But at the bottom few screens showed the underground, the room Nico was just in. Leo and Percy made a noise of complaint as they turned towards Nico, who looked unimpressed. 

"Aren't you supposed to be downstairs plowing Blondie?" Leo asked. Nico crossed his arms. Leo did not need to be in his business.

"So thirty? I suggest you send it now before you spend it on parts for your mechanic shop." Nico asked. Leo pouted. 

"Fifteen. And fine." Leo grumbled, getting on his phone to send it. Nico smirked as soon as he felt his phone buzz. 

"Pleasure doing business with you. Percy, you're sending thirty for calling me baby." Nico ordered. Percy didn't bother arguing as he pulled out his phone. 

"What about Annabeth and Jason?" Leo asked. Nico shrugged. "What about them? They can keep their money. Goodnight, guys." Nico walked out to the sound of Leo complaining, Percy grumbling, and Jason laughing while Annabeth told him goodnight. 

Now that that had been taken care of, Nico headed to the first-floor cafeteria to gather water and snacks. He has a hot and bothered Will to take care of. 

Chapter Text

Nico opened his bedroom door to find Will lying on his bed, nude and relaxed. He could never get enough of seeing Will nude. He enjoyed the freckles on his shoulders and back, the shape of his waist, and the curved of his spine to the perkiness of his butt. Will was obviously physically fit, judging from his muscular thighs, his calves, his back, and his arms. 

Physically, Will was sexy, but if you were only looking at his face, Will was beautiful. Due to the shower, the tips of his blonde hair curled, lying messily against the blanket. His skin was slightly flushed, and as Nico placed the water and snacks down so he could crawl over Will, it turned a deeper shade of red.

"Will?" Nico whispered before kissing the back of Will's shoulder, then the back of his neck. "May I?" Nico asked. He didn't have to ask the full question of whether he could touch Will, because he knew the answer was yes. 

Will was waiting for him, after all. 

But Will liked hearing Nico beg, and Nico didn't mind doing it. 

Touching Will will be the only thing he'll beg for. 

Nico caressed the warm skin and kissed down Will's spine, hearing Will hum contentedly. "I want to touch you so badly. Can I?" Nico asked after placing one last kiss on Will's lower back. Nico moved his lips back up to kiss the side of Will's neck as Will hid his face, one hand undoing his pants. Will's breath hitched when Nico ground his hips against Will's rear, feeling exactly how badly Nico wanted him. 

The only thing separating them at this point was Nico's underwear. 

"I promise I'll make you feel good," Nico whispered into Will's ear. Will moaned at the thought and raised his rear, Nico taking advantage to reach underneath to stroke Will's semi hard cock. 

It didn't take long for it to fully harden.

Will was kinda embarrassed. 

"Ah~! Please do!" 

Not that embarrassed tho. 

Nico gave a quiet chuckle by his ear, his hand keeping a nice and easy pace. His hips did press harder against Will's rear as if trying to fuck him through his underwear, but he couldn't help it if Will was going to press back against him like that. 

They will never stay mad at each other for a week again. 

A day, max. 

Nico moved so he wasn't getting tortured as much, which gave Will time to turn onto his back, giving Nico a lovely view and Will a small break from Nico's hand. "I don't know why you ask sometimes," Will mumbled. 

He knew why, but he didn't think Nico would beg whenever he got the chance. It was hot and portrayed Nico as needy, needing him specifically to settle his urges, and no one else. 

That was a very sure way to turn Will on. 

Nico placed Will's legs on his shoulders, then lifted Will's hips so he was close enough to eat Will out. "Because consent is sexy," Nico answered. 

"Shut up," Will told him. It was the same answer Will had told him when Nico first asked why the begging turned him on. While semi-true, he wasn't serious when he said it before saying the actual reason why he liked it. 

"You're sexy when you give me consent that I can't help it. Also, I won't be held responsible for what I'm gonna do to you because you earned all of it. So don't you worry about why I ask. It's a turn-on for me too." Nico answered. 

Will was about to argue that Nico was fully responsible, but his mind blanked when he felt Nico's tongue, then figured that he could take all the blame. 

He can take all the blame if Nico was going to do this and more to him. 

One Week. 

Never again. 

Will gripped the sheets below, his words lost to him as noise spilled from his lips, the only way Nico could tell that Will felt good. Nico tightened his grip on Will when Will tried to move his hips against his mouth, slowly falling apart. He could feel Will's hole trying to grip something, trying to pull him in as his tongue did wonders to Will. Spelling Will's name, his own, pushing past the rim, just to name a few things he did. 

And while it felt amazing, Will was also happy it was Nico who one doing it. He had feared all week for thinking he ruined this relationship, then was horrified when it came out that, to Nico, Will was demanding to know about his dead mother, not a partner at work.

When Will revealed that he had kissed Luke.

"Nico~!" 

But Nico still wanted him. He wanted to be romantically involved, sexually with him, and still lusted for him. It was emotional to hear Nico explain, but this moment proved Nico's words to be true. He wasn't saying it to make Will feel better, but was speaking truthfully. 

"Please, Nico~" Will moaned out as Nico coaxed the overwhelming feeling to come closer, taking over his entire being. Will shook, but Nico didn't stop, only holding firm as Will came untouched. His cries bounced off the walls and went straight to Nico's cock, neglected only for a moment. He waited for Will to whine when he was overstimulated to stop, lowering his hips slowly to the bed, then licking up the mess on Will's chest. 

Will took the time to catch his breath, feeling the warmth, but his brain hadn't caught up yet. By the time it did, Nico was taking off his shirt, then removing his pants, then his underwear. He pushed himself up, refusing to be taken out by oral, Nico already looking proud of himself. 

So, to get Nico back, Will made them switch positions so he could give the best blowjob known to mankind. He felt proud, too, when Nico gasped, since he didn't bother going easy on him. He took Nico whole until he could feel the tip tickle the back of his throat, and Nico's pubes tickle his nose. 

Nico gripped Will's hair, the wet warmth encasing him suddenly, and he needed something to anchor him before he could spill so quickly. Will, thankfully, started slow enough when he started bobbing his head, but it didn't stop Nico from cursing under his breath. 

He moved his hips slightly and told Will that he was doing a good job, since he liked praise. The vibration of Will's moan took him off guard, making him grip Will's hair tighter as he held back his release. When he looked down, after knowing for sure he wasn't going to cum, Will was looking slightly cock, his eyes twinkling with joy that he liked what he was seeing. 

Nico didn't care, but since Will was doing that for revenge for making him cum so fast, Nico lowered his head as low as Will could go, quietly telling him to shut up while he shivered. Will only choke once, but took it as a challenge. Will used one hand to massage Nico's balls and continued to deep throat him. 

"Fuck! Will~!" Nico moaned out, throwing his head back. Feeling the tongue tease the head when Will gave it special attention, the added grazing of teeth when Will with slow, and the warmness of Will's mouth when Will wanted to deep-throat him to heaven was enough to bring Nico to release, not giving Nico a chance to even try to hold back. 

He came hard as Will took every drop. 

He missed Will. 

He missed this. 

Never again. 

For the rest of the night, Nico and Will gave a week's worth of missed sex, finally feeling whole after a week apart. 

************

Jason refused to be the one to wake Nico up. After hearing and watching Nico pout all week, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Nico let out all that pent up energy right into Will's ass. So he avoided Percy and Hades by staying in bed with Piper as long as possible, then accepting a quickie when offered. 

So yeah, the quickie didn't stay a quickie, and Jason missed breakfast. 

Jason figured he was in the clear since he technically didn't have to do anything today after he checked in with Zeus, who was too busy apologizing for the tenth time to Hera, and Hera told him to have the day off and dared Zeus to argue with her decision. 

Zues wasn't that stupid to argue, so Jason left without argument and headed to the first floor to eat lunch. 

Well, he would've if an older version of Will hadn't walked in. He looked lost, and Jason, a good Samaritan, decided to help. 

He should've ignored the guy, because now, he was in the underground, standing in front of Hades, who asked him to get Nico, who was definitely with Will. "With all due respect, sir, but I don't want to be the one to wake him up this time, if you know what I mean," Jason said respectfully. Hades frowned, but knew what Jason was saying. 

"It's one in the afternoon," Hades told Jason, as if it made a difference.

"Nico is the type to sleep twelve hours, and we're probably on hour six. My answer is still the same." Jason said. He could get away with it since he wasn't on the clock and Hera was here, not to mention, Jason didn't work for Hades. 

The blonde stranger blushed. "Um, I can wait. Will is an early riser, so if he isn't up, then he probably needs rest," he offered. He could be doing some work anyway while he waited. Hades waved the offer away. 

"It is Nico's own fault for not going to bed at a decent time. They will get up. Zhang!" Hades called. Jason, who noticed the guy already looked tired, walked over without hesitation. Jason briefly remembered he was on a trip with Hazel, which meant he had just gotten back. 

Poor guy. 

Frank, a bit younger than Jason, was a militant man. Clarisse had mentioned that Frank was trained by Ares like her, which was weird because Frank looked so nice and sweet, versus Clarisse, who looked like she could snap you like a twig. Frank was named the gentle giant, but no one messed with him either, considering his background and that he worked for Hades. 

While Jason had status for working for Zeus, Frank held respect since he was highly respected by Nico and was working for Hades. From what Jason heard, Frank always carried out his missions to the tiny detail, often successful. He wasn't as bloody as Nico, which is why Frank had connections outside of the agency, which is why he was always ordered to go with Hazel on her trips. 

No one wants to mess with a six-foot, muscular, military teddy bear who can make your body disappear. 

"Please wake up Nico, and tell him to bring Will Solace with him. If you must, tell him he will be punished, and not by losing a finger." Hades ordered. Frank nodded, and Jason was confused why Hades added that last part. Out of curiosity, Jason went with Frank to get Nico. 

"So... the finger-"

"Nico would never wake up and didn't care if we did try to cut a finger off. Mostly because he knew Hades wouldn't do that to him." Frank explained as he put in his code and fingerprint. 

They walked into the room with Charon overlooking a sparring match that looked semi-deadly, and Jules on the phone while taking down notes for Hades to look over. Those who worked for Hades were mostly likely doing their mission; some on computers, others on the phone, and some on their way to gather intel. They walked past without getting a second glance, most knowing who Jason and Frank were. 

"So what got him up?" Jason asked, intrigued. Frank stayed silent for a moment, wondering if he should share. Then sighed. Jason was Nico's best friend, so...

Better him than Leo. 

"You didn't hear this from me, but... A way to torture Nico isn't to threaten him with violence, but to sit him in front of a TV... and have him watch Carebears on repeat." Frank revealed. 

Jason stopped walking, not sure if he had heard correctly. Frank had to lower his head to hide his smile, trying his best not to laugh. 

"Wait, Carebears?" Jason asked, also trying not to laugh. 

"Sung like a canary about every secret in this building," Frank joked, finally laughing. Jason joined him. He would've never thought that was a way for Nico to crack. 

"How was that even suggested?" Jason asked, tears in his eyes. 

"Hazel," Frank answered. As sweet as she is, she was a real demon. Nico didn't talk to her for a month after he found out while Hazel got promoted because of it. It also took a month for Frank to look him in the eyes because Nico would threaten anyone with death if they so much as brought it up. 

He knew Nico wouldn't kill him, but damn, Nico was scary when pissed. 

"You are my new best friend. Please tell me you have more stories like that." Jason said. After dealing with a moody Nico for a week, he deserves this. 

"Yeah," Frank answered. Jason wrapped his arm around Frank's shoulders, and they proceeded to go wake Nico. 

"Great. Tell me all of it." 

Chapter Text

Will sat in a meeting room with lunch in front of him, an annoyed Nico on his left, and several people in front of him like he was about to be interrogated. 

It didn't help that his dad was here, so he really had to come clean. 

Will poked his food, trying not to hold anyone's gaze. When someone, whom he got to know was Frank, knocked on the door and threatened Nico to wake up, Will kinda hoped he could sleep in. But Frank told Nico to bring Will with him, and that should've been the first sign that today was gonna be a rough day. 

He should've known staying here wouldn't be free. 

Will placed a spoonful of food in his mouth and chewed slowly, looking around the room once more. He knew Annabeth and Clarisse from high school, and the Stoll Brothers briefly during college. He knew Silena by association with Clarisse, but that was about it. He knew Percy by word of mouth from Annabeth, and then recently met the guy. He recognized Jason since he was with Percy when he came to visit Nico in the hospital. 

Who he didn't know was Leo, Piper, Chiron, and a few others. 

Will eyed the door, thinking of running. He felt cornered despite Nico being by his side. And no one was speaking up; the silence stretching uncomfortably, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock. Every tick echoed like a countdown.

It was annoying. 

Will paused his eating as Chiron rolled over, wheelchair-bound, beside him. He looked like a gentle man; his lined face and wise eyes gave the air of someone who had seen everything and still managed kindness. They held eye contact until Will deemed Chiron safe, slowly going back to eating. 

"Is the meal to your liking?" Chiron asked gently, his voice almost soothing. Will nodded, then eyed Percy when he opened a bag of chips, making him flinch because of how loud it was. 

At least Nico glared at him, but Percy didn't seem to care. 

"That's good. I apologize for this meeting," Chiron said, "but-"

"Luke was here, and you want to know about him," Will cut in, his voice flat. He looked at the man, his appetite leaving him. "I don't know much." Percy silently picked up a remote and clicked a button. A projector whirred to life, casting an image onto the screen showing Will with Luke during his time in college. 

This time, Will glared at Percy. 

"He graduated first. Since then, I have only met him three times. Only recently have we been in contact." Will said, repeating what he told Nico a few weeks ago. Nico crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He didn't like that his boyfriend was put on the spot, but they couldn't delay the opportunity in case Luke really did take out Will when they weren't expecting. Neither Will's job nor home was safe for them to watch from a distance, so they had to know now. 

"Three times as in with Luke alone, or three times in general?" Annabeth asked calmly. Will decided to eat another spoonful slowly. He didn't want to answer that. 

“Will,” Chiron said, coaxing now, “we need details if we’re going to protect you.”

"Why are you even protecting the guy when he was the one who put you in harm's way?" Clarisse asked, and Nico quietly agreed. He wanted to ask the same thing, but didn't want to be put in a dog house when he finally got Will back. 

He could already feel Will's gaze for allowing this to happen in the first place. 

He could feel the silent treatment already brewing for him. 

"It's not the first time he's done this, but that was the worst," Will stated. He took a deep breath, understanding that they probably knew what he was going to say if they had a picture of them. "Luke used to train me back in college. Self-defense in case I was ever in trouble. It didn't seem so weird then, since I was pretty young. He was like a big brother." Will avoided everyone's eyes. 

"It wasn't exactly with pads and gloves," Will revealed. Nico opened his eyes, shocked at the news. 

"He hit you?" 

And you stayed? Nico thought.

Will was a smart man, but he did have a weird relationship with Luke. Will looked at him, hearing the silent question, thinking it was ridiculous that Nico would even think that. 

"No, he didn't hit me!" Will argued, but then looked away once more. "He would organize someone to come after me when I didn't want to spar. It would force me into fight or flight mode, and obviously, I wasn't allowed to run. When he saw what he wanted, he would stop it before I got too hurt." Will explained. 

"He was grooming you, preparing you to deal with whatever was coming." Nico summed up. 

Will didn't deny it. 

Chiron placed a comforting hand on Will's shoulder. “I’m sorry for what you went through. And I want you to know—I admire you. Despite the poison Luke tried to pour into you, you’ve held onto your kindness. You’ve pushed forward. You’ve chosen healing over hurting.” He smiled kindly. “After Hades and Percy spoke to your father about dropping the lawsuit, I spoke with him about something else. A job. Here.”

Chiron smiled while Will blinked, shocked. 

Chiron continued. “You have real-world training, you’re calm under pressure, and you’ve already patched up half the people in this room at least once." Chiron praised, then eyed Nico.  

Nico grumbled that it wasn't his fault, while Percy voiced that everyone was always trying to kill someone here. "Occupational hazard at this point." Will chuckled, tension easing slightly. He turned toward Apollo, whose expression softened.

"He made a really good offer, not even I can deny you. And honestly, I would feel better if you were here than out there where Luke can get you." Apollo added, giving his blessing. Will looked back at Chiron, wanting to agree. He wanted details, the pay, a full description of his duties, but he hesitated.  

Kayla and Austin. He hand-picked them to be on his team, and they helped him handle even the most complicated patients. If he was leaving, he wanted them to come along.

“…Can I make a request?” Will asked carefully.

Chiron tilted his head. “I’ll approve it—if you agree to help me with one thing first.”

Of course. Nothing came free.

Will sighed. “And that is?”

Chiron’s voice lowered. Serious. Steady.

“Kronos.”

Will stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly behind him. His face went pale, and his breath caught in his throat. He shook his head, repeating no over and over until Nico got up to grab his face, forcing Will to look at him. 

"Will, what's wrong? It's okay." Nico said calmly. Chiron looked at Apollo, who was just as confused. He got up as well to comfort Will, to ask what had happened. Apollo knew about Luke, once believing that he was a good friend of Will. He left Will in Luke's hands to take care of, having seen him multiple times as someone who cared for Will since he was potentially the youngest in the school. 

What did that monster do?

"Will, breathe with me. Everything is fine and you're safe." Apollo said carefully, grabbing Will's hand to place on his chest. Nico moved away, unsure of why Will was acting like this. 

And who was Kronos? 

Nico looked at Percy and Annabeth for answers, but they seemed just as ill as if the name alone gave them a bad taste. Hades whispered to Percy before getting up, his face stern before leaving. 

Who the fuck was Kronos?

Apollo managed to calm Will down, and Nico was close to taking Will back to their room as he watched tears stream down his face. Did they have to keep going? 

"I don't know who he is..." Will shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. Please?" Will begged. Chiron wheeled over, upset that Will had this reaction. It meant Kronos had done something they weren't aware of, and Will maybe was what he wanted. For what, he didn't know. 

For a doctor? Doubt it. 

Will wasn't a killer either. 

What was the purpose?

"If you can say one word, anything, the job is yours and you're free to go," Chiron said carefully. Will won't be able to escape it, especially if Luke was affiliated with Kronos. It was best for Will to start now, to open up. 

One way or another, Will would have to face Kronos. 

"Trojan horse." 

Will took Nico's hand and quickly left. As promised, no one went after him. 

*********

It was a goodbye party for the seniors, which included Luke, Ethan, Chris, Al, and Kelli. Will was invited by Ethan, who teased that he was Luke's present. Chris had his arm around Will, telling Ethan to lay off while Ethan and Al discussed putting a bow on Will's head. 

Kelli, the opportunist, was with Luke at the time, flirting for Luke's attention. They were drinking by the spiked punch bowl, Kelli coaxing Luke for a kiss. As usual, it had failed since Luke left her to find Will. 

It didn't take long since he knew his friends would make sure Will wasn't with anyone. 

Not dancing with others.

Not speaking to others.

Untouched and his. 

For now. 

"Will, will you dance with me for a sec?" Luke asked, offering a hand. Will had said yes since Luke was leaving. He didn't know when the next time he would see him, and despite keeping Luke at arm's length, tonight was special. So he entertained Luke by dancing and drinking until his head spun. He was aware, but didn't care about Luke's constant touches and his friends teasing him. 

He didn't even care that Kelli was staring daggers at him. 

To Will, it was a nice night. 

At least, until Luke said he wanted to take Will somewhere. Will agreed, not minding since he knew Luke would watch his back. What he didn't expect was his friends to tag along. Ethan drove while Will sat on Luke's lap, Al, Chris, and Kelli in the back seat. 

During that ride, Will felt warm, cozying against Luke. Luke chuckled, but let him. "You're adorable, you know that?" Luke whispered into Will's ear. Will nodded, close to purring when he felt Luke's fingers in his hair. 

"What should I do now that I'm graduating? Others would get to see this. Maybe I should take you away. How does that sound?" Luke asked. Will giggled, but Luke was serious as he stared at the familiar passing neighborhood. 

"Don't be mean, I have to graduate," Will said, laughing. He was definitely drunk, but Luke preferred it that way. Will didn't need to remember today. He watched Ethan pull into a gated driveway, then roll down the window to punch in a code. 

"To become a doctor, right? You have such a kind heart. It's annoying. The real world takes kindness like that and crushes it. Crushes you." Luke kissed Will's head and continued whispering in Will's ear as Ethan drove to the dark mansion. "You have so much potential. You're smart and compassionate, it would be a waste to let you go. Look at me, Will." 

Will raised his head, his vision a bit unsteady. Luke kissed the bridge of his nose, his fingers grazing Will's cheek. "I have something I want you to do for me. We can do it together. You and me, okay?" Will nodded, but was not sure what he was nodding to. 

He felt the car jerk to a stop, and wondered why Luke was hesitant to leave, but he didn't have to think long before Luke opened the door. He guided Will out, Kelli commenting that Will was ridiculously drunk. 

"Do you think he would be able to do it sober? It's better that he's drunk." Ethan said, opening the door. In the dark space, Will heard a faint sound of opera music. It sounded old and creepy as the shadows seemed to play tricks with his mind. 

"Luke, where are we?" Will asked, feeling scared. Luke shushed him, then waved his friends away when the music was louder, arriving at double doors. 

"Be brave, Will. There's nothing to be scared of." Luke said, giving one last kiss to his head. He knocked on the door hard enough that it sounded like booming thunder to Will's ears. The doors open to a dimly lit room. Luke pulled him inside, their steps loud against the hard floor. 

"You bought a friend," The voice boomed from the darkness, "Someone special?" Luke tightened his hold on Will, bringing him to a lump on the floor, covered by a sheet. Muffled sounds seemed to come from it, and in Will's drunk mind, he thought it was a puppy or something. 

A big puppy, Will thought as he got closer.

Luke briefly let go of Will for a moment, leaving him to stare at the wiggling sheet. His brain couldn't process that it sounded like a man, shaped like a man, with his wrists tied behind his back and ankles tied together. 

It was a dog. 

A wiggly dog. 

"Luke, it's a dog!" Will said happily. Luke smiled as he walked back to Will. 

He was so drunk. 

"It's a bad dog. Do you know what bag dogs get?" Luke asked. Will shook his head. "They get punished." Luke handed Will a sharp blade. When Will refused to take it, Luke forced Will to grab the handle. "Get to the floor, Will." Will shook his head, saying the dog was good. Luke sighed and forced Will to straddle the sheet, then knelt next to him.  

"This dog has been very bad. He has bitten others, causing harm, so we need to put him down. Bad dogs don't live." Luke told him, helping Will hold the blade firmly. Will shook his head, starting to cry. 

"I don't wanna!" Will cried. 

"You have to, Will. What if the dog bites me? I'll be very upset with you if you don't do this. I'll help you. It'll be quick." Luke promised. Will, in his drunken mind, didn't want Luke to get bitten or for Luke to get upset. 

But he didn't want to hurt the dog either. 

"Are we helping?" Will whimpered. Luke nodded. 

"You're helping me. You're doing a good thing." Will swallowed, but nodded. "Let's count to three. Ready?" Luke helped Will raise the blade high, making sure Will was firmly grasping it. 

"One, two, three." 

Luke let go of Will's hands, letting Will do the killing all on his own. The muffled "dog" yelled in pain, the white sheet staining red. Will pushed down harder until the flesh met the hilt.  

The "dog" was still yelling. Luke lowered the sheet, revealing a man's head. "The dog is barking. Make it stop." Luke ordered. Will shook his head, so Luke helped yank the blade out, making sure Will didn't let go. He guided the tip to the man's neck. "You press down right here, and the dog will stop barking. Okay? Push down." Will cried harder, the man underneath pleading with his eyes while choking on his blood coming from his gagged mouth. 

"Luke-"

"Do it!" 

Luke helped Will press down, making Will shout and move away. Luke watched him as the stranger choked quietly, then looked behind Will.

He told Will not to get scared. 

He looked away as Kronos took hold of Will, pinning him to the floor. Will could barely see the man due to the darkness and tears, crying for Luke's help. "Don't hurt him. This is his first time. He's gotten better about fighting and can hold his own decently. I just wanted him to get a taste." Luke told Kronos. 

"That's not a good enough reason why I shouldn't kill him now," Kronos argued, his fingers slowly creeping to Will's neck. Luke finally looked at Kronos, ignoring Will's wails. 

"He's Apollo's son, going to the medical field. If you let him grow and learn, he'll be capable of many more things. If you let me guide him, we can take down Zeus, giving you more power. You'll even gather more allies. No one would be able to stop you." Luke added, feeling himself shake. 

He wanted to get Will away from Kronos, but knew better to try. 

"Alright," Kronos looked at the boy below, who was terrified, "leave him with me. I'm suddenly interested." Luke looked at Will, then back at Kronos. That sounded like a bad idea. Regardless, Luke stood up, and Will watched as Luke started walking away. 

"Don't hurt him. I plan on making him forget by morning. I can't do that if he's beaten." Luke notified. Kronos chuckled, which was enough of an answer. Luke ignored Will's cries for him, every step harder than the last, until he closed the door. He knew Kronos wouldn't touch him, but he would frighten the hell out of him. 

He had never heard Will scream so loud. 

After thirty minutes, he was handed a passed-out Will, with light bruises due to gripping Will so hard. Luke asked what Kronos did to him, but the man didn't answer, only saying he had a mess to clean up. 

So, Luke took Will back to his dorm room, telling anyone who saw that Will was wasted. Once inside, he undressed Will, happy that Will was untouched. He wiped him down, occasionally placing a kiss on Will's shoulder and head. When he was clean, Luke got undressed and joined Will in bed, holding close until there was no space between them. 

"Luke?" Will quietly groaned. Luke shushed him, nuzzling his nose in Will's hair. 

"Go back to sleep. I'm here." Luke whispered. Will mumbled about a dead dog, and Luke told him that it was just a nightmare. 

"You wouldn't leave me, right?" Will asked, feeling scared again. Luke kissed his head. 

"Never. You're mine, remember? Don't you forget." Luke told him, making Will smile. 

Oh, the lies that Will would believe.

Chapter Text

Kronos was sadistic, and Luke wasn't much better. There was beauty in destroying something so pure, so innocent, then flipping the coin. At the other end of the destruction of that innocent beauty held a cold stone killer. Something no one has ever seen or expected. 

Luke found that beautiful, which was why he joined Kronos from a pretty young age. He viewed the man as a bit of a father figure, since his mother was insane most of his life, and his actual father did the bare minimum to say he did something. 

The painting of Kronos as a father figure didn't last long, and Kronos made sure of it. He was a boss who didn't care if you lived or died, because if you died, it was because you were already weak, thus not deserving of his sympathy and tears. 

Be something worth his attention, then maybe you'll get a handshake. 

Luke never minded. It shaped him to be who he is now, uncaring and sadistic. He was able to play a handsome face and get shit done behind the scenes. He wasn't scared of prison, scared of dying, or scared of pain. That was why Luke was Kronos "favorite." Not in the sense of its definition, but in a crueler, darker way. 

Kronos would send Luke out, hoping to get him killed. Every time Luke came back, he would see a hint of a smile and maybe receive a handshake worth nothing. 

Sadistic indeed. 

He left Luke alone once he was in college, maybe called him once or twice when he was bored, and sent him out to do basic jobs; nothing worth his attention. Luke recruited a few friends, offered a crazy lifestyle no job could provide, and the pay was nice. College wasn't that important, but having a degree would come in handy, so no one dropped out. They were either smart because they could be, or they could just buy the grades they wanted. 

Everyone knows teachers don't get paid enough, and Professors weren't any better. Once or twice, they had to silence someone, but it was quick and easy, not worth the thought process or attention. 

It was too easy... until Luke met Will. 

He was the youngest student on campus, but in Luke's opinion, perhaps the brightest. He was all smiles, friendly to the point it was annoying, and so helpful that others quickly liked him. 

It was like handing a delicacy on a silver platter. 

In the same way that Kronos molded Luke, Luke did the same for Will, but not physically. Yes, he trained Will, but it was better to break him mentally. During times Will was drunk or drugged, he would do things he would never remember. Luke whispered his ideals in his ear, pushed the boundaries until they would bend, and molded something he considered beautiful. 

Something that was his. 

Will was his. 

But Kronos never cared about possession. 

"Do you know," Kronos spoke, his voice low and even, "what makes a weapon more dangerous than a gun?" 

Luke stood by the edge of the expansive desk, looking out of dimmed windows, watching people go on with their lives like ants. Kronos, on the other hand, was sitting in his chair, holding a gun in one hand while using the other to sip a cup of Brandy. 

He set the glass cup down, then aimed the gun at Luke. Luke turned his head, taking in the barrel of the gun, wondering if Kronos was going to finally shoot him. 

Sometimes, he's surprised to live another day. 

"A gun announces itself," he continued, aiming right at Luke's head. "You point, you shoot, you're done. No surprises." Kronos mimicked the gun going off, then smiled when Luke showed no interest or fear. "A weapon, though, can be anything." Kronos placed the gun down, then leaned back in his chair. 

"That boy, Will Solace, how much longer until he comes back home? It's been a long time since I saw him. He has grown. I would love to see him in person." Kronos asked with a smirk, finally seeing a small crack in Luke's persona. 

It was the smallest, barely visible, but a welcoming sight to Kronos. Only a slight tension of Luke's jaw gave all the information he needed. 

"One month. Maybe sooner." Luke answered, keeping his emotions out of his voice. He turned back towards the window, the bright, beautiful day a stark contrast to how he was feeling. 

"It'll be fun to have a nice doctor amongst our people. Quite beautiful indeed." Kronos commented. Luke frowned as he briefly thought about taking Will far away, locking him away from the public, and binding him in cuffs and chains. To hide him from Kronos's greedy hands and Nico's shining light. 

Will didn't need any of that. 

He knew his Will and the unconscious being that lay dormant within him. He molded that being with his words and hands. He had since it only once, when Will swung that bottle to a man's head, and nearly stabbed him with a shard of glass. 

That night they slept together...

Luke longs for that night again. 

He slid his hand to his neck, not quite choking himself, but remembering with his hand went around Will's neck, squeezing. 

Luke's hand was Will's collar, and knowing the monster underneath, Will would want it tighter than ever right now. 

Do you feel it, Will? 

***********

Will felt like he couldn't breathe, mostly because his throat was burning from puking up his food. Nico stood next to him, rubbing his back, but was thankfully not saying a word.

Will's memory was foggy, but it was a nightmare Will would never forget, no matter how hard he tried. That man had the ability to trap him, make him feel helpless, and perhaps wish for death. 

Will shook his head. 

He didn't want to think about it. 

Will flushed the toilet and got up shakenly, his legs feeling weak. He ignored his reflection in the mirror, knowing he looked like shit, and proceeded to clean himself up. Nico told him he was going to get Will water and a light snack, promising to be back in a couple of minutes. Will nodded, then waited for the door to close. 

After he cleaned his mouth, he stumbled to the bed, proceeding to hide underneath the covers as if it would protect him from Kronos. No, it wouldn't. 

Nothing could protect him from Kronos. 

Except maybe Luke. 

Still feeling like he couldn't breathe, he felt a hand touch his neck, taking hold of it and squeezing. It forced Will to stop his rapid breathing, triggering something else he tried to forget. 

There was a reason he regretted sleeping with Luke. 

It wasn't because it was bad; it was the opposite. 

It was because it was the dirtiest Will had ever been. False promises whispered in his ear as the hand tightened around his neck, shame and guilt coursing through his veins along with pleasure and pure joy. He had told Luke to go harder, to hurt him just as much, so his guilt would leave and his shame would fade. 

His. 

Will was-

"Will! Stop!" Nico said frantically, moving the covers further from Will's reach. Will instantly stopped, a bit surprised it was his own hand touching his neck. He had done it once before when he was stressed at work, but never viewed it as a problem. 

He never wanted Nico to see that. 

"I was just trying to ground myself," Will excused, but even he wasn't buying it. The faded memory that popped up was already fading, out of Will's reach to remember. 

At least he felt a bit better. 

"By choking yourself?" Nico asked. Will might not have known it, but after Nico removed the covers, Will's face looked desperate, and as if he was experiencing ecstasy. It was horrifying. 

"I don't do it much, only when I'm highly stressed and need to cool off quickly," Will mumbled, refusing to meet Nico's eyes. Nico sighed, then grabbed the snack he had placed down before joining Will in bed. 

"Seems like you're just as fucked up as I am," Nico commented. He knew it had something to do with Luke and maybe whoever the fuck Kronos was, but he wasn't going to punish. He'll learn later, but for now, his boyfriend has gone through enough within the past twenty-four hours. 

Will took the water first. "Not sure that's a good thing to be considering I'm a doctor." Will took a sip, the cool water so refreshing against the burning in his throat. Nico kissed Will's shoulder, his gaze gentle. 

"Trust me, you'll fit right in here. Everyone is a bit fucked up in the head." Nico said, glad to make Will chuckle. He never wanted Will to panic like that ever again, but that was wishful thinking. 

He'll just have to get rid of Luke and Kronos so Will can live a less stressful life.

"Don't condone my behavior, Nico," Will said lightheartedly, with a smile. Nico handed Will a Lunchable, which was a bit laughable and cute. He hadn't had one in years.  

"I'm not gonna judge you for it. We'll just have to work through it together." Nico took Will's hand and kissed it. 

"Such lovely words of wisdom." 

"I learned it from a smart and beautiful man." 

Will smiled, once again thankful Nico was willing to have him. 

"Praise will get you far," Will muttered before kissing Nico's cheek. Nico corrected him by kissing his lips, drawing Will into a passionate kiss, and giving loving touches, the only thing that could almost heal the ghost of a scar Luke permanently left on Will, but not even that could stop the being Luke made within him. 

Will was slowly remembering all the things he had done, and the shame and guilt were coming back. So far, only one man could soothe that feeling, and he was waiting...

Slowly tightening his collar. 

Chapter Text

For the following week, Will worked with Chiron in their in-house infirmary. While in his care, Chiron helped introduce him to a few people, figured out who he worked for (primarily Hades, since he deals with more dirty work and Nico wouldn't like Will working for anyone else), and how to input information into their system. 

It was neat and organized, making the transition from his hospital smoother. Chiron, thankfully, kept his end of the deal and worked with Apollo to have Kayla and Austin transfer so he could work alongside them. 

No one can resist free housing, meals included, and a good paycheck. 

While Will was able to work with them, Kayla and Austin stayed under Percy's care, just out of safety in case Luke came for him. Will didn't mind it and thanked him. 

Other than work, when he was off duty, Chiron would have private therapy sessions to get Will to remember what he did while under the care of Luke. Will had admitted to Chiron about one night, when he was drunk, Luke made him kill a dog, which turned out to be a person. 

He profusely apologized, becoming upset that he didn't even know the man's name. Chiron comforted him, allowing him to cry until he had a headache. It didn't help that Nico had been spying on Will, which meant Nico dragged him away to 'protect him from his feelings,' which was cute. 

The highlight of his days was Nico coming by to flirt and fuck around in the infirmary until Frank had to drag him away. He was shameless, so much worse than the first time they met. 

"Hey, babe, if you give me a sponge bath, would you give me a happy ending?" 

"Since I'm not your patient, that means I can do this," (proceeds to either kiss or smack his ass).  

"Will, you're sexy as hell when you wear glasses. Kinda making me hot and bothered. Come help me real quick." 

It took Hades begging Will to keep Nico out so he could focus. Once his lovely boyfriend found out, he made it everyone's problem. 

He had a headache? Infirmary. 

Cramp? Infirmary. 

Got punched (aka dramatically falling and fake crying out in pain for sympathy)? Infirmary. 

Having a bad day (because he had to get out of bed and get away from a naked Will)? Infirmary. 

"Nico, darling, if you show up in this infirmary again without an actual injury, I'm going to start sleeping with my clothes on." 

Nico never looked more horrified, and thus, stayed away but resorted to stalking.

But he does stay away during Will's therapy sessions. Today, they were in the conference room in the underground facility. Will could hear Nico fighting in the ring with Charon commenting on Nico's technique. For a good thirty minutes, Will and Chiron can have a private conversation.

Chiron wheeled over with two cups of tea, Will receiving one to calm his anxiety that these talks would give him. "How are you feeling today? I've noticed that you adjusted well to your work in the infirmary despite Nico's interference." Chiron said. Will smiled, letting the cup warm his hands. 

"I'm used to Nico's antics. It reminds me of when we first met, only... he's slightly more aggressive since he's allowed to date his doctor." Will said sheepishly. He knew Nico was a pervert, but Will thought he was only like that in private. 

The number of times Will was embarrassed to look his new co-workers in the eye because Nico had to physically let everyone know that Will was taken was slowly growing. It was ridiculous that Will had to threaten Nico with no naked cuddles for the man to back off. 

But there was no gossip about that since Nico knew how to murder anyone in their sleep and get away with it. 

Perks of dating a dangerous person. 

"He's a good distraction," Will added before taking a sip of his coffee. 

Chiron's eyes soften. "It's okay to have a nice distraction from time to time. Sometimes it helps; sometimes it hides. Which is it for you?" 

Will places his cup down, focusing on the warmth. "Both," he admitted. "Nico keeps me grounded, keeps me from thinking too much about... everything else." 

"The Everything Else being Luke." 

Will's jaw tightened, his silence enough of an answer. 

Chiron sipped some of his tea, giving Will a little time. "You have been doing well remembering the smaller bits. I'd like to start digging a little deeper today. I do apologize in advance." He said with an apologetic smile. 

Will huffed. "How far?" 

"Whatever is comfortable," Chiron said gently. "The choice is yours." Will sighed and decided to go to a safer memory. "Close your eyes for me." Will did so, letting the faint sound of the training ring filter through: the echo of gloves hitting pads, bodies hitting the floor, Charon's deep voice critiquing, and a light voice of Nico cursing. 

All of it slowly faded as the sound of a heart monitor grew louder. He was back at the hospital, worry coursing his veins as his memory played of him talking to the receptionist. After talking, he had to wait a couple of minutes, taking in the lemon scent and sterile environment of the waiting room, surrounded by other patients. 

He was a visitor. 

The beeping of the heart monitor grew louder, more focused once he was escorted back. He couldn't hear what the nurse was saying, only feeling his legs grow weak. It was the only moment he really hated the hospital. 

Finally, once he reached the cause of the beeping, Luke was lying on a hospital bed, half his face bandaged. He was worried, but grateful that he was okay. 

Luke only held a blank stare that Will had written off as PTSD. 

"Where are you?" Chiron asked, pulling out a recorder. 

"At a hospital. Luke had told me he was at the hospital. It was for the scar on his face." Will explained. He remembered speaking to Luke, saying he was lucky he didn't lose an eye. He begged the man to tell the cops what happened, then apologized that he couldn't help him yet since he wasn't a doctor. Only then did Luke look at him with an unexplainable expression on his face. 

"How did he get the scar?" Chiron asked. Will shrugged, feeling tears gather. 

"I don't know. He never told me. Said that I wouldn't understand." Will said sadly. All he knew was that Luke asked him to come not to confess his sin, but to receive comfort. He could still feel the roughness of his hand against his cheek, the tenderness of the touch as his eyes softened... "He told me I was pretty, glad I looked the same." 

"How did that make you feel?" 

Will tightened his hold on his cup. "Treasured. He was always like that when we were in college. I was his. In school, I viewed Luke like an older brother until he kissed me. He was the first guy I ever kissed. Since then, I tried to keep the brotherly love towards him, but..." 

It never stayed. 

When Luke asks for comfort, there are certain times Will would allow him to do what he wanted. Like back at the hospital, only them in the room, and they would explore a taste of what could've been. A small taste of love no one else could give them. 

"I kissed him that day. I-I loved him, but I couldn't love him the way he wanted me to. I was living in student housing at the time, and after he was released from the hospital, he stayed with me for a week. I helped with his bandages and medicine. He would fix me meals and help me with my homework. We would bathe together and sleep together. We never had sex. Not then." Tears slid down Will's face at the memory. 

"What did you mean you couldn't love him?" Chiron pushed softly, eyeing the door. Charon's session was done, which meant Nico must be close by, most likely outside the door. 

"Luke was many things, but I refuse to have him as a lover. He was possessive, egotistic; he would have me in a cage if he really wanted to. He wanted me to drop out of school and run off with him. He never explained what he did for work, never explained the scar; he would rather keep me in the dark." Will stated, opening his eyes. "I can't live like that. I love him, I swear I do, but I refused to ignore his shit. I know Nico isn't that different; he lives a dangerous lifestyle, but he openly admitted to me. I didn't have to pry or figure it out the hard way. Hell, if I ask, Nico can be an open book. So when Nico can't tell me something, I respect him for that because eventually, I'll know." 

Will was slowly getting a headache. 

"Have your love change as of recently?" Chiron asked, figuring that could be the last question. Will glance at him, then looked away, his tea now cold. 

"Luke holds a special place in my heart and holds a part of me I'm still learning... I still love him, I still wish to be friends if there ever was a chance... but no. That love I once held for him was innocent and naive. If he had pushed then, I would be with him. Right now, though, it would hurt, but I would rather not see him again. I just want to live my life with Nico." Will relaxed, not realizing he was tensed. "I wanna buy a house, get married, maybe have kids one day. I want the American dream, if that exists." 

Chiron stopped the recorder, then passed a few tissues. "I'm sure that is possible. Keep building towards it, and it'll be in your grasp in no time." Will wasn't sure if that was a lie or not, so he just nodded while wiping his face. "We'll stop here for now. You take it easy for the next few days. And thank you for speaking with me. I'm glad that you are able to trust and be honest with me. I'm sure Nico is waiting for you outside the door." 

Will chuckled. Of course, he was, but Will would rather deal with someone slightly obsessed than overly possessive. He got up, thanked Chiron, then left, finding Nico nearby in his sweaty and slightly bruised glory. 

"Rough session?" He asked, and Will only nodded. Nico didn't ask what it was about, didn't pry or push. He only took hold of Will's hand, kissed his cheek, then pulled him towards their room, where their comfort and love were waiting. 

Will preferred this to anything Luke could give him.