How Icarus Fell From the Sun (a Solangelo fanfic)

ah sh!t, don't tell rick i gave nico realistic mental health problems >:(

The worst part of the infirmary, Nico decided, were the people. He liked Will just fine, and he even almost enjoyed the company of Will's siblings, but as he had imagined, his presence anywhere other than his room was still met with frowns and subtle scared glances towards Will.

He ignored them, of course, and it wasn't everyone. There were plenty of people who congratulated, or thanked him, even three days after he had brought the Parthenos. There were people who would talk to him, small talk here and there.

And then there was Will. Always ready to have a conversation, always glad to be a part of things.

On that first day, he had watched him as he worked, and noticed a few things.

When he was working, it was as if Will was both there and not at the same time. In his element. At some points his eyes were glassy, his mind far away, while his body did everything out of habit, a reflex.

But even as he walked through rooms, glassy eyed, there was never a time when he didn't say hello, or greet everyone in passing. He was incredibly kind, and gentle, especially to the patients. Far different from the asshole with a backbone who spoke to Nico. But there were some moments that made him think. Passing glances. Smiles thrown towards him. Witty retorts when he tried to push away.

Nico was amazed by the capacity that Will had for social interaction. Talking to the amount of people, patients, healers, visitors, running around even just the first floor of the building was practically Nico's worst nightmare, and he had hidden behind Will almost every time he stopped to talk.

There had been a time when he had loved it, when talking, asking questions, and people, in general, had brought him so much joy. When he could go on and on about things as silly as pirates, or his favorite card game. But that was before Bianca. Before he learned how his mother passed. Before the labyrinth, the titan war. Before Bianca chose rebirth. Before tartarus, the bronze jar. Before Cupid, Bryce, Octavian, Leo. Just thinking about the amount of things that had changed him in only 4 years made Nico's head spin.

It was true, Nico had changed a lot over the past 4 years. Sometimes, though, part of him was still compelled to jump into a conversation, to act like nothing had happened, nothing had changed; to go back to being that curious, talkative, oblivious, 10 year old boy. A boy with his sister. A boy with no burdens other than where he would next find a mythomagic figurine. But he knew he couldn't. For Nico, it was better to hide in the shadows, in the darkness, because life was just easier when spent that way.

Nico suspected that Will, however, looked forward to every social interaction, each and every hello in passing. Will seemed like the kind of person to gain energy from being social, instead of losing it, like Nico.

Nico had continued to watch Will, fiddling with medicine jars, dousing wounds with nectar, running behind closed curtains, intently focusing on all that Will was capable of, all the kindness that poured out of him.

Kindness that was still there, still pouring out of him, even hours later, after dinner, after a strange encounter with a goddess, after he had shakily sat down and stared with no explanation.

"Hey, Will." Mia twirled a pencil between her fingers as Will and Nico appeared from the staircase after the sing-along.

She had a book balanced on her lap, and her feet on the desk.

"Hi, Mia. Did you-"

"Discharge room 4? Yes. Room 2's been given 4 ambrosia squares to take over the course of the next 2 days, one every 12 hours, and room 6 is now occupied."

"Ah, thank you. How's Butch doing?"

"He's fine. Resting. Quite nasty business."

"Yes, well, it's not every day you get to see a severed foot." Nico blanched, and Will swung his arm around his shoulder, laughing. "I can take it from here, Mia. Chiron's calling curfew early, so you should probably get back to your cabin."