An apple a day

Whenever Nico and Will have a fight and Nico is refusing to talk to Will he lets him know by eating an apple. This became routine for them. "What happened this time?" "What makes you think something happened?" Nico is drinking apple juice while eating apple slices and apple pie. "Call it a hunch."

…

You have heard the saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Well it's become something more than just a saying, it's become a message; one that Nico's friends have begun to pick up on.

…

Nico di Angelo had made up his mind to stay at camp Half-Blood, he didn't regret it, what bothered him though was the annoying sunny son of Apollo who wouldn't leave him alone. After spending time in the infirmary Nico was starting to get really annoyed whenever the healer would get on his case about his health, and using his Underworld-y powers and really Nico was tired of it. He could take care of himself; he didn't need to risk fading so what was the problem?

One day while sitting at the Hades table at the dinning pavilion he was joined by Jason who noticed Nico feeling annoyed at something. "Hey man what's wrong?"

Nico cut a glance towards the Apollo table and Jason noticed that Will Solace had also been looking their way.

So that was it.

"Will still bugging you about your health?"

Nico looked back at Jason. "Why would you say that?" He went back to staring down Will who unlike most didn't even seem to flinch under the gaze of the son of Hades.

Jason had to give him credit, he was probably as strong willed (stubborn) as Nico. No wonder they seemed to grate against each other so much.

"You know, there's this saying that goes An apple a day keeps the doctor away." He had meant it as a tip for Nico so eat better so maybe then Will would ease up a bit.

Nico seemed to think this over for a moment then an apple appeared on his plate, he cut off a slice to offer up to his father before taking a big bite of the rest of the apple while looking right at Will. He seemed to get the message loud and clear though because he turned back to his own table.

Jason almost wanted to laugh at his friend but thought better of it and just went about eating his own breakfast.

…

From then on whenever Nico was annoyed with Will or they had had an argument Nico would start eating an apple and Will would take the hint and leave him alone. It was mostly things like Nico not getting enough sleep or needing to get out more or take part in more camp activities than just sword training.

When his lectures got to be too much for Nico he would grab an apple from his cabin where he now kept a full fruit bowl of them. Will would just shake his head and walk away muttering under his breath something about eating healthy.

…

"Come on Nico you need to talk to someone, I can help you so why don't you just look past all your moodiness and open up?"

Nico had been sitting at the edge of the lake when Will had come over to him saying that he needed to talk about his feelings more. But he didn't want to, especially not with Will. So he got up and stormed off.

Later that day at dinner Nico sat at his table and was joined this time by Annabeth and Percy.

Annabeth took one look at Nico's dinner and knew something was up. "What happened this time?"

Nico looks up at her as the two of them sat down. "What makes you think something happened?"

She looks at the food and drink in front of him again; she notes that Nico is drinking apple juice and eating apple slices and a piece of apple pie. She shrugs her shoulders and takes a sip of her own drink. "Call it a hunch."

Nico glances over towards the Apollo table and saw that Will was also glancing at him. He let out a sigh and turned back to Percy and Annabeth. "Will knows about my nightmares and wants me to talk about them, he says talking about them could help me move past them but I can't, I can't talk to him about that living hell, I can't talk to him about my feelings. What if I scare him off? It's easier to pretend to be moody and avoid him."

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other; they knew full well what living hell Nico was talking about, they were the only ones who did. They could understand the constant nightmares caused by being trapped in Tartarus. The three of them were the only humans alive to have been there and make it out. No one who hadn't seen it would be able to imagine the horrors of that place. At least the two of them had been there together, but Nico had been alone and then he had been captured by the giants and held in that bronze jar for a week, add nearly fading into shadows on top of all of that and you would get the worst kind of nightmares ever.

"Have you ever thought that maybe Will really does care and that he wouldn't run away after you told him?" Annabeth asked.

Nico looked down at the piece of pie he had been absently poking with his fork. "I know he cares and that's the part that really scares me, I know he wants to be friends," he didn't see the knowing look that passed between the other two, "but I can't put that kind of weight on him. He's so kind and bright, what if I told him and he loses that happiness that always makes everyone else feel better? I can't do that."

Percy looks over towards the Apollo table and sees Will looking at Nico with concern. "I think it's worth a shot, who knows, maybe he can help you feel better too. And hey, you don't have to tell him everything. You can always come to us if you need someone to talk to about the heavy stuff, we'll understand."

Again Nico seemed to think things over.

Annabeth gave him a warm smile of encouragement. "You know you can always give it a try, I'm sure he'd be a really good listener. Maybe talk over some pie or something." And with that she and Percy got up and headed off.

Nico looked back at the piece of apple pie in front of him.

…

Annabeth walked past the Apollo table with Percy. "I think he's ready to talk to you now, I recommend the dessert."

Will looked over to where Nico sat and saw him glance his way before looking away quickly. Will smiled to himself and excused himself from his table and headed over to the Hades table. He sat down and looked at Nico. "So, I've noticed that your diet has improved recently." Nico actually gave a small laugh which made Will's heart skip a beat. "Amazing all of the different uses apples have huh?"

Nico's lips tugged up into a small smile. "Yeah, I really recommend the pie."

…

The two of them sat together and talked for a while until they were the only ones left in the pavilion then they went to sit on the steps of cabin 13 while they talked. It wasn't anything big, just small talk that grew into jokes and then stories. Will listing all of the health benefits of apples among other fruits.

They talked until sundown and were completely comfortable to just sit and talk as they watched the sun set.

"You know this isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Nico said leaning back as he watched the colors change in the sky.

"What were you so worried about?" Will asked watching the way the light of the fading sun made Nico's eyes appear to glow.

Nico let out a long breath. "I thought that if I told you too much about me I'd scare you away. And I didn't want that."

Will smiled at that. "You could never scare me off, who else is going to chase you down and make sure you take care of yourself?"

Nico tilted his head as he pretended to think about it. "I'm sure Jason might fly over and start lecturing me."

Will jokingly let out a huff. "So Jason would be my replacement huh? How much does he know about medicine?"

Nico actually laughed. "I don't know but I'm glad you're the one who keeps bugging me." Nico looked down as he said this so that his hair covered most of his face but Will was happy to see the blush creeping up his face and the smile he's trying to hide.

Will wondered how red his own face was at that moment. "That's good," He placed his hand over Nico's as he leaned back to stare at the sky again. "because I'm not going anywhere. And I'm really glad that you're not either."

After that they sat together quietly just looking at the sky now holding each other's hand and knowing that whatever happened after this they would be able to open up to one another easier and make sure that the other was happy.

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