SIXTEEN

Nico had decided in the end to have Will ask his therapist to connect Nico with his own, not wanting to go to Will's to prevent any awkwardness for the therapist, lest he or Will ever decide to rant or complain about each other. So here he was standing in front of the small office building debating whether or not he should actually wanted to go to this first session. The dark red door opened to reveal a lady dressed quite nicely in a suit.

"You must be Nico di Angelo?" She asked, her voice warm. Nico nodded, and she smiled. "Come in, I'm Nala Alston." She invited, moving out of the doorway. "My office is at the back, I share the space with two others." She talked as she led the way to the last doorway, and entered.

The room wasn't at all what he expected. There was one bright red wall and the others were a soft grey. Modern paintings hung on the walls, and even though there was a desk in the corner, Nala sat on one of the chairs. Nico chose to sit on the chair as opposed to the couch so he wouldn't be directly in front of her.

"Can I get you a water?" Nala asked, but Nico shook his head. "So I figure we should just jump right to it. What outcome are you hoping for as a result of these meetings?"

Nico thought about it for a moment. "I want to get more than a few hours of sleep at night." He thought that was a safe place to start.

"Is there something preventing that right now?"

Even though he knew she was there specifically to help him, and talk to him about what was happening in his past, he was still hesitant. He didn't like opening up. He looked down and played with the skull ring on his thumb. "I have nightmares. I can avoid them by sleeping only when I'm completely exhausted, so I do." Nala wrote something down, and that made him a little uncomfortable, but he knew she saw other patients and wasn't going to just remember everything he said for next time.

"Alright, that sounds like an excellent goal. What do you think will change in your life with a good nights sleep?" Nala posed a question, but Nico had to think about it.

"I don't know. That I'll be less tired?" Nico waited for Nala to speak, but she just sat and waited for Nico to expand on that. "Umm...I get angry more often than I'd like? So maybe that would change. I also drink a lot more caffeine than is healthy, I know what it does to my body, but it's how I make it through the day."

"Is it specific situations that make you angry?"

"No. I guess I just have less of a grip on my temper than normal." Nico was constantly checking the clock, but not nearly enough time had passed. He didn't know how he was going to make it through an hour of this every week.

"Have you tried medication to aid your sleep?" Nala asked, writing something down. Nico knew it was a valid question, but he really didn't want to get into all of that today. He nodded. "What made discontinue using them?"

"I didn't like them." The problem was that he liked them a little too much.

"That's fine, they aren't the only solution. Have you ever kept a log about your dreams? Are they consistent?"

"I don't have to."

"Oh? Why not?"

"It's the same thing every night. My sister shooting herself in the head, telling me it's my fault."

- - - - -

Nico slammed his car door shut as Will walked out of the building. "That bad?" Will asked.

"Do I have to go back?"

"No, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, but try not to judge by the first session, it's always the roughest. Did you get homework?" Nico shook his head and raised an eyebrow. "Hannah always gives me a question or two to think about between sessions and then we discuss it."

"Oh. Where are you going?" Nico changed the subject. He had talked about himself today more than he had his entire life, probably.

"Yellow Piano, you should come." Will suggested, and Nico thought about it before shrugging.

"Perchè no." Nico replied, shrugging.

"English?" Will asked, and Nico frowned

"That was?"

"That was not English, dude."

"Oh, sorry. I said 'why not'." They cut through the park as it was the quickest way there, walking in silence. The same girl was at the counter, but the piano sat empty. "How often is the pianist here?" Nico asked Will after they sat at a table with their drinks.

"There is no pianist. Anyone can play it. Last time you were here, the owner was playing. He doesn't work behind the counter anymore, that's his daughter, but he often comes and plays for an hour."

"How do you know all that?" Nico asked.

"I'm a friendly person." Will offered up no other explanation. Nico wondered how much he remembered from his years playing piano, but had no desire to find out in front of all the customers, or Will especially. He stared instead at Will's tattoo.

It had taken Nico awhile to get used to the idea that his art would permanently be on people's bodies, and it was even weirder when it was one of his original designs. On Will it was different. It didn't feel weird necessarily, it was more like he was proud. He liked that his friend had deemed his work good enough to wear permanently. Will snapped his fingers in front of Nico's face. "You still with me?"

Nico snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked if it would be alright if we headed back soon."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine with me." Nico finished up his coffee and waited as Will did the same. He took both their cups and stuck them in the bin. "Alright, let's go."

Will talked the entire way back, chatting about something they were learning in class. Nico wished he could get his brain to pay attention, but it kept drifting back to the session he had just had, and whether or not he wanted to meet with Nala again. He thought her nice enough, and she clearly knew what she was doing, but Nico just wasn't sure therapy was for him. Before he knew it, they were back at the building.

"I was thinking, seeing as it's Monday, that we watch a movie." Will suggested, holding the door open for Nico.

"What does being Monday have anything to do with watching a movie?"

"It doesn't, I just want to." Will smiled, climbing the steps up to their flat. "But" he stated, "I vote that we don't watch a horror movie."

"There's no way I'm watching one more gods awful Disney movie." Nico deadpanned.

"Compromise? The Hunger Games contains both romance and death. Or Divergent, or Maze Runner." Will listed off. Nyx was at the door when they opened it, and Will scooped her up.

"Hunger Games, if I had to choose. Just let me grab a coffee first."

"You literally just finished one." Will said, concerned but deciding to brush it off.

"Yeah, well if you want me to stay awake during the movie, I need another cup." Nico grabbed a mug and came and sat beside Will, turning out the lights.

- - - - -

Nico thought he heard a thud, so he paused his music. It was three in the freaking morning, if that cat was up to anything-

He heard the thud again, but it wasn't the cat, it was coming from Will's room. "Open up you stupid piece of crap." Came Will's desperate voice. Nico got up to go see if everything was okay. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer, just another thud.

Nico opened the door and saw Will frantically trying to open his window, hitting it when it wouldn't budge. It was especially cold that night, so it was probably frozen shut. "Will?" Nico called, entering the room and walking over to Will.

"I can't get this stupid window open and I can't breathe, and the room is really small, and I-" Will was hyperventilating, still trying to open the window. Nico came over to help, but that window was not budging.

"Shh, it's okay. Just take a deep breath, you're okay." Nico whispered soothingly. He knew better than to get too close at the moment. He opted instead to grab Will's hand and place it over his chest. "Just focus on my heartbeat and try to breathe deeper. You're okay."

Will's breathing slowed down a little, but it still hitched and his hands were shaking. A few tears streamed down his face. "You're okay." Nico whispered to him.

They stood like that for a while, and Will eventually got his breathing back to normal and wiped his tears away with his free hand. He didn't speak for several minutes, and neither did Nico.

"Thanks." Will's voice was strained and hoarse.

"Hey, it's fine. You okay?"

"I will be." Will eventually moved his hand away from Nico's chest and took a deep breath, albeit a shaky one. "How did you know what to do?" Will asked. To him, Nico had seemed completely uneducated on all things regarding mental health. No one had managed to calm him down as quickly as he had, even if they knew what to do.

"After you told me about your anxiety and panic attacks, I did some research. I didn't want to just stand there if you ever had one when I could be helping you." Nico shrugged and looked at the floor, face reddening a bit.

"You have no idea how much that means to me, Nico. Thank you." Will was suddenly emotional again and took a moment to regain his control. "I'm going to go make tea, you're welcome to join me?" Will offered.

"I don't drink tea, but I'd be more than happy to make a hot chocolate." They walked to the kitchen together, and when they opened the door, Nyx was sleeping soundly in her bed but lifted her head at the intrusion.

Will immediately went over and sat on the ground by the bed, petting her softly. "Shh, go back to sleep Nyxie. It's okay." He coddled. Nico simply rolled his eyes at the younger boy's antics.

"It's a cat, not a child."

"I know that." Will defended, smiling.

"Could have fooled me." Nico smiled back, heating the milk on the stove. He got out the cocoa and the cinnamon.

"Do we have any of those colorful mini marshmallows left?" Will asked, standing up again.

"Check the cupboard, I'm not sure." Nico used his foot to point to the cupboard down below to his left while adding the ingredients. Will rummaged around for a minute before sighing. "No luck?"

"No luck." Will grabbed two mugs and set them by the stove, and Nico poured them each a drink. "What time do you have work tomorrow?"

"Nine." Nico blew on his drink, cooling it down so he wouldn't scorch the roof of his mouth.

"Sorry for keeping you up so late." Will mumbled.

"Don't apologize. You now I hardly sleep so it's not that big of deal. Besides, I'm always here if you need me." Nico surprised himself at just how much he meant that last part. Somewhere along the way, Will had bypassed the wall around his heart and had become one of his closest friends. He had no idea if Will was going to be around after he finished school this year, and the thought frightened him. He didn't want to think about that right now.

They didn't speak after finishing their drinks, and both went to their separate rooms after a mumbled goodnight. Nico lay on his bed, his mind going a million thoughts per second with no plan of slowing down anytime soon. He gave up and pulled out his sketchbook, drawing the face that had become oh so familiar to him now.

Nico worked on the eyes first. He was using his coloured pencils, and he was having an extremely hard time finding one that properly matched the shades of blue woven into Will's eyes. The smile was difficult too. No matter how hard he tried, and how much he reworked the piece it was hard to make it light up his face in the same way. The end result, and it was now well past five in the morning, was okay, but Nico was frustrated at how hard it was to capture Will. He would have to keep trying.

He knew he wasn't going to sleep, so he got up and got ready for the day, even though it was only five. When he exited his room, he saw Will in shorts and a tight, long sleeved shirt, phone strapped to his arm. "Have you even slept yet?" Will asked, a concerned look on his face.

"No, but that's fine. I'll just drink an extra cup of coffee. Are you always up this early?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, I like to go for a run, clear my mind. It helps with my anxiety a lot as well." Will shrugged.

"So that's how you manage to eat so many cookies and still maintain that nice body." Nico teased, but then was unsure if he had crossed a line. He was gay, and he hadn't been blind in regards to Will's well-defined body. He didn't have any romantic feelings for him though, as he had tried the whole 'crushing on a straight guy' thing before, and it had not gone well at all. Now, whenever he felt the slightest twinge of romantic feelings towards anyone who's sexuality he was not aware of, he squashed it and moved on with his life. It had made things exponentially easier.

"You're welcome to join me if you want, I'll even go your speed." Will offered.

"I don't run, but if I did, there'd be no way you could keep up with me." Nico retorted. "Do want any breakfast before you go?"

Will shook his head. "I eat when I get back. That's what motivates me to not die in the middle of my run, knowing that I never got to taste your delicious cooking one last time."

"You overestimate my cooking abilities, but thank you."

"Anything tastes good when all you can make is burnt toast and freezer meals."

"Whatever, now go before I kick you out of this flat myself." Nico nudged him towards the entrance. 'Yup.' He thought. 'I definitely did not fully capture Will's features.'

He had food on the table and made his own coffee by the time Will made it back. He tried to eat, but Nico urged him to go shower. As much as he didn't mind seeing an attractive, sweaty body, he didn't appreciate the smell while he was trying to consume food.

Will came back and refilled his water bottle, then sat at the island, scarfing down the meal. He headed off to class quickly afterwards, and Nico decided he may as well show up to work early. The store part was open at eight, but they didn't book tattoos until ten.

Nico stopped by the yellow piano to get a coffee for himself and one for Alice before driving to work.

"You look terrible." Was the first thing he heard when he walked to the door, the voice belonging to Alice.

"That's not the nicest thing to say to someone who brought you coffee." Nico said, placing said drink on the counter Alice was sat at.

"Seriously though, you're going to scare away all our customers." Alice deadpanned. "Your eye bag game is strong today."

"My eye bag game is always strong." Nico rolled his eyes. Alice grabbed something from her purse. "No. I'm not wearing makeup." He stated, frowning when he saw what she had grabbed.

"No one will be able to tell. I promise. I'll put it on, and if you don't like it, you can wash it off." Alice offered, and Nico sighed, knowing there was no way he would get out of it.

"Fine. But if anyone so much as looks at me funny, you're dead." Nico glared at her, but she just smiled and waved for him to sit on the chair she had just vacated. It only took a minute for her to rub on the cream under his eyes. When she was done, she grabbed a phone and snapped a pic.

"See? Can't even tell, and you look like a functioning human being who gets eight hours of sleep." She handed him the phone, and he stared at it, zooming in and out, trying to detect anything that would give him away. He had to admit, he did look a lot less like a zombie with it on.

"Thanks." He added begrudgingly, handing back her phone and standing up.

"No problem." Alice smiled brightly at him, reclaiming her seat and giving Nico his schedule for the day. Nico put on some music and then headed into his studio to get things set up for the consultation he had coming in that morning.

(A/N That's Nala at the top, Nico's therapist. Tomorrow is the last day of NaNo, and I'm just mildly freaking out. Also, I just finished chapter Nineteen, and yikes... that wasn't supposed to happen, but they definately have a mind of their own, these two. But on the bright side, only 1,698 words left to write this month in order to win :) Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please vote and comment and have a fantastic day!)