NPOV

"A boxing contest, you break your hands over a freaking boxing contest." Will repeats for the umpteenth time while pulling the keys of his car out of the contact. The humming vehicle comes to an abrupt stop.

"They're not broken." I argue back while sitting slumped over in the passenger seat next to him. My head rests against the cold window as I watch him with a narrow glare.

"Well, they might as well have been, just look at them!" He exclaims as he grasps my hand and holds it up in my field of sight. I twist my head away from my own blotchy fingers and tug my hand hastily as far in my sleeve as possible.

"You're being dramatic."

Will's mouth hangs open as if someone just punched the air out of his lungs. When he speaks again, his voice squeaks from frustration; "Nico, look at your damn hands! You can't even play the piano anymore for christ's sake! What freaking boxing competition was so important that you would literally punch yourself purple ?!"

He waits for my answer, pausing his frantic rant with an angered frown. If he can chew this, lie so horribly, imagine if I told him the truth.

I cock my head to the side to match his stubborn attitude and cross my arms, "I'm quite competitive," I hiss back sweetly.

Will bangs his head against the wheel of the car. One obnoxiously long honking sound echoes through the otherwise silent neighbourhood as Will's forehead rests against the built-in horn. I try to act unbothered as he keeps mumbling the wildest slur I've ever heard him say.

"Jesus fucking christ Nico Di Angelo, you're going to be the literal death of me do you know that?"

I look away with a heavy feeling in my stomach.

It's not that I had much of a choice. Once he slid off that glove, I had a solid window of three seconds to come up with the most believable lie I could muster. Since I did boxing the first half year after his 'death' to get rid of my frustrations, it was the first thing I came up with.

Of course explaining wasn't enough, no, he persistently ordered me to get in his car with the promise of taking care of my bruises if I was too stubborn to go to the doctor myself.

I don't even know why I listened. If one of my sleeves slides down and he sees my cuts... Oh boy, I don't even want to think about it right now.

When Will finds the mental strength to get up again, the emblem of his BMW is pressed in his forehead like a red-lined blotch. He looks absolutely ridiculous. I desperately try not to laugh at him or the situation.

It's not funny, I try to remind myself.

"Nico, why can't you take care of yourself?!" he sighs exasperated. His hand gestures wide and frantic as I can hear the desperation in his voice, "please, I don't want to see you hurt, nobody does and definitely not over something as twisted as a 'fun' boxing game."

I swallow thickly; "You've got the emblem of your BMW stamped on your forehead."

With one shaky finger I point at his head.

I don't need therapy talk. I don't need pity talk. leave it, save it. If I one day wake up and want to smash my fist against a wall, I fucking will. If no one wants me hurt then why do they say those things to me then? Why do people leave me then? Why do I come home to a hell every day then?!

Bullshit.

Will stares at me with the most tired expression I have ever seen him cary. A few more seconds of absolute silence pass by as neither of us open or mouth or break eye contact. I can hear my heart beating in my throat.

Will closes his eyes with a deep sigh.

"Don't make me throw you through this windshield."

I slump a bit deeper in my chair while a ghost of a smile lingers on my lips.

"You don't have the muscle."

He sniffs in annoyance but I can see the gleaming smile crack through on his freckled face.

"I don't have the muscle? You are saying that I, William Solace heart-throb of all the boys and girls in nursery school, isn't strong enough for you?" He leans in towards me, one hand still on the steering wheel the other at the back of my seat. The smell of pine trees swirls through my nose. I look at him daringly.

"You never went to nursery school Will, you study physics or have you forgotten that too?"

He inches a bit closer, his eyebrows drawn together with the tiniest smirk, "that's right, not my major and I still made them swoon every time I walked through the school building,  that's how powerful I truly am."

I roll my eyes while trying to control my smile. He stays there for a moment, just a few inches away from me, waiting for a bratty answer that never comes.

"What's that, you still don't think I'm strong enough for you?"

I cross my arms while fully turning towards him again. Our knees bump against each other. He just has to lean forwards a little bit for our noses to touch but both of us stay hovering from the smallest distance that never in my life has ever felt so far away. Neither of us budge as I continue my silence while giving him a look that answers everything.

He scoffs with a shake of his head. My hair flutters with his exhale of breath and I try not to get too distracted by it. He licks his bottom lip while glancing me up and down.

"Okay, okay, you like it tough huh?"

I raise my eyebrow in response.

"Alright, Di Angelo, I'll give you tough."

He wrestles himself out of his seatbelt before yanking the car door open. I watch in a mix of terror and amusement as he marches towards my side of the car.

"Will?" My voice sounds awkwardly hushed.

He pulls the door open and without saying a word, leans all the way over me to click my seatbelt open.

"Will what are you-"

His face is faintly red from being bent into that position. His blond curls tickle my neck as he tilts his head to look up at me. I feel frozen in place by the closeness of his blue eyes.

"Are you coming with me?" he pants slightly while running a hand through his bouncy locks. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach swirling around like crazy. I force my hands to stop fumbling with my sleeves as I gaze up at him.

"Will I already told you, you're not my doctor or my boyfriend, you don't have to take care of me, honestly I'm fine!" I laugh desperately, "Really, it's good, we're good just... drop me off at Nathan's."

Will gives me an unimpressed look while tilting his head a bit to the side. His eyes are gleaming like two deep blue pearls.

"Well..." he sighs deeply, "too bad then."

Two strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me out of the car before I even get the chance to protest.

"Will!" I yell outraged, "Will I'm fine, I swear!"

My voices raises a pitch as he effortlessly hoists me over his shoulder.

"Will no!"

He slams the door shut with his foot. The lights of the car blink brightly orange while a locking sound echoes through my ear.

"Will put me down!"

He walks over the front yard while my head bobbles up and down with every step. My whole body seems to strain under the awkward position but I try to not let anything out.

If that blond psycho knew even half of the injuries I'm walking around with, he'd probably never let me escape his car ever again.

"W-Will." I protest breathlessly

My head pulses painfully, my ribs scream under the pressure of being carried that way.

"Will, let go please." I try to keep my voice strong but it comes out as a painful puff of air.

When we reach the three low stairs, Will carefully puts me down again. He laughs faintly as I shake my head due disorientation. I scoff with a smirk, "Asshole."

It only makes his self-pleased smile grow bigger. I feel wobbly on my feet as Will pushes open the front door of his house. I don't know wether the dizziness is from being carried like a sack of potatoes or because of the memory flood of the last time I was here. His words still ring vaguely far away in my head like an angered static I will never get rid of.  When he notices I'm not following, he glances back over his shoulder. I'm still standing frozen on the spot where he put me back on my feet again.

"What's wrong?"

He sounds so genuinely concerned that for a moment I doubt if anything of that memory ever was real. I look at his kind face and feel myself melting a bit, surely such a wholesome person could never say those words that I keep hearing in my nightmares. That I keep hearing as I wake up and through every miserable part of the day.

But he did. That's how corrupting you are. That you could make something so utterly good say such horrid, boisterous things.

My eyes turn glassy as I stare at him.

"I shouldn't go in."

Will's face distorts with guilt.

"Nonsense," he hushes quickly, "please come in, I want you here Nico."

He holds a hand for me to take while carrying that careful smile of his.

Ah the unspoken, how we're dancing around it as if it never happened.

He grins faintly; "Don't let me come and get you a second time."

I bite down my amusement, "Why not? Are your pathetic muscles already strained?" and with that I lay my hand in his. He tugs me gently forwards but the moment I try to take a step, the ground rotates into my field of view. My knees buckle like jello as a rush of blood goes straight to my head. I yelp in alarm but two warm hands have already gripped my shoulders to push me back up again.

"Wooah wooah! Okay, don't cary a sleep deprived person upside down, got it."

His hands hover all around me as I try to stay standing.

"You can let go now," I laugh quietly while escaping from his grasp. I look up to the trees shaking in the winter wind with their branches in the bright blue sky, I blink against the sunlight.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Will's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, no worries."

I stumble after him into the house.

My head is getting heavy.

"Take off your shoes, I'm going to make you your favourite hot coco," Will orders as we pass the 'welcome home' mat. I slide down onto the floor with a heavy sigh, I just want to go home and sleep.

"Will I need to get home soon, please just quickly look at the bruises and my sandwich slash like you wanted and then let me be." I call out defeatedly as he walks towards the kitchen.

"Ah nonsense, just drink the hot coco and I'll leave you alone."

I kick off my boots with a small pout.

I'm never getting rid of him, am I?

"I have marshmallows," he holds up the pink pot while shaking it excitedly, "the tiny ones, you know, the ones you love so much."

I shrug off my coat and drag myself towards the kitchen.

"You won't bother me about eating more?"

"Nope."

"Or about sleeping more?"

"Na-ah."

I quietly lean down on the marble kitchen counter. "Alright, one hot coco but when it's empty I'm gone okay?"

Will shuffles around while stirring into the mug.

"Oh, you'll be gone for sure."

I roll my eyes at his sarcastic dramatics.

"Don't make too much please."

Will keeps pouring while ignoring me fully. "Will!"

"I'm not, okay, I'm not!"

"You're filling it all the way up to the brim!"

He sighs while spraying a ridiculous amount of whipped cream on top, "Stop complaining Di Angelo and just enjoy it. "

He looks back over his shoulder while giving me a playful glare, "as I know you will because you're a sucker for chocolate."

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WPOV

Watching Nico sit on the long stool, bend over his steaming cup is almost too surreal. There's a familiarity in it, that's for sure but also that strange newness as if we've never done this before. I don't know what I remember but it's surely not this.

I just watch with empty eyes as he visibly swallows every sip away with zero appetite. People would think it's not that concerning but it is.

When a person doesn't want to eat, a person doesn't really want to live. When they've lost their appetite and hunger, they've lost it in life as well.

I sip at my own mug quietly, waiting for the effects to kick in.

Nico's fingers shake a bit around the handle of the mug, he winces as one arm wraps around his stomach.

"What's wrong?" It's like every sense in my body is already tingling, ready to whisk even his smallest pains away.

God, I just want to make it all better for him.

Nico shakes his head while chuckling nervously, "Nothing sorry, I think I'm just not really used to so much sugar anymore." He grants me a reassuring smile but it only makes my guts clench with worry.

I didn't put in a too high dose did I?

"God it's hot in here, do you think it's hot in here?" His voice cracks a bit as he pulls at the brim of his shirt. There's a sheen of sweat on his forehead and I feel my insides go cold.

"Nico, I think you should lie down," I order nervously.

He laughs while showing me an empty mug with chocolate stains still on the bottom. "It's empty doctor Solace, so I'm going." He gives me a faint grin while darting up from his chair. Immediately, he buckles through his knees and is barely in time to clasp his hands around the kitchen counter to stay standing. My heart speeds through my chest. I didn't even notice, I jumped out of my own chair until Nico waves me away.

"Relax I'm-"

He doubles over with a wince. The mug slides out of his shaking hand and shatters onto the floor.

"Ah fuck, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." he mutters breathlessly, "I don't know what's happening."

My throat constricts at the sight of him. He takes another deep breath before getting up again.

"I-I'll clean that up, where's the broom?"

I grab him by his shoulder and lead him towards the sofa.

"I'll do it no worries, you sit down for a moment maybe try to sleep."

Even in pain he's still able to glare daggers into my soul but right now, it just looks worn-out. He shakes his head with a laugh.

"No, no we made a deal and besides, I'm not even tired."

I swallow away my nervousness, "You might be in a few minutes." I admit while my cheeks glow bright red.

He looks at me with wary eyes. "What did you do?" he asks cautiously. I try to find it in me to tell him but his eyes already dart back to the mug laying on the ground and widen to double their size. His mouth gapes open like a fish on dry land but nothing comes out. I clear my throat while looking away.

"I might've... I might have euhm I- euhm...I put a huge painkiller into your hot coco?" I squeeze out in one breath. Nico looks at me as if I stabbed him frontally into his chest.

"W-Wil you idiot!" He just radiates pure panic as he takes a few bewildered steps backwards while nearly stumbling over his own feet.

"It's just to help you sleep, it's not going to harm you." I assure quickly.

Nico gasps for breath and keeps gasping for breath, his eyes wide and frantic, "Yes it is Will!" He shouts, "Because Nathan already made me take one this midday."

I stand frozen on the ground. He closes his eyes while taking a few deep breaths, his arm heavily leaning on the kitchen counter. When he regains some of his calmness, he locks eyes with me. Now it's my turn to pull at the brim of my shirt for the heat that takes over my body. My entire stomach shrinks at the realisation.

Oh no, that means...

"You just overdosed me," he mumbles while slowly sliding himself down onto the floor.

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this took forever. Why am I putting so much time in this?

tag yourself, I'm the shattered mug on the floor

p.s vote my darlings