A/N: yooo i finally got around to this lovely prompt! i literally love the idea of Percy and Will teaming up to annoy Nico. i hope you enjoy it <333
One of the things Nico enjoyed doing the most in his free time was watching Will work.
Though no crazy wars were currently raging, the medics from Apollo’s cabin were kept on their toes. There were always campers with minor injuries popping into their little medic tent, cuts and bruises and burns from training and camp activities. Occasionally a broken bone or serious concussion would need a little more medical attention, but generally it was all stuff the healers could handle quickly.
And maybe Nico was biased, but he thought Will was especially good at what he did. He never tired of watching the older boy wrap bandages on arms and legs, fingers careful but so quick it was hard to see what he was doing sometimes, or the gentle way he cleaned wounds as he smiled and tried to reassure nervous campers.
In quiet moments the two got to spend some private time together; other days so many campers needed attending to for injuries it made Nico tired just watching Will work, but Will seemed so in place and so happy that Nico couldn’t help admiring him. There were also days when Nico wanted to strangle him because Will decided teasing Nico and getting under his skin was the best pastime.
And some days, if the Fates were really feeling like making Nico suffer, Percy would pop in to say hi, and Will and Percy would have a glorious time annoying Nico to the point where he wanted to strangle them.
Today was one of those days.
It had been a quiet morning; no campers had needed to be tended to yet, so it was just Nico and Will in the medic tent. Nico sat on top of an empty cot and watched Will roll up extra rolls of bandages and sanitize medical supplies. They were chatting away about Gods knows what - Mythomagic or new medical techniques or whatever - when Percy decided to grace the two boys with his presence.
“Hey dudes. What’s hanging?”
“Restock day,” Will responded, grinning as Percy walked over and sat in a chair next to the cot Nico was on.
“Nice. Is it any fun?”
“I guess,” Will said, starting to cross back and forth across the tent space to move the bandages and supplies he’d been working on onto a shelf.
“Do you get bored watching him?” Percy asked Nico. “Or is there ever, like, a cool new medical tool that looks more like a torture device that you get to test out or new vitamins that turn your skin blue or something?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “No, Percy. We mostly just patch up campers and organize supplies.”
“We? I think you mean he,” Percy teased, gesturing to Will. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nurture someone. Dunno if you’re the healing type, Nico.”
Nico blushed. “I’ve seen the dead plants in your cabin,” he retorted. “I don’t think you could nurture anybody back to health, either.
“Whatever, Mr. Death Boy,” Percy said, poking Nico in the side and laughing loudly when it made the boy jolt and yelp out a hey!
“Aww, is the scawy Ghost King a wittle tickwish?” Gods, Nico hated that Percy couldn’t stop laughing - because that meant he found it amusing, which meant he would never leave it alone. Ever.
“Oh, very,” Will interjected as he walked past the cot to put bandages on a shelf. “You didn’t know? It’s quite cute.”
“Will. Shut up.”
Will smirked at the Nico and crossed the room again to grab more bandages to put away. “You should see what happens when you touch his neck.”
As the first protests fell from Nico’s lips, a huge scowl on his face, Percy did just that; all he did was swipe some fingers on the side of Nico’s neck, and the boy squashed Percy’s fingers when his shoulder automatically shot up. And then Nico giggled, he giggled, which was already enough to make him want to go to the Underworld and never return, and he couldn’t seem to push Percy’s hand away. Eventually he leaned so far back trying to escape the ticklish feeling on his neck he was laying down on the cot.
“Awesome,” Percy grinned. “Where else?”
“Knees,” Will called out casually, like Percy had asked where to find tissues and Will was simply telling him oh, top drawer on the right.
Nico tried to sit up so he could scramble away, hopefully out of the country, when Percy’s hand clamped down just above one of Nico’s knees and he squealed like a kid. Which, of course, only encouraged Percy to keep going. Nico tried to call out some threats to the older boys, but instead his cackling rose in pitch and his leg spasmed.
And to make things worse, Percy was enjoying himself. “Where is he the worst?” He asked Will.
“Two places. Here, I’ll show you.”
“Will,” Nico managed to growl (though he didn’t sound very menacing because of his squeaky giggles), “don’t you even da - no, Wihill!”
Nico’s giggles soared into full-on laughter as Will grabbed at the middle of his belly, clawing quickly around the soft expanse. Nico tried to push his hand away, kick him in the gut, anything to get him to stop, but he was too weak with laughter to do anything.
And Gods, now Percy was cooing, and Nico was sure he had never been so embarrassed in his life.
“Where’s the other place? Percy asked.
“Will,” Nico gasped, “ahah, quit it!”
“Hip.” Will popped the p as he began to repeatedly jab Nico in the dip of one of his hips with his index finger. Nico started laughing harder than Percy had probably ever seen him laugh, and he could hear Percy laughing as well while he mirrored Will’s finger jabbing on Nico’s other hip.
And then one of them was clawing at Nico’s belly again while the other dug their thumbs into his hips, and he couldn’t even tell who was doing which because he was laughing so hard he couldn’t open his eyes. After a few more attempts at yelling out threats the boys stopped, and Nico tried to collect himself as he attempted to cease his residual giggles.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had,” Percy grinned. “You sound so, like, happy and cute and when you laugh. Y’know, like a normal kid.”
“It’s pretty great,” Will responded, and Nico just groaned as he sat up again, glaring at them.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” Nico threatened, pointing a finger at them. “I will literally overrun your cabins with zombies.” The boys only laughed, Will throwing an arm around Nico’s shoulders and kissing the crown of his head. “I can’t make any promises.”
“Me neither,” Percy said. “That was too fun.”
And though Nico was tired and embarrassed and a little frazzled, he couldn’t stay mad for long. He still punched Will in the arm, though.
A/N: A tradition in my family is that we all must become (basic) first aid certified. My younger brother is working on getting his, and I was reading through one of his books when I came across secondary checking. I know what it is, of course, as I am certified myself; but rereading the procedure made me think about how awful it would tickle if used gently. Solangelo is literally my joy in life, so I used them in this fic. It’s based... shortly after the Heroes of Olympus series, I guess?
(Also, I’m sorry I haven’t written anything in a while... please accept my apology along with this mediocre fic.)
“Please, Nico?”
“No.”
“Oh, come on-”
“I said no!”
Will huffed at his boyfriend, annoyed with his stubbornness.
“Nico, I just want to practice secondary checking. Is that so wrong?” Will asked, crossing his arms. “No, but I don’t want to be your guinea pig!” Nico responded, crossing his arms as well.
“You make it sound like I’m some evil scientist,” Will mumbled, rolling his eyes.
“You could be! We just got together, I don’t know what you’re capable of yet,” Nico retorted in a sassy tone, and Will couldn’t help but smile. Nico was just so cute when he tried to act all stubborn and tough.
In consideration of recent events, Will had decided he wanted to completely perfect his first aid; he had been practicing on everyone, constantly asking other campers to be his next “victim”. Hey, is it a crime for a medic to make sure they know what they’re doing?
“Come on, just once? I want to really know what I’m doing. Son of the god of healing or not, I need to review stuff!”
With a sigh, Nico looked up at his boyfriend and rolled his dark eyes. “Fine, but just because you’re annoying me, and doing this will make you shut up. And only once!” He reminded as Will gave him a bright grin.
“Thanks!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
After some coaxing, Will convinced Nico to lie down on the floor in the Hades cabin. Nico refused to do it in the Apollo cabin where one of Will’s siblings could waltz in at any moment.
“Okay, so say I’ve dealt with any major injuries, and now I’m checking for minor ones I need to deal with. It’s called secondary checking,” Will commentated before he got started. “Ideally, I’d be wearing gloves, but I’m not going to waste them on practicing.”
He knelt next to Nico’s “unconscious” body, near his head, gently placing his hands on the sides of his head. He moved his hands around slowly, “checking” for head injuries. After that, he used his fingers to softly prod the sides and front of Nico’s neck. His smaller boyfriend twitched minutely, but Will ignored it. His hands were probably cold. “Sorry.”
He stood and moved to Nico’s side before kneeling again. Will tenderly gripped the sides of his boyfriend’s rib cage, pressing his fingers in lightly as if feeling for broken ribs. He was startled when Nico’s body arched slightly, an almost indecipherable whine leaving said boys’s lips. Assuming he was being too rough, Will lightened his touch.
“Sorry if I’m hurting you a little,” he said with a frown.
“It’s fine,” Nico responded in a tense voice.” “J-just hurry it up a little.”
Will complied, pressing his hand on Nico’s stomach, tapping the back of his hand like he was feeling for internal damage. Nico arched his back again, and a harsh breath came out of his nose.
“Am I being too rough?” Will asked concernedly, removing his hands. Physical secondary checks were almost always used on people that were unconscious; he had no idea if it hurt on someone awake.
Nico shook his head. “No, just finish soon,” he said. Will wasn’t sure if he should keep going if he was hurting Nico, but Nico insisted. Moving on, Will placed each hand on one of Nico’s hip bones, pressing down gently to test for alignment..
He was definitely not prepared for Nico to suddenly bark out a laugh and sit up violently, attempting to push away his boyfriend's hands. "Enough!" The smaller boy shrieked, turning beet red as Will studied him. The two boys sat in silence for a few moments before Will realized what was really going on, a smirk gracing his features.
"Ah, I see," he purred, never taking his eyes off Nico's face. "You're not in pain, you're just-"
"Will, shut up!"
"What? It's cute that you're-"
"I said shut up!" Nico yelped, eyes flitting around as he tried avoiding eye contact with the older boy. With a sigh, Will removed his hands from Nico's grip. "Okay, okay. Can I finish the secondary check at least? I'm almost done!" He added quickly, sensing that the smaller boy was about to decline.
Nico chewed his bottom lip as he considered. “...fine, but be really careful,” he said slowly, lying down on his back once more. “Don’t worry, I will be,” Will reassured him, but he was smirking internally. This was just too cute; the stoic, grumpy “Ghost King”, Nico DiAngelo, was ticklish. Will found it too delicious not to exploit.
Continuing where he left off, Will wrapped both hands gently around one of Nico’s thigh, squeezing lightly with his fingers as though feeling for any broken bones. Nico’s entire leg jerked, but Will could tell Nico was embarrassed and was trying to keep his reactions to a minimum.
Will did the same thing to Nico’s other thigh, earning more shaky leg movement from the smaller boy. He then felt his way down each of Nico’s slender legs, feeling his knees and calves with careful fingers. Nico’s legs were absolutely quivering by the time Will finished each one, and Will couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I just have your arms left, Neeks. I’m almost done.”
“Okay, good,” Nico sighed.
Will softly gripped one of Nico’s biceps, pressing his fingers in and moving down the appendage. He could feel the younger boy’s muscles jumping under each touch; he could’t believe how ticklish Nico was. Even his arms were ticklish! Why didn’t Will figure this out before?
He quickly finished the other arm, sitting back on his heels. “Okay, finished,” he told Nico. Just as the smaller boy started to sit up, Will pounced on him, pressing him back onto the floor and holding him there.
“Uh... Will?” Nico asked in a nervous voice, “What’re you- NO!”
Will cut him off by grabbing his ribs with one hand, digging his fingers into the spaces between each bone. Nico flailed and tried desperately to get away from the tickling, shaking his head wildly in an attempt to hold in his laughter.
“Did you seriously think that I would let you go after finding out how ridiculously ticklish you are?” Will laughed as he chased Nico’s wiggling torso around with his tickling fingers. “Let me hear you laugh, Neeks!”
Will moved his fingers higher and squeezed them under Nico's left underarm, despite said boy's attempts to keep that arm glued to his side. Will noticed, disappointedly, that though the smaller boy was still violently squirming, this spot was less effective. "Okay, not underarms, then..." he teased, pulling his hand out and prodding Nico's side. "Where are you the most ticklish then, hmm?" Nico didn't say anything because he was trying so hard not to laugh, but that was okay; Will planned on figuring it out for himself anyway.
He decided to go lower, positioning himself accordingly on his boyfriend's small frame, and brought his hand back to give Nico's kneecap a few squeezes. Nico jerked like he'd been electrocuted and let out a high pitched squeak before bursting into laughter. "Will, quit it!" Will subconsciously slowed his fingers down, staring at Nico with his mouth slightly agape.
Nico's laugh...
It was high-pitched and light, breathy and childish. It was so unlike what you would expect from the son of Hades, and it filled Will's very core with an unbelievable warmth. Will couldn't keep the grin off his face as he stared at the boy underneath him, who was blushing profusely.
"Nico, your laugh! It's so cute!"
"Shut up, it's embarrassing!” Nico scowled. “I sound like a five-year-old moron."
"Well," Will counteracted, "sometimes you act like a five-year-old moron. So, it's perfect!"
Will moved his hand again and dug his fingers into Nico's thigh, which was so small compared to his own long fingers, he could almost tickle it all the way around with just one hand. "Will!" Nico shrieked, breaking down into more of his sweet laughter, "S-stop!" Will simply smirked and slowed his tickling slightly.
"So, where are you the worst?"
"L-like I'd tell you!" Nico panted through his giggles, desperately twitching his legs in an attempt to dislodge the older teen.
Though Nico wasn't going to tell him, Will had already figured out the answer; he had noticed that Nico only ever fought him off with one hand, while the other arm was nearly cemented to his body.
Cemented right across his stomach and hips.
Hey, doctors are supposed to notice small details, right?
Nico seemed to have noticed that Will was excited, for he struggled more violently. His eyes widened as Will reached down and easily forced Nico's arm away from his middle. Nico tried to use his other arm as a new shield, but Will grabbed that one quickly as well, and Nico found himself completely defenseless.
"Will, don't." Nico threatened, but he looked so very amusing with his red cheeks and stifled smile that Will shook his head. "You're just too cute, you know that?" And while Nico was in the middle of saying no, he isn't cute, he's frightening, Will gently dug his nails into the middle of Nico's belly, spidering them around the soft expanse.
Nico shrieked so loud, Will almost fell off of him. "Woah," Will laughed as he righted himself, "I knew this spot would be ticklish for you, but I didn't think it'd be this ticklish!" Nico just laughed his childish laugh, his breathy laugh, his beautiful laugh. "Wihihill! NO!" He cackled, trying to roll his torso away from Will's offending fingers, back arching.
Will moved his wiggly appendages slowly downward while he teased. "You know, this spot kills Austin. How about you?" He suddenly dug his thumbs into the dips of Nico's bony hips, causing the boy to buck up ferociously as he screamed with laughter. "WILL!" Will kept jumping his now vibrating fingers between Nico's tummy and hips, for those seemed to be the places that made the younger boy laugh the loudest and the cutest. "WIHILL, I'M GONNA K-KILL YOUHOUHOU!" Will slowed his fingers once more, softly dragging his nails that were currently under Nico's shirt across the quivering belly that awaited him.
Nico looked like a disaster; His hair was even more disheveled than usual, his cheeks were completely pink, and he was hiccuping quietly between the sweet giggles that came out of his mouth.
Will ruffled his hair and rolled off of his waist, pulling Nico into a sitting position and kissing his forehead. "...oh, my gods. That was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.” Nico tried glaring at his smug boyfriend, but his residual grin made it impossible.
"Solace, you're the worst boyfriend in the world. I'm gonna get you for this!"
Will laughed. "Sure you are, with your tough and scary demeanour," he joked, wiggling his fingers teasingly into Nico's side to make him giggle. Nico pushed him away once more and attempted to scold him.
Nico's laughter was more precious than any sound Will had ever heard. It was better than poetry, better than music. It was a complete contrast of Nico's gloomy and quiet personality. Will didn't care if he never heard any other sound for the rest of time. If he could make Nico smile and laugh while also being able to enjoy the sound of it for himself, he was set.
