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Nico couldn’t sleep. Not in the infirmary, not in his cabin, not anywhere.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Will—bleeding, broken, falling beside him into a pit they were never supposed to survive.
And all of it was Nico’s fault. At least… that’s what he told himself.
Nico had been the one who wished to set Bob free. Will, before their quest, hadn’t even met the Titan. He had dragged a child of Apollo, the literal sun god , down to the depths of Hell to rescue his friend. Bob hadn’t even known Will.
And now… everything was messed up.
Nico had done the very thing he feared. He had hurt Will. His spitfire, kind, and oh-so-happy boyfriend. Nico knew of the nightmares Will was likely to pretend he wasn’t having. He could see how thin his lover had become. The bags and dark circles under Will’s eyes told a different story than the one William wished for the son of Hades to believe. Worst of all, Nico’s night terrors had kept Will awake more often than not. The son of Apollo was stressed because Nico wasn’t eating, exhausted, and a whole bunch of other problems.
They were a mess. A giant tangle of knots too tightly woven to be undone. All because of you, accused Nico’s mind. You were the one who defied Dionysus and your father and threw Chiron’s advice and warnings into the wind. Nico had truly thought he knew better, but now all he had was regret. Hades and Apollo could help, whispered Nico’s mind, except getting their help would mean telling the gods what they had done. A surefire way to get their bottoms roasted, likely multiple times, and be grounded to their dads’s respective palaces. Nico would die if he had to be apart from Will. The son of Hades knew his boyfriend felt the same.
So there lies the problem.
Nico didn’t wish to burden Will, Will didn’t wish to burden Nico, and neither of the duo wanted to call on their parents for aid. They were stuck. Simply stuck . There was no good solution to this outrageous situation. Nothing would solve all the issues they struggled so deeply with.
Nico sighed in aggravation. He let out a small moan of pain as he released his hair from the top grip he had previously held it in. His scalp ached, but the pain helped his mind quiet down, so he’d take the slight win. Honestly, Nico di Angelo needed a win. He could even go for a cigarette, but he would not. Nico’s butt ached as he remembered the spanking Eros and Hades had given him when they found out. It had hurt like hell, and Nico was keen on getting a repeat, so hair pulling it was for now.
Nico’s hands, shaking from the strain of pulling his hair, slowly moved back up towards his black, silky locks. Warmth covered his hands, stopping them from reaching their destination. Nico gasped sharply, spinning around before letting out a shout as his captor didn’t release his hands.
Nico fell right into the lap of one frustrated-looking Will Solace, who had conveniently taken the seat on the bed that Nico had abandoned.
“You know,” Will said casually, hands still gripping Nico’s, “if you’re going to keep punishing yourself for what happened in Tartarus, I might have to beat you to it.”
Nico looked up, confused. “What?”
“A spanking,” Will clarified, dead serious. “Since you clearly think you deserve one.”
The shock coursing through Nico’s body knocked all the air out of his lungs. The son of Hades’s mind was transported to a very different day. The first day, Will had ever spanked him.
“You do not hurt yourself, and you will not overuse your shadow traveling anymore,” declared Will with a determined tone.
“I won’t,” agreed Nico with a cry as Will’s hand proceeded to set his already flaming backside ablaze.
Will spanked Nico for a while longer before tilting him forward and focusing on Nico’s sit spots.
“Not there,” sobbed Nico.
“Yes, here,” stated Will with a harsh smack to Nico’s left thigh. “If spanking you is the only way for you to understand how seriously I take your safety, then I will do this every day!”
Nico shuddered at the memory. That spanking had hurt, and Will didn’t look too far off from how he had that day.
“Will,” whined Nico, face blushing at his boyfriend’s stern look. Will rarely showed this side of himself, but for Nico, well… Will tended to be his most vulnerable. “It is my fault,” argued the son of Hades.
Will made a tsk sound, giving Nico a stern look.
“It is not your fault, Nico. I willingly chose to go to Tartarus with you and would gladly do it over and over again,” declared Will in a passionate tone. “Everything that happened to us…none of it was your fault, Neek. None.”
“But—“
“But nothing,” interrupted Will. “You are not responsible for my actions or anyone else’s.” Will declared firmly.
“It doesn’t feel like that,” admitted Nico softly, eyes full of shame at his perceived weakness.
“Tell me something, Neeks. Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” replied Nico, without missing a beat. There was no hesitation or doubt in Nico’s tone. He trusted William Solace with his life.
Will’s eyes softened for a moment, tearing up slightly at his boyfriend’s unwavering confidence in him.
“Good. Lay over my lap,” commanded Will, his tone turning more firm.
Nico hesitated only a moment before moving from his spot, seated in Will’s lap, to lying across Will’s lap.
Will adjusted Nico gently, one arm wrapping around his waist in a grounding, practiced motion. He could feel how much his boyfriend was trembling.
He still thinks he deserves this, Will thought bitterly. Gods, I hate this.
Will didn’t want to punish Nico. Not truly. But if this was the only way to shake the guilt loose from him, to crack that stubborn shell of self-blame, then so be it.
He rubbed Nico’s back in soft, slow circles.
“You’re not being punished for Tartarus,” he said quietly, voice steady. “You’re being reminded that you’re loved. Even when you’re hurting. Especially when you’re hurting.”
Nico didn’t say anything, but Will could feel the tension shift ever so slightly.
Then he raised his hand—and began.
Nico shifted slightly as the first smack landed against his exposed rump. I am lucky he didn’t bare my backside like last time…like Dad would have, thought Nico.
It was not unbearable yet, but Nico knew better than to believe it would remain that way. Will’s body tended to heat up when he felt something strongly, and well, Will definitely felt strongly about this. It seems his prediction was right because the more swats Will landed, the warmer his boyfriend’s hand felt and, by extension, Nico’s butt.
“It isn’t your fault,” reaffirmed Will as he began to lay spanks on top of already spanked spots. Will winced at the sound of Nico’s hiss, guilt hitting him hard. Punishments were what Will usually did. He helped, healed, and fixed, but not today. Nico didn’t need that. Nico needed a stern reminder, and Will was willing to do whatever it took to help his boyfriend.
Gently, Will tilted Nico forward, exposing the soft junction where butt meets thighs, and swung his hand down.
Nico howled as the most tender part of his bottom was struck. It hurt. Like, really hurt.
“Will—owww—I have learned my lesson,” pleaded Nico, squirming around as more unforgiving swats peppered his thighs and sit-spots. Hades, Will was meticulous when he wanted to be.
“Hmm, I think you’re close to understanding,” agreed Will. “Lift your hips.”
“Will, no, please,” whined Nico, while lifting his hips. He whined again when his blue jeans and underwear were pulled down to his knees.
Will sighed, steeling himself as he began to rapid-fire spank Nico’s backside, making sure he covered every inch. He ignored his boyfriend’s cries. This was necessary, however unenjoyable it was.
“Will, it burns!”
“Willie—ahhh!”
“No more, Will, owww… oww.”
Nico whined, tears falling as his sobs echoed in the air. It took the son of Hades a moment to realize his bottom was no longer being given sunburn treatment. Instead, Will was whispering soft words of reassurance and rubbing his back. Quickly, Nico stood and fixed his clothes, stumbling lightly. Then, the demigod was back on the bed, curling into his boyfriend’s arms.
Will shushed him softly and gently laid them both down, pulling Nico close. Nico sniffled, letting out a sound of content as his head was tucked under Will’s chin and his body held in the son of Apollo’s arms.
Will sighed softly as Nico cuddled closer to him. He gently ran a soothing hand down his boyfriend’s back.
“Shh, I got you, Nico. I am not going anywhere,” vowed Will.
And he meant it. He wasn’t going anywhere. Nico was never going to be alone again. Not on Will’s watch.