Will slept terribly.

He had maybe two or three hours of nightmare filled "rest" before the sunlight came through his windows and he rolled out of bed. His whole body ached as he pulled off his Spider-Suit. Then, as he tugged the sleeve off, something fluttered out. The card.

Will picked it up from the ground, looking it over again. Looking at that weird message, "big things are coming". He wondered for a moment if he should call the number that was printed on there. He realized that was probably a really stupid idea, considering how creepy Eris and Hypnos had been, and placed the card on his dresser, trying not to think about it.

Before Will put on his clothes, he examined himself in the mirror. He hated looking at his reflection, especially with little clothing on, and he was almost shell shocked by how...awful he looked. He looked skinnier than usual, his skin was pale, and his body was littered in bruises. He should probably stop binding, especially considering how much his ribs and chest hurt, but he didn't particularly want to, nor did he have the energy to take his binder off. Will sighed and turned away from the mirror, not wanting to look at himself any longer. He pulled on a hoodie and shorts for school, smoothed down his messy hair, and walked into his apartment.

He didn't bother to eat anything. He felt nauseous; he'd probably just throw it back up. Instead, he sat down by his mom on the couch and sleepily leaned on her shoulder.

She reached over and ran her fingers through his tangled hair. "Hey, honey," she said in that voice she used when she knew something was wrong. "You sleep okay?"

"No." Will mumbled.

She frowned. "Nightmares again?"

"You could say that."

She sighed, sounding slightly frustrated at Will's vague responses. "Will, look at me."

Will looked up into his mom's eyes, which were tight with worry. It made him feel sick. He hated it when she was upset, especially about him.

She examined his face. "You don't look very good." She finally said.

"Wow, thanks." Will responded dryly in an attempt to deflect her concerns.

"I'm serious, Will," His mom said. "There's been something going on with you recently. You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Mom." Will said quietly. "It's just..."

Will wasn't entirely sure what he should say. He wanted to tell her everything he was going through, but it wasn't that easy. She was worried enough about his condition as was, if she found out everything that he had been doing for the past year, she would be out of her mind with concern for him. He didn't want to lie to her, though. It would just make him feel worse. So, after a long moment, he spoke. "I'm just so tired."

Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw his mom frown deeper, and she pulled him closer, not saying anything. She didn't have to speak for Will to understand her gesture. He curled up against her, trying to fight back the tears in his eyes. His efforts were futile, and he softly cried into her shoulder, his body shaking.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that on the couch, but after a while, Will pulled away from his mom's grasp and wiped his eyes. "Sorry." He mumbled out.

His mom looked at him again, concern still etched in her face. "You don't need to be sorry, honey. I just want you to be okay."

Will nodded silently, still drying his eyes. He stood up from the couch. "I should- I should get to school."

His mom paused, then shook her head, standing up so she could look him in the eyes. "No. You're staying home today. You need to rest."

Will frowned. "I'm not sick. I'll be okay."

"No." His mom said firmly. "You're staying home, Will. Just go back to bed. You can miss one day."

He opened his mouth to argue, but based on the look in his mom's eyes, he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Fine."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Good. And take that binder off. I know you've been sleeping in it. I've been reading about the health risks, it's not good-"

Will's cheeks burned. "Okay, okay!" He yelled, throwing up his hands and backing towards his room. "I get it!"

No matter how embarrassed he was, Will was grateful for his mom's concern about, well, everything. Even if she didn't fully know what he was going through, she had given him more support than she'd ever know. And he knew she was right about him needing a break, even just for a day. His mental stress was bad enough, he could at least alleviate some of his physical stresses. And hey, maybe getting more rest would help with mental health too.

Will pulled his binder off over his head, put on a tank top, and pulled on pajama shorts. He laid back down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to only think about good things. Things that didn't make him freak out. Obviously, his first thought was Nico. Will was a little sad he wouldn't get to see him today. He wondered if Nico would miss him. Hopefully. He already knew Lou Ellen and Cecil would miss him. Oh, god, Lou Ellen and Cecil would be alone at the lunch table with Nico. Will tried not to think about that too much as his eyelids fluttered shut and he fell into a deep sleep.

He woke up hours later, feeling a lot better than he had in a while. He didn't feel like he was going to pass out. His body didn't hurt. He stood up and was surprised to realize that he didn't feel dizzy or nauseous.

Will looked in the mirror. He had regained some of his color and didn't look quite so pale anymore. His bruises seemed less prominent. He felt funny not wearing his binder, but he had to admit that his ribs felt a million times better, and even breathing was easier.

He walked towards his bedroom door, going to go thank his mom for her advice. There were voices coming from the apartment, but Will didn't think too much of it. Probably just his mom watching tv.

Yeah, he was wrong about that.

He stepped into the kitchen/living room, expecting to see his mom working on something with the tv on, and was instead greeted with the image of Cecil, Lou Ellen, and NICO sitting at his kitchen counter while his mom talked to them. They turned to him.

His mom smiled. "Ah, there he is. Feel any better, honey?"

Will stared at them, gaping. After a moment, he blinked away his surprise and spoke. "Um. Yeah. What are you guys doing here?"

Lou Ellen grinned. "Oh, we were just worried. You never miss school. Figured we'd pay you a visit."

Cecil nodded. "Mhm. We missed you. So. You good?"

Will really wished that his mom and Nico weren't here so he could explain what was really going on with him. Instead, he just nodded. "Yeah. Just been sort of...stressed recently. Needed a day off."

He snuck a glance at Nico, who had been sitting quietly. Why was he here? Well, Will knew why he was here. But when he had hoped Nico would miss him, that wasn't a wish for Nico to come to his apartment and see him like...this. Will was suddenly acutely aware of the little amount of clothes he had on. And he wasn't even wearing his binder! Everything about this was embarrassing.

Lou Ellen, of course, noticed Will's glance at Nico. She smiled mischievously. "Naomi," she said, turning to Will's mom. "Me and Cecil would really love to see that rooftop garden you were telling us about. Nico should stay here, get Will caught up on what he missed first hour."

Unfortunately for Will, his mom understood Lou Ellen's motivations all too well. She nodded. "Of course! Just follow me. Will and Nico...behave down here." She winked VERY conspicuously and led Lou Ellen and Cecil out the apartment door.

Will wished he was going with them for the sole purpose of throwing himself off the roof. He forced himself to turn to Nico. "Sorry. She's embarrassing." Will said, his face flushed.

Nico shrugged, a crooked smile on his face. "It's okay. She was just joking."

"Yeah," Will said. He fidgeted with his hands. "Still kinda weird that she said that, though. And Lou Ellen and Cecil have been saying stuff, too-"

"Will," Nico interrupted. "It's fine. It's funny. I don't mind. Like I said, they're just joking around. Your mom doesn't actually think we're...doing that."

Despite Nico's reluctance to outwardly say anything, Will's mind went into an overdrive of possible...scenarios. Then he felt like a creep for even thinking about that, ESPECIALLY when Nico was right there. What was wrong with him?

Will cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, of course. Right." He needed to change the subject. "So...what did I miss in first hour?"

"Right," Nico responded, standing up. He seemed slightly grateful for the subject change too. If Will hadn't known better, he would've almost thought Nico was blushing. "We're starting this project...do you have your notebook? It'd be easier to show you with your notes."

Will pointed back, over his shoulder. "In my room."

Nico nodded and followed Will into his small bedroom. Will currently felt very exposed, standing practically in his underwear in his messy bedroom in front of his crush. He grabbed his notebook from his desk and sat down next to Nico on his bed.

Will would love to say that he listened to Nico explain their project. However, that would be a lie. He was much more focused on how their legs were pressed together on the bed, and how Nico was leaned in over his shoulder, pointing out things in the notebook. He still smelled good. Will hated himself for noticing that.

Nico looked up at him, meeting his gaze. Will felt dizzy. "You get it?"

"Uh-huh." Will lied, very captivated by Nico's dark eyes.

"Cool." Nico leaned back on Will's bed. "You have a cool room."

Will shrugged, blush creeping up his cheeks. "It's okay, I guess."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You're modest." He stood up, looking more around Will's room. Will felt kind of embarrassed having Nico see all the cringy posters and souvenirs on his walls and shelves. At the same time, though, it almost felt...intimate? Like he was sharing this new connection with Nico. He liked that.

Suddenly, by Will's dresser, Nico froze.

Will could very quickly tell something was wrong. He stood up from his bed and walked over to where Nico was standing. "Nico? Are you okay?"

Nico didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on a card on Will's dresser. The Mansion of Night card. Nico's shaking hands grabbed it, his fingers running over the glossy black surface. He turned to Will, pure fear in his eyes.

"Will," he said quietly. "Where did you get this?"