Nico was pretty sure Doctor Solace didn't even know his name. But that didn't really matter to him. What mattered was when they passed each other in the hallways and the doctor nodded at Nico. Even if his face was grim, he broke into a smile when he saw Nico. It was nothing, really—just a small, pleasant smile, more polite than warm. But it was an acknowledgment that Solace recognized him.

It had all started on sort of an accident, really. They had both been working on the same surgery—Nico as a nurse, still an intern at the time, and Solace as the freshly-graduated surgeon—and it had gone wrong. The others had tried to tell Solace it was all okay, that there was nothing he could have done to save his patient.

Nico wasn't good with words, but he had been right behind Solace in line at the Starbucks that morning, and he'd remembered his coffee order—a vanilla frappuccino with extra cinnamon, outlandish enough of a combination to mark Nico's memory. He'd slipped away, and come back with a cup, setting it on the table in front of Solace, then leaving without a word.

From there, it had become a tradition of sorts. Whenever Doctor Solace's patients received bad news or died, Nico brought him coffee. And soon, not even just that. Nico picked up on Solace's off days or sad moments and brought him coffee then, too.

A few of his colleagues had called him out for being a stalker, though Nico couldn't agree. Just because Solace was a big ball of sunshine most of the time didn't mean he didn't need cheering up from time to time, and Nico was happy to provide, since he was the only one who seemed to notice.

And Solace had noticed back. Though Nico was still pretty sure that, two years later and with Nico a full-time employee now, the doctor still didn't know his name. That didn't really matter, though—he wasn't doing this for any sort of reward. Not that it stopped Nico from fantasizing he would get one. But he didn't expect anything.

So when Doctor Solace actually talked to him, it was a shock.

It was painfully late at night—or early in the morning, depending how you looked at it—and Nico was covering for Piper's shift, who had begged him to take her place so she could go on a date. Things were mercifully slow in the emergency room: a couple flesh wounds that looked too serious due to intense bleeding; one guy who had eaten something he was allergic to because he didn't want to insult his date, but had been handled fast enough that he was out of any real danger; and the usual clumsy people who got all sorts of torn muscles or ligaments and a couple fractures.

Things were going well, so when Nico went to the break room to rest his legs for a minute, he was surprised to find Doctor Solace slumped in a chair in a corner, looking down and pretending to be absorbed in the contemplation of his own nails. Nico knew that look, and before he could really think about it, he made a beeline to the Starbucks in the hospital lobby. Five minutes later, he was back with a hot cup, and laid it in front of Solace.

The doctor looked up at him, attempting a half-smile. "Thanks," he said.

That alone was surprising enough—Solace never thanked him, at least not verbally. Nico had gotten nods, smiles, a couple winks, a tap on the shoulder once, but never a 'thanks'. "You're welcome," he stuttered, stepping away already.

"Hang on—Nico, is that it?"

Nico froze. Solace knew his name? When had that happened? "Yes, Doctor Solace."

"Just Will, please." He chuckled. "Could you—would you like to sit with me?"

"S-sure." Nico walked back to Solace—Will—sitting down on the chair next to his. "What is it?"

Will didn't speak immediately, taking a sip from the cup Nico had brought him. "You always bring me these when I'm down," he said. "Why do you do that?"

Nico shrugged. "Cheer you up. I'd do it for anyone."

"But you don't. I noticed."

Had he? Nico gulped, suddenly nervous. "No one else needs it. When the other doctors are down—which happens a lot more often than to you—there's always someone to talk to them. With you, people apparently think the only thing they can see is 'get over it'. If they say anything at all."

A frown briefly passed on Will's features. "But why don't you ever speak to me, then?"

Nico managed an almost convincingly casual shrug. "I don't want to impose. We're not really friends."

"Do you want us to be?" Will chuckled immediately after asking. "Sorry, that was awkward. But—well, do you?"

"Yes." The word fell out of Nico's word unbidden, breathlessly. "I mean—I'd like to get to know you."

Will smiled—a warm smile, unlike those Nico had seen before. "Good. And—how about a date? I could buy you coffee for a change."

Nico gaped at him, blindsided by his sudden change, and Will took his surprise the wrong way.

"Or—not. We can still be friends if you're not interested."

"No, I—I'd like that. A date, I mean." He chuckled, embarrassed at his own babbling. "Not coffee though. I don't drink coffee. It's not really good for you, you know."

Will laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"But we can still go out after our shifts end, if you want. I know a place that makes great breakfasts—and you'll get your coffee."

"Sounds like a date." Will smiled again, then he got up. "Well, I should probably go. See you later?"

Nico couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah." Will was already leaving, but Nico called out after him. "Wait, if I may—what was the matter? Earlier, I mean?"

Will chuckled, blushing visibly. "It's kind of embarrassing. Tell you what: ask me again on our date. That way we have an easy conversation opener."

He winked, and left Nico alone in the break room, heart pounding and a silly smile on his face.