You (Solangelo AU)

10. A Game of Cat and Mouse

Making our way through the forest made me sweat. Droplets were forming at my temples and falling, leaving clean trails down the side of my face.

I was not sweating because the exercise was more than I was accustomed to, for Pete's sake, we were merely walking. But because of my ankle. It hurt. A lot. And it was taking me a lot of effort to walk normally. Still, Will noticed. He stopped walking completely, "Where are you hurt?"

I wanted to refuse to tell him but if I did not rest soon, I would collapse. My pride wounded, I answered, "My left ankle."

"Why did you not say anything sooner?" He was frowning lightly. He tied the horse to a nearby tree. "Show me."

I had told him in an attempt for a five minute break, not for him to stop and inspect my ankle. We had to go further. The knights could come through the forest any minute. If they did, we had to be far away by then. "No. I'll rest quickly and then we may continue."

"Nico, if I do not check now, it could get worse." His frown became more pronounced.

"I could not care less. We need to get further away." I glared at him to make my point.

"Well, we will not be moving until I see your ankle." He crossed his arms across his chest, determined to check on my ankle.

"William Solace. I demand you drop the subject." I crossed my arms as well, two could play at that game.

"We are not in Inferos. You cannot order me around."

"Yes I can. I am still a Prince whether I am there or not."

"In that case, you are not my prince. Prince Jason is."

"Oh my god. You are impossible."

He kneeled down and curled his finger back and forth toward my ankle in a'come hither' motion, "Ankle."

I no longer had a choice. I set my foot on his lap. As soon as he had his hand on it, I winced, he didn't even have to remove my shoe to know what it was that was wrong. "It's twisted. There may be a small fracture in one bone. It happened when we jumped didn't it?"

"I guess it did." I shrugged, attempting to hide the fact that my ankle was in the greatest physical pain I had ever felt...on my ankle.

Will frowned, "You should have said something sooner. I could have already made something to keep it in place."

"And chance us getting caught? I think not."

"Stupid prince. What if it had been completely shattered?"

"Then I would not have been able to walk, dumbass."

Will rolled his eyes, "Maybe then you would have let me know."

"Even if--"

Fwip. Thwanggg.

An arrow had sailed past Will's head and embedded itself into the trunk of a tree beside it. "Nico."

"Yes?" We both stared at the arrow. We didn't need to say out loud who it was. We knew already.

"Get on the horse."

"William?"

"Yes?"

"If you had not yet taken notice, my ankle is not in its finest moment."

Will looked at my ankle again, "I guess I will have to mount you myself." (A/N: I don't think I worded that right but my brain doesn't want to work with me right now also that sounds so wrong. I apologize.)