Long chapter ahead; enjoy! All writing that's bolded and in italics belongs to NicoTheZombie18—hope you like your prize for the contest! ^ ^

Magnus: Hey, guys. /scrunches eyebrows together/ I think I found a 'fanfiction' about me and a friend of mine.

Sam: Huh? About you? That's stupid. Why would anyone want to waste their time doing that. /glances over at the kitten beside her/ Alex, wake up, Magnus found something.

Alex: /shapeshifts back into his usual form, and rolls eyes/ First, I wasn't actually asleep. Second, I heard everything Magnus said. And last, anyone else craving tuna?

Magnus: No, Alex, no one else here is craving tuna except the human that just shape-shifted into a cat.

Alex: More precisely, a kitten. /eyes widen/ Shit.

Magnus: /looks up from laptop screen/ What?

Alex: I may or may not have promised Mallory that I'd help her make a gift for Halfborn's decade celebration.

Magnus: /looks confused/ Uh...decade celebration?

Sam: Do you think that einherjar celebrate each and every one of their birthdays, considering how long they've been dead?

Magnus: I...guess not...does this mean I'm not celebrating my birthday next year?

Alex: No, because no one cares about your damn birthday.

Magnus: /raises an eyebrow/

Alex: /smirks/ Kidding. /glances at clock/ Godsdammit. I'm heading out, see you guys.

Sam: See you.

Magnus: Try to not get killed by Mallory.

Sam: ...so about this fanfiction?

Magnus: It's called 'Wanted Man'—/squints at screen/—it's by @NicoTheZombie. Apparently, it's an au—something about Mag-Nico.

Sam: /stares at Magnus/ You're hopeless. /gestures at laptop/ Hand me that.

Magnus: Fine. /hands over laptop/

Sam: /smirks/ It's an alternate universe story, with you and your friend Nico in it.

Magnus: I guess we should call charm boy over here, huh?

--after an hour of constant begging, whining, and punching--

Nico: /scowls/ I'm here. Now show me the damn story.

Magnus: /smirks/ 'People skills', Nico.

Nico: I will fight you, Chase. On with the stupid fanfiction.

Magnus: /hides a smile/ I was just teasing. Here it is:

Nobody seems to understand how utterly tiresome it is to be a criminal. Sure you get the luxury of having your paper face flood the streets of villages and kingdoms and empires, with angry mobs hunting you like wolves to a fawn. But Magnus was honestly getting tired of being a criminal.

Sam: /looks shocked/ Magnus, a criminal? How? He wouldn't hurt a fly.

Magnus: Sam; I'm an undead warrior who slaughters around a dozen of people each day.

Both literally and figuratively. Here he was, sprinting down the seemingly endless stone corridor of the palace, royal guards hot on his tail. His lungs burned and his legs ached; cold panic tunneled his vision. I have to make it out of here alive. Those jackasses want my head? Dammit they'll only get it on a silver platter and by then they'll only know me as the only man in the world to steal their precious hammer!

Nico: /snorts/ This actually sounds like you.

Magnus: No shit, Sherlock. It's in my POV.

Nico: /glares and rolls eyes/ You know what I mean.

He stumbled over a loose stone and fell to his knees. He cried out in pain, feeling his ankle twist unnaturally beneath him. Sprained probably. Great... That's just fucking great... Magnus thought. Not far behind were guards, their yells and clattering of metal armor drove Magnus mad. To his right was a tall wooden door left ajar. In his desperation, he lifted himself up using his golden sword like a cane, and threw open the door.

Jack: Oh! That's me—I'm the golden sword! Hm...I would honestly preferred 'glowing, dazzling beautiful—

Sam: Magnus, please make your sword shut up.

Magnus: /snorts/ Please, I've tried.

It was a storage room, luckily, and Magnus took the opportunity to limp in. He quickly and quietly shut the door behind him. He hefted the large wooden barricade over it and locked the bolt. Hopefully that would spare him some time.

Nico: I smell death lurking around him already.

Magnus: Quit lying. Oh wait—you are lying, right?

Nico: /shakes head/ This kid.

Sam: I know, right?

Magnus Chase fell to the ground once more and groaned. His ankle hurt like hell. His overgrown blond hair fell into his eyes, dripping with sweat as he tried to collect himself. On one side of the door, there's a bunch of angry guards trying to kill me. On this side of the door, there's my own damn ankle trying to kill me.

Magnus: Ouch.

Nico: 'Ouch', indeed.

Magnus glanced up. The roar of the crowd looking for him was growing louder by the second and there was no escape. Wait... Is that a window? Ahaha looks like my lucky day! Those fuckers won't know what hit them!

Nico: I'm snorting.

Magnus: I'm intrigued as to how you say this with a straight face.

Magnus clamored to the window, using the hilt of his sword to bash open the boards covering his only exit. The triumph from such a miracle numbed some of the pain in his foot. He dragged himself through the narrow opening as the door to the storage room burst open, shards of splintered wood flying everywhere. The guards ran in and Magnus's heart sank.

"You are under arrest Chase! For theft of royal property, breaking and entering, and murder!"

Samirah: Great job, Magnus.

Magnus: /sputters/ This is some fanfiction, Sam. It's not real.

Samirah: /raises eyebrows/

The guards swarmed the room. Magnus hatched a plan.

He threw his sword in one hopeless throw, and somehow embedded the blade in the head guard's gut. Blood seeped through the cloth of his shirt and he collapsed, heaving and dripping sweat. His comrades panicked and distracted, they leapt to check on their precious leader as Magnus finally pulled himself through the window and dragged himself into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nico: As I said, high probabilities of death.

Magnus: I'm glad you're so concerned for me.

The woods were dark and silent. Magnus was tired and weak from his miraculous escape. He normally healed quite quickly, but the sharp pain in his foot would not subside.

I think I lost them... Nobody would come out this far at night.

Sam: Wait for someone to come out this far at night.

Magnus paused and leaned against a tree. He didn't have any materials on him to support his ankle, and he had left his only weapon behind. He was defenseless, hurt, and lost.

Jack: This is what happens when you leave me behind, tch.

He groaned, coming to the full realization of his predicament. How could I be so stupid? I should have known something would go wrong on this mission. At least one good thing came out of it...

He grinned and reached into his bag, pulling out a hammer. But not just any hammer; this one was rumored to have the power to summon lightning and crumble mountains. Runes etched along the oddly shaped handle and head, and seemed to glow dim colors in the darkness. He knew plenty of people who would pay good money for this. All he had to do was escape this kingdom entirely, and track down an eager buyer that wouldn't turn him in.

It wasn't that Magnus wanted extraordinary wealth or power, no, he wanted justice. The king he had stolen this hammer from had done wrong to his subjects all his life. He was a jerk, no one worthy to rule. Magnus felt this was worthy payback. He stole from the rich, and gave to himself. Maybe some kid or poor family living on the streets like he was, but mostly he just took what he needed to survive. Maybe a bit more if he especially hated his "victim."

Nico: Sounds like you're some kind of Robin Hood, huh?

Magnus: Shut up.

Sam: To be honest, the description fits you quite well.

Magnus Chase slipped the hammer back into his pack and had hefted it over his shoulder when he heard a bush rustle. He glanced around nervously, every hair on the back of his neck stood straight up and adrenaline prepared him for an attack.

A flash of silver appeared in the corner of his vision, before pain exploded in his left shoulder and he was pinned to a tree. He looked to the mysterious object and saw it was a small silver dagger that had pinned him to the tree. He reached over and attempted to pull it out. Dammit, no luck. He was stuck. Whoever had thrown it had one hell of an arm to have him like this.

Sam: I bet Magnus's hair that it's Nico.

Magnus: /looks offended/ I never gave you permission to bet on my hair!

Another bush rustled.

Magnus's head shot up and he saw a shadowy figure standing at the edge of the clearing. The figure slowly walked toward Magnus and the full moon shed a bit of light on his attacker.

It was a male, probably around his own age given the height, dressed from head to toe in tattered and baggy black clothes. His dark eyes glinted menacingly in the dim light and Magnus could just barely make out fairly tan olive skin from beneath a black iron helmet. The boy pulled a-- surprise, surprise --black iron sword from a loop on his pants and pressed the blade to Magnus's throat.

Nico: This reminds me of when we met, in the slightest bit. Hmm...although I could've been more menacing at the time.

Magnus: You were plenty terrifying, short-stac—/gets kicked in the shin by Nico/—ow, shit, I get it!

"I know you have the hammer, Magnus Chase. Now you have a choice: give it to me now and go free, or put up a fight and be placed in prison. I'm feeling rather merciful today, so you won't die." The attacker's voice was low and growling.

Nico: Is it bad that I'm unsettled at how accurate this is?

Magnus: /feigns a look of shock/ The great di Angelo? Scared? What have we came to?

Magnus was confused. How does he know about the hammer? The king wouldn't be stupid enough to say his most prized weapon has been stolen. It would cause an uprising! Has he been watching me this whole time?

Magnus put up his hands and tried to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about, jackass--"

Sam: /sighs/ That's our Magnus, alright. Insulting people who make serious death threats at him in a split second.

Mistake to say that. His attacker moved closer, but didn't press the blade any harder. Magnus immediately saw what the tactic was.

"You're not going to hurt me," Magnus said quietly. "You're a bounty hunter. You turn me in alive and you get money and praise."

This time, the blade was pressed harder into his neck. "Don't think I won't hurt you," the other growled. "I not only get money, I'm accepted into the royal guard."

Sam: I take it that getting accepted into the royal guard is important?

Nico: Talk to other-fanfic me or whatever. I wouldn't know.

Suddenly, a twig snapped from behind them, and the sound of a bow being drawn sent a chill of shock down their spines. Magnus looked around in panic.

At least six archers surrounded them. Bandits. Three of whom were riding horse back.

"We heard something about a hammer," the first said calmly. "Hand it over now or die."

Magnus leaned forward and spoke into the bounty hunter's ear. "Let me go, and I'll try to get us both out of this mess."

"Are you crazy?! You're injured! You're not going anywhere!"

"Neither are you if we don't get rid of these people. We'll both be dead."

Sam: /smirks, but remains silent/

Magnus: Are you reminiscing our demise? Because I don't trust that look.

Sam: No, and you shouldn't.

Reluctantly, the attacker pulled out the knife. It had mostly been holding his shirt to the tree, but had skimmed his flesh, leaving fresh blood on the blade. Magnus stumbled and raised his hands.

"I'm sorry but we don't have anything for you."

All six let their arrows fly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus woke up in a cave. His cave. He had been using this cave as a hideout for years, but... How did he get here?

Sam: /rolls eyes/ Always the oblivious one, aren't you, Magnus?

Magnus: Screw you.

He groaned and sat up. His foot was in a makeshift splint and his shoulder throbbed dully. Across the room sat the bounty hunter, nursing an arrow wound in his arm.

The bounty hunter had removed his helmet and in the bright light of day, Magnus could finally see his face clearly. Long and slightly curly black hair fell into his eyes and framed his almost skeletal face. He was handsome in a dark and intimidating kind of way that caught Magnus's attention. He was scrawny, but still had a good amount of muscle up and down his arms.

Nico: /looks flustered/ Do people always see me like this?

Magnus: /examines Nico and looks back at laptop/ Yup, that's our Nico alright.

"You're awake," he muttered.

"And you're hurt," Magnus replied. "What happened?"

This time, the hunter did look up and Magnus's breath caught in his throat.

"You don't remember? I don't either to be honest." He frowned and Magnus laughed slightly. It was cute in a way.

Sam: Pfft—they're so falling for each other.

Nico: We're both sitting merely inches from you, we can hear you, Sam.

Sam: Yes, and it's making me uncomfortable. Scoot.

The bounty hunter's face turned red and he coughed. "Um... After I released you, they fired and I teleported us back here. I was hit a couple times. I passed out cold as soon as we arrived in this cave and so did you. I tried my best to stitch up the cut in your shoulder."

"Yeah thanks for putting a knife through my bicep."

"Any more sarcasm from you and I'll put it through your chest, Chase."

Magnus: Consider me dead, then.

Nico: /sighs/ You are dead, idiot.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you seem like a nice guy. Don't ruin the fun of almost being mortally injured by a bunch of crazy bandits."

The bounty hunter glared at Magnus.

Magnus shifted his weight around and finally stood, walking over to the other. "What's your name? You obviously know me, but I've never seen you."

"Nico. My name is Nico di Angelo."

Nico: Oh no. I smell an awkward bonding moment.

Magnus stumbled back a bit and Nico jumped up and caught his arm, helping to steady him. "You're the necromancer, aren't you?"

Nico's expression darkened. "Yeah... I am... Not that I can control it at all."

"Is that why you're so desperate to join the royal guard? Is this some stupid honor thing?"

Sam: So, that's why, huh?

Nico didn't respond.

His hand drifted to Nico's injured arm. "Here, let me see that. I'm pretty good with healing."

Nico jerked back. "No!" He shouted. Then in a calmer tone, "No, t-that's fine."

Magnus: Why does everybody act like I'm going to somehow dissect their mind if I try to heal them?

Magnus then caught sight of blood caked around the side of the necromancer's stomach. "No. Shirt. Off. Now. You're going to bleed to death if you don't get that healed."

"I told you I'm fine!" Nico snapped.

"Di Angelo, seriously, once this is all over you are free to hand me in."

Nico glared at him for a minute longer, long enough for Magnus's face to turn red and shift his feet awkwardly.

Nico: As I said, awkward bonding moments. Be thankful this didn't actually happen, Chase.

Magnus: Don't jinx us, please.

"Fine. But don't try anything funny Chase."

Nico pulled off his shirt, revealing a fairly well toned body from years of hunting and fighting. Magnus's face heated up more and he quickly moved around as fast as his sprained ankle would permit, grabbing supplies before standing besides di Angelo and cleaning the wounds.

Sam: /laughs/ How cute.

Magnus: /flushes/ Shut up.

"Thanks again for helping with my foot and shoulder. You did a decent job with the stitching," Magnus said.

Nico blushed. "Thanks, my um, my boyfriend was a doctor. He showed me how to care for certain wounds and stuff."

Nico: /blushes lightly/

Magnus: /smirks/ I didn't know Will would be mentioned in this story.

Magnus raised his eyebrow. "Boyfriend? Now that's not something you commonly hear around here. Was he handsome?" Nico responded with a quick jab to Magnus's ribs with his elbow. "Ow! Okay okay!" Magnus laughed. "I'll pull out your stitches if you do that!" Magnus finished with Nico's shoulder and knelt to stitch up the nasty gash in his side.

"So... This boyfriend of yours..."

"Is dead."

Magnus: /pales/ That was...sudden.

Nico: /stays silent/

Magnus: Uh, you okay, Nico?

Nico: /gaze returns to Magnus/ Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just reminded of some nightm—never mind.

Magnus: /examines Nico's cold stare, and let's it go/ Okay, if you say so.

Magnus stopped. "Oh. I'm... I'm sorry to hear that."

Nico bowed his head. "Yeah well, it was his own stupid fault. And no, I'm not talking about him anymore."

Magnus nodded and silently continued. The work was harder than expected given that Nico kept flinching. His own hands kept shaking slightly. He felt nervous and couldn't think of why. Nico kept acting like he was about to stab Magnus and make a break for it.

Sam: Stabbing Magnus is never a bad option.

Finally Magnus finished and stood. His body ached from concentration and felt oddly drained of energy. "There, that should hold up."

Nico turned and looked at him. Had he always been that close? "Thanks Chase. You're a lot nicer than I thought, for a wanted man."

Magnus smirked and raised his hands. "I'm not as bad as the books say."

"Be quiet evil-one."

"Oohh, name calling? How fearsome."

Sam: /leans on palms/ Bickering already? They're definitely pining.

Magnus: Sam; again, we are right here.

Nico scowled and Magnus stared down at him, trying not to laugh. "So, are you still going to turn me in di Angelo?"

Nico looked away. "M-maybe not..."

"So you're willing to give up the apparent position of your dreams for me?"

Nico flushed and crossed his arms stubbornly.

Magnus leaned down and without really thinking, kissed the top of Nico's head gently. Nico jumped back and stared up at Magnus in shock. Magnus felt the cliché butterflies in his stomach as his own face heated up.

Sam: /cooes while Nico and Magnus both blush wildly/

"Er... Sorry bout that, I uh-"

Nico cut him off and smiled slightly. "No, no, it's... Fine."

Magnus smiled back down at him.

Magnus: /scrolls down/ That's all, I think.

Nico: It well-written and accurate, I guess.

Sam: It was increasingly cute, too. /realization seeps through her countenance/ Wait...Nico?

Nico: What?

Sam: Greek demigods aren't allowed to be next to technology, right?

Nico: I mean, technically our scent would just—/eyes widen/ Oh. Fuck.

Magnus: /looks at laptop/ Should I throw this out the window or something?

Sam: No! Uh, we just need to be calm and see what happens. /screams erupt from outside/

/all of them exchange identical 'oh shit, no' glances/

----

...and that's it! Hope you guys enjoyed this trainwreck—oh, and questions are closed for a while, but feel free to ask, I might just update slower than usual since I'm traveling soon. Until next time! <33