Request for Mal_The_Blender that was actually requested a month ago but I only got to today because I had to get through all of my pre-writes that I did for nano. Sorry, it's late, but I hope you like it! Also, very minor tw for suicide(it doesn't actually happen) but if you're triggered by the mention of it, you've been warned.

Will's POV- 2015

"They're going to kill you if you don't get out of New York." Percy sits next to Will on his bed, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches a line of blood run down Will's arm.

"I'm going to be fine," Will says, wincing as he dabs Neosporin onto a deep gash in his arm. "She's a really minor goddess, Percy, how much can she really do?"

"She's a really minor goddess who has an army of hellhounds and is still pissed that you killed so many of her kids in the war," Percy says. "She's not gonna stop, you know. It's already been months and she's still going strong. You need to leave, for your own safety." He's quiet as he hands Will a roll of gauze, staring down at the ground. "I think she's serious about hurting Nico, too."

"She isn't serious," Will says but he can feel the blood draining out of his face and his body feels tense. "She's after me, not him."

"She said that you hurt the things she loved, so she's going to hurt who you love," Percy says. "Nico's scared, Will." His head snaps up, his mouth parting but he can't find any words.

"He is?" he says, at last, his voice hoarse. "Did he tell you?"

"Yeah. He's scared for him, and for you. You're getting attacked almost daily now, and we don't exactly have the protection of Camp Half-Blood anymore. I told you that moving out was a risky decision."

"He loves the city, though," Will says. "We can't go back." He heaves a sigh,  wrapping the gauze tightly around his arm. He tucks the end into the wrapping and watches as blood seeps through. "What do you think I should do?"

"There's one thing I can think of," Percy says. "You won't like it."

"Percy, just tell me."

"You can fake your own death," Percy says. "We can say your drowned yourself, and I couldn't find the body. There won't be a body to find, and you probably won't be chased anymore. It's the only thing I can think of."

"Nico can come with me though, right?" Will askes, a hint of desperation in his voice. "We can go to, like, Australia together, and she'll never find us."

"Nico's aura is too powerful," Percy says.  "A son of Hades- that's going to attract some attention. Technically it's dangerous to be with me right now. A son of Apollo should be safe if you're far enough away. Get the cheapest flight out tonight, go halfway across the world. Maybe one day you can come back, but it's not safe for anyone here if you stay." Will tilts his head to the ceiling, blinking tears back. He can remember the day he and Nico had bought their apartment, the excitement in Nico's eyes as he signed the lease. The feeling of walking into a Bed, Bath and Beyond for the first time with Nico by his side, picking out the black covers for their bed that Will's sitting on that day. He can't stand to lose that, the tiny life they've built up for themselves over the past year, and he can't stand to lose Nico. But he also can't stand to put him in danger so he nods, standing up.

"Ok," he says. "What do I have to do?"

"You can't take much, it'll look suspicious," Percy says. "Take some clothes that Nico hasn't seen in years, maybe a spare toothbrush, but you have to get out as soon as possible. Go to Australia, or somewhere far away. I know this is sudden but you have to go now. I'll tell Nico." Will nods, his head spinning. He can feel his hands shaking and he's nodding but it feels like he's not going through the motions himself, and someone else is gripping his head, moving it up and down for him. "Do you need anything else? I think it'll be good to tell him now. I'll go to the studio and break the news."

"I'm all set," Will says. "Thank you, though. For everything." He throws his arms around Percy's body, resting his head on Percy's shoulder. He feels warm as Percy hugs him back, leaning into the embrace. When they break apart there are tears snaking down both of their faces and Will smiles wryly, flicking his to the floor. "Tell Nico how much I love him," he begs, his voice choked.

"Of course." They stand in silence, underneath the flickering light that was so annoying all other times but now that Will knows he's never going to be woken by the bright light at midnight anymore, he feels an incredible sense of sadness sweep over his body. "Good luck, Will. And I know it's dangerous, but stay in touch. Send letters to my apartment once you're settled down, and I'll write back. Maybe one day you can come back." Will nods again, not bothering to wipe away the tears that are waterfalling down his face.

"One day," he whispers. Percy sighs, glancing at the floor.

"You should go," he says. "Pack lightly and get the furthest flight from here." He wraps Will in one last hug, and Will leans into his embrace. "Good luck. I'll miss you." Will's limbs hang loosely at his side as Percy breaks the embrace and when he steps out of the door, he feels cold. He moves slowly, shoving the necessities into a duffel; a couple of tee shirts he hasn't worn in years, a dirty pair of jeans, a toothbrush he found stuffed in the back of a closet. He's about to leave when his eyes land on his Camp Half-Blood necklace, coiled up on his nightstand. He wraps it in his grip, the beads smooth underneath his fingers. It makes him sad to remember all of the memories made with Nico while wearing that necklace; the colors flashing as they fought the final battle of the war together, seeing it hang down when he tended to Nico during his time in the infirmary, how it stood out against the darkness of the night when they said I love you on the blanket of sand with stars glittering above them. He grabs it on a whim, hanging it around his neck and curling his fingers around the beads. He can't leave it, no matter what.

"LaGuardia Airport, please," he says as he slides into the back of a taxi. He watches as the city flies by, the city he's fallen in love with, Nico by his side. The taxi pauses at a light and when he looks to the left he can see the art studio that Nico works at and as his head turns he can hear a cry of pain rise up and a small dark-haired figure is throwing his arms around a taller figure. The back of the smaller person is shaking and Will feels his heart shatter into pieces as he sinks down low in his seat so that he can no longer see the studio.

The airport is bustling and he smiles at the woman at the desk, dragging his duffel behind him. "I'd like one economy ticket to the Sydney Airport in Australia, please," he says, forcing the words out.

"One way or round trip?" Will pauses.

"One way, please." He'll have to apply for a visa once he gets there. Maybe he can be a doctor. Or he can just live in the woods and try not to die.

"Here you are, sir," the woman says, handing him the ticket. Will's heart sinks as he goes through the motions of security, stepping through the tunnel into the plane. It doesn't feel real until he hears the roar of the plane engines and they're rising above the city and Will is watching as it turns to a mere tapestry underneath him.

Nico's POV-2016

It's a funny thing, he thinks to himself as he lays like a corpse on his bed, his arms folded over his chest in the dark. After a year goes by it suddenly hits that he's gone and he's never coming back. The first few weeks were the easiest, where he could pretend that Will was on a trip, and he'd be waiting for Nico with open arms at the airport when he got back. But as time went by it was harder and harder to ignore the emptiness in the apartment, and the pain slowly blossoming in his chest. And when it's been a year, and everyone is texting you all of a sudden, showing up to your door with baked goods and hugs, it hit him like a truck; he is never, ever, going to see Will again.

There's a knock at his door and he jumps up, his heart hammering as his feet move across the cold floor. There's excitement building at his chest as he flings the door open but he feels himself deflating as he stares into Percy's bright green eyes, a fake smile on his face. "Oh," Nico says, his hand dropping to his side. "It's you."

"Wow, I thought you'd be more excited to see me," Percy says, stepping into the room. He flips a switch and Nico is blinded as light floods into the room. "I baked you a cake. Chocolate. You're favorite, right?"

"Just go away, Percy," he groans, collapsing onto his bed and burying his face into the black comforter. A painful memory pops into his brain, of him and Will curled up underneath the covers as snow flurries on the windowsill and he grips his head, pushing it out.

"Listen, I know it's hard for you." Percy's voice wavers as the bed bows underneath his weight and he sets the cake down next to him, rubbing circles in Nico's back. "I can't imagine what it feels like, to lose someone like that. But that still doesn't mean you can shut everyone out."

"Yes, it does."

"Nico, you need to listen to me. Will wouldn't want this for you. I remember, just an hour and a half before he did it, he was talking about how much he wanted you to be happy, and have a good life. He'd want you to get back out there and live your life. Don't forget about him- never forget about him. But don't shut yourself away and let him consume you, either."

"If he wanted me to be happy then why did he fucking kill himself?" Nico cries. "I've never been more miserable in my life." He feels himself being pulled up and Percy is cradling him against his chest, running his fingers through Nico's shaggy hair.

"I think there's part of the story you don't know," he says. "There's part of the story that none of us know. And maybe one day you'll figure it out, and maybe you won't. But if there's one thing that I do know, you were the reason he almost didn't go. I think that you kept him here a lot longer than he should have been and you need to know that he went out loving you more than anything." Nico nods, tears running silently down his cheeks.

"Thank you," he whispers, warm in Percy's embrace. "So, so much."

"It'll be okay one day," Percy says, rocking him gently back and forth. "One day, you'll know everything." And Nico doesn't know why but for some reason, he believes him.

Will's POV- 2020

The door still looks the same as it did five years ago, the crack still running down the middle from where Nico had slammed into it after a long night in the clubs. Percy told him that Nico would be hope at six and it's seven- he should really just knock. But as his hand hovers at the door he pauses, rocking on the balls of his feet. He can hear activity; quiet music and humming, Nico's voice deeper than he remembers. He wants to knock but for some reason, he can't; his hand is frozen and he's shaking head to toe but he forces himself to give one quick rap on the wood, wincing as he hears the music stop, and footsteps get closer. And then the door is swinging open and Nico is standing in front of him, his body framed in the golden light of the apartment. His hair is a few inches longer than Will remembers, falling shaggily down to brush just above his shoulders. He's too thin, and his face looks hollow. He's wearing the pajama pants that Will got him for Christmas six years ago, and Will's heart shatters just looking at him.

He's about to open his mouth when the floor gives a rumble and all of a sudden it's splitting open, an army of skeletal soldiers rising up and aiming bayonets at Will's chest. "You have five seconds to explain what the fuck you are," Nico says. "Or you're dead."

"Nico, Nico, wait," Will says, stepping forward and raising his hands above his head. "It's me. Will Solace, you're boyfriend, the person who still loves you."

"Shut up," Nico snaps, tears welling up in his eyes. "Will died five years ago. What are you?"

"Nico, please," Will begs. "It's me, I promise. I faked my own death, went into hiding because of the goddess who wanted to kill me. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I couldn't put you in danger. But I killed her, and I'm safe, and you're safe so please, Nico, believe me, because if you don't, everything I've gone through in the past five years will be worth absolutely nothing." Nico narrows his eyes, wiping a tear off of his face and the skeleton army steps back, lowering their bayonets.

"Prove it." Will's heart flutters for the first time in five years.

"The time I said I love you," he says, stepping forward and grabbing Nico's hands. "We escaped the harpies and ran to the beach. It was a full moon and there were stars everywhere and you were wearing that stupid shirt that you loved so much. The one that Percy made for you, that said I Survived Tartarus, remember? And you looked beautiful, and the waves were lapping against the sand, and I kissed you and told you that I loved you more than I had ever loved anyone else. And then you told me you loved me, too, and then the harpies got us, and we had to do dishes for the next month and you burned your hand in the lava and I had to heal it for you but it was worth it." Nico's mouth drops open and he's staring at Will, gaping. "You can call Percy, too. He gave me the idea to run away in the first place." Nico's eyes are still narrow but he pulls out his phone, an old flip phone to throw the monsters off of his trail and at once the skeletons raise their bayonets, circling him.

"Don't move a muscle," he says, clicking a few buttons. Will watches with a pounding heart as Nico exchanges words with Percy and he's not exactly sure how the conversation went but at some point, Nico starts crying, and the skeleton army is swallowed back up by the floor. When he hangs up the phone he wipes tears off of his cheeks, staring at Will with watery eyes. "It really is you, isn't it?" he asks, his voice shaking.

"Yeah, it is," Will says. Nico throws his arms around Will's waist and Will hugs him back. Nico's body feels right in his arms, fitting like a puzzle piece, and it's the best feeling in the world.

Hi guys, I hope you liked it!

Nina