Author's note: This idea just popped up in my head, so I sat down and wrote this story. I didn't edit anything after I wrote it (remove that. I edited a few sentences after proofreading it again). Enjoy reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus are the property of Rick Riordan.

Nico woke up, snuggled against Percy. Even after dating for one year (to be precise: one year and one day), his heart leaped at the thought of his boyfriend. He still couldn't believe that he had won Percy's heart. But they were together for one year now, and if that wasn't evidence enough, he didn't know what else would prove that Percy really loved him.

Two years after the war, Percy and Annabeth had broken up. They had kept bickering, in front of everything and everyone. Annabeth had accused Percy of resting on his laurels, while Percy had accused her of being too ambitious. Their arguments had escalated when Percy had quit college after almost breaking down under the pressure. Eventually, they had gone parted ways.

And Nico had been there for Percy, as he would always be, giving him consolation and cheering him up. He had kept reassuring Percy that Percy wasn't the idiotic piece of shit Percy made himself out to be. He had spent hours, days, weeks building Percy's self-esteem up again.

Even though that hadn't been Nico's intention, eventually, Percy had realized how much he loved Nico. He had loved him before, of course, but in a totally platonic way, like a best friend, or maybe a little brother, since he had always insisted to protect Nico even though Nico was totally capable of solving his problems on his own.

But Percy had discovered that his feelings for Nico were far beyond platonic.

They had had arguments, of course, but all in all they were too happy to have finally found each other to stay mad at each other for longer than a week.

A few months ago, they had moved into a little apartment in New York. It wasn't much, but it was theirs, far away from the closeness of a Camp Half-Blood, or the rush of a New Rome.

No Jason barging into the room when they were about to kiss.

No Leo pulling stupid jokes.

No Coach Hedge yelling PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! (Hedge had begun to use this phrase after he had found out about the holographic Hedge)

No Aphrodite campers giggling at them.

No Annabeth glaring daggers into them.

Nico was utterly happy, and by the looks of it, so was Percy.

When Nico returned from the shower, he found Percy, stuffing his belongings into two big suitcases, and he almost suffered a heart attack. "Wha- what are you doing?" He stuttered. There had to be a logical explanation for this. This couldn't possibly mean what it looked like. No, no, no, no. Percy… leaving? That thought hurt beyond imagination, all the more since Nico couldn't imagine why Percy would to that.

Percy looked up, a painful and guilty expression on his face. "I'm leaving, Neeks. I won't bother you anymore. You deserve better than me." Nico's thought he would break down right here. Why would Percy think that? And why did he look so damn guilty? "Percy, don't do that! How can you even think of you like that? I don't want 'better' than you!" He exclaimed, but if anything, Percy looked even more painful. "You wouldn't want me around if you knew what I've done. I wanted to tell you, but I'm too much of a coward." He kept packing.

"Percy, whatever it is you think you've done, we can figure it out! I don't give a shit what you did! What would be so worse that I wouldn't want you around anymore?" Nico hesitated for a moment. "Damn, Percy, whatever it is, if you think I couldn't forgive you, you're dead wrong! What is it, did you cheat one me or why do you look so damn guilty?" Percy shook his head. "Worse. Please, don't pry, I won't tell you." He slammed the suitcases shut.

"Goodbye, Nico."

Nico's world fell apart, and he broke down and cried for ten minutes before he was able to at least think. This couldn't be real. Percy hadn't just left him. This was just a nightmare, and Percy was going to wake him from it.

But he didn't. This was totally real. Percy. Had. Left. Him. Because of something stupid he had done and thought Nico wouldn't forgive. Curse Percy, curse his insecurity, curse everything and everybody that existed on earth.

Nico had searched for Percy a whole week. He hadn't told anybody, had barely slept and eaten. He wasn't just called Ghost King, now he looked like one would imagine a king of the dead. Closer to death than to life. He had search all hiding spots he could imagine, and was now going to check the last place on his list. Sally and Paul's place. Unless Percy was sleeping somewhere under a bridge, this was the last place where he could possibly hide.

"Have you seen Percy during the past week, Mrs. Jackson?"

Sally smiled at Nico, but she looked worried. "I wondered whether you were going to ask. Percy is in his old room. We tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't answer." She pulled Nico into a hug. "Nico, has something happened between you two?" Nico gently freed himself from her grip. "I hope not, Mrs. Jackson. I hope not."

He slipped into the shadows.

Percy shrieked when Nico materialized inside his room, his expression full of terror and fear. He hastily crawled away from Nico, trying to get as much space as possible between him and Nico. It hurt Nico to see that. He took a step towards Percy and did his best to let the temperature in the room drop. The fact that only the small lamp on Percy's bedside drawer illuminated the room completed the dark atmosphere.

"Perseus Jackson!" He put all the authority he could gather into his voice and saw Percy flinch at the mention of his full name. "Why did you just run away? How could you even think of doing this to me?" He changed from a stern voice to a gentle voice. "This week without you was worse than anything that you could have possibly done. You got me worried sick."

Percy did what he would have least expected: He jumped up, shoved him away, and ran out of the door. Nico gasped surprised, and ran after him. Before Sally and Paul could even say 'what', Percy and Nico had run through the living room and out of the door.

"PERCY! COME BACK! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" Nico yelled as he ran after Percy. People gave them weird looks, but he didn't care. He ignored the traffic lights and ran after Percy across the road, unable to catch up to him.

"GO BACK NICO! YOU'RE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Percy stumbled and tripped over something, and Nico saw his chance and dashed forward. He tried to catch Percy, which led to both of them lying in a puddle next to each other. Percy's eyes were filled with tears, and he avoided Nico's gaze.

"Percy- I want you to know that I'm sorry, but you leave me without another choice." Nico took a deep breath. "Until you tell me what you think you might have done that would hurt me to know, I will keep prying, and I won't love anybody else until you tell me. That I swear on River Styx."

He knew that that was unfair against Percy, that it would leave Percy with no choice, but he didn't care. He had run after Percy for a week, and right now he would have died to know what was bothering his boyfriend (he refused to think of Percy as anything else). Thus he wasn't surprised when Percy flinched and stiffened next to him after he had finished. "Now, tell me Percy. Now and here."

Percy was now shaken by sobs, but Nico helped him to get up and wiped Percy's tears away. He wasn't surprised when Percy smacked his hands away and grabbed him by the shoulders. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" he yelled. Slowly, he calmed down. "Fine, I'm going to tell you. But I wish that you wouldn't have sworn this, and once you know, you'll wish that too."

Nico sat on a park bench and watched as Percy paced forth and back in front of him, trying to get his breath under control.

"I'nt've'u."

"What? Don't mumble like that!"

Percy took a deep breath.

"I said I didn't love you! Are you satisfied now?"

Nico's heart cringed as he tried to figure out what that meant. Thousands of thoughts shot through his head while he imagined a dozen possible scenarios, but he always ended up asking himself if that meant that Percy had never loved him.

"Wh-What do you mean, Percy?"

"Do you remember the day when I asked you out?"

Oh, he surely remembered it. Percy had been hesitant to admit his feelings for Nico, but he had finally asked him on a date. And Nico had been the happiest person alive.

"I didn't do that because of love."

Frosty silence followed Percy's words.

"I was fuming and totally raging against Annabeth. And not because I missed her, but because I couldn't bear the thought that she had left me. I was stupid, and arrogant, and whatnot. I was even selfish enough to think that she should be glad to be with me, the Savior of Olympus. To put it short, I angry at her, not realizing my own mistakes and my share on our breakup. I- I didn't even think of thanking you for being there for me. I can't believe what an asshole I've been…

But that's not the worst.

I didn't ask you out because I loved you. I asked you out because I wanted to hurt Annabeth, wanted to show her that I was fine without her. I did it from selfish, idiotic reasons, and I didn't think a second about what that might do to you. But the longer we were together, the more I realized how much I actually felt for you. Guilt kept haunting me, and last week, our first year anniversary made me finally realize that I couldn't stay with you. It was either tell you and get kicked out by you, or leave you and hope you'd find someone who'd be worth of you.

I don't expect you to believe a single word of what I said. And I guess now you understand why I didn't want you to know. But I hope you understand that you're far better off without me."

Nico didn't know when Percy had fallen on his knees. Might have been at the beginning of his speech, or at the end, he couldn't tell. Fact was, Percy was kneeling in front of him, crying, a picture of misery. Nico couldn't bear it to see Percy heartbroken like this.

"Percy" he gently said "you're right, this confession will change a lot. But one thing won't change: In spite of whatever you imagined, I still love you. And you can't say anything that would change that. We might be thrown back a little, but we're not back at square one. I will learn to trust you again, and you will learn to trust me. And to tell me things that bother you."

Percy's eyes widened as he processed Nico's words. "You… don't hate me?" Nico smiled as he stroke Percy's cheek. "Never." He laid his hands on Percy's shoulders, and the insecurity was clearly writ in his face when he asked "may I?"

Percy nodded, and Nico pulled him closer, sealing their lips.

"We'd better get back inside before we catch a cold. I think we have a lot to explain anyhow…"