Hi guys, I'm just putting a trigger warning here because there will be mentions to a suicide but with that said, hope you enjoy!

Will's POV

Their apartment feels empty, but not the type of empty that it used to be when Nico was at work, or with friends. It's the type of empty when you could hear a pin drop a hundred yards away, the type of empty that you get when you take something out of its place and never put it back, and there's just a hole where it used to be. The type of empty that gets too much after a while, the type of empty that leaves him sobbing at three in the morning because of the hole in his heart that'll never fill. 

Instead of focusing his attention on the emptiness, the quiet, he turns back to the papers sprawled across the kitchen table, pouring himself another glass of wine with shaking hands as he goes over the plans. As he looks at the papers he catches a glimpse of the gold wedding band still on his finger, glimmering in the light from above. It's a painful reminder of what once was, of the high school fling that turned to years of curling up together in their tiny New York City apartment, listening to horns blare below them as they fell asleep in each other's arms. Years of eating take-out in their pajamas watching bad movies, years of quiet expressions of love exchanged in the dead of night. Years of memories and romance and love that felt like it had been thrown out the window. Fuck, he's crying again. 

He hears a knock at the door and he wipes at his eyes, forcing himself to stand up. His muscles ache and suddenly he wonders when the last time he stood up was. He glances out the window, and wonders when it got dark. 

When he opens the door Percy is standing in the hallway, his eyebrows knit together in the middle as he holds a pizza. "Hey, can I come in?" 

"Yeah, sure." Will runs his hands through his hair as he holds the door open wider. His hair is beginning to get that thin coat of grease and he grimaces, wiping his hand on his sweatpants as he follows Percy inside. "So, what's up?" 

"Nothing much." He leans over, pushing all of Will's papers into a neat pile and setting down the pizza, grabbing plates. When he opens the cabinets he sees Nico's mug sitting sadly on the shelf, already dusty from lack of use. The thought sends a sharp pain through his chest and he takes his seat again, running his hands through his hair as he listens to Percy rummage around in his kitchen. He's been over so much he knows where everything is and soon he's putting down a slice of pizza in front of Will, and a glass of water. "Just thought I'd check in." Will laughs dryly, leaning back in his chair and playing with the grease on the pizza. 

"I know what this is about." 

"Will-" 

"You're all worried about me, aren't you?" he says, his face heating up. He can't stand to look at Percy any longer so his trembling fingers wrap around his glass of wine but before he can take a sip Percy leans over, taking it gently from his hands. Despite the emotions raging through Will's body, it's easy. 

"Maybe go a little easy on the wine," Percy says gently. "And yeah, we are. You've been shut up in here for days." 

"Yeah, well, funeral planning is hard," he snaps, feeling his eyes stinging again. He sniffs, wiping hard at his cheeks even before the tears can flow. "I've been busy."

"You still shouldn't be alone," Percy says. "You should eat." He picks up his pizza and Will follows, taking a tiny nibble off of the tip as Percy tucks in, wiping pizza sauce off of the corner of his mouth. Will takes another bite and he can feel Percy watching him as if he's an animal in a zoo. "So, how are you doing?" 

"Great," Will says, unwilling to meet Percy's eyes. They're getting into dangerous territory, and he isn't in the mood to cry again. He wipes at his eyes again, glancing down at his pizza to avoid Percy. If he thinks about the grease glinting off of the pizza, the taste of the cheese, everything he has to do, he won't have to confront the problem looming over his head, the emotions threatening to bubble over at any minute. 

"Will, come on. This has to be hard for you. You were together for years." 

"Percy." The word comes out a little bit too hard but Percy doesn't look upset. Just concerned. Somehow, that's worse. "I just- I just don't want to talk about it. I just want to keep planning the funeral and deal with it after." 

"That's not going to work and you know it." Percy sighs, scooting closer and resting a hand on Will's arm. "Come on, Will. Just talk to me. You have to confront his death at some point, and it's better to do it now, with people who care about you." Will swallows hard, and for the first time, he doesn't look away as tears begin to stream down his face. His breath hitches in his chest and his head spins, filled with memory after memory of his relationship that just makes everything worse. "You know I'm here for you, right? I care about you. And Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Reyna- they care about you, too. We're all here for you." Will is crying too hard to speak through and Percy inches so close their chairs are touching, wrapping Will up in a tight hug. He rubs Will's back as he sobs and after what feels like hours his body is dry he breaks apart from Percy's grip, wiping the water off of his cheeks with the back of his hands. They come back soaking. "You ready to talk?" 

"It's just- I didn't even get a note, you know?" he says, his voice still shaky. "Did I do something wrong? Did I not love him enough, did he not love me enough?" More tears slide down his cheeks and he lets it happen, let's himself cry and cry. He feels freer, yet sadder than he has in days. "And I asked him, a few times if something was wrong. And he said he was fine, but maybe if I hadn't believed him, he wouldn't be dead. Should I have done something better, Percy? Should I have loved him more?" Percy pulls him in for another hug, squeezing Will to his chest. 

"You did everything right," Percy says, his voice quiet. He rubs Will's back as he sobs again, his entire body trembling. "Some things just happen, and they're no one's fault. They just suck. A lot. And you have to deal with it, and be with the people that care about you so you can get through it." He breaks apart from Will, still holding him by the shoulders and looking at him as if he's trying to uncover each and every emotion buried deep within Will's heart. "Why don't you come over." 

"Percy, I-" Will pauses, wiping his eyes. His body is aching and it isn't until now he realizes he's so, so tired. He just wants to sleep but he can't go back to that bed, with Nico's spot forever empty and cold. Maybe he'll sleep on the couch that night. Or, it's more likely that he'd pass out over the funeral plans. "I don't need your sympathy." 

 "I'm not trying to give you my sympathy, I'm trying to give you my support. Come on, Will. You shouldn't be alone, planning Nico's funeral by yourself. Come over, get a good night's sleep, and Annabeth and I can help you with the plans." Will stares at the floor, his eyes taking in every grain of sand, spec of dirt. He had never noticed how dirty the apartment had gotten until now; even in such a short amount of time, it's a mess. "Will, come on. You need this." 

"Yeah, sure." He sighs, pushing himself up and making sure his legs don't collapse underneath him before taking a step towards his bedroom. "Just let me pack up first." 

"Yeah, of course." He doesn't like the tone that he's still getting from Percy, the sympathy and pity that his words are soaked in. But he's so tired and so sad, and so lonely, and maybe it would be good to be with friends. To have someone there for him, to talk to him. Maybe that's what he needs. 

He does his best to avoid the little memories scattered across their bedroom but it's difficult; as he grabs one of his sweatshirts out of his dresser he brushes against a bright orange tee shirt from a summer camp they went to together, summer going into sophomore year. They had always gone to the same school, had always been friends, but that summer camp had pushed them together, prompted late-night conversations by the water, sneaking into each other's cabins long past curfew, sharing jokes that pushed them into each other's arms a few short months later, the ultimate high-school sweethearts. Until, of course, Nico's suicide, and his world shattered around him. That's when the whispers started, the rumors that it was Will's fault, that he should have stepped in, done something more. Or, maybe those were just in his head. That's what his friends told him, anyway. But, despite years of tight-knit friendship, it was now, when he needed to trust them the most, he was having trouble believing them. 

Percy smiles at him when he comes out of the room, his old backpack on his back with his things shoved inside. There's a hole in the bottom from where he had fallen off of his bike in his junior year. He remembers it like it had been yesterday. The first warm day of the year and he and Nico rode their bikes all around the suburbs of the city until Will's wheel had snagged on a rock and he tumbled, skidding on his arm as the ground shredded the bottom of his backpack. He can still remember the panic in Nico's voice, the flash in his wide eyes as he dropped to the ground, gripping Will's arm. There were drops of blood popping up in the torn skin and he had frowned, running a thumb across Will's cheek. "Are you okay?" he had murmured, his voice soft. 

"Yeah," Will had said, doing his best to give him a smile despite the pain. "I'm okay." 

He wonders if that's what Nico had done, said that he was alright over and over again until everyone believed him. Will touches the scar from the fall almost unconsciously, the thin imprint of the wound standing out against his skin. Percy smiles at him again, the plans for the funeral tucked underneath his arm. They're folded in so that Nico can't see the writing and it makes him unnecessarily nervous, seeing the blank pages. Like all of his work had been erased in one folding choice. "You ready?" 

"Yeah. I'm ready." 

The air is cold for summer, and the noises of the city blare around him, making his eardrums pound. It wasn't quite as painful when he was with Nico; they'd curl up in their bed, noses touching and listen to the noises, making up stories about people in the cars until one of them drifted off, the other soon follows. Everything around him reminds him of Nico; maybe it'll be good to go to Percy and Annabeth's apartment for a while. Maybe a change of scenery would be good. 

It's a bumpy ride and Will spends the entirety of it with his head pressed against the glass pane, watching as they crawl past storefronts and tiny parks squashed in between buildings. He doesn't know why it took him this long to realize that every single spot holds a memory of him and Nico, each one just as painful as the last. He sees Percy glance at him a few times but every time Will notices he just glances back out the window, watching as the city slowly shifts away from the landscape that he's come to memorize. He doesn't feel like talking. 

Annabeth wraps him in a hug as soon as he walks through the door and for a few seconds his arms hang limply at his side until he slowly hugs her back, his head resting on her shoulder. She smells of clean clothes and dish soap and it's homey in a sense, calming and he sighs deeply, holding in a sob. "We don't have a spare bedroom," she murmurs, breaking apart and holding him at an arm's length. It feels as if she's observing him, waiting to see if he'll break down. "But I've got the couch all set up for you." 

"Thanks." He can tell that they put a lot of effort into making him feel comfortable; so far neither one of them has mentioned Nico, and Percy has tucked the funeral plans away in a bookshelf, a clear signal that he won't be working on them any time that night. 

"We're really glad you're here, Will," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Thanks," he repeats, his voice dull. He's scared that he'll come off as insincere because he means it, he really does. "I am, too." He pats his backpack, flashing her a fake smile. "I'm gonna get ready for bed." He can feel Annabeth and Percy watching him as he shuts himself in the bathroom. The last thing he sees before shutting the door is Percy with his hand wrapped around Annabeth's waist, Annabeth chewing her nails. It's an old habit she managed to kick in their senior year; she must be worried to bring it back. 

He changes slowly, pulling on a clean pair of sweats, a clean tee shirt. He's been wearing the same ones for days, and they're beginning to smell. He brushes his teeth slowly and each movement seems to take more and more energy. He doesn't remember ever feeling this tired before and when he gets out, he's ready to collapse. Annabeth has set up a bed on their couch, with sheets and a pile of pillows and a glass of water sitting on the table. "Do you need anything else?" she asks from the kitchen table, sipping a glass of wine as she flips through a thick novel. "Are you hungry? Percy mentioned that you didn't eat much pizza, and I-" 

"I'm fine, Annabeth," Will says, pulling the blanket over himself. Even as he's talking to her, he can feel himself falling asleep. 

"Are you sure?" she asks, her eyebrows knitting together in the middle. 

"Yeah, Annabeth, I'm sure." He smiles at her as Percy comes back into the room, changed into a pair of pale blue pajama shorts. He takes a seat next to Annabeth, taking a sip of her wine. She slaps his hand lightly and he laughs quietly, pecking her on the cheek. He misses those things; the quiet expressions of love that speak volumes. He wonders if he'll ever get that again. He almost starts crying again but he can't, not in front of Percy and Annabeth. "I'm just gonna go to sleep." His voice cracks as he sinks down into his cocoon of blankets, his breath hitching as he lets a single tear roll out from the corner of his eyes. "Night, guys." 

"Night." 

"Goodnight, Will." It doesn't take long for him to be pulled into the half realm of sleep where he's not quite unconscious but still too tired to lift his head, the place where his vision is blurred and blackened around the edges but not quite gone. It's in this state he hears Annabeth's voice, so quiet that Will can barely hear her. "I'm worried about him." 

"Yeah, so am I," Percy says with a heavy sigh. "But it's normal, this close to losing someone like that. But in time, he'll heal." 

"Are you sure?" She sounds worried. That's one thing he can pick up, this close to unconsciousness. 

"Yeah." He's just about to slip away, just about to enter into a world of bliss where he doesn't have to think about anything anymore. He wants to be there so badly, wants to be completely detached from the world but first, he hears two words that leave him with a small flutter in his stomach. "I'm sure." 

Hi guys, I hope you liked that one!

Nina