It was seventeen years before Will met Nico that the later was born. The hospital room was surrounded by royal guards. In the bed, the queen held her child close to her chest.

Hades had been king for at least ten years by that point. He looked at his daughter and decided that she would be queen after him.

Years went by. The daughter grew but lost her happiness. The queen died from a sickness that had never been fully diagnosed. She took from the world whatever happiness her daughter had left.

Yet still, she grew. She was twelve when she finally admitted to herself that she was a boy inside. Her father swore that she would never change if she was under his roof.

So she left.

The doctor that helped her change kept her secret well. She turned into Nico, she turned into him. The surgeries went by and the supplements were taken continuously. As Nico aged some more, he finally felt at home with his body and the world.

But the guards kept looking for the lost princess. The king kept yearning for his lost child.

The princess was no longer a princess. The new prince feared the castle and everything it stood for. He hid in the snowy streets and the small alleys.

Bones too small. Skin too pale. Hair as dirty as his fingernails. Heart too small for hope.

The wind was blowing against the windows by the time Nico finished his story. His voice had risen to be heard, yet it still remained quiet to Will's ears. His hands never stopped gripping Will's arm.

When the words died in his throat and the story had finished, his eyes stared ahead with a hint of death where his hope should lay. He didn't speak about anything else.

Will himself sat in a state of shock after hearing what Nico had told him. No wonder Nico had always been so terrified, no wonder he never wanted to let anyone in. One mistake and he'd be taken back to the place he had barely escaped.

"Nico..." he swallowed thickly. "I... Thank you for telling me."

Nico pulled his knees to his chest before burying his head in them. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"What?" Will looked over in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

Nico's voice was muffled as he buried his head even deeper in his knees. "The reward money."

Will blinked a few times before chuckling. "You think I'd turn you in for money?"

Nico nodded.

Will wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders, making the smaller boy jump slightly in shock. "We're friends, Nico. Remember?"

Nico leaned his head on Will's shoulder. He wiped his eyes. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me." Will leaned his own head on Nico's. "We're friends. Friends do these things for one another."

"You use that excuse a lot." Nico wiped his eyes again.

"Friends are important to me," he replied. "They always have been. So you'll just have to get used to that."

"I don't mind that," Nico whispered.

Will laid on his bed and watched as Nico dried his hair with a towel. His bare chest sent shivers down Will's spine.

"I forgot how good showers feel." Nico had looked comfortable with Will ever since he had explained what happened. The sweatpants Will loaned him hung off his skinny frame.

"Did it calm you down?" Will asked.

Nico nodded as he took the towel from his head. "The warmth is nice."

Will thought back to how Nico explained living on the streets, could barely picture how cold it must have been.

"Where do I put this?" Nico held the towel up.

"Bathroom is fine." Will didn't take his eyes off of him. "I'll wash it later."

Nico tossed it back into the bathroom before sitting on the pull-out. He laid back, his hands behind his head as he breathed out, long and slow. Faint scars were visible on his chest.

"What are you staring at?" he finally asked, glancing over toward Will.

"N...Nothing!" Will stammered. "I was just...I, uh...I was just thinking about how good you look."

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"That's not what I meant!" Will stood up as he felt his face turn red. "I meant...I meant that...that you look how you've always wanted to look..."

"You mean I look like a guy?" Nico asked.

Will nodded. "I...I'm sorry if that's straightforward and inappropriate... I just...I don't know..."

Nico looked down at his bare chest. "Yeah, okay."

"I'm sorry." Will apologized. "I didn't want to bring it up. You don't deserve to keep getting reminded of it. I just...I don't know. I couldn't stop staring. And it wasn't because you used to be a girl. It's because of how you look."

"How I look?" Nico's face was expressionless.

"You...you..." Will stuttered. "You're hot. I...Damn, I said that, didn't I? I...I don't know what I'm trying to say, Nico. You make me nervous. A good nervous, I think. It wasn't bad until we talked downstairs and you took your shirt off and...and..."

The dam that kept Nico's feelings locked away broke with Will's words. His pale skin turned a nice shade of pink, the hue spreading over his cheeks and down his neck. His ears got the worst of it. "William Solace."

"I'm sorry!" Will exclaimed. "I'm really sorry. Please don't run off."

"I'm not going to run off." Nico stood from the bed. "Why do you always think that?"

"You used to skip when I even tried to get close." Will tried to explain, watching as Nico walked closer. "You were scared I was going to find out about your secrets. I know, I know you told me. I still worry you're going to leave, though. You're-"

Nico grabbed Will's checks, standing on his tiptoes while pulling Will's head down to meet his own. Their lips touched in a hymn of soft pleasure, in sensitive release. The blood from his chapped lips flavored Will's own. Will's chapstick sent Nico searching for more.