The first time I walked in on Nero crying, it was a hot Friday morning. I had spent the night before laying awake, thinking of said boy, thinking of all the things the future would bring.

Initially my reaction was confusion and shock and his was anger, something I had yet to really become familiar with. This side of Nero was almost…foreign to me. I wasn't sure what to say or how to act. I was more or less a chicken running around with it's head cut off.

"Babe," I choked out, racking my brain. "What's wrong?" It's as good a place to start as any.

"Go away! I don't want to see you right now! Just…go away!" He screamed eyes glowing red his arm had changed into a devil arm. Faintly I saw the blue aura of his devil side.

Whoa.

Note to self, an angry Nero is a scary Nero.

Slowly I approached his bed with caution while my mind went into a total frenzy. Maybe he had finally realized how much better he can do. Maybe he's only been with me this whole time because he felt bad for me. Me, the little whiny rebel that's never happy with anything.

Fuck.

"Did…did I do something wrong?" My heart started racing and my vision became slightly unfocused.

See, you never know how much you love something until it's falling out of your grasp. One day Tiger is just your annoying cat that scratches all of your furniture and the next he's dying and suddenly he's the best pet in the world.

(maybe not such a good analogy.)

Point is, love's a funny thing I suppose, really puts things into perspective.

"Of course not…on second thought yes, you did something wrong, now leave because I'm really, really mad at you!"

That's when I saw it.

Nero scratched under his nose.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not!" He protested, voice shaking slightly.

"I'm not lying; I don't want to see your ugly face. Now leave before I call the nurses!"

I began approaching him once again, unsure as to what was going on but knowing I wasn't to blame. "You scratch your nose when you lie, it gives you away." I stated simply. "So please, tell me what's wrong. Remember what I said before? I don't want to see you hurting Nero. Please."

I kneeled down in front of Nero's bed, taking his hand gently, trying to convey an air of comfort. He tried to jerk away but I held on tight, letting him know I wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon. "Please." I whispered once again.

Nero's face clenched together, visibly trying to hold back tears and failing miserably. "I…"

I reached up and wiped his face as a few hot tears fell down torturously slow.

"I don't want you to see me like this!" He hissed. "My hairs started falling out; within a week it'll all be gone. I'll be ugly Virgil; I'll be this little frail prune, wasting away into nothing. I don't want you coming in here every morning and kissing something that makes your stomach churn just because you think it's your duty! Just like you say to me, I couldn't take it knowing it'd be hurting you. I….I." Nero started sobbing into my arm as I sat there shocked.

I'd always held Nero up on this glorious level where he had over flowing self esteem and never ending optimism. Never in a million years would I have guessed he thought of himself like…this.

Christ, how does he not see how fuckin wonderful he is? How can he sit here and say all these highly untrue things about himself? He's beautiful! Everything about him is beautiful, and not just his looks either, its his personality, his goals, his love for then environment. Everything about him just shined. And if he can't see that I love him for all those reason then…I'll just have to show him!

So I simply got up and walked out of the room.

Maybe it wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. Lord knows that a million horrid things were probably going through poor Nero's mind at the moment but what I was going to do had to be done now. I couldn't let him sit and dwell any further on his hatred for his appearance. I said I was going to protect him and that's what I'm going to do.

I hurriedly ran down the five flights of stairs (in retrospect it probably would have been easier to have taken the elevator) bursting through the door and sprinting towards the gift shop.

Hospitals were funny places to buy gifts at. For one thing the only things they carried were slightly insulting 'get well' cards and giant gushy teddy bears.

The rest of the store was filled with highly unhealthy snack foods (yes, I see the irony), aspirins, and little mini vacation items. You know, the little tooth pastes and shavers and other various miniature things you pack with you in your suit case.

I quickly bought a pack of razors and a small bottle of shaving cream. Then I ran into the bathroom and did the craziest thing I've ever done in my life.

I shaved my head.

It was a quick affair, barely even had enough time to say good bye to my hair as it was dumped in the trash can.

I suppose I looked odd bald, my head was whiter and lumpier then expected but at least I didn't look like homer Simpson. I figured it'd grow back eventually and there's really no use in crying over something as superficial as hair.

With that being said (or thought) I ran into the elevator (because I'm thinking clearer this time around) grinning.

So, maybe this was reckless and impulsive but hey, that's what life's all about right?

Once the elevator opened, I started sprinting to Nero room, bursting in like the place was on fire. Nero in turn looked up, face red and tears stained.

"Baby, I fuckin love you. I know you hate it when I curse but there is just no other way for me to explain it. I don't care what you'll look like, you'll still be beautiful to me, everything single fuckin day of my life. The only thing that hurts is that you didn't have faith in me. I love you. That should mean something. That should mean everything. I wouldn't leave you over something as entirely dumb as your hair falling out! That's ridiculous. Now, you need to stop thinking those crazy unbelievable things or I'll have nurse stick-up-her-ass come in here and talk some sense into you!"

Nero looked up at me; eyes blood shot and pupils wide from whatever they've put into him. His face was that of a shocked animal. Maybe he didn't know what to say. Maybe he didn't believe me. Either way the kid started crying again, holding his arms out and reaching for me with all he was worth.

I swiftly crossed the room, fighting the urge to jump into his arms like some cheesy romance novel. Like Passion Island.

"I love you." Nero whispered, kissing my bald head. "I love you, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. Please. I…I love you."

"I know you do No, you never, ever have to convince me. I believe you. Just do the same for me babe, trust me, and believe me when I say I love you. I'm not the type of person to throw those three words around."

He continued to kiss my head and neck vigorously, constantly whispering 'okays' and 'I love you's.'

So maybe me and Nero weren't so different after all. Pretty much every day I spent looking at him as some unbreakable optimist that never lost hope or sight of the situation and he probably looked at me as vise versa.

Yet we've shown each other that maybe a single word couldn't really define who we are. We're deep and complex; we're human beings with layers upon layers of emotions and personality traits. We break and we smile. We break and we cry.

The point is, we do it together.

A couple hours later I was lying beside Nero in his hospital bed, trying to change the mood.

"I make a pretty sexy bald person huh?"

Nero smiled before promptly smacking me in the arm.