It was a cool autumn day as Nico sat outside a coffee shop watching the cars go by. Will was supposed to meet him here. Nico was going to confess every little detail about himself so there would be nothing between them. Will would know every aspect of Nico's life and that scared the shit out of him.

They had been texting for about three days now, though it was four days since the "incident". Nico couldn't tell if some part of Will hated him or if it was just his imagination. God, he hoped it was the latter.

As Nico sat there, his thoughts became darker. He couldn't describe how happy and relieved he was that Will showed up 5 minutes later.

"Hey. Wow, you're early. I thought I was going to be here first," Will said. It was true that Nico was early; about 2 hours early to be precise. He was trying to figure out how to tell Will everything. Damn, how much he wished for some of that Harry Potter Liquid Luck potion at this moment.

The waiter came over to their table and asked them what they wanted. Will got a medium caramel macchiato. Nico got a vanilla chai.

After about 30 minutes, Nico asked, "Do you think we can go somewhere private? I have something I need to tell you." Will gave him a quizzical look, but agreed.

"Let's go to my apartment this time," Nico suggested. "And I'll pay. Remember I'm very rich." A small smile played at Nico's lips.

Nico's home was a decent sized two-room apartment. There was very little inside, only an old couch and a small TV with a built-in DVD player. When Nico opened the door, the first thing you saw was a small living room that connected to a little dining space. There was a little kitchen off to the left side of the dining space and to the right were two small bedrooms and a bathroom. There was a small balcony behind where Nico had put his table with a few plants on the ledge and a lawn chair. Nico had a great view of the downtown area of Manhattan.

"Well, this is home," Nico said as he walked in followed by Will. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks though," Will responded. He looked around curiously as Nico motioned for Will to come sit by him on the couch. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Nico took a sharp breath. The couch was small enough that only two people could sit on it side-by-side comfortably. Nico was sweating and his hands were shaking. He was aware of how close Will was next to him. So close that Nico could smell him. Will smelt like summer and sunshine, if sunshine had a smell. Somehow, that reassured Nico- well that and the bright smile Will gave him.

Nico let out a shaky breath, "The reason I- well, the reason I wanted to talk alone is because- because I need to tell you everything. I think you at least deserve that.

"Let's see. I guess it all started when I was young. My father was almost never around and my mother was ill. She had some type of disease that was slowly spreading throughout her entire body. She couldn't keep things down half the time and would always be in a sort of daze. We didn't think she would make it, but then they found a cure. I was so relieved. I would finally have my mother back.

"Then I heard that Hades had been ripped off by his main dealer for a higher payer or, in other words, the 'Gaea' gang. That's when things around the house started to escalate. Gaea would come to our estate and cause problems. One time they scared our gardener half to death and he refused to come to the house anymore. My mom would always be yelling at my father that the house wasn't safe and we needed to leave or call the cops. My father would shoot her down every time saying that there was no reason to leave, that this was our home; and if we called the authorities not only would Gaea be finished, so would we.

"That's when my mother lost it. She packed up her things and got me and Bianca. We were just about to get in the car when my father grabbed me. He said, 'You can leave, but you can't take my son.' My mother tried to take me back but my father's grip on me was too firm. 'Fine,' she said. And as she got into the car she whispered to me, 'I'll be back for you.' Though she never did come back. The next day I was told that my mother and my sister had died in a car accident. I couldn't believe it. I refused to. I told myself that my mom was fine and my sister would be at home waiting for me to come play a game with her.

"I can remember how exactly, but at some point I found out the truth about my sister and mother's deaths. That's when I left home. I was doing well on my own and I kept to myself. I even changed my name, but my father eventually found me. To say the least, he was not happy. That's when he told me to kill or be killed.

"I couldn't believe what my father just said. I thought he was crazy, but then he looked me dead in the eye. Didn't flinch or have a look of doubt. That's when I knew- I knew he was serious. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wave to one of the many henchmen that were lined against the wall behind me. As I follow Hades gaze, I saw one of them pull out a gun and start for me. I had the hardest internal struggle in my life: be killed or kill. In an act of sheer panic, I screamed, 'Please, father, no! I'm your son. I'm your son!' He just looked at me as if he had never even heard of me before. Once the gun was at my back, I- I just gave in. I said I'd do it as long as my life would be spared.

"I've been killing for about three years now. When you saw me in that alley, I-," Nico, who had been staring at his shoes for most of his speech, finally looked up. He could feel small tears streaking down his face.

Will looked devastated. He had been crying and his eyes were all red and blotchy. "I can't believe what you've been through. Nico-I'm so sorry."

The next thing Nico knew, Will was hugging him and kissing him firmly on the mouth. When he released the kiss, he pulled Nico closer and tighter. Then he whispered, "Nico, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

They stayed like that until they both fell asleep. Never once unlatching from each other.