Title: Trade Off

Disclaimer: Don't own Degrassi.

A/N: Yeah, I'm aware Easter is over, but whatever. This is just a really silly fic that I wrote cause I was bored.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" I asked suspiciously. My eyes flicked back and forth between the two Michalchuk siblings standing in front of me. I spared a sideways glance down the couch at Alex, who was eyeing our favorite blondes shrewdly. Paige and Dylan shared a glance of their own, then addressed the two of us.

"Well―" Dylan began. "Okay, so our family has this big celebration every year for Easter."

"It's kind of a huge thing," interjected Paige. "We always have it at our grandma's house, since it's the biggest―"

"There's food, and dancing, it's just a giant party," explained Dylan.

"You woke me up at nine in the morning on a Saturday to tell me you guys are having a party?" asked Alex incredulously. "There better be something you're leaving out, or―"

"Well, actually, hon…" said Paige timidly. "There kinda is. Dylan?" she prompted her brother to continue.

"Um, well― okay, here's the deal," Dylan relented. "We're allowed to bring boyfriends and girlfriends if we want… everyone else does."

"Only― outside of our parents, our families don't know that I'm the one with the girlfriend, and Dylan's got the boyfriend," said Paige. "Our parents don't want to make a big scene by me bringing Alex and Dylan bringing Marco."

"So, no offense, guys, but we were just going to go alone," said Dylan.

"But then, our mom was talking to our aunt―" Paige said.

"Our parents have like, the biggest rivalry with her and our uncle―"

"And she said our cousins Daniel and Patricia both have dates that she was just gushing over―"

"So she said that Paige and I are both dating people, too. And that we're bringing them to the party," finished Dylan.

I blinked, my brain clumsily trying to connect what they were saying to where this involved me.

"Okay, so what, you're asking us to go?" piped up Alex.

Again, Paige and Dylan shared a nervous glance.

"Well, kind of…" cringed Dylan.

"We were kind of hoping that you guys wouldn't mind…you know, putting on a little show," said Paige, wincing as well.

"What kind of show?" I asked dubiously.

Paige sighed. "We were sort of hoping that…" she took a deep breath, then blurted it all out in once sentence. "That you would go with me, and Alex would go with Dylan."

"What?!" Alex and I both demanded at once.

"It's just for one day," Dylan assured us hurriedly. "A few hours, actually."

"I am not going with curly here. No way," said Alex resolutely.

"Alex…" began Paige. "Please, honey… I need you."

Alex cocked an eyebrow. "You know, I'd never thought I'd see the day when you'd be begging your girlfriend to date your brother."

"But it's not a real date," said Dylan in their defense. "It's perfect. I mean, we're all always together…we know so much about each other. We'd be able to pass as two hetero couples."

"Yeah, except for one problem," said Alex sharply. "We're gay!"

"Well, for Sunday evening, we're not. We're just two happy, totally-not-gay couples," said Dylan. "Come on, guys, please? You know we wouldn't ask if it didn't mean a lot to us."

"We just don't want to upset our parents. The people that raised us! That gave us life!" shrieked Paige dramatically. I rolled my eyes. Drama queen.

"Please?" Dylan stuck out his bottom lip, his eyes pleading with ours, his surefire way to get whatever he wanted.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll do it," I agreed reluctantly.

Dylan's pout immediately disappeared, and he quickly crossed the room to plant a gracious kiss on my all-too-appreciative lips. "Thank you so much, Marco."

"Yeah, we'll have no trouble at all pretending we're straight," Alex said sarcastically.

"So, what about you, Nunez? Are you on board?" Dylan asked, straightening up, irresistible pout firmly back in place.

"Sorry, Michalchuk. That doesn't work on me," she said coolly.

"Really?" said Paige in sugary sweet tones. She bit her lip, blue eyes as wide as saucers. "It doesn't?"

Alex rolled her eyes, looking away. But Paige merely came closer and perched herself on the seat next to her. She seductively wrapped a lock of the brunette's hair around her finger and gave a little tug, forcing her girlfriend to look at her.

"So does this mean you're not going to do it?" Paige said, pretending to be hurt. God, was Paige just bad at the pouting trick, or was I just too love-struck to see through Dylan's flimsy attempts?

"Alex?"

Alex shook her head, but it wasn't in answer to the question. Looking as though she was doing this against her better judgment, she groaned.

"Oh, fine. I'm in."

Paige's face transformed as quickly as Dylan's had. A giant grin lit up her face.

"Yay," she said happily, giving Alex a swift kiss on the lips. "Have we mentioned lately how much we love you guys?"

"Yeah, yeah. But you are so making this up to me," growled Alex.


"See? This isn't so bad," muttered Paige as the four of us strode up the driveway to granny Michalchuk's house. Alex shot her a filthy glare.

"Speak for yourself. I can't believe you made me wear this," she hissed.

I gave her a quick once-over. "What's wrong with it? You look fine."

"I look ridiculous!" she said hysterically. "Yellow! How could you make me wear a yellow dress? I thought you loved me!"

"Not today," Paige said out of the corner of her mouth. "Today, I am madly in love with Marco."

"And as you can tell by my enthusiastic expression, I am deeply in love with Paige," I said dully.

"Can you guys do me a favor though?" asked Dylan. "Keep the PDA to a minimum. I know it's fake, but…it's weird."

"You guys, too," said Paige seriously. "Seeing my brother and my girlfriend all over each other is something that I will never get accustomed to, no matter how fake it is."

"Agreed," I said quickly. "Seeing my friend and boyfriend together isn't exactly the best feeling, either."

"Definitely. Minimum of PDA," agreed Alex. "So hands off my girlfriend, Del Rossi. Don't make me have to kick your ass," she joked. I think.

"Oh, I would never dare provoke you," I said, only half-kidding myself.

"We do have to make it look real, though," said Dylan thoughtfully. "Marco… put your arm around Paige or something."

I casually slung my arm around my friend's shoulders. "Here. How's this?"

"Still a little too…friendly," he said. "Try around her waist."

I obliged, and he gave a crisp nod. "That's better. Alex, maybe we should…"

"Yeah," she agreed, moving closer to him. He slid his arm around her, as well, and she slipped her own arm around his back.

"So, do we look…hetero?" chuckled Dylan. We all laughed, but you could still sense the nervousness in the air.

"As much as can be expected," shrugged Paige, her grin fading a bit. "You're still a little too, I dunno…"

"Awkward," I finished. She nodded.

"Yeah."

"Guess we gotta work on that," frowned Dylan. "Ah well, it's not like we're going to be like this for the entire party."

We had finally reached the door to the house, which was several times bigger than the one we currently lived in, and knocked gently.

The door flung open to reveal a woman in her mid-forties, with a giant grin plastered on her face and her trademark Michalchuk blonde hair falling around her shoulders in frizzy ringlets.

"Hey, Aunt Charlotte," Paige offered her a sweet smile.

"Paige! And Dylan!" she said, her wide smile growing even wider at the sight of her niece and nephew. "And…" she looked from me to Alex to Paige and Dylan and back, waiting for an introduction.

"This is Marco," said Paige, flashing me a smile. "My boyfriend."

"And this is my girlfriend, Alex," said Dylan. This statement was followed by a very obviously forced grin from both my boyfriend and his bogus girlfriend.

"Nice to meet you both," Aunt Charlotte said eagerly, grasping both of our hands in turn in a bone-crushing handshake. "Come on in. Your parents are already here," she added to Paige and Dylan.

With a final meaningful glance at each other, silently conversing with our eyes, we crossed the threshold into the house.

"I'm going to go say hi to Mom and Dad," said Dylan, letting his arm fall from Alex's waist. "Wonder where they are? That's one thing about this house. There's too many rooms."

"Dylan, it's Mom and Dad. Use your head. Where do you think they are?" said Paige.

"You're right. The kitchen," said Dylan. "You coming, Marco?" he asked, throwing a look back over his shoulder when he realized I wasn't behind him.

"Um, aren't I supposed to stay with Paige?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah…"

"I'll come with you, Dylan," said Alex, following him out of the room.

I sighed. "You two so owe us," I muttered to Paige.

"Don't worry, Dylan'll make it up to you," she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'll make sure of that."

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek of "Paige!" and a whirlwind of flying dark hair as something roughly Paige's size threw itself at her.

"Um, hey, Patty," Paige tried to smile. Unfortunately, she was having some trouble even breathing with Patty's arms crushing the breath out of her like some kind of giant snake.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen you in forever!" Patty squealed. "Oh, and by the way, I haven't gone by Patty since I was twelve. Everyone calls me Patricia," she said, obviously unaccountably proud of this fact.

"Hun, I called you Patty all last summer when we came out here," said Paige.

"Yeah…" said Patty. Patricia. Whatever. "That was kind of annoying. I was hoping you'd just catch on, but you never did. Oh my God, are you still doing that 'hun' thing?"

"Um, what?" said Paige, obviously bewildered.

"That 'hun' thing you do!" insisted Patricia, as though it were obvious. "Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about. You say it all the time! It gets kind of annoying, too, actually…" she said thoughtfully.

"Okay!" I interceded swiftly. Paige already looked about ready to tear Patricia's curly head clear off. "Um, Paige, why don't you introduce me to your…"

"Cousin," said Patricia promptly, holding out a hand. I shook it, and she beamed up at me. I immediately noted the similarities between this girl and my friend and boyfriend. She had the same winning smile, the curve of her nose closely resembled Paige's, and though Patricia's hair was a dark brown, she had Dylan's curls.

"Patricia, this is my boyfriend, Marco," said Paige shortly. I couldn't help but notice the way the Michalchuk cousin's eyes took in every inch of me, almost like she was…was she checking me out? Oh, crap.

This was so not going to go well.


Review please, and let me know if you want me to continue. I'll try to keep the OC involvement to a minimum. :)