Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi…whatever…I only own my ideas and a few original characters.

Chapter One

A Chance Encounter

Marco was graduating college in two weeks. He had three more exams to sit for that he should be studying for but right now, all he wanted was a stiff drink.

At 22, Marco had seen enough to know when someone was interested. And the guy at the end was definitely interested.

Marco stayed on his bar stool but watched as the other guy approached out of the corner of his eye.

"So, this your first gay bar?" asked the stranger.

"Today? Yes. In general? No," replied Marco, easily.

"Name's Dylan…what's yours?"

Marco turned at the name and sure enough there stood Dylan Michalchuk. He tried to find something to say while looking at him but he couldn't find his voice at first.

"Marco Del Rossi. I knew you looked familiar. You've changed." Dylan said sitting down next to him.

Marco smiled tensely, "So, how's the star of the Mighty Ducks? Oh wait, that's not you…he'd never be seen in a gay bar because he's not gay."

Dylan shook his head, "Marco…"

"No, don't you remember. The star hockey player couldn't be gay. It'd be bad for his image. I think that's why we broke up. Mainly because I wasn't interested in hiding in the closet again, while watching you with girls." Marco stated, almost angrily.

Dylan sighed, "Let me explain…"

"Fine, explain." Marco responded as he downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass.

Dylan shuddered to watch the dark brown liquid disappear so quickly, "That's not the first time you've done that…Not here, my hotel's a few blocks away."

Marco smiled as he slapped down money on the bar, "My apartment is right across the alley, we'll go there. Mike, this is for both bills, if it's not enough, I'll take care of it tonight."

Mike, the bartender, waved Marco off.

As they climbed the stairs to Marco's apartment, Dylan tried to keep a conversation going.

"So, do you go there often?"

"Everyday. Don't give me that disapproving look, I work there."

"You work there? In a bar?"

"Yeah, about two years ago, Mike needed help and he approached me in our Lit class to help out. He needed a cute, flirtatious, and not scared of gay guys male bartender. He taught me to mix and the rest is history. I'm very popular on the weekends."

Dylan looked at Marco, really looked at him for the first time since discovering it was him. It had been four long years and they had been really good to him. "Yeah I could see that you'd be popular."

Marco had grown to just under six feet and put on some muscle. Lost most of the babyish look to him. He looked gorgeous. His jet black hair was tipped with a bright blonde color and it was short and spiky. It no longer hid his face like it used to do. His brown eyes still held their intelligence but somehow his gaze had intensified. Dylan could see the muscle definition beneath Marco's tight shirt.

Marco opened the door to his apartment and let Dylan inside, shutting the door behind him.

"So, would you prefer that I strip so you can see all the changes at once?"

Dylan looked shocked at first, "I'm only kidding. I prefer to sleep with guys that I can actually stand. I could feel you undressing me with your eyes the whole way here. So, what's your verdict?"

"You look amazing. It's no wonder I didn't recognize you until I saw the eyes. Those eyes will always give you away."

Marco laughed, "Are these the kinds of lines that get you laid with the girls? Don't answer that…Explain to me why I haven't heard from you in four years. Explain why every picture I see of you since has been with a woman. I was sure you convinced yourself that you're straight. But then again, what would you be doing in a gay bar if you decided to switch teams?"

Dylan shook his head, "While I won't lie to you and say I haven't slept with women occasionally but I still prefer men. Hell, half the time I have to imagine it's a guy going down on me instead of her. I've got to imagine a guy just to get an erection. You don't want to know what I've got to do to get off."

Marco laughed loudly, as he poured himself a drink and handed Dylan a beer. "Let me guess, either doggy style, and picture a man or have her like anal and still picture another guy."

"Okay so you do know what I've got to do. Do you know who seems to surface in my mind the most? You. I can see you during our first time, the fear in your eyes, then pleasure taking over. Your hot mouth on…that is an avenue that I can't explore right now." Dylan said, stopping his erotic retelling of their history.

Marco smiled slightly, "Sucks to be you. So are you going to try and explain why you decided to act like an ass?"

Dylan rolled his eyes, "My manager and coach decided that having a gay player might not be the best thing. I could get targeted by bigots on the other teams. They just didn't want me to be singled out because of my sexual preference."

"That's always a good reason," Marco said sarcastically. "And before you tell me I wouldn't understand, let me just say one last thing. I recall someone telling me that it's better to be yourself and not care who doesn't like you as long as you like yourself. Do you like yourself Dylan? Can you look at yourself in the mirror every day?"

Dylan half-laughed, "Yeah, it definitely gets harder every day."

"Then change yourself. To thine own self be true." Marco said, as he shot the whiskey quickly.

"How can you do that?"

"What? Shoot whiskey? It's rather easy."

"I never got the hang of anything stronger than beer and the occasional tequila." Dylan said.

"I realized it took a lot longer to get drunk on beer. And guys kept buying shots while tending, you kinda have to take them."

"How drunk do you get on nights you work?"

"I never get drunk a work…I water down my shots."

Dylan nodded, "Can we be friends?"

Marco shrugged, "I don't know…you gonna wait another four years to call me again? Oh wait, no six…the four year was a mistake. You showed up at the last minute for Paige's graduation."

"Bitter much?"

"Wouldn't you be?"

"I guess. Just know that I did this because it was what was best for me at the time."

"You should be thankful that I don't deck you right now."

Dylan looked shocked that Marco had decided to air all his pent up feelings and threaten him with violence. "Why would you want to hit me?"

"Because you're an idiot. You just admitted that I wasn't what was best for you when you kept telling me that you loved me. I guess love means different things to different people." Marco said as he poured himself another drink.

"Has anyone ever talked to you about your drinking?" asked Dylan.

Marco arched an eyebrow, "Do you really want to discuss this? You might want to get your facts straight. You know since everything else about you is going that way anyway."

Dylan chuckled, "That was a good one. So how often do you get drunk?"

Marco looked at his watch, "The last time I got drunk was…hmm…it's May? I think Christmas…but that was because I had to face my whole family alone."

"I guess that isn't bad then. I got drunk last week." Dylan admitted.

"Aww, why? So you could justify your latest gay bar debacle…"

Dylan looked at Marco like he'd grown a second head, "Where do you get off judging me about what I have to hide or not?"

Marco slammed his hand on his counter, "Where do I get off? I seem to recall being the most important person in your life once. But then again, that section of your life no longer exists."

Dylan dropped his head in his hands and sighed, "You were the most important person to me. Hell, most days I still think you are. I wonder how you're doing, what you're doing, who you're doing…"

"I don't think that's any of your concern. You lost that right when you ripped my heart out, in front of your sister and everyone else." Marco said, his voice cracking.

Dylan watched as Marco took one more shot of whiskey.

"It's Friday and I've got to get to work. You're more than welcome to come back to the bar with me."

Dylan nodded and watched Marco walk into his bedroom and shut the door.

Marco emerged a few minutes later wearing what classified as his "uniform".

Dylan's eyes almost popped out of his head as he saw Marco emerge. "That is what you wear to work?"

Marco looked down and nodded, "Yeah, I've got a few different styles but along the same lines."

Marco looked hot, no wait HOT, in his painted on black leather pants and boots with a leather vest, left open to reveal his muscular chest.

"No wonder you are popular, you leave nothing to the imagination." Dylan said, trying to swallow the lump that formed in his throat.

Marco smiled, "You coming?"

Dylan nodded, "Are you really sure you're okay? I mean you had like four shots."

Marco waved a hand at him, "Four shots…that's just a warm up."

The bar was beginning to get crowded when Marco and Dylan walked in. Dylan sat on the very last stool in the back corner, next to the register as Marco went behind the bar.

Marco got a few gropes from some regulars, that he expertly fended off. He got a few comments from some others that he barely acknowledged as he started pouring drinks. He reached into the cooler and pulled a beer out for Dylan and set it in front of him.

"Holler if you need another one." Marco said as he sauntered off to a customer.

Dylan watched as Marco expertly mixed drinks, flirted with some guys, took shots they bought and then started it all over again. He was beginning to feel something again, and it felt like jealousy.

Marco stole a few glances at Dylan when he would ring out an order or be on that side of the bar.

Marco got a request for a song and a little entertainment when the second bartender came in about an hour later.

Marco consented to the performance that didn't happen too often. He jumped up on the counter next to Dylan and swung over to the other side. "Be right back, my fans await."

Dylan arched an eyebrow as he watched Marco ascend the stage.

Marco picked up the microphone and smiled as the spotlight hit him, "Okay, I've had a request again. I don't know why but it seems you like my voice…or maybe you just like to see me up here shaking my ass."

The crowd in the bar went wild as the opening chords to his song started. For a laugh, Marco sang 'It's Raining Men'.

Dylan watched Marco sing and dance across the stage. It was rather impressive to say the least. Dylan felt himself getting hard just watching him again. He knew more than half the bar was having the same reaction.

"Need another beer, man?" asked the other bartender.

"No, not yet."

"You like our boy Marco?"

"I did, once. He's someone I don't even know now." Dylan admitted sadly.

"Name's Luke…he's a good man."

"Dylan…I'm sure he is."

"He normally doesn't date the patrons though. So don't get your hopes up too high. Then again, you do look like the guys he normally goes for, too bad they don't last but one or two dates." Luke said.

Marco had finished his little performance and was making his way back to the bar. He saw Luke in conversation with Dylan and was mildly curious about it.

"Dylan, are you telling tales out of school? I don't think Luke needs to know anything about me in high school."

"You didn't tell me you knew him," Luke accused as Marco jumped back up on the bar.

Dylan smiled at Marco as he answered, "You didn't ask."

Marco didn't know what possessed him but as he swung around to hop back behind the bar, he leaned down and kissed Dylan full on the lips. Marco just grinned sassily at the stunned expression Dylan gave him. "I don't know why I did that but I'm not sorry I did. Another beer?"

Dylan just nodded, he couldn't find where his voice went.

Marco set it down in front of him and then turned his attention back to the rest of the bar.

Dylan managed to keep a reign on his jealousy and wait for Marco. He really needed to see what that kiss was all about.

Marco was wiping down the bar and stopped right in front of Dylan. "So, how are you feeling right now?"

Dylan smiled, "Drunk…I haven't had this much to drink in a while, a long while."

Marco raised an eyebrow, "Why didn't you stop about four or five beers ago?"

"Why did you continue to serve me?"

"Maybe I want you drunk so I can take you back to my place and take advantage of you…"

"I didn't need to be drunk…"

Marco laughed, "Come on, you can sleep this off at my place. I don't know if you'd make it back to your hotel."

Mike heard the exchange, "Are you sure it's wise to take someone home, Marco?"

Marco laughed, "He's an old friend, Mike. I trust him not to do anything that we haven't done before or that isn't wanted or agreed upon."

Mike nodded, "I guess I should've known you wouldn't do anything stupid."

Marco smiled, "Thanks for looking out for me. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Marco slid over the bar again and pulled Dylan behind him.

Marco had a ton of shots and could still walk a straight line and yet Dylan was stumbling after drinking ten beers.

Marco got him up to his apartment and handed him a glass of water. "You need to stay hydrated and I'll go get the aspirin."

Dylan sank down onto Marco's couch, "How can you still be sober? I saw you take shot after shot."

Marco reentered the room a moment later, "I've had more practice. I'm buzzing a little right now but I'll be fine in an hour. Just take the aspirin and drink some water and you won't be quite as sick in the morning."

"Do you take care of drunk patrons often?" Dylan inquired.

"No, but any good bartender knows how to counter act the affects that he caused the night before."

Dylan nodded as he swallowed the pills Marco handed him and chased them with water.

Marco sat down next to him and laughed, "So, why'd you wait for me?"

"Hoping for a repeat performance of your act?"

Marco shoved him in the shoulder, "Seriously?"

Dylan shrugged, "Just hoping we could talk some more without you yelling or accusing me of something."

Marco nudged Dylan's shoulder, "So, now that I've got you sufficiently drunk, I can get the truth out of you?"

"Don't start this, I can't even think…"

"Precisely my point. Are you happy?"

Dylan groaned, "Do I look happy? I'm sitting on the couch of the only person I've ever loved and can't do a damn thing about it. Oh, not to mention said person is a guy and I'm supposed to be straight for image sake. Does it sound like I'm happy?"

Marco smiled, "Stock answer would be no. We're a different society now than we were six years ago. Athletes have emerged from their closets and had great careers, so come out. Live life like you want to. What's the worse that could happen? You get targeted for a month or two until they realize that you are still Dylan Michalchuk, wonder boy on ice."

Dylan shook his head, "I can't, my coach would murder me."

"At least your PR person wouldn't have to sweep your dirt under that carpet anymore. From what I hear, the mound is getting rather noticeable."

"Yeah, he might just finally have an easy assignment if I could be free. Gay bars are my only scandal."
Marco put his hand on Dylan's knee, "You can't live your life for someone else. You're going to hate yourself when you see how many years you lost."

"I already regret the last six years." Dylan said, with tears brewing behind his blue eyes.

"Now that we've hit the sad portion of the evening, I think it's time for you to sleep." Marco said standing. "Let's get you in bed."

Dylan half walked and was half carried to Marco's bedroom. Marco helped him undress and tucked him in the bed.

Marco turned to leave when Dylan grabbed his hand, "Don't go…"

Marco turned and gave Dylan a soft smile, "I'll be back shortly. I need to clean my kitchen and read a passage for school. Just sleep, you're too drunk for anything good to happen anyway."

Dylan mumbled something incoherent as Marco exited the room.

Marco could've sworn he heard, "I just like holding you…" but couldn't be sure.

-

Please review…tell me if it's good or sucks. Should I continue?