Welcome, everyone, in my new fic!
I had this idea for some time now and finally sat down to write it as a present to the lovely alicheriee. Yes, this whole fic now is dedicated to you – I hope you like it.
It will have five chapters, which will all be structured like this; mainly Jade and Tori talking, then a scene from the past between Jade and Beck, with the second part probably being longer most of the times (not here). An epilogue will follow, which will very likely be pretty short. And just to be clear: This fic is about Beck and Jade and their relationship, not really all that much about Tori.
Have fun reading and feel more than welcome to tell me what you think. :)

Tori has a boyfriend for three months now. She loves him very much and actually can see her going the distance with him. His name is Mike, he's eightteen, just like her and they attend the same college in LA. They have met there and were instantly drawn to each other. He's a great guy, kind but mainly great fun.

Now, he wants her to meet his parents though and she doesn't feel ready for it yet. She has met the parents of almost all of her ex-boyfriends way sooner, but they have also still lived with their parents and it just randomly happened. Mike was born and raised in a small town not too far from Los Angeles and he lives with a few friends in the city to study. He wants to take her home with him one weekend and introduce her to his parents and it just sounds so official. She has never understood before in movies why people didn't feel ready to meet someone's parents. Now, she somehow feels grown-up herself and like this is a big deal, a very big step in their relationship. Which she herself considers awful because she still lives with her parents and her boyfriend has long met them and sees them all the time. She can't tell him how weird she feels about meeting his parents now. It would be unfair to push it back, wouldn't it be? And maybe, she will feel more comfortable about it in a month – that's the time, Mike has planned it for.

She talks about it with Jade and Cat when they sleep over one night. Their group of friends still meet up often, in parts or all of them together. Tori is glad to still have everyone in her life and hopes it stays that way, though they all start making new close friends at college.

Tonight, the girls sleep over at Tori's house. They want to meet with the boys as well tomorrow for lunch. Robbie needs to work tonight though in his part-time job, Andre is on a relative's birthday and Beck decided to finally get started on a project for one of his classes, so it's just the girls for the night.

Tori tells Jade and Cat all about the situation now, as they sit on Tori's bed together.

"I don't know what to do," Tori finally ends.

Cat looks at her worried, feeling with her, while Jade rolls her eyes: "Just talk to him about it."

"I can't," Tori says though. If that would be so easy...

"Why?" Jade dryly asks.

Isn't it obvious? "Because he will consider me stupid for it and won't understand and then we will fight and..." She sighs. She doesn't want Mike to hate her. She does love him.

Jade rolls her eyes and turns away bored, grabbing some of the sweets they have spread on the bed.

Tori feels a little offended. Jade can't disregard her feelings like that. But she doesn't get it. She probably has never felt like this. "You don't know how it is."

Jade raises an eyebrow. "Oh, don't I? I haven't got a boyfriend, right."

"No, you do, but..." Tori says. Of course, she does but that doesn't mean she ever felt like she had to be careful what to say, that she ever was afraid that they could fight. They do fight of course, but they both seem comfortable with the amount and intensity they have at the moment. "It's so easy between Beck and you." It just works.

"That's why we were broken up a few times," Jade dryly comments.

"Never seriously," Tori says because they never have been. Except possibly a little during their big break-up two years back. But since then, they never have broken up again. So, she adds: "And not anymore for a long time."

Jade rolls her eyes yet again. "Because we work on it."

Okay, Tori has never heard that. She exchanges a look with Cat that tells her that she also has never heard about it before. It doesn't look like they actively work on their relationship. Well... Beck maybe, but Jade?

"How?" Tori asks curiously.

Jade shrugs. "We made a few rules we watch not to break."

Cat tilts her head and asks excited: "Like which?"

"Yeah, right," Jade answers.

"Come on," Tori says. "Now, you have to tell us."

Because she can't say something like that and then not elaborate.

"I don't," Jade says though.

Cat pulls a pout and Tori almost is about to copy her. Why does Jade has to be so stubborn?

Jade rolls her eyes again when neither Cat nor Tori say another word and possibly change the topic. "Really, just be honest with him and then you can ask him if he would like to continue like that or if he would rather have you suck it up if you feel bad. You can possibly make your own rules about it or whatever."

Just be honest with him... Tori doesn't think she can be. Not about this. She will just have to suck it up, because Mike won't understand her, even if she tells. She also wouldn't understand it if it would be the other way around, she guesses.

"My parents also have rules with my brother," Cat suddenly informs them and Jade says: "Of course, they do."

And just like that, they start talking about something else.

The conversation keeps being on Tori's mind though. She has never consciously thought about it whenever she had trouble with her ex-boyfriends but yes, Jade and Beck do have a somewhat working relationship for four years now already. Jade does know how it is to have a boyfriend. And now she says they even made rules and they put work into it...

She starts remembering their two TheSlap videos from back in time, where they said they would give relationship advice but never got around to it. Actually, she has even witnessed especially guys coming up to Beck and asking for his advice every now and then – but girls doing the same with Jade as well. And Jade also has always answered, maybe bored and annoyed, but she has. (Probably also, because only girls ever dared to ask her, whom she accepted around, whom she has done projects with and who never have once looked at Beck the wrong way.)

Why shouldn't Tori ask them for some advice now?

.

.

Next day at lunch, Tori also tells the boys of her dilemma.

Andre directly says that that's a tough situation. Beck meanwhile shrugs: "Just tell him. He'll understand."

Okay, he doesn't know if Mike will understand. They all have met him by now, but... well... Beck can't know him better than she does, can he?

But how weird that Jade and he directly tell her to just be honest. "Do you always tell each other everything?" she now questions.

Beck looks confused that she suddenly asks about him and Jade, but he shares a short glance with her, before he says: "Yeah, pretty much."

Really? They actually do? Though probably noone can keep Jade from telling the truth, even if Beck might be hurt or offended by it. But Beck also tells her everything?

Tori narrows her eyes, her curiousness sparked again. "Is that one of your rules?"

Now, Beck is definitely confused, looking back to Jade, who rolls her eyes annoyed and explains, so Beck understand why Tori suddenly speaks about supposed rules they have: "Tori also annoyed us with her problems yesterday and said I didn't understand because it's so easy between us. To which I replied that we have a few rules to work with."

Okay, Tori is glad that Andre and Robbie also look interested at that. They obviously also have never heard about it and are immediately a little curious.

Understanding dawns on Beck's face and he nods, looking back to Tori: "Well, it's true. And being honest with each other indeed is a rule. Otherwise, this wouldn't work at all." He makes a gesture between him and Jade, before he puts his arm around her, pulling her closer.

Jade turns to him and puts a quick kiss on his lips.

Beck means it and Jade also thinks so. They apparently just work because they are honest with each other.

"What if it... hurts the other person?" Tori asks though. She doesn't want Mike to feel bad because she feels unsure about meeting his family. And there are other situations she has already told a white lie to him to not hurt him. That's what you do, right?

Jade dryly answers: "Better being hurt once than being lied to constantly."

"There's some truth to that," Andre nods.

Tori sighs. "I don't know..."

But that's also the moment, their food arrives and somehow, they speak about something else afterwards.

.

o

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They are fifteen and together for a few months now. They are on summer break and she has been in Canada with him for almost a week, to meet his family, to see where he was born and grew up the first few years of his life. Or, honestly, just to spend time with him.

He comes over the day after they got back and he smiles as he sees her in her room. "I've missed you."

She rolls her eyes, though she always loves to hear it. "We have just spent a few days with each other."

"I know," he says and starts kissing her.

She lets herself fall back onto the bed and he lets himself fall upon her, keeps kissing her, then goes down with his lips to her neck.

Okay, she knows that something is wrong. He does tell her he misses her sometimes, even if they have just been with each other. She often misses him quickly as well. It's a bit scary at times, how much they need each other.

He also is often this needy, presses himself this close, just kind of attacks her with kisses. But... it's a little different now. Maybe, a little too close, too... desperate?

"What's wrong?" she asks, pushing him slightly away.

"Nothing," he says and wants to get back to kissing her neck, but she pushes him fully off and draws back, sitting up.

"Beck. What is wrong?"

"Don't make me tell you," he says as his eyes shift down. He can't even look at her. This has to be something bad.

"Tell me," she demands.

He bites his lip and she wants to tell him again, when he finally spills the beans: "I fought with my parents again."

Of couse, he did. "Because of me."

Beck doesn't say anything, but that's answer enough. Well, it's also not like he ever fights with his parents about anything or anyone else. They don't like her and they don't want him to be together with her.

"What did they say?" she wants to know.

Beck looks uncomfortable. "My mother says you behaved awfully and... I don't know. She wants me to break up with you."

So, she directly said it again, instead of just giving him the feeling she wants him to break up.

"Great," Jade says, harshly. "And? What will you do?"

She feels terrible. She has really tried to behave well over the last few days. It's not like she likes Beck's family not liking her. Beck is close to his whole family and she wanted to make a good impression and finally wanted to ease his parents' thought. She held back most of her comments she had, she even made smalltalk with some of his cousins, she didn't... hog Beck or anything, so he was still free to talk to the rest of the family, though that mostly meant her sitting somewhere alone in a foreign country.

"I of course stay together with you," Beck says, intently, and then: "I'm sorry, but you made me tell."

Of course, she did, and she's glad. "You have to tell me stuff like this, Beck. I actually thought it went well. I don't want to be the idiot believing everything is fine when it isn't." She doesn't want to believe his parents are finally okay with her, that they possibly even like her a bit, while they hate her. How dumb would she sound, if another family member of his would then ask her how she gets along with his family, she would honestly answer 'fine', though his parents would answer differently and would talk bad about her behind her back. If Beck knows better, he has to tell her. "You need to be honest to me, Beck. About everything."

Also about his thoughts. She doesn't want to assume something and then be totally off about it. Not, when it's about Beck.

"Then, you need to be, too," Beck finally says. Jade doesn't understand. She usually doesn't lie. She hasn't just now.

At her confused face, he adds: "You don't want to be told stuff like this."

He wants her to tell him, to tell him that it hurts. Because she may be honest in general, but not so much about her feelings. 'Not honest' in the sense, that she doesn't talk about them much and prefers to not tell what she feels. But Beck also hasn't outright lied until she has asked him what's wrong. And she does expect him to directly tell her if something is up, without her having to ask.

"But it's the truth, Beck," she now bursts out. "Like I care what anyone thinks, I just need to know. I don't want to be the dumb, oblivious girl." Though if he also wants her to be honest... She can't expect him to be and then not do the same thing: "But they are your parents. Of course, it hurts. It really does."

She doesn't like herself how broken she sounds. Beck meanwhile promptly pulls her into a hug, and for a while, it's just that. Him and the warm embrace and nothing else. Him being there, even though his parents don't want him to be. Because he loves her and they won't be able to ever change anything about that.

After a while, he softly asks: "You really still want to know?"

They break apart slightly, looking into each other's eyes.

"I need to know. I need you to be honest," she affirms.

He puts his hand on her cheek, stroking it lightly. "How about both of us always will be honest to each other? No lies to make the other one feel good, no white lies. Except, you know, for good surprises." She has to smile. He continues seriously. "But also no hiding important stuff. Nothing."

She likes that thought. To never have to wonder if he means something, if he hides something from her or anything.

Though if that also means she always has to tell him of her feelings if it's important... Sometimes, she can't. Sometimes, she needs to deal with something herself first.

And... If Beck also absolutely can't tell something... As long as he doesn't pretend that everything is okay, but just tells her he can't tell her... That would be okay, wouldn't it be? At least, she wouldn't have to feel there's something going on with him constantly telling her there isn't.

So, she suggest: "We should keep the option though to be able to say we don't want to talk about something, at least in that moment, if we just can't."

Beck looks at her and finally smiles. "That's a good option."

And they meet each other for a soft kiss.

.

.

They don't always say exactly what they think or feel or mean, especially when they are fighting. But as they are otherwise honest with each other, they are easily able to read each other even in those moments, where one of them says something really bad.

They are both very honest people, so they generally tell everyone the truth. But they do hide some stuff from others, don't feel the need to talk about certain things to everybody, like about their parents. They do talk to each other, quickly knowing each other much better than everybody else.