It was the end of the school year. The weather was getting warmer, and my tenth year was finally coming to an end. That was when it all started…

When I sat down in French class, I began to pull out my homework, as I saw Pit walk into the room. Usually, I regarded him as none other than just a nice person; a friendly acquaintance.

Today, he was different. Pit was wearing the exact same shirt as the one I had on! It was a light, faded blue T-shirt with thin white stripes. When he sat down in front of me, I said,

"Did you get that shirt at Target?" He turned around, noticing that I was sporting the same top, and said,

"Yeah," while beginning to giggle.

As class began, I couldn't concentrate, because my mind began to wander. I started to think about Pit, who was seated at the desk in front of mine, and how odd I thought it was for the two of us to be wearing the same light blue shirt, and on the very same day.

At that time, I had no idea why I was losing my focus in class on something that really wasn't a big deal. I never usually had any trouble concentrating in school, so I began to suspect that maybe this really was a big deal. Perhaps for me, anyway; however, Pit didn't really seem to think much of the fact that we had matching clothes. He had no idea that my mind was digging deeper into feelings I wasn't even aware of yet.

Thinking about the fact of the matter even further, I thought about the other clothes that Pit would usually wear, while my brain was still on the topic. His clothes were in fact, very similar to mine. Not exactly, but our general style was very similar.

Before that day, I had never thought of Pit as anyone out of the ordinary.

After that realization, I found myself continuing to wonder why I had lost my focus, and had mentally made a big deal over one small thing. Then, something else occurred to me. I thought about whether I was really obsessing over our matching shirts, or perhaps I was actually obsessing about Pit. That was when I began to discover something within me that was very unsettling.

As hard for me to believe as it was, I had noticed that Pit was quite a good looking guy. All it took was for us to wear the same shirt one day, totally out of the blue.

Then, I began to piece together some of the other things I had noticed myself doing. Over the past school year, I'd been looking at other boys a little differently. It did indeed feel pretty weird, but I had begun doing it without even thinking about why.

Even though I swore to myself that I loved Zelda, the long, blonde-haired popular girl, I just wasn't attracted to her.

What I thought was going to happen to me eventually, never did. I believed that I wasn't interested in girls yet, but that I was soon going to. Although, at the age of fifteen, I began to question that, especially since I'd recently been maybe checking out certain guys. By now, I thought I should've been interested in girls, more than just a little, but I wasn't. I seriously thought that it was no big deal, and that someday, I would find girls attractive, so I never bothered to tell anyone about what I was going through. I put the thought of being gay out of my head immediately.

All my life, I'd been told by friends and family that being a homosexual was wrong. I thought I was currently just slightly confused, and that I would out grow the weird feelings like a passing phase.

….

When school finally ended, I had lots of free time because it was summer vacation. During that summer, I had picked up a bit of a drawing as a hobby. I began to look up images of manga and videogame characters and draw them. I wasn't very good at it, but I soon found myself drawing mostly male characters. To myself, I couldn't deny that I thought each of them was more than just good looking at this point.

Seeing these pictures made me think of Pit. I was definitely beginning to develop a soft spot for him, even though that in the back of my head, I would tell myself that I'd out grow being attracted to him.

Initially, I had told myself that I just needed the summer vacation to get away, and I would be back to normal in September. Little did I know, while I had thought that being out of school would've helped chase all of the weird feelings out of me, it did the opposite. I had so much time that I was always thinking, and I was paying more attention to what I was actually feeling, and not what I wanted to make myself feel.

When school did start up again after the long break, my feelings hit me like a ton of bricks that I did not see coming.

One day, when I was getting a ride home from Zelda's mom, I heard something that filled me with hope. I had absolutely no clue that this was ever going to come up in conversation, but I was glad in a way that it did. Zelda was talking about her new job, and how there were many students from our school working at this restaurant that had just opened, including Pit. Actually, I had applied for a job there also. Zelda was rattling off the names of our friends who had gotten jobs there, and after she mentioned Pit's name, her mom asked,

"Is Pit 'out' yet?"

At this I was stunned. I remained completely still and silent.

With frustration in her voice, like it was something she completely wanted to know as well, Zelda replied,

"No, and I don't know why. He shows absolutely no interest in girls at all."

I felt so awkward while being in the car at that moment, but at the same time, I felt like I was meant to hear that conversation. I had begun to suspect it myself that Pit didn't seem to be too into girls, but I had no idea that other people like Zelda, and even her mother, thought the same. So, I just kept quiet about how I actually felt, but at that moment, I definitely had hope that Pit was the right person for me to be interested in.

That year, I had several classes with Pit. He was in my chemistry class, my english class, and my history class. He was no longer taking French, and to be honest, I don't know why I still was.

Sometimes, I found myself just looking directly at him, not even being able to control my gaze. There was no way for me to pay attention to anything else when he was around. Nothing else seemed to matter to me except him. He was truly the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. Other times, I would occasionally try to strike-up a conversation with him, trying to hide my blush. It seemed like every time I saw Pit, I would fall harder for him. It was beginning to really hurt.

….

Around Christmas time, my friends and I, including Pit, did a present exchange with each other. We each had to pull a name from a hat, anonymously, and buy that person a gift without him or her knowing. I picked Daisy, a close friend of Peach's. I wished I could've picked Pit, because it would've been the perfect excuse for me to give him an amazing present! I didn't really know what to get for Daisy, so I just bought some candy, and wrapped it up in a nice box with pretty Christmas wrapping paper.

When it was time to exchange gifts, I gave Daisy her present. She was glad, and appreciated it, but it mattered not to me.

Then, something I had least expected was about to happen.

To my surprise, Pit had chosen my name from the hat, and was now handing me a gift bag with a hand made card attached to it. I couldn't believe it! I was so happy that I was getting a gift from Pit that I was glowing for the rest of the day. My dream was beginning to come true. Even though Pit didn't know that he was going to draw my name, it still happened, and I was so thankful that it did. I didn't even care what the gift actually was, because I was just so happy that Pit gave me one! It was something that he gave to me. It turned out to be some candy, some mint chewing gum, and a battery-operated back massager.

What meant the most to me was the card. Pit had made it himself, and had done a pretty good job, too. The card was really nice, and he seemed to have noticed the kinds of things that I like. That was something for me to keep forever, no matter what.

I couldn't believe I had actually gotten to this point, but I was now able to admit to myself that I was, in fact, in love with Pit. The entire first half of the school year, I had spent analyzing him; his dark brown hair, his handsome features, everything. I loved everything about him. I just liked being around him, even if it was just spending a little time, as long as it was with Pit, every moment was priceless. It was absolutely clear to me that I was in love with him, even though I wouldn't dare admit it to anyone.

As the year went by, I would see Pit in school, in class, and occasionally outside of school. I was trying so hard to hold in what I was feeling. It was so hard. I knew I wasn't comfortable telling anyone. I thought it was really strange that I had a crush on another boy, but I did, and it was completely true. I couldn't even think about denying it. I had never felt so strongly about someone before. I knew he was the one I wanted to be with. There was no one else like him. I could say that without a doubt.

By Valentine's Day, I felt like I could barely contain my feelings for any longer. I really wanted to leave Pit an anonymous note or at least something, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it; for two reasons: The first being that I was afraid that I would get caught by someone else, and the second was that if I were ever to tell Pit my true feelings towards him, I would want to tell him in person, to be sincere.

Then, I promised myself that I would tell Pit that I love him before we graduate high school. I needed to wait for the right moment; the right time. I still had over a year. That's what I told myself I had to do.

...

Recently, I had joined a fan fiction website. I had started to write a story about a boy and a girl falling in love, just to give myself one more chance to try to acquire an attraction towards girls. It didn't work, and I failed miserably, so I just sort of left the story there, unfinished. I thought that maybe I would finish it someday, but most likely that wasn't going to happen.

Once I really started to become knowledgeable about how the website worked, I began to browse the vast selection of books, games, and much more.

Eventually, I came across a story in which a boy was sitting outside in the cold snow without gloves covering his hands. One of his friends came over to him and sat next to him, trying to warm the boy up. The two of them seemed to act a bit strange, and they blushed when they realized that they knew they both liked each other a little bit more than normal, to say the least. Eventually, the two boys went inside, and fell asleep by the fire together, all snuggled up.

After reading this, I thought it was really cute, so I decided to read more stories that were similar. I learned that these were called "yaoi," in which boys fall in love with boys.

By now, as much as I hated to think about it, I was sure that I was gay. I still couldn't tell anyone, but I knew the truth about myself. As I read more and more fan fictions, I came across many good ones, and some with really "intimate" scenes in them.

One day, when I was reading one, I found it very touching, so I decided to leave a nice review, and contact its author via private message. I had to tell him that his story was amazing, and he got back to me within the next day or so. I began to express interest in a particular character pairing, and this author recommended that I read one of his friend's stories. I figured it was worth a try, but I sure didn't expect it to be anything much different than the others I'd read.

When I began to read it, I found that I couldn't stop. I had never read another story that grabbed me as much as this one did. It was something that made me realize that I was in an incredibly similar situation as was this protagonist. I spent an entire Sunday reading this story. For the first time, I cried while reading something. The story was something I could relate to on such an exacting level, and it included all the confidence and bravery that I wish I'd had.

After I finished reading it, I had to thank my new author friend, Ike, for telling me about it. I had never randomly opened my feelings up to a complete stranger before, but I felt that I had to in this situation. Ike responded, and he immediately knew what I was going through, because in truth, he had gone through pretty much the same thing.

Soon enough, he offered himself as someone I could feel comfortable talking to about my recent discovery that I was gay.

Before I had talked to Ike, I had never told anyone in my entire life that I was gay. He helped me so much. I even told him about Pit, and how I had such an enormous crush on him.

Because of my new friend, I had actually felt a little bit more comfortable with who I am.

Unfortunately, in real life, in person, I still had real problems. My parents were the most prejudice people I have ever met, and my friends were never any better. I've pretty much grown up surrounded by a lot of un-accepting people. Because of this, I still had to be very careful as to not let anyone know that I was gay. It had become exceedingly difficult to keep everything hidden from the people I was closest with, but it was for the better. The hardest part was keeping my feelings hidden from Pit.

I swear, each and every day, it grew more and more painful for me just to look at Pit, because he was right there, yet he had no idea that I was in love with him. Here is where I felt the most sorrow. I wanted so badly to tell him, but I just couldn't, because I was afraid of how he would react. I didn't want to lose him as a friend.

On the bright side, there was one thing that had begun to make me feel better. When Pit caught me looking at him from across the room, he would smile back at me, and sometimes nonchalantly wave. I would smile back at him, too. Gladly, no one else seemed to notice us doing that.

As the rest of the school year went by, it was almost summer vacation yet again. There was only one month left of year eleven. Oddly enough, I had grown slightly closer to Pit within the past few months. We would occasionally text message each other, or hang out after school. Ideally, it would be just Pit and I, but I had found myself spending even more time with Pit and his group of friends, just so I could be with him.

Actually, I was beginning to wonder if Pit suspected that I had a crush on him. Neither of us had ever even touched the subject of which girls we thought were hot, probably because neither of us actually had any attraction to girls. Neither Pit or myself had admitted to each other that we were gay. Since I didn't know for sure, I felt it would be better that I just try to figure it out with time. He was probably unsure about me as well.

As final exam week approached, it became more and more of a struggle for me to concentrate on my studies, since I was constantly thinking about Pit. I just couldn't get him off my brain because I loved him, and he didn't even know, as far as I could tell.

On the last day of school, in late June, I was really torn up inside. It was the last day I got to see Pit, before the two month vacation began. I was so upset that I didn't even eat for the next two days, and I usually had the appetite of an un-tamed beast!

Since I was so down, I decided to private message my friend, Ike. I had never actually met him in person before, but for the past half of the school year, I had chatted with him over the fan fiction website. Ike was really one of the best people I had ever met, and I could say that without a doubt, even though he was just an internet friend, but to me, he was more than an internet friend. He was a true friend.

When Ike received my message, he suggested that I call him over the phone, so we could actually speak in person. I had to dial lots of numbers, since he lived overseas, and I had to make a long distance call. We ended up talking for about an hour. It was so helpful to me that Ike was there to talk when I needed it.

After I got off the phone, my mother opened the door to my bedroom, and asked me who I was talking to. I mentally said,

"Oh, shit!"

I had no idea what to say, so I just told her that I was talking to grandpa. She rolled her eyes, and then walked out of my room, closing the door behind her. I was relieved that she didn't pester me with any other questions, because she had no idea who Ike was, and I really didn't want to tell her, since it would involve me telling her that I was gay.

…..

By now, it was the beginning of July, and I was sitting outside on a swing in the shade. I loved the fresh air on a summer day. My backyard was a great spot for me to sit and think. I began to wonder what it would be like to meet Ike in real life. I thought that he might be thinking I would be insane if I told him that, and hopefully that he wouldn't be freaked out or anything. I knew that we had met on the computer, but even so, he had helped me so much. I began to put the thought out of my head, since I thought that maybe it was a bad idea.

As I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I was interrupted by the sound of the telephone.

Since I was the only one home at the time, I had to run across the yard, up the stairs to the back porch and inside to catch it in time. I had no time to look at who was calling, so I just picked it up, and said,

"Hello?"

"Hey, Link, it's Ike."

"Hey, Ike, what's up?"

"I'm really glad you picked up the phone, because I didn't know what I'd have done if it was one of your parents! Actually I just thought of an idea, and you might think its crazy, but I just had to call you and ask anyway."

"I'm sure it isn't crazy, Ike. I'm always thinking outside the box, or at least I try to," I said with a laugh.

"I have the rest of this month off from my job, and I was wondering if you would want to meet in person so we could hang out or something."

"Woah, you know, I can't believe you just said that, because I was just thinking the exact same thing just a few minutes ago! I was just sitting outside, and the thought popped-into my head. To answer your question, I would like to, but we don't exactly live in the same neighborhood, you know."

"That's true, I know."

"You couldn't come to my house, because my parents know nothing about me, and they will remain knowing nothing."

"Alright, would you like to stay at my place for a few days?"

"Of course I would, but I don't know how I will be able to, because of my parents. I don't know what to say to them. Let me think…"

After a moment, I actually thought of something.

"I have an idea! My birthday is coming up towards the end of this month, and I'll ask my parents if they'd let me go to Gallia for a few days. There is a slight chance that they might say yes. That's where you live, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! And yeah, I hope that works out! We'll see what happens."

"To be honest, I don't think my parents would be too comfortable with letting their soon to be seventeen year old, me, take a trip by myself across the ocean, so I'll have to make up a really good excuse."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon!"

"You too, and I'll let you know if my parents say yes."

When I hung up the phone, I was praying that my parents would say yes. I could not believe what had just happened. I was beginning to think that Ike had psychic powers!

….

When they finally agreed, I phoned Ike and told him that I would see him at Gallia airport in two days. He asked me how my parents said yes. I said that a friend of mine from school got tickets to see a famous circus perform in Gallia. There was going to be a sword fighting tournament in which Marth, the prince of Altea, was going to participate. Hesitantly, my mother and father agreed, but only since they thought it was a worthy cause for me to see such an impressive spectacle.

I was only going to spend four days in Gallia, but it was going to be so much fun! I felt like I needed something like this more than anything. I was finally going to be able to meet Ike, who had helped me cope with accepting the fact that I was gay.

….

When we got to the airport, my parents said goodbye to me, and off I went! The flight was going to take six hours, and it was overnight, so I eventually dozed-off.

I woke up when the sun rose, and I was almost to Gallia. About an hour later, the plane descended onto the runway. I had already arranged for Ike to pick me up, so all I had to do was find him. Since I had never seen him before, I didn't know what he looked like.

As I was walking through the airport, there were people here and there holding up signs with names on them. Ike said that he would hold one with my name on it.

After a few minutes, I sat down on a bench to have a better look around; making sure I hadn't already passed Ike. As I carefully scanned the vast hall, I spotted a guy holding a sign that read, "Link."

When I walked-over to him, I said,

"Hey, Ike!"

"Link!"

"It's so good to finally meet you!"

The first thing I did was give Ike a big hug. It was such a good feeling to be around someone that accepted me for who I was. I had never had the chance to actually trust someone with my true feelings.

After we got caught up, Ike and I drove around, and then decided to get something to eat.

When we got to Ike's house, I was really tired from jet lag, so thank goodness he had prepared the guest room. As rude as I felt just crashing, I couldn't stay awake for another second. It was just impossible!

….

The next morning, I felt much better, and I had gotten enough sleep. For pretty much the rest of the day, I talked to Ike. He told me so many things that had helped him cope with accepting himself. I also talked more about Pit, and how I wished I could see him. Ike also told me a lot about how to approach certain situations with Pit, to help me get closer to him.

All in all, I was just so happy that I had a friend as good as Ike. I didn't know what I would have done if I had gone any longer keeping every one of my thoughts locked inside me.

By the end of that conversation, Ike had given me many good ideas, and one of which I would soon put into action when I went back home.

….

The next day, Ike took me to meet his friend, Chrom, whose story on the fan fiction website had moved me to tears a while back. It turns out that Chrom and Ike had met on fan fiction also, and had become pals in real life! Now, getting to meet them both was really nice, because all three of us had in common our passion for certain games and storylines, but above all, they were like older brothers to me, since they had a lot more experience than did I. I was really happy to be around people like me. I was comfortable talking to them. I actually felt normal for once. I certainly hadn't felt that way in my entire life.

When Ike and I got back to his house, we played some more videogames, and then went to bed. It was my last night in Gallia, and I was so happy to have been able to make it there for the trip. I had learned a lot, and Ike was definitely a true friend.

I had known that long before I'd even met him in person, anyway.

….

The next morning, it was hard to say goodbye.

We were on our way to the airport.

"I guess I'll see you again sometime, Ike."

"Definitely."

When we got to the airport, I thanked Ike again, and said,

"Ike, you're the greatest!"

"No problem, Link. I'm always here if you need anything. Hang in there."

We hugged each other goodbye, and I was homeward bound.

….

The day I arrived home was the day before my actual birthday. I told my parents that the trip was the best present they'd ever given me. Of course, I had to make up a big, long story about how wonderful the "circus" was, since I had completely lied to them about why I wanted to go to Gallia in the first place. It turned out okay, and my parents never figured out that I was lying to them. Even though I felt bad about telling lies, I felt it truly was for the better, for now.

On my birthday, my mother made me breakfast. She was really good at cooking, and the french toast she made that morning was to die for. My whole family treated me like a prince for the rest of the day, but even so, I couldn't shake the regretful feeling that I wasn't spending the day with the one I loved, Pit. I hadn't seen him since the last day of school, and it made me very upset.

I also hadn't forgotten the advice Ike had given me, but it was useless unless I got a free moment alone with Pit.

….

Later that evening, my parents did something that really caught me off guard. I was in my bedroom, playing a new videogame, when all of my friends bolted in and yelled,

"Surprise!"

I was so startled that I nearly fell out of my seat. It turned out that my parents had called up all of my friends and arranged a surprise birthday party. I looked around, and saw most of my friends, instantly realizing that Pit wasn't among them. My heart immediately sank.

Then, my dad said,

"There should be one more of your friends coming, but he isn't here yet."

I walked down the hall, and looked out one of the front windows.

I should've been having fun at my surprise party, but just as I realized that, I saw a car pull up in front of my front gate. I came to life again when I saw Pit step-out of it. He ran up to the door, meeting me in my foyer. He gave me a hug, to my surprise, and said,

"I'm sorry I'm late! Happy birthday, Link!"

I almost started crying, I was so happy. I was in sheer disbelief.

"Don't give it a second thought; I'm so glad you could come. To be honest, I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here right now."

I could feel my face blushing at this point.

"Shall we join everyone else, now?"

"Sure, it is my birthday party, after all."

For dinner, we ordered pizza, since that was the easiest party food. My friends had even brought games to play. It was really fun, and everyone was having a grand time.

Before dessert, everyone had requested to hear a little live entertainment, since I enjoyed playing the piano. I decided to play a nice, melodic song I'd known called, "Angelic Land."

After I was finished, everyone clapped, and I might have even spotted Pit beginning to shed a tear at one moment. I had never seen him get emotional before.

Then, it was time to have birthday cake. It was a large chocolate cake with green and white icing. I got to have the first piece, and I let Pit have the second piece. My mother cut the rest of it.

After playing some more party games, my friends began to leave; little by little. The remainder of us were chatting and watching TV in my room. Pit was sitting next to me. Strangely, he and I hadn't spoken much since the beginning of the evening.

After a few more minutes passed, all of my friends had left the party, except for Pit. I thought that this was my chance. This was indeed the "right moment" that I was waiting for. It was just the two of us in the room, and no one else was around. I was really afraid that Pit was going to freak out if I told him how I truly felt about him. It was time that I was honest with him. That was the perfect time and place to confide within.

Then, my mother called from downstairs. She was informing us that one of Pit's parents was here to pick him up. My heart sank once again, but it hurt even more this time. I now felt like I was alive for no reason.

While I felt like I was going to cry, Pit stood up and said,

"I'll be right back. I'm not going to leave you, Link."

When he said that, I was so confused. How could he be coming "right back," if he was leaving? One of his parents was outside waiting to drive him home now… or so I thought.

About a minute later, Pit returned. He came back into the house, and up to my room where I was sitting on my bed in sort of a heartbroken state of confusion. Pit was carrying and extra set of clothes, his toothbrush, and a towel. From the looks of it, he appeared to be prepared to stay the night.

"I hope you don't mind," said Pit.

"N-no, not at all!"

"I texted my mom a few minutes ago and asked her if she'd bring my things so I could stay over. I figured you wanted to catch up or something, since we haven't really hung out since school was still in session."

"Definitely, I'm glad you're here with me, Pit. There's actually something I've wanted to tell you for a really long time."

"Link, you needn't say another word," Pit said smiling.

"Y-you mean, you know already?"

"Why don't you tell me just to make sure?"

"Pit, I don't even know where to begin. It all started when we were wearing the same shirt a year or so ago. I know this sounds silly, I know we're both guys, but I don't even care about that anymore. I just want you to be with me. That is all that matters. I can't bear holding in my feelings anymore. I love you so much, Pit."

Pit moved closer to me and held my hand. It seemed like we were both on the same page, and then our lips met with so much passion, it felt like time had come to a screeching halt. It was longer than the longest kiss I could have ever imagined. Pit pulled me closer and ran his hand through my hair. Just feeling his body against mine was the most amazing thing I had ever felt. I had wanted that for the longest time. I wanted to do even more. Pit's arms were wrapped around me, too. It felt so good. I never wanted to let go, but if we wanted to take our clothes off, we had to let go for just a second.

"I love you too, Link."

Well, that is all. I hope you enjoyed it! If it is popular enough, I might make another chapter, maybe with some more intense romance~!