Gideon Gold couldn't quite determine when his interest in the same sex began, but if he had to pinpoint, it would have to be the year he grew taller and his voice deepened—his thirteenth year.
It was also the same year he spent the entire summer away from Storybrooke. His parents had taken him to the Enchanted Forest a few times to help him gain control of his powers, as well as to show him some of the hotspots, such as the castle they fell in love in.
That particular summer was more for fun than a business trip (it would be four months before his parents would announce the existence of his baby sister, Dante) and his parents wanted to show him the magical parts of both the Land without Magic and the Enchanted Forest.
Gideon had been psyched for the three months of adventures with his parents and best friends. That is, until Robyn and Neal's mothers decided that they would not be attending. They had invited Zelena and the Charmings to the restaurant to discuss letting their children come with them for their vacation.
"Robyn will be spending the summer at camp in Boston." Zelena proclaimed proudly (and loudly enough so that all the patrons at Granny's would hear them too, apparently).
Belle and Rumple exchanged a look when they noticed how deep Robyn's frown was at the declaration.
"They have an excellent archery program there." Regina, who had trailed along with her sister, reminded Robyn. The confirmation seemed to lift Robyn's spirits just enough that she didn't seem so depressed.
"We'll miss you." Belle assured gently.
Robyn nodded and picked at the pie Granny placed in front of her.
"Guess it's just you, Neal." Belle smiled.
"I'm afraid not." Snow cut in before Neal had the chance. "Neal's going to stay here this summer. We just bought a few sheep and David's going to teach him his heritage."
David smiled proudly, though the hand he placed on his shoulder seemed more like a comforting gesture.
The decision was finalized, and for the first time in their lives, the trio would be spending their free time away from each other, literally realms apart.
Overall, the summer had been fun, but there was only so much conversation Gideon could have with his parents.
Perhaps it was the borderline boredom that had caused Gideon's attention to keep wondering that summer, and subsequently wonder to things that would change certain structures of his life forever.
They were at a beach—South Carolina somewhere. His mother was reading a book of history on the area while his father used sculptor's tools to detail a sandcastle he and Gideon had been building.
Gideon soon left his father to it and began a lonely trek along the surf. He was waterlogged and just bored enough that he was taking in every detail of every person passing by.
The woman jogging in tennis shoes and a bikini had faded stretchmarks on her lower stomach—she had lost a great deal of baby weight and she wanted the world to know it.
The man with a frazzled beard and metal detector relied on the loose change and scraps he found to survive. It would take a whole day of findings just to afford a meal.
The group of teens practicing CPR were part of a lifeguard training program, and they weren't nearly as fleeting as the rest of the people on the beach. They stayed in one spot, and Gideon could watch their story play out.
He watched the coach of the teens send them back and forth into the water, doing all sorts of exercises, reapplying sunscreen to each other's backs and shoulders. It was mesmerizing, the tandem of teamwork, but it wasn't until one of the male teens jogged out of the water that a different sort of feeling ran through Gideon.
He watched the droplets of salty water fall from the chiseled teen's chest and abs to the rim of his swimsuit trunks, the material sagging from the weight of the absorbed water.
The sight left a strange feeling in the pit of Gideon's stomach, something he had never felt before. Something that was exciting but for some reason made the developing teen slightly ashamed.
His parents always told him to never be afraid to discuss anything with them, but he couldn't help being a bit embarrassed when he brought the subject to them that night as they prepared for bed. It reminded him of the talk they had last winter when Robyn started bleeding from her private area and his parents gave him his first sex talk.
Apparently, this counted as one too.
"It's completely natural." His father whispered as Belle showered. "Being interested in bodies at your age is nothing to be ashamed of. But always remember to be respectful, and no peaking." His father ended the conversation with a wink and went to turn down the covers to the double bed of their comfortable hotel room.
Gideon considered himself lucky that the conversation ended there, but for the first time in his life, he didn't feel like he had gotten the full extent of his father's life-lesson.
To be fair it wasn't his fault.
Gideon had told his father that he was curious about the bodies he saw on the beach, but he forgot to inform him that it wasn't the bodies of the ladies that had peaked his attention.
The summer ended, and Gideon and his friend were reunited—and the young teen soon found that while it had only been two and a half months since their separation—a lot had changed.
Robyn had seemed to grow into her wheelchair at last: her stance was straighter, more confident. Her hair had lost it's auburn hue and was taken on a more blond tint, her green eyes brighter. Her arms as well had seemed to bulk up.
"Archery. All summer!" Robyn bragged over milkshakes at Granny's, a day after Gideon's return and another three before either one of them would see Neal again. "The kids there started calling me 'Robyn Hood'. If only they knew!"
Gideon was happy for her, and happier that the summer experiences kept her talk and less curious about his own escapades. He wasn't ready to tell Robyn, not because she was a girl or because he was embarrassed, but because Robyn was the kind of friend to push you in the pool after you told her you couldn't swim. She didn't believe in pussyfooting around, and telling her about his possible interests in guys could lead to a lot of embarrassment on his end.
That was partially the reason why he made his way into Storybrooke's countryside to Charming's sheep farm. Neal knew how to keep secrets (ironic, considering who his mother was). If Gideon revealed to him his possible interest in men, he would help him.
The Charming's sheep farm was much prettier than it had been at the start of the summer. The fields were greener, and the hills were covered in sheep and their lambs. It was a lovely, peaceful location, but Gideon couldn't help but feel nervous about what was inside the comfy-looking farmhouse pulling it all together.
Mrs. Nolan didn't like Gideon. She was never unkind to him, but there was this dark energy that came off her whenever he was around. It unnerved him, and was the reason why he didn't step foot into their old loft apartment.
Now, Neal had his own room with a door and walls and a window Gideon could scale down from if he needed to.
With a deep breath, he knocked on the door and miracles of miracles, Mr. Nolan answered.
"Gideon!" David greeted warmly. "Look at you! You grew, what, a whole foot?"
"Just two inches, Mr. Nolan." Gideon replied good-naturedly, clearing his throat to cover the slight crack that had been stuck there in the last month. "Is Neal around?"
"He just ran upstairs. Go ahead." Mr. Nolan replied with a wink, and Gideon turned quickly to hide the crimson wave that washed over his face.
He needed to figure this out, preferably before he developed a crush on his best friend's dad.
He did a quick knock on Neal's door, waiting for his grunt before entering.
"Hey dude I'm…" Gideon paused as Neal turned, his face red with perspiration, his wet shirt sticking to him like a second skin.
"Gid!" Neal greeted excitedly. "I heard you were back."
"Your voice…" Gideon squeaked, his heart thumping.
"Your voice!" he laughed back. "Looks like we both hit the big change."
Gideon nodded dumbly, his eyes trailing over his taller form. "Yeah…some things are…different now."
Neal laughed, stepping forward as he pulled off his sticky shirt. "No kidding. Check it out, I've been bench-pressing sheep all summer."
Gideon's mouth went dry at the sight of Neal's chiseled chest and stomach. Gone was the pale, boyish softness. In its place was a developing six-pack and toned arms strengthened by hard work.
The flutter the young teen had felt when he saw the trainees at the beach was creeping back into his stomach, only this time it was not accompanied by shame.
This time, Gideon felt a strange sense of joy seeing how his friend had changed. Like Robyn, he had beautifully grown into his own skin. He had an air of confidence that he hadn't had during the awkward stage of his development.
In short, Neal Nolan was beautiful, and Gideon could have stared at him forever.
"You okay, Gid?"
Like a timebomb, Gideon's illusion burst into a million pieces. What was he doing? How could he be ogling his best friend like this?
Gideon forced a nod, lowering his eyes so that he could find his composure.
"Did you come for something?" Neal inquired as he dried off with a stray towel.
Don't look don't look don't look!
"I ah…wanted to…" he could feel Neal's concerned gaze on him, and it made him feel as half-naked as him. "I just wanted to see if…you'd want to…come to the diner with me tonight."
"Sure." Neal agreed instantly. "Seven, okay?"
Gideon nodded sharply, making a beeline out the door.
"Was there anything else?" Neal called after him.
Gideon didn't lift his gaze until he made it to the bottom of the steps, finding Neal's father at the kitchen entrance, his shirt opened halfway.
"Going already, Gideon?" Mr. Nolan inquired as he sipped a glass of water.
"Damn IT!" Gideon shrieked, grasping his cracking throat as he dashed out the door.
David flinched as the door slammed after him, glancing up to the top of the stairs where Neal stood.
"What was that?" David chuckled.
Neal shrugged. "Beats the shit out of me, pop."
"Language," David reminded him sternly.
Gideon stopped for air as he reached the edge of the Charming's farm, his head spinning both from the lack of oxygen and the dulled down lust taking over his brain.
As he made the slow trek back into town, he realized he wouldn't have to discuss the possibility of his interest of the same sex with anyone.
It was flawlessly clear to Gideon Gold that he, indeed, liked guys.
And, it was indecisively obvious, that those feelings might just extend to his best friend, Neal Nolan.
Shit.