Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It didn't take long for Noah to find Rex, despite the other teen's obviously better means of travel. Mostly cause he knew were the Evo would go.

The darker teen was sitting on his favorite bench in the basketball court, his face turned to the sunset. His form was tense and Noah was hesitant to disturb him, but he couldn't leave things like this.

"Rex."

The other teen didn't react to his call or when Noah sat beside him.

The blonde didn't know what to say. Jake had been his friend all his life, and even though he could be a jerk at times, he'd still hoped that his two friends would get along.

He hadn't planned on Rex finding out that he and Jake had once been a couple like he had, especially not now when he was just starting to truly accept how he felt about the other boy.

Rex was special to him in ways Jake would never be, no matter their relationship status.

He just didn't have the words to express it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Rex breaking the silence between them.

"Why would you date someone like him?" He asked, even though what he really wanted to know was: Why him and not me?

Noah felt an irrational stab of shame at the question, despite the fact he'd dated Jake before he even knew Rex existed.

"We were young. I'd just realized I was Bi…it was complicated." He answered lamely.

"What? Being a boy toy?" Rex snapped before he could think better of it.

He just felt so angry, so jealous, and like Noah he didn't have the words to express it.

But Noah wasn't about to take being snapped at.

"Rex, where's this coming from?! I don't get what you're so mad about!"

Rex turned to him with an expression Noah had never seen on his face before. It was a mixture of anger and confusion and something that the blonde couldn't help but think looked like jealousy.

"I had friends before you Rex. Being mad that you weren't the first isn't going to change that." He huffed angrily.

Rex looked away and pressed his balled fists against his knees, not saying a word.

Noah could see how Rex was struggling with this and it made his heart ache. Having friends was relatively new to him and Noah knew sometimes his lack of knowledge about social etiquette made him anxious.

"Talk to me Rex. Help me understand." He begged.

Rex avoided his gaze and stared at his shoes for several moments.

Noah was about to question him again when Rex reached over and took his hand in his own.

Still staring at the ground he began answering the only question Noah hadn't asked, but really mattered.

"If I was your boyfriend I wouldn't call you a boy toy or names you didn't like or make you feel uncomfortable. I'd call you Carino and protect you and make sure no one ever even thought about laying a hand on you."

Rex squeezed his hand even tighter and whispered the last bit.

"I don't want to complicate what we are anymore than I have to, but you need to give me some kind of clue Noah. Every time I think you're letting me in and try to get closer, you push me away. Then you bring this guy to hang out with us….and all I can think is that you're trying to make me jealous."

Noah tensed at that and immediately opened his mouth to deny it.

Then stopped.

He knew he'd been sending Rex mixed signals ever since he'd started realizing he felt something for the Evo more than friendship, but he didn't have a clue as to how to tell Rex that directly.

Maybe his sudden impulse to bring Jake along to meet Rex that day had been his subconscious's attempt to show Rex that boys were just as much an option for him as girls.

Maybe, this was what he'd wanted to happen.

Noah sighed and slouched back against the wall behind him until his head lightly hit the concrete.

"I'm an idiot." He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and sighed again.

Rex squeezed his hand and let out a tiny laugh.

"You're a lot of things Noah, but an idiot is definitely not one of them."

Noah laughed quietly for a moment too before opening his eyes and looking at his best friend.

The Evo next to him looked surprisingly calm given the circumstances. Like he was preparing himself for what ever response Noah gave, whether it was in his favor or not.

He'd be lying if he said that he didn't find comfort in that. In knowing that Rex would accept his answer.

In a way Jake would never have.

Rex would wait. Wait till he was ready to handle such a big change in their relationship.

Even stay with him if he never was. Maybe that was why Noah had the courage to say what he knew he needed to say in that moment.

"It took everything I had to keep being friends with Jake after we broke up. To try and forget enough of the reasons I had wanted to be with him and to try and remember why we were ever friends in the first place…I don't want that to happen to us Rex. I don't want to look at you one day and feel like that. Like I'm being pulled in two different directions."

Noah closed his eyes as he finished, terrified to look at his friend's face and see an expression that was sure to break his heart.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt Rex lean against his shoulder and his hair tickle his neck.

"That's what it feels like for me now Noah. Like my hearts tearing itself up trying to decide what it wants. If it can handle just being your friend forever or if it can bear the risk of having you and then losing you. But you were wrong before Noah. I don't care that I wasn't your first. I only care about being your last."

Noah felt his breath catch and his heart skip a beat in his chest at the Evo's words.

He wanted that too. For Rex to be the one at his side if he lost all others. To be his last everything.

With a deciding sigh Noah leaned head atop of Rex's on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around Rex's waist.

"I can't promise you that you'll be my last Rex." He admitted with a whisper.

"The world's too unpredictable for me to reasonably promise you something like that."

Before Rex could move or respond, Noah gripped his waist tighter and continued.

"But if I was your boyfriend….If you asked me to be…I'd promise to try."

The ball was in Rex's court now and Noah was a bundle of nerves as he waited for his friend to respond.

Rex detangled himself from Noah just enough to be able to catch his gaze and the very air seemed to pulse with the tense between them.

The Evo leaned forward just enough to press his forehead to Noah's before he broke the silence between them.

"Noah, will you be my boyfriend?" He asked softly.

Noah nodded, and with Rex so close he felt as much as he saw the gesture.

With a small grin the blonde closed the gap between them in a soft kiss that promised he would try to be everything that Rex deserved in a partner and to, hopefully, be the last one he ever had.

I cannot apologize enough for how long it took me to post this! Every word was like pulling teeth despite how much I wanted to get it done! Please forgive me!

I've got one more chapter in mind and would love some feedback!

Happy belated birthday T! (Just think of this late chapter as my attempted to stretch out the joy of your birth!)

Yours truly,

Lacy Fairgold