I do not own QAF

Justin couldn't help smiling as Freddy drove down Liberty Avenue. He loved the street, the area around it that was still considered part of the known gay street.

"My mom would have a heart attack if she knew I was even down here," Freddy said with a nervous chuckle.

"I know what you mean," he said honestly. "My dad didn't take it well at all."

"So is it true that the reason you don't live at home anymore is because you're gay?"

"Yeah," Justin said a little sadly then perked up. "But now I live with people who understand my being gay and the life I'm now living."

"What do you mean, the life you now live?"

"I don't live the sheltered life of a hetero family," he told him. "I have the freedom to enjoy hanging around the avenue, to be able to go out at night to party. Deb and Vic understand that I want to go out and be myself."

"You live with a straight couple?"

Justin laughed. "Deb is straight, but her brother Vic is gay," he explained. "Here's the diner."

Freddy parked his car and they headed for the door, their backpacks on their shoulders.

"Your boss won't mind up us sitting in here doing homework?" Freddy asked, eyeing the front of the diner.

Justin laughed. "Don't worry about it," he said then smiled at the guy. "Don't let this place intimidate you. Daph said it can be at first."

Freddy raised at brow, wondering how a diner could intimidate him. Then Justin opened the door and they were walking in.

Justin wasn't kidding about the place being colorful. Rainbow was the obvious staple of the décor. It wasn't just the range of décor that was colorful. The people were much more surprising. Two women sat together in a booth, one quite butch with bright green spiked hair while her friend looked almost normal, except for that her right arm was covered with tattoos. A man wearing all leather walked down the aisle of the place, passing a booth with two men not wearing shirts. There was one booth with a man who looked like a perfectly normal man. His companion was feminine and wore a bright purple tight shirt.

The place was loud as well with people laughing, talking loud enough to make it clear they didn't care if someone heard them. It was a little startling, especially the people, but Freddy had to smile.

"Come on," Justin said easily as he led the way for the back of the place.

"Hi, baby," Emmett said with a bright smile as they close to the table he and Michael were sitting at.

"Hey, Em," he said casually.

"Who's the boyfriend?" He asked teasingly.

Justin rolled his eyes.

"He's cute," Emmett said with a grin.

"And your own age," Michael pointed out firmly.

"Not a boyfriend," Justin said and tossed his backpack on bench of the last booth, his back to the room. He figured Freddy would like to be able watch the people, get an idea of what Liberty Avenue was like.

Freddy slid onto the bench opposite Justin, eyeing the two men who'd spoken to the blond. They were older than them, he was betting at least twenty-five.

"Do you actually want to do our homework, or you just want to talk about it?" Justin asked with a smile.

"About what?" Freddy asked, trying to sound like he didn't know what the other guy meant.

Justin rolled his eyes. "Freddy, no straight guy in school would want to talk to me, much less come down to Liberty with me."

"That obvious?"

Justin laughed lightly. "You told any of your friends?"

Freddy shook his head.

"It's hard," he said honestly. "Coming out to the people you actually care about."

"Why do you say it like that?" He asked with a frown.

"It would be easy for you to admit you're gay here," he pointed out. "You don't care what they think, you do care what your friends think."

Freddy nodded, agreeing.

"There's no shame in liking cock."

Both buys looked up in surprise as Debbie stopped at their table.

Freddy looked at the colorful woman with wide eyes, both at her appearance and her words.

Debbie laughed. "Cute friend, Sunshine," she said. "You bringing him home tonight?"

"No, Deb," he said laughing. "Freddy is a friend from school."

"The uniform gives it away," she pointed out. "Now, what can I get you boys?"

The two ordered food and she walked away.

"Is she the one you live with?" Freddy asked eyeing the waitress.

Justin nodded. "So what is it you're wanting?" He asked bluntly. "What is it you want to know?"

Freddy bit his lip for a second, his eyes going over the people in the diner. "I don't know," he admitted. "I know I'm gay, but beyond that…." He looked down, back up, then went on quietly. "How did you do it? Make friends around here? Learn how…"

"To be queer?" Justin provided.

He nodded. "I'm mean, other than the sex," he added. "What did you do?"

Justin looked at the other guy for a second. "I worked up the courage one night and came down here," he told him. "I let some guy take me home with him and fuck me."

Freddy looked at him in surprise.

"Not the smartest thing to do," Justin said honestly. "Then after that, I just started to hang around Liberty. I watched people, listened to them, went to the clubs and bars." He shrugged. "Mostly I figured out who I am and how to survive here by experience."

"Weren't you scared?" Freddy asked. "Letting some stranger take you home? To just hang around here without knowing anyone?"

Justin nodded. "Scared shitless," he said with a laugh. "But if you let that keep you from doing anything, you may as well stay home and keep pretending to be a hetero."

"Which is a stupid thing to do, honey," Debbie said walking up to the table with their food. "Be proud of who you are."

Freddy blinked up at the woman as she put the food on the table.

"Get your homework done, Sunshine," she said and walked away.

Justin grinned and the two started to actually talk about their schoolwork while they ate.

They were just finishing when Freddy's eyes widened, his eyes on someone walking into the diner. The man was hot, even if he had to be around thirty.

"What?" Justin asked and looked over his shoulder. He grinned and turned back to the guy. "Yeah, he is hot."

Freddy nodded.

"That's Brian," he said proudly.

"That's the guy you and Daphne were talking about?" Freddy asked in surprise.

Justin grinned brighter and nodded once. "That's him."

"He's the one that brings you to school?"

Justin nodded again.

"Damn, how did you end with him?" Freddy whispered.

Justin laughed, smiling brightly. "He's the stranger that took me home that first night."

"No, shit!" Freddy said loudly then winced when the two guys who'd spoken to Justin turned to look at them.

Justin just laughed.

"What are you doing here, twat?"

Justin looked up at Brian as he stood next to his bench. "Homework," he said honestly.

Brian nodded and looked at the books on the table between the two boys. "Chemistry?"

"My new friend wanted some help."

Freddy just looked at the man, unable to look away. He looked good. He smiled nervously when the man finally looked at him, raising a brow.

"I didn't know you liked them young," Brian teased.

"Fuck off, Brian," he said lightly. "You already know I like old men."

Brian glared even as Emmett laughed from one booth away.

Justin grinned and turned his attention back to Freddy, who was just watching the exchange.

"Twat," Brian said and smacked the back of Justin's head before walking away.

"What's the age thing?" Freddy asked after a minute.

"Oh, they all tease because I'm so young," he said with an easy laugh.

"So…." Freddy said a few minutes later as they worked through their homework. "What else is there to do around here?"

"Want to hang out tomorrow?" Justin asked lightly. "I'm off. We can even get Daph if you want and the three of us can explore Liberty Avenue."

Freddy nodded with a smile. "As friends."

"Friends," Justin confirmed. "I don't do the boyfriend thing. I much rather party and fuck." He raised a brow at the other guy. "And I don't fuck friends. Except Brian."

Freddy smiled. "So tomorrow then."

"You got it," Justin said and started packing his stuff up. "My shift is about to start."

"Okay," Freddy said easily. "I'll see you at school."

Justin smiled and went to the bathroom to change clothes for work.