Today the sky was a bright, friendly blue, a mid-September breeze greeting Ben and Travis as they walked home from school. It was Friday, glorious Friday, and much to Ben's delight, Travis had invited him over for the weekend. They hadn't done that in a while, so Ben was in a good mood at the moment, a spring in his step as they traversed the familiar pavement between Travis's house and their educational prison.

He was wearing those damn sweaters again.

That was all he could think about. That, and the fact that Travis wouldn't let him touch his phone anymore, not even if he wanted Ben to get it for him. Ben was pretty sure Travis was the laziest person on the planet, and now he was actually doing things himself. Ben didn't know if that was a good thing, or a cause for worry.

"Sweater weather again, huh?" Ben asked. Travis had his own weird little dress code: summer and spring was t-shirts, button-up and plain; fall and winter was sweater season. "Hey, chicks dig the sweaters, man. Make me look sophisticated." Travis affirmed with a smug grin. "You should try it."

"Nah, no thanks. Sweaters aren't my thing."

"I'm making you wear one this weekend, whether you like it or not." Ben laughed.

Ben was incredibly glad that the awkwardness from Tuesday had faded. Wednesday had not been a good day for either of them. Travis had arrived at school with all the symptoms of Sunday night anew, and Ben had a strong feeling that it wasn't a coincidence. Travis had slept through every class, threw up during lunch, and snapped at everyone who talked to him. Worst of all, he hadn't walked home from school with Ben, breaking a tradition they had upheld since elementary school. It really shouldn't have been such a big deal, Ben thought, but he took it as such. He constantly thought about confronting Travis and demanding that he tell him what was going on, but he didn't want to kill the good mood they had going on, at least not right now.

Ben loved going over to Travis's house. There, he didn't have to worry about his father accosting him every five minutes to lecture him or force him to do his work for him. Ben wanted to like his dad, he really did. He tried so incredibly hard to see things from his point of view, having a stressful job, two children to raise and a high-maintenance wife. But sometimes he just made offhand comments about him or Travis or his friends, or anything he really liked, that made Ben want to go up to his room and scream into his pillow, something he often did. And he didn't even tell his dad half of what happened to him. If something very important happened, he would go to his mom, who was usually very busy. He loved his mom, and sometimes she could be a little naïve, but she was always supportive. Ben's dad was only supportive if he personally liked what Ben was standing for, and he had no idea what his stance on gay rights were, but Ben knew that he could never, ever tell his dad that particular secret, even if he was going to marry a guy.

Besides, Travis had a fun family. Fun meaning that his parents were rarely home, because they both had demanding jobs. His older brother, Nick, was now a junior at the University of Michigan, and when he came down from Ann Arbor to visit, he treated Ben like part of the family. He had the same quick sense of humor as Travis, and Ben could see where he had gotten it from, being a theatre major. Travis's other sibling was his 9 year old sister, Sophie. Although she was two years older than Ben's sister, her and Lizzy had been the best of friends since they were born. Sophie was in the after-school daycare program, so when Ben and Travis got home, they were greeted by silence, as they usually were on school days. Ben's mind wandered off to all the things that could happen in this house with no threat of discovery, and had to remind himself not to get his hopes up. That was the perk of being a pessimist; you were either right, or pleasantly surprised.

They entered through the back door and Travis turned the alarm off. Ben knew the code. That was how much Travis's family liked Ben. If he wasn't so horrible at remembering long sequences, he probably would have known Travis's social security number.

Travis dumped his backpack off by the couch and bolted upstairs. Ben followed suit, albeit in a more collected fashion. As Ben reached Travis's room, the latter flopped down on his bed, arms outstretched. "Here's to a long, blissfully uninterrupted weekend," Travis said, holding out an imaginary glass. "Aaaand I'm bored already." He sat straight up. "What do you wanna do, Benny?"

Ben sat crisscrossed on the floor, and thought for a minute.

We could do what we did that one Time.

Thank god he hadn't said that out loud. Ben and Travis hadn't talked about That Time since it had happened. That secret, unless someone's life was in the balance, would die with them. It was an unspoken agreement between the two. They had a lot of those– but none as serious as that one in particular.

"Well... we could go walk down Memorial, we could go to the lake, or the resort, we could just sit here and play video games, we can–"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold the phone. I have a way better idea than any of those."

"Wow, okay."

"No, really. It's good." Travis's face brightened. He looked like a little kid in a candy shop, the way he always did when he had a "great" idea.

"Let's drive to Atlanta."

Well, that was surprisingly tame and anti-climactic. Ben had half-expected him to suggest heleskiing or bungee jumping or something horrifying like that. He seriously hoped Travis would never force him into those activities– Ben sometimes had a hard time just getting on airplanes. "Sounds fun," he replied. "What time should we get up?"

"No, we're gonna go now."

Ben stared at his best friend. "Are you kidding me?"

"Sweetheart, going during the day is no fun."

Travis stood up, ready to head out. Ben stayed put, a little apprehensive of Travis's motivations. "Why do you wanna go to Atlanta so badly?" The city was only thirty minutes away, and he had never been particularly fascinated with it, not being a tourist and having lived in the area since he was five years old.

"I wanna show you something," Travis whispered excitedly.


On the drive to the city, Travis insisted on blaring blink-182 loudly through the speakers. He was a little proud of the fact that he shared his name with their drummer. The sun was beginning to set, brilliant oranges and pinks blending together in the sky, the sun disappearing behind the clouds. They hadn't spoken in a while, just listening to the music, enjoying the freedom they had, Travis singing along occasionally. Ben looked through the window as they passed car by car, sign by sign.

It was moments like this that made Ben really, truly happy.

Here's a letter for you
But the words get confused and the conversation dies
Apologize for the past, talk some shit, take it back
Are we cursed to this life?

"So I don't suppose you're gonna tell me what you want to show me until we get to it." Ben finally broke the silence.

"You suppose correctly."

Ben didn't answer for a while. He was distracted by the sight of the approaching buildings, huge high-rises two hundred feet in the air. He thought about how him and Travis were akin to ants in this city, with its citizens rushing by each other, each with their own stories. In Stone Mountain, a town of five thousand, you run into people you know every day. In Atlanta, you are nearly always a stranger.

I'm talking to the ceiling
My life just lost all meaning
Do one thing for me tonight
I'm dying in this silence

Travis drove for five more minutes before he ended up parking in a busy parking lot downtown. Without a word, he got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Ben did the same, and walked around to Travis, who was staring at a building in the distance.

"The aquarium? That's your big scheme?"

"Be patient."

He headed off to the aquarium at an alarming pace and Ben jogged to catch up, becoming increasingly confused about Travis's plan.

Ben vaguely remembered going to the aquarium once when he was maybe six or seven. His mother was pregnant with Lizzy, and very happy back then. He recalled her smiling a lot, holding hands with his father, fascinated by the marine life. Things were a lot better back then.

When they got to the main door, it was obvious that they were closing up, since everybody was going out and nobody was going in. Travis walked up to the official who was standing by the door. "When are you closing?" He asked.

"Ten minutes. Sorry, kiddo. Better luck next time," the man replied.

Travis was unphased. He took out his wallet and discreetly showed the man a few bills. They added up to one hundred dollars.

"Thirty minutes," Travis told him. Ben hung back, uneasy.

The man hesitated, his mustache twitching. "Alright, alright." He grabbed the money and quickly ushered them in. "Don't tell nobody." Travis took Ben by the wrist and dragged him into the aquarium, passing by the crowds of people lining up to leave.

Still holding his wrist, Travis guided Ben through the exhibits. They saw sharks and manta rays, otters and penguins, seahorses and jellyfish and coral reefs. Ben lingered on the dolphins; while all the other animals seemed tired, the dolphins playfully zipped around, chasing each other and doing flips. Their energy was contagious, and when Travis got impatient and called his name, Ben was filled with new excitement and ran up to him, curious to see what was next.

Travis finally stopped in front of a huge communal tank, and sat down on the bench facing the glass. He took a deep breath, and exhaled. Ben wondered if maybe he came here often, knowing the layout so well.

He sat next to Travis, and caught a glimpse of the shorter boy's face. He was immersed in watching the underwater city, with its own bustling lanes of traffic and colorful homes. The place was dark, illuminated only by a few dim lights on the wall behind them and the light from the tanks. He was tinted blue, the reflection of the waves dancing across his face. His eyebrows were slightly raised, like he was waiting for something.

Almost as if on cue, a beluga whale swam up to observe the two of them. It drifted slowly toward the glass, and opened its mouth presumably to greet them. Ben had read somewhere that belugas were known as the "canaries of the sea", and was sure that if the creature could speak English, it would be saying "Hello! How are you! Would you like to be my friend?"

Travis waved at the beluga, and it raised its own fin to return the gesture. Ben couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Dude! It waved at you!" Ben exclaimed, amazed.

Travis smiled. "Yeah, I think he recognizes me. I come here a lot. It kinda calms me down, I guess. Better than the zoo. More peaceful." He shrugged. "I think his name is Beethoven. It fits."

The two sat there for a minute, watching Beethoven. He seemed as curious about them as they were about him, tilting his head and letting out more noises. Ben was filled with a sense of quiet wonder, and had to wonder why more people didn't go to the aquarium. It really was a fantastical place.

Soon after the security guards found them and escorted them out of the building. Ben looked back and mentally said goodbye to his new friend. He made a vow to visit more often. By this time, the sky had gotten completely dark. There were no stars in the sky, as it often was from the city. Ben was relaxed, in a good mood, and ready to go home and sleep. However, Travis started off in the opposite direction of the car.

"Hey, where are you going...? Ben asked, following him.

"I am not done with you, sir. Come here."

Ben followed Travis until they came to a square in the middle of a cluster of buildings. They stood in front of a wide, tall fountain. Travis checked the time on his Samsung.

"Watch it."

Ben waited for a minute, confused. Then music began to play, loud and clear, and the fountain began shooting water that must have been thirty feet in the sir. A spectactular light and water show ensued, the fountain spraying in time to the music and the lights matching, throwing colors onto the surrounding walls. Travis sat on the edge of the fountain and motioned for Ben to do the same. They watched the show, as it transitioned into a slower song. Ben noticed a couple kissing in the corner of his eye and was suddenly hit with the overwhelming urge to grab Travis and kiss him right then and there. He very nearly did– but the show ended just as he summoned up the courage, and the crowd that had gathered went about their business as usual. Travis turned to him, looking almost bashful, and said "Sorry if that was lame."

"No! It wasn't lame. It was... it was great." Ben said, genuinely meaning it. "I mean, you took the time to show me all this stuff, and uh, it means a lot. I guess." He immediately blushed after he said this. Why did you say that? Now he'll think you're fucking weird.

When Ben blushed, it wasn't subtle. His entire face always went red, and right now he was thankful that Travis didn't notice, or at least didn't say anything about it. "Don't mention it." Travis said with a smile, and Ben felt a warm feeling course through him. He hadn't had this much fun in a while. As they walked back to the car, Ben daydreamed relentlessly about kissing Travis by the fountain, and his hand had to be grabbed by Travis again to prevent him from getting run over. He didn't complain.

The last star left in heaven
Is falling down to earth and
Do you still feel the same way
Do you still feel the same way?


By the time Ben and Travis got home, it was about nine p.m. Rain was pouring down from the blackened sky, spattering the car so hard that it shook infinitesimally. The windshield wipers worked overtime, squeaking against the glass, and the radio could barely be heard over the cacophony. Ben sighed. He hated the rain. He looked over at Travis in the driver's seat.

"We're gonna have to make a run for it," Ben said.

Travis looked ahead, and put on the parking brake. "Let's just sit here for a minute."

The two boys sat in the car, Ben wondering why Travis was so calm. They stayed there for a while, at least three minutes, until their silence was interrupted by a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder. Ben jumped in his seat, startled. Travis started cracking up.

"Dude, it's just a little thunder," he laughed.

"Shut up, man. We seriously should go inside."

Travis's face sobered. "No," he whispered defiantly.

Ben noticed Travis staring at him in the corner of his eye, and turned his head to meet his gaze. Ben's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He felt Travis looking him all over, and got a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Those infuriatingly brown eyes bore into him with such intensity that Ben had to ask, "Are you okay?"

Suddenly Travis lunged forward, planted his lips firmly on Ben's, and did not let go for a very, very long time.

Ben nearly squeaked in shock. He felt his face go red, his whole body suddenly frozen up, and despite being somewhat chilly before, flushed with heat. Travis brought his hands up to Ben's face, pulling him closer, their mouths moving against each other, Ben tangling his hands in Travis's hair. Travis moaned, and Ben felt a new sensation in the lower hemisphere of his body.

They broke apart, staring at each other for a moment. Unspoken words passed between them, and then Travis was pulling off his shirt, and Ben was scrambling to do the same. Their lips came crashing together again, this time with tongue, and Ben wrapped his arms around Travis, clawing at his back, wanting to be as close as humanly possible to him. Travis pulled away, only for a second, pressed his forehead to Ben's, the both of them breathing heavily, and whispered, "I love you–"

Then Ben woke up.


Whoever you are, thank you so much for actually reading this far! I have to apologize because I've never written about anything more intimate than hugging. Ever. So if anyone could give me advice, that would be super. xD If you review, I will marry you. But only if that's cool with you. See you in around a few days to a week :) -Amy