Hey all. Here's chapter 8. Real sorry about the wait. This one has been the hardest one to write yet, and I am still not at all happy with it. But here it is just the same.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. The response to this is simply overwhelming.

Maria (meravigliata)-I tried to send you an email, but it wouldn't allow me too. I just wanted to thank you for the review. Yours are always amazing. 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, hey Marco. Can you come watch movies over at my place this weekend?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

Marco hung up the phone and threw himself onto his bed with a huge smile on his face. It never failed. Everytime Dylan asked him to do something with him he would get giddy and excited. It was quite stupid. Especially since it had been almost two whole months since they started talking. Stupid indeed.

Grabbing his stuff, Marco headed downstairs. He had a project to work on with Jimmy tonight. Tomorrow though, he'd be with Dylan.

There's the dumb smile again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Marco."

"Hey El." Marco turned to the red haired girl beside him.

"I heard from Paige that you're going over to their house this weekend. Dylan asked you out didn't he? Why didn't you tell me?"

Marco stared at her in irritation. Would they ever give up? He began beating his head against his locker. Ellie, atleast knew that was a 'no' so she walked off, leaving Marco to finish damaging his brain in peace.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marco rang the doorbell and made some last minute adjustments to his hair, using the window pane in the door. Until it was opened atleast.

Paige was the one to answer, looking as bubbly and ruthless as ever. "Hey, Marco. Come on in. Dylan's outside right now." she said pointing to a door in the dining room. Marco nodded his head and headed in that direction. Spinner was here tonight also, so he thought he'd leave the two alone for a bit. Atleast until they started watching the movies.

Opening the door, Marco nearly died of a heart attack. There was Dylan running around the yard in only a pair of denim shorts with a black lab running after him. He was smiling wider than he ever had before and his hair was positively everywhere. He would jump in a pile of leaves and allow the dog to tackle him for a moment's time, then jump up and run around some more, still completely oblivious to the other boy watching him.

The dog wasn't oblivious however. After a couple more seconds of chasing it's owner, its ears perked up and he began running toward Marco, bringing Dylan's attention to his presense.

Jogging up to them, rubbing his hands on his shorts, Dylan yelled "Hey Marco! Sorry I wasn't inside. I was feeding Jack and...well...we got distracted." The dog barked, as if agreeing with him and began snuffling Dylan's hair when he bent over to fill his food bowl. "Anyway, we better go in now. Paige will have a fit, and I smell." Dylan said, standing back up and opening the door for Marco to go through.

Marco watched as Dylan grabbed a rumpled shirt from the kitchen counter and walked down a hallway. To the shower more than likely, Marco thought. That was all he thought though. That had to be the most dangerous track to yet surface in his mind, and Marco was, in no way, going to allow himself to follow it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the shower Dylan tried to wash away the nerves along with the grime. He couldn't believe it. He had to ask out that...amazing boy....tonight. This was going to be the hardest freaking thing he'd ever done. And coming out to his parents was on this list too. Needless to say, Dylan was nervous.

Climbing out and drying off, he thought of how he could go about this. Nothing seemed appropriate. Everything seemed too overdone or not romantic enough. There just didn't seem to be any right way to go about it. Maybe, he'd be better off without him. Dylan sighed.

Tugging a clean shirt on as he went down the hall, he could hear loud laughter coming from the den. The laughter had come from Paige, Spinner and Marco. And since Marco was the one laughing the least, he guessed he was the cause.

"Oh, hey Dyl. Ready?"

Dylan cast a nervous glance from Paige to Marco and back to Paige again, and nodded dumbly. "Yeah, ready."

"Okay you guys. You have a choice of three. I've got...Big Fish, the new Lord of the Rings, and Secret Window."

When Spinner heard "Big Fish" he rolled his eyes. Hm, thought Dylan, the boy still hasn't learned a thing. Dylan got up from his spot on the couch, grabbed the offending dvd and tossed into a nearby potted plant. "I am not watching that. Sorry."

Marco laughed and pointed to the two left over dvds in Paige's hand. "How about Secret Window? I get scared senseless in movies like that...but, well, curiousity killed the cat right?"

Paige seemed to be of the same state of mind, and jumped up to put it in. Spinner already had the loveseat saved for himself and Paige, leaving the larger couch to Marco and himself. Marco was already situated in the far left side in a tiny ball, and Dylan sprawled out next to him laying his head in the younger boy's lap. Marco layed his hand lightly on the blonde boy's collarbone. Both missed the smug expression on Paige's face as she started the movie.

Six hours, two popcorn fights and a catnap later, it was time for Marco and Spinner to be going home. Grumbling and pouting the whole way, all four left the house and got into Dylan's car. First was Spinner's. He lived closer. Then came Marco's.

Marco hopped out of the backseat with his usual goodbyes to each and started up the walk to his house. Paige, seeing nothing happening, hit her brother in the back of the head as hard as she could.

"Holy crap! Paige! That hurt!"

"Dylan, get out of the car this instant! He's about to be at his door and you are just sitting here!" Dylan narrowed his eyes. "Dylan, NOW!" He rolled his eyes, but did get out of the car.

"Marco, wait up! Gotta talk to you!"

The italian boy stopped, not five steps from his house, turned around and met Dylan half way. "Something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing wrong at all. I guess you could say...I just needed to ask you a question."

"Oh, okay. Go ahead." Marco said, more confused as time went by.

Come on, it's so easy. Will you go out with me Marco? See, so easy! So why am I having such trouble getting this out?!

"You know, I erm, really enjoy being your friend, right?"

"Um," Marco got shifty eyes. "Sure. You're a great friend too."

Looking into Marco's eyes, Dylan could see how terrified he was. It stirred something inside him. Made him want to protect him. Keep that look as far away as possible. And suddenly words began to form on his lips. Dylan had no idea where they came from, but they came just the same.

"I really love being your friend. You're the best friend I've ever had even. You're smart, kind, attentative. You've just got this quality that makes you unique. And I wake up in the morning and think...I get to see Marco today. And that makes it worth it all."

Here he paused and looked into those eyes deeper. The fear was morphing into something else...something entirely new to him. Something beautiful. He wanted it to stay.

Dylan continued in a whisper so quiet it was almost unheard. "And somewhere along the way, all of that seemed to catch up with me. I love being your friend...but I'd love to be there for you as something much more."

Marco was shocked to notice there were tears forming in his eyes. Though they never fell. Dylan was saying the most amazing things. And that look in his eyes....it made him want to do something stupid....like jump off a bridge. It made something explode within him. And he never wanted it to stop.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is...you wanna have dinner this weekend?" Dylan finally got out with a warm smile. He'd done it.

Marco almost fainted then and there. Dylan...just....what?...he....wow!

"I'd...I'd l-love to. Definitely." he said nodding emphatically.

"Alright. Five-thirty on Saturday?"

"Yeah...yeah."

The two boys walked off in opposite directions with smiles a hundred miles long. It hadn't even really sunk in yet, and it was still the best day of their lives.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there you have it. Chapter 10 ought to be killer. So stick with me.

Also, I know that the whole three movie thing has been used in another fanfic...and I promise I wasn't stealing! I hadn't even started reading fanfiction until after I started writing this. A friend of mine pointed it out to me this morning. I just thought the idea would bring out Dylan's masculinity. So, anyway, not stealing. Promise.

R&R