Title: Something New

Rating: PG-13 for themes and language

Characters: In this chapter: Marco, Dylan, Marco's parents, Carlos, Paige

Pairings: Marco/Dylan, Spinner/Paige, Ellie/Sean, not sure of any others.

Disclaimer: Not a thing belongs to me. How I wish, though.

Author's Note: Woo, it takes so long for me to update. I need a good kick, don't I? Feel free to review -hinthint- ;D No, really, I love reviews. They make my day. Please tell me if you liked this chapter or not, constructive criticism is always good. Thankyou! Enjoy the chapter.

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"What took you guys so long?" Paige asked, pulling the door open for her older brother and Marco. "Or… do I not want to know?" She smirked at her oh-so-unsubtle-hinting, and Dylan laughed.

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't," Dylan teased, much like he always did. But when Marco looked up at him with wide, panicky eyes, he quickly added, "But in this case, you don't."

"Too bad," Paige replied, shaking her head. She led the boys into the living room, where Spinner was sitting on the couch. He didn't say anything as the two walked in, but forced a weak smile. Dylan raised his eyebrows at the insincere gesture.

"My sister so has you on a leash," he told him, looking at him in the most pathetic way he could muster. Marco snorted appreciatively.

"Does not!" Spinner said quickly, looking highly offended. He brought a hand up to his head and ruffled his unruly hair, making it look worse than it already did.

Paige rolled her eyes at the two, and then said to Spinner in her sweetest voice, "Honey-bee, could you get me a drink?"

"Sure," he said, standing. "What kind?" The other three burst into laughter, and realization dawned on Spinner. His cheeks colored bright red and he muttered something about how he was just kidding, and sunk back into his seat.

"So, we rented like ten movies. We couldn't agree on one," Paige began, motioning between her and her boyfriend. "First up: either Mona Lisa Smile, School of Rock, or Cold Creek Manor." She obviously wanted to watch Mona Lisa Smile, based on the way she was edging that one towards the front.

"Let's see, chick flick, comedy, or horror movie," Dylan said, scratching his chin and considering. "I don't know. What do you think, Marco?"

"What happened to knowing what you like?" he teased in return, grinning.

"There's a difference between knowing what I like and choosing what I like," he explained, shooting a exasperated look at Marco.

"Why do they get to choose?" Spinner objected, grumbling. "It's like three against one."

"What do you mean by that, Spinner?" Dylan said, narrowing his eyes at the younger boy.

"Nothing," he muttered, shrinking back again. "I just sorta figured that… you guys would want to watch, you know, the same things Paige wants. Like, uh, Mona Lisa Smile… that's all." He inched slowly away from Dylan.

"Right," he said, rolling his eyes. "And this is Paige's blouse I'm wearing, too." Spinner's eyes widened greatly, obviously taking Dylan's sarcasm for truth.

"You're so dense, Spin," Paige said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, what movie are we watching?"

"Cold Creek Manor sounds good," Marco suggested, shrugging. Personally, he was terrified of scary movies… and he always needed someone to clutch during the scariest parts.

"Sounds good to me." Everyone else agreed, and just as they put in the movie, the doorbell rang.

"Ooh, that's the pizza. Will you get it, Dyl? Money's on the table." Paige motioned to the money, and Dylan nodded and headed to the door.

He headed over to the door, and threw it open. His jaw partially dropped, and the other three stared at him curiously.

"…Tom?" Dylan said, in an awed tone. Marco looked at the pizza deliverer who was obviously an old friend of Dylan's. He was an attractive young man, about Dylan's age, with messy brown hair and deep green eyes. He was tall, and thin. Marco could tell by the way they looked at each other that something had happened between the two. He vaguely remembered an ex-boyfriend Tom that one Michalchuk or the other had spoken of, and he was almost positive that he was the one.

The pizza deliverer broke into a grin, and set the pizza boxes aside. Dylan leaned forward and gave him a tight hug. Marco looked at Paige, eyebrow raised, expecting an answer. Instead, Paige stood said loudly, "Tom!"

"Hi Paige," the pizza guy, recently dubbed Tom, said, smiling. He then focused his attention on Dylan once more. "God, it's been so long. How've you been?"

"I've been good. Yeah," Dylan said absentmindedly. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." He grinned seductively.

Dylan just suddenly seemed to remember that there were three others in the house, and he quickly turned around to make introductions. "You remember my sister, Paige. That's her boyfriend, Spinner," he said, casting a thumb in Spinner's general direction. "And this is my…" he stopped cold, not sure of how to introduce Marco. "My friend, Marco," he finally finished. Marco wasn't sure what to think. He glanced at Tom. "And this is Tom."

"Ex-boyfriend Tom," he chuckled. Marco hated him for it. Spinner looked disgusted.

"Are you… with anyone?" Dylan finally asked.

Marco watched Tom's face turn into almost a bitter smile, but he smiled nonetheless. "No, not right now. Um, you?"

Dylan shifted, so Marco could no longer see Tom's face. "No," he heard Dylan say. "I'm not with anybody." Marco's stomach dropped, and he felt like getting violently ill. He knew he wasn't going out with Dylan, and he somewhat expected him to say no, but the way he put it so simply made him feel like crying. Instead, he stared at the ground with a crumpled face. Spinner, on the couch next to his, looked at Marco, almost as if he was feeling sympathetic.

"Oh, I see," Tom said, in a much more chipper tone. "Well, that's too bad. For the guys out there, anyway." He winked. "Um, maybe we should… get together sometime. You know, if you're not too busy."

"I'd… I'd love that," Dylan said with a smile. Tom grinned and hugged Dylan once more. This hug was longer, and when they pulled away both were smiling. Marco's whole body burned with jealousy. And Paige was staring at Dylan with a look on her face that was either anger or awe.

"Me too. Well, enjoy your pizza," Tom said, turning and walking away.

"Can you believe that?" Dylan chuckled, setting the pizza boxes on the counter.

"No," Paige said, between pursed lips. "Dylan, can I talk to you for a sec.? In private?" Without receiving his consent, she grabbed his arm and yanked him into the other room and shut the door.

Marco was still staring at the ground silently, willing himself to not act like an idiot and start bawling. Especially with Spinner awkwardly staring at him. Coming out to his parents had to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done. And now, this?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt the couch lower right next to him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Spinner had sat next to him. Neither knew what to say. Marco was about to change the subject, when he felt Spinner's hand on his back.

He didn't know exactly was going on at first, but Spinner continued to awkwardly but loyally pat his back. Marco felt the tears start to fall, but he choked them back the best he could. Spinner's arm wrapped around his shoulders, and it was comforting in a way.

The door opened once more, and Paige came marching out. Dylan followed after her, his cheeks a bit red. Quickly standing, Spinner moved back to his original seat with a look back at Marco.

Dylan slid into the seat next to Marco, who in return inched away a bit.

"Spinner, I need to talk to you in the kitchen," Paige said, already walking away.

"But what about the pizza?"

"Now!"

When the two had left the room, an uncomfortable silence settled between Marco and Dylan.

"Marco…" Dylan began, his voice falling out a bit.

"I think I'm gonna go home," Marco mumbled, standing up and heading for the door. Instead, Dylan grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Marco was still willing himself to not cry. He didn't want to go home - that was the last place he wanted to be. Especially after coming out merely thirty minutes ago.

"Marco, please don't," Dylan pleaded, not letting go of his arm. It didn't create the tingle it had merely the day before.

"I'm sure Tom would be happy to keep you company," he said, his voice cold even to his own ears, surprising himself.

"It's not like that. I was just surprised to see him," Dylan explained, his face begging for forgiveness. "I guess I just… got caught up in the moment."

"I'm not going to lie to you Dylan. I like you. And… I thought you liked me too." His cheeks reddened, and his voice broke off slightly. "I mean, you… helped me come out today."

"Let's take a walk," Dylan said seriously, his face unreadable.

Marco debated the thought, but finally agreed. They went outside together, silently. The sun was beginning to set and there was a definite chill in the air.

"Tom and I first started dating about two years ago," Dylan offered. Marco nodded numbly; that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "It was great for me, because I'd never met another gay guy before." He shoved his hands into his pockets and sort of stared off as they walked.

Glancing at Dylan out of the corner of his eye, Marco realizing he was waiting a reaction. But "Oh" was all Marco could muster.

Dylan's eyes fell to the ground slightly before taking in a deep breath. "The problem was… I really wasn't into him that much. He's a great guy; a great friend. Just not a great boyfriend."

Marco's hopes lifted greatly as he bit back a smile.

"Sure, I like him and all. But not like that." Dylan paused in his stride, and gently took Marco's hand. "Not like I like you."

Marco felt his cheeks gaining redness. "But what about you saying you'd love to see him again?" Marco asked, slightly choked up. Just to be on the safe side.

"Marco… we're friends." He raised an eyebrow. "Just because two gay guys know each other doesn't mean their relationship can't be platonic."

Smiling, Marco looked down and realized Dylan was still holding his hand. "Now," Dylan said, smiling as well. "Ready to go watch those movies?"

"Sure." Holding hands still, they turned around and walked back to the house. When they got inside, Paige and Spinner were sitting on the couch, talking about a school dance coming up, and half the pizza was gone already.

"There you guys are!" Paige said, exasperated. "If we don't get the movie in now, it'll be midnight before it's over." She stood and popped the movie into the DVD player.

"Yeah, sorry," Dylan dismissed, brushing the complaint away with his hand. "So, what're we watching?" Smirking, he leaned over and swiped a piece of pizza off Spinner's plate and took a big bite.

"Uh… I don't think you want to do that," Marco said lowly to Dylan, nodding his head at the unsuspecting Spinner. With every huge bite, small pepperoni chunks flew out of his mouth and onto the slices on the plate.

Disgusted, Dylan let the pizza roll out of his mouth and splatter on the ground.

"We're watching Cold Creek Manor," Paige replied, turning off the lights and snuggling close to Spinner, who in return put his arm around her.

Dylan sat on the couch next to Paige, and Marco sat on the other side of him. The movie began, and they all watched in it silence as they munched on their pizza. It didn't begin to get scary a little bit in, and Paige started jumping at every loud sound and clutching on to Spinner for dear life. She let out little muffled screams when someone popped up on the screen, so much so that Dylan and Spinner began teasing her.

Marco, however, thought it was all justified. He was just as scared, and had to refrain himself from slapping his hands over his eyes. Loud, sudden noises frightened him the most. At one point in the movie, right when the villain showed up behind a girl with a knife, both Paige and Marco shouted in surprise. Marco grabbed Dylan's arm, causing him to let out a little shout, and Paige elbowed Spinner in the side, causing him to yell in surprise.

The four began cracking up at how stupid they must've sounded, and didn't stop laughing for a good amount of time.

A little deeper into the movie, Marco sucked up his courage and leaned against Dylan. When Dylan didn't move, he got even braver and put his head on his shoulder. Grinning, Dylan put his arm around Marco's shoulders.

They sat through the rest of two movies comfortably, and when Paige put the third DVD in, both Marco and Spinner were nodding off. Paige and Dylan took this as the opportune moment to have a nice, brother/sister talk.

"What did you guys do?" Paige asked Dylan in a whisper, with Spinner snoring slightly next to her.

"Marco came out to his parents," grinned Dylan, with the sleeping Marco leaning on his shoulder.

"Really? Wow. Does this mean you guys are serious?"

"I have no clue," Dylan admitted, pushing his hair out of his eyes without jostling Marco too much. "But I like him a lot."

"I know you do, Dyl." Paige smiled at her older brother.

"And thanks for putting me back in line when Tom came," he went on, referring to when she whisked him out of the room and told him how horrible he was making Marco feel.

"It's pretty weird that he showed up," she nodded.

"I know. He's a good guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah. But Dad hated him," Paige giggled.

"Dad hated all of my boyfriends. And Tom was definitely the gayest one of all."

Paige laughed quietly. "I just hope he doesn't hate Marco."

"Here you are, assuming Marco and I will… get together."

"Oh come on Dyl, you two are constantly flirting. And Marco's way too cute for you to not like him."

"So shallow," Dylan joked, shaking his head sadly. "Looks are all you think about."

"Like you don't!" she objected. "You haven't had a single ugly boyfriend." She fake-pouted. "All the hot guys are gay."

"Yeah, right. They're all straight!" He glanced quickly at Marco, who moved in his sleep and let his arms come to rest on Dylan's leg. "Well, not all."

Paige giggled again, and put her head on Spinner's. "They're not all gay, either."

Dylan looked at Spinner and shook his head. "If that's your example, you are one sad girl." She slapped him mockingly and they both laughed. "Do you think I should wake him up?" he continued, looking at Marco. He couldn't help but notice how cute he was when he slept. "I think his parents might want him home. Poor guy."

"What?"

"His dad gave him a pretty rough time." He frowned. "Worse than our dad, even. Called him a faggot and everything."

"Ouch. His own dad?"

"Yeah," Dylan sighed. He leaned over and gently shook Marco's shoulder.

Groaning and groggily squinting his eyes open, Marco mumbled something incoherently. He suddenly sprung into realization, and lifted his head off Dylan's shoulder. Both Dylan and Paige began laughing.

"What?" Marco said sheepishly.

"Thanks for leaving me something to remember you by," Dylan laughed, pointing at his shoulder. There was a big wet patch of drool on his shirt.

Marco's face went totally red. "Sorry," he murmured, cursing himself.

"No problem." Dylan pulled the shirt off over his head, and threw it into a pile on the floor, revealing his chest. Marco let his eyes longer for a little bit too long, because embarrassed, Dylan turned away.

"So, uh, do you have to be home?" Dylan asked him, then added hopefully, "Or, do you want to spend the night? I mean, you could crash on the couch… or my room, it's no big deal." Paige shoved him playfully.

"Uh, sure. Just lemme call home, okay?" Dylan handed him the phone, and Marco quickly called his house. To his dismay, his dad answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Erm, Dad?" Marco said fearfully, biting his lip.

"Where are you?" his father demanded, in an angry tone.

"I'm at a friend's house. Can I talk to Mom?"

"She's sleeping."

"Oh, well… I'm just gonna spend the night over here, okay?"

"Over where?"

"Dylshouse," he said quickly.

"What?"

"Dylan's house, Dad."

"No. Come home," his father said stiffly.

"No, Papa, I'm staying the night."

"I said come home. Right now."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dad," Marco said, even though he wished he didn't have to. And then, regretfully and almost frightened, he hung up the phone. Without moving, he stared at the phone for a few seconds, terrified that his Dad would call back. But he didn't.

"Do you need to borrow some clothes?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah." He followed Dylan up the stairs and into his room. It was painted a nice light blue color, and, not to Marco's surprise, hockey pennants, trophies, posters, and other memorabilia cluttered the entire room.

Still shirtless, Dylan dug into his drawers and emerged with an orange hockey t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. "They might be a bit big on you," he said apologetically. "You can change in there." He motioned to the bathroom door right outside his room.

Marco headed to the bathroom and slid into Dylan's clothes. They smelled good and, like Dylan had said, were extremely large on him. He had to roll up the pants just so he wouldn't trip over them while walking, and the t-shirt's sleeves reached halfway up his wrist. Nonetheless, they were comfortable and Marco liked wearing them.

When Marco got back to Dylan's room, he was pulling back the covers on his bed. He'd already changed into a pair of plaid pajama pants, but still wore no shirt.

"They fit you well," Dylan laughed. He then looked from Marco to the bed. "Uh, you can sleep here. I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I'll sleep on the floor," Marco volunteered, shaking his head.

"It's not comfortable," Dylan told him.

"Well," Marco said slowly, biting his lip, "your bed is big. We could both fit on it…"

Dylan hesitated, but then nodded. "Sounds good. You can use this blanket, and I'll get me a different one."

"Okay." Awkwardly, Marco climbed into the bed and brought the covers up to his chin. They smelled a lot like the clothes; a lot like Dylan.

"Comfy?" Dylan asked, reentering the room. Marco nodded his consent, and Dylan said, "Good." He got on the bed next to Marco, careful to keep his distance, and curled up into his own blanket.

"Night," Marco said, grinning happily.

"Night," Dylan replied, and turned out the light.

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Whoo, that was a long chapter. But how was it? Tell me, please, whether you liked, loved, or hated it.

I'm quite pleased with it. =)

Thanks for reading!