Blink didn't bother to try to set his alarm the next morning; he knew that the odds of Racetrack waking up before him were almost non-existent. Especially since one of the many things that Racetrack had been pouting about the night before was that his mother was trying to force him to cut down on coffee.

So when Blink did finally drag himself out of bed at noon, he knew that he would still have plenty of time before a bleary-eyed Racetrack showed up, probably demanding coffee.

As usual, he was perfectly accurate. The door bell rang just as he was finished checking his email, nearly two hours later. Blink didn't make a move to answer the door, he was pretty sure that his mother would let Racetrack in and serve him coffee before Blink would have to do anything. And he was comfortable where he was.

What he wanted to do was think about everything that had happened the night before, while he still had a clear head. He knew as soon as Racetrack finished the first of the four cups of coffee he was sure to have, he would immediately turn the conversation to sex, and spend probably a good half hour trying to convince Blink that losing his virginity would be a good thing, and Blink would have to endure the entire speech before Racetrack would let him get a word in at all.

He didn't want to think about sex now. He wasn't Racetrack – he thought about things besides that. Even if he knew that Bumlets probably would expect it from him soon.

What he wanted to think about was his father, and the way his father had reacted after he had returned from his date. It hadn't been approval exactly, but it wasn't disgust either.

"Ryan," his mother called. "Anthony is here."

"Send him back," Blink called.

"Keep the door open, Ryan," his mother said, as she appeared in his doorway, Racetrack following behind her.

"We aren't dating," Blink said with a sigh. "So there's no need to spy on us."

His mother bit her lower lip, and Blink could tell she was trying not to cry. "I'm sorry sweetie, it's just the house rules."

"Yeah, whatever," Blink muttered.

His mother left and Racetrack entered Blink's disaster area of a room, firmly closing the door behind him. He smirked.

Blink rolled his eyes. Leave it to Racetrack to take some sort of sick pleasure in disobeying Blink's parents. Even if it was a stupid rule.

"So," Racetrack said with a smirk, bouncing down on Blink's bed, and looking even more flaming than normal.

"I take it you had a good night?" Blink asked sarcastically, as he already knew the answer.

"You, my friend," Racetrack said haughtily, "really need to get laid. Then you wouldn't get that stupid smirk on your face."

Blink shrugged.

Race was brightening. "And to think, you'll have the chance tomorrow."

"I'm not going to sleep with Bumlets on the second date."

"You're right," Racetrack agreed, much to Blink's surprise. "You should probably wait until the third date, or else he'll think you're as big of a slut as Dutchy is. But there's no harm in a blowjob or two."

He paused, and started rummaging through his bag, which he denied was a purse, although it totally was. "Here," he said, handing Blink a handful of condoms. "Be safe, and tell me all about it when you're done."

"Can we talk about something besides sex for once?"

"Blink, Blink, Blink," Racetrack said in that annoyingly patronizing tone that he got whenever he was about to try to analyze someone, "it's perfectly okay for you to be nervous about sex. After all, Bumlets did date Dutchy for a rather long time, so he is much more experienced than you are." He paused. "How far have you two gone anyway?"

"Not far."

"I swear to God, I don't know how you managed to reach 18 without having sex."

"I don't know how you manage to hold conversations without mentioning sex. Oh wait, you can't."

"Was there at least groping?" Racetrack said, ignoring him.

Blink blushed a deep scarlet, and Racetrack smirked.

"Seriously, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Bumlets is hot, and he likes you. Just go with it."

"You make it sound like sleeping with someone isn't that big of a deal," Blink said accusingly.

"What, you want some fairy tale about how losing your virginity is some sort of magical experience in which you find true love and have your entire life changed?" Racetrack snorted. "That's the sort of bullshit that they feed to girls along with that whole 'save yourself until marriage' thing, in which it's a profound experience that must be saved until marriage. And since we can't get married in this state, you should at least get to have sex." Racetrack paused. "Look, I know you're nervous, I was before I slept with Spot. But trust me, it'll be worth it."

Blink shrugged. "Can we not talk about this anymore? I mean, it isn't like the chance that I might get to sleep with Bumlets is the only thing going on in my life right now."

"True," Race acknowledged, sitting down on the bed besides him. "How are the breeders treating you?"

Blink glared at him. "Don't talk about my parents that way!" He paused for a second. "You're starting to pick up Spot's bad habits," he added after a moment.

"Who said I was talking about your parents? And I am not picking up any bad habits from Spot." Racetrack smirked. "But how are they treating you? Besides these stupid sets of rules," he added.

"Things are, well… they're complicated," Blink shrugged. He hadn't told Racetrack about the conversation that he'd had with his father the night before after he'd returned from his date. He hadn't even talked about it with his dad yet. He wasn't sure exactly what to think about it.

It would just be easier if he could go back to thinking that his dad was some big sort of evil that was out to get him. He'd spent so much time hating his dad for everything that now that his dad was starting to show a decent side, he just didn't know how to handle it. And he certainly didn't know how to explain it to Racetrack, who would probably just spend the next hour trying to analyze all of his feelings and drive him crazy in the process. But for some reason, he still wouldn't trade his best friend for anyone.

"Blink?" Racetrack was asking, and Blink snapped back to attention. "You looked lost there for a second. Things are that bad?"

"Just confusing, I guess," Blink said. "I… it's complicated. I don't know how to explain it, and I really don't want to talk about it right now, or else I'll be all screwed up for the rest of the day."

Racetrack, showing a level of maturity that Blink hadn't thought him capable of, seemed to accept that, at least for the moment, although Blink was sure that Racetrack would press him on it later. But for now, they could just hang out and pretend to be two normal teenage boys. Not that most teenage boys would be watching Queer as Folk.

When the two boys were called for dinner, Blink wasn't sure whether he should be eternally grateful to Racetrack for staying to offer moral support, or pissed off that Racetrack's presence was going to keep him from being able to hold an actual heart-to-heart with his father. Of course, since Blink had never actually gotten around to discussing his dad's reaction to his date, there was no way for Racetrack to know that he did need to have that conversation at all. But then again, Racetrack had always prided himself on his ability to read people, and in this case he had failed miserably.

Dinner at the Ballat household was entirely different than at the Higgins. When Blink ate at Racetrack's, the dinner table was filled with lively conversation and teasing, and it was a comforting environment. The guests at the table were always included as family, and it wasn't unknown for Mrs. Higgins to make official pronouncements of adoption by the meal's end.

Yet when Racetrack ate with Blink's family, things were always really awkward. Dinner at Blink's house was always kind of strange, but when there was any sort of company over things were always worse. His dad's dinner guests would completely ignore Blink, except when they would ask him stupid questions about whether he was making his father proud or if he intended to follow in his dad's footsteps. His mother's friends were all boring, and tended to call him 'sweetie' or 'honey.' And his friends hated eating over because that meant that they had to deal with his dad, so really Blink should be willing to get down on his knees and worship Racetrack, except not in that sort of a way. Race's perversion was definitely starting to wear off on him.

But the problem with having friends over for dinner was that everyone knew that Blink's dad Did Not Approve of his son's lifestyle, and tended to hold all of Blink's friends responsible for Blink not being a perfect little carbon copy of his father. So dinner was always a very silent affair except for the occasional cutting remarks that Mr. Ballat was sure to make.

So it was perfectly understandable that both Racetrack and Blink were surprised when they were greeted by Mr. Ballat, with a faint smile actually showing on his face. Such a thing was practically unheard of.

"Boys," Blink's father said in a voice that, while it wasn't precisely warm, wasn't cold either, "have a seat."

Blink and Racetrack exchanged a glance, and then sat down. Blink had no idea what his father would want to talk to them both about, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Mr. Ballat looked very nervous, and he sat across from them. "Now… I couldn't help overhearing some of what you were both speaking about earlier this afternoon," he started, and Blink turned absolutely white.

His dad had overheard him and Race? Oh God, this could not be good. Beside him, he could see Racetrack trying to avoid cracking up.

He was going to kill them both for this later.

"Now… I don't think I want to know what it is that you've done, Anthony," Blink's father continued, glancing disapprovingly at Race, "but I think that you both should be thinking about how physical you get in a relationship. And…" he stopped mid-sentence, trying to regain control of his voice, "for God's sake, be safe."

"Dad!" Blink protested.

"I just want you boys to be safe," his father continued, ignoring Blink's outburst. "And Anthony, you stop pressuring my son, or you will never be allowed over here again."

He got up from his chair before even Racetrack's quick wit had the chance to come up with an appropriate response. "Enjoy your dinner," Blink's father called on his way out.

"Well," Racetrack said after a long and awkward pause. "That was special."

Blink arrived at school on Monday in possibly the best mood that he had been in all year. His date with Bumlets had gone exceedingly well the night before, and Racetrack had kept him up the phone for almost an hour once he'd arrived home getting all of the juicy details.

Bumlets, Blink had decided, was a gentlemen. He'd been perfectly understanding when Blink had reached his limits, although he had been disappointed.

So when Mush stopped by the table where Blink was sitting in the cafeteria, Blink was able to greet him with a genuine smile, not really caring that people might be shocked that the class fag was talking to a popular kid.

It probably wasn't the brightest idea, considering that Blink's previous week had ended with him nearly getting beaten up by Snoddy.

"Hey," Mush responded, taking a seat. There was an audible gasp all across the cafeteria. "Listen, are you coming to the wrestling match this Friday?"

Blink paused. He usually went, because he really enjoyed watching Mush, but he also usually had to sit in the back and be ready to run if any of the jocks saw him. Besides, he had a date Friday.

"I don't know," Blink said honestly. "Why?"

"Well, I thought you might like to come to our match, and then to the party afterwards. I mean, we are friends, right?" Mush flashed his brilliant smile at him, and Blink absolutely melted.

"Well, sure, I'd love to go. I mean, if I'm welcome and everything," Blink added, glancing around the cafeteria where people were whispering loudly about him.

"Awesome," Mush said brightly. "And maybe we can hang out later and work on that English project."

"Sure thing."

Mush walked off, and Blink sat there absolutely stunned, knowing that there had to be a stupid grin on his face. Mush had talked to him. In public.

They really were friends.

Author's Note-HA! This is the week of me updating fics that I've been ignoring for over a year! Seriously, the last time this updated was in… October 2004. Which I apologize for.

Anyway, many thanks to B for the beta, and for poking me until I updated this. Next chapter – the wrestling match. And drama. Oh yes.

Til next time!

TSB