I was wrong! I didn't have to work late tonight...and below is the result. A long new chapter - yay! I kind of got addicted to this story...

Thank you so much to the reviewers - especially to Aspirer, Missmiamya, and Adamobabe for your enthusiasm. Please review if you are reading. It really makes a writer's day...I would love to get 8-10 reviews by the time I write again (it really won't be only a day this time)...Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Black or White

Marco walked into breakfast the next day still stunned from the night before. He hoped Drew wasn't freaking out too much. I mean the guy was hardly out to himself and suddenly he was kissing another guy. Overwhelming for him. 'But boy it was fun for me,' Marco laughed to himself.

When he sat down at his floor's table, Drew was already there, talking to Dan with Lisa and another girl, Jane. "Hey guys."

"Hey Marco," Dan moved over to give him a seat between him and Jane. Drew looked quickly up in acknowledgement and then down again. The rest of breakfast went without much eye contact, let alone actual conversation between them. 'He is so not comfortable,' Marco thought to himself. He just wasn't sure what to do about it.

Later in the day, Marco went down to campus for a Queer McGill meeting. They were doing a queer awareness workshop in his residence the next day and there was still much to be done. He was glad to be away from the drama of residence, as they planned out the workshop – Marco would tell his coming out story – always good to personalize the issue, they'd discuss myths and campus issues. Kendra would facilitate with Steve. "Hey – I'm really excited," Marco beamed, "this is going to be my first bit of gay activism."

"May it be the first of many," Kendra chinked her coke to Marco's. The two of them were left cleaning up, as they walked out together. "So you seeing anyone right now, Marco?...You're not still with Dylan, are you?"

"Dylan? No…we're actually still great friends. But he got a hockey scholarship to the States and it seemed a little ridiculous to stay together when we couldn't even afford to see each other like once a semester," Marco laughed, "it was a great relationship, though. I'm lucky."

"He's lucky too…you're quite a catch," Kendra complimented in that camp counsellor looking out for her camper kind of way. "So what about now?"

"Funny you should ask…I don't think I'm really seeing anyone," Marco sounded unsure.

Kendra gave him an interested and confused look, "you don't think so?"

"Well,…does making out with a super-closeted guy in my residence room count?" Marco asked sheepishly. He trusted Kendra and it was good to get it off his chest.

"Marco – you devil. Converting them already."

"Yeah," Marco just laughed and shook his head as he made was way back up to the scene of the crime.

Marco was sitting up trying to finish his calculus homework for Monday, when he was surprised to see that his math partner actually showed up at his room. "Drew hey,…I wasn't sure we were going to be studying tonight," Marco spoke cryptically, "come in."

"Yeah...that's okay, right? We're still studying together."

"Definitely…I just wasn't…well, I wasn't sure you wanted to study tonight. But that's great…Anyways, I'm just on question 4," Marco quickly shifted the focus to calculus.

Drew sat down on Marco's bed as usual, and they worked through some problems. It seemed as if things couldn't be more normal. "I'm stuck on 6," Drew leaned over Marco at his desk, showing him the problem.

"Okay, well, here's how I did-…woh." Marco was suddenly interrupted by the feel of someone expertly kissing his neck. "Ahh Drew…I'm a sucker for neck kissing." Marco leaned back, enjoying the sensation.

"This is okay then?" Drew wasn't sure.

"Definitely okay," Marco reluctantly broke away to turn around and sit up on his desk, now facing drew with his legs dangling. He pulled Drew in between them and looked up at him expectantly. "So I'm assuming you're going to lean down and kiss me now," Marco teased.

"Yeah…I'm thinking about it," Drew smiled as he moved his lips softly on top of Marco's, subconsciously shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe what he was doing.

"It's okay, Drew," Marco reassured as he gently pulled Drew's face down to his and began kissing him. The kiss started off gently, but quickly intensified, as Drew opened Marco's lips with his tongue, holding him, and kissing him deeply with so much strength. Marco was breathless at the intense physicality. He followed his instincts, climbing off the desk and playfully pushing Drew down on his bed as he climbed on top of him. Drew's intense eyes shone at him for a moment before Marco covered his mouth again. Drew was biting his lips, his neck. "Drew-"

"Yeah," Drew looked self conscious for a minute.

"This is like…intense…it's…wow."

"That's a good wow, right?"

"Oh yeah," Marco nodded as they began kissing again.

Knock knock.

At the sound of Lisa's voice – "Marco, you there? I need help with calculus," Drew jumped up, white as a ghost.

"One sec, I'm just finishing a problem," Marco answered as he mouthed to Drew, "it's okay…we're doing calc homework, remember?" Drew resumed his homework position as Lisa walked over to Marco at his desk. Only Marco could tell the anxiety emanating from Drew, and it wasn't related to the calc homework.

As he got into bed that night, Marco's mind was racing with the ups and downs of the day. He dialed Dylan's number hoping he'd have someone to talk to about it.

"Hello."

"Dylan…I'm so glad you're there."

"Hey Marco…great to hear from you. What's going on?"

"Holy Dylan…way too much." Marco told him about Drew's admission that he was gay, his decision to go out to Sky, that he left early because Marco was dancing with Steve-

Dylan laughed, "So he does have a crush on you, eh?...I knew it wouldn't take long."

Marco blushed, realizing that he was about to tell his ex-boyfriend and the only other person he'd been physical with that he'd been kissing another guy. "Yeah…I didn't know it at the time…but he told me later on…well, at 3:30 am when he came to my room, to be precise."

"He came to your room at 3:30 in the morning? …Do I even need to guess what happened next?"

"I guess not…so yeah, we kissed…I got to give him his first guy-kiss," Marco couldn't help but smile to himself, remembering how excited Dylan was to give him his.

"And?..."

"And what?"

"Duh…How was it?...If I'm not mistaken, it's been a while since you've been with someone."

"No…you're not mistaken. You know you're the only guy I've been with, even kissed…so yeah,... it was actually incredibly hot. Kind of incredible," Marco blushed hardly believing he was telling anyone this, let alone Dylan. "Look, Dylan…is it okay that I'm talking to you about this?"

"Yeah,… yeah it is. You know I'm always going to have a serious soft spot for you, sexy…but I can handle being a bit jealous for the price of actually being real friends with you. We're apart, and we date other people…That's life, I guess."

"Yeah," Marco sighed, "thanks…'cause right now I really need to talk." Marco explained this morning's cold shoulder, followed by the unexpectedly passionate calculus lesson abruptly interrupted with Drew looking terrified at the prospect of anyone finding out about him. "You see, Dylan…I just don't know what to do…I like him. He's sweet, and thoughtful, and incredibly hot…but he is just so closeted. And I don't think I want to be a 3am friend with benefits. I'm running the residence queer awareness workshop, for irony's sake," Marco vented.

"Yeah…You are definitely not meant to be in the closet. Even when you were first coming out when we started dating, you couldn't stay in the closet for much more than a few days before wanting to participate in the ever present school PDA," Dylan laughed. "Seriously, though, before you do anything rash one way or the other, you should probably try talking to him about it. Figuring out what he thinks he wants and you can tell him what you want."

"Yeah, I know you're right…it's just not that easy talking to the strong silent type about these things."

The next day, Marco was acutely aware of receiving the same minimal acknowledgement treatment that he had received from Drew the day before. He knew he would have to talk to him tonight, but first he had an awareness workshop to run for his floor. Well,… Drew was about to see just how out he was.

"….So yeah…I was mostly lucky, great friends, a supportive mom. It took one of my friend's, Spinner, some time to come around. At first he even graffitied 'Marco is a fag' on the guy's washroom wall," he could see his new friends cringe at the thought of him going through that. Even Rich and Joe were listening intently. "But he actually did a complete turnaround, as did my dad, who definitely had a hard time sending me off to my prom with a guy…my ex, actually, who came back from university to take me. Dylan - My close friend's gay older brother. He was the reason I came out, actually, the reason it was worth it. Because in the end, as I'm sure so many of you know already…love, sexuality, attraction. It's what life's all about. And with him, I realized how amazing it could be to be gay. And like I said on the first day, I'm not going through it anymore and I'm comfortable. And I can look at you all now and tell you honestly that I love being gay. I wouldn't change it for anything." Marco looked directly at Drew as he finished, as if asking if he was up for the challenge. Drew's eyes met his right back.

After the workshop, Ann said to hang on before everyone took off, "Look guys…I think we all owe a huge thank you to Marco. Marco shared something incredibly personal about himself with us. Not everyone has a workshop with someone they actually know and live with. I know I learned a lot from you, Marco. And I just want to say how much I personally appreciate your openness."

Marco blushed as he heard clapping, and Ellie's and Dan's arms wrap around him on either side.

The group walked back up to their floor surrounding Marco with questions and excited comments. "Wow. It's so cool that you had a boyfriend in highschool." "I can't believe someone wrote you were a fag on a wall." "I can't believe you were ever closeted – you just seem so open and confident." Marco was beaming. When he walked past Rich and Joe in the hallway, they didn't even make one of their usual comments to him. He felt high, surrounded by such positive energy. Except, …well, except where the hell was Drew? Lisa, Kim, Ellie, Craig, and Dan all sat down to chat. But their usual group member was nowhere in sight.

Later that night, Marco was finishing his homework when he heard a knock on his door. 'Let me guess,' he mused as he opened the door. "Hey Drew," Marco looked at him, unamused, "you can come in."

"Hey." Drew sat down on his bed. Marco just stared at him, shaking his head, "What?"

"Drew…I'm not clueless, you know? There has been a noticeable pattern to the way you're acting around me."

"Oh." Drew looked down, already feeling badly.

"Look Drew," Marco softened slightly seeing his sad eyes, "I know you're just coming out… and you're not ready to put on a rainbow necklace and dance in the Pride parade," Marco laughed at the image, "but Drew - I'm not interested in being your boy toy. I didn't come out to have someone sneak in to my room each night for a quickie," Marco was mad and Drew was clearly taken aback.

"Woh…Marco. That's not what I'm doing at all…at least that ain't my intention at all…Marco, I like you…and I'm not just saying that to get you into bed," Marco's anger started to melt hearing what he already knew was true. "Do you know how much I'd love to be you, Marco?" It was the first time Marco saw Drew's eyes well up with emotion, "out and proud. Running workshops. Supportive family, friends, having had a boyfriend…You have no idea how lucky you are."

Marco sat down beside Drew, instinctively holding him close, looking directly at him, "Yes, I do, Drew. I do know how lucky I am…and I can't promise you that you'll be less or more lucky…but I can tell you that we have some pretty awesome people on our floor – Lisa, Kim, Ellie, Dan, and that there are great supports and groups at McGill that would make coming out here at least okay. And…," Marco moved closer to him, holding his stare, "And you'd have me…as your friend, and as…well, you'll have to decide." Marco kissed him gently on the lips, taking his hand

"Yeah…so I guess I can't choose boy toy, huh?" Drew laughed, "I can't believe you used that term, Mr. innocent Marco…I want to come out, Marco, I really do. And this conversation was a necessary kick, 'cause well,…I definitely don't want to lose…well, you. I just hope you can just put up with some baby steps."

"Definitely," Marco smiled widely as he moved to straddle Drew, running his fingers through his hair, "But Drew, you definitely still have a lot to learn about me, because I'm definitely not so innocent." Marco's eyes flashed flirtatiously as he slid his tongue into Drew's mouth, biting on his lip.

Drew's eyes were full of desire and relief, as he pulled Marco down on top of him. Marco was blown away by Drew's physicality – the way he moved his body unconsciously under Marco, the pressure of his hands on Marco's back. Marco began to bite on his soft neck, as Drew arched his neck to give him more access, "Marco..." Marco loved knowing he was turning him on. He kissed him deeply.

"Drew, it has been a long time since I've been with someone like this…and well, all I can say is," he saw Drew's eyes momentarily look worried, " you are amazing." Drew smiled, melting under Marco's skilled touch.