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Chapter 6

Cyrus made his way to Cece's house. Bex and Bowie would be coming home from their honeymoon in about an hour, and their family and friends wanted to throw a welcome back party for the two of them. Cece had told Bowie to check in with her as soon as they got back. She even gave them a specific time, which didn't really shock them much as Bex was aware how detail oriented her mother was. As this was the day after Cyrus's date with TJ, he made his way over while in a state of euphoria. He couldn't wait to tell his friend about the amazing day he had just had. TJ wouldn't be there; they wanted it to be a small gathering of just the people at the wedding. This gave Cyrus the freedom to talk freely about the previous night and get as excited as he wanted.

Cyrus was the last person to arrive at the house, other than Bex and Bowie. Already there were Cece, Andi, Buffy, and Jonah. They all greeted him and welcomed him.

The house was decorated for a get together, as if someone's birthday was being celebrated. There was a "welcome home" banner hanging on the wall, balloons floating all over, and flowers decorating the tables. It was a nice, colorful scene.

When Cyrus neared the kitchen, a pleasant smell wafted over him. Cece was attempting a homemade lasagna with Bolognese. Before Cyrus could ask about it, she shoved past him in haste as the lasagna wasn't assembled yet.

"I have to get this done before Bex and Bowie get here!" she panicked nervously. Making lasagna proved to be a lot more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

"Would you like some help," Cyrus offered pleasantly.

"I'm fine, thank you!" Cece replied rather aggressively. She was rather independent. It was a thing that ran in their family. Bex definitely didn't rely on Cece for much, and Andi didn't really rely on anyone else for much. Anyway, Cece wasn't going to let someone else's help get in the way of her pride; this is something that she wanted to prove she could do herself.

While Cece stayed in the kitchen to work on the lasagna, Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus went into the living room to chat for a while. Jonah decided to stay behind with Cece. For whatever reason, Cece liked Jonah; to most, it was kind of unclear why. To Cece, though, Jonah seemed pure. She enjoyed his spirit. Jonah had made a conscious decision to humor that praise, since it couldn't hurt to be close to his best friend's family.

The other three parted from Cece and Jonah to wait for Bex and Bowie to get home. As soon as they were out of earshot of the kitchen, Cyrus portrayed an explosion of joy.

"I went on a date with TJ yesterday!"

"You mean two days ago?" Buffy asked confused, as it hadn't been long since their awkward double date. "Your excitement is a little odd since it didn't seem to go that well."

"How do you know what his date was like?" Andi asked.

Buffy forgot that she hadn't told Andi about their date. "It was a double date," she clarified, "and Marty decided to order a big heaping plate of awkward," she said humorously.

"No," Cyrus butted back in, "I went on an actual date with just TJ yesterday."

"Oh," Buffy realized, "well, how was that?"

"It was great!"

Andi was curious, and impatient, "Well tell us what happened!" She smiled as she urged Cyrus to spill the details.

Cyrus told them the story of the day. He told them how they met at the swings in the morning and relived their initial meeting. He talked about the wonderful time that he spent volunteering at the gym. He told them how rewarding it was to help kids be able to overcome their obstacles. He said that he would go and volunteer more often, and he even recommended that the other two should volunteer. Cyrus also talked to his friends about his new found knowledge of basketball. He bragged about the skill he discovered he had after beating TJ.

At this point, Buffy, prideful of her own athleticism and competitive on a level that most people could never imagine, had to chime in, "TJ definitely let you win."

"Don't ruin this!" Cyrus looked Buffy dead in the eye and pointed a finger at her, causing her to throw her hands up in defense and stop talking. He was too excited to let anyone cast a shadow on his perfect day.

Cyrus continued the story with how TJ walked him all over town just to throw him off. At the time, Cyrus thought it was really annoying, but in hindsight, he thought it was clever and cute. He nearly finished the story with the bakery and how TJ bought him both muffins.

"That is so sweet," said Buffy lovingly.

"I'm glad you had a good day," said Andi with a similar tone.

"That's not all, though," Cyrus pleaded they keep up with the story.

The two girls looked at Cyrus, intrigued.

"We had our first kiss!" A big cheesy smile spread across Cyrus's face as he couldn't contain himself after such a big milestone.

Smiles also spread across his friends' faces, as they congratulated him. For a couple of minutes, the feeling in the room was one of pure joy, like Cyrus felt on the way over. After having a few minutes to ponder, though, Buffy thought of something that she was concerned might have an impact on this aspect of Cyrus's life.

"Hey, Cyrus," she said calmly as the smiling was fading because the moment was passing, "I don't want to ruin the moment, but have you told your parents?"

Cyrus didn't seem too bothered by this question, but he wasn't exactly excited about it either. He hadn't said a word to his parents about his sexual orientation or his relationship with TJ. They were pretty much the only people left that he was afraid to tell. He didn't want to think about it much after his date with TJ, but it was certainly a thought that crossed his mind. If he was going to pursue a relationship with TJ, he would have to tell them eventually.

"Which ones?" Cyrus asked, trying to deflect the question, being aware of his four parents.

"Any of them?" Buffy made sure that Cyrus couldn't dodge this. She cared too much.

"No," Cyrus responded monotonously, "I just haven't really been thinking about it lately."

"Take your time," Andi chimed in, "You don't need to do it before you're ready."

"Do it when it feels right," Buffy added, trying to make Cyrus extra aware that he couldn't avoid the topic forever, but also letting him know that there was no need to hurry.

"I will," said Cyrus, "I just don't know when I'll be ready," he paused, "I'm scared."

By this point, the mood of conversation had definitely taken a turn downwards. It didn't negate Cyrus's excitement about his date with TJ by any stretch, but it did give him something to think about that he had put off thinking about.

"Cyrus," Buffy began to comfort him, "they're your parents. They are going to love you no matter what."

"I wish I knew that for sure," Cyrus said with doubt creeping in.

"I do," Buffy responded quickly. "I've met your parents. They're great people. Wait until you're ready to tell them, but know that it's going to be okay."

"What if it's not? What if I don't have someone other than my friends to fall back on? I know I can come to you for support, but what about food and shelter? They control everything that I have."

Cyrus was quite obviously concerned about the practicality of the issue as well.

Andi chimed in with an idea, "What if you told my parents?"

"Why?" Cyrus asked.

"They're going to be supportive, I know it," assured Andi, "and I don't think that you're going to have problems with your parents, but if you do then mine will most likely be willing to help in any way they can." Andi gave Cyrus a soft smile in order to reassure him.

Cyrus liked the sound of this idea. He needed to see if he would have a fallback in case things didn't go too well.

While Cyrus thought about it, Buffy chimed in as well, "And it could be sort of a litmus test. Coming out to Bex and Bowie might help you understand a little bit more what it might be like to tell your parents."

Cyrus agreed on that point. He was able to come out to his similarly aged friends just fine; it was adults who he was most nervous about telling. As nervous as Cyrus was about telling Bex and Bowie, he heeded Andi's advice and decided that he would go for it. He would pick the right moment later that day.

When Cyrus agreed, they heard a ding, indicating that the lasagna was ready. They all went back into the kitchen, where they couldn't believe that Jonah had stood there talking to Cece for almost an hour. Jonah couldn't seem to believe it either, as he gave a look over to the other three when they walked back in that said "help me." He liked Cece, but sometimes she could be a lot to handle.

Andi inserted herself to relieve Jonah by turning to Cece and saying, "That lasagna looks delicious!"

"And it smells great!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"Why, thank you," Cece boasted with her hands on her hips in a power pose. Her hands remained on her hips as her expression changed from one of power to one of frustration. "Now where are those two? Late as usual!" Cece's characteristic inability to focus on anything positive for more than a few seconds is what was driving Jonah crazy for the last hour.

Just as Cece said that, the doorbell rang, and she perked up again. "That must be them!" she said with a sudden smile as she ran to the door.

They all exchanged looks with each other in reaction to Cece's sudden shifts. "Well come on, we don't want to keep them waiting!" she nagged as she waved everyone to come closer to the door. They laughed and followed her.

She opened the door to Bex and Bowie, and everyone yelled "Welcome back!"

Bex and Bowie exchanged a puzzled glance.

"Mom, I'm tired," Bex said with a bit of an annoyed laughter. They were appreciative, but this was a bit much. "How many people are here?"

"Oh, just the five of us," said Cece, referring to those who were already in the house.

A second later, the smell from the kitchen wafted out the door and excited Bowie, "Do I smell lasagna?"

Cece nodded with an excitedly smug grin.

Bowie looked over at Bex with a convincingly nagging glance.

"We will take care of everything, and you don't have to lift a finger," Cece enticed Bex.

"Well, I can't pass that up," Bex conceded.

As Cece enjoyed her victory, Bex and Bowie walked in and greeted everyone with hugs and smiles. They all went into the dining room and sat down at the table to eat.

"I worked really hard on this lasagna, so you all better feast on it!" Cece proclaimed. Everyone laughed. "I'm serious!"

Everyone loved the lasagna. There actually wasn't even much left over by the time they finished, even though Cece had made a lot.

During dinner, everyone was curious to hear about the newlyweds' trip the Bahamas and how their honeymoon went. Bex and Bowie talked about how much they enjoyed the honeymoon suite and what luxuries that had been afforded to them that they did not typically get to enjoy. They had great weather the whole time, and they were very glad considering that it was almost hurricane season. The beaches were beautiful, and the water was perfect. It was a great honeymoon.

Cyrus knew that while everyone was eating was not the time to talk to Bex and Bowie. He needed to give it some time so that they could eat, settle in, and relax before he brought a serious topic to their attention. Cyrus acted normally throughout dinner, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

When everyone was finished eating, it was time to clean up.

"Okay, I need Jonah and two more helpers," Cece announced. Jonah didn't know why on earth it had to be him. Andi and Buffy volunteered their help quickly so that they could give Cyrus some time alone with Bex and Bowie.

"I'll keep you two company," Cyrus said happily to Bex and Bowie. He was nervous. It was sooner than he would have liked, but this was his chance.

The three of them that did not stay behind to help clean up walked into the living room. Cyrus made casual conversation.

"Glad your honeymoon went well."

"Thanks," said Bex, "we are too."

"And we really appreciate you guys having this welcome party for us," Bowie added, "it's a nice gesture."

"Our pleasure," Cyrus said gleefully.

"So what's been going on with you?" Bex asked. "Any new developments?"

"Well, actually," Cyrus became a bit more timid, "there was something I wanted to talk to you guys about."

"What's that?" Bowie asked, intriguingly concerned.

Cyrus suddenly got a bit tenser. He hesitated and then sighed to relieve some of that tension. "I'm gay." He waited for a response as Bex and Bowie tried to figure out what to say.

"Alright," Bowie finally said. That's all he said.

"Alright," Cyrus repeated. This conversation was beginning to look a lot like the one he had with Jonah at Bubby Rose's Shiva.

When some of the tension passed, Bex started talking again. "So…?" she prodded.

Cyrus paused. "So what?"

"Is there a guy?" asked Bex excitedly.

"What makes you ask that?" Cyrus laughed.

"Well, I presume that there would be a reason you're telling us this now!" said Bex. "Who is it?"

Cyrus couldn't help but to smile. He was speechless, and he started to turn red.

Bex turned to Bowie, "There's definitely a guy!" She turned back to Cyrus, "Oh come on! Who is it? Please tell!"

Cyrus knew that Bex was just excited. He wasn't scared of telling her anything anymore, so he went ahead and told them. "It's TJ."

Bex gasped in excitement.

"Really? TJ?" Bowie asked intrigued.

"Yep," Cyrus replied, "I was just as surprised as anyone when that happened."

"So when did it happen?" asked Bex with enthusiasm.

Cyrus told them the whole story. He didn't start at the party. He started with when they met and how TJ began as that mean basketball captain who was a jerk to Buffy. He told them how he was able to connect with TJ through the swings, his dyscalculia, and a variety of other ways. He talked about TJ's development as a person from not being very kind to being the sweetest guy that Cyrus knew. He told them how for more than a year now, he had seemed to be able to bring out the best in TJ while TJ brought out the best in him. It was through telling this story that Cyrus realized that his crush on TJ had been developing since the first time they met. There was something empowering about that muffin in the cafeteria; even though he didn't have all the courage to get it for himself, TJ was the one who pushed him to find it.

Cyrus talked about the party where he and TJ officially declared themselves a couple. He talked about the double date. Then he talked about the most recent date, and of course, the kiss.

Bex was all over this story, and she loved every bit of it.

"I'm so happy for you," she said. Cyrus wasn't her kid, but Andi was. And Cyrus and Andi were such good friends that they were barely ever separated. Cyrus was over a lot, and he and Andi had been friends for a long time. Even though Cyrus wasn't Bex's or Bowie's own kid, they cared about him as if he were. They were both extraordinarily happy that Cyrus was embracing who he was as a person and finding happiness in his life. This was a huge weight off Cyrus's shoulders.

The same concern that Buffy had, however, was also present in Bex and Bowie.

Bowie attempted to shift to the topic without being a downer. "Do your parents know?"

"Not yet," Cyrus answered.

Bex joined in on this concern as well. "When do you think you're going to tell them?"

"I don' know," he replied. "I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect."

Without further questioning, Bowie provided a concluding piece of supporting advice, "Well if you need any help, don't hesitate to come to us. Got it?"

"Got it," Cyrus smiled. He was glad that this went so well.

They had good timing, as Andi, Buffy, and Jonah, walked back into the room shortly after their conversation ended. Bex went into the kitchen to talk to her mom, leaving the others in the living room to talk amongst themselves.

"So," Cece started suggestively.

Bex was confused. "What?" she said. She had just walked into the room.

"Cyrus is…" Cece hesitated, "gay?" She said it with a swallow.

Bex became nervous. She knew that her mother was more conservative than she was, and Cyrus didn't need that presence right now; he needed support. Bex realized that Cece must have overheard part of their conversation, and she was right. Cece started to come into the room to say something to Bex, but she overheard Cyrus talking about his date with TJ. She eavesdropped on the conversation up to the point when Cyrus mentioned his kiss with TJ, and then she stopped listening. Bex couldn't lie. There was no coming back from that.

"Yeah, so?" Bex said with a hint of aggravation.

"Don't you think he might be a little young to date?"

"You didn't say that when Buffy announced that she was dating Marty. They're the same age, Mom."

It's true. Buffy had told Bex, Bowie, and Cece that she was dating Marty, and Cece was excited for her. It was weird that now she suddenly used the argument that Cyrus was too young to date. Bex saw right through that.

"Well," Cece continued trying to justify her feelings on the matter, "he's too young to know for sure whether he actually likes boys. I mean come on, that's not natural." She said it as if waving off some ridiculous claim. "It's probably just a phase, anyway."

Bex was very irritated at this point, and she certainly let it show. "It's not a phase, mom. It's him. And if you don't like it, then maybe you should keep that to yourself." Bex added on that last point because she did not want to fight this battle right now. She knew that it was one she definitely wasn't going to win.

"Alright, I won't say anything," Cece half-heartedly promised, "It's his issue, not mine."

Bex rolled her eyes. She couldn't fight this fight right now. Maybe another day, but not right now. She decided that the best thing to do would be to keep Cece's strong opinions away from Cyrus and leave him with the good feeling that she and Bowie had given him.

Cyrus, in the other room and unaware of what was going on in the kitchen, had an overwhelming feeling of joy. The last couple of weeks had been really great for him. He got a boyfriend, he had his first kiss with his boyfriend, and he gained new support from people that were close to him in his life.

A little while later, Jonah left. Bex, Bowie, and Cece all sat in the same room to have a little bit of catching up time while Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus talked some more on their own.

"Did you tell them?" Andi asked Cyrus curiously.

"Yes," Cyrus said with a smile.

"And?" Buffy probed.

"You were right," Cyrus told Andi.

"I told you," Andi was able to manage saying this in an oddly comforting way.

The evening went on, and Cyrus was glad that he had such a great day. The people around him lifted him up in ways for which he was extraordinarily grateful. Although Cece was the first to not be so accepting of the news, Cyrus didn't know this and he didn't need to. Cyrus's self-confidence was high at this point, and nothing could bring that down.

Chapter 7 Coming Soon!