Below The Radar

Aye! I successfully coded my first ever program, and then right after that I done another quick project. It may not seem like much to make a calculator with 4 operations, and a slot machine, but it took me many, many hard months of learning. Three different languages I had to learn, just to accomplish this (although I only partly learned the one). Also I found out there is an army of queer coders, so yay!

Chapter 13 - The Mask Hurts

~•~ Recap ~•~

Cyrus & his Boyfriend went to sleep in the nude, the night before planning to come out to Lucas' parents. Jonah, Marty, Andi, and Amber went out to the movie theater as a date. TJ started to learn ASL for Libby. In the end of the night Walker & Natalie show up at the theatre.

~•~

Questing the group of four, Natalie asked "why aren't you sitting next to your girlfriend Jonah?" with Walker at her side with interlocking elbows. Oh great, Jonah thought. What were the odds?

"I was just getting to that," Jonah said standing up from his seat. Marty immediately looked unhappy with the operation as Jonah switched around his spot where he sat at the very end followed by Amber, then Andi, and finally him. Walker and Natalie ended up sitting the middle in the row behind them. If Natalie didn't know any better she could have swore that there was something going on between the four in front of them.

The only picture online of Amber and Jonah was the one that she had took and posted on her own. The same goes for Marty and Andi, but they have literally zero photos together. Like what kind of relationship even was that? Natalie wondered if Jonah still hung out around Cyrus. He had her gaydar going off the charts, and she heard that he had a boyfriend. Maybe his gayness was rubbing off on Jonah, and turning him.

If that was the case Natalie was going to make sure that Jonah stays straight. The world doesn't need more of them dumb homos. Walker sat uncomfortable next to her as they watched the movie. He remembered all of the homophobic things that she would say. One time the news was going on talking about a shooting that happened at a gay bar. Natalie was extremely disgusting about it, and seemed glad that they had all died. Walker just kept his mouth shut, there was no point in fighting ignorance, or at least that is just what his parents raised him to believe.

However Walker didn't care what was up with Jonah, and the rest no matter how many times Natalie brought it up. It was none of their business, and he couldn't care less what they could be. There was one promise that Walker made himself. If it just so happens to be that Jonah is turning gay like Natalie believes, he will leave her the instant that she starts being rude to him, or any of them about that kind of thing. There is no point in dating a bully. Even if it was just small things like snide remarks. It baffled him how in the world Natalie's parents let her say things like that. Intolerance isn't something that you just are, it's something that you are taught.

Andi was pretty satisfied because she was still sitting with her girlfriend. They didn't hold hands, but they had the backs of their hands touching, and that little bit of physical contact was all that it took to get them through the movie that Walker, and Natalie was ruining. Amber understood that what she done with Jonah was wrong, and because of it she developed a keen eye for detecting bad relationships, and that's what Walker's was precisely. Natalie just dragged him along, like he was her little minion. She probably loved the title of boyfriend, more than she actually loved having him.

Marty couldn't focus on the movie as he slumped lower in his seat with a frown on his face as his heart sank. The love on the movie was only making matters worse for him. It was a classic tale of lovers who went through great lengths just to be together. It was meant to be empowering, but Marty couldn't feel more weak. Why can't his love just be like that? All around him girls would be found kissing their boyfriends without feeling ashamed, but somehow he felt ashamed with his.

He didn't want to feel this way, but he was learning that it wasn't his choice, and his feelings were out of his control. If he could control them he wouldn't be dating a guy in the first place, or be pretending to date a girl to fill the mold of a perfectly straight guy. If only the world knew. If only his friends, and family knew. He wouldn't have to tell them anything. They would just know. It just added to the already heavy weight of the shame on his shoulders that he had the burden of eventually having to come out.

The weight kept pilling on how he couldn't just simply stand up to Natalie, and tell her that he is dating Jonah. God how pathetic he is. Can't even stand strong enough to show his boyfriend that he loved him. Additionally it didn't seem like Jonah cared. He seemed to love the idea of getting to have a fake girlfriend better than having a real boyfriend. He was basically on the floor at this point from all the weight pushing down on him. "Are you okay?" Andi asked noticing him.

The answer was no, but the answer that came out was tears. Just tears, as he began to laugh at how worthless he was with more and more tears coming out. It felt good to let it all out. With all that exhaling he was finding it hard to breath. "What's he doing?" Jonah asked down the row.

"Crying," Andi told him.
"Why?" Jonah asked.

"Shut up," Natalie hissed leaning down at them. Marty looked up at Natalie with hurt in his eyes. Was he doing even more wrong, by disturbing her movie watching? Apparently the answer was yes. "And you, take that out into the hall, no one wants to hear that." Walker smacked Natalie's arm not playfully. "What?" she asked laughing a bit.

"You're being hella rude, it's making me embarrassed to call you my girlfriend," Walker admitted as Marty got up, and left the theater, as his chest heaved, and his eyes poured out more liquid into his arm.

"He can cry himself to sleep, he doesn't have to do it here." Walker rolled his eyes deciding it was best to not respond to her.

"Are you going to go after him," Amber asked Jonah. Jonah just pointed up at Natalie and Walker. "Unbelievable," Amber said standing up.

Jonah grabbed her wrist and pushed her back into her seat. "It's fine, I'll go," Jonah said making his way out of the theater. He didn't have to go far to find Marty slid down against the wall in the hallway crying on the floor. Jonah slid down next to him without saying a word, and watched him cry.

"I quit," Marty breathed out unburrying his head from his elbow.

"What?" Jonah asked confused.

"This whole faking dating thing, I can't do it anymore. I love you and I shouldn't have to hide that from anyone. I fucking hate that I ever agreed to do this in the first place. I hate, my-se-self," Marty said breaking down crying again.

Jonah's mouth dropped open. "Marty?" he asked not sure what to say.

"We don't know what it'll be like if we are out, but it's gotta be better than suffering with all this fear, and hurt," Marty explained to him. "Cyrus told me that he told you that he's out at school, and no one gives a crap, but you still didn't want to do it. I just don't understand." Jonah stayed silent gulping. "Do you not love me?" Marty asked fearing the answer, but he needed to know.

Jonah hunched over him, and hugged him. "Of course I do." Jonah then whispered into his ear, "don't be ridiculous, I don't have sex with people I don't love."

Marty giggled a slight bit before going back to crying. "So why do we have to keep disguising ourselves as something we're not?"

"We don't," Jonah said softly letting his words linger in the air. "Let's just finish out this night, and we never have to pretend again, deal?"

Marty sniffled, "deal."

Cyrus woke up to find himself with a bad case of morning wood, as he stretched waking up Lucas in the process. "Hey cutie," he yawned before kissing Cyrus on the forehead. "Sleep good?"

"Actually yeah," Cyrus said smiling.

"See I told you it would be a good idea." Cyrus turned to grab for his phone while the weight on the bed shifted around. Once Cyrus began powering on his phone he sat it back down, and looked over to see Lucas out of bed, and naked with his backside facing him. It sure as hell did not help his physical issue that he had seeing his bare ass as he slipped his underwear back on.

Once Lucas got all his clothes back on, he looked back to see Cyrus red faced and a big blubbering mess looking like a fish gasping for water. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Cyrus said taking in a huge breath and swallowing it down. "Can you please not watch as I get dressed?" Cyrus asked.

"Your wish is my command, I gotta hit the bathroom anyways," Lucas said. He left the room while Cyrus got out of bed finding it strange to have his bare feet touching the carpeted floor as he stood naked with a boner in his boyfriend's room. He grabbed his underwear, and started putting it back on while watching the entrance making sure the door did not budge from someone coming it. He had awhile was Lucas was using the restroom. "Hey I completely forgot did yo-" Lucas started asking as he swung open the door walking in forgetting that his boyfriend was changing.

"Lucas!" Cyrus screamed as he dropped to the floor, but not before Lucas got a good flash of his boner. Lucas quickly shut the door back and decided that it can wait. He then went to the bathroom feeling guilty about what just happened.

Once Cyrus was dressed he sat on the end of the bed waiting for Lucas to return. A knock on the door came first followed by, "can I come in?"

"Yes," Cyrus called back as Lucas entered the room.

"Sorry about earlier," Lucas started to say seeing that Cyrus was not pleased. "I was just going to ask you if you had seen my phone. I can't remember what I done with it last night?"

"IDon'tKnow," Cyrus mumbled.

"Oh don't be like that," Lucas said setting on the bed next to him holding him. "From what I saw, you should be the top if we ever had sex. But let's not worry about that now, I still gotta come out my parents."

"Yeah, I almost forget," Cyrus said not daring to further the conversation about sex based off of Lucas seeing him in his aroused and naked state.

"Remember the plan?" Lucas asked with a smile. Cyrus just nodded as he hoped that all would go well, just like with his own parents.

While in the kitchen Cyrus ate his breakfast on a stool at the bar that connected the kitchen to the dining room while Lucas sat behind him. About halfway through Lucas whispered, "here we go," as he sat down his fork not being finished with his waffles yet.

Lucas began to look at his parents until they said, "what?"

"Mom," Lucas said with a shaky breath, "Dad," he added. "There is someone I'd like you to meet."

"Okay, bring them over whenever, just give us a day's notice in advance," his mom replied back.

"Actually they are already here," Lucas told them making them more confused than ever. "Meet my boy-friend," Lucas said chopping up his word on accident in the middle. When he said boyfriend he held out his hand that Cyrus took into his own.

"Wish we would have known that before we let you sleep in the same bedroom," the dad said laughing elbowing his wife, trying to get her to laugh along with him.

"Thanks Dad," Lucas said with a smile as he sat a bit prouder in his stool while Cyrus squeezed his hand. "Mom, what do you think?" Lucas said fearing the answer, since she hasn't said anything yet, not even laugh when her husband made a joke.

"Mmn nm," she hummed nodding her head now, as she slid her chair out from the table taking her plate and cup, leaving the room, to the kitchen.

She sat her dishes down on the counter, and walked out of the kitchen while Lucas shown fear on his face and called out, "Mom?"

There was no reply and Cyrus' mood got killed, as he sat down his fork. "I'm not really sure what to say to you," Lucas' dad started speaking. "I never expected you to have a boyfriend," he said with a light chuckle taking in the realization that his own son is dating another boy. "Am I supposed to hug you or something?" he asked.

Feeling emotional as ever Lucas let go of Cyrus hand as his eyes welled up with tears. His sucked both his top and bottom lip into his mouth as he stood up shaking his head with watery eyes. Lucas' dad got up, and embraced him in a big hug rocking him from side to side. Lucas seemed to visibly grow calmer as he asked, "does Mom hate me?"

"No," he replied.
"Are you sure, she just kinda left, and did not look happy," Lucas pointed.

"It's okay, we just have to give her some time, but don't worry. She still loves you, nothing has changed, okay?"

"Okay," Lucas said leaving his dad's arms. He sat back down with a sigh, and wiped away his tears. Looking down at his plate he said, "I don't feel like eating anymore."

"Yeah, I lost my appetite too," Cyrus said.

Both adorable boy's looked over to the man of the house, and he just smiled. "My son has a boyfriend. Speaking of which how long has this been going on."

"Not long," Cyrus started, "only a few weeks, pretty close to a month now."

"Do your parents know?" he asked.

"Yep, all four of them," Cyrus said.

"When did you tell the other two?" Lucas asked.

"I didn't, they just told them after asking if they could."

The End

I only got done with 2 of the 3 scenes I had planned out for this chapter. Oh well. I'm proud of myself, things got pretty real with Marty there at the beginning. Not going to lie, it got me actually emotional, and I thought about how ridiculous it'd be with me here, crying while striking keys on a keyboard staring at a monitor.

~Banana