The next few weeks proceeded pretty normally. I finally convinced my parents that there were no problems and that it was just the sudden change in humidity that caused some slight irritability. My appetite had stayed pretty minimum and some of my clothes felt slightly loose but it was a very subtle change. I told Allen I was gay. He laughed and said that if I wasn't that would be pretty awkward for him and then I explained how hard it was for me to be accepting of myself and saying it out loud to someone else was a big step. Of course he was totally unjudgemental and all ears. Our relationship had been progressing pretty slowly and that was good for me. We still hadn't kissed. In most aspects, we were pretty much best friends but there was that added intimacy between us.

I had continued to add cuts but I had found myself not needing to as often. Some were starting to scar and some others had been getting infected and looked pretty nasty. When I was leaving school friday I noticed Allen sitting in his car in the parking lot. When I got into his car he looked up at me and smiled.

"I was just about to text you. Hey baby, how are you?"

"Pretty good. Better now that I get to see you. I've been looking forward to seeing you all week, as usual."

"I know it's mid-afternoon but would you mind if we went and got dinner early? I'm starving."

"Sure, I actually haven't really eaten all day."

"You better be taking care of yourself, Russo. Pretty soon you're gonna be a twig. I can tell you've dropped a few pounds.

"It's not intentional. My thoughts have just been in other places. Food isn't a priority."

"You'd better make it." he rested a hand on my knee then started to drive away from the school. I saw a few questioning looks from peers but I didn't care.

When we got to the vegan restaurant we were greeted intently, and were becoming regulars. As we started to eat I reached across the table to grab the salt and my sleeved pulled back a little and revealed a little bit of banding. If Allen saw he wasn't letting onto it. But the second we got to our little spot in the park he grabbed my arms and rolled up my sleeves carefully. I stood there embarrassed. He peeled back gauze to look at the newer cuts and inspected the scars across my arms. Finally, he rolled down my sleeves. He sat down. I hesitated then sat down too. He looked like he was searching for the right words.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he asked me, fear in his voice. "I love you, Justin, I love you so much. I don't want to see you go, not like this." I didn't know what to say. The tension grew. Why was I doing this to myself? Why was I putting myself through this hell? I didn't know what came over me but suddenly I was kissing Allen. My lips pressed against his and it all felt so right. He kissed me back gently and started to nibble at my lip. I moaned slightly and then he stuck his tongue into my mouth. I draped my arms against his shoulders and behind his neck, kissing him passionately. Oh how I loved him too. I continued to kiss him and layed him back, taking dominance over him. Our bodies were rubbing and touching and I felt like I was on fire. It all felt so good.

Eventually we took a break.

"That means that I love you too, just FYI." I joked. He was grinning at me.

"Took you damn long enough. You are one smooth kisser, Justin Russo. But we have to move onto the serious topic. You can't just change the subject by kissing me. You need to tell your parents about this. You need to get help. I'm worried about you. But I'm glad I found out before you accidentally hit a vein."

"I was fucked up when you met me, this isn't your problem. I don't need to drag you down with me."

"Oh don't be dramatic. I'm too involved for this to not be my problem. So you really need to tell you parents. I mean you don't have to go do it tonight or even this week, but you can't do this until you tell them."

"I, I'm not sure if I could make a promise like that."

"Well too bad. I'm not gonna risk losing you. Justin, I really do love you."

When he walked me home, he stayed a block from the sub station and gave me a long kiss on the lips. It felt so great. I wish I could've taken him back to my room and prove to him just how much I loved him. When I got inside I couldn't contain my smile and was grinning like a fool. Alex picked up on it right away. She walked over and was about to start teasing me about it but instead just asked me if there was anyone in my life and accepted the slight nod of my head. She had started to behave towards me differently. I was slightly irritated at what it took for her to do it, but none the less, it was a change for the better. The next day Allen had picked up an extra shift at work so we couldn't hang out, which meant I had to spend an entire day with my family.

I kinda wanted to tell my parents but I decided against it, even despite a text from Allen telling me that everything would work out and that if it didn't, in less than a month I was free to run into his arms and be safe.

Dinner wasn't too awkward. Max had a lot to tell about how school had been the past days. He started to talk about his field trip to D.C. It was for the 7th to 10th graders as extra credit in history, which both Alex and Max needed. They started to talk about being chaperones and I instantly realized what that meant.

"Of course, Justin, you would have to be home alone for most of winter break. But obviously that won't be a problem."

I gave a bit of fake protesting just to make sure I didn't look too happy about being alone. As soon as I finished dinner, I went into my room and texted Allen.

You have winter break off right? Because I get the house mostly to myself ;) They won't be back until Christmas Eve morning.

He repliedinstantly letting me know that he didn't have to work. I couldn't stop thinking about what we would do as soon as they left in the morning. The thought of that helped me end the semester with good grades and no missing work; I had started to slip behind but instantly caught up. I wouldn't get to see Allen this weekend either because he had picked up some extra shifts again and Sundays were always family days. As boredom and loneliness and longing overcame me I got tempted to cut but I had made a promise to Allen. So instead I went and watched tv with my family.

Monday morning couldn't come fast enough. I slept in and woke up to an empty house. My family was gone and on their way to D.C. As I poured myself some cereal there was a knock on the door. I happily let Allen in and we shared a long kiss.

"Oh boy, I've missed you." he whispered into my neck. I hugged him and smiled. We had almost a whole week to ourselves.

A/N: Ok so I know that the passage of time might seem weird but whatever, I don't care. Also I wasn't sure if they ever said Justin's birthday on the show but if they did I don't care, his birthdays in January this is my fan fiction :) Also the next chapter will just be a smut/lemons chapter so if you don't want to read porn then you can skip the next chapter. you won't really miss out on anything, you just won't know in detail what Justin and Allen did over winter break.