Judas sat down on the packed earth in a nook beneath a lamp and rummaged in his bag. Jesus sat at his feet, eager to learn. "I'll start you out with these." He pulled out a set of dice. "Try and roll anything smaller than a four."

To his amazement, Jesus found that he could not roll even a three. Judas must have very strong mastery over his abilities. He could learn a lot from him. "How did you bless these?"

Judas chuckled lightly. "Not blessed. Loaded. " He rolled a set of fives. "It's not foolproof, sometimes someone will roll their dice higher with dumb luck. But you're bound to win at least a few beers with these."

Jesus wrinkled his nose. "Why would I want that?"

"For fun, dummy." Judas cuffed him gently. "I'll get you some later and you can see how you like it."

Jesus giggled at the light punch. Judas was funny. His face darkened as a girl Jesus vaguely recognized plodded in their general direction. She looked about as happy about the situation as Judas did.

"Shit," Judas grumbled and scooped the dice back into his bag. "Come on, let's get out of here before she actually finds me."

"Who is that anyway?" Jesus asked, stumbling over his own feet.

Judas sighed dramatically. "Her parents think she's going to marry me when we're grown," he grumbled. "I do not want to marry her."

Jesus frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. "Well then I don't like her either," he decided.

Judas sighed again, more genuinely this time. "She's not so bad really, it's not her fault. But I don't like her," he quickly assured him. "Not like. Like -like."

Jesus wasn't sure why Judas thought it was so important that he knew how he felt about the girl. Having a girlfriend would definitely make him look cooler, and he seemed to want to look very cool.

"Do you have time to hang out tonight?" Judas asked, keeping their pace brisk.

Jesus looked around, trying to figure out what time it was. The hour was already growing late, he was expected to be back in bed with his brothers and cousins very soon. He grimaced. "I can't. It's time for me to go back to my family's tent."

"Oh," Judas looked disappointed for a moment. "Well, that's alright," he brightened up. "You can hold on to those tonight, I'll meet you here tomorrow morning."

Jesus smiled brightly as he looked at the bag in his oversized hands. It occurred to Judas that he probably could have lit the whole wedding with a smile like that. "I'll see you then."

Jesus was waiting for Judas in the exact same spot as soon as his parents had given him permission to roam around for the rest of the day. He rolled the miracle dice while he waited, fascinated by how consistently they worked. He frowned when he rolled a two. He must be tainting the miracle somehow.

"Like I said, they aren't foolproof." Jesus looked up to see Judas kneeling in front of him. He had been so engrossed in his rolling he hadn't even noticed his approach. "How about I teach you some actual games?"

They spent the next couple of hours rolling dice and talking. Mostly talking, because once Jesus started talking he was difficult to stop. Judas liked hearing him talk though. Jesus was a fascinating person, the strange claims he made was just a part of that. Jesus was also quite smart, apparently he asked so many questions that every teacher had given up and his parents had to homeschool him. He also had very little idea of the world outside his home and listened with rapturous attention to the myths about the Roman gods Judas relayed to him.

After a while Judas decided it was time for Jesus to make his debut. "Come on, let's find someone for you to try the dice out on." Judas led him towards the teenage den of iniquity. "Do you have anything you can offer for a bet?"

Jesus thought for a moment. His father had been giving him a little cash allowance. If the dice really were blessed, he wouldn't lose it. "I have three silver coins, is that enough?"

Judas whistled. "You have actual money? Yeah, that'll get you in for sure." His parents had made sure he left his money at home because they knew he would be using it for mischief.

"Hey, Miriam!" Judas called to a girl with intense looking makeup. Jesus gulped dryly. He found her a little intimidating but also quite attractive. "You like dice right?"

Miriam nodded coolly. Judas marched Jesus up to her. "He's got cash to bet for some of your eyeliner."

Miriam looked Jesus up and down. He straightened his posture self consciously, puffing out his chest. He pulled a coin from his satchel and held it out. "There's more in my bag," he said and immediately cringed. Why did he say that? That was so awkward. That was not cool. Judas put a firm hand on his shoulder and looked Miriam square in the face, as if to dare her to challenge the claim. Too late to back down now.

The older girl shrugged. "Yeah alright, I'll play for that. You shouldn't tell people you have more though," she addressed Jesus directly. "They'll know you don't have any street smarts. Teens can smell blood." She smiled a little viciously to drive the point home.

Jesus nodded shyly. She could see right through him.

Judas clapped his hands. "Alright, you know the rules. Roll one dice, then two, then three. Highest score wins all. Good luck!" He winked conspiratorially at Jesus.

Jesus smiled nervously and picked up his first dice. Miriam had already rolled a six. His heart sank when he rolled a four. His eyes darted to Judas, who didn't betray any sign of worry.

Miriam cursed when she rolled a three and a four. Jesus breathed a little easier when he rolled two fours. "Thirteen to twelve!" Judas announced. Jesus tensed up again. He had never wanted to win so badly before. His heart was pushing pure electricity through his veins and his hands were shaking from adrenaline. Strangely, he found that he liked it.

On her final roll, Miriam rolled ten points. "That's good!" Judas whispered in his ear. His breath tickled. "All you need to roll is a twelve to beat her. You can't lose."

Jesus took a deep breath. What if the blessed dice didn't work this time? Judas would be so disappointed. Nervously, he scooped the dice up and prepared to drop them.

"Wait!" Judas scolded. Jesus looked at him, confused. Judas placed his hands over Jesus's trembling fingers to steady them and then blew a puff of hot air into their fist. Jesus looked at him with utter confusion. "For luck," he said by way of explanation. That was the weirdest thing anybody has ever done. "Well go on, roll them."

Jesus gave him one last skeptical look and dropped the dice. Three sixes. Judas whooped victoriously. "Pay up, Miriam!" Jesus felt his heart swell with pride.

Miriam simply shrugged and pulled out an eyeliner pen. "See you around. And Judas? Cool it with the flirting, you're freaking him out." She left to join a group of girls in the shade. If she suspected foul play, she didn't seem to care. Jesus stared at his prize and felt a thrill. He had enjoyed that. Being around Judas seemed to mean more thrills.

"What did she mean by that?" Jesus asked. He tilted his head and blinked in a way that made him look almost comically innocent.

Judas's face turned faintly pink. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. Hey, have you used eyeliner before?"

Jesus shook his head. "Do you want it?"

"Do I want your first ever score?" Judas looked offended that someone would ever suggest such a thing. "I most certainly do not. Here, sit down. I'll show you how to use it."

Jesus sat down obediently, expecting Judas to pull out a mirror.

Instead, Judas pulled the cap off the pen. "Close your eyes and relax," he instructed. "You're going to look so badass."

Badass. Nobody had ever called him that before. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He forced himself not to flinch when the cool brush touched his eyelids. He wondered if Judas would apply as much eyeliner as he wore. Judas always smudged on so much that his eyes almost got lost in it. Jesus wasn't sure he would like wearing it quite like that.

"Okay, you can look now." Jesus opened his eyes to see his reflection staring back. Apparently Judas did carry a mirror around. It was nothing like how he wore his kohl. It was quite heavy, but the lines were clean. Judas had outlined his eyes and put sharp wings at the corners. Jesus touched his slightly unfamiliar face softly, taking it all in. "You look like a rockstar," Judas crowed.

Jesus glowed. He did look good. He looked cool.

Judas handed back the makeup. "I have to go, I promised someone I would play in a tournament. I'd invite you to come, but it's top secret so nobody who isn't playing is allowed. I'm not even supposed to tell you about it. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Jesus nodded excitedly and waved goodbye. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

Apparently neither could his cousin John, who stormed up with a dark look on his face. "You can't let your mom see you like that," he huffed.

Jesus felt his heart sink. He had forgotten to think of his mother. "How long were you watching?"

"Long enough." John looked absolutely furious with him. He planted his feet and crossed his arms across his chest to make sure his disapproval was known.

Jesus felt ashamed, which struck him as a little unjustified. "I was going to take it off eventually," he lied.

John rolled his eyes and handed him a napkin to clean his face with. "This is just like that time you had a crush on Rebecca. You really need to be more careful."

Jesus frowned, immediately feeling defensive of her. Becca looked intimidating, but she was really nice. They had liked each other until John had insisted she was a bad influence. "What do you mean?"

"Remember how she almost made you paint your nails?" John asked pointedly.

"Right…" Jesus agreed reluctantly. The nail painting had been his idea. He still didn't see the harm in it, but his mother had been extremely upset when he mentioned it. It wasn't like a little makeup could stop him from whatever great plans God had in mind for him. Surely the plan was bigger than that.

John sighed as he watched Jesus wipe away the makeup. "You know, it doesn't make you look very godly when you're hanging out with people like that and acting like you're one of them."

Jesus bristled. Not this again. "People like what, John?"

John shifted uncomfortably. "You know what I mean. You have a type."

"You might as well just call them sinners, John," Jesus admonished him. "And no matter what my mother thinks, I'm pretty sure that whatever plan God has for me will involve me spending plenty of time around them."

"But your mom says-"

Jesus held an authoritative hand up. "I know she says I'm not ready. God thinks otherwise, I can feel it. You aren't going to tell her are you?" he asked, trying not to sound anxious. He knew that John wouldn't if he pulled the God card.

John sighed. "Of course not. I just wish you would be more careful. You're going to get us both in trouble if you get caught."

"I'll be careful," he promised. Deep down, he knew he would probably not be able to keep that promise.

The next day was the most exciting yet. The hosts had brought in exotic beasts for their guests' entertainment. A man in festive robes rode an elephant dressed even more grandly than himself through the crowd, the handlers at its feet encouraging people to touch the great beast. In other areas guests crowded to gawk at big cats in small cages. Jesus stared at the magnificent creatures with wide eyes and a slack jaw as they lazed the day away. The lion was particularly eye catching. Creatures like this never visited little towns like Nazareth.

His attention was only diverted when he spotted Judas in the crowd. He walked over and tapped him on the shoulder, greeting him with a quick hug before getting to business.

"John says these aren't holy dice." Jesus held out the dice Judas had given him. "He says you use them for cheating but that's not true, right?"

Judas rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, still processing that Jesus had just hugged him. "I mean… yeah? I kinda thought you knew when I told you those were loaded dice."

Jesus shook his head. "I thought that meant loaded with the power of God."

"Oh. Well, no. Is this going to be a problem?" Judas asked, stuttering a little. His heart was fluttering a bit. He actually wanted Jesus to hang out with him, so he hoped he hadn't ruined everything.

"So you really aren't doing miracles?" Jesus asked, visibly disappointed. Judas shrugged apologetically and shook his head. Jesus considered for a moment. He probably shouldn't do what Judas did if he was to keep living a pure life. But that didn't seem like a reason to stay away or keep his new friend on a leash as tight as his own. "As long as I don't have to play any more, I don't see why it should be a problem."

Judas's face lit up. "Good! Come on, I'll win us some snacks." Jesus trailed close behind him.

"I hope it's not too weird that I do miracles," he said a little anxiously.

Judas laughed. "Look, it's okay if you don't."

He laughed? Jesus stopped in his tracks. "You don't believe me."

Judas turned around and smiled at him, as if he were in on a joke they shared. "Clay birds don't fly unless you throw them. It's okay, I don't mind."

Jesus had given his miracle bird a toss when it flew, but that was beside the point. It had flown, he knew it did. John had seen it too. It just hadn't worked when he tried to show it to anyone else, or on any of the new birds he had made. Judas had to believe him. His mind seized on an idea. "I can prove it!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to walk into that tiger's cage and it won't hurt me."

He began to stride over to the cage, fully intending to deliver on his promise. Judas grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "You really don't have to do that."

"But you think I'm a liar," Jesus protested.

"I never said that. I think you just want people to like you so you exaggerate. I get that."

Jesus stared at him, confused. "So then why are you spending time with me?" Usually the only people who actually wanted to see him were people who had heard about his miracles and wanted to see proof.

Judas looked baffled by the question. "I dunno, I just like your company. Haven't you had a friend before?"

"Not really. The kids at home don't really like me," Jesus answered quite bluntly.

"Oh." Judas felt a pang of sympathy. Judas used to have a couple of real friends but they had moved out of Kerioth. True, he made sure other kids didn't like him now, but that was by choice. He could tell Jesus wasn't actively trying to be disliked. "What about John? You seem pretty close."

Jesus's face lit up. "Well yeah, of course there's John. He's my cousin, we're best friends. But he believes in all my miracles, he always has. We're going to do great things when we grow up."

"Doesn't he like it when you have other friends?" Judas asked. He wasn't sure he could do anything about it but he couldn't help feeling concerned.

Jesus shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like that exactly," he defended him. "He only really minds when it's people like you. Cool people I mean. He says you're a bad influence."

So Jesus thinks he's cool. Of course he did, he was cool and everybody knew it. His heart did not do a summersault and his stomach had no knots in it whatsoever. "I'm sure people will come around eventually," Judas assured him. "You're super weird, but you have a lot going for you."

Jesus nodded solemnly, his huge eyes suggesting strange knowledge that he had never had the opportunity to learn to fear. "People will worship me some day."

"That's the spirit!" Judas clapped him on the back.

Jesus stumbled forward, an awkward mess of scrawny limbs. "So what are we going to do today?"

"I was thinking I would win you your first cigarette." Judas casually ran a hand through his hair. "If you give me back those dice I can use them."

"Oh, I don't know if my mom would like that," Jesus fretted. Mary held all her children to a high standard of behavior, him especially.

"So? Just brush your teeth and she'll never know."

Jesus had never thought of that. If she never found out, there wasn't any real harm that he could see. It was just one cigarette. And he did want to see Judas play again. He agreed and returned the dice.

Unfortunately, Judas's opponent rolled higher numbers and he lost. Judas scowled and handed over his fancy lighter. He still had a box of matches, but they weren't nearly as fun to light. He later grumbled to Jesus that he was sure the other player had cheated, he just couldn't prove it. He failed to see why Jesus thought that was so funny.

"It's fine, I still have some anyway." Judas pulled out a loose cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Jesus. It was only moderately grimy. Jesus accepted, his anticipation mixed with only a little hesitation. Unfortunately a familiar voice broke the moment before he could get his first taste.

"Jesus, you can't be serious!" Jesus sighed. John was here.

John marched up and knocked the cigarette out of his hand. "I think that Jesus has had enough of your company," John growled at Judas.

Judas blinked, baffled by the audacity. "Are you his boss? I thought you were his cousin."

"Jesus knows that his mother doesn't allow him to smoke," John sneered. "And Jesus respects his parents," he added pointedly.

Jesus mumbled that technically no rules had been officially set about smoking cigarettes. Sure it had probably seemed unnecessary since he had never had access before but still. He did feel guilty. His loophole didn't seem nearly as airtight as he had told himself a moment ago.

"I think he can make his own decisions." Judas stepped closer to John, invading his personal space. He was a good bit taller than John, and certainly he looked at least as intimidating. Maybe Jesus was willing to tolerate this rude behavior but that didn't mean that Judas had to.

John scoffed. "I can't believe this. Jesus, let's go."

Jesus stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Ultimately he stepped over to Judas. "It's just that I can always see you, John," he apologized. "This might be the only time I get to hang out with Judas."

Judas stuck out his tongue behind Jesus's back. This infuriated John beyond what he could tolerate. He shoved Judas in the chest as hard as he could, sending him stumbling backwards. Judas growled and curled his fists, ready to start a fight.

"That's enough, both of you. If we fight over this we'll all get kicked out." Jesus stepped between the two of them, placing a hand on Judas's chest and glaring at his cousin. John scowled and left, clearly stung by the rejection. Jesus felt bad for John. He would need to talk to him later. Not now though. He bent down and picked up the cigarette from the ground.

"So how do I use it?" he asked, holding the cigarette awkwardly between two fingers.

"Well, first you have to put it between your teeth," Judas said officiously, demonstrating with his own. Jesus clamped his cigarette between his front teeth and closed his lips around it, mirroring his friend.

Judas smirked and lit his own cigarette and leaned in to light Jesus's with his own. However, after missing twice and nearly burning Jesus's face he decided to use a match instead. He took a shallow drag and puffed the smoke in Jesus's face. "Now you try."

Jesus took a deep breath in and promptly began coughing and spluttering, the still lit cigarette falling to the ground forgotten. His lungs and throat burned horribly, this wasn't at all what he expected. He thought the smoke would feel cool somehow. Judas thumped him on the back. "Not such a big breath next time."

Jesus retched. "I don't think there will be a next time," he said weakly. Judas consoled him by rubbing circles on his back as he coughed again.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't start anyway. I smoke a ton, it's gonna be super hard to quit," Judas bragged and stamped out the forgotten cigarette for him. "Let's find something to get the taste out of your mouth."

While his brothers and cousins were sleeping in the children's tent, Jesus was carving something by lamplight and thinking. Thinking about Judas, thinking about his future, thinking about why he had no friends at home. "Hey, John?" he whispered. His voice was low and worried.

John grunted sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"We're friends right?"

"Jesus we've been best friends since before we were born, what are you talking about?"

"I know, it's just." Jesus sighed. "You've been pretty mean to me for a while now. It's kind of like you don't even like me."

Now John sighed and sat up. Okay, so they were having this conversation now. "Of course I like you, Jesus. It's the people you keep trying to hang out with I don't like. You have a type, and it's not a good one. I worry about you."

Jesus scowled and began carving a little more aggressively. There was no point in arguing with him but he was going to do it anyway. "Why do you care so much?" he snapped, keeping his voice quiet to avoid waking up his siblings. "I know what I'm doing. Or do you not trust me?"

John shrank a little bit. He hated it when Jesus used that tone. "Well you're being a little selfish," he whined.

Jesus rolled his eyes and brushed the shavings off his lap. "What's so selfish about me wanting more than one friend?"

John thought for a moment, deciding how to express the frustration he had been trying to keep to himself. "The friends you make always get you in trouble, and whenever you get caught you get grounded and then I don't have anyone to talk to for a week," he confessed. His voice got a little quiet and he hugged his knees to his chest.

Jesus felt guilty, recognizing that there was some truth to what he said. John didn't really have any friends besides him, so when he was punished John suffered too. They hadn't really done themselves any favors being glued at the hip from such a young age. It was them against the world, for better or worse. He put the knife down and shuffled over to give John a hug. "I'm sorry about that, it's not fair for you. I'm always going to be your best friend, okay? We're going to change the world when we grow up."

John was a little comforted, but worry crumpled his face as he hugged him back. "Jesus, he's bad news. I can feel it."

Jesus sighed. "It's only a week, John. Three days now. I'll be fine."

John was not satisfied but knew to leave it alone. He was Jesus's best friend and his right hand, it was not his job to tell him what to do. "Just don't forget who you are."

"I know." Jesus decided now was the right time to put his tools away for the night. "Good night, John."

Jesus and Judas were nearly inseparable for the rest of the week. As much as Judas might deny it, Jesus was something of a good influence on him. For all his showboating, he was spending less time running his scams and more time just sitting and talking with his new friend. He even ran a few honest games from time to time, just to prove that he could. Jesus was just happy to be around Judas, and loved to watch him play. They spent one afternoon perfecting a sleight of hand trick. It was tricky, but Jesus was elated when he got the hang of it and showed it off to his siblings that very night.

Today Jesus was teaching Judas how to make figures out of clay. He had found a little puddle in the courtyard with the appropriate mud for sculpting. Judas found the clay stiff and difficult to manipulate.

"This doesn't look anything like a bird," he grumbled, staring at the misshapen blob in his hand with contempt.

Jesus looked up from his own project, this time attempting a donkey. "Sure it does," he assured him. "All it needs is a beak, see?" He pinched the bird's face into a fine point.

"You make it look so easy," Judas sighed.

Jesus grinned and smoothed out the fingerprints on his donkey. "I think it's only fair," he mused. "You make cards look easy but I still can't even shuffle them."

"Jesus, there you are." A young, harried looking woman hurried over to them, light blue skirts swirling at her feet. If she noticed Judas was present at all she did not acknowledge him. "I have been looking for you everywhere, we need your help in the kitchen."

"Can it wait a moment?" Jesus asked. "I'm almost finished helping Judas with this sparrow."

Mary sighed heavily. Clearly Jesus often acted like this. "Jesus, I am your mother and you need to obey me. Someone made a mistake and we need a miracle."

That caught Jesus's attention. He splashed his hands clean in the puddle and hurried to his feet. "Can Judas come too?" he asked. "I really want him to see a miracle."

Judas awkwardly waved to be polite as Mary looked at him for the first time and wrinkled her nose. It occurred to him that he probably smelled like cigarettes pretty strongly. "If that's what you want," Mary conceded, but the look on her face suggested that they would have a stern conversation in private later. Judas realized self consciously that his clothes had gotten much muddier than Jesus's. He hoped he hadn't caused him too much trouble. Jesus didn't seem too bothered and offered him a hand up. Judas followed at a slight distance, hoping not to offend Mary's nose any more than could be avoided.

"So what's the problem?" Jesus asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous. His miracles never seemed to work right when he tried to do them on purpose, and they were at their worst in front of an audience.

Mary held his wrist with a firm grip, keeping their pace brisk. "There was a mixup with the wine caterer. The hosts ordered enough wine, but the company delivered water. It's too late to get more, so you're the only one that can fix this."

Jesus struggled valiently to keep up. "Mom? What happens if I can't? I mean, I haven't had any dreams about doing public miracles."

"Well then I suppose the wedding is ruined."

Jesus gulped. That was a lot of pressure. He glanced behind to see if Judas was still following. Judas gave him an encouraging smile. He didn't expect to see a miracle, but he was starting to put some pieces together that explained a lot about why Jesus was the way he was.

Mary lead them into the kitchen and showed Jesus a set of crates, each containing several stone jugs. Sure enough, all that had been delivered were clearly marked as containing water. The sommelier anxiously wrung his hands over an open one. Jesus approached him nervously. "What would you have me do?"

The anxious man looked him up and down skeptically. This child looked utterly unremarkable. He was sure to be fired in a matter of hours. "Your mother says you can fix this. Think of something, they'll have my head if the guests can't drink."

Jesus stared into the jar and watched his own reflection stare back at him. He looked at Judas, who was watching intently and looked a little worried beneath all the eyeliner. He looked to his mother, who gave him a big smile and clasped her hands together. She believed in him, but she looked a little nervous too. He took a deep breath and looked back at the water, trying to think of something to do. He supposed the only way to fix this was to turn the water into wine.

He placed one hand on his temple and plunged the other in the water, feeling its coolness against his sweaty palm in an attempt to connect with it. He closed his eyes and reached within himself to find the power to make his will known and carried out. He breathed deeply three times and opened them again.

His reflection stared back from clean water. His face crumpled in disappointment and he looked to his mother. Judas started to approach him, but his eyes darted to Mary and he thought better of it. Mary, however, had not given up. "Check the other vessels," she instructed the sommelier. "He must have changed the other ones." Jesus relaxed a bit and felt grateful for her support.

The sommelier threw up his hands helplessly and pulled another heavy stone jar and removed the lid. "My god!" he leapt back in shock. "He really did it. Damn me for my disbelief but he did it!"

Mary ran up to Jesus and wrapped her arms around him in a happy embrace. She poured every ounce of love and pride into the hug, holding her son close as he hugged her back. She pulled back to see him smiling brightly back at her. "I knew you could do it." She pinched his cheek affectionately.

Jesus addressed the sommelier and smiled graciously. "You believe now, so you will be spared." He looked at Judas, feeling very pleased with himself.

Judas smiled at him but stayed quiet. The sommelier had his assistants begin opening the other jars. About two thirds of the vessels contained very fine wine, and the rest were full of water. Jesus was glowing so he decided not to say that he was fairly certain that the caterers had delivered both the water and the wine and simply mislabeled the containers. The wedding was almost over, tomorrow would be the last evening they spent together. He wanted Jesus to enjoy it as much as possible.

Jesus stooped over a puddle, trying for the umpteenth time to apply his eyeliner the way Judas had shown him. Judas had said that he wanted to do something special for just the two of them instead of hanging out with the other teenagers. Whatever it was, Jesus wanted it to be special too. He probably wouldn't have another chance to wear it again any time soon. The lines were shaky, but it was growing late. It would have to do. He checked his pocket to make sure the surprise he had for Judas was still there. Good. It was getting dark and threatening to rain. He made his way to the guest house Judas's family had been put in.

Judas was waiting for him outside, face lit by the glow from a trademark cigarette. Jesus had smelled him before he spotted him. He was starting to like the smell. Judas met him halfway across the courtyard, a hurry in his step. "It took you long enough," he fussed. "It's going to rain any second now."

Sure enough the first drops were beginning to fall. "I wanted to get my eyeliner right," Jesus said, a little embarrassed at how long it had taken him.

Judas grinned at him. "It looks great." It looked like he had put extra effort into his own. He also had also taken a shower and was wearing clean clothes. The rain began to fall faster and he stamped his cigarette out on the ground. "Come on, we have to hurry!"

Judas grabbed his hand and they began to run. Before long they were giggling at the thrill of it. Jesus didn't know where they were going, Judas had refused to tell him. They sprinted through the quickly dispersing crowd, lights and colors all a blur except for each other as they tried to dodge the drops. It was exhilarating. Judas lead him around a corner and then stopped abruptly, both gasping for breath between laughs.

Jesus noticed that Judas had not let go of his hand the whole time. He wondered what would happen if he kept holding it.

Apparently he had no interest in letting go either.

"Okay, close your eyes and wait here," Judas instructed.

Jesus tilted his head curiously and closed his eyes. He heard Judas hurrying away, then he heard the scratch of a matchstick. Curious, he peeked.

His eyes flew open at the sight in front of him. "What's all this?" he gasped.

"You weren't supposed to look!" Judas protested. He had put together a crude tent the night before when the idea came to him. He had borrowed candles from the guest house, and found enough pieces of wedding cake for the two to eat their fill. And of course he had won a can of beer, this one unopened. That was hard to come by, he could only get the one so they would have to split it. The older teens were beginning to catch on to his methods. To tie it all together he had found a glass of miracle wine unattended for them to share.

Jesus clapped his hands to his face, overwhelmed by the gesture. He had to turn away for a moment.

Judas's face fell. That didn't look good. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry. I must have misunderstood things, I didn't mean to make it weird."

"No!" Jesus exclaimed. "No, this is great." He hurried into the tent and sat down beside Judas.

Judas let out a huge sigh of relief and cracked open the tepid beer and took the first sip. He hoped Jesus didn't notice how his hands shook. He pulled a face and gulped down the beverage. "Just so you know, people don't drink this for the flavor." He passed the can to Jesus.

Jesus took a hesitant sniff and raised the can to his lips. The beer was faintly bitter, but not unpleasant. "Actually, I kinda like it."

Judas laughed happily and took the can for another sip. "You really are weird then. I'm glad you like it." He took a bite of cake to take the taste off his tongue.

"Oh! I made something for you." Jesus rummaged in his bag and pulled out two little sparrows he had carved in the evenings before he went to sleep. He pressed one into Judas's hand. "This one's yours."

Judas turned the gift around in his hands, admiring the fine detail. "He has my eyeliner," he observed with a smile. The little sparrow sported heavy rebellious lines for eyes.

Jesus nodded enthusiastically. "Mine does too, the way you showed me how." Sure enough, Jesus's sparrow had sharp little wing tips like the ones he wore. This was the nicest gift Judas had ever received. He would carry it around as long as he possibly could. "Thank you," was all he could find to say. Jesus took another big sip of the beer and glowed faintly.

They ate cake and played with Judas's cards for a while, not quite sure what else to do with their hands. Neither of them knew just how nervous the other felt.

"This is the best wedding I've ever been to," Judas declared after a while. "Usually I hate these, but you made it really fun."

Jesus blushed and giggled, the single can of beer already going to his head. "You'll have to invite me to yours some day."

Judas felt his face grow hot. "I don't think I'm ever going to get married," he blurted.

"Oh don't be silly," Jesus squeezed his hand affectionately. "You're so cool, there's lots of girls that would want to marry you."

Judas jerked his hand away abruptly. "What? I don't like girls."

"What do you mean?" Jesus laughed. "Everybody likes girls."

"I don't though," Judas insisted. He thought Jesus knew. He hadn't exactly been subtle. "I only like boys." Shit.

Jesus stared at him blankly. Shit shit shit. Judas had embarrassed himself to death and he was sure he would never recover.

"You can do that?" Jesus had never heard of such a thing. Boys don't marry boys.

Judas buried his face in his hands. "Just forget it, you probably only like girls."

Boys can like boys. Jesus rolled the new information over in his head. Well that might explain why he the feelings he had around Judas were the same ones he had felt around Becca. "I'm not so sure now," he said slowly and took a sip of the miracle wine.

Judas risked a peek between his fingers. Jesus looked like he was thinking pretty hard. He reached for a sip of wine to calm his nerves. His head was spinning, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just from the alcohol.

His reach was intercepted by Jesus, who took his hand and continued staring straight ahead at the rain, still processing this revelation. "I didn't know you could do that." He was blushing redder than anything Judas had ever seen.

Judas stared at him, watching the gears turn in his mind. Well, it was now or never. And if he was wrong, at least he would never see this weird, captivating boy again. Was his heart beating this fast when they were running? Quickly, before he could scare himself out of it for good, he kissed his cheek. Just a quick one, so light and quick he wondered if he had missed somehow. Immediately he turned back and stared out the tent flap, eyes wide and heart pounding in his ears. He didn't dare to look at Jesus. That was the first time he had actually kissed another boy.

Jesus didn't say anything. He just held Judas's hand a little more tightly and put his head on his shoulder. Judas glanced at him, then away, then back again. He didn't dare move a muscle. They watched the rain fall together as the silence grew comfortable, both processing their respective feelings. It was slowing down now.

Jesus liked Judas. Judas liked Jesus. And tomorrow they would go their separate ways.

"My mom says I can't get married ever." Jesus broke the silence after a while.

Judas nodded. "A lot of moms say that, they're protective like that."

"I think it has to do with my destiny." Jesus sounded more uncertain.

"What's up with that anyway?" Judas asked. He wanted to adjust his position so he could see Jesus better, but decided against it. "You seem to have to think about that a lot."

"I don't really know exactly," Jesus said. "I have weird dreams a lot. I know that me and John are going to do a lot of teaching and it's going to change the world. I'm going to be very famous, I think. If I have to focus on all that, I won't have time for a wife."

Judas raised his eyebrows. He knew Jesus was under a lot of pressure, but nothing like that. That was something he couldn't even imagine. "Sounds pretty serious. I hope that all works out for you. Hey, maybe I'll see you when you're famous."

Jesus nodded solemnly. He decided not to tell Judas that one time he had dreamed that he would be executed after his teaching. He hoped that one was an ordinary dream. "Maybe you will."

They stared out at the courtyard in front of them in silence again. Jesus relaxed a bit more and Judas swallowed dryly, hoping his shoulder wasn't too bony to be comfortable.

"My mom said we can have a sleepover at my place if you want," he said, his voice sounding a little hopeful. His parents knew about his feelings for Jesus and were supportive of it. "If your mom is okay with that."

Jesus sighed. His parents expected him to be at the tent on time. He had gotten John to agree to buy some time for him but it would probably be over soon. They didn't have much time left. "I don't think she'd like that. She kinda talked about you last night? She says you wear too much eyeliner. And that you smell funny."

"Yeah I kinda figured." Judas sighed too. "How long can you stay?"

Jesus thought it over. "Until we finish the wine I think."

The glass of miracle wine was half finished. He closed his eyes and willed it to be full. No such miracle occurred. They finished it together in companionable silence and cleaned up the evidence of misbehavior. Jesus didn't want to leave a mess for someone else to clean up. Judas walked Jesus back to his family's tent, stopping short of where Mary would see him. He offered Jesus his scarf to clean off his eyeliner. The last thing he wanted was for the night to be spoiled.

Jesus cleaned his face just in time, his father had spotted them. "Your mother has been looking for you. Your brothers didn't know where you went," Joseph scolded.

Jesus shrugged. "I don't know why, I didn't go far." Technically he hadn't, he rationalized. He was just out of sight.

His father sighed. "Well come on, you're late for bed. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Jesus followed and Judas walked away. "I will see you again some day!" Jesus called out to him. Judas smiled. There was no way he could possibly know that, but it was a nice thought.

He heard Jesus's father ask him, "Why do you always say that to everybody you meet?"

"Well it's true, father," he heard Jesus respond readily. "When they die I will be the one to greet them first." Judas shook his head, smiling faintly. Jesus was the weirdest person he had ever met.It was oddly endearing.

He heard Joseph sigh heavily. "See things like that are why the neighbors don't like us."