Revelations

"So Danny and I went to the mall yesterday, and guess who we ran into at the café? My ex boyfriend! Can you believe how awkward that was?" Vicky exclaimed while making gestures with one hand, and shoveling food into her mouth with the other. Normally, this would have elicited some kind of shocked/excited/baffled response from Justin Suarez, who was sitting opposed to her at the table. Today however, Justin didn't seem to have heard one word of what his friend had told him. Instead, he was miles away, resting his head in his hand, eyes glazed over.

Vicky frowned and turned to Bella, who was sitting next to her, and gave her a 'what is wrong with him?' look. Bella shrugged, looking equally baffled.

"Hello! Earth to Justin!" Bella called out, and slapped Justin on the arm. That did the trick; as if he'd been sleeping, Justin blinked and shook his head.

"What?" he said, and looked at the girls in front of him.

"Jeez Justin, what's up with you today? You've hardly said a word since morning, and now you're not even listening when I'm talking to you" Vicky said, a look of concern emerging on her face.

Justin looked down at his plate, feeling his hands go all sweaty. He hated having to hide, especially from Vicky and Bella, who were his only friends. He couldn't bring himself to tell them what was wrong, and at the same time he felt like he would explode if he didn't say something soon.

He looked around to see if there was anyone from their school at the café, but he could only see grownups who were typing on their laptops while gulping down coffee. He took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't end up without friends after having told them his secret.

"Can I tell you something?" he nearly whispered, hands tightly clutched around his coffee cup.

Vicky and Bella nodded, both girls with looks of concern on their faces.

"Justin, you know you can tell us anything" Bella assured him, putting her hand on his. He let go of the mug to weave his fingers with hers, needing the support.

Feeling like his heart would burst out of his chest, he closed his eyes to pull himself together before he continued.

"So yesterday my… I guess you could call him my stepfather walked in on me…doing something… and now he's probably gonna tell the rest of the family, and I don't know what to do" Justin rambled, not looking at his friends.

Vicky and Bella exchanged looks, neither of them following.

"Uhm so… what did you do Justin?" Vicky carefully asked, grabbing Justin's other hand. Justin looked up at her, trying to gather enough courage to let those last words out of his mouth, but they seemed huge. It felt as if they were stuck in his throat, larger than mountains and burning like fire.

"He caught me and Austin kissing in the vestibule" he breathed, finally getting it out of him. Feeling like he would faint if he didn't hold on to something, he clutched both girls' hands tightly, hoping they were still his friends.

"Who's Austin?" Bella asked, with the beginning of a wicked smile at the corner of her mouth. Vicky looked the same, although she'd already guessed the truth.

"I think he's my boyfriend" Justin mumbled, feeling emotionally drained.

"Justin, why haven't you told us? Oh my god!" Vicky called out excitedly, a bright smile adorning her aquiline features. Bella was equally excited, and squeezed Justin's hand before she let go. Justin, who had finally realized they wouldn't run away and leave him by himself, let out a sigh of relief.

"So, you're okay with it? Like, honestly?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh come on Justin, we'd already guessed as much. Of course we're okay with it!" Bella told him, still smiling.

"Guessed what?" Justin frowned. "That you're… Uhh" Vicky began, but interrupted herself as it hit her that Justin wasn't ready to admit that much yet. "That you're seeing someone" Bella inserted, and Vicky nodded in agreement.

"Oh…." Justin said, not sure that he was comfortable with that thought. If they had guessed he was seeing someone, then his family might have as well.

He felt his cell vibrate his pocket, and he picked it up to check his messages, needing to take his mind off the matter for a few seconds. He still felt overwhelmed having told his friends about him and Austin.

He flipped open the lid, and couldn't stop himself from smiling when he noticed who it was from.

From: Austin

To: Justin

3 hours til our first date. I wish I had a car so I could pick you up.

Totally forgetting about his friends, he immediately typed a reply.

From: Justin

To: Austin

I wish 3 hours had passed already.

Still smiling, he put the phone back in his pocket, lost in thoughts for a second. He caught sight of his friends, who were smirking from across the table.

"Uhh… I gotta go. Uhm, I guess I'll see you later" Justin said, while rising from his seat. He put on his coat, hands fumbling with the buttons. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he stopped for a second, looking at Vicky and Bella.

"So… thanks for not freaking out" he breathed, not wanting to linger on the subject. Quietly, both girls got up from the table, and gathered him up in a warm embrace. Justin, who hadn't wanted to be touched since he was afraid he'd break into tears, finally allowed his friends to show him just how much they cared about him. Leaning into the hug, he was grateful to know that at least two people in this world would support him.

He broke away from them, shooting off a small smile.

"Bye!" he said, and walked out from the café. Vicky and Bella watched him leave, and when they were sure he was no longer within hearing distance, Bella turned to Vicky and stretched her hand out.

"Told you he was gay" she smirked, urging Vicky to pay up. Vicky sighed, and picked up her wallet.

"Little bitch owes me 20 bucks" she mumbled, while pressing a green bill into Bella's hand.

I

Bobby Talercio opened his second beer for the evening, knowing he'd have many more before the night was over. Upstairs, Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" was on at full blast, making all the walls clatter. He contemplated telling Justin to turn down the volume, but he decided not to. Instead, he increased the volume on the TV, trying to focus on the game instead of the events of yesterday.

Bobby took a sip of his beer, still not able to get the image of Justin and that Austin kid out of his head. They'd been kissing. Sure, Justin had always been… well, fey, but Bobby had been too caught up in his romance with the boy's mother Hilda to pay too much attention to a 15-year old kid.

"Urrrgh" Bobby groaned, and took another sip. He cared about the boy, he honestly did. He was funny, albeit in a fashion-obsessed, sassy way, and there was a lot of Hilda in him. But this secret was weighing on him.

"Is this what it's like to be a father?" he mused to himself. Finishing off his beer, he realized he'd probably hit the nail on the head.

"The joy of parenthood" Bobby sighed, and got up to get himself another drink.

I

"All mah single ladies, all mah single ladies, now put ya hands up" Justin sang while doing a twirl in front of his mirror. He stopped to look at himself, still singing along with 'Miss Bootylicious herself' as Bobby so accurately had put it, and inspected the outfit he'd chosen for his date with Austin. Black blazer, tight blue jeans, a black t-shirt with the print "Joan Jett and the Blackhearts", and black leather boots. A large silver chain hung around his neck, and bracelets adorned his wrists.

"Ouuw!" Justin purred and put his hand on his hip. "If ya like it then ya shoulda put a ring on it" he told his reflection, feeling pleased with what he saw. Twirling around, he picked his bag up on the way out of his room, still humming to himself.

He flew down the stairs, spotting Bobby on the couch, but chose to ignore him and headed straight for the coat rack. They hadn't spoken since yesterday, and Justin was not about to break the silence just yet. Flinging on his coat while on the way out through the door, he disappeared without even saying goodbye.

Bobby sighed, but decided to let it pass. With Justin out for the evening, and Ignacio spending the night at Elena's, Bobby was free to spend his evening trying to figure out what he'd do when Hilda got back from London. He hated having to keep a secret from her.

"You agreed to this when you asked her to marry you" he told himself, knowing it was true.

I

Austin flipped open the phone, knowing there was no new message, but still hoping there would be. His feet were cold from waiting outside Madison Square Garden, and he couldn't resist wondering if Justin had decided to bail on him.

"Oh come on Austin, Justin wouldn't bail on you. He's way too sophisticated for that" he told himself, and then he laughed to himself at the thought. Justin was adorable, but he did have his own way of doing things.

The street outside the Garden was crowded, and Austin silently wondered how the hell he would be able to spot Justin among all these people. Before he knew it though, he caught sight of a skinny, dark-haired boy with his hands deeply shoved into the pockets of his grey coat.

"Justin!" Austin called out, and waved his hand while standing on his toes. Justin didn't see him at first, but then their eyes met and both boys smiled.

Justin walked up to the sandy-haired boy, and for a moment they were both thinking they didn't care that there were people around them, desperately wanting to kiss. Instead, they both looked down at their feet, feeling awkward but at the same time happy.

"So… shall we?" Justin asked, pointing at the entrance.

"Yeah, I wanna get something to drink" Austin said, and they walked alongside towards the counter inside the entrance hall.

Carrying their sodas, they made their way into the arena, Austin checking their tickets to see where they'd sit.

"199, 200, 201, 202, here it is! 203 and 204!" he told Justin, and pointed to their seats.

"Can you just take my soda while I take my coat off?" Justin asked, and handed over his drink to Austin. He shimmied out of his coat and took his seat, grabbing both drinks to let Austin take his jacket off as well.

They both sat in silence for a while, the sound of the crowd being almost deafening. All the lights were on the stage, and it was dark where they sat, adding to the excitement of the night.

Justin stole a glance of Austin, who was busy watching the opening act. "He's gorgeous" Justin thought, suddenly feeling proud to be on a date with such a handsome boy. Austin had dressed up, wearing a white buttoned-up shirt and black jeans, and red checkered sneakers. Yes, he was indeed a good-looking boy.

Still looking at his date, Justin let his hand sneak over to Austin's side, finding his companion's soft hand and weaving their fingers together.

Austin took his eyes off the opening act, and looked at Justin. Gently, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the dark-haired boy's, and then he pulled back and smiled at Justin.

Justin smiled back, allowing himself to forget about his troubles for a while, and then they both joined in with the crowd as Miss Bootylicious entered the stage.

I

"Oh my God, I am so not getting any sleep tonight, I'll so be up practicing my 'Single Ladies' routine" Justin excitedly announced, his smile running from ear to ear as he practically danced down the street.

"Yeah, the concert was pretty good, wasn't it?" Austin agreed, nodding his head while smiling at Justin's excitement.

Justin stopped dead in his tracks, turning to Austin with a shocked expression on his face, his mouth half open.

"'Pretty good'?" he asked, as if Austin just had insulted everything that was holy. Austin fought to keep himself from laughing out loud.

"Was Julie Andrews 'pretty good' when she played a woman who plays a man who dresses up as a woman? That wasn't pretty good, that was historic!" Justin loudly proclaimed while giving Austin the hand. The Latino boy turned around and began walking again, leaving behind Austin who was still trying to swallow his laughter.

"Okay okay, I give in, she was excellent, alright" Austin called out, while jogging to catch up with Justin. Justin slowed down as Austin came up alongside him, turning to his companion.

"You don't need to tell me that!" Justin casually stated. Austin could do nothing but giggle.

"So, are we going back to your place?" Austin asked, changing the subject. There was no point in discussing these things with Justin.

Justin felt an invisible hand squeeze his heart at the thought of bringing Austin back to his place after what had happened yesterday with Bobby, but decided to ignore it. Bobby already knew; it couldn't get much worse than that.

"If you want to" he replied shyly, the other events of yesterday also still fresh in his mind.

The day before, they'd made out for the first time. Justin had never kissed anyone like that before, and as much as he'd love to do it again, he was a little nervous about what might happen if Austin spent the night in his room. They hadn't really talked about their previous experiences, and to be honest, Justin didn't have much experience of anything. What if Austin wanted more than he could give? Justin was still struggling with the fact that he was dating another boy.

"I'm game if you are" Austin said, in his usual confident way.

"My place it is then" Justin announced, knowing that despite his nervousness, he really didn't want this night to end.

I

Justin turned the key around as quietly as possible. Austin was standing next to him, feeling his feet getting colder by the second. "That's the price you pay for looking good" he thought to himself, looking down at his checkered sneakers that were indeed good-looking, but not particularly warm.

They tiptoed into the hallway, quietly taking their coats off by the rack. Justin caught sight of Bobby, who was sleeping heavily on the couch, beer bottles covering the surface of the table.

"You go upstairs to my room, I'll be there in a sec" Justin whispered, and turned around to hang his coat up.

Austin silently regarded him, feeling a scent of musky perfume and hair products wafting into his nostrils. Without thinking, he put his hands on the other boy's hips, and pressed his lips against the nape of Justin's neck. Justin froze, feeling Austin's breath against his skin, and suddenly he had goose bumps all over.

"Alright, see you there" Austin whispered behind him, and left Justin standing in the hallway.

The Latin boy shuddered, not understanding how something that simple could feel so good.

He quickly assembled himself, and made his way into the kitchen. He grabbed two beers from the fridge, knowing there was no way Bobby would be able to remember how many he'd been drinking, and quietly made his way up the stairs to his room.

He slipped through the door, and softly shut it behind him. Austin had lit the lamp on the nightstand, and was sitting on the bed looking slightly out of place. "Perhaps he's nervous too" Justin thought, and held out the bottles towards the sandy-haired boy.

"Wanna join me for a drink?" Justin smirked, trying to sound confident.

"Sure" Austin replied as casually as he could. He hadn't forgotten about yesterday either.

"Let's go out on the balcony" Justin said, pointing at the glass door by the window.

Since there was no furniture on the balcony, they sat down next to each other on the floor. Justin handed over one of the bottles to Austin, and put his own down. He fiddled around in his pocket, and picked up a pack of cigarettes while Austin opened the beer bottles.

"There's only one left, I got them from Lily" Justin explained when he saw Austin frowning. "Might as well smoke it, I'm throwing the lighter away" he continued, putting the cigarette between his lips and lighting it. He took a deep drag, and handed it over to Austin, who shrugged and accepted it.

"I didn't know you smoked" Austin said, while taking a drag on the cigarette.

"I don't" Justin mumbled, clutching his knees to his chest. Austin nodded, and took another drag. The smoke burnt his throat, and it took all his strength not to cough. He'd never smoked before.

He handed over the cigarette to Justin, who seemed to have tried smoking both once and twice before.

"I really enjoyed going out with you tonight" Austin continued, taking a sip of the beer. Justin, who was busy with the cigarette, turned to him, a smile appearing on his face.

"I enjoyed it too" he replied, while blowing out a plume of smoke. On this balcony in New York City, this starry night, in the dark, it looked strangely romantic. His dark eyes were shining, and his teeth were standing out against his dark skin.

As quietly as possible, they finished off their beers and the cigarette, and went back inside. Austin, who had started shivering from the cold, shook off his jacket to let the warmth in. Justin, who had taken off his own coat, suddenly felt awkward. What were they supposed to do now?

"So… do you want me to sleep on the couch or should I take the floor…?" Austin asked, starting to doubt that it had been a good idea to follow Justin home. Justin felt his toes tingle, and contemplated telling Austin to sleep on the couch, but heard himself tell him otherwise.

"No, no, it's cool, we can share the bed" Justin rambled, giggling nervously. "Oh hell" he thought, but shook his nervousness away. "I'll just go change" he continued, and picked up a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt from the chair next to his mirror.

"Could you lend me a t-shirt or something?" Austin asked, and tugged at his white shirt. "Wouldn't wanna sleep in this" he smiled, and Justin nodded.

"Yeah, of course" he replied, and opened to closet to get Austin something to wear for the night. He tossed a large black t-shirt at Austin, who caught it mid-air.

"Be right back" Justin said, and slipped out through the door.

Austin folded out the shirt Justin had handed him.

"I am a material girl?" he read out loud, eyeing the print of Madonna. Giggling to himself, he began undressing, and slipped the night shirt over his head, and decided he'd crawl under the covers while waiting for Justin. He spotted a bowl of breath mints on the nightstand, and took two, just to be safe. "Shoulda known Justin's no fan of morning breath" he thought to himself, deciding he liked that part of Justin's personality.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Justin had just changed into his shorts and tee, and was clenching his hands to stop them from shaking. "Stop being so silly, just get in there" he told himself, and made his way back to his room.

He could hardly see anything, as Austin had turned the light off. Knowing his way around the room by heart, he soon found the edge of the bed, and he could hear Austin moving closer to the wall to make room for him. Pulling back the covers, he climbed in next to the other boy, hearing his breath echo against the walls.

"Hi" Austin whispered, pulling him closer to him. Justin deciding he liked feeling Austin next to him, and wrapped his arms around the sandy-haired boy.

"Hi" he mumbled, burying his face into Austin's neck, feeling his hair tickling his nose.

"You smell like smoke" Austin told him.

"Ugh, gross" Justin groaned. "You too" he pointed out, and they started laughing.

For a while, they just lay next to each other, arms and legs entwined, enjoying being close.

Justin turned around, and felt his nose bump into Austin's, their lips almost touching. He moved in closer and they let their mouths find each other, and their tongues met for the first time since the day before. Kissing felt even better than it had yesterday, and they turned to each other completely, locked in a warm embrace. Justin let his hands slip underneath Austin's shirt, softly caressing the hair that had started growing on his belly. Suddenly feeling brave, he rolled over on top of the other boy, a move that elicited a soft moan from his companion. Still locked in a kiss, they pressed their bodies against each other, feeling the sweat building up on both their foreheads. Justin didn't know where his arms and legs ended and where Austin's began, his head swirling from the excitement of the moment.

I love kissing you, don't stop just yet, please kiss me baby, kiss me, kiss me, oh Austin…

Austin held Justin tightly to him, letting his hands find their way underneath Justin's shirt. The Latino boy broke away, tentatively tracing Austin's jaw line with his lips.

Both boys were breathing heavily, the sound almost deafening in the dead silent room. It was too much, he wasn't ready yet. Feeling terribly warm and sweaty and aroused, Justin let himself collapse against Austin, who was trying to catch his own breath.

"Maybe we should take it easy" Justin mumbled into Austin's hair. Austin could only nod, feeling too excited to talk. The sandy-haired boy raked his hands through Justin's dark curls, enjoying his weight against his body.

"I'm not sure I know how to… you know, with another guy" Austin began, trying to find the right words to explain what he felt. Even though he would have loved to go all the way, he, like Justin, didn't feel ready just yet.

"I'm not sure I know how to at all" Justin confessed, and turned to lie on his back. "Have you ever done it before?" he asked his friend, suddenly feeling insecure. Maybe Austin had done it all, several times, and he would laugh at Justin who had barely kissed anyone before they'd met.

"Once, with this girl, but we never talked much after it happened" Austin told him, letting his hand find Justin's underneath the covers.

"Oh…" Justin breathed, not sure what to say.

"But it wasn't like with you" Austin continued, feeling the need to explain. "I mean… it wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good either. Touching you… felt really great" he finished, the tone in his voice suddenly changing. Touching you once felt 1000 times better than going all the way with her he thought, but the realization was still too overwhelming for him to share it with Justin.

Justin felt himself blushing at the thought of what Austin had done to him the other day, still surprised at the other boy's bold move. Not knowing what to say, he remained silent, feeling his eyelids go heavier. Just when he was about to fall asleep, Austin asked him something.

"W-what?" Justin mumbled, having drifted off for a few seconds.

"Do you want to come to dinner at my house on Sunday? As my boyfriend?" Austin repeated, not sure if he had the courage to ask once again.

Justin suddenly felt wide awake, and went from overheated to frozen in less than 2 seconds.

Austin felt his companion stiffen, knowing that Justin had troubles handling their relationship, and thought to himself that it might have been a terrible idea to ask that much of him.

"Forget it, it's a stupid idea, go to sleep" he hastily added, trying to cover up his mistake.

"No! No, it's a great idea" Justin interrupted him, trying to convince himself that he was actually into the thought. "Maybe… maybe it's a good thing to start with your family. Like, as long as my family doesn't need to know anything yet" Justin rambled, needing to know their secret was safe for the time being.

"Alright. So… I'll tell my parents. And, if everything goes well, we'll go to my place for dinner?" Austin began, wondering to himself if he was ready to do this. "They'll be fine" he reassured himself, desperately hoping it was true. "So… what do you say?" he continued, nudging Justin slightly.

"Urgghh…." Justin groaned. "Okay. It's a great idea, I love it" he sighed, not meaning one word.

They quietly wrapped their arms around each other, and shut their eyes. Despite both boys feeling like their heads would explode from all the thoughts that were swirling around in there, sleeping next to each other did feel really good. Somewhat content, they fell asleep, still clinging to one another.

I

Austin stared at his reflection. The boy looking back at him was 15, going on 16, with sand-coloured hair, blue almond eyes, and a wide smile that made his already prominent cheekbones pop out even more. He was thin, but not skinny like Justin, with a body shape that bore the promise of nicely toned muscles in the future.

"Come on boy, you can do this" he encouraged himself, trying to muster up the courage to tell his parents about his and Justin's relationship. His entire family was in the living room watching Letterman, and he might as well tell them all at once. Feeling clammy, he turned the taps to splash some cold water onto his face. Taking one last look at his reflection, he filled his lungs with air, and then breathed out heavily. It was now or never.

In the living room, his mother Megan was having a cup of tea, while his father Pete's eyes were glued to the screen. His 18-year old sister Karen was curled up in one of the armchairs, busy with her cell phone. His brother Joe, who was 19, was having a sandwich, completely caught up in the show.

For a second, Austin contemplated running away, the sight of his entire family scaring him like never before. Austin was a natural actor, needing to be the center of attention, but this time it was different. He wished there was another way of doing this, but knowing there wasn't, he swallowed the lump in his throat and squeezed himself down between his parents, who barely moved a muscle.

Breathing heavily, feelings his palms go sweaty once again, he decided there was no way out of it, and he cleared his throat to get his family's attention.

"Mom, Dad" he began, his heart thumping hysterically against his rib cage.

"Mhm" his parents said, not taking their eyes off the TV.

Darn it, Austin thought, and raised his voice a few notches. "I have something important to ask you" he said, hoping it would do the trick.

His parents finally turned away from Letterman, both looking slightly interested, but not exactly thrilled.

"Yes honey?" his mom said, urging him to continue.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck I can't do this look at them they don't even care oh hell here goes nothing

Austin looked down at his hands, and then decided the best way to do this was to act casual, as if there was nothing weird going on.

"Can I bring someone special to dinner tomorrow?" he asked, trying to sound confident. He saw his father widen his eyes in surprise, a smile emerging in the corner of his mouth. His mother's eyes softened, as she was thinking what his father was thinking.

"Told you so" Pete shot at Megan, smiling triumphantly. His mother smiled back.

"So, who is it that you want to bring to dinner tomorrow?" she smirked, having guessed that her son was seeing someone already.

"My boyfriend, Justin" Austin breathed, relieved to finally get it out. His brother and sister both turned away from their cell phones, suddenly listening up. His mother's smile stiffened, and his father kept opening and shutting his mouth, not sure what to say.

"Boyfriend?" his brother snarled, making a sound that might have meant he was surprised, or disgusted, depending on who you asked.

"Yes. I would like to bring my boyfriend to dinner tomorrow. Is that okay?" Austin continued, trying to keep his voice steady. That lump in his throat had found its way back again, and he kept swallowing but it wouldn't go away.

His father sighed, and hid his face in his hands, trying to calm down. His mother found her equilibrium before him, and tried to put on a neutral face.

"Sweetie, you never told us you have a boyfriend. Is it something that happened just recently…?" Megan asked tentatively, studying the face of her 15-year old son, whom she'd thought she knew up until now. Now, he looked like a stranger. "Cut it out Megan, he's still your little boy" she chastised herself, even though she didn't quite believe it.

"I don't know… I guess" Austin shrugged.

"Wait, so does this mean you're gay?" his sister asked, in a stupid, but not mean way. His mom turned angrily to her, but his father just shuddered. His brother sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well… I… I don't know. Maybe. Look, is it okay if I bring him to dinner or not?" Austin repeated, starting to feel annoyed.

He felt them staring at him, but decided to stand his ground. His father finally looked up, revealing a pair of blue eyes identical to his own. He put his hand on Austin's shoulder, softly patting it.

"Of course it's okay Austin. We're just a little taken aback, that's all" he said in his deep, rumbling voice.

"So… uhm… you're all like, cool… you know, with him coming over?" Austin breathed, hoping the worst was over.

His mother smiled, and pulled him in for a hug. Inside, her heart was breaking, but she couldn't bring herself to scold her baby, her youngest, her precious little son who had inherited his father's beautiful eyes. The very same eyes she'd gazed into 20 years earlier, when she fell in love with Pete.

Joe shrugged once again. "I don't really like it. You know, two dudes together… But hey… you're my little brother. Bring the guy over, I'm sure he's great" he said, trying not to sound like Austin had let the team down. His sister just nodded, not really caring.

Austin took a breather. No one had shouted. No one was crying. He thought that might be a good sign.

"Uh, so… I'll go call him" he excused himself, needing a moment to himself.

In the living room, his family was still not sure what to say or do, but given that Austin had already left, they figured they might as well continue watching Letterman.

TO BE CONTINUED