In the morning, Oscar and Lena would be awoken with a call from a hysterical Margie. "Oscar!" she would scream. "Oscar, Tate's missing. Is he there? Tell me he's there?"

     Lena would already be on her feet, heart pounding, afraid that Javi was gone, too. She'd move down the narrow hall, passing the bathroom and the kitchen till she was at Javi's door, pushing it open frantically. And Javi and Tate would still be sound asleep in his bed, curled on their sides, facing each other like yin and yang.

     Lena would breath a sigh of relief, clutching her chest. Oscar would come up behind her and she would push him back, not wanting to wake the boys. She'd close the door and nod to him. He'd say quietly to Margie, "Tate's here. He's alright. We'll send him home."

     Margie would still be crying. "He's alright," Oscar would say again. "He's here with Javi."

     And then it was later in the morning. Tate roused first, shooting up, climbing over Javi to look at his digital clock. "Oh god, Javi, wake up, wake up, we slept in."

     Javi slept like the dead, so it took him time to come back to the living. He was groggy as he looked at Tate. "What time is it?" he asked.

     Tate slipped out of bed and went looking for his shoes. "After nine! My mom's gonna kill me!"

      "Just go out the front door," Javi said as Tate, pulling on his sneakers, hopped over to the window.

     "Fat chance. We're lucky they haven't come in here and skinned us yet. Maybe everyone's still asleep."

     Javi doubted that but didn't want to distress Tate any more than he clearly was. His mom and dad were both early risers. In fact, his mom was probably outside right now gardening. Javi jumped up, passing Tate to lift the screen and poke his head out. It was quiet outside except for the sounds of a heatwave coming on. Javi always thought it sounded like the sun was pulsing.

     "Alright, I think it's clear."

     Tate hesitated for a moment, looking at Javi. Javi couldn't tell what was going on in his head but it felt heavy. Tate seemed pinned to his spot from the weight of it. Javi took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

     "We're us, that's all that matters," he said sincerely.

     Tate smiled briefly, nodding his head, before he ducked, sitting down on the sill so he could hop down. Javi watched him try to be stealth as he hedged up the path and couldn't help but laugh at him. He was such a dork sometimes.

     Tate got to his bike without being made. He was grateful, since he was wearing Javi's sweatpants, which was only obvious because they were printed with Dallas Cowboys and Tate was purely a Pats fan.

     Tate rode fast through the morning sun, sweat dripping into the collar of his teeshirt. He felt grimy, in desperate need of a shower, but when he got home and saw his mom sitting on the front porch, legs crossed, meaning business, he knew he wasn't going to have one anytime soon.

     "Tatum Rowe," she said before he'd even dismounted. "Sneaking out in the night! No note, no nothing. Do you know how worried I was?"

     "I'm sorry," Tate said as he dropped his bike and started towards her. "I couldn't sleep and I—." What was he supposed to say exactly? He wanted to see Javi? He wanted to kiss Javi?

     "I'm sorry," he said again, coming to a stop in front of her.

     Her eyes scanned over him and then she pointed to the door. "Get in the house."

     He felt like he was walking the plank as he stepped inside and took a seat in their living room. Margie sat down across from him, leaning towards him. She sighed. "Tate, look at me." Tate, who'd been avoiding her, looked up. "Tell me the truth: things have changed with you and Javi."

     It was not a question. Tate's stomach bottomed out and he thought he might throw up. He was sweating from his palms. "I don't know what you mean."

     "I think you do," she said calmly. "I think that's why you were over at Javi's last night."

     "I've stayed over at Javi's before."

     "Right," she said like that was the point. "But this time you snuck out to go there. What are you two hiding? Why do you feel like you have to hide it?"

     "I'm not doing this," Tate said standing. "It's not that serious, mom."

     "You have a hickey on your neck, Tate."

     Tate froze, his hand rising to his neck like he may feel a lump there. He'd never had a hickey before and he didn't think to stop Javi for that reason. That, and, because he was really enjoying it. He sat back down.

     "I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head. He was crying before he could help it.

     "Tate, baby, you have nothing to be sorry about. There's no shame here, okay? And I always suspected. I thought you two might figure it out when you were a little older, maybe. I think for a time, I hoped you wouldn't figure it out at all... I only hoped it because this is, it can be dangerous. And all a mother wants is for her son to always be safe."

     "You suspected?" Tate asked, hanging onto that. He wiped his face with the back of his arm. "For how long?"

     "I don't know," she said laughing. "A while now. I see the way you look at him. How you two are together. It reminds me of me when I first fell in love. It's giddy, it's new, it's pure. It's not shaped by old heart aches."

     "We aren't..." Tate trailed, not even sure what they were and what they weren't.

     "Aren't you?" she asked, knowing the answer. "Listen, I love Javi like he was my own son. I want you two to be happy and to be free to live your lives. But not everyone feels that way. You both have to be careful."

     Tate didn't know what she meant by that. He nodded anyway.

     "That doesn't negate the fact you snuck out though, so you're on all chores duty. Hop to it."

     Tate groaned. "Oh come on."

     "No ifs, ands, or buts, Tate. You can't just leave in the night. Even if it is to go to Javi's. There's rules."

     Tate dragged his feet as he walked to the bathroom. He was being a bit dramatic. He knew he'd gotten off easy. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this conversation with his mom. She knew about them and she didn't care. He was relieved but he wasn't sure how Javi would feel about it.

     He looked in the mirror, tilting his chin up so he could see the hickey. It was awesome, he couldn't believe Javi did that to him. Also sort of embarrassing his mom knew Javi had did that to him.

     Tate showered quickly so he could start his chores. He didn't want to spend the whole day cleaning. It was late afternoon by the time he finished and when he did, he immediately ran to give Javi a call.

     "Did you get in trouble?" Javi asked as soon as he answered the phone.

     "I was given all the chores," Tate grumbled. "What about you?"

     "My parents didn't say anything," Javi responded. "But I suspect they knew you were here."

     "Let's hang out," Tate said instead of telling Javi what had happened on his end. He needed to tell him that in person so he could get an idea of his response.

     Javi laughed. "What do you wanna do?"

     "I don't know. What do you wanna do?"

     "I don't know," Javi repeated back. "But I'm hungry."

     "Okay, lets go to the diner."

     Javi hummed and said, "I could go for ice cream."

     "Ice cream's not food, Javi."

     "You sound like my dad. But ice cream's what I want."

     "Alright, fine, lets go get ice cream. Meet me halfway?"

     Tate beat Javi there but then he was so excited to see him he pumped his legs hard, riding there faster than he needed to. It was hot as shit outside, definitely an ice cream day. When Javi road up, Tate found himself grinning at him. He was wearing jeans he'd cut into shorts and a linen button-up. He looked good.

     "You're staring," Javi said, dropping his feet to stop his bike.

     "I'm staring alright," Tate said lowly.

     Javi shook his head and then he got a look at Tate. His eyes bulged, they were spread so wide. "Shit, you've got a hickey. Did your mom see that?"

     "Did she ever," Tate said with a laugh and then more seriously, "She knows."

     "She knows?" Javi exclaimed.

     "Yeah but it's not a big deal," Tate responded. "She's like cool with it."

     Javi gave him a look like he was skeptical. Tate went on, "I mean she warned me that we had to be, like, careful. But otherwise, she was just like not surprised. She said she suspected something was going. She said she could tell by the way we looked at each other? That seems like an exaggeration."

     "Yeah, that's cause you stare," Javi said with a laugh. Tate flipped him off. Javi didn't seem like he was freaking out by the news and Tate was relieved.

     "If only you weren't so handsome, Javi," Tate said overly sweetly, before he pushed off on his bike and rode away.

     "What's that about me being handsome?" Javi called to Tate's back pedaling to chase him.

     They were laughing as they raced each other, Javi gaining a lead he quickly lost by looking back at Tate and getting distracted. When Tate looped ahead, he let him keep the lead, maintaining a small distance behind him the whole way to the ice cream shop.

     When they got to Mr. Freeze, there was a line. They dropped their bikes on the side of the little shack, and lined up. "So are we telling people?" Javi whispered. "My parents definitely don't know. I don't know how they'd take it."

      "Well my mom said we have to be careful," Tate responded. "So I don't think we should."

      Javi nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. "So we should keep this a secret. At least for now."

     "Yeah, I mean. We don't really know what...I mean, this is still new, right?"

      "Right," he lied.

     Because, wrong. It was new but he definitely knew what he wanted. He wanted Tate. He wanted to hold his hand on line, and he wanted to kiss him to taste the cookies and cream ice cream he got. He wanted to sit close to him on the bench outside, take spoonfuls of his ice cream, and bump his knee against him to get his attention.

     He wanted more than just this.

     They went to the lake after their ice cream. It was empty so they stripped to their boxers and dove in. The water was a welcomingly cold, even with the sun at it's peak above them. They lazed through the water for a bit, cooling off. But then Tate challenged Javi, the way he always did, to a race. They took up post at the end of the lake. Tate was competitive even though he was slower than Javi.

     They were on the deepest side of the lake and Tate bobbed to keep his head above water. His hair had flattened to his head, overgrown and hanging across his forehead into his eyes. Javi reached over to push it out of the way. Tate smiled. Little touches warmed him.

     "First one to the dock wins," Tate said. Javi nodded. That's always how it went. "Loser," Tate added unexpectedly. "Has to ditch their boxers."

     Javi raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised but mostly amused. "Oh really?"

     "What, scared you can't beat me?" Tate teased.

     "You know I can beat you," Javi said smugly.

     "So then it shouldn't be a problem."

     Javi held his hand out to Tate above the water. "Loser ditches his boxers."

     Tate shook his hand and then pulled their hands underwater before wrenching it away. He turned to face the other side of the lake. "On your marks," he said slowly. Javi watched the way he dropped his chin so it hovered above the water. "Get set. Go."

     Javi dove under the water. He swam faster this way. He didn't open his eyes because the water was too dark to see through, anyway. He swam by memory. When he surfaced he was only a few feet away from the dock. He took the last strides above water, his arms cutting through the ripples he'd created.

     He slapped his hand on the dock and turned around just as Tate came up behind him. Javi was grinning at him cockily. "Why'd you even bet me on this?"

     "I've beaten you before," Tate said stubbornly.

     Javi gave him a look but didn't tell him the truth, that he usually just let him win. "We can double or nothing," he said instead.

     Tate shook his head before dunking himself under the water. Javi stared at the spot where he was confused. When he surfaced, he slapped his boxers onto the dock. Javi was shocked, looking from where his boxers sat in a wet heap to where Tate was treading water.

     "Problem?" Tate asked.

     "Nope, no," Javi responded uneasily.

     It's not like he could see anything through the water. It was too dark. So really the only reason he knew he was naked in the water was because his boxers were right beside his head. His body, though, his body was responding to that knowledge in the most frustrating way.

     "Really? Cause you're blushing."

     "Am not," Javi said quickly.

     Tate waded closer to Javi. "Sure about that?"

     "I'm fine," Javi said sounding anything but that. His voice was trembling.

     "Does this make you nervous?"

     "Why would it make me nervous?"

     "I don't know, you tell me," Tate said. His expression was flirty. "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before."

     "A bit different," Javi said quickly.

     "Why's it different?"

     "You know it's different, Tate. Stop fucking around with me."

     "What's different?" Tate maintained his innocent tone.

     Javi knew he was trying to be coy. He didn't want Tate to have the upper hand though, so he propelled towards him, grabbing the back of his neck so he could spin him in the water and pin him to the leg of the dock.

     "What's different," Javi said lowering his voice as he dropped his head close to Tate's. "Is the things I want to do to you now."

     Tate was already breathing heavily and his cheeks were flushed. "Well don't stop there. What sort of things, Javi?"

     "You know what kind of things."

     "Show me," Tate demanded so Javi did, pressing his mouth to Tate's harshly, all lips and very little finesse.

     He knew that was what Tate wanted this whole time. It was the reason he'd made his stupid race. Javi didn't care. He wanted it, too. He raised his hand, running it through the back of Tate's hair.

     His other hand had snaked down over Tate's stomach. He felt him suck in, and clench. He stopped there, palm pressing into the softness of his belly. "Don't do that," Javi said after he'd pull his mouth away. Tate had his eyes squeezed shut.

     He didn't open them when he responded, "Do what?"

     "Hide from me," Javi said and pinched his stomach.

     Tate laughed and his stomach swelled. Javi sucked in the sound, sealing his mouth over Tate's again. He moved his hand to the side of his face, cradling his cheek as he pressed his tongue into his mouth. His other hand slipped further, feeling its way over soft curls first, slowly, tentative. He could feel how still Tate had gone, his mouth barely moving as he waited, on edge.

     Javi liked him like this, liked that he was waiting for him. He whimpered when Javi wrapped his hand around him and then moaned loudly when he moved it. Javi couldn't believe he was touching someone else's dick, let alone Tate's. His brain was firing in all directions and he couldn't fathom the sudden urge to hump, and thrust, and fill. His desire was ready to burst out of him.

     And Tate was making all these needy, deep noises as he kissed him. It was doing nothing to temper his potent need to fuck. He'd never even had sex before but now he was certain he wanted to. That he wanted to with Tate.

     Tate shifted his mouth, pressing his cheek against Javi's as he panted. "Don't stop, Jav. This is so good."

     Javi was moving his fist in a state of blissful delirium. He wouldn't piece together why this was so good for him until later when he understood foreplay and sex better. He just knew that touching Tate and listening to the frenzied sounds he was making was better than all the times he'd touched himself.

     Tate came loudly, a string of broken sounds that he hid in Javi's neck as he ducked his head. His hips pumped once, twice, and then stopped and Javi felt the warmth in his hand before it dissolved in the water.

     Tate moved first, wrapping his arms around Javi and then his legs around his waist. He was trembling. "Are you okay?" Javi asked unsurely. He hoped he was. He didn't want to ruin this by moving them too fast.

     He made a sound, nodding his head that was still tucked in Javi's neck. Tate pulled his head back unexpectedly and then he leaned in and kissed Javi. He pressed his mouth against his hard. It was not a kiss that lead to kissing. It was a kiss that was trying to say something.

     Tate cupped Javi's face, holding him still as he tilted his head and looked him in the eye. Tate had this boyish light in his eyes. And Javi was reminded of how devastating he was sometimes. How devastating he was right then.

     "Why did we wait this long?" Tate asked, his tone sort of frantic. "We wasted so much time. We could've had this years ago."

     Javi laughed. "We were too young. We wouldn't know what to do."

     Tate frowned. "You were kissing girls years ago."

     "Hardly," Javi answered. "And girls aren't you. They didn't matter."

     "I matter?" Tate asked, eyes darting over Javi's face, looking for the lie.

     "Of course you matter," Javi said the most honest admission. "You're all that matters."

     Tate wanted to say I love you but he didn't. Javi wanted to say it, too, but he thought it, instead.