"Tell me everything!" Renee exclaimed the second she sat down across from him in the library. It was the Monday after his date with Stefan and the first time he had heard from her.

"Hasn't he told you?" Hugo asked.

"He has, but I want to hear it from you," she replied. He shook his head at his strange friend but didn't see any point in denying her what she wanted. He told her everything since he arrived at Stefan's for dinner three days ago up until he left on Sunday morning. Renee squealed a little when he told her about kissing him, then stopped and stared at him. "Wait, you kissed him?"

Hugo frowned at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, what did Stefan tell you?"

"Just that you guys kissed, not that you kissed him," Renee replied, beaming at him. "That's such a big thing for you. I'm proud!" He supposed it was a big thing. It was something he'd never thought he'd be able to do. When he'd imagined kissing Stefan, it had always been the other man that had kissed him first.

He blushed. "It's not that big a deal," he replied.

"Bitch, what do you mean it's not that big a deal? Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Renee asked and Hugo's blushed only deepened. "Oh, you haven't. Well, do you see then? It is a big deal, this is a new thing for you and you were the one who took the first step. Mostly because Stefan is an idiot."

"I guess."

Rene whacked him lightly on the arm. "It's true! I'm happy for both of you. Stefan hasn't been with anyone in ages and his last boyfriend was a complete jerk. I know you'll be good for him," she said. "And he'll be good for you too."

"He already is," Hugo replied before he could stop himself. It was true but it didn't stop him from being completely embarrassed when Renee laughed at him. "You're going to be our little groupie from now on, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Well, not really. I'm just going to be happy that my friends are happy," she told him. "This isn't what I expected to happen when I introduced you two. I just wanted you to have another friend, but instead, you got a boyfriend. You should thank me for introducing you."

Hugo huffed out a laugh. "Thank you."

His laptop beeped at him then, letting him know that someone had emailed him. It was Tomas, asking him how he was going with the book so far. Hugo left it for now, he'd reply to it later. He hadn't forgotten about Tomas's book, in fact, he was thoroughly enjoying it, it was just that he was spending time with Renee. Even if they were meant to be sharing notes.

"So, are you guys going on another date soon? Stefan wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him," Renee said, pulling him from his thoughts.

Hugo moved his hands up to speak but didn't know what to say. They hadn't spoken about it when he'd been there. They'd only watched one movie before they got too tired to keep their eyes open. And by the time he left in the morning, it hadn't been mentioned either. He liked to think that Stefan wanted to go on another date with him.

"I don't know," he finally replied. "We didn't really talk about it. I think so, but we don't have another one organised."

Renee sighed and ran a hand down her face. "Never mind, you're both dumb," she said, leaning back in her seat. "I love you, but you're both really dumb."

"That's rude." He smiled at her despite the words, trying to show her that he was joking.

"It's the truth."

He shrugged. "Probably." He had been the one to suggest going into a busy restaurant when he knew he wouldn't have been able to handle it. He was just grateful that Stefan was able to see through him. He didn't want to have a panic attack in the middle of a restaurant, especially on a date.

His phone lit up then and he smiled when he saw Stefan's name flash up on the screen. He ignored Renee's eye roll and grabbed his phone. "Wow, already being fobbed off for the boyfriend," she said, and Hugo dropped the phone back to the table in an instant. She shook her head at him. "I'm joking, check your phone, for God's sake. It's all good, Hugo." With a blush and a sheepish smile, Hugo unlocked the phone.

Stefan: Hey so there's a movie I wanted to see that just came out and I wondering if you wanted to see it with me? xx

Stefan: All good if you can't xx

"What do I do when someone sends me kisses?" Hugo asked, his blush spreading up to his ears.

Renee burst out laughing, louder than she should have been in a library. Hugo looked around sharply to check if anyone was coming to tell them off before trying to shush his friend. "You send them back, you poor innocent thing," she said, her voice full of laughter. "Is Stefan sending you kisses?"

He nodded. "He wants to see a movie with me. I think it's meant to be a date." He tapped at his phone, trying to find the right way to reply but deleting everything he wrote.

Hugo: When? xx

"You're hopeless," Renee said, grinning at him as she read over his shoulder. He pushed her away with a smile and pulled his phone against his chest.

Stefan: Friday night? I have work until six. I can pick you up from your place and we can get dinner before the movie starts xx

Hugo: Sounds good xx

He turned off his phone and put it back on the table. "Come on," he signed at Renee, who stared at him with a knowing smile. "We need to get these notes done before our next class."

The rest of his break and final class went by quickly and soon enough he was saying goodbye to Renee. It was easier living on campus. He never had to deal with being late unless he slept in. But he wasn't going home straight away. The GSA had moved its meeting days to Monday and would be meeting that afternoon.

Rose greeted him with a smile when he walked into the room. He had his notebook and pen held tightly to his chest, ready to start writing when he needed to. Rose shook her head at him when she saw it and came shuffling down the room towards him.

"You won't need to write stuff down anymore," she said, and Hugo frowned in confusion. "I was talking to some of the staff here and we found you a translator. He should be here soon." Hugo's eyes widened in surprise. He never thought they would bother with something like that. He hadn't minded writing everything down.

"Thank you," he replied, trying to make his face look as genuine as possible. Rose placed a soft hand on his shoulder and smiled, before getting distracted by one of the many people walking into the room.

A boy waved to him and Hugo frowned in confusion, before remembering that it was the boy who talked about buying new clothes. The one who'd come up to talk to him once. He didn't remember his name, but he was sure he would hear it soon.

"Come sit over here, you look a little awkward," the man said, a polite grin on his face. Hugo nodded and plopped down in the hard-plastic chair as an older looking man walked into the room to talk to Rose. She pointed at him and the man came over.

Hugo stared up at the dark-skinned man expectantly, trying to ignore the anxiety forming in his gut. "Hi, Hugo, I'm Michael," the man said in a deep voice. "I'll be translating for you." He held out his hand for Hugo to shake and he caught a glimpse of a rainbow ring on his finger. At least Rose had been able to find someone who would be comfortable in their little group.

The group got started before Hugo had a chance to say anything to Michael. They went around the table, stating their name and pronouns. Hugo finally remembered that the boy next to him was called Anthony. Even Michael was allowed to introduce himself, but he told them that he wasn't a real part of the group, he was just there to translate for Hugo.

No one talked to him still, despite having a translator, except for Anthony, who occasionally whispered a funny remark at him in response to whatever Rose was saying. He didn't respond much but Anthony didn't seem to mind. Hugo supposed he just needed someone to make jokes at every now and again.

"So, the pride parade is in almost two months and I know a couple of you emailed me to express interest, but was there anyone here who hasn't emailed me that wanted to go?" Rose asked, her voice drowning out anything Anthony said. Hands shot up instantly and Hugo looked around at all the excited faces.

He'd never been to a pride parade before, but he'd seen them on television. They looked like a lot of fun but there were far too many people for him to handle. But... Part of him wanted to celebrate that. Before he could second guess himself, he signed to Michael.

"Would Hugo be able to bring his boyfriend and friend with him if he came in the parade?" Michael translated. "He says that it would make him feel more comfortable."

Rose hummed in thought. "Do they go here?"

Hugo shook his head. "Only my friend. My boyfriend goes to another university." He waited patiently while Michael translated, watching Rose's face.

"Bring your friend here next week. I'll have to think about your boyfriend," she said, looking genuinely apologetic. "I'm not sure if I want anyone there that isn't a part of this group. I hope you understand."

He did, but that didn't stop him from feeling down. If he was going to go to pride, he was going to do with the people that made him feel safe. It would be the biggest thing he had ever done. He wanted Renee and Stefan there with him. He wasn't too sure if he should be calling the other man his boyfriend just yet, but he didn't exactly want to say, 'the guy I've gone on one date with and have kissed a couple of times'.

He let the rest of the session go on without him, lost in thought. Rose said she would think about it, that didn't necessarily mean it was a no. But it was a close thing. Maybe he could talk to her next week when he bought in Renee if he could convince her to come along. She didn't like the people in the group, maybe she wouldn't want to go.

He would have to ask her. It wouldn't be so bad. If anything, he could pass Stefan off as his friend instead of his boyfriend and convince Rose to let him go. He'd figure it out, but he probably wouldn't go if both of them weren't there with him. Renee was lovely, a great friend, but she didn't understand his anxiety. If he was going to do something as big as pride, he was going to do it with Stefan by his side.