As Joe met up with Steve on the next Monday on his way to school, the latter knew something had changed. The taller one's expression was so happy, Steve feared his face would split in two by the wide smile on his lips. And he could only guess what seemed to have happened on Saturday. But he asked either way.

"Joe? You're smiling like the Cheshire Cat, care to tell me what happened? It's about Sav, isn't it?"

Joe smiled at him and Steve could practically see the pink hearts in his eyes as he mentioned their classmate's name. Well, Steve already predicted that at least to Joe he wasn't only his classmate anymore.

"I... Actually, I don't know where to start."

"The beginning seems like a good start."

"Well, he came over on Saturday, you know that already. And we kissed. And afterward, he said I was special to him and we cuddled on my bed. And he agreed to cross the platonic friendship line and now I believe I can call him my boyfriend. I'm still kind of overwhelmed by everything", Joe said with a chuckle and a blush, his wide smile not minimizing itself even in the tiniest bit. Steve smiled, too, at that information, appreciatingly patting his best friend's back while breathing a sigh of relief. He was very happy that the dancing around it had been finally overcome, for all of them but mostly Joe and Sav, of course.

He just briefly took notice of the fact that they had entered the school building already, making their way through the hallway with the rows of lockers on its sides.

"I knew it! Congratiulations, mate! Will you keep it a secret from public or not?", he then asked, Joe not replying because he had spotted Sav a few feet away from him, just placing some of his books into his locker and taking out his material for maths. The taller teen was over there next to him in just a few seconds, hugging him from behind. Sav turned around in his embrace a bit surprised, upon noticing it was Joe hooking his arms around the back of his neck and placing a loving kiss on his lips.

"Guess that means they aren't going to hide it from the public", Steve mumbled to himself upon seeing the scene in front of his eyes, smiling at the true happiness that emanated from his two enamored friends.

"I've missed you", Joe whispered against Sav's lips after they had parted for air, still holding him in his arms and enjoying the closeness while the latter twirled a strand of Joe's dark brown curls around his forefinger, smiling at his now boyfriend's words.

"It's only been a day, Joe. But I get it, I've missed you, too. Badly", he finally replied, pecking his lips again after almost losing himself in the depths of the bright green eyes of his opponent, and afterward leaving the embrace. Joe's smile faltered a little at the loss of contact, but he was aware of it being necessary since walking around with their arms around each other could cause some difficulties. Noticing Joe's change of expression, Sav took his hand instead after closing the door of his locker, gaining himself a bright smile in return.

"Was about time, guys. Congratulations again!", Steve finally said, appearing beside Sav again and making both of them blush a bit. But they thanked him either way before the three of them went over to the classroom maths was being taught in and entering it. Both Joe and Sav noticed their classmates curiously gazing at their joined hands, but they didn't let go, only tightening their grip. Steve supposed they would want to sit together as well and took a seat next to a quite nice classmate whose name was Pete Willis, who happily engaged him into a conversation.

Sav and Joe meanwhile sat down at a desk next to each other, ignoring the gazes that had followed them. They weren't there to explain themselves, they just did what felt good and right to them, hoping the rest would be clear by their actions.

"So, have you planned on doing something this afternoon?", Joe asked the curly-haired beside him, wrapping one arm around him and successfully making him cuddle into his side, his curls tickling Joe's cheek lightly as he moved his head to look up at him out of his beautiful blue eyes.

"No, I haven't. At least not yet. But I've got a feeling you're about to do something about that."

Joe smirked in return, playing with a strand of Sav's soft hair before talking again.

"Well, I thought that you'd maybe like to spend some time with me after school?"

"I'd love to, we could go over to my house since we were at yours last time", the younger one replied and Joe nodded in agreement, placing a soft kiss on the curly-haired's cheek before letting him go because of their teacher entering the classroom.

The whole lesson went by without anything worth mentioning and the break finally introduced itself by the ringing of the bell. Joe, Sav, Steve, and Pete went out in a group of four, the last two having befriended themselves quite well during the lesson. So, since Pete was kind of new to the company, they exchanged some introductions first.

"Well, guys, this is Pete, you might know him or have seen him already during class. Pete, this is Joe and that is Sav", Steve explained, gesturing towards the other two while talking. Pete, a quite short and slim guy with brown curls that looked a bit like Joe's, nodded his head at each of them with a smile before starting to talk, a question lingering on the tip of his tongue.

"Um, hi, I believe I know you already, Joe. But you are the new guy, aren't you, Sav?", he directed at the blue-eyed and handsome guy, who nodded in return with a shy smile on his face.

"And I also wondered if you guys", he gestured over at Joe and Sav, "are a couple, because I've seen you acting like one during maths."

Joe looked over at Sav at that question, seeing him blushing, and finally wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him close and make the answer quite clear already.

"Well, yes, we are, aren't we, Savy?", Joe finally said and Sav looked up at him with a smile, nodding as an answer. The curly-haired placed a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek and then turned his attention back to Pete, who looked at them with a smile on his face.

"And just so you know, I'm fine with that, I just wanted to be sure about it. By the way, you're a very cute couple", Pete added, making Sav's blush darken even further and Joe's smile widen.

The four of them finally sat down on a bench on the schoolyard, Sav being situated on Joe's lap due to the lack of enough space on the bench. They talked a lot, getting to know that Pete had a very similar taste in music and also played the guitar like Steve and Sav. Joe felt very happy about how the situation was developing, he met more and more people that shared his interests and that he liked. But the one he liked most of course was situated on his lap at that moment.

Sav had his back against Joe's chest and his head leaned back against his shoulder, his curls tickling Joe's nose whenever he moved his head and his fingers being twined with Joe's on his belly. He had his eyes closed in contentment and relaxed even further as Joe turned his head slightly and started to place soft kisses on the satin-like skin of the younger's neck, causing the latter to let out soft sighs of happiness.

"I really look forward to later on, y'know?", the green-eyed teen finally whispered against his skin, making his mate agree with a soft hum. Sav slowly turned around in his embrace afterward, straddling his lap and cupping Joe's cheeks in his hands, holding the eye contact for a moment.

"You know you're beautiful, right?", the younger one suddenly said and Joe blushed while averting his gaze shyly.

"No, I'm not. I mean, have you looked at yourself already? You're much more beautiful than I am."

Sav chuckled at that with a shake of his head but didn't tolerate any further arguments from Joe's side, simply engaging him into a kiss again. His fingers tangled in Joe's dark brown curls while the latter's ran down the younger's back, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him in even closer. Joe was still not completely able to realize that that gorgeous teen with the amazing character was his now. It had to be some sort of dream. But the soft lips on his own and the warm body situated in his lap told him that it was indeed real.

~~~~

Later that afternoon Joe rode the bus with Sav to the latter's home, all the while with a smile on his face that was initiated by Sav's hand in his and his head leaning against his shoulder. They didn't talk that much during the ride, being content with the silence and each other's company. As one particular stop was announced, Sav's head finally lifted itself from Joe's shoulder again, turning so that he was able to look into the blue eyes again.

"This is the right one, we only have to walk for a few minutes from here."

Joe nodded and placed a kiss on Sav's forehead before they stood up, shouldering their backpacks again and finally exiting the bus, still hand in hand. They walked for a few minutes, just like Sav had predicted, talking and laughing while ignoring the curious gazes at their clasped hands from strangers. The topic switched from school to music and finally to concerts, Joe starting to tell his boyfriend about the one time he had had the incredible luck to get tickets for Led Zeppelin playing in a little club.

"I went there with Steve, we were so close to Jimmy Page! I believe it was the best concert I've ever seen."

Sav listened with an expression of complete awe painted onto his facial features, finally unlocking the door to his house while still focusing all his attention on Joe's report.

"Well, that's about it", he finally said, "have you ever been to a concert of a band you really like?"

"Well, not really. The only one I've actually seen was Thin Lizzy last year, but the only band that matters to me right now is Queen. And like I've told you before, I haven't been able to see them until now", Sav replied, finally opening the door and gesturing for Joe to step inside. He did and was immediately greeted by a few loud barks before a young Golden Retriever rounded a corner and ran towards them.

"Calmly, Lucy. He's not gonna invade the house", Sav chuckled, scratching her behind her ears as soon as she reached him. Joe smiled immediately at his interactions with the cute animal.

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"I'm sorry, I believe I forgot to tell you about her. This is Lucy and she is a very friendly dog, so you don't have to fear her biting you or something like that. I hope she doesn't bother you?", Sav introduced her, hopefully looking at Joe out of his big blue eyes at his last question.

"Not at all, can I pet her?", Joe replied and Sav nodded with a smile. So the taller teen bent down and ran a hand through the fluffy fur, the dog immediately trying to reach it to lick it. Joe had to giggle at those antics and finally took off his boots and jacket, then kneeling down to the dog's height again. Lucy immediately tried to lick his face and Sav snorted, watching the two of them fondly.

"I'm sorry, but she loves to kiss other people. And I believe she likes you", he then said, looking up as steps could be heard on the floorboards. Joe looked up, too, and was greeted by another teen, a bit older than them, with dark curls and equally dark brown eyes. But by the facial contours, it was quite obvious that he was somewhat related to Sav, most likely his brother.

"Hey, Ricky, who's this?"

"Oh, yeah, I should make some more introductions I believe. Brian, this is my classmate Joe, and Joe, that is my older brother Brian", Sav said and Joe stood up again with a smile, holding out his hand to shake Brian's. The latter smiled right back at him, dimples similar to Sav's showing themselves in his cheeks.

"Good to meet you finally, Rick's been going on and on about you these last few days. He told us you're a great singer, and that you're writing a song together for music class", he said and Sav started to blush, Joe noticing and sending him a wink that just made the younger's face heat up more.

"We still have something to eat in the kitchen for lunch if you want", Brian then added, looking at the two of them questioningly. They exchanged glances and Sav finally answered.

"Yeah, we're gonna eat a bit. Tell mum about it, will you?"

Brian nodded and ran off to the kitchen again, Lucy following his steps and leaving the young couple alone in the hallway again. Sav used that moment of silence and stepped into Joe's embrace again, placing a soft kiss on the taller's lips and tangling his hands in his dark brown curls. Joe replied the contact just as softly and pulled the shorter teen closer by his waist, forgetting the time for a moment. It was only when they heard someone clear their throat near them that they shrunk apart, whipping their heads around but still not letting go of the other.

"So I guessed right", Brian said as their gazes came to a rest on him, Sav's face heating up in embarrassment, he trying to hide by burying his face in the fabric of Joe's shirt. Joe didn't know how to reply, so he just smiled shyly, tangling one of his hands in Sav's soft curls. He could feel the latter taking a deep breath before he lifted his head again to face his brother, the blush still evident on his face and causing him to look as gorgeous as it was somehow possible.

"Please don't tell mum, will you? I want to inform her about the situation on my own."

Brian nodded and Joe stepped back a bit, dropping his arms from around Sav and taking his hand instead. Sav smiled softly at him with a peck onto his cheek and then guided him towards the kitchen by his hand, letting go of it just before they entered it, Brian not that far behind them.

The kitchen was quite big, but considering the size of the family, it wasn't actually too big. There was a table right in there as well, another teen sitting on a chair next to it. That one had blondish-brown hair that was cut quite short, indicating that he wasn't into the glam rock scene like Joe and Sav were. Joe asked himself if he was a friend of Brian, but as he turned towards them, he knew that was not the case. His eyes were just like Sav's, the same sparkling blue but situated in a more male face. Sav was male too, of course, but his facial contours were softer, not that angular as the face of their opponent. But nevertheless, Joe knew by those eyes that it had to be another one of Sav's brothers. He just nodded his head at them without much interest and then turned towards his mother again, who was just getting the noodles she was preparing, at least that was what the smell indicated, ready and had her back turned towards them. But just then, she turned around and Joe could directly identify, where Sav's beauty was coming from.

"John, will you just- Oh! Hey darlin', and you must be Joe then!", she exclaimed mid-sentence, quickly getting over to them and starting to fuss over her youngest son. After messing up his hair in a loving way she let him go again, resting her attention on Joe again.

"I'm Sally or Mrs. Savage, as you prefer, Richard's mother. And these two clowns running around are Brian and John, the latter has greeted you already, I believe", she said and pulled him into a hug, then gesturing him to take a seat.

"Let's eat now, though, John will eat the table otherwise", she added with a chuckle, her son rolling his eyes at her while Sav, Joe, and Brian took a seat at the table. Sally Savage turned to the pots with the noodles and the tomato sauce again, filling up each of their plates and finally sitting down at the table with them. They started to eat in silence, Joe still not being able to get over the fact how much Sav had inherited from his mother. The curls, the eyes, and even the perfect nose were almost the same, his antics during eating as well. Joe had inherited a lot of things from his mother as well, but that kind of similarity was something he was sure he hadn't got.

"How was school, guys?", Sav's mother finally asked and Sav started to talk about their day so far, referring to Pete and of course the lessons like every good kid did. His older brothers didn't pay that much attention, they were done with school already, Joe guessed, because Sav, the youngest of the three, was in twelfth grade already. Mrs. Savage listened attentively, nodding understandingly from time to time.

"Well, Joe, do you like school?"

Joe was a bit startled to be asked a question but he replied, either way, trying to not focus so much on the warm palm placed on his thigh.

"Yes and no. Sometimes when we have music or something like that, but otherwise it's quite boring. I look forward to finally getting it done."

John shot him a smile at his words, obviously sharing his way of thinking concerning school. And Joe directly returned the smile, meanwhile placing his hand on top of Sav's on his thigh, caressing the back of it with his thumb.

"And what do you do?", he finally asked the two young men sitting at the table with them, making Brian answer first.

"I study medicine at the moment, with a focus on neurology. John over there is just lazily hanging around here though."

"Hey! That's not right! I just got myself a job in a restaurant!", John cut in, pouting somewhat, and Joe could see the similarity to Sav once again. They started argumenting, but their mother interfered, causing John to burst out of the kitchen and presumably into his room. Brian just shook his head and his mother sighed.

"I'm sorry, he's quite snippy at the moment. But anyway, do you guys want to have some more noodles?"

Sav and Joe both shook their heads with a thankful smile on their faces at the question, Joe's fingers entangling with Sav's again beneath the table. The younger one looked at him with his eyes full of promises and nodded into the direction of the door, causing Joe to drop his hand and stand up with him, bringing their plates to the sink before following his perfect boyfriend down into the cellar, where his room was obviously located.

It was a beautiful room, quite large with a couch in the middle of it and, of course, records on the shelves. Joe could make out a record player and a collection of two guitars in a corner, the bed on the opposite side of them. Almost the whole floor was covered by a soft rug in a dark red, giving it a cozy atmosphere.

"I love it down here. But why do you live in the cellar?"

"Well, someone has to live in the cellar because of us being five people. And as you could maybe figure out already, both of my brothers are older than me and therefore saved themselves the warmer rooms upstairs. But I tried to make the most of it, lots of tea and the furnace make it quite cozy actually. Besides, I get a bit of a distance from the other two that way", Sav explained, pulling Joe down onto the couch with him and curling into his side. Joe hummed in understanding, pulling Sav closer and breathing in the lavender scent of his shampoo that lingered on the soft strands of his hair deeply, closing his eyes in contentment.

They remained in that position for quite a while, but Sav got up after a while, going over to his record collection to select a record and turn on some music in the background. He turned back towards Joe after a while, wanting to ask him which record he wanted to listen to, and just like the first time, found him directly behind him already. With a content sigh, he leaned back into Joe's arms, melting under the touch of first his warm lips on his neck and then his hands running down his body and beneath his shirt. But he managed to concentrate enough to place the nearest record on the turntable and put down the needle, being incredibly distracted by the hot and cold shivers that raced down his spine as Joe started to suck on his neck, obviously planning to leave a mark on the sensitive skin.

But he couldn't hold in the need and desire anymore after a while, turning around in Joe's embrace and claiming his lips in a passionate kiss, meanwhile leading the taller one towards the closest surface to sit down on, that was, in this case, the bed. They landed on there in a tangle of limbs, their mouths still battling fiercely with the other, and Joe slid his hands beneath Sav's shirt again, experimentally and urgently pushing it upwards. The younger one parted from him at that silent suggestion, sitting back on Joe's thighs and getting the offending garment off his upper body. And once again Joe simply had to marvel at Sav's beauty. He had seen him like that in the changing room already of course, but this time he had all the time in the world to explore and feel properly, glide his fingers over the soft skin of the smooth chest and the taut belly, tease the darker rosy nipples and enjoy the warmth of the strong planes of his back.

"You're beautiful", he whispered under his breath, running a hand down his side and following it with his gaze, feeling and seeing Sav's muscles quiver under his touch. As he locked his eyes on the blue ones of his boyfriend again, he saw the need and devotion in them, as well as that lingering shyness.

"Thank you. But I wanna see you, too", he finally replied, placing his hands on the hem of Joe's shirt, pulling it upwards while bending down and kissing every inch of skin as it was exposed. Joe sucked in a sharp breath at the feeling of Sav's lips on his body, a shiver racing down his spine as he was finally completely exposed and those soft plump lips closed around one of his nipples, making him close his eyes and arch up into the contact with a soft moan leaving his lips. Sav, apparently, liked the reaction he had gotten because he switched to the other tiny nub, repeating his action and making Joe arch and moan again, one of his hands tangling in Sav's curls to keep him in place and the other touching and exploring the scorching hot planes of his back. He was on fire, intoxicated by Sav's presence all around him and his touch on his body, and burning up with all the love he was feeling. And as Sav finally let go of his nipple and raised his head again, Joe being greeted by the sight of full, reddened, and glistening lips, along with blue eyes with the black pupils blown wide in lust, all of that sheer perfection framed by his mane of curly brown hair, Joe felt those three little words lingering on the tip of his tongue. But he wouldn't, couldn't, say them so soon, even though he knew they were nothing but the truth.

Instead, he turned them around until he was on top of the younger one, placing another passion-filled kiss on those perfect lips while wriggling as close as possible to the other's body, their chests finally being skin on skin. Sav moaned into the kiss and arched upwards in search of friction, his legs wrapping around Joe's waist and pulling him in on their own accord. They fell into a rhythm shortly after, Joe finally noticing how tight his pants were getting. And he could feel Sav having the same problem. The younger one finally broke the kiss, his breath already coming in shallow pants.

"Fuck, Joe. Touch me, please..."

Joe couldn't resist that plea and trailed his hand down his opponent's body, till it was resting on the waistband of Sav's jeans. He had never done something like that before, but it couldn't be as different from doing it to himself. And apart from that, he knew that it would make Sav feel good if he did it right. Every part of Sav was beautiful and to the degree in which Sav turned him on, it was impossible for this to turn him off again. So he took a deep breath and undid the button and zipper on Sav's jeans, hearing the younger one letting out a shuddery sigh during the shallow pants emanating from his lips. Placing all his fears and self-consciousness aside he reached down, taking Sav's length into his hand and starting to stroke slowly, meanwhile hearing a soft moan of his name leaving the younger's lips and feeling his fingers tangling themselves in his dark brown curls.

Encouraged by the sounds and feeling more confident by the minute, he finally picked up his pace, raising his gaze from the task his hand was performing up to his boyfriend's face. His jaw was slack with pleasure and his head tilted backward, exposing his neck with the blooming mark Joe had left to his gaze. His eyes were closed and his cheeks flushed, his chest heaving quickly by the shallow breaths he took and his muscles slowly but surely starting to tremble more and more. Joe knew then that he was doing something right, leaning over Sav's chest again while licking his way from the middle of his chest to one nipple, starting to suck on it just like Sav had done to him before.

And apparently, it was that simple move that had done Sav in, because just then he moaned out Joe's name again but louder that time, the trembling of his muscles intensifying and Joe's hand getting covered by sticky white liquid. Joe expected Sav to be completely drained after his orgasm, but the younger one directly flipped them over again, opening Joe's pants and reaching down to return the favor. At the sensation of finally being touched Joe let out a deep moan, arching into Sav's hand and losing himself in the tingling sensations his nerve endings provided, his head lolled to the side on the pillow.

It wasn't long until he was done for, too, and Sav nearly collapsed next to him afterward, kissing his neck and jaw before reaching his lips, placing another passionate but satisfied kiss on them. Joe wanted to tangle his hands in Sav's curls once again to pull him closer, but he then got aware of the mess his hand was still covered in and that Sav might not want it in his hair, of all places.

"Hey, um, you got some sort of tissues? I don't want to wipe it onto the sheets", he asked and Sav nodded quickly, reaching over to the nightstand and getting some out of the tissue box, handing them to Joe who thankfully placed a kiss on his lips again. They both cleaned up as much as possible and Sav finally curled into Joe's side again, his head resting on his chest and Joe finally being able to hear soft snoring. With another smile the older one decided to give in to his own weariness as well, falling asleep shortly after, with all of the memories that had formed themselves just before still on his mind.

They were getting closer and closer, the trust building further along with Joe's love for his boyfriend, and Joe couldn't be happier about the way they were heading.