Author's Note: Hello guys! If you want to join the writers and authors lounge in Discord, I'm leaving the link here and below the comment. If you want to get notified when new updates come, and talk about it with me, that'd be the best server.

My Discord server: https://discord.gg/SQxc8w
Literary Lounge: https://discord.gg/UD7t7pN

~

Isaiah was more than excited to hear that he's going to the Philippines with the boy he liked. Of course, why wouldn't he be? It was Chad's hometown, and that poor boy had been homesick for about a month now. Isaiah wanted to get to know the people who were close to Chad, especially his friends, and on top of that, he wanted to know the culture of the Philippines and its people.

Honestly, anything or anything that was related to Chad, he would like to know it. He had a sudden interest on the boy. Had it always been like that? Isaiah asked himself. Isaiah reasoned out that maybe it was because he really liked Chad for him to get to this extent just to actually know Chad. He wanted to know everything about Chad – about what he played he was a child, why he didn't like vegetables, and why he wanted to travel. He wanted to know Chad like no one else did, and for Isaiah, it was a beautiful motive.

Isaiah excitedly told Jean that he and Chad were now boyfriends, and Jean couldn't help but be happy for her new friend. She didn't care what happened last time when she was in their house, and Isaiah explained that he was jealous of Dylan because that guy was all over his boyfriend, and he didn't like that.

Jean forgave easily, and she knew it was just a spur of the moment when it happened. She was a very understanding person, and everyone loved that about her. Though she had an attitude like that, she was fierce, and when she said it's enough, it's enough. She was done playing. Jean was a strong woman, and Isaiah had always liked that about her.

Isaiah was wearing his favorite t-shirt – a Joker t-shirt with a huge, creepy smile in the middle – that his dad bought him over a year ago. Isaiah was a huge villain fan of DC because they were interesting. He wanted to know what pushed those villains to become villains, and their storyline was great and well-written. Bill always bought him stuff like that, and even though he was in the age bracket where most teen would be embarrassed that their parents would still buy them stuff like that, Isaiah didn't care. He wanted it.

Isaiah wanted to show off his DC comics collection he had to Chad because the other boy hadn't gotten a chance to explore his room much. His comics were hidden in a cabinet in his room, displayed neatly and categorized per series. Only Kyle had ever had a chance to actually read those comics, and Kyle was more of a villain type of guy as well – it was one of the reasons why they got along so much.

Jean listened to Isaiah's story with a happy expression plastered on her face. She didn't expect that Isaiah would take his phase lightly, and now that he had discovered a part of himself, she was glad to know she was one of the people that Isaiah trusted to tell her about his new discovery. Unbeknownst to her, Isaiah only told her and Isaiah had yet to tell Kyle. Isaiah was just preparing himself on what to expect since Kyle knew him as a straight person and he had a lot of explaining to do.

Of course, he didn't have to. Nobody had to explain themselves.

But, as Isaiah always knew, Kyle wasn't really the brightest person in the planet. He had to explain this to Kyle so Kyle would have an idea about what happened, what went through in his head, and how he chose to have a boyfriend. But Isaiah knew Kyle was going to accept him no matter what – for fuck's sake, they had already seen each other's dongs and they couldn't care less about it.

Isaiah told Jean about their date happened in Ogunquit. Jean was familiar with the place, but didn't know how to get there. There was no reason to, though. Isaiah told her excitedly about Chad, and how Chad was really a funny person. Isaiah didn't know how to explain it further, but his happiness was too overwhelming and Jean was more than happy to listen about it. Jean was living for it.

On Isaiah and Chad's date, Isaiah was happy. He was smiling the whole time, and whenever he was looking at the boy he liked playing in the water, basked under the hot sun, brown eyes glinting and he could tell how brown his eyes were, Isaiah's heart couldn't stop pounding hard. He looked at the boy in awe, and he never felt like this before. Chad was too precious; he was more than precious than the comic books he had collected that he had taken care of with such gentleness that it would put the arts in the museum to shame. His heart thumped loudly every time Chad would open his mouth, and whenever his name was being said, it was like music to his ears, luring him.

Isaiah realized that he was falling for Chad, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

And why would he? He didn't want this to stop. He wanted to fall head over heels with him because Chad was an amazing person. Though love was quite a strong word, Isaiah knew his feelings for Chad were about to get stronger. For fuck's sake, they'd been dating for 3 days yet here he was, thinking about love and all that shit.

Love was an unfamiliar topic for Isaiah because he really never had a chance to utter the words out of his mouth, even when he had a girlfriend. It had always been: I like you, I like you so much, I really like you, but he never uttered the words: I love you. And somehow, he had a strong feeling that the first person would hear that was Chad. Chad deserved to know he was loved, and Isaiah was happy to be in a relationship with him. It was a privilege to be around Chad – the first boy he ever wanted in his life, and the first boy who made him feel he was in heaven every time their skin touched.

"He had this cute little smile on his face that I couldn't stop looking at him," Isaiah gushed to Jean as they talked privately in the school grounds. They were heading to the cafeteria and took a different route where there were less people.

"Then you asked him to be your boyfriend?" asked Jean curiously.

"Yeah, I did," Isaiah grinned, nodding his head like a kid. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree, and Jean could tell how happy Isaiah was. "I was actually scared and nervous to know his answer because it felt like hours when I was waiting for his answer, even though I just waited for literally seconds."

"But then he said yes?"

"Yeah, he did," Isaiah couldn't help but feel the flutter of his heart every time he mentioned Chad's name. "He told me he liked me, too, and damn, I... I couldn't... it was nice to hear that, you know. That was like a big relief to me when he said he liked me. I never felt like this so strongly before."

"That's understandable," Jean nodded, clasping her hands from behind. "You've been interested in girls for as long as you could remember, but then this boy came and suddenly your life took a detour and it ended you having a... you know."

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

They were quite early when they arrived in the cafeteria. There were fewer chattering students, but there were a few people who were talking loudly. Isaiah immediately scanned his surrounding, looking for a particular boy that always had his heart racing, but Chad wasn't around yet. Jean sat with the guys; she became part of their circle even though she wasn't part of the basketball team. Well, if you counted the cheering part that she used to do, she would be.

The basketball team was doing their regular antics – they were teasing Jean and Isaiah because they weren't admitting that they were together. Jean only smiled at the accusation that she was trying to hide their relationship as lots of girls would be quite mad at her, including some members of the cheerleading team who was sitting a few tables away from them. Isaiah wanted to tell them right here that he wasn't in a relationship with Jean, but he was Chad's boyfriend. He wanted to boast but, how could he? He wasn't exactly out yet.

They were talking about some poop literally on the road one of the guys had seen when some random kid touched it when Isaiah noticed something as Jean stood up. She had a red stain at the back of her pants and he instantly knew what was going on. It wasn't rocket science to figure that out.

He immediately took his jacket, leaned in closer, and whispered in her ear. "Take this jacket and wrap this around your waist. You have period."

As if on cue, Jean tried to look behind her but Isaiah kept her from doing so. Jean would be embarrassed, and the fact that Isaiah noticed her period was already embarrassing enough. Isaiah went touchy around Jean, wrapping the jacket around her waist. Some of the guys whistled, but they both ignored it. Isaiah helped Jean get settled comfortably. Now that Isaiah pointed it out, Jean felt there was a weird liquid in her underwear. They talked for a few more moments, Isaiah literally shielding Jean from anyone seeing her stain, and when there weren't enough people, Jean excused herself.

When Isaiah looked up, he noticed Dylan and Chad together and he instantly felt jealous. To be honest, Dylan wasn't really no threat but Isaiah could see how Dylan was getting interested on his boyfriend. He didn't know why anyone couldn't notice that, but the things he did for Chad were the things he did for his ex-girlfriend – only this time, Dylan was taking a different approach as he liked a guy rather than a girl.

Isaiah excused himself as he needed to pee. He went to the restroom near the gym as it was the cleanest restroom. Some restrooms in the school needed a lot of cleaning – a lot of students had actually complained about the smelly restrooms, but the principal had yet to take an action about it.

As he reached the restroom, and as he opened the door, his eyes widen when he saw Chad and Dylan together. Dylan's hand was on his boyfriend's waist, and the other hand was at the back of Chad's head; they looked like they were about to kiss, and Isaiah immediately felt anger rising up to his stomach until all logic and rational thinking were thrown outside the window as he lunged at Dylan.

Both boys took blows as they tried to punch each other on the face. Isaiah was quick to move, but Dylan had more expertise in the fighting field. Dylan's blows were strong, but Isaiah missed a few shots as he returned the blows back. Soon enough, there was a crowd gathering around them and Chad was yelling for them to stop the fight.

Chad was a mess; he didn't know what to do. He saw the students were trying to enter the restroom, and Chad couldn't think properly. Chad kept yelling at both boys, as if that would stop them. There was already another a trail of blood on the corner of Chad's lips, while Dylan received a bruised cheek.

Finally, Kyle came and intervened. Before the teachers could arrive, he dragged Isaiah out of the room, leaving Chad and Dylan in the restroom. The crowd already dispersed before the teachers could ask them what was going on. Isaiah was glaring daggers at his friend, and he wanted to punch his best friend for intervening. Isaiah wanted to go back there and continue beating his enemy. Isaiah forcefully took off his best friend's hold on him and looked at him coldly. Kyle rolled his eyes before he motioned him to follow him. Isaiah complied, taking a deep breath.

Chad wasn't cheating, he thought.

Kyle and Isaiah went to the part of the school where there was no one around. It was at the back of the school. Kyle looked at his best friend for a minute, letting Isaiah breathe in and out until he calmed down.

"What was going on there? What happened?" Kyle asked his best friend.

For a moment, Isaiah didn't answer. He couldn't think straight, especially when he thought of the image he saw earlier – Dylan touching his boyfriend and looking like he was about kiss him. He acted on impulse, he knew that, but what he did was justifiable. Isaiah punched him not because he hated the guy, but it was because of the fact that he was making a move on his boyfriend. What's worst was, Chad seemed like he was letting it happen.

"I'm waiting, Isaiah."

"Fuck off," Isaiah almost shouted at his best friend.

Kyle only rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "So you're leaving me behind? Dude, I'm your best friend. You should tell me what was going on there. It's so unlike you to be in a fight with Dylan. I'm guessing he did something that really pissed you off, but I'd like to confirm it from you."

"He was making a move on my beau," Isaiah yelled, glaring coldly at Kyle.

"He was making a move on Jean?" Kyle asked, clearly confused.

"For fuck's sake," Isaiah gritted his teeth as he ran a hand across his face. He looked like a volcano about to explode, and Kyle would experience it first-hand what it was like to feel his best friend's wrath. "Kyle, fuck, I wanted to tell you this for so long but damn, I didn't know how to tell you. Promise me you won't get mad, or you wouldn't leave me, or I don't know, abandon me."

Kyle furrowed his brows even further, but then rolled his eyes again. "Okay, first off, I'm not going to abandon you or anything like that. Second, I don't know why I would be mad in the first place. Okay, clearly, there's something more going on here but you're giving me vague ideas, okay? Again, I'm not going to be mad at you or leave you. You're my best friend, and we've been through shits and we were able to handle that. You could be gay and I'm still going to accept you, and vice versa. You killed someone, tell me, we're going to hide the bodies."

"That's reassuring," Isaiah chuckled.

"What is it then?"

"I like someone," Isaiah told his best friend finally, but his best friend was still confused as fuck. "A boy."

When it finally clicked on Kyle's head, his eyes widened. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yes, Kyle," Isaiah responded. "Before you say anything, I'm not gay. Definitely not. But I think I may be bisexual, and... I... well, I'm... God, this is harder than I thought it would be. Damn it. Okay, right, I'm in a relationship... with a guy."

"All right, all right, okay... then why did you have to be in a fist fight – oh." Kyle finally realized his stupidity, his mouth agape as he looked at his best friend who just confessed his bisexuality. "The guy you like, and the guy you're in a relationship with is your... step-brother? Is it Chad?"

Isaiah hesitantly nodded.

"Sweet Home Alabama, Mother of Jesus," Kyle muttered.

"Hey, we're not blood-related, idiot." Isaiah argued, crossing his arms. "I'm still mad at you for preventing me beat Dylan into a pulp. That guy deserved all my punches for making a move on my boyfriend."

"Um, not to remind you, but you did the same... all right, I'm going to shut up."

Isaiah was glaring daggers at his best friend, then Isaiah sighed.

"This is quite a revelation," Kyle muttered, nodding his head. The boy still couldn't believe that his best friend was officially taken. He seriously thought Isaiah was dating Jean, but he was in fact dating his step-brother, Chad. Kyle looked at his friend, then hugged him. Isaiah was confused and was about to push his best friend back when he spoke. "Look, you're my best friend, you're basically my brother, and I'm not going to use this against you or anything like that. I'm going to stick by your side because that's what friends are for. I don't really care if you're gay or bisexual, or if you're in a relationship with a guy. I just want to let you know that I'm here, and I'll always be here. Hell, you could be an alien and I'm still going to stick by your side. You want to do ET shit, fine, let's do ET shit."

"Shut up, Kyle," Isaiah was laughing, hugging his friend back. "But I appreciate it."

"No worries man," Kyle pulled back, grinning at his best friend. "Oh, I think someone's looking for you." Kyle jerked his head forward, and Isaiah turned around to find his boyfriend looking right and left, looking for him. "Hey!"

Chad turned around and saw Kyle and Isaiah, and Chad sighed in relief.

"You two need to talk," Kyle patted his best friend's shoulder. "Update me. I'm going to leave you two."

Kyle left, leaving the two boys to talk. Chad and Isaiah fell into uncomfortable silence. Isaiah wanted to reach out to Chad, but he was still mad at the fact that Dylan was all over him, and he was letting it all happen. Chad watched his boyfriend with a sad look, and Isaiah's chest constricted. He didn't like seeing Chad sad.

Chad finally reached out, grabbing Isaiah's hand as he let out a shaky breath. Isaiah let him, looking at the boy in front of him who was shyly looking away, avoiding his eyes. Despite the fact that he was mad, he couldn't help but smile at how cute his boyfriend was. Chad saw him smile and immediately pressed his lips to Isaiah's, tiptoeing in the process, but he pulled back.

"You've got some explaining to do," Isaiah said and his cute Filipino boyfriend nodded his head meekly. "Start talking now."

Then Chad told him what happened in the bathroom with Dylan.