To say Xander and Nikon lived modestly would be... An understatement. Their house was in one of the nice villa quarters outside of New Delphi in the suburbs. And each villa had its own very lush front garden.

"Welcome!" Xander said very excitedly as he opened the door and let us into an extremely nicely furnished entry hall.

"Thank you. And thank you for having us," Arlo said and slid his coat off his shoulders.

"Let me take your coats. Nikon's in the kitchen, cooking. Go on ahead, it's right through the living room."

We walked through a very white living room. Everything was white. The walls, the furniture, even the lamp. They had the same floral lamp, like Arlo and I did. We both shared a smile at that.

Nikon stood in a large kitchen, wearing a nice dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was styled totally differently too. He let his blue curls rule freely as opposed to the more slicked back look he favoured at work. He looked so much more comfortable.

"Hey guys, Xander opened a Chardonnay. It's on the island, just pour yourselves a glass. Oh, and me." He winked at me and turned back to the stove, turning the steaks.

Arlo took it upon himself to pour the wine and handed a glass to me and then Xander as he joined us in the kitchen.

"We got this from France. We went on a trip there last year," Xander explained and handed Nikon a glass, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I've always wanted to go," I said.

"We'll go," Arlo assured me and smiled, putting his arm around me.

"When did you move in here?" I asked and took a sip of the wine.

"A month ago or so?" Nikon glanced over at Xander.

"Technically you've more or less lived here for a year, my love," Xander said softly and Nikon chuckled.

"I just like it better here." He leaned in and kissed his husband.

Nikon finished the steaks and we sat down at the table in a whole separate dining room. There was even a chandelier hanging over the table.

"What do you do for a living?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Nikon sent me a weird look, but Xander just smiled. "I work for a marketing company."

"What he means is that he owns a marketing company," Nikon corrected and grinned at his husband.

"It sounds so snobby."

"Darling, you are a little snobby." Nikon laughed and handed me the salad. "We're sitting here, sipping wine from France at a table that is worth more than what I earn in a year. You're snobby."

"It's good I have you to remind me when to turn it down." Xander smiled and leaned in, placing a kiss on Nikon's cheek.

"That's what I'm here for."

It was nice watching them together. They teased each other constantly but it was never malicious. And the food was delicious. So was the wine. The entire evening had so far been amazing.

Nikon had also baked a cake which he brought out after the dinner had been cleared. And more wine.

"When he made me this cake the first time, I knew I wanted to marry him," Xander said.

"It's that good?" I asked and smirked at Nikon. I took a spoonful which offered both chocolate cake, a bit of ice cream and fresh berries. "Okay yeah, it's that good." The cake was fluffy, the berries sour and the ice cream sweet. It was a perfect combination and I wanted to die in this cake. Just crawl right up in it and die.

"This is amazing, Nikon. Thank you for making it," Arlo said and made a little "cheers" motion with the spoon.

"You're very welcome, Arlo. I'm glad you like it. A little birdie told me, you liked sweet things." Nikon sent me a sly smile.

"Now, let's go get a whisky in the living room. What do you say?" Xander said as he finished his piece of cake.

"I'd love that," Arlo said and rose to his feet, pulling my chair out for me.

"I'm just gonna dip out for a bit. I'll be right back," Nikon said and wiped his mouth.

"Actually, can I join you? I could use some air," I asked. And also, I wanted Xander and Arlo to bond even more. They seemed like they just needed a drink on their own to talk and really become friends.

We went outside in front of the house and Nikon lit up a cigarette. He offered me one and I took one. Might as well indulge now when I had gone outside.

"I wanted them to bond," I said as I had gotten my cigarette lit.

"They're cute, aren't they? Xander has been talking about Arlo all week and what kind of food we were supposed to serve. He changed his mind at least twenty times about the wine."

"Arlo changed his shirt four times before we left," I laughed.

"Why are they so nervous? Who are they trying to impress?" Nikon laughed too and took a long drag.

"Xander doesn't have a lot of friends, does he?"

"No."

"Neither does Arlo. Maybe that's why they're so nervous. They both really want a friend."

"And now they're sitting in my living room, drinking whisky." Nikon shook his head. "Making friends as an adult is fucking hard though, I'm not gonna lie."

"It really is. I don't... Have any friends. Everyone I used to know still live on the streets and... I... Don't."

"Well fuck you too then." He smirked at me, smoking coming out of his nose.

My eyes widened a little. We were friends?

"Don't look so surprised, Dion. You're making it awkward. Don't need more awkward friends with Arlo around and everything."

I snorted and nodded, taking another drag.

A car drove past the house very slowly and Nikon frowned a little. It passed us but then further down the street it turned and came back around. Then the blinkers went off and I realised it was a police car.

"That's weird," Nikon murmured.

"I think we should go inside now," I said and put my cigarette out.

"Nah, this is my house. I can stand in front of it if I want to." He tipped his chin up as the policemen stepped out and shone their flashlights on us.

"Are you the owners of this premises?" one of the officers asked.

"My husband owns it," Nikon replied and put his cigarette out too.

"We'll need to see some ID."

"Nikon, I don't have my ID with me," I whispered.

"It's gonna be okay," he murmured back. "Let me just go inside and get it," he said louder to the police officers.

"Sir, please, the both of you come down to the curb."

The front door opened then and Xander appeared. "It's alright officer, I have my husband's papers right here. And this is our guest."

"Have you claimed both of these halfs?"

I ground my teeth.

"No, I've claimed Dion," Arlo said and stepped out. He walked down to the officers and handed over his ID.

"Very well, sir. Have a pleasant evening." Both of the officers went back to their car and just left. That was it. They just needed to see Arlo's damn ID and then they'd leave us alone.

Arlo came directly for me and hugged me close. "You alright?"

"Yeah, nothing happened." Nothing had happened but my heart was beating hard in my chest.

"Come on, come inside." Xander said and lead Nikon inside.

"I can't even fucking stand on my own front porch and smoke without being fucking questioned!" Nikon roared and kicked his shoes off.

"Darling, come into the living room. Let me pour you a drink." Xander rushed his husband into the living room and sat him down on the white couch, quickly pouring him a drink.

"It's not fucking fair," he growled and downed his drink.

Arlo and I sat down too and Xander handed me a drink.

"What happened?" Arlo asked softly and took my hand in his.

"We were just standing there and then they drove past us. Then they came back and started asking for identification." I took a healthy swig of my drink and put it on the table. "We didn't even do anything."

"This is just like the flower shop, Dion. It's not about what you do, but..."

"What I am," I said, finishing his sentence for him. "I can't change what I am."

"Then I'll change the world for you," he said very seriously.

"What do you mean?"

He glanced over at Xander who nodded.

"I'm gonna join the resistance. You should too. We all should. We can do more. They said so at the meeting. There are things we can actually do in hopes to change all of this. Joining that group is one of them."

"Let's do it then." I leaned forward and grabbed my drink, drinking therest of it.