AN: I didn't realize that this was the last chapter until I started to write it :(

~

They went to the movies, just like Jared said they would.

He showed up on Travis' doorsteps a few tense hours later, looking fresh and clean with his hair combed back and a flush on his cheeks. 

The way he was standing there, Travis was surprised that there wasn't a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hey," Travis said, trying to sound casual even though it was obvious that he had showered and changed too. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Hi," Jared said. "Um, my parents gave me the car."

"Oh, cool."

Jared led him across the driveway without saying anything else and the tension was palpable as they got in the car. God, was it going to be like this all night? He didn't think he could handle this for much longer. Not with how he was feeling, still so raw from earlier. Like he'd been split wide open and there was no hope of ever getting everything back in again.

A hand landed on his briefly. Reassuring with the smallest gesture.

"I love them and all," Jared said. "But I think they try to be embarrassing on purpose."

Looking to see what he meant, Travis caught both of Jared's parents peeking out the window at them.

With a sense of foreboding, he looked over at his own house just in time to catch his mom giving them a thumbs up.

"Oh god. Let's get out of here."

"Yeah," Jared agreed.

He pulled the car out of the driveway and once they were half way up the street finally started to laugh.

Jared looked at Travis and their eyes met like a beam connecting them and Travis' fear ebbed into something else. Something glad that he was here, next to Jared.

It took getting to the theater, buying popcorn, candy and pop--which Jared insisted on paying for--eating half of it before the trailers started, playing the timeplay game--which Jared got second place in and Travis got fourth--and all of the ads to play before Travis finally summoned the courage to act.

He reached over as the opening credits played and without looking, found Jared's hand where it was sitting on his lap. He could hear his own heart in his ears louder than the music and couldn't believe how nervous this made him considering how their whole relationship had started and how detached he had been. Travis had literally sat in front of his friend and pulled his dick out of his pants like it was nothing. Now, a few months later, sitting in the dark with Jared, his whole body reacted to the way Jared entwined their fingers eagerly... the way he was so warm and open.

Travis could feel Jared's gaze on him. It was like a physical touch and all of Travis' gutsy nature and false bravado seemed to have vanished in a wisp of smoke sometime along this ride. And so he tried not to return the gaze--was genuinely afraid of how Jared was making him feel right now. 

But then his will left him and he looked at Jared whose gaze was strong and warm and filled with something like gratitude, as though he needed to thank Travis for taking his hand. And maybe the gesture really was as big as Travis felt like it was because not long ago he wouldn't have given Jared any sign of affection at all. Not when it came with a piece of himself attached.

Without breaking eye contact, Jared leaned toward him, closing the distance between them. His lips closed over Travis' in a way that had him thinking it was meant to be brief, and then changed mid way.

Jared leaned into him, head tilting and hand clasping his. His other came up after a moment, fitting against Travis' neck and tugging him closer and just like that they were in a full swing make-out session, wet lips slipping together, tongues licking into each other's mouths. 

Travis gasped a little too loudly as Jared nipped his bottom lip and the sound brought them both back to reality.

With a breathy laugh, Jared pulled away, turning back to the movie.

Travis tried to do the same but Jared had Travis' hand in both of his and he was stroking the skin on his wrist gently and distractingly. Not to mention that Travis had no idea what the hell was going on in the movie. The images played before him brightly but he was hyper aware of Jared's smallest movements, the way he kept shifting this way and that, the occasional glance in Travis' direction. The unintentional way that their eyes kept meeting and the small smiles they shared were far more interesting than anything on the screen.

After a while, Travis tried really hard to shift his focus but he didn't think Jared really liked that because very quickly his plush lips landed on Travis' neck. He shivered but didn't pull away as the other boy sucked the skin there and tickled his ear.

Movie forgotten once again, Travis wondered just how far they were going to go. They had done worse before on the bus but before Travis could suggestively pull Jared's hand into his lap once again, people started standing up and the lights came on.

Jared took his hand again greedily and pulled him along until they were back at the car.

"Are you having fun?" he asked.

Travis shrugged and then forced himself to nod. He'd come this far. He wasn't about to pretend that he wasn't invested now that everything was on the table.

"Yeah," he said. And then. "I guess I'm just not sure how to act."

Jared smiled but didn't look at him. Kept his focus on the road.

"I don't want you to act," he said finally. "I just want you to be yourself."

Travis squirmed in his seat.

Himself. Maybe the problem was that Travis wasn't so sure about who that was anymore. He'd built up an image over the years so thorough that he never had to question anything. He'd just behaved without thinking. Without feeling. As much as possible. But it had all still been buried inside, just under the surface all this time. Hopefully shallow enough that Jared had been able to see it. 

But there was still the doubt, the incessant knowledge that maybe what Jared liked about him, wasn't him at all.

"What do you like about me?" Travis asked.

His voice sounded small but he wanted an answer before they got home. He doubted they could have a comfortable conversation with their nosy parents spying from behind the curtains.

Jared looked at him, surprised and then back out the window as he pulled the car into a parking spot.

Travis looked up, surprised to see that they'd pulled up in front of The Keg.

He looked at Jared who smiled hopefully.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Travis nodded numbly and watched Jared get out of the car, his question ignored. Swallowing, Travis unbuckled his belt.

"Get it together," he muttered to himself.

He climbed out of the car just as Jared reached his door.

"You're not planning to open my doors for me, are you?" he dead panned.

"No," Jared said, but he flushed and looked away when he did and Travis didn't know how to feel about that. 

Jared took his hand again, throwing Travis glances the whole way like he was worried that at any second, Travis was going to snatch it away. His finger tips dug into the back of his hand as they stood at the front desk.

"I have a reservation under Jared," he said to the hostess.

"A reservation?" Travis asked as they were led to a table. "You really know how to make a girl feel special."

Jared rolled his eyes.

"I hate to admit it," he said as they sat down. "But that's definitely something I like about you."

The waitress came by with their menus. Travis could barely wait for her to walk away.

"What?" he asked.

"Your sense of humour," he said. "You don't take yourself too seriously. You smile and laugh so easily."

"That's what you like about me?" Travis asked.

Jared shrugged and looked down at his menu. After a moment, Travis realized by the stillness of his focused gaze that it was just an excuse to look away.

"It's one of many things," Jared eventually said. "I could probably write you a list. I know, because I spent the last little while trying to forget it all."

Travis shuddered.

"Why did you ask that?" Jared asked after a moment. "Do you not believe that I actually like you?"

It was scary the way that Jared could understand him so easily.

"That's not it," Travis said but Jared already had that disappointed look on his face and Travis remembered that Jared could see straight through him.

Now his reasoning seemed so stupid.

He sighed and Jared leaned forward, eyes searching his.

"What's wrong?"

Travis snorted.

"Nothing actually. I guess I am just being insecure." He felt his cheeks heating and before he could go on, the waitress was there. Travis had never been so grateful for a glass of water. 

He took a long sip and pretended to listen to the specials while acutely aware of Jared's eyes on him, watching him.

When she finally walked away and Travis' glass was nearly empty, he glanced up at Jared, surprised to find the other boy watching him with amused wonder.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to all this honesty," he said.

Travis flushed again.

"It's hard," he said. "And yeah... I'm not usually, you know, honest, so I just thought--how could Jared like me."

He pulled his feeble excuse of a distraction toward him and downed the last of his glass of water.

"You know that's not alcohol, right?" Jared asked, biting a smile back. Travis scowled at him and his friend's smile softened but didn't dim.

"Thank you," Jared said.

Travis wanted to ask for what? but with Jared looking at him like that, it wasn't necessary. He knew the answer; for everything. For putting himself out there and trying. For being open, even though it was uncomfortable. 

And Travis would keep doing it.

He would do anything for Jared to keep looking at him like that.

***

They made it home with full belly's from the enormous portions. Travis let Jared pay, even while he was quickly realizing--and coming to terms with--the fact that he was not wearing the pants in this relationship.

When they pulled into Jared's driveway, the lights were off. Travis glanced over at his own house, finding it just as dark. 

The street was quiet, the orange lamp lights not reaching them in the silence of the car. He knew one of them should say something, but in the darkness enveloping them, Travis found that he didn't want to move or dislodge their silence. He didn't want to fill it with the wrong thing.

For a while they sat in stillness and then with a shift Jared leaned against him. His arm pressed into Travis' and his head found his shoulder. Only for a moment, Travis was at a loss what he should do and then he realized; anything he wanted. He didn't have to pretend he was unaffected. He didn't have to steer every moment toward sex. 

And so, he relaxed, let his head drop gently on top of Jared's and reveled in the warmth seeping into his body.

For a long time they sat there quietly, neither wanting to part until eventually, Jared let out a little sigh.

"I guess the night can't last forever," he said. "My leg is completely numb so I think that's a sign we should get up."

Travis smiled but didn't say anything as he climbed from the car.

His neck popped as he stretched out and he distracted himself by stretching some more. He pretended he wasn't watching with trepidation Jared's every move as his friend easily came around the front of the car, stopping only when a few inches separated them.

"Did you have fun?" Jared asked again.

Travis rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he said. "Stop asking me that."

Jared smiled softly and looked down. He reached out with both hands, letting his fingers hook into the belt loops of Travis' jeans but not otherwise touching him.

"I never thought I'd actually get the chance to date you," he admitted. "And I took you to dinner and a movie. It's so boring and cliche."

Stirred, Travis touched Jared's chin, tilting his face to look at him. Jared met his gaze unflinchingly and Travis finally realized that he wasn't the only one who was nervous. After all, Jared had put his entire heart on the line. He'd told Travis he loved him. He was even willing to give up going to school for him.

"I would have been happy just sitting with you in that car all night," Travis said. "I liked the dinner and movie." Even though he hadn't watched any of it. Even though he couldn't remember what he'd eaten. 

Jared's eyes filled with warmth, a soft smile played on his lips and he shook his head slowly.

"This is definitely a dream," he said, and then finally, he closed the short distance between them. 

Jared's body pressed like a puzzle piece against his own. Their lips fit together and just as Travis' eyes drooped shut, it was over.

Jared pulled back just enough to stare into Travis' eyes in the orange glow of the street light, searching them, just like he always did.

"You know I knew you before you started pretending to be someone else right?" he asked gently.

Surprised, Travis shook his head. It had never felt like pretending to him, just like a wall he had built brick by brick to make his life more bearable. How could he get hurt if he didn't care?

"I always thought that I could catch glimpses of the real you here and there, mostly when we were alone together and that always made me want to hold onto you. All these little moments that kept me hanging for years thinking; if you only knew how amazing you are... you'd never hide that..." He looked at Travis meaningfully. "You're not hiding it anymore."

Travis didn't know what to say. It would definitely be easier to shut back down, like he had all these years. That way was easier, but this way, he could have Jared.

"It's because of you," he finally said.

Jared flushed, his brows furrowed deeply for a moment like maybe he was about to cry but Travis never found out because Jared lunged into him. Their lips pressed together feverishly, lips parting, tongues clashing.

When they finally pulled apart for air, they stared at each other for a long moment.

"Do you want to come over?" Travis asked, just because. It seemed like the next logical step but Jared just shook his head with a rueful smile and leaned forward, dropping a light, chaste kiss onto his lips before pulling away entirely.

He backed toward his door, still smiling at Travis playfully.

"We'll have time for that later," he said.

Travis frowned at his friend.

"When?" he demanded.

Jared's grin broadened and he shrugged. 

"Maybe the next date?" he suggested.

Travis stared at Jared, watching as he climbed his steps.

"You realize we've done nearly everything already?" he called after him. "It's not exactly like we have to save anything."

Jared reached his door.

"When's the next date then?" Travis called.

Jared laughed. 

"I'll text you," he said and shut the door behind him.

Travis stared after his friend.

"Not even gonna walk me to my door?" he grumbled.

Sighing, Travis trudged across the lawn to his front door. "So much for the whole gentleman act..."

The second his hand touched the doorknob his phone vibrated in his pocket. His heart twisted before he even pulled up the message.

The fair is in next week, wanna go together?

Smiling, Travis tapped out a simple; yes. 

~

AN: and there you have the happy start to their new relationship!!!

Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for reading!!! Ahhhhhh you made it all the way to the end. That means so much :') This was a silly, fun little project, meant to help me practice writing sex scenes... and then of course there were no actual sex scenes by the end. Hmmmm.

But on a side note, there are at least two short little epilogues that I would like to write for this story, both most likely from Jared's POV. They would help to wrap everything up so if you like, you can consider this story still going for a little while longer. So please keep an eye out for those!

Again, thanks for joining me in this story and I hope to see you in one of my next ones :D