As Keith helped him back into his window, quietly to not alert their most likely sleeping parents, all Carmen could think about was the boy that had been with Osmond.

He knew there were more important things his brain could be doing. Thinking about Jordan. The violin. The fact that Osmond was no longer coming with him on his trip.

But he thought of none of those things.

Instead he replayed the image in his head; Osmond sitting on the sidewalk leaning back against the brick building with what looked like an older boy on his side, leaning into him and breathing into his neck. Their hands were clasped tightly between them and Osmond's smile was so breathtaking that Carmen had froze in the middle of the street as he watched.

How could this dazzling happy boy be the same one that he saw only moments later. Cold, uncomfortable, upset.

Carmen didn't understand it. He couldn't understand it.

"Are you going to tell mom and dad?" Keith asked, drawing the attention to himself and Carmen huffed, softly shutting his window.

"Tell them what?"

"About your piano player". For a long time Carmen remained silent. He wanted to say something like, 'he's not my piano player. Not anymore' but he didn't, since the idea of him playing with anyone but Osmond was upsetting to him. "You can find someone else just as goo-"

"I can't," Carmen cut in, but it wasn't rude. Keith didn't understand, so there was no reason to be angry with him. "No, I'm not going to tell them. I don't want them...to know... uh, that we snuck out". Carmen didn't really care that much about it, but he didn't want to say exactly what he was thinking incase he was wrong.

And I'm going to fix this.

***

Osmond's hands froze on the piano keys but he otherwise didn't move. Even his eyes stayed on the music in front of him. It would be kind of funny if Carmen wasn't so upset with him, but he was, so it wasn't.

"Look at me," Carmen snapped, and to his surprise Osmond turned his entire body to him and tilted his head back, looking up to meet his eyes. "You owe me an explanation".

"I can't give you that," Osmond said, his voice even and low, collected despite the fact that Carmen was very obviously annoyed with him.

He hadn't been when he fell asleep the night before. Actually, he came to terms with the fact that he might not be able to convince Osmond to come and meet his parents, and that he would have to find someone else to play with him.

It must have had something to do with whatever it was the Carmen had dreamt (He could never remember) because when he woke up he was fuming, angry that the other boy didn't even consider coming to meet his family. Osmond had simply declined without even thinking about the offer.

Before Carmen went to sleep he had been planning on visiting with Osmond over lunch again, but after waking up angry he found himself in the band room first thing that morning.

He had been worried that Osmond wasn't there yet; Bensen wasn't even there yet and it was his classroom, but he was pleased to see Osmond in his regular practice room. It meant that he could confront him without realizing how misplaced his anger was.

"Why the hell not?" Carmen spat and Osmond's eyebrows shot up in surprise before his mouth suddenly turned up in a dazzling smile that momentarily distracted Carmen. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I didn't realize that when you were angry you'd be so..." Osmond trailed off, shaking his head to himself and Carmen wanted to slap him and demand that he finished his sentence.

So... what? Annoying? Loud? Persistent?

"Why are you so upset about this?" Osmond asked, interrupting his thoughts. His eyes still lit with something that looked like happiness, but surely not since Carmen was yelling at him and he had no reason to be happy about that.

"Because I wanted you to play the piano with me," Carmen claimed, his voice losing its volume while keeping the harsh undertone. Osmond shook his head, his face relaxing out of his smile, though he still didn't look as irritated as he normally did.

"I can't go with you if I need to meet your parents, Carmen," he explained softly and Carmen groaned in frustration, throwing his head back.

"I'm supposed to be the one who hates my parents, not you," he grumbled, mostly to himself but was surprised when Osmond chuckled.

Carmen felt his eyes widened as he snapped his neck down to look at Osmond. He had laughed. Sure, he had seen Osmond smile, a handful of times at this point, but never once had he heard the boy actually laugh. He wondered why he was so... willing to smile today.

Carmen was surprised to feel a prang of jealousy when he considered that it might be because of the boy who had been sitting outside of the restaurant with him the night before. Before he could ask, Osmond was speaking.

"I don't hate your parents," he claimed, but he didn't really seem to be paying attention to their conversation.

"Why are you so happy today?" Carmen asked, unable to resist asking.

Osmond looked surprised before sighing loudly. "Is it that obvious?" Carmen nodded and noticed that the boy shut his eyes tightly as he muttered to himself, "it shouldn't be".

And just like that, Carmen saw the change. All playful lines in Osmond's face dissolved and when his eyes opened they were as annoyed and bored as ever. Carmen hated the difference and was desperate to hear the other laugh again. "What is it?"

"My-" Osmond cut himself off, looking pained and Carmen took a seat next to him on the piano bench, "I called-" Osmond groaned loudly and Carmen watched, amazed, as the older boy became frazzled.

"Are you okay?" Carmen asked and Osmond glared at him in annoyance. For whatever reason, Carmen found himself smiling in response and biting his lip to do his best to hide it.

"I talked to a good friend of mine last night and he said he's coming into town. I'm just happy to see him". Carmen let out a small chuckle at this last part since Osmond said it with a completely straight face. "Oh my god, why are you making that noise?" Osmond sounded increasingly frustrated and Carmen ignored the question.

"Who's coming back into town again? I don't think you said a name," Carmen pried, though he was certain that Osmond had left the name out on purpose.

The other boy grit his white teeth and annoyance and spoke through them. "Adri- why does this matter to you?"

"Oh, it doesn't," Carmen said and Osmond's eyes flashed in annoyance. "It's just fascinating".

"What is?" Osmond asked, not breaking eye contact.

"You," Carmen said, and then it occurred to him that he was flirting. With Osmond. Carmen stood up quickly and Osmond blinked in surprise. "Uh," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. Osmond's grey eyes looked at the spot he had just been occupying and then trailed slowly up his body to his face, causing Carmen to shiver. "My parents-"

"It has nothing to do with your parents. It's more so to do with your family," Osmond said slowly and Carmen raised his eyebrows.

The only person in his family he had yet to mention was his brother, so he asked, "Keith?"

"Who's that?" Osmond asked, and then made an annoyed face. "Your brother, right? No. It has nothing to do with any of you individually. It has to do with your family". He still didn't understand, and Osmond seemed to get this after a minute of looking at his face. "I don't like spending my time around happy families".

His voice was forceful and it hung in the air for a long moment after the words were spoken. Carmen was alarmed though. He just blinked slowly before speaking, "happy?"

"My family has-" Osmond took a sharp breath. "I don't have a family". Carmen tried to catch his eye but Osmond was clearly avoiding it. "Spending time with happy families just lets me know what I'm missing out on".

"You keep using that word," Carmen began and Osmond finally looked at him, squinting as if he was the sun. "Happy. What makes you think that my family is so happy?" Osmond didn't respond, so Carmen continued speaking. "I'm good at playing the violin, don't you think so?"

"If you're here fishing for compliments you should know that I don't give out many-"

"I'm not," Carmen interjected and Osmond's eyebrows raised.

"You're very good," the black haired boy whispered, and Carmen's body shook at the words. Osmond was very good at giving compliments. It made his throat go dry and the palms of his hands sweat. For all of his life all Carmen wanted was for his mother to tell him he was good enough, but after hearing Osmond say these words Carmen couldn't give a damn what his mother thought about him. All that mattered was that he was able to impress this boy. This amazing pianist thought that he had talent. "The best I've ever heard, maybe. And I'm not talking about playing the violin, I'm talking about playing an instrument. You play it like you love it that's more that-"

"Stop," Carmen said, looking away quickly and into the bright light so his eyes wouldn't tear over.

"I'm... sorry".

"Just-" Carmen took a deep breath, still incredibly touched but Osmond's words. "Do you want to know why I'm so good?" Osmond nodded slowly and Carmen took a deep breath. "I started when I was three. My mother bought one of those really small violin's after she heard a solo on the radio and expected me to play it after a week of lessons. When I came home with hot cross buns she sent me to my room to practice for hours. I remember not being bothered by this at first. I loved playing, but after a week of being allowed to do nothing by play, I was less enthusiastic with it. Every day, the second I get home, I'm sent up to my room to practice until I go to sleep. Never once, I tell you, has she ever told me that she was proud of me for all that I do. What I do for her. I'm good at the violin because I had no choice. I was forced to be good at the violin". When he stopped speaking he took a deep breath.

"So you don't love it?" Osmond asked, and when Carmen looked down at him he was making a strange face. Carmen understood this face better than anyone else ever would. This face of confusion that even he got whenever someone spoke to him about music without any love in their voice. It almost broke his heart how similar he and Osmond were in this aspect, and he dropped down onto the bench once more.

"I do," he admitted, his voice breathless as he spoke. "More than anything. It's like breathing. Whenever I'm not playing is like time spent underwater, and then second I start it's like that fresh breath of air once you submerge. I can never go too long without playing or I'll suffocate". Just by looking at Osmond he could tell that he knew exactly how he felt. His grey eyes were wide and glasses over as if he was in a trance as he stared at him. "But that's the problem. What she's doing to me... it's like hyperventilation. It's too much. I love chocolate, you know- no, of course you don't. But I do, and one year for Christmas, I ate so much of it that I was up all night sick, and for about a year I couldn't even imagine myself eating it. I swore up and down that I hated it. I didn't really, of course, and now I eat it in moderation, but everyday with the violin... I do it too much, I'm forced to do it too much, and I'm afraid that I'm slowly starting to hate it more than I love it".

He had never admitted this out loud to anyone before, but that was because he never thought that anyone would understand, until now. Osmond was still looking at him, his lips slightly parted, and Carmen remained silent, wanting to hear the other speak. After what felt like forever, he did. "You like chocolate?"

Carmen couldn't keep himself from laughing. "No," he began, "I love it". Osmond was slow to smile, but it was beautiful nevertheless. "Oz- can I call you that?" Osmond bit his lips and nodded his head. "Oz," he started again, "I don't have a happy family. I loathe my mother. She encourages me to practice rather that eat, or sleep, and it's eventually going to kill me. My father is hardly around and when he is it's to yell at my brother about skipping his classes. My parents are unhappily married but refuse to admit it. They're both homophobic, or at least I imagine they are, so they'll never accept me for who I am. Keith wanted to leave a long time ago, even if he won't admit it, but he won't because he's afraid of he does my mother will work me so hard that I either die or kill myself, so he stays. My family's not happy. Each one of us is miserable in our own way".

Osmond sighed, dropping his shoulders as he did so. "Why do you want me to go so bad?"

"Because I like you," Carmen said quickly, and then added after a moment of tense silence, "and you're very good at what you do. I don't play well with others but you seem to be the exception to this".

Osmond groaned loudly, leaning forward against his piano. "Fine," he said, sounding extremely exacerbated, "I'll meet your family".

***

"Looking good today, Bambi," Jordan said the second he walked into the store and Carmen ducked his head to hide his blush as he laughed softly.

"Thanks," he muttered, going to stand beside the other boy as his hand once again wandered down to the pocket of his jeans and he pressed against his phone there.

Osmond had given him his number earlier, and when Carmen had told his mother that the other would love to come over for dinner, he had texted Osmond when she wanted to host said dinner.

Which would be in approximately twenty four hours.

Osmond still had yet to respond to his text, and Carmen was a bit on edge about it.

"What are you doing here so early? You don't have a lesson until six thirty," Jordan asked and Carmen sighed, dropping his hand and looking up at the tall boy.

"Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you," Carmen said. His eyes widened the second he realized what he had said and Jordan laughed, looking extremely pleased with him.

"Well I'm right here". Jordan gestured to himself and Carmen couldn't help but to examine the fine specimen being presented.

And he was fine indeed.

"There you are," Carmen said, averting his eyes since it seemed impossible not to stare at the other.

"Oh my sweet little Bambi. How are you doing on this fine evening?"

Carmen was happy for the small talk. Ever since speaking to Osmond at the beginning of the day all he could think about was his fucked up family and what Osmond had meant when he said I don't have a family.

As if thinking about the grey eyed man summoned him, his phone buzzed against his thigh. Carmen tore it out of his pocket and smiled at Osmond's name on the screen.

"Expecting something?" Jordan asked, his voice tight and when Carmen looked up to him he was surprised to see something that looked a lot like jealousy but, no. That wasn't possible.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry". He went back to reading Osmond's message and smiled at the bluntness of it.

From: Oz (Carmen found he rather liked that nickname)

I'll be there.

Carmen felt excitement, and then dismissed it as hunger.

He was not excited for Osmond to meet his family.

And definitely didn't want to see the boy somewhere outside of school (other than sitting outside a restaurant with some other boy on his arm).

No.

Not at all.

...

...

...

Well maybe a little.