Secrets Unleashed

Three weeks had passed in the blink of an eye. Nathan and Johnathan had spent their weekends and an occasional weeknight together. They went to football matches, the cinema, or stayed home. They worked seriously on their story between anime marathons, cuddling on the couch and putting every drop of their emotions into the story. And Johnathan couldn't help but grin with every word he wrote. His chapters overflowed with his love and enthusiasm and some more action scenes, while he loved reading Nathan's more distant and angsty chapters.

A deep groan left Johnathan's lips; he wanted to talk to Nathan and hold him tightly in his arms. His body warmth, his excellent cherry blossom shampoo, even just being glared at by his stunning blue eyes. It didn't matter as long as he was here. He loved spending time with him, watching him talk about his favorite series as he went on and on. Nathan tended to be passionate at the strangest times, but only together or if Serena was there.

"Shit, I really wanna see them..." he said as he dropped his head on the table in the middle of the McDonald's.

Serena couldn't help but snort; her cola came out of her nose. At the same time, Jessica and Florian were very, very confused.

"Fucking hell John. Will you not do that to me again?" She said, holding a napkin to her nose while getting Jessica's help to clean the table.

"Who? Dude, you barely spend any time with us. I never see your face besides practice, games, and school." Florian said with a frown, stealing a nugget.

All John did was sigh deeply. The image of his soft brown hair, his slightly squishy pale skin which bruised easily, or even those velvety soft lips. Even though his body couldn't help but want more, he was okay with the intimacy they had now. Johnathan just really wanted to hold and kiss him right now. Even if only two days had passed since they were together, he was starved for his touch.

"Dude... Why the hell do you look like you're dying?" Florian said, stealing the entire box of nuggets now.

Jessica looked between Serena and Johnathan before uttering a single word as if she had a groundbreaking oracle. "Lover?"

Florian just took a second before he started shaking and poking Johnathan. "Is. She. Right? Lover? Did you get yourself a girl? Ah, my son is growing up so quickly."

All the while, Serena stayed quiet, as promised. Johnathan had dug a hole for himself and wasn't sure how to get out of it.

"Invite her! I wanna see her!" Florian almost shouted as he put his arm around Johnathan's shoulder, looking at Jessica and Serena for support.

Jessica nodded furiously, slurping her milkshake loudly. "I want to see. What your type is."

"I'm... not sure they would like that. They're not a people person." Johnathan said hesitantly. "Right, Serena?"

"They might not even show up. Might even beat you up for spilling the beans." Serena said, a smirk forming on her face. She loved seeing Johnathan squirm.

"They will kill me... haha... fuck." Small tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he imagined Nathan being furious at him. "They'd be adorable, though. Ugh, I want them to scold me now."

Florian and Jessica just looked at each other before nodding. "Invite your lover!" they yelled in unison.

"I'm not helping you here, my love. You are all on your own."

With a groan, Johnathan got out his phone, ready to send Nathan a text message, hesitating a good minute or two before he did. Would this be the day he came out to his friends? Where would he finally be able to say he had a male lover? Would Nathan be okay with this? Serena knew, but Jessica and Florian had been his closest friends for two years. The two of them were almost like his brother and sister. Jessica's younger brother used to be her younger sister, so it's not like she had a problem with queer people. Heck, Serena was even a very open and spoken-out gay woman.

He quickly texted Nathan, hoping the man could forgive him. "So remember I said I'd go hang out with the gang? Well... Somehow it kind of slipped out that I have a lover. And they want to meet them. Teehee? Okay, I'm sorry that was dumb. Well... I haven't said anything about you or my lover being a guy. Also, Serena won't even help me. And and... I want to hug and kiss you right now. I miss you. Love you. Please don't be mad!"

"So? Will we get to see them?" Florian said as he devoured the remains of my meal. "Dude, she'd better say yes."

Within a minute or two, a reply was sent back. "Fuck."

"I... don't think they're so happy I spilled it. To be honest, we're dating in secret, so I think they're mad. Is it bad that I want to see their angry face? It's super cute. Adorable! Ugh..." Johnathan could feel his cheeks flushing brightly as his heart jumped slightly. The idea sent his mind into a rapid-fire of fantasies and scenarios.

Another text arrived. "Okay. If you're sure, we can trust them. I'll believe you. I am still angry at you. Your place in fifteen minutes?"

Tears started to form in Johnathan's eyes as he faced his friends. "It's a yes! Fifteen minutes. My house."

Serena was honestly surprised. "You sure?"

Johnathan looked at the three of them, nodded, and gave the most immense grin they had ever seen. "Of course! I love you guys! You're like family to me."

They quickly put away their trays, ensuring they did not leave anything behind at the table before stepping out of the Mcdonald's. Florian and Jessica were now in their little world, speculating on Johnathan's lover. Serena just stuck to him, holding his hand without a word. It was only a ten-minute walk, giving them five minutes before Nathan arrived.

He told them to make themselves comfortable when they got to his house. They hadn't been over ever since he had started dating Nathan. They were shocked to find some items that belonged to his lover, like anime and manga of various genres, a second toothbrush, and even some blankets he now kept on the couch.

"What?" Johnathan said as Florian stared at him, his mouth agape. The two of them were standing in the bathroom for a moment.

"Dude. It's like you're already living together. How did you get with a chick this quickly and even get her to move in?"

Johnathan blushed and got a little flustered. "Well... they spend weekends here and some days. It just... naturally happened?"

Florian crossed his arms, frowning as he cocked his head. "Then are you even working on the writing thing? I mean, it's taking a lot of time. And then you just have to get paired with fucking Nathan. Bad luck, man..."

"Wha-" But before Johnathan could even finish asking his question, the front door opened, and Serena and Jessica met the person who walked in.

"Oh! My! God! A-are you? Really? No way!" they just heard Jessica screaming and shouting in excitement and shock. "Johnathan, you asshole!"

In the meantime, they just heard snorts and loud laughter from Serena. She seemed to be enjoying herself in this screwed-up situation. Johnathan could just imagine the faces Nathan was making at Jessica.

He snickered and started to feel his heart race, actually slightly scared to be going to the living room. Fuck he could hear it pounding in his ears now. His cheeks felt hot, and he was getting a little giddy. Johnathan looked at Florian for a second, their eyes meeting as his expression turned to amusement.

Before Florian could say anything, Johnathan left the bathroom, meeting the two women and his lover in the living room. Jessica's usually aloof face was lit up, giggling as she kept softly and gently poking Nathan's arms to figure out if she was dreaming. At the same time, Serena was now wiping away tears from laughter. Nathan looked highly uncomfortable but was letting Jessica do her thing—a barely visible blush on his annoyed face.

"Hey," Johnathan said, crossing his arms as he tried to be smooth.

Nathan snorted and started chuckling. "What the hell John."

"W-what?" he said, shaken by the laughter, breaking his cool persona.

"Idiot," Nathan said, trying to return to his normally more aloof and cold persona that they saw in class.

Before they could say anything else, Florian exited the bathroom, meeting the four of them in the living room. Johnathan could feel something change in the air. It was like a heavy mood, stifling and suffocating. Nathan's hands were balled into fists and trembling slightly.

"If it isn't Nathan. What the fuck are you doing here?" Florian said, the disgust visible on his face. This was the first time he had ever seen his friend like this.

"Florian." He coldly stated before sighing, clearly trying not to get emotional. "What's an ass like you doing here?"

The sparks were flying between Nathan and Florian. Glares were going from one side to the other. Their expressions tell at least a big part of the story.

"Ass? Hahaha. Me?" Florian just started laughing like a madman. "You were the one leading on people. Dating left and right. Women and men."

The brunette stayed quiet, his hands clenching as he looked down at the floor. He wasn't refuting the claims Florian was making. But even though he wanted to stop it, Johnathan was too late.

"Nathan, you hurt so many girls in school. Leading them on only to have them come to me crying and complaining about you." Florian rolled his eyes. "No wonder the class hated you. How could I ever be friends with some like that? A leeching piece of scummy trash."

A loud smack echoed through the room. The sound of teardrops and sniffles was heard, accompanied by the rubbing of one's back—a snicker. And dead silence filled the room. Why did this have to happen?