Nothing But Net (boy x boy)

I Don't Care (Isaak)

2 cups pure panic. 1.5 cups embarrassment. Three heaping tablespoons of the need to flee. Mix in some desire to rewind the clock 10 seconds to avoid the thing you just did. And... surprisingly... maybe a dash of interest? 

This is the recipe of how none other than Kaiden Macasaet looked, half-stumbling, half-stepping into the room that Isaac and Callie had just been chatting in. 

Two things were immediately clear to Isaac: 

1. Kaiden had obviously been eavesdropping 

2. He had just heard Isaak admit not only his sexuality, but his crush on the other boy-- he thanked every deity out there that he hadn't gone so far as to name Kaiden to Callie

3. Kaiden definitely had NOT meant to be caught

Exactly how much had Kaiden heard? Would he go out and tell everyone? Did Isaak care if he did? Not really, but how would the student body react? Almost everyone had been chill with it in New York, but what if here was different? What if--

Isaak's spiraling thoughts were cut off by Callie's voice. 

"How long have you been there?"

Isaak watched Kaiden shift his eyes between the two of them, still sitting on the bed. He was obviously planning out whether or not to tell the truth. If he should be honest about what he'd been snooping on or if he could lie and scamper away. 

"Long enough."

A half-truth, Isaak thought, very coy. Admitting he'd listened in but not revealing his thoughts on what he'd heard. Not the worst move his co-captain could have made, and it shifted the ball back into their court. 

Isaak took a deep breath, readying himself; if he wanted any say in how the rest of this conversion played out, he'd have to take control of the situation now. 

Shifting so he was sitting up straighter on the bed, Isaak decided to rush head-first into the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him Beyonce. 

Opening his mouth, he declared, "I'm bisexual--"

Kaiden looked half taken aback, almost surprised by how forward the younger boy was being. After getting caught lurking, he probably was expecting to be admonished or kicked out. He might have also expected this topic to be handled in a more subdued manner than Isaak's total honesty. 

"-- and I'm not ashamed or trying to hide it or whatever. My family knows, and all my friends back in New York knew. The only reason nobody knows here is because I'm still relatively new and I'm trying to adjust to this school. So, like, its not some big secret I'm trying to hide," Isaak finished, glancing over to see Callie giving him a small smile. 

Kaiden now looked completely off guard, almost as if he was reeling. Isaak could almost see the gears in his head processing this information. He pondered if telling his teammate that he was the object of Isaak's interest would short-circuit his entire system altogether.  

Regaining some of his composure, Kaiden quietly said, "Hey, you don't owe me any explanation. I won't tell anyone, because that would be a really jerk move. And, um,"

Kaiden pursed his lips together in a bit of a pause, and then half-mumbled, "I, uh, whatever, look... whatever or whoever you like, its, um, all, you know, good," he finished, looking somehow even more awkward than when he stumbled through the door. 

Isaak briefly wondered if anyone had ever had such a frank conversation with Kaiden about sexuality. Judging by the normally composed senior's fumbling words and lack of poise, Isaak would guess not. Even though Isaak was a big believer in living his truth and in open conversations, not everyone was as candid as he was, especially concerning something this personal. 

With a small smile, Isaak asked, "Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was rude to eavesdrop?"

While his tone was light and joking, it didn't stop the other boy from looking sheepish all over again. With a slight grimace, Kaiden apologized, "Look, I'm really sorry, and its not something I normally do, I mean I try really hard not to because there was this one time at family Christmas when I was supposed to be upstairs asleep and I heard my grandmother say--"

"--that's quite alright, I think we can put it in the past," Isaak said. Glancing around the room, he decided that having this part of his life out in the open here in Harmony might not be such a bad thing. He'd already come out to two people that night (however inadvertently one of them may have been). While he wasn't going to shout his life story from the rooftops, he could gradually loosen up as his time in the small town continued. 

"After all, we are teammates, co-captains,--" 

"And friends," Kaiden interjected, smiling, "after this whole fiasco, I think that's a given. After all, I don't share half of that grandma story with just anyone."

Isaak grinned right back at the other boy, joking, "A given. In French, I might even refer to you as a copain instead of a contrariete." 

"I don't know French, but I'll take that as a win," Kaiden responded, smiling even wider. 

Isaak didn't know if it was a reaction to how Kaiden's eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, the allusion that Isaak was special to him, or the assurance that they were more than teammates to each other, but a warmth spread through him as they locked eyes.

"Well, I'm going to go find JJ," Callie declared, standing up from the bed. 

Isaak and Kaiden jumped simultaneously, both apparently having forgotten that she was in the room as well. As all three teens began to work their way downstairs,  the volume of the music and the crowd increased, accompanied by the sight of their partying classmates. Callie spotted JJ, ever the crowd-pleaser, in the middle of a dance circle, badly busting a move to Pitbull's "Fireball," and began working her way over. 

After a few minutes of wandering around and chatting, Isaak felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned, it was Kaiden, one drink in his and another balanced precariously between his arm and his body. As the older boy handed Isaak a drink, he smiled and, over the impossibly loud music, said, "This is for earlier."

"You think my hair has gotten curlier?" Isaak asked, not being able to make out his exact words, but guessing that this was probably not what was said.

As Kaiden laughed and shook his head, Isaak could feel his world fall into place just a little bit more. 

A/N: Guess who's back, back again.... I'm so happy to be writing again. FYI on the French that Isaak used, "copain" is used to mean "buddy," or "pal," but is also very commonly used to mean "boyfriend." It's basically "bro, but romantically," which I feel sums up Kaiden and Isaak's situation pretty well. "Contrariete" means "annyoance."

It really has been a hot minute, y'all. So excuse the rust, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. No cliffhangers, because I'm not mean like someone else who co-writes this story. Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I name all my chapter titles after songs that, at least sort of, fit the vibe of the chapter, so feel free to speculate on the content of my future chapters before you even read it by peeping the title, or just create a lit playlist. What do you guys think will happen next? Find out next week, and I'll see everyone in two weeks!

Don't forget to vote, and comment if you'd like!

Caio,

-J