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Bart likes to think that he can be subtle, that he’s fully capable of not being completely transparent, but he also doesn’t really take into account the perceptiveness of one Mrs. Reyes. They’ve been hanging out more and more, mostly at Jaime’s house, being… Friends, and everything is great, better than he’d ever thought they could be. However part of of him thinks that maybe he should have been paying more attention to the way that Jaime’s mother would glance between them while they were eating, when Bart was chatting excitedly with his new friend. Maybe then he would have expected it when one day he was pulled aside when he went to get something to drink from the kitchen.
“You really like him, don’t you?” she began, her smile warm, accepting, and full of affection.
“He’s the best!” Bart responded instantly, beaming at the older woman. “I mean, seriously, he’s an awesome friend and—”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
Bart immediately goes still, his mind whirling as he struggles to find a way to wave off her words, dismiss his affection, but, despite the speed in which his brain moves, he’s coming up blank. Maybe it’s the amusement gleaming in her dark eyes or the lifted brows that show that she was anticipating him trying to verbally wiggle out of having the conversation from the beginning. Finally his shoulders slump and he glances aside, he’s previous happiness seeming to drain out of him as he glances aside, struggling not to fidget or worse: bolt.
“I— Please don’t tell him, Mrs. Reyes.” he murmurs finally, swallowing thickly. “I didn’t— Don’t really have any friends, just him and… I don’t want to lose that.”
“It’s not going to go away, Bart.” she steps forward and places a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “I know it’s… Difficult, not liking a girl, and I don’t know if my son will like you the same way, but he’s a good boy, he won’t hate you if he finds out. Okay?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Reyes.” he mumbled, swallowing thickly, not looking at her. “You… Won’t tell him, right?”
She gently gripped his chin, turning his head a little so he’d look at her. “No, Sweetheart, that’s your job.”
“Now I kinda feel like I just picked the hard way to do this.”
“You did. But I’m sure, somehow, you’ll survive.”
Bart laughed a little, looking sheepish.”Um… Thanks, Mrs. Reyes.”
“Better get back before he gets paranoid that you ran off without telling him.”
“Um… Right.”
——-
“Dude, you were gone forever! Please tell me my mom didn’t break out baby pictures.” Jaime groaned, reaching out to take the can of soda Bart offered him.
“Nope! Your childhood secrets are still safe! We just… Talked.” Bart answered, plopping down next to him and snagging a comic from the pile nearby.
“That’s cryptic and terrifying.”
“Yup.”
They fell into silence, mostly because Bart was forcing himself to appear engrossed in the comic he was reading and not read it too quickly. However his mind was fixated on what Jaime’s mom had said, his heart hammering a little too fast in his chest, struggling not to think about telling the other teen. Bart’s quickly jarred from his thoughts, eyes going a little uncharacteristically wide when he’s nudged by the boy next to him, causing his head to whip around, startled, and force a smile.
“Don’t leave me hangin like that, man. What’d you talk about?” Jaime urges, both brows raised in question.
It’s a struggle to keep the grin on his face from slipping but he’s used to faking smiles. “Oh, just like… Us. Being friends and stuff. She fawned over what a terrific son you are.”
“Ugh. I wish she’d stop that…”
“You are pretty awesome though.”
Jaime’s expression shifts a little, sobering a little, his gaze turning contemplative for a moment be he rolls his eyes and playfully shoves him. “Yeah, right. I’m just a guy with a suit.”
“Yeah, but, I mean… You like me.” Bart murmurs, still smiling before looking down at his comic. “And… That’s pretty awesome.”
“I…” Jaime trails off, causing Bart to turn his head to look at him.
Something on the other boy’s face makes Bart swallow thickly and his smile slip a little. He forces himself to look more concerned and curious, furrowing his brows and tilting his head a little in silent question. There’s something way too raw and longing in the way Jaime’s looking at him, something that makes his chest ache in answer.
Jaime smiles then, reaching out to grip Bart’s shoulder and nod. “Yeah. I do like you, Bart. You’re pretty great.”
Bart’s answering smile is blinding and honest and he has to suppress the urge lean in and… “Thanks! I mean… It means a lot, from you.”
“Never change, Hermano.”
“You, either.”