At long last, here's an ending. . .

Question: What does snow become when it melts?

Robert strolled down the store aisle, glancing briefly at the ketchup-haired colored boy next to him. His hands were trembling, but only for a second. He recovered with a cute smile, sad, but too adorable.

He was nothing like Paco, his old boyfriend. Not in the least bit.

He was better.

And unobtainable.

Because there was no question about it at this point. Chuckie was a great friend - amazing, but - he would have to cut the relationship.

Immediately.

He could never forgive himself if the same thing happened to Tommy - as had to him. To be utterly and completely in love - and then, the next moment, being caught holding a blade to his throat... being in a goddamned hospital, and then being prescribed pills that you instantly throw away...

What the hell were pills going to do for him? This couldn't be cured by any goddamn -

"Hey, what about these slide things?" Chuckie pointed to a package of lens-sized objects that could change a scene to certain colors, black and white style, sepia, and other random frames.

"Sounds good..."

Chuckie frowned at his lack of interest. After the race, the rest of the walk had been silent... as if both of them had jsut realized the situation. That is... what it could mean to their friendship and future. Feigned happiness was too much work to be spread on their faces.

Robert suddenly had an idea - at least something to break the tension, anyways. He pointed to a green box and questioned, "¿De qué color es?"

Chuckie glanced over and sighed, "Es verde."

Robert tapped random objects and he responded accordingly. "rojo – marrón – azul – morado – mierda!"

Robert blinked at the swear. "That's not even a color. Es rosado – you're way off, man."

"I don't feel like studying..." He swore again and was stared down by a Latino couple. "It's just so... ugh!" Chuckie rammed his head into a shelf, then asked in a barely audible voice, "How am I going to tell Tommy?"

"Tell him what?" Robert sighed softly.

"That I don't love him, anymore."

"Y-You're jumping to conclusions - goddamn it; don't be so stupid!" Please stop bringing this up...

"How? By one kiss that didn't even happen!"

And then Chuckie did something that wasn't like him at all. Chuckie kissed the other boy in the middle of the store – deep, hard, passionate –

And then waited for his reaction.

Robert's first reaction hadn't been shock.

No.

Instead, it was to uncontrollable urge to lace his fingers through the flaming red hair and thrust his tongue between those soft lips, wanted to taste him again, wanted to slam him against a nearby wall, wanted, wanted –

God, he wanted him!

"Just answer me one thing," Chuckie said softly. "Do you want to be with me?"

Wanted to tell him, wanted to be with him, wanted to love him -

"Robert?"

"Couldn't be selfish, couldn't, shouldn't –" he babbled.

"Hang on, you're talking in Spanish - you know I can't translate that fast."

"Can't, shouldn't, Chuckie - I can't."

His hands grabbed for him, tried to embrace the trembling boy, calm him down, he was crying through all this - goddammit, he was weak!

"Just tell me if you like me - that's all I'm asking right now." Chuckie whispered quietly, so simply.

So he answered –

"Yes."

They left the store, they rode double home on the bicycle, they found themselves in Chuckie's dark bedroom, standing next to one another, once again confused.

"I don't love him," Chuckie repeated.

Robert tried to avoid his gaze, but Chuckie cupped his cheek, forced him gently to meet his eyes. "And I'm going to tell him."

Robert placed his hands over the other boy's warm, pale set. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. Chuckie moved closer to him, slowly made to kiss him again. They fingers became linked, their lips touched.

He was being selfish, but he couldn't stop himself. They had, in other words, had reached a point of no return.

The sweat cooled from their bodies, they remained in each other's arms. Chuckie found that he had a different scent, a completely different feel - it was all he wanted, all he wanted to think about.

"I'm in love with you. And I've been in love with you the moment I met you," Robert said quietly. "I knew you were with someone else, but... I... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. And I'm not going to apologize for what we've done. I'm falling for you."

Robert kissed him, then nodded, silently. He took a deep breath, and then said in a strangled voice, "but do you really don't care about him anymore?"

Chuckie shifted a little. "It's not that I don't care - I mean, we were best friends – but it's just a different feeling. It's... not love."

"But to just suddenly stop loving him?"

"It wasn't suddenly, and I'm going to miss him, and all the stuff that happened... he was my first, you know."

Robert nodded numbly.

"But it just... happened. I guess that's just the way life is – h-hey, too tight!"

But Robert squeezed him harder against his own chest, overcome with emotion, "I'm so glad that I found you."

Chuckie laughed softly.

"I'm glad too."

There was never an easy way to break up with someone. There never has been. It required courage, strength... and a damn good plan.

Especially since Tommy's birthday was soon – how could you get around it?

Well... it had to be before, right? On his birthday would be cruel, but after would be too late. It had to be before.

Chuckie took several deep breaths and looked to Robert for support. The boy looked grimly toward the cell phone. Chuckie restrained the urge to wrap his arms around him, kiss the pale face until he smiled again - this, of course, he had to restrain. Not while Tommy didn't know the truth.

Chuckie picked up the phone asking the other boy to meet up with him at the park near his old house - and then hung up quickly before an "I love you" could be exchanged.

It was night so the small park was mostly empty. Tommy was sitting on a bench with his legs crossed for warmth. He scooted to the side when Chuckie arrived and waited for him to sit, waited for him to speak, but when he opened his mouth, Tommy interrupted bitterly.

"I know what you're going to say."

Chuckie's numb face went rigid.

"You fucked him, didn't you?"

He tried to unwire his jaw, tried to speak. It wasn't working very well.

"It doesn't matter. I knew you'd leave me for him. I knew."

Chuckie shifted the wrapped box on his lap, pinched him leg to move out of the numbed state. His whole body became tense.

"What makes him better than me?" Tommy muttered softly. "Was I just inexperienced? Was I too far away? Was it because I got jealous so easily? Was I just not interesting? What was it?"

"None of those," Chuckie whispered hoarsely.

"Then what?" the other boy demanded. He whirled around and grabbed the other boy's wrist. "What?" The box fell into a pile of leaves – soon ignored.

"I-I don't know," the other boy faltered. "I-I just –"

"Just what?"

"I-I just... don't..."

Tommy's grip loosened and he turned away quickly, trembling. He sat back on the bench, curled into a fetal position.

"He's pretty than me," the boy muttered. "He looks like a fuckin' god."

"The Mexican gods are actually pretty ugly," Chuckie tried to joke. "Except for Tezcatlipoca... but the picture of him is... um..." Chuckie moved to his knees, dumbly noted how empty the park was. "I didn't plan for this."

Tommy shook his head back and forth, and then asked the question - the one he really wanted answered.

"Did you ever love me?"

Breathless, the other boy answered at once,

"Yes."

Tommy gripped his jeans and then slowly released. Seeming to come to peaceful terms, his next question was:

"Are we still going to be friends?"

"Couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to," Chuckie joked dryly.

"Coming to my party?"

"Am I still invited?"

Tommy nodded and bit his thumb. "Robert, too, if he wants."

"He'd probably have a panic attack..."

Tommy smiled slightly. He still looked close to tears - dangerously close, but he held them back, stood and hugged him. When he tried to give him the box, Tommy refused it immediately.

"I have to wait for my birthday," he reminded with a soft laugh. "Take it back! But don't' forget it for my birthday party!"

The two hugged again, this time lingering within each other's arms. Across their eyes were the memories they had, the completely meaningful and indescribable look that told everything that could ever be expressed.

They had been best friends, they had loved - kissed - loved - had done everything. Now, they stood a foot apart, and knew that nothing would be the same again. There was a barrier now - a wall that didn't allow their bodies to touch again. And the loss of not being each other's boyfriend...

But it was perfectly fine with Tommy...

Besides...

There was a cute senior in his 4th block that had been eyeing him lately...

- Question: What does snow become when it melts? -

Answer: Spring

- Owari -

There it is! At long last! AN ENDING! As always, I fretted on how to end a story, so I went through many possibilities. One, had been to leave them together – this didn't fit (sorry!). The other was almost written in, and that was that Tommy died either by suicide or a car accident. Sadistic me wanted to end things with a heart-wrenching thing... but I wasn't satisfied... so here it came it be! And I'm quite proud of it! But, of course, a reader's opinion is more important, so I'll be biting my thumbs for the next hour. Please review and thankies so much for the support of everyone!