Justin nodded. "Yah, we should." Walking over to the other end of the kitchen Justin said, "I'll get the pantry and you check the fridge."

Nick nodded and opened the fridge. "I see celery, eggs, carrots, lettuce,..."

"I see breads, cereal boxes, candy,..." Justin said running his hands over the boxes.

"Tomato, some cold cuts, chicken, some KFC boxes,..."

"I see cake mix boxes, some pasta boxes,..."

"There are salad dressing bottles, different pasta sauce bottles, bunch of can sodas,..."

"There's more soda's here, more candy, recipe books, and... more recipe books," Justin said as he turned around towards Nick.

"There's a lot of vegetables, milk, and, butter,... I think that's about it," Nick said turning his head to the left and looking at Justin.

They looked at each other for a few minutes and then as if on cue, simultaneously, they both said, "Pasta!"

Then they went about looking through the cabinets and cupboards for a pot they could use to boil the pasta in and some type of stirring utensil.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thirty minutes later found Justin and Nick back in Justin's bedroom with their meals. Nick was seated in a two-seat beanie chair that was set up as part of a makeshift living room in the corner as he waited for Justin to pick out a movie for them to watch.

"What do you wanna watch?" Justin questioned as he continued to look through his DVD collection.

"I don't know, whatever you want!" Nick replied as he began to twirl his fork in the pasta. Letting the steam rise and cool off the hot noodles.

"Hmm," Justin said. A few DVD's later his eyes lit up. "I haven't watched this movie in the longest time." He grabbed the DVD and headed over to the TV where the DVD player was. Opening the cover he took the CD out and inserted it in the DVD player.

"What is it?" Nick questioned.

Justin's reply was to only smirk at Nick before he grabbed the remote and went over to take his seat beside Nick.

Getting comfortable in their seats both Nick and Justin fell silent as the previews and FBI warning came on the screen. When movie began Nick realized what Justin had picked and started to chuckle. "Dude, I haven't watched this in the longest time either. Awesome!"

Justin nervously laughed. "You don't mind do you?"

Nick shook his head. "Nah, not at all!"

"Okay, cool." Justin let himself take a deep breath to try and calm his racing pulse as well as his nerves.

Nick looked over at Justin who still hadn't touched his food. "You better eat up Timberlake, your food’s getting cold," Nick whispered as he slightly leaned over towards Justin.

Justin shivered at the warm breath that caressed his neck when Nick had whispered to him. Letting out a chuckle that he couldn't quiet hold in due to the nerves in his system he said, "We're not at the movie theater, you know. You CAN talk loud!" Justin turned his head a bit and gave Nick the best sexy smirk he could muster up.

Nick gave his own sexy smirk, unconsciously, before shrugging his shoulders and sitting with his back straight. "I know but it feels like we're at the movies," Nick whispered out as he brought his hand up and waved it around at the room to indicate the dark lighting and the TV in front of them... as if it were a makeshift movie theater. "It's got that kinda feel to it, except we're eating pasta and not popcorn."

"Hmm," Justin thought as he looked around. "Yah, you're right," he softly whispered. Taking another deep breath he picked up his fork and began to twirl it in his pasta and sauce. "And there's no annoying people in front on us playing tonsil hockey, no one behind us throwing popcorn in our hair, no one talking loud or yelling for someone to shut up or pipe down, no one 'shhhing' anyone,..."

"Sssshhh, pipe down will ya," Nick said as he cut Justin off. His voice had no sign of anger but it did take on a playfully teasing tone.

Justin wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at Nick. "Whatever!" He then turned to look back at the TV screen, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

Nick looked over at Justin, frowning. "You've been doing that a lot," Nick said.

"Doing what?" Justin questioned not taking his eyes away from the TV screen. He could feel Nick watching him intently.

"Taking in deep breaths. It's almost as if you were trying to control your anger or rage of trying to calm yourself down or something," Nick stated.

Damn, Nick was really good at this, Justin thought. "Oh, sorry," Justin said blushing. He was happy that the room was dark and that Nick couldn't see much of his facial reactions, mainly the deep red blush he knew that was on his face at the moment.

"No need to apologize." Nick slouched down a bit in the chair causing for his left knee to slightly touch Justin's right knee and his shoulder to rest against Justin's shoulder. Justin fought not to let the body shivers that were threatening to surface at the fact that they were touching each other.

They both sat silently as they ate and watched the movie. It wasn't until half way through the movie that they both finished their food. They Placed the empty dishes on the floor beside them, opting to take it down to the kitchen after the movie ends.

Nick's eyes moved down to where the fingers of Justin's left hand were playing with the threads that adorned Justin's right wrist. He watched them playing for a few seconds before lifting his eyes to take a quick glance at Justin before moving his attention back to the movie. All of a sudden he felt the urge to reach over and hold Justin's hand or place his arm around his shoulders so that Justin would be in his arms. Thinking it'd be best, he brought his hands under his thighs so that he could sit on them. He WAS a bit cold, anyway.

"Are you cold?" Justin questioned in a whisper as he noticed Nick sit on his hands.

"A little bit but it's all good," Nick replied. "I'm okay."

Justin just nodded his head and got comfortable again.

It wasn't until towards the end of the movie that Nick noticed movement from the corner of his eyes. Looking at Justin with an amused expression on his face Nick asked, "What are you doing?"

"What?" Justin asked, innocently. "What do you mean, what am I doing? I think it's pretty obvious what I'm doing."

Nick shook his head. "I know what you're doing but I wanna know why you're doing what you're doing!"

Justin shrugged as he continued to do it. "I don't know. It's just that every time I see this movie and whenever they do that in the movie, I do it too. I always have, since I was a little boy!"

"Since you were a little boy, eh?" Nick asked chuckling now.

Justin pouted. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Nick said before returning his gaze back to the TV screen to finish watching the end of it.

They sat there staring at the blank black TV screen once the movie had ended. Both comfortable in their slouched positions, neither too eager to get up. "No matter how many times I see it, I always enjoy it like I did the first time," Justin admitted.

"I could tell," Nick said before pushing himself up and grabbing his plate and garbage as Justin did the same.

"Do you believe in angels?" Justin asked once they were in the kitchen.

Nick bit his lower lip out as he thought about that question.

"Do you think they're real?" Justin questioned.

Continuing to wash the plates Nick said, "I guess it all depends on the individual and their beliefs and faith."

"You mean like if they strongly believe in them then they will see these things?" Justin asked.

"Yah, something like that. It's like that saying, 'you can do it if you put your mind to it.' But in this sense it's more like 'if you believe it you can see it.'"

"Right but do YOU believe or think that angels are real?" Justin asked as he took the plates Nick handed over to him and began drying them before placing them on the rack.

Nick bit his bottom lip, again. Did he? "That's a good question. I don't know, to be honest. I guess I do but at the same time I don't. It's hard to explain," Nick said as he wiped his hands on the small kitchen towel. "How about you?"

"I do. Like, I believe angels are real. They could be anyone or anything, ya know?" Justin said as he dried the last dish.

"Do you mean like that quote that says, 'friends are angels in disguise'?" Nick questioned.

Nodding his head Justin said, "Yes, exactly like that but it's not just limited to friends it can be just about anyone that you hold dear in life."

"Sure, yah, I understand," Nick said and remained silent for a few seconds just looking at Justin.

"What?" Justin asked as he noticed Nick looking at him.

"Nothing," Nick said and then straightened up before running his hand through his not so spikey hair.

Feeling bold Justin said, "It didn't seem like nothing to me." He had no idea where this confidence was coming from but he wished it would go away before he makes a complete fool of himself.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he fixed his gaze back on Justin before managing to sneak a really quick glance down at Justin's bracelet. "Oh? Then what does it seem like to you?"

"I don't know," Justin said shrugging. "Just seemed like you were searching for something."

Nick dropped his gaze back down to the bracelet. "Hmm."

Justin noticed and he too looked down at the bracelet. "What?" His heart beat was rising and his pulse was racing. Oh god, what if Nick turns out to be homophobic or something? What if he's like totally disgusted by the idea of it all?

"That's a pride bracelet, isn't it?" Nick questioned. Sure he knew the answer but he wanted to ask anyways and have Justin tell him.

Looking down at his bracelet and fidgeting with it Justin nodded his head. "Yea, it is."

"Did you make it yourself?" Nick asked. "'Cause it looks homemade."

Again, Justin nodded his head and responded with a "yeah."

"That's cool," Nick said before asking, "How long have you been gay or bi?"

Justin mumbled something under his breath that Nick didn't quite understand. "What?" Nick asked.

"I said, 'I'm gay,'" Justin said finally looking up, waiting for the look of disgust and homophobic comments to stream out of Nick's mouth.

"Oh, okay," was all Nick said.

"That's it?" Justin questioned, shocked.

"What's it?" Nick was confused.

"‘Okay?’ That's it? You're not going to tell me what a pervert I am? Warn me to stay the hell away from you? Threaten to castrate me if I so much as look in your general direction? Call me a fag and rape me?" Justin was truly surprised. He didn't even pay much attention to the questions coming out of his mouth though that's what he'd heard and watched in movies.

Nick wrinkled his face in disgust. "Why the heck would I do THOSE things?" Nick couldn't believe Justin would think that he would be some kind of a jerk or someone who wasn't open-minded about things. After a moment of thinking he asked, "You actually thought I was homophobic, didn't you?" Nick was a tad bit hurt.

"No...yes....no, I don't know. I didn't think you were but I couldn't be too sure besides I don't know you all that well to know if you were or weren't," Justin rambled out.

Justin had a point there. "You're right. Okay, I'm telling you right now. I'm not homophobic and I don't have a problem with homosexuality. I mean, I already knew you were either gay or bi since the first day I met you in the resource center. I didn't run out screaming or anything then, did I?" Nick said.

"You knew?" Justin's eyes were big and wide.

Nick smirked. "Yah, I did. I saw the bracelet when you raised your hand a little... the sweater pulled back and I saw the threads."

"And you're okay with that?" Justin just wanted to make sure.

"Stop worrying, Timberlake." But Justin looked like he was going to do just that, freak out and worry. "Yes, I'm okay with it." Nick answered and to prove his point he threw his left arm over Justin's shoulder and smirked.

Justin let out a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding in. "Good." And then he took in another breathe. Nick’s arm was on his shoulders. Nick’s ARM was on HIS shoulders.

"We should probably head on up and continue with your biology," Nick said as he caught a glimpse at the clock. 7:38 P.M.

Justin nodded his head and within moments both he and Nick were back in his room seated in their chairs by the desks.

Nick leaned towards Justin when Justin opened his biology text book to the first chapter. "I want you to read the chapter and as you're doing that I want you to right down the terms and their definitions... draw pictures and all that stuff," Nick said.

Justin nodded his head and took out a few loose leaf papers and began to read and take notes. Nick, on the other hand, leaned back in his seat and took out a novel that he was reading for his Sci-Fi English class.

It wasn't until a little after 8 PM that Nick's cell phone rang bringing both teens out of their respective concentration of studies.

"Hello?" Nick greeted not paying attention to the caller ID.