I felt awkward, standing there in my tattered jacket and muddy boots. My car was parked down the narrow street, squeezed uncomfortably between two minis. Theo's home looked like a doll's house, all neatly folded in on itself, small but cozy.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, unsure as to what to do with my hands, settling for just stuffing them into my pockets. A few short moments later and the door swung open. Theo smiled shyly up at me, hastily shuffling out onto the front step and shutting the door behind him softly. "Hey." He greeted. "Sorry, I-I just wanted to...I d-don't know, before my parents..." He sighed in defeat, his fingers trembling in the cold. "Sorry Milo roped you into th-this."

I shrugged, "It's okay." I assured him. "Your parents aren't scary though, right?"

He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder briefly before leaning up to balance on his tiptoes. He planted his lips against my cheek momentarily, not giving me a chance to react before spinning around and heading into the house. I grinned to myself as I followed, my fingertips tracing the ghost of his lips.

The corridor was small but warm, giving off a homely glow, magnified by the pairs of wellies lazily pushed up against the wall and the coats draped over the crooked hat stand. Daisy came rushing over immediately, her tail wagging crazily. I was anticipating her jumping up to try and reach my face, just like Bugsy did. But then I remembered how well trained she was and leant down to stroke her. "Do I get to meet your pet snake?" I asked.

Theo nodded, "S-Sure, I'll show you her after dinner."

Daisy trotted after us as we wandered into the kitchen, meeting the rest of the Hart family. Milo was leant back in his chair, his feet propped up on the dining table as he droned on about a video game. His Mother - who I'd already met briefly - was rolling her eyes, entertaining her eldest son's ramble. A man who I assumed to be his Father was dishing everything up on the counter, turning around to face us as we entered the small, messy kitchen. Recipe books were laying open on every surface, dirty plates were piling up in the sink, the cupboards were hanging ajar and damp laundry was draped over the back of the chairs.

"Ah, you must be Luca." Mr Hart smiled politely, wiping his hands on a tea towel before extending it to me.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." I nodded curtly, shaking his hand firmly.

"I wouldn't touch him if I were you Dad, he's got chlamyd-"

"Milo, shut up." Theo hissed at his older brother, glaring at him threateningly. Milo had told him? Well, that's just great. I don't even have chlamydia and now Theo thinks I do.

Ms Hart cleared her throat awkwardly as we all took our places around the table, digging into our food. "Teddy doesn't have friends over very often." Mr Hart declared bluntly, slicing into a piece of rigid broccoli. Theo groaned in embarrassment, his eyes not straying from the food in front of him, "So, how did you two meet?"

"School." I answered vaguely.

Milo scoffed, "Even though you're a year older."

"We treated his dog." Theo interjected quietly. "A-And he helped me out with the k-kittens."

"Did you manage to give them all away?" I inquired.

"All six of them." Ms Hart smiled proudly.

"That's great." I smiled happily, fondly remembering their little whiskered faces.

"So, you two are just friends, right?" Theo's Father asked skeptically, waving his fork between the pair of us as both our faces heated up, glowing red.

"Y-Yes, Dad." Theo grumbled in embarrassment.

"I'm just asking." He rose his hands in surrender, smirking at his wife.

"Hm, what an earth would make you think that they were anything more than friends, Father?" Milo grinned, propping his elbows up on the table, his face resting in his hands.

Ms Hart decided to cut in with a nervous laugh, "Isn't Teddy allowed to be friends with someone?" She rose her brows.

"D-Doesn't Teddy deserve to be part of the c-conversation?" Theo asked in exasperation. "W-We're just friends."

Milo scoffed, drawing each pair of eyes onto him, but then he quickly averted his attention back to his plate, "Had something in my throat." He murmured, watching me through his lashes.

"Don't worry, we're friends." I smiled, turning to Theo, finding amusement in his flustered expression.

I couldn't have been more relieved by the time the conversation finally shifted away from my relationship with Theo. It stayed general for a while, discussing the news and enduring a long monologue from Milo about why he deserved full marks on his recent essay. After hearing him practically recite the whole paper, the attention drifted back to me. "That's quite an accent you've got there, Luca." Mr Hart observed, slicing into the cheesecake before dishing it out.

"It's Dutch." I supplied, thanking him as he passed me a plate. "We moved about six years ago but I've been speaking English most of my life."

"I spent a few years in the Netherlands back when I was a student." He added. "It's a beautiful country, why did you move?"

I gulped, sparing a side glance at Theo, who was staring intently at his untouched dessert. I wondered how easy it would be to just tell them the truth. I intentionally started a fire at school. "My Dad was transferred over here."

"What does he do?"

"He's a recruitment manager." I shrugged, "Pretty boring."

After finishing up and declining a glass of red wine, Theo dragged me up the steep, uneven stairs. His room was small and cramped, the ceiling squeezing the small area, the wooden floorboards creaking under our weight. He had a small single bed pushed up against one wall, messy and unmade, a desk suffocated by homework pushed up against the other.

My eyes immediately snapped to the large tank in the corner of the room, containing a thick layer of sand and suspended twigs for what I assumed was for climbing. I wandered over curiously, my eyes landed on a thick coil of black and white scales. "Boy or girl?" I questioned as Theo came to stand beside me.

"Girl." He replied. "She's a C-California King Snake."

"What's she called?" I pressed, examining the smooth scales of the snake. She looked to be about four or five feet long, and was covered in rings of black and white, running along her body.

He blushed furiously, his lips curling into an embarrassed smile, "Uh...it d-doesn't matter, I named her w-when I was like eleven, I-"

"Theo." I sung teasingly, grinning in anticipation. "What's she called?" I repeated.

He sighed in defeat, "Promise not to laugh?"

"Promises are an illusion, be prepared for laughter."

He took a deep, reluctant breath before muttering, "Rumplesnakeskin."

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Theo was glaring me in what was meant to be a disapproving way, but he just looked too cute to pull it off. "I'm sorry." I panted, "Oh, god, Theo, that is hilarious."

He chuckled to himself, slapping me on the shoulder playfully, "Shut up."

"So, you're parents know you're gay?" I asked casually, finally managing to contain my laughter as Theo perched on the end of his bed.

"Yeah, th-they've known for a while." He smiled shyly. "S-Sorry, by the way."

I laughed, "For what? Being accused of being your boyfriend?"

He flushed as he nodded, "Yeah."

"Would that really be the worst thing in the world?" I rose my brows, leaning against his desk, watching him grow flustered.

"I-I, uh...well, n-not for..."

"Relax." I chuckled, moving to sit beside him, "The answer is no. It wouldn't." I winked, "And just so you know, I don't have any STIs."

"I-I didn't think you did." He assured me. "L-Luca, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Y-You don't have to answer if you-"

"Theo." I warned mockingly.

"H-How many girls have you...like...been with?"

I sighed heavily. I should have known that was coming sooner or later. I guess I just assumed it'd be later. "D'you want the honest answer?" I asked anxiously. He nodded. "Okay." I braced myself, "I...I don't know." I shrugged. I kept count a while ago, mentally adding on each girl, creating a number higher than necessary. But I gave up soon enough, realising counting was both pointless and stupid. "I'm guessing that's not what you wanted to hear?"

He was staring at his hands in his lap, clearly reluctant to meet my eye, "I-It's okay." He whispered. "I just don't r-really understand...Why do you like me?"

I frowned, his words not sitting right with me, "You seriously can't think of a single reason that someone might like you?" I asked incredulously. He shook his head shyly. "Wow." I noted. "We've got a lot of work to do then."

"W-What?"

"Don't worry, Theo, I'll show you exactly why I like you. Maybe it'll make you like yourself a bit more too. Who knows?"

He watched me for a while, as if I'd just grown a second head. Then his blank expression twisted into a grin as he cupped my face in his hands and shyly leant in to kiss me.