Jose, my temperamental friend. I can remember, when we met as children, as enemies. He tried to end my life many times, I was used as bait more than once. Though, after he tried his hand at taking over the world, and failed, I took pity on him. Sitting in the streets, cold and alone. I left food for him, blankets, anything I could spare from my own small home. He gave me the cold shoulder at first, so we pretended that nothing was happening, that I was not the one giving him gifts of survival. We played that game until I caught him leaving a gift at my own door. I was so happy, I ran up to him wrapping my small arms around him in a hug. He had gasped, and hesitated before hugging me back. From that day we were the best of friends.

Jose moved into my boat house, and I taught him all I knew about life on the streets. Cybersix objected at first, though finally decided to give my new friend a chance. We were over joyed that she agreed to let Jose stay in Meridiana.

Over the years, we had many adventures, Jose figured out how to start his ageing process again, his intelligence rubbed off on me and my own wit and agility rubbed off on him. We were a great pair.

At one time, we had decided bungee jumping off a bridge was a great idea...well we had our rope, we had our courage...and just as Jose jumped I tripped, dropped the rope and watched Jose smack into the water...his face was very badly bruised...and after he got me alone so was mine. We had a hard time explaining my black eye and his purple face to Cybersix...

As we got older, our adventures changed. Now it was sneaking into clubs and dancing the night away with girls. He was better at then I was, a real flirt actually. I was always content to sit and watch him charm girl after girl. Surprising how someone who was once an ugly little brat could become a 'heartbreaker'. I would tease him about it often. He never got mad... okay sometimes he would revert and throw a tantrum....but we'd just laugh it off when it was over.

Eventually, we managed to get jobs and buy an apartment together. That's where we live now. I was at the kitchen table one day reading the paper. I heard the door shut, signalling that Jose was home. I jumped up and greeted him at the door, helping him unload the groceries he had brought with him.
"Uhg..you bought brussel sprouts again." I groaned, pulling a can from one of the bags.

"What? ther're good!" He protested in his now deep voice.

"And pigs can fly."

"Father could have made them fly." Jose said absently, I laughed

"If he could make pigs fly, why wasn't he smart enough to realised he needed a nose job?" I grinned at Jose, the dark haired boy blinked, and started to chuckle. After a while we were laughing and holding our stomachs, making jokes at Von Reichter between spurts of laughter.
*********

I stepped out of the shower, later that night carrying my clothes in my hands, my long hair was clinging to my skin as I walked towards my room wearing only a towel. I jumped with a start as he appeared in front of me. Jose had gotten quite fast over the years. Looking at him with quizzical eyes I waited for him to say something. No words were spoken. Everything is said when his arms wrapped around me and his lips take mine in his own. My body stilled in shock, and he quickly pulled away, his cheeks flushed red.

"Oh god Julian...I am so sorry!" he spun around and runs to his room, slamming the door behind him. I stood frozen for what seemed an eternity, waiting for him? When I could move again, I entered my own room and went to bed.
**********

As we ate our cereal the next morning, there was an uncomfortable silence. I could still taste him in my mouth. I looked across at him, he was staring at me. Our eyes locked, his dark eyes, behind those large orange glasses stared back at me, searching my face. He looked so sad... the silence was unerving so out of what was pure stupidity, I said,

"So, are all of Von Reichter's creations faggots?" The words escaped my lips before I could stop them, and I drew in a breath, waiting for him to answer. His eyes were cold,

"Shut up."

"Bu--"

"I feel bad enough!! I don't need you teasing me!"

"But Jose I'm not!" I shouted, as he ran away from me and back into his room. I sat in stunned silence for a moment, then gathering my courage I walked over to his door and tried the knob, locked. I banged on the door, no answer. Sighing, I started to talk to the door way. Hoping he was listening.

"Jose...I'm so sorry. I was rude and inconsiderate ... but I didn't know how to react I was so surprised. I guess I didn't realise you were...uh..gay..." I stumbled over the word. Sighing at the silence I started again. "Jose, I'm not mad at you..."

"You're just disgusted..." Jose voice cam through the door, I could tell he'd been crying.

"No I'm not!! Jose you're my best friend, I... couldn't ever think that your disgusting. There isn't anything wrong with you and your not a freak." Jose opened his door then, his eyes were full of sorrow.

"No, I just have to take shots every month so I don't stop ageing, I just have to drink sustenance now and then and I'm just not human. I'm a homosexual to top it off. But no, I'm not a freak, no of course not." the sarcasm in his voice was bitter. He frowned at me, and turned back into his room, slamming and locking the door behind him.

He didn't come out all day, or the day after. Or even the day after that. I started leaving his meals at his door way and calling his work to excuse him, saying he had a bad case of the flu. Then after a week I left cards, saying how sorry I was, I left little statues from gift shops, representing friendship. I left all kinds of this at his door way, food, cards, money...he always collected them when I wasn't looking, I never did see them. All I knew was they were disappearing after I put them there.

Then one day, I opened the door to my room and found him, leaving a card for me. I laughed with joy and hugged him. He gasped before returning it. I cried into his shoulder, saying how sorry I was, begging him to forgive me for my cruelty.
"No, I should be sorry, I never gave you a chance. I just assumed you would hate me for what I did...I thought the gifts were just to tease me... I'm sorry. "His eyes welled with tears again and I could feel them dropping onto my shoulder.

"What changed your mind?" I whispered.

"I realised that all the things you gave me amounted to one gift, the best gift of all." he pulled out of the hug, I searched his face and said,

"What?"

"The gift of friendship." I looked at him for a moment, not quite understanding. "You have always befriended me, even when I gave you the cold shoulder. You never asked anything of me then friendship..."

"And when you asked more of me I pulled back..." I finished looking down in shame.

"No, no, I never gave you the chance to react...I didn't listen. So I have to ask you now," he took a breath, his cheeks turned slightly pink, "w-what..how... I think I love you but...if you aren't comfortable with that I'll back off...but if there was any chance..." he looked down at his feet... he didn't finish his question but I understood.

"Could I ever feel the same way?" he looked up at me, I searched his face before continuing. Hope. A glimmer of hope. I smiled at him and said, "Probably. I actually think I already do... a little... so here's the deal, we'll try to be more then friends..and see if it works...because if there could be something, love...then we'd be fools not to be sure because of fear, right?" I waited a moment, holding my breath as he stared at me, searching my face for some kind of joke. After a moment his face erupted into a huge smile, and he wrapped his arms around me in a new hug.

"Thank-you." he whispered. I smiled.

I realised that day, that no gift is more precious, then the gift of understanding, and the gift of love and friendship. Never forget to always give, the greatest gift.

Fin.
uhg. yeah okay to the speech was idealistic and no one was in character... i'll write anoither one, better someday. i already have ideas...

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