Alex realizing that he was in love, which made him think he was bisexual.

Alex was worried. Really worried as he got off of the carriage taxi that had dropped him at his parent's house.
Lolli was going to join Spirit next year, which left his stomach in an even bigger and tighter knot. If she found out about anything, she might might be a little disturbed- or even hate him, which made his head spin.
The whole situation was awkward. Really awkward. What would his parents think? Disown him? His family wasn't religious, but Lolli had commanded the dark arts one time (Which didn't really count.) Thankfully, his parents couldn't take him out of Spirit without his permission. He wasn't going to tell Ras if his parents didn't accept him.
He shakily opened the door to his old house. He was glad he was invited and wasn't just coming over- They had hoped he would come and schoolwork wasn't in his way for Christmas. The house was covered from top to bottom in red, green and white decor, which Alex thought might be the work of Lolli's expertise in making everything shiny and sparkly.
Lolli greeted him first by almost tripping down the hardwood stairs. She jumped up to reach him, and he gratefully picked her up into a strangling hug as she wrapped her hands around his next to hang on. Her long hickory colored hair had grown longer since Alex longer since Alex had last seen her, and she wore a pair of her favorite muddy overalls.
"Alexxxx," she said softly in his ear. "Hi!"
Alex smiled. He was happy to see her again after the long time he had been away. Her green eyes were the same color as his, almost like a reflection as himself. He would have been amused at the similarity, but now all he could do was cringe. As he set Lolli down he giggled. "Haven't gotten any taller, have you?" It was true. She looked as if she could still belong in the 5th grade because of her height.
She would have fussed at him because of the remark if it was any normal day, when Alex was still with his family. Lolli and him would play in the woods behind his house everyday after school. In fact, Alex remembered building a tree fort with her when they were younger. If only he could go back to that day. He wanted to so desperately.
"Quansinan!" Lolli said, flailing her arms around as she went to call for their parents. They didn't call their parents mom and dad- but actually their real names. When Alex heard Lolli call out for them, his eyes widened. He had never heard her speak in Shinkan before, more importantly so naturally. He had been taking classes for only a few years in Askan, an older language that originated from a few of the islands in the Bennier chain. He made a mental note to ask her about it, preferably before his confession.
His parents, Laure and Venus, arrived out of the kitchen. Laure was still in her pajamas, and Venus had a half a cup of coffee still tightly gripped in his hand. Had he only not had it, he still would have been in bed. Alex remembered when he used to run upstairs on Christmas, specifically around this tie of the year, just to wake him up. But he would always stay in bed until he felt it was time to get up.
Alex had a tight feeling in his throat from all of his childhood memories flooding back into his mind. Why did this have to happen now, when he felt bad already? He tried to dust away the feelings down to where he wouldn't remember then again and went to go greet his parents.
"Hi," he said breathlessly. It was true, even though it was hidden under all of his worries and other problems, he really did miss his parents and Lolli and was overjoyed to see them again. He knew them like an open book, and even knew something was new or wrong just by their physical appearance. Laure look as if she had gotten a trim just yesterday, her long, auburn hair falling a little above her waist. Alex was glad she hadn't cut off her bangs. Even though they covered up most of her facial features and eyes, he felt as if it was a part of her that he just couldn't bear to loose.
Venus's, or Alex's father's pigeon blue hair looked more disheveled than usual, a sign that he had more work to do than usual (which also made sense as to the coffee cup in his hand, even though it had to be five already). He had been in the lawyer business for awhile, his cases very fortunate. He may have looked rusty and tired, but it didn't bother him. Venus looked as if he hadn't aged since Alex last saw him, which was last May. He was always happy when Alex remarked on how young he looked.
"Hi honey," said Laure, her smile glistening as she reached over to give him another strangling hug. Lolli and her always gave people hugs that might just suck all the air from the person's lungs if they hung on long enough. "I've missed you so much. Merry Christmas!" Her voice was merry and bright, the perfect tone for Christmas time.
"Hi, Laure," he said as she untangled her arms from his backs and grabbed onto his. She was so excited to see him that she had brushed her bangs out of her face, exposing her green eyes that everyone else in the family had. "I missed you too."
"I have lots planned! We'll go out, we can do all these fun things around because you've been in the city so much and-"
"Mom- Laure, whatever," he said, laughing quietly. "We don't need to. I just want to spend time with you all." That was true. There was also something else he needed to do with them too, before he left. It couldn't be delayed.
Laure's smile faded. Alex thought he might have had said something wrong and rushed to apologize, but Laure cut it and looked at Venus. "Honey, look. Alex is taller than me."
Alex had been taller than her for a long time, which didn't really bother anyone, but as he looked down he was quite clearly towering over Laure. . Embarrasment took over his face.
"Taller than me, too." Venus looked over to Alex and whistled. Cold and Warmhands couldn't age a day past 25, so they weren't going to get any taller anways. "What're they feeding you there, son?"
Alex threw his head back and laughd. He was happy to still see the enthusiasm in Venus. "Normal food, Venus. Really. I promise."
"He gets the height from my father," Laure exclaimed, letting go of his hands. "Tallest man I ever knew."
"No," said Venus, stepping twoards her. "He got it from my great grandmother. Remember?"
"No!" said Laure, jumping up. "It has to be my pop! He wouldn't..." It was hilarious to see them fight with their quiet voices, but Alex felt a warm hand grip in his own. He looked down to see Lolli again, who's face was telling him to follow her. He did as told.
She led him out the back door, into the leafy green yard. Alex remebered every inch of it from the past. The pale white fence that guarded it, the great dirt pile his old dog Molly had recklessly dug up (He was confused as to why it was still in the corner of the yard. Were they trying to keep it as a memorial or something?) and the old, rigid gate in the back still stayed, it's creaking still going. Lolli brought him to it, leading him into the woods. Only the evergreens and some strong and healthy trees still had leaves. He was glad he had kept his shoes on, or his feet would have bled out by now.
Alex was confused as to where Lolli was taking him, but when he saw the large wooden fort in the trees, he knew exactly what it was and grinned.
The treehouse. It had been completely renewed and polished from the ladder up. A new chair swing had been attached to the bottom of of the first floor, replacing the old one. Through the window he saw new furniture. Lolli took a seat on the swing, even though Alex wanted to go up and explore what was new. He sat down next to her.
Lolli sighed and leaned back in the swing, then drastically swung it back and forth which made Alex's stomach churn. "So, a better hello. I thought out here would be better."
"You're right," he said, laughing. "You've done a lot to the place, you know?"
Lolli scoffed. "Wasn't just me. It was Sock, too." She smiled when she said it and Alex's face lit up.
He almost forgot about him.
Sock was his neighbor's nickname they used when they would talk to him. His real name was Casper, but after having an incident with a sock on the road- which Alex couldn't quite remember- Sock became his nickname from there on. He was only a few years older than Lolli and a few years younger than Alex, and strangely, their parents always thought of him as their third child.
"I can't beileve he's still here-- or, is he?" Alex questioned. It had been so long since he had last saw him, he had to be around fifteen now. Another memory flooded back into his head of when Alex was eleven and Sock was nine. They had both been doing their schoolwork in the treehouse on a hot day in May, just waiting for summer break to start. Alex's face turned sour at the thought of another memory. This one was strong. Alex had a silly crush on Sock back then. If Alex didn't have Sam now, he would have gone to Sock in a heartbeat. He was one of his and Lolli's only childhood friends-- they weren't very popular children.
Lolli didn't notice his expression and looked up; smiling at the sky. Something looked off about her to Alex, like there was something she wanted to tell him too. He could only imagine. "I hear he's transfering soon."
Alex's heart sank. If it was to a boarding school that had different break times than him, he would loose Sock for a longer time then he wanted. "Where--"
"He's transfering to block C, section three." She looked back at Alex. His face flushed a crimson red. He tugged at the side of his pant leg in embarassment.
Sock was the only thing that he could focus on. He was coming. To Spirit. It was all too much. "He's...Transfering? To here?" Alex croaked. He really couldn't beileve it. No, really, he couldn't. "No, no, I don't beilece is this a coming home prank?"
Lolli frowned. "It's true, stupid. he told me last week."
"Wow."
It was quiet for some time. Alex watched the sky for any birds that flew by, and looking around him at all of the crisp, brown leaves that had dropped in the fall. His parents had moved to the town Gloria around four years before he was born. They wanted to raise a family in a smaller area than the busy city of Windshire. He was always happy to come home and stray away from school and the city once in awhile.
"There's somethng I wanted to say to you," said Lolli, speaking up after at least fifteen minutes.
"Something wrong?" Alex's eyes were closed softly, his hands behind his head. He opened one tired eye.
"You were just acting a little weird when you came." she hesitated to say something else. Her face looked somewhat worrie as she looked at the ground. "I just wanted you to tell me if something was wrong. You're my big bro and all, so. if you didn't want to come here, it's fine--"
"No." Alex shot up on the swing, startling Lolli. He had to hang on onto the chain just to stablize himself. He was ashamed to tell Lolli anything now. He was being good at hiding his emotions, but Lolli had pushed past his mask. She really knew him too well. "Nothing's wrong."
"Yes, there is, Alex. You know it," she said frowning at him and furrowing her brows. Alex could still see the hint of sadness in her eyes. A very human emotion. Had she been studying the alien planet from another galaxy again, that had humans like them, but without talents? Wasn't it called Earth?
His pulse quickened and his heart beat so fast it might as well burst right out of his chest. He was normally never anxious around his family, seldomly when he was younger with a school project or a failed test. But he had never felt so pressured before. He was about to tell his thirteen-year old sister he was in love with a boy. It wasn't something he was typically be proud of. Surely--
"You've been staring at your pants for three minutes," She said, cutting off the silence. "That's very gay."
"And that's the point," Alex snapped. "I like someone, okay? It's...It's..."
Lolli was intrigued. "What?"
"He's a boy. Don't hate me please, I mean it. He's a boy. He has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen, and his golden hair always shine in the sun like a star, and the few times he smiles it feels like I could just fall over. I love him so much. He's just so beautiful and I-" He stopped. "Oops."
Lolli's eyes had popped out of her skull and her jaw had dropped to the ground. "You are..."
"No," he stampered. "It's not like that. I like girls...I guess do. And boys. Is that even a thing--?" His face felt like it was on fire. he couldn't beileve he was telling Lolli this so soon.
"It's called beung bisexual," she said, relaxing her face. "But I can't beileve--"
"I know, you're probably disgusted." He turned to face the oppisite way of her and took a long strand of his hair,twisting around his finger. "I should have never told you, I'm so sorry, It's just so weird to be in love and--"
"It doesn't matter," she yelped. "I don't care. Love is so strange. And, well," she snickered sinisterly. "We made a joke once, while you weren't here. Venus bet Laure thirty bucks you were gay. We thought you liked Sock. But they probably don't remember, it was like; a month after you left."
Alex almost spit all over her. He made a high pitched squeaking sound that probably would've woken the whole forest, as it was getting dark. "You guys knew?"
Lolli's eyebrows shot up. "WHAT? Oh my god, I didn't know you actually used to like him. No wonder you were looking at your pants."
"No!" He yelled again in a high voice. "Christ no, I didn't think about doing that with him--" His face was beet red. "I was just thinking."
"About your boyfriend?" Lolli raised an eyebrow.
"Sort of...And about telling Laure and Venus."
"What's his name?" She asked curiously.
He hesitated. "It's...um, Sam."
"I like that name." She took both her pigtails out and put her hair into a ponytail. "When do you plan on telling them?"
"Soon," he sighed. "Christmas probably."

"Good." She smiled. Alex smiled back.

The following day, the family had gone out to town to look at some of Alex's favorite childhood places. The old playground, the children's library...it made his head hurt with memories that he had to secretly take pain killers that Lolli had given to him when he arrived home-- But it was still fun. He remembered checking at least twenty books at the library, and at the park building a fort out of sticks on the ground (which was eventually taken down).
After Alex had come out to Lolli, she was completely respectful twoards him and showed no hate. But she did ask a lot of terribly obnoxious questions in his perspective, like if he liked anyone else in Spirit and if he planned on loosing his break phonr soon-- Which was something Alex thought was highly explicit for her age and told her to stop asking. She told him to promise to tell them at Christmas dinner, and he did. She was going to help him if he felt uncomfortable answering a question they might have anyways-- She had always been particulary confident with everything she said, which was good.
And then it was Christmas day. It had come so quickly that it made Alex's head spin. Lolli, as usual, ran into their parent's room to go wake them up. Venus wouldn't usually get up until later, but maybe, just maybe-- he might wake up early since Alex was here. He wasn't sure.
Alex had stayed in bed instead of going with Lolli like he wanted to. It was risky doing it now, with all the memories that kept popping up in his head. He didn't want to get a migrane before going downstairs with his family. He might as well get one anyways because of all the pressure that was being put onto him.
Lolli had opened the first present. It had been wrapped in paper with snowmen covering it, adressed from Laure to her. Laure had put on faint Christmas music from a record player in the kitchen, which they could slightly hear. It was a great silence filter to block out Alex's thoughts.
Inside Lolli's present was Laure's fifth great grandmother's old jewelry box, a gift that had been passed down from generations. it was filled from top to bottom in necklaces, charms, rings and bracelets; some or most enchanted with good luck or more. Even Alex starred in amazement at a ruby ring that sat off to the side of the box.
Lolli noticed his intrest and reached over the box to drop it in his lap. "You seem to like it, you should keep it."
Alex sighed happily and laughed at the same time. "No, you should keep it. It's yours now, besides."
"Keep it," she said flatly. "I don't really like red."
After eating breakfast, the siblings had gone upstairs. Lolli had taken the box up to her room to sort it through it with Alex-- which he thought was a little too much. "Why do you want to give these all to me?" He looked around her room as he spoke, making himself comfortable on her smale twin bed. It had been changed completely since the last time he had stayed longer than a night with his family, which had to be a good two years. Spirit was always so serious with work. Her walls were still pink, but new poster filled up the walls. A few were of Elodie Astron, Lolli's biggest fashion inspiration. Her dresser, which she was currently at, had bottles of lipstick, mascara, and other things Alex didn't know how to name. Makeup had always been a mystery to him.
"Because," she said, looking in the mirror. "There are hundreds in this box. I can't keep them all. And I think you look good with rings and bracelets. Maybe a few necklaces." She turned around to toss him a bracelet, which toppled onto the floor before he could see it. "I mean really, Alex. Have you ever seen how feminine you look?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "What do you mean? I don't look like a girl at all." He got up to look in Lolli's dresser mirror.
"Look," she reached down to grab his cold hand. "Look how small your stupid hand is."
She was right; It was only a little bigger than hers. He had never really bothered to notice. "So?"
"What I'm saying is that if I gave you hair extensions you're practically a girl. Congratulations."
Alex almost spit out on her like he did the other day. "Um, no. You're not doing anything to my hair, it's long enough already. Nor are you doing anything else." He put his hands on his hips; annoyed.
She picked up a black pencil out of one of the dresser's drawers. Alex didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it. "Even though you're a boy, you'd look really good with eyeliner. Just saying."
"No, I won't. We're not doing that." Alex huffed, picked up the pile of things Lolli had thrown to him and proceeded to open up the door and leave when Lolli said one more thing that made him stop.
"You know, I'm sure your boyfriend would like it," she said, still looking in her mirror. "I mean, if he thinks you're pretty now, then if you wear it he'll think you're really hot."
Alex looked at the back of her head, his mouth slightly ajar. he then clamped it shut and dropped the rings. "...Fine. Don't make it long. It's only a few hours till dinner."
"Crikey, it won't take that long," she took her hair and swooped it over her shoulder as got off the stool to give to Alex. "Perferably six minutes at least."
"Make it five." He sat down uncomfortably on the stool, crossing his arms.
"Five and a half it is," said Lolli.

"I didn't--" Aex exclaimed, but he was cut off by a pencil jabbing him in the eye.

Two hours later, Alex was looking in the mirror for the tenth time in five minutes. Dinner started in an hour, and he couldn't go down looking like this- but Lolli had put an enchantment on it without telling him. It wasn't going to come off soon, and Alex had already pleaded to her to take it off. But she refused.
He flopped down onto his bed; exhausted. This used to be his room when he still lived here. He remembered the old, rocking dresser in the corner, and the giant bay window that had a good look of the yard. He remembered having sleepovers with Sock in it, and late summer nights where he took his nightlight and read under the blankets when he was supposed to sleeping. His parents never got accpetionally angry at Alex or Lolli, except the one time Lolli thoguht it would be interesting to throw Molly out the window and see if she would land at eight years old. In fact...
He groggily opened his eyes to Lolli very agressively shaking him back and forth. Had he really fallen asleep? Without blankets or anything? It was unusual for him.
"It's time," she said hastily. Before he could even speak a word, Lolli pulled him up.
"How long was I out?" Alex said, practically jumping and falling down the stairs.
This was time he had been waiting for. More likely dreading. It was almost silly to be so serious about saying a few words, but it had wracked his brain for days. He had already told Lolli, which was a start, but what Laure and Venus? They had always been quiet and neutral about big things and tried to stay out of the picture, but what about now? They always took everything he told them as a big deal ever since he started boarding at Spirit. Would they disown him, like he thought right before he opened to the door to his old house?
Or would they force him out of their minds, wanting to never think of them as their son again? Or their daughter, as Lolli said about his appearance earlier. Haha. Actually, Alex was currently having an identity crisis in the hall.
Did being bisexual mean he was a woman? What was he like to Lolli? Her explaniation was very vauge. Maybe she was right. He was acting more girly than usual lately, with describing how Sam looked and twisting his hair on his finger. What was he to Sam? And the ace gang? Who and what was he to himself? He had never felt more dizzy and confused in his life. What would he say to the ace gang back at school? His held felt fuzzy as the same message flashed in his head over and over again: "Who am I?"
He stopped in the hallway. "Does being bisexual mean I'm a girl now?" His knees buckled. He felt like he was going to throw up. "You um, didn't have a very good explanation."
She noticed his sick face. "Um, dude...No it doesn't. Maybe I shouldn't have made that remark." She looked off to the side. "Sorry."

What if they wanted Lolli to forget him?

"I don't think I can do this." He stopped on the stairs and held onto the banister rail, ready to puke on Lolli.
"Yes, you can, okay? They are not going to do anything to you, I swear. And If they do--" She stopped at the last stair and looked up at him. "Then they'll have to get past me."
Venus had cooked up a whole feast just for the four of them. Alex got most of his cooking skills from him learning in the kitchen together. He was astonished they hadn't invited Sock's family over for Christmas like they did almost every year-- but something in the back of his head told him why. It's because you're here. They want to be and talk with you. Alex shifted in the dining room seat. They want to be and talk to with you.
Lolli gave him a wink from across the table, making his insides tie up. Laure and Venus then sat down, each carrying plates with them. Alex didn't have anything on his, but he picked up some to make it look like he was hungry.
"So--" Venus said, clasping his hands together. He sat at the head of the table, opposite to Alex on the other side. "I guess we've been waiting till now to ask you all the questions, sorry about that." He glanced awkwardly from side to side. "How have your grades been?"
Alex practically deflated in his seat. He helplessly look at Lolli for support even though he didn't need it, but she didn't look up and continued wolfing down her food. He touched his sweaty palms. "Um...I've been getting all Ss' on my card. I think only one uh, A."
Laure looked up in wonder. "Honey, that's great! I'm so proud--" She stopped. "Wait, sweetie...Are you wearing...eyeliner?"
Alex gawked and swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry in his throat. A lump formed. "...It's Lolli's fault."
Lolli shrieked with laughter, clutching her stomach just to stable herself. Then she stopped laughing all at once, like someone had taped her mouth. "Yeah, It was me. Haha."

His parents completely do not care and are happy to know that he was comfortable telling them.