The truth sat between them like something fragile. Not dangerous—just easily broken. Juni arrived at the bus stop with his sleeves pulled low despite the warm air.
Elian noticed. He always did.
They sat together in silence as the bus rumbled toward school, neither of them pretending the night before hadn't happened.
"…I'm sorry," Juni said suddenly.
Elian frowned. "For what?"
"For saying it," Juni replied. "Now it's… yours too."
Elian shook his head.
"It doesn't work like that," he said. "You didn't give me a burden. You trusted me."
Juni looked unconvinced.
All day, Elian moved through classes with a quiet tension humming beneath his skin. Juni stayed close—but watchful, as if bracing for consequences that hadn't arrived yet.
At lunch, Juni poked at his food. "…You're thinking about telling someone," he said softly.
Elian hesitated. "Yes," he admitted. "But only if you want to."
Juni swallowed. "…Who?"
Elian answered without thinking. "My mom."
Juni froze.
"An adult?" Juni whispered.
Elian nodded. "She's not like—" He stopped himself. "She won't force anything. She won't go behind your back."
Juni's hands clenched. "They always say that."
Elian felt the truth of that land. "I know," he said quietly. "You don't have to decide now."
Juni stared at the table. "…What if she looks at me differently?" he asked.
Elian leaned closer, lowering his voice. "She already sees you," he said. "She noticed things without judging. Without pushing."
Juni's breath shook. "That's what scares me."
That afternoon, Elian found his mother in the garden, kneeling beside the flowers.
"Mom," he said. "Can I talk to you?"
She looked up immediately. "Of course."
They sat on the stone steps together. "…If someone you care about was hurting," Elian began carefully, "how would you want them to tell you?"
Evelyn considered the question. "I wouldn't," she said. "I'd want them to feel safe enough to choose when."
Elian nodded. "And if they were afraid you'd take control away?"
Evelyn's expression softened. "Then I'd make it very clear," she said, "that safety and control are not opposites."
That evening, at the bus stop, Elian spoke gently. "My mom knows something's wrong," he said. "Not details. Just… enough."
Juni's chest tightened. "She hasn't asked," Elian continued. "She's waiting."
Juni closed his eyes. "…If I say yes," he whispered, "can I change my mind?"
"Yes," Elian said immediately.
"…Can I be there?" Juni asked. "The whole time?"
"Yes."
"…And if I panic?"
Elian's voice didn't waver. "We stop."
Juni opened his eyes. "…Okay," he said. "Not today. But soon."
Elian felt something loosen in his chest. "Whenever you're ready."
They sat together as the bus arrived, the world continuing around them like nothing had changed. But something had. The truth was no longer held by one person.
It hadn't been taken away. It had been offered.