*** This chapter contains homophobia in form of homophobic speech and slurs***

Jaxon drives up to the farmhouse, where aunt Mary is already waiting for them, waving at them as soon as they reach her field of vision. When they leave the car, the woman crushes the boys with hugs, one after another. "I'm so glad you boys could make it, it's been way too long. You've all grown up so much!", she gushes. "Thanks for having us.", Yujah says with a polite smile. "Of course, no need to thank me. Why don't you come in? My husband and son are inside. I told them they can wait out here with me, but I guess they are feeling shy since they don't know you." She chuckles. The boys follow her in. Inside they are met with the smell of cookies, coffee, and lavender. When they get to the kitchen, a man about Mary's age with gray hair and brown eyes holds out his hand for Jaxon to shake. "I'm Martin, welcome to my farm. Tell me if ya need anything, 'aight?", the man says. "Sure thing. I'm Jaxon." Next to him, his son copies his action by extending his hand to Yujah. "Hey, I'm Gary. And you must be Yujah, right? We've talked on the phone before?" The younger teen smiles at him. "Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet you." Then, the father-and-son duo switches places. "Hey, I'm Gary.", the boy now shaking Jaxon's hand says. "Jaxon. Just call me Jax." Martin also re-introduces himself to Yujah, then both introduce themselves to Jonah, who is hiding behind Yujah and refuses to shake their hands, which they just laugh off. "So, who would like some lunch? I made some chicken - quality guaranteed since it's our own.", aunt Mary says with a wink. They set the table and mingle in meaningless small-talk. After the meal, the boys feel a lot more comfortable in their new environment. Mary and Gary clean up the table together, refusing Yujah's help. However, they can't help but notice how little the teen ate. They were pretty sure the food left was still from his first serving. "So.", Jaxon says, "What's the wi-fi password?" Martin looks him in the eyes with a questioning gaze. "Wi-fi what's that'sposed to be?", he asks. Making Jaxon look at him in horror, before Martin, Gary, and Mary break out in laughter. "Don't worry, he's joking. C'mon give me your phone and I'll type it in for you.", Gary says as he holds his hand out for Jaxon to place his phone in. Jaxon sighs. "Thank god, I was about to die there for a moment.", he says as he places his phone into the older boy's hand. After giving Jaxon's phone back, Gary holds his hand out in front of Yujah. "Yours too?" The younger teen nods, as he gives his phone to him. Meanwhile, Jonah is happily chatting with Martin about farm animals, which Mary uses as an opportunity. "How about this... Martin and Gary show Jonah around the farm and I have a talk and catch up a little more with our dear Yujah and Jaxon?" All agree to that arrangement, and the two teen brothers soon find themselves seated around a small wooden table in the living room.

"So... you wanted to know about Marco, right?", Mary asks. The boys nod. "Why'd you send Jonah out?", Jaxon asks. "What I'm about to tell you is unfit for the ears of a child.", Mary answers, making Yujah tense up. "Is there... something off, about our uncle? Should we keep away from him?" The woman takes a sip of her tea. "That depends on who you're asking. I don't think you have to stay away, necessarily. He won't harm you, that's something I'm sure of." - "Then where's the catch?", the oldest boy asks. His leg is bouncing slightly while he crosses his arms above his chest. The woman sighs. "You have to know that your mother and uncle used to be very close - I was often jealous of their relationship since I was an only child. However, Marco was different from other boys. We didn't think anything of it at first, but... he always played house with us and sometimes played dolls with us when we were small. He later helped us cook and clean. Sports weren't really his thing - neither were cars or other things most boys were interested in. I wouldn't call him feminine, exactly - he never took a liking to make-up or dresses, or anything like that. He still had a lot of male friends and played soccer, even if he was content sitting on the bench during games to cheer instead of joining the team. Like the majority of people our age, he enjoyed listening to music, watching movies, and going to concerts and parties. The only thing that was missing was... his interest in girls." Yujah gulps, while Jaxon says: "What do you mean?" The woman sighs again. "At first we thought he was simply a late bloomer, but... it turned out that he liked guys-" - "You're fucking kidding me, right?", Jaxon says while sitting up. "Don't screw with us!", he then shouts while slamming his hands on the table. Yujah flinches while Mary looks at the older teen with wide eyes. "There's no way we're going to stay with a faggot! What do you mean he won't do anything to us?? That's disgusting! People like that shouldn't be anywhere near children. That's it, I'm out. There's nothing further to talk about. No wonder we've never heard of him." The teen gets up and moves towards the door. "Where are you going?", Yujah asks. "Taking a smoke. Need to calm my nerves after that bullshit." The door slams shut after him.

Mary touches her forehead. What a disaster. She didn't even get to tell them what happened... "Aunt Mary.", Yujah says, making the woman look at him. "Could you... tell me more? I think I understand why he wasn't in our lives until now, but on the phone, you said it was a long story, so..." The boy's gaze was slightly downcast, his tone unsure. A conversation she had with the boys' mother a few years in the past when they still kept in contact regularly, comes to mind. 'Yujah keeps acting similarly to Marco', she had said. 'He plays house, watches princess movies and plays dolls with girls his age and wants to help me cook... he likes sports more than Marco did, but he will never be able to join a club... what if he grows up to be like him? What if I'm doing the same mistake, twice?' The woman looks at the boy in front of her - messy hair, baggy clothes, seemingly no sense of style.

"Did you ever play with dolls?", she asks. "... I'm a boy, I'm not supposed to have played with dolls." Mary shakes her head. "That's not what I asked... personally, I think children should play with whatever they want to play with, as long as it's not endangering them. So, I'm asking my original question again... did you ever play with dolls?" The boy in front of her relaxes a little. "I... have, yes. Usually with female friends. I was never allowed to do that at home, though." She nods. "Do you like cooking?" The boy nods. "I do. I like making food, especially if I can share it with others." Mary nods again, a smile on her lips. "I get that. I really like that, too. It's a nice feeling. What about make-up and dresses?" The boy freezes. "... no, why would I?" He felt like he was getting interrogated. Hopefully, aunt Mary couldn't sense his discomfort. "Then... do you like girls?", the woman asks. "Yes? ...why wouldn't I?", he answers. "Do you have a girlfriend?" The boy shakes his head. "No. But I have an ex... although she dumped me. Girls aren't usually interested in me unless it's platonic...", the boy answers in a small voice. When she sees the boy's downcast look, she decides to stop it there. In the end, she was right and Monica was worrying too much. "You're still young. You're so nice, I'm sure you'll find a lot of girls who are interested in you once you grow up some more. You're already pretty handsome." The boy looks at her with a forced smile - a technique he has mastered to near perfection. "Thanks, Aunt Mary.", he says. The woman smiles back. "No trouble. Self-doubt is human, but don't let setbacks discourage you. Anyway, back to the topic... are there any questions you have? About your uncle?" Yujah sighs in relief.