Sheraton Academy

Nobody Else But You

Rating: PG. Warnings: None

Kong Yok looked up from his book, where he laid on the floor. JD was on the bed, his bed, but Kong Yok was afraid to get too close, so wired up already from all the almost contact they'd shared in gym class and then seeing JD, half-naked, completely unashamed of himself, in the locker room afterward.

But why should he be ashamed? Why should anyone be worried about changing in the locker room? This school seemed to have a higher queer population than most – maybe it was out of convenience, maybe it was coincidence – but aside from the one assault last year, nobody ever stepped out of line.

Every nerve was like a firecracker, and static electricity ran through his veins. Kong Yok was wired with adrenaline like he'd just run a marathon, but all he'd done is play some football with his classmates, boring, uneventful.

And it was because of the blonde boy sitting on his bed who he'd been crushing on for the better part of two years.

It was going to destroy him if he kept up like this. He had to say something. Anything! JD wouldn't leave, right? He had a ton of gay and bisexual friends, and Kong Yok was sure at least one of them had a crush on him. How could they not? He could keep it civil if JD could.

Right?

"Um, JD?"

JD looked up from his homework and Kong Yok closed his book, using his thumb as a bookmark. He angled his head in just a way where his hair fell over his eyes so JD couldn't see the flush on his face.

"What's up?"

"I... do you... have you ever fancied somebody?"

"Sure," JD said. He pushed his homework to the side and hung off the bed so he could get a little closer to Kong Yok and his mumbling. "I guess. Why?"

"What did you do about it?"

JD shrugged. "Nothing, really. It wasn't the time or place, I guess. I was still figuring myself out."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, if I was gay or not. Or bi. Or liked guys, or girls, or whatever."

"What... what did you decide?"

JD grinned and held up six fingers.

"Solid six," he said.

"What?"

"On the Kinsey scale."

"What's a Kinsey scale?"

JD chuckled and said, "That's right, I forget you Brits never really reference him like us Yanks do. Totally gay. You didn't know that?"

Kong Yok shrugged. "We just... don't ever talk about it."

"What about you?" JD asked.

Kong Yok finally looked up. "What?"

"If I can ask? What about you? Where do you fall?"

Kong Yok shrugged and looked down at his book. "Whatever."

"Hey, that's cool, too," JD said. He gently scratched the base of Kong Yok's head, just for a split second. The Chinese boy was getting better about causal touches, but JD still didn't want to push him too far.

"It's a spectrum, man," JD said. "Like... a grid. There's tons of options. That's why it took me so long to figure it out!"

Kong Yok smiled and pushed his hair out of his face. It fell right back in.

"So, why do you ask?"

Kong Yok's head snapped up, eyes wide, as he stared at JD.

"What?"

"Why do you ask?" JD repeated. "Do you have a crush on someone?"

"No, I..." Kong Yok stammered. He was so used to denying it that now, trying to admit to it was like trying to run head first into a brick wall. "I mean... I..."

JD grinned. "You do!"

"I..."

"Who is it? Anyone I know?"

Kong Yok buried his face in his hands. He took a deep breath.

"Do they know?"

Kong Yok shook his head.

"Do you want them to know?"

Kong Yok shrugged. His face burned red-hot, all the way down his neck and into his shoulders. This had been a terrible idea.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Nobody would like me like that, anyway."

"Why not?" JD sounded almost offended. Kong Yok finally looked up. "You're nice, and you're mellow, and you're cute! That's a lot of good reasons right there."

"Only once you get to know me," Kong Yok protested weakly. "Not at first."

"So, get to know them!"

"I have!" Kong Yok whined in frustration and smacked his book against the floor. "But he doesn't feel the same way. It doesn't matter. It's stupid."

"Your feelings aren't stupid," JD said gently. He paused. "Do you have his phone number?"

Kong Yok covered his mouth and nose with his book and nodded.

"I want you to call him by the time I get down the hall," JD said. Kong Yok froze and took in a shuddering, scared breath. "I'm going to run down to the cafeteria for coffee. You'd better have called him by the time I get back!"

Kong Yok closed his eyes and nodded.

***

JD was halfway down the stairs when his phone rang. He frowned when he saw Kong Yok's name on the caller ID and he picked it up with a joking, "I thought I told you to call your crush? What are you doing calling me?"

Kong Yok was silent on the other end.

"Kong Yok? I know it's you. You came up on my call ID. What's going on?"

"Yeah," he finally said, a step behind in the conversation.

"Yeah what?"

"Yeah, you... you told me to call the person I fancy."

"So why are you calling me? I told you to call him before I got back! Clock's ticking, dude!" He laughed, trying to make it clear he was joking.

"Yeah, you..." Kong Yok growled in frustration and muttered, "God, you're so stupid, why do I like you so much?"

"What?"

"You —"

"Oh. Oh!" JD's hand flew to his mouth and he stopped halfway down the stairs. The boy behind him smacked into his back and stumbled back a few steps, then inched around him in the narrow staircase with a muttered, "Watch where you're going."

"I know you don't feel the same way," Kong Yok said, "so I didn't say anything for a really long time, but... it was killing me. I'm sorry. I won't make it weird if you don't."

"No, no, it doesn't have to be weird," JD said. He didn't realize what his words implied, still trying to process what Kong Yok had said. He wasn't sure how he felt about Kong Yok. His friend was... confusing. They could be comfortable one moment and JD's heart could feel like it was about to burst out of his chest the next. Was that a crush? Was that what that meant?

"You don't have to come back if you don't want," Kong Yok finally continued. He sounded like he was choking. "I can put your books outside the door –"

"No!" JD cried. "No, I want to come back. In fact, screw the coffee, I'm coming back right now. We can talk about this. Okay?"

Silence. No, not silence. Quiet, muffled sobs.

"Okay," Kong Yok sniffled.

JD didn't know how he felt. It was more subtle than a crush, but more consuming than friendship. But Kong Yok deserved an answer, and JD wasn't going to leave until he could give him one.