Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters. The title of the story and chapters are by Of Monsters and Men

Little Talks

Chapter 1: Screams All Sound the Same

Jeff stared down at the scale and sighed. No, he hadn't gained weight, but he hadn't lost it either, and that was just as bad to him. Making a promise to not eat for the rest of the day, he stepped off the scale and checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror before stepping out of the small bathroom.

It was times like this that made Jeff happy he had a single room at Dalton. While he wouldn't mind having a roommate, it was more convenient for him to not have to worry about completely covering his body up before stepping out of the bathroom. He didn't want anyone to see his body. It wasn't perfect yet.

Just another ten pounds.

Jeff grabbed his uniform shirt and put it on, buttoning the buttons before slipping his tie around his neck and shrugging on his blazer. While he was adjusting the collar of his shirt, he heard a muffled buzz come from his bed where his phone was deposited.

He walked over to his bed and checked his phone, smiling as he read it.

Hey! Where are you? Breakfast is lonely without you :( - N

Jeff smiled and shook his head. Nick Duval was Jeff's best friend. That didn't change the fact that Jeff had fallen in love with him. Not that Jeff had told him. He hadn't even come out yet, let alone confessed his crush. He knew that, while the Dalton boys would accept him, his parents would not, and Nick may figure out his crush.

For now, he would accept that he and Nick were best friends and be content with that. He didn't want to ruin this friendship, no matter what damage that caused his heart.

Jeff felt his phone buzz again in his hand and realized that he had been staring at himself in the mirror on the back of his dorm room door while he was lost in thought. He glanced down at his phone to check the new text.

Seriously Jeff! The cafeteria is not that far from your dorm! Get down here! – N

Jeff pocketed his phone and shook his head.

Best friends. That's it. He's not yours, and he never will be, because Nick is straight.

Jeff sighed yet again, and with a final glance in the mirror, he exited his dorm room and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast before classes started.

He entered the cafeteria and grabbed a bottle of water before heading over to sit with Nick at the Warbler's table.

"Hey Nick!" Jeff said as he slid into a seat next to his best friend.

"Jeff! Where've you been, man?"

"Oh, I just slept in. I think I stayed up to late, my stomach is a little off," Jeff said, gesturing to the bottle of water in front of him.

"Gotcha. Hope you feel better, though." Nick smiled at him before returning to his conversation with the rest of the Warblers.

Jeff tried to listen and contribute to the conversation, but he just couldn't focus. He let his mind wander to Nick. Maybe, just maybe, one day he could fall for Jeff. Maybe they could have a Disney, fairy tale ending. It was worth hoping for at least.

A plate being set down on the table in front of Jeff startled him out of his reverie.

"Hey Jeff!" Blaine smiled at Jeff before starting to eat the scrambled eggs on his plate.

"Good morning, Blaine."

"Not hungry?" Blaine asked, gesturing to the lonely water bottle.

"No, my stomach is a bit upset. It's fine, though," Jeff said, keeping his voice even and giving a small shrug.

"Uh-huh. I see. You're never really hungry anymore. Are you sure everything's okay?" Blaine was a genuinely good guy, and Jeff was touched Blaine was concerned, but nothing was wrong with Jeff. Well, nothing would be wrong with him once he lost a few pounds. Until then, Jeff saw no problem with lying about not being hungry. There was nothing wrong with a little weight loss, right?

"I'm sure. Honestly Blaine, you worry about everyone way too much." Jeff's comment was enough to distract Blaine, who agreed with Jeff before he also turned and joined in on the Warbler's conversation.

Jeff stood with the rest of the boys when the bell rang signaling the start of first period was about to begin. Jeff said goodbye to the rest of them and started walking with Blaine towards first period chemistry.

Fortunately, the chemistry teacher was absent and there was a substitute, who simply put in a video about voltaic cells and asked that the class be quiet for the remainder of the video. Jeff closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander since he had already learned about voltaic cells last year in the chemistry class he had taken before transferring to Dalton.

Before long, Jeff's mind once again wandered to Nick. Jeff couldn't exactly place when the transition from best friend to romantic interest had occurred. But it had been at least a year now, and Jeff was still nursing a sore heart from his unrequited crush.

Every time Jeff had tried to tell Nick about his crush, or that he was gay, he became nervous and would quickly think of something to ask about school to ask instead of coming out. He didn't want to tell Nick he was gay for fear Nick would think he had a crush, which he did. But Jeff was terrified of the rejection, at the same time aware of the possibility of their friendship becoming more.

After all, Nick Duval was an accepting guy. Many of the Warblers had come out, and Nick had accepted all of them with open arms. Jeff had no reason to doubt that Nick would love him all the same.

Maybe it won't change anything. Maybe he won't figure out the crush. Maybe he'll just take it as you trusting him, because you're best friends.

That was a safe assumption to make. Smiling, Jeff opened his eyes as the chemistry video ended and the bell rang, signaling the switch to second period, which Jeff had with Nick.

Jeff smiled and stood, walking quickly to English. He was going to tell Nick today.