Couldn't stay away, could I? Welcome back, guys.
I don't have much to say other than enjoy the chapter!
Xoxoxo
So now you know how it started. Yes, that is right. That was just the start. There is still so much more to come, and most of it is very bad. Of course, it will not seem that way until the end, but you will just have to wait a bit more for that. I have to explain some more things to you before we get to that point.
Now this time, I am going to tell you exactly how I managed to get together with my psychotic childhood bully. Before then, I would have thought that I would have to be insane to do so. Now, after everything that has happened, I think I was a bit insane. But I can not change things now. Deep down a part of me doesn't want to anyway. I should probably point out now that I am attracted to both girls and boys, so liking Buford was not too shocking for me.
I am getting off topic. Things really began to happen at lunch time that very same day...
OoO
Baljeet stabbed at his macaroni and cheese with his fork, resting his cheek on his other hand. His mind was too preoccupied to even consider eating. No, he was mainly focused on one thing. Buford.
His stomach jolted just at the thought of him, and Baljeet had to admit he was a fool for thinking he could convince himself that he didn't have a crush on the larger teen. He'd known that things would turn out badly if he admitted it, even to himself, so he just pushed it away. Told himself otherwise. But now? Now he had some hope. Maybe it wouldn't end so badly.
Buford had tried to kiss him. That was something, right? It had to be. Buford had to, at the very least, be attracted to him. Otherwise, why would he do that? There was no other reason, right? Baljeet certainly didn't think so.
He'd told Phineas, of course. When something big happened in his life, he usually went to Buford. When something big happened in his life that had something to do with Buford, he usually went to Phineas. The redhead was a good listener and he didn't judge.
Phineas had been just as surprised as Baljeet, but he'd agreed not to mention it to anyone (even Ferb) and to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. He'd also encouraged Baljeet to act on his feelings, saying, "if he tried to kiss you, obviously the feelings mutual. Go for it, dude!"
Baljeet glanced up when he saw someone sit down at their table out of the corner of his eye. It was Buford, of course. Everyone else was there. He found himself blushing and he hastily looked back down at his lunch, not knowing what to do or say. Should he act on his feelings? What if Buford had just been joking around? He wouldn't be that cruel, would he?
"Buford!" Phineas immediately said, and Baljeet sneaked a look at the redhead. He was giving Buford a sly grin and the Indian almost groaned. So much for acting like nothing had happened. His bully didn't seem to notice, though. "We were just making plans for a giant water slide next holidays, you keen?"
"Ya, sure, I guess," was the grunted reply.
"What about you, Baljeet?" Phineas asked, glee evident in his voice.
Baljeet glared down at his lunch, ignoring him. He'd forgotten how annoying the redhead could get when he knew a particular secret. He always poked fun at it. Hopefully if he just pretended he wasn't listening, Phineas would give up. It was obvious the boy was trying to draw both him and Buford into a conversation.
"Baljeet?" he asked again.
The Indian grit his teeth and didn't respond.
"BALJEET!"
Oh for-! Baljeet gave up. There was no way he could pretend to have not heard that. He purposely jumped and widened his eyes, acting as if he were shocked. "Huh? I am sorry, I was thinking about..." he glanced at Buford briefly, his stomach jolting when he realized the other boy was staring at him and their eyes had met for a few seconds. "Something else."
Well, that wasn't a lie. He had been thinking about something else. That just so happened to be Buford. And how annoying Phineas was.
"Are you feeling alright?" Ferb asked him, and Baljeet cursed in his mind. He didn't need the green-haired teen on his case too.
"Yes," he ground out, shifting uncomfortably.
"Are you sure?" Ferb persisted. Baljeet refused to look up at him. "You seem... distracted."
"I have just got a lot on my mind," he said tersely. Which was true.
"You know, you can use contractions, Baljeet," Isabella butt in.
"I know that!" he snapped. The others went quiet. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but he didn't want anyone else to know what had happened and he didn't like being questioned.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. For once he barely paid attention in his classes and got pretty much no work done. Thankfully the only ones who noticed were Phineas and Ferb. Phineas already knew why and didn't comment, and Ferb had enough tact not to say anything.
He had his after school tutoring session in five minutes, and he was nervous. One student's grades had gotten so bad that Baljeet had been assigned to tutor him. Unfortunately for him, that person was Chris Fraser.
For some reason Chris had this weird vendetta against him. It had started out simple enough, Chris would throw a few insults and Baljeet would ignore them. He was used to it, after all. He'd been bullied by Buford for years. But at one point he'd snapped and corrected the other boy's language. That had been the turning point.
Really, he had no idea why that pissed off the bully so much, but it did. Ever since then he went out of his way to make the Indian's life miserable, but only when Buford wasn't around. And Baljeet wasn't the type to go running to Buford and complain. He had too much pride for that. So he suffered in silence at the 'accidental' elbows in his gut, the feet sticking out to trip him, the nasty insults thrown his way.
It was at that point that he really appreciated how tame Buford was in comparison.
Despite his nervousness, his worries about the almost kiss had been calmed. He'd finally made a decision on what to do. He was going to go over to Buford's house after the tutoring session and talk with him, and if things went well, maybe they could try for that kiss again. The thought sent a fluttering feeling through him and a light blush appeared on his face.
He felt a little bad, though. Because of how freaked out he'd been, he'd completely forgotten to tell Buford he wouldn't be able to walk home with him. He figured he'd be able to apologize later, but he'd wished he'd said something earlier. He didn't want Buford to think he was avoiding him because of what had happened. Or, what had almost happened.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Chris slumping into their biology classroom, bag slung over his shoulder casually. He really was a hulk of a boy. He was about the same size as Buford, but something about him made him seem much larger. Maybe it was the fact that he intimidated Baljeet so much more.
Glad they weren't alone because their biology teacher was still at the front of the classroom sorting out some work, Baljeet waited until Chris sat down beside him before clearing his throat awkwardly. "I-I was told you needed help with genetics...?"
He received a grunt in response. Finding his mouth dry, Baljeet opened his biology book and tried again. "What is it you need help with, exactly?"
"Don't act so fucking high and mighty," the blond boy hissed so the teacher wouldn't overhear. "Just because you're such a fucking nerd, don't mean you're better than me."
"I-I was not-"
"I will make your life hell, Rai, just you wait," and he sat back with a satisfied smirk that made Baljeet think he knew something. Something Baljeet didn't.
"I... I will just start on the Founder Effect, then."
OoO
"Oh, hello, Baljeet!" Buford's mother greeted him when she opened the front door. "How lovely to see you! How are you, dear?"
Baljeet forced a smile despite his nerves. He was anxious about seeing Buford again and after the awkward tutoring session with Chris, he was feeling a bit frazzled. Even so, he tried to be as polite and friendly as he could. "Good afternoon, Ms Van Stomm. I am well, thank you. And yourself?"
"Just wonderful, thank you, my dear," the woman smiled brightly. She'd always liked Baljeet. "I assume you want Buford? He's upstairs in his room. You can go right up, I'll just warn him," she took a deep breath and shouted, so loud it hurt Baljeet's ears, "BUFORD! ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS IS HERE! I'M SENDING HIM UP!"
"T-Thanks," Baljeet told her, his ears still ringing.
"Not a problem, dear," she patted his shoulder before making her way into an adjacent room. "Have fun!"
Baljeet climbed the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding. He'd never been so nervous to see his bully before. Of course, nothing like this had ever happened before. If you didn't count the time they'd chased the sun around on the summer solstice when they were kids and had nearly reenacted the scene from The Lady and The Tramp. He tugged nervously at his sleeve. It had ink stains on it from when Chris had 'accidentally' broken his pen. How was this going to go? What if Buford reacted badly and told him to get lost?
He reached the familiar bedroom door and knocked hesitantly before opening it and stepping into the room. Buford was sitting up in his bed, the sheets rumpled around him, with one hand in his hair. The sight of him made his stomach twist. They stared at each other in silence before Baljeet closed the door and leant against it, looking down at the floor. Somehow he managed to find his voice.
"Did I wake you? I am sorry."
"It's fine," Buford replied. He sounded a little sleepy, but mostly awake. "What's up?"
"I..." Baljeet's voice failed him and he gnawed on his lip, hoping the pain would distract him. He felt like his heart was in his throat. What on earth should he say? He glanced up a Buford briefly, which only made things worse, before looking back down at the floor and forcing out, "I wanted to apologize for not waiting by the school sign for us to walk home together like usual."
He considered briefly telling Buford why he hadn't been there, but then he might ask who Baljeet had been tutoring. And everyone knew Chris Fraser was a jerk. Buford would ask if Chris had done anything, and no matter how much he lied, Buford would see right through him and then there would be a huge drama over 'bullies encroaching on other bullies' nerds'. He didn't want that, so he didn't elaborate any further.
"Ya don't have to say sorry, 'Jeet," he heard Buford say gruffly. Baljeet looked up to see him crossing his arms and looking uncomfortable.
Alright. It was now or never.
"Listen, about what happened second period..." he hesitated when Buford stiffened. Not a good sign. Regardless, he carried on, his words unsure. "Were you actually going to.. I mean, were you really...?"
He trailed off, feeling a lump in his throat. Buford looked like he was about to hit him or something. "Spit it out, Baljeet," the bully grunted roughly.
"Were you really going to kiss me?" he asked in a whisper, looking back down at the floor, feeling his face heat up in an intense blush.
There was a long pause and he felt his heart hammering. He wondered if Buford could hear it too. Eventually the other boy replied. "Yeah."
"Why?" Baljeet asked, glancing up to look at him. Buford was frowning slightly at him.
"You know why."
Baljeet pushed impatiently at a strand of hair in his face, feeling a smile pull at his lips. So Buford liked him back? Well, it wasn't very clear, but he assumed that's what the other boy had meant. He hoped it was what the other boy had meant. He felt an insane amount of happiness in response to this.
"In that case..." he pushed himself away from the door and sat down on the bed beside Buford, who had gone bright red and looked extremely uncomfortable. Baljeet had never seen him so vulnerable before. "I am sorry I pushed you away. I was startled."
There was a pause and then a hesitant smile flickered to life, causing Baljeet's chest to squeeze a little. "It's okay," Buford said softly.
"You have never acted this way before," Baljeet commented, smiling back. After spending so long denying his feelings, it felt good to acknowledge them. It felt even better knowing those feelings were returned.
"Guess I'm good at hiding it?" Buford replied, looking a little awkward.
Baljeet laughed, shaking his head. That was a bit of an understatement. He hadn't noticed Buford's feelings until today. "Very good," he managed through chuckles.
Eventually he went quiet and his eyes slid from Buford's guarded blue eyes to his lips. Maybe now would be a good time to do it. The larger teen didn't seem very keen to initiate another kiss, but maybe that was because the last time he had, he'd been pushed away. Feeling confident enough to try, the Indian leaned forward and pressed his lips against Buford's.
Despite the fact it felt like his entire body was about to explode with happiness, he was very aware of the fact Buford had tensed and was not responding. Baljeet pulled back and frowned, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Buford grunted and he seemed to relax a little. After a moment he took a breath and said, "you just startled me. You didn't have to pull away."
Hiding a tiny smile at this, Baljeet leaned forward again, kissing him once more. This time the kiss was a million times better. Buford was responding, a little hesitantly, but he was responding all the same. It sent tingles through every part of his body, reminding him of a fizzy lolly. It wasn't his first kiss (that had been Wendy back when he was a kid) and he decided to pull a move one girl had tried on him that had seriously intensified the kiss. He caught Buford's lower lip between his teeth and bit down gently.
He heard the sharp intake of breath and then Buford pulled back, blushing darkly and obviously struggling to breathe. Baljeet felt himself blushing too, wondering if he'd gone too far. Buford didn't look angry though, he looked stunned and a bit dazed.
He laughed softly, trying to break the awkward silence that surrounded them. "If someone told me six years ago that we would do that, I do not think I would have believed them."
And he wouldn't have. Back then, he'd been totally sure he was straight. It wasn't until he hit high school that he began to rethink that assumption.
Buford chuckled and leaned back on his palms, looking away to gaze up at the ceiling. He looked a little thoughtful, a little confused, and maybe a little guilty. Baljeet didn't really understand the last part but knew better than to pry.
After the silence had stretched too long, Baljeet began to get nervous. What if Buford regretted the kiss? What if he hadn't liked it? Taking a breath, he spoke, biting on his thumbnail. "So what now?" he glanced up at Buford, who had glanced down at him. "I mean, what are we?"
"What do you want us to be?" came the cryptic reply, one that annoyed Baljeet to no end. Still, he couldn't blame Buford. He'd never been in any kind of relationship before. He was bound to be nervous.
"Well..." he paused and gulped, decided to just go for it. "I thought maybe we could try... you know... being together?"
"As in dating?" Buford asked.
"Yes," Baljeet said nervously.
"Sure."
Baljeet felt himself smiling, elated. He couldn't believe it. Buford had actually said yes. Today really was out of whack, but it was certainly in a good way. He couldn't help but marvel at the fact that the day he admitted to himself that he had feelings for his bully, was the day they started dating. Maybe he'd been jinxing himself with his denial.
He leaned forward and kissed Buford again. It was just as good as it had been before, if not better. He felt his mind go into a daze, felt his stomach twisting in delight, felt his chest constricting. Everything was just so... good.
He moved closer and rested his hand on Buford's knee. He wasn't really thinking about what he was doing, and it certainly hadn't meant anything by it. It wasn't like he wanted to jump Buford right then and there, but the larger boy still recoiled, looking scared, vulnerable and confused.
Baljeet cleared his throat, not really knowing what to say. He'd seen a whole new side of Buford today, of course, but this was a really new side. He hadn't thought Buford would be the type to freak out at such a small thing. But that was okay, he didn't really mind. "I am sorry, we should probably go slow, as they say."
"That'd probably be best," the bully shrugged lightly.
"I should be getting home, my shirt is not going to wash itself," Baljeet pressed his lips to the larger boy's cheek, satisfied when he didn't flinch away, and stood.
"See you later, 'Jeet," Buford said softly, watching him.
"Goodbye, Buford," he smiled. He left and trotted downstairs, the smile never fading. Today had turned out just perfectly, so much so that it was almost too good to be true.
Buford sure had been acting out of character. Was it possible for someone to suddenly show so much interest in someone else? Only last week he'd been his usual grumpy self, who would rather punch Baljeet than kiss him. He'd never been very good at hiding things. Baljeet should have been able to tell if the other liked him, right?
He forced those doubts away. He'd been so preoccupied with denying his own feelings towards the bully that he simply hadn't noticed. He really needed to stop worrying about things, especially when things were looking up.
Buford's mother wasn't anywhere to be seen when he got downstairs so he just let himself out. After he'd closed the door behind him, he turned to see Chris Fraser sitting on the fence of the house opposite, smoking. Their eyes met and he glared, causing a shiver to go down Baljeet's spine.
He began to walk quickly to his own house, back stiff. When he reached the corner he glanced back to check he wasn't being followed. Chris was still on the fence smoking, but now he had his phone out. With a sigh, Baljeet rounded the corner and resumed walking to his house.
What had Chris been doing there? Were he and Buford friends or something? They had been on the same football team and they were both bullies...
Baljeet groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead, shaking his head. He has one of the awesomest days of his life and now he's getting suspicious over every little thing? He really got on his own nerves sometimes.
And he had the creeping feeling that something was not right at all about this situation. That something was terribly wrong.
Wonderful. Now he was going crazy, too.
Xoxoxo
I wrote that all in one go. It is now 2.30 in the morning and I have an exam in a few hours. I'm sorry if its really bad!
I hope you're getting the reference I put at the end of each chapter. Like, the closing line. I thought it was amusing. Poor Baljeet.
Reviewers get fizzy lollies! FIZZY LOLLIES!
