The students milled about the classroom, everyone unsure where to sit. Kevin trudged to the back and sank into an open desk. Besides a few guys from the football team, the Ed's were the only people he knew well enough to call "friends." The very thought made him snort through his nose.

Kevin let his eyes wander the room. He looked to a large glass cabinet tucked in the right corner, stocked with beakers, glass viles, goggles, and other seemingly fragile items. A large, framed picture of the periodic table hung on the opposite side of the room. There were even a few girls whose milky white thighs peeked out from beneath tantalizingly short skirts.

And yet, in spite of his efforts, his vision continued to stray to the front row. Though their backs were to him, he could tell that Double D and Eddy were bickering back and forth. He was able to catch a few snippets of their conversation- something about "optimal learning opportunity" and "brown-nosers." Figures that Double Dweeb would wanna sit in the front row. That'll put Dorky right under the teacher's thumb; not that Edd'd let him get away with jack-shit anyway. The thought made him chuckle. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to notice he was no longer alone.

"Ah, amour..." drawled an unfamiliar voice by his ear.

The redhead froze on the spot as ice coursed through his veins. Oh. Shit. Okay Kev, stay cool. Just play it off. Nice and cool. Unfortunately, Kevin had never been one for rationalizing his anger; so he wasn't entirely surprised with himself when he balled his fists and grit his teeth. He turned around in his seat slowly, ready to deck whoever had spoken.

A pair of gleeful amber eyes met his gaze.

"What's cookin', good-lookin'?"

He immediately wanted to knock that coy smile off of the kid's freckled face. "What the hell are you lookin' at?" The other boy was entirely unfazed by his threatening tone. He leaned in close, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

"C'mon, dude, you were totally checkin' the little guy out!"

A wave of nausea washed over Kevin, his face a mixture of horror and repulsion.

"EDDY? ARE YOU FUCKIN' CRAZY?!" The entire room fell to a hush as all eyes turned to Kevin and the green-haired kid. Even Double D and Eddy had stopped their fighting to witness the scene unfolding behind them. Eddy narrowed his eyes at Kevin, whereas Double D's were confused and, perhaps, even a little concerned.

A loud guffaw cut through the silence. Before he could protest, the mystery kid slung an arm around Kevin's neck and reeled him in so that they were practically cheek-to-cheek. "This guy, huh? What a riot!" While a few students still wore unasked questions on their faces, most of the class returned their attention to their respective cliques. Only a few moments later, a harried man wearing enormous glasses rushed through the door, leaving a trail of loose papers in his wake.

"Ah! Good morning class! I'm Mr. Troy, and I'll be your Chemistry teacher for the semester. Please, please, everyone take a seat and we'll begin." Students who were still hovering around the edges of the room dropped down into the nearest available desks.

As Mr. Troy rifled through his notes, the nameless boy released his hold on Kevin and reclined in the seat next to him. Kevin sneered.

"Touch me again, and I'll pound ya. Got it, dude?"

The kid chuckled, cupping his chin in his hand.

"Ouch! And here I thought we were getting along so well," he poked his tongue out the corner of his mouth.

Kevin sat forward in his chair, resolved to tune the other boy out. He half-listened to Mr. Troy as he reviewed the safety rules while working in the lab. However, the other half of his brain was still puzzled by his classmate. The guy is weird. Just watchin' me... while I was lookin'... at... He shook his head. I mean, he did kinda' save me back there when he jumped in like that. Kevin looked at the kid from the corner of his eye.

It was as if a flip had switched. The kid was watching him, but in a much less obvious way. His eyes would drift to Kevin and then back to his desk, his face somber. All of the light seemed a little dimmer where he sat.

"I'm sorry, man," the boy kept his head down. "I didn't mean to embarrass ya. It's my first day and... I dunno... I guess I was just looking to make a friend." His voice was almost inaudible by the end.

Kevin turned toward him for a moment before he raised his fist. The other boy didn't even flinch, ready to accept the blow. When no blow came, he glanced back at Kevin. His fist hung in the air.

"You gonna bump it or what, man?"

The kid smiled and touched his fist to Kevin's.

"So, you got a name?"

"The name's Nathan. Nathan Goldberg," he popped his collar and winked. "But you can call me Nat."

By the time school let out, Kevin had learned way more about Nathan Goldberg than he needed- or cared- to know. However, the tables turned once they reached Kevin's locker.

"What was up with the googly eyes earlier? You were doing some serious fawning there, my man. Who was it?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." When Kevin stuck his head inside his locker, Nat pawed his shoulder and began to whine.

"C'mooon, I already told you I'm pan. No judgment here. Spill!"

Kevin shook him off and continued to hide in his locker. "Just drop it, okay!"

Then came a quiet sigh. He peered around the locker at the sound. The teen shamelessly clasped his hands together and pouted like a kicked puppy.

With a groan, Kevin slammed his locker shut and dragged his hand down his face. "Fine," checking both ends of the hallway, he spoke in a lower voice, "But I swear to God, if you say anything..."

Nat raised both hands. "Gotcha. Sooo... if it wasn't shorty, who was it? Beanie boy?"

"..."

"Ooooh, so it is beanie boy!"

"Ssshhh!" the football player clamped his hand over Nat's mouth. "His name's Edd! Er... Double D." A cold, wet tongue licked Kevin's hand. He immediately pulled his hand away to wipe it on his jeans, shooting Nat a withering glare. Nat's Cheshire grin grew impossibly wide.

"If you don't mind my askin'-"

"Hasn't stopped you so far."

"- Why all the secrecy? You're a total stud-muffin!"

"Look, I dunno what I'm feelin', okay? He's just some dork from my neighborhood. And he's a guy." Kevin clutched his head. "I guess he... he's really smart, and he's got these eyes, and this damn gap in his teeth, and... and..."

He bit his lip. Hard. "It's nothing. I'll get over it." He began to back up towards the exit. "Look man, I gotta blow. I'll catch ya later." And then he was gone.

Nat gave a whistle.

"Geez, dude's got it bad."

Author's Note: Okay, first thing's first. Nat belongs to the lovely c2ndy2c1d. She is an amazing artist, so funny, and very, very nice. Her art is what sent me spiraling down this ship (and a few others I will refrain from mentioning *cough*). Now, truthfully, I wanted to refrain from including any OCs in this story. But as I got to thinking, I realized that Kevin wouldn't just accept his feelings for Edd, no matter how much history they might have between them. He would probably need someone to give him a push. Why not Nazz or Rolf? They know Kevin too well and have their own expectations about who he is and what he wants. But with Nat being a new kid, he would have a clean slate. Plus, knowing Nat is pansexual could make him more open to the idea that he is bisexual.

Why does he open up to Nat so soon? If there's one thing I love about Nat, it's that he is sincere. And being older and a little wiser, Kevin would likely recognize this. Plus, Nat has already caught Kevin red-in-the-face.

Wow, this is a long note. To wrap things up, I would like to thank everyone who has read the story so far. Each like, follow, review, and view means a lot to me (really). So thank you! I'll try to push a few more chapters out during the upcoming break. For now, though, happy holidays!