Title: Rumor Has It

Rating: K

Genre: General; Humor; Friendship;

Characters/Parings: Cam, Lee, Biffy

Warnings/ Promises: None

Summary: Biffy commits social suicide. And Lee does, too.

Author's Note: Story has nothing in common with the song from where I stole the title.

Dedication: For Jessica499499 for day 3 of her birth month! Enjoy!

Rumor Has It

Lee was staring. He knew he was staring, and would probably get told off by someone soon about it, and yet he couldn't look away.

Biffy was sitting alone at his usual table, wearing his usual jacket, and usual cap but instead of the usual metal tray laden with just barely edible school food there was a red ball of yarn that had to be at least half Lee's size on the table in front of him, connected to two shiny new knitting needles cradled expertly in his hands.

To Lee it wasn't such surprising sight. He had seen Biffy sew, knit, and crotchet for months now. But the reason why he was so shocked was that he thought it was a secret. Lee wondered if Biffy had lost his mind. Because by doing this, showing off his unconventional skill, Biffy was committing social suicide by sewing needle.

"Hey, grandma, how about you knit me a sweater?"

It seemed like he wasn't the only who had spotted Biffy's "odd" behavior.

Lee wasn't sure who said it, but the roll of laughter that followed made Lee cringe inside. It was from Kimmie and her group.

"Dude, did you know about this?" Cam asked sliding onto the bench space next to Lee.

He wasn't sure what Cam was asking him. Did he know Biffy sew? Yes. Did he know Biffy liked to sew? Yes, he knew that, too. Did he know Biffy was planning on letting everyone else know? Then the answer was no, definitely not.

"Maybe." Lee replied, playing it safe.

"Man, your boyfriend is so weird."

"He's not weird," Lee defended, feeling his anger beginning to rise. What was the point of making fun of such a harmless hobby? "And he's not my boyfriend." He added that last part because he felt he had to, not because he wanted to. Even if Lee wasn't with Biffy the way he wanted, he still considered himself his friend, and just as he wouldn't accept the crowd heckling Cam or Holger, he wasn't going to stand by while Biffy was attacked either.

Without realizing he has stood out Lee secured his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his tray of school sanctioned food. Taking a big, deep breath Lee stepped over the bench and started making his way over to Biffy's table. Without saying a word Lee set his tray down across from the bigger teen and claimed a spot like he'd sat there every lunch for years.

"Hey, Biff, whatcha doin' this time? A cat sweater? A cat vest? A cat sweater-vest?" he asked before scooping some of the greenish-yellow slop from the largest section on his tray into his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Biffy's voice was low and cool. Like he was too bored to notice the scene he was causing. Lee thought he was going to get a slightly better reception, but as he looked around the room, he noted his sudden appearance was drawing even more attention than Biffy had before, which might have caused more damage than helped. But he was here now and it would be even more embarrassing if he moved again. So they were stuck with each other.

"Just-just checking in with main buddy, Biffy," Lee said, forcing a laugh.

"I don't want your pity, Ping."

"By the looks of things you could really use some," Lee said. "But if you wanna play it cool, then fine. Just pretend like I'm not even here," Lee replied and pulled out his 3DS and started playing a racing game.

"Sure, it's just like you've never existed and I always sit here listening to the sound of a ghost playing Mario Kart." Biffy replied, sarcasm dripping in every word.

"3D." Lee lightly corrected, grunting as he shook the device, uselessly trying to stop his character from slamming into a concrete wall as it swerved around a corner.

"Excuse me?"

"'Listening to the sound of a ghost playing Mario Kart 3D.'"

"Whatever."

"Hey, if you are going to be rude you should at least get the details right."

To Lee's great surprise, Biffy laughed. He heard his character die as he smashed into another wall, but didn't notice as his vision was filled with the look of Biffy laughing. Once again Lee was staring at his hulking friend in complete awe. Amid the noises of a crash all he saw was Biffy's face as the cheery sound. He had a great laugh, when it wasn't full of sarcasm.

"I'll do my best to remember that, Lee." Biffy promised.

And with that the tension in the room broke as Lee's stunned face formed a grin. It was the first time Biffy had used his first name. And while it wasn't much progress, he was still going to count it as such. It may even be enough for Lee to inquire what Biffy was thinking pulling this stunt off and not get punched in the face for asking questions. He would wait to test that idea in detention where Biffy would be more likely to speak to him in complete sentences.

Feeling better than he had since entering the lunch room Lee refocused on the hand held game console, restarting his game while Biffy continued working on his cat sweater-vest-thing. They both still received gawking stares and were the subject of many hushed conversations throughout lunch. Lee was sure the scene would be school wide news by the time the bell rang, but for once he didn't min. Because this time, there was nothing to defend against, and because this time, he had actively put himself into the grind of the rumor mill. Because this time, he wasn't alone.

Bramblerose4