This is a companion to Keeping Secrets. I don't know if I'll continue it into Revealing Secrets (and Justifying Secrets) but I really felt like doing this.

Also, my first time at writing first person point of view so bear with me, okay? It's only at the start of each chapter, but still. It's so much harder to capture Baljeet's character when it's first person. So... OOC-ness! Yay!

Xoxoxo

I am not really sure when all of this started. If you wanted to be totally specific you could say it started with Chris Fraser's little mission. If you wanted to be annoying about it you could say it started when I first met my bully. Or when I was born. Or when the earth was made. Or when the universe was created.

But I suppose if I had to choose a starting point, I would choose the day I was almost kissed by my childhood bully. I do not know if I can really call him my bully at this point, and he has pretty much laid off me since we were kids. Sure, he still called me names and the like, but things slowly turned from Bully and Nerd to frenemies. But that is not really the point, is it?

I guess I will go right to the beginning. The start of that fateful day. Well, okay, I am not going to start at the point I wake up because that is not really interesting. No one wants to know about how I get ready in the morning, right? So we will just skip that part.

Here is how it started.

OoO

Baljeet squinted as he made his way down the street, the early morning sun hurting his eyes. One of his hands was settled on top of his overflowing bag, making sure nothing fell out, while the other simply swung at his side. He was in a good mood that day- he was doing well in all his subjects and he'd recently gotten back a math test and saw he'd managed an A+, not that he was worried. He always did well in math. Everything seemed to be going right for him these days.

Except for...

His eyes landed on the figure a little way down the street, standing next to his mailbox with his arms crossed and a troubled expression.

Buford. Yeah, except for him.

Everything was beginning to get a little weird around the guy. Baljeet didn't know when it started. His mind still thought of him as the infuriating bully who attached himself to the Indian when they were children. His body now thought of his as a seriously attractive human being, and it was constantly urging Baljeet to do some seriously bad things.

So yeah, it wasn't like he had a crush. It was more of a "I would seriously do him" if you wanted to put it crudely. Not that Baljeet would have sex with him, because that was something you were supposed to do when you were in love.

He tried to act as normal as possible, but it was a tough thing. He didn't think Buford suspected anything, really, but it was only a matter of time, right? And then the bully would be downright disgusted and leave. And then he'd lose a best friend and a protector, because everyone knew Buford would beat the shit out of anybody who touched Baljeet.

Trying to keep everything as normal as possible, Baljeet finally reached where Buford was standing and smiled up at him. "Good morning, Buford. Did you sleep well?"

The larger boy looked a little annoyed for a moment before it passed and he smiled. Odd.

"I slept alright, could have done with a goodnight text though," he reached out and nudged Baljeet's side with his elbow, sending a blush straight to the boy's cheeks. "How come you never do that? I hear Ferb texts Phineas goodnight every night, and they sleep in the same freakin' room."

Even more odd.

The brief touch had affected Baljeet more than he let on. Coupled with the words, he was seriously confused. Buford being nice? This was just too weird. The squirming feeling in his stomach that made him feel like there were snakes living in there urged his mind to shut up and take advantage of it. His mind, in return, cringed and stamped those urges down before he forced a grin and returned the elbow nudge. "I did not realize you wanted me to. But if you wish, I shall do so tonight."

"Sounds great, shrimp-" Buford cut himself off and gritted his teeth before saying, "I mean, sounds great, 'Jeet."

Was it just him, or was today completely out of whack? Perhaps Phineas and Ferb had created some kind of device that boosted people's moods and forgot to mention it.

"You seem to be in an uncharacteristically good mood today," he commented as they began to walk. "Any particular reason?"

"I've been... ah..." Buford cleared his throat awkwardly and Baljeet brought his attention from the ground to his face. Was that a blush? "I've been missing our alone time together, you know? We're always surrounded by other people."

Well.

He was in a good mood. Usually they'd be trading insults by now.

He grinned, feeling tingles in response to the words and ignored them just the same. Attraction. Not a crush. Attraction.

Not a crush.

Upon arriving at school Buford seemed distracted, and apparently his mood had darkened because he began to scowl. Before Baljeet could even comment on it they parted ways. Eventually it slipped from his mind. First period was math and he was looking forward to it.

He was there early as usual, sitting in his designated seat with all his pens and his calculator and such set out before him, ready to get to work. Normally he'd be taking advantage of the time to get some studying done, but he couldn't really concentrate, his mind too occupied with Buford's strange behavior. It was so typical that Buford managed to distract him, even when he wasn't in the room. What had gotten into the bully?

Phineas arrived about five minutes before class and he slung his bag on the desk beside Baljeet, smiling brightly. "Heya, 'Jeet, how's it going?"

"It is going well, thank you," he replied as normal. This happened every day and it was customary for them to get the small talk out of the way before they really had a decent conversation. "And you?"

"Really awesome, actually," Phineas pulled out his books and pens and such, setting them on the desk. He didn't pay much attention to where he put them, unlike Baljeet who had to have a perfect little place for each object. The messy way Phineas' things were organized made the Indian twitch in annoyance, but he forced himself to ignore it and listen to the redhead's words. "Ferb and I already whipped up the blueprints for our latest invention and we're going to get started on it after school."

"That is great," Baljeet smiled. "I wish I could help out, but I have an after school tutoring session," he paused and tilted his head, watching as Phineas absentmindedly doodled a picture of a platypus on his book. "I was wondering, have you made some sort of mood-enhancing device lately?"

"No, why?" Phineas glanced up, blue eyes questioning. Baljeet frowned at his response. If it wasn't because of Phineas and Ferb, then what had gotten into Buford?

"It is just Buford has been very out of character today," the boy leaned against the back of his chair, fiddling with his pen. "You know how he is in the mornings. Always storming around with a sneer on his face. But today he was all smiles and kindness as we walked to school. I have no idea what is up with him."

"You're right, that is weird," Phineas erased part of the platypus' leg and started to re-draw it. "Maybe something happened to make him really happy. Like his mom gave him an awesome video game or something."

Baljeet made a noise to show he was thinking about the idea before shaking his head. "No, even if something like that happened, I do not think he would act so... well... nice to me. I would expect even a little playful banter, but he did not even call me one name."

"Well, maybe you should just ask him," Phineas suggested with a big grin.

"I already did," Baljeet frowned. "He said, and I quote 'I have been missing our alone time together. We are always surrounded by other people'. What on earth possessed him to say something like that?"

"I think you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, 'Jeet," his redheaded friend smiled brightly, just as the teacher walked in.

"What does that even mean?" Baljeet groaned, and Phineas chuckled in response.

The rest of the lesson was spent forcibly pushing away thoughts of his bully and trying his best to pay attention. After all, it wasn't like he had a crush or anything. It was just simple attraction, and that he could deal with. That he could ignore until it passed. A crush would just be bad news for everyone.

Math finished quickly and Baljeet said a fast goodbye to Phineas before hurrying over to the other side of the school where the gym was located. Buford had bullied him into taking PE when they'd had to choose subjects at the end of last year, otherwise there was no way he would have chosen it as a subject. He wouldn't go so far as to say he hated it, but he certainly didn't enjoy it. He was the one of the smallest in the class, and that included all the girls. It was humiliating.

He was one of the first into the changing room. Thankful that the only other people in there weren't likely to give him any trouble, he slipped into a toilet stall to get changed. He wasn't about to bare his scrawny body to all the other boys. They'd probably laugh at him. He pulled out his PE uniform and got changed. It took longer than it would if he were outside because the stall was cramped and he had to be careful not to drop anything into the toilet (which would just be disgusting), and by the time he emerged Buford was there, already changed.

Baljeet gave him a smile and set his bag down beside Buford's. He knew it was safe- the bully was weirdly protective over his 'nerd' and anyone else doing something mean to him ended up having a short but sweet affair with Buford's fist. No one messed with either of them.

Ignoring the way he had to fight down a blush just at their close proximity, he started towards the door and Buford followed. They exited the changing room and headed towards the gym, where their teacher was waiting.

To his immense relief, the woman had noticed the lack of comradery in the class (really, what did she expect? They were teenagers. They naturally hated each other) and had decided to organize a few trust exercises. Thank goodness, he wouldn't have to make a fool of himself by doing something strenuous, like laps or something. He hated physical exercise. He mouthed a small prayer that he'd be partnered with Buford. It wasn't like anyone else in the class was friendly with him, and he really didn't want to have to trust them not to do something stupid.

Although Buford would probably do something stupid just to annoy him. He loved getting a rise out of Baljeet.

But then again, he had been acting weirdly today. Would that affect anything?

The teacher read out a list of who would be partners with who, and Baljeet listened closely. "Van Stomm with Rai, Fraser with Chang..."

Relief washed over him. He'd be with Buford. He still wasn't necessarily sure that was a good thing, but it was still better than anyone else in the class. Their teacher clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Alright, listen up! We're starting with the basics here, people. I want you to take turns at blindfolding yourself, falling backwards and letting your partner catch you. I realize some of you don't have the physical strength to hold up a teaspoon," at this point she looked pointedly at Baljeet, who felt his face heat up. Well, it wasn't his fault he was taking this stupid class. She could blame Buford for that. "So if you really feel like you won't be able to do it, you can skip this exercise."

Oh, good. He wouldn't have to collapse under Buford's weight because his arms were like twigs. Not that he would mind being trapped underneath his bully and-

Okay, he did not just go there. Baljeet cringed at his own thoughts. They were getting worse.

The teacher threw an armful of blindfolds into the middle of the large room. Figuring Buford would be too lazy to go grab one, he did so himself, bringing it back with a hesitant smile, wondering how the bully was going to treat him. "I do not think I will have the strength to catch you, so I shall sit out on that particular exercise."

He put the blindfold over his eyes and struggled to tie it up behind his head. His fingers kept slipping and he felt a little nervous just standing there, temporarily robbed of his sight, in the middle of a group of people who would probably love to shove him around a bit. "But you still have to catch me," he added warily, hoping Buford would reply so he'd have some idea where the boy was. His fingers still struggled with the tie.

He heard a frustrated grunt right behind him and then felt rough fingers pulling the ends of the blindfold out of his grip. "Here, let me do that," Buford muttered.

Baljeet froze in place, his mouth going dry. The imagined snakes in his stomach writhed all the more. His eyes clenched tightly shut behind the blindfold, the Indian waited for him to finish, hoping no one could see what would be a very obvious blush on his cheeks. Just attraction, just attraction...

"Alright," Buford said eventually, and his hands vanished. "Done. Can you see anything?"

Baljeet swallowed with difficulty, trying to find his voice. He did open his eyes, but the material of the blindfold was thick and there wasn't even any light getting through. He was practically blind. Forcing himself to speak, he replied, "not a thing," and swallowed again. "I am starting to get a bit nervous."

An understatement. He had started to get nervous way before that moment.

"Don't sweat it," Buford sounded a little frustrated and he let out a sigh. Baljeet could hear him moving around behind him. "I'm not going to be a dick and let you fall."

He wasn't entirely convinced of that.

A voice ripped through his thoughts, right in front of him. "Hurry up you two," it was the teacher, and it made Baljeet jump in fright. "Or it'll be laps for the both of you."

"S-Sorry!" not wanting to have to spend the rest of the period running, plus the fact his heart was still pounding from the shock, he threw himself backwards rather than just falling back. A second went by and he felt no arms encasing him. His stomach dropped and he almost felt sick. No one was going to catch him.

And then he was caught. Buford's strong arms wrapped around his waist snugly, pulling the smaller boy against his chest and keeping him there. "Don't worry," came his soft voice in Baljeet's ear. "I've got you."

He could hardly breath from how close they were. His heart was hammering like crazy, even worse than when their teacher had given him a fright. The snakes were gone, replaced with a thousand butterflies. The thought made him crinkle his nose. How cheesy.

Buford pulled away and Baljeet took off the blindfold, turning to face his bully. No doubt his face was bright red with embarrassment and other things he dared not think about. Buford looked about as awkward as he felt. "Ahh, thanks," he cleared his throat.

"No problem, shr- er, 'Jeet."

Baljeet frowned as the bully glanced away. There was definitely something going on that he didn't understand, because Buford had never acted like this. He was curious and tempted to find out more, but at the same time he knew it wasn't really any of his business. Besides, he should probably just enjoy that fact that the larger teen was actually being nice for a change and not throwing insults at him.

"Alright, you punks!" their teacher shouted. "Everyone outside onto the field where the Trust Course is set up! Bring your blindfolds!"

Baljeet joined in with most of the class as they groaned. It was freezing outside, and they were dressed in flimsy shorts and t-shirts. They all followed the teacher outside anyway, because really, what could they do? The course looked pretty daunting from where he was standing. He doubted he'd be able to complete it.

"For this exercise," the teacher started. "One of you will run the course blindfolded. You will have to rely on your partner's shouted instructions on where to go and what to do. This will be the ultimate test of trust," she paused as arguments immediately broke out and let out an annoyed sigh. "I will choose who runs the course and who doesn't!"

Unfortunately for Baljeet, he would have to be the one running the course. Why was it always him? And he'd have to be blindfolded. Again.

With a barely audible groan, he made his way to the starting place and pulled his blindfold back on. It was a lot harder to do so when Buford wasn't there to help him, but he managed it eventually. He knew that the bully would be close by so he'd be able to hear his instructions, but that wasn't much of a comfort. He was extremely nervous now. He didn't know how he was going to get through this.

"GO!"

Baljeet held out his hands in front of him so he wouldn't bump into anything, taking a hesitant step. "Just go straight, 'Jeet!" he heard Buford call. "Go right! Right! YOUR OTHER RIGHT."

"You can not have an other right!" Baljeet snapped in response. As he moved, he knew Buford was moving with him, probably only a few steps away. The anxious butterflies were still there, but he felt more annoyed than anything, and the nervousness was just making it worse. Really, was Buford this dense? "It is called left, Buford, I would have expected you to know that since pre-school. And for the record- AH!"

For a second he thought he'd tumbled off the edge of something, because when he put his foot down it took a few seconds longer than usual to reach the ground. He stumbled but managed not to fall, outstretched arms shaking as he tried to calm his erratically beating heart. "Thank you for warning me," he muttered sarcastically to his bully. He wanted out. Now. This was getting too much.

"Sorry, 'Jeet," the other boy sighed. They continued like this for some time, the bully's instructions getting worse and worse. Baljeet began to get extremely frustrated. How hard was it to guide someone? All you had to do was say 'go left', or 'go right', or 'straight'. Add in a little 'there's a step in front of you, lift your leg higher' and things would be a lot easier.

Abruptly he felt someone grip his wrist so hard it hurt, and he flinched, trying to pull it away in panic. "For God's sake!" he heard Buford snarl. He relaxed a little now that he knew who it was. "Ya put your foot up here! That's all! It's not that freaking hard!"

Now there was the Buford he knew. Psychotic, angry and rude.

Miffed at the way he was being spoken to, but not brave enough to really complain, Baljeet followed his instructions and lifted his foot properly, satisfied when it made contact with what he guessed was a step. He could hear someone laughing in the background and it made him flush in embarrassment.

Buford's hand on his wrist slid down to entwine their fingers together. Baljeet flinched in surprise, his eyes widening behind the blindfold. The butterflies, snakes, whatever they were, went crazy. "W-What are you doing?" the Indian stuttered.

"What does it look like?" Buford snarled in response. "Leading you through this stupid course."

Now Baljeet was thoroughly confused. Sure, the bully's words were just like him, and so was his tone of voice. But his actions were strange. He didn't just randomly hold hands with people, especially Baljeet, when he could just as easily tug them along by the wrist, or arm, or even shirt. It didn't make sense. It made him uneasy.

It also made him kind of happy.

He stamped down that thought before it could go anywhere. He did not have a crush on this lunatic.

Buford let out a startled grunt and before Baljeet could question it he felt himself being yanked both forward and down at the same time. Buford let go of his hand but it was too late- he was already falling. He felt himself land on the other, letting out an embarrassing squeak as he did so.

"For fucks sake," he heard Buford groan close to his face.

Baljeet was trying desperately to push off him and failing miserably. It was so much harder when he couldn't see. Buford was strangely still, which was annoying. He'd have expected the boy to be shoving him off by now. Instead, Baljeet was still pressed against him, feeling his face heat up in a blush. Really, this was not what he needed right now.

He finally managed to place a firm hand on the ground and steady himself in order to grab his blindfold. With his vision returned, he'd be able to get off the other in no time. As his fingers touched the material he felt the other grip his chin harshly, and when he ripped off the blindfold, his eyes widened at the sight of his bully leaning forward, his intentions clear.

Acting out of pure instinct, Baljeet shoved against Buford's chest so hard that he managed to land on his arse a few feet away, in complete and utter shock. Had Buford really been about to... kiss him?

The thought made him blush and his stomach twist in a not-so-horrible way. He stared at the other boy with wide eyes, just as Buford was staring at him. What was he supposed to say? "W-What... I do not... h-how..."

Yeah, really articulate.

Buford got up and patted the mud off his shorts as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"CLASS IS OVER! GET INSIDE!" the teacher yelled.

Buford held out his hand to help Baljeet up. Overwhelmed, and sure he would end up doing something completely stupid if he took it, the Indian ignored it in favour of getting up on his own. Sure he was blushing and desperate to get away so he could think over what had happened, he raced towards the gym, running faster than he ever thought he could.

Buford had tried to kiss him.

Buford had tried to kiss him.

What in the hell was happening lately? Had the world gone insane?

Baljeet stumbled into his regular clothes once in the changing rooms (for once the first one there), tugging on the black jeans hurriedly and impatiently buttoning his white dress shirt. When he'd finished he peeked out of the toilet stall. Buford was in the room, yes, but his back was turned as he pulled off his shirt. Taking the opportunity, Baljeet slipped out of the room without being seen.

Once out, he raced out of the gym and made his way to his biology classroom, pressing himself against the wall right beside the open door, panting heavily. He felt safe and at home here. Biology was his favourite subject (besides math, of course) and hardly anyone hung out around this classroom, so he was alone.

He pressed a hand against his chest, his heart still erratic. Something in him had broken the moment he realized what Buford was doing. He was a complete and utter idiot.

Of course he wasn't just attracted to the bully.

Of course he had a crush on him.

Of course romantic feelings were involved.

Almost being kissed had made that clear to him. The problem was, what was he going to do about it? Buford's actions indicated he was liked back, of course, but this odd behavior had only started today. Yesterday he'd been his normal angry, rude self.

Perhaps he did like Baljeet and he'd decided in the morning that he was going to kiss him. That would explain the recent odd behavior and the attempted kiss. But he wasn't entirely convinced this was the case. He didn't know what was going on and he hated being confused. But one thing was for sure.

He was dreading what would happen when he saw Buford again at lunch.

Xoxoxo

So, I was heavily relying on the second chapter of Keeping Secrets to write this, and I realized I wrote "Bujeet" instead of "Baljeet" at least once in there. Why do I always do this? I'm sorry. I also got Buford's surname wrong a few times. Oops.

Anyway! I was actually very excited to write this. It was interesting to delve into Baljeet's mind and see why he acts the way he does in Keeping Secrets. We can also have some things explained that weren't very clear (but that will probably come later).

I know most of you will probably be annoyed at me that I'm starting yet another story when I have so many others just waiting to be updated. But the great thing about this one is that I don't need Ashlee to plan it. Because, you know, it's pretty much just Keeping Secrets. So I can write this when Ashlee hasn't finished any plans for any other stories and I have no obligation to update those.

Like right now. But I'll forgive her because of exams going on. Uh oh, biology tomorrow. Not looking forward to that. I love biology but the latest stuff we've had to learn is so confusing :( I'm pretty sure I don't get it at all. Cue intense studying before the exam!

Thank you for reading and leave a review, yeah? I'll be ever so grateful!

Reviewers get peppermint slice! PEPPERMINT SLICE!