Chapter 1
Can’t believe this, Yo scolded himself mentally, shoving his feet into his shoes and scurrying out of his dorm room, nearly sprinting down the hall to the stairs. Late for the second practice! What will the seniors say??
He hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before, what with still imagining ‘his’ P’Pha’s arms around him. Yo had had gone out to meet Pha with an umbrella since it was raining pretty heavily that night. Then his foot-in-mouth disease raised it’s ugly head, and he’d claimed that he was on his way to a 24-hr pharmacy for vitamins, and had just happened to be out there when Pha was. Yo could tell the senior hadn’t totally believed him. Then Pha insisted on accompanying him, and when Yo’s foot slipped on the wet pavement, Pha had caught him.
Yo swallowed hard at the memory - wincing slightly at the growing soreness in his throat - wishing they’d stayed like that longer. But good things always came to an end one way or another. Pha had helped Yo stand upright again, and then they continued to the closest drugstore, not mentioning the mishap.
He had to step to the side of the stairs, while still darting down them two at a time, nearly knocking into the person coming up. “S-sorry,” Yo stammered, not noticing who it was until he glanced over his shoulder with an apologetic look. Fuck, it’s P’Pha! Pha was staring down at him in an odd mixture of shock and disbelief - and was that awe? Couldn’t be. Yo kept taking the stairs two at a time, pushing the encounter to the back of his mind. He needed to get to the Star and Moon dance practice.
Yo glanced at his reflection in a window as he ran out the front doors. His eyes widened in realization.
I still have my glasses on!!
Since he’d kept his contacts in too long the night before, his eyes were way too sore to put them back in that morning. It didn’t help he’d accidentally fallen asleep with them still in, long with forgetting to get dried off from the rain - which explained his sore throat.
Yo wanted to run back to his room and hide until Pha forgot about what he’d seen. He knew that wasn’t possible, since he needed the practice. He ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could, heading directly for the hall they were rehearsing in. He may no have been in sports in high school, but he’d still done some running everyday, so he was decently fast. It helped that he liked to run.
What didn’t help was that his body was feeling heavy that day. He couldn’t understand it. It wasn’t like he’d eaten any almonds, which he was allergic to. He shrugged it off, entering the hall a few minutes later.
Not bad. From my dorm to the hall in ten minutes. That’s gotta be a new record, right? Yo shook the thought away as a senior stalked towards him, obviously upset with his lateness. “I’m so sorry!” Yo cried, waii-ing the senior. “I set my alarm last night, but it still didn’t go off! I had to run all the way here…”
The senior’s face softened slightly. “Alright. I’ll let you off this once. But,” she waved a finger at him in warning. “Try not to do it again, hm? You’re lucky you’re not the only late one today. Last year’s campus Moon hasn’t shown up yet, either.”
Yo waii-ed her again, feeling incredibly grateful he wasn’t getting an earful for his tardiness. Ming waved at him from across the room and Yo hurried over to him, getting into his spot next to Nate, th eScience Star.
“Alarm?” Was all Ming asked.
Yo sighed, nodding glumly. “Yeah…”
“You need a new phone my friend,” Ming was practicing some of the dance moves while they talked.
“I know that,” Yo said crossly, trying to mimic his best friend. “But dad said not yet.”
“Can’t yu get one on your own? What’s the big deal?”
“I don’t know what to look for. Dad’s always picked my phoen out for me.”
“How about I take you to get a new one tomorrow?” Ming suggested, placing his hand son his hips and smiling.
Yo eyed him warily. Something about that smile didn’t sit right…was Ming upset about something? “Um…okay. Sounds good to me.” He cocked his head, studying Ming’s face. “Are you okay?”
Something flashed through Ming’s eyes. “I’m fine. You, on the other hand…” he trailed off, glancing over at the doors. His smile turned teasing. “Are probably going to be eaten alive.”
“Huh??” Yo scrunched his face up in confusion. What the hell is that supposed to mean??
Ming came around Nate to stand next to Yo, grasping his chin and turning Yo’s face towards the doors. “Look.”
The crazy med gang was there in all their glory. Pha stood in the middle, gazing straight at Yo and Ming. On either side were Kit and Beam, both wearing shit-eating grins.
“Why are they staring at us?” Yo was bewildered. He shoved Ming’s hand away from his face, shooting him a look.
“Why do you think, Yo?” Ming gripped Yo’s wrist, dragging him off.
“H-hey! Ming!” Yo complained as Ming dragged him into the bathroom. “What are you doing??”
“Look in the mirror, dummy,” Ming laughed, pushing Yo towards the bathroom mirror.
Yo fumed to himself. He didn’t like being manhandled like that! He peered into the mirror, and instantly knew what Ming was getting at, heart sinking at the sight.
I forgot about my glasses…again, he moaned in his head.
“He probably couldn’t take his eyes off of how cute you are,” Ming was saying, oblivious to Yo’s inner turmoil.
I can’t wear these back out there! Yo bit at his lower lip in thought, looking around for a quick place to stash the glasses, but only until after the practice was over. Then he’d come back and get them. There! He opened the cabinet under the sink, taking his glasses off and stuffing them behind the cleaning supplies. No one will find them there, he thought happily.
“What’d you do that for?” Ming asked, wondering about his best friend’s sanity.
“I hate how I look in my glasses,” Yo was exasperated, giving Ming a ‘duh’ look. “I look like a freaking bug. I’ll come get them after practice.”
“Then get new ones,” Ming muttered, shaking his head and following Yo out of the bathroom.
“Why? Those may be an old prescription, but they still work just fine.”
“Get new frames so you don’t look like a bug,” Ming said slowly, as if he was explaining something to a small child.
Yo gave him a look that bluntly told him it wasn’t appreciated.
“Look, we’ll shop for new frames at the same time we get you a new phone tomorrow. Deal?”
Yo gave a put-upon sigh, but still nodded. If Ming thought it would help, then it probably would. Ming tended to be right about a lot of things. “Unh, fine.”
“Nong Yo!”
Yo turned, squinting slightly. His vision was blurry, though he could deal with it if it meant he wasn’t wearing those bug-eyed frames on his face. Ugh… “Oh. Hi, P’Kit, P’Beam.”
Kit leaned in closer, frowning. “Where’s your glasses??”
“What glasses?” Yo gave them his best clueless look. No way can I let them see me in those glasses again…how embarrassing!
Beam folded his arms, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “Drop the innocent act, Yo. We saw them on your face when we walked in.”
“Th-they, uh,” Yo licked his lips, thinking fast. “One of the earpieces fell off. I’m getting new ones anyway, so-”
“Oh, you want us to take a look at them?” Beam offered.
“N-no, that’s alright, P,” Yo stammered. No, no, no, I don’t want anyone looking at them!
Kit had an odd glint in his eyes. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”
“I’m sure!” Yo squeaked, ducking away. “Sorry, but I have to get back to practice!” He turned and promptly ran face-first into another person, causing him to stumble backwards and trip over his feet, falling on his butt. “Ooowww…” he hissed under his breath.
“Sorry, Nong.”
Yo stiffened at the familiar voice. Please, no…it can’t be… he peeked up through his eyelashes and bangs, inwardly cringing when he saw Pha standing there.
Dammit.
Pha held a hand out to Yo. “Here, it was my fault. I came up behind you without letting you know I was there.”
Yo reluctantly reached up, biting back a gasp at the electric feeling Pha’s touch caused to tingle up his arm. He allowed the older guy to help him to his feet then quickly snatched his hand back, cursing himself for the redness he knew was covering his face. “Th-thank you, P.” Before anyone could say anything, Yo darted back over to the lineup, planting himself between Nate and Ming. “New glasses, new phone, and something else,” he whispered at Ming.
Ming raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“New identity.”
Ming just laughed.
