Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 231: With friends

Chapter 231: With friends

"What... was that?" he breathed when Sky pulled back, stunned.

Sky also seemed surprised he had just gone right into it.

Sky didn’t answer with words. He stepped in and pulled Chris into a hug—gentle, grounding. His arms wrapped around him, and Chris, surprised, found himself falling into it.

He still wasn’t used to Sky just taking initiative out of the blue without any signs.

Sky rested his chin on Chris’s shoulder, and didn’t speak ay first. Chris wasn’t sure what to do so he just remained there until Sky eventually spoke, his voice a quiet murmur.

"Remember what I said last night?"

Chris could not wrap his head around what exactly Sky was talking about.

"I will do anything for you. Just... ask me. Okay?"

Oh.

Chris didn’t reply. He couldn’t. Words felt too small, too fragile for whatever had just cracked open inside him.

That was when the intercom buzzed, abrupt and mechanical, slicing through the moment like a blade.

That damn thing.

"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

Chris exhaled and gave a small nod, slowly pulling back from the hug.

"I’ll go see Wilson," he said softly, opening the door and stepping out of the room before Sky could find more words.

Sky stood in place for a beat, staring at the closed door.

His hand was still resting against it.

---

A few minutes later, Sky found himself walking quietly down the hall, drawn by the sound of voices—familiar, warm, almost too loud in his head after the stillness.

He stopped outside the room shared by Rain and Mei. Inside, he could hear laughter, the drag of a suitcase across the floor, a bag of chips being torn open.

He opened the door.

Silence hit like a brick wall.

All heads turned. Rain, Mei, Noel, Henry. Four pairs of eyes locking onto him at once.

Sky stepped inside like someone slipping into a sacred space with dirty shoes. He shut the door quietly behind him.

No one spoke.

Then Rain tilted her head slightly, voice softened with curiosity and a touch of concern.

"You look... better."

Sky gave a half-smile, tight around the edges. "I showered."

That earned a few snorts. Henry chuckled from where he sat cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with a deck of cards. Mei raised an eyebrow but said nothing, continuing to brush her hair by the vanity table. Noel leaned against the window frame, arms crossed, watching Sky like he was both a stranger and someone he’d known too long.

Sky hovered awkwardly near the door, unsure where to place himself in this already-formed constellation. The room felt warmer than it should have, not just from body heat but from familiarity—the kind that made outsiders feel even more outside.

"Come sit," Rain said, scooting over to make space on the edge of the bed. "You’re giving ’haunted hallway ghost’ right now."

Sky let out a short laugh, grateful for her usual sarcasm, and moved to sit, deliberately choosing the spot farthest from Mei, who was looking at him so intensely, he wondered what exactly he had done wrong. Was it because he impulsively traveled here. Or because his friends had been coming but he hadn’t invited her.

The air shifted.

"Is Chris okay?" Noel asked quietly.

Sky’s gaze flicked to him, and then to the others.

"He’s fine," he said carefully. "He went to check on Wilson."

"I mean generally," Noel clarified. "He’s had a super tough time."

"Uhm, yeah. He’s hanging in there." He responded awkwardly.

This was too awkward for him.

There was a moment of silence again, only broken by the soft ticking of someone’s phone vibrating on the nightstand.

Rain looked at him closely. "You and Chris... Are you guys good?"

Sky shifted, fingers tapping nervously against his knee.

"We’re... figuring things out," he replied, voice low. Honest.

It was one thing to admit his feelings to all these people when he was spiraling. It was another thing for him to be open about it when he is sane. At least, he believed he was sane now.

And this was not just Noel and Henry or Mei alone. It was everyone. Even Rain was here.

"Mm." Henry hummed. "Sounds like code for ’we had a fight.’"

"It wasn’t a fight," Sky said a little too quickly.

"You look like someone who almost had a fight," Henry offered helpfully. "Like someone who said ’it’s fine’ but actually meant ’I’m spiraling internally.’"

That made Mei laugh, and even Sky cracked a reluctant grin.

"Thanks, Dr. Henry. But we’re good. And I’m happy to see you all." Sky said in a light tone.

"Hell, we are happy to be away from there. It’s been chaotic—"

"Shut the hell up." Noel said, shoving Henry with his feet and the others turned to glare at him and he kept his mouth shut immediately.

Sky noticed it. They didn’t want him to mention whatever was happening back there in school.

"Is Chris bothered by my presence?" she asked gently, not accusing—just clear.

Sky shook his head. "He was just... surprised. I am too."

"Yeah," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "That’s his business if he was. I’m not letting you stay in a foreign place alone without your best friend by your side."

"Hey! I thought I was your best friend!" Henry complained.

"You can never measure up to me."

Sky smiled faintly, watching their banter, trying to keep up. This wasn’t unfamiliar territory—he’d hung out with them before. But now... now there was something different. Something tense behind every sentence.

But he was glad they were here.

Rain, ever the emotional ninja, clapped her hands lightly. "Okay, well, breakfast is in five. Let’s go down before Wilson starts grumbling about something again."

And they did. As they all filed out of the room, Rain glanced back at her twin brother. They exchanged a look. One that was unreadable and at the same time, filled with meaning. Then she gave him a gentle smile. He returned it.