"Does anyone else know?"
"Not yet. I told my parents- kind of- last June, but we agreed to just drop it."
"They didn't like it?"
"Yeah, no. I don't think there's anyone else like us in all of Ohio, man. God's forsaken us, specifically."
Mayflies turned his gaze back to the fields and contemplated this.
"There have to be others somewhere."
KC laughed and smiled weakly. "Yeah. But they aren't here, are they? Its just us, man."
Mayflies nodded and returned the smile.
"I just... I can't let anyone at school find out. I've got it easy with my name, but if my parents find out that everyone at school thinks I'm a guy, they'd kill me, man," KC sighed and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket. "And I just, I don't know. I feel like my problems keep stackin up. One after the other and I can't keep up, May."
Mayflies frowned and helped KC light his cig. "Tell me about your new problems?"
KC snorted and elbowed Mayflies playfully.
"You don't havta be my shrink, bro, you've got enough problems on your own."
The goblin shook his head. "I want to know, maybe we have the same problems. Or maybe I can solve the ones you can't?"
KC looked uneasy and faced forward. He took a drag and coughed. "Okay, alright," he paused, "So um, did you hear about that stuff that happened a couple years ago? The riot the queers started in NYC?"
Mayflies nodded vigorously.
"Well- I was thinking about that, and the things I... have been noticing. I used to think it was normal because I was a girl- except I'm not and now it's not normal-- and why do I have to be all these things at once?"
KC clenched his eyes shut and brought his knees up to his chest, overwhelmed. Mayflies reached over gently and moved the boy's hair from his face. Blue eyes peeked out from behind the blonde curtain.
"KC, none of this makes you bad. You're just different. Both of us are," he rested one hand on his friend's cheek and the other on his knee. "But we're both gonna be okay. You don't have to tell anyone. When we're older we can move far away from here and be happy. We just have to get through now."
KC nodded, his head sinking heavily. He took a deep breath and let it out. He nodded and looked up at his best friend.
"Yeah, I know. I can wait, its just so hard to hide. What are the odds I'd end up being this and a faggot, huh?"
Mayflies chuckled and sighed with him. He sat back beside his friend, who passed him the cig.
"So, you like boys?"
KC hummed and nodded. "I think so, but I've only ever dated one guy, and he was kind of a dick. But I only ever crush on dudes, and chicks just don't do it for me."
He shrugged and set his face in a line.
Mayflies could tell be was ashamed, still.
"I think I do, too."
KC coughed suddenly. "What??" He whipped his head around.
Mayflies turned, letting the smoke leave his lungs.
"I think I like boys, too. And girls. I like both."
KC was locked in on the topic now.
"You do? Wait, who knows? Have you told anyone?"
Mayflies shook his head. He passed back the cigarette.
"I don't see why I should have to tell anyone. They're my feelings, after all."
His friend nodded and pondered it.
"Yeah- no, you're right. I agree."
Mayflies hummed contently and laid back on the roof.
"Are you worried about it?"
"In what way?"
"Like, yknow, getting sick or people finding out, its... hard."
"I guess I am. But I don't think I'd care to tell people even if I could. It feels like something precious of mine. Something meant for me to know and only for those that I choose to share it with."
KC couldn't find a response. How could Mayflies be so calm about this? Wasn't he scared? He was jealous.
