“Ok, let me get this straight” Mark said, seated on Leon’s bed.

The three of them were in Leon’s and John’s bedroom, Leon was pacing around in underwear half listening as he nervously wondered what to wear. John was pretty much ready, fixing his hair in front of the mirror on the wall. Mark was ready twenty minutes ago and got bored waiting for them, so he went up to their room.

“You and Nick got detention for damaging the college’s property…”

“It was baseball! The ball just flew off!”

“... and then” Mark continued as if Leon hadn't said anything “ON DETENTION, which was cleaning the professor’s room, the two of you thought it would be appropriate to BET on who could balance a broom on their finger for longer, and you LOST so…”

“The professor opened the door when it was my turn! I was startled!” Leon said while zipping up his pants.

“... SO” Mark went off again not listening to Leon “you now have to pay for everyone’s drinks tonight at the A Random Bar, because that’s what you two decided to bet on”

“...” Leon said nothing as he tied his hair up in a half bun style.

“YOU DON’T EVEN LIKE BARS” Mark threw his hands up.

“Well If I had won I wouldn’t necessarily need to go right? I wouldn’t need to be there!” Leon cried out, embarrassed beyond what he could deal right now.

“You bet a lunch for jumping off the architecture building, but then you bet to pay a bar’s tab for everyone for balancing a broom?” John questioned, giving up on fixing his bangs.

Leon answered nothing.

“Can your introverted ass even last the entire evening there?” Mark spoke up again.

Leon cringed at the thought. He was not a very timid person per se, but he was an introvert through and through. Going to college was sometimes enough to wear him out entirely. He disliked places with lots of people and found no entertainment in going to bars and parties. The only reason people knew him right now was because of Nick and he really wished to just disappear sometimes.

“...I’m a man of my word” He said through his teeth.

The trio finished up getting ready and left the dorm together. The walk up to A Random Bar was a short one, the owner knowing very well the profit for keeping a place like that close to a university. In no time they were inside of it, some loud music playing and some people scattered around dancing and drinking already. It was still quite early so not a lot of people had arrived and yet…

“This is hell” Leon buffed out.

Mark rolled his eyes and John just giggled, walking up to get a table for them.

—

A good one hour had passed and Leon could not want anything else but to go home.

 He could be watching a series, he could be learning a new choreography, he could be reading, he could be playing online, he could be rolled up on his bed… But instead of all that he was seated with a glass of something disgusting that he risked getting on the counter but could not gulp down, looking at a bunch of people passing by and listening to music he was not interested in.

John had disappeared some time ago when he got up to get a drink and was abducted by some girls. Leon could hardly blame them, John was quite a cute guy. While also being quite plain, John had an easy smile, was good at conversations and his bowl cut inspired hair was actually trendy on a face like his. He was friends with a lot of people from different majors.

Mark was hanging close to their table, but he was dancing with some guys he fancied, drink in hand, his face was a little reddened while he flirted confidently with his target. His oversized clothes, as Mark always liked wearing them, made him look petite but stylish, his beanie completing the street look he was going for and doing a good job at charming who he wanted.

Leon sighed. He didn’t relate to any of that, the simple thought of dancing with someone he never met before sent goosebumps all over him. The place was loud and hot, how could he even maintain a conversation with someone? His only comforting thought was that Nick was not there. Maybe the older boy had forgotten to go, even though he was the one who invited the entire faculty to mooch of Leon.

As if a thought could summon someone, Nick entered the bar at that very moment, much to Leon’s disappointment. And to top it off he just had to be looking handsome.

Of course he was wearing a foul leather jacket. Of course his quarter parted black hair, even more stylized than normal, had to be perfectly messy. Of course he was surrounded the moment he entered the place. And of course he flashed that dimpled smile to everyone who went up to talk to him. He always did. 

Except to Leon obviously. He frowned, deciding to gulp his drink down in one go, his throat burning with the alcohol. Tasted horrible. He looked around just to make himself more miserable, how was he supposed to pay for all these people? Why had he accepted such a stupid bet?

He looked Nick’s way one more time. Really, the guy was straight out of a k-drama: he had the looks, the skills, the brain, even the money. He had a fanclub for god’s sake.

Sighing heavily, Leon just wanted to go home and sleep. But he had lost the bet. Lost to Nick. God, he hated himself sometimes.

“There you are” Leon was startled. He looked to see who was talking to him, but he didn’t recognize the person. 

It was a guy, a good looking one, but Leon had no idea who he was. He must have made a confused face, because the guy laughed sweetly and took upon himself to sit beside Leon. Leon shifted on his seat, uncomfortable with the proximity.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” He asked.

Shyly, Leon shook his head.

“But I know you” The guy giggled “I always see you and Nick messing around” Leon wanted to bury himself in a hole and live there. “Are you two friends?”

“A-absolutely not” Leon cursed at himself mentally for stuttering.

“Oh” Something in the boy’s expression shifted a bit, but Leon did not see, he was looking at the table as if it could swallow him up. “Well” He kept going “You are very different than you look when you are with him”

Leon's eyes shot up at that. Looking straight into the other boy’s eyes he murmured “different how?”

The guy was startled for a moment, not expecting the sudden eye contact, but he recovered and smiled again, shifting closer to Leon’s discomfort “When you are with him you look more… aggressive? Should I say confident?” Leon really, really wanted a rock to fall on his head “But now you’re…” He stopped searching Leon’s face and nodded to himself “Shy?” He laughed timidly “I actually meant to say cute”.

Leon thought his head could combust. His eyes wandered down to the table again and suddenly he was very aware of his whole body up to his pinky where the guy’s pinky was touching. No way, no way, no way, was he being flirted with? It’s not like it was the first time, but he was never good at dealing with it like this. Was he messing with him? Was he serious? There’s no way –

Leon looked up and just a few meters up, was Nick looking right at him. The moment they made eye contact Nick eyebrows shot up at the scene and Leon felt his whole face burn. He knew he was probably very red.

Truth be told, Leon did not get red very easily. He did get shy a lot, but it was rare that it would show on his face, normally you would have to look at his ears, and they are normally covered by his long and messy hair. But at that moment, Leon inexplicably felt so humiliated that it showed.

He did not know if it was because he was in a place he disliked, or if it was because he lost the bet, or if it was that one drink he drank, or if it was the fact that this boy knew who he was and very likely was messing around with him, or if it was because Nick saw the whole thing. He couldn’t fathom the reason, but he felt very, very humiliated.

“I-!” Leon got up from his seat as fast as he could, giving the other boy a fright. “I’m going to the bathroom!” and he stormed out, not looking at the boy nor at Nick. 

—

“It was horrible!” Leon whined.

“Oh shush, it was just a flirt” Mark said. Both of them were in the bathroom now. Mark also saw the whole thing and followed after his friend.

“It was not! He was clearly making fun of me” Leon pulled at his own hair.

“No, he wasn’t, I heard the whole thing” Mark rolled his eyes.

“But–”

“Leon” Mark deadpanned “Why is it so hard to believe he was flirting with you? It’s not like you haven’t dated before”

“I mean, why would he?” Leon whined “He saw me and Nick monkeying around, why would he come up to me after seeing that?”

“So you do know you two look like idiots?” Mark deadpanned again.

“That is beyond the point” Leon said flatly “He called me cute! I’m 185cm tall! How is that not messing with me?”

“... a tall person can be cute” Mark murmured.

“But am I??” Leon lashed out.

Mark stopped to look at his friend “No”

Leon’s face fell “See? I–”

“You are freaking handsome”