He was floating in the darkness. It felt very peaceful and he just wanted to stay there.

“Leon”

A voice came from above. It resonated all around, but Leon pushed it away and let himself indulge in the silence and the darkness.

“Leon!”

The voice came back, louder this time, Leon felt a frown forming, but he breathed in and breathed out, and then it was peaceful again, he could just drift away–

“LEON!”

A white piece of something flew in front of his vision, and Leon sat up looking dumbly around him. He was groggy from sleep, his eyes barely opening, trying to focus on the pillow on his lap. That was the white thing, it was thrown at him. He blinked and looked to his side.

An almost naked John stood there, looking down at him patiently. Leon registered in his mind once again that his roommate was quite a cute boy. John had a pretty body, not too lean, not too strong, plain, if you will. The second thing he registered was that his friend was calling out to him.

“What?” Leon answered in a very husky voice. His head a bangging with a hangover, and he did not remember getting back to the dorm.

“I need help” John whispered, as if someone could hear them inside their own room.

“With what?” Leon asked, voice still low. Maybe his head would split in half.

“Getting dressed” John answered plainly.

Leon blinked at that, confusion rising up his face.

“Are you five?” Leon yawned and reached for the med’s bag on his nightstand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you have no recollection of yesterday?” John brought up his arms to his waist, but winced in pain. “You gotta take responsibility for my body”

Leon dropped all his meds on the floor. 

“I what?” Leon mumbled looking like a ghost was tap dancing in front of him. He tried forcing his spiraling head to remember the rest of the night before. He normally remembers everything, how can he not remember…?

John laughed out loud “Not that!” he laughed some more before wincing in pain again “Ouch, I think you splitted my back in half”

“I’m sorry, that is not sounding like it’s not what I’m thinking” Leon’s blood was still running cold.

“It’s really not” John chuckled once more. “Do you really not remember drunkenly falling on me in the bar then walking all over my back trying to get up? I think you also jumped?”

Leon stopped for a moment, his memories slowly coming back to him.

“... Never let me drink again” He said, also remembering he might have climbed upon a table.

“I promise nothing” John smirked. “Now help me, I can’t bend down or put my arms up, I’m basically a doll”

Leon gave him a guilty smile and got up from the bed after taking some headaches meds. Leon was also in his underwear, he wondered if he had taken a bath the night before. He would take one just to be sure. 

John’s shirt was on his bed. So Leon picked that up first and instead of going behind John’s body to put his shirt on like a sane person would, Leon just stood in front of him and motioned as if to hug the boy.

“Okay, give me one arm” Leon said, bending a little to prop his chin on John’s shoulder. John was used to Leon’s skinship by now, but from time to time he still felt wronged. Feeling his face flush a little he tried his best to stretch back his arm “Good” Leon slipped his hand in one sleeve “Now the other one” The taller boy stayed in the same position, just moving the shirt behind the shorter one to reach the other arm. 

But John could not move his arm back enough, his back hurt too much, as if it was gonna snap. Leon saw his struggle.

“Here, I’ll help support your back so you don’t have to put strength on it” And Leon just right up put his hand on John’s bare back.

I should remind you that both boys were wearing just their underwear and they were basically hugging. John was very aware of that fact, noticing Leon’s hand to be very big. Leon seemed to be too hungover to really care. John just smiled helplessly, feeling his face reddening, as he was finally able to put his arm inside the second sleeve with Leon’s help.

And of course, Mark chose that moment to barge into the room. Mark has their key, so he really, just, barged in. And the scene mentioned was before his eyes. Time seemed to still for a second.

“Are you guys dating?” Mark smirked, not failing to notice the blush on John’s face as he closed the door behind him, entering the room.

“Yes, we are eloping tomorrow” Leon answered, pulling John’s shirt up to his shoulders. John barked a laugh at that, the blush gone from his face.

“We are?” He said “I’ve got to pack” He laughed again.

Leon buttoned him up and turned back to pick up his pants. Mark plopped on Leon’s bed and waited, a knowing grin playing on his lips. John was curious about it but when Leon kneeled down right in front of him, and he understood.

“Ah…” He flushed right up.

“Give me your foot” Leon said, not listening to him. When John did not move, he looked up “You can hold on my shoulder if your back hurts too much” And John tried very hard to not look at the boy in front of him. Mark was rolling in silent laughter on Leon’s bed.

He did as told, he held onto Leon’s shoulder as he helped him dress each foot and pull his pants up.

“I-I can do the rest… You can go get ready” John said, not wanting to let Leon zip him up. He asked for help, but he did not know it was going to be like that.

Leon then murmured “Alright” Before stretching up and walking up to the bathroom. As the door closed, Mark’s snickers became louder.

“Am I bi?” John pondered, as he zipped himself up. Mark rolled with laughter. “Was that the same person as yesterday?”

John seriously wondered for some minutes while Mark calmed himself down. He came to the conclusion that he did not care very much either way.

“Don’t worry, you are not the first one to get confused like that” Mark giggled.

“Do I want to know?” John sat down on his own bed, wincing at his pain.

Mark did not answer him.

A little while later, Leon came out of the bathroom fully dressed and a little less hungover than before. Mark nagged at him as they got out of the room, saying how stupid he was for stepping on his friend.

“At least I helped him get ready” Leon hissed “What did you do, huh?”

“I brought him a carriage so he doesn’t have to walk!” Mark answered as showed them the wheelbarrow he parked right outside their door. It was pink and blue.

John decided at that moment that he wanted new friends.

—

They were wheelbarrowing John around university while they chatted as if it was the most normal thing in the world, John having long given up on feeling any sense of embarrassment. They ate breakfast at the canteen, went to class and hung around. People were staring at them from everywhere, but they barely noticed it.

That day was the start of the third month, and it was also the day the university clubs started receiving admissions. In the first two months, all the clubs were fixing up any pending stuff from the year before, and getting ready to receive the newcomers.

“I don’t actually believe you’re up to the dance club” John said as he was wheelbarrowed into the dancing club forming line.

“Well, I certainly did not expect you to sign up to this club as well” Leon raised his eyebrows.

“What? I don’t paint the dancer type?” John complained.

Leon looked at his friend, snugged on the wheelbarrow, looking quite comfy, and held back a laughter. John did not miss that.

“I’ll have you know that I have years of experience in dancing.” He humphed.

Leon looked him up and down once again, then with a looped grin he said.

“You dance kpop don’t you?”

John did not answer him, choosing to look at any point forward.

“Your years of experience are from dance covers, aren’t they?” Leon chuckled.

“Don’t underestimate kpop dance covers” John then said, feeling like he should stand up for himself.

“I don’t” Leon ruffled John’s hair, grinning “It was just unexpected, you are so plain and all”

“Well, you can go fuck yourself” John snorted a laugh and so did Leon. After some moments of silence he talked again. “Do you know what club Mark is signing in for?”

“Photography” Leon said without batting an eye.

“Huh?” John sounded genuinely confused.

“Yeah, he’s decided that since high school, his dad gave him his old camera and all” Leon explained as he moved the wheelbarrow some more to the front.

“Wow, I was not expecting that at all” John got lost in thought “He’s got all that Rock/Street vibe to him, I thought he was going for something like music”

Leon laughed “You’d think so right? But the guy can’t play a tune to save his life, he is astonishingly tone deaf” 

“So photography is his aspiration then, besides his major.”

“Oh, not really. He just thought it would be less time demanding and more practical, since clubs are obligatory in this university” 

“... Are you kidding me?” John was speechless.

“Nope, he’s a lazy ass for some stuff” Leon shrugged.

John felt like if he kept feeling surprised by his weird friends he would lose. He did not know what though. So he decided for acceptance.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for some minutes, just walking forward in line, until John noticed his wheelbarrow trembling a bit. He did his best to look back without hurting his back just to see Leon unconsciously shaking his legs.

“Are you excited or nervous?” John poked one tight.

“Both?” Leon frowned. John chuckled when he stopped shaking. “I chose this university because of the dance club, y’know”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they are kinda famous, I’ve watched all their presentations the years before. I really like them” A dreamy smile played on the boy's lips. “I even have a picture I took last year with the main character, maybe I’ll meet him”

“Fanboy” John affirmed and earned a little knock on his head.

Finally it was their turn to sign up on the makeshift table the senior’s had going on. A pretty girl with shoulder length hair was right at the front, welcoming the freshman. She smiled at them, completely unfazed by the wheelbarrow, and handed them the papers to the audition.

“The auditions will be one week from now” She said and pointed to the date and time on the paper. “We are giving you some time to get a choreography ready, but we’ll also be seeing some freestyling, ok?” She winked. 

Leon saw John fidgeting a little, seemingly wanting to ask something and so he got ahead and asked it himself. “Can the choreography be kpop?”

“Sure, just make sure to choose one that shows off your abilities” She said it simply “Right ahead you can write down your names with the club’s vice president” and she then turned around to greet the other students.

“Thanks” John murmured almost inaudibly. Leon just smiled.

When they got to the vice president, the boy had his head under the table, searching for something, but when he came up all the papers on his hands were dropped on the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Leon and Nick said at the same time, with the same disgusted expression on their faces.

“You are the vice president??” Leon couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“And just what is that??” Nick scrunched up his nose, pointing to the wheelbarrowed John. “If the two of you are here to mess around just go away, will you?” Nick raged out.

“We’re not messing around, he is hurt” Leon stood in front of his friend, failing to cover even half of the thing.

“Get a fucking wheelchair!” Nick threw his hands up “The university has those!”

“It does?!” Leon’s eyes went wide.

“Yes, you freaking birdbrain!” Nick yelled, but before Leon could retort, a very heavy closed fist descended on Nick’s head and he yelped.

“No picking on the newcomers!” It was the girl from before, her sweet expression entirely gone, a cold one on its place “You are making a scene”

“But Moonie!” Nick tried “Look at these shitheads!”

“From what I remember, Nick” Nick flinched at that “You showed up here on Cardcaptor Sakura’s rollerblades to make an impression, slipped and crashed the whole table” She said flatly, low enough for the other student not to hear, but high enough for Leon and John.

“Someone pushed me!!” Nick hissed, his voice also low, his face bright red.

Leon’s lips formed a thin line, doing his best to not laugh like a hyena. John was making his life harder by snickering audibly.

“Give. Them. The. Signing. Papers.” The girl Nick called Moonie bit every word, then came back to the other students with a renovated smile.

“Fine” Nick puffed out for no one in particular. He handed out the papers to them.

“See?” Leon whispered closer to Nick, bending down on the table to write his name. “It wasn’t that hard, was it?”

Nick felt his face burn, but he crossed his arms and stood tall, looking down at the younger ones. “It’s fine. There’s no way you are passing the audition anyways.” He blurted out, an evil grin forming.

Leon stood fully after hearing that. He and Nick were exactly the same height. He tsc-ed mentally at that and looked straight into the elder's eyes, placing the paper with his and John’s names between them “And what makes you think that?” He felt his anger burning.

Nick slowly placed his hands on the table, leaning his body forward to get his face closer. With the smuggest expression ever he whispered “Because I’m one of the judges, Rapunzel”.

Leon’s face fell and Nick laughed out loud at that. Leon was so shocked that he did not register being shooed away by the second-year nor did he notice making his friend bump into some people.

Dread was looming over his shoulders. He really had gotten into that university just to join that dance club and now what? His admission was in Nick’s hands?

God, he hated Nick. He was fucked.