Cliché

Chapter Ten: Flirt

Author's Notes:

Everybody needs a Mark and a John. (people can dream)

Also I swear Nick's not an asshole, just impulsive.

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Unexpectedly, Leon ended up telling John about his worries as well. Mark pretty much convinced him to get another opinion and it ended up being useful advice.

"I see..." His friend stopped to think for a bit "I understand that it's hard to get out of the anxiety cycle, but look... I agree with Mark that you are not deluluing entirely here, but even if you are, I don't think it's that wrong?" He tried to search for the explanation to give "I mean, if you expect too much it might lead to a heartbreak, yes, but if you expect too little it'll just hurt you as well, you can't really stop feelings y'know. What I'm trying to say here is: if senpai does end up getting a girlfriend you... we can deal with that then, it's no use fretting over it right now, but it hasn't happened, so give yourself a break and I don't know... have some hope? Worst case scenario we'll be here with you. Best case scenario we'll be here with you as well."

And hell, if that didn't make the redhead a little emotional. It was also the first time he had heard John talking so much and so seriously. They didn't know each other for that long so the fact that his friend offered himself as a constant in his life, just like Mark, gave the taller boy a comfy sense of security. The whole speech worked wonders on uplifting his mood.

That night the three of them snuggled together again on a single bed. They watched a bunch of bad movies and series episodes. They ate ice cream and instant korean noodles. They complained about how awful what they were watching was. They fought about whose leg should be on top so they could be comfortable. They talked about their projects for the next few weeks. They heard Mark talk about his photography club, that he ended up liking a lot more than what he was expecting. It was well over midnight when they finally decided they should sleep because it was still a weekday. And then they slept, cuddled up with each other.

Leon decided that nothing could be that bad with those two to come back to.

—

"Leon?" John said as he yawned.

They were in the campus' cafeteria to get breakfast before class. Food trays in hand, they were choosing a table to sit.

"Hm?" A very sleepy Leon answered, his crutch almost slipping.

"Is that a duck following you?"

And there really was a duck waddling around the redhead's legs.

"Oh yeah, John this is Donald the Duck. Donald the Duck, this is John." Donald quacked "We're friends."

"Me and you or you and Donald?"

"Yes."

"Right."

Nevertheless to say that John was utterly unfazed by the bird following his friend. The guy thinks that even if it were a capybara it wouldn't surprise him. Nothing was too weird anymore, maybe he would achieve nirvana.

Mark was silent the whole time, too sleepy to participate in the conversation.

The three boys sat down and started eating. Donald was on Leon's lap as they kept chatting more, bodies filling with energy. Sometime after, the duck was on the table and Leon was giving him little pieces of the bread that he actually got just for the bird.

"Oh my god! Is that a duckie?!" A very excited high pitched voice sounded and they looked at the owner.

That was Pearl. Nick's ex. She had brown long fluffy hair, was petite, had a bright smile on her face and rosy cheeks from excitement. Leon cursed mentally at how adorable she was. Following behind her there were Nick and Henry looking puzzled at the animal.